For Us

by WindSerpent

After centuries of isolation, we witness the battle between Earthrealm and Outworld...and I want to aid the Great Lords, but we are not allowed to go outside our borders unless ordered to. For the sake of my people and our future, I must persuade my superiors to let me be free. I knew what I signed up for, but some things do not always go as planned.

16. Chapter 15: Movement

Funny thing is that I started writing this weeks earlier (after chapter 9)...and much more. Whatever. Enjoy!

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Teoitotia's POV:

I woke up with a jerk, expecting violence and felt gentle hands on my shoulders. "Easy." I was pushed back down.

I looked at the most beloved face in the (my) cosmos. "Fujin?" My voice was hoarse.

He handed me a black ceramic cup. I took it and drank it, not bothering to check out what it was-. It was water. As I drank, he told me, "You've been sleeping for 16 hours."

I swallowed my water with a gulp and removed the cup from my lips. "16 hours?" I asked in disbelief.

He took the cup from my hand and poured some more water. Then he handed it back to me. I didn't argue and drank it all. He informed me, "We assume that it was because of your excessive time in your spirit form and since you are not used to it for so long and used so much effort, you did not feel its effects until you had a physical body."

Silence. I handed him the cup and he left it on the side. He looked down and hesitated to speak, but he forced himself to whisper it, "You scared me with that stunt of yours."

Even though I was sore, I sat up and pulled him in my arms. He fell forward with a grunt and returned my embrace. We hugged each other for more than usual and in silence, but that never made us uncomfortable. I opened my eyes and looked at my arm. I pulled back and he followed the action. I looked at what I was wearing, which was nothing but a white loincloth and hipcloth. I looked back at him with a poker face. He fought his smile that wanted to form and looked down at the mats. "I cleaned you up right after the whole thing," he looked into my eyes, "Unless you wanted to stay as you were?"

I put my hands up in defense. "No, no. I was just curious. Was I sleeping the whole time?"

"Yes."

I rubbed my hands on my face. "What time is it?"

"Almost sunset. But we still have a few hours."

"Then I might as well bathe again."

I grunted in pain as I stood up. Fujin tried to get me to lie back down. "You should rest for a bit longer. You can start fresh tomorrow."

"Once I start moving, I'll feel less pain." Once I was up, I stretched and picked out another white pair of what I was currently wearing and a white cloak that had the black outline of the stone glyph. I also grabbed black sandals with red ties and some simple jade earplugs. I changed into my female form before entering the tub. After bathing, I met Fujin near the entrance and we walked out to go to my grandmother's house. Along the way, people asked if I was alright, if I had enough rest, if I needed anything, and so on. Most of them also thanked me for what I did, especially the spouses and parents of warriors and porters who went to the battlefield. I just nodded and said that it was nothing. More than I liked, many also told me to not be embarrassed about changing between forms. I just smiled and agreed to their request. Halfway, my friends caught me walking and they all hugged me from different sides. They whined about how much they were scared for me, how well I did, and so on. It was embarrassing, especially since we were in public and in front of Fujin, but I let them go at it for a while. Eventually, I pushed them back and told them to calm down. Then they teased me about being the greatest spirit that has ever lived, that they were in my service, and whatever. I was pretty rested, so I punched and grabbed a chunk of flesh from those who deserved it. After that, we walked to our destination and was welcomed to the fullest (with lots of food) as when my spirit was healed a while back. My grandfather was in tears and I started to tear up with him (after failing to not do so). I had a good time. When I looked for Fujin, he wasn't actually in the house anymore. I assumed that he had gone back to the Sky Temple.

At around sunset, Fujin walked into the house and walked up to me. He whispered, "Will you follow me?"

I was a bit confused and excused myself. I followed him to the fields and outside our borders. "Where are we going?"

"Just a bit beyond here."

After a few feet, I felt a familiar presence. I started to breathe heavily, trying to control myself. "Is that-?"

"Just a bit more."

After passing more trees, I eventually saw a familiar figure, who was looking around. I stopped when I saw his face. Fujin stopped and I did too, but then I took a step forward. Tearfully and in disbelief, I asked, "Ta?"

The figure turned to face me and I saw my father's face looking the same way as when he died. Tears started to form on his face and asked, "Teoitotia?" We took long strides towards each other with our arms out to hug. When the distance was right, we embraced each other and tears fell.

"Ta-" I couldn't continue since I started sobbing.

My father put a hand on my head and said through tears, "I missed you so much."

"Me too." We pulled back from each other and I asked, "How are you? How are you here?"

I turned my head back and Fujin was gone, so I turned back as my father answered, "I'm doing as well as I can do. The afterlife is treating me fine. As for your second question, well this is how it went: It was another day in our spiritworld and some of your ancestors from Tliltecalli came up to me. They said that I was to go to the physical world to meet someone. I asked for more information, but they didn't elaborate any further. They told me that Ehecatl requested it and I asked why he would do such a thing. You see, we younger folk cannot get any information from the physical realm until we have spent centuries there. Your ancestors told me that you had achieved something no other has and that you were married to Ehecatl, or as he most commonly called, 'Fujin.'" He chuckled. "I was shocked to say the least. I thought that I was going to immediately demand him for proof to see if he was worthy, but since he was the one that made this request, I knew that he was. I was told to only enjoy myself and now here I am."

"Are you actually alright? Are you suffering in any way?"

"Axax, I'm fine. The lack of feeling the full bond still hurts, but I'm fine. I hang out with my ancestors, we trade stories, and I learn a few things, since all we have is time." We both laughed at that. He asked me, "How has your life been ever since...you know?"

"I went through a rough few years, as did Na. I learned a lot. Na and I fought as often as I assume you may have thought, but eventually a bit before the time I was going to do the rite of passage, we settled things. Then I joined the ranks and went up to become General. Not long after, Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm and I helped a bit after persuading the elders."

"Yes. I told that one my final wish beforehand."

"Did you know any of this was going to happen? Or at least had a feeling?"

"Something like that, but not too deep. Go on."

"Aya, right. I helped the Great Lords for a bit and then Shinnok attacked. I led our spirit warriors to battle against a group of no-good spirits. I killed their general and we went home. I helped in the objective of trying to restore the Revenants. We got the ones we needed and things calmed down for us." I looked down and fought the blush threatening to emerge as I said, "One thing led to another and then Fujin and I started to court each other. Obviously, we united the houses. Trouble appeared after a while. Havok came and I got a bit hurt. I was healed and then things started to get weird, which eventually led to the battle against the Supreme No-Good Spirit. I think you can tell what happened after that."

My father pulled me back into a hug. "And I'm so proud of the spirit you have become. You may have suffered more than I would like, but you are here now."

"Aya."

We talked for a few more minutes, I told him about my "duality" so-to-speak, and he asked if Fujin and I were going to have any children soon. My face turned red and forced him to change the subject. He laughed it off and went with it. Then Fujin appeared with my mother. I backed off, so Fujin and I left to give them a bit of privacy. As we walked back to Tliltetepetl, I stopped to pull him in for a kiss and a hug. I pulled back and asked him, "How did you arrange this?"

He just smiled and avoided eye contact. "Oh, you know. Just pulled a few strings and poof. It happened."

I shook my head with a smile on my face. "You need to be more specific, but later. How much time do we get?"

"An hour. That's the max I could get." So we had slightly less than about half an hour left.

"Understandable."

About ten minutes before time was up, Fujin and I returned to my father. My father talked to me first, "Your ancestors told me to deliver this message: You have earned yourself your own name. Simply say that you are Teoitotia from Tliltecalli and every spirit will understand."

"Word travels fast among spirits, eh?"

He chuckled. "They more about it than I do."

Then he pulled me along so he could speak to Fujin and I. "I may not know much, but I can feel enough to understand. Take care of each other." Then to Fujin he thanked him, "Thank you for bring happiness into my child's life."

Fujin bowed his head. "It is my honor." I knew that he wanted to say "pleasure," but that would have given my father the wrong idea and who knows how he would have reacted. My father said his goodbyes as did we and my father requested that we tell his parents and siblings that he was fine and that he misses them. Then he was gone.

The Next Day...

Weird enough, Raiden asked if I would be willing to help with something. I wanted to say "no" and walk back into my home, but I wasn't like that and went with him without protest. I wasn't expecting the thank you's from most of my allies. General Blade, Kenshi, Liu Kang, Kung Lao (he didn't actually say anything, but I think he still wanted to challenge me. Liu Kang stopped him though), Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Nightwolf, Kotal Kahn, Katana, Sheeva, and the Orderrealm leaders were there. I hated being the center of attention and just accepted their thanks. Some of them told me that I was welcome to visit them anytime (Scorpion, Kotal Kahn, Sheeva) and Sub-Zero told me that if we ever needed help, the Lin Kuei were eager to do so.

I did what was necessary and then Raiden took the monks and I back to the Sky Temple. Kojin and Sarutahiko were playful and teased Fujin about how strong I was and "who had the pants in the relationship." Kojin told me on the side that when I went crashing into the ground during my battle, Fujin almost fainted and if it wasn't for Sarutahiko, he would have fallen. The others had blocked him from everyone else's view. I didn't know that and had only felt Fujin's distress.

Later at night, I confronted Fujin about what he felt and he said that it may have scared him for life. I apologized and comforted him then told him that I would never pull another stunt like that again. I was still sore from my battle and immediately fell asleep when I hit the mat.

... ...

A Few Weeks Later...

After locking up the Supreme No-Good Spirit and the retreat of its inferiors, we were at peace. I noticed that my people were treating me with so much respect that I started to tell them to treat me as before the battle. On another hand, my family kept on telling me that I should definitely step up as the new tlatoani. I wasn't too sure yet. I loved the freedom I had, but I understood that I had to take up the position eventually. It's hard. Fujin had so much freetime, that he even went days without patrolling Earthrealm's borders. But I still had my duties, and I don't want to be tlatoani yet. Even then, my uncle is becoming older, so I know that I need to do so, especially with my strong spirit. My people are ready to follow me, but I don't want them to, yet. I spend some of the nights just thinking about it. Fujin noticed my behavior, and he told me that he was ready. It was a little bit after dawn and I was currently walking towards the House of Laws. Once I approached the stairs, I took a deep breath and went up. I greeted the guards and went to find my uncle at his office. I stood by the entrance as he was recording something.

"Hello, uncle," I bowed.

He looked up at me. "Teoitotia, please come sit."

I walked in and sat on my knees in front of his wooden desk. "Uncle, I have something of high importance to tell you."

His face became serious. "What is it?"

Here goes nothing. "Uncle, we are ready to become the next tlatoque."

He started at me and said nothing. Then he smiled. "The time has finally come." He stood up and so did I as he went around his table to be in front of me. He put a hand on my shoulder. "You both will be great tlatoque and will face obstacles that we have never faced before." He removed his hand. "Yet you will do well because of your experience with the outside world. I agree to step down for the both of you. I will announce to the councils of our decision today. Should they agree, I will be out of here in two weeks."

I bowed my head. "Thank you for making this easy."

He chuckled as he put his hand on my shoulder again to shake me. "Thank you for relieving me of these duties." He opened his arms and I leaned in to hug him.

... ... ... ... ...

Later in the afternoon, I sat by the farm fields, waiting for Fujin. My uncle immediately informed me after his meeting of the councils' decision. I was so lost in deep thought that I jumped a bit as I detected Fujin behind me. I stood up and approached him. We wrapped our arms around each other's waists and kissed. Thank the ancestors no one was there. We broke our kiss.

"I told my uncle about our decision. The councils have voted. We are next."

He nodded. "In two weeks, right?"

"Yes." I brushed a bit of his hair from his face. "Since there will be two of us, only one has to stay here most of the time. Also, we need an attendant."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure we need one in this time of peace."

"I don't want to spoil the mood, but do you think it will last long?"

I smiled. "I do."

He smiled back. "Then I stand beside you." He leaned in to kiss me.

"Mmm." I broke off the kiss. "My group and I will be going out hunting soon. They should be here soon, and I have a favor to ask."

"Anything for you, my love."

"Meet me southwest of here in Citlatlan (NOTE: It means "Between Stars" and is NOT a real place.) in one week."

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me in confusion. "Ok?"

I smiled. "Thank for understanding, my love." I kissed him again. "I should be leaving to meet with them. We're heading west. I love you."

I started to break away from him and he pulled me back in to kiss me one more time. He let me go and I went to join my crew.

One Week Later...

It was almost sunset and I was deep in the forest of Citlatlan, standing, and waiting for Fujin. I recently showered and wore deerskin sandals with red ties, a black bordered white loincloth and cloak, and jade earplugs. I had my hair down that reached the nape of my neck. I kept my outfit simple for what was coming. Fujin walked up behind me.

