She had noticed it for a while. Swishing to and fro from side to side, she knew that there was a big, bushy white tail attached to Allen's back. She assumed at first that it might be her imagination, but even after they had sat down on the bench it was still there, moving around like it was alive and she realized that it was indeed a real tail. She didn't want to say anything yet, in fear that this boy might think her weird for her having spiritual powers, but eventually upon seeing it curl itself into his lap she had to say something, so she had asked him.
"How come you have a tail?"
She watched as he seemed to pale (his skin tone made it hard to tell), and regretted having asked in the first place. At the very least, Lenalee wished to have phrased the question differently.
"O-Oh," he stuttered nervously, frozen in shock. "W-What tail?"
She pointed to the one sitting on his lap. "That one. You don't see it, do you?" She frowned, sighing. "I guess not. Sorry, you must think I'm weird." She pulled back to her original position.
"No, not at all!" He said, "It's fine."
It was quiet after that; an awkward silence was cast over the once comfortable atmosphere.
"Um, well- I have to go now," he suddenly said, gesturing to the path ahead. She nodded, and sighed inwardly once again. Another day, another mistake. Lenalee supposed she must have made things weird, and that now he was leaving because he thought her so. She didn't blame him, of course. It was her fault for saying anything. Why couldn't she just ignore these things? It was at times like this that she really hated her powers.
With a sad smile and regrets in her mind, she waved the boy off as his form retreated into the darkness.
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Great. Just great. Allen didn't realize that Lenalee had spiritual powers, and so now the magic that covered his tails had begun to disappear, and she quickly took note of it. Luckily he was able to cover up his surprise and fool her, but now he was afraid he might've hurt her feelings. It seemed that her powers were the reason for her being alone, so he felt guilty for having bolted just like that. But he couldn't let her find out about the Spirit World. Not only would he get into trouble, but so would Lenalee, and unless she has some sort of way to fight the yokai of his realm, it wasn't good for her to have the knowledge of them and be a human.
The street which Allen walked on he recognized as the way to a portal to the Other Realm, the red clay bricks making up for the floor as trees and potted plants grew on the sides. Slowly, he released the magic on his nine tails as it seemed to be wearing off due to the girl's earlier exposure of them, and majestically they loomed above his back as they moved around elegantly.
"Where was it again...?" Allen wondered aloud, now in his true form as he searched for the door to his destination. He didn't even realize that hiding behind a tree nearby was Lenalee herself, watching curiously as he tentatively took a step forward. The air in front of him rippled in waves like water, and as he walked through it the tiny waves began spreading out over his form.
Slowly, he made his way through it - and then he was gone, into the Spirit World.
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Lenalee didn't mean to follow Allen. She just wanted to call him back and return a handkerchief he had left on the bench, as well as apologize for her sudden inquiry. But as she got closer she saw him reveal the rest of his nine tails, and with a soft gasp she instinctively hid behind a tree. Not only that, but as she observed him she realized he was looking for something, and it didn't appear to be his missing handkerchief.
"Where was it again...?" He mumbled to himself, and once he spotted it she continued to watch in surprise as he stepped through some sort of invisible gate, ripples forming around his body as he disappeared through it.
It was surprising for once, because not in all her life did she ever witness or meet a nine-tailed fox demon, until now. She was stunned by his beauty really, his true form being much more majestic and graceful - although he was already quite breathtaking even without it, with the way he was so kind to her. Even his smile was enough to make her do the same, and she again trailed off topic, absorbed in her thoughts.
When she came back to reality, Lenalee decided that she would try to walk through the gate as well, her curiosity overwhelming her sense of danger. Ignoring the small nagging in the back of her mind she stepped out of the tree's shadow, and moved to stand just a few feet away from where Allen had disappeared. In front of her, all she saw was the path simply stretching off into the horizon, but she knew better and cautiously took one step forward, then another. Nothing yet, it seemed.
It was confusing, actually, because Lenalee had no idea if she'd even be able to pass through it. What if, instead of heading to wherever it is Allen had gone to, she just stayed on this same road? What if the gate was closed? Certainly she'd make a fool of herself if it was either, but proceeded anyway. She wanted to know what exactly was behind that portal, even if it could endanger her life.
Another step and she could feel some sort of presence right there, in the space before her that should have been empty. Her senses were ringing with that feeling of something anonymous and unknown, her gut twisting in that way which revealed that her powers were at work, sensing it vaguely. It was then that she took a deep breath, and prepared herself for a trip to a world that might not be her own.
And Lenalee was right, because as she passed through the portal she found herself surrounded by a colorfully lit area, in a festival very much like the one she had just been in - except instead of being crowded with what should have been humans, there were yokai.
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Hey! So here's chapter 2. Was it okay? Honestly, i kind of feel like the quality dropped from chapter 1 and it's definitely shorter... but still, I hope you enjoyed it! If you think I should rewrite it tho, feel free to leave a comment in the reviews! As always, thanks for reading.
- animellow
