A/N: These are short stories just for fun and feels. Don't think about them too much. Stories may not be in chronological order. This fic is also available on Ao3.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Yuuna's sulky response hurt to hear, especially knowing he was the reason for it. Their argument two weeks ago was still fresh in his mind–the heated words they'd exchanged–and his steps were heavy as he approached her, sitting under the apple tree. He hadn't seen her since that day, and the loneliness he'd felt during those two weeks were unlike any pain he'd ever experienced before.

It made him realize several things about himself, and Yuuna. But he couldn't bring himself to talk about that just yet. Right now, he had to salvage what he could of their relationship.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have said those things."

Yuuna shook her head, getting to her feet. "I'm the one who's sorry. I went too far. It hurt, but not as much as when you…you know. Stopped coming by. That was worse, somehow."

He knew what she meant. "I was afraid you'd still be mad at me," Reisha said.

"I'm not," she murmured. "Well, not if you aren't."

"I'm not," he told her with a small, tentative half-smile. "Your friendship means a lot to me. I don't say it enough, I know, but it's true. I…said a lot of things that day, but I want you to know that I'm glad I met you. Really."

His voice was awkward and shy, and he did a bit more fidgeting around than he cared to admit. The truth was, he had so much more to say to Yuuna, but knew he didn't deserve to. Much as he wanted it, he had no right to ask for more than her friendship.

Rather than tease him, Yuuna avoided his gaze as she spoke. "I feel the same way. I'm happy you came to the river when you did. I used to go on about doing things my way, but I only really did it when my mother wasn't looking. I was too afraid to confront her directly. But then, you came along."

She met his eyes, and her smile was radiant. "And, well, my mother's still not happy about things, but I can talk to her more openly now. Maybe one day, I'll even let her know about you."

Reisha wasn't sure about that, exactly, but he nodded along, grateful for the chance to make amends all the same. Relieved that they could finally put this incident behind them, he extended a hand. "So, what do you say? Friends again?"

Yuuna tilted her head. "Mm…no."

Reisha didn't think he heard correctly. "No?"

"That's right. I've done a lot of thinking these past two weeks, and I decided I don't want to be your friend anymore."

As Reisha stared, dumbfounded, too shocked to feel the hurt just yet, Yuuna laughed aloud, crossed over to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

And before he could say anything, she kissed him.

"If you don't mind," she said, "I'd rather be your girlfriend."

–––––––––

"Crawling already?"

Koyaru beamed at him. "That's right. So young, and already showing the traits of a true Nouzen elite. Kiriya's destined for greatness, I tell you."

Reisha rolled his eyes. "Every father says that about his son. I'm glad he's doing well, though." None had been more surprised than he when Koyaru had announced his engagement to Airi, from the branch family, but now it started to make sense.

Koyaru prioritized aiding the clan above all, so naturally he'd be the quickest to settle down and provide their family with more members. While Reisha was happy for him, the pressure for him to look for a suitable wife and settle mounted ever higher because of Koyaru. That made him think of Yuuna, but he stopped himself before he could follow that train of thought.

Even then, he was only half-paying attention as he patted Koyaru's shoulder. "Well, you're doing your duty, Koya. Good job." Normally that would be enough to make his friend beam, but this time Koyaru gave him a long look.

"My 'duty', huh?"

"What's wrong?" Reisha asked, hesitant.

"Let me ask you a question, Reisha. Why did you turn it down?"

Reisha knew what he was talking about, and so didn't dance around it. He looked off into the distance, leaning on an oak. "It wasn't for me."

"'Wasn't for you'?" Koyaru growled. "The Imperial Guard? That post was made for us. Serving the Empire is our entire purpose, and you're saying it's just 'not for you'?"

"That's right."

Koyaru said nothing. His anger dissipated, replaced by a sort of wariness Reisha didn't immediately recognize. He sighed and crossed his arms. "You've changed, you know that?"

Reisha shrugged, nonchalant. Inwardly, he felt a sense of calm acceptance. "I don't think so. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt more…myself."

