Tomoe didn't bother you the rest of the night. You talked with Nanami about normal things for a while, but finally you headed off to bed. You passed out almost immediately.
The next morning, you were surprised to discover that Nanami wasn't at school. "What's going on?" You yawned. "And where's Tomoe?"
"Lady Nanami has developed a cold, so the fox went to school in her stead." Ryuu answered you. You were about to shrug and go about your business, when you noticed a familiar snake in the kitchen.
"Why is Mizuki here?" You pointed at the snake familiar.
"Apparently he decided to visit since Tomoe is gone." Nanami mumbled.
Mizuki was cooking food. You didn't pay much attention until they started talking about the old Tomoe. Mizuki was talking about how he was a wild fox who would kill her in her sleep if she let her guard down.
"That's enough Mizuki." You said. "Don't scare the poor girl."
"Forgive my impertinence," Ryuu cut in. "but I have to agree with the snake."
"What are you talking about?!" Nanami protested.
Ryuu looked her straight in the eyes. "I will never forgive that fox for what he did." The familiar hissed. Nanami seemed startled, but she didn't let his words break her resolve.
"Maybe a trip into the distant past will show you what that fox is." Mizuki whispered.
You sighed. "If you are going to do this, send me too." You addressed the snake.
"I will be sending only your souls. Since you were alive during that time, you will be placed into your own body." Mizuki added.
"I'm well aware of the capabilities of your device." You replied.
The snake familiar nodded, and lit the burner. It didn't take long for it to take effect. Your vision slowly faded away, and you fell unconscious.
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When you finally woke, you were in a forest. You looked at yourself, and knew where you'd been sent. You glanced to your side, and saw a girl that had long been dead. You got back to your four padded feet, and shook the mud from your pristine white fur. You were in the form of a wolf, and beside you was the girl once known as Yukiji, although you figured Nanami's spirit was currently inhabiting her body. After all, this is where Tomoe was.
You walked over to Yukiji... or Nanami at the moment, and nudged her face with your damp snout. Slowly the girl began to stir. When she saw you, she recoiled somewhat. You didn't want to reveal your identity to her, so you just played the part of the worried dog.
It took several minutes before Nanami realized she was no longer in her own body. "Someone help...it...hurts." A weak voice called from the bushes.
You growled softly at the voice, knowing all too well what was going to happen, but you did nothing to stop it. It was not your place to change the course of history. Nanami ran to the boy's side, and gathered him into her arms. The boy gave her some sob story about running away from Akura-o to warn her, but you weren't fooled.
You did nothing to stop Nanami, as she carried the boy to an abandoned house. You took refuge inside. You sat in the corner, watching as Nanami tried to tend to the boy's wounds. It wasn't until the yokai showed its true face that you made your move. The yokai's hand closed around Nanami's throat. The beast held her up into the air, then slammed her into the wooden floor of the hut. Without hesitation, you lunged at the ugly green beast. You knew what was going to happen, so you were just going through the motions, like a puppet in a play. You sank your teeth into the yokai's shoulder. The yokai howled, and released Nanami, before swatting you off of his shoulder. You hit the ground standing, and growled at the yokai. You didn't get the chance to attack again, of course, because a wall of foxfire consumed the brute in an instant.
The yokai crumbled to the ground, his body nothing more than a pile of ash. You looked to the door, and saw the one you'd come to see. Tomoe stood at the door, his long white hair cascading around his shoulders, and foxfire dancing around him. He approached Nanami, and grabbed the collar of her clothes. "My, you are a fine specimen." Tomoe smiled in the cruel way that befitted his personality in those days. He tore off a piece of Nanami's clothes, causing her to shout in fear and surprise. He held the fabric up, and smiled once again. "Lovely voice." He hummed, before grabbing her chin with his pale hand. You wanted to throttle him, but you had to wait. "Cry out, human." He sneered. That was your cue. You lunged forward, and clamped your jaws around his outstretched forearm. He looked shocked by your sudden action, but the confusion was quickly replaced by annoyance. You braced yourself for the pain, before Tomoe swatted you away with so much force that you flew into the next room, and splintered the wall where you hit.
