Pangram

by starfallseeds

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

15. O

Opia

n. the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.

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Flannel wasn't sure how it happened. One minute, he was yelling at Orochi to get a move on, the next, he was collapsing to the ground, groaning as a weak veil of light engulfed him and turned him back into his weaker, human form.

Orochi fell at his side. "Flannel, are you okay?" She reached out to touch his shoulder, but Flannel held her wrists back with an unmet force, hissing in her face.

"Don't," he warned her. "Don't touch me."

"Y-You can't be serious!" she squealed. "Is now the time for this? We have to—"

"Hey, you two."

Both Flannel and Orochi whipped their heads around and stared horrifically at what they saw. Mara's forces caught up to them, and they were enclosed on all fronts. By no means did any of the threatening weapons disappear, but the way the poachers held onto them indicated they weren't supposed to attack them right now. Orochi held onto the small hope that they would be saved, in spite of being surrounded by a horde of bloodthirsty criminals.

Flannel was much less optimistic, and it showed when he lacked the energy to make a snappy reply. He stayed silent as Mara walked up to them.

She brought her fingers underneath Flannel's face, and tenderly lifted his chin up, forcing him to make eye contact with her. It was during this oddly intimate display in which Flannel glared at her with as much contempt as he possibly could, and her salacious laughs scalded his ears in reply.

"My, my, looks like that could kill, you know. You are but a handsome specimen, especially for your kind."

"Eat shit and die," he cursed her. "I don't care what you think."

"What a fucking foul mouth you have," she gasped. "Although, I guess I'm not any better! Let me tell you a secret, beastboy. I have a soft spot for garous over youkos. In fact, I even prefer black-and-white over gold, any day of the week! So if it was your little friend that was here instead of you, I would have just killed him. Twice over."

The anger ignited in Flannel, like smoldering ashes caught ablaze. Orochi reached out to stop him before he said something stupid, but one of the grunts tied her hands behind her with rope, while another pressed his shoe into her shoulder, forcing her to kneel.

She burned helplessly at the humiliation, unable to do anything for Flannel as he simmered in his own personal hell. "You shut your filthy mouth!" he screamed at Mara. "I'd never let you lay a hand on him!"

"How sweet," she teased. "If only he was here to appreciate the sentiment. Doesn't matter, though. And since we're not killing you right away, how about we take you somewhere nice, instead?" Her fingers that once held him tenderly now became harsh as they dug into his skin. It caused him to wince, but the pain wasn't as bad as it seemed—even when she drew blood from his wounded cheek.

"Stop it!" Orochi begged. "Don't hurt him—"

"And a little birdie told me that the stupid purple whore on the left should shut her fucking mouth before I run her through with my lance!" Mara bellowed. Her voice rode such high frequencies and playful cadences that this new tone—low, angry, enraged—was enough to give Orochi whiplash. Even her own underlings seemed afraid of this sudden outburst. "Whether or not you choose to listen to that birdie is your choice, diviner."

Orochi promptly closed her mouth, but not before sneering and mouthing obscenities at Mara in turn.

It got worse from there.

"Our guests are a little irate, or so it seems. Let's give them a proper welcome to calm them down, shall we?" She smirked and there was a rousing murmur of agreement among her kind. "First things first, the hazing ritual. Nothing big, really, we just need to take away things that could potentially cause harm to our lovely guests."

Orochi hated the way that Mara was looking at her when she said that. She hated it more when the grunts frisked her kneeling body with rough and overly-exploratory hands, successfully taking away all the magic scrolls she placed inside her robes.

"Good, good! The spirits can't hurt us now. Ah, but what to do about the wolf...he doesn't have anything to take, does he?"

Stillness. Not even Flannel muttered a reply.

Mara's grin was wide, wicked, toothy. "Oh wait, he does have something. A little rock for my collection!" She swooped in, and grabbed the fallen beaststone which was hidden carefully from view—probably so Flannel could use it at a moment's notice—but still managed to get in her sights, anyway. She tossed it up in the air with a playful leer. "This is dangerous. If he gets his hands on this, what's gonna happen to us?"

"He'll take our furs and use it for coats?" one person asked.

"Maybe he'll cut our heads off and use it as a mantlepiece?" another one jeered.

"You've got it all mixed up!" someone from the back shouted. "It's him that's gonna go through that hell."

And the chorus of affirmations melted into a deafening symphony around them, making Orochi desperately wish she could cover her ears. But then the thought hit her suddenly: if she was suffering this much, how much was Flannel suffering, in that case?

She looked over to him, but couldn't see much past his shaken, bloody frame.

This was too painful for him to endure. All they could hope was for it to be over soon.

"Anyway, I hate rocks," Mara deadpanned. "To hell with this." She armed herself with the beast killer lance from before, and spun it around in her hands several times—making a show of their pain, as always—before plunging it deep into the center of the beaststone.

The amber surface cracked and splintered before it broke into pieces altogether. Flannel watched wordlessly as the magical light dissipated into the air like smoke, and the remnants of the stone were nothing but gray, useless shards. He wanted to scream, or cry, or shout, or anything that would make noise, but like the stone itself he was silent and empty. The sound refused to come out of his mouth.

Useless.

Mara revelled in his despair. "Alright," she said. "That's enough theatrics. See you guys on the other side."

Flannel's chest rose slowly with defeat. Although he'd still be able to fight in his human form, his claws weren't sharp enough, and his fists weren't strong enough to take out this many people at once. Sure, all of his senses outmatched a human's by far, but there were too many humans to outsmart at the same time. Together with the disheartening display of his beaststone being destroyed, it was all too easy for Flannel's hopes to be snuffed out, and for him to succumb to the darkness of pain and slumber.

It was even easier to do that once someone clubbed him in the back of the head, knocking him out.

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"The problem is the basara," Leon said. In a meeting between the ten royal siblings, he was always eager to point out their strategic strengths and weaknesses first. "Their numbers aren't as daunting as their leader is. If Petrify is a real spell with real effects, then she won't hesitate to use it against us. We can't run the risk of sending everyone at once, and having them all turn to stone."

"We also can't send them all at once, anyway," Takumi added on. "They'd hear us from a mile away. We need stealth."

"And strength," Ryouma agreed. "A smaller group with high-speed, strong attacks would better serve us."

"Will they be fast enough to evade the magic, though?" Aqua's calm, quiet voice weighed heavily in the air. "We need to be careful."

"Kamui," Marx suddenly said. "You claimed that the basara's spell didn't work on Flannel, correct?"

The dragonborn blinked, surprised to be involved so soon into the conversation (they preferred being quiet and letting their siblings work out their differences), but answered with sincerity, nonetheless. "That's right. Flannel protected Orochi from the attack, but he was perfectly fine as the spell only hurt him a little."

"Then the same could be said for Nishiki," Camilla softly suggested. "Maybe he can be the meat shield?"

"More like stone shield," Elise muttered. Although she was getting more and more involved in battle tactics meetings like this as of late, she still lacked the necessary input to make herself useful. The same went for her Hoshidan counterpart, who supported Elise's comment with a nod. Elise went on to say, "So should we go get Nishiki in on this?"

"Not yet," Hinoka said. Her brows drew into a furrow. "Let's make a clear, detailed plan of attack before telling anyone else."

"And if these people have been hunting and poaching beasts all this time, they're clearly awful people." Leon's mouth twisted into a scowl. "Most of their kind also resort to petty thefts and acts of violence. We can't have them running around freely after this."

"So I say we split up our forces. One group can rescue Flannel and Orochi, while the other can distract the enemy. Maybe a third group can run damage control and take out stragglers on the way." Takumi smirked. "I'll volunteer for that group."

"I like the sound of that," Marx assented. The Kamui from before would never have imagined the day their siblings agreed on anything, but ever since they brought the two families—and the two nations, consequently—together, they started seeing more and more of it.

