Atomu's Story

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Kozakura Asai

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Every day that passes and every action you take is another step closer to accomplishing whatever it is you were meant to do in the world.

That's was Kozakura's mother always told her anyways. Currently, Koza was kicking a rock across the dirt path on her way home from school, scuffing her already worn shoes even more. She wasn't entirely sure how kicking a rock from boredom and only a little pent up frustration was getting her closer to whatever end goal her mother always told her fate was going to present to her one day. Maybe she was going to kick it at a passing car and hit their windshield, and she'd discover she was supposed to be a windshield and glass repair person for the rest of her life. Maybe she would kick it down a sewer drain and hit a kids head who'd fallen down there, and she would get them help. Then again, her fate probably wasn't going to come about from a dirty old rock. At least, she hoped it wouldn't.

The idea of fate always seemed illogical to Kozakura. Yeah, she believes everything happens for a reason, but not that there is a strange magic force that has everything planned out from the start, everything coming together the way it was always meant to turn out. Things just happen. That's it. It could be accidental, planned out, impulsive, but she had a hard time believing every single action, or at least some choice actions or situations, are dictated by the universe's plan for every individual that had ever lived or is ever to live.

Kozakura honestly believed she wasn't meant to do anything. She just would on her own accord, or by the influence of other’s actions.

Stopping after having walked thirty minutes, she kicked the rock hard enough that it went into the field beside her, lost and never to be found. Stretching her arms up high, her too long cardigan sleeves of her bright red cardigan that she'd slipped over her school uniform fell down her arms in a pool of soft warm fabric. Kozakura let out a long sigh. She noticed the night sky shifting into a mirage of red, pink, and orange hues. The sun was setting, and Kozakura would need to be inside before it got dark. Shifting her wide eyes back down from the sky, she gazed down the empty dirt road before her. Letting her hands drop back to her side, she readjusted her black leather backpack and continued on the walk, knowing it would only be a little less than ten minutes before she could get home to her brother and grandfather. It was her night to make dinner before her father got home from work. She just hoped he didn't bring another animal home again. As much as she loved them, the family shrine was getting overcrowded and she feared the bunnies were going to breed even more and outnumber the cats, starting a revolt against the unsuspecting felines.

Soon enough, the pretty, but slightly run-down, shrine came into view. She gave the tiniest of smiles. This place had always been her favourite place in the world to her. Even before she moved out to permanently live with her grandfather, she'd love going in the summer's to visit the shrine, it was calm and uncrowded. She only wished one day it could return to it's once more vivacious state. With her and her brother in school, her father working full time and on call, and her Grandfather's ailing health, no one had that much time to do the necessary upkeep. That had always been her mother's duty when she was still alive.

Walking up the steps and to the entrance, she was greeted by a tortoiseshell kitten that her father had only taken in two weeks ago. Her brother had named him Speckles, and Koza sarcastically complimented his creativity, although she thought it was kind of cute. She wouldn't admit it, though.

The kitten wrapped itself around her legs, meowing like it was trying to get her attention. Koza bent down and scratched her head. "What is it?" Koza asked curiously, smiling at the cat. "You need some water?" She knew very well the cat wouldn't be able to reply, but she thought maybe it would lead her to whatever it was trying to get her attention for. After it gave a funny sounding squeak of a meow, it ran off in the direction to the side of the house. Koza assumed the kitten wanted her to follow, she she gripped the straps of her bag tightly and chased after it.

The kitten was small, so it was hard to see exactly where it had gone, but finally she thought she saw the shadow of Speckles race into the old gazebo, that the long dried up well sat in. Mostly they used the gazebo as a storage shed for her granddad’s old knickknacks and souvenirs, so she didn’t often venture in there. She couldn’t image what the kitten would need her in there for. Maybe it was just some mice.

Peeking around the corner into the dark gazebo, the only light that reached within it’s depths was through the entrance and through the few splits the wood the walls were made of bore from old age. She didn’t exactly know how long the well had been there for. Her Granddad said even longer then when he was a young boy. It looked like a great antique. Stepping into the gazebo, the wooden planks beneath her feet creaked with every step she took. “Speckles?” she called out, not able to see the small kitten anywhere. Making a whole loop around the well that was centered in the room, she sighed, unable to find the kitten anywhere. She was so certain it had come into the gazebo as well. Maybe Speckles had jumped into the well.

