Nathanael slowly walked along the street path his head bowed. The city seemed dull to him now, the place overcrowded with noise and people but he couldn't go back he wasn't wanted or so he thought. He stopped continuing to look at the grey pavement beneath his feet. 'Here I am again…nowhere to go…'
"Hang in there, Lady Aurore!" The spirits said while gripping onto her blue dress.
Aurore continued to throw her sacred sake at the miasma clouds. She glanced down at the spirits "What's that supposed to mean? All I'm doing is throwing sake around" Lila rushed past them nearly sending them flying she jumped at the pillars holding up the white arch entrance and elegantly made her way to stand on the top. Olive eyes narrowed and ears alert as she looked at the city below. Her hair whipping in the breeze.
Aurore and the spirits craned their necks to watch her with matching befuddled expressions. Aurore opened her mouth to ask what she was doing but Lila shouted over her.
"Fox-fires find Nathanael!" she summoned three large flames of fox fire from her hands and jumped down from the arch.
Aurore's eyes widened "Nathanael…you mean he's gone?"
Lila didn't answer already running down the stone steps. Aurore gasped "Wait for me I'm coming too!" she ran after the kitsune.
"Lady Aurore, the Miasma!" Duusu cried.
Aurore glanced back and grinned "Here you go!" she threw the wooden sake holder at the spirits who caught it with alarmed expressions. "Do what you can!" the snake familiar shouted over her shoulder.
"What!" the spirits exclaimed. "That is impossible we cannot do anything!
The miasma stained the ground as it headed towards the shrine spirits who shrieked. Duusu holding the sake started to throw it at the miasma as her and Nooroo backed away with fearful eyes.
Above the Shrine Hanae still sat lazing on her cloud. "Oh my both familiars have abandoned the shrine, what about the miasma?" she glanced down at the thickening miasma and smirked "I could always retrieve it…but where's the fun in that?" she laughed. "Aren't I the sweetest wind God ever, yes, yes I am" she lay back down on the cloud intending to nap.
Lila's fox fires flew swiftly around the city unnoticed by the humans travelling about the area they twisted through shops, down alleyways, around parks and many other areas but still could find no sign of Nathanael.
High in the sky, Aurore was travelling by large serpent. She looked down below and called "Nathanael" she came to a bell tower and looked inside the bell "Nathanael are you in there?" and when she saw no sign she moved on.
Lila stood on the roof of a high building her fox fires returning to her one by one.
"Lady Lila!" one said, its voice sounding like an echo.
"We have searched everywhere but we cannot find Lord Nathanael at all!" the second said.
The third one trailed over "We cannot even sense his presence, I saw no signs of him at all"
Lila looked at them her mouth in a tight line while her eyes burned with anger. They shrieked and clung together.
"We shall continue the search for him!" they exclaimed splitting up and zooming off.
Lila allowed the quiet anger on her face to vanish replaced with worry as her forehead creased and she nibbled on her lower lip. 'Oh, Nathanael wherever are you?' Her last memory of Rose resurfaced. "Lila…I'm going into town" she shook her head. 'That was the past…it's different now…I don't know why but…but I just can't lose him' She looked across the town and could see the school building. She jumped from the roof and landed elegantly on her feet and started running towards it. She finally arrived at the school and ran past students shoving them out of the way. She came to their classroom and pushed open the door. Her eyes darted about the classroom, The class eyes lit up.
"It's Lila!" the boys cheered.
"She's dressed all traditional!"
"She looks good in it!"
Luka looked up and smirked "What's the matter fox? You all wound up because you're late?" he laughed and stood up approaching the door "Nice outfit, for someone with no fashion sense" Lila slammed the door in his face and went rushing back down the corridor. She came to the roof and crashed through the door on to it. She looked around but there was no Nathanael here either.
Luka stormed up to her "What the hell was that fox? No one ignores me!" Lila turned and just ran past him knocking him into the wall.
