Akito looked at the girl in front of him a long time. She knew the deal had to come to something like that, but… the zodiac against the word of the cat? She sighted, knowing that the human in her would have never accepted the deal but the god was pressing her to. She extended her hand.

Nox placed her in.

Akito drew a knife from under her sleeping mat, while Nox morphed her hand. She gave her hand to her God, and he cut her palm open. God then extended his, and four little gashed appeared. They sealed hands again, and their blood mixed. Together, they repeated the chant.

Once it was finished, smoke invaded the room. Akito and Nox felt a shooting pain on their wrists, and looked once the smoke had dissipated. They had matching tattoos, and they would stay on their body until all sides of the contract had been either fulfilled or cancelled. Akito and Nox looked at each other. Inhaling deeply once, Nox extended her hand to the God. He looked at it, unsure, and then placed his in hers. She led the woman out of the room, into a bigger, unused yet room. Pillows were arranged on the floor, fifteen in total. Twelve were in a circle, while one was in the middle. Two were huddled in a corner. The God of the zodiac sat on his pillow in the centre of a circle of twelve. Nox smiled sadly, left the room and went to fetch Hatori.

Once the eldest of the zodiac, Hatori, Shigure, Ayame, Kureno and Ritsu had been gathered, Nox sent them to pick up the others, going herself to get Yuki, Kyo, Momiji and Haru.

Her motorbike parked in front of the school. She got off, took her helmet off and tied it securely to her front wheel. Inhaling sharply she entered the school by jumping over the wall and made her way, first to Kyo's and Yuki's classroom.

Kyo was happily daydreaming when the door of his classroom banged open and a woman clothed in black, wearing a gothic style outfit said;

"_Yuki. Kyo. Out. Now. Akito wants you. And no shit while I'm here guys." The teacher gasped at her language, while Yuki calmly asked;

"_what does Akito want?"

"_no shit Sherlock, you don't want me to say it. Now, get a fucking move on. I still have Haru and Momiji to pick up while Hatori and the others are gathering."

"_all twelve of them?"

"_get a fucking move on, damn!"

Understanding she was quite pissed, they hurriedly followed the women they had recognized as Nox. She then took the stairs down to the first years' classrooms and entered in the same fashion, though the door did not resist her this time.

"_Haru, Momiji. Out."

"_Nox?" asked a stunned ox. He looked worryingly at her hand, still bleeding a bit, and at the two boys behind her. They shrugged, and she kicked a desk near her.

"_get a fucking move on. I don't have my entire time damn it!"

Nobody said a thing, though Haru strolled out of the room while Momiji increased his speed in packing. Nox was about to break the desk she had kicked when the rabbit finally finished and she looked at Haru.

"_drive Momiji and Yuki to the main house."

"_what? But…"

"_DON'T FUCK WITH ME. JUST DO IT, DAMN YOU!"

He stole her a kiss, and left before she could say anything else. She was far too stunned anyways to say something. She turned back to Kyo after a moment, and whispered.

"_let's go." She handed him a helmet, and put hers on. Once he was settled behind her, she made her way through the city at a completely reprehensible speed and they reached the house in no time. She noticed all the elders' cars were packed and assumed they were only waiting for them five. Haru parked behind her. he laughed a bit when he saw Kyo's white face and the cat wobbled a bit before regaining his bearing.

"_I am never going on your bike again."

"_no worries. You won't."

The others laughed it off, but she didn't feel like laughing. She simply listened to the deep chuckling of Haru, and held back the tears that were threatening to fall. They wouldn't have fallen anyways, though. Not caring anymore, Nox entered the main house, followed by the four junishii. She pushed a paper door aside, and all the Sômas were revealed. She led Yuki, Momiji and Haru inside the circle and Kyo and she went to sit on their own pillows, in a corner. God stared at the wolf for a moment before turning back to his twelve guests.

"_we have been together since the beginning of time." He said. "And now it is time for us to say goodbye."

They were stunned. All of them. Akito rose and placed a kiss on Yuki's forehead. There was a puff, and smoke and Yuki reappeared seemingly unchanged. Akito did the same for the other circle's members and spoke.

"_the guest in you will not leave, but you will not transform when somebody of the opposite sex hugs you. You are now free to choose when to and when not to. Neither will you transform when you are weak."

He then turned to the cat, and looked at it. He walked toward the shunned animals, and looked in the deep crimson eyes.

"_your words were misunderstood by all but the wolf. What did the cat say?" he asked his questioned directed to the wolf though he did not look at her.

"_he said 'love'." Replied the young girl.

The cat was set free. The God then looked over at the wolf, and said;

"_you. Alone and will be forever, giving your soul away for the others. You are the silent protector, yet for once you would wish to be protected. Sadly, the deal we made cannot be broken yet. Goodbye, wolf."

There was a sharp click, and Nox looked down at her hand. She could feel the wolf in her calm down, but now she was cuffed. Akito held the other end of the silver leash he had put around her wrist and led the wolf out of the room.

"_wait!" shouted Haru. "WAIT!" Hatori held him back. Nox did not look at his face, but when she spoke, her voice was quivering.

"_Haru… I never existed. Forget me. Forgive me."

They were gone.