Schneeweißchen, Rosenrot, und Nachtschwarz

Xion's story starts, as all do, with once upon a time.

For indeed, once upon a time there was a maiden of twilight—three, in fact, who ruled both dawn and dusk. All that was crepuscular belonged to those maidens, and so too were they bound to the matutinal and the verspertine, embodying all that lied betwixt day and night. They were sisters in purpose and essence, made in the image of sunrise and sunset, and rarely left each other's sides.

The first of these maidens was Naminé, sometimes called Snow White, who took the shape of morning mists on the cusp of day, the pale blues and grays of the waking world, and the last golden light at sundown. She represented reflection; those thoughtful hours when one wondered what do I want and how do I fit into this world?

The second of these maidens was Kairi, known also as Rose Red, who took the form of the burning sun. She shone in orange, pink, and red, her eyes flashing the same sweet violet and indigo that bled across the evening sky. She flared upon the horizon, a being of guidance and motivating energy, a reminder of the warmth of home, of hope and love. She was princess of that one, pure moment before the sun sunk out of sight, when one asked where am I going and how do I get there? 

The last of these maidens was Xion, who bore the name Night Black. If her sisters were reflection and guidance, then she was immersion, the girl who lost herself in the deepest blues and blacks of night. She was the hour before the sun cracked the shell of the world, and the abyss into which it returned when the time came for its departure. All manner of things stirred in her soul; those precious thoughts and painful feelings whose existence could only be acknowledged in darkness. She existed within all beings, becoming them and thus understanding everything and nothing, for that was the way of people's hearts. She was she and he and they, and all else that lived, had lived, and would live. She knew their emotions, accepted them, and in doing so embraced the questions inherent in all connections; who am I, who are you and who are we becoming?

Yet despite the fact the maidens embodied concepts of such great import, they spent most of their days doing very little. By simply existing they gave their blessings to the world, and thus in turn were given plentiful time to enjoy a pleasantly mundane existence. They wiled away their time in idle pleasure, living in a lovely cottage in the woods where they were cared for by their mother and master, Lady Aqua.

In truth, there were few things that could harm the maidens. Beings like themselves could pose a threat, as well as anyone perceptive enough to harm their feelings instead of their forms, but for the most they feared nothing and had no reason to. Still, Lady Aqua watched over them. As Guardian of Water, she was connected intimately to all things, Xion and her sisters included. She cradled sunrise and sunset in her embrace, and held the girls in much the same manner. It was, for all involved, an ideal arrangement.

The four maidens lived contentedly for many years within their woodland cottage. The breezes were always warm, and the flowers were eternally in blossom—save, of course, for when fruit was sought, in which case it hung plump and ripe from every bush and branch. A brook filled the air with music, whistling sweet melodies and babbling gossip. It was neither too hot nor too cold, and thus the girls played there often, while Aqua sat on the bank and translated all the whispers the water had heard as it wound its way through the trees.

The maidens also spoke often with the woodland's wildlife; creatures of mountain, forest, and glade singing their greetings from the garden beds and window sills. The beasts of morn, noon, evening, and night brought all manner of gifts, although those of the hours betwixt were most generous with their twilit patrons. The wild spirits that wandered the lands remained distant, seeing to their homes and tasks, but their cubs and pups visited every spring. Though the maidens knew how dangerous their parents were—as otherworldly and everlasting as the maidens themselves—they could not resist showering their affections upon the tiny creatures, so obvious in their eagerness for pets, belly rubs, and cheery chitchat.

The animals were not the only ones eager to be pet, however. The maidens and their mother had needs of their own, and numerous friends who sought their company. The first brooked no issue, as the girls were always happy to see to one another. When they had a thirst, Aqua provided, and when they sought comfort and sensual caress, the sisters were there for each other, offering the warm touch of dawn and dusk. They loved sweetly, and shared their affections with ease.

Yet trouble persists, worming its way into all lives, and thus the maidens had experienced their fair share. The matter of companions posed a problem, particularly for Xion.

Of the three sisters, Kairi shone the brightest. Her light fell upon many wanderers, those piercing rays of sun that formed her soul reaching into the hearts of all and filling them with joy, dreams, and nostalgia. Her glow had drawn many an eye over the years, been the start of innumerable friendships. Beings of sky, land, light, and even darkness praised her, alongside countless others.

Those companions had come to love the other maidens in time, fortunately, and what jealously had existed between the girls had abated. There had been one incident, wherein Naminé had reflected Kairi's meaning—guidance—unto herself and sought the attention of the Way to the Dawn's beloved brother, as well as the affections of the Daylight Sky. The Lord of Flowers and the savage Lightning Queen had been visiting then, had crept into Naminé's heart and twisted it, but ultimately she rejected them and admitted to her deceit.

There had been a happy ending, for both the Way to the Dawn's brother and the Daylight Sky adored her regardless. She had not needed to be as Kairi was to be loved, and that had eased the ache in her heart. All parties reconciled, and Naminé celebrated by inviting the Lord of Flowers and the Lightning Queen to dinner, capturing their affections over the evening meal. There had been much rejoicing, with copious caresses and many a good, long ride as the three maidens, the silver-haired brothers, the Daylight Sky, and both Lord and Queen affirmed their bonds.

It was the undeniable truth, however, that Kairi was the first spark in most of the maidens' relationships. Naminé, in turn, had forged several of her own, and even mended many a link in the chains that bound them to others. Aqua, too, had her connections, companions from a time before Xion and her sisters emerged into the world. All three women's friends delighted in sharing themselves among the maidens, but the fact was Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua had something Xion did not.

People who had seen them first.

Xion did not begrudge her sisters and mother this. She loved them all dearly, as she loved their many companions. Yet the knowledge none outside their family had sought to know her before them hurt. It was selfish, perhaps, but she longed for someone to see her first, to build a relationship with her as the first spark, the first link, the first in mind.

I love sharing! I wouldn't want to keep whoever came to me for myself. I wouldn't even want to seek them out by myself. I'd just...want to be the cause, the reason for the relationship. I want to be the foundation! I love my sisters and my mother and all our friends, but this feeling inside me can't be sated by them. I am a being that pours myself into the hearts of others, and is filled up in return. Is it really so strange that I should know this envy, this loneliness, and wish to ease it? Is it truly selfish to hope for a connection that starts with me?

All manner of emotions stirred inside Xion, complex and nuanced. Whether they came from her or were inherited from others, they grew, until one day she refused to tolerate the pain any longer. She sought out her sisters and explained the situation, in the hope of receiving comfort and advice.

"It's not that I'm unhappy with you," Xion said, as they sat around the hearth one night. "You're both dear to me. You're my lovers—my sisters! But I can't help how I feel about this, either. It's not mother's fault, or our friends' fault. It's just...I have a big heart, with room for many, and so many desires and emotions inside it. I want someone outside our family to see me first. I want to be the one who creates a new connection. I love all of you so dearly, but my heart still longs for this."

Fear and shame took Xion, but it was for naught. A flood of warmth and compassion rushed through her; Kairi and Naminé's feelings.

"I get it," Kairi said, and Xion knew that she did. "But how to go about finding someone for you? Maybe...we can go for a walk tomorrow! If we meet someone on the road, you can decide if you want to befriend them or not! Would that work?"

"Oh, yes!" Xion exclaimed, grinning.

"Good. There's always room for more here. I've been kind of bored lately, what with Sora and Riku off gallivanting about on some quest and everyone else so busy. Next time I'm going with them whether they invite me or not!"

She had been bored, Xion knew, just as she understood that wasn't the main motivation for Kairi helping her now. Still, I'll be glad if I can help myself and others at the same time. Isn't it nice not to have to choose who gets to be happy? Isn't it nice when people don't have to sacrifice their joy for someone else's?

"Hm," Naminé hummed. She twined her fingers with Xion's as her thoughtfulness wrapped around them like a blanket, soft and reassuring. "We'll find someone. Or would you rather do this alone?"

"Oh, no! I want you both to be there. It'll be more fun if we work together, after all."

The maidens shared a grin, then got to work making plans for the morrow. They organized their outfits, their route through the woods, and what they'd take with them on their journey. They got so excited thinking about who they might meet and what they might do that Aqua, upon returning from her evening walk, had to calm them down.

The girls didn't mind, Kairi and Naminé clinging to each other as Aqua fingered their cunts, holding hands as she rubbing her thumbs over their clits. The two girls kissed each other and Xion, rubbing her small cock to fullness. It was always a little shy, but once Aqua had the other girls going it was easy enough to take Xion in her mouth and reduce her to a wet, whimpering mess. 

They collapsed into a pile when they were done, Aqua cuddling each of them before tucking them in. As Xion drifted off, she felt her love, her arousal, and her desire to keep them safe. The sensation soothed her, ensured sweet dreams and a good night's sleep. 

The next day, the three maidens rose early. They prepared a breakfast of pancakes, berries, and cream, the latter of which they swiped off each other's plates and noses, and kissed off each other's lips. They took a bath in the brook afterward, scrubbing their skin and teeth, washing and styling their hair.

Once dry, they put on their finest clothes. The prettiest petticoats in white, red, and black clung to their bodies, sheer stockings in matching shades rising to their thighs. They pinned their capes with brooches of silver, bronze, and gold, swishing this way and that as the waist-length hems trailed behind them. Their shoes were flat with a strap across the middle, black and polished to shine—almost as bright as their faces did, so eager they were to face the day.

To the girls, however, the most important aspect of their outfits lay underneath; their favorite lace panties and bras, snug and see-through, with delicate detailing around the waistbands and cups. The maidens giggled as they put those on, making excuses to bend over and tease each other. They did this until Naminé had had enough, and ran a finger down Kairi's wet slit as she pretended to pick a sock up. Xion shuddered at the flood of heat she felt, sharing both Kairi's and Naminé's experiences.

The moment passed, but only because they made such a ruckus that Aqua poked her head in to ask what was wrong. Her blue eyes flitted from their outfits to their picnic baskets, and the various toys and other treats they were putting in them, then back up to their smiling faces. None were surprised when she called them to a stop.

"Alright," she said, "just what are you girls up to? It's not every day you dress so fine."

The maidens exchanged a look before Naminé spoke. "Xion's been lonely, mother, so we thought we'd go out and meet some new people."

"Naminé and I have friends who saw us first," Kairi added, "but Xion doesn't. I mean, our friends like all of us and Xion likes all our friends, and I wouldn't say being the foundation of a relationship is the same as being the most beloved within it either. But all the same, always being the second link in a chain...well, you'd start to feel a little strange, wouldn't you?"

"I don't think she'll do what I did," Naminé murmured, head bowed, "but it's better to deal with these emotions openly, and as soon as you've given them due thought. Letting things simmer beyond that is..." She frowned, until Xion took her hand and squeezed it.

"Hm." Aqua glanced between the girls, brows furrowed in that fashion most common amongst mothers. Yet her eyes were kind, and despite her trepidation—her curiosity and concern obvious to Xion—nothing could overshadow her affection, or her amusement for that matter. Her brow smoothed. She smiled down at Xion and took her face in her hands. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes, more than anything. Everyone is special to me, but...there's room in my heart for more. I want to know what it's like to be the spark in a relationship. I want to know how bright a fire glows when it's lit in deepest darkness." She stuck out her tongue. "And maybe I want to spice things up a bit. It's been ages since we've had a new partner."

Aqua laughed, the skin at the corner of her eyes wrinkling before she pulled Xion into her embrace. It was warm and sweet, though not quite as soothing as her bed time hugs were. That wasn't Aqua's fault. Her breasts tended to have an 'awakening' effect when one wasn't tired, and Xion was not immune to it. She blushed when Aqua finally noticed, but there was no issue.

"Chin up," she said. "The people you meet will want to see your lovely face. I'm sure they won't mind getting a rise out of you either." Xion huffed and Aqua pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Don't pout. You three have fun, alright? I know you'll be able to keep each other safe. Just remember, it's that time of year when the wolves and cats come out to play. The way they prowl about, it's hard to tell if they're friend or foe. Just be mindful." She gave Xion another kiss, followed by two more for Kairi and Naminé. "And perhaps give your master a little love before you run off for the day?"

The girls pounced on the opportunity. It had been a while since they'd last attended Aqua, who'd been busy with the Lords of Earth and Wind of late and hadn't been around for them to pamper. Thoughts of what they might do to make up for lost time flashed through their minds, heat rushing between their legs as they followed Aqua to her chair. She sat with her usual grace, placed a pillow on the floor at her feet, then smiled, beckoning them forward.

Xion lowered herself to the ground, straddling the pillow and spreading Aqua's legs. Kairi moved to Aqua's right, Naminé to her left. Both girls reached down to fuss with her dress, undoing the straps and tugging it over her head. They removed everything except her dark thigh highs, leaving her bare, breasts heaving and cunt on display. Heat pooled in Xion's stomach at the sight, her cock twitching as surely as her sisters and mother grew wet.

Aqua sighed, leaning back as Kairi and Naminé took her breasts in hand. They squeezed her chest, caressing both the mounds and nipples. A sharp gasp escaped her when Naminé bent forward and replaced her fingers with her mouth, sucking hard as she ran her hand over Aqua's stomach. Kairi chose not to mimic her, instead licking her fingers and pinching Aqua's nipple, before taking her lips in a kiss. The intensity of it left both women throbbing, their pleasure surging through Xion like a tidal wave.

She let the water take her. With her cheek against Aqua's thigh, she watched as Naminé ran her tongue and teeth over Aqua's breast, as Kairi's fingers tweaked her nipple, lips hard against her mother's mouth. Xion shivered at the scent of her pussy, needy and trickling wet onto the chair. The delicate dusting of blue hair above her slit framed her clit and folds, her hole glistening in the warm, dim daylight. Xion squeezed her thighs and then, with the lust of all involved building inside her, leaned forward and licked.

Aqua groaned, arching her back. Her hips ground against Xion's mouth, Xion's tongue massaging her clit before dipping inside. She tasted wonderful, her scent thick and heavy now Xion had her nose buried in her cunt. She loved it, loved her aroma and the way she squirmed as Xion lapped her tongue over her pussy, caressed the soft curves of her thighs. There was strength in them, the pleasant squish of fat over muscle as she pressed her fingers into her skin.

Xion's belly, chest, and cock all tensed, her eyes fluttering closed. Oh, how she wished she could grind her cock against her mother's cunt. It would be so lovely and slick, so hot.

She had a task, however, and refused to give anything less than her best effort to it, licking, kissing, and drinking down Aqua's wet juices as she squeezed them onto her tongue. A rush of pleasure shot through Xion at how divine she tasted. She moaned against Aqua, felt another gush of wet coat her lips. A string of viscous fluid kept them connected as Xion pulled back to breathe, only breaking when she flicked out her tongue to draw it into her mouth; delicious. 

She opened her eyes and smiled up at her mother, admired the red blossoming on her cheeks. It made a lovely contrast to the blue of her hair. Xion did not miss the way it fell around her face, sticking to the sweat on her skin as she succumbed to pleasure. Xion did not miss the way Kairi and Naminé had slipped their panties aside either, touching themselves as they teased Aqua. Xion might not have a body like theirs, but she knew what it felt like through them—the spark when they rolled their fingers over their clits, the pleasing fullness of their fingers inside themselves. It all felt so good, so wonderful that Xion had to take her cock out of her panties for fear of ruining them with how much she was leaking.

Her body sunk deeper into ecstasy; hers, Aqua's, Kairi's, and Naminé's. Xion ground her hips against the pillow, sliding one hand up Aqua's thigh to the crease where leg met hip, then down again to her hole. With her tongue rubbing hard against her clit, Xion slid two fingers inside her mother. Aqua's legs trembled, spreading wider, and Xion knew she must be close. The warmth coiling in her stomach, the tingling in her cock, her heart thundering in her chest were all signs that promised a sweet release. If she didn't have things to do, she would've loved to prolong their play; she wasn't entirely sure when she'd get another chance. But we've places to be, so... She fucked Aqua with her fingers, deliberately seeking out where she was most sensitive as she slid her lips over her clit and hummed. 

The vibrations proved too much. Aqua's thighs clamped hard around her head, her cunt squeezing Xion's fingers as she squirted all over her face. Wet slid from her pussy with every contraction, moans slipping past her lips. Xion couldn't see her face, but she could feel Kairi's lips on Aqua's neck, feel Naminé draw back from her breasts. She could feel how close her sisters were, so close, so close—

"Stop, all of you."

Aqua's voice shook, but the girls did not mistake her words for suggestion. They obeyed, Kairi and Naminé removing their fingers from their panties, Xion rising as she mourned the loss of the pillow she'd ground against. They fidgeted, protesting silently in the hopes their mother might have some mercy and let them ease their arousal.

Aqua did not, however, merely rising from her chair on trembling legs. She took each of their hands in turn and licked them clean, then fetched a tea towel from the kitchen so she might wipe away any excess dampness from their fingers, faces, and thighs. She readjusted their panties and tidied their petticoats, smoothing them down before she stepped back and admired at her work. Then she gathered their baskets and lead them to the door, kissing them all farewell.

"Perhaps you'll find your release on the road, along with those new friends you're looking for," she teased, but not unkindly. "Just remember to stay safe and take care of each other, alright?"

"Yes, mother," the girls replied in chorus. Aqua laughed, then sent them on their way with a wave and a smile.

 

---

 

The maidens set off, enjoying the dappled light and gentle breeze upon the woodland path. They talked about light-hearted things, Naminé on Kairi's right and Xion on her left. Kairi sung and Naminé echoed her, while Xion held out her hand to passing birds, and they told jokes and laughed and occasionally paused to admire the many-hued mushrooms breaking through the soil on the side of the road. Mostly, though, they kept their eyes ahead, hoping for a traveler to pass their way. 

"Although there might be someone in the trees," Xion observed, watching the leaves rustle as two squirrels leaped from branch to branch. "You never know."

Yet there was no one, morning coming and going without a single stranger passing them by. The girls sighed, still feeling needy after their morning's play, and eager for lunch besides.

"It's so quiet," Naminé sighed. "How can no one be out on such a lovely day?"

"You'd think someone would be taking a walk or something, even with the spirits prowling," Kairi grumbled, shifting awkwardly. "If no one comes by I really am just going to have to push you two down and have my way."

"That's not so bad," Xion giggled, coming up behind her to grope her chest. Kairi gasped, laughed, then let out a sigh, sinking back against her. She peered at Xion over her shoulder, then cocked her head.

"If we keep going this way, we'll come across a clearing."

"Sounds like a good place to stop for lunch," Naminé said.

"Then let's go!" Xion exclaimed. "I'm starving."

"For a lot of things by the looks of it," Naminé teased, then started running, Xion and Kairi chasing her through the woods.

They reached the clearing in no time, coming to a breathless halt at its boundary. It was strewn with wild flowers and sweet-scented grass, lovely trees in shades of green, red, and gold catching the light and casting it upon the ground in pretty patterns. It was as picturesque as the rest of the wood, kept so by magic. Here, sunbeams danced with shadows, the air was pleasantly mild, and the tapestry of branches, leaves, and bushes gave the illusion of privacy.

The girls fell into a heap on the ground, setting their baskets aside clumsily as they touched one another. All three of them were wet; Kairi and Naminé dripping, Xion's cock leaking. Kisses were shared, soft, with just a little tongue. They had Xion shivering as her fingers crept beneath Kairi's petticoat, rubbing her swollen cunt through the damp spot in her panties. She throbbed at Xion's touch, and Xion couldn't resist laying her back and spreading her legs so she could take a look. Her pussy was visible through the wet fabric, the way her folds opened so pink and pretty a feast for the eyes.

She'd be a wonderful feast for the tongue too.

Xion didn't get the chance to taste her, however, because she was pushed down in the next moment. Naminé loomed over her, a smile on her delicate face. Her hands sought out the tiny mounds of Xion's chest, teasing and playing, delighting in the noises she made. Of the three maidens Xion had the smallest breasts, but it still felt wonderful when they were touched, her nipples growing hard as Naminé rubbed them. She groaned, pushing her chest into her sister's palms, obediently rolling onto her side as Naminé directed. Kairi was waiting there, and the two girls wrapped their arms around each other, legs tangling as Naminé embraced Xion from behind. Their combined wet pressing up against her clothed cock and ass made her moan, and just for a second she wished she could trade her cock for their cunts and feel them buried in both her holes. 

That wasn't possible, unfortunately, but their toys in her ass would work just as well. Her eyes flitted over to the baskets; a silent request.

They understood. Unfortunately, being sisters, they had to indulge in a little teasing first. They nuzzled under each others' chins, stroked each others' hair. They ground against one another, slipping off shoes and twining legs, enjoying the closeness.

It was some time before Naminé removed herself from their pile, but Xion knew her intent when she did. She knew Kairi's too, knew exactly what to expect when she felt hands against her chest. Xion rolled onto her back, smiled up at her sister as she straddled her crotch. A flutter started up in Xion's stomach, though she couldn't say if it were her feelings or Kairi's, or if both of them were simply reacting to the sensation of her dainty cock slotting into Kairi's slit. Even through their clothes they strained to touch each other, seeking skin against skin.

Still, they had plenty of time. For all that coming would be wonderful right now, the mood had shifted. Gone was the fear of another orgasm being denied, replaced instead with the desire for a slow build and big release.

The girls lost themselves, Kairi rolling her hips atop Xion as Naminé watched, panties pushed aside. Her pleasure washed over Xion, the sensation of fingers delving deep inside her cunt as she opened herself for her toy. One end will go in her, and the other...

Xion looked up at Kairi, and wondered which of them would take it.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

All three girls leaped up, eyes darting across the clearing. Xion spotted a shape lurking in the shadow of a tree; tall and thin, foreboding. Her sisters saw him a second later, and as one they reached into the hidden pocket of their cloaks, retrieving their bewitched daggers. They caught the light, shining like a predator's teeth.

But the newcomer did not bare either teeth or weapon. He remained beneath the tree, hands raised, voice cocky. "Fret not, ladies, I'm not here to harm you. I'm not even here for you, really. I just thought I'd stop a moment and enjoy the show. That was a pretty intense performance!"

