Haku sighed, looking out the window. She had quite a nice view; sitting way in the back corner of the class had its good points.

But the view barely touched her. The blue sky, green grass, waving branches and their falling leaves barely even registered as they normally would.

It troubled her that she still wasn't used to this. Her entire lifestyle, her entire being…something she had to cope with, and had been coping with for already six years was still uncomfortable, strange, and borderline deranging.

First off, and probably the easiest to state, was that she was alone; just as alone as she had been for years, and most likely will be for years to come. No friends, not even family and even less relatives. She lived in a small cottage an hour away by train and an additional half an hour away by foot. The small wooden construction was secluded from civilization; the closest house was forty-five minutes away by foot. Nobody ever came there, not even adventurous kids; the place was rumored to be haunted.

To be truthful, that rumor wasn't that far off.

Second, she looked downright odd. Haku was sixteen, yet she already had silver hair that went down to the floor, usually held up by a large black bow. Her eyes were red; red as wine held up in front of a crimson sunset. Anybody who gazed into those orbs forgot how to think for a few seconds; it was scary. She wasn't comfortable with her appearance; it terrified people and made old men and women alike beat her with their canes when she walked by.

Third, she wasn't exactly human. Sure, she had two arms, two legs, a head with two eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth. She could think with reason and intelligence. She could walk, run, swim, jump, write, read, draw…she looked human, she was almost the description of a human being.

Only that she also had scales and a pair of wings. Of course, nobody saw those. Not even her.

So, what was she?

She is a demon, a rare, powerful being that uses a human's appearance for cover to survive in the modern world.

She loathed that fact. She detested it. But it also terrified her, and bound her. There was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Apparently, there were a multitude of demons around the world. There were meaner demons who caused bad luck or who spread nightmares. Mostly they are pretty harmless, but there were a few rarer specimens who would kill. Of course, there are better demons that would spread luck, or prevent worse devils to intervene in human's lives. And there were neutral demons; those who didn't choose where they stand.

She knew all she did thanks to a demon who was just like her; in fact, it was him who turned her into what she was. But it wasn't his fault, and now Haku could only understand. She sighed, remembering how sorry he was. His name was Dell; he had the same silver hair and red eyes as she, but was a bit taller, and quite braver.

She was one of the neutral demons; but of the worst, or best, kind. It depended from the point of view.

She granted wishes. She granted every single wish she heard, unconditionally and without limits. The more wishes she granted, the bigger wishes she could grant. When she was ten, she could barely grant a wish that went past getting money. Now, she could change the weather in a blink of an eye, and even grant true love.

Dell had told her everything he knew before he was shot by demon hunters. Haku had barely managed to flee, and had been attempting to lead a normal life since.

She shuddered, remembering his voice as he spoke with ease; comforting, reassuring, and hopeful. When the deafening shot echoed through the halls of the abandoned factory they were sheltering in, he urged her to run, and gave her his last words of wisdom; grant wishes, or let your true form be shown.

She now knew what he meant by that. If she didn't grant too many wishes in a row, her cover would fall, shatter.

She shuddered, remembering how they had run for their lives, him yelling her to run faster, her doing her very best. A second shot broke the wooden planks over their heads, falling on the male demon's head. He urged her to continue, told her he was lost anyways, and she ran. Not a minute later, she heard his dying howls.

She knew who had killed him. It was the biggest demon-hunting family out there; the last who actually believed and hunted for devils. Nobody believed them, but the skins on their walls were real.

She was hiding from them; she wasn't mad at the murderers, on the contrary. She was slightly happy they had granted Dell's only wish; die. He wanted to die, or be human. Demons were immortal, forever serving their cause, good or bad.

Haku would have granted that wish, if only he had spoken the word. But…wish-granting demons were incapable of even writing the word 'wish'. Not with spaces between, not on different sheets or surfaces, if they wanted to write, say, spell or sign the word 'wish', they couldn't.

Haku wiped a tear, trying to chase away the memories that forever haunted her. She vaguely wondered where the teacher was; once the class would start, she wouldn't have time to think, or to remember.

Speak of the…devil…there he was. The class fell silent as he positioned himself behind the desk, a grave expression plastered on his face. Everybody took their seats, and the man cleared his throat.

"Good Morning class" the students replied in kind, though with far less enthusiasm. "Today we will welcome a new student" he announced.

Haku felt sick; she never liked surprises; the last one she got was a hunter at her door. Even if her home was practically impossible to find by human eyes, sometimes the hunters' charms do their work, and lead the guns' path towards her throat.

But what were the chances a hunter child would transfer to her class? They live in isolated areas, travel by foot (at a surprising speed, at that), and didn't follow modern rules. Sure, they got arrested for the last at times, but they never stayed behind bars for long. But sending their children to a modern school was highly unlikely. Though, then again, Haku had never, ever been lucky.

"I would like to tell you that the new student doesn't follow the same beliefs as we do. She is convinced that there are demons in the world"

And there it was.

Haku wanted to throw up. A demon hunter was coming in her class. She was going to have to move, again.

While Haku tried to keep her breakfast in check (all-meat diet, despite herself), others laughed.

"But demons don't exist!" hollered one. The man shook his head.

"She was brought up to believe so. Please don't pester her about the subject; in the end, it isn't her fault" Haku shook her head. It wasn't her fault either, to be something inhuman.

"What's her name?"

"She can introduce herself" declared the man. He walked towards the door and opened it, letting the new student in.

