"Tell me, is the dream we've most recently shared an indication of what you want?" There was a cool amusement in Shuuichi's voice that made Akari shiver in mingled fear and arousal. "In the general mood and pacing rather than in the area of dominance of course."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama, at least sometimes. Your needs and preferences take priority of course, but on occasion it would be nice to be treated as a precious treasure." And that was something he'd never truly experienced, he'd always been in charge except when he was with his Patrons, and his Patrons had never taken that sort of care of him.

"I see..." Shuuichi sounded almost as if he might consider...no, Akari wouldn't think about that remote possibility, it would hurt too much if he allowed himself to hope only to be disappointed. "And you can't risk asking for something like that from Asuka can you?" It wasn't really a question, and Akari knew that Shuuichi had understood exactly what he wanted, and why he never could have it, not with someone he needed to keep remembering her inferior position.

He was gentle enough with Asuka, getting the illusion of affection he craved, but...he had to be in charge with her, and what he really wanted now was to feel safe, protected and treasured, even loved. He hadn't craved that before, it was something he'd only come to need since being trapped inside Shuuichi's body and especially since realising how unlikely it was that he would ever be strong enough to make that body his own, but he was sensible enough to accept what he needed and try to find a way to live with his needs.

"I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at your tastes, from your memories I already knew you tended to be gentle with your bedmates even before we shared a body, but that...was on a whole different level, wasn't it?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." What he'd had with Sai had been the closest to what he wanted with Shuuichi, he just hadn't cared enough about his other lovers, and Sai had always been so inhibited that there'd always been an edge of formality, even on the rare occasions Youko could persuade him into sex rather than Go.

Shuuichi laughed then, and pulled Akari to sit in his lap, kissing him with a surprising tenderness and running his hands gently over Akari's still-clothed body before pulling back to speak.

"Don't expect this very often, but I will indulge you like this on occasion."

"Thank you Shuuichi-sama." Akari kept his eyes cast down submissively, and wrapped his arms around his Patron's shoulders as he shifted to his half-fox form, growing larger and shifting how he sat to make it more comfortable with his tail. That was one reason Akari stayed in his human form most of the time now, unless Shuuichi ordered him out of it; human furnishings were not meant for people with tails, or for people as tall as they were in that form. And with Shuuichi in his larger form it made him feel a bit safer, more protected to be smaller than his lover, and not be hurt, although when his previous Patrons had been larger than he was it had just made him feel weaker and more vulnerable.

Shuuichi kissed his exposed throat, biting ever so lightly at it as well, making sure he understood who was in charge, unnecessarily, but Akari didn't object to his master's alpha nature, not anymore. Instead he arched his back, exposing his throat and belly even more in a sensual display of submission, and Shuuichi stood, lifting him in his arms to lie him on the futon, and then undressed him slowly, kissing his skin as he exposed it. Youko let himself moan and move in an abandoned response to the pleasure his Patron was giving him, losing track of anything beyond how he was being touched, ever so gently, and kissed, and given all the signs of affection he was normally denied.

"Watch me Akari." He shivered and obeyed, watching as his Patron slowly undressed, removing his clothes almost as slowly as he'd removed Akari's, and using his tail to give a sort of fan dance, hiding and revealing the more intimate areas carefully to arouse interest. "You like this? Seeing me undress for you?"

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." It shocked him, seeing his master do this for him, but it was really arousing too, especially because it wasn't supposed to work like that.

"Good." Then Shuuichi moved to crouch over him, kissing him again, hands wandering over his body, gently arousing him further, and for a wonder Akari didn't feel trapped by the heavier body pressing him down into the futon. Shuuichi coaxed nectar from the plant that Akari had finally decided to keep permanently by the futon then returned to stroking Akari's skin, petting and soothing him until most of his skin was covered in nectar, except his groin, and between his buttocks and he was almost totally relaxed beneath Shuuichi. Only then did Shuuichi slide a finger towards his entrance, moving to kneel on the futon and pulling Akari to straddle his lap, with his legs almost going around his waist as a distraction. Akari hesitated, then stretched up just a bit to wrap his arms around Shuuichi's shoulders, and Shuuichi responded by kissing him more aggressively than he had so far this time as he slid one finger into Akari.

