.

.

1. Bishamon

"Kazuma?" Bishamon rapped her knuckles on his door. "I have a few things I need you to look over when you have a moment."

She opened the door. Kazuma sputtered, shoved up his glasses, and tried to hide the stack of TOOYA pornography that had accumulated in the corner.

Bishamon sighed, heavily. "Let me know when you're done," she said, and she shut the door.

xXx

.

One day, her favorite shirt went missing.

"The last time I saw it, it was in the laundry," Bishamon said. She frowned and rummaged through the drawers. Behind her, Kazuma pushed up his glasses.

"It is probably with your other uniforms at the dry cleaner's," Kazuma said. His hand was still covering the bridge of his nose and there was a glare on the lenses, so she couldn't see his eyes. "It is not uncommon for clothes to get mixed up. Most likely it ended up in the wrong pile."

"Really? That's too bad, I wanted to wear it today."

"I'll see if I can find it, later."

He did: a few hours later Kazuma produced her shirt, dry-cleaned and hanging smartly on her doorknob.

The next time her favorite shirt went missing, Bishamon didn't say anything. It really wasn't something important enough to bother her exemplar over, and honestly she regretted the time Kazuma wasted skulking about the Near Shore sorting through her dry cleaning. Ridiculous, Bishamon thought. It will turn up when it turns up.

It turned up in a crumpled ball beneath Kazuma's pillow.

How odd. There was no reason for Kazuma to have it, and when Bishamon pulled it out from beneath his pillowcase, she wrinkled her nose to realize it still hadn't been washed.

"Kazuma," Bishamon said, when he finally returned to his room. "Why do you have my shirt?" She turned to look at him.

Kazuma had opened the door, stopped, and started. Then his face returned to its usual professional mask.

"It is your favorite. I wanted to make sure it was returned."

"So you planned to launder my shirt separately?" Bishamon said.

"I thought it best to take care of it for you," Kazuma said. A reasonable explanation. Bishamon sighed.

"Kazuma. You really don't have to worry about my laundry. You have other responsibilities to see to." She glanced at his desk and saw a piece of pink fabric sticking out from the drawer.

"Uh! Veena-"

"My panties," Bishamon said. She pulled it up, examining it. "Ugh, Kazuma, this isn't washed either!"

"My apologies," Kazuma said.

"If the other gods hear of me abusing my exemplar like this, I'll never hear the end of it," Bishamon said. "You are not my servant. I am quite capable of doing my own laundry."

Kazuma sighed. "Of course you are. Forgive me for thinking otherwise."

Bishamon frowned at him and tucked her underpants under her arm.

xXx

.

Sometimes, Bishamon preferred being naked.

It wasn't as if she were an exhibitionist, or anything like that. It was just that being naked was sometimes much more comfortable.

It was nighttime, and Bishamon was leaning against the balcony to her room. There was a cool breeze and the moon above her was hanging like a fat earbob. It would be a perfect night, were it not for the fact that Kazuma was droning on in the background about something Bishamon had only a marginal interest in.

The breeze felt nice. The night air was cool. Suddenly she got the urge to take off her robe.

"...and apparently, the re-education of reincarnated gods is the hot topic for debate right now, but as you are a war god I assured them you had no stake in their lesson plans. Why are you taking off your clothes?" Kazuma said.

"The air feels nice on my skin," Bishamon said. Kazuma sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"I shouldn't have to tell you that's incredibly inappropriate," Kazuma said, frowning.

"Why?" Bishamon said. "It's just you."

"What if I were some foreign dignitary and you conveniently forgot? You are cultivating bad habits," Kazuma said.

"Well then I'll just blame my exemplar for not keeping me on task." Bishamon stretched luxuriously, leaning her body back against the railing. Kazuma frowned.

"That isn't funny, Veena."

"Oh, posh. Nothing is funny to you, Kazuma."

The wind rose. Her hair stirred against her skin, and Bishamon closed her eyes, relishing the cold air.

"Does this bother you?" she asked. Her eyes were still closed. Kazuma sighed, tragically.

"It does, as it's late and I've yet to finish my report," Kazuma said.

xXx

.

There were other times when Bishamon was naked in front of him.

She would be lying naked on the couch, resting after another hard battle, while Kazuma would walk around her, nonplussed.

She would be stretching, leaning over a table with her elbows on the wood and her bottom in the air, while Kazuma would walk past her to the other side of the room.

