Chapter 1

VI

It had been seven years since she had given into Minareru's advances and became his lover. It had been seventeen long years since she'd last seen Haku. She was twenty-seven now, and boy was she starting to feel her age. She wanted many things out of life...stability, love...children. She supposed that one out of three wasn't too bad, considering most people never even got one. And...in a way...she did have love. While what she felt for her familiar wasn't quite the same as what she felt for Haku, the older, more mature Chihiro admitted, at least to herself, that no two loves were the same anyways, and that, perhaps, she loved the cat just as much as she loved the dragon.

"No, Mrs. Akimi, that's not how it works..."

Chihiro sighed warily as she listened with half an ear as the woman ranted at her, demanding that she talk to her deceased husband about where he had left his will. She could of course, since returning from the spirit world had not affected her ability to see the spirits. However, no spirit lingered around the widow, so she couldn't. With another sigh, the young woman turned around to return to sorting through the books on the shelf. She was doing quite well off in life, with a bit of Minareru's help. She'd decided on 'becoming' a fortune teller of sorts. The cat had an uncanny ability to read a person's luck, and coupling that with her ability to actually communicate with spirits that visited with the customers, she had made quite the name for herself.

"-and you're customer service is horrid young lady! Turning away from a customer to browse the shelves! I want to speak to your manager!"

Chihiro felt her patience snap as she whipped back around, and slammed her hand on the table in front of her, making the middle-age woman jump. A small, my-patience-has-been-tested-and-failed smile lifted her lips as she leaned towards the woman.

"Mrs. Akimi. This is a very special profession that I do. I have no manager. My customers are those that do not live on this plain, and I suggest you read up on exactly how my abilities work before you make demands of me. Now, if you'd be so kind, there is a poster on the front door of the building which explains how I do my work, please read it before approaching me again," the brunette said quietly, before turning away once more, this time sitting in a recliner towards the back of the room.

She gave a small smile as 'her cat' jumped into her lap, black fur gleaming as it purred and rubbed against her neck. Nimble fingers caressed behind its ears, and she leaned forward to rub her nose against his.

"And to have such filthy creatures in a business on top of it! Young lady, you will be hearing from my lawyer," Chihiro gave a small laugh as she extended a hand, the woman standing ridged as the spell wrapped around her.

She typically hated borrowing Minareru's powers, but this woman was just rubbing against her in all the wrong ways. She knew that her familiar didn't mind- in fact, he often lectured her on how little she used him. She hated 'using' him, but he seemed to find it a point of pride.

"You will return home, forget about this encounter, and find the thought of this type of service to fix your problems a ridiculous, superstitious notion," she commanded, magic thick in her voice before she released the woman, who walked out the door normally.

"What a horror she was. I'm surprised you held out that long," a deep, purring voice said as the cat jumped from her lap, before a tall, lean man rippled into existence, like invisible curtains being pulled back to reveal that he'd been hiding there the whole time.

One of the cat ears atop his head twitched as he tossed his long, elbow length black hair behind his shoulders. Gold eyes looked down at her briefly, before he moved to stand behind her, hands moving gracefully along her shoulders in a soothing motion. Chihiro gave him a grateful smile as she melted into his talented hands, chocolate eyes closing as she allowed herself to relax. A small purr left his full lips, before he leaned down to press a kiss to the side of her neck, canines gleaming in the light. He sniffed delicately, his straight nose picking up her clove and honey scent beneath the scent of her floral shampoo.

"'Ru, not in the front room," Chihiro murmured when he allowed himself a small, delicate lick along her neck.

"Mmm," he hummed, before scooping her into his arms, long, sleek tail flicking behind him as he carried her into the back room, which happened to be a kitchen.

"Mistress, I think you are in need of something," he purred as he sat her on the table, moving to stand between her legs as his hands pulled her hips into his.

The human let out a small sound of agreement as her hands caressed his chest slowly. With a ripple, the shirt melted away from his form, leaving a smooth, chiseled chest bare to the air. A small growl left him as he pressed his body against hers, panting lightly as he felt through their bond the pull of her using his magic, the cloths separating them following his shirt.

"Is this what you want Mistress?" he whispered against her ear as he pressed his groin against hers, gently sliding the length of his member against her slick lips.

