Meant To Be

by ReachingForDarkness

I still remember the first time I met Kurow. I was bleeding to death in the snow, wishing to die so desperately. And he saved me- despite how I treated him afterwords. I guess that was the start of our relationship, right to the very end. To the end of his life, and then the new beginning.

Meant To Be

I could feel the rain gently kissing my skin with each drop that fell on me. If I noticed it even slightly, I didn't show it. I was lying on my side with my snow white hair splayed out around my head, as if I had become a mop. A fog of warm breath made ethereal shapes each time I let it out for my eyes and anyone else who could have been nearby to see. But I didn't care about any of this.

I was going to die anyway. And soon.

Demons had attacked me the second I stepped out of my home. I couldn't have stopped them either; they would have easily overpowered me if I tried. Anyway, the demons slashed and tore at my skin and ruined the beautiful green kimono that I still wore. The ground I was resting at, bleeding to death, was covered in snow; which meant you couldn't even see my hair unless you looked at it hard enough.

Since I was still bleeding, the white powder was dyed a sickly bright red; the same going for my hair.

The demons that had chosen today to attack were still around me. They were actually arguing about what to do with me, seeing as I was a 'stubborn human girl that wouldn't die.'

One said to cut off my head and cook me in a stew.

Another said to leave me here and come back to finish me later.

And one more said that they should just eat me here and now.

I assume that you're trying to figure out what's going on and where my parents are, right? That's if you care enough to worry about a little girl at the age of eleven. Though I just turned twelve so I guess I lied. I'll give you the answer about my parent's though:

They hate me and don't care what happens.

They detest me so much for things that I can't understand. Like for being born. I couldn't help that, no matter what they yelled at me for.

You see, when I was born, there was nothing wrong with my loving family. But two years later, on my birthday, my life changed in an instant. It was as if you lit a torch and it went up in flames. That's how fast everything flipped.

Objects began moving without anyone making them do it.

Random fires started in the house where it was unlikely to happen.

And, strangely enough, I could talk to animals and understand what they said.

All of this not only made my parents hate me, but also fear me. They never said it, and why would they? You don't say those kinds of things aloud to anyone but your spouse- or your child.

But I saw it in their eyes every time they looked at me. No words were needed to be said to me for me to know what they felt. I could tell when I was being thought or talked about just from the sparks of emotions in their eyes.

Whenever I went to town or out by the ocean, as horrible as it sounds, they prayed that I didn't return. Sadly for them, I always did. That was usually when they yelled at me for it with their favorite five words:

"Why can't you just die?!"

Those words echoed in my head and through my ears even now. I closed my eyes then while trying to forget my parents and to keep from crying. I was not going to shed a single tear for them.

A demon noticed my closed eyelids and he roared at the others, saying that he had finally come to a decision. All of them but the first one backed off and I thought I could hear my heart starting to stop.

I was willing to accept it when there were vibrations on the ground, which I felt. I thought that it was running on four legs, whatever it was. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but I assumed the ocean. The demon in front of me never noticed as he leaned down to my face. It took everything in my body to keep from cringing.

It smelled awful!

It smelled like someone had bathed in either junk or human feces. Or maybe both. I almost shuddered from the smell; though a normal person would have done that a long time ago.

"What a fine meal you shall make! You look absolutely ravenous!" The demon cried in a squeaky mouse voice.

I didn't make a move, even as the demon latched his warty hand on my limp forearm. But that was when the creature that had been running on four legs attacked the demon. I felt my arm get released and it fell to the bloody snow with a splosh.

The demon that had been holding me made a pained cry as I opened my eyes wearily to see what was going on. That was when I saw a male, baby white wolf fighting off the demons.

The wolf pup had red markings all over his fur and I noticed that he was fighting with a mini sword that he held in his teeth. I think those were called Divine Instruments, said to only be wielded by a god or their child.

So the wolf must have been a god's child because none could be as small as him.

I stared at the battle for a few more seconds until someone's shadow appeared across my face. I turned my dull amethyst eyes to the one who had now caught my attention. It was of little surprise to see that the person was a young boy, though I couldn't really see his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I stared up at him noiselessly without answering. He took it as a sign of offense, when I actually couldn't hear a word that he had said. I just knew that he was talking to me because his lips had been moving.

My eyes turned back to the battle and I saw that the wolf pup was just getting ready to finish off the last demon. I barely moved a finger when the creature went up in flames. I heard the pup yelp before he jumped back and the demon screamed in pain, though no one could hear it.

My eyes closed once more as the flames left the now smoldering corpse. My thoughts were starting to slip away with every passing second. I felt a hand on my shoulder before I was rocked back and forth. But my world went dark before I could open my eyes and see the one who was doing that to me.

X

X

I opened my eyes to see a wooden ceiling with curtains hiding me from a visitor's view. That told me that I was in the doctor's office. I blinked a few times in confusion as my thoughts tried to figure out how I got here. The last thing I remember doing was getting saved by a wolf god pup and a boy before I blacked out.

I started digging through my scattered thoughts to figure out what happened when I heard a soft bark coming from the side of the bed. I turned my head to see what animal had started calling for my attention. For an odd reason, I wasn't exactly shocked to see that it was the wolf pup that I had been thinking of. He wagged his tail at me as I stared down at him.

"Oh…You're the one that fought those demons. What's your name?" I asked without showing much of my emotions.

Wolf or not, I had no idea if my parents were here. I wanted them to never know about their daughter having emotions that they could use against me.

The wolf barked a little and I nodded softly with the eyes that could see the markings and the ears that heard the soft growling as a voice from the pup. My eyes blinked once as the wolf told me his name.

"Chibi…terasu? As in the son of Amaterasu?"

A bark and a nod of his snout.

"It's nice to meet you, Little Sun. I'm Harmony." I said with a smile that obviously didn't reach my eyes.

Chibiterasu wagged his tail even more before someone walked through the curtain. I didn't hear them coming until the person started talking.

"She's alive and awake Dude?"

I turned towards the source of the voice to see it was the boy that had been with Chibiterasu when the demons tried to kill me. If I had been an animal, I knew that my hackles would be raised from the startling voice I hadn't noticed until now.

Thanks to the light from the sun coming in through the window, I was able to see that the boy had golden blonde hair to the end of his head in a bowl cut to his shoulders. He wore a pink kimono shirt with bushy pants with a purple hue. I doubted that was what he normally wore. The boy looked absolutely ridiculous! Though I had no room to talk, seeing as my kimono was still ripped and torn in millions of places.

I heard Chibiterasu bark at the boy as I kept my eyes on him in a blank stare.

"What do you mean she's different?" The kid asked.

At the sound of his voice, I made a guess at his age. Since he was taller than me by about four inches, I assumed he was either my age or maybe one year older. But that could be a very big maybe. I didn't ponder the thought anymore as I forced myself to sit up. Sadly, both males noticed.

"Wait! You can't move around yet!" He said.

"I'm tired. I want to go home." I stated while forcing my weak body to roll off the bed.

I hit the ground on my knees and my white hair shifted to reveal pieces of dry blood in random parts. I frowned at it but said nothing as I slowly stood up. Chibiterasu barked at me while placing himself in front of me, obviously trying to block my path. I stared at him as he voiced his opinion on my staying here.

"I can't give my parents even the slightest inkling of satisfaction for thinking I'm dead." I growled in anger even though my eyes told him I could care less.

Chibiterasu whined and flattened his ears with sadness, a look that most likely made lots of people do as he said. I, on the other hand, ignored it and walked past the pup and boy. My body began protesting with each step I took and I knew that I really needed to listen. But I was being stubborn. That was the only good thing those parents of mine had ever given me.

I almost didn't notice the wolf pup rush in front of me until he started barking incessantly again. It started to give me a headache and I looked down at him with a sigh that sounded annoyed. He stared up at me with determination and I almost regretted what I was about to do.

Almost.

That doesn't mean I did regret it.

"I have to go home. Now." I said while one of my finger curled into an 'O' shape.

Chibiterasu was suddenly lifted into the air and while he cried out in shock, he got slammed into his friend. There was a few yells from both of them as I limped out of the room. A doctor saw me walking out and he said nothing.

He knew that if he said anything to me that I didn't like, I'd hurt him as well. Everyone here knew that.

I had just gotten outside when two sturdy vines wrapped around my arms tightly. I was about to set them on aflame when they pulled me towards whoever had control over them. I felt them release me when I landed on something soft and slightly muscular.

I figured out it was Chibiterasu when I saw the white fur and red markings.

His friend appeared at my side and I prepared myself to toss him across the grass. But before I could, he looked at me with a grin that a child no older than five would give. Let me tell you, the boy must have been pretty fast at changing outfits because when I looked at him now, he was nothing like what I had seen in the doctor's office.

He wore a red scarf tied around his neck and that was followed by a pinkish, petal-like cape that was sleeveless and he wore a similar red boy's skirt that lots of kids around here wore.

Compared to my kimono, the boy was basically a beacon of light that sparkled. That was also when I noticed two red dots just above his eyes that kind of reminded me of a foxes mask. He also had a weird object sitting on his head that I couldn't figure out. Maybe it was a bird face mask?

