A/N: I apologize now for the pun at the end of the chapter. XD It's pretty bad. Anyway, no real notes or anything this week. Enjoy, minna! Ja ne!
Unfortunately, the issue did not get fixed then or for the next several weeks. The 'gorillas', as Gin kept calling them, made some sort of headway and, almost immediately after the pair celebrated their first holiday together, the redhead was pulled away. The kitsune tried to keep a happy façade but anyone who knew him could tell something just didn't sit right with the way he made his jokes. This meant that when the Third crossed the courtyard just after Candlemas and found the Jester upside down in his mist cloud, staring at the way a mother spider tended the eggsack she'd laid over the course of the winter, something had to be done.
Things were a bit different now, living with the priests and monks who tended to the sacred ground as they went about their daily lives. Each of the Horsemen had a separate building that was their own personal, private sanctuary situated at the four corners of the compass, Conquest in the North, War to the East, Famine to the South, and finally Death to the West. But on the grounds were several other buildings, including a common area which housed the kitchen, library, dining room and a chapel was where the Shrine-keepers performed their daily prayers and rituals—at least until Ichigo had kicked them all out and commandeered the place for something.
And it was the corner between East and South that Gin was inhabiting. With his attention focused on the spider, he never noticed the older demon approaching him. He sighed, a wistful sort of noise, and his tails drifted alternatively into and out of visibility through the mist that supported him. An overall air of discontent hung around the fox.
Having had quite enough of that, Aizen promptly snagged a tail as it disappeared into the cloud and dragged the Jester away from his corner of depression, grumbling under his breath about ridiculous foxes and unhappiness being contagious. After he had brought the other into the kitchen and demanded several different sugar treats of the various appliances, he shoved them on the kitsune before sitting down with two cups of tea. The butterfly gave his best friend-brother-son the most direct stare ever turned on the Court.
"You. Fess up. Now."
"MAH! So-so! I was watchin' th' Momma. She was doin' so good too..." He trailed off, looking out the window, eyes closed, and smile fading. His hands curled around the tea cup, warming them. He knew he couldn't avoid the demand. "I...popped t'day..."
"Popped? You know I do not understand common terms," Aizen chastised. "And I'm sure the spider will do just fine weaving without your supervision."
The insides of the fox's ears turned pink. "Th'...um...on my..."
He shifted so the butterfly could clearly see the way he had the sash of his hakama wrapped only once around his hips. The ends hung long due to the unconventional method. He bit his lip, still looking away...he'd wanted Renji to be the first to know, but the King only knew when he was coming home again.
"It won't go all th' way 'round twice no more."
"...oh!" The butterfly's face went soft and he rested one hand on the gentle swell of the kitsune's belly, a tiny smile on his lips. "You are starting to show. Will that not be a wonderful surprise when Renji comes home?"
Though still faintly pink, a bit deeper now that his almost-brother was touching the rise where his kits grew, his ears pinned back into his hair in pain. Gin mumbled, firmly focused on the floor, "By th' time he comes home ev'rybody'll know."
"Incorrect," he replied with a glint of mischief in his eyes not that far removed from the fox's own kind. "He'll be here by this evening." Then the Third sobered, taking a sip of his tea. "However, that is not the most of what's bothering you. Fess up, Foxy."
"I..." The vulpine tilted his chin. "There's this...thing...it watches me. I c'n feel it, but...by th' time I look fer it, it's gone again. It doesn't do it when Aiko's here."
His nose twitched recalling the eyes he felt boring into his skull from behind him at almost all times when he was alone. It was the whole reason he'd been hanging upside down in the first place. If the whatever-it-was wanted to stare, it could watch his tails for a while.
Aizen eyes cut a path around the room. "Is it here now?"
He pulled the fox closer protectively—he was rather paranoid at the moment, what with Gin being pregnant and his own mate having had that scare with the rattlesnake last year.
"N-no. Only when I'm…I'm...Ahlo…Ehlon…" The kitsune blinked a few times, and then promptly sneezed in the butterfly's face due to proximity to the gossamer wings. "Ah! Gomene!"
The brunette pulled a handkerchief out of seemingly nowhere and cleaned off his face, then disposed of it immediately and chuckled. "No harm done. I know you're sensitive to my dust. Still...I will put a moth watch on you to try and flush out this watcher of yours."
"If...If ya think I need it..."
The Jester bit his lip, ears still drooping. They probably would until his mate came home. The nature of the kitsune being one of physical contact, and the fickleness of being pregnant on top of that meant that only one sort of cuddle would do at the moment, just as he'd only Feed from one person right now.
"C'n I go back ta watchin' Momma Spider now?"
"Nope," Famine replied with uncommon cheerfulness, once more grabbing his cloud and pulling him behind as he went stalking off. "You and I are going out."
"G-goin' out? Where?"
Gin's eyes actually slit open a fraction—all the wider he'd let them go when he wasn't hunting or with Renji. He shifted his cloud so the Third was holding his hand instead. Being pulled along by some random amorphous part of himself felt too much like cheating to be comfortable at the moment.
