Long Note from 2017:
AHAHAHA wow this is embarassing. What even is canon? Okay, I'm gonna write a bunch of silly, serious words about The Making Of this story. The short version: This was written based on incomplete info and is totally incorrect, but it was also incredibly indulgent, and that's why I'll still keep it.

I started drafting this fic sometime in early 2011. At the time, there was very little consolidation between non-Japanese Evillious Chronicle fans, and certainly not any concentrated efforts to mine the novels for info and translate pieces to other languages; we'd only just barely started accepting that their names weren't the same as the Vocaloid names. So, I believed in the common interpretation that "Miku" had loved "Kaito" back, and that "Haku" canonically was only her platonic friend.

I think at the time, I believed I was taking some big risk by saying that I preferred Miku with Haku. I was so worried I'd be shouted at for "ruining canon" that a huge subplot was Miku also loving Kaito and trying to arrange with him a polyamorous relationship that included Haku - "see, I can't be contradicting canon this way! Please don't yell at me!"
(I'm totes here for more polyamorous Evillious, btw. Give me some Lukana x Lilien x Rajih, please and thanks.)

It wasn't until later that year that I started learning more about Mothy's expanded world and all the details he left out in his songs. Miku became Michaela, Haku became Clarith, and slowly I began incorporating the bits of pieces of novel text, which had been cherrypicked and run through machine translations. Which...has led into its own controversy, but I'm way too late to that argument.

All translation issues aside, one thing really pushed me to finish this story: The release of EVILS COURT, complete with a song in Michaela's point of view. And it confirmed something I hadn't anticipated: Michaela and Clarith really had been in love with each other. And even though a lot of people kept trying to tell me how it didn't count ("they meant sisterly love" or "maybe Michaela was a boy spirit"), I wanted to finish this so that they had at least one fic out there for them - at the time I also couldn't anticipate the Evillious Chronicles managing to grow into its own franchise, with its own fandom.

Looking back, I think writing this helped me figure out a few things about myself. I doubt a bunch of strangers want to hear about my personal life, so let's just leave it at... For all of the many, many faults with Mothy's writing and plotlines, I'll still cherish what he offered with Michaela and Clarith.

...That said, this fic is a huge mess that only scarcely resembles canon. The main plot beats are there: Michaela is still a spirit-turned-human-turned-tree, she and Clarith still become maids for the Freezises, Riliane still responds to rejection with genocide, and Ney still leaves Michaela dead in a well. But there is no Ayn or Chelsea or Irina, no secret collusion with Mikina, and no hint of what awaits everyone five years down the road. To say nothing of the wildly incorrect ways I portrayed Held and Elluka.

I can clean up things like incorrect spelling and awkward phrases (some of which I feel really bad about - I don't know why past me thought a blunt statement about suicide made a good first impression). But the actual content is irreconcilable with canon and can't be altered so easily. And maybe it's for the best, because who wants a straight-up retelling of Mothy's novel, detail by detail, with the exact same POV characters?

So, for however much it's worth, I hope people still enjoy this old labor of love.

Pairings: Clarith x Michaela and secondary Keel x Mikina. Onesided Kyle → Michaela, Allen → Michaela, and Riliane → Kyle. In-character speculation of Allen → Riliane (said character is incorrect and not even aware that they're twins. Which I think might contradict their canon knowledge?).
Warnings: Spoilers for Evillious Chronicles up to Story of Evil, but not canon-compliant with the novels and contains outdated speculation. Contains character death, suicidal thoughts, bullying based on hair color, genocide based on hair color, and rare but moderately-strong swear words. There are also references to homophobia, rape, victim-blaming, cannibalism, and emotionally-abusive parents
Contradictions with Canon: a l l

Thank you for reading this, and please enjoy the story!

Even with their limited knowledge on human relationships, the spirits of the Held Forest knew when people did things that weren't right. They understood that when Duke Venomania brainwashed dozens of women and forced them into his harem, as well as when the former warlord Conchita treated those around her not as human beings, but as delicious meals. They knew that the current poverty in Lucifenia was caused by the selfish Riliane who always got her way, while in Marlon, the former queen Prim was using her children Ney and Kyle as tools to carry out a takeover of the other kingdoms.

Right within the backyard of the forest, though, even more crimes were taking place. Deep in the forest was a village called Yatski that was so isolated from the rest of the country of Elphegort that they only ever saw people with green hair. It could be any of the associated shades, from a dull and dark turquoise to a bright spring green, but as long as there was some green in the hair color, it was perfectly acceptable in the eyes of these villagers.

Even a complete outsider, who would normally treated with suspicion, would be welcomed without distrust if he or she had green hair. That had been exactly what happened the day a bloodied woman with greying green hair wandered into the village, her hours-old infant lying quiet in her arms. Although the townspeople were startled by the baby's bright red eyes and pale skin, they were not slow in trying to provide aid to those two.

