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Chapter Text

Takeshi Mutou stood in front of the mirror and straightened his tie. "I'll be gone for most of the month, this time, Darling," he called in Basic Feline, "Are to sure you two will be alright without me?"

"We'll be fine, Dearest!" his wife, Shizuko replied in kind. "You were gone even longer last time, after all, and Tokitatsu is always a perfect gentleman, while you're away." She entered the room and kissed her husband's cheek. "I do so wish your job didn't take you from us so often, though."

"The curse of being a successful business man," Takeshi lamented.

"Is SHE going to be there?" Shizuko asked after a moment's pause.

Takeshi pulled his wife into his arms and gave her a deep kiss. "Darling, I don't have any say in who the company sends with me. You know that," he said calmly. Shizuko nodded. "I've asked them to send someone else."

"You would think, being CEO, your father would listen to you on that matter," Shizuko complained.

"He understands my concerns, but she's so ruthlessly successful at what she does, he says he can't afford to simply take my word on the matter and exclude her from these meetings. Only if something beyond her simple flirting happens, can he take it into consideration. Otherwise, she could bring forward all sorts of false accusations." He smiled at his wife and kissed her once more. "Shizuko, Darling, I promise you, TRISTA CAILEAN means nothing to me."

"I know that," Shizuko giggled. "It's not you I don't trust. It's the... IF you'll excuse the racial slur, the Bitch who doesn't understand that she's trying to land another woman's husband."

"In her case, I will excuse the term. It's a rather appropriate summarization of her behavior," Takeshi chortled.

"Do be careful, Dear, have a good time, and try not to work too hard," Shizuko said.

"Don't you worry about me, Dearest," Takeshi assured her. "I'll call as soon as I check into my room, as always."

"Have a good trip, father," an eight-year old Tokitatsu bade him as he headed for the door.

"Thank you, Tokitatsu," Takeshi chuckled, scritching behind his kitten's ear. "You be a good boy and help your mother around the house, while I'm gone."

"Yes, sir," the boy purred.

Takeshi finished saying his goodbyes and drove to the airport. There, he met his business partner. The dark haired, dark-furred, blue eyed Blood Hound Trista Cailean greeted him excitedly. "Takeshi, DARLING!" she yipped, clapping her hands together when she saw him. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever gonna arrive!" She wrapped her arms around his elbow and wagged her tail. Her long dark purple hair reached to her midriff and looked every bit as feathered as the fur on her tail. She was tall and sleek with mocha colored skin. The red polish on her professionally manicured nails and lipstick matched the tight, knee-lenght skirt and high heels she wore. Until he had walked on the scene, everyone who saw her thought she was a shrewd business woman. Now, however, she was behaving like a love sick pup.

"Miss Cailean, please, this is a business trip," Takeshi sighed, "You're going to give people the wrong impression. He cautiously removed her arm from his and rubbed the top of his head. It wasn't that he found her unattractive. Far from that, in fact, he found her quite lovely. A little playful flirting didn't bother him, either, even Shizuko occasionally low-key flirted with other men. But Trista went beyond that. She was unafraid to hug and lean on Takeshi and had even made a few remarks in front of Shizuko that had ruffled some fur in more ways than one.
Trista Cailean was calculating and manipulative. She knew her ideal 36-24-36 captivated her male clients and used it to get what she wanted in the business world. A woman who knows she's beautiful and uses it to her advantage is, of course, the most dangerous kind. She had used her feminine whiles to climb her way up the business ladder, becoming Takeshi's father's second best employee, second only to Takeshi himself. In fact, Takeshi was the only thing in the business she hadn't been able to sink her teeth into. To her, his marriage to Shizuko was merely a challenge, an obstacle for her to work around.

She pouted at him, but before she could open her mouth to argue with him, they were called to board their plane. Takeshi breathed a quiet sigh of relief, when he learned his first class window seat was four seats down from Trista's seat next to the aisle. "At least Dad took a little effort into keeping us apart for the next four hours," he mumbled to himself as he settled into his seat.
Much to Trista's delight, the person in the window seat next to her was a handsome young man with a rather healthy sized set of goat horns, who had no trouble telling the girl how beautiful he found her. Much to her disdain, however, this young man's wife and son were in the seats directly behind them. While she felt flattered that the Kid reflected his father's sentiments on how good she looked, she was annoyed that the boy continued to want to talk 'to the pretty lady'.

"I'm a Blood Hound, Kid, not a freaking Sheep Dog," she thought irritability. Children had never been her strong point, but she was good at hiding it. Or so she thought.

"Giles, leave the nice lady alone, now," the mother bleated, "I'm sure she'd like a moment's peace."

"You have NO idea, little Nanny Goat," Trista thought. "Oh, no, it's fiiine," she lied through her teeth. "You've got such a charming little boy." She plastered on a fake smile and patted the Kid on the head. "Maybe one day, I'll have a little boy just like him."

Takeshi, however, had lucked out, as the teenaged girl in the aisle seat next to him kept her nose in a book the whole time. The shy, quiet little Tanuki sitting next to him with flowers and her magic leaves braided into her long brown hair gave him ample time to go over his paperwork to prepare for his meeting.

The plane trip was uneventful and Trista and Takeshi arrived at their hotel to find their rooms were already waiting on them. Takeshi had room 415, Trista was one floor up in room 514. Both had a lovely view of the city and nearby beach from their balcony windows. Each had all the luxuries of home right there at their fingertips. Mr. Mutou even sprang the extra cash for them each to have a minibar. "Thanks, Dad, I could stand a night cap after these last eight hours," Takeshi laughed, as he picked out something to drink and found his way to the phone to call home.

The next several days went routinely enough; they met with their clients, wheeled and dealed, Trista more than showing WHY Takeshi's father had chosen to send her along. There was a little low-key flirting between Takeshi and the one female from the client's side, and some not-so-low-key admiration for Trista coming from the men. The deal was made, and closed, a whole week in advance, and for a much better deal than expected.

"Well, congratulations, partner," Takeshi said, leaning against the bar in the hotel lobby. He held up a martini glass as Trista approached him. "Another job well done."

"Yes, and a whole week ahead of schedule. We should go out and celebrate," Trista giggled as she took a seat at the bar next to him.

"Oh, I don't know..." Takeshi breathed hesitantly.

"Oh, cumon, Takeshi!" Trista begged, clapping his shoulder, "Just out for dinner and maybe one harmless little dance at a night club, somewhere! We've got a whole week to ourselves. It'd be a shame to miss out," she coaxed. "I know, there's that Run Grand Casino just two blocks away," she suggested, "Let's make it a night to remember."

Takeshi thought better of it, for a moment, but Trista did sound sincere. He didn't detect any of her usual, over-the-top promiscuity. Perhaps after dinner and A dance, he could split from her and hit the Black Jack tables. "Alright, why not?" he agreed. "I think we've earned ourselves a bit of a celebration." He downed the rest of his drink and the two of them hailed a cab.

Trista was surprisingly restrained during dinner. Takeshi shared a single dance with her, and then took his leave, heading for the card tables. He lost about $1000, but won back $2500. Calling it quits, while he was ahead, he went looking for the casino's gift shops.

Trista, however, was no where near as lucky.She won $50 at the slots and lost much more at every other table she went to. Before the night was over, her pockets were empty and Takeshi had to pay $500 on her behalf, before they would even let her leave. He refused any other trips to the casino for the remainder of the week. Even so, Trista having grabbed more of her travel funds from her hotel room kept going back. Only on the last night, did she win anything back.

"It amazes me," Takeshi remarked, "How you can be so good at these business deals... And yet you couldn't even schmooze these dealers into letting you win. How much did you loose this week?"

"The entirety of my travel funds," Trista replied.

"And how much did you win back?" Takeshi asked.

"Just enough to make it until pay day next week," she said, downing her drink. "But, thanks to this trip, I'll be getting overtime and a major bonus. And, I don't know why you assume I'd try to sweet talk my way into winning, I'm not some common Trollope who just flaunts what she's got!"

"Could have fooled me," Takeshi muttered under his breath.

"Takeshi, Darling..." She leaned toward him and began running her fingertip around the edge of the glass between them. She had heard him. She made eye contact with him, so as to distract him from the tiny flakes of ground catnip she was flaking into his drink. "I'm only putting on a show for you," she barked, "You're the only one I'm interested in."

Takeshi shook his head. "I'm married," he reminded her, "And you're only after my father's money. He's a widower, why not throw yourself at him?" Takeshi unsuspectingly picked up his drink and downed it.

"Because I don't want some filthy old house cat putting his paws all over me," she said with a smile. "I want you!"

Takeshi finished his drink and swooned. "Oh...Mnh...?" He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He usually held his liquor rather well. He looked down at the glass.

"Something wrong?" Trista asked.

"I believe I've had too much for one night. Think I'll turn in for tonight. Sweet dreams, Trista, see you in the morning," Takeshi excused himself.

He took a step forward and swooned again. Trista quickly caught hold of him. "What was I thinking?" she growled. "I forgot this stuff effects cats differently based on how it's administered," she thought to herself. She put on a smile and pulled him back to his feet. Takeshi's tail was already beginning to swish and his next step staggered. "Come on, Darling, let's get you back to your room, yeah? Can't have you making a fool of yourself in public, now can we?" she laughed nervously, letting him lean on her.

When inhaled, Catnip made sober cats act drunk. When mixed with their drinks, it increased the high. When outright ingested or injected, it acted as a powerful aphrodisiac. While for Felines it was an Upper, for Canines, it was a Downer. It was often given to Canine children who had stomach trouble or insomnia, as it worked as a stomach comfort and sedative.

Trista carried Takeshi back to his room and all but drug him in, rolling him on the bed. "Trista...?" Takeshi groaned. "What was in that drink?" he mewled.

Trista smiled, "Don't worry about it darling..." She began to undress him. "Come tomorrow, you won't remember a thing."

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Tokitatsu hid behind the wall in the hallway as he stumbled in on his parents arguing, "HOW COULD YOU!?" Shizuko hissed. "You promised me she meant nothing to you!"

"And I meant it," Takeshi reassured her, "Shizuko, I swear, Darling, I had no hand in it. I don't know what brand of perfume she had, but it did an excellent job of masking the fact that she was the heat. Besides..." He heaved a heavy sigh and sat down next to the table, his head in his hands. "I think I was nipped."

Shizuko's eyes widened. "Catnip?" she asked in surprise.

"It's legal non-prescription medication for Canines. It's possible she had some on hand and slipped in in my drink when I wasn't looking," he stated, "All I know is I haven't had a drink effect me like that since my college days. "

Shizuko sighed and nodded. She believed her husband. She was hurt, but she still believed him. "I see. Have you told your father yet?"

"No, I wanted to tell you first," Takeshi lamented. "I know I screwed up, but I wanted to make sure you knew the truth, before SHE could come to you with any lies."

"I would ask if you're going to press charges, but we both know your father would never let the family name be drug through the mud." She hugged him from behind. "Speak with him, and decide what to do. Just, make sure he doesn't put you in a postion where this can happen again."

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"Trista, I must say I'm disappointed," Takeshi's father reprimanded, as the young business woman sat in the seat across from him at his office desk. "You showed outstanding promise, and I overlooked your flirting with my son as nothing more than just that. I trusted his judgement not to step out of bounds, and had hopped we could trust you to do the same. Given your behavior on this last trip, can you offer me one good reason not to fire you? Or to have you arrested, even?"

Trista looked down at the floor as if she were a scolded child. "I sealed the deal?" she quietly answered.

"And I appreciate that, but that doesn't excuse..." He started.

"And, Takeshi's right... I was in heat..." She interrupted, looking back up at the old man. Mr. Mouto's old grey tabby ears flicked when he heard this. "Now, I've got them where I want them," she thought. "I know it still doesn't excuse my actions, but it DOES explaine them."

"You were in heat," Mr Mutou parroted. "Have you been to a physician since you got back?" Trista quietly nodded. "And the results?"

"They expect the results back next week," she replied. "Although..." She blushed and put a hand on her stomach, "I think I may already know the answer."

"I would like you to take my Secretary with you, or any other woman from the company, who can act as a non biased party," Mr Mutou stated. "You are both to report straight to me as soon as you know, understand?"

"Wha..?" Trista asked.

"I don't want you feeling uncomfortable taking a man along," Mr Mutou assured her. "But I want someone who can be impartial to go with you. These results will influence my final decision."

"I see," she nodded, her ears drooping. "Damn, even knowing I could be carrying his grandchild, this old flea bag wants to play hardball," she thought to herself.

"Until then, consider yourself on paid absence," Mr Mutou said.

"Yes sir," she agreed, brightening a little.

As expected, the results were positive. Mr Mutou's Secretary bore witness as per his request and confirmed Trista's claims. Once he and Trista were alone, Mr Mutou made his decision. Trista felt uneasy when she met his gaze. He was stiff, stern, and surprisingly well collected at learning he now has an illegitimate grandchild on the way. "You are not the first woman to approach my family, claiming to bear one of our illegitimate cubs," he informed her, almost as if reading her mind. "Unlike most of the others, however, this child's existence is due to your own actions. Can you assure me Takeshi is the only one you've been with?"

"I haven't so much as touched another man in over two years," she stated confidently.

"Well, I suppose that would explain the lack of judgement on your part," Mr Mutou chuckled, rubbing his forehead. "If you were dealing with MY father, he would advise you to get rid of it and then turn a blind eye to your plite," he stated firmly. "I don't like to think myself so cold. You are hereby terminated from this company. I will ensure you receive your severance pay and a reference so that you can find a job after the child is born. Should anyone ask, it will be in everyone's best interest for you to claim you left on maternity leave, and simply weren't able to return before the time ran out. I will not bar Takeshi from being a part of this child's life, should he feel so inclined, but I will ask you not to seek him out and cause him and his family any further grief over this matter. I expect you to start looking for employment as soon as the child is old enough to be weaned. However, do not hesitate to contact me should you fall into hard times until you find employment," he instructed.

"And in return for my silence, should anyone ask who the father is?" Trista inquired.

"You will find that added into your severance package when it arrives," Mr Mutou assured her, "I trust you will be more than satisfied with it. Count you blessings, this child is the only thing preventing us from taking legal action against you."

"Y...Yes sir," Trista replied.

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Takeshi started to climb into his car, a gift package in the passenger seat next to him. "Dad?" a thirteen-year-old Tokitatsu called out to him.

"Yes?" Takeshi replied.

"Where you going?" Tokitatsu asked.

"Uh, well..." Takeshi stammered.

Tokitatsu swished his tail and narrowed his eyes at his father. "You're going to see my little brother, aren't you?" he asked accusingly. "It's his birthday, today, right?" he purred, excitedly.

"Shhh....!" Takeshi hissed, blushing red, and throwing a finger to his lips. "Toki, someone might hear you." He knelt so that he was eye level with the thirteen year old boy. "Remember what I told you, when we explained this to you?"

"People won't understand, and talking about it might upset mother," Tokitatsu recited.

Takeshi sighed. "You do understand, right?"

"Sort of," Tokitatsu nodded. "But, I just want to know, when do I get to meet him?"

Takeshi smiled and ruffled Tokitatsu's hair. "Perhaps when you're both a little older. Miss Trista might not appreciate me bringing you along unannounced. But, if you like, I'll tell him you wished him a happy birthday when I get there?"

Tokitatsu smiled and nodded. "Alright!" he said excitedly.

"Hey Toki!" a voice called from down the road. Takeshi and Tokitatsu turned to find a small group of boys, right around Tokitatsu's age waving at them, from oldest to youngest; Toshio, Akari, Seishin, and Tsukitatchi. Tokitatsu smiled and waved back. "Come on, we're gonna go play baseball!" Toshio called.

"Lea and Zuzu are gonna be there!" Akari called.

Takeshi chuckled, when he saw the expression on Tokitatsu's face once the two girls were mentioned. "Run along and play with your friends, Sport." He said, "Just make sure you're home in time for supper."

Takeshi climbed into the car, waved to Tokitatsu and his friends, and took his leave. Some hours later, he pulled into the driveway of a modest little house. Takeshi climbed out of the car and quietly looked the place over. He sighed and made a mental note to call a repairman to come fix one of the gutters, and anything else that may be wrong with the roof. "We probably need to trim the limbs on that tree, too," he mumbled to himself.