They smiled in spite of the serious situation. "I'm okay with that."

"I'll divide the forces as necessary," Leon offered. "Let's make haste. Who knows how long we'll have?"

"Fine. Does anyone disagree with this arrangement?" Ryouma's question was met with a resounding silence. "Very well. I'll notify the others. Leon and Takumi, I'll leave the division of forces up to you."

"The rest of us should get ready in the meantime," Marx added, not to be left out of the authoritative order by any means. "Let's leave within the hour."

The sibling meeting adjourned, and everyone seemed to go their separate ways. Elise and Sakura were talking amongst themselves, a bit jealous of their older siblings who handled these things so naturally. Kamui noticed them, though, and walked over with a plan in mind.

"Elise? Sakura? I need to talk to you."

The youngest princesses paused, and looked up to their arguably favorite sibling in reverence. "What's up, Kamui?"

"What do y-you need, Kamui?"

"I think the three of us should be part of the group that rescues Flannel and Orochi," they said. "Those two are likely to be injured and they'll need healing as soon as possible. Also, once the others do their part, they'll need healers on the inside to support them, as well."

Elise's eyes glittered like stars, and Sakura's face burned beet red. They both felt the same way, however. "Of course! I think that's perfect!"

"S-Should we bring supplies for them, too? Like, um...spells for Orochi, and a beaststone for Flannel?"

"I think so," Kamui agreed. "Mara is insane but I don't think she'd forget to disarm them before taking them with her. Let's be on our best guard, okay? We should also take a few others with us, but I think our rescue group should be the smallest in number."

"Okay! Let's tell Leon before he assigns us somewhere else!" Elise suggested. She used her left hand to grab Sakura, and her right hand to grab Kamui. "Hurry, hurry!"

Sakura became even more flustered as she stumbled over herself, trying to keep up with Elise's pace. "W-Wait," she called out to her. "Don't run so fast!"

Kamui only laughed at their younger sisters. Although it was a serious mission they planned out, moments like these were what made it all worthwhile in the end.

They only hoped that by the time they got to Flannel and Orochi, it wasn't too late, because they still wanted to have moments like that with them, as well.

"And hopefully Flannel doesn't want to kill me when he sees me," Kamui muttered along the way. "That would kind of ruin the whole point of this."

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"Nishiki."

"Leon?" He wasn't used to speaking to the Nohrian royals, mostly because they were more surprised by Nishiki's lack of formalities than their Hoshidan counterparts. "Need something?"

"...Ugh," Leon muttered. The casualness of Nishiki's entire being still took some getting used to. The lack of Prince or Lord before his name rang hollowly in his ears. "Yes, I do. I wanted to inform you on your role in this ambush we're planning out. You'll be part of the group that infiltrates the enemy camp, charged with initiating battle against their units."

"Sounds easy enough!" Nishiki beamed, in spite of the fact that he was disappointed about not being part of the rescuing committee, instead. "I'll do my best!"

"You have to understand how important it is that you protect the others from Mara's spell, though." Leon's princely face fell into a deep frown, one that made Nishiki's heart break for the wrinkles he'd surely get one day. "So, in that regard, I'm entrusting you with her."

"Entrusting me with...her? What do you mean?"

"If it were up to me, I'd have killed her in a heartbeat," Leon scoffed. "So, even I have to be wary in her presence. You, however, are immune to her spell, probably because it only turns humans into stone, and by some miracle, you aren't included in that description."

"Right," Nishiki agreed. "It didn't affect Flannel at all, either!"

"Then you understand: the only one that kill Mara is you." Leon's gaze softened where Nishiki expected it to do the opposite. Did the younger Nohrian prince have experience with such deathly matters outside of the war? Nishiki's heart began to yearn as he spoke. "I'm counting on you, Nishiki."

Oddly enough, his pride swelled at the compliment received just now. Although every ounce of him was hurting and pining over Flannel and Orochi, he managed to stifle the pain, and accept the sentiments from the younger Nohrian prince in full.

"Thanks, Leon," he said graciously. "I won't let you down!"

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"Kaze," Kamui addressed their retainer with his usual nickname. "I heard you're grouped up with Takumi and the others to take out stragglers."

"That's correct," he said. "I'll take the duty earnestly and fulfill it to the best of my ability. By my blade, I swear that I won't let any of those fiends get away alive."

"That's a relief," Kamui admitted. They laughed and reached over to him, wrapping their arms around his frame in a show of affection. Normally they wouldn't do such a thing, because of Suzukaze's reluctance and need for personal distance. But in a private moment such as theirs, in a time where Kamui's heart was torn asunder by the fact that their friends were in danger because of them, it was absolutely necessary to hug.

Kaze knew this, as well, and returned the gesture in full. "You don't have to worry about a thing with me around," he swore. "I promise."

"Good," Kamui murmured into his shoulder. "I've been needing something positive, for once."

Thank you Suzukaze.

And Flannel, I'm so sorry. Orochi, too.

Hold on just a little longer. We're almost there.

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In the thralls of sleep, Flannel had dreams about everything and anything. First, it was his parents, who turned their backs to him. Then it was his siblings, whose faces were clear in his mind, despite him not having a complete understanding of what they looked like in the first place. Following that was the familiar, rocky scenery of Mount Garou, as well as the pearlescent moon hanging in the midnight sky.

Finally, he saw Nishiki. And in these dreams, Nishiki smiled at him, kissed his neck, and held his hands with such tenderness. But as soon as Flannel reached out to return the favor, the fox faded away, and turned into colorful smoke drifting through Flannel's hands.

Deep scarlet blood oozed out of the walls and fell from the sky, as black liquid dripped slowly onto Flannel's face, drowning him in waves, smothering his voice, and restricting his limbs with malice. He heard laughter—cruel, careless, menacing laughter—and a voice telling him that he would lose everything he loved. He saw bright red eyes, light-colored hair, and a smile so acidic, it hurt.

Was he being punished for his crimes? Or was this the life he was meant to live, the hell he was destined to be stuck in?

He hardly had time to answer these questions as, in the midst of the void, a lilac-colored snake appeared, and slithered towards him with fluid gaiety. He shouted for it to leave him alone, already, because he was tired of lies and sweetness when it should have been the bitter truth, instead. He hated the color purple and all the misfortune it brought him: bruises, poison, vitriol, snakes.

A woman with matching-colored eyes. A woman who charmed away best friends and lovers in the same breath. A woman that didn't care about Flannel, or his feelings, or his efforts up until now. A woman who was as cold as the snow over their heads, bewitching and charming his sun to revolve around her, instead.

A woman whose voice pervaded his mind. "Wake up," she said. "Wake up, wake up, wake up."

He didn't have the strength to deny her, so he remained quiet. It worked, because her incessant chirping stopped, and he breathed out of relief.

Then his nose caught on fire, and he had no choice but to wake up.

Flannel gasped as his eyes opened, and his breath entered his lungs faster than he was willing it to. He coughed and sputtered, sitting upright as the haze of sleep left him all at once. When he calmed himself down, the first thing he noticed was a rotting lizard, half-crushed by the rocks nearby.

"Sweet!" Instinctually, his love for strange and/or dead things kicked in, and he temporarily forgot the misery he was put through moments prior. As soon as he reached for the lizard tail, though, a hand shot out from next to him, and clasped his wrist with panicked force.

He peered up and found himself staring straight into Orochi's vibrant purple eyes.

He sneered. "Let go of me."

"Again, this is not the time!" Orochi snapped, yet let go of his wrist, all the same. He noticed that her hands were covered in smelling salts—probably those used to wake him up.

She was battered and broken in other places, too, so he didn't scold her as badly as he wanted to. Instead, Flannel kept to himself, muttering all the while. "You think I don't know that? This ain't where I wanna be, either."

"Are you saying that because we're captured, or because you're with me?"

Silence.

