Hello everyone, here is the next chapter of "Thus, Boy met Fox", so before we start I just want to say thank you to all those who favorited this and left a review. It's nice to see that I'm getting support and advice to help improve my writing skills. Also, sorry it's late I have been busy with summer classes, but I just finished. On that note, I would like to pose a question and I'd like to hear your opinions on. I have thought about changing this story rating from T to M, not really because I want to write lemons, I just feel like I may be pushing the T rating a bit with my future plans, and the anime-esque themes, so any advice would help. Also, in case anyone was wondering, Rex is like 16 years old and is technically a high school dropout…. That gives me an idea for another fic.

Oh, and so we are clear, the AU for this is basically our world, but Nopon do exist and some of the Blades, at least the human-like ones, will be human(Or something else…hehe).

Disclaimer: All rights to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 go to Nintendo and Monolith Soft.

Chapter 2: Morning Surprises

'Ugh…I don't want to get up.'

Feeling the light of the morning sun on his face, Rex reluctantly wakes up but refuses to open his eyes, so he can sleep for just a little longer. He goes through this routine every morning since moving to Argentum, but he knows he'll have to get up eventually. He starts to change position on the bed but then finds he can't move. It felt like something was holding onto his hand. 'What is this, and why does it feel…squishy?' Slowly Rex opens his eyes and what he sees leaves him frozen in shock. Sleeping next to him is a girl, possibly the most beautiful girl Rex has ever seen. He sees her beautiful red hair that reaches the base of her neck, and a beautiful lightly tanned, heart-shaped face. His eyes wander down and notice that she is holding his hand to heart, making his arm rub against her…assets. 'No, bad Rex, don't stare. Just because you woke up and found a pretty girl in your bed, doesn't mean you can stare at her, what would Auntie Corrine say?' To make the situation more awkward for our young boy, he is fairly certain she isn't wearing any underwear, as she is covered by the blankets and he doesn't see a bra strap. Feeling his face heat up from this intimate situation, he tries to think about how this girl came to be in his house.

'Ok think, what happened last night? I found a fox in the woods, saw it was hurt, brought it home to treat its wounds, and took it to my room to sleep…the fox! Where is it? It should have warned me when this girl got here. Though it might have still been tired.' Rex moves himself up carefully, just enough so he can see the corner where the fox was sleeping. But as he looks to where the fox was supposed to be sleeping, he sees that the it's no longer there. 'What, where could it be?!' Without thinking, he sits up to check around the room to see if it had moved anywhere else, but he is suddenly pulled onto his back. His eyes close in surprise, he then feels something move on top of him. Shocked at how fast it happened, he quickly opens his eyes to see that the girl is now on top of him, beautiful red eyes staring directly in to his, with a smile that makes his heart skip a beat. 'Oh Architect, even her eyes are beautiful. Wait, no, she broke into my house, I shouldn't be falling for her! Oh gosh, eyes up Rex, eyes up.'

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Rex attention draws back to the girl on top of him. She looks at him with a face of concern which, in Rex's opinion, is very cute. Still keeping his eyes on her, he shakes his head shyly. "That's good. I didn't want to make a first impression like this, but I sort of wasn't thinking straight when I climbed into your bed. I'm sorry, I really didn't want to make my rescuer uncomfortable." She then adopts a sad expression on her face along with a slight blush. 'Wait, when did I rescue her? What is she talking about?' Finally, he finds his voice and tries to speak with what he hopes is confidence but is more akin to a student asking for help on a problem everyone else can understand. "W-What do you mean? Who are you, and why are you in my house?"

"Oh! Of course, you wouldn't recognize me, one second." Suddenly a flash of light happens that forces Rex to close his eyes. When he opened them, he was shocked for the second time this morning, gone was the girl and now before him is a fox. The same fox he rescued last night and brought home with him.

"…WHAT!? H-how is this possible?" Again, a light appears, and the fox becomes a girl once again. "Well I guess you do deserve an explanation", she says. "But first can I get your name please? I would like to know who is the one that saved me."

"Umm…Rex. So, what's your name?" He responds, deciding that it would be best if he listens to what she has to say. Besides, he's certain that her leg is still healing, and she doesn't have anywhere to go. 'I hope I don't regret this.'