She would block his path unintentionally, arching one leg in front of her while she smoothed on lotion, and Kazuma would just frown and sigh and and ask her if she would kindly please not put on lotion on the floor.

xXx

.

One day, she was walking out of the grotto, when she felt the back of her neck prickle.

Bishamon turned, startled. It was just Kazuma and one of the newer shinki, a man she had discovered wandering along the pier.

"Sasuha?"

"I'll handle it," Kazuma said, and he quietly took the new shinki by the arm to talk with him, privately.

Bishamon toweled off her hair, frowning. She watched as the other shinki stammered and blushed, bowing his head, while Kazuma spoke with him. Kazuma looked almost sympathetic, and the two shinki laughed awkwardly, Sasuha seemingly apologizing and Kazuma dismissing him with a short nod.

"What was that about?" Bishamon said, when Kazuma finally walked over.

"Er. Well you already gathered as much, but Sasuha had an impure thought about you."

"Oh?" Bishamon said.

Kazuma looked at her the way he always did - professional, calm - when he explained, "Your walking around in the nude evidently was too much for him to handle."

Bishamon frowned. "He lacks discipline if he is so easily distracted," and Kazuma's frown deepened.

"Veena. Far be it from me to tell you what to do-" and Bishamon snorted. "-but to be fair, you are naked. And you were fondling your breasts in front of him."

"I was drying off," Bishamon said, annoyed. "There is no reason for him to be looking at me that way - look at you, Kazuma. We are having a perfectly fine conversation right now and you're not pricking me in the slightest."

Actually, it had only just now occurred to her that she was still naked. It only dawned on her when Kazuma mentioned the difficulties with Sasuha.

"That is because I am focusing on your face and eyes and trying not to look at your body," Kazuma said, and his eyes widened a fraction. She realized he was probably telling her more than he intended.

"Kazuma?" Bishamon blinked. "You...what?"

Kazuma cleared his throat loudly. He blushed. Bishamon was even more bewildered.

It took a moment. Kazuma took a breath, smoothed out his hair, and was just as composed as he was earlier: "Your body can be distracting, Veena. Even to someone like me. But you are right, however. The fault lies with us, not you."

"Huh," Bishamon said. She ran the towel down her hair, frowning.

"Do you find me attractive, Kazuma?" she asked, because now she was curious. Kazuma considered.

"You are a goddess. It is only natural your physical form would reflect that."

"Yes, yes, I know that," Bishamon said, crossing her arms. "But what I'm asking is if you'd want to have sex with me," and Kazuma coughed, loudly.

"Kazuma?"

"I would never want to defile you," Kazuma said, a little too sharply, and Bishamon realized that she had insulted him. "Forgive me, Veena, but is there a reason for this line of questioning? I've already spoken with Sasuha. If you are unsure about the purity of your shinki, I would suggest bathing in the grotto alone."

"Very well." Bishamon wrapped the towel around herself. "Leave me then, Kazuma. We need to get ready for the next patrol."

xXx

.

There was nothing to do today; there were no wishes to balance, no wars to oversee, and Bishamon stretched, smiling a little at one of her rare days off. She wandered around the gardens, smiling at her shinki who were kneeling in the flowerbeds, and relished the warm yellow sunlight that fell down in warm rays on her face.

Almost all her shinki were outside, enjoying the day; even Kazuma was out. She found him sitting under a tree, rubbing his eyes and thumbing through a stack of reports.

"What are you doing?" Bishamon said, and she sat beside him. Kazuma frowned and rubbed his temples.

"I'm going over the minutes of the last meeting," Kazuma said. "There are a number of things misattributed to you, which I need to amend."

Bishamon stretched, then rested her head on his lap. Without missing a beat, Kazuma rested his arm around her and patted her head absently.

The day was warm, Kazuma's lap was comfortable, and it felt nice, the way he was absently massaging her scalp. Even the slight sound of pages turning was soothing, and Bishamon drowsed, sleepily.

Birds chirped. Bishamon opened her eyes to see Kazuma smiling down at her. Their eyes met and he turned his gaze slightly, focusing back on the papers in front of him.

"Do you remember the old days?" Bishamon said. "We used to nap together in the fields."

"You used to nap," Kazuma corrected her. "Someone had to keep watch in case an ayakashi was nearby."

