Posts by NegativeZero

I'm sorry... I realize I've just been the worse possible person right now. I haven't been replying because I really was trying to distance myself from anyone remotely close to Tess, because it just hurt too much. I know that sounds really stupid of me to do and to still be hung up over something like that, and its not like I'm sad over it.. its more like I'm angry, but I didn't want you to be dragged into any of my irritated moods I've been in lately and I didn't want to cause further hurt to you or to Tess. And I know I should've told you this sooner, but like before I'm still thinking it would be best for me to distance myself as much as possible so I wouldn't be a bother. It seems like every time I get myself to respond now its... like I respond with anger, and neither of you deserve any of that. The fact that you still bother with someone like me, I really appreciate it.. and I'm sorry for ignoring you, I shouldn't treat a friend that way... and all of my other friends I've been treating them the same. So really, I apologize, you don't need to deal with any of this right now. I'm sorry for being so selfish and not thinking about how much this situation made you think I didn't possibly like you anymore, I do. Honestly, you're one of the best friends I've ever had, and I appreciate it Megan. So... thank you.

Naga's steps continued to sound out in the eerie silence, though his ears twitched back as soon as he heard movement. Turning around, his gaze settled upon a figure; although looking somewhat familiar to him as if he had crossed paths with this very person before... however his skin crawled with a feeling that was undeniable. Apprehension and severe discomfort. He could barely make out the facial features of the said person, his ears ever so slightly perking as the figure turned towards him, though startling him by the sudden bright tone, "Ah, Naga was it? My brother's familiar I'm guessing? Actually no.. my mistake, a new person replaced him didn't he?"

"Yes, he was replaced... but who are you?" The apprehension was growing, suspicion settling along the fox's spine, although raising his head higher to meet the approaching stranger's gaze as he heard him chuckle, "Its been that long huh? Uto, does that name ring a bell?" Naga's ears flicked back as he froze, the familiar face of Kage's younger brother appearing to him.. the one that was indeed the leader of the Shrine Masters in Izumo and his presence there was certainly not a good thing. Oddly enough, anger began boiling up once more though he quickly quenched it before harsh words left his maw. This would put things in a more difficult situation than that of before, and Uto... Uto certainly wasn't Kage by any means. Though, Naga wasn't sure why he felt such a way, his instincts were telling him to run... yet before he could move, surprise made him yelp as he was picked up by the man, Uto's smile seeming chilling upon his handsome face, "Now, it seems like you remember me, I must visit your shrine for a bit... just to confirm some suspicions." He started walking, although Naga's body felt immobilized within the cold grip of Uto, his eyes never leaving the face that made him feel such unexpressionable dread that it couldn't be contained. His jaw clenched as he forced his gaze away. He couldn't allow himself to be rude, it wouldn't bode well... but he didn't understand why Uto had shown up at that time. He normally would've made an announcement... wouldn't he? The thoughts clashed together as the fox turned his eyes suspiciously towards the man, but was chilled yet again at the seemingly wild and victorious grin hidden in his eyes, the hushed whisper of, "..All going perfectly.." Naga's ears flattened as he interjected sharply, "Master Uto.. do you mind putting me down?

The man's light brown eyes turned towards Naga, as if snapped out of his temporarily triumphant mood, "Oh? Of course. Sorry, you seem a bit exhausted." He leaned down and as soon as Naga's paws touched the earthy floor, he immediately put distance between him, feeling disgusted by the mere touch of Uto... it just caused unexplainable anger and fear that he certainly didn't want to get anything involved into. "Follow me." With that he turned away from Uto who looked surprised.

OOC: Its OK :3

"Naga, you're experiencing... difficulties aren't you?" The white fox paused in mid step, though looking over his shoulder towards Uto, the perception in the man's eyes were similar.. yet not quite the same as Kage's. He felt almost as if he was mocking him. "…In all due respect, I appreciate your concern Master Uto, but it isn't needed." Evasively refusing to answer the question, he turned his head though he heard Uto chuckle, "Ah, really? But as far as I know... you and your master are far too close." Naga stopped yet again, staring ahead in silence as Uto tilted his head, "Hmm? Am I not wrong?" Naga hesitated for a few seconds, only to respond, "Your presumptions are incorrect. There is nothing between me and him."

