Chapter IV: Part of the Village

With his brief time traveling from his rebuilt childhood home to Kagutsuchi, Ragna had needed to spend a few cold nights in the wild. Nothing new for him obviously, even when considering the peace that had been obtained and the criminal status he was no longer at the mercy of (which still had a sick sense of humor every time it decided to come up and throw another wrench into his life whenever some Vigilante still hadn't gotten the message). Part of him even enjoyed most of nights out in the wilderness; as long as the weather was good and he could find a good spot out of the way of any Seither Beasts, it was very serene and he'd even added a couple of his favorite camping spots to his traveling journal.

Maybe it was just another sign that he himself was getting softer as time went on. Now starting to find the basic joys of waking up in an actual bed, the new warmth that proper blankets would give him…

Or, just maybe, it was the fact that Ragna was slowly growing accustomed to sharing these beds more and more.

'She's not going to let go of me until she's damn ready,' he thought, looking at his current bedfellow's still sleeping face.

Upon waking, he had to remind himself that this was the same Taokaka back from when he couldn't see her face due to her hood's enchantment. Her arms and legs were still wrapped him in a vice grip, though he still had his arms free as he'd been holding her in them throughout the night, and he could probably move his legs with some difficulty so there was at least that. Without any natural sunlight in the village to base the time off of, there was no real way to figure out how late they'd already slept for and it wasn't like Tao had any clocks in her house (which was expected with her laissez-faire attitude). He supposed he could try to awaken the feline by force if it truly came to that, but at the moment he didn't really have the heart to make the attempt.

'At worst she'll just have to wake up when she gets hungry; if there's one thing in this world she can't sleep through, it's an empty stomach,' he figured. Glancing around her room, he was reminded of their plans to get this place clean and realized just the kind of fight he'd be in for. 'She says she wants to stay dedicated to this whole wife thing; today will be a good wake-up call if she needs to rethink if it's really worth committing to.' Speaking of a wake-up call, it was just then that there was a series of rapid knocking on Tao's front door. 'Who the-?'

"Big Sis Tao! Mister Rawrgna!"

"The elder said she wants to see you!"

"She told us to make sure to knock on the door! She made us super-duper promise!"

'That usual trio of kittens,' Ragna realized. 'Wait, the elder made sure they all knocked. Made it clear that was what they all had to do. Was she… expecting Tao and I to bang last night? …Was she HOPING for that?' Deciding he didn't exactly need to (or even want to) know the answer to that question, Ragna tried gently shaking Tao awake. "Let her know we'll be over to see her in a little bit. I gotta get Tao up first."

"Oh! That's easy!"

"The nice doctor lady stopped by the elder's earlier today!"

"She brought some of Big Sis Tao's favorite-!"

"MEAT BUNS!" After getting over the shock of Taokaka screaming her favorite food right in his face, the feline let Ragna out of the vice grip before vaulting into the air, somersaulting forward nine full times, and landing on the one spot of her room not littered by garbage with perfect form. Ragna swore the bright smile on her face could put the sun to shame. "Tao and Good Guy will be on our way soon!"

"You better hurry before they get cold!" one of the kittens called from the other side.

"We wanna play with Rawrgna later too!"

"I've gotten a lot better at climbing! I wanna show you!"

Listening as the kittens scurried off, Ragna couldn't help but smirk as he rose upright in Tao's bed. There was going to be some chaos whenever he came to visit the village, but they'd always been there for him even during the darker parts of his life. They'd given him shelter when he'd needed to heal too… he'd never forget this place.

"Meow? Good Guy's smiling a lot all of a sudden. Are ya looking forward to Boobie Lady's meat buns too?"

"Nah, that's not the reason. But I'm not about to turn down a free treat like that," he said as he finally stood, watching where he stepped since there wasn't much room with all of the garbage. "…I hope you remember that we're getting this room cleaned today."

"Tao remembers! She's gonna work super-duper hard so Good Guy will want to come back!" she said with determination before grabbing Ragna's arm. "Come on! Meat buns might be good whenever, but Tao likes them best when they're still steaming!"

"Alright alright, you don't have to drag me," Ragna reminded as he was pulled outside.

Because the Kaka clan was such a closely knit community and hardly anyone from the higher level of Kagutsuchi ever found themselves coming so far down the mountain, there was hardly a need for any of the houses to have locks for their doors. Judging by the sunlight on the city's edge, Ragna figured that they hadn't slept in too late after all and it was currently late morning. Meaning the large pot they were preparing at the center of town was likely preparing the village for its later lunch… not that he could ever tell what meal it was for judging by its bizarre contents.

'Hard to believe that stuff is edible, let alone that it actually tastes halfway decent.' It wasn't as if Ragna hadn't had to do his own fair share of foraging for nutrition, but that usually came from the wilderness instead of the… sewers. 'I hope that they've been able to enjoy some better food with the money I've given them.' "Tao, has the rest of the village been eating okay?"

"Meow? We've been doing pretty good," she told him, wondering why he felt the need to ask. "All the money Good Guy's been sending has been put to work on getting us enough food to feed everyone and making our village a better place to live in."

