It was raining heavily. Ko sat at her desk, looking out at the rain in thought. The clouds were so dark, it looked like night had fallen. I hope Tomoe is able to get his work done today. She sat up a little, surprised at her own thoughts. It had been years since she'd had thoughts like that. She suspected that her wandering mind was due to last week's events. The black-haired girl rested her head on the table as she recalled Tomoe's face that day. He was so cold towards her, so suspicious, like he was looking at a complete stranger. Ko sighed and shook her head. In fairness, she was a complete stranger to him. Still, that thought gave her little comfort when she considered how he looked at her.

A sympathetic sigh broke Ko out of her thoughts and she looked over to see Nanami staring out the window in a similarly pensive manner. The wolf yokai walked over, waving slightly. "Hey, Nanami," she greeted cheerfully. "Everything okay?"

The land god blinked, still in a daze, then smiled brightly. "Oh, hey Miko. Yeah, every thing's great, I guess I just kind of got lost in thought for a second." Nanami rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Anyway, where's Kurama?"

"Working." Ko shrugged, though she knew it was a lie. Truthfully, Kurama just hated going out in the rain. He often complained that the water would make his feathers soggy and it put him in a bad mood. Ko would often reply that he was always in a bad mood anyway, to which the crow tengu would retort with a different kind of bird. But that wasn't really something Nanami needed to know, so work was the easier answer. "Where's Tomoe?" Too excited, Ko scolded herself as she cleared her throat and added, "That's your familiar's name, right?"

"Working." Nanami replied in the same tone, though she was slightly more puzzled at the change in Ko's attitude. The two girls nodded in mutual understanding before bursting into a fit of giggles. "I guess our boys are pretty complicated, huh?" Ko giggled and nodded again, though she was surprised to find herself slightly peeved at Nanami calling Tomoe 'theirs'. It wasn't like Ko owned him; in fact, the truth was that he belonged to Nanami. And yet, she still felt a strange possessiveness about him, like a child who is forced to share her toys. However, Nanami changed the subject before Ko could think on the feeling too deeply. "Speaking of, how long have you and Kurama known each other?"

Ko blinked, surprised at the question. She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "Since we were kids. My parents died, and I ran away and bumped into Shinj- I mean, Kurama. We've been together ever since." The land god's eyes widened at her story.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know." Nanami looked away and Ko had to force a smile to keep from screaming. She hated the looks people gave her when she told them that she was a runaway. She wasn't broken or a delinquent; she just had nothing left in her old life.

As the thought passed through her mind, an image of a young girl and a white fox playing together in the autumn leaves popped into her head. Almost nothing.

Ko shook her head and bumped Nanami's shoulder. "It's alright. You couldn't have known. I don't tell anyone about my past." The wolf yokai looked out at the dark sky and sighed. "Not exactly your ideal back story for a pop star." She shook her head and forced another smile. "What about you and Tomoe? You two seem close, how long have you known each other?"

"Oh, not very long," Nanami smiled and shook her head sheepishly. "I only recently became a land god. I was homeless, and the god of the shrine let me stay there." Ko nodded, trying not to let her emotions show. The land god... Could she mean Mikage? The situation had only become more confusing, but Nanami's next question distracted her. "So you're a yokai as well? Are you a crow Tengu like Kurama?"

Ko shook her head. "No, I'm actually a wolf yokai. I look very different without my glamour." Nanami's eyes widened and the older girl grinned, feeling the urge to brag. "I can also turn into various animals at will. Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Nanami giggled, but was unable to continue due to the commotion outside the room.

"Hey, look! There's a snake!" The two girls turned around to get a better look. Two boys were using their brooms to push at a small white snake, clamoring about catching the poor thing. Ko immediately opened her mouth to scold the boys, but Nanami was already up and moving.

"Hey." She told the boys calmly but firmly. "It's said that white snakes are familiars of the gods. You guys are going to be punished if you keep it up." With that, she picked up the snake and placed it outside, smiling softly. "Here you go." Nanami smiled as she watched the snake slither away, thinking to herself that he was white just like Tomoe.

