When Tomoe approached her later that day, Nanami thought he was going to ask for permission to skin the chameleon woman alive and chop her into tiny pieces, so when he opened his mouth, she stared up at him with a look of sheer surprise.

"What?" she asked, not sure she had heard him correctly.

Tomoe bit his lip as a faint blush appeared on his pale cheeks. "How do you cheer up a girl? Sakura is still acting really depressed and I can't stand it, but I don't know how to help her. What do I have to do to make her smile again?"

Nanami blinked in disbelief as she continued to stare at him for a moment, making Tomoe feel even more uncomfortable than he already did. Then, with a wide grin and a child-like squeal, Nanami leaped to her feet and threw her arms around his neck, making him flinch.

"You're so sweet, Tomoe! You really care about Sakura, don't you? That's so cute!" she exclaimed.

Tomoe's face went from slightly pink to fire engine red as he squirmed in Nanami's grasp. "S-Stop that! Are you going to help me or not?! If you're just going to waste my time then I'm going to go ask Hiromi for help instead!"

"Okay! Okay! Let me think." Nanami said as she released her familiar and tapped to her finger thoughtfully against her chin. "Hmm, when I'm upset, I feel better when I'm surrounded by people I know care about me. Cuddling with someone or receiving a nice hug is always good. Oh, showering her with little gifts is always a good idea, or you could pamper her with a spa day! Taking her out somewhere nice is also an option. You could also give her little treats like chocolates or pocky! Is that enough?"

"Yes, thank you." Tomoe replied, resting his fist against his bottom lip as he mulled over the options Nanami had presented. To his relief, none of them seemed particularly troublesome or difficult; in fact, if he planned accordingly, he could probably do a couple of the different suggestions at once. Slowly, a brilliantly romantic plan began to take shape in his mind, causing his lips to twist into a tremendous smile.

"Got something?" Nanami asked knowingly.

"Yes, but I'm going to need some help to pull it off."

"I'll get the others."

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

"Sakura, could you come here for a moment?" Nanami called.

Sakura set down the rag she had been using to wipe down the shrine's windows and wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve before scurrying into the house. It only took her a couple tries before she found Nanami seated in the livingroom, a large box on her lap. As the familiar entered the room, Nanami's lips curved into a frown.

"You're hiding your ears?" She asked.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No no! It's fine! You can do as you like!" Nanami answered quickly, eager to avoid a confrontation. Picking up the box, she held it out towards Sakura and gave her a warm smile. "Here, this is for you as a thank you for all your hard work!"

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Sakura gingerly took the box and, after setting down on the coffee table, peeled back the flaps, her jaw dropping as she drew out at a beautiful kimono inside and held it up to the light. The kimono had a rich pink color that faded as it neared the skirt's hem, with designs of a sakura tree and its petals flowing in the wind etched into the fabric with gold thread. The robe was hemmed with a vibrant purple satin that would've made any king proud, and a belt of the same material, studded with specks of gold like stars in the night sky, hung around the waist. Sakura's free hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the outfit in wonder, not believing her eyes.

"This...This is beautiful." she breathed. However, after a moment, her face grew sad and she begrudgingly lowered the gift back into its box. "It's too beautiful. It wouldn't be right for someone like me to wear it."

A bead of sweat slid down the back of Nanami's neck as she started to panic. "She won't put it on? But if she doesn't put it on then she won't be in her room so Hiromi can come get her. If she doesn't put it on everything will be ruined and Tomoe's will be so angry and upset at the same time that he might have a heart attack! Can he even have a heart attack?! Well, he would suffer whatever is the yokai equivalent of a heart attack and maybe even die! Oh no oh no oh no! I can't let Tomoe die-!"

"Nanami!" Sakura shouted for the billionth time, causing the goddess to jump in surprise as she was roughly pulled away from her thoughts.

"Yes? Sorry, I got lost in thought." Nanami stammered, offering the redhead a sheepish smile.

Sakura frowned worried as she stared at Nanami's now pale cheeks. "Are you feeling alright? You look like you're getting sick."

"I'm fine, I promise! Are you sure you try on the kimono? I'm sure you'll like it once you're in it!"

