The mood struck Usagi the minute Akari left for her meeting with Inara. She knew the private date would turn into more, she knew the wine tasting wouldn't be the end of their night together. And it tore at her heart like a wild animal.

Jealousy was an ugly and invasive thing. So Usagi fought to shut it out, to shut it down. And she had two weapons that had proven effective in that fight: keeping herself busy, and focusing on her relationship with Hebi. So she started cooking the moment the kitchen was cleaned up from dinner.

She pulled out frozen beef to thaw, gathered a half-dozen different homegrown veggies from the fridge, and tapped into the entire spice rack for inspiration. Then she added noodles, rice, and potatoes to her rapidly filling counter-space, plus some fresh eel that had been originally intended for a family meal, but was now being repurposed.

After all, Hebi had a nearly bottomless stomach, and she'd devour and appreciate every single thing Usagi cooked for her. And Usagi expected to do a lot of cooking before the night was done, before the event that ruined her mood was in the past and out of mind.

She was thirty minutes in when someone finally noticed what she was up to. Inu stopped in the hallway outside the kitchen and said, "Uh, getting an early start on breakfast? Or prepping meals in advance for the week?"

Usagi danced lightly on her toes from counter to counter, mixing something here, adding a few spices there, and even kneading some dough for a baking project unknown. Her soft puff of a tail wiggled happily to a tune no one else could hear. After a delay so long that Inu thought she hadn't been heard, Usagi finally answered, "Making a feast for Hebi."

Inu looked over the insane quantity of food being prepared, easily enough to feed the entire household for two days. And she could smell all the ingredients being used. Good ones. Expensive ones. "Uh. Okay… Any special occasion I should be aware of?"

"Nope! Just loving on her."

That's when it clicked, when Inu realized what was up. Usagi was jealous, and this was her way of coping. It was certainly more productive than seething, so Inu was reluctant to discourage it. "Ah, okay. Have fun."

"Oh, I will," Usagi said with surprising force.

Inu blinked, then scampered away to her bedroom. She didn't want any part of that.

Akari was tipsy. Even with no prior experience with alcohol, she was sure of that. She was pretty sure she wasn't drunk, at least not like the salarymen she'd seen stumble down main street after having too much to drink with their coworkers. But she supposed she wouldn't mind if she did get to that point, since her bedroom was just down the hallway.

If she even made it to her bedroom. The way things were going with Inara…

"So Akari, I gotta know," Inara said, a single tail wrapped around her arm like a feather boa. "Did you manage to help your friend? I believe her name was Hanako?"

"It is, and I did." Akari took another sip of white wine. She'd switched back to white after a single glass of red. She was a sucker for sweetness, it seemed. "She's feeling much better, not losing sleep any more, and we had a great time together at the amusement park."

"That's so wonderful to hear. I may have seemed callous when talking about her memory issues, and for that I am sorry. So many years of distancing myself from humanity had tarnished my attitude toward them. I must improve it."

Akari nodded along, but her thoughts were still on Hanako, and that very date-like day at the amusement park. She wanted a date like that with Inara, but she was sure it was impossible. Inara's aura would draw too much attention. Then a different thought caught her mind in an iron grip: had Hanako ever asked out Ayumi? If so, how did it go?

Akari looked up at Inara, eyes shining. "Do you mind if I text Hanako? I really wanna know if she confessed to her crush yet."

Inara leaned forward, instantly just as excited. "Not at all. I wanna know too. Her crush, is it a girl? I'm making some assumptions, I know, based on her interaction with Neko, and I'm sorry for that."

Akari waved a hand, "It's fine, and yes she's a girl. But last I spoke with Hanako, we didn't know if Ayumi was into girls."

Akari quickly typed up a text, gave it three re-reads to make sure she hadn't bungled it too bad in her tipsy state, then sent it. She stared at the phone for nearly a minute, then said, "Bah, no point waiting for a text. She's probably busy anyway."

"More cheese?" Inara offered. "Or if you want something more substantial, I can slip out to the kitchen and get you something."

Akari thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "Just cheese sounds good. It goes pretty well with this white wine." She gestured with her glass, then realized it was empty. "Oh, I'm out."

Inara shook her head in shame, her flowing red locks spilling past her wine-pink cheeks. "I'm a terrible host. I should have kept you topped off."

Akari playfully swatted at Inara's hand. "Psh, you promised to keep me from getting too drunk, and you can't do that if you're on refill autopilot."

"Autopilot. That's not a word I've heard before. I believe I can figure out what it means. How fun!"

Akari scratched her chin and said, "You've been in your curious mood a lot lately. Any reason why?"

Inara pulled her single tail around and into her lap, then ran her fingers through the soft fur. "I've been curious about the same thing, actually." She flashed Akari a grin, then continued, "And I think it's because we're at that amazing point in our relationship where everything is new and different. I want to relish that, to appreciate it as deeply as possible."

