I Got Reincarnated! - Kitsune Chronicles
~Extra Chapter~ Season's Greetings: Fruitful Fall
Kayo groaned as she woke up from an unproductive meeting with her facets, about not 'feeding' the black demon their personal information and about their old world despite how quick the demon was to understand. Nuzzling her face into her soft Rimuru plush toy she used as a pillow, trying get more sleep but found her current position laying on a soft futon a bit uncomfortable. Feeling overly warm as something heavy laying on top of her, the sound of several familiar snores made her fluffy ears twitch in annoyance. Half opening her golden eyes, she glanced back at four of her kitsune siblings who had fallen into the old habit of stacking on top of each other, Kayo being on the bottom despite being the smallest. Not believing even her sisters when they said it was because she was the most loved of their litter.
Anthony and Deigo mostly slumped over her back as she lay on her stomach, both brothers holding onto a plush Kitsune Kayo toy that was popular among the children of Tempest, while Carmen and Estella cuddled Orc and Goblin plushies given to them by their respective boyfriends, while they lay over their brothers with a large white and black blanket topping them all off.
Kayo managed to slip out from under them with her plush, thankful that her light blue pajama pants were still on, but the thin black tank top made her feel the chill in the air. "Is it fall already?" The kitsune lord questioned as she slid open one of the castle's enchanted paper doors. Beautiful yellow, orange and red Autumn trees painted across them to signal the start of the harvest season. Walking out of the room she made way to the private bathrooms for a hot shower, being sure to use the special scent negating soap, cleaning her hair and body before enjoying the heat for just a little bit after turning it off.
"It's almost winter." She mussed, blushing as she caressed her stomach worriedly. "Will it really be that bad?" Kayo asked out loud, biting her lip before she got out of the shower to dry herself off with a warm towel, while drying her hair the kitsune noticed some silverly strands in her dark locks. Confused the kitsune woman inspected her hair closely, internally panicking at the discovery before finding the offending strand and pulling it out. Carefully her golden eyes observed it, not finding anything different about it besides the color which seemed to be an odd shimmery white with a tinge of blue to it. Carefully moved it around in the light created by a special crystal that lit up the room, exposing the odd strand in the kitsune's dark locks.
"Calm down, this is natural. Your turning 33 this ye-" Kayo was saying before she realized that her new body was much... younger... "Am I... robbing the cradle? Or are they... fuck! That's even worse!" the kitsune cursed as she realized that her new body... was just a little over a year old.
"Well... there's no FBI here, Satoru and I are the ones in authority too. Should my past age even matter since I'm in a new body... wait... Estella and Carmen are the same age as me!" Kayo realized, worried and confused why her siblings also looked like young adults despite being very young fox kits. "I should... probably ask Orion, if he's up." the Kitsune Lord groaned, rubbing her head before getting her undergarments and proper clothes on, excited to wear jeans again, her top a dark blue button up blouse with long sleeves that reach her writs over a simple black tank top. Ecstatic that her new clothes fit her curves comfortably, thanks to the Dwarf brothers. She slipped on some socks and brown boots in preparation for the work, she would be doing at the stables since she was better with animals. Not that she wouldn't also visit the fields to check on the progress with Goblin Lord, Ririna and her Slime brother Rimuru.
"First off, let's start with getting some breakfast." Kayo sighed as she went down to the castle kitchens where a few elves and kitsune were already starting up the stoves to prepare breakfast for everyone, but she noticed the elderly Star kitsune was sitting off on a lone table in the kitchen sipping tea.
"Orion, it's good to see you up. I have some things to ask you." Kayo called out as she carefully approached the blind kitsune who gave her a kind smile. "Ah, so you finally read your father's letter then?" he asked the kitsune leader who cringed at the mention of the cured object. "N-no. I wanted to ask you about... well... why do me and my siblings look like young adults when we are just kits ourselves?" she asked and the elderly kitsune looked surprised before carefully explaining to her about how kitsune mature threw their power, a prime example being Zorro who had been the only Kitsune Lord for half a Millenium.
~Early Afternoon, Road to Tempest Feilds~
"I hope the Dryads will be alright, it's looking to be a really cold winter." Kayo sighed as she rode in a simple wooden wagon pulled by a large but beautiful chestnut brown horse, with a white mane and tail as well as fluffy white 'socks' on its legs, it looked a lot like a certain horse from one of her favorite video games. It was a peaceful stroll through the autumn leaves as the horse's hooves crushed them as they moved along the dirt path, pulling a wooden wagon filled with a portion of the crops her village had produced that where not in the Tempest fields and other edibles around the Jura Forest that her foxes had collected.
Having taken on her human from, to remember the feeling of riding a horse drawn wagon from her past life, softly humming a familiar tune that seemed fitting as she travels through the beautiful forest. Even with her dulled human senses, Kayo could still smell the forest's healthy scent, feel the cool air on her exposed skin as she had taken off the blouse to tie around her waist to cool her sweat dampened skin, leaving her in the black tank top, the beautiful warm colors of the leaves where almost as beautiful as Sakura petals, taking a deep breath in, the air tasted cool and pure, and she could sense a few 'auras' she recognized before pulling the reins to command the horse to come to a stop, looking over at the orange leaved trees carefully.
"Souei?" Kayo questioned quietly before she quickly reacted and caught the black mass that had jumped at her from the trees. A familiar black kitten nuzzled up under her chin, purring happily in her bare arms as it covered itself in her strong scent. "Hello sweetie~, did you have fun with Papa?" Kayo softly smiled, partly joking before she heard a gasp up in the tree line, the Soueka over hearing what she had called Souei, but the stoic Kijin seem to not have heard, missing the amused smile behind his collar.
"Souei? Souka? Don't startle my horse, she's sweet but timid." Kayo called out to them, planting a soft kiss the black cat's head that cuddle into her arms contently. Carefully the two appeared from the tree line, Souka looking a little worn out and Souei carrying a full basket of some brown nuts. "Have you two been gathering something too?" Kayo asked curious as Souei showed her their haul. "T-there chestnuts." Souka explained nervously to the curious woman, who stepped off the wagon easily, but Souei still grabbed her by the hips to place her softly on the ground.
