It was about the time he noticed that the sunlight on the trees had turned pale orange that Issei Hyoudou was forced to accept that he was totally lost. And once he realized that, he started to panic.

He'd been able to deny that for a while. He was just wandering around the massive tract of forest on the outskirts of town. Sure, he'd missed lunch and the grumbling in his stomach and his slowly-parching throat were getting harder and harder to ignore. But he'd be back in time for dinner. This wasn't a real problem.

But that's always how it happens, isn't it? The child believes they know better than their parents, and that their parents are just worrywarts. And they go out of their way to disobey and prove them wrong, often learning a tad too late that their parents really did have good reason to tell them to not do what they did. So it has been with so many children, and so it was with Issei Hyoudou.

Not that he'd ever admit it within earshot of anyone else, but that was beside the point.

Issei had turned around and taken so many lefts and rights that he couldn't even begin to figure out where he'd started, and little by little, fear began to take root in his brain.

Where was the way out? Where was home?

He knew the answer to neither of these questions, and that unknowing left him increasingly terrified as he saw the burnt orange light on the brown trunks of the trees.

Rocks scattered beneath his feet as he kept walking and pushing his way through the brush, not even knowing if he was going towards or away from his home. He wanted to believe the former, but he was too small to even crawl up a tree trunk and look. Even at his age, Issei knew that he couldn't get up to the branches high over his head to see his way back.

No. One foot in front of another. That was all he could do now.

As he kept his stride going forward and the minutes dragged on, his thoughts rewound back to his home. Oh, how he wanted to be back there now. He wanted to be at home, to eat dinner with his mother and father, to have them read to him and tuck him into bed. But the forest didn't offer an answer to his predicament. It offered no words and no one to speak them.

All it had to give him were the rustling of leaves and wind in his ears.

He'd tried screaming for help an hour or so before. But as with now, there wasn't anyone listening – no one he could see, that is. The lack of a response from the world isolated him, drained him of hope even more than his parched throat and mouth.

The heat of the summer meant that his clothes had long since soaked through with sweat. They clung to him, enveloping his skin in a moist covering that made the heat that much worse to bear. And even a child knows that they must drink water in order to survive.

Now, it should be said that Issei's worries were blown a bit out of proportion. Five or six hours without water, even on a warm day in Japan, won't be enough to kill even a child. But a child he was, and all he knew was that not having water was bad. Incredibly bad.

As he kept hacking his way through the brush and up and down small hills whose view was obstructed by a thick tree line, the young Issei's thoughts fed on one another. And in his own childish way, he pondered subjects a few shades short of pitch-black.

What if he was never found? What if this morning was the last time he would ever see his mother and father?

What if he did die out here?

Issei might have barely been six years old, but he wasn't ignorant. He knew what death was. Yet perhaps as most children do, he thought those he knew, or perhaps just himself, impossible to affect with its ravages. But as he continued on his course to nowhere, Issei's opinion began to turn. With every inch it spun, his shift in paradigm made him panic even more.

He wasn't sure when the tears started. He barely even realized he was crying until he finally gave his aching legs a rest and flopped against a tree. Once he noticed them, however, felt them splatter his cheeks, it was though a valve had turned.

He didn't know how long he sat there, just crying in fear, misery, and the regret of a lesson learned too late. As children are wont to do, panic overtook him near-completely, soft wails of terror seeping out of him. And Issei might have stayed there forever if he hadn't heard something else hacking through the bushes.

Through tear-filled eyes he could just make out the source of the noise, and when he did, he almost went right back to crying.

What stood not far away was nothing more than a deer, one much like the dozens he'd seen in his ill-fated march into the woods.

But this one did not run as the others had at the sound Issei made. This one stood, seemingly staring at Issei as the latter rubbed the tears from his eyes.

As the image of the deer became clearer in his eyes, most of the panic began to be washed from the brunette's brain, instead replaced by curiosity.

This deer wasn't like the others – not just in its demeanor, but in appearance. Unlike the deer he'd seen before, this one's hide lacked any spots. And on closer examination, its antlers seemed a bit different in their arrangement. Those things didn't keep Issei's attention for very long, however. No, that was its eyes.

Issei wasn't yet old enough to articulate exactly what it was about the deer's eyes that captivated him, but a few years' more of life would have given him the words he needed.

This deer didn't seem a beast.

Even as it strutted towards him, it returned his stare, and Issei wouldn't have been surprised if it were to open its jaw and begin lecturing him.

How foolish you are, child, it would say in a scratching, deep and condescending voice. You should have listened to your mother and father. The forest is no place for a child. This is the realm of animals like myself.

But the deer did not speak. Even as it strode forwards, towards Issei, it remained totally silent beyond the steady huffing of its breath and the patting of its hooves against the ground.

The deer stopped just short of Issei, and for several long seconds, the two held one another's gazes.

Only when Issei extended his arm towards the deer did the creature react – not with aggression, but to put its head down and slide underneath Issei's hand.

