Shadow Of The Fox Quotes
"It was raining the day Suki came to the Palace of the Sun, and it was raining the night that she died."
"The only thing that saved Suki from complete despair was the thought of running into Daisuke-sama again."
"The path to Jigoku is lined with honorable intentions."
"The Dragon is not a wish-granting puppet, Yumeko-chan. It is a Great Kami—the God of Tides and the Harbinger of Change."
"The night smelled of death. Both presently and to come."
"I was an empty vessel, a weapon for the Shadow Clan, and my only requirement was to complete my mission."
"An aura of fear hung in the air, tainting everything it touched."
"Fear, my sensei had taught me, was simply the body’s aversion to pain and suffering."
"I did not fear pain, nor did I fear death, because my life was not my own."
"A samurai who encountered a starving bear wasn’t afraid of the bear itself, but what the bear could do to him."
"I was the Kage demonslayer; this was my job."
"I didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. He was dead, and his end had been much cleaner than if the jorogumo had finished what she came to do."
"My missions were passed to me through Ichiro and the other sensei; there was no reason the leader of the Kage would assign them to me in person."
"I am nothing. I am a weapon in the hands of the Kage. My life exists only to be the bearer of Kamigoroshi and to obey the orders of the Shadow Clan."
"I knew this was a great honor; few were called into Lady Hanshou’s presence, fewer could claim that the daimyo of the Shadow Clan had spoken to them face-to-face."
"But what if I don’t want to be more kitsune? What if I’m happy as a human and a fox?"
"The mortal world is full of hatred, betrayal, sadness and death. Most yokai and kami alike find that it is too much for them."
"A shadow warrior never revealed himself to outsiders."
"Perhaps they simply wished to meditate and study in peace, far removed from the chaos of the world."
"I continued, passing bamboo groves and huge trees strung with sacred rope, signifying they were home to the kami."
"The air grew hazy and sharp, smelling of burning timber."
"The dangerous catch was, it didn’t have to come from the practitioner."
"We will meet again, Yumeko-chan, in the Pure Lands or in another life."
"I promise, I swear I’ll find the Steel Feather temple, warn the other monks and protect the scroll."
"Fool mortal. You underestimate the Kage demonslayer."
"The air was cool, smelling of sap and pine needles."
"I had been trained to live off the land and survive in the wilderness."
"Crows were everywhere in Iwagoto, from one end of the country to the other."
"I would eat a dozen radishes right now, if it meant I could sit down with everybody one more time."
"Life is suffering. Fun is a fleeting waste of time."
"Gathering for the evening meal...we ate together three times a day."
"You’re making an awful racket...Some of us are trying to sleep, after all."
"Kamaitachi always come in threes. Their loyalty to each other is unbreakable."
"Kindness? Kindness was a vulnerability, a luxury given those who did not hunt demons."
"How exciting. But he doesn’t seem very pleasant."
"The trees closed around us as we entered the woods, large pines and redwoods whose branches shut out the sky, making the forest floor dim and cool."
"I wasn’t certain that the gods would hear the prayer of a lowly assassin, especially one whose hands were stained with blood and filth, but it was always better to be cautious."
"I didn’t think you would be the type to pray, Tatsumi-san."
"Ah, I’m afraid you don’t get to know that, Kage-san."
"The outside world so far is...strange. But exciting."
"I’ve heard stories of wild dogs who would defend a stranger on the road to their last breath, simply because that person threw a crumb instead of a rock."
"The tiniest pebble, when dropped into a pond, will leave ripples that will grow and spread in ways we cannot comprehend."
"Why do people even drink sake if they feel like this in the morning?"
"It should have felt peaceful out here. So why did I feel so...exposed?"
"I don’t think they’re interested in regular food."
"Please, master monk, accept this as a token of our regret."
"Thank you. You could not lift the curse on your own, but your courage illuminated the way for those who could."
"May your journey to the other side be swift and clear, and may Jinkei light your way so that you will never stumble."
"Useless minions," she muttered, standing in the center of a small, horrifying room.
"Go," she whispered to it. "Find the demonslayer and the fox. Kill them both, feast on their insides and return to me with the scroll. I will be waiting."
"I can feel you watching me, you know. You’re not terribly subtle."
"The silvery glint of a river, snaking through the valley toward the distant peaks, caught my eye."
"Maybe Yumeko-chan would be willing to try her hand at it. She can talk to the kami, right?"
"It will be nice to sleep on a bed for a change and not out in the open. Or in a leaky hut. Or in a cave with a very uncomfortable stone floor."
"Frogs are good luck, after all. You must be blessed by the kami."