"..Fuhu... you're lying Naga." Uto's eyes closed as he sighed, "You never would lie to me. So unexpected. But, right now I think this isn't good at all.." Naga turned to face him, though his blood chilled at the malice in his eyes, a twisted look, "After all I did to try and keep you two apart... I just don't appreciate my actions being ignored." Naga stepped back, ears flattening as bewilderment flooded through him as Uto continued speaking, "Such a shane too... you still cling to him. After all he just abandoned you, and you don't even know that... your pain must be unending. But what else do you expect? Although he's my relative... well, humans and yokai can never be together. Only I can be with you." Naga's legs felt cold, unable to move. Although he knew if he could sprint now, he could make it back... get away from this man. As to why was he saying such things? He barely even talked to him, he only remembered seeing Uto during meetings and such... so why was he..?

"You still look confused my dear? Then lower down the barrier in your mind. You'll see." …The look on his face would be absolutely delicious.. He watched as the fox's eyes narrowed at him, distrust in the blue depths, however that quickly faltered to a blank then stunned, reeling back to emotionless as Uto crooned, "See?" He kneeled down in front of Naga, turning the fox's face up to meet his, "So, either way if you undersrand... you know the consequences and due to this I'm sure you would have no qualms about his punishment?" "No... don't touch him. He.. did nothing wrong." Uto raised his eyebrows in surprise, though a sick feeling twisted in his gut, "You're going to protect him still?"

"..Yes. He's still my master... he's..." The look in Naga's eyes made Uto cringe, such devotion... he'll crush that completely. "...Very well. He'll go unscathed. But you... you'all have to take his place." Naga's form shifted, though his eyes never left Uto's, jaw clenching as he stared stonily back at him yet his body felt the need to run away; everything was telling him to run. Yet, the bond... he could feel the unreachable block so similar to all those years ago when Kage... His eyes lowered to the floor just then. This... man in front of him, though he didn't know what he could possibly do to him... he didn't need Morrow to get hurt. He'd already dragged him into troublesome things.. and Uto clearly seemed to know about the relationship in what ways he did not know. However, it was his duty to protect Morrow.. no matter what the situation. If he was left behind... then so be it. If Morrow hated him... then so be it. If he had to hurt him to protect him... then so be it. Morrow was never meant to live in his world... and their relationship was never meant to be. "I understand..."

He could feel the utter amusement coming off of Uto, chilling him yet again as to what he was expressing such jubilation, "Then, I'll take you as my own familiar..." His slender fingers came up to Naga's temples, cold smile unwavering, "I'll make sure I'll treat you far better than he ever could... as a father I should do that much... right Naga?" His eyes went to slits as soon as those words left Uto's lips, though unable to speak as he felt as if his throat had closed up. Before he could truly process the situation and the words Uto had spoken, his eyes dimmed as he felt an invasive presence in his mind and before he could bother to muster up enough strength to push back against the overwhelming pressure... it was simply gone. Shattered to pieces upon Uto's demand; severing the bond utterly between himself and Morrow, the sudden feeling causing him to nearly move away only for Uto to chuckle, grabbing Naga by his hair and pulling him back towards him, "Tsk, tsk... you agreed to take his place. Trust me, this could've been far worse my dear... or would you rather repeat the little incident in Izumo?" Naga's eyes narrowed, anger burning within the depths as he hissed, "I'll protect Morrow from the likes of you ba-" Lips immediately fell upon his own, though the terror begin filling through him as his body remained utterly still, the sickening feeling of the new bond being forged between himself and this... madman. He dared not move, though when Uto had pulled away he said in cold anger, "I'll make sure that name never leaves your lips again."

Uto's grip never lessened upon Naga as he pulled him close, feeling amused that the fox wasn't resisting, "Now... let's go to Izumo. I'll handle breaking the news to that idiot brother and that runaway." Naga's eyes refused to meet his, though saying in a blank tone, "..Yes... Master." Yet he felt utterly sick as he could feel Uto holding him, the terror he was feeling unable to die down. However, he was completely unaware of the fact of Uto's actions, the little spiritual energy that Kinra had earlier supplied Morrow had vanished completely, returning back to Naga and as a result removing the fox ears and tails... and somewhere.. the Kinra statue itself had broken and shattered, the cold stone utterly turning to rubble.