Was Kazuma smiling at her? It certainly felt like he was. He gently combed through her hair with his fingers, and she knew he wasn't reading his reports.

"It was nice," Bishamon said. She nestled against him, closing her eyes.

Once, during the old days, when everything was still raw and bruised and Bishamon was lonely, she had called for Kazuma to stay with her in her bed. Quietly he laid down next to her on the futon and she had scooted her body close to him, until he finally turned and held her against his chest. He felt warm and safe and good, and Bishamon remembered how comforting he was, holding her close and closing his eyes.

It was a nice feeling, being cared for.

xXx

.

The piles and piles of R18 doujins were bigger than Bishamon had ever imagined, and Kazuma sat on his hands, red-faced and ashamed, as Bishamon flipped through the pages. She was more and more concerned, bewildered, and outright confused as she looked at the filthy drawings Yato had drawn for him - pictures of her, masturbating with a lotus leaf. Another one of her outstretched, touching herself in the grotto. There were even drawings of her having sex - being penetrated - speedlines flanking her naked figure and her face scribbled over with a slanting blush.

"Why do you even have this?" Bishamon said. Kazuma wouldn't look at her.

"I-"

"I mean, I understand that rat bastard's obsession with me." She flipped through the pages, frowning. "But why even keep this? Unless you were concerned someone else may find them if you threw them away?"

It really did puzzle her. The copies were dog-eared, the pages were careworn, and in the drawer where he had kept them, she spotted a small bottle of lubricant sitting next to a box of tissues.

"Oh," Bishamon said, and she picked up the bottle of lubricant. "You use this to masturbate, don't you?"

"V-Veena! What-why? Oh my god," Kazuma covered his face with his hands. "Veena I beg of you! Please let me keep my dignity as a man!"

"I don't understand why you humans are so embarrassed about these things. It's like using the toilet, right?" Bishamon frowned. Kazuma's face was red. "Really, Kazuma. You of all people should know this is no big deal."

"Some things are best left private," Kazuma said, weakly.

"I understand. But more to the point, Kazuma...why even hang on to these?" she waved the stack of comics, frowning. Kazuma hunched over.

"I use them," Kazuma said.

"Use them?" Bishamon said.

"For," he swallowed. "Its intended purpose."

Bishamon tilted her head. "You masturbate to these?" She flipped to another picture, this time a point-of-view shot of her being rammed from behind.

"I don't want to lie to you, Veena."

Bishamon frowned.

"Isn't this like masturbating to pictures of your mother, though?" She flipped through the pages, frowning. " Really, Kazuma. Even the 'internet' has much better things than this. But I suppose if you are too embarrassed, I can understand why you'd make do with these subpar comics. Men are visual creatures, after all."

Bishamon smiled, benevolently.

Later, she dragged Kazuma into a sex shop. She had always been curious, honestly, and as she picked through the various stacks of pornography Kazuma trailed her like a weak-bodied ghost, avoiding eye contact with everyone and staring at the ground.

xXx

.

"Veena," Kazuma said. "There is something I need to tell you. Something that I've kept secret, up until now.

The fact of the matter is, Veena, I've been in love with you for quite some time. I love you. I've always been in love with you. But I know I can never be a man to you, and I didn't want to blight you. Please forgive me my impudence, I cannot help the way I feel."

Kazuma was standing in front of her. His eyes were fixed on the ground.

"What?" Bishamon said, and she started laughing. "Kazuma! What on earth are you talking about?"

"I love you," Kazuma said, nakedly. Bishamon smirked.

"Right," Bishamon said. "And I love that rat bastard, too."

"I-" Kazuma looked at her as if he'd been struck. "I'm not joking, Veena."

"That rat bastard put you up to this, didn't he?" she waved around her hand, derisively. "That idiot Magatsukami is always trying to put me in a bad mood."

"I swear to you, Veena, I'm telling you the truth-"

"Oh come off it, Kazuma. First of all, I'm practically your mother. Second of all, I know you and that idiot have been conspiring behind my back for oh? The past few days now?"

"Because I wanted to confess to you and I wanted his advice," Kazuma said. Bishamon smiled.

"Really. It would be much more believable if you weren't already so sweet on Iki Hiyori," Bishamon said.

"Wha-" Kazuma's mouth dropped open. Bishamon waved her hand.

