As the night was coming to an end, and mine and Tamamo’s fun was done, we sat on the edge of our bed with our heads leaning on the other’s. In order to not be tempted to just continue our previous activities, the both of us decided it would be good to be at least a little dressed, so Tamamo put on that strange oversized shirt she got at one point while I used illusions to make myself a white button up shirt with sleeves that were just a tad bit too long. Honestly, the effect the things we were wearing were almost having the opposite effect we wanted, but with our time almost up, it was manageable.
“Hey Tamamo.”
{Yes Luna?}
“Do you want me to head straight for the dragon island?”
{Before I answer, why are you asking?}
“Because I know myself, and I know that, even if I’m looking forward to coming here permanently, I know I’ll stall for as long as I can before actually doing so. I feel like if you say yes, it’ll motivate me to take the leap.”
Tamamo sat there quietly for a few minutes with her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she moved and pulled me into a tight hug.
{If you’ll allow me to be even more selfish than I was earlier, then I want you to hurry. I know that this is probably not the answer you were expecting, but still. I can give you as many reasons for why, but the truth and biggest reason is that I want to finally hold you close to me without the knowledge of our time together being limited. And if you want a reason that isn’t purely my own, then the best I can say is that there is no point in stalling the inevitable. No matter what you do, you’re so close to the end goal that pretty much the only thing you can do to stall is hole yourself up somewhere. Sure, you could randomly decide that you no longer want to take quests from the guild, but that won’t stop you from hunting monsters for one reason or another. As for the golden apple, it’s just a bonus. You’ll get a tenth tail at some point in your life just by being alive, and I know for a fact that you won’t keep me waiting for that long. And besides, it’s not good for a person to stagnate their life just because they are too scared to take the next step. All that will do is lead you to depression, madness, and overall just being exhausted with life. I don’t want to ever see you in that state, so please, take the next step and don’t keep me waiting.}
I closed my eyes and smiled. I nuzzled closer to Tamamo as her arms tightened around me.
“Then once I leave here and we get ready to leave, I’ll let everyone know. We’ll teleport to the shrine, prepare for the trip, and go. No stalling, no last minute sidetracks, no stopping at every insignificant thing that catches my attention and seems interesting. Also, you should know that I love this selfish side of you just as much as the reserved side. In fact, you should be like this more often.”
{Ufufufu. I’ll consider it.}
The two of us looked up at the sky and the two fox constellations that were dancing away with the setting full moon as a backdrop.
“While it might not be the next full moon, I believe this will be the usual sight in the night sky soon.”
As soon as my body started to glow signaling that my time here was up, I made the two foxes in the sky take still positions surrounding the moon. The final picture that I saw was the moon with two foxes chasing each other with the moon in the middle.
{Ufufufu. I look forward to it, my lovely Luna.}
As Tamamo’s words fell into my ears, the glow fully enveloped me, and my vision went dark. When I opened my eyes again, I was laying on the bed in Skadi’s manor. I breathed in a deep breath and let it out before moving. When I got up and stretched, I canceled the illusion shirt I was wearing and made another illusion of my normal clothes. I looked around the room for anything that I had the chance of accidentally leaving and once I was done with that, I walked out and shut the door behind me. I walked over to the lounge that we always hung around in to find that most everyone was there. The only one missing was Ophidia.
“Ophidia still asleep?” (Luna)
“No actually. She got up really early and left the manor to do something. She said she’d be back shortly, so all we’ve been doing is waiting for you.” (Skadi)
“Hmm. I wonder what she went to do?” (Luna)
“Probably some last minute harassment of the city leaders nya.” (Mio)
“I didn’t thin she was still holding a grudge about that.” (Soleil)
“I think she just wants to be petty and rub her and Skadi’s relationship in their faces.” (Velvet)
“That’s an understandable thing to do.” (Luna)
“So, while we wait, what’s the plan, Luna?” (Velvet)
“When Ophidia gets back, we teleport to the shrine, get our things in order, and start on our way to the dragon island.” (Luna)
“Oh. That’s a surprising decision coming from you.” (Skadi)
“Tamamo and I talked about it before I got back which helped me decide the plan going forward a bit.” (Luna)
“Speaking of dragon island, do you know where it is, Skadi?” (Soleil)
“No.” (Skadi)
“Then are we going to have to find it ourselves nya, or is Goddess Tamamo going to tell us nya?” (Mio)
{I’m going to tell you where to go. I’m not going to just tell you about the place and then let all of you struggle to find it. After all, if I did that, my Luna would take longer to join me.}
I smiled at Tamamo’s words. Shortly after that Ophidia returned with a content smile.
