A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed! You guys made me happy ^-^

Here's the next chapter...more OkixKai fluffiness! Hope you enjoy and please review!

Much to Oki's displeasure—no, not displeasure, more like absolute abhorrence—the number of people who had come to watch him practice swordsmanship over the past year increased from one to five. Samickle by himself had been bad enough, but apparently he decided that the torment wasn't enough and brought along Kai, Lika, the Issun-bug, and, worst of all, Tuskle. Oki gritted his teeth as he slashed at the practice doll he placed in the center of the field. He felt their eyes following his every move, which was infinitely disconcerting and made him self-conscious. Didn't they have anything better to do?

"Go get 'em, Oki!" cried the Issun-bug. "Come on, is that all ya got, you big pussy?"

Up until now, Oki had imagined the target with Samickle's face, but it was quite tempting to change it to the annoying little bug's, if he only knew what his face looked like.

Lika squealed delightedly and clapped her hands in Kai's lap.

"Oki's amazing!" she said. "Isn't he, Kai?"

"Yes, he is," Kai replied. Oki hacked at the target. He didn't want her compliments. It only made him feel more indebted. Although he had to admit, Kai's words caused a warm, spreading feeling somewhere in his gut. Maybe that was why his face felt so hot.

Tuskle watched everything, her ebony eyes glinting with amusement and the hint of a smirk on her masked face. The owls on her mask preened their feathers and hooted softly. Oki vehemently wished she would go away. Everything about her, from her eyes that pierced his thoughts to the strange, unnaturally-colored owls that lived on the branches of her mask creeped him out to no end.

After dealing with the pressure for as long as he could, Oki finally sheathed his sword and glowered at the audience. He had hoped that his glare would scare them off, but the five of them remained undaunted and even had the nerve to clap for him.

"Amazing!" Lika cried.

"Splendid," yawned Tuskle.

"A wonderful performance," Samickle agreed. "But I hope you don't plan on slaying demons like that. You lost your focus about halfway through."

I wonder why, Oki thought sarcastically.

"What's next?" Lika asked.

"There's nothing next, Lika," Kai said, laughing at the little girl. "Although we can go play in the snow if you'd like."

"Me too, me too!" joined the Issun-bug.

"I'd like to join, if that's alright with you three," Tuskle said, standing up and straightening her clothes. "I'm nearly untouchable at snowball fights."

They looked over at Oki and Samickle expectantly.

"I'm not joining," Oki said.

"Me neither," said Samickle. "I have to ask Oki something."

Samickle turned to Oki when the four of them left the clearing.

"It's about Kai," he began. Of course, Oki thought, narrowing his eyes. It was always about Kai with Samickle. "She often leaves the village for long periods of time, and Chief Kemu and I are worried about her safety. You of all people should know, the territory outside the village isn't safe for a young girl like her. I was hoping she came here…"

"Why would she come here?" Oki said gruffly.

Samickle blinked. "Well…I thought…"

"She doesn't come here."

"Then where does she go?"

For some reason, all these questions about Kai were making Oki irritated. "Why do you care so much?" he snapped.

Anger flared in Samickle's eyes, but he was careful to control it. "I'm the Chief's second-in-command, Oki, if you haven't forgotten. I have a duty to my people, and it's my responsibility to make sure everyone is safe. Even though you're a warrior, it seems like that's the one thing you still don't understand."

Oki scowled. "You sound more like her mate, the way you go on. Why don't you ask her yourself, if you're so close?"

The anger in Samickle's eyes died completely, giving way to surprise. After a moment, Samickle grinned in such a way that Oki itched to slap him in the face.

"So that's how it is," Samickle said. Oki could tell he was trying hard not to laugh. He patted Oki on the shoulder sympathetically. "I understand how you feel, but Kai's like a little sister to me. So there's nothing to worry about." Then he sobered up a little and whispered in Oki's ear, "But if you ever make her cry, I'll never forgive you."