"You can't try to leave like that dude! Don't you know there are thieves out tonight?" He exclaimed.

Strange…I thought it was morning just a minute ago before I left.

But anyway, I scoffed at his concern.

"Let them. If I get attacked, I get attacked." I said while starting to get off of Chibiterasu.

He suddenly barked at me rapidly and it took all of my concentration to understand what he was telling me. I realized he was just going on about nothing to make me stop trying to leave and I finally sighed apathetically. That was when he decided to silence himself and he stared at me with an intense gaze.

"If you bring me home, you're going to get chased out." I warned.

The only answer that I received was a sudden leap forward. I almost fell off when I balanced my sitting body to keep from falling and his friend didn't seem to have a problem with staying close. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that he was floating. I didn't ponder it like I should have as Chibiterasu stopped running and he yipped at me.

"In the palace. You'll know the second we get to my house." I told him.

He took off with no more words and his friend followed. I could feel my hair moving with the wind as he padded across the bridge connecting the commoner houses with the royal houses. The wolf pup's friend remained beside me as we made our way across the wooden overpass as fast as a slug. That's what it felt like, at least.

"I'm Kurow. What's your name?" The boy suddenly asked.

"Harmony." I answered.

I didn't know the full extent of my wounds at the moment, but I knew that if I moved a certain way, pain would soar right through me and immobilize me. It was hard not to flinch and show emotion with each step Chibiterasu took. I forced myself to forget about the pain by thinking of the faces of my parent's the last time I had come back with a ripped kimono and bloody body.

Boy, they had the faces of clowns back then.

I had been attacked by demons like this time, but there was no one to save me that day either. I had to put all of them on fire to stay alive. Funny thing about that time and now:

I wanted to die each time I was attacked.

I almost succeeded this time. But since Chibiterasu and Kurow saved me, I had to kill the demon. I wanted to die without anyone knowing.

My parents wouldn't care; and neither would the other kids and adults.

Nobody cared if a little girl like me died because of what I had become. That's what I believe.

"You want to be my friend then Harmony?" Kurow suddenly questioned.

Well that came as a surprise.

I didn't answer as Chibiterasu walked through the charred grass and broken toys. He stopped to stare at the destruction around us and I forced my legs to stand me up. He and Kurow watched me get on my feet and I tried to keep from looking at them. Looking would acknowledge their help even more.

"This is my house. You can leave me here. And it is not a request." I told them while never taking my eyes off the blackened house.

"But no one lives here!"

"They don't want people to see what their daughter did to the house. They hide unless they go out to eat. Now get away from me." I snapped.

Chibiterasu whined pleadingly at me when I took a step towards my home. I moved one finger and the pup was picked up into the air. He yelped in fear as he rose even higher while I remained where I was and what I was staring at.

"I can't control these powers very well. You are lucky I didn't set you on fire yesterday and send you flying in the sky. Don't make me use them again." I said while releasing the pup.

He dropped to the ground and I walked into my house through the charred grass. I don't think they realized that my parents were royals and that they could replenish our yard and home if they wanted.

And they would have if I wasn't living there.

I opened the door before turning to look at the two boys. They were watching me with an emotion in their eyes I couldn't decipher. Worry? Sympathy? Or maybe even fear?

Either way, I didn't care.

I walked into the house and shut the door softly. I heard the rummaging of drawers and I turned towards the living room. They didn't seem to notice me as the room began glowing in happiness. I didn't understand why and I didn't really care at the moment.

"I'm home." I said in the most monotone voice ever.

Both halted whatever they were doing and my mother turned to stare at me with wide eyes. Her pupils were a complete contrast to mine.

My eyes still held their dull amethyst glow and my mother had sparkling onyx black eyes. Hers were full of the history of her life with many years ahead of herself. Mine were almost entirely devoid of anything; but if you looked hard enough, you could probably see the swirl of remorse and fear.

And why do I have fear, you ask?

That's for another story that is sure to appear soon; though the reason should be obvious.

"We thought the doctor said you were dead." My mother said with acid clearly in her voice.

"Takes more than four demons to hurt me, let alone kill me." I stated while staring at the bags beside both of my parents. I chuckled apathetically as I realized what they had been trying to do.

The fools.

"You two tried to leave again. You should have done that from the start." I said while staring at the knife beside my father.

"If you're going to try something, I'd do it now."

Father took that as an invitation and I heard him run at me. He screamed something that sounded like devil child and I turned my heard towards him with a glare. My father raised the knife to drive it into my head. Just seconds before it started its downward plunge, both my parent and knife were suddenly pushed into the wall opposite of me.

"If I'm a devil child, why do you act like you're trying to kill me? I can do that to you myself if I chose it." I growled as a wave of fire sparked to life around the outside of the house.

I lingered on the steps a little longer before starting my way up the stairs. Both parents watched me ascend as the fires outside died away to leave new, crisp grasses in its wake. I had just reached the top of the stairs when they started screaming at me.

"The next time you go out, stay there! You are no child of ours! You are the devil! A demon!"

I froze mid-step and those words echoed loudly in my head. They had said awful things to me in the past, but nothing like this. It stung for me to hear them tell me this as a pain in my chest started stabbing into me. The corner of my eyes began to hurt and I managed to control myself for a few more minutes. I turned to face my parents as all my emotions disappeared on my face along with the stinging.

"I will do as I wish. You stopped being my parents the moment you insulted me." I said.

Both glared at me and I turned back towards the stairs. This time, nothing was said by my parents and I walked into the hallway where they couldn't see me. I was relieved in that moment as I moved towards my room. I stepped inside and could immediately smell the scent of charred wood which made me sigh. My room was burned from the ground up because I had made the room catch fire several times. But it wasn't going to collapse anytime soon because there was metal underneath all of that wood.

Which meant that my room wouldn't burn all that easily.

This was the only place my powers could go crazy and ruin nothing. And that was what I was going to do.

I released one breath of air when fire rushed out of my body. The flames crackled against the charred wood as I collapsed onto my knees. The tears that had seemingly disappeared came back and they poured out of me. I couldn't stop them as flames licked my skin but never hurt me. My powers could never do that to me.

I never made a sound as the fires raged around me, blackening the wood even more.

X

X

"You killed that Imp, didn't you?!"

Silence.

"Answer us!"

I continued walking towards the ocean without acknowledging the two demons hovering around my head. They had been following me for three days now; but I wasn't annoyed.

Yet.

I reached the spot where I had been nearly killed and I stopped there. The demons saw their opportunity for whatever reason and they appeared in front of me with growls that sounded like it was coming from a bunny. They were Imps just like the one Chibiterasu and I killed three days ago.

I continued to ignore them and instead stared at the spot where my blood still glowed against the white snow.

"Are you listening to us?! We know you can see us!" One shrieked.

"Don't make us attack you again child." The other threatened.

I got down on my knees before closing my eyes to the Imps that were trying- and failing –to intimidate me. They didn't like how I was teasing them so they screamed curses at me. I opened one eye and glared at them as they jumped towards me.

One hit my shoulder and the other got my back. It wasn't that painful, but it did annoy me even further. I was about to let my powers run wild on them when a mass of white slammed into both of them. My other eye opened as someone grabbed my arms.

"You okay Harmony? Dude said that he smelled Imps nearby." Kurow's voice stated.

My head turned towards his voice and my eyes showed that I wasn't happy that the two of them had shown up. He only grinned stupidly at me and I heard Chibiterasu yelp out in pain. I looked at the wolf to see an Imp had hit him in the head and I reacted before thinking about it.

A single hand moved and both Imps shot up in flames. They screamed in pain as the snow melted underneath them and I got on my feet.

"I can take care of myself. I don't want help from a wolf and a boy that keep showing up around here." I growled.

"We haven't been here for three days! The people in the city said that you ran off, so we came back to check it out." Kurow said while frowning like a child.

"Well I didn't. Now don't let me save you again Little Sun." I said and the pup barked angrily at me.

He did it again as I walked passed him and he clamped down on my kimono. He didn't bite into my flesh so I wasn't about to send him fling at the moment. He yipped and growled at me as I stared at him, listening to what he was saying.

"I was born as a normal child until the day I turned two. Fires started whenever I was upset, objects and living things moved without my limbs stirring, and I can speak to any animal I choose. Is that a good answer for why I am the way I am Little Sun?"

He barked an agreement.

"Then release me. You got what you wanted from me." I demanded.

Chibiterasu shook his head vigorously and when I took my kimono from his teeth, he jumped onto his hind legs. I didn't notice and if I had, he would be flying.

I felt his teeth sink into the flesh at the small of my back and pain coursed through me as if I had broken an arm. I almost screamed from it before I spun around, causing the kimono to tear where the teeth were. I turned to glare at the pup as my hands covered the ripped part of my outfit.

"What did you do that for?! I wear these kimonos for a reason!" I screeched as the air literally crackled around the three of us.

Chibiterasu whined and tucked his ears back in a submissive way. I glared down at him even more as he continued to whimper in a shriller tone. I let my hands fall from the torn kimono and they became fists at my sides.

