Kasureta koe de tobashita omoi mo

Todokanai mujou ni kieteku kokoro wo tsukamenai

Hitomi ni utsushita kioku kaeshite

Kono saki no mirai ni kitto mata deaeru to shin'jite!

"Hey Mom, can I invite my friend over?" Ame asked.

Ikiru was lying down on the roof of the cave again, watching her cubs play. She looked at her youngest with golden eyes.

"Of course," she nodded. Her voice was strong, but calm and polite. Ame didn't know why, but she was suddenly reminded of Kid and his obsessively gentlemanly ways. "However," Ikiru continued. "If they do anything stupid, I'll have to gouge their eyes out and burn their insides."

"Yay!" Ame cheered, throwing her hands up in victory.

Ame's Home; Kishin Who Skip Through a Cherry Blossom Forest?

The next day, Ame met Kid by the side of the forest.

"You ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

"Come on," she said, guiding him through the brush and trees, deeper into the forest than he had ever gone before. "You must never come here without me. My mom thought today of all days was best to bring up the talk."

"The talk?" Kid asked. "Like, the 'honey, don't give into pressure' talk?"

"Yes," Ame winced. "I mean, seriously, Mom, I know I'm a kid, but I'm still a god. I won't do anything rash. Well, I do have tons of power, but I have to be careful. If I use it for silly or selfish reasons, or if someone pressures me into it, it could cause a paradox. I totally get that!"

"But the way they talk to you is so embarrassing," Kid sympathized. "I've never been able to talk about this, and I was actually going to keep it from you like everyone else, but I guess you have the same problem. And I know I'm a bit selfish, but thinking that their own children could do some of that horrible stuff just because they have power is sick."

"They just don't want us to end up like Asura," Ame said. Kid's pace slowed.

"Ame…? What you said earlier… about your eye…."

"Yes, I remember," Ame wasn't facing him. Her tone was stifled somehow, as if it wasn't really her talking. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring it up to anyone else. Not even my mother."

"Okay."

"It was Asura," she began quietly. "He gouged my sister's eye out and put it in his forehead. With the abilities it gave him, he became a monster and killed her. I bet he's sorry though." She laughed lightly and turned to him with a bright smile on her child-like face. "Come on, let's eat!"

They stopped by a river to relax and eat lunch. Kid stared at the mountains and trees with a serene smile. This was a world untouched by humans.

"It's so peaceful here," he said. "I never thought a place like this could exist. You all just live at peace with each other. I know now why the world is in such imbalance and disarray. You're an Inochigami, whether you believe it or not, with divine judgment and you deserve to be in this world just like I do. Maybe… we could change this fate. Maybe there's still a chance for you. Don't you think?"

He turned to her to see her laying down, her eyes closed. "Hey, did you fall asleep?"

He didn't think his speech was that boring, but they both got a bit spacey sometimes. Her eyes were closed and her breath was heavy with sleep. Kid smiled; she was kind of endearing, no matter how a-symmetrical she was. Kid packed his lunch and got to his feet. He'd explore a bit, but he wouldn't go far. He found a small cave, no doubt where Ame and her brothers stayed. He turned around when he saw a large wolf perched on the roof of the cave. Kid jumped back in surprise.

"You're Lord Death's son, aren't you?" the wolf asked in her elegant, yet deep, wolfine voice. Her mouth moved only slightly when she spoke, like all the other animals. "I can tell by the stripes in your hair."

"I am Death the Kid," he nodded quietly. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt strong fear in her presence. "Are you Ikiru, the goddess of Life?"

"Oh, so you have heard of me?" she quizzed. "I know Lord Death keeps us a secret out here, per my wishes. I don't want the humans to bother us anymore. Tell me, what do you feel towards my daughter, Ame?"

"I… I guess I never thought about it," Kid admitted. Ikiru was different than Ame told him. His expression became wistful as he gazed at the girl sleeping by the river bank. "I dream about her every night."

"That's all you can say?!" Ikiru snarled. She laughed. "You're even worse than Asura. It's his fault that my first daughter died. My own flesh and blood, torn apart by that coward."

Kid suppressed a shudder as he snapped his gaze to her.

"Ikiru, why can't the humans and the forest live together in peace?" he asked.

"You think I'd give you a different answer than your father did?" Ikiru growled. "The humans don't need us anymore. I lie hear, listening to the pain of my brothers and sisters as they become Kishin or die. You and your comrades will hunt us down and the blades of your weapons will burn us alive."

"And what happens to Ame?" Kid pressed. "You're just going to let her die with the rest of you?"

"You think like a human," Ikiru snapped. "Typical. Selfish. Ame is my daughter. She is a true Inochigami. When the forest dies, so does she."

"You must set her free!" Kid shouted. "Ame can live with us. She doesn't have to endure this curse with you."

"Silence, boy!" Ikiru barked.

Isn't it ironic how the god of death is cheerful, but the goddess of life is scary as heck?

"How dare you speak to a god like that? What happens when those stripes in your hair connect?"

"I will surpass my father and he will die," Kid replied quietly.