Oki was extremely confused, and the way Samickle acted as if he knew some secret about him only made him more irritated.

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You have feelings for her."

"I do not."

"…If you say so," said Samickle, chuckling. "So, you do know where she goes, don't you?"

Oki looked away pointedly at his practice target. The body was badly flayed, although the stick holding it upright was tough enough from the cold and months of practice that it would be able to withstand at least a couple more weeks. He'd have to repair the body, though.

"I think she wanders through Yoshpet."

"Yoshpet!" Samickle exclaimed, his face turning pale. "What in the Great Guardian Owl's name is she doing in Yoshpet?"

Oki shrugged. "I don't know."

Samickle glared at him dangerously. "If it's because of you—"

"It's not because of me. She goes in there by herself."

Oki expected Samickle to challenge him or call him a liar, but the lilac warrior seemed to trust his words and stood deep in thought.

"I'll have to speak to her about this. Personally, I think it's too dangerous for her to be frolicking through the cursed woods. Thank you for letting me know, Oki."

Oki was pleasantly surprised. Samickle had never sincerely thanked him before. The lilac warrior went to leave, but he stopped, and, with his back still turned, said, "Oki."

"What now?"

"Kai's a nice girl."

Oki felt irritated again. "I know that," he snapped. You don't have to tell me.

"As long as you know," said Samickle, and swept away.

[xx]

Later that afternoon, Oki was sitting in his hut, trying (and failing miserably) to sew his battered practice target back together. He kept pricking himself in the finger, and while it didn't bring blood because his hands were tough and calloused from swordsmanship, it still hurt like hell. He cursed when the fabric slipped and the stupid needle pricked him again. He was a warrior, not a freaking seamstress. He paused in his work and looked outside. The sky, which had been clear and devoid of clouds this morning, had become startlingly dark. The air was thick and heavy, too, perfect weather for demons who wanted to conceal their scents. Oki gratefully exchanged the sewing needle for a sword and slipped out into the darkness.

His wolf form would be useless in this weather, since he wouldn't be able to sniff out the demons, and at this time of day, the lighting was just as bad for both human and wolf eyes. If he did come across any demons, he had a much better advantage by staying in his human form because he had his sword and could take out multiple demons with just one swipe.

He found a large group of them in front of the trail that led up to the village. Some had large drums strapped to their backs; others were smaller and more agile, with a wicked blade attached to a thick wooden pole. Their straw skirts rustled as they moved restlessly about, and they chattered to each other quietly in their strange demon language. Oki didn't need to know what they were saying to know that they were planning to raid the village. He drew his sword as silently as he could, but a demon heard the noise and turned its smiling masked face straight at him. It chattered deeply, something that sounded almost like a growl, then screamed as it leapt at him. He sliced the Namahage in the air and whipped around to face the others, who all shrieked as they charged. He cut them away in a wide, sweeping arc and slashed at each oncoming Namahage until at last all of them were dead.

Oki looked up the trail to the village, frowning. He wasn't sure if there were more demons out there, and he wanted to make sure the village was safe. He ran up the path and into the village square, but there was no sign of any demons. Still, he wanted to be absolutely sure.

He knocked on the door and Kai answered.

"Is everything alright here?"

Kai blinked. "Yes, everything's fine, I was just about to put Lika to bed…Is there something wrong?"

"There were some demons."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide. "Well, everything's been quiet. No sign of demons here. Thank you for checking, Oki."

She smiled at him, and his heart made a strange noise against his chest that sounded something like "dokun". You have feelings for her, said Samickle's voice in his mind. His face went hot and he turned away. "No-No problem," he mumbled. Stupid Samickle, putting weird thoughts in his head. He tried not to think about it, but his mind became a huge white blank. Before he could make a fool of himself, he turned to go back down the path.

"Wait!" Kai said. She reached down and grabbed his hand, and his heart lurched uncomfortably close to coming out from his mouth. She turned his hand over so that it faced palm up and inspected his fingertips. "Were you having trouble sewing?" she asked, feeling the tips of his calloused fingers.

