"Nanami!"

"Tomoe!"

"Nanami!"

Blinking rapidly as the wind stung his eyes, Tomoe tore after Nanami and the tengu through the night sky, his hand outstretched as he desperately tried to grab hold of her. Sneering, the tengu banked abruptly to the left before circling behind Tomoe and flying in the opposite direction. Clenching his, Tomoe spun around and shot after them, hurling a ball of fire at the tengu's right wing in hopes of slowing him down.

"Let her go, fiend, and I might be willing to spare your life." he growled as he summoned more flames into his palm.

The tengu shot him a smug smile. "You sure that's what you want?"

"Yes, let her go!"

"No! Tomoe, wait!" Nanami shrieked but she one second was too late. With a loud cackle, the tengu released her and she freefell through the air, heading straight for the bed of foreboding trees beneath her. Tomoe's eyes bugged out in a look of horror.

"Nanami!" he shrieked, sending himself into a sharp nosedive as he flew after here.

"Tomoe!" Nanami cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as the wind roared in her ears and whipped through her hair.

"I've got you. I've got you, I promise! Just reach out for my hand!" Tomoe barked as he extended his arm towards her. Nanami feverishly wiped her eyes and reached out to grab his hand, but her fingers fell an inch too short.

"I can't reach." she wailed loudly.

"Nanami, you need to focus! Reach as far as you can!"

"I am!"

"Reach harder!"

Nanami bit her lip and stretched her limbs to the max but her fingers were still just out of Tomoe's reach.

"Stretch farther!"

"I can't!"

"Nanami!"

"Tomoe!"

Cursing under his breath, Tomoe concentrated all of his strength in his feet and somehow managed to push himself just enough to put Nanami within reach. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her to his chest and came to an abrupt halt, flattening several trees beneath them due to the force of the stop.

"It's okay. I've got you." he cooed softly, hugging Nanami protectively in his arms as she clung to his robes. Descending slowly till they reached the forest floor, he gently set Nanami down, but the goddess still clung to him like her life depended on it, frightened whimpers escaping her lips as tears continued to blur her vision. To his surprise, a soft smile graced Tomoe's lips as he raised a hand to stroke her hair, his chin resting atop her head.

"Tomoe..."

"It's alright, Nanami. You're safe now."

"Tomoe...the battle...Atomu and Sakura! We need to go back!" Nanami suddenly exclaimed, abruptly pulling out of his arms and staring up at him with wide eyes.

Tomoe's face immediately twisted into a disapproving scowl. "We don't need to do anything. You are going to stay as far away from that battle as possible."

"What? No fair! I want to help!"

"Absolutely not. You will stay here where it is safe till Mizuki or myself come to fetch you."

"No way! You can't tell me what to do! I'm the goddess here and I order you to let me come alo-"

"I don't want to lose you!" Tomoe cut her off, his eyes gleaming with a fierceness of the likes which Nanami hadn't seen in awhile, causing her to fall silent.

"Don't you understand? You nearly just died." he continued, his voice tremoring slightly as he struggled to calm his still racing heart. "I already lost you to Hirito once. I don't want him to take you away from me again because I might not be able to get you back next time. Even if I'm no longer your suitor, I am still your familiar and as such it is my job to keep you safe. Please, just stay here, if not for yourself then for me."

Nanami was at a lost for words. Tomoe was never vulnerable, but now he stood before her looking very broken and very weak as he pleaded with her. Sighing as she realized what she needed to do, Nanami stood up on her tippy toes and placed a light peck on Tomoe's lips, surprising him. Immediately, something unlocked inside of Tomoe and a great power surged throughout his body. Tomoe stared at Nanami with a look of utter perplexity as his chin-length hair stretched down to his hips and his muscles burned with a newfound energy.

"You...You released me." he stuttered.

"Yeah, but you better come back for me, you hear?" Nanami stated sternly, glaring up at Tomoe for emphasis.

Tomoe's lips curved into a smile and he gave a dry chuckle as he reached out to gently ruffle the goddess' hair. After placing a tender kiss on the goddess' forehead and showing a place to hide should someone other than he come looking for her, he took back off into the sky, though not without casting a final glance back at her over his shoulder before she disappeared behind the clouds. As she watched him go, Nanami felt a slight ache in her heart, as if she was saying goodbye to him forever instead of just for the moment, but nevertheless, she wore a smile on her face as she waved to him while also silently praying for him and all of her other friends to make it out of this battle alive.

