The rest of the time at the ocean shore went well; despite the teasing from Ryujin, everything fell into a pattern-- we even stayed for a few more days!

The mornings began with breakfast, all of us crowding in the kitchens to sip at tea and help where we could with Fauna and Gaelan cooking together in companionable silence. Moto and Ryujin tended to play Chess, along with other games that I had created using my earth manipulation. I was excited, Ryujin had gathered copper for me, and so I had created mixing bowls, a copper pan, along with measuring scoops and spoons, they were not exactly refined. More primative looking, but-- they did the trick!

"Luxury at it's finest I see little fox." The Dragon said looking over my wares. "How interesting."

"In my old world, culinary teachings were rampant, many cuisines and foods scattered all over the world. But we advanced in cooking in my country." I recalled shows like Iron Chef and the baking shows, "so much, so we enjoyed watching cooking competitions."

I spent my time gathering supplies that were only found in the sea. We had enough salt to sink a ship, or put merchants out of business inland for a while, plenty of seafood suspended in time in the Black Void.

I had also acquired what I called Sea Chickens-- they were dumb as a bag of rocks, flew for short hops, and made their nests on the rocky outcrops of the cliffs along the sea. How did such idiotic birds survive on the craggy landscape?

They did not fall like dropping, they fell as if they were a feather. These birds came in multicolored pastel and white. Their eggs were similar enough to a chicken that it was of course what I named it. Their actual name was an Iksook. I called them Sookies. Friendly however, they came up to anyone that gave them food... grubs, worms and other small rodents were favorites, but they also ate grass and grain.

"Moto." I said one day looking at them. "I want ten of those alive."

He frowned, "alive? They are far tastier--"

"Not to eat silly for eggs!" I paused, "have you never seen a chicken coop?"

"We have eggs from wild birds, we haven't tamed them." He tilted his head, "I suppose they are rather friendly things. Idiotic of course."

"I make a point of not eating a meal that can talk back to me."

"Haha! Then you are missing out on some delicacies." I didn't even want to ask for further explanation.

These small birds were very much like quail with little feathers sticking out the top of their heads. Short wings flapped useless when they moved on their teeny legs. But stuffed with greens and roasted in rendered fat to make the skin crispy. Yum!!!

Nori was baked and made adequately after much fooling around with the process. Utilizing tools I had made rather than the manipulation skill, I managed to carve a few bowls out with Moto's help to use my claws and rubbing the piece down with the fine sand off the beach and a cloth. I was particularly proud of one I carved out of the center of a felled log. Maple wood polished to a fine finish and sealed with a type of seed oil Ryujin had lying around. It was similar to linseed, which was best for preserving wood to be food safe.

I thank the Gods my previous life's parent had been a chef. An abusive asshole, but a chef. Even the food I had eaten out of the garbage was tasty. And on the rare occasion for events that I got to join for meals, it was divine. I tried to think about my mother, my dad had apparently been in the culinary profession, and that was how he had met my mother. She had fallen for him hard, but he was a playboy and a sadist.

She had escaped with me when I was merely two, and had died when I was eight.

I came back to the present, Ryujin and I found ourselves to be quite funny teasing Moto. The Dragon loved the parade around in their female form and lay across me, garnering a flustered fox and annoyed glances. "Poor Moto." Ryujin said, "I think I'll just keep Taka here I'm no longer bored! Right Taka!"

"Hmmmmm, maybe." I said with a laugh.

Moto though bristled, had a crinkle of a smile at his eyes. "You're going to get your Dragon stench on my vixen. Get off!" His tone did not hold as much malice.

"I think I smell nice! Anyone who doesn't like the smell of the ocean just has a broken nose!"

I laughed at them butting heads left and right after drinking, as we all congregated in the main room while Gaelan and Fauna read to each other from books of Feyan poetry, and Freya embroidered what looked to be pillows with deft fingers.

But the real fun began when Moto decided it was time to teach me how to fight. "No student of mine is going to be powerless." He had said, waking me up bright-- too bright-- and early.

We began each day with sprints across the sand and mountainside, darting between crevices and cliffs in fox form. I was only allowed to hunt and eat what I could catch-- which sometimes was only a rabbit or a small bird who had gotten too close to the ground.

"You're thinking like an animal, not a kitsune." Moto sighed in human form, laying across a branch above me. "Think like a kitsune!"

I was roughly the size of a large doe, tail swishing haphazardly as I balanced myself on a fallen log. [[Moto you're no fun I don't understand what that means!]] I shot a small fireball at him, which he waved away with his hand.