"Why did you summon me here?" he asked.

I turned my head to my left and smiled. "Remember that game of patolli?"

I could see it in his face as he remembered. He looked taken aback, but he recovered and took a step toward me. I could almost feel his cock twitch. We hadn't had sex ever since before the Supreme No-Good Spirit appeared, which was weeks ago. Whenever I wanted some, I distracted myself before he could feel my arousal. When he wanted some, which usually happened at night, I really wanted to give in, but I spent nighttime outside my body via my spirit to dodge his attempts. I almost fell for a trick one time and literally ran the other way (he didn't see that, of course...or anyone as a matter of fact), screaming inside to not leave any clue behind. After a few days, he sort of gave up (he still gave me minute signals in private that he was there for my needs and that he wanted relief) and I could tell that he wanted to figure out why I kept on rejecting him.

I growled in warning and he stopped. "I never said that was all." I turned my body to face him and walked towards him. I ran my hand down his chest and purred, "Let's play a little bit." I was teasing him...or more like the both of us. It will build up more frustration, but also pleasure.

Before he could do anything, I shifted into a jaguar and ran. I could sense that he became the wind and flew to catch me. Just before he caught me, I bared my teeth as a smile and pounced the earth to swallow me. I could tell that he hit the shell I had formed around myself. Then I traveled underground somewhere nearby.

He chased me around for a while and then I made the mistake of looking back. He took advantage and teleported in front of me. I moved to run in the other direction, but he shifted to his human form and wrapped his arms around my mid torso. I fell sideways onto the ground with him on top. While letting a bit of his weight stay on me, he lifted his upper body and we looked at each other. Huh, sex can inspire even the Spirits. "Where do you think you're going, my love?" he purred and moved his head to nuzzle mine. I nuzzled him back with a purr and felt him place his hand near my ear that was closest to the ground. I was starting to feel lust take over me and stayed where I was as he got on his knees to remove his own garments. I purred as I saw his naked form. He was on all fours as I shifted back to my human self with no clothes but my jade earplugs. I turned on my back and reached up to pull down his head to kiss me. I realized that the sun was almost completely gone from our view and we were in a place where the trees were more closer together. Even better, no one goes through here. This was going to be a long night.

We kissed and I felt as myself getting wetter by the second. I groaned into his mouth as I felt my crotch ache. I wanted to dominate first and flipped us around so I could straddle him. I reached behind me to gently touch his erection with my fingertips. His breathing hitched and I looked down at his lustful eyes. I wasted no more time and lifted my hips so my folds could rest over the tip of his rod. He didn't make a move, knowing that if he did, I would delay our release. I put my hands on his chest and forced my hips down so all of him was inside me. I tilted my head back and we both sighed in relief. It had been too long. I started rocking my hips back and forth. He placed his hands on my thighs and I moved my hips up so the tip was inside. Then I slammed my hips down and dug the nails of one hand into his chest, groaning. He tilted his head back and moaned. I repeated those motions for a while and then had enough. I bent down to rest on him. I gripped both of his biceps and rested my head on his chest. Then I lifted my hips and slammed them down. I repeated those motions and softly moaned as my clit felt the vibrations. He placed his hands on the ground and enjoyed the pleasure I was giving him. As I was panting, I went back to grinding my hips back and forth at a fast rhythm. My walls rhythmically clenched onto him as I tightened my hold on his biceps and came with a lustful moan. Fujin jerked his hips up as he came inside me with a just-as-lustful groan. Not long after that, he flipped us around so I could be on my back. He slipped out of me in the process but was still hard. His hands were right by my head. I glanced down and saw his glistening cock with lust, excited for the pounding I knew he would give me. I looked back up at him and lifted my head to kiss his arms from top to bottom. He interrupted me and caught my lips to force my head back down. I felt my legs go up in the air and he pushed his hips forward to enter me in one fluid stoke. I moaned as he stretched my insides. He moved his braid back and started to thrust into me in a slow rhythm. I thrusted my hips up to meet him, signaling for him to go faster. He didn't hesitate and went faster, but I knew it wasn't the fastest or hardest he could go. I met his eyes and growled at him holding back. My eyes flashed gold for a moment. Fujin showed his teeth at me and as if he was warning me, said, "If that's how you want it." Immediately, he started to pound me into the forest floor and I moaned in satisfaction. I could hear the loud sound of his balls slapping my wet folds. I tilted my head back as I got goosebumps and let out a silent moan. I couldn't say anything and laid there, not making a sound, and taking a pounding as he let out animalistic grunts. I loved it when he was dominant (because he usually isn't). It was like I was simply his one and only female and he was accomplishing his duty to breed me. I was the one he selected and I, him. I didn't even stop to think about those thoughts going through my head. I gripped onto him as my breasts bounced and body shook from the hard force of his thrusts. Eventually, I tilted my head forward to look at him and started panting and whimpering as he hit my sweet spot. He looked down at me in lust. At a particular thrust, he hit my sweet spot, hard. I tilted my head back, arched my back, and moaned, "Notlazohtzin!" He growled, "Too much for you?" I moaned as he continued, "You said you wanted it. Now take it." He started to thrust even harder and my legs began to shake. I let out a soft high-pitched moan/scream as he rubbed my clit. I pushed my hands against his shoulders, wanting to separate myself from him. It was too much. I felt his hot cock slip a bit out from me and he let out a jaguar-like growl. He knew those growls made me melt and I stopped as he moved forward to be able to enter me at the fullest. I resisted and turned part of my body around and reached for the tree a few feet away from me as if it would make what I was feeling, stop. Fujin growled and grabbed my wrist to turn me back around and pinned it down by my head. I looked at him with pleading eyes. I was going to go insane... He pounded into me at his usual hard and fast pace. My body shook harshly and he told me, "I meant it." I was surprised as he pounded into me harder than before. I tightened my core as I lifted myself to wrap my arms around his neck. I clung onto him as he continued fucking me. The forest around us was filled with wet sounds, moans, grunts, groans, and growls. I was so glad no one was near. Then my walls clenched onto him so hard, he couldn't move back out. I tightened my hold on him, whimpered loudly, and my body trembled from my orgasm. Like usual, one of us unintentionally triggered the spirit thing that caused us both to paralyze in immense pleasure. My juices spilled out from me and Fujin shot a large amount of his seed into my womb with a groan and wrapped an arm around my back. We were shaking and gasping for air as our spirits did their thing. Once they were back in our bodies, my walls let him go and he thrusted slowly and unevenly, riding out our orgasms. Once he recovered enough, he stopped and let me go as I did the same. We were both panting. Relief and peace flowed through the bond. I rolled around on my stomach and crawled forward. I needed time to recover completely and I couldn't think clearly. I shifted into a jaguar to make it easier for me to walk, but even then, I still had trouble. I felt my love's seed drip out a bit. I barely went a few feet forward and felt as Fujin walked towards me. I felt like I was going to collapse and felt him wrap an arm around my lower abdomen and pull me back into him with a sigh. I collapsed in his hold and laid there, panting and trying to separate my primal and "me" mind/instincts. He put a bit of his weight on me and nuzzled my neck. I shifted back so I was on my forearms and knees. My pussy was clearly open for him, clenching, and dripping my natural lubricants. It was all about instinct now; no thinking, just doing what comes natural. He reached around my legs and lightly touched my clit. I arched my back up in a jerky manner with a moan in protest. He kissed my back. "Sorry, my love." He left me there as I recovered completely. After a while, I finally slid forward a bit so my hips were in the air as my upper body was low. I rested my head on my arms as I felt my pussy twitching. This was the most primal position and neither of us ever said it, but we loved it. I don't know why he likes it but for me, it satisfies my jaguar side and was a way for me to submit to something else (because I usually don't). I waited for him to enter me and moved my hips in a way to show more of my wet, swollen, inviting core to him. That did it and he mounted me to push his wet, hard manhood into me with a groan. I sighed in relief and opened my eyes. Fujin grabbed my hips and started slowly thrusting into me. I got up on my hands and he started to thrust faster into me. He leaned forward to put his weight on me, which I easily supported. He wrapped his arms around my hips and started to pound into me again. I panted loudly as my mate grunted and had his way with me. Fujin may be a teotzin at heart, but his body had instincts (the price to pay for a physical body I suppose). His dominant side was fully out and I was fully submissive (or at least for the most part). As he approached his climax, he started to rub my clit. My hips bucked in his hand and I started to thrust back and forth into him. After a while, we both came again and I was tired, but a promise was a promise... After the fourth round, my love's seed was constantly leaking out and I discretely bit my lip as it made a mess around my legs. Yet, it turned us on even more. We rutted 6 more times in the night. After that, I collapsed near a tree and curled up to go into a deep sleep. Fujin moved to hug me from behind, and using the common sense I had left, I summoned a blanket to cover us both completely.

Secret POV:

The earth arose to create a dome around the tired couple and sheltered them from any possible prying eyes. It would have almost been a sin to do so.

...

Fujin's POV:

Just before dawn, I woke up, but didn't open my eyes. My mind went to last night's events and my cock twitched. That was the best sex we've ever had. I loved that Teoitotia let me dominate most of the time. She even turned into her masculine counterpart a few times. I opened my eyes and moved a hand over her to reach her soft clit to rub it. I knew she would wake eventually. I wanted to focus only on her pleasure. Her body jerked and she moved her top leg back so I had more access to her core. I could feel that she wasn't awake yet. I kissed her neck. "Wake up, my love." I smiled. "We're not done." I looked down to see the wetness around her core and my fingers, then I looked back up to her as she was getting bit more active. She spread her legs with a soft, low moan in welcome to my actions. I rubbed her clit faster and she opened her eyes wide and gasped. She put a hand over my own and I moved a finger caressing her inner folds. Her hips jerked back and I thrusted a finger in her. She tilted her head back and moaned, "Fujin." I removed my hand and rolled over a bit so I was more on my back and pulled her close to me. I grabbed her leg closest to me and moved it over my hip so her core was fully exposed. I moved both hands to tease and stimulate different parts of her. When I thrusted three fingers inside of her while my other hand gently rubbed her clit, she arched her back and whimpered. I moved my fingers around to bring her closer to climax. Eventually, she tensed up and I felt her walls clench on my fingers. I moved my fingers faster and she gripped my arms hard as she came, heavily panting. I removed my fingers and sat up as she lied on her back, panting and with her wet, swollen core still exposed to me. A sight like that drove me crazy with need. I went prone and held her thighs down as I connected my mouth with her twitching core. She moaned and grabbed my hair as I thrusted my tongue inside her. She whimpered and wanted to thrust her hips into my mouth, but I prevented her from doing that by strengthening my hold on her thighs. As expected, she was squirming at my lack of attention to her clit. I pulled back and looked up to see her panting with her arms over her eyes. I smiled and moved my mouth lick her clit. My breath was enough to cause her to jerked with a moan of surprise. I gave her slit a lick and told her, "Nimitztlazohtla, notlazohtzin." ("I love you, my love") Then I moved in to suck hard on her clit and swirled my tongue around. Her legs spread as far as they could go and she whimpered. I moved my thumb to rub all over where my mouth didn't touch. She gasped and arched her back as she came. Her juices spilled out and I stopped pleasuring her. Once her orgasm passed, I moved up to pull her into my arms. I leaned my head forward to kiss her neck. She sighed and captured my lips. Her body tensed and she moaned loudly when I started quickly rubbing her lubricants all over her. She tilted her head back and moaned, "For goodness sake, Fujin." I chuckled as she struggled to say my name as she came again, panting and rocking her hips. "Don't you get tired?" she asked. I kissed her again to stuff my chuckle. I broke our session when she tightly gripped onto my cock. Teoitotia started to pump it and it was my turn to tilt my head back and moan. "Come up," she ordered. I followed her instructions and then she grabbed the end of my erection to pull me into her. My eyes widened as she started to rub the head of my cock with her clit. I leaned to touch foreheads as we moaned at our mutual pleasure. She was a bit more composed than usual as she started to furiously rub our sensitive parts together. Before I came, she put my cock inside her. I felt her walls squeeze me and I came in her with a groan.

Teoitotia's POV:

I was dead tired. That whole night drew all of my energy. He pulled out and I told him, "Go grab your clothes." He used the winds to summon them to where we were. I sat up. "Let's go home," I sighed and then clenched my fist so the earth could swallow us. I moved my hand northeast of here and the next thing we noticed, we were in our bathing area. I stood on wobbly legs and walked to the tub. I forced water to go into it and warmed it up a bit. I slipped in with a sigh. Fujin immediately joined me. I just sat there with my head tilted back enjoying the peace I felt. "We're good for a month," I claimed. He chuckled and moved to my side. He leaned in to kiss and caress my body. I reciprocated his actions. Eventually, we actually bathed and got out to dress. Lastly, I put on my gold septum jewelry and labret, and turquoise earplugs.