"Your lighter." the ninja kijin voiced in slight surprise, looking down at the blushing woman holding the black cat in one arm as the other was on his chest to keep him at some distance, working with cattle and horses didn't leave her smelling pleasant. "I'm in my human form, of course I am. Otherwise I would be too heavy for the horse to pull the wagon." Kayo scolded him before looking at the filled basket he had brought with him.
"What are you going to do with all those nuts? Are they tasty?" Kayo asked, changing the subject as she picked up one of the unfamiliar nuts to examine, sniffing the earthy scent with her human nose to try and get a scene for its possible taste. "Very, they also provide several health benefits that could be put to use in other food items." Souei mentioned as he could almost see Kayo's mind thinking of ways to use the bounty. "Hmmm... I don't know many dishes that call for them specifically, but there's no harm in trying new things. How do you usually like them Souei?" Kayo asked the ninja, trying to find a starting point but also curious about his usual taste in food.
"Roasted." he responded simply, and Kayo smiled at him, Souka looking on with envy as the two talked, well Kayo talked and Souei listened to her go on about other ways to use the nuts.
The usually hostile furry monster was being cute and content in the kitsune woman's arms as she suggested some ways to make use of the bounty Souei had brought her. The two seeming to forget she was even there as Souei only looked at Kayo as she inspected some of the nuts they had gathered together while training, it made Souka sad to see the woman hold her master's undivided attention.
"I-I'll go on and... patrol." Souka said softly and left the two mates alone, trying to hide her emotions as she quickly left. Kayo looked after her, worried as Souei gently took his cat from her, catching a whiff of an alluring scent that the feline had coated itself with, bring it back to their 'Papa', before hopping over his shoulder and onto the ground with a satisfied smirk.
"Souei, is-" Kayo tried to ask before Souei cupped her face gently, his hand cool on her heated skin, making her shiver, she noticed a strange look in his eyes before he leaned down and kissed her lips. Kayo stiffened for a moment but kissed back softly, feeling something cool pour into her body, while Souei was feeling something warm flow into his from their kiss. After what seemed like forever, she pulled away, face flushed, her golden eyes shyly looked up into his cool blue eyes that had an unfamiliar look in them that made her a little uneasy.
"You smell wonderful." he whispered and tried to kiss her again regardless of her hands on his chest trying to push him and backing away into the wagon, he pulled her flush to his body even as she squirmed trying to weakly escape. "S-souei! Stop that. I've been dealing with cattle and horses all morning. I'm covered in sweat. No way do I smell wonderful." she hissed before he captured her lips again, even as she tried to escape his grasp, he pressed firmly into a spot on her back that had her moaning into the kiss, allowing him to show her how his kissing 'training' had progressed.
'FUCK YES!' Kayo could hear Lust cheer in her mind, and... she almost agreed with the horny fragment with how well the kijin was using his tongue. Resisting just enough to take on her kitsune form, only for nothing but Souei's scent hit her sensitive nose. Obviously having worked up a nice sweat while training Souka and gathering chestnuts, she was drowning in the smell of smooth mouthwatering hickory and cool satisfying spring water. "S-souei~." Kayo softly cried out, dazed and heated up as their bodies pressed together nicely, Kayo could feel his desire pressing against her before pulling her back in for another deep kiss, wanting more of the soft warm feeling she was giving him. The kitsune's body getting hotter and 'hungry' for her ninja mate, nipping at his bottom lip softly, her golden eyes shining brightly as they looked into his deep blue pools with silent permission to do what he wanted.
~Later, Tempest Feilds~
"The expedition team has returned with provisions and Lord Kayo!" Rigur announced cheerfully as he hopped off the cart after Kayo stopped the horse, saluting to Rimuru who looked up from what he was doing at the tool shed with a few others besides him. "Oh! Good work. It's about time you got here too Kayo. What have you been doing? Wait! Is that!?" The humanoid slime questioned, more interested in the familiar looking horse Kayo had pulling the wagon, the goblins and Rigur showing off the baskets full of their bounty proudly. "I was tending to the livestock and horses this morning. I bet you can't guess what her name is~." Kayo teased with a smirk, the gentle horse taking a sniff of the reincarnated slime as he carefully pets the large animal.
"You named it Epona didn't you?" he asked with a knowing smirk, Epona gave him a soft lick making him laugh at the strange feeling and the affection from the large animal. Kayo giggling as she had tricked the slime into naming the horse... not that it would do anything to the animal.
"Wow! There is so much. Where did you find it all?" Shuna asked, seeing all the produce that filed up the large cart, the goblins grateful that Kayo had come across them and given them a ride in her wagon. "We owe it mostly to the Star wolves' keen noses, but a majority of it is from Lord Kayo's Kitsunes." Rigur admitted, having been amazed by the amount and variety the kitsune leader had with her. "I just had some of my foxes' pinpoint a few aeras further out into the forest. There is still a lot left for the natural wildlife as well as a bit of extra crops from my village since our yield was spectacular." Kayo bragged a little, pointing to the stack of special crates with her 3 tailed kitsune crest on them, that despite their size held a lot of crops inside.
"Why are you in that form Kayo? Isn't been a human in the forest very dangerous?" Shuna asked, confused as she looked up at Kayo, noticing a familiar red mark on her neck that looked like what she had seen on Benimaru's as he tried to hide them from her. "My kitsune form is a bit too heavy for a horse to handle, so I just use this form. It also helps when visiting the human villages that are near our borders. I've managed to snag a lot of good deals with some of them." Kayo mentioned with an excited grin before she shifted into her kitsune from with 3 tails, pulling out some large sliver canisters that had a cartoon cow emblem on the side of them.
