MOTOYUKI

I had finished getting myself ready for the festival and lounged waiting for the others to finish up when Fauna had sidled up beside me. "Yes, Fauna, dear?"

[[Moto? You really care about Lady Taka, don't you?]]

Nothing escaped this girl, "yes, I do."

[[Why haven't you said anything yet?]] Her head tilted, and adorable robins egg eyes blinking at me were hard to resist.

I pulled my hair up after braiding the sides. And thought about it, "I have considered telling her, but I worry it will be too much; she is wary of affection of any kind."

Fauna nodded.

"But, I am fifteen hundred years old, and through that entire time, I never once found an individual I wanted to spend my eternal time with. Or even really a portion of it with except my family."

She did not pry; for that, I silently thanked her. Fauna was very intelligent when it came to reading cues from people, and she had a sense about her that bordered on Oraclesqe.

"I don't want to frighten her…and honestly, sometimes I wonder if my feelings might change down the line."

Fauna fiddled with her fingers, [[Papa used to tell us that when you have your entire life to live forever, it can be hard to make commitments.]]

"He is right; it is why some foxes are fickle."

[[I don't believe you are like that though.]] She said firmly, [[so don't make her cry.]]

I sighed, "I will endeavor not to," smiling at her as she left, I fell back onto my futon and shut my door with a gust of wind.

How was I going to sort this out? I had only meant to drop by for a meal to fill my stomach. And now, here I was— a wild fox, the Wind of Death sitting like a tame dog on a leash waiting for her to call. I bristled slightly. I was not one who could be held by anything; even the Goddess Inari knew this.

So why…

When she looks at me, why do I feel an overwhelming urge to give her anything she asks for?

I had not even felt this for my sister…Was it because she was weaker? No…no, something inside told me that when pushed, Takara would fight to the death, and given her newfound power as a kitsune, she would be a force of nature only the gods could contend with.

I rubbed my hands on my face; I was like a young warrior again, learning control, and how to perceive my own surroundings. But with her, nothing made sense; she always did the unexpected.

Like accepting a wild field fox into her home…

I thought guilty. Would she had done so if she knew my history…I shook that thought off; Gaelan had expressed what she had said to him about being a Companion Killer. If she could so easily overlook that, indeed, my own tale would not cause a ruffle.

But it could…

I was eventually going to need to find her an instructor— not me by any means— to teach her the fox clan's ways. There were things you needed a female for…, and I certainly wouldn't have the control to explain certain aspects of kitsune relationships without becoming a controlling ass.

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I was well aware of my flaws in that portion of my life. And it took self-control not to prevent her from exploring or keep her from harm's way. But should she call, I knew I would answer no matter the cost.

I groaned as I got up. This was a mess. Kitsune were whirlwinds in romance; they loved hard and fast but never long unless it was a significant connection. Most of our partners died long after our courtships. Fey and Nisse were known to have bonds with Kitsune that were fleeting throughout their lives.

It was not unheard of for a mated pair to form, but there was merely a handful of them in the entire fox clan. Yuna being one of them and her mate Juro had been around since nearly the dawn of age for Kitsune. I sighed; the Creator sure did have a sense of humor, allowing Gods to bring and send people to and from other worlds. Inari had mentioned such a thing. However, it had been in one of our passing talks as I decided whether to be reborn again or not.

In the end, revenge won out.

And I had gladly taken my revenge for a couple hundred years after I was reborn. I felt a feral smile creep across my face. I would never want her to see this… The thought of honey-colored eyes looking fearful…and because of me? I shuddered. No, I couldn't do such a thing…

"Moto!" Her voice drifted through the residence, and I sighed, getting up. Opening the door, I had to pause to stare at her.

She danced her way over in a silken kimono, mahogany hair piled high and drifting with the motion, "what do you think?" She asked, gleeful and shining with happiness. Gaelan was busy helping the girls with their outfits, smiling at their banter.

He would have made any Warrior Trainer proud. I had managed to procure Sentinal armor from one of my connections in the Heavenly Realm. It suited perfectly; my own garb was dark and traditional; I fiddled with the pendant in my inner robe and thought about giving it to her. But no, later. Patience was a virtue I had plenty of. Instead, I leaned down and adjusted her hairpin, allowing locks of silk to skim through my fingers.

What a pretty shade of pink. "Lovely," I said. She was not naive, such a bashful fox. It was something I appreciated about her, and she full well knew what my advances meant. But it was her own response she was unsure of. I pondered what on earth in her past life created so much dread.

Porting us was the fastest way, and once there, I promptly scooped her up. She was startled, and I explained, "till we get you a litter."

"I-I don't need one!" She swatted the top of my head with her fan, "put me down!" Her tone was filled with feminine outrage but tinged in humor.

"You will dirty your kimono. It is longer than the girls'." I said; with a quick order, the gate was opened. I could feel her arms wind a bit tighter as we walked, "If you wanted me to carry you all night, all you had to do was say so."

"As if you could. Whoa!" I quickly lifted her a bit higher.

"You weigh nothing." Although she was obviously embarrassed, I relished in the contact of her arms, having to keep a tight hold about my neck to prevent from falling over as I held part of her intricate kimono off her dust-covered zori.

"M-Moto, people are staring at me!" She hissed in my ear, causing it to twitch.

Fauna and Freya laughed at the sight with glee and nudged Gaelan, who just shook his head.

"Let them look, it's all they can do either way." I gripped onto her a bit tighter as my ears flattened back but managed to stifle a snarl halfway from my chest.

I had to garner a bit of control; she looked perplexed. She had noticed, and I could see her mind trying to calculate what it meant.

She shook off whatever she had thought it was.

Yes, little vixen, I am a jealous man.

In moments she was spellbound by the lights, lanterns, and stalls that encompassed the entire marketplace and street.

"Welcome to your festival, Messenger!" The villagers who were of kitsune blood bowed to us as we entered. "We welcome the Zenko of the mountain!"

I could see every trace of emotion whisk across her golden eyes. The happiness of such a warm welcome and I nearly felt my chest explode when salted tears dropped onto my shoulder.

"Are you happy, Taka?" I asked, nudging her cheek with my forehead in a fox-like bump.

"Y-Yes!" She gasped through her tears, "so happy!"

As the lantern-lit her features up like starlight among the black sky, I realized there was nothing I would not do to keep her this happy.

And so suddenly, as my father had told me long ago, Time does not matter for immortals. We are not bound by its shackles or ideology.

We cannot waste time in our world, nor can we rush it. And given a long life, we have learned to take each day as it comes with new meanings and understandings.

Love is fleeting for the immortal; it is a word that is somewhat intangible. But…with a fellow immortal…with an equal…

Your entire world will change…And watching the lights dance off honey-colored orbs, it struck me…

I think I love you…little vixen…