As the civil war in Bosco came to a close, people migrated to Stella. Not just the rebels who were stuck on the wrong side of the border, but the foreigners who came to assist too. Atani wouldn't have done so had it not been for Empyrean Divine, however. To bring joy after months of loss, there was a grand celebration being held. Of course there was. That guild was almost as bad as Blue Pegasus.

Being a member of Blue Pegasus, it was expected of Atani to be there for the festivities. Only, she wasn't in the celebratory mood. Not after what she had done in Bosco... Besides, there was more to it than that. She had heard through the grapevine that one of her friends was in a bad spot. This friend was Lee. The two had briefly interacted in Bosco. There was talk of issues among the Nakamura clan, though Atani did not hear all the details. The matter seemed private and she didn't want to overstep her boundaries, but now her friend was hurting, and she was at a loss.

To clear her mind, the Wood Elf decided to take a walk in the foreign country. She passed fields, buildings, neighborhoods... Eventually, as luck would have it, she stumbled upon a park where none other than LeeAnn Nakamura stood. A child who bore a similar resemblance to the kitsune happily played on the swing set. Another Nakamura she guessed. But those were the only two people visible, yet Lee appeared to be talking to someone who wasn't the little girl. Atani's lips turned to a slight frown. It seemed what she had heard was correct.

"Lee?" Atani called to her friend before coming closer. "Is everything alright?"

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'Is everything alright' seemed to be a loaded question. The short answer was no. The long answer was, well, exactly the sort of thing you would expect to be surrounding LeeAnn's life: chaos.

The last time they spoke in Bosco, Lee had mentioned having family issues; however, Atani did not know the extent of them until now. Her cousin went on a murderous rampage killing almost every Nakamura in the process. In short, she was stunned. There were no words she could ever say to make something like that better, but she couldn't simply remain silent either.

"Lee... I'm so sorry."

But that wasn't even the worst of it. This Solomon guy made puppets of her family. He forced a spirit into a contract. He even tried to kill Lee, but her grandfather took the hit for her resulting in his untimely death. Now... that left Lee with the same five-year-old who was bouncing around on the playground and a spirit trapped in an amulet, all of which (including the kitsune herself) needed to be hidden from Solomon.

She mentioned this other thing as well, Ragtime. It sounded like a peculiar name for a person, but before Atani could ask, Lee soon began to elaborate. It was not a person, but rather a spirit. A spirit she made a pact with. Atani pursed her lips from the mere mention of it. Pacts, contracts, they were all euphemisms for what it really was. Biologically, it was a symbiotic relationship, one that often left the host with far too little control. Atani would be lying if she said she couldn't understand the allure of it. It felt good to be powerful... but then the spirit would ask if you wanted more than just a little taste of what it could do. You would say yes, and then? Chaos.

The spirit was bad enough. Atani warned Lee about the dangers of them, but something else made her blood boil even more. Solomon hated LeeAnn because she was a 'half-breed.' A woman who wasn't even fully human, but someone who wasn't fully fox either. Atani already hated the man's guts for what he did to the Nakamura clan, but this? This was the icing on the cake. The anger and frustration for this man was evident on the elf's face.

Lee was to be made a sacrifice. Whatever happened during this ritual or whatever followed, it resulted in not just her grandfather's death, but Judina's, the person Atani recalled to be one of Lee's friends. Worst of all though, the kitsune blamed herself for what happened. She called herself a coward for hiding from Solomon.

"You're joking, right?" Atani bluntly asked. She placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Look at me," she instructed, "You're not hiding. You're protecting a five-year-old girl who can't defend herself against a monster like Solomon. Anyone would do the same in your shoes, and from what you just told me, you are not to blame for any of this. The only person responsible is your cousin and your cousin alone."

bloop ♡

Atani's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the name Manzo. Not in a cutesy 'ooh I have a crush' kind of way, but in an 'ah shit, I wish things were easier' kind of way. The girl felt a pang of guilt in her chest as Lee mentioned Manzo having forgotten about her, which was then followed by Lee herself feeling guilty about bringing both Manzo and the deceased Judina into the mess she called a life.

"Whatever happened, they chose to help you," Atani reaffirmed, "... and as far as things with Manzo, let's just say he got a taste of his own medicine."

That feeling of guilt, she feared, was all but appropriate for the elf. Though she knew that she had never joined Blue Pegasus in whatever past life she had, that didn't mean she couldn't have met Manzo during it. Though the chances were slim, it was still possible that she could reunite with the same people she left... And with those very slim chances, she feared that it was the case with her and Manzo, that she was the same 'Kerii' he spoke so fondly yet sadly of.