"So you eat all of that because you actually like how it tastes," he summarized, gesturing with his free hand to the giant pot.

"Yep! Even if we have a lot more options, everyone still loves our classic Kaka-Scavenger-Cuisine that we've had to make in tough times!" she said proudly. "Some of us even started up a small stand on the higher levels so we can show the rest of Kaka-suchi our amazing cooking!"

"Really? News to me. How's it doing?" Immediately Tao's ears drooped and Ragna got his first look of Tao's real face when it was sad. "Not well?"

"Nope, I don't think we've gotten more than one or two customers," she sighed. "And we used a some of Good Guy's money to build our stand in the first place."

"So? It's not like you wasted it; I'll give it a look later," the Reaper promised.

"Good guy~!" Tao sang cheerfully as she cuddled even closer to his arm.

"…Not that I mind, but you've been clinging to my arm ever since we left," Ragna informed.

"Yep~!"

…Well, he couldn't argue with that.

Later -The Elder's House

"There's the loving couple now," was how the two were greeted as they walked into the humble abode. Already Tao was starting to drool as the smell of Meat Buns was almost intoxicating. "I certainly hope you didn't scar our young when they went retrieve you; I did try to give them careful warning."

'…She's really asking if we did the deed.' "They listened to you… not that there would've been anything for them to see if they had barged in."

"Just Tao and Good Guy cuddling." No shame from Ragna's partner certainly. Somehow, he didn't feel all that embarrassed since she was so casual with it.

"Ah, to fall asleep sleeping in each other's arms," the elder teased wistfully. "Then again, I needed to do my best to be careful all the same; you young folk always seem so eager to rush into such pleasures."

"No, just wishful thinking on your part," Ragna sighed while Tao giggled. "So Litchi dropped these off, how's she doing?"

"She seemed to be very well," the elder answered. "Of course, I may have accidentally brought up the situation between you both."

"I don't buy the word accidentally in that sentence for a second," the Reaper rightfully accused as his partner let go of his arm long enough to go for the Doctor's offered Meat Buns. 'Maybe I should check in with her at some point while I'm in town.'

While Litchi hadn't been nearly as close to Ragna as Tao was, she'd been the one to stabilize him when he'd been put in critical condition here. She never asked for any money from him either, she was just that dedicated to healing who she could. He hadn't seen her since the world had finally achieved its peace, but he had to assume she was still living with Linhua and Tao would often pop in for visits. Which was good… he didn't know what happened to the Roy guy she was trying to save, but he did know that Arakune wasn't around anymore.

"I'll notice that your wardrobe has changed since last night," the elder began as Tao offered one of Litchi's meatbuns to her partner while she munched on her own. "It's a good look on you."

"Thanks, I think so too," Ragna agreed as he looked down to his dark Kaka clan coat. "Nice and snug too. Tao really put her all into this."

"Yep! And Tao's happy Good Guy likes it so much!" Tao said in between finishing one meat bun and already going for a second one.

"And Tao? Have you shown Ragna your true face yet?" She nodded honestly to answer, but Ragna could see that Tao was actually blushing a bit when she confessed that. "I had a suspicion that's what happened. So will the two of you be married after all?"

"Tao… doesn't want to pressure Good Guy, elder. Good Guy's already traveling around a lot and Tao has lots to learn!" Neither of them could see it with her skull mask, but elder was almost visibly shaken with how level-headed Tao had answered.

"And I'm not turning the idea down; we're just making sure that Tao knows the full scope of what she's in for and it's what she really wants to do," Ragna answered. "Besides, we've both already agreed that we're family, married or not."

"…As fair a stance as any," the elder conceded as Ragna finally got a bite in of his meat-bun (Tao was already on her third).

"Now, talk to me about this food stand you guys were trying to open. Tao said it wasn't doing all that well, so I can step in and see if we can't fix it."

"You'll have to talk with Chef-Kaka," the chief explained. Ragna had to wonder if that was just their title or if this was some sort of Smurf thing. "Of course, you can't keep the little ones waiting. They might have shown some restraint earlier, but they're still dying to play with you."

"Right, I'll make some time for the tykes," he conceded. 'Of course, that's what Jubei told me just so he'd send me here to get married. I still don't get what my Master was planning, but happy ending or not it was a dirty play.' A large part of Ragna wanted to find a way to pay his master back for his mischief, he just didn't know how.

"And you Tao? What are your plans in the village?"

"Meow, Tao promised Good Guy that we'd get my place cleaned," she answered.

"Which I've been telling you to do for several weeks now," the Elder sighed.

"And she'll be staying on top of it from here on out." Ragna promised, before looking expectantly to Tao. "Right?"

"Mmmhmm!" Tao answered positively… well as much as she could with her mouth full of her fifth meatbun already.

'Hope Litchi made enough for her,' Ragna considered as he barely got started on his second. 'Damn, these are actually really good. Gonna have to try and get the recipe from the Doc.'

