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My Secret Girlfriend

(Is a Goddess)

Part 11

Rei stood defensively as the wolf approached. Becky glared at him as he stood mere feet in front of the girls. There was a deafening silence as not even the sounds of the city penetrated their bubble.

“It has been quite some time, Rei-sama,” he began.

“I have nothing to say to you Yoshinori,” the fox growled.

“No honorifics? The west has eroded your manners my fox,” he sneered.

“You have earned no honor in my eyes, ergo I do not see fit to speak to you as those who have attained their rank honorably,” she said defiantly as she crossed her arms, standing quite regally as her tail wagged in agitation.

“I will cut to the chase. You will not be leaving Japan; this is a foregone fact. You will marry me and ensure our balance of life and death will endure through the ages. Your line of succession as a future minister of Inari will do well for my status in heaven. I hope you understand your situation,” he said walking to Rei. He placed his fingertips under her jaw, lifting her face up.

“You are as beautiful as I remember. Maybe even more,” he looked her over as a prize.

“And you are as cruel and callous as I remember,” she said, squinting her eyes.

“What will it take to break your will, I wonder?” he asked rhetorically. Becky collapsed to the ground on her knees, struggling for air. She grabbed at her throat in desperation as she felt invisible hands crushing her neck.

“Don’t you dare!” In a blur, the wolf collapsed on the ground as fire engulfed his face. He clawed at his head, eventually wiping the dripping flames like oil, burning his hands as he did. Becky coughed and gasped for air, freed from the phantom that tried to take her life.

Rei stood as a queen of fury. Her once red fur points were now flames as the air distorted from the heat around her. Blue foxfire danced around her as a globe of dripping flames melted from her hand as she glared at the wolf with teeth bared.

“You have become stronger, my fox. That is good as my future warriors will need to draw from your strength,” he said as he quickly recovered from Rei’s attack.

“I am not your fox. You will do well to leave me undisturbed during the course of my visit. I have matters to attend to and wish to be left alone while I am here, lest you face my wrath,” she warned.

“Your matters will be moot as I take you by my side. I will even consider taking your lovely rabbit as my concubine. In any case, I came to merely say hello. I will see you again before you leave,” the wolf said before disappearing into the shadows.

Rei stood with clenched fists, looking to the ground. Becky came over to check on her.

“Rei, are you ok?” she asked. Rei yelped in a cry before whipping around to face the rabbit. Becky had never seen Rei with the face she had. Her eyes were full of rage and her teeth were clenched. Tears of anger flowed from her eyes as she shook, trying to hold back.

Before Becky’s eyes, Rei transformed into her true form. She stood as a being of rage. Her eyes were no longer the soft red she knew, now hot glowing orbs of white. Flames swirled around her as the rabbit felt the heat emanating from her. Not expecting the sudden change, Becky fell upon her back, shaking.

“Does my form inspire fear upon your soul?” Her voice boomed.

“N-no,” her voice shook.

“Would you run from my might? Would you hide in terror from my power? Would you find peace and comfort in the life you once knew?” The voice boomed as her eyes looked for Becky’s truth. Standing up on shaking legs, Becky endured the flames and stood close to the giant fox before her.

“I will stay by your side. No matter what we face, I will never leave you Rei!” She shouted in great confidence.

Rei began growling as she did her best to test the rabbit’s mettle. The growls faded as she sighed in relief as she shifted back to her mortal form. Rei embraced Becky, the rabbit grunting as she was squeezed tightly by the fox.

“I'm so sorry, I might not be able to keep my promise from the plane. I might have to fight, Becky. You might see things I hoped you never would ever have to, I have a feeling it will be unavoidable…” Rei said solemnly as she held the rabbit.

“Rei, I’ve never seen you like this before. I mean I’ve seen you shift your form to scare off Fernando, but I’ve never seen you react so extreme. It’s like I’m seeing a new side to you, but I don’t know what to think,” Becky said with concern. Rei sighed upon hearing those words. The fox scratched her ear before talking.

“Becky… it pains me to see you feel this way, but I understand. I want to ask you, how do you see me?”