"I wear these kinds of clothes because of what I hide underneath it," I hissed and the pup caught my scent.

He sniffed the air like there was no tomorrow and I didn't say anymore. Kurow didn't seem to fully grasp the conversation between the two of us and he made sure that we knew it.

"What are you talking about Dude?"

Chibiterasu looked at his partner with a short bark. Now Kurow seemed even more confused. I had never been this annoyed with anyone in my entire life; I was lucky something wasn't catching on fire yet. But annoyed or not, I had to show them what I was hiding.

"Little Sun is talking about this." I said before reaching behind my back and putting my hands in the tear. I felt my fingers brush against soft fur before I took hold of it tightly.

I glared at Chibiterasu once more before pulling out the lump of fur. The gentle breeze swept across us and the silver tail that was attached to the small of my back blew out in front of me. Kurow seemed surprised at the tail he saw and I brushed my hair back a little to show something else:

Silver fox ears that were twitching at different sounds.

"Y-You're a deity?!" The blonde boy screamed at me.

"I was a deity. Your mother put me in this child's body nine years ago, Little Sun. It was around the time her powers came to be. I am no longer a deity, merely a strange child no one seems to love." I said while staring holes in Chibiterasu's head.

He barked while pushing his ears forward. I smoothed out my tail while closing my eyes to feel the wind.

"You ask me why Amaterasu did it?"

He nodded.

"I was growing old in my age. My powers left me only weeks before reappearing in this body. Amaterasu searched for my powers until she found this flesh." I explained.

"And you're going to die in that human form?" Kurow asked.

I crossed my eyes with a sigh before saying, "Yes, I will die in this form. But I will take my true form when I do leave this life."

Something clicked in Chibiterasu's mind and his ears quivered in shock. I could even smell it from the distance between us. He barked at me and my tail twitched, followed by my ears. I nodded stiffly at what he asked and Kurow crossed his arms over his chest, clearly losing his patience. But I ignored him.

"I can regain my powers the instant I die. But the longer I stay in this form, the stronger my powers become."

"That's why you were lying on the ground, bleeding to death? Because you wanted to die faster?" He asked, seeming to be interested in the conversation now.

My silence was all that was needed for him to know the truth:

Yes, I was trying to kill myself three days ago.

All of us knew the reasons why I had failed as well.

Kurow suddenly scoffed and I knew that was out of his character only slightly.

"Wouldn't you rather live for as long as you possibly could? You'll get more powers then." He stated, but I saw that he was sad about something he was hiding.

What that was, I didn't know for sure.

I answered his question nonetheless.

"Nobody truly wants me in the city; it's simply easier to die now then wait to become older."

"But you should live as long as you can! Even if you're not wanted, someone will be glad to have met you when you do something for them! Don't you want that?" I saw a glimmer in his eyes that told me he was remembering something that happened to him.

Everything Kurow was saying finally hit me over the head and I smirked. My feet made their way to the boy and he didn't move away. My tail moved in the wind before touching his hand gently.

"One who talks about himself to others should take his words to heart." I scolded.

Chibiterasu twitched one of his ears and started growling, acutely aware of something heading towards us. My own ears gave a little shudder of their own as Kurow looked away from me.

"But you shouldn't die early…It's like giving up." He whispered.

My ears flickered once more as I stared at him in confusion. His words stumped me greatly. It's like giving up. What was I giving up if I died too early in this body? Food? A home? Certainly not family or friends, seeing as I had none.

I was so caught up in my thoughts of Kurow's words that I never heard Chibiterasu's warning bark, nor the blur coming at me.

Until I was knocked to the snowy earth by it.

I hit the white powder on my side and what looked like talons dug into my arm and tail. I heard the deity pup bark at whatever was pinning me down as I turned my head to look at it. I can honestly say I had never been so shocked at seeing a giant demon bird resting on top of me.

It had black feathers so I knew the bird was a raven of sorts and blood seemed to be forever stained on its beak. Its entire width of the stomach reminded me of an oversized turkey. But it wasn't any of these things that caused me to inwardly panic.

It was the bird's talons. The same ones that were holding me down.

I could feel them digging into my skin and the soft fur of my tail was becoming bloody. Yet I continued to lay on on my side, not doing a thing. Kurow was yelling at the bird to get off and Chibiterasu was going to attack if the demonic creature didn't listen. The bird chose to ignore those two and cast its blood lust eyes on me with its beak open, revealing razor sharp teeth.

"I knew I smelled a strong deity. I shall eat you and become a being like the great Orochi!" The bird squawked while beating its wings against the ever moving wind. The talons dug into my skin even deeper and my tail began writhing in pain, even though I wasn't going to make those motions with my face.

Chibiterasu finally ran at the demon while at the same time, a pillar of fire clamped down around the bird. The pup stopped in his charge just barely away from the flames. The bird screamed in pain and the talons in my side was released, only to be slammed onto my head. The talons thankfully didn't pierce my ears or eyes and the flames weren't harming me.

Once more, my blood stained the snow. I didn't notice as the pillar of fire grew hotter and the bird roared down at me. I still didn't move.

"You ungrateful deity! I was going to eat you so you could become what you are again! Isn't that what you want?!" It screamed, making my ears twitch in annoyance.

I chose that question to give my answer to, though my voice was calm despite the panic I felt.

"I don't know. I was just told to live long."

The bird began digging the talons into my head and my tail at that. It started screaming insults at me when a fierce wind snapped its neck violently. Chibiterasu gave a slight whimper as the flames died away. The talons were pulled out of my tail and head thanks to the helpful wind.

The wolf pup raced towards me to see if I was okay as I took in a deep breath. The pain in my tail was easy to ignore; but it was my head and side that hurt. It felt like someone was tearing my body apart from the inside out.

Kurow and his partner appeared at my side and I felt them shove the crispy, dead bird off of me. This seemed to make my blood gush out faster. I knew that the puncture wounds to my head were the most severe and when the blonde boy was within my reach, I brought a hand up and grabbed his wrist gently. I was losing my strength; I hadn't meant to grab him softly like that. But he looked down at me anyway.

"I need a doctor…This hurts so much…" I gasped while struggling to open an eye to see the look on his face.

And I couldn't do it. My body wouldn't let me.

Kurow chuckled a little before he said this:

"You say that like we weren't going to. Dude and I will help any friend of ours that's in need!"

My heart almost stopped beating at those words. That was how badly I was shocked. My ears gave a slight twitch before they and my tail disappeared, my body no longer able to keep them visible. I felt my hand fall from Kurow's wrist as he reached down to lift me into his arms.

Friend…Help any friend in need…

I couldn't remember the last time I had been called a friend. It was definitely not in this body, that was for sure. Either way, being called a friend made me come to a decision that I never thought I'd come to. With that choice made up, my sight went dark.

X

It had been Fate the day I met Kurow and Chibiterasu. Never I all my long lives did I ever meet someone like these two. Maybe that's why I was drawn to them after waking up at the doctor's first.

But I didn't think things could go anymore awry than they already had.

Boy was I in for a big surprise.

X

"You're lucky she didn't suffer any brain damage. Were you throwing rocks at her head or something boy?"

"Why would I do that? Harmony is our friend! Right Dude?"

A light bark answered the voice.

"See? Even my mutt says so!"

"Well…whatever! As soon as she wakes up, you all can leave. She'll be fine as long as those bandages stay on her head for a day."

There was a ruffle of clothes before someone stomped off. They obviously hadn't planned for any of this to happen.

Kurow sighed softly before looking down at me and he suddenly jumped out of his skin with a startled yelp. I think he was very surprised to see my amethyst eyes that had always been dull have a faint glimmer of humor in them.

"Did I truly scare you? I thought you knew that I was awake the entire time." I teased the blushing boy.

"N-No you didn't!" Kurow replied.

I stayed silent after that. Chibiterasu did as well because we knew he was lying. It was as obvious as day to night. Kurow started talking again, though it was to change the subject.

"At least you didn't try to kill yourself this time." I sighed with a smirk on my lips.

"I don't want to die when people are around. That would mean I regret dying and can be possibly saved." I said, knowing that those words would most definitely get a reaction out of Kurow.

And get a reaction I did.

He got up from his seat with Chibiterasu at his side and I watched with that smirk still on my lips. When he got to my side, I continued to stare at him. It didn't look like he was all that happy. Then came the words that would be ingrained into my head and would be the only drive for events in the future.

"You shouldn't be trying to kill yourself, whether you are a deity or not! It isn't right no matter what you think. And there will always be someone that wants to be with you!"

I stared at Kurow with actual shock in my eyes.

Never before had I heard something like that come out of his mouth. And I had a feeling it would happen again if I said the right words. But once more, I didn't understand.

Did he mean that he wanted me to keep living so he could be my friend? Or did he mean I shouldn't die, as young as I was?

Chibiterasu barked in agreement with Kurow as I looked down at my hands. Though the sight was gone, the scent still lingered underneath my nails and skin. The sweet wine and strawberry scent of my deity blood that pounded inside this human shell. The same scent that drove demons mad with the desire to attack me, to kill me. Yet it must have been that same scent that attracted these two boys to me.

