Surrendering at the Moon's Blaze

by Stylanie

After having a rough time trying to find balance in her life, Tamao finally came to terms to the life she accepted and chose Unknown to anyone she has unexpected support from the most unlikely person. Now both wonder what it really means as they follow paths that take them to separate ways, that take them to separate ways. Paths telling them that sometimes it wasn't meant to be.

"Are you going to pull a "Doctor Manhattan" on me?"

"What?"

He looked at her cocking his elegant eyebrows with mild confusion as he stood relaxed, resting against the wall with his arms casually folded on his chest. He was on his feet like he owned the place, a known and deserved fact that he was entitled to remember anyone without a missing bit. Actually, to be totally honest with himself, he was really dumbfounded by her mystifying and frank question, a grave one shot at him in that direct and sudden way. But he wasn't ever going to let her know about this so he barely caught himself before his annoying and rebel eyebrows raised more significantly, giving away his utter and shocking ignorance and any other disobedient and stupid part of his controlled face or slacken body could unconsciously betray him.

She was now half turned and staring straight at him, more like openly glaring (respectfully at least), with a serious frown traced heavily on her equally grievous face as she folded the clothes that were recently washed with automatic and well performed actions and setting them on different piles. She tilted her head with harsh pink eyes narrowing in lenient suspicion and intense and foreshadowing coldness. It was his time thankfully to narrow his eyes now as his powerful and vast mind flew with the quickest pace it could through the countless and seemingly infinite myriad knowledge to which he had open and profound access. His now unbreakable and primordial bond with this unfathomable wisdom held protected eternally by The Great Spirit for eons and eons of conflicting human history and bittersweet evolution.

He was pretty sure that those words had previously crossed his ancient mind at least one time (perhaps even more), and he was sure that it was a close certainty coming from the more modern years of his late third life; but before he could easily grasp the wanted connotation of the simple, intriguing words, because soon he would know it and they would be just simple and insignificant words, standing a little tense she sighed wearing that hard and piercing expression that was somehow still foreign for him on her face but at the same time, so usual now to find there now. While he remained calm and collected on his spot, his brief and mostly accurate analysis of her tense stance told him in soft evidence that she wasn't really tense by the possible, he thought by reading her former action, mistaken answer she sincerely expected him to give. No, it was more focused, and he guessed assured, in the motive that had both of them facing each other on this special occasion during this particular night.

"I'm not going to do that."

Hao slowly answered and meaning it lowering his face a little with serene expression and with a playful and sincere smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He was still secretly deciphering her bizarre and annoying question as his mind raced through vast information, keeping fast tabs on the details floating within it. In any possible way, he wasn't going to admit his unfitting ignorance to anyone and less of all to her in this exceptional situation.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about yet; do you, King-sama?"

Tamao, who was still folding clothes, simply said with uncaring but somehow goading teasing -he knew- and inwardly it funnily irked him but he kept it concealed inside with an iron grip. Her expression was grave and intense, but her observant eyes were studying him without any trace of shame or fear at all. Hao always mused, curiously interested in how this girl learned to stand so unruffled before him, how she dared so bravely to poke fun at him like this (and how she mastered the way to intertwine it with the right respect that his mighty presence demanded). Even more intriguing it was how he let her get away with it and found it kind of entertaining. Probably it's boredom, he thought deeply sighing. Or you feel lonely, another amused and mocking voice, sounding shameless as his, said with a provocative tone.

It was in annoying times like this one that he acknowledged the bittersweet advantages of his lost Reishi finding himself missing them. It had been so appropriate and so consuming at the same time having it for so long and he recognized the confusing, unavoidable and relieving conflict that had caused him to lose it at last. To tell the truth, he didn't miss the Reishi in what it wholly meant and for what it profoundly was now, that his mind and spirit were truly his and only his and he was able to walk around free from it and its imprisoning shackles. But to some extent a little and scornful part of him told him about the convenient necessity of having it. And that little and scornful part was right now having so much delightful fun with his, for what she had correctly guessed, ashamed predicament. Having that curse in disguise for so many years hadn't passed by without leaving him with an accurate and highly informative sense to read people without it; after so much time reading into the struggling, dark and messy minds of people he had learned some useful and suitable tricks to put under his secretive sleeve.

It was too bad that those so proclaimed dependable tricks weren't handy right now. The Reishi didn't help you to really read the nuances of thoughts and complex feelings of people, you know that now.

"Not that it matters, anyway, Hao-sama." Tamao said with monotone tone and the same controlled, serious and somehow cold expression she mostly wore in these late years of her young life. She was narrowing her eyes in some barely noticeable way, still teasing him, and her lips slightly twitched with cheeky and intimidating entertainment. "I guess the King doesn't have to know it all and you're too old anyway to know of these, for you, petty and useless things."

Hao funnily chuckled unfolding his arms with charming grace, walking towards her as his deep red kimono with a white starry pattern flew around his potent and vibrant figure, making a perfect match for his straight, brown and long hair dancing in accordance to his well performed movements. Those of course, were done with such sassiness that made her blink once or maybe twice in stunned awe that she immediately squashed like a cockroach with an imaginary foot. Tamao inwardly sighed. He's parading his beautifulness in front of me as if I were some kind of cat and he's the fish, she thought to herself entertained.

"I'm not going to pull a, what was it you said? Oh, yes, "Doctor Manhattan" on you, girl."

Tamao immediately scowled with crankiness, mildly disgusted against her best intent of having control here after listening to him now, at mere inches away from her calling her like that. She impulsively reacted folding her arms tightly as a sort of stupid defense against those two minimizing words. Hao's smile appeared, crowning his lips with unhidden satisfaction, his eyes looking at her with a depth that told her he was observing her as if he was now the cat and she was the mouse. She scolded herself in her mind for her obvious childish slip.

"I'm not a girl. I stopped being one a long time ago."

"And I'm telling you that I'm not going to do that. I'm old and proud of it."

"So you know what I'm talking about, your Majesty?"

Tamao's expression softened a bit and she tilted her head, staring at him with daring coldness as her body relaxed a little from the previous slight tension, though she couldn't help to feel one of her supposedly aloof eyebrows twitching. He knows now. That has to be quick and fun for you, Hao-sama. That he knew it made her feel strangely affected and it wasn't for the physical aspect of the scene she was talking about, but for the emotional side of it. She inwardly denied trying to erase the foolish feeling because she wasn't in the same relationship with him like the one the woman had with Doctor Manhattan in the movie, but she didn't want him thinking that it was like that and she was joking anyway. He was the King, the God, so sure he was entitled to pull a moment like that on her having his own burden coming with the throne and his own mindset about it. But she probably was half joking, and it bothered her a little, so Tamao retorted to her impetuous, reckless side mixed with a playfully humorous mood. Hao already knew her enough to know the truth. And he can read you better than you can read him, Reishi or not. She remembered the movie's scene against her better judgment and felt embarrassingly angered when she felt mortified, the soft heat of a blush surely covering her pale and stupid cheeks. Stop remembering that right now, Tamao.

"Because if you do it then please, at least put effort in keeping up with me."

"Is that a challenge what I hear?"

Hao asked her smiling, trying to fit the pierced details of the answer to which she was referring to. He had perfectly caught onto her little moment of evident embarrassment and chagrin. "Dr. Manhattan" was a comics character from what he could gather but she was probably referring to the movie, she liked to watch movies and that kind of stuff, especially that one scene between the character and his girlfriend. It had taken a very small amount of energy to get the scene inside his mind and he had found himself analyzing it with mild bewildered frown and a playful snicker marking his lips. He knew her enough to perfectly guess why she had brought it into the conversation and he knew her enough to know that she was again teasing him with her distracting antics. The scene had some pretty interesting aspects to observe and ponder about but he was pretty sure that he had correctly guessed which one of them was keeping her plainly edgy, at least according to him and his natural and learned watchful eye.

"It's just something that I want to be pretty clear since the beginning." Tamao said blinking a few couples of times and diverting her thoughtful eyes to fold clothes and sighing looking tensely serene. Hao stared at her slightly narrowing his eyes with a glint of sincere consideration. For her this specific matter was a thorny contradiction. That's sweet. "I'm in this till the bitter end so"

"You want me to be in it till the bitter end too."

She nodded almost effortlessly recovering her intimidating, serious and decided façade standing in a laid-back way, controlling the bubbling stiffness under her skin with a surprising mastery. Hao was still wearing his calm and collected expression coupled with measuring, intense eyes as his smile was just a simple tug on the corner of his lips. Being so close to her he noticed something else that he hadn't before. Well, just when you set a mighty foot in the room you were attacked with that amusing question, and despite enjoying the situation and the funny way she seemed to be reacting to it right now he decided to leave things clear once more. Because she wasn't just anyone, she wasn't a common girl and she was more than that, she was like any other Asakura Family member, she had gained the right in fairness and she was the substitute mother of his nephew.

And he wasn't the man he used to be to not take in account all of that only because he wanted someone close, not that he needed that now anyway, but he had gotten himself in this situation when he had innocently -by the goodness of his reluctant heart- intervened in her stressful and messy life back then. And that surely was coming back now to bite him in the ass. Surely his Mother wouldn't be happy with him if he didn't behave in a good way in this (whatever this was and he wasn't going to tell anyone about it either but he owed that much to his Mother, even if she'd never know) if he didn't ask once and for all if this was what Tamao really wanted. He didn't want to disappoint his Mother anymore than he had done already, certainly knowing himself he was going to do it again despite his best intentions from time to time, and that was enough punishment for his Mother. She was burdened with him being his son and this girl deserved his sincere consideration for all she was and represented for a lot of people and himself.

"Are you sure about this, Okami?"

His tone was blatantly filled with calm and seriousness as his eyes brimmed with equal sparks of decision and unexpected sincere concern. And it was something that surprised Tamao and tugged at her heart in an unpredicted way, but she didn't show it to him, of course. She didn't want him to see her more vulnerable than she was already being without her permission, but the part of her that was adamant to this agreement between both and echoed in her the more impulsive, reckless and harder side from her past snarled embarrassed inside, but her visible and physical self nodded with knitted eyebrows through frozen anger. Because she knew that she needed to keep in line those traits that once formed a part of her and occasionally reared their head up.

"I'm not a girl, I'm 19 and I'm ready. I'm mature enough if that's what is worrying you, your Highness." Did I not take care of things that were so difficult for someone so young? "I'm a Mother, I'm an Okami, I'm a fighter and I'm a Shaman."

"You are all that indeed." Hao smirked serenely watching her doing her house chores and keeping an eye on him every once in a while, with the sufficient respect and etiquette her learned teachings demanded of her -and the sufficient nerve to keep folding clothes when he was in the room, something that shouldn't bother him but in a petty and childish way it did-. "Not for nothing you run amok for three years straight with a real sword in hand, "Metal Sword" Tamao-san."

"Exactly, and that's my point." She paused her devoted folding of the clothes, tilting her head at him and letting a provoking and impudent tiny smirk grace her lips as she narrowed her eyes at him with clear and respectful defiance. "Maybe you're the one with issues about it, Hao-sama."

She inquired at him with a voice perfectly faking curiosity and preoccupation. One of Hao's eyebrows, the left one to be precise, twitched against his will as he casually snorted folding his arms again to cover up his rebellious gesture with tranquility and a smug and wise expression.

"Of course I'm not. Why would I? I just want you to be sure to not be accused of anything later."

"This is between us so, who's going to accuse you? Mikihisa-sama won't furiously appear to your privileged Society at The Great Spirit to scold you and beat you into a pulp, or well, try to beat you into a pulp for having sex with his former apprentice."

As the sudden words forming those casual sentences left her mouth, Tamao and Hao reacted in different way in a couple of seconds and for different reasons. Tamao couldn't help to feel an obvious foreign embarrassment (because she didn't feel, in her ideal and probably unreal world, a lot of that since her younger years) despite having talked about this before with him in a more hilarious way. Her stupid cheeks tinged in soft red again and it was a very bizarre mixture together with her serene smirk disguising her foolish reaction and her serious scowl. But talking about it isn't the same as knowing it's going to happen. Hao, by contrast, snorted again mildly surprised with his eyebrows rocketing upwards and his smile getting a more playful expression. He'd been a little surprised if he was honest with himself because he didn't' expect that, but he thankfully covered the shameful slip with his body standing with a calm pose.

There was a rare and very curious pause going on between for another couple of seconds and Tamao was nervous in a comical way with the moment that the sound of the clock hanging on the wall was louder in her ears than ever, so she was forced to put herself together trying to compose herself and regain her usual, stronger façade, the one that was her own self right now, her protective armor, her defensive shield and her offensive sword. It was such a misfortune that all three of those were creaked in some way or another only when he was around. As if he knew where to poke with his mere presence, his simple words and just actions into her polished self. And the worst part was that he knew it and that's why he was now looking at her with piercing and amused but considering eyes.

"Now that you mention it" Hao said with distracted and thoughtful eyes, lips softly smirking and taking the half folded clothes from her still paralyzed hands that she had been folding with before this awkward moment. "I hadn't seen it like that. Now just because of the probability of it occurring this is going to happen, with his permission or not."

He turned to her with calm and firm expression and a mischievous and little smile trying to joke around. Tamao just looked at him in tense silence softening her eyes for a second while she recovered her old self with immediate and mastered skill. He's good in reading into the situation and I shouldn't be surprised with whom he is and after having the Reishi for so long. I wonder in what kind of moments he would be really surprised. I really want to witness one of those.

"I'm a big woman. I don't need his permission or anyone else giving it to me."

She said with her common serious and headstrong expression as she took another set of clothes from the unfolded pile and imitated him doing the same as he just looked at her askance, showing pride and chuckling satisfied. He was folding them with such ease that she wondered, intrigued, and a little playful and jealous, if he was using his almighty power to help her out and try to distract her from her previous mortifying commentaries. Her more troubling and shaming thoughts walked around the contemplation of being with him doing that and how it would be different. Different from what, you fool? You never wanted to go out on dates when two boys asked you out and never even kissed someone! Much less would you have any some experience with a man to compare what is going to happen! A voice sounding way brasher and willful than her usual one resounded in her head almost making her drop the garment she was carefully folding.

"I don't think he'll agree with that but I guess it's something related to parents and children."

