---

From the beginning of time, humans have worshipped some form of a deity. Where they got the ideology that another, more powerful being existed, over watching them and judging their every movement, their every decision - their every thought - is beyond the understanding of modern day scientists. All that is known is that they have worshipped some sort of ethereal being since the beginning of their existence.

Jesus. Allah. Moses. Zeus. God.

Those are but a few of the many, many deities and omnipotent beings that the humans have ‘thought’ of as their creators. Obviously, none of them came close to the truth - the truth that the Sun and the Moon, two ‘planets’, as they were deemed by humans, were the actual creators of all living creatures - but that was partially the doing of said deities. Ever since the humans began to wonder how they came to be, how they were created, or in general questions anything related to such a subject, the Sun and the Moon have ventured to Earth to regularly spin stories, and spread them across the world in an attempt to slow the discovery of their being. Once their children were born, however, they put far more effort into keeping their existence hidden, into preventing them and their children from being discovered. Any human that came close to the truth was promptly dealt with, usually by the Senior Star given her memory suppression capabilities, and so far so their web of lies and legends has held up.

The lies were put into place to not only protect the Sun and Moon, and not only their children, either, but also the human beings themselves. If they were to discover the true origin of their beginnings, there is no telling what the outcome could be. What could become of the children and their parents is unknown, seeing as the two deities never once claimed to be omnipotent, and they have lived in slight fear of their existence becoming known one day.

They don’t, of course, plan to hide themselves forever. Simply until they deem the humans to be capable of accepting their existences without any repercussions; and so far, they have yet to prove themselves worthy to know the truth.

The main cause of war in human society stems from religious views. The main cause of disputes between people is caused by their differences in beliefs.

Many, many issues in human society, both currently and throughout the past, can be traced back to religious differences. The Crusades are a prime example of holy wars, during which time countless lives were lost.

The witch trials across Europe and early America are another example of the religious influence that causes mass genocides to take place. World War II, in which Adolf Hitler attempted to wipe out all of those belonging to the Jewish faith.

To sum everything up, human beings as a whole are not ready to accept the truth. They are close - God, they are so very close - to being able to hear the real truth and accept it without negative consequences or outcomes.

But they aren’t quite there yet; and so the Sun and the Moon are not ready to take the chances of revealing their existence to any human being, out of fear of them spreading the knowledge their being to other humans throughout the world. And so we hide.

We always hide.

Velonix glanced up from the blank, old book that she had been writing in. It had been given to her by the owner of the bookshop that she had just recently been given a job at, as a welcoming present. She had seen it through the window when she had been walking by, and it had prompted her to enter the store, almost as though it were calling for her. When the owner, Mr. Zwemmer, saw her inside and staring at it, he had removed it from its case and allowed her to look more closely at it. While she was studying it, they began a conversation, and one thing led to another, and she ended up with her first real job in the human world. After her third of fourth shift, during which times she would stare at the ancient book, Mr. Zwemmer finally caved and gave her it as a gift, much to her happiness. She had promised vehemently to care for it as though it were a living creature, and he laughed in response, knowing that she would.

Setting down the quill - yes, she still wrote with a quill and ink, deal with it - she put the stopper into her ink bottle and pushed back her chair, rising from her seat. She placed the book and writing utensils behind the main counter before turning to go through the boxes of new books that had arrived that morning.

She could still remember the day that her siblings pushed her into returning to Earth, which was only two weeks prior to the present day. The idea had been hers - a decision that still surprised her, even though she was the one who came up with it.

---

~’.’~Two Weeks Prior~’.’~

Soft whispers slithered beneath the door that led to the library. They could only be heard if one were to be standing directly outside of the door, and it was almost necessary to press one’s ear to said door in order to actually understand what was being said.

Not that there was anyone to listen to the discussion. Sun and Moon were currently overwatching the Earth, as they did at that exact time each and every new day, and The Senior Star Astra was currently assisting them in their Earthly decisions. The Junior Star Vyasa was at her side, attempting to intake any new knowledge to be gained from the actions that his more powerful Godly comrades were performing.

Now who, one may wonder, was making such noise in the library?

There could only be one group of culprits behind it; the four children of the Sun and the Moon.

The very embodiment of the Seasons themselves.

Beyond the large, oaken door, the children of the Gods sat on the comfortable furniture within. The two eldest were on one couch, while the two youngest had taken seats on the armchairs on either side of the larger furniture. Harmony had taken the liberty to start a fire in the massively beautiful fireplace that adorned the equally gorgeous library, which was quadruple the size of the area that they were currently nestled in, and she folded her legs beneath her bottom on the chair, tucking her skirt underneath her shins in an ever-present drive at modesty. A mug of her ever-present hot chocolate, decorated with whipped cream, marshmallows, and sprinkles of cinnamon, was clasped firmly between her oddly cold palms, which were damp with a nervous sweat. The same wetness was sprinkled across her hairline, both along her forehead and the nape of her neck, and a small tremble of anxiety resided in her hands. In addition, she was doing her bad habit of bouncing slightly as she sat, constantly shifting her weight in an obvious attempt to get comfortable, despite it being a futile effort.

After several moments of silence had ticked by, Harmony obviously too nervous to start the discussion of why she had asked her siblings to join her in the library, her sister spoke.

”Har, I understand that you’re nervous, but you should know by now that there’s no need for you to feel that way around us. Whatever’s bothering you - whatever’s weighing on your mind - just speak.” Her voice was gentle, almost a coo, in an obvious attempt to draw her shy younger sister slightly more out of her shell.

In response, Harmony fidgeted a bit more for a moment longer, before forcing herself to settle and heaving a sigh. After a long sip of her delicious cocoa, she lowered her feet to the floor and leaned forward, setting the mug on the coffee table before her. She dropped her hands to her knees, drew in a long breath in preparation, and in one long heave, blurted out what she had rehearsed at least thirty-two times in her mind.

”I … I want to go and visit Earth!”

Almost instantly the girl squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders hunching in readiness for her siblings expected outbursts of rejection at her wish. When nothing was immediately said, she slowly allowed herself to pry open one eye, and then another when she noticed the blank stares of surprise from her brothers and sister. Squirming a bit under their piercing gazes - they all had equally beautiful eyes in her mind, and ones that could unsettle even the most rigid of people - she gnawed on her lower lip, looking down at her hands on her legs. Her fingers were curled inwards, digging into the flesh of her knees, and she was bouncing her one foot anxiously.

A few more beats of silence passed before anyone spoke, and it was one word.

”No.”

Harmony’s head snapped up, her heart stopping for a brief moment before skipping a beat and regaining its regular pattern. Her eyes met her older brother’s gaze, which was dark and stern, unrelenting in its own way.

”But, Phoebus, at least let me explain wh-”

”No. Absolutely not. This shouldn’t even be up for discussion, Harmonix,” he interrupted, not even allowing her to finish her sentence. Her eyes welled up with tears in immediate response, and she lowered her head once more, her action holding all of the defeat she felt. She had known it was a long shot from the beginning, getting her siblings on board with her idea, but to be shot down so quickly and so assuredly definitely stung.

A soft scoff was heard from the girl that sat beside Phoebus. Her cotton candy hair was illuminated in the glow of the fire, and an eye roll could be seen.

”Oh, come on, Phoebus. At least let her explain why she wants to visit Earth. You can’t just shoot down what she says without allowing her to tell us why she would want to do it. Harmony very rarely speaks her mind about issues that she knows are controversial, so you can at least respect her courage to do so right now, given the subject.”

Harmony glanced up slightly, looking at her sister through her lashes, her gaze holding the gratitude she felt towards the older girl. Aurora definitely wasn’t wrong, though; very rarely would Harmony bring up a subject or idea that she knew would cause an argument or negativity of any sort, so when she did, it was usually for a good reason.

Turning her gaze to her older brother, she allowed her eyes to take on a puppy-dog look, and she jutted out her lower lip. This was her signature expression - something that she reserved only for times that she really wanted something - and her older brother instantly melted like butter.

Quickly averting his own eyes from hers, he looked away, his pale cheeks taking on a soft flush.

”By the stars above, Har - not the eyes,” he groaned. He flicked a glance at the girl, only to find that she was still holding the same expression, and slapping his hand over his eyes, he slowly dragged it down his face, before heaving a loud sigh.

”Fine, I’ll at least listen to this insane idea that you’ve come up with,” he muttered.

Instantly Harmony brightened, her puppy dog look diminishing, and she leaned forward, her previous nervousness replaced with obvious excitement. A twinkle shone in her eye, and she had a gentle smile on her lips. She still did, however, speak with hesitancy, a slight stutter taking away some of the confidence she felt.

”I … I’m hoping that if I were to go to Earth … That it could maybe help me come to terms with everything that’s happened since … Since the incident,” she finished, her voice ending almost in a murmur. What little courage she felt when she began speaking had quickly faded as she finished, and she felt her shoulders slightly slump with dejection. She picked at her fingernails, suddenly extremely fascinated with her hands.

”I know that … I know that I’ve caused a lot of unnecessary trouble and problems over the years, ever since that day when we were children … And I know that because of what happened, I’ve changed a lot as a person ...” She trailed off for a moment, having to pause to garner a bit of bravery. Turning her face back upwards, she met each one of her siblings gazes before continuing.

”I’ve been keeping it hidden as much as possible, but recently … Recently, what Astra did to help me contain the Phoenix … The walls that she built to help seal my two separate minds, or identities, or whatever you want to call them … I can feel them beginning to crumble,” she said softly, her shoulders once more slumped, but this time instead of the cause being defeat, it was more so worry. She pressed her lips together for a moment before continuing.

”I … I’m really scared,” she whispered, tears prickling at her eyes. ”I’m scared of what will happen if those walls disappear completely, and the Phoenix is allowed out and into the physical world once more. I don’t expect any of you to understand … You’ve never had anything like this happen before … But I ...” Drawing in a shaky breath, she felt a ball of anxiety curl in her chest. ”I can hear her … I can hear her voice, in the very back of my mind, hiding behind those walls. She keeps telling me to do things … Things that I know I shouldn’t do, but things that I really want to do. So far I’ve been able to ignore her and push down my urge to do what she says, but … But I’m afraid of what might happen if I can’t get a handle on her.”

There was a lapse in words being said, before Phoebus once more spoke, his voice slightly heavy, given the equal weight of the current conversation.

”And how do we know that it isn’t Phoenix’s idea for us to go to Earth? How do we know that this is actually your own idea, Harmonix?”

Harmony hesitated before slowly responding.

”I just … It might be hard for me to resist the temptation that she gives me to do certain things, and I may not have been able to discern my thoughts and her thoughts before Astra helped me, but … Right now, I can tell which thoughts are mine and which are hers. I don’t really know how to explain how I can, but … But I can. And on that, you’ll just have to trust me, Phoebus.”


Another moment of silence ticked by - there seemed to be a lot of those during this discussion, Harmony idly thought - before anyone responded to her words.

”I think … That if you think that it’s a good idea, and if you think that it really will help you, Sundown … That we should do it.”

Harmony turned her gaze to her younger brother, her lower lip trembling slightly. She had known before even asking for her siblings to meet her that out of all of them, Ellyion was most likely to support what she thought was best, and he had definitely proved her correct in that assumption.

Turning back to her older siblings, she looked at them with her wide, umber eyes, which spoke volumes over her expectation for an answer. Aurora was studying her nails, and while filing at the tip of one of her index fingers, she shrugged and spoke.

”I think that if you think that it can help you, and that you can handle it, we should at least give it a shot. Who knows? Maybe it’ll prove beneficial for all of us. Wouldn’t you agree, Phoebus?” she dragged out, purposely doing so in order to annoy him.

The boy in question narrowed his eyes slightly at his older sister, a soft growl of sorts escaping his lips, before he turned to Harmony, his gaze a smidge less stern than it was before. After several calculated moments, during which time she could practically see the gears turning in her older brother’s head, he spoke.

”Seeing as I’m clearly outnumbered, I’ll have to say yes. What kind of brother would I be to just let all of you run rampant down on Earth? Someone has to be down there to corral you,” he sighed, rubbing his temples.

Harmony immediately brightened, her skin taking on a slightly golden glow, and she was across the gap between them in seconds, her arms thrown around her older brother’s neck.

”Thank you, Phoebus … You … You have no idea what this means to me,” she whispered into his neck, her tears soaking into his long hair.

---

Slamming her forehead dramatically onto the counter that held the register and basic supplies for the bookstore, Velonix let out an equally dramatic sound that could only be described as a mix between a sigh and a whining wail. Turning her head slightly, she looked forlornly out the window, inhaling the scent of the book directly before her face.

The sun was shining brightly through the clear window, giving the interior of the building an ethereal glow. Dust mites danced in the sun’s rays, and for a moment, she felt an unwanted sadness in her chest.

Somewhere, far up in the sky and even further beyond that, her parents were looking down at the world below. She could picture her mother, wringing her hands and a worried crease between her brows, and her father, pacing with long strides across the hall that enclosed the enormous, hologram-like image that showed them the entirety of the planet. It was used to view in on any place at any time, past, present, or future, and to interact with said reality. There were many of times that her parents had altered the past in order to benefit the future - they went back and prevented world-wide catastrophes.

Why, then, did they allow certain events to occur? Why did they allow countless lives to be lost to the hands of evil humans who wished nothing but death upon the masses?

It was all for a better goal.

To think that they enjoyed watching the humans suffer - you couldn’t be further from the truth. Countless times had Velonix ventured into the great hall, as a young child and beyond, to find her mother weeping over the hologram of the beautiful planet. She had seen unimaginable things in that hologram, and heard screams that still echoed in her ears to this very day. As soon as her parents spotted her they would shoo her away fairly quickly, of course, but that didn’t stop her from seeing things.

People being torn limb-from-limb by ancient Roman Gladiators.

Children being burned alive alongside their parents during the European Witch Trials.

Animals being killed by toxic chemicals sprayed down upon the humans by large flying machines from above.

Tears pricked at her eyes at the memories, and she squeezed the large umber orbs shut in an attempt to stem their flow, and to shield herself from the visuals flashing before her eyes.

Closing them only prevented herself from seeing, however. It didn’t slow what she could hear, not by a long shot; and the screams continued to echo inside of her mind.

Making a fist, she struck herself repeatedly on the side of the hide, rather aggressively if anyone were to look upon her action.

“Stop ... Stop it, please ...” she whispered, her lips a slight grimace.

After a few moments, the screams slowly faded and she had managed to qualm her rapid breathing, having only just then realized how quickly she was panting. She remained like that, bent over with her hand resting on the counter, for who knew how long, and only rose when the alarm to the door made its soft sounds, the pre-recorded melody of Fur Elise announcing the arrival of a newcomer.

Smiling at the person who had ventured inside, she stretched out her arms, her elbows crackling at the motion.

“Welcome back, Mr. Zwemmer! Did you have a pleasant afternoon?”

The elderly man gave her a kind yet beaming grin in return, making his face slowly into the business, his cane that was honestly just used for sure - he really didn’t even use it, the trickster that he was - clacking away with each step.

“Ah, Velonix - always a warm and joyous face to see. I enjoy being able to leave my store, knowing it’s in good hands, and also being able to return to it, knowing that I’ll be able to see your cute face when I come back,” he chuckled. Velonix instantly turned beat red, lifting her hands and waving them sporadically before her.

“Oh, Mr. Zwemmer, you’re too kind!” she laughed, her embarrassment evident in her flushed face.

Chuckling once more, he approached the counter that she stood behind, lifting his cane and gently resting it on top of her head.

“Now that I’m here, you get on outside and enjoy the sunshine. You’re young and deserve to enjoy your youth; not spend it cooped up inside of a bookstore all day.”

Velonix gave the man a reassuring smile, clapping her hands together in front of her. “Oh, I really don’t mind, Mr. Zwemmer! I love being surrounded by the books, so it’s no hassle for me at all!”

Rolling his eyes in a very young action, he made his way behind the counter, nudging her with his cane.

“Go on, shoo - I can handle it for the rest of the day on my own. Go outside and enjoy yourself! Make some friends!”

She barely had enough time to snag her book and writing supplies before the old man had hustled her out from behind the counter. She wasn’t worried about anyone reading it - if anything they would assume that it was nothing but a fiction novel she was working on - but she felt almost as though she were missing a part of her when it wasn’t within her reach.

Stumbling to the door - he accidently tripped her a bit with his cane - she spun back around and waved to the man. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Zwemmer! Make sure to tell Ms. Ponsi that I said hello!”

She was, of course, referring to his beautiful, snow-white Persian kitten. He had adopted her shortly after his beautiful wife had passed, which wasn’t long before Velonix arrived on Earth, and the kitty was the apple of his eye. Although he and his wife had loved each other endlessly, they had never had children - something to do with Mrs. Zwemmer being unable to conceive - but had had countless pets over the years. After their last one died, with Mrs. Zwemmer’s ailing health, they decided not to adopt another animal for fear that they wouldn’t have time to care for it. After his wife passed, however, he was recommended by his doctors to adopt an animal to help with the grief, and not too long afterwards did he hire Velonix, so that he could have more time to spend with his precious pet.

Velonix shook the thoughts from her head. Of course, she wasn’t meant to know all of these things. It wasn’t as though Mr. Zwemmer had told her all of this. But then again, that was one of her specialties - knowing too much about the humans that she came into contact with. It’s why she tried very hard not to come into physical contact with a human; she had enough difficulty with her own memories, she didn’t need any added into the mess that was her brain.

Once outside, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling the crisp, Autumn-like air. It wasn’t too cold, but neither was it unreasonably hot in this part of town. It was a happy middle ground, much to her delight, as her season normally was, and she was enjoying the beautiful weather - not that she couldn’t control it or anything. She giggled at the thought, opening her eyes and gazing up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

If only her parents could see her now - unafraid of the human world and its inhabitants. When she arrived on Earth with her siblings, she spent the first couple of days hiding in her bedroom, absolutely petrified to leave the house. However, after some gentle coaxing from her little brother, Ellyion, she managed to bring herself to step outside - and my, oh my, was she glad that she did so. The beauty that the Earth held was shameful to miss out on! She had forgotten over the years how gorgeous the nature was, and how bewitching the scenes that played before her eyes were. Obviously she was in town, currently, but even where there was a heavy lack of nature was she mesmerized. The shops, the people - everything was so fascinating to her, and she hadn’t even begun to explore this one little town, let alone the entire planet! Who knew what else was out there for her to discover? Her siblings and she had done their fair share of studying of the planet and its inhabitants over the hundreds of years that they had been alive, but nothing even came close in comparison to actually seeing it in person.

She had forgotten the beauty that the Earth held, and how kind the humans could actually be. What she once viewed as a dark and frightening place, she now saw as a light and gorgeous environment. The creatures that she once saw as vile and terrifying beings, were in actuality extremely caring individuals, rich with their own histories and memories, their own personalities.

She was a fool to ever believe that such an alluring and prepossessing place could be scary, and she was giddy with her newfound knowledge.

Quickly pulling herself from her reverie, Velonix turned on her heel and approached a nearby traffic light. The signal across the street was a blue person, and when she heard her human name called, she glanced over her shoulder in the direction that the voice came from, continuing her walking as she did so. It was one of the storeowners whose business resided next door to Mr. Zwemmer’s, and the woman had taken to her rather quickly, as did many of the other surrounding owners. The community that her siblings and she had chosen to reside it wasn’t necessarily close-knit, but the people were unbelievably kind and welcoming, and had immediately opened up to her.

It probably helped that she had bribed them with deliciously baked goods, brownies being one of their favorites.

Lifting her hand in a wave, she beamed a smile in the woman’s direction, feeling herself step off of the sidewalk and onto the crosswalk that would lead her to the other side of the street - and directly in the way of an oncoming bus. The store owner’s eyes widened, and she let out a loud shout in warning, but Velonix only had the time to turn her head and see the vehicle barreling down towards her. She froze, and in those seconds, she felt a cold fear wash over her entire body; seconds turned into milliseconds, her eyes widening in absolute terror, her hands flying up in an attempt to do something to stall the bus from hitting her, even if it meant revealing her abilities to the few humans who were watching the events unfold.

An unbelievably warm touch wrapped around her wrist, gripping it tightly, and at the last moment she was yanked out of the line of sight of the impending vehicle. She stumbled to the side after the pull, nearly tripping and falling, but whatever it was that was holding her forearm also helped to keep her upright and prevented her from hitting the cement face-first.

Just as quickly as the warmth had touched her skin, it was gone, and Velonix was left trembling and attempting to get her bearings. It took her a few seconds, but once she had verified that she was, indeed, still alive, she snapped her head around in every direction, before finally keying in on a figure that was growing increasingly further away from her.

Her hand raised and she stared at her wrist for a moment, flicking her gaze between her skin and the slowly diminishing body, before she made a split-second decision - something that if anyone who knew her saw her do, they would think she was crazy, seeing as she never made decisions without thoroughly thinking them through first.

In an instant she was pushing through the people, ignoring the yelling from the store owner behind her, and despite her small stature, she somehow managed to catch up with the figure. Throwing out her hand, she snagged his own with it, a small jolt going through her body as the memory of a older man looming over a small and terrified child assaulted her brain. She quickly pushed the memory aside to study later, instead pulling on the hand that she now gripped, stopping the person in their tracks.

This earned her a glare of the shoulder of the boy, who spun around and yanked his hand from hers, almost as though her touch stung him. Realizing that she had grabbed him and allowed skin-to-skin contact so impulsively, she pulled her own hand back, clutching it to her chest. A few moments of silence ticked between them, and in those moments, she swore that time stood still - and not by the doing of the Senior Star, that was for sure.

No, this - this was something entirely different. As she stared into those intense orbs that looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and nervousness, she felt an unfamiliar electric shock slam through her body. Her breath hitched, and she clenched her fingers, curling them into the front of her shirt.

Was this a heart attack?

It couldn’t be. She wasn’t able to suffer from physical ailments such as a heart condition or failure.

So the question remained:

What was this feeling?

The boy wasn’t fairing much better than her. It took all his willpower to remain cool, and collected, and not let his nervousness take over. Most girls avoided him, or else he avoided them. He wasn’t quite sure how to act around a girl, so he took a deep breath, and exhaled with an annoyed sigh. He had to do the only thing he knew to do, drive her away.

"Listen lady, I didn't steal your damn purse or whatever the hell you’re bugging me about. So buzz off and bother someone else. I don’t have time for an annoying fly like you.”

Velonix turned a bright red color in the cheeks, sputtering something unintelligible that even she couldn’t understand. The boy, in response, raised a brow before rolling his eyes and propping a skateboard that she hadn’t noticed until he moved it on his shoulder.

“Great, we got a real smart one here - can’t even form coherent words.”

The sentence stung a bit, but she quickly pushed it aside, not allowing his harsh nature to overcome her immense gratitude towards him. She bowed forward at the hips, her hair falling around her face - she had read that it was Japanese custom to bend when showing thanks to someone - and clasped her hands before her legs, her book tucked safely between her arm and her side.

“I-I wanted to say ... I want to thank you for saving my life. If it weren’t for you ... I ...” she trailed off, unable to imagine what could have become of her had he not intervened. Straightening, she rubbed her arm absentmindedly, focusing her gaze on her shoes so as to avoid those intensely electrifying eyes. She inhaled slowly, before letting it out in a small puff, attempting to gather her wits and her courage.

“Look, I don't know where the nearest mental asylum is so piss off.”