The woman had been trying to travel to the capital city of Aceid to find a new life for herself after her husband's sudden drowning in a lake, but ended up giving birth en route, forcing her to seek out a different destination. Complications from the labor had presented themselves, though, and she had been slowly bleeding to death the whole time. She was able to reveal her daughter's name as Clarith before collapsing, unable to stay conscious anymore; by the end of the night, she was dead. Clarith was adopted by a couple whose other children had already reached adulthood and moved out of their home. To them, it wouldn't hurt to have one more child to raise.

Everything changed when Clarith grew a bit older and it became obvious that her hair was completely white, like freshly-fallen snow; it seemed that the girl's father had been a descendant of the Netsuma lineage, which was notable for its distinctive hair and eye colors, and she had inherited his traits. From that moment on, she suffered nothing but torment and scorn. She was picked last for a team in the children's games, if she was picked at all, and people would stop what they were doing to stare at her whenever she passed by. Even her own foster parents were uninterested in her and left her to fend for herself. If there was ever a crime, Clarith often became a scapegoat, and she had been forced to pay restitution for other people's wrongdoings numerous times. Sometimes this reputation for being a troublemaker got her kicked out of stores under the suspicion that she was going to steal something or else taint the goods so that no one would want to touch them after she did. The only reason she wasn't simply run out of town was because letting her die in the forest was simply going too far. On the flip side, so long as they didn't get her killed, they were free to treat her any way they please.

Even Clarith started to hate herself, convinced that she was filthy and wrong for her hair. She had attempted to "fix" herself on several occasions, such as by washing her hair with the dye used for clothing. The strong chemicals burned her skin and clumps of her hair fell out. People only laughed at her harder when they saw the disheveled and damaged hair that had fading dye here and there and white roots growing in. After this, Clarith didn't even attempt to shave her head bald, anticipating similar reactions to that look. Resigned to the curse of her white hair, she spent her days gazing enviously at the beautiful green hair of all the other girls of Yatski, knowing that they didn't have to suffer this abuse day after day.

One day, Clarith traveled deep into the forest. While it was often the subject of horror tales about murders that had taken place there long ago, she found it to be a tranquil place where no one could mock her. She came across the largest tree in the entire world, the Thousand-Year Tree. Although she had no magical abilities, she was still able to feel its connections to the spiritual world – the three-beat lullaby, once sung by the twins who spread the Seven Sins, echoed into her mind, ru-ri-ra, ru-ri-ra. Consoled by this melody that had resounded throughout in the forest for half a millennium, she began to pray under the shade of its branches.

"I don't care who it is. I just want somebody to be my friend."

A spirit of the forest had been passing by her at that moment. For almost an entire millennium, there was that sacred Thousand-Year Tree, which housed the guardian called Held, and along with it were countless spirits that wandered the forest in physical bodies. This one spirit in particular had the body of a robin, with a dark teal body and an orange breast. She had been picking out grapes to give to some of the other spirits, and became distracted as Clarith's wish resounded throughout the clearing. She landed several feet away from her, watching.

It was the first time that she ever got to see this outcast up close, and she could see the pain etched on her face. Knowing despair for so long could only lead Clarith to a dark path, and the spirit wanted to protect her from whatever terrible fate she was heading toward. However, she was limited by her body, and she stood there in the open as she tried to think of as way to help her.

This left her vulnerable to attack, and a jealous crow swooped in without warning. She couldn't blame it for wanting to steal her fruit, but it held no regard for her own safety, landing right on top of her and poking her with sharp talons, trying to pluck the sprig of grapes she had right out of her beak. As timeless as the spirits of the forest were, they were not immune to physical harm, and the robin screeched in pain.

The noise caught Clarith's attention, and she yelped as well, startled by the sudden scream. When she looked back and saw what was happening, however, she crawled closer to the birds. "P-Please stop fighting," she asked quietly.

As non-threatening as she was, her size was enough to intimidate the crow, which quickly flew away, taking a few of the grapes as a consolation prize. The spirit flopped over on the ground a few times, preening and yanking on a few broken feathers. She had gotten into a few tussles here and there and had been lucky to keep her body intact. It didn't feel like she had been seriously injured, so she wasn't concerned about the attack at all.

"Are you alright?" Clarith leaned in over the bird, slowly extending her hands toward her. To reassure her that she wasn't going to hurt her by touching her, the robin pressed against her hands, rubbing her head against them. Clarith flinched a bit in surprise, but when she saw that it wasn't an attack on her, she relaxed, carefully scooping her up. "Your feathers are broken… Can you fly?"

The spirit chirped happily. "Yes, I can!" She paused then, realizing that her thoughts were unable to enter Clarith's mind. None of the spirits of the forest had human bodies and were thus not capable of verbally communicating with them. They had innate telepathic abilities, but humans had to learn to use it in order to be able to receive the messages, and it was simply impossible for Clarith to learn magic as she was now, given how isolated she was from books and instructors.