Tamao was grateful to him for saying something and getting her out of her rabbit hole of conflicting and bothering thoughts. But it's true. You've never been kissed and much less fuc… Not happy with only attacking herself with her newer personality's traits she was now controlling her old younger self, the shy one from within while staying like an unflappable statue folding endless clothes. Don't you dare to blush or embarrass yourself again. It wasn't common nowadays for her to feel like her insecure and younger self, awakening and walking on tiptoes inside herself bringing back her old shyness and all of what made that buried package. But somehow she lately recognized, though ashamed, that this peculiar theme going on between Hao and her since months ago was poking into them against her will. It wasn't that she felt the shyness or insecurity as strongly as back then, but they were rooted there like awkward seeds giving bloom to inconvenient weeds.

"Did you experience this part of parenthood, Hao-sama?"

She inquired really intrigued with an unusually expressive and warmer voice after clearing her throat, trying to sound casual about it and to not bring more of his attention to her inner musings and needed reprimands. She was facing the piles of endless clothes, the folded ones and the unfolded one, gratefully doing her job with steadier and serener rhythm now. Hao stared distracted at her by the corner of his meditative and bright eyes doing the same chore with gracefulness and easiness firing up Tamao's hilarious envy. It was true that in the moments they had spent together since that fateful day thanks to baby Hana she had asked or commented about this aspect of his life or others with the consideration that it was another time and things were different back then. He never said a lot but what he said was clue enough for her to mostly get the idea, at least he had been tolerant, patient and calm enough to give an educated answer or refuse to give it. She didn't know why she had the feeling that his Mother, residing fiercely overprotected and safe and sound inside The Great Spirit, had a lot to do with it. Or maybe it was because she served the Asakura Family and she was Hana's second mother.

"I've never really gotten into that aspect of parenthood. So I never really gave a second thought like I guess a parent would really do unless I thought my intervention was needed to protect them from vulnerable and dangerous situations even if they came from themselves or the family. Sometimes it wasn't well received, of course."

Mikihisa won't be happy if he'll know about you and me going at it. He inwardly thought amusedly huffing. Sure Hao had taken care of his children but in a detached and foreign way, and he'd tried to do that especially when they were younger and vulnerable and they were young adults he was more disconnected from them than before, but he stopped caring about his aloofness about it since he was way younger -and didn't confront them until they were ready for it-. I tried it in the way I could then, perhaps it wasn't perfect, despite their betrayal and their abandonment later. Just like Yohken Asakura who, having being a descendant of his, had fought fiercely with Matamune by his side and had killed him. He was his own blood but he was a man mature enough to know in what he was getting into and ready to die, which, he did and found himself trapped in hell with the blood on his hands tormenting him for so long.

He privately mused, not wanting to bring his biological third father into the conversation again after Tamao had reacted that way, resonating old traits of her personality. He understood it, of course. Despite whom she was right now and who she had been some time ago, who she was probably going to be tomorrow or years later too beared the shadows of her younger self that he had met in the Shaman Fight, as they were present in some way or another, weakened and intertwining with newer aspects of herself that she was adapting into her core, corresponding to her circumstances and discovering them at the same time to form her own identity. The shy, insecure, kind, helpful, fearful and embarrassed Tamao of her youngest years was flooding within her in the deepest parts of her being and it was unavoidable that some situations lifted them to the surface, like this situation at hand between the two of them.

He had been mildly surprised and intrigued at her change of personality through the years if he had to be sincere, and he comprehended it. It happened to people, it happened to him in the long occurred past, and life was hard, dark and challenging, it was about changes even if you didn't want to change and adaptation and that didn't mean that it changed the core of who you were, just how you decided to interact and show yourself in a conscious or unconscious way to the world outside your inner one, until you felt comfortable with yourself. Hao had met her again thanks to baby Hana when she had been a girl of 15 years old who was intimidating, violent, impulsive, aloof, cranky and reckless snapping and running madly through West Tokyo with Harusame in hand, and she remained growing and maturing in that armor until she started to settle finding steadiness and calm again in her busy and stressful life, one she had accepted without retorting back to the ones who put it on her shoulders, in her frank dutiful and loyal self. Close to her 19 years, some few months ago, she now was this still aggressive young woman who was decisive, pragmatic, cold, serious and harsh, traits that he recognized were obviously emulating Anna and surely Tamao had gone that way because she sensed it was the more beneficial and convenient to how her life was now, with a little child and a starting business to attend to.

Going into her 19 years, it was evident to Hao that since her birthday she had started to slip other traits of a developing and intriguing personality evolving in her. He had seen glimpses, just like a moment ago, of a girl who was hard, brash, headstrong, calm, expressive and helpful, not that she wasn't like that before, but those were slipping through the cracks of her changing self. She was always going to have all of these, from her past self and her actual, newer and future self, dwelling in a intricate and interesting tangle of characteristics and who knows which ones were going to be on top when she was older and more comfortable, strengthened with herself, He was involved enough to already want to see her get to it someday.

Either way, if there were some traits that accompanied her since her more timid and insecure years they had to be her introspective, protective, courageous, brave and dedicated ones. In her years at the Shaman Fight she wasn't particularly strong, courageous or brave but she had the needed sparks to ignite that part of herself and today those flames were endlessly burning. And if she wasn't dedicated or even disciplined she wouldn't be doing what she was doing now since she was the girl of 15 years old juggling with a complicated life that had snapped her at some point of it.

"I was not a good father, to be honest."

Hao told her suddenly with shaded and detached voice, turning at her with an easy smile that didn't reach his pensive eyes. Tamao looked at him turning too, not showing her unexpected awe and frowning with blatant worry and soft kindness. She recognized that this was a deep issue, you know, the kind that it's like walking on a minefield or on thin ice and you know you're going to end up losing either both legs or your life.

"It's fine."

He told her shrugging with a casual gesture and a calm snigger, noticing her supposedly camouflaged uneasiness about being the one bringing the issue to their conversation. Her eyes filled up with a supportive feeling, watching and listening to him because she knew him enough to realize the meaning behind his armored lines. Tamao was then reminded, just as he remembered it, that they now were some kind of acquaintances, sort of friends. They probably weren't friends, friends, but they definitely were more than simple acquaintances. Or are we friends, friends? She pondered a little confused and intrigued. If we weren't we wouldn't be considering the idea of doing it, right? Or is the opposite what is true?

"It's not a surprise. Surely if you ask any Asakura of any time, dead or alive they'll tell you the same. Or you could ask the Patch too, Silva certainly would have very good stories about me in that role."

He openly chuckled in an easygoing manner and in spite of the ominous, playful tinge that shone in his eyes that she could read as plain but not really maiming tease to whoever dared to spread such stories, she couldn't help to see more clearly into the melancholic aura that always wrapped him like a velvety blanket since his ascension to the throne, and she glimpsed it since their first encounter years ago in this same place, though in another room. Hao still was and he would always be a threatening force to be reckoned with if you got on his bad side, that was a true and known as it was saying that fire burns. And that quiet, living, spirited and controlled menace was there surrounding him like the primordial, primal power flaring within his core and flooding through his spiritual being sending soft and lively waves from his mere figure. But Tamao could see the melancholy being an eternal companion to all of that in his simple presence and his ferocious aura, like it had been there always lurking in his background and slipping through sometimes when he was alive, she guessed, during his three long lives and now it was boiling near the exterior of his being and it was giving emphasis to his existence, actions and words.

"Why are there so many clothes, Okami? I pity you and your arms for having to fold all these all by yourself."

He said with a faked but amusing pout and sighing, faking tiredness while he folded the clothes with easy and graceful manners. Tamao secretly rolled her eyes, less irritated and more entertained and huffed noticing his usual and understandable antics. He changes subjects when he doesn't want to deal with the current one. I can't blame him. I do that too.

"You're barely using any strength in doing it, King-sama, stop helping if you're going to whine."

She answered with a serious and faintly exasperated expression but a little smirk was tugging at her lips' corners. Hao chuckled, then laughed in that charming way he had and Tamao had found to even consider it, along the years, impossibly cute (despite her best judgment knowing that he would shoot her an intimating but mocking look for being called impossibly cute) due to her probably deranged brain suffering from former consequences of stress and lack of sleep.

"You need help around here, or you'll spend your life washing and folding clothes. And why are they mostly white? Is this an Onsen or a hospital? Probably with Anna's ideas there's no difference between them."

She almost (and that was the important point) laughed at his curious attempt of sense of humor, but she caught herself on time and just sniggered in secret keeping her serious and focused expression on the matter at hand, not wanting to break her usual façade. And of course, it was funnier teasing him with this reaction anyway, she knew as she looked at him by the corner of her observant eyes. She was a little taller than him now with 19 years old and he was using his usual appearance of a 16 years old boy, the age he had when he became one with The Great Spirit. She blinked, trying to keep the control of her intrigued and heavily attracted focus on him. She blinked again with a serious and determinaded expression.

"You not only look like a teenager, you act like one sometimes," A lot of times, she thought to herself huffing in a comical way. She added the last word when he looked at her askance with a straight, faked and amusing indignation showing in his expression. But his calm eyes said that he wasn't ashamed of it and he enjoyed being one from time to time. Tamao privately wondered a little saddened and meditative if he was one enough time in any of his previous lives. "Are you aware of it, Hao-sama?"

"And that comes from the one who is the younger in this room."

"And that comes from the one who wants to bed me to spite his biological dead father. You're acting like a teenager in that regard."

"That's not completely true. I mean, it's not true at all." Hao interrupted her pretending false offense but with a clear laugh shining in his eyes and betraying his lips realizing that she had been the one who brought Mikihisa's mention to the conversation and that even when she said it like that she was obviously teasing him and her seriously amused, taunting eyes and lips were an unavoidable proof of it. He stood dignified and entertained staring at her. "And it only tells who's the younger here when you evidently misunderstood me."

"That's not fair." Tamao immediately fought back, less irritated and more amused but remaining her headstrong, serious and controlled self. Her voice didn't waver in her firmness as her eyes glimmered with insolent pride. Somehow her brasher and expressive self was showing more lately, and mostly in front of him. "You are leagues away from any normal person after living three lives. If you take into account that I'm living one, then I'm good at 19 years."

"Then soon you'll now the man in me, Okami."

His voice was a velvety sensation of plain mockery, and the tone had been so strangely attractive that Tamao stopped, just for a condemning second folding the clothes, when all of a sudden he shot that at her with willed intent and clear declaration of a playful sneer and bold challenge. Is this what you call a seductive voice? She weakly gulped and cleared her throat in a manner that didn't sound like she was swallowing her stupid nervousness that had the shy and insecure hidden somewhere away from the spotlight within her dancing in foolish uneasiness. And yes, she swallowed her betraying blush wanting to appear again threatening her ungrateful cheeks with slapping them when he was wasn't looking. Don't stay quiet, you fool! The brasher and more expressive part of her said. Answer back immediately! Tamao felt a little tugging on her lips drawing a half smirk and she looked at him then by the corner of her calm and serious eyes.

"If you behave like a good helper I'll give you a present, your Highness."

Tamao said with low but understandable voice hinting at something impish by the way her voice sounded tempting him and her expression looked completely grave and indifferent after saying it, a challenging contrast, especially by the way her pale hands shook faintly flustered when she returned her attention at the clothes being folded in her arms. Hao's head quickly snapped against his will to look at her highly intrigued but he immediately turned his attention to the clothes in his hands with slower and more controlled movement, faking mild interest and serenity.

"Then I'll do what the Okami says. She's runs the place either way."

He told her turning towards her and forcing her to turn to him too against her will because, naturally, Tamao was intrigued once more by his hypnotizing voice. His voice had that dangerous playfulness to it that promised embarrassing and interesting things to come, but at the same time it had sounded… different. That's weird. She then gravelly stared at him and she realized that both were very close folding clothes and merely separated by inches. But that isn't the point, fool! The brasher voice in her said. And it was right. Because now Hao looked like a 19 year old young man and a little distinct from what you could expect from him looking like Yoh, his twin, at the same age. His skin was a shade paler and his long and straight hair was a shade darker and set in a hairstyle of a high ponytail and the color of his eyes were now darker brown tinged and his clothes spoke volumes of old times. There were evident and simple details that spoke about his genetic resemblance to Yoh somehow more than to Silva and if Tamao guessed this sudden and, she couldn't deny it because she wasn't blind and she didn't want to lie, gorgeous appearance of him was from his first life, so it was logical that Yoh, being a descendant, looked like him. He was mostly the Hao from his third life but only minor details showed that he was the one from more than 1,000 years ago at the age of 19. His genes are strong within the Asakura line, I guess. Naturally, he wouldn't have it any other way. Tamao's inner eyes rolled with amusing feeling making her smile.

"We'll probably finish folding all of these sooner if you keep using your magic tricks folding them with such ease and grace."

She said with a firm voice keeping her attracted and nosy eyes on him as if he was some sort of weird and powerful magnet to her unforeseen mortification. But her expression was still serious and watchful. Hao openly laughed before staring at her with delighted eyes and smug little smile. Tamao could feel his intense expression scanning her face with bold and sassy intention but she stood proudly unfazed looking back at him.

"I'm not doing any magic trick as I help you out with this meaningless and boring chore."

"Yes, surely you're not doing it." She paused folding the clothes in her hands without even looking at it and obvious doubtful voice and joking suspicious eyes. "You aren't folding them with such easiness and gracefulness for nothing."

"Believe or not, I'm good at this tiring chore. And I'm good at a lot of more things even before being the Shaman King without magic tricks. Am I now looking enough man for you?"

His piercing and direct out of the blue question caught her off guard and she paused in her homely action for a few seconds. Noticing that he half smirked proudly with daring eyes she resumed her activity showing cold calm and observant seriousness. Her lips curled slightly in a counterattacking smirk.

"Just because you don't look like a teenager now doesn't mean you're not one in the inside, sometimes. But you look nice. Is this how you looked in your first life, Hao-sama? It's very fitting for a King."

There. Tamao's smirk widened a little when her last and sincere sentences caused a brief and frank surprise in his smug and calm expression, his eyebrows had shot up in betraying accordance to it for a couple of seconds. He had been smirking gladden at the beginning listening to her first sentence but when the others words came along she realized that he hadn't been expecting them. Surely he thought she was going to keep teasing him. Take that, King-sama.

