AUTHOR: Foxprose1

STORY: One-Shot

STATUS: Complete

RATING: T

DISCLAIMER: Kamisama Hajimemashita (Kamisama Kiss) Julietta Suzuki/Viz Media/TMS Entertainment. All publicly-recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. No remuneration is being received from this work, and no copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, I know - this is hardly an original premise and has likely been done better before. Still, I couldn't resist imagining how Nanami's rowdy household might expand. I also realize that I've taken some liberties with the canon - in this version, Tomoe retains his yokai identity and status as a familiar rather than becoming human. Somehow I can't bear to think of his losing his fox ears and lustrous tail! Enjoy, and please let me know if you like it.

The Fox Becomes a Father

Tomoe paced back and forth in the garden of the shrine, his ears alert and his tail swishing in an annoyed fashion.

"It's been too long. Something must be wrong."

"Relax, Tomoe. It's only been a few hours. Babies take time. Especially first babies," comforted Mikage in a soothing voice.

"I don't know how you can stand it. I can't bear to think about our beautiful kami undergoing such pain," opined Mizuki.

Mikage gave the snake a harsh look to silence his tactless chatter and turned his attention back to the fox, who appeared to be wearing a furrow in the ground.

"I'm sure they'll have news for us soon. Perhaps you should try meditating. Or would you like a cup of tea or perhaps some sake? The most important thing you can do for Nanami is relax. Mizuki, why don't you bring us some of that excellent sake we all liked so much," Mikage instructed, hoping the snake would take his time with the task.

Tomoe allowed Mikage to lead him to one of the benches that dotted the shrine's garden. The former land god sat close and continued to talk to a soft, mesmerizing voice.

"Just breathe, Tomoe. Close your eyes and imagine yourself on the porch during a full moon."

The fox did as instructed, and the tension in the air palpably decreased. The snake approached entirely too quickly with a tray, and Mikage put a finger over his lips. Tomoe's yokai senses would easily detect Mizuki's presence, but Mikage wanted to limit idle conversation as much as possible.

Tomoe's shoulders relaxed somewhat as Mikage continued his low, whispered instructions.

His mind drifted, as it always did when he meditated. Tomoe wondered not for the first time how he had come to this, nearly hysterical with anxiety as he waited for a human woman to give birth to his child.

But looking back, it all made sense. Each piece of his history with Nanami added up to make this day inevitable. It was only looking at their lives as a whole that gave him that out-of-control, slightly sea-sick feeling.

He was a yokai, a brutal fox-demon, hundreds of years old. She was a human teenager. What could they possibly have in common? What possible attraction could there be on either side? And yet here he was, crazed with worry for the only female he'd ever loved.

The path that led them to this day had not been easy. Unlike human couples, creating a family was not simply a matter of falling in love, pledging themselves to one another, and throwing a party. Oh, no, they'd had to jump hurdles thrown from every direction. Tomoe had resisted Nanami for a very long time, and even when their affections were aligned, such a pairing was not approved in their world.

So they had visited innumerable shrines and gods, each of whom listened to their story and their pleas with varying levels of sympathy. There had been priceless relics to find and return, ridiculous tasks to complete, endless talismans to create. But each step resulted in a blessing or a prediction that brought them closer to their goal - and to one another. Just as Tomoe had expected, Nanami never thought of giving up and never complained. She loved him, even when he didn't deserve it.

Tomoe continued to breathe deeply at Mikage's soft urging, and his mind drifted to the first night he and Nanami had spent together. He smiled inwardly as he remembered his stupidity. He had looked forward, somewhat arrogantly, to initiating Nanami into the pleasures of intimacy. How could it be otherwise, he'd thought. He was older - much, much older - and fully intended to employ his licentious experience for Nanami's benefit.

But the moment that Nanami had placed her small hand on his chest, over his heart, he realized his skills as a lover were irrelevant. Their joining-together had been an emotional tsunami that left him shaken - partly from the lovemaking itself, but more from the realization that everything he thought he'd known about pleasure was simply a chimera, a pale and tawdry imitation of something infinitely richer.

