~NRK~

"And how bad are these 'Guardians'?" Keigo asked as that thing got up.

And stood at its 12-foot-tall height on all-fours, okayyyyy.

Bearing scars, muscles, and veins that seemingly made it feel bigger, the group sans Nagabiko flinched as its half-metallic jaw emanated a chilling rumble of a growl.

Ippan's ears pinned down against her head while Obito stepped forward with his blade summoned from his wrist brace.

"Go on, let's see how you handle Karada," Asuka told him, alarming the Uchiha before he considered the bear and moved forward.

"M-Mister," Shouji asked in concern as Ippan grew tense.

"Obito-kun?" She called in worry.

"It's fine," Obito told them. "Just keep an eye out, if this fight goes the way it does, we'll be kinda-"

The next second, he found a sniffing nose up in his face, a shift of hydraulics, a heavy rumble, and a powerful presence already putting the beast before him.

"?!" The young man's eyes widened as he turned around before being heavily brushed by the hot breath of the bear's snout. 'WHAT THE HELL?!' Obito thought, Sharingan dilating as more sounds reached his ears in the smallest amount.

Hydraulics? Shifting pistons? The sound of its breathing seemingly aided by something else.

A pace-maker of some sort?

Then, beast's metal jaw opened with a hiss before Obito gripped his blade in both hands at his side .

"Alright, that's enough, Karada!"

The beast stopped, turned its head, and returned to the entrance of the cave where an old man stood with crossed arms and a stern eagle-eyed gaze.

He was a tall, well-built, old man with olive skin covered in wrinkles, a scar over his left eye, glasses over his silver gaze, and long salt-and-pepper hair with a single long bang at the front. Wearing a pair of sandals, a dark blue jinbei, and wrapping on your feet he looked at the surprised group.

"Asuka, what the hell's going on?!" The man asked as the redhead put her hands on her hips before wearing a sheepish grin.

"Too much, Kowamaru."

They'd quickly traveled inside that large cave with Karada the Guardian remaining at the entrance.

As they walked further into this rather deeply-dug cavern, Obito's head snapped up at something large on the ceiling.

A bat, not just any bat, though, a Fukushima Giant Bat that sprung up as of 50 years ago.

Being a person-sized creature with dull gray fur that truly let it blend into the dark gray stalactites of the ceiling while allowing its dull-eyed gaze to peer at them as its metal-braced ears shifted sideways, its chest bearing a large metallic chestplate, its membrane sporting a scale-like gleam, and then its extra arms were completely made of metal.

Prosthetics. "What are these things?" Keigo asked as he looked where Obito was looking. "That one's like no Fukushima Giant Bat I've seen," he said while looking at all its scars.

"My boys, my Guardians," Kowamaru Awase told them. "These ones have been with me for close to 30 years, they're good company and also members of my group."

"... No, you can just speak candidly," Asuka considered something before shrugging. "At this point, they're all involved," she said, surprising the old man.

"But that is… Is that his child?"

Ippan blushed while Obito kissed his teeth with red cheeks. "We've barely been dating, that… That is Shouji-kun," the Uchiha answered as the multi-armed boy looked down. "He's… He's our charge."

"I see," Kowamaru's eyes softened at the clearly downtrodden boy. "We can talk on that later, for now, you're here for the Blade of Rites & smithing methods, aren't you?"

"Yes," Obito told him as they reached a homely setting within the cavern where they found many tiny critters all sporting some manner of attachment whether it be metal, cloth, leather, and so on. "You've really made your home here."

"Of course, the days of feuds are behind me for the most part even if I do meet with your uncle and family whenever I can. I currently have to prepare my own grandson for UA so I haven't been around for some time but I was there on the day of your birth," the smith said, surprising Obito. "Indeed, I've known about you for a long time."

"It's good to catch-up, Kowamaru, but things are urgent," Asuka told him as they sat within a living room-esque area.

They explained the entire scenario from start to finish, adding in the sudden Hoshi Clan members.

"That's going to be a large problem, do they know I live here?" Kowamaru asked with a deep frown.

"No, we think she was only trying to get the drop on us getting the kids back," Obito said. "Still, there are now helicopters all over this place and Shirou will surely be watching the news."

"That's probably going to make Karada's life difficult. Thankfully, he's more aware of technology than a normal Big Bear, he can be discreet. As for your other needs, well, I can do them but making the Blade of Rites will take at least a month."

"Seriously?" Keigo tilted. "W-Why?!"

"Kid, do you honestly think I can just magic-up materials? This object has been in my family for 200 years, long before quirks, this has special methods and items I need to get."

"But it takes a month?" Ippan asked.

"Yes, getting 'em will take a month," the old man rubbed the back of his head. "Especially because, now, I have to be more careful. If the Hoshi Clan is out and about, that means Butsuma will focus his forces around your family," Kowamaru declared as Obito flinched.

'No,' he thought in horror. 'B-Butsuma?! As in Butsuma Senju?!' What the hell was going on?!

Why the hell were there more reincarnates?! Was someone else from the Elemental Nations here?

'Wait, hold on, Butsuma hasn't been alive for over 100 years,' if you counted his time on this earth alongside his old life or even without it. 'This could mean very bad things,' Obito thought, pale before Ippan nudged him a bit. "Sorry, Ippan-chan, this is just getting bigger and bigger."

"I know," she whispered, looking down as Obito held her back.

"Let's see," Kowamaru cupped his chin in thought. "I can write-up some smithing texts for you but it'll take two hours."

"Damn, this whole night's going on for so long," Keigo said as Nagabiko nodded.

"It'll likely be four or five a.m. before we get back," she paled while touching her cheeks and eyes.

"You know how to keep your youthful looks, why are you stressing-kon?" Asuka asked while flipping some of her long locks, verbal tic returning.

Likely, they were finally safe enough for the bit.

"Alright," Obito bowed to Kowamaru. "Thank you, Kowamaru-sensei," he declared.

"Ah, good proper respect, you were raised well," the man smirked a bit before moving off to a seemingly blank wall with a concave angle. "I'm sure I can also add in that 'hint' he wanted me to give ya."

"Wait, what?" The Uchiha's eyes snapped to him.

"You think your old old man's not a bit of a funny guy?" Kowamaru laughed as he touched the wall.

There was a swirl of stone and dirt before a bookshelf formed?

"I always keep my things hidden, kids, can't have anyone finding them," he told them as Keigo gawked.

"You hide them in the wall?" He asked as the smith smirked.

"No, bird boy, they're in the wall. My quirk allows me to meld objects, people, or organics on a certain level, I just make sure to unmix my books."

Keigo stared in alarm at the bookshelf. 'T-This is crazy,' how knowledgeable was this man to pull off such a thing? "Seriously, who the hell am I meeting right now?" He murmured.

With their time limit in place, Obito took Ippan, and Keigo without worry, to the side.

Sitting atop a number of cushions, he held Ippan's knee.