–––––––––

"Your mom getting her tail in a bunch again?" Reisha asked, head on his paws. The full moon shone overhead, edging everything in silver. "I'm guessing that's why you wanted me to come? To cheer you up?"

Curled up against his side, Yuuna cracked a small smile, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it. "...Something like that. She's having me go through her list of potential suitors, see if anyone 'catches my eye'. She's always been kind of pushy, but lately she's been coming down pretty hard on me about it."

"Oh." Hearing what the problem was, Reisha's mood soured, too. "What did you tell her?"

"Same thing I always have. 'I'll be sure to give this some serious thought'."

Reisha chuckled at that, which seemed to cheer her up a little. "...You don't have to do this, you know."

"Do what?"

"Stay with me every full moon," he said. "You can be human if you want to. Spend the night with your family."

Yuuna simply nuzzled him. "That's what I'm doing, Rei."

She had a habit of saying things like that when he least expected it. Her casual displays of affection always made him feel warm inside, even if they tended to catch him off-guard. "You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," he told her.

She batted his ear with her paw. "And yet you still choose to be around me."

"That I do." Reisha closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the soft grass beneath him and Yuuna beside him.

She watched him doze, a sense of peacefulness settling over her entire being. She marveled at the fact that his mere presence alone was enough to calm her heart and ease her troubled mind.

Truthfully, the issue with her mother was bothering Yuuna much more than she let on. Their bickering and her unreasonably high expectations were steadily taking their toll. She downplayed it in front of him, but Yuuna did not live nearly as freely as she let on. Being here with Reisha made her heart twist, and it was not a pleasant sensation.

Especially since she hadn't gotten around to telling him the real reason she had called for him. It made her nervous thinking about it, but it had to be done.

She hated sneaking around like this, like some criminal avoiding justice. But while the "criminal" part was certainly not true, Yuuna wouldn't lie and say she didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt over visiting Reisha, knowing full well what her family would say if they knew.

She sighed and laid her head across his back. I don't care. Rei means so much to me. I can't give him up. Not now. …I'm sorry, Mother. I just can't.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Then can you truly call yourself a Maika?

Yuuna's eyes snapped open. She shot to her feet, heart hammering in her chest. Roused by the sudden movement, Reisha peered up at her, bleary-eyed. "Yuuna? What's wrong?"

She couldn't explain right away. Her eyes scanned the tree line, searching for the voice that was not her own.

Did you think I wouldn't realize, child?

Scenes flashed through her mind, unbidden. She and Reisha playing beneath the apple tree, she and Reisha talking by the river, she and Reisha laying side by side as wolf and fox, oblivious to the world around them.

To the eyes that always, always watched them.

Yuuna's fur rose, and her ears were pinned back against her skull. Uneasy now, Reisha sat up. "Did you see something out there? What is it?" He pressed his nose against Yuuna's side. "Una, please, talk to me."

The images had been delivered directly into her head. It wasn't something anyone could do. Only members of Yuuna's own family used this ability, and only one could do so with such ease and skill. She whirled on him.

"She knows." Yuuna whispered, panic taking hold of her.

"Who?" he demanded, alarmed.

"I believe she means me."

A fox strolled leisurely out of the forest, indifferent to their shock. She was on the older side, but not yet beyond her prime. Her sharp eyes and thick fur were both a much darker shade of red than Yuuna's, but otherwise the resemblance between the two was quite uncanny.

And while she was only a little over half Reisha's size, the elder vixen exuded an aura of power and mystique beyond anything he'd seen before, his father being the sole exception. Despite being the bigger predator, he wouldn't dare to lift a claw against her.

The vixen's eyes fixed on the younger fox. "I see you've been spending your free time most productively, my daughter." Sarcasm dripped from every word, and Yuuna shrank back.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. She kept her head low, half-crouched in a submissive posture. Reisha had never seen her this way before, and he struggled to say something.

Anything.

The vixen cocked her head. "'Sorry'?" she repeated. "Sorry for deceiving your clan and breaking our laws, or simply because you were caught doing it?"