"Oh, look, Hirato, Daddy's here," Trista's voice rang from the door way. This brought Takeshi's attention back to the front of the house. Trista stood, leaning against the doorway, a cigarette in her mouth, a nearly empty bottle of alcohol in one hand, and a half full glass in the other. She was barefoot and bore a few fresh bruises on her legs and neck.

Takeshi sighed. She had shown such promise working under his father, but she had let herself go. Disregarding Mr Mutou's request not to cause Takeshi any further grief, she had made one last desperate play. She waited until she received her severance, then went straight to Takeshi. "I'm pregnant, with your child," she had endeavored, "And your father fired me. Surely, you don't want the child to grow up poor and destitute, without a father?"

She had tried to use the pregnancy to emotionally blackmail Takeshi into leaving Shizuko. But, his father had already informed him of the decision. Assuring her the child wouldn't grow up fatherless or wanting, he still refused to leave his wife and first born. This turned her bitter towards him. Rather than use the money his father had given her to support herself and the baby, she turned to gambling and alcohol. She fell into deep debt and rather than look for a job, once Hirato was weaned, she kept running back to the Moutou family for funds. She swore she was looking for a job, but never really put forward the effort. "Why bother, when their emotional ties to their own spawn will keep them paying out?" she'd thought.

She was cold and distant toward Hirato as well. The boy had been one of the rare few to take all of his physical traits from his mother, his hair, fur, and eyes were dark violet-to-black-and-blue. Rather than the ears and tail of a cat, they were those of a blood hound. His senses of smell and hearing were also on the same level. If she were to try and tell anyone the boy's father was really the second wealthiest Neko in the country, they'd most likely laugh at her, given he showed no signs of it.

As the five year old ran out to greet his father, Takeshi took notice of something he found distressful. He thought better of pointing it out in front of the child, however. "Hey, there, Champ," he chuckled.

"Are you gonna stay this time, Dad?" the five year old asked almost hopefully.

"No, son, I'm sorry, you know I can't stay," Takeshi said. It was really unfair. Tokitatsu had been old enough that Takeshi and Shizuko could explain things in a way that he could understand. Hirato wouldn't be able to comprehend any of what was going on for a few more years yet, no matter how they tried to explain it to him. Takeshi hated leaving Hirato alone with Trista. He looked up at the boy's mother. "Why are you still slinking around the house in your night gown? Shouldn't the party guests be arriving soon?" he asked.

"You ARE the party guests," she answered, "Granny Cal can't make it, and Aunti Chizu is out of town on holiday," she said, mentioning her mother and sister. "Little beast stays home all the time, so it's not like he's got any friends to expect over," she muttered under her breath as she took a swig from the bottle. "Here," she offered, holding up the wine glass.

"No thanks. I've learned my lesson about accepting drinks from you," Takeshi said, scooping Hirato up into his arms. "Oh yeah," he said, walking around to the other side of the car and pulling out the gift box. "I almost forgot. Here you go, Hirato. Happy birthday."

"Hirato, what do you say? " Trista said dryly.

"Thank you," Hirato yipped.

"Your big brother wishes you happy birthday, too," Takeshi whispered into Hirato's ear.

"Come on in and have some cake, at least," Trista invited, turning to go back inside.

Takeshi's eyes widened when he walked into the house. There was a broken mirror and a knocked over flower vase. "What happened here?" he asked.

"Hirato was being a bad boy," Trista said flatly. "I've told him not to throw his ball in the house."

Hirato frowned and folded his ears. Takeshi glanced at the pup and smiled at him, giving him a light tap on the nose. "Bad momma," he said in Feline. Hirato smiled at him. Takeshi knew Canine, but Trista didn't speak Feline. Takeshi had made sure Hirato was learning both. Hirato smiled and waged his tail. Takeshi had seen through Trista's lie. Takeshi sat Hirato at the table and straightened the vase before sitting down himself. Trista sat the cake on the table and they sang Happy Birth before Hirato blew out the candles.

"Hirato, why don't you take your gift to your room and open it? Daddy has to talk to Mommy for a moment," Takeshi suggested.

"K," Hirato agreed, grabbing his gift and running to his room.

"Who did you have over here last night?" Takeshi asked, once Hirato was out of the room.

"That's none of your business," Trista answered.

"Yes, it IS my business, Trista. My mother DID NOT convince my father to loan you this house just to shore around in. My parents told you that if you were to bring mates into this house, they need to be reputable, not abusive, drunk, drug-addled assholes," he reminded her. "If that's the type of people you're into, now, I wouldn't mind looking the other way. But when they leave bruises on my son..."

"He..." Trista started.

"Don't even start, Trista," Takeshi scolded. "Don't sit there and give me some lie about how he fell or ran into the wall. There's a very obvious bruise on our five year old's neck and it looks like fingerprints. You're doing a very poor job of hiding the fact that you're covered in them, too. That fact is the ONLY reason I'm suspecting a third party and not you. Now, did he get his bruise trying to get the brute off of you, or did you get all of yours pulling the beast off of him?" Trista averted her eyes. "If I go in there and take off Hirato's shirt to look him over, that's the only bruise I'm going to find, right?" She flinched, but still gave no verbal answer. Takeshi glared at her. "I'll take that as a no?" Again, he was met with silence. He raised an irritated eyebrow. "You LET them hit him, didn't you?" Takeshi rose to his feet and shook his head in disbelief. "No wonder he asked if I was staying this time. Did they come after you before or after they went after him?"

"Your father had threatened to cut me off," she finally said.

"Excuse me?" Takeshi hissed.

"He doesn't believe I'm looking for a job," she stated.

" Trista, nobody believes you're looking for one," Takeshi pointed, "What's that got to do...?"

"So, he's cutting me off. I can't afford to keep Hirato if he does," she said. "I'm deep in debt, and you're the only decent guy I ever had any interest in. The others have always turned out to be such bloodsuckers." She looked up at him. "Yes, I had someone over last night. Yes, I slipped Hirato just enough nip to make him lethargic, hoping it would put him to sleep. It didn't work."

"You gave him...? He's FIVE what were you thinking?" Takeshi shouted.

"He tried to run from them. They caught him by the throat and threw him," she said quietly. "That's when it finally took effect and he went under. So... They came after me."

"Were these the people you're indebted to?" Takeshi asked.

Trista gave a quiet nod. "They want me to sell him to them. They came last night to look him over and decide how much of the debt doing so would wipe away. I've resorted to selling the clothes and toys he's outgrown, but it's not enough."

"NO," Takeshi exclaimed. "Damn it, Trista, you can't do that!"

"What other choice am I left with?" she growled.

"Get yourself cleaned up, get a job," Takeshi insisted. "How much is the debt? We'll figure something out to either pay it off or have these guys arrested for intimidation." He saw the look on her face. She was about to refuse, and there was no remorse in her eyes. "I can't believe you!" he fumed. "They WANT you to? Or was it YOUR idea?"

Trista glared at him. "First off, I've been giving the little brat catnip for his stomach since he was three months old. It doesn't effect him like it does you. Not that you would know that, you never do anything with him, anyway."

"Not true! Granted," Takeshi sighed, "I haven't taken him out fishing, hunting, or camping, yet. Until today, he wasn't old enough. But I DID take him to see that Magic Mouse movie he wanted to see so bad. He said you kept telling him no. Now that he's five, and his older brother is asking about meeting him, camping and hunting isn't out of the question."

"Second," Trista started, "Are you aware that your father told me that if it had been his father I was confronting with the information that I was pregnant, he would have told me to get rid of the child and pretend nothing happened? Except, he knew you'd never approve of such measures. I admit it, I never wanted the brat in the first place!"

Takeshi frozen in place. "Trista..."

"He was an unfortunate side effect of a stupid decision on my part," she bitterly admitted, "And so I tried to use him as bait for you, but it didn't work."

"Trista don't s..."

"Maybe I should have listened to your father and got rid of him," she growled.

"TRISTA!" Takeshi exclaimed. She froze, realizing he wasn't looking at her, but behind her. He quietly nodded his head in the direction of the hallway. She heard a thump as something dropped on the floor and turned to see what Takeshi was looking at. Hirato had turned the corner just in time to hear his mother's confession. "Hirato..." The five year old sulled up, turned, and ran back to his room. "Now you've done it," Takeshi hissed, following after the boy. "Hirato!?" He caught up just in time to hear the door slam.

"Go away," Hirato barked from the other side of the door.

"Hirato, come on, Kiddo, let me in," Takeshi purred.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," Trista mumbled, moving to the living room.

"No" the boy whimpered. "Neither of you want me, why should I?"

"That's not true," Takeshi sighed. "Come on, let me in."

The door slowly swang open. Takeshi entered the room and shut the door behind him. He bit back a sigh when he saw Hirato's room. Except for a few necessities and even fewer toys and children's books, and a single bed, it was nearly barren. "She didn't mean it, did she?" Hirato asked, his ears folded, his tail tucked between his legs.

Takeshi sighed and knelt down, hugging the boy. "I'm sorry you had to hear that," Takeshi replied. "Momma's just upset with me." He soothed his hand through Hirato's hair.

"No, it's not that," Hirato said, quietly, "She means it. I know she does."

"Why do you say that, Champ? " Takeshi asked.

"I've heard her say it to Granny Cal and Auntie Chizu, too," he said, "But she doesn't know I heard." He looked down at the floor. "Then, that man last night..."

"What happened last night, Hirato? " Takeshi asked.

"She said not to talk about it," Hirato whined.

"Well, she's already told me about it. I want to hear your side of the story," Takeshi encouraged.

"She gave me catnip and lead me into the living room to meet him. He said I was too skinny to be useful, but kept talking about taking me with him. She told him to wait until the end of the month, because you were coming today. I bit him and tried to get away, but he choked me."

"That's my boy, " Takeshi chuckled, proudly. "Don't worry, Son," he purred, "I'm not going to let that man take you," he promised. "I'm gonna make some phone calls, to make sure he never touches you again, alright?" Hirato nodded. Takeshi led the five year old back into the main room. Hirato refused to look at his mother. Takeshi picked up the phone on the kitchen counter and started dialing. "Hello, Mom? Hey, I've got a BIG favor to ask. Something's come up, I need you and Dad to watch Hirato for a few days. Mom... No, Trista's not physically ill, but she DEFINITELY needs help. What's wrong? I'd rather not get into it over the phone, suppose someone else picks up, you guys ARE still on a party line. Let's just say the environment here isn't safe for him anymore." Takeshi smiled and patted Hirato on top of the head. "Right, the birthday boy and I will be there in a couple of hours. I'll explain everything then."

"You can't take him anywhere," Trista said.

"Excuse me?" Takeshi asked.

"You're not going anywhere with him," she challenged.

Hirato hugged closer to his father. "Try me," Takeshi said, scooping Hirato into his arms.

"You don't have the authority t..."

"Don't I?" Takeshi challenged. "I may not have complete custody, but this house is in my parent's names, and my name IS on his birth certificate. He's not safe here and by the way he's hugging me with a death grip, doesn't want to stay here anyway."

"Fine," Trista snarled, "But you'll have to bring him back by the end of next week."

"Or what? You'll call the cops? No, Trista, I don't think so."

"What are you gonna do, Takeshi? File to overturn custody?" she asked sarcastically. She paused and looked at him in shock. "Oh gods, you are, aren't you?" She laughed nervously, "Shizuko will never go for it."

"Oh, I don't know about that. You see, she may not be as petty as you, but this would just give her one more point over you, wouldn't you think? "

"You have until the end of the month," Trista growled. "Good luck."

Takeshi carried Hirato back to his room to pack the boy's clothes and toys and loaded everything into the car. Settling Hirato into the front passenger seat, he never even looked back at Trista as he pulled out of the driveway. "Hey, Champ, have you had anything other than your cake to eat today?"

"No," Hirato replied quietly.

"How about a McRissune Meal?" he smiled.

"K. Not very hungry, though," Hirato answered.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright, son," Takeshi reached across and patted Hirato's head. "Grandma and Grandpa Moutou will take good care of you. But, you have to be on your best behavior for them. Grandpa can be pretty... strict."

"Yes sir," Hirato replied meekly.

Hirato was understandably nervous. For all Takeshi's parents had done in his lfe, he had only met them twice, and this was the first time he'd ever stayed a night away from home. He was rightfully distraught, having heard his mother and father argue for the first time ever. Takeshi usually had a strict policy against arguing in front of either of the boys with their mothers. The fact that he was the reason they were arguing didn't help. Takeshi did his best to cheer him up, apologizing for the way things had turned out. "Not exactly the best birthday, is it?" Takeshi sighed, as he got ready to leave his parent's house.

"No," Hirato pouted.

Takeshi hugged him. "Be brave for me, Hiro," he said, "And be a good boy for Grandma and Grandpa, ok?"

"Ok," Hirato answered, with a nod.

"Don't worry, Hirato," Takeshi purred, "I'll make things better for you," he promised.

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"Shizuko," Takeshi sighed as he walked in the door, "We need to talk."

"Do I need to leave the room?" Tokitatsu asked, noticing the tone in his father's voice.

"No," Takeshi purred, placing a gentle hand on the thirteen year old's shoulder. "Toki, what would you think about your brother coming to live with us?"

"TAKESHI!?" Shizuko exasperated.

"You mean it?" Tokitatsu exclaimed excitedly.

Shizuko frowned. "It seems I'm outnumbered, here," she noted, "What happened to bring this on all of a sudden?"

"Trista happened. Hirato isn't safe with her anymore," Takeshi replied.

"Ok, Tokitatsu, NOW I think you should leave the room," Shizuko suggested, seeing the legitimate look of concern on her husband's face. "Alright, Takeshi, talk to me," she conceded.

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Trista hadn't believed he could do it. But Takeshi pulled it off. The family's influence may have had some part to play in it, but Takeshi was awarded sole custody. Trista was allowed visitation rights, providing she be supervised. She avoided jail time for child endangerment and neglect on the condition that she entered rehab, identified the man that had attacked her and Hirato, and found herself a job. Takeshi did not push for child support. He knew he wouldn't get it from her, and he didn't really need it, anyway.

Tokitatsu and Shizuko stood at the top of the stairs, both anxiously awaiting Takeshi and Hirato's arrival. Tokitatsu was looking forward to finally meeting his little brother. Shizuko was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she would be raising another woman's child as her own. She was determined to make the best of it, however. She knew none of this was the boy's fault, after all.

"They're cats," Hirato noted, peeking out the window.

"Yeah, and?" Takeshi asked.

"Are they gonna hiss and run from me?" the five year old asked.

"Why would they do that?" Takeshi asked, trying not to laugh. "Nekos and Inumimi haven't treated each other like that in thousands of years." Hirato shrugged. "Did someone at Grandpa Moutou's house act like that?" Hirato shook his head no. Takeshi drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

"I asked Momma once, why you never brought me here," Hirato said, "She said because the cats wouldn't like me. They would run and hiss."

"Nonsense, " Takeshi laughed, patting him on the head. "They just weren't ready to meet you. Relax, Champ, they'll love you, you'll see." Takeshi climbed out of the car and went around to open the door for Hirato.

The young blood hound hesitantly climbed out of the car and nervously followed his father up the steps toward the front door. Shizuko took a quiet breath as she got a closer look at the child. Having finally seen him, she regretted not having told Takeshi to bring him home sooner. "Oh, Takeshi... He's..." She started.

"He's adorable," Tokitatsu exclaimed, temporarily losing his self control and pouncing Hirato, hugging his neck.

Takeshi bit back a laugh as Shizuko scolded him, "Tokitatsu, behave yourself!" she hissed in embarrassment. "We're trying to set a good first impression!"

Hirato tried to shrug his older brother off. He was beginning to think he would have preferred them to hiss and run at this point. "Hirato, meet your brother, Tokitatsu," Takeshi chuckled.

"Sorry," Tokitatsu apologized, pulling himself off the pup. "I don't know what came over me. "

"And this is Shizuko," Takeshi introduced his wife.