"What's going on? It's clear Shouji not being with his village bodes poorly," Obito finally brought it up as she flinched and looked down while Shouji's eyes watered before he tucked in on himself. "Tell me, this is clearly weighing on your minds."

Keigo considered speaking but thought better of it.

This was clearly not as troublesome for him as it was the fox woman.

Ippan sighed deeply, gripping Obito's hand on her knee.

She explained everything that had taken place between her departure into the flames and her return with Shouji.

Obito's body burned with hate as she told him the things the boy's father had said and how the other villagers sans Imai's mother had sneered.

How much hate was in their eyes.

And then the 'heat' she'd felt in response.

Obito's own simmered for a moment as he closed his eyes and let Ippan clench his hand for as much as she wanted. "Hate… Hate is different," he told her as she flinched, guilty eyes snapping to his bruised limb as her trembling fingers released it.

"I-I'm-"

"Don't be, I want you to be able to vent," he told her as she looked destroyed while he flexed his hand with little care for the pain. "I want to take on your pain and suffering so you don't have to deal with them."

She held his cheek, pressing her noggin to his.

"Hate, Ippan, it's a festering curse but within it lies power beyond imagination with a hidden cost," Obito told her. "I know hate, I've had several times where I've hated someone and, likely, those times were also bolstered by my bloodline…" He hesitated before steeling his resolve. "And it's led me to take another's life."

The silence that reigned wasn't small nor was it comfortable.

Ippan's eyes snapped open to look him in the eyes, his gleaming coal eyes not shying away from her for a second while Keigo crossed his arms but didn't comment.

He'd been pretty sure that was the case, not like he had but… But Obito was simply too seasoned and Keigo had a feeling the older male knew what it took.

Shouji stared at Obito in shock. "Y-You killed someone?" He asked before flinching at Obito's closed eyes. "W-Why?"

"Because he was going to hurt my comrade at the time, you don't know him, neither do you, Keigo-kun. But Ippan does, it's Kai."

She gasped, looking at his somber smile.

"Because we're a yakuza family, we're not like others, even as a rather peaceful and open secret in our community, we still have enemies, you all. At present, I've dealt with over 12 gang wars from age 15 to now of my own violation to protect my family. I'm sure I've taken more lives in service to protect those around me than there are people in that village."

The floor filled with a sort of image of spreading red, a copper-y liquid that fed back to the quirkless man.

"I'm not just a man, I'm a monste-"

"No, you're not," Ippan told him, holding his cheek tenderly. "I-I know you, I know you're not an emotional genius but I know your love is so powerful and that you're scared of it," she whispered as Obito's eyes widened.

"H-How do you…?"

"It's clear," she smiled sadly at him. "You gave me more affection than I expected to get just from the offset," Ippan's cheeks colored harshly as his own did. "I was so surprised, that you're able to do so much lovey-dovey stuff," she giggled as Keigo snorted while Obito's cheek twitched in a cherry hue. "I realized that you've always been 'open' when it came to romance, even if you think it's not your strong suite."

"It's really not," Obito murmured.

"I know but that's why couples are supposed to share their burdens, you want to take all of mine, it's only fair to reciprocate 100%," she sighed softly. "I'm not sure I could ever think of those people as anything other than vile, I'm sorry, Shouji-kun," Ippan nuzzled the boy.

"... It's not your fault," Shouji whispered. "My p-parents weren't always the best, that's not y-your fault."

"It's not yours, either," Keigo told him as the boy flinched. "You got dealt a bad hand," he ruffled his own locks. "And life can be a real-sucky lottery about parents," he muttered.

The couple looked at the disgruntled teen before looking at one another.

"We'll bear one another's burden, always," Obito told her. "But now we have to help Shouji-kun."

The boy's fingers all fiddled with one another as the kitsune and quirkless observed him.

"C-Can… Can we take him with us?" Ippan asked.

"Hmm, it shouldn't be an issue," the former shinobi said as she smiled softly. "It's just that you likely won't be back here, again," he told the boy who he went still. "I'm sure that's both good and bad, for you. Imai-kun is here, you grew up here, and then you'll be getting used to a world that still has a bit of prejudice against mutant quirks."

"Even outside of my village?" Shouji looked saddened.

"Yes, it's not always great," Ippan told him, holding his shoulder with her free hand. "But there are places for those like us," she smiled for him as he looked up at them. "You know that from the past week, don't you?"

Shouji's eyes widened before his skin reddened through small holes in his bandages from the fire.

"Oh, we need to redo your bandages," Ippan gasped in concern as Obito retrieved his medkit. "For now, think it over, alright? We'll still be here for a bit."

~NRK~

San kept traversing underground within that forest.

He looked for those ones once more, his mind full of all the animalistic presences within this odd large city.

They said pain was bad and those 'Animals' smelled of negative emotions.

Negative emotions caused pain, pain was bad, and the Nice Ones were in the presence of the pain.

He had to not let them feel pain.

~NRK~

~One and a Half Hours Later~

Obito blinked as he looked over several creations from Kowamaru's hidden weapon rack.

Nagabiko held a collapsible sword that became small enough to fit into hair hair as a hidden hair tie.

"You really adapted to the times," Asuka said in surprise as Kowamaru smirked, a box of texts the size of Shouji at his side. "So, how do you like working with current technology-kon?"

"It's all complex but working with my quirk as I have? It's been easy to mix," he said with a cupped chin. "Now, boy, what will you choose?"

"..." Obito looked over all that he'd been offered before grabbing one. "This one will do."

It was a foot-long dagger, one with a bronze back filled with metallic feathers, a clean white blade, and a swirling pinwheel-like clover guard that sprouted an eight-inch-long handle covered in brown leather.

He spun it between his fingers and then back into his grip, eyes trailing its length. "This isn't a normal dagger," Obito observed.

"Good eye, that's about what I'd expect for one of our folks," Kowamaru chuckled. "That 'dere one is made from the metallic feathers of a lovely woman in Kyushu, I fixed some of her pipe problems," Asuka snorted. "And she allowed me to take a good bit of her feathers and some blood. Her quirk allowed her the ability to cut through harsh air currents and create her own wind barrier."

Obito considered that before he allowed his soul to spread through it.

He looked at its gleaming blade before taking up the basic shinobi stance.

He advanced forward with wind-splitting cuts that trailed in the air behind him before he spun the knife in his right hand and cut through the still hanging slash arc ahead of him.

It all released a decent burst of wind before he flipped it and balanced the weapon on its tip atop his finger.

"I probably need more time with this," the Uchiha said as he let it drop and caught it before snatching the sheath and a knife holster Kowamaru threw at him. "Thanks, Kowamaru-sensei," he put it on. "The thing, now, is that we shouldn't let these be seen until we're sure everyone thinks we didn't do anything crazy."

"W-Will that even matter?" His cousin asked. "Anyone with a bit of a nose for news will wonder why we never came back when we should have."