Oki didn't trust his mouth to answer properly, being occupied trying to keep his heart from leaping out, but she continued without him. "I can help if you need it. What was it? Your practice target from today?"

The last thing Oki wanted was to be indebted to her again, but he found himself nodding. Kai grinned. "I'll make a new one for you by tomorrow," she said, letting go of his hand. "Please be careful going home."

Oki wasn't sure he could make it back home safely, at least not while his brain had temporarily turned into mush. Luckily for him, his feet took charge and guided him back without running into anymore demons.

Even so, he found it difficult to fall asleep. His hand still tingled from where she had held it and touched his fingertips, and his heart was still racing. He had never felt so strange before. He turned restlessly, unable to go to sleep with his heart flailing about in his chest. It was very disconcerting. He got out of bed and went outside, hoping to clear his head with some exercise.

[xx]

Knock knock. "Oki? Are you there?"

Oki groaned. He had a pounding headache, and someone was outside. He didn't want to answer. "Go away."

"Oki, it's Kai. I-I sewed a new target for you, if you want it…"

Kai was the last person he wanted to see right now. It was all because of her he couldn't sleep last night and stayed up until the early hours of the morning exercising, and now his head hurt and his throat hurt and his chest hurt and he felt terrible. "Leave it there. I'll get it later."

"Oki, are you alright?" Kai asked. Her voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine! Go away!" he said louder, making his throat hurt more. He stifled a cough.

"…Alright. I'll leave it here then," she said. He heard the snow crunch as she walked away.

He moved his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, swaying dangerously. His head throbbed as he shuffled to the door to pick up the new body for his practice target. She made it very well, with tight, careful stitches that held the rough fabric together. He pulled on it experimentally and felt the strength in both the fabric and the seams. This one would hold for a long time. He sighed. He didn't know how many favors he stills had to repay for her. Just thinking about it made his head throb. He shivered in the cold and quickly withdrew back into his hut. Groaning, he flopped back onto the bed and tried to sleep. His cheeks were very hot but his body felt unbearably cold, and he fell into a restless, feverish sleep.

[xx]

Kai was in Yoshpet. She had gone there for him, to get…what was it again? He couldn't remember, but he knew it was his fault and he could never live with himself if she died. He was awake without meaning to be, his head still foggy and feverish, although he barely felt it through the urgency. Kai was in Yoshpet, and he had to save her.

He stumbled through the snow, frustrated that his feet couldn't move faster. His wolf form would be much better. His propelled himself forward as he fell into his wolf form and raced toward the cursed forest. His heart pounded frantically. Kai was in danger!

The cursed forest closed in upon him threateningly. The mist clung to his nostrils and pulled down on his heavy coat. He ran forward blindly, not sure which way to go but only knowing that he had to find Kai quickly, or she would die. No matter which path he took, they all looked the same. He wasn't sure which paths he had tried, and already he was becoming lost. He howled in frustration, and also because there was a slim chance Kai would hear, if she hadn't fainted already. She has a strong spirit…Where had he heard that before?

He had to find her. He still had many things to repay her for…many things he had to apologize for…

The forest had an easy time in taking him. He was already weak from fever and exhaustion. His coat felt heavy and his paws were getting numb. But he couldn't rest. Not until he found Kai…

He let loose one more wrenching howl before the darkness claimed him.

[xx]

Oki suddenly found that he could breathe, and that his head was no longer working its way out of his skull. He breathed deeply. The air was fresh and clean and smelled vaguely of flowers and some strange type of pollen. He was in his human form, lying on something soft that did not quite feel like either snow or blankets. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side to get a good look at whatever it was that was underneath him, and his eyes were assailed by a soft green color, which was rarely ever seen in Kamui. A couple feet away from him, two young deer grazed on some herbs, not at all perturbed by his appearance. He turned his head to the other side and saw a slender brown wolf with yellow patterns on her sides sitting with her back to him. Her tail swished gently from side to side, and her head lifted slightly, as if she was sensing for danger. She turned to look at him.

