A/N: Not a whole lot to say other than to let you guys know I have another one shot in the works (this next one is a lot heavier on the cutez), and that I will be getting another update for Power of the Ancients out in the next couple of weeks. I have the next chapter mapped out and dialogued, just need to write in the narrative.

For reference this story is set in the same universe as PofA, though a good two or three years later. That means that there are a few tidbits of info on Cerinia that are applicable to PofA and future stories, so hopefully that'll make it worth it for those of you who aren't fluff monsters like me. Also, fair warning for some pretty suggestive themes, (it's me guys, come on), other than that though, enjoy!

Cerinia

Atlantopolis

Caeliar Luxury Hotel

Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the penthouse suite of the Caeliar Hotel. "Mmmm." Fox McCloud rolled over as he woke, resting his head on his girlfriend's chest. It was time to get up. Pulling the blankets down a bit he smiled and woke his beautiful blue mate with a thorough motorboat.

"Ack! Heehee!" Krystal's eyes shot open and she convulsed with giggles as she pushed Fox's head away. "Foxy!"

Putting on a dashing smile Fox said, "Morning."

"Morning." Krystal looked at her orange furball of a mate. Cut and toned, with muscles you could chip a tooth on. He was a couple of years older than her, but that didn't make much difference in her mind. He had on that look of brash confidence that she knew just how to get rid of. Hugging him she put her fingers on his flanks and started to tickle. She knew just where all his ticklish spots were, and she attacked them without mercy. Within moments she had him shedding tears of laughter, his tail wagging spasmodically.

Knowing that if he didn't find some way to retaliate he would soon be forced into utter capitulation, Fox put his arms around Krystal and started scratching at the itchy spot just above Krystal's tail. Instantly the tickling stopped and Krystal stiffened, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she panted with pleasure. Fox kept it up for a few more moments, then stopped and kissed her on the cheek. "Nice try, but itchy beats tickly."

Sighing and cuddling up next to him she said, "I suppose." Lying there, with him, Krystal felt at peace with the world. For all the bad things going on, for all the people out there who wished her and Cerinia harm, and Fox and his world harm, when she felt his arms around her it all seemed to fade away. She knew he'd never let any harm come to her that he could prevent. And she had promised him the same thing.

Fox pressed his nose into her hair, giving the spot between her ears a gentle kiss. Since meeting Krystal and being accepted into her family, Cerinia had become his favorite spot to vacation. The casinos and bars in San Caruso on Fortuna were all well and good, but Fox didn't find waking up with a hangover to be all that relaxing. Cerinia was much different. Despite being a technologically advanced society like the people of his own native Lylat, or the other systems of this region of space, the Cerinians seemed to have found the proper balance between technology and real life. On Cerinia people didn't walk around with their faces buried in their phones, and you didn't see holographic advertisements on every corporate window front. Relaxing was much easier when you weren't being constantly bombarded by information you didn't know what do with, and sales pitches you didn't see the point of.

"So, what did you want to do today?" Fox asked, rubbing her shoulders.

"I don't know." Krystal shrugged and looked up at him. "What were you thinking?"

Smiling, Fox drifted his hand down to cup her rear under the blankets. Giving the athletic, but still supple flesh a squeeze he said, "Well, I was thinking about..." He was interrupted by a loud growling noise.

Krystal giggled. "Whatever you were thinking it can wait at least until we order breakfast."

"Yeah." Fox blushed. "Maybe we should do breakfast first." Krystal turned away from him and picked up the phone on her bedside stand. "What are you doing?"

"We're on vacation," Krystal said, "I thought I'd order room service."

"Can they deliver right to the bedroom?" Fox inquired, his tail wagging at the thought of breakfast in bed.

"Of course." She smiled. "Would you like them in sexy outfits too?"

Fox smirked and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I wouldn't notice," he said, nuzzling her neck, feeling her heartbeat as it accelerated just slightly from the feeling of his closeness. "Not with you next to me in the buff."

"Sure babe." Krystal rolled her eyes at his flattery, even if it was appreciated. "Pancakes?"

"Do they make those on Cerinia?" Fox started kissing her neck.

Reaching behind her and rubbing his cheek ruff, she said, "Foxy, the Caeliar Hotel is a luxury establishment that caters to all interstellar ethnicities. As such they have a very diverse menu."

"Good." Fox nibbled her ear, making her squirm a bit. "Because no offense, but Cerinian breakfast grains are pretty lousy."