She came to the boy's bathroom and flung open the door. Luka rushed up "Oi, Pervert that's the boy's bathroom you can't go in there!" he scowled. She pushed past sending him sprawling to the ground. She was heading out of the school when Luka caught her by the sleeve. She stopped and looked to him with a glare.
"what's going on? I know hostile is your thing but this is a bit much even for you"
Lila just continued to glare at the tengu.
His eyes widened "Is it Nathanael?"
"Stay out of this crow" she snapped "It's none of your business" Just about then Aurore appeared by an open window on her white serpent.
"Hey, Luka have you seen Nathanael? We can't find him anywhere"
Lila growled and ran through the window kicking her in the face. Aurore collapsed holding onto a lower part of the serpent. "Sorry didn't see you there" Aurore sheepishly laughed.
Lila folded her arms standing on the serpents back "Just go!" she snarled. The serpent twisted through the sky.
"Okay, but why must you always be so violent?" Aurore grumbled.
"We still can't find him after all this searching" Aurore complained lying on her belly on the back of the serpent gazing at the city below. "Maybe he's left the city altogether"
Lila shook her head "No, he has used a white talisman"
The fox fires lazily floated through the air flickering between existent and non-existent.
"Any sign of him yet?" one asked.
"No, I'm running on empty too"
"Same here"
They all sighed "Lord Nathanael where on earth could you be?" they floated over a park bench where a red-haired boy sat a talisman on him that flittered in the wind. The boy's eyes were dull and emotionless as he stared unblinking to the ground and then the dam broke and all his emotions came tumbling out. His eyes flooded with tears and his lower lip trembled. 'Why do I always end up alone? My mother left me…not of her own choice but still…father left me but he's a useless good for nothing and…and Lila even Lila doesn't need me around'
He shook his head and wiped away the tears. He stood up and forced a smile "I'll just go back to square one!" he laughed but it was hollow and emotionless. "I mean me being a God you've got to be joking!" he started to walk on a few steps then stopped. "Back to square one" he muttered. He looked behind him at the tree, the very tree he had first met Lady Rose. His eyes widened.
Then voices interrupted his memories as two girls a few years younger than him walked along the path behind him.
"I'm so excited for that festival this weekend, what's the name of the shrine again?"
"The Mikage shrine" the other replied as she looked at the leaflet in her hands "sounds cool"
"We should totally ask Clyde and Zack if they want to go"
"Yeah, I'm sure they will" They walked away giggling.
Nathanael blinked and then a page came tumbling through the wind getting trapped by his leg. He slowly reached down and picked it up. It was one of the leaflets he mad for the festival. He gripped it tightly then stuffed it in his pocket. Reaching up he ripped the talisman from his forehead and took a deep breath a determined look in his eyes. "What am I doing running away? That place is my home, the shrine is my home" he started running back in the direction of the shrine "I have to protect it!"
The Fox-fires tiredly fluttered through the wind calling Nathanael's name. They stopped suddenly when they heard his voice. Looking around he ran straight past them. "Lord Nathanael we've found him!" they cheered.
"I have to save my home, I have to at least try…I may not be able to do much but it's up to me!" Nathanael said as he ran towards the stone steps of the shrine "I'm the only one who can do this!"
Back at the shrine things went from bad to worse as the miasma crept inside the buildings including the shed and mixed with the dark smoke emitting from the chest whose seal had broken moments before. There was a bang as the miasma gave the smoke the strength to blow the full chest to smithereens escaping into the open air while also blowing a hole in the roof. The spirits gasped and looked around to see a large dark green cloud billow into the air.
"That is coming from the shed," Nooroo said.
"What has caused this giant miasma to form?"
There was large rumbled in the air as the miasma spread over the sky slowly casting away all rays of light. The spirits shrieked and the sake bottle fell from Nooroo's grip. "Oh no I dropped the sacred sake!" he cried. They watched as it spilt over the ground.
"What is happening?" Duusu said "it looks like the dark cloud is drawing in the rest of the miasma"
The miasma around them was being sucked into the cloud which was slowly forming into a figure.