Shuuichi's hand on his cock and mouth on his throat distracted Youko further as he finished stretching him, and then Shuuichi laid Akari onto the futon, pushing him to lie on his side, while Shuuichi spooned behind him, kissing at the nape of his neck.

"I want to be inside you, my silver rose, to join myself to you. Will you complain?" Quiet, whispered words, enough to make him moan and wriggle in anticipation, and Shuuichi even seemed to be waiting for 'permission', remaining still behind him, just keeping his cock pressed up against Akari's ass.

"Please, take me, I'm yours."

"Yes, you are." There was a possessive satisfaction in Shuuichi's voice, and he thrust into Akari even more slowly than Akari'd taken him in the dream, then just waited, only starting to move again at some signal Akari didn't realise he'd given. Shuuichi made a point of moving torturously slowly, and when he reached around Akari it wasn't to stroke him, but to hold him back from climax, although he did tease Akari's nipples gently with his other hand to keep him aroused. Akari was swiftly driven almost out of his mind with pleasure, all that mattered was making sure Shuuichi didn't stop, and that he kept on kissing his skin as if he loved him.

At one point Shuuichi must have shaken his hair over Akari's shoulders because he could see the blood red silk from the corner of his eyes when he opened them, and he reached up to grab hold of it with one hand. Shuuichi laughed softly in his ear at that.

"Go ahead, keep on holding on to that, I don't mind, and it'll help to ground you." The implied affection in those words was overwhelming, and then Shuuichi decided to let him climax, which combined with everything else to make him black out.

Asuka started as she felt a spark of foxfire dart into her hair from behind, it wouldn't burn her unless her master wished it to, and he found her too useful to do that, but it was surprising, and also...

"I take it this means you will no longer require my teaching for yourself Shuuichi-sama?" That sort of control said he probably wouldn't need any further lessons, it was better than hers was, and she'd often played with foxfire to amuse herself in the brothels, as well as using it to please some of her customers.

"Indeed, and you'll do better with a sword made for your own hand than with the sword Genkai-shihan was kind enough to lend you."

"Thank you." Asuka wasn't really sure that the sword would help much compared to the training he'd arranged for her, but it would be nice to have her own sword, something she could take with her when they returned to the Makai. "I appreciate your generosity."

"You're my concubine and you will be my breeder; it's my duty to make sure that you're safe, protected and provided for. If I can't be there to protect you I must ensure that you have what you need to protect yourself, in terms of weapons and training." Shuuichi-sama was being exceptionally practical and pragmatic compared to most of the Lords Asuka had encountered or heard about, it wasn't exactly a kitsune trait even though all kitsune started out very weak, but she supposed it didn't matter where it came from, so long as it was there. "And it isn't as if you do not deserve it. You can make good use of it now as well, I know that."

"I'm glad I have been doing well enough in my training to please you then my lord." She was blushing faintly, but it didn't matter, in fact it was good that her Patron should see how much his praise meant to her. "Genkai-shihan is a very skilled teacher, and she deserves most of the credit for that."

"No one can teach a pupil who will not learn, you have earned your own share of credit." He rested a gentle hand against her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her; she preferred to see her master wearing his true kitsune form as he did now, and she wasn't quite sure why he normally wore his human form. "Come with me then, I left your gift in the main room."

That made perfect sense, Asuka thought as she followed him; he wouldn't have wanted to be encumbered by something so awkwardly shaped while he was talking to her and displaying his skill with foxfire. There was a simple wooden box laid out on the table, and that had to be the sword, but she didn't go to open it at once, preferring to wait for her master to give her permission. Instead she knelt across the table from the position her Lord took, folding her hands in her lap, eyes cast down submissively, ignoring the strands of hair falling into her face. She heard her master draw in a quick breath and she could sense his sudden arousal, as well as his effort to repress it for some reason. Asuka wanted to ask why he was trying to deny his perfectly legitimate desire for her, but she knew better than to be so presumptuous.