The words hit her in the chest. She hadn’t heard such a rude statement directed towards her since that day so many years ago, and to be honest, it did hurt her feelings. He didn’t have to be so incredibly cold towards her. All she wanted to do was thank him.

Why, out of all of the humans that she had come across, was this one capable of scrambling her brain without even uttering a word?

Turning her eyes back towards him, she looked at the boy through her lashes, her quiet and shy nature obvious in her actions.

“If it isn’t a bother, I’d like to do something for you to show my immense gratitude. Allow me to purchase for you a drink of some sort?” she offered, cringing at her odd way of speaking. She knew that her accent was thick, and she knew that the way that she spoke was extremely meticulous and out of the ordinary, but she hoped against hope that he wouldn’t comment on it. She wasn’t sure that she could take another remark like the two before.

Moments ticked by, and as the boy stared at her without responding, she slowly grew more and more nervous. Something was building up inside of her - familiar feelings that she couldn’t place nor understand in that moment, let alone begin to fathom how they could be considered ‘familiar’ to her - and as he continued to stare at her without saying anything, she jerked her head up and snapped, “Take a picture, it’ll last longer!” It was the first thing that came to mind - something that she had heard someone say in one of the humans moving pictures that they referred to as ‘movies’ - and came out completely unfiltered.

Velonix immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, her entire face turning an even darker red than before, her eyes going wide with alarm.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to say that - it ... It just popped out! I apologize,” she stammered out.

What was it about this boy that caused her to act so impulsively, without care and without thinking things through before moving or speaking? She had spent so many years perfecting her ability to think before acting, and this boy - this boy made all of those years disappear.

By the stars above, why did her frazzle her brain so well, and yet seem so ungodly familiar in the aura that he gave off?

The boy rolled his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. Why couldn’t people just leave him alone? Why wouldn’t she just take the hint, and leave him alone? “Listen psycho, I'm gonna be late for work! You don't owe me dick. I don't even remember doing that. However if I did do that I would tell you to keep your goddamn eyes open, and not walk around like a wide eyed idiot.” He harshly stated.

Velonix’s eyes widened considerably, and an odd emotion curled up in her chest. Her arms grew warm, and she felt an odd tick in her cheek. It was something that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Anger.

What gave him the right to speak to her that way? To use such foul language and direct it towards her? No one had the right to speak to anyone in the way that he was talking to her.

She closed the small distance between them in two quick steps, lifting her hand and poking him hard in the center of the chest and focusing large, narrowed eyes on him, which were ablaze with irritation. He had spoken to her as though she were an unintelligible creature enough - she wasn’t just going to let him treat her that way. The boy was caught off guard, and the moment she touched him he lost his composure. His face turned bright red.

“Listen here, you - you - you arsch*,” she snapped, poking him hard again, “I don’t care what your personal issue is. You have no right - no right whatsoever - so speak to me so disrespectfully. All I wanted to do was thank you and show my gratitude towards you; the least that you can do is say you’re welcome! It’s called common decency and manners, and to stand there and insult me - Pah!” she huffed, jabbing him once more. The boy opened his mouth to try to speak, but he was cut off before a word could come out. “You have no idea who I am, so you have zero right to speak down to me as though I’m nothing more than an ant!”

Shoving her hand into her pocket, she pulled something out, grabbed his hand, and shoved a crumpled wad of money into his palm - around forty-five dollars worth - before stepping back and drawing in a deep breath. Tears prickled her eyes, and one escaped and trickled down her cheek.

“Now have fun at work, jerk,” she said quietly. Velonix spun away on her heel and shoved through the crowd away from him, rubbing at her watery eyes in irritation.

“Hey! You....you....Psycho! Get back here!” The boy futilely called out, but got no more reactions. He glared at the wad of money that she forced upon him, anger began to swell up inside him. He gritted his teeth, and started after her.

Why, by all of the stars above, was that measly human able to make her react and act so recklessly and angrily?

Rounding the corner, she ducked under an awning, facing the wall of the building, the small area slightly secluded. Velonix pressed her hand against the side of the building, forcing her breathing to slow from the heavy pant that it had once been. She to just barely even it out, before a sudden burst of anger assaulted her body. Her eyes flashed with a sheen of red-orange, and in a split instant the dumpster beside her erupted into blazing flames. She jumped and stumbled back, her eyes wide, and after several moments of simply staring with a startled gaze at the dumpster, she felt her lower lip tremble. A few stumbling steps later, and she was completely hidden from view of the sidewalk. She dropped down beside the dumpster, pulled her legs to her chest, and dropped her forehead to her knees. A small tremble began in her lower lip, and tears began to spill over and trickle down her cheeks. With a shaky hand, she managed to reach into her pocket and press two quick buttons, placed the phone at her ear, and as soon as a tired ‘Hello’ echoed through the device, she said with a quivering voice, “I-I did it again. I don’t know what to do … Please … Please help me, Aurora …”

Her sister’s voice instantly gentled on the other end, and after a very brief discussion - it literally lasted maybe ten seconds - the older girl clicked off, Velonix having told her where she was.

“Hey you damn bit-” Takeo shouted as he began to round the corner, stopping mid-sentence. Velonix’s head jerked up at the shout, instantly recognizing the voice of the rude boy that had saved her.

He hesitated with the raging dumpster fire, but he quickly overcame the initial shock, and roughly yanked Velonix away from the fire. “Hey dumbass! Don't just stand....” He began to shout once more before stopping as he got a good look at her crying face. The boy began to fidget, and avoided direct eye contact as his own face began to grow red. When she saw his gaze focus on her wet cheeks and red eyes, she tore her hand away from his grip, using the heels of her palms to rub feverishly yet futilely at the dampness that was her face.

“Look....just.....I don't think it's the safest idea to..s-stand by a flaming pile of garbage,” he stammered, his nervous composure causing confusion to cross the girl’s face. He then swiftly flicked her nose. “He-here....the Old Hag gave it to me before I left, but I don't want it. Already around that shit enough anyway....so quit ya crying.” The boy grumbled as he rummaged around in his cargo shorts, and pulled out a small wrapping filled with assorted baked goods. As the boy handed over the food, she reached out hesitantly, her fingers closing around the small pack. He accidentally brushed the charred and rough palm of his hand across Velonix's soft white skin. The girl jumped, a flash of a raging fire and the same man from the last vision screaming and flailing about. The sight moved down to view the hands of whoever she was seeing the memory through - in this case, the boy that currently stood before her - and they opened to reveal a palm scalded with a large, red welt. As she saw this, all the boy before her would see was a blank look in her eyes, as though she were blind. The boy quickly pulled his hand, fidgeting, and looking almost physically uncomfortable from the skin-to-skin contact. He looked up at her eyes to catch them returning to normal. He blinked several times, wondering if he was just seeing things.

He peered down the alleyway, staring at the fire, clearly wondering what started it. He then looked the girl up and down, he didn’t see anything on her that looked like it would start a fire, so he merely shrugged it off. It was probably set by someone else, not that he really cared. It wasn’t any of his business. “W-well, I got stuff to do, and can't be standing around with you! So...so just leave me alone, and go home or whatever! And here's your money, use it to buy a bus ticket or something.....B-besides, I'm not your damn charity case!” He shouted as he threw the wad of money back at her. She somehow managed to juggle it for a moment before catching it, and once she had, she looked up to see him already backing down the alleyway. The roaring fire was diminishing, running out of fuel in the dumpster, but she could still feel the comforting heat across her cheeks, drying the tears that still lingered there.

“And you're welcome by the way! I'm not gonna make a habit out of saving your life, so next time make sure you don't need it. Ain't nobody gonna take care of you if you can't take care of yourself.” The boy bitterly added, dropping his skateboard to the ground. Before he jumped on his skateboard, she jerked herself into focus and took a few quick strides down the alleyway.

“Wait!” she called out breathlessly, coming to a sudden stop when he didn’t look back at her, but instead stood in place. After a brief second, she gathered her courage and placed a large smile on her face, forcing down the jumble of emotions that she felt mere minutes before, and focusing on the small amount of joy that she could see feel residing within her.

“I’m Velonix. I … I hope that I run into you again … Um …” she trailed off, unsure of his name.

“It's Takeo. People call me Tak.” Tak answered hesitantly with a sigh as he peaked over his shoulder at Velonix. Why did he tell her his name? And why would she hope to run into someone that moments earlier called her names again? There was something odd about her, well other than the obvious. He just couldn't place his finger on it. “Yeah... well don't go getting any ideas. You're better off not hanging out with jerks like me.” He added, turning completely away from her so she couldn't see his bright red face. A small amount of guilt rose into Velonix’s chest, and after a moment of quiet, she managed to say, “I apologize for that,” in a rather soft voice, but one that carried with the wind towards his ears.

Nobody had ever said that they looked forward to seeing him, nor have they apologized for calling him names, so why did some complete stranger just do so? Those questions would have to wait for a time he wasn't late for work. “You were right thands. She slowly looked down, untied the top of the small pouch-like container, and blinked at the e first time.” He added before he hopped on his skateboard and rode off.

As she watched his retreating figure, Velonix clutched the package and money in her hdelicious goodies encased within it. She flicked her gaze back upwards, but at that point Takeo was gone from sight.

Would she ever see him again?

Maybe. But the likelihood of that happening was very slim.

---

“Re-Re!”

“Over here, big sis!”

“Push me higher, oneesama!”

“No, come play tag, Rei!”

“No, no, big sis Rei wants to play hide and go seek! Isn’t that right?”

A crowd of children gathered around a girl who, in all honesty, wasn’t much taller than they were. Given her small stature, she could easily be mistaken as another child who belonged at the orphanage, and if looked upon one would assume her age to be pre-teen to early teenage years. In actuality she was seventeen, not that that really mattered to an onlooker, but she had grown accustomed to people assuming that she were younger than her actual age.

Lifting both of her hands as if to ward off the small humans surrounding her, Reiya let out a flustered little laugh, waving her hands back and forth. Her sweater sleeves slipped down to her forearms, away from their normal resting spot around the middle of her hands, and they revealed dainty, peach-toned fingers with blue nail polish.

“Come on, you guys - there’s enough time for me to play with all of you!” she giggled out breathily, having just stopped in the middle of playing kickball with another group of the children.

Her words didn’t seem to please the ones surrounding her, however, as their argumentative looks turned to pouts. Immediately they all began talking at once, growing louder and louder in an attempt to talk over one another and be heard, and Reiya took a step back, scratching the back of her head. After a moment of thinking, she shot out her arm, giving a large thumbs-up to them.

“I know! How about we all play tag, and then hide and go seek? And after that, we can all go inside for the yummy snacks that Ms. Treist made! Deal?”

The children looked around at each other slowly, and after a moment, they huffed in unison and nodded. One of the older boys stepped forward and thrust a finger in her direction.

“Fine. But you’d better not be joshing us, Rei-Rei!”

With the deal in place, the children took off, the older boy being deemed as ‘it’, despite his gasp and words of outrage over the predicament. Reiya let out a laugh and ran alongside the young ones, yet slowed her pace a bit from a normal jog so as not to make them feel slow in comparison to her.

It was around an hour and a half later before they finally finished their little games of tag and hide and seek. The sweaty and tired children dragged themselves into the orphanage, more than ready for a snack and a nap, and Reiya, ever the bubble of happy energy, followed behind them joyfully.

As the children sat around at the enormous banquet tables that had been generously donated to the orphanage by herself, Reiya was stopped by the matron of the gargantuan building, Mrs. Treist. The older woman laid a hand gently on Reiya’s shoulder, and they both stopped in the doorway to the dining hall, eyes overlooking the happy children. There was a moment of content silence between them before the woman spoke.

“We really cannot thank you enough for the generosity that you’ve shown not only us, but the children, also, Ms. Himura,” came her trembling voice. Although she was the matron of the orphanage, she did not deal directly with the children, but instead ran everything behind the scenes. She organized the meals and meal times, play times, field trips, and so on, but had hired a few helpers to assist in the actual watching of the children. In fact, since Reiya’s regular donations began, she had managed to hire enough staff to monitor each bedroom, if necessary. Not that it was, since the children’s behaviors had grown incredibly better since they began to have more improved surroundings as time went on, but it was nice for the elderly woman to have the option if the need arose.

Waving her hand as though to wave off her gratitude, Reiya laughed and blushed a light pink.

“There’s no need to thank me, Mrs. Treist, really! And please, call me Reiya - I insist,” she added at the end as Mrs. Treist went to interject. Turning her gaze back to the children, Reiya smiled softly. “Their laughter and happiness is all the thanks that I need, trust me,” she said softly, lowering her hand as she did. “I’m just glad that I’m able to shed a little bit of light in their otherwise dark worlds. I know what it’s like to go through the unthinkable - to sink into a dark hole, without knowing your way back out. I’m happy that I can be the light to shine and show them the path, if only for a brief amount of time in their lives. At least they’re able to form these joyous memories now, that way if in the future their lives become dark once again, they have these times to look back on and smile. To give them hope that there’s more to life than sadness and negativity.”

Another moment of silence passed between them, and Mrs. Treist once again patted the young girl’s shoulder.

“How a girl so young could be so incredibly wise is beyond me, but let me just say this - your mother and father raised you well. Wherever they are, I’m sure that they would be extremely proud of the woman you’re becoming, Reiya.”

Reiya once again flushed, this time a darker pink, and her smile trembled a little bit. She looked away quickly before Mrs. Treist could see the soft sheen of tears that crossed her eyes, and drew in a small breath.

“I’m happy that you think so. It means a lot to me ... The thought that I can make them proud.” Her voice was soft, and it held a bottomless tone to it that spoke of the sorrow and ache she still felt over the loss of her family.

Drawing in a deep breath, she plastered a large smile on her face once more.

“I should be going now, if you don’t mind. I still have to go to the clinic and check up on the baby raccoons that the children found abandoned earlier this week. It was really nice seeing you again, though.” Turning to face the dining hall, she placed her fingers in the corners of her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. At the sound, two red-brown heads perked up from two separate places across the room, before ducking down again. She could see small forms darting through the tables and weaving between tiny legs, and in record time, two young foxes were at her feet. They both scrambled up her legs - she ignored the scratching of their nails on her soft skin - and made themselves at home on her shoulders and head. She snagged her backpack from the table just inside the doorway of the hall, and with a wave, Reiya left the dining hall, and then the orphanage entirely, walking onto the sidewalk with a determined step. Lifting her hands, she scratched the two foxes heads, offering the one on her shoulder a soft kiss.

“Ready to go see the babies?” she asked them both, looking up and going cross eyed to view the one on her head. They both stared at her with dark black orbs, the one on her shoulder panting slightly. “Yup, definitely ready to go see the babies,” she laughed.

It was a short walk from the orphanage to the veterinary clinic where she worked as an assistant - not that she really needed the job, but she had already learned some very valuable lessons from the veterinarian that worked there - so she arrived rather quickly.

Pulling her sweater a bit more around her body, she shivered slightly as a cold wind whipped around her. She wasn’t from Japan, but even she found it odd that the air was so cold this time of year - and only in this portion of town.

Turning her gaze up to the sky, she adjusted her large-rimmed glasses, pushing them further up her nose.

It was hard not to hear the talk around Akita about the oddities going on in nature right now. The town was moderately sized, not small but also not large, and the community was rather tight-knit so gossip traveled fast. Everyone throughout the town had been chattering nonstop about the changes in the climates depending on the part of town that you went to - one portion was hot as the dickens, as how summer was meant to be, while the other was seeing snowfall - snowfall! - in the summer time. She had taken to avoiding the more heated parts of town, seeing as she had never really enjoyed the heat, and was just thankful that her home and the main places that she ventured to were in the chillier portions. The breeze that hit her, however, was extremely cold, causing goosebumps to flare up on her legs, and pushing her to slap her hands down on her skirt to keep it from flaring up.

“Okay, enough of this cold - let’s go inside, shall we?” she asked the foxes perkily, before shoving open the doors to the clinic.

The bell above the door dinged to announce her entrance, and the two people behind the counter jerked away guiltily from one another and peaked up at her. One was a middle aged blonde woman with tiny glasses, by the name of Clarisse Montonye, who began clacking away anxiously at the keyboard before her, and the other was a middle aged brunette man in a white lab coat, by the name of Harvey Rhynes, who had been leaning over Ms. Montonye rather closely and was now ruffling through some papers in a terrible attempt at appearing nonchalant. Reiya had known since her beginning employment at the clinic that there was more going on between the two than they ‘let on’, but they were terrible at hiding their interest in one another.

Stifling a giggle, Reiya smiled at the two, but before she could greet them, Harvey spoke up.

“Ah, Reiya - thank goodness you’re here! I need to run an errand and pick up some supplies from the pharmacy - we’re running rather low on a few things - so I was hoping that you could watch the clinic with Ms. Montonye, in case anything pops up?” he asked, having cleared his throat before doing so. He adjusted his tie nervously, flickering a glance down at the receptionist when he said her name, but quickly returning his gaze to the girl who stood just inside the doorway.

Offering them a bright smile, Reiya strode behind the counter, the foxes hopping down from their perches on her and sniffing around the counter for any good scents, and she slid her backpack from her shoulders, dropping it to the floor with a soft thud.

“Of course, Mr. Rhynes, I’d be happy to watch the clinic for you. You know I’m more than capable to handle anything that may arise in your absence,” she said. The two adults gave soft sighs of what could only be relief over her not bringing up the slightly intimate moment that she had disturbed, and Mr. Rhynes ruffled her hair, giving her a large grin.

“I know I can always count on you, Reiya. Thank you for everything you do around here. I’ll pick up some lunch for the three of us while I’m out, how about that?” He let out a laugh as her eyes widened and she nodded eagerly, her stomach giving a soft grumble in response, before grabbing his coat and keys. Tossing his hat on, he strode to the door, waving slightly before walking through it, the soft ding of the bell echoing in his exit of the building.

Turning to Clarisse, Reiya waggled her eyebrows.

“So, when are you and Harvey going to go on a date already?”

Clarisse let out a squeaky gasp, spinning in her chair and turning a deep, crimson red. She sputtered, unable to form a coherent word in response, leading Reiya to laugh.

“I’m just kidding Clarisse. Deep breaths, okay?”

The woman sputtered some more before abruptly spinning back around, hunching over her keyboard as though it could protect her from all evils.

Reiya turned, still laughing, and gave the two foxes a couple of light scratches behind the ears, before moving in the direction of the back of the clinic. A swinging door separated the entrance, where the customers would see, from the back of the building, where only staff were allowed. They had a couple of extra rooms branching off from the entrance for exams and, well, euthanization, that obviously pet owners were allowed to be in, but the area behind the counter and beyond were strictly off limits to anyone who wasn’t employed by Mr. Rhynes.

The soft chattering sounds of baby raccoons could be heard, growing louder as Reiya made her way down the hall, and as she entered the room that the little ones were in, their chattering turned into loud chitters. Giggling a little at their excitement, she approached the large enclosure that they had placed them in - equiped with toys, blankets, beds, and really anything the raccoons could possibly need - and opened the door to it. Stepping inside, she bent down as the babies scrambled towards her, flailing around in their movements as they were still growing accustomed to running on their small, stubby legs, and they flung themselves at her, their joy at her appearance evident. Reiya let out endless giggles as they jumped on her, nuzzling any part of her that they could, and she was forced to readjust her glasses countless times.

She spent the better part of an hour playing with the tiny balls of fluff, until Mr. Rhynes returned with delicious smelling ramen from the restaurant down the street. She joined Mr. Rhynes and Clarisse for lunch, reveling in the delicious taste of the chicken mixed with vegetables - she couldn’t get enough of the Japanese cuisine presented to her now that she lived in Japan - and enjoying joking conversations with the two.

After they finished their meal, Mr. Rhynes turned to her, giving her a sheepish grin.

“I really hate to do this to you, Reiya, but I actually forgot to pick something up from the pharmacy. I know it may be an inconvenience, but you can actually just pick it up at the market a couple of blocks over, seeing as it’s over the counter medical supplies. Would you mind going to pick it up? You can cut through the park, and I’ll buy you lunch again tomorrow to make up for it,” he promised, waggling his brows jokingly at her.

Reiya let out a small laugh, pushing herself up from her chair.

“Of course, Mr. Rhynes. I’ll go get it for you,” she said, taking the small sticky note that he held out to her with a few words scrawled across it, along with the wad of bills he had tucked with it. “I’ll be back shortly!”

With that said, she left the clinic, leaving the foxes to enjoy their play time with their little friends at the building, and taking off down the street towards the park.

She was halfway through the park when she heard and odd squeaking sound. She paused mid-step, tilting her head and craning to listen for the sound once more, and was met with a distressed little shriek that could only belong to an animal in pain. Immediately her heart jerked, and she snapped her head back and forth. In an instant she was moving, pushing through bushes and trees - the sound was emanating from the small bunch of trees that followed the pathway through the park - and she ignored the branches that slapped her face, stinging her cheeks with their slices, along with the pricks that she got from shoving through the bushes, their thorns stabbing her in the process.

When she finally reached the area that the shrieking was coming from, it was to find a terrified ball of fur trembling and cowering beneath some thin tree roots, which obviously weren’t going to hold much longer, and a wild, adult fox attempting to break through them to get at the small animal. Although it went against her very nature to harm an animal, she picked up a rock, one that was neither too heavy nor too late, and immediately threw it at the animal, ensuring that it simply sailed past the creature and landed directly next to it.

“Hey! Leave it alone! Find something else to snack on!” she shouted at it. Her shouting mixed with the flying object startled the fox enough that it took off, disappearing into the underbrush. Running towards the small ball of fluff, she slid on her knees next to it, holding her hands above the roots in the least threatening manner that she could manage.

“Shhh,” she murmured, softening her gaze as she looked down at the trembling ball. A small, terrified face peeked out, before quickly hiding it back in its paws. “Oh, you poor thing ... You’re absolutely petrified ...” she said softly. “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you. Won’t you please come out and say hello?” she asked sweetly, her voice gentle and compelling. The little face appeared slowly once more, the trembling gradually faded, and after a few moments of intense silence where nothing happened, it gradually left its poor hiding spot, crawling towards her at an awkward limp. It sniffed her knee hesitantly for a few moments, before it warily crawled up on her leg, struggling in its efforts, and once on her, it snuggled into her hip.

Reiya reached down and gently scooped the frightened animal in her hands, clutching it to her chest. She could see pink mixed into its fur, and the wetness of blood was felt on her fingers. She couldn’t see the specific injuries, but she knew that if they weren’t examined soon, the animal could very well die.

Standing quickly, she clutched the small furball to her chest, murmuring words of comfort and encouragement as she did so, before she took off, using her long history of awards for her quick pace in track to her advantage. As she ran, it was obvious why she had been awarded second place in all of Europe for her abilities - if she was anything, she was definitely fast.

It took her even less than half the time it normally took to return to the clinic, and when she arrived, she was only slightly breathless, having put her all into reaching the building as quickly as possible. As she slammed through the doorway, the two baby foxes peaked up in interest, and Dr. Rhynes and Clarisse turned puzzled expressions onto her. The looks of confusion quickly turned to worry as they noticed the small ball she was clutching and her disheveled state - her slightly torn clothing, her ripped tights; her messy hair that was clad with twigs and leaves; and her cuts across her face and hands. Immediately they moved into action, Clarisse hurrying to the examination room to prep the sterilization table, and Dr. Rhynes rushing to Reiya. He attempted to take the small ball from her hands, but the creature clung to Reiya, whether out of fear of desperation, she couldn’t tell. Without hesitating, though, Reiya took off after Clarisse, shouting over her shoulder at Dr. Rhynes that she would handle it, and the young girl spent the next hour or so taking meticulous care of the little creature that had somehow already wriggled its way into her heart.



