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I stared at him in awe, surprised he knew so much about the country and the cities within it when he'd been here protecting me for more than two months. He noticed my gaze and tilted his head in confusion.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm just in awe that you commit so much to your people, even though they don't know who you really are," I whispered.
He smiled, reaching out to move a few strands of hair out of my face. "Working in silence is more rewarding. Sometimes it's hard to stay quiet when so much crime happens around you, but I know we'll change that sooner rather than later. The satisfaction of being successful is more rewarding than verbal praise."
I took a step forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down for a deep, intimate kiss. "And I love you for that. Even if you have to keep who you are hidden, I'll always be here to praise the kindness you show your people every day."
"Thank you, Crimson."
"You're welcome," I replied, giving him one last kiss before I pulled away and began looking for my favorite blue jeans. I liked them since they had black zippers and worked well when combined with my favorite black leather jacket.
The guys had gotten it cleaned and fixed up after the mountain incident, which had left it a little damaged with cuts and tears. Not to mention the blood that lingered in the lining of it, which led to it needing some major dry cleaning.
The door opened, and Itsuki poked his head inside. He looked at me first, his purple eyes taking an appreciative look up and down my body. His lips curled up in a smile as he met my gaze, obviously seeing the hint of red that formed on my cheeks thanks to his leisurely assessment.
"Breakfast is going to get cold, guys. Morning, Crimson. You look beautiful as always," Itsuki greeted quietly.
"Morning, Itsuki," I replied.
"You should see her in her half Kitsune form. Malachi would name her Sizzling Hottie, and I don't even think that nickname would do her justice," Yoshi commented, which made me blush harder. I tried to distract myself by continuing my jean search.
"Sizzling Hottie Kitsune Shifter. Damn, I missed out. Crimson, next time you have to show Haru, Malachi, and I," Itsuki stressed. The boyish excitement that leaked off his voice made me giggle.
"Hai, hai. I'll have to ask Aki how to do that. I shifted by accident yesterday," I admitted as I pulled open the bottom drawer. "Ah, there it is!" I exclaimed, pulling out my favorite jeans in glee before I began sliding them on.
"Do we need to pack anything major, Yoshi?" Itsuki asked.
"Nope. I've ensured we have both traditional and casual clothes waiting for us at our place, and the Homatomashi mall isn't too far a walk, so we can always go there for other stuff. Meals are all covered, so we should be good," Yoshi confirmed.
"Sounds good to me." Itsuki nodded in approval. I heard little quick steps. Urufu slipped past Itsuki and raced towards me, practically tackling me.
"Ah. Morning, Urufu! How are you, my sweet girl?" I said happily. I quickly pulled my jeans up before I knelt down to ruffle her white fur. She began licking my face, which made me laugh.
"WOOF!" she replied, nestling herself in my arms as she rested her head on my shoulder.
"She missed you," Itsuki pointed out.
"She likes sleeping in my room, that's why. Right, Uru?" I asked, and she began to howl in reply.
"Let's go eat. We're gonna need a big breakfast for the journey ahead," Yoshi suggested.
Itsuki and I exchanged confident looks before we both nodded. Urufu barked before running over to greet Yoshi. I rose up and grabbed my leather jacket from my vanity chair. My gaze landed on my image in the standing mirror, noticing how long my hair had become in such a short period of time.
"Now that I'm a shifter, is my hair supposed to grow so quickly?" I asked. It wasn't like it didn't compliment my features, but if it got any longer, I'd definitely have to put it up so it wouldn’t get in my way.
Itsuki walked over to where I stood and ran his hands through my hair. "Hmm, not sure. It could be because you have both your powers and Storm's? Maybe the combination of the two is accelerating your hair growth. Storm had to cut her hair regularly because it would get too long," Itsuki revealed.
"Could be. It would make sense. It does suit you though, Crimson," Yoshi added.
"I guess, but I do like shorter hair," I mumbled with a pout.
Itsuki grinned, and his hands gathered my hair up in a little ponytail. "Either way, you look beautiful, Crimson. For the sake of it being out of your way, let's do this,” he suggested.
I side glanced to the mirror and gasped at the purple and silver magic circles that formed at his fingertips.
In seconds, two silver hair ornaments were in my hair, holding the long black and silver strands in place. He stepped back, letting go of the bundle, which stayed in place. I rushed over to the mirror to get a closer look. A broad smile formed on my lips as I analyzed the little cherry blossom charms that hung on the ends of each silver stick.
