Sakura didn’t think he would actually do it.

But he did.

She yelped, stunned when her body was suddenly dropped and submerged in tepid water, ripping her violently from the cozy and peaceful slumber she had fallen back into.

“Keep it up and you’ll wake the whole village,” Ren warned merrily, obviously hoping for that outcome, while he sat down behind her, grabbing her head and sinking her matted hair into the pond as he scrubbed at the mud. “Really give them something to talk about. Unless that’s what you want. I can make you scream louder.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” she growled.

“Fine, fine. I won’t. But, you know, this would be a lot easier if you took those filthy clothes off. I’ll take mine off, too, if that makes you feel more comfortable.” The glare she gave him spoke loudly enough, and the man chuckled. “Alright, suit yourself. I don’t mind doing things the hard way. I kinda prefer it that way.”

The demon huffed and pouted, unhappy with the mess she’d made of herself once again, and allowed the man to help her, slapping at his hands while biting back shrieks and giggles when crafty fingers wandered over the more tender areas of her flesh. It was a small price to pay to have the job done quicker, and bed to come sooner.

As Sakura washed the stubborn mud from her legs, she glanced over at the cherry tree from her memories, now nothing more than a crudely cut stump. “I was named after that.” She nodded towards what was left of the once beautiful tree.

“A stump?”

The fox splashed water at the cheeky man. “Fuck you! It was a cherry tree! It died in the drought.”

“Hm.” Ren shrugged before dunking her head again. “Good thing you didn’t take after it.”

When Sakura woke up later that morning, she was alone in the futon. There was a vague recollection of talking to Zero and Ivy as they were leaving before falling asleep again with Ren’s face pushed snuggly into her gut.

He wasn’t there now.

The woman rolled over, the angel’s back facing her as he sat in front of the chest and watched him search through her mother’s dresses. “Not the blue one, please,” she requested softly.

“Not the blue one,” he confirmed, pulling out a light-yellow dress and observing it. “This one shouldn’t struggle so much to contain you.” He looked back at her with a raised brow. “But maybe you should let your hair dry first.”

Sakura got up, the large nightshirt slipping from her right shoulder as she yawned and scratched at the black feather and went outside to sit in the warm sun while brushing her fingers through her hair. She separated it into two sections as Ren sat next to her, doing the same.

“Maybe I should cut it.” She played with the idea but knew that was all it would be.

“You never have. Why start now?”

“It’d be easier to manage. I’ve never seen anyone with hair as long.”

“Zero had longer hair than this.”

That was a surprise to hear, and the demon turned to the angel. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah.” Ren nodded as he concentrated on working through the tangles and knots. “Longest hair I’ve ever seen. It dragged behind him. It probably would have been beautiful if I’d taken the time to wash all the blood and filth out and properly care for it. But fuck that,” he grumbled with a scowl. “It was a complete mess, and like Raz had told me, I wasn’t beholden to The Kingdom and their customs, and neither would Zero be. So, I chopped it all off and trim it up every now and then.”

“You know.” She gave a slight shrug. “I’m not beholden to The Kingdom either. I don’t need to keep my hair long.”

“No, you most definitely are not.” The man grinned while running his fingers through the deep red. “You can do whatever you want with it, but I like it the way it is. It suits you.”

The woman nodded.

She would definitely keep it.

Sakura went back inside to change into the yellow dress once her hair was dry enough. It was sleeveless with a collar and cascaded to her mid-calf. The fabric was much more forgiving, and she didn’t feel so suffocated. There really was no denying that the man was much better at picking dresses than she’d ever be. She walked outside and Ren looked up at her.

“It looks good.”

“Of course it does.” The demon smirked. “It’s on me.”

His lips curved towards the eyes that eagerly roamed over her body. “I can’t argue with that. So, what are you making me to eat? I’m hungry.”

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The fox leaned against the doorway and raised a brow. “I have to feed you now?” she joked.

The man was in no mood for her jests after having not eaten since breakfast the day before thanks to the gluttonous woman. “You fucking better. Your mate demands it, so get your ass into that kitchen and make me something before you force me to punish you.”

“Alright, simmer down, don’t hurt yourself, big boy.” She chuckled at his little tantrum while looking at their soiled clothes on the other end of the veranda. “Will you do the wash?”

“Hell no!” the angel barked, his patience being tested further and failing. “You’re the one who made the mess. I told you last night that you needed to do it and you even agreed to it. There’s no going back on your word now.”

“But you’re better at it than I am. I always tear it up.”

“Don’t be so rough. You don’t always have to go all out on everything.”

The demon sashayed over to the angel, crouching down, and ran two fingers along his jawline as he stared forward, doing his best to resist her temptations. “Please? I’ll do something really nice for you,” her lips purred near his ear. “Nicer than telling you you’re prettier than Ivy even though you’re not.”

He side-eyed her. “And when do I get to collect this really nice reward?”