[font=times new roman][color=white]Back at the shrine however, Kage's eyes narrowed as a feeling of unease went through him. "Naga? Morrow?" The man's footsteps were hurried as he moved throughout the shrine, yet his gaze settled upon the note in Morrow's room and upon reading it, he let out a sigh. He was sure Morrow was capable of handling himself.. he had no doubt in his decisions. Yet Naga, he normally would be heard or seen around the shrine. Even now with his current condition he would never stray far... and truthfully the fox's emotional state wasn't the best right now, and just as he was mulling those thoughts over his thoughts worried about Morrow. What could've possibly happened? His skin crawled however as he heard a low creak followed by Chiyo's quick footsteps as she rushed over towards him, "K-Kage, the shrine... its deteriorating!" Lila had rushed over as well, a frantic expression upon her face though immediately Kage snapped, "Everyone, outside! Now!" Of course, ushering everyone outside was an easy matter, yet he had one conclusive thought... the only reason why this could've happened. Morrow's powers as a shrine master was revoked.. and the bond between him and Naga would be shattered. The only one capable of such a thing was Uto... a man who he never wished to see again.

"Morrow?" Kage nearly jumped out of his skin as soon as Morrow had shown up. Although, his jaw clenched as he had to tear his eyes away from the shrine in decay, the sight being almost too painful to view. His expression turned pained as soon as he met Morrow's gaze, "It was not Naga who did such a thing ...Uto, the leader of the Shrine Masters is the only one capable of doing this... to rip bonds apart as violation of law." He lowered his gaze, a deep regret in his eyes as he continued with heavy words, "He is the final judgement for everything between a master and their familiar... if he finds it not to his liking he'll destroy it. He must have cornered Naga... and as punishment... broke your bond... and taken him away.." His hands clenched into fists, "..Naga.. is gone now. I'm sorry Morrow... there's nothing anyone could do now."

Those words felt sickening for him to spit out, however this was his fault.. if Uto had never taken the leadership... if he hadn't given him it... He closed his eyes tightly, before saying quietly, the regret ringing out in his tone, "..I'm sorry.." Chiyo's ears flattened as she stared in shock at the shrine, murmuring in a shaky tone, "U-uncle Naga..."

Kage's eyes closed tightly, unable to look at Morrow. "..I don't know Morrow..." He took in a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, "For now... it would be best if we leave this place. We cannot let emotions lead us into a dangerous situation. We must plan... and try to search for him." Kage's expression tightened to a serious look, "I will do everything in my power to bring him back. You... Morrow must stay out of danger. You are just a human now, involving yourself in such matters would be far too dangerous at the moment. It would be best if all of you returned to regular human life as much as possible... as if this never happened."

His eyes darkened as his voice seemed to have a dark tint to it, clearly rage, "I'll make sure I'll find any information on Naga's whereabouts. I'll just need all of your full cooperation.. and patience. I don't know how long it would take for me to find his location... knowing my brother he wouldn't just allow him to be found easily. But I will do it.. I promise."

Kage's hands flashed out, grabbing Morrow before he could keep moving, "You're not coming with me Morrow. Though, I suspect he could go to Izumo... I'll investigate myself." His tone clearly remained serious, not budging upon his decision, "You're in no condition to go anywhere. You're bleeding... and I'm fairly sure I don't want you to get yourself into any sort of danger. Use your reasoning Morrow.. let me handle this."

He released Morrow from his grip, forcing his tone to be more gentle, "If Uto did this himself in person... he won't hesitate to kill you. Your efforts would be in vain if that happens. And knowing him... he'll hurt Naga with everything he'll have at his disposal if you come near. Let me handle this.. if not, don't make me take your spiritual energy away.. rather what's left of it. I don't want to resort to that." Lila hesitated before speaking up, "Kage is right... Morrow, you're in no condition to go anywhere. You need to cool down, you're not thinking clearly."