How funny Fate seemed to be today. Even she wanted me to live.

My eyes quickly turned into confusion before turning to regretful sorrow. I looked back up to stare at Kurow and he still had those words written on his face. It caused me to smile and laugh grimly.

"Looks like I have a lot to still learn about you Kurow. I don't understand…" I spoke softly, but he heard. He heard every single word I said.

"There's not much to understand about me, Harmony. It's you that we don't understand." He told me and I shook my head while crawling onto my knees.

My tail appeared with a slight poof and it curled around my legs. The two silver fox ears did the same and they twitched like crazy. My hands fell to the futon and they held the blankets tightly. Those dull amethyst eyes of mine slowly became full of life, making them resemble the beautiful jewel in all its glory. I leaned towards Kurow until my cheek was on his shoulder with two gems staring up at him.

"That's not what I meant. I don't understand anything that you keep telling me." I told him.

"Huh? Like what?" He questioned, his cheeks starting to turn pink from my closeness.

"Telling me those things when I said I was trying to die. I don't understand them."

"So you want me to tell you what I meant?"

My ears twitched a little as a gentle smile filled my face like there was no tomorrow. Kurow didn't know the reason for my first smile since I met him and this made my tail swish back and forth pleasantly.

"No…" I cooed.

"T-Then what?"

I picked my head up and leaned into his ear, as if I didn't want Chibiterasu to hear. But being the son of the great Amaterasu, he was going to hear me either way.

"I want you to teach me everything you said. Not only with words, but with actions." I breathed into his ear.

X

X

I was walking to my house a few hours later after the trip to the doctors. Kurow and Chibiterasu were at my side, but I was clinging to the human boy's arm tightly. I didn't want to go back home alone because those awful parents of mine would try something horrible. I didn't know what they would do, but I knew they'd do something.

My fox instincts told me so.

"Harmony…will you be okay when you get inside?" Kurow suddenly asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him with a pathetic smile.

"I have enough control of my powers to hurt two full grown adults. You guys can wait out here if you want; but if you follow, watch yourselves." I said.

We got to the doorstep when I ceased talking; now all that was left was to walk inside. But I was a bit hesitant to do so. My arms held onto Kurow's tighter and he started to reach for the door when I finally released his limb. I rushed into the house first as my tail and ears slowly disappeared before my parents turned to look at me. The wolf was about to step into the house when I kicked the door shut in his face.

"I thought you'd be dead this time for sure. What went wrong?" My mother asked as I took on my normal, cold demeanor for her and my father.

"I don't die easy." I growled before turning to walk up the stairs to my room.

But suddenly, my instincts screamed at me to run.

I was about to follow through with the sudden feeling when I was stabbed deeply into my shoulder. I whipped around while going into a foxes crouch and growling just like one. I wasn't all too surprised to see my mother holding a knife in her hands with my red blood. My lips curled upward to reveal fox fangs where normal human dog canines should have been.

"You finally decide to attack me? After everything that I have been doing? How pathetic." I growled while making sure my fangs remained visible.

"Because I'm sick of waiting for you to die! I want my baby girl back!" She shrieked shrilly.

My reaction to having a knife swung at my head was to jump into the air and land on the tip of the wooden railing still at the bottom of the stairs. My tail appeared as my eyes became angered slits and my ears gave a flick to show my anger.

"You know what you were getting into when I told you that I would take over her body. Do not blame me for something you could have prevented beforehand." I growled again.

I heard both adults hearts suddenly thump and their fear scent filled my nose. My tail bristled as I took a hunter's crouch, still perfectly balanced like a tight rope walker. I licked my lips as my animal instincts told me to attack, to kill these two because they were afraid of me.

"If you two want to live longer, I suggest you back away into that kitchen slowly." I clenched my teeth together so my nails dug into the wooden railing, almost breaking it cleanly.

The adult's hearts began to pound from even more fear and my tail swished playfully, almost looking normal. But I wasn't in the slightest. The average fox would grow crazy with so much fear surrounding it. Even though I was a deity, I had the urges of a common fox when fear became too much for me.

It was theirs and my basic instinct to attack and kill those that were afraid of us.

My legs prepared themselves to pounce when I slammed my hands onto them. That didn't help me much at all. But it made the adults jump and drop the knife unceremoniously. I glared at them while my ears twitched at the metallic clang. If I wanted to kill them, now was the time.

"I-I'll kill you before you harm my wife, demon!" The male barked, bravery in his voice. But fear still beat from him.

"I could kill both of you right now if I wanted. You two reek of fear and it's hard to keep from killing those that cause it." I growled as my eyes watched them without looking away.

My ears gave a slight twitch when their hearts went sky high. The instincts I had been trying to hold back came out and it overpowered my will to stay put. My tail stood erect and it grew in width and I growled at them, but it was no longer a warning. It was a growl that said I was about to go hunting.

"You better get out of here." I said before jumping down.

I landed on all fours and that was when they started running away. I tore after them while knocking over a few vases and other breakable objects. My ears caught the sound but I didn't seem to care as I managed to corner the adults in our other hall. This one led to the basement, but it was a dead end. It was either get cornered in the hall or the basement.

My ears gave a twitch while my tail swished back and forth playfully. The man raised a knife he got from the kitchen and I gave him a little growl that told him to let it go. All my rational thought had left me the second they started running the first time. I only thought like an angry animal- which I was –now.

I took a step towards them when my tail was suddenly yanked backwards and teeth sank deeply into my leg. I stopped to yelp and bark in shrill tones from the surprise.

"Harmony, what are you doing?" Someone yelled while tugging my tail even harder.

For a second, rational thought came back to me and I blinked several times. My ears twitched while turning this way and that as a name came to the voice who had spoken to me.

Kurow…

My head gave a shake and the rationality, went with it. I began to take that single step forward again when Kurow yanked on my tail once more. This time I turned towards him with a bark, making him release the limb. The pain in my leg was still there, but I easily ignored it.

As soon as I stopped moving, he grabbed my ears and held them tightly, making sure I couldn't barely hear out of them.

"You better get going before…Now…" That was all I was able to hear as I growled and tried to rip his hands off of me.

The ground rumbled underneath my two feet as I grabbed Kurow by his scarf. I flung him over my body and he willingly went with it. I started to turn around when he released my ears. They twitched and shook so it caused me to falter. Kurow noticed and took advantage of it.

"Harmony, they ran off. It's okay." He said to me softly, as if speaking to a child. Which he was.

But this child didn't want to listen.

When he saw that in my posture, he wrapped his arms around me. My arms were immediately [pinned to my waist and I kicked my feet to no avail. I was raised into the air and Kurow started to put me on his shoulder when I caught his next words.

"Not listening to a single word I say. Why is that?"

My tail and body stopped moving as I grew stiff. Kurow ceased trying to lift me higher when he felt me freeze up. I heard my name once as the pain in my leg vanished. My ears twitched as my eyes drooped tiredly.

"The fear of humans or other animals can make any animal go crazy enough to make it kill. I am no exception to that instinct." I said as my rational thought slowly came back to me.

"And they showed fear?" Kurow asked while gently setting me down.

"Yes. I even smelled it. Now they're terrified to come home, which is what I wanted."

"Why would you want that?"

I chuckled as my arms were released and my tail curled in delight. Chibiterasu barked at me as I picked him up and I grinned at the wolf pup. Kurow waited impatiently for my answer and I took a step towards him. I pressed my cheek against his shoulder while my nose touched his neck. When I breathed inward, I could almost taste Kurow's scent:

Lavenders. Sweet purple lavenders.

My tail curled even more with delight as I finally decided to speak.

"You can't teach me anything unless I go with, now can you? I needed my parents out of the house to get the only thing I'm taking." I said, knowing my breath made chills go down his spine.

"A-And that would be?" Kurow asked, blushing deeply.

I giggled and said, "A necklace. It lets me take my real form once a day. Any longer and it'll break into little pieces."

"T-Then you getter g-get it." He stuttered.

"Yep!" I replied before running off with his hand clasped tightly in mine.

"Oh my! It's a field of lavenders! Don't you just love them, Chibiterasu?" I squealed in excitement.

He barked an agreement with me in happiness.

"How old are you again, Harmony?" Kurow muttered and my fox ears caught the question with ease.

"Three thousand, five hundred, and ninety-nine is your answer. If you're talking about my age in this form, it's twelve. Just turned so about three weeks ago."

"Uhh…"

I turned to stare at Kurow as Chibiterasu ran off to play in one of the fields of lavenders. My ears twitched in confusion as he began to blush. He realized I was waiting for a few words to explain himself and he looked around, trying to find something. I saw his posture relax as he reached down and took a lavender in his hands.

"In human years, I'm thirteen-" So I had taken that big maybe and it was true "-That makes us a year apart. Oh, and I don't like lavenders at all."

"What!? How can you not like lavenders!" I exclaimed while lunging at him.

