Echo: *yawn* Can we start?

Me: Yes.

Echo: Took you long enough last time.

Me: /:(

Yukishi: :P

Me: Yuki, you're not supposed to be here yet!

Yukishi: *sips tea* Shut your face. :P

Me: *sigh* Disclaimer: I don't own Okami/OkamiDen..

Echo: We like messing with you. Especially when you don't update in forever! :D

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Steps creaked beneath my paws, and cold winds blew across the rooftop, rippling the water pouring from the mouths of two koi fountains. In the sky, black clouds covered part of a crimson moon. Kurow and I both tore off our fake demon masks.

Issun glowed a bright red, and he leapt off my head, unsheathing his sword as he did.

"Alright, you fox-faced wretch.. C'mon out and face me! I'm going to avenge everyone that was slaughtered by your paws!" he roared.

Kurow looked around with a puzzled expression, "Um.. Are you sure she's here, dude? What if she fled once she knew we were coming?"

Issun turned back and growled, "You kiddin', kid? That mangy kitsune wouldn't back down even if her paws were tied behind her head!"

Carefully, I examined the area. If I saw her howling from the platform, then maybe.. Suddenly, I thought of an idea. It was a dumb one, but it might just work.

I let loose a Galestorm on the blackened clouds, clearing the sky so that the crimson moon bathed the island in a blood-red hue. In the sky, stars were grouped together in a peculiar pattern.

"Guys!" I barked, "This is it! I found her!" Issun and Kurow turned at the sound of my voice, then faced the sky. Working quickly, I filled in the remaining stars and they shined a bright red. In a blur of black and red, a kitsune, not much bigger than me, leapt from the skies.

Issun froze in place, "Wait... Who are you?!" he shouted in shock.

The kitsune's head was lowered, "I have waited a long time for this moment..."

"Save it, dude! We're not here to hear your speech!" Kurow shouted. The kitsune snarled at him in reply.

"Didn't I tell you not to mess in the ordeals of others, moon boy?" she hissed. Kurow took a step back, offended by her remark. Her gaze fell back on me, "You murderer.. How could you run away without feeling any guilt? Deceiving countless people and gaining their trust, even though they don't know who you really are.."

I took a step back as well, "What are you talking about? Those demons were hurting innocent people! They had to-"

"SILENCE!" she growled in my face. "The demons aren't the problem, it's the fact that an innocent live was taken, from me. You, Echoterasu, are to blame."

She paced the battlefield, and I did the same, following her footsteps around the perimeter, "You guiltily go under the guise of a shy wolf Goddess, yet at heart you are a liar and a tyrant!"

"I am not! I've never hurt an innocent being in my life!" I barked angrily, "How could you accuse me of a crime I didn't commit?"

The kitsune turned away, "Denial.." she glared back at me, "It will get you nowhere!"

The field was suddenly surrounded by a demonic barrier. Issun and Kurow were trapped on the outside of it, leaving only the demon and I to fight alone.

"Hear me now, Echoterasu! I, Sukani, shall exact revenge on you for the pain you have inflicted upon me!"

She howled with fury, then launched herself at me, clawing at my fur with her dagger-like claws. I winced as pain seared down my flank. Quickly, I leapt up off the ground and tackled her, rolling along the wooden platform with the kitsune between my claws. As I pinned her down to aim a blow, she launched me upward and onto my back, knocking the wind out of me. I coughed violently, trying to suck air back in. She slowly paced up to me.

"I could have just leapt up and ripped your throat out, but it's more fun to watch you suffer, hehehe!" she snickered.

I pounced at her legs, knocking them out from under her. Her head slammed against the ground and dazed her, and I slammed her in the head with my Lunar Mirror.

Recovering, she caught the weapon in her jaws and threw it back at me just as it flew at her again, but I dodged and caught it like a Frisbee. I switched to my Solar Beads and wrapped them around her tails, throwing her into the energy wall. Sukani fell to the floor in a crumpled heap of black fur.

I cautiously approached her, weapons ready to strike at any time. She didn't budge, not even a bit. As I reached out to jab her shoulder with my paw, her dark blue eyes shot open. She Power Slashed me away, causing my fur to get stained with a gash of crimson red.

I gasped. How does she know Brush Techniques?!

I panted heavily, almost ready to drop onto the ground. But I didn't. I leapt up and dug my teeth into Sukani's shoulder, then drew back.

"Why do you think I caused you pain?" I howled weakly at her, "Why..?"

"You.. Killed my mother.." she spoke solemnly, "You killed her.. She's dead because of you!"

A howl broke the moment of stillness in the air, another kitsune, respectively.

"Urg... I'm too weak to fight now.." she glared at me, "We will meet again, you can count on that." The demon turned-tail and ran, leaping gracefully off the platform. I went to run after her, but after striding a few feet my legs collapsed beneath me. At the same time, the barrier faded around me.

Kurow and Issun ran up to me. Kurow's eyes were clouded with worry, "Echo.. I'm so sorry, dude! I should've stayed by you so you wouldn't have had to take her on alone!" I could see the tears building in his eyes, but he wiped them away before they could fall.