“Reiya, you need to sit down. Pacing isn’t going to help the little one wake up any faster,” Clarisse said gently. “Please, let me clean your cuts and get you a change of clothes.”

The girl in question shook her head, wringing her hands as she paced back and forth. Dr. Rhynes rose at that point, scratching the back of his head.

“Reiya. Listen to me,” he said gruffly, the emotions in his voice obvious. Reiya paused mid-pace, still wringing her hands and not looking at him, but obviously listening.

“We all know that you did everything you could, and knowing you, you did it extremely, extremely well. Small animals like that, though ... They’re very fragile. We don’t know if that was a cut from the wild fox, or if it was something that it did to itself, and if it was a cut from the fox, we do know that there could be a serious infection, and that a tiny animal like that couldn’t possibly recover from such an infection. You need to be prepared if that happens,” he said gently.

Blinking back tears, Reiya whirled around towards him, balling her hands at her sides.

“Stop talking like you know everything, Rhynes! I’m Reiya Himura, for God’s sakes - I can bring animals back from the brink of death! She’s going to make it!” she shouted, something extremely uncharacteristic of her. Clarisse looked stunned, and Dr. Rhynes simply looked away, his regret in his words evident, and Reiya resumed her fast pacing, back and forth across the examination room.

They had put the small animal - which they had found to be a mouse - under a considerably low dosage of anesthesia in order for Reiya to do a thorough exam and fix anything that needed to be mended. The mouse had taken a considerably large wound to her side - an immense gash for an animal her size - and it was surprising that she hadn’t already succumbed to her injuries in the spanse of time since she had received the cut. Reiya had immediately set to work sterilizing and stitching the creature back together, along with attaching an IV drip to flow natural sugars into its blood streams in an attempt to help it replenish the blood it lost more quickly than usual. She was lucky that she was so quick and capable of working under stressful situations - if she had taken any longer to fix the rodent up, it may not have been so lucky to survive this long.

A small sound was heard from the bundle on the table. They had placed the mouse in a box with a nestle of towels and a warmed bottle of water to keep her from freezing in the chilly room, and in order to make her comfortable in her recovery.

Rushing to the box, Reiya moved the towels aside slightly, and was met with large, beady eyes, that were drowsy and mixed with confusion and a bit of fear. She slowly reached inside the box, gently stroking the head of the mouse.

“Hush now; you’re okay. Go back to sleep,” Reiya said softly, almost as though the animal could actually understand her. Its eyes slowly fluttered shut, exhaustion claiming the creature, but Reiya was reassured by the steady rise and fall of its side as it slept.

Leaning back, she fixated a surprisingly dark look on the doctor.

“I told you that she would be fine,” she said.

With that, she picked up the box and went out to the entry area of the clinic, lowered herself onto the couch, and gently placed the box in her lap.

Ding, ding.

---

“Nixon, I-I baked you a cake! Please, won’t you accept it?”

A petite, beautiful young woman with stunningly blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes stood opposite the man in question, a counter separating the two. The clanging of glasses and guffaws of drunken men echoed around them, but Nixon was spared from the brunt of it, due to his ever-present ‘fan club’ congestion around the counter.

The bar was oddly busy for the day time, with several groups of people trickling in for mid-day drinks and cheap bar lunches. Normally the ‘young’ man would be slightly annoyed by the women taking up what little space the bar counter offered, but today he didn’t mind. He was making a ridiculous amount of money - not that it mattered much, seeing as he had an endless amount of money at his disposal - off of the unending customers that were making their ways into the bar. So, instead of shooing the ladies from the bar and grill, Nixon was taking the opportunity to chat with and dazzle them.

And they were, unsurprisingly, swooning under his ruby gaze and charming smile.

Setting down the 20oz draft glass that he had been polishing, Nixon slung the towel over his shoulder and propped his elbows on the counter, leaning forward and across the bar. He stopped only when he was nearly nose-to-nose with the girl, who couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen years old. It wasn’t uncommon for the town girls to wander into the bar, having heard of the Adonis-like man who worked there. A crimson blush immediately rose to her cheeks, her eyes growing widely startled, and he simply gave her one of his Earth-shattering smiles.

“I love cake, but I’m almost unsure of if I should accept the gift. You see, I may just develop a case of diabetes, given how much sweetness you already bring into my life, Anastasiya,” he said, giving a slight lift to her name. She practically swooned when he said her name, but managed to maintain some of her composure, just long enough to shove the box in his direction, her head lowered.

“Please, I insist!” she practically shouted, her embarrassment that followed evident in the tensing of her shoulders. A few of the ladies that lined the bar giggled at the girl, whispering about her foolishness, and how a girl like her had no chance with Nixon. Clearly he heard their words, as did the girl, who visibly deflated under their scrutiny.

If there was one thing that Nixon couldn’t stand, it was unnecessary rudeness towards someone who didn’t deserve it.

Giving the women a small look out of the corners of his eyes, he felt the corners of his lips turn up a slightly malevolent smile, before he turned his attention back to Anastasiya.

His grip closed around the box, and the young girl’s head whipped up in surprise, having obviously already accepted the rejection that she had thought was coming. Instead, she was met with a handsome smile, and Nixon leaned forward until his lips were touching her ear.

“Don’t pay them any mind. You’re easily the most beautiful woman in this bar - perhaps even this whole town,” he whispered softly. When he felt her cheeks grow even warmer against his, he chuckled softly and leaned back. With a quick reach behind him, the package in his other hand, he pulled his arm back and stretched it out towards the girl. A small, black card was held between two fingers, and the gasp of the women at the bar was profound.

Instead of a ‘little black book’, Nixon kept ‘little black cards’. These cards he kept on reserve for the women and men that he found irresistibly charming, and who he had a keen interest in. While the girl in front of him definitely wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had taken to his room, she was definitely above his normal standards for physical attractiveness. That, and he really enjoyed the looks on the faces of the women at the bar.

It served them and their smug attitudes right. He enjoyed putting petty humans in their places.

Focusing his attention on Anastasiya once more, he gave her a slow wink, the corners of his lips turned up.

“Give me a call sometime, kotyonok*,” he said softly. He turned away and opened the mini fridge behind the bar, specially reserved for employees, and slid the box of cake inside of it, to be enjoyed later.

As he was bent over, a moment of what could only be named sadness rushed over him.

Sweets are her favorite.

The thought flitted through his mind, completely unwanted, but also completely out of his control.

Immediately he shoved the thoughts of Harmony and the seasons from his mind, rising and slamming the fridge door shut, slightly rougher than necessary and causing a few of the ladies to jump a bit in their seats.

Turning back to the women, he put his fists on his sides, leaning forward slightly and beaming them all a smile. Anastasiya had scurried from the bar after getting his card, her glee obvious in her rush, and so he focused on the women who remained.

“Who wants another round?”



With a sigh, Nixon dropped onto his bed, flopping back dramatically. It wasn’t possible to get physically tired, due to his God-given body, but he was definitely mentally exhausted from having to deal with all of the women that had ogled over him at the bar. While some of them were definitely nice on the eyes, there were a few who had definitely fallen into a gutter or two, and those ones were the most pushy.

Shuddering at the image of their naked bodies, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket. Holding it above his face, he quickly keyed in his pattern and opened it, finding a plethora of text messages and what were referred to as ‘Snapchats’. He chose to go through the ‘Snapchats’ first, which mostly consisted of naked body parts. A good portion of them belonged to women, but at least one-third were men, and were a nice change from the normal breasts that popped up when he opened the pictures.

Not that he didn’t appreciate the images. They were definitely pleasing to look at. It just grew old seeing the same thing over and over again. It was nice to change things up a bit.

After sending a few pictures in response - ones that were definitely provocative also - he flipped to the text messages. Several were from the men and women that he had given his card to that day - there were about six of them - but only one caught his attention.

Today
05:38pm

Hi Nixon! This is Anastasiya, hahah. I hope I didn’t text you too soon ;)

A smirk immediately crossed his features. Glancing at the time in the corner of his phone, he read 08:46pm, and almost immediately began to type a response.

Today
08:47pm

You definitely didn’t ;) I’m actually really bored, so your text brightened my spirits! It’s nice to talk to you outside of the bar, Anastasiya.

Almost immediately his phone dinged, and he felt another smirk on his lips. Her excitement was obvious in her quick response.

Today
8:49pm

Ahah, I’m so glad I could make you a little less bored! Wuu2?

A moment of confusion crossed through him, so he immediately responded.

Today
8:50pm

I’m sorry, but what’s wuu2?

Ding.

Today
8:51pm

Haha, I’m sorry! It means what’re you up to?

Grinning, he waggled his brows, laughed at himself, and typed a quick response.

Today
8:53pm

I just got home from work. I’m just laying in bed right now … Bored out of my mind. What are you up to?

Ding.

Today
8:54pm

I’m actually doing the same exact thing! You wouldn’t mind some company, would you? :) My mama and papa went out for the night, so I really have nothing to do :/

His brow raised, and he felt a small chuckle rise up in his chest.

Today
8:55pm

Come over ;)

After sending his address to her, he chucked his phone aside, yawned, and stretched his arms above his head. His tendons crackled in response, and he stared up at the ceiling, guilt rising within him.

Where are you?

Kazumi was always a morning person. She spent the early morning hours gardening and talking to the animals that lived on their property. One perk of being who she was, was having unlimited funds to buy not one but two places in the town of Akira. Whenever Kazumi was off from work, she enjoyed staying in the shared home of her siblings. Kazumi was an extrovert and didn't like being alone for long. So even if her brother Natsuo was a pain or even those rare times when her youngest siblings got under her nerves, she would rather be around them than not. Of course at the moment she was surrounded by animals. She loved creatures of all kind. So much so that she could never eat an animal. It was insulting to eat something you could talk to. One nice thing about Japan was they prepared many of their meals more natural. There wasn't much of that processed food she found more in the west, especially the USA. When scouting out a place to stay on Earth, Kazumi had been dumbstruck by how Americans and other Western countries grew their fare with their fertilizers and other means to 'enhance' their food products. It really churned her stomach.

Not wanting to think about such thoughts, Kazumi looked at the some of the crops she had gathered. The garden here was mostly vegetables with some fruit. She mostly grew stuff her siblings would eat and made sure the certain the right kind of goods were planted for the kind of soil found here. Two common foods that were grown were eggplant and cabbage. While Kazumi couldn't cook for the the life of her, she always made different types of cold salads for her youngest sibling, Ryou, who couldn't even eat warm food.

After gardening, Kazumi took a shower and go dressed for the day. After that she started going over the things she wanted to do that day in the huge kitchen. During this time her other sister woke and said she was going out on her own to the bookstore she got a job at and to distract Pheobus too. The siblings were getting better at calling each other by their aliases, but were still comfortable calling each other by their birth names and mostly did that in private. Kazumi wasn't looking forward to waking up her brother. He loved sleeping in during the summers. But a small part of Kazumi loved getting the upper hand on him too. She would still be cautious though. Natsuo was known to be a light sleeper and got up in an instant. Unfortunately, Kazumi wouldn't be able to get her chance as her younger brother appeared in the kitchen, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Well look who decided to wake up." Kazumi smiled sweetly, knowing it would irritate Natsuo.

Natsuo scowled and ignored his sister as he got a cup out and had a glass of water. He than went about making his own breakfast, which was always hot and sometimes spicy. He always had a bowl of rice. They had a rice cooker in the house and he loved the food. Kazumi already knew he was planning on taking the rice cooker back with them when they went back home. Thinking about their parents caused Kazumi to worry. She could imagine that they were worried and probably frantic in finding them. At least they left a note saying they were going to Earth. Kazumi wouldn't be surprised if Astra and Nixon were already on Earth looking for them. Nixon was like and adoptive brother for them while Astra was more like a 2nd parent, even though Kazumi felt ambivalent towards the Senior Star.

"What's with the frown, Aurora? Did someone wake up too early for once?" asked Natsuo.

Kazumi turned sharply and saw his smirk.

"For your information, it's never too early to get up. And unlike you, I appreciate how gorgeous the sunrise is since father made it so."

"True, but I take full advantage of father's splendor by having as much sun as possible. Speaking of which after I eat my breakfast, I plan on getting out and seeing where my other sister went off too since she's not in her room."

Remembering that Velonix wanted her to distract Natsuo, Kazumi called out to Natsuo before he could take off.

"Actually Pheobus, I was going to go out myself and need to run a few errands. You could help me with them."

Natsuo frowned,"What kind of 'errands'?"

With her sweetest smile in place, Kazumi answered him.

"Shopping."

"OH NO! I don't think so!"

"Awwww, but than who will protect me than?"

"Aren't Dawn and Eos qualified enough? They're pretty much glued to your side most of the time." Natsuo said, pointing to the two dogs nearby.

Both Dawn and Eos look up at the siblings when they heard their names and Eos asked Kazumi what was up. Kazumi told them not to worry.

"Dawn and Eos are wonderful protection, but you'd be on the icing on the cake brother. Besides, I plan on getting a lot of stuff and I could really use your help."

Natsuo grumbled and agreed. After he finished eating, he finished getting ready and the two ended up Natsuo's Acura ILX heading for the places on Kazumi's list.

"What is it with you and HATS!? I think you almost bought out the store!" grumbled Natsuo as he carried 5 large bags worth of hats into the house and he and his siblings were sharing.

"Well for one, they help protect my flawless complexion and two, if you didn't make it sunny most of the time, I wouldn't have so many hats. At least in my season we don't have to worry about it. Besides, it's not like those weight a lot and YOU'RE the one who insisted on carrying those bags, being the noble person you are." smiled Kazumi, carrying a small bag, followed by her two constant companions, the Shiba Inu Dawn, and the Akita, Eos.

"Well, I wouldn't have come in the first place if you hadn't insisted on me coming to begin with!" snapped the tall dark haired man.

"Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to get out though? I simply provided the opportunity," Kazumi smiled sweetly, knowing she got him there.

Natsuo just groaned as he went to put Kazumi's things in her room.

That's when Kazumi's cell phone went off.

Seeing who it was, Kazumi answered it right away. Her smile quickly left her face when she heard her sister's voice. For once her tone sounded serious.

"Stay where you are. I'll be right there." she said.

She rushed to where Natsuo is.

"I have to go back out. I'll be right back okay?" she said and vanished, not giving her brother time to respond.

"Dawn and Eos, find Harmony." Kazumi told the two as they got into her Lexus RX convertible.

She knew her sister was going to be in the Autumn part of town, but didn't know where exactly. In fact, her main reason for going out was to get Natsuo off Velonix's back. Once they got to the area, Kazumi slowed down, the dogs were able to pick up her sister's scent in no time. Picking up her sister's energy signature, a technique Kazumi developed so she could find her siblings if they were nearby, the pink haired woman parked and looked for her on foot. It wasn't long before they found her.

As she watched his retreating figure, Velonix clutched the package and money in her hands. She slowly looked down, untied the top of the small pouch-like container, and blinked at the delicious goodies encased within it. She flicked her gaze back upwards, but at that point Takeo was gone from sight.

Would she ever see him again?

Maybe. But the likelihood of that happening was very slim.

"Harmony!" Kazumi called out, not caring if they were out in public for once.

Velonix jerked her head to the side, her eyes instantly keying in on her sister's quickly approaching figure, and immediately she felt tears well up again. By that time, the fire was nothing more than embers, but the smoke from it had definitely garnered the attention of passerby's and business owners who were on either side of the alleyway. Velonix's lower lip trembled, and she sniffed extremely unattractively.

"A-Aurora!"

Before her sister had even reached her, Velonix threw herself into the older girl’s arms, careful not to spill the baked goodies everywhere, yet still openly distraught.

"I-I don't know what happened ... I just ... It happened .. I can't remember what happened ... Just that I was angry one moment, and then the next a dumpster was on fire ..."

Kazumi didn't say a word, just let her sister cry her heart out. This was the reason why she and her brothers were protective of their sister. She had always been the most sensitive of them all and what happened to her years ago changed her. It really hurt Kazumi to see her sister like this.

"Sshhh, I know you didn't mean to. You're always so careful not lose your temper. I mean, look at me, when I get mad, I cause a hurricane to appear. And let's not forget our dear brother, Pheobus. He got so upset once, he caused a tornado so big it was off the charts! It's a good thing neither of us have the power of fire or there’d be conflagrations left and right. Was the fire taken care of?" Kazumi told her sister and she hugged her and smoothed out her hair with one of her hands.

Velonix sniffled, and for a moment remained silent. Finally, she pulled back and rubbed at her wet cheeks and eyes, obviously trying extremely hard to compose herself once more. After a deep, shuddering inhale and exhale, she turned her gaze towards the alleyway. Smoke was still trickling out of the end of it, albeit very slowly, but there could be sirens heard screaming in the distance. A sense of unease settled deep within her. Granted, this was the first hiccup that she’d had since arriving on Earth, but in her mind, one hiccup was one too many. There was no excuse for her to lose her temper so much so that it could cause her to momentarily ‘black out’.

It was also the first time that she had decided to venture out of the house on her own. Normally, she had her two ever present Savannah cats strutting alongside her. Today, however, she had decided to take advantage of the calmness that had seemed to settle upon the town, and told Mio and Dusk to stay home.

That was clearly a huge mistake.

Turning her gaze back to her sister, she lowered it so that she was staring at their feet, idly noticing the immense differences in their styles just by their shoes.

Drawing in another deep breath, she puffed it out, plastered a smile on her lips, and turned her face back towards her sister.

“The fire is out; just some embers smoldering in the bottom of the dumpster. We should probably leave though, don’t you think?” she asked, clapping her hands together before her, book tucked under her arm and package held precariously dangling from her fingers. When she noticed that she was still holding the goodies, she quickly lowered her hands and hid them behind her back, dancing a few steps away from her sister - and away from the alleyway.

“Let’s go home?” she suggested, pointedly looking over her sister’s shoulder at the gathering crowd near the alley and the large, wailing red truck that had just turned the corner.

“Oh my yes, we better. Before a brother of ours appears. I did leave in a hurry.” laughed Kazumi.

Eos and Dawn rub up against Velonix in comfort before each dog stood on each side of the sisters, Eos next to Velonix and Dawn next to Kazumi. Velonix took comfort in their presence, a small urge of longing for her own companions, Mio and Dusk, washing through her body. The feeling disappeared instantly, however, as they came back into the street and a familiar voice called out to them.

“I thought you two were up to something. I can’t leave either of you alone for a moment.” grumbled Natsuo, who is leaning against the wall of the building.

Velonix jumped, startled by her brother’s appearance. It unnerved her immensely knowing that she had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she had failed to sense his presence, and she felt a small grimacing scowl turn up one corner of her mouth.

“Actually you don’t need to watch us 24/7 brother. How’d you feel if Astra watched you 24/7? How’d you find us so fast anyway?” Kazumi asked, ignoring Natsuo.

“My crows, who else? I ordered Gust to follow you since he’s the fastest flyer of them and I used my enhancement skills to help him fly faster. Than I merely flew here myself.” Natsuo said smugly.

“AND RISK GETTING CAUGHT? Are you NUTS?!”

Velonix winced at her sister’s outburst, having never been too keen on yelling or loud noises. She did, however, agree with Kazumi; her brother was insane to do such a thing on Earth. Flying men definitely didn't go unnoticed to humans.

“It’s cloudy today and I flew too fast for anyone to spot me,” Natsuo replied before turning to his younger sister. She felt her shoulders tense up slightly in preparation for the lecture that was undoubtedly coming.

“Velonix, in all seriousness though, don’t scare me like that again. I’ll work on being overbearing if you can promise me to at least let me know where you’re going. You can expect to have one of my crows to follow you too, if only for my own piece of mind. Let’s go ladies.”

Natsuo immediately waited next to Kazumi’s car and opened the door for Velonix, who, with a slight slump in her shoulders, moved towards the vehicle. She paused only once she reached it, her hand stopping on top of the car door. Her eyes met her older brother’s, an odd intensity in her gaze, which was something extremely uncharacteristic of her.

“I'm not a child, Phoebus,” she said softly. Her tone was difficult to read, even for herself, and she turned her face towards the interior of the car.

This caught Natsuo a bit off guard and he didn’t say anything.

“... I just wish that you'd start viewing me as the adult that I've become.”

With that murmured phrase weighing heavily in the air between them, Velonix ducked into the car, Eos happily following her in the action. She slid across the seat to make room, stopping only once she reached the other side of it, and propped her elbow on the door. Rolling the window down, she dropped her chin into the palm of her hand, her gaze focused rather forlornly out the now open square.

She wasn't a child, and she hated it that her siblings viewed her as one just because of her quiet and gentle disposition, paired with her childhood trauma.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she drew in a ragged breath.

Shut. Up. Phoenix.

Prying her eyelids open once more, she gnawed on her lower lip, her worry etched across her features.

After Kazumi got in the driver’s seat, Natsuo got in after seeing the girls and dogs in play. The car drives off as they siblings head home.

Astra had always welcomed the rain, and everything that came with it. The wet grass, the misty air, the dark sky, a cool chill…she could feel it all working around her, hear each drop of rain on the pavement, see every gleam of water on the grass. If she had been anywhere but the small town, people would have been looking at her with wide eyes and amusement. She wore black dress pants and a white button up shirt with a mandarin collar. Her clothing was obviously men’s fashion, though the shirt looked oddly feminine on her, hugging her small waist and accentuating her form. Overtop of it all was a perfectly unsuitable black wool cloak, held together at her neck by a gold brooch. Her leaf-green hair contrasted heavily against her monochromatic clothing choices, and her brown eyes were nearly the colour of amber. However, the town had gotten used to her presence, and as a result, they rarely bothered her any longer. Astra was pleased with this arrangement, given that she no longer had to answer people’s questions about her hair or clothing, and could just work in peace at her home.

As she approached the door, she focused her gaze onto the door knob, watching it turn slowly and open with a loud creak. Nearly no one was outside in this sort of weather aside from the few farmers working outside. She stepped in to the warm house, her weight causing the floorboards to shift and groan. It was an old home, but it was secluded and comfortable. The Senior Star’s gaze flickered to the lamp on her desk in the front room, which came on immediately, casting a warm glow over the floors and walls. She took her cloak off and hung it on the hook by the door, stepping to her desk and sitting down. Spread over her table were various in progress maps and papers. She had drawn so many in her efforts to memorize every aspect of earth, that she had taken to selling them as a means for some extra money. People paid good prices for hand drawn works of art that could go in offices, classrooms, or the library of some rich asshole.

A knock came at the door. Astra grimaced. She had barely been home for a minute! Why was somebody coming to buy something this early in the afternoon?

With a sigh, she called out, ”Come in!” and the door opened as a young auburn-haired woman peered around the heavy wooden door.

“I’m sorry if these aren’t usually your selling hours, but I have my grandfather’s birthday tonight and I haven’t gotten him a gift! I heard your maps were beautiful, and he would love one of his home country to hang in his office!” The woman called out.

Her voice was high pitched and annoyingly cheerful. A frown of annoyance crossed Astra’s features as she dropped her pen on the desk.

”You may come in. I have one you may like.”

