39. What Do You Mean, Again?

Flashback

'Stop it!" she screamed but he covered her mouth to muffle her...

Why? What had she done to deserve something like this? Something so cruel and disgusting? the feeling of it made her skin crawl with disgust and all she could do was flinch under his strong hold.

When it was over... When all of this was over; What would she do? Would she do as she usualy did? Huddle in the corner and whimper as the cold hit her almost bare body? Why was she reliving this?

What had she done? What was the trigger? Was it the fact that she was now around boys all the time? Strong boys who were getting older and taller as the days dragged by?

Would she sit here and cry? Would she wait for her mother to come home so that she could say that she wasn't feeling well and needed a walk? No.. She didn't want to do that; Her legs were hurting her...

She only had one thought pass through her mind and it was something that relaxed her even after hands touched her. When this was over.. She would limp to the only place she felt safe at... Thats where she would go..

She ran and ran until she saw his figure. She saw his shadow amoung the trees and his tail whipped about from being called to the sakura trees so late in the afternoon. Nanami giggled as she contiued her run.

Then she took him by surprise by hugging him tightly. He made an annoyed expression as he sent her a distorted glare.

" Why did you call me here? It is late and Mikage says that fourteen year olds should not be running around.." He spewed; upset that his father was displeased with him. The only reason he could go was because it involved Nanami.

Thats when the girl started to whimper in his arms. Tomoe blinked as his fox ears drooped and he looked into her brown, tear filled eyes.

"Whats wrong?" He asked rather quickly as he brushed hair out of her eyes. The girl blinked and then hestitated before sighing and pulling her arms away from him. He blinked as she looked down and feined embarrassment.

"I watched a horror film again.." She smiled sheepishly and Tomoe gave her look that described his emotions comepletely. A horror film? Really!? That why she called him and dragged him to the sakura groves? He pouted and crossed his arms.

His childlike ears flicked about and he stood there annoyed. He was the only yokai that wasn't exactly maturing yet; so to anyone on the block he looked like an eightyear old. It ticked him off..

"I told you not to watch them! They scare you and shake you up more then they should.." He sighed heavily and opened his coat before grabbing Nanami's hand and pulling her into his embrace. He wrapped his coat around them both and then zipped her up inside the cloth along with him. He leaned his forehead on hers and sighed.

"No more horror films, Alright?" He muttered quietly.. His voice ringing through the girls ears.

Nanami nodded; Even though they were pressed together and hugging in the cold of the park; She didn't feel like she had when her father pinned her to the floor and demanded that she stayed quiet as he defiled her innocence.

No, Tomoe was comfortable and he wasn't trying to touch her like that. He was keeping her warm with his fox-fire as his hands stroked her back, His palms were warm as he summoned the fire to heat his hands.. But his strokes were gentle and careing. He had nothing else on his mind..

He was being gentle with her; and the warmth made her want to sleep..

"Idiot human." Tomoe muttered and she knew he was annoyed by his tone," Its nine... Mikage will kill me if I go any later." He unzipped his coat and then let her out into the cold. He looked at her and then sighed.

"No more Horror films... Your such a troublesome friend Nanami." He sighed out and then looked at her with his violet eyes," Don't let them bother you; You control your life and choices.. Not those films." He patted her head and then glared.

"Get home, You Galoot." He fumed and Nanami pouted with shimering eyes.

"Okay Tomoe.." She whimpered and turned around.. She didn't want to leave..

Because she knew he would be there wanting more.. And his touch was not comforting at all; Not compared to Tomoe's...

End Of Flashback

Nanami shivered as she sat at the breakfast table and slurped some orange juice. To be truthful she took the rest of Tomoe's; it wasn't like he would kill her..Hopefully.

She had been up all night again and she wanted to know why. Why were her thoughts reverting back to that time? It was almost a year ago when it stopped... When all the name calling and constant grabbing stopped.

The girl sipped the juice in her cup blankly as Tomoe walked in. he looked at her cuasiouly and then opened the fridge. He looked and then glared at Nanami. She smiled sheepishly as he sighed and shut it back and grabbed an apple.

He bit into it and then sighed at its taste. He looked at Nanami and then furrowed his brow.

" Are you alright?" He muttered quietly.

Nanami looked at him and nodded slowly; she smiled weakly but stayed quiet. She knew he would pick up on her mood but she would just act herself. She let out a forced giggled and wagged her finger back and forth, " I got your Orange juice.."

Tomoe rolled his eyes, " Pig."

She pouted and stuck her tongue out but froze when Tomoe grabbed her hand and placed it to his mouth. He arched his brow and then stared her in the eye, " You smell Funny.." He muttered slightly.

Nanami blinked as he dropped her hand on the table and then folded his arms in confusion. She blinked her eyes and then furrowed her brow, " What do I smell like?"

