(Titus's (Takeru) POV)
Tamamo and I stood before an ancient shrine in Nasu. According to her, this place held immense significance from her past life.
"Takeru-sama, this is where my former self resided," she explained, revealing fragments of her origin that aligned with what I already knew. In the Nasuverse, Tamamo-no-Mae was a soul directly linked to the sun goddess Amaterasu, a Divine Spirit, a higher being than the Earth Spirit of myth. Though her manifested form was that of a 'Yakan' (jackal), she gained divinity through worship. However, her fascination with humans led her to wish for reincarnation as one, and there she was.
"So, if you were worshipped again, would you regain your divinity?" I inquired, to which she nodded.
"It appears so, but I have no desire for that," she said, gently rubbing her belly as if envisioning motherhood. "I want to continue feeling and living like a human." Holding my hand, she looked at me earnestly. "I still cherish humans and dream of building a family with them."
I felt a strange mix of emotions, as if encountering a different person. Her determination was unwavering, even after past betrayals. I felt a pang of guilt; I had initially sought to manipulate her.
'This isn't right...' I thought, biting my lip. I had promised to marry her, but I hadn't revealed my selfish motives. I planned to kill her after the wedding. Just contemplating these thoughts caused a painful tightness in my chest.
Suddenly, Tamamo dropped to her knees in full dogeza, a traditional Japanese bow of deep remorse. Confused, I watched as she began confessing.
"Takeru-sama, I must admit, I am far from pure and lack innocence. I've played with your emotions, rejected your help despite knowing it would lead to betrayal, burdened you with my actions. Yet, you remain steadfast, offering me a chance for redemption. I feel undeserving of your boundless kindness, but even then I earnestly seek your forgiveness before we unite."
Her confession struck my soul, leaving me breathless. Her sincerity was as pure as a pearl, her determination as unyielding as a diamond. Yet, her heartfelt confession sparked fresh doubts within me, making it difficult to continue the lie.
I gently lifted her, meeting her determined eyes with my own deceitful ones. I decided to come clean.
"Tamamo-no-Mae, you've done nothing wrong. You've stayed true to your path, even if it may ultimately harm you. And now..." I paused, biting my lip. "You're doing the same thing again." I then finally confessed, "Tamamo-no-Mae, you're an amazing woman, but you're asking forgiveness from the wrong person. Coming close to you was all part of my plan. I never loved you, and I have my own agenda for marrying you. I will betray you someday."
I anticipated rejection or anger, yet to my surprise, she smiled.
"Takeru-sama, your honesty only deepens my love for you. Moe~! I'm getting quite wet down there~!" she moaned, her words taking an unexpected turn. Okay, this was getting awkward.
She looked into my eyes, gently caressing my cheek. "You said I should be more selfish, right? Well, I've decided to stick with you. Even if it leads to my downfall, at least I'm trusting a genuine person. I have no regrets."
With those words, she bowed, "Please accept me as your wife, Takeru-sama."
I sighed, shaking my head, but a smile tugged at my lips. She was hopeless, and perhaps, so was I. Retrieving a ring from my Inventory with the number "2" inscribed in Japanese, I slid it onto her finger without hesitation. It was the day, we exchanged vows to be lifelong partners and sealed our commitment with a warm kiss.
---
It had been days since our traditional Japanese wedding ceremony at her ancient shrine. Our guests were various Yokai, Japanese mythical creatures invisible to ordinary humans unless they chose to reveal themselves. Since Tamamo was a kind of Yokai, they appeared before her. Because I was marrying her, they were present at our wedding too. Most of them were low-level fox spirits, harmless but for one problem: they were annoying.
"Hey, human. What's on the menu today?" spoke a small spirit fox, resembling a Pokémon. She would be so cute if she just didn't talk.
"Potato stew," I replied, tasting it cautiously.
I didn't want to offend her; she was one of the few friends Tamamo and I could converse with. Living in isolation, these Yokai were our only company, and they might assist me with magecraft, who knows.
What was her name again? Yae Miko or something.
(AN: Add?)