The woman strolled in, shutting the door behind her, and made her way towards the desk, her eyes running over the various drawings all over the walls. Topographies, countries, continents, the entire world, solar systems, stars…worlds of all sorts covered the walls in no particular organization. Astra’s fingers began to tap against the desk in annoyance, waiting for the woman to finish her analysis of the walls.

“Don’t you just love living in England? I love the mild weather and the people so much! It is just such a lovely – “

The woman droned on in her admiration for the country. Astra bit her lower lip in impatience, her fingers beginning to tap more rapidly against the surface of the desk. Though she had nowhere in particular to go, and nothing to do, she could not stand wasting time by conversing with brain-dead humans. She had much more important things to do. Scouting for information, reading newspapers, blogs online, checking everywhere for discrepancies in the weather from one place to the next, looking for any sign of her Seasons. The only thing she was sure of was that they were most likely all grouped together.

She continued to stare ahead at the brunette, drifting in and out of focus as the woman spoke. Now she was talking about Japan.

“Just the craziest things have been happening in this place! Apparently –“

Astra let out a huff and turned her cat-like eyes back down to the pen in front of her. She pushed it gently with her finger, watching it roll up the slanted wooden surface, and then fall back down to her hand. She continued this act of boredom, the woman’s voice fading to the background, becoming only a monotone blur amongst the heavy rainfall outside.

“—some places have nice hot weather, and just ten minutes away there will be snow! It’s like the seasons have gone crazy!”

Astra’s attention focused in again with the mention of the word “seasons”. This was mostly out of habit, due to being so obsessed with the word and its implications as of late.

“Uh huh…that’s fascinating…” She muttered, her amber gaze falling back down to the pen in front of her. Her mind started to run on a track, following the barely heard rambling of the woman in front of her. What place on earth had such a track record for disorganized weather? Certainly not Japan. She began to lose focus again, and her fingers began to push the pen up and down the desk.

”Come on lady just buy something already…It’s my last map for this season…” She mused in her head, her eyes tracing a path back up to the woman, who was still talking. Suddenly her mind seemed to backtrack, rewind itself. Season. The Seasons. Her Seasons.

Astra’s stance shifted suddenly. She slammed her hands down on the desk, the pen falling to the floor. An inkwell tipped over, spilling a black pool over her in-progress astronomy chart. She stared intensely at the brunette standing in front of her.

”What did you just say???” Her sudden interest in the topic surprised the woman, and she stared at Astra in surprise as if she was a mute who suddenly learned to speak.

“Oh…um, just that my dog wasn’t doing so well with his new collar –“

”No, not that!” All attempts at grace or regality had disappeared in Astra’s frantic realization that she just might have something useful to go by.

“Oh! You mean that town! The crazy weather! Yes, it’s quite something, I’m very interested myself, but I couldn’t possibly make my way there!“

”Alright, you need to go.” Astra interrupted the woman once again, stepping out from behind the counter.

“But, I haven’t gotten my map!”

”I’m closed now.”

“B-but I need it for my grandfather’s birthday!”

”Bye!”

Astra’s gaze flickered towards the door, which opened with a slam against the wall. With a gentle shove, she pushed the woman out of her shop and onto the steps outside. With another look to the door, it closed again, and the lock turned with a click. The curtains on the large window beside it pulled shut violently, all light cut out of the room aside from a single lamp still on at her desk. It was all done in the matter of a few seconds. In the warm orange glow of the lamp, Astra sat herself down in the wooden chair and pulled out the sleek metal device from the drawer in the desk. Pressing the button, she pressed on the green message bubble. She had to contact Nixon. She had to tell him that she might have found the place. She had given him many false alarms before, but this one just seemed so right .

It was the only number in her phone. She frantically typed out a message to him, knowing that it was the best way to reach him. She stopped for a moment. How far ahead was his time zone? She calculated it in her head quickly with an image of time zones surfacing in her mind. Ten hours ahead. He was probably still awake. It should only be around 10 pm where he was.
Today
12:18 pm
Nixon we need to leave. Now. I think I may have finnish where they might be

The message appeared on her sent screen. She narrowed her eyes at the typo.

*folded

Her fingers danced across the screen in a hurry. It auto-corrected again. Astra let out an impatient squeal and tried once more.

*found

Finally, it was correct. She sighed and wracked her brain to remember the conversation with the woman. It appeared in her head and repeated itself exactly how it happened. She typed the location to him.

Somewhere in Japan. No time to waste.

With that, she ran up the stairs and began to throw together a bag of essential items. Some clothing, a few basic maps and her half-finished bottle of scotch. It didn’t matter what she took with her, she could just manipulate whomever she needed to in order to get what she wanted on the plane. A frown crossed her face as she realized she would have to take a plane in order to get there. For a moment she wished for Nixon’s ability that allowed him to move his mind from his physical body. If only she could do that, just to see if she was right about this place.

Even though she was not one hundred percent sure, she still had a good feeling about it.

As she returned from upstairs, she grabbed her black wool cloak off the hook by the door. She wrapped it around her body, pulled up the hood, opened the door, and stepped outside into the pouring rain. The scent of petrichor in the air pleased her immensely. As she hurried down the cobblestone steps, a white cat stepped out from behind a bush, sitting down on the pathway in front of her way. Astra looked down at her companion, a weak smile flashing across her features. It was rare to see such a genuine expression on her face. She leaned down towards the animal, staring into its green eyes with her amber ones.
”Are you going to come with me? She cooed to the animal, standing up straight again. The cat mewed as if in understanding. Astra nodded her head in response, and looking around her, began to walk ahead once again with the white animal trailing behind her.

After Natsuo and his sisters got home, he went about doing his own business. Seeing how upset Velonix was with him really didn't sit well with him. His whole life he had been told by their father to watch over his sisters. Natsuo took that responsibility very seriously. Maybe that was it? He took it so seriously that he was holding on too tightly. He wondered if he would have been as as protective of Velonix now if she had never been hurt the last time she was here. The answer was an immediate no. He was protective of Kazumi too, but still allowed her to do things on her own. He didn't do that with Velonix. He was so worried about his younger sister getting hurt that he was always checking up on her. Sighing, Natsuo decided to do something to calm down. Getting dressed into clothing more suitable for training, something he saw others do when they did kendo, he went outside to his own person training area. Taking his bamboo kendo blade he spent a good hour practicing with it.

Feeling better, Natsuo went back inside to clean up again. What should he do now? He hadn't been out to eat for awhile. Plus he had yet to explore the whole area of Akita where his season reigned. Akita was a good place to walk through also. Decision made, the young man grabbed his kendo blade, shades, wallet, and a bottled of water, he wrote a quick note saying he was going out but be back by that evening. Walking back outside and putting on his shoes, Natsuo takes a deep breath and randomly heads north.

One of the perks of being in charge of summer was that Natsuo never had to worry about getting hot in warm weather. He did his best to make summer comfortable for mortals, but it was hard considering everyone had different tolerances to heat. Due his own high tolerance to heat, Natsuo didn't sweat as much. He still brought the water because he genuinely enjoyed drinking it. Natsuo looked up and noticed one his crow Shadow following him. While all three of his crows, Shadow, Gust, and Aeolus were black, each had subtle physical differences and their crowing was slightly different too.

After walking for almost 30 minutes, Natsuo came upon a shrine. Having seen one in pictures, Natsuo had never actually been inside of one. Having nothing better to do, he walked onto the grounds and looked around.

Azusa's morning began like it usual for her summer routine: she woke up very early, prepared the ablution fountain in the North Shrine and the rest of the four Cardinal Shrines that were under her care; yes, the locals themselves kept the shrines quite clean but she still had to do the finishing touches. After finishing all that she returned to her de facto residence of the season: the North Shrine and practiced with her bow. In part it was to not get rusty for competitive reason and it was also a habit, but mostly it was for the New Year where she'd have to fire a blunt salt-laden arrow through the ring atop the same shrines under her care. This was mostly a her thing since custom only required shooting it over the shrine - but family records indicate that the rings were originally for that purpose and ignored later on for sake of making it simpler. Still for the sake of a more authentic and better experience she saw no reason to settle for the easy standard when the higher one might pull in more guests.

Usually, she'd be free for the day so such practice could go uninterrupted...today proved to be different. She had only managed to run through the steps for the kagura to celebrate the North Shrine - a product of the sixth century which blended Shinto and Buddhism. The steps themselves weren't complex, nor was the tempo excessive because from a Buddhist perspective the North was the domain of Fukūjōju Nyorai - Amoghasiddi Buddha if one wanted to use the more international name. His season was autumn so the movements were meant to remind one of falling leaves and symbolize a bountiful harvest. From the Shinto aspect: it was to Genbu - the Black Tortoise...Xuanwu if one wanted to be more international. As such the shrine had plenty of shell motifs around it and as Genbu symbolized Winter, the dance shifted from the flurry of autumn in the cool stillness of winter in hopes of keeping the season gentler. To be honest of the four shrines this was the easiest to do since there was little movement to arrest before the shot and after firing one arrow which entered the ring too low for her liking the sound of footsteps alerted her to people approaching the otherwise empty shrine. Since her parents had to tend to various smaller shrines and other properties in the area still - it wasn't them and given her brother wasn't even in town it had to be a guest.Since she was the only person there, naturally it fell on her to be the greeter and the young woman promptly knocked her other arrows further from the path before hastening towards the entrance bow in hand. From a lay viewpoint she was conspicuously off center of the path, hugging the edge of it to her right.

The trip wasn't long - only a couple dozen paces but her eyes seemed to play a trick on her in regards to the young man in question. Normally at that distance he should be immediately visible but she could have sworn it took a little more than an instant for him to come into focus. Then came the person: apparently Japanese but not a face she was familiar with - out of town in other words; the person was tall, nearly a foot taller than herself if she had to guess which made her wonder if he was a Half (half Japanese); then at his side was...a hilt which immediately made her think of a thug since no else in their right mind would carry a shinai or bokken around in public. Certainly a dedicated practitioner might, but she hardly considered someone that dedicated could be considered in their right mind. However the most important detail was the fact this guy had dry hands...something she knew would occur with guests but angered her all the same since it'd add to her work load. Despite this, she politely bowed in greetings with a professional tone.

"Welcome to the Akita North Shrine, dedicated towards the Guardian Spirit Genbu and Fukūjōju Nyorai. Are you here to worship or for a tour? In either case, the ablution fountain is discreetly tucked behind the torii gate out front with another set just behind you outside the main gate. While it's a bit old-fashioned, given we're a rather old and traditional shrine I'll have to trouble you to use it and wash your hands to maintain the purity of the grounds and will be happy to provide assistance if you require it." She slightly tightened her grip on her bow while mentioning the washing of hands, but managed to keep the condescension from her voice while offering assistance. After all there was a genuine technique and etiquette to it that essentially no one actually followed aside from keeping the basin water pure by using the ladle and not getting water back into the basin.

"Of course if you're just lost and are in need of directions I'll happily assist with that too along with any other questions you may have."

♫ Let Yourself Go ♫

I … I hope that I run into you again.

Those words replayed over, and over again in Tak's head as he rode down the street on his skateboard. 'Dammit, she's just some weirdo! Just forget her!' But no matter how hard he tried to forget her words were all he could think about. Why would she say that? He just couldn't wrap his brain around it. He let out a sigh, trying to shake it off, and focus on skateboarding. He focused on the sound of the wheels as it rolled across the pavement, the wind as it hit his face. Skateboarding was always freeing, and relaxing to him, and it was always the best way for him to clear his mind.

It took him ten minutes before he finally made to his work/home, Bake My Day. As he approached the front entrance, and looked up at the sign he let out a sigh, the same sigh he does every time he sees the sign. He just knows that the Old Hag had something to do with naming the place, she'd find such a bad pun funny. He opened the door, causing the bell above it to ring. Inside was two teenage girls looking at the various pastries in the glass counter with Ruri behind it. He recognized the girls from school, though he's only seen them in passing, and has no idea what their names are, not that he cares.

As soon as he entered the girls looked at him, and whispered something among themselves before leaving abruptly, he tends to drive away costumers upon sight. As they left Ruri glared at the girls, it bothered her seeing people treat him like he had the plague. He might not make it easy to be around him, but she knows that he's a good kid, even if he won't admit it. "Well, you're as popular as ever with the ladies." Ruri smirked as she leaned over the counter. "Wow, you're actually on time today. I'd be impressed if you didn't live up stairs. Where were you?"

"Out." Tak coldly replied as he headed towards the back of the store. "So I gathered. What were you doing?" Tak let out a sigh, it was gonna be one of those days. "Stuff." He simply replied. "Stuff huh? What kind of stuff?" Tak gave no answer as he entered the kitchen. He propped up his skateboard against the wall, and grabbed on of the aprons that was hanging on a hook next to the door. "Let me guess.....you were out seeing a girl. That's it right, my little Taky got himself a girlfriend?" She as with a playful smile as she followed him into the kitchen.

"S-shut up. As if that'd happen." Tak's turned bright red, as it always does when he's in a conversation about girls, and romance. "Oh come on! If it wasn't for that attitude and mouth of yours you'd be quite the catch. I mean you're a pretty good baker, and you're pretty cute." She smirked. "W-what the hell you talking about?! And the only reason I bake is because you make me ya Old Hag!" Tak growled, getting increasingly flustered. Ruri's eyes widened for a moment, and then narrowed in on him, looking like she was trying to burn a hole through his head.

"What'd you call me Pipsqueak?!" She snarled at him. "Who you calling a Pipsqueak ya old bitch?!" He shouted back as he met her glare with his own. "I'm sorry, I can barely hear you from all the way down there, cause it sounds like you're asking me to beat the snot out of you." She smirked as she cracked her knuckles. "Pfft, sure you won't break a hip Grandma?" He replied with a chuckle as a shit eating grin crossed his face. Ruri opened her mouth several times as she tried to think of a comeback as she fumed over his words, but she was far too frustrated to think of one.

"You....you....um.....Shorty!" Was all she could come up with in the moment. "Ouch, how will I ever recover from that one?" He smirked, feeling pretty confident that he won this round. Steam could almost be seen coming from her ears as her face turned bright red in anger. "Will you two please wait until after business hours? Your yelling is going to drive people away." Yosuke chimed in as he entered the kitchen through the back entrance, with several bags of groceries in tow. It was always up to him to play peacekeeper between the two.

"Whatever! I got better things to do than stomp you into the ground!" Ruri said, almost pouting. "Must be bingo night at the senior center." Tak added. Ruri then swiftly elbowed him in his side. Tak groaned loudly in pain, and nearly doubled over. Ruri quickly snapped out of her frustration as a worried expression crossed her face. She didn't hit him that hard. "Tak, are you o-" "I'm fine....just go bother someone else." He growled as he held his side.

Ruri and Yosuke looked at each other for a moment before leaving the kitchen together. "I bet he got into another fight. What are we gonna do with him?" Ruri whispered once they were behind the counter. "There's not much we can do. He's almost an adult, and we're not his parents. He's just gonna have to deal with the consequences of his actions. Some people just don't want to be helped." Yosuke replied as he grabbed a rag, and some window cleaner from underneath the counter, and began to wipe down the already clean counter top. Ruri let out a sigh. Of course he was right, there was only so much they could do, and Tak certainly wasn't making it easy to help him. "It's just so....so frustrating." Ruri groaned.

---

The ride home was uncomfortably silent, at least to Velonix. She never once turned her gaze away from the open window, instead opting to continue staring out of it sulkily. As they drew closer to their Earthly home that they shared with each other, she felt her mood gradually decline even further. It was nearly gloomy enough on her side of the car that one could expect a small rain cloud to appear above her head, ready to drown her in not only her emotions, but also physical liquid.

As soon as the car stopped in their driveway, however, Velonix was out of the car and launching up the front steps to their beautiful house. She flung open the front door, book underneath one arm and goodies from the mysterious boy named Takeo clutched in the hand attached to the other. Before her siblings could catch up to her, she took the stairs two at a time, her destination obviously her bedroom.

Like Hell she wanted to talk to Phoebus, of all people, right then. She really didn’t feel up to being spoken to like she was stupid or a child, neither of which being actual attributes that she held. At least, not in her views.

When she finally reached her bedroom, she strode inside with a heavy sigh, practically slamming the door behind her. Two heads belonging to Mio and Dusk perked up from their castle of a bed combined with a play house. They were currently sleeping together in the bed portion, and had been jerked away by her sudden and abrupt intrusion to the room. Rolling her eyes, she lightly dropped her two packages onto her desk, which was placed directly beside her door.

“Don’t give me that look; you’ve both been sleeping all day,” she sighed softly. Rubbing the bridge of her nose in an attempt to rid herself of the building migraine - she seemed to have been getting a lot of those lately - she flicked off the light that she had only just turned on. Stripping as she walked, she closed the distance from the door to her bed in a matter of seconds, and slowly she crawled into bed. The covers were promptly pulled up to be snugly placed directly beneath her chin, and in moments she was fast asleep.



Hot.

So incredibly .... Hot.

Harmony blinked open her eyes, the heat surrounding her suffocating. It was abnormal for her to have that type of reaction to a fire, seeing as she herself controlled the substance, and what struck her as even more odd was the lack of said entity from what she could see. Or rather, what she couldn’t see. Although she could feel the heat of the fire flooding across her skin, and could smell the smoke that it was giving off, she couldn’t actually see anything. And by anything, she meant anything. The area surrounding her was pitch black, so intensely so that she could only just barely see the outline of her hand when placed directly before her face.

A small ball of fear curled in her chest. She had never been one to fear the dark, but instead she tended to embrace it. In fact, she much more loved the nighttime than the day time, a bit of that prejudice stemming from her love for astronomy and the stars. However, in that very moment, something felt off about the whole situation.

There was definitely something wrong.

The sound of slow, over exaggerated clapping jerked her from her thoughts. Immediately goosebumps prickled up and down her arms, and her hair began to stand on end. The heavy aura that she sensed behind her was smothering and held an air of negativity to it. She would perhaps go even further to say that the energy itself was tinged with the darkness of evil.

”I give you mad props for your little performance out there, cupcake. You’ve definitely gotten your siblings fooled into believing your little ‘sweet girl’ personality. I know that if it were me, I’d have a bit more difficulty pulling off such a disgustingly cute persona; just being inside your head was enough to give me diabetes.”

Harmony drew in a slow, deep breath, steadied her shoulders, and then forced herself to turned around at an aching pace. When she raised her eyes to the one that had spoken, they were met with something that was ungodly familiar, but at the same time completely alien and unknown to her.

Amber eyes.

Orange hair.

Porcelain complexion.

A splay of freckles across a dainty nose.

And the one thing that stood out the most - a simple, crimson colored birthmark, in the shape of a crescent moon, placed so perfectly on the right side of their neck.

Squeezing her eyes shut for a solid second, she forced herself to collect herself, and after a moment, she reopened them, her eyes holding a slightly darker hue to them. She crossed her arms over her chest, building a slight defense between the two of them.

“What do you want, Phoenix?” she practically growled out, her teeth clenched tightly together.

The other girl, who was literally an exact physical replica of Harmonix, let out a loud, echoing laugh in response to her words. Whatever she thought was funny was beyond Harmony’s comprehension, but she felt her lips turned down into a scowl at the sound of the amusement.

What gave her the right to find anything about the current situation hilarious?

Giving a slight head shake, Phoenix smirked over at Harmonix, her eyes holding a devious look to them.

”Trust me when I say that I currently want nothing from you, Harmonix dear. You’re already doing everything that I could ever wish for you to do, so don’t stop now,” she giggled, her fingers playing with her lower lip and giving her a childlike appearance. Stretching her arms above her head, her eye twinkled a bit with her next words. ”You’re doing everything I want you to do.”

A burst of rage slammed through Harmonix. Hands curling into tight fists, so tight that she could feel her nails digging into her palms, she crossed the area separating her from Phoenix.

“Whatever you’re planning, Phoenix, isn’t going to come to light, and I’ll make damn well certain of that!” she snapped, fighting down the urge to strike the dopple ganger. “And if you even think about hurting the ones that I love, I will personally take delight in slowly torturing you within my own mind, no matter the repercussions that will befall me in doing so.” Her voice had faded to a snarl, and Phoenix no longer looked amused at her bravado. Instead, the other personality had crossed her arms, a slow sneer beginning to form on her lips.

”You really think that you can speak to me like that? Are you forgetting who actually holds all of the power here?”

As if on cue, a burst of white light flashed before Harmonix’s eyes. She was assaulted with a mind shattering pain, and it immediately withdrew a strangled cry from her lips. The pain pushed her to drop painfully to her hands and knees before her copy, who looked down at her with a malicious smile across her lips. Her foot came down heavily on Harmony’s head, shoving it towards the ground and crushing her face against the cool floor below it. Pain exploded through her head, and she let out a soft whimper. The Phoenix leaned forward just enough to grab Harmony’s hair, removing her foot and using the hair to pull her head up. Tears prickled at Harmony’s eyes, and she grabbed desperately at Phoenix’s hand, the red hue that was slowly building in the other girl’s eyes making her blood run cold.

”You may have been in control over the last few centuries, but let me tell you this, dear sister,” she snarled, yanking hard on Harmony’s hair and pulling a soft cry from her lips. Bringing their face so closely together that their noses brushed, she focused her blazing eyes on the tear-filled ones of her main counterpart. ”Your little reign of ‘power’ is going to be over soon. It’s only a matter of time before you lose all control. You may as well stop fighting right now.”

And with that, an excruciating amount of pain slammed through Harmony’s body. Her vision dotted with stars, and then instantly went black.



”No!”

Shooting up in bed and throwing back her covers, Harmonix let out the strangled word as a scream. Her entire body was covered in a thick sweat, and a few of her blankets had been kicked to the point of no longer being on the bed. She could feel that her hair was everywhere, and it was sticky with the greasy sweat that coated her skin.

Her rapid heartbeat thundered in her ears, causing her to lift her hand to her chest, where a swell of anxiety was currently knotting. Forcing herself to slow her breathing, she closed her eyes.

Just a dream.

It was just a dream.

The soft nudge of a furry head caused her to open her eyes and glance down. Mio was nuzzling her fingers, his worry evident in his movements, and she could sense the anxiety that she felt being absorbed into him. His concern hit her in a wave with the touches, and she could feel her fear being slowly taken away the longer that she touched him.

After allowing herself a few minutes to calm down, she threw her legs over the side of her bed and rose. It was only dinner time, meaning that she had more than enough daylight left to accomplish at least something. She obviously wasn’t going to be falling back asleep any time soon - another issue that she had been dealing with since arriving on Earth - so she might as well be productive.

A quick shower later, Harmonix was dressed in a simple pleated skirt, with a white tank top and a light brown cardigan. She slid on a pair of sandals as she approached her bedroom door, a gentle thought flitting from her mind.

Come.

Almost immediately Mio and Dusk were at her side, ever her accompanying companions.

It didn’t take long for Harmonix to leave her house. She didn’t bother to sneak out - in her mind she should be able to do whatever she wanted - but she was courteous enough to scrawl a quick note to her siblings and stick it to the fridge.

Wanted something to eat. Too lazy to cook. I’ll behave myself, and I won’t be out late. Don’t worry. XoXoXoX Harmonix XoXoXoX

Spinning a set of keys on her finger, Harmonix whistled as she and her cats approached her Mclaren P1. The lights flashed and she opened the passenger door, allowing Mio and Dawn to hop inside, before jogging around to the other side to slid into the driver’s side.

