"Oh Tomoe! It's about time you got back. You were taking so long that I was starting to wonder if you got lost and whether or not I needed to go look for you..." Mizuki said smugly when he saw Tomoe and Sakura coming up the shrine's lengthy staircase, but his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on the duo's intertwined hands. Immediately a mischievous smirk graced his lips, sending a wave of uneasiness shooting down Tomoe's spine.

"Why are you smiling like that? What do you find so amusing?" the fox snapped, his ears flattening against his head as his eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.

"Why, you of course! I have to say, Tomoe, I never thought you'd move on so quickly but I'm glad that you're putting yourself back out there again so quickly. I'm sure Nanami will be ecstatic for you two as well." Mizuki purred as a devious sparkle glimmered in his emerald irises.

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. "Tomoe, what's he talking about?"

"Nothing. Pay no attention to him. He's just spouting nonsense like an idiot." Tomoe stated flatly, glaring daggers at the snake as he brushed past him and dragged the vixen inside the shrine.

Sakura frowned when she noticed the irritated scowl marring Tomoe's face. Also, his cheeks were burning red. Biting her lip, she came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway, pulling Tomoe to a stop as well.

"Why are you stopping-" Tomoe started to bark but stopped as a slender hand was placed on his forehead. To his dismay, the rosiness of his cheeks involuntarily spread to the rest of his face. "W-What are you doing?"

"Your cheeks are all flushed and you looked uncomfortable, so I figured you might be getting sick. You feel a little hot to the touch..." Sakura replied. Snatching the groceries from Tomoe's free hand, she pulled him into the kitchen and pushed him down onto a chair.

Tomoe bit the inside of his cheek. He knew exactly why he was feeling hot and it wasn't because of a fever.

"I'm fine, Sakura. It's just rather warm out today, that's all."

"Whatever you say, tough guy. Don't move." she ordered sternly, plucking off the leaf concealing Tomoe's ears and tail along with her own. Setting them and the groceries aside, she then proceeded to throw open the kitchen cupboards and rummage through them. Tomoe immediately raised an eyebrow.

"What are looking for?" he asked as he rose to his feet.

"A thermometer. Now sit back down!" the vixen replied sharply.

Rolling his eyes, Tomoe strutted across the kitchen and over to a little drawer next to the sink. Opening it, he reached inside and withdrew the desired object, holding it up for the vixen to see.

"Ahem."

Scowling at him, Sakura snatched the thermometer from his hand before dragging him back to the chair. Shoving the device into the male's mouth and practically choking him in the process, she tapped her foot impatiently as it calibrated. Frowning at her, Tomoe tried to remove the thermometer, but as his fingers grazed against the device, his hand was swiftly smacked away.

"Don't. It isn't done yet." Sakura stated flatly.

With an annoyed huff, Tomoe slouched in his seat and folded his arms over his chest, waiting for the device to finish taking his temperature. As soon as the thermometer beeped, Sakura ripped it out of his mouth and peered down at the little screen. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"That's odd. It says your temperature is normal." She muttered. Setting the thermometer aside, she brushed Tomoe's hair out of his face and placed her lips against his forehead. Sensing an abnormal amount of heat radiating off of his skin, she remarked, "I think your thermometer's broken."

Tomoe was too shocked by the vixen's boldness to speak. As his tongue sat in his mouth like a bar of lead, he watched Sakura throw open the freezer and retrieve an ice pack, which she wrapped in a cloth before placing it against the white-haired fox's forehead. When she noticed him staring at her, a rosy tint dusted her cheeks.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that? Did...Did I do something wrong?" She asked, ears drooping.

"What? No no, you just surprised me that's all." Tomoe replied distractedly as he blinked away his trance.

An amused smile appeared on Sakura's lips. "Even I know how to detect and treat a fever, Tomoe; I'm not completely helpless or I wouldn't be alive today. Now hold that ice pack in place for me so I can put the groceries away."