"I see the way you look at her, Kazuma. Contrary to what you may think, your master can be just as observant as you are." Bishamon smiled. "Don't worry. I know you'd never do anything lewd to her. She's just a high school girl, barely a child! It's that rat bastard I worry about. Honestly, that idiot god of calamity doesn't know what he's doing. Why even put you up to all this nonsense is beyond me."

Kazuma pushed up his glasses and sighed, heavily. "You're right, Veena. This was Yato's idea of pranking you."

"See? Isn't it much better, Kazuma, telling your master the truth? What did he promise you? More lewd pictures?"

"More lewd pictures of Iki Hiyori."

"Ah," Bishamon said, and she smiled. She ruffled his hair, fondly.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Bishamon said, and she winked.

"That girl is still too young for you."

xXx

.

2. Kazuma

The thing with Veena's underwear was completely accidental.

She was undressing again. Veena often started undressing even before she reached her bedroom, and so it fell to Kazuma to follow her down the hallway, hurriedly stooping to pick up her clothes as she was stripping while she walked.

Coat. Shirt. Necktie. Bra. (Kazuma blinked at that one, Veena usually went without.) Veena peeled off her clothes the way she did most things, quickly and efficiently, and by the time she reached the doorway to her bedroom she was stark naked, her hair trailing her like a yellow train, dragging down the hallway.

"Oh, Kazuma," Veena said, and Kazuma stopped, his arms full with discarded garments and one long boot tucked at the crook of his arm. "One of the lesser gods from the lower realms requested an audience. I trust you will be available tomorrow to talk to him?"

"Of course," Kazuma said, and he readjusted the clothes he was carrying, stooping over gracefully to pluck a pair of pink panties Veena had left strewn in the corridor.

He tossed her things in the hamper, and it wasn't until he was walking back to his room that he noticed it: a crumpled shirt, lying in the hallway. Kazuma must have dropped it while he was walking.

Kazuma glanced at the clock. The hour was late, and the laundry room was on the other side of the mansion. It would be better, Kazuma decided, if he tossed the shirt in the laundry in the morning.

He walked back to his room. Idly he rubbed the fabric between his fingers, and was struck by how soft it felt. There was a reason why this was Veena's favorite shirt, and this was it. He entered his room, closed the door, and, on a whim, lifted the shirt to his face to examine it better.

It smelled like her. Kazuma stopped, startled.

I shouldn't do this. The thought drifted up before Kazuma could stop it. He hoped Veena didn't get pricked. Ridiculous, Kazuma thought. I am merely holding onto her laundry, and he tossed the shirt in the corner.

He started getting ready for bed, undoing his necktie and taking off his belt. Automatically, he reached into his pockets to empty them, when he felt a rolled up bunch of fabric stuffed in along with the few loose coins and various slips of paper.

It was Veena's underwear. He was carrying too much laundry and he kept dropping them, and as a temporary measure, had stuck them in his pocket. He completely forgot it was there.

Well, Kazuma thought. Mistakes happen. He tossed the panties in the corner.

He didn't make it to the laundry. As it turned out, the god from the lower realm was none other than Takemikazuchi, who wanted to test how easy Bishamon was to access. Arrogant god that he was, he didn't think anyone would recognize him if he disguised himself. Kazuma did, of course, and by the time Veena finished snapping at him, Kazuma had completely forgotten about the laundry he left lying in the corner.

He walked into his room, saw Veena's laundry, and sighed, tragically.

He stuck the panties in his drawer and balled her shirt up, tossing it on his desk. There was no sense in leaving her things where everyone could see.

xXx

.

Some days were harder than the rest, and today was one of the harder ones.

They had finished her patrol and Veena had disengaged her shinki, and as Kazuma was heading out, she touched him on the arm.

"Kazuma," she said. "Will you walk with me?" And Kazuma nodded and followed her down the road.

The sun had set. It always struck him as strange that the night would be considered less dangerous than the orange-red skies of the witching hour. Ayakashi still prowled about, and there was still the chance of getting blighted - Veena was dangerously unarmed.

"Veena, you should have one of the others here," Kazuma said. "You and I both know I will be unable to protect you."

"You can draw a line, can't you?" Veena smiled at him.

"C'mon," Veena said. "I want to have a date with my exemplar."

Kazuma sighed and shook his head. "If that is what you wish," he said, and he offered her his arm.

