Nathanael angrily kicked a stray soda can 'Stupid father…Now, what am I going to do?' Nathanael thought bitterly to himself
"Help! Please, someone, help me!" He heard a voice cry out. Nathanael followed the cries to see a petite blonde haired girl sitting up in a tree. Then he noticed the tiny white dog which was currently barking and trying to jump up at the girl.
The blonde girl noticed Nathanael and called out "Please…Can you get that dog out of here!"
Nathanael walked up to the dog and made a shooing motion with his hands "Go on… Go away" the dog barked at him but turned and quickly ran away.
The girl slowly climbed back down. She carefully leapt from a lower branch down to the ground. Nathanael took in what she was wearing a pink dress with many frills and bows and a white cardigan was over the dress and a pair of pink boots with ribbon threaded through it and tied in bows.
"Thank you so much! I thought I was dead for sure!" The girl said as she used the long sleeves on her cardigan to wipe away the tears under her eyes "may I ask your name?"
"Oh" Nathanael's eyes widened at the question "My names Nathanael"
"Well, thank you again, Nathanael, I would have been stuck in that tree for a long time if you hadn't come along!" She giggled.
Nathanael simply nodded, gloom still cast over his face.
Then she noticed Nathanael's sad face "Oh, What's wrong?"
"Huh?" Nathanael asked with wide eyes.
"You look awfully sad whatever happened?" she asked, Concern shining in her periwinkle eyes.
"Oh, it's nothing…I wouldn't want to bore you" Nathanael said, trying to shrug the subject off.
"Nonsense it's the least I could do," She said as she walked over to a park bench and sat down. She patted the bench invitingly for Nathanael to sit down "Come on, I'm an excellent listener, so I've been told" She smiled.
Nathanael slowly walked over. He paused in front of the bench before he sat down with a sigh "Fine…well…Um…I've lost my home" He mumbled looking at the ground out of a mixture of embarrassment and shyness.
"Oh, that's awful! How did it happen?"
"It's my stupid father's fault…if he was still here I'd like to give him a piece of my mind but the coward ran away before anyone could get him!" Nathanael exclaimed, his hands tightening into fists as anger overwhelmed him and he forgot his shyness.
Then Nathanael told his sorry tale about how his father had used all their money on gambling and drink until they had none left. When his father realised this he had packed his stuff and ran out of town not bothering to tell Nathanael anything. So Nathanael hadn't known anything until he had got evicted.
"Oh, wow that's so sad…I actually feel rather guilty now" the girl said putting her head in her hands
"Why would you feel guilty? It's not your fault my dad's an idiot" Nathanael said.
"That's not it…see I've got a home but I ran away from it a long time ago…" Then she clapped her hands surprising Nathanael whose eyes widened "I know you can go and live in my home!"
"Wait…are you serious?" Nathanael asked
"Of course! I'd actually feel a lot better if you lived there…That's if Lila hasn't burnt the place down yet" She laughed anxiously.
'Lila? I wonder who that is' before Nathanael could ask. The girl was already hurriedly scribbling out a map on a piece of paper she had found in her pocket.
"Here follow this map and you should find it quick enough, Oh and don't forget to tell them Lady Rose sent you...I'm sure they'll be fine with it!" She said then she reached across, pushed back Nathanael's long bang of red hair and placed a quick kiss on Nathanael's forehead.
'Huh? She kissed me on the forehead why?" Nathanael thought as he placed a hand on his forehead.
"You'll be their new lord and master," Rose said standing up
'New lord and master? What's that mean?" He thought as he looked at the piece of paper she had handed him. He looked up to ask Rose this and saw she had disappeared 'huh? Where did she go?' he couldn't see her anywhere 'weird'
He looked down at the map which he had in his hands. "I may as well go…not like I've got any other options" He stood up and grabbed his backpack.
He followed the map until he came to stand outside a run downed shrine "Seriously…this is her house?" he muttered out loud. The place looked kind of creepy "well there's no point turning back" Nathanael sighed as he began to walk up the path.