Robotically raising his hand to grasp hold of the swaddled ice pack, Tomoe followed the vixen's movements with keen eyes as she sashayed over to the fridge and started to load the groceries inside. Smiling to himself, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes as the chilling touch of the ice pack cooled his flushed skin. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

"Make sure the meats are in the bottom drawer so they don't drip all over the rest of the other food in case their packaging leaks." he called to his underling, receiving a grunt of confirmation in reply. Relaxing his tensed muscles, he barely heard the scratching of scales as they slid along the wooden floor, coming straight towards him.

"You're smiling; yep, you're definitely sick." Mizuki's voice sang in his ear, shattering Tomoe's sense of bliss.

Opening one sleepy eye, the fox glared in annoyance at the white snake coiled by his feet.

"Leave me be, snake, or I might have Sakura throw you in the fridge as well." he threatened.

"What, I can't show concern for the health of my fellow familiar? I'm hurt, Tomoe."

"Concern? Don't make me laugh. Now go bother someone else before I crush your head and skin you."

"Alright, alright! Sheesh! You're so violent! I'll just go talk to Nanami then; she's going to be so happy when she finds out about you and Sakura." Mizuki replied cheekily before darting across the floor at the speed of a bullet rather than his usual leisurely slither.

Tomoe's eyes immediately flew open as he shot out of his chair and barreled after the snake. Snatching him up by the tail and then grabbing his neck, Tomoe started to squeeze with all his might, attempting to strangle the pesky serpent, but just as Mizuki's scaly face started to turn purple, the sound of a certain vixen clearing her throat sent shivers shooting down Tomoe's spine.

"Why are you up again? Are you trying to make your condition worse?" Sakura asked, arms crossed as she tapped her foot and gazed at her mentor expectantly.

As Tomoe opened his mouth to protest, Mizuki sank his fangs into the fox's hand. A yip of surprise escaped Tomoe's lips as he dropped the snake, who hurriedly slipped into a hole in the floor and disappeared.

"That little wretch." Tomoe growled as he cradled his wounded hand, muttering a string of curses under his breath.

Frowning, Sakura reached out and gently took his hand in her own, bringing it to her lips. Tomoe's face turned the color of the blood seeping from his wound as Sakura ran her tongue over the punctured skin, attempting to clean it.

"W-What are you doing?! Stop that!" he shrieked as he jerked his hand away.

Sakura visibly flinched when he raised his voice, her ears flattening against her skull as her bottom lip started quivering. Groaning, Tomoe pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry. It wasn't supposed to come out like that." he grumbled in a softer tone.

"I-It's alright." Sakura replied, though she kept her eyes focused on the floor.

Heaving a weighty sigh, Tomoe grabbed the vixen's chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

"Look, I know you were trying to help but next time don't worry about it, alright? It was just a tiny wound; it will scab over and heal within the hour." he said as his lavender irises peered into her jade ones.

"O-Okay." Sakura answered blankly in reply.

"Good. Now, go find Onikiri or Kotetsu and ask them to bring you one of my old, worn out robes. Change into it and then meet me outside by the steps. I'll finish putting away the groceries for you." Tomoe ordered as he allowed his hand to fall away from her face and brushed past her. However, before he disappeared into the kitchen, he added, "Also, once they've given you the change of clothes, send Onikiri and Kotetsu to me please. I have something to discuss with them."

"Alright. Don't push yourself too hard or I'm going to hurt you." Sakura stated.

A smirk graced Tomoe's lips. "And how are you going to do that?"

"....Just be careful, you stupid, cheeky bastard." Sakura huffed, her face dark red.

An amused purr escaped Tomoe's lips as he watched the vixen storm down the hallway. Slipping into the kitchen, he retrieved the ice pack from where he had dropped it and returned it to the freezer before grabbing the groceries and throwing them into the fridge. Reveling in the few quiet minutes he had for himself, the fox grabbed a sake jug Mizuki had left on the counter and poured himself a cup, which he down in one gulp. Dying the empty glass, he debated with himself about whether or not he should have another.

"It's only the middle of the day...but I'm going to need it." he decided, pouring himself another serving and downing it as well before setting the sake and cup aside.