"Oh! What are these Sissy? It feels really cold?" Milim questioned, curious as she had touched one and felt how cold it was. Shion, Shuna and Gobtia also approached the strange canisters curiously, they were just a bit bigger then Gobtia himself, but very heavy as Shion tried to pick one up, the lids latched on tightly. "These are special containers Kijin, Vesta, and I developed to keep liquids cold. They're filled with the milk from Tempest's first heard of cows~." she told them and the girls looked very shocked. "M-milk? But isn't it going to spoil? We couldn't possibly use all this before then!" Shuna explained looking worried but Kayo was really excited and confident. "Not to worry sweet pea. In addition to the ice houses that can store the bulk of the perishables that can be preserved cold. I've also struck a sugar sweet deal in Dwargon to make a prototype of something that's bound to be a huge hit across the continent~." Kayo told her excitedly, some of her southern accent slipping out, Rimuru looked at the kitsune seriously as he had an idea what she was talking about, unlike the others who looked completely baffled.
"Kayo... you're not talking about?" the slime asked as Kayo nodded excitedly. "Yeesss~, I've already had a huge one installed in the assembly building kitchen~. Not to mentioned I had it expanded and renovated a little." she mentioned with a wide foxlike grin, even her 3 tails where wagging behind her in excitement. "A whole new world~ of culinary delights like you never knew~ but it will all become crystal clear~ with the delights that are in store for you~!" She eagerly sang to a familiar tune that Rimuru couldn't place as a strange feeling overcame him with Kayo's little song, and Great Sage strangely didn't have an answer for the strange accordance.
"Then I'm sure you will like to try one of these." Benimaru spoke up excitedly, eagerly offering Kayo a strange orange tomato like fruit. The kitsune curiously sniffed it before she taking it from him to examine more carefully, the scent of a sweet cinnamon dough reaching her nose. Trusting Benimaru she took a small bite out of it, purring happily as the sweet taste coated inside of her mouth. "Hmm~ Delicioso! What is this?" she asked the kijin in delight, thinking of what to make with these sweet fruits as she took another bite, some of its juices coating her lips and fingers. Tempting the red kijin, taking a glance at everyone being distracted by the assorted harvest, before giving his kitsune mate a soft kiss on her persimmon flavored lips, catching her off guard and making her blush cutely in surprise.
"A Persimmon, that's what you smell and taste like." Benimaru joked as he enjoyed the look on her face before she gave him a rather cute pout. "Oi~! No, I don't. I've been busy working with animals. No way do I smell like this." she corrected and pressed the remains of the sweet fruit to his lips which he happily finished for her, having noticed the red mark on her neck. While not blessed a sense of smell like a wolf, he knew just who had made that mark on her neck. Explaining why Kayo's hair was loose instead of pulled back or in a braid like normal, trying to hide it behind her wavy dark locks and the collar of her blue shirt she wore over a red t-shirt.
"Whoa! Th-these are... The color... the shape...the aroma! The incredibly rare Matsutake! And so many of them! Way to go!" Rimuru praised excitedly, holding a basket full of some common mushrooms that just confused Kayo and the natives of this world to see their slime leader call the common shroom, rare.
"Huh? But those things-" Gobtia was about to tell him, but Kayo covered the goblin's mouth before he could burst the happy slime's bubble.
"Shush~ let him have this." Kayo advised, having realized why the slime was so excited when he mentioned what they were, holding up one of the many earthy bounties of the Jura Forest excitedly.
"Lord Kayo!" some young orclings called out excitedly, followed by Geld carrying a small basket that held something odd. The little orcs giggled as they ran up to the kitsune leader and hugged her legs, Kayo moving her tails out of the way to allow them to. Benimaru looking on fondly as he saw his mate handle the energetic orc children who she let hold onto her. "Hey~. What's got y'all excited now?" Kayo asked, petting their heads before looking at the basket curiously as Geld showed her the strange white blobs inside, the shock of seeing them stunned the foodie kitsune as she recognized the gourmet ingredient from her old world.
"We found these in the forest! oink~ Mr. Geld and everyone helped us dig 'em up! oink~" One of the little orclings told her cheerfully. "Hmm, they smell nice~." the other added wistfully as Kayo picked one up and examined it excitedly. "N-no way, I can't believe my eyes! These are... White Truffles~!" the kitsune yelled enthusiastically as her tails wagged quickly with her excitement, Geld held them out to her with a soft smile at how excited the kitsune leader was. "We got them for you Lord Kayo... as thanks for everything you have done for us orcs." The Orc lord told her shyly, Kayo blinked and quickly noticed Geld's dirt covered hands and the dirt on his pants around his knees being evidence that he had been digging in the dirt.
"How long did it take you to get this much?" the kitsune inquired, she took the offering but was curious how rare they were in this world. "It took forever! Oink~" the little orcling piped up cutely, pouting as the other provided a more useful answer. "W-we all looked around to find them." they told her as Kayo glanced around the aera, several other Orcs where curiously watching and seemed pleased the kitsune was so excited by their collective gift.
"Thank ya'll so much." The kitsune leader thanked them kindly as Shuna and Rimuru came to look at what had excited her. "No way, I've never had these. Do they taste good?" Rimuru asked as Shuna took one to examine, smelling the earthy scent and the slightly nutty aroma that clung to them. "By themselves? No. But adding a little to a dish goes a long way and gives it a taste unlike any thing you've ever had before!" Kayo explained excitedly before Knowledge mentioned something else about truffles. "The only downside is that once harvested they need to be used quickly, else they will go bad. Their shelf life is not very long even with refrigeration they would last only a few days." She told him before looking to a nervous Shuna who looked unsure about the strange ingredient.
"Don't worry, Shuna. I can teach you how to use these in different dishes." she assured the pink kijin and pat her head comfortingly. Benimaru contently watched Kayo and Shuna got along and brainstorm recipes eagerly with each other, before the kitsune came closer to the Kijin princess to ask her about something, whispering in her ear. Shuna gasped and giggled at Kayo's question as she glanced at Benimaru, her older brother confused about the strange look his sister was giving him.
