A/N: Hehe...
Let me gift my readers with a bit of fluff, cos what else are people to do in their spare time...
"How could this be—this can't really mean what it looks like, right? That it's not just Geats that had been sealed inside this statue, Tycoon was also inside this thing! But how?" exclaimed Michinaga as Neon also shook her head in disbelief.
"Keiwa didn't even have the power of creation, so why—"
Sara held out a hand to touch the Tanuki statue that was hidden behind the Fox, yet only managed to reach one of the Tanuki's hind legs. The surface of the marble statue felt cold to the touch yet, inside this massive statue... Keiwa and Ace were sealed inside. How must they have felt... moments before their bodies were completely turned to stone? How terrified they could be... at the thought that they could do nothing to stop the process from happening to them?
"I wonder if Keiwa was aware that something like this would happen to Ace? Was that why he went back after Ace at that time?" said Sara softly as Win shrugged at her.
He glanced up towards the statue and Win take another look at the Fox and Tanuki statue in full view.
"He probably did. After all back then, he and Ace had disappeared together after Ace remade the world to the one before Keiwa had changed it." He sighed. "Come to think about it, when he came back afterwards... as much as he seemed confident that we could really overcome all of the obstacles, something did change in that guy. It felt as if he had made his resolve... somehow."
Michinaga turned his attention towards Win. "Wait... do you know anything about this before? And you guys didn't say anything to us?"
As soon as Michinaga spoke up, Neon, Daichi and Sara also turned their attention towards the man. Neon cocked her head to the side.
"Now that you mention it, when we got Sara-san back... as much as Keiwa had seemed relieved and happy about it; it was as if there was something else that he had been keeping to himself." She glanced up towards Win. "Did you mean to say—Even back then, Keiwa was aware that Ace would end up like this... and you didn't tell us about it?"
Sensing the tension, Tsumuri hastily rushed to Win's side. "Please don't blame Win-sama for this! He—I mean, we—decided to keep this a secret from the rest of you. Because Keiwa-sama said that Ace-sama told him to not tell anyone. Even if he still couldn't stop worrying about it."
Daichi hitched up his glasses as he turned to look at Tsumuri. "You mean, Keiwa had told the two of you about what's happening to Ace from the start?"
Tsumuri shook her head. "Keiwa-sama only told us that Ace-sama could no longer leave this place anymore as he had fully awakened the powers that he inherited from Mitsume-san. And Keiwa-sama also asked me about what would happen during the process of the creation of the Goddess of Creation." She sighed. "So I told him what happened before when Jitt—I mean, Game Master Jitt and Producer Samas—attempted to turn me into the second Goddess. And how I ended up fighting against the process."
Tsumuri raised her head to address everyone. "Keiwa-sama didn't tell us anything more than that, but I'm sure that he had been aware that this was what would happen to Ace-sama. Though I didn't know that the process had already started by then. Because I thought that the process would only happen when the Game Master started the procedure. Since the only people who could freely access this place were the Game Master and the Producer."
Daichi turned his eyes to the side. "So even when he knew that he couldn't stop the process that was happening, Keiwa-san still tried to save Ace until the end. But instead of saving Ace, that guy—the two of them... ended up being turned to stone together."
"That's reckless! How could that Tycoon—" exclaimed MIchinaga as Neon grabbed his arm.
She cocked her head at him. "—but isn't that something Keiwa would've certainly done anyway? Like how Ace had tried to get him back before... Keiwa would've also wanted desperately to save Ace as well."
And that was how all of them ended up arriving at this place. Because that guy knew that his power alone was not enough to save Ace. Michinaga glanced up towards that statue of the boldest and most selfless Tanuki he had ever come to know...
"That reckless idiot—!"
xxx
Meanwhile, in another pocket universe... Ace was staring up at the endless sky...
.
Could he call this place Paradise... somehow? There was no conflict in this 'world', no pain... nor suffering. Not a lot of people too—not that he minded it at the moment.
Ace turned around to see his significant other—the only other person with him inside this small pocket world—as Keiwa was chasing and being chased by several wild animals. He started to laugh as a pretty lively young fox kept trying to take a bite at Keiwa's hand while Keiwa was trying to shield a small civet in his arms.
"Kon-chan, stop it! Why'd you keep bothering Saru when he didn't want to play with you?" scolded Keiwa as he stared at the young red fox in front of him. Keiwa cocked his head towards another larger white fox that had been lying on the ground lazily nearby.
"You should've just played with Kyuu-chan then. Kyuu-chan looked pretty free over there—"
Ace grinned at them before sauntering over to their side, picking up the red fox with holographic silver tails into his arms and sitting on the ground right in front of Keiwa.
"It's because you've been tending to that child too much compared to this child. Kon-chan must've felt quite envious."
Keiwa cast him a suspicious look before staring back at the small fox that had started to make itself comfortable on Ace's lap. "I'm not even sure that Kon-chan even liked me that much, from the very start! Even in the past... Kon-chan always took every opportunity to get a hit on me every time someone was done using the Boost buckle..."