Ko watched the exchange, smirking as the boys of the class exclaimed about Nanami touching the snake with her bare hands. She rolled her eyes and walked over, but her mood quickly dropped when she neared the brunette. "Nanami..." she started, taking Nanami's right hand and inspecting it further. A red line was forming around her wrist, coiling around her hand the same way the snake had been. "You should show this to Tomoe when you get home. He seems like the kind of guy who would know about all kinds of stuff." Nanami nodded and the two girls continued about their day, discussing the boys and classes as if nothing had happened. Still, the thought continued to loom in the back of Ko's mind every time she glanced down at Nanami's hand. She couldn't be entirely sure, but she was almost positive. Tomoe would know for certain, that much she knew. That mark... is almost certainly a mark of engagement...

"Wait, he's doing what?!" Ko stared between Nanami and Tomoe, who was dressed in their school uniform.

Nanami gestured to the fox yokai and shrugged. "He insisted on coming to school with me today."

"Don't act like I wanted to do this," he snapped at her, flipping through the pages of a book. "You said you want to keep your attendance record, so I have no choice but to go here myself." He grabbed Nanami's hand roughly and held it up. "Anyway, don't leave my side when we're at school."

Ko shook her head, forcing herself not to laugh at the fox. A sharp, bitter feeling coursed through her, but she shrugged it off. "Yeah, but... can you really act like a high school student, Tomoe?"

Almost immediately, Tomoe's eyes narrowed at Ko. "Of course I can," he practically growled. "And don't be so casual with me, Tengu. I still don't trust you after that last encounter with Kurama."

Before Ko could respond, Nanami was scolding her familiar. "Don't be so mean to her, Tomoe. And she's not a Tengu, she's a-"

"It's fine, Nanami," Ko cut her off quickly, keeping her eyes on Tomoe. "Tomoe is just doing his duty as your familiar. I can't really blame him." His words hurt, a lot if she was being honest, but Ko wasn't quite ready to reveal herself to the fox. Firstly, she had no idea what she'd even say to him, and even if she did, there was no way of knowing how he'd react. Her pride wasn't quite ready for the potential hit just yet. "Anyway, why is Tomoe following you around in the first place? Shouldn't he be back at the shrine with Oni-" The wolf yokai paused, catching herself. "I mean, with your shrine spirits?"

"It's because of my mark." Nanami held up the hand, still bright red from where the snake had touched her. "Apparently it's a mark of engagement."

"I had feared as much." Ko nodded, frowning at the thought. Forcing marriage was a sensitive subject for her already. Her memories had not faded so much that she had forgotten her childhood playmate. "That conniving little..." she trailed off and growled, shaking her head. Her books were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. When she looked up, both Nanami and Tomoe were staring at her, puzzled. "Sorry, I just... got a little excited. Anyway, now that Tomoe's here, I'm sure you'll be fine Nanami. That snake will realize what a dummyhead he was when he tries to claim a fox's master." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, moving away from the pair. "We should go before we're late, yeah?"

Without waiting for another response, the wolf dashed off, too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the fox staring after her pensively. "What a strange Tengu," he commented, stroking his chin. "I'll have to keep an eye on her."

Nanami frowned up at Tomoe. "Stop that, Tomoe. She's my friend. And I already told you, she's not a Tengu!"

The fox scowled down at her. "You seem to think I care what she is. All that matters is protecting you, Nanami." He sighed. "And friend or not, you should be more wary. She's still a yokai and you are still a land god. Don't think she won't rip out your heart with her own hands if it means getting more power." Even as he said the words, his mind drifted back to the dark-haired woman. He felt strange around her, and not in any way glamour would account for. It wasn't a malicious feeling, quite the opposite actually; he felt as if he'd known Ko her whole life, as impossible as it seemed. The feeling had spiked when she called the snake a 'dummyhead' as well. Memories floated back to him of a young girl with black markings and a sharp tongue. He rubbed the top of his head as if nursing a bruise. How strange... Why am I thinking of her now of all times?

"...Tomoe? Tomoe!" Nanami shaking the fox's arm brought him back to his senses and he looked down at her in annoyance. "Were you even listening to me?"

"I try to avoid it when possible."

"Ugh!" Nanami rolled her eyes and tugged at his arm. "Let's go, we're gonna be late for class."