"There's something you want to say, say it. You can speak to me however you wish to for now." Shuuichi sounded amused and Asuka dared to glance up through her lowered lashes to assess his true attitude.

"I...you tried to repress your desire for me. Why?" She shouldn't feel the need to remind him, but... "I am yours to do with as you please after all."

"Because I bought you as a teacher, not for how much I desired you, or for the children you could give me. I know you aren't entirely comfortable with sex yet and I don't blame you. And this is a time for me to reward you, not to hurt you, or ignore your desires." He gave a meaningful look at the box lying between them. "Do you intend to open your sword while I watch, or would you prefer it if I left so you can have your first sight of it alone?"

"I was but waiting your permission." She immediately reached for the box, and opened it, gasping in pleasure at the sight of the sword inside. It was plain in a lot of ways, with a sheath of simple black leather and blackened steel, and a black hilt, with the only hint of bright metal showing the dark silver of the pommel. When she lifted the sword out and unsheathed it she could see the quality of the blued steel, and feel the perfect balance and it was the perfect length and weight for her to wield, feeling natural in her hand as even the sword Genkai-shihan had lent her did not. "It is wondrous. My thanks my lord."

She couldn't resist the urge to swing her new sword for a moment, ignoring the way Shuuichi watched her with amusement in his eyes, then she wiped the blade down with the oiled cloth sent in the box and returned it to the sheath. She realised that her Patron's arousal had died while she tested her new sword, drowned by his amusement, and almost fatherly affection for her, and she deliberately arranged herself in a submissive posture, intended to incite his desire to dominate. This was the first time she'd truly desired sex for its own sake since Shuuichi-sama bought her, not because it would please her master or was necessary to secure his protection, or for comfort or as the natural ending to a game, but because she wanted to be fucked, and she wasn't going to miss that opportunity.

"I am glad you like it. Do you realise what you are trying to invoke?" The strain of controlling his reactions was showing in his voice, and Asuka flushed in renewed arousal.

"I know your preference is to dominate, but...this is the first time I have felt desire for its own sake since you bought me." She didn't need to tell him that she refused to waste this opportunity, in part for fear that she wouldn't feel this desire again for a long time if she denied it now.

"And my tastes could traumatise you again, as easily as repressing your own desires could, perhaps more easily. I am not gentle, not unless I force myself to be, and you are encouraging me to be rough and aggressive with you, deliberately or otherwise." He was looking at her levelly, with a coldness in his eyes that made her shiver, and that was enough to make an almost cruel smile twist his lips. "You see, you fear me even as you desire me, even though I've forced myself to gentleness with you in the past."

"And I cannot afford to fear your tastes if I am to be your breeder; now is as good a time as any for me to get past that."

"No, it isn't. But I think I would like to see Akari take you. You can learn to deal with my tastes later."

"As you wish my lord."

It had been his own idea to stay out of the way, to pretend he had something he was busy with in his bedroom, but Akari wished that he could see how Asuka reacted to the gift their Patron would be giving her. And he did wonder what the sword Shuuichi-sama had commissioned for Asuka looked like, whether it reflected her personality or her powers at all, or whether it had been designed to suit her colouring as well as to be practical. Still, if he was there Akari was sure that Asuka would misinterpret his interest as jealousy, or something similar, and he didn't want to upset her or make her worry like that; he could always ask her to show him what it looked like later.

He sighed and put the issue from his mind, focusing instead on the exercises Asuka had recommended to improve his shapeshifting, and performing a few minor changes; changes he instantly reversed when he heard someone outside his door. He told himself not to jump to assumptions; his Patron was unlikely to be coming to enjoy him, he was far more likely to be going to celebrate his achievements with Asuka. Then Shuuichi walked in with Asuka trailing behind him and Akari stood to greet them.

