“Taika stop! Holy shit!” Rebecca cried out, her clothes and hair a mess.

“Taika please!” Pacifica pleaded, in a similar state of dishevel as her fellow Resonator.

Taika was at the door, desperately attempting to break it down. Her fingernails bled; broken and worn away, her fists were bruised up, and her shoulders trembled.

“Non! Lui è in pericolo e sono inutile!” she cried out.

Once more the two Resonators rushed down their companion, trying to stop her from hurting herself any more than she already had. They managed to reach and tackle her, right in time for the gigantic double door to open, causing them all to land inside in a big heap.

“Oh Taika, what am I gonna do with you?” Shouri knelt in front of the trio.

“SHO!”

Poor Rebecca and Pacifica were telekinetically blasted off of Taika as she tackled Shouri to the ground, rubbing her face against his.

The boy was momentarily winded, but quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around her. “La Bella Vita, Allegro,” he cast.

Taika easily submitted to his rhythm, smiling warmly as her previous recklessness was eased out of her. “Sho…” she cooed, refusing to release him.

Her joy was to be short-lived, however, as within the next instant, Taika was yanked to her feet, and forced to face Sarayul.

“So, you’re the kit, huh?” the Ethereal studied the younger lunar before him. He nodded slowly. “You’re one of mine alright, I can train you,” he stated.

“R-really?” While she didn’t appreciate the rampant abuse of his telekinetic prowess, Taika certainly wanted control of her power. Given how easily he had been tossing everyone around if she could even get a fraction of that power…

The Ethereal’s scrutinizing gaze fell upon Pacifica and Rebecca, both of whom were nursing their wounded pride from being tossed around like rag dolls.

“You two,” he spoke up, causing the two unrelated Resonators to snap to attention (in fear of being tossed around again). “You will train under Nina and Talys.” He motioned to the red and blue five-tailed foxes who stood behind him.

“Training what?” Rebecca questioned.

“The proper method of using your summons,” Talys spoke up.

“The method snuffed by those foolish Terrans,” Nina chimed in.

Needless to say, Rebecca’s interest was piqued.

“But what am I gonna do?” Pacifica didn’t see how she was related to this.

“Don’t worry, you will see.” Nina grinned.

“You are very much needed for this.” Talys similarly smirked.

Pacifica and Rebecca shared an uneasy glance but accepted that was going to be their role in all this.

“And me?” Shouri glanced over to the Ethereal by his side.

“My boy, you will have the greatest trial of them all. It requires your will be tested and tempered, brought to its limits,” Sarayul waxed poetic.

Shouri scratched his head before speaking up. “Not to rain on your parade, but I got discordant will – not much to give there.”

Sarayul chuckled knowingly. “No child, you have the greatest will of all. It is refined to such a point that people see a weakness when in reality it is your greatest weapon and strength.”

----------------------------------------

“Woah…” the group gasped in unison.

“These will be your living quarters while you train here,” Talys informed the group.

The room presented to them was roughly the size of the rooms they stayed at in the various MA Offices around the world. The difference though was the luxury on display. There was a big comfy bed for starters, with what appeared to be paper privacy doors surrounding it. A small seating area with a hand-carved wooden table stood on the opposite end of the bedroom.

Even the appliances were of the highest quality – decorative standing lamps stood around the room, giving it plenty of light even at night and there was even a flat-screen television embedded into one of the walls opposite of the sitting area.

On the side walls was a large glass wall with sliding doors that viewed the garden outside, giving the occupants a gorgeous view to greet them.

“This is crazy,” Rebecca gasped.

“It’s nicer than the Presidential suite,” Pacifica looked around in awe.

“Bellissima…” Taika breathed.

“I’m fucking terrified of what that man is gonna make us do,” Shouri grumbled.

“Why’s that?” Taika asked.

“If these are where we’re supposed to be sleeping and generally living when not training, I have a nasty feeling the training is gonna suck.” He kicked the table, noting how well it stood up. His gaze fell back to Talys, who smiled innocently. Too innocently.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Shouri called out to the fox.

“What makes you think I would tell, Maestro Shouri?” the blue fox replied.

“Tch,” Shouri clicked his tongue and averted his glare.

“For today you shall rest – your training will begin tomorrow morning. Nina will retrieve you for dinner this evening,” the boy informed them before taking his leave.

As soon as they were certain he was out of earshot, the group collectively sighed.

“We’re so fucked,” Shouri said, shaking his head.

“I’m just hoping we don’t die, no one would ever know,” Rebecca chimed in.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Pacifica patted her fellow Resonator’s back.

“It’s not fair how strong he is,” Taika complained.

Bellyaching out of the way, they got to exploring their new home (at least for the foreseeable future).

Rebecca hit the couch, flicking her shoes off and getting comfortable with the television remote. The channels they received weren’t just the standard ones found in Unis-Resonné, but all over the world, right down to the Naturalian ones.

“Crazy selection,” she muttered.

As usual, she ended up on a historical film channel and got lost in an old martial arts movie.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Pacifica meanwhile was beyond herself. Her eyes were wide and sparkling as she remained frozen in place. “Amazing…” she whispered to herself.