Shizuko took another breath and smiled at the boy. "Pleased to meet you, Hirato," she said, extending her hand. To her surprise, rather than shake hands with her, the five year old took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Oh, my, what a gentleman," she said, feeling quite flattered. Takeshi beamed with pride, there was some of his father in the boy, yet."You're welcome to call me Momma Shizu, if you like, or Miss Shizu, which ever makes you feel more comfortable," she offered. Hirato only nodded in reply.

"Can I go show him his new room?" Tokitatsu asked excitedly.

Takeshi chuckled. "Very well, run along. I'll have the staff help me bring in his things."

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Hirato found himself tagging along with Tokitatsu. Not quite fond of him, yet, his older brother was still the closest thing to a friend the five year old had ever known, his maternal cousins too old to be playmates.

Tokitatsu lead Hirato to a big, open field where the neighbourhood kids always came to play. Tokitatsu was looking forward to introducing Hirato to his friends. But when they got there, none of them were anywhere to be seen. Tokitatsu drooped a little. "Aw, man, I really hoped they'd be here. Seishin's little brother is the same age as you. I thought maybe..."

"Leave me alone!" A voice rang out.

"Speak of the devil, that sounds like Tsukitatchi, now," Tokitatsu said. "But I don't see him."

"Ah, get off!" Tsukitatchi cried out, again, "Someone help!"

Tokitatsu looked back at Hirato and the two of them ran off in the direction of the distressed Kitsune's voice. A group of wild dogs, had the unfortunate Kit pinned to the ground. Tokitatsu stopped dead in his tracks and hissed. Inumimi, he could get along with, but feral dogs were an entirely different story.
Hirato on the other hand, didn't have a problem with animals. "Leave him alone," he barked, throwing a rock and hitting one.

"Hirato, what are you doing?" Tokitatsu asked.

"They want the meat in that bag he's carrying," Hirato answered. "I can smell it from here. If we don't chase them off, or he doesn't give it up, they could kill 'im." He threw another rock, hitting another one of the dogs, pegging this one right in the head. The dogs turned their attention from Tsukitatchi, to Tokitatsu and Hirato. They growled and came running toward the two of them. Tokitatsu, though scared out of his wits, saw himself as the oldest, and therefore responsible for the safety of the younger two. He wanted to run, but stood his ground as the dogs came toward them. Hirato found the biggest stick he could grab hold of and struck the first dog that came up on him. He swung as hard as he could. The dogs split up, two jumping on Tsukitatchi, once again trying to get at the grocery bag.

One pounced Tokitatsu, and the fourth went for Hirato. Keeping his stick in hand, Hirato struck back at the dog as hard as he could. Hitting the dog in the head, to knock it senseless, he struck it across the back, in the side, and stomach. Tokitatsu let out a yowl as the dog bit him. "Toki, bite it's neck, and don't let go! Choke him out," Hirato barked, rushing for the two dogs that had gone for the Fox Kit. Tokitatsu wriggled around and bit the dog's neck, just as Hirato instructed. He bit hard enough to draw blood and nearly gagged.

Hirato took his stick to the other two dogs, beating them off the frightened, injured Red Fox. The dogs fled, yelping in pain. Hirato looked back to his older brother to find the thirteen year old had choked the dog out. "You can let go, now," he huffed, adjusting his glasses and trying to catch his breath.

Tokitatsu spat and jerked away from the dog, coughing and sputtering. "Augh, dog blood taste awful!" he sputtered. "Give me a mouse over that any day of the week," he hissed, rubbing his mouth. Hirato tried not to laugh. "How'd you know that would work ?"

"All Canines, animal or Kemomomimi, try to protect two spots, our stomachs, and our necks. Get us by our necks, and we're pretty much useless in a fight, " Hirato explained.

"Good boy," Tokitatsu praised him, patting his head. "You're not hurt, are you?

"I'm fine," Hirato answered dryly. "You two could probably stand a change of clothes, though."

"Oh, Tsukitatchi!" Tokitatsu exclaimed, as if he suddenly remembered the red head was even there. "Tsukitatchi, are you alright?"

"Tokitatsu?" the five year old sniffled, throwing his arms around the older Neko.

"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Red," Hirato mumbled.

"Toki, I was so scared," the Kit whimpered.

Tokitatsu smiled and held the little Kitsune tight. "It's alright, Tsukitatchi, they're gone, now. Why were you alone? Where's Sei?" Tokitatsu's eyes widened for a second. Seishin was the quietest, most passive member of their group, and Tsukitatchi was rarely allowed out of the family temple without him. "Tsuki, where's your brother?" Tokitatsu asked again.

Tsukitatchi shook his head. "Momma sent us out for groceries. But, he stopped to look at something. I wanted to go home, so I left him."

Tokitatsu sighed and smiled. "Alright, can you stand up and walk?"

"I think so," Tsukitatchi nodded.

"Alright, c'mon, let's get you to Doc. Ozaki," Toshio can go find Seishin and bring him back to the clinic."

"But Dr. Ozaki's mean," Tsukitatchi protested, "He'll call my parents and get us both in trouble."

Tokitatsu rolled his eyes. "You'll get in even worse trouble if I take you straight home without your brother. HE'LL get in worse trouble."

"Aw, ok," Tsukitatchi granted.

Halfway back to Dr. Ozaki's clinic, Tokitatsu found himself carrying Tsukitatchi piggyback style. "Oh gods, Tsukitatchi, lay off the beef and start eating vole or chicken or something," he complained.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsukitatchi complained, his face turning as red as his hair.

"Nothing, forget it," Tokitatsu laughed.

Seishin was already at the clinic, having ran to beseech Toshio's help in finding his little brother. "Look, Sei," Toshio said, stepping outside, "Tokitatsu has him."

"Oh thank gods," Seishin sighed, stepping outside. Seishin's eyes widened when he saw them Tokitatsu and Tsukitatchi both had cuts and bruises. "Oh gods, what happened!?" he exclaimed, rushing to them. "Tsukitatchi? Oh, you poor baby, what happened?" he fretted.

"Don't call me that, Sei!" Tsukitatchi pouted, obviously embarrassed.

"You, too, Tokitatsu," Toshio, noted, "What in the world happened?"

"Dad's gonna kill me," Seishin yipped worriedly.

"A pack of wild dogs tried to steal his groceries. He's scratched up, but I think he's more frightened than anything," Tokitatsu sighed.

"Thank you for pulling him out of that," Seishin sighed, scooping the five year old into his arms.

"Don't thank me. I froze, you know I'm no good with dogs... Present company excepted," Tokitatsu said.

"Yeah, Mrs. Itou's dog had you up a tree for hours, just last week," Toshio teased, "And he was leashed."

"Very funny, Toshi," Tokitatsu grumbled, turning bright red as the other four boys laughed. "But seriously, if you want to thank someone, that would be our little Hiro, here," he admitted, "He chased them off with a stick."

"Hero?" Tsukitatchi asked, looking up at the five year old blood hound. No one had thought to make introductions on the way.

"Is this the little brother you were telling us about?" Seishin asked.

"You... told them about me?" Hirato asked.

"As soon as I knew I was going to be a big brother, five years ago," Tokitatsu admitted. "Guys, meet Hirato," he said, proudly.

"He's adorable," Seishin giggled.

"Sei, only you would use that word," Toshio laughed, playfully flicking the silver Kitsune's ear.

"Not true," Akari's voice broke in, as he turned the corner. "The girls would choose that word, too." The pink Neko sauntered over to the group and circled around Hirato. He smiled. "I don't know if 'adorable' is the right word, but handsome, maybe." He smiled, hoping to make the kid feel a little more comfortable, having noticed Seishin's choice of wording had flustered him a little.

"You told them, and weren't embarrassed about it?" Hirato asked again.

"Why would I be?" Tokitatsu asked. "Who said I would?"

Hirato frowned. Just one more lie from his mother. He shook his head. "No, never mind," he said, quietly.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsukitatchi stopped in the hallway, his ears flicked as someone knocked at the door. The scents and sounds on the other side of the door were unfamiliar for the most part, but there was a faint familia resemblance to Hirato's. While Hirato hadn't had any physical contact with his mother's family, he had occasionally spoken on the phone with his grandmother, Mrs Cailean and his Aunt Chizuro. Tsukitatchi didn't rule out the possibility that the woman on the other side of the door could have been one of them or one of "Auntie Chizu's" children being in town and stopping by for a random visit. He quietly peeked into the bedroom and smiled, seeing the Blood Hound was fast asleep. "See who it is, and suggest they come back a little later, or leave a number where he can reach them," he thought, "That medication is gonna have him out for a while."

The knock came again, a little more determined, this time. Tsukitatchi checked to make sure his gun was bolstered on his belt. He didn't think he'd need it, but given who he believed it to be, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. The knock came again, even louder, followed by the doorbell. Tsukitatchi jerked. No matter how good those meds were, that was bound to have woken his partner. The two Canines had sensitive ears and as a result, the doorbell was rarely used. Even the person on the other side of the door let out an audible yelp. "REALLY gotta get that bell changed to something quieter, " he muttered, cautiously opening the door. "Hello?"

"Where is he?" the woman outside asked, pushing her way past the Red Kitsune without a second thought.

"Excuse me?" Tsukitatchi yipped.

"Hirato, Darling?" she called.

Tsukitatchi raised an irritated eyebrow. "Excuse me? Can I help you?"

"Oh, my," she finally stopped and looked at Tsukitatchi. Looking him up and down. "Well, hello, handsome." She walked back over to the red head, with a seductive giggle. "Are you Hiro's house servant? Where is the dear?" She backed Tsukitatchi against the wall and started to play with his tie.

"Look, lady, I think your a little confused about some things," Tsukitatchi said. "I'm not..."

"Oh my, is that a gun?" she asked, her free hand sweeping over the holster. "Careful, there big boy, we don't want blood all over this nice clean carpet." Tsukitatchi blinked in shock as she fearlessly removed his Glock 22 from it's holster. "Does Tokitatsu pay for you and this place, too?"

"Ma'am..." Tsukitatchi tried again to get her to listen, this time, only to feel the nose of his gun pressed between his legs.

"I won't ask so nicely again," she said, "Where is he?"

"First off, Mother, I pay for this place myself," Hirato's voice came from the hall way.

"MOTHER?" Tsukitatchi exclaimed, looking at the dark haired blood hound in front of him. He'd suspected Hirato's maternal family, not the actual woman herself. That was actually the main reason he hadn't gotten suspicious and jealous about how she was behaving. He was just annoyed over being ignored at first.

"Second," Hirato turned the corner, his own 9MM pointed right at Trista's head. "You were told to stay away from me. Or have you forgotten that restraining order father put out on you when I was ten?"

"Oh, come, now, Hiro, that order was a temporary restraint until you turned 21, " Trista laughed.

"Third, you're trespassing and assaulting an officer of the law... In his own house, I might add." There was an audible click as Hirato released the safety on his gun. "So, fourth, last, and most importantly, you have three seconds to get your hands off my Fox."

"Your F...!?" Trista staggered backwards and dropped Tsukitatchi's glock.

"You ok, Tsuki?" Hirato asked.

"I'm fine..." the Kitsune's said, picking up his gun. "Honestly, she still had the safety on," he grumbled.

"No sense in taking chances," Hirato shrugged, turning his safety back on.

"Hiro? Darling, why is your arm in a sling?" Trista asked. She glared at Tsukitatchi, "That your doing?"

"My d...? " Tsukitatchi started.

"Ignore her, Tsukitatchi. Your mother-in-law loves to shift blame onto innocent bystanders," Hirato said, pouring a glass of Scotch.

"Hirato, what are you doing?" Tsukitatchi asked, "Didn't Akari tell you not to drink until you're off the medications?"

"This isn't for me" Hirato assured him, pushing the glass in his hand. "It's for you. You're gonna need it, as long as she's here. Word of advice, DON'T let her touch your glass."

"Rude!" Trista barked. "Show your mother a little respect."

"Now, that's funny," Hirato laughed, sitting on the couch and motioning for Tsukitatchi to stay as close to him as possible. "Since when have you ever done anything to earn my respect? Besides, Mrs. Shizuko was more of a mother to me than you ever were."

"Ouch... I guess I deserve that one," she mumbled. She looked at Tsukitatchi and smiled. "You're being awful protective of this little Fox, too."

"Tsukitatchi isn't a servant," Hirato explained, "We've been friends ever since my second day living with my father's family. He's my partner on the police force, and..."

Hirato hesitated. He'd been nervous finally opening up to Takeshi and Shizuko about his feelings for Tsukitatchi. But he felt natural admitting the situation to Tokitatsu. Sitting here, trying to explain it to his mother just felt awkward. But then, it had been 17 years since the last time he'd seen her, she had given their escort the slip and tried to kidnap him and sell him again. No one on the Mutou side understood how she avoided a jail sentence after that. But, Takeshi took out a restraining order against her, losing her all visitation rights until he was 21. What he didn't know was that Grandpa Mutou, Takeshi, and Tokitatsu had all bought her silence when Hirato joined the police academy. Not for her to keep quite about who his father was, that had been Hirato's decision, so no one could judge him on nepotism. Instead, they bought her silence that she wouldn't tell anyone she was his mother.

Hirato breathed. "We do our best to hide it in public, but he's also my life partner," he stated. "Given I've always been jealously possessive of what's mine... And I KNOW what you did to my father... And I just walked in to find you presenting like the bitch in heat you are, with a gun to his crotch. Yeah, I think I'm going to be a little overprotective of him right now." Tsukitatchi blushed.

"I see," Trista said. "Relax, Hirato. I saw taking your father from Shizuko as a challenge. I have no interest, however, in my son's sloppy seconds."

"NOW who's being rude?" Tsukitatchi muttered.

"I'll be a good girl," Trista promised.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Hirato growled.

"How'd you get the sling? Break your arm on a case?" Trista asked.

"Since when do you care?" Tsukitatchi yipped, surprising both of them.

"Excuse me!?" Trista huffed.

"No, he's right," Hirato agreed, "You never gave a damn before," he said, "Why start now?"

"Aw, come, now. Is it really so hard to believe I've changed?" Trista asked.

Hirato and Tsukitatchi exchanged looks, then returned their attention to her. "Yes," they answered in unison.

Chapter Text

The Moutou brothers and the Koide twins filed out of the court room. Almost instantly, all four of them removed their overcoats as they stepped out into the midday sun. They had been in court for weeks, it was finally over. With the exception of Palnedo getting away, they were more than satisfied with the results.

"Brace yourselves, boys, here come the media hounds," Yogi sighed.

Almost as if on cue, several reporters surrounded them, asking several questions.

- How do you feel about the results of the trial?
- It was brave of you to come forward, how did it feel to be up there on the stands?
- Do you feel justice had been duely served today?
- What about your allegations against Mayor Palnedo?

Tohru and Yogi were use to this sort of attention. However, Natsuno and Gareki weren't accustomed to it. Tohru slipped between the reporters and the two Wolfboys, as more personal questions began to arrise.

"Alright, that's enough," Tohru hissed, "No comment!"

"Please, Murano, call them off, will you?" Yogi requested, "The Koide twins aren't ready for this sort of attention."

"None of you are," Tsukitachi said, putting a hand on Yogi's shoulder.

"Officer Tsukitachi!?" Yogi and Tohru both exclaimed.

"Go on, boys, Hirato's waiting to take you somewhere for lunch. I'll handle this rabble," Tsukitachi assured them.

The cats nodded, "Yes sir, thank you!" They each took the Wolfboys gently by the wrists and lead them to Hirato's police cruiser. Hirato opened the door to the back of the car and let them all file in before settling into the driver's seat. "Where we going, Unce Hirato?" Yogi asked.

Hirato laughed, "I don't know, where would you boys like to go? I told Tsuki to tell you guys I would take you somewhere, but left it vague so you wouldn't have to worry about Murano and his buddies following us there."

Yogi looked back to his brother and their bodyguards, "What do you guys think, McRissun's for lunch? I'm sure Dad's going to have something much more elaborate in mind for a victory dinner tonight,"

"You know us, if it's food, we'll eat it," Natsuno answered. He and Gareki we're both visibly shaken from the sudden onslaught of reporters.

Tohru simply nodded. "Well, I guess it's unanimous, then," Yogi said.

Hirato shook his head, "Silly question. I should have known that was your answer."