Kage was silent for a few more moments, then he sighed as he looked away, "No. You're going to run away from your problems again after this is settled... you don't have the strength or resolve right now. You need to think." Kage stepped away from Morrow, "..You'll make the same mistakes as I had done. You aren't coming with me, you aren't ready. If you so have the resolve then prove it on your own. But as far as I'm concerned... I'm not letting anyone else die."

Then as soon as those words were spoken, it seemed as if Kage was simply gone. His form disappearing and scattering forth in the butterflies that was his form, moving swiftly away though in his mind... this was something that he needed to do alone. Uto... was his problem and he would solve it like he should have. Plus, he meant every word he said though he did not intend to make the message come across as harsh as it had left him; there was no way he was allowing Morrow to get hurt by Uto, nor would he let his brother do anything else to Naga.

Lila quickly rushed over as soon as Morrow had collapsed, "Morrow!" Her arms quickly wrapped around him, worry taking over her as she gently tried to coax him to his feet, attempting her best to offer him support as well as Chiyo who seemed to have pushed aside her temporary shock and had rushed over as well to his side, doing her best to assist. Though she said in a trembling voice, "M-Morrow... don't worry. U-uncle Naga... you'll see him again. S-so don't give up, okay?! I'll never forgive you if you do!"

Chiyo's eyes narrowed as she protested, "That can't be right! Surely there was something wrong when he said that! Did you see that Naga was acting kind of strange? He would never say that to you because he loves you too much, the only reason he would I think is to try to protect you from someone," Chiyo's ears flattened as she added, "Besides, don't you think its strange that this Uto person just shows up right after that happens? And... if Naga hated you, he.. he would've never took your place in Uto's judgement." Her voice quivered at saying 'judgement', as if the very word held such malice behind it that she seemed to be well aware of.

Lila's arm tightened around Morrow, holding him closer to her as she spoke gently, "For now, we should try and get to somewhere we can tend to your back. We'll think of something eventually."

Lila nodded, though panic went through her at his condition, immediately beginning to move as fast as she could though being careful not to agitate his wounds further. Chiyo clung to Morrow as well, though she seemed to have fallen silent; no doubt stewing in her own thoughts in attempts to assist Morrow as much as she could.

Lila's worried eyes turned to Morrow as they walked, although she did not yet speak a word the look in his eyes certainly was bringing up bad memories. She unconsciously felt herself holding him tighter; as if the very action could convey all of her concern. She certainly had knew that since meeting Naga, Morrow was a lot happier... but now... it seemed as if the absence was clearly a greater impact than what she expected. Not that she would've expected such a thing to happen of course, she would never have wanted something so terrible and unexpected to happen to him, though she could not clearly comprehend the absence he was feeling it still was enough to make her feel protective. Kage... we're counting on you. She glanced over towards Chiyo who instead of clinging to Morrow in attempts to keep him up, had now resulted to looking worriedly at him in silence, allowing him to cling to Lila. Though, she seemed to hastily hide her ears and tail, clearly not wanting to draw stares from others considering there were quite a few glances already thrown their way. However with walking a bit more, Lila spoke up though as gently as she possibly could, "Is this the hotel Morrow?" She had paused briefly in front of the building, though seeming to await confirmation from Morrow on it.

Lila's worried gaze never lessened as she followed after Morrow, Chiyo following close behind into the elevator though she normally would be utterly fascinated; her attention was far too focused upon Morrow's condition. Lila lingered close to Morrow's side, though still remaining silent as she moved so that she could block any view of Morrow from those who were looking over at them, growing furthermore protective of him; reaching towards the elevator and pushing the button to go up, as she assumed his room would be on a higher floor. Once the elevator doors slid open, she glanced over towards Morrow worriedly though gently leading him into the elevator with Chiyo close behind however awaiting for him to put in the floor in which his room was.

Lila's worried gaze still remained upon Morrow as they came to his room, although when he then passed out on the bed; she had to stop herself from freaking out. Taking in a deep breath, she then moved over towards him and with great care had begun to tend to Morrow's back, although relying upon Chiyo occasionally to assist her with the task. However, she could only feel anxious for Kage to find Naga soon.. after all, the emotionless look in Morrow's gaze deeply unsettled her. Whoever was responsible for this surely would pay dearly for what they've done to her nephew... she was sure of it.

