Chapter 567 Signs of Spring

Though things had been tense for a short while, it wasn't long before Ryuu had managed to calm down as they slowly made their way through the small forested area in the center of the Hearth Manor. Just as he had realized in the past, Vahn felt very relaxed around Ryuu because she was one of the few girls that had never placed too many expectations on his shoulders. Other than the times when they had shared a few passionate moments, the rest of the time he was with Ryuu was very peaceful and he was very grateful for her presence in his life. In the hopes that she would feel a similar comfort from him, Vahn dispersed a gentle stream of energy into his domain and tried to emulate the feeling of nature and the warmth of spring.

Even without his attempts to please her, Ryuu was enjoying their quiet walk a great deal and already felt very comfortable at his side. She was aware of the energy permeating through the air and it brought a small smile to her face knowing Vahn was trying to make her happy. She cast him a glance with her sky blue eyes before resting her head against his shoulder as she commented, "This is very pleasant..." Vahn kissed the top her head and noticed her hair had a smell reminiscent of the warm rays of the sun, almost like she was blooming alongside the buds marking the beginning of Spring.

Though it was very subtle, Ryuu's ears waggled slightly when he kissed her head and Vahn had to bite his lips to prevent himself from teasing her. He greatly enjoyed the affectionate nature of Beast Human girls, but there was just something about teasing the elegant, cool, and taciturn Elves that tickled Vahn's fancy. However, he didn't really want to spoil the mood and wanted Ryuu to enjoy the date as she pleased without him forcing her into anything. Things were already very pleasant and Vahn didn't mind if things continued like this for the entire date.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, simply enjoying each other's company, Vahn and Ryuu found themselves at the clearing where Mikoto usually trained. Perhaps she had taken their date into consideration and avoided the area today since Vahn couldn't see any signs that she had been here recently. As for Ryuu, she showed a slight blush on her face when they stepped into the clearing because her mind had wandered to their previous moment together in the clearing. She also remembered how 'quickly' she had run to Vahn during their small game of hide-and-seek, a memory that made her feel especially embarrassed because Syr, Chloe, and Arnya teased her about it quite a bit.

Vahn set out a blanket on the grass and pulled out a picnic basket he had prepared previously, full of food he knew Ryuu was fond of. Though she still ate meat, Ryuu was fond of vegetables, fruits, and small snacks like nuts and berries. He had lightly salted some almonds with crystalized honey that gave them a salty and sweet taste that was very popular amongst the Elven girls. There were also chilled apple slices, lightly seasoned rice, and small bite-sized fruits like strawberries and blackberries. Vahn made sure to pick foods that could easily be fed to people since he had intended to pamper Ryuu using the rather rare opportunity they had.

Before he was able to take the initiative, Vahn quickly lost the opportunity when Ryuu sat with her legs underneath her and pat her thighs, saying, "Relax your head here, Vahn..." She had seen the items in the picnic basket and quickly understood what Vahn likely intended. Just imagining lazily laying against his lap and having him feed her almost caused Ryuu's brain to short circuit and she adamantly refused to let things go in that direction. Since she wouldn't 'easily' be able to refuse his offer, Ryuu seized the initiative while Vahn was setting things up. She wouldn't truly be able to relax if he was pampering her and Ryuu didn't want things to escalate so early just because her tensions reached a critical level.

Never one to pass up an opportunity to experience a lap pillow, Vahn laid his head against Ryuu thighs after laying down in front of her. He would normally lay from the side, but it seemed more interesting to stare up at her from a different angle since he had the opportunity. Seeing her blushing face from below was a very satisfying experience and Vahn also noticed that her modest breasts were somewhat concealed by the thin sweater she was wearing. He wondered if she had worn something like that intentionally for reasons like this or if it was just something she considered to be 'cute'. If the latter was the case, this would mean that Ryuu's sense of what it meant to be 'cute' was somewhat childish and Vahn found this strangely comforting.

Ryuu began picking things out of the picnic basket and feeding them to the 'lazy' Vahn who had quickly relaxed his body after laying against her thighs. Seeing his calm expression helped her relax greatly and she preferred seeing Vahn like this even more than when they were together at night. She had never been good around other people and it was always somewhat 'difficult' when they had sex with other people around. Without Syr, and other people she trusted, Ryuu wouldn't be able to go through with it and was one of the people truly grateful for the change in scheduling. Though she would like to experience 'exciting' events again in the future, it was preferable to her that things were slow and relaxed like this. After all, they put their lives on the line in the Dungeon and there were enemies all around them...relaxing when they had the opportunity was for the best.