Orochi wasn't having it. "Answer me, Flannel."

"Uh, both?"

"Unbelievable!" She jumped to her feet, and looked down at his sitting figure with as much scorn as was humanly possible. "Our lives are in danger, and you're still mad at me for a stupid kiss?"

"It's not just the kiss!" He stood up, as well, and towered over her easily. She never noticed this before, but he must have been even taller than Nishiki, and so in comparison, Orochi felt like a small child standing next to Flannel.

She refused to let him gain the upper hand, however. "Then what is it? Because let me tell you, Nishiki is the nicest person I've ever met, and he deserves much more than to be ignored and belittled by you of all people!"

"Don't act like you know everything! I know what a good person he is, okay? I know that."

"Then why—"

"I wanted to tell him those things myself. I was going to tell him how much he means to me, and how much I want to be with him, until I saw you."

"..."

"And maybe he thought that this wasn't a serious thing between us, but I sure did."

"Flannel…"

"So, yeah, I'm mad at you guys, and I'm gonna stay mad until...well, until I'm not mad anymore, I guess." He exhaled deeply, and took a step back from her after pondering his emotions for a bit. "Well, I'm awake now, so the next problem is figuring out where we are."

"Finally you start to make sense." Orochi averted her gaze, and ended up staring at the reptile corpse that Flannel was so interested in just now. "We're in a cave of some sorts. No one else is here, but I don't think it's a good idea to walk out there unarmed."

"Definitely not," Flannel assented. "There are at least five people outside the entrance waiting for us. I can smell them."

"...Any chance that those five people are our friends, somehow?"

"Nope."

"Damn."

She looked around for some sort of weapon. There were all sorts of rocks and clumps of dirt, but she doubted they would hold up against blades or spells. With a heavy sigh, she conceded defeat, and slumped to the ground.

Flannel, against his best interests, crouched down to her level—worried. "Hey, you're the one that woke me up, aren't you?"

"Yes, and what of it?"

"So you can't just give up!"

"Flannel, I don't have my scrolls, and you don't have your beaststone. Not only that, but the two of us are outnumbered." She reminded them of their grim circumstances before shrinking in on herself. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I dunno," he answered honestly. "That's why I wanted to keep sleeping."

"Case in point."

"But we have to try something. Can you cast magic without your scrolls?"

She blinked, surprised he managed to maintain a civil tone around her. Perhaps he wasn't so selfish that the severity of their situation went unnoticed, after all. "Uh, well...yes, of course I can, although it won't help us much if we can't fight anyone with it."

"Okay, then…" he mumbled to himself, face turning the slightest shade of pink. "Well, maybe we don't need to fight. What if you distracted them enough so we could run away, or something?"

"Something to distract them with…?" Orochi felt around her robes, and discovered that her satin pouch was still affixed to her waist. It was responsible for holding her precious herbs, used for divination and simple spells. Although she lost a lot of it due to the frisking from earlier, enough of it remained to be useful. She also had the stone bracelet around her left wrist, and the power in the stones could be coupled with the herbs in order to do something significant.

Hope sparked within her once more, and Orochi scrambled to stand upright again. Flannel got up, as well. "Lucky for us, they untied us after realizing we couldn't hurt them without our weapons. Unlucky for them, I have the perfect illusion to cast. If I do this right, we'll be out of here in no time."

"Now we're talking!" His smile was wide and toothy as he beamed down at her. "So, how much of an illusion are we talking here?"

"It should last for a few minutes at most. It takes a moment to get it set up, though. Can you be on the lookout while I prepare it?"

Flannel would normally deny Orochi any favor she happened to ask him, but in dangerous circumstances such as theirs, he didn't have the luxury of going against her like he wanted to. So instead, he complied with her wishes, and faced the entrance of the cave, where their captors were most likely to come from. "Go ahead. I've got us covered."

"Good." She wanted to say thank you but felt as if the sentiment was misplaced here. Hopefully he'd understand where she was coming from, though. "Here goes nothing."

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"Lord Takumi, the traps have been set up as you instructed."

"Good work, Suzukaze. What about Saizou and the others?"

"They've also completed their tasks. Saizou waits at the southern end of the forest while we are stationed here at the northern front. Zero and Joker have also scouted ahead. We have confirmed that there are no enemies past a certain boundary line: all of our targets are within the suspected area."

"Perfect. Now all we need to do is wait for the signal. Do you have word from the other groups?"

"The rescue team put together by Kamui has already infiltrated their camp. The first offensive line, led by Prince Leon and Prince Ryouma, are also ready."

"Good. Prepare yourself, then, Suzukaze." Takumi smirked as he tightened his grasp on Fuujin Yumi. "We take no prisoners."

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"Pieri, are you nervous?"

"She is a little bit...why do you ask, Kagerou?"

"Simply because we are facing enemies that have defeated you once before."

"Ugh, don't remind her...if only she killed them all right away, then Flannel and Orochi wouldn't have gotten captured!"

"I wouldn't go so far as to blame you for that. I just wanted to let you know that sometimes, in battle, things get the better of us."

"..."

"Now that we're all here together, we can make them pay for what they've done."

"Oh, you're right! Well, Pieri is happy that everyone can agree. For hurting her friends, the only suitable punishment is death."

"Yes. Carry that resolve with you, and we'll be done with this in no time."

"Thank you, Kagerou. You're so cool and pretty, Pieri wishes she could say awesome things like you did just now!"

"Cool and pretty, hmm? While I can't vouch for that, I promise you that you'll at least find a dependable ally in me."

Now, Kagerou thought to herself, amused. Let's give them hell.

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Orochi finished preparing the spell. It took some time to draw a circle and mutter the incantations, but when she was done, she alerted Flannel, and the two of them quietly walked towards the entrance of the cave. They were able to see the rest of the forest outside of the opening to the cavern, and they knew that beyond five guards and a camp full of hostiles was their freedom.

She just needed to cast the spell correctly, without any mishaps along the way. It wasn't as if she hadn't already been doing that for years, although even the strongest of spellcasters would struggle in a situation like theirs.

Her hands were softly glowing with a mix of dirt and herbs, enchanted by her words from earlier. It was up to Orochi to cast this dust into the air, and will for it to reach its targets. Should she succeed, then the guards would temporarily be unable to detect them, and they could slip by their glassy-eyed stares without difficulty.

Flannel mirrored her movements, and stayed diligently behind her, waiting to spring forward and attack anyone that might notice her ahead of time. He was as quiet as he had ever been in his entire life, afraid that his breathing and the twitching of his ears were too loud and somehow alerting the guards. He glanced between Orochi—who was less than ten steps away from the first soon-to-be victim—and the men outside, hoping that their clever plan was enough to outsmart all of them.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" a loud voice yelled, causing Flannel's heartbeat to spike violently. Of course they were caught, why wouldn't they be if five people were stationed to watch over them? Whatever hopes they had for an easy escape were suddenly dashed, and now they needed to act on pure instinct to get them through. The wolf waited a few seconds, but ultimately decided that once Orochi cast her spell, he was going to go all in and attack the guards, even without the use of his handy beaststone.

Yet all of that foresight went to waste as an amazing revelation occurred before their very eyes. The guards shouted over themselves and ran in a uniform pace, but they weren't running towards Flannel or Orochi at all. In fact, they hadn't even seen them in the first place, as they dashed away from the cave, towards the nearby treeline several paces away. The two prisoners stood agape and witnessed what could have only been a miracle.

A bolt of lightning shot out from the underbrush and struck one of the offending soldiers in the chest. He fell down, tumbled over himself, and convulsed vigorously. He stilled with death, a fate which flustered the rest of the guards there. The fighters were completely helpless as they were assaulted by even more spells. Orochi recognized one of them to be the spirit of an ox, and her chest lit up with hope at the realization.

