(Y/N) started shaking as soon as the sun fell. They were waiting in line for the Ferris wheel when the sun finally vanished behind the mountains. Tomoe didn't notice that she had begun to shake until the little fox on his shoulder started to. He looked at her, and studied her worriedly. Her eyes were wide and alert, like a frightened dog, and she shook like a leaf in a storm. Tomoe placed a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched, yelping softly.
"S-sorry, you just scared me a little." She mumbled the apology, her eyes darting every which way.
"What is wrong?" Tomoe asked her, trying to keep his voice soft and calm like she did when she was soothing the baby fox.
She didn't answer. She just followed Nanami into the closed compartment of the Ferris wheel. Tomoe climbed in, and sat opposite (Y/N), keeping her fixed in his lavender eyes. When they stared to move again, she jumped, digging her nails into the edge of the bench.
"Relax, (Y/N), this ride is completely safe!" Nanami shouted, completely oblivious to the fact that her fear wasn't from the Ferris wheel.
When they reached the top, (Y/N) glanced out the window curiously. Her face momentarily softened back to the childish joy. She seemed to be doing better. Tomoe smiled, and looked out the opposite window. Everything seemed fine, until he heard her scream. It was a scream of absolute fear. Tomoe turned back, and leaned towards her. She was curled up on the bench, her knees were tucked against her chest, her hands covered her ears, and her eyes were squeezed shut. Tomoe reached out to help her. The moment his fingertips touched her arm, he understood.
He felt an uncontrollable fear all around him, as if he'd been transported inside of his own personal hell. Worst of all, he felt pain. He wasn't sure where the pain came from, but it consumed him. He felt as though his body was being boiled and shredded at the same time. The all consuming pain and fear seemed to grow, until he thought he might lose his mind.
He tumbled back, and knocked his head against the Ferris wheel bench. The pain and fear vanished as soon as he stopped touching (Y/N). He shook his head, and looked back up at the quivering goddess. Her right hand was extended, and she looked at him through fearful eyes. Her breathing was heavy and fast. She pushed me away. Tomoe realized, half grateful half worried.
(Y/N) staggered to her feet, and forced open the door to the small compartment. Nanami shouted inaudibly. Tomoe tried to stand up, but (Y/N) looked at him. Fear still consumed her, but her eyes were commanding. "Don't stop me, and don't follow me." She hissed, before transforming into a large hawk. She leapt out the door, and wobbly glidded away. Her left wing sagged as though weighed down.
Tomoe tried to go after her, but his body wouldn't respond. Why can I not move? He questioned as he struggled against his invisible bonds. Nanami grabbed his arm, and helped him up onto the bench. I seem able to move like this. He recalled her previous words, and a realization struck him. When we first spoke she said she could command animal like Yokai, and influence the rest. Do her words bind me?
Before long, they reached the ground. He and Nanami climbed out, and tried to get their bearings. Nanami now held the quivering baby fox, who had fallen from Tomoe's shoulder. "Where did she go? I can't see her anywhere." Nanami mumbled.
Damn! Tomoe cursed to himself. "Fox fire, find (Y/N)!" He shouted. Four glowing orbs of flame shot out from his hand, but they just sat there quivering in the wind. "I told you to find (Y/N)!" He growled at the orbs.
"Tomoe-sama, we can not." The voice came from the first fox fire.
"Why not?" Tomoe hissed at the flames.
"Lady (Y/N) has forbade it."
"She is not in charge, I am!" Tomoe barked at the stubborn blue flames.
"Yes, but Lady (Y/N)'s words have power over you, and, in turn, us." The third flame stated.
"Fine then, I'll do it myself." Tomoe growled as the orbs of flame disappeared. At least, I want to. Why does my body stop responding when I want to help her?! Tomoe growled to himself. "Nanami, command me to find (Y/N)." Tomoe turned to the land god.
"What?" Nanami looked at him in confusion. "You hate it when I use sacred word binding."
"Just do it!"
"Alright." She sighed skeptically. "Tomoe, go find (Y/N)!"
He felt the familiar pull of her command, but the feeling quickly vanished. He looked down at his hands, the gold rings that usually pulled him to obey, were not there. He took a step in the direction he'd seen (Y/N) flying, and his body obeyed him. Did the commands cancel each other out? He pondered, but he quickly shook the thought away. He had more important things to do. He had to find (Y/N)!
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When you'd leapt out of the Ferris wheel compartment, you'd discovered you couldn't fly. You weren't sure if it was due to the injuries, or the fear, but you were unable to bend your wings. All you could do was glide. You felt the all to familiar pain of your body being pulled towards the creature that was in absolute fear, but you did everything in your power to resist. You dove towards the forest, desperate to get to your domain before the power could pull you away. The second you dove below the treeline, the pain subsided.
You tried to land on a branch, but your left wing flared painfully when you tried to flap. Instead of landing on the branch, you smacked into it. You bounced off the branch, and spiraled down until you slammed onto the moss covered ground with a painful thud. You didn't move. You waited for the worst of the pain to subside before you transformed. You didn't return to your human form, but instead transformed into the comfortable fox form. You slowly calmed your breathing and slowed your pounding heart.