The sound of ceramic cups clinking against one another interrupted his thoughts, and Tomoe opened his eyes. Mizuki stood a few feet away with the tray of sake. Mikage beckoned him and poured a cup for Tomoe, who obediently took it and sipped.

"Nothing yet?" Tomoe inquired.

"It's only been a few minutes," reminded Mikage.

"Perhaps she should have gone to a hospital, like they do in the human world," Tomoe trailed off, second-guessing a decision that had been made months ago.

"You're being ridiculous. Her midwife is the best. She's delivered babies in our world for generations. She has Himemiko, and of course, Onikiri and Kotetsu. I believe I saw Otohiko flitting about in there, too."

"Still, humans are so delicate. What if her body can't stand the strain?" Tomoe asked in a trembling whisper, voicing for the first time the inner fears that terrified him so.

"You're obsessing. Nanami needs you to be strong, like the fox demon you are!"

The reminder of his inner identity pulled Tomoe partially out of the pit of anxiety he'd dug for himself. He sat up straight and adjusted the folds of his yukata.

"You're right, Mikage. I don't know what came over me. Probably poisoned by that useless snake's sake," he snapped.

Mizuki, who'd remained standing with the tray, looked relieved to once again be the object of Tomoe's insults. Mikage adjusted the neckline of Tomoe's yukata and patted him on the back.

"Eh, that's the Tomoe we're all accustomed to," Mikage said with a smile.

Sounds from inside the shrine suggested a storm of activity, and a strong breeze whipped through the garden to announce the arrival of Otohiko, who flounced into the gathering of men and took a seat.

"The midwife says any minute now," he trilled. "Ugh! The whole thing is such a bother. Makes a bit of a mess, too, I must say."

Tomoe gave him a malevolent look, causing Mikage to sigh and resume talking to Tomoe in that low voice.

Sake was once again distributed, more with the goal of keeping Mizuki and Otohiko quiet than slaking anyone's thirst, and the men continued to wait.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tomoe's ears perked up. He'd heard a sound - a very tiny cry or mewl, he thought. He stood up just as Himemiko emerged from the shrine, wearing an apron and looking surprisingly sweaty.

"Congratulations, Tomoe! Come see your new daughter!"

Mikage, Mizuki, and Otohiko clapped him on the back as he made his way toward the shrine. His yukata was once again uncharacteristically askew and his tail seemed to drag like an afterthought rather than sway proudly.

He entered the chamber that had been set aside for Nanami's confinement. There was a small crowd around her bed, but they parted when they saw the new father enter. The midwife was there, along with the shrine attendants, and a few other females he didn't recognize. The four or five steps to reach the futon seemed impossibly long, and Tomoe felt as if he were walking through knee-deep mud.

Nanami's dark eyes sparkled, and a smile covered her face when she saw her mate approach. She held a small white blanket that moved slightly.

"Tomoe, she's beautiful. She's exactly what you pictured!" Nanami told him.

He leaned in to take a look, still nervous to get too close.

"She won't bite you, I promise," Nanami teased. "She's a good little fox."

Nanami adjusted the blanket so that he could get a better look. Just as she'd said, the baby girl appeared to have been copied from his most secret fantasies. A light dusting of brown hair covered her head, peaking in two small fox ears on the top. They were folded down at the moment, the baby's way of shutting out the noisy celebration of her birth.

"She has a perfect little tail, too." Nanami told him.

"And you? Are you alright?" Tomoe tried hard to keep his voice steady, struggling to make sure he appeared strong and capable at a time when Nanami was so vulnerable.

"I'm fine, Tomoe," she answered. "Everyone says I'll be tired later, but really, I'm fine. I'm glad it's over, but it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. Here, why don't you hold her for a bit?"

Tomoe was torn between nervousness and desire. He'd never held a baby, never even been around one before. Nanami urged him onto the futon, and the midwife bustled over to poke and prod him into a seated position. Nanami gently handed him the wrapped bundle, placing his hands in the correct position to support the tiny head.