"Please do not be what I think it is" Nooroo shook in fear.
"Wh-What do you t-think it is?" Duusu trembled, she clutched onto Nooroo in fright.
Hanae opened her eyes and glanced at the shrine eyebrows furrowing "Hold on, what's happening?" it was getting impossible to see the shrine due to the dark cloud. "I know for a fact the miasma I put out wasn't that strong" she took the bottle from her pocket and held it up "return miasma, return to this tiny bottle, miasma!" she shrieked as she flew out of the way of the thickening miasma which consumed her cloud. Tears appeared in her eyes 'Cloudy!'
High above the city Lila and Aurore gasped eyes widening they could see the twisting cloud of dark miasma around the shrine.
"The miasma, it's grown so large" Aurore commented.
The fox fires appeared to Lila at that time. "Lady Lila we have found Lord Nathanael!" they chorused.
Lila's eyes widened "Where is he?"
"He is currently heading back to the shrine"
Horror transformed her face as she looked to the shrine and sure enough she could make out his figure running up the steps. "Nathanael!" she shouted though he could not hear her. He was in danger yet again.
Long spidery arms came down from the miasma cloud and crushed anything in their path this included the portal arch and the roof of the shrine. Nooroo and Duusu backed away from the shrine slowly heading towards the entrance arch.
"No doubt that is the miasma of tsuchigumo" Nooroo cried.
"tsuchigumo?" Duusu repeated, a shake in her voice.
"Do you not remember Duusu? Lady Rose worked hard to defeat it but she could not fully do so and the remaining miasma was far too tainted so she sealed it away in a chest" Nooroo explained.
Duusu gripped Nooroo in a tight hug "I'm guessing this means the seal was undone somehow"
Nooroo nodded "I suppose so but how?"
They did not have time to discuss that question as tsuchigumo spotted them reaching out a hairy-clawed hand towards them. They shrieked and ran away but Nooroo was too slow as it grabbed his little foot. Miasma slowly travelled up the body of the little spirit.
Duusu screamed "Nooroo!"
"Max tailwind!" Nathanael shouted holding up a white talisman.
"Lord Nathanael you have returned to us!"
Nathanael managed to smile at him before returning to his determined expression. He threw the talisman at the hand that gripped Nooroo and the butterfly spirit was released. He flew to Duusu who grabbed him a relieved hug.
"Nooroo!" Nathanael rushed towards him "What happened?" he reached out to touch him when Nooroo backed away.
"No, Lord Nathanael you mustn't touch me" Nooroo advised. Duusu clung to him crying.
"Huh?" Nathanael's eyes rounded.
"We are supernatural beings and shall be fine but if you were to come in contact with the miasma it would cause you much harm.
"Nooroo" Nathanael muttered then he grabbed the spirits into a hug. Their eyes widened. "Lord Nathanael!"
He continued to hug them and the miasma did him no harm.
"You have to know if this Miasma is able to reach the city it will cause disaster somehow…somehow it must be stopped" Nooroo wept.
Nathanael let them free and nodded "Don't worry I'll try and stop it, after all, there are people in the city looking forward to our festival" then he looked up to the giant spider yokai. His heartbeat thumped in his chest, He didn't like bugs but he had a large fear for spiders most of all and this one was very large and peering down at him with round yellow eyes.
He clenched his fists 'I don't have time to be scared I've got to focus on purifying the shrine' he looked to Nooroo and Duusu "Can one of you go get the Suzu bells please," Their eyes widened and they nodded. Nooroo floated off seeing as he was already tainted by the miasma.
Lila and Aurore finally arrived at the shrine entrance. It was hard to see the miasma had grown so thick.
"So not that bad?" Aurore joked. A cloud of miasma picked her off the ground she squealed.
Lila's eyes darted about "Where is he?" then she saw him standing with the Suzu bells a colourful ceremonial cloak over his shoulders.