Sakura sighed and glanced at the box once more, chewing on her bottom lip as she debated with herself. Should she? It was a gift, after all, and everyone knew refusing a gift was rude. However, she knew that putting on that dress would result in her already shallow self esteem deflating in milliseconds, leaving her even more depressed than she already was. Still, the hopeful glimmer in Nanami's eyes tugged at her heart, imploring her to dress up in the beautiful fabric. Heaving a loud sigh, Sakura surrendered herself over to the inevitable and picked up the kimono, causing Nanami to clap her hands like a happy child.

"You're going to look so pretty, Sakura! Go try it on!" the demigoddess cheered, standing up and ushering Sakura towards her room. Sakura quietly obeyed, forcing herself to seem cheerful for Nanami's sake, but as soon as she was alone in her quarters, the smile left her face and she flopped down onto her bed, a cloud of gloom hanging over her head as she stared at the kimono.

"I might as well hurry and get it over with." She thought to herself, rising sluggishly and slipping off her clothes with no particular haste despite her previous statement. After slipping on the robe and tying the belt, she turned to face herself in the mirror, her frown deepening as she gazed at her reflection. As she had suspected, the beauty of the kimono shone brightly, highlighting every imperfection she had and diminishing the beauty her other features till they looked plain and dull in comparison. The heavy weight that had fused itself to her heart grew three times larger, causing her lip to quiver as fresh tears began to well up in her eyes. However, just as her willpower was about to break, the door of her room slid open and Hiromi walked in, her arms laiden with baskets of all sizes.

"Beautiful." She remarked as she set her load down on Sakura's bed and walked up behind the vixen. Noticing her long face and tears eyes, she cooed, "Oh honey, why are you crying?"

"Because I'm too ugly for this dress..." Sakura sniffled.

"You're not too ugly, Sakura. It just looks a little funny now because you don't have your hair and makeup done. Come here." Hiromi crowed, guiding Sakura away from the mirror and over to bed. After forcing the redhead to sit down, the peahen circled around behind her and retrieved a brush from one of the baskets, gently running it through Sakura's scarlet tresses till not a single tangle was left. Next, she gathered the hair into one hand and skillfully twisted it into an elegant updo, securely pinning it in place before adding a beautiful rose gold hair clip with golden cherry blossoms and pearls for a special touch. Next, she gathered up her makeup and took to dusting Sakura's face with the different powders and glosses till the translucent mask was to the liking of her expert eyes. After about an three quarters of an hour, she finally set down the last her brushes and snatched up a hand mirror, holding it up for Sakura to see as her chest swelled with pride.

"What do you think?" Hiromi asked, fidgeting with excitement.

Sakura blinked slowly as she stared down at her reflection for the second time that day. It was true that the hairstyle and makeup were the perfect accompaniment for the fine clothes she now wore, yet she could not force her lips to curve up into even the tiniest of grins.

"It's beautiful." She said dully before pushing the mirror away. "However, it is deceptive. Once the makeup is washed away and the hair undone, I will look just as plain as I did before, so wasting my time on such things is utterly pointless."

Hiromi's face slowly fell before twisting into a look of slight annoyance. "He was right. You are stubborn."

Sakura's brows scrunched together in confusion. "What? He?"

Suddenly, a loud knock resounded throughout the room, making the vixen jump.

"Well, it would seem your escort has arrived. Do me a favor and don't be too hard on him." Hiromi grumbled as she began to sort her tools into their appropriate baskets, a somewhat spiteful aura radiating from her. Realizing it would be best to leave the peahen alone to avoid an argument, Sakura quickly made her way to the door and opened it to reveal Mizuki standing on the other side, his usual giddy smile on his lips.

"You look great, Sakura! Follow me please and try not to dawdle; it would be quit rude for you to show up late." the snake chirped as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the hall.

Sakura stared blankly at the back of Mizuki's head as her mind struggled to make sense of what was going on. Late? What was she going to be late for? What was going on? Why couldn't she just be left alone to deal with her misery herself? She wished to scream these questions at the top of her lungs, but instead she remained deathly as Mizuki's guided her outside and helped her into Nanami's flying cart. After he had hopped in himself, the magical vehicle took off into the evening sky, bathing Sakura in the warm rays of sunset; however, instead of enjoying these rays, the vixen quickly turned her back on the blazing evening sun, her eyes squinted shut as she curled up into a tiny ball. Mizuki sighed and forlornly shook his head.

