Special Christmas Chapter

Special Christmas Chapter

[Chaos Realm: Keeno POV]

“I welcome you all to my humble abode, for a time of merry making. Go about and mingle with others, or go on a small adventure with your significant other. All I ask is that you all meet back up here in a few hours for a special closing event.” (Payto)

After saying that he disappeared along with Mrs. Order. This left me, Ama, Pram, Freya, and big sis Luna and big sis Tamamo alone. We all looked around for a moment before big sis Luna grabbed her wife by the arm and vanished.

“Guess we do the same, Ama?” (Keeno)

{Might as well.}

Ama wrapped her arm around mine and we also disappeared from the strange apartment. When my sight returned to me, we were in a place I wasn’t expecting. With a backdrop of a snowy mountain stood a small village, roads covered in fresh snow, coniferous trees lining the sidewalks, and strings of lights hung over the main road like little twinkling stars. The trees were all decorated with colorful ornaments and all topped with stars, giving the whole place a festive atmosphere.

“...” (Keeno)

{Is something wrong, Keeno?}

“No, just feeling...nostalgic. Reminds me of a holiday in my previous life. I loved this time of year. Might also be why I liked Solheim so much, anyway let’s go explore a bit. I want to know what this place is about.” (Keeno)

We took one step and almost instantly heard some laughter.

“Fufufufufufufufufufu!” (Luna)

“Ufufufufufufufufu!” (Tamamo)

Looked to where the laughter was coming from, I saw big sis Luna and Tamamo sliding down the side of the mountain on a sled. As they went, the snow that was kicked up into the air sparkled, adding to how pretty the two ten-tailed kitsune already were. Just when the sled hit its fastest, they hit a bump and were flung off the sled into a big pile of snow. I wanted to run over to see if they were ok, but Ama kept me from doing so.

When the snow that was kicked up by their landing settled, I could see the two of them laughing harder as big sis Luna lay on top of big sis Tamamo. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes as they laughed until it somehow turned into the two kissing. We quickly turned away and started to walk toward the village.

{Do you think we’re like that too?}

“Probably, not that I mind. It just shows how much we care for each other.” (Keeno)

{True...if they’re here, then it’s fair to assume that this is where we were all meant to be today, then why did we start in the apartment?}

“Probably because it was a bit better than just throwing all of us here with no explanation. Though I don’t know how Pram and Freya are going to get here.” (Keeno)

Just as we crossed the threshold of the village, my question was answered. Pram and Freya were already in the village, wearing warmer clothes than when we first arrived, including some adorable matching scarves that obviously resembled their wearer’s partner. They walked down one of the sidewalks holding hands and looking into the windows of a few buildings, looking to see what they could find.

{I’m feeling left out all of a sudden. They clearly left before and after us, yet they seem to already know about this place.}

“Well, they probably looked at that obvious map that’s right in the middle of the road.” (Keeno)

{Oh...that would help.}

We walked up to the big map posted in a signboard. The second we got near it, the clothes we were wearing when we got here changed into ones that fit the place. We also got matching scarves and I noticed that Ama’s tails were now wearing tiny Santa hats.

“You’re so cute, Ama. I love the little tail hats.” (Keeno)

{You’re cute too, you know. You look so cuddly right now that I just want to pull you close and hug you forever.}

Ama and I were getting closer and we’re about to kiss when a snowball flew out of a small hole in space and hit me in the face.

“LUNA!!!” (Keeno)

“Fufufufu! That’s what you get for watching earlier!” (Luna)

Beneath Mrs. Luna and Mrs. Tamamo’s feet the ice started melting very fast, though neither of them fell in.

“Thank you for your masterful gravity manipulation Tamamo.” (Luna)

“You are quite welcome, my lovely Luna. Shall we show these two once more that they can’t beat us?” (Tamamo)

“Gladly. Opening Gate of Foxylon: Christmas edition.” (Luna)

In the sky above us and in the space all around us, small silver ripples appeared and then snowballs started to rain out like a hailstorm.