“My confidant, my friend, my lover, someone who I had never been so close to before aside from Wes. And like Wes, someone can’t see out of my life,” she said as she spoke without thinking.

“I see you as much the same, but add someone that accepts me for who I am, not what I am. When I saw your eyes look at me in my true form, full of rage, you never wavered. I read in your heart that you fought your instinct to run to be by my side. Despite my regret for your involvement, I am eternally grateful for your love.”

“Rei, I meant everything I said, even though I’m in over my head. I don’t want to lose you. Even though I have Wes, if I lost you there would be a hole in my heart that I wouldn’t know how to fill.”

“For now, let’s go back to the hotel. We still have quite a journey ahead of us,” Rei said as the rest of the world began to come alive again.

————————————-

Rei and Becky sat at a table by the window of their room. Both girls were wearing bathrobes as they drank tea, watching snow begin to fall upon the city. Despite the picturesque scene before them, they took stock of their situation.

“Yoshinori’s presence is certainly inconvenient, but our biggest goal is to find our relic. We can’t lose focus on that,” Rei said, sipping her tea.

“Agreed, but how will we know when we find it?” Becky asked, cracking her neck.

“I’ll be able to sense it. It will have to be something close to me, it could be anything, an artifact from the original shrine, a piece of clothing that’s infused with divinity. It will have an unmistakable aura surrounding it.”

“I think knowing he won’t try anything until the last minute helps us prepare for his reappearance. He’s a bit predictable, isn’t he?” Becky asked derisively.

“He sure is. Although, he seems weaker than he used to be. It seems the lack of conflict in Japan is taking its toll on him,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Then we have a chance to defeat him.”

“I have definitely closed in on his strength thanks to something quite unexpected in recent times,” she said, smiling at the rabbit from behind her steaming cup of tea.

Becky looked aside, trying to think of what she meant. “The popularity of Inari shrines?”

Rei chuckled softly before putting the cup on the table. She got up and looked out the window, watching the snow fall. She gazed at Becky’s reflection in the glass before turning around and walking behind her. She knelt down and put her arms around her. She purred into the rabbit’s ear, “it was meeting you and Wes. Your love gives me strength.”

Becky wrapped her arms around the fox’s as Rei nuzzled her. The two stayed like this for several moments before Becky looked at the window. The falling snow provided a backdrop for their embrace, a moment captured deep into the rabbit’s memory.

The rabbit absent-mindedly placed her hand and began kneading the fox’s breast as her mind tried to process how their trip had changed. Realizing what she was doing she drew her hand back, apologizing to Rei, “sorry, that wasn't appropriate. I didn’t realize what I was doing…”

“Becky, it’s quite ok, it helps me to relax,” she said softly, placing the rabbit’s hand back on her flesh.

Becky rested her head on the other as she felt her peak harden against her cheek. Taking the cue, she placed the pink crinkled flesh in her mouth and began suckling as a quiet moan issued from the fox.

Rei stroked Becky’s long brown ear as the rabbit nursed. The days ahead were now going to be a challenge and the girls wanted to spend as much time in intimacy as possible.

Becky spread her thighs as her entrance now wanted attention, straddling the fox’s leg as her bunny dew spread on her flesh as the rabbit rocked her hips slowly. Still suckling upon the fox’s teat, Becky whimpered as her jewel rubbed against Rei’s thigh.

Looking up into Rei’s crimson eyes, Becky rested her head on the goddess’s pillowy flesh. “Hey, I hate to ask, but could you uh, maybe, use your cock?”

Grinning, Rei took Becky’s hand and placed it between her thighs, running her hand to find her wish granted. Smiling as she bit her lip, the rabbit began kissing down her lover’s belly, eagerly taking her tapered fox cock into her mouth and slowly bobbed her head. Becky savored her mouth being filled with Rei’s hardness as the fox moaned, stroking her hair and ears.