"Cafe…Library…Somewhere we can scare the fuck out of the little humans from under a glamor and I can get some coffee to wash out all the sugar I just consumed." The frank tone in the butterfly's words silenced the fox for a while as they walked, steadily leaving the Shrine behind.
"Okay..." Gin replied when he regained his voice but he looked over his shoulder every so often, tails tucked up close. "I guess if we're goin' out-out I gotta make wit' th' female parts...th' kits wouldn't like it if I hid 'em now that they're showin' themselves."
He blinked a few times, making sure none of the humans were around. Not that he expected them to be, what with most of the Shrine still empty from the winter and the King, the Mage, Conquest and Death off visiting the King and the Mage's human family. Still, it wouldn't do to be scaring them needlessly, as he shifted his chest and hips to more accurately carry his baby weight according to the humans' definition of what was and what wasn't. As soon as the ripple of shape was finished, he glared at his-now-her new assets.
"M' tellin' ya, ev'ry time I manifest these damn things they git bigger..." She poked one, watching it jiggle under her yukata.
"Of course they do, they swell with pregnancy," Aizen replied. "It's one of those things human women bitch about constantly, especially since they often stay enlarged after the pregnancy ends." He continued holding her hand—neither Gin's mate nor his own would feel threatened by the action so he had nothing to feel guilty about the way he clung a little bit tighter than was strictly polite to the mostly slender female trailing behind him. "Now, any particular place you want to be while I make humans dance to my tune for your amusement?"
"Eh...uh...no, not really..." Her den-ing instinct was beginning to kick in, so being out where she could be seen was somewhat scary.
Elder kitsune suggested that it was a holdover from when they had become enlightened from foxes when Inari Okami, Goddess of Fertility and Rice, had created the First Kitsune to be Her child and servant. In any case, it meant that the now-female silver-haired figure was watching all around herself, clinging tightly to her almost-brother's hand.
"Was there sum'place ya wanted ta go specifically? Sin's pro'ly open."
"Sin is far too violent for your current state," the brunette replied with a sniff. "I...own a small shop. I have not visited it in many years."
"Y'do?" Again the kitsune blinked. "How come we've never gone there b'fore, So-so?"
Now she was keeping up a bit better, though being distracted by the butterfly did little to help her ignore the stares she was getting as they walked down the street from the Shrine.
The butterfly, under the glamour of a wealthy businessman, cast a fierce glare upon anyone who looked at her for longer than a few seconds—this was not a sideshow!
"It is a rather small little shop, selling only books and coffee and pastries. Such places ceased to be popular quite some time ago, and had I not possessed a great deal of funds in reserve, it would have gone under already. With the Court in such disarray, and before that, having only one Horseman doing the work of four, I have simply not had the time to frequent it as much I probably should have."
"Then..." She shifted closer, deliberately wrapping her arm around his to make it seem like they were in a different kind of relationship than they had, "ya sure it's still there if ya haven't been checkin' on it?"
"Yes." Aizen returned the gesture, rather pleased with himself. "Because I still supply the funding to run it monthly, and I am still paying the wages for a manager and three employees as well as expenses for the coffee and pastries, which I suspect no-one but the employees eat. Still, I do not mind…at least someone is enjoying them," he chuckled.
"I guess it's better'n nothin'..." The kitsune, under the guise of a human woman, was quiet for a short while. The she whimpered, "So-so...m'feet hurt..."
Without so much as a pause or hesitation, the fox-turned-female was scooped into the butterfly's deceptively thin arms and cradled bridal-style to accommodate her slightly rounded stomach. "We're nearly there, dear."
"Is there cinnamon an' pineapple?" She asked hopefully, leaning her head against his shoulder. The butterfly wasn't as muscular as Renji, but he wasn't scrawny. So he served as a passable pillow.
"If there isn't, I can certainly get some," the brunette promised gently as he toed open a dark green door with the words 'Butterfly's Books and Café', slightly worn, but still bright gold on the window. A small bell rang, and a teenager who'd been dozing behind the counter came to attention with a crack of joints that made the butterfly wince.
"Welcome, sir! Seating is right here near the front and there are more private tables to the left," the young man said, figuring easily they needed a place to sit for the pregnant one.
Famine smiled, pleased by the quick reply. "I know. I own this place. Nevertheless, thank you," he replied in soft, cultured tones as he seated Gin on a comfortable couch.
The kitsune peered around at the quaint shop. Coffee in several flavors, old books, and yes! Cinnamon and pineapple, assaulted her nose. Her mouth watered as she spied the fruit muffin nestled among the chocolate and other candy favored ones. She didn't dare ask for it though. She didn't want special treatment just because the owner was her nakama...but that muffin...she had to have that muffin!
The teen looked like he didn't know quite what to do with himself. The owner, who was little more than a rumored mystery that never showed his face, was in the store, what was he supposed to do with that?! He went for the default: how he'd been trained to treat all customers that came through the door.
"Is there anything I can get you? Coffee, muffins, scones, a book, all of these?"
