Nanami's head was spinning.
Fractions, formulas and equations whirled inside her head accompanied by an impending sense of doom. She slumped forwards and her head thumped against the textbook in defeat.
"None of this is making any sense!" She cried aloud. "I wish I hadn't skipped so much school..."
She sighed, closed her eyes and heard the door to her room slide open.
Immediately she straightened, preparing to yell at whomever had dared interrupt her studies.
"There you are." Tomoe called from the doorway. "What can you possibly have been doing all this time?"
"Tomoe I told you I'm studying. We have our math final tomorrow. I'm sorry but I really can't be interrupted right now!"
"All this studying is pointless. A Land God should not be wasting so much time with Mathematics. They should be busy learning matters regarding the shrine's instead!"
"But if I don't pass this exam I may have to repeat the entire year!"
"Repeat the entire year if you do not successfully pass an examination? Don't be ridiculous. You will never use these..." His elegant hands flapped in the direction of her text and note books "in you life."
"Whether I will use them or not, isn't the point right now. I have to learn how to do them properly for tomorrow."
"Hmm..." Tomoe scowled his bright eyes scanning her work. "If it is really that important to you... But you have gotten questions three, five, six and ten incorrect." His fingers tapped the page with each number he read aloud. "I suggest you study harder."
Nanami was stunned. She fought the urge to throw her pencil-case at his head.
"That is not helping... at all."
"Would it help you if I told you what would be on the test tomorrow?"
"What?! How on earth would you even know?"
"That horrible Tengu managed to get his hands on a copy. He offered to show me."
"What?! Kurama has a copy of the test?" Nanami repeated then added quickly. "No of course I don't want to know what's on the test. That would be cheating."
"Well. If I can't be of service to you at the moment I will prepare your dinner." He drawled loftily. About to slid the door shut Nanami noticed he had left something behind.
"Tomoe wait. You forgot your this."
She reached out to pick up the heavy book, noticing the cover was a beautifully inscribed with the characters of the Mikage Shrine.
"I do not forget things. That is not mine."
"Don't be a brat." Nanami retorted eyes still on the book cover. "If you didn't leave it here who did?"
Tomoe returned to sit beside her. Nanami was very aware of their legs pressing against each other. His hands covered her own as he picked up the book.
"This... is the Mikage shrine's Tome of Spells. No one left it here. It appears of its own free will. Although I haven't seen it for a very long time..."
"Tome of Spells?" Nanami repeated then the rest of his words caught up with her. "Hang on. What do you mean it appeared of its own free will."
"I mean exactly that. The spell book appears when it wishes too and goes where it wants. Maybe it wants you to focus your time and attention on it instead of..." Tomoe sneered in the direction of her textbooks "those."
"It is very beautiful." Nanami said as she ran her nails over flowers painted on the cover. She felt the book shudder in her hands. "Did the book just purr?" She asked amazed.
"Hm. Yes." Tomoe answered unfazed. "The Tome of Spells was always a sucker for compliments. In any case I suggest you take care of it."
Rising once more he left Nanami who was now riffling through the book in awe. Her textbooks were, for the moment, completely forgotten.
The next morning Tomoe slid open the door to Nanami's room holding a breakfast tray aloft.
"I have prepared you a hearty breakfast. You will eat everything. Including the shitake omelette which, incidentally, is excellent brain food. If you are to go through with this examination I will see to it that you are properly fed before hand."
His enthusiasm was cut short as his eyes fell upon an empty room.
"Master Tomoe! Master Tomoe!" Onikiri and Kotetsu cried. "Lady Nanami has left already."
"What?"
"Yes. She left early." Said Kotetsu.
"Said she wanted to do some studying in the library before the exam." Onikiri added helpfully.
"The silly girl has gone and forgotten her text book." Tomoe said with a sigh as he picked the math book off the floor. He noticed that something seemed to be missing."Wait. Did she take the Tome of Spells with her?"
Nanami's bag was heavier than usual. She was glad when she finally got to the library, deserted at this early hour, and was able to drop the bag onto an empty seat. She clapped her hands together.
"Right!" She said to no one in particular. "I have an hour to review my notes from yesterday."
She flipped the bag open with enthusiasm and immediately felt her heart sink. The bag was empty all but for the Tome of Spells.
"What?" She cried in disbelief. "This can't be happening! I know I packed my notes this morning. How did this get in here?" She slammed the book onto the table. It gave a sulky whine. Mamoru, who had been sleeping inside the bag, jumped onto the table and sniffed the book. He turned to shrug at Nanami.
"Oh no... I must have forgotten all my notes and if I go back home now I will have wasted the entire morning..." Then an idea hit her and she sprinted for the door. "I know! I'll borrow one from the classroom! I'll be right back Mamoru."
She disappeared round the corner, her shikigami stared down at the book. One paw scratching an ear.
In the shadows, unseen by either of them, a small frog lipped his lips in delight. His red eyes gleamed.
The little demon had been following Nanami for a week now closely observing the Land God, but taking care to stay out of the fox demon's notice. He had been longing for an opportunity to strike and it seemed all the waiting had paid off. The pathetic girl was alone and best of all, had brought a sacred book of Spells with her!
His eyes sparkled with red fire as he dreamed of the power he could obtain if he were to read from the Tome. Of course he knew better than to try and open it himself... he would be purified instantly if he tried. But the frog demon knew all it had to do was wait. Soon she would open the Tome and then it would be a completely different story.
The frog demons shrank further back into the shadows shivering with anticipation. Slowly it willed itself to grow. Making itself bigger. Making itself the perfect size for swallowing human girls whole.