Yuuna said nothing, but her conflict was clear. Reisha stood in front of her protectively. "You're Gelda, the Maika clan's matriarch, aren't you?"

"Was that not obvious?"

She spoke dismissively, and didn't so much as glance at him. It ticked him off.

"Then shouldn't you at least give Yuuna a chance to explain things?" he barked. It was a shaky argument, and he knew it. Just the two of them being here together was pretty damning evidence. But still, he had to try. At least until the shock wore off and Yuuna could speak for herself.

Gelda huffed. "There's nothing to explain, and she knows it. Hence the apology. And you're hardly in a position to defend anyone else, young Nouzen."

Reisha made to speak, but Gelda pressed on, and her next words made his blood run cold. "Your father is on his way."

Reisha's jaw dropped. "My father? How?" His eyes narrowed. "You told him, didn't you?"

Gelda openly scoffed at the accusation. "Hardly. The truth is, you two were not nearly as discreet as you should have been if you really wanted to keep your…connection…a secret. I simply scented him on the way here."

If that were true, and he had little reason to believe it wasn't, then things were about to go from bad to worse in no time at all.

Gelda shook out her pelt. "You may have fooled your clans, but you cannot fool your leaders. It just so happens that I am not in the mood to entertain Seiei, so I intend to be on my way before he gets here. But I would like to speak to my daughter first."

The implication was clear, but the young Nouzen refused to step aside. "And what if she doesn't want to speak to you?" he growled. He knew enough about Yuuna's mother to know that they didn't have the best relationship. Some would argue that he didn't have the right to butt in, but Reisha wasn't about to leave her to face Gelda's ire alone.

Gelda showed her teeth. "I am running low on patience, wolf. Many of your kind have underestimated me throughout my life. All have come to regret it."

Looking into her smoldering eyes, Reisha believed it. Yet he still did not move. "I don't care who you are. Unlike you, Yuuna's feelings are important to me. So unless she says otherwise, I'm not going to–"

"That's enough, Reisha." Yuuna's voice drifted to his ears. She had walked out of his shadow and now stood beside him, a gentle expression gracing her face. "I wish you hadn't seen that, but thank you. Thank you for always protecting me."

"Yuuna…?"

The younger fox touched her nose to his, then took a few small steps until she was in front of him, facing her mother. "You're right, Mother. It's time we talked." She took a deep breath. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not sorry because you discovered me with Reisha. I'm just sorry that you had to find out this way."

"Is that so?" Gelda asked.

"Yes, it is." Yuuna lifted her head and looked her in the eye. "I can say for a fact that Rei is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I wouldn't be who I am today without him, and I don't regret meeting him. In fact, I intend to stay by his side for as long as he'll have me."

She glanced shyly at Reisha as she said this, and he felt that his heart was full to bursting. He wanted to hug her, but even Reisha knew that such a thing was not appropriate given the circumstances. Instead he stood stoically behind his chosen partner, trying to cut the image of a strong and noble werewolf.

The effect was mitigated slightly by his wagging tail, but thankfully Gelda didn't comment on that.

"So, you would choose this one over your clan? Your family?" Gelda's voice was perfectly neutral, but Reisha thought he saw something like confusion in her eyes.

At this, Yuuna hesitated. She had reached a critical juncture, and she knew that once the words were spoken, there would be no going back. For a single heartbeat, she wondered what her life would have been like, if she had simply fallen in line, devoted herself to her clan and her mother like so many had wanted.

Would she have found a different kind of happiness, eventually? Would she have, like the old Reisha would have said, been rewarded for her efforts? Would everything have been fine?

Ultimately, there was no way of knowing. The Pyropes were capable of many things, but foreseeing the future was not one of them. Yuuna had made her choice then, and she stood by it now. She refused to live with regrets, and between the two of them, never meeting Reisha and coming to know him was something she would have regretted more than losing her family's respect.

"I wish you didn't see it that way, Mother," Yuuna said at last, "but if you do, there's not a lot I can say to convince you otherwise. I've made my choice. You just came to get confirmation from me, didn't you? That's why you left us alone all this time?"