The young potential couple stayed and talked with the elder, but it wasn't anything of major import. Most of it was just the state of the village since Ragna's last visit and thankfully the Elder could attest that they were all doing much better in their small home beneath the Hierarchal City. In fact, it even seemed that there had been a few births since Ragna's last visit bringing the population of the clan to a very slow growth.

Now leaving the residency, the two were making their plans for the rest of the day.

"I'll try to check in with the chef and figure out if we can make that stand more profitable," Ragna decided. "Why don't you head back to your house and start clearing it out. I'll be back later for the more thorough stuff."

"Meow? But doesn't Good Guy need to play with the kittens like he promised?" she reminded. "Can Tao get started when he does that?"

"I… guess? Don't you usually love playing with the kids though? Why do you want to miss out on that?"

"Tao doesn't want to miss out on play time, but Tao also want to go to see Chef-Kaka with Good Guy! She needs to learn about cooking so she's able to make the kind of food he likes!"

"That's sweet, but if we went through with this thing, wouldn't I be the one cooking?" Ragna reminded.

"Meow? Why wouldn't both of us?" Tao corrected. "Tao needs to make sure that she can feed herself and… others when Good Guy isn't around." The smiling blush made it clear just what she was implying with that. Ragna couldn't contain his own reddening complexion.

"Fair enough," he conceded. Tao gave a giggle as she wrapped her arms around Ragna's right arm as they started walking off. Thanks to obtaining the True Azure and his own growth, Ragna didn't have to worry about siphoning soul energy so Tao could stay where she was… and he'd grown to love this kind of closeness with those he cared about.

"Hey, Good Guy? How long are you going to stick around?" Tao asked him, though it didn't seem like she was sad about the idea, just curious. "Tao knows you have to leave to travel around, write your next big book, and visit other friends. How long are you going to be in the village?"

"Probably just a couple of days," Ragna guessed. "If you want me too, I can probably try to stay a bit longer."

"It's fine; Tao's going to do her best to take what Good Guy's teaching her to heart." Again, Tao's enthusiasm with the whole thing made things easier on Ragna. "But for now, she's just going to things one step at a time and help the village while she does!"

"Meaning you're still going to be the village guardian?"

"Yep! Tao's gonna protect our home!" she proudly declared.

'Our… nice,' the Reaper thought with a soft smile. "It'll be in good hands then… paws? Either way, I know you'll do a good job." Even while walking, Tao seemed to be snuggling up to him more and more.

Higher Levels

"I think I'm starting to see the problem," Ragna said as he stood behind the small counter of the Kaka Clan's food stall. "Count yourself lucky that the health inspector hasn't been back here; they'd get the place shut down if you kept all of the food out in the open like this."

"But I don't get a-nya-one sick," the head cook of the Kaka clan protested. "Not once have any of the kittens gotten ill from the village's cooking."

"Right, but you guys have a stronger immune system than most humans. In fact, I think those stomachs of yours can put most Beastkins to shame," Ragna said. "…You'll have to get something to chill the food for certain, and clean water so you can clean the dishes more thoroughly between uses. Also, what the heck's with this menu? All you have are bowl sizes."

"Meow? That's because I serve everyone the same way I serve the village! One big pot of food with everything in it! Everyone loves it, even the few customers we've had!"

"That's…" Ragna tried to think it over. He couldn't completely change what the chef was doing; no amount of goodwill would ever convince that kind of drastic action. While he though it over, he realized no one walking the streets seemed to be recognizing him with his new hooded coat Tao had made him. He considered that maybe he should be wearing it more often. "I think you should have that be the house special. Make it a big selling point of the place, but also have some regular dishes that you sell around it so you'll get customers that will still come to eat here if they're not interested with what's in the pot."

"Meow? What kind of dishes?" Tao asked. "Like Meatbuns?"

"No, then you'd need to have all the materials to make them constantly at the village. More soups, stews, and maybe a couple of stir-fry dishes," Ragna guessed. "If you're going to be feeding the entire village and running this stand, you're going to need some more help. You're also going to need a good supplier for this stuff. It's a big investment to make."

"Meow… but can you help me get started?" the chef asked.

"Even if this restaurant idea doesn't fall through, I can at least show you a couple of recipes to use in the future," Ragna promised. Tao was practically bouncing at the idea. "Get the place set up, I'll grab a couple of supplies to get us started."

"You sure Good Guy? You'd be spending lotsa money."

"Not nearly as much as taking you out to eat," Ragna reminded. 'Seriously, this investment alone is probably going to save me a fortune.'

Worries of money put aside for the moment, it wasn't long before Ragna was back and walking both Tao and the head chef through a basic stir-fry recipe. He wasn't just teaching them what ingredients to use and cooking time, but how to maintain a station while you cooked, keep everything clean, wiping down tools, and prevent general spills. Not too long later, there were three nicely prepared bowl of chicken stir-fry in front of them. Ragna's was easily the ideal to strive for, but the chef's didn't look too far behind and even Tao's looked fairly appetizing.

"Meow? Is this really what people up top eat?" the chef asked as he eyed his own bowl. Tao was trying really hard to keep from devouring her own creation. "Seems…complicated."