"Lady Rose" he heard a voice call out. 'Who said that?' he looked around and saw no one "Welcome back home, Lady Rose" a different voice called out. He turned around he was sure the voice had come from behind him.
Then a bright orange fire appeared out of nowhere 'wait…what!' he started backing away from the fire only to trip over a step and fall through the doors into the shrine. He landed on his back 'ouch' he thought as the pain went through his body.
"So you've returned" he heard a voice call out from behind him. He quickly sat up 'not another ghost' he grumbled to himself. His heartbeat beating quickly in fear.
He looked around to see a dark silhouette. He couldn't clearly make out what it was as it seemed surrounded by an orange mist.
"You took an awfully long time coming back!" the figure came out of the mist allowing Nathanael to see it was a girl. But it wasn't any ordinary girl for she had fox ears and a fox tail swayed behind her.
She wore a traditional styled orange kimono with decorative darker orange designs. It was low slung around her shoulders and trailed the ground. In one hand she held an orange fan over the lower part of her face.
His eyes widened in shock 'A Kitsune!' the girl went to hit Nathanael. Nathanael stepped back covering his face. Then she stopped inches away from his face in shock.
"Wait…You're not Rose" she sighed in annoyance. Stepping away "Duusu, Nooroo it appears we are mistaken, Rose has not returned," she said looking around the room.
Then there was a flash of blue and purple light. "That's impossible," the purple butterfly spirit said.
The Blue peacock spirit flew up to Nathanael's face and pushed his bang to the side. "Lady Lila as you can see the mark of the land God is here on the forehead, exactly where it should be"
A golden glow appeared on Nathanael's forehead, on the spot Rose had kissed him.
"And I sense Lady Rose's spiritual energy" the Butterfly spirit commented flying up to Nathanael's face to investigate.
Nathanael blinked. Too shocked to speak or move.
Lila glared down at Nathanael "That does not make this…tomato, Lady Rose"
'Wait, what did she call me?' Nathanael glared back.
"Now tell me who are you?" Lila walked up to Nathanael. Her green eyes flashed with anger.
Nathanael took a hesitant step back. 'Maybe I can make a run for it…I never asked to be involved with this supernatural nonsense' he glanced at the door.
The girl noticed this and growled "Don't even think about it!" she waved her hand and the door slide shut with a soft thud.
"Think about what?" Nathanael laughed anxiously. He slowly backed up until he felt his back hit up against the wall.
"Don't play dumb, Tomato! I'm not letting you leave until you explain yourself" she moved closer her kimono trailed the ground a little as her fox ears twitched angrily.
Nathanael gulped 'I never really planned on dying today' "Oh…um…well Lady Rose sent me here…she even drew me a map"
"Give me this map you speak of!" Lila demanded.
Nathanael shakily handed it over and watched with held breath as Lila and the two spirits examined it.
"Lady Lila that is most definitely Lady Rose's handwriting" the peacock spirit hovered over Lila's shoulder.
"Yes, only Rose writes in such a messy scrawl" Lila scoffed.
"She said since I had nowhere else to go I could come and live here," Nathanael said quietly.
Lila lowered the paper and stared at Nathanael 'She's actually really pretty now that I get a closer look at her…Wait what hell are you thinking?'
"Just so you know the girl you met was the land God of this shrine, the fact she sent you as the new lord and master can only mean…" Lila trailed off as her eyes widened in shocked horror "She wants you to be the land god in her place!"
'What's she talking about?' Nathanael looked at Lila in confusion.
"Oh, what a happy day!" Duusu exclaimed. Throwing pink petals over Nathanael.
'Where did she get them from?'
"We must prepare a feast to celebrate the new land god!" Nooroo said also throwing pink petals.
'So he knows where the secret stash of petals is too'
"Wait, hold on!" Nathanael exclaimed. The spirits stopped throwing petals and looked at Nathanael with large eyes.
