This story takes place directly after the "Dragon King Encounter". If you have not read/watched that far, and do not want spoilers for up until that point, do not read.

Summary: 7 days since he had last touched her. Did he really hate her that much?

Date completed: June 1, 2013

Nanami laid on her futon, staring up at the sandalwood boards of her ceiling, thinking about anything and everything to distract her from her very long week.

Kurama's new album coming out.

Her homework due next week.

Her chores to do in her shrine.

Her return trip from the beach.

Being kissed by the snake Familiar to be saved from a sea hag while trying to save her kidnapped fox Familiar from an enraged Dragon King holding a grudge from an eon old dispute over an eye.

The non-ceremonious rejection from her Kitsune Familliar where she fell off the side of one of the tallest buildings in Japan that left her feeling confused, enraged, stupid and ignored.

She sighed sadly. Hardly a day went by that Tomoe didn't touch her; whether it was trying to feed her horrible, horrible shitake mushrooms, leading her out of her classroom after school or moving her hair from her face. Since the incident on the roof 7 days ago, he hadn't touched her. He hardly looked at her—openly at least.

She quickly sat up, tousling hair in the process of trying to shake those thoughts from her head. She was trying to be happy and cheerful and not a big cry baby over one stupid rejection— but it wasn't working.

Things were awkward around the house, she had to admit, but she didn't know what to do about it. Tomoe was hardly giving her any space to try and get over it—he kept showing up wherever she went, although he seemed to mostly ignore her presence once he interrupted her.

Mizuki's presence seemed to grind on Tomoe as well, making the house either very quiet, or very loud. They either ignored one another's presence or were at each other's throats. Was Tomoe jealous? She shook her head clear again. After rejecting her so wholeheartedly, there was no way he was jealous.

"N-ne, Nanami-chan, are you ok?" She was startled by the innocent voice of her newest Familiar from outside her door. She hadn't heard him approach. He was so different from Tomoe in so many ways- active, affectionate and admittedly a little lazy- but they were so alike too. They were proud, powerful and awe inducing. She had to admit that she did like having him around the house, but her contrary Kitsune Familiar certainly did not.

"I'm fine, Mizuki," she answered just loud enough for him to hear.

"If you're sure, I'm going to go to bed, ne?" She nodded before whacking herself for her stupidity and telling him to go to bed. Of course he couldn't see through the door.

She sighed and picked herself up off her futon to get changed. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the night on the building and how distant Tomoe was. She was being ridiculous and she knew it, but as much as she tried to hide it, it seemed to eat at her. What had she done wrong..?

"Nanami." Her chest tightened and heartbeat sped up, pounding loudly in her ears. She couldn't even see him and got this reaction... Tomoe had called her through the door. "Nanami," he repeated a little louder.

She didn't want to open the door and see his gorgeous violet eyes or silk spun silver hair or—

"W-What?" she tried to ask cheerfully through the door and throwing her sleeping robes over her shoulders.

She simply sat by the door for a couple of minutes, waiting to for Tomoe to answer her, probably much like he had. The house was so quiet and still, all she could hear was her heart beating in her chest and her nervous breath. Why wasn't he answering her? Was he waiting for her to open the door? Did he leave?

She waited another moment before taking a deep breath and sliding open the door, only to find her Familliar staring seriously into her own brown eyes. She startled backwards, not quite expecting him in her face, breathing heavily and fighting a blush. That was the closest he had been in almost a week.

She caught her breath before, looking back to the fox Familliar, still staring at her seriously. He looked eager about something, but other than that, she couldn't tell what was going on behind those violet eyes.

"Wh-what is it—"

"You're avoiding me," he declared, never tearing his eyes from her. She looked away, hoping that Tomoe would stop staring at her so adamantly.

"I'm—"

"Did I do something wrong?" he posed, seeming to go through a list of things in his head that he could have done. She had to smile slightly at the fact that he asked, and then tried to solve the question by himself, as if having her there for inspiration would help him figure it out.

"You didn't... do anything wrong," she answered, looking away from him again. "I guess I did... technically."

"What?" He stared at her as if she had just grown 12 heads.

"When I..." she trailed off, trying to find her words. How could she express that she missed his contact without angering him again? He had been very adamant that he did not feel for her, as she did for him. She felt stupid just asking 'why won't you touch me anymore?'— Especially after he basically threw her off the side of a building for expressing those feelings in the first place.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and caught what she thought was concern, etched across his handsome features. She turned away again, running explanation after explanation over in her head—trying to find something that didn't make her sound like such a weak little human girl.

Without a warning, she suddenly found the Familliar right beside her, almost breathing on her neck. He lifted his hand to her face, as if to move her hair or grab her chin, but hesitated, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"That!" she huffed, pushing his hand away. "Why are you doing that?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You told me not to touch you," he said matter of factly. She looked at him in disbelief, before the memory flashed in her mind.

"Nanami!" he called, jumping off the building after her.

She curled into herself, grabbing her head to try and hold back the tears.

"I got rejected, I got ahead of myself..." she thought to herself.

"Nanami!" he repeated. "This way! Grab my hand!" He reached his hand out for her, expecting her to grab it.

She didn't.

"No! Don't save me!" she declared adamantly. She hated the look of shock that came across his face.

He had just crushed her! Mocked her! She just wanted him to vanish in that very moment so he didn't have to see her like this. She just wanted everything to stop—time to go back so she could stop herself from saying such foolish things—so she could kill the Crow for putting rejection in Tomoe's head.

She felt betrayed—played with.

He grabbed her hand anyway, making anger and her borrowed powers serge through her blood. How dare he reject her so whole-heartedly and then act like he cared!

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, making her powers expand outwards and push her familiar away in her defence. She didn't want him to touch her.

He looked pained for a moment, as if her magic had actually hurt him, before trying to dive down to her again.

"You don't even like me! Don't touch me!" she screamed at him, trying to get him to just leave. It hadn't even crossed her mind that she would die if she hit the pavement.

"Nanami! I'm begging you! I promise to never touch you again, but let me save you just this once!"

She looked away guiltily. She had said that. She had thought all of those hurtful things. She hadn't meant them, but in the moment she had just been so hurt and angry at herself for it.

She had spent the last 6 days upset at him for playing with her feelings—getting close, but refusing to touch her, not realizing that he had wanted to, and just remembered her orders at the last second.

Maybe he did care.

"Touch me," she whispered, shocking the fox. She turned to face him, a stern look across her deep brown eyes. Leaning forward, she took his chin in her hand, and whispered it again.

She didn't notice his heart stop in his chest.

It took him a whole 30 seconds to digest what she had said, and she almost took it back. She had tried being bold—much against her personality and maybe it had backfired. Maybe he didn't really want to touch her.

A small, soft smile of relief spread across his lips and he ran his fingers through her bangs, pulling them away from her doe like eyes.

He hated watching that stupid snake touch her for the last week when he hadn't been allowed. He resisted just pulling her to him and smelling her hair, as much as he wanted to. He was just glad she wasn't mad at him anymore.

They sat in comfortable silence for a couple of moments, both happy that the awkwardness between them had seemed to disappear.

She still loved him; maybe she loved him a little more for trying to respect her wish to be left alone and his responsibility to protect her.

She loved him enough to realize that he cared for her.

She could live with that. For now at least.