Becky took in her lover’s length, kissing her swollen knot as she held herself, feeling Rei’s essence start to run down her throat. The fox goddess pulled on her nipples, lifting her large breasts as the rabbit went to town on her length. “Fuck Becky, that feels so good,” she whispered, turning her head and pivoting her hips slightly at the pleasure. Rei certainly enjoyed taking the male role and relished receiving oral on her sensitive cock.

“I’m still getting used to this,” Rei laughed as the rabbit continued bemoaning as she bobbed her head.

“I’m still getting used to being knotted,” Becky purred, stroking the spurting length as she grinned drunkenly before getting up and straddling the fox.

Lining up her waiting entrance, Becky could feel warm spurts of pre splashing on her petals, hitting and coating her jewel with fox essence.

Gasping, the rabbit lowered herself as the fox’s pointed tip pierced her soaking walls. Balancing themselves on the chair, Becky hissed as she felt herself filling up with her girth. Both in a seated position, Becky felt her being penetrated deeper than before. She could feel Rei’s tip tapping against her cervix, stimulating a deep resounding warmth.

“Fuckkkkk, you’re so deep,” she cried as her mind tried to adjust to the intensity inside. Rei wrapped one arm around Becky’s back and the other around her waist, pulling her closer, her knot conspiring from feeling her closer for the moment.

Becky slowly bucked her hips, letting her lover’s length stir her core. Rei relished the feeling of having a sensitive part buried deep in the warm depths of her lover’s body.

“Let’s get into bed,” Becky whispered as she kissed the fox lovingly.

Without stopping, Rei picked up the rabbit as she wrapped her legs around the goddess and rushed to the bed, the couple landing on their sides, laughing. Becky rolled the fox over onto her back and pinned her down by her shoulders. Rei looked up, giggling, her hands curled up beside her head.

“Looks like the rabbit caught the fox,” Becky said playfully.

“Oh no, it looks like I’m trapped,” Rei laughed as she looked down, seeing her cock lodged inside. “Well, nnnggg,” Becky groaned as she put pressure against the fox’s knot. “I might have to trap you more and make sure you won’t escape.”

Becky pistoned herself along Rei’s length, coating it with her honey. With each thrust, her wetness coated more and more of the knot below her, the suction threatening to tie them together.

Soon the rabbit found the magic spot. Her eyes went wide and her jaw slacked as the weakness in her from the sensation began driving her climax to build. Her wetness began increasing as the lewd sounds of the pair’s panting breaths, moans and little cries and yelps mingled with their flapping flesh magnified by the rabbit’s dew echoed in their ears.

“Fuck Rei… huff, huff, fucking breed me, I want your… nnnngghg and Wes’ kits in me. Fill my belly with your seed!” she cried out as she crested.

Rei met her thrusts with her own, feeling her own impending climax grow as her cock stiffened even more before she felt the tightness of Becky’s honey-soaked walls wrap around her knot. Becky let out a cry as her womb squeezed down in rhythmic flutters, the rabbit drowning in the ecstasy her body gave in to.

“Fuuuck, Becky,” Rei grunted as the fox’s essence flooded the rabbit in her own release.

The girls panted as Becky collapsed into the fox’s ample chest, a slight bounce of Rei’s breasts held steady by the rabbits head as they let the euphoria wash over them.

Rei started giggling as she gently tugged her knot, confirming their tie was tight. “I don’t think we’re going anywhere any time soon.”

“I’m good, just keep filling me up,” she said sleepily as she closed her eyes while her lover stroked her ears against her chest, the fox’s heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

————————————-

Waking up in the morning, the girls realized the mess they had created. They took a shower, Becky getting out earlier as her cleanup was easier than the fox’s who had to tend with their lust soaking into her tail. Becky stepped out in a robe to hear a gentle knock at the door. Concerned their love-making was heard by the other hotel guests, she hoped she wouldn’t see an offended guest or staff on the other side. Looking through the peephole, she was pleased to see Yuto on the other side.

“Yuto, good morning,” she sang as she opened the door, bowing to the other fox.

“Good morning Becky,” he responded with a bow of his own.

“Come in, Rei’s in the shower. She should be done in a moment,” she said as she ushered him in.