"How cute."

I sighed and tried to move forward to attack, springing from bunched limbs, but he was gone in a flash. [[that's cheating!]] I said, [[you can use magic!]]

"Poor little vixen," he said behind me, giving the end of my tail a gentle brush of his hand, eliciting a squeal of outrage. "So pretty." He said with a grin. Flames exploded about me, and I glared at him, alright time to get serious. A response of claws extending and fangs met me. "Good little fox, come and dance."

I was in human form with a leap, claws slashing and clanking off of my opponents as we leaped from tree to tree. Landing away from him, I tried to catch my breath, "will you stop crouching tiger hidden dragon'ing all over the place!"

"Wait, what?" Confusion at first, but then he was too busy defending.

Gaelan and the others sat on a blanket below, watching. The Sentinal called up, "watch your blind spots, Lady Taka."

Before I knew what that meant, I was gripped in a tight embrace and a laugh; plummeting down into the river with a splash.

Coughing, I floundered out of the water in fox form and shook myself. "I just dried my tail!" I cried in feminine outrage.

"Awe, I'm sorry little one." Moto was already dry, and quickly wind dried me as well, "you fight with instinct. However, your perception is horrible."

I grumbled, "I'm not fifteen hundred years old, ya geezer."

"I heard that."

"I KNOW." I said.

"Hand to hand is not your suit. So let us focus on magic. Gaelan." He waved and had the Sentinal come forward. The warrior produced short curved blades, "these are for fighting long-distance despite how they look. Watch." With a fling, the weapon flew several feet away and swung back to him.

"A bladed boomerang." I said with a straight face.

Both males looked at me, confused.

"N-nothing, the one in our world is dull."

Gaelan glanced at his own weapon, "how does it work then?"

"Oh trust me, works fine on kangaroos, and those things are mean."

They both looked at the weapon again, seeming to imagine it working bluntly. "I-I don't... Moto said.

Gaelan nodded, “Neither do I.”

Sighing, I shook my head, "animals in our world are weaker than here, remember?"

A collective from both men still looking skeptical, "oh."

Gaelan stood before me and waved for me to come closer. "Power is what functions in this world. It is what makes up everything around us down to the very fabric of our beings." So here, it was known as our fabric rather than atoms. I noted this for the future. "We are woven by the Creator and unwoven by Death."

I nodded, making sure I paid attention.

"There are some who have skill in multitudes of magic. However, that is rare. Motoyuki is skilled in illusion, fire, wind, and combat magic."

"I can do some earth magic for the basics." The fox added.

"We shall see what your aptitude is." Gaelan pointed to a circle he had dug in the ground and laid with what looked like pebbles. Walking, he said to them with an air of ease. "These are orbs; each type is different in what it's catalyst is.." He explained.

Stepping in the center, I was facing Fauna and Freya, who watched excitedly. "Papa did this with us when we were young!" Freya said with glee.

Fauna nodded, [[yes it was fun Lady Taka!]]

Ryujin had joined us and was sitting in the shade with an air of boredom. "Do we get to see what the little fox can do today?"

"Yes, and you are not to goad her." Moto said firmly. "She shall be on edge enough."

"I-I will?" I asked.

Nodding, he stepped forward and adjusted my hair, brushed a leaf away from my shoulder, "yes, you will. Kitsune are tied to the surrounding Power; when it amplifies, we tend to become a tad wild, even Zenko are made this way." A grin.

Huffing, I exhaled, "well, might as well get it over with."

"Alright, Lady Taka, hear my voice. Close your eyes, and I shall guide you. Moto, Ryujin" the males flanked me; I could feel the buffering of magic around me as they made a bubble surrounding the circle.

"It is just a precaution, little vixen no need to fear," Moto soothed.

Nodding, I did as I asked and listened to the voice.

[[I want you to feel the current within you. Listen to the leaves on the breeze; it is all tied to you, the roots at your feet, and the sky at your fingertips. The flames within your tail.]] Gaelan's voice was otherworldly, a multi-ply of Power that throbbed in my skull with compelling demand.

My fur bristled, and I could feel something inside rattling like a beast in a cage. It was unsettling, and I flinched at the sensation.

[[Do not yield!]] The command snapped across my senses. [[ Focus on where it is. Are you inhabited in the earth...in the sky...in the water, little fox? Where is it you call home?]]

