As she yawned sleepily and slowly opened her eyes, Sakura blinked in surprise when she saw the warm light of the sunrise creeping through her window and bathing her room with an amber glow. Something was missing.

"Where's Tomoe? Why isn't he here yelling at me for sleeping in?"

Rising to her feet and scurrying over to her closet, the redhead hastily switched into her kimono before taking a timid step out of her room. When her teacher did not come barreling down the hallway ready to strangle her, she tiptoed through the eerily quiet shrine, listening closely for any signs of life. Finally picking up two voices, she followed them till they led her to the kitchen. There, Onikiri and Kotetsu sat on the counter, quietly sipping cups of tea and whispering to one another.

"Hey." she called to the two shrine spirits as she sauntered towards them.

"Oh, you're awake, Lady Sakura!" Kotetsu stated, sounding rather surprised. Grabbing a cup and the still warm tea kettle, he held them out to her. "Would you like some?"

Nodding, Sakura gingerly accepted the cup and allowed the little spirit to fill it. After taking a sip and savoring the soothing warmth of the drink sliding down her throat, she asked, "So, where is Tomoe?"

"He stayed up late doing so extra work and has yet to awaken." Onikiri answered.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Mizuki and Nanami?"

"They're asleep as well. Excluding us, you're the first one to awaken." Kotetsu concluded as he refilled his tea cup.

"Is that so?" Sakura said thoughtfully. After a moment's pause, she added. "Onikiri, Kotetsu, do either of you know how to cook?"

The two shrine spirit looked at one another in confusion then at Sakura. "Huh?"

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

When Tomoe blinked himself awake, it took him a moment to comprehend the amount of sunlight flooding into his room before his eyes widened. Grabbing the little wooden clock he kept by his bed, he stared down at it in horror and then sprang to his feet.

"It's already ten o'clock! Nanami and the others are bound to be waking up at any moment and I haven't made their breakfast!" he panicked, sprinting out of his room and down the hall in hopes of being able to hurriedly throw a meal together for the household. Unfortunately, at that moment, Mizuki decided to emerge from his room as well and the two collided in a pile of limbs and grumbling.

"What's all the commotion?" Nanami mumbled sleepily as she entered the hallway, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. When she saw Tomoe and Mizuki sprawled out on the floor a look of surprise and confusion swirled in her eyes. "Tomoe? Wait, if you and Mizuki are here, then who is responsible for that wonderful smell coming from the kitchen?"

For a moment, Tomoe looked just as confused as she did but he quickly understood as the heavenly scent of something cooking entered his nose. Pushing Mizuki off of him, the fox stood up and dusted himself off before trekking down the hall that led to the kitchen. Peeking inside, his jaw early hit the floor when he saw Sakura leaning over a pot, ladling a little soup into a cup and passing it to Kotetsu.

"Well, how does it taste?" she asked, biting her lip.

Kotetsu hummed in approval and handed the cup back to her. "It's very good, Lady Sakura. I'm sure the others will agree."

Sakura sighed in relief and placed the cup in the sink before grabbing several bowls from the cupboard and pouring some soup into each one. After placing the bowls onto a tray Onikiri had fetched for her, the vixen grabbed the tray and prepared to leave the kitchen only to stop in her tracks when she noticed she was being watched.

By this point, Nanami and Mizuki had joined Tomoe in the kitchen doorway and were also watching Sakura with looks of surprise. The redhead squirmed uncomfortably under their gaze, her eyes fixed on the tray in her hands and her ears drooping slightly.

"You made breakfast..." Tomoe finally muttered, still unsure that the scene before him wasn't an illusion.

"Y-Yes. I was the first one awake so I figured that was what I was supposed to do as a familiar. Onikiri and Kotetsu helped though. I'm sorry that it isn't much; my skills are rather limited." Sakura replied bashfully, a rosy pigment dusting her cheeks.

Nanami's lips curved into a broad grin.

"Don't apologize. It looks and smells great! I can't wait to try it!" she said.

Sakura smiled faintly before an awkward silence took over again.

"Um, I need to put these in the dining room so could you scoot over a little bit?" She asked sheepishly.

Realizing what she meant, Nanami hastily pushed the boys out of the way so Sakura could get by. Walking at the pace of a snail to ensure she wouldn't trip, Sakura made her way to the dining room, her arms trembling with each step. Tomoe couldn't help but notice that her posture was much straighter than the day before and her strides were much smaller. Yet, as he watched nervous tail nervously swish back and forth and her shoulders tense as her foot ghosted over a crack in the floor, he couldn't bring himself to smile. In fact, her behavior made him feel...sad. Before he realized it, he was walking towards her and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. He felt her stiffen beneath his touch and his stomach dropped.

"Sakura..."

"Y-Yes?"

"Relax. You're doing great." he purred in a voice so soft and gentle that it surprised everyone, including himself.

Unsure of what else to do, Sakura took a deep breathe and allowed her shoulders to relax. Walking a little faster, she managed to make her way down the hall and into the dining room without tripping. As she finally set the tray down on the table, a mighty sigh of relief escaped her lips as all the remaining tension she felt vanished. However, before she could get too comfortable, Nanami, Mizuki, and Tomoe all filed into the dining room and grabbed their bowls of soup. The vixen held her breath as the all took their first sips and waited for one of them, if not all three, to spit it back out.