Staring down at Vahn's face from above, Ryuu placed a chilled blackberry against his lips and saw him open his mouth, taking both the blackberry and the tips of her fingers inside. A bit of warmth touched her cheeks when she took a strawberry from the basket and placed it in her own mouth, noticing it was strangely sweeter than expected. Turning her eyes back to Vahn's relaxed expression, Ryuu found herself entering a momentary daze as she once again realized he was very handsome. He still had the looks of a young boy that was just transitioning into manhood, but his features were flawless and, even though his skin was a healthy tan, it was completely unblemished almost like a god. She knew he could even become 'beautiful' by turning into an Elf or a High Elf and this thought made a small pressure expand in the bridge of her nose...

Vahn noticed the strange fluctuation in Ryuu's aura and opened his eyes just as a single drop of blood fell and landed against his forehead. Ryuu's face turned crimson red as she reached her hand up to make sure there wasn't any more blood coming out at Vahn began laughing heartily even as he sat up to help make sure she was okay. He didn't know what she had been thinking about but seeing this type of reaction from Ryuu made Vahn feel strangely pleased with himself. Even when she gave him a bit of a fierce look, Vahn couldn't stop himself from showing a large grin until he eventually ended up embracing her from behind when she tried to bashfully avoid his gaze.

After tumbling around for a bit, Ryuu ended up calming down as Vahn's warm embrace and the soothing energy from his hands helped ease her tensions. She was sweating a bit from moving around and the cool morning air against her thighs was especially noticeable right now. Ryuu very rarely ever wore skirts and she was somewhat regretting it now that she could feel a breeze against the relatively thin pair of panties she was wearing. This made the warmth coming from Vahn feel even more pleasant, however, so Ryuu eventually just relaxed and let the tensions drain from her body. Vahn kissed her neck, making her heart begin to race, but Ryuu didn't mind it too much as anticipation began to sprout within its depths.

He could sense that Ryuu was getting in the mood, but Vahn didn't want to put Ryuu in a disheveled state when she put in so much effort to dress up cutely for him. Instead, he just nibbled at her ear for a bit before tucking his head into her neck and simply holding her from behind as if they were going to sleep. Ryuu's heart was beating like a spooked rabbit, but Vahn just held her tightly for several minutes until she eventually calmed down. Her breathing, which had started to accelerate as a result of his teasing, turned into a gentle flow that escaped through her nose almost soundlessly. After a while, Ryuu eventually ended up asking, "Vahn...would you be happy if I also got pregnant...?"

Vahn inhaled a bit of Ryuu's scent when he inhaled and said, "Ryuu, I'm already very happy with how things are going...but I would undoubtedly be even happier if you had my child. Just make sure you're ready before taking that step...I don't want you to push yourself just to appeal to me." Ryuu parted her eyes and stared off into space with a thoughtful glint in her eyes as she said, "I have been thinking about it ever since the discussion about the Divination...I don't want to die without having the opportunity to leave behind a part of myself in this world...something that will represent the love we have shared with each other..." Ryuu still struggled with knowing her death had been at the early age of twenty years old. She had always expected to have plenty of time to have children, but that didn't seem to be something that could be guaranteed...

Hearing Ryuu's words, Vahn was also pulled back to the Divination and the feelings that had threatened to tear him apart knowing what had transpired. He also felt a bit of pressure to make the girls from the Divination happier, now that he had the chance, so the thought of starting a family with Ryuu wasn't something he was against. In fact, just imagining a smaller version of Ryuu running around in girly clothes made Vahn enter a small daze as he said, "I think our children will be adorable..." Ryuu laughed at Vahn's remark and shifted around in his arms until her body was turned to his and they could see each other's expressions.

Ryuu couldn't sense auras as he could, but she still felt the love Vahn had for her and it made her feel very safe and secure. However, there was one last thing she had been worried about so Ryuu said, "I'm not sure how things work with your transformation ability...but...I'd like...to be impregnated by an Elf...or maybe a High Elf...I'm sorry, Vahn...I-" Before Ryuu could continue apologizing, Vahn sealed her ruby-red lips that had become much darker than normal as a result of the fierce blush she had on her face. He also wasn't quite sure what would happen if he impregnated a girl as a different race, though he assumed it wouldn't really be an issue at all. Vahn knew he was 'compatible' with almost any race and it shouldn't actually create a hybrid, but something akin to a stronger version of his parter's race. However, if Ryuu felt more comfortable thinking their child would benefit from him being in the form of a High Elf, he would give her that small comfort.

Using [Thria*Mimos] in conjunction with his imaging ability, Vahn's hair grew marginally longer as the dark brown color faded until it became a golden color. He was emulating Ryuu's energy flow to supplement his transformation but his focus had been on becoming a High Elf. A cold sensation reached the tips of his ears before a heat flowed through them as their length increased greatly. His healthy brown skin became a pearl-white with a healthy glow to it as Vahn's facial features softened greatly. He knew he would probably look very feminine but it didn't really matter that much since his basic appearance shouldn't change too much based on the image he was holding. As for Ryuu, her body had started to tremble slightly as she observed the changes, clearly not expecting that he would act on her words almost immediately after she brought up the subject...