With no set destination really in mind, the Autumn season took off from the glorious home in the direction of the town that she was slowly becoming accustomed to.

She tended to do that a lot - go for drives around the town, with no idea of where she was going. Instead, she would allow her body to take over the natural movement of driving, while her mind wandered, delving deep into thought.

Before she even realized it, an hour had passed. Her grumbling stomach was what warned her, and a look at the clock told her it was almost seven in the evening. She really didn’t feel like returning to her house, where she would simply be smothered as soon as she walked inside, so she opted to continue to drive until a restaurant could snag her eyes.

The first one she came across she chose. It was a small building, but gave off a warm and welcoming aura. Her car always garnered her quite a bit of attention, she as soon as she pulled into a spot, the people passing by on the sidewalk slowed to ogle it with wide eyes. It was rare to see such an expensive car in the small town, and so the townspeople tended to take in the sights whenever they could.

Before she climbed out of the car, she turned to her ever present animals. In a few quick movements - it was easy since they sat still and allowed her to do it - she had Mio and Dusk clad in the light vests that read ‘Therapy Animal’ along both sides in large, red bold lettering. It was her idea for her siblings and herself to use the vests for their familiars, and besides, it wasn’t like it was a huge stretch to refer to their familiars as their ‘therapy animals’. It was basically what they were there for, anyway.

Finally, she grabbed her wallet and left her car, Mio and Dusk happily trotting along either side of her. She ignored the stares of the people in front of the bakery, just faintly noting that the name was called ‘Bake my Day’, something that she smothered a soft giggle at.

As soon as she pushed open the door, a soft bell chimed throughout the nearly empty bakery. She was in the mood for sweets, sweets, and more sweets, but was also halfway hoping that the small business offered sandwiches or wraps of some sort, too.

Turning her wide gaze to look around the inside of the building, she paused. It was definitely as gentle on the inside as it was projected on the outside, and the warm tones that the decorators had used throughout the bakery weren’t hard on her eyes in the least.

”Hey there!”

Velonix jumped, clearly startled by the sudden greeting, and a soft pink hue rose to her cheeks. The person who had called out to her stood behind the counter, and she was currently brushing what could only be flour off and onto her apron. A bright smile was across the woman’s features, her short black bob helping to frame her tiny face perfectly.

When Velonix failed to respond, the woman made her way out from behind the counter, her step faltering a bit at the sight of the cats, but she quickly adjusted herself and continued towards the young girl.

”Sorry if I caught you off guard. I didn’t mean to startle you,” the woman laughed, a small twinkle in her eyes. Her skin gave off a yellow glow, with lacerations of red tinged with black racing throughout it, and Velonix felt herself relax a bit.

This woman was far from evil. She clearly had her issues, but didn’t everyone? From what her aura gave off, she didn’t intend any harm upon anyone, let alone Velonix.

Allowing a smile to cross her lips, Velonix tilted her head slightly.

“It’s quite alright. I should’ve been paying closer attention,” she laughed along with the woman. It was the first natural smile that she had felt since just prior to leaving work earlier that day, and it felt nice to have one across her face.

The woman thrust her hand in Velonix’s direction, catching the girl a bit off guard. She had forgotten to slip on a pair of gloves before leaving her house, so instead of taking the woman’s hand, she awkwardly took a step back. After a few moments, the woman seemed to get the picture and slowly lowered her hand.

”Well, anyways - I’m Ruri. Ruri Hiroto. I’m the owner of this bakery, alongside my jokester of a husband. Welcome!” she exclaimed, causing Velonix’s eyes to widen slightly. She looked around the entire building, before returning her gaze back to Ruri.

“You own this entire place?” she asked.

Ruri grinned in response, her pride evident in her features. ”Why yes, yes I do! Proud co-owner and baker of Bake My Day, at your service!” she said dramatically, throwing in a slight bow to add to it. Velonix felt another smile cross her lips, but before she could respond, Ruri piped up again. ”Come on, let’s get you sat down. It looks like you need to get something in your stomach.” Ruri turned on her heel and started back behind the counter once more, which had five bar stools placed on the guest side of it, and after a moment of hesitation, Velonix followed. She took one of the stools as her seat, Dusk and Mio dropping down to lay down on either side of the stool that their mistress had chosen. Leaning forward against the counter, she followed Ruri with her steady gaze.

”So, anything that you had in mind for what you wanted to eat?”

Working her lip, she mulled over her response for a moment, before ordering a tuna salad wrap with a side salad with thousand island dressing, and a slice of strawberry and cream pie as a dessert. Ruri set to work preparing the order, which could all be done within eyeshot of where Velonix was sitting, so in an attempt at small talk, she began to speak.

“I’m sorry for being a bit rude before, Mrs. Ruri, but-”

”Oh, please, just call me Ruri! Adding the title makes me feel old!” she laughed.

Clearing her throat, Velonix began again.

“I’m sorry for being a bit rude before, Ruri, but my name is Velonix. Velonix Orako.”

Ruri turned back from the salad bar area to place the salad before Velonix, a brow raised.

”Oh, so you’re a part of that new family that moved in a couple of weeks ago. You live just on the outskirts of town, don’t you?” A nod was the only response that Velonix had time for before Ruri began speaking again. ”How nice! I can’t wait for you to bring your whole family in! If even half of them are as sweet as you are, I’d consider it a blessing to serve you! How are your parents taking the move?”

The color immediately drained from Velonix’s face, and she found herself unable to come up with a response to the question. When the air of awkward quiet between them extended a few moments too long, Ruri piped up with a different question to clear it out.

”How are you liking our quaint little town so far?”

Relaxing a bit, Velonix wrapped her fingers around the hot chocolate Ruri had made for her, drawing it towards her across the counter. She stared down into the whipped cream, clearly mulling over her answer before speaking.

“So far … I personally love it. I’ve met so many wonderful people that I could never have even begun to imagine myself meeting before coming here,” she said softly, her fingers tightening around her mug. A flash of chestnut hair and intense hazel eyes crossed her mind, and she felt her heart quicken a bit in her chest. A small smile crossed her lips. “I actually had a very interesting introduction to someone new today.”

Ruri perked up a bit, as though sensing the small uplift in Velonix’s mood, and she approached with the girls tuna salad wrap. Sliding it across the counter, Ruri leaned forward, a sparkle in her eyes.

”Oooo, do tell,” she purred, waggling her eyebrows in such a comical way that Velonix couldn’t suppress the laughter that bubbled up and out of her throat. Once her laughter had died down, she looked down at her hot chocolate again, fidgeting a bit in her seat.

“Well … It was a boy, and he looked about my age,” she began. Immediately Ruri shot up, her eyes going wide.

”No way! You met a boy today? Now you have to tell me everything!”

Smiling, Velonix rolled her eyes a bit before continuing.

“I wasn’t paying attention, as usual, and this boy who was walking by pulled me out of the way of an oncoming car. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve died today.” Ruri’s gaze grew a bit darker at that but Velonix waved off the drop of the mood. “But that’s okay! Because I met someone new out of the event!” she laughed. Letting out a sigh, she sipped her hot chocolate. “But anywho. He pulled me out of the way, and when I turned to thank him, he was already halfway through the crowd, so I had to go chasing after him. And when I finally caught him - goodness, he was so rude!” she exclaimed, a small amount of lingering annoyance at the way that Takeo had spoken to her returning to her. She pushed it away, though, and continued.

“One thing led to another, and after a bit of drama, I realized that he really …” she trailed off for a moment, picking her words very carefully. A small smile tinged her lips, but instead of overwhelming joy being conveyed in it, it simply gave off a sweet, gentle happiness.

“I realized that, despite how cold and off putting he was in the beginning … In actuality, he has a large heart, and just doesn’t seem to know how to show that he does. He’s … He’s sweet,” she said softly. Ruri stared at her for a moment, and Velonix felt her cheeks turn pink. “What? Is there something on my face?” she asked, rubbing at her lips and nose. Ruri furrowed her brows, staring for a moment longer, before straightening and grinning down at the ‘younger’ girl.

”Sounds like someone has their first real crush. Or, dare I say, first love,” she drawled out. Velonix’s cheeks turned a deep crimson, and she stammered a bit for a moment, her words completely incoherent, before she dropped her head quickly, staring down at her food and unable to form an understandable sentence. Ruri laughed again, dropping her hand onto Velonix’s head.

”Relax, kid. It’s nothing to get too worked up about. Usually first crushes just stay that way; I doubt that you’ll ever see the boy again, anyway.” Velonix deflated a bit at her words, but she knew that Ruri was right. The likelihood of her ever running into Takeo again was slim to none.

Tilting her head, Ruri looked down at Velonix. ”Speaking of which, did you even bother to get his phone number? His name? Anything?”

Velonix nodded, taking her forking up a bunch of lettuce. “I didn’t get his phone number, but I do know his name. Or, well, at least his first name,” she said with a soft sigh,staring forlornly at the wad of lettuce. Ruri perked up a bit, beaming down at the girl.

”Well, that’s great! Than we have something to go off of! What’s his name?”

Taking a bite of the lettuce, Velonix chewed it slowly, as if mulling over whether or not she should tell the woman. She was, after all, a stranger, so there was only so much trust that she had for the human woman. After a moment, however, she decided that giving the woman his name was harmless enough.

Swallowing thickly, Velonix forked up another wad of lettuce.

“His name? He said it was Takeo, or Tak for short. I think it’s a really love name, don’t you?” she asked.

When silence greeted her, Velonix turned to look at Ruri, an expression of puzzlement across her face. The older woman had a blank look to her, and for several moments, she simply stared at Velonix.

“Um, Ruri?” Vel asked, lifting her hand to wave it in her face. She slowly lowered her hand, squirming a bit in her seat.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ruri’s expression slowly began to change, until a large, slightly malevolent grin crossed her features. Instantly she was laughing, so much so that she had to brace herself against the edge of the counter, her hand smacking down on it. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she clutched at her side, attempting to speak through the laughter.

“T-T-Takeo? Sweet?” She burst into a whole new bunch of laughter after that, and Velonix simply grew more and more confused, the area between her brows creasing together.

“I’m sorry, but I’m really confused right now …” she trailed off. Ruri forced herself to straighten, her laughter dissolving into uncontrollable giggles, and she began wiping at her eyes.

”Oh, trust me, you aren’t going to be confused for long … T-A-K-E-O!” she cried out, drawling out the name in an exaggerated manner. ’You have a visitor!”

Immediately Velonix blanched, and she shot up from her seat, the stool falling back and clattering to the ground. Turning, she scrambled to pick it up and straighten it, her entire appearance disheveled by the mere thought of seeing that boy again.

“Ruri, w-what’s going on?” she stammered, her anxiety evident. Ruri simply gave her a waggle-browed smirk, her aura giving off a feel that wasn’t necessarily evil, per-say, but almost a maliciously good mixture, which was something that Velonix had never felt from a human before.

”Oh, you’ll see. You’ll see,” she snorted, her laughter uncontrollable.

Natsuo was walking along when he spotted a figure in the distance. Having enhanced eye sight really came in handy at times. He used it to his advantage numerous times and allowed him to see a possible threat if need be. By the looks of her, she worked here. What was the term mortals used for ones who worked here and dressed like she did? Oh yes, shrine maidens. By the looks of it, she was very young, around the age Harmony was claiming to be. Natsuo and his siblings hand all decided on what ages they would be 'pretending' to be and all came to the conclusion of being in their late teens to early 20's.

It looked like she was about to use a bow and arrow for something. Natsuo wasn't sure but he was indeed curious. As he approached her, it wasn't long before she spotted him. When he was close enough to her, she greeted him formally with the air of politeness. However, there was a distinct bites to her words, especially about the part of him making use of their fountain. With those words, Natsuo smirked. So he was expected to wash his hands there huh? It was obvious that this shrine was of great importance to this young woman and it was than he remembered what these shrines were used for. Places of worship. It was pretty laughable how ignorant mortals were. There were no other beings or 'deities' other than him, his siblings, and his parents. Well, he guessed the stars could be considered beings since they were also immortal. Natsuo briefly wondered how this girl would react if she knew the truth? Probably go nuts. The summer being though had no intention of revealing himself to her though. It was too dangerous to do so.

"So you want me to wash my hands again, even though I washed them before leaving home? Okay, sure thing sweetheart. Just so you know though, I am not lost and I am definitely not here to worship. I was merely enjoying the place. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to your duties." Natsuo said in his regal voice.

Even though he had been practicing his Japanese dialect, it would be pretty obvious he wasn't from here. At times he tried mixing it up with a Scottish dialect, but it would come out weird. With a nod to the shrine maiden, he turned around to go wash his hands, even though he didn't see the point of it.

---

"You're such a jerk, Nixon!"

A loud crash ricocheted throughout the room as a rather gaudy lamp smashed against the wall that had been directly where Nixon was previously standing. Another shattering sound echoed, this time a glass exploding across another portion of the wall and drenching it with water. Again, Nixon had side stepped the throat, an eye roll following the action.

"You're fucking crazy," he sighed, rubbing his temples. The girl let out an exaggerated shriek of anger, her blonde hair up and around her head in an insane mess. She was clad in only a pair of underwear and a bra, and her eyes held an insanity that was reserved only for freakishly jealous humans, but women in particular.

"You're a fucking asshole!" she cried, her hands clenched at her sides, having run out of things to throw. Nixon rolled his eyes again, grabbing her clothes - which were rolled up into a heap near the door where they had been abandoned in her anger - and shoving the mess into her arms.

"And you're fucking nuts!" he shouted in return, his hand pressed against her naked back as he shoved her towards the front door. She spun around, her hand flying out as though to hit him, but he instantly snagged it in the air, his eyes flashing with a darkness unbeknownst to most.

"Haven't you ever heard of a one night stand? What did you think was going to happen? We were going to 'make love' and fall for each other?" He let out a dry life at the look on her face, pushing the front door open at the same time. "You're a fucking child. I don't go for children. You were fun to play with, but now I'm bored, so leave. You were just an easy fuck and now I'm over it."

And with that, he slammed the door in the half-naked young girl's face, just as tears began to stream down her cheeks. He obviously held no sympathy or pity for her, seeing as it was insane for her to think that anything could come of the hook up.

Rubbing his face, he let out a grumble.

"No more virgins ... I swear to God ..."

Making his way upstairs once more, he quickened his pace when he heard a few rapid dings from his cell phone. They were a slight flutter in sound, almost like a morning rise, and it was the ringtone he had chosen for the only other creature on this Earth that he trusted - or, at least, that he trusted and could actually get into contact with.

Diving across his bed, he fumbled through the blankets until he found his phone, unlocking it with a quick swipe of his thumb across the screen.

Four new messages.
From: Sexy Senior

Smirking a little, he clicked them open. What could his gorgeous 'superior' possibly want? Perhaps she had come to her senses and decided to accept his moves, instead of reject them?

His smirk disappeared as he read the messages, his eyes flying across the screen as he gripped the phone tighter.

Today
10:18pm
Nixon we need to leave. Now. I think I may have finnish where they might be

Today
10:19pm
*folded

Today
10:20pm
*found

Today
10:22pm
Somewhere in Japan. No time to waste.

If the messages contained any other words, he would've laughed and given her immediate grief over her typos and her need to correct herself. But instead, he flipped over to his internet app and in the search bar quickly keyed in four words.

Weird weather in Japan.

Instantly links began to pop up, from both news and gossip sites. His eyes flew across the screen, taking in the information rapidly and without much thought to anything else around him.

Intense climate changes spread throughout northern Japan ...

... Unnatural snow fall during summer time and ...

... Sporadic heat waves and storms scattered ...

Nixon felt his jaw clench. Everything pointed at the seasons being in Japan, but nothing pointed at where they were specifically, just the northern region. Knowing Astra, she only went off of hearsay and didn't bother to research any of the information that she was given before she texted him. And also knowing her, she was probably already halfway to the airport, when she had just texted him a mere ten minutes ago.

Today
10:28pm

Get a flight Wakannal, Hokkaido. We'll start at the northern most region of Japan and work our way down. I'll probably beat you there, since it's only about a three hour flight. I'll wait for you at the airport.

Shoving his cell phone in his pocket, he immediately began to throw together a small travel bag. He could always 'persuade' a human if he needed anything else, but for the moment, he simply packed his bare necessities; this meant his phone charger, the maps that he had gathered of different regions of Earth, a few changes of clothes; his bathroom necessities, a few books on astronomy and mythology; his Beats headphones, and a single intricately carved ring strung on a necklace, engraved with the name Vasilieve on the inside of it. Snapping the necklace around his neck, he threw on a jacket and tossed the bag over his shoulder.

Of course, he couldn't just abandon the bar, so with a quick text, he mass messaged his employees to care for it in his absence, placing his general manager, Colton, in charge of everything. With that taken care of, he strode the sidewalk, a car pulling up just as he reached it, his timing perfect. As he slid inside, he instructed the driver to take him to the nearest airport, and then turned his gaze to the starry sky outside of the window.

I'll be there soon, Harmony. Please, just hang tight a little bit longer.

♫ Someone Who Cares ♫

"You're hovering again." Tak grumbled as he scrubbed the dirty dishes in the sink. "Sorry." Yosuke replied as he continually looked over his shoulders, watching his every move. Whenever cleaning, be it Tak or Ruri, Yosuke isn't too far behind to closely supervise, and make sure it's to his liking, especially when it's in his pristine kitchen. It's not something that he really means to do, it's just that he takes cleaning very seriously. "Whatever." Tak sighed. He was fairly used to it by now, even if it still annoys him. Though usually it's something Tak can let slide without too much argument, given that him and Yosuke get along fairly well. Well, as well as Tak can get along with anyone. Though mostly it's because neither one of them talks too much to the other.

Once the last dish was cleaned Tak looked up at the clock on the wall, and the smallest hint of a smile crossed his face upon seeing that it was almost seven o'clock. "Gonna feed those strays again?" Yosuke asked as he examined the dishes that were just cleaned. "Yeah. Gotta problem with that?" Tak replied as he grabbed a saucer, and a jug of milk from the refrigerator. "No, but make sure they don't get into my kitchen. I can only imagine how dirty they are." Tak rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Tak said as he poured the milk into the saucer.

Tak stepped outside the backdoor in the kitchen, and into a small alleyway. As soon as he stepped out he was swarmed by five stray cats. They all began meowing as they rubbed up against Tak's legs, nearly causing him to trip as they eagerly waited for him to put down the saucer of milk. "Sheesh, hang on for a second." Tak leaned down, and placed the saucer on the ground. The cats gathered around the saucer, lapping up the milk, save for one, a Japanese Bobtailed cat that stood on it's hind legs, using Tak to keep itself balanced. The cat was mostly white in color, save for the patches of brown fur on it's tail, and ears. It was an odd eyed cat, with a left blue eye and a right brown one. The cat let out a soft meow as it looked up at Tak.

"Oh, you again." A smile crossed Tak's face as he knelled down and rubbed it's forehead, causing it to nudge against his hand, and purr loudly. "Alright, alright that's enough. You better get you some milk before the others drink it all." He said as he scooted the cat towards the others. It let out another meow, and then joined the others. Tak let out a pleased sigh as he stood up, and watched them finish the milk. Once they were done he picked up the saucer, and returned inside.

"T-A-K-E-O! You have a visitor!" Ruri cried out to him almost as soon as he got through the door. Tak groaned loudly, and rolled his eyes. 'Great, now what.' Tak let out an annoyed sigh. "Yeah, yeah, yeah I'm coming!" He shouted back. "Now who the hell wants to see-" Tak opened the kitchen door, and was surprised to see Velonix standing there at the other side of the counter with Ruri standing there grinning from ear to ear. Tak's face began to turn red as he saw her face, and his heart began racing.

"Y-y-you?! W-what the hell are you doing here?! Y-you a stalker or something?!" Tak shouted. "Hey! Is that anyway to speak to someone?!" Ruri said as she smacked him on the back of the head. "It must be destiny Hero. She told me all about your little meet and cute earlier. Who knew you had such a romantic side?" She said, barely able to keep her laughter contained. "Y-y-you told her!" Tak's face grew redder as his embarrassment grew, he was never going to hear the end of this. "Aww, isn't he just the cutest when he's embarrassed?" She said in a baby voice as she pinched his cheek.

"Knock it off you Old Hag!" Tak snarled as he swatted away her hand. "I'll let that one slide since your girlfriend is here." Ruri growled through her teeth, trying not to lose her temper in front of Velonix. "G-g-girlfriend?!" Tak stuttered, growing more flustered. "It is almost closing time, can't you two wait to continue fighting till then?" Yosuke stated as he exited the kitchen. "Oh Darling perfect timing! Come and meet Tak's girlfriend! Velonix, this is my wonderful husband Yosuke!" Ruri introduced him as she latched onto his arm. Yosuke's cheeks turn slightly red, and he greeted the girl with a simple nod.

"You gone deaf in your old age?! S-she's not my girlfriend! Stop calling her that!" Tak shouted, growing increasingly frustrated. Ruri gave Tak her signature death stare in response. "I apologize for my wife, and Takeo. They can both be....spirited." Ruri looked up at Yosuke with her cheeks puffed out slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked as she poked his cheek. "Well, perhaps we should give you two some privacy! C'mon Darling, a nighttime stroll sounds so romantic!" Ruri said with a slight squeal in her voice as she tugged Yosuke's arm towards the door, acting like a giddy schoolgirl. Tak rolled his eyes, and made a loud vomiting sound.

Once they were gone Tak fidgeted slightly, only now realizing that he was entirely alone with a girl. His eyes went to the floor, and then he noticed the two cats in vests labeled therapy animals, causing him to raise an eyebrow. Why would she need therapy animals? Tak then let out a loud sigh, and returned to the kitchen. A moment later he came back with a saucer of milk. He came from behind the counter, and placed it down on the ground for the cats. "You're lucky that Yosuke didn't see your cats. He doesn't like animals 'dirtying' up his shop. He's got this thing about germs......and....um....I-I'm sorry about the Old Hag....she doesn't know how to mind her own business."

At the man's response of having to wash his hands outside of his home Azusa found herself inwardly screaming at the ignorance of the Half. Was he so dim that the notion of spiritual cleanliness was lost to him, or was he just incapable of understanding symbolism? After all, there's no way he could have come here for something like a tour given the town wasn't exactly a tourist trap or convenient major city like Kyoto. However the rapidly developed emotion and its target froze dead as he kept talking...did he just call her sweetheart? Who the hell did this punk think he was - this was real life, not some anime where a relatively attractive guy could just strut around with girls clinging to him like some vine to a rock. However she was at work and couldn't afford to act in a manner unbecoming of her job at the time. The fact he turned to leave made things a bit easier though he hadn't denied the possibility of his seeking a tour.

" Then dear foreign guest, I'll also remind you that the washing process also requires you rinse your mouth for adequate spiritual purity. In fact, the proper order is: left hand, right hand, cup water into your left hand to rinse your mouth, and then clean the handle. I'll happily show you around after that."

She couldn't place the accent - a more wild version of the Americans you occasionally see on TV or sporadically as guests in this rural area. However she still stabbed the word 'foreign' to remind the punk that he wasn't behaving as a proper Japanese person despite being Half. For that matter she didn't even bother to keep her tone from the pleasantly icy professional.