"This is really good, Sakura!" Nanami said, smiling and giving the familiar two thumbs up.

"Yeah, it actually tastes like miso soup!" Mizuki agreed.

All eyes turned to Tomoe, who sat quietly at the other end of the table and took another thoughtful sip.

"It's a little bland, but aside from that it is quite good for your first time." he concluded as he set his spoon aside.

Sakura released another relieved sigh and bowed humbly.

"Thank you very much. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to take Hiromi and my brother their breakfasts." she stated. However, as she reached for the tray once more, she jumped at the sound of Tomoe's voice.

"Wait just a moment, Sakura." he said, rising to his feet. "I assume that in your haste to prepare breakfast for everyone else, you did not take time to eat your own breakfast, correct?"

Sakura's cheeks immediately turned red. It hadn't once occurred to her that she had yet to provide a meal for herself. Immediately, all of the confidence she received from her friends' approval disappeared like the morning mist.

"I...I guess I was so focused on making sure everyone else got something that I completely forgot about myself. I-I'm sorry." she stated, bowing apologetically.

"You do not need to apologize. I'm not very hungry so you can have my portion. You sit down and eat while I deliver breakfast to Hiromi and your brother." Tomoe stated as he snatched up the tray and left the room without a word.

After delivering the soup to a grateful Atomu and indifferent Hiromi, Tomoe headed back towards the dining room. However, instead of rejoining the others, he loomed silently in the hall and listened to their voices. Once he was certain Mizuki, Sakura, and Nanami were all still inside, he sprinted back down the hall with the stealth of a cat and charged into the kitchen just in time to see Onikiri and Kotetsu dragging a large trash bag towards the door.

"What are you two doing? Last I checked, you didn't do the garbage." he inquired, one eyebrow raised as he gazed at them suspiciously.

Onikiri and Kotetsu immediately started to sweat.

"Uh, we thought since you, Master Mizuki, and Lady Sakura were busy eating that we would handle it for you." Onikiri stuttered nervously, all the while continuing to push the garbage bag towards the door.

Eyes narrowing, Tomoe hastily shot towards them and grabbed the garbage bag in one hand.

"I knew it. There's no way Sakura made that soup. She used some of that premade crap from the store and you're trying to get rid of the evidence." he stated as he started to open the bag.

"No, Master Tomoe! Don't!" Onikiri and Kotetsu cried.

Tomoe blinked as he stared at the contents of the bag. While there were no cans of premade soup, there were the remains of several foods that had been charred beyond recognition along with a few broken, wooden spoons and a shattered dish.

"Lady Sakura tried to make several different dishes before the soup but each one ended in disaster. We didn't want you to get mad at her so we tried to get rid of the evidence before you found out. Please do not be upset, Master Tomoe." Onikiri explained, hanging her head shamefully.

At first, Tomoe didn't respond; then, to the shrine spirits' amazement, he started to laugh.

"She is quite ridiculous, isn't she? I bet she even burned the soup a couple of times before she finally got it right, didn't she?" he laughed as he rested his head in one clawed hand.

"He's going into hysterics. It's worse than we thought." Kotetsu concluded.

"Master Fox, perhaps you should go lay down." Onikiri advised worriedly, taking a step toward him. However, before she could take the garbage bag from his hand, Tomoe stood up, his grin disappearing.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you. Tell Sakura that I want to see her once she has finished eating. Also, let Mizuki know he will be doing the dishes." He stated as he headed out the door.

Onikiri and Kotetsu gulped nervously. "Y-Yes sir."

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

When Sakura found out Tomoe wanted to see her, she swore her heart flatlined for a straight minute.

"He must have found all of the food I burned by accident. He's going to kill me for sure." she mentally panicked.

Once the last drop of her soup disappeared, Sakura slowly rose to her feet and made her may into the hallway. The wooden floors seemed to triple in length before her very eyes as she somberly trekked closer and closer to her doom. Far too soon, she was standing in the doorway of the kitchen and staring at Tomoe's back as he stood gazing out the window. Sensing her presence, the white haired fox slowly turned to look at her, making her flinch.

"I assume you already know why I've called you here." he stated in a seemingly ominous tone.

Sakura gulped and nervously nodded her head while mentally bracing. Here it comes.

"Well then, why are you just standing there? We need to get going before the afternoon rush starts." Tomoe stated as he grabbed a satchel off of the counter.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

Tomoe sighed in annoyance. "Because you burned most of our food, I need to go to the market and restock. I figured I should bring you with me just in case something like this ever happens again. The market gets especially busy in the afternoon so I would like to get in and out of there before then, but the only way that will happen is if we leave right now. Come on!"

"O-Oh! Coming!" Sakura exclaimed and ran after him as he slipped out the door.

Silence lingered in the air the two strolled through the courtyard and started down the steps. However, Tomoe suddenly stopped mid-step and turned to face Sakura, catching her offguard.