"You just said I'm a land God…I can't be! I'm just Nathanael Kurtzberg an ordinary person, not a God?"
"The moment you received that mark on your forehead you were officially made the land God of this shrine" Nooroo explained.
"I have a mark…really?" Nathanael said 'Wait that explains why Rose kissed me there' Nathanael gasped to himself as he reached up and touched his forehead.
"You call this a God" Lila interrupted her voice rising angrily. She grabbed Nathanael by the collar of his t-shirt.
'Shit! I'm going to die'
"What could a pathetic tomato like him even do!?" She glared at him "I suppose he could weed the yard or count the money offerings…not that any of that will help Return the Shrine to its former glory" She muttered letting Nathanael go.
"I will not let this Happen!" Lila shouted she looked away from them concealing her face with her fan.
"Lady Lila please calm down," Nooroo said gently. He anxiously fluttered around her head.
"Nathanael came here by the instruction of Lady Rose, Herself" Duusu said calmly. She floated beside Nathanael.
"I don't Care! He will never be able to become the God of this Shrine! Throw him out at Once!" Lila replied, snapping her fan shut and crossing her arms stubbornly.
Nathanael had had enough of this Kitsune treating him like dirt "Excuse me! But you are being extremely rude to me for no reason!" Nathanael glared. "I never asked to become the Land God and I bet you this awful shrine doesn't even get money offerings!" He exclaimed.
"Lord Nathanael please do not say that," Duusu said.
"We are delighted to have you as our new Land God," Nooroo said flying over towards Nathanael.
Lila looked at them all with an unamused look "If you intend to let him stay, I may as well leave this shrine!"
"Lady Lila!" Nooroo and Duusu exclaimed. "I am Lady Rose's familiar I do not intend to serve anyone else!" Lila said
"If you like get a stray mutt to step in as my replacement" she glared at them all before disappearing in a burst of orange smoke.
"Wait, she actually left!" Nathanael said anxiously.
A silence descended on the shrine. Nathanael looked at the two spirits and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously "I don't suppose you can at least let me stay for tonight"
"Of course!" The spirits chorused happily.
Sunlight filtered in through Curtains into Nathanael's room. He woke up and rubbed his eyes. 'Talk about a weird dream' he thought. As he remembered dreaming about a shrine full of supernatural things like an angry kitsune and two glowing spirits.
He sat up in the bed and glanced around the empty room. 'Wait…This isn't my room…'
"Good morning Lord Nathanael"
Nathanael nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. He turned to look at the Butterfly Spirit and Peacock spirit "It wasn't a dream" He said out loud.
"Of course it wasn't," Duusu said with a ruffle of tail feathers.
"Now let's get right started," Nooroo said.
"Started on what?" Nathanael asked.
"Your duties as a Land God of course!" Nooroo and Duusu said happily in unison.
And then a busy and tiring day started for Nathanael. He was made to sweep the yard. Which he found pointless wasn't it only going to get dusty and cluttered with leaves again anyway?
Then he wasn't even allowed a break as Duusu and Nooroo instructed him to clean the inside of the shrine, Nooroo wouldn't let him miss one inch. He was beginning to understand why Rose was so excited for Nathanael to take her place.
Throughout this Nooroo and Duusu explained why each task was so important. Not that Nathanael was paying much attention. All he heard was "keep away evil spirits" and then something about negative energy the rest was all forgotten.
Nathanael wiped the sweat away from his forehead. When he had realised he would be cleaning the whole day he had clipped his long bang of red hair out of his eyes.
'Was this seriously what a God had to do?'
He turned to look at Nooroo and Duusu "Do I really have to do all of this! I don't remember agreeing to any of this!"
"Lord Nathanael do not say that!" Nooroo exclaimed, fluttering very close in front of his face. Nathanael took a step back.