~Later~
"Agh, how did I let Shuna talk me into this?" Kayo asked as she easily balanced some heavy crates in her hands to bring them to the designated spot where Ririna wanted it to be transported to the secured in the food storage houses. A few goblins and even Orcs looked on amazed by her strength for carrying 5 large boxes of crops in each hand, then she set them down carefully in the full cart. "Looks like Treyni blessed the potatoes. I don't think this amount in a single harvest is natural." Kayo reasoned, her cart was filled with crates that only contained the tubers with many more left to collect, even as Rimuru was roasting some of the sweet potatoes with Milim, Gobta, and little Puka.
"Speaking of whom... where is she?" Kayo asked and looked around, having seen the Dryad in the potato field earlier, but she seemed to be avoiding the kitsune after she made the forest sprit do her share of work and not pushing it onto her sisters again.
"Treyni better not be taking more potatoes then allowed." she voiced rather loudly, intending for the Dryad to hear her before Hanako approached the kitsune leader. "Lord Kayo, the sweet potatoes are done! Lord Rimuru asked for you to come try them before you go." she told the woman who gave her a soft smile. "Sure, the smell was driving me crazy anyway." she chuckled, Epona was happily munching on some of the carrots Benimaru had offered the large horse. Makign sure the horse didn't wonder, she walked away with the goblina who wanted to ask the kitsune something. "Um Lord Kayo... earlier... Miss Treyni said that dryads were born from... potatoes." She told the kitsune leader, expecting her to be disgusted with the Dryad for her cannibalism, if the kitsune hadn't known the truth of where dryads came from.
"And you believed her?" Kayo asked with an amused smirk on her face as they walked. "Y-yes. Wait! It's not true, is it?" Hanako asked, unsure if the dryad had really lied, but from Kayo's lack of disgust to the possible cannibalism, it seemed the forest sprit had lied. "Dryads, or at least Treyni and her sisters, where all born from special acorns." The kitsune informed her and then showed the goblina 3 acorns that where a strange golden color, Hanako paused as she stared at the seeds in the kitsune's hand for a moment before she slipped them away.
"L-lord Kayo... are those?" she wanted to ask, amazed if her unspoken question was confirmed. "Dryad seeds, one from each dryad sister, but please keep that between us. M'kay~." Kayo assuredly placed a hand on her shoulder as the goblina nodded, unsure of what the kitsune had planned for the little acorns before she walked away. Now leaving her curious about what she did to get them, Hanako's face flushed red at the X rated thoughts of the two women, 'making' the dryad seeds, having heard that Kayo had passionately kissed the Dryad at least once before.
"Kayo! The sweet potatoes are done! " Rimuru called out to his sister excitedly, holding up two roasted sweet potatoes that he handed one to her and then the other to Hanako. Kayo bit into the roasted offerings and let out a delighted mew before starting to purr. The simple treat blessing her mouth with familiar sweetness, amusing Rimuru with the cat like noises she made while enjoying the roasted spud, a trait that was unique to Kayo and not any other kitsune.
"Think you can help Shuna with the rest afterwards? There's more than enough for everyone in both villages." The slime mentioned, having consulted Great Sage who knew just about how many people where in both villages. "Of course, I'll be heading to the storage houses after this anyway." Kayo reasoned before Milim took her first bite of roasted sweet potato.
"Wow! What makes this so delicious!?" Milim asked as she was really enjoying the hot golden spud, but her reaction had Kayo's fur standing on end as something felt... off? "Well, we really did nothing but roast it..." Shuna told her, also confused by the demon lord's reaction, the little dragonoid seemed genuinely shocked.
"What!? It's just roasted!?" She asked Shuna who had another piping hot sweet potato in a cloth to keep her hands form burning.
"Do you want another?" she offed it to Milim who looked very serious as she responded firmly.
"Yes!" she nearly shouted as the kijin princess handed the treat over, so not Milim had one in each had to eagerly enjoy like it was the greatest meal ever.
"How can something that felt so hard and smelled like dirt turn out so soft and sweet?" Milim asked as Kayo got worried for the little demon lord. "What kind of food where you used to eatin' before coming here, Starlight?" Kayo asked, her accent coming out a bit as she was worried about the health and diet of her Lord's offspring. Milim being one of the few people in Tempest she couldn't do a Magic aided medical scan on, but it gave the kitsune a good chance to use the tools made for non-magical being to do most of the same tests.
"Middray and Hermes always gave me raw food... they tasted all icky, bland, and like dirt." Milim told her as she finished off the two roasted sweet potatoes and was a little shocked by the sudden killing intent coming from behind her, her blue eyes widening in confusion as she looked back at the kitsune woman who gave a rather sinister laugh. Bearing her sharp fangs in a wide crazed smile, the whites of her eyes turned black as well as her nails that turned into sharp claws. "Middray and Hermes~ eh? Where can I find them... princess?" Kayo or rather, Ares, asked as she slowly approached the confused demon lord who didn't know about Kayo's facets, Rimuru and the Kijin females however tensed as she had been let out, seeing black sparks and flames that appeared around Kayo's hands and feet.
"Huh? They're in my domain, probably leaving more raw vegetables as offerings to me." Milim told her, sticking her tongue out at the memory of having to eat raw vegetables, that for some reason, she would eat some of without complaining, not that telling the Head Priest Middray, would change anything, despite her being their 'Goddess'. "Don't worry princess. Just leave them to your big sister, alright~?" Ares assured the demon lord and patted her head in assurance, since it was a snap and unanimous decision to sick Ares on the two who dared to offer Milim ill prepared food.
"Kayo... No! Don't make me ground you again!" Rimuru threated as he could feel the kitsune's magicule levels rise steadily before it stopped and Ares seeming to be listing to someone, her ears twitching before growled in annoyance form whatever was said, her eyes returning to normal. "FINE! I WON'T! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!? Agh, stupid dragon." Ares yelled out loud before grumblign the last part, not caring how it looked to everyone else, crossed her arms and letting another facet deal with calming down from their spike of outrage.