Tohru snuggled up to Natsuno, "You two ok?" he asked.

"We'll be fine," the Wolfboys both answered.

"I'm proud of you guys," Yogi said, "Not biting off a reporter's head back there took some restraint." He gently pulled Gareki closer to him.

"Hey, now, no funny business back there," Hirato teased.

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They arrived at the restaurant, placed their orders, and took a seat as far from the windows as possible. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, somehow in the last 21 years, the fact t that the Moutou Kittens frequented McRissun's never reached the media, so no reporters knew to look for them here. However, Gareki elicited as sudden yelp as he felt someone pull his tail.

The Wolfboy blushed, feeling ridiculous, when he turned to find a three year old girl standing behind him. "Rar!" the child growled at him. The others bit back a laugh at his expenses, all of them realizing they might have reacted the same way.

She looked up at the fifteen year old boy, giggling at him. She was a Neko with black fur and crow wings, but her eyes were a brilliant violet and her shoulder length hair was pulled into a pair of braids with black and golden blonde swirled into one another.

"Karamae! You shouldn't go around pulling people's tails like that!" the child's young mother scolded, running up and grabbing the girl by the wrist, while trying to hold a one year old Wolfboy in her other hand. "I'm terribly sorry, she's just at that stage where she looks like she's breaking the sound barrier, while I look like I'm in slow motion. She must have inherited 'Kitty Spacing' from her father." The crow looked up and gave an embarrassed giggle. The mother blinked. Her eyes going from Gareki to Natsuno and back.

"No harm done, ma'am, she just startled me is all. This place full of kids, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised it happened," Gareki said.

"Raven!?" Yogi and Tohru both asked, looking at the Crowwoman as if they had seen a ghost.

"Tohru? Y...Yog i!?" The mother exclaimed, taking a surprised step back, "You two still eat here?"

"It's the only public place the news cameras won't follow us," Tohru said.

"Raven?" Yogi stood up, "Wha... When did you get back in town?"

The young crow girl, who's wings and hair were every bit as black as her name suggested, shook her head. "I never left. Is that what they asked your father to tell you; that we moved with no forwarding address? No wonder you never called."

"Nobody told me anything. All Dad said was your parents didn't feel it was safe for you to be with me, then one day you just were at school anymore. Eleska and Koroku didn't even know where you were," Yogi answered .

"My parents decided to homeschool me until I started college," Raven sighed, "They insisted I stay away from you."

"Why?" Gareki and Natsuno both questioned.

"Uh, guys... Can I just...?" Yogi blushed and made a motion to suggest he wanted a moment alone with the young lady. The others exchanged looks, then shrugged.

"Just as long as you stay where we can see you," Gareki granted.

Yogi smiled. "I'll be right back," he agreed, leading Raven and her children back to her table.

Natsuno reached under the table and firmly grabbed Tohru's knee. "Tohru, who is that?" the alpha male asked.

"Yogi's exgirlfriend," Tohru answered, burying his face in his hands.

"I gathered as much," Gareki sighed as he sat back down, "But, Natsuno, did you notice her scent?"

Natsuno gave a slow nod, "She smells like Mom," they both said, looking at the now squirming Neko still sitting at the table with them.

"She probably noticed that, too. Shouldn't be any surprise, though. Her maiden name IS Koide," Tohru explained hesitantly.

"What!?" the twins barked in surprise.

Tohru nodded, "That's your first cousin, and if her mother finds out you two are alive, she'll probably contest my father for custody, citing that she's the closest living relative and that you're both under eighteen." Tohru's eyes quietly settled on the three year old kitten. "The girl must have recognized the familial scent and that was what drew her to Gareki."

"Your father said our mother's fortune forfeited to her sister when she married our father, but Wolfgirls are only born to a pack every thousand years, " Gareki stated, "So then, Raven's mother is a crow?"

Tohru nodded. "Mom and Dad always tried to keep the long standing bond with the Koide family, but Raven's mother was never really fond of any of us. After the accident, we stopped hearing from them altogether outside of Raven and Yogi being classmates. Until the two of them started dating when they were eighteen."

Gareki and Natsuno both quietly eyed the winged kitten. "You think he realizes it?" Natsuno asked.

"He's probably feigning ignorance," Gareki answered, "Let's not push him."

"You gonna be ok?" Natsuno asked, reaching across to his brother .

"Whatever happens, happens," Gareki shrugged.

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"It's been three years, how have you been?" Yogi asked. He pointed to the one year old in Raven's arms, "And who's the lucky guy?"

"Remember my father's family friend, Mr. Sherali?"

"He ran the golf club, right?" Yogi asked.

Raven nodded, "I'm married to his son, Miles. It was an arranged brothel. Nevermind how I've been; What about you? And who are your friends?" Raven nudged her head toward Tohru and the twins. "And why do they smell like my mother?" she asked, sounding deadly serious.

"Yogi flinched. "You haven't been watching the news the last few weeks, have you?"

"The Kafka trial?" Raven guessed as Yogi wrapped his tail around himself and cast his eyes downward. Yogi gave a quiet nod. "I've heard of it, but haven't been watching it. Other than this being the group your father's been after for the last twenty-five years, what's it got to do with you, or who those guys are?"

"Long story short, is your family really related to Mayor Palnedo?" Yogi asked.

Raven gave a confused nod. "Eleska is my third cousin, twice removed. But I still don't..."

Yogi sighed, "So Uro was telling the truth." He rubbed the back of his head. "Remember that aunt you told me about? Your mother's sister?"

"Auntie Zuzu?" Raven nodded.

"I had a chance to meet her, the day of the accident, but never realized it. They we're discussing settling up a play date for Miumarie and your aunt's two boys. They may have even been planning an arranged marriage themselves. Four years later..." Yogi stopped and stared back at Gareki and Natsuno.

"Aunt Asuza and her husband were killed. No one knew what happened to the cubs," Raven said.

"Except they did, it just took seven years to get them to safety," Yogi corrected her.

"Those two are...!?" Raven gasped in realization. Yogi nodded.

The black winged kitten gave Yogi's sleeve a tug. The three year old was tired of being ignored. Yogi looked over to her. She smiled at him and held up a French Fry. "Ah!" she said, offering it to him.

"Karamae, don't brother Mr. Yogi, dear," Raven scolded.

"Weather or not he realizes it, I think she does," Tohru sighed, resting his cheek on his hand.

"He's surprisingly good with kids," Natsuno noted as Yogi accepted the French Fry.

Gareki looked at Tohru and laughed, "He's had eighteen years worth of practice."

Karamae had finished her burger and most of her fries. Grabbing Yogi's wrist, she tried to lead him out to the restaurant's walled in play ground. "Karamae," Raven sighed, "Yogi, I'm sorry if she's bothering you. She's not usually this friendly towards new people."

"No, not at, " Yogi assured her, "I'll gladly play with her a bit, if you're alright with it?"

Raven sighed and nodded her head. Yogi allowed Karamae to lead him outside and Raven was suddenly joined at the door with Tohru, the Wolfboys, and Hirato. "You know, technically, I should put a stop to this," Hirato stated.

"Why?" came the four way reply.

"Because, when Florinda pulled Raven out of public school, she attempted to file a restraining order against Yogi," Hirato stated.

"What!?" Raven exclaimed.

"But Tokitatsu pulled some strings and made sure the case never made it to the courtroom," Hirato said with a smile.

"Raven, Karamae is Yogi's kitten, isn't she?" Tohru asked.

Raven sighed and nodded. "She is. But my parents are strictly against letting him know until she's eighteen," the young Crowwoman admitted.

"Why?" the others asked. Raven looked up at Hirato. "The same reason Officer Hirato doesn't let the public know he's Senator Tokitatsu's brother. The same reason Auntie Zuzu gave up the family fortune when she married Yuuki. To avoid a scandal. It's not that my mother never liked Senator Tokitatsu or 'Auntie' Lea. She was worried that association with them would bring the wrath of Kafka down on us, too. When she learned Yogi and I had... Well, she pulled me out of school, forbade any contact with Yogi, and arranged a marriage to Miles Sherali in attempt to avoid any scandals. They insisted Yogi not know about Karamae until she was eighteen so as to keep her face out of the news. But I never thought it was fair. He's already missed her first words and her first steps," Raven sighed, "I'd rather at least let him be part of her life, even if he doesn't know she's his, than let him find out later that she is and he never got to know her. Especially since her grandpa gets pictures of her every year."

Gareki sighed, "Poor guy really can't catch a break."

"Up!" Karamae demanded. Yogi blushed a little, but lifted the girl as she asked. "Fly!" she giggled, stretching out her arms and wings. Yogi felt a little silly, but complied with the child, holding her above his head and spinning her in the air a couple of times before settling her back down.

"Karamae!" Raven called with a sigh, as she joined them out on the playground. "Yogi, I'm really sorry. I didn't expect her to ask that of you."

"It's alright, Raven. Miumarie used to ask for that all the time, too. Only difference is Miu didn't have the wings to make her so light," Yogi reasoned. Everyone felt their heart tug at the mention of Miumarie. Tohru put a clenched fists to his mouth, and quietly sank into Natsuno's embrace as he felt the alpha male's hand on his shoulder.

"Is she flying on her own, yet?" Gareki asked.

"Not yet, but she is starting to flap her wings and hover," Raven acknowledged, "She should be flying by the time we enroll her in school, though."

Gareki looked the winged kitten in the eyes. She closed her eyes and smiled at him. Gareki flinched as the girl was suddenly surrounded by sparkles. "Yeah, she's definitely his," Gareki thought.

Hirato looked at his watch. "I hate to cut this short, but I need to get you boys home. And I need to go pick up Tsukitachi from the courthouse. He's probably really upset with me for leaving him hanging with Murano for so long."

"It was good to see you again, Raven," Tohru said, "take care of yourself and the little ones."

Raven smiled, "Good to see you, too, Tohru, Yogi..."

Yogi gave her a friendly hug, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call us," he offered, "And tell Miles I said 'Hello'."

Raven nodded, "Right, thank you." Her eyes settled on Gareki and Natsuno. "You two seem happy with them," she noted, extending a friendly hand for a handshake. "Though I wish the conditions were better, it was nice to have met you both. I never actually met your mother, but my mother spoke fondly of her often." She smiled at them, as they shook her hand. "Don't worry, I won't say anything to my mother about having met you. She's taken enough away from them already."

Natsuno and Gareki smiled, "We all appreciate that," Natsuno replied.

"Hopefully, we can get together and get to know each other better sometime," Gareki suggested.

Raven nodded, "I would like that a lot," she accepted.

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After all the celebratory festivities of a successful trial were over with, the family returned home, exhausted from a long day. They all saddled into their beds and drifted off one by one.

Sometime later, Gareki work up to find Yogi sitting up in his bed, staring into space. Gareki rubbed his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Yogi? What's wrong?" He climbed out of bed.

"Can't sleep," Yogi sighed. Gareki sat on the side of Yogi's bed. "You're not mad about Raven are you?"

"Why would I be mad about something that happened before we met?" Gareki sighed, putting a gentle hand on the Neko's shoulder.

"Karamae," Yogi said quietly, "unless she was born early, she's too old to be Miles' daughter," he reasoned.

"Yogi..." Gareki started.

Yogi flinched, "I understand why they did it," he clenched his fists tight at the edge of his blanket and Gareki could see his hands shaking, "but it doesn't make it hurt any less."

"Yogi..." Gareki sighed, gently wrapping his arms around the blonde.

"Gareki, while I was outside alone with her... I don't think she knows what she was saying, but she called me Papa." Gareki's eyes widened, then slammed shut as he hugged the blond tight.

Chapter Text

It's Saturday. Yogi and Tohru hadn't planned anything with their school friends for the weekend. Yogi randomly decided to drag Gareki along to visit Koroku. Intent on keeping his promise to stay outside, Gareki found himself a book from the upstairs library to keep himself preoccupied.

Natsuno took advantage of the free time and made his way up to the library. Grabbing a story collections book off the shelves, he took a seat in the big window and settled in. Leaning back against the reinforced glass, the sun felt good on his back.

He flipped open his book and started reading. He found the first story difficult to read and flipped to another one that was better known and easier to get into. Letting his imagination carry him, he began to imagine the dank basement the characters were in. Just as he was getting good and lost in the story, and the warmth of the sun was starting to make him drowsy, he was startled back to reality by Tohru's voice, "I had a feeling I'd find you up here."

Natsuno jumped and looked up. He had heard the Neko on the stairs, but thought it was one of the cleaning staff and had ignored the footsteps. "I thought you were playing one of your games?" Natsuno asked.

"I got lonely," Tohru shrugged, "What'ch'ya reading?"

Natsuno shook his head, "Nothing that agrees with your sunny disposition."

Tohru pounced onto the window seat next to Natsuno and snatched the book from the Wolfboy long enough to see the cover. "Edgar Allan Crow!?" Tohru exclaimed.

"I told you it wouldn't agree with you, " Natsuno snipped, snatching the book back. "Great, more I've lost my place."

"You actually read that stuff?" Tohru asked.

"Does that surprise you? This is tame compared to some of the things I've been through," Natsuno said, opening the book to a new story.

"Just don't come whimpering to me if you give yourself nightmares," Tohru warned, "After everything you've been through, I thought you'd want something a bit brighter, less dark and dreary."

"Whatever," Natsuno sighed, rolling his eyes. Once again, the Wolfboy lost himself in the book, making his way through a number of short stories. Once again, the warm sun beamed down on him and started to make him drowsy. Once again, the blonde Neko next to him disturbed his concentration and jerked him awake. Tohru yawned, stretched his arms over his head, and stretching out across the length of the window seat, lay his head on Natsuno's lap, being careful of the Wolfboy's bad knee. "What are you doing?" Natsuno asked.

"Sorry," Tohru answered, "But the sun's hitting me at just the right angle to make me wanna take a cat nap." The Neko purred, "You're comfy, you know, that?"

Natsuno laughed and started to scratch between Tohru's ears, "Alright, Kitten, you can stay there." The purple haired Wolfboy looked over his shoulder and squinted as the sun hit him right in the face. "Wow, the sun really is in the right spot, isn't it?"

"This floor's an add on, just for this room," Tohru explained, "Mom wanted a window seat set where we can get as much sunlight throughout the day while she read to us, from sunrise to sunset."

Natsuno smiled and continued stroking his hand through Tohru's hair, "That must have been blindingly beautiful," he mused.

"Huh?" Tohru blinked.

"A window full of beautiful blondes, a washed in all that sunlight, and all those sparkles," Natsuno stated.

Tohru's tail twitched and he frowned, rolling his back to the young Wolfboy, "Except I don't sparkle," he huffed, "Yogi didn't use to, either."

Natsuno smiled and started scritching behind Tohru's ears again. He'd seen pictures of Lea and Miumarie throughout the mansion. "Even if none of you sparkled, it still would have been a beautiful sight, just not half as blinding, " he chuckled. Tohru blushed and purred, curling into a ball. His tail swished happily. Natsuno chuckled and continued petting the blonde Neko as he went back to reading his book. Once again, he became lost in the story.

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Yogi stepped out onto Koroku's front porch. Gareki was leaned up against one of the support pillars, passed out, with an open book in hand, the fading sunlight hitting him at just the right angle. Yogi smiled, hating to have to wake the sleeping Wolfboy. He cautiously approached dark-haired teen and knelt down next to him. "Hey, Gareki? C'mon, it's time to go," Yogi said softly, giving the Wolfboy a gentle shake.

"Time already?" Gareki asked, rubbing his eyes.

Yogi nodded, "Yep, it's almost sundown," he reasoned, "We gotta get back home before it gets too dark. "

"Right," Gareki agreed.

Yogi helped him to his feet. "You're coming in, next time," the blonde insisted.

"Yogi, I'm not going where I'm not wanted, " Gareki objected.

"I talked with Koroku. He says it's ok," Yogi assured him, "He wants to get to know you better and make up for last time you were here."

"Yeah, sure, fine, whatever, " Gareki sighed, "Right now, I'm too tired and hungry to care, let's just go." Yogi sighed and nodded.

