"So, Eli-san, any progress yet?"

The blonde haired kitsune looked up from where she was sitting on the tatami matted floor, her nose buried in an old book and her fuzzy, golden ears pressed down against her head, single tail flitting about restlessly. The shrine maiden before her was looking at her curiously, hands behind her back. Eli sighed.

"No," she said simply, closing her eyes, brow furrowing in frustration. "I don't know why my memories aren't coming back to me. I've tried everything I can think of and now I'm out of ideas."

Eli thought back on the past three weeks. She had spent most of them wandering, confused, through the mountainous woods. She had no explanation for why she had suddenly found herself collapsed on the side of a riverbed, exhausted and with no memories of who she was, save for her own name. After searching the forest for answers for twelve days and coming up completely empty-handed, she had stumbled upon a small Inari shrine tucked away in the forest, with brick steps leading up to the shrine, and statues of stone foxes situated on each side of the low gate like guardsmen. She remembers feeling as though the statues were watching her, scrutinizing her under their cunning gazes, as though they knew more than she did.

The small shrine had only one maiden, a short, violet-haired woman with a wide frame and a calming smile. As she swept the stairs she asked the staring and stuttering kitsune, disheveled-looking in her dirty gray kimono, what business she had the shrine. After composing herself from the surprise of seeing such a stunning woman at work, Eli had explained that she lost her memory, and was seeking answers regarding her own past. The maiden simply nodded, her understanding smile never faltering.

"I can't guarantee that I can find the answers you need, but I can at least offer my help. After all, you're a messenger of Inari, aren't you?" The woman, who introduced herself as Toujou Nozomi, had said. Thus, she had been sheltering the fox for the past number of days in the small cabin that lay hidden a few minutes walk from the shrine, claiming that she felt that Eli, being a fox, belonged here, and that it was the least she could do. Curious as she was, Eli asked the woman why she appeared to be the only human at the shrine.

"I'm not normally here full time," she had said. "As I'm sure you've noticed, being of magic yourself, there have been fluctuations in the ley lines in the area, far more than is normal or safe. The head seer is back in town, researching an answer, so I am here in her stead."

And so, here she was, memory-less and taking refuge in a tiny cabin with a woman she barely knew yet felt inexplicably drawn to. Her days had been spent searching the surrounding forest for clues, while her evenings consisted of scanning through the small number of books and scrolls scattered about the cabin. So far, her searching had yet to turn up a single thing.

"That's no good, Eli-san," Nozomi said, sitting down next to her as the candles on the table flickered at the movement. "Do you have any leads, at least?"

"Well I suspect that I must be here for a reason," she began, frowning as she tried to force her mind to remember literally anything. "I feel drawn to this place, but I just wish I knew why."

"I'm sure there must be an answer," Nozomi said reassuringly, leaning her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Perhaps we should head into town tomorrow morning and ask the head seer?"

"Perhaps," Eli's ears twitched slightly at the contact. Nozomi had been very hands-on with Eli since she had arrived, constantly leaning against her or patting her shoulder. She had even pet at her ears in curiosity, awed that they were both real and incredibly soft. Eli tried to think little of it, figuring all humans may be this way, but it was hard to ignore it when her heart sped up at every stray touch. She didn't dislike the closeness, but she was unfamiliar with it, to say the least.

"I'm going to bed," Nozomi said after a long moment of silence. "You should as well. I'll lay your futon out for you."

Eli nodded in response, flipping through the book in her hands one last time before shutting it and placing it down on the table. Nozomi took the candle holder with her from the main room. Eli, despite her low-light vision, hurried after.

The cabin was unusually cold the next day when Eli had woken up, despite the change of seasons. The morning dew on the grass was frosted over, yet the sun still shone down brightly through the paneled walls of the building. Eli was wrapped tightly in a blanket, still shivering although noon had come and gone already, an old scroll in her hands. As she searched through it for anything that caught her eye, she heard the door slide open suddenly. Nozomi burst in, frantic footfalls of sandaled feet echoing through the cabin, followed by a slender individual with ginger hair and cat-like eyes, draped in dark, belted fabric.