"What do you wish Shuuichi-sama?" All he needed to do with Asuka was nod to her as he spoke with their master.

"I want to watch you with Asuka. Use some of the things I prefer to do with you on her, but more gently than I would."

"Is that what you would wish also Asuka?" He shifted into his half-fox form as he walked towards her, resting his hand against her cheek, watching as she shivered with desire at his touch.

"Oh yes. I want to bed you, for the pleasure it would bring, not simply for comfort, or because I feel it is required. And...I must needs grow somewhat accustomed to our lord's preferences, must I not?"

"Yes, I suppose you must." He paused to kiss her, first on the lips, then lightly over the big pulse in her throat. "And I can give you a gentler introduction than he might, for he has no need to restrain his desires, and I do not share his desire to dominate in that way." He traced a line down her spine through her clothes as he spoke.

"I...had noticed, but if I might...I would request that you wear this form, not the more human one." Akari could tell that Asuka was speaking as much to their Patron as to him, and so he left the answer for Shuuichi to make.

"It's little enough to ask." Shuuichi sounded amused as he spoke. "I'm willing to indulge her that way, are you?"

"This is my most familiar form my lord." He smiled at their Patron as he spoke, sliding his hand down Asuka's cheek and skimming it over her shoulder and arm on the way down to rest on her wrist, light enough to do no more than tantalise.

"Yes, I know how long it's taking you to learn those things a clan should teach a kitsune." Akari resisted the urge to flinch at that, his master knew how sensitive a point that was for him, but there was no reason Asuka should know that his words were anything more than ordinary cruelty - and it would be good for her to know now his penchant for such casual cruelty. But then...this time perhaps his cruelty would serve a purpose, because Akari had doubted his ability to perform as his master wished him to before Shuuichi-sama had said that.

"Indeed. Perhaps I should claim inadequate teaching, and take it out on my tutor now that you've given me the opportunity. What do you think Asuka?" And as he spoke he reversed the previous motion of his hand, sweeping it up along her arm, and over her shoulder, lifting her hair until the tips of his fingers rested just behind her ear as he cupped her chin.

"If you need such role play to satisfy our Patron's will then use it as you choose." Her voice was reduced to almost a whisper, and Akari thrilled to realise that he'd heightened her arousal so easily, to know for certain that she was ready for this. He laughed and let his hand trail down to trace the upper curve of her breast ever so lightly as he stepped away from her, glancing at Shuuichi from the corner of his eyes to assess his reaction to the show so far.

"Get undressed then." He hardened his voice just a little bit, watching to see how she reacted to that. She wasn't aroused by it, but she wasn't turned off either, and she obeyed; that was the best he could have expected, especially since he wasn't kinked in a way that complemented their master's tastes either. He took hold of her by the wrist and pulled her over to the futon, letting the vines take over then, pulling her down and stretching her out over it, wrists bound together and legs spread open for him. She was aroused, but not enough, skimming a finger down past her clitoris Akari found that Asuka was almost dry and he hesitated over what to do next but...

"Our lord rarely chooses to hurt me through something so simple as lack of preparation." He drew nectar from an appropriate flower to moisten between Asuka's legs as he lay beside her and stroked her far breast with his other hand, lips and tongue working at her near breast, making as sure as he could that Shuuichi would see and be pleased by it.

"But I only bother with elaborate foreplay if I intend slow cruelty, or something similar." It was a hint, and Akari wasn't going to defy his master. He lifted Asuka's hip, sliding a cushion underneath them and moved to kneel between her legs, when he felt how tight she was around him he knew she hadn't really had enough foreplay, but there was nothing he could do about that. However, he did know what places on her body brought her most pleasure, and he didn't hesitate to use that knowledge to heighten her pleasure and arousal.