"One that you weren't invited to watch," Kairi scowled, stepping in front of Xion and Naminé.

"I wasn't aware one needed an invitation to wander these woods," the man said. "You're nigh as close to my territory as I am to yours, lady."

"Really?" Kairi said, more than a little disbelieving. "Well, come on then. If you're going to stand there leering, at least have the decency to give us a look at you." Her grip on her dagger tightened. "Don't make me come over there. Whoever you are, you'll regret it."

"Woah, woah, relax! I was serious when I said I had no plans for you." He waved his hands in an attempt at placation. "You're not the one I'm hunting."

Xion frowned, biting her lip. She could feel his honesty, but what he thought remained beyond her grasp. It was that, more than anything, that revealed who he was.

"You're one of the wild spirits," she said, eyes wide.

"That's right," he returned.

"Who are you hunting?"

She heard the man take a breath, but it was Naminé who answered. "The mountain cat. That's who you're after, isn't it, wolf?"

Through their bond, Xion caught a glimpse of her thoughts; the man's scent on the wind, clean yet reminiscent of the pups they encountered in the spring. Stalking that scent came the image of a grand canine, its tawny fur tinged a violent red.

"Bingo," the man said, snapping his fingers. "The little lady's got it." He laughed, then with a grace all three girls envied, stepped into the light.

His eyes were the first thing Xion saw; forest green and glowing. They were lined in violet hues, winged and cat-like, though Xion knew she stood before a hound. Piercing and beautiful in equal measure, they were complimented by the twin marks upon his cheeks. Those dripped down to the corners of his lips, quirked in an undeniably wolfish grin—dangerous, yet playful all the same. His fangs matched his cheekbones, their edges cutting, and his face was framed by a wild mane of sharp, scarlet strands.

But it might be soft to touch, she thought. Appearances could be deceiving, after all, and the man's fluffy tail and ears promised something a little less pointed.

His nails, however, did not.

He strode a little closer, long, leather-clad legs carrying him easily across the clearing. A loose, black tank top, jacket, and boots completed his ensemble, roguish yet simple. The clothes flattered him, and Xion felt no shame raking her eyes over his figure as he came to a stop some distance away.

When she looked up, she was not surprised to find him watching her. His gaze flitted over Kairi and Naminé in turn, before he offered a bow—blatantly mocking.

"Greetings, ladies," he said, rising once more. "I've been called many things; Red Wolf, Wild Spirit, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. They're all rather good, if I might say so myself, but for simplicity's sake let's just call me Axel." He pointed his finger at the side of his head and leaned forward. "Got it memorized?"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "With all your showing off how could we forget it?" She sheathed her dagger, Xion and Naminé following suit. "So, what, you're looking for a cat?"

"A mountain cat," Axel replied, "or the Mountain Cat, rather. He's a wild being like me; small, but deadly fast and dangerous as they come. I wouldn't want such delicate flowers as yourselves having a run in with him unawares."

"Oh, get real, Axel."

All four of them jumped, Axel yelping. Xion's eyes flitted up into the trees, felt rather than saw her sisters do the same. There, in the branches of a leafy sycamore, a silhouette shifted, his shape unfurling like a leaf. A spotted tail spilled over the edge, swaying languidly in the air, and a sunbeam tangling in the foliage gave her the impression of ruffled, golden hair, blue eyes, and a cat's smile.

"Roxas," Axel breathed.

"So he's the one we're supposed to watch out for," Naminé murmured.

"Well he must be terrifying, what with how loud he made the Red Wolf shout," Kairi observed wryly. Axel scowled, but had no opportunity to speak.

"See, Axel, this is why you've lost our game the last few years," the mountain cat—Roxas—announced airily from his perch amidst the leaves. Axel huffed, crossing his arms but saying nothing. Roxas laughed. "Oh come on, it's not that bad, is it? And here I was so sure you enjoyed being bred by me, what with all the noise you make when we're together."

"Roxas!"

"You should see him," he continued to the girls, ignoring Axel. "He's pretty cute when he's all fat and round, and he's just as cute when we f—"

"Y'know," Axel interrupted, "you've just blown your cover, Roxas, so you might want to be careful with what you say. That is, if you don't want to look really stupid when I decide to reacquaint myself with the sounds you make. You might be fast but so am I, and I'm bigger too."

Roxas raised his chin, mock-arrogance in his posturing. Xion didn't quite catch his retort though, or Axel's either, as their combined emotions and experiences ran by her like a stream—ancient and magical, endlessly intimate. They unlock each other, she realized. I can touch their hearts so easily when they're together. I can feel them, I can know them...

She let it pass through her, turning to her sisters as the boys bickered. She thought Axel might be taunting Roxas for his refusal to leave his tree—a wise, if dull, decision—but their banter did not hold her attention. Instead, she and her fellow maidens shared a look. Somehow, as luck would have it, they'd encountered both the people their mother had warned them about.

"What do we do?" Xion asked.

"They don't seem too dangerous," Kairi said.

"They're kind of silly."

"And far more interested in toying with each other," Naminé added.

"Axel did flirt with us though," Kairi noted.

"And Roxas had to have been there for a while or we'd have noticed him arriving, so it's rather likely he was watching us too."

"So what you're saying," Xion concluded with a smirk, "is that they're both 'interested', huh?"

There was a pause, the girls glancing toward the still-bickering boys before turning back to each other. They shared a grin. Xion felt their thoughts align, all maidens of the same mind.

"Wanna teach them a lesson?" Kairi said.

"I'd like to but—Xion?" Naminé tilted her head. "It's your special day. Are these the ones you want?"

Xion looked to where the boys were talking—took in their features, their feelings toward each other, their selves, their lives, and the tension pulled taut in their stomachs as they teased one another, as they thought of the girls.

"Yes," she said. "They're the ones I want."

"Alright," Naminé said, smiling.

"Then let's go." Kairi straightened up. As one, the maidens turned to Axel and cleared their throats. He spun to face them, tail swishing, ears swiveling. The red in his hair and fur burned in the light, blazing like the last flare of sunset.

I wonder if we can keep him here that long. I hope we can. 

"So," Kairi began, "we had an idea." Her lips quirked, Xion already struggling to suppress a giggle. She could feel amusement full to bursting in Naminé's chest, but she held it back. She was always the most outwardly demure of the three.

"An idea?" Axel asked, cocking his head.

"Mmhm. I'm not surprised by your unfamiliarity with the concept though."

"Oi!" Axel spluttered, a spot of laughter drifting down from the branches above.

"Quiet, please," Kairi said, as if she hadn't just insulted him. "Anyway, we had an idea—a good one, I think. You see, Xion here is looking for friends." She gestured to Xion, and Xion blushed.

"Friends?"

"Yes, friends. You know what friends are, right?" Despite her teasing, her voice was gentle. The gleam in her eyes, however, was undoubtedly wicked.

"Friends, huh." Axel shrugged. "Sure, I know what those are. They're fun, I guess. But would you remember any old beast in a pack? Don't you think a lone wolf sticks out more? They've got a charm all their own, after all."

"Hm." Naminé tapped her chin with a finger, frowning. "But if we consider what Roxas said before, you must be more charming with company. Certainly, you must sound sweeter." She said the last with a smirk. Axel spluttered again, but his voice was drowned out by Roxas's laughter, his cackles only coming to a stop when he lost his balance. He caught himself, fortunately, but did not manage to catch the squeak that slipped out as he did so.

"Boys," Kairi sighed, taking Naminé's and Xion's hands in her own. They always appeared more intimidating as a unit; the light and shadow of sunset overwhelming all. Axel must've noticed, because Xion could see a bead of sweat on his brow. He'd finally realized, perhaps, the threat that lurked beneath their smiles. Realized, and found himself longing, for she felt the flutter in his stomach herself.

Lust. Fear. Want. Need.

"Now, ladies," he said, holding up his hands.

"No, no, please," Naminé interrupted, "let us finish. We were telling you about how Xion wanted to make some friends."

"Uh, right."

"You see, Kairi and I, we've been the spark for many of the relationships in our lives. Kairi has—more talent for it, I'd say, but in the end we've both known what it feels like to the foundation of a bond. We share, of course. Many of our companions were Kairi's first, some were our mothers, and a few were mine, but we're all very close. Still, Xion, well, she wants to be the spark." Naminé smiled disarmingly. "Don't you think that's a lovely thing? To reach out, wishing to create a connection?"

"Oh," Axel breathed. "Well, yeah, that's...pretty nice."

"Isn't it?"

Xion looked away, cheeks warm. She kept her back straight and voice steady though, unwilling to surrender her moment. "We thought...perhaps you'd like to give it a go. Being friends with me. With us." She looked to Axel, eyes crinkling. "Would you want that?"

Green eyes narrowed, one canine protruding as he smirked. "So you want to be friends? Or rather, you want to be the one who makes us friends, is that it? Do you think you can tame a wolf, girl?"

"Xion," she said, as way of introduction. "And I don't know, but I'd like to try. I'm sure when you get a taste of what my sisters and I do with our friends, you won't care much if you're tame or wild, just so long as you can see us again." She leaned against Kairi, reaching an arm around her so she might hold Naminé's hand.

Axel looked between the three of them, ears and tail perked. He was curious, Xion knew, but wary. Good. His instincts were sharp enough to know there was more.

"Is there...something else?" His smirk faded, just a little.

"There is," Kairi said, "but first, our names. I'm Kairi, and this is Naminé." She gestured to her sister. "Xion told you hers already. You might know of us."

"I know of you the same way you know of me," Axel returned. "In legend, and through my pups and cubs. You've met them." He waved a hand, his cheeks a little red. He was so used to banter that evidence of his obvious affection for and sex with Roxas embarrassed him, it seemed. "That's not important. I want to know what else you're planning."

"Well, you see," Kairi explained, "we sort of think friends shouldn't spy on their friends without those friends' permission, so we wanted to teach you a lesson."

Axel raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey, hey, I wasn't the one getting handsy outdoors, ladies."

"Not with anyone else, anyway," Roxas commented from his perch. Axel glared at him. "What, you think I didn't see your hand down your pants? You're as subtle as a wildfire, Axel."

"Were you always such a pervert, Roxas?"

"Nah, I've just been hanging around you for far too long."

The three maidens were grateful for Roxas's commentary, as he gave them the perfect opportunity to strike. While Axel glared up at his sometimes-partner, Xion and her sisters scurried forward, silent feet carrying them across the grass. She did not doubt their combined smiles were deadlier than anything the wolf could conjure.

When Axel turned back, he flinched. Xion was not surprised. Axel was neither a fool nor careless, but the girls had needed no more than a moment to surround him, and that had to be alarming for a wild being. Still, frightening him was not her intent—for the most part—and so she reached out and put a soothing hand on his cheek. His breath hitched once, then twice when Kairi and Naminé took hold of his arms. Their grip was neither too loose nor too tight; a pleasant accompaniment to Xion's fingers as they left Axel's face and came to rest on his leather-clad hips. She stared up at him, smiling as her palm slid around to his stomach, catching his shirt and sliding up and under, caressing the skin of his stomach, his chest. She licked her lips, and his parted with a shaky sigh.

Quick as a snake, she drew her hand out from under his shirt and locked her arms around his neck, dragged him down. She could feel his breath on her cheek, hot and fast, felt a shock of pleasure run through him as Kairi and Naminé squeezed his ass. 

"Ladies..." He breathed. 

"I want to be your friend, Axel," Xion said, "but we've got to teach you how to behave first."

Axel choked, tail going wild.

Xion laughed, her sisters giggling as Naminé reached out to stroke the appendage. The danger in their tone had been replaced by eagerness which must have been conveyed through her touch, because though Axel gasped, it was not a sound of distress. His eyes darkened, hair standing on end, and Xion felt another warm shock pulse through his body.

All three girls pulled back, Xion's eyes sweeping over Axel's handsome figure once more. She paused once as she took in the bulge in his pants, then caught his eye, grinning. "So, how about it? Do you want to play with us? We'll be bossing you around a little because you've been bad today, but don't fret. We're not really ones for punishment." She smirked. "Well, not serious punishments anyway."

She already knew his answer—knew his yes, his need—but it was fun watching him squirm. The tumult of emotions in him poured into her, her cheeks growing pink as his own, her chest rising and falling in time with his breaths. She had to blink back the haze that came over her mind, his lust filling her as the door to his heart inched open. The already sizable bulge in his pants had grown; a fact both Xion's sisters had noticed and delighted in.

More delightful than that, however, was the wagging his tail.

"I..." Axel tried.

"Oh, just push him down and fuck him already," Roxas complained from his tree.

Xion giggled. "You're next, y'know?"

"Wha—ack!" The sound was muffled, drowned in the rustle of leaves as Roxas once again nearly fell from his tree.

"He's cute," Naminé murmured.

"But we'll catch him later," Kairi said, taking Axel's arm again. Naminé mimicked her, and Xion took both his hands.

Axel glanced between the three of them, and swallowed.

"Come here," Xion said. "Come play."

His whispered, "Okay," caught on the breeze and danced away as the three maidens dragged him to the ground. They had him on his hands and knees in moments, boots kicked off, fingers caressing whatever skin they could reach. Xion, lying under him, took his face in her hands and drew him into a kiss. His lips were wet, pleasantly glossy, his tongue responsive as she rubbed hers against it. She shivered when Naminé grasped his tail again, knew the way it made his back curl and cock throb. The flicking of his ears caught her eye, and she touched them, furry beneath her palm. He was soft and wet and so, so good.

Xion let herself sink—her essence seeping into Axel, Naminé, Kairi, and Roxas. Naminé's feelings took precedence, entranced as she was by Axel's tail. It was neither too rough nor too soft, a texture she knew would feel wonderful pressed up against her cunt. Xion shivered at her wetness. She had leaked through her panties already, her hands wrapped tight around Axel's tail as she tugged it, and his ass, up.

"We're gonna need to get these off first," Kairi whispered in her ear, her breath hot against Naminé and thus hot against Xion too. Her lips pressed against the shell, the lobe, her neck, Kairi's cunt tingling as Naminé moaned. She set her hands on her waist, squeezing the slight layer of fat there before sliding one hand up to cup her breast, feel her nipple harden beneath her petticoat. She pinched it, felt Naminé shudder, then slowly began to rub it in circles.

The other hand slid down, fingers trailing along her thigh before dipping between her legs. She rucked up the hem of her petticoat and pressed her thumb against Naminé's clothed slit.

"Nnh," Naminé whimpered, hips canting into Kairi's touch. Xion groaned into Axel's mouth at the same moment, mesmerized by her sisters' pleasure, by Axel's heat, by the distant arousal of Roxas, watching.

"You're so wet," Kairi whispered, and Xion was with her again. She shivered at the sensation of wet fabric beneath her fingers, let herself be Kairi so she might indulge more.

Kairi circled her thumb, massaging Naminé's clit before sliding down to press against her hole. It was hot enough to make Kairi throb, her own cunt almost as eager for contact as her fingers were eager to be inside Naminé's pussy. She stroked her up and down, from her clit to her entrance and back, before slipping a hand beneath the hem of her panties and pushing two fingers inside. Naminé whimpered again, clamping down hard as Kairi fucked her deep.

"Kairi..." she breathed, reaching back to pull her into a kiss. It was sloppy and awkward, hard to connect over her shoulder with one hand still wrapped around Axel's tail. Yet there was pleasure, a certain sweetness that blossomed in her heart, sending seeds on the wind to rest within Xion's. Through their bond, both girls could feel Kairi's fingers inside Naminé, dipping in and out, the wet squelch of her pussy just audible over Xion and Axel's kissing.

Take her panties off, Xion thought, as Axel's fingers traced her own. One hand palmed her cock, the other supporting his weight as he loomed over her. She slid her tongue over his teeth, tempting them to cut her before delving inside. How dangerous are you? How dangerous are we? Do you like it?

I do.

"Weren't we getting these off?" Kairi said. Xion was Naminé again, being drawn back by the hem of her panties. She groaned, releasing Axel's tail as Kairi tugged her out of reach. "Come on, up."

Naminé rose on shaking legs, an ache in her stomach now she'd lost Axel's tail. The soft-rough of it against her palm had teased her, tempting with its perfect texture. She missed it, and clearly Axel missed her, for he pushed his ass back as she let go, pleading silently.

"You can play in a moment," Kairi huffed, but her amusement was obvious. Judging by the rapid rise and fall of her chest, her arousal was obvious too. She succumbed to it for a second, crouched in front Naminé with her nose next to her cunt. Her sister's scent was heady, so delicious and so near she saw no reason not to indulge. With her hands squeezing Naminé's ass she drew her close, burying her face in the crotch of her petticoat and inhaling.

"Kairi," Naminé breathed, wriggling her hips just a little.

"Alright," Kairi said, returning to her task. She slid her hands up Naminé's legs, thumbed the lace of her thigh high stockings. "These can stay," she whispered. Naminé hummed, sound breaking off when Kairi gathered the hem of her petticoat and lifted it. Both girls felt their pussies throb—Kairi at the sight of Naminé's soaked panties, Naminé at the feeling of being so exposed. That sensation only grew as Kairi tugged her panties gently down her legs, a wet string caught between Naminé's pussy and her underwear.

Xion shuddered, gripping Axel tighter as Kairi's lust flooded into her. Axel panted in her ear and she knew he could feel it too; feel the deep desire the girls behind him did, the need to fuck, as Xion drew it through herself and released it into him.

"I want you to know them," she whispered in his ear, smiling. "My sisters."

"And you?" Axel asked. "You're the one doing this, right? Giving me their—ah—feelings. Didn't you want me to know you first?"

"Aren't you? Getting to know me first, I mean." She giggled, pressing another kiss to his lips. Xion wasn't very dominant, but Axel surrendered to her then, and she took his mouth with her tongue. When she pulled back she added, "This is me. When you feel them through me, you're also feeling me."

"And Roxas? And me?" Axel seemed curious, intrigued through the haze of lust.

"Yes. Everyone exists in me, and I exist in everyone. I have ties to the sky and all above, within, and beneath it."

My existence as Night Black of Twilight, she thought. It could have been a curse, but instead—she fell into Kairi's essence, drowning in roseate light—I have made it a blessing.

As Axel kissed her and followed her into Kairi and Naminé, she thought he agreed.

Kairi drew Naminé close the second she stepped out of her panties, kissing her clit. Naminé trembled, one hand in her skirts and one in Kairi's hair as she licked slowly around her nub, dipping down the slit and toying with her folds. Her breathed hitched with every touch, wet and teasing, delving deeper into the thick, damp heat where her scent was strongest. It took all Kairi had not to simply shove her down and devour her. She wanted nothing more than to drink deep from her hole and quench the thirst deep inside her.

She didn't, however, massaging her clit and cunt for only a moment more before backing off. "You wanted a go at his tail, yeah?" she asked, smiling up at her sister. Naminé shivered, drawn into the warm glitter of her eyes—a fact Kairi knew through Xion's connection to her.

"Yes," Naminé whispered.

"Well, you did always like stories about the Big Bad Wolf. Was it the danger? Did you want to tame him? Or did you want him to catch you and have his way?" She grinned. "Did you want him to catch you so you could have your way?"

"Both. All." Naminé shook her head. "This one's Xion's, though."

"Oh hush, you know she likes to share even more than we do."

Xion giggled into Axel's mouth, wrapped her legs around his waist and dragged him down so they could grind their cocks together. The friction was pleasing, Axel's long dick sliding against Xion's little one, sending tingles through her cock and into her stomach—a feeling Axel shared. Moans slipped past their lips whenever they parted to breathe and Axel's tail wagged wildly.

"Curve your back," Xion whispered. "I need your cock, but my sisters need your ass."

Kairi's appreciation found Xion as Axel presented himself to her, leather-clad ass raised and ruffled tail in the air. Kairi reached out and stroked it once, grasping it tightly when Axel shuddered. His little whimpers made her pussy hot, made her wish desperately she had something she could plunge inside, or maybe a mouth she could fuck herself on.

She chose to wait her turn however, instead tugging at Axel's tail. The way he wriggled and arched made her smile, and she understood a little what Roxas had meant about the pleasures of breeding him. The noises he must make when being bitched—her heart beat faster just thinking about it.

"May I?" Naminé asked, kneeling beside her.

"Of course," Kairi grinned, shuffling back so her sister could take her place nearest to Axel's ass. She settled in behind her, breasts pressed up against her soft back.

Naminé succumbed to the sensations around her; Kairi's chest and Axel's tail, and the noises he and Xion were making as they writhed before her. She saw her delight reflected in all of them, saw their understanding of themselves and their desires blossom into something wondrous. It gave her power, strength, left her cheeks glowing and her core hot. Xion felt her blink away the ethereal haze, returning to the corporeal.

"It's long," she murmured, running her hand up and down Axel's tail. She tilted her head to look at Kairi. "You'll be able to play with it too."

The two girls pressed close, Naminé giddy as she straddled the tail, Kairi guiding it so it sat snugly between their legs. It was just long enough to pass beneath both of them and curl toward the small of Kairi's back, shaping to their bodies as it writhed. 

It felt wonderful, the hairs rough enough to provide friction, soft enough not to hurt. The tail wagged, flipping side to side, up and down. Even with panties on, Naminé knew it felt good, because Kairi gasped and pressed hard against her back, arms wrapping around Naminé's middle and holding her close.

Without panties, it was everything she'd hoped it would be. She kept her hand wrapped around the base of Axel's tail, ensuring it remained close to her and Kairi's bodies and wriggled between her folds, against her clit, all while making Axel whine. It was obvious her grip brought him pleasure, his hips rolling up and then down hard against Xion, desperate, begging for more. Naminé's breath came too quick, chest heaving as she reached up with her other hand and took hold of Axel's ass.