I smelled the blossoms within the earth peeking up to greet me, the song of birds within the sky I wanted as my own. I remembered The Voice and Inari, I was promised a life without limit, and with that, I would forge a path of my own choosing for happiness.

With a boom, I could feel something take over, and my world went blank as I was tucked away in the back of my own mind to watch my body move of its own accord.

It was as if something else had taken over; confidence of fortitude and long life flooded through my limbs as they took on an eerie glow, golden light snapping off my eyes as I blinked. "It is where I wish. There shall be no barriers to me in this life."

I could almost sense Inari's glee. Well done my kit. You are magnificent. I preened inwardly at the voice of my savior, and sent a silent internal thank you.

The onlookers were gaping at me, such silly creatures. I pondered what I was doing as I waved a hand and broke the bubble above me.

"Ryujin, no!" The Dragon, out of fascination, stepped forward and reached a hand out. The male Kitsune grabbed them and blocked an explosion of air that blasted both into a tree trunk.

"Sorry, she just looks so..." a pause to rubs head, "It's like meeting you all over again for the first time."

The Kitsune grunted and shoved the Dragon off, "you of all creatures know females are more dangerous."

My tail swayed behind me like a serpent. I felt my fur fluff in pride. "A wise fox you are."

"What's wrong with Lady Taka?" The elf girl asked; she had a sibling, it seemed; they had the same colored aura about each other, the half breed Fey and Nisse standing guard in front.

The male fox coughed, got up, and walked back over to me. "She's just a bit power-drunk, this is the fox." He waved at Gaelan to stand down.

The Sentinal was confused, but calm, "the fox? Then where is Taka?"

"She is in there. Just hidden, it is a defensive tactic when under stress or swamped with too much power at once." The male Kitsune explained.

The Dragon grumbled, "ya and it is horrible to fight off one of these things even one so young as her, so let's not make it angry."

I bristled; why is this male coming so close? I tilted my head perplexed. I decided to amuse myself. "Who are you to approach me, field fox?" I snapped.

His own fur bristled, ears flattened back as we circled each other. "Takara Tsukamoto, I know you're still in there." The Kitsune's voice vibrated with flame and air. "Now are you going to come to me, or do I have to get you myself?"

I blinked, Takara... Was that my name? It sounded familiar... He registered the flicker of recognition. The Kitsune stepped forward despite my rebuffs slamming into him. It was like trying to move a brick wall. I faltered as warm hands dove into my hair and anchored me to him, "See? We are a good match." He muttered to me in a low tone that ricocheted inside my head as he encircled us both in a typhoon of wind and branches that snapped off of trees. "And here I thought you'd need to be protected in everything." There was marvel in his gaze, "you are sublimly terrifying."

I could hear The Dragon speak up, "is that a good thing in fox language? Technically speaking it is usually bad."

"Shut it Ryujin." The fox said, keeping their gaze on me with a small smile. "Just keep your eyes on me little vixen."

I finally broke through and found the fox lying inside my head, it was a big empty space, and she flicked her tail haphazardly at me. "Hello." She said. This version of myself was a long legged vixen. Mahogany fur tipped in stardust, long graceful muzzel pointed at me as her gaze glowed with power.

"Don't be mean to them." I said.

"After what he just called us?" I watched as the fox bristled for a moment but settled down. Little Vixen...this terminology meant something I was not aware of yet. And I could feel my eyes half close in what felt like calming bliss. Her ears went back and her tail fluffed out and swayed from side to side quick almost in a wag as she glanced out our vision at Moto's soft expression. "My such sweet talker. You should head back."

"Wait, why are we separate?"

"You are not originally of this world, it will take time for us to integrate." She said without worry. "Go on now."

I felt the power drain out of me as Gaelan kicked the stones away with me preoccupied. Dropping into Moto's arms with a deep breath leaving my lungs, I trembled, "I'm sorry!"

"It is alright; we figured it would happen, just not so...much..." Moto laughed against my hair.

"We are NEVER doing that again!" Ryujin said firmly, rubbing his neck. "You foxes are too wild. And I had my hands plenty full of Moto and his shenanigans in his first hundred years!" The affronted Dragon complained the entire way home as we walked back.

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

"What was that?" I asked everyone sitting at the hearth with tea.

Gaelan spoke up. First, this was the most I had heard him talk. "It is a reaction to the surging of one's own power."

"So what I'm overpowered?" Ugh, great typical O. P Trope.

Everyone nodded with a unified, "YES."

"Come on, it can't be that bad."