"And has he accepted that fate? Ame isn't only the spirit of life, but she is also the embodiment of innocence, and a creature of love. The thing that you think makes her ugly—her eye—is unclouded by hate. When she transformed into a human, I knew she had been chosen to surpass me, but we have no purpose. Now my poor, ugly, beautiful daughter is something neither god nor mortal. Those humans are killing her, and yet she loves them all. If Ame becomes human, the hate will consume her and she will become a Kishin egg and die."

Kid tensed. "Humans aren't just hatred; I can protect her."

Ikiru laughed sadistically. "How? Are you going to keep her locked up in some cage? Or are you going to force her to stay in this graveyard of spirits after we all pass? Face it, Kid, you can't help her. None of you can. Love Ame, treasure her, because when she's gone, you will never be able to love again."

Soul Eater

Kid stared ahead at the river as Ame continued sleeping. The wolf awoke, sitting up, yawning, and rubbing her eyes. Kid glanced at her and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"Good morning, sunshine," he greeted softly. Ame smiled back, but snapped to attention when she noticed his troubled expression.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Kid didn't want to lie to her.

"Well. I… met your mother," he explained quietly.

"Oh," Ame winced. "Awkward."

Kid was glad to get as far from the den as possible. Ame didn't seem troubled anymore, either. She skipped beside him as they continued through a grove of cherry blossoms, swinging her arms back and forth childishly. It all felt very ancient-Japan to Kid. Ame started to hum, then she started to sing.

"All of the frogs, Go Kero-kero,

And won't even lose to the rain

When it gets cold, they hibernate,

It is the Mashiju-sama's Destiny!"

Kid began giggling under his breath. She was hard to take seriously sometimes with the silly songs she sang.

"All of the frogs, go jumping around

And they won't lose to the wind

Their little tails, go wiggling around,

It is the Tadpole's Destiny!"

Kid couldn't contain it anymore; he began laughing, which is what Ame wanted, of course. Kid realized how rude he was being laughing at someone when her feelings could be hurt.

"I'm sorry," Kid covered his mouth with his hands, composing himself, but still smiling. "I didn't mean to laugh."

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that," Ame noticed, squinting at him with a soft grin on her face. "I really like it; it gives me a homey feeling."

"What do you mean 'homey'?" Kid asked as they continued walking.

"There are many homes in the human world that I can't help but like," Ame sighed, letting her gaze reach up to the plushy clouds. Cherry blossoms rained around them. "There are homes with kids and homes with elders. There are big homes and little homes. They all have stories behind every stain and every repair. They have people going to jobs and school, and coming home after each day, and their home is always there for them." *

Kid thought about it. She could be talking about houses, but he knew she was honestly talking about families. They paused on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast valley. Several animals, deer, boars, foxes, and small vermin, scampered, skittered, and sprinted across the green grass. There wasn't too much green like in most park reserves, and it wasn't too brown like commonly humanly-run communities. Kid was once again astounded by the perfect balance of this world.

"I think it's just my natural instinct to want to grow up," Ame continued, staring off the cliff and looking at the valley below. "I don't know where I belong. Without my purpose, should I stay here, or try to live in the normal world and make my own home?" She sighed quietly. It sounded like she liked that idea. "Every day would be a good day that I have a home. I'd come home in the evening just to simply say 'I'm home!'"

Kid waited a moment to admit what he was thinking.

"And I'd tell you, 'Welcome home.'"

Ame gasped and turned to look at him, her eyes wide and filled with tears she'd been trying to hide. Kid smiled.

"You could be at home with me, Ame," he said quietly. Ame's mouth opened, as if she wanted to say something, but she put her head down and began rubbing her eyes on her sleeve. Kid instantly felt bad for making her cry. He put a hand on her shoulder with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, are you okay? I didn't mean to upset you."

"I fear you don't yet know the purpose behind your words," she whispered. She looked up suddenly, sniffing the air and raising her ears attentively. Kid didn't react; she probably found another rat. He was surprised, however, when she tackled him, shoving him into a small nook between two trees.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing you animal?!" he demanded. "Get off!"

"Shh," Ame whispered, curling her tail around his waist. Kid eyed her position uncertainly; she was standing over him in a way that she covered his entire body with her own. She pressed her body closer to him, her scent covering his. Kid blushed at the closeness.

'Get off,' he thought. 'Get off, get off, get off, please get off.'

Ame was staring out the opening of their little hiding spot, aggression radiating off her raised hackles. After a moment of complete silence, Kid saw the shadowy figure of a large animal brush past, sniffing the air and the plants as if searching for something. Kid gasped and Ame put her hand over his mouth. After determining whatever it was looking for wasn't there, it moved on. Ame sat up, her nose twitching.

"That boar was looking for you," she said. She got to her feet hurriedly and pulled Kid out of the burrow. "You need to leave. Now."

"Ame?" Kid stumbled after her. "Why do all the animals want to eat me?"

"For the same reason I said, Kid," Ame's voice was dark. "They wish to gain your power."

Gasp! They're after Kid! What do you think will happen? Who is looking for him anyway? We're nearing the conclusion of the first arc people, and it will change Ame and Kid's lives forever.