Haku felt her stomach turn, her breath catch, and reality suspend. The new girl, because it was a girl, was…

Haku turned her head away, breaking the spell. She always felt this when she was confronted with a hunter; their blood, or chemistry didn't mix. And the worst part, the hunter would know she was a demon the moment her eyes would land on her.

The girl wasn't tall, as the members of the hunting family normally were. But she wasn't short, either; a few inches shorter than Haku, at the most. The girl had long blonde hair, tied in a side ponytail, and sharp yellow eyes. Haku wasn't able to process more, even with her sharpened senses.

"Hello, my name is Akita Neru" greeted the girl. Haku shuddered at both the voice and the name. She was fried.

"Tell us a bit about yourself, Neru" proposed the teacher. The girl blinked once in his direction, and without any sign of acceptance or refusal, continued speaking.

"I'm sixteen, love sports and the great device that is a cell phone, I don't like sweet things, fantasy, and monsters" some giggle at this, but the girl stood still in front of the class. Her gaze never wavered; her stance was proud and flawless. She was a statue, filled with pride and strength.

Haku slowly opened her eyes, hoping that the girl wouldn't glance her way. If their eyes met, Haku would bet anything that the girl would take some staff, blade or fire weapon from some hidden pocket and chase her until she's dead.

Once again, the mere sight made adrenaline pump through her system and make her see stars, propelling her senses to maximum sensitivity, ready to run to live.

"Thank you, Neru. Why don't you go sit next to Haku?" offered the man. Once again, the blonde didn't show any sign of her opinion, and walked in Haku's direction.

Their eyes met. Haku saw Neru flinch as the same effects took over the shorter girl's system. Her hand flew towards some pocket Haku was sure was hidden, but stopped herself. Without breaking her stride, Neru went and sat beside the demon, not meeting her eyes.

Haku couldn't breathe for the following hours. Neru didn't look at her once, but she felt that the human was keeping her under her sights 24/7. Her actions went unnoticed by the other students; not one went to talk to her, and not one was thus able to see Haku's fright. Neru didn't seem to mind the fact that she already was an outcast to the rest of the school. In fact, she didn't seem to think anything about everything. Never a yes or a no, she just did what she may either judge best, judge easiest, or by her own selfish will.

Haku fled the class at lunch; she needed to get away from Neru's icy-hot, invisible gaze, and away from the clashing atmosphere that only the two girls could feel.

She ran into the bathroom, locking all doors behind her, and washed her face in the sink. She didn't need to eat as often as humans did. Granting wishes fed her in some way, so she only needed to eat when wishes grew scarce. She had had breakfast that morning, and even without wishes for the coming two weeks, she would be fine.

She gulped down water at an alarming rate; fear cost a lot on her body. She needed to refill her adrenaline, her sweat, and the water that went into her worried breath.

Haku gazed into the mirror; she looked like she always did; frightening. Her deep ruby-red orbs were profound enough to drown in, her hair was silver-white, and she looked young and healthy.

Merely a mask, all of it. She wasn't young and healthy at the moment; wasn't young, and terrified out of her wits.

A hunter, a female, young hunter was in her school, in her class. Haku could feel luck that it wasn't a boy; they were fierce and ruthless. The girls were more composed. Neru was even able to hold herself in for hours. But she wasn't lucky in another way; when they are around this age, they are supposed to kill their first demon, and bring its hide and heart to their parents.

Neru would skewer her, skin her, cut her open, and bring her remains to her parents so that they could mount her on their wall with selfish pride.

She trembled, and felt sick.

Why was she so unlucky? Why would the hunters send her to a school?

Was it because schools were a favorite hiding place for demons like her? After all, in the school Haku once attended to, she was close friends with Guma, another demon. Of course, bad luck had followed her and her only friend in years was found dead in a well.

So…the hunters were using more drastic measures to kill her, huh?

Haku vaguely wondered if she was a grand prize of some sort in the hunters' realm. She had been evading them for years, managing to stay active all the time, and every attempt at her life had failed miserably. Maybe she was the number one in their list.

For some grim reason, this thought made her feel proud.

Somebody knocked the bathroom door. Haku turned towards it slowly, rising from her leaning position.

Was it Neru? Most likely, to make sure she wasn't doing anything.

"Dang, I wish the person in there would just open up!" protested a voice from outside. Haku recognized the voice; it was Hatsune Miku, one of the more popular kids in school. Despite her fame, Miku was kinder than first looks would tell. But it was rumored that she was rivaling Megurine Luka, also quite popular. It seemed that the two were leading an underground war for the throne of the school. Haku knew it was false, she heard enough to know that. And she also heard that wish.

She felt the feeling of obligation quench the fear. Either open the door and grant the wish, or not and feel hungry, and be a step closer to losing her cover.

Haku sighed, and walked towards the door, opened it, and let the teal-haired girl in. The girl sighed as she entered.

"Thanks…" she said as she brushed past the disguised monster. Haku smiled weakly. Miku was one of the only kids in school who wouldn't yell at her, for whatever reason. In fact, she never yelled at anybody.

Haku closed the door again, hoping that Neru didn't spot her, though she doubted that was the case. Hunters had a nag for knowing everything they were close to.

Shortly after, Miku emerged from the stall.

"Hey" she greeted. Haku looked up, once again leaning, this time against the wall. She nodded in response as Miku started washing her hands. "Why did you lock the door?" she asked, sounding curios. Haku exhaled heavily.