Tomoe returned his attention to Nanami, and was about to get back into her face, when the all to familiar voice of Akura-o called his name. Annoyance returned to Tomoe's face, as he shoved Nanami into the room you'd been thrown into, and slammed the door shut. Nanami crawled over to you, and tried to check on you. You slowly crawled back up to your feet, and shook off the daze in your mind. "Good, you're alright." Nanami sighed. You could hear Tomoe and Akura-o talking in the other room, so you turned to the hole in the wall you knew would be there. Tugged on Nanami's sleeve, and pulled her towards the hole. She seemed to understand, cause she quickly crawled out the hole, and back into the rain. She started to run, and you simply trotted behind her. When she lost her footing and slipped down the mountain, you simply watched. You could feel your current body pulling on your soul, and you didn't feel like wasting energy. Slowly your vision faded once again.
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You awoke back in the shrine. You were lying beside Nanami, your head resting on a pillow. The first thing that you noticed was that you were the first to regain consciousness. The second thing you noticed was Ryuu strangling Mizuki. You chuckled a little, before sitting up. "Will you two stop fighting." You sighed. Ryuu stopped strangling Mizuki, and turned to face you.
"Please forgive me, Milady. When he told me the time period he sent you too, I couldn't contain my anger." Ryuu bowed his head.
"There is nothing to worry about. We landed in the short safe period between the two events." You replied vaguely so only Ryuu would understand what you meant.
The familiar nodded his head. "That is good." He seemed relieved by the news.
"Where am I?" Came Nanami's whispering voice.
"We are back in the shrine." You explained to her.
"Did you see Tomoe by chance?" Mizuki looked to Nanami.
Nanami looked away, a little fear in her eyes. "No, I didn't see him." She whispered.
"See whom?" Came the familiar grumbling voice. You turned to see Tomoe (still disguised as Nanami), standing in the doorway. "Why is their a snake loitering in the shrine?" Tomoe growled, his eyes full of anger.
Mizuki seemed a worried. "H-hey Tomoe, welcome home. Did you have fun at school today?" The snake tried to play it cool. This is going to suck for you. You smiled.
"What the hell are you doing here, and what were you doing to Nanami and (Y/N)?" Tomoe hissed venomously.
"I-can't-tell-you." Mizuki smiled innocently. That, of course, didn't work, and ended with Tomoe literally kicking him out of the shrine.
Needless to say, Tomoe was fuming. He was furious at the shrine spirits for letting the snake in. After a moment of stewing, he reached out to Nanami. You watched, curious about how she would react. You could see fear consume her eyes, and saw nervous beads of sweat dribble down her cheek. It's no surprise. It's not easy to face the facts of life. You thought, as you looked back at Tomoe who was currently checking Nanami's temperature. The truth can cause a lot of pain. Just look at me, I caused him to forget everything. I altered his memories from five hundred years ago to protect him from that truth, and now I'm the one left suffering for it. You thought to yourself with a sad smile. You were lost in thought, when Tomoe reached over, and touched your own forehead. You flinched a little at the sudden touch.
"You don't seem to have a fever. That's good." Tomoe smiled. "You should still take it easy though. Just relax, and I'll make you something to eat." He whispered, as he got to his feet, and headed towards the kitchen. You were a little shocked by his gentle touch, the skin tingled where his hand had been. I can't let him remember. You steeled your resolve. I can't let the past hurt him, not again. I will endure this pain, so he can be happy.
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"Hey, Nanami, why don't we go for a little walk? The fresh air could do us some good." You smiled at the land god.
"Sure, that sounds like fun." Nanami agreed.
"I will accompany you." Ryuu stated.
"No. You will stay here." You replied.
"What?!" Ryuu looked annoyed.
"I order you to stay by Tomoe's side, and get to know him." You smiled.
