The scent of grass and spring was in the air as they walked down the path leading to the woods. Shinya tilted his face up, feeling the warmth of the sun thawing his skin. His long brown hair was tied in a thick braid, though there were a few strands that strayed wild in the gentle breeze. He sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of a black fox. But this human nose didn’t work too well…

In front of him was the red-haired human-Die. His mass of crimson hair was tied messily in a low ponytail. He whistled a carefree tune as he strolled, hands in the pockets, throwing glances back once in a while to make sure Shinya had not disappeared somewhere.

" So, actually…who are you?" he asked.

Shinya rolled his eyes to Die.

" What’s your name?"

" Why??"

Die shrugged. "So maybe I have a name I can call you by?"

Shinya tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. "Shinya," he answered curtly.

" Ah, Shinya…nice name!" the redhead turned sideways and a wide smile spread across his face. He bent down and picked a daisy. "Nice to meet you, Shinya!"

Shinya stared at the white flower that Die handed to him, sniffing it closely. A soft smile touched his lips as its mild scent reminded him of the times he and Toshiya pranced around the open meadow, chasing yellow butterflies…

The air was refreshing as they strolled down the path. The stupid human was right, for once, it was nice. Shinya had never seen this side of the world through his human eyes. The world seemed more mild, less dangerous. Die bent down again and came up with a little bunch of pink and purple flowers. Shinya looked at him oddly when he shoved the flowers to him.

" What?"

" For you. Here…" Die’s tongue poked out a little at a corner as he slid two flowers behind Shinya’s ear. "Na, you look so pretty," he said as he stood back, looking at his handiwork.

For some weird reason, Shinya felt his face burn red. He didn’t say anything, taking the little flowers from Die and walked forward faster. He heard Die’s laughter behind him as he chose up. He didn’t smell the familiar scent of the forest as they stepped into the shade of the dense trees since his nose were slightly handicapped now.

"Hey, now that I think about it…what were you doing naked in here all alone?"

" Uh…" Shinya looked for a believable lie. "…I…I was…uh, robbed! Yeah! I was robbed, they stole all my clothes!!!" Shinya nodded strongly.

What angels they are…(uh, the robbers??)Die sighed as he looked at the side profile of Shinya, noting how feminine and pretty he looked and how he made Die think of all those thoughts a gentleman like himself should never think of…

A shriek cut his less-than-pure thoughts short. Shinya had tripped over a root and was now sprawled across the leafy ground.

***

Kaoru slowly blinked and the open sky greeted him. He got up on his elbows and yawned but when he tried to move his legs, he felt pins and needles all over his lower limbs. And there, laid a sleeping black fox, snuggling there as if he was making a nest. Wait, it was not sleeping; it had one eye open, peeking at Kaoru. Glaring at it murderously, Kaoru grabbed the fox by its collar and dropped him a foot away. Then he got up, massaging his cramp legs.

Baring his fangs at the human, Toshiya hissed, his fur bristling up on their ends, but Kaoru just shooed him away with his leg.

The violet-haired man stared up at the sky again; it was sprayed with dashes of yellow and orange. It was going to be dark soon. He had better find a way out because…otherwise his growling stomach was going to eat him up for dinner. Kaoru clutched his hungry stomach and followed the imaginary arrow hopefully leading him to food.

***

Shinya bit his lip as Die touched the bleeding spot on his elbow. "Pain!" he exclaimed, pulling his arm away.

" Okay, okay! Just let me stop the bleeding first before he get home and wash it," Die frowned in concentration as he tore off his sleeve and made a tight bandage around Shinya’s elbow. "That should do it."

Shinya pouted, staring at his injured elbow and then at his palm which was rubbed raw against the ground. Instinctively, he brought it near his face and his tongue flicked out to lick it but it only help him put his saliva on it.

" Stop that!" Die said and began tracing back the path out of the wooded area. Shinya was reluctant, he wanted to see Toshiya.

Toshiya…what are you doing now..?

Are you thinking of me?

No.

But I miss you so much…

His mind wandered to the black fox with the silver striped tail that he curled up against after their lunch together everyday. Shinya’s eyes grew watery but he blinked the moisture away. The evening sun has rose over the hills. Shinya sighed inwardly as he wrapped his arms around himself.

What am I?

He clamped his lower lip between his teeth.

The image of himself burning flashed in his mind and he gasped, eyes widening in horror. The image repeated before his eyes again. This time he could hear screams. They sounded far yet hauntingly real. The words slurred and blurred into each other. He could only manage to catch one word.

Demon.

***

Toshiya scuttled around from bush to bush following the human. Kaoru was so hungry he had begun gnawing on his already short fingernails. He didn’t know where he was walking to except that he needed to find some civilisation if he didn’t want to starve to death(Kaoru’s convinced his stomach is chewing him inside out).

"Hungry, hungry!!!" he yelled out in frustration as he smacked a low branch away.

***

Shinya cocked up his head sideways as he heard a rustling sound. Apparently, Die heard it too as he stopped walking. The redhead’s eyes narrowed as he tried hard to catch the sound. It sounded…like someone was swearing…someone…that sounded like Kaoru!

" Could it be??" he asked to no one in particular.

Shinya looked at him blankly. He concentrated hard and a wave hit his sixth-sense.

Toshiya! I feel Toshiya!!! He’s somewhere near!!!

***

"Stop it!!!" Kaoru growled at the fox which annoyingly kept sneaking around his legs, tripping him up every few steps.

You’re going the wrong way, idiot!!! Toshiya was trying to tell him.

" What’s the matter with you?!!" Kaoru crouched down and picked up a fallen branch and threatened to hit the black fox if he did that again. "I’ll whack you upside down if you come near my legs again!"

*Blehh*(ß Toshiya’s thought)

" I’m serious!"

"……"

"Kaoru?"

***

Die couldn’t believe his eyes. His friend was alive and well, standing before him!!! Relieved beyond words, he stepped up to the older man and hugged him despite the days Kaoru hadn’t bathed and the soiled clothes he wore.

" Die-sama!!!" Wah, he was saved!!!

"We thought you were dead!!!"

Behind Die, Shinya stood out, eyes focused on the fox on the ground.

-Toshiya!!!-

***

Shinya? Toshiya blinked at the figure, at the red-brown hair, the delicate face, the familiar sweet yet woody smell…it was him! But…Toshiya checked himself. And then the air, sniffing to see if night has arrived. But he could tell it was barely dusk.

-Shinya…how come…? -

Shinya took a step nearer him. "Toshiya?"

-No! It can’t be!-

Toshiya whirled around and disappeared, his tail making a swift white streak as he dashed into the maze of leaves and berries.