Flannel, at the same time, noticed that there were arrows firing, too, and they struck three of the men in the legs, hindering their mobility greatly. Finally, a mounted figure arose from the shadows, and struck down the last standing guard with a cruel strike of a silver sword.

He recognized Cyrus' silhouette anywhere. Flannel smiled veritably as they were saved.

"Flannel! Orochi!" Kamui emerged from the forest, as well, followed by several other familiar faces. They were swarmed by their comrades all at once, and Flannel did a headcount of everyone there. Tsukuyomi, Setsuna, Cyrus, Elise, Sakura, and Kamui. It was an odd mix of people, but he supposed that they needed a well-rounded group in order to sneak in and rescue him.

He was disappointed that Nishiki was nowhere in sight, however, to the point where he hardly bothered to hide his true feelings.

Elise mistook his scowl for pain and rushed over to him. "Oh gosh, look at you two! You're both injured."

"W-We'll take care of you," Sakura insisted. "Sit down, please."

Orochi and Flannel did as they were told, their bodies relaxing as healing waves washed over them, flushing out the pained warmth with coolness, closing up the small wounds that bled out for far too long. Meanwhile, Cyrus and Setsuna kept watch outside of the cave, and Kamui and Tsukuyomi took up residence beside Flannel and Orochi, respectively.

The young diviner huffed as he looked to his elder. "You cast an illusion over them, right? They were too slow to react for it to be normal."

"I did. You guys came at the perfect time," she praised. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling, Flannel?" Kamui asked. "I hope we didn't take too long."

"We've been here for an eternity," Flannel groaned. "B-But, you saved our lives, so I guess...I'm thankful. There, I said it, are you happy now?"

"I am!"

"Ugh, just great. Where's Nishiki and the others, though?"

"The forces are all split up, and we're going to attack from the inside out!" Elise happily replied. "We just have to give the signal."

"We b-brought you this," Sakura stuttered as she reached into her bag, and pulled out several scrolls, as well as a bright new beaststone. "We figured M-Mara would have disarmed you two before imprisoning you somewhere…"

"Thank you, Lady Sakura."

"Thanks Sakura."

They both received their weapons of choice, and Flannel's spirit instantly lifted as he felt the familiar shape in his hand. It was as if his body glowed with renewed strength, and once he was fully healed, he took a step back and transformed before their very eyes.

"Where is she?" he hissed out. "Where's Mara? I'm gonna kill her!"

"They're further in, but we can't storm in there yet." Kamui looked serious. "We're going to send the first signal. Once the fighting breaks out, we'll regroup with the others. They're just past those trees, in a clearing to the north."

"The north," Flannel echoed. "Uh, right, and which way is north?"

"Stick with us and we'll take you to the right place!" Elise giggled as she hopped up, and patted the garou on the head. "Don't get lost, okay?"

"I-I wouldn't get lost, but if you guys really want me to go with you, then I can't say no."

"Kamui!" Cyrus called from his position outside the cave. "Are you guys ready?"

"We are." They looked towards the rest of their comrades and nodded. "Shall we get going?"

"We shall!" Orochi's despondence disappeared at once, and scrolls of a tiger spirit levitated in the air around her, each slab forming a concentric circle bursting with energy. "Let's get a move on."

All of them regrouped at the cave's entrance. Setsuna, who was whistling a cheery tune up until now, gasped and looked to Kamui. "Oh, do you want me to...do that thing now?"

"Yes."

"Gotcha." She stared blankly at Tsukuyomi and nodded. "Let's do it...together."

"Alright."

The two of them stepped forward—Setsuna drawing her bowstring, Tsukuyomi readying a fire tome—and aimed at the sky. They released the tension, and Setsuna's arrow shot straight up as a whirl of flames engulfed it, exploding into a large flare that could be seen for miles on end.

Further in the distance, they saw a similar flare go up, signalling that they were seen.

Kamui heralded the charge as they cried out, "Onward!"

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Nishiki was with Pieri, Kagerou, Leon, Ryouma, and most of the others as they stalked the forest surrounding Mara's camp. Their scouts inspected the place ahead of time, and were able to map out a route that allowed them to be hidden, for the most part. Even as Nishiki's four feet padded along the foliage, he couldn't help but wonder if their cover was going to be blown soon.

At once, a loud whistling noise reverberated throughout their ranks, although Nishiki heard the sound of a flare going off before the lookouts noticed it themselves. Either way, the whistle meant one thing: Kamui's flare had gone up, signalling the start of the ambush.

They moved like lightning. Nishiki was at the frontlines, just in case Mara happened to be out in the open when they attacked. As he stepped out into the clearing, however, he didn't sense her nearby, and instead was face-to-face with an outlaw adjusting their bowstrings. Nishiki didn't give them a chance to react as he pounced on them, snapping their neck with a relished sigh.

The madness ensued from there. Enemies alerted each other of the ambush, so although many were taken out simply due to being unprepared, the others quickly armed themselves, and went toe-to-toe with the rest of them. Nishiki spotted Leon and Ryouma, guarding one another as their magic and swordsmanship struck down enemies in white hot flashes of speed. He heard Pieri laugh maniacally as she rode around Ore, stabbing people and nearly trampling them in the process. He sensed Kagerou sweep in from behind him, taking out a mage with two well-placed shurikens.

On the other side of the clearing were even more of their forces. Elfie and Benoît acted as shields and tanked most of the physical hits, enough of it that faster fighters like Kazahana and Felicia could finish off what was left. Luna and Laswald dove in from the side, too, surprising mages and snipers alike with their quick movements and synchronized blades. And whenever the fighting got too intense, Nyx used her powerful spells to cut through crowds, while Asama stepped in and supported everyone with his healing prowess—something that Nishiki in particular was thankful for whenever he faced off against someone using a beast-killing weapon.

Further in the distance, Nishiki made out the fliers: Camilla, Belka, Tsubaki, and Hinoka, picking off snipers and runaways as they tried to navigate through the forest. Although he wasn't able to see them from where he was, he also knew that Takumi, Hinata, Suzukaze, Saizou, Zero, Joker, and Marx were in the deep forests, too, ensuring that the bloodshed was contained in one place, and that no other poachers or soldiers or enemies alike would escape their wrath.

There was a group of people that remained behind from the entire ordeal, however, so there would still be people watching the base while the rest of them were gone. Nishiki knew for sure that Aqua, Mozume, Asura, Oboro, Yuugiri, Scarlet, Charlotte, Odin, Flora, and Gunther weren't there with them, but if they did everything perfectly, then they wouldn't need their help, in the first place.

He took all of this in and more as he continued his rampage across the forest. He hadn't detected Flannel's scent yet, which meant that the rescue team was still en route to the main battlegrounds, which was fine because it gave Nishiki more time to take out enemies, and think about what to say to Flannel and Orochi once they got there. Should he apologize? Should he be happy? Should he ignore them? He had tumultuous relationships with the both of them right now, and things weren't exactly perfect before the madness with Mara happened.

What should he do to face them head on?

Before he could think about it much more, he heard a vile, wicked laugh resonate above him.

"Well, well, well," she shouted over the deafening bloodshed. "Looks like you started a party and forgot to invite me!"

Several people looked up at once to see the basara in question. She stood on top of the tallest tree, and had her spellbook open for usage. She aimed at one of the humans—Luna, by the looks of it—and spoke in a nearly demonic voice. "DIE!"

Nishiki ran forward and took the brunt of the spell, successfully saving the redhead from a world of stone and pain. His body staggered, but he remained unharmed as he shook off the magic from him, as if it were water and nothing else.

"Thanks," Luna muttered quietly from behind. "I'll get you back for that one."

The momentum and atmosphere of the battle changed, and Mara's forces seemed encouraged by her presence. They fought back harder and faster, but Kamui's people were just as receptive to change as they adjusted themselves accordingly. Nishiki focused on Mara, and did his best to protect his allies from her brutal casts, as well as climb up the tree to attack her straight away.