"Trying to avoid Neru" Miku looked up.

"Why? I mean, sure the demon thing is a bit strange, but she can't be all bad" Haku shrugged.

"I don't feel good around her" she answered truthfully. Miku nodded.

"Not much one can do about that; some people glue together, others don't. True friends, or even love, aren't chosen, you know?" Haku nodded, but her interest was piqued. At the end of the sentence, the school diva sounded slightly sad.

"What is it?" she asked, concerned. Haku couldn't help it; she was always worried if everybody was ok. She knew that it never was the case but after all the wishes she had granted, she always felt responsible for somebody's misery in one way or another.

"Ah, just tired of those rumors" she answered, grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands. Haku nodded.

"About you being in war with-"

"With Luka, yes" she finished. "What do you think about them?" Haku shrugged slightly.

"Not much. I know they aren't true, in any case" Miku looked at her.

"How so?"

"Well, whenever you cross each other, the air doesn't seem to suffocate. On the contrary, it seems to lighten up. That's not how two people at war feel"

Haku always enjoyed talking with Miku. Since she never was rude, or mean, she could talk openly, freely, only lying for her own sake, but remaining truthful the whole time. Also, Miku always seemed to make wishes without knowing it. It might be a tic or habit of some sort, but Miku seemed to wish for something daily. And granting them never made Haku feel bad; they were always very well-intended and reasonable.

Haku's ear twitched slightly, but the silver-haired girl disregarded it. Miku smiled, though sadly.

"I just wish that the rumors stop; they're so tiring when they're so far from the truth…" Haku blinked; there's the tic.

There were a multitude of wishes, but there were two different kinds.

The first were wishes that could be granted on-the-spot; like when Miku wished for Haku to open the door. Somebody could wish for a drink of water, and Haku would have him find a water bottle, completely intact. Those were direct wishes, and she was able to grant them from the start of her magical existence.

But there were also longer wishes; things that couldn't be granted on-the-spot without wiping everybody's memories or changing the course of time itself. Those took time, but they always came out eventually, unconditionally.

Miku had just asked for a longer wish, but that one was hard, and requested much stamina from Haku. While granting wishes 'fed' her, it also demanded energy. Said energy was replenished after one or two nights' rest.

How to cease a rumor? Haku didn't know how it would spell out, but she flicked her wrist, and felt the 'magic' take her toll on her.

Miku looked at her.

"Are you feeling alright? You seem tired, all of a sudden" Haku shook her head.

"I'm fine…" the teal-haired girl smiled, glad that the other girl was ok, picked up her bag and left with a parting word.

Haku sighed, and took another drink. What a wish that was, but it was far from killing her. She wondered how the magic of the wish would work. Would people take interest in another rumor? Or would they get tired of the current one more quickly?

She shook her head. The ways her wishes were granted were strange, but always in the best interest for the wisher, and always as the wisher demands. If Miku had asked that the rumors stopped immediately, then it would have been the case, and the long wish would turn into a direct wish.

Haku sighed. All this thinking made her forget about Neru.

She shuddered; the mere thought of the girl made her tremble in fear. She dreaded the end of lunch.

Haku wondered if she should skip school.

No, that would be her undoing. Neru was probably watching her right now, and would be watching her for the rest of the day. The moment she gets away from civilization, Neru would strike, quickly and dangerously. The only reason Haku was still alive was because she was surrounded by people.

The bell rang, and Haku whimpered.

The silver-haired girl trotted away from the train station. It was the final destination; the farthest place away from the city, from civilization.

She knew that Neru was following her. She knew it. Earlier that afternoon, a few minutes after lunch, Neru had finally cast her eyes upon her.

Haku remembered the shivers that flew down her spine, as if the gaze alone was filled with ice cold water and electricity.

It was terrifying. The whole afternoon, hour after hour, Haku had spent in survival mode, though she was just sitting there, incapable of doing anything. The fluids running through her veins made her want to jump and run away at faster than human speed, to save her hide and life.

"Halt"

Haku froze, not even thinking about obeying the order. She barely understood the word in the first place; only the voice who said it made her want to bury herself deep underground.

She slowly, oh so slowly turned around, hoping more than she ever hoped that this was an illusion, some bad dream.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked the voice. Haku saw the blonde walk towards her, still tall and proud. Though this time, there was a hint of menace on her features. Haku peeped.

"I-I-…" Neru didn't react, as if the demon's fear didn't touch her.

"You know I'm going to have to kill you" she stated, coldly and clearly.

That simple sentence sent Haku in a world of utter horror. She slumped to the ground, her legs unable to hold her up any longer.

"Please!" she begged. "Please don't hurt me!"

Neru looked down on the demon, apparently unmoved by Haku's pleas.

"I have to, you know. You're a demon, I'm a hunter. Also, you've been annoying my family for longer than usual"

The girl on the ground felt tears start to pour down her eyes.

"All I ever wanted was to be normal! The only reason I didn't let myself get stabbed is because I only want to be a human, a regular being!" Haku was now yelling eyes closed, not daring to look in her attacker's face. Neru didn't budge, so Haku continued. "I didn't choose to be like this! I'm the unluckiest person around, and all I ever wanted was to be a person again!" She was begging a hunter to let her live. Neru seemed cold, untouchable with emotions. She didn't know why she was trying. Not to let her last wishes be known; who would ever remember them? Was she trying to grow a spine? Running for so long left her tired and made life monotone.

