In all his years of life, Tomoe had never been one to get nervous, but as he silently followed Ayano up the dark, ominous hill, his ears rang with the sound of his irregular heartbeat and shaky breathing. Had the circumstances been different, Mizuki would've jumped at the chance to tease him about this uncharacteristic and rather childish behavior, but now he kept his mouth shut and his eyes focused on the ground, his mind filled with thoughts of his poor goddess. The atmosphere around the group was grim and tense, each member doing what he or she could to mentally prepare himself of herself for what was about to take place while knowing full well that nothing they did would truly be enough.

Hearing a soft whimper, Tomoe glanced over his shoulder to see Sakura trailing behind him, her ears drooped slightly as her tail tucked between her legs. When she noticed him staring at her, she immediately straightened her posture in an attempt to make herself look grave but Tomie was no fool. Pursing his lips, he slowed his pace enough for Sakura to catch up to him and then proceeded to walk alongside her.

"Are you scared?" he asked quietly, not wishing to be overheard by the others.

Sakura's shoulders sagged and she hung her head shamefully. "Maybe...I'm sorry, I just can't shake it. Even after my training, I'm still terrified."

Tomoe raised an eyebrow at her. "Fear isn't something that just goes away, Sakura."

"I still feel pathetic."

"Don't. We're all scared too."

"Really? So even you, after all your years of fighting, get scared?" The vixen grumbled sarcastically.

"Yes. I'm scared right now, same as you. I'm scared for my goddess and what Hirito might be doing to her right now. I'm scared that our plan could go terribly wrong and that I could lose you. I'm scared that I might not walk out of this fight alive." Tomoe confessed bashfully, raising his hand to tenderly caress Sakura's cheek.

Sakura's expression softened slightly as she leaned into his touch. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"I beg to differ. I'm just as scared as you are, Sakura."

"Then home come you seem so calm?"

"I'm not. I'm just really good at acting."

Sakura's brows drew together as her lips curved into a slight frown. "Then what do we do?"

"We use it."

"Huh?"

"We use it. Fear can serve as a fuel for action. You don't want to die? You fight. You don't want your loved ones to die? Fight harder. Take the fear as use it to spur you on." Tomoe said simply.

Sakura's eyes sparkled for a moment before falling back to the ground before her, her hair draping over her face.

"I can't do this. I still have so much to learn." she mumbled dejectedly, her ears drooping.

"It is true that you are still quite inexperienced and wouldn't last against Hirito fighting by yourself, but you aren't facing him alone. I'll be right beside you the whole time, as will your brother and the others." Tomoe cooed gently as he reached up to stroke her ears, the sensitive appendages trembling slightly beneath his touch. Sakura's cheeks flushed bright red and she shot a shy glance up at Tomoe's face, prompting him to smile. Giggling sheepishly, Sakura stood on her tiptoes and placed a tender kiss on Tomoe's cheek, causing him to glance at her questioningly before his eyes started to shine with a mischievous light.

"You need to be bolder than that." he growled before pulling her close and peppering her face and neck with hot, chaste kisses, prompting her to squeal.

"Seriously? You guys are flirting now? You're going to give us away!" Jirou snapped angrily, the vein on the side of his head throbbing.

Tomoe rolled his eyes in annoyance while Sakura giggled, and Atomu suppressed a soft smile while Mizuki, Ayano, and Jirou shook their heads and grumbled impolite comments under their breath. Although it wasn't much, the two lovebirds had managed to lighten the mood ever so slightly, making it easier for everyone to breath. However, as they resumed their trek up the hill, the moment of peace quickly evaporated and the dreary atmosphere returned. Suddenly, Ayano jerked to a stop, causing Mizuki to bump into her.

"Sorry." he mumbled, though Ayano paid him no mind.

"Put these on." she snapped, tossing pairs of handcuffs to Atomu and Sakura. "They don't actually lock so don't move too much if you don't want them falling off before I give you the signal. Mizuki, you have your double, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Mizuki stuttered before reaching into his kimono and withdrawing a snake that looked similar to himself when in his animal form. The little reptile glanced around at the group for a moment before swiftly attempting to climb back up Mizuki's sleeve.

"Oh no you don't! Come back here!" Mizuki grunted as he pulled the snake out again and tenderly set him on Tomoe's shoulders, a smug smile on his lips. The snake immediately coiled around Tomoe's neck and nestled down into the folds of his collar, making the fox's skin crawl.

"Take good care of him. I promised his mother I wouldn't let anything happen to him." Mizuki smirked, his eyes twinkling in amusement when Tomoe shuddered at the little snake's touch. The fox immediately shot his comrade a poisonous glare.