"I'm glad you find it so fitting and nice."

His eyes were shadowed by something that Tamao interpreted as soft and playful offense as he was simply smiling with a relaxed expression. He wanted me to tell him that he looks really good looking, handsome and charming. And he is. But she couldn't found in herself the bravery enough to say it and that angered her so much because she considered herself now a brave woman. She thought that she hadn't said that because she'd planned to tease him knowing his limits just as he knew hers after spending some time together along these years. But the foolish, shy and insecure girl floating shamelessly inside her had tugged at her chains that still hold some tiny part of her into that shyness and insecurity deep below. And it was those feelings that forced her to ponder about her inexperience at the matter pending between both. He certainly had been with a lot of women. What can I offer when I'm so inexperienced? What have the ones like me offered him besides the obvious? Her brasher side answered her with serious and firm voice. Be brave, be courageous. Be headstrong and confident.

"You look nice tonight too, Okami."

Hao told her with analyzing eyes that bore a hole into her soul as she stood quietly and evidently distracted with her inner musings. Hao had a sense to guess what she was thinking about even without reading her mind. In this particular and unknown for her matter, she was submerged in her most vulnerable side and she knew it and it apparently mortified her. She faintly smirked with intense eyes. He had noticed. And Hao had noticed it a long ago since they were chatting so interestingly and using their own distracting antics in this game of tug of war. He had noticed that her pink and straight loose hair was wet and framed her pale and pretty face like a perfect curtain and that all of her smelled like roses, from the top of her head to the toes of her feet. He had noticed that she was wearing one of her common long and loosened black dresses and that she was barefoot. By the way she reacted even in her controlled and mildly cold expression told him that she was glad, proud and satisfied that he was mentioning it at last. They were straightly staring at the other in tranquil silence and both realized the strange emphasis of connection in the moment. The quietness was never a bother between them, they could spend time without saying anything or talking about something and never really felt awkward or uncomfortable when the silence was a symbol of mutual understanding.

And the silence right now was one of those knowingly agreeing symbols between them.

Tamao finished folding the garment that she had in her hands without even landing her eyes on it being focused in Hao's face with unconsciously taught gestures and left it in the correct pile. She softly furrowed her brow with fascinated pink orbs staring at him and lips half opened and put her arms on his chest with bold determination not wavering at all and without any embarrassing and weak trace of hesitation. Hao kept looking at her with serene and glad expression and narrowed piercing dark brown eyes. He was now taller than her and she didn't let the fact to mess with her already shaken confidence. It was a silly thing but now that he looked like this she felt a little overwhelmed and it ashamed her.

"Are you ready, Okami?"

"I am. Didn't we have this conversation just a moment ago, Hao-sama?"

Yes, I'm ready believe or not and feeling nervous is part of the deal. This is a huge thing. We aren't in love, that's true but I do care about him. Does he care about me or am I just a way to pass time or a selected haven? But he's the only one whom I want to do this so badly with. I think there's chemistry between us, physical attraction. Am I wrong? No, he wouldn't follow me in this if I was. She let her wandering hands to run in random and flirty patterns on his chest. Or well, she hoped she was being flirty and flattering enough for him. Her lips daringly curled on the corners.

"Look, I know the true meaning of this."

And after this there's no point of return. This is something deep and it demands trust and complicity and I wonder if you think the same. Well, some women have different opinions about this than men or maybe just the ones that aren't seeing it for what it is. It's just sex. She knew that and she knew that it was nothing more than that between them in this weird almost friendship. They had talked about deeper things, and even when he wasn't totally open in those and they weren't long conversations the things he had told her were enough for her to understand and read behind his shielded lines. Although being only sex between them who were sort of friends, she considered trust and complicity important.

"I'm not experienced in this." She finally told him even when it was obvious he knew it already. She lowered her head frowning determinately and not letting herself get nervous or embarrassed she took a deep breath and looked up again, facing a calm and observant Hao, watching him with narrowed brave eyes and a frank and mischievous smile. "But you know, I'm ready and I'd done my learning."

"My, that sounds so intriguing, Okami. Then I have to give my all without my supposed magic tricks."

She chuckled frank and unexpectedly surprising herself and making him serenely smile at her. Her previously bothering and traitorous cheeks didn't get painted in a soft red blush, and even when the predicted nervousness and awkwardness were shimmering under her flesh she didn't feel herself quivering in her firm resolution and the slow and soothing sensation of feeling comfortable in her skin in spite of the situation. She looked up at him with serious but relaxed expression as her hands were still wandering aimlessly through his clothed chest and he looked down at her with half playful smirk and eyes shining with interest and calm. Tamao sighed giving herself enough courage before talking.

"I've never done this but get ready for me because I think I'm going to turn into a bobcat in bed."

"A bobcat?"

"Yes, a scary bobcat, the kind that goes for chest and back and doesn't let go."

"A scary bobcat."

"A scary bobcat hunting a prey."

"I have an interest in cats."

"I know. Your cats are always around when you're here and wherever you are. I bet there are cats surrounding your throne as it should be. In fact, there are cats watching us right now."

"What?"

Hao turned as her to the opened door of the room that gifted them with the nice and quiet backyard filled with plants, trees and flowers softly dancing with the fresh nocturnal wind under the starry night and the high moon above. There in the lightened zones of the backyard were more than a dozen of cats, possibly 20, Tamao guessed, some were lying down or sitting lowly mewling or purring, others were sleeping in twisted, funny and interesting postures and others were taking a dedicated and sassy bath under the moonlight. Others were eating from the plates with food or drinking from the recipients filled with water or milk that Tamao had gotten used to leave there expecting them to come along from time to time when Hao wasn't around and always when he was here indeed. She didn't know how they knew that Hao was on the Onsen but they knew it, maybe he let them know, maybe they felt him, maybe he brought them with him or maybe it was a curious mix of those suppositions but their visit always made her feel better and she often find herself smiling at them when they were here.

The fact that Hao hadn't payed attention in their welcoming arrival told Tamao that he was in fact distracted with her and their pending situation and it made her feel proud and satisfied. Hao funnily chuckled after watching the cats with that soft and caring expression he always wore in his face when a cat was involved somehow and there was even a spark of pure delight and childish enthusiasm that couldn't be hidden in his eyes not even when he commanded it to disappear out of having unwanted witnesses testifying this side of him. Hao was the first one who turned to look at her again with a cocked left eyebrow and still intrigued expression.

"A bobcat. That's unique."

"Yes. And I'm doing Yoga." She serenely said as if she was talking about the weather and not referring to a more direct meaning of it for this peculiar event. She turned to gaze serious at him with a little defiance painting her soothing lips. "I can bend like a pretzel. Like the twisty kind not the straight one. I'm a twisty-bobcat, salty type of pretzel."

"A twisty-bobcat pretzel. A salty type of pretzel."

She nodded at him with intense, bold and coquettish eyes while the rest of her face was fueled with her usual seriousness and decisiveness. In fact, she had pulled out this particular and hilarious reference from a movie too, just like the one about "Doctor Manhattan". It came from a Romantic Comedy and she had found the reference fitting with the moment and to be sincere with herself, she had been doing Yoga. And she had looked up the meaning of the reference, naturally, because if she was a dedicated person in what she did that's what she would do and it was a duty demanded of her. Looking at the curious, mesmerizing, funny and intrigued expression of Hao was completely worthy the world after having seen that movie and having followed the reference and the meaning behind it. When his eyes flickered back and forth and it was for her his indication that he was going through the information in his vast and ancient connection to The Great Spirit she waited patiently drawing with her long and elegant index finger from her right hand random flowery patterns on his chest while the left hand softly tapped flirtatious his chest.

"Now I'm going to be worried for disappointing you. I have a reputation to keep. I need to be up to the challenge of satisfying a twisty-bobcat pretzel."

"I know, I don't want to pressure you. I've heard of your reputation and you told me some about it."

Hao mischievously laughed looking at her with sassiness and his trademark ethereal calm. Tamao stopped her hands wandering on his chest and putting a recovered right hand on her right hip that silently refused throwing a tantrum in form of a rebel trembling for being forced to leave its spot on his chest; she tilted her head staring at him with mildly cold serenity.

"In fact I'm excited for the bobcat going for my chest and back and wishing that it goes for other parts too. I'll have to tame it without my magic tricks and that's pressure enough. "

"Maybe the bobcat will make your dream come true. And it's good that you're realizing the importance of this. But for now we need to finish folding these."

She told him turning to the mess of still unfolded clothes and taking the next one of the pile casually blinking away the sudden rush of blush that threatened to appear again in rebel and annoying way in her cheeks after listening to him and she was pleased and thrilled with her answer. Hao chuckled with gleaming interest filling his eyes and he faked being tired and humorously huffed and Tamao looked at him askance noticing amused his intent of frank and childish pouting. A soothing and comfortable silence fell down upon both as they returned to the homely chore side by side just distanced by inches. Tamao was feeling a little more confident in taking some steps first than him in this; it was her way of saying that she was ready indeed despite her inner and expected fear, uneasiness and nervousness. That's why she had dared to be the first one to touch him even in that innocent way and she had marveled by how she was aware of his heart steadily beating under her strolling palms. She knew that he had done it for her, he was the Shaman King, so he didn't have a use for a heartbeat anymore or a need for a physical body, but he was used to revert to that when he visited her in some moments and in others he remained in his powerful and strong spiritual form. She had felt the intricate vibrations of his heart when her hands touched the spot where it was in his chest and had sensed the flesh of his body and the natural warmth of a living being. He even smelled like herbs and trees with a perfect small tinge of burning cinders and essence of a storm.

She guessed that he wanted someone bold, confident and headstrong in bed so she was going to be like that and for that she needed to leave behind her useless worries and bothering shyness and insecurity over her zero experience in being intimate with a man. She trusted him enough to put herself at his disposition and expect nothing more than respect, care and patience from him and naughty things, of course, those needed to make an appearance. He wasn't going to hurt her in any way. He had even hesitated because he wasn't totally sure of her decision. And that was leading her to take perhaps tiny steps in being the one showing him that she was on this with all her will and clear head and that it was ok if he dared to touch her like well, she knew you would be touched when sex was involved. And needless to say, other actions besides the touching part. Be the bobcat you promised. Nobody is at the place. It's just him and me. Ryu has asked her to take Hana away for camping over the weekend so it was now or never.

Hao couldn't help to internally chuckle remembering the last interestingly curious and informative conversation. She's really dedicated when she's up to something. He was pretty sure of the chemistry between both and undeniably there was a physical and sexual attraction in there too. They had gotten to a point where they felt comfortable and secure around the other and they knew their limits and when something both of them did or said had gotten out of those known limits. He guessed knowing her along the years that her determination to have sex with him came from her yearning and desire to experience it with someone she knew and trusted and that she trusted in him for this told him a lot and it had caught him off guard at first because he wasn't someone who trusted easily, completely or never. And because she didn't want anything formal either, not with the kind of life she had. She was busy and had a lot of things to take care of and then there was Hana and for Tamao her duties and obligations, her loyalty and gratitude came first than her own dreams and wishes. It wasn't that she regretted that because she looked and was sincerely committed and glad with her life and her motives and activities but if she wanted something deeper and something more compromising like a romance surely she wouldn't have trouble finding someone to be with her as a normal couple. But Hao knew that she didn't want that, not the whole package, and he understood it and didn't judge her or criticize her for it. He knew it was because of it that Tamao didn't ask the man named Ryu, he was her friend and she wasn't willing to risk it if it ended poorly for both and they spent so much time together that it would only complicate things between both and their surroundings and other people would get badly involved.

Having casual sex had been part of his first and second lives so he could effortlessly understand the advantages and benefits of it. As long as the feelings weren't deeper or involved in a misunderstanding way and both parties knew what to expect and what to ask it wouldn't be a problem. And in his case he had his hands full being the Shaman King and he had a busy and complex agenda. So the logical and analytic part of him told him that this was perfect for both. There wasn't anything wrong in wanting to experience carnal pleasures without strings attached and to want to feel desired and connected to someone in that particular matter. He had wanted the same at some point of his first life. Tamao was a beautiful young woman, even when he teased her calling her a girl; she was a stunning and interesting young woman, capable of turning on anyone who had eyes set on her in the things of attraction or love. He felt allured enough and even more for her to agree to do this. When she had put her hands on his chest so casual and innocently, probably believing that she was being sensual, and yes, she was but in a very cute innocent way that caught more than his eyes' attention, it had been enough proof of how much he wanted this too. It was inescapable that now when he was the Shaman King the experience was going to be somehow different than when he was alive not minding that he could smoothly conjure up a physical body, a previous incarnation of any of his three lives. And then there was the issue with the Reishi.

The Reishi had been an eternal companion for him even in moments of sex along his two first lives, because in his third one he didn't really get to the point of wanting to venture in carnal encounters, at least not being so young and he was enjoying other parts of being alive for the third time. He had enough of those sex experiences before in the Heian Period and as a Patch so in his third life he put that aspect apart from his path. The Reishi had been there burning within him incessantly in his sexual encounters and married life either consensually or not, and it had told him what the partner in the bed wanted from him and what not. To go harder at thrusting, to go slower at thrusting, to put his hand and other parts of his anatomy in some determined place, to squeeze something harder, to slowly bite this or that or leave a weak mark because he didn't want to be wild to the point of hurting them so he never crossed that line, to pull their hair and how intense it was wanted, to give a deep or chaste kiss in some way or another or lick and in whatever manner it was desired, to remain quiet or get louder and pant, grunt and moan in certain form, to wait for them to be close to the edge of orgasm or to try another posture. He didn't have only the feedback of the others' reactions and voices, of their words and their heavy breathing, grunts, screams, pants and moans and their squirming bodies and their longed for release. And he couldn't forget the feelings and emotions emitting from them and from him entangling him in a haunting hurricane bombarding his mind, body and spirit. So this was going to be the first time when he was going to be with someone voluntarily in a sexual manner without the Reishi. And he couldn't lie to himself thinking that he wasn't in it for it too when he knew that it was a bittersweet fact so interesting and intriguing to find out.