Or maybe she actually wanted herself to be heard, now that somebody could listen to her without flinching.

"It's not my fault; all I ever did was exist! If I try to be normal, I turn into a monster and if I grant those wishes, you hunt me down! What did I ever do wrong?"

Neru sighed, though Haku still didn't look up. The silver-haired girl proceeded to mumble incoherently, interrupted only by sniffles and shivers of fear.

"Get up, please" Haku didn't reply, but did her best to comply. If it was the toll she needed to pay to live, then so be it.

"Please, let me live; let me try to be normal" whimpered Haku, tears streaming freely down her face. Neru's expression didn't change the slightest.

"You have three days, demon"

"Please…call me Haku" that word seemed so…blunt. It was painful. Neru sighed again, this time closing her eyes.

"Haku…I give you three days to get away from here"

"Bu-but I can't leave…"

"Then I'll kill you this Friday" Haku cringed; she didn't like seeing the face of her maker. Knowing that in three days this girl would peel the skin off her bones made her shiver and feel sick.

"B-"

"Leave, then" Haku fell silent.

She couldn't leave. The cottage she lived in was the safest place she had ever found. If she left, she would be as easy to find as a mountain in the desert. If she stayed…then this girl would shish-kebab her.

"I-I…"

"Three days" was all Neru said before turning around.

Haku felt immense relief and confusion invade her system; Neru wasn't going to make ornaments out of her teeth just yet…but why?

"Wait…" Neru paused, hearing the demon's request. Haku swallowed slightly before finishing. "Thank you…"

Neru didn't react, and just kept walking. Haku sighed, turned around, and went towards her home.

The demon in disguise entered the classroom, wary.

It has been two days since Neru had let her live. Tomorrow would be her death date.

Haku couldn't make up her mind; each option looked equally dangerous. Leaving only seemed like a way to stall the inevitable. Even leaving temporarily wasn't a good idea. Neru would still be at the school, and the hunters waiting with her.

She was torn; all she ever wanted was to be human again. She didn't know if Neru picked that up, cold as she was (and is). She had no idea how to re-become a normal being, but once that would be accomplished the hunters wouldn't have a reason to kill her.

Neru had been increasingly calm the past two days. Every hour spent side-by-side in that classroom made Haku feel more and more at ease. Her fear reactions were decreasing and no longer felt the urge to flee. If Neru felt a change, however, she didn't let it show.

But despite the increasing comfort, Haku was still aware that Neru was going to kill her, and will kill her. Sword, gun, pike, scythe, she was going to end up a bloody mess on pavement.

Haku carefully sat next to the blonde who had always been early. Neru spared a glance at the silver-haired girl, but then resumed staring into space.

Haku noticed this; normally Neru would even look in a 25cm radius around her if that was possible. Now the blonde glanced at her, fully and openly, and for no apparent reason.

Was that good or bad?

"You're still here" stated the hunter, so softly that only Haku could hear with her heightened senses. The demon nodded, knowing that somehow Neru would know that she did without even glancing at her. "Why?"

"Leaving might be stalling the inevitable" replied Haku.

"Are you being honest?" Haku glanced in her direction, puzzled.

"Of course I am"

"Have you been honest?"

"Always; I have no reason to lie"

"But I am going to kill you tomorrow at noon; I am your enemy. You can very well lie to me"

"Lying makes things even more difficult; I don't want more trouble than I already have"

"Are you being honest?"

"Yes"

Their discussion went silent, giving place to the laughing of the other classmates who waited for the bell to ring.

"You know that the false rumors about Miku and Luka stopped, right?"

"Well, Miku wished that"

"Incredible…"

"What do you mean 'false rumors'?" asked Haku. Neru shrugged.

"Now only honest talk is passing through the students. Though I still find that some things might be wrong"

"Like…?"

"Them probably dating" Haku didn't expect that one, but didn't flinch as might be expected.

"Why do you think that might be wrong?"

"I know it's only a rumor, but two girls…" Neru shook her head ever so slightly.

"Does your family forbid that kind of relationship?"

"No, not in particular"

"Then why does it seem wrong?" she repeated. Neru didn't answer.

Haku took this time to think; Miku didn't necessarily wish for the false rumors to end. She only said 'those rumors'. Haku scratched her head slightly. Maybe what she said after the wish counted, too….after all, the wishes were always granted in the wisher's best interest.

"What did you mean 'again'?" Haku was startled when the blonde resumed the conversation.

"Sorry?"

"You said you wanted to be a human 'again'"

"Ah…" Haku wasn't sure she should share the story with Neru. But…the sheer weight of the secret were tiring, and no matter whom she shared it with, she didn't think it could hurt that much. At the very least, it might convince Neru that she really isn't a demon, in some way.

"I…once was a human being. When I was eight, a demon like me was forced by his owner to turn me into a demon as well. I don't know what happened to the master, though…"

"I remember him; he was the king of black market demon exchanges. We took him down, as the rest of the market"

"And you took down the demon who turned me as well" Neru glanced at her.

"Are you happy about that, or…"

"He was the only thing I had; I couldn't possibly return to my parents, or my friends. He taught me what I know, and you killed him"

"What was his name?"

"Dell"

"Ah…he was my brother's first catch" Haku felt sick. "Sorry"

Haku glanced at her. Sorry?