At that moment, Onikiri and Kotetsu flew into the kitchen, beads of sweat on their brows.

"You wanted to see us, Master Tomoe?" Kotetsu asked, sounding nervous.

"I did. I need your help with something but first I need you to swear on your lives that what we discuss does not leave this room, understand?" Tomoe stated, a stern gleam in his eye.

Onikiri and a Kotetsu shared a glance, obviously puzzled by the fox's request, but nodded their heads in unison.

"You have our word." Onikiri said.

"Now what troubles you, master fox?" Kotetsu inquired.

After peeking around to ensure the they were completely alone, Tomoe turned to the spirit and asked a question neither of them were expecting.

"How did you manage to teach Sakura to cook without burning down the house?"

Both spirits blinked, uncertain as to whether or not they had heard correctly. "What?"

"How did you manage to teach Sakura to successfully make miso soup without her sending the house up in flames? How is the way you taught her different from my own teaching methods?" Tomoe repeated, annoyed that he needed to repeat himself.

"Well, we showed her what to do first-" Kotetsu began.

"-slowly, of course-" Onikiri added.

"-and when she didn't understand, we guided her hands till she got the hang of it."

"We never raised our voices at her and we made sure to praise her when she did something right. We also remained silent if we were worried or upset so we wouldn't stress her out further."

"So basically what you're telling me is you babied her?" Tomoe mused.

"Not exactly. We just, per say, led her by the hand."

"Led her by the hand....interesting." Tomoe muttered thoughtfully to himself. Nodding at the shrine spirits, he waved his hand and stated, "You are dismissed."

Quietly, Onikiri and Kotetsu drifted out of the kitchen, though not before watching as Tomoe disappeared outside.

"Do you think Master Wild Fox is going to try our method?" Kotetsu whispered to his comrade.

"I hope so, for Lady Sakura's sake and his own." Onikiri replied.

"What are you two whispering about?"

The two shrine spirits nearly jumped out of there skin when they turned to find Nanami standing behind them, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"N-Nothing!"

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

To say Sakura was puzzled when Tomoe took her to a lake in the middle of nowhere was an understatement.

"Tomoe, I'm not trying to question your judgement or anything but what are we doing here?" she asked as she stared at the water, picking her words carefully in hopes of not offending him.

"Training. Now get in the water."

"What?"

"Get in the water." Tomoe stated before descending into the pool himself, clothes and all. Before long, he was waist-deep in the water, and with a loud splash, he ducked beneath the water, soaking himself completely before coming back up.

Not wanting to anger her mentor, Sakura followed his lead, but as her foot touched the water, she let out a scream and leaped back.

"That's freezing cold!" she whined.

"I know. Now get in." Tomoe stated flatly.

Sakura didn't move. Tomoe felt his temper starting to rise.

"Get in this water right now before I drag you in." he instinctively snapped. However, he immediately regretted his words when he saw Sakura back further away from the water's edge, her eyes fixed warily on him.

"Crap, this is harder than it looks. Onikiri and Kotetsu made it sound so easy! Ugh, how do I fix this?"

"T-That was a joke." the familiar stated, flashing the vixen an extremely fake smile and chuckling uneasily. Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sighing, Tomoe held his hand out to her and continued. "Look, if you just jump in rather than ease yourself in slowly, you'll adjust to the water temperature more quickly."

Sakura bit her lip apprehensively. "Is it deep? I don't swim very well."

"No, it isn't deep, and even if it was, I wouldn't let you drown. Now, will you join me?" Tomoe cooed, surprising himself with how gentle he sounded. To his delight, Sakura tentatively placed her hand in his own, allowing him to pull her to his chest. Sakura shivered as the cold water bit into her ankles, urging her to snuggle closer to Tomoe in an attempt to keep warm. The fox felt his cheeks grow hot.

"I'm going to dunk you, okay? Hold your breath." He warned Sakura before hastily submerging her beneath the lake's surface. The vixen immediately sprang back up, her arms wrapping tightly around her as her teeth began to chatter.