Before I left to watch over my people set up the market, he pulled me into a kiss and whispered with a smile, "That game was worth losing." I laughed and playfully pushed him away and walked towards the entrance. He continued, "Any time you want to play again, I'm down for it. I'm hoping you won't reject me anymore."

I noticed the lust in his voice. I stopped and looked back at him. "Fujin, it's barely been an hour. Stop or else we wont have anything done today." I smiled at his later comment. "I won't. As for another game, we'll see." I went through the doorway and headed to the market.

... ... ... ... ...

One Week Later...

It was the morning of our coronation and were just lying in bed. I could feel that he was really anxious, so I grabbed his hand in mine. "You will do fine, my love," I assured him. I suppose it was hard for me to calm him down. I had been preparing for this position my whole life and he had a few years, but he wasn't used to ordering nor ruling any people. This was truly a first for him. He squeezed my hand and didn't respond. No one but previous rulers (which was the rest of Tliltekalli) were to see us until the coronation. We were to be already crowned by the time the sun hit its highest peak, which wasn't long from now. Right now, the House of Laws was being cleansed and so was everyone's home. This symbolizes the start of a new era. I sighed and sat up. "Let's do this," I said with confidence.

I sat up and burned incense in every room of the house, chanting for the support of my ancestors and other good spirits. I sat in the middle of my garden and meditated. Fujin came up behind me and joined me so we were back-to-back.

After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and told him, "Let's go shower."

...

"What are you going to wear?" I asked him. We were currently naked and dry.

"I don't know."

"It has to have elements that are consistent. They will allow the people to recognize the symbols of your authority."

First, I put on my red loincloth with white stripes. Then, I put on my white-colored deerskin sandals and flesh-colored cloth around my breasts. I turned to face Fujin. "Well?" He had his underwear on and was sitting on our bed, thinking. Fujin made an exact replica of his wedding gift to me so when I tied it over my right shoulder, my left arm was still free to move about (I definitely made love to him for that one). Basically, the cloak rests on my left shoulder and the knot holds it on my right. Then I slipped in my gold earplugs inlaid with black stone in the outline of Tliltekalli. Then came my gold circular septum jewelry and choker with rectangular gold beads. After brushing my hair, I was just about ready. I left to go clean my teeth. When I came back, Fujin had a black loincloth with maroon stripes at the end. A large, black hipcloth with golden and maroon embroidery of clouds that went down to his knees was held in place by a black (cloth) belt (NOTE: This is another style of a hipcloth, and most commonly used by Mayas. Search up "Maya fashion"). He had thick, black deerskin sandals, his armband of feathers I gave him on our wedding (on his right arm), and a white and teal cape tied on his right shoulder that went to a bit after his mid-shins. His hair was braided in the usual fashion.

"Mmm," I purred in admiration.

He didn't move so I could admire the view. "That's all it took?"

I approached him and purred, "Mhm. Later..." Then I encouraged him by putting a hand over his cheek, "You are ready."

He closed his eyes and put his right hand over mine. Once he opened his eyes, he stared into my own. He nodded and I removed my hand. Using my other hand, I moved it in a way for the earth to transport us to the House of Laws.

...

Fujin and I sat there as we waited for the ceremony to commence. I quietly sang a few songs to keep us distracted. A few minutes later, it started. My people were crowded below the House of Laws and my uncle emerged at the top of the building we were in. My mother stopped at the doorway of, what is going to be, our office. "It is time." Fujin and I looked at each other, nodded, and followed my mother. We stopped near the entrance of the building, but hidden from the rest of the people.

My grandmother was there, waiting with bowls of paint and a basket of, what I assume, has jewelry hidden at her side. My mother pulled out a gold armband with 5 medium-sized quetzal feathers that were going up, she walked towards me to slip it on my left arm. Then she grabbed two gold wristbands with inlaid jade on the inner area and my grandmother pulled out two gold wristbands. My mother approached me and my grandmother approached Fujin. They slipped the wristbands onto us. My mother went back to take out two gold bands with small, black feathers attached at an end. She knelt down in front of me and removed my sandals to slip them onto me. We heard as my uncle removed his wristbands, diadem, and shin bands to hand them over to his warriors, who threw them deep into the earth to melt; a metaphor for the end of his reign. In front of everyone, his painted bands around his thighs were being washed off. Then a diadem with inlaid jade and a golden border was pulled out. My mother turned around and I saw that it had the golden symbol of a black stone mountain (Tliltetepetl) on the bottom center. My grandmother had a necklace of black cord and a pendant of the cross-section of a white shell. On either side, there was a rectangular, jade bead that had the carved glyph of the black stone mountain. Fujin had told my relatives that he didn't want anything fancy, nor a staff. He later told me that that should be reserved for me. I wanted to argue with him, but I didn't have anything to say back.

Finally, my uncle turned to the people and said, "My dear Tliltetepah! I am no longer a speaker, just a son of Tliltekalli and Tliltetepetl. As of now, we have no speaker, but do not fear. Greater speakers than I will emerge!" Meanwhile, my mother grabbed a wooden container that held 4 different colored paint. On my right upper thigh, my grandmother painted a black, white, blue, and red band starting from the top and working her way down. They moved onto Fujin and painted the same color scheme on his right upper thigh. My mother and her mother stepped back in satisfaction.

My mother nodded and we walked out of the House of Laws. My uncle met us at the stairway. He held what was to be my staff in both hands and offered it to me while kneeling. He said, "Teoitotiatzin, child of Omeuitzilitzin and Yeicuetzpalintzin, descendant of Tliltetepianitzin," he turned to Fujin, "Quetzalcoatl-Ehecatzin, child of Ometeotzin, if you accept this, you let the people know that you know your duties. To restate the most important parts; you are bound to make decisions for the good of the people to the best of your abilities. Should you fail, the other teotzin have the right to strike you both down. Should you commit any crime, the only punishment will be death."

Fujin reached to grab the staff. It was a long gold staff with some stiff golden eagle feathers attached to a black band placed a bit from one end and a silver blade at the other. Since I can manipulate the earth, I could reform the blade into a short point end, or the whole metal part of the staff altogether. He took it and walked forward to address the people: "Tliltetepah, many of you know that I have my own duties as protector of Earthrealm, but I promise to do my best as one of your tlatoani. I ask of you to not judge me harshly, but I will always keep in mind that I will represent you all wherever I go. You all honor me, thank you."

He handed over the staff to me. I took it and walked up to the people. I lifted my arms. "My dear people! Many of you consider me your teacher, friend, general, judge, or even your enemy, but as of today, I ask you all to consider me as your speaker. As long as you voice your concerns to me, I can guarantee that you can put your faith in me to do what is best for you. Troubles lie ahead of us, but with both of us here, look ahead in full confidence. For our ancestors! For Tliltetepetl!"

They began to give cries of joy for a new era. The sun was at its peak. I signaled the officers and elders to follow us into the meeting room by tilting my head and staff to the House of Laws. Fujin and I turned to walk inside. In the meeting room, there was the same black throne for those born in Tliltecalli. On the right was a replica of the previous one, but it had the glyph of the wind and a shell cross-section. That throne was white. Fujin moved the winds to create steps for us. He offered me a hand and I took it. We walked up a few stairs and reached the thrones. We turned and sat down at the same time. Two at a time, the council members walked through the entrance, gaze down, bowed at us, and moved to their seats.

Once everyone was done, I tapped my spear. "Thank you for electing us. Now, let us begin. Concerning the no-good spirits, we will continue to take the same precautions as my predecessor had laid down before; Less of our warriors will be outside our lands. As for the position of general; there is no need for it to be filled. Not for a while. Should it need to be occupied, I have a few people in mind and it will be open to the officers. There will also be no attendant. If anything of concern appears, bring it directly to us. We will deal with it directly. Are there any other concerns? Speak as you will."

The now highest ranking officers stood and went to the center. He bowed, "Tlatoque, the council of officers have no concerns."

"Thank you. You may sit."

After he sat down, the head elder stood up and repeated the same actions. "Tlatoque, the council of elders have no concerns."

"Thank you. You may sit." After he sat down, I said, "You all have your own duties to continue today. We will leave you be. Thank you for cooperating with us."

Fujin and I stood up and left the meeting room. When we went to our office, we found the other teotzin there. Turns out, they were there to see the whole ceremony. I can only imagine the teasing by fire and earth that was to come.

...

Later at night before we went to sleep, we washed away the paint from our upper thighs. Fujin finished first and was drying off. "Why do you associate these colors with us? How did that come to be?"

I finished up and grabbed a cloth to wrap it around my thigh. Then, I stared at him with a poker face. "What are the colors of all of your eyes?"

He blinked and laughed. "Aya."

"What colors are the ones that you all wear? Besides white when it comes to your brothers?"

He continued laughing and came up to me. He quickly kissed me and backed off, smiling. "I feel like reason has left me."

I went on to drying. "Then it's a good thing I'm here."

We were removing our garments and as he was removing what remained of his, I growled. He turned to face me. "What?"

I gave him a predatory look. "Don't think I'll forget."

His eyes widened for a second as he remembered and he smiled. "Oh...yes." I pounced first.

... ... ... ... ...

One Month Later...

I woke up and sensed something small really close to me. So small that it was like sensing the spirit of a ladybug, or even smaller than that. I ignored it. It was an easy day and I had to wait for my warriors to come back with reports of our neighbors and the status of the no-good spirits we had captured and imprisoned. It was easier to stay in the House of Laws for that because I had to write it down after. Fujin went to check on the status of Earthrealm's borders. Meanwhile, I went to visit my mother in my grandmother's home. They were both in the process of grinding maize.

I stopped at their entrance and greeted them. "Niltze, (Hello) Ana. Na."

They looked up and smiled. "Niltze, Teoitotia. Come in."

I stepped into their home and sat down on a short stool, out of their way. "Anything exciting today?"

My mother answered, "Not really."

I felt off. "Na, can I speak to you real quick?"

She stopped the grinding and wiped her hands. She looked up at me. "Of course. Let's go to my room."

I walked to my mother's simple room and looked around. Nothing new here. She eventually joined me after washing her hands. After the entrance was covered by her large cloth, I grabbed some sage and burnt it in my hand to give us privacy. She looked at it and grew concerned.

"What is it? Is the duties as tlatoani troubling you?"

I reassured her, "Of course not. There's barely anything to do now." I moved to sit down on my knees and she did the same. "Na, I constantly feel the presence of something, but I can't put my finger on it. I don't known if it's benign or malevolent, it's too small." I was worried that some part of the Supreme No-Good Spirit must have hitched a ride along with me.

She moved her eyes to look at me top to bottom. She moved closer to me. "Let me see." She put a hand on my forehead. What is that going to accomplish? Then I saw a look on her face and could almost read her mind; Could it be? She moved her hands down to my abdomen and my eyes widened. I shivered as my mind came to a certain conclusion. No way... She removed her hands and looked down. I searched her face and found her surprise.

"What is it?" I asked in a shaky voice.

She met my eyes and confirmed what I sensed to be it. "You're pregnant."

Now was a good time to faint, but I simply looked at the floor showing no emotion. I was shocked and slightly panicking. I didn't realize my hands were shaking until my mother held them in hers. I jumped and looked at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Just surprised...and scared."

She pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, still shaking. After a while she let me go. "Is something wrong?" she repeated with emphasis.

I know what she meant. "No." I rubbed my eyes. "Just shocked." My mind went to the fate of Argus and his family and how tiny actions brought their destruction (Armageddon does not happen here, but if you see Rain's ending and dialogue with others, you see that something horrible occurred to them. I don't know what, but they all died here). "Let's go outside."

I put the sage out and we stood up so my mother could continue to grind her maize. I sat on the stool, quietly. My grandmother looked at me and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. "You're pregnant."

My mother froze and I could almost read her mind as she was just as surprised as I. At the same time, I tensed up for only a second. "You could tell?" I asked.

My grandmother smiled and moved to clean her hands. "I sensed something odd about you the moment you asked to speak to your Na in private. I'm also a midwife, how could I not know these things by now?"

I let out a sigh. "Thanks, Ana," I replied with defeat.

She chuckled and approached me with her arms open. I opened my arms and we hugged. She rubbed my back. "Your family will not suffer the same fate as Argus' family."

She let me go and I asked her. "How do you know?"

"Because this child will not be treated like an asset, and you are both considerate."

I blinked in shock. "Aya, Ana!" What a burn.