"Kayo? Are you okay?" Shuna asked, shaking a little as the change had scared her as well as Gobta and Puka as they hid behind the shed after Ares came out, Gobta looking pale and about ready to cry. "I'm fine, Miss Shuna. It seems punishing those two will have to wait for another time." Kayo sighed, turning to Shuna who gave a small gasp, realizing Knowledge was in control at the moment since she was the most formal in causal situations. "Let us get to work on roasting more sweet potatoes. It will be some time before we have enough made for everyone." she reasoned and helped a very relived Rimuru pile on more leaves and cook more of the sweet spuds. The slime was at least glad that she wasn't going to kill someone they didn't even know.
~City of The Forgotten Dragon, Inner Tempel~
Hermes became deathly still as he felt a wave of killing intent wash over him, looking around quickly there seemed to be no one but him and Head Preist Middry having brought the offerings of raw vegetables for their goddess, Milim Nava. The loud crash of something falling startled him but was a bit shocked to see that it was just the stone head of their goddess falling off and Middry shouting in shock and horror. "H-how could this have happened!? Our goddess' image captured in stone has been ruined!" the head priest cried out as he held the basket of raw vegetables from their harvest.
"She must have gotten angary because she hates raw vegetables. Prepare for divine punishment." The young priest responded dully, not surprised by the ominous omen but what was odd, was the killing intent he felt before it broke. "Are you crazy!? This is the finest feast anyone could ask for!" Middry argued back, not wanting to believe Milim would dislike their vegetables they had worked so hard to be the best and delicious. The young priest sighed, giving up on arguing with the head priest who was trying to repair the broken statue.
Turning away from the scene, Hermes caught a glance of something small and white wondering around the inner part of the temple. Leaving Middry to his own devices he tried to follow the strange white thing, always seeming to miss it just as it turned a corner in the temple.
"Hey! Who's there!?" he called out as he could no longer catch a glace of the white thing he had followed, he couldn't sense anything abnormal either which gave him a slight chill. "Come out now, and I will be merciful!" he reasoned, taking on a fighting stance as he looked around, seeing and hearing nothing besides the pumping of blood in his ears. Confused, he tried to find his way back but noticed something on the wall, it was faded but there were some carved lines of what looked like a dragon and a woman.
"What is this?" he questioned and reached out to touch the odd wall before he heard his name being called so he returned to see that Midrry had 'repaired' the statue.
~Rimuru City, Benimaru~
"That should do it." The crimson Kijin smiled as he looked at his work, serval dozen strands of persimmons strung up to dry in the cool autumn air, giving off their sweet scent as a gentle breeze passed and spread their scent around the courtyard of the kijin sibling's home. "Oh! Dried persimmons!" Shuna arrived home, a little surprised her brother had so many strung up as he turned to her with a satisfied smile.
"Yeah, I got them form the expedition team since there was plenty the kitsunes gathered as well." he mused, noticing how much bigger some of the persimmons had grown when compared to what he remembered.
"You do love your sweets, brother. Do you want to join the league of sweets? Kayo's not a member but she always shares her sweet experiments with us~." Shuna teased, making her brother blush, very tempted to take that offer but shook his head. "No. That would give you more reason to scold me for not eating enough vegetables." He mussed before a fond memory of his father came to him, gently cradling one of the sweetest smelling persimmons.
"I got my sweet tooth from father... from Asahi." Benimaru used the name his father had been given fondly. Despite the late Oni chieftain's disapproval of the kitsune woman, he valued the name given to him, possibly because he was able to talk with his children once more thanks to her. "Father loved dried persimmons, even on the battlefield, her kept some in his... oh, sorry for bringing back that memory." He apologized to Shuna next to him, only to see her making a face like she had just bitten into something very sour.
"What's that face for?" He asked her, confused before she smiles up at him brightly.
"It's what you look like after eating a sour persimmon." she explained as her brother cringed, the memory of how he had been inpatient and bitten into a sour persimmon for the first time coming back to him. "Don't bring that memory back." He scolded her, frowning as the memory was more bittersweet for him as a child then Shuna, who could barely speak at the time. That time being the last time their family had been whole, before their mother passed away from a grave illness not long after.
"Well, that was the only one that came to me." Shuna responded with a fond smile, despite having been very young, she still had small fragments of memories about their mother and how she would cook with a baby Shuna on her back, watching as her mother lovingly created delicious meals for her family.
"Cut it out. You're never going to get married." Benimaru barbed back before Shuna giggled. "Kayo has been helping me with that. She wants me to find the right match and be happy. Don't worry brother, I'm not going to marry before you and Kayo do." she teased, her pink eyes locking onto the necklace Benimaru always wore around his neck, never having seen him take it off, even when sleeping.
"S-shuna!" the crimson kijin called her name sternly, blushing as she mentioned marriage. "Has Kurobe finished the ring, or did you ask Mr. Kijin?" the kijin princess asked, curious about her brother's future plans with the kitsune as he held onto the necklace Kayo had made for him, the ring still firmly trapped inside. "Kurobe has been trying to make it in secret, but... Kayo pops in to check on him and even brings him lunch to chat about his work." Benimaru informed his sister who giggled at the strange misfortune, not surprised the Kitsune had taken on the role of Mistress of the Kijin without realizing it. Having witnessed Kayo checking up on all of them and even making delicious meals that appealed to their own tastes but still was the same lunch among them all.
Benimaru looked away with a blush, unsure how to tell Shuna that Kayo wasn't interested in a legally binding relationship, only comfortable with being his and Souei's mate.
~Jura Forest~
Souei stood over the fallen Dragonewts as they all groaned from their master's harsh training, the Kijin crossing his arms behind his back as he looked down at them with disappointment. Mostly at Souka as she had failed to realize she was being deceived, despite the almost obvious signs that the other's had picked up on quickly.
"Your reactions are too slow, don't think but act carefully. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, least you be herded into a trap." Souei advised them, speaking more then he usually did as one golden eye watched the dragonewts slowly get up. "Y-yes, Master Souei." Souka responded as she looked at the Kijin who was looking back at her, for a moment it made the young woman blush, but her companions and 'Souei' felt disappointed. The ninja master turning his back to them before making an important decision.