The bird had to express her status another way, and she flew out of Clarith's hands. A few broken feathers weren't enough to ground her, and while she couldn't fly as long as she wanted to, she was able to go in a circle around Clarith, landing by her side. Clarith reached out once more, stroking her head gently. "You're a very pretty bird. I'm sorry I don't have any bread for you."

The robin chittered happily, letting herself be lightly pet. For a brief moment, she wondered if she could get through to Clarith this way, as humans were known to have animal companions. Then again, it just wasn't the same thing as being able to talk to her and console her in times of need.

They spent time just sitting together quietly. Soon, the inevitable came, and Clarith stood up. "I'm sorry, but I should probably go now; it's already dusk. You need to get home, don't you? I'm sorry I kept you here so long…"

The bird chattered once more, trying to tell her that she had nothing to apologize for, and that she was perfectly welcome to stay at the Thousand-Year Tree as long as she wished, but Clarith did not understand any of it, brushing it off as the call of a songbird. She waved goodbye to the robin, managing to force a tiny but sad smile, and then walked away.

It was just a tiny taste of companionship, and the robin didn't want it to end that way. She wanted to be able to interact with her as an equal, and as she watched Clarith leave, she found she couldn't help but make her own wish.

"I don't care what happens. I just want to be her friend."

A few days passed, and the opportunity to make the wish come true came by in the form of Elluka Clockworker, the immortal sorceress who was trying to cleanse the Seven Sins, who had traveled to the Thousand-Year Tree all the way from her home in the neighboring kingdom of Lucifenia. She was friends with Held, but this was the first time she was requesting aid from it instead of the other way around. Several spirits of the Held Forest had gathered in the clearing to listen; the robin stood on a branch of the tree and watched, knowing that Elluka would not have come here if she didn't have something important to ask.

"Lucifenia is the home of Superbia," she remarked, becoming distracted from her question as she tried to sort through the information she knew. "I know it, because I've watched Riliane grow up, and I've seen how she reacts when she doesn't get her way. It's not greed or wrath so much as it is pride, because she feels entitled to luxury. The way her country is going, however, I doubt it'll be much longer before her role is done."

She was one of those special few who could communicate with the spirits of the forest, and while she preferred to talk out loud, Held simply sent its reply right into her mind, although it did not lock out the other spirits from eavesdropping on their conversation. "Good work, Elluka. Have you found her fragment of sin yet?"

"That's the big problem." Elluka sighed. Conchita's fragment of sin had been taken by someone else, as the castle showed signs of being looted when Elluka arrived there after Conchita killed herself. It was obvious that she wanted to be able to retrieve Riliane's fragment the moment she died. "This is why I've come to you. I may have all the time in the world, but I'm still just one person. Would you happen to know of any suitable partners I could use?"

There she went again, speaking of others like they were tools and not beings. Even when she had helped out Lukana Octo, a frightened woman who had been one of Venomania's victims, she had done so only because she wanted to swap bodies with her, and she would not have even remembered her name had it not been for that switch.

Elluka had been wounded when she confronted the corrupt duke long ago, and she could not travel easily with her badly-scarred leg; she was lucky enough to be able to retrieve his sword, which was tainted with sin, before the looters reached his mansion first. Lukana, on the other hand, had escaped captivity just to be spit upon by her town when it became apparent that she had become pregnant with Venomania's child. Elluka jumped upon this opportunity, offering to exchange bodies with her so that Lukana could have a new identity and Elluka could have an uninjured body, and Lukana agreed. Even though it was a win-win situation for them, Elluka did not give any more thought to Lukana's fate, and she just gave birth to the child before leaving him behind at an orphanage and continuing her quest.

Held reprimanded her for her apathy toward human life, especially since she too was once a mere human before she gained her agelessness. Elluka just dismissed that concern by saying that she need to look out for herself so that she could keep searching for the vessels of sin. According to her, it didn't matter what happened to Lukana and to that boy at the orphanage, so long as she could prevent the entire world from falling into ruin.

Four-hundred years had been more than enough to reinforce how Elluka should not be so dismissive of other people, though, and Held instead addressed the current issue. "No. Your most suitable match would be someone else who transcends time just like you, but I'm afraid that no one else like that has contacted me."

Elluka's lips curled into a frown for a moment, and she placed a hand on the trunk of the tree. "You aren't bound by time either, and neither are any your friends in the forest. In fact, you're the ones that have been around back when this land was barren – I'm just a whippersnapper to you!" She smiled, trying to flatter Held. "I could always take one of you."

"You know you can't take the tree with you, Elluka. But I can still provide an army of chipmunks, if you'd like."

"I'll consider it," she shot right back. Even though she took orders from Held, they often joked with each other as friends. "I actually believe that I can provide a human body for one of the forest spirits."

