<--Main <-Fan Art Paying a Debt Part 1 By Shiori Tsumi It's a normal day, a sunny spring afternoon; children are laughing and people cheerfully make small talk while taking their dogs for walks, butterflies flutter around to flowers, and birds sing their songs. It's not the day that would foretell a major event to come. Not at all. Everything is normal; in fact, everything is better than normal. Even a certain kitsune and a certain human are there at the park. Keen sighs as he watches Miyo dip her fingers into the fountain at the park's center, sitting on a bench to keep an eye on the mischievious-or perhaps it's merely ignorant- kitsune. Miyo splashes the water, smiling at her reflection, attempting to talk to the shimmering image in the water. Nothing of harm there. "Keen, why are there coins in the miniature stone pond?" Keen blinks, then finally registers that Miyo is talking to him. He stands, stretches, and walks over. "Did people lose their coins? A lot of people lost their coins! We should return them!" And Miyo reaches into the fountain, soaking her sleeves in her attempt to retrieve the elost coins'. "Miyo!" Keen pulls the kitsune backwards, trying to keep her out of the water. "Those coins aren't lost, people put them there!" Miyo blinks. "Why?" "Well, that's because-" "EEP!" There's no time to react as a brown-clad girl stumbles into Keen, pushing him into the fountain. The water splashes, and Keen finds himself sitting in the fountain, staring at a very confused and very ashamed looking girl leaning over the edge. "Oh, I'm soo sorry!" She offers a hand. "I was on my way to class, and I was hurrying cause I'm late, but-oh, I'm so clumsy! I'm so sorry!" "Uh, no, it's alright," Keen brushes the girl's hand aside and climbs out of the fountain and begins squeezing the water out of his shirt. "It was an accident." "But-but-but I caused the accident! I'm so clumsy...I didn't mean to trip, but I did and-oh, and I didn't see you there...I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean to...ooh, this is all my fault!" "No, really, it's alright. I think you've apologized enough," Keen says, holding up a hand. "It's alright, miss...um..." "Kunosagi. I'm Subaru Kunosagi." The girl nods. "But now you're all wet, and..oh, that's my fault, too! I'm so so-" "I know," Keen interrupts. Subaru's constant apologizing is starting to get on his nerves. It's one thing to be really sorry, but another to be an obsessive compulsive about it. "Hey, Subaru-chan..." Miyo says in a childish voice, " where were you running?" "Class...I attend the college right over-" Subaru starts to point, and then catches a glimpse at her watch. "Oh my god, I'm so dead, I'm so late! I'll miss the lesson, and the work, and I'll fail, and I'll be kicked out of the class, and I'll never get my diploma and...." Both Keen and Miyo blink in amazement; Subaru seems to be going on her entire tirade on one single breath. She finally takes another breath and Keen and Miyo clap. "Huh? Um, I'm so sorry, I have to go before-" "We get it, Subaru. Just go." Anything to stop her talking. "Oh, uh, okay. But um, what's your name? I mean, if you don't wanna tell me, that's cool too-I mean, after I pushed you in the fountain, I could understand if you don't-" "I'm Keen Kotoru. This is Miyo. Now you know. Go off to class, Subaru." "Nice to meet you. Good bye. I'll make it up to you for my mistake soon! I promise!" And Subaru is gone, leaving behind a staring, confused Keen and Miyo. Silence. ".....She talked a lot, Keen," Miyo finally manages. "And she hardly ever breathed. How can people do that?" "I don't know, Miyo...I just don't know." eThe scent on her...it's familiar...almost like...' Miyo shakes her head. eCan't be...I thought she was dead? So it couldn't be...just couldn't.' comic_name*** is hosted by comicgenesis, a free hosting service for webcomics