The noises they made were wonderful to Xion; Naminé's delicate voice rising, Kairi's muted but still sweet. Axel's constant whimpers and groans were a delight, the wet sound of his tail flicking hard between her sisters' legs painfully arousing. She pushed her pleasure into his heart and felt the way he stiffened, his hair on end, his tail writhing hard. Naminé and Kairi sighed, Kairi's hold on Naminé tightening, Naminé's grip on Axel rough, and that touch pooled heat in Axel's belly—which Xion shared with him.

She felt his focus slipping, his ability to manipulate his tail beyond the basest instincts fading as she kissed him. She wanted deeply, kissing hard despite her fragile appearance, challenging him. She was neither dominant nor submissive, merely wanting everything Axel had to give her. Who will surrender first? she asked, lost in the push and pull of their tongues.

"Are you sure you're a maiden?" Axel murmured when they drifted apart, a mutual distancing. "You seem more like an imp to me. Cheeky, dangerous." He made to say something else but didn't, interrupting himself with a moan as Naminé and Kairi ground hard against him. "All three—ngh—of you are trouble."

"Mmhm," Xion said, giggling, then tugged his face back down to hers. "We're impish maidens, definitely trouble. Remember that."

Remember us. Remember me. 

The thought dispersed, melding into their acts. His tongue was in her mouth again, and her hand was reaching down to unbutton his pants, slipping beneath the waistband. A full body shiver ran through him when she brushed her fingers over his cock, hot and heavy, skin like velvet and head dripping. She ran her hands through the light dusting of hair at its base. "Is it red?" she asked.

He winked. "Stay a while and find out."

His hand crept over her petticoat before he rucked it up against her stomach. He palmed her cock, hands large and warm, nails adding an edge whenever they brushed her skin. Xion thought he might make a teasing comment about how hard her dick was, so she silenced him preemptively with a kiss. He tasted sweet, a little spicy, and she wanted nothing more than to steal his breath away until every sly remark he could make faded into nothing, leaving only lust behind.

"Nnh," Axel groaned, drawing back.

"Like it?" Xion laughed. "It's how I'm gonna teach you to keep quiet." She squeezed his cock and he gasped, teeth bared when he returned the gesture. Her toes curled as he rubbed against her. "O-oh, that's—" Another laugh. "Well, I don't want you to be quiet all the time. I think I need boys at least as impish as I am."

"Cheeky?"

"Mmhm."

"Lucky you then. Cheek's a part of my charm."

"Unfortunately," Roxas drawled from the trees.

"Ignore him," Xion whispered, before Axel could say a word. "He likes it when you tease him. He's just too shy to admit it."

Axel's eyes went wide. Again he tried to speak, but Xion didn't let him. Instead, she drew her hand out of his pants and up to his collar, grabbing hold of his jacket and tugging the sleeve over his shoulder. Axel lifted his arm on instinct, allowing her to get the sleeves of both his jacket and tank top off.

A tiny, confused noise escaped his throat. The sound shifted up a few pitches when she found his nipple and pinched. Any chance he'd had of ever being articulate vanished when she twisted her fingers, while Naminé pressed her clit hard against the base of his tail, thrusting against his ass. Kairi rocked behind her, the two girls squeezing his tail between their thighs. Xion knew it wasn't enough to tip them over, but that didn't mean it wasn't good. 

It was a little too much for Axel though. The pressure against his tail and ass and Xion's fondling of his chest were driving him wild. Xion grinned, giving his nipple another pinch, then rising up to run her tongue and teeth over it. Axel whined, his foot scrabbling against the grass. He did not protest when she stopped, however, moving with her as she worked his jacket off entirely. He didn't even adjust the sleeves of his tank top—one hanging off his shoulder, the other dangling at his side.

"Good boy," Xion whispered, before dragging him down once more, lips sucking at his nipple. Axel whimpered.

"See, this is why you get bred every year," Roxas called from the trees, amused.

"S-shut up, Roxas!" Axel exclaimed.

"Shush, just let him tease," Xion murmured against him. "He loves seeing you like this. It reminds him of how you look when you're feeding his cubs."

"Really?" Axel asked, voice pitching, cheeks warm.

"Mmhm. He loves making you look like this. He wants you to make him look like this too. He wants us." She rubbed her cheek against his chest, felt him shiver. "Don't worry. I'll make it happen. We'll make it happen. I'll make sure you both get what's coming to you, I promise."

With that she gave his nipple one last kiss, then pushed him back. Axel huffed, tail fluffing, a little put off by the lack of friction against his cock. Still, he let her move him. Kairi and Naminé both sighed, but removed his tail from between their legs and shifted away.

Xion looked between them all and smiled. They were beautiful and flushed, dripping and hard. Her gaze flitted once to where Roxas hid, knew the way he rocked his hips against his branch in secret, before returning to her sisters and friend.

"What's up?" Axel asked. His eyes were narrowed, but he sounded interested. "You got something planned?"

"Well, for all that we're teaching you a lesson, this is still for me, right?" Xion said.

"Why of course, little lady!"

"Then would you do something for me?"

"Anything you like," Axel said with a grin.

Xion smiled, devious. "Fuck Kairi."

"Xion?" Kairi gasped, her cheeks bright red.

"Oh come on, I know you want to."

"But this is for you!"

"Mmhm." Xion nodded. "That's why I'm asking. I want to see the two of you together. You're both so pretty, so passionate, and your hair is so bright..." She sighed happily. "A wolf made of forest fires and a girl made of sunset—who wouldn't want to see you go at it?"

Mirth filled her as Axel and Kairi turned to each other, looking up and down. The former's hair was ruffled, though the fur on his ears and tail had settled. His arousal made an obvious tent in his trousers, his lips were sweetly swollen, and his jacket and boots lay on the grass, shirt still slipping off his shoulders.

Kairi hadn't fared much better; cloak and shoes discarded, petticoat wrinkled and panties stained with wet and a little wolf hair. Her cheeks were red as her hair, her nipples hard from where they'd rubbed against Naminé's back. 

They stared at each other; beautiful blue and gorgeous green, the red and roseate hues of their hair twining before Xion's eyes like an inferno, and then Axel was up. He caught Kairi's hand on the way, then hefted her over his shoulder. Xion laughed.

"Hey!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Apologies, princess, but your sister has requested that I kidnap you," Axel said, "and I'm not really one to refuse a request from such a sweet lady, impish though she might be." His tail came to life, wagging. "I'm a good boy. Got it memorized?"

Kairi snorted, rolling her eyes as everyone laughed. Xion knew how desperately she was trying to stay calm. She wasn't frightened, not at all, but she was painfully aroused by Axel's manhandling and a little too proud to admit it. She is more dominant than I am, Xion thought. That was fine. The two redheads could fight fire with fire, but both would surrender at least once before the day was done. I love your many faces, sisters, as I would love yours, Axel, and yours, Roxas. I will forge this bond with the light you hide as much as the one you share.

Xion's stomach did a flip—Kairi's anticipation and anxieties coming to life inside her. She delighted in the weightlessness Kairi felt, carried as she was atop Axel's shoulder. Axel himself wasted no time, crossing the clearing to the nearest tree with a skip in his step. It cast its dappled light upon them, a romantic mood set even as Axel took Kairi's panties in hand and pulled them off. He threw them on the grass, eyes cast up to where Roxas watched just once. Xion knew he saw blue eyes then, glinting down from amidst the green and gold leaves.

"Let me help get this off," Naminé whispered, drawing Xion back into herself as she slid her panties down her thighs. The two girls swiftly arranged themselves, removing all their clothes except their stockings and putting their baskets within reach. Xion wasn't certain they'd need them right this moment, but she wanted them close for when they did.

Then Kairi gasped and Xion was with her again as Axel lowered her to the ground, her legs shaking and cunt dripping. He loomed behind her, using his considerable height and decent breadth to push her against the tree. He was ravenous as the wolf and she knew it. She could feel his eyes everywhere.

Still, Kairi was Kairi, and she responded as she would. She turned and grinned back over her shoulder. "Hey Axel?" she said.

"Hm?" Axel hummed.

"Don't hold back, okay?" 

"Wouldn't survive this if I did," he said, slipping a hand into his pants. Kairi glanced down as he took out his cock, heart beating twice as fast. He was big, and she knew enough about wolves to recognize the fat knot near the base.

Can my sisters see at this angle? Xion heard her wonder.

Perhaps Xion had unknowingly conveyed her thought to Axel too, for he grabbed hold of Kairi all a sudden and moved her around the tree. She exclaimed, stumbling against him, unaware of her own guiding role in the matter. That was fine though, as the issue of visibility had been solved regardless—Axel and Kairi standing nearly to the side of the tree, at such an angle that Xion and Naminé might see everything.

Then he turned her to face the tree, gripped the thigh closest to her sisters, and lifted it. Kairi's fingers scrabbled against the bark as she tried to keep her balance, but she needn't have bothered. Axel was there, his body close, his fingers tilting her chin so she might look him in the eye. "You're at my mercy now, little red," he whispered.

"We'll see about that," Kairi breathed, shaking. Still, Xion felt the way she opened up in her arousal, excited by the idea that Axel was about to have his way. With her leg raised as it was, her folds opened beautifully, glistening fluid dripping down her thigh. The head of Axel's cock slotted against her, running down her slit against her swollen clit and pussy. His tail had done that to her—his tail, and the way he had thrown her about like a doll.

Once again, Xion wondered if she channeled Kairi's thoughts to Axel, if he was perceptive, or if he was merely seeking his own satisfaction as he took hold of Kairi's other leg and lifted her fully. She gasped, fingers snagging in the bark and holding tight as he lowered her onto his cock. The head slid into her opening, length following as he slowly stretched her open. She trembled, mind growing hazy as he filled her. There was nothing she could do save surrender to the hands that held her.

She wondered if she were the perfect sleeve for his cock, or if he was the perfect cock for her cunt.

"Fuck," he breathed, sheathed to the knot inside her. She couldn't speak, but noises spilled from her regardless. She was filled so completely, could feel every throb when she squeezed around him. She could feel the muscles of his body up against hers, the callouses of his hands, his scent enveloping her. Sweat dripped from his brow down her back and his teeth grazed her throat, teasing. She wanted him to move, but he wouldn't.

"A-Axel," she hissed, frustrated. Axel chuckled.

"You're such a good girl, aren't you? Your sisters too. For all your fire, you'll behave for Xion." He paused, and she heard his tail swoosh. "Although behaving doesn't seem to be something you're struggling with right now. You really want this, huh?"

"Hah," she laughed. "You're r-right. When I wanna behave, I'll behave. We're good girls, after all." She turned her head just enough to catch his eye and grinned, all teeth. "And we will teach you a lesson—oh!"

Axel drew her up, the drag of his cock creating delicious friction inside her cunt. He lifted her until only the tip remained inside and hummed. "Oh, I'm sure you will."

He slammed her down.

On the grass, Xion moaned, holding onto Naminé as both girls watched. Kairi's lips parted soundlessly, all the air fucked out of her. Axel was relentless, thrusting wildly, moving her up and down with ease. She whimpered once, twice, sounds stuck in her throat until Axel forced them out. He got a cry from her when he dropped one leg, grabbed her petticoat, and tore it from her body. He didn't stop his pounding however, merely adjusted his hold, keeping her up with one hand while he thrust deeper still. The hand no longer holding her leg—which found weak purchase on the ground—groped the swell of her breast, and she gasped

Xion echoed her, heat burning deep inside her stomach. Her dick curved against her belly, hard and leaking, and her fingers had found their way inside Naminé. Naminé tightened around her with every thrust of Axel's cock into Kairi, desperate for something thick.

The latter need was particularly obvious when Xion removed her fingers, sticky strands of wet coating them from tip to knuckle. "Xion," Naminé whimpered, and that was enough to have her scrambling, rummaging through their baskets for what they'd need. 

Because if I don't do this now, I won't remember to later. She laid out what she'd fetched on the grass; a cock for Kairi and a cock for Naminé, accompanied by pretty straps in their colors and imbued with magic that made them easy to put on, take off, and keep clean. She was grateful for all those things, the first most of all, because it meant she could watch Axel fuck Kairi while she set to work wrapping and buckling Naminé's straps.

The wet slap of Axel's cock against Kairi's pussy made both of them shiver, Xion pausing in her task to fuck Naminé with her fingers. Her sister reached out and stroked her cock, hand easily enveloping the tiny length. "Nnh," Xion moaned, biting her lip. She forced herself back to task as Naminé rubbed her thumb over and around the head of her dick. "Naminé—"

"Hm?" She hummed, eyes bright.

Xion laughed, choked when Naminé squeezed her. "Oh...careful. I don't want to come yet."

"Really?" Naminé sighed. "But you know you'll just get hard again."

"Feels better—ah—if I wait. I want it to be special today." Xion shifted her hips out of Naminé's reach, did the last buckle, then leaned in and kissed her. "Besides, you're next." Her eyes darted to Axel and Kairi rutting up against the tree, then flitted back to where Naminé's cock lay on the grass. She decided not to bother with it for now.

Task completed, Xion embraced Naminé from behind, fingering her as she let Axel's and Kairi's feelings back into their hearts, flooding both maidens with their arousal. The girls felt everything; the heat of Kairi wrapped around Axel's dick, the hard, quick thrusts as he pounded his shape into her, Kairi's fingers gripping hard, that little spark of pain enhancing the pleasure like salt sprinkled in hot chocolate. She could barely hold on, but she did, opening herself as completely as she could. The slick squish when their bodies met mingled sweetly with the sound of Xion's fingers fucking Naminé.

It was wonderful.

"Turn me around, Axel," Kairi begged, "please." He did, letting go of her breast and spinning her around before pulling her into a kiss. His heat overwhelmed her, his fangs nibbling on her lips. Her mind dripped away, the little that was left granting her just enough awareness to wrap her legs around his hips and rub the base of his tail with her foot. In that same moment, so close to tipping over the edge, she tightened around Axel.

Axel groaned, pressing a hand against the tree for support. His nails dug in as every hair on his body fluffed, his tail rigid as pleasure shot through the small of his back to his dick. He spurted inside Kairi, coming hard as she pulsed, her hot, wet muscles encouraging him to fill her as much as he could. It was a man's orgasm, not a wolf's, but she was far too distracted to care if his knot swelled or not as she quaked with her own orgasm, crying out wordlessly. Her chest heaved as she held Axel, wanting all he could give, wanting to keep all he could give inside her.

"I can't bred you," Axel whispered, a little sad. "Even if you'd like that, little lady."

"It's fine..." Kairi said, then kissed him, a little softer than before. She felt too fucked out to do much else, trusting him to hold her so she wouldn't collapse. "Although I wish you'd used your knot anyway. I said don't hold back, didn't I?"

"I didn't." He shrugged. "It only swells when I'm with someone who can have my children."

Kairi sighed. "Well, it's probably for the best. I'm not sure the world could handle a kid with hair that red anyway."

Axel chuckled. "But you like the idea of kids?"

"I like the idea of home. Sometimes that means kids, sometimes it doesn't." She rubbed her nose against his, but her eyes were less soft. "I also like the idea of cubs and pups."

Xion felt Axel's curiosity then, as he tried to catch her meaning. There was much to do, however, and Xion would be happy to let Axel in on the maidens' shared desires later. For now she rose, holding Naminé's hand as they went to Axel's side.

"It's Naminé's turn," she said. "I want you to take her next."

"I thought it was your special day, Xion," Naminé commented wryly, even as she allowed Xion to place her hand in Axel's. Axel took it gently, earning a giggle when he gave her a little bow.

"I'll have my moment soon," Xion said, wrapping an arm around Kairi as she hobbled away from the tree. "I just want to see you together first. I...I like seeing the people I love happy."

"You're a sweetheart," Kairi said, and kissed her brow. Then she shot Axel a glare. "You could've helped me up. Wasn't I supposed to be the princess?" Axel laughed, still holding Naminé's hand delicately in his own. Kairi huffed. "Oh, whatever. I suppose I wanted you to—never mind. Just don't underestimate her, alright? And don't tease him too much, Naminé."

"I won't." Naminé smiled. "Much."

"You lot are kinda cute, y'know?" Roxas's voice floated down from his perch. "You're making me wanna come down and say hello."

Xion glanced toward him, easy to spot with his tail swinging idly beneath the branch he sat on. He was watching her, gaze a blue glint amidst the shadows. Her lips quirked and she flicked her eyes back to Axel, widened them until they were the very image of innocence. "Well, it's up to you, Roxas," she said, offering Axel a playful grin—one he returned. "If you want to join in, you're welcome to."

Roxas said nothing, merely hummed noncommittally.

Xion shrugged, then led Kairi back across the clearing to where their baskets waited. Axel and Naminé would remain angled as he and Kairi had been, which promised the same view as before. This time, however, Xion would have the pleasure of a fucked-out Kairi in her lap, and the sweet waves of Naminé and Axel's sex washing over her.

How lucky I am, she thought, caressing Kairi's cheek. She fumbled for her straps with her other hand, encouraging Kairi to lean against her so she might begin buckling them. The two girls shared a kiss, but it wasn't long before their attention returned to Naminé and the wolf.

"You're still hard," Naminé whispered, staring down at Axel's cock.

"That's part of my charm," he said, still holding her hand. "There's magic in my blood. In yours too, I'm sure."

Naminé shook her head. "If you know that, then you should know you can hold me a little more tightly." To make her point she tugged him down, commanded he bend for her without words. When he did she leaned in, lips brushing the fur of his ears. He shuddered and she smiled. "Don't be afraid of showing your strength. I'm more likely to break you on purpose than you are to break me by accident."

She ran a hand down the small of his back then gripped the base of his tail, felt him stiffen.

"Oh," he whispered.

Yet there was no threat in her touch as she ran her fingers through his fur, nor any in her voice as she added, "But...I like being taken care of too. I like being treated kindly. Just don't be afraid of hurting me. I'm not porcelain."

That was true. For all she seemed like a doll or a mist in the morning, fragile and ephemeral, there was a power lurking just beneath her skin that set Axel's heart racing. That, in turn, sent more blood running to his cock, his eyes darting down to see the slick on her thighs. It glinted in the golden light of noon, inviting him in.

He picked her up carefully, keeping them face-to-face throughout. There wasn't a hint of the roughness he'd displayed around Kairi, not even when he hefted her to adjust his grip. The difference between the hearts of rose red princesses and snow white witches was not something he could ignore, even though he believed her when she said he could not break her. It was simply easier for him to balance the scales of sweetness and spice in the former's favor when he did not start an affair with a flurry of the latter.

Otherwise you will end up teasing her like you tease Roxas and Kairi, Xion thought. Though I suppose you and Roxas always balance yourselves out in the end.

She sighed, squeezing Kairi's chest while Kairi fingered herself, Axel's cum trickling out to stain the grass, both shivering alongside Naminé as Axel set his cock at her entrance. He rubbed it along the length of her slit, teasing her swollen folds. "I've got your sister's slick all all over me," he murmured, circling her hole once before sliding inside. She moaned, and he chuckled. "But I'm gathering you girls like that sort of thing."

Naminé didn't say a word, voice catching her in throat as he breached her. Her chest shuddered against his, cheek nuzzling his neck as he stretched her. She was already loose, still soaking from Xion's fingering and her earlier games with Axel's tail. Watching him fuck Kairi hadn't helped, left her stomach knotted and pussy desperate. 

"Axel," she breathed. "Oh, t-that's..."

"I've got you, girl," he whispered, and his smile seemed to have less teeth. Naminé giggled, a little airily. For all she knew Axel was dangerous—a wild thing with many fangs—she did not fear him, reaching out instead to bury one hand in his hair. Her fingers caressed his ears, running through scarlet locks as her other hand found a home against his back. As Kairi had, she wrapped her legs around his waist and nudged his tail with her toes. He shivered, and it was her turn to smile.

"I've got you, boy," she said.

Axel sighed, hips rolling slow and deep. Naminé matched his pace, used her hand on his back as leverage as she rocked herself up and down his cock. They moved with one another, the gradual rise of pleasure a simmering heat inside them. It grew and came to life, a squirming thing that longed for more. Still, neither surrendered, content with their pace as Axel ran his tongue over her neck, kissing and nibbling while Naminé rubbed his ears and tail. Every touch made his breath hitch, and every hitch flooded her crotch with heat. Wet leaked out of her and over his cock, essences mingling.

She gasped and tangled her fingers in his hair. "More, Axel. More."

It was a perfect reflection of Axel's own desires. He exhaled, cock throbbing at her words. They drew closer and closer until they could feel each other's hearts; Naminé's past loneliness, her fear no one would love her as much as her sisters, her need to be loved for the part she played and the skills she had, her wish to be recognized for her work even if many did not always appreciate what awareness introspection awakened. Axel, in turn, gave her more than he'd meant to. His own worries about whether Roxas loved him reflected off Naminé's, fears like whether beasts could love at all, if their hearts existed, if he dirtied those he touched, alongside concerns for past friends Xion did not recognize, the thrill and terror of his flawed existence and whether there would be punishment or pleasure waiting for him at the end of it.

A desire to be remembered and recognized existed in both of them, in all of them. Was the guiding light of sunset as wonderful as the sky, the dawn? Was the night black girl destined to be forgotten forever? Was the mountain cat a replaceable being, a fragile nothing compared to his betters, a person who could not risk weakness or else lose the ones he loved—for would anyone chose him if he were not strong and enduring as the endless blue above?

Xion blinked, heart stuttering as the tangle of feelings loosened and Axel drove his cock deep into Naminé, all the way to his knot.

She cried out, legs tightening around his waist as his hands did around hers. The gentleness gave way to something truly feral, the squelch of their bodies meeting loud in the clearing. Naminé's fingers slipped under his shirt and dug into his flesh, grip tight on his hair, toes gripping his tail and yanking. Axel grunted but did not stop, fucking her fast and deep as she desired.

Xion and Kairi sat, staring. Xion had her hand on her sister's toy cock, grinding it hard against Kairi's clit while she watched Axel's dick disappearing into Naminé again and again. She felt Kairi's hand on her knee, and then on her cock, thumbing the tiny head.

"You're so wet," she whispered, a little strangled.