It seemed Atani was not the only one who found the topic of the one and only Manzo Mattori to be sensitive. The spirit that had briefly shown itself the day it turned Lee from male to female showed itself and began to speak. The Wood Elf jumped back.

"Shut up, Ragtime..."

So the spirit had a name. It was oddly fitting. Though Atani had not gotten a good look at the spirit when it first revealed itself to her, she could now see that it was like a patchwork of several animals. A hybrid, if you will. A little girl like Hikari might even say it looked like one of their rag dolls.

Ragtime talked to Lee. He did not like people abandoning her. For one reason or another, the name Kazimir came up... The same Kazimir who was Fairy Tail's guildmaster? No, it couldn't be. But then the spirit looked to Atani. He explained that while he enjoyed causing chaos-- the switching of Lee's genders, for instance-- he still valued her safety. Then, for her own mental safety, he put both the kitsune and the little girl who accompanied her into a trance. At first, Atani looked to them, alarmed to see Hikari stop playing and for Lee to stand placidly; however, Ragtime soon explained that this was merely so Lee would not have to know what he was about to tell her-- or ask her, rather. He wanted her to help LeeAnn.

"Help her? But how?"

Ragtime showed the elf an image of Lee. As her life started to crumble around her, she went from a happy young girl to nothing more than a shadow of her former self, and Atani of all people was who Ragtime believed could pull Lee out from the darkness.

"Me?" she asked, hand falling to her chest in a display of disbelief. The very person who forgot about her old life, the kind of thing that left Lee in pieces when it came to Manzo? The very person who couldn't control her magic and ended up hurting people in the process? That was the kind of person Ragtime thought could help LeeAnn?

The spirit didn't answer. Instead, he spoke of all the atrocities that had been done to Lee to eliminate her trust in others. After all the torture, after all the hardship, Lee was finally able to see the light in both Atani and Raymus... hence why their new guild was to consist of them. Having said all that, Ragtime figured it was enough, but the elf was not yet satisfied. She hadn't even gotten the chance to voice her protest.

"Please, I want to help, I really do. I just don't think..." Midway through her plead, LeeAnn and Hikari began to stir. "Oh."

bloop ♡

"No, no. Manzo's okay, trust me," Atani said in reassurance. Considering how every one of their interactions went though, it was hard to define what 'okay' was. "Someone who was close to him left without a word years ago... It seems likely that within those few years, they've forgotten about him."

She would explain no further. All of that was between herself and Manzo.


An uneasy feeling settled over Atani as Ragtime's corporeal form faded away into the air. His words echoed in her head: "Be someone she can trust." How the hell could she do that when she didn't even trust herself?

She watched as both Hikari and Lee returned to their animated state, completely unfazed by what had just occurred. The little demihuman continued happily running around the playground as if she hadn't been frozen in time just moments before. Even Lee only had a creeping suspicion that something was amiss. In fact, she quickly brushed off the topic altogether in favor of discussing Manzo.

"My-- My relationship with Manzo?" Gods that was a loaded question. "We're close," she began, pausing to carefully select her next words. "... We've shared similar experiences, so he became a good person to rely on when I was still getting acclimated to Fiore."

Yes, that seemed to be the most sound explanation. In reality, their relationship was a lot deeper than just that, though that was a conversation to have at a different time provided she even figured out what exactly was going on between her and the Slayer. Needless to say, amidst her own confusion regarding Manzo, she was thankful Lee switched the topics once more to something that appeared to have been on her mind for a while now. The unfortunate thing was though, Atani wasn't sure she could relate to Lee's sentiment.

"I've been looking for stability too," she conceded. She thought Blue Pegasus would bring that to her, but it resulted in quite the opposite impact. "I didn't quite find it in Hargeon, but I'm hopeful it'll be different in Astera." And then came for the part that differed between herself and LeeAnn. "Honestly? I'm not sure what sort of expectations I have out of our guild. I've heard they're supposed to be like a second family, but I don't know what that's even supposed to feel like. I don't have family like you, Lee. I never have."

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Atani shared what she could about her relationship with Manzo. It was a complex tale to tell, hence why she kept the details to herself. She told Lee all what she needed to hear. Nothing more, nothing less. Her friend, on the other hand, was not afraid to get personal with it.

"What I am about to say stays between us and only us."

The elf gave a silent nod. She listened intently to what was said about what happened between LeeAnn and Manzo. Evidently, he saved her life... perhaps not unlike how Kerii saved his. Lee warned her not to expect anything romantic to come from her and Manzo. Whatever happened between the two Dragon Slayers, it resulted in pain. Looking back on what she knew of Manzo's past, that seemed to be a common theme that followed in his wake.