"Nathanael" she muttered. He looked so determined. So strong she felt a blush appear on her face. Which weirded her out cause she definitely didn't like Nathanael like that, right? The tsuchigumo showed its full hairy face opening its mouth to let out a roar of sorts as well as showing its sharp fangs. Nathanael trembled as the spirits clung to his long cloak.
"Nathanael!" Lila shouted.
Nathanael looked towards her and smiled. She froze eyes rounding as she watched him draw the upside-down Y pattern on the palm of his hand and then placed it to his mouth pretending to swallow. He looked to Lila one last time before facing the tsuchigumo. Duusu handed him the Suzu bells before floating off along with Nooroo.
He began the dance, raising his arm to the correct height and shaking the bells once. A golden glow appeared around the bells and also himself. He smiled. He made his way through the movements exactly how Lila had taught him. A circular golden light emitted from the bells making the tsuchigumo back off slightly. Everyone watched wide-eyed holding their breath slightly in case he messed up.
"Look at him, he's actually doing it!" Hanae said, her mouth fell open in shock.
"Indeed he is, rather beautifully I must say," Rose said appearing alongside her.
'Left, Right, left, right' Nathanael chanted in his head as he did the movements golden spots slowly driving the tsuchigumo away. It hissed in annoyance.
"That is perfect, he has remembered well" Lila smiled. Then Lila chewed on her bottom lip as she saw he was approaching the turn he always messed up. Nathanael put his foot forward for the turn and like always he stumbled. Everyone gasped. He fell on his face and the Suzu bells tumbled from his hands rolling under the large spider's body. He shrieked.
The tsuchugumio was able to move forwards now it growled down at the boy and reached out a clawed hand. Nathanael squealed and hid his head expecting for it to grab him. The Lila swiftly ran forward and blocked the tsuchigumo with her back. "Lila!" Nathanael said, scrambling up and looking at her with bright eyes. Lila continued to push the tsuchigumo's large hand away but struggled as its strength was far greater than hers. She gave up with using brute force and aimed a flame of fox fire at it.
"Listen to me…" she used her free hand to push his side bang away from his forehead and then pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. His face flushed. Lila looked at him with a kind gaze "Nathanael you are the one I recognise as my Lord and Master, you have nothing to fear" Nathanael's eyes glimmered with happiness and hope. The moment was short-lived however as the tsuchigumo fed up with Lila and her flames used another of its many hands to fling her away.
"Lila!" Nathanael cried.
Aurore quickly stopped the Kitsune from hurting herself as she fell to the ground. Then the snake familiar rushed forward grabbing the Suzu bells and tossing them back to Nathanael."Nathanael, I will help you perform your kagura dance, are you ready?" Aurore said raising her flute to her lips. She blew and a loud screech came out. 'It's worse than before!' Nathanael winced. The tsuchuigumo hissed and kicked her high in the air it stopped the screeching flute as she shrieked.
Nathanael took a breath and refocused the golden glow slowly reappearing.
"He's certainly the determined type" Hanae commented.
"Thank goodness he is exactly the sort of boy I believed him to be" Rose smiled.
Hanae raised an eyebrow "You mean to say you saw this happening from the start?"
Rose smirked "Well who knows?" she raised her hands and a group of sparkling white butterflies appeared fluttering down towards Nathanael they surrounded him and touched his cloak. It turned dark purple with golden butterfly motifs.
The tsuchigumo growled. This did not faze Nathanael who raised his hand continuing the dance he turned and then moved his hand holding the bells left then right. A golden ray came from it striking the spider yokai. Again Nathanael repeated his steps a stronger ray struck the tschuigumo it hissed.
Nathanael narrowed his eyes and the swung the bells down another ray larger than the other appeared. It headed straight to the tschuigumo and vanquished it. The Miasma slowly disappeared and the sun rays lit up the place as they could see the calm blue sky above once more. Lila and Aurore grinned from their spots on the ground. The shrine spirits cheered. Hanae's jaw fell open "He did it…he actually did it…maybe I should reconsider my marks, Rose?" she looked to her side where Rose had been only to see her missing yet again. She pouted "she's always disappearing on me"
Nathanael let out a relieved sigh and collapsed to the ground. Using all that power had left him unable to stand.
