Three

Tasogare sat on top of a rusted out jungle gym in a long abandoned park nestled way out of the way, and well hidden from the urban environment around it. With the amulet in place, he was his mostly human self again. He stared at the shadow of his head on the ground, noting the two prominent points that were his ears. He laid his ears down and brushed his hair over them, hiding them once more. He shifted, turning his gaze to the crystal clear night sky, full of stars sparkling in the depths of the rich blue-black tapestry hanging overhead. He sighed as a breath of winds tried to sooth his shattered nerves.

"Tag? Tasogare? Are you there?" Megan's voice called from the overgrown shrubs.

"Come to say goodbye, or just lead them to me?" Tag's tone had changed, it was no longer nervous or scared. It was angry, bitter and defiant.

"Tag, you Mom's worried sick about you, she wants you to come home." Megan answered.

"Why?" Tag leapt down, startling Megan. "So she can watch as my Dad has me hauled away in a cage?"

"She wants to understand who and what you are, so that she, and your dad won't be afraid of you." Megan said. "I can't talk to them for you, you have to do it yourself."

"Will you come with me? I can't face them alone." Tag returned to his normal self, nervous and shy.

"I'll be there for you, come on let's go." Megan offered her arm to Tasogare.

"Meg, I owe you." Tag smiled wearily, accepting the arm without argument. "Thanks."

"For what?" Megan asked as they walked down the street. "And don't call me Meg."

"Keeping a level head through this, and not freaking out too much when I showed you." Tag heaved a heavy breath. "Not many people could knowingly walk beside a lion without being very nervous, but you aren't making a big deal out of it."

"I made friends with Tasogare back in third grade." Megan said firmly. "No matter what he looks like on the outside, I'll always be friends with his kind soul. Tag, you could be a fifty foot fire breathing dragon and I'd still be right there to listen to your fears and share with you some of mine."

"I know one if you're interested." Tag smiled his light, gentle smile for the the first time in days. His tone was joking, but Megan knew he sometimes joked when he was dead serious. "Ryuu is a nice guy, once you get used to his allergies, and learn to duck before he sneezes."

"I never know when you're kidding or serious, and that's only part of why I like you." Megan returned the smile. "You should probably go in like this, and transform for your parents, I think they'll appreciate the experience more." She suggested as they came to the house.

"You're coming in." Tag said insecurely. "I can't do this by myself."

"All right, but I'll only stay for a while. I think this is for you and them to work out as a family, without outside observation." Megan was stern in asserting her position.

"I can accept that." Tag opened the door and slipped inside. He moved quietly toward the living room where the light was on, and he heard the voices of his parents talking in a worried fashion. "You go in first!" Tag ducked behind Megan.

Megan stepped into the living room, while Tag hung back in the entry, listening as Megan spoke. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans, Tasogare is here, he's just being shy at the moment. Will you go easy on him?"

"Sure Megan, we just want to know who, or what he is, we still care about him he's our son." Tag's mom said.

"I know I overreacted before, but try to see things from our perspective." Tag's dad spoke in his normally firm tone.

"She did, about five minutes before Mom came in. That's when I revealed myself to Megan for the first time." Tasogare stood in the doorway, trying to look stoic, but actually looking very small, and frightened. "Megan had no prior knowledge of the transformation, just like you."

"Son, this is very hard for your mother and I." Tag's dad said directly. "We don't k now how to talk to you now."

"Just like you did before, I haven't changed any. I'm still Tasogare, please call me Tag, your son." Tag stepped into the room and sat down in a chair opposite the sofa where his Mom and Dad were seated. Megan took a seat in another chair. He let his ears pop up, the action startled his parents, but they quickly calmed when Tag flinched at their gasps. He stared at the floor, not knowing where else to look.

"Tag, tell us what you know about this, then we'll come up with something." Tag's mother spoke up after the long awkward silence.

"I found a note in that package you gave me." Tag began. "Remember when you told me I was adopted, and you gave me that package from my real parents?" He waited for the nods. "Well, Mother put a few nice things in there, and a note from Father, with this amulet wrapped in it. It was written in Japanese, so I had to translate it. It told me what I was, that a spell had been cast on me to make me look human until I turned 10, and would then wear off over the following year. It also told me to wear the amulet always. The note told of my animal power, and the need to keep it in check, the amulet does that, though I can hold this form without it for about a day through a meditation exercise that was described in the note as well. Father apologized for having to give me up, but he was worried that I'd become an outcast if he and mother raised me in his home town where they moved. They wanted the best for me, so I'm not angry with them." Tag fidgeted with his amulet again. "At least you gave me that package when I turned ten."

"Tag?" His dad asked plainly. "Is that all you know?"

"That's everything." Tag assured. "Only other thing I know is this." He took off the amulet and rested it on the side table. "Try not to freak out on me again okay." He stood and walked over to his parents, morphing into his lion form and resting his head on the sofa between them. "I know it's easier for people if they are able to interact with the scary thing, and see that it's not dangerous."

"Oh Tag." Tag's mom said sympathetically. "You're not that scary, it's just alarming to see you like this." She tried to sound reassuring. "May I?" She lifted her hand.

"If it helps." Tag nodded, letting his mom run her hand through his mane. "Dad, I'm not going to bite or anything." He added.

"Okay son, if you insist." Tag's dad started scratching behind Tag's right ear.

"See, I'm not dangerous. I just want to be myself, and not scare anyone. Fear makes people do strange things." Tag said, stepping back as his parents finished up handling him. He shook his mane and sat down on the floor, closing his eyes deep in concentration. It wasn't long before he changed back into the human form with pointed lion ears sticking out of his head. Tag got up, and picked up the amulet, putting it on quickly. "Doing that takes a lot of energy." He answered the unspoken question as he sat down.

"So what happens now?" Megan asked. "Now that we all know Tag, what will you do?"

"Be myself, and ask that you all treat me no differently than you have been. I'm not different just because I showed you part of me no one was meant to see. I guess I'll be more open and honest with you all though, not having to worry about hiding from you will make things easier for me." Tag shrugged, not sure how to answer, but trying anyway.

"We can try son." Tag's dad said. "We'll have to get used to your other form there, but I think we'll manage."

"You won't keep that form from us anymore will you? We want to know you for who you are." Tag's mom offered.

"Tell you what. How about I use the animal form on Saturdays, all day so long as I stay home. If Megan comes over, I won't change back to this form either, since she's seen it twice now." Tasogare suggested, everyone agreed.

"That's fair, an it gives her a chance to get used to you that way too." Tag's dad agreed, Megan and Tag's mom nodded their agreement also.

"Good, now if you don't mind, I'd like to get to bed." Tag got up to go to his room upstairs. "Thank you all for at least trying to understand." Tag went upstairs, stopping only for a moment as Megan and his parents started talking for a while. Their tones were soft, not suspiciously, but more of an overwhelmed solemn softness that seemed appropriate for the mood. Tag smiled briefly as he continued up the stairs. He wasn't sure what would manifest in the days to come, but at least he knew he wasn't alone. The relief of not having to hide from those closest too him lifted a great deal of weight from his shoulders, and that was worth more to Tasogare than anything in the world. He entered his room and laid down on his bed, thinking. His mind wandered to casual thoughts, not wanting to tax itself on important matters of homework and suspensions, and soon, Tag slipped into the deep, dream filled sleep that had eluded him earlier. His dreams were pleasant and relaxing, taking him on journeys to fanciful places, of kings and knights, and all those things that interested him. For the first time in a long time, Tasogare was truly at peace with himself.

Fini