Fear overtook her in that moment, concerned that the cat was an adrenaline junky. Scurrying over to the well, she bent over to look inside of it, but it was too dark to see the bottom. She couldn’t even tell how deep it was. Quickly grabbing the black hair tie on her wrist, she put her extremely long hair up into a ponytail before climbing on the well’s narrow ledge. Gripping it tightly, she leaned her head in more to see if she could hear anything or see better, but alas, it was no help.

Kozakura was about to get off the wells ledge and find a ladder so she could climb down, but her plans changed as soon as she heard a soft mewing come from one of the dusty shelves that were only recently added. It sent quick a shock through Kozakura, enough so that she completely lost her grip and tumbled into the well herself. Shutting her eyes as tightly as she could, she let out a yelp and braced for the forceful impact she knew was coming. That was until it didn’t. Letting out the sharp intake of breath she instinctively sucked in on her way down, after a solid minute of keeping herself in a tense little ball, she opened her eyes expecting it to have all been a bad dream. She always woke up before the impacts in nightmares, so she thought it must have just been one of those.

She wasn’t prepared though for the fact she was at the bottom of a well, most especially for the fact It wasn’t the same well as the one she had fallen into. At least, it wasn’t in the same place as it once had been before. No, this well was clearly outdoors and not hunkered down in a gazebo built around it, as light shone through it and was not covered by a poorly made roof. Standing up, she brushed the dirt off her black skirt, and looked up, clearly dazed and confused. The well wasn’t too deep, maybe ten feet in depth, but it was deep enough that she would struggle tog et out on her own. She would worry about what happened later, but for right now, she wanted out.

Trying to get a grip on the loose mossy cobbles to climb up in a valiant attempt, Kozakura couldn’t quite brace her feet enough in the crevices to get leverage to climb her way out, so she resorted to the only thing she could think of to do. She called out, “Hello, is anyone up there? Akira? Granddad?”

"There once was an old man,
He wore a shroud of light,
His beard was long,
His coat was white-"

Hayami was singing softly to herself as she was kneeling in the soft rich earth of the forest. She had a small basket next to her that was already filled with an assortment of herbs and flowers she had been picking. She had left the palace quite early in the morning, before the sun rose, and had taken her time wandering the forest and countryside. She was searching for a whole host of herbs to replenish her depleted stock. It had been quite a while since she had been able to leave her chores to go searching. She had missed this.

She paused her humming as a large yellow butterfly fluttered into her line of vision. It bounced up and down in the air as it flapped it's glamorous wings. She watched it quietly as it came closer. It hover in front of her for a brief moment before it landed on her nose. Her amber eyes crossed as she peered down her nose at the curious creature. She smiled as it stretched its wings against her face.

After a moment it took off again and soon disappeared from sight. Hayami was pleased with the bug. She loved the quiet atmosphere of the woods. Even still, the quiet was deceiving. The forest was teeming with life and she could almost feel the pulse of the plants as they grew in the earth.

She snipped a few sprigs off of the small bush she was kneeling in front of and placed them delicately in her basket. She put the small pair of shears in the basket next to her collection and stood. She brushed the dirt that clung to her knees. She heard a cry in the distance and turned. It wasn't often she met people when she was out. Not many liked to explore around.

She picked her way through the trees until she had broken through the line. She saw a rather interesting creature peering down into an old abandoned well. He was saying something but she couldn't understand his words. She was prepared to turn and leave whatever scene she had stumbled upon. There was something that drew her in. Without much thought she stepped towards the creature and realized it was a kitsune.

The closer she got she finally realized someone must be inside the well. She felt concern flush through her body. If someone had fallen down the well they were probably injured. She moved more quickly this time until she stood only a few feet away from the kitsune and the well.

"Is everything all right?" her voice was barely above a whisper and would've been carried away if there had been a breeze.

His majesty is missing!"