"Eli-san, come with me," Nozomi said, her voice holding a certain urgentness that Eli was unaware it was capable of. The fox quickly picked herself up from her seat at the table, discarding her blanket as she hastily followed them out of the cabin. They rushed to where two horses that had not been there the previous day were stood by a post out front. The ginger hopped onto one horse, easily settling into place, and Nozomi followed suit on the second one, offering Eli a hand to help her up.

"What's going on?" Eli asked as she situated herself behind Nozomi, gripping the sides of the woman's kimono, careful not to touch her.

"We need to go into town immediately," the orange-haired person in front of them said, high voice laced with an uncomfortable amount of seriousness. "We got word earlier this morning from the next village over that they saw a group of bandits heading our way. A big one. And we need Nozomi's help."

"Need her help?" Eli repeated, confused.

"Eli-san, this is my cousin Rin. I apologize for their rudeness, but we're in a hurry," Nozomi said. "Also, you may want to hold on tighter than that."

"Why would they need your help if you're merely a shrine maiden?" The fox asked, wrapping her arms reluctantly around the maiden's waist. Spurred on at almost the same moment, the two horses dashed forward, bursting out of the hidden-away clearing that surrounded the cabin and onto the main road. Eli suddenly felt very grateful that she had tightened her grip.

"Nozomi is the most powerful priestess our town has," Rin spoke up. "Our samurai won't be enough. We need her if we want our village to stand."

"Most powerful priestess…?"

"Don't exaggerate, Rin!" Nozomi scolded, but the slight smirk on her face made it seem like she was joking. "I'm only especially skilled at performing barrier spells. I was sent to the shrine to keep it standing in case the ley line fluctuations caused any tremors."

"I hope we make it back in time…" Rin mumbled, and Eli didn't miss the way Nozomi's shoulders tensed up at those words. Eli suddenly felt more worried than she could recall in her three-week span of memories.

Eli hadn't known what to expect as they approached the village. It was late, the sun ready to dip below the tree-lined horizon at any moment. Shouting echoed around them as they approached on horseback, the scene coming into view before them. Before the fox could even get a good look at what was happening, the two horses came to a stop. She looked at Nozomi, her face clearly showing her worry, as Rin nearly leapt from their horse, daggers drawn, and dashed towards the battle.

"Will you be okay? What can I do to help?" Eli asked as the priestess hastily dismounted and offered the blonde fox her hand so she could dismount as well.

"I appreciate your concern, but please stay back with the townspeople," Nozomi said, turning towards the raging battle as she retrieved a small scroll from her pocket. She, too, rushed towards the gates where the samurai were being pushed back by the group of marauders.

Nozomi quickly casted a barrier spell as she approached, shielding the samurai and allowing them to retreat slightly. From where she was standing, among the crowd of frightened townspeople, Eli was unable to hear the conversation Nozomi seemed to be having with what appeared to be the commander of the samurai. The bandits beat relentlessly on the barrier, and Eli could see it beginning to crack. She watched as another priestess began to cast a healing chant and Nozomi struggled to keep the shield up. It dissipated with a loud shatter, like broken glass.

The fox stood there in the crowd of onlookers as the bandits stormed forward and the samurai met them, swords clashing. She felt afraid, and useless, and frustrated at her own powerlessness. She watched as Nozomi, who stood to the side, attempted to recast the barrier, but it flickered and fizzled out. The area was too large, there was too much happening, and the spell required a level of power that Nozomi wasn't able to force out. Rin dashed around the battlefield, daggers seeking out any blind spots in the bandits' defenses, cutting them down with skill; it wasn't enough.

The invaders pushed forward, one of them shouting, sword at the ready, as he rushed past the front line towards the purple-haired priestess. Eli's eyes widened in fear just before the sword collided with a barrier, causing it to bounce off the shield that Nozomi had put up just in time; it wouldn't hold up against a second hit. The man raised his sword again, and Eli could see fear on the priestess's face.