The Reishi was with him as a consuming and tormenting shadow when he was in that way with Tadatomo against his will. So if he thought about it since his first experience with sex this curse in disguise was there dangerously looming by his side. He didn't' want to be selfish with Tamao especially with how much this meant to her for being her first time, but he couldn't deny that he was wondering how distinct it would have been having sex without the Reishi in the past. Would it have hurt less? Would it have hurt more? Would he have enjoyed it less? Would he have enjoyed it more? Would he have found that special moment, that peculiar spark that a lot of people found through sex with the fated one? Did the Reishi blind him to find it or swallowed him so much to not look for it? And like with any other aspect of his existence the Reishi inevitably had left him with a sharp sense to read into people without it having it anymore and with a very accurate percentage of certainty. But sex was a subject more unpredictable, he mused pensive, more complex and at the same time simpler and intricate and delicate as a spider's web.

Maybe you're still looking for that supposed special connection through sex like you did in your first life. And Tamao wants that too, he pondered meditative, even if it was without the compromise a real relationship ordered and that it was something that neither of them were looking for or wanted. For people, he thought, it was just having someone there to get physically intimate when you feel like it, to have some relief from the hard and complicated moments although it wasn't the solution or to talk about them or simply spend a while just passing time without consequential meaning. It was an ironic and mocking joke that he hadn't found that special connection for so long after living three lives. And it would be an ironic and mocking joke if he found it with Tamao now that he was the Shaman King and he didn't need it and he didn't have enough focus for it. And he didn't want it, right? So as long as it was just sex everything would be fine and it was perfect and convenient that Tamao and he were on the same page about this.

But there was another thought going in troubling circles around his mind and he needed to clarify it with her before going on with it. And he was plenty aware that it was an evident potential problem forcing an obstacle between both with its worrisome, true and relevant sharp thorns.

"Are you sure you want to do this"

"Didn't we discuss it? I've decided and"

"With me?"

"I thought I was clear."

Hao started saying with utter calm and firm voice and Tamao's one had interrupted him and was filled with slight exasperation as her face was her usual serious one. He was the first one to turn to her with relaxed expression but furrowed brow deep in thought crowning his eyes. Tamao followed suit facing him frowning with barely hidden confusion and defensive eyes. But when he kept staring at her in waiting and patient silence she began to realize what he was really asking of her. She diverted her pensive eyes a little ashamed for her blatant ignorance and giving more importance to her hurt pride and the way his question had hit her self-confidence. He deserved the truth and she knew that it was the final obstacle in the path they were choosing to follow.

"I want to do this with you."

She said gazing at him with the uttermost sincerity she could gather from her meditative being. Hao watched her profoundly observant and with mildly grave serenity. She knew that now that the Reishi was gone from his battered core due to it he took extra care in analyzing and interacting with people, especially if there were important or intricate matters at hand to deal with it. Like this one was. After living so much with it as a tortuous and opportune backup she guessed it was unavoidable to feel a little guarding and cautious around the people and their now still sometimes unforeseen thoughts and feelings not mattering if he was experienced enough because of it to get a pretty close assurance of people's minds and hearts.

"Listen, I've even fantasized with it, with you, alright?" She told him diverting her eyes with knitted eyebrows speaking volumes of her barely controlled embarrassment as she fought back with the rest of her face looking hard and grave and her lips tensing. "Since the moment we suggested it in that comical way I couldn't stop myself in thinking in it and you know."

She stopped leaving the awkward unsaid floating in the air and laughing at her with hussy and silent intonation. Hao's cocked eyebrows in question and inquisitive and mocking eyes just helped his smug smile to burn her in shame like if it was damn laser of doom.

"I don't know. I'm very interested in listening after that "You know" part and flattered by the way."

"I want you." She repeated letting out the words with baring honesty after listening to him speaking with that dear arrogant but charming voice. "It's you. But if you're getting cold feet go ahead and feel free to tell me. Or maybe it's me the one you don't want."

Tamao simply said with both hands on her hips as he looked at her tilting his head and watching her longingly with intense consideration and serene expression. She stood facing him with strong determination and not willing to step back and to listen to the truth even if it wasn't what she was expecting to hear. The last sentence was said with her inner, hidden and hurt fear hitting at her self-confidence. But then something made sense in her restless mind. She realized for the first time since he had adopted the appearance that now he gracefully wore, that he purposely selected that one from his first life with thoughtful election. He could have picked up to look at his 19 years old in this third life, how he would have looked like and it wouldn't be a surprise if he looked like Yoh when they were inevitably twins. The difference would have been Yoh's long hair that it was a little wavy while Hao's was straight. It was something weird but true. But what if he'd probably done it thinking in her? And that basic and raw knowledge broke her heart a little and softened her intense eyes on him giving a shade of vulnerability to her serious and tranquil face. You're really kind, Hao-sama. She composed herself erasing the vulnerable tinge from her expression.

Tamao slowly reached out at his hands and taking them she settled each one on her face framing it with his long and elegant fingers. Her face, commonly painted with brushes of gravity and now lukewarm coldness confronted his, who was staring at her quietly with the same countenance as before.

"I want you to know that I don't mind how you choose to look. You're Hao either way and to be sincere and without any tease interfering and even knowing that this is going to inflate more your ego, if that's even possible, you're beautiful in any form."

She told him wearing a small knowing smirk on her lips and she tilted her head a little to her right and slowly run her cheek along his opened palm framing her face and closing her eyes she caressed his soft skin with butterfly kisses. She then kissed his palm slow and chastely. After it, Tamao stood watching him in quiet waiting and her eyes were resolute with naked sincerity mixing with her grievous and tranquil stance. Hao's hands remained framing her pale and patient face and when he unhurriedly retreated the right one to run his thumb along her quiet lips the gesture ignited a sizzling sensation on her as Hao was gazing at Tamao with intense provocation and flirty smile. And as a shimmering mirage in a blink of an eye he looked like the Hao from his third life at his 19 years, and she smiled content. And it was funny and curious that he decided to keep the ancient attire and the high ponytail but they perfectly suited him. She guessed it was part of his antics of seduction on her so she decided to let it go and not ask about it and wait for the hidden meaning of it.

"You're pulling out the big guns now, aren't you, Hao-sama?"

"You were the one who talked about Doctor Manhattan, twisty-bobcat pretzels and Yoga. You pulled out the big guns first." He answered to her more sounding breathless voice as his own taunted her with playful recrimination and a tone of clarification. He was glad to be back to his third appearance for reasons that he wasn't going to mull over right now. "I need to be up to the challenge. It's good you're so dedicated because I don't want to tire you out or scare you for life."

"My, then it's good that I've gave so much time to gain enough flexibility and to channel my inner bobcat."

She said after inevitably chuckling listening to him and his obvious daring and showing off words that deep within quelled her itchy nervousness, fear and shame. Hao smirked narrowing his glaring eyes utterly focused in her. His hands left her face and lips with graceful and painfully slow movement and Tamao remained with the ghostly sensation prickling at the delicate surface of her caressed lips and a slight curious shiver running through her body. After a brief comfortable moment Hao looked calmer and still observant but those easy and playful traces in his lips warned his upcoming trademark smile. He didn't say that he did believe her but his actions were enough and she hoped that hers showed him what she really meant and wanted. Hao wasn't the one to trust easily on anyone and that included her, not even when they had shared moments together and were some sort of acquaintances evolving into friends and now, if everything went well, friends with benefits as it was called it.

But when he had brought up Yoh into the discussion she couldn't help to wonder about her own doubt concerning him and his past interest in Anna. She remained silent and looked down with lost in thought eyes as her hands intertwined in her chest gripped the black cloth that was part of her loosened dress. It wasn't a surprise that it was so similar to the one Anna used in the Shaman Fight but it was longer than hers. Tamao had chosen it to give Hana a reminder of his mother despite him believing she was his birth mother first and to give him a sense of who Anna was. Probably it was a pathetic and useless excuse covering for her foolish idea that taking Anna's character and clothes for her fortified her character and her connection to Hana. And it'd helped considering it was a poor and silly thing. It'd helped her to be the person she was now. But you're not Anna.

"You don't need to dress like that if you don't want it anymore."

Hao told her when she was about to turn to fold the last clothes waiting in the washed pile. She blinked askance a little taken aback noticing that it was the last one. Composing herself she looked at him a little confounded and startled showing in her cocked eyebrows but with her usual grave and hard expression. Hao got a little closer to her and started running the fingers of his right hand through the loose and straight strands of her pink and mildly wet hair. He understood her supposedly secretive and shameful thought just by watching her subtle gesture when she grabbed into the cloth of her black dress. He shouldn't be surprised by it and he rationalized that he wasn't in fact. He knew her enough and trusted, in the only way he could trust and possibly the word wouldn't be the in the complete sense of it or the correct one to use, but he trusted in the only way he could in her and in her frank and open show of decision and in the way she'd tried to make him see that she wanted him, just like he was realizing with complete consciousness that he wanted her.

Hao wasn't a fool and even when he frequently put aside his long list of unresolved, complex and troubling issues like if they weren't there waiting in a visible mountain taunting him with exploding and bathing him in a scorching rain of lava, he recognized the problem of him looking like Yoh and the arrogance and pride that were an inherent parts of his burning core. He'd wanted to listen to her and she knew him, at least till a point when he thought she was capable now, she knew that actions were a more dependable proof than words for him. She exposed herself in words and she approached him with her flattering and coquettish side and her still pure and innocent advances. But she did it and he'd felt her shivering when his hands were framing her face and caressing her lips like he felt her shivering as he was running his fingers through her hair now. He wanted to listen to her saying that she desired him, his arrogant, prideful and smug side required it, and his most hidden, immature and vulnerable one needed it too. Just like she required and needed to be assured right now about this that it was secretly bothering her and eroding her self-confidence in this peculiar subject. Tamao had been fully sincere and he knew she wouldn't lie or hide something about what she'd clarified to him already and much less to him. That tiny show of trust he could give it to her and he did it willingly believing in her. She wants me. And he wasn't one to lie or hide anything either, well, nothing that showed up the most buried and unseen parts of him covering his vulnerabilities and that pile of issues menacing him with countless rivers of magma.

"You can dress whatever way you like and you're you." Hao told her still running his firm and flirty fingers through the strands of her loose hair. Tamao stared at him with slightly dumbfounded awe and shy and ashamed yearning. But her lips were set in a way that it told him that she understood the meaning behind his words and that she was a little annoyed for taking him into the subject that had her thoughtful against her will. "And it's ok to be you and just you in whatever way you are."

He paused for a moment guiding his drifting hand from her hair to her cheek as he gently caressed it with the back of it and stared at Tamao with hypnotizing calm and frank brown eyes. She stood magnetized on her foot looking at him with softened and impressed expression mixed with her usual graveness. She didn't think he was going to read into her subtle revelation but she shouldn't be surprised, she reprimanded inwardly herself. He's Hao. The fine-drawn and at the same time straight way in which he caught with certainty what she needed made her feel secure and cared. The black dress wasn't the point of her inner and doubting trouble. For either of them appearances weren't the issue deep down. And both needed to know it with absolute honesty. To probably the majority of the people who knew him in any level, Hao knew that they thought that he had an interest and attraction of some sort for Anna. To be sincere he knew that he'd given some signs or clues to be perceived that way but he really wasn't. He liked to provoke her and irk her, that was true, and he respected and admired her power, strength and the person she was. Besides she remembered him his Mother in some specific details whether they were physical or went more with some of her personality's traits while others were totally in different opposite sides. And the Reishi had been an undeniable and silent bond between both.

"You can be you with me, with any side of you. And" Hao said with velvety and flirty voice as his lips half curled provocative with a smirk and his narrowed eyes shone serene and kind. He leaned over with slow and graceful motion towards her until his mouth was close to her right ear. "And if you don't want to wear that dress now you can take it off already. You can be with or without it with me."

He openly smiled and his tranquil but intense voice, his moving lips against her ear, his warm breathing against her skin and his playful but frank words slowly but surely incited the former and now familiar haunting shiver to run through her spine and quickly spread through her body bringing murmured goosebumps that collided against her flesh. He went back to his previous position leaving Tamao in a hardly controlled and breathless mess.

"That sounds great, Hao-sama, but you still need to fold the last clothes before we go on with more entertaining and pleasuring activities."

Tamao had to muster with shaken will and slacken body, hazy mind, eager soul and uneven heart all her strength to answer to him with steady and calm voice, with relaxed posture and challenging words as her inner voice urged her to unfreeze from his spell to show him what kind of woman she was and she wanted to be. And undoubtedly she was feeling so at home with it, so comfortable and powerful in her skin bubbling with lingering goosebumps.

"You're being mean, Okami." Hao said hilariously pouting and chuckling entertained. "But I said that I would do what the Okami says. This is her place and she rules here."

His eyes shot a complicit gaze at her as his face was covered with his common easygoing and smiling expression, even if he wasn't fully smiling or was smiling with that little known smile of his and turned to the abandoned unfolded clothes taking it with his easy and graceful manner as before. The cloth in his hands was a deep red flowery dress with lilacs and roses in the pattern. It's hers, so fitting for a woman like her. As he finished folding the dress with more dedication that he'd given to the previous folded clothes he felt her moving by his side and by the corner of his eyes saw her disappearing and going behind him probably to fetch something else or do another house chore. You're such a dedicated and busy woman. In fact he was enjoying this more than he'd thought possible in the first moment when it'd been considerated by both in a comical and joking way. He found himself pondering what Ohachiyo had told him when he learned of his ventures to Earth to visit Tamao and Hana. The only other one he visited was Opacho. In that occasion Hao had thought Ohachiyo's words and their direct and simple meaning useless or one of his incomprehensible lectures.

"Hey, Mappa." The little demon said floating beside him with that piercing and enthusiastic eyes and half funny and open smirk. Hao was sitting on his throne and just looked askance at him with his right eyebrow cocked in curious question. "Whenever you go to Earth try to go at least some times as whom you are and not the one entitled to the title and this throne." Ohachiyo patted playfully the mighty throne with his left hand. Hao narrowed his eyes in undisclosed intrigue and considerate expression. "Really, silly boy? Go with only yourself, put your power and crown apart and enjoy the ride. It would help you to try to understand what your brother and all the others try to make you see when they asked you to wait for your pending Apocalypse."

Ohachiyo patted his head with small and playful taps obviously amused with his lingering but concealed confusion and evident reaction trying to casually debunk the little demon's appreciation and words of wisdom with condescending look.