"My name is Pyra. Now you are probably wondering what exactly I am. Well, basically I am-"

*Knock Knock Knock* "Rex, you up?! It's me, Vandham! I got a gift for you!"

'Oh, you have got to be kidding.' He can't have his landlord/guardian see him with Pyra. Trying to think of something, he looks to Pyra who was looking in the direction of the voice. "Pyra." She turns to him, "Yes, Rex?"

"I need you to hide, if Vandham sees you I might get in trouble. Can you do me a favor and please stay out of sight. You can stay in this room until he leaves."

"Okay, I will. We'll talk after he leaves. I need to ask you something important." She looks down shyly as she says that.

'I wonder what that could be about? I guess I'll find out later.' "Okay then, stay here and please try not to make any noise. There are some clothes in my drawer you can borrow, I don't want you catching a cold." 'Also, it will be easy for me to talk to her if she's wearing clothes.'

"Thank you, Rex. Now go, I think he's getting impatient."

"REX! YOU UP YET?!"

"Yeah…I'll just head down then."

-Line Break-

"So now you answer the door, huh kid? What, you got tired from yesterday?" The man in question speaking was none other than Rex's landlord and Auntie Corrine's friend Vandham. He is a tall, tan skinned, husky man, but by no means is he out of shape. He is all muscle, given his former career as a heavyweight boxer. When Rex first met him as a child, he was slightly intimidated by him, but when he got to know him more, he saw that he was more of a gentle giant. When Vandham heard Rex was looking for work to help Corrine support her family, he was more than willing to help get Rex settled in Argentum. Even went as far to give him a house that he won in a game of dice, since he already has his own. While Rex was grateful, he couldn't help feeling like he was mooching off him. Though Vandham reassured him he had more than enough money to spare from his boxing career. Especially since he also runs a youth center for kids and young adults to relax, workout, and play.

"Yeah sorry, I had a bit of a long day yesterday and I had some…trouble waking up." Rex says, careful to not mention Pyra. "I was in town looking for anyone that would hire me, but I really haven't had any luck whatsoever."

Vandham gives him a reassuring look. "Hey now Rex, don't worry my boy, good things are bound to happen. You just need to have a little patience, you've only been here a few weeks." He pats Rex on his shoulder which makes him feel better. "Thanks, Vandham, I really appreciate all you've done for me."

"Ah, it's no trouble kid. That reminds me I have some things for you, come on outside."

"Alright then." The two went outside and what Rex sees is a brand new blue Ford Focus. It's paint shining in the morning sunlight leaves Rex stunned. "Wow, you bought a new car?" He looks at his guardian with a surprised expression. Vandham smiles slyly at him. "Actually, it's for you."

"…What?!" If Rex wasn't shocked before waking up with a naked fox girl in his bed, he was now. "B-But… how? Why?"

"Well I won a card game against one of the local car dealers, gave me a choice of any car I wanted from his shop." 'Note to self, ask him to show me some of those tricks later.' Rex thought, his mind still processing he has his own car. "As for why, I thought you would need a car to get around town easily, especially when you get a job. Oh, here are the keys." He pulls out the key and gives it to Rex. "Just drive carefully alright? I know you only just got your license before you left home, so take it slow. I also left you somethings in the glove compartment and on the passenger seat."

"Vandham…I don't know what to say, thank you. I'll be sure to do my best." He looks at him with a spark in his eye. Vandham laughs a hearty laugh at his enthusiasm. "I know you will Rex, now I got to get over to the center and teach a boxing class, I'll see you later."

"Wait how are you gonna get there?" Rex asked with confusion, until he spots a red truck waiting on the street in front of the house honking its horn. "Oh, I see, well bye then." With that Rex's guardian leaves, leaving him to stare at his car for a moment. "Wow, I can't believe it. My very own car." Just then he remembers what Vandham said before he left. "I wonder what he left for me? I swear that man is too generous." He goes to the passenger side and to his surprise he finds 2 boxes, wrapped in blue wrapping paper and in different size. He then looks inside the glove compartment to find a small, slightly thick envelope. He grabs everything, and with some trouble, he heads inside his house. He heads upstairs to his room to look at the packages there. He opens the door to find Pyra on his bed, in a simple white t-shirt that is a bit tight around the chest, and a pair of his work out shorts. When she sees him, she smiles warmly, "Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes Rex, I don't have any clothes with me, and I forget when I transform my clothes usually fall off." Rex nods with a slight blush on his cheeks at how tight her clothes are. He sets the boxes on a table next to the door. "No problem, although getting back to earlier, you were about to tell me what you are exactly?"