"Not exactly." Agryos muttered under his breath as he dangled precariously just above the servant's head. Funny how people don't usually look up, it was a good idea to hand his scarf over the chandelier on the celling after all, despite how it teetered precariously. The escapes were getting harder and harder now that they knew all the right places to look, though nothing could stump him for long.

The man didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon however, and any more time wasted the chandelier was going to topple. Agryos wasn't in the mood for another lecture, not when he could've gotten away with it. Taking a deep breath, the prince considered his chances and began to swing. The chandelier tilted more and more, until...

Crash! Agryos used to momentum to fling himself feet first out of the glass window, shattered glass and his Long striped scarf trailing after him as he landed on the ground gracefully. Another window destroyed, but it shouldn't take them that long to fix it according to his experience. It wasn't his most daring escape, but this definitely makes it on the list of amazing yet understandably risky things he had his life. What matter was that he escaped mostly unscathed, the scratches on his hands inflicted by the glass shards were already healing.

As shouts rang out in the room behind him, he took off with a run, stifling a giggle as adrenaline ran through his veins. Running was quite refreshing when one spent all day being cooped up in a building. There was hardly any time to waste however. Agryos was sure that the Guards would catch up sooner or later if he dawdled like this. He did appreciate his parents for trying to keep him safe, but that could be overbearing sometimes. Bringing two fingers swiftly to his lips, he blew a shrill whistle and heard with some satisfaction at the sound of hooves that were gradually getting louder.

"Shiroyasha!" A white stallion galloped toward him, stopping obediently before him to allow Agryos to climb on, throwing himself onto the horse with practiced ease. He was already dressed in his 'outdoor' clothes, a dark cloak hiding his white royal attire. A satchel was over his shoulder, filled with provisions that he had sneaked from the table and a single book of legends. Pulling the hood firmly above his head to hide his silver hair and gold eyes, Agryos wrapped his scarf around his neck to cover most of his face. A necessary act even if he was only going for a walk in the forest. He could never be too sure that there weren't people looking to kill him lurking around. "Let's go, Shiro." He gave the horse's neck a light pat and they took off in a flash toward the woods.

The woods were peaceful and quiet, sunlight filtering through the leaves to form green shadows on the ground. Agryos found a tall tree, its branches stretching out toward the heavens and dismounted, reaching into his bag and pulled out an Apple, offering it to his steed and taking a second to brush its mane.

Sliding down against the tree, he rested his head against the trunk and started to read. It was a popular children's tale that had been read to him since he was young, the legend of the four gods. Sometimes he wished they would just come already. Surely the situation was bad enough for them to interfere. Agryos half heartedly wondered if he could leave the throne and let the God of their land take over, to live an ordinary life away from the dangers and responsibilities that seemed to plague him. Wishful thinking, but it didn't stop him from wishing anyway.

He was barely halfway in when he heard the cry for help. Did someone fall into the well? The sound seemed to have some echoes coming along with it, and Agryos had always expected that it was only a matter of time before someone fell into it. It was usually none of his business, but he was curious and he never resisted an opportunity to explore. "Come here, Shiro." Agryos whistled to get its attention once again, climbing onto it swiftly before riding it to the destination. He knew the entire layout of the forest well enough to ride directly to the place, but even then it seemed that more people had already arrived. Adjusting his scarf once again so he was certain that it hid his face, he too peered over the side of the well with his golden eyes. The girl trapped didn't look too injured, though she didn't look like any yokai he had seen.

""What compelled you to enter this well in the first place? This is no place for a child to play around. Do you require any assistance?" He called down, temporarily ignoring the other two. He will get to addressing them soon, but one looked like a servant girl from his castle and the other a kitsune. None of whom he trusted, and the one in the well was the only one he could be certain not to Attack him suddenly.

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Kozakura Asai

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Kozakura let out a long sigh as she stared defeatedly up at the sky that seemed too far away for her liking. Resting her hands on either side of her face, she paced back and forth in the small well trying to come up with an alternative plan, concidering neither her granddad or brother had heard her calls for help. She didn't even want to think about where the gazebo had gone in the first place or how long she could have possibley blacked out for. Maybe there was a hole in the ceiling and that's why she could see the sky? However, she couldn't remember there being a hole before. If there was someone would have patched it up pretty quick.