He didn't expect it so we crashed to the ground with me straddling his waist, pinning him down. My tail quivered as the scent of lavenders filled my nose. It was a great struggle to bring words to my mouth because of that lovely scent though.

"Lavender's are the essence of my body and what I am. How can you say such cruel words like that? You even smell like them." I told Kurow as my fingers brushed against a few lavenders.

"I smell…like lavenders?" He asked that as if he didn't know.

But how couldn't he? It was such a heavenly smell. It drove me crazy with joy to be in a vast field like this.

"Yeah…I can taste it on your skin. Beside's human fear, lavender's are one of the three things that drive me crazy with desire." I saw his cheeks starting to turn red and my lips twitched in a hidden smile.

Chibiterasu started barking for us and I let my tail relax before I got to my feet. I looked down at Kurow to see his blush had gotten deeper and redder. It caused me to laugh.

"The desire to curl up with the smell, not the desire to kill, Kurow! I won't do anything to you unless I smell fear. Now let's leave here, even though I'd love to stay forever." I told him while taking his hand in mine.

I forced him to stand and I ran with him towards the place I heard Chibiterasu howling in glee. Kurow didn't seem to mind and the wolf pup appeared at my side when we slowed down. My hand never released itself from the blonde boy's as I looked down the hill we were on.

"Harmony…"

"That used to be my name. Just call me Scarlet."

"Scarlet? Why?"

"Because that's my real name! It's better than Harmony." I said while staring at the clouds of thunder striking downwards in the distance.

"Then…Scarlet, can I ask you something personal?"

I broke my gaze of the land before me as the silver key necklace I wore sparkled in the sunlight. I twitched an ear and I heard his heart beating loudly. But I didn't smell any fear from him. So why would it be pounding like it is? I nodded a little as Chibiterasu stared at the two of us in confusion.

"Umm…W-What's your full name as a deity?" He asked.

I blinked once before laughing loudly. The boy and the wolf pup jumped at the sudden laugh as I released his hand and I started walking down the hill before turning back to my friends.

"It's Scarlet, the Silver Fox of Lavender Fields! Now hurry up and let's get going!" I told the two of them, obviously teasing those two about my name.

Lightning struck the ground an inch from where I stood and I yelped in fright. Kurow looked at me in surprise as my hands held onto his arm in a death grip. My tail tucked itself between my legs as my ears fell down in a frightened manner.

"I have lightning…" I whined and Kurow chuckled.

"Don't lavenders smell better in thunderstorms though?" He asked me.

"Yeah…but I was struck by lightning a few hundred years ago because I was out in a field of lavenders. I've been afraid of them since." I told him.

He started laughing at what I said and I frowned at him. I began to say something when lightning struck beside me. I screamed and jumped into Kurow's arms with my tail bristled. Chibiterasu looked back at us in confusion as my body trembled in fear. That was when he stopped laughing because he realized how serious this was.

"Please, Kurow…Can we go somewhere else? I can't stand lightning…" I pleaded desperately.

By now, we were at the oddly large object below us and that meant we were nearly in direct range for lightning. That wasn't any help for my fear at the moment and I held onto Kurow as tightly as I could. There was no way I'd ever let him go in this kind of terrain.

"You can't stay inside or in those lavender fields, Scarlet. Dude and me have to stop the lightning to keep going." Kurow told me.

My ears gave a twitch as I realized what he was saying. I caught the faint scent of worry starting to boil and I shook my head to get the smell away from me and my hands tightened on his arm.

"I'd hate to wait here…but I don't have a choice…I'll be waiting here." I said while slowly releasing his arm.

I hastily ran down the stairs that led to the inside of the contraption and sat at the very bottom. The sound of lightning was distant yet close by and I cringed almost every time it struck.

"I…hate…lightning…" I whined.

My thoughts drifted towards the weeks I had accompanied Chibiterasu and Kurow. Several times I was in danger and couldn't use my powers. But all of those times, Kurow had been there to save me. A small smile touched my lips at a sudden thought.

"A teenage boy falling in love with a fox deity. How funny is that?" I said to myself.

"But it wouldn't seem so strange, now would it? I asked him to show me what he meant in words and actions. It wouldn't seem strange after I told him that." I muttered, not hearing the sound of lightning disappearing.

I thought about all the times Kurow saved my human life and there were too many to count on both hands. Most of the time it was because my powers chose not to work for me. But every time he saved me, he would always say:

"This is the last time I'll save you, Scarlet! Be sure of that!"

And because of those words, I purposefully got into dangerous situations I knew weren't as bad as it looked. But for Kurow, every little thing that was hardly registered as bad to me, worried the teenager more than anything.

A realization hit me after that thought, and it caused me to smirk.

"He's always saving my butt and I've done nothing for him." I voiced it out loud as my ears twitched.

They heard something I didn't and they hadn't let me actually notice it. My tail curled around at the bottom of my legs as I stood with a sigh.

"I'll have to change that, sooner or later. I won't let him save me this time!" I promised to myself.

"Change what?" Kurow asked, making me jump a little.

"Kurow! That's not funny!" I barked.

"Oh no, are you having a fit now that we heard you talking to yourself?"

"…No."

"Liar."

Chibiterasu was the one that stopped us from teasing each other any longer and I grinned, despite the blush growing on my cheeks. I grabbed Kurow's wrist and beckoned the wolf pup with my tail.

"Anyway, you two obviously got the lightning to stop so let's get going." I cheered before walking full speed ahead.

X

The days that happened before that contraption were a blur to me. The only thing I could even hope to remember was the times Kurow did save me and the times we would pretend to fight.

To me, those days were the best of my human life.

I cherished those memories dearly.

X

"Stay out of his range, Scarlet!"

"You think I don't know that, Kurow? I'm a wise fox deity!"

I dodged a blow to my side while jumping up and kicking King Fury in his bird-masked face.

We were in the contraption that caused the lightning still, just very deep down inside of it. All of us had been surprised to discover that this thing was actually a ship that had brought a being to this world in order to save it.

But I can't tell you much more.

Remember? I'm under attack.

"Little Sun! Go!" I yelled while landing beside Kurow, who was trying to stop this robot thing from destroying the world.

Oh, did I mention we were on top of it?

Chibiterasu ran at King Fury as I turned to Kurow with my tail bristled to its limits. This body had sustained some bad injuries while fighting the masked man and it was getting tired. It wouldn't be long before I'd start to collapse from exhaustion.

"How much time do you need? I don't think I can keep up much longer." I said to Kurow.

"Umm…I'm gonna need a long time to stop this robot, Scarlet. Take a break and let Dude over there handle it." He told me.

I growled a little at the simple demand, even though there was no back bone in the growl. I was too tired to honestly care at the moment.

"I'm not going to let him fight by himself. I'm a deity and therefore, his kin. Amaterasu won't forgive me if I let her son get hurt when I can stop it." I said before taking a step forward and grabbing my necklace.

It seemed to pulsate in excitement and I looked back at Kurow, who was staring at me in confusion.

"Don't get scared for my sake. I might end up killing you. Now keep going. You wanted time and you've got time." I told him before turning the key, as if it were in a lock.

A burst of light appeared around me as my powers and renewed strength greeted me happily. I fell to my knees as silver fur like my tail and ears covered my entire body. Nails became claws, my teeth turning razor sharp and fox-like, and my single tail burst and split into at least twelve different tails. My beautiful amethyst eyes that now sparkled with life became lighter until they were so brightly lit it was like the sun was inside them. They were still amethyst though.

My ears gave a twitch and a little jingle sounded from each one. Smirking widely, I raised a paw that was as big as a bear's and put it down again. More jingles came to life as I looked back at Kurow. It didn't surprise me that I was now taller than him; I was at least a full grown lion's size now. Another round of jingling happened as Chibiterasu yelped in pain.

I saw the pup collapse to the ground beside King Fury and I snarled deeply. I didn't realize I had missed this form until the jingle grew louder as my paws walked towards the two, leaving Kurow to work on the robot.

"I shall destroy this pup once and for all! Be my witness, Great Amaterasu!" He yelled loudly.

Just before he made the finishing blow, I stepped in front of Chibiterasu as the pup struggled to get to his paws. I growled at King Fury and the jingles continued as my twelve tails lashed out.

"She would never be witness to the murder of her only pup! I will make sure you do not harm Little Sun." I growled with fangs bared.

King Fury glared at me through his mask while saying, "And just who are you, you oversized fox?"

I growled lowly at the insult. The soft yet beautiful jingles came to a full stop as I met his glare with one of my own.

"I am Scarlet, the Silver Fox of a Thousand Bells! Every bell on my body represents different types of feelings. And if you dare hurt Chibiterasu, I swear I'll kill you." I threatened.

"Then you will die as well." King Fury said and I lunged forward, snapping my fangs at his clothes.

That caused the masked man and I to start a bloody fight.

He jumped back while sending a mass of energy at me. I turned and grabbed Chibiterasu gently in my mouth before bursting into the air. I landed beside Kurow and I set the recovering wolf pup down as I looked my body. An entire ring of bells spiraled down each of my twelve tails. Not even an inch apart, there were bells so close together. The same spiral ran up all four of my paws the same way and at the tips of my ears there were two of them.

