Winter, Day 25 - In-Between (Sanzu-no-Kawa)

 As Inari had done during the investigation of Mistwood, so too did they do for their travels to Sanzu-no-Kawa. Only this time, they paused to touch the gate, channeling power into it, willing it to open where they wanted - *needed* - it to open. When they stepped through the portal, it was not to an other-realm version of their own farm, but to a long, winding road. Shiro stood at the kami's side, as she always did, her two tails flicking slightly with agitation.

They did not walk this road often. It made them both uncomfortable.

But after what Coyote had told her, of his spirit lands, the damage done… they had to know. What he had seen, what he’d told them… it had put him into tears. Their fists clenched thinking of it even now.

It was not so long ago that Inari was a warrior’s kami, as well.

As Inari walked, they wondered if Omiyanome was doing the same - or if she had done already - of walking the spirit realm path to Yomotsu-ni. What would she find?

Inari worried. Not for human souls, not at Yomotsu-ni. So few went there now that there was little risk. No, the worry was for Izanami, for if she had been released, for her likely (and justified) anger at her husband Izanagi. And what of Susanoo, who cared for the lands beyond Yomi?

But the kami could not allow themself to think these thoughts, to stray from their current objective. They refocused their mind on the task at hand. Sanzu-no-Kawa.

What would they find?

The path was long, twisting and turning, rising at falling seemingly at random. It felt as though it dragged on for an age, but time flowed differently here. They couldn't be sure how long it had really been.

And then they were upon it, topping a rise to see the river flowing. Fjord on one side, bridge in the center, and raging currents on the other side.

And no toll-taker in sight. A mass of spirits lingered, coins in hand, waiting to pay their fare and be directed to their path. The gate that they must pass through was closed, *barred*. The forked path beyond barren, unkempt.

Inari and Shiro stopped short, and the kami *shifted*, taking on their aspect of Bodhisattva. Shiro *grew*, and then knelt for Inari to stand upon her back, the two of them linked and moving as one. Inari traveled down the rest of the path atop the white fox, a signal to all as to who this was that was looming above them and before them.

"Where is the toll-taker?" they demanded, scowling as they searched the masses.

A handful of people stepped forward, offering the Bodhisattva respectful, gracious bows. "Forgive us, O-Inari, we do not know. We were the first here, and there was no one to take our coin," replied one of them, an older man.

Beside him, a young woman hesitantly spoke up. "We saw... we saw what looked like the tools of the toll-taker. But there was no one in sight."

Another woman. "O-Inari, forgive my boldness. When we arrived, it looked as though there had been a struggle. The ground was torn, and there were objects scattered everywhere." She reached into her kimono and pulled out what looked like the tattered remnants of a hat. An *official's* hat.

Inari held out their hands, and the woman bowed and with both hands carefully placed them in those of the Bodhisattva.

They spent a long moment inspecting it. Definitely an official's cap, no doubt belonging to the toll-taker assigned to this divine service.

At an unseen signal, Shiro moved forward, still carrying Inari upon her back. The crowd of waiting spirits separated, allowing them passage and granting the pair as much room as they needed. They reached the gate, and Inari inspected that, as well. Locked and bound with those same sigils that had been in the vision of Tartarus. The things that Ellis had said he could *kind of* read.

The divine scowled, eyes burning with anger. To deny the spirits their path to rebirth and redemption... They suspected that the toll-taker was dead or taken. To Mistwood, they had little doubt.

How many of those bound for rebirth had been snatched before they had arrived? How many had been milled to fuel the twisted growths of Mistwood? *How many had they failed to save?*

Inari’s teeth ground together in frustration and anger.

A new toll-taker would need to be found, but first... first they would need to break these *locks* and reopen the gates. And that was a task that would need to wait. Inari sighed heavily and moved back to where they had stood before, gesturing for silence among the assembled.

"I do not have a way to allow you through, but you are welcome to come with me, to stay on my lands until such time as the Sanzu gate may be opened once more. The choice is yours. Remain or follow, but know that I cannot help you if you choose to stay behind."

Not for the first time since all of this had begun did Inari wish that they knew where Guanyin was. She would know better what to do about the lost souls.

Without waiting to see who would follow, Inari turned, still upon Shiro - with a silent apology, as they did not particularly *like* this depiction - and began the long journey back down the path.

This time, though, after a long and slow walk, the almost shapeless scenery around them began to twist and form, turning into Kansas countryside, and solidifying as they neared the farm. They stopped short of the torii gate and turned to look at all who had chosen to follow, nodding slightly after they counted and tallying them up with those spirits already dwelling on the farm.

"Once you are within the circle of *ofuda*... do not leave it. I will not require you to do more than remain safe, but if you so desire, you may help to power the *ofuda*." The Bodhisattva pointed to a handful of spirits who were doing exactly that, feeding energy into the scripts to keep them strong. "The choice is yours. It will not erase whatever poor deeds you may have done in life, but I will do my best to ensure that it is taken into account when the time comes for you to cross the Sanzu River."

There was a milling, some discussion amongst the dead, and a ripple of bows passed through the crowd.

Inari nodded once, and gestured. "Then welcome, you who gathered here, and be at peace for as long as I am able to ensure it."

They waited until every single one of the spirits had crossed the boundaries into Foxpoint before they stepped off of Shiro's back, the fox shrinking back down to her normal size. As one, they passed through the torii gate and back into the Material Realm.

Three pairs of eyes peered at them from the faces of three exhausted kitsune, a faint tinge of hope in their faces.

"The gate was barred," said Shiori with a heavy sigh. "And the toll-taker nowhere to be found." They did *not* tell the kitsune about their suspicions, that the toll-taker was dead or taken, that there were likely countless spirits that would never be rejoining the realms.

"Then we are going to become quite crowded," replied Jiro heavily. "You are going to go back and retrieve new ones until this is over, aren't you?"

"Someone must. And no other Bodhisattva even knows that this is a problem. Nor do I have a way to reach any others. Not from here." Not without traveling to the heavens, and *that* was a greater risk. They all knew why Shiori would not do so unless there was no choice.

Silence fell among the group, until Mako clapped her hands together, startling them out of the gloom. "Right then. Let's get to work."