"Easily, the damn village ran us out. They literally offended my girlfriend, disowned a child, and we can fake it saying we don't know if Kim is still around. All of it is believable because it's true."

Ippan nodded while crouching beside Shouji and holding onto one of his hands. "We'll do our best for you, alright?" She told the somber boy as he nodded.

"A-Alright, nee-chan," Shouji rubbed one of his eyes. "Where will we go, Obito-onii-chan?"

"Mustafu, after we're done with the movie set," Obito explained. "It's a warm city with a low mutant-intolerance population, they'll welcome you without a thought, Shouji-kun," he told the boy with a look back.

The boy nodded in response.

"Now, we should g-?" Obito blinked, head snapping to the side in disbelief. "Wait… Oh SHIT," he cursed before rushing out of the cave. "Wait, San, stop!" He shouted as the others blinked and stared before Ippan gasped.

"He's here?!" She shrieked a bit.

"Wait, stop, w-who's here?!" Nagabiko squeaked.

"Uhhhh," the kitsune's mind blanked for a second before she grinned weakly. "Y-Ya see, uhm, when we stopped at a beach on the way here we might have met a giant telepathic snake."

The silence that followed left the others processing her words as growls filled the cavern alongside Obito's shouts and the clanging of metal.

Obito grit his teeth as the floor beneath his feet cratered under Karada's weight.

'What a situation to be in!' He thought as a familiar, more normal-sized, white snake/salamander inched back behind him in fear despite his bared fangs. "San, you need to let it go! This one's not an enemy!"

'Not enemy?' The snake's head perked up, fangs vanishing and that odd feeling of intimidation fell away.

'He has to have a bunch of quirks in him,' Obito wouldn't be dissuaded as Karada's growls lessened before the Uchiha's eyes narrowed as his weapon burned bright. "I need you to back off, Karada."

He sheath released a throbbing pulse that tossed the bear back onto its hind legs before he recovered with ease, stepping back from the former shinobi.

"Damn, that beast is tough," he observed. 'Such power, its speed, and then it's clearly not an idiot.'

An actual challenge compared to everything he'd faced up to this point.

Obito released a focused breath before returning his weapon to his wrist brace and turning towards the intrigued San.

"You're smaller, San," Obito told him as the others came outside, the quirkless man kneeling to the multi-quirked salamander serpent.

'I get smaller for travel,' San said as he slithered over before coiling around Obito's body and resting his head on the sweatdropping man's shoulder as his tail wiggled. 'Must hurry.'

"San? What in the world?" Ippan hurried over even as the others stared at the three in disbelief.

"W-W-What?" Keigo sputtered as he tried to understand what the hell was going on. "Snake? T-Talking snake?"

"Oh, w-well, yeah," Ippan said sheepishly as Obito got up.

"San, what in the world were you hurrying for?" The Uchiha asked.

'Many, many, negative heats. City,' San said, getting a frown out of the man. 'Negative is dangerous. Dangerous is pain. Pain bad.'

Obito & Ippan blinked at him in surprise, both at his understanding of the situation and his spreading of his telepathic wits.

"Huh," Kowamaru observed, rubbing his noggin. "What a world we live," he murmured as Asuka sweatdropped.

"So, you came to warn us," Ippan smiled as Shouji hurried over before leaning around Obito's side to look at the albino serpent. "That's kind of you, San."

'Kind?' The snake tilted his head. 'What is kind?'

"T-That's like people doing good stuff," Shouji answered, gaining the confused snake's attention. "Like, um," he touched his face. "L-Like this stuff! Nee-chan and nii-chan helped put these on me because of, w-well, pain."

'No pain is kind?'

"Uhhhm."

"Basically," Obito began. "If someone means you no harm as they help you, San, they're good people. It's not always that simple but it's a good starting point."

"When the hell did they adopt a snake child-kon?" Asuka asked as the couple shot her a flat look. "Oi, this sounds like you're explaining to a child, you have to give me that one."

"Oh my God, she's always like this," Keigo snorted as Kowamaru smirked. "Yeah, yeah, I know old man," he snickered, a new fan on his thigh in a holster. 'Maybe this'll meet my needs,' he hoped so.

"For now, San is saying there are a large number of negative signatures in the city," Obito explained, surprising the group. "Meaning, when we go down for the meet-and-greet, be on-guard.

"That's a crazy good ability."

"He's not wrong, San. And that's what confuses me," the quirkless man told the snake. "Why do you have multiple quirks?"

The others twitched at that as San looked down, his metallic ear fins slumping.

Ippan pat his noggin. "We're not trying to peek into your secrets, San, but it's just kinda unusual. There's only, really, one person, a kid, who could even be said to have more than one quirk."

'No? Not 5?'

"Five?" Keigo asked as he came in close before observing the albino snake. "You have five quirks?"

"We know he can go from this size to half as big as Karada," Obito explained.

"He has camouflage skills but that could just be his scales," Ippan added. "And now he's got, um, negative people sensing?" She asked.

"A Negativity Sensor, likely, it also mixed with his sense of smell that gives him the 'heat' of others and likely how he found us. Your sensory skills are top-notch, San."

'Notch?' San looked puzzled as Keigo chuckled unsurely at the confused snake. 'I Genius quirk.'

"A Genius Quirk?" Now, that came with some interesting possibilities. "Still, that's four, what's the fifth?"

The snake didn't look sure before a number of his scales glowed a soft pink.

'Storage,' he told them as Obito blinked with interest. 'Mouth, scales,' San opened his large jaw, an unnatural amount even for a snake.

Shouji looked awed while Keigo cleared his throat and stepped back, Nagabiko going pale.

"So, you can store things that way?" Ippan smiled at the snake as he closed his mouth, looking at her and Obito in interest.

'Not scared?' San asked.

"San, with all due respect, you're a snake, that's normal snakes. And, also, most snakes of a bigger variety can open their mouths almost as much as you can," Obito told him. 'No, I'm more concerned about what this could all mean,' with all those negative signatures, that'd mean something big was gonna happen. "Still, those are pretty good abilities, San."

'They are?'

"Indeed. Your abilities could do a lot of incredible things if you put your mind to it."

"That's something he believes in wholeheartedly," Ippan giggled as Obito wore a flustered smile. "He's always thinking of how you can be your best 'you'."

'Best me?' San looked thoughtful before lifting his noggin and plopping it atop Obito's own. 'Best me.'

The Uchiha's eyebrows trembled. "San?"

'Best me.'

Ippan giggled as Keigo laughed.

"This is not what I expected to happen," Obito realized as Kowamaru laughed boisterously while Asuka blinked in alarm.

"Hmm, a Guardian of his own, aye? Life truly does work some wonders," the smith smirked. "Then, how about I set you up with a bit of protection, San?"

The San 'gasped' as much as a snake could.

~NRK~

~An Hour Later~

Oboro circled the recreational building in the last few minutes of his patrol.

