[[ I do NOT own the art or music. Please enjoy this chapter - L RANDY ]]

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(Y/N) had woken up during the night, being in a new place, she found it hard to go back to sleep.

She sat up in the unfamiliar bed and glanced around the darkness of the room.

I wonder if everyone is asleep. She thought to herself as she slipped out of bed.

Once (Y/N) felt awake enough, she pulled her sandals on and padded her way to the door. As she twisted the knob, she remembered Kazumi had told her not to leave the room. She did not want to upset him, so she gave up on the idea to check on the guys.

She exhaled and turned to examine her room again.

(Y/N) had already decided she could not sleep, so she ignored the bed, all that was left to explore was the balcony.

She opened the doors to the outside and stepped out into the warm night. Bizia's climate was near tropical, the air was humid and thick.

Ivo, of course, had made sure to get (Y/N) clothes for all different weather sorts.

She stood in bright orange trouser shorts and a thin, billowy white short-sleeved button-up.

As she looked over the sleeping city of her enemies, she wondered why they were enemies.

Bizia wants the downfall of the royal family of Taycia... though, I cannot blame them. But do they want our land and power, or do they want to fix the mistakes the Balosar family has made?

(Y/N) leaned against the warm metal railing.

I truly am a selfish girl... I abandoned my responsibilities as the princess. I escaped my fate but my people, are still in the hands of my parents. Who will be there for them if not me?

(Y/N) looked down, gazing at the darkened cobblestone walkways. Everything was quiet and calm, she thought surely no one of importance would be out at this time of night, so she felt safe exposing herself on the balcony.

(Y/N) tapped the toe of her sandal on the wooden planks below her, ready to turn back inside.

Ting-Tink!

(Y/N)'s head snapped up, looking around her in all directions.

That bell! The same sound from the festival!

"Long time, (Y/N)."

A familiar voice sounded from behind the girl, making her whip around. She came face to face with a kitsune mask, his figure shrouded in black clothes.

The mask was designed with red circles, decreasing in size from below the ears down to between the eyes. Circles were painted on each corner of its mouth, and the middle of the lips. A circle below the eyes and on the outer corner of each eye. The tip of the mask's ears was red as well, the rest of a pure white. Two golden bells hung from either side of the mask, tied on the red rope that held the mask to the face.

"Momo..." Her eyes widen as she whispered.

"The one and only." Mamoru stood straighter and motioned his arms as if he were presenting himself.

(Y/N)'s blood chilled as she tried to comprehend her childhood friend standing on her balcony in a foreign land. But her mind was soon taken over with horror.

Is he here to take me back?

"Wha-what are you doing here?" (Y/N) stuttered out,

She attempted to back away from the fox, but the railing prevented her from going further than a step.

Mamoru quickly closed the gap.

"Oh, a four-eyed troll sent me to find you." He explained, shoving his hands into his hooded cloak pockets.

"Silas..."

"Did the four eyes part or the troll part give it away?" Mamoru teased.

(Y/N) looked over his shoulder, to the bedroom door. She knew she could not outrun a fox spirit, but she was very tempted to try.

I never thought in a million years I would have the urge to run from Momo.

"Don't think of running from me, (Y/N)." Mamoru shot his hands out, grabbing the railing, trapping her in.

"That would hurt my feelings, and if I caught... when I caught you, I don't know what I would do." His mask brushed against her cheek.

"M-Momo, please don't take me away." She begged.

"Take you away?" He echoed in thought. "From your little pirate friends?" (Y/N)'s heart dropped.

"You know about them?" She quickly asked.

Mamoru scoffed.

"I do," Mamoru said proudly. "I found you in Ekapan and spotted you at the festival with those four."

(Y/N)'s cheeks reddened.

I am a young woman traveling with pirates, I can only imagine what he might think.

"They are nice people." (Y/N) defended.

"I believe you." Mamoru released the railing and stood.

"If they were bad people you wouldn't have been smiling like you were, that is the only reason I didn't interfere." He confessed, turning to look out over the town.

(Y/N)'s heart was beating so fast she felt like she could pass out.

"So, if you aren't here to take me back to Taycia, what are you here for?" She questioned.

He looked back to her over his shoulder, his fire-like eyes glowing through the eyeholes of his mask.

"I was just requested to find you and report it to Silas, nothing more." He began. "But of course, I had to see my dearest friend."

"How did you find me?" She curiously looked over his mask.

He held up his wrist proudly, displaying a red hair ribbon tied around his wrist.

"I sniffed you out!"

She could tell he was making a big, satisfied grin under the mask. (Y/N) recognized the ribbon all too well, and a tide of melancholy washed over her.

(Y/N) finally smiled, pushing out the thought and shoving down the bizarre situation.

"Well, I am happy you did!" She beamed. "I was worried at first, but it certainly is great to see you."