“My work is done.” (Ophidia)
“What did you do?” (Skadi)
“Just made sure that the warning I gave those old people stuck.” (Ophidia)
“Alright.” (Skadi)
“Ophidia, is there anything here that you might forget? While I know you can just pop back here if there is, it’d be easier if you don’t have to.” (Luna)
“I have everything, master.” (Ophidia)
“Then let’s go.” (Luna)
We all gathered together, and Ophidia and I teleported us to the shrine. When we arrived, the sensation of air hit us.
“Last night aside, actually feeling air again is weird.” (Luna)
“Yeah. Though it was easy to forget, it’s been a while since any of us actually felt air.” (Velvet)
“Feels good nya.” (Mio)
“Big sis, your tails.” (Soleil)
“Remember Soleil, as long as I’m not walking around a city, no more hiding them. Especially since we’re not staying here long.” (Luna)
“Right.” (Soleil)
We discussed anything that we might need, and I sent the others to go and get them while I went to tell mom the plan. When I passed by some of the shrine staff that I’ve known for years, they stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction seeing their reactions and hearing what some of them were saying when they thought that I was out of earshot.
“It feels somewhat good not hiding anything.”
{I bet.}
When I arrived in front of mom’s office, I opened the door and walked in. Mom’s paperwork has diminished even more since the last time I was here to which I was quite happy about. At the moment, mom and Ana were sitting at the small table drinking tea. When they looked over when I came in, their faces immediately turned into ones of shock.
“L-Luna, what happened to your tails?” (Amagi)
“I got an eighth one. How do they look?” (Luna)
“Stunning.” (Ana)
“…” (Amagi)
“I have an idea of what you’re thinking, mom, and I agree a little, but Tamamo also likes it, so I’m with her.” (Luna)
“*Sigh* You look beautiful, Luna. But why aren’t you hiding them?” (Amagi)
“Because it’s time not to. Of course, not in big cities like the capital, but here is fine. Especially since we’re not staying long.” (Luna)
“How long are you staying?” (Amagi)
“We’ll leave at the latest tomorrow, but most likely today.” (Luna)
“So soon…Luna, come over here and sit.” (Amagi)
I did as mom said and sat next to her. She then pulled me into a hug.
“My little Luna, I know that this isn’t the last time we’re seeing each other, but I feel like the next time we do, you’ll be one step short of ascending. I’ll tell you this now, and again when the time comes, but I want you to know that you are the greatest thing to ever happen to me in my life. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve grown into and I look forward to seeing what you achieve in the future.” (Amagi)
I felt tears falling from my eyes as she tightened her hug.
“I love you mom. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it and I’m so happy that I am your daughter.” (Luna)
As I hugged mom back, I could hear quiet sniffling behind me. It seems this emotional moment touched Ana’s heart. As this moment dragged on, the door to the room flew open and dad stood there with slight panic on his face.
“Amagi, how did the shrine staff learn of Luna’s secret!?” (Deacon)
“Because I’m not hiding it here anymore.” (Luna)
“…I like the new look.” (Deacon)
“Fufufu.” (Luna)
“*sigh* Deacon, just sit down over there. I’ll leave you for now, so let me know when you are about to leave.” (Ana)
“Deacon, I don’t know whether your timing is perfect, or you just have a penchant for ruining the mood.” (Amagi)
“Sorry.” (Deacon)
“Don’t worry about it.” (Luna)
Dad sat down on my other side while trying his best not to touch my tails.