(Can we do a 1 year timeskip? :3)

(Yes, yes I do X3 Besides, gotta make Uto kind of a major bad guy and his plotting and everything... plus something possibly might have happened to the child Naga was expecting... *insert evil hand wringing here* Sometimes... I think I might be a little bit too harsh on my characters...)

Lila forced back winces of sympathy at every single jolt that Morrow had made, though she whispered quietly, "I'm sorry.." The sight was truly heart wrenching to her to see him in so much pain, however it was necessary.

[font=times new roman][color=white]It was all intuition at this point for Kage. Granted, an entire year had passed since the incident, and considering when he did go to Izumo.. it was as if his brother conveniently had left at that time with no signs of Naga anywhere. This had made things far more difficult and having to rely upon Amara to get information from the inside of the Shrine Master's meeting temple, and considering Uto frequently left and still no signs of Naga anywhere within the grounds it would be safe to say that Naga wasn't being held in Izumo like Kage had hoped. This had made things far more difficult for Kage. His brother, he should've known was crafty, skilled even and was good at hiding his tracks when he didn't want to be found. Uto most likely could've predicted Kage coming after him and most likely moved Naga elsewhere... and every time during the year when he went back to everyone after every single outing... he hated having to say he had nothing. This repeated constantly; with no news of Naga's whereabouts anywhere and having to report failing over and over again attempting to find the fox, to him it was hopeless. Not only that.. an entire year had passed, and no doubt considering Naga most likely had given birth already; surely it would be hard as the leader of the Shrine Masters to hide that. And yet... no news. No luck. No anything. It was almost as if Naga had disappeared off of the face of the Earth as soon as Uto had taken him away, and if Kage had let himself get negative he would've thought that his brother could've possibly killed the fox... however if that had happened Izumo would've been in an uproar, but there was nothing.

Yet, suddenly it happened. Another day in hopes of possibly hearing any news... and he had gotten one. Uto had returned back to Izumo and from the rumors, was planning on announcing something important that he had to share.. a new "change" as he had put it. A meeting open to those formerly and those who were currently Shrine Masters, and due to the current gossips floating around... there was apparently a fox demon who was always lingering behind him, though Amara had told him no one could get a good view... but considering fox familiars was rare as it was; this could only be Naga. It was a stretch, considering there was a few other Shrine Masters that also had fox familiars within the inner circle of Shrine Masters, however this time no matter how small the lead was... he had to take it. It was certainly a risk, and no doubt it would be a great disappointment if it was in fact untrue... however he could certainly feel this was something to act upon. Morrow needed to know, if they were to get Naga back... this possibly was their only chance. Even now, Kage was hurrying as fast as he could.. granted in his spiritual avatar as to not waste much time, the butterfly's hasty speed was directed to the direction wherever Morrow may be.

Kage's avatar fluttered quickly, though passing relatively unnoticed by pedestrians upon the street. He paid no heed to anything else around him, quickening his speed as the pale avatar fluttered down upon Morrow's shoulder, although the very presence was light as usual, there was no denying the pure energy seeming to be coming off of it; a clear conveyance of Kage's emotions. Usually it would be that Kage would simply wait to give such information, and his mood certainly would not be so energetic and would be downcast and somber... but this certainly wasn't any negative moods this time. It was clear, there was a change.

Instead of simply being patient and cautious considering everything at the moment, the excitement behind the Kage's spiritual avatar was conveyed as he reached out and said in a rush, Morrow, we got a lead. I think we just pinpointed where Naga is. Though normally he would be more attentive of the bitter mood Morrow was in, the hurried tone in which Kage sent his words clearly meant he was certain on this. If he had any doubts about this, he wouldn't have told him... but something about this he couldn't ignore.

Kage's spiritual energy wavered and disappeared though he continued on, Izumo. Uto returned back to Izumo; he's sent out a message to everyone over something important that he has to announce and there's rumors surrounding that a fox seems to be always nearby. Its very possible we could find Naga there. However after another pause, Kage voiced his disapproval with Morrow running; although it was clear, he too was focused upon the information on hand. Amara set up a spot where I can transport us near the fox village. That's the closest we could go to the meeting place; there's a barrier around it and... He hesitated for a few moments before adding, I'll explain when we get there. Izumo... Izumo doesn't look as it had been. With that, Kage's avatar fully disappeared, returning to Kage's body as his eyes opened slightly at the front of the apartment, his movements fidgety and impatient; anxious almost yet his usually warm gaze was crisp and serious, a rare expression upon the man's usually calm face.