"It's about connection, Mappa Douji, connection to yourself, to others, to the world. You're already connected being the Shaman King but let yourself to connect as what you simply were once and you are still inside that potent core that it's hosted within you. And you know, let yourself be free from once in a while from the weight and the struggle. Be just you, go for a stroll, sit and watch your surroundings, talk to others as if you weren't the King of All. Believe me, it will help you, I know of your endurance and will, but sometimes even you need to let go for a moment and simply breathe and be free."

You should see me now, Ohachiyo. Hao hilariously thought to himself wondering what the ancient and perky little demon would say if he saw him folding clothes and performing such a simple and relaxing task without, mostly, complaining. And just in case because who knows, Hao tried to follow his puzzling and impractical advice only because his Mother had agreed with the little demon's riddling input. He'd fought for over 1,000 years to get the throne, the crown and the title so he didn't see any useful significance in trying to put it aside in the best way he could now being one with The Great Spirit. But Ohachiyo and his Mother had insisted and well, he couldn't say no to his Mother without trying at first. And although now he didn't really get into what Ohachiyo tried to convey to him, or perhaps a deep buried part of him didn't want to, he'd done it in his visits for Opacho, Tamao and Hana, well, he mostly did it and he had to admit that it was till now an interesting experience that still somehow escaped him in its peculiar transcendence. But it was something that definitely in this particular circumstance between Tamao and him was going to serve to remind him of the carnal pleasures he used to experience a time ago.

"This is finally folded, Okami."

Hao said sighing with faked exhaustion and boredom as he set the flowery dress on top of the pile that blatantly belonged to her just if he guessed by looking at the garments there.

"Good job, King-sama."

Tamao said with playful but serene voice. She was standing behind him yet with her hands wringing against the other close to her chest in obvious nervousness and unfitting tension after quietly closing the doors. This is it. Finally the moment has come. Don't mess it! Her brasher side told her with cheering and bold voice. Her previous furrowed brow brimming with thoughtful seriousness and lips quivering ashamed while she was biting the lower one trying to give herself confidence and bravery enough, changed slow but assuredly into a whole expression of decision and courage. She desired so bad to feel again the bodily sensations that he had awakened with his simple but effective advances and that had stirred something primal and yearning within her soul and kept her heart beating fast. Sensations that put her overthinking mind in a hazy state.

"I have your present here, now that you have ended your job. I keep my promises."

Hao smirked to himself knowing well that neither had forgotten about the thing with her secret and naughty present and an idea was already forming within his highly imaginative and intensely intrigued mind.

"I couldn't expect less from you, Okami."

He said slowly turning to face her behind him and his delayed motion made Tamao to privately growl in despair and uneasiness. Just turn already! She took a deep breath and filling her shaking body with burning bravery and inciting courage, she smiled with coquettish look settled upon him, feeling self-confident and comfortable within her skin as she put a hand on her right hip and stood firm and slacken in her waiting spot. The annoying awkwardness, shame, fear and the nervousness were submerged deep below her flesh and hiding within her pumping veins and she hoped for them to behave nicely and don't meddle in her clear and determined disposition. So when he finally was wholly turned to her she kept her direct and serene stare on his face and on his body trying to seize his sincere reaction as her own expression was grave but soothing.

Hao gazed longingly at her in quietness standing laid-back on his feet. A smile slowly spread through his lips in automatic and unconscious way as he watched her from head to feet with shameless but respectful and admiring eyes. The woman in front of him at mere inches away was completely naked and her already dry, pink and straight hair hung loosely falling down her back and her shoulders and framing her beautiful and pale face. She seemed so comfortable standing in that position even when he was aware of her left hand fisted in tightness, the only visible sign of her agitation with the situation at hand. His eyes wandered exhilarated through all her beautiful figure, from her oval and pretty face with those big and pink eyes with long eyelashes and elegant eyebrows, perfect nose and exquisite full lips, moving to her long and delicate neck, her graceful shoulders and refined arms with her silky hands with long and delicate fingers, her breasts looking so delightfully full, weighty and squeezable with light brown nipples in their peak, her wondrously fine abdomen and marked waist, stunning rounded hips and long and dainty legs and graceful feet with cute toes.

But the major and most endearing detail that had his eyes focused like a powerful magnet with tempting excitement and mischievous curiosity, the one she was referring without a doubt as a "present", was a star shaped figure down there, in her private and beautiful zone. A star shaped figure with delicate and just the amount of needed pink hair forming the subtle but very obvious pattern which, in fact, it was very accurate and cute to the sight. Hao couldn't help to keep staring at it enraptured and frowning intrigued analyzing each little trace he could observe from his spot with marveled, hypnotized and piercing eyes. His smile remained dancing in his lips as he narrowed his eyes for a better observation of the pretty neat drawing made of her under hair. A star shaped figure so delicately intricate with awing details occupying her private zone and naughtily tempting him and giving him the perfect show of the most intimate part of her beautiful body with a delightful promise of something truly thrilling to come.

"Someone is blushing, Sir."

Tamao interrupted his quiet and focused observation with mockingly playful and laughing voice. She was inwardly standing her ground with some difficulty because she really felt vulnerable right now under his straight and bare watchful gaze. On the outside she remained casually standing like if she was still dressed and not only with her elected clothes but with her invisible and fortified armor protecting her and strengthening her being. And it wasn't like she needed the clothes or the imaginary armor to go through life because she was a strong woman now and was still getting stronger day by day, or so she hoped, but this was a very kind of different situation and she couldn't help to feel the needles of embarrassment, nervousness, fear and awkwardness pinching into her body that was annoyingly feeling under her layers of skin like a stupid jelly.

But her resolution was overwhelming them and her desire for him, to have him over her and to go on was even greater than all those feelings weakening her most vulnerable side. And when she testified proud and satisfied, and privately excited and honestly shocked, how Hao was genuinely startled with soft brushes of surprise painting his face and noticing the soft red blush covering his cheeks she knew that it was so damn freaking worthy, all of it. Just to watch him caught off guard noticing his primal and natural reaction showing up in his face with eyebrows cocked in awe and eyes slightly wide opened with delight as he smiled so happily it was the world for her. It was worthy, indeed.

Tamao secretly sighed taking a very deep and needed breath. It was a damn freaking worthy effort that she had put on all this, of taking a long and dedicated bath, drown herself in roses' scent, brush her hair like a mad, brush her teeth more than once and the most difficult task at hand: waxing the areas that needed to be waxed and together with that the most abashing task at hand: go to a secret place in disguise with her serious and hard expression to cover her awkwardness to ask for the star shaped figure down there. For weeks she inwardly wondered if she dared to do the shameful task by herself but she'd been worried to mess it up, something that surely she was going to do, so she finally decided to go to a place to had it done in the perfect and pretty way she wanted. A place owned by women, of course. It'd been enough mortification to be there for such a curious petition to not have a woman down there shaving the needed hair. The woman was European and she'd been so cheerful and had looked at her with wide naughty eyes as her eyebrows wriggled funnily and she openly laughed with humor and even gave her tips to improve the embarrassing design Tamao had taken with her. The European woman had thought that her boyfriend was an Astronomer, by the way, when Tamao explained to her the design.

And, of course, she didn't need to forget her special research about sex, doing it like if she was a Secret Agent from a Government Institution. And the practicing of Yoga, yes, and the references to movies she'd watched once and fit with the special occasion. You did well, feel proud of it. But experiencing is way more different than things on text and media content. She huffed within trying to put aside the scaring reality of that and just enjoy the situation relaxed and self-confident.

"Do you like your present, Hao-sama?"

Tamao asked using her previous tighten and fisted hand to point with humor and pride at her private zone like if she was showing off anything else that it wasn't her under hair trimmed specially for him into a star shaped figure as she smirked with serious and watchful eyes twinkling with controlled shame and nervousness.

"That's such a thoughtful and well done present, Okami."

Hao finally could say with firmer and kind voice still enraptured and excited after casually clearing his throat and realizing that the soft red blush in his cheeks was still annoying him but slowly disappearing for his good fortune. His expression clearly showed his impressive and enthralled state. He felt the exhilaration reaching happily another parts of his anatomy and stirring them with scorching and wild sensations. He was grateful for his choice of clothes right then. It wasn't that he cared or was ashamed of it but he wanted to give her more time and attention before going to more profound activities. He wanted to give her the proper and unforgettable foreplay up to his reputation but more importantly, to give her a memorable first time or so damn him he'd change his name, once again for the fourth time.

"I really love it."

"I can see that." Tamao said cheekily and it was such a cute and weird mix with her common graveness and hardness softly emphasizing her obvious delighted state. Hao smirked inside of his enlivened mind. She's really enjoying embarrassing me. And it was something that very few have achieved to do to him in the matters of foreplay or sex before. "I doubted about it because I didn't know if you well preferred…" She casually cleared her throat trying to not let the exasperating soft red blush to appear in her cheeks like cherry blossoms in spring. "I didn't know if you preferred a more "natural" look."

She blinked trying to not nervously laugh and he blinked realizing what she meant and he smirked coming closer with well thought and graceful pace to her as Tamao inwardly gulped still facing him with her usual façade in control and burying her jelly self deep down to the pit of her hell made of shame. Hao openly laughed with her words but not in a mocking way and more like if he was really having fun and fully enjoying the interesting and important conversation and the moment of complicity between both. She, of course, was inside brimming with satisfaction, pride and enthusiasm as she pretended that he wasn't still watching her with the same shameless, respectful and admiring countenance and like if he was a giant microscope and she was a tiny bacterium.

"I lived two sexually active lives so I've had my share of interesting rituals in bed, I won't deny it but this is new even for me." He paused tilting his head when he stopped at mere inches away from her smiling with furrowing brow clearly showing his calm mixed with thrill and intrigue. "A more "natural" look as you said it was expected from time to time depending on the moment of human history but yes. But this is like a beautiful salute to honor my name and I'm so touched by it."

"I see." Tamao could only say when he put his right hand over his heart inside his chest to give a more meaningful emphasis to the words as he looked intensely at her waiting face with serious obliged eyes but a hint of amusement and content jumping happily in the corner of her lips. She'd been worried that he would have liked a bushier look after taking the risk to ask for this specific figure. "I did the right choice for my Map of Tasmania then. And it was a… interesting experience to call it something."

"Map of Tasmania?"

Hao comically intrigued inquired and Tamao flinched a little noticing that she had said that out loud when she'd thought she mused it within her effervescent mind. But she quickly covered her annoying slip with a simple nod folding her arms over her chest half covering her perky tits that merrily moved dancing with enough mocking dare causing Hao's eyes to fixate on them for a brief moment to her hidden shame but showed off pride and he realized it so it was his time to be a little surprised for being caught staring at those two squeezable mounts of flesh without willed intent, and just with an automatic and primitive reaction that awakened even more other more sensitive parts of his anatomy. His smirk curled the corner of his lips as his eyes came back with rebellious threatening against his brain to her face and more precisely her taunting eyes. Oh, just wait for my vengeance, woman.

"It's just a song."

Tamao shrugged like it wasn't a big deal while diverting her nervous and amused eyes in equal amount before looking at him again like if it didn't affect her in any way giving away that little detail. Hao cocked his left eyebrow in silent challenge as he smirked with full content and calm.

"Hmm"

Hao murmured with singsong tone and then looked down pointing with his sassy and satisfied eyes at that particular part of her naked anatomy. When Tamao watched his eyes effortlessly flickering back and forth for a couple of seconds in abstraction she inwardly smirked happy but in a little and funny way worried too. He's searching again. What is he now? The Matrix? I should stop giving him things to look up or I can cause him an aneurysm. He can't have an aneurysm now! She freely laughed within and it reached the surface of her half serious and observant expression exploding in her eyes. Hao liked that. He liked this new side of her, more playful and humorously relaxing. And it was good that it was often slipping through her common façade. Hao's look focused once more openly smiling with unhidden interest and entertained enthusiasm.

"Let me guess, the title refers to the natural resource from where this stunningly drawn figure was made."

"You're correct. Because you know, it looks like it."

"Hmm… that's interesting. I learn something amusingly curious whenever I'm with you, Okami."

"It's nice to know and an honor that I can teach something to the King even if it's just for mere entertainment or to make fun of me."

"It's true." Hao said taking her aback when he crouched in front of her and his face and eyes, and for her more mortified expression, well; his eyes were straight staring at her private and nicely trimmed zone. Tamao couldn't help to flinch a little and get startled with his unexpected and surprising action but obliged herself to stand her ground and remain unshakable on her feet even when the jelly sensation caressed her skin from within. "It looks like the Map of Tasmania, how appropriate."

"I told you."

She said forcing her trembling voice to be steady with iron grip and menacing will and she was glad that it sounded kind of uncaring and like if she was taking all this like it wasn't a big deal when in fact it was. She, still with folded arms against her naked breasts looked down at him with knitted brows in ashamed curiosity and fired up boldness. He was staring at the star shaped figure with a satisfied and excited smirk and his eyes narrowing with naughty warmth.

"Are you going to stay there, Hao-sama?"

Tamao asked a little exasperated, anxious and nervous feeling his laser of doom eyes burning like if he was putting his signature down there. Hao gladly chuckled.

"It seems someone is getting desperate."

"That's not what I'm…!" She paused noticing her high pitched voice that sounded so stupidly embarrassed. She closed her eyes for a second and took a disguised deep breath before going on with firmer and more serious voice. "It's just that I didn't think you would love your present so much."

She covered her foolish slip with a nice excuse; she thought feeling pride for herself. Hao laughed this time and looked up catching her still anxious but well controlled expression painting her eyes and mouth. He slowly blinked shooting at her a flirty look from under his long eyelashes.

"I do love it so much that I think I'm going to thank you for it right now."

Before Tamao could say anything being sheltered by her posture and folded arms, Hao looked down and kissed the star shaped figure with thought chaste intention, setting his fervent and soft lips on the center of the star shaped figure. Tamao almost stumbled caught off guard by the sizzling sensation his mouth was provoking in there with such little and innocent movements and the shiver running wildly through her body and attacking her jelly self covered by flesh and layers of skin. Hao chuckled against her most intimate skin causing a faint tremor on the delicate skin there and he caught her grabbing with his hands her thighs with soft but secure grip and his palms were like an incandescent mark against her quivering legs joining happily the attack against her jelly self. She felt a stirring sensation building up down there and inside her.