"Tomorrow you will train with the kitsunes and the elves." he told them, surprising all of them with this decision. "The kitsunes and... Elves?" Souka questioned as he looked back at her, the young woman's face turning pink under his gaze. "Did I stutter? Your skills lacking, having you learn from the Nogitsune maybe a better option." he mentioned and the dragonewts where a little shock when he mentioned foxes. "Master Souei! Please let us keep training under you! There is no one better to train us!" Souka defended, not seeing how odd their master was acting as he tapped his fingers on his arms and tilted his head lazily to one side.
"That is only your opinion, Souka. However, the fault is with the promise made to your father, making sure you don't get seriously injured or killed. It had prevented you from being properly trained. Now he has retracted that promise in favor of you getting stronger." Souei mentioned as the young woman looked a little shaken. "W-what? Master... have you... been going easy on me?" she asked, unsure of how to take this new information as Souei didn't answer her.
"Your still very young, and naive about the world, Souka. Crossing paths with the wrong kind of person would make you easy prey. It is why I asked your father to take back that promise." He told her sternly as one golden eye looked at her strangely that had her blushing as he slowly approached her, arms falling to his sides.
"M-master Souei?" Souka questioned as she got nervous, taking a step back only to gasp as she bumped into something, glancing back carefully she saw Souei behind her, very close to her face as he spoke into her ear. "Will you even sacrifice your body to do what is needed for the good of Tempest?" he temptingly asked her, his warm breath fanning over her skin making her shiver but at the same time Souka was trying not to show how she was being affected by it. His warm hands gliding over the bare skin of her arms slowly, they reached her hips and firmly stroked them, and they kept moving downward to the edge of her crimson robe before the dragonewt passed out into his arms, overwhelmed by what he was doing to make her feel so hot. Her heart beating loudly in her ears as her breath quickened, all she could smell, and taste were sweet persimmons and roasted chestnuts all around her before she became overwhelmed and fainted.
"Hmm, I'll take that as a no." Souei voiced, unamused as the others looked on in shock at what had just happened and blushing from watching himtouching Souka so seductively. "L-lord Kayo? Will we really be training with your forces?" They asked unsurely, already knowing that the Kitsune Lord would come train them in place of their kijin master, disguising herself as him and making small mistakes for them to notice, only Souka was failing to see past the deception.
"Yes, your basic training is good you're still lacking in the more complicated aeras. While you may look human, anyone cautious enough could point you out at monsters. You will be working on your human social skills as well as seduction so it's easier to blend in with the humans." Kayo told them as she dropped the act, setting Souka down against a tree gently before taking on her normal kitsune form... only she was still in Souei's clothes minus the boots as they restrained her movements and became uncomfortable with her smaller feet.
The dragonewts stared at her, slightly questioning if she really had to wear their master's clothes.
"Touka. Saika. Make sure Souka eats and gets some rest before training tomorrow afternoon. You will all be meeting the Leader of Dwargon's ANBU, Kakashi-sensei." She told them, about to slip away before Hokusou spoke up. "L-lord Kayo, are you going to be training us again tomorrow?" he asked and Kayo just chuckled, diapering like an illusion before their eyes, not giving them a confirmed answer.
~Souei's Home, Private Bath~
"Nyan~ H-hey, not so fast~." Kayo pleaded, her face flush as she shivered at the strong hands that were rubbing up and down her back in long swift strokes with a soapy washcloth, from her neck down to just above her rear end and back again. Souei smirked at the cute noise the kitsune had made, the black kitten's ears perking up as it heard her cry, but more interested in the steamy hot water of the private hot springs then what the two mates where doing.
"Even in your kijin form, this is your biggest weakness." he mused as Kayo had taken on her very alluring kijin from so that her fur didn't get wet, her dark locks up in a neat bun showing off a lot of her caramel-colored skin. While she didn't look much different besides her fox ears and tails being replaced by more human like ears and a pair of white horns with strange red markings. The evidence of what they had done earlier gone from her body, but Souei still had a few bite marks on his body that was just starting to fade using a healing potion infused lotion that had been applied to his skin.
"I could tell, Nyan~! Slime!" Kayo cried out, Soeui having started to wash her front before she used their 'Safe Word', the kijin pouted but pulled his hands away to let her calm down from his teasing as she stuttered a sigh of relief, her body craving more of the sweet attention but also feared the consciences if she gave in. "Are you still mad that I left?" She asked the ninja kijin as he had slipped into the bath, having already been cleaned. "Hmm." he gave a cool response, not having liked how he had woken up to a note instead of his kitsune mate.
"Alright then, we can talk after the bath. I don't know what could happen if we do it in this form." she told him, blushing before she washed the rest of her body, the hot water feeling cool against her heated skin. Once washed off she slipped into the steaming hot water, shivering as it felt strangely cold against her bare skin. 'Is this really just a heat spike? Does it even effect my other forms?' She questioned worriedly before a soft mew caught her attention. The adorable black kitten floating in a wooden tub in the bath, looking at her with bit adorable green eyes, it's front paws up on the edge of the tub cutely.
"Aww~ did you want to spend time with mama too~?" she cooed, biting her tongue from accidently naming the kitten, reaching out and giving the feline a nice chin scratch that had it purring in delight. "What's their name?" Souei asked her, trying not to stare at them but his face did have a tint of pink to it. Kayo looked form the kitten to the kijin before looking back at the kitten. "Should I give him a name? You're the one who raised him." she asked the ninja who came closer to her but didn't touch her. "Do you want Mama to name you?" Souei asked the kitten, who gave an excited response, purring and its tail swishing around at the idea. Kayo blushed as the kijin called her that, finding it very cute despite him not understanding the neko's words.
"I-I don't think that's a good idea, he could evolve into something less cute." Kayo reasoned semi honestly, then again; she couldn't think of many good names for the kitten who saw her as his mother. Her siblings teasing her after they had overheard the kitten calling her Mama. "He's been your companion since he was born, you should be the one to give him a name, da-" Kayo added, biting her tongue as she had almost called Souei something very embarrassing.