"Yeah, there's a lot of technique involved. But the good part about simple recipes like this is that there's a lot of freedom of expression," Ragna reassured. "After I show you some soups and stews, you'll have a pretty decent build up and we you can start showing off a real menu."

"Wow! That stuff smells good! I'll take a bowl!"

Even if Ragna hadn't immediately recognized the voice or even the face, the speaker's bushy tail made it only too obvious who he was talking to.

"Makoto?"

"Huh? Ragna the-?" She stopped herself from saying his full title to avoid getting too much attention from passersby. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Good Guy's helping us make good food to sell," Tao exclaimed proudly. Makoto wasn't too well acquainted with her, but she knew enough to be surprised at the idea of her making food instead of devouring everything in sight.

"That right?" she asked before getting a better look of Ragna's apparel and smirking. "That's quite a look on you."

"Tao made it," the Reaper explained. "Really good fit too." He shrugged. "You said you wanted a bowl? This one'll be on me."

"Sweet, think I'll take you up on that," Makoto said as she took a seat on one of the crates in front of the stall (Ragna hadn't found proper chairs or stools yet, so they'd had to settle for this) and broke apart the offered chopsticks on Ragna's bowl. "Thanks for the food!"

"Thanks for the food~!" Tao repeated as the two began digging in shortly before the Kaka chef started on their own bowl. "Good Guy! This is really good!"

"I'll say! I haven't had anything like this in forever!" Makoto said in between her own bites. "You never told me you could cook."

"I never had the chance to; reality-wide apocalypse and all that," Ragna reminded. "Plus, you and the rest of the world still had me as a terrorist back then."

"Good Guy's really just a big old softy," Tao revealed with a snicker.

"I wouldn't go that far," Ragna denied.

Makoto had a brief pause as she noticed the two. Since Ragna had left the church, she'd heard about his growing relationship with Noel and her sisters during a recent phone call, but… were they really being so open that Ragna and Taokaka were already a thing too? Even if she had questions, she realized she was also in a position where she couldn't start a scene.

"So what are you doing in Kagutsuchi? Noel told me you were bouncing between Kazamotsu and Sector Seven," Ragna recounted. "Kagutsuchi seems pretty damn out of the way."

"That's where I'm set up most of the time, but I had to come this way on business," she explained.

"So what is Squirrel Lady doing for her job? Is it important?" Tao asked. "Is it fun?"

"It's… one of those," Makoto sighed.

"Oh, just important," she realized. "LAAAAAAAME."

"I'm guessing you can't get into fine print, but who's the job for? The NOL or Kokonoe?" Ragna questioned.

"Like you just said, can't get into it," she denied before looking back at the bowl. "I hope now that I've said something, you're not thinking of getting involved."

"Please. If I try anything too drastic then I'll have the entire world on edge again," the Reaper denied. "Besides, I already have my own job to worry about."

"Good guy has to watch the kittens of our village," Tao snickered.

"Oh… is that really so bad?" Makoto asked, figuring she'd swap role with Ragna had she been able to.

"Probably not… I just hope I don't have to tailor this new coat too much afterwards."

Later -Back in the Village-

"See!? See!? I can climb up to your shoulder really quick!"

"Wow! Your white hair is really really soft! I thought it'd be sharp and pointy!"

"Why are your eyes different colors? They look like bright holiday trees!"

Taokaka's gift to Ragna was certainly proving to be durable, but Ragna was still feeling bits of the kitten's claws as they climbed all over him and tried to pull his attention towards them. It wasn't just the usual trio of kittens that he normally dealt with either; apparently some of the even younger children of the village had grown big enough to play with the Reaper… meaning he was hounded with questions whilst letting all seven of them climb all over him.

'This is what I signed up for,' he repeated in his mind again and again. Now, Ragna was hardly bitter that he'd been handed this job. Playing with these tykes was an effort but it was at least something he enjoyed doing. He'd probably have ended up doing this whether or not the Elder had asked him to, though part of that might've been the kids' obsession with him. At least their parents appreciated his effort… he thought; kind of hard to tell when all most of the passing adults did was snicker mischievously with those happy smiles on their faces.

"Hey! Hey! Is it true Mr. Rawrgna is going marry Miss Tao?" That had been asked by one of the even younger children, hence the use of Miss instead of Big Sis.

"Where did you hear that?" Ragna asked before catching the kitten that had been about to fall off the top of his head.

"From our parents! They've been talking about it for a while now! Especially with Big Sis taking so long on this coat so that it'd be perfect!" That was from one of the original trio. "So? So? Is it true?"

"I mean… it's probably going to happen," Ragna had to admit. He had to keep himself from swearing at the sudden pain he felt on his back. "Hey! Hey! No full claws while climbing me!"

"But I can't get up so good!" the youngest of the children whined. Sighing, Ragna instead offered the child his arm which was quickly claimed.

"Where's that big sword you always got?" one of the children asked.

"Back at Tao's place, not the kind of thing that should be around kids." The Reaper then gave a knowing smirk to the little ones. "And there's no telling what kind of mischief you all could get up to with it."

"What kind of mischief?"

"Like I'm going to give you any ideas."