All of those body parts had exactly one thousand bells in total.

That is why my title was the Silver Fox of a Thousand Bells.

"Kurow, watch the pup. I'm going to buy both of you time." I said as I ran at King Fury with the jingle of a few bells following me.

Kurow never got a chance to stop me or say anything as I took King Fury on with fangs, claws, and my powers.

I felt my paws collapse as a burning sensation clouded every one of my senses. My bells had stopped ringing long ago as my tails dragged on the robot's head. I felt my body wheezing as each tail began to disappear. It looked like I was in the clutches of death, but I wasn't.

This body was fading away.

I no longer had enough strength to stay as I was.

Chibiterasu was fully healed and fighting King Fury in my place. Kurow looked like he was almost done as I turned my tired body to stand. When my vision came back, I moved towards Kurow as he glanced at me. It seemed he was surprised to see how weak I had become and I softly smirked.

"I can't stay in this form for much longer. I'm not used to it." I said before Chibiterasu screamed a warning at us.

I turned my head and saw King Fury had thrown a sword at us. My body instantly stopped disappearing and the parts I lost came back with a deep throated snarl. I quickly got in front of Kurow while a white barrier appeared around us. The sword bounced off of the barrier and I glared at the evil person.

"I will not let you kill Kurow or Chibiterasu! I will defend them with all I can!" I roared.

Both stared at me in surprise as the barrier grew stronger. My tails rose in new vigor and the bells sounded through the air. King Fury stared at me as Chibiterasu ran towards me, soon at my side.

"Scarlet…"

"You just work on stopping the robot, Kurow. I'll be fine for the time being." I felt my hackles rise slowly before my paws ran towards King Fury once more.

""Hang on! We're almost home!"

"Hey! Stay awake, Scarlet!"

My body was shaken until my eyes opened up again. The star-speckled sky above me seemed to be very blurry as I gasped for air. I could just make out the shape of Kurow looking down at me as the hand over my side soaked itself in silver blood. The real blood I carried. And if you didn't know yet…

I've begun to die.

King Fury had been easy to defeat up until the end. He had pulled out a sword and cut open the side of my flank, which was around my stomach to my back in human form. The wound normally wouldn't bother me, but it was deep. Very deep, in fact.

Kurow had managed to stop the robot as that happened and I had screamed in pain. We were racing towards home now with Chibiterasu at the boy's heels. He had me in his arms and had been trying to keep me awake the entire time too. I had been forced to take my human form and that made the pain worse.

"Kurow…Stop…" I hoarsely said, though it was in vain. He wasn't going to listen to me.

We were almost to the doctor's house now.

A patch of lavenders were beside the door as Kurow pounded on it vigorously with one hand. I looked at them as their scent engulfed me. But it vanished when the lavenders began to instantly wilt rapidly. My blood was doing that. It was killing the plant.

"Open up! It's an emergency!" Kurow yelled.

"No use…He won't answer…" I moaned out while rolling my tired eyes up to the blond.

Kurow turned to me with shock written on his face and I reached up towards his cheek. I managed to grab his hand and I tried to pull him down. But I couldn't muster the strength for it. Nevertheless, he got on his knees and set me down on the stone porch. I noticed there were tears in the corner of his eyes and I would have laughed if it was any other time.

Kurow was just childish and like a baby when he needed to.

"I can save you, Scarlet. I know I can." He said, wanting me to let him do what he was trying to convince me of.

"No…Come closer…" I told him.

Kurow obliged hesitantly and I leaned towards his neck with blood still pouring out of my side. He started blushing and I didn't notice as I rubbed my nose against his neck gingerly.

"W-What are you doing, Scarlet?"

"It's okay…But it will hurt…"

"Huh? What will-?"

His words were quickly silenced when I opened my mouth and nipped his skin. Chibiterasu yelped in surprise as blood bubbled out of the tiny puncture wound. Kurow gave a slight gasp from the same emotion and I licked the blood before it ran off his skin. As soon as his blood ran down my throat, a burst of energy exploded inside of me. I felt my serious and minor wounds vanish and I slid my tongue over the puncture. It healed without a bit of pain and I grinned weakly.

"The blood of any living thing besides myself has enough power to heal me. I only took a little of your blood, so the wounds aren't fully healed. And I'm so tired now…" The grin fell off my face as my words slurred together. My body went limp as I grew unconscious.

"Scarlet! Hey, wait up!"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were in bed for a week!"

I laughed as Chibiterasu barked at me. The owner of the voice chased after me as I turned to stare at them.

"Hurry up, Kagu! You'll never catch me!" I teased.

She frowned at me playfully as my ears twitched. Yes, I knew this was a girl and not Kurow. That's the bad thing about being under the care of a Miko when you're unconscious most of the time.

See, my wounds had healed perfectly from the outside. The inside had internal bleeding that didn't stop. Kurow and Chibiterasu took me to their friend's house to be taken care of. I didn't like being near a Miko, them being a priestess after all because they purify and send us deities back to where we came from. I tried to tell Kurow I couldn't be around someone like her and he didn't listen to me. I was left alone with Kagu for an entire week before Chibiterasu came by and told me a big shocker:

Kurow had gone off somewhere unknown.

I hadn't thought much about it, but I missed that teenager. He was the one that had convinced me to live as a human, not a deity. Of course I still had my powers, but I decided to not die at the time being.

"Scarlet, don't go out to the ocean! You're not fully healed!" Kagu yelled after me.

"I'll be fine! I've got Chibiterasu to help me." I said before running away.

The wolf pup was at my heels the entire time as Kagu laughed at me softly. I slowed down when I reached the edge of the dark and I plopped onto my butt then. Chibiterasu looked at me while resting at my side as I sighed.

"You think he'll be back soon, Little Sun?" I found myself asking.

Chibiterasu immediately nodded and barked at me.

"I don't know why I asked. I just miss him so much that it hurts."

The pup whined a little and placed his head in my lap. I smiled softly while scooping the wolf into my arms. I fell onto my side while pulling my legs close to me. Chibiterasu stared up at me and he saw tears in the corners of my eyes. He seemed to realize something I didn't as I stared at the moon and its reflection.

"He was the one that made me realize why I should keep going and not let myself die just for power. I don't want to be around anyone else when he isn't here." I said before closing my eyes and a single tear fell down my face before falling into the water below.

"Are you two talking about me? I feel really special now!"

Time seemed to stop in that instant.

My eyes snapped open as I spun around and I came face to face with Kurow, who was grinning in nonstop joy. I stared at him in stunned silence as the pup circled around our feet when I stood up. Though I was in shock, my lips were able to say one word:

"Kurow…"

The boy grinned even wider before he said, "You miss me at all, Scarlet?"

Tears suddenly burst out of my eyes as my lips trembled. Kurow, thinking he did something wrong, started to say an apology when I leaped at him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and began to sob nonstop. Kurow didn't expect it so he crashed to the ground as I cried into his chest.

"Don't you dare leave like that ever again! I didn't like it at all!" I cried through the tears.

Kurow stared down at me as I managed to look at him with tears still in my eyes. A few of them slipped down and they hit his cheeks gently.

"Promise you'll never do that again, Kurow. I don't want you to leave without telling me." I said softly.

"I…I promise." He told me.

This brought more tears to my eyes and I started crying once again.

I can tell you right now I hadn't cried so hard in my life. I wasn't one for water works, so I had been shocked that I did cry.

But now isn't the time for my personality. It was him for something else.

"What do you mean he flew off?! Right before the big battle?!" I flinched at Kagu's words.

"It's exactly as I said. Kurow flew off while saying something about not doing the final battle." I told her as Chibiterasu nodded his agreement.

"Well we have to go get him now!" Kagu cried.

"No. He'll come on his own. Let's just go fight." I told her.

She started to say something else when I walked off with Chibiterasu at my heels. I didn't care that Kurow had flown off again because he told me where he was going this time.

Of course, I forgot where.

But just knowing that he remembered the promise was enough for me.

Lightning struck the ground beside me and I yelped before glaring at the being in front of Chibiterasu and I. The pup had told me about the friend he was searching for a long time ago. I had a feeling this was the same friend he was talking about. I couldn't remember his name that well, but I knew the evil creature that was latched onto his body:

Akuro.

He was a monster of the dark, totally opposite of me. I didn't care for him because of that fact above all.

"You have come to stop me as well, Scarlet? Hah! What could the Silver Fox of a Thousand Bells do to me?" He mocked.

My tail bristled at the insult. My lips rose to bare my fangs as I snarled angrily. Chibiterasu stared at me as I took my necklace in my hand with my fangs still bared.

"Don't you dare insult me like that, Akuro! I can do everything to you that Chibiterasu can do!" I barked before twisting the key.

A flash of light appeared and the jingle of my bells was heard before the light vanished. This time, instead of one tail being bristled, all twelve were. My hackles were even raised as well.