As his fingers met the creature's fur, the boy marveled at how soft it was, and how wonderful it felt to stroke. He let his fingers dig in a tiny bit, gently scratching the creature's head. A deep, slightly groaning noise escaped the creature, and the surprise at the sudden noise made Issei's small hand jump back.

Meeting the creature's eyes again, Issei noticed something in them had changed, and he'd later swear that they looked…

Disappointed?

And when Issei extended his hand once more, the deer didn't resume its position. Instead, it stepped backwards and turned, sauntering off into the woods in a way that almost appeared dejected.

In the meantime, most of Issei's panic had been washed from his mind. Now, there was an intense, burning curiosity that he could barely contain.

"Wait!" he cried after the animal as he saw it break into a run.

After a moment, he exploded up from the ground and from the tree he'd been sitting at, his little legs giving everything they had to pursue the creature. Four legs, however, are much, much faster than two, and Issei quickly lost sight of his brief companion.

That didn't keep him from running, though, despite his thirst and the sweat. He wanted to see that deer again, to not feel so isolated and alone. To pet it again.

Then, out of nowhere, the brunette slipped. The ground rushed up to meet him, and in an instant, he felt his face be splatted in the distinctly gooey and cool texture of mud. If he'd been older, or perhaps trained in wilderness survival, he would've taken this as a good sign rather than an infuriating distraction.

But he wasn't and didn't. Instead, he snatched himself up and kept running. His heart thudded in his chest and his lungs burned, and even as they did his conscious mind realized that chasing the animal was a contest he couldn't hope to win.

Only when he burst through a particularly thick patch of brush and into a small clearing did he stop short, and that was primarily to avoid falling into the spring.

It covered nearly the entire clearing, perhaps forty meters and almost perfectly circular. Issei was struck by the slightest notion that it wasn't entirely natural, even as he stared into the nearly crystal-clear water that filled it almost to the brim.

But as his gaze slid over the spring itself, the thoughts of the odd deer and the odder spring were swept from his mind. Instead, what filled his thoughts was the knowledge that he was no longer isolated and alone.

In the spring sat several women. All were adults with their attention on one another, happily chatting away and laughing, none appearing to have noticed him. But that didn't matter, because Issei's voice hadn't failed yet.

"Hello!"

The young boy's voice carried across the river despite being little more than a slightly raspy squeak. And when it hit the women's ears, all of them instantly froze.

It was when they spun their heads towards Issei, each of their faces a rather negative expression, that Issei realized that he might have made a mistake. But perhaps from relief or inexperience, he pressed on.

"I'm, umm… I'm kind of lost…"

"So you are," one of the women who was near the side of the spring growled. Then, without saying anything else, she pushed her hand against the dry ground next to her, and in a display of pure athleticism, vaulted out of the spring water.

Issei had just a moment to realize that the woman was completely naked before clothes appeared on her body, seemingly from nowhere.

But he had no time to ponder this mystery, because the blonde-haired woman was now advancing on him, her beautiful face set in an expression of pure, cold rage.

Issei took a step backwards, small hands balling into fists, biting his lip as he nearly wet himself in fear. There was a crushing, horrible sensation pressing down on him, some uncaused pressure that nearly slammed him into the ground as the infuriated woman approached.

"I-I'm sor-"

Issei didn't get to finish before a sun-kissed hand reached out, a finger extending and pressing against his sternum.

The brunette boy went flying backwards, falling and rolling and skidding to a halt just shy of a tree. Rolling over, the tears and sobs came once again, this time from pain as much as fear. Issei could feel the scrapes and cuts made through his now-torn clothes, mud all over him and rubbing itself in, hurting him worse.

"Tears will not stop what comes next."

At those words, Issei looked up to find the woman was still coming towards him. She now held a bow in her hands, and across her back, Issei could see a quiver of arrows.

Even as Issei scrambled up against the tree, the woman kept advancing.

"Now then, boy, would you prefer I shoot you through the eye and end your life quickly? Or would you prefer I go through your throat so that you might live longer?"

Issei's mind froze as he realized what those words meant. No response was forthcoming; rather, all the woman's words received was louder crying.

After only a few seconds, the enraged woman's patience had clearly run out, and she raised her bow.

"Say hello to Hades for me."

Just as she nocked an arrow to pierce Issei's skull with, however, another of the women's voices carried.

"Lady Artemis, is this necessary?"

"Is that a question, dear Sipriotes? Of course it is necessary."

"Uptight as ever, I see," the third woman said.

Now both the woman, evidently named Artemis, and the terrified boy she had been threatening to kill looked back towards the other two individuals.

The other two women had exited the spring as well, each now fully clothed just the way Artemis was. One faced Artemis with an expression of intense sadness, the other one of mild annoyance.

"This filthy creature has intruded upon us and no doubt intended to defile us," Artemis snarled. "I will not allow that affront to go unanswered."

"You believed that of me, Lady Artemis," the sad woman said. "You were incorrect then, as well, were you not?"

"Better I slay the child regardless, dear Sipriotes."