"Well to put it simply, I'm similar to what some people consider to be a kitsune, that is in the sense I turn into a fox, but my father told me and my sisters we are more like fox people, since we are born human and just learn to transform into foxes when we are older." She says as she looks around the room. "So this is what a regular house looks like. I always wondered how they were, since I lived in a big hollowed out tree with my family."

"You've never seen a house before?"

"Well I've seen a lot from the outside, I just didn't know what they looked like on the inside. My father would bring us papers and books, which I love to read, to keep us occupied. To tell you the truth, I want to actually experience more of a human lifestyle."

"Really?" Rex looks at her with wonder, but realize if she has lived a sheltered life, then all these new surroundings must be incredible to her. "You mentioned you had a father and some sisters? What about your mum?" When he mentioned that, Pyra grew a sad expression. "My mother died sometime after me and my sisters were born." A small tear falls from here cheek. 'Great job Rex, you made her cry.' Frantically thinking what to do, he simply decides to sit next to her and gives her a hug. She was initially shocked by the contact, but then she relaxes and leans into his embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry, I shouldn't have said anything." She shakes her head and loosens herself from the hug to wipe away her tears. "It's fine, it's just… she was the nicest person you probably could have met." 'Though you are coming in as a close second.' She thinks to herself. "I do miss her. My father is human, so that makes me half human, he fell in love with her after she found him injured on a hiking trail. Then the rest was history. What about you Rex?"

"Me?" He questions, puzzled by her meaning. "Yes, I would like to know more about you since you saved me. Do you have any family?"

"Well I don't have any family in the area. I only recently moved from a small town called Fonsett, where my adopted family is at." Pyra looks at him questioningly. "You're adopted? What happened to your parents?"

"They're dead, ever since I was two years old." Pyra eyes widen in shock at this news. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Rex shakes his head. "Please don't worry, they died when I was really young, so I barely remember them. My adopted mom Corrine, though most of us call her Aunt Corrine, raised me and made sure I knew what a parent's love was like."

Giving her a small reassuring smile, "So anyway, I left home so I could get a job to send money back since my adopted mother takes care of all my adopted brothers and sisters." Pyra smiles at hearing this. 'He is kind, generous, willing to help others to great extent… he truly is a gentle soul. Mother…is this what you felt when you met father…am I with the one I'm meant to be with?' "That's a very admirable thing for you to do Rex."

"Oh, stop it's no big deal." He says bashfully, trying to hide his blush. "So Pyra you said you wanted to ask me something? Do you need something?" Pyra nods, then closes her eyes trying to find the right way to answer him. Finally, she opens her eyes and places her hand on her chest. "Rex…could I…stay with you?"

"…What?" Now Rex is shocked for the third time today and he hadn't even had breakfast yet! This beautiful girl is asking to live with him. She looks down and twirls her upper body bashfully. "I'm mean, I wouldn't just do nothing if you say yes. I can cook and clean, take care of the house while you're out." 'In a way I'd be like his… wait slow down Pyra! We aren't like that…yet.' She looks up, her crimson eyes staring at him, waiting anxiously for his answer.

"Well…" In truth, Rex really had no intention of asking her to leave right away, mainly because he wanted to make she was all healed up. And now that she is asking to stay, he considers that maybe having someone around would be nice. It was a big house and it is kind of lonely. 'I should let her stay. I just need to be careful whenever Vandham is around.'

"…Alright, you can stay." He states with a welcoming smile. "My house is your house." Pyra gives Rex a bright smile and wraps her arms around him. "Thank you, Rex. I promise to be helpful and I won't be a bother." Smiling slightly with a small blush on his cheeks, he returns the hug. "You won't be. Just rest for now until you are better. How is your leg by the way?" They break the hug and Pyra pulls her leg up onto the bed. The bandages have fallen off do to her transformation.