------------------------------------------

The smell of fire and sulfur filled his nostrils and the sounds of battle rang in his ears as Tomoe descended back into the middle of the camp. Immediately, his eyes drank in the chaos around him, and his heart leaped into his throat when he realized he didn't see Sakura anywhere. Hearing a roar behind him, he spun around with drawn claws to wrestle with the ogre that had snuck up on him, but as he glared up at the beast, he was surprised when it suddenly collapsed at his feet, leaving a very irritated looking Mizuki in its wake.

"Look who finally decided to show back up. I was starting to wonder if you had decided to chicken out last minute and run off with Nanami while we all stayed behind and died." the snake grumbled bitterly, his eyes no more than fine, angry green slits. "Oh, and nice going with that little stunt you pulled earlier. Now my double is sporting a nasty bruise that I'm going to have to explain to his mother-"

"I don't have time for your petty whining, Mizuki! Where's Sakura?!" Tomoe exclaimed, the hair on the back of his neck bristling as he grabbed the shinshi by his shoulders and gave him a good shake.

"I'm not sure. I've been kind of preoccupied with not dying like everybody else so I couldn't really keep on eye on her. However, my best guess would be that she went after Atomu who went after Hirito in order to avenge his father's death...Wow, it just sounded like I was describing some really cliche anime plot-"

"Mizuki, focus! Do you have any idea what direction they might have gone?"

"What part of the word 'preoccupied' don't you get? I mean, I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were THAT stupid."

"Ugh, you're completely useless, serpent!"

"Says the guy who ran off in the middle of a fight. You realize Sakura is going to be extremely ticked at you, right?"

"I was saving Nanami!"

"I knew that, but Sakura didn't! For all she knew, you were leaving for good!"

"So you are saying I shouldn't have gone?!"

"I never said that, but you should've thought first before you ran off. I thought you of all people would be more sensitive to the feeling of abandonment."

Tomoe wanted to retort, wanted to fire back some smart comment or chastising remark about the snake minding his own business, but as those words echoed in his ears, he felt something lurch inside him. His ears drooped as he realized that he had in fact done the exact thing he had sworn not to do to Sakura, leaving her to fight her greatest battle, a battle she was nowhere near ready for, alone.

"What was I supposed to do?" he finally whispered in a voice so quiet it was a wonder that Mizuki heard him over the chaos surrounding them.

"I already told you I'm not sure, but I think you should maybe stay away and let Sakura do this herself. She probably needs to burn off some steam right now."

"No, I can't do that. I promised her I would stay by her side in this and I'm going to make good on that promise from here on out."

Mizuki sighed and shook his head, realizing it was no use to try and persuade the fox. "Jirou has been up in the air several times. He should have seen where they went. I saw him over by the outskirts on the northern side of the camp."

"Thank you, Mizuki."

"Be careful, Tomoe. Hirito won't be the only hostile personnel you'll have to worry about."

"I know."

Returning to the air, Tomoe followed to trail of feathers and cursing drifting on the wind till it lead him to the edge of northern side of the camp. There Jirou stood surrounded on all sides by at least half a dozen soldiers for varying breeds and statures, their bloodlust-filled eyes all fixed on him as he watched them in return, waiting. Heavy pants left his lips as he cradled one of his arms close to his chest, the sleeve dyed red and brown with fresh blood and dirt, and large beads of glistening sweat trickled down his face like rain, soaking his hair and collar. In other, more simple words, he looked awful. Dropping to the ground behind the circle of heathens, Tomoe merely flicked his wrist and reduced all except the tengu to a pile of ashes before rushing forward to catch the warrior as he stumbling though not without grimacing as the filth caking Jirou's body touched his hands.

"Where have you been, rat? All your noble words of encouragement leave you dry when you actually beheld what you faced?" Jirou snapped bitterly as he staggered back to his feet, all the while scowling disapprovingly in Tomoe's direction.

"Save it, featherduster. Have you seen Sakura?"

Jirou's eyes narrowed suspiciously but he still raised his good arm to point somewhere off to the east. "I saw Hirito vanishing into the woods that way with Atomu hot on his tail. She likely followed both of them."

"Thank you."

"Fox, is Nanami alright?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Good." Jirou stated, and after a momentary pause, he added. "I wish you luck. You're going to need it."