Freya leaned forward, "Lady Taka, our leaders in the Elven community have not been so potent; you "could even face off with Ryujin!"

"Oh. Ho no, she can not." Ryujin said with a look of disdain.

"See that's not ba-"

"She's could best me. I am a several millennium, and a less than hundred-year-old fox can best me. ME." He grumbled into his cup. "Ugh...Blessed Kitsune.." He spat affectionately.

I nearly spat my drink across the hearth. "WHA?"

Motoyuki was chuckling despite himself. "What a blessing from the Goddess. However, this must not ever leave this room. Are we understood?"

"You won't catch me saying anything." Ryujin nodded, "last thing we need is a fox-like her going berserker. The good thing is your Power is not based on destruction, UNLIKE SOME KITSUNE I KNOW."

Moto had the sense to look sheepishly away.

"T-then what is it based in." I asked with a frown.

[[Life.]] Fauna said firmly. I blinked and looked at her, [[it is based in life Lady Taka.]] She reiterated.

"I-I don't want it!" I said, shaking my head, "No, no, NO!" Crossing my arms over my chest, "take it back, please!" I whimpered into my arms. I could hear a whisper of The Voice again inside my head. Consider it the first of many a gift.

Some gift. At least I wasn't the harbinger of destruction, but life? What did that mean...

Moto thought about it, "it explains why materialization magic came naturally to you."

I had an inkling. I would find out more down the road and sigh, "so now what?"

Gaelan thought for a moment, "we focus on illusion, earth, and the other forms of magic. Since you seem to possess a talent--"

"DO NOT tell me I can do all." I said with a hand up.

Gaelan paused. And fidgeted with his pipe.

"What?" I snapped.

"You said not to tell you." He said plain. "But you will not be as proficient in them say as a master would be."

So a Jack of all trades Master of none. Hm. I could deal with that.

Moto broke the session up by scooping my huddled form into his arms and carrying me off, "we shall discuss training tomorrow; we must head home either way. Ryujin, you are always welcome to visit the shrine."

The Dragon bowed as he sat and smiled, "I believe I shall do that."

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

Once upstairs, I was plopped onto the futon and pillows, "what is it?" Moto asked, falling next to me, propping himself up, and handing me a cup and the sake container. "Chilled, you're favorite. Now, talk to me."

It took a bit for me to feel like I could speak. Finally, "it scared me."

"Mmhm." He nodded and poured me a cup, and ruffled my hair back as he drank from his own.

"I wasn't even in control for a moment...I met my inner fox who is a snob. And on top of all of that, I hurt you and Ryujin..." I burrowed my head into my knees with my arms.

A chuckle and a warm hand in my hair, "we are unharmed. Though you do pack quite a punch." He was rubbing his shoulder with a mocking grimace. "She is quite interesting, I take it your souls have not integrated."

"Right, reincarnation." I remembered.

"Yes, it happens slowly with time as you utilize your power and come to accept your new nature." He explained.

"But what if I never accept it?" I sputtered.

A pause, "I doubt that would happen, I believe that you relive the past more so than most, but there is nothing that time cannot heal." He changed the subject. "But why is it you are so frightened by the idea that your power is based in Life's essence?"

I fiddled with the mat beneath my feet. "I don't want to have power over someone else's life or their death Moto. I know what that is like. And I don't want it."

A warm smile, and he leaned back on his elbow to get comfortable. "There is going to be a time Taka, when you will need to fight for your life. Whether you are threatened, or not. With that man attacking Fauna-- were you afraid of taking his life?"

My claws dug into the ground momentarily as rage consumed me. "N-no but after--"

"So you felt regret, all creatures who live may at some point feel such a thing. However, that individual made the choice to cross a Kitsune. And not all are as forgiving as some. And some things cannot be forgiven." Moto's tone was solemn.

I could not tell him that I feared the monster that was the Kitsune lurking underneath, she was wild, not at all like a heavenly being that I had thought up of. But I didn't have to explain.

"We all have a side of ourselves that we are not fond of, or that we fear will cause turmoil. Not all of us bask in the capability to kill. However, to deny that we have such a power is dangerous in itself."

"I wish that I wouldn't have to."

A nod, "as do many."

"You too?"

A grimace and a sigh, one that came from the depths of a very dark place. "Don't worry. You will learn constraint, but realize, as I said, we are instinctive creatures. It is perfectly natural for you to be wary of a male kitsune on an instinctive level." A smoldering look, "especially one such as myself."