"I don't want any sort of relationship. Not now anyway," she gave a short sigh and shook her head as she remembered their latest encounter on the beach. "Not with Manzo, not with anyone... but I'll keep that in mind if anything does change." Not that she thought it would, but you never knew.


Atani clenched her fist and bit the inside of her mouth as she she gently pursed her lips together. She understood Lee's intention. She associated family, something Atani had never experienced, to things that she had experienced and could extrapolate feelings from. While that could be something of benefit to others, it was not so to the forgotten elf.

"The thought of losing anyone close to you devastates you."

She didn't even have anyone close to her. She wasn't afraid of loss, not like that. She was, however, afraid of being unwanted, and at the moment? She wasn't sure if it was safe for her to be wanted. Even so, she couldn't help but feel drawn toward any sense of belonging. And she hated herself for that.

"I get how that can be scary... If anything comes up, you don't have to deal with it alone. I know you don't want people dragged into your messes, but I don't want to see you get hurt either. If you ever need anything, please, just reach out. I'll be there."

And now she hated herself that much more.

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The elf's muscles tensed as she heard what Lee said. Though Atani always tried her best to withhold her self doubt when speaking to others, it appeared her front did not hold as well as she hoped. Lee saw right through it. Her hesitation was the dead giveaway. Unfortunately, that was not something she could easily avoid when it was necessary for her to gather her thoughts before articulating them in the way she intended. The thing about hesitation though, it could mean anything. LeeAnn had no way of knowing the thoughts that were contained within her mind. She wanted to know if she could trust Atani.

"I want you as my ace, as my friend, as my comrade."

... her Ace?

"... I have people in my life I have learned to trust, but I feel you are holding back on something... "

The girl pursed her lips. Worry lines creased at the spot above her nose. Green eyes darted to the side as they refused to meet LeeAnn's. "I trust you, Lee." That much she knew how to say. She took a deep breath to quell her emotions before proceeding.

"I want to be someone you can trust. I want to be someone our guild can trust, but..." Her voice trailed timidly into silence. She was reluctant to speak further, but she knew she couldn't just leave their conversation at that. If Lee really wanted to make her the Ace of the guild, she should know who she's appointing that position. "I don't see how I can be that person if I don't trust myself."

People said letting things off your chest made you feel better. It didn't. Not in this case. Saying it out loud only brought a surge of emotions Atani was not prepared to face. The overbearing amount of shame and guilt crashed into her the hardest.

"I've hurt people, Lee." She folded her arms across her chest and held them tight against her body. "My magic is from the result of a dark spirit and I can't control it. It's powerful. Really powerful. I'm afraid the moment I step foot into battle with you or Ray, I'll end up hurting you too. I don't want to be a threat to the guild."

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Time.

That's all anyone ever said would be the cure to her ailments. 'Your memory will return in time.' 'Your magic will improve with time.' 'You'll adjust to your new life in time.' But from where Atani stood, it seemed like the more time she gave everything, the worse they got. The worse they got, the longer they took to solve. It was an endless cycle the elf had yet to find a way to break from.

Atani tensed as Lee's hands fell to her shoulders. Her arms fell down by her side. Reluctantly, she allowed her eyes to meet LeeAnn's. They widened as Lee began to come to rather concerning conclusions about Atani's state of mind. They couldn't be further from the truth for how she felt in the present moment.

"No, no, Lee. You've got it all wrong." She took the kitsune's hands from her shoulders and placed them low in front of her body. "I'm not going to slit my wrists or jump off a bridge. I'm not depressed. I'm scared."

She took a deep breath in and let it out as a quiet sigh. She understood why Lee would be concerned. Before now, she hadn't realized that the kitsune had struggled so much with those sorts of dark thoughts. In the end, all she was doing was looking out for a friend so they wouldn't have to experience what she did.

"I wanted to try and handle this on my own, but I don't think that's possible anymore. You don't think... your experience with spirits could help in any way, could it?"

bloop ♡

Mind over matter, that was rich. Maybe it was that easy for Lee, but for Atani whose mind was anything but fully intact, she figured such a task would prove to be exceedingly difficult without the help of her lost memories. Speaking of which... it seemed like it was time for her to admit just that to Lee. If not for the fact she needed help, she owed it to her future guild master as the Ace.

"Well... truth be told, I don't think I fully understand what's going on myself. A couple years ago, I woke up in Athalran with some amnesia. I hardly remember anything from a time before that, but whatever is going on with this spirit, it happened then. I don't know what I did then to fuse with it. I don't know why I did it, what kind of magic it involves, nothing."

It felt good to get that off her chest. But at the same time, she was worried that her explanation would not provide much help to LeeAnn. If anything, she feared it just further complicated things.

bloop ♡