"Come on, Obi, this ain't like you," Loud Cloud murmured as his flying perch expanded and allowed Shouta & Sensoji to land. "Anything?"

The two locked eyes. "Uhhhh," they uttered in unison.

"You're back-Snake?" Oboro cheered before blinking at the group in the lobby area after they'd spoken to the police.

And then saw the 'extras'.

San flared out his horns as he looked all over, wearing a black sleeve that bundled-up in a baggy fashion over his 'Regular Form', currently wrapped around Obito's torso with his head atop the quirkless man's own.

Nemuri arrived just then. "Oh thank Go-Oh my God," she skidded to a halt before the group, jaw dropped. "U-Uh, Obi-man? You kinda got a thing around…" She made a circling gesture around her torso.

"I know, it's a complex situation," the quirkless man told her with a nervous smile. "For now, erm, we'll need some sleep?" Obito chuckled weakly.

~NRK~

Their return was noted and, soon enough, the entire entourage found themselves within the couple's room.

And then tilted at the explanation about, well, most everything that had happened.

"So, yes, this is San from the beach," Obito shrugged as the albino snake remained 'seated' atop his noggin.

'I am San,' the snake greeted.

"I-Is this like that 'Nezu' guy?" Hosoi asked weakly while Ryuuki's eyebrow trembled harshly on her brow. "What happened to you?! It's been, like, six hours and now this is what you're dealing with?!"

Habami's eyes went white as she tried to process the situation while Shinji & Shouta held their chins before tilting their heads in unison.

Tsuyoyoi leaned forward in interest. "And he's really trained?" The producer asked.

"Easy there, San's not even a slightly sapient animal, he's quite aware of everything with a bit more sense than expected," Obito told them.

'What he mean?' San asked.

"He's thinking about having you star in a movie."

'Movie?'

"Moving pictures," Ippan giggled.

'The big thing on the squares?' San perked up.

"You mean billboards?" Keigo asked with a grin. "Or do ya mean computers?"

San's head flopped back down. '... Computers.'

"Then, kinda? Wait, were you a pet before all of this or, like, not?"

'Pet?'

"It's an animal who lives with a human that's typically trained, fed, and given a good life," Obito said.

San's scales deflated.

The others gasped in awe at his gleaming dark scales.

Obito was confused by the odd link between their minds, at San's displeasure.

'No pet,' he shook his head. 'Not a pet.'

"A natural quirk," Ryuuki frowned at the snake. 'What a coincidence,' sure, okay, she wasn't going to blame Obito for being followed by a snake.

But the man seemed far too unbothered, Ippan as well, and the two just accepted it?

'Mother, I hope your research explains some part of this.'

"And that's not everything," Ippan smiled as Shouji looked down. "Well, we'll be taking in Shouji-kun after the set, so," she looked sheepish as they all stared.

"O-Oi, that fire didn't…" Hizashi winced as Shouji looked down.

"No, though unfortunately, it's barely any better," Obito sighed as he pat the boy's shoulder.

They explained that situation as Asuka crossed her arms.

The others looked terrified.

"So, we'll take on his brunt of suffering and ensure this doesn't happen again," the quirkless man declared. "Besides, with how things will go in the future, it'd probably be better for him to grow up strong," Obito told them, surprising even Shouji as Ippan's eyes softened. "I'll grant you any life I can muster," the brunette told the younger male. "But I'll make sure you're strong during all of it."

"B-But won't that worry more people?" Shouji asked, hands clenched.

"How so?" Ippan smiled at him. "Being strong doesn't make you a monster."

"B-But strong people get looked at all the time, if I get strong then someone will just call me a monster again."

"Nope, kid, in the outside world, things make far more sense," Hizashi wore a reassuring grin. "Your, uh… Wait, how does adopting for you two work?" He asked teasingly as the pair blushed before one stammered and the other huffed.

"Thanks, Hizashi, totally didn't needed your input," Obito held his face. "For the time being, we'll be what he needs."

"A-?" Nemuri tried.

"Woman, you're one word away from San swallowing you whole. And, trust me, YOU'LL LIVE."

San perked up before dropping his jaw in anticipation.

Nemuri paled and began to sweat as Keigo wheezed off to the side in laughter.

"No, San, it was just a joke," Obito smirked as the snake closed his trap. "But it's good to have that on hand for any teasing."

The others paled in equal measure at the delighted serpent.

~NRK~

The following night of their trip saw Obito and Ippan sitting on the edge of their bed with Shouji, the TV playing some ignored cartoon.

"How do you honestly feel about this, Shouji-kun?" Ippan asked him, rubbing his back as the boy sighed shakily.

"I-I don't know what to do," he admitted sadly. "I-I miss Imai but I can't… I-I don't want to go back."

"You're in a difficult part of your life, I know what that's like," the kitsune told him. "I've had to leave and live in places over three times in my life. Each time, it… It wasn't great but this time, I'm doing it with a loved one," Ippan smiled as Obito released an embarrassed smile. "I'm not sure if things will be the same but Obito's here to support me. And, now, we'll both support you as we find a new place to call our home."

"... Nii-chan's in the yakuza," Shouji said. "Isn't that what you do?"

"No, at least, it's half of it and that's not even a bad thing, well, most of the time before now," Obito sighed while hesitating before patting Shouji's head. "My life's been incredibly blessed before these past couple of days. I grew up happy, loved, skilled, a-and found Ippan," he cleared his throat off to the side as his girlfriend grinned with a soaring heart. "The point is, Ippan-chan is right, we'll help you find your place."

Shouji looked down in thought before the TV playing in the background caught their attention.

"Haha! Never fear, for I AM HERE!"

"T-This just in, he has arrived!"

The reporter on the scene cried tears of relief as they watched a hulking blonde of muscle and power rush through a villain attack site.

He was truly the image of 'perfected combat'.

No wasted movements, no hesitation, and no wrong level of power.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

A surge of rolling wind tore apart the street but also blew away any available villain in view.

"W-Who's that?" Shouji asked in shocked awe. "H-He's so strong! W-What kinda quirk is that?!"

"Hmm~ That's All Might, the greatest hero in all of Japan," Ippan grinned at the wide-eyed boy, Obito catching on.

"You see, Shouji-kun?" The quirkless man gestured to the cheering people, their cries of joy, all the many types of people and quirks, and then their united front for the grinning hero.

It was magical for the multi-armed boy.

"Being strong doesn't make you a monster, that's not how it works, it's about what you do with power that decides what you are."

The boy nodded.

~NRK~

The morning following that night had Obito murmuring in his sleep, Ippan's head on his arm, Shouji asleep in the crux between them, and the kitsun's arms around him securely.

The quirkless man's eyes cracked open and looked down at the sight of the comfortable boy and then his loved one.

Odd, how incredibly odd.

This felt good, this felt oddly right.

Was this truly where his mind went with Ippan?

Was he truly so taken with this woman that he already wanted a family with her?