"So small," he said with wonder.

The midwife chuckled, "Yes, but you'll be shocked by how much noise she can make."

Tomoe suddenly became aware of an audience. Mikage, Mizuki, and Otohiko were standing behind him, and his kitsune senses could detect their conflicting emotions: envy for the love and family he'd been blessed with - along with a healthy dose of relief that they weren't the ones being required to hold such a small, seemingly fragile thing.

As if on cue, his daughter's ears moved into an upright position and she let out a loud yelp, halfway between a human cry and a fox-like yip. Tomoe startled, and the men jumped back in surprise at her volume and apparent vehemence.

"Eh? Someone's getting hungry," the midwife said. "All right, out with you all. It's feeding time, and we don't need spectators."

Tomoe handed their daughter back to Nanami and began to stand, planning to leave with the others.

"Not you!" the midwife bellowed, pushing down on his head to return him to his seated position on the futon. "Fox, fish, or feathers . . . new fathers are all the same," she grumbled, eliciting a scowl from Tomoe.

He sat quietly as Nanami fed their daughter and then changed her diaper. Nanami washed her carefully with a soft cloth and made sure her tail was in a comfortable position. She quickly encased chubby legs in a warm sleeper. When the little fox fussed a bit, Nanami quickly lifted the baby to her shoulder and gently patted her while humming softly. The brown kitsune ears first twitched at the sound, then relaxed. Little eyes gradually drooped and regular breathing confirmed that she was asleep.

Tomoe marveled at Nanami's quiet competence. How did this slip of a girl, a fraction of his age, know intuitively how to care for their child? It was ridiculous to be surprised, though. Nanami had been like that from the start. She had found a way to help Himemiko before she was capable of writing a decent talisman. She had . . . oh, Tomoe couldn't possibly list all the times Nanami had undertaken some impossible-sounding challenge. Comforting a fussy little fox wouldn't tax her problem-solving skills in the least.

Of course, Nanami's endless empathy and good nature was why they now had so many well-wishers. In addition to the group that had gathered earlier, Tomoe could hear the voices of Kurama and Okuninushi and a few others he couldn't place. Indeed, there seemed to be a party going on, and judging from the noise level, it was a fair assumption that Mizuki was serving liberal portions of sake.

Nanami smiled, the private smile she saved only for him.

"You'd better go accept congratulations and quiet them down," she said.

"Yes, it sounds like that snake is getting them all drunk," he complained, though his heart wasn't really in it.

"They're just all happy for us. It's a big blessing for us and our little girl."

"I know. I know." It was still sometimes hard for Tomoe to curb his natural cynicism and acerbic manner.

He arose and adjusted his yukata, which seemed to have developed a mind of its own this day. He leaned over and placed a light kiss on Nanami's cheek and then a tentative kiss on their daughter's head. He inhaled deeply, trying to fix her magical newborn scent in his memory.

Inexplicably and to his extreme embarrassment, tears began to fall from Tomoe's eyes. How close he had come to never knowing Nanami, never experiencing her love, never seeing her hold their child. A single misstep anywhere along the road to their destinies, and he would be alone, likely tending an abandoned shrine.

"Nanami . . . ?" he began.

She looked at him, her dark eyes radiating understanding and acceptance.

"I know. It's a little overwhelming, isn't it?"

"Nanami . . . thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for our daughter."

She was quiet, and Tomoe quickly wiped his eyes and smiled. He simply couldn't turn into an emotional stew, bubbling over with sentimental feelings. As Mikage had pointed out, Nanami needed him to be a proper familiar and a strong father and mate. He straightened his shoulders and headed toward the door.

"Tomoe," she called in an uncharacteristically small voice. "You've made me so happy. I have the most wonderful family in the world."

In that moment, Tomoe stood a fraction of an inch taller and unconsciously fluffed his tail a bit. After returning a smile to Nanami, he walked confidently out of the room, fully prepared to tell their friends to go easy on the sake and lower the volume a little. After all, his wife and daughter needed their sleep.