"Strange. Were wild potatoes always this sour?" After a single sip, I felt something was off. I had picked the potatoes from the jungle, but now I suspected I had made a mistake.
"Wait, these aren't potatoes!" the fox exclaimed, but I couldn't hear her clearly. I also think I was seeing the three of the foxes. The world was also rotating.
"Takeru-sama, I've gathered some herbs – Takeru-sama...!" Tamamo's voice echoed, but there were three of her now.
"Hey, Tamamo... when did you multiply? Can we... have a foursome?" My words slurred, and I then lost consciousness shortly after. What happened afterwards, I had no memory.
---
(3rd Person's POV)
Tamamo had just fed her 'true first' husband some porridge, and Takeru was now sleeping peacefully.
'Thank goodness, he is not in any danger,' Tamamo thought as she wiped away her tears. Despair was a luxury she couldn't afford at the moment, as Takeru needed her now more than ever.
He had accidentally ingested poisonous mushrooms, mistaking them for potatoes when she was out gathering herbs. Fortunately, according to the fox spirit, he had only taken a sip, so his life wasn't in immediate danger. Unfortunately, he would be incapacitated for a few days.
After taking care of her husband, Tamamo stepped outside to dry her clothes. It was then that she felt a chilling sensation down her spine. The next thing she knew, a blade was touching her throat. A slight move, and her head would be separated from her body.
"You have some nerve to come after mommy right after what you've done to the king..." a childish but cold voice whispered in her ear. She kind of recognized the person through the voice, but the statement hurt her more. To others, Tamamo was seen as a bad omen, taking the lives of her lovers one after another. First, it was Emperor Toba, and now Takeru. Even she began to believe that she was the cause of these tragedies.
However, she wouldn't run away this time. She was innocent before, and she was innocent now.
"I've already chosen to be devoted to Takeru-sama and Takeru-sama only. I won't run away anymore," she said firmly, closing her eyes. To be honest, she was scared to the core. She knew that whoever was behind her would not take even a minute to slice Tamamo into dozens of pieces. She just hoped her heroic speech would somehow compel the killer to retrieve her knife. And to her surprise, it worked.
Tamamo slowly turned around and saw a young girl, around 11 or 12 years old, wearing peculiar clothing, somewhat similar to what she had seen Takeru wear. Even though the childlike appearance was deceiving, Takeru had warned Tamamo about Jack the Ripper and her formidable strength. She was a deadly assassin concealed in an innocent form. Mistake her for a second and you will see afterlife shortly after.
"Sigh~. Jack wanted to chop you into a million pieces for what you've done to my mommy, but then mommy would be upset. She'd scold and hate Jack, so I won't harm you," the little girl spoke with a mixture of childishness and maturity.
"Um… thank you?" Tamamo managed a wry smile.
Jack then handed Tamamo a letter, requesting her to give it to Takeru once he woke up. Then, she disappeared into thin air. Tamamo tried to read the letter, but it was in a different language. She could have used her divine abilities to understand the content, but she didn't want to intrude on Takeru's privacy.
After a full day of work, Tamamo finally returned to her room. She sat beside Takeru on the bed and gently held his arm. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she prayed all night for his recovery. Unbeknownst to her, she emitted a warm glow, illuminating the room, and an additional tail grew as a testament to her inner turmoil.
---
(Titus's (Takeru) POV)
I found myself in what felt like a dream, delivering a human rights speech to onlookers in the old streets of London. It was the reality of my second mission in 1888 London, where I fought to abolish prostitution and provide a better future for women and their children.
Even though I was by no means some kind of hero of justice or saint for people, right at that moment, I felt proud of myself. I felt immense respect for myself, but more than anything, I remembered my vow to be this person all my life, never compromising my beliefs no matter what anyone says. Helping children in need, fight to protect weak and never become a person that I would feel ashamed to show myself to my children.
I couldn't believe I had forgotten who I was, and just when I realized, I opened my eyes.
Reality struck me, and I remembered I was in Japan, in the midst of a mission in the 11th-century Heian period. I had unwittingly consumed poison, putting me out of commission for a few days.