"I almost forgot." he stated as he fished two little leaves out of his pocket. Placing one on Sakura's head, he watched as Sakura's ears and tails disappeared before cloaking his own.

"There, that's better. Now come along." he said and continued down the stairs.

Sakura blinked a few times before finally chasing after them.

"Tomoe...you're not going to yell at me for wasting all that food?" she asked nervously, her eyes fixed on his face.

"You have no cooking experience. It is to be expected." Tomoe replied, sparing a glance in her direction. Returning his gaze to the stairs in front of him, he continued, "In truth, I really should be thanking you. You took over for me in my moment of error and took care of everyone's needs, just as a real familiar would. So, thank you."

Sakura's jaw dropped as she stared at Tomoe in shook. Tomoe scowled.

"What? Why do you look so shocked?" he asked defensively.

"You thanked me. You actually thanked me. I've got to be dreaming." Sakura muttered.

Tomoe rolled his eyes in annoyance and decided to change the topic. "Once we return from this errand, you and I will continue with your battle training. I have an idea I came up with while working last night that I would like to try."

Sakura's face fell. "Oh...great."

The awkward silence from earlier resumed its presence in the air as the two reached the bottom the stairs and entered the outskirts of the town. Fortunately, the market wasn't very far.

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

Around an hour of browsing later, Tomoe had almost everything he needed. However, after grabbing some fresh vegetables and adding them to the basket on it arm, Tomoe looked up to see vacant space next to him in place of his redheaded underling. Immediately, an annoyed groan escaped his lips.

"That little nuisance! I can't even take her to the store." he huffed irritably as he stormed down back down the aisle, but as he rounded the corner, what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Standing with her back against a shelf was Sakura and surrounding her were three male college students whose hooded eyes and sultry smirks told anyone with common sense that they were up to no good. The leader of the group and the most forward of the three had one hand resting on the side of Sakura's face while the the was steadily sliding down from her ways towards her rear. Sakura's wide, frantic eyes and stiff posture served as clear signs of fear and distress, and due to his exceptional hearing, the sound of her racing heart echoed loud as drums in Tomoe's ears.

As he stared at the scene, some kind of trigger seemed to go off in Tomoe's brain, and he found himself bristling as the lead male leaned closer and closer to the cornered Sakura.

"Get away! Get them away from her!" his instincts screamed.

Swallowing the growl that was creeping up his throats and clenching his jaw, Tomoe stalked towards the group and placed a clawed hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Pardon me but I believe you are making this lovely lady uncomfortable. Go find some other trouble to entertain yourselves with and leave her be." he stated flatly, his eyes narrowed.

The boy scowled over his shoulder at Tomoe. "You better scram, buddy, or you're going to get your pretty arse beat."

Tomoe's temper flared. "Did he just call me pretty? This brat is really asking for it."

"I said leave her alone." the fox barked a little more fiercely, yanking the man away from Sakura.

Clenching his fist, the guy swung at Tomoe, but the familiar spun around, grabbed the boy's wrist, and flipped him over his shoulder. Both of his friends stared at Tomoe in fear and slowly started backing away. Glaring up at the fox, the leader hissed in pain as he rose to his feet.

"Fine man, you can have her. She isn't that pretty anyways." he spat before walking away as he rubbed his bruised shoulder, his friends hot in pursuit.

Once they had gone, Tomoe turned to Sakura, who was blinking back tears.

"Sakura, what is wrong? Why are you crying? Is it because of what that man said-"

The fox's voice broke off as Sakura threw her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest, her hands clutching tightly to his robe. Tomoe's cheeks immediately turned as red as her hair and a harsh scolding started to form on the back of his tongue, but for some reason, as he stared down at her trembling form, he found himself unable to yell at her. Instead, he looped his own arms around her in a tight hug and started stroking her soft, scarlet tresses with one hand.

"Why didn't you fight them off? They weren't that tough; you could have easily sliced them into ribbons." he asked.

"I...I don't know. I just looked away for a moment, and when I turned back around, they were there and you were not. My mind just went blank." Sakura sniffled. Oddly, the sensation of his nails combing through her hair was quite soothing.

"We'll need to work on that. I have everything I need so we can leave." Tomoe stated as he pulled away. Instinctively, he started to reach for her hand but stopped once he realized what he was doing. Blushing again, he allowed his hand to drop to his said and hastily started towards the register. When he didn't hear footsteps following behind him, he turned to see Sakura standing in the same spot, her cheeks just as red.

"Well don't just stand! Hurry up! We still have a lot to do back at the shrine!" he exclaimed.

Snapping out of her daze, Sakura hastily ran after him and, to Tomoe's surprise, grabbed hold of his hand.

"Sorry. Let's go." she mumbled, avoiding eye contact as she clung to him.

Unsure of what else to do, Tomoe hastily paid for the groceries and guided Sakura out of the store, his hand still cradled around hers. As they walked, he would occasionally glance down at the vixen then hurriedly look away as his blush grew another shade darker. What he didn't notice was Sakura doing the exact same thing as she laced her fingers between his own.

"I don't know why, but I feel a lot safer now." she thought quietly to herself.