The fox grew quite and then turned his back on her before sighing and giving her a fake smile. He messed her hair up before walking out of the kitchen and not answering her question. The girl sucked in her breath...

What did she smell like?

Tomoe walked out of the kitchen; leaving Nanami to dwell on her own thoughts; while he dwelled on his. Why was it that...

She smelt so... It wasn't innocent; It wasn't her shampoo. It wasn't her scent exaclty.. Her scent made his mouth water; but the scent on her was... Hard to tell.. It was...

Impure...

Kurama, Mizuki, Tomoe and Nanami were at the ice-cream parlor; the one place that Nanami loved to go and relax. Tomoe knew this and thought it would be okay.. Giving that she shoved him the other day and made him uneasy..

Did he go to far? What did he do? He just hoped that he didn't go to far... That his instincts didn't cost him his Bst freind.

They all lined up for Ice-cream as Nanami rocked on her heels and giggled slightly to herself; making Tomoe look at her confused. She was smiling and he didn't know why.. but her smile was completely see through. Mizuki even gave him a look or two...

The fox felt his ears flattened in annoyance; Nanami told him everything; And now she was avioding him like he was some disease. Even when Kurama held the door open for her she let him go ahead.. its like she didn't want him to enter in behind her.

He shrugged his shoulders and placed an order for him and Nanami; She smiled at him and his face burned for second as he looked away and glared at the tile floor. He didn't have time for this! He wanted to know why Nanami wasn't trying to talk to him much..

Or even touch his ears..

Not that he wanted her too..!

It was just that she was always doing so! So there had to be something wrong with her! He huffed out his cheeks and then started to walk towards a table before Nanami tripped over a chair leg...

Tomoe's eyes grew wide as she toppled to the ground and a few men rushed to help her. He relaxed but then paused when he saw her eyes...

She looked petreified..

"Hey.." He muttered but the men trying to help her didn't here him. He looked at them as they offered her their hands or arms to help her up; nothing was wrong or even suspicious.. Nothing at all.; but she looked scared..

"Hey.." He spoke louder but was still ignored, Kurama and Mizuki looked at him confused as the fox lunged forward and pushed a man out of the way and grabbed Nanami by the shirt collar. She girl yelped at his strong grip and how he yanked her up and away from the men.

Some men glared at the fox was he gripped Nanami's wrist and pulled her out of the store to the alley beside it.

Nanami blinked as she gasped for air but was soon cut off guard when Tomoe slammed her into the wall and glared as he pinned her there...

"What is going on with you!?" He spewed out. This was getting out of hand; she was shaking and the bags under her eyes told him she wasn't sleeping. It aggervated him to think that his best freind wasn't talking.

And that her air of innocence was far from gone; He hated this! He wanted to know what was bugging her and why! He had been afraid to just say hi the last few days because she pushed him and made him feel out of it.

His best freind was holding back and it was ticking him off; when they were younger Nanami was the one person he could talk to; and she coul talk to him. Just because they were older didn't mean they had to stop talking to each other!

What surprised him even more was that instead of Nanami looking away she glared at him and clenched her teeth; almost baring them at him,

"Theres nothing wrong!" She said rather loudly.

Tomoe tightened his grip and Nanami whimpered a bit. Why was it she was afriad of him? Why...

"Then why are you acting like Everyone is bothering you?"He screamed; his fur bristling in anger.

Nanami glared, " Look... You didn't tell me. So why would I tell you?"

Tomeo blinked... That felt like a slap across the face and he loosened his grip on her wrists. He backed up and then stared at her shocked. Nanami saw the hurt on his face and she chewed her lip; Crap.. She let her innocent ask slip and now her atittude had snapped Tomoe's rubber band harshly.

It had snapped into somthing she didn't mean to bring up or even say.. His cutting... Wasn't any of her business, and yet she threw it at him like ice cold water.

Tomoe looked at her and then his wrist before clenching his teeth and snarling; Something Nanami had seen from a few times that they had fought. This was rare for them... This wasn't a friendly fihgt; this wasn't a , Give me a cookie' Fight.

This was personaly one of the worst things to happen.

"You think you know eveything?" Tomoe snarled; his voice nearly cracking from his anger, " You have no idea why I did it! WHY I DO IT!"

Nanami blinked and then glared at him, " Because your t busy not accepting what your dad does for you right? Because your dad works to help you and yet your ungrateful for it!" She pushed his chest and Tomoe glared,

"Thats not it! You don't need to know why I do it! Whats the point of you knowing anyway!?" He screamed, unaware than Kurama and Mizuki were trying not to be seen at the time.

"Your a hypocrite!" Nanami screamed, " You want to know whats wrong with me and yet you cut yourself and say, " I'm fine." Your the idiot! Screw your head on straight fox!"

Tomoe hissed and clenched his clawed hands, " You have no idea what I've been through!"