"Nozomi!" The fox rushed forward amidst all the shouting, the dirt around her kicking up as she felt a surge of magic overtake her. She watched as the bandit's sword smashed through the shield, slicing across the maiden's shoulder and knocking her to the ground. He raised his sword again, but before he could strike, a bright light washed over the battle, blinding, like a torrent of fire. A strong, scalding rush of magic pushed the bandit back, causing him to tumble into a group of marauders that were frozen in fear at the sight before them.

The bandits began to turn tail and flee, weapons forgotten on the dirt road as they ran for their lives. The few invaders who didn't make it away in time were burnt to a crisp as the samurai and townspeople alike watched in a mix of horror and amazement.

The dust in the air settled, the bright light fading out as Eli rushed to the fallen maiden's side. "Nozomi!" She grasped the girl's hand, worry obvious on her face.

"Eli-san," the priestess said quietly, her voice strained from the obvious pain. She let out a short, gravelly chuckle. "I do believe you've saved my life."

Unable to laugh along with her, Eli wrapped her arms around the maiden, pulling her into a gentle but firm hug, careful not to jostle her around. She choked out a single sob but willed her tears not to fall.

"I don't mean to rush you, but when can we leave?" Eli said, gaze glued to her hands that were folded in her lap. She was sitting on the floor before the futon that Nozomi was laying in, dim evening light filtering in through the window of the healer's house. It had been a few days since the battle at the village, and though Nozomi's injuries weren't too serious, the healer insisted that she stay a while to recover.

"We have to seek counsel with the head seer before we leave, at least," Nozomi said. "Are you that anxious to return to the shrine?"

Eli shifted nervously in her seat, her tufted ears pressing flat against her head. "Ever since we arrived, the townspeople have been suspicious of me. They want me gone, I can tell. I hear their whispers of how they can't trust a fox with this much power, and how I might be responsible for the fluctuations. I didn't even know that I possessed power like that; what if I can't control it? I'm just..."

"Afraid?" Nozomi finished the thought for her, sitting up on her futon. The fox nodded, keeping her worried gaze pointed downward. Nozomi reached over and brushed a lock of golden hair away from the fox's eyes, causing her to glance up. "You have no need to be. As a messenger of Inari, you have only good in your heart, I can sense it. We'll return to the shrine tomorrow if you so wish, but first we need to consult the head seer. I know she can tell us how to get your memories back."

"You aren't worried?" Eli asked, taking Nozomi's hand in both of hers. "What if all of this is my fault? If you and the other townspeople are burdened because of me, it only seems right that I should leave."

Nozomi chuckled, and Eli looked at her in confusion. "You'll stay if you're meant to, and if you aren't, then it must be that I'm meant to leave with you," the priestess said with a small smile.

It was midday by the time Nozomi had convinced the healer that she didn't need to stay any longer. The small brunette had insisted that she take an extra pack of medicine and bandages with her just in case, which Eli had somehow been forced to carry, along with their provisions from the baker, and a satchel full of books from overseas that the head samurai had gifted them. Needless to say, she now wanted to leave even more than she had previously.

"We have to speak with the seer first," Nozomi insisted, leading the fox by the hand into the seer's hut. The entrance corridor was dimly lit, but as they approached the main room, it became brighter, almost too bright, and Eli was hit by the strong smell of smoke and dried herbs. Standing at a table before them was a petite woman with dark hair, leant over a sigil painted onto a small scroll in bright red ink, her eyes closed in focus. The sigil was starting to burn a mark in the table.

"Nicochii," Nozomi spoke up, her voice startling the small woman. She was doubly startled when she saw the damage the sigil was doing to her table, quickly grabbing the scroll and waving it about frantically. She chanted something hastily, her voice cracking, and the scroll dissolved in a cloud of smoke, as though the room needed anymore smoke in it. She straightened up and coughed into her fist.