Shaking her head distractedly, she quickly gathered her thoughts back to the problem at hand. She needed to get out of the well first, then worry later. "Alright!" she stated to herself as she gained a new found determination. She would try climbing up the wall time and time again until she was successfully out, even getting scraped, bruised, and cut if she had too.

As Koza braced her foot in one of the notches between the stones once more, a voice called out, "Are you alright?" and "Did you break something?" It surprised her so much that she lost her footing once again and fell, landing on her butt. Putting her head in her hands, she let out a frustrated groan before two more voices echoed down, one clearly a girl's tone asking her if everything was alright, and another that annoyingly said that this wasn't a place for a child to play around. "I'm not a child!" She yelled back, looking up at the three silhouetted faces that peered over the well's edge. Koza was clearly frustrated. Although, this comment only served to add more fuel to the fire and with even more determination, she tried getting herself out once again, not wanting help. She tried her best to be independent in everything she did. Best not learn to depend on people and be disappointed when the next time you need their help they are gone.

As she still couldn't get up on that second try, she knew she needed to come up with another plan. Looking around all sides of the small encircled space, she quickly noticed a root from a tree that had jutted out from the cracked stone. Kozakura quickly took out the thick hair tie that had been holding her wavy long hair in place and scurried over to the side. She wasn't quite tall enough to reach the root, so she began climbing once again, just to get herself up a few more inches. Reaching up, she hooked her hopefully sturdy hair elastic onto the root. Using it to pull herself up, she quickly and easily scrambled up the wall with that leverage and got herself perched upon the root. She heard it snapping under her weight, so in a quick instant, she reached up and hooked fingers onto the ledge of the well. Quickly the root snapped and Kozakura was left dangling. With as much effort as her strength would let her, she hoisted herself up and over the edge of the well successfully. Sitting on the ledge, she hopped off onto the grassy ground and into the fresh air. She didn't even have time to process where she was, because the first thing she did was look at the strange boy who'd called her a child and said, "Nothing compelled me to go in the well; I fell in!" Instantaneously, a rush of rosy colour swarmed to her cheeks. Saying that she fell in probably didn't sound much better. Crossing her arms, she turned her head in a different direction and muttered with a calmer, yet still slightly aggravated edge, "who are you calling child anyways, we're probably the same age..." It was more a statement to herself in an attempt to heal her ego than to him. She wasn't even sure he heard it.

Turning a heal to the boy wearing a scarf altogether, she looked over to the other two that had surrounded the well. Kozakura dipped her head in a small bow to them and her long hair fell over her shoulders, covering her face. "I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused, I'm really fine." And that was true. She didn't show any signs of falling into the well at all, which was peculiar in itself. To any normal passerby, it would only look like she fell to the ground; her hands had dirt under the fingernails and minor scraps, and her red cardigan and black skirt had patches of dirt covering them. Lifting her head back up, she asked, "Do you think you could tell me where I am?"But quickly getting distracted as she looked at the two strangers fully for the first time.

The girl's hair was a strange colour Kozakura had never seen before. It wasn't dyed either. Koza herself had peculiar reddish hair, but nothing quite like the starry colour hers was. She also wore a more formal and historical attire. Even the boy behind her whom she sort of gotten huffy with had a peculiar look himself. The other guy, however, wore a kimono-style garb that was really beautiful and served to make her school uniform look like the one out of place. His hair was almost so naturally light in colour that in stunned her, but it was the animal ears that really threw her off. Distracted by her own curiosity, Kozakura approached him and reached up on her tippy toes in order to touch them, saying wide-eyed, "Wow, these look so real."

Uncomfortable. That was how Hayami felt as she recognized the crown prince as he approached. It made her stomach twist over. She didn't interact with him very much, but it was still intimidating to be in his presence. She was distracted from the kitsune and tried to retreat into the peaceful place in her soul. She was ready to turn away.

The girl in the well had quite the temper and refused help. She forced her way up the wall of the well, grasping at rough stones and gripping the roots. Her curiosity overrode her sense of propriety and she waited. First hands came out, followed by a head of peculiar hair with a reddish tone to it. If that wasn't odd enough, she hopped out wearing the most scandalous outfit Hayami had ever seen on a girl. She felt her own face flush and the tips of her ears redden in embarrassment for the girl. What possibly possessed her to wear something so revealing in public?

