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"Is this... alright?"
The voice was soft, vibrating through equally soft skin. It was surely porcelain, reflecting any light that shone on it just as the moon did. He loved that skin, milky and even, kept elegant and taken care of, regardless of the many years it had been since he’d last seen it. They were young then. So young.
“It’s alright,” he affirmed, then laughed as he always did and always had. “You need not be so careful. I’m not as fragile as I may seem, even in my old age.”
Mikazuki turned then, looking over his shoulder at the friend he’d had longer than anyone else. They were forged from the same fire, made by the same craftsman, and regardless of the centuries that had since passed, he remembered it vividly. He could never have forgotten when Kogitsune came home. He remembered the last name that they shared being chiseled into his blade, followed by an alias that would confuse many eras to follow, and then those familiar kanji on the back. Small fox. He really was little then, the elder thought, laughing once again as he did so.
The Inari wished he could have taken the whole situation as lightly as Mikazuki-sama did, but vulpine ears pressed back against his head, blending with locks of white as he finally pulled away from the crook of the other’s neck. His whole existence was strange, and the spirit of the fox within him cried at him to go ahead, mate in the most animalistic of ways, but the part of him that was now human told him that this was just too much. Then, of course there was the blade--the blade that he was, the weapon he was, and ultimately, he didn’t want to harm the other. He couldn’t even imagine it.
"I'm going to be careful." He replied firmly, ears still flat against his head. It only earned him another laugh from the older male, to which his frown deepened. If Mikazuki was going to continue this way, it was very likely they wouldn't even get to their... activities.
"Well, if you insist," he finally agreed. He turned away once more, tassels flipping about as he did so. Crimson irises shimmered as Kogitsunemaru once again took in that pale spine, down the curve of that pert ass. He wanted to touch it, but it didn't seem right. He was already pressed against the other's entrance, had followed instruction in preparing him, and now? He should have just been able to go ahead. But he was afraid.
Was he not a predator? This should have been easy. Maybe not as a fox, had been fed tofu by hand for too long, but as a soldier? He'd stood in the front lines and watched as swords shattered around him and allies fell like stars. He'd been damaged himself. Repaired and refined many times in this citadel. He may have been younger than Mikazuki, but he was far closer to the other in age than any of the other swords. Surely, he had some humane right to him, to this act?
Mikazuki.
Mikazuki seemed to think he did. He had given him his instruction the whole time. It wasn't that he didn't understand the concept of sex, but in a human body? It was quite different. Female foxes were meant to have pups, to reproduce. But he had never even partaken in mating. He was an Inari, a spirit, and was in some sort of purgatory between animal and god. It was that purgatory that had led him here, to this life, and ultimately wondering if he could proceed in making love to another man, in a figure that was mostly human, just for the sake of pleasure.
But it wasn't just out of pleasure. Not his own, anyway. He wanted to let Mikazuki know how he felt, truly, and it was that thought that pushed him into the older male.
His ears were attuned to all of his surroundings, and regardless of how much Mikazuki wanted to cover the initial gasp that slipped through his pale and parted lips, Kogitsune caught it. He let out a soft breath of his own, one of selfish pleasure when he was sure he had hurt the other somehow, and instantly felt his tail tuck between his legs. He had tried to make the other comfortable, listened to his instruction with the oils, and--
"Please. Move."
"Ah, but, Mikazuki-sama, I--"
"Yes, but it's alright. Everything is alright, Kogitsunemaru. Relax... and move."
The elder's soft voice and perhaps a primal urge took the tachi, and a bit suddenly he pulled his hips back and pressed deeper into the other. He felt the older male inhale, surely to relax his own muscles, and Kogitsunemaru was met with a rush of affection. He reached forward, brought his hands lower on Mikazuki, and settled tanned hands over pale hips. He rubbed his thumbs into alabaster flesh and he smiled to himself, appreciating the beauty of the other blade. He had always loved it, but there was so much more to Mikazuki than milky flesh or an Uchinoke pattern.
That's when Mikazuki shifted forward, and slid back down on Kogitsunemaru.
"Wha--"
"If you will not move, then I shall do it for you," he said firmly before laughing once more (this time with a hint of sultry mischief), and pressed himself further on the younger's length. He earned a deep blush and a quiet moan from the other at the first few movements. Soon though, the small curl of Kogitsune's lips grew into a much more honest smile, one out of love for Mikazuki and then to one out of amusement, and he proceeded.