"That makes sen—"

"And because I want to know more about you. About how you tick, about what you like and dislike. About what you love." The look in Inara's eyes had become intense, almost predatory. Akari half expected to see drool dripping down Inara's chin, like a cartoon caricature of a wolf stalking its prey.

"O-oh, okay," Akari managed. Her pulse had quickened, but she wasn't afraid. "Ask me anything."

Inara let go of her tail, and put both her hands on Akari's. She grabbed them gently, then said, "I'd prefer to let our bodies do the talking."

It was at that moment that Akari had two very important revelations. First, she realized she'd been incorrectly thinking of Inara's four-tail mode as the only sexual one. In reality, it was the one most tied to physical need but it was hardly the only one interested in sex. Akari had already seen the five-tail 'caring' Inara flirt with her, and both her dominant and submissive modes were surely laced with sexuality. And now 'curious' Inara was very interested in sex.

Her second realization was more of a vague awareness than a conscious thought, the result of all the systems and sensations of her body coming together in agreement. Her mind was there, lounging in the mellow fog of alcohol and completely free of fear. Her body was there, from the heat in her wine-filled belly to the different kind of heat between her legs. And her heart was so on board it was captaining the ship. The entirety of Akari had rallied behind a single statement, two little words that leapt from her tongue like a high-diver into the waiting pool below:

"I'm ready."

Akari never did make it back to her own bedroom that night. There was what felt like a lifetime of kissing and exploration, of hands beneath clothes and lips on every square inch of exposed skin. An eternity of learning and growing comfortable that in reality lasted just under an hour. Then Akari was carried to a bed so soft she briefly worried she might sink into it forever.

Inara undressed Akari first, gently removing each article of clothing like a holy seal securing a ceremonial offering. For a long moment, she just looked and savored Akari's natural beauty, imperfect and unique in all the world. Then she shed her own kimono, a regal thing of hand-stitched silk older than any living human, and tossed it unceremoniously aside. As it fell to the floor, it caught Akari's eye and distracted her from Inara's naked form just long enough for a powerful wave of deja vu to crash over her thoughts.

Within that purple kimono, stitched to the inside at a life-size scale, was an embroidered fox that Akari had never seen before, but nonetheless knew. It had been within a daydream, a bit of wishful thinking, that she had glimpsed that fox on the inside of Inara's kimono. And now it was real, in the exact same scene she had imagined. Every detail matched, down to the rise and fall of the wrinkles in the cloth, down to the glare of the corner lamp off the smooth silk, partially obscuring the fox's hand-stitched ears.

But before Akari could dwell on it, her entire consciousness was pulled back to the figure before her, the glorious and flawless form of a literal goddess, naked and majestic. There was no shame, no doubt, and no unnecessary ornamentation: just Inara in the flesh, with her vibrant hair tumbling down and around her breasts, not hiding them but cupping them, framing them like a masterpiece painting.

Akari wanted her then, so badly it hurt. It reminded her of her confession just the week before, reminded her of the intense need she had finally escaped by setting it free, by admitting the depth of her devotion to Inara. But for all her desire, Akari had no plan. No idea of the path to take in the coming hours. She was a virgin, and she regretted it not because of some societal bias against virgins, but because her lack of experience had left her helpless and inactive in the face of her lover.

"What should I—?"

Inara shushed her with a single finger, hot and firm against Akari's lips. "Let our bodies talk. Just listen to them."

The finger withdrew, but it was immediately replaced by lips, pressing hard against her own. Akari toppled backwards to the bed, then felt soft hair cascade across her upper body as Inara straddled her and kissed again and again. Inara's lips revisited all the places they had explored before, when the two women had been still mostly clothed. Then they traversed new territory, mapping out Akari's body in extreme detail, cataloguing every squeak and moan, every ticklish gulf and tender peak.

Inara lingered a little wherever Akari liked the attention, but always moved on before long, eagerly searching for new and novel experiences, as if she planned to learn everything about Akari's body in a single night using only her lips and tongue. And just when Akari started to feel impatient, started to want to return the favor or try something entirely new, Inara shifted gears.

She grabbed Akari's shoulders and tumbled sideways, rolling Akari on top. She gave an inviting wink and wrapped her legs around Akari's lower back, locking them together with Akari in a position of power that she had no idea how to use.

But she was sure she could figure it out, somehow.

The next day was surreal. Nothing felt quite right for anyone in the house.

At breakfast, Inara and Akari were practically floating, still riding the high of the previous night. Even on less than four hours of sleep, Akari felt alert and alive. Invigorated. And the difference in their relationship was obvious in how they whispered and flirted, the way they fed each other bits of breakfast with natural familiarity.

They were halfway through their meal before they even noticed the piles of plastic containers and cling-wrapped platters of food that covered the kitchen counters and filled half the fridge.

"What's all that?" Akari asked.

Inu, who had been awake for hours and had already returned from a solo jog, bathed, and whipped up her own breakfast from what little food remained in the fridge, said, "It's a feast for Hebi. Usagi's coping mechanism."