"Ideas? You mean like using it to hold up the fish shop owner and get a bunch of fish from him!"

…That had been the youngest of them, the one hanging on his arm.

"You don't need to do that sort of thing anymore; you guys'll have plenty of money coming in so you won't have to scrounge around," Ragna promised as his hood was pulled off and one of the kittens was using it as their own carry pouch. "And more to the point, you shouldn't steal now that you don't need to. Got it?"

"Okay!" Somehow, Ragna had the feeling that the fish monger might still be missing some produce before long.

"Oh? Look who turned out to be a responsible babysitter, meow." Ragna recognized that voice easily.

"Miss Tora!" a few of the kids excitedly shouted. They still remained attached to Ragna though.

"Hello there little ones," Tora said to them with a bright smile (far as Ragna could tell since unlike Tao, he couldn't see her face). "Have you been behaving since I've seen you?"

"Yep! We've been good!"

"Really really good!"

"Better than anyone! Right Meowster Rawrgna!?"

'One of you was just suggesting you rob the fish monger at swordpoint.' "They're an excited bunch… also they've got claws."

"So they've been perfect little angels," Tora teased, almost as if she hadn't heard him at all. "But what's this? Don't you kids still have your pre-dinner lesson? You should all be at the elder's by now."

"But Miss Tora! We barely got a chance to play with him!" one of the kittens whined.

"He had to spend all day cooking with the chef!" another complained.

"Oh I know, I talked to them on my way over. Meow," Tora told them gently. "They even said that they have a special dinner planned thanks to Ragna's efforts. It's like nothing you've had before!"

"Like nothing!?" one repeated.

"Meow! Is there a lot!?" another asked excitedly.

"All you precious little ones could eat and more," Tora promised. "But you all know the rules; the elder's lessons first and then you can eat. Meow."

"Aw…" the all sighed, but let go of Ragna as he set the younger ones down himself for safety.

"Eh, don't feel too bad; I'll be around a couple more days at least," Ragna promised. "We'll play then."

"It's a promise!" many of them shouted in unison. Ragna gave them all a gentle sigh as they ran off. He kept that expression as he turned back to Tora, comfortable enough with Tao's own Big Sis.

"Been a while."

"Meow, that it has. The last time I saw you, you'd just obtained the True Azure and recreated the world as we know it… those who were privy to those happenings anyways. Meow. I've been travelling it a lot."

"Figures for you. Any imperfections I should know about? Not that I can really fix them, but it'd still be nice to know about." He still wasn't about to break out the power he gained… and he still had to hope he'd never have to.

"Meow. No more problems than before it was remade… in fact I'd say there are noticeably less. Something you helped with both with your power… and without," she said, gesturing to the village. "I know you said that you intended to help our clan, but I was never expecting this in just four short months. You've earned that new coat you're wearing."

"Eh, books sales helped with that," he answered modestly. Tora gave him a small giggle, but he couldn't be certain if that meant she'd read it or not. "So have you talked to Tao yet?"

"Shortly before I came here, so I know what's going on," she answered. "Meaning I'm aware of your more… open relationship status right now." She stopped smiling.

"I'm not trying to take advantage of anyone," he defended.

"Road to Hell; Good Intentions," Tora reminded bluntly. "And you'd prefer Hell to what I'd do to you if you were ever to cast Tao aside… or worse, hurt her."

"You know you don't have to worry about that from me," he insisted.

"…Maybe, but I can never be too careful. Even at her best, Tao can be…"

"Naïve?"

"Yes, but also too trusting towards certain people as well… especially when it comes to you. She's never lost faith in her Good Guy, not once."

"Guess I'll have to keep it that way." Still, even if Ragna knew how close he was with his childhood friend, he was still a little surprised how much Tao actually valued him at times. "I guess I've got Tao's answer then; we're more or less official already."

"Which is why I have condition for you, and why I sent off the kittens a little earlier than usual. Meow."

"Name it."

"I want you to tell the Murakumo sisters what's happened here. I know that you wouldn't be withholding this from them on purpose, but before anything else you should all be in the current know." Ragna only nodded as the point was more than fair. "Meaning you'll finally to pick up a mobile phone to call them with."

"How do you know that they-?"

"Where do you think I was before I came here? You were only a day or two ahead of me and I already knew Tao's feelings for you," she answered. "You should get going, the stores on higher levels won't be open for long… also, that won't be the only shopping you'll be doing. Meow."

"What else is there to get?" She answered by handing him a rather lengthy list of ingredients that he'd have to buy from a multitude of food vendors. "I see. This was for that special meal from the chef you promised."

"No, he already has that covered; this list is from Tao for you both to make and enjoy together," she answered. Ragna quickly re-read the list's ingredients and proportions.

"This is enough to feed an entire platoon for the week," he said with amazement before shaking his head. "I guess she is developing restraint."

'Quite a lot can become possible for the man you love.'

Later

Noel had a brief sip of her late afternoon tea as she continued to re-read Traveling Bloodedge. With the time they'd been given and their dedication to the material, all three of the sisters had already read through Ragna's book, but now that Noel had gotten it back there were a few details that she wanted to check back on. Namely his description of the food he'd tried in Kazamotsu. She'd been about to try it once before, but that he been before she'd immediately become absorbed in all of the chaos in Ikaruga.