She smiled and went back to her work. I offered to help but they said "No." I held my arms up and stood my ground, "It's only been a few weeks. You can't see anything or even feel it if you don't focus on me." They still rejected my offer and we sat there for a while, talking.

By noon, I told them goodbye and went to the House of Laws. I hope no one else could sense my condition. From the looks of it, no one did. Ever since the battle, many more knew Fujin and I were mated, but they absolutely could not know of the child developing in my womb. My people knew this and I know that they would never say anything outside our borders. Fujin and I never talked about having children, it was expected of me as originating in Tliltecalli, but I don't know if that has changed. I suppose we never had this conversation because we were afraid to bring bad energy should it happen. I sat in my office in the House of Laws, waiting for my captains to report to me.

...

After all the reports have been made, I walked home as the sun was setting. Today was a night of gathering. My maternal family was going to gather at my uncle's (my aunt's husband) house. I wasn't joining them today, I had more pressing matters. I arrived home and removed all my garments and jewelry to bathe. I slipped into the water and cleaned myself. As I got out, I went to out to my room to dress. My love. It was Fujin (with the other tattoos[the ones all over his arms]), and he was home. I responded with a purr.

He said out loud, "I need a bath." I raised my eyebrow as I wrapped a white loincloth around me. I sniffed the air. He smelled like sweat. Then he clarified, "I was sparring with Kojin and Sarutahiko for a bit."

I didn't say anything and put my jade earplugs in. Then I wrapped a white cloak around me, I didn't bother tying it. I sat in our room and controlled my breathing. After Fujin was done, he came into our room and put on some pants. He sat in front of me with his back to me and I raised my hands over his head to force the water in his hair to come out. I sent it back to the tub. I started braiding his hair.

I broke the silence, "Did you win?"

He laughed. "Not when they double teamed me. I was close, but they found ways to counter my attacks."

I stopped braiding and look up with an eyebrow raised. With extreme sarcasm, I said, "The Spirit of the Wind was not able to find counter counter attacks?"

He chuckled. "It was different this time."

I shook my head and finished his braid. "Excuses," I said with feigned disappointment.

He laughed at that and I smiled. Once I finished, I moved to the petlatl and he turned to face me with a look of concern. Trying to control my tone, I said, "Fujin, there's something I have to tell you." He moved in closer and looked at my face, but I didn't make eye contact. I closed my eyes and opened them as I looked up at his white ones. I forced it out: "I'm pregnant."

I could see the rush of emotions in his eyes. He was slow to respond, but said, "When did you figure it out?" I could tell that he was trying to control his emotions.

"Today." I was starting to feel vulnerable (maybe because of the hormones kicking in?).

He grabbed my hands. "I have always looked around me and saw as parents celebrated their children. They were always happy, when they weren't disciplining them. Every culture celebrated the birth of a child for a long period of time, so I assumed that it must be one of the greatest feelings in the world. I always thought that I would never, in all of my existence, be able to get the chance to go through it myself, but ever since I married you, I had hope." He leaned in and grabbed my head to pull me in for a passionate kiss. I returned his kiss and placed my hands on his arms.

I pulled back. I blushed and played with his hands. "Remember the forest?" I asked. Just in time, my untied cloak fell and he grinned at the memory. I could sense his arousal and mine grew to the point where I knew he could sense it. I continued, "I think that pretty much explains it."

He kissed me again and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He mumbled, "I knew these pants were useless." I laughed and we stood up to removed everything we had on. We were both naked and he moved us to our petlatl. He moved his kisses down to my lower abdomen and massaged my breasts while occasionally rubbing his thumbs on my nipples. I spread my legs and panted at the pleasure. "Get on with it," I grumbled. He chuckled deep in his chest and let me go to suck my clit. I arched my back and groaned. I grabbed his hair to try to control myself. I started to pant faster as I approached my climax, but he stopped. I growled and looked down at him.

He grinned and asked me, "I assume you want to do something else?"

I sat up and moved to straddle him as he lied back. I said, "I swear you purposely annoy me at the worst times."

As I hovered my entrance over his erection, he asked, "Or would you prefer I take over?"

I grinned. "Well I'm not stopping you."

I took the chance to lower myself onto him and gasped as he jumped a little, taken aback. I put my hands on his chest and started to ride him. After a while, he moved his thumb to rub my clit. My hips bucked and tilted my head back with a moan. He sat up as I rocked my hips faster, desperate for release. He rubbed my bundle faster in circular motions and I gripped onto his wrist. "Fujin," I gasped and moaned as I fell over the edge. He kissed my chest as I rode out my orgasm. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He flipped us around and immediately moved down to lick my clit. I jumped and jerked my hips with a whimper. He moved up to kissed my neck. "A show of what's to come," he whispered. I felt myself getting wetter as I thought about what he meant. "Do want me to do it like in the forest?" he asked in a husky voice. I wasn't going to admit it to him, but although it brought me extreme pleasure, I felt like I was going to explode and it scared me a bit. "Pull back a little," I requested. "As you wish," he agreed. He moved his hips to enter me slowly. I sighed as I felt every inch of him sliding against me. He adjusted himself to get a steady base and lowered his head to kiss me. "You have no idea how thankful I am," he said with love as he placed a hand where our child was growing. His feelings went down our bond to me and I shivered. He placed his hand back next to my head and started a slow rhythm. Out of nowhere, he thrusted at the same pace but harder and put some of his weight on me. My toes curled when I felt the vibrations down my clit. I kissed his jaw and whispered in his ear, "Faster." He didn't hesitate and went harder and faster. He went on his forearms and looked down on me. I reached down and with two fingers, stoked the part of his cock that was outside me. He moaned in appreciation. I moved a hand to brush some hair from his face and pleaded, "More." He tensed up and did as I said. Wet squelching and skin slapping sounds came from the place of our union. I moaned at the sounds he helped create. They turned him on and he went faster, grunting louder. As he pounded me into our bed, I felt as he forced his cock in and out of me. I squirmed and wanted to touch my clit, but I prevented myself from doing so. I placed my hands on his lower back to encourage him. He put an arm underneath my hips and lifted them up a bit. At a certain angle he hit my sweet spot and a gush of my juices flowed out of me. I gasped when he hit that spot repeatedly. My walls squeezed his cock so hard he groaned. He stopped thrusting and put my legs over his shoulders. He pushed himself all the way in and continued to pound his rod into me. We both moaned as he went deeper into me. Finally, he moved a hand to rub my clit in fast, circular motions. I jerked my hips, shut my eyes, and whimpered. I chanted his name as he chanted mine when my walls squeezed him. His rhythm became jerky as he came in me. He moved a finger from the bottom of my pussy, around his cock, and up to flick my clit again. I squirmed at his actions. He pulled back a bit but my walls were still holding onto him for dear life. I couldn't control it and he ran his hands up and down my hips to ease my hold. Eventually, it worked and I relaxed. He pulled out and let my legs fall to the bed. Fujin moved down to kiss and caress my body. I did the same in return. He moved to lie by my side. I put a hand on his cheek and kissed him. As the urge to sleep overtook me, I rested my head and hand on his chest. Then we both fell asleep.

...

I woke up a good time after dawn. I looked to my left and didn't see Fujin there. Oh crap, how late is it? I forced a small part of my ceiling to open up and saw some sun rays shining though. I closed it up and started removing the blanket and rug. I put another rug in place and grabbed a long cloth to wrap it around my waist as a skirt that went to my mid-shins. Then Fujin, in his usual co-tlatoani look, walked in with two bowls and a basket.

He smiled and his eyes reflected content and love. "I thought you might have woken up late." He set down, what I now saw, beans (etl) with a small section of sauce, tortillas (tlaxcalmeh), and fruit in front of me. He went back out to get water and a soap-plant to wash my hands. After I did, I started to dig into my meal. He sat down across from me. "When was the last time you ate?" he asked.

I felt a scolding coming. I ate slower and glanced at him. "...Yesterday...before sunset."

He narrowed his eyes. Here it comes. "Well that has to change. You're mother told me to apply all you knew to yourself, and I know that is easier said than done, therefore, I will be your enforcer." I moved my eyes up at him in annoyance. "Don't give me that look. It's for your own good."

I ate at my regular pace. As I was finishing up, I remembered something. "Wait, can you sense that?"

He looked confused. "What?" I put a hand on my lower abdomen to elaborate. "Ah, yes. When I woke up, I was immediately trying to figure out how your mother could tell. I thought of smell, but you would have to be really close to that person. So I resorted to what should have been, the most obvious sense for you all; spirit-sensing." He split off a bit of his spirit to encircle me. "It was very minute, but I was able to figure it out. At what age can you sense the child's actual spirit?" That small part of his spirit went back into his body.

"About 6 and a half months after conception." I shoved the cut dragonfruit with chili powder in my mouth.

He let me finish the fruit and then picked up the bowls and basket to move them off to the side. I could sense that his affection and I felt it infect me. I shifted into a jaguar and sat on the mats. He shifted into a jaguar too and we stood up to nuzzle and purr at each other. This wasn't sexual in nature at all, this was pure adoration. He moved behind me and butt his head on my behind. I assumed he wanted to take me to the bathing room so I walked over there. He shifted back and went ahead to turn on the water flow. I shifted back and once the tub was full, I forced the water in it to move faster to create steam. Then I removed the cloth serving as a skirt and Fujin scooped my off my feet. I looked up at him. "Really?" I asked and he grinned. He set me down and left to give me privacy.

After bathing, drying, and dressing in my usual tlatoani garments, I painted the four colored bands on my upper right thigh. I walked out of the bathing room and into our room to grab my spear. Then I went into the living room where I saw Fujin stand up from his squat saying, "Shall we?" I stood in front of him, grabbed his forearm as he did mine, and tapped the spear on the ground so we could travel underground to the House of Laws to complete our daily duties.

...

Later at sunset, we walked out of the House of Laws and to my grandmother's house (in which my uncle lives there, too) for a night of song and dance. There was bound to be a celebration tonight...and I was right. All my relatives of both sides were there.

... ... ... ... ...

The next night and after Fujin told them (via spirit communication), the other teotzin personally came to congratulate us. I could tell that Raiden was having difficulty wrapping his head around the idea of becoming an uncle and being near a child that was related to him. The other two were very excited to the point where Fujin had to tell them to calm down because they were being loud. I was beyond amused and I laughed on the inside.

... ... ... ... ...

The next night, Fujin and I were with my mother and grandmother, trying to decide who my midwife should be.

My grandmother offered, "I know a few midwives I have trained myself. I have talked to the mothers they have helped and they were praised." My mother sided with her, "I know a few midwives, but I trust Ana's judgment."

I played with my fingers. Fujin looked straight ahead. It's all you, my love. I sighed. "I don't know."

My grandmother continued, "I can give you three names of the best ones I know, unless you have someone else in mind? I can also help."

"Ana, I thank you for your help, but I feel odd about this."

My mother responded, "Of course you do. You've never been pregnant."

"That's not it. I feel like..." I prepared for any yelling that might come from them. "I want to deliver my own child, without a midwife."

Their spirits went wild and I felt Fujin's surprise. My grandmother, in a scolding tone, said, "What do you mean 'deliver your own child?' You won't be able to focus on the right things. You will be in too much pain." My mother followed after. Her own tone more scolding, "You cannot deliver your own child."

I flinched a bit and responded, "Plenty of women around the world do it and I know a lot about this. I helped Ana plenty of times to understand how it works." I felt Fujin's spirit move around me in comfort.

"Teoitotia-" said my mother, but I interrupted her, "It just doesn't feel right. We all know that this is a sacred thing, but I feel like it should just be me and me alone, with Fujin of course."

Before my mother responded, my grandmother put a hand on her back to calm her down. Fujin finally said, "I can do it."

We looked at him and he looked at me before looking at my maternal relatives. "If she really doesn't want anyone there, then I can learn how to deliver a child. I will be eager to learn, if Teoitotia is fine with it. The only concern in the birth of the child, Teoitotia knows about everything before that, but she is allowing you both to help with that should she need it. The delivery is the focus. It will be...frightening, but I can and want to deliver my own child."

I think that about finished this debate...

... ... ... ... ...

Three Months Later...

I was four months along and it was about an hour until sunset and I had nothing else to do so I decided to wait in the farm fields. Fujin was called by Raiden to patrol a few borders. The Neatherrealm seemed to be taking advantage of our time of peace. I was in my male form and running my hand over my small bump. I was really careful in shifting to make sure my uterus was fully intact and later realized that I wasn't as muscular as I used to be. According to my schedule, I was supposed to eat soon. I looked up to see a few birds flying by. The winds became loud and I continued to look up as Fujin emerged and fell onto the ground. I stood up and walked over to him. I knew he was startled to see me in my male form by the way he rapidly blinked, but that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss. Multiple kisses. We broke our kiss and touched foreheads.