I shoved at him, "shut up! Just because you're slightly attracti--"

"Slightly?" leaning close, he tapped the end of my nose with a fingertip. "You wound me!"

"Fine, more than slightly, she said you were a sweet talker." I muttered. Pausing, I exhaled and felt confusion mar my forehead. "Moto-- why are you so patient with me? Surely there is plenty of other Kitsune you could have built a life with."

He watched me for a moment swishing the sake in his cup. "You're the first person to like me without judging me."

"Why would I do that?"

"I am a field fox, a wild fox with no holds." He paused, "I am also considered a pity blessing."

I frowned, "I don't understand..."

Leaning on his hand he glanced me over. "Do you want to hear part of my tale then?"

Blinking, I tilted my head. "Only if you wish to tell it."

A sigh, "come now, story time." He opened his arms and beckoned.

I flopped into his embrace with my blanket and tilted my head back against his shoulder as we both drank sake.

"As for not understanding a pity blessing... You wouldn't, the Goddess allowed me to be reborn as a Kitsune, just like you; however, I am from this world originally. But other Kitsune feel the gift is wasted on me."

"I see." Rude much? I vowed if I ever heard anyone say that around me, I would scorch them with foxfire.

He chuckled sensing my mood. "It does not bother me, temper little fox. Or I won't be able to continue the story," he thought back to where he had been, "but as I said before I was not bound to anything or anyone." Another drink and pause, "in my past life, I was a Fey." I had a sneaking suspicion that this was one of the few times he admitted to such a thing.

I got to see a little of the puzzle that was Moto fall into place. "You said that your people paired with one person for life?"

"Yes, the Fey are very loyal. But, in the fox clan things are a bit different, but loyalty is across the entirety of both creatures..." A grimace, did that instinctive loyalty and desire to protect come at a high cost?

"Moto?" I looked at him; he had tugged me closer and rested his chin on my shoulder, ears flattened and eyes sad. I fluffed my tail against his face in a show of comfort.

"My sister was wonderful. You remind me of her in some ways, that curious expression you always have at discovering something new. A thousand years, we walked together in our homeland."

"What is the Fey country like?" I asked.

A slight smile, "Plains mostly, it stops up against a high mountainous forest, it is frigid there most of the year, except in summer. In summer, it is beautiful. With wide stretches of golden fields, the trees have grown massive, so much that they block out the sun and dampen the ground with the shade. Pools of crystal water from the mountains can be found throughout the land, and it bears the most beautiful flowers in winter. But our lives are not exactly peaceful. War is always on the Fey's doorstep."

Curiosity was killing me. "Why?"

A chuckle, "such a kit. Humans mostly, our people though strong, have one weakness, our women and children. The women are very docile, sweet creatures, and they are always constantly guarded."

I had a horrible feeling, "Moto, what happened to your sister."

A spasm of his arm clenching tighter, and he exhaled sharply, "they tortured her before anyone could get through the line of human mages and slavers. She had refused to break and yield. They broke her by shackling her in an iron much like what they put on Gaelan. For Fey women, it is ten times harder to experience pain than their counterparts. They are just too sensitive to it. A Fey woman also feels the pain of others if too close, they had several other women with them."

I blanched; the thought of a small Fey woman hanging from burning chains made my heart wrench.

"She then, unable to take it, locked herself away from everyone." A pause, "I tried everything to bring her out, but she was too frightened. And the more we visited, the more she seemed to withdraw into herself." A sigh, "To this day, I believe she still lives at our parent's home in that awful room, afraid to come out," a deep breath, starting to get into the thick of it. "I went mad with grief, she was my baby sister. Born several hundred years before me, but to us we were cradle mates. She and I had learned how to ride together, to read, to play tag on the winter ice and what to harvest from our mother. I could not face life without her happiness. And, so I hunted any slaver down that I could, torturing them with every magical gift I had before finally giving them a suffering death of feeling their life drain out of them. But the Fey are not to extract revenge-- our Gods do not look on it kindly, and so I was cursed."

Patiently, I waited for him to continue.

"I am known as the Wind of Death." He muttered into my hair, a look of disdain on his face. "I excelled in wind magic so well that I could hide in a mere instant and slide through any barriers that were in my path. And I used those gifts brutally without reservation. I died cursing the gods and my life, but when realizing that my sister was about to die of her sorrow, I did the unthinkable...I altered her memories to the extent that she at least had a little peace. And took them for to be destroyed when I would take my own life."