Inara asked, "And where are those two?"

Inu's fluffy platinum-blonde ears wiggled for a moment, twisting toward the hallway door and Hebi's room beyond. Then she answered, "Usagi's other coping mechanism."

Akari's cheeks went pink and she asked, "Uh, can you hear everything that happens in this house?"

"I can't hear what goes on in Inara's room."

Akari visibly relaxed.

Inu touched one finger to the tip of her nose. "But I can smell it on you two."

Akari curled into a ball of beet-red embarrassment, but Inara just chuckled and said, "Sorry about that, Inu. We'll take a bath right after we finish eating."

"Cool." Inu packed up her dishes and started to rinse them in the sink. Then she stopped and looked back at Akari. "I'm not jealous, and I don't really know what I mean by this, but you seem different this morning, Akari."

"Huh? Like how?"

"I don't know. It's like you're more real than you were yesterday."

Akari giggled. "Well, I've always been quite real, so I don't know how I could be more real now."

"It's not the best description, but it's all I've got." Inu set her rinsed dishes in the dishwasher, said, "Have a nice bath," and left.

Inara had been quiet during the interaction, but she spoke up after Inu was gone. "That wasn't like Inu. She seems anxious."

"Yeah…" Akari frowned. She believed Inu when she said she wasn't jealous, but something was definitely wrong. I just hope I didn't somehow harm my closest friendship.

Inara and Akari were soaking in the bath, relaxing with one arm around the other's shoulders. Akari was ignoring the nagging desire in the back of her mind that came to life at the sight of Inara's nudity. She'd rather just unwind and enjoy the moment. She wanted more of last night, of course, but intimacy could wait for the privacy of Inara's room.

Then there was a knock on the door, and a giggly voice called, "Ya'll decent in there? I'm comin' in." Neko sauntered in, her twin tails and hips wiggling, then she sat down at a faucet with her back to the pool. It gave Akari a phenomenal view of her butt, and for once she wasn't distracted by it.

"Good morning, Neko," Inara said casually.

"Is it? Ain't actually checked a clock." The cat spirit yawned, then added, "And I was woken up at some accursed time last night by that shockwave. Had a bitch of a time getting back to sleep."

"Shockwave?" Inara and Akari asked in unison. Akari blushed at the coincidence, and Inara flashed her a small smile.

"Dang, you didn't even notice? Musta been some damn good sex. Good on ya."

Inara said, "Seriously, what are you talking about, Neko?"

"A monumentous thing happened, and I've never been so close to it before."

"Elaborate," Inara insisted.

Neko spun around on her seat, putting her washing on hold. She pressed one arm across her chest and held her chin with the other. "Let me guess… The other girls are antsy? Maybe avoiding you two?"

Akari nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I assumed it was jealousy."

"In part," Neko said, "But it's mostly a new sensation, an awareness they can't shake. Even I'm feeling it, and my bond to Inara ain't nothin' compared to theirs. Usagi's been here for centuries, so she prolly felt it hours before it hit, like achy joints before a storm."

Inara was growing annoyed. "Spit it out, Neko. What are you talking about?"

The cat smiled ear to ear. "Akari has bonded with you, Goddess. And not like a lover. Not even like a worshipper with her god. Nuh uh, you two clicked like two magnets, like a doll's arm in the socket, like a bullet in a gun." The grin faded and her tone went serious. "Like a goddess and her chosen one."

Neko turned away and resumed cleaning, lathering up a loofah and washing her back with remarkable flexibility. "Tsk, tsk, not even given an explanation," she mused. "That's gotta be hard on the poor girls."

"Uh, what?" Akari asked, already looking to Inara for clarity. "What's that mean?"

Inara slumped against the edge of the bath, eyes closed. "I should have known. I've seen this before, but I assumed it wouldn't happen to me, that I was too fractured to agree on something so strongly." She pulled Akari close and said, "It's as Neko said. Inadvertently though it may be, you're sort of my chosen one now, my primary disciple."

"And what does that mean? Does it change anything?"

"It changes nothing, and everything. It's like if I turned up the thermostat for the shrine by a few degrees. No one would notice it at first, but it would affect them nonetheless. And without an explanation, they'd grow irritable. That was what we saw with Inu at breakfast."

"I meant with me," Akari blurted, letting herself be selfish for once. "What's being a 'chosen one' going to do to me?"

Inara kissed her on the forehead. "I don't know, but I love you, so the effects will only be good. I promise."

Neko splashed into the bath and let out a loud sigh as the heat penetrated her body. Then she said, "Want me to tell the girls what's up? I can explain it to 'em for you."

Inara shook her head. "No. I've dedicated myself and this shrine to personal growth, and that means doing this myself. I will tell the others, individually. But thank you for the offer, Neko, and thank you for making me aware of the situation."

Neko's ears twitched at the praise and she reclined deeper into the hot water of the bath. "No probs, Goddess. Happy to help."