"Good luck, Tomoe. You're going to need it." he thought to himself as the breeze ruffled his hair and clothes and filled his nostrils, soothing him.

After what felt like an eternity and also five minutes to Sakura, the cart began to descend till it gently skidded to a halt on the ground. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked up expecting to see Mizuki but instead was greeted by the sight of her brother holding out his hand for her to take.

"A...Atomu?" she breathed.

"Come on, sis. You can't stay in here all night. Tomoe is waiting for you." Atomu smiled, taking her hand in his and pulling her to her feet.

"Huh?"

Following her brother out of the cart, Sakura gasped when she saw where she was. The cart had taken her to a grove of wild cherry blossom trees, the petals fluttering in the wind and covering the ground like soft, pink snow. Lanterns hung from the branches of several trees of sat on the ground around a large picnic blanket covered with a spread of all her favorite foods, and sitting on the blanket, clothed in a stunning black and white robe with lavender embroidery to add a pop of color, was none other than Tomoe, a warm smile on his lips. Sakura couldn't believe her eyes.

"I entrust her to you, Tomoe." Atomu said before releasing his sister's hand and rejoining Mizuki in the magical cart, ascending into the air and disappearing beyond the treetops.

Silence lingered between the two foxes as Sakura continued to stare mutely at Tomoe, who was now pouring some of Mizuki's fresh sake into two same cups.

"The outfit...the makeover...this...you planned it all, didn't you?" Sakura uttered at last, releasing a shaky breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Yes, I did indeed." Tomoe replied cheekily, a playful light dancing in his eyes. However, it quickly disappeared as the white fox's lips puckered into a pout. Standing up, he swiftly approached Sakura's side and peered down at her for a moment; then, in a wild blur, he reached up and ripped off her necklace with the leaf charm, causing her ears and tail to appear again in a poof of smoke. Sakura shrieked in horror and through her hands over her ears, attempting to hide them from view as she pressed them flat against her head, but Tomoe easily pried her hands away, a smile on his lips once more as he lovingly nuzzled her ears with his nose.

"There. That's much better. Come now. The food will get cold if we don't eat it soon." He clucked, steering Sakura towards the picnic blanket and gently pulling her to sit down beside him. "I hope everything is to your liking. I would've asked you to taste test but that would've likely resulted in you figuring out the surprise-"

"You shouldn't have done this." Sakura suddenly and rather bluntly interjected.

The corners of Tomoe's lips twitched as his happy expression became rather strained. "What?"

"I said you shouldn't have done this. Don't get me wrong; I'm flattered by the gesture-"

"Apparently not flattered enough." Tomoe snapped angrily, rising abruptly to his feet and glowering down at her.

"Tomoe, wait!" Sakura cried, leaping to her feet as well and grabbing his arm. However, he quickly ripped it from her grasp.

"Let me guess, you're going to say it's not me that's the problem, it's you, right?" he hissed sarcastically.

Sakura's ears drooped. "Well yes because it's the truth-"

"Liar!" Tomoe spat, baring his fangs at her. Sakura's tail immediately ducked between her legs as she slowly started to back away, a faint whimper leveling her lips as her claws extended just in case she needed to defend herself. However, Tomoe was far quicker and rushed her before she could react, tackling her to the ground and pinning her beneath him. The vixen stared up at him in shock, her heart thundering like the percussion section of a band as cherry blossom petals floated down from above and landed in her hair, which was sprawled out behind her head like a fan. Startled green eyes gazed into moody purple ones as Tomoe glared angrily down at her, his grip on her wrists tightening.

"Stop it. Stop this nonsense right now! I don't want to hear it anymore! Do you have any idea how much seeing you like this hurts me?! Just stop it already, Sakura! Stop hurting yourself and stop hurting me with your self pity!"

Sakura only blinked at him; she was at a complete loss of words. Tomoe's face had changed from one of boiling anger to that of desperate pleading, an expression she never expected to see from him. Tears began to leak from her eyes as all of the stress and depression she had felt came to a climax, and she broke down at last and started to weep softly. Tomoe wasted no time in seizing her lips in the most passionate kiss of his life so far, his heartbeat ringing in his ears as he gently scooped Sakura into his arms and pressed her against him. Channeling the wide array of emotions she felt, Sakura kissed back just as forcefully, her fingers tangling in Tomoe's hair as her legs wrapped around his hips. When she broke away from air, Tomoe attacked her neck, nipping at the skin and peppering it with small, chaste kisses. Sakura tightly clung to the back of his robe, eyes fluttering shut as a new sense of adrenaline rushed through her and chased out her negative emotions and thoughts, leaving room for only pleasure as Tomoe's lips trailed down the other side of her neck.

