*Nori*

[A while ago]

The powerful shockwaves coming from the north came to an end. Had the battle ended?

"Seems that things have quieted down, finally," Onami said.

"Maki and the others haven't caught up yet," Akane said, glancing behind her back. There was nothing on the horizon other than clouds and forest. She took a deep breath and pressed her hands against her chest. "I pray that they're fine."

"We got to have faith," Master Ximena said. Though she said that, Nori could see worry written all over her face.

Nori squeezed her shoulders. Since I couldn't fly, she had to carry me like this.

Master looked at me and smiled. "Thanks, Nori."

Nori's cheeks warmed up. "It's nothing!" Nori said, laughing awkwardly. He sighed. Why are you acting weird, Nori? Act normal.

"I'm surprised that you can carry him," Onami said, smiling. She was using wind magic to keep herself afloat.

Ximena chuckled. "I have experience, though it was a lot easier when he was the size of a twelve-year-old."

That felt like ages ago. Those were simpler times, which was odd to think about as Nori was basically living in hiding and had no idea where Yuko was. Despite that, Nori's days spent in the church with Xime's family were some of his most peaceful ones.

"He sure grew up a lot," Onami said. She laughed heartedly like her boyfriend, Kohri. "So did my little Yu." She placed a hand on her head. "Actually, she might even be a bit taller than me now." She pouted. "Say, what's your secret?"

Nori grabbed his cap as a gust of wind threatened to snatch it. "Secret?"

"Yeah, what did you eat or take to get that big?"

"Nori just ate fish." Nori smiled. "Onami doesn't like fish, though." She used to give Nori all of her fish when he was a kitten. Nori, in turn, gave her his berries.

She gulped and averted her eyes. "Is that why I'm short still? Maybe I should reconsider my stance..." She scrunched her nose. "But it's so smelly!"

"There are ways to cook it so that it doesn't stink up the place. Fresh fish is better if you're seeking to avoid stinky fish. Fishing for them is probably better," Ximena said.

"How so?"

"If you catch them without causing them much stress, they stink less. You see, when in peril, fish release a hormone. It's sort of like how people stink after a jog or a long term adrenaline rush."

"Hmm, I see."

"But, if you don't want to go to the trouble, then wash the head with water and put some vinegar or lemon. It does wonders."

"You sure know a lot about fish. Is it because you're a Nekomata?" Akane asked.

"That's where my interest in them stems from, yes, but I also enjoy cooking. It's why I put myself through long days of work and school to get my culinary degree. With it, I hope to get a job at a restaurant." She smiled. "That said, my real dream is to open my own bakery."

"A bakery?" Onami asked, blinking.

Ximena chuckled. "Is it odd?"

"No, it's just, I expected something like a restaurant."

Master smiled. "I might do that too. But, while I do love cooking, baking is my true passion."

Akane giggled. "It's great that you have dreams like that."

"Do you have anything you're passionate about?"

Akane's cheeks reddened. "Yeah. I have a couple."

"What are they?" Onami asked, giving her a curious stare.

The red-haired girl turned her head away. "One is to open my own pharmacy, another is to create a series of orphanages for the kids without homes. The war with Kuroriku might've ended, but its repercussions still ring to this day. Men and women are still dying from stepping on mines dotting the forest while hunting or fetching water at the nearby river. Some developed cancer and other illnesses from the chemicals that Kuroriku dropped to curl the forest."

Onami gulped. "T-that's awful!"

Nori nodded. It was. In a way, Nori could understand Suzuki's rage toward the Kuroriku a bit better now. Nori's time in the palace dungeon also taught him that the King wasn't much better than his dad, Orlin. Osamu was the one who had bought Nori from mean mister. He wanted to turn Nori into a living weapon by implanting with the Vajra that Nori had found. Obtaining that thing nearly killed Nori. Nori was lucky that he had run into Xime and Serra, else he would've died that day.

"That isn't to say that all of our issues are due to the Kuroriku. The communists who at one point ruled almost all of Kasai no Ki created a mess of the environment as well. Some officials had the wise idea of rerouting the rivers to feed the population centers, causing small towns along the old paths to die off. However, when the rains came, the rerouted rivers flooded, destroying whole cities."

"They didn't think of building a dam?" Onami asked.

"Oh, they did. It was massive. Bigger than even the ones in Mizu no Kin, though it was inadequately made. Even if it was crafted well, it likely wouldn't have lasted anyway. That's not even getting into the mass famines that resulted from that and other failed policies."

Akane's eyes, they were filled with pain. Nori was sure that she could still see those moments even though they had long ended.

The red-haired girl blinked away tears and shook her head. She stared at Onami and forced a smile. "We know that Nori wants to become a priest, but what about you, Onami?"

Onami stared at the farms below. They looked like mushroom farms. Nori had seen pictures of one in a book Nice Lady had shown him when she taught him how to write.

"I'm not sure," Onami said, closing her eyes. "I haven't found a thing that I'll like to dedicate my life towards."

"You'll find one. Just keep searching," Nori said. "Same goes for Yuko."