"Don't screw this up and he'll be fine." he growled icily, baring his fangs at Mizuki for emphasis.

"Are you kids done yet? I would like to get this over with and be on my way soon." Ayano grumbled, her arms folded across her chest.

After shooting Tomoe one final scowl, Mizuki's retreated and followed Ayano into the dark shadows of the woods around them, the rustling of leaves echoing behind them. Once silence had fallen again, the remaining group continued on foot, their thundering heartbeats and heavy steps filling the void around them.as they neared the crest of the hill, a faint halo appeared, and Sakura sharply sucked in her breath. Sensing her distress, Atomu slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it reassuringly, prompting her to look at him.

"This is not our last day. We're going to live on....for Father."

Sakura flashed him a dry smile. "For Father."

Tomoe and Jirou were kind enough to pause while the siblings took a moment to collect themselves, for despite being fearful for Nanami's health, they too were in no rush to face the foe ahead of them. However, all too soon Sakura and Atomu turned to face them, their eyes glittering with determination, and they knew the time has come. With a final deep breath, Tomoe stuck his foot forward and pulled himself to the top of the hill and into the golden glow of the torchlight below.

"Please be okay, Nanami. Please." he silently pleaded.

In the valley below, hordes of yokai, some beautiful and some ghoulish, all stood alert with weapons or torches clutched in their hands, their beady eyes fixed on Tomoe as he descended down the hill with the others in tow. A murmur rose from the army as the beasts stepped aside, forming a winding path through their encampment for the visitors. As they walked through, the group could feel the hungry stares reflected on their backs and consciously coached themselves not to shudder when a few of the gutsier ghouls threw playful swipes at them. After one such occurrence, Sakura pressed a little closer to Tomoe, who stuck out his arm to push away anyone who got too close. The fiends only snickered and inched nearer, making Tomoe's brow twitch as his nose crinkled in disgust at the smell of their breath.

"Forgive my rudeness but would it kill you all to go take a bath? You smell like you all just crawled out of a sewer and I don't want your stench seeping into my clothes." he griped sharply, glaring daggers at the nearest offenders.

The members of Hirito's army all looked at each other before erupting into a roaring fit of laughter, causing Tomoe's scowl to deepen.

"I thought being a peacock meant Hirito would desire classier company but I see he is about as choosy as a mud-slathered swine." the fox grumbled.

"War does not always leave room for such choices, fox."

Atomu and Sakura visibly tensed as they looked up to behold Hirito approaching them, a dark glimmer in his black eyes and a smirk on his thin, ghostly pale lips. Tomoe's eyes narrowed as he studied Lord Daichi's murderer, taking note of every and any detail. Gaudy would have been an understate to describe this man, making his relation to the unkempt and boorish army all the more comical. He resembled a man in his mid thirties, though his gaunt cheeks and eyes rimmed with dark circles added a few extra years to him. He was rather tall, almost even tall than Tomoe, but what advantage he possessed in height he lacked in muscle, making him look extremely thin and sickly in the large, ornate purple robes he wore. Hip-length, midnight blue locks that made Tomoe and Sakura slightly jealous spilled down his back like a dark river cutting down the side of a mountain and jewels of many kinds decorated his fingers, ears, and hair, glittering like stars in the night sky. Attached to the sash around his waist was a freshly polished sword studded with sapphires and emeralds, the jewels winking at the newcomers as if the blade itself was taunting them.

As he too inspected the group, Hirito's thin, overly manicured eyebrows pinched together as his lips pursed together. Drawing closer, his reached out a thin, bony finger and used his long fingernail to poke the head of the snake draped around Tomoe's neck.

"Why is he not in his human form?" he inquired suspiciously.

Tomoe swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and evenly replied, "The stress of our master being taken was very hard on him to the point that he could not maintain his human form. However, I am sure he will perk up as soon as our goddess has been returned."

"Ah yes, the human goddess. I'm curious to know what was going through the previous god's head when he selected her of all people to be her successor." Hirito chirped dismissively as he pulled an antic pipe from the folds of his robe and motioned for one of his men to come forward and light it. Atomu's hands curled into fists when he noticed the pipe, much to the peacock's delight.

"What's the matter, little prince? Missing Daddy right now?" he sneered, waving the pipe back and forth taunting. Sakura's ears flattened against her head as a deep growl echoed from the depths of her chest, but a quick puff of smoke to the face quickly cut her off as she broke into a coughing fit. Tomoe swiftly fanned the cloud of smoke away from the vixen's face while Jirou just stood and watched Hirito warily, his grip on the hilt of his sword tightening.