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Yogi and Gareki to made it back just as the final sunrays were passing through the lower windows of the mansion. "Ah, right on time," Tokitatsu greeted them, "Dinner's running a little late tonight, but almost ready, why don't you boys clean up?" Gareki and Yogi both nodded and started up the stairs. "By the way, Yogi?" Tokitatsu called up to them, "Have either of you heard from your brothers today? Nobody's heard from them all day."

Gareki blinked, "That doesn't sound like Natsuno ."

Yogi smiled and ruffled a hand through Gareki"s hair. "Tohru just spent his allowance on a new game yesterday," the blonde chuckled, "He's probably locked himself in and spent all day playing it."

"Well, if that's the case, would you let them know to come down for dinner, please?"" Tokitatsu requested.

"Sure thing," Yogi nodded. The pair made their way to Tohru and Natsuno's room. Yogi pressed his ear to the door. "I don't hear anything. I don't think they're in there." He pushed the door open. "No, there's nobody here."

Gareki's ears twitched. "I think I know where they're at," he laughed, "Follow me." Gareki lead Yogi upstairs to the third floor. He smiled. "Awe, how sweet," he chuckled.

Yogi joined Gareki just outside the library. "Awe," Yogi sighed, "They're so cute."

Gareki walked into the library and returned the book he'd borrowed earlier, then approached the sleeping pair. Catching the book before it fell out of Natsuno's hand, Gareki gave his brother a gentle shake. "Hey? Wake up, Pup," he said.

Natsuno blinked his eyes open, "What's up, Cub?" he asked groggily.

Gareki smiled, "It's almost dinner time. Have you two been up here all day?"

"I have," Natsuno admitted, "Tohru didn't join me until about noon."

Gareki smiled as he stood back up. "Well, whatever. It looks like you two found the perfect sunbeam."

Chapter Text

"Aw, c'mon, Yogi," Tohru pleaded, "We're not going very far."

"Tohru, I said 'no'," Yogi replied as he pulled another weed from the flower garden, "I'm not lending you my car keys so you can drive to the clinic to pick up Nurse Ritsuko. If you want a licensed driver, why not ask Mr. Hasgawa to ride with you?"

Tohru pouted at his older brother. He pounced on the older blonde and began to purr and mewl into Yogi's ear, just as he had done at the hospital, "Or why don't you and Gareki ride with me and Natsuno instead?" he suggested, "Your license is just going to waist, and that poor car's going to rot. Besides, I can't get MY license if I don't get in the practice."

Yogi sighed. "You know, Kitten, it's really not fair when you do that to me," he said, pressing his cheek to Tohru's and reaching up to scritch between the younger Neko's ears. "Alright, I'm almost done here. Go get Natsuno and Gareki. Knowing them, they're upstairs in the library. Let me finish here and get cleaned up. I'll meet you boys in the garage. But, make sure to call Dad AND Uncle Hirato and let them know where we're going, first. I'll ask Kaname on my way in if she can pack us a picnic basket or something."

Tohru purred and nuzzled his brother's cheek. "Half an hour?"

Yogi laughed, "Deal. Where did you want to go?"

"Well, if I had convinced you to let me go pick up Nurse Ritsu, I would have just drove to the Fairfield. But, since you're coming along, why don't we head to Grandpa Takeshi's beach house? We're old enough we can stay there by ourselves now, and if the weather gets bad, or it gets dark before we're ready to leave, we'll have somewhere to stay overnight, so you don't have to drive back." His mouth twitched into mischievous smile, "And should either of our Wolves decide to get 'playful', we don't have to worry about anyone hearing us," he added with a wink.

"In that case, call Gran and Gramps first," Yogi stipulated, "Make sure they know we're coming so we don't drop in unexpected if they're already there. They haven't met the twins yet," he reminded Tohru.

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Tohru went upstairs, sure enough, he found the twins in the library, both passed out with books in hand, each leaning against the other. "Aw, how sweet," he giggled. "I always feel bad about waking them," he lamented, "They're just so cute like this." He leaned over Natsuno and gently poked the alpha male. "Natsuno?" He purred softly.

Natsuno's ears twitched in response to his name, but he didn't wake right away. Tohru cautiously leaned in closer to Natsuno. Both Wolfboys were still occasionally prone to snapping in defense if startled awake, and with Gareki so close, one wrong move could easily be disastrous. The blonde leaned in and gently pushed his lips to Natsuno's. The alpha Wolf opened his eyes, quickly assessed the situation and smiled at the blonde as Tohru broke the kiss.

"You know," Tohru pointed at Gareki, "Anybody else looks that comfy laying on you and I might get jealous," he chuckled.

Natsuno bit back a laugh. "I keep telling you, we'll gladly share you."

"You gotta claim me for yourself, first," Tohru laughed, carefully straddling Natsuno's lap and pressing another kiss to the Wolf's lips, "Then maybe you two can share the leftovers, but then Yogi might get jealous."

Natsuno chuckled, "Oh, suddenly not so squeamish, eh, Kitten? Well, maybe the big bad wolves will just have to save 'Big Brother' for dessert." He smiled watching Tohru's face flush bright red. "What's up, Tohru?" he asked.

"How'd you two like to get out of the house for a while?" Tohru asked.

"That depends on where you two are dragging us," Natsuno answered, gently shaking his brother awake. Gareki twitched, sat up, and rubbed his eyes.

"I just talked Yogi into letting me drive his car out to our gandparents' beach house for the night," Tohru explained proudly.

"Yogi has a car?" Both Wolfboys exclaimed in surprise.

Tohru's ears twitched, "Yeah, this beautiful red four door Jag Grandpa Takeshi bought him when he turned sixteen. I'm sure you guys have seen it out in the garage?" Tohru said, thumbing over his shoulder.

Gareki sat all the way up. "That's his?"

Tohru nodded. "He got his permit when he turned sixteen, Mr. Seishin supervised him until he got his license at eighteen. Then, his very first time to drive by himself, he got caught in a rainstorm and fishtailed. Neither him nor the car were harmed, but he panicked and hasn't touched the wheel since."

The twins frowned, their ears folding and both tucking their tails. "Flashbacks to the accident?" Gareki asked. Tohru nodded.

"And now you're trying to earn your license?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru nodded, "It'd be quicker to get to school, and a lot easier on your leg than walking," he reasoned.

"As sweet of you as that notion is, please tell me that's not your only reason?" Natsuno asked.

"No, I've had my permit since last year. Just, there's never been anyone with enough time to supervise me, anymore," Tohru admitted.

Natsuno looked at his brother, "How about it, Cub, up for a car ride?"

Gareki stretched his arms over his head, then rubbed his shoulder. "Sure, why not?"

By the time the three of them made their way to the garage, Yogi was already there, laying on the hood of the car in question, playing with his phone. Gareki pounced on him. "How come you never told me this little beauty was yours?" the Wolf asked.

"You never asked," Yogi answered, pushing himself into a sitting position. He leaned past Gareki and looked to his brother. "You DID make those phone calls, right?"

"Yeah, I called Dad, Uncle Hirato, and Gramps all in one go. Gramps said it's fine, but he wants to meet us there, just to make sure we make it ok, and to make sure we're able to get in," Tohru answered.

Yogi sighed and nodded. "I still don't know how he's going to take meeting you two," he scratched between Gareki's ears. "Alright, Tohru, you wanna drive Old Cherry, here, we're setting down some ground rules. The first few are no brainers, I really shouldn't have to tell you; We don't go more than 5 miles over the speed limit, we obey all the traffic signs, and you keep your eyes on the road." Tohru nodded. "But, this is the one I absolutely must insist on; if the weather gets bad, or she starts handling in the least bit funny, you pull over and make a complete stop, got it?"

Tohru sighed and nodded. "Got it."

Yogi reached into his pockets and pulled out a set of keys. "Ok, here," he said, tossing them to the younger blonde.

Tohru caught the keys and smiled. "Alright, boys, hop in." He caught his brother's arm and nuzzled him. "Thanks, Yogi," he purred.

"Don't mention it," Yogi said.

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They all piled into the car. It was an hour and a half drive, but much to Yogi's relief, they made it all the way with no trouble. Takeshi met them outside the beach house. He didn't look much older than he had when he brought Hirato home to stay with the family.

"Alright, boys, stay alert, but don't get out until we call you," Yogi instructed as he and Tohru climbed out of the car.

Natsuno and Gareki exchanged looks. "Your grandfather got a problem with Wolves or something?" Gareki asked.

"No, nothing like that," Tohru chuckled, "It's just... Look, just sit, stay, ok? We'll whistle, alright?"

The Nekos climbed out of the car and greeted their grandfather. They each shook hands with him, but he still pulled them both in for a hug. "Good to see you boys," he said, "Gran's sorry she couldn't be here, but she's at a bridge club meeting."

"Maybe we'll catch her next time," Yogi suggested. "How have you been, Gramps?"

"I've been well, but I understand you two have had quite an... Well, I hesitate to call it an adventure, but quite the undertaking," Takeshi said. "I understand you two have new bodyguards and everything now?"

"Yeah, speaking of whom," Tohru chuckled, pointing back toward the car.

"That them in the car?" Takeshi asked. The Neko brothers nodded. "They're younger than either of you, what was your father thinking?"

"That he was protecting us, and fulfilling a favuor to a friend at the same time," Yogi answered.

Takeshi looked back toward the car and sighed. "Oooh... I see. Well, why are they still sitting in the car? You two aren't embarrassed to introduce them to me, are you? After all the canine friends your father had?"

"Actually, we're worried that if you see them in action, you'll want to take them away from us," Tohru answered.

"Yeah, so I know they're good at being stealthy and all, but, wherever *Brokkr and Sindri are, you need to tell them to stand down, before we call Natsuno and Gareki out of the car," Yogi stipulated.

"Why do you assume?" Takeshi started.

"Nu-uh!" Both blonds said, shaking their heads.

"You haven't gone anywhere without either of them since you took over Great Grandpa's company," Yogi said, "You can't tell us they're not with you now."

"Natsuno's hands are legally registered as lethal weapons," Tohru stated.

"And Gareki's not too shabby with a gun," Yogi added.

"So if you want our boys to come out and meet you, you've got to tell your boys to stand down first," Tohru insisted.

"Or they might just sniff them out and if they perceive them as a threat, we may just end up with Coyote and Badger stew for dinner," Yogi said.

Takeshi laughed. He wasn't sure he believed them, but he conceded. He pulled a transceiver from his pocket. "Brokkr, Sindri? Take five, boys."

"Copy that, Sir," came a reply.

Tohru turned back to the car, pressed two fingers to his lips and whistled before signalling the ok for the twins to join them.

"Finally," Natsuno breathed, "It was starting to get stuffy in here."

"Gramps, meet Natsuno and Gareki," Tohru introduced them.

"Guys, this is Grandpa Takeshi," Yogi said.

"Mr. Tokitatsu's father, am I right?" Natsuno asked, offering a handshake, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

Introductions out of the way, the five of them visited for a while, before Takeshi said his goodbyes. He handed Yogi and Tohru both a spare key. "Now, you boys are both welcome here anytime you like," he said, "I just have two rules, ABSOLUTELY NO catnip! And if you ever bring any lady friends, you make sure you let Gran and me know, so we don't show up unexpectedly on you."

"Not to worry, Gramps, I can assure you, it won't come to that," Yogi answered as he hooked the new key to his keyring.

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Once they were left to their own devices, Yogi grabbed the picnic basket Kaname packed them and lead the group onto the beach. The Mutou family owned a two acre stretch of beach front and the beach house was set dead in the center where the first acre ended and the second began. With 'Private Property' signs at either end, ensuring little to no possibility of interruption from unwelcome media or strangers. The four of them settled down on a beach blanket and enjoyed a light, but filling lunch of tuna sandwiches.

Not only had Kaname packed them a meal, but also a frisbee. "I didn't realize we still had any of these," Yogi said, spinning the disk on the top of his index finger. He looked to his brother and their two packmates. "Anybody up for a game?"

"Sure," Tohru eagerly accepted.

"No thanks," Natsuno and Gareki answered.

"We have no interest in such childish..." Gareki started.

The Nekos smiled at each other as Yogi sailed the disk in Gareki's direction. As if on reflex, Gareki snatched the frisbee out of the air, without even looking at it, stopping mid sentence. "You sure about that?" Yogi giggled.

"C'mon, guys, just a little while?" Tohru pleaded, "If your arm or leg starts bothering you, just say so and we'll stop."

Gareki and Natsuno glanced at each other. "I think they rooked us again, Pup," Gareki said.

Natsuno sighed, "Why are you kittens so damned hard to say no to?" He moved to stand up. "Alright, you win, we'll play with you."

Gareki tossed the frisbee back to Tohru, who then tossed it back to Natsuno, who threw it back to Yogi. At first it was just a simple game of toss and catch, each one taking a turn to throw it to someone else. But before long, it turned into a game of Fetch as the Nekos began trying to throw it a bit further, not carring which Wolfboy caught and tossed it back. The twins caught on to this and quietly exchanged looks. A silent understanding passed between them.

Gareki had caught the disk, but once silently conferring with his brother, he sailed the disk in Natsuno's direction. Natsuno flung the frisbee past the blondes. Neither Cat was able to catch it and had to chase after it. *SPLASH.*Both cats hit the water. No worse for wear as Tohru caught the disk and neither managed to get their hair or fur wet. Tohru tossed the frisbee back to the twins. *SPLASH! HISS!* A wave rolled up just as the Neko let go of the disk and knocked both Cats over, drenching them from head to toe.

"Beautiful," Natsuno laughed.

"The wet look really suits you two," Gareki chuckled.

The Wolves walked out to help the Nekos up, only to find themselves tugged down into the water. "You guys planned that, didn't you?" the Cats laughed.

"Maybe," Natsuno laughingly admitted.

"But seeing you two like this was worth it," Gareki chuckled.

"The waves are starting to look choppy," Yogi noted.

The wind started to blow a little stronger and there was a rumble in the air. "It's about to rain," Natsuno and Gareki both complained.

"The weatherman never gets it right," the Cats sighed.

"It's supposed to be sunny until Tuesday," Yogi pouted.

"Yeah, well, those clouds beg to differ," Tohru said, pointing at some thick, dark clouds rolling in from offshore.

"Right. Um, ok, boys, I vote we move everything inside," Yogi suggested, "Tohru, you guys get the picnic supplies in while I pull Cherry into the garage." The others nodded and quickly mobilized to bring everything inside before the weather hit.

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Once inside, they all changed into some dry clothes, throwing their wet ones in the dryer. Yogi started up a pot of hot cocoa and Tohru started a fire in the fireplace. Yogi turned on the radio and tuned in to the weather broadcast. Unexpected storm coming in off the coast, harsh winds, possible flash floods, advisory warnings to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, expected to last until eight o'clock tomorrow morning.

Yogi sighed. "I don't guess they taught you boys how to cook, did they?" he asked.

"No," Natsuno and Gareki answered.

"But I did use to help our mother in the kitchen," Natsuno offered, "What's here to cook?"

Yogi began prowling around the cupboards. "Canned Tuna, hmm... Lots of canned goods, actually. Oh, hey! Some spaghetti noodles and meat sauce, with bell peppers and mushrooms. That should be enough for all four of us."

Natsuno joined the older blonde in the kitchen. Yogi helped him locate the necessary pots and pans. Natsuno also found a cookie sheet, some powdered garlic, some butter, and some powdered Parmesian cheese. "There any bread?" the alpha Wolf asked. Yogi pointed to the bread box on the island bar in the middle of the kitchen. "Alright, unless you're in here helping, or getting something to drink, everybody clear out. Gareki, you got babysitting duty."

"Right... " Gareki sighed, "Tohru, just turn on the tv and find something for you two to watch."

"Wow, how responsible of you," Tohru teased as he turned on the TV.

Gareki smiled and put the younger Neko in a headlock, playfully rubbing his knuckles into the top of Tohru's head. "Relax, no one's going to bother us during a storm like this," he reassured him.

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The storm rolled in and they could hear the rain on the rooftop. They could all feel the electricity in their tails, and Natsuno and Gareki both felt the atmospheric change in their bones. Natsuno tried to make the best of it, ignoring the throb in his leg whilst he cooked. He eventually grabbed a barstool to sit on. Meanwhile, Tohru found a movie to watch on television.