"I love it," Xion said, voice trembling. "I love watching them. I loved watching you. I can feel everything they feel, everything you feel. Your lust, your love, everything. It all flows into me."

"Well, it won't be the only thing flowing into you," Kairi murmured, biting her ear. "Or are you going to take the wolf today? Maybe both?"

Xion shook her head, panting as Kairi stroked her faster. "I want to save something for later. Friends usually get a later, right? To meet again and again and again..."

"If they don't they should, especially any friends of yours. You deserve all the thens and nows and laters in the world, Xion, and not just because you're cute." Kairi giggled. "Though that helps. I can't see either the wolf or the cat resisting you."

"You know what?" Xion whispered, and felt a moment's pride. "Neither do I."

Her joy swelled out and then she was falling into Naminé's again; the high she felt as she glimpsed Xion and Kairi rolling on the grass, the pleasure of Axel's cock inside her. A haze had come over her, mind addled as she saw her sisters playing, preparing for more, all while Axel fucked into her. Her body took him in greedily, asking and receiving every time. His huffs and whimpers were like music, and she made more with every squeeze of his ears, every brush of his tail. There was liquid light in her stomach, begging to be released.

"I-I'm close," she said, voice faltering.

"Me too," he breathed. "But you first."

"Letting me go first?" She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, panting as heat pooled in her crotch. "Y-you're—nnh—you're a sweetheart deep down, aren't you?"

"Don't tell Roxas," he said.

She rolled her eyes, leaned back just a little to see blue eyes bearing down. "He already knows."

A little wuff slipped past his lips and she laughed, the sound shaking with every thrust. He nosed against her throat, the heat of his mouth and the friction of his cock inside her too much. When he curled his tail around to flick her clit, that was it.

Liquid light spilled out, her nails digging into the skin of his back. She silenced her moans by kissing him, sliding her lips sloppily against his as her pussy pulsed around his cock. He didn't stop fucking her, tail a tease against her body as she squirted all over him, cunt tingling and veins burning as he came deep inside her. She clung to him, felt one of his hands stroke her hair as they shuddered together against the tree.

They were still trembling when Axel finally lowered her to the ground, his own knees shaking badly as he crouched and set her down. He leaned in and licked the tears from her cheeks—ones of pleasure, not pain. It was a little odd, but Naminé accepted his unique affections. She pet his head and murmured, "You didn't do this for Kairi."

"I figured she'd knock my block off if I tried. I always know when someone likes their face licked, and when they don't. Roxas doesn't. It's why my pups won't do it, but his cubs will."

Naminé thought back to her encounters with what must have been their children, and smiled. "That's true. I guess they pick up the habit from their mother."

"Guess they do," he said, "and besides, you're not really the sort to knock blocks off. You'd rearrange my brain in other ways if I did wrong by you." He paused, then said with some trepidation. "It scares me, how I know I'd like it if you did."

Naminé just kept smiling and scratching his head. The excited wag of his tail resumed, his whole body shaking from exertion. "How do you know?" she asked him. "About my powers? About...whether you'd like what I could do to you."

"I've heard of them...felt a little of them just now when we were fucking. And as for knowing I'd like it...I just do. Isn't that the point of your abilities?"

"Hm," she said. "Well, don't worry. I don't like to do...that sort of thing anymore. I'd rather love you honestly and gently, if I can."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll show you, after Kairi has her fun."

"Wha..." Axel's voice trailed off as a shadow fell over him.

Xion drew herself out of the pool of their emotions—their experiences—and grinned as Kairi loomed over Axel. She'd approached while he was distracted, and now took full advantage of his vulnerability. Crouched as he was she was taller, though barely. Yet he was shaking and she wasn't, her eyes fiery and her cock proud between her legs.

"Did you forget?" she said. "We were going to teach you a lesson."

Axel yelped as she yanked him to his feet, making a noise of complaint when her only response was to stick out her tongue. He didn't stop her though, even when she took his hand and led him to the center of the clearing where Xion waited. He did turn back once, to ask why Kairi hadn't helped her sister—but Naminé was right behind him, smiling, legs sure and steady.

"You..."

"We bounce back easily," she giggled. "Don't worry, it doesn't mean your performance was poor. You gave me everything I could've wanted, Axel." Then, with all eyes on her, she dipped her fingers between her legs, scooped out a little of his cum, and licked it off her fingers.

"You girls..." Axel breathed, a little strained. Xion snorted.

"Tastes a little like cinnamon; spicy, a bit sugary," Naminé said. "I thought it'd be saltier."

"That'd be Roxas," Axel said, as Kairi guided him to the ground. "Salty, but sweet."

"Well, thanks for spoiling the fun, Axel," Roxas complained, tail swishing. "Don't you think it might've been nice to let them find out for themselves?"

Axel made a rude gesture, but it was Naminé who answered. "Nothing is spoiled, Roxas. Experiences are always different when they're yours, even for maidens such as us," she said. "We could teach you that, if you like. We've many lessons you might enjoy learning."

"And Axel would probably appreciate the company," Kairi added, with a grin that put both beasts to shame.

Xion was not surprised when Roxas's tail fluffed—in both arousal and displeasure, she knew. Despite his interest, however, he remained in his tree. She did her best not to pry, even as a gentle froth of shyness washed over her heart, softly rolling as the tide upon a quiet shore. Well, of course, she thought. As the wolf has a sweet heart, so the cat as a tender soul. There is vulnerability in all of us...

"He must've been very cute when he carried Axel's pups," she murmured to Naminé. "The fact he's done that, and their children's behavior, might be proof they'll both roll over in time. I mean, for all the threat they pose, their pups and cubs roll over so easily when pets are offered. "

"I suppose they're both soft on the inside," Naminé whispered, accepting Xion's hand as she took it in her own.

Once they reached the center of the clearing Xion gently maneuvered Naminé onto her hands and knees. Kairi did much the same with Axel, albeit with far more manhandling, until he and Naminé were face to face. "Huh," Axel said, once Kairi stopped pushing him around.

"We meet again," Naminé replied, and Xion giggled.

"Huh," Axel repeated, fidgeting, cheeks red. "I...didn't really expect this, to be honest."

"Really? After everything we've said and done?" Xion shook her head.

"Well, I knew you girls had plans, I just got a little caught up in the moment." He laughed, tail flicking back and forth nervously. "Didn't realize I'd end up in this position."

"We'll take care of you," Xion promised, as she pressed her cock inside Naminé's cunt. Naminé whimpered, still sensitive, but Xion was neither large nor rough, and the sound was still one of pleasure. "Although Kairi—"

"Won't be going easy on you," Kairi finished for her, tugging down Axel's pants in the process. She didn't hesitate as she plunged two fingers inside his ass, ignoring his yelp as she thrust once, twice. A wet squish followed each movement. "Oh." She grinned. "You can slick yourself up. I didn't see that coming, though I suppose I should have."

"And yet you got right in there, didn't you? No hesitation at all." Axel panted. "It's wo-wolf magic. Or wild spirit magic, rather." He blushed when Kairi removed her fingers and held them in front of his face, showing off the strings of viscous fluid between them.

"Cute," she said, "and convenient."

Xion let herself be entertained by their antics, her thrusts into Naminé slow, shallow; a nice pace to maintain as they waited for the others. Kairi looked up, must have noticed they were ready, because the next thing she did was tug Axel's pants down a little further, hurrying him along.

"I want these off," she said. "You can keep your shirt on if you're feeling shy. I like a little wrapping on my presents."

"Ah, I think—oh..." Kairi gave his tail a pull, and his voice faltered. "I-I think that'd make me feel more shy, not less. More...naked."

"Ohhh," Kairi strung the sound out, exchanging a glance with Xion over Axel and Naminé's heads. "I'd love to make you feel that way, but I'd also love to see your chest so—" and without further ado she tugged off his shirt, leaving Axel bare from head to toe. His cheeks were blazing now, although the eager swish of his tail and the rapid rush of his breath betrayed his interest.

"Who'd had thought wolves had a sense of modesty," Kairi teased.

"When we gave up our animal forms to become spirits, we...we gave up our fur as well." Axel bowed his head. "My clothes are like my fur. Protection, warmth, safety, a way to conceal..."

"You're safe here," Xion cooed. "There's nothing you need to hide."

As she said it, Kairi stroked Axel's tail, grasping it around the middle as she pressed her cock against his hole. Her eyes were full of light when she peered up at Xion through her lashes, like a roseate sunset on deep blue waters—playful and perfectly romantic. Then she glanced down at Naminé and murmured, "Well, it'd be rude to keep you two waiting, wouldn't it?" and pushed inside.

Axel choked as Kairi filled him, each inch of her thick, pink cock sending a spark of hot pleasure through his core. Every now and then she paused to tug at his tail, grinning as he tightened around her, drawing her deeper. His arms could barely keep him upright, shaking as she opened him up.

"Good boy," she praised. "You're learning."

"He's cute when he's cheeky and when he's obedient, huh?" Xion said, sharing a look with her sister. The two girls smirked, then with slight adjustments to their positioning—Naminé and Axel no longer directly facing one another, but angled so their heads might slot easily into the crook of the other's neck—they fucked into their partners.

Xion went slow, small cock providing plentiful friction inside Naminé's cunt without being overwhelming or unpleasant. She always felt safe inside her sisters, nurtured by their warm bodies, loved in their embrace. Her fingers glided over Naminé's golden hair, petting but not pulling as she kept them moving to her slow beat.

Kairi, meanwhile, fucked Axel with giddy abandon. If he'd thought he'd been rough with either of Xion's sisters, he could think again. Kairi's hips slapped hard against his ass, the wet squelch of their bodies meeting drowning out the soft clap of Xion and Naminé's sex. Even if that hadn't been loud, Axel's moans pitched higher than any noise the girls could muster, whining and grunting as Kairi stroked his tail, massaging around its base. Her other hand kept him steady, clutching his naked hip as she fucked him hard.

Axel reached out to Naminé, desperate for someone to ground him. Their fingers twined, and Naminé shifted so he might lay his head on her shoulder without hurting himself. Kairi's thrusts were rather ruthless, after all, and she didn't want him to bang his teeth. If he'd given her a bite though, she wouldn't have minded. 

Kairi certainly didn't, salivating at the sight of all the bare skin splayed before her. She licked her lips, then bent and sunk her teeth into Axel's shoulder, timed to match a particularly hard thrust.

"Ah!" Axel exclaimed, ears and tail upright. "Kairi! Slow d-down, girl. It's only the f—ah! Only the first date!"

Kairi licked over the marks she had left, sounding faintly amused as she said, "Does that bother you? And more to the point, do you really want me to slow down?" The hand that had tugged his tail now tangled in his hair, pulling hard. "Well, do you?"

"No!" Axel gasped. "Fuck!"

"Good," Kairi said, straightening her back and returning her hand to his tail. As a reward for his honesty, she fucked him harder, merciless in her pursuit of pleasure. Axel pushed back against her, sheathing her cock as deep as it would go. She was the biggest of the sisters, and it was obvious Axel relished her size and reckless abandon. 

Because it reminds you of breeding, Xion thought, skimming her mind through his as fingers skimmed a pool. Sometimes tender, but often brutal, burning, penetrating all the way to your womb.

The biology of her newfound friend was already preparing for children, even if Kairi couldn't give them to him. She could feel the subtle shift of his insides, how the presence of a wild spirit's semen inside him would result in the final changes. She smiled, too, because she had decided she would see those changes happen today.

I want to help you make them. I want to help you have them. They might not be my children, but they will be children I help bring into the world nonetheless. Another link in this chain. Another spark for our flame.

Her heart danced in her chest and she picked up her pace. She didn't want to come before Naminé, and her thoughts, her sister's body, and the wonderful view were all making it difficult to hold on. Kairi and Axel were beautiful, their red hair blazing, their sex once more fueling the fire in Xion's stomach. Whether Axel fucked Kairi against a tree, or Kairi took Axel while he scrabbled in the grass, they were passion incarnate.

Naminé was not. She built like a wave, drawing you further and further from the shore before crashing down. In this moment of submission she still held a thread of dominance, something she had claimed years ago after spending an age drowning in Kairi's light. She loved tenderness, sweetness, affection, but once she had discovered herself—which in truth, only happened once she had claimed the Lord of Flowers and the Lightning Queen—she had found the strength she sought to pair with intimacy.

With every thrust, Xion felt herself equally dragged, and every submissive posture and pose felt as if Naminé reflected Axel as much as herself. It was her art, a contrast to Xion's more natural submission, although she did have a dominant shadow which might be drawn out by the right people, places, circumstances.

She shook her head. "You might be drawing me in a little too much," she whispered to her sister. "Making me reflect."

"But you feel so good when you're lost in thought," Naminé returned, and considering how velvet soft and sweet she was around her now, body responding to Xion's thrusts, perhaps there was some truth to that.

Velvet soft...

Xion glanced up toward Roxas's tree, noted the erratic flicking of his tail. She could feel him, feel the hesitant skim of his fingers over the front of his pants, the hardening bulge, the way he brought a hand up to his head to gently pet, to soothe himself. He paused for a second, must have noticed her eyes on him, but no sooner had he stopped than Xion looked away, focusing on her current partners.

Everything was hot and lovely. Xion did not take Naminé with much force, but she was still swollen and leaking from when Axel had had his way with her. Axel's cum, the slick Kairi had left on his cock, Namine's wet, and Xion's own precum all mingled inside her, cushioning Xion's thrusts. The thought of them all mixing together had her shuddering, heart buoyant in her chest.

It's...a union. Togetherness. One way to bind. One way to say, "I want to be a part of you."

Another way existed in the touches she traced over Naminé's back, seeking all the places she liked best. Her fingers danced over her body, caressing her breasts and the gentle curve of her hips, her other hand slipping past her navel to circle her clit. As she did, she caught a lovely glimpse of Naminé tilting her head to kiss Axel, a hand coming up to hold his head steady while Kairi kept up her wild rhythm. Her thumb on his cheek was all he needed to open up and let her in, her tongue sliding into his mouth.

They were so pretty. Xion was giddy inside, felt them fusing, forming a strange whole as they sunk into each other's pleasure. Even Roxas was succumbing, unable to keep his heart as distant as his body as he touched himself up in his tree. Xion lost herself in the haze, lost herself in their kissing, their touching, their fucking, all their moans like music, their breasts swaying, their hair snarling, sweat rolling off their backs in the frenzy. They moved as one, and Xion embraced it.

Naminé came first, Xion's quick but precise thrusts hitting her just right inside. She was already on edge, and Xion's fingers on her clit were too much. She clamped down around Xion's cock, body eating up every spurt of her sister's cum as she squirted all over the grass. Xion groaned, emptying herself inside her before pressing a kiss to her ear and whispering, "You're in charge now." Then she pulled out and stepped away.

She moved to the side, settling beside Kairi so she might watch her slam into Axel. She yanked his tail with every thrust—one, two, three—hand starting at the base before stroking upward. It was enough—the knot in Axel's stomach unraveled and he came all over the ground, legs twitching and feet clawing at the earth, fingers knotting and tearing at the grass. His cheeks were as red as his hair, but he couldn't stop coming, couldn't hide himself as he spasmed and whined. The liquid pleasure in his gut spilled out, the sensation of his release pouring over Xion. She accepted it, even as Kairi's continued thrusts against that spot inside him left them both hypersensitive. 

Of course when she did stop he complained, letting out a low noise before collapsing into a quivering pile in the grass. Kairi hadn't orgasmed but she didn't seem to mind as she slipped out of his ass, grinning when she felt him clench one last time. Pausing for no more than a moment, she hummed, then gave his tail one last, gentle, merciless caress. Axel moaned.

With that done, Xion leaned over and removed Kairi's cock for her, then gave her head a little bob toward Axel. Kairi understood, let Xion set her toy aside and go about her business while she returned her attention to Axel, hugging him from behind. With no apparent effort she lifted him until he leaned against her, his back to her chest as they sat in the grass. His body shuddered with every breath, his hair drooping and sticking to his face in places. Kairi sighed, then gave him a kiss that would have seemed shockingly chaste had Xion not know her as well as she did. But she is both sweet and willful, as loving and ruthless as the sun itself.

"You're so cute," she murmured. "Isn't he, Xion?"

"Mmhm," Xion replied, drinking him in even as she strapped Naminé's cock into place. It shone pearlescent white and gold, pretty as its owner. Naminé thanked her with a kiss, still quivering despite having mostly gotten her body back under control. Her dominance was awakening, however, blue eyes turning to take in Axel's state; his red cheeks, the sweat on his brow, the tilt of his ears, his tail lolling about on the ground. His thighs shook as Kairi held his legs open, displaying his abused hole for the other girls' perusal.

Xion crawled over first, casting a single glance toward Naminé to ensure she was watching before slowly slipping a finger inside. Axel's head flopped back against Kairi's shoulder, hips wriggling as Xion fingered him with care. He was hot and damp inside, his slick spilling over her hand and onto the grass.

"He's ready," she said, then removed her finger. "Give me a show, okay?"

"I can do that," Naminé said, rising to take her place between Axel's legs. She gripped his thighs and Kairi let go, her hands instead rubbing circles against Axel's stomach while she kissed him. A moan passed from his mouth to hers as Naminé slid her cock inside. Despite her care, Axel writhed, overheated and fucked out, yet still desperate for more. Xion supposed that made sense, what with it being the middle of breeding season.

She sighed as she sat to the side of the trio, settling in to watch them play. Her body tingled at the sight of their sex, eager for touch as her eyes took in Axel's cock bouncing against his stomach, Naminé's slipping in and out of his ass in time with Kairi's tongue in his mouth. Xion's dick was hard again, although she did not touch it. She had preparations to make.

She fetched her lotion—a necessity she'd set aside earlier. The sweet scent joined that of the wildflowers as she slicked her fingers, already wet with her sisters and Axel's slick, then pressed them inside herself. She matched her sisters' rhythm, perfectly in time despite the fact half her mind was on the gentle rustle of leaves nearby.

She smirked, but otherwise pretended she had not noticed.

"Need a hand?"

The voice came from behind; a purr somehow as cute as it was seductive. It was charming, endearing almost, and maybe even a little clumsy. Xion did not stop in her fingering, even as she leaned back and found, as she suspected, a warm body behind her. He did not touch her otherwise, but she could feel his tail flicking about, occasionally bending just so it might caress her back and thigh.

Before them, the show went on, Kairi and Axel kissing, Naminé fucking him deep.

"They're really pretty," Roxas murmured, his tail briefly coming to rest against her before flitting away again. Was it because he was excited, she wondered, or because he was nervous? If his tail was as sensitive as Axel's, then perhaps this was a game—back and forth, back and forth, until either he accepted his needs and vulnerability and asked her to touch him, or she took matters into her own hands.

She licked her lips, spreading her fingers inside herself. These boys with their tails and their ears...so silly.

"Xion?" Roxas whispered. There it was again; nerves, a hint of uncertainty.

Do you worry I won't think you're pretty too?  It was a ridiculous notion. "They are," she said aloud. "Pretty, I mean."

"Mmhm." A shiver ran through her as his hands smoothed over her stomach, cupping her breasts. "So, that hand?"

She spread her thighs a little further in reply, removing her fingers. "You want to know a secret?" she asked, as he fumbled for the lotion.

"Yes?"

She stretched back against him and smiled. "I knew I'd get you down here."

His heart rattled in his chest, racing wildly. It was an exhausting sensation, but Xion did not regret her words, nor the teasing tone she'd said them in. The rustle of grass betrayed he was still looking for the lotion, likely distracted by her voice, her body, her heart reaching out to dance alongside his own. His long-term partner being fucked helpless by her sisters probably didn't help matters either.

"Here," she said, passing him the bottle. She hadn't even needed to look.

"Thanks," he mumbled, embarrassment obvious. "I-I'm not usually...it's..." Some of his coolness crumbled, confirming what she already knew; it was, at least in part, a facade. His shyness bled through, dripping off him like sweat. "It's breeding season," he said, finally, "so I'm a bit—and Axel, and you and your sisters, you're all so..."

"Fun?" Xion finished, keeping her voice light. "I can believe that. We like to play, particularly if it's with big, silly dogs and sweet, teensy cats."

Roxas made a strange sound behind her, but otherwise said nothing as he poured lotion over his hands. He massaged her thighs, drawing closer to her hole with each squeeze. Finally, he slipped two fingers inside, his other hand gripping her cock. She shuddered, so aware of his touch and the bulge pressed against her back.

He was gentle, and Xion could not decide if she was surprised by this fact or not. For all he had been built up to be dangerous—the one who had hunted and bred Axel for the past three years, and likely many before those—he seemed rather delicate. Fragile, perhaps, and a little awkward. Yet she did not doubt there was some truth to the stories of predation surrounding him, merely wondered if they might have been exaggerated as part of the game Axel and Roxas played.

That, or he's unused to girls and wary of strangers even when he wants to sleep with them.

"Are you preparing yourself for him?" Roxas asked, and she felt his eyelashes flutter against her cheek, his face pressed against hers over her shoulder. She knew he was looking at Axel.

"Yes." She rubbed his cheek with her own, feeling rather cat-like herself. "But if we're friends, you can always take a turn later."

"Really?"

"Really. I-I want to be with the people I love forever. I want there to always be a later, a time to make more memories and appreciate the ones we already have. If you're a part of me and I'm a part of you, then I want to see you again. It doesn't have to be always, just...again."

Her chest shuddered with her every exhalation, sorrow dripping from her heart and warmth rising from her gut, melding in her core. The pain of loss permeated her; the pain of death, of forgetting and being forgotten, of separation, all bound to her existence. She was Night Black—she was everyone—and though she might carry those she loved in her thoughts, she still wished for another day, another hour, another moment, another meeting. They did not always have to be together, just so long as they got to see one another again.

She gasped when Roxas pressed his fingers deeper, pushing hard against that small lump inside her. He rubbed, stretching and pleasuring her all at once, his other hand stroking her cock from head to base. "You want to be happy," he said.

"Yes. I want to be happy. I want you to be happy. I want us all to be happy and together for as long as we can be."