"Notlazohtzin," he acknowledged with soft eyes.

"Notlazohtzin," I responded with eyes closed as I felt the love in our bond.

He moved a hand underneath my cloak and caressed my bump. I opened my eyes and asked, "Anything concerning?"

"Just a few demons trying to cross. Nothing else," he assured me. He moved in to kiss me again. We moved our heads back. "Was there anything important said in the meeting?"

I heard something snap and felt the familiar vibrations of a rabbit walking. Hold that thought, I told Fujin. He looked puzzled and followed my gaze. What is it? he asked. I moved back as he let me go and then I shifted into a coyote. As I walked in the direction of the rabbit, I told him, Small troublemaker. I went into the fields and was careful not to brush against any of the crops or step on anything bad. Coyotes walked on their toes and were quiet, so that's why it was my chosen form. I noticed that even in my coyote form, you could tell I was pregnant. Eventually, I had the rabbit in sight and stalked it. It hadn't seemed to notice me (it was too busy stealing one of our crops) and when I was close enough, I pounced and caught it with my jaws. To kill it, I shook my head violently. When I heard its neck snap, I walked to the border. I knew Fujin was following me and I went outside our borders to drop the carcass. A carnivore would eventually come by. I went back into our land and walked towards Fujin. When I was a few meters from him, he got down on one knee. I got close to him and he lifted a hand to massage me behind my ear and throat. It felt good. After a while, I backed up from him. He stood up and I shifted back. "Let's go home," I said. I willed the earth to swallow us and transport us home. The earth spit us out in our living room.

Fujin walked to our bathing area as I went to our room. As he was bathing, I sat on our bed and removed my sandals, cloak, and loincloth. I covered my bump with our blanket and waiting for him to finish.

I heard him drying off and I got excited. Warmth pooled in my core. he had to have felt it by now. It was almost torture hearing him walk to our room. He walked in with no covering...and erect. "You called," he asked in a serious, but joking tone. I playfully growled and he walked towards me. We satisfied ourselves for a while and bathed afterwards.

I was tired, but Fujin told me to eat first and I reluctantly did as he said. After I finished, I went to clean my teeth. When I came back he was on the bed, covered by a blanket. I leaned on the doorway and crossed my arms. He turned to look at me.

"I want to go on a run," I said.

He got on his elbows, surprised with my sudden burst of energy. "Sure."

He removed the blanket to stand up to put on his pants and shoes. I was fine with a white loincloth, and grabbed my plain sandals outside the doorway. We walked to our house's entrance and I shifted into a coyote. Fujin moved the heavy cover aside to let me through. I let out a short, soft yip and walked to our borders as Fujin followed me on foot. As I walked, I noticed that I was heavier and fuller. Am I becoming sluggish too? Am I losing my touch? Do my people no longer respect me for my previous achievements? Am I just an incubator? Fujin surprised me by picking me up and holding me to his chest. He kissed me and started rubbing my belly. You're fine, he told me. I think he felt negative feelings from me. I put my nose on his cheekbone. He smiled. When we got past our borders, he let me down slowly as if I was made of ceramic. I got annoyed but didn't say anything. I stared up at him.

Aren't you going to shift? I asked.

He looked up at the stars. Not today. He looked back down on me. Well? Run.

I looked around and decided to run up a mountain I had in my sights. I glanced at him and started to run. I felt him shift forms and became the winds. He may be invisible, but I knew exactly where he was. I ran. Running was one of my favorite pastimes.

Midway up the mountain, I yipped and ran faster. Up on the top, I stopped and panted while looking around my surroundings. Fujin was right beside me and I turned to bark at him a few times. He chuckled and gave in, What? I barked and got into a playful stance. I see, he responded and materialized into a coyote. He was heavier and larger than I. I would say, quite large for a coyote. He stayed still and I took action. I nipped at his side. He moved his head to be able to lick my muzzle. I backed off and got into a play stance. He paused and slowly got into it too. I waited for a while and nipped at his tail. He yipped in protest and I ran downhill before he could do anything to me. I felt his presence closing in and I ran faster. I didn't realize I was still hungry until I heard a rabbit nearby. Fujin halted once I did. He whined and licked my muzzle as I looked in the direction of the rabbit. He stopped licking me and turned his head in the direction my muzzle was pointing at. He must have caught what I was listening to and walked toward the rabbit. I lost him in the trees and heard the rabbit make a warning sound. Then it stopped with a snap. My ears moved to listen for more noises and then I saw Fujin coming towards me with the rabbit in his jaws. He put it down in front of me and I whined in gratitude. I licked his face before I dug into my meal. He stayed standing and listened for any danger. I thought to myself, a crocodile seems good tomorrow...

Once I finished, I stared at him. He caught my stare and stared back. I felt confusion roll off of him. I stared to breathe at a faster rate as we got lost deeper into each other's feelings. I knew he sensed my arousal. We shifted back to human form at the same time and caught each other's lips. We removed any garments we had and made love for as long as I could handle.

... ...

I woke up early before dawn in my female form. Huh, must have shifted in my sleep. I turned my head and saw Fujin asleep. Oh well. I pulled our garments next to me and put my fingers on my left hand to the earth. Then I brought them together. The earth swallowed us and I transported us home. Fujin woke up with his eyes wide in alert and jumped at the sudden movement. We were in the bathing room.

Fujin rubbed his face to wake up. "Teoitotia," he groaned in annoyance.

I laughed and stood up to walk to the tub. I let the water flow in. "Sorry my love, but we had to get going."

He got on his feet and walked over to me. I was sitting by the tub waiting for it to fill and jumped when Fujin, from behind me, started kissing my neck and massaging one of my breasts with one hand while the other caressed my abdomen. I leaned my head back onto his shoulder and sighed. My arousal grew. Once the tub was full, I stopped the water flow and focused enough on heating it. Fujin let me go and I stood up to push him into the nearest wall. We kissed and ran our hands over each other. He grabbed my thighs and I grabbed his erection to put some of it inside. Then, I made the effort of wrapping my legs around his waist. He helped me up and adjusted us so he was fully inside me. I believe the water was ready and stopped heating it. He flipped us around so I was against the wall. He supported my weight and started thrusting into me. We moaned at the sensations this new position brought us. The rough wall kind of hurt me and he sensed it. Before he stopped, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "No. Keep on going," I panted. I knew he felt bad, but did as I said. He shifted us so instead of me rubbing against the wall, only my hips hit the wall as he thrusted into me. I kissed him as we approached climax. "Faster," I moaned. He did as I said and worked on kissing my neck. My body tensed and I whimpered as he hit my sweet spot. After a few seconds, Fujin thrusted into me for the last time and ejaculated into me. My walls squeezed him as my body shook from my orgasm. We panted as we recovered. Before any of our juices fell onto the floor, Fujin walked us into the tub and let me go. My legs were wobbly and he caught me before anything bad could happen. He chuckled and I said in a demanding tone, "Silence." His eyes reflected his happiness from inside. He lowered himself into the water and sat on a step near the edge. He rested his arms on the sides so the water went up to the middle of his chest. I knew that we shouldn't take too long and I started to bathe.

Fujin's POV:

I rested on the side as Teoitotia summoned fire to burn some incense and then started bathing. She was scrubbing her arms and was angled in a way that I could see her side from that angle. I tilted my head back a little and felt a noise of pleasure emerging from my chest but never left my throat. I moved my eyes downward to stare. She froze and slightly tilted her head to the side. A smile formed on my face.

"If you don't stop, I will bite." She growled.

"I'm not doing anything," I said innocently.

"You cannot lie to me." She went back to scrubbing for moment and stopped. "Get to it," she ordered. When she saw that I didn't move, she left what she had in her hands on the the edge. I could only imagine what thoughts ran through her head. She turned around with a predatory look. "I can control the water you know." She slowly approached me and the water started moving chaotically. I moved my head back up and oddly, turned on. Before I could completely stand on my feet, she put a hand on my chest and pushed me down. I hit the seat with a grunt. She definitely put force on that. I looked up at her, admiring her form. I saw her hidden power in her eyes. "And much more," she sneered. Her eyes glowed gold and some of her spirit (which was now black) went out of her body to form a jaguar, growling at me without any malevolence.

I placed my hands on her lower back and rested my cheek on her hip. "I wouldn't dare to challenge you," I purred. For the most part, it was true; her power was great. Maybe beyond my own. Ok, it was beyond my own, but I still had experience on my side. Even then, it may not be enough. Although, my true form may be just enough. Her spirit went back into her body and I kissed her bump. I stood on my feet and lowered my head to capture her lips. I broke it off quickly so she could get back to her bath. When she went to grab her soap-plant, I sighed and got to work.

Teoitotia's POV:

After we bathed, we headed to the market. It was a day of relaxation. Should there be any problems, I will be alerted. My mother took my place as market judge when I wasn't there, which was most of the time. She needed other things to do, so she did that. There weren't many people on the streets yet, so there weren't many greeting us every second. We approached the main plaza and saw some families setting up their business. As we approached the market judges' seating area, the other judges stood, bowed, and greeted, "Tlatoque, we hope you both had a good rest."

Mmm. We did. I gave Fujin a scolding look through my peripheral vision. He fought the smile that wanted to form. We stopped. Fujin nodded his head and I held a hand up. "At rest judges. Thank you for waiting."

I stepped my way up the supreme judge's seat and sat down with my spear on my right side. The other judges sat down after. Fujin stayed standing. He told me, I will be on the other seat. He excused himself, "Excuse me judges," then he left.

As time went by, all the businesses were set up and people began to pour in. I started the conversation:

"Anything exciting fellow judges?"

"Nothing too exciting," one responded.

"I agree," said another.

The last one said, "I have great news: my son got married yesterday."

"Congratulations on the union," the rest of us responded.

"Thank you. I will forward the warm feelings."

I asked, "Is the recorder here?"

The second judge said, "Yes, Tlatoani. He is right next to Yeipapalotl of the House of Axochitl (Water Flower)."

I looked over to them. He seemed to be recording something. After he was done, he came up to us. He bowed before me.

"Tlatoani and Supreme Judge, I have something of concern from Yeipapalotl of Axochicalli."

"Go on."

He looked at his book. "She has reported a loss of 3 maize cobs that she brought with her today."

My eyes narrowed. Someone was stealing... "Brave ones. Search for this one," I ordered my warriors. They bowed at us and spread out about the market. While they were doing so, I scanned the whole market over and over...

"Ayo! Chia!" (Chia = Wait)

We turned our heads to the yelling and found a teenage boy grabbing onto a man's arm and angrily yelling at him. The warriors I sent out walked through the market and grabbed the man. Another took his possessions. Another warrior told the boy to follow him and signaled two warriors to stay and defend the boy's post. They walked through the market and up to us.

The two were thrusted in front of us. The boy bowed and said, "Tlatoani. Just Ones." The man bowed and said, "Tlatoani. Judges."

One of my fellow market judges told the recorder to get ready. The judge nodded his head at me. I turned to the boy and man. I held up a hand to the man and looked at the boy. "Boy, state your name and case."

He bowed his head. "My name is Chapolin (Grasshopper) of the House of Axolotl. I caught this man stealing some of my things. I was sitting and turned around to help a lady set up her vessels. Then when I turned back, I saw 2 turkey legs missing and a medicine plant. I saw this man acting suspicious as he moved his hand under his cloak and grabbing tightly onto his basket. I caught sight of a plant sticking from it."

He finished. I put a hand up to the boy. "Tlazocamati." I turned to the man. "State your name and case."

He looked down. "My name is Ayotl (Turtle) of the House of Jumping Frog. I was walking in the market and passed by two posts where they sold those turkey legs and a medicine plant. I just happened to pass by this boy who was selling these two things. I bought the turkey legs from a woman over there and the plant from She Who Sings."

I felt anger rolling off the boy. I told the warrior holding the man's possessions, "Open the basket." He did so. In it was 2 wrapped up turkey legs, a medicine plant, 3 maize cobs, and about two handful of beans. My eyes narrowed on the cobs and then I looked up at the man. "Where did you acquire those cobs?"

"From the man at the corner of the market." He pointed in the direction of the man.

The judge to my right said, "You lie to us Ayotl of the House of Jumping Frog."

One of the judges to my left said, "Confess or we will force you."

"Wait please!" We turned our heads to a girl who seemed about 6 years old. "I saw the man stealing!" A woman broke through the market crowd, who spotted the girl, "Tlilxochitl!" She bowed at us saying, "I apologize for the interruption Tlatoani and Just Ones."