"Nathanael!" Lila rushed to his side. Kneeling down before him. "are you hurt?"
He looked up to Lila grinning 'I did it! You saw me, so how did I do?"
"Could have been better" Lila smirked.
He rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Lord Nathanael look Nooroo is also fine," Duusu said flying over with Nooroo.
"Oh, Good what a relief" he smiled "I'm happy, so happy" his turquoise eyes glistened with tears of joy.
"Lord Nathanael, Thank you so very much" the spirits cried and bowed to him.
"You certainly are Amazing," Aurore says.
"Hey, Lila" Nathanael leans closer to the kitsune's face making her cheeks turn pink. "What is it?" she asks.
"Please catch me," Nathanael said as he instantly falls asleep, his head falling on her lap. Lila giggled and reached out a hand running her fingers tentatively through his red locks.
After that came the much anticipated sacred festival and it was very successful due to everyone's hard work setting it up. Stall's full of food, trinkets and games had been set up.
Nathanael grinned "I can't believe this amount of people actually came!"
Lila fanned herself with her orange-golden fan and smirked "Well I might have passed out a couple of flyers while you were sleeping"
Nathanael smiled at her "What about the festivals arrangements when did they get here?"
"We assisted in the preparations," Princess Mylene said walking towards the God and kitsune. "I also brought some of my servants to assist"
"Mylene!" Nathanael exclaimed. He hugged the girl who laughed happily.
"Hey freshwater fish you better not be starting this festival without me, I'm the Dragon King after all" They all turned to see Adrien and Kagami joining them. Lila gasped and tried to hide behind the red-haired boy but he was smaller than her so she couldn't really.
"Dragon King you came!" Nathanael grinned.
"Well I did get an invitation from you" Adrien held up the invite "And I did come even though it's held on land and this whole place reeks of mammal!"
Kagami glared and nudged her husband "Adrien don't be rude"
"But it does!" he whined.
"Still you don't say things like that out-loud" she hissed.
Lila sighed "Meanwhile you didn't bother to try and fit into the human world make an effort to conceal yourselves"
Kagami and Adrien blinked and sighed. "Oh very well," Adrien said. Lila used her transformation spell so that Adrien and Kagami looked like normal humans. "Eurg, wonderful now we stink like mammal" Adrien complained.
"Lord God of the land"
Nathanael turned and looked down and gasped to see four tiny yokai's with grey skin and large yellow eyes and pointy ears, they were kinda adorable in a way. They all held medium-sized pumpkins in their hands.
"We are pleased to meet your acquaintance, we are the headsmen of the yokai kind who live to the south and we are here because we heard the Land God would perform a kagura dance" the yokai standing at the back said.
Before Nathanael could say anything screams filled the festival. He turned to see Luka walking up to them which explained the screaming fans. "Good grief, please leave me, alone ladies, this is a personal day for me" Luka sighed, his annoyed eyes hidden behind sunglasses. "Oh hey looks like Nathanael has been found"
"If you don't want to be recognised then don't dress so flashy," Aurore said from the stall she was managing that sold Japanese masks.
"Lord Nathanael it is time for your Kagura dance," Nooroo said.
"Oh, right…" his face paled.
"We shall prepare for you to get changed," Duusu said. The spirits flew off.
Nathanael bit his lip. "I managed it in front of the tsuchigumo but in front of a crowd of people somehow seems scarier"
"You'll be fine, little boy" Nathanael looked up to see the strange girl with white twin-tails. "Hey you're that strange girl," he said.
"Who are you calling strange?" she walked up to him with a brown bag full of treats "here you go I bought you these in town"
"What for?" Nathanael asked accepting the bag.