She jumped down before he could get her, and started firing spells in his direction. He easily dodged most of them, inspired and energized by the adrenaline running through his veins, as well as the maddened vision of him tearing her to pieces. She laughed and killed for too long, now.

It was time to pay.

"I grow weary of this," she sighed. "Let's change the tides of fate."

Suddenly, she flipped the spellbook to a different page, and her entire body shone with orange light. Then she aimed downward, into the earth, and shouted, "PETRIFY!"

A beam of light concentrated into a single spot in the ground, but then it expanded, and filled up the entire clearing. All at once, the lively grass and dirt and underbrush transformed, becoming a solid stone surface at their feet. This change in environment caught everyone off guard, and most people slipped or fell, while others screamed as their feet had gotten stuck in the stone itself.

Nishiki realized that the majority of his allies were suffering from the latter. Benoît and Elfie's heavy-armored boots were cemented into the enchanted ground, preventing movement greater than their body width. All of the mounted units—Pieri, Leon, Marx, to name a few—were forced to dismount their horses as their steeds were caught in the ground. More unfortunate cases, like fallen enemies who collapsed to the ground, were entirely petrified as their bodies were one with the new stone floor. Asama, too, was greatly hindered, as the monk had been pushed to the ground, and his entire body from the waist down was stone. His staff, too, was stuck and unable to move, which meant he could only rely on distant healing spells from there on out.

The only person that seemed entirely within their normal fighting capabilities was Nishiki, as the people on top of the stone had trouble standing upright as they lacked friction on the surface. Mara herself was unharmed by her own casting, and she became smug.

"See, all that fighting was for nothing!" she cackled. "Sure, you've got fliers, and probably reinforcements waiting to kill all of us, but nothing can stop me now." Her eyes fell onto Nishiki, and she aimed her casting hand at his face. "You're going to die, beast."

He tried to ignore the comments, but her words were poison inflaming his heart and destroying his mind. Angered, tired, and downright vindicated, Nishiki leaped into action, speeding alone to his own rhythm as he tried to get her neck, her head, her heart in his sights.

As he reached out to slash at her, however, something strange happened. His claws went through her, but she turned to mist at his hands, disappearing into colorful wisps that petered out completely at his touch. He watched with unabashed horror and surprise as he miscalculated yet another attack, and everyone around him was helpless as they looked on with despair.

Mara fooled him—Nishiki, the leader of the elusive foxes—with an illusion of her own. She was never in front of him to begin with. Instead, she reappeared behind him, a beast-killer lance in hand. She moved so quickly that no one could yell in time, and Nishiki barely glanced over his shoulder to witness her maniacal grin as it set upon him.

She stabbed him through with the lance, right in the center of his chest. His painful, thunderous screams were drowned out by a pathetic yelp, and a wave of horror resonated as everyone watched his body slow down, and come to a standstill before their very eyes.

An agonized cry echoed throughout the forest, and everyone who was capable of doing so turned to witness another sorry sight.

It was Flannel and the others. They had just arrived.

The wolf's vision tunneled, and his entire world drowned itself in red and black. He pummeled forward, barreling down the petrified meadow, not caring about any enemies he trampled over along the way. No, he didn't care about anything right now, because the one thing he did care about had been taken away from him, like everything else. Why didn't he get here sooner? Why didn't he apologize to him, or tell him he loved him, back when he got the chance? Why was everything going wrong now?

Why, why, why?

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Flannel's voice roared. "I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU!" He reached the center of the clearing, hands raised to maim, to martyr, to kill as he had one goal in mind. "I'll kill...kill…"

"...you?"

Flannel screeched to a halt. His one-track mind was focused on revenge and revenge only, and so when a different scene awaited him just then—when a different sight laid before him—he didn't know how to react. He was sure that he saw Mara run Nishiki through with her lance; he was positive that his best friend and lover was now impaled to death, whining softly as the life left him. He was certain that he and the others were a moment too late, and if they had gotten there sooner, they would have reversed Nishiki's fate.

Instead, Flannel saw someone—something—he didn't quite recognize at first. It was because up to this point, Nishiki's fur had been sunset-orange, with tiny streaks of red at the ends of some strands, signifying his growth into something better. The flames around him were blue, spherical, and bobbed with his every movement, fire-lights unique to the youkos themselves. Nishiki had one singular, beautiful tail that was hazel, golden, autumnal brown, earthen in color and appearance.

Now, it was something different. Now, Flannel saw white and red, in place of gold. He saw nine tails, instead of the one. The flames were still blue and spherical, but they were brighter and hotter as they burned alight with fury. The pure energy that radiated off of Nishiki was suffocating: his muzzle drenched in blood, paws stained as he stepped over Mara's corpse, weighing down on her and her broken lance with an oppressive sneer.

Nishiki wasn't dead, far from it.

How was that possible?

"SORRY," he mused in a terrifying voice. It was the same voice that Flannel had grown to love and care for, but there was something primal in its tonality, as if there were a monster lurking underneath the untouched surface all this time. "BUT SHE'S ALREADY DEAD."

"Nishiki…?" Flannel whispered. "Y-You're alive?"

"THAT'S RIGHT." His words echoed and took precedence over the battle, silencing friends and foes alike. "AND ANYONE ELSE THAT STILL WANTS TO PUT UP A FIGHT HAD BETTER SAY YOUR PRAYERS." He stepped over the fallen Petrify spell-book and tore it to pieces. Immediately, the stone meadow dissipated, and the soft grass was underneath their feet once more. The enemies that were once swallowed up by the stone were instantly dead, and those that were left were too shocked to react.

The same went for their allies, but they were quicker to recover, and check themselves to make sure they were free of rocks and stone surfaces weighing them down. The battle resumed, but no one fought immediately. Instead, all eyes were on Nishiki, staring in awe as he stepped over frightful enemies with delicacy, crushing their windpipes and slicing open their throats without missing a beat.

"NOT THAT I'LL LISTEN TO THEM," he boasted. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR UNDERESTIMATING ME."

Nishiki laughed, the once-playful sound chilling Flannel to the bone. He looked directly at Flannel as he spoke, continuing to taunt the frailty of human lives. "DON'T YOU KNOW? I'M NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE."

"I'M BEAUTIFUL AND DEADLY."

.

.

.

The rest of it went by smoothly. After Nishiki's display of power, the others quickly took their chance to take out anyone else that was left. There were lots of "runaways," so to speak, as handfuls of people fled to the forest, afraid of the fox in question.

The other soldiers were more merciful than Nishiki, and they killed without amusement, almost feeling sorry for anyone that got in the fox's way.

That's right, Flannel realized to himself. He's different now. He's changed.

How did this happen?

If he wasn't in such a rocky relationship with Nishiki lately, he would have asked him straightaway. Since that wasn't the case, however, Flannel merely got on with the rest of the army, and followed them back to the main base once the carnage was over. He didn't speak to anyone, although he nodded at Pieri, acknowledging her presence as she stared wistfully at him.

In the meantime, Orochi carefully approached Nishiki, half-afraid and half-proud of his efforts.

She faced her fears with equal measures. "The heavens have smiled upon you," she said. "I'm so thankful that you're alive."

"Orochi!" Nishiki was in his fox form now, but he had noticeably calmed down since his initial outburst, although the array of blood splatters and other ungodly stains on his body did little to reassure her. "I could say the same to you. I'm really sorry about the way I acted towards you before. I shouldn't have ignored you, even if I was really annoyed."

"No, I understand how you feel," she said. "If it was me, I wouldn't want to talk to someone that ruined everything, either."

"But you didn't ruin everything!" he pointed out. "Not everything I am depends on how you view me, you know."

"I—"

"I still care a lot about Flannel, so I have to make things right on my own," he murmured. "So please don't think it's your fault. It just makes it harder for me to figure stuff out on my own."