They went into a restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall ramen place Veena apparently had been keeping her eye on. "We always pass by here on our patrol," Veena said. She plucked a piece of pork with her chopsticks, thoughtfully. "I've been curious to try this."

Kazuma frowned over his ramen. Even without looking, he could sense the presence of ayakashi all around him: two just half a kilometer from the restaurant; one just thirty meters in front of them.

"You could at least pretend that you are enjoying yourself," Veena said.

"Forgive me," Kazuma said. "But there are no shrines nearby and the lateness of the hour makes me feel uneasy."

"Well then it's a good thing your master is a war god, Kazuma, otherwise you would be in trouble."

"My master is a war god with only an earring to protect her," Kazuma said.

Veena's mouth quirked. "Well I've heard that earring is quite capable," Veena said.

Kazuma blushed, and stared at his ramen.

They ate, paid, and left. The night was mild and the streets were quiet. The sky was a deep, dark blue.

"A storm is coming," Kazuma said. He squinted his eyes toward the horizon. "Veena, we need to hurry back. You are unarmed and a storm like this can be dangerous."

"Very well," Veena said. "How far are we from our shrine?"

"A little over ten kilometers. I suggest we take a taxi and then go the rest by foot." Veena's shrine was located in the woods, where no cars could access it. So long as they kept a low profile, Kazuma was confident they could make it to the shrine unscathed.

Veena squinted. "You think a taxi would notice us?"

"Let's hope so," Kazuma said, and he lifted his arm.

It took a few tries before Kazuma successfully flagged down a cab. They got in; he gave the driver directions toward the city's periphery.

"Hey," Kazuma said to the driver, who had pulled over to the side of a convenience store and flicked on his vacancy light. "You have customers in here."

"Oh!" The driver said. Evidently five minutes in the car was just long enough for the driver to have forgot. "My apologies! You two are just too quiet."

"That's okay. Just please take us to the city park. And hurry."

"Hai, hai," the driver said, and he flicked the light to 'occupied.'

It started to rain. The driver flipped on his windshield wipers. Rain sluiced down the angled glass, streaking the windows with the yellow reflections from the street lights above them. Kazuma could see a few ayakashi lumbering outside.

"Huh," the driver said. "It's a good thing you folks got here. I didn't think it was going to rain."

Kazuma glanced at Veena. They shared a look, then smiled at the driver.

"Yes," Veena said. "We are very lucky."

The windshield wipers slid back and forth, the rain drumming on the top of the car.

"So," the driver said. "You two on a date or something?"

"Uh-" Kazuma glanced at Veena for an answer.

"Yes," Veena said, smiling. Kazuma's heart flipped. "I decided to treat my coworker to dinner."

"That's nice," the driver said, and Kazuma felt his stomach sink at the descriptor of being just her coworker.

"Kazuma?" Veena gave him a worried glance. Of course she could feel that. Kazuma smiled.

"It's nothing," Kazuma said. He smiled reassuringly. "It's just nerves."

"It does look like a bad storm," Veena said. She turned back to look at the front windshield. Her eyes widened.

A phantom was straight in the path of the taxi.

"Stop here!" Kazuma said. He rapped on the partition. "Did you hear me? I said stop here!"

The taxi driver gave them a startled glance, then pulled off to the curb.

The rain fell down in harsh slants, and Kazuma and Veena ran to the nearest building, flattening themselves against the wall. Kazuma squinted his eyes. They couldn't take shelter inside the building, the phantom could pass through the wall.

"This is bad," Veena said. Her hair whipped like long cords. "Kazuma. Are there any souls nearby?"

"I don't see any," Kazuma said. Air raid sirens were going off; the humans were hiding in their homes.

"Kazuma," Veena said. "I need you to stay as a human for me. We'll barricade against one of these buildings and you can draw a line."

"Understood," Kazuma said, and he scanned the city for a suitable place to hide.

The storm swirled. Kazuma's eye glinted. "Veena, over here!" Kazuma said, and they ran toward one of Tenjin's shrines.

xXx

.

"It's a good thing Lord Tenjin is so popular," Veena said. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Kazuma peered out of the temple.

"We're trapped until morning," Kazuma said. He knelt beside Veena, rubbing his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Veena said. "This is a bad storm. I wish there were something I could do about it. I suppose this is why I should listen to you."