"Well, it isn't your fault…" groaned Haku, as she put a hand on her mouth. Dell…mounted on the wall of this girl's brother…it made her feel positively ill. Tears stained her eyes. "Sorry, I-" the silver-haired girl didn't finish as she left the room as quickly as she could.

Dell…

Haku hadn't slept all night. She had endured hours of silence, dread and fear. She couldn't dare fall asleep, because nightmares of a skinned Dell kept haunting her even when she was awake.

It was absolutely terrifying.

Not only that, but if Neru kept her word, the same fate would befall her today.

Noon; get killed. Three o'clock; get emptied and cleaned like a t-shirt. Six o'clock; stuffing finished and mounting on the wall directly afterwards.

She shivered. The thoughts, although sarcastic, were sick and horrifying.

Haku groaned, getting out of bed. It was six am.

If she's going to die today, at least live the last hours as best as possible.

She got up, got dressed, ate a little ('if they're going to gut me, at least don't' make the task clean for them' she thought bitterly), and got ready for school. When she was finished and had an hour to spare before she had to leave, she left anyway, boarded the very first train, and departed for school.

She paid special attention to the surrounding landscape.

The early fall was gorgeous, though it made her chuckle for the sick humor. The falling dead leaves represented her in some twisted way. There was no way to escape; get carried away by the wind now or later.

But the browns, red and greens were still worth seeing and paying attention to. The rich grass, still lustrous in this late time of year, swayed in the wind, making everything around her resemble an immense green ocean. Said wind also played with people's clothes, and the leaves, brightening her mood slightly for an unknown reason. The leaves flew like blind birds, not really caring what their fate was or where they were going.

Yet, despite the beautiful, comforting scenery, Haku still didn't feel ready to die. Why was she even going? Why was she accepting her fate so easily? Was it because there was no other way, or because she had a chance of being by Dell's side after all this time?

She had no idea, but she wasn't ready to leave this world, not before being a human again for at least a second.

Then why was she going? The question flew away unanswered with the leaves as Haku drowned in her thoughts.

Neru entered the classroom an hour after Haku did. Actually, Haku had to wait thirty minutes before somebody actually came to open the door. But nevertheless, the blonde was startled to see the silver-haired girl there so early.

She sat next to the soon-dead, sparing a glance in her direction. Haku seemed…

Neru froze. She couldn't read the demon's face. It was…indescribably neutral. No emotions were beheld by her expression; not every boredom or fatigue. She seemed…to exist, and yet not.

It was a frightening sight to see. Mad, yet happy, bored, yet amused, confused, yet understanding, in love, yet loveless…dead, yet alive.

Haku wasn't aware of Neru's presence right next to her. The familiar chemical reaction was present, but she didn't have enough mind to pay attention to it anymore.

She was going to die…she didn't do anything to prevent this from happening, and yet she felt she wasn't ready to die. Why did she let the days fly by? Why did she let this Neru intimidate her?

She couldn't kill her; she wasn't a monster. She couldn't confront her; it would only end with a blade between her ribs. She couldn't run; it would only stall said blade-between-ribs.

So, she had resigned to her fate. But she didn't want to. She wanted to be human…at least once again.

But she was going to die.

The teacher entered the class a long time afterwards, but Haku didn't notice.

She was going to die.

She was going to die…

Noon struck. As the school bells rang, Haku slowly pulled herself out of her seat.

Neru had gone a few minutes before the bell. She was probably joining her family, to organize her ambush and death.

She slowly walked towards the door.

Why was she walking to her doom? Why was she going to her own end, when it was the last thing she wanted?

She didn't know.

She could run right now, try once again to turn human, find a person nice enough to grant her wish. But…she didn't. The windows were open; she could jump right out and flee.

But she didn't.

It was heart-ripping. She didn't know what she was doing, why she was doing it, simply because…had she gone mad? Haku didn't know anymore.

She raised her head, looking around. Everybody seemed so happy, that the lunch bell rang. They were heading outside to play, talk, and do whatever they usually did. But none of them knew that she was going to die right then, probably right before their eyes.

Why? Why was this world so confusing, all of a sudden?

Haku shook her head, and followed the crowd outside.

It was beautiful weather for the early fall. It was surprisingly warm, and the wind was refreshing, yet comforting.

What a nice day to die.

Yet…she didn't want to die.

Haku looked around. Was she being careful, or trying to get this over with?

She didn't know anymore.

Neru wasn't anywhere to be found. Her striking blonde hair would stand up between the browns, blues and pinks. And yet, she was nowhere.

Haku sighed. She knew she was probably in a tree, or behind a bush, along with a dozen others, waiting to strike. Maybe they wanted her to walk to the center of the field? Like that it would be more difficult for her to run. Or did they want to trap her against a wall?

Or were they going to strike at the very next second?

Haku inhaled deeply before releasing her breath that could very well be her last.

A whistling sound caught her ear.

Time froze as Haku tried to identify it. It reminded her…

Haku barely had the time to duck when a flying arrow flew past her. Haku got up from the ground, adrenaline pumping into her veins, making everything around her seem crystal-clear.

The arrow embedded itself in the wall right next to the demon, and the few girls who were there screamed, catching everybody's attention.

Haku panted, limbs shaking from the shock that she had probably been expecting.

Now she knew; now that she was going to die, she knew what she did want.