Asuka moaned in pleasure, enjoying Akari's sure and skilled touch on her body, even if the restraints still troubled her. But then his fingers slid between their bodies, playing with her clitoris for just a moment, and she shut her eyes, bucking up against him, and she realised just how much play there was in her bonds as she bent her knees and placed her feet flat on the futon. It was the closest she could get to actually wrapping her legs around Akari's waist the way she wanted to, but there was nothing she could do with her hands except grab hold of the vines binding her - not that she could have grabbed at him with the way he was positioned at the moment anyway.

"Sometimes our lord won't stop until I climax." Akari leaned forward over her body to whisper those words into her ear, fingers stroking at the inside of her elbow, breath teasing the sensitive skin inside the ear and she shivered in mixed pleasure and fear at the idea. "It's usually a sort of torment of course, and he doesn't refrain from his own pleasure, but he continues stimulation in other ways between taking me."

Then he bit lightly at the tip of her ear and she shuddered over into climax, which seemed to be permission enough for Akari to climax as well. She wasn't worried about having kits yet, for one thing she knew she wasn't in season and for another Akari would give her something to ensure that she didn't conceive later. Asuka expected Akari to release her then, and the vines did loosen from around her wrists and ankles, but then they tightened again, holding her more securely than they had before.

"If you want to leave me alone with Akari you can ask now, and I'll let you go, but otherwise I want you to stay just where you are."

"Can you let me get a bit more comfortable please Shuuichi-sama?"

"Go ahead." The vines loosened, and Shuuichi pulled the cushion from under her hips as the vines also moved to capture Akari, while their Patron held him in place on top of her with a hand on the small of his back. "But I want Akari to stay in you while I fuck him." She nodded in response and relaxed her legs and arms, lying limp to make things easier for Akari. She had a feeling that Akari would harden again inside her from what their Patron was doing, and that idea was oddly arousing for her, arousing enough to counteract the feeling of the vines tightening again.

From the way Akari gasped, and pressed into her Shuuichi must have just pushed the first finger into him; it was fascinating to see the hint of pain, mixed with arousal on his face, and even now she couldn't quite escape a sense of cognitive dissonance that Shuuichi dominated Akari so easily. From the beginning she'd always been surprised that a five-tail would be so willingly submissive to a four-tail, but...it was more force of personality that influenced their interaction than anything else.

"Please Shuuichi-sama." Asuka couldn't see what their Patron was doing to make Akari beg like that, but she could feel him growing hard inside her again, and then she felt a vine sliding between their bodies near the groin as he started to thrust into her.

"Ah, ah. I don't want you to move yet my silver rose. Why don't you just focus on kissing our lovely vixen?" Asuka hesitated, then licked lightly at Akari's lower lip to encourage him; she could do with some other foreplay, but she'd climaxed once already, and Akari had been wonderful, so kissing would probably be enough. He made a startled little sound in the back of his throat, then obediently began kissing her; starting with a closed mouth kiss, then tracing the line where her lips met ever so gently, and then lighting running his tongue along the sensitive ridge behind her top teeth. His teeth dragged gently at her lower lip as he lifted his head and she wriggled a bit against him as she lifted her head to kiss his chin.

Then Akari cried out as he thrust into her, and Asuka knew that it was in response to Shuuichi's own action as the vine between their bodies withdrew, moving to stimulate her clitoris surprisingly gently. Now Shuuichi reached around Akari to slide his hand between them, stroking her breasts and pinching Akari's nipples while Akari pressed his face against her shoulder. She shuddered in a second climax, but Akari stayed hard inside her and she could feel Shuuichi's hand between his legs, brushing the inside of her thighs as he did something to Akari's balls.

"Tonight I think you get to climax when I do, and not a moment before." Asuka shivered at the slight hint of cruelty in their Patron's voice, but he gentled it as he turned his attention to her. "But don't let that keep you from your pleasure Asuka, I like seeing what a real climax looks like on you. So I'll know if you fake it in the future."