Sniffing the air, Becky felt a pang of panic, wondering what the fox would think smelling the remnants of their lust in the room. Saying nothing of their love-making, he turned to the rabbit, “Becky, what do you think of Yoshinori?”

Taken aback by the question, her countenance changed to anger. “Well, considering he tried to kill me, I can’t really say it’s positive to say the least,” she growled.

“He is quite dangerous,” he answered, walking to the window and watching the morning rush hour traffic below.

“But he is not undefeatable,” he added.

“How are we supposed to defeat him? Oh, I’m sorry, would you like some tea? It’s instant but it’s what the hotel has,” she asked as she went to the counter with a hot water maker.

“I accept your hospitality, but no thanks. I will not be long. I must hold counsel with Inari-sama once my visit is over,” he replied with a smile.

Rei stepped out of the shower with the remaining towels wrapped around her tail. Becky panicked as the fox was naked in front of their guest. “Rei, hold on, Yuto-sama’s here!”

“Yuto-sama, ohayo!” she bowed, her breasts swinging freely with her movement.

“Ohayo Rei-sama,” Yuto answered, unfazed by the vixen’s lack of dress.

Rei sat on the bed trying to dry her tail.

“Rei, I can confirm that the relic you seek for your shrine will be the key to Yoshinori’s defeat, if he chooses to fight. However, I cannot tell you the nature of this relic, suffice to say you will know it when you happen upon it,” Yuto said, conversationally, his five tails flipping about rhythmically.

“That is good to know. We will be traveling soon to the site of my village. We will waste no time searching for what we need,” Rei said as she began brushing her tail.

“I understand your time is precious so I will let you two finish preparing for your journey. Good luck!” Yuto said as he left.

Taking her robe off and beginning to get dressed, Becky continued the conversation, “so, ready for phase two of our trip?”

“As ready as I can be. I wish I could take you on a more leisurely tour,” she sighed, standing up and wagging her tail hard to fluff it out.

“Is there anything left of the shrine?”

“No, there isn’t much left of the big shrine. There isn’t really much left in the village at all. Nature has largely reclaimed the site. I’m sure we’ll be able to find some kind of clue at least once we get there.”

—————————————

That morning, after rush hour, Rei and Becky got on the Shinkansen to head to her old village. Becky sat by the window watching the countryside speed by at a resounding rate as the train flew down the tracks. Snow gradually appeared as a longing look appeared on Rei’s face.

Soon the train slowed as it approached their station. The girls got off, two of five passengers, and waited by the snowy street.

“So, where do we go?” Becky asked, looking around for a taxi. Rei passively sniffed the air. “So much has changed, but I know where we are. We have to go that way,” she said, pointing through a grove of trees behind a convenience store.

“Should we get a cab?” the rabbit asked.

“We don’t have the time. There are no direct roads and we’ll lose precious time waiting for one. This way,” she said, grabbing the rabbit by the arm, walking quickly into the forest.

Once out of sight of potential witnesses, Rei shifted into her natural form. The snowy forest seemed to magnify her majestic beauty as her white fur seemed to shimmer, the red tips on her tail and ears almost iridescent as they reflected the winter light. The fox stood a vision of regal deity as she looked down at her rabbit.

“Wait, you want me to ride you?” Becky asked, unsure.

“It seems you rode me last night,” the fox giggled. Shifting her hips, Becky smiled, rolling her eyes at the joke. Rei laid down, allowing the rabbit to climb on her back.

“Hold on tight,” she said as she kicked off a run.

The cold air blew past, chiling the rabbit. However, she held nothing but confidence as she gripped the fur of the fox that ran through the forest, trees a blur of earthly shades before an expanse of white.

As they burst through the trees, deer scattered, running alongside before turning away as they galloped through a hilly field in the foothills of the mountains. Snow kicked up behind, a swirling haze in the breeze as the fox-goddess ran. Becky had never felt so free as they ran alone through the countryside.

Soon, they came to another forest and Rei began to slow down. She stopped and sniffed the cold air before meandering down an abandoned pathway.