"Okay," she gave in. "Okay, if that's how you view things, then I'll listen to you. I just want you to know that I'm sorry, Nishiki. And I'm the one that should be sorry, not you!" Her face flushed as she reached out and petted him behind the ears. "Can you forgive me?"

He sighed happily at her touch, his ears twitching and his nine tails swaying out from behind him. "Of course! I've already forgiven you, actually."

"Oh, what have I ever done to deserve you?" She wrapped her arms around him in a full embrace, and spoke softly into his fur. "Promise me you won't get too hung up on Flannel, though. Even if you love him, you can't try so hard when he clearly isn't trying at all."

"I…" He paused for a moment, and closed his eyes against her warm skin. "I'll try." No promises. "We should head back."

"We should," Orochi agreed. "Shall we?"

"Let's."

The two of them disappeared into the forest, following a trail of fellow soldiers and allies as they marched back towards their original base. At some point during the walk, Nishiki's bright eyes turned dim—probably at the thought of Flannel—and he parted Orochi with a forlorn smile, running ahead of her and slipping like sand along the forest path.

Orochi watched him leave, and realized at once that no matter how hard she tried, she would never become the person that mattered most to him. He truly cared about Flannel, despite the wolf's misgivings, and would give up the world for him, even when Flannel did nothing in return.

And it was just so unfair.

.

.

.

Three days and nights passed since the incident with the poachers. Kamui and company took up residence in the forest, deciding to permanently transform the isolated clearings into one of their many bases. Up until now, they had been traveling and marching indiscriminately, only taking refuge in small towns and villages, or in caves where they could use Lilith to create some sort of dimensional hidey-hole. For the first time since before the joining of worlds, they would have some sort of camp to go back to—longer than any of the temporary camps they made in the middle of the night, or early in the morning.

Nishiki was happy to have some semblance of permanence in this situation, but he still dreaded the situation between him and Flannel. Although he promised Orochi that he would sort things out himself, he didn't know how to go about doing it. All his life, everything had been given to him if asked, and in the rare instance that something wasn't given to him, he worked with a stubbornness until that goal came to be.

It wasn't as easy anymore. Some unknown roadblocks stood in the way, but Nishiki knew it was his own weakness that prevented him from confronting Flannel head-on.

That night, Nishiki found himself in one of the forest caves, one which he took on as his own personal abode for the time being, adorned with threaded rugs and a stone fire pit in the middle.

He had a guest, who was currently reading his fortune from a deck of cards. Nishiki was never one for divinations, as he had been brought up as a species of divine creation his whole life, yet he owed a lot to Orochi, and couldn't say no when she offered her services to him.

"We could also try lithomancy, if you're interested in it," she said while packing the tarot cards away. They were her favorite set since Kagerou was the one who did the art for them, all those years ago. "It's my preferred methodology at times like this."

"Lithomancy?" Nishiki parroted her. "Sure! What's it mean, though?"

"It means that I use crystals to determine your fortune. Either by interpreting the light they cast off, or by their placement when I set them down."

"It's dark in here, though. Unless the firepit is enough light?"

"No, sunlight works better," she admitted. "I'll interpret their placement as they fall." Orochi reached behind her and grabbed a satin pouch with a string around it. She loosened the bag, and took out a handful of crystals. Even in the dim setting, Nishiki saw the colors as they jostled around in her graceful hands. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Orochi threw them as if they were dice, and the crystals rolled and shuddered as they hit the ground. They reflected the warm glow of the fire next to them, and Nishiki saw a myriad of colors before his eyes. How beautiful! He resisted the urge to pick them up as Orochi bent over, and analyzed their positions in full.

"Interesting. Do you see the green crystal over here?" she asked him, pointing at a small, rhombus shape in the dirt. "If the longer end is pointed towards you, it means that there is lots of life given to you. You'll live a long life, Nishiki."

"Well, I am immortal, so that's not a big surprise." He couldn't try to hide the skepticism even if he tried. "What else?"

"Hmm...there is a red circular crystal on this side." Her fingers pointed it out, its startling shade so pleasant and eye-catching to look at. "If it is touching any other crystals, it signals an important event related to the other crystals' meanings."

Nishiki noticed the way that the red crystal was touching the green life crystal mentioned earlier. He gulped. "So this means—"

"Something in your life will change drastically, and soon."

"Soon?"

"Well, there is a blue rectangular crystal, and whether or not it is parallel to a life crystal determines the time of events. Since it's parallel, that means the event is to happen sooner, rather than later."

"So far, I'm going to live a long life, and something important is going to happen to me during my life...soon…" He raised a brow and continued his train of logic. "...and right now, I'm currently part of an army trying to save the world, so I guess that makes sense."

"I sense a nonbeliever," Orochi scoffed. "You see the pink crystal, right? That talks about love."

He stiffened at her words. "Does it now?"

"Yes."

"...Alright, I'll bite. What's my love life look like?"

"This crystal has a steel back-side since it used to be part of a necklace. If the steel part is facing upward, that means your love life is in trouble. If the crystal part is facing upward, that means love will find you soon."

He stared obliquely at the steel surface gleaming up at him. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"And the elemental crystals are all face-down, so it has nothing to do with natural movement."

"Which means?"

"The issue with love is of your own doing," she deadpanned. "Not of natural outcomes or outside forces."

"Call me crazy, but I'm starting to think that you're making this up."

"I wish I was."

"Fine, I guess when it comes to fortune-telling, you've got me beat." His ears angled downward as he slumped forward. "Any advice you've got for changing that?"

"Be honest?" she offered. "At least with me, if you can't be honest with Flannel. I still care about you, Nishiki."

"I know you do. I care about you, too! You mean a lot to me."

She expected him to say something like that, but to hear the sincerity of such words shocked her, nonetheless. She spoke in a hushed voice. "Really? You truly mean that, Nishiki?"

"I do. Which is what Flannel was talking about, I guess." He leaned back on his hands, and stared deeply into the fire's burning abyss. "Maybe I love too easily? But love is supposed to be restricted to one person only?"

"It's not like that," she insisted. "Let me ask you this, do you love Flannel?"

"I do."

"Do you love your family?"

"Of course I do!"

"Do you love—" me? — "us? Your allies, Kamui, their siblings, everyone else?"

"Yeah!" Nishiki lit up at the mere thought of it. "I've made so many friends since I joined. I love you guys so much!"

"So the problem isn't that you love too much," she said. "It's that you don't know how to differentiate different kinds of love."

"Different kinds? Isn't there just one?"

"Uh, no." She laughed in spite of him. "Like, would you kiss your parents the same you'd probably kiss Flannel?"

"No!" Nishiki squeaked, disgusted by the very idea. "That's gross!"

"Then it can't be the same kind of love, right?"

"...Oh, I guess you're right."

"So what Flannel is trying to say is that he prefers it if you only loved him in that way," Orochi explained. "When he saw us together, I guess he thought you loved me in that way, too."

"But I don't!"

Ouch. She tried not to flinch, but the bluntness of his words hit harder than they needed to. "...I see."

"Oh, sorry, Orochi. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, I know what you meant."

"..."

"Now you know, though, right? Flannel wants to love you in that way exclusively, and he feels the same about you."

"It's weird," Nishiki admitted. "I've felt this way about different people before, and it never bothered them if I also had other people in my life."

"Were the rest of those people foxes back at the hamlet?"

"Yes."

"There's your answer, then. You're used to the idea, but humans—and wolves, apparently—aren't."

"If it's for him, I guess I can ignore everyone in that way. To be fair, I only kissed you to start with because you asked me to—"

"Wait just a moment!" she cut him off. "You're the one that said I could have a favor in any way I wanted. You were hinting at a kiss, and you know it!"

"I left it up to your imagination," he insisted. "It's not my fault if your thoughts are so different from mine."