The strange girl, with the strange clothes, and the wild hair moved quickly to the kitsune. It was then that Hayami felt the emotions rolling off of the furry eared boy. He was uncomfortable. She read the panic in his gestures as he twisted away but the girl tugged at his ears anyway. She seemed awestruck like a child. Had she not ever seen a kitsune before?

A very odd thing happened after that. Hayami felt something hot on the top of her head. In a fright she dropped her basket, the contents bouncing out and scattering across the grass, and quickly touched the top of her head. It was hot, and heavy. She searched her hair with her lithe fingers but only felt her silky strands. Why did she feel heavy and on fire? The weight was smooth and fluid as it dripped down her face and onto her shoulders. She cried out as the invisible force was not to be deterred. She twisted and squirmed. She didn't understand what was happening to her. She was too distracted to notice that the other three were also in a similar situation.

She felt the hot lead slide against her skin. Her body was being encased in it. She gasped as the heat--now extremely uncomfortable as it was bordering burning--wrapped around her stomach and a portion of her back. She felt something being branded into her side and it caused her to drop to the ground. Her elbows shook as she had her hands firmly planted in the soft grass.

The sensation began to dim as it traveled down the rest of her body. The heat began to pulse and vibrate in her body. Her kimono felt stifling and sticky against her skin. She closed her eyes. What demon magic was this?

Nausea swirled in her stomach like a cyclone. She swallowed shook her head. Her mouth had a bitter taste in it. It was as though she had been sucking on a gold coin. The distinct metallic taste nearly made her gag.

Then it was gone.

Her body pushed out whatever enchantment had fallen upon her, or so she thought. As she recovered she moved back to her feet. Her cheeks were flushed as she felt awkward for having lost her composure in front of them. It was then that she realized they had changed, and then she noticed she had changed.

She didn't know what to say and was speechless as the kitsune spoke in mortification.

The girl was a feisty one. It was hard to say that Agryos enjoyed her attitude, but after what seemed like ages of people unquestioningly supporting whatever he says, it was refreshing to say the least. If he was surprised by her attire he didn't show it, Agryos had seen enough odd outfits for himself to be surprised, but it was unusual to see such a short one on a girl her age. He vaguely wondered which country she belonged to when she reached out for the kitsune's ears.

She looked curious, to say the least. Weren't there kitsune from where she came? They were found quite commonly last he checked, there were several shrines for them. That said, it was another queer fact that this one was wandering around. As he was wondering why this one in particular was quite a distance away from the shrine, the girl touched the kitsune’s ears.

One second everything was normal, the next a searing pain shot up his arm like someone was pressing a burning iron to his flesh. Biting back a cry of pain, Agryos gripped his arm and tried to steady himself. To make matters worse, a wave of panic washed over it, his lungs constricting. Breathe. For a split second, Agryos felt like he was drowning as he gasped for breath, clutching at his throat. Then it was gone. There was only the feeling of lingering discomfort, like something had changed that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

It was only when he looked at the others did he start realising what might have gone wrong. The fox already had markings, and without looking down Agryos knew that those were forming on his own body, trailing down to his palms. It was what looked like a blue scaled dragon, gaping maw open at his hand, the rest of it’s body twining up his arm as if it was a bracelet.

A blue dragon, the one that his kingdom was named after. Instantly he remembered the well known legend and groaned internally. Please, not this. Anything but this. Curse his curiosity, if he had never came there in the first place none of this would have happened.

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Kozakura Asai

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Kozakura was stunned when he so rapidly pulled away; she hoped she hadn't offended him by overstepping any boundaries, that was the last thing she wanted to do in this already odd situation.

But when that initial buzzing pain centered in the midst of her back started and spread like wildfire, any concern Ko had over offending anyone went rapidly out the proverbial door. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It felt like the portal to hells gates had opened right on her back and that every bad creature that had ever lived was about to come out and create unimaginable havoc, like Kozakura's body was some reincarnated version of Pandora's Box. Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic but Kozakura only knew that she did not like whatever the feeling was and that it was the most unusual pain or surge she'd felt in her lifetime thus far. And when she finally looked up after the first initial shock of the pain passed, it seemed she wasn't the only one feeling it.

