One week later...

As Tomoe opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised when the scent of freshly cooked food filled his nose.

"She beat me again? Heh, not bad."

Rising to his feet, the white fox crept down the hall on silent feet and sneakily peeked into the kitchen from the open doorway. Sakura stood bent over the sink, scrubbing a dirty skillet with such vigor and force that Tomoe was surprised that it didn't snap in half. Above the swishing off the soapy water and the scraping of the sponge against the pan's metal surface, Tomoe was able to detect a faint, melodic humming resonating from Sakura's lips as she worked, the swaying of her tail perfectly in sync with the rhythm. As he watched her, Tomoe felt a soft, pleasant smile starting to creep its way onto his lips, and to his own surprise, he didn't try to suppress it - at least, not until Sakura called out to him, startling him out of his daze.

"Do you need something, Tomoe?" she called over her shoulder, having sensed his presence.

"Uh, n-no. I was just taking a moment to enjoy the calm atmosphere before Mizuki and Nanami wake up and ruin it." the white fox lied, his pulse thundering in his ears as he turned a pale shade of scarlet.

"Well, if you don't mind, could you take the food into the dining room and set up for breakfast? I would really appreciate it." Sakura asked, using her tail to point at the trays of food resting on the counter off to her right.

"Yes, of course." Tomoe answered, shuffling over to the counter and grabbing the trays. However, as he was turning to leave, he suddenly stopped and cast another glance at the vixen, who had finished cleaning the skillet and was now drying her hands on a fluffy, snow white towel.

"Sakura?"

"Yes, Tomoe?"

Tomoe's cheeks started to flush again and a lump the size of a large marble swelled in his throat. Swallowing his nerves, he took a breath and continued.

"I wanted to commemorate you for all of your hard work. You've grown a lot in just a week and...and I'm very proud of you."

Sakura felt her cheeks go warm. "T-Thank you. I'm only doing so well because I had a great teacher."

That sentence made Tomoe's heart slam against his chest with such force that it hurt and his usually sharp tongue turned into an immovable chunk of lead in his mouth. After offering Sakura a weak smile of gratitude, the fox quickly fled from the kitchen and into the dining room, which thankfully was vacant. Setting the trays of food down on the table, he proceeded to lean against the wall with his hand resting on his heart, the sound of his heavy breathing echoing throughout the empty room.

"Darn it, Tomoe! Get a hold of yourself! You're being pathetic! You don't really want her! She'll just break your heart as well! Bad Tomoe! Very bad Tomoe!"

Heaving a loud sigh, Tomoe closed his eyes and forced his tense muscles to relax. Slowly, he felt the heat leaving his face and the queasiness of his stomach began to settle. However, when he opened his eyes, the fox practically leaped out of his skin, a scream bubbling at the back of his throat, when he found Nanami and Mizuki staring intently at him.

"Tomoe, what are you doing? Are you alright?" Nanami inquired, a hint of worry in her sweet voice.

"I bet he was daydreaming about Sakura. Tomoe and Sakura sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-Gak!" Mizuki sang, his voice breaking off as Tomoe's hand wrapped around his throat and started to squeeze.

"I have had enough of you, serpent! Today is the day I rid myself of you for good!" Tomoe growled as he watched the snake's face start to turn purple.

"Tomoe, you let him go right now!" Nanami shrieked.

Tomoe's finger immediately unwound from around Mizuki's threat, unable to refuse Nanami's order. Grumbling under his breath, the fox slunk over to the table and began to arranging the dishes, only vaguely aware of the inquisitive gaze of his goddess.

"Daydreaming about Sakura? Normally, he would just roll his eyes at such a comment, but he completely freaked out just now! Did Mizuki touch a nerve? Is there something going on behind the scenes that I don't know about?" she wondered. Quietly, she crept up alongside her familiar and gracefully sat down beside him, all the while gazing at his face, which was marred by his usual scowl.

"Tomoe, if something's bothering you, you can talk to me-"

"I'm fine!" Tomoe snapped, standing up abruptly and shuffling to the other side of the table.

"Hey, you don't have to be mean to Nanami! She didn't do anything!" Mizuki protested as he tenderly massaged his aching neck, the faintest traces of bruises appearing on his pale skin; Tomoe merely rolled his eyes and resumed arranging the plates with an indignant huff.