"If this is another body-swap, I suggest you stop talking right now."

"No, it's not quite like that! It does involve transferring the soul elsewhere, but it's not switching with another being. I can create a whole new body from scratch, and the old body will revert to a normal animal. So long as that animal stays alive, the spell is reversible."

Held was silent for a few moments, considering the offer. "That is actually a very creative solution. I'm giving you permission to attempt it and see where it goes."

At that moment, the robin left her spot on the branch, fluttering down onto Elluka's shoulder. "I would like to join you!" she projected into the sorceress's mind.

"Now, settle down," Held gently scolded. "You know you won't get a chance to do what you want if you travel with Elluka."

The bird puffed her feathers, chastised. Elluka was not aware of Clarith's existence and thus did not understand what the robin's motives were. "Hey, fill me in, you two. What do you mean, she can't do what she wants? I'm not a strict, no-fun employer!" Elluka couldn't help but stroke the robin's head, trying to reassure her that she could speak her mind.

Held spoke for her first. "Well, I don't think that it would hurt. I can ask for someone else to your apprentice, but I'd like you to do a favor for this one as well."

"How rude! I give and give to you all, and yet you ask for more?" Elluka was smirking, however. A true refusal would have been a simple "no", and it was understood that she was merely making more snide remarks.

Excited and relieved that Elluka was willing to indulge in her wishes, the robin began to relay the story. "There is a girl in this forest who has no friends…"

-0-

Clarith felt she owed even herself an apology for still being alive, in spite of everything. Sometimes, it felt like it would have been easier not to leave her house every day and face the world. But she persisted nonetheless, more out of habit than any other feeling.

She was in the forest again, picking fruit for pies. It wasn't as if anyone would ever share the dessert with her, but she had to do something with her time. It gave her excuses to stay out of public, at least.

Clarith was wandering toward the large tree again. Though the whole forest felt peaceful to her, this place gave her the most comfort, and sometimes she'd almost forget how miserable her life was. This day, however, her stomach began to tie itself in knots. It wasn't the same kind of nervousness she got when she knew she was being watched by onlookers, but instead she felt…curious?

Her thoughts immediately went to something else entirely when she saw that someone else was at the tree, lying haphazardly across the roots. Her first reaction was to hide behind another tree, not knowing how anyone found this spot. However, she realized that this person wasn't moving at all, and a gut feeling told her that she wasn't simply taking a nap. Slowly, Clarith walked out from her hiding spot and approached the girl.

Long, thick ponytails of teal hair obscured her face and most of her clothing, and it was obvious that something had happened to her to knock her out, although there weren't any immediate signs of injuries. Clarith was about to try and shake her awake, but flinched when her hand was a mere inch away, pulling back. What would happen if she woke up? She might go home and weave up a tale of how Clarith ambushed her in the forest. It certainly wouldn't be the first time anyone framed her for a crime, but petty theft and vandalism were a far cry from assault. Even if this girl didn't try to blame her for anything, she could still tell others that Clarith was spending her time at this large tree, and that would be the end of her peaceful outings.

Then again, did this girl even live in the village? Clarith could not remember ever seeing her around town, and she usually remembered the faces of her tormentors, mostly so that she could learn to give them a wide berth. With no reason to believe that an outsider would be any different from the villagers, however, she was ready to just leave and pretend she was never there, but her legs wouldn't allow her to stand up. It wasn't like she could just leave someone lying here unconscious. Would anyone know to look here for her? Would she die here of exposure if no one helped her. She looked up at the large tree, trying to find guidance. Her breath stopped in her chest for a moment, and she knew she had to do the right thing.

She turned the girl over to double-check that she had no wounds, and then hoisted her up onto her back, thankful that the girl was shorter and lighter than her. Clarith couldn't hold her basket as she did this, but it seemed safe enough to just leave it behind for now. Slowly and cautiously, she made her way into the forest, heading for the village.

The trek took almost twice as long as usual, and it was already dusk when Clarith finally arrived at the edge of the town. Unsurprisingly, no one even took a second glance at her, not noticing the person on her back. "Um… Excuse me." Her meek words attracted just as much attention as her entrance did. "Please come here. I-I need help…" It wasn't working. Clarith forced herself to raise her voice. "Excuse me! There is an ill girl that that needs help now!"

Her shouting left her breathless, and this time people took notice, clamoring as they lifted the girl off her back without actually acknowledging her existence. One of them was strong enough to carry her off toward the house of the village doctor, and some of the other bystanders followed him to make sure that this went smoothly. Clarith watched them, thankful that at least the girl was going to get the medical attention she needed.

That was when she felt a pebble smack against her head. Several girls had stayed behind, and all of them were glaring at her. "What did you do to her?" one of them demanded as she bent down to pick up more rocks.