"Nozomi. I take it you're feeling better," she said stoically, glancing around at anything except the duo before her, clearly hoping that they would forget what they just saw.

"How is your research going?" Nozomi asked her with a chuckle as she walked forward.

Nico sighed, shaking her head. "Not great. Not terrible, but not great. Umi just returned from overseas with some manuals that may give me a lead, though," she said as she motioned for them to follow her and lead them to her actual quarters, where she sat them down at the low dining table and shuffled to the other side of the kitchenette to prepare some tea. "But enough about that. I know you and your friend have a request for me. What might it be?"

"This is Eli, and as I'm sure you can tell, she's a kitsune. To put it simply, she's lost her memory and we want to know how to return it to her."

Setting the teapot and cups before them on the table, Nico leaned over Eli, scrutinizing her intently. Eli's ears flattened and she nearly scooted backwards away from the somehow incredibly intimidating gaze of the tiny seer.

"I can tell that something is missing from her. Two things, specifically. I can see the emptiness, and it's not just in her memories, there's more to it," she said, standing straight up again and walking to a nearby bookshelf. Eli released a breath that she only just realized she had been holding. "I don't know what exactly it is you need to find, but I have a seal of scrying that can help you find it."

"A seal? You know as well as I do that seals are my weakest point," Nozomi said.

"Well, I suppose you're about to get some practice," Nico said, tossing a leather-bound book in Nozomi's direction without turning around. "And as for you, Eli-san."

Eli gulped, tail puffing up in surprise. Nico turned around to face them again.

"Thank you. You are without a doubt the reason the village is still standing. The people here are wary, but don't allow yourself to believe that they are ungrateful. We owe you."

"Um, th-thank you? I mean, you're welcome?" Said the fox, awkwardly cradling her cup of tea. Nico sat down abruptly between the two women and gave Eli a sudden slap on the back, causing her to jump and nearly spill her tea everywhere.

"Nozomi, you have got to do something about her," Nico said with a grin. "She's so serious! When have you ever heard of a fox this solemn?"

"I honestly haven't," Nozomi chuckled. Eli looked at her with an expression of disbelief and betrayal that reminded her of a wet puppy. An incredibly dense wet puppy that had no concept of human jokes. "But please go easy on her. She doesn't remember that foxes are supposed to be clever."

Rin had personally seen the two off, reluctant to lend them a horse without her constant supervision even though she knew it knew the way back on it's own. Eli was relieved to finally saddle all of their heavy luggage on something else. Enduring the combined teasing of the two priestesses, even for such a short time, had exhausted her, and when she settled in behind Nozomi atop the horse's back, she held on tight to the maiden and leaned against her with little reluctance.

They had been traveling for some time when Eli finally decided to speak up. "Am I really not clever?" She asked sheepishly.

Nozomi chuckled again; she seemed to do that a lot. "I think you're plenty clever. Either way, what you lack in being discerning, you make up for in being charming."

Upon arriving back at the shrine, after adorning the horse with a protection charm and sending it back, Nozomi immediately delved into the book Nico had given her. She spent hours a day, for many days, poring over the book, testing out the seal on a dozen discarded scrolls. She needed to make up for her lack of skill in seals, and she intended to make this perfect, if only for Eli's sake. She needed to find what was missing.

Eli sat next to Nozomi at the table, watched her absently as she scribbled down her notes in the candlelight. "I feel like I should be sad," she began. Nozomi stopped writing, but didn't look up at her. "It's not just my memories that feel empty, my heart feels that way too. It hurts, almost like I've lost somebody that I used to love. I don't know what to do."

"Eli-san," Nozomi said, interrupting her. Eli was startled at the seriousness in her voice, and she felt her face heat up in embarrassment at the realization of what she had been saying. She hadn't meant to ramble, but the words just seemed to come out. She was about to speak again when Nozomi beat her to it. "I think the seal is finished. Would you like to see if it works?"