Reaching the hand that had been stroking his cheek up a little higher she grabbed his ear and gave it a little yank for the comment. "They're good for you," she scolded, dialing room service. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to order two tall stacks of blueberry pancakes, one coffee, one herbal tea, and that's it. And can you bring it into the bedroom? Room 1701. Thanks."

"How long?" Fox asked as she hung up the phone, one hand reaching up to cup her breasts, the other stroking her tummy.

"They said about twenty minutes," Krystal answered, wagging her tail at his affections.

"Hmmmm." Fox rolled her onto her back. "The things I could do in twenty minutes."

Smiling up at him, she growled, "Show me."

A soft sea breeze ruffled Fox's mohawk as he looked skyward. The skyscrapers of Atlantopolis seemed to go on forever, reaching up for the light cloud cover overhead. A pair of flying reptiles squawked and settled on a window sill. "It's amazing," Fox said, shaking his head. Cerinia never got old for him.

"What is?" Krystal cocked her head, curious.

"This city," Fox answered. "Heck, all the cities on Cerinia. The way you built them to just float off the coasts. And the fact that you managed to make them almost entirely self-sufficient. I mean, I know I sound like Slippy here, but it really is a mind boggling degree of engineering genius."

"Necessity is the mother of invention," Krystal replied with a shrug.

Taking his eyes off the towers Fox looked at her. "The Kursing?"

"Yes," Krystal replied. "We left our world devastated after a hundred years of war. When we rebuilt we decided to put the majority of our people where we would have the least impact, at least on the land that we considered sacred. So, we built our cities out here, in the ocean, and let nature reclaim everything it could, and heal the scars we'd made."

"Did they ever fully heal?" Fox asked, taking her hand. He knew he'd gotten them onto a sensitive topic. On Cerinia, talking about the Kursing or the Kursed-known to the rest of the galaxy as the Amanoi-was like talking to Fox about Andross and the Lylat War.

Krystal shook her head. "No." She stopped, about to say something more, but thought better of it. Now wasn't the time for this. Her people's blood feud had gone on for two centuries, and it would likely go on for two more. That said, she saw no reason to ruin the rest of her day talking about it. Summoning a reassuring smile, she said, "Sorry, we don't need to talk about this. We're supposed to be meeting mother and father."

"Right." Fox squeezed her hand, brushing his tail against hers to tell her it was alright. "Where are your parents?"

"There they are!" Krystal pointed to a fountain in the middle of a small green space. Krystal's mother, Sapphire, sat in Krystal's father, Jade's, lap, kissing him passionately, in full view of every passerby on the street.

"Your mother is absolutely shameless." Fox shook his head, then nearly jumped out his fur when he felt a hand slap his rear. His head whipped around to look at Krystal, who gazed at him with a mock angry expression.

"That's my mother you're talking about," she said, rubbing the spot she'd slapped. Fox just continued to stare at her, daring his mate to contradict him. "Okay yes, she is. But then one of the matron deities of Tenked is Lust."

"Figures." Fox smirked, he and Krystal crossing the green space to join her parents.

Stopping in front of them Krystal put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat. When Sapphire simply held up a finger for her to wait, Krystal said, "Mother. Please, I don't think you and father need to have a sex scandal in the middle of the capital."

At the mention of the curious concept of a sex scandal Sapphire pulled away from Jade to look at her daughter, wiping a bit of saliva that had been connecting her and her husband from her lips, while remaining seated in the lap of her dazed looking lifemate. "Sex scandal?" She cocked her head in befuddlement.

Fox spoke up to answer the blue, heavily tattooed older vixen's question, "It's a thing in politics and the nobility where you get in trouble for screwing around. It doesn't happen much anymore in Lylat, but there are a lot of costume dramas about it."

"I love costume dramas," Krystal said, her tail wagging furiously behind her as she thought of all her favorite pre-space age settings and the dramas set in them.

"Hmm." Sapphire tapped her chin, considering this new information. "Why doesn't it happen very much anymore?"

"People decided they didn't care." Fox shrugged, not sure what else to say.

Coming around from his Sapphire induced daze, Jade nodded and said, "A most mature decision."

Sapphire's eyes lit up at the mention of the word "mature," evidently reminded of something. "Speaking of mature decisions."

Turning his gaze back to his wife, Jade said, "Sapphire, I thought we discussed..."

"Shush." She waved her hands at him to be quiet. "It's his decision, I'm not going to force him."

Deciding that a concession would be the wisest course of action, Jade responded with a simple, "Alright."

"What's up?" Fox asked, wondering what all the fuss could be about.