The day passed by relatively peacefully for Ko. Most of the class was preoccupied with Tomoe. At some point, she thought Nanami had mentioned that they were calling him the son of a rich family that had taken her in. For the most part, the cover went smoothly, with the exception of a few times when Tomoe accidentally called Nanami his master.

Still, it was nice to get a little peace and quiet. Nanami seemed annoyed, but she wasn't used to the constant attention that came from Kurama's suitors as well as her own. Ko took the opportunity to study Tomoe further.

Despite the fact that more than a decade had passed, the fox looked and sounded exactly the same as he had when she was a child. Ko wasn't sure if that made the whole situation better or worse. At the same time, his personality was rougher than she remembered, at least to Nanami. Tomoe was perfectly polite and pleasant to the rest of the classmates - yokai excluded - but Ko could see through that easily. When there were no unsuspecting humans, his temper seemed shorter and his mood generally gruff. Ko couldn't tell if that was his typical demeanor or if it was just due to her own presence.

Regardless, the day passed rather uneventfully. When Ko wasn't watching Tomoe, she was staring out at the dark, rainy sky, lost in thought. These moments provided the perfect opportunity for the fox to watch her in turn.

At first, it was completely unintentional. He found himself staring at her in moments of boredom or distraction, only to shake himself out of it when she caught him looking. As the day went on, however, Tomoe's thoughts also began turning to the yokai. That feeling of familiarity still nagged at him. He knew her from somewhere, but... where?

In addition to thoughts of the female yokai, flashes of memories from over ten years ago seemed to slip into his mind at the strangest times. As the day went on, he began to associate them with different expressions and actions from Ko herself. When she laughed, images of playing in the leaves with a little wolf girl filled his mind; when she scrunched up her nose he recalled being scolded by a seven year old. 'You big dummyhead!' He smiled at the thought, then frowned.

Dummyhead... Tomoe had only ever heard such a childish, ridiculous from one little girl. In honesty, he could see her saying it even as an adult, just to be contrary. Could it be? He studied the yokai carefully, searching for any similarity. The markings, ears, and tail could be hidden easily enough with glamour, especially given her ability to transform. He considered Ko as the day passed. If she were to have grown up, he supposed the young wolf would look something like that. Is it she? Tomoe shook his head. No. It's impossible. His mind was simply playing tricks on him, giving him false hope.

Or so he thought.

It wasn't until nearly the end of the day when his suspicions reared up again. A group of girls were gushing over a magazine featuring Kurama and his favorite things. It was one of those "Are You His Perfect Match?" questionnaires and the girls were bickering over who knew him best. Once again, Tomoe found himself staring at the male Tengu's companion as she stood and walked behind the girls to inspect the magazine. "You know, all those answers are fake." The girls turned in shock as she smiled at them. "Kurama's favorite color is green, not blue. He hates the rain, his favorite season is winter, and his favorite food is chocolate." She shrugged before the other girls could respond, turning and walking out of the classroom as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Nanami chuckled, watching the gaggle of jealous human girls file out of the class, gossiping about the exchange. "Miko is funny. She knows just how people work."

Tomoe perked up at the name, turning to look at his master. "Miko? Is that the Tengu's name?" He frowned. "I thought it was Ki or something like that."

"She goes by Ko," Nanami replied, looking annoyed. "But her real name is Miko. And I already told you, Tomoe. She's not a crow, she's a wolf yokai."

A wolf? His eyes narrowed. "She was lying. There are no more wolf yokai. They all died ten years ago."

"She was not!" the land god retorted indignantly. "Miko told me herself that she ran away from home a long time ago. Maybe she managed to escape." So it was true. It was her. After all those years, Tomoe hadn't even recognized her. He wasn't sure what to feel at that point. You came back... Miko...

As if summoned by his thoughts alone, the wolf yokai appeared in the doorway, looking at the two. "Ah, sorry if I'm interrupting." Ko smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. She pointed at her desk, her items still scattered about. "I really had to pee and I forgot my bag. I didn't realize anyone was still in here." She walked to her desk and began packing up. "Oh, but you have daily duty today, right Nanami?"

The land god nodded and picked up the notebook. "Right! I'll go take this to the staff room."

Tomoe nodded, his eyes still on Ko. She was still packing her bag, her back to him. He stood and walked to the windowsill, leaning against it as he studied her further. "So, Nanami tells me you two have become quite close."

She nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Look," Ko sighed. "If you're worried about me hurting her-"

"I'm not." The wolf yokai raised an eyebrow at him quizzically, prompting him to continue. "I saw how upset you were this morning when we were discussing her mark of engagement. You seem very protective of Nanami. I'm... glad she has a friend like you."

"You are?"

He nodded. "Indeed. It spares me some worry while she is here at school without me. So, thank you for that."

Ko blushed lightly and closed her bag, shaking her head. "You don't need to thank me. Nanami's a really nice girl."

"Indeed." Tomoe looked out the window. "She reminds me of someone I used to care for. A little girl." Ko froze, but didn't respond. Her eyes stayed on the desk, unable to move. "She was like family to me. But she ran away a long time ago. I never saw her again. I felt like I had lost my best friend all over again. Nanami tells me you ran away from home as a child as well." Ko slowly looked up to meet Tomoe's eyes, her whole body shaking beneath his heavy gaze. "Tell me, what was going through your mind that day?"

Ko was paralyzed. It took several moments for her to move her mouth, and several more for words to come out. "Tomoe, I-" Before she could continue further, a sense of danger ran through them both, sending chills down their spines. Suddenly, Ko remembered the whole reason for Tomoe being at school in the first place. She looked at Tomoe wildly. "Nanami's in trouble!"

Being back at the shrine was a rather bittersweet experience. It still looked the same, but the shrine had always seemed to be missing something. Ko knew it had been due to Lord Mikage's absence so it was only natural that this feeling would dissipate with Nanami becoming the land god. Ko smiled, grateful that her childhood home was now at peace once again. She walked through the halls of the shrine, reminiscing to herself. The feeling was akin to coming home after a long journey. Nothing would have made her happier at that moment.

But Nanami was still missing.

"Lady Nanami has been kidnapped!" Ko could hear Kotetsu crying in the yard. She sighed, knowing that Onikiri was probably out there as well.

Like clockwork, Onikiri's voice echoed through the halls. "Lady Nanami was made to marry a snake!" Ko walked outside, forcing herself not to smile at the fuss they were making. "It's over for our shrine!"

"Don't cry, Onikiri." She bent down to pat the shrine spirits on their heads. "We still have hope. Look," she gestured to Tomoe, who was sitting on the porch quietly. "Tomoe has been very calm this whole time. I'm sure he's thinking of a way to save Nanami as we speak." She smiled reassuringly at the pair.

Kotetsu nodded eagerly. "It's as Lady Miko says! Ever since he came back, he's been polishing the bottles on the porch. He doesn't appear to be perturbed at all."

Ko wasn't so sure this was the case, but she didn't want to upset the spirits further. The fox familiar hadn't said more than two words to Ko since they'd found out Nanami had been taken. Almost immediately, Tomoe had sent his fox fire out to search for her. After that, he'd merely ordered her to follow as he returned to the shrine.

"As expected from the number one familiar in Japan!" Onikiri nodded in agreement. The shrine spirits looked up at Ko. "And now that Lady Miko has returned to us, there's no way our luck can break!"

"He must have some plan." Kotetsu declared confidently and Onikiri muttered her agreement. Ko smiled, happy to have pacified the spirits.

The peace didn't last long though. Within moments of Kotetsu's own reassurance, a bottle slipped from Tomoe's grasp, shattering as it hit the ground. Immediately, the shrine spirits started crying hysterically. "It's no use! It's over for our shrine!"

"Shut up!" Tomoe snapped at the pair, causing them to immediately cry even more. Tomoe cursed under his breath, looking down at his hands. I didn't think I'd be this worked up. "Tch." He curled his hand into a fist. With her power and brains, she can't even protect herself. She's probably crying right now... Tomoe glanced down at the pot, knowing full well that Ko was watching behind him. Things that have fallen away from my hands... It's just like back then... Am I really so useless as to let this happen again?

"Tomoe." Ko placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice firm. He looked up at the wolf. Her eyes, still hazel, were boring into his lavender ones with steely conviction. "We're going to get her back."

The fox closed his eyes and sighed, nodding. "You're right. We will get her back, at all costs." He glanced back at the bottle. While she's still within my reach...