"You're awake," she said, her eyes looking softly down on him.

"I-I was in Yoshpet…" Oki began, but his tongue was heavy and his thoughts were still slow.

"We're still in Yoshpet, Oki," Kai said gently. "You were very sick. You may not remember."

Oki felt like he was dreaming. How could this still be Yoshpet? The Yoshpet he knew was a cursed forest full of ugly, twisted trees and ungodly mist and pitfalls around every corner. This place was beautiful, the opposite of Yoshpet in every way possible. The air here was clean and warm, the trees were normal, and he could even see part of the night sky through the canopy. It was quiet in a comforting way, much different from the stifling quiet of impending doom that bogged Yoshpet.

Kai seemed to be reading his thoughts because she looked up at the ring of trees around the clearing and said, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Oki nodded, but realized she couldn't see him anyway. She went on, still gazing up at the trees.

"I think all of Yoshpet is beautiful, once you get to know it. I've learned all of Yoshpet's secrets, inside and out. No one can take me away from it."

Watching her, Oki couldn't help but notice how much more mature she looked, with the way she carried herself with comfort and ease. Sitting there in the starlight, surrounded by the quiet of the forest, he thought she looked less like a girl and more like a young woman, even as a beast. He remembered what she had said and realized she was talking about Samickle and Kemu. "Sorry," he mumbled. "That was my fault."

She looked at him and shook her head. "Oh no, it's no one's fault. I'm not angry. Everyone is worried, that's all. They are afraid of Yoshpet, but that's only because they don't know it like I do." She looked back up at the trees and the snow, which had started to fall slowly around them from the black sky. "I am myself when I am in the cursed forest. I feel like Yoshpet and I share some sort of destiny—whatever it is, only the gods know what." She turned back around and smiled at him. "And I have you to thank for that."

Oki winced. He felt like she had stabbed him in a sore spot.

"I'm sincere, Oki," she told him. "Fate has a strange way of playing with people. There is luck even in misfortune. If not for you, I would not be the same Oina I am today. And because of it, we have been able to become good friends, so I am very fortunate." She smiled warmly at him again, sincerity shining in her intelligent wolf eyes. Oki looked away.

"You're too nice, Kai," he mumbled.

She ducked her head in embarrassment. "Do-Do you really think so?" she asked. "I'm just being myself…"

They sat in silence for some time. Oki closed his eyes. He didn't want to leave this peaceful place quite yet, even though he felt a hundred times better than before.

"You're very kind too, Oki," Kai said after a while. "You care deeply about the village, don't you? Samickle even thinks so, but he'd never tell you."

Oki was surprised to hear that. Even Samickle? He didn't think he was kind at all—just trying to repay debts. Kai thought he was kind though, and his stomach twisted. He didn't like deceiving her. "I'm not kind," he said.

Kai thought for a moment. "Maybe not so much in the past," she conceded. "But you are now, and that's all that matters."

Oki was too tired to argue, although maybe there was some truth in what she said.

He turned away and whispered into the grass, "If I am, I have you to thank for it."

A/N: WAH ZOMG SO CUTE, I'M GOING TO DIEEEE XD

ISN'T KAI WONDERFUL? I absolutely love that Yoshpet scene, she becomes so mature when she's in the forest, doesn't she? WAH SPAZZ.

ENDING IN SIGHT! Probably next chapter...we'll skip ahead about 2 years or whatever (I don't know how long it takes to get to the game stuff, so let's just say about 2 years). Yeah, nothing much changes. Sorry. I just don't see them getting together before the events in the game, plus I already have great little plot bunnies running around in my head for the ending, heheheh...I've already written about half of the last chapter, so hopefully I'll update soon.

You know what to do...PLEASE REVIEW!