Kazuma stared at his hands and didn't say anything. Veena leaned against the wall, holding her arms.

"At the very least, we can spend more time together," Veena said. Kazuma looked up, surprised. Veena smiled.

Kazuma pulled his knees to his chest and smiled, despite himself. She said she wanted to spend time with him. They had been together for centuries, but she still had that effect on him.

"Kazuma, are you cold?" Veena said. "Kazuma you're shivering."

"It's okay. I'm fine." Actually, his clothes were wet and sticking to his skin. Wordlessly, Veena began taking off her jacket.

"Veena?"

"My jacket is waterproof. Take off your coat and put this on."

"But then you'll be cold," Kazuma said. Veena waved her hand.

"I'm a god. I don't feel the cold like you do." But Kazuma could see the gooseflesh rising on her bare arms.

Kazuma considered his options. He could insist she take back her coat, but Veena was as bull-headed as she was kind, and the likely outcome would be that neither of them would wear it; he could take her coat and let his goddess freeze, which was patently unacceptable, besides the fact that he would probably sting her in the process; or they could huddle together for warmth. He would be lying to himself if he said that third option didn't have its appeal, but he would be nothing but trash if he took advantage like that.

Kazuma sighed. There was only one thing he could do.

"Veena," Kazuma said. "Call my name."

"Huh?" Veena looked at him.

"I won't be cold if I take the form of your earring, and you can still wear your jacket."

"Oh!" Veena smiled. "Kazuma, there's a reason why you're my guide! Chouki." And Kazuma slipped into her ear.

The white backdrop of Veena's mind gave him instant warmth. Every time he took his chouki form, it was as if Veena's life force enveloped him, cocooning him from the rest of the world. He wondered if the other shinki felt like this, or if it was just him.

"How are you feeling, Kazuma?"

"Better," Kazuma said. The earring glinted. "Your ear is nice and warm."

Veena laughed, delighted, and reached a hand to gently rub the earring between her thumb and forefinger.

"You know, if you were human, we'd have to huddle for warmth," Veena said.

"I suppose it is a good thing I'm your shinki, then."

"I wouldn't mind," Veena said. She rested her elbows on her knees and looked out into the storm, quietly. "You wanted to, didn't you?"

In the white backdrop, Kazuma's eyes widened.

"Return, Kazu," Veena said, and Kazuma appeared beside her. All at once, Veena leaned against him, linking her arm around his and pulling him closer.

"Veena, my clothes are wet, I'll just make you colder-"

But she slid her hands around his waist and huddled close, draping her coat around the both of them.

Kazuma's face cracked into a blush. "Veena."

She rested her head against his shoulder.

"Humans feel so warm."

Later that night, after they returned to Takamagahara, Kazuma stumbled to his room, locked the door, then spent the better half of the night with his hand fisted painfully over his cock, pumping so hard it hurt. It was quick and gritty and when he came, he came in thick stripes, semen catching in his bare hand.

A few centuries ago, Kazuma would have been overwhelmed with feelings: guilt, shame, self-disgust, and loneliness, all of which were compounded by seeing the name Veena had given him. But he understood himself better, now, and he didn't sting her.

Her shirt was still balled up by his desk. Quietly Kazuma picked it up and pressed it against his nose, inhaling deeply. It smelled like her sweat and a hint of her perfume, and he saw nothing wrong with wanting to sleep next to it. It was his way of keeping her close to him.

A few days later, Veena found her shirt balled up in his bed, and came across her panties stuck in his drawer. Veena frowned. "If the other gods hear of me abusing my exemplar like this, I'll never hear the end of it. You are not my servant. I am quite capable of doing my own laundry."

Kazuma sighed. "Of course you are. Forgive me for thinking otherwise."

And he felt a small pang of regret when she took back her shirt and tossed it into the hamper.

xXx

.

Sometimes, Veena preferred being naked. Kazuma developed a few tricks to handle it.

First: he always looked at her face. If she were facing away from him, the back of her head. If he was in a particularly bad way, he wouldn't let himself look at her mouth - watching her soft, red lips move as she formed her words was too much for him - and looking into her eyes was equally as bad. So he would focus on her eyebrows, which were probably the least dangerous part of her face.

But sometimes, if it were a bad day, even staring at her eyebrows would lead him to reflexively imagine himself pressing his lips against her forehead. During those times he would look at a neutral spot just to the left of her shoulder, or focus his gaze on whatever stack of reports he would be carrying.