"Oh Please!" Nanami fumed, " What could be worse than what I had to go through!?"

Tomoe looked at her and shook his head, He mumbled something and Nanami looked at him annoyed.

"What?" She spat out annoyed as he glared at her; his face distorted as if he was stabbed. The one person he thought understood him? Didn't understand at all; He nearly choked up in fornt of her before he looked her in the eye.

"No, Your the Hypocrite... You WITCH!" He screamed at her and was met with a harsh slap. It wasnt a slap of anger.. He had gotten in her face and his body got to close to hers; No.. It was a slap of fear. Because he looked mad and irritated as he was coming at her.

Thats when Kurama and Mizuki intervened...

"Stop it!" Mizuki wailed and ran up to Nanami while Kurama held Tomoe back from doing something stupid. The fox was frozen though; he wasn't fighting or swearing like before. His eyes were glassed over and he was staring at Nanami in shock..

His best friend was acting like he was going to attack her.

He looked at her and then grunted when Nanami stood her ground and started to walk down the street in shock; She had hit him.. Even when they were little she would take up for him when a bully names Akura-ou would pick on him.. But now she was the one that had caused him pain.

She didn't understand did she?

" Where are you going Nanami-Chan!" Mizuki gasped out as she took off.

She sighed and without turning around muttered," I'm taking a walk.. I need to clear my head."

And then she walked away from them; leaving Tomoe to look at her in hurt and confusion. Even Kurama and Mizuki didn't know what to do; it was both of their faults.. Nanami's out of fear and Tomoe's out of concern. What were they supposed to do about something like this?

Nanami shivered; it was getting late and all she could think about was her own guilt. Tomoe had been worried and she threw up his cutter problem; then she hit him when she thought he was going to pin her down again.. She didn't want that feeling of being constrained..

Not when he was mad and could lash out in rage.

The girl looked up and winced, Where was she? She was walking for a while and now it was dark. Street lights and beauitful skysrcapers met her eyes; showing her thats she was more in the city then before.

She was more in a secluded down town area; a place that wasn't so safe at night. She winced and looked behind her; trying to figure out if she should turn back and find the others. Then again... The others were probabaly home, moping or something.

She huffed out a breath and shivered in the cold of the night; She was fearful... Of those men that surrounded her; then Tomoe pulled them away and let her breath.. but when he got violet it scared her, not of him.. but of his strengh.

He was angry and hurt and it was like she had cut him herself.. It was like she had grabbed his rubberband and snapped it so far back that blood dripped. She had cut into something she should have never even mentioned.

Tomoe was not spoiled; she knew that he knew that Mikage's job was improtant; She had no clue why they weren't talking. It bothered her but she never thought she would blame Tomoe for the whole mess; After all... Wasn't he depressed? Why had she not seen it before?

Past all his fake smiles and slow answers; He was hating eerything about life at the moment.. She woudln't be surprised if he wanted to hurt himself again for what she said. He probably already did; but at least she knew that Mikage woudl be coaching him through the pain.. Maybe even leaning over the sink and washing the blood away from the teen.

He didn't know what was wrong with her either; but how could she tell him? She was dirty... She wasn't innocent, ha.. She wasn't even sure after all those times if she was a pure virgin. Afer everything that happened to her and forced her to fake the innocence unstead of really having it.

She cursed as her heel turned to the side and she stopped as pain went through her leg. She moaned in pain and looked down at what she had stepped on. It shocked her to see a beer bottle at her foot.

She blinked as glass nearly hit her head and she froze slightly.. What the..

"NANANNNNMIIII CHANNN!" A all too familair voice sounded and Nanami felt her breath flee. What... NO! She turned around to see her father laughing and walking out of a bar; half tripping over his own steps. He cackled and looked at her frozen figure.

"Its been a while.." He smirked.

Nanami swallowed the bile in her throat as she stepped back and whimpered, " Leave me alone!" She whimpered out and stepped back in fear. The older man laughed and grabed her amr before pulling her towards an alley.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed out in fear.

The man narrowed his eyes before he glared at her, " Shut- up.. Or I'll do it to you all the way.."

No, No..NO! Nanami started to kick and scream but the man shoved her into a wall and smirked; her breathed her in and the girl gagged as he pressed himself to her,

"Just like you mom.. Fesity.." He laughed and then let his hand touch her shoulder; it trailed to her collar bone before Nanami got the courage to spit in his face and glare in hate.

"Your Sick." She spat out in pain as he pulled at her hair and glared,

Her snalred his lip as he glared ad started to wipe the spit away," You've done it now." He smirked evilly, " Should I start right away... Remember what I used to say Nanami-chan?"

Nanami swallowed as tears welled up in her eyes and he glared suddenly, He banged her head on the wall as if demanding she answered him," WHAT DID I SAY!?"

Nanami whimpered and closed her eyes.