Something in Roxas wobbled, like a cat on a bad branch. Xion wondered if he understood, if he loved Axel so much that he feared losing him, if he had reason to believe someone might take him away, hurt him or any of his friends, his kin. She let him keep his past, but did not reject the indistinct images that skimmed past her; streaks of cornflower blue, bloody fangs and claws and a sense of fear, of jealously, of protectiveness, the fragility of youth and claws desperately clinging to something, someone. Faces loomed over her—him. There were panthers beneath the moon, enormous bears that crept through the Unknown and Inbetween, and all other manner of creatures lurking in his memories. She accepted the gentle push of Axel toward her; times of sorrow and times of playfulness, of frustration with each other, of a deep sense of care and companionship. She accepted the image of him round with Roxas's cubs and kits, warm in their cave, a sense of pride and love in his chest. She even caught the reversal, with the wolf sheltering the cat as he curled in his nest, feeling safe and desired, adored.

It reminded her of home, of hearth, of family and friends and lovers. It was kinship, and she embraced it, spread her legs further and welcomed his touch. Nervous kisses fell upon her neck, sometimes confident, other times anxious. There was a giggle in her chest, but she held it back. When it did emerge it was as a whine, the friction on and in her so delicious she could no longer keep quiet. Her leg kicked out as Axel's had—puppy-like, silly—when Roxas added a third finger and fucked her faster, harder, kisses firm.

There was nothing but sound then, voices gathering in the air like sweet music. Xion's moans, Roxas's murmurs, Axel's desperate cries pitching higher even as Kairi drowned them in loud, wet kisses. Naminé's panting grew in volume the closer she came to the edge, hips smacking against Axel's ass. All the noise weaved together inside Xion, her thighs trembling.

"Close?" Roxas asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, "which means it's your turn now."

"Wait, wha—woah!" Xion pushed back against Roxas, shifting her hips just so. Roxas's fingers slipped out of her, and in the span of a second she had him in her grasp, dragging his body around so he knelt in front of her before shoving his head down. He tried to react, tail flailing and ears flat, but Xion pressed her body against his, wrapped a hand around one of his wrists and pinned it to the ground. Her other hand was at his hip, slipping under his shirt to rub soothing circles across his skin; the perfect balance of sweet and spice.

"Sorry," she said, entirely unapologetic, "but we had a lesson to teach you too, remember? Or did I imagine your brief stint into voyeurism?"

"That's not fair—hey wait a—it's not like I haven't done this befo—oh!" Roxas moaned as Xion played with his tail, somehow failing to make any of the points he wanted to make. "Ah..."

"You may not be new to taking it, but you are new to me," she whispered, "and the way I do things."

"Mm-mmh." 

"So, do you want to play with me, Roxas?" She punctuated her words with a firm stroke of his tail, teasing him. She toyed with the base, relished his choked-back mewl, then slid her fingers along the crease of his pants—right between his cheeks. She pressed hard, made sure he could feel her there. "I want to play with you, Roxas, and not just because I want you to remember it's rude to watch without asking first."

"But you—ah! Outside and—" He bowed his head. Xion giggled. "Ngh, whatever. I-I want..."

"Roxas?" she whispered, eyes round as she leaned down so her head was alongside his. She caught his glance; as bright and blue as her own. His cheeks flushed and he turned away, burying his face in the grass. She waited, waited—and there it was, the tiniest of nods, and all the permission she would ever need.

She tore off his black boots, pants—a little sad, as they'd been as tight and cute as the rest of him, patterned to match the spotted fur of his tail—and his shirt, the latter being a little plain in design. Roxas gasped, hair standing on end as he was exposed to the world. "Y-you work fast," he stuttered, ears flat.

"I just want to see you," she said. "I want to see all of you. You're pretty."

And indeed he was. His skin was flushed from top to tail, the delicate knobs of his spine and muscles of his back a lovely contrast. He was both lithe and deadly, hard and soft, and a little fat around his stomach—his primordial pouch, if she had to guess, although ordinary pudge was cute too. The only items she'd left on his body were accessories—a set of bracelets, a pendant, some rings—and as Axel had said earlier, they made him seem more naked, not less. 

His face was what she wanted to see most though, so she bent down and took it in. Bare as he was, his expression had shifted; vulnerable, a little more wary than before. Yet there was something about him that seemed—dizzy? His ears were askew, eyes hazy, lips parted as his little fangs peeked out. He didn't have proper whiskers, but when she stroked his cheek she felt odd hairs right at the edge of his face, a vestigial reminder of what he was, and so incredibly adorable.

She kept watching him as she ran her fingers over his hole. The both of them were already wet, and he was twitchy, entrance opening up greedily despite its owner's apparent reticence. His blue eyes darted to hers, a little glassy, and she smiled. "So cute..."

Roxas shuddered as she pressed a finger inside, tail fluffing and nails digging into the earth. Xion tangled her thoughts with his, felt his anxiety and joy at finally, finally being penetrated, because it had been so long since anyone aside from himself had done it. He'd been watching them, wanting to fuck and be fucked, wanting to hold and be held. How the morning he had spent stalking his longtime lover had turned into such an affair he didn't know nor care. All he knew was that he wanted Axel and these three, strange maidens that had crept into his heart in the span of a single sunny afternoon.

Xion drifted on waves of thought, wasn't sure if they belonged to Roxas or Naminé. She could feel the former's pleasure as she fingered him in time with the latter's thrusts, delving as deep or as shallow as Naminé's cock delved into her partner. Roxas's voice rose as Xion fucked him, meeting and mingling with Axel's. She caught what emerged from that tangle of noise; a need to touch, and a way to do so with nothing more than sound. She heard the unspoken request within his cries, Roxas's plea to join hearts with Axel, his need to express his joy at the pleasure both received at the maidens' hands. And amidst it all, she felt Axel reaching out, seeking to return Roxas's affections.

Their subconscious communication became conscious, however, when Axel took notice of the new voice in the clearing, hearing Roxas's cries even in the throes of Kairi's kisses and Naminé's pounding. Dark green gone dark sought black and gold and found them. His expression lit up like one of the stray beams of sun piercing the leaves above, and Xion could only smile as his already erratic tail wagged even more wildly against the grass.

Roxas curved his back, aware of Axel's gaze but unwilling to raise his head. "It's been a long time since he's seen you like this, hasn't it?" Xion whispered, as Roxas covered his head with his hands. His tail lashed, but it was with joy as much as embarrassment; conflicting emotions making him more aroused, not less. His barbed cock bobbed against his stomach, slick dribbling out his ass and over Xion's hands. His breath came quick, toes splayed in the dirt, and his need for more, more, more hit her like a storm. It was only her experience with such intense emotions that kept her from collapsing.

She was lucky. If she had collapsed she wouldn't have been able to get Roxas ready for the part he was to play. Three years without Axel's cock was a long time, particularly since it seemed the two boys experienced a shyness around each other when not in the midst of their heat. They were close, there was no denying it, but she also understood that the world beyond her mother's cottage was dangerous, and the time set aside for sex, vulnerability, and intimacy limited.

But you want it. You have a responsibility, but you also have a dream, of a haven where the two of you might play together, be weak together, and love each other easily. Xion pet what hair of his she could reach, hidden as it was by his hands. I will give it to you, my sweet boys. And by my judgement you won't half mind if my sisters and I, maybe even our mother and our friends, all play with you a little too.

With that thought, she removed her fingers from his ass. "Play with yourself," she said, half-request, half-command.

"What?" Roxas groaned. "Why?"

"Can you trust me, Roxas?"

He peered up, hands coming to rest on the ground once more. A second passed between them, and then, "Alright. Is this"—he struggled to find the words, perhaps trying to pluck her intent out of the river of consciousness Xion had drawn them all into—"so we can be together?"

Xion smiled, placed a hand under his chin, and tilted it up for a kiss. "Yes. And also because you're cute when you touch yourself."

"Knew you were watching me in the trees, pervert," Roxas mumbled. He obeyed though, rolling onto his side so he could finger himself more easily while watching the others.

Xion gave him one last pat, giggling as his ears perked up at her touch. His body kept few secrets, it seemed. She did not linger long, however, rising in one fluid motion, attention returning to Axel and her sisters.

The two girls had laid Axel out on the grass, Naminé holding his legs back and up as she fucked into him. She stared at him with such intensity, memorizing his reaction to every push and pull, learning all the spots inside him that made his walls clench and slick drip from his ass and cock. It was a little more difficult for her to memorize what made him moan, what with Kairi straddling his face, but that was fine. It just meant there was less work for Naminé to do, and she could focus on the pleasant grind of her own cock against her clit as she swung her hips forward hard.

"Nnh," Axel grunted, Naminé's thrusts reverberating through him. He wanted desperately to taste Kairi, but though his sounds were muffled by her thighs, she hadn't yet put her cunt within reach of his lips. She toyed with him, shifting her hips this way and that, letting the remains of Axel's cum and her wet trickle into his mouth without giving him the satisfaction of eating her out.

But shouldn't she be memorizing what makes me moan? he wondered.

Yes, she should, Xion returned, although all Axel could feel was the faintest echo of her agreement.

It was enough—or perhaps Axel was simply unwilling to wait for Kairi to tire. He grabbed her waist and pulled her down so her cunt sat flush to his lips, his last word a muttered, "Tease."

Kairi yelped, the sound trailing into a long moan as he licked a firm line up her pussy. He circled her clit, tonguing her folds and kissing her sloppily, delving inside so he could taste the mingling cum and wet within her cunt. It was sweet, spicy, reminding him of warm sunsets and berry bushes. He opened his mouth wide and groaned, let the thrust of Naminé's cock travel through him and into Kairi. The vibrations had her whining and that sound, in turn, left Naminé swollen and needy behind her strap.

Xion took the few steps she needed to join the scene properly, reaching out to wipe a tear from Kairi's cheek before casting a leg over Axel. She crouched, fingers dancing over his sides and stomach, pressing harder into the places that made him giggle and whimper. He was still sensitive from their earlier play, and this was all too much.

Yet despite this he was hard, dick heavy and throbbing in Xion's hand. She shivered and thought of how this cock had entered her sisters, how it twitched now because of their touch. She held it and looked to the side, caught Roxas's gaze and smiled.

Then she lowered herself onto Axel's cock.

She saw Roxas moan; silent, but obvious in the way his lips parted wide. An exhale of her own escaped, sharp and sudden as Axel split her open. He was blazing hot and big, ready to fill her with his cum despite having already emptied himself in both her sisters.

"Still plenty left for me," she whispered, and Axel groaned.

She sunk further and further onto his cock, her dick bobbing with every inch, thighs trembling as her ass stretched to take him in. Her stomach tingled the deeper she took him, heart light in her chest. This was her chance to be spoiled, to enjoy the warmth others offered—offered because of her, because of the connections she had made—and erase all the empty places inside herself.

As her ass finally met Axel's stomach, hole swallowing the bulge of his knot, Xion sighed, content. The sight of it was too much for Kairi.

She came all over Axel's mouth, the last of his cum and a flood of her own juices gushing into his mouth. He tongued her through her climax, hands on her thighs, his whole body shaking. With a cock inside him, her ass around him, Roxas fingering himself nearby, and Kairi orgasming on his face, Xion couldn't blame him for being overwhelmed. It was hard enough for her to reach out and hold Kairi, supporting her as she trembled and went limp. She gasped when Axel moaned against her again, overstimulated.

"Xion, I—ah!"

Xion raised her hands to her face and kissed her, swallowing her cries. She encouraged her to sit up, let her body calm and Axel breathe as Xion slowly began to bounce on his cock. She rocked her hips in time with Naminé's thrusts, back arching every time Axel brushed her prostate, shivering whenever she felt her sister's motions echo through him and into her. It was all taking a toll on Axel too, she knew, his dick twitching desperately inside her whenever she contracted around him.

"Kairi," Axel wheezed, and it was the only encouragement she needed to slid forward into Xion's arms. Her body on his chest likely didn't help Axel much, but he didn't complain as she ground her cunt against him for a moment. She did not linger though, body too sensitive, and after kissing Xion one last time she slid off, still trembling.

"And you're usually so energetic," Naminé teased, although she sounded shaky herself.

"Strong fires burn bright but fade fast," Axel said, joining in the shaky-voiced fun. "Better to be a steady flame like me. They last a while, burn into memory."

"Oh, shut it," Kairi laughed. "I'm not a fire, anyway. I'm dawn and dusk over the ocean, rising and falling and rising again—and you best watch out when I do rise again."

Xion smiled, let their ridiculous banter-poetry wash over her then away, leaving only a feeling of fun, of warmth and joy and safety. It was all she wanted in her heart as she rode Axel's cock, swirling her hips so he rubbed against that place inside her. She giggled, bit back another little noise as she found the perfect angle and bounced faster. Her eyes, half-closed, fluttered open when she felt a hand on her hip, saw Axel looking up at her as he wiped his mouth. He was mesmerized. It made her giddy, to know how much he liked looking at her.

To Xion's side, Kairi staggered upright. She stretched, then strode off bold as ever to where Roxas still fingered himself in the grass. He must've been very distracted, for the next thing Xion heard was a, "Hey!" and another wordless exclamation.

"Come on," Kairi said. "Help me with Naminé. Watching's nice, but this is a play date, not a performance, and you're too cute not to take part anyhow."

"I-I—"

"Don't leave yourself out, Roxas. There's room for you here, after all."

She said what Xion, Naminé, and Axel wanted to, and it was all he needed to hear. With flushed cheeks, Roxas let Kairi drag him to his feet, following her as she stumbled over to Naminé's side. It was easy enough for Xion to watch them over her shoulder as they embraced Naminé, Kairi bold and Roxas hesitant, but growing surer by the second. They toyed with her chest, groping the mounds and rubbing her nipples, each dipping a hand down to finger Naminé behind her strap. Naminé's lips parted as she gasped, and she adjusted her thrusts so she didn't hurt the hands touching her so sweetly.

"Xion," Axel called to her, and when she turned back he was reaching out. He was beautiful, hair a mess and ears perked, lips glistening and cheeks flushed with arousal. His eyes glittered, fingers tangling between her own. She squeezed his hands, leaned down to nuzzle his face and neck. With every thrust he made she met him, his thick cock so sweet inside her. It set a fire in her belly, had her panting as she brushed her mouth against his, hips rolling.

"You're so pretty," she said.

"Right back at ya," Axel returned, releasing her hands so he could hold her close. "C'm'here."

She giggled as his teeth found her ear, nipping. "I'm not sure mine are as sensitive as yours."

"Doesn't matter. Still feels good." His tongue toyed with the lobe, licked a stripe down her neck. "Right?"

"Mmhm—nnh!" Again, he hit her prostate. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, tongue dipping deep inside his mouth, sliding against his while he bounced her on his cock. She felt so small, but safe, and with Naminé's strength pouring into Axel every thrust hit true. That remained so even when someone grabbed Axel's tail—Roxas, longing to hear his voice again. Axel's whines were loud, pitched in such a way there was no doubt to the cause of his pleasure. His stomach clenched with every tug, cock throbbing inside Xion.

There was a moan behind them—Naminé crying out as she came. Whether it had been Kairi and Roxas's hands, Axel's frequent contractions around her strap reverberating through her, or the sight of Xion full of cock that had pushed her over, it didn't matter. Wet trickled out rapidly from under her toy, spraying the fingers inside her as Kairi and Roxas fucked her through her orgasm. The grass was drenched in her squirt, and her pleasure flowed through Xion, had precum leaking out of her dick and onto Axel. 

And his is dripping into me, she thought, and knew he was as close to climax as she was. They were almost there, Night Black and her lovely red wolf chasing their release. And once we get there we'll finally be one.

Naminé stumbled to the side, Kairi and Roxas guiding her away before they slumped into a pile. Xion glimpsed them through the haze of sex, watched as Naminé shivered, as she clung to Roxas's side, Kairi taking hold of the other. She saw his hands run over their hair, their backs, trying to soothe them, even as she saw the predatory gleam in her sisters' eyes. Mother warned us about you. If only someone had warned you about us. 

She watched them kiss each other, a tangle of limbs as the girls caressed the boy in their midst. They shared a cunning look, but kept their touches careful; edging around his nipples, his ass, his cock, keeping away from his tail and ears, running over the small of the back, the muscles of his shoulders, the fat on his stomach. Xion watched them until they turned to her, and then she finally looked away.

Green eyes met hers in the same moment. It was just the two of them now, Axel rocking his hips, fucking her, kissing her, his knot catching on her hole, head teasing her prostate. He released her from his embrace to hold her hands once more, twining their fingers. 

Almost, almost—

"Axel!" Xion cried out, spurting watery cum over both of them, covering their stomachs and Axel's chests. Axel groaned in response, slamming his hips up once, twice before filling her with his seed. She could feel his cock twitching, warm and pulsing inside her. "A-Axel..."

"I'm here," he whispered. "I'm here."

Distantly, Xion heard the others; their little sounds of pleasure as they watched her and Axel climax. The threads of their feelings wove through her, binding them in that brief moment of ecstasy. Her sisters knew they weren't finished, of course, but that did not stop them from giving her their delight.

The afterglow took her then, energy sapped as she collapsed onto Axel properly. He didn't seem to mind, running his fingers through her hair, his other hand still wrapped around hers. "You were wonderful," he said.

"Thank you," Xion replied, smiling.

"No, really, you were—" Axel cut himself off, struggling for words. She looked up, saw his ears droop and perk in turn as he thought. She knew when he found the words, because he looked at her; green eyes as genuine as they'd ever been. "I could feel you in everything—in everything I did, everything I thought and felt. You weren't controlling me, just...present, observing, holding me almost, promising me it would all go well. You showed me Kairi and Naminé's hearts, even let me peek into Roxas's and that—that union, that was all you. You let me—us—have that."

"It's what I am," Xion said. "Night Black."

Axel shook his head. "It's more than that. It's not just what you are, Xion, it's what you do and who you choose to be. I can see that. I can see you, and so can your sisters, and even Roxas—and even though most of us had more sex than you, you were at the center of it. You were the foundation. The link, the spark, the...connection. And I loved it, I—"

She pressed her finger to his lips. "I get it," she said, and she did. His gratitude was there; gratitude for her and what she had done, the moment she had granted them all to mingle with others in a way few ever had the chance. From her requests designed to suit the needs of her companions, to the ebb and flow of her consciousness that drew them into a sea of sensation—of feelings that were and were not theirs, of connections they had and had not dreamed of but now sought—she had granted them what they yearned for; the sweetest of all intimacies.

And they had seen her; Axel and Roxas both. They had seen her and everything she was and loved her, and in turn come to love her sisters.

It was everything she could have wanted—almost.

"There's more to come," she whispered, removing her finger.

"Fuck, I hope so. I-I can see you again, right? Me and Roxas, we can—"

"Yes. You can see all three of us, and our mother and all our friends one day, if you like. There's plenty of things still to do, after all, and I like a little repetition. But what I actually meant by that was, there's more to come now." She giggled, rolled her hips forward so his cock finally slid out of her, his hot cum beginning its slow descent down her thigh. Axel shivered.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked, raising a brow.

Her eyes darted over to Roxas. "Well, if you've still got room after dinner, I thought we could have some dessert."

Axel grinned, catching on. "Oh, definitely. Didn't you know red wolves have a separate stomach for dessert?"

"No," she answered with a roll of her eyes, "in part because I'm sure there's only one red wolf who does."

"And right now, he's the only one that matters."

Xion laughed. Axel's eyes crinkled, and his hands were careful as he took her waist in hand and guided her off him. She rolled onto her knees, saw Axel do the same as the both of them turned to face the other three.

Kairi and Naminé shared a glance, and then put their hands on Roxas's shoulder and shoved him to the ground; cheek against the grass, ass in the air, their combined weight keeping him down.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, tail lashing, struggling against their grip. "What are you—"

"Hush," Naminé said, adjusting her hold so she could brush his tail with her fingers. It flitted and curled, fluffing despite the gentle quality of her touch. The rest of his body was rigid with alarm. Naminé sighed. "Calm down, Roxas. You want this, don't you? You've been wanting and watching, and now it's finally your turn."

Roxas struggled. "No it's—I don't—I—"

"You," Kairi interrupted, "want him, don't you?" She leaned in close, lips against his ear. "I bet you've been waiting for this. As much as you love breeding Axel, you've been stuck in a rut. You've been wondering when he would finally manage to catch and keep you, love you the way he does in your dreams."

Axel blinked, all traces of playfulness vanishing. "Really, Roxas? Is...is that how you feel?" He took a shuddering breath. "Because I...I love having your kits, I love being held by you, I love being yours even if we don't...we don't really talk about it, but I want to—"

His words caught, tripped in his throat and over his tongue. Xion knew he hadn't meant to say all that, but he had and couldn't take it back now. He didn't want to.

In the dusky light of evening, roseate and sweet, Roxas's eyes shone. They glinted in dreamy shades, flashing in the dappled shadows. Awash in a gold and orange glow, the leaves around them dipped in sunset dyes, it was nonetheless obvious when Roxas flushed, already burning cheeks deepening as the sky above. For the briefest of moments he held Axel's gaze; green and blue meeting. They parted the next instant, but that was all they needed. In a second, they had conveyed everything the other needed to know.

The maidens shared a look and smiled.

Xion rose to her feet, taking Axel's hand and leading him to where the others waited. Roxas's ears lay flat to his head—embarrassment and anxiety palpable, despite the need that shone in his eyes. Axel's palms were sweaty, grip white-knuckled around Xion's hands. Their caution wasn't strange; they had been lovers for years, but had danced around the feelings that existed even before their first mating. There was a history even Xion couldn't fully comprehend, if only because she didn't like to push too far into a person without asking. Though all will come to me in time. 

But it was obvious to anyone what Axel and Roxas felt for each other; intimate desires and a longing for their hearts to be tied, somehow individual and entwined all at once. As day and night merge at dawn and dusk, so too will you, Xion thought. With the blessings and meddling of we Twilit Maidens, you will find what you both seek.