"Hmm, let me go get some new bandages. It looks a lot better but might as well be safe than sorry."

"Yes, I suppose so. I normally heal fast, so it should be all better in an hour or two."

After a quick change of fresh bandage, they both sit on Rex's bed. "Since you're staying here I guess I should show you to your room." He guides her to the room next to his, it's about the same size as his with its own bathroom, a bed, a closet, and a nightstand. "The house is pretty big, so it's nice to have company. You alright with this room?"

"Yes, this is fine, thank you", She looks at him with a soft smile. He smiles in return glad to see she likes the room. "That's good, why don't you head down stairs and we'll have some breakfast? I need to go see what it is Vandham left me." Pyra nods at him. "Okay then, how about I cook some breakfast, I actually know my way around a stove."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to strain yourself, even if you are just cooking." Rex states with slight concern.

"Oh, don't worry it's not as bad as it was last night. Like I said, I heal fast."

"Well in that case, I guess it's okay. I'll see you down stairs." Rex heads back to his room while Pyra makes her way to the kitchen. He gets to his room and grabs the boxes from the table. 'I wonder what it was that Vandham got for me.'

He opens the first box, and inside is a brand-new laptop. It's black in color, and he can easily tell it was one of those high-end model gaming laptops he had seen on TV. The second box is a red and blue Nintendo Switch. "Wow, I can't believe it, besides the car I didn't expect Vandham to get me this kind of stuff." Remembering the envelop from the glove compartment, he then opens it. Inside is a letter and a large amount of dollar bills. He counts the money and finds that Vandham gave him-

'WHAT?! 5000 DOLLARS?! Where does he get this kind of money?! Is he secretly a billionaire, helping out a young kid out of the kindness of his heart?' He puts the money down and picks up the letter Vandham had written for him.

Rex,

I know you are trying your best to find a job to help support your family back home in Fonsett, and I am proud of you for wanting to do that. You got a good head on your shoulders and that will get you far in life, but you also need to be your own age. I'm giving you this money and these gifts to make living here in Argentum a bit easier. So just keep doing what you're doing kid and I know you'll be fine, and don't sweat about the money. It's from my days of boxing that I have saved away and to put it simply put, what I gave you barely made a scratch in those savings. If you need anything, I'm always here to help.

Vandham

P.S. Corrine called me saying she is hoping that when you visit Fonsett you bring a girl with you, so try not to disappoint her.

After reading that last part of the letter, Rex is flushed that his aunt wants him to get a girlfriend and his thoughts immediately go towards the red kitsune that is downstairs. 'Oh come on Rex. You just met her and she is staying under your roof. It's not right to be thinking those sorts of things. Although… he is right. I should enjoy my youth and just take it easy a bit.' Pushing those thoughts aside, he heads downstairs and finds a delicious smell of eggs and meat. He heads to the kitchen and finds Pyra at the stove cooking scrambled eggs, hash browns, and sausages. She turns around and sees Rex.

"Hello Rex, breakfast is just about done." She says with a pleasant smile on her face.

"I can see that, it smells really good. Do you want me to get you the plates?

"That would be appreciated, thank you." With that he grabs the plates and silverware in the cupboard. After getting the food on their plates, they both sit at the dining room table and enjoy their meal.

"Wow Pyra, this is amazing! I didn't know you could cook so well."

At the sound of his praising of her cooking skills, Pyra smiles brightly. "I am glad you like it Rex. I was sort of a natural in the kitchen, at least compared to my sisters. Though that might have something to do with my fire." Confused by her statement, Rex looks up from his food. "What do you mean by fire, Pyra?" She holds up her hand and like magic, a small fire is formed on her hand.

"Wow…" Rex stares at the flames, amazed that she can do something like that.

"From what I understand, kitsunes have abilities such as illusions, transformation, as well as fire and other elements. My sisters have light, while I have fire. Technically, they should be able to make fire, but they just don't really bother." She then disperses the flames.