Obito muttered something at his own thoughts before a hand on his cheek settled his worries and mind, her head resting against his.

His internal clock told him they had time.

Nothing wrong with a bit more sleep.

~NRK~

~Four Days Later~

"Alright! Amazing!" Tsuyoyoi grinned fiercely. "We've got all the scenes we need for this week, our quota is met!"

The group cheered in response.

"So, enjoy the next four days! Following that, we'll be doing several repeats and more acting!"

"This was amazing!" Hachika grinned as Obito crossed his arms in thought before shrugging.

"You're right, this was rather incredible," he smirked as Ippan beamed.

"We got to be on a set, have parts, and even act in Obi-kun's case! This turned out great!" The kitsune cheered as her fellow Creatoria School members joined in. "We got some real exposure!"

Obito chuckled while Shouji looked up at him. "Nii-chan, um, does she want to be one of the movie stars?" He asked.

"No, Ippan's just happy to live out her dreams," he told the younger male. "She just wants to be moderately well-known," Obito smirked slyly as Ippan giggled bashfully.

"J-Just a bit and then I'll think about being a dance instructor," she crouched to Shouji's level.

"You dance super-well, nee-chan!" The boy complimented as she grinned.

"I hope so! I've gotta learn so many of them!"

"Oh, so ya chose something like that?" Asuka asked. "I suppose it works-kon," she shrugged.

"It's a fine decision!" Taira declared confidently.

"Sure it is," Hosoi shook her head. "For now, I'm ready to actually sleep in a comfy hotel! Being out here is nice, sure, but ya just want some good comfort before you're crowded," she said as Sensoji shrugged.

"Hmph," Ryuuki's eyes twitched to Ippan & Obito before closing. "For now, we'll regain some energy," she chimed in as Takeshita nodded.

"No point to all this work for burnout, you need to relax," he smiled. "Especially since tomorrow's a full-on free day! Time for some sugar cane drinks and pineapple burgers!"

"Ugh," Shouta looked green.

"Hey, it's not bad!"

"It'd essentially be a sweeter tomato, right?" Obito asked, trying to make that work. "The amount of meat necessary would have to be at least three-times its size."

"That's, like, the best part! Obito, pineapple glaze on a burger is to die for!" Takeshita grinned.

"We'll see, might as well try something new."

"Alright, we've got a newcomer!"

"Is that what it is?" Keigo smirked. "Well, pineapple glaze might work on chicken, right?"

"What's a pineapple?" Shouji asked.

"Aw, the culture shock's gonna be great," Nemuri said with big adoring eyes as San's head tilted.

'Culture shock?' He asked.

"It's basically a way of saying how surprising a new culture is," Ippan giggled. "I guess, for you, this might be weird as well."

San nodded.

"So, seriously, you spent one week here and got into it with a rich guy, beat up said rich guy, faced an arsonist," Hizashi ticked-off his fingers. "Met your crazy grandmother, found out you have a crazy grandpa, adopted a child, and now have a giant telepathic snake pet."

He let that sit for the group for a bit.

"Oh, that… That did all happen," Oboro blinked atop a cloud. "Alright, suddenly, I realize your life has gotta be full of fun stuff."

"More than you know," Obito smirked. "For now, let's get going."

~NRK~

He ate some ice cream atop a building while spying on that tank of a vehicle coming down the slopes.

"La Brava, the time has come. What's the first objective?" He asked his phone.

-From the roadmap, they'll rest all day this evening and tomorrow before doing their meet-and-greet- La Brava told him. -At present, we prepare for tomorrow and cause a spectacle, Gentle Criminal!-

"Indeed!"

~NRK~

Their hotel was the same one from the beginning of the trip, a good bit of familiar ground.

And also a good starting point for Obito, San, Ippan, and Shouji to get the six-armed boy some clothes.

Wearing an Obito-adjusted sleeveless white top, a pair of Keigo's red shorts with adjustment that made them into 'sweatpants' on his frame, and his fixed-up shoes, his bandage-covered form turned several heads as he walked behind his adoptive family.

All throughout, Shouji looking around in awe at all the big buildings, the glowing neon lights, and the number of people.

So many, so many with differing quirks, so many differing sizes.

And then he saw all the billboards with the Creatoria Group on them, at least five giant ones dedicated to each member and more with the entire group posing on the front of it.

"W-Whoa!" He said in shock as Ippan giggled while Obito wore an amused smile. "T-This isn't like looking from the mountain! It's all so shiny," Shouji said in awe.

"It is, though this is a lot more than normal cities," the kitsune told him. "After all, the city is welcoming Creatoria and has a big presence for idol groups," Ippan explained.

"Nee-chan, you seriously know your stuff."

'Idol?' San asked, becoming a curious sight for many who looked away from Shouji.

"Think of it as a person who becomes well-known for a particular skill people believe in," Obito explained.

'You idol?'

"Nope."

"You kinda are, nii-chan," Shouji said, confusing Obito as Ippan nodded.

"For what? No offense, I just don't see it," the quirkless man said.

"You're an inspiration to keep trying," she told him.

Obito crossed his arms in thought. "In a way, sure, it's just not what I expect. Especially with how people look at quirkless individuals like me," the man said as they stopped by a store front. "For now, whatever, let's get Shouji some clothes."

Going in had them getting several looks before they went into the 'Short' section.

No, not 'kids', there were many sections nowadays to fit all types of bodies. Especially in places like Fukushima wherein, despite the villages, there was a decent mutant-quirk population.

So, they easily found an area where Shouji could get clothes.

"Um, usually I just wear anything," the boy said as he looked at all the different shirts with giant sleeves, no sleeves, multiple sleeves, and more. "D-Do I need to always wear a different shirt?"

"Not if you don't want to," Ippan told him encouragingly while, on the inside, being saddened. 'He's barely had clothes of his own,' she knew that mindset.

Growing up fast had made it hard for her own wardrobe to remain consistent, she'd lucked-out at her current height being one she'd had for a few years so she had something consistent to work with.

But Shouji's situation was worse because it wasn't from growth, it was from pure prejudice.

"Can I get something simple, nii-chan, nee-chan?" Shouji asked while picking up a sleeveless brown hoodie.

"Of course," the couple said, surprising one another before they smiled in unison.

~NRK~

Their entire group ate out at a yakiniku place, Shouji growing intrigued by the second while San's snakely stomach rumbled.

Obito sweatdropped at said animal's position in his lap.

"So, he can be a cute snake," Hachika observed from Ippan's right, Keigo on Obito's left, with Shouji in between the five of them. "What a crazy world."

'Cute?' San asked. 'What is cute?'

"Oh, if we're going to start giving him lessons on 'cute', don't let the ladies do it," Hizashi chuckled as the women grew rowdy. "Oh please, we all know you'd just confuse him, 'cute' is subjective."

"It can totally be objective," Habami said.

"Sure, like water is wet."

"It's not," Oboro declared confidently.