"Nothing! I found her while I was picking berries in the forest, so–"

"Liar! You lying bitch! You don't even have a basket!" The girl threw a much larger rock, and it barely missed Clarith's eye. Shielding her face to protect herself from any more damage, she began to flee toward her home, hearing the sounds of rocks pelting the ground and the jeering of her tormentors ringing throughout her mind.

-0-

Two days had passed, and there was no sign that Clarith had left her house in that time. This just wouldn't do; she'd have to go visit the other girl herself.

It took nearly five minutes for Clarith to come answer the knocking at her door, and she was very timid when she opened it, peeking out from behind the front door.

The girl with long, thick ponytails of teal just spoke happily, as if she had been greeted with a smile. "Hi! I believe this is yours!"

"Wh… What? I'm sorry, what?"

"I think this basket is yours. You left it at the Thousand-Year Tree."

Elluka's spell had been successful, and two spirits from the Held Forest had been reborn into human bodies. Elluka then took one of them, a girl with short green hair who once had the body of a chipmunk, as her apprentice. As for the robin, she had become a girl with long teal hair and was put into a magic-induced coma that was set to wear off once she entered the village. The plan was to have Clarith find and rescue her, giving them an excuse to meet and grow close.

There had been so much fuss over the new girl when she woke up, though. Yatski was just small enough that many citizens were perplexed at why no one knew who she was and how she had arrived there. She explained that she was a traveler who had tried to use a shortcut through the forest, gotten lost, and passed out after not sleeping for days, and the townspeople seemed to have bought her story. They then asked her for more and more details about herself, most of which she made up on the spot.

She was Michaela, sixteen years old, from the faraway city Toragay. She had no living relatives and had been thinking of spending all of her free time traveling the world, but had now decided that it wasn't quite the thing for her and that she was instead going to try settling down in the tiny village. Many people offered to house her, a few insisting that it was free, and she settled on staying with the family that ran the tavern. Still, despite all the offers to spend time with the teenagers who already considered her one of their peers, she was focused solely on meeting with Clarith.

Poor Clarith just looked baffled at the fact that Michaela was returning her lost basket. "Did you go back and get this for me? Are you sure that was safe for you?"

"I was able to recover, so I made the trip all by myself while no one was looking. I even found some fresh fruit to replace the spoiled ones; it was my fault you had to leave them behind, after all!" Michaela pulled back the cloth she had covered the basket with, revealing the apples and raspberries inside.

Clarith didn't reply at first, mouth agape in shock. She looked at the filled basket, then up at Michaela's face, then back down at the basket. It was obvious that she had no idea how to respond to this gesture of kindness, and when she finally did speak, it came out in soft stutters. "Um, th-thanks. I mean, this was really nice of you, and I don't want to… What I'm saying is, ah… Sorry. You didn't have to do all of this for m-me…"

"It's the least I could do; you saved me, after all." Michaela gently pushed the basket into Clarith's hands, and the timid girl was too dumbfounded to resist. "What's your name, anyway?"

"C… Clarith." She seemed about ready to close the door and continue to hide in her house, but after a few seconds, she resumed the conversation. "How about you?"

"Michaela. Thank you again for helping me into town."

She extended her hand in order to shake Clarith's, but instead of returning the gesture, Clarith winced and shrunk even further back into the safety of her home, as if a weapon had just been pointed at her. Michaela frowned, pulling her hand back; she knew that the situation wouldn't instantly become better upon her arrival, but now she was understanding just what kinds of scars had left on Clarith's emotional state by the abuse she suffered her whole life. Every person she had ever known had spit upon her and told her she was a freak against nature, and a few acts of generosity wouldn't be enough to convince her that this new girl wouldn't be just like the others.

"What's wrong?" She smiled gently, hoping to ease Clarith out of her fears. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Clarith looked away. "…You're a traveler. You don't know how this town works. People say that I'm not right, because of my… I-I'm not someone you should be seen talking with. I'm sorry. You really should leave before you're seen here with me. They'll yell at you, too."

"What are you talking about? You're a very kind girl."

"Please don't say that. Haven't you noticed that I'm the only person here with white hair?"

"Yes, but I don't see why that makes you deserve to be alone." Michaela stepped back a bit, trying to look less intimidating to Clarith. A friendship wasn't something that could be easily created in the span of a single conversation, especially with someone who never knew companionship before. "There's nothing you need to apologize for. Don't let anyone tell you you're a bad person; you wouldn't have helped me if that was true."

Clarith stared at the ground, her lips moving in a futile attempt to form a reply. Eventually, she gave up, just slamming the door shut. Michaela sighed, thankful that at least she managed to talk to her. Even if it took a lifetime to get Clarith to trust her, it would be worth it the moment she finally learned to smile and laugh.

-0-

Clarith simply lacked the emotional knowledge needed to respond to friendly gestures. Very few people had extended a comforting hand to her, and those that did were merely setting her up for an elaborate prank, tricking her into humiliating herself in the name of friendship. After a few of these pranks, she had become skeptical of any sign of kindness directed toward her. Not even an outsider was beyond suspicion.

