Rain

Daiki glared at Hotaka as they left the Moonshine, but didn't say a word as they slowly started to follow the scent that had led them to the bar in the first place; the scent of a rare fox demon, who had the ability to share pain and move without a sound. She was hard to track at times, but they always caught up to her. Always.

They're searching brought them to the park, and eventually to the edge of a field. Here her scent was masked by the dewy grass, and they stood there in confusion… but not for long, as her familiar voice started to sing.

"I once fell in love, such a long time ago; with a boy in a meadow, who danced in the snow…"

The two werewolves grinned at each other as they made their way to the center of the meadow, where the fox demon lay on her back looking towards the heavens.

"There you are," Hotaka grunted from beside him, kicking her foot lightly; not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make her look up at them. "Get going… we've been here much too long."

"I just want to watch the clouds for awhile," she sighed. "I don't mind if you stay here with me… just, please don't interrupt? And be quiet?"

Hotaka opened his mouth to protest, but Daiki interrupted him with a nod. "Okay… just don't take too long, right?"

"Thank you, Daiki-san," she smiled up at him, a brilliant smile, and Daiki moved a ways away and sat down; Hotaka joined him, shooting him a look that demanded to know why he did that. He just rolled his eyes, and silently reminded himself to explain later.

------

Mitsuru walked into the room, his aqua hair mused from sleep, but no one really paid him any mind. He just walked past the group as they sat at a table, and went out the front door; Akira was highly suspicious that he was the only one who had noticed the Tengu, but dismissed the thought when he noticed Mahiru looking at the door… he went back to washing the dishes from breakfast, seeing as he wasn't really included in the conversation… not that he didn't know what they were talking about.

They were talking about Daiki and Hotaka, who had walked in while he and Nozomu were talking earlier, and about his reaction towards the two werewolves. He growled at the thought; what had they been doing here? Hotaka especially… Daiki could be civil at times.

If only they didn't listen to her. Her being one of the reasons he left… not the main one, of course, but getting away from her had its appeals…

Who was she? She was another werewolf that he grew up with in the pack, just a year younger than him with aqua eyes and hair of honey… she was pretty, yes, and had this natural way about her that at most of the pack at her beck and call… most of.

Part of the pack had been won over by the quiet, shy young girl that Akira had found by the stream one day. She was unbelievably kind hearted, and did everything in her power to help those around her, even if sometimes she did give up a little too easily… Koi, he used to call her, for reasons some knew and others didn't; and late into the nights, when she was too tired to remember what was being said, he would tell her that Koi was the word for love; for she was his Koi, his Love…

He shook the thoughts out of his head and let his ears perk up to the conversation…

"And he just went… serious, and kinda creepy," Nozomu said, leaning farther into their little circle… he spied their reflection in a shiny steel splatter, and saw Misoka peer over his shoulder for a moment to see if he were listening. He just pretended to continue with the dishes. "I've never seen him like that."

"I saw him like that, just last night," Misoka whispered, so that he had to strain his ears to hear it. "He was acting real serious, and made a toast to the murders of fire and ice…"

"One of the guys that were here said something like that…" Nozomu remembered… Akira stopped doing the dishes, trying to hear everything that was said… "Something about murders of the fire…"

Oboro spoke next, asking Mahiru if she knew anything about these murders, but Akira stopped them. "I'm right here you know!" he growled, turning around to glare at them. "I'm standing right here, and you think that you'll be able to whisper and me not hear it? Why not just ask me what it's about?"

They all stared at him, and the weight of their gaze brought some sense to himself. He started a slow grin, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to think of something to explain his outburst…

And just then, the first of the customers started coming in, buying him some time.

They started working immediately, Misoka moving to help him with the dishes and Katsura sitting down at her piano. Oboro excused himself to the back, and Mahiru asked them if they wanted anything to eat or drink… a salad to share 'round the table, and water for everyone.

"Kinda early for customers," Misoka muttered, as Akira started chopping lettuce.

"Oh well," he shrugged. He hesitated for a moment, then continued… "About that… outburst, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"We should have asked you," Misoka nodded. "I understand, don't worry… where do you think that girl went?"

"What girl?" the werewolf asked.

"The girl that was here this morning," Misoka explained. "There's something strange about her… for a moment I thought that… no, she's probably not."

"What did you think?" Akira asked, turning to look at him. The salad was almost complete; alls it needed was the dressing.

"I thought she was one of us," the fox demon shrugged. "But she didn't act like us; then again, she could be like Mitsuru, and grew up with humans."

Akira nodded, and stood very still… a thought occurred to him, and he looked up at Misoka. "She doesn't like the rain," he said simply.

"What?" it was Misoka's turn to be confused as he looked up at Akira.

"It's going to rain soon," he answered, moving around the counter. "And she hates the rain; I'm gonna go bring her back, so that she doesn't get wet!"

Within moments, Akira left, and soon after, with a complaint about slow service, so were the people who had come for lunch. Misoka just blinked in confusion, and looked down at the counter.

"I never told him that…"