Gelda sighed wearily. "Who knows?" she murmured. "It's a mother's duty to correct her children if and when they go astray. And yet when it came to you, I continued to falter. Perhaps that is how we reached this point."

Her statement went unanswered. She seemed to be musing, piecing her thoughts together more than anything, so the pair felt there was no need to respond. And soon enough, Gelda turned her attention to Reisha. "And you? Do you feel the same way as Yuuna does?"

He was taken aback at being spoken to so suddenly, and hurried to speak. "I, um, yes. Yes, I do." Wincing inwardly, he cleared his throat. "I do feel that way. Having Yuuna in my life has changed me for the better. I know it has. I wouldn't trade being by her side for anything. I'll take care of her and keep her safe, no matter what."

To prove his point, he moved until the two of them stood together. Gelda looked from one to the other, gauging them. Gauging their conviction. She chuckled ruefully. "Young ones. For them, love is the answer to everything. If only it were true."

She then addressed Yuuna. "I should hope that he means what he says. Because as of this moment, you will no longer receive support of any kind from the Maika clan."

Reisha barked in astonishment. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. "Just what are you saying, old lady?!"

Gelda raised a brow at that, but it was Yuuna who answered him calmly. "It means I'm pretty much exiled from the estate, doesn't it?"

Gelda was still giving Reisha an oddly miffed look, but she said, "Essentially. You may still carry the name, but for all intents and purposes, you are no longer a Maika."

"I see." Yuuna told her, frowning slightly.

"Why are you so calm about this?" Reisha asked incredulously. She had effectively been disowned right in front of him, and yet she only looked mildly disappointed, as if having just been told she wasn't allowed to go out anymore.

She merely flicked her tail against his leg, the way she usually did to try to get him to relax.

The gesture did little to assuage him. "So this is how you treat your family, matriarch?" Reisha said scornfully.

Gelda's ear twitched, and she had returned to her natural aloofness. "Why don't you ask him that?" Ignoring his puzzlement, she called, seemingly to nowhere in particular, "Isn't it about time you showed yourself, you old dog?"

Nothing.

Then, a clump of bushes rustled to Reisha's left, and a large black wolf emerged a moment later, looking almost peeved. Reisha spun to face him. "Father?!" Gelda had told them the clan head was on his way, not that he was already here. How much had he heard?

The older wolf did not answer him immediately, instead directing a level gaze at Yuuna's mother.

"Gelda."

"Seiei."

"Instincts are as sharp as ever, I see," Seiei said. "I don't believe even you can hear my footsteps, so I wonder how you were able to detect me. But you wouldn't tell me even if I asked, would you?"

"Naturally." Gelda jerked her head towards the frozen Reisha. "You were there for all of that, weren't you? Looks like I saved us both the hassle of hearing the same thing twice. I think I've seen enough, so I'll be heading home."

She turned to Yuuna. "Yuuna, I will allow you to return, once, to the main house to collect your things. By dawn, you mustn't be seen anywhere near there."

Yuuna nodded once, stiffly. "I understand."

Gelda then looked to Reisha, and it unnerved him how her eyes seemed to stare right through his very being. "I'm curious to know how much a Nouzen's word is worth. I suppose only time will tell."

With a flick of her tail, she darted off.

"Always had an air of mystery, that one," Seiei huffed. He looked down at his son, for he towered over Reisha. "What you said to Gelda… I take it you still mean it?" Nothing about his face or his voice betrayed how he felt about the situation. He merely…watched.

Reisha swallowed. There were a great many things he had always wanted to say to his father if he ever had the chance to confront him, but now, ironically, his mind was drawing a complete blank. He did, at least, know the answer to Seiei's question, even though he knew what would follow.

"Yes. Every word." He looked directly into his father's eyes as he said so, determined, for once, not to break eye contact.

Seiei returned his stare, his dark eyes piercing. Then he sighed. "Of all the hills to die on…" he mumbled. "I believe you, Reisha. However, you do know what this means, don't you?"

Reisha gave a half-smile. "That I'm kicked out, too?"

"For lack of a better word."