"That's…! That's…!"

"Right?"

She hated it when he was right, now more than ever. "Ugh, yes, you're right. I messed up, okay? That's why I apologized already."

"I know, I know, I just like teasing you~" he practically sang.

"Of course you do! You sly fox, someone ought to teach you a lesson!"

"Are you going to be the one to teach it to me?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Orochi laughed and sat closer to him, nudging him in a friendly yet forceful manner. "You know how I feel about you, Nishiki. Even if you don't feel the same way, I…"

"...You?"

"I love you," she whispered. The smile on her face had disappeared. "Gods, I still love you."

"Orochi…" he hummed her name playfully. "I know you do. I'm not this perfect for nothing, you know."

"Perfect?"

"And gorgeous."

"You forgot to add modest in your list of words there."

"Hey!" He blinked at her, accusingly so. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Somehow, you are the perfect combination of someone that is too sly yet too innocent all at once," she lamented. "I wish he could see you right now. He'd apologize right away and fall in love with you all over again."

"Me too," Nishiki agreed. "I'll see him soon enough. We have to work this out, I want it to work out." The flames were getting dimmer as the fire got weaker, and Nishiki shifted to move. "Well, if you want, you can stay here tonight, and I can go to sleep in the—"

"Wait," she implored. "Wait a moment."

He turned to look at her, finding only adoration and determination in her eyes. Uh-oh. "What is it?"

"You know, there is a human concept about things like this," she suddenly said. "Even though two people might be in a loving, exclusive relationship, sometimes one of them strays the path and...well, does things with someone else."

"I think I've heard of that before," he admitted. "Zero and some others were talking about it during patrols or something."

Confound that blasted man, Orochi cursed internally. "Zero has his own issues. That's beside the point, though."

"And, I don't know if Flannel and I are in that 'loving, exclusive relationship' anymore," Nishiki conceded. "Although I want us to be."

"So, in a moment like this, at a time like this, if you were to continue being...open to everyone as you usually are, there should be no fault in that."

"Orochi," he said with finality, after sensing the dangerous implications in her hushed voice. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that this is my last chance to show you how much I love you. So, if you'll have me, then—"

"If I'll have you?" Nishiki parroted her words with utter disbelief. "Orochi, I don't think we should do anything like that at all."

"Trust me, I know we shouldn't!" Her tone shifted into something frantic, as if there wasn't enough time in the world to discuss this matter. All while Nishiki glanced toward the exit of the cave, wondering if he could make it in time if he dashed out right now. She went on to say, "But once you talk to Flannel, that'll be the end of this, right?"

"...Right."

"All I want is one last chance to let you know how much I love you," she nearly begged. "I can't force you to do anything, but I wanted to ask. This is the last chance we'll get, Nishiki."

In that moment, Orochi's entire being was cast aglow by the burning fire, and Nishiki noticed everything from her slightly-parted lips to her long, purple, vibrant hair. He failed to acknowledge it earlier, but Orochi's hair wasn't in its usual style, either, and instead she wore it down, with its long straight strands reaching her tempting waistline. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were deep and bright, reflecting a lifetime's worth of love and adoration.

He had to admit that even though he loved Flannel immensely, there was no denying how objectively attractive Orochi was.

And besides, he had to pay her fortune-telling back somehow, right?

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her, knowing fully well what her answer would be. "Is this really what you want?"

"Yes," she breathlessly answered. "It's all I wanted since the moment I realized I was in love with you. Call me whatever names you want, but it won't change the way I feel about you. It never will."

"The only name I'll call you by is your own," he promised her. "Be still."

She obeyed him, and burned at the touch of his fingers, which trailed over the folds of her robes, and the kimono she'd happen to be wearing underneath it. Slowly, he untied the ribbons and knots, unfastening the last hook until the cloth came away at the barest touch. The fabric fell off the sides of her body, slipping down her curves to reveal smooth and milky skin. She reached over and did the same to him, undoing the knots on his haori, pushing back the kosode over his lean arms, and nipping at his scarf.

His clothes changed from being black-and-blue to white-and-red, matching his newly-formed kyuubi-no-kitsune appearance in full. Yet she had little time to revel in these details as his clothes were stripped away, revealing his absolutely stunning body for all its natural beauty and formidability.

She trailed her hands all over his chest, stopping at the heart, where she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his rhythmic lifebeat. When she opened them again, she found that he had closed the distance between them, considerably so, firm hands roaming her body freely, adventurously going to places that he never thought to go before.

She sighed heavily, not yet wanting to fall completely into him. They had just started, after all.

"Nishiki," she whispered. "I love you so much."

"Then I'll become someone worthy of your love."

Orochi gasped as he suddenly leaned in, and kissed the nape of her neck. "N-Nishiki, wait—" her breaths melted into moans as he bit down on her, sucking at sensitive skin that flared up underneath him. "Ah, you're so…"

"...Yeah?" He laughed chastely against her. "What am I?"

"A jerk," she teased. "An awful person."

"Ooh, so you're about to be undone by evil, then. I'm taking you to the dark side."

"And not to mention a total dork."

"Who you love," he maintained.

"Whom I love," she agreed.

Their banter escalated into laughs and callous words, making Orochi remember all the reasons why she fell in love with him in the first place. His good humor, for one. His sensitivity, for another. The fact that he was good-looking and capable in battle were bonuses, as well.

Yet the real reason why Orochi fell for him was because of the kindness in his soul. The gentle way he held her, yet with such a firm conviction since he wasn't going to let her go. The way that he always forgave her, even though she inconvenienced him over, and over, and over again. His smile, his laugh, his happiness which radiated off of him so easily.

He was her sun.

She finally felt warm.

And although it took a lot of strife for her to get to this point, she figured that all of the trouble was worth it.

As Nishiki laid her down, causing her hair to fan out like wings below her, a wave of warmth of comfort washed over her. This wasn't a new experience for either of them, but Nishiki always had this effect on Orochi since day one. He made her feel new again, he made it feel like it was the first time in her life, and not one of many encounters that happened beforehand.

Their eyes locked onto each other, orange meeting violet in a gradient worthy of sunsets—the midday light melting into something familiar, intense, yet palpable. He was so, so beautiful, and Orochi hoped she wasn't too plain in comparison, but even if she was, he never let her know it, as his lips were soft and his surrender to her desire was even softer. Her heartbeat almost exploded out of her chest, and she was thankful for his hazy kisses, because she might have died from sheer anxiety, otherwise.

The last of the fire went out as Nishiki went down on her, dissipating all her fears, worries, and nightmares in one fell swoop.

.

.

.

"Pieri has had it up to here with you!" Three days and three nights since the incident with Mara passed, although Pieri made their weeks-old confrontation as good as new once she barged into Flannel's domain, loud and indignant.

Flannel himself claimed a small side-clearing of the forest as his own, using Lilith's power to form a temporary makeshift room with four walls, yet lacking a roof. Pieri walked into the small space like she owned it, and slammed the door closed behind her. Her movements were strong enough to rattle the junk that Flannel kept around his room, and he protested when his collection of bones fell off the shelf on the southern wall.

"What's wrong with you?" he snapped. "I thought you wanted to look at my collection earlier, so why are you—"

"You're an idiot if you think that's the real reason Pieri wanted to talk with you!" she huffed. "She finally has a chance to tell you how stupid you are, and what a big baby you've been acting like this whole time."

"So not only did you not want to see my treasures, but you came here to insult me?" Flannel was taken aback. "Wow, you're really mean lately, aren't you?"

"You're being mean lately!" she insisted. "You ignore Pieri, you ignore Orochi, you ignore Nishiki...and for what?"

"Because you all managed to piss me off one way or another," he retorted. "So of course I'm gonna be mad!"

"Don't you see how lucky you are?! All these people care about you, Flannel! Everyone cares about you!"

"..."