"It seems someone it's already happy for my gratitude and for seeing me."

Hao said with velvety and low voice filled up with obvious and impudent thrill after kissing in the same way with tortuous slowness the pink delicate traces of the star shaped star and the shaved areas too. Tamao couldn't help it. She madly blushed after flinching surprised and abashed for her uncontrollable, predicted and natural reaction. She expected it, of course, but not so soon! She couldn't help to clench her body from her waist going down feeling the bodily sign of arousal overwhelming her with soggy welcoming and pulsating echoes. Hao got up then noticing her affected physical, mental and emotional reaction and calmly smiling at her with gentle eyes and respectful, admiring and shameless expression caressed her right cheek with the back of his hand. He wondered if she was going to feel more comfortable when his clothes were off and she could see that he was getting unstoppably turned on too.

"Do you want to take off my clothes yourself or you want me to undress myself?"

He simply asked raising in sincere demonstration his right eyebrow at her. Tamao, finally recovering her lost composure with the major effort she swiftly gathered from that brief, chagrined and shaming moment and realizing his kind and supportive antics, softly sighed staring at him with undisclosed enticing incitation. And it was in this precise moment that she finally understood why he wore the ancient attire despite changing looks. It was a weird but funny and seductive antic of him. In fact, it had been chosen so purposely that she secretly smirked impressed for it.

"Can I, Hao-sama?"

"Go ahead. But I warn you, these are a lot of clothes brought from a very different Period."

"It's fine, it will be like peeling off an onion" She couldn't help to say and secretly noticing quickly humiliated the weird comparison she added with half smirk and more relaxing serious stance and mimicking his previous gesture of putting one hand over her heart emphasizing her words. "What I meant was, of course, an interesting and charming onion."

"Peel off the onion then."

Hao funnily smirked opening his arms in invitation. She reached out to his waist first with slow but firm movements with a decided and focused frown as her eyes were shining with animated expectation and her lips were stirred with naught and half spread in a clear smirk. Little by little she felt more playful and relaxed and even more comfortable to let out her weird sense of humor and she was glad that at least he seemed to enjoy it. She couldn't deny that Hao had his own sense of humor and she really liked it. As she worked with showing well learned discipline in undressing him and carefully dropping layer after layer of clothes to the ground she could only listen his steady breathing and her pacified one and the silence was once more a true symbol of comfort and compliance between both. When she realized that she was close to the last layer of clothes she anxiously knitted her eyebrows and try to distract her nervous and excited self from the awaited moment when he was going to be finally naked as her.

"Do you have some limits, your Highness?"

She asked as a matter of fact, as if she was asking which his preferred color was. She wasn't looking at his face being focused in unraveling the last layer of clothes covering him. She thought it was a good and expected question to make.

"It's an interesting inquiry, Okami." He paused and Tamao looked up noticing then his thoughtful expression and distracted eyes joining his small and calm smile. "It depends with what you mean with limits in this peculiar subject but in general I have a thing with my neck. And I don't cuddle a lot after it."

"Oh." She said taken aback for his sincere and open confession and the way his eyes looked melancholic and lost in thought despite staring at her while saying it even when he was obviously smiling deeply tugged at her heart. Maybe one day she would find the perfect moment to ask when he felt more confident towards her because right now she knew it wasn't the time. "Ok. It's nice to know."

She honestly said openly smiling with kindness for the very first time since they had started this game of cat and mouse tonight and for Hao was a reminder of the gentle woman she was and he was glad that she still existed somewhere deep within her. Tamao seemed to realize her frank reaction and blinked getting a more serious expression but the gravity of it didn't' erase her now more relaxed, humorous, playful and smiling side. When her spellbound eyes stared at the first patches of his naked skin on his chest and shoulders she couldn't help to put her eager and quivering lips on them as she followed suit with her job at undressing him. Her subtle but blazing gestures surprised him in a very nice way and he remained silent for a moment closing his eyes and enjoying the sparkling sensation her humid lips left behind after every caring kiss. Tamao was inwardly proud and satisfied for his well received attention and acceptance and when he deeply sighed with evident content she smiled against the skin of his chest with a smile that send a faint shiver through his already exposed skin.

"What about you, Okami? Do you have limits or want something specific tonight?"

He asked then opening his eyes and looking down at her with honest interest. Tamao flinched caught off guard and reprimanding herself for it. What you expected? Her brasher side told her returning with a mighty vengeance. If you asked he's bound to ask back. She quickly pondered it before she peeled off the last layer of the onion, damn; she meant the last layer of Hao's clothes with slightly shaky fingers and controlled frown masquerading her uneasiness and anxiety.

"I don't know, to be honest, about my limits but" She dropped the last layer of his clothing to the floor with clumsy movement and obliging her eyes to stare at his face and only his face right now with tranquil and reserved expression. "But I want, I guess, the normal thing." When he cocked his eyebrows in frank, curious and patient demonstration she struggled with the freaking soft red blush surely covering her cheeks once again and her stupid lack for a better explanation as her face remained in utter control. "I mean the first thing I want to feel… I mean… inside…"

"You want it inside you first than any other part of my body, that's what you mean."

He said getting closer to her and Tamao could swear that she felt him being lead to an erection that was hitting against her star shaped zone and lower abdomen and the jelly contained self under her flesh imploded with a massive splash as she shivered in excited anticipation. Hao smiled nodding.

"That's fine. These can play later and show you the wonders they could do." He said raising his right hand and wriggling his fingers with grace, naughty voice and intense eyes. "It will be as you want." He took her hands that were attached to her lifeless arms hanging from her rag doll of a body in his own. "And then, later, these can play with that wondrous present and the treasure that it's protecting too." He took her intertwined hands to his face and caressed her knuckles with soft and chaste kisses. "And don't worry, you'll find what your limits are and if you don't know yet or don't know by then, that's fine. It could take a time and I don't mind waiting and guiding you if you want me to do it."

"I'll keep it mind."

She simply said with furrowed brow filled with open desire and bared and undisguised honesty. When she had see him doing all that and listening to him saying all that in that so perfect, charming, gently and sincere way something within her had melted the lingering nervousness, fear, awkwardness, uneasiness and shame and it'd mixed it with her self-confident, brave, courageous, caring and headstrong side dancing along her serious and decided one. Tamao had just stood there watching him and hearing him with stunned, amazed and moved expression and her more playful and relaxed side awakened again smirking at him with intense and exhilarated eyes.

"I want to play with these fingers later too."

She said taking his right index finger with delicate manner with both hands and bringing it to her open mouth where she softly sucked and licked it staring at his eyes with blunt desire shimmering in her own and measuring bewitched and yearning at his reaction. Hao's breath halted for a second at her raw and sensual action as he stared at her back with the same profound desire and heartfelt titillation.

"I want to play with these later too." Tamao told him after freeing his captured finger from her humid mouth and running her right thumb along his smiling lips. "I want all of you, Hao-sama."

"That's good to know because I want all of you too, Okami."

He smiled and closing his eyes he reached out for the little gap separating both with swift and graceful movement as he reclaimed her half opened and quivering lips waiting with stirring anticipation and finally kissed Tamao trapping her within his arms with a blatant possessive but caring gesture. Tamao felt her body being swept by his considerate force and immediately embraced him without any trace of hesitation and just plain, burning and desperate craving making her body to feel deeply crackling with the sensations of his naked skin against her own, her bodily shapes bared against his and his lips, humid and soft, moving along her own with wondrous and thrilling skill and discovering the uncharted territory they provided. She had her eyes closed and now she was slightly squeezing them with overwhelming and unknown need washing over her as she felt his hands wandering aimlessly along her naked back under the pink curtain of her straight hair, reaching her waist and setting on top of her derriere with open palms and softly gripping fingertips. She had her hands on top of his shoulders and she let them go with subtle but firm wandering through his chest until they found their way to his lower abdomen and then she dared to explore his bare back letting them drift and get used to the amazing and hot sensation of caressing and kneading his uncovered flesh and undisguised skin.

He let her breath in the perfect moments when both needed it and followed suit her attempt to initiate again the incessant and devoted kissing first focused only in tasting and provoking her mouth and teaching her untraveled lips to then ask them in fervent silence with slow and gentle petition to open when Hao's tongue brushed against her lips leading her to open hers. Then his tongue delicately passed through them and touched Tamao's own who was already in position to concede the stimulating request. He started it slowly first and using his tongue and lips to perform different movements changing the pace while pleasuring her conceded attention and desire. Soon she felt his tongue dancing rhythmically against her own in a perfect, humid and hot synchrony as his drifting and agitated tongue and lips caressed her own and she soon did the same with the equal intense exuberance, first a little clueless but soon she was doing it with more expertise and exploring his candent and humid mouth as he was exploring hers. Their heavy breathing, hushed panting and low moaning filled the quietness of the air as they rhythmically moved their bodies and their faces confronting the other with agreed and understood surrender.

She soon and surprisingly in a very nice and comfortable way felt his right hand softly touching her left breast and then encasing it with firm delicacy in its open and heated palm and his thumb mildly caressing the upright and rigid nipple bringing her another new sensation that warmly wrapped her sending a tidal wave of frizzling feeling from her breast through the rest of her shaking body that focused in her inner and intimate core with a slight and increasing throbbing.

Hao kneaded the now indulged breast filling his hand and even then he smirked when it wasn't enough to contain its beautiful size. He stooped kissing her leaving her panting breathless and like a mess of gelatinous flesh with hazy and warm eyes and kissed her long pulsing neck leaving a trail of humid brushing of lips before lifting her in his arms with easy and caring grip and Tamao found herself still cozily numbed by the pleasuring sensations incessantly colliding against her flushed and warm skin being carried and with her jelly legs circling him above his waist and her arms draped around his shoulders and facing him with hypnotized and enthralled expression and foggy with need eyes. Hao was looking at her with warm and flushed skin too, with the same expression of eyes clouded by feverish and captivated yearning joined by his usual and securing calm and easy and lingering smile. She faintly smiled back feeling exhilarated and expectant his intimate and hardened length hotly brushing against her slippery intimate zone and her incited derriere supported by his entangled arms and Tamao's skin pulsated with ghostly goosebumps. Their heartbeats run wild with blood pumping effervescently through their veins and both knew their hearts and their beatings were going to be in a permanent rollercoaster from now on till this ended.

She rested her head against his right shoulder deeply breathing as Hao took her with firm and steady pace towards the bed where he carefully sat her down as he kissed her again in the open mouth with the same profundity and mastery and she immediately answered back with clear and shameless eagerness opening her legs and folding them, putting her nervous feet on the mattress and letting him to guide her into a lying position before setting himself on top of her. His hardened and upright dick was against her lower abdomen caressing her bubbling skin as mouths were being fervently explored, tongues and lips were madly caressed with equal dominance and hands were busy wandering and drifting away grabbing into the warm and flushed flesh. She run her decisive and craving hands along his chest, his arms and his shoulders, leading them into what they can reach of his back and buttocks and she tenderly dug her short nails on his flesh leaving a faint trail of harmless scratches.

He had his right arm by her head with his hand gently caressing her cheek with his thumb and occasionally running through her pink hair and his other hand was on her derriere subtly pressing and kneading the soft flesh there. Soon their deep and warmed up kissing didn't stay on their opened and yearning mouths from where heavy breathing, loud panting and murmuring moaning was expelled and Hao positioned his body in a way to give longed for attention to both of her tits, the first one being her left, with his lips sucking into the solid nipple that stood as a sharp needle and sucking and licking it with slow and dedicated movements as his left hand on her derriere moved then to her right shaking thigh where he let it running along it with pulsing and candent fingers pounding that only increased their already stimulated arousal catching both in pleasant fire.

"Aaaah.. Hao-sama…"

Tamao finally said arching her back and squirming her trembling body with hushed breath when she felt his fingertips slow and softly brushing against her intimate lips and the slippery and throbbing entrance of her pussy and then going up to knead the area surrounding the star shaped figure and the figure itself and her clit bringer of unparallel pleasure. Hao knew that he'd promised her to let his fleshy hardness to be the first part of him going inside her and sure it was going to be like that. But that didn't mean he couldn't play around at ease in the beautiful intimate zone between her opened and shaky legs. As his humid and sexy mouth devoured her other magnificent breast he saw her moving her left hand that was on his chest where she had left velvety and very faint reddened scratches guiding it to her previously indulged and inflamed breast with unconscious and sexy motion where she started kneading it with cute devotion and massaging the erected and fleshy needle as her right hand desperately caressed and faintly scratched his chest and abdomen with vehement demand. Her flushed face wore a clear frown of overwhelming craving and her pretty mouth was half opened sucking in air with despairing and enlivened feeling as she arched her back and her body slightly convulsed. Her eyes were clouded like his with the weighty fog of fervent, palpitating and alluring pleasure.

"Aaahhh… Hao-sama… aaahhh!"

She got really louder this time when he intentionally with soft and circular motion moved his thumb on her fleshy and euphoric clit on top of her intimate lips and gently coupled it with a long, lively and wet suck of her right hard nipple. She arched her back in unison with the delightful and weak sore throbbing increasing within her private core and squirmed a little startled by the intense sensation brought by his simple but ardent gesture and realized behind the foggy curtain of yearning covering her sight and numbing her mind that she was getting louder with each passing minute and she couldn't help to wonder if she was doing it right. She even noticed her own hand touching her naked and already pampered left breast and she inevitably blushed ashamed and a little mortified.

Should I express myself louder or should I be quieter? Some men like women to be loud in bed but how much it's considered loud and how much it's considered scandalous? Am I correctly moaning and panting? Men supposedly take these as signs of going good in sex. I was supposed to be doing it now, right? Should I be touching myself? I mean, would he take it in the wrong way? I think I'm correctly moving, right? She stopped her hand massaging her left breast setting it with tightening fist on her abdomen symbolizing her bothering embarrassment and confused mind. When another obviously threatening loud scream and high pitched moan wanted to be let out from her traitorous throat she bit her lower lip barely containing it.

"Don't." Hao told her with hoarse voice filled with utter desire after watching her inner and silent debate going on since a little moment ago. He had looked up at her from his position with her hard and upright right nipple being sucked into his mouth analyzing what was bothering her and had let his left hand just running delicate but intensely along her soft and trembling thigh abandoning her wet and most private zone for now and her already inflamed and indulged right breast. "Don't repress yourself."