Eli nodded, trying to make her expression one of seriousness despite the slight blush on her cheeks. Nozomi turned slightly to face her, and pressed a hand to one of the open scrolls on the table. She pressed her other hand to Eli's forehead for just a moment. The fox jumped slightly when felt a zap, like she had just been the unfortunate victim of static electricity that had built up in a shag carpet. She shook off the shock and when she looked up, there was a small pattern of bright, colorful light dancing in front of her, flitting about like some sort of magical moth.

"Wow," Nozomi said simply, staring at the wisp of light in awe, though it was her own creation. "So that's how seals work."

"That's incredible! How do we know if it's working properly?" Eli asked, trying to contain her amazement, which was made a bit more obvious by her golden tail wagging excitedly behind her.

"Well, it should glow brighter when the thing we're looking for is near. Either of the things, I suppose," Nozomi said, leaning forward a bit to get a closer look. As she did so, the seal wobbled a bit in the air and lit up a little more. "It seems it's already quite bright though. Could you try having it follow you to the other side of the room?"

Eli nodded and stood up, the seal rising with her, floating after her as she shuffled slowly across the room. It appeared to dim slightly as she walked farther, but when she came back to sit down at the table again, its brightness returned.

Nozomi cursed under her breath. "Of course there's no way I could get it right on the first try. I have to figure out where I messed up."

After a few hours of rest, Nozomi was up again, working diligently on perfecting the new seal. Eli woke up a few hours after her, still tired despite having just slept. The frustration was setting in again, and she felt powerless. If only she could tap into her magic again, maybe then she would be able to help, but she didn't even know what caused her magic to come back to her in the first place. She wracked her brain for an explanation, but to no avail.

"What do you think caused me to regain my magic like that?" She wondered aloud as she sat next to Nozomi that morning. "I don't remember much of what happened at that time, but you were there too."

"You were scared, I think," Nozomi said quietly. "And worried."

"I'm always scared and worried," the fox replied, eyes cast down, voice just above a whisper.

"Perhaps it's was because of the strength of your emotions."

Eli pondered for a few moments, tail flicking about occasionally. "So, I'd need a... strong emotional reaction? But I have those all the time. There must be something more to it, right?"

Nozomi looked up from the tomes and scrolls before her, giving Eli a look that she found very hard to interpret, the slightest bit of mischief twinkling in her green eyes. "I may have an idea, if you'll allow it." Light from the seal began dancing around them as Nozomi leaned closer to the fox. Eli gulped as she nodded quickly, braced for whatever horror she was about to witness, when Nozomi pushed her back gently so that her back hit the tatami matted floor. Eli glanced up in confusion when whatever it was she was expecting didn't come, only to see Nozomi climbing over her, straddling her waist.

"N-Nozomi? I'm sorry but what exactly is your idea?" The fox asked frantically. Nozomi answered by pressing her lips to the fox's in a soft kiss. Eli was startled, trying for a few moments to push weakly at the purple-haired girl's shoulders, until she felt the maiden lick curiously at her bottom lip and she realized that she wasn't actually that opposed to this. Nimble hands slipped beneath the collar of the fox's kimono, pushing the fabric aside and tracing lines across her collarbone. Nozomi nipped at the blonde's lip, teeth grazing softly, smirking a little into the kiss when she noticed the fox's bushy tail wagging with excitement. Eli whimpered quietly, half a plea for air and half a plea for more of whatever this was. When they had no choice but to part for breath, they were both stunned to see bright magical light surrounding them, warm and flickering like a bonfire.

"How…?" whispered the fox.

"It seems my theory was right. I believe your magic might be reacting…," Nozomi began, her warm breath brushing across Eli's lips. "To me."

"What? But why? What could you have to do with the state of my memories?"

"I'm not sure," the priestess said, sitting up and allowing Eli some space. "But it explains why the seal was reacting to my presence as well. Oddly enough, whatever it is you're missing must have something to do with me."