"Oboro, we can't have this conversation again, it's 'wet', it's part of molecular structure," Shouta told him as Nemuri started laughing.

"Water makes things wet, it's not the same thing. Would you call a fire 'burned'?"

"I-In technical way?"

"Hah, technical."

"Let's not start that shit again, bud."

Obito shook his head as food arrived, his mind loosely-linked with San's own and his hand coming down to gently caress the snake's noggin.

San understood patience greatly in that moment, the urge to eat held aside by the quirkless man's touch and thought.

So, he waited until raw food arrived, waited until it was cooked and personally-seasoned by the human.

And then devoured an entire two-foot steak at Obito's 'release'.

San's jaw worked it in interest, the heat ignored with ease as his eyes sparkled in joy.

"The snake's having a food euphoria, this truly isn't as simple as usual," Shinji sweatdropped as Sensoji ate a steak of similar note with a raised brow.

"How the hell are ya gonna keep that thing fed?" The 'Flash' quirk-user asked.

"By hunting, most likely," Obito told him as San's joy emanated throughout the group. "San's not without reason, he waited, after all," he chuckled weakly.

"That thing is clearly not a normal snake, how the heck do you know he can handle food prepared like that?"

"Because he'd literally tell us."

'Food good,' San declared, half-done. 'Very good!'

Ippan giggled as Shouji observed up-close how San ate.

"Wait, are you chewing?" Shouta asked, blinking in surprise. "Snakes don't usually chew, San."

'I different snake.'

"That so? Well, you're definitely unique."

San's ear fins wiggled, much to the adoration of the women.

Obito rolled his eyes at them while Ryuuki scoffed.

~NRK~

~The Next Day~

Waking up bright and early did Ippan wonders, the kitsune smiling warmly as she awoke on her boyfriend's arm with Shouji asleep in-between them.

'We're like a little family,' she thought with red cheeks and yet an incredible amount of happiness.

If one were to ask her, before her relationship, if she wanted a family, Ippan would have answered 'no'.

Not because motherhood scared her, not because she disliked children, and not because she worried about the dangers of villains.

She'd have said 'no' because she couldn't imagine bringing another life into this world who'd likely be treated as badly as she had been. Ippan couldn't stomach the thought of any child of hers suffering due to her own naivete in wanting a child.

So, no, before all of this she'd have been quite adamant about not giving life to an undeserving child.

But then Obito changed her world view.

He came to love her for not just who she was but how much potential he saw in her.

Obito wasn't emotionally adept and yet he tried, he wanted to try, and did his best despite how embarrassed he could become.

And then there were his words of encouragement, the ones that told her he was thinking of her always, of how help her reach her dreams.

'I wonder what a kiss would be like…?' Ippan wondered dreamily.

The sun peeked through their curtains and played over the shadow-covered trio.

Obito & Shouji sound asleep.

And Ippan Josei wide awake as she burned like the sun itself.

K-K-K-Kissing?! She wanted to kiss him?!

L-Like on the l-lips?!

The kitsune's ears flagged as she steam shoot out of her ears, the thought beginning to snowball in her mind as she tried to understand h-how it'd work.

'D-Do I tilt my head?' She didn't know! 'M-Maybe it's like normal?' But she had a snout and he didn't.

If anything, Obito might think this was horrible!

'No! I've g-gotta get this right,' now that she was 'on' the idea, Ippan's mind conjured up images of how this worked.

Of how to kiss.

'Think, think, think!' She licked her lips and tried to memorize how her mouth usually was. 'He's not kissing the snout tip, um, my lips are lower,' God, why did you gift her this body?!

This was gonna go wrong, somehow!

She was actually failing to get the 'angle'. How did she kiss someone with a normal mouth?

Ippan Josei's mind was overtaken by the mere concept alone for the next hour.

Obito raised a brow as he left the bathroom with Shouji, the quirkless man wiping his face with a towel as Shouji looked refreshed. 'What's going on with her?' He wondered as San slept in a recently-bought pet bed by the windows.

Looking at his girlfriend made him sweatdrop at how frazzled she seemed, how annoyed she pouted, how dazed her gaze was.

"Ippan-chan?" He called to no response. "Ippan?"

Nothing, how concerning.

Obito came over and sat beside her as Shouji greeted the awakening San before getting flustered at an idea.

The quirkless student kissed her cheek, snapping her out of her trance.

"H-Huh?!" She squeaked, jumping further into bed in shock as Obito's embarrassment broke when he snorted. "O-Obi-kun?!" Ippan held her burning cheek.

"You seemed pretty lost in thought and, well," Obito looked sheepish. "You didn't respond to any of my calls."

Ippan blushed harshly, remembering why she was like that. 'I-I can't tell him!' Not yet!

She wanted to figure this out before asking him!

~NRK~

Breakfast with the others came with a bit of separation of the sexes.

An opportune time for the embarrassed kitsune.

"What's gotcha frazzled, Ipp-chan?" Hachika asked, sipping some sea salt coffee with a zen-like expression. "Come on, come on~ Spill the tea-"

"H-How do you kiss a man?" Ippan asked immediately.

The others spat out their coffee in unison.

"H-Huwah?!" Hachika burned at the question as the others grew just as flustered.

Save for one smirking Asuka. "Good, thank-Wait a second! A month? You've waited a whole month to kiss someone-kon?!" The redheaded grandma began to smirk before sputtering. "You both aren't going to wait until marriage, are you?!"

The others burned like candles while Ryuuki's eyebrow trembled in embarrassment.

"Dokudami-san, inappropriate!" The Lizard Idol slapped the table.

"I don't care about that, I'm thinking my lineage."

God, why was she such a difficult woman?!

Habami cleared her throat, looking down, while Taira grew red in jealousy!

Hosoi's face went blank while Nagabiko burned like a turnip.

"A-Actually, now that ya said it, how does that work?" The bobcat woman wondered nervously as the table came back to its senses.

"I-I don't know~" Ippan whined.

"It's easy," Asuka declared. "Come now, it's just a kiss-kon."

"W-We're not just talking about the kiss!"

"?"

"O-Oh, she, uh, means the whole 'snout to mouth' thing," Hachika realized as Ippan nodded rapidly, the others growing baffled as they tried to imagine it. "When ya think about it?" The octopus looked sheepish. "I never considered how to kiss a guy when my lips are kinda different," she popped her pair in embarrassment. "It just worked, Ippan's kinda got a whole different 'geometry' to work with."

"I mean," Hosoi tapped her lip. "I don't think I know how this works."

"It's just about the angle, right?" Flare asked with interest as Ann facepalmed. "Like, 45 degrees? Y-You turn your head when you kiss, don't you?" She added with red cheeks.

That got some red, confused, faces.

"W-Wait, do you?" Habami whispered in horror.