Michaela seemed to have settled down quite nicely in the village, earning her stay by doing odd jobs like sweeping the streets and assisting the tailors. She was often accompanied by two or three other teenagers, and they would talk and laugh as if they were old friends. Even Clarith had to admit that Michaela had a magnetic personality that endeared her to the normally-guarded citizens of Yatski, and she blended in with the town as if she had always lived there. Still, that friendly nature only made it worse whenever they managed to make eye contact when passing each other on the streets, with Michaela never failing to send a smile her way. Clarith always turned away in response, not wanting to talk with her. The two were nothing alike; Michaela was like the day, vibrant and full of life, whereas Clarith was the quiet and feared night.

She put restrictions on herself, not wanting to be seen out and about town so shortly after being accused of assaulting someone. No one had come to arrest her or exile her, but the whispered rumors were enough to warn her that it wasn't just those teens who accosted her that believed she had done some wrong. Her parents refused to let her shut herself in her room day and night, however, calling her lazy for shirking her chores. Reluctantly, Clarith continued her daily jobs of retrieving fresh produce and getting water from the well.

She had been doing the latter when she encountered Michaela once more, but she couldn't simply run away this time, as she was pulling up a full bucket of water. Clarith braced herself the moment she heard the other girl's voice, and tried to pretend as if she couldn't hear her.

Michaela did not relent, however, and soon she had walked up by Clarith's side, watching her. "That looks heavy. Do you need help?"

"N-No," Clarith responded. For some reason, Michaela's offer upset her; did she think Clarith was unable to perform a task as simple as this on her own?

Michaela did not press the matter further, thankfully, but she did not leave, instead leaning against the side of the well. "You know, I've been visiting that big tree again. Did you know this was the time of year for fireflies?"

"Um, yeah." It was hard to not know, given how deep in the wilderness Yatski was, and yet here was Michaela, stating the obvious. Then again, Clarith wasn't sure where Toragay was – perhaps firefly swarms were unheard of there.

The sardonic tone of her voice did not put Michaela off. "Last night, I was visiting the tree, and I saw many of them flying about. I think I might go again tomorrow night and catch some."

"That's nice." Clarith tried to focus on her work, hefting the bucket onto the side of the well and taking a breath. Before she could tell Michaela that she had to take the water home, her companion interrupted her.

"It's not much fun to do so all alone, though. I'd like you to come with me, Clarith."

Clarith stood up straight, her eyes widening. "What? What do you mean, me? I-I mean… What about your friends? Don't you want to go out with your friends?"

Michaela grinned. "You're the only other person I know that's actually visited the tree lately. Besides, we're friends too, aren't we?"

Just what game was this girl playing at? They had barely spoken to each other this past week, but she was adamant that they had actually become friends. As in, people who enjoyed each other's company and felt comfortable being together.

"I can't do that. I can't. I'm sorry." Clarith had difficulty mustering the iron will she wanted to inject into her voice, so she settled for backing away, putting distance between herself and Michaela. "I… Look, I'm busy tomorrow, and all next week… I really should be taking this bucket home now, in fact, so that I can start working on making dinner…" It wasn't in her nature to lie, but Clarith wanted out of this situation desperately.

Her day took an abrupt turn for the worse when she heard someone else call out Michaela's name. She easily recognized the voice as that of a boy who had once cut off a lock of her hair as a sort of trophy. Knowing that there was no possible way to flee the scene now, Clarith stayed rooted to one spot, wishing that she could just wither away into dust so that no one could bother her again.

Three teenagers in total had arrived, two boys and one girl. The boy who had called out to Michaela kept talking as he approached her. "Hey, there, Michaela! I was hoping I'd get to see you!" Although he did not acknowledge Clarith's presence, the stifled snickers of his companions was enough to shame her into staring down at her feet as she attempted to blend in with the scenery.

The girl picked up the conversation next. "So, hey, my cousin's inviting my family to dinner at his house tomorrow night, and I'd like you to join us."

Clarith gulped and mentally pleaded Michaela to agree to this, but she instead turned down the offer. "Thank you, but I have plans to go into the forest that night, and I've been trying to convince Clarith here to join me." Although she didn't immediately look up, she could clearly imagine Michaela nodding in her direction while the others looked on in shock and disgust.

The girl's surprised tone said it all. "What? What do you mean you'll be in the forest!? Michaela, it's dangerous! Bears have been known to attack people there, you know!"

"It's not that dangerous. We'll be heading out before sunset and camp out in a clearing I already know about, so we won't be in danger."

The other boy, who Clarith recognized as the son of the baker, threw his opinion in. "But wouldn't it be better to spend time in a comfortable house with a friend, instead of in a dark forest alone with…" Clarith looked up in time to see that he was gesturing derisively at her.

