*Onami*

I sighed. I had left to talk to Shiomi after leaving Nori to take care of my little sister. Perhaps it was a mistake to have done so. I didn't gain anything from talking to her at all. In fact, I didn't even get to talk to her as she dissolved into the wind.

While she was an annoying person who loved to lord over others, there was no denying her talents with her wind magic. If I could swallow my pride, I would ask her to teach me some of her techniques.

I gasped as an explosion rang from deeper in the forest. It sounded like something crashed through it.

I rushed over to the source of the sound and gasped at the sight of a long row of snapped trees.

I squatted down and touched the broken bark shattered on the forest floor. There were no remnants of meteorite on it, nor were there burn marks. So, it couldn't have been a cosmic event that caused this.

I stood up and walked down the path created by the crash.

"Onami, what happened here?" a voice called out.

I turned around and saw Kohri run into the destroyed part of the forest.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out," I said as I began to run.

Kohri flew overhead as he held out his hand toward me. "Here, we can get there faster by air."

I reached out and took his hand. He put his hand on the middle of my back and pulled me up closer until my head was firmly pressed against his chest.

He flashed me one of his signature grins. "There, much more secure."

My face reddened. Did he think that I would fall down?

"Now, full speed ahead!" he yelled.

I gripped him tightly, that I began to fear that my nails were digging into his skin.

Kohri suddenly came to a halt as he landed on the forest floor.

"Why did you —"

Placing a hand over my mouth, he pointed toward the meadow in which the row of destroyed trees led to.

On one corner sat Ximena, struggling to heal an injured Nori and next to her was the unconscious Serrano.

But the most surprising sight was that of who stood at the center of the meadow which was covered by an illusion of sand. It was my little sister, Yuko, who had someone covered in a thick cocoon of swirling sand.

Yuko jumped up as a beam of dark-red energy was fired off from underneath the massive layers of glass. The glass floor where the beam hit turned into boiling red-liquid.

"You continue to impress," a familiar voice called out. The glass cracked completely to reveal Prime Minister Itou. In his left hand was a glowing sword, the same color as the energy beam that had turned the sand into glass.

He dusted his shoulder off as he smiled at Yuko. "Perhaps, if you were whole then you would be able to actually put up a challenge. Alas, you are not, sister!"

Yuko eyes widened in shock. "Si-sister?"

Sister? What was he talking about? My parents only had two kids. And Mr. Itou was much older than my parents to begin with.

Mr. Itou chuckled. "Though, you're only a fragment of what remains of her. I'll be sure to extinguish what was left behind!"

I gasped. "Yuko!" I screamed. It was then that I realized Kohri had let go of me.

*Clang*

An outpouring of steam came from the center of the meadow and spread throughout the forest

Suddenly, a red glow broke through the fog, revealing a smiling Mr. Itou locked in a back and forth battle with Kohri.

"Like I'll let you hurt my friends!" he yelled, raising a wall of ice around Yuko and the others.

Mr. Itou chuckled, swinging his hand in my direction.

I jumped into the air in time as his blast obliterated the forest behind me. The flames went beyond where the line of fallen trees extended to.

"Nice dodge," Mr. Itou said, grinning.

Kohri glared at him with wide eyes. "You..." Suddenly, a blue aura burst to life around him as sparks of energy crackled around him.

The hammer my boyfriend held became dyed entirely in the same icy-blue aura.

"Second Heaven, impressive. Sadly, for you, this isn't enough to defeat me." More steam began to pour out as the heat from Mr. Itou's sword clashed against the frigid air spilling from Kohri and his hammer.

I gulped and ran in the direction of my sister. While Kohri distracted them, I needed to grab a hold of Yuko and the others. Once I assured their safety, I could return to bail out Kohri.

Though, that was easier said than done as the fog had grown so thick, I wasn't even sure if I was going in the right direction or not. I squatted down and touched the floor to try to feel where they were using my earth powers.

I smiled as soon as I felt them and slowly created a wall around my little sister and her friends.

Yuko seemed to recognize it was me moving the earth right away as she moved her hand in front of Ximena who seemed alerted by the earth barrier.

I closed my eyes and moved the earth on the interior of the wall to create words. 'I'm coming to get you, keep your eyes peeled' is what I wrote. I hoped that Ximena would notice.

As I was about to stand, several pebbles by my hand shifted to form messy letters which read 'Stay safe too'. Had Yuko written them? I smiled. When did she learn how to write?

I jumped to my feet. I could ask her that later, once we were someplace safe.

I glanced at Kohri but the fog had gotten so thick that even the glow from his second heaven form and hammer were obscured, in addition to Mr. Itou's dark sword.

Suddenly, someone or something yanked me aside. My breathing came to a near standstill.

The next instance, a beam of dark-red light hit the spot where I had stood, turning the ground into boiling lava.

If Mr. Itou was there, then who was the one who was holding me?

"Don't worry, it's me," Kohri said. His eyes were stern as if on the lookout. "I'm sorry, Onami, but I have to ask you to use 'that'."

'That'... I closed my eyes.

***

[Years Ago- Somewhere in the slums of Kaguya, Kuroriku]

"Hey, what's your name?" a boy asked as I sat in the corner of a cage. He had shaggy black hair and cool-gray eyes.

"Onami," I whispered, turning my attention back to the grimy cement floor.

I had managed to escape from the grasp of that man, Kuroshi, but I hadn't been able to flee from this life. Yuko... hopefully, my little sister was alright. Both of us had tried to escape together, but ended up getting separated by the large crowds of the central capital.