Kage was silent, watching Morrow though he was faintly surprised by the speed in which Morrow was moving. As he met Morrow's gaze, his expression temporarily eased to one of his gentler expressions, however he did not say a word and instead said calmly, "Alright." He closed his eyes and within moments it seemed as if Kage's body seemed to be disappearing; the entitiy's spiritual avatar moving forward towards Morrow before seemingly about to land upon his forehead when the scenery quickly began to change.

When everything had solidified; it seemed as if they certainly was within Izumo; or rather the fox village... however it was deathly quiet unlike a year before. The trees that were populating the streets were either dead or dying, and the air seemed almost heavy, clearly unlike the usually bright atmosphere that it once held. It almost seemed as if the very village had since been abandoned, and the chill in the air clearly held something menacing, even the once vibrant lake's waters seemed to have a somewhat sickening red tint to the surface. Kage's form seemed to focus and solidify as well, "...We shouldn't stand out here for too long."

Kage looked over his shoulder quickly as soon as his gaze landed upon a familiar shape, "Its true. Its become toxic to stay on the borders of Izumo." It was Reika accompanied by Amiki and Amara. The two foxes seemed to be exhausted, especially Amiki who almost seemed to be about to faint while Reika still had a guarded expression about her, the heaviness to their gazes held it all... clearly the two have been assisting. Amara on the other hand seemed on edge, fidgeting almost nervously as she waved for everyone to follow her as if she couldn't stand being out there herself.

Amara took the lead with Kage, she too being rather on edge with everything as she muttered, "...I hate being here now.." The suppressed shudder that went through her emphasised that displeasure, although Kage simply murmured, "Its necessary, we'll simply have to deal with this."

Reika moved her arm over to support Amiki as the fox seemed to be focusing upon staying upright, yet she nodded back to Morrow in silent acknowledgement while it seemed as if Amiki was almost completely oblivious to anyone's presence at the moment as she let out a bought of coughing as Reika followed after Amara and Kage, saying simply, "We'll accompany you up to the temporary camp we've placed up nearby here. You'll go ahead with Kage and Amara... or at least that's the plan." Though the plan itself was very vague, it was clear that Reika did want to accompany them but considering Amiki's current state was simply staying behind to not hinder them. Not only that, after a few long moments of silent and tense walking into the dying forest area, it seemed instead of the heavy atmosphere it seemed to have been lifted ever so slightly, and sure enough the foxes that had resided in Izumo a year ago seemed to have placed up a protective barrier around a small area, though ominiously the Shrine Master's temple seemed to loom like a dark omen through the cover of trees. There certainly seemed to be a severe drop of the amount of foxes within the clearing however, barely even half of what the already small population was and majority of them looked ill, or exceptionally cautious. Some even scurried away as soon as they caught sight of the small group, disappearing into tents scattered about and looked on with distrust in their eyes, while the ones who were ill simply laid upon the floor, clearly not going to react whatsoever to those who had approached.

Reika muttered, moving away from them as she steered Amiki over to a tent, "All of you go on ahead now." She turned her attention towards Amiki as she murmured, "Amiki? C'mon dear, you need to rest now." The usually air headed fox woman barely seemed to hear, instead she numbly seemed to just be following alongside Reika, not a single word leaving her; as if her gentle and happy attitude had too been sucked away like the life of the foliage within Izumo.

Kage's gaze seemed to harden slightly, though it was clear this sight pained him yet he muttered, "They're right. Our presence here is making the foxes unsettled.." He then started walking ahead, briskly as Amara had followed as well, yet her gaze seemed to linger upon the nervous looks the foxes were giving them as she mutteree under her breath, "..Uto.. must have done something to them.. don't you think?" Kage's jaw clenched, though he did not answer and Amara simply looked aside as if she hadn't said a word.