Now that you were inside the forest, you could figure out where the creature was. You tried to focus on the pieces of your essence that were gathered near the scared creature. The beast seemed to be a centipede of monstrous proportions. It was at least as long as a car, and as wide as Tomoe. It was obviously just a baby of its kind. You focused your energy on the spot. Slowly the scattered essence took form. It was a form similar to that of a rainbow in the mist. Although it was visible, it wasn't tangible.
You turned, and looked around to see what the creature was so afraid of. You were in some sort of enclosure, like those found in a human zoo. There was a "forest" surrounded by cold iron bars. You immediately understood.
"So, the goddess graces us with her presence. I see you still aren't going to get caught in my trap." A voice hissed from behind you. You spun, growling at the figure cloaked in shadows. "How mean! I'm just greeting an old friend." The voice once again hissed.
"We are not friends. You are scum, not worthy of the power you poses." You hissed at the cruel figure.
"Such harsh words don't suite such a beautiful creature." The figure cloaked in shadow, stepped into the light that filtered through the enclosure. You hissed at the all to familiar, cruel face. He was the same size as Tomoe, except he had a bulkier build, like that of a wrestler. He had crimson red hair, and electric blue eyes that showed absolutely no kindness.
"Munakata, Izaya." You hissed the name as though it had a foul taste.
"So you do remember my name, I'm honored." He hissed with a sneer.
"What do you want with me?"
"Oh, you know what I want. I want that beast you keep hidden from the world."
"You will never touch him, so long as I draw breath." You growled your words laced with hatred.
"Oh, but I will. I almost got him last time. Unfortunately, I underestimated you." He spat the words, as he turned his head to the light. The scar on his face became more visible. It was long and jagged, and ran from the top left side of his hairline, across his right eye, and ended just shy of his ear. "But, don't worry. I won't make that mistake again. I'm looking forward to paying you back in full." He cooed in a sing-song voice.
"I won't let you have another chance." You hissed venomously.
"But you won't have a choice in the matter. Sooner or later, you will have to leave that precious forest of yours, and I will drag you back into that dark pit." He snapped. You felt your heart drop at those words. He noticed your change, and smiled. "I guess you do remember your pit." He said, a cruel crooked sneer twisting his lips. "Don't worry, it's just how you left it. Soon you'll be dragged back into that pit, and you will never be allowed to escape. Enjoy the fresh air while you can." He snickered as he stabbed the centipede in the head, causing your essence to dispel.
You awoke, back in the forest. Your heart was still racing from the encounter. You shook your head, and opened your eyes. A curious racoon was peering at you. The masked bandit held a half eaten peach to you, but you turned his generous offer down. You stood, and began to walk deeper into the woods. I can't leave. I can't let him sink his bloody claws into me, not again. You thought to yourself, as you tried to calm your pounding heart. A stab of pain flared in your back left foot, and you staggered. You looked at your leg, and saw fresh blood pouring from the wound. I guess I tore my stitches.
You crawled up onto the dead stump of a tree, and began to lick the wound. Preoccupied with your task, you didn't notice the figure walking up from behind you. A hand touched your side. You leapt into the air a good four feet, a yelp escaping your maw. You dropped to the forest floor, and felt your left leg give out beneath your weight. You fell to the ground, but kept struggling to stand up.
A hand appeared in front of your face, so you surged towards it, and clamped your teeth down on the soft flesh. Blood exploded into your mouth, as you heard the unknown person grunt in pain. Instead of smacking at you or kicking at you, as you expected, the figure kept his hand still, and used his free hand to stroke your head. You were shocked by this action, but the figure's words were even more shocking. "It's alright. Calm down!" A soothing voice whispered to you.
You released your jaw from around the figure's hand, and shook the fear fog from your head. You looked up at the figure, and wanted to cry. Tomoe crouched above you, stroking your head soothingly. Blood steadily dripped from his hand onto the dead leaves that littered the forest floor. You looked up at him, and whimpered softly. You licked his hand apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have scared you like that. For now, let's get you home." He whispered, his voice still calm. He put his hands underneath you, and gently lifted you off of the cold ground. He cradled you close to his chest, as he carried you. He was about to exit the forest, back onto the street, but you began to shake, and you tried to climb out of his arms. Understanding the problem, he followed the edge of the forest. He got as close as he could to the shrine without exiting the forest, then waited for you to calm down.
When you no longer felt the pulling of scared creatures, you relaxed, and stopped shaking. Tomoe finally exited the forest, and took the fastest route to the shrine. When he finally entered the shrine, Nanami ran to him, worry written on her face.
She looked at you curled up in Tomoe's arms, and seemed to understand. She didn't ask any questions, or do any of her normally annoying things. She just sat down at the table, and watched as Tomoe restitched the wound on your foot. When he was finished, he cleaned and bandaged the wound on his own hand, from where you bit him. You expected him to be mad at you, like he was with everything else, but he wasn't. When he was done with first aid, he carried you to your room, and placed you on the bed. He then closed the door, and went to his own bed.
You tried to sleep, you really did, but every time you would start to doze off, you would feel the terror of another creature that Munakata was torturing. After over an hour of this fear filled torment, you stood, and hobbled out of your room. You slunk down the hall, your tail sweeping back and forth behind you. You stopped in front of a door, and nudged it open with your snout. You slipped into the room, and gazed upon the sleeping face of Tomoe. You knew you were being childish, but he made you feel safe. You silently crossed the room, and curled up at his feet, on the corner of his blankets. His scent filled the room, and you slowly, finally, drifted off to peaceful sleep.