"Think on this," Naminé said, as Axel and Xion knelt. "What do you want, Roxas, Axel? How do you fit into this world, and how do you seek to fit into each other's?"

"Where are you going?" Kairi continued. "And how do you want to get there?"

"Who are you?" Xion finished. "Who is he? And who do you want to be when you're together?"

They were not questions to be answered aloud. They did not need to be. Axel stared down at Roxas, eyes open, honest, and waited. Roxas swallowed.

"I..." he began, voice trembling. He could not bring himself to raise his head. "I want you in every way you can want someone, Axel. I want to be with you. I like it when I'm in control, I like when I protect you, when I make you mine but...I-I'm yours too. I just...it's hard for me sometimes." Xion felt a flicker—something in his past that made him angry and fearful. "Oh, you know."

Axel nodded.

There was a bond and history between the boys the girls did not understand, and Xion did not make them privy too. They longed to learn of it, one day, to become a part of their new loves' lives. It was their intention, in fact, and the likely ending of their story. But up to this moment they had lived separate lives, were beings of a wholly different sort to the Red Wolf and the Mountain Cat. The pristine white of dawn and daylight, the perfect red of noon and dusk, the deep black between the twilight hours and night. Yet the three shades watched over all, and in turn were bathed in the lives that were connected to their mother, the ocean, from which everything began and returned.

Three promises, and the sea which bound all life to them.

I want you, I will be with you, we exist within each other.

Xion smiled. She was not surprised these boys with their unspoken oaths had stumbled upon the maidens three.

The men had gone still, Roxas hiding is face, Axel's hands shaky and clammy. Well, I suppose we must give them a push, Xion thought, and nodded to the others.

"Go on," Naminé said softly. "You both want this."

"You trust each other, right?" Kairi asked.

"I'm with you," Xion murmured as she took Roxas's hands.

Axel said nothing, but he reached down once and caressed Roxas's cheek. His chin wobbled when Roxas pressed his face against his palm, eyes darting up just once. They were painfully full, brimming and begging. Please don't make me say it. You know. You already know.

So Axel didn't. He leaned in and kissed him once, then moved behind Roxas. He nuzzled his back, dragging his lips up along the knobs of his spine. Roxas shuddered, pendant and bracelets jangling softly. The girls soothed him, Kairi and Naminé rubbing his shoulders, his neck, his upper back, holding him in place despite the fact he'd already surrendered. Xion squeezed his hands, pressed against both flesh and rings, felt them slip against sweaty fingers. His ears flicked, his tail bobbed, and blue eyes slowly rose to Xion's—a sea of anxiety and anticipation.

Axel's lips reached the base of his neck, nibbling and nosing into his hair. "Roxas," he breathed, voice heavy, husky. Roxas curved his back, pushing his ass higher.

"Axel," he whispered, "please."

It was all Axel needed. Already curled over Roxas, it was no difficult task guiding his cock to his entrance and slowly pushing inside. Roxas mewled, kitten-like, tail swaying and ears addled, eyes teary. His expression was gorgeous as he was entered, lips parting wide and lashes fluttering, so caught up in the moment he had no time for shame. Even Xion shuddered at the sensation, could feel how deliciously soft and slick he was, how wonderfully hard the cock inside him felt. His body opened for Axel, much less shy than his heart, which bade him struggle against the hands holding him down. The girls kept him still though, refused to allow his instinctual denial.

"You've done this before," Xion reminded him. "Don't be shy just because we're here."

It was easier said than done, but the deeper Axel went the more Roxas accepted him, chest heaving against the grass with every inch. He sighed contentedly when Axel finally pushed the knot of his cock inside, and Xion and her sisters shared a smile.

Then Axel stopped. He did not thrust or grind his hips against Roxas's soft ass, tempting as it might be. Instead, he pressed his lips to Roxas's fuzzy ears, whispered words the girls knew they were meant to hear. "I'll take care of you, and...I want you to take care of me too."

Roxas blinked, bleary-eyed. "What..."

"If these three let us stay with them, you can have me. I want to have your cubs, Roxas."

Roxas's head snapped up, a little mrrrp slipping out as he tried to look back. Axel didn't let him, holding him down with his weight alone as Xion and her sisters trailed their hands over his stomach, his arms, his chest. His fingers curled around Xion's. "Really? If..." His eyes darted to hers. "Can we—"

"Of course," Xion said. "Run away with us. We'll keep you both safe, I promise. I know you have a place here, but whenever you need a haven our home will be there. We'll be there."

Roxas's lips pulled into the sweetest smile, hands warm in hers, and then he was gone. He gave in to pleasure, letting out a loud gasp as Axel fucked into him. They started slow, Axel gently rolling his hips, Roxas holding his position, trusting him entirely. He did tilt his neck, giving Axel more room to kiss and lick and pant against him, a little giggle escaping as the wolf sniffed, eager for his scent. Both their tails danced, Axel's wagging, Roxas's curling languidly as Axel's cock stroked his walls, his balls slapping against his thighs. They were heavy despite all the times he'd already come, and Roxas mewed as he thought of how they'd soon be filling him with Axel's pups. 

The girls let Xion spread their love over the boys, a feeling as rosy as the dusk and intimate as the sun kissing the horizon. The boy's bond wrapped around them, tying the sisters to them as they made love beneath the trees and sky. It earned an eager response, Kairi's fingers stroking their ears, their faces, their arms, Naminé's toying with their tails, the jut of their hips, their chests. 

When both girls brought their hands around to Roxas's stomach, he cried, tears catching on his lashes. Already his body prepared to shape a womb, eager to be warm and full, and the girls touch only made him more aware of what was to come. It was soothing, their hands gently rubbing as they assured Axel and Roxas both they'd have many lovely pups, that Roxas would carry them well and keep them healthy, and that he'd find the fullness he was searching for.

All throughout, Xion held his hands. She kissed the tears from his cheeks and smiled when her sisters took the time to caress her. The hazy aura of dusk settled over them, the magic of the sinking sun mingling with their sex.

"We'll take care of you," Xion whispered, over and over. "You'll take care of us. It's a promise, for forever if you want it to be."

"I want it," Roxas breathed, voice breaking. His eyes stayed on hers, and for all they were hazy and lost she thought he could see to her very core—to their very core. "Please," he whispered.

Axel's thrusts grew harder, faster as he neared his peak. Roxas started to mewl, even yowl as his cock bounced, arching his back like a stretching cat as Axel sunk his teeth into his shoulder. His fingers squeezed tight around Xion's, and behind him Axel groaned, thrusting his cock in as deep as it would go as the knot at the base swelled. Then they were locked together, cum flooding into Roxas, his body shifting so his womb might accept it. With their hands still on his stomach, Naminé and Kairi both felt the bulge of it—both his uterus, and Axel's semen filling it to the brim.

"There's so much," Naminé said. "You'll have so many pups."

"They're going to be so cute," Kairi giggled. "And so are you, Roxas."

"He always is," Axel agreed, panting, hair drooping as he slumped over Roxas's back. His smile was lazy, but his eyes were full of adoration as he ran a hand over Roxas's hips, comforting as he continued to breed him. "But I'm not too bad myself. Don't count me out yet."

"Wasn't planning on it," Xion and Roxas said in unison, although Roxas's came out slurred. She chuckled at his voice and at the dopey, dazed expression on his face.

"Shush," he complained.

"But you look so precious right now," she said. He shook his head, blushing, but did not look away. 

The five stayed like that until Axel's knot eased, petting and soothing both boys until Roxas could sit up again. A little cum trickled out, but there was no doubt in anyone's minds that Roxas would be pregnant with a litter by sundown tomorrow.

Still, like everyone else, he had the energy for more—or perhaps just an unwillingness to back down when challenged over something he cared about. He turned to face Axel, grinning. "You ready?"

Axel laid back against the grass and the girls' capes, looking equal parts shy and excited with his legs spread and cock hard. "I dunno, Roxas. What do you think?"

"Hmmm." Roxas prowled over to him. "I'm not sure."

"Am I ever not ready, then?"

"Well, in terms of preparedness, I have managed to catch you unawares the last three times we've done this."

"Hey!" Axel complained, but he was laughing, and then swiftly silenced as Roxas took his face in his hands and kissed him. His opened his mouth wide as Roxas slid inside, the little barbs on his cock just rigid enough for pleasure, just soft enough not to hurt. They didn't rip or tear, merely heightened his awareness and kept Roxas close—things he longed for, always. 

"Oh," Xion breathed, the sensation passing through her as she came to a stop beside them, both her sisters with her. She took Roxas's tail in hand, Kairi and Naminé lying down next to Axel and caressing his chest as the two boys mated for the second time. Axel wrapped his legs around Roxas's waist, lifting his hips to meet every one of Roxas's thrusts. Roxas bent down to leave his own mark on Axel's neck, not essential, but desired, his bite accompanied by a sudden gush of slick from his partner.

The heat built within them, the girls touching the boys and each other; hands in cunts and on cocks, on asses, on chests and bellies, arms and legs, on cheeks. They held each other close, kissing, desperate and burning until Xion slid her hand across the small of Roxas's back and grabbed the base of his tail, squeezing. He came hard, kissing Axel as his semen surged through his lover, thick streams leaving a bulge in his stomach much the same as Roxas's own. The girls sighed, setting their heads against it, bringing themselves to their own orgasm, Xion spurting cum over Roxas's thighs. They reached their high together and then collapsed in a pile, a smile on their lips.

They stayed like that until the sun's light had nearly faded, true darkness seeping into the shadows amidst the trees. The world was still dyed in sweet colors, however, and there was no fear in their hearts as they held each other, for what would they have to fear with Night Black herself among them? The three maidens, the red wolf, and the mountain cat were at peace, and would wait until the first stars shone before they rose and walked the path back to hearth and home. They were sated, happy, loved, and together. They were bound.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Kairi asked.

"Are you happy?" Naminé added.

"Yes," Xion said, holding Roxas's and Axel's hands. "Very much so."

Once upon a night in a cottage in the woods, a red wolf and a mountain cat lounged beside a hearth. It was a peaceful evening, quiet save for the crackle of flames, the birds in the forest, and the steady sounds of the two lovers breathing. They were alone, the master of the house having departed to visit her friends for an hour, and their beloved maidens off picking berries. The autumn moons rose early, after all, and the three girls were eager to make pies, jams, and other assorted treats for their expectant companions.

Neither Roxas nor Axel were alarmed, for they knew the maidens had not gone far. The cottage was a safer place than any woody bower or mountain cave, but even should trouble strike, they did not doubt the girls would be there with daggers in hand. Besides, it was their own complaints that had sent the girls roaming in the first place, their litters craving something sweet and sour. It wouldn't do to bemoan their absence.

Both boys were incredibly comfortable anyhow, feeling cozy and rather enormous. They were nearing the end of their pregnancies, their bellies round with many cubs and pups eager to make their way into the world. Their occasional kicking was an endless source of delight and fascination to the boys and their caretakers, as well as their many friends who stopped by. They had it on good authority that their stomachs were also pleasing to the eye, the many idiosyncrasies of their pregnant selves apparently alluring.

Roxas had blushed at that, but what else was he to do? And it wasn't as if Axel hadn't turned the same scarlet shade.

The two laid on their backs now, nesting in a pile of furs, blankets, and pillows. They'd fussed over it endlessly when they'd first arrived, the maidens and their mother chuckling at their antics as they rummaged through the cottage's closets and chests for the comfiest cloths, cushions, and throws. A few of the girls' friends had come round and helped them out when stress and hormones got the better of the boys, something they both had appreciated. Axel was a pack animal, whether he liked it or not, and the company had done him good, and though Roxas was a little more solitary, he found he liked the maidens' friends and was grateful for their assistance.

Everything was pleasantly warm. The air around the cottage resisted autumn's chill, their blankets and the hearth fire a further barrier against the cold. Most pleasing, however, was their shared body heat; something Roxas longed for whenever they were apart.

He sighed when Axel placed a hand on his stomach, rucking his shirt up so the swell of it was visible. Neither of them wore pants, their bare legs brushing, their tails twined.

"You look so good," Axel murmured. "I've missed this."

"Mmrrp?" Roxas chirped, then cleared his throat. He ignored Axel's quiet chuckle, too relaxed to be bothered by his amusement. He settled his hand over Axel's, moving with him as he stroked Roxas's belly. "S'ppose it's been a while."

"It has..." Axel sighed, smiling, rubbing gently.

"You're being a bit sentimental."

"I'm just feeling really lucky. Or maybe it's because you're looking particularly lovely tonight?"

"Shut up," Roxas huffed, cheeks red. His tail flicked, flicked, flicked, slipping away from Axel's.

"But you do look lovely," Axel breathed. "You're gorgeous, Roxas."

"Fine, but so are you," Roxas said, leaning in to rub their noses together. Axel's shaggy bush of a tail wagged cheerily, speeding up when Roxas's more slender appendage returned to its side.

Moments like these made Roxas anxious, if he were honest, especially when he was already on edge due to his pregnancy. It really had been a long time since he'd been in this position, and even before that he'd always felt strange when he let himself be vulnerable. He hadn't struggled so much as a cub, but, well, a lot had happened in his life—in their lives.

But then he looked at Axel, his green eyes glittering in the fire light, his face aglow, his belly stretched with Roxas's children and his hand resting over his own, and found he was content. In the wild, they never could have afforded to be pregnant together, but here, now, in this idyllic sanctuary, Roxas could indulge. Roxas could relax. He was safe and so was Axel, and everything was at peace.

Shyness diminished, he gave Axel's hand a squeeze. "I'm really glad the girls helped us out."

"Mmhm," Axel hummed, shifting slightly until he could rest his head on Roxas's shoulder. His hand crept out from under Roxas's, pushing his shirt up a little more so he might take in the sight of other round places. Their stomachs weren't the only parts of their body that had changed after all, their chests starting to show now the babies were well on their way. Their cocks had turned into cunts not long after conception; normal, and the traditional confirmation of pregnancy amongst spirits of the wilderness. Other beings might find that strange, but the process was expected and pleasant for them—the entire pregnancy was, in fact, from breeding to birth, with only a few aches and pains along the way. The worst part of the experience was the periods of occasional weakness, but with the maidens at their side they did not need to worry about it.

Which was nice, because it meant they could focus on the parts that made them warm and wet.

Roxas shivered, his cunt tingling as Axel caressed his breast. It was round and full, carrying all the milk he'd need for their young. From the looks of it Axel would have liked some too, if he'd been willing to move.

He wasn't, however, and Roxas wasn't surprised when his hand trailed back down to rest on his stomach once more. He wriggled a little himself, nudging Axel until he could get his arm out from under him. Axel made a noise of complaint, but quietened when Roxas set his hand on his belly. They were still for a moment, both drinking in the sight and feel of the other, both accepting the other's gaze, their desire. Roxas felt heat spreading from where his hand lay upon Axel, where Axel's hand lay upon him. I need...I need...

"Axel," he said, voice rasping. There was slick on his thighs, seeping out of his pussy and across the cushions. He squeezed his legs together, tried to get some relief. "Axel, I need..."

"I know," Axel breathed, "I need it too."

The two turned to face each other—a better position for their late pregnancies and ideal for what they wanted to do. It was still a little awkward, their stomachs putting some small distance between them, but they managed. Their nest kept them comfortable, and any odd twinges and aches from their movement would soon be drowned in their pleasure. Perhaps it was as Xion said, that a little pain was like salt sprinkled in hot chocolate; something that enhanced the sweetness above all else.

Roxas ran his hand over Axel's stomach, slipping it under his shirt much like Axel had done to him. He cupped his breasts, squeezed softly and saw the tiniest dribble of milk. Axel groaned, leg kicking. Roxas understood; his breasts were also painfully full, ready and waiting for their young. Unable to bend his head at the right angle, however, he simply made do with giving him another squeeze, moving from one mound to the other as milk trickled over his fingers.

Axel huffed. Roxas recognized the look in his eyes; the sharp green glint of a challenge. Unwilling to be outdone, and probably more than a little excited after three years without a pregnant Roxas in his life, he took hold of Roxas's breast and groped—hard. Roxas gasped as a spurt of milk squirted onto Axel's chest, heat building in his gut alongside the shame at such an embarrassing display.

There was no mockery though, no teasing as Axel squeezed and squeezed again, running both his hands over Roxas's chest, Roxas doing the same to him. The two shivered as they eased their aches, even as another grew within their cunts; desperate, pleading.

"Moments like these, I almost wish you still had a cock," Axel said, choking back a whine. Roxas didn't need Xion to be present to know what Axel spoke of, to feel his need for a dick buried deep inside him. He'd always worked hard to satisfy that urge in Axel whenever the pregnant wolf needed a good fucking, loved the way he writhed as Roxas laid him on his back and took him, rubbing his belly and biting his neck. Perhaps he also missed the way Roxas had doted on him too, although the girls were quite happy with their roles as caretakers and protectors, and very good at it besides.

But Roxas knew their current situation excited Axel. It excited Roxas. They'd never had the chance to be pregnant together, to breed each other in a single season. And there's no way Axel would give up the chance to see me carrying his kids, he thought wryly. Not after three years of carrying mine. 

Still, there was likely a part of Axel that was sad he couldn't give to Roxas what Roxas had given to him. Roxas wanted to soothe that part of him, assure him that he didn't need Axel to fuck him that way to feel good right now. This strange, sweet arrangement of theirs made him happier than he'd thought he'd ever been, and though he expected they'd switch things up again in the future, he looked forward to many more seasons of them breeding one another.

That might've been, in part, because of the unique ways in which their bodies responded to each other. The scent of Axel's slick made Roxas's produce more, the sight of his pleasure awakening something Roxas had never felt. The feeling was undoubtedly mutual, Axel shivering every time Roxas moaned, growing hotter, more eager, more desperate. They were both technically the breeder and the one who was bred, but Roxas understood this as a unique response that only two expectant individuals could have.

And he wanted so much more of it.

He leaned forward and kissed Axel, their stomachs bumping, one hand on his breasts, the other dipping down to massage his clit. Axel groaned, reached down to return the favor, his tongue sliding into Roxas's mouth. A shiver ran through Roxas at the contact, his pussy almost painfully swollen at this point. He lifted his leg to grant easier access, felt Axel do the same, their thumbs rubbing each other's clits while their fingers fucked deep into their holes. They were undoubtedly a sight; both pregnant and on display, presenting their soaking cunts as the wet sound of their kisses and fingering filled the room. What would the girls think, seeing them like this?

Hopefully about giving us exactly what we want, Roxas mused, pulling back to breathe and touch noses with Axel. "Love you," he murmured, rubbing his belly against Axel's. His tail flicked out and twined with the wolf's, tangling affectionately.

Axel's smile was infectious; open and wonderful, eyes crinkled at the corners. "Love you too, Roxas," he whispered, "always."

They returned each touch in kind, each movement ecstatic mimicry. They chased each other deep into the heat of desire and lost themselves in the flames, desperate for something hard and long—or soft, wet, and flexible—to see them to completion. They were soaking the cushions, chests and holes leaking, faces burning, sweat catching on their cheeks, tongues and lips meeting. Yet somehow it soothed and lulled as well; soft hands around the back of their necks, on their hips, in their hair, stroking their ears, tails touching and stomachs brushing against each other. The room reeked of their sex, their love for each other and their children, and the people who kept them safe, and—

They were sinking and Roxas felt everything, felt Axel, was Axel—

And Axel shivered, heart thundering in his chest, Roxas's hands on and in his body filling him with the sweetest heat. Their tails touching sent pleasure shooting up his spine, up Roxas's too. He nuzzled his neck, his cheek, rubbed a thumb over the delicate fuzzy whisker-fur at the very edge of his face. His body was tense with arousal, begging to be fucked, begging to be comforted, begging for Roxas, Roxas, Roxas and—

"You really want me, huh?" Roxas said, laughing when Axel smiled. "They're back, by the way."

"What was your first clue?" Axel asked, smirking. "I mean, besides the fact we're in each other's consciousnesses—nnh!"

Too many big words, Roxas thought, pressing his thumb against his clit.

You're right, Axel returned, their beings tangling.

"Axel, Roxas, we're bac—oh!" Kairi stopped in the doorway, Xion and Naminé nearly running into her. Their gold and dark heads popped around her red one, and through Xion's magic Roxas could feel—could see—what they did in that moment. 

Two boys entwined in their nest, legs lifted and spread, tails flicking and tangling with pleasure, fingers caressing, fucking each other. Their bodies denied nothing, pussies presented and gaping wide around their fingers, the wet sound of each plunge inside loud in the near silence. They were pink and red from their cunts to their faces, swollen and needy, their shirts rolled up to show their round breasts and stomachs, milk leaking, eyes glistening, ears askew.

No one spoke, and yet Roxas swore he heard someone say please.

He didn't know when the girls reached their sides but they were there, baskets full of berries discarded on the kitchen table. Naminé ran her hands over his legs before raising them onto her shoulders, shifting him onto his back. Kairi did the same to Axel, cooing in delight when he whined. Xion slid into the nest between the boys, accepting Roxas's weight on her right shoulder and Axel's on her left. She squirmed a little, brimming with energy as their arousal bled into her.

"You look like you could use a hand," she teased, squeezing their breasts. "They're pretty heavy, huh? I guess you've got some really hungry babies growing in there. But there's still a little time before they're here so"—she ducked down and took Roxas's tit in her mouth, sucking as she groped Axel's.

The boys moaned, Roxas shivering as he felt his and Axel's pleasure, and all the girls' as well. Axel leaned over Xion's head and kissed him, sucking on his tongue whilst Xion did the same to his nipple. He could feel his milk flowing into her, filling her up as Axel did his mouth.

His ears perked when he felt lips against his clit—Naminé massaging it with her tongue, circling the nub and trailing over his labia. Another shock of pleasure ran through him as Kairi kissed Axel's cunt, she and Naminé shooing the boys' fingers away so they could slip their own inside. They went quick, fast, but not too hard, their tongues dipping in and out at regular intervals.