"A little," Asuka answered with a shrug. "After all, there's the nose in the way of making it deep-kon," she smirked as the other women blushed horribly. "Then again, who knows how much turning you start doing after you begin-"

"Okay, I like where this is going!" Nemuri grinned as she arrived in an open white hoodie. "A buncha ladies who wonder about 'The Kiss', truly, a meeting of the ages."

"S-So, um, you have?" Ippan asked.

"Oh yeah, bunch of times."

"So, you, Hachi-chan, and Asuka-san," the kitsune pouted as the heroine chuckled.

"It's obvious what I missed, ya wanna lay one on your boy, that's absolutely fine. And the angle is getting to ya," Nemuri said while adjusting her coat. "In yer case, I've never really seen it in person but I know it's not that crazy."

"Oh, so my input was no good-kon," Asuka huffed with crossed arms.

"No one's sayin' ya got no experience, madam, but you also strike me as someone who just says 'do it' and pretends that's good enough."

"..." Asuka didn't answer that query.

"Ya see?~ Now, Ippan-chan, ya both have given a few kisses on cheek, no?"

"Y-Yeah?" Ippan answered hopefully.

"You might wanna just do a few more of those before getting lip-to-lip, ya gotta 'practice' your skills."

Ippan looked shocked, embarrassed, and yet thoughtful.

"Huh, that's actually good information," Flare realized.

"It's definitely professional," Ryuuki said while shooting the groaning Asuka a flat look.

"Save your breath, in my day, we just knew what we were doing, children," she huffed. "Everyone's so reserved-kon."

"I-It's not that weird, obaa-chan," Nagabiko muttered.

"Meh."

Ippan considered their words.

"Ah, this conundrum," Natsuo began while sipping on a horribly complicated mess of coffee. "I will say that movies make it more glamorous than it is."

Obito grunted as San sat around his body. "Really?" He asked with red cheeks.

"Oh, yeah, it's not that crazy unless you're gonna follow-through," Oboro said sheepishly as many of the other men blushed or grew thoughtful.

"It's nothing that complicated," Raiju shook his head. "Obito-kun, you're both young, this is honestly rather natural."

"Don't ask," Shouta said immediately.

"Eh, a bit of experience here," Sensoji shrugged. "It's about the angle, ain't it?"

"Am I that obvious?" Obito asked while drinking some tea. "Yes, I don't want this to go badly for her," he explained. "But it's not like kissing someone ever really came up, much less kissing a kitsune woman, it's weird what direction my life took."

'Kiss?' San asked, confused, while chewing on a long stick of deer jerky.

"It's a thing people do, mostly those who are in a relationship or want to be in a relationship," the Uchiha answered immediately.

"In the end, shouldn't ya just ask?" Hizashi asked him while drinking an iced coffee. "Like, you guys are clearly into each other, yer each other's confidant, and didn't ya tell us you both want your relationship to be 'open' about feelings?"

"You should ask nee-chan, nii-chan," Shouji told him while drinking some juice. "Isn't that easier?"

"It… It is, Shouji, I'm sure it is but it's awkward," Obito told the boy.

"W-Well, when Imai said things were embarrassing, we could talk in our secret tent."

"You got a treehouse, kid?" Hizashi asked.

"Yeah! Before all of this, we'd play by the river and Imai told me that we should put up a bunch of wood and stuff since I was super-strong," Shouji said. "We made a tent and we'd play there a lot, especially because it kept me out of the villagers' sight," he pouted a bit before finding Obito's hand on his noggin.

"Imai was clearly a good friend, I'm sure, one day, when you're incredibly strong you can visit without worry," Obito told him.

"I-I want to! She was my best friend, she got in trouble for me, I don't want to forget her, nii-chan."

"And ya won't, just keep on being a good guy and grow up strong," Oboro grinned. "I betcha Obi's gonna make ya like a super-awesome six-armed swordsman!"

Shouji's eyes shined at the idea as the men chuckled.

"Actually, since we have time, Shouji-kun," Obito began. "I want your input, what do you think about fighting?"

"Ah, a good question," Shinji said with a nod.

"Fighting?" The six-armed boy thought it over. "I think it's necessary," Shouji admitted.

"That's the right way to view it," Sensoji nodded. "Don't take my usual annoyance for anything else, fighting's great, it's fun, but it's not everything life has to offer."

"You really mellowed out, huh?" Hizashi grinned. "God, being in UA you were totally different."

Sensoji hummed before shrugging. "I did. I got a reality check, life's not all sunshine and rainbows, this job definitely made me aware of that," he 'ughed'. "I thought this would be easy, maybe enjoy the lap of luxury, look good on press, and everything. Now? NOW, I'm terrified of that cat woman leaving my sight, I literally can't be more than a few meters away without worrying about something happening!"

"Yeah, this whole thing kinda made that clear," Takeshita added. "But it's not all the time, just, like, half of it," he drank an herbal drink. "After all, most of the week's been uneventful."

"Thankful for it."

Obito nodded to their words before wearing a thoughtful expression. "Maybe, Shouji, I will follow your advice," he told his adoptive sibling. "I just know this is going to be embarrassing."

"Just head back to your room and ask," Oboro gave him a thumbs-up. "No more, no less."

"San, make sure to follow them and be careful," Obito told the snake on the table, getting a nod in response.

The Uchiha nodded before getting up and walking towards the women's table.

As he did, the others squawked at his approach before Obito stood beside Ippan's seat with a nervous smile.

"Can we talk about something?" He asked his girlfriend as she gasped before blushing with a nod.

Getting up, they left the dining area.

The entire trip from there to their room was maddening, the silence, the emotions, and then the curiosity on Ippan's side.

'What could he want to talk about?' She thought flusteredly. 'Maybe training? A date?' They'd gone on a few, honestly, mostly to places where they bought stuff for cooking, 'Oh, what if he wants to talk about ideas on how to make the most of my quirk?' Ippan felt like that might be the one. 'A-And then I can ask him about k-kissing.'

They reached their room and went inside before Obito closed the door.

He went over and sat beside Ippan, the two young adults growing flustered at the silence.

"I called you in here because, w-well," Obito rubbed his nape. "That, erm, kiss on the cheek from this morning was more surprising than I thought."

Ippan's ears shot up, her jaw dropping at his embarrassed words.

"I might have thought about more than just… Just a kiss on the cheek-"

"Y-You, too?" Ippan gasped, surprising him.

"I suppose I'm not alone in all of this."

"You're not, I-I've been thinking about it," she blushed. "I-I think it was an hour before you woke up. I was all sleepy a-and I thought about kissing you but then I didn't know how!"

Obito's ears reddened but, soon enough, he cupped his chin. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"W-Well, I've got a snout."

He blinked owlishly at her before getting where she was coming from.

"Ippan-chan, I didn't even think about that," Obito realized what she was talking about. "That's actually quite curious. I don't know how this works for snout-to-mouth."

"Y-You're saying the same thing Hachi did," Ippan admitted with an embarrassed giggle.

"She looks out for you, a lot, it's not surprising she'd have the right idea," he crossed his arms. "So, would you like to find out how?"