"I don't really understand," Eli said, the magical aura beginning to die down, the room returning to illumination only by candlelight. Eli sat up and gently grasped Nozomi's shoulders, looking at her with an expression that seemed determined, though her mind was racing with nervousness. "There are a lot of things in the human world that I don't understand, my feelings most of all. I don't really know how to say things like this, but, sake of my magic notwithstanding…" she paused to take a steadying breath. "Will you kiss me again? "

"Eli-san, how bold of you," Nozomi chuckled. She reached a hand up to stroke Eli's blushing cheek as she began to lean forward for another kiss. "Don't you already know how I would answer such a question?"

"Eli-san, remind me why we're out here this early," Nozomi said, rubbing sleep from her eyes as the two trudged through the woods, the grass still wet with dew that splashed their sandals. The sun had only just breached the horizon when Eli had rushed Nozomi out of the cabin.

"I remembered something last night. I've left something here in the woods, I know it, we just need to find it."

"Haven't you searched them already?" She asked, not out of skepticism, but mostly because she wanted to go back to sleep. The seal that she had completed the other day bobbed along beside them in the air, its light dim now despite Nozomi's presence, but they supposed it was because she had already been found.

Eli hesitated before answering, starting to feel less sure of her barely-existent plan. "If there was something out here, I suppose I would have found it already, wouldn't I?" As they slowed their march through the trees, the seal began to glow brighter, catching the attention of both girls. It zipped off between the trees, and the fox rushed after it, as though chasing a butterfly. Nozomi followed after her until they stumbled into a small, grassy clearing.

"This… wasn't here before," Eli mumbled. The seal, bright and buzzing, wobbling through the air, flew to the center of the clearing, where a stone statue of a fox sat on its hind legs on a pedestal. Though the grass around it was wet with dew, the stone itself was dry, and even slightly warm to the touch, Eli discovered. At its feet, laying in the grass, was a necklace, strung with tiny red and white beads and a triangle pendant. Eli picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

"Where have I seen this before?" She mumbled to herself. "Why do I feel like I've seen this before?"

She held the necklace up to her throat in preparation to put it on, but when the clasps neared each other, magical energy burst from the necklace, pouring out and burning Eli's hands. The fox shrieked, dropping the necklace to the ground, where it sizzled, charring the grass around it. She stumbled backwards, clutching her burnt hands as she hit the wet ground. Nozomi, who had been investigating the edge of the clearing where the trees met the air, rushed to Eli's side, concerned.

"Eli-san, what-"

"The necklace," the blonde said, tail puffed up in shock, her voice shaky and breathless. "Bring it back with us." Nozomi reluctantly reached for the necklace, steam still rising from it. She was surprised to find it cool to the touch. Helping the injured fox to her feet, she pocketed the necklace, and after giving the clearing a last glance, they left, allowing the place to disappear into the trees.

"Why couldn't I find that before?" Eli wondered aloud, clutching her hands to her chest.

"Perhaps you needed magic to find it? I suspect that place doesn't truly exist in our world."

"I have magic," the fox grumbled.

"Perhaps you needed my magic."

It was late evening and the air held a faint warmness, the kind that left melancholy on anyone it touched. The two residents of the shrine had returned from the mysterious clearing several days ago, and for as many days the necklace they found had sat on the table beside piles of books and scrolls. Eli's hands, even with her accelerated healing, were still sore and red from the burns.

The fox sat on the porch, her haori discarded beside her as she took in the warm Spring air. She sighed, the frustration that had built gnawing at her intensified by the fact that she was now injured and even more helpless.

"What was I sent here to do? What is everything trying to point me to that I'm just not seeing?" The fox said to herself, tail whipping back and forth in irritation. She felt like yelling, felt like screaming to the heavens for their attention, for the Kami to give her the answers she spent too long in the human world seeking. Dejectedly, she stood and carried herself back through the threshold of the tiny cabin, jacket thrown over her shoulder.

Nozomi was sitting at the table as she often did, lips pursed cutely as she scanned through the same manual for the dozenth time, determined to find Eli's answers for her. Eli sat beside her, shoulders slumped, and leaned her head on the maiden's shoulder.