“Are we close?” Becky asked.

“We are… very close, actually,” she answered, sniffing the ground.

Becky looked around for any signs of ancient buildings, however, the snow blanketing the ground conspired against casual discovery. To find any evidence, they would have to work for it, yet time was not an affordable luxury for the girls.

“I can’t see anything,” Becky sighed, trying her best to discern the area.

“The snow is covering the foundations. It wasn’t a particularly large shrine. We had a few buildings, but they were destroyed some time ago.”

“Destroyed? Who would do something like that?” Becky asked in disbelief.

“No, no one destroyed them. About a hundred years ago an earthquake hit Japan and caused a lot of devastation. The shrine was already falling into disuse, so the remnants were used to rebuild the village. My shrine was made smaller and is now the same one at the restaurant back home,” she said as she dug through the snow.

“I see…” Becky began helping Rei with her efforts. The fox wandered around, digging here and there as well as informing the rabbit what buildings were where. Making mental notes, she tried memorizing the layout to help with planning the design of the new shrine. Soon, as they approached the outskirts, Rei uncovered a piece of wood, the size of a piece of paper with faded red paint. Becky looked at it, trying to figure out what it once was.

“It’s a piece from a torii gate that was badly damaged in the earthquake,” the fox said as she looked it over.

“Can we use it?” Becky asked.

“It still has power, but it’s not the relic we seek. Still, I’ll keep it as a memento,” she smiled, sadly.

Realizing the day was fading quicker than she thought, Becky noticed the sun was already beginning to start its descent in the sky. The afternoon was mostly gone as the blue hue of the winter evening approached.

“Rei, it’s getting late. What do we do now?” she asked with concern. Closing her eyes, Rei sniffed the air. She took little steps here and there, letting her senses guide her. Her head tilted back, ears forward and tail erect as she let her mortal coil guide her. As if a feral turned humanoid, she let her form become subject to a vulpine’s instincts relying on scent and scent alone to guide her. Her alabaster tail began twitching as she faced one particular direction. Her eyes with crimson pupils opened, aligning with an indiscernible scent as she faced the final direction.

“The newer village… I can feel something there,” she said with subdued emotion. The goddess started after her target as Becky ran after, doing her best to keep up.

The two trekked through the forest along a disused path before coming upon buildings in an advanced state of disrepair. A street cut between the row of buildings; among them was a small shop.

“There!” the fox pointed. Her expression was a mix of excitement, fear, and hope. Becky could pick up on the goddess’ emotions and trained herself on the hope that was predominant.

The two crossed over the street and entered the store. To their surprise, the front door was unlocked, allowing their ingress. Politeness not withstanding, Rei attempted a greeting. “Konichiwa!” she sang out into the store. A musty scent was evidence of its rare usage.

No answer was forthcoming as the girls looked around. Becky saw various figurines of animals, including a rabbit that looked remarkably like a feral version of Wes.

Smiling as she thought of her boyfriend back home, taking his part in building the foundation of their shared lover’s shrine, she brought the porcelain figurine to the fox. “Doesn’t he look familiar?”

“Oh wow, yeah, it looks just like him!” she exclaimed.

Setting it on the counter, the girls resumed their hunt. Feeing a draw towards the back, the fox peered around a room divider. Gasping, her eyes widened, recognizing an object more than she had expected. It was apparent she had found the object of her draw.

Rei stood, not as a deity, but as a being whose soul was struck by memories held deep within the recesses of their very being. Holding a hand to her chest, tears streamed down as memories both fond and bittersweet flooded her mind as she stared at a display encasing an ancient tanto.

“Did you find it?” Becky asked as she saw Rei touching the glass.

“It’s his…” she whispered, her eyes flooded with tears of an ancient memory.

Becky looked in awe at the dagger. The realization occurred to the rabbit as it dawned on her that not only the relic was found, but the profound meaning of it. She had never thought she would see an artifact from so long ago that would be indelibly linked to someone she loved.

“Was that Nobu’s?” she asked.