"T-Tomoe, w-why are we d-doing this?" she stuttered, rubbing her hands over her arms in attempt to warm them.

"Well, aside from being willing to adapt to any environment for the sake of your master, this is also a safety precaution." Tomoe stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Today we will be working with your foxfire again. Both of us are now soaking wet, making us less flammable and less at risk to catching on fire should something grow wrong. The thought of the fire's warmth should also be rather motivating. Now, hold out your hands and summon your flame." Tomoe stated.

Slowly, Sakura extended her hands, fingers spread out, but no flame appeared. Gazing into her eyes, Tomoe saw they were filled to the brim with fear.

"It's alright, Sakura. We're the only ones here. I won't let anything bad happen." he said softly.

Sakura's breathing remained shaky as she stared at the blankly at her hands.

"I-I can't. I can't, Tomoe. I'm too scared. I'll start a forest fire. I'm hurt you. I just can't." she whimpered, hot tears slipping down her cheeks as she trembled.

Tomoe's felt an odd sensation wash over him as he watched the vixen cry in terror of her own power. As he stared at her, he felt his body start moving on its own and before he knew it, he was standing behind Sakura, his chest pressed against her back and his hands cupped around her own. Sakura's body went stiff at first then slowly relaxed, leaning against Tomoe for support. With a quiet swish, the magical pink flame materialized in the air, hovering between the vixen's hands. A gasp escaped Sakura's lips and Tomoe started to smile.

"I'm doing it..." she breathed, not believing her eyes.

"You are. Now, don't freak out. Take deep breaths and focus on making the flame grow bigger." Tomoe instructed.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sakura focused her attention on the flame and urged it to swell and grow in size. Slowly, the flame began to fill out till it hand grown from the size of a golf ball to that of a baseball.

"Good. Now, draw your hand back like this." Tomoe said, wrapping his fingers around Sakura's wrist and guiding her arm back, the orb of fire following her movements. "That's it. Now throw."

Moving quickly so she wouldn't overthink the situation, Sakura swung her arm forward, sending the ball of foxfire flying. It soared for about several feet before crashing into the water and fizzling out. The vixen's eyes widened as she stared down at her hands again.

"Well done. You just unleashed a simple foxfire attack without burning everything in your sight." Tomoe sang, but immediately threw his hand over his mouth when he realized what he had said.

"Idiot! Why did I just say that?! It's like an automatic reflex!"

However, to the white-haired fox's surprise, Sakura began laughing, her lips curved into a merry smile.

"I did, didn't I? It would seem there really is hope for me yet." she giggled, her green eyes shining.

Tomoe felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at the vixen, and he suddenly felt extremely winded. His stomach began to an acrobatic act with his intestines, and despite being coated from head to toe in icy water, he felt extremely hot.

"What is this sensation? Am I sick? No, I've felt this feeling before."

Immediately, Nanami's smiling face materialized in Tomoe's head. As he watched the vixen summon another orb of fire, realization dawned on him and a thought he would have previously believed to be utterly preposterous earlier that day struck him.

"Am I...falling in love? Again? With this pitiful, helpless vixen? Am I stupid?"

"Hey Tomoe, can I ask you something?" Sakura suddenly asked, catching her mentor offguard and making him jump.

"O-Of course. Go ahead." he replied, trying to fake composure.

"What did Mizuki mean when he said Nanami would be ecstatic for us?" Sakura inquired innocently, her emerald irises sparkling with a curious light that made Tomoe's heart do backflips.

"H-He meant she would be happy when she saw us getting along. We haven't fought as much as usual today." the male fox lied, trying to cover his flushed cheeks before Sakura could see them.

"Huh, you're right. I barely noticed. How odd." The vixen murmured. Seeing Tomoe's red face, she frowned again, tilting her head to the side. "Tomoe, your face is all red again. Are you sure you're feeling alright? Maybe we should get out of the water."

"That might be a good plan."

Apparently he was stupid. Very stupid, in fact.