"Another friend," Michaela finished for him, her tone suddenly becoming a lot less pleasant. "She is as much a friend of mine as you all are. I'm sorry that I can't make it tomorrow, but I don't have anything planned for the rest of the week, so I can make up for it. Is that fine?"

"Not really, no," the girl snapped. "Michaela… Have you noticed just how many blondes there are here? How many brunettes? How many white-haired individuals? There are only shades of green here." To prove her point, she held up her own braided ponytail of pale green hair.

"If you keep hanging out with Clarith," the first boy spoke, "people are gonna think that, y'know, you're messed up like she is."

"And why is Clarith 'messed up' in the first place, then?" Michaela took a few steps toward Clarith, putting herself between the outcast and the bullies.

"Michaela, cut it out…" Clarith whispered, seeing that the mocking grins had twisted into angered frowns. Bystanders were stopping what they were doing in order to watch, amused by the torment she was being subjected to. "I never agreed to this outing, and I seriously need to get the bucket home before…" …Where was the bucket?

When she saw that the pail of water was now in the hands of the baker's son, she had only a few seconds to react, and she shoved Michaela out of the way as hard as she could, enough to send her hurtling onto the ground. At the same time, he thrust the bucket in their direction, and Clarith was soaked head to toe in cold water.

Cackles erupted from the group of teenagers, and the girl struggled to talk in-between howls of laughter. "Did you see that, Michaela? She threw you onto the ground! He tried to stop her with the water, but she was too fast! Come on, you need to get away from her before she lures you into the forest to hurt you again." She extended her hand to help Michaela up.

In an uncharacteristic show of rage, Michaela slapped her hand away, silencing them all. "Don't you dare talk about Clarith that way." She was able to stand on her own, the skirt of her dress now wet from the splashes of water. "You guys – everyone in this town – keep putting her down and saying she deserves it, but why? Because her hair is white? Is that all?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"What?" Michaela looked over at Clarith, visibly surprised at what she was saying.

The words kept bubbling to her lips as years of fury boiled over, burning the nearest target. "Why does it matter whether or not you think it's wrong for them to make fun of me? I am an outcast! I'm a freak who killed my widowed mother when she gave birth to me! There, is that what you people want me to admit!?" Her fists were clenched and her whole body was shaking as her voice cracked and crumbled into sobs, but she was finally letting out her darkest feelings, and there was no stopping the flood of tears and fears. "I admit it! I am the most disgusting creature alive, and the world would be a much better place if I was dead! Is that why you're trying so hard to be my friend, Michaela!? Do you just want some inferior waste of space to pity in order to make yourself look so angelic and kind!? I don't want your charity! Just spit on me like everyone else does, but don't lie to me!"

Clarith gasped for air, now unable to see the world around her through her tears and her wet hair. There was an uneasy silence for a few seconds, before some onlookers began to chuckle, and it quickly swelled up into mocking laughter. It was just another day in the life of an outcast, and soon Michaela would show her true colors and–

And suddenly, Clarith was pulled into a hug, and she could feel long twin ponytails brushing against her. She fought against this embrace. "Let me go, Michaela. I don't want your pity."

"No. No, Clarith, I'm not pitying you just to boost my own reputation." Michaela's own tone had softened once more, although her voice was just loud enough to let the other teenagers hear. "Not once have you shown me that you deserve to be shunned. You were gracious enough to rescue me when I was hurt. You've never insulted me or manipulated me, and you're not a monster. I told you, don't ever let anyone convince you that you are."

"Please let me go…" Clarith's voice dropped into a whisper, and she knew she didn't mean her words now. This was the first time she could ever remember being embraced and comforted this way. Not even the people who had feigned friendship had done this. She was beginning to wonder if Michaela really was as genuine as she seemed.

"I will, if you really want, but just know this first: Clarith, you are truly the most wonderful person I have ever known, and I'm glad that we're friends."

Clarith didn't know how to respond. The words kept repeating themselves over and over in her head, and she felt her stomach churn, like it always did when she was about to cry. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't help but grin as she dissolved into sobs once more. She couldn't even figure out how she came to one particular conclusion, but when she did, she clung onto that revelation, not wanting to let such a wonderful feeling end. I'm not alone. I'm not alone anymore!

Michaela didn't do anything to stop her from crying all over her, and just continued to hold her, providing a comforting shoulder to lean on. The fact that they were being watched was not a concern to Clarith, who was finally experiencing the euphoria that was crying from joy. It didn't matter if every other person in the world despised her, for as long as she had this one friend, she would always be happy.

-0-

Not surprisingly, the fact that Michaela had called out the entire population of Yatski and defended the laughing stock they had mocked for eighteen years did not go over well, and her status as a popular girl had ended abruptly. People stopped talking whenever she walked by and began to whisper amongst themselves; knowing that they were making rude remarks behind her back left an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she was starting to understand why Clarith felt so terrible about herself after an entire childhood of this. Still, Clarith seemed to finally be opening up, and watching her smile and laugh for once replaced that heavy feeling with light joy. As long as they were together, they didn't have anything to fear.