Falling to her knees, the fox broke down and bawled uncontrollably as her memories flooded her mind all at once. Despite all the centuries that passed, the memories of the young akita were still fresh in the fox’s mind as she was confronted with a very real artifact from their shared past. The unexpected encounter hit her in the very core of her soul.

“He was too young! He was too fucking young!” she cried out. Becky was at a loss at what to do. This was beyond her…

Becky wrapped herself around the fox from behind, the best she could do for her love. The convulsions of her sobbing were felt both in body and soul. Becky did her best to comfort her confidant, her best friend.

“This is it. It was wrought for him and blessed by the priest at my shrine…” she said through the shock of the discovery.

Coming to her senses, Rei looked around as she wiped the tears from her face. “I wonder what happened to his katana,” she said, mesmerized.

“Konichiwa!” a middle-aged tanuki greeted the girls as he emerged from the back.

“Konichiwa!” they answered, bowing politely. Rei asked the owner about the tanto. The two spoke in Japanese as the fox became crestfallen.

“I asked if we would be able to buy it. He said it's not for sale…” she informed Becky. The rabbit refused to take no for an answer. Her ears stood up as she asserted herself.

“I will pay anything he wants; money is no object, just name the price,” Becky countered in a challenge.

The tanuki began speaking to Rei. The fox relayed what he said, “he says that tanto was a gift from the Akahira clan to his family for their services when the clan was disbanded during the Meiji era.”

“I’m guessing the katana is still with the descendants of the clan,” Becky thought aloud. “Wait, couldn’t you prove your divinity to him? Let him know it's for a shrine? I mean, Yoshinori already knows you’re in Japan now.”

“Mm mm,” the fox shook her head. “It was a gift to their family. A part of Nobu’s spirit is still within. Unless it was freely gifted to us, we risk angering it and we’d have a cursed relic in our hands. And trust me, having a cursed relic is a major pain in the ass; it could ruin the shrine, despite it once being Nobu’s.”

Becky scratched her head in thought, “fair enough. What do we do?”

Before Rei could answer, an elderly female voice called out to the tanuki. He answered as she entered the store with a walker from the back. The elderly tanuki stopped in her tracks as she saw Rei and gazed at her in awe. A look of recognition came over the fox’s face.

“Rumiko-chan?”

“Rei-sama!” she responded, attempting to bow to the floor.

Rei went over to help her, urging her not to bow. The two spoke for some time before she hugged the elderly woman. Rei turned to Becky and explained, “Rumiko grew up in this village. She was the last one left as the war took everyone away. Her husband was killed in battle and she was pregnant with her first child. I helped her until her family came back for her. She left the village for a while, but moved back here in the nineteen sixties after I had gone.”

Rei and Rumiko resumed their conversation and soon the elder spoke with the male. He bowed and went to the display case, opening it. He presented the tanto with both hands, bowing deeply. Rei returned his bow, accepting the knife.

“They’re giving Nobu’s tanto to us. I asked her if we could make an offer and she said she wouldn’t hear of it. It would be an honor to gift it to us to reopen the shrine and in thanks for saving her life and her family,” Rei smiled.

“That’s very generous of them, arigato!” Becky bowed to the tanukis who responded in kind.

Rei and Becky were given a ride to the train station by the family. Sitting in the coach seats, Rei watched as the snowy countryside passed by once more. Lost in her memories, she took solace that things were looking up.

Becky took in the intricate artwork of the lacquered case the tanto sat in. It was newer than the ancient blade within, but still quite old, itself. Turning her gaze to the fox-goddess, she still had a hard time fathoming the life of an immortal being. What kind of person was she in the past? She knew some things, albeit vaguely. The rabbit yearned to know more about her shared lover, but tried to consider her questions carefully.

“Rei, I remember you said once that weren’t exactly kind to mortals. What changed?”

Rei looked at Becky, surprised by her question, and frowned at the memory.

“Becky, most gods were like myself at the time; haughty, full of contempt not only for the mortals, but also for each other. It was how I knew to survive. Since I was a god of life, I was held to a higher standard, especially considering I was supposed to work closer to the mortals than most other deities, so I was sent to Yuto’s shrine to be put in my place,” she answered, looking out the window as the countryside began to darken in the waning light.