The boys mewled, Roxas gasping as Xion switched to sucking Axel's breast, squeezing his own before trailing her hands down to their stomachs. She swallowed Axel's milk in time with her sisters swallowing their slick, then released his reddened nipple to give both boys a kiss.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" she murmured, rubbing her hands over their expectant stomachs. She caressed their taut skin, ran her fingers over the line that trailed down from their navels, and smiled. "Yet you're still looking for more, huh? Even though you're already full of warmth and life. Well, I suppose we'll just have to give it to you, my beautiful, beautiful boys."

She giggled and they moaned, their hands meeting hers as they touched each other's stomachs. Their babies were in there; the ones they'd put inside their partner, the ones the girls helped them protect, helped them create. Those tiny creatures were the source of so much joy and pleasure, symbols of love between the men and their maidens. The very thought of their presence in him made Roxas cry out, Axel answering his call. 

Their kisses grew more heated, bodies tightening around the fingers and tongues inside them. Xion drew their nipples into her mouth over and over, alternating, each suck sending the boys' tails flailing, their ears flicking as jolts of pleasure ran through them. Everything was choking Roxas up; how safe he was, how loved he was, how loved they all were, how each touch was arousing and calming, the aches and pains in their bodies banished as sweetness like honey pooled inside them.

Then Naminé and Kairi rubbed their tails from tip to base and that was it. The boys came, gushing and squirting all over the girls' faces, arching their backs despite the weight of their bellies. Tingling heat ran from their cunts through the rest of their bodies, then circled back to where their hands rested on one another's stomachs. Xion held them close throughout, lapping up the occasional trickle of milk as they dissolved into whining messes.

Through her bond, they tasted themselves in Naminé and Kairi's mouths. Their spicy, sweet, and salty flavors were rich upon their tongues; delicious.

"The taste is heavier when you're expecting," Naminé murmured, the vibrations of her voice making Roxas mewl. She hummed and sat back, wiping her mouth as Kairi fingered Axel through the last of his orgasm, licking up everything he squirted out.

"Tastes good," she said, when he finally stopped.

Xion sighed. "They're adorable, aren't they?" She kissed them both. "You've both done so well."

Roxas groaned, heard Axel echo the sound. They were loose and sated, bodies slowly coming down from their high. 

"You three..." Axel muttered.

"...are too good," Roxas finished, and laughed.

"And you'd better get it memorized!" Xion exclaimed, Naminé and Kairi giggling as they mimicked Axel's accompanying pose.

The boys rolled their eyes, but they were smiling, contentment seeping into their bones. They laid back as the girls finished each other off, Xion lovingly fucking both her sisters before coming herself. That done, the girls gave the boys a wipe down, exclaiming excitedly when they felt a couple of kicks from their babies. Roxas shook his head, but let them have their fun as he laid his head on Axel's shoulder, felt all his love and affection flow into him. He returned it, as he returned the girls' kindness with waves of light and gratitude.

The girls gave the babies a kiss, lips pressing to Roxas and Axel's stomachs before they returned to the task at hand. They tidied the nest, swapped out pillows and blankets, and found the boys new shirts, tugging them down to cover them properly. They ate wild berries and sipped hot milk, chewed sprigs of mint, and then took turns brushing one another's hair until the day's exertions caught up with them. Then they curled up in the nest together and swiftly fell asleep.

 

---

 

Aqua was greeted with a most endearing sight upon returning from her evening out. In the nest on the floor all five of her charges snuggled against each other. The boys lay on their sides, a hand on their partner's stomach, while the girls slept splayed around them in protective postures. They had sunk deep into the pillows, looking perfectly cozy despite the absence of their blanket. Kairi was likely the culprit there. She was a restless sleeper, always prone to kicking off the covers in the middle of the night.

Aqua smiled. Her heart was aglow in her chest, warmed by her evening with Ven and Terra and the scene laid out before her. It was the cherry on top of an already splendid night. Full of love, she crossed the room to fetch the rumpled blanket off the floor, then spread it over her daughters and their precious boys. She tucked them all in and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks, before taking a seat in the chair by the fire.

"Well," she said, listening to the crackle of the flames, the birds in the forest, and the soft, steady breathing of her beloved companions, "all's safe at hearth and home."

Once upon a time there were three maidens who lived in a cottage in the woods. Their names were Snow White, Rose Red, and Night Black, although they were more commonly called Naminé, Kairi, and Xion. They were dusk and dawn given form, guardians of the Promised Hours; a sacred time wherein people made oaths, reflected and learned, sought guidance and warmth, and formed a deeper understanding of themselves, others, and the connection between all things. Though their work was vital, the girls needed do little to share their magic with the world, and thus were able to pass their days in idle pleasure. 

This suited them well and so they did, spending most of their time with the Lady of Water, Aqua, and their two most frequent house guests; the Red Wolf and the Mountain Cat, otherwise known as Axel and Roxas. It was not uncommon for their many friends to drop by, and on such days and nights as these the mood was often celebratory, laughter and sex abounding. At other times, there was an aura of lethargy, when the maidens lazed about with their companions and conversed about all manner of things from dawn 'til dusk 'til dawn again. All was good though. All was at peace.

Indeed, two years passed with nary an issue to disturb the maidens' lives, save the occasional complaints of two very pregnant boys, who waddled about the house and groaned when the odd ache or craving began. Their antics did not bother the maidens, however, who found Axel and Roxas both endearing and entertaining in equal measure; an opinion shared by most of their friends.

Yet nothing is perfect; a fact life is always eager to remind us of.

It was some months before the boys' third year in the girls' company when trouble found its way to their door. Xion had decided to go for a walk, the day pristine and the wood redolent with flowers. Kairi and Naminé were both at home with friends, Axel and Roxas departed to the depths of the forest to see how their many litters were faring. Aqua was visiting Ven and Terra in their abode, which left Xion to her own devices. Not much in the mood for company, she wandered alone, past rock formations, toadstool rings, and leafy shrubs, until finally she came upon the clearing wherein the maidens met wolf and cat for the first time.

The place, hallowed by her love of it, seemed ideal for a moment's respite. She wandered it in full, admiring every tree, blossom, and bush, before lying down upon the grass to sleep. As she did, she noticed something; a quietening of birds, an absence of rodents, a softening of wind.

A rustle of leaves.

She jumped up, dagger in hand, eyes flitting beneath the boughs. There was no surprise in her heart, at least, when a panther prowled out from the undergrowth. At a glance she knew he was not as other beasts. There was moonlight in his eyes despite the hour, and his grasp on his feral shape was weak. A wild spirit, albeit much less tame than Axel and Roxas are. He was very pretty though, a sheen of cornflower to his midnight blue fur, coat shimmering, muscles strong. There was a jagged scar upon his face, but she did not think it took from his appearance.

No, it was his eyes that did that. They watched her, offering nothing but cold dismissal.

They stayed like that a moment, neither attacking, still as statues.

Then he scoffed.

"What?" Xion asked.

"What indeed," the panther said. "What a joke, I thought, to see the glow around you. You shine as if you have a heart, yet how can a shadow, a sliver of twilight, feel anything at all?"

Xion grit her teeth and glared. "I have a heart!"

"Do you? I doubt it." The panther shook his head. "The Red Wolf and his feral kitten may have found their hearts, but I do not believe you maidens can. You are empty vessels. You cannot help me." He turned away.

"I know more of hearts than you do," she scowled. "My sisters and I have a purpose that binds our hearts to all in the sea of life, but that does not mean we are washed away in their current. We have hearts. I have a heart." And indeed, it ached in her chest to have both her bond with her friends and her very self mocked so openly by another.

It seemed her words had some affect though, or otherwise he had felt her through the stream of consciousness, for he paused.

"We shall see," he conceded, before slowly prowling away.

 

---

 

For all the bite to her words, Xion returned home in distress. She divulged the details of the encounter to her sisters and mother upon the latter's return, and took heed of their words.

"It sounds like you met the Moon Panther," Aqua said, brows furrowed. "How odd. Even when he lived nearby he wasn't exactly sociable."

"Do you know much about him?" Xion asked.

"Not truly, no. But by his words, I would judge him to be seeing his struggles in you."

"His struggles?"

Aqua shrugged. "We do not know if all beings have hearts. Some believe they do not, though they may choose to create one. Others feel they had one once but lost it. The method by which a heart is obtained remains unknown, however. The actions that must be taken, the thoughts that must be had, the feelings that must be shared—nobody knows what they are. Yet it is also true that all beings may already have hearts and not know it, for having a heart and feeling as if one has a heart are two different things."

Xion bit her lip. "So you think he wants a heart? Or wants to feel like he has one?"

"I'd say so. Still, the way he spoke to you was rather brusque. You aren't required to immerse yourself in his struggle, particularly if he's going to treat you poorly." She took Xion's hands in her own. "And please be careful; his behavior makes me uncomfortable. I think he may be hunting you."

"Alright," Xion said, "although I'm not sure he is."

"Oh?" Aqua raised a brow.

"He knew Axel and Roxas," she clarified. "Axel more so, I think. I wonder..." She looked away, remembering thoughts shared in a moment of vulnerability. Several had been tinged cornflower blue.

Yet her belief he wasn't hunting her specifically wavered when next she saw him. Indeed, he kept showing up, stalking her through the woods when she took her walks. Sometimes her sisters trailed beside her and other times she was alone, but either way the panther was there. He rarely came close, oft lurking in the shadows just out of sight, but even so she could not deny the truth of his skulking posture.

He was hunting her; a haunting sliver of ghostly moon, eerie as it trailed her in the daylight.

Xion wished dearly he would leave her alone, or at least be more thoughtful with his questions, but no. On the rare occasion his stalking brought them close, he would lean in and ask, in his icy voice, "Do you have a heart, Night Black? Can you even comprehend what that is?"

Always, always, he was condescending and unkind, and his heart—if he had one—remained shrouded. But does he lack one, or merely not understand it enough to make a connection? she wondered, shoving her way through low-hanging branches after another unpleasant encounter with the panther. And why me? My sisters are much the same as I am, after all.

"Perhaps it's got something to do with Axel and Roxas," Kairi said, later that night.

"He could be jealous," Naminé added. "You were the reason we became friends. If the panther knew them both before, perhaps he's upset that they'd rather spend time with us now."

It was something to think about, even if it did not solve the problem at hand. Answers might though; a thought which brought her some joy when Axel and Roxas finally returned from their trip. One mention of the Moon Panther and she knew she'd get something out of them, for Axel sighed and Roxas scowled most fiercely.

"Roxas, let me tell—"

"You can," Roxas said, curling up in the nest on the living room floor. "I've got nothing to say about him." The girls shared a worried glance, in part because this was exceptionally sulky behavior for Roxas, but Axel didn't seem surprised.

"That panther you met, he...he wasn't good to him," Axel explained, gesturing to Roxas on the floor. The lump that was Roxas huffed and Axel sighed. "Alright everyone, I suppose I should enlighten you. Gather round for Axel's story time."

"Yes, mother," Aqua said dryly, which prompted the girls to giggle. Axel rolled his eyes, but he was obviously glad to have the tension broken. He waited in silence as they all took a seat or dropped into the nest beside Roxas.

"So," he began, slouched upon his stool. Xion's heart raced in her chest, a swamp rising in her stomach. Those weren't her feelings though, but Axel's, as he sat and twiddled his thumbs and spoke haltingly. "Saïx. That's the Moon Panther's name. He was...my partner, in the past. I think that's what you'd call him. He and I did what Roxas and I do now, although our relationship wasn't the same. We were childhood friends—our litters met when we were young and we got on well, y'know? Causing mischief and all that. Made sense that we'd get together one day. His version of dedication was rather singular though, at least in the beginning"—Axel coughed here, disguised a laugh that sounded as amused as it did displeased—"until things changed, which they did. But we got along right up until I met Roxas."

A pang. Xion reached down from her chair to pet Roxas's head. He grumbled, but didn't push her away.

The listened without comment as Axel told his story; how he and Saïx had roamed the woods for many a year, exploring and mating, filling the lands with wolves and panthers. How they'd come upon and befriended various strangers, including an amnesiac jaguar and the mountain cat himself, Roxas. How Saïx had been terse with the latter and fond of the former, who was thoughtful and kind, if a little lost and unsure of her place in the world.

"He liked her because she befriended him first, not you," Roxas muttered, half-buried in pillows.

"I know, Roxas," Axel sighed. "But whatever. That's not the point. Back then we were more feral than we are now. The process of becoming a wild spirit is gradual, you see? It's a matter of growing a heart—or if you believe we already have one, then understanding it. It wasn't that we didn't care about each other, but...everything was messier, more confusing. Anyhow, Roxas and I didn't really get to know each other properly until after that jaguar girl left and he arrived."

"The girl left?" Naminé asked. "Why?"

"Who's he?" Kairi wondered.

"Give him a moment, girls," Aqua laughed, while Xion sat in silence, holding Roxas. His tail was lashing.

"He was Xemnas," Axel said. "Is Xemnas, probably. I don't know where he lives these days, but last I heard he was alive. Like us, he wavered between two forms—one a man, one a bear. At the time he was mostly a bear, black with white markings that frame his face, and a golden sheen you could only see in certain lights. He'd been to many places before he met us; the Unknown and the Inbetween, lands I still don't really understand. He'd been searching for the truth of the heart, apparently, and attracted the attention of others. Thing is, he wasn't even all that sociable." Axel snorted. "Yet plenty of folks were drawn to his quest, even if he left most of them behind in the end."

"And you two were next," Xion murmured.

Axel nodded. "Xemnas...he was handsome and spoke well. His desire to learn was tangible and he seemed to have explanations for everything, or a willingness to seek answers when he didn't. And, well, this is where the girl comes in." He sighed. "She left a little while before we met Xemnas, seeking the truth of her mind and heart. She departed, and Saïx dealt with that poorly. He couldn't understand why she'd left. I was hurting and frustrated too, mind you, so I didn't deal well with his suffering. I-I wanted it to stop so I...suggested he talk to Xemnas."

"You did?" Xion asked.

"Yeah. He was—is—enticing, and he seemed the most likely to have answers regarding this sort of thing. I figured our friend had just gone to find a life she'd rather lead, you know? And that was fine, even if it hurt us. But Saïx wanted something else—an answer that satisfied him. I guessed Xemnas would be our best chance at getting one. He'd been around the world and might've seen her, or people like her at least. I didn't have to like him I just...had to hope he could make Saïx happy."

"Because you couldn't?"

"I couldn't," Axel said, hanging his head. When he raised it again, his eyes were sad. "Things took a bad turn after that. Xemnas himself was enough of a problem, but his friends...well, maybe that's too strong a word for them, but a lot of the folk who did Xemnas favors didn't sit right with me. Saïx got really into it though, and...then there was Roxas."

"And then there was me," Roxas echoed bitterly.

"You did nothing wrong, Roxas."

"Oh, I know." Roxas turned over and mumbled, "Doesn't change the fact I feel bad though..."

Axel sighed, but let his comment go. "Xemnas's followers weren't exactly a friendly bunch. They fought and bickered over everything. Some of them were Lords and Ladies, beings much like yourselves. Others were beasts, balancing on the boundary between wild spirit and feral creature. They were violent people that heralded dangerous times and Roxas and I...well, we grew close right there in the middle of it. Roxas—"

"I had my own issues I was dealing with," he said, straight to the point. "You know Sora? Your Endless Sky? The Daylight?" The girls nodded. "If I told you we'd met before, would you believe me? Because we did. I don't think he knows who I am, but long ago he climbed to the top of my old mountain and asked for a fragment of sunlight. It was a gift for you, Kairi."

"I remember that," she breathed. "He gave it to me so I might hang it in the sky once more. You can see it when the sun sets, just as it slips beneath the horizon; one final beam, glistening and warm. A light in the darkness. It's beautiful."

"I bet it is. He took a pretty big risk to get it, y'know? He sought me out and asked me for it, back when I was still pretty feral and protective of my territory."

"Yet you still gave it to him?"

"I did. I...I liked what I saw in his eyes, the feeling inside them when he spoke to me, so he gave me a piece of it in exchange for my sunlight. And just like that, my heart grew. Sora's love was bountiful though, and it made me feel inadequate in comparison. I compared myself to him a lot in my early years as a spirit. I always questioned how much of my heart came from me and how much came from him. And then I met Axel and got to know him and...I was scared I wasn't enough of a person to protect him, that I wasn't enough of a person to love."

There was a lull in the conversation. Kairi sighed. "You should tell Sora who you are. I think he'd be delighted to see the person you've become, Roxas."

"If he hasn't already figured it out," Naminé murmured. "He took such a shine to you, after all."

"You look so much like Ven," Aqua muttered. "But the sky and the breeze go hand in hand, I suppose. You're certainly your own person. You even look different. His cheeks are chubbier, for one."

It gave them a moment of levity, which they all appreciated. She was right anyhow. Even putting aside all the obvious differences in their pasts and personalities, Ven did have a softer face than Roxas and Sora both.

When the laughter died down, Axel continued. "So that explains a little of Roxas's vulnerability at the time. There's really not much more to say beyond that. He and I were both afraid, everyone around us was violent, and we wanted out. Saïx was upset when he learned I didn't plan to stick around with Xemnas and his cronies, when he realized I wanted to run away with Roxas. He was already so jealous of him, of our relationship, and that's with Roxas and me being willing to share at first. By the end though, Roxas wanted nothing to do with Saïx or anyone else, and Saïx couldn't stand the sight of him."

"I didn't actually spend much time with anyone else," Roxas confessed. "I didn't even get to meet Xemnas. He wanted to meet me because of what Sora did to my heart, but I stayed away. Me and Axel snuck around and just...did our thing. Saïx and a couple of the others had a go at me, but they learned pretty fast that I won't go down without a fight." He bared his teeth. "I won't say I didn't draw blood. But they were harassing me, punishing Axel for 'abandoning' his friend, and I wasn't going to let them. Even when Axel told me not to, that he wasn't worth it, I—"

He cut himself off. Xion didn't push. She'd accepted the pieces of their past and the myriad of feelings that came with it during their first time together, and had continued to do so whenever a fragment came her way, but she wasn't going to ask them to share what they weren't ready to. There was no need to push for more details when she already understood the depth of their feelings. And I have a future with them. There's no need to rush when you have plenty of time. The thought made her smile, despite how heavy the conversation was.

Axel looked down at Roxas for a long moment, then cleared his throat. Nobody commented on the way his lip wobbled. "In the end I had to go. Saïx wanted me to stay—said I was abandoning him—but the truth was I just didn't like Xemnas and I didn't want to get hurt. I didn't want Roxas to get hurt. Saïx wasn't satisfied with that. To some extent, I can't blame him. The heart's a mysterious thing, Xemnas was intriguing, and I was the one who encouraged them to talk. I pushed him forward then pulled away. I said the wrong things, made the whole thing worse...and the truth was I chose Roxas over him." Axel shrugged. "It's done now. I don't regret it."

"Did Xemnas know anything?" Xion asked, as he fell quiet. "Of the heart?"

"Not really," Axel said. "The main reason for his curiosity was his lack of a heart. He claimed it was absent, or that if he had one it had long grown cold as the moon." He laughed, bitterly. "Saïx always liked the moonlight, even if I found it too icy to enjoy. I'm sure some can see its warmth or appreciate its chill, but I..." He shook his head. "Maybe it was that lunar quality and Xemnas's charm that drew them together, as much as Saïx's need to understand why our friend had left. Maybe...I was jealous too, or angry that he could grow close to a man who approved of so much cruelty, encouraged the others to harass—"

His eyes went to Roxas, before darting away.

"Well," he said. "We drifted apart. And that was the end of that."

They paused for a moment then, Aqua rising to make tea. She passed out their cups once it was ready, Xion taking note of Axel's weariness as his sipped from his pale, peach porcelain.

"It's too bad that you never got along," Kairi said, trying to lighten the mood. "You, Roxas, and Saïx, I mean. He's a pretty panther, if nothing else."

Roxas snorted, still face down in the nest, cup steaming on the floor beside him.

"I'm glad you two got along though," Naminé commented, smirking as she looked between Axel and Roxas.

"Oh, yes," Kairi said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Very glad indeed."

Xion felt Axel's heart lift in time with his smile. "We do get along well, don't we? It was a let down that Saïx and Roxas couldn't though. It was more Saïx's fault than Roxas's, but...well, it probably didn't help that they were both cats. They're territorial creatures, y'know?"

"Shut up!" Roxas exclaimed, voice muffled by his pillows.

Axel laughed, although there was a hint of remorse. "We joke about it now, but it was uncomfortable back then. A bit terrifying, honestly. Saïx...I wasn't kidding when I said he could be violent, and he's a lot bigger than Roxas and a lot bulkier than me. Still, we managed to protect each other. Roxas was pretty clingy, not that I blame him. His position was a lot more precarious than Saïx's since I hadn't known him so long, and he was younger too, more...delicate. He got tougher later, physically and emotionally, though that made things awkward between the two of us."

"Oh?" Xion asked, raising a brow. "Is this why you were dancing around your feelings when we first met you?"

Axel cleared his throat. "Yeah. We, ah, we'd never admitted what we felt for each other. We played games because everything from our past was so heavy. Acknowledging how much we cared for each other..." He hummed. "Well, some sorts of toughness come at the expense of others; we were more able to endure violence and parting, but less able to be open about our feelings, about...what we really wanted from one another. Thinking on it, I reckon part of the reason you like to be in control so much, Roxas, is because you got bullied so much back then. You got knocked around a lot for a little guy, and so early in your life too...you gave back as good as you got but, well, that didn't mean any of it was good for you. I kinda miss how sensitive you were too. He was a real sweetheart, y'know that girls? He still is, underneath it all."

"Shut up!" Roxas said again, head popping up this time.

The group giggled, then relaxed. "So that was it then?" Xion asked. "You two moved away from them, and they...?"