" Another bit of shrine trivia: only the gods are supposed to walk down the center of the path, but absolutely no one bothers to make people keep to the sides anymore." Despite her dismissive attitude, she still had to purify the shrine where he walked...and the North Shrine uniform just so happened to be convenient enough to carry cleansing salt. When one included the fact that the grounds of this particular shrine was essentially void of plants along the path she had no reason to not follow the man and scatter the cleansing salt while uttering the proper prayers under her breath. Still, she wasn't sure if the lack of tourists at this point was a good thing or not; on one hand more guests meant more people to potentially taint the ground while on the other hand more shrine maidens could be employed to ensure proper protocol was followed to minimize such troubles. Given that she was using a simple practice bow instead of the ceremonial relic, Azusa could simply lay the bow down and properly use both hands.

Kazumi didn't bother to follow her sister into her room when they got back home. In the back of her head she wondered where their youngest brother was. Seeing how he visited their share home the least, due to his low tolerance to heat, she wouldn't be surprised if he was at his own private quarters in the winter sector of Akita. Kazumi herself already planned to on visiting her private home later that day to check on her more extensive garden there. For now she went to her own room to write down her own thoughts about what just happened. While not the avid read like Velonix and Natsuo, Kazumi still enjoyed writing when the mood strike and now seemed as good as time as any. So for the next few hours she stayed in her room. Seeing what time it was, Kazumi exited her room and when to into the kitchen to find the two notes from her siblings. She herself wrote a note in case the two of them or Ryou would come here. With Dawn and Eos following her, they left the house, got into her car, and drove to the spring section of town.

Once at other residence, Kazumi went about checking her gardens and even the fruit trees located there. She made sure to grow things that only grew in the spring and decided to pick some flowers that were in bloom there and put it in a basket she always took with her. She also wore one of the new hats she got today. She already knew she wanted to add more flowers to it. She also knew she wanted to make another flower necklace for Velonix too in order to help cheer her up. She wouldn't be surprised if Natsuo would do something for their sister too. During time, many animals that lived on her land came around her. Unlike the shared home Kazumi lived in, her private quarters didn't have neighbors nearby since it was located near the edge of town and near a natural area where wildlife frequented. She made sure that the animals didn't bother the residents in the area, but made sure her place was private too. Kazumi saw that it was now late in the afternoon. Seeing that it was almost time for Sachi's to close for the day, the young being decided to see how they were. Taking the flowers she got, Kazumi signaled for her dogs and after saying goodbye to the other animals, the three left.

Sachi's was just closing as Kazumi pulled up.

"Kazumi! Hi!" waved the young Emiko.

Kazumi smiled. Emiko was still in high school and was very outgoing like herself. She recently got used to Dawn and Eos, but at first was intimidated by them, due to their own reservations with strangers. They were guard dogs after all.

"Hello Emiko. You ready to head back to school soon?" she asked as she got out of the car along with the dogs.

Emiko petted the two dogs before turning to her.

"Yes and no. Yes because I can't wait to see my friends again, no because well, I love having off." the brunette said.

Kazumi laughed before turning to Emiko's father, Kudo. The man was huge! Kazumi did admit she was surprised by his appearance at first when she first visited the shop. It didn't take long for her to remember that he was still a mortal, even though he had sharp eyes. Despite his harsh demeanor, he was a sweet man who clearly doted on Emiko.

"So what brings you here this late, Kazumi?" Fudo asked as he came forward.

"Oh, I was just checking on my garden in this area. I was about to get something to eat. Do you want to join me?"

Fudo saw that Kazumi wasn't her normal chirpy self and wondered if something happened with her family. Fudo had met her siblings once and none of them looked alike, even though Kazumi shared the same coloring as her sister. He wondered if they were even blood related.

"Awww that's sweet of you Kazumi, but father and I had already made plans. Oh! I do have some exciting news though!! Did you hear that Yuji Kentarou is back in town?!"

"No I didn't. I really don't pay much attention to that kind of thing."

However Kazumi had seen pictures of the local celebrity actor and model. She'd be lying if she didn't find the man attractive, for a mortal at least. However, she only noticed his picture on a magazine cover once because Emiko was a huge fan of him.

"Well it's true! In fact, one of my friends saw him around this side of the town the other day! I hope I get a chance to see him!" Emiko squealed.

"Emiko, lower your voice young lady. You're going to break my poor eardrums one of these days." groaned Fudo.

Kazumi giggled.

"Well I better go. I'll see you soon Mr. Nikomori." Kazumi said before getting back into her car with the dogs.

She drove to a nearby restaurant that had places to eat outside. It being in the spring sector there was a chill in the air. Kazumi was use to the weather though, but still brought a light wrap for appearance purposes. She made sure to put on the Therapy dog vests on Eos and Dawn, who voiced their usual displeasure of wearing them. Kazumi assured them it was a necessary evil so they could go indoors with her. Since it was darker, Kazumi opted to eat indoors. Many of the people there always looked at her and her dogs. Kazumi was very much aware of how much of a commotion she and her siblings made and honestly loved the attention. She ordered one of their vegetarian meals, but made sure to order some cut up kobe steak for the dogs. Even though the day wasn't all pleasant, Kazumi felt that this afternoon and evening were pleasant enough. Hopefully there will be no more disturbances for the day.

" Then dear foreign guest, I'll also remind you that the washing process also requires you rinse your mouth for adequate spiritual purity. In fact, the proper order is: left hand, right hand, cup water into your left hand to rinse your mouth, and then clean the handle. I'll happily show you around after that."

Those words caused Natsuo to stop and turn around. She certainly liked having the last word didn't see? Was she actually insulting his intelligence? The idea was laughable. If there was one thing Natsuo prided himself in, it was his vast knowledge in many areas, from the all of the stars in their galaxy to even obscure old languages mortals didn't use anymore. Natsuo resisted the urge to laugh, until her next words made him loose it.

" Another bit of shrine trivia: only the gods are supposed to walk down the center of the path, but absolutely no one bothers to make people keep to the sides anymore."

The sheer ridiculousness of her statement caught Natsuo off guard so much that he burst out in laughter. He couldn't recall anyone making him so laugh so hard before. He kept his laughter up to the fountain and washed his hands. Not wanting his hands to stay wet, he used a little air trick to dry his hands off. He returned to the shrine maiden, purposely walking through the center, since he figured he was a god and was following the rules. Striding up, he got right in her face and towered over her.

"There my hands are all nice and clean. Any other things I need to know mother?" he asked with a silly grin on his face.

He wanted to see how far he could push her since he was in the mood. This was the kind of thing he needed at the moment. He already knew he would never intentionally hurt the girl though. His father raised him better than that that all females were to be respected, until they did something to lose that respect.

Y-y-you?! W-what the hell are you doing here?! Y-you a stalker or something?!"

"Hey! Is that anyway to speak to someone?! It must be destiny Hero. She told me all about your little meet and cute earlier. Who knew you had such a romantic side?"

"Y-y-you told her!"

"Aww, isn't he just the cutest when he's embarrassed?"

Everything was happening so quickly that Velonix barely had time to even process what was transpiring. A small bit of anger bubbled inside the pit of her stomach when Ruri struck the back of Takeo’s head, and she took a step before realizing that she had done so, her irises flashing red. When they continued their banter immediately afterwards, though, she forced herself to calm down, pressing her flattened palm against her chest and inhaling deeply and slowly. It was obviously done in a playful manner, she reasoned.

“U-um, excuse me …” she began, holding up one finger, her voice feeble and hesitant. They continued despite her ‘interruption’ - could it even really be called that when it was very clear that they didn’t even hear her small voice? - and she felt her discomfort increase.

"Knock it off you Old Hag!"

"I'll let that one slide since your girlfriend is here."

Velonix blanched, and immediately afterwards began to turn a bright red. She may not be from Earth, but she knew of Earthly customs. While back in the olden days it was typical to court a woman before proposing marriage, that had lost some of its sophistication and had turned into an easier approach called ‘dating’. Courting tended to consist of at least one older family member watching over the couple during their ‘rendezvous’, while ‘dating’ was far more private. It was no longer required for young people to have an escort, and she knew from watching over and visiting Earth that there could be some serious intimacy involved in those moments. She would be lying if she said that she had never been jealous - she may be a Goddess, but even she had always fantasized about one day meeting her own eternal love, and having grown up watching such a love story as her parent’s, it wasn't surprising.

“U-Um, Ruri, I think you may have confused the-”

She didn’t get the chance to finish, but instead was immediately cut off by Takeo’s next exclamation. "G-g-girlfriend?!"

"It is almost closing time, can't you two wait to continue fighting till then?"

It was almost as though a halo had enveloped the man who had just entered, and Velonix looked at him with so much gratitude in her eyes that she thought they may have bulged out of her head. He was her saving grace from what was the mass chaos of Ruri’s and Takeo’s relationship.

“Oh, thank the Gods,” she muttered, wringing her hands nervously together. She had never been more happy to see anyone - mortal or otherwise - in her entire life. And that was definitely saying a lot, given how long she had been alive.

"Oh Darling perfect timing! Come and meet Tak's girlfriend! Velonix, this is my wonderful husband Yosuke!"

Velonix squirmed a bit under their gazes, before offering him a slightly nervous smile, but not offering a hand in greeting. Instead, she gave him a gentle curtsy, her short skirt not allowing for a much more grandiose hello.

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Yosuke.”

"You gone deaf in your old age?! S-she's not my girlfriend! Stop calling her that!" Velonix flinched a bit, straightening and placing one hand over her ear. Were all humans this loud all the time, or was it just reserved for when Ruri and Takeo were in the same room as each other?

"I apologize for my wife, and Takeo. They can both be....spirited." Velonix took in a breath, composed herself, and gave him a reassuring smile, but before she could respond Ruri once more piped in, her voice a bit defensive.

"What's that supposed to mean? Well, perhaps we should give you two some privacy! C'mon Darling, a nighttime stroll sounds so romantic!"

Seriously, did the woman ever take a moment to breathe before speaking? Her husband had one thing correct - spirited is definitely a word that she would use to refer to the scene that had just unfolded, or rather, Ruri and Takeo as individuals entirely. Finally, though, the couple left, Takeo making slight gagging sounds after them which drew a soft giggle from Velonix. She quickly stifled it, though, placing her hand over her lips to hide her small grin.

A few moments of awkward silence ticked by, with Takeo staring at the floor and Velonix looking everywhere but at him or the floor. After what seemed like forever, he turned abruptly and left the room, leaving her confused and slightly disappointed. Did she really expect him to stay after all the problems that she had just caused for him? Her shoulders slumped a little, and she went to withdraw her wallet to pay for her food, when he suddenly reappeared through the swinging kitchen door, much to her mixture of delight and surprise. He carried a saucer of milk with him, placing the bowl before Mio and Dusk - another complete surprise to her.

So she was correct in assuming that he wasn’t a bad person.

Of course, his aura helped to point that out to her. It was a gentle blue-orange, with streaks of red and black snaking their way throughout it, slightly marring the pretty mixture. In their own way, though, they added to the beauty of the blue-orange, which turned slightly brown at the areas where the two colors met.

"You're lucky that Yosuke didn't see your cats. He doesn't like animals 'dirtying' up his shop. He's got this thing about germs......and....um....I-I'm sorry about the Old Hag....she doesn't know how to mind her own business."

Velonix slowly returned to her seat, and after a moment of studying his slightly-flushed features, she propped her chin on her hands and offered him a smile.

“You don’t need to apologize. I actually kind of … Enjoyed the lively atmosphere. To be honest, this has been the most interesting day that I’ve experienced since coming to Ea-er, to your country,” she hastily corrected herself. Her outward features didn’t change, but she inwardly scolded herself, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her slight slip. “Thank you for the milk for Mio and Dusk. I don’t want what I say next to undermine how appreciative I am of you doing that for them. However, I wouldn’t make it a habit of giving cats or kittens too much milk. It can be really bad for their health, despite what cartoon depictions have given you of felines and milk. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant, actually,” she said, taking a breath before continuing. “I’d personally recommend giving them some sort of meat, fish, cheese, eggs, or vegetables, with simply a bowl of water to wash it down. It’s a lot better for them, and not to mention a great deal more filling. Milk should usually be reserved as a special treat every now and again, and only given in small amounts.”

Turning her gaze down to her wrap, she muffled a sigh. “I’d much rather have been here listening to you and Ruri squabble, than home where I would just be smothered. At least here there's room to breathe,” she murmured, picking up one half of the wrap and focusing her eyes on him. “It’s a lot more lively here than at my house, so it can get a bit boring. I’m … Glad that I came here tonight,” she said, taking a bite out of the wrap and setting it back on the plate immediately afterwards. After a moment of chewing, she continued. “And besides, I was able to see you again, just like I had hoped,” she told him honestly, not a waver in her voice to say she felt otherwise.

”Well, you’d be the first to be happy to see me…” Tak muttered to himself as he rubbed his burnt skin on his hand.

Returning her gaze to the counter, she eyed her hands, having suddenly growing weirdly interested in them.

“... I’m sorry that I’ve been causing so much trouble for you today, Takeo,” she said softly, her voice holding an odd tone to it. Her hands clenched together, and she felt her lower lip tremble, her vision clouded with tears. “That’s all that I really seem to be good at - causing trouble for the people around me.” Pressing the heel of her palm against one of her eyes, she attempted to rub away the warm liquid pooling in it. The action did little to stem it from freeing from her lids, however, and before she knew it she had tears trickling down her cheeks, and shame rose up within her. Tak fidgeted uncomfortably as she cried, and avoided direct eye contact.

Why did she have to be such a cry baby all of the time? Rubbing futilely at her cheeks, she felt a dry, humorless laugh escape her lips. “I’m sorry, I don’t even know why I’m crying,” she said during the laugh, shaking her head at the same time. After a moment, she felt the tears flow and she drew in a shaky breath.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore, Takeo,” she spoke softly, pushing herself up from her seat. Dusk twined in figure eights between her legs, obviously sensing the emotional turmoil her mistress was in.

I’m okay. Don’t worry.

Clearly you’re not, so just let me do my thing, Harmonix.

”We might not know each other very well, but trust me, when it comes to causing trouble you’ve got nothing on me.” He stated, trying to cheer her up for some reason. Though he had no idea why he was trying to.

Stifling a sigh, she retrieved her wallet from the pocket in her cardigan, having lost her appetite entirely. She snapped it open, removed a fifty, and set it on the counter, clearly not expecting any change.

“Let Ruri know that I really appreciated the opportunity to talk to her, and that I also enjoyed the food. I’ll come back soon with my siblings …” she trailed off for a moment, turning her gaze to her shoes. “But I won’t bother you when I do, Takeo, I promise. I’m sorry for being such a bother.”

”You….you’re not that much of a bother….” Tak said softly, surprising himself that he’d say something like that. ”W-well at least no more than any other bastard on this miserable mud-ball.” He said as he folded his arms, and looked away from her.

To say that she was surprised by Takeo’s words would have been an understatement. Velonix turned her eyes back up to him, the tears still shining across them, and a tiny smile crossed her lips. Before she could stop herself, she had reached out, her fingers coming to gently rest on his upper arm, which was thankfully clad in clothing. Tak glanced at her for a moment before looking away once more, trying to remain composed.

“As cold as you tried to make that seem, Takeo, I know your heart is in the right place. Thank you … For the comfort,” she said quietly, her expression soft.

”But you’d be better off not hanging around me. It’s not a good idea to associate with throw away kids like me.” Tak said with a bit of sadness in his voice. ”Just ask around, everybody will tell ya the same.”

Her fingers clenched slightly in the material of his shirt at his words, and her lips tightened into an unnaturally serious expression. Why was it that humans put so much concern into what the other humans said or thought about them?

Velonix paused. She supposed it wasn't much different from her worry over her family's views of her, but the fact of the matter was that they were her family, so they deserved that type of honor. The people that Takeo spoke of, though, were complete and utter strangers, or simply people he didn't get along with.

Taking in a deep breath, she closed the small distance between them, her fingers still curled in his sleeve. He was short for a guy, even a human, but still superseded her own height by a good couple of inches, which prompted her to slightly tilt her head back in order to meet his eyes, or at least attempt to. It was difficult when he was averting his gaze.

“Pardon my language, but why should I give a flying fuck about what anybody else thinks about you?” she asked, her voice holding a mixture of sternness and confusion. “The last time I checked, I have a brain and I'm perfectly capable of forming my own opinions of someone. I don't need to rely on the words and rumors of the simple minded people that you speak of to do so,” she scoffed. Dropping her hand from his sleeve, she didn't move from where she stood, which was nearly toe-to-toe with him. “As for your ‘throw away’ kids statement …” She hesitated, obviously grappling for the correct words. After a moment, she squared her shoulders and planted her hands firmly on her hips, her entire stance one of disbelief and, to be honest, a bit of attitude.

“If anyone had the audacity to throw you away, Takeo, than that was their idiotic mistake. They're the ones missing out on something amazing, so if anything, they're the ones that should get the grief over it. You shouldn't be treated with any less respect and dignity just because you were born, and born to people who couldn't appreciate the gift that they were given. They should be the ones targeted for irresponsibly conceiving a child and then abandoning it.” Her voice conveyed her disgust with such an act, along with her expression of anger. “I've known you for barely a day and i already know that you're an amazing person, and even though it's been a short time that I've been of your acquaintance, I'm already a better person from our interactions.”

She allowed her sassy stance and attitude to disappear, but instead replaced it with genuinity. “I really am glad to have met you, Takeo, and I'm even happier knowing that you don't find me to be a nuisance. The only people here that I know are my siblings and my boss … So I'm glad that I can call you a friend,” she smiled brightly. A feeling welled up in her chest, and before she could stop herself, she had wrapped her arms tightly around his abdomen. She couldn't resist; she had a natural urge to comfort anyone and anything in distress, and Takeo had looked like a wounded puppy when she had met his eyes. It had always been her views that a person's eyes tended to tell a much deeper story than their lips often did, and the ache that she saw buried deep into his irises was enough to bring tears to anyone who gazed at them.

Plus, she couldn't deny the comfortable, yet odd, familiarity he had about him. There was something so painstakingly similar about him to something that was buried within her memories, but she couldn't for the life of her remember what or who it was.

Talk about deja vu.

[I]And you like it, too. Just admit it.[I]

Tak was taken by surprise by her hug, with his entire face turning beet red, and his heart pounding loudly. He held his arms out, unsure of what to do with them. Hugs wasn’t something that he’s gotten a lot of. She was so warm, and smelled so sweet. Being in her embrace felt so comforting to him. His arms instinctively hovered over her back as he hesitated to hug her back. Instead he clenched his fists, and held his arms to his side.

Her kind words ran through his mind, why would someone that he just met say that he was her friend? A friend, it has been awhile since someone said that they were his friend. His mind immediately went to the day he was arrested for setting that monster on fire, and nearly burning the orphanage down. His ‘friends’ all just watched as he was taken away in cuffs, without saying a word. And that was the last he ever heard from any of them. They never tried to contact him, write him letters, or anything. It made him wonder if they were ever really his friends, and if they considered him anything more than a bodyguard.

With a jolt, Velonix snapped back to reality, only then realizing how long she had been hugging him for. Almost instantaneously her cheeks turned a bright, crimson hue, and she quickly jerked away, her embarrassment obvious.

And as much as she'd have liked to have blamed the thought on Phoenix, she knew better.

That thought was wholly and completely Harmonix.

“S-sorry, I shouldn't have … I-I mean, I didn't …” She tapped her forefingers together nervously, her heart hammering and even her ears turning red.

”I-It’s fine….just forget it happened…..” He rubbed his arm uncomfortably as he kept his eyes to the ground. ”You don’t know me, there’s plenty of other reasons why you shouldn’t hang around me. So don’t go calling me a friend…..I don’t do friends. I don’t need the extra hassle.” Tak turned his back to her, and started his way to the kitchen.

“... What if I don't want to forget?” She asked quietly, an aching sound hovering in her voice. She knew that there wasn't any possibility that he knew how touchy the subject of memories was to her, but for him to so easily throw out the word ‘forget’ when it came to something that had happened stung her deep in her in her chest.

Velonix’s discomfort and melancholic attitude vanished immediately, instead replaced by irritation, this time aimed towards the boy in front of her. Throwing all caution to the wind, she threw out her arm and grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks. A moment of silence ticked by before she spoke, during which time she found herself stunned that no memories from Takeo had assaulted her vision. She quickly shook off the surprise, though.

“I want to get to know you, Takeo. And you said so yourself that I'm not much of a bother, so I doubt that you would think of me as a hassle,” she said softly, her accent thicker due to her emotions. She finally let go of his hand, a bit of disappointment coming from the action - his hand was callused and scarred, undoubtedly from skateboarding and the memory she had seen earlier that day, and it felt nice against her soft skin. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at his back, her annoyance held in her gentle gaze.

“I don't need to ‘know’ you to know what type of person you are, Takeo. I pride myself on my easy judgement of character. You wouldn't have helped me not just once, but twice[b] today if you weren't a good person, and I refuse to accept any argument that you're otherwise,” she said stubbornly. She wasn't able to reference her powers to see his aura, but she could definitely tell him the other reasons why she saw something good inside of him. “Besides that point, I'm almost certain that there are reasons why I shouldn't associate myself with you; but trust me when I say that that's true about everyone, especially me. There are a lot of reasons why people shouldn't try to be friends with me, but I know that everyone has their negatives, so I ignore those thoughts. Because along with those negatives are even more positives, and it's just a matter of finding the people that are worth the time and the pain that it takes to weed through those negatives to discover the positives. Besides, you aren't a person if you don’t have cons. Everyone has bad attributes, because no one is perfect. No one.”

Reaching out and snatching her keys off of the counter, she turned and glanced out at her beautiful car, hesitating for a moment before looking back over her shoulder at him.

“I don't care if you don't think of me as a friend, because I think of you as one to me. While I wish that you thought of me in the same way, I understand why you don't. But,” she emphasized, narrowing her eyes slightly, “I hope that you understand that I'm not going to just let this go. I'm a pretty determined person, if you didn't notice, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you go through life without one genuine confidant. It's a waste of a life to do so, if you ask me, and I don't plan on letting you waste your life that way.”

Velonix pulled out her billfold once more and easily removed a small, brown card with intricate gold scrawl on it. [I]Velonix Orako[I] was written across the top, and below it was her phone number. “I want you to know that if you ever need anything - and I mean ever, Takeo - you can rely on me,” she said, slapping the card on top of the fifty dollar bill on the counter. She once more turned away and this time strode to the entrance, the two felines on either side of her. She paused only once she had opened the door, but this time didn't look back at him.

“Believe it or not, Takeo, there are people in this world who do care about you and that you can trust. Yosuke and Ruri are two prime example. Don't spend your life afraid of the consequences of opening yourself up to others. Part of the experience of living is to also go through pain. I can tell that you've been through enough to last a lifetime, but that shouldn't prevent you from forming future relationships,” she said, her voice once again holding the gentle chidings of one that a mother's would hold. It wasn't surprising; she was the daughter of the Moon.

Tak turned around to watch her leave, and saw what was most likely her car parked out on the street. He clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth. So she was one of those. [b]”I get it now. I'm just some charity case to you. Just a way for you to feel better about yourself, and feel important in your boring little life.” He narrowed his eyes on her. He knows this song and dance far too well to believe in the goodness in people's hearts. ”I'm no one's charity case! And I don't need saving! So don't waste your time, and just leave me alone!”