I held my hand up in reassurance. "It's quite alright...?"

"Coztixihuitl, Tlatoani."

"Coztixhuitl." I turned to the girl. "Tlilxochitl, please tell us what you saw." The girl went in detail confirming Chapolin's accusations. We looked at the man, who hung his head in annoyance. I tapped my spear. "Ayotl of the House of Jumping Frog, why have you stolen?"

In a low voice, he said, "I needed the food and had nothing to trade for it."

The judge on my right spoke, "How come?"

"I ran out of cacao beans by the time I needed new tools to make paint."

I asked him. "Do you now have other family members?"

"I live alone with my elderly parents. My younger sister lives with her husband."

"Did you not ask her for help?"

"I didn't want to." His voice cracked.

The panel was silent. I took some cacao beans from my little bag and stepped down from my seat. I handed them to the boy. "To pay for his stolen items."

The boy was shocked. "I cannot possibly accept this, Honorable Tlatoani."

"Yes, you will. That's an order."

He hesitantly received the cacao beans with a bow. "You are too good to both of us, Tlatoani."

I took out some beans and handed them to a warrior. "Give these to Yeipapalotl." He recieved them and went about. I went back to sit down on my seat. I asked the boy, "What does your family work in, Chapolin?"

"My parents grow medicine plants and raise turkeys, Tlatoani."

I linked my spirit to the other judges. Do we sentence this, Ayotl, to a time of servitude? I am open to other options.

I recommend slavery. (NOTE: Slavery in the Americas was NOT the same as slavery from the other side of the world.)

One of the two.

I agree.

I said, Which one? He is the only one of his house who stays with his parents.

I would usually agree with slavery, but servitude sounds like the best option for the sake of the two elders of his house.

I agree.

I asked, Those in favor or slavery? No one answered. Those in favor of servitude?

I am.

I am.

I am.

Then it is decided: servitude. For?

I would say 4 years.

I would recommend 5.

I agree with the 4 years.

Do you agree with the 4 years? I asked.

Yes.

We looked at the man and I tapped my spear to regain their attention. "It has been decided that you will be sentenced to servitude for 4 years to this boy's parents and gain a wage of at least 5 cacao beans or equivalent per day of work. Chapolin, tell your parents as we have said today. Ayotl, you must report to work tomorrow. Should you miss a day just because, you will be sentenced to slavery for 10 years. To start you off..." I stepped down and took out 10 cacao beans to hand them to the man. "here are 10 cacao beans." He looked at my hands and wanted to refuse, but gave in and held his palms together to receive them. I dumped them in his hands. He hung his head in shame. It was shameful to receive help from a tlatoani in situations like this. I sat on my seat. "Do not steal anymore. If you lack beans, serve. You are dismissed." I turned to face the recorder and trusted him to have recorded this case.

Well done, my love. I looked to my right to see Fujin looking back at me. I looked at the market. I sneered inside at his comment and fought the smile. I love it when you get all passionate and just.

If you don't stop...

He chuckled. At about midday, two women came up to us. They were arguing about the price of fish. We settled that. Not a few hours after that, the market was starting to close down and I told the other judges that it was alright to leave. I actually forced them. Between all the ruckus, a girl no older than 4 came up to me. She bowed and handed me a small bowl. "Tlatoani, here are some grasshoppers with chili powder and lime."

I knelt down and accepted them. "Tlazocamati, child. Who sent you?"

I touched my small bag to take out some cacao beans, but a voice stopped me. "I did." It was Fujin. "I already paid for them." He turned to the girl. "Tlazocamati." She bowed and left. He continued, "You need to eat."

I looked at the grasshoppers. "Aya."

He walked to my left side and offered his arm. I hooked my left arm around his and held the bowl as I ate with my right. We walked to the other residence of Tliltecalli.

We stood by the doorway. "Niltze?"

"Teoitotia! Come in!" It was my grandmother.

Fujin moved the heavy rug aside. I popped my head through. "Niltze, Ana. Na. Uncle." We stepped inside and my mother stood up to hug me.

"How are you?"

She let me go and bowed her head to Fujin. "I'm fine," I responded.

My grandmother stood up and hugged me, then Fujin. I bit back a laugh. Fujin has decided to just accept random hugs from my grandmother without thinking about it. She told me, "We just finished eating, but come eat!"

I approached the bowls and baskets to serve myself. "Don't worry about it! We'll do the serving here." said my uncle. They scrambled to start heating the food. I moved back to sit on a stool while Fujin moved to help them out. My grandmother basically kicked him out: "Aya, we can do this. Please, sit!" He backed off and sat next to me.

"I assume neither of you went to the market?" I asked.

"Quema (yes). We didn't need to today. You're uncle went to tend the fields and we stayed here to cook," said my mother.

Fujin sneaked a hand to rub my belly. I put a hand over his. "We handled a few cases today."

"Axax, do tell," said my uncle with a smile.

"You shouldn't gossip, uncle," I said without a scolding tone.

My relatives laughed. My mother said, "I already told you all: men gossip more than women."

I laughed. "Perhaps you're right."

Fujin removed his hand from my belly as my relatives turned around with heated food. I took in the smell. Mmm. They set the food down and all sat down, besides my mother who was still heating the tortillas, the most essential part. She put them in a cloth, which was in a basket, then set them down near me. "Start eating."

I grabbed a tortilla and out of the beans, grasshoppers, nopales (I didn't want to search the English equivalent but in Nahuatl, they are called 'nopalli') and scorpions, I started off with the beans and nopales. I could feel Fujin's satisfaction as he saw me take the first bite. My relatives looked away from my face, besides my mother. "Axax, you need to eat more."

I paused. "Just because you don't see me eat does not mean that I don't eat. I mostly eat at night and morning. A lot." I resumed eating.

"During times of rest," she noticed.

"I still get plenty of rest. It only takes a few minutes to eat."

... ... ... ... ...

Two Months Later...

I was in my jaguar form, 6 months along, and lying on the forest floor within our dome of protection. The spot allows enough sunshine to hit me directly. It felt good. I was also relaxed. Fujin was back in Tliltetepetl dealing with the duties I would have been doing. It's kind of like "maternal leave" as they say in the outside world. We could now sense our child's spirit. It was very calming and neutral (like mine), so we couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl, but that may be why it was so calming. Speaking of which, my grandmother told me that our child's spirit reminded her of her grandfather; he had that calming effect on the people near him. I've been here since an hour past mid-day and it was currently about 4 in the afternoon.

Fujin's POV:

I easily found where Teoitotia was at, and I could tell that she was in another form. After I finished with the meeting, Raiden approached me in secret and told me that General Sonya Blade needed Teoitotia's help with something. I sent an officer with Raiden to help the SF. I told Raiden to tell General Blade that Teoitotia was dealing with a few troubles and she was the ruler now. Half of it was a lie (?), but it was enough to prevent them from wanting her direct help again.

The sounds of nature were relaxing. I walked up the hill and saw a jaguar who was no other than my Teoitotia. Her guard was down since she was falling asleep (her spirit was almost completely inactive). Within a few feet from her, I could see her round abdomen. My body relaxed completely as I sensed the calm spirit of our child and moved behind her. I reached a hand out and caressed her stomach as I moved to lie down next to her. Her ear twitched and I nuzzled her neck. I continued to run my hand all over her abdomen and buried my face in her. She let out a soft groan in acknowledgment. We lied there in the sun as we fell asleep for a while.

...

When I woke up, it was near sunset and Teoitotia's head was resting on me. She groaned and moved her head to look at me. I told her, "We should go home. You need to eat." She moved her head down onto the floor and I could sense her annoyance as I developed a small smile on my face. I got on my feet and looked down at her. She didn't make a move, so I crouched down and ran my hand over our child. "Come on, my love." She huffed and we both stood up. She looked up at me and said, I was REALLY enjoying my surroundings. I lowered myself onto the floor and she approached me as a coyote. A pregnant coyote. She settled in between my legs and sat down. I lifted my hands to run them over her sides and back. I heard a sound of satisfaction come from her throat as she moved her head to rest it on my right shoulder. I moved her front paws over my shoulders and she got the clue. She got as close to me as she possibly could and I wrapped my arms around her lower half. I moved onto my knees and then stood up. I carried her back to our home as she occasionally rubbed her face against mine in admiration. It was hard not to return the gesture. I'm glad she was a coyote rather than a jaguar.

A Few Hours Later...

It was barely dawn as I woke up. I turned my head to my left and saw Teoitotia on her side with her back to me. I sensed a bit of arousal from her and assumed that her dreams were the cause of that. When she moved onto her back, I didn't remove the blanket covering us and removed my underwear as I started to become erect at the feeling of arousal flowing from her. I leaned into her and kissed her chest softly as I moved my hand over her abdomen. I raised an eyebrow in surprise when I saw that she didn't awaken. So I moved my upper body between her chest and stomach. Her breasts have enlarged by a bit and it would be a lie to say that I didn't want her more than before (if that was possible). I supported my weight on my forearm and moved my other hand to remove her loose loincloth. Her legs moved a bit and I sensed that she was starting to come to her senses. I threw the cloth and blanket away from us and used the same hand to caress her labia. Her core twitched at the stimulation and I moved my fingers close to her entrance then back out. Her legs spread apart and I heard her breathing faster. She was awake. She moved her one arm from under me and put her hands on my back. I teased her and ran my fingers near her clit. Her hips bucked in attempt to get friction there. I ran a finger from the bottom of her core to her clit and her breath hitched. I hovered my hand over her entrance and inserted two fingers in her. Her breathing picked up the pace and she sighed in relief. I started thrusting my fingers in and out of her as my thumb rubbed her clit in circles. She moaned and spread her legs further apart as far as she could. I picked up the pace and moved my other hand to take my thumb's place. I moved that same hand to gently press on her clitoral hood. Her legs jerked as she let out a whimper and slightly dug her fingers into my back. I knew she was close. Ever since she was a few weeks into her pregnancy, I noticed that she was more sensitive...and hornier (I'm always ready to comply, of course). I rubbed all around her core as much as I could reach and she arched her back, panting and moaning. I rubbed her harder and faster. I put my lips on her abdomen as my hands did all the work. She dug her fingers into my shoulder and side as she came with a loud moan. I saw her juices flow out and I rubbed them all over her core. Her body jerked at my actions. Then, I let her recover as I licked my fingers. I sat up and turned around to kiss her chest. She grabbed my head and pulled me up for a kiss. I broke it off to move down between her legs. I forced her thighs apart and saw her wet, swollen lips. My cock twitched and throbbed at the thought of entering her. But I ignored it and went on my stomach. I hovered my mouth over her entrance and she started to pant. My tongue licked her slit from bottom to top and her core twitched. I started getting to work and licked her whole core again. She moaned whenever I licked her clit. I smiled when I heard her panting more heavily and saw her arch her back. I moved my mouth up and sucked on her clit gently as my tongue stimulated areas around it. She whimpered and jerked as she came. I felt her walls clench with my two fingers inside her. I continued my efforts and made her come 4 more times. By her fifth, she let out the high-pitched moan and dug her fingers into my scalp. I was surprised I was able to get a sound like that out of her and smirked. I gave her core a big lick and she jerked hard at the force of her orgasm topped with more stimulation. I moved up to touch our chests together as she panted, and we wrapped our arms around each other as we kissed. I moved an arm to caress her body and then moved it slowly down back to her core. I caught her clit between two fingers and she tensed in pleasure while moaning into my mouth. I kissed her neck and chest as my fingers worked on bringing her to climax again. She moved her hands all over my back making sounds of pleasure. When I lifted my head up to look at the wall (while focusing on pleasuring her), she moved her hands over my chest, dug her fingers in, and whimpered as I curled my fingers and pressed her sweet spot. I looked down and saw her eyes glowing gold. I used my thumb to rub her clit in circles. She moaned and tilted her head back. I pulled my fingers out of her to harshly and quickly rub her clit. She whimpered at my harshness. "Fu-jin," she struggled to get out as she rocked her body. I rubbed harder. "Come for me, my love," I softly and lustfully told her and then lowered my head down to kiss her. I felt a large amount of juices flow out of her and coat my fingers. She broke the kiss with a gasp. As her body started to shake from her orgasm, she tilted her head back and arched her back as she loudly moaned/whimpered, "Ohhhh. Ohhh, Fujin." She panted, trying to calm down. My ego, which we (Spirits) inevitably developed whether we like to admit it or not, swelled with pride at the reaction I got from her. I wrapped an arm around her legs to bring them together so she could deal with her orgasm easier. She wrapped her arms around me and I felt a large surge of love flow from her. We could stop here and I wouldn't even be irritated. Once she was calm, she gently pushed against me. I sat up and she turned on her side with her back to me. I moved behind her and pulled her hips close to mine. Then, I grabbed my erection and lined up the tip with her entrance. I moved my hand around and guided it as I slowly entered her. She sighed and I kissed her shoulder. Once the tip was in, I wrapped my arm around her. After I was fully in her, I started to slowly thrust in and out of her. I kept her close to me as I went faster. She reached a hand behind her to put over the back of my neck. We panted as we rutted quietly and focused on the feelings in our bond. After a while, I moved my forearm to grip her hips and thrusted faster. We moaned softly as we approached climax. I moved my hand to rub her clit and she immediately came, throwing her head back. Her walls clenched onto me and my rhythm became uneven as I came inside her with a groan.

