Hide Away - A Kamisama Kiss Fan-Fic (Book 1)

11

Tomoe stared at the sky as if the answers would appear in the passing clouds. He smoked his pipe thoughtfully, his brows furrowed.

'The miasma is completely gone,' he mused, chewing slowly on his pipe as he grit his teeth. 'This is unsettling...'

A swirl of smoke exited his mouth, filling the air with a muggy, thick smell. There was no eucalyptus mint mixed in this time. The smell made him gag for some reason.

'What exactly is this woman that she can completely clean miasma from the air?' he pondered. 'Is she a spirit? She couldn't possibly be a youkai as well. That would be impossible. I would know.'

Tomoe sighed heavily and stretched, setting his pipe down after dumping its contents off the side of the roof. He rested his head on one arm and draped the other over his stomach.

"Only gods can clear miasma so effortlessly," he said aloud. "Only gods can do those things, period." He rolled over onto his side and looked out over the courtyard. The trees were still in bloom, just how he liked them, and the ground was scattered ever so slightly with petals. A few of them blew onto the roof, and he picked them up, rubbing them between his fingers slowly. The soft consistency, leathery and gentle, soothed his nerves. He released the petal.

'Why am I so anxious?' he thought with slight destain. 'This is nothing I haven't handled before.'

He sat up slowly and ran his hand through his hair, his nerves stirring up a bitter feeling in his stomach. He huffed and stood up. "So much for relaxation," he growled, a vein popping in his forehead. He leapt to the ground and summoned a chariot of fox fire, traveling deep into the nearby woods to clear his head.

When he deemed himself far enough away, Tomoe jumped over the edge of the cart into the middle of the forest, conjuring flames as he dropped. With a loud cry, he landed and made the earth around him shake. The trees around him were set ablaze with blue, and animals scurried away or fell to their deaths, consumed by the flames. Crackling and popping and the crashes of falling tree trunks filled the once tranquil area.

Rage burned within Tomoe's veins, and he breathed heavily to catch his fading breath. He held his throat as if hands were gripping him with intense ferocity.

"MIKAGE!!"

He fell prostrate and clenched his fists as the ground around him disintegrated into nothing.

"Tomoe, what are you doing!!"

The fox lifted his head, and his eyes grew wide. "Stay away, Ophelia!!" he yelled, holding up a flame-covered hand. "Do not come any closer!!"

Ophelia stared at him, frozen in place and trembling. "Tomoe..." She reached for him, but a branch cracked and fell between them. She jumped back and pulled her hand to her chest.

"I told you to stay back!!" he yelled to "Now go home before you get yourself killed!!"

She shook her head and looked at the flaming branch. She mustered up a bit of courage and stepped back. She leapt over the branch, her kimono catching fire on the edges. She screamed and beat at the fabric, putting out the flames before they could spread. Before she could calm herself, the fox pulled her to his side and planted a forceful kiss on her lips. He held her head against his neck for a moment, embarrassed to meet her gaze.

"You cannot come out here like this..." he whispered to her.

Ophelia blushed deeply and leaned against him, holding onto his half coat. The fire only intensified the heat in her cheeks, a trickle of sweat rolled down her forehead. "I thought something had happened to you..." she said, burying her face. "I thought that you were in trouble..."