Clarith finally agreed to spend a night catching fireflies at the Thousand-Year Tree, and even brought along a pie that she made herself. Michaela was still getting used to stimulating human senses; each bite sent shivers through her body as she savored the sweetness of the fruit and the crispness of the crust. She knew that becoming a human meant she would be unable to experience the world the same way she used to, but she was amazed just how much she could feel in one day.

Michaela leaned her head back and sighed, her gaze straying from Clarith, who was currently trying her hand at bottling fireflies on her own, and going up toward the branches of the trees. There had been a trade-off for her new body, and it involved the loss of many things she once took for granted, such as her intrinsic magical abilities and her connection to the Thousand-Year Tree. Even though she still felt Held's comforting aura as she sat against the tree, she could not communicate with it through telepathy. Elluka mentioned that this would probably happen without training to maintain her magical abilities, something that her apprentice surely was receiving, and yet Michaela didn't understand up until now how awkward it was to not be able to communicate with the beings she had existed with since the beginning of civilization.

"I caught some! Michaela! Michaela, look!"

Clarith ran to where Michaela was sitting, kneeling down next to her and presenting her bottle, which contained several fireflies. This was the first time anyone had genuinely tried to play games with her, and she couldn't contain her excitement.

Michaela smiled. "I knew you could do it." It was amazing how much just a little bit of encouragement changed Clarith. It seemed like the girl who considered her very existence to be worthless was now a distant memory.

Still, Michaela had to consider that this was not a permanent fix. For one thing, even though they could now watch each other's backs, they had no friends in Yatski to turn to. Everyone would continue to torment them, and ignoring the abuse could only work for so long. If she and Clarith were going to be truly at peace, then they needed to leave this poisonous village entirely.

"We should move to the city."

"What?"

Michaela had to pick her next words carefully. As starved for affection as Clarith was, she was still cautious about her new friendship, and she didn't want to scare her off. "This forest is not too far away from the capital city, Aceid. And I don't think I need to explain why we need to get out of Yatski."

Clarith sighed. "Yes, that's true, but… Will things be better at the capital? I've grown up in this village, Michaela, so this is all I know."

Michaela nodded in sympathy. Even though Clarith was a pariah at the town, it was still her hometown, and no force in the world would change that. It wasn't surprising that the suggestion to leave Yatski lied beyond her comfort zone. Even for Michaela, moving away from the forest was difficult; most of her knowledge came from listening to Held, and that meant that she too knew little of what truly existed past the forest boundaries. Still, she had enough knowledge of the kingdom of Elphegort to know that Aceid was a good place to run away to, with immigrants hailing from every country settling down there. The chance of hair color becoming a hot issue there was slim.

"I'm certain it will be better. We'll be able to find permanent jobs there, and there'll be more places to spend our luxury time. The best part is that no one will mock you for your hair. There are many different kinds of people there, with many different hair colors. Red, blue, brown, purple… You won't stand out so much."

Clarith gave a tiny smile. "Is that so? I don't think I've ever seen any travelers with blue hair… Do they cover all colors in the rainbow?"

"Of course! I knew a pink-haired woman. She was a pretty cold person, but she did know how to crack a joke with people she considered friends!" Michaela giggled, although she tried not to elaborate on Elluka and how she got pink hair. That would have probably freaked Clarith out more than Michaela's true identity.

The fact that she lied to cover her origins still filled her with guilt. Her body would not age, so even when Clarith was sixty years old, Michaela wouldn't look a day over sixteen. She could just claim that she was a young-looking adult for the next seven or eight years, but one day, she would have to reveal the truth. Right now, though, it was still risky to do so. Michaela could just imagine Clarith reacting in fear, choosing to run far away from the girl who claimed to be a forest spirit that had watched her since birth.

Looking back, Michaela had already come on too strong for Clarith many times, and she had to keep telling herself not to rush things. Clarith didn't seem to suspect that Michaela was not a real human, though, possibly because of her own lack of positive socialization. Both of them were learning how to function in society, and that was why they needed to get out of a town that would never treat them as equals.

Clarith had been doing some thinking of her own, mulling over Michaela's offer. "…I'm a bit scared, honestly. Like I said, I-I've never wandered any further than this spot. It's a lot to think about so soon…"

Michaela understood where she was coming from. "I'm not saying that we should pack up tonight and leave before sunrise. There's no reason to hurry, so take your time on deciding. I don't want to make you do something you don't really want to do."

Clarith nodded, staring down at the grass as she became lost in her thoughts. "…Michaela?"

"Yes?"

She looked into Michaela's eyes, the tiniest hint of mischief on her smiling lips. "I don't have to tell my parents I'm going away, right?"