Soon, Atomu and Hiromi both filed quietly into the dining room and sat in their usual spots. Seeing Nanami's concerned expression, Atomu shot her a questioning look.

'Something wrong?' he mouthed.

Nanami offered him a smile and shook her head. 'Don't worry about it.'

Suddenly, the door to the dining room slid open and Sakura quietly entered, taking her place between her brother and Tomoe. Sensing the tension in the air, she scanned everyone's faces with a look of concern.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"No. Let's eat." Tomoe stated quickly, grabbing his chopsticks piling food into his mouths. The others quickly followed his example.

Just as the last few morsels of food disappeared, the door to the dining room slid open again to reveal Kurama hovering in the hallway, a hand resting sassily on his hip. Tomoe's eyes immediately narrowed and Hiromi instinctively huddled closer to Nanami, seeking the goddess' protection.

"What are you doing here?" the white fox snarled, glaring invisible daggers at the tengu.

"Gee, you're grumpier than usual. Sakura, have you been causing problems?" Kurama smirked.

Sakura clenched her jaw angrily, her tail starting to flick back and forth, but as she opened her mouth to respond, Tomoe cut her off.

"She actually had improved greatly. In fact, she could probably beat you in a fight now." he replied matter-of-factly.

"Heh, I doubt it." Kurama sneered.

Tomoe could feel a growl stirring deep inside his chest, but to his surprise, Sakura casually rose to her feet and stood before Kurama, eying him with an air of contempt.

"If you just came here to mock me, you know your way to the door. If there is actually a reasonable purpose to your visit, feel free to take a seat while I go whip something up for you." she purred coolly, arms folded across her chest.

Kurama's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide; meanwhile, Mizuki, Nanami, and Hiromi all started snickering. Shaking away his surprise, Kurama gave an awkward cough to clear his throat and brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

"Great. She has the other fox's mouth now. Lovely." he grumbled as he sat down beside Atomu. "Well, I did in fact come here for a reason. I received word from my father than he will be sending down a representative along with two other warriors from Mount Kurama to discuss what is to be done about Hiroto. They should be arriving just before dinnertime today."

The glitter to the tengu's eyes made Tomoe uneasy. "And who exactly is being sent to join us for dinner?"

Kurama's smirk widened. "You remember Jirou, don't you, foxboy?"

Tomoe's blood immediately ran cold and his chopsticks slipped from his hands, clattering on his plate. All eyes turned to stare at him.

"Tomoe, is something the matter?" Sakura asked.

"Have them send someone else! Anyone except that lout!" Tomoe snarled.

"What's the matter, Tomoe? You're not still mad at Jirou for trying to win Nanami away from you, are you-" Kurama purred but stopped when he realized what he was saying. "Oops."

"Kurama!" Nanami exclaimed, horrified.

"Heh sorry, fox. I totally forgot." Kurama said with a nervous laugh. Under his breath, he quietly added. "Please don't kill me."

Everyone watched Tomoe with wide eyes as a sense of dread permeated the air of the dining room. A frightened squeak escaped Kurama's lips as Tomoe stiffly rose to his feet, but the group's surprise, the white fox simply began gathering the dirty dishes into his arms and quietly left the room.

"Nice going, Kurama. Now he's going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day." Mizuki grumbled bitterly, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry; it just kind of came out." Kurama mumbled.

"Kurama, for you own safety, I suggest you leave." Atomu stated flatly. Kurama only nodded in response and rose to his feet, slipping quietly out of the room.

Biting her lip, Sakura hastily leaped her feet and scurried to the kitchen. Peeking her head inside, she saw Tomoe standing hunched over the sink as he scrubbed pieces of food off of the dishes.

"Tomoe, do you want some help with that?" she called softly, not wanting to catch him offguard and accidentally set him off.

Tomoe merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to wash. "I've got it covered. Why don't you run to the store? We'll need more ingredients for dinner now that we have company coming over."

"S-Sure I can do that." Sakura stated. As she turned to leave, she paused for a moment and cast one last glance at him. "Cheer up, Tomoe."

As the fading patter of Sakura's feet against the wooden floor rang in his ears, Tomoe allowed his shoulders to relax as he breathed a heavy sigh. Placing the now clean plate aside, he gently pressed one of his hands against his chest and felt his heart hammering against his palm.

"No, this can't be. I told myself never again. Why does my body hate me?!" the fox mentally screamed. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he clenched his jaw to keep from sobbing. He wasn't upset because Kurama's words had hurt; he was upset because they hadn't.