It wasn't particularly great, he knew. He just used his hands to hold the other in place as he rolled his hips into soft flesh. He didn't want to be too rough, though he was quietly consumed with the urge to nibble the other's ear or dig his teeth into collarbones that looked as fragile and pure as porcelain. He didn't though. His rhythm was that of a metronome on allegro. He wasn't pushed any faster by his partner than he felt comfortable, and he didn't go any slower than he had began. But he still felt like he was letting the older male down. Like he ought to have done better, like he ought to have the other exalting his name and punctuating every syllable. It was clear that, at the very least, this was not Mikazuki's first time.
And that bothered him a bit.
Knowing that, his feelings of inadequacy nearly quadrupled and he couldn't help the droop of vulpine ears. He didn't know why it mattered so much that he did well, but he was afraid that if he didn't, the elder blade would vanish as mysteriously as he had arrived to the citadel. They had done so much growing together, he didn't want that time to end, to fade to memories. Not when--
"Are you alright, little fox?"
"Yes, I am," he lied. It wasn't that he liked lying to Mikazuki. If there was anyone he could have told the truth, it would have been him, but he didn't want to ruin the mood more than he already had. So he continued, and this time a little bit faster, and the eyes of his lover looked back at him quizzically. He knew his cheeks burned at being watched, something he couldn't help, so he brought one hand around and took the other's length in his palm. He assumed it was similar to his own, and soon began tugging gently. He heard a soft moan, and thought perhaps he should have touched Mikazuki sooner.
He did get to see sapphire slip closed, long lashes fluttering as he worked his hand just the right way, and watch as lips parted as he stirred the older male's insides in a way that was apparently correct (or at least not wrong). He continued that way, and couldn't help the twitch his cock gave at the sight of alabaster flushing pink. Though he felt the desire pooling in the pit of his stomach, he was hardly sure just how close he was, and rather abruptly, he came.
It was wonderful, to feel himself releasing deep into Mikazuki, to smell his scent and to thoroughly appreciate the blinding flash of light that consumed his vision. Something like moonlight, maybe. But he was soon racked with embarrassment, and tried to ride out his orgasm to no avail. He simply tugged a bit more on the other, hoping soon he would manage to bring him the pleasure he deserved, but it was clear that he couldn't do it on his own.
So he removed himself from the sheath that was Mikazuki's ass, and watched as delicate and slender fingers proceeded to stroke the other to his own completion. He wore a small smile, his breathing still excited (which helped the Inari to feel a bit better about his sexual prowess), and his cheeks flushed as he came with such eloquence that it stunned Kogitsunemaru. It was silent, just pink lips parting into a dainty "o". Really, the only evidence of climax was the seed on Mikazuki's hand.
Kogitsunemaru felt bad.
But Mikazuki wore a smile, a pleasant one, and he stood with straight posture to meet the other. With a smirk he held out his dirtied hand to the Inari, watching as his face flushed nearly as crimson as his irises. Kogitsune was clearly embarrassed and stunned by the wanton spectacle that dangled inches from his face. The smile, he realized then, was not pleasant at all. Was this punishment?
He could smell the other's scent though, and it flipped his stomach and sent his every nerve on end, and he sat forward, knowing fully well what the other wished.
He lapped away every bit of come from lithe fingertips, the taste a bit salty and bitter, but still sweet in the fact that it was Mikazuki he was tasting. He swallowed, the thick liquid trying its hardest to cling to his throat. He gulped once more, ears still flat against his head.
With a more than a bit of shame, he looked back up at the other.
"Come with me, Kogitsunemaru," Mikazuki said, voice as calm as ever. If it wasn't for the robes hanging off his frame and the bit of seed sliding down his thigh, if would have been impossible to know he had just partaken in any act of sexual deviancy.
Kogitsunemaru didn't want to listen. But he didn't want to just leave the other, either, so he did as he was told. They were alone in the back of the citadel, and he watched in horror as a half-nude Mikazuki slipped outside. He wore fewer clothes himself, and the thought of being seen like this was just too much. The other blades. Saniwa?
But, he would probably follow Mikazuki anywhere through anything, and this was no different.
The elder blade brought his kimono around him then, nearly redressing, before sitting down under a Sakura tree. It was hardly the time for this, Kogitsunemaru thought, but he tied his own obi and tried his hardest to keep himself decently covered. He joined the other, beneath the moon and the tree, the chill of the night settling over the pair as he did so. There was surely a reason for this, and if it was a breaking of their bond he supposed he understood.
Ears sank deeper into ivory locks, and he turned to look at the older male. He still wore that smile, and it twisted the Inari's gut in knots as he took it in. As the elder shifted a bit closer and rested his head on his shoulder though, he felt a bit confused. Feelings aside, he wrapped his arms around the other in a firm and protective way, just as the older male did when he was younger. He was bigger now, not such a little fox.