“No offence, but it’s kind of hard to sit with all of this now.” (Deacon)
“None taken. It can sometimes be a pain for me as well.” (Luna)
“So, how was it like in a merfolk city?” (Deacon)
“Really Deacon? That’s what you ask her? You can clearly see that she’s almost done with her journey and you ask what a merfolk city is like. Unbelievable.” (Amagi)
“Of course. Luna knows what I would say and while I wouldn’t mind saying it, I don’t think it’s necessary. Sure, things will probably be different if she was ascending at this exact second, but since she isn’t, I’ll save my words for when she does.” (Deacon)
“*Sigh* Well, what was it like, Luna?” (Amagi)
“Big. About the size of two of the capitals of this country. Had a big colosseum that was for chariot races.” (Luna)
“Did you see one?” (Deacon)
“No, but I did get a favor out of someone that will most likely guarantee me free seats for probably life.” (Luna)
“Poor guy, they got the worst part of that bargain.” (Deacon)
“Not really. We helped him first.” (Luna)
“Any other fun stories?” (Amagi)
“Skadi was the centerpiece of a citywide festival.” (Luna)
“Heh.” (Deacon)
I continued to chat with my family for a bit when the others came back. Once everything was prepared, we grouped up and left the shrine.
Chaos Realm:
Atmos: Well this is annoying rawr.
Fenrir: If you don't stop that, I'm going to smack you.
Tamamo: I agree with Fenrir, it's getting old.
Atmos: Fine. But I'm still going to do it when Luna and Soleil are around.
Tamamo: Have fun with their retaliation then.
Atmos: I'm looking forward to what they plan on trying.
Fenrir: In other news, Tamamo, are you sure you aren't pushing Luna to be too hasty? I get that you've waited for a while for her to get to this point, but still.
Atmos: Bad Fenrir. Stop trying to make Tamamo regret her decisions.
Fenrir: That isn't what I'm trying to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you are being less reserved, but are you sure that it's good for Luna's mental health?
Tamamo: I am. She said it herself, if I didn't push her to continue straight away, she'd find ways to stall for as long as possible and end up in a less than good state. And besides, this is also a good thing for you, Fenrir. With Luna ascending, that means Mio will be more free to visit you.
Fenrir: ...That's a good point.
Atmos: It's times like these that I remember how good at manipulation you are, Tamamo.
Tamamo: Whatever do you mean, Atmos? I don't remember manipulating anyone.
Atmos: I said nothing.
As the night was coming to an end, and mine and Tamamo’s fun was done, we sat on the edge of our bed with our heads leaning on the other’s. In order to not be tempted to just continue our previous activities, the both of us decided it would be good to be at least a little dressed, so Tamamo put on that strange oversized shirt she got at one point while I used illusions to make myself a white button up shirt with sleeves that were just a tad bit too long. Honestly, the effect the things we were wearing were almost having the opposite effect we wanted, but with our time almost up, it was manageable.
“Hey Tamamo.”
{Yes Luna?}
“Do you want me to head straight for the dragon island?”
{Before I answer, why are you asking?}
“Because I know myself, and I know that, even if I’m looking forward to coming here permanently, I know I’ll stall for as long as I can before actually doing so. I feel like if you say yes, it’ll motivate me to take the leap.”
Tamamo sat there quietly for a few minutes with her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she moved and pulled me into a tight hug.
{If you’ll allow me to be even more selfish than I was earlier, then I want you to hurry. I know that this is probably not the answer you were expecting, but still. I can give you as many reasons for why, but the truth and biggest reason is that I want to finally hold you close to me without the knowledge of our time together being limited. And if you want a reason that isn’t purely my own, then the best I can say is that there is no point in stalling the inevitable. No matter what you do, you’re so close to the end goal that pretty much the only thing you can do to stall is hole yourself up somewhere. Sure, you could randomly decide that you no longer want to take quests from the guild, but that won’t stop you from hunting monsters for one reason or another. As for the golden apple, it’s just a bonus. You’ll get a tenth tail at some point in your life just by being alive, and I know for a fact that you won’t keep me waiting for that long. And besides, it’s not good for a person to stagnate their life just because they are too scared to take the next step. All that will do is lead you to depression, madness, and overall just being exhausted with life. I don’t want to ever see you in that state, so please, take the next step and don’t keep me waiting.}
I closed my eyes and smiled. I nuzzled closer to Tamamo as her arms tightened around me.