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

Later that evening, Atomu was busily tearing through his closet as he tried to decide what to wear when a faint knock on his door caught his attention.

"Come in!" he called distractedly as he continued to scan the different robes before him. "No, not that one. That one isn't right either."

"Having trouble?" Hiromi asked as she entered the room, a weary yet amused smile on her lips.

"What was your first clue?" Atomu chuckled, offering the peahen a smile.

"You're making more noise than Tomoe and Sakura in the kitchen."

A blush tinted Atomu's cheeks. "Am I? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb everyone."

"It's alright, your majesty. Actually, I think I have something that might help." Hiromi cooed and held out a pile of folded fabric.

Atomu raised an eyebrow as he took the fabric and allowed it to unfurl in his hands. His eyes immediately widened in surprise. Clutched in his grasp was a beautiful white robe tinted with shades of blue and adorned with an elegant purple trim. Elegant dark blue embroidery weaved in intricate twists and turns on the fabric, creating an elegant pattern that resembled the wind and gave the outfit a lovely shimmer.

Atomu's jaw dropped. "You...You made this? For me?"

"I did. I thought it could be like a kind of peace treaty between us since I never formally apologized for my actions. I know it isn't enough for what I did but I-"

"I've already forgiven you, Hiromi; you need not worry. We are at peace." Atomu said with a smile. As he continued to stare at the robe, an idea popped into his mind that made his eyes sparkle brightly. "In fact, I would like to help you get back on your feet. After all of this is over, I think I'll hire you to be my and Sakura's seamstress."

Hiromi gasped in disbelief. "You...You're kidding."

"Hardly. You have a talent, Hiromi, and I would like you to use it for me."

"I...I would be glad to, my lord. I am extremely humbled by your request." Hiromi stuttered, dropping to her knees and bowing at Atomu's feet.

"That isn't necessary, and please, just call me Atomu." the demigod said, offering his new seamstress a smile.

"T-Thank you, Atomu. I am forever indebted to you for your kindness."

"Don't be silly. You owe me nothing; we're friends, after all."

"Yes...Yes indeed." Hiromi stated, smiling as she rose to her feet.

"Are you sure you want to join us tonight? You don't have to; Sakura can bring your dinner to your room." Atomu said, changing the subject.

"I'm certain. I may have information about my brother that will be of use. I'll leave you to prepare." Hiromi replied firmly before exiting the room.

Wasting no time, Atomu hastily changed and hurried into the dining room just as Mizuki was escorting Jirou in along with Kurama and two other tengu warriors. Jirou immediately noticed the demigod and gave a polite bow.

"You must be Lord Daichi's heir. It is an honor." he said.

"Please, the honor is all mine. Thank you for agreeing to aid me in reclaiming my father's title." Atomu replied.

Just As Jirou raised his head to look up at the demigod, Hiromi quietly shuffled into the room, wrapped in a lovely jade green kimono embroidered with blue and purple accents. The hulkish tengu's eyes immediately went wide and a rosy blush invaded his cheeks. Apparently, this flushing was contagious for it appeared on Hiromi's cheeks as well when she locked eyes with the winged warrior. Kurama immediately started to smirk.

"See something you like?" he whispered in Jirou's ear.

Scowling at the younger, shorter tengu, Jirou rose to his full height once more and loudly cleared his throat. "And who is this?"

"This is Lady Hiromi, Hiroto's sister. She has agreed to aid us in taking down her brother." Atomu explained, waving Hiromi forward.

Jirou raised an eyebrow at the peahen. "Why would you do a thing like that?"

"My brother and I are linked by blood, nothing more. He has no love for me nor I for him." Hiromi replied, staring at Jirou's feet to avoid eye contact.

"Well, why don't we all sit down? Lady Nanami should be joining us shortly and then we shall start the meal." Mizuki purred, gesturing to the table.

As everyone sat down, Nanami hastily ran into the room, nearly tripping over her own two feet in her haste.

"I'msosorryforbeinglateThankyousomuchforcoming." she gushed as she flew to her seat beside Atomu and dropped clumsily onto the cushion there.

"It is good to see you again, Lady Nanami." Jirou said with a smile. However, his grin quickly faded and his eyes started to warily scan the room. "Where is your other attendant?"