"With Lady Lila gone, you are all we have to protect and clean the shrine!" Duusu said as sparkling tears started to fall out of eyes.
"Duusu try not to cry. Lila will be back soon you know how temperamental she can be" Nooroo said, floating up to give Duusu a gentle pat on the cheek.
"Hey now that you mention it who is that Lila Girl?" Nathanael asked.
"Lila is a familiar who serves Lady Rose," Duusu said, her tears had long vanished.
"A what?" Nathanael asked, tilting his head a little to the side in curiosity.
"A familiar" Nooroo repeated "She was originally a wild Kitsune but was brought by Lady Rose to serve and Protect in place of a dog"
"Lady Rose has quite the fear of dogs," Duusu said "I can understand why. The last time I met one it tried to pull off my gorgeous tail feathers"
Nathanael laughed only to be greeted with a cold glare from Duusu "Sorry!" Nathanael said trying to hide his laughter behind his hand.
"Now back to work we haven't got all day!" Duusu said, still annoyed he had laughed at her.
"Next you must weed the garden," Nooroo said already back in his strict rule-abiding mode.
Nathanael sighed loudly "Fine" as he dragged himself outside.
"I guess this is the price for having a place to stay" he muttered out loud as he continued pulling weeds out of the garden.
"Ow," he whispered as a thorn pricked him.
"So you do not even know how to properly weed. What a tragically useless Tomato" Nathanael turned to see Lila sitting upon the stone wall. She smirked at him.
"What do you want?" Nathanael asked with a glare. "I thought you left already…unless you're here with an apology"
"As if!" Lila scoffed "Just came to remind you that you'll never fulfil your job as a land God, I suggest you give up already" She looked at her long claw-like nails before looking back at Nathanael with an unimpressed glare.
"Yeah, I get it…but sorry I'm not giving up" Nathanael said as he continued to weed the garden.
"Why ever not! Just go back home I'm sure you'll live a simpler life" Lila said agilely jumping down from the wall and slowly making her way over to Nathanael.
"I haven't got a home to go back too, Thanks to all my father's debt our house got seized and I was kicked out," Nathanael said, not bothering to look at Lila. He knew she was probably loving his misery.
"Oh I see," Lila said quietly. He turned to see her gaze soften as she looked at him. 'Is she finally going to stop giving me a hard time?' then she remembered herself and turned away.
"Well, that's not my problem!" She said haughtily. Nathanael sighed 'seems like I got my hopes up too soon'
"Leave while you still can," Lila said before disappearing in a puff of orange smoke.
"Leave while I still can" Nathanael repeated out loud "Seriously she's such a drama queen" Nathanael shook his head with a laugh.
Nathanael fell down on his bed with a tired sigh "They may call me a lord or a land God but I have a feeling their just saying that to take advantage of me!"
Then he heard a voice in his head "I'm Praying for my daughter please allow her to give birth to a healthy child" Nathanael stood up and looked out his window and was able to see a person praying down below 'wait a second…I can hear her!'
"I just heard her thoughts" Nathanael commented to no one in particular.
"Indeed," Duusu said coming to float beside Nathanael
"What you just heard was the prayer from the heart of the worshiper" Nooroo explained.
"Part of the Land Gods job is to listen to the prayers of the people of this land" Duusu said happily
"Which brings us to your next task," Nooroo said. Both Nooroo and Duusu clapped their tiny paws and in a burst of violet light, a stack of books appeared.
"Now we need you to go through all of these" Nooroo said floating to sit on top of the stack of books, Duusu joined him.
"What are they?" Nathanael asked quite in shock at the number of them.
"A record of our worshiper's prayers from the last twenty years, my lord" Duusu said.
"Twenty years!" Nathanael exclaimed in shock.
"Lady Lila has been writing them down" Duusu said happily.
"We did intend to have Lady Rose look at them when she got back and with her absence, we have sadly seen fewer visitors to the shrine," Nooroo said sadly.