She smiled, knowing she’d won, and popped back up before moving inside, her skirt and tail swishing side to side with the sway of her hips. “When I’m good and ready. Get the water, please. I’ll bring out the basin and board while you do.”

Ren groaned as he lifted his body, going to the side of the house to grab two buckets, and headed to the stream. When he returned, the basin and board were ready for him. After pouring in the water, he grabbed the clothes and got to cleaning. He started on his pants first, hoping to work through his frustration before getting to Sakura’s father’s shirt.

It wasn’t the dead man’s fault that his daughter was so infuriating.

In some ways, it had been so much easier when she ran from him, forcing him to chase after her. It was constant, her pushing while he pulled. It was predictable.

But now that he had finally caught her, bringing her back to him, he was right back in the spot where they had left off. After years of longing for the woman, he had chosen to ignore how she had tormented him so. Now, not only was she pushing but pulling as well, alternating as she pleased, changing directions and force on a whim. And Ren had no say in any of it. He was completely at her mercy and spinning out of control.

Like a mouse whose tail was caught in a cat’s raised paw.

Raz had once said that no man was brain dead enough to put up with this woman’s shit.

But he was wrong.

So very, very wrong.

Not only did Ren put up with it.

He craved it.

And no matter how long it took or what he had to do; he’d get what he wanted.

He’d get her.

“Where’s Sakura?”

Ren looked up, startled that he’d been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the den’s alpha had shown up and was staring down at him.

Oh yeah.

That’s right.

“She better be getting me food and not fucking around!” the angel yelled, whipping his head towards the house. There was a crash and clatter, the woman’s cursing, and then silence. He turned back to the man, calm and collected. “What can I do for you?”

Yuki’s face was a mixture of confused repulsion as he watched the angel’s hands scrub the black fabric against the washboard in the basin of water. “What are you doing?”

Ren had completely forgotten. He pulled his pants from the water and wrung them out, observing that he hadn’t destroyed them while his mind had wandered off to darker, more sinister places. “The wash. You know what that is, right?”

“I do.”

“Have you ever done it?”

The fox’s appalled expression said it all. “Why would I?”

“That’s right. It’s woman’s work around these parts. If only the woman here would actually do it when she said she would.” Ren sighed, knowing that arguing was futile, and that it probably was best that he do it anyways, least said woman scrub holes into their clothes as she was often apt to do. It really was better this way. He tossed the pants next to him and grabbed Haru’s shirt, feeling that he was in a decent head space to tend to it carefully. He dunked it into the basin and began scrubbing it gently. “Is there something you need, Alpha? Or were you just missing me as much as I was missing you?”

“I need to speak with Sakura.”

“Why?” the woman’s bored voice came from the doorway. The silver fox looked over at the vixen who stood there with two bowls in her hand while the angel continued his task. She stepped down from the veranda, placing down one of them. “Do you want me to exterminate something else?” She went to Ren and held out the offering.

He wrung out the shirt and grabbed the pants, handing both to her before taking the bowl and staring at its contents, put off by the unsettling sight.

“No.” Yuki watched the woman wander to and fro. “There’s no other pests.”

“What the hell is this?” Ren scoffed.

The woman’s tail bristled as she went to hang the laundry. “Food,” she declared in a rush.

“It’s burnt.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers!” she snapped. “Eat!”

The angel took a bite. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the worse thing she’d ever made. “You were screwing around with that katana, weren’t you?”

“I was,” Sakura admitted shamelessly as she grabbed her share and sat next to him on the ground. “So, what brings you here, Yuki?” she asked the alpha as she took a bite. Her nose scrunched at the bitterness, but that didn’t stop her from shoveling more into her mouth. “You come for Ren? He’s ready and willing.”

His focus remained on the woman, ignoring the man as he snorted and coughed some of his food back into his bowl. “I would like to talk with you.”

“Well, you are,” she mumbled with her mouth half full.

Yuki glanced at Ren momentarily, receiving a wink from the dark-haired man. “I’d like to speak with you privately.”

“When?”

“Tonight, if possible.”

She took another bite, mulling it over. “Fine. I’ll meet you tomorrow at the pond in the evening before sunset.”

Yuki’s brow closed in closer to itself. “I said tonight,” his voice was calm but slightly agitated.

“And I won’t be there until tomorrow.” She finished her bowl and stared at Ren; her mouth opened wide expectantly. He glared at her, taking a large bite before spooning a small bit into her mouth. She wasn’t pleased with the pathetic morsel, and plucked the bowl from the angel’s hands, scrambling away and escaping with it, shoveling the remainder of the mediocre meal into her mouth as she headed back inside. “Take it or leave it, Yuki.”

It really wasn’t fair to make Ren eat something so awful after she ate all the food the day before.

She would make something else for him.

And this time she wouldn’t burn it.

Maybe.

“That’s one hell of a woman you picked there, Alpha.” Ren chuckled as he leered after Sakura until she was out of sight before grabbing her shorts and plunging them into the water. He looked back up at Yuki with a wide grin. “Good luck tomorrow. You’re gonna have a great time.”