"Yes Shuuichi-sama." That meant she couldn't do the writhing about that she'd used to please the clients who wanted to think they'd made their whore climax without bothering to do anything to help her. But she didn't think he'd be offended if she failed to climax from his attentions, as long as he wasn't making a point of tormenting her with it, it sounded like he wanted to know for the sake of an almost scientific curiosity. She just relaxed and let the sensation wash over her, abandoning herself to it without thinking of anything else at all. Eventually she felt Akari spend himself inside her again, and Shuuichi pulled out, moving to stand near their heads.

"I think I'll leave you two alone now. Do whatever you want, sleep together, or separately, but there isn't room for three there. Akari, you'll be able to control the vines again once I'm gone." And with that he left.

Akari wasn't used to waking up curled around someone else; when he slept with Shuuichi his Patron took the dominant and protective position at his back. But Asuka hadn't wanted to sleep alone, not that he blamed her, it was something he hated to do after sex as well, and there was no way he would permit anything that left him in a position where he might seem even remotely submissive to her. He could hear that she was waking up, and he nuzzled the back of her neck, cupping one breast gently and running his other hand down over her stomach to rest on her hip.

"Do you want..." Asuka trailed off, and Akari could tell that she wasn't at all enthusiastic about having sex with him at the moment, but she felt it was her duty to offer, so he laughed gently as he replied.

"To snuggle for a bit? Yes. To go any further? No. Are you alright after last night? Our master didn't push you too hard did he?"

"I...it was mostly good." Asuka wriggled around in his arms to face him as she spoke. "I don't really like being tied up, but you left enough slack that it wasn't too bad, and the idea of you getting hard again inside me helped me deal with the way Shuuichi-sama bound me at first. Then I was distracted by the pleasure."

"I'm glad." Akari stroked her back in an effort to comfort her and make her feel better about whatever might be bothering her, doing his best to live up to his responsibilities to her. "I know you didn't really get enough foreplay before I entered you, how much of a problem was that?"

"It wasn't too bad, you didn't really hurt me, and you made me feel good afterwards."

"I'm glad I could do that for you." He moved one hand to pet her hair, and scratch around her ears. "You realise that Shuuichi-sama is unlikely to know your body as well as I do at the moment? And I'm not sure how long it will take him to learn."

"I can handle it, it isn't as if I expect to climax every time. The way our lord acts...I don't think he'll bother bedding me except for when he needs to get me pregnant, at least not as long as he has some other use for me." Akari wanted to contest the implication that Asuka would need to worry when he'd learned everything she could teach him, but he couldn't. Then again perhaps he could.

"The idea of offering you a place as his breeder was fairly recent, he only considered it when he decided he wanted to recreate my clan. Perhaps you should ask about studying something that could be useful to him as well?"

"Here, or in the Makai?" Akari had to laugh at that.

"Ideally something he could use in both worlds, but if you can't think of anything like that pick something you can use in the Makai over something you can use here."

"I'll remember your advice. We should get up now though." She pushed away from him, slowly and he let go of her easily. "Thank you for letting me sleep here last night. I...like having someone say with me after sex, it brings up unpleasant memories otherwise." Akari could understand that; he'd had problems after every time he lost a Patron, different problems every time and problems it had taken him years to get past. Problems that had affected his responses to Shuuichi after they made their agreement and were probably still affecting him.

"It wasn't exactly a hardship. Will you show me your new sword before we set off for Genkai's?"

"Come and look at it." She sounded excited and he shifted to his human form as she held out a hand, to help him up. "Do you think I should take it with us to show her?" Asuka was dragging him through to the main room as she spoke, and Akari made a point of telling her how beautiful her new weapon was, and how well it suited her before he answered her question.

"I would. Genkai-shihan will need to know exactly what weapon you'll be using if she's to teach you the best she can. Do you think she'll want you to return the sword she lent you, or will she allow you to keep using it for training?" He was glad that the sword matched her colours, that it looked good, elegant in its simplicity and he did his best to focus on practical matters.

"I don't know. I think it would probably be better for me to get used to working with my new sword, and I should show our Patron I appreciate his gift."

"Yes, you should." And Akari walked through to the kitchen, to make a start on breakfast. "Do you want miso?"