Mamoru's heart thundered in his chest.

That smile, oh gods that smile, just for me.

"You changed your hair," Mamoru stated out of the blue, reaching out to touch the ends of her dark brown hair.

(Y/N) instantly felt guilty, Mamoru was the first she knew to see what she had done to her royal hair. Her cheeks reddened.

"Yeah," She chuckled, touching the ends herself. "Trying to look inconspicuous with hair eight feet long was pretty challenging."

"I like it," Mamoru eventually said causing her heart to skip a beat.

"T-thank you, Momo." She said.

The fox nodded in response, and it was uneasily silent for a few moments apart from the wind tiptoeing past the two.

"I also should let you that I will be accompanying you for the rest of your little excursion." Mamoru finally spoke as he turned back to her fully. (Y/N)'s smile faltered by a fraction.

"What do you mean?" She giggled.

"Well, surely I cannot leave the princess in the hands of dirty demon pirates," Mamoru said very matter of fact.

"I don't think they take well to a sudden and new crew member." (Y/N) laughed nervously, thinking about her first meeting with the pirates. Mamoru stifled a laugh himself.

"I don't plan on being a crew member," Mamoru stated. "Or even on the ship at all."

"Then... how?" She asked.

"I will follow your scent on land, I may be a few hours behind you, at most half a day, but I am fast. When you are docked, I will follow you closely but at a distance, so your little friends aren't threatened." He explained.

(Y/N) thought for a moment, leaning herself back against the railing, but she eventually nodded in acceptance.

"Does Silas know where I am?" She finally asked the hanging question.

Mamoru was silent for a few seconds.

"I wrote to him in Ekapan, but I haven't told him you were in an enemy kingdom." He said, coming to lean beside her.

"Is he upset?" She softly questioned.

"What do you think?" Mamoru breathed out.

"I was hoping he would move on with his life, finally rank up from being my babysitter." She confessed hoping it was the truth.

"You are his life, (Y/N)," Mamoru stated blatantly, and her heart squeezed in her chest.

Mamoru hated to admit that aloud, but even he could recognize Silas's situation.

How could I be so stupid and selfish? Silas has been with me since I was born. His whole life revolved around me, and I did not think twice about uprooting his world.

It was a reality that (Y/N) was doing her best to ignore since she climbed down her balcony, she had to fight back tears.

Before one could fall, she felt a sharp pain in the middle of her forehead. She immediately looked up to see the kitsune mask looking down at her, she realized Mamoru had flicked her.

It was his usual go-to when she said or did something stupid, or just to get her attention when her mind was lost in something else.

"Don't make such an ugly face, you look like an ogre when you think too hard about something." He huffed.

(Y/N) rubbed her forehead and softly laughed.

"Ugly?" She quizzed with a small smile.

"Definitely."

(Y/N) only laughed again, looking down to the tips of her toes; thankful Mamoru was trying to take her mind off of Silas.

The jingle of bells made her look back up to Mamoru, and her entire mind went blank for a moment. He had taken off his mask, and his beautiful face was uncovered.

His milky skin looked flawless under the moonlight, and his sharp eyes stared down at her with an orangish-red radiance. His red hair came down, shading over his eyes by a little.

What he did next sent her heart into a craze. His soft, pink lips planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, right where he had flicked her.

She was frozen in place, and her eyes were wide open, but the longer his lips pressed against her skin, the calmer she became.

He finally pulled away.

"I have missed you so much, my flower." He whispered against her skin.

His nickname for her came from childhood teasing. He would say because she was a princess, she was as delicate as a flower and could not handle 'rough' things as he could.

"I missed you too, Momo." She uttered, gripping the cloth of his hooded cloak.

The duo stood still relishing the reunion for a few moments, neither saying a word.

It was Mamoru who broke the contact first, stepping back as and turned away from her.

"Well, if I stay any longer, I think I might eat you up." He smirked to himself as he jumped onto the railings as if it were nothing.

The way he balanced reminded (Y/N) of a cat, like the ones that climbed the palace walls.

"What?" She stepped towards the fox-spirit.

"And remember, I will be watching you from now on."

He tied his mask back on over his face and disappeared in what seemed like thin air; however, it was just his speed.

She released a dazed sigh.

I hope to see you again soon, Momo.

Mamoru could only make it to the roof of the Inn before he had to stop to take a breath. His breathing was erratic and heavy. Mamoru clutched his black shirt over his heart, the thundering in his chest was deafening to his sensitive ears.

My flower, my princess, why do you bring out my beast? Your smell is so intoxicating, I can barely keep my senses in check. It was so much easier when I was far away from you, but now I know I can never leave you again. I hate that you are with other men, I hate that I cannot be by your side every second, I hate it! But I will gratefully take the pain just for you to smile at me, ten times over, just keep smiling at me and I will always be with you.