Velonix stifled a sigh, her shoulders sagging slightly. She massaged the bridge of her nose, a headache beginning it's slow throbbing in her temples, and when she spoke her voice held a hollow exhaustion usually reserved only for those who had seen and experienced enough sorrow in their life that they felt urge to just give in.

“Trust me when I say that I have no wish to feel any more important than anyone else is in this town,” she said quietly, her fingers tightening around the doorknob to the point that her knuckles grew white. Tears threatened to spill and she was thankful to be facing away from him. “You're the farthest thing from being a charity case and I know that. I just … Didn't realize that it was such a crime to be nice to you, and to try to help someone that I consider to be a friend.” Her voice wobbled a bit near the end, betraying her tears.

“Good night, Takeo. I hope that we can be amicable towards one another should we cross paths again.”

With that, she left the restaurant, again ignoring the stares that she was given as she approached her McLaren. The doors whisked up and she slid inside along with Dusk and Mio, started the engine, and sat back for a moment. Inhaling deeply, she rubbed roughly at her eyes to try and rid them of their wetness. Why did he have to be so mean to her? And why did she care that he was anyway?

Shoving her thoughts aside, she swiftly and efficiently maneuvered out of the parking space, her destination clearly home.

Tak let out a loud sigh. Why did she have to try so hard to be his friend? Why would she want to be his friend? And why was it bothering him so much? He looked down at the counter, and saw the card she left for him. He picked it up, and examined it closely. He then crumpled it up, and threw into the trashcan next to the counter.

He stood at the door of the kitchen, hesitating to open it. He looked back at the trashcan, and felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. He turned back, and picked up the crumpled card, and placed it in his pocket. Why did he have to run into someone like her?

Once Velonix returned home, she removed the vests from Mio and Dusk, tossing them haphazardly on the entry way floor alongside her kicked off shoes. Far too tired to make her way upstairs due to a combination of a long day and her rapidly growing migraine, she instead went to the living room, hobbled over to the couch, and did what was basically a face plant into the couch. She was asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillows, not even bothering to cover her self with a blanket, and her companion felines made themselves comfortable on her legs and back before joining their mistress in her sleepm

The young man's laughter throughout the affair made Azusa feel marginally better. Sure on one hand, it could be interpreted that he was laughing at her the entire trip to the fountain - though she stopped at the gate and turned to leave since he wasn't her problem anymore. However, she was of the school of thought that laughter was more likely a form of coping than of ridicule and while yes her 'last word' was petty and small it was also out of left field from a layman's perspective...in short, she won. The fact he returned into the grounds - notably straight up the middle really on served to prove her point since his defiance was in direct opposition to a matter so trivial even a tiny community like Akita ignored. After all if he was resorting to such a blatant show of defiance, did that not mean he'd forfeit the actual point of the argument? Sure the jab of calling her mother was a jab at her acting old and bossy from his view...but he's allowed to have his (wrong)opinion in modern Japan. Still the part she didn't appreciate was his direct use of physical size to tower over her as if it yielded some gravitas so his stance.

"Your manners are terrible and were this the South or West Shrine I'd take you over my knee since Hōshō Nyorai and Suzaku would appreciate my efforts to clear your bad attitude while Amida Nyorai and Byakko would accept my penance for our shortsightedness." Azusa took a defiant stance of her own in response to the Half's attempt to play the bully while noting in both cases the shrines involved the summer... it must be something about the domain or heat that bridges no short comings. Having finished her two cents, Azusa once more offered a polite bow to her 'guest' after backing up a bit.

" Unfortunately, I really do have duties at the other three shrines to attend and can't afford to play anymore. But feel free to return tomorrow and this Azusa Yamanouchi will entertain you again." After backing up quickly for a few more steps like a servant, Azusa straightened back to her unimpressive full height and turned to retrieve her bow and arrows before hustling back into the building. She'd retrieve the arrow in the inner court at day's end, but if she wanted to properly handle her duties practice would have to be cut short.

For the first time in Natsuo's life, he was dumbstruck. His smirk quickly turned into an open mouth and it looked like his eyes would pop out of his head. Turn him over her knee? Did she mean to 'spank' him? In all of his years of life, he never been spanked. Oh sure, he'd been punished, but never like that. And this young lady just threaten to do that to him. He didn't know what to think or say. He barely registered her next words before she left him to do her other duties. He stood there for a good two minutes before shaking his head and leaving the grounds.

Shadow flew and landed on his shoulder, being concerned for his master. Natsuo found his smile.

"I am all right Shadow. Never met a human with a tongue so sharp, that's all. I just may check out a few of these other shrines at some other point. This mortal has me intrigue and definitely won't keep me bored. Funny, I never got her name. Will have to remember that next time. Now what shall we do now? There's plenty of time to kill."

~Maybe get something for Harmony? Get into her good graces?~ Shadow suggested.

Even though Natsuo couldn't communicate to all animals like Kazumi could still speak to birds.

"Good idea Shadow. I know where to go too." Natsuo agreed.

Knowing his sister's love of sweets, Natsuo went to a confectionery shop in the Summer section of the city that he came across. Wanting to make it up to Velonix, he ended up getting a big bag of different types of sweets, from chocolate bon bons to the Japanese sweet, wagashi, making the workers of the store's day.

The sun was just going down when Natsuo returned to their place of residence. He saw his sisters' notes and decided to not worry about them. Much like Kazumi, his thoughts went to his brother, Ryou. He hadn't seen him all day. If something was wrong though, Natsuo was sure his brother would contact him. Deciding to let the matter drop for now, Natsuo placed the sweets in the fridge to keep them cool. He would present them to his sister in person when he got the chance. He decided to eat something for now. He only made enough for himself and ate. It was really strange for him to eat by himself and a bit unnerving. Deciding to read up on the local 'religion' he just experienced, Natsuo went to the library of the house. He got so caught up in reading that he lost track of time. It was dark when he came back into the living room and saw Velonix lying on the couch along with her cats. As carefully as he could, he took off her shoes and placed a blanket on top. As he did that, he saw Kazumi come through the door with Eos and Dawn. Natsuo quickly puts a finger to his lips for her stay silent. Kazumi nods and they exit the room into the kitchen where Kazumi placed her flowers in vases.

"She must of had a busy afternoon." whispers Kazumi.

"I just hope she's feeling better. I was reading and just came in here. How are you?" Natsuo asks.

"Better myself. Have you heard from Ryou?"

"Afraid not. I'll text him really quick. Cells phones are actually pretty handing here."

After saying that, he sent a text to Ryou.

~Hey just wondering where you were. You coming here or to your private home. Talk to you soon.~

"Well, I am going to my room. Night, Pheobus." Kazumi says before leaving.

"Night, Aurora."

With that, the two older siblings went to their rooms for the rest of the night.

Ryou's days on earth have been usually rather uneventful. His days he would spend quietly observing humans from afar, watching as they went about their daily lives. To him their lives were infinitely more interesting than his own. Sure, most would argue that being a literal God would be far more interesting than being some ordinary human, but to him the uniqueness of humanity was the most interesting thing in existence. They lived such short lives, but yet they manage to accomplish such amazing feats in such a short time. Art, music, culture, and all of it was so unique just like they were.

For Ryou the best way to spend his time on Earth was by playing his music out on the street, and today was no different for him. For today he was playing his favorite, his acoustic guitar. He would rotate the instrument that he played, between his guitar, harp, and violin. He plucked at the strings, letting out a sort of soft, dreamy folk melody. As people passed by some would drop some change in his guitar case, and others would stop and simply listen. He gave all that dropped money in his case a polite nod. Though it wasn't that he needed their money, or really even wanted it. But it seemed impolite to not accept it.

His eyes were focused on the people passing by, not even paying attention to the strings of his guitar. He often enjoyed making up various stories for them as he wondered what it was they were going to. What were their lives like? So many different people, so many different lives.

After several hours of playing music Ryou decided it was time for a break. "Wow you're really good!" As soon as he stopped he was approached by several people, all looking to praise him for his musical prowess. His normally pale features began to turn slightly pink, praise was not something that he felt he deserved. "Oh no! I-I'm not that good....but...um thank you, but I must be going now." He gave an overly formal bow to his 'fans', and quickly gathered up his things, and left as fast as he could. Once he was away from them he let out a loud sigh. As much as he enjoyed observing humans he had difficulty interacting with them.

After some time of aimlessly walking around he was struck by a sudden wave of intense fear, causing him to stop in his tracks, and drop his guitar case. He felt a sharp pain on his side, causing him to immediately double over in pain. What was happening? Something wasn't right, but it wasn't with him. "Yuo." He muttered to himself. It had to be. He grabbed his guitar, and sniffed the air. He knew her scent down pat, and could track her easily with his incredible sense of smell.

He ran through the streets, stopping periodically to sniff the air. He was in a state of complete panic, something almost never seen from the normally cool, and calm season, which caused him to lose focus, and get distracted by the various smells of the town, and soon he was completely lost. His fear began to overtake him, he stopped in his tracks, paralyzed. His mind raced with various worse case scenarios, as he could only imagine what was happening to her. And yet he was too scared to even move.

'Why am I so useless?'

He clinched his fists tightly, with tears threatening to come out. And then a sudden feeling of ease began to swell up inside him, causing him to relax a little. Ryou let out a relieved sigh. He didn't know how, or why, but he just knew that she was safe for the moment. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled in a rhythmic fashion to calm himself down so he could think clearly, and focus on finding Yuo. Once he regained his composure he managed to catch her scent. "I'm coming Yuo."

Once he regained his focus it was a simple thing to track down Yuo. Her scent led him to a park, and then eventually a veterinary clinic. He let out a relieved sigh, he was sure that she was in good hands now.

---

Jerking her head up, Reiya turned her gaze in the direction of the entrance as the door opened. A snow white head peeked inside, followed by the tall, willowy frame of a boy who looked to be about her age carrying a guitar case. His pretty eyes quickly scanned the room before landing on her and then keying in on the box. In an instant he was across the room and standing directly before her, his much larger frame intimidating.

Reika narrowed her gaze, curling further in on the box, almost as though to protect it from him.

Too close. He's way too close.

A look of alarm crossed the beautiful boy’s features, and he came even more uncomfortably close to her, leaning in so that he could see into the box. His unusually cool breath brushed her cheek, ruffling her messy hair and soothing the lacerations that marred her skin.

“Please, tell me that she is going to be okay.”

Turning her head slightly, she was met with those gold orbs directly before hers. He was so close that their noses bumped, and the proximity caused her breath to hitch. It was hard to not stop breathing when a guy who resembled one of the Grecian Gods stood that close to a girl.

Jesus, had the guy not heard of personal space?

Pulling away slightly, she gripped the box tighter.

“She’ll be fine. She’s just resting right now, no thanks to you,” she snapped, uncharacteristically off-putting. She didn’t know why she was acting so protectively aggressive, but she wasn’t about to let someone she didn’t know just intrude on the small creature that had entrusted her with its life. “She had a deep wound on her side, but I managed to cleanse and mend it just in time to save her. She’ll live, but she’s going to be sore for a while, and it’ll be a bit of a trek along the road to recovery,” she responded, the only reason her doing so stemming from the clear concern on the boys face. No one could fake that type of worry, and she took solace in the fact that he honestly did seem to care about the small creature’s life.

Not that she trusted him, though. She didn’t trust anyone; not anymore.

He let out a relieved sigh, and looked down at his companion “That is a relief. See, I told you that you shouldn't go wandering around by yourself.” Ryou reached out his hand, and gently caressed the side of the mouse’s head. “I was so scared.”

Ryou looked up at the girl with a large, and bright smile across his face. “I am so terribly sorry for troubling you. I am in your debt for the care you've shown Yuo.” Ryou stepped back and gave her a deep bow. “Ah! Where are my manners? My name is Ryou Orako. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Why is he talking like that?

“I must repay you for your kindness….but...um…..what would be appropriate compensation?” Ryou tapped his index finger on his chin as he wondered how he could repay her for her kindness. “Oh! Please forgive me, I have not asked for thy name! Please tell me your name so I may thank you properly.” He asked with a warm smile, and genuine interest.

Reika sat there for a moment, staring up at him unblinkingly with very little to no emotion on her face. Finally, after what seemed like forever, a crease appeared between her brows.

“You're weird and you talk funny. Why would I tell a creep like you my name?”

”Reika! Don't talk to a guest that way! It's rude!” a young male voice exclaimed. Through a doorway that clearly led to the back of the clinic appeared Dr. Rhynes, a brief look of annoyance flashing across his face. When he turned his gaze on Ryou, he offered him a kind smile. ”You must be the owner of this cute little tyke - and by that I mean the mouse, not the human popcorn sitting in front of you.

“Human popcorn!” Reika stammered, her voice impediment showing her shock and offense. Ryou looked at the man, and then back to the girl with a puzzled look, wondering how she was human popcorn.

Harvey waved her off with an eye roll. ”Reika, I love you to pieces, but sometimes your social skills could really use some improvement. You're like a cat; you bristle whenever something's unfamiliar to you or you feel even remotely insulted.” As if on cue, Reika visibly bristled, her face turning red. Harvey, however, continued on without a halt.

”Don't worry about the medical expenses. As childish and annoying as she seems, the girl in front of you - who, by the way, is Reika Himura - is a pretty good person, and a damn good veterinarian. She already covered the costs and since she was the working surgeon, there was no session fee itself.”

“Hey! Don't just be giving out my name to random strangers! For all you know this guy could be some kind of pervert!” She cried, setting the box on the seat beside her and shooting to her feet. She threw her finger in the boy’s direction, her eyes narrowed. “That's it, isn't it! You're just some kind of creepy pervert and that's why you want my name! So you can stalk me, find out where I live, and sit in my bushes while you watch me change!” She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, and looked at him with over exaggerated horror. “You creep!”

Ryou blinked several times, confused at her words. Did he do something wrong? Did he insult her in some way? Humans were so strange. “Apologizes, I have offended you in some way. T’was not my intentions. I merely wished to thank you properly for taking care of Yuo.” Ryou stated with a smile. [color=#46BAF5][b]“So, thank you Miss Himura for the care you've shown Yuo. I am forever in your debt.”

“However, I must insist on compensating you in some way.” Ryou rummaged around in his pocket for a moment, and then pulled out a large wad of bills. “Would this be adequate enough? I can get more if you wish.”

A look of cautiousness entered Reika’s features, her expression showing her distrust in the boy. Turning away from him, she huffed slightly, unnaturally riled. She plucked up the box that contained the mouse that she now knew was named Yuo. Without facing him, she responded.

“I don't need your money. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”

Finally, she turned, holding the box out to him. Once he held the box, she crossed her arms, her oversized sleeves dangling around her wrists. Blowing a few bangs out of her eyes, she studied him.

“You said Orako?” she questioned, obviously not budging from her stance. After what seemed like ages, she relaxed her shoulders, letting out a sigh. She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, the events of the day taking their toll on her tired brain.

“You must be one of those new kids that moved to town,” she assumed, using the word kids in a way that came off as slightly condescending, but in actuality wasn't in the least. She puffed out a sigh, holding her hand in his direction. “Like my nice boss over there said, my name's Reika. Reika Himura. And you don't need to pay me for it; I'm well enough off that I don't need any money.” Despite what she said, she very clearly gauged the wad in his hand for a moment, before returning her gaze to his and crossing her arms once more. “If you really want to ‘pay me back’, put that money towards something that needs it. There are an orphanage and an animal shelter that are nearby that could use that money far more than I ever could.”

Reika looked over at Harvey, her eyes suddenly hollow and frightening. An evil glint even flashed in one.

“Oh, Harvey …” She sang out. The man's eyes widened, and he let out an awkward laugh, scratching at the back of his head.

”Haha, well would you look at the time! I'd better get to … Uh … Checking on the raccoons!” and with that, he fled to the back of the building, proverbial tail between his legs. Reika sighed once more, returning her attention to Ryou.

“If you ever come here again, don't take anything that nut tries to tell you seriously. He's far too nosy for his own good.” She reached out and grabbed her backpack, releasing a shrill whistle as she did so. Immediately Hope and Clarity perked up from where they were sleeping behind the counter, their ears twitching. She let out another, sharper whistle, and instantly the foxes darted over the counter and up her body, curling around her neck and resting on either one of her shoulders. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she idly reached up and slipped them each a piece of cracker, to which they devoured almost instantaneously. Reika cast a glance over her shoulder at Ryou, pausing at the door.

“Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Ryou.”

With that, she slipped through the door and out into the chilly air. A brisk breeze wrapped around her, and she found herself hugging her elbows closer to her body, a shiver shuddering throughout her.

Why was it so cold?

Ryou gripped the edges of the box tightly, staring at his injured familiar, who was resting inside. He couldn't help but blame himself. His siblings were all so close to their familiars, at times not even being away from their sides, but yet he always allowed Yuo to roam as she saw fit. Pheobus would have never allowed something like this to happen to his companions.

He took in a deep breath, and exhaled a chilling breeze. Ryou took off his jacket and used it to cover the box, and protect Yuo from the cold air. As he stepped through the door he watched as Reika walked away. He still hadn't been able to give her a proper reward.

“Miss Himura wait!” He called out to her as he came towards her. “Here, please take it.” He placed the wad of bills in her hand. “If you don't want it, then you can give it the orphanage or animal shelter yourself. But I cannot allow your kindness to go unrewarded.”

“Well, I shouldn't take anymore of your time.” Ryou said as he turned around and began to walk away. “It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Himura. I hope that we may meet again...but hopefully on better circumstances. Have a pleasant evening.”

Reika held the money in her hand, an expression that was mixed with both annoyance and confusion crossing her features.

“What a pushy guy,” she muttered, staring at his retreating back. After a few moments, she shoved the money into her bag, stifling a sigh. She cast a curious look to her little foxes. “Why would he want to meet me again, anyway? I was rude towards him, and while I know that it's a defense mechanism of my own creation, he doesn't know that. So why?” She focused her gaze once more on Ryou’s back, who at this point was a small figure in the distance.

She had heard from her friends and cousin that the new family that had moved to town was weird, but something was definitely off about that boy. It wasn't just the way that he spoke (his dialect and accent were definitely ones belonging to that of a foreigner, and yet he spoke flawless Japanese), nor was it the way that he threw around his money so flamboyantly. His gentlemanly air was definitely rare to find in a male, especially a teenager, but that wasn't it either.

No, it was something that she couldn't quite put her finger on; almost a sense or a feeling that he gave her. And no, it wasn't because he was cute, even if that was an undeniable fact. He was also too kind, and what she could only name as stoic in the air that he held about himself.

Good.

Reika narrowed her eyes slightly, tapping her chin in thought. The word definitely suited him. He was good, almost too good, in both his presence and his personality. Was it a front for something far darker hidden beneath him? Or was he genuinely just a good person? Whichever one it was, only one fact rang true.

There was something very off about him.

And she intended to find out what that was.

After parting ways with Reika, Ryou peaked underneath his jacket to check on Yuo. 'Let's get you home. I was so scared that I was going to lose you. If I did I don't know what I would have done." His voice was soft and soothing. ~I'm fine.....a little sore, but I'm fine. I had the situation perfectly under control before she arrived.~ Ryou stifled a chuckle, well at least she was acting like herself. "I never doubted it."

~Filthy mongrel fox, thinking that it could snack on me! The gall!~ Before she could continue they were soon interrupted by the sound of him receiving a text from one of his siblings. Ryou slipped the box underneath his arm, and pulled out his cellphone. It wasn't his favorite way to communicate, but there was no denying the convenience of it, even if he didn't understand half of it's functions.

~Hey just wondering where you were. You coming here or to your private home. Talk to you soon.~

~Sorry, had an emergency. It seems as though a fox tried to make a snack out of Yuo. But don't worry she's fine. She was found by a very nice human who took her to the animal clinic. I will head to my private home. Good night, I will see you tomorrow.~

Once the reply was sent he put his phone back, and headed home. "Let's get you home, and get some rest." He said with a cheerful smile.

~I suppose that would do. That small, and bespectacled human was rather odd. As far as humans go, she wasn't so bad, despite the fleabags that she keeps company with.~

"Yeah, I thought so too. Minus the fleabag part. She was nice, though odd. I wonder if we'll see her again?"

---

”Ha! Look at the giant orange, thinking she can actually climb a tree! Fat oranges are too heavy to climb trees!”

“If you just come down on, we won’t beat you up too hard, you fat, ugly orange!”

“What a silly fat orange! Careful, the tree might break under all of your fatness!”

A string of low snickers spread throughout the boys, who stood down below in a circle around the base of the large oak tree. High above them perched a little girl, who looked no more than seven or eight years old, who clung to the truck of the tree, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

“Go away! Leave me alone! My Mama and Papa are going to be really mad at you!” she cried, her voice a slight wail.

More snickers made their ways up to her ears, and one of the boys in particular stepped forward, hands shoved into his pockets. He looked up at her with a dark glint in his eyes, his lips a sneer.

“Why don’t you use your ‘magic powers’ to beat us all up, fatty!” he called, ending on a chortle. The little girl sniffed loudly, more tears streaming down her cheeks, and she curled her fingers into the bark of the tree, looking down at her legs through the stream of warm liquid.

“Stop it! Why are you being so mean to me? I th-th-thought you were my friend!” she sobbed.

The boys lips twisted into an even uglier smile, and he turned towards the group of boys, laughing loudly.

“Hear that guys? She actually thought I was her friend!” After a solid minute or so of laughter, he turned back to face her, the darkness in her aura causing her blood to run cold. “As if I would ever actually want to be friends with a fat, ugly orange like you! You’re even shaped like an orange - fat and round!” Casting a glance over his shoulder at his friends, he jerked his head. “C’mon, let’s throw stuff at her until she has to come down!”

Chatters of agreement rang out, and within moments there was an arch of rocks and tree branches thrown up at the child. A chorus of thwacks echoed off of the tree and the following thud of them making contact with the ground pushed her to grip even more tightly at the trunk. When none of the first wave hit her, the boys rushed to gather their rocks once more, starting the attack anew. She gently pried open her eyes to watch for any rocks that may actually hit her - and at the exact moment that one appeared directly in her line of vision.

She swung her hand quickly in an attempt to block it in some way, not even necessarily with her powers, but just block it, but it was too late.

A splitting pain splintered throughout her head, tracing back to the center of her forehead. Black stars speckled her vision, her fingers slowly lost their grips on the tree trunk, and a second later she felt her body pitch forward and off of the tree. The boys yelled out in a mixture of surprise and alarm, but she very dimly heard it, her half-closed eyes focusing on the ground that was currently flying at her face.

---

Harmonix shot up, her hand thrown out as though to catch herself, and in the process she threw the blanket on top of her to the side. Mio and Dusk jolted off of her body in surprise, maneuvering easily onto the back of the couch near her head. Her breathing was immensely deep, her chest heaving, and when she placed her hand over her heart, she could feel it thundering powerfully.

Why? Why were the dreams coming more and more frequently?

Casting a glance around the living room, she slowly drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped one arm around it. The hand attached to her other arm pressed against one side of her face as she blinked away what was left of her sleepy state, attempting to gather her wits.

Was it because she had made the decision to come back to Earth?

No. That couldn’t have been it. She had been experiencing them since before she ever even thought of the idea to run away, so to think it was the fault of being on the planet itself wasn’t logical.