"I'm not gonna lie, it would be a great stress relief," Chihiro smirked, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Agreed. And do you want this form, or his?" he asked nonchalantly, pressing soft kisses against the swell of her breasts.

Indecision made her waver, and the Bakeneko made up his mind for her, long back hair shortening to shoulder length and taking on a sage color as the rest of his features shifted to company it. An older, mature Haku stared down at her lustfully, and Chihiro couldn't help the blush that engulfed her face. Minareru smirked down at her, running a still clawed finger down her chest lightly. He never minded when his mistress preferred a bit of role play, indeed, he even got his own kind of pleasure from it. When he made her come around his cock, screaming out her love's name, he swelled with pride. It was in his nature to be cunning and trickery of the senses appealed to him highly. And if it helped his little mistress cope with being away from half of her soul, who was he to bemoan a little bit of kink in the bedroom.

And it wasn't like she always wanted the illusion. He smirked as he leaned down to take an aroused nipple into his mouth. More often than naught, his little mistress preferred his own form to the dragon's. A groan left him as he eased into her small body, the human beneath him squirming against him as she moaned for more. Clawed hands biting into her hips ever so gently, Minareru gave a soft hiss as he began a fast, shallow rhythm with his mistress. His illusion almost wavered when they came together, and he felt a small victory as he kissed her tenderly, pleased that he had held it together in spite of the mind numbing pleasure.

"'Ru, drop it," Chihiro murmured sleepily, and smiled when he did, allowing the green to fade from his golden eyes with the illusion.

A soft kiss was placed on his lips, and Minareru's ears flattened on his head as he looked at her worriedly.

"What's wrong Mistress?" he asked, easing them both up as she began to straighten their clothing.

"It's nothing 'Ru," the human woman murmured, combing a hand through her waist length hair to straighten it.

There was one thing the Bakeneko knew he could never measure up to for his mistress. Dragons were exceptionally harsh lovers, and Minareru found himself unwilling to be so inclined when she had asked it of him. It wasn't within him to harm her, his nature itself demanding that he be a careful, gentle lover. With a sigh, he watched as she pattered about the kitchen, tail twitching in an agitated manner. Blowing his long bangs from his face, he sat himself atop the table, arms crossed as she remained silent.

When the bell to the store rang, the woman moved towards the front to answer it. The Bakeneko growled lowly, but dutifully followed his mistress, bell about his neck jingling as his cat form jumped atop the counter to watch the customer warily. The customer was a petite little thing, tiny even compared to Chihiro's 5' stature. Behind her entered a dark blur, gangly and hunched over the girl as though a walking umbrella as it followed her.

What is a Anun doing in this territory? Minareru thought, eyes narrowed.

"It's a bad luck spirit," he informed his Mistress, who was staring at the being with wide eyes.

"Excuse me, are you the Spirited?" the girl bowed to Chihiro deeply.

Chihiro blinked at the girl, eying both her and the spirit, before her eyes widened.

"Minareru, she's a spirit too!" the human gasped, taking a step behind her familiar as he transformed into his true form.

"Yes, yes she is. Did you not realize that before?" he looked down at her in amusement.

Stupid cat, Chihiro thought fondly, before looking back at the visitors warily.

"Um...would you like some tea?" she offered quietly, making the girl look up happily.

"Oh! Yes please!" she smiled brilliantly, bright blue eyes sparkling.

Minareru blinked in a dazed manner at the sight, feeling slightly dizzy. He moved into the kitchen while Chihiro sat their guests down.

"I'm Chihiro Onigo, by the way. The Bakeneko in the kitchen is my familiar, Minareru," the human said quietly, staring at the couple in a curious manner.

"Oh, so you are a witch?" the blond girl asked in surprise.

"Well...not really. 'Ru found me while I was still young, and took a liking to me. After a while, he offered to become my familiar to protect me," Chihiro said, smiling.

"Oh thank goodness, I had almost thought I was wrong!" the girl giggled in a relieved manner, the almost skeletal spirit beside her making a small noise of amusement.

"What can we do for you two?" Minareru asked as he handed out tea.

"Well, we came to kill Onigo-san."

VI