Ko sighed and sat down on the porch, looking out at the yard. She remembered playing with Tomoe, running through the leaves in the fall. She'd never seen the shrine in the spring. It was brighter and - given better circumstances, Ko assumed - more cheerful. She smiled, kicking her legs gently.

"Thinking of a simpler time?" Tomoe's voice broke her out of her reverie.

The wolf didn't meet his eyes, still gazing out at the yard. "How long have you known?"

Tomoe sighed and leaned back on his hands. "I suppose I should have figured it out sooner. As soon as I met you, I felt... connected to you. But it wasn't until Nanami told me that I was able to put all the pieces together." He shook his head. "I'm ashamed to say it took me that long. But... why didn't you tell me? Why not come to the shrine?"

"I..." Ko paused, drawing her knees to her chest. "I was afraid." Tomoe turned to look at her, but she continued before he could protest. "I wasn't afraid of you. I thought that if I came back to the shrine and word got out..." She shook her head. "I didn't want to go back to Izumo. And I didn't want to put you in danger. And also... I didn't know how you'd react. I didn't exactly leave things on a positive note."

"This is your home, Miko." Her head snapped up. It was the first time he had called her that. When she looked at Tomoe, the fox familiar was staring at her intently, his expression firm. "No matter what happens, no matter where you go, this is your home." Before he could say anything else, Miko jerked forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Tomoe held her gently, whispering reassurances as he stroked her hair. Memories of this same scene from over 10 years ago slipped through his mind. She was much smaller then, but she still held on to him just as tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

The pair stayed like that for a while before they were interrupted. "Master Tomoe..." He looked up to see one of his flames waiting patiently by his head. "We've found her."

"Let's go then." Tomoe glanced down as Miko pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. Her glamour had fallen away. Black filigree ran down her arms and legs and across her face. Her ears and tail, now streaked with white, were twitching impatiently as her eyes, molten gold once more, lit up with excitement. "We're going to kick that snake's ass and save Nanami."

"Well, that was anti-climactic," Miko complained as the group left the dam. In the end, Nanami befriended her captor and promised to meet with him again if he got lonely. Sounds like a case of Stockholm Syndrome to me... "Anyway, what's wrong, Tomoe? You've been in a bad mood since we left."

The fox familiar shrugged. "Not really." He kept his gaze forward, but Miko could have sworn she saw his eye twitch a few times. "You've gotten pretty close to that snake," he told Nanami. "You even promised to meet with him again right in front of my eyes. Was I just a clown or something?"

So he is angry... Miko chuckled. Dummyhead.

"But I couldn't just leave him alone." Nanami's sheepish reply drew Miko's attention. The land god was staring off into space, her expression thoughtful. "If I was to die and you were left all alone... When I think about how you might become like him, I couldn't leave him alone."

Miko frowned, looking away. Tomoe was left all alone, twice. Once by Mikage, and once by me... She thought back to Mizuki's words from earlier when Tomoe threatened to burn down his tree.

'Lady Yonomori's tree is my precious treasure,' the snake had said. 'You understand it, right? Since you're also a familiar like me, Tomoe.'

Despite trying to act cold, Miko could tell that Mizuki's words had gotten under Tomoe's skin. 'Yeah. I understand it. So well that it hurts.'

Tomoe... Miko looked over at him. You must have been so lonely... All this time...

"That's an absurd fear." Tomoe's blunt tone immediately crashed through the atmosphere like a burning plane. Miko put her hand on her head and sighed. You big dummy... Learn some tact. Almost immediately, however, Tomoe's attention was drawn to the scrape on Nanami's knee. He knelt down to inspect the wound. "Were you hurt?"

"I only fell down a little," Nanami reassured him. "I'm fine."

The fox familiar ignored her words, sighing. "I'm sorry. Just as I wasn't looking, you got taken away." He bit his lip, considering the day's events. She bleeds just by falling down. Tomoe sighed. She gets into danger so easily... I've got to be careful not to break her.

Nanami laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Jeez, Tomoe. Don't say something so out of character all of a sudden like that. If you say something like that, I'll get carried away and act spoiled." The fox nodded but didn't respond, still lost in thought.

"Hey." Miko placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly as he turned to look at her. "Let's go home, Tomoe."