"Tomoe..." she gasped softly, the faintest traces of a smile on her lips.

Instead of replying, Tomoe reached up and undid Hiromi's intricate bun with ease, sinking his fingers into Sakura's fluffy hair and pulling her forward so their lips met once again. Growling, he flopped down onto his back, lifting Sakura and placing her on top of him as a warm breeze whipped over them, showering them with thousands of cherry blossoms. Breathless, Sakura broke the kiss and laid her head on Tomoe's chest as she panted tiredly. Tomoe chuckled in amusement and reached down to rub her ears, rousing a faint purring from her in response.

"So that's how I get you to calm down. I'll remember that." He muttered aloud, glancing down at her with eyes full of loving warmth. Digging his hand into his pocket, he produced a small box and set it on the ground beside him, smiling when he noticed the Sakura curiously eying it. Removing the lid, he carefully took out what appeared to be a beautiful, rose gold earring that matched the clip Sakura was given. Immediately, the vixen's heart skipped a beat.

"Tomoe...is that for me?" She breathed hopefully, in awe of the beautiful piece of jewelry.

"It is indeed. I had it custom made by a friend. Would you like me to put it on?" Tomoe asked.

Sakura eagerly nodded and watched as Tomoe wrenched the ornament open before ever so carefully clamping it down on the tear in her ear. The rose gold earring resembled a clam shell in shape, with golden sakura blossoms lining its border. Sakura felt her chest swell with pride as she ran her fingers over the cool metal over and over again.

"Tomoe, thank you so much. I-Wait a minute! Why didn't you just give me this in the first place?!" She demanded.

"Because giving it to you right away wouldn't have solved the core issue. You needed to see that you are still beautiful and loved despite anything that happens to you. Consider this your reward for learning your lesson." Tomoe replied with a smug smile as he ruffled her hair. "Hmm, you're starting to look shaggy; I'm going to need to give you a trim when we get back to the shrine-"

Tomoe's voice was cut off by Sakura suddenly shooting up and locking lips with him, catching him by surprise. A profound blush covered Tomoe's face as he stared up at her, his tongue no more than a lead plate in his mouth. A sultry chuckle rose from Sakura's throat as she pushed the collar of his robe down just enough for her to kiss his collarbone. Tomoe swallowed a loud moan and gently pushed her away, causing her to frown.

"Not yet. Given that you bear my mark, you and I will mate eventually, but only when the time is right. Till then, this will have to suffice." he said, sitting up and pulling Sakura close enough for him to rest his chin on top of her head.

Now it was Sakura's turn to blush. He had marked her as his mate already? When? And how come she hadn't noticed? Suddenly, the other night came rushing back to her, making her face go hot.

"My lips. He placed his mark on my lips." She realized, raising her fingers and tenderly running her fingers over where Tomoe's teeth had engraved his brand on her, setting her aside as his own and ensuring that she would not be stolen out from under him. As she thought about the mark and what it meant, her heart beat faster and faster till it was racing at a dangerous speed. Smiling like an idiot, Sakura nuzzled against Tomoe's chest and closed her eyes, relishing in his warmth and scent, and as she sat there, she started to chuckle when she realized his heart was roaring as well.

"Tomoe, I love-"

A loud BANG cut her off as the ground shook beneath them. Tomoe instinctively tightened his grip on Sakura  and shifted into a protective stance, a ball of blue fire dancing in his hand.

"What the heck was that?" he growled.

In the distance, Sakura could faintly hear male voices screaming. Frowning, she glanced at Tomoe to see if he could hear it too; his expression told her he did.

"Should we..."

"I think so. Hold onto me."

Sakura obediently looped her arms around Tomoe's neck and jumped into his arms. Igniting some fire beneath his feet, Tomoe flew off into the night, carrying Sakura with him up into the air as their untouched meal was long forgotten.