I was silent as I waited for him to continue.

"It is essence magic. And it is forbidden across all races. At least tampering with another's mind is. It is seen as an unforgivably breach of trust. Especially for siblings." A sigh, "I was executed upon the mountains of my homeland left to die of starvation and dehydration as per our laws. Our elders attempted to appease the council and not even the gods had done more than curse me with unhappiness, however...it was not possible and I had done what I did full knowing the consequences."

"...How long did it take for you to die?" I quietly asked.

He seemed to reflect, a stillness coming over the fox. "Three years. They isolate you on the mountain of Kormun. In a small crevice where no one shall find you. You are buried beneath magical barriers to keep others from ever searching. But I had already accepted my fate. During that time I was discovered by a passing Kitsune. Inari was informed of me, and she came to speak to me over the last couple years of my life. It was she who set me free."

I closed my eyes feeling tears well up.

I digested this information. "...I can't say I wouldn't have done the same." I sighed, "if anyone hurt you in front of me I might just rip their spinal cord out and beat them with it." Glancing at the ceiling I gathered my thoughts, "I suppose for myself it is hard to be defensive, because I was so used to just taking it-- but if I ever saw someone else be treated how I had been treated I think it would have sent me over the edge. And who doesn't ever want to take the pain of a loved one away." I recalled Mama, sick and dying with a pang in my heart, "it is natural to want to protect those you love. Even at your own expense."

He flinched, frowning at me, confused. "Self preservation is something that is in all creatures. I believe it is because you were not able to exercise it that it is not quite in your nature. But Kitsune defend themselves. And I know you shall be no different."

I then turned the subject back to himself, "did you really expect me to hate you telling me this tale?" He was silent; I inhaled and leaned back against his warmth. "I wish you had been with me back then. Maybe if I had had someone like you, I might have lived a little longer."

I was bound up in a warm hug, crossing his long legs and arms and tails around to keep me hidden from the world's prying eyes. A big ball of fox fur would have been the only thing anyone would see. I almost giggled at the thought but figured it would be better to do so later.

"It's going to be alright," I whispered, the words afraid it would break whatever comfort he was experiencing, wrapping arms about his head and pulling myself up a bit to make it easier to hear my heartbeat thrumming steadily.

"That's what I'm supposed to say," his voice muffled against my throat.

"Too bad."

A long pause, "my birth name was Ilvisar. My sister's name is Illaviryn. We called her Illa, I asked for a new name when Inari reincarnated me as her own."

"Have you ever gone back to see your family?" I asked curious.

"One day I will...but no not yet..." a pause, "And you really don't care?" His tails were swaying now as happiness sank into his gaze.

"Hm, I mean-- I know how dangerous you are..." I paused to think.

He stilled with nerves.

"But you aren't that way with me; so it's not that big of a deal as long as you promise not to bite me like you did Ryu--"

I was silenced with a soft kiss. Blinking rapidly, I tried to compute what was going on as my inner self was flailing wildly and screaming in panic and girly feelings the likes I had never experienced. Sure I had gotten my first kiss from a boy I had liked in middle school in the past. It had been a wet, adorable, and yet a somewhat surreal experience for my young self.

This was far beyond that of a child crush smacking one on you in a playground. But he didn't move further, and the gentle easing of calm swept through me. I was safe here, and if I rebuffed he wouldn't be upset. That I was coming to realize was more valuable than gold.

I had three choices according to the Big Book of Tropes in my head.

A. Girly swoon.

B. Flail and smack the crap out of him like a typical heroine and be ditsy.

C. Tsundere myself to punch him.

B and C were totally not happening..... A was a possibility, but I had never been a girly girl.

I mentally shrugged I hate tropes! and snuggled closer when he kissed my nose and coughed self-consciously. "And here I said I was going to be patient." He looked displeased with himself.

"That is pretty patient." I pointed out, tapping his nose with the tip of my finger. "You told me something important to you, so you deserve a reward!" I planted a smooch on his face despite my embarrassment.

A sly grin as he leaned in closer, "so if I bare all my secrets, what kind of reward will I get?" A long lick across my cheek with a teasing laugh.

Enflamed in embarrassment I flailed. "MOTO, YOU BAD FOX!" I swatted him with a pillow repeatedly. "WE DON'T ACT FRISKY WITH PEOPLE HOME!"

"I WAS ONLY KIDDING!!!" A pause, "oh wait, so if they aren't -- GAH, IM JUST TEASING!"