The man grunted, " You forgot?" He laughed, " I used to say...

"Lets play, Nanami...Now I'm saying, Lets Play Again..."

Nanami started to whimper until he father gasped out in pain and screached. He stepped back and held his arm before falling over unconscious. Nanami blinked; her body shaking as the man laid on the ground, breathing heavily.

She looked up with tears filled eyes and all she saw was a figure. A tall figure with a familair jacket on; his wrist had a bandage and a rubber band and she she lifted her eyes she saw a white ahired teenager with disgust in his eyes..

"What do you mean by again; Old man?" He spat out and punted the man to the other side of the alley; not really satisfied but stopping himself so he didn't kill him. Nanami shivered as the fox looked at her and her lips quivered.

He looked at her and his violet eyes showed concern and cnfusion. He stepped forward and Nanami flinched a bit. He only sighed and grabbed her by the shoulders, Nanami blinked as he unzippe dhis jacket and shoved her in close to his body.

She felt her neck burn as he closed the jacket and zipped it up, His hand found her back but for reason she knew what he was doing.. His hands troked her back up and down ; they heated up and Nanami whimpered in pleasure as his touch warmed her freezing body. It was rather cold out and Tomoe had heat in his veins..

"Nanami..' He muttered and looked at her, His eyes glued on hers and then down to the ground, " I am-"

Nanami stopped him," Sorry.." Her teeth chattered as the fox relaxed.

"No, thats me.." He muttered and then sighed lightly, " Your hard to find.. Best friend.." He muttered making Nanami look at him.

Even after wistnessing that scene; even after seeing her being threatened and talked to like a toy; he was still gentle.. Tomoe would always be Tomoe. Her Bestest F'w'Reind in the whole world.

"Now Nanami.." He looked at her and she coudl see hurt there; as he he wasn't sure of what to say. Then he sighed and unzipped the jacket and looked at her in the eye, " What does he mean by again; and if My head is right.. How long has your puritfy been defiled.." He uttered making Nanami gasped and cover her chest. She looked away and then looked at Tomoe..

"How did you-"

"You smell like you've been touched; nothing close to being pure." He ground his teeth and looked at her.

Ah so thats how she smelled...

Nanami looked at him and whimpered, " Ever since my thirteenth birthday."

Tomoe looked at her and she was surpirsed when he hugged her, his face buried in his neck and for some reason.. She was okay. She was learning more abou thim and he was learning more about her; even in a painful way..

"You'll always be my friend.. Even if I'm not pure?" She whimpered as he held her to him. Her hair swayed and Tomoe felt himself want to get sick and stab her father..

"You will always be my best friend, " He muttered this against her hair and held her close; His father was on the way to pick them up.. He had called him; even though he didn't want to. He did't want to speak with Mikage...

But that wasn't what was bothering him; what was bothering him was that his best friend was being Man handled for so long and he didn't know. He had tried to protect her innocene but he had failed miserably.. She was innocent to many things; like the jokes boys at school would crack.

She didn't seem to understand them; but she did know how it felt to be tossed abou tand touched carelessly. The fox swallowed and took in thegirls scent.. Even if she was defiled and hurt; All he could smell was her. Her Cherry-Blossom and Vanilla Bathwash and her shampoo.

She was still innocent to him; even though he knew other wise; That stinkin old man.. Tomoe had to hold himself back or he would have killed him; and what good would that have gotten him? Troubel with the gods and being outlawed in the devine cities? Something he was already...

He could not go to a devine city; it was too troublesome.. The familairs of gods were there and so was the other godly descendants; He was a yokai bred child.. Tomoe swallowed.

He had millions of issues that Nanami did not know about; he hoped that this issue was her only one.. And that she didn't have to deal with it again.

"Always?" Nanami sniffed as Tomoe pulled from the hug and playfully messed her hair up.

He chuckled, " Your such a kid.." Tomoe sighed and nodded, " Always."

Nanami smiled through her tears and Tomoe smiled back..

There was stillso much to know about his friend; and there was still so much that no one knew about... That included his mother's death and the gods. Tomoe swallowed; This was only the beginning wasn't it?

Oh how it freaked him out...

Such a cute and yet non romantic scene! Hahaa, No... That was not a confession! If you thought so I am sorry! They both have to cope with their pain before the train that carries the haeart passed through! They both have problems and Tomoe still isn't talking to his father...

Plus Nanami is still frightened to some extent; but there is a dertermination for both teens to understand their freinds more.. Since its like they weren't really friends at all.. They were just there.

Now they're going to learn things about each other that every Best friend should know.. Oh How exciting!

Thank You Ai-Star for your continued support! You help me brainstorm! Hahaa.

Next chapter? What will it be about?

Its gonna have lip-locking in it.. But its not what you think! -.o

Next Time on Twisting Friendship : The Jealsouly of Kayako