"For knowing you can do the dance, magnificently" she winked and then turned "Goodbye, let's meet again sometime"
Nathanael blinked and then smiled 'I can do this'
Marinette and Alya rushed forward to the stage everyone was surrounding.
"Girls over here!" Luka called. He had saved them a good place to see the dance. They quickly ran to stand beside the boy.
"Thanks, Luka" Marinette smiled, a blush on her face.
"No problem" the tengu replied.
"Shhh, there he is!" Alya said, pointing to the stage. She quickly took out her phone to record.
They all looked to see Nathanael step on the stage with ceremonial clothes that Rose had changed to better suit him with her butterflies. He took a breath, blocked out the stares and started the dance.
"So beautiful" Mylene cooed, hugging Ivan's arm.
Adrien nodded "Very skilful"
Lila watched from the roof of the shrine, a small smile on her face. 'Nathanael has become much more confident and sure of himself as Land God, I'm glad…' She gasped when white butterflies fluttered past down towards the stage. Then her eyes brightened.
The festival was long over and the stalls had been taken down. Everything was peaceful at the shrine once more as the moon illuminated the place. Nathanael tossed in his bed, he couldn't sleep the day had been too eventful. He got up out of the bed intending to get some cool night air to calm himself down. He headed down the corridor and to the front door. Coming out on the porch and sitting down to stare heavenward at the moon.
Lila made her way outside and saw Nathanael sitting on the step outside the door. She quietly made her way over and sat down beside him.
Nathanael turned to see Lila and smiled "Hey, you couldn't sleep either?" he asked
"Something like that" Lila said quietly, a blush appearing across her face.
Nathanael looked at Lila and noticed her blush 'weird, Lila never gets flustered…unless it's not a blush and she is coming down with a fever' his forehead creased in worry.
"I love coming out here at night, I like seeing the moon and the star's, it's so pretty" Lila sighed peacefully.
"Yeah," Nathanael said as he took in Lila, she had a small smile on her face as she stared up at the sky, the moonlight seemed to make her eye's shine even brighter. She turned to look at Nathanael and caught him staring, she blushed. Nathanael did not notice this as he looked away quickly to hide his red face. Lila smiled gently. She moved to sit closer to him.
"Nathanael, can I ask you something?" She lowered her head and looked at the ground.
Nathanael looked at her "of course"
Lila glanced at him "When you left I thought...I thought I had lost you for good and I couldn't bear that"
His eyes widened "I'm sorry-"
She cut him off "And I guess it made me realise that…well, that I…guess you aren't the worse God to be in the service of"
Nathanael rolls his eyes "Wow, thanks"
Lila looks to him almost fondly "Nathanael can I seal the familiar contract with you?"
"What?" Nathanael's eyes widened and he looks to her with a flushed face "The familiar contract? But we-"
Lila finally looked up at Nathanael "It is from the heart this time" her cheeks were tinted pink.
Nathanael's eyes widened "From the heart…" before he can say anything else he feels the warmth of her lips and noticed how they perfectly fit with his own. The Kiss was gentle and sweet. Even though he had kissed Lila before this time it felt different. This time it felt real. He felt her wrap her arms around his neck and run her slender fingers through his long red hair. Nathanael slowly placed his hands behind her back and on her nape as he deepened the kiss a little. Eventually, they pulled away and opened their eyes.
Nathanael looks to Lila with bright eyes and a blushing face. The kitsune quickly looks away "Uh, now that's done I should…I have uh stuff to do!" she stands up and hurries back inside avoiding Nathanael's gaze.
Nathanael glowers 'Seriously!' he looks back out into the night with a frown. "One minute she wants to be closer and the next she's pushing me away…one of these days she's going to have to make up her mind!"
Lila shuts her bedroom door and leans her back against it. She pressed her hands to her face which is warm with a blush then she places her fingers against her lips. She squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head.
'No…don't be foolish…I cannot…I don't like him like that' she sighs and lets her hands fall to her side. 'It would only end up in tears…'