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_Kitsune Days is a romance novel focused primarily on the lives of two high school seniors, Leigh and Nathan. For future story reference, in the story, Kitsune are defined as a rare multi tailed fox of pale golden fur color modeled after the zenko kitsune fox spirit of Japanese lore. These foxes are rare and may possess three tails if they are "pure blood" and only get three tails as the rest were lost when the first kitsune spirit became a mortal in 1055 B.C.E according to folk lore. Scientifically speaking how these tails are formed is still a mystery as no mutated genes have been found. _

Sorry about how late this update has been. I have/still am job hunting and that plus some personal issues have been taking up a lot of my time. Hope you guys enjoy. As always, comments, criticisms, and corrections are welcome in the comments section. Happy reading.

Chapter Three: A Day of Reckoning (Part 2)

Leigh walked down the driveway under the soft morning sun. He glanced around idly at the leaves falling from the trees, their fall hues glowing warmly in the sunlight. It wasn't cold outside but Leigh shivered a little as he felt his stomach tying itself in knots inside his body. Headed for Lilly's house he began trying to think of how to break the news to her. He arrived at her house suppressing his urge to shake. As he reached for the doorbell Lilly opened the door with a warm smile.

"Leigh! What are you doing here?" She beamed as she stepped aside to let him in.

Her jovial tone was only making the knots in his stomach tighter as he knew he was about to ruin her day. "He...hello Lilly." He was trying to keep calm as he stepped inside but didn't catch his stutter in time.

"What's wrong Leigh? Are you all right?" Concern washed over her face as she directed him up to her room, all happiness already seemed to be gone from her body.

"I...uh...I need to talk to...to you about something." He idled his paws nervously as he sat down on her bed while she closed the door.

"If this is what I think it is, don't worry I figured it out a long time ago." She sat next to him looking over him with curiosity.

"Wha...what? What did you figure out?" He felt like running out of the house. He couldn't take the pressure and wanted desperately to just go home and hide.

"That you are ummm...that you are probably gay." She looked down as she finished her sentence. "If not I apologize for the assumptions, you just radiate it pretty hard. I just played along figuring you probably weren't ready to be out or even sure if you were." She scratched her head nervously hoping she hadn't offended him.

"Yeah, I...yeah. How did you figure out I was in the closet?" Leigh sighed in relief as he noted that she didn't seem to be too unhappy with him.

"You just always seemed to care more about things that most guys don't. Then when you met Nathan..." She laughed a little. "Watching you talk about him was just the final piece in the puzzle. You were so happy as you described him and with far too much detail than a straight fur would. Then you practically skipped away when we finished talking."

"That obvious huh?" Leigh blushed looking over at the little red fox. "I hope you aren't mad at me about not telling you anything sooner. I've just now really figured out for sure."

"Of course I'm not mad. A little sad that I don't have such a great bo anymore, but I would rather you be happy than sad with me." She hugged the kitsune. "I'm guessing Nathan made up your mind?"

"Yeah, he just...he just got me going you know?" He turned bright enough for the red to show through his fur.

"I know what you mean." She giggled a little bit. "I found his picture in last years yearbook. Talk about a fine hunk of fur."

"Well too bad for you he is gay." He poked his tongue out playfully trying to cheer them both up a bit.

"All the good ones are gay aren't they?" She pretended to pout. "So does this mean I get to drag you around when I shop now?" Lilly giggled and stood up grabbing an imaginary dress and pretended to pose.

"Whoa now. I think you are jumping to stereotypes miss." He got up and hugged her. "I wish everyone would be as understanding as you are. My parents are probably going to kill me."

"I'll be understanding on one condition."

Leigh held her at arms length looking down quizzically. "And what is that?"

"You still walk with me to school...and no more being late mister." She grinned tapping him on the nose.

"It's a deal." He squeezed her back in his arms grateful to have one bad conversation off his chest. "Now I need to break it to my parents somehow." He drooped his ears trying to figure out how he could possibly tell them.

"You could just tell them. I mean your parents seem like cool people, why would they mind?" She sat back down on her bed looking up at the young fox quizzically.

Leigh frowned looking down to meet her gaze. "They thought I was possessed or something last time I even mentioned the possibility of liking a boy. Then again they aren't to big into church anymore so maybe it will go over better this time."

"Only one way to find out. Go tell them and I'll be here if you need me." She began walking him to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow morning before school."

Leigh waved as he walked down the driveway and headed toward home. Lost in thought he stepped on any falling leaves he could find to listen to the comforting crunching sound they made under his bare feet. He never was one for shoes, even when it got colder and everyone bundled up Leigh never cared for them. He Preferred to feel the ground beneath his feet with each little crevice in his foot paw. It also cut down a few ounces of weight at track meets which he felt gave him a slight edge. He shivered slightly as a breeze blew by but kept his focus on the sun warmed concrete beneath his feet.

As he arrived at home he smelled something baking. 'Odd' He thought, 'Mom hardly ever bakes unless something special is going on.' He reached for the door knob, but the large wooden door swung open before he could reach it.