'It sounds like he's more astounded with how unhealthy it all was,' she realized. 'Not that he's very impressed with the taste at all… this is probably one of his weaker sections of the book. It doesn't seem like he's letting himself enjoy the moment much.' She sighed. 'Hopefully he can try to do that now.'

There was a sudden buzzing coming from her nearby phone. Knowing it couldn't be Makoto since she'd already said she'd needed to remain radio silent for a couple of days for her mission, she suspected that maybe Tsubaki was finally managing to reach out through her work and she'd need a shoulder to cry on.

…Her other option was Kagura calling to make an attempt, but those discussions usually never lasted long. (Lambda had gotten ahold of her phone a couple of times midcall and had threatened to block him if he tried it again). Reaching for it, she realized that she didn't recognize the number. She'd have let it go to voicemail to prevent spam… but remember Kokonoe had a sort of twisted pleasure giving spam calling companies what they deserved.

"Hello?" she asked, not giving her name as she answered.

"Hey Noel."

"R-Ragna? How are you calling? Where are you calling from?" she asked.

"From Kagutsuchi. I managed to get my hands on a phone," he answered. "How's everyone doing?"

"We're all doing well enough. I was just reading your book again, and Nu's trying to help Lambda make dinner."

"Nu's… cooking?" Ragna had been under the impression her cuisine (if you could even call it that) wasn't too dissimilar to Noel's.

"Lambda thought it wouldn't hurt to try… also she's given up on me completely." She'd made her peace with the fact, but she wasn't exactly happy. "Did you want me to grab them?"

"I… maybe I'll talk to all of them later; I'm gonna be kind of busy in just a bit." She didn't know it, but he was literally walking back to the Kaka village with an entire crate filled with ingredients on his back. "I just wanted to make sure I could call you with that number you gave me… also I gotta come clean about something that came up."

"And that something is?" she asked patiently, ready to hear him out.

"You know Taokaka?"

"I can't forget her… and it'd be difficult to forgive all of her lacking lady comments."

"I'm doing my best to stop that," he promised. "Well… the thing is… we're kind of… getting married."

"…Oh."

"Yeah."

"…Did you tell her about us already?"

"First chance I had when it came up. Her response was she was happy to have a lot of little kittens to play with." Even without a visual call (their phones had the capability to do so; they just weren't using it now) Ragna could guess that Noel's face had just become beet red. "I just… I'm trying to be open and honest with this."

"And… Lambda, Nu, and I already told you that as long as you have room in your heart for all of us and we're open about this that it's fine," she tried to assure him. "Still that… sounds like it happened quickly. How-?"

"Jubei made sure I found my way here once he realized Tao was interested," Ragna grumbled. "And of course he didn't tell me a thing of what was going on."

"That sounds like your teacher alright," Noel mused. "Well… I hope you have a good time with Tao. You promise to get her to change my nickname, Good Guy?"

"I promise, though I think we'd have to workshop a couple of ideas," he guessed. "I'll talk to you and your sisters again soon, promise."

"Love you."

"…Love you too."

Ending the call, Noel admittedly had a lot on her mind. While she and her sisters had clearly established a relationship with Ragna, they hadn't given it a label such as marriage. Most of it was just living in the present and enjoying the time they could spend with one another without much worry for their future. Despite how romantically involved they were, the topic of children had certainly never come up.

Still blushing, Noel headed to her closet and brought out the rather revealing nighty she'd been gifted courtesy of Makoto and held it in front of her as she looked in the mirror.

"…Not a chance."

Tao's Home

"Meow… Tao couldn't eat another bite," the future guardian sighed as she patted her stomach.

"Are you saying that because you're actually full… or because there's none left?" Ragna asked as he eyed all of the dishes still unwashed in the kitchen. Even with his superb kitchen management skills, the sheer volume of food that the two had cooked together meant that they couldn't get to everything in a timely manner. In fact, if they hadn't left it they'd likely still be cleaning now and wouldn't be done until the food had gone cold. "I think I know what we're doing tomorrow morning."

"We can clean while we make breakfast!" Tao answered excitedly. The Reaper knew that was only going to increase the build-up of dishes. "Oh! Tao's new phone could probably tell us some amazing recipes to try!"

"I already know plenty; save it for later." In addition of getting a phone to call his very own, Ragna had also made sure to get one for Taokaka should anything happen or… honestly if he started to miss her. "Surprised you're not thinking of ordering tonnes of food with that. Figured it'd be your first impulse."

"Meow. Tao might order every once in a while, but she knows that she needs to learn how to cook. Besides, it was a lot of fun making food! She might try to help Chef Kaka out in his stall when she's not busy being a Guardian!" That sounded like a lot of responsibility… only know Ragna was slowly becoming more confident that Tao could handle it. "And like Tao's going to eat other food when her Good Guy's around; she loves his food most of all!"