Ace just shrugged at him. "Kon-chan always behaved well with me..." he started to say as the red fox started licking Ace's face fondly. "I'm not sure what you're talking about there. But then again, that's probably because you seldom make use of the Boost buckle when you get it and gave it away to other people to use."
Keiwa rolled his eyes at Ace. "And who's the one mostly at fault for that? And as if I haven't actually started to use Boost whenever I need him later, and still Kon-chan always bullied me anyway—but Ace! As I thought, you all foxes will always side with each other!"
As if reacting to Keiwa's words, Kon jumped out from Ace's lap and started 'attacking' Keiwa aggressively. Yet by the way Keiwa started to laugh and squirm against Kon's prodding and assault against Keiwa's body, it didn't look as if the red fox really hated Keiwa that much. And it didn't help that now the light-greenish civet that Keiwa affectionately call Saru also started to shower Keiwa with its own brand of affection as if it didn't want to lose out to little Kon.
"Ahaha... you guys, stop! Saru-chan... Kon-chan!" Keiwa cried out as Ace crawled closer to try to save him from the 'love' treatment by the two affectionate animals. And as if there had been an agreement between the two, Kon the red fox and Saru the light-green civet started to run off towards the open field to play with each other.
Ace pulled Keiwa back up before brushing the dust off Keiwa's clothes. He grinned to himself as he stared at Keiwa's dishevelled appearance.
"Aren't you quite the popular one here? The 'children' really loved you so much and couldn't get their claws off you for too long—"
Keiwa pouted at him as if Ace had just insulted him. "What nonsense are you talking about now, Ace? It's more like I'm the easiest one between us that they can bully freely—" Keiwa raised his head to give Ace a teasing look. "And seriously, Ace... are the kids really the only ones here who loved me so much?"
Ace started running his eyes at Keiwa's body from top to bottom, as his attention was drawn towards Keiwa's half-opened yukata that had become quite loose after the brief tousle with Kon and Saru. He smacked his lips as Ace stared at Keiwa's exposed neck and shoulder and chest underneath his yukata as well as Keiwa's plump thighs. How nice it'll be to sink his teeth in those sweet, juicy morsels—and to hear Keiwa's sweet voice responding to all of his kisses and bites and every other touch he'd unleash onto the man...
"Is that an invitation?" Ace popped out a question as a smile lit up from his lips.
"Maaaybe?" Keiwa drawled, refusing to give in too easily.
Ace grinned, as he started to crawl over Keiwa's legs; both their black and white yukata overlapped each other and contrasted their pale white skins. But just before Ace got close enough for even one innocent kiss on Keiwa's cheek, he pulled away suddenly.
"That said, Keiwa—" Ace started to say, ignoring the hint of red that started growing bright on Keiwa's cheek and other exposed skin. "Why did you call that green civet Saru but instead call the actual monkey Monster-chan?"
Keiwa rolled his eyes at Ace's cheeky face. "Was that what you're curious about? It's from Sarutobi Sasuke, the Ninja. And what else should I call Monster-chan then? You're the one who raised him that one time—so if you want to complain about my naming sense... then go think up a different name yourself!"
Ace pouted at him. "Then, what about Kyuu-chan? Or Kofujin?"
Keiwa just shrugged at him. "It's just something I thought on a whim, it's nothing too deep. I mean Kyuu-chan was a bit lazy... I admit, but I like the sound of Kofujin rolling on the tip of my tongue." A soft whistle slipped out of Keiwa's lips as he stared back at Ace meaningfully.
"So since I've satisfied your curiosity about my naming sense for our little pets... will you finally kiss me now, Ukiyo Ace-sama?"
Ace grinned at him widely before closing the gap between their lips as he kissed Keiwa deeply and passionately...
.
After a brief moment of rolling on the ground and having all of their limbs entangled in the most intimate ways, Ace pulled apart from Keiwa suddenly... much to the latter's protest.
"Ne, Keiwa... how about we have a wedding between us?" he asked rather excitedly.
Keiwa frowned at him immediately. "You mean... like a fox wedding?"
Ace let up a shrug as Keiwa noted a hint of pout at the edge of Ace's plump lips. He sighed.
"Fine... can we get back to business now?" he whined aloud as Ace muttered his thank yous and showered Keiwa with all of his love...
A/N2: In case people are curious... yeah, Ace and Keiwa's pets are the raise buckles. Because it'll be very sad if the buckles just disappeared like that, huh? So to list out the names so far. from the most obvious... to the least.
Monster-chan - Monster, Kon-chan - Boost, Saru - Ninja, Kyuu-chan - Boost MKIX, Kofujin - Bujin Sword
Doubt I'll do much expansion for the pocket universe story, cos we're not gonna stay too long in it. It's just for fun.
But seriously, what else Keiwa and Ace would do between themselves while still sealed inside their statues? ⁉