"I'm back Mamoru!" Nanami yelled when she returned with a spare copy under her arm. "Mamoru?" She called again, for her small monkey companion was no where to be seen.
She shrugged and placed the books on the table, her eyes falling on the Tome. Distracted once again by the beautiful cover she reached out a hand to open it.
A screech of warning reached her ears and she spun around.
"Don't Lady Nanami!" Mamoru cried.
Nanami's blood froze.
Her shikigami companion was being held four feet of the ground by a giant frog yokai. The demon had wrapped her monkey in a long fleshy tongue, sticky with mucus. It's evil red eyes gleamed hungrily down at Nanami.
"Yes..." It spoke. "Yes. Open the Tome of Spells. Do it. Do it now!"
"You let go of Mamoru!" Nanami cried, disgusted that the frog demon was drooling.
The demon didn't move.
"Open the Spell book! Do it and I won't eat the shikigami!"
"No. Let him go!"
Nanami hurled a textbook at the demon frog. It thudded ineffectively against the yokai's head and fell to the floor with a thump.
"Pathetic!" The demon frog demanded. It's voice rich with scorn it asked: "What kind of Land God are you?"
Not waiting for her reply, the frog demon leapt. His tongue unravelled, loosing it's hold on Mamoru. Then it threw the small monkey over it's shoulder and across the room. Mamoru hit the bookshelves with a crash. Books and files cascaded down upon him.
"Mamoru!" Nanami cried sick with worry. Her small friend had disappeared the pile of library books.
From down the corridor Tomoe heard the scream.
He had been walking side by side with Kurama, who he had met at the front gate. Shockingly the Tengu-come-rock-star had been devoid of his usual fan club. Hearing the scream he thrust the bento box and books he carried into Kurama's arms.
"What the?!" Kurama cried but Tomoe was no longer at his side. The fox was sprinting away in the direction of the library.
Nanami screamed again and ducked in an attempt to avoid the leaping frog demon. A long wet something grabbed her by the ankle and dragged out from under the table.
Tomoe crashed into the doorway.
He survey the scene for one second: Mamoru dazed, climbing out from under a pile of books. Nanami screaming as she was being dragged into the dark by a gigantic tongue... Tomoe did not hesitate. He rushed towards Nanami throwing a fist full of fire at the tongue hoping to sever the sticky connection from his lady.
The frog demon screeched. It jumped forward, towering above meddling fox yokai.
"You dare interrupt?" It cried.
"You dare put your disgusting tongue on my lady?" Tomoe answered and threw more foxfire into the frog's face.
The frog demon screamed in agony. It's tongue immediately recoiled from Nanami's ankle and retreated into the slobbering mouth. It howled and lunged at Tomoe, who dodged easily.
Growling in frustration it jumped again. But this time it's long tongue flicked out to stick on a library shelf, pulling down over the fox demon.
"Tomoe!" Nanami screamed.
The Frog demon laughed then turned its attention back to Nanami, it's tongue lashing out in her direction once more. Nanami tried to dodge the oncoming assault and tripped. She went flying backwards knocking into the table and scattering her belongings. The Tome of Spells crashed to the floor beside her. As she landed on her backside, her hand came to rest on the Tome's open page.
Immediately time slowed.
Her mind was filled with a spell that burned bright gold and spun. It was a spell for purification and banishment. The book was telling her what to do. So she obeyed.
Nanami raised her hand in front of her and screamed the spell.
The library was suddenly awash with golden light. The frog demon screamed one last time and disintegrated, but this Nanami did not notice. She was thrown backwards with the force of her spell and as her strength left her, pouring into the spell, the room went dark.
She blinked. She was looking into two beautiful faces. Beautiful faces she recognised. One of which she loved.
"Kurama... Tomoe. What..." Nanami struggled to her elbows then up into a sitting position. "What happened?"
"You fainted." Kurama said.
"My lady are you hurt?" Tomoe asked, eyes urgent.
"No... I don't think so. My head hurts a little."
Relieved that his mistress was unharmed Tomoe felt his temper flare.
"Of course it hurts. It's supposed to hurt! You used a very powerful spell without any study or the hell were you thinking? What the hell were you doing?"
"Tomoe. Can you not shout right in my ear?" Kurama said ignoring the Fox's outburst.
"Studying." Nanami answered. "I came in here to study. I don't know where that frog demon came from though."
"It must followed you here. It was probably attracted by the power of the Tome of Spells. Why did you take it with you? That Spell Book should never leave the shrine. That type of power is like a magnet for greedy yokai."
"I di-didn't..." Nanami stammered. Her head really hurt. Her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't bring it here. You said the book goes where it wants to. Maybe it just decided to come with me."
"Maybe the Spell Book knew Nanami would need it." Kurama added helpfully.
Tomoe scowled. Nanami burst into tears.
"It was so disgusting!" She cried.
"There, there." Tomoe said, sweeping her into a hug. "It's gone now. You purified it and it can't bother you any more. But starting now we are going to devote two hours every day to study the Tome of Spells. I can't have you running around performing magic without the proper preparations."
"Study..." Nanami's brows knitted in a frown as she suddenly remembered. "Oh no. The Math exam! What time is it?!"
"Our exam starts in 15 minutes." Kurama said after checking his watch.
"15 minutes?!" Nanami screamed. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her backpack off the floor. "I never reviewed. Never mind. But we have to get upstairs. We have to take our seats! Come on you two!" She bolted for the door and disappeared.
Tomoe sighed.
"I suppose she is well enough. It could have been worse. That disgusting monster had it's tongue all over her... I would kill it a second time if I had the chance."
"Jealous?" Kurama said with a wicked grin.
Tomoe didn't say anything but threw a math book at the Tengu's head.