"Why am I here?" The fox asked, her voice just above a whisper. "What am I missing?"

Nozomi put down her book, patting the blonde's fuzzy ears and leaning into her. "I can't tell you what I don't know, and I don't know why the gods have sent you here. But I do know that you need to relax."

"Help me relax, then," Eli said, and her icy eyes were filled with confusion as much as they were filled with a subtle warmth, a want that she had been trying not to acknowledge. She hadn't wanted to drag this human girl into her more troubling issues, but she couldn't deny that there were some things she did want to drag her into; bed, mainly.

"Eli-san, do you even realize how charming you can be?" The maiden said, tracing a finger across Eli's jawbone, tilting her head up so that Nozomi could kiss her, passionate and slow burning as the candle on the table that illuminated them. She pushed the fox down to the floor softly as she trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck. When delicate hands pulled Eli's kimono down to her belt, she suddenly felt that the air was less warm than she had thought it previously.

Nozomi pulled at the sarashi wrapped around the fox's chest, loosening the strips of fabric and pulling them down out of the way. She palmed at Eli's breasts, massaging them in her hands as she grazed teeth along her exposed neck.

"N-Nozomi-" the fox moaned, squirming underneath underneath the playful purple-haired priestess. A dim light engulfed them, Eli's magic manifesting in a warm aura again, as it had before.

"Shhh," Nozomi whispered, pressing a kiss to Eli's soft lips, quieting her for a moment. "You're supposed to relax, remember?" At this, Eli willed her muscles to untense, letting herself melt into the maiden's touch as full lips dotted kisses across her breasts. Nozomi continued to nip at the blonde's exposed chest as she raked her hands up and down her midsection, tracing across semi-defined stomach muscles and the jut of her hipbones as though she were memorizing them, which she probably was.

The priestess brought a thigh up between Eli's legs, pushing softly as she explored the fox's slender body with skilled hands. Eli groaned, pushing her hips downward as teeth gently sank into the exposed skin above her breast.

"Nozomi," whimpered the fox. "I want to touch you too."

The priestess in question chuckled slightly at the request, so innocently worded, paired with the fact that Eli was meekly making grabby hands at her. Nozomi sat up, sticking her chest out as she straddled the fox's hips. She started to undo her kimono, pulling the layered fabric off agonizingly slowly, never breaking eye contact with the blushing blonde below her.

"I can't believe I'm watching this," Eli whispered in disbelief as more pristine, pale skin was revealed before her eyes, full, round breasts freed from the trappings of the girl's uniform. Nozomi's hands continued downward, untying her hakama first, followed by her obi, and finally shrugging off her top, white fabric pooling around her arms gracefully.

"Didn't you say you wanted to touch, Eli-san?" She asked, leaning over the fox again. Eli reached up, hands kneading softly. Nozomi closed her eyes contentedly, humming in pleasure, enjoying the sensation of curious, timid hands pawing at her. She leaned in for another kiss, and Eli looped her arms around Nozomi's neck, carefully threading her fingers through waves of purple. Nozomi breathed out against the other's lips quietly, "Allow me to help you relax a little more."

It was warm when Eli awoke the next day, unsure of how long they had kept each other awake or how long they had slept afterwards. In her arms was the young priestess, purple locks blanketing her bare shoulders as she lay snuggled on the single futon, face buried in the fox's chest. Eli carefully removed herself from around the sleeping maiden, careful not to wake her. She shrugged her haori on lazily over her bare torso and tightened the tie at the front of her hakama before padding quietly out to the other room.

Rays of sunlight filtered in through the thin walls, and she set her gaze upon the necklace, which seemed to glitter in the light. She looked at it, and she felt different, as though she was on the verge of remembering something, of remembering everything, but it just wouldn't come to her. Cautiously, she picked up the necklace, hands shaking, and turned it over in her hands. This was the key to her memories, she knew it, but fear told her not to put it on. Fear told her that she wasn't allowed the privilege of memory, that she was fated to confusion and loathing for the rest of the time she spent walking amongst humans.

