Ever since her aunt had been given the permission to be taken off life-support, her mother had gotten increasingly lethargic. Despite protests from her father, he was forced to go to work while Ami had to go to training for the day.

Walking down the sidewalk, Hano by her side, the two were getting closer to her mentor's home.

Ami didn't attend normal schooling like many of her peers. In fact, she was in training instead of learning. Her psychic powers allowed her to sense and see things beyond those of other people. She acquired these abilities from her mother, but her powers were much stronger.

For this, she was being trained to enhance them. Her mentor, Hideaki Saenoki, a twenty-seven year old man, who was a famous super naturalist, had taken Ami as his apprentice after Ayumi had told him about her daughter. The man agreed to train her, and now Ami had been able to become much more powerful.

Coming upon her mentor's home, she stopped at the tall gate before her. Stepping over to one of the poles, she pressed her thumb into a small device. The machine scanned her thumb before making a small 'ding', signaling her access inside. The large gates opened, and she clicked her tongue before stepping through. The gates shut behind the two of them, and Ami paused, looking around for any signs of her mentor.

"Mr. Saenoki!" She called, but was only meet with silence from the home. Unlike many of the modern houses, her mentor's home looked older, the structure having stood for many years. A stone pathway led into the back where the garden was located.

Suddenly, Hano perked up when he sensed something, and stood stoic. Ami blinked at the puppy's behavior, and glanced around again.

From over the hill, another canine came rushing out, much larger than Hano. Neither of the two guests became alert though, they knew this dog.

"Iku!" Ami smiled, kneeling down to greet the German Shepherd. Iku stopped before the two of them, accepting Ami's affection as she scratched his head. Standing back up, Ami looked around once more.

"How about you take me to your owner, Iku?" Ami suggested and the dog turned, running up on the stone path. He stopped at the top of the hill, looking back at the two of them.

Unleashing Hano, the Shiba Inu ran after Iku, both dogs disappearing behind the hill. Ami ran after them, stepping up onto the path.

The path led to the garden, a small waterfall and pond with Koi swimming within it as different types of plants surrounded it. Here, she spotted her mentor sitting on the grass not far away.

"Ah, Ami, it's nice to see you on time today," He spoke, and she stopped short.

"U-Uh..."

"I'm messing with you," He chuckled, and she relaxed, walking over to him. He blinked, studying her as she sat.

"I sense solemnity within you, is everything okay?" He asked and she went silent.

"O-Oh... Just... A family member passed away last night..." She murmured and he frowned.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss," He spoke with concern, and Ami glanced at the ground.

"Anyways, we must get going soon," He changed the subject to avoid distraction and she looked at him, confusion on her face.

"Going? To where?" She asked.

"I have two wonderful ladies that would like to meet you. They have extensive experience in the psychic field, and I think they would be great help to your training," He explained and she blinked.

"Are the dogs going?" Ami gestured to Iku and Hano, the two of them playing roughly.

"Of course," Her mentor replied and she nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for?"


The two of them walked down the sidewalk, since the location they were to meet wasn't far from Hideaki's home. It was about midday, but the small town was mostly quiet. Different colored leaves covered the sidewalks, the crunch of them underneath their feet.

"It's a quiet day, perfect to be outside," Hideaki spoke but Ami was silent, looking in front of her. He blinked at her, before letting out a breath.

"But for you, it is a day of mourning," He then said and she gave him a sideways glance.

"Mom refused to let me stay home to help out," Ami began.

"Some people have different ways of mourning. Your mother wants to be alone, so you abide by her wishes," Hideaki reasoned and Ami saw a point. Her mother needed the silence of their home to mourn over her aunt, as the two were very close siblings. Her aunt was the last remaining family her mother had, and now she just had them.

A few more minutes of silence fell over them, until Hideaki stopped before a large home. Two men dressed in black suits were at the gate, and they stopped the two of them.

"Do you have an appointment?" One of them asked.

"I'm Hideaki Saenoki, and this is my apprentice, Ami Kishinuma. I have come to speak with the two Niwa sisters," Hideaki introduced them both and the men looked at each other.

"Very well. You may enter," They stepped aside, opening the gates to allow them inside. Stepping through, the gates closed behind them.

"What kind of people are these two sisters?" Ami murmured.

"Important ones. Be highly respectful to them, your future depends on them," Hideaki warned and Ami went quiet.

Coming to the front door, Hideaki pressed the button, a small ring going within the home. Moments later, the door opened to reveal a slender woman with long black hair, dressed in lacy wear and charms surrounding her neck.

"Oh hello, you must be Mr. S-Saenoki," The woman stuttered at the name, and Hideaki caught it as odd. He didn't question it though.

"Please, come in!" She invited, stepping aside. Both of them followed, walking through as they entered the home. Across the room, another woman came out to greet them, her pure white hair held up in a neat braid.

"Hello, it's so nice of you to come here today! I'm Kuon, and this is my younger sister, Aiko," The older sister introduced themselves as Aiko stood by her side. Aiko looked over Hideaki much longer than normal, feeling her heart started to throb.

He looks exactly like her.

"So, this must be Ami, no?" Kuon looked over to the teenager and Ami froze in place.

"U-Uh yeah! I'm Ami Kishinuma!" She replied quickly, and both women exchanged a look.

"And who might these two be?" Kuon kneeled down, reaching her hand out towards Hano who was sitting next to Ami.

"This is Hano," Ami replied, Kuon stroking the Shiba Inu's head. The older woman could sense a great source of energy coming from the canine. She glanced over at the German Shepherd, sensing the same wave length.