"Kurow.. This battle was made for me alone." I reassured him, "It's going to take a lot more than a kitsune to put me down.. You need to keep your hopes up..." Still, he stared at me with pure regret.

Issun growled at the sky, "You're still out there, Ninetails. I can feel it. That young fox wasn't brought here by accident.."

Kurow put on his wings, then scooped me up in his arms. Issun hopped up on his shoulder and held on. The ground shook violently as he prepared to fly.

"Hold on, Echo. We'll get you help." he pleaded.

I smiled, "I'll be fine." I let myself close my eyes to relax, but I was unexpectedly engulfed in blackness and I lost myself to exhaustion.

I awoke in a small room. The scent of herbs was somewhat suffocating, but relaxing. I tried to get up, but my limbs were sore and I was bandaged up more than an ancient mummy.

It was quiet, and no one seemed to be around. I couldn't even hear footsteps outside.

This place somehow feels familiar.. I thought, Surely Kurow didn't fly all the way back to Yakushi Village just to have my wounds patched up? Though the herbs were familiar, the place just didn't look the same.

In a last attempt to walk, I pushed myself up again, but pitifully fell back down as my leg muscles ached. I laid there, staring into space, not knowing what else to do. I closed my eyes, hoping to find solitude in my dreams, but sleep never came.

(Kurow's POV)

I sighed regretfully. Once again I'd let my partner down, and she was lying unconscious at Dr. Bluebeard's; she'd been out for almost a day. However, I was sitting comfortably at Kagu's with no injuries at all. I absentmindedly twirled one of my stray hairs with my finger.

Kagu walked in and offered me some tea, but I refused. I just felt sickened to the point that hunger or thirst seemed meaningless.

"Kurow," she slammed the tea tray on the table, "you need to stop moping around! Echo's alive, and you heard what Dr. Bluebeard said. She'll be healed in a week's time at the maximum, and there weren't any major injuries; mostly it was exhaustion."

I sighed again, eyes cloudy with tears, "But I did nothing to help her, Kagu. Like, I could've at least tried to stay by her, but I was too busy talking to Issun..."

Kagu put her hand on my shoulder, "Echo's young, Kurow. She's probably the same age as you in dog years.. or human years. I'm not sure which you'd count for her right now.. So far, though, she's learned a lot, and she'll continue to get stronger by your side. But you can't cry over every defeat! Do you know how hard that'll be on Echo if she knows you're upset about losing?"

Thinking, I knew she was right. In this world, Echo was pretty much just a lost child. She was new to everything, and if I was sad, the feeling would probably be mutual.

I looked up at Kagu, "I'll try harder, Kagu. If Echo, like, needs me, I'll be there for her. If we lose, than I'll make sure she totally pushes forward!"

Kagu smiled, "That's what I wanted to hear!" She pulled me into a hug. "You need to keep that energetic attitude all the time, Kurow! That's what got you through everything with Pooch!"

"Uh.. thanks.." I blushed. "You know, you are, like, really huggy today, dude."

Kagu gasped and pushed away, embarrassed. "I, um, need to go look up some information on Ninetails so.. Um.. I'll let you know if I find anything out.." With a quick sprint, Kagu was out the door.

(Kagu's POV, a few moments later)

"Anything?"

"Nothing so far, I'm afraid." Miko Cho replied. "Perhaps we should check the Bestiaries?"

I sighed with disappointment, "I've read most of them before. All they say is what the demons look like and how they attack. Some of them have locations, but I doubt that will help us in Ninetails's case. The only place she's ever been seen has been Oni Island, and that's gone now.."

Suddenly, Miko Cho gasped, "Hold on a moment! I just thought of something." quickly sprinting to the corner of the scroll room, Miko Cho pulled out a long scroll from the shelf in the wall. I followed her. "I recently started reading this to get the full tale of the journey of Amaterasu, as told by the Celestial Envoy that accompanied her." She unrolled it, revealing two black, smoke-like clouds floating past a sinking Oni Island.

I looked at her, confused, "What is that?" I asked.

"These clouds are the dark spirits of Blight and Ninetails, both demons previously defeated by Amaterasu." Miko Cho explained. "Apparently, the spirits headed to the land of the far north to meet up with the Dark Lord, Yami. I suggest that would be a good place for Kurow and Echo to head to next."

"Land to the far north?" I questioned. "But.. isn't that..?"

Milo Cho nodded, "Yes. The land where darkness gathers in the frozen tundra, and where few souls are brave enough to go. That is Kamui, and that is where their journey is headed next.

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Me: Okay, I am TERRIBLY SORRY for the extreme delay on this! I was having trouble finishing up this chapter, and with me graduating from middle school and having to work on other things (FF:tC audio project, a few stories, art trades, etc.) I haven't had time to continue this until now! :( However, summer break starts this Saturday, so I'm determined to finish this before high school starts next fall! :D

As always, please review, and I'm glad you still stuck around despite the long hiatus! :)