"Thank you." Tomoe replied with a humble bow before sprinting off in the direction the tengu had pointed, all the while silently praying that something had not happened to the vixen and her brother in his absence. After running for about fifteen minutes straight, he heard a shriek of pain not to far ahead of him and broke through a line of bushes just in time to see Sakura sink her claws into one of three fiends dancing around her. As the beast fell to the ground where he squirmed for a few more seconds before finally going still, the other two leaped on Sakura from behind, slashing at her with knives as she thrashed about beneath them.

"Sakura!"

Wasting no time, Tomoe charged and knocked the two soldiers off of the vixen before swiftly proceeding to stab them both in the chest. However, the larger of the two refused to fall and grabbed Tomoe by the throat, hoisting him high into the air as his palm pressed the fox's windpipe flatter and flatter. However, just as Tomoe's vision was starting to go dark, a swirl of pink flames brushed mere inches past his cheek and charred the face of his opponent, making him drop the fox as he roared in agony. Wasting no time, Tomoe swiped the ogre's feet out from under him before swiftly slicing his throat, killing him instantly. Smiling, he slowly turned around to thank his companion for her help only to receive a painful right hook to the face, making him wince.

"Argh! What the heck, Sakura?!" he exclaimed angrily as he gently massaged his now throbbing cheek.

"That's my line! You left me, Tomoe! You broke your promise!" Sakura fired back with just as much passion, her hands clenched into trembling fists.

"I had to save Nanami! She's my goddess; that's my job!"

"You still left after you swore to stay by my side!"

"So you're saying you expected me not to go after her?!"

"Yes!....no?....grr, I don't know!" Sakura spat, throwing her hands expressively up in the air as waves of steam practically started pouring from her ears. "You still went back on your promise!"

"What was I supposed to do then?!"

"I already told you I don't know!"

"Then why are you so angry with me?!"

"Because I didn't know!" Sakura shrieked, hot tears streaming down her face. "I knew you had to go. I knew you had to save her, but I didn't know if it was just because she was your goddess!"

Tomoe's brow crinkled up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"When Nanami was taken, you didn't hesitate or even look back in my direction, you just went. You forgot about me entirely." Sakura whimpered, her voice falling from a fortissimo to a pianissimo in an instant as her eyes fell on the ground and her lip quivered like she was about to cry. "You didn't second guess or wait; you just went."

"Sakura, you're not making any sense-"

"You didn't even stop and think about me! I wouldn't have cared if you went after shooting so much as a single look in my direction just so I knew that you at least acknowledged me! But that's just it, you just disappeared without so much as an apologetic glance to let me know you were sorry you were breaking your promise! You just left and went after her!"

Tomoe was even more perplexed now. "So?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "So?! SO?!?! You ran off to go after your goddess who just so happens to be your former lover also without so much as even looking at me?! How are you still not getting it?!"

"What are you accusing me of?!"

"You think I'm blind?! You still love her!"

Tomoe was taken aback. She thought that? Immediately, everything fell into place, and a deep sense of regret pooled in his stomach. "Sakura..."

"I don't care that you had to save her....I-I just wanted a little glance, a single glance so I knew that you weren't abandoning me for any other reason...." Sakura said, not daring to look him in the eye for fear of losing her composure entirely.

"Sakura...it's not like that, I swear." Tomoe stated and tried to scoop the vixen into his arms, but she immediately pushed him away.

"Nanami...she's everything I'm not. She's kind, patient, sweet, determined, trusting..."

"Sakura-"

"And me? I'm a mess."

"Sakura-"

"Even know, I'm totally overreacting to the tiniest thing. You don't deserve that, not after all you've done for me-"

"Sakura!" Tomoe finally shouted, cutting her off. The vixen flinched at his harsh tone and tried to back away from him, but he swiftly grabbed her arm and pulled her to his chest, resting his chin on top of her head as his hands expertly glided up and down her back in intricate patterns famous for their abilities to soothe even the most hysteric of individuals.

"Sakura, I'm not abandoning you, I promise. Nanami may be my goddess and former love, but you are the one that bears my mark."

"Why though? What is it that you find so lovable about me because I don't see it." Sakura mumbled into his chest.

Tomoe's lips curved into a soft smile as he gently brushed away her tears. "I see someone who is just as flawed as I am but still looks at me like I'm some sort of noble knight in shining armor. I see someone who is so fascinated with even the smallest of things to the point that I can't stand it. I see someone who is willing to fight both her inner and outer demons and overcomes them for the sake of those she cares about. I see someone who is feisty and won't back down from a fight, and I see someone who has a heart that far exceeds the confines of her body."