Puffing out a breath, she swung her legs over the side of the couch and rose, stretching as she did so and appearing very similar to the animals that followed her everywhere. Once done, she scratched her forearm, making her way out of the room and towards the stairs, her destination very clearly her bedroom. A quick look at the grandfather clock in the hallway told her it was just barely past sunrise, along with the light streaming in through every window that she passed. When she finally reached her room, she quickly crossed it and into her enormous walk-in closet, obviously intent on dressing herself from the coming day.

Her sense of fashion had always been a bit odd, at least by the standards of the current human industry. It was without a doubt that she would be looked at with weird expressions should she wear anything remotely close to what she and her siblings normally wore when living with their parents, but the fact of the matter was that she couldn’t care less. She’d rather wear something that she loved and feel confident, than attempt to fit into society’s standards and wear something dull and uncomfortable. This explained the outfit that she finally decided upon; a beautiful brown and white dressed, embroidered with gold sinews, and adorned with a brown leather pouch that was attached to two straps that attached to the hips of the dress. It was definitely extravagant, and as she tugged it on, she gave herself a soft smile in the mirror.

If she were to look at herself from a human’s perspective, she would look as though she were dressed for one of those conventions that humans dressed so beautifully at, or for their celebrated holiday by the name of ‘Halloween’.

Harmonix couldn’t muster any care for that, though, but instead performed a small twirl in front of her large mirror, the skirt flitting up and around her waist. She blushed slightly, smoothing the material back down and making a mental note to watch out for any stray breezes.

Tying a bow made of matching material into her hair to hold half of it back from her face, she slipped on a pair of brown leather boots that ended at her knees. She gave in and twirled once more, stifling a soft giggle.

You look so pretty, Harmony!

The girl in question turned her gaze downward, beaming at Dusk, who had slipped into the closet to admire her mistress’s outfit choice. Picking her up, Harmony cradled the beautiful cat in her arms, who purred in delight at the affection. It was easy to make her way downstairs while carrying the animal, for she did it often enough to not have to worry about falling.

As she made her way into the kitchen, she paused. The lack of sound throughout the house betrayed the fact that her siblings were still fast asleep. She squinted slightly at the sunlight streaming through the windows and glinting off of the beautiful counters, making her way towards the fridge and allowing Dusk to hop from her arms as she did so.

“Might as well start breakfast, don’t you agree?” she asked, rifling through the fridge and pulling out a horde of ingredients as she did so. By the time that she had finished pulling everything out, there was a vast array of items covering the counter top that she used for all of her ‘prep work’. Harmony snagged one of the many alligator clips that were magnetically attached to the fridge, quickly drew her beautiful locks back into it, and tossed a pretty orange apron over her head, expertly tying it into an intricate bow at her lower back. Immediately she went into motion, her body easily following the rhythmic actions that it had become oh so accustomed to over her years of cooking with her mother.

The saying goes that one should whistle while they work, but in Harmony’s mind, that’s drawing oneself short of their vast capabilities. Why not expand one’s horizons and evolve into the level of singing? Whistling showed restraint, which one should not have when doing anything musically inclined.

Music was freedom.

This was her reasoning for why she shouldn’t be ashamed for her vocalization of My Most Precious Treaure; and besides, her voice was her gift. While her siblings were more physically instrumentally inclined, she was gifted in a more inward way - with her vocal chords. Of course, she knew how to play piano, as did all of her siblings, and she had taught herself guitar, but that was the extent of her playing talents. Ryou was the one skilled in the art of string instruments, and while she adored music, she had learned all that she figured she needed to know instrument-wise in order to flawlessly conduct and write music.

The singing made the time practically fly by. In fact, when she next looked up, while she was setting the table for everyone and had already finished the cooking, an hour had already passed. It was the normal time for anyone in their house to rise, and so she sped up her movements, quickly settling the dishes for each of her siblings in their respective spots.

For Phoebus, she had cooked spicy chorizo sausage with potatoes and eggs in a wrap, ensuring that his food with too spicy for her to consider edibles, and so hot that it would burn the tongue to the touch; however, for Aurora, she had prepared a delicious broccoli, cheddar, and spinach frittata, ever careful not to include any type of meat in her food. For Ellyion she placed a plate with three deviled eggs and two large blueberry crepes with powdered sugar and whipped cream before his seat. And for herself? Dark chocolate waffles with ganache, strawberries, powdered sugar, whipped cream, and twinberry syrup coating it.

Footsteps tapped in the hallway just outside the door, so twirling around, Harmony beamed in the direction of whoever was entering the kitchen, wooden spoon held up in greeting. Flour and powdered sugar was dusted across her apron, and a bit of it had formed a line across her cheek without her knowledge, but even if she knew it was there she wouldn’t care. As always, she was forcing herself not to be bothered by anything - forcing herself to push an outward facade of joy and happiness when around others. It grew tiring, but what was even more exhausting than that was dealing with the worry and pity that came along with showing her true emotions.

Besides, if one forces the appearance of everything being okay, and of being in an elated mood, wouldn’t that just force the facade to become a reality?

She didn’t know for sure, but that was her reasoning.

“Good morning!” she sang out.

It was rare for Kazumi to not rise in time to do her sunrise dancing, but due to her creative juices into making a flower necklace for her sister, that's exactly what happened. Originally she had tried going to sleep, but kept tossing and turning and finally gave up. She decided to go back downstairs around midnight to see her sister still asleep. She carefully took the flowers out of their vase and went back up to her room. She had ordered the dogs to stay put for once. It was nearly 2 am when she finished the necklace and placed it on a rack she made for her flower necklace. She sprayed them with water before finally collapsing on her bed. She woke up when she felt Dawn waking her up by licking her face. On the rare chance she didn't wake up at her normal time, she instructed the dogs to wake her up an hour after sunrise. Opening her eyes she looked to see the sun shining through her curtains.

"Well there goes my morning exercise. We'll just do a sunset dance than." she said to the dogs as she got up.

Getting, up and knowing she was going to be working today as well, Kazumi dressed in one of her many sun dresses. Over it she had a pink shawl on. Taking the flower necklace of fall flowers that were yellow, orange, and pink, Kazumi left her room with the dogs following.

As soon as she entered the room, she heard her sister say good morning, as if she didn't have a care in the world. Kazumi smiled. She understood that her sister was only pretending that everything was okay. She wasn't going to bring up yesterday unless her sister did.

"Good morning Harmony." she said before seeing that her sister made them all breakfast.

It was a good thing that Natsuo and Velonix knew how to cook because Kazumi was a disaster in the kitchen. First time she tried doing it, she took out the whole kitchen and part of the room next door. She herself was black from head to toe, along with her mother and Astra. She had only been 13 at the time. Her father had gotten a hoot out of that as well as others. The memory was a good one, although embarrassing.

Bringing her mind back to present, Kazumi saw that Velonix was done.

"Before we set the table, I need to do something really quick. Here sweetie. I hope you like it."

With that she placed the flower necklace around her sister's neck before adding, "Love you sugar."

Giving her sister a hug, she went to helping her set the table. It wasn't long until Natsuo came down. He always had an alarm clock. He always trained before eating breakfast, so when he came down, he was in his training gear. He had no work today, but tomorrow he would. He had already gotten his brother's text when he woke up. He could have easily gone outside without anyone noticing, but hearing noise in the kitchen, he saw both of his sisters up.

"Good morning. I'll be doing my training really quick so, Harmony if you could keep my plate in the microwave, that be great. Oh, Ellyion is at his private house too. Who's turn is it to send him his breakfast?"

"It's your turn brother dear. Or do you want to go Harmony?" Kazumi answered as she started to eat her breakfast with some hot tea.

"Lovely, oh well. Oh Harmony, I really wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I promise I will work on my behavior. To make it up to you for now, I got your this." Natsuo said before getting all of the sweets he bought out of the fridge.

"Hehehe, that's sweet of you Phoebus."

Natsuo smiled before turning to Velonix to see her reaction.

---

“The dahlias are coming in nicely, don’t you think?”

Two sets of black orbs looked over at the small girl, the expressions in them betraying their disinterest in the topic. Reiya smiled despite their obvious boredom, gently poking at the petals of one of the beautiful purple flowers that were scattered in the front area of her small home. Among them were a variety of others: Dianthuses, Petunias, Dusty Millers, Snapdragons, Sweet Alyssums, Geraniums, and even Pansies dusted her front yard, which despite the tiny house that bore the property, was vast. It was clear that the intention of the property wasn’t for a glorious mansion, but instead for the greenery that surrounded it. It wasn’t like Reiya needed the space, anyway, so she might as well devote it to some beauty instead, and seeing as it had begun to grow cold in the area that her house was located within the past couple of weeks, she had transferred all of her former flowers and plants into pots with soil and placed them in the greenhouse behind her home, and had replaced them with ones more suited from the impending, unnatural weather. Her yard wasn’t limited to just flowers, however; she also had planted a Tulip Poplar tree, which was beginning to sprout, and when she had moved in she had specifically chosen the house for the large and impressively glorious weeping willow tree that adorned the backyard, directly beside the greenhouse. Two cherry blossom trees that were already full grown were placed on either side of the beginning of the path that led to her front door, but due to the inclement weather, they had begun to lose their beautiful flowers, which now dusted the ground below them. A path of turned soil rest on the side of her house that was less traveled on, a cute white fence surrounding it, and sprouting from the brown fertilizer within were onions, peas, cabbage, leeks, garlic, grape vines, and blueberry and strawberry bushes.

Pushing herself up, Reiya brushed the dead grass from her knees, taking note of the dusting of frost across the ground. It wouldn’t be long before the plants began to gather it, too, so she would have to be even more diligent in caring for them, along with ensuring the temperature and heat lamps being at the correct setting within the greenhouse.

Drawing her coat more tightly around her body, she cast a glance at the two foxes, who were currently wrestling one another across the lawn. Smiling softly, she hefted up her backpack and tossed it over her shoulders, letting out a gentle whistle as she did so. They ignored her initially, prompting her to repeat the action twice more, before they finally gave in and made their way begrudgingly over to her feet. It was a process, training the baby foxes, but they were slowly but surely learning. Her original plan had been to rehabilitate the little creatures and then release them once more into the wild to survive, but after further inspection of their bodies and the injuries that they had sustained from before their rescue, the hope for that outcome was quickly crushed. Hope was missing her sense of smell, which would make it difficult to hunt, and Clarity was blind in one eye, which would vastly hinder her abilities to both hunt and navigate, along with protect herself from other, larger predators. Reiya wasn’t about to literally throw them to the wolves, and so she had offered to take them off of Harvey’s hands and raise and rehabilitate them herself. Besides - it had gotten to the point where it would be too difficult for them to be separated from her, due to their immediate bonding, and it would be soul crushing for her, too.

The little ones scrambled up her body and settled into their ever-present positions on her shoulders, pawing at one another behind her head. She chose to ignore them as she walked; they were siblings, after all, and although she had none of her own, she did know that they tended to pick on one another and it was completely natural, no matter the creature.

It didn’t take her very long to reach the orphanage. It was usually her first and final stop of the day; in the morning she would help Mrs. Treist with the task of sorting through the applications of adoptions that were increasing in numbers since her contributions to the building had begun to be noticeable, and her nightly stop included going over any funding or necessary purchases that was required. She helped with that partly because she knew that it was a lot of work, and also because, despite the fact that Mrs. Treist was a sweet old woman, she knew how looks could be deceiving and she wasn’t about to be tricked and stolen from, no matter who it was.

The new security measures that she had implemented were very helpful in both containing the children within the property and keeping any unwanted visitors out. Reiya, of course, had a skeleton key to both the gate and the house, so it was a simple twist of a lock to enter the grounds that belonged to Izanagi Orphanage, so correctly named after the Japanese Goddess of both creation and death. Orphanages were homes for the unwanted children - the ones who were created and whose parents undoubtedly condemned them for their mere existence, and wished death upon them, but yet were lucky enough to avoid the fate of an abortion or murder at their parents hands.

Shaking the dark thoughts from her head, she glanced over the vast garden planted near the entrance to the property. It was enclosed with a better fence than the one that she had at her house. This one had higher walls and required a special key to enter it, so as to keep the children out. It was only a matter of time before she had a greenhouse installed for them to grow their own fruits and other vegetables that couldn’t survive the climate that may be existing at the time, and then the orphanage would no longer require the donations of locals to feed the children.

Things were definitely coming along nicely there, as proven by the construction crew that was already hard at work installing a new, larger playground not too far from the building. A blacktop was also being built and would be home to a basketball court, tetherball pole, and even a tennis court. A baseball diamond was already set up beside the place where the playground was being built, and a large shed that held a vast array of equipment was near the back of the property, locked off from access to anyone who didn’t have the authority to enter it.

She was more than pleased with the renovations, and soon the house itself would be under construction. Currently it held enough bedrooms for the children to sleep in, but there was immense over crowding in comparison to how large the building was. There were many areas of the house that were condemned due to both water and fire damage (the water she understood, but apparently the fire was caused by a child years before and they had never had the funding to fix it), along with mildew infestations and general lack of money to provide proper electricity and heating to those wings. She planned to fix everything and convert the areas into different rooms for the children to explore their interests in. An art room had already been drawn up in the plans, along with a music room, a library, a technology room, and even a gymnasium for when it grew to be too cold to go outside. She planned to expand the bedrooms, also, to allow the children for more privacy in their quarters, her goal being four children to each room as opposed to the eight or more that were squished into each area at the current time. Classrooms weren’t necessary, since the children already attended the public school not too far away, but she did plan to hire tutors to come and assist them in their school work - the tutors being high school students who needed the money in order to attend college.

When Reiya finally pushed open the large doors to the building, she was greeted with the assault of several small, pajama-clad bodies thrown at her, followed by the squeals of joy and a chorus of her name in young, cute voices. She nearly fell under their weight, not being a very large person herself, but somehow managed to hold her ground and instead laugh.

The morning passed in a blur. Four of the six applications that had been submitted since the morning before were approved for a meet and greet between the applicants and the children, the two rejections being towards couples that, after intense background checks, had histories of drugs and alcohol abuse that had continued up until the recent weeks. Phone calls were made, appointments were set up, and before long Reiya found herself heading through the very doors that she felt she had just entered through, this time her direction being the opposite from before. A pair of twins clung to her, one around her leg and the other around her abdomen, fighting with her departure.

After about ten minutes of prying at their vise-like grips, Reiya managed to free herself with promises of treats when she returned that night. The girls giggled and took off to play with each other somewhere else, and that was when Reiya took her chance to escape, practically fleeing down the sidewalk and through the gates, Hope and Clarity on her shoulders.

A quick look at her watch told her she had about an hour still before she was needed at the clinic. Surprisingly, she had forgotten a book at her house that she needed to finish reading before the week’s end, so she decided to take the time to leisurely return home and fetch it. In fact, she veered off of her normal route, ignoring the movements of confusion from the twin foxes perched on top of her.

As she walked, she allowed herself to take in the beauty of her surroundings. She lived on the outskirts of Akita, yet very near not only the orphanage but also the clinic and the animal shelter. It was a lucky spot that she had found when she first moved to the town, and she prided herself on her ability to find a convenient place to live. Plus, it was out of the way and didn’t see much traffic, much to her pleasure. She wasn’t a very big people person; they made her far too nervous for comfort.

Her steps faltered. Off to her left stood a small cabin that she hadn’t seen before, which wasn’t a huge surprise; she had never taken this route home before, seeing as it was a large circle. In truth, she would only around the corner from her own house at this point, but since she never had the need to walk this way, she had yet to. The cabin was a deep brown and adorned with an evergreen colored trim, and two orangish wooden chairs rest on the small porch that extended from it. A large oak tree stood before it, massive and glorious in its full presence, and for a moment Reiya felt herself drawn to the small dwelling. It had a warm, home-like appeal to it, and something tugged in her chest and deep within her. It was a feeling that she hadn’t felt for a very long time, and she found herself confused at the sudden longing for the sense of belonging that the home gave her.

At that precise moment, a cold wetness came into contact with her cheek, and another her glasses. Turning her face up towards the sky, she saw a mass of snow beginning to fall. The sky had become clouded during her walk and she hadn’t noticed due to her absorption in her surroundings, and it was very clear that a snow flurry was going to appear soon. After a few moments of soaking in what was happening, she felt the corners of her lips turn up. While Germany obviously received snow, it seemed somehow different in Japan, halfway across the world. It wasn’t different, of course, but that didn’t change the fact that it felt that way. A soft laugh of glee escaped her, and she held her hands up, level with her chest and palms facing the sky. Her eyes fell closed and she inhaled deeply, simply lavishing in the cold wetness that was so familiar to her.

Memories of when she was little flew across her closed lids. Images of her making snowmen with her grandfather in the front yard of their mansion were present, along with visuals of intense snowball fights with her father. Running up large hills with a sled and her mother, with the following of them sliding down said hill slipped into her brain, and the following sight of her grandmother making her delicious hot chocolate to sip with her by the fire was the breaking point. When Reiya opened her eyes next, the action freed the tears that had begun to well up behind her lids, and they trailed down her cherub cheeks in streaks, hot in contrast with the chilly air that had previously assaulted her skin.

Why was she crying now? True, it was the first snowfall that she had experienced in Japan, so far away from home; up until that day, she had always returned to Germany to run the family business during the winter months, but she had always somehow retained her composure even there. Was it because she was so far away from the home that she had once known?

Rubbing aggressively at her eyes and cheeks with the sleeves of her coat, she felt a fresh wave of the warm liquid assault her eyes and blur her vision.

Why was she crying now? She hadn’t cried since the initial moment of her awakening from the coma that the accident had put her in, so why now, four long years later?

The sudden immense grief that assaulted her chest nearly brought her to her knees, causing her to stumble to the side of the sidewalk and drop down to her bottom. She drew her legs to her chest, wrapping both arms around her knees, and she squeezed them tightly against her, very dimly aware of Hope and Clarity pawing at her sides.

“Why … Why did you all have to leave me?” she whispered to herself, her voice cracking a bit. “W-Why did you think … That I was strong enough t-to survive this on my own,” she mumbled to herself, her fingers curling in her stockings. They were soaked in the area covering her knees, soaked with her warm tears that were quickly coaling on the material. Tilting her head up slowly, she fixated her broken gaze on the sky, swallowing down a sob.

“It isn’t fair,” she managed to choke out, biting down hard on her trembling lower lip. “I-I can’t … I can’t believe that a-a God exists … That is malevolent enough t-to steal the only people that have ever m-mattered to me!” she cried, her fingers curling into fists. “I’ve done nothing … But try t-to be a good person … And this … This is how the universe treats me in return …” Shaking her head, she let out a dry laugh that was completely devoid of any and all humor. “It must be some sort of sick, cruel joke,” she ended on a whisper, once more dropping her forehead to her knees, fresh tears leaking out of her eyes.

“Just a sick, cruel joke … Jokes on me, I guess … Hah … I-It’s so funny, too …”

Astra was already in a cab, on her way to the airport when her phone buzzed at her side. She reached into her duffle bag and pulled out the device, her cat-like eyes tracing over the letters on the screen.

Today
10:28pm

Get a flight Wakannal, Hokkaido. We'll start at the northern most region of Japan and work our way down. I'll probably beat you there, since it's only about a three hour flight. I'll wait for you at the airport.

She scanned her mind, reciting the information. Hokkaido….the northern region of Japan, famous for hot springs and the mountain range. The words revealed themselves in her head as if she was reading a book. He must have done some research into weird weather in Japan and come up with that. Astra was unsure of how close Nixon was with his information, but this was all they had to go off of. She was always hesitant about following information she found online; she had been lead much too often on wild goose chases conjured by interns writing news articles about the most mundane things. Astra was too distrustful of the written word, something that people often twisted to sound more lucrative and interesting. Going off of actual experience though, and people who had seen the very thing, seemed to work better for her.

The cab ride had been quiet and uneventful thus far. Astra was not one for small talk. She stared blankly out the window, watching the raindrops slowly peel along the glass, leaving a clear trail behind them for another drop to fall. Her mind began to wander away from the present. What were they going to do once they reached the city? Her source of information had not been very specific, and apparently neither had Nixon’s. Japan was littered with small towns that had little to no news coverage. There were villages ranging from a dozen people, to cities with millions. How would they know where to even go first? She had been lucky to have a woman that even mentioned the event. Without her, she would never have even though to go to Japan, and they most likely would have never found the article online without the keywords.

She let out a small sigh, her breath fogging up the glass. They were going to need a lot of luck, and a lot of energy, to get any more useful information.

“So, uh, you goin’ on a vacation, Miss?” The cab drivers gruff voice pierced the silence. Astra winced slightly. She understood that the man was just doing his job, trying to be polite, but she had no desire to chat with him.

“No, it is just for work. I’m sorry, but I would rather be left to my thoughts for the time being.” She spoke back to him, her voice smooth and convincing.

The man nodded his head in understanding, and muttered a quiet apology. Left to her own mind, Astra let her thoughts wander, dreaming up plans and possibilities, musing about both success and failure. They grew and shifted into wonderings about Japan and its residents, how people acted there, how she would find herself comfortable in a new space. Would she be forced to split up from Nixon? Would they travel together? Were they even in the right place? With all the twists and turns in the path of her thoughts, it was no surprise that she felt the car slowing down in what felt like only a few minutes.

She looked at the payment required on the little screen by the dashboard, and pulled a few bills from her bag, offering them to the driver. She took her bag, and then reached to the seat beside her for the cat carrier that held the small white animal. Nixon would probably be a bit bewildered, possibly annoyed, that she had decided to bring an animal companion. Nevertheless, this was her decision, and she felt that she might be more comfortable in a new environment if she had something familiar with her.

Exiting the cab, she entered the doors of the airport. Instantly, it was as if a wave had hit her, she felt overwhelmed by the voices, the footsteps, the crying children and angry parents, impatient men and women arguing with eachother. Emotions were running high here. Astra grimaced as her grip tightened on the handles of the carrier and bag. She stood still for a what seemed like hours, forcing her breath to slow down, trying to focus her gaze on the only thing that was important.

She felt a slam into her shoulder; she staggered, managing to keep her balance.

“If some people didn’t just stand there, this would be a lot smoother!” A man grumbled in her direction, his luggage trailing behind him. Astra caught her breath again and took that as a sign to keep moving.

Signs directed her to a ticket counter. She set herself in line and waited for a few minutes until she reached the counter. The dark haired woman behind the counter looked up, and recoiled slightly at the vision of the green haired woman in front of her wearing a long cloak. London was filled with eccentrics and oddities though, so the surprise only lasted a minute. It wasn’t long before Astra had her ticket and was off towards security, where a playful touch made the empathetic man feel bad for her “forgetting” she couldn’t bring alcohol unless she bought it at the duty-free store, and offered to let her bring it on for just the price of duty. The woman boarding the plane glanced down at the cat, and divulged that as long as the container was the right size for carry-on luggage, she could bring the animal.

Astra sat on the crowded plane, the cat carrier at her feet, the Japanese-English dictionary sitting on the tray in front of her. How quickly could she learn the basics of the language and its writing before she got there? The woman opened to the first page, beginning to take in the information and commit it consciously to her long-term memory. Her flight was nearly 10 hours. Hopefully Nixon wouldn’t lose his mind waiting that long for her at the airport.

She didn’t have a single doubt in her mind that the flight would feel long. She only doubted how long it would take, once she was back on solid ground, to find what they were looking for, and if it was even possible. Her eyes scanned over the pages.

find, will find
Mitsukeru

Astra mouthed the word on her own, savouring the sound of it on her tongue.

”Mitsukeru…” She muttered under her breath.

Yes, she would find them.