Haruhime, age 10.

Haru smiled in contentment as she sat on the tree branch, watching as the Fairies brought spring back to the dreary forest.

It was the night before the first day of spring, and her mothers had finally agreed to let her help the Fairies bring spring outside of Japan. Oh sure, she wasn't allowed to go without an 'escort' in the form of one of her Aunt Solaris' Leopards, but that was a small price to pay to get out of Japan, even for a little while.

So here she was, resting on a branch of the old oak she had just put leaves on, her wings moving gently behind her.

Then the Leopard (a Stormbringer spirit Aunt Solaris, the Spirit of Summer, affectionately called Chompers) raised his head out of her lap and turned his head to look behind her.

Haru looked down at him curiously.

"What is it Chompers?"

Chompers made a low rumble in his throat.

"Someone's coming this way," he said, his grey eyes fixed on something she couldn't see.

She blinked, turning her head in the direction he was looking.

"Really? Who'd be all the way out here at this hour? Besides us, I mean."

Chompers shook his head, before laying it back in her lap.

"I don't know and I don't care as long as they stay away from he- Hey!"

Chompers let a yelp as she abruptly stood up, making him roll out of her lap and off the branch, before he used his powers and landed on all four, still in the air.

The explanation her Aunt gave her when she asked how all of her Cats were able to stand and run on the air like it was ground was so damn confusing Haru had just kind of stared at her while it was happening, before her Aunt gave up on explaining the mechanics and just went with "It's Magic."

Much easier to understand and still accurate.

Haru turned around, her wings already speeding up to fly.

"Haru, what are you doing!?" Chompers growled, running up to stand in front of her, blocking her way.

Haru looked at him, her greening eyes narrowed in an almost-but-not-quite glare.

"Whoever that person is I can feel their pain, even from here. I don't plan on letting them see me, but I will at least check to see if they're okay."

The Stormbringer stared back at her, before sighing in defeat and going to her side.

"Let's go then."

She smiled, mentally telling the Fairies around her what she was doing, before jumping of the branch and shooting of, flying quickly to where she felt the person was.

She ended up at a clearing in the part of the forest that was still trapped in her Uncle's winter. She silently flew around the edges, looking between the trees at the small human standing in the clearing, looking up at the sky. She couldn't see their face from where she was. All she could see was their long black braid and red outfit.

She frowned, glancing at Chompers to see if he sensed the same thing she did. The fact he returned the glance was all she needed to know.

"Can I…?" she asked quietly, giving him a meaningful look.

Chompers stared at the small human, who didn't seemed to have noticed them at all.

"Only if they do so first," he answered just as quietly.

She nodded, having already expected that and gently sat down at the nearest branch, one that still allowed her to see the small human.

For now, all she could do was wait for them to noticed her and, hopefully, call her out.


He frowned, waiting for the presence he could feel at the edge of the clearing to announce themselves as he waited for the Fairies to bring spring, just like he had done every year since he first saw them when he was young.

But as he stood there in the cold winter snow, he realised that whoever it was, they seemed content to just watch him, never once moving from their spot on the high branch.

He waited a little longer, before curiosity reared its head.

He didn't move as the words that would forever change his fate fell from his lips.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" he said calmly.

He felt the presence still for a moment, before a soft, bell like laugh washed over the clearing and the presence moved.

However, instead of dropping to the floor like he expected, the presence stayed steady in the air, coming to a stop at the edge of the inside of the clearing where he would be able to see them just fine.

"...Indeed it is."

He turned around, looking at the person behind him.

His eyes widened.

Standing there- or rather, floating- was a young girl, no more than 10 years old, wearing a green dress, with soft brown eyes that looked like they were slowly turning green, caramel hair and the transparent wings of a Fairy moving quickly on her back, holding her in the air.

The Fairy smiled kindly at him, flying a little closer.

"May I ask what you are doing so far in the forest this late at night, Cursed One?" she asked quietly, her words understandable to him but still holding the bell-like quality of the smaller Fairies.

He ignore the fact she apparently knew about his curse in favour of her question.

"I always come out here this time of year, watching your people bring spring back to the world," he told her, watching her young face light up in wonder.

"You can see them?" she breathed, looking over at the small Fairies now sitting around the clearing, watching the two of them intently.

He smiled at her.

"Yes. All those that can use Dying Will Flames can see the Spirits of the Seasons," he answered. She giggled, making him slightly confused.

"Oh silly Cursed One, they're not the Spirits of the Seasons," surprise took over his features.

"What are they then?"

She smiled.

"They're the Spirits' Helpers, though that isn't what they're called by the Spirits themselves," he gaped at the Fairy in shock.

"What are they called then?" he said weakly, hoping for the world to once again make sense to him.

She giggled again, doing a little summersault in the air.

"They are called the Winter Wolves, the Autumn Foxes, the Summer Cats and the Spring Fairies. Not very original I know, but the Spirits have never been good at coming up with creative names," she smiled kindly at him. "The Spirits themselves look like humans, ranging from adults to teens."

He stared up at the Fairy dumbly, unable to comprehend what she had just revealed to him. For as long as anyone could remember, those with Dying Will Flames had been able to see the Spirits that brought the seasons to the world, while the rest of mankind puzzled over the mystery, trying to find an answer using science and failing miserably. Those that knew the truth had thought they knew everything, that they had solved the puzzle just by being able to see.