Amara frowned slightly, glancing over towards Morrow though muttering quietly, "True... that does seem highly likely.." Her eyes shifted past him towards Kage who still seemed to be quiet, though he nodded his head ever so slightly as if agreeing to her statement. Even if Kage was relatively calm at the moment, his hands were clenched tightly, the knuckles turning white as they shook slightly with pure rage. The entity truly was far more than furious with his brother, and to even see the usually peaceful man enraged to such a point was a rare sight to see. Either way, he did not say a word, as if focusing his mind completely on the destination rather than his anger.

Moving throughout the decaying forest, there seemed to be grotesque, inky veins upon the very forest floor itself, getting more and more frequent as the trees thinned out further and opening up to the large, magnificent temple that was the meeting place of the shrine masters. It seemed as if only that area was uneffected by whatever was plaguing its surroundings, clearly beautiful as ever but there was a sinister air about it as if the atmosphere clearly had changed though both Kage and Amara seemed to have slightly relaxed, they both still remained on guard crossing the walkway towards the looming temple, focused clearly ahead rather than looking to the sides of the temple.

To the side if one could look closely instead of rushing along, there was a garden, though seeing through the large hedge that separated it from the view of those who didn't pay much attention to it, in the silence of the garden there was a rather familiar shape there, taking shelter underneath a cherry blossom tree that the tiny garden had. Long white hair covered the person's face from view, and an elegant robe seemed to completely cover the person as to obscure any clear view of the person's body. Yet the most distinguishing feature was the fox ears that were drooped in either exhaustion or sorrow and the nine tails curled around the being as if like a caccoon to protect itself. But the very image seemed out of place... a position of pure and uncurved fear in a rather peaceful place, and although from a distance the said person was shivering though it would be quite hard to tell considering the obscure view.

The figure automatically seemed to tense as soon as he had heard footsteps. Please... no more... His hopes being dashed, he had hoped no one would find him here... it was the only time he could get some sort of reprieve. His trembling body was bracing itself for the sickening touches, the taunting smile and the utter control that he had. However... the voice he had heard he wasn't expecting. It... couldn't be.. could it? But.. that was impossible. He couldn't possibly he in Izumo.. at this moment. It... it was a delusion like all the others..

And yet, Naga slowly lifted his head. His eyes shifted ever so slowly to meet Morrow's, however in his gaze there was nothing of the proud and stubborn fox he was a year ago... it was a broken gaze, dim and lifeless, no glimmer of hope, no glimmer of life... just fear and horror, a broken down animal almost. Underneath his eyes were dark shadows, clearly from lack of sleep, his cheekbones seemed far more prominent from before as if he was starving and his eyes seemed to almost not recognize the person before him.. a blank, dull look as he lowered his head and looked at the floor as he finally spoke, no life was in his voice, it almost was completely empty of feeling, "..Please, stop doing that to me... you can't fool me anymore..." He bowed his head as he continued on in a emptier tone, dim blue eyes staring upon the floor almost as if he really didn't believe this was Morrow, "...Beat me if you wish... but stop turning into him..." That was clear enough, Uto had utterly broken the fox to a feeble shell of himself, most likely taking advantage of whatever little hope Naga had of ever seeing Morrow again and most likely utterly crushing it.

His sleeves briefly pulled up however as he moved away, though the skin upon a quick glance seemed to be horribly burned upon the palms and the back, and he seemed unsteady on the feet as he jerked away from Morrow although stumbling and his very footprints were bloodied as if his feet too had been injured, and undoubtably underneath the robe Naga wore, the possibly could've been much worse to see.

Now, Naga was simply staring blankly at Morrow and the look in his empty eyes seemed as if he was expecting him to not be real, just another cruel joke that Uto could've been pulling. Although the scent, the voice... everything was far too familiar, granted the hair color wasn't the same but... it couldn't possibly be..? Naga began to tremble, his fearful eyes seeming to intensify in disbelief and denial as he whispered, "...Why... why aren't you turning back?" He took another shaky step away from him, trembling intensifying as his voice wavered, and tears began welling up before spilling over, "...You.. can't possibly.. be here..." The tears clearly held deep pain though he didn't bother to brush them away like he usually would've, or hide them instead he seemed to be cowering away, trembling as he stared at Morrow.