Hopping off of Jade's lap Sapphire strode a little closer to Fox. "How old are you, Fox?"

Cocking his head in canine confusion, Fox answered, "twenty-four. Why?"

Tail swaying behind her, Sapphire continued, "I was thinking that, since you've been dating my daughter for a few years now, and you did say you would want to join our clan in the future..." She trailed off for a moment, looking uncharacteristically anxious.

"Yes. What is it?" Fox prompted in a gentle tone.

"Well," Sapphire said, perking up, "It's a bit of a big decision, so don't feel like you have to make it today, but we were wondering if you might want to get some tattoos?"

"Any particular reason?" Fox asked, not quite sure what to make of the request.

Krystal jumped in then, radiating joy at the fact that her parents approved her choice of lifemate so much they'd wanted to bring up this subject. "Tattoos are a tradition on Cerinia. Everyone has at least their clan marking on their arms. Like me." She pointed to the alternating bars and squares on each of her arms. "And I also have the temple swirl on my thigh, since I come from a family with a priestess. The four triangles around it indicate that my mother is a high priestess," Krystal explained.

"Ah. Hmmmm." Fox considered the idea for a moment. While tattoos had never really been his thing, he'd also never had any bias against them. As he thought about it though he realized that, if he was going to be getting tattoos, he might as well go all in. He looked at Krystal for a moment, giving her his warmest, most loving smile as he took her hand. She returned it five fold, obviously picking up on his decision. He turned back to look at Sapphire and said, "What would be involved in joining your clan?"

Both Sapphire and Jade lit up at his words, and Sapphire answered, "It's very simple. Just the tattoo to mark your allegiance, and then a simple pledge in our family shrine."

Fox turned back to Krystal and took both her hands in his. "I know we thought about waiting until we were married for me to join..."

"I know," Krystal interjected. "But seeing as we're on separate teams, and that we're both not going to stop flying around the galaxy fighting bad guys for a good while yet, I don't see any reason to wait. Do you?"

Fox grinned, his tail wagging, feeling a pleasing certainty about taking this next step in his life and his relationship with the blue vixen. "No. Not if you don't." Glancing at Sapphire he said, "Alright, let's get some tattoos."

Standing in the tattoo shop Fox flipped through a binder full of designs. The number of options was positively dizzying, but as he flipped the page he came upon one that struck his fancy. The design was meant for the chest, and was a series of long, curving swirls that fanned downward from an origin point just below the shoulder. "I like these chest swirls," he said.

Standing next to him Krystal wagged her tail in approval. "Oh yes. They're traditional warrior markings. Make sure to get them on the left pectoral though."

Tracing the design with a finger Fox asked, "What happens if I get them on the right?"

"Getting them on the right means you're a slave warrior," Krystal informed him.

Fox stared at her. "Cerinians had slaves?"

He regretted asking the moment the words left his lips. Krystal's eyes lit with a fiery anger, and her muzzle curled in a look of disgust. She practically spat the next words out of her mouth, "The Kursed did. Not the Cerinians."

"Ah." Fox nodded, deciding to try and maneuver the conversation back to safer, happier ground. "Left pectoral it is. Though..." he leaned in, whispering in her ear, "I wouldn't mind being your slave."

The thunder cloud hanging over Krystal's head evaporated immediately into a fit of giggles, the blue vixen covering her mouth demurely. Before she could respond though, Sapphire waved at Fox and called over, "Oh Fox? Come look at this one a minute."

"Be right back," Fox said, kissing Krystal on the cheek. He stopped next to Sapphire, who was looking at a different binder, and one that she had open to an "adults only" section. "What did you...whoa."

Pitching her voice to a low whisper, Sapphire said, "If you want to be her love slave, this is the one you should get."

"I didn't quite mean it literally," Fox whispered back, blushing at the design she was pointing to.

Sapphire chuckled. "I know dear." Leaning in towards him, and pitching her voice even lower, she said, "But this sort of tattoo, done with her name in traditional calligraphy...well, she'd be burying her face in your crotch every night for the rest of your life."

Fox's eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates. He shouldn't have been surprised, what he'd just heard was an utterly Sapphiric remark, but the prospect both embarrassed and enticed him. He knew better than to take it literally, but at the same time he got the feeling Krystal would like it. When it came to the sexual aspect of Krystal's personality, the apple had not fallen far from the mother tree. "R-really?" he stammered, glancing over at where Krystal was talking animatedly with her father.