Onami chuckled. "Thanks, Nor. I can always count on you to cheer me up."

Nori beamed. "Uplifting peoples' spirits is all part of Nori's dream."

"You'll make a good priest one day."

Xime snickered. "I think so too."

"As do I," Akane said as she descended. "Think that we should descend here."

"Why?" Nori asked.

"Wait, is this the place that Shin'en and Maki mentioned? Where Nori's family lives?" Ximena asked.

I gasped as we got closer. The inhabitants of the village surrounded by mushroom farms all had cat ears. Though, why did they chose to farm mushrooms and not fish?

"Angels?" one of the villagers said. She grabbed her children and hurried them away.

"What are they doing here? Are they invading us?" a man asked, summoning a red wand. "You're the cause of those shockwaves from up north, aren't you?"

"Not again, this is just like what happened with Zyuuni and the others," Akane said, running a hand down a face.

"They aren't the enemy," Onami said, landing first. Her tanuki ears and tail appeared. "They're our allies."

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "And how do we know that you're telling the truth, tanuki?"

"She's telling the truth," Ximena said, landing next to Onami. Suddenly, her usual ears vanished and reappeared at the top of her head in the form of green cat ears.

Cute.

"You're one of us?" the man asked, startled.

Nori jumped off of Master Ximena's back. "That's right," Nori said, removing his cap. "Ximena is a Nekomata."

Those watching gasped. "How is that possible?"

Master laughed weakly. "You'll need to ask my parents that."

Come to think of it, is Miki related to Nori?

"Why are you here?" a voice called out. We all turned around and saw a tall man with crimson hair and golden eyes walk over to us. Behind him was a boy around eight or nine years old.

"Oh, hey there, Mr. Rikimaru," Onami said, smiling.

Nori's ears twitched. Did she say Rikimaru?

The man's stern look softened. "Oh, it's you. What bring you here? Did your uncle send you here?"

"He did help us find this place, but he didn't send me on an errand this time." She rubbed her fluffy brown ear. "Actually, we weren't going to come here for a while longer. But we need to rest while our friends catch up to us."

Mr. Rikimaru stared at us. He glared when he made eye contact with Akane, causing her to avert her eyes. The man was scary. Though his eyes looked familiar.

"An angel and a half-angel," he said before turning to look at me. His eyebrows rose a bit.

"Dad, that guy looks like you," the man's son said as he pointed at me.

He stepped forward and sniffed the air. "You smell like my brother. Why?"

Nori waved. "H-hello. Nori here! I-I think that Mr. Rikimaru might be Nori's uncle."

"Your uncle? Are you saying that you're Kota's kid?"

Nori smiled. "Yeah, Kota was Nori's dad!"

Nori's uncle shifted his eyes toward the ground. He seemed sad. "Was, huh? I assume that Kota is no more?"

Nori nodded slowly. "Nori's daddy died alongside Nori's mommy. He was killed by an evil cat."

The man gritted his teeth. "He was killed by Takeshi, huh? That guy only looks like our kind. In reality, he's something entirely different! A creature of the shadows. One who can't be killed!"

"We know. Such beings are called abysmals," Onami said. "Our colleagues have clashed steel with them. Though they're hard to kill, it's not impossible. My boyfriend's taken out a couple."

"Well, clashed orichalcum, not steel," Akane said, laughing awkwardly.

"There's more of those beings? Great. More sadists running around, just what we needed!" Nori's uncle said, moving his right hand up and down. "Wish that Nami would cut us a break."

"Nami?" Nori asked as he blinked several times in a row.

"You've never heard of Nami?" Nori's cousin asked, stepping forward.

Master Ximena rubbed her chin. "The goddess of death and decay... do you worship her?"

Nori's uncle sighed. "She used to be a goddess of life just like Nagi, back in the day. Life and death, they're both two sides of the same coin. Plus, she's a fitting goddess for us who have the potential to bring back the dead."

"What?" Akane asked.

"You heard me. We have the potential to bring back the dead. Though it's a scarce ability."

Nori gulped. Nori knew how to use it. No one knew it, but Nori used it to bring back Yuko years ago. Nori didn't want to be left alone, so he couldn't help it.

Nori did contemplate using it on his parents, but that was wrong. The dead had passed on. Plus, the one time Nori used it, it didn't turn out so great. Yuko came back emotionless, her soul barely hanging into this world. That made it easier for Takeshi to use her in his plans. Somehow, Yuko's interactions with Tetsuya helped her regain what she'd lost. Perhaps, her emotions weren't truly gone but suppressed by Mean Mister. He was the one who convinced Nori to revive her.

Nori understood that Mean Mister wanted to heal Nice Lady, but using Nori and Yuko to achieve that end was wrong. Nori hated thinking this way, but it was a good thing that Anis got mad at him. Hopefully, it made him realize the error of his ways.

**Solar Note: Currently at work on episode 4, hope to have it done by tomorrow (but will be out on the 27th regardless). Trying to build up a bit of a buffer, even if it's just one chapter. It'll help me breath a little easier. Also gives me more time to edit them ^^. Thoughts? Theories?**