She wanted to LIVE. Live a normal life, without fear, without being chased, without living in some cottage that even gave her the creeps. She wanted to live in a home, come back to friendly parents, do her homework without something invisible looking over her shoulder, invite friends when she had free time, shop, play…live.

She wanted to live; she wanted to have her own LIFE, not an existence.

Haku jumped up, avoiding the second arrow that buried its head in the ground by her feet. Another scream, but Haku was too busy running. She flew between the onlookers, arrows flying around her. Nobody 'innocent' was hit by the deadly metal birds; they were most likely enchanted.

The silver-haired girl arrived that the center of the field, and she was met with a huge surprise as an enormous net flew in her direction.

Haku didn't have time to think. She leapt over the wires; she didn't care if it was a jump seven feet high.

Everybody gasped, and the net disappeared once it missed her. The demon landed in a crouch, breathing heavily.

Without warning, something huge, hard and flat struck her left cheek, sending her sprawling across the grass and gravel. She felt her shirt rip, especially at the shoulders, were small stinging particles of dust entered her open, already bleeding skin.

Haku came to a stop twenty feet further up. She got up quickly, but another blow met her chin. Screams filled her ears, and Haku landed with a sickening thud on the painful gravel. Dust filled her nose and covered her eyes, making tears start to run down her cheeks. There was barely any pain; only the numb stinging on her right shoulder and the vague wetness of her blood on her hand.

"So you're the runt who has been escaping us all those years?" asked a deep, menacing voice. Haku froze; she knew this voice.

Head Hunter.

She was never going to see the end of the day.

Haku tried to move, but a huge boot belonging to a huge owner smashed down on her shoulders, burying her face in the stone.

"I wish the grass were two inches longer…right now" demanded the voice.

Haku, in her dazed, auto-drugged state, wasn't able to hold herself in; the grass quickly grew additional inches within a second. Awed sounds, as well as terrified screams, surrounded them.

"Well, well, Neru. It seems you were right; a wish-granting demon. Great job"

"Thank you, father" Haku froze…they were related? Doom fell upon her; she was never going to make it; unless she fought. Yes...she had to fight. fight for herself, for her life.

"Finish it" ordered the man.

Once the boot was off her back, Haku jumped to her feet, startling everyone. She whirled around, facing the group of hunters.

They were a half a dozen; much less than she expected. The first, and most noticeable, was definitely the chef. He was humongous in every way. Huge fists, huge arms, huge legs and feet. His head was unprotected and bald, but a long scar went from his left ear, over his massive, hairless brows, down his right temple, over the bridge of his nose, and finishing on his left cheek. A wound caused by an animal-resembling demon; a vicious bite to the face. Other scars littered his bare arms, but skins resembling leather covered hands, torso, legs and feet in numerous layers, and a long, furry cape hung by his shoulders. Worn by anybody else, the cape would drag over the ground; but worn by this giant it hung three feet off the ground.

On his right stood Neru, dressed in her school clothes. But leather straps covered her torso; it was most likely that every strap was to carry a weapon. Besides that, she looked neutral, as usual.

Behind them stood four other hunters, most likely to make sure nobody but the demon got hurt or killed. They resembled the chief, but with much less muscle, layers of leather, and lacking a cape. Each held a pair long, sharp swords in both hands.

Haku winced, feeling a dizziness overcoming her. Getting up quickly was never good…

Neru took this occasion to strike, hitting the demon in the stomach with her elbow; hard. As she did this the blonde made a wish; "I wish that all doors and windows in a fifty-mile radius closed and locked at this very moment" Haku gasped, the hit making her once again unable to refuse. She felt the energy drain from her system as the wish came true.

Haku staggered back, holding her stomach. Neru jumped forwards once again, striking her side, this time with the side of her open hand; but the hit felt like a cut.

"I wish that the number of trees in every single forest of the land doubled, right now!" Haku couldn't resist, and once again she was drained.

She saw what Neru was doing; tiring her. The bigger the wish, the more energy it cost. Also, with the 'right now' precision, the number of trees doubled within moments, and not over a course of a hundred years as it would have. And the hits she gave her before every demand made her too pained or struck to concentrate enough to refuse.

Haku opened her eyes, the dizziness over. Neru stood in front of her, hands empty and gaze even. Students surrounded her, most looking completely baffled and devastated. Others were in awe, confusion, or were even smiling.

As Neru leapt forward, Haku decided to stop playing nice. She crossed her arms, blocking Neru's hit, and pushed her away. With the extra time, she jumped over her, and kicked her in the back.

Neru flipped forward instead of landing on her stomach. Haku alit lightly, stance careful, wary.

She wasn't going to die.

"I wish that every building around us crumbled to the ground at this moment, with a complete disregard to the people still inside!" yelled Neru, turning towards her.

Haku blanched. She couldn't let that one come true.

The silver-haired girl gasped as she tried to stop herself from granting the wish.

A rip that only she could hear deafened her. Haku staggered, feeling the effects take a toll on her.

A long cord flew in her direction, twirling quickly. Haku didn't have the time or concentration to avoid it, and felt herself fly against a tree, the cord wrapping around the two. Haku half-heartedly tried to escape the hold, but the cord was tightly wrapped. She could barely move her hands.

"Admirable throw, Neru"

"Thank you, Father" Neru stepped forward, in Haku's direction. The demon was still paying the toll for not granting the deadly wish. The tearing inside her was quieter now, but it remained. Haku strained to resist the urge to make the buildings collapse; a painful task for such a big wish.