The timer on the stove dinged. "Alright, boys, this is ready," Natsuno called as he drained the noodles and turned off the oven, "But you're gonna have to come fix your own plates." He pulled a cookie sheet with eight pieces of garlic bread out of the oven.

"You ok?" Tohru asked, joining him in the kitchen and nuzzling up to him.

Natsuno smiled, "I'll be fine, Kitten. I just have to stay off my leg for a few hours."

The Nekos exchanged looks and smiled at one another. "You and Gareki go sit on the couch," Tohru insisted. The Cats came back into the living room a few moments later each carrying two plates. "Here you go, boys," Tohru purred as he and his brother sat on the couch, handing the twins their own plate. "Thanks for cooking for us."

They stayed up late into the night, until the rain finally slacked off enough they could attempt to go to sleep. Yogi lead Gareki to one guest room, while Tohru lead Natsuno to another a little further down the hall.

Yogi locked the door and pulled Gareki into the bed with him. He gently nuzzled the Wolfboy's neck. "I hope you two are enjoying yourselves," the Neko asked.

Gareki smiled as he settled down on the bed and took off his overshirt. "Yeah, even with the weather turning bad, today has been pretty fun," the Wolf admitted.

Yogi gently pulled Gareki into his lap and nuzzled him again. "Is your arm bothering you?"

"Not as bad as when the rain first set in, but, yeah, a little," Gareki admitted.

"Take off your undershirt," Yogi suggested.

"Why?" Gareki asked.

"Just trust me," the blonde purred. Gareki sighed and removed his undershirt. Yogi smiled. "Now just relax," his voice was soft and soothing. He continued to purr a as he began massaging the Wolfboy's shoulders, kneading his hands into Gareki's back like a cat.

"Yogi," Gareki sighed, "Mnh... That feels good." The young Wolfboy waged his tail. "Are you trying to help my arms feel better, or put me the mood?"

Yogi laughed, "Yes, maybe? Why is it working?"

Gareki laughed and rolled so he was facing the blonde. Straddling Yogi's lap, he locked their lips in a kiss, cupping a hand between Yogi's legs. "Yes... And...Yes."

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Tohru snuggled up with Natsuno, kneading the alpha Wolf's knee the same as Yogi was doing Gareki's back. "I'm glad you two agreed to come along today," the younger Neko purred, "This has been a lot of fun."

Natsuno stroked a hand through Tohru's hair and down the blonde's back and tail. "You're right, it has been." He pulled the Neko in closer and kissed him. "Say, Tohru, you remember that conversation we were having earlier today? Are you sure you're ready?"

"I am," Tohru nodded, "But, only if you are. I understand if you and Gareki are still hesitant to experiment outside of each other, but..."

Natsuno cut him off with a kiss. "Tohru, if I thought everyone else was all for it, I'd drag both our brothers in here and Gareki and I would make a Neko sandwich with you and Yogi slapped in the middle. But like you said, I need to claim you for myself first," he pressed his forehead to Tohru's and waged his tail. He gently reached up and pressed his fingers against Tohru's rib cage.

Tohru flinched and gave a laugh. Natsuno smiled. "I'm ok with you being a little tender to the touch, but I've been waiting for your ribs to fully heal, so I don't actually hurt you."

Tohru blushed and kissed him. "Doctor Ozaki knows what he's doing, and he was better equipped than Azana was. I may still be sensitive to the touch, but I'm fully healed." He smiled at the alpha male, "I trust you, Natsuno. I'm ready, but I won't push."

Natsuno smiled and returned Tohru's kiss, rolling so he's on top of the blonde.

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The four awoke the next morning, all in a good mood, the Nekos happily curled up to their Wolves. After breakfast, they piled back into the car and cautiously made their way home on the still wet roads.

Tokitatsu greeted them when they arrived. "Welcome back, boys. Did you enjoy your weekend drive?"

"Oh yeah," they all answered.

"We had a great time," Yogi said.

"In fact, we may just do it again, sometime real soon," Tohru giggled.

Chapter Text

Seishin hung up the phone and tucked it into his pocket. "He's right, you know," he said, gently taking Toshio's hand in his. "Jealousy doesn't become you at all."

"It's not jealousy, Sei, it's legitimate concern for the most important person in my life," Toshio denied.

"Mmhmmm...." Seishin laughed, resting his chin on the doctor's shoulder. Toshio shivered. Seishin's skin, hair, and fur were soft and silken and sort of tickled. When they were kids, their classmates used to tease him that he was so soft he should have been born a woman. While it bothered him that the other kids teased him about it, he handled it rather well when his friends teased him about the teasing.

"Alright, maybe a little bit of jealousy," Toshio relented.

Seishin smiled and led the doctor back inside. "C'mon, I'll show you why you have nothing to worry about," he all but purred.

They retreated to Toshio's private office, so as to give Akari some semblance of respect. Seishin locked the door behind them. "Toshi, you know she doesn't mean anything to me, right?" the Silver Kitsune said, guiding the young doctor to the chair as he sat on the desk. "Just like your marriage to Kyouko is for appearance sake," he assured his chosen lifemate. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Toshio's.

The burnett relaxed and wrapped his arms around the Silver Kitsune, returning the kiss. Seishin reached down and began unbuttoning Toshio's lab coat. Before the Brunette Hound knew it, his coat was draped over the back of his rolling chair, his green pullover was on the floor and his black undershirt was halfway over his head. Seishin was kissing his way down Toshio's neck, all of his own thick, fluffy silver tails fanned out behind him.

The Silver Kitsune let his hands caress his mate's chest and slowly stroll down to the waste line of the young doctor's blue jeans. Seishin smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "It seems you're already ready for me," he purred as he adjusted his glasses.

Toshio smiled and pulled Seishin into another kiss, the Hound's right hand gently cupped around the Kitsune's silky right ear and gently scritched at the base, while his right hand fumbled with untying the belt around the waste of his robes. With the belt loosened, the robes slid right off Seishin's shoulders, revealing the young Kitsune hadn't even bothered with an undershirt tonight. "You were planning for this tonight, already, weren't you?" Toshio asked, running a gentle finger down the center of Seishin's chest.

Seishin smiled and nuzzled the young doctor's neck. "Mmnhmm..." he churred, happily swishing his tails.

Toshio smiled and pushed his lips to Seishin's once again. He pulled the Kitsune into his lap and at the same time, he reached into a desk drawer, pulling out an unmarked bottle of lubricant. These moments between them weren't as often as Akari had made them sound, as they often simply enjoyed one another's company, but Toshio wasn't one to waist the opportunity when it did arise, either.

Seishin's robe was quickly discarded, joining the doctor's shirts on the floor. The Kitsune's breath hitched as his partner began kissing his neck in a similar fashion to what he had done earlier. Seishin began to fumble with Toshio's belt buckle. Toshio took Seishin's hands in his. "Here, let me give you a hand with that," he chuckled, he removed his belt, his pants, and his boxers. Seishin's own pair of boxers soon added to the growing pile of clothes on the floor.

The Silver Kitsune lead the Brunette Hound back to the rolling chair and took the bottle of lube into his hands. Kneeling between Toshio's legs, he poured the lube on his hands, before taking hold of Toshio's shaft. Seishin's ears folded down submissively as he placed a kiss on Toshio's tip before gliding his hand gently up and down. "I was right," he said with a soft chuckle, "You are ready for me."

Toshio smiled and gently grabbed Seishin by the waste, yanking him back up into his lap. Seishin gasped, bit back a yip, and threw his arms and legs around Toshio as the Hound not only entered him, but hit his prostate and locked him in place with his knot. Seishin was now completely at Toshio's mercy, until Toshio was through with him; not that he had a problem with that.

Toshio began moving his hips and Seishin obligingly began to do the same. Seishin wasn't surprised that Toshio had hit his sweet spot so quickly. For one, he had claimed Toshio as his life mate years ago, before Tsukitachi and Hirato had ever even met, so when the two of them hit their sexual maturity, they already had one another to experiment with. For another, being a licenced practitioner, Toshio was privey to where and how to aim. And third, during his college days while learning about that part of the anatomy, Toshio had convinced the young Kitsune to let him find it. It was an unfair advantage, but Seishin never bothered to complain.

The only real problem with this was that each inward thrust, Toshio ALWAYS hit his mark. "Oh, oh gods, Toshi!" Seishin moaned, pleasurably.

Toshio ran a hand through Seishin's hair and locked their lips in a kiss. Wrapping his arms tight around the Kitsune, Toshio stood up and pushed Seishin against his desk, sending a stack of not yet attended to paperwork toppling over into the floor. "Sei, oh, gods," Toshio noticed his mate felt a little tighter than he remembered, but seemed to be giving no complaint of discomfort, "Has it been that long?"

Seishin smiled and cupped his hand around the back of Toshio's head and gently scritched between his ears. "Work's been keeping both of us busy this year," Seishin admitted, "But try not to think about it. It'll only ruin the mood." He pressed his lips to his lover's once more.

Toshio took the Kitsune by surprise when they broke off the kiss, as the young doctor's lips gently trailed down Seishin's neck, chest, and midtorso, before returning to one of the Kitsune's exposed nipples. Seishin blushed and gave a surprised yip of pleasure as the Hound's tongue rolled over the sensitive pink flesh. Toshio continued to rut into Seishin. While he busied his mouth and left hand with Seishin's chest, his right hand took hold of the Silver Kitsune's shaft and began pumping up and down. Seishin threw his head back, clenched his eyes shut, bringing a balled hand to his mouth to stifle the moan that escaped him. "Oh, gods, Toshi," he gasped.

Toshio smiled as he felt the Kitsune's body shiver as though wracked with pleasure beneath him. Toshio leaned in, once again kissing the nape of Seishin's neck and playfully nibbling the base of his lover's ear. The way they were breathing, it was obvious they were both so close they could taste it. One last good thrust from Toshio and they both hit their climax.

His legs no longer having the strength to hold him up right, Toshio wrapped his arms around Sieshin before falling back into the rolling chair, pulling the Kitsune with him. Seishin wrapped his arms around Toshio and rested his head on the young doctor's shoulder. Both sat there, unmoving, the sound of their breaths and their hearts all either of them could hear.

Seishin didn't want to ruin the moment by bringing up Sunako, but if he were being honest with himself, nothing he'd ever experienced with the Batgirl had ever felt that good, and he'd always hated himself for giving in to her whims. But with Toshio, everything always felt so right, so raw, so passionate.

Seishin regained his composure, adjusted his glasses, and pressed his lips to Toshio's once more. "Feeling better?" he asked, softly.

"Ok," Toshio sighed, "The jealousy may be gone, but that still doesn't ease my mind about letting you go back. I can't help worrying about you, Sei," he admitted, linking their fingers together, "I love you."

Seishin smiled and nuzzled the Hound's neck, linking their tails together, "*Tail Mending" with him. "I love you too, Toshio, but surely you understand why I need to do this, right?"

Toshio sighed. "I do, but it still doesn't mean I gotta like it." Seishin sighed. He moved so he was straddling Toshio's lap. The Silver Kitsune closed his eyes and held his hands in a small circular pattern right in front of his heart. "Sei, what are you doing?" Toshio asked.

"Giving you peace of mind," Seishin answered as a small blue glowing orb appeared in his hand.

"Your ball?" Toshio asked in surprise.

"**My Fox Fire," Seishin nodded, " I'm sure I've shown it to you before. As kits, Tsukitachi and I were told to be careful who we show it to. This is my life's essence, all my holy Fox Powers reside in this ball. The one who holds it can control me to do whatever they wish if they so choose."

"Yeah, but, you could die without it, too," Toshio said.

"Only if I'm away for too long," Seishin pointed, "But if there's anyone I trust to keep it safe, it's you. When I go in next week, I'll leave it with you."

"But if you leave it with me, you won't have any way to defend yourself," Toshio tried to refuse.

"That maybe," Seishin nodded, "But at least if something does go wrong, as long as the flame stays light, you'll know I'm still alive."

Chapter Text

Tokitatsu sat in his recliner, his feet propped up, wrapped warmly in the new house coat his sons had bought him. As per the tradition he and Lea had started with Yogi after Tohru was born, everyone opened one gift before bed, another one in the morning, either during or after breakfast, then all the other gifts after lunch, after all the expected guests; aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc, had arrived. Tokitatsu's robe had been the night before, his new slippers had been this morning, and now, he was nodding off, just as prone to Cat Naps as his children.

Natsuno and Gareki were leaned against one another, back-to-back, reading the books they had received the night before. Meanwhile, Tohru and Yogi were preoccupied with their own gifts, a pair of foam dart guns. They were trying to be respectful and quiet, but upon opening the guns, they couldn't resist starting a game of 'Tag' with the guns. Natsuno and Gareki had received a pair as well, this morning, but the wolves had favored the quieter activity instead.

Natsuno looked up, disturbed from his reading, as Tohru had nimbly dodged out of the way of Yogi's dart only for the foam plunger to hit the book instead.

"Oi!?" the alpha scolded, "Watch where you're aiming those things." He removed the dart from the book and rather than return it, he tucked it in his pocket.

"I'm sorry, Natsuno," Yogi apologzed, " Tohru's always been a little faster than me. Can I have the dart back, please?"

Natsuno smirked, pushing his nose back into his book. "Nope, you shoot out of bounds, you loose it until the game's over," he stipulated.

"Wha! That's not fair!" both Nekos protested.

"That's MORE than fair," Gareki interjected, backing up his brother's rule, "If they were real guns, you wouldn't get your ammo back at all."

The two Neko brothers looked to their father for support, but gave a defeated sigh upon seeing the older Neko had indeed dozed off. "That's what we get for giving him gifts that make him comfortable in front of the fire place," Yogi groaned.

"Relax, Yogi," Natsuno chuckled, flipping the page in his book. "I said not until the game is over, not never."

"He's being nice," Gareki snarked, flipping his own page, "I wouldn't give it back at all." He smirked and added under his breath, "Not without making you earn it back."

Yogi sighed and smirked. Tohru had let himself become distracted. "Aw, alright," the older blonde groaned, feigning disappointment. He pointed his gun at his younger brother and pulled the trigger, expecting to hit his mark, but Tohru quickly dodged out of the way, hitting Yogi's dart mid air with one of his own, knocking it off course, thus ensuring the dart didn't interrupt either of the wolves again. With a chuckle, he fired a second dart at Yogi, pegging the older blonde directly in his third eye. "Hey!" Yogi yelped.

"Missed me, you're still it!" Tohru teased. The wolves both bit back a laugh, trying to feign disinterest in the Nekos' game.

"Wha! How did you!?" Yogi stammered in disbelief, "Aw, C'mon!" He took aim again and pulled the trigger. Once again, Tohru dodged out of the way, the dart narrowly missing Tokitatsu's left ear and sticking to the chair.

Natsuno failed to stifle a laugh at this. "Are you sure you two should be playing this indoors? You could break something, or hurt someone."

"True, but we're not allowed outside until all the guests arrive," Yogi lamented, "Mom was always worried we'd get our clothes dirty and have to change." He aimed his gun and fired yet another dart. Again, he missed.

"You suck with that thing," Gareki scoffed.

"Maybe you can give him some pointers, later, Cub?" Natsuno suggested, "A little target practice."

"Don't go volunteering me for anything, Pup," Gareki chuckled.

Yogi took aim and fired again. "Aw, that was my last dart!" he mewled as the gun gave an audible 'click' when he pulled the trigger.

"Heh, guess I win by default," Tohru bragged, puffing up his chests with his hands on his hips.

"On yeah?" Yogi chuckled, pouncing at his younger brother. The Wolves quietly watched as the two Nekos landed in the floor, the older on top of the younger. Tohru let out a hiss of surprise, followed by a bought of laughter as Yogi began tickling him. "I may be out of ammo, but there's more ways to tag a person, " Yogi declared, triumphantly.

"Hey!" Tohru protested in between laughs, "No... No fair!" He attempted to squirm away, his words broken between laughter and gasping for air. "Th-That's chea...ting!"

Tokitatsu stirred from his nap, roused by his sons' laughter, but made no movement to show he was awake. "Yogi, give him some air already," Natsuno said, "He's turning blue in the face!"