We lied there, panting as our heart rates returned to normal. I could tell that she was fighting against the sleep that wanted to take over. I kissed the nape of her neck. "Sleep, my love. I can handle this." I stood up and put the blanket over her. Then, I went to start my day.

A Few Weeks Later...

I'm 8 months and a week along (33 weeks out of 36). It's late September and currently 10pm. My belly is still quite small from what I have seen in other mothers at this time, and I was a bit concerned. I shouldn't feel pressured or stressed, I reminded myself. I feel odd, but brushed it off and went to sleep.

...

I woke up in a bit of pain, then it faded. I could tell that it was about 4 in the morning from the birds chirping. I moved the blanket off to the side and sat up. I was a bit restless. I moved my neck around to feel more at ease. I felt Fujin stir. He put a hand on my back and rubbed soothingly.

"What is it, my love?"

"I just feel a bit restless."

"Have you tried going back to sleep?"

"No-" I cut off as I felt wet and looked down. "Aaaand my water just broke." I took me a while to become alert. It was still early... Also, I slept for a large part of labor? I felt Fujin's sudden alertness and he got up to dress for the most part. He put on his sandals and left our room to get a rug replacement. I had already changed my loincloth by the time he got back. I felt pain before he did so.

He changed the rug and asked me, "Are you alright?"

"I guess so."

"I'll go grab what we need." I heard it in his voice as he tried not to panic. He left the room to get what we needed from another room. I soothed my belly as I felt another contraction hit. I let out a heavy breath. The battle has begun. I went through another contraction before he came back with a decorated obsidian knife, plain rug, and cloths. He set them down and told me, "I'll prepare the sauna." I nodded and he left.

When he came back, I felt another contraction hit and it was stronger than the ones before. I just needed to start breathing through them. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. When it passed, I opened my eyes and Fujin was kneeling in front of me. "It's ready." I nodded and he helped me stand. I walked to the sauna in our home. He followed and eyed me to make sure nothing goes wrong. When I arrived at the sauna, it was warm and since it was chilly outside, it would feel good. I removed my loincloth and Fujin picked me up to put me in the tub. The water was just right.

...

It was 6 in the morning when my some of my relatives came to our home. I didn't sense them arrive, but Fujin did. He has been massaging my back when my contractions got stronger.

"I'll be right back."

"Mhm."

Fujin's POV:

I reluctantly left Teoitotia in the sauna as I went to put on a short cloak and then to our house's entrance. I removed the heavy rug and found her grandmother, mother, uncle, (maternal) aunt, (oldest) cousin, and (paternal) grandfather standing by, dressed for the day and concerned. They were sitting in a circle before I arrived. I stepped out and her mother approached me, "How is she?"

"The pain is greater than earlier, but there is currently no need for the cihuapahtli- (literally "woman plant," used for easing contraction pain). She's fighting."

"It's early," she noted, "I could come in and help."

I hesitated and looked down as I thought. Teoitotia didn't want any help, but this birth could be complex because of how early our child was going to be born. Then I heard my love growl. I looked up at her mother. "I assume that's the answer."

She nodded and Teoitotia's grandfather approached me. "Great Lord, please take this blanket for your child." He unfolded it the white blanket. It had a red border off the edges. In the middle was the symbols of Tliltecalli, Iztacoyocalli, and Xilocalli. It was beautifully crafted (as usual). He folded it after I had enough time to see all of it. I put my hands out in acceptance.

"Of course. Thank you on both of our behalf. Excuse me, I must go now."

They bowed their heads and I went back inside to put the blanket in our room. I returned to the sauna to find my love in greater pain. "Out," she ordered. I helped her out for the third time. I put a cloth over her body to dry her. Her hair was dry. I held onto her forearms as she said, "I think it's almost time."

"You feel like pushing?"

"No-" She breathed through another contraction that was longer than last time. Once it passed, she continued, "Let's go to the room." She started to walk and I supported her.

Once we arrived at our room, she sat down on the rug I had brought in before. I put a hand on her knee and softly said, "Let me check." She spread her legs apart so I could see the situation.

"Hm?" she asked.

"Give it a few minutes," I calculated.

She sighed and tilted her head back with a groan as another contraction hit.

Teoitotia's POV:

I always had respect for mothers in labor and now after this, I could relate to them. These contractions are rendering me speechless. I could tell that the sun was about to rise in almost half and hour. The contractions were long and painful. I moaned through them. There was no point in the cihuapahtli because it was almost time. I actually felt like pushing now. Fujin was kneeling in front of me. I know seeing me go through the pain is heartbreaking for him. I grabbed onto his shoulders and closed my eyes as I tried to get into a squatting position with my back on the wall. "I feel it. It's time."

He made sure I was in a stable position. I controlled my breathing and sighed before I began to push. It was short and my mate told me, "No need to rush." I waited about 10 seconds and continued on the struggle to bring my child to this world. I heard as my family was outside, singing to ease the pain of my struggle and to express their emotions about this situation. Now the whole village will know that I was giving birth... I focused on my fight. I felt extreme pain when I finished pushing this time and Fujin informed me, "I can see the head." He kissed my temple. "Almost there, my love. Fight." He grabbed a white blanket with a black border and held it near our child as I pushed again, moaning.

After three more pushes, I felt our newborn slip out and sighed in relief. Fujin lifted our baby. I felt love overwhelm our bond. He said with a shaky and emotional voice, "A boy." Our son was brown as the earth and had very little hair that was as dark as night. He was also quite small and covered in a bit of white. Fujin put our son on my chest and didn't cover him completely so there would be skin-to-skin contact between him and I.

I instinctively held our son close to me and put my cheek on his head as he made soft noises that communicated his unfamiliarity with his environment. I felt his spirit trying to cling onto me as if he was afraid he was going to get taken away. My protective instincts went on overdrive and I felt tears escape my eyes as one emotion overtook me. "Love" wasn't enough to describe it. Fujin wrapped him arms around us and I felt him shaking with emotion. He kissed my forehead. "Thank you," he whispered. I moved a hand to caress his neck. Then he moved a bit back to give us a bit of room.

I started, "You have arrived on earth, my youngest one, my boy, my young man, where your relatives, your kin suffer fatigue and exhaustion; where it is hot, where it is cold, and where the wind blows; where there is thirst, hunger, sadness, despair, exhaustion, fatigue, and pain. But there is joy, love, peace, hope, awe, relief, and amusement. The sun warms us, the earth nurtures us, and the water eases our pain. Your father and I welcome you to this overall, chaotic world."

(NOTE: Nahuas gave speeches to the baby and mother after birth and this contains part of an actual [translated] speech and some additions of my own.)

Our son was quiet a few words into my speech. I lifted my head up and I saw his dark brown eyes staring back at me. Fujin moved in to kiss his head. He told him, "My son, even when you are alone, remember that your ancestors and kin are always around to guide you while your mother and I will always be around for anything. All you have to do is reach out. We welcome you to this world." Fujin looked up at me and we leaned in for a passionate kiss. He broke it off and looked into my eyes. "Now it is time for your mother to rest." He kissed my cheek and let us go to cut the umbilical cord with the obsidian knife.

After I pushed out the placenta, Fujin cleaned up the area (thank the ancestors it was only on the rug), and then he cleaned me up. After putting a loincloth and large hipcloth on me, he picked me up to lay me down on our petlatl, which I noticed was more comfortable than usual. I handed him our boy to be cleaned up. Once that was done, he put our son, who was wrapped in the blanket, which I know my grandfather made for him, next to me and put a blanket over me. I held our son close to me. He was premature and required close attention. He could breathe on his own and his body temperature seemed stable for now, but it was best for him to be close to me. I ran a thumb near his mouth to see if he would pick it up. His mouth twitched, but he didn't turn his head. I'll try later. Then he opened his eyes again and looked back and forth between his father, who I know was behind me, and I. Fujin moved a hand to caress our son's head. I was on my side since I was (surprisingly) healed enough to do so, but I was still very sore. It would take me about a week to fully recover. Once our newborn was asleep, I turned on my back, holding my breath to prevent myself from crying out in pain. I looked up at Fujin and he leaned down to embrace me. He showed his gratitude and affection as softly as he could and I purred. Then he pulled back. "You should sleep."

My eyes were drooping until we heard our son move around a bit. We turned to look at him and he looked like he wanted to cry, so I reluctantly turned on my side to face him. I lifted a hand and ran it over his body soothingly. I scooched in closer to him and lowered my neck onto his head. I closed my eyes and purred softly. I continued to do so a while after he fell back asleep.

Fujin's POV:

What an emotional ride. I stayed with my family as my love soothed our newborn to sleep. Once I was sure that he was resting, I grabbed three blankets and put them by our petlatl just in case they were necessary. After making sure everything was fine, I went outside to meet her relatives...and Raiden, Kojin, and Sarutahiko. I definitely didn't notice them arriving. That disturbed me a bit. Teoitotia's family approached me first and congratulated me. Then my brothers.

"May we go see her?" asked Teoitotia's grandfather.

It was custom to see the new mother and congratulate her after the birth. It was quick since they knew that she needed to rest. I nodded my head and warned them, "Of course, but I suggest you keep your distance." I felt Teoitotia's protective nature go on overdrive and so did mine to be honest, but not at the same degree. I went back in and our kin followed me.

Teoitotia's POV:

I woke up at the sound of soft footsteps in my home and my eyes opened. I showed my teeth to no one in particular and softly growled. My eyes glowed gold and I held my son close to me. As my kin by blood and by marriage approached my room, I growled louder in warning. My young was smaller and more vulnerable compared to a full-term newborn. He snuggled closer to me as much as he could. I stood alert, ready to attack even in my weak condition.

Fujin's POV:

I stopped by the doorway, which gladly was covered by a thin rug that hovered above the ground by a few centimeters. If my mate had seen our guests, I assume she would have acted on her instincts by the way that I felt her mood change. I understood why she was growling and her spirit promised violence if they went too far. Our guests slowed and stopped a bit before the doorway. I signaled at them for one person to approach the doorway at a time. They knew that it was best to not go in.

Teoitotia's mother came up first. She knelt in front of the doorway and was quiet. I assume she was speaking to my love via her spirit.

Teoitotia's POV:

I continued growling and then I heard my mother, My child you have fought a hard battle and I praise you for it. Your father would have been proud. I am here to help when you are ready. My growling stopped when she mentioned my father, but I still showed my teeth.

My grandfather was next, My dear grandchild, you deserve to be undisturbed after this battle, yet you allow us to speak here to you from a distance and I thank you on behalf of all of us. Your father is smiling upon both of you from the spirit world. I love you both. I closed my lips when he spoke, but my eyes still glowed. I listened to the rest.

My grandmother, Grandchild of mine, I know you both will be an excellent mother and father. I praise you for your victory. Rest now and we will be here for your needs.

Raiden was next, Teoitotiatzin, I am still feeling odd as I have to keep reminding myself that I am an uncle. Congratulations to you both on working together to bring this son of yours into this world. Rest easy and I am here for all of you.

After him, my other brothers-in-law went and then the rest of my family. Although their words were somewhat relaxing, I was still heavily on guard. Once they left, Fujin came back into our room. We made eye contact and my eyes slowly went back to normal. I turned my head back to our son and apologized with shame, "I beg for forgiveness." My dark thoughts spiraled; I have shamed us.

"There is nothing to forgive. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

I shook my head and he leaned down to kissed my neck. Then he walked around us to lay down in his spot without his cloak and pants. We looked into each other's one last time before I drifted off to sleep.

...

I woke up and felt like I was hit by a planet. I didn't know what time it was, but Fujin wasn't here. I sensed his spirit in the location of the other residency of Tliltecalli. I looked down at my son, who was still sleeping. A few seconds after, he woke up and looked up at me. I moved to my side. Then, I caressed his head and purred.

"Nopiltzin, titechhualhuicaz mahuizyotl... Xiaixmati quezqui timitztlazohtlah." ("My son, you will bring us honor... [You] don't know how much we love you.")