“Then once I leave here and we get ready to leave, I’ll let everyone know. We’ll teleport to the shrine, prepare for the trip, and go. No stalling, no last minute sidetracks, no stopping at every insignificant thing that catches my attention and seems interesting. Also, you should know that I love this selfish side of you just as much as the reserved side. In fact, you should be like this more often.”
{Ufufufu. I’ll consider it.}
The two of us looked up at the sky and the two fox constellations that were dancing away with the setting full moon as a backdrop.
“While it might not be the next full moon, I believe this will be the usual sight in the night sky soon.”
As soon as my body started to glow signaling that my time here was up, I made the two foxes in the sky take still positions surrounding the moon. The final picture that I saw was the moon with two foxes chasing each other with the moon in the middle.
{Ufufufu. I look forward to it, my lovely Luna.}
As Tamamo’s words fell into my ears, the glow fully enveloped me, and my vision went dark. When I opened my eyes again, I was laying on the bed in Skadi’s manor. I breathed in a deep breath and let it out before moving. When I got up and stretched, I canceled the illusion shirt I was wearing and made another illusion of my normal clothes. I looked around the room for anything that I had the chance of accidentally leaving and once I was done with that, I walked out and shut the door behind me. I walked over to the lounge that we always hung around in to find that most everyone was there. The only one missing was Ophidia.
“Ophidia still asleep?” (Luna)
“No actually. She got up really early and left the manor to do something. She said she’d be back shortly, so all we’ve been doing is waiting for you.” (Skadi)
“Hmm. I wonder what she went to do?” (Luna)
“Probably some last minute harassment of the city leaders nya.” (Mio)
“I didn’t thin she was still holding a grudge about that.” (Soleil)
“I think she just wants to be petty and rub her and Skadi’s relationship in their faces.” (Velvet)
“That’s an understandable thing to do.” (Luna)
“So, while we wait, what’s the plan, Luna?” (Velvet)
“When Ophidia gets back, we teleport to the shrine, get our things in order, and start on our way to the dragon island.” (Luna)
“Oh. That’s a surprising decision coming from you.” (Skadi)
“Tamamo and I talked about it before I got back which helped me decide the plan going forward a bit.” (Luna)
“Speaking of dragon island, do you know where it is, Skadi?” (Soleil)
“No.” (Skadi)
“Then are we going to have to find it ourselves nya, or is Goddess Tamamo going to tell us nya?” (Mio)
{I’m going to tell you where to go. I’m not going to just tell you about the place and then let all of you struggle to find it. After all, if I did that, my Luna would take longer to join me.}
I smiled at Tamamo’s words. Shortly after that Ophidia returned with a content smile.
“My work is done.” (Ophidia)
“What did you do?” (Skadi)
“Just made sure that the warning I gave those old people stuck.” (Ophidia)
“Alright.” (Skadi)
“Ophidia, is there anything here that you might forget? While I know you can just pop back here if there is, it’d be easier if you don’t have to.” (Luna)
“I have everything, master.” (Ophidia)
“Then let’s go.” (Luna)
We all gathered together, and Ophidia and I teleported us to the shrine. When we arrived, the sensation of air hit us.
“Last night aside, actually feeling air again is weird.” (Luna)
“Yeah. Though it was easy to forget, it’s been a while since any of us actually felt air.” (Velvet)
“Feels good nya.” (Mio)
“Big sis, your tails.” (Soleil)
“Remember Soleil, as long as I’m not walking around a city, no more hiding them. Especially since we’re not staying here long.” (Luna)
“Right.” (Soleil)
We discussed anything that we might need, and I sent the others to go and get them while I went to tell mom the plan. When I passed by some of the shrine staff that I’ve known for years, they stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction seeing their reactions and hearing what some of them were saying when they thought that I was out of earshot.
“It feels somewhat good not hiding anything.”
{I bet.}
When I arrived in front of mom’s office, I opened the door and walked in. Mom’s paperwork has diminished even more since the last time I was here to which I was quite happy about. At the moment, mom and Ana were sitting at the small table drinking tea. When they looked over when I came in, their faces immediately turned into ones of shock.