Akuro began laughing and he started to say something when I shot at him like a bullet. He didn't expect it and I raised a paw to slash him when a sudden body slammed into me from the side. I let myself roll away from Akuro and I got to my paws, snarling at whoever had stopped me from ripping the person apart.

But that growl stopped when I saw them.

"K-Kurow? What are you doing siding with Akuro?!" I barked in surprise.

My friend gave me one look before taking out his flute that became a laser sword he called Pillowtalk. I was able to jump back from getting cut open and all my anger disappeared to be replaced as confusion. I took a step towards him and earned a vicious swing to my chest.

"Kurow!" I yelped.

"Haha! He serves me now! What makes you think he'll help you defeat me?" Akuro laughed in sadistic joy as I dodged Pillowtalk.

I pushed the evil being as my eyes stared into Kurow's. I could see that he truly did side with the evil being and I growled as anger rose in my chest. I hated that Kurow was working with Akuro and not helping me fight him. I saw my friend take a step towards me and I burst into a run. He didn't expect it and I lunged at him, causing him to crash to the ground.

"Why are you siding with him, Kurow? He'll kill you!" I barked.

"Because he's my master. I was following his orders this whole time." Kurow answered with a cruel laugh that made me cringe.

I started to say something when Pillowtalk swung into my face. It chipped the tip of my ear and I whimpered while moving away from the sword. I could feel the red blood trickling down my fur as I growled, but there was no threat or danger in it. My tails bristled but then flattened because I couldn't force them to do it.

"So did you lie the entire time to Little Sun and I? You really aren't my friend?" I barked as my chipped ear twitched in confusion.

Kurow laughed cruelly again and he said, "Yeah, I did lie to you and that pup. You two needed to learn what it was like to be betrayed."

This time I got a spark of anger at his words and it made me growl lowly, saying I was about to attack him. Kurow acted as if I didn't do anything and that spark turned into an all-out inferno of anger. I couldn't stop myself from running at my former 'friend' and I honestly didn't want to.

I struck Pillowtalk with a paw before pinning Kurow down and making sure the blade was out of his reach. My warm breath hit him in the face as my hackles rose and I snarled. I could smell a hint of fear as my tails froze and the jingling they caused ceased.

Now I could really smell the fear. It was coming off of Kurow.

I reeled back and kept my distance, hoping the fear scent would stay away. But it followed me, and my animal instincts screamed to kill Kurow. I pulled my head back while trying to move farther away. Understanding swept through the boy and he took several more steps closer, just so I could smell his fear.

"Don't you dare come near me! I'll kill you if you come any closer!" I snarled hastily before looking to where Chibiterasu had been not too long ago.

But he wasn't there.

"So you finally noticed? My lord has separated the two of you so we can both take you down alone." Kurow said as he stepped towards me again.

I allowed myself to snarl and my tails began moving furiously. I didn't want to be separated from Chibiterasu, not when I could smell fear from Kurow. But I knew now that I'd have to fight this boy and kill him if I wanted to survive. I didn't have a choice.

I rolled out of the way just in time before Pillowtalk slammed into the ground where I had been. I growled at the weapons owner before getting on my four paws. He was about to come at me again.

"You can't keep dodging forever, Scarlet. You're going to have to kill me or wound me soon." Kurow said.

I was about to growl at him when I heard the sound of Chibiterasu howling in pain. I ran towards the direction his howl came from and Pillowtalk brushed against the top of my flank. I halted as a yelp escaped me and Kurow appeared beside me. I started to rear back when he grabbed my muzzle and forced me down. I went against my will because he was suffocating me.

"You have to stay here. Akuro will kill all three of us if you leave." He said.

I growled something that wasn't understandable and the boy sighed impatiently. I pulled my muzzle away but was immediately swung onto my back. Animal instincts screamed at me that this was now a battle in dominance, and that I had to fight back. But this wasn't normal fox behavior.

It was a mix of dog behavior and a playful fox pup.

My snout was still behind held but not as tightly so I could breathe better. Kurow started to put a hand over my throat when I pushed him away with a paw. My nose was freed and I got on my paws before lunging at him.

I was on top of Kurow and my lips curled upwards in a silent growl.

"I am not a dog. Don't you dare try to dominate me." I barked.

He didn't look like he was going to listen to what I told him. He grabbed one of my ears and pinched as hard as he could. I yelped while jumping back and Kurow took advantage of it.

I saw him go after Pillowtalk and I growled while running towards him. Kurow got to the weapon before me and he raised the sword while positioning it to face me. I started to stop when the weapon pierced my flank. It hurt, but it wasn't fatal. Pillowtalk came out before swinging at one of my tails with Kurow holding onto its hilt.

I tried to jump out of the way when the laser sword clipped two bells on the tip of my third tail to the left. Those two stopped ringing as a crack appeared in them. I jumped away from Kurow before a gut clenching pain hit me. I couldn't stop myself from screaming and all nine hundred and ninety eight of the other bells shattered.

My body was forced to change back to my mortal form and I crashed to my knees. My arms were wrapped tightly around each other as pained tears fell down my cheeks. I snarled deeply at Kurow as my fox instincts told me to kill him.

But I was in so much pain.

I snarled again when he took a step towards me.

"You'll pay for this…! I'll make sure of it, Kurow!" I roared and fire burst into life around me.

It raced towards Kurow and he knew there wasn't a way for him to move. He'd die before being able to block the flames. Just before the flames reached him, I doubled over in pain. They disappeared as I screamed again and it bounced off the walls around us. I didn't hear Kurow rush over to me until he had my head in his hands after my scream ceased.

"W-What did I do?" He asked.

I snarled again but it quickly turned into a whimper. Kurow being this close allowed me to smell his heavenly sweet lavender scent and it calmed me down somewhat. His fear was gone and I finally sighed painfully. He was acting like he used to, and I don't know if he's faking at the moment. But I managed an answer, despite my thoughts.

"You broke two bells off my tail…Those bells are my source…If you break anymore, I'll die." I whimpered.

I heard Chibiterasu howl in pain again and it was closer this time.

I started to rise to save the pup when Kurow put a gentle hand on my shoulder and forced me to stay down. I frowned at him and tried to get up again when a wave of pain hit me. I cried out as my tail and ears disappeared, along with my consciousness.

"Kurow! Don't do it!"

"You'll die!"

My ears gave a slight twitch at the sound of desperation and it caused my eyes to open. I was surprised to see that there was a mermaid beside me with Kagu softly brushing my tail. I couldn't see that well passed the mermaid girl and I heard Chibiterasu whimpering in worry. Several different hearts pounded in the same, uneven beat of fear. Luckily, I was too tired to smell it or everything would become worse.

"Do you think Scarlet will wake up to this Kagu?"

"I hope not. Telling her Kurow's dead is cruel enough without her seeing it."

My own heart beat took a turn for the worst as I heard Akuro wailing in barely contained fury. I didn't understand what was wrong. Why was Kurow dying? I forced my arms to start moving as I opened my mouth to speak.

"What's going on?" I asked while getting on my knees.

My stomach didn't hurt anymore so that was enough to tell me the two bells had healed up nicely. Kagu looked at me in surprise and she began to tell me to lay back down when I growled at her.

"Don't tell me to lay down, Kagu! I have to know what is going on so I-!"

"Kurow's a puppet meant to kill Akuro!" She screamed.

I stared at her for the longest time until I heard a sigh and someone collapse from exhaustion. Everything told me it was Kurow and I got on my feet warily. I couldn't feel them touching the ground so I lunged forward. I skidded to my knees beside Chibiterasu and I got a full-on view of the blonde teenager collapsed and writhing in pain.

I stared at him as the wolf barked at me, demanding me to answer. Which I did.

"Y-Yes…He will die when you attack, Chibi."

Another bark, and then a growl.

"My magic can't scare him unless I die before him. I don't think it'd be enough anyway."

An angry growl caused me to snarl.

"I don't know if I want to die for his sake! It's a tough move and even if I do die before him, there's only a very slim chance that I can save him!"

Chibiterasu was about to reply with an offensive snarl that would have made me go mad when I heard Kurow speak. And that was enough to stop both of us.

It was only one word.

But it spoke volumes to me.

"S-Scarlet…"

I don't know how I got to Kurow's side as he writhed and gasped in pain, but I did. I looked down at him as my ears twitched to pick up words that he spoke. Kurow knew I was here and I felt him touch my wrist.

"I'm so sorry I can't save you…I don't want you to die so badly." I said through tears that were about to fall in only a matter of seconds.

"It's okay…I was…built for this…" I felt him release my wrist and my tail quivered in worry. Was he already slipping, letting Akuro out?

I had enough strength to kill both of them in this body before I collapsed again. I could form a fiery spear and run them through; that was enough, right? No, it wasn't.

I couldn't kill Akuro if it meant Kurow would die as well. It hurt to even think-

"Scarlet…look at me…"

I did as I was told without hesitation.

Kurow smiled at me and it took me by surprise. I had never suspected him to do that in this kind of situation. He was still acting like his care-free, adorable self in this scene.

"Don't worry…I wanted to…give you this…" Kurow said, speaking softer with each word.