Yogi realizing he'd taken things too far, let go of his brother and started to withdrawal completely. Tohru, however, seeing movement, through tear soaked eyes, reflexively bit the older Neko's hand. "Ow! Tohru!" Yogi hissed, yanking his hand back, quickly.

What happened next, happened all too fast for anyone to make heads or tails of what was going on. In the instant of Yogi's pained yelp, there was a snarl and a flurry of black and blond hair and fur. Natsuno, who had been relying on Gareki as a prop, was now flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, trying to piece together what just happened. Yogi was staring, dumbfounded, at the scene in front of him; Gareki had Tohru pinned to the wall, next to the fireplace. "What is wrong with you?" the Wolf growled, under his breath, his arm pressed against the Neko's throat, barring movement and further straining breathing.

As soon as everyone realized what was happening, Natsuno was quickly on his feet, hand on his brother's shoulder. "Gareki! Calm down, they were only playing," he tried to reason, "C'mon, Cub, it's just Tohru, let him go before he passes out or before..."

"GAREKI!" Tokitatsu's voice broke out.

Everyone else froze, fur and hair standing on end, all four giving a visible shudder. "Too late," Natsuno sighed.

Almost as if he'd only just then realized what he'd done, Gareki released his hold on Tohru and stepped away from the Neko. Tohru sucked in a quick gasp of air, which he spat and sputtered back out as the color returned to his face. "Natsuno, take your brother upstairs," Tokitatsu ordered firmly, "Both of you stay up there until I send for you."

Natsuno grabbed Gareki's shirt collar, nodded, "Yes sir. Sorry, sir." His eyes turned to Tohru, quietly asking the Neko of he was alright. Tohru nodded, covering his mouth with one hand and waving the wolves away with the other as he continued to catch his breath. Natsuno quietly nodded and lead Gareki out of the room and back upstairs. "Well, now you've gone it," Natsuno sighed, "Gareki, if he decides to fire us and throw us out, we don't have anywhere to go, yet. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Gareki admitted, averting his eyes, "I heard 'Ow' and reacted on impulse."

Natsuno stared at him for a moment. As far as he could remember, he was the only one Gareki ever reacted on impulse to protect. To do so for Yogi was a big stride forward for him. Natsuno gave a soft chuckle and wrapped his arms around his brother, pressing their foreheads together. "Calm down, Cub," he coaxed, seeing his twin was still on edge. "Maybe the 'Kittens' can smooth things over, and if nothing else, we both should have enough to find ourselves somewhere to stay."

"Tohru, are you alright? " Yogi asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"I'm fine, Yogi," Tohru sputtered, "Just a bit winded. How's your hand? Did I...?"

Yogi shook his head. "I'm fine," he insisted.

Tokitatsu sighed and rubbed his brow, the sudden jolt awake was giving him a headache. "Boys, what exactly happened?" he inquired, trying to remain calm and impartial. Tohru and Yogi explained to the best of their abilities what happened. "Tohru, son, are you sure you're alright?" he asked. Tohru nodded, insisting neither Yogi or Gareki had injured him. "Yogi, what about you?" he asked, taking the older blond's wrist in his hand and looking over the palm and back side of the hand that was bitten. "I don't have to ask Akari to give you any stitches when he gets here, do I?"

"No!" Yogi hissed and retracted his hand, his face flushing pale white at the mere mention of the pink feline, "I'm fine, Dad, really," he insisted, "Tohru never even broke the skin."

"Good, that brings me to my next subject," Tokitatsu sighed, settling back into his chair, "I warned you two to be careful around the twins. Anything could trigger them. Thankfully, Natsuno had enough wits about him to realize what was happening and try to prevent things from escalating further. Tohru, I'm glad you're alright, but Gareki could have really hurt you, just then. If you two can't learn to control them better, then for everyone's safety, I just may have to let them go." His voice was full of concern and unease. He clearly didn't like the thought of it.

"What! No! You can't!" Tohru and Yogi both protested.

"Dad, they have trust issues enough as it is," Yogi argued.

"Yeah, if you fire them and throw them out, we're no better than the monsters who hurt them in the first place," Tohru added, "This was just one little mishap. They're getting better."

"Besides, it's the Holidays, where would they go?" Yogi asked, "We'd be throwing them on the streets, practically handing them back to their captors."

Tokitatsu smiled and shook his head. He heard the genuine concern for the two wolves in his sons' voices. "What a lucky man I am, to be blessed with a couple of kittens as good hearted as the two of you," he noted, wrapping an arm around both of them. "Your mother would be proud of you boys right now," he assured them, hugging them both and kissing the tops of their heads. "I never said I liked the idea, mind you," he assured them.

"Honestly, Dad, I figured you'd be more impressed with Gareki than disappointed," Tohru said, almost as if on an afterthought.

"Huh?" Yogi blinked at him curiously.

"And why's that?" Tokitatsu asked, equally curious.

Tohru wrapped his tail around himself and shyly figgited with the tip, looking in the direction the Wolves had gone. "Well, I mean... If they're willing to go that far to protect us from ourselves, what do you think he'd do if Yogi were in real danger?"

Yogi blushed bright red at the thought and Tokitatsu laughed, "Well, when you put it that way," he started. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Ah, that must be your Uncle Hirato and Tsukitachi. They said they would be hear early. You two run on upstairs and let the twins know they can come back down now, alright?"

The Mouto brothers nodded and turned to head upstairs, while Tokitatsu headed to the front door to meet his own brother. Natsuno and Gareki were sitting in the hall, just outside Yogi's bedroom. Gareki had nodded off and was asleep on Natsuno's shoulder. Natsuno looked up when the two Nekos breeched the top of the stairs. He placed a finger to his lips. Gareki was not graceful about being startled awake, and Natsuno did not want to risk further mishaps.

"How mad is he?" Natsuno asked calmly as he cautiously moved his brother off of him, leaning the raven haired Wolfboy against the wall and standing up.

The Nekos smiled and shook their heads. "We managed to calm him down," Yogi said, his face still flush. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he watched the sleeping Wolfboy. He slowly knelt down next to Gareki and gently began scritching between his ears.

"Careful, Yogi. Don't startle him awake," Natsuno warned. He turned his attention back to Tohru. "Are you alright, Kitten? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Tohru blushed and shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he purred, reassuringly, "I think he realized what he'd done before you caught him. He winded me, but it felt like he was already consciously trying to hold back." He pressed his head against Natsuno's shoulder and nuzzled into the Wolf with a gentle, comforting purr. Natsuno sighed and rubbed the top of Tohru's head.

"Ne, Gareki?" Yogi purred, softly, as he attempted to wake the sleeping Wolf, "C'mon, time to get up."

Gareki groaned and his ears flicked a couple of times as he was roused from his sleep. He blinked his eyes open, realizing he was no longer propped against his brother, he jumped to his feet. He gave a reflexive growl at the smell of cat, which turned into a soft whimper once he realized it was Yogi. "Oh, it's you," he mumbled quietly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "So, just how screwed are we?" he asked.

"No, you're not in trouble," Yogi assured him. "Dad just sent you up here so you could cool off."

Tohru put a curled hand to his mouth and chuckled. "To be perfectly honest, Gareki, I think you just gave Yogi the best gift you could possibly give him."

"Huh?" the others all quipped looking at the younger Neko.

Tohru smiled, "He didn't know you cared so much."

"That I wha!?" Gareki exclaimed. He and Yogi both blushed an adorable shade of red as the older Neko pounced and hugged him. "Ack, hey! Get off!" the younger Wolf growled in protest. He sighed, realizing he wasn't going to be able to squirm free. He closed his eyes and returned the hug. Weather he wanted to admit it or not, he found Yogi's embrace warm and comforting.

"Aw, you two are so cute together," Tohru giggled, linking hands with Natsuno. "Yogi, we're gonna head on back down, once you decide to let Gareki breathe and wash his face, you two can join the rest of us," he teased.

Chapter Text

Natsuno smiled and returned Tohru's kiss, rolling so he's on top of the blonde.

Tohru blushed. "N...Natsuno..?" he gasped in surprise. He hadn't expected the Wolfboy to give in to his request so quickly.

Natsuno's only reply was a series of kisses along the Neko's neck as he unbuttoned the Catboy's shirt. Tohru let out soft mewls of pleasure with every kiss. The alpha wolf met no resistance when the shirt was completely undone and removed to reveal the Neko's chest. As Tohru had ensured him, Dr Ozaki knew what he was doing; there were no signs of any of the physical trauma Tohru had been subjected to in the ring.

Natsuno kissed Tohru full on the lips, letting their tongues mingle, and his hands gently wandered up and down the Neko's torso, scouting out the more sensitive areas, which seemed to be everywhere. "Tender to the touch is an understatement," the Wolf chuckled as he pulled from the kiss.

Tohru blushed. "Why are you teasing me?" he protested.

"Relax, Kitten," Natsuno assured him. Sticking to his 'the big bad wolf is going to gobble you up' role play, he leaned close the Neko's ear and whispered, "Every good meal starts with appetizers."

Natsuno returned to kissing a trail down Tohru's body as one of his hands worked its way down the Neko's pants. Tohru's ears folded submissively and he pulled a curled finger to his lips to stifle a mewl of pleasure that escaped him as he felt the Wolf's hot breath ghost his chest and cold hand caress his warm shaft. Natsuno smirked, finding Tohru's innocent reaction both adorable and refreshing. He gently rolled his tongue over one of Tohru's nipples. "You've really never done this before, have you?" Natsuno asked.

"W-With somebody else? No," Tohru admitted. "I..." he adverted his eyes and blushed as if ashamed of the admission, "I stroked Yogi off after those creeps in Kafka slipped Cat Nip in his water, but that's as far as we went."

Natsuno tightened his grip on Tohru's shaft, not enough to cause discomfort, but definitely enough to draw the Neko's eyes back to his. "There's no need to feel ashamed of that, Tohru, you were doing what you thought was in your brother's best interest," the Wolf reminded him, "None of us will judge you for that." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Tohru's once more, this time gently stoking his hand up and down the Neko's already hardening shaft.

Tohru purred into the kiss. The alpha Wolf was being a lot more gentle than he'd anticipated. Sure, he'd insisted he was ready, but the truth was he was actually nervous that Natsuno would be much more aggressive, even if unintentionally. At those words, that promise they wouldn't judge him over what had happened, he felt any and all apprehension that had overtook him when Natsuno rolled on top of him leave. He returned Natsuno's kiss in full furvor and wrapped his arms and tail around the Wolf's torso and tail.

Natsuno smiled and pulled away from the kiss, gently rolling his tongue over Tohru's cheek. He pulled his hand out of Tohru's pants and sat up so he was straddling the Neko. Tohru quietly watched as the Wolfboy removed not only his over shirt, but his undershirt as well, revealing his finely toned muscles from so many years in the ring. Tohru blushed and hesitantly reached up to touch the Wolf's bare chest. "Y-You actually trust me enough to...?" he murmured.

Natsuno failed to choke back a laugh, "For what I'm about to do to you, it's only fair," he answered. He smiled as the Neko gently, yet purposefully pawed at his chest. This was the first time he had allowed anyone other than his brother or a doctor to even see him without his undershirt, let alone touch his bare chest. While Tohru was distracted with his chest, Natsuno took both hands and gave one good yank, pulling the Neko's pants and underwear down to his knees.

Tohru gave a startled gasp and blushed. "Cheater!" he protested, his face flushing bright red, his voice hitching in an adorable mewl, "You coulda just asked."

"And miss this adorable candid moment?" Natsuno laughed as the Neko kicked off the remainder of his clothes. He gently caught hold of Tohru's shaft and nuzzled the blonde's neck.

Tohru blushed and moaned as the Wolf's hand gently stroked him, his breath ghosting his neck. Natsuno used his free hand to remove his own pants, exposing his lower regions to the Neko. Tohru blushed and his shaft twitched to full erection at the sight of the Wolf. "Go on," the Wolf encouraged, gently guiding Tohru's hand to his shaft. Natsuno's ears twitched and his tail wagged as Tohru's hand gently caressed his shaft. It was already fully erect, but the cold air of the room, mixed with the touch of Tohru's warm hands still caused it to twitch.

Tohru blushed again and moved so he was on all fours. Natsuno flinched when he felt Tohru's tongue roll over his shaft. "That's a new experience," Natsuno said in a husky rasp.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" Tohru asked.

"Not at all," Natsuno replied, "I just forgot Neko tongues have papillae. It doesn't hurt, but it definitely feels different from a Wolf tongue." He stroked a hand through the Neko's unruly blond tresses and down his bare back side, encouraging Tohru to continue licking and sucking. It was obvious he was unskilled, but he was careful enough not to bite or claw as both his head and hands bobbed up and down, eliciting moans and whimpers of pleasure from the Alpha Wolf.

Tohru's tail stiffened and stood straight up as he felt Natsuno's thumb gently press against and rub along his tail bone, yet another erogenous zone. "Mph!?" Natsuno's thumb remained at Tohru's coccyx, but his pointer and middle fingers slipped inside the Neko's rear entrance and gently started probing him. Natsuno felt Tohru tremble a little and gently used his free hand to scritch between the Neko's ears, luring the blonde back into a relaxed, trusting, state of bliss. Tohru gave a muffled purr and continued to move his head up and down Natsuno's shaft, until he found himself with a mouthful of precum.

Tohru blushed and quickly pulled off, throwing his hands to his mouth. He swallowed it, but protested, "You could have at least warned me."

Natsuno wrapped his arms around the Neko, and kissed his forehead, "Sorry, I'll try to warn you next time." Tohru purred and nuzzled into Natsuno's embrace. "You think you're ready?" The Neko blushed and nodded. Natsuno kissed him again, rolling him so he was on all fours. Natsuno gently stroked Tohru's back and tail, coaxing him into a further relaxed state. Tohru moved his tail so as not to obstruct Natsuno's entrance, however, he flinched and stifled a pained hiss as Natsuno entered him. Natsuno's ears folded when he picked up on Tohru's reaction. He leaned in and nuzzled the blonde's neck, before biting it. Tohru gave another sharp hiss, but did nothing to retaliate. Natsuno's bite was gentle enough not to break the skin, but was just enough to divert Tohru's attention as the Wolf slid all the way inside him.

Natsuno gently wrapped one hand around Tohru's shaft and began to stroke him off as he also began to move his hips, pumping in and out. Tohru mewled in pleasure, his eyes almost glossing over. "Oh gods, N-Natsuno," he panted.

Natsuno released his hold on Tohru's neck and gently licked at the area, watching as the Neko's skin slowly changed from a dark blue back to its normal creamy shade. His free hand reached up and gently flicked over the Neko's nipples. He kissed and licked the previously bitten area of Tohru's neck as he continued to rut into the blonde.

Tohru gasped and swished his tail with a mewl as Natsuno hit his g-spot. Reaching over his head, the Neko entwined his fingers into the hair at the base of Natsuno's left ear and gently scritched at the spot. Tilting his head upward, he gently licked Natsuno's right cheek.

"Ah... Natsuno, I'm gonna..." Tohru started.

The Wolf cut him off, gently tilting the Neko's head upward and pressing their lips together. One last good rut and both off them reached climax. Natsuno's tail wagged as Tohru fell limp on the bed, breathing heavy. "You alright, Kitten?" Natsuno asked, scritching between Tohru's ears. "Is the kitty happy now that he finally got the cream?" he playfully teased.

The Neko blushed and gently pulled the Wolf down beside him on the bed. "'Happy' is an understatement," he purred, snuggling up to the Alpha, wrapping their tails together for a tailmend.

Chapter Text

Yogi gently pulled Gareki into his lap and nuzzled him again. "Is your arm bothering you?"

"Not as bad as when the rain first set in, but, yeah, a little," Gareki admitted.

"Take off your undershirt," Yogi suggested.

"Why?" Gareki asked.

"Just trust me," the blonde purred. Gareki sighed and removed his undershirt. Yogi smiled. "Now just relax," his voice was soft and soothing. He continued to purr as he began massaging the Wolfboy's shoulders, kneading his hands into Gareki's back like a cat.

"Yogi," Gareki sighed, "Mnh... That feels good." The young Wolfboy waged his tail. "Are you trying to help my arms feel better, or put me the mood?"

Yogi laughed, "Yes, maybe? Why is it working?"