“L-Luna, what happened to your tails?” (Amagi)
“I got an eighth one. How do they look?” (Luna)
“Stunning.” (Ana)
“…” (Amagi)
“I have an idea of what you’re thinking, mom, and I agree a little, but Tamamo also likes it, so I’m with her.” (Luna)
“*Sigh* You look beautiful, Luna. But why aren’t you hiding them?” (Amagi)
“Because it’s time not to. Of course, not in big cities like the capital, but here is fine. Especially since we’re not staying long.” (Luna)
“How long are you staying?” (Amagi)
“We’ll leave at the latest tomorrow, but most likely today.” (Luna)
“So soon…Luna, come over here and sit.” (Amagi)
I did as mom said and sat next to her. She then pulled me into a hug.
“My little Luna, I know that this isn’t the last time we’re seeing each other, but I feel like the next time we do, you’ll be one step short of ascending. I’ll tell you this now, and again when the time comes, but I want you to know that you are the greatest thing to ever happen to me in my life. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve grown into and I look forward to seeing what you achieve in the future.” (Amagi)
I felt tears falling from my eyes as she tightened her hug.
“I love you mom. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it and I’m so happy that I am your daughter.” (Luna)
As I hugged mom back, I could hear quiet sniffling behind me. It seems this emotional moment touched Ana’s heart. As this moment dragged on, the door to the room flew open and dad stood there with slight panic on his face.
“Amagi, how did the shrine staff learn of Luna’s secret!?” (Deacon)
“Because I’m not hiding it here anymore.” (Luna)
“…I like the new look.” (Deacon)
“Fufufu.” (Luna)
“*sigh* Deacon, just sit down over there. I’ll leave you for now, so let me know when you are about to leave.” (Ana)
“Deacon, I don’t know whether your timing is perfect, or you just have a penchant for ruining the mood.” (Amagi)
“Sorry.” (Deacon)
“Don’t worry about it.” (Luna)
Dad sat down on my other side while trying his best not to touch my tails.
“No offence, but it’s kind of hard to sit with all of this now.” (Deacon)
“None taken. It can sometimes be a pain for me as well.” (Luna)
“So, how was it like in a merfolk city?” (Deacon)
“Really Deacon? That’s what you ask her? You can clearly see that she’s almost done with her journey and you ask what a merfolk city is like. Unbelievable.” (Amagi)
“Of course. Luna knows what I would say and while I wouldn’t mind saying it, I don’t think it’s necessary. Sure, things will probably be different if she was ascending at this exact second, but since she isn’t, I’ll save my words for when she does.” (Deacon)
“*Sigh* Well, what was it like, Luna?” (Amagi)
“Big. About the size of two of the capitals of this country. Had a big colosseum that was for chariot races.” (Luna)
“Did you see one?” (Deacon)
“No, but I did get a favor out of someone that will most likely guarantee me free seats for probably life.” (Luna)
“Poor guy, they got the worst part of that bargain.” (Deacon)
“Not really. We helped him first.” (Luna)
“Any other fun stories?” (Amagi)
“Skadi was the centerpiece of a citywide festival.” (Luna)
“Heh.” (Deacon)
I continued to chat with my family for a bit when the others came back. Once everything was prepared, we grouped up and left the shrine.
Chaos Realm:
Atmos: Well this is annoying rawr.
Fenrir: If you don't stop that, I'm going to smack you.
Tamamo: I agree with Fenrir, it's getting old.
Atmos: Fine. But I'm still going to do it when Luna and Soleil are around.
Tamamo: Have fun with their retaliation then.
Atmos: I'm looking forward to what they plan on trying.
Fenrir: In other news, Tamamo, are you sure you aren't pushing Luna to be too hasty? I get that you've waited for a while for her to get to this point, but still.
Atmos: Bad Fenrir. Stop trying to make Tamamo regret her decisions.
Fenrir: That isn't what I'm trying to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you are being less reserved, but are you sure that it's good for Luna's mental health?
Tamamo: I am. She said it herself, if I didn't push her to continue straight away, she'd find ways to stall for as long as possible and end up in a less than good state. And besides, this is also a good thing for you, Fenrir. With Luna ascending, that means Mio will be more free to visit you.
Fenrir: ...That's a good point.
Atmos: It's times like these that I remember how good at manipulation you are, Tamamo.
Tamamo: Whatever do you mean, Atmos? I don't remember manipulating anyone.
Atmos: I said nothing.