He repeated with major explanation finding his voice steadier and cracked by inciting and hungry sensation. The faintly pulsing and pained cock between his legs palpitated disobedient against his iron will. As his body slowly started to slide up to face her with graceful motion that tortuously brushed their skin against skin with flushed and hot flesh and his trapped hardened length between both, Tamao couldn't help through her upper lip biting into the lower one to lowly grunt with horny delight that blushed in deep red her cheeks. Soon Hao's face was in front of hers staring at her with patient, kind and piercing eyes tinged with heavy shadows of overwhelmed and titillating nature. He was away from mere inches and supporting his weight on his arms to have a better sight of her confused expression staring back at him through a serious and slight shameful frown. His lips curled in that so his, easy and calm smile supporting her without words.

"Don't do that." He said again coming closer to her face and taking her quivering and faintly bitten lower lip between his own lips and playful teeth forcing her to release her grip on it. "I want, demand and like to hear you; either they are murmurs, high pitched screams, loud pants and moans or even cute grunts." He told her before retreating to his previous position still staring at her with calm and collected expression and a little flirty smirk. Tamao slightly cocked her eyebrows in ashamed surprise and then she nodded with a more decided and understanding frown. "Don't think, woman, just go with the flood of your body, listen to it and don't think, just feel."

Tamao nodded again with a little awed and satisfied smirk after listening him calling her "woman" and not "girl". Her former frown softened and he smiled mischievously proud realizing the effect of the word on her and knew he had chosen good when he decided to call her finally like that. Her figure immediately relaxed and her expression was once more focused in the moment and the sensations her body was making her experience with such exuberant and submerging intensity.

"And I do want; I demand and like to watch you touching yourself if that's what you want in the moment. I want you to explore not only myself but you too." He run his right thumb along her face and then set it on top of her lips softly brushing it against them and inviting them to half open with possessive and gentle eyes. Tamao did it without hesitance and she nibbled into his thumb with delicate and playful manner narrowing her hazy with longing eyes on him with a happy smile painting her full expression as she softly licked it and brushed her sharp teeth against it. "Feel free with me, Tamao."

When he said her name she was sincerely stunned and her face showed it with clear and obvious surprise for a second. She was used to him calling her "Okami" or using honorifics for her and she used honorifics to refer to him or called him titles referencing his present and important status but he was calling her only by her name right now. And the way he'd pronounce her simple name with such mesmerizing and breathy tone provoked her to shiver in candent anticipation. He flirty smirked with his dazzling arrogance showing her that he was proud and satisfied of the reaction he had caused in her. She freed his delicious thumb from her scorched and yearning licking lips with plain tease. He gladly smirked.

"You should call me only by my name when we're in these pleasuring and private sessions. Either way it's the only word you'll be able to utter when I'm either pleasuring or inside you."

"You're... so sure of yourself, Hao."

Tamao at least could say after distractedly clearing her throat from her heavy breathing still striking at her and deeply chuckling entertained and enthusiastic with his words. Of course he's so sure about himself, you can barely talk. She had foolishly blushed again after listening to his last certain sentence but she didn't have the strength or will enough to try to stop her rebellious cheeks from showing the vulnerable redness anymore when her body was so full with so many interesting, overwhelming and devouring sensations and she was breaking the chains of her overthinking mind as he suggested. He caressed her deep reddened cheek with his thumb smirking with evident satisfaction and true captivation. It was his way to tell her that if she wanted to blush like a damn freaking tomato he wasn't going to take it as a sign of weakness, refusal or fear. It was a sign of who she was too within her being at the mere end.

"And you can ask me if you want something specific, Tamao."

"I want to see you, to completely see you. I didn't see" She immediately said with steadier and firmer voice and then she paused diverting her stupid embarrassed eyes for a second as she seriously coquettish smiled at him. "I didn't see well when I undress you."

"Then you'll see me, Tamao. And later I'll continue with your cheeky pampering."

She openly laughed exhilarated and relaxed as he first sat down and taking her by her waist helped her to sit down too. Tamao secretly desperate in eagerness followed suit his gestured indication and by the moment she was sat down on the comfortable and cozy bed he was already standing at the edge of it flashing his full beautiful nakedness at her with sassy and firm pose. Tamao slipped her body through the mattress till she was sitting on the edge of it with her shaky legs dangling over the edge of it and with Hao's bare body in front of her at mere inches overwhelming and tempting her with his arrogant, proud and confident side while he was getting rid of the high ponytail on top of his head. You really know how beautiful and handsome you are, don't you? And you don't mind showing off because it's the truth. Her fiery and craving eyes filled up with his complete naked image, his stunningly lean but evident muscled body, that long and straight brown hair framing his attractive and well shaped face, those intense and calm brown eyes, perfect sculpted nose and his easy and soothing smile and playful and daring smirk at the same time coming from those squeezable lips, his strong shoulders and arms with those marveling hands with elegant and long fingers, his heaving chest and flat abdomen and his maddening hips from where firm legs came attached and were owning the place and the moment.

And she couldn't help to fix her burning constant and admiring eyes, enthralled expression and stunned smile speaking volumes of her primal hunger, her raw thirst for him and all of him, on his still increasing and defiant erection daring her to grow more dangling in front of her curiously excited eyes and half opened mouth. She wondered if it was going to fit down there, within her secret and drenching womanhood, with a little, annoying and embarrassing feeling as she inwardly gulped realizing that he was well endowed indeed and its size and all other details were fitting to his perfect and highly attractive anatomy considering her hidden research. She then observed hypnotized his meaty sack where his balls were mocking her with their very obvious want to be softly and longingly squeezed to get the proper pleasure they deserved. The glistening head of his erection was taunting her from its welcoming dick with straight and shameless invitation and Tamao did the only thing that was on her mind hitting it with hot pounding and excruciating desire. A pounding that echoed through her skin and her body sending tortuous tapping signals reaching her wet entrance and strolling painfully feverish into her cunt.

She slowly but firmly reached out and took the hardness between his legs from the base smiling delighted at the crude and fascinating sensation in her hands. She used both hands, no way was she going to do this without pulling out the big guns, and let her left hand to playfully knead and softly caress his hanging balls with tapping fingertips while her right one encircled his aroused cock and run from the base to the top with tortuous delicacy till she reached the wet and shimmery head with gentle, smooth and decisive fingered motions and she run her thumb against it with slow and delicate circular caress causing a slight tremor to madly run through him.

Tamao looked up at him performing the same soft, fervent and committed movements as she licked her lips and watched enchanted his raw and visible reaction, feeling enthusiastic pride and undisclosed satisfaction when Hao's breathing became heavier and harsher and he leaned a little over her resting his chest on the top of her head and softly dug his fingers on her mass of loose hair pulling at it with gentle and careful grip. Tamao looked up and tilted her head and laid her yearning lips on the patches of skin she could reach from his chest kissing at his flushed and warm flesh slow and open mouthed sucking as her hands continued working in that pulsing, intimate and enthralling parts of his enraptured anatomy with shaky inexperience at first and uneven rhythm till she realized that she'd caught the perfect one to drive him crazy like he'd done to her when he'd touched her intimately breaking her voice in loud screams. Hao had let her find it for herself, he could have taken her hands and show her which was the correct vibe and the accurate tone when he unraveled into a convulsing mass of flesh, bones and blood, but he'd had been patiently kind and now she was regarding him with probably her still somehow inaccurate attempts but something told her that she was in the certain path when he doubled over a little more and his hands grabbed a little tighter but harmlessly at her loose hair.

He lowly grunted and panted and loudly moaned and his hips desperately moved in accordance to the wild and exuberant rhythm of her hands intimately touching his sensitive parts and it was a primitive, instinctual and unconscious reaction. And it had been when she had remembered something from her secretive research and her hand that was pampering so delightfully his balls run along his intimate zone until finding what she was looking for, or so she hoped to do it, and kneaded with a gentle pressing and circular gesture a certain and desired spot a little behind his balls.

Hao slightly moving and supporting more his body on hers panted louder this time with heavy breathing and openly moaned longer with intense expression and eyes closing and opening highly thrilled and captivated with a feverish fog clouding them. Tamao coquettish smirked feeling utterly proud, satisfied and confidant knowing that she was the one provoking him in that sassy, sexy, raw and profound way. It was simply her, Tamao, and she was serenely relieved knowing that she was doing her best and giving all of her as him in this. When the intense sensation turned fiercer, Hao settled his hands on her shoulders with a gentle but precise grip standing straighter and his hips kept thrusting into her hands with independent will as he tried to take back his slipping control. He looked down at her with half opened panting mouth and eyes lost in blurring rapture. When she looked up at him to naughtily gauge his crude, honest and potent reaction she saw his eyes half closing immersed in bared pleasure and changed in color. The brown in the iris was gone and they looked mainly brilliant and clear blue with tinges of fiery red and deep orange and golden shadows circling his irises. She watched bewitched the strangely beautiful phenomenon. She had never seen his usually calm and nostalgic eyes looking like that before but she guessed it was related to his connection to The Great Spirit.

"Stop, woman, or I'll come before time."

Hao chuckled between harsh breathing and hoarse grunting voice and retreating from his surrendered position as Tamao looked up at him with a cute and joking angered pout and battling his eyelashes in protest. He sincerely laughed taking her face on both hands and brushing his thumbs against the skin of her pretty cheeks. His eyes were still flogged by the obvious impassioned excitement of the scorching sensation left by her ghostly hands tormenting him with pleasuring caresses and her graceful and learning fingers twitching and moving intimately on him but his brown and hazy eyes were painted with his eternal and charming control too. His changed in color eyes remained the same for a brief moment and when he started blinking the brown slipped through their irises again. Tamao looked at him quiet with serious but awed, caring and admiring expression. Hao stared at her in silence with serene, piercing and expectant face. She wondered if he wanted her to say something but she wanted too, either way.

"Your mighty self made a wonderful appearance, I have to say." She told him with a little kind smile and using her right hand to reach out at his face and brush gently her fingers through his bangs and she caressed his face with her soft knuckles. Hao calmly chuckled leaning a little into her sweet and innocent gesture softening his sight on her with a spark of vulnerability she didn't see often in him ever. "Is everything alright? I mean with your current status and this?"

She removed her right hand from his handsome face even when she didn't want to but she knew it was time. She wanted to ask for his lost Reishi because she had it in her mind too due to this intimate interaction and even before that. She had asked before about it but not something relating it to this particular activity. She had been educated and respectful enough to not ask him about it and she wasn't going to do it but she had an idea of what it meant having it during sexual encounters. She didn't mind if he took this opportunity to dwell on it and see how it was having sex without it, not that it changed the fact that he still had its lingering effects of reading into people with certain perfect accuracy.

"Everything is fine, don't worry. That was just an unavoidable inconvenience."

"I'm glad. You can tell me, you know, about anything if you ever want." She just told him with grave expression but softened eyes thinking in leaving it there because she knew he wasn't going to say anything at least not now but she wanted him to know that she was there to listen and support. He just tilted his head with sincere consideration and a little smile spread through his calm eyes and quieted lips. Trying to lighten up the mood she innocently serious looked at his highly attractive crotch licking her anxious lips. "Can I continue?"

"No, woman, you'll have to wait." He told her with flirtatious an amused smirk and obviously flattered by the way his calm eyes filled with pure joy and his smile turned into a proud and satisfied grin. "I can't come yet."

"You're mean, Hao." She told him saying again his name without any honorific or title and the word rolled perfectly like velvet on her tongue. She looked at him batting again her eyelashes with furrowed brow showing still her hilarious rebellion against him for stopping her and pouting and playful mouth. "But at least, can I do this?"

And without waiting for his response Tamao gently took his still prepared and incited throbbing cock with both hands and leaning over slowly kissed the glistening and soggy tip with chaste and soft lips tasting its wonderful flavor that it was so his and she gently swirled her tongue around the sensitive area dipping into the slit of its head licking with delicacy the begging humidity. Hao doubled over a little taken aback by her innocent and daring act and genuinely laughed between a sharp and shaky breath and heavy pant and loud moan and gently taking her hands away from that aroused, deliciously pained and supplicant part of his anatomy. Tamao let him do it and looked up at him with a little ingénue expression but clear and taunting defiance in her alluring eyes.

"Someone's getting bolder and I do like that." He told her swiftly recovered steady and firm voice and leaning down on her with piercing, enticing and tranquil eyes and half pleased and provocative smile. "But I hadn't finished what I started so, you'll have to wait patiently your turn, Tamao."

"I scratched you."

She said suddenly noticing the reddish and faint lines of her digging nails marking some patches of the skin of his chest. They weren't profound in reality but despite that she felt a little mortified watching them. She had pictured herself scratching him but not looking at his faintly broken skin she felt guilty in spite of knowing that he was the Shaman King and his body was a very well and perfect conjuration and some pathetic scratches were nothing to him. She looked up at him with serious and concerned eyes and an unavoidable hint of repentant playfulness dancing in her lips. He stood with laid-back posture in front of her trying to ignore as her his pulsating and still lingering erection symbolizing his still evident aroused state despite not touching, kissing or pleasuring her in any way and getting the same pleasant sensations back just by doing it to her. And going by what she had madly provoked in him with her mere hands on the sensitive parts between his legs he sure was going to be high, exhilarated and overwhelmed in pleasure too.

"And you did it on my back too, but it's fine. It's the kitty you summoned from within you."

"It wasn't a kitty! It was a bobcat."

She said funnily scandalized and entertained by his clear and mocking words and he looked down shooting her a calm expression as he folded his arms relaxed and tilting his head with obvious taunting smile. His erection happily wriggled saying a tempting hello to her. Now she knew how he felt when she used her tits in the same way to entice him before. It's karma, it's karma.

"Maybe it was a kitty all along. But the kitty can still bend like a twisted and salty pretzel, right? So don't worry. If you're a kitty or a bunny, but maybe a little crazed bunny to scratch like that or a bunny with rabies, I don't mind. But I really want the twisted and salty pretzel."

"My nails are short because it's more practical for me but that doesn't change the fact that it's a bobcat. It's a bobcat but it needs more cheering up and dedication to really appear."