Her feet when numb, her fingers got the odd tingly feeling, and it felt like spiders were creeping across her back, spreading in a wave in intricate-like patterns. This electric feeling was buzzing through her body, and though the weather was a little more on the nice breezy side before, she felt like every part of her body would be hot to the touch. The only thing that brought her attention away from the unknown was the accusations of the animal-eared boy asking her what the hell she'd done. If her temper hadn't already been spiked before, it sure was now.

"What kind of idiot are you!?" she fired back at him, taking off her backpack and swinging it towards the animal eared boy, whacking his arm. "How could I have done something by touching those fake ears of yours! I don't even know what this is!" Ko huffed, waving her arms to the two others in reference to them feeling whatever the hell had happened as well. Crossing her arms over her chest after she slipped her backpack back on, she slightly mumbled a bickering sentence to herself before noticing the oddly inked tattoo appear on animal ears and scarf boy. Ko's eyebrows furrowed in clear confusion as her previous clear expression of exasperation shifted into a look of muddled perplexity. Looking down at her own slightly revealed shoulder from where her too big shirt slipped, she noticed odd red inky lines had appeared on her previous clear skin. She thought for a moment she had simply been scratched by something when she was down in the well, but on further inspection she noticed the lines seemed to go further down her back. Kozakura sounded out an audible "huh?" before twisting around trying to get a better look at her back. Quickly she scrambled off her red cardigan to see if anything was on her arms, yet thankfully they appeared clear on first glance. After lifting up the back of her shirt slightly, she saw a tattoo of sorts had formed there as well. She couldn't particularly see what it was, and didn't want to rip off her shirt in front of complete strangers to check, but the knowledge that there was some marking there that hadn't been before worried her enough that any more curiosity as to what it could have been could wait until later.

Looking back up at the three, first at animal ears, then to starry haired girl, then to scarf boy, she couldn't exactly work out what was happening, so instead she figured she'd go with the most obviously logical explanation her head could come up with.

It must be a dream.

She must have knocked her head on some rock on the ground when she had fallen into the well and completely blacked out. Clearly she realized she was not in the same place as the original well, so it had to have been some wild dream her mind had come up with. She was shocked at her own subconscious, it was so random that she couldn't pinpoint the meaning of the dream, and hoped then when she woke she wasn't bleeding out her her head or something. There must be only one way to get out of the dream, and she figured she knew what it was so in a final flurry of conclusion, she said thinking out loud, "I’ll just go back in the well, everything will be normal!” and like a tiny tornado, she wiped back around in determination and climbed on the ledge of the well once more, trying to climb back in as careful as she can. She always hated those dreams where you fall off a cliff or something and suddenly wake up before impact, so she figured she’d try to make it down as safety as she could even if it was a dream.

What an odd girl this was. She first accused this poor kitsune to be false and then declared this was all some sort of crazy dream and the only solution was to dive back into the well. Hayami had never met a girl like this. She was quite bizarre. Her choice of clothes was a statement by itself, but her mannerisms and accent were foreign. Even though she spoke the same language she pronounced the words differently.

The kitsune quickly grabbed the girls arm and reeled her back away from the well. Surely the girl would cause serious bodily damage if she went back into the well. Hayami couldn't deny her curiosity and side stepped to peer into the well. There was nothing unusual about the well except perhaps it was dried up. Had this stranger really come from inside the well?

Her attention was drawn back to the others as the kitsune had continued to speak and then introduced himself. He then question who they all were. Did he not recognize the prince? She supposed that that wasn't too hard to believe.

"I am Hayami, I am a servant and healer in the palace." Her voice was soft and quiet and would easily be drowned out if other sounds competed with her. She shifted back to her previous position and picked up her basket full of herbs and medicinal plants. She bowed to those in front of her. She straightened but did not look towards Argyos out of respect. She was a bit unnerved to be in his presence.

She waited and turned her eyes to the girl waiting for her introduction.