Grinning from ear to vulpine ear, Sapphire wagged her tail and said, "Really."

Fox considered it for a few moment more, then decided. "Okay. Let's do it. But uh, don't tell her. I want her to find out when it's done."

"Mum's the word," Sapphire promised, miming locking her muzzle and throwing away the key. "I'll make the arrangements and pay for the tattoos." Fox started to protest, but she put a finger to his muzzle and shushed him. "No dear, you're joining my clan to be closer to my daughter, that's payment enough for me. I insist."

Fox nodded and thanked her, then went to rejoin Krystal. He quickly discovered that she was regaling her father with an account of a recent mission she'd run with Monroe's Flying Aces, and Fox put an arm around her shoulder to listen, and wait for his name to be called.

Settling down in the chair, Fox looked at the vixen tattoo artist. "So, how does this work?"

The vixen smiled and began explaining, "It's very simple. I'll start by doing laser fur removal in the patterns you've chosen," she paused briefly and leaned in, whispering, "Good choice on the third one by the way. I got a similar one myself, and my girlfriend absolutely adores it."

Not sure what to say, Fox just blushed and looked bashful. "Hopefully mine likes it too," he said.

"I wouldn't worry," the artist replied, leaning back again and continuing with her explanation, "Then, after I've removed the fur I'll use this," she held up a strange, but surprisingly non-threatening looking gizmo, "To stimulate the fur growth and remove the pigmentation from the new growth. If you ever want to get rid of the tattoo just come back and I can use the same process to color it back to the proper shade."

"What about when I shed?" Fox asked.

"The changes are permanent unless reversed," the artist answered. "It's a good question though. Up until about a decade ago you would have needed to come back for touch ups every now and again."

"I see. Sounds like a pain in the ass." Realizing he may have just committed a cultural faux pas, Fox quickly added, "Sorry."

The vixen just smiled and shook her head. "Don't be. It was. Any more questions?"

"Just the one," Fox said. "How long will it take the fur to grow back?"

"It'll be back within four to five hours. It'll sting though, because of the accelerated growth. No avoiding that," she replied.

"No problem." Fox shrugged. "I'm uh, kinda used to pain at this point."

"Good," the vixen eyed him with respect. "Because it is a pretty awful sting. Ready?"

"Let's rock and roll."

The sun was setting by the time Fox and Krystal returned to their hotel room, Sapphire and Jade in tow. Sitting in the living room of the suite, Krystal rubbed at Fox's chest, admiring his new tattoos. "I love these. The fur grew back so fast, too."

"Yeah." Fox rubbed her bare arms, she had divested of her top upon returning, complaining that it was much too hot to be fully clothed. She now cuddled next to him in nothing but her panties, though much to Fox's embarrassment her mother wore not a stitch. He kept having to break his eyes away from the older vixen's tattoos, knowing full well where they were meant to guide the eye. "Normally," he continued, "If I'd gotten shaved like that, it would've taken months to grow back completely."

"The benefits of having a culture in which tattoos are such an important part," Sapphire chimed in, stroking her husband's ears, his head resting in her lap, "is that we come up with all sorts of ways to get around the inconveniences."

Looking up at his wife, Jade said, "I've actually decided to open up a trade deal to start selling our tattoo technology throughout the galaxy. I've already got people interested on Harcothia, and the Fichinans and Fortunans have expressed serious interest as well."

Absently kissing Krystal's hair, Fox nodded. "Tattoos are catching on in those parts of the galaxy. You'll probably make good money."

Smiling, Jade answered, "Oh I intend to."

"Husband," Sapphire tugged one of his ears, "you're so ruthless."

Chuckling, Jade nuzzled her belly button, giving it a kiss. "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe."

Hugging Krystal closer Fox marveled at the easy way Cerinians showed affection. Not that Lylatians were total prigs, but the concept of sitting around, fully or partially nude, hugging and kissing, all in a non-sexual manner, still felt a little alien to Fox. On Corneria this would have been described as kinky, on Cerinia it was just normal. As a species whose telepathy allowed them to share their deepest thoughts with anyone they chose, the idea of covering one's body, or being shy with affection just didn't seem to be something they could really comprehend the reason for. In many ways, the Cerinians were the most innocent people he'd ever met, even if they could also be particularly lascivious and uninhibited when they wanted to be.

Interrupting his brief reverie, Sapphire said, "Fox, you haven't shown us the other tattoo you got."

Krystal's ears pricked, and she leaned back to look him in the eye. "Other one? I thought you just got these two," she said, motioning to his chest and his arms.