The worst, though, was when Veena absently touched herself.

She was in the grotto. Kazuma was giving another report, which seemed to bore Veena. He could tell by the vacant look she had on her face. Her eyes were unfocused, and almost as if by habit, she began cupping her left breast in her hand.

"I think I have a bruise," Veena said. She cupped her breast, bringing it upright. "I wonder where it came from?"

Kazuma focused on her eyebrows. "It was probably from the last patrol."

"How odd. Tsuguha usually does such a good job..."

"Need I remind you, Veena, Tsuguha manifests as a bra that's two cup sizes smaller than you. You probably were struck in an area that was uncovered."

"Hm. You're probably right," Veena said, and she poked at her breast, frowning.

Behind him, Sasuha coughed. Sasuha was one of their newest members, and as such, was completely unfamiliar with Veena's more idiosyncratic habits.

"I'll talk to him," Kazuma said, because he didn't even need to see her face to know that Sasuha had stung her, seeing her poke her breast with her finger was enough.

"What was that about?" Veena said, when Kazuma finally walked over.

"Er. Well you already gathered as much, but Sasuha had an impure thought about you."

"Oh?" Veena said.

"Your walking around in the nude evidently was too much for him to handle."

"He lacks discipline if he is so easily distracted," Veena said, dismissively, but Kazuma frowned.

"Veena. Far be it from me to tell you what to do-" and Veena snorted. "-but to be fair, you are naked. And you were fondling your breasts in front of him."

"I was drying off," Veena said, annoyed. "There is no reason for him to be looking at me that way - look at you, Kazuma. We are having a perfectly fine conversation right now and you're not pricking me in the slightest."

"That is because I am focusing on your face and eyes and trying not to look at your body," Kazuma said, and he stopped, suddenly.

"Kazuma?" Veena blinked. "You...what?"

Kazuma cleared his throat loudly. "Your body can be distracting, Veena. Even to someone like me. But you are right, however. The fault lies with us, not you."

"Huh," Veena said. He watched as she ran the towel down her hair, and hoped silently that would be the end of it. It wasn't, though:

"Do you find me attractive, Kazuma?" she asked.

Veena crossed her arms. Tendrils of wet hair clung to her wet, naked body. Her lips were parted. Long lashes framed violet eyes.

"You are a goddess," Kazuma said, finally. "It is only natural your physical form would reflect that."

"Yes, yes, I know that," Veena said. "But what I'm asking is if you'd want to have sex with me."

Kazuma started coughing, violently.

"Kazuma?"

"I would never want to defile you!" Kazuma said. "Forgive me, Veena, but is there a reason for this line of questioning? I've already spoken with Sasuha. If you are unsure about the purity of your shinki, I would suggest bathing in the grotto alone."

"Very well." Veena wrapped the towel around herself. "Leave me then, Kazuma. We need to get ready for the next patrol."

Kazuma sagged behind the bamboo curtain, while Veena hummed and toweled herself. He could see her silhouette padding barefoot along the warm stones, and the trail of her hair falling behind her like a veil. "Does she always walk around naked?" Sasuha asked.

"Unfortunately she does," Kazuma said. Sasuha frowned.

xXx

.

Yato was annoyed at having to draw lewd pictures of Iki Hiyori, but after much cajoling he finally relented to drawing a few age appropriate portraits: Hiyori eating with her friends at an ice cream shop; Hiyori walking with Yukine to school. A picture of Hiyori petting a cat, before leaping out of her body as it ran away.

"Huh," Veena said, as she thumbed through the sketches. "You must be pretty disappointed. And you went through all that trouble, too."

Too much trouble. After that disastrous night in Tenjin's shrine, Kazuma had been having difficulty managing his feelings for her. Everytime Veena smiled at him or looked his way, he felt his face flush and his heart race, and for the first time in centuries Veena felt that old familiar ache.

If what Iki Hiyori said was right, then Kazuma had to confess to her, or else he risked the possibility of blighting her and hurting her. He certainly didn't expect Veena not to believe him; and he definitely did not expect her to turn it into a running joke.

"Well, Kazuma? Were you touching yourself to more filthy pictures of me?" Her eyes twinkled.

"Not today," Kazuma deadpanned. "Instead I hugged a pillow and pretended it was you."