I moved a finger near his lips and I was a little bit more at peace as he had the right response. It was quite hot today, so I slowly sat up, letting my blanket fall to my hip, and grabbed the blankets besides me to set them appropriately where I would rest my head. Then, I picked up my son to settle him between my legs. I removed the blanket from him and moved it off to my side. I moved an arm under his body and the other hand on his neck. I pulled him up to me at an angle. I moved his head so his mouth could hover over my breast. I slowly leaned back to rest on the blankets behind me (it still hurt). Once I was comfortable, I used my left hand to move his head over my nipple, hoping he would instinctively latch onto it. Relief washed over me when he did so and started feeding. While he was doing so, I stroked the small amount of hair he had. A great leader, you shall be...and wake me up multiple times a night you shall do. He looked up at me and I began to softly sing him the songs of Tliltecalli, Xilocalli, and Iztacoyocalli.

After a while, I switched sides (still painful) and he continued to feed. He may be small, but he could handle a lot of milk in his stomach. A few minutes into it, his eyes became droopy and I purred, hoping he would fall asleep. Then, I felt Fujin approaching us and I looked up at the doorway, waiting to see him. He came in and put the what he had in hand down on a table. He then knelt down in front of us to kiss me and stroked our son's head.

Quen timati? (How do you feel?)

There's pain, obviously, but I should definitely feel better as the days progress.

Ximayana? (Are you hungry?)

I put in some emphasis is my response, Quema. (Yes.)

Is he almost done?

Quema. I saw something in my sleep.

As did I. Care to share?

Let's see if we saw the same thing: A jaguar-?

Running.

I pressed on. On-?

Wind, he ended with happiness.

I smiled. So we did see the same thing. Then his name is decided. A bit early, but we have it.

He smiled in return. How is it that these visions occur after birth? It's too much of a coincidence. What drives them? What determines them?

Well, we actually don't know... Help me up?

I tightened my hold on our newborn, who had stopped suckling, and Fujin moved as much as he could behind my head to push me up so I was sitting. I looked down and slowly moved my son down so I was cradling him. I looked up at Fujin, who was removing his cloak because, like I said before, it was hot. You can carry him anytime you want. You don't need my permission. I moved my arms out to offer him our son, which he immediately took. I slowly transferred our newborn to him and saw the look in his eyes. It must feel surreal to him. I felt his awe and love. He's seen children from afar, but must have never interacted with them to a large degree until he met my people. However, when that child is your own, it feels a whole lot different. Especially when you think that you're never going to have children, but then boom you have a child of your own.

Our son's spirit was still a bit active and I told Fujin, Our children know their family by spirit. That connection is strongest with their parents. Eventually, that connection eases once their world revolves more around their own nuclear family. Thinking about that made me sad, but I shook my head and thought to myself, He's just a newborn. There's still decades or maybe even centuries until that. I broke off parts of my spirit to bring me my food and ate while seeing Fujin stare at our son. I wanted to chuckle, but it would hurt.

... ...

One Week Later...

My maternal relatives have been coming to our house to clean and cook. The healing process was scary and painful. Out of all the pregnancies I have helped my grandmother with, I only knew the painful part. Now being a mother myself, I know why no one talks about the scary part at all. I swear that I am scared for life. I wish that I could unsee those things. Yet, I am healed now thanks to my more rapid healing. My female relatives assured me from afar that my reaction was normal. No one is sure why, but the only ones they were alright with seeing right after birth were their siblings, alone. My mother even told me that she wanted to kick her own mother out right after I was born.

I was still being overprotective, which is why only very few people at a time come to see us and I mean to actually see. A few of my relatives were hesitant, but they asked if they could carry my son. I, embarrassingly, glowed my eyes and showed teeth. When I calmed down, I always begged for forgiveness endlessly, but they always said that they understood. When Fujin's brothers came to visit (one at a time), he must have told them to not ask to carry our son because they never asked to. Another thing was that because my son was young, he was very sensitive to any stimuli that is nothing to us (which we figured out the hard way...I was close to resorting to violence and luckily for them, Fujin calmed me down before anything else happened), which is probably the reason I was aggressive to others besides my mate. Coyotlantli is like the sibling I never had, which is why I was alright with him coming closer to us than my relatives. But he was still only able to see us, I assume it was because of my son's vulnerability.

One of my favorite moments are when Fujin is carrying our son...he's always just staring and caressing his face and body. But I feel the emotions taking over him. He was always worried about being able to give our son time and care, but I know that he will be a very good father. Today, our son seemed less sensitive than usual, so the naming ceremony will be in four days. Fujin and I agreed to let my grandmother conduct the ceremony.

... ...

Four Days Later...

Today was the bathing and naming ceremony. It was still a while before sunrise. Fujin and I were ready with our tlatoani outfits. Our son was sleeping in his woven basket that I made myself before his birth. A mat was set in the middle of what was essentially our living room. A ceramic tub was over the mat. I was filling it with water when my grandmother moved the entrance's rug aside. "Good morning."

Fujin and I said at the same time, "Good morning." Fujin invited her in, "Come on in."

My grandmother stepped inside and I finished filling in the tub. She walked to my son and saw him. "He'll be a good one," she predicted. I started heating the water. "Have you fed him recently?" she asked.

"Yes. He's been asleep for a while. I think he won't be cranky for a while after we wake him up."

We turned our heads as my mother and uncle came in with a lot of food for the feast (they used their spirit to carry most of it, of course). Soon enough, my relatives from both sides starting coming in; All of Xilocalli and my maternal aunt with her husband and children. Each family had a gift with them. Fujin and I sat in our (short) decorated stone stools with our son in between us. They started to put their gifts in front of our son. Early on, we heard thunder and knew that the other teotzin were here. In walked Raiden, Sarutahiko, and Kojin. They greeted everyone and were the last to approach us with no gifts in hand.

Raiden was the first of them to come up to us. He knelt down and looked at my son. Then he raised a hand with his palm up and summoned a long thing. I assumed it was a knife. The scabbard was cream and polished. It also had typical Japanese wind engraving throughout. The handle was modest; it had a red, blue, white, and black band going around the handle. They were spaced out for better grip. The rest of the handle was a cream color. He took out the knife and it was obsidian. He said, "It is enhanced for durability." Obsidian can be one of the most sharpest things on the planet.

Sarutahiko came up next and held a long thing in front of us so we could see it. He removed the ribbon holding the thin cloth holding his gift and removed the covering. It was a straight tantō blade. The saya was black and sageo were black. The blade's handle was silver with gold etchings of clouds and the wrap was black. The tip of the handle was gold, but I couldn't exactly see what designs were on it. Sarutahiko smoothly took out the blade from the saya and we saw that the habaki was also gold. The blade itself had the beautiful wave pattern Japanese blades sometimes have. The gold bands on the tips of the handle had a jaguar surrounded by wind. After we had enough time to see it, he put the blade in it's saya and covered it with the cloth again. Then, he put it in front of us where the other gifts were.

Kojin came up last and put his hands out. Fire appeared as he summoned a wakizashi. It was basically a larger version of the tantō that Sarutahiko showed us earlier. The way the blade looked never seized to amaze me.

I bowed my head in thanks at each of their gifts and when they were all settled on their mats, I stood up and attracted their attention. "Thank you for coming to the naming ceremony of our firstborn. Fujin and I thank you all again for the effort and time you spent on these gifts. We will begin." I nodded my head at my grandmother and she came to pick up my young one. He immediately woke up and didn't make a sound since his lungs weren't fully developed yet. My grandmother removed his blanket and the cloth that served as his diaper. He was still quite small and skinny for a full-term baby. The whole house was silent as my grandmother walked to the tub of warm water.

First, she wet her hand and put a few drops of water into his mouth. "Son of Fujin and Teoitotia, receive this water, for you need it to live upon this earth." She put her hand in the water and immediately took it out. Then, she put her hand on our baby's chest. "Son of Tliltetepetl, may your heart be cleansed of any unnatural no-good that might be clinging onto you." She dipped her hand back in the water and moved it above his head so drops of water would fall onto his head. "Let the water enter your body and dwell there." Finally, she lowered him into the tub and starting bathing him. The room was silent throughout this. "May the no-good spirits flee from your presence due to your parentage and strength." When she finished, she dried him off and wrapped his body with the blanket that my grandfather gave to him the day he was born. His head was still damp, so she didn't cover it. She moved the child in her arms and presented him to the universe. "May the Lord and Lady of Duality smile upon you in favor and may your other kin guide you to maturity. I present to all of Tliltetepetl and the teotzin-" She looked over at us.

Fujin and I stood up. Fujin said, "Ehecaocelotl." (eh-heh-kah-oh-seh-loh-tl - "Jaguar of the Wind")

My grandmother lowered her arms and handed me my son. He look up at me as if he was asking what had just happened. I smiled. "Ehecaocelotl. We've been waiting a while to call you that." He looked a bit funny with his hair sticking up. He had a bit more hair than a usual 34 week old child. One by one, my relatives came up to look at Ehecaocelotl closely and say kind words. Most of them carried him for a bit. When they did, I just wanted to take him right back. Then Fujin's brothers came up at the same time. The others went to go feast. I looked over at the food. Damn those tamales, grasshoppers, and fruit look good. Oh yes...it's mango season. Mmm.

Fujin snapped me back to our conversation as he asked his brothers, "Would you like to carry him?"

Kojin stepped up first saying, "I knew you were going to name him something like that. I guess it makes sense." I handed him to Kojin. He looked him over. "He's strong."

"Would you expect anything less?" I asked.

Kojin looked up at me and grinned. "With you? Of course not." He looked back down at Ehecaocelotl. "You may call me 'Kojin,' or 'Uncle Kojin,' or 'Uncle,' or any combination of those. Fire will be your favorite."

Sarutahiko stepped in and Kojin gently handed him over. Then Sarutahiko started to mock Kojin. "You can call me whatever you'd like and earth will be your favorite."

Kojin responded, "You know, you can just say that to my face."

Sarutahiko turned to face Raiden. "I know you want to."

I sensed Fujin's amusement and he was fighting a smile that wanted to form. Raiden looked directly in Sarutahiko's eyes as if he was accepting the challenge and put his arms out to accept his nephew. Sarutahiko's eyes reflected humor and handed Ehecaocelotl over. Once Sarutahiko turned to Kojin, Kojin started, "I call...more of the mother's looks and more of the father's personality."

Sarutahiko responded, "An even mix between both of them but more of the father's personality. Raiden?" No answer. He turned back to Kojin. "It's settled then. We'll finish this after."

As Raiden was handing Ehecaocelotl over to Fujin, Fujin asked, "What? I can't join?"

Kojin responded, "You're already part of it."

I noted, "If you two had been mortals, you both would not only have a gambling addiction, but would have gambled yourselves to death."

Sarutahiko said, "Well- you're not completely wrong. It's not our fault. Raiden keeps on having us locked in the basement."

Raiden crossed his arms. "Don't exaggerate."

I laughed on the inside and could almost feel Fujin rolling his eyes. Then Kojin said, "Speaking of the basement, we should get going. Can't leave the monks on guard for too long."

Raiden nodded and just before any of them could say their goodbyes, Fujin said at his two gamble-addicted brothers, "Wind will be his favorite as his name entails."

Sarutahiko smiled. "But Tlitetepecos heavily rely on the earth. He will be as much as Teoitotia as much as he is you. Don't get too cocky." Kojin added, "What he said." I wanted to laugh at Raiden's face. I saw that look on people who had siblings.

Kojin asked with interest, "Why Ehecaocelotl? You could have given him a different name."

Sarutahiko softly said, "Graceful strength."

I smiled and Fujin said, "We didn't exactly chose it as you would think. We did, but we did not."

Sarutahiko feinted a mocking tone, "She's rubbing off on you." Kojin must have said something else because I saw Fujin's spirit push him and Kojin stumbled a bit back, smiling. Sarutahiko informed us, "Ah. I must tell you that I picked out the finest of the materials for our gifts, so you can say that I did most of the work. I made the dagger myself."

Kojin bumped in, "But I handcrafted everything. No abilities necessary." He said the last part with pride.

Surprisingly, Raiden joined in the playfulness, "I also handcrafted mine, no need to show off something so common." Sarutahiko's eyes went wild at the roast. Fujin's jaw relaxed as he wanted to open his mouth in shock but kept a straight face. I know they were going to hold this over Kojin for a few years. After that, Fujin's brothers said their goodbyes to all of us and left.

Fujin turned to me. "You can eat. I'll take watch." I quickly kissed his jaw and went to join my relatives in feasting. Fujin walked back to put our son, now asleep, in his cradle and sat by his side. What a good day...

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