"Well..." Fox blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Go on, show us," Sapphire encouraged him, looking at him with that teasing, bawdy look she did so well.

"Actually," Fox briefly shot Sapphire a long suffering glance, noticing that Jade was rolling his eyes and preparing to intervene, no doubt sensing what his wife was up to. It wouldn't have been the first time Sapphire tried to get a free peep show out of someone. "I think I'd rather show Krystal this one in private."

"Fine, we'll wait," Sapphire said with a shrug, not wanting to press him into anything he was truly uncomfortable with. She could be patient in drawing Fox out of his Lylatian shell and into the open sunlight of Cerinia.

Taking Krystal's hand Fox pulled her towards the bedroom. "Come on. You'll love it. I hope."

Krystal went into the bedroom first, and Fox made eye contact with Sapphire before closing the door. Sapphire waggled her eyebrows at him, grinning at her newest clan member.

Once the door clicked shut Jade sat up and looked his wife in the eye. "Sapphire, what did you tell him to get?"

Smiling Sapphire just said, "Guess."

Jade stared at her for a full minute, then let out a sigh that must have lasted almost as long.

From the room came the sound of something dropping to the floor, followed by a stifled moan and the sound of soft giggling. Sapphire looked utterly pleased with herself as she sat on the couch. "You convinced him to put the sign for Love and Lust above his..."

"Crotch," Sapphire finished, grinning and wagging her tail. "I have the same one anyways, but with your name. He has hers."

Jade shook his head. There were times he wondered how he had managed to marry Sapphire. She was utterly outrageous in every possible way. Every time there was a festival she was the first to be drunk and dancing nude on a table. Her lustful appetites seemed to know no bounds, though he always found himself able to rise to the challenge. And yet for all her eccentricities she had proven to be a wonderful mother, and a loving, faithful mate to him for all these years. "You're insufferable. Though, judging by those noises and emotions, Krystal seems to appreciate it."

Wrapping her husband in a hug Sapphire said, "I just wanted to make my daughter happy." She looked him in the eye, her irises glittering with amusement. "Don't judge me."

"Never have." Jade replied, kissing her forehead and pulling her back into the hug, both their tails wagging.

The door clicked shut behind them and Krystal turned to her orange furred mate. "So, what is this mysterious tattoo? My name in a heart on your arse?"

Turning to face her, a smirk on his muzzle, he said, "Not quite." Then he unbuckled his pants and shucked them off with his underwear.

Krystal's eyes immediately went to his crotch, and what she found made her stare wide eyed. Just above the little bush of fur that surrounded his maleness, she saw that the fur had been tattooed with the traditional symbol for the sisters of Love and Lust. That wasn't the part that set her off though. Rather it was the fact that, instead of the curving, suggestive symbol being done in simple lines, it had instead been done in the swooping, swirling style of Cerinian calligraphy, with the calligraphy spelling out two words: Krystal Zonoc.

Fox found himself blushing as he endured the blue vixen's intense scrutiny. For a brief moment he wondered if he'd made a terrible mistake. Now that he thought about it did seem ridiculously crass. Sapphire was the one who suggested it though. Wait...Sapphire suggested it, of course it's crass, he thought to himself. "Um, you like it?"

Krystal's brought her gaze up to look him in the eye, then shoved him against the wall and kissed him roughly, her tongue forcing its way into his muzzle, battering down whatever feeble resistance he might have mustered. As Fox's back hit the wall her jewelry box, which had been sitting on the dresser, tumbled to the floor. Both of them couldn't help but giggle through the kiss.

"Mmmph." Fox wrapped his arms around her, his hands coming to rest just above her tail as he returned the kiss as best he could after having been taken so completely by surprise. He knew that with Krystal, a kiss like this was only going one place. Finally, when both of them were on the verge of suffocation, Krystal pulled back, panting and looking at him with fire in her eyes. "What about your parents?" he protested weakly, his legs just a little wobbly.

Grinning, her tail wagging, and her scent sharpening with arousal, she said, "Like mother said, they'll wait."

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Fox asked.

Settling down on her knees in front of him, Krystal shook her head. "Nope. Now shut up, I have a job to do."

Wagging despite himself, Fox said, "Have I mentioned that I love you?"

"Not in the last hour," Krystal said, looking up at him, her tongue hanging out. "And welcome to clan Zonoc."

"It feels good," Fox mused, "being in clan Zonoc."

"You think it feels good now?" Krystal's breath was hot on his fur and skin. "Just wait."