'Really wishing that I'd been able to cook more when we were travelling. Could've saved me a mint,' Ragna thought back before glancing around. "You know, even though there's some odds and ends we still gotta address, you did a hell of a job putting this place together. I didn't think you even had a stove last night."

"Tao had to work really hard to get it looking this good." She was a little embarrassed at just how much work it had taken at least. "But it's not going to be like that again! Now whenever Good Guy comes to visit, she'll be sure to have a nice clean home to welcome him to!"

"…Is there a ceremony?"

"Meow?"

"If we got married. Is there a ceremony that need to go through?" Ragna asked.

"Tao wouldn't really call it a ceremony; most of time two villagers just exchange vows with the Elder, the rest of the village, and any outside friends there as witnesses," she recounted. "That's the boring part anyway. Everyone's just listening through that to get to the giant celebration party afterwards, but some new couples just want a quiet night with each other. It's pretty flexible for however you'd want it."

'Nice to know there are options.' "And how would you want it?"

"Hmm… well Tao would want lots of food for everyone. If this had been before Good Guy had helped the village she'd want be sure there'd be so much food that everyone in the village got their fill and there'd be leftovers for weeks so we wouldn't go hungry." It was a sweet notion in her classic way. "But… Tao's not too picky. As long as everyone is having a ton of crazy fun it can be small enough to be just the village or a bunch of people from outside." She tapped her chin with her coat's paw. "She'd want Booby Lady there, not just for meat buns but as a good friend of Tao's. Scruffy guy too!"

'Bang… isn't he supposed to be in Wadatsumi?' "I think I can make that happen. Probably have to cook some of the food myself so that we're sure we have enough."

"Meow? Watcha mean Good Guy?"

"I mean that I think we should do it, get married and all that. As long as you still want- MMMPH!?"

Ragna couldn't finish as Tao pounced him from across the table with enough force that her hood came off, going directly into his face as she lip locked him as tightly as she could and clung to the Reaper like her life depended on it. Playing with the kittens might as well have been a warmup for this with how much she was climbing over him as they made out. It took him a few second to recover, but Ragna was soon returning the affection as he also clung to Tao while meeting her merciless snogging with his own. The eventually had to break off their kiss... since they still needed to breath.

"Good Guy..." Tao mewled in her arms. "No, Husband Guy!"

"…"

"…Doesn't have the same ring, does it meow?"

"Eh, I'm not picky with names. But, yeah… I think we should make it official soon. We outta let everyone know that we're happy together and… that we love each other."

"Is La-?" She managed to stop herself, but had to struggle to find the right name for Noel. "Is… Pretty Lady and her sisters okay with it?

"If that's your new name for her, pretty sure Noel would only be too happy," Ragna recounted, remembering to let Noel know later that he'd gotten Tao to change her name like she wanted. "So… yeah."

"Heehee, yeah," Tao giggled in response before nuzzling her husband-to-be which he returned.

"Guess we should probably do something really romantic to cap off the evening," Ragna suggested.

Author's Note: Here come the limes for the chapter

"Oh! Tao's got just the thing!" she shouted before grabbing Ragna's arm and leading them into the bathroom where she started running water for the tub.

"A… bath?" Ragna asked. "I know you guys just got your running water problem sorted out, but I thought you weren't able to start heating it yet."

"We're not, but that's not a problem!" his fiancée assured him as they waited for the water to climb to a proper level. Once the tub was just about full, she took a round object from a nearby pouch and tossed it in. "Bombs away!"

Bomb was right; as soon as the object touched the water there was a burst of pink smoke that enveloped the entire bathroom. Ragna didn't find the need to cough through it strangely, also it smelled really damn pleasant. Very floral. Glancing at the water, he realized that in addition to a texture change it was also steaming at just the right temperature.

"The hell did you just put in?"

"A new kind of Romantic Bath Bomb! One powered by Ars Meowgas! Tao got it as a gift and was told that it'd be the perfect thing for some spicy fun with a loved one!"

"And there's the elder setting us up again. Damn it all, she's persistent."

"Meow? Tao got this from Tora today."

"…I stand very corrected," he admitted. In spite of her direct warnings, it seemed like Tora was in support of the young couple as well. "So we're bathing together… are you planning to give us both a swimsuit again or-?" Tao then tore her coat off… along with everything underneath. "…Oh."

Getting his first look of a naked Taokaka was quite the eyeful, and not one that he minded seeing in the slightest. Tanned skin along her entire slender body, perky tits with fair volume to them, noticeable hips, and a camel toe that was highlighted with a patch of blonde pubic hair down below. He also noticed her tail wagging slowly as she noticed him eying her body and… that was doing things for him too.

"Well!? Get naked Good Guy! It's not fair if Tao's the only one!"

"Okay, but you might not want to shout that stuff out. If your neighbors-"

"Tora sound proofed the room with Ars Meowgas before she left. Said that we would thank her for it in the morning."

"Okay, but… how far are we taking this?" Ragna decided to clarify as he undid his coat.