"Only then will I know if I have achieved perfection."
"The only way to truly test my skills is to fight with no limitations."
"I am merely an artist who, for years, had no canvas to practice upon."
"Those with no passion can never comprehend the drive for perfection."
"I am Oni no Mikoto, the undefeated blade of the Taiyo, and it will be an honor to fight you."
"I’ll catch you," he replied. "I promise. Hurry!"
"The underside isn’t protected," I told him, seeing his eyes narrow in confusion. "The carapace—the armor—it doesn’t have anything on its belly. You have to strike from beneath."
"Can you lure it away?" Tatsumi asked in a low voice. "Get it to chase you?"
"The head, Okame!" I shouted over the mad hissing of the huge yokai as it thrashed and writhed, too tough to die even now. "Cut off the head—that should kill it for good!"
"That," Okame said as Tatsumi and I walked up, "was disgusting. Look at that thing! I don’t care how ancient and special it was, there is no logical reason bugs should ever get that big."
"The duel was issued, and accepted," Oni no Mikoto said in a reasonable voice. "Interruptions aside, honor demands that we continue until a clear victor is determined."
"If Oni-sama would humor me for a moment," Yumeko continued, "and look at the omukade’s right eye. What do you see?"
"Very well, Oni-sama," Yumeko stated. "If you can’t agree not to fight, then grant me this instead. Postpone the duel."
"Please, Yumeko-san." The samurai held up a hand. "Taiyo-sama is my father. The four of us just fought and killed a giant centipede together. I believe we’ve earned the right to call each other by our first names. Just Daisuke, if you would."
"One step at a time, little fox. The spider does not spin its web in a heartbeat, nor does the albatross fly across oceans with a few flaps of its wings. Many would consider what they do impossible, and yet, they still complete their tasks without fail, because they simply...start."
"Normally, I do not notice the comings and goings of the servants in the palace, but this meeting, brief as it was, stood out."
"A smile can be as dangerous as a sword, and the wrong choice of words can mean the difference between great favor and eternal shame."
"It was refreshing to speak to someone who did not care about earning favor or keeping up appearances."
"The dance of the court never changes. Every year, it is exactly the same—silken words that hide daggers of venom beneath the veneer of decorum and compliments."
"What a shameful thought. I may find the courtly events a bit repetitive, Okame-san, but I am not so bored as to consider treason."
"I’m not in the habit of being around samurai, present company excluded."
"My life and my body belong to the Shadow Clan."
"Keep to your magic and manipulating the kami, Iemon-san. Don’t attempt to play the game of the court with a master."
"I trust she will take me to where the scroll is."
"Fox magic is nothing but illusion and trickery. If you are discovered to be half yokai within the Imperial Palace, not only will you be executed, everyone associated with you will be punished, as well."
"Humans will only tempt you, distract you, and worse, they will bring out the emotions we have spent a lifetime teaching you to suppress."
"The Kage demonslayer must never give in to anger, fear, frustration, or grief."
"The honor is mine, Yumeko-san. You honor us with your very presence."
"When the time is right, I will announce you. As you hear your name, come forward and present yourself to His Highness, but stay at least twenty feet from the edge of the platform."
"The future is an ever changing stream. Every choice, every decision we make, sends it down a different path. To glimpse the fortune of another is to see hundreds of possibilities at once. It is never a task to be taken lightly or in haste."
"Fox magic is the power of illusion. You might think it useful only for mischief, but seeing something that isn’t there, or making people believe you are someone else entirely, can be a dangerous, terrifying force. Use it carefully, lest you become an instrument of chaos."
"I am sorry, kitsune," Master Jiro said, his eyes genuinely sympathetic. "I am grateful for your assistance, even if I am unsure of your motives, but we cannot stand against an oni of that power. The demon generals are very nearly immortal. If your friends stayed behind to face Yaburama, they are likely already dead."
"This bores me," he growled. "I grow weary of fighting insignificant humans."
"Where do you think you’re going, demonslayer?" Yaburama rumbled.
"A disgraceful way to die, demonslayer," Yaburama mused.
"Beg?" I looked up, meeting the oni’s gaze, and smiled. "I have a better idea. How about I send you to Jigoku in pieces?"
"I am Hakaimono the Destroyer," I growled up at him. "The strongest demon Jigoku has ever known. And soon, this entire realm will remember why!"
"You think you are so clever, master," she whispered to the skull. "But only a mortal soul can summon the Dragon, and your army of demons cannot call the Harbinger for you. When the time comes to speak the wish, it will not be for your glorious return, I can promise you that."