"Welcome home son." His dad stood towering over him in the doorway before he stepped aside to let the smaller fox inside. "Your mother and I weren't expecting you home this early."

"Yeah, I figured I needed to come spend some time with you guys since i have been out a lot." Leigh stepped into the door. 'Red Velvet. The cake was clearly for something more than someone's birthday. Mom only brought out Red Velvet for something big.'

"Everything okay Leigh?" Mrs. Kaliah was sitting on the couch staring at her son's confused face.

"Uh, yeah mom. I was just trying to guess what the news must be." He finished walking into the living room and sat in the big leather recliner feeling himself sink into the worn padding.

"All in due time dear." The kitsune turned to the hallway. "Robert will you bring me some water when you pass by the kitchen?"

The fox walked into the room carrying a glass of water that he handed to his wife as he sat next to her on the couch. "We have something to tell you son and it will be tough to handle."

'We are moving, I knew it.' Leigh began brooding in his head. 'Figures that once I make friends it is time to leave again.' Leigh eyed both his parents. "What's the news?"

"Well ummm..." His mother gently placed her hands on her stomach. "I'm pregnant." She beamed as she looked down at her belly. "Your father and I finally decided to try again after what happened to your sister."

Leigh felt his stomach try to drop out of his body. "P..P...Pregnant?" He was struggling to hold back tears remembering what the doctor said last time about the risks another pregnancy would cause his mother.

"I know it comes with the possibility of risks but that is something we are willing to work through son." His large fox moved in front of the chair about to comfort the shaking kitsune.

Leigh stood up trying to process everything that might happen. "What if...what if something bad happens. You know how likely Doctor Freeman said that it would happen."

"We do know Leigh, we have talked about this for several years now and we feel that it will be worth it to try." Nancy Kaliah stood up motioning for Robert to sit down as she hugged her son.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen." Leigh began sobbing into his mother's shoulder, scared that he might lose her. "How long have you two known?"

"About a month now, and don't worry honey I won't..." The kitsune swallowed not finishing the sentence fearing it would only agitate Leigh further.

Leigh slowly let go of his mother. "I'm going to go shower and..." He tried not to choke up on his own words. "And think all this over."

He headed upstairs to his bathroom wiping the tears that clouded his vision. One month meant his mother would be due in another two to three months. He stumbled into the bathroom locking the door and began stripping off his clothes. Glancing in the mirror he tried to compose himself before climbing into the tub and turning on the hot water.

"I hope he will be okay." Nancy turned to her husband as she heard the water turn on upstairs. "I hate to admit that he is right to be scared but I don't want him to make himself sick stressing over it."

"He will be fine dear." Robert licked her muzzle with a smile. "And so will you, I know what he said got to you. There is nothing to worry about as long as we do what the doctor advised everything should go smoothly."

She snuggled into the strong arms of her husband and fell asleep before she could respond, the pregnancy already fatiguing her a lot.

Robert grinned and pulled a blanket over her and turned on the television to watch the news.

Leigh had been sitting under the hot water for almost fifteen minutes before he finally calmed down enough to step out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and slipped into his room to air dry on the floor. Digging through his pockets he found his phone and pulled it out to text Nathan.

*Do you mind if I come back over tonight? I'm going to need someone to talk to.* He pressed send and laid his towel out on the floor before crawling on top of it and trying to relax.

*Of course I don't mind. :) What kind of guy would turn you down? Is everything okay?*

Leigh smiled a little reading the text and felt his sheath twitch a little. *Not really, found out some rough news, I'll explain later though.*

*Aww. Poor little kits. I await your arrival with open arms and pointy ears*

Leigh grinned at Nathan's attempts to make him feel better, grateful for the wolf's effort he rolled over to let his back dry. *I'll head over in about an hour, busy air drying myself. ;)*

Nathan grinned at his phone forgetting that he was sitting in the living room with his dad and a his buddies watching a football game.

"What's so funny son?" George looked over lifting an eyebrow at the wolf whose tail immediately stopped swishing at the question.

"Oh, umm, nothing dad. Leigh is going to come over later." Nathan blushed hiding behind the burger he was eating.

"Oh good. He seems like a nice kid. You better not do anything to hurt the little guy."

"Oh I won't dad, don't worry about that. So is it okay for him to come over?" Nathan finished his food setting the plate down on the table in the middle of the media room.

"Of course, just don't be up too late you have school in the morning." George looked back over at the television just in time to see a touchdown pass.

Nathan turned back to the phone in his lap. *Dad said it was okay, don't forget to bring clothes for school in the morning. Sleepwear is optional :p*

Leigh felt himself getting firmer as he read over the text on his phone. He smiled and got up feeling much better now and tried to find some clothes to bring to Nathan's house. After packing the clothes he pulled out of his closet he grabbed the shorts he had left on his bed and pulled them on grabbing a gray tank top and pulling it on over his head.

He trotted down the stairs seeing his parents asleep on the couch. Stepping quietly into the kitchen he wrote a note telling them he was going to spend the night at Nathan's again and that he loved them. Leigh threw on his hoodie and slung the bag over his shoulder before heading outside and locking the door behind him.