Upon waking, I saw Tamamo, dozing beside my bed. She held my hand and murmured my name in her sleep, her face marked with exhaustion and tears.
'She must be so anxious the whole time…' I wasn't dense as to not understand her circumstances. It was not long before her previous partner had fell, and she was held liable and now incident with me must have had put her to edge no matter how firm her determination was.
I was expecting a shitty character arc where she would leave with a sentence like 'Takeru-sama, I am an unfortunate woman. Please look for a good woman and seek happiness.' If she had done that, I would have found her and beat her to a pulp. But thank goodness, she didn't choose any of those shitty kinks.
Tamamo stirred awake, gasping in shock upon seeing me. Before I could react, she leapt towards me, her arms wrapping around me like a koala. Despite her strength, I caught her without injury.
"Takeru-sama! Thank the gods, you're back!" she cried, her voice filled with relief, nestling her face against my chest.
"Takeru-sama, how are you feeling? Are you hurt? Should I bring food?! Water?!" She bombarded me with questions about my well-being and if I needed anything. She was close and still had her legs wrapped around my waist. I felt a weird sensation, and I didn't want her to let go of me.
I shook my head and began caressing her cheek, "You must have taken good care of me. Thank you, Tamamo." My thumb brushed her lip, "But you didn't take good care of yourself. Look at you, so weak. Your lips are also dry."
She blushed but passed a bright smile, "I will eat plenty and get my body in shape for you."
She then wrapped her arms around my neck, closing the distance. We inhaled each other's airs before we sealed our lips before basking in a full-blown smooch. I fell on my back, but we didn't let go of each other's lips. I no longer felt hallucinations of Nero's death anymore, and it compelled me to move forward with my new partner named, Tamamo-no-Mae.
Just as things were heating up, I noticed she had fallen asleep, our lips still connected. Chuckling, I let her rest on top of me; she was still holding onto me tightly.
"Takeru-sama… I love you…" She murmured in her sleep, making me laugh. "Also… your thing is huge… and tasty…" I will pretend I didn't hear it.
'Come to think of it, it was the first time we are sleeping together after our marriage.' A sudden thought hit me.
After the marriage ceremony, we didn't sleep together since we wanted to take things slowly, but I fell ill, and there we were. In short, our honeymoon was still pending.
However, I had no intention of having the night because then… I won't be able to kill her.
At that moment, I pulled a silver dagger from my Inventory. It was a magical weapon explicitly forged to kill her, a precaution against any divine protection she might possess.
But then, I remembered the dream I had that morning. It had shown me the person I once was, someone I had been proud of and vowed to be for the rest of my life. Holding the dagger, I felt pathetic for considering such a terrible act.
'Let's not do this for now…' I decided to put the dagger away. I lacked the courage to spill her blood just yet. Instead, I wanted to cherish this warm, intimate time with my fox wife, at least for now.
(AN: Is this considered furry?)
I kissed her cheek, then continued to fondle around her body. My hands then reached her bottom as I lifted her kimono and started massaging her ass. Hey, don't take me for a pervert. She must have been tired of working, so I only gave my wife some relaxing service!
"Ah~! Ahm zzzz!" She then suddenly moaned in her sleep.
Oops, wrong hole and wrong one on that, but it's not dirty. She said she didn't need to discharge any waste after growing into a minor deity since she could easily turn food into 100% energy. I am jealous, but hey, it was a win for me. So I kind of enjoyed myself there.
But then, I observed her tail. At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but upon touching it, I confirmed she indeed possessed a second tail.
'This is concerning...'
While having a single tail was normal, the presence of multiple tails was unusual. To my knowledge, it usually required years of experience or absorbing substantial magical energy to grow additional tails. Yet, this didn't seem to be the case at this moment.
I glanced at her innocent sleeping visage, and a wistful smile crossed my lips.
'What's even more concerning is that... I am falling for her...' With that realization, I embraced her once more and closed my eyes.
===
Seggs next?
Also WHERE ARE GOOD REVIEWS AND POWER STONES?!
Just kidding.
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