“Fuwahahahahahahaha!” (Luna)

Keeno and Amaterasu were sliding around, avoiding or melting the snowballs that came for them, but that’s all they could do.

“OI! THIS ISN’ T FAIR! AND WHY ARE THEY SO HEAVY!?” (Keeno)

“That’s enough, you four! We have one more event for the night before all of you are sent home.” (Payto)

The tall, white haired, twenty-tailed Kitsune man appeared again accompanied by his bunny eared wife.

“Shall we all do some ice skating on this beautiful Christmas night?” (Payto)

“I, for one, would love to join you.” (Order)

“Then we’ll start.” (Payto)

Snapping his fingers, a faint music started to play that was pleasing to the ears and set the mood. He then gently took his wife by the hand and they glided away on the ice, spinning g in tune to the music and generally just enjoying being with one another. I looked over to Freya and smiled. She smiled back at me and offered me her hand.

“May I have this dance, my Lady?” (Freya)

“I would love to oblige, my fair maiden.” (Pram)

I took her hand in mine and we started gliding along the ice on funny little blades that appeared under our feet at some point.

[Keeno POV]

Seeing that Payto, Order, Pram, and Freya were off enjoying themselves ice skating, I decided it was time to temporarily bury the hatchet with big sis Luna to spend some quality time with Ama.

I looked around to see where she ended up and saw the two ten-tailed kitsune dancing in the most elegant way I’ve ever seen. It was such a beautiful scene that it took my breath away, the way the light of the moon and the aurora glistened off their tails.

{Let’s not get outdone by them. We may have been at a slight disadvantage when it came to combat, but we can for sure beat them in dancing on the ice.}

I offered Ama my hand and once she took it, we skated off. Even though I barely knew how to dance, much less dance while ice skating, we somehow managed to not make a fool of ourselves. It was almost like there was some magic here that made sure we knew the bare minimum of what we were doing.

Ama and I skated around, taking turns spinning the other in tune with the music, and dipping the other when the tune called for it. Every so often we would pass by one of the other couples and I would be able to see how they were doing. Pram and Freya were in a similar boat to me and Ama, being the most amateur of all here. Big sis Luna and big sis Tamamo looked like masters who’d practiced ice dancing all their lives, never missing a beat and making every move compliment the lead’s partner perfectly. Payto and Order on the other hand were gliding across the ice. If Luna and Tamamo were professionals, then Payto and Order were gods whose Authority was ice skating and dance.

It was like the music was made to accompany their dance than the other way around. The moonlight and light of the aurora glanced off the particles of ice that flew up from their feet, enhancing the scene to such a level that even gods of art would be speechless by the beauty of the scene and counters of blood for missing the opportunity to paint it. This was all eclipsed by the people themselves. Even in my brief glances of them in passing, seeing the love and compassion for each other in their eyes made me feel like my own feelings for Ama were inadequate. This made me double down on my focus and I kept all my attention on Ama. The light reflecting off her tails and hair, the light coming from her beautiful, glowing orange eyes, the smile in her face that gave me a feeling of warmth that reminded me of the greatest of summer days. All of it made me fall for her again and again.

As we glided over the ice, I changed my posture a bit, making me the lead in the dance. We slid over the ice, spinning in places, moving apart in others, and pulling each other close when needed. When the song hit a point, I dipped Ama down and when I pulled her up, I gently cupped her cheek with my hand and kissed her. The heat from her breath and the closeness of our bodies made my mind melt a little, but I continued to kiss her, making sure all my feelings were transmitted to her, about how wonderful she is, how beautiful I find her, and how I fall for her every second I see her like it was the first time.

“Amaterasu Okami, I love you with all my heart and soul. Thank you for being here with me and I look forward to our lives together going forward.”

{Keeno Fafnir Okami, I love you with all my soul and piece of my being. You are my everything, my sun, and moon, and stars. You are my world and my rock and I fall for you every second of every day. I am happy and willing to give you my everything at any and every moment.}

Smiling at one another, we brought our faces closer until our lips met one more.