"Tomoe...I'm not any of that."

"Sakura, you're all of that."

"But I'm still so flawed."

"So am I. We'll get better, both of us."

"I still don't understand this love you have for me."

"Yes you do. It's the same love that you have for me in return."

"Tomoe-Look out!"

Moonlight glittered on metal as Sakura pushed Tomoe aside and caught the Hirito's blade with her hand, though not without cutting open her palm in the process.

"Not bad...you've grown." Hirito sneered before kicking Sakura's legs out from beneath her. "However, you still have so much to learn."

Sakura rolled out of the way as the peacock swung at her again and scampered to her feet. Summoning a ball of flames into her hands, she prepared to fire only to have Hirito whirl around and slice a large gash in her leg. Howling loudly, she ducked to avoid his third blow and tried to swipe at his stomach, but he realized her intentions and swiftly hit her on the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking her to the ground.

"Your technique is sloppy and undisciplined. Did you really think you could defeat me in your current state? I have had years of experience in the battlefield; you're nothing compared to me!" Hirito boasted as he pinned the vixen down beneath his foot and raised his sword, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"Perhaps I would be a more worthy opponent then." Tomoe remarked as he blasted a wave of fire at the peacock, who barely managed to scramble out of the way in time. The fox immediately shot after him, slashing at his arms, face, legs, neck, and stomach and tearing the ornate robe to ribbons he wore while Hirito did his best to block. After receiving one particularly nasty cut just beneath his left eye, the peacock managed to shove Tomoe off of him for a moment and lowered his sword to ram it into the fox's chest, but a burst of pink flames suddenly latched onto his hand, making him drop his weapon. Tomoe shot Sakura a look of approval, but the moment was temporary for Hirito used it as an opening to whip out the throwing knife he had concealed in his sleeve. With a grunt, he hurled it at Sakura with deadly accuracy, aiming for right between her eyes, and time seemed to slow down as the blade drew closer to Sakura's face while her brain tried to interpret the situation before it was too late. However, just as the blade was about to pierce her skin, a column of rock shot up in front of her, knocking the blade aside. The vixen's eyes immediately shot to her left and a relieved smile graced her lips.

"Atomu!" she exclaimed excitedly, but when she noticed to look in his eyes, a look she had never seen before, her joy vanished. "Atomu?"

Atomu didn't answer his sister and instead shot a gust of fist-sized stones at Hirito, nearly hitting his sister and Tomoe in the process. Hirito's lips curved into a smirk as he snatched up his weapon and sliced a wide arc in front of him, clearing a path through the storm of rock the left him completely unharmed.

"So you're still standing? Pity. It seems I will actually have to make an effort to kill you." Hirito sneered.

Atomu clenched his jaw and raised his arm to fire another attack but as he did, a sharp pain ripped through his side that made him yelp, and Sakura realized with a great horror that she could see blood staining the side of his clothes.

"You're hurt." she said worriedly.

"I'm fine. Move out of the way." Atomu growled, his eyes still fixed on Hirito.

"Atomu, you shouldn't push yourself if you're-"

"I said I'm fine! Now move out of the way so I don't hit you."

Tomoe's eyes narrowed. "Judging by the amount of blood that you're losing at the moment, your wound is deep enough that you will die if you do not receive medical attention within the next hour."

"Be quiet, fox!"

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "Brother, you need to get help now!"

"Not without killing him and avenging Dad first!"

"But if you die then Dad's sacrifice will be in vain!"

"I'm not leaving!"

"You both are so simple-minded and primitive in your values that I almost pity you. However, this is why I should inherit your father's position instead." Hirito smirked with a hint of amusement as he watched the siblings.

"Not happening! The only way you are becoming Lord Daichi's replacement is over my dead body!" Atomu spat.

"Then it seems I won't have to wait much longer."

With those words, all the fire seemed to drain from Atomu's face and his eyes fell to his wound. Clenching his teeth, he turned to his sister and Tomoe with a determined look on his face and spoke.

"You cannot let him escape, you understand? You have to end this now."

Sakura and Tomoe nodded gravely before turning their gazes back to Hirito while Atomu spun on his heels and fled as fast as he could while being injured. Hirito's eyes glittered darkly.

"Your efforts are in vain. No matter what you do, tonight I will finally become a god." he practically sang before releasing a chilling laugh.