"Kayo! Here you are, Shuna was worried when you disappeared after dinner." Benimaru called out, having entered the bath to confirm that his two mates were together, a bit of jealousy showing in his frown as he could smell Kayo's scent almost overpowering Souei's in his own home. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure Souei was okay." Kayo explained, blushing as she was sure Benimaru had guessed what had happened before getting to the fields with the goblins. Having been a close call with Gobta being the first to spot her, just after the two had finished what they had been doing. Kayo quickly got dressed, while Souei hid from the goblin's site... but the wolf could still smell what had gone on, only to quickly forget after being distracted by a yummy treat.
"You where the one slammed into a tree." Souei pointed out as Kayo blushed, her scent getting stronger. "I'm more durable than that. Do you want to join us Beni~?" Kayo asked, changing the subject as she looked at Benimaru who gulped as her was tempted to join his mates for a soak, even more so when she slowly slipped out of the water, not having had anything covering herself up.
"G-give me a bit." he told her, turning his back to her so her could properly undress. While he was gone Kayo pondered if she should tease the red kijin a bit more but pushed that away with the fear of her heat hitting her early. Souei just relaxing and just watching the woman prepare to help their shared mate clean up.
~Later~
"Is it too much?" Kayo asked, sniffing herself to maybe catch her scent, unable to smell anything but the alluring scents of the two kijin, dressed in Souei's dark blue robes after getting out of the bath, the robe easily covering her body from shoulders to ankles, the sleeves even covering her hands making her look small and cute. Her dark white tipped locks where free to fall down her back and shoulders, still a bit damp from being washed, curling cutely around her face and kijin horns as they dried, seeming far more alluring to Benimaru then when she had been naked. Having slipped on a red robe after their bath together and Souei had slipped on a black robe as he left to make tea before they had a quick chat.
"Why is your scent still so strong even after a bath?" Benimaru asked as he tried to focus, feeling very hot as he looked at his adorable mate, she tilted her head cutely in thought "I'm not sure but... it could be my kitsune Heat cycle having an effect on my other forms."
"What kind of effect?" Souei asked, as he brought over the tea, shivering as he had a hard time ignoring his adorable mate when she blushed nervously, unsure of how to tell them what was going on. "Well... kitsunes go into heat in winter, and I asked Orian and the other elders about it. They all told me that first heats... are the most difficult for kitsunes to go through since there so intense... that I would likely lose control over myself even if I'm not in my kitsune form." she told them, blushing as she looked away in embarrassment, biting her lip.
"Is there anything that could help make it better?" Benimaru asked seriously, but he did not expect to be pushed onto his back with Kayo straddling him. Looking down at him with predatory eyes and a wicked smirk, her hands traveled down from his shoulders over his chest and to the black belt that held his robe closed. "You could make a baby with me~ it won't stop until-agh! S-sorry!" Lust had brief control before Kayo quickly took it back and tried to get off the bright crimson kijin as he had been more shocked by the request then being pinned to the ground so suddenly.
"It won't stop until your pregnant?" Souei asked wiping his mouth as he had choked on his tea form the Kitsune's surprise 'attack' on Benimaru. "Possibly not even then. Tiring me out is another option but..." she trailed off, looking ashamed to admit that the two of them couldn't match her stamina, slipping off of Benimaru to let him sit back up but still siting very close to him. "The two of us together can't even satisfy you?" Benimaru asked, sitting back up but looking a bit disappointed in himself for this short coming. "N-no! It's not that you guys don't' um... satisfy me it's just... more of a matter of quantity then quality. It's not you it's me." Kayo explained, feeling a wave of heat come over her.
"In other words, you want to add more people to your harem?" Souei pointed out as Kayo was blaming herself for thinking the harem idea would really work. "N-not if you don't want me too. I really care about you two. I don't want to betray you just to get off with someone else." she admitted worriedly looking at them with sad begging eyes, the robe slipping off her shoulder as she was almost stifling inside it.
Benimaru and Souei looked to each other, worried for Kayo as she seemed to really be struggling with her heat, her sweet and spicy scent all around them. "It's selfish of us to want you to ourselves. If you want more mates, we won't stop you." Souei voided rather coldly, Kayo felt her body freeze at the blue kijin's words, becoming terrified that it had another meaning to it.
"S-souei." Kayo called his name in pain, looking ready to cry before she was pulled into Benimaru's arms, as he held her tightly. She was going to ask him why before his soft lips pressed into her own softly, the kiss feeling so warm and gentle as his scent made her mouth water. Slipping a hand behind his head and running threw his soft crimson locks, a strange sensation coming from her horns as they gently rubbed against Benimaru's as they kissed. The crimson kijin moaned, parting his lips and allowing Kayo to slip her tongue into his mouth for a deeper taste.
"You really can't control yourself, can you?" Souei mussed, relaxing for the moment as Benimaru would need a break after being devoured by Kayo while she was in her first heat.
~Morning, Kayo's Office~
"Will this really be, okay?" Kayo asked as she looked threw her profile books carefully, unsure if she should be using them for finding another mate, or even be thinking of taking another mate.
"Maybe I should talk with my sire once winter is over. It would be dangerous to travel to Euranazia now by myself and I can't just take them both with me. That would leave Tempest to open for an attack." she reasoned, slumping back into the plush arm of one of her couches. Maintaining her kijin form, dressed simply in some light gray slacks with a cute black 3 tailed Kitsune emblem on the left leg near her ankles as it became the emblem of her village, the same with the black t-shirt that had the emblem neat her right hip, her feet bear as her usually black and white sandles where on the floor as she has her feet up on the cushions, having painted all her nails a light blue color instead of the black they had been before.
Using some illusion magic, a map of the Great Jura Forest and its borders with several other nations, besides Dwargon, they were surrounded by many possibly hostile forces, the Southern and Southeastern borders taking up by no less the 4 demon lords and a large, mostly unknown human nation in the Northeast that had been rather quiet. Then to the west was at least 4 human nations, and the elven nation that they were on unspoken, neutral terms with, since Kayo made sure some of their citizens had been returned safely. Her concern then turned to the Human nation had had once been the only trading hub between Dwargon and the other human nations to the west for centuries... and was now losing their one advantage thanks to Jura Tempest Federation.