"They're very well trained," Kuon replied, standing back up. Clearing her throat, she decided to move on.

"How about we go into the kitchen to talk things over?" Kuon asked and both guests nodded.

As the two sisters led them through the home, Hano paused before a hallway, looking down as he noticed a small figure at the end of the hallway. Peeking from behind a wall was a little girl giving off a heavy and alerting aura.

Fur standing on end and growl resonating through his throat, Hano tensed up, baring his fangs. The tug on the leash didn't falter him and Ami noticed.

"Hano?" She turned to the pup, but the dog didn't flinch.

"What's the matter?" Hideaki turned, Iku doing the same.

"I dunno, Hano senses something I guess," Ami responded, continuing to tug at his leash. Ignoring his owner's plea's, he continued to stare down the girl, his single, blue eye starting to give off a faint glow.

"What seems to be the problem?" Kuon appeared before them, noticing how alert the Shiba Inu had become.

"I don't know, he's never done this before," Ami replied quickly, and Kuon looked down the hall. Moments later, the small child disappeared behind the wall and Hano rushed forward, but got pulled back on his leash.

"Down boy!" Ami held firmly onto the leash, the dog finally settling. Kuon stepped down the hallway, curious as to what got the puppy to snap in the first place.

Moments later, she stepped out, a shorter figure following her.

"I'm so sorry, he must've noticed my daughter," Kuon spoke, looking down as the little girl hid behind her legs. Hano got tense again but otherwise stayed quiet.

"I've never seen him react like that before, especially around children," Ami spoke, looking down at the canine with worry.

"Don't worry about it, dogs can react differently," Kuon was quick to reply, before gesturing for her young daughter to step out.

"I guess since you've seen her, I guess it's time to meet her," Kuon said as she gently pushed the reluctant child forward. The little girl wore an oversized, yellow sweater, and a red skirt. Her black hair was short, save that of a single strand over her face. An eye patch covered her left eye, while her other eye was that of crystal blue.

"What do you say?" Kuon looked down to the girl, and she gulped.

"H-Hello..." The girl raised a hand and gave a small wave. Ami smiled at the child and waved back with her free hand.

"This is Sachi, she's usually not this shy around people," Kuon spoke up for her, Sachi turning and hiding behind her mother again.

Hano never took his eyes off the child, however, staring hard at the girl.


Another hour had passed, and Hideaki and Ami were walking home. The mentor had politely suggested to take the teenager home, especially with the sun just over the horizon.

"I think I'll use some of the techniques Aiko suggested, they seemed a lot less draining then from some of your lessons," Ami spoke as they walked, and Hideaki smirked.

"Or you making fun of my teachings?" He poked fun at her and she chuckled.

"Maybe just a bit!" She exclaimed, smiling nonetheless. Silence fell over them after that, until Hideaki decided to bring up something.

"Why don't you have Hano rest when you get home. That small episode with Kuon's daughter was a bit concerning," Hideaki said and Ami agreed.

"Yeah... I've never seen him act like that around a child before," Ami murmured, looking down at the Shiba Inu again.

"I'm sure it was nothing," Hideaki replied, and they all continued forth.

As they arrived at Ami's apartment complex, she turned and bowed to her mentor.

"Thanks for bringing me home," She replied and Hideaki dipped his head.

"It is my duty as your guardian to get you safely home to your parents," He acknowledged and Ami snorted.

"I'm almost eighteen, I don't need to be looked after like a small child," She smirked.

"Ah yes, then you should quit acting like one sometimes," Hideaki commented and she scoffed. After that small scuffle, they said their goodbyes and parted ways, Ami turning to her home as she went up the steps.

Entering her home, she noticed that her father was home already. His jacket and shoes were neatly placed near the entrance, and she grew concerned at this. He was never home before her, so something had happened to her mother.

Releasing Hano of his leash, letting the canine run off, she walked into the living room to see her father and mother on the couch. Upon seeing her, her father brought his finger to his lips, gesturing to stay quiet while her distressed mother slept. Laying against him, the older woman looked disheveled, her sister's death still haunting her.

"Is there anything I can do?" Ami walked up, whispering as she eyed her mother.

"Not right now. She just needs to rest," Her father replied and Ami nodded.

"Is that why you're home early?" Ami asked and Yoshiki nodded. He glanced back at Ayumi with his one good eye, allowing Ami to see the deep scar running across his right eye. Ami stepped away, allowing her parents to stay in silence while she went to go feed Hano.

As she pulled out the kibble, memories of that night started to flash across her mind. She was young when everything happened, but the nightmare still stayed apparent. Her father's scars on his face was a constant reminder of that night, not to mention the deep scar on her arm. But that had since healed away, barely noticeable unless looked upon for a long period of time.

That was one reason why she had Hano. He was her protector, being there to fight anyone or anything that threatened Ami's life. And she was thankful for the Shiba Inu's presence.

Kneeling down, she placed the bowl on the floor, stroking Hano's head as he started to eat.

Seeing that it was too late to converse with her mother about her training, she deemed that she would talk with the older woman in the morning...


Meanwhile...

"That is her, sis,"

"I saw, her abilities are quite strong,"

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"That girl will lead us to the Book of Shadows,"

"You have a point, but how do we coax her to come back here?"

"I'm not sure. Using physical violence will only send her away,"

"Or will it?"

"Aiko, what do you have in mind?"

"I may know someone that could help us. Besides, they also have interest in the book,"

"Do tell..."


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