Aizen grinned. "All of those. Straight black coffee for me and a chocolate chip scone, and whatever is popular this week for the book. Gin, what would you like?"
"Tha'un!" She pointed to the one tickling her nose, and her glamour slipped only so much that the butterfly could see her tails wagging.
The Third's grin softened, "And the cinnamon-pineapple muffin with a large glass of milk for my sister."
The teenaged clerk also smiled, and hurried to fill their order, bringing a book for Gin as well, though she hadn't asked for one. As soon as the plate was in front of her, the kitsune dove into the muffin like it was last one on Earth. She actually moaned quietly when she took the first bite, and both Aizen and the clerk watched fondly. There wasn't anything quite as adorable as watching an expectant mother indulge her cravings. After a few moments the brunette and the teenager turned to their respective tasks, letting the shop fall into a pleasant silence for a while.
As Famine reached the end of his scone, the clerk approached the pair again, "Mr. Butterfly Sir, since you're here, did you want to go over the inventory and stuff? I know you're probably relaxing but my manager will want to know tomorrow if you do go over it before you leave."
With a small sigh, the older brunette stood, "I suppose it can't be helped. Will you be alright here by yourself for a short time, Gin?"
"Mmph?" The fox looked up and blinked, crumbs dotting her mouth and cheeks puffed out with her treat. She smiled as best she could and nodded.
Another fond smile at his brother-son, and the butterfly made a motion with his hand for the clerk to precede him into the back room. As soon as they were gone, however, the vulpine froze, mouth still full of muffin, but chills running down her spine from ears to tail tips. She swallowed harshly, clearing her mouth as quickly as possible. Then she called into the quiet of the store that had previously been so welcoming, but now hung over her like a foreboding thunderhead.
"Wh-what do ya want wit' me?" Her voice fell in the oppressive silence, going no further than her own ears.
But something answered anyway. In the shadows of a bookshelf across the shop from her, glaring eyes that glowed faintly red appeared. The soft hiss of a snake accompanied the narrowing of those eyes, and the floorboards creaked, as though under the weight of something easily the size of a large pony. There was a slithering, dry sound, and Gin's eyes slit open as wide as she allowed them to in a place where humans could fall under her spell. The sensation of bindings around her ankles and wrists appeared, making her tense and try to pull away from a bond that wasn't actually there. Then she felt the sliding of cool metal against the skin of her neck and she screamed. The glass, half full of milk, slipped from her fingers to shatter on the floor, and her voice pierced through the aura of evil permeating the store.
Aizen Flitted to her side in an instant, drawing her gaze immediately to his own, "Gin?! Are you ok?! What happened?"
"Th'…th'…" She shivered, her glamour flickering with distress. Her eyes flicked around the room but the whatever-it-was in the shadows was gone, taking its nightmares with it. She rubbed a hand across her collar bones, where the phantom metal had pressed against her skin. "It…So…c'n we go home now?" She pleaded.
"Hai, Gin. Right now." The brunette took her in his arms and held her close, trying in vain to soothe her tremors. He strode toward the door, but glanced over his shoulder at the clerk, who was already cleaning up the ruined glass. "Let your manager know that he is doing an excellent job, Shishigawara-kun, and I'll return in the next couple of weeks to discuss possibly raising your salary for your excellent organizational skills. For now though, ja ne."
"Ah, hai! Ja ne, Mr. Butterfly Sir!" The teenager grinned, "I hope your sister feels better." The door jingled shut before his words reached the pair, but somehow the clerk knew that they heard him anyway.
On the Flit home, Gin dropped his glamour completely, returning to his natural form, and curled in on himself, shuddering. It was his deepest fear to be chained up. For eons, kitsune were captured and confined so that warlocks and monster hunters could harvest their tears, their teeth, their claws and most importantly their tails. All of these things held magical significance, but most of all their tails, as each one was a symbol of how long a kitsune had lived and how much power it had. So, all kits were born with an inherit abhorrence to most forms of bondage, and Gin was no different. Tears wracked his body.
"Fuckin' hormones…makin' me cry over that!" He sniffled, clutching Aizen's shirt where the icy drops formed frost on the cloth.
At that moment they were entering the East building and Renji was already in their bedroom, having been summoned by his mate's distressed call almost as instantaneously as if the King himself had Called for him. Though he could tell by the way the Third held him that the fox was alright, he couldn't help asking, "Cry over what, Koi?"
"He was quite frightened by something that invaded my—" The butterfly began to explain but was cut off as Gin launched himself in a sniffling, soggy ball at his mate.
"Not that! I LOST M' DRINK!" He wailed, forcing the tiger back onto their bed.
"You spilled it?" Renji asked, an eyebrow trying to crawl into his hair line. At his lover's nod, he looked to Famine, though the question was directed at the kitsune, "Well, what was it?"
The butterfly gave the silver-haired male a chance to answer but when it appeared that all the vulpine man was going to do was cry while his mate rubbed his back, the brunette supplied, "He was drinking milk, War."