Yuuna looked up at him, worry written all over her face, and it was his turn to reassure her with a nudge. From the beginning, he had been more concerned for her than for himself. And if Yuuna was willing to forgo her family ties to be with him, then he would readily do the same.

Even so… "I do wish it didn't have to come to this, Father," he said. He meant it. Despite everything that's happened, Reisha did not hate his father, and he suspected Yuuna felt the same about her mother. He may have a very different opinion on how Reisha should act, but Seiei was still the one who raised him. Selfish it may be, Reisha wished there had been a way to keep both his father and Yuuna in his life.

But they had reached a fork in the road, and it was clear who would be going which way. There was nothing else to do, no other words to be exchanged.

Seiei was quiet for a few seconds. Then he said, "You have until dawn to retrieve your valuables and leave the compound. Be swift and silent. I don't know how the Maikas do things–" he glanced at Yuuna "–but when word gets out, the rest of the clan will see your actions as treachery, and act accordingly. You must be far away from here before that happens."

Reisha gave a single nod. With that, it seemed his father had said everything he wanted to say, unceremonious though it was. Maybe there should have been more, but their relationship didn't warrant such things.

He did have one request, though. "Father, when you go back…could you tell Koya yourself what happened? Privately? I…I want him to hear it from you before anyone else."

There were several ways Koyaru could react, none of them pleasant. Reisha would have liked to explain in person, but his father had given him one chance to depart unhindered. He could not afford to waste it. Reisha did not have many regrets, but leaving without a word to his friend definitely counted as one.

I hope one day, he can forgive me.

The larger wolf nodded. "I see no harm in delivering the news. But it's up to him to process it." No doubt, he was thinking along the same lines. Seiei turned to leave, and Reisha studied his father's broad back, wondering if this was the last time he'll ever see it.

"Reisha."

Reisha pricked his ears.

His father hesitated, and there was something awkward about it, as if he struggled to find the right words. "...Don't drop your guard. Freedom is something that must be fought for to be kept. Remember that."

Not a conventional sendoff, but Reisha thought he understood what Seiei was trying to say.

So he replied in kind. "I will."

Seiei spoke to Yuuna. "Keep an eye on him."

And as silently as he'd come, the patriarch of the Nouzen clan vanished into the night.

The wayward pair stood in silence for a time, processing everything that had transpired thus far.

"So, that's that, I guess," Yuuna said.

"Guess so," Reisha agreed. By now, they both understood what their parents had done. Now, they were free to find their own path without the restraints their families had placed on them. Exile was still a punishment, of course, but some would argue that given the circumstances, it was the best they could do, both as leaders and parents.

He snorted. "Tough love till the end, huh?"

"If you could call it that." Yuuna sounded equally exasperated. Exasperated, but not unhappy. "Well, we got what we wanted, didn't we? For our lives to be in our own hands."

Reisha smiled in that open-mouthed way canines did. "Yeah. So…meet back here at dawn?"

"Count on it. You know, I've always wanted to travel."

Reisha laughed. He had a sneaking suspicion that the true reality of their situation would fall on them the next day, but for now, he laughed. "Here's to looking on the bright side." He then turned his head and laid his muzzle between her ears. "...We're going to make this work, Una. I know we will."

Yuuna then gave a sardonic grin, the same one she'd had when they'd first met, long ago. "I'm glad. Because I never really told you why I wanted you to come here tonight in the first place, did I?"

Reisha blinked. He had assumed it was because of the issue with Gelda, but it wasn't? "Uh…no? What is it?"

She smirked. "I'm pregnant."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this little arc! There's a lot we currently don't know about Shin's parents, so this is my take on them, and his grandparents. Gelda and Seiei are a tiny bit different here, colder and more aloof, but I like to think old age (and grief) has mellowed them out somewhat.

Anyways, after this we're more or less back to our regularly scheduled programming, with an occasional dive into the past (hence the disclaimer). Part of the New Year's plan is to slowly take a look at this new alternate universe we're in, so look forward to that!

(Also, that argument at the beginning, I'll let you decide the cause of that. It's not important.)