Still though, he knew he had done simply terrible, so why was Mikazuki being so affectionate? It wasn't necessarily unlike him, but it was a bit of an unexpected reaction. He was pretty certain that Mikazuki sensed his apprehension, and he was met with soft sapphire eyes. They captured the stars, reflected them, and the way those beams of moonlight reflected off that porcelain face was surely enough to end the Inari. He wanted to kiss him. Had they not kissed during their sexual endeavor? That was probably another mistake he had made. Mikazuki didn't even face him. But, he couldn't be left wondering about all he had done wrong. Living in the past would never allow him to move forward, and he would surely have to after this.
"Small fox, what is it? I don't appreciate you telling me white lies. Cunning as a fox may be, I'm onto you." Mikazuki could read the younger like a book. After all, they'd known each other then and they knew each other now.
The fox on the other hand, had never intended to be dishonest with Mikazuki. He just didn't want to ruin their previous actions by... Killing the mood. Was that the whole problem? He thought perhaps it was.
"I feel inadequate."
"Inadequate? Why?"
"Well, because, I... I didn't quite-- you didn't--"
Mikazuki turned his chin upwards once more, now nuzzling beneath the other's neck in an affectionate and sympathetic way. "You are not inadequate. Just inexperienced. And if it's too much of a problem, I can be on top next time. Haha~"
Ah, how a phrase like that was enough to set Kogitsune's face alight once again. How Mikazuki could say such things and not even bat a lash was beyond the Inari. But it was reassuring to know that Mikazuki understood (and was already counting on a next time). It didn't completely destroy his negative feelings though, and as his flush faded it was as if Mikazuki could see his gloom become clouds rumbling over his head. Perhaps he just recognized the expression in those velvety ears though.
"What else is it?"
With a heavy sigh, Kogitsune turned away from the other's deep eyes. He looked up at the moon, round and perfect, searching for a shadow he couldn't find. He bit his lip then, canines piercing skin nearly enough to draw blood. How unused he was to this body, he thought for the millionth time regardless of whether or not this was the second life he'd lived in it. Maybe that was the whole issue. Struggling within his frame, functioning in his flesh not once but twice now. Maybe--
No.
The issue was time. It always had been.
With a deep breath, he spoke to the moon. "I feel that we are blessed. To have been given this second chance. To have been given the opportunity to step back in time and relive these battles and change history back to the way it should be. I feel such a deep sense of gratitude toward Aruji-sama for allowing this, for giving us this gift."
As he speaks, his voice wobbles a bit and Mikazuki wonders briefly if perhaps he will cry. Maybe he will, and if so then he will just wipe those tears away like he used to, like he did the first time around. He thinks he may be knowing where the younger is going with this, but he keeps his mouth shut and tucked into the other's chest while he still can be.
"And I'm so, so happy you're finally here with me, Mikazuki-sama. I-I missed you," he admits, a fluffy tail wagging a bit beneath him and scraping at Sakura leaves. How endearing, the older thinks. He missed him too. Of course he did.
"But when things are back in order, when we succeed or if we fail, then once again... We will be only metal."
He finally looks away from craters and back into eyes like the tide. His own irises shimmer like leaves in the fall, caught in winds of time and change that is natural but still out of anyone's control. Somehow though, his lover wears the same smile he did moments before, the same smile he has always worn for centuries and Kogitsunemaru wonders if there is ever anything that could possibly make this man frown. He thinks not, and maybe that's a good thing. He is unsure.
"Kogitsunemaru," the elder says softly, "There is always so much more to a story than the end. And this? This is the story rewritten, or at the very least, an epilogue."
Slender fingers worm their way through white hair, and pink lips brush against the other's briefly while the cool night air wraps about them. There is a small rustling in the citadel, maybe the tantous or saniwa or both, but it is not of Mikazuki's concern. His concern has always been the now, his now, the now that he is living whenever it is.
It always will be.
"No matter how many lives you live, small fox, no matter how you live them or no matter what form you take, it is the memory you leave that counts. Whether the world knows you as a helpful spirit or a bitter blade is up to you. But me?"
He runs his fingers through a pigmentless cascade. Coarse, but not unpleasant, and meets tanned and scarred hands. He takes them in his own, warm and secure. He closes his eyes, safe in the other's embrace. It's a nice turn of events, how the small fox isn't so small anymore, he notes before he finishes his thought.
"But me? I'll remember you with a love that spanned centuries when we really only shared a handful days. In all, that is surely worth something."
And it was. It was worth everything.