“I was fickle regarding answering the mortals’ prayers; I just didn’t care about them. I saw them as a scar on the natural earth. I was reprimanded by Yuto and forced to be more proactive,” she looked back to Becky, stiffening her lip matter-of-factly.

“Then I met that troublesome samurai,” her face softened as she smiled serenely.

“Nobu?”

“Yes, indeed it was. He was quite young, just really starting his life as a samurai. Despite being hidden from sight, he somehow managed to see me. I was struck by his looks and his kindness, not often seen from those of his class. He spoke the first word and I rebuffed him. Then out of fear, I shifted into my true form, yet he never wavered… he stayed. That endeared him to me,” she recounted, leaning comfortably in her seat.

“Just like Wes,” Becky softly interjected.

“Yes.. well, sort of,” the fox chuckled softly.

“I was afraid of this feeling that he stirred in me. I longed to see him with every encounter. Deep inside, I wanted to be his wife, but I also knew his life as a samurai and mine as a goddess wouldn’t allow for it. So, I continued to long for him and just tried to be happy with what we had,” she shut her eyes as the fond memories ran through her mind.

“What happened to Nobu?” There was a moment of silence as Rei’s eyes opened, replaying the memory of that day. A single tear ran down her cheek, stopping just below the red Okami markings on her cheek before another rushed it along to clear the way for yet another.

“I begged him not to go. I told him we could be happy together, just the two of us. However, his cause was just and his clan was victorious, yet he was slain. The night before his battle, we made love for the first time, for both of us. That night was the first time I said his name; Nobu, no honorifics. He did the same to me because it was the first time either one of us held no regard for our stations in life. We were just two in love.”

Becky stared, awe-stricken at the fox-goddess.

“That was so moving.” She thought to all the mundane things the two of them shared together in life and how carefree she seemed. Yet, here she was, grief-stricken after all the centuries that had passed. The rabbit hoped she would hold her and Wes in the same regard when their time came. It wasn’t a pleasant thought and she felt sadness for her lover, her confidant.

“After his funeral, I understood why mortals behaved the way they did. His life was a mere blip, but it made such a mark on me. I understood more why life was precious. I grieved but I didn’t understand it; it was an unfamiliar sensation. I was conflicted; it was unwelcome, yet it made me feel alive. I felt if I didn’t have this feeling, a part of Nobu would be dead forever. Yuto helped me in that regard. He guided me through my grief and counseled me in understanding why I felt this way. He told me to never forget what we had and the grief was evidence of the love we held. Eventually, I healed and he and I shared a bond of love that could only exist on a plane most mortals never reach,” Rei said, resting her head on the palm of her upturned hand, looking off into the distance.

“You’re making me jealous,” Becky chuckled. Looking back at Becky, the look on the fox’s face was perplexing and she wondered if she overstepped the line with her remark. Rei looked away, confusing the rabbit more. “Rei, I’m really sorry if I…”

Looking back to Becky, Rei interrupted, “Becky, if this is successful, I will have the power to be able to keep us together for all eternity.”

Becky cocked her head in curiosity, “Wait, what do you mean?”

“If you and Wes are willing, I could take you two to the heavens when your time to pass on has come,” she answered.

The rabbit’s eyes brightened at the thought. “You can? How?“

“I have the power to make you two my retainers. Of course, I would treat you well, but it would involve you to help me with my duties as a higher level god as my personal assistants,” the fox explained.

“I don’t know what to say, but… wow. I love the idea, but I don’t know what Wes would say.”

The goddess chuckled, “I don’t expect an answer right away. You have until your last moments on earth to decide. If you don’t want it, I wouldn’t take offense. It isn’t a decision to take lightly. In fact, I would prefer if you and Wes would take time to consider it.”

Rei and Becky relaxed as their talk took turned to casual matters. The sun set behind the clouds as the shinkansen sped through the countryside, carrying the girls to their destiny.