Someone told me that they had found her, and so I followed, but it turned out to be a trap.

"Onami, huh? That's a pretty name."

"What's your name?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Me? You can call me Nao!" he said, grinning.

Why was he smiling? Didn't he understand the situation we were in?

"That's a nice name too," I said, pulling my scrawny knees closer.

The boy inched closer and sat down next to me. "Don't worry, my dad will come and save us! He's a solider. Once he hears that I've been taken, he's sure to come and rescue me."

"A soldier?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he's helping fight the 'People's Liberation Army', the armed forces of Kasai no Ki. He's really strong!"

I hoped he was right...

Suddenly, the metal door to the room we were in was slammed open. Striding in with an air of arrogance was a young lady in a sapphire-blue dress with a high slit.

"We've arranged a purchaser for you two," the lady said before indifferently blowing on the pipe in hand.

The boy glared at her. "You'll never get away with this! My dad will be here soon and he's going to make sure that all of you regret hurting us and the other innocent people you've captured!

The blue-haired woman coldly smiled as she reached out to grab him by the chin. "You are quite the feisty one. I almost wish to keep you myself. I could use a good dog." She chuckled. "Alas, we have a purchaser." With that said, her eyes slowly turned to me.

Almost as if time had come to a standstill, the woman gazed at me for several seconds with an unmoving expression. "You...you look familiar."

I raised my eyes until they met her golden, dragon-like eyes.

"Onami doesn't know you," I said.

She let go of the boy and laughed. "I thought so, but I can't shake off the feeling. You remind me of some tanuki slaves I used to own..."

My eyes widened. Did she say 'tanuki'? Then was the Tanuki I reminded her of my mom? Dad had once told me our family was owned by a woman known as 'The Dragoness', before switching hands to Kuroshi.

She walked the perimeter of the cage until she was standing next to me. "Remove your hood, girl," she said, glaring at me.

I gulped. Her eyes were scary, like she would eat me alive if I didn't do as told.

I pulled my tattered hood off, revealing a pair of round, brown, furry ears.

"Cute..." Nao said, staring at me as if I were some teddy-bear.

"I'm not cute!" I yelled, blushing.

"So, you are a tanuki," the woman said as she studied my ears. She snickered. "Perhaps, I should cancel the sell after all." She leaned in closer. "Say, do you know how to make the 'Sacred Wine'?"

My eyes widened. Mom had told me about that, but it was a technique we weren't supposed to use, for it was said to make people outside of our family insane with power.

"Sacred wine? Is that some fancy kind of alcoholic drink?" Nao asked.

The woman smiled as she backed away. "Oh, it's more than just some 'fancy alcohol'. It's said to grant its user unimaginable power for a short duration. "But, only special tanukis can make it."

"Why is that?" Nao asked, tilting his head.

The woman laughed. "My, aren't you a laid back one. It would do you some good to be more like the girl. But, I will satiate your curiosity. The wine is produced using the energy stored within the core of a tanuki. However, not just any tanuki's core can make it. Only the descendants of a special family can make it, but even in that family, the chances of them having the gene for the special core is rare. But, if one breeds enough members with the special gene, one is eventually guaranteed to arrive at it!"

My eyes widened. There was no mistaking it, this lady had to be her, 'The Dragoness'.

"It is even said to cure terminal illnesses," she said. "It truly is a miracle drink."

"No, it's not!" I yelled. "If it could, Onami's mom would've used it on her little sister."

The woman blew out a series of smoke rings from her pipe, causing both Nao and me to cough. "Ohh? So, you have heard of it. That's great."

I bit my lip. I should've kept my mouth closed.

She squatted as she leaned forward. "If your mommy could make it, then I assume you can too?" She smirked. "Now, don't think of lying to me. I can easily see through lies."

"I... am not sure," I said. It was the truth; I had never attempted to make the sacred wine.

Plus, I had seen firsthand what it could do to those of us outside the clan. Kuroshi had mom make it several times. Usually, he would test it on his other captives which were usually beasts such as griffins and serpents. However, the last time mom made it, he drank it himself. I wasn't sure why he wanted it, since he was already powerful. Perhaps he was injured, or maybe his desire for power was just that relentless.

In the end, the result was a rampaging black panther.

I closed my eyes, trying to push the rest of the memory away. Unfortunately, the sight and smell of blood smeared cages, of my parents and a dozen others laying lifeless in front of me as I hugged my frightened little sister and her best friend, all of it couldn't be washed away with the passage of time.

"I see. Well, try to learn it before we arrive to the destination. If you do then I'll let go of your friend and you," she said with a sly smile. "Well, not go as in free. But, you will have more mobility and nice accommodations than simply this cage. I'll come back and see how it's coming along. Anyway, ta-ta!"

"Are you okay?" Nao asked as soon as the woman shut the iron door behind her.

I hadn't realized it until he asked, but my entire body was shaking as if I were locked up in a freezer.

"I... I don't want to make it," I muttered, rocking myself back and forth. "I don't want to see something like that ever again."

I gasped as Nao hugged me. "Don't worry, Dad will come and save us. So, just stay strong and act as if you're trying to make it. Okay?"

I forced myself to weakly smile. If only this kind of simple act was enough to deceive that lady, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be so easy.

"Okay," I answered, taking a deep breath. Whether it could fool her or not, it was still worth a try.

**Solar Note: The first chapter publication of 2020! Sorry it took me awhile, I wasn't feeling very motivated, so it was a bit of a struggle at first. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter! If so then be sure to click on that star! I would also love to hear your thoughts and/predictions if you got any ^_^**