The girl's behaviour was as though she had never seen anything like them before. Argyos didn't know much about the people in other kingdoms, but this girl in particular seems as though she came from a completely separate world. Things would go back to normal if she went into the well? Was the well a portal of some kind? This situation was getting more curious the more he thought about it, so Agryos decided to leave it as such. Sometimes it was the best for mysteries to stay mysteries, especially if there were more pressing matters at hand.

The fox spoke then, after stopping the strange girl from climbing back in the well. Atomu and Hayami... He still didn't know much, but it was a start. Dipping his head slightly, Argyos gave them the same faux polite smile he often used to address the ambassadors he had to meet as part of his duties. "Greetings. My name is A-" He was about to speak, but paused at the last moment. They were mostly strangers, and he was alone with no protection. Even if Hayami worked in the palace, that didn't warrant any of them his trust. Being the only crown prince, it would be troublesome if they decided to Attack him.

Since two of them didn't know him at all, this might be the perfect opportunity to forget about his status. Moreover, wouldn't it be absolutely delightful to see the expressions on their faces when they find out?

Argyos collected himself quickly, the smile hardly faltering. "My name is Akemi. It's a pleasure." Inclining his head at Hayami, he caught her eye before pressing a finger to his lips briefly, hoping it was signal enough for her not to give out his identity. She seems awfully uncomfortable around him, but Argyos does give off such an impression sometimes. It always mystified him, but once again it wasn't very important.

Not compared to the reason why markings formed on their bodies. If his hypothesis was correct, it was going to be enough to give him a headache.

A small crease formed between his brows before being smoothened out as quickly as it appeared. "Would you mind if I take a look, kitsune?" Argyos asked politely, gesturing toward the marking on his cheek. The other markings seemed to be on their backs, and as much as Argyros was curious he wasn't about to ask them to strip.

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Kozakura Asai

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Koza let out a small yelp of surprise as the animal eared boy yanked her back unexpectedly. She lost her footing quickly and fell on her back on the thankfully soft grass.

"Nothing about this is logical!" Koza huffed in an irritated reply, quickly standing up from the ground and brushing her skirt off. She felt the need to run to the well again, but decided to wait and see. She didn't want to get yanked down again.

Looking from person to person as they made their brief introductions, all that was running through Ko’s head was how bizarre this was. She still wasn’t entirely sure this wasn’t a dream, because unlike animal boy said, she knew for a fact dreams could hurt. She’d had her fair share of painful dreams after her mother had passed, and although they weren’t exactly painful in a physical sense, they did leave their hurtful mark.

“My name is Kozakura,” she introduced herself, a little reluctantly. Shifting her amber eyes to animal ears who said his name was Atomu, she addressed his second question. “I’m from Numazu in Japan. I was at my family’s shrine when I was chasing this cat and fell into a well. Next thing I know, I’m here with a weird mark on me while you try and convince me that those ears are real.” Glancing over to the Starry Haired girl, Hayami, she questioned, “and what do you mean you’re a servant at a palace? What palace? You aren’t owned or anything, right? Because if there are people around here living in a bloody palace thinking they can own and boss people around do to their beck and call just because they have money, they got another thing coming.” Now, she looked at scarf boy. "And you," she started, not caring that she was asking so many questions, "what do you mean by kitsune? Those aren't real, just some fairy tale stuff."

These people were crazy, and this most definitely was a dream.

Hayami waited patiently as Argyos spoke up. She was prepared to bow to him out of the respect that his station demanded but she faltered. He pressed his finger to his lips so quickly she would have missed it if she had blinked. He also introduced himself as Akemi and it only puzzled her further. It was evident she was the only one here who knew of his status and she realized that perhaps it was best that he kept his identity a secret since these two strangers could be anyone. It was obvious Kozakura was unstable, but what of the kitsune?

Hayami was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the situation that she found herself in. Kozakura was rude and loud and seemed to have quite the hot temper. She felt sympathy for Atomu as the girl denied his very existence. Then she went on to imply that Hayami must be some kind of slave and that whoever owned the palace was out of place for having servants. She felt ruffled by the impudent girl and shook her head. "You are mistaken. I am no slave, and you should show more respect since you are in the lands of those very people you seem all too willing to attack." Her words had more meaning in them as Kozakura had no idea she was disrespecting the crown prince of that palace. They were also cold and had an edge to them. They were firm and it was the loudest she had spoken so far.