"Pieri wishes she were you. If she were you, then she'd have people to love and care for her all day long."

"Who are these 'people' you're talking about?" he wondered aloud. "The only person that loves me is...is Nishiki. Maybe."

Pieri's face turned bright pink, and she frantically pulled at the ends of her long, colorful hair in order to calm herself. "Y-You are so stupid, you know that?!"

"I know I'm not the smartest," he agreed. "But just 'cause you say that doesn't mean I have any idea what you're talking about! Can you just get to the point, already?"

"Pieri is saying that she cares about you!"

"Yeah, I care about you too. I'd care more if you weren't so mean and angry sometimes, though."

"She cares about you a lot! Flannel, she might even…"

"...What?"

"She might even love you," Pieri confessed. She stood so close to him due to her resolute anger from earlier, but all the energy died out as she stepped back, almost in shock at what she had said. "She...she loves you, Flannel."

There were a lot of things that Flannel never expected to hear the course of his life. He spent years and years hunting humans, and destroying any poachers that got too close to his domain. He spent his whole life cavorting among their kind, hearing all sorts of bad things and insults from them, relying on their help to redirect himself whenever he got lost. He heard a myriad of curses, shouts, insults, and threats made on his life.

Not once had he heard someone say they love him. In fact, the last time he heard that had to have been back at the hamlet, and it was a familial love at the time.

Tonight, Pieri was confessing a different kind of love, the type that made their faces go red, and their hearts start pounding a mile a minute.

Flannel stuttered more badly than he ever did in his entire life. "W-What do you mean...y-you love me? Me? Me, as in Flannel? You...you love me?"

"Are you deaf? She already said it once, don't make her say it again!" Pieri gasped, taking a page from Flannel's "denial-of-feelings" book. "Even if you were so mean to her lately, and even when you isolate yourself from everyone else...Pieri has long since decided that she loves you."

"I don't know what to say. I mean, thanks?"

"Thanks?!"

"I've never had someone tell me that before," he admitted. "Not even—"

"Don't be mistaken about Nishiki," Pieri suddenly warned. "She knows that you love him more than anything."

"I don't know about that so much anymore. I haven't talked to him since we fought, and—"

"Think about it this way. Pack leaders usually have a partner, right?"

Flannel instantly remembered his parents, and the way that they stood at each other's side, strong and resolute. He nodded. "Right."

"So, in the future, when you get your own mate, who do you imagine standing next to you?" She raised a brow, questioning his resolve. "It's Nishiki, right?"

It was perfect in his mind, because the wolf envisioned the fox beside him, sitting under the moonlight that fell so perfectly on Mount Garou. He imagined the way they'd hunt together, unbridled by the wind and the strength in their bodies. He dreamed of going to a summer festival with Nishiki, adorning a yukata and enjoying his Hoshidan roots for what they were.

In the future that Pieri proposed, Flannel only saw Nishiki.

He sighed. "Yes, that's right."

"Pieri knows that you don't love her the same way," Pieri insisted. "So please don't be mean and say something like 'I don't love you' to her, okay? She knows."

"Sorry," was all he could say to her. "I love you, though. Just not as much as I love him."

"Yeah, you're lucky to have him, by the way." Pieri took a seat on his bed, and Flannel hesitated before he did the same. "Although, sometimes, you don't have to restrict yourself."

"Restrict?"

"Uh, what Pieri means to say is that...well, to wolves, love is one and done, right? You only need one partner?"

"Yes," he answered, exasperated. "It's what I've been trying to tell Nishiki all this time."

"Humans and foxes are a bit more flexible," she reasoned with him. "I love you, but you love Nishiki. You can chase after him if you want. But for tonight, I want to chase after you." Pieri leaned in dangerously close to Flannel, so close that he could smell her hair and sense her chest rising-and-falling.

He noticed that her usual armor was nowhere to be found, and she was clad in casual clothing: white shirt with puffy sleeves, black skirt, black leggings, and dark boots. Her hair was in its usual style, although the ribbons were loose and just a touch away from becoming undone.

Was it intentional? His heart spiked in nervousness. "I don't think I'm a good person to chase after," he feebly said. "Uh, I've been really mean to you, Pieri. I was hoping that by arguing with you, you'd even leave."

"I know," she insisted. He was shocked to hear her speak in first person, so much that he wondered if she slipped up by accident. "But she knows better, she knows what a kind person you can be if you weren't so...weird. And sensitive about stabbings."

"I'm not weird!" he countered. "D-Don't say weird things, yourself."

"It's only for tonight, Flannel," she muttered. "After that you can forget about me, or hate me, or do whatever you want. I don't care anymore."

Pieri always acted with a haze about her. Flannel knew that her past was covered in blood and misery—they shared the same scent, after all—which was why she behaved differently than the rest of the humans he knew. She was a broken, childish person, whose own broken state and childish antics matched his perfectly. Yet in that moment in time—those precious seconds in which she gave up all agency—he felt as if she had been the most lucid, mature person she'd ever be in her entire life.

He couldn't let that go to waste.

"Only for tonight," he repeated after her. "...Are you sure, though? Because after seeing you, I might not hold back."

"You better not hold back on me," she purred, leaning forward to snake her arms around his neck. "It's more than Pieri could ask for. So if you'll have her, she's yours."

Mine? He liked the sound of that. He was rather possessive as a person, and he knew that was one of his greatest downsides, even though no one so much as said that before. Yet Pieri relinquished control, and gave into the bloodlust within her, cajoling Flannel to do the same. He was so worried about his disposition and his thoughts on love that he never knew what to do when it finally arrived at his doorstep, wrapped neatly in ribbon alongside a thank-you card for his troubles.

At the thought of ribbons, Flannel's gaze directed to the frilly lace holding Pieri's ponytails in place. He reached over, and ripped them apart with a swift movement. The ribbons came undone, and Pieri's hair cascaded over her shoulders, almost reaching her waist as it fell down in neat layers of prismatic softness.

She gasped at the sudden contact, and he felt chills in hearing her voice that way. He wanted more than just a gasp, though. He wanted her voice to become his, and so he leaned in, and took Pieri's lips with his own, harshly biting down on the lower lip after a tentative movement.

"Ah," she sighed out, and returned his gesture with equal force and impatience. "You're sweet," was all she said in response.

"Not as sweet as you."

Flannel deepened the kiss, and as they wrapped their arms around each other, he began to unbutton the back of her shirt with expertly moving hands: this wasn't his first time giving into carnal desires, and if he had any say in it, it wouldn't be his last time, either. Pieri also seemed excited at this new pace, and began to do the same as she tugged at Flannel's shirt, nearly ripping it off of his body as her hands moved frantically.

Soon enough, they were both naked and exposed, with Pieri's pretty, fluffy clothing stripped off of her body in unceremonious waves. And perhaps he never noticed how well-endowed she was—probably because of all the armor—but her body's secrets were laid bare before him. He loved her curves, her roundness, her softness where it mattered. He especially loved the way her skin reddened at his mere touch, body squirming, eyes widening in all.

...Wait, eyes? He pushed back the mess of hair covering her face, exposing her other eye and causing her to squeak at the unexpected motion. With her flushed cheeks and red-and-green irises, Flannel realized that she was truly beautiful, in her own right, and all this time he had been taking her for granted. Pieri was one of the few people who truly understood him, after all, and it was long overdue for him to return the favor.

"Don't hold out on me," she whispered, vulnerable and longing. "You're all I want right now."

"I won't."

The last barrier between them melted as he lowered himself, running his hands through her hair, biting at her neck and stealing the breath out of her mouth. Any noise she wanted to make, whether it was a moan, sigh, or scream, was silenced as he stole it out of her, devouring her voice as his own, consuming her love like it was air.

And, in the midst of that dark, hazy, and lustful night, Flannel was surprised to know that—for once—he could finally breathe.