Ryuu's face fell. "Please no, Milady. That is too cruel."
"And, I forbid you from talking about the past." You added as a safety measure.
Ryuu grudgingly did as you asked, but you could tell he was silently cursing you.
When you were sure he was gone, you took Nanami's hand, and led her into the woods. When you were a good distance away from the shrine, you let go of her hand, and looked at her. "Now then, why don't you talk to me?" You smiled at the girl.
She seemed a little startled, and tried to act as though nothing was wrong. "W-what are you talking about?"
"Something is bothering you. The familiars are busy, so talk. It's just the two of us." You replied, trying to ease her discomfort.
"I don't want to bother you with my childish antics. You're an ancient goddess of vast wisdom, so my problems are probably a joke to you." Nanami smiled sheepishly.
"I may be a goddess, but I'm still a girl." You chuckled. "At this moment, neither of us are goddesses. We are simply a pair of friends taking a walk in the woods, and having a little talk." You insisted.
Nanami was silent for a while, but finally she began to speak. "Where were you when we went back in time?"
"I was very close by."
"Where were you?" Nanami looked at you, a little worry in her eyes.
"I was staying hidden." You fibbed. "I saw everything though. I'm sorry you were so frightened, but had I shown myself he might have killed you." You explained.
Nanami nodded hesitantly. "Was that really Tomoe?" She mumbled.
"It was."
She looked scared and worried, but you had to be honest with her. "How could that be the same Tomoe that we know?!" She almost cried.
You looked up at the leaves in the trees, and sighed. "The thing with immortal beings is that they have a lot of time to change." You tried to explain it as simply as you could. "When Tomoe was little, he was the cutest little thing. He had such curiosity, and so much power for such a little guy." You smiled at the memory. "He grew up with a demon known as Akura-o. They were basically brothers. Unfortunately, they discovered that together they were unbeatable. Tomoe was stronger than many of the gods, while Akura-o was able to take any hit and keep moving. They were the perfect example of an immovable shield, and unstoppable sword. They grew up knowing they were the best, and that power can... warp a person's perspective. It's the same mentality the god of war has. If you are the strongest, why should you worry about others. After all, a king doesn't need to worry about peasants. Over time, he met someone. Someone who loved the little spark of light that remained in his heart. Slowly, he came to love her too, and he began to embrace that spark of light that she oh so loved." You looked back down at the dirt, a sad smile playing on your lips. "They thought they would be together for all time, but fate was cruel. They both had dark pasts that forced them apart, for fate had decided they could never be together. They were hunted, and tormented by the demons of their past, and it became too much for the girl to bare. So, one day while he slept, she stole his memories and abandoned the idea of happiness." You sighed, and looked back at Nanami. "That is what has lead to the Tomoe you know. You can't just focus on one point in a person's life, you must look at the full scale, and appreciate them for every flaw and every perfect point."
Nanami looked back in the direction of the shrine, a sad look on her face. "That's so sad." She whispered. "Who was the girl he fell in love with?" Nanami looked back at you, looking for more answers.
You chuckled sadly. "Unfortunately, the girl Tomoe loved died a long time ago."
"Oh."
"I hate to say it, but most of that pain vanished when he forgot about her."
"But, Tomoe will never remember the woman he loved..." Nanami mumbled.
"That was the point." You stated. "It was all in the hopes that he would find happiness again, without her."
Nanami thought about what you'd said for several minutes. Finally, she broke the silence. "(Y/N), do you like Tomoe... you know... in a romantic sense."
You were a little taken aback by her question, but you quickly regained your composure. "Even if I did like him, it would never work between us." You chuckled.
"Why not?"
"Because, we exist in two separate worlds. Our worlds may periodically intertwine, but they must always remain separate in the end. He inhabits the world of light. He lives in a shrine full of joy, love, and family. While I inhabit the world of darkness. I don't really belong anywhere, and anyone I grow close to is in danger. Eventually, I will have to leave here." You smiled at Nanami. "And I think it is for the best that everyone forgets about me."