To quote the last thing said in the chapter before this one the gods are on my side for letting me live long enough to have this chapter posted online. And thank you RavenclaWriterRules for helping me make it this far in the story. Please read and review.

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The kitsune stood across from Aero, both with their guns pointed at each other. The kitsune's eyes narrowed.

"You promised me you would not use your powers against me," the kitsune hissed.

But Aero felt his head growing lighter and lighter, and the room suddenly grew so bright that the colors in his eyes shone and shivered with some odd glint, and as he took a step he felt the entire room creak, and move along with him, the floorboards vibrating, and the furniture humming. The gun in his hand was starting to heat up and quiver in his hand, shaking with the effort it took to wait for the right moment to shoot.

"You must not harm me," the kitsune repeated.

Aero did not listen. Everything was so bright and blurry and shaking; he could not see what was in front of him. Like in a dream, he felt his hand click and slip on his pistol, and smoothly every part of his body readied itself to shoot, prepared itself for the recoil and the tremors. He aimed at the kitsune's heart with both eyes, and his lips moved before he knew it, changing into a cold, cruel smile. His fingers, with a sudden beat and rhythm humming in them wildly, pressed down hard and clenched. His mouth stretched and widened, ready to laugh triumphantly as the kitsune collapsed to his knees.

Suddenly, something pushed him forward. Aero yelped in surprise, but his eyes narrowed, and he simply rolled over and climbed back to his knees, pointing the pistol in front of him. The kitsune, with his red ponytail flying, and his golden eyes shining amber, was standing in front of him. Aero fired another shot, but it went through the kitsune's chest, and at the same time he felt something hard butting into his own chest. It was the kitsune, who had ducked and butted him hard with his head. Aero growled and somersaulted back onto his feet. The kitsune sharply whipped around, and before Aero knew it, his foot was flying towards his chin in a swift kick. Aero ducked and lunged forward, tackling the kitsune, but he passed right through the poised afterimage of a young man mid-kick and landed hard on the floor. As he lay there dazedly, a foot stomped onto his back, and he could feel a revolver being put to his head.

"You made a promise," the kitsune's voice spoke quietly. Aero thrashed and pushed the kitsune off, throwing him into a wall. He was surprised to feel a harsh pain in his side and stared as he found that he was bleeding. "If you do me pain, you will waste away quickly," the kitsune spoke, his head still against the wall, his ponytail crumpled against it in a funny way, sticking out at odd angles. Aero felt the bones inside him crushing, the flesh rotting, his blood curdling, as he slowly began to disintegrate.

"Soon you will be no more than a mass of flesh that once betrayed a kitsune's promise. No matter how much you try, you won't be able to touch me, either."

Aero growled and grabbed at the kitsune, but his legs faltered before he could even get it within an inch of the kitsune, his hands spasming and jerking back. Closing his eyes in defeat, he collapsed to the ground; his kneecaps slowly wearing away, as the bones and flesh beneath them grew less and less steady. And then, all at once, a flash of blue light clouded his vision, and time seemed to stand still as he felt himself growing lighter, until he had absolutely no weight. When he opened his eyes, he knew what was going on-he was a ghost of himself. Lying on the floor was his dead body, his hand still outstretched towards the kitsune, its skin bubbly, and its nails a dark black. His face was deathly pale, his body limp and somewhat contorted. The kitsune began to stand up, when Aero's ghost walked over to him and reached for him. His hands passed through the kitsune, who reached for his body and started touching his hair. Seized with an inexplicable rage, Aero's ghost felt his projection grow hotter and stronger, as, suddenly, he rushed at the kitsune.

There was a flash of red light this time, and Aero's ghost found himself inexplicably murmuring incantations in some meaningful way that he did not understand, and cursing and fighting and doing everything to express his fury and indignation. When he found himself drifting away, as if pulled backwards, he saw his body lying in a different position, all the boils and deathly pallor gone, and the kitsune lying on the floor next to it making pained sounds. Aero's ghost swooped forwards and felt a rushing speed as it ran down a dark tunnel, and with another flash of blue light, Aero woke up in his own body.

"I don't understand," Aero breathed.

The kitsune shook his head and glared. "Quite obviously not. I never expected this. You will have to learn to control that killing power."

The Aero from several months ago would have been horrified at this, but he felt disappointed at the thought that he would have to hold back that sudden excitement.

"What? Why?"

"Power like this turns people into insatiable carnivores. It tells them to eat. But in the end, it really eats you," the kitsune frowned, "we kitsunes must learn at a young age to control our powers for the benefits of all, including ourselves."

Aero's lips twitched downwards, "How else am I supposed to control my power?"

"I don't know," the kitsune shook his head, "I'm not a shinigami. But I can feel your weapon's aura. And let me tell you, that will become more dangerous each time."

"I know," Aero said wearily.

"Every time you take something from someone, you will gain something," the kitsune eyed the pistol with loathing, as if he directly blamed it for eating his leg.

"Will you be fine with that?" Aero asked.

"Kitsunes have our ways," the kitsune stiffened, sending Aero a sharp look. "I refuse to become your bodyguard. At this point, you can fight for yourself."

"Will you train me?" Aero asked.

The kitsune crossed his arms. "Only if you would promise not to go down the path of the carnivore. And, given what just happened, you clearly are immune to the power of divine promises," he sneered.

"Please, please train me," Aero spoke. "I promise."

"That was a no."

"I won't, I swear," Aero edged towards the kitsune.

"I can't help you."

Aero collapsed onto his knees.

"Please. Please help me." Aero bent down into a dogeza. After Aero felt he had prostrated for long enough, he looked up, but he found the kitsune had vanished. "Eh?"

"You won't find him here anymore," a female voice spoke to him. Aero searched around, surprised. "Go away."

Shaken, Aero backed away from the corner in which the kitsune had been standing. He walked over to the paper screen and checked behind it in a cautious manner.

"Nothing here," the female voice quivered, "go away, please."

He turned around and stared at the corner where the baby was sleeping. He reached down and patted it on the head.

"I said go away now!" the woman's voice spoke shrilly. He turned around to see a rather pretty woman with blonde hair. She had close-set, slanted eyes, high cheekbones, and curving, thin eyebrows. "Didn't I already tell you to leave?" she asked, annoyed.

"Who are you?" Aero wondered.

"Never mind that," she folded her arms, "go along. Go. Go!"

When he didn't move fast enough, she grabbed his arm and hauled him to the door, pushing him out. Aero realized, with no short amount of shock, that the entire wall he had completely blasted away had somehow repaired itself.

"Are you also a kitsune?" he asked the woman.

She had a small, pointy chin and a small mouth with sharp teeth. The woman urged him away once more, "Just go!"