"The Kingdom of Falmuth used to be the only way for the other kingdoms to get goods from and past Dwargon. While they would never dare try and raise an army against them, going against a nation of monsters with open doors would be a very tempting target. It wouldn't be hard to try and do a crusade against us again." She groaned, recalling how she had to miss the fireworks to deal with the small army that had tried to use children as sacrifices to some demons. Despite her having a bit too much fun punishing the oxymoron knights, who calmed to be doing their 'holy duty' while using innocent children to summon demons for fight for them.
'The Children wouldn't have been enough to summon anything useful but sacrificing the solders on the other hand... they could have gotten you a new servant, my dear lady~.' the demon she had imprisoned, spoke to her with a rather silky purr that had her feeling a bit warm, before she stopped herself from that train of thought.
"Nope! One pain in the ass demon is more than enough. Plus, wouldn't that deprive you of being my first and only demon butler?" Kayo responded quickly; trying to concentrate as she had lost the map illusion, the demon going quiet in shock at the realization.
"Who are you talking to?" Rimuru asked, having rolled into Kayo's office, only hearing her side of the conversation before he hopped up on to the low coffee table next to her near empty cup of coffee and 2 chocolate chip cookies that were left on her snack plate. "The demon inside my head. What brings you here slime ball?" Kayo answered him truthfully, picking up one of the cookies that was left, happily biting into it as she had missed eating the delightful treats, giving off a content purr before the slime hopped on top of her, settling on her lap against her belly as he was a tad unsettled with how causally she mentioned the demon that had almost killed her.
"Shion, Shuna, and even Milim came to my office and complained about the scale. Don't girls usually worry about that kind of stuff?" he asked as he watched his sister enjoying her cookie before she responded to him seriously with a disappointed frown. "You're thinking mostly about girls from our old world, where they have been conditioned to see themselves as fat no matter how unhealthy skinny, they become. The pressure to lose weight for vanity reasons has led to many eating disorders developing, like Anorexia, Avoidants eating, Bulimia, Binge eating, Pica, and... Rumination disorder. Not to mention these girls are not humans so their bodies are on a very different scale." She informed the slime who was starting to feel bad as see seemed to gag before mention the last disorder, watching as his sister picked up her coffee up to finish off what was left in the cup, letting the information digest in the slime, before she set her cup down at gave the Rimuru a gentle pat on the head.
"I've done all their medical exams myself; they are healthy young ladies with very few health problems, but weight is not one of them. They would be considered obese by human standards, but they are kijins and a dragonoid, two very different species despite their appearances." Kayo scolded him and picked up the last cookie and offering it to Rimuru, despite him not being able to taste the familiar treat, he took it from her and absorbed it... feeling the warmth radiate from his body as it was being dissolved, Great Sage rattling off the ingredients that made up the timeless treat, but he just enjoyed the odd warmth that had come with it.
"Leave the health stuff to me, slime ball. Commenting on a female's appearance can be very dangerous, take Gobta for example." she was saying before there was a knock on her door.
"Enter!" Kayo called out, sighing as she knew who it was already. The door opened and Rigur walked in carrying a large jar filled with colorful paper stars. "Sorry for disturbing you Lord Kayo, Lord Rimuru." he bowed to the two Tempest leaders in respect before coming inside and closing the door.
"Gobta isn't here, Rigur. What's with the jar?" Kayo responded to the goblin as he laughed at their little inside joke, before presenting her the jar filled to the brim, impressing Rimuru as he had nearly forgotten about the lucky stars he used to make as a kid. "This is a gift from the little ones at the school. They wanted to make sure your wish came true since you missed the Star festival." the goblin explained as the woman sat up and took the jar with a fond smile at seeing all the colorful stars inside. Having provided the colorful paper and strips to the school for the little ones to enjoy crafting with. Only having taught Puka how to make the lucky stars when she had gotten sick for a few days, having tried to keep the little goblin's sprits up as she had to take bitter medicine to feel better, a healing potion wouldn't have worked on her illness.
"How many of them are there?" Rimuru asked as he eagerly looked at the jar, Great Sage nearly telling him before he shushed it. "Doesn't matter, it's the thought that counts. Thank you, Rigur. Is that all or is there another reason you came to my office today?" she asked, giving the goblin a soft smile, making him blush a little as he rubbed the back off his neck.
"N-no. It was just that, Mom." Rigur let slip out before he froze and became pale at what had just slipped out. The room quiet as Rimuru looked at the goblin in confusion. "Did you just call her... mom!?" he asked as Rigur apologized quickly before running away in embarrassment. "Don't mention that to anyone, slime ball. Gobta would tease him endlessly if he found out." Kayo advised the slime, she didn't have an issue with the goblin seeing her as a mother, finding it cute. Rimuru only poked Kayo's belly that her noticed was starting to stick out a little. "I guess it won't be long before you really become a mom then, huh? Your already fatting-AGH!" Rimuru was about to joke before Kayo splattered him against the wall like an art piece.
"Yare yare, dawa. What did I just say about commenting on a woman's appearance?" Kayo asked, having a rather scarry look in her eyes that scared Rimuru, only to become realized when someone knocked on Kayo's door again. "Kayo, it's almost time for- Am I interrupting something?" Shuna asked as she came in with a kind smile but became confused as she saw what state Rimuru was in over the kitsune's wall.
'Shuna! My saving grace!' Rimuru thought in relief at the appearance of the kijin princess before Kayo spoke up.
"Rimuru-nii-san called ME fat, Shuna." Kayo told her and the young girl got a dark look on her face as she nodded seriously. "I understand. It's time to start preparing Lunch, so don't take too long Kayo." she said and left, closing the door behind her to leave the slime to his sister's mercy, not a sound escaping the room as Rimuru was regretting leaving Ranga to nap in his office.