Neru didn't have any pity.

"I wish the sky fell upon us at this moment" Haku cringed, the tearing doubling in volume. Nobody else heard or felt it, but the bound girl was literally ripping on the inside. She groaned, doubling over as far as the ropes binding her allowed, trying not the make it come true.

"I wish that thunder would kill us all in a second" Haku groaned louder, the ripping becoming deafening to her ears. The task was monumental…she wouldn't be able to keep it up.

She was going to have to grant the next wish, or else she might die from the strain.

The blonde clearly saw this.

"I wish-" she stopped herself. Haku looked up at her, sweat coating her face. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I don't want this" the demon croaked "Please…"

Neru remained impassive, despite her broken sentence earlier.

"I wish that you show the world your true form"

Haku gasped.

The tearing, ripping, shredding inside her reached earth-quaking levels. She howled, pain taking possession of her body and soul. She felt her ones readjust, reform, replace themselves, as skin crawled and muscles contracted and twitched.

It was an unbearable nightmare. While it may have lasted only a second or two, Haku felt like she was aging centuries in the most painful way. She was starving, thirsty, pierced with a thousand needles and cut in a million pieces all at once. Thunder boomed in her skull and lightening scorched her nerves.

It was a hell she would never forget.

Haku strived to remain conscious as the pain receded. She was breathing heavily, and if she had the room to, she would be trembling so much she wouldn't stand.

Silence surrounded her, and she knew that she must look hideous. Already, she felt that her feet were bare and only had three quite long toes, each most likely ending with a long claw. Something she had never felt before was next to her legs, also bound by the cords, and she knew it must be a tail. She shoulders ached, and her back no longer touched the scratching bark of the tree. Instead, the membranes of a pair of bat-like wings were tearing as she pushed against the rough surface.

She didn't know about her face. She couldn't feel anything different, but there had to be something. Her ears twitched as somebody screamed. Ah, her ears were longer…and they felt like they were covered in soft fur.

"Amazing!" boomed the Head Hunter. "I have never seen such a wonderful specimen!" Haku looked up, tears staining her face. The man was right in front of her. He took her chin turning it in all directions.

"A human face, arms and torso, but with the hands, wings, ears legs and feet of a monster! And a tail! It's so hard to find one with a tail!" he turned towards Neru. Haku couldn't make out many details' her eyes were too watery. "You have caught some prize, Neru! This is probably the best demon one could find! You should be proud!"

Haku sniffled, and wailed.

This was hurting too much. This rope was too tight, she couldn't breathe, couldn't see, and she was a monster. The wish she had been wishing for had been destroyed. She was a hideous beast, something that nobody would ever want to see.

"Yes…Father" agreed Neru. Haku continued to wail her own misery. Nobody would ever talk to her; nobody would ever look in the eyes again.

"Such a pity that it has to go…I mean, it's impossible to keep live samples! Better preserve it, for all time!" Cheered the massive man. "Finish it with care, Neru. This skin would be worth thousands, and it's yours to keep!"

Haku quieted down.

No…she was going to die.

"I never wanted this!" she wailed, shouted, screamed. Her cry was louder than anybody could ever imagine, and was filled with incomparable sorrow. Haku didn't stop there. "I never wanted to be a demon, a monster!" she looked at Neru. "Why are you going to kill me for something I didn't do? Why are you all staring at a huge scar that wasn't made by my hand? Why…" she wasn't mad. She was earth-crushingly sad, miserable. "All I ever wanted was to be human! I wanted to live without the obligation to hide myself, without the curse of having to grant every single of your selfish w-" the word died in her mouth "desires! All I ever wanted was to be normal!"

She looked around, tears streaming from her eyes. Her pleading gaze was met with terrified, incredulous stares. She wailed again.

"Kill me…kill me now, end my sorrow"

Haku finally decided to give up. Her life wasn't worth it anymore. Her only desire would never be granted. She was tired, spent, and didn't have any strength left. She wasn't even able to stand, even with these ropes holding her up. Her legs were weak, her hands were scaled and useless, and her life was now just a dark shadow she wanted to end.

Her only wish…would never come true.

"What a heart-breaking speech. Too bad that you ARE a demon, and a gorgeous one at that. Neru…" the blonde nodded. Haku let her head fall. She let everything; her live, her ambitions, her desires, her dreams, fall, shatter to the ground.

Neru drew a long blade from a sheath hidden somewhere between the layered of straps. She advanced slowly towards the fallen creature. With every step she took, Haku cringed and a dozen more tears fell to the ground.

A suffocating silence filled the atmosphere. Everybody was dreading what was going to happen, and yet, for some reason, seeing the being made it feel the slightest right.

Neru stopped right in front of the weeping demon. She raised her blade, and everybody cringed and held their breath.

The cutting metal was brought down with a swift movement, and the sound of something being cut filled the space.

"No!" yelled the Chief of hunters, fearing that Neru may have damaged the monster's skin. Instead, Haku fell to the ground, the cut ropes falling next to her. Everybody froze.

The demon didn't move. She lay there, on the ground, completely motionless. Her legs (each having two articulations) and arms and completely relaxed. The wings that before where crushed between the body and the tree fluttered out, not exactly resting on the ground, but still seeming completely comfortable. Haku face was slightly strained, but otherwise she seemed asleep, and her long, soft ears were bent downwards, like a sleeping cat's.

Neru gazed upon the unconscious figure, her expression still as even as ever.