"Wow, I never knew you could do that, it's amazing. Wait, if you can do that, then why didn't you use your fire to scare away the predator that attacked you?" Rex wonders why she was hiding in the tree if she could literally create fire out of thin air.

"Well I can't really control my fire when I am in my fox form, and I didn't want to start a forest fire. In the end I just cast an illusion when I hid in the tree you found me in and waited till the wolf gave up and left." She twiddles her thumbs shyly, slightly realizing he had a point in how she could have avoided being hurt.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter. If you had done that, then we wouldn't have met. That may sound odd to say, but I'm glad I got to meet you." He smiles at Pyra and that gives her a warm feeling inside. 'Maybe… we were meant to meet each other. Mother, I think if you were still here, you would have loved to meet Rex.' "I guess it was a blessing in disguise Rex." Nodding in agreement, Rex continues to eat his breakfast, as does Pyra. After they both finish, he offers to clean the dishes while she goes and relaxes on the couch. While he's cleaning, a thought occurs.

Pyra doesn't have any clothes.

'She can't keep borrowing my clothes all the time, maybe I should go buy her clothes with the money Vandham gave me. I could take her to the mall. Who knows, I may even find a job there.'

Pyra's POV

I take a seat on the couch and my eyes wander to the large, flat black object in front of me. "Rex, what is this thing in front of the couch?" I call to him and he responds from the kitchen.

"It's called a TV, Pyra. Have you never seen one before?"

"I think I remember reading about them a few times. They tell stories, right?"

"Basically, yeah. They show what is… I guess you can call it moving pictures with sound called TV shows and movies. If you want there is a tiny little black box with a lot of buttons called a TV remote on it that turns it on and changes the channels. Just press the red button, at the top left, to turn it on. It should be on the TV table." I find the remote on said table. "Just stay away from the channels that go past the number 600", Rex says with a slightly frightened tone. Unsure why he doesn't want me to go to those 'Channels', but deciding he knows best, I press the red button and the TV turns on as an image of a women appears with a background that is moving and is explaining the weather. "Pyra, if you want, there is an instruction guide you can read so you can understand how it works. Should be on the table." Glad that I have at least something to read that will help me understand this. I grab the guide, which after a quick 2 minutes, I have a good understanding on how it works. I go to the channel guide and start looking for a channel. I stumble upon a channel that shows people cooking, and I add it to a list of channels to watch. 'This TV is real handy, I could look up a bunch of dishes on this channel, which is better than just reading how to cook it.' Scrolling to a different channel, it shows a man and a woman on a beautiful romantic date, both staring longingly into each other's eyes. I stare at the show with interest, and my mind imagines the scene with me and Rex. 'Maybe, that could be us some day.' My face grows slightly warm thinking about it, then I change the channel back to cooking as I hear Rex coming into the living room.

"Hey Pyra, I realized you don't have any clothes, so I was thinking we go to the mall later and buy you some clothes." I look at him in surprise, "Are you sure Rex?"

"Of course I am. You don't really have any clothes, so if your leg is feeling up to it, we can go to the mall to get you some. And don't worry about money. Vandham, the man who came bye earlier, left me a lot of money, so we have enough to go and get you whatever clothes you like." I look at Rex and can't help but admire all that he is doing for me. Keeping me safe, giving me a roof over my head, and now he is making sure I am comfortable. I smile gratefully at him. "I'd like that very much, thank you, Rex. My leg should be fully healed by now, a good thing of being a kitsune."

"Alright then let's head out as soon as you're ready." 'Hopeful nothing to embarrassing happens.'

And done for now, I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner and I have some other story ideas I want to get posted on here which include a Xenoblade 2 Superhero AU, A Yandere Pyra and Mythra with Rex as the love interest (Obviously), and a Rex, Pyra, and Mythra Arranged marriage fic. If it's not obvious how much I love shipping Rex with Pyra and Mythra, it should be now. Also, I liked to give shout outs to architectN3J and Cha0ticRhin0 for writing great fics that have been inspirations for writing my fics, go check them out. I'll try to get those fics out as soon as I can, but you know how life is. Also, I will be referring to Pyra's species as either kitsune or fox people, I may add other supernatural species, I may not, we'll see as the story progresses.

KeybladeKnight39 out