Gareki laughed and rolled so he was facing the blonde. Straddling Yogi's lap, he locked their lips in a kiss, cupping a hand between Yogi's legs. "Yes... And...Yes."

"Gyah!?" Yogi blushed.

Gareki smiled as he gently caressed the bulge in the Neko's pants. "What's the matter? I thought you said this was what you were trying for?"

"I... Yeah, but... I didn't think...," Yogi stammered.

"Didn't think what?" Gareki asked, tilting his head to the side and letting his ears droop.

"I didn't think you liked me like that," Yogi mewled.

Gareki smiled mischievously and pushed his lips to Yogi's once again, sliding his hands down the blonde's pants. Yogi blushed as the Wolf's tongue slipped inside his mouth and mingled with his own. "Well, you were wrong," he whispered, rolling his fingertip over the head of Yogi's shaft.

"But, you never show any signs that...?" Yogi started, his sentence was cut off, however with a mewl of pleasure as Gareki's thumb pressed against the slit in his hood.

Gareki smirked and raised an eyebrow, "Haven't I? Or have they just been so subtle you didn't notice?" He leaned in, pushing their lips together for another kiss. "When I pounced you back in the garage, and had you pinned to the hood of the car, I wanted to ravish you right then and there," he admitted, pulling the Neko's shirt up to reveal Yogi's bare chest.

"So, why wait so long?" Yogi asked, pulling the shirt the rest of the way over his head and tossing it on the floor, "We've had months since the trial."

"Our room's too close to your brother's," Gareki answered. "Too close to MY brother," he thought.

"I suppose that makes sense," Yogi acknowledged. The blonde blushed as the Wolfboy nuzzled his neck. He let out a quiet mewl as Gareki kissed a trail down his neck and playfully nibbled at his Adam's Apple. He tried not to flinch, but Gareki's playful nips at his throat tickled. He felt Gareki's hand slip back to his waistline and smiled, placing a gentle hand on top of the Wolfboy's head, right between the ears. Gareki froze and turned his eyes back to the Neko, curiously. He almost thought Yogi was trying to stop him, having changed his mind. His concerns, however, were set at ease as the Neko tilted his head upward and pressed their lips together for a kiss. "Here, let me help you with that," the blonde offered, removing the rest of his clothes.

Gareki was taken aback, when the usually docile blonde pushed him back against the bed, pressing their lips together for yet another kiss, cupping his hand between his legs. The Wolfboy gave a submissive whimper as the fabric of his pants and boxers tightened around his bulge, where the Neko was now stroking him.

The Neko purred as he removed the Wolfboy's pants. He took Gareki's already hardened shaft in his hands and gently began pumping up and down. Gareki gave a soft moan as he felt Yogi's tongue caress his shaft. Yogi popped Gareki's cock in his mouth and began sucking on it as though it were a lolipop, skillfuly rolling his tongue over the hood.

Gareki's whole body jerked then stiffened when he felt the older Neko purr around him. "Oh, gods, Yogi," he panted, his tail wagging slightly. The Cat tongue was a new experience altogether, but the fact that Yogi could still purr around him at the same time merely heightened the sensation better than he would imagine any vibrator could.

Yogi continued to suck and lick Gareki's shaft, almost as if he were giving the Wolfboy a tongue bath, until he found himself with a mouthful of precum. Swallowing it, he pulled off, but continued to lap at the hood.

Gareki took the opportunity to turn the tables, grabbing the blonde and rolling so he was back on top. Kissing the Neko once more, he began stroking Yogi off. Yogi gave a muffled gasp as Gareki slipped inside him and began to pump into him. Moving to kiss along the Neko's neck, so as to allow his mate a chance to breath, he continued to thrust in and out, his hand still stroking up and down Yogi's shaft.

Yogi gasped and mewled in pleasure, his hips bucking with every inward movement from the Wolfboy, his voice hitching as Gareki's shaft hit his sweet spot. Wrapping his arms around the Wolfboy, he nuzzled his face into the younger male's neck and began kissing his own trail of kisses down Gareki's throat. Yogi's tail entwined with Gareki's, heightening their experience and sending them both over the edge to climax.

Yogi snuggled in close, purring happily, his arms and tail remaining tightly wrapped around Gareki and his ears folded submissively, as they both caught their breath.

Chapter Text

Yogi and Gareki lay curled up in their guest bed, when Yogi's cellphone suddenly buzzed. He recognized it as the sound he'd assigned to text messages from Tohru. Yogi reached for the phone, which he'd left laying on the bedside dresser. With Gareki curled up and seemingly already asleep on his arm, the blonde didn't attempt to roll over as he reached behind him. Finding the phone, he fumbled it as he tried to pick it up. "Oh," he hissed through his teeth as he felt it slip out of his hand. The Wolfboy wasn't as asleep as he'd seemed, given he managed to reach over the Neko and catch the phone before it could hit the ground.

Gareki winced and rubbed his shoulder as he drew back his arm. "Did you bring your charger for this thing?" he asked as he handed the phone back to it's owner.

"I suppose I should have," Yogi admitted, "But, I wasn't expecting us to be here over night." His tail swished as he read the text, his ears laying flat.

"What's wrong?" Gareki asked, noting the Neko's obvious displeasure.

"Your brother's calling for you," Yogi answered, holding the phone where Gareku could read it.

"Tohru doesn't normally make those kind of errors in his texts," Yogi noted, "I can only imagine what they've been doing, or what he wants you for."

Gareki bit back a laugh, "Worried for your little brother, or jealous they're inviting me to join?" he teased, also guessing what this was about. There was a flicker in the Neko's violet eyes that seemed to answer that question. "Both, huh?" Gareki nuzzled Yogi's neck. "Don't worry, we'll be as gentle with him as I was with you," he promised, "OR, just say you don't want to share, and I'll stay right here."

"I'm not sure which surprises me more; that Natsuno is willing to go that far, or that Tohru actually agreed to it," Yogi admitted.

Gareki smiled and playfully nipped at the blonde's left ear. "Then tell them I'm already asleep," he coaxed, "Or don't answer at all, we need to save the phone batteries for the ride back home, tomorrow anyway."

Yogi nodded, "I suppose you're ri..."

The phone buzzed again. Yogi's tail swished again, his face turning red.

"The Hell...?" Gareki scoffed. "Are we sure this is YOUR brother?"

"I love how you don't question your brother's role in this," Yogi said somewhat dubiously.

"Natsuno and I have done this sort of thing for a while now, trying to keep THEM from realizing we'd started rutting, I admit, I was a little jealous or Tohru getting his attention, he recognized that and offered to 'share' but I didn't think he'd meant it. Even so, Tohru doesn't strike me as the type who'd willingly..."

"Tohru's always been more a follower than a leader," Yogi interrupted, "If your brother hadn't been there that day, Masao probably would have had his way with Tohru, right there in the school's supply closet, and no one would be the wiser about it. If Natsuno's seriously willing for a ménage a trios or a foursome, I can picture Tohru agreeing to it."

"HEY! He may be the alpha, but Natsuno and I didn't avoid being forced to breed just to force someone else into mating with us," Gareki growled defensively.

Yogi smiled, "Relax," he purred, licking Gareki's cheek, "I'm not accusing either of you of that, either," he chuckled, "Although, we both would have let you get away with it if you had tried," he added seductively as he pressed his lips to the Wolfboy's.

"It's not me I'm surprised he's agreed to," Gareki sighed, "It's you."

Yogi smiled and gently caressed Gareki's cheek, "We've seen, first hand, some of what you boys had to deal with. I don't think he's as bothered by the idea as he used to be anymore."

"What exactly DID they do to you?" Gareki asked.

Yogi blushed and nuzzled his face into the Wolfboy's chest. "Physically, they never touched me, aside from the shot of that syrum, but they laced the water the gave us with catnip. Tohru offered to help me work it out of my system. We were both uncomfortable with the idea, but..." Gareki cut him off with a kiss.

"I don't think they're awake, Natsuno," Tohru said, staring at the screen on his phone.

"Or maybe your spelling errors got them suspicious," Natsuno teased, snuggling with the blonde.

Tohru blushed as he sat his phone back on the bedside table. "I'm not use to texting after doing something so physical," Tohru mewled in embarrassment.

Natsuno chuckled and licked the Neko's cheek. "Did I wear you out that much," he asked, "We can call it off and try again later, if you need to rest," he offered.

Tohru blushed, "That would be a little difficult, seeing you're still knotted in me."

"Luckily for you, you're half Lion," Natsuno chuckled, "You should be ready to go again in twenty minutes." He nuzzled the Neko's neck and wagged his tail.

Tohru blushed. Lions were said to go up to 50 times a day, after every 20 minutes. Wolves were said to stay knotted for up to an hour. "Has this ever happened with you before?" he asked.

"We never risked it," Natsuno admitted, "You've seen the cell they kept us in, anyone could have caught us if we got stuck like this."

Tohru's ears folded submissively, he wondered if he should tell the Wolfboy that thier former masters already knew the twins had started rutting, before he could say anything, there was a knock at the door. "It's open," they both called.

"Aw, what the hell, Natsuno," Gareki grumbled as he entered the room, by himself. "We figured this was what was going on. You didn't call me in here just to show off you finally caught the cat, did you?" There was a thinly veiled trace of jealousy in his voice. Tohru blushed.

"Actually, I was inviting you to join us," Natsuno admitted.

Gareki raised an eyebrow as he sat on the bed. "You're actually OK with this?" He looked Tohru in the eye. Tohru's ears folded again and he averted his eyes as he blushed. Gareki caught the Neko by the chin and gently turned him to look him in the eye. "Yogi was worried you were being manipulated," he chuckled, "How about it, Kitten, are you really ok with this, or is the 'Big Bad Wolf' forcing you to go along?"

Natsuno glared at his brother, "I can't believe you're actually asking that," he protested.

"Either I hear it from the cat's mouth, or I'm out," Gareki insisted, "Besides, aren't you worried you might hurt him or something?"

"Natsuno's not forcing me into this," Tohru said reassuringly, "He was reluctant until I assured him I was OK." The blonde blushed, slipping his tail behind the Alpha Wolf and wrapping it around Natsuno's. "I won't lie, I'm nervous, but I trust you both enough to do this."

"I even offered to call it off," Natsuno added.

"So, is this supposed to make me feel better about you moving on to someone else?" Gareki asked, his arms crossed, his eyes locked with his brother.

Natsuno smirked, wrapped his arms around the Neko and nuzzled the blonde's neck, keeping his eyes on his twin, "I did promise to share the leftovers," he winked. Tohru blushed and failed to stifle a moan as he felt Natsuno move inside him.

"Y-You're stuck, aren't you?" Gareki asked in a moment of realization. He choked back a laugh. "Idiot," he moved so he was on all fours and licked Natsuno's cheek, "I suppose you do need my help, after all," he said wagging his tail. He turned his attention back to the blonde, "Gotta admit, Kitten, you are rather beautiful." He leaned in and licked Tohru's cheek.

Natsuno's hand slipped back down between the Neko's legs and gently wrapped around Tohru's shaft once more. The blonde let out a purring moan of pleasure. "Seeing a little of his older brother in him, are you, Cub?" Natsuno asked, using 'twin speak' so as not to offend the Neko. He gently began stroking Tohru's length, as he began to move his hips, thrusting into him again.

"Something like that," Gareki admitted.

Natsuno smiled, feeling Tohru's shaft hardening and twitching in his hands, "See, Tohru, you're ready again, already," he whispered in the Catboy's ear, giving it a playful nip.

Tohru blushed and moaned as Gareki leaned in and started licking one of his nipples. "This really is your first time, isn't it," the Beta Wolf noted, "Both your nipples are as hard the stubs on a pair of brass buttons."

Natsuno gently pulled Tohru back, letting the blonde's bare back press against his exposed chest. Continuing to thrust into his 'prey', he spread the Neko's legs, allowing Gareki easier access to Tohru's shaft. Gareki made little hesitation to accept such a clear invite. Already on all fours, he bent down even lower and took Tohru's girth in his mouth. Tohru gasped and mewled in pleasure as the Wolf twins double teamed him. Between Natsuno's length and girth rutting in and out of him, and the warmth of Gareki's mouth bobbing up and down his own length, he found it difficult to even think straight, let alone attempt to speak a proper sentence.

Gareki's tongue rolled over the tip of Tohru's hood and probed half an inch inside the opening. Tohru's hips bucked in response and for a moment, his vision flashed bright white. "Oh, gods!" he gasped. Gareki pulled back, as he received a mouthful of precum. Rubbing a thumb across his lips, he swallowed it.

Natsuno smirked. Without a word of explanation, he moved so that he and Tohru were on all fours. Tohru's tail stiffened and stood straight up and he let out a gasp of pleasure as this shift in position allowed Natsuno to slide a little deeper inside him. The blonde blushed and mewled as this angle also allowed his mate easier access to his g-spot. Tohru's body shivered, as Natsuno continued pumping into him. Gareki took the hint and moved to allow the Neko better access to his shaft.

Tohru blushed and hesitated until he felt both Wolves gently rub the top of his head. As Gaerki gently scritched at one of Tohru's left ear, Natsuno gently rubbed the top of his head, ruffling his hair, before sliding his hand down the Neko's back. Tohru closed his eyes and purred. Relaxing, he wrapped his tail back around Natsuno's, before leaning in and taking Gareki's shaft in his mouth.

Gareki bit back a moan and his hips bucked in response to the caress Tohru's tongue, his member still sensitive from his recent session with Yogi. Tohru was careful, but clearly not as skilled as his brother, still, Gareki didn't find the sensation unpleasant. "He's good, but needs some 'training'," he suggested, leaning across and licking his twin's cheek.

Natsuno wagged his tail and licked Gareki's lips in return, as he continued to thrust into Tohru. He smiled, as he picked up the mixed taste of Gareki, Tohru, and what he could only assume was remnants of Yogi. Before he could reply to Gareki's suggestion, however, Tohru bucked hard underneath him with a muffled, "Mnph!" Natsuno had hit Tohru's prostate at just the right angle, sending a wave of pleasure through the blonde. Tohru had to pull off Gareki's member for a moment, so as to catch his breath. Again, the Neko's vision had flashed a hot white for a brief moment of intense pleaure. Their tails having been entwined, Natsuno even buckled over at the sensation, the tail mend heightening both their pleasure.

Gareki smiled, "Sounds like you're both about to hit your limits." He gently guided Tohru's mouth back to his cock, again, scritching the 'sweet spot' between the Neko's ears. Tohru gently lapped at Gareki's hood, replicating the Beta Wolf's earlier tongue maneuver on him, this time, before taking him all the way back inside his mouth.

Natsuno leaned across, again, licking Gareki's lips, once more, before trailing his way down, hitting as many of Gareki's pleasure points as possible with his tongue. Gareki failed to stifle his own moans of pleasure, when he finally felt Natsuno's tongue roll over the tip of his own nipple. "Bingo,", Natsuno thought, having come to recognize the sound as a signal that Gareki himself wasn't too far off from climax. He latched his mouth shut over the nipple and used his tongue to tease the hardening tip and the soft, pink flesh around it.

Tohru stiffened again as he reached climax. "Mnp," he moaned as Gareki and Natsuno both simultaneously orgasmed, releasing their loads inside him. He swallowed Gareki's and pulled away. He was too exhausted to complain about the lack of warning, this time. He relaxed as Natsuno slowly pulled out of him.

Natsuno gently rolled Tohru on his back. The Neko gasped and bit one of his knuckles as both Wolves gently began licking his shaft, lapping up the cum that escaped him. He let out a weak mewl of contentment. "Well, Kitten, it wasn't a 'Neko Sandwich', but I hope the 'rotisserie treatment' was to your satisfaction," Natsuno teased as he moved back up to snuggle with his mate, nuzzlingthe Neko's neck.

Tohru purred and snuggled into the Alpha Wolf, with a contented sigh. "I'll take that as a yes," Gareki chuckled, wagging his tail as Tohru seemed to nod off to sleep without any vocal reply. "I'm glad I could help you two out, but I'd probably better get back to Yogi before he gets jealous or lonely..."

"Or both," the twins said in unison.

The twins said their 'goodnights' and Gareki returned to Yogi's room.