"Now, seeing as you have brought Daichi's children to me, I assume you desire to trade them for your goddess, yes?" Hirito crowed as he brought the pipe back to his lips and released another puff.

"That is correct. This has gone on long enough and if this is the quickest way to solve the problem then so be it." Tomoe grunted, though not without glancing guiltily at Sakura's chained wrists.

"Glad to see you've come to your senses. It is sad that your goddess was too thickheaded to understand this concept."

The hair on the back of Tomoe's neck bristled as his muscles went rigid. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

"Hm? Oh, my apologies. That sounded pretty suspicious, didn't it? I assure you, your master is live and well. See for yourself!" Hirito said before gesturing behind him to two figures slowly making their way up the path. As the shorter of the duo lifted her head to meet Tomoe's gaze, the fox lost all his composure for a moment as he ran to her and embraced her in his arms, his eyes welling with tears. Sakura felt a sharp pang of pain in her chest as she watched.

"Nanami. Nanami, I was so worried." Tomoe breathed as he held her close, his hands trembling uncertainly as they pressed against her back. Pulling back, he took a moment to look her over, scouring her face for the tiniest of blemishes. He did not have to look very hard though for the large gash marring Nanami's bottom lip was very evident. It seemed to be an hour old judging by the crusted blood around the edges of the injury, but the way Nanami winced when he grazed his finger over it told him it was still fresh enough to hurt.

"How did you get this?" he asked in a deathly quietly voice.

"Well...It's kind of a funny story actually. You see, I thought I could maybe trick Hirito the same way I tricked you and get him to kiss me to make him my familiar, but it didn't really work out." Nanami replied, blushing slightly as she offered him a weak and somewhat embarrassed smile. However, after a moment, her expression changed to a more serious and grave one. "Tomoe, you shouldn't have come here. You should've stayed away and kept Sakura and Atomu safe. You should have left me."

"How can you say such a thing?! I could never just leave you!" Tomoe protested. Leaning closer to her ear, he added in a voice only she could hear, "Besides, I'm not giving up Atomu and Sakura."

"What?"

Tomoe flashed his goddess a reassuring smile, but the grin hastily vanished when a sharp pain erupted from his neck. Apparently the fox had accidentally woken the snake from a nap and the irritated animal had decided to give him a piece of its mind. With the shriek, Tomoe leaped to his feet, his hands flying to his neck and wrapping around the snake as he tried to pry its fangs from his neck. Noticing that many stares he was receiving, the fox quickly deduced that he had to make this sudden change of events seem normal to avoid rousing suspicion. Hopefully the corny acting he had learned from all those sappy romantic comedies Nanami watched would be enough to trick them.

"Ouch! Mizuki, what the heck?! I'm allowed to hug her, you baka! Let go!" the fox shrieked, causing several of Hirito's soldiers to chuckle as they watched his yank on the snake with all his might. A hint of amusement danced in Hirito's eyes as he too watched Tomoe's struggle with interest while Sakura, Atomu, Jirou, and Nanami just stared at Tomoe with a look of surprise. Finally, the snake's grip lessened enough for Tomoe to pull him loose, but in his haste to get rid of the pest, he wound up pulling too hard and chucking the snake through the air straight at Atomu. Time seemed to slow down around them as the snake's body collided with Atomu's shackles, knocking them loose and sending them clattering to the ground with an ominous clank. Complete silence fell over the camp as all eyes stared down at the shackles while the snake slithered away and disappeared into the grass. Slowly, the amusement disappeared from Hirito's eyes, replaced by an angry darkness that sent chills down Sakura's spine. Tomoe's stomach dropped.

"Crap!"

"So you intended to trick me, eh fox? I should have known." he hissed as he glared first at Tomoe then at Atomu, his right hand slowly reaching across his body for his sword. "Take the goddess back to her cell. The trade is off."

Tomoe's eyes widened in horror as Nanami's escort, who happened to be the tengu spy, lunged forward and grabbed her. With a mighty roar, he surged towards the man with his claws drawn and fangs bared, chasing after him as the traitor flew off with Nanami in his arms. Meanwhile, the rest of Hirito's army circled in around Sakura, Atomu, and Jirou, pressing in closer and closer as they radiated bloodlust. Looking up, Sakura's eyes widened in horror when she saw Tomoe disappearing into the sky after the tengu, his back to her.

"Tomoe! TOMOE!" she cried out desperately, but he could not hear her. With a final glimmer of his silky hair, he disappeared amongst the clouds, leaving her behind without so much as an apologetic glance. He had gone after Nanami instead.