Before her thoughts could wander any deeper, any darker, a warm hand tapped her shoulder.

"Would you like me to put it on for you?" Asked Nozomi, smiling softly, her round face shining more brightly than it had before. Eli gulped, and nodded, reaching her hands out so Nozomi could pluck the mysterious item from them. Nozomi took it, reaching her hands behind the fox's neck as she shivered slightly, nervousness obvious in her body language. The clasps hooked together without consequence.

The two sat in stunned silence for a moment, Eli looking down at the necklace in disbelief.

"Nozomi, I-"

Without warning, blinding light like a roaring forest fire erupted from the fox, nearly knocking Nozomi across the room. The priestess retreated backwards from the heat of the burst of magic, eyes full of indescribable fear, shouting Eli's name in a panic. The light only grew brighter, and she had no choice but to look away, closing her eyes. All at once, a shockwave of magical energy shakes the small cottage, and a weight that she hadn't been aware of before lifted off of her, the magical frequencies snapping back into place like a rubber band. As she feels the light dim, she dares a glance upwards.

Eli is before her as she had been, but she's different than mere seconds ago. Majestic reds and whites and golds adorn her crouched figure. Where there had been a single tail, now there were five, golden brown tipped fur shimmering as they swayed behind her. The fox looked up at Nozomi, and her eyes were full of some implacable emotion, or rather a mix of many.

"Nozomi!" She nearly shouted, tackling the priestess in a warm hug. Nozomi cautiously returned the hug, wrapping her arms around the fox, who nuzzled into her enthusiastically.

"Eli-san, I… what is going on?"

"It was you!" Eli says, releasing Nozomi from the bear hug, hands grasping her shoulders as she met her eyes again. "You're the reason I'm here! You are what I was missing!"

"I don't quite follow?"

"I was the Zenko that watched over this shrine for Inari in her stead. I've been watching you for so long, Nozomi, I wanted nothing more than to protect you and to prove my love for you. I made a deal with the other Kami, a deal that would give me an opportunity to prove my love at the temporary cost of my memories. They said that if I succeeded at their challenge, if I could prove my love to you and get my memories back, they'd grant me the power to make you immortal, so we could stay together. I love you, Nozomi."

Nozomi wrapped her in another hug, tears filling her eyes as relief washed over her. Eli patted her back, a wide grin on her face.

"Idiot," Nozomi mumbled after a long moment of relieved silence.

"What?"

"You're so reckless!" Nozomi said, pulling back to look the startled fox in the eye. "Giving up your memories for a mere shrine maiden was a fool's errand. You're the least clever fox I've ever met and I wouldn't have it any other way because I'm so in love with you that I can hardly stand it!" She choked back a sob as she hugged Eli once again, burying her face in the clean, pressed collar of her red and gold haori.

"Ooh, did you get a letter back from Nico-san? What'd she say?" Eli asked, tail wagging incessantly as she leaned over Nozomi's shoulder.

"Well, the important part is that she said she won't bother us too often. The shrine is ours to watch over, now."

"Is she jealous that you're extra magical now?" Eli said with a wide grin. Nozomi gently slapped a palm to her face, pushing her back. The priestess turned around, grabbing either side of Eli's face and kissing her, affectionate and playful.

"That grin almost makes you look clever. It suits you."

"I am clever!" Eli pouted.

"You're plenty clever."

Ckik here. I'm not sure what exactly inspired me to write this but I do know that it took way longer than anticipated. I'm super burned out so I don't have much to say about this.

I tried to keep Japanese clothing words to a minimum but it's so difficult when they're being taken off. If you end up having a hard time visualizing the clothes, go watch like 3 random episodes of Inuyasha and you'll be good to go. They're all italicized for your convenience.

Surprise surprise this is my first actual NozoEli fic. They're so happy it's super disgusting.

Let me know what you thought. Also let me know what I should write next, because I need somebody to tell me these kinds of things.