Ippan's face hit a new red hue as Obito's own did before she nodded shyly.

"B-But how do we just…" She grew more flustered as she realized this was happening. 'A kiss! We're gonna share a kiss!' But now she was trying to remember all the others' words about the matter.

A-Angles! Lip-to-lip! D-Did she hold his head? Shoulders? Would he hold hers?

Oh God, she didn't have any material for this!

Obito looked down. "Well, we could try it, ourselves," he told her. "Or, we could look it up?" He offered awkwardly.

Ippan froze before she gasped and nodded rapidly.

Looking up 'first kisses' had offered them an odd amount of material.

"There's a veritable library on kissing?" Obito felt more alarmed than he ever could embarrassed, eyes blinking in shock as he kept scrolling and more showed up. "W-What the hell's with these numbers?!"

"I… I think it's just the world being so appropriate?" Ippan said unsurely as she, too, scrolled before growing thoughtful. "There's actually a lot with mutant-type quirks."

A lot, like, an enormous amount.

"I think this makes sense," Obito said as he turned on the TV before casting a video to it. "When you consider how many people learned to find the beauty within, there's got to be tutorials and life videos about it."

Ippan grew intrigued by the idea as they watched a video of a rock man with a normal-looking woman.

They grew sheepish before she kissed him on his seemingly-pursed, not even a hint of being pushed-out, lips and how they both blushed at the contact.

"I see, I see, that's just how you both handle it," the content creator said as they nodded. "Did it take some time for you both to work up the courage."

"Yes, oh my God," the stone man said nervously as his girlfriend giggled. "The amount of nightmares I had nearly made it not work out."

"He'd always be skittish about it, in the three months we were together we nearly broke it off until we sat down and had a talk," the woman said with a bashful smile. "I didn't know he was so worried, I wanted him to be open about it and when he did I felt horrible. I was being so insensitive."

"You weren't, I was just being an idiot."

"Maybe but I should have also looked into it, I mean, I-I kinda didn't even think about you being a rock man."

She giggled as he laughed.

It was honestly fascinating and they looked at the next.

Uhm, a giant of a man with a woman nearly half his size kissed with her lips pecking his bigger ones without a doubt as he held her up.

"Oh yeah, um, when it gets a bit 'serious' we see someone with a shrink quirk but, overall, this has worked for us," the giant said as his wife blushed horribly but happily, a chameleon tongue coming out of her mouth.

"Yes~ It was weird, at first, but then we realized my tongue could help a lot-" She said without filter.

"D-Dear, slow down."

"Why~ It's the culmination of love finding a way~."

He looked so embarrassed, the teens chuckled in unison.

The more they watched, the more interesting things got.

Especially when they reached one matching their 'aesthetic'.

"Y-Yep," a fox woman answered bashfully as her fiance, a tall man with wings and scaled arms, smiled with her in his arms. "When we started dating, there was a lotta speculation. I was prom queen, he was a dork at the time, and we just kinda clicked," she looked so embarrassed.

"I told her I thought her fur was amazing," the man chuckled. "And then, like, left. I didn't know she was so affected."

"I've always been complimented about my fur but he was just so honest about it. Not about what the 'fur covered' but about its quality, all the hard work I put into it."

"We met a couple times throughout the week and, one time, I helped her get some mud out of it and things just went places."

"I see, I see," the content creator grew amused. "So, you know what this show's about, what's the technique? What's the lead-in?" He asked the blushing lovers before the male cleared his throat and turned his fox lover around in his arms.

The watching couple leaned in.

Right as the man held his fiance's cheek, the two students jumped as a giant form flew on by.

"A-Ack?!" Ippan jumped into Obito's arms as they gawked at what had happened. "W-What?!"

"Oh crap! Let's get the hell out of here!" The content creator yelped before cutting the video. "S-Sorry, my adoring fans, there seems to be a villain attack! I'll be giving my review of it tomorrow! Keep an eye out for my video!"

It ended there, leaving the couple's jaws dropped at what had taken place.

"The one couple that fit our body types is the one he gets interrupted by?!" Obito said incredulously as Ippan looked through his phone for another video on said couple.

Over 100 videos and they saw not one other couple like that one, t-there was no way this wasn't a cosmic prank, was there?!

"T-There's no way," Ippan whispered in disbelief.

They locked eyes and tried to come up with something.

Obito adjusted Ippan in his lap, minding her generous frame for both their sakes before doing something a bit scandalous.

Ippan squeaked as he pushed her down onto the bed, hand by her head as he leaned over her.

His girlfriend's completely red visage and yet glowing gaze left Obito a bit stunned before he leaned down and pressed their noggins together.

"We'll just try it," Obito told her in a whisper as she closed her eyes and held the sides of his face. "It's not like we're supposed to be masters of it, this is new to both of us," most definitely.

Him, a reincarnate who'd been spurred by a love he'd let destroy himself and nearly the world.

Her, a mutant with a complex and an inconsistent life full of more 'downs' than 'ups'.

Obito released a breath before holding her cheek, leaning back, and tilting his head slightly to the side.

He closed in and caught the front of her lips with his own, eyes closing.

The feeling wasn't magical, it wasn't like the planets & stars aligned, and it's not like they were covered by a film of happiness, love, and joy.

But it was nice, it felt right, and the feeling of her in his hold made his instincts flare.

Obito got used to it, the feeling of kissing her came with a unique sensation from her lips.

They were soft, 'focused' due to the snout, and warm. Really warm.

This feeling was incredibly rare and that ignited more of his passion as he pressed her into the bed and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

For Ippan, as the kissing got a bit more heavy, she'd felt warmth grow within her chest that had her blushing the whole time and yet happier than ever before.

There weren't hearts everywhere, this wasn't a moment where time stopped, this wasn't something out of this world she thinks.

But it was good, it was kind, and it made her feel so loved by Obito.

His lips against hers were a perfect fit, his kissing was so strong and filled her senses while his gentle hold made her feel incredibly secure.

They parted with swallowing breaths, eyes locking with one another as they gasped a bit.

They blushed the most they'd ever blushed before, the feeling on their lips surprisingly electric as they considered the kiss.

"T-That was amazing," Ippan blushed even as she felt out his shoulders in this position. "I guess it wasn't that hard?" She said bashfully.

"It took a small bit but it turned out to be needless worrying," Obito chuckled as she smiled. "Still, there's not going to be a bed everywhere we go," he smirked at his red-faced girlfriend. "We should probably be prepared for that."

"?!" Ippan's reddened visage looked to the side before she nodded rapidly, shooting him an eager side-eye.

He helped her sit up, doing so at her side.

"Still, that's definitely gonna take some time for PDA," Obito said flusteredly as Ippan nodded with a shy but happy smile. "But it's nothing to really worry about," he chuckled as she giggled.

They looked out their window.

And saw the flying harpy woman who rushed for their window.

~NRK Out~