Vahn released soft laughter as he stroked Ryuu's cheek and said, "I imagine our children will be even more adorable if I'm in this form...what do you think~?" Ryuu titled her head to the side to avoid his gaze before bringing her hand up to her face once again as a thin line of blood escaped her left nostril. Furrowing his brows slightly, Vahn infused healing energy through his palms to help Ryuu calm down because the blood was clearly rushing to her head faster than she could deal with it. Though it was very adorable, Vahn couldn't help but feel a little concerned since Ryuu typically didn't behave like this. She was probably very tense from her change in attire, having her hair styled, and being alone with him in the middle of a scenic illusory forest.

Ryuu buried her face into Vahn's chest to hide her expression as she did her best to calm down in his embrace. She realized now that her words were taken very seriously by Vahn and she probably should have chosen a more 'opportune' moment to bring it up. The very thing she had worried about ended up happening and her tensions had reached a critical level causing her a great deal of embarrassment. She had only mentioned it to Syr, but her nose had been bleeding periodically whenever she got too excited. Ryuu had wanted to avoid exposing this small secret so early because it was a very embarrassing thing that she didn't have much control over.

To make sure there weren't any issues, Vahn had been staring into Ryuu with his [Eyes of Truth] active and was inspecting the area around her nose to see if there were any problems with the blood vessels in the area. He could see that some of them had expanded slightly, but that could just be a result of her increased blood flow through the area and was actually common when there were large temperature changes between the seasons. Though it wouldn't really be a problem if left untreated, Vahn stroked the back of Ryuu's head and said, "Ryuu, look up at me for a moment..." She was a bit hesitant at first, but Ryuu eventually looked up at Vahn with slightly moist eyes that clearly showed that the vibrant pinks and passionate reds in her aura weren't imaginary.

Vahn reached out and pinched Ryuu's nose, something she didn't seem to expect as she pulled her head back slightly, and used [Hands of Nirvana] to repair the slightly damaged blood vessels and reduce their swelling. Ryuu seemed to realize what he was doing and, even though it felt like there was a strange 'sinking' feeling in her nose, she allowed Vahn to treat her. The pressure that had been building up in the bridge of her nose faded away almost entirely so Ryuu released a sigh of relief before burying her face back into Vahn's chest and saying, "Thank you...I'm ready now..."

Almost as if her aura had been incited by her words, a hazy red completely filled Vahn's vision and there was a strange scent of fruit and honey accompanying it. He deeply inhaled the fragrance without inhibitions as he stroked Ryuu's back in a small circle and said, "I'll never be able to thank you enough, Ryuu...but I still feel like I need to express it...so thank you...I love you." Ryuu's ears waggled a bit and she peeked up at Vahn with her watery sky blue eyes before gripping his tunic tightly and saying, "I love you too, Vahn...more than I ever thought possible..."

If someone would have told her six months ago that she would be laying with a boy in the middle of a clearing, Ryuu would have looked at them as if they were mad. Now, however, Ryuu felt like any other outcome than what she was currently experiencing was...unacceptable. Without waiting for him to initiate things, Ryuu pulled herself closer to his face and began kissing Vahn with more passion than any of their previous exchanges. She may not have realized it herself, but this was also the first time Ryuu proactively initiated a kiss like this with Vahn and it was the first real step they both took towards their shared future...and the culmination of their happiness.

With practiced movements, Vahn caressed Ryuu's body as they 'eagerly' began undressing each other. When Ryuu pulled her vanilla-colored sweater free from her body, Vahn saw the thin green halter top she had been wearing and quickly reached for the strings to free it from her body. Ryuu grabbed his hands and pulled them down, however, saying, "Leave it...I know you like it more when girls wear a bit of clothing...since you changed for me, I want to do something for you as well..." Vahn felt his heart itch when he heard Ryuu's words, causing his own tensions to rapidly begin increasing as he rolled over and 'pinned' Ryuu against the colorful picnic blanket. Seeing the light layer of sweat against her fair, yet slightly ruddy, complexion made his heart begin beating marginally faster than normal.

The green halter top made her seem even more beautiful and tantalizing than normal because Vahn could see two concealed buds poking against the fabric almost as if they refused to go unnoticed. Knowing that she was very sensitive in her breasts, Vahn began massaging Ryuu's left breast with his right hand while his left quickly removed Ryuu's pure-white silk panties and 'discarded' them into his inventory. He left the thin belt around her waist and the purple pleated skirt in place as he began kissing around her neck and collar bone. Ryuu was always somewhat hesitant at this point but this time Vahn found that she didn't put any strength into keeping legs closed at all. This caused the tensions that had been rising up inside of his body to break free like a flood gate as an endless tide of warmth and love flowed from his heart, directed toward the blushing Elf that looked at him with a passionate and inviting light deep in her sky blue eyes...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Calm before the storm...','Doki Doki Ryuu-chan','I wonder if Vahn packed Lemons in the picnic basket...')

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