Atomu spoke up and he had a valid point. Questions would come to light with the new markings. Hayami would have to inspect her body more closely, but it seemed as if most of her markings were covered by her kimono and she was grateful for that. Argyos on the other had had markings more prominent and it made her stomach churn over to think what those in the palace might say in regards to him.

"I do not think it will be so easy Atomu-san." She had attached the suffix as a quick sign of respect in an attempt to add some friendly element to the conversation. Kozakura did not seem at all abashed by treating everyone as rude as she did. Hayami believed Atomu at least deserved a little respect since he was trying so hard to mediate with this impossible girl. "Magic is not easily undone." Part of her healer training was also in the depths of magic. The only explanation for what happened to them could be explained by magic and even now she wasn't sure what kind of magic it was. This particular incident was alien to her and she had no understanding of it.

Agyros brushed his fingers lightly across the words and frowned. Black warrior. Could it be...? His mind thought back to the legend of the four gods. The black tortoise God of the Genbu Kingdom was a calm and steady individual, much like the rational Fox. A God? His golden eyes moved back to the golden dragon still coiled on his arm. It was impossibly detailed, golden flecks on sunlight sparkling on its blue-and-green scales when he moved his arm to the slightest degree. There were markings on his torso as well, a light translucent sky blue that resembled scales closely. The blue dragon God of the Seiryū kingdom. Of course. The clues and puzzle pieces clicked into place in his mind, but something was missing. They couldn't possibly be the gods. Though he cannot speak for the others, he himself was rather ordinary from birth if you disregarded his royal blood. He might be more physically inclined, but definitely not a God of such mighty proportions in the legends.

The problem, perhaps, is how those markings would be perceived by others. He could already imagine the reactions if he returned with the markings of a blue dragon. Would his life be in more risk than it was before, now that he might be a god as well as the crown prince? And if so, what else can he do? His fingers clenched into a tight fist. He wasn't safe any longer, not that he was in the first place. None of them were if his hypothesis was correct. How then? With his father's health getting worse and his kind hearted Mother, how could his family avoid danger? This was a journey he never should've taken. He bit his lip and frowned, making a pained expression for a brief moment, before it subsided and was replaced with yet another blank face. He nodded to Atomu as a indication of his thanks for allowing him to inspect those markings, before his attention was caught by Kozakura's questions.

That girl was reckless. Insulting both the Royal family and the stranger in front of her at the same time? It was simply asking for negative opinions. As expected, Atomu and Hayami were both quite opposed to her rude way of addressing the questions. If he felt any offence toward her questions, Agyros didn't say it out loud. He frowned at the comment about the royalty keeping 'slaves', however. As far as he knew, it wasn't so much a form of slavery as it was providing jobs for the poor. There are far worse ways to end up out there, and serving the royal family isn't such a bad paying job. His parents were both kind to their subjects in his opinion, and he himself rarely 'bosses' anyone around or made them do things against their will. Then again, he might not know for sure what the servants say behind his back. To some degree, he was reassured when Hayami denied her accusations, but that might as well have been for his sake. Regardless, he offered her a small yet genuine smile, before turning back to the strange girl. The mood was souring, and he needed some way to lighten it while moving on with the discussion.

"Now, now." The tips of his mouth turned upward in a friendly smile. "She is a guest in this country, after all. Perhaps there were no kitsune from whence she came from. Regardless, it wasn't quite respectful, but considering the circumstances she's been through it is quite understandable that she might be in a degree of shock." To say the truth, the well intrigued him now that she mentioned travelling to this location from the old well. He would have to get some of the guards to investigate this matter if he ever got the chance. "But what Hayami-sama said is true. I doubt that there is any way to remove the binds of magic, especially ones such as these." He sighed softly, pulling his scarf back over his neck and the hood down to cover his silver hair. It gave him no joy to deliver that particular piece of information, but he had to anyway. "Have any of you ever heard of the saviours of legend?"