I leaned closer to hear him better when he reached up and tickled the back of my neck. I could smell his lavender scent and that made me not realize what he was doing, until it happened.

Kurow pulled me down by the neck and his lips fell on mine. My heart exploded inside my chest as I stiffened in surprise. I couldn't believe it.

Kurow was kissing me…

Kissing me!

My neck was released as Kurow's hand pressed against the back of my head. My eyes fell closed as my cheeks heated up. He pulled away for only a second to say a few words.

"I'm sorry…Don't hold this…against me…Scarlet…"

"Wait…What are you talking-?"

Searing pain coursed through my mortal heart and I blinked in confusion, not even screaming about it. Chibiterasu barked in shock as I looked down at my chest to find the source of my pain staring back at me:

Pillowtalk.

Pillowtalk was embedded in my chest.

"Kurow, what have you done?" I asked, looking down at him.

"You'll have all your powers back…That's all you need to…go back home." Kurow told me.

I felt Pillowtalk twist in my chest and a rush of wind knocked me away from Kurow. I hit the ground at Chibiterasu's paws and I couldn't move or speak.

I was already dead.

"Scarlet? It's time."

I turned my head to see that Amaterasu was looking at me with unmasked sadness. I was sitting on the stone bridge with my twelve tails wrapped tightly around my back legs. I nodded a little but didn't move.

"Just…a few more minutes, Mother Amaterasu…I want to remember this world."

"…Okay. Ten more minutes and then meet me back here. No further delays." I was gone after she said ten minutes.

I reached the city without losing a minute and Kagu saw me. My twelve tails drooped and dragged on the ground as she rushed to meet me.

"Scarlet, aren't you leaving yet?"

"In ten minutes…I'll be leaving." I told her.

Kagu smiled forlornly at me before patting my flank. I looked at her with a sigh and then I rubbed my cheek against her neck in a friendly manner. Kagu didn't say anything at all, but one bell jingled and she knew it.

"Why haven't all one thousands jingled, Scarlet?" She asked and I sighed, as if she should have known.

"They are different emotions and mixed feelings I have ever encountered. The only bell that will never ring again…is the one emotion I never experienced before Kurow." I took several steps back and Kagu watched silently.

"I loved being around him, having his warm arm against mine, letting his warm breath give me the smell of lavenders. I loved everything about him. And now he's gone!" I barked before turning and running off with tears in my giant, dull amethyst eyes.

I had five more minutes until I could go home. But I don't know if I want to.

I was still running when I reached the wide and vast field of lavenders. My paws slowed as the Bell of Sadness rang loud and clear. It was the only bell that continued to ring.

Ever since Kurow died a week ago, I couldn't stop crying when he was mentioned. Amaterasu and Chibiterasu both thought I would be better by now; but they were wrong. So very wrong. I missed him so much it hurt. A deity shouldn't feel this kind of pain.

But I do.

Kurow made me more human like that.

And he was gone.

I fell to my side in some lavenders and I breathed them in. They used to always soothe me when I was in trouble, but not now. The only thing they did was bring me more pain. The Bell of Sadness continued to ring even though the tail holding it wasn't moving and that was how the two Sun Gods found me crying into some lavender with my amethyst eyes.

"Scarlet, you have to eat something. You'll die again if you don't." I looked at Kagu with a sigh.

"I'm not hungry."

The Miko looked at me sadly before placing a bowl of fruit and slightly raw meat next to my forepaws. I turned away from the food no matter how much I wanted to eat it. I just didn't find it important anymore. Nothing was important without Kurow beside me.

Did I mention I was living in the field of lavenders now? Well, I am. Amaterasu decided to let me stay a week longer because I wasn't moving around all that much. I still wasn't.

My Bell of Sadness still rang out and the city could hear it on some days. A few of the city folk came to see what was making the noise and they had seen me. Though I looked like an over-sized silver fox to most, Kagu had told them I was a deity who was mourning the loss of Kurow. They believed her word.

The parents of the girl I had possessed came to see me several times. They asked where their daughter was and I said this:

"She won't come back alive. I was struck clean through the heart, killing my connection and her soul. I cannot bring her back no matter how much you beg. Now leave me alone."

They haven't been back.

"Scarlet…I know you're sad about him, but please try to move. Get up and be yourself. Get up and eat, drink, anything but be like this." Kagu begged.

I didn't answer her. My ears gave a little twitch to show that I had heard her, but that was it. When Kagu realized I wouldn't talk anymore, she sighed and walked away to her home in the city.

I let out a heavy sigh before closing my eyes.

"Kurow…"

I woke for a reason I'll never know, but I was glad that I did. My dream had been about my adventure with Kurow that made me almost die. To think it had happened only a month ago. That's right, a month.

It has been a month since Kurow died.

After Kagu told me to get up and do something, I had listened to her unwillingly. To be honest, I never thought I'd be able to live without Kurow. Yet I am doing exactly that.

Though time hasn't been kind to me at all.

I still lived in the field of lavenders- after a lot of begging to Amaterasu, actually –and I barely ate enough to stay alive. But I was slowly getting better. I'm starting to hunt and drink and the Bell of Sadness is slowly stopping. It rings only three times a day now, whereas it used to be nonstop.

But enough of that, I was awake for a reason now.

"Someone here? Kagu?" I called before standing.

There wasn't an answer and the stretching silence began to unnerve me. Who was out there? I could feel them staring at me.

I took a deep breath and a ring of light appeared around me. Now that I wasn't in the body of a mortal, I could easily take my true form. Which was what I was doing.

When the light faded, I saw my claws becoming nails that were deadly sharp and a kimono as bright as my silver fur covered my fourteen year old body. All twelve tails became one that was as wide as an old tree's trunk and at least five hundred bells were attached to it. One hundred each were on my legs and arms and that alone equaled nine hundred bells. The other ninety-eight bells were wrapped around my waist and two were in each fox ear.

All equal to one thousand.

My amethyst eyes held a trace of gold in them and my silver hair was up in a high ponytail.

I could smell the person better now and I searched the fields, trying to find them.

"Come on! Are you Kagu? Amaterasu? Little Sun? Or maybe Issun." I called.

This time, I received an answer:

"I am that which is no longer here. I was the one who stood by you trough everything. Do you remember this person's name?"

I blinked in surprise at the question as the weirdly easy riddle went on.

"I am that which is no longer here. I was the one who stood by you through everything. I was what kept you alive. I am that which you feared would die. Do you remember this person's name?"

I was about to answer when the name I had been thinking of vanished. My ears twitched in worry as I tried to bring the name back. The riddle seemed so difficult now that I didn't know the answer. Tears stung my eyes as I growled in annoyance.

"Was his name Akuro? Kuni? Manpuku? Or…perhaps it was Kurow?"

I jumped at the last name. Everything screamed at me that the name I had been about to say was Kurow. So I nodded and said that name a few times.

"His name was Kurow…I'm sure of it." I said to the unknown person.

There was silence for a full minute when a rush of wind blew me back a step or two. I looked at the source of the wind to see Amaterasu with a teenager on her back. She smiled at me as Chibiterasu moved alongside his mother.

"Scarlet, the others and I put our magic together and we got you a gift. The riddle was for that reason and we had to wipe your memory to make it harder." She told me.

I stared at her in surprise before rushing over. I had a feeling I knew what the 'gift' was:

"Kurow!"

"And that's everything that happened while you were…well, dead. So how does it feel?" Kagu asked.

Kurow looked at me with a smile and I returned it effortlessly. I squeezed his hand tighter while rubbing the top of my head against his chin.

"It felt weird. I didn't remember what happened there, but I know it was peaceful there." He said.

I grinned like a mad man before tugging Kurow after me.

"And now he's back with me! I've been so happy!" I called before the Bells of Happiness and Love rang out for everyone to hear.

I was no longer sad or hungry or weak. I was happy, full, and strong. Just like I used to be. I loved Amaterasu's 'gift' more than anything; I was going to cherish him forever and ever and ever.

I reached the fields where I now resided and I smirked wryly at Kurow.

"I missed you more than anything, you know. You're going to make up for the month you were dead." I teased.

"We've both got years to do that, Scarlet. Don't forget that." Kurow said before picking me up by the waist.

"Trust me, I won't."

As he started to kiss me, every single bell rang out to announce my exploding emotions.

When two people meet and both become flustered,

You know it must be something Fate mustered.

It took everything in me to say,

"Let's be more than friends,"

Because I kept my feelings at bay.

He was the one that told me

I was the one to be.

He told me

That he loved me more than I could ever see.

I told him that we were two doves

That were meant to be in love,

From the first sunlit hour

To the darkest days of being sour.

And he believed me,

Saying we truly were meant to be.

I pulled back just once to tell Kurow the only thing I knew I could be content with:

"Never leave me like that again, Kurow. Promise me that."

"I'll promise you anything and everything as long as you remain mine."

I smiled and then said, "I will always be yours, no matter the arguments that are to come."

I sealed our promise with a kiss after that.

A puppet that only wanted fun.

A fox deity that had no one.

When they met, it was magic; it was Fate.

Whatever you call it, they were meant to be.