"Neru, what are you doing?" asked the large mad. Neru didn't even twitch in response to his question.

"I wish…" Neru stopped herself once more, as she forgot what to say. Then she started again, with more determination. "I wish that Haku became a human once again" she finished.

Haku remembered a blinding pain before falling into an endless void, her energy gone.

Haku stirred. Everything felt fuzzy and confused. Everything seemed so far away…sounds seemed quiet, details seemed vague, smells were hard to discern, and she could barely identify what she touched.

What she did know, was that she was in a horizontal position, lying on something vaguely familiar yet not. A bed…? Certainly. It felt like a mattress, and there was a pillow under her head.

She opened her eyes, blinking quickly to remove the mist under her eyelids. She quickly identified the surface about her to be a wooden ceiling. Everything around her was a golden wood, and the air was filled with a very forest-y feeling. The patterns in the woods seemed vaguely familiar.

She sat up, slowly. She was alone in a small room that reminded her of her cottage. Yet it wasn't. This place was brand-new. The planks on her cottage were grey, colorless. Plus, it was there, and it obviously wasn't here. It was an invisible creature, she thought, that filled the air. It always made sure she had food to eat and clothes to wear, and made sure that she did her homework. Kind of like parents, except it was suffocating and invisible. And it also made sure that nobody found the house.

But it wasn't here, and that suited her fine. This place seemed homey, she liked it already.

She could vaguely smell tea brewing.

Tea? Who would make tea? She was just asleep, so who else?

She got up slowly, trying to remember how she got here. The wood didn't creak as she shuffled towards a think door that again reminded her of her cottage. She opened it, and peeked inside.

The room was the spitting image of her home, except that everything was brand, sparkle-new. Over a large, warm fire a small pot hung, and in there was the tea. A large chair sat in front of the fire.

Haku swallowed; how come thing place resembled her home so much?

She shook her head; everything still seemed vague, and not remembering made her feel confused.

How did she get here?

She took a few steps towards the fire. As soon as she stood next to the chair, a voice spoke.

"Ah, you're awake"

Haku jumped, scared out of her wits. She fell on her backside, and looked up. A blonde sat in the chair, looking at her with a small, barely visible smile.

"Who…?" asked Haku.

All the memories came back like a hammer to the head. Neru, in her class, her doom to die in three days, the three days, the attack, the transformation, and finally, she fell unconscious as Neru was about to kill her.

"H-how?" stuttered Haku, confused beyond belief. Neru smiled a little wider.

"You fell unconscious as I cut the rope binding you. Then, I wished you human, simple as that"

"HUH?" Haku couldn't believe that for all the gold in the world.

"I wish it rained hamburgers" stated Neru.

Haku felt indifferent. She didn't feel any need, any pressure. The lack of response to the sentence made her feel empty...a very nice kind of empty.

"WOW…" she still couldn't believe it.

"Also, we both don't feel like jumping at the other's throat anymore"

"You're right" Haku still didn't get up from the (surprisingly smooth and clean) floor. She was in utter shock. She didn't have to grant wishes anymore, she didn't feel like running for the moon…she was human.

Human, her only wish has come true.

"Wish" she whispered. It was the final proof; if she could say the word, then she was human. As she spoke it, her stomach filled with glee. Neru looked at her, still smiling softly.

Haku was in heaven. She was human.

She wanted to dance, sing, throw pink flowers everywhere….she had never been happier. Who cared if she couldn't' jump high, throw boulders, and smell a dead body in a hundred-mile radius anymore? She was NORMAL.

As she looked back up towards the blonde to thank her, she saw something amiss. Even the lack of her keen eyesight told her that.

"What…?" Neru sighed.

"To make things simple, I made my dad really, really mad. He didn't dare hit me, though. I just gave him my opinion of the situation, and left"

"Where are w-?"

"In your home"

"Really?"

"It looks new because whatever was here isn't here anymore" Haku digested the facts as she sat up.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you wish me human?" Neru smiled.

"From the moment I knew -well, felt - that you were a demon, I didn't want to kill you. And hearing that you were once a human whose fate turned against, I didn't have the heart to do it"

"Then why-?"

"I was scared of my dad. You saw him right? He's a dinosaur. Besides that, I also wanted to know what you 'really' looked like. You weren't that bad"

"Please, I had a tail"

"A pretty tail" Haku scoffed. "Eh. I don't regret what I did, though" Haku looked up at her, and smiled.

"Well…thanks, a bunch" Neru smiled again.

"No problem"

"I wonder what we are going to do know"

"How so?"

"Well…the school won't accept us anymore"

"I took care of that"

"Do you have anywhere to live?"

"No"

"Any money?"

"Hey, there are a lot of things I can do now, now that my dad doesn't like me and I don't like him" the blonde stated. Haku was slightly shocked by that, but didn't speak of it.

"Well, you can stay here, if you want"

"I thought you might propose that" Haku looked back up at her. "You're far to kind to be considered a monster"

The silver haired girl couldn't help but smile back.

Ta-daaa~!

My first Neru and Haku fic, I know it's more friendship than romance, but I am very pleased with this. And I know there are typos, there always are. Annoying...

Yes, I like fantasy. So what?

Well, tell me what you think, give me feedback. Authors don't improve by themselves! (Ok, they can, but that's SLOW...).

Also, I vaguely remember that this was a request of some sort, so I hope that you are satisfied, whoever you may be! :3