The bathroom was huge. Unlike the utilitarian MA Offices where there was a sink, toilet, and bathtub; their new lodgings had a massive space dedicated to just the bathroom. The toilet was in a separate little room for extra privacy. The sink was as nice as the ones in the Presidential suite, complete with lighting and a mirror for anyone meticulous about their facial skin-care routines.

Then there was the pièce de resistance: the bathtub.

It wasn’t just a bathtub; it was a whole hot tub! Furthermore, there was a separate, stand-alone shower if one didn’t want to use the large tub to clean themselves.

No one was surprised to find Pacifica soaking her aching body away in the tub.

“Sho.”

“Yeah, Taika?”

“Can we go somewhere private?”

“Sure.”

“We’re gonna go explore! We’ll be back!” Shouri announced to the rest of the room.

“’kayyyy!” came the two replies.

Shouri and Taika took their leave, walking in silence around the perimeter of the temple they were staying in.

“Huh,” Shouri’s voice drew Taika from her thoughts.

“What is it?”

He pointed at the sky. “There’s no sun,” he noted.

Taika looked up. The “sky” was its typical daytime blue, as she expected. However, her Maestro was absolutely right. No matter where she looked, she couldn’t find the shining day star at all.

“Where is it?” Her head whipped to and fro as she desperately tried to locate the missing fireball.

“Maybe it’s artificial,” Shouri posited. “Apparently on Luna, they experience the same phenomenon – an artificial sky that gives them a semblance of day and night along with the right light to cover their agricultural and nutritional needs,” he guessed. He wasn’t the most well-studied on how Luna worked, but it was the best he could come up with.

“Yeah.” Taika easily agreed with him.

That little observation out of the way, the pair walked into the garden, finding a bench to sit down at under one of the trees. A gentle breeze shuffled the leaves in the tree above them, adding a soothing white noise to the backdrop.

Taika fiddled with her jacket zipper before finally going for it. She swayed and allowed herself to fall onto Shouri’s lap. Her heart hammered in her chest as she lay there. Finally, she got what she wanted as he began to stroke her hair.

After the stress of the past couple of weeks, she could enjoy some alone time with her beloved Maestro. She knew she had to share with Pacifica and Rebecca, but she didn’t mind.

He tapped her head. She turned to look up at him. He held her head in place and locked lips with her. The two stared at one another as Shouri backed off slightly.

“Why?” she asked, covering her mouth to hide the big pleased grin on her face.

“I like kissing you,” he replied with a coy smirk.

“Carry on,” she giggled as he drew close once more.

----------------------------------------

Rebecca’s movie had ended and she was on the prowl for some new programming to distract her until dinner time. Her ears flicked as the door opened – it was Shouri and Taika, back from their walk.

Taika fluttered to their big, shared bed and threw herself face-first into it. The distinct sound of her giggling earned a small smile from Rebecca. She snuck her gaze briefly to Shouri, who closed the paper doors around the bed. He flicked his shoes off, allowing them to join Rebecca’s in a little pile.

“Hey bossman,” Rebecca greeted him. He motioned for silence, placing a finger across his lips. She cocked a brow as he stood in front of her, blocking her view of the television.

Before she could voice a complaint, her eyes widened as he leaned forward, took hold of her chin, and kissed her. They separated after a moment, but when Rebecca’s brain realized what just happened, she dragged him back down for another round or two.

“I missed the hell out of you,” she admitted.

“Me too,” Shouri whispered back.

She tugged him closer, enveloping him in a tight hug as he fell on top of her. “Don’t leave me again,” she trembled, fighting the tears.

“Never again,” he assured her, gently scratching the back of her ear with his thumb. She held him tightly finally letting her tears spill.

After she got her fill of hugging (and crying), Rebecca released her captive. Shouri rummaged around the bag and pulled out his swimwear.

“Pacifica is in there,” Rebecca warned as he approached the bathroom door.

“Oh, I know,” he said with a wink, twirling his swim trunks on a finger.

----------------------------------------

“This is the life,” Pacifica sighed, relaxing in the warm waters of the hot tub. After the last couple of weeks, she earned this. She was so relaxed in fact, that she didn’t even register her Maestro slipping into the bath right next to her.

Shouri sat politely for about five minutes before he spoke up. “Having fun?” he asked.

“Yeahhh…”

Finally, it clicked and she jumped, splashing about as she sat up in the tub. Before she realized what was happening, she found herself pinned to the tub wall. She stared into her Maestro’s eyes; her face flushed as her heart hammered in anticipation.

They spoke not with words, but body language, he eyed her lips, moistening his own. With a short, quick nod from the otter girl, he bridged the gap between them. As they broke apart, she wrapped herself around him.

“More,” she demanded.

“As you wish,” he chuckled.

After getting her fill, Pacifica and Shouri relaxed in the warm waters of the hot tub. “What inspired that session?” asked the otter, leaning on her beloved Maestro.

“He said I’m not greedy enough with you all,” Shouri replied.

“You’re taking advice from the guy who had thousands of wives?” Pacifica said with a laugh.

“Three is a modest number, right?”

“I guess,” the otter tittered.