"Artemis, dear," the third woman said, "I doubt the boy has any idea what you're talking about." She turned her gaze towards Issei then, staring him through with a bored expression.

Issei immediately shook his head, instinctively grasping the unspoken question.

"There, you see?" the third woman said. "He's probably clueless as to what he even did to piss you off."

"What care you if I kill him, Hera?" Artemis demanded. She sounded even more furious now, if that was possible.

"I don't, really," Hera said. "I just don't really see any need to. Like I said, you're quite uptight. What's to be gained from it?"

"Protecting my own purity."

Hera laughed outright at that, and after a moment, looked at Issei again. "Boy, how old are you?"

Issei swallowed, trying to speak coherently through his fright and tears. "S-s-six…"

Hera gave a sarcastic nod to Artemis. "You really think a boy his age is any threat to you? I'd guess he probably thinks girls are disgusting."

"Lady Hera, wait-" Sipriotes said, but the moment had already passed, and Artemis whirled on Issei again, bow pointed at him once again.

"Is that true, boy?" Artemis demanded. "Do you dislike the female sex?"

Issei's lips quivered, frozen solid from sheer terror.

Luckily for him, Hera chose this exact moment to get physical.

One moment she was standing a good distance back. The next, she was right beside Artemis – Issei could not even glimpse the movement in between those positions. With one hand, she roughly grabbed Artemis by the shoulder and spun the blonde-haired woman to face her.

"Artemis, we both know that there's no right answer to that question."

"What, then, do you believe we should do?" Artemis demanded. "Should I simply excuse this boy's trespass?"

Hera shrugged. "Yes, I do."

"I cannot accept that." With that, Artemis turned to face Issei yet again, notching an arrow. "If it's pain that worries you, boy, be at ease. You will feel nothing as you die."

Hera shrugged as she looked at Issei. "Sorry, boy. Let the record show that I tried."

She stepped away, and Issei shut his eyes, now fully and painfully aware of his own mortality. His thoughts flashed over his father and mother in a fraction of an instant, and in his mind, he apologized to them both.

But the killing shot never came. What did was the final woman, Sipriotes, clearing her throat.

"Lady Artemis? If I might make a suggestion?"

An irritated sigh came from Artemis, and she removed her arrow from the string. "What is it, then?"

"Is there not another way this could be handled?"

"What do you suggest?" Artemis said as Issei opened his eyes, staring up at her in abject terror.

"Could you not show him the same kindness you once showed me?"

"Now that you mention it," Hera said, "that does seem reasonable. You get to exact your punishment, he gets to live, everyone's happy."

Artemis still did not turn. "Why would you ask that of me, Sipriotes?"

"I have been in the same situation, Lady Artemis. I know what he's going through right now. He is even younger than I was when I stumbled upon you."

"You immediately recognized your situation and threw yourself at my feet, begging my forgiveness."

"But we are far from our home, Lady Artemis," Sipriotes argued.

"I'd doubt he even knows who any of us are," Hera added. "I'd agree with your handmaiden – it would be incredibly unfair."

"As if you are one to speak of unfairness, Hera," Artemis said. "But… perhaps I see your point." Several beats of Issei's heart passed, and the woman's furious expression relaxed slightly, into one of disdain and irritation. "Very well. I suppose that this single act of trespass can be forgiven, in my own way. But I will not have him as one of mine."

"There is no need, Lady Artemis," Sipriotes said quickly. Then, for the first time, Sipriotes looked at Issei, her expression warm. "Where do you live, child?"

Issei could barely splutter out an answer, but it seemed to be enough, for Sipriotes nodded after hearing it. "Very well. And you claimed to be lost?"

Slowly, Issei nodded.

Bobbing her head to return Issei's gesture, Sipriotes looked at Artemis again. "Then… I suppose there's nothing else."

"You would be incorrect," Artemis said, her voice calm. Slinging her bow over her back, she knelt down in front of Issei, fixing him with hard eyes. "If you wish, child, I will offer you mercy. If you take it, you shall live, and I will even have Sipriotes, as requested, return you to the outskirts of your town – you will have to find your way from there. If you would not accept my mercy and would prefer to retain your honor as a man, speak now and I will kill you painlessly."

"N-No! D-don't… don't hurt me…" Issei sobbed. "I-I accept!"

"As I expected you might," Artemis said, voice heavy with disdain. "But as I have promised it, so shall it be given." She turned her palm over, and a pure sphere of white light began to fill it.

"Wh-what are you…"

Artemis snorted. "Welcome to the sisterhood, child."

She clamped her palm over Issei's face, and he knew no more.

Yeah, can't believe I'm writing this in a fanfic, but here it goes. I do not approve of Issei's behavior with the deer in this story, and I definitely do not condone attempting to touch wild animals in this way. He did this because he's young and hasn't really internalized that that's not something you're supposed to do.

Seriously, people, keep your distance from wild animals. Doing the thing Issei does in this fic with a real animal is a great way to get one to attack you.