MARRIED TO A KITSUNE

CHAPTER IX

"I'll be sleeping on the couch."

"No. You'll sleep on the bed and I'm on the couch."

"But it was too large for me. I can sleep anywhere I want to, and I'll be sleeping on the couch!" she insisted.

"This is my mansion! And besides, you have an obligation to obey me, human!"

Honoree clenched her jaw and obediently walked to the bed while Yuuji took a blanket from the closet and help himself on the couch. "Why are you so stubborn!"

"You are the stubborn one."

A long silence followed.

When they are both settled on their sleeping choice, Honoree speak. "How old are you Yuuji-san? Ojii-san says kitsune spirits have long lives."

Yuuji heard her but he only decide to answer after a long moment. "Im six hundred years old."

To his surprise, Honoree sit up straight. Her hair disheveled but he thought she looks rather pretty. Her big eyes wide in amazement. "Six hundred years old? That's crazy! Im just sixteen years old. What do you look like when you're sixteen years old?"

Yuuji turns his back on him. "Well, of course Im on my kitsune form. I don't really remember, it was a long time ago. And even if I do, why would I tell you?"

"Hmm. I do think we could be friends at least."

"And tell me why would I be friends with a stranger who ruined my wedding."

"Because I have a feeling I wouldn't stay here that long." Honoree answered without hesitation. "Hey, Yuuji-san, do you have any idea how we can break this bond between us? I still haven't asked for your forgiveness. Im sorry for what happened."

Yuuji sit up straight too and looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What done is done and I already send Hiro to search for a kitsune spirit named Kohaku. He specialized in separating vows. I have him summon when Hiro finds him. You're not the only one who needs to bear with this arrangement, you know."

"Wow! That's great news." Honoree gasped. "So until then, you have to deal with me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I have your pearl of life. Don't worry Yuuji-san, even though you have a bad temper, ill manners, rough behavior, shouting fits, irritating gaze and..." Honoree noticed Yuuji's ears wiggling at every word she utters. "I think I said enough. I wouldn't do anything to harm you, so at least we could be friends."

Yuuji turns sullen. He brush a hand on his hair and looks at Honoree's smiling face. "For you to stop talking, okay let's be friends."

Honoree laughs. "You fall for that? That was funny. Of course I don't want us to be friends!" She lie on her side and covers herself with the blanket, giggling under the sheet. She can hear Yuuji's heavy breathing, then the rustling sound of the blanket as he pulled it to himself.

They both fell asleep later.

----

"Ohayo*, Ojou-sama!"

"Ohayo* Kenta-kun! What are you doing?"

Kenta was arranging a tatami* floor with a big red and gold zabuton to be seated upon. He kneel beside it and clap his paws twice. A white cloud smoke appears together with a young man dressed in a painter's clothes. He has a moustache which he run his fingers to. Kenta said he was the family painter, Akihiro.

"Kenta-san, why so sudden this time?" Akihiro asked in a hoarse voice.

"Queen Aki wants to hang a portrait of the new member of the family as soon as possible." Kenta answered. He clap his paws again and four maidservants appeared. They surrounded Honoree. "Bring her in!"

"What are you.." Before Honoree could protest, the maidservants snatched her by the arms and drag her to a room with large mirrors hanging on the walls. They work at her without saying a word. The first one had trimmed her hair and braided it towards the side. The second was busy cutting her fingernails before painting it with a clear nail polish. The third was on her face, she made her close her eyes so she can put make up on her without smudging. The last maidservant help her into a white shining kimono with blue sash on the waistline. She even help her into a white cotton socks.

When she open her eyes, her mouth drops open as she saw herself on the mirror. The maidservants were lined up on her side. They had their hands on their mouths to control themselves from giggling. Honoree barely recognized the girl staring back at her. She looks magnificent, and for a moment she wished she had fox's ears and tails.

"Kenta-san summons you now Ojou-sama."

Honoree was brought back to reality. "Tha-- Thanks. Arigato."

She turns around and walked back to the living room. The maidservants continue to giggle.

Minori and Toshi heard the commotion happening at the living room so they join them and saw Yuuji shouts and blames Kenta for doing the portrait. He keeps saying that he got something else to work on and that the painting is just a waste of time. He only calmed down when Toshi put an arm around him.

"Ahm, so what are we going to do?"

It was Honoree.

They all turn around and saw her standing there in a white shining kimono that is similar to what Yuuji wears. She had her head bow down and she was afraid that everyone would laugh at her.

But they didn't. For a long moment, they all just stood there. Minori, Toshi and Yuuji staring at her, admiring how beautiful she looks like.

"What? Do I look funny?" Honoree shrugged.

"Actually, we've never seen anyone so beautiful Hono-chan." Toshi swallowed.

Then, Kenta leads Honoree and Yuuji in sitting close to each other at the zabuton while he discussed the procedure. "Please steady yourselves for an hour Yuuji-sama, Ojou-sama. Akihiro-san will begin painting now."

After thirty minutes, Honoree felt sneezing at the perfume on Yuuji's swaying tails. She tried to stopped it but she sneezes anyway.

"Yuck!" Yuuji said.

Honoree punched him to the side.

"You look fat." he whispered.

"You look old." Honoree counterreact.

"Old? Well, you look like a pig."

Honoree clenched her fist and punched him in the stomach again.

Yuuji turned to her and shouted. "Ouch! That hurts!"

"You sound like a girl!"

"Please keep steady!" Kenta silenced them at last.

Toshi was laughing hard. "Look at those two brother, no one would even mistake them for a couple." They are watching Akihiro paint Honoree's face. Her chestnut brown hair made Minori raise an eyebrow. The paintings of their family at the lobby had silver hairs but he thinks Honoree compliments them just the same.

Normally, it took two hours for Akihiro to finished a portrait but because every twenty minutes Honoree and Yuuji would turn into a teasing fit, it took them four hours. They all went lying on the tatami floor when Akihiro blurted out. "Good work!"