"Tao think we should wait a bit before we try for kittens. Good guy needs to travel around a lot still," she answered fairly. Ragna only nodded before throwing off his hakama top before dropping his pants and showing off his… second Aramasa. "Meow…? But Tao doesn't think we need to wait all the way until we're married." She might've been staring squarely at his member, but that didn't mean she wasn't also appreciative of the rest of her future hubby's toned body.

"Let's just enjoy the bath tonight like you said," he insisted as he discarded his clothing off to the side. Picking his partner up in a bridal style carry, he stepped into the bathtub and slowly sank into the water. It was the perfect temperature as the two slowly sank into the water, Ragna laying against the tub's frame while Tao rested on top of him with her back on his chest.

"Mmm…" Tao sighed as she began her soak while cuddling up on Ragna's chest. "Just right…"

"I'll say," Ragna agreed. It felt like there was something in the water actively relieving all of his sorest points and gently forcing his usually tense body to relax. "We gotta ask Tora where we can grab more of those things."

"Tao likes the new water too, but she still likes the Kaka Hot Springs just a bit more." Ragna silently nodded as he remembered the trip they'd needed to make and the healing properties of the springs. "We should go again sometime."

"Yeah… after we finally get married that should totally be our first trip," he agreed, wrapping an arm around Tao's stomach to keep her close.

"Just Good Guy and Tao…" his partner sighed as she mewled closer to him. "After that we can go with a whole bunch of people, but we should have this first trip all to ourselves."

While the two had been planning to relax Tao couldn't help but feel a little mischievous as they two lay naked in the tub together. Using her submerged tail, she swished it around to get a reaction out of Ragna. First she poked around his chest with it, but that didn't lead to much of a reaction despite knowing that her partner was the ticklish type. Going for the more direct approach, she tried moving her tail along his length, leading for Ragna to shift almost instantly.

Hearing Tao's giggle, Ragna felt like he'd been issued a challenge. One which he wasn't backing down from. Since she'd already provoked him, he gently groped a single breast which Tao didn't protest to… then again, she'd done this to plenty others so she'd have to be prepared for this. Gently messaging it, she slowly started to mewl as she sank further against his chest. Using his index finger, he slowly began to tease her nipple which got Tao to moan. Pushing his momentum, he gave the side of Tao's neck a tiny lick which caused the cat to shiver with pleasure.

Not letting her husband-to-be have all the fun, Tao flipped her slender body around so her exposed breasts were now resting on Ragna's front before rubbing them against his washboard abs. Snickering as she eye locked her future husband, the two then shared another passionate and heated kiss as their tongues played cat and mouse in their connected mouths. Keeping his hands occupied, Ragna massaged Tao's bare ass with one while he began messaging her clit with the other and Tao only began to groan further. Using her tail she tried to stimulate his dick further, but it was clear she was losing this battle of pleasure.

"Go-Good Guy, nya!" she groaned as their kiss broke apart. "T… Tao… guh… feels funny."

"Do you want me stop?" he asked, though his smirk made it clear he knew that answer was no. At Tao meekly shaking her head as her face heated further, Ragna redoubled his efforts and her groaning only increased. "Does that feel good?"

"Tao's… gonna…" she began, only for her moans to increase as Ragna began to gently nip at the tips of her sensitive ears. Between that surprise, the attention she was getting in her lower half, and her breasts still rubbing against her lover's chest she'd completely lost control of her tail as it swished around the water. "T-Tao's gonna-!"

With a final high pitched yelp, Ragna succeeded in bringing his partner to climax. Tao panted tiredly as she rested her head against Ragna's chest. The Reaper smiling softly as he gently rubbed the top of Tao's ears. The water settled around them now that their fun had been enjoyed as the two rested in peace.

"Guess Good Guy is still pretty merciless," Tao teased. "When it comes to some things. Meow."

"I got plenty of mercy, you just never felt like stopping me," he answered cockily.

"Nope!" she answered fairly as the two enjoyed another deep kiss. "…Tao loves her Good Guy, she loves him soooo much."

"And I love you back, every bit," Ragna answered as he continued massaging Tao's ear as the two rested in the water. "Guess we're sleeping in tomorrow too."

"Tao wants it no other way."

Again… Ragna couldn't argue.

Author's Note

Yep, that's the start to my first lemon story. Not really all that much to say, just know that even I'm not entirely sure when the lemons will actually start. It could be as early as next chapter, but I'll probably want to take some time and make sure the relationships are properly established beforehand.

I dunno, might be a thing early on or it will take some time. Either way I hope to deliver. Far as frequency, until I get a good backlog for this story, I promise to get at least a chapter out every other month, maybe a bit sooner to start.

That's all from me! Ciao!

Blazingshard3: Thanks! I hope you enjoy my first attempt at more suggestive writing.

Guardian of Azure: Well… there'll be a different kind of ride soon enough.

ShootingZero: …Little less wholesome this time.

Wlyman2009: Yep.

Salamandra134: Why not both?

Vanitas50: Good things to those who wait.

VelvetCrowe18: Certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility, but for all intents and purposes here Hakumen is out of the story.

Miraculous Psychic Hero 100: Yeah, that why I destroyed the glasses at the start of the story. No need to get them involved here.