And yet they were all wrong. The Fairies, Wolves, Great Cats and Foxes weren't actual Spirits of the Seasons, but merely their Helpers. And if the Helpers were that powerful, he shuddered to think of what the true Spirits were like.

"Do they have names?" he eventually asked, wanting to know how he should address the ones that balanced the world. "The Spirits?"

The Fairy stared him down, a red Leopard walking on the air to stand beside her, glaring at him with grey eyes.

"They do," she answered, lowering herself to sit on the ground, the snow melting away the moment her feet touched it, wings lowering to rest against her back instead of standing straight in the air. "But they are easy to find if you know where to look, so you do not need me to tell you what they are." she smiled serenely at him, before looking to the sky. "Besides, me and my people have a job to do."

He blinked when, as one, the small Fairies lifted off their chosen seats to take flight, lighting up the clearing in a shower of golden dust. The Fairy in front of him smiled, put her hand to the grass and tightened her grip on the green strands.

"After all," she began, flowers beginning to bloom in the grass around her as more and more snow melted away. "Spring doesn't come by itself."

The world exploded into colour, the Fairies flying through the leafless trees and leaving lush green in their wake, snow disappearing completely from the clearing at the Fairy's words. His face filled with undisguised wonder he never stopped feeling even after all these years as he watched life return to the world, winter melting into spring in the blink of an eye.

Something tugged on his robe, making him look back at the Fairy next to him. She smiled, holding out her hand in invitation.

"Would you like to see it up close?" she asked, and he could practically see the brown in her eyes slowing turning green right before his eyes. He stared at the hand, then at the Fairy, looked into her hopeful eyes and nodded, taking the hand in his small one.

The beaming smile he got in return washed away the few worries he had had as the Fairy pulled him to her chest, her wings twitching slightly before they started rising, quickly speeding up to lift her off the ground again.

She giggled, adjusting him so his back was to her chest as she rose even higher. "Hold on tight," she whispered in his ear, one arm now at her side with the other still holding him tight and he did as told, tightening his grip on her forearm.

She the shot off without warning, pulling a startled gasp from his lips as they moved swiftly through the air, melting snow as they went. The Fairy gave a bell-like laughed again and rolled in the air, speeding up once again to spread the colours of spring in through the forest. And what an enchanting sight it was, to see flowers spring from the ground in an instant and watch as leaves appeared on the trees.

He was mesmerized far quicker than he would like as he flew through the air like nothing, the red Leopard running besides him and the Fairy, its steps sure and graceful. Soon they reached a lake and the Fairy flew close to the iced over surface, lowering her free hand to run it over the frozen water, melting it as she did so.

She laughed again, rising up and shooting into the sky, far above the treetops and into the clouds. She giggled, lowering herself out of the cloud and letting the both of them see the Fairies spread spring from above. He tracked the golden glow of their wings intently, doing his best to memorise the amazing sight.

"Daughter," he stiffened as the Fairy turned around calmly and his eyes widened against his will as they landed on who he had no doubt was the true Spirit of Spring.

Hair flowing down her back in a golden waterfall with flowers of all colours and sizes woven into it, face heart shaped and edges soft, eyes like the purest emeralds, kind and compassionate and perfectly matching the soft smile on her petal pink lips. A gold and bronze crown sat atop her head, emeralds and pink diamonds glinting in the light of the rising sun, the emeralds cut like leaves and set around the edges, and the diamonds like flowers and scattered over the crown in a tasteful manner.

What looked like a green bikini top covered her chest, with straps made out of vines with flowers growing from them holding it up by going over her back and around her neck, a light green and see-through piece of wavy cloth attached to the bottom edges, flaring out at the ends where it stopped at her hips, parted to leave her stomach exposed. Her arms were covered from her shoulders to the middle of her forearms by the same see-through material, strapped around her shoulder by vines.

A light green, loose skirt that stopped at her knees covered her lower half, vines and flowers creating a beautiful design on it. The same see-through cloth was attached to the top of the skirt, going over it and stopping at her ankles, parting in an upside-down V shape at the top and continuing down to the edge. Her feet were covered by what looked like a pair of green greek sandals with flowers woven into the straps.

She was beautiful and regal, her great big wings moving gracefully behind her, the complex design on them a deep green and the transparent parts shifting between light green, pink and orange, creating a forever changing picture.

"Mother," the Fairy, the Princess of the Fairies, greeted the Spirit, nodding her head in a small bow with a smile on her lips.

The Spirit smiled back, her gaze drawn to him and he winced slightly when he saw the sheer power hidden in those old emeralds. While she looked like someone who could never hurt a fly, he knew she could and would destroy anyone who angered her enough.

So he bowed as well as he could in her daughter's arms, showing his respect for the ancient being.

"I am honored, Spirit of Spring, that you would let me see you," he told her honestly, feeling those powerful eyes boring into the back of his head.

He heard a huff and soon there were slender fingers under his chin, lifting his head to lock eyes with the Spirit. Her eyes searched his for something, and she soon smiled, letting go of his chin and moving back slightly.

"My name is Cassandra Lifebringer, Little Cursed One," she told him, voice soft and bell-like and powerful. "I am called the Queen of the Fairies." her eyes bored into his, searching once again. "And I expect you to earn my daughter's help in removing your curse."

His eyes widened and he froze, mouth refusing to close even after the Spirit had gone and spring had started, unable to fully grasp what he had been told.

His curse could be broken.