It was chilly outside but the crisp air felt nice as he jogged down the sidewalk watching the sun set as he went. By the time he reached Nathan's house the sky was glowing a bright red and the evening bugs were starting to come out of their day time slumber.

Knocking on the door, Leigh was greeted by Geoff who was no longer in uniform. "Good evening Leigh. Everyone is in the media room watching the game, if you would like I could fix you a burger and meet you in there with it if you haven't eaten yet."

Leigh looked down as his stomach grumbled at him. "That sounds great Geoff, and some water to drink please." He smiled up at the bobcat and walked off toward the media room taking a detour to drop his bag off in Nathan's room.

When he stepped inside his nostrils were assailed by the smell of the beer George and his friends were drinking. He had tried it once when his dad had friends over and found the taste to be most unappealing. He smiled as he snuck up behind Nathan who was distracted by the game and placed his paws over the wolf's eyes.

Nathan jumped and gently grabbed the kitsune's wrists. He began laughing as he pulled him onto the arm of the chair and hugged him. "Let's go up to my room so we can talk in private."

Leigh smiled down at the wolf and nodded before walking over to shake George's hand. He followed Nathan up to his room and closed the door behind him as the wolf plopped down on the bed.

He took off his hoodie and threw it on top of his bag as the wolf watched him intently. "I wasn't expecting there to be company. I hope I am not interrupting anything."

"Not at all, dad just invites the guys he works with over on game days." Nathan patted the bed in front of his lap when he saw Leigh about to clean out the chair to sit in. "I won't bite you know. Unless you ask of course." He grinned at the kitsune slyly.

Leigh raised his brow as he sat down. "You haven't even bought me dinner yet mister."

Nathan drooped his ears faking rejection. "That hurts a lot kits." He tried his best to keep a straight face but let a laugh slip through as Leigh grinned at him. "So what happened? Did your parents not take it well or something?"

"I didn't even have the chance to tell them before they dropped a bombshell on me." Leigh looked down growing frustrated again.

Nathan quickly lifted the yellow fox's arm looking him over and confusing him. "You don't look like you've been near any bombs mister."

Leigh laughed a little, Nathan's humor might just get him through this. "You know what I meant. My mom...she is ummm...pregnant."

"Oh wow. That is big news but what is all the worry about?" Nathan slid himself close to Leigh and placed his paw over the smaller yellow one.

"When my mom was giving birth to my sister there were...complications. That is part of the reason she didn't live very long." He paused trying to slow the train of thought rushing through his head. "Complications that the doctor said could likely hurt my mother if she gets pregnant again or...or worse."

Nathan hugged the shaking fox to his chest gently scratching behind his ears. "I'm sorry to hear that Leigh. If your parents decided to try again then maybe the chances aren't really that high."

"Yeah....maybe." Leigh was trying to calm himself and wiped at the tears welling up in his eyes.

Nathan pulled Leigh tighter to him. "I'm sure they are just as worried as you and are being really careful. Your mom will be fine kits."

"I hope so. I don't know what I'll do if...."

"Shhhh." Nathan cut him off gently. "I've been there before, it is best to just let things play out and not worry until something actually happens."

"Yeah. You're right." Leigh sat up trying to dry his eyes. "There is something else I wanted to ask you, now might not be the best time but it might make me feel better."

"Oh. What is it?" Nathan looked over at the now mostly composed fox in front of him.

"Will you umm..." Leigh swallowed finally gaining his composure. "Will you go on a date with me?"

Nathan couldn't stop the ear to ear grin spreading across his face even if he had tried. "Of course I'll go on a date with you. We could go somewhere tonight if you wanted, we still have time before dad calls my curfew."

"I'd rather just stay here with you tonight if you don't mind. I didn't bring clothes or anything to wear for something like a date." Leigh scooted closer to Nathan. "Plus it's a little late to make plans that aren't just here at the house."

"True. We can have a 'date night' here tonight and I'll take you on a real date tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Sounds wonderful." Leigh licked Nathan's cheek and felt his face grow warm as he blushed.

Geoff knocked on the door and came in with a plate of food for Leigh and some chips for them to snack on. "You weren't in the media room so I figured you two had come up here." He set the food down as he headed out the room. "Call if you need anything."

"Thank you Geoff, we will." Leigh turned to Nathan, I guess we could start with dinner and a movie. He picked up his plate not even bothering to suppress the happy swishing of his tail.

"Sounds like a plan." Nathan opened up his movie case. "What kind of movie do you want to watch?"

"Something scary of course." Leigh grinned as he took a bite of food trying to silence his stomach.

"Hmmm...Here we go." Nathan lifted up the latest horror movie that Leigh had heard people talking about. "Have you seen it?"

"No, I haven't seen it yet. It better be scary so I have an excuse to be clingy." Leigh smiled as Nathan put the disk into his DVD player and climbed on the bed with him.

"I think we can both enjoy this movie then." Nathan climbed under the covers and cuddled up with the yellow kitsune starting the movie.