"But thanks to Lady Lila somehow managing to keep the shrine in a decent condition we have managed to get occasional visitors as you just saw," Duusu said rising up in the air and twirling so her tail feathers sparkled in the light.
Nathanael carefully picked a book up from the top, wincing slightly when the pile began to wobble but fortunately it did not fall over.
He knelt down on the ground and started to flick through the book.
"We realise we have asked you to do a lot of work today…usually, Lady Lila takes care of the shrine all on her own" Nooroo said.
'She writes neatly enough…The accounts are so detailed' Nathanael glanced through the writing. 'She obviously cares a lot about this shrine' then he remembered the awful thing he said: "I bet you this awful shrine doesn't even get money offerings!"
'It's no wonder she left in such a mood I probably came across really rude' Nathanael sighed.
"Well Lord Nathanael, Do you understand everything now" Duusu asked.
Nathanael looked up at them with a rueful smile "Yeah I understand…Lila's right there's no way I can be a God"
"What!" Duusu and Nooroo exclaimed.
"I'm just a normal person…not even a worthy one at that…I don't have powers or anything"
Both Nooroo and Duusu stared at Nathanael in shock before falling out of air.
"Ah" Nathanael cried as he rushed to catch them. 'They seriously fainted!' he managed to catch both of them in time.
Nathanael smiled "However" Nooroo and Duusu both awakened quickly and looked up at him.
"I would appreciate it if you took me to see Lila." Both spirits floated up.
"I have a feeling I may have judged her too quickly"
"Unfortunately we cannot!" Duusu said, Sparkling tears threatening to spill out again.
"Lady Lila has gone to the world over yonder" Nooroo explained.
"The world over yonder?" Nathanael asked.
"Yes…it would be quite dangerous to take you their unprotected" Nooroo said sadly.
"No, let's do it! Once Nathanael speaks to Lila she's sure to come home and then Nathanael will also be protected" Duusu said happily.
'How does she go from sad to happy so fast?' Nathanael thought in confusion. "Well then let's go!" he said.
The spirits nodded happily.
"This way, Nathanael, we must go to the arch at the end of the garden it is where the portal is located"
Nathanael followed them outside and down the garden path to a large stone arch.
"So do I just walk through?"
"Oh, No the portal is closed right now, we wouldn't want anyone accidentally walking through," Nooroo said as he flew over to the right side of the arch.
"No, we must open the portal for you first, Please step back Nathanael" Duusu said as she floated gracefully over to the left side.
Nathanael quickly took a few steps back and watched as Nooroo and Duusu began to glow in their signature colours.
Then a bright light shot out from both of them, Nathanael closed and covered his eyes so he wouldn't be blinded.
When he opened them again he could no longer see the rest of the garden through the arch instead inside was dark, an inky blackness swirled.
Nathanael gulped, he didn't feel too sure about this. 'But someone's got to bring back that fox…no matter how annoying she could be'
"Come along Lord Nathanael" Duusu instructed flying into the darkness with Nooroo close behind.
Nathanael quickly walked in after them. The Portal snapped shut behind him he looked back at it in shock. "Do not worry, it will open again when we get back" Nooroo said when he saw the worry on Nathanael's face
Nathanael looked up at the spirit and noticed how he glowed a light purple, which seemed to cast away the darkness. He glanced at Duusu and saw she also Glowed only hers was in blue.
"You guys are glowing," Nathanael said as they made their way through the forest.
"Yes, we do not glow in the human world as there is not enough magical energy but this world is filled with so much magic it is almost like it was made from it…So our inner spiritual energy shines out from us" Nooroo explained.
"It makes me look even prettier, which it is strange because I was already gorgeous to start off with!" Duusu said as she twirled in the air to get a better look at her feathers.
Nathanael laughed.
"Now come on Nathanael we have nearly reached the town square, I have a feeling Lila will be there," Nooroo said, speeding up as he flew ahead.
Nathanael speeded up his walk to catch up.