"He and Atomu's familiar are making the final preparations for dinner in the kitchen. They'll be bringing out the food shortly. Mizuki, why don't you pour Jirou and his companions some of your sake?" Nanami babbled, a warm smile on her face.

"Great. My food is probably going to be poisoned." Jirou and Kurama thought at the same time.

Just as Mizuki finished filling the guests' cups, one of the doors to the dining room opened and Sakura and Tomoe filed in balancing platters laden with food on their shoulders. Tomoe and Jirou immediately shot each other a glare as the foxes set everyone's plates before them. However, what angered the head familiar even more was the look he noticed one of Jirou's lackeys giving Sakura as she set down his plate. Lust swirled in his eyes as he stared at her curvy figure, subconsciously licking his lips; Sakura, however, didn't seem to notice. The warrior's eyes never left Sakura as she circled around the table and stood dutifully behind Atomu and Nanami and opposite of Tomoe, quietly watching the meal and taking note of everything. As Mizuki quietly excused himself, the perverse tengu warrior hastily down his sake in one slurp; however, to his disappointment, Tomoe was the one who refilled his cup for him.

"From what our spies told us, Hiroto still is not quite certain of your location, but he knows it is somewhere around this area. As to not create suspicion, the chief shall be gradually sending small groups of tengu soldiers at a time to guard this shrine and the city as well as to keep a look out." Jirou explained as he ate.

"Will you be staying as well?!" Hiromi asked rather quickly. Blushing, she hastily added, "I mean, it would be pointless for you to return home, would it not?"

Jirou's lips curved into a smile. "Yes, I shall be staying in a camp just a few miles from here. I will likely be stopping by every once in a while to check up on everyone as well."

"Great. Just wonderful." Tomoe thought to himself, rolling his eyes. Drowning out the boring prattle about battle strategies and other uninteresting information, the fox focused his attention on the tengu whose eyes were still hungrily fixed on Sakura. His glass was once again empty so Tomoe hastily filled it. Judging by his flushed cheeks, the warrior was obviously a lightweight and already starting to get drunk.

"Hopefully he will pass out with this next drink and will forget all about Sakura tomorrow morning. Yes, that would be wonderful." Tomoe thought to himself.

"Tomoe! TOMOE!!!"

Tomoe jumped slightly and turned to see Kurama glaring at him.

"I'm still hungry. Refill my plate." the popstar barked, holding out his empty dish.

Scowling at Kurama, Tomoe hastily snatched the plate away and stormed out of the room. Hurrying to the kitchen, he sloppily scooped more food onto the plate and headed back. However, just as he entered the dining room, he froze, his eyes widening in horror. Sakura was gracefully bending over to fill the one tengu's empty cup once again, still oblivious to the male's eyes. With the alcohol he had already consumed blinding, the tengu sneakily reached out of cupped his hand around Sierra's rump, caressing it and giving it a squeeze.

Immediately, something inside Tomoe snapped, and everything blurred together around him as he dropped Kurama's plate and lunged forward. He hardly heard the startled shriek that left Nanami's lips as he struck the drunken tengu, knocking him unconscious, and grabbed Sakura's arm, dragging her out of the room.

"T-Tomoe, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?" the vixen exclaimed, squirming in his grasp. "Tomoe, let go! You're hurting me!"

Tomoe paid no attention to the redhead's pleas as he pulled her into the kitchen and shoved her against a wall. Before he could stop himself, he hungrily slammed his lips against hers, using his body weight to keep her pinned beneath him. Sakura immediately went stiff, her eyes widening in surprise, shock, and horror as Tomoe roughly nipped and bit at her soft lips, marking them.

"Mine! Mine mine mine!" Tomoe's instincts screamed, spurring him on.

Finally recovering from her daze, Sakura started to squirm in Tomoe's grasp, but his strength still far exceeded her own. Thinking quickly, Sakura bit down on Tomoe's bottom lip with all her might, causing him to shriek and release her from the kiss. Shoving the disoriented fox off of her, she darted towards the hall as fast as she could, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No! No no no no NO!" Tomoe thought, dropping to his knees as he watched her disappear. Tears started to stream down his face as a agonizing pain began to spread throughout his chest. "Come back! What did I just do? What have I done?!"

Meanwhile, after charging into her room and slamming the door shut behind her, Sakura slid to the floor and brought her knees to her chest.

"What was that?" she wondered as she wiped her tears on her sleeve. "Why did Tomoe do that and why does my chest hurt so much?"