She counterattacked folding her arms in equally relaxed state catching his eyes' focus and attention and setting them on her delightful and faintly pained dancing breasts as she narrowing her flirty but serious eyes at him letting her lips to curl softly in a defiant smirk. Hao forced his eyes away realizing her dirty and naughty antics as he inwardly laughed and cocked his eyebrows in obvious but pretended offense as he simply chuckled amused. It's karma, it's karma coming back to bite you on the ass.

"Pardon me? Is the bobcat complaining for poor performance or is setting up a challenge? I was very sure of my well received and thanked performance."

"Maybe the bobcat is simply shy." She pretended to be lost in thought as she tapped her right index finger against her chin and looked at him batting her eyelashes with her flirtiest serious expression. "Maybe it needs to see your butt. I hadn't seen it."

"You mean this meaningless thing?" He said quickly turning around to give her a more visible sight of her naughty and craved wish as he stood evidently showing off with arrogant expression his perfect and dazzling behind with toned flesh, perfect in form and size, round and perky buttocks. Tamao inwardly laughed. He dares to call it a meaningless thing when he has surely won over me with that squeezable and asking for a bite and a bobcat's scratch butt. "Is the bobcat satiated now?"

"It's getting there, definitely."

Tamao said when after staring at his beautiful, sexy and seductive behind so closely and with throbbing longing rummaging through her body and focusing in her intimate and pulsating core with pained strokes of raw and wild need. But she ignored it casually crossing and clenching her legs.

"I'm glad, for a moment I thought I was losing my famous touch."

He then got charmingly serene as he leaned over her and he used his legs to gesture her to open hers when he stood between Tamao's weakened ones staring at her with yearningly foggy eyes and the tip of his hardened, glistening and proud dick wriggled again at her with happy and supplicant movements wishing to be kissed, licked and caressed once more. She couldn't help to lick her lips in hungry and feverish anticipation and Hao noticed and smirked as his eyes traveled from her face down to her full, weighty and squeezable tits begging him to knead, suck and lick at them and then to her opened legs where her intimate mouth was sending him a silent invitation to touch and kiss and tempting him with her soaking entrance leading to her tight, soaked, undiscovered and warm sheath. Tamao noticed his wandering shameless eyes and inwardly smiled feeling the quelled blush tainting her cheeks but not in a bothering way. Both exchanged a long and candent craving look before he slowly approached her taking her face between his hands, leading his right one to gently grab at her nape and soft and passionately kissed her tasting and caressing her desperately anxious lips. Her right hand slowly run his erection and kneaded his fleshy sack with careful and delicate intensity remembering what he said before. He chuckled against her lips and counterattacked taking his left hand to dig between her legs with gentle and rhythmic strokes, caressing with his fingertips the star shaped figure, her intimate lips and her pleasuring clit made of pounding flesh with playful taps. Both were blissfully breathing with heaviness and panting and moaning in low voice.

Before the kissing went to a more intimate and deeper mode and he started to guide her to lay down again on the bed both stopped their attempted motion when they started to hear a clear meowing within the room and another kind of feline sounds and feline vocabulary outside of it indicating that at least a couple of the cats on the backyard where performing the same entertaining activity as them. Hao and Tamao turned around gazing funnily astonished at the supposed closed door that in fact were showing a little aperture where a fluffy and big calico cat was cozily resting next to a pure white cat and a pure black cat equally fluffy, big and resting and the three were taking a nocturnal bath provided by their raspy tongue. Hao and Tamao exchanged an amused look before chuckling with a little confounded and entertained spark showing in their eyes.

"Didn't you close the door? That's Niji, Yuki and Yoru. The ones outside going at it are Aki and Haru."

"I did. I think we inspired them. Maybe they were worried and opened it somehow when they listened to their beloved King of Cats before and they thought that I was killing you… with my hands."

Tamao answered him openly mocking him with bright and faked innocent eyes and a serious snigger displayed on her lips.

"Or maybe they were already there when you screamed my name and honorific twice if I correctly remember as you made a perfect imitation of a gelatin."

Hao told her with piercing but playful gaze and faked innocent smile and she funnily punched him with weak and playful force on his maddening attractive chest and Hao just laughed pulling her from her arms with unexpected, surprising and swift movement with his strong hands forcing her to stand with shaky feet catching her off guard and taking her by the waist with careful force and gleaming with naughty and titillating eyes.

"I want to see your pretty butt too, Tamao."

Tamao seductively nodded and turned giving him her back as he looked down licking his lips after watching mesmerized and enlivened at her beautiful buttocks. The perfect fleshy mounts that he wanted to knead, kiss, nibble and lick and that were perfectly sized, perky and round, bewitching him with a full intention of mad possession. He serenely embraced her from behind as his hands gently cupped her needy and pained tits running their thumbs against the rigid and upright nipples and he passionately kissed, occasionally licked and carefully nibbled her tilted and trembling neck and right shoulder from behind her. She could feel his hardened and erected manhood brushing fervent and throbbing against her derriere and lower back. When he turned his attention to her left shoulder and that side of her neck his right hand went down with tortuous pace brushing against the skin of her chest and abdomen, circling the vulnerable zone of her navel, till it landed with a open and warm palm over her intimate zone barely stroking with delicate and playful fingertips at the sensitive and pulsating areas she deeply moaned and her hands that were glued to his thighs madly squeezed at the tremulous flesh.

"Do you like what you see?"

She asked with breathless and panting voice and closing her eyes when his hands traveled her body in an uneven and random rhythm from her kissed, licked and nibbled neck and shoulders through her chest brushing past her indulged and inflamed tits, her shaking abdomen and her clenching hips and the slick and sensitive zone between her pale and toned legs.

"I like it a lot."

He told her with hoarse voice clouded with burning thrill and she turned facing him with fogged expression of feverish and savage desire as she took his face in her hands and gave him a long and profound kiss, smashing her lips against him with vehement despair, licking, nibbling and caressing them, using then her tongue to explore and fill his mouth with hers in clear and needy demand of possession. Hao answered at her intensely brimming command putting his right hand on her waist and her left one on her back close to her nape. Between their weighty breaths, loud moans and desperate pants Tamao used the needed time to inhale and exhale required oxygen to blazingly kiss his attractive chin and flushed cheeks, she even dared to brush her nose against his as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him better, and Hao just hugged her then closer with a little sense of desperation with half closed eyes that Tamao, with half closed eyes too full of aching longing, couldn't interpret but were faintly tinged with his subtle vulnerability, and both enjoyed her sweet and ardent gifting actions with eyes closed and her hands were digging into his beautiful and perfect long, brown and straight hair and she pulled gently at it with hurting wanting and his left hand run against the raw softness of her pale back with scorching trail.

After stopping to take a much required deep breath and before leaving her like a trembling and breathless mess, Hao with mischievous smirk and intoxicated eyes from rapture gently guided her to the bed again and asked her without words to lay down on her stomach on the bed. Tamao nodded curiously thrilled and bewitched and laid down with her hands folded close to her face as Niji, the Calico Cat, mewled at her lowly before lazily yawning and setting herself to sleep beside the now already slept Yuki and Yoru and ignored the candent and intimate scene between them and the wild scene outside with the couple of cats in heat. She felt Hao completely getting on the bed and sitting beside her left side and leaning over her as his hands wandered with slow and committed scorching pace on her feet and ankles and then went up caressing her long and jelly legs with playful and warm fingers gently pressing and kneading them.

When his hands reached the wanted zone between her opened legs and his fingertips delicately stroked her intimate and wet secret area her breathing halted and her heart started to beat faster again in that maddening imitation of a rollercoaster that it was already following an endless cycle since they had started this. Hao's hands marked with fervent palms the fullness of her derriere as he leaned over and landed intense, warm and humid open kisses on the pampered and flushed skin of that beautiful formed mounts of flesh. His right hand returned to her secret mouth of soaked lips and inflamed clit touching her with gentle strokes. After listening to Tamao's heavy breathing, loud moaning and halted panting, and watching her slightly squirming and her toes and fingers curling and uncurling in a rhythmic way his smile spread against her lower back and he reached out to her right ear blowing playfully the pink strands of her hair away from it. She clenched by instinct her body from the waist down trapping his tempting hand of skillful fingers down there where he was delicately tracing the star shaped figure before focusing again in her welcoming and private entrance with the precise teasing.

"I'm going to taste and touch all of you, before fucking you as you want."

He told her with his most intimidating voice, that one that stunned and menaced at the one who was at the deserving end of it, and just remembering the expression he wore while using it made Tamao to burn incessantly in aching wanting brushing against her intimate zone and uncharted inner pit. He was playfully nibbling into her ear with delicate and flirty teeth as his warm breathing blew against it causing a slight tremor to run through all of her and his voice sounded so intensely calm but with such an exuberant intimidating tone. Tamao weightily panted and slightly convulsed under his enthralling and raw impulse. He soothingly licked and nibbled her ear before stopping torturing her with his naughty hand and helping her to turn over on her back again he found her softly blushed and evidently flushed and catching her breath with evident difficulty. Hao was waiting for her smiling with serene exhilaration and she smiled back equally delighted and feeling the same flaming throbbing as him pinching at their hot bodies and more specifically at their more sensitive areas with constant and growing intensity, overwhelming pleasuring and aching sensation. He leaned over her again with his body along hers, and between her opened, folded and shaky legs and he delicately nibbled at her lips, licking and caressing them before deeply kissing her with opened mouths and fighting tongues touching to then fervent and devotedly kiss all the pale and soft skin of her enchanted and heated face.

He then was going down to kiss her soft neck and traveling south through the space between her dancing and sore tits and the spot where he could felt against his lips her wild and telling on heartbeat and passing then to her flattened abdomen and her jumping navel until he brushed his lips against her star shaped figure to then positioning both, pulling carefully her boneless body to leave it how he wanted and he took his required position too in the comfy bed, to take her right leg and put it on top of his left shoulder to brush his lips along the tender, warm and soft skin of her thigh. Tamao softly held into the mass of the brown, long and straight hair on his head taking strands on her squirming hands as she felt his humid and gentle lips kissing, licking and delicately nibbling from time to time her pale thigh and carefully going to her blistering intimate zone of shivering lips and a tremulous fleshy mound where his impassionate mouth gifted her with the same and cared amount of kisses, nibbles and licks just provoking a defiant tease in her. His right hand went up and down from her full and weighty breasts pinching at her hardened and upright nipples, putting his open palm running along her abdomen and teasing her navel and then to end wandering on her lower back and rounded derriere. She arched her back in unison to his roasting actions as she freely squirmed and Hao looked at her from under his eyelashes proud, satisfied and nicely arrogant with calm and patience.

"Aaahhh… Hao!… Hao!... Aaahhh!…"

She harshly breathed and screamed his name with whispered and sizzling hunger and a mesmerized and sexy intonation as she arched her back time after time when his mouth was closer to her soaking and pulsing entrance and his right hand was close to her loud murmuring mouth and she with half closed eyes and hazy in pure pleasure state took the chance to suck and lick at his thumb. When his committed and humid tongue slowly tormented her pounding secret lips with a long lick and his naughty nose brushed against her palpitating and little meaty clit her uneven breathing halted and she freed his gladly imprisoned thumb go and let out a loud moan before maddening chanting his name with panting voice. Hao smirked against her warm and wet sensitive flesh as he took in her possessive flavor for himself and felt the strong traces of the increasing pressuring throbbing sending waves through his body and especially through his aching and pulsating aroused length and delighted and heavy balls. Hao let her pampered leg on the mattress debilitated thanks to his flaming devotion and took the other one to give it the proper and equal treat. This is going to be a long night but we'll definitely enjoy it.

If someone had told him that he was going to be one night pleasuring and planning to be the first man on Tamao Tamamura's life in a sexual aspect, he would have amusedly laughed with incredulity and had shrugged it off not thinking it possible because, how would they get to that point when they barely knew each other and after his ascension to the throne he thought they will never cross paths? But Hana Asakura had came along (well, it'd been more like Yoh and Anna conceiving him) and his nephew had been the bridge between both linking their unexpected and improbable existences. He wasn't going to meditate right now about his "mighty showed moment" like Tamao had called it when his blurred in pleasing trance eyes had unconsciously changed echoing his eternal and deserved link to his potent role. And he wasn't going to give a deeper thought right now to the matter of his lost Reishi relating it to this kind of situation. He'd been accurately gauging Tamao's reactions in most of times while they were in it like he expected to happen in any way after the Reishi but it was a very intriguing, gladly liberating, somehow different and dreadfully fascinating experience. Later he'd have time to think over this again with slow and pensive dedication. But he couldn't deny that he was touched by her kind words and disposition to listen to him whenever he wanted to talk or share whatever he decided and her insight to know that those two subjects where weighting in the back on his vast and potent mind in this particular situation and for being respectful enough to not pester him and know him enough to realize what to say. You're putting attention, don't you?

Their courteous path to get to this point of understanding had been a very curious and interesting one to say something. He had met her again when she was a full and capable girl, self sufficient and not needing anyone despite her difficult and changed circumstances, and inadvertently she'd been taken with him in spite of her initial reaction at his meddling on his nephew's life. He'd been unsurprisingly uncaring at first coming and going through her life but she'd started to call him and fiercely involving him but still being enough reserved due to who he was. Tamao was a perseverant woman when she set her eyes on something that she knew she could achieve. She had faith in reaching into him as someone she knew and someone with whom she could spent time and somehow establish a weird, casual but entertaining relationship. She'd been courageous and she only self-protected her being when she sensed that the real danger was there and she'd been mistrustful and wary in a defensive manner before catching his better side. She'd been certainly involved but not completely and even sometimes she kept her distance in very curious ways and those moments had really lured him. But she at the mere end somehow trusted in him enough, and she had a kind of needed wisdom enough and sense of humor and curious intellect to start knowing how to deal with his complex self. He knew as her, who he was, she knew of his adversarial forces and he'd found himself amazed at her calm and serious disposition when he was clearly still a threatening force but they'd found their middle ground on the same terms.

And their fated encounter that had lead them to this exact and intimate moment had started approximately more or less four years ago one night with a crying baby that didn't stop intensely sobbing in the cradling arms of a exhausted girl with baggy eyes but kind patience and serious and concerned frown tinged with evident sparks of frustration and impotence not ready ever to relent in her devoting and loyal duty as the new mother of that child. Then and there began everything.