"Moved on too," Axel finished. "Xemnas went deep into the mountains and Saïx followed him. Haven't seen or heard from either of them until now. I never thought Saïx would come back, honestly, but I guess he finally caught wind of this"—he gestured to the group with his free hand—"and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Or maybe it's something else, I don't know. I'm not thrilled he's bothering you whatever the case."

"Neither am I," Xion said, "but let's wait and see what he does. He's been rude and a little creepy with his stalking, yet...I think something interesting might come out of this. I want to learn more about him." Her eyes twinkled. I want to know what lies in the heart of someone who was so important to you, Axel, and I want to know why he believes he doesn't have one.

"Well," Axel said, raising his tea cup, "you're the one he's stalking, so I'll leave the decision making up to you!"

 

---

 

The boys had stayed the night after that conversation, all six of the house's inhabitants lounging together in the living room. There had been much to take in after their talk, as well as plenty of sweet, spice, and salt for the group to share before they settled in to sleep.

In the months that followed the group kept Xion's wishes in mind. None harried Saïx, even as he continued to stalk Xion, skulking in the woods about their house. He was not violent, although there was ever an unkind word upon his tongue. Worse, his poor manners soon extended to both her sisters and all others Axel had shown affection toward, even if he saved his rudest remarks for her. What he wanted from her, however, she still did not know.

Although I'm curious as to how trying everyone's patience factors into his plans.

"He must have learned it was for Xion's sake we were out that day," Naminé said one evening. "When we met Axel and Roxas, I mean."

"He's jealous," Kairi sighed. "But what does he hope to accomplish? Is envy how he seeks to discover his heart?"

"It's Saïx, so probably," Roxas grumbled, as he curled protectively around Axel and Xion both.

For all his stalking was bothersome though, the maidens' most uncomfortable encounter with Saïx did not occur because of it. Rather, it occurred because an autumn chill had fallen upon the woods—as viciously cold as any winter flurry. The trees nearest were unaffected, of course, springtime ever present about the maidens' home. The girls had chosen to remain there throughout the ill weather, keeping an eye on the creatures that lived nearby whilst Aqua departed to look in on her friends. Axel and Roxas also left to ensure the wellbeing of their many children, despite them being comfortably independent at this stage of their lives.

"We're still going to check on them," Axel had said. "Beasts grow up fast, but there were some runty ones in our most recent litters. We'd like to make sure they're all right." So the girls had seen them off, then settled in to wait out the icy weather.

It was on a particularly cold night when, during the middling hours of evening, there was a knock upon the door. The maidens exchanged a glance at the sound, before Xion rose to fetch it. She noted, as she turned the knob, that she could sense no one outside.

Yet a man stood there. She wished he were Axel or Roxas, or any other of their male friends, but no. He was most unlike them indeed, with shaggy hair slicked back from his forehead in a shade of cornflower blue. His build was both elegant and powerful, a dark collar of satin weave about his throat. His clothes were reminiscent of Axel's, save their cut and color, with the former being a little classier than Axel's flashy ensemble, and the latter being shades of deep blue and black. She took all this in with a glance, for her eyes were drawn to his face—eyes glinting like gold in the moonlight, jagged scars cutting across his face. A twitch of movement caught in her peripheral; ears, a tail.

"Saïx," she breathed, and in an instant her sisters were by her side.

"What do you want?" Kairi scowled.

"We'll fight you if we have to," Naminé added, glowering. Saïx looked as if he might laugh at this statement, but did not.

"I want to stay for the night," he said. "It wouldn't be for long, just until the worst of the winds have passed. The snow is falling in flurries in the forest, and your home is eternally spring."

"As is the wood that lies nearest to us," Naminé said. "Perhaps you could rest there for the eve and depart on the morrow?"

"Axel and Roxas aren't here," Kairi said. "So you won't be able to bother them by bothering us either."

Saïx said nothing. Xion regarded him for a long moment, her heart reaching out and touching the tentative tendrils of something that sprouted from Saïx's consciousness. Her caress sent them curling inward, catching only vague hints of jealously, uncertainty, curiosity, anger, and error as the rest slipped through her fingers. She hummed, then stepped aside. Her sisters stared, but did nothing to stop her as she said, "Come in."

He did, taking a seat at their kitchen table. The silence was awkward as Xion crossed to the hearth where the tea kettle hung and poured him a cup. She did not ask or offer to brew him anything special, considering it rather likely that any tea that did not bother Roxas would not bother Saïx either. The two cats might be different species and individuals besides, but she doubted anything one could drink would be harmful to the other. And if it were, he'd complain. Beyond that, she had no real interest in providing him with additional care, regardless of whether he was picky or not.

It seemed he wasn't, or at least aware enough of his poor reception not to complain as she gave him his cup. He wrapped his hands around it and ignored Kairi and Naminé's frowns, expression dour, eyes cold and demeanor ungrateful. Xion had no interest in pushing him though, simply taking a seat at the table and pouring a drink of her own.

The seconds seemed like days. Naminé peered outside, eyes on the distant woods. "The worst of the storm will pass soon."

"You can go then," Kairi said.

Saïx sniffed and said nothing.

Xion sighed. She held no fondness for the panther, but the mood in the room was stifling. She was curious too. How could Axel have been friends with such an unpleasant person? Had Xemnas brought out the worst in him, or had Saïx done that to himself? Maybe this was the natural progression of those who wobbled between wild spirit and feral being, hearts not quite within their grasp. There were too many parts of his life she didn't know, too much of his history and perspective still lying beyond her grasp. Time and bitterness had likely made him worse, but then she wondered if they had also motivated him to start asking questions about the world around him—about himself. 

Is that why he's here now? Because there's something on his mind? He said it was cold out but...he could've hidden elsewhere...

He raised his head from his cup and frowned, noticing her gaze. "Is there something you wish to say?" he asked.

"Not really," she returned. "I think there's something you wish to say though."

A minute pause. "As always, I am curious about the nature of the heart and why you believe you have one."

She shrugged. "I can feel it there. I can feel it when I'm alone and when I'm connected to others. I reach out with it and am reached out to in return. It's...hard to explain. But I believe it's real." She tilted her head, watched as he lowered his to look into the depths of his teacup. "Can't you feel yours, Saïx?"

"Not really. It is a distant thing." He snorted. "For me, claiming I have a heart would be like claiming I had the moon, when all I had was its reflection in a still, silent pond."

Xion considered, chewing her lip. "Well, why don't we try again?"

"Try what again?" 

"This question thing. Go on. Ask us." Saïx scowled and did no such thing. Xion rolled her eyes and looked to her sisters. "What do you think a heart is?"

"It's friendship and warmth," Kairi said.

"Memories and sorrow," Naminé continued.

Saïx scoffed.

"They're right, you know," Xion said. "But maybe you're right too."

He turned to her, brows furrowed.

"About your heart," she clarified. "You're too distant, Saïx. That doesn't mean people don't love you, but if you draw away you're never going to be able to feel it. In fact, I'm sure people do love you, and people will love you, but unless you reach out yourself then the bond will never truly satisfy you." She took a sip of her tea and sighed. "Sometimes the feelings people hold for each other aren't the same, and that can hurt, but it's alright. We cannot demand what someone does not feel or will not give. But all warm things will feel cold to you if you do not reach out. You must be open. You must be vulnerable. Otherwise, the only thing your heart will feel full of is stones; a heavy burden for you alone to bear."

Saïx was silent. She gave him a moment but still he did not speak. There was a part of her that wondered if she'd said too much, but then, as if from a distance, she heard hands plunge into a pool, struggling to grasp a concept for which there were only feelings and no words. She smiled, touched her chest, and held his gaze.

"It matters not if I am but a sliver of twilight and night, for others have poured themselves into me, as I have poured myself into others. I am full of all their thoughts and feelings, and even though it hurts, it is also wonderful. Perhaps I could have built a heart alone, but even then I would have to be vulnerable to myself, staring deep into the abyss within and embracing all that lurks inside, or else look upon the world around me and accept it in all its kindness and cruelty. No matter what I must reach out, and accept that there will be pain as well as pleasure, and so much I cannot control, within or without. I must accept all that lies between and is unknown." She took a breath. "What are you reaching for, Saïx? What do you long for? What is your truth? What does the moon offer you with its pale glow?"

He did not answer, and when the storm died down he left, disappearing into the wild.

 

---

 

Saïx vanished after that. Xion wondered if her question had hit harder than she'd intended. Kairi and Naminé suspected it had, though Roxas thought he was just embarrassed to have got caught out in the cold. "He's probably still smarting he needed your help," he scoffed one afternoon, as they sat outside by the brook. 

"And who was it that spent most of our first meeting up a tree?" Xion teased. Roxas scowled, but the expression lifted swiftly into a smile as he jumped up and chased her around the bank. She skipped merrily out of his reach, giggling as he stumbled. "Oh, come on Roxas! Are you always this clumsy during breeding season? How did you ever manage to catch Axel?"

"Well, it was his breeding season too," Roxas grumbled, cheeks pink.

"You're so rowdy," Naminé sighed, though there was no irritation in her tone. She sat next to Kairi and Aqua, listening to the latter as she translated the water's whispers.

"Maybe Saïx decided he liked peace and quiet more than chaos and noise," Kairi said, turning to her sister. "That, or he got what he wanted when he visited us last."

"He might have. Xion had some wise words for him, and it's been a month now. That's a long time to be away when you're obsessively stalking someone."

"The water says he's still around," Aqua said, rising, "albeit keeping away from here. What do you think, Axel?"

Everyone turned to look at him, including Xion. She didn't even flinch when Roxas wrapped his arms around her from behind, head on her shoulder as they waited for Axel's answer.

Axel frowned. "I think...he's been thinking. Xion gave him plenty to stew on, and if there's one thing he likes to do it's stew. But I don't think we've seen the last of him."

There was a moment's silence, the only sounds the birds in the bushes and the brook's eternal babbling.

"Well," Aqua said, "I suppose you should keep that in mind when you go out tonight."

"We're going out tonight?" Xion asked, excited.

"You don't have to, but I think you should." Aqua glanced down at the brook, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's a blue moon tonight. They say bonds forged and shared beneath it are blessed, and that its light reveals the truths deep within our hearts."

"Are you coming with us?" Kairi asked.

"You're not, are you?" Naminé said, ever perceptive.

Aqua shook her head. "I think this is something your quintet needs to do without me. You've had a lot happen these past few months; best to take what blessings life offers when it offers them and reaffirm your bonds. I wouldn't mind if you stayed though. I've got some friends coming round and I know they'd love to spend time with all of you."

Xion looked off into the woods, felt the flow of emotions around her as her companions considered. "I think we'll go," she said, "to our clearing. I'm sure the moon will be lovely there." Then she slipped out of Roxas's arms and into Aqua's. "But we'd like to take care of you before that."

"If that's what you want," Aqua said, smiling.

"Oh, it is. " Xion grinned, and delighted in her mother's blush.

 

---

 

The five friends took great pleasure in caring for Aqua that evening, ensuring she was left sated and loose in the living room nest before they departed. Her friends would no doubt enjoy the sight that greeted them upon arrival, and Xion and her companions would feel at ease knowing they had shared the moon's blessings with their mother.

They were unperturbed by the growing darkness as they wandered through the woods. They knew the path to the clearing as well as the knew each other, understood its twists and turns as they did the ties that bound them. A heart and its bonds might not be easy to explain, but their subconscious could interpret it regardless, and thus it was with the road ahead.

That, and the moon was very bright.

The maidens held hands as they walked, the boys discovering that the blue moon's magic granted them access to their beastly forms and thus scurrying about as wolf and cat. The only other time they could wear their old shapes was when they gave birth, so they took advantage of the moment, playing games of chase and hide and seek amidst the branches, breeding pheromones catching on the wind. Upon reaching the clearing they shifted back to their usual forms, although that was all they managed to do before their party came to an abrupt stop.

A man stood in the center of the clearing. He had no weapons nor did his posture imply a threat.  His cornflower blue hair swayed in the wind, as did the tufts of his ears and the tail at his back, all three shimmering as they caught the moon's kisses. His jacket had been discarded, the sleek muscles of his body exposed to the delicate slivers of light that rained down from above.

Xion felt a tug at her heart, and the man turned. His face was masked in shadow, save his eyes and his scars, which glinted in the moonlight, stark against the darkness.

"Saïx," Axel breathed.

"Axel," Saïx acknowledged, then cast his gaze over the rest of them. "I've been thinking about what you maidens said to me."

There was a pause. Xion glanced toward her sisters and partners, then back to Saïx. She felt another tug at her heart; closer, please come closer. She cocked her head then, curiously, carefully, crept toward him. The others did not question her, merely followed at her heels. They were all on edge, that much was true, but the quietude that hung over the clearing was not one that spoke of danger. Just as we knew that fateful day that Axel and Roxas would not hurt us, so we know on this blessed night.

They stopped just out of arm's reach. "What have you been thinking about, Saïx?" Xion asked.

"When I was younger," he began, "I felt as if I had a heart. Even feral as I was I remember the way my spirits lifted when I wandered with Axel, how dreary things could be at times, how frightening some days were, how fun it was when the two of us and our dear friend wiled our nights away. I do not know if I truly had a heart then, but sometimes it felt like I did."

"I know what you mean," Axel said. "I can't be sure, but I know I felt full then. Sort of like I do now."

"Like you do now," Saïx muttered, words dipped in shadow. Xion could not say what he felt, just that it twisted and ached and strained inside him. "Regardless, all that vanished when our friend went away. I grew distant from the world in all respects. I remained territorial, protective of what I believed was mine, but I cannot say if that was anything more or less than a cat's instincts. Some habits come from far baser parts than the heart, after all.

"I met Xemnas after this and faded further. Perhaps I needed to, or perhaps I made the wrong choice, took the wrong advice. But Xemnas was enchanting, and while at first I only sought answers to why my friend had left, I later found myself drawn into his majesty. Before this, I could not imagine a time when I would give someone my loyalty the way I have given him mine, but...I have. He commands it not through demands, but by simply being, and in my heartless state I needed—need—someone to admire, to look upon as holy. If my friend was gone and Axel soon to follow, then who was I to turn to but him?"

"Saïx," Axel whispered, voice trembling.

"Do not start, Axel. Not yet, at least. I am not finished." Saïx shook his head. "Upon losing you I grew numb again. I could not even muster true anger at Xemnas or Roxas, both of whom I thought were responsible for your abandoning me." He faltered. "Whether or not you truly abandoned me—I don't know, Axel. But in that time I stayed with him. The others that followed him drifted in and out of our lives, but the two of us stayed together. He was interested in me. He took me home to his sleuth of bears, all as empty as he was, and cared for me. To watch a heart fade and grow again...I think that was his wish. He wanted to understand..."

"Did he truly?" Xion asked.

"Yes. But I was not able to regain my heart—or feel it again, if you believe I always had one. He got me on my feet though, and we bonded. Since then, the two of us have been wondering what it truly means to have a heart, to experience all it has to offer. It came to the point where he told me he was going to seek answers, and that we would remain parted until he found them. I asked to go with him, but he would not let me. He told me I should do whatever was necessary to discover the truth of the heart, for that was the only way to understand what we meant to each other. Only then would we both be satisfied, and thus reunited."

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the angry lashing of Roxas's tail. "And?" he asked. "Is that it? You've been bothering my friends so you can discover the truth of the heart and get back together with Xemnas? Really? Do you want what we have that badly?"

Saïx narrowed his eyes. "I see you're still impudent as ever, Roxas."

"I see you're still envious as ever, Saïx."

"Roxas," Axel warned.

"Let him finish," Kairi said.

"We want to hear what he has to say," Naminé added, twining her arm with Kairi's. "We were the ones he stalked, after all."

"How does this tie into what we told you?" Xion asked. "Go on, please."

Saïx looked away. "I...believe I love Xemnas. Yet though I speak with such certainty, the truth is I did not understand what I felt for him when we were together. I did not understand what I felt for Axel or my friend, or anyone truly. I only came to understand when I thought upon what you three had said." He shook his head. "I came to these woods to find answers, thought to ask Axel and Roxas how they became as they are, but...instead I found you; the Promised Hours. And though many proclaimed you were real, I did not understand how such ethereal concepts could become so. I was frustrated that you should understand the heart before I did, angry that you had what I did not. But the more I observed the more I learned, and then when we spoke during that storm I..."

"I...?" Xion encouraged.

His face twisted, lips pursed as he flattened out a snarl, catching his pain before it could show on his face. For all his efforts, however, his voice shook when he said, "I realized I'm...lonely..." He bowed his head. "Xemnas and I parted years ago. It took me this long to find you, to speak to you, to think of all the good and bad that exists within a heart and understand this weight—"

He cut himself off with a shudder. Silence fell upon the clearing. Everyone present understood. They had all, at some point in their lives, experienced loneliness. It was as stones in the chest, a burden that dragged one deep into the abyss until even their grasping hands had sunk beyond reach. The inability to connect, the agony of distance. Xion closed her eyes and felt it. Felt him.

"I wanted..." Saïx averted his eyes again, this time turning them toward the moon. "I wanted to ask if you'd help me. I want to know—again, or for the first time—what it is to feel something other than loneliness, than jealously, than emptiness. I want to know the truth of the heart. You do not have to share yourselves with me, just...show me. Show me the way you share your love with one another. That is all. That is the answer."

That is what the moon offers me with its pale glow. 

His voice was cold, but Xion noted little of the callousness he'd shown her over the past few months. His introspection had changed him. Perhaps the moon had too, smoothing the lines of pain from his face.

"You're kinda soft tonight, Saïx," Axel said. "I always thought the full moon made you violent."

"Blue moons are unlike their celestial fellows, Axel," Saïx replied. "Beneath them, there is only clarity."

"Right, right, if you say so," Axel laughed. The sound tapered off, got lost in a trembling exhale. "Saïx, I'll...I'll help if you want me to, but only if my friends are willing to join us. I know they'd let me do my own thing, but you've hurt some of them. I don't usually ask for approval, but I want it for this." He forced a smile. "Once upon a time you meant the world to me, and I still love you. I still trust you. If this will help you understand your heart or be kinder or whatever, I want to do it, but...my friends have to trust you too, and not just for my sake."

"I understand."

"Heh, then maybe you've got a better grasp on what a heart is than you think." Axel smiled, the green of his eyes a pool of nostalgia; grass and leaves swaying as in a dappled memory. Xion observed in silence, then turned to her sisters.

Kairi and Naminé wore twin frowns, communicating in that silent way some siblings did. "I don't know," Kairi said finally. "I just don't know if I can trust you, Saïx. Naminé?"

"I can't say," she said, one hand reaching up to stroke Kairi's hair. "Xion?"

The two girls looked to their sister. Xion hummed, eyes on the moon.

"I'll trust him," she said, startling them both.

"You will?" they asked.

"He listened to us, in the end," she said. "I think that means something. I think that matters." Her gaze fell upon Saïx. His eyes glittered oddly. Not quite tears, but something like it. "I'll help," she said, and felt the distant tendrils of his heart shift and shudder.

Her decision balanced the scales; Axel and herself willing, Kairi and Naminé unsure. All turned to Roxas. Xion was not sure what he would choose, although she understood his experiences with Saïx were largely unpleasant.

Maybe that was why even her brows shot up when he said, "I'll do it."

"You'll do it?" Kairi repeated. "Are you sure?"

"We all know you dislike him, more so than any of us." Naminé frowned. "You aren't just doing this to make Axel and Xion happy, right?"

"No, I'm not, Naminé," Roxas said, "and I'm sure, Kairi. You're right that I dislike him, but"—he gestured to Saïx, whose stunned expression bordered on ridiculous—"he listened to you three. That's what matters to me. If he reflects on what you say, if he takes your guidance, if he actually bothers for once in his life to really put in the effort and listen to someone else, someone who isn't as numb as he is—" Roxas cut himself off, scowling.

"Roxas...?" Axel asked tentatively.

"I'm fine," he said. "But I mean it. If he's taken the time to think about what you three said to him, if he's asking for this because of what he learned from you, then I'll help. But it's only because he listened to you three, alright?" And despite the seriousness of his words his lips quirked, an honest smile upon his face.

"Is that all?" Saïx asked.

"Well..." Roxas scratched his chin, tail dancing, "that, and I kinda want to see what you two were like together." He glanced between Axel and Saïx critically.

Axel spluttered, but Saïx only snorted, amused.

The moment did not last, mirth washed away by the serene tides of the moon, replaced once more with quietude. Bathed in its light, the five approached Saïx. They let the ethereal blue glow bestow them with its blessing, the world shifting from muted to crystalline, alive with lunar magic. Everything was lost save the pull of gravity, their cores seeking that heavy, heady connection. Hands met cloth, stripping away everything save Roxas's jewelry and Saïx's collar. Soon, there was nothing between them save their bodies; smooth and lined, soft and hard.

Then they were touching each other. Some were bold, some were hesitant, Saïx adding an uncertain element to their otherwise stable dynamic. He sat at the center of it all, though he was not the only one they touched. The moon plied them with its spirits and inhibitions fell away, bodies pressing closer, closer, sealing away the outside world as their hearts reached out to one another through their chosen channel; flesh.

Xion breathed and felt them all.

Kairi's hand reached for Axel's cock, grasped it tightly. She slid her fingers up and down, smearing beads of wet over the hot, thick length of it. Axel shuddered, burying his face in the crook of Saïx's neck, nuzzling his throat. His tail wagged, eyes half-lidded, lips whispering encouragement. Kairi took it, wrapping her other hand around Saïx's cock, guiding both men deeper into the moon's intoxicating haze.

She shuddered as Naminé touched her, slipping her fingers between her legs. Kairi's eyes darted down to watch as she caressed Saïx too, hands exploring his hips, his thighs. Xion, pressed up against his side, licked her lips as she took in their flushed, trembling forms. She trailed a hand over Naminé's breasts, drawing a languid line down to her clit as her other hand slid over Roxas's cock. Heat pooled in her stomach as Roxas groaned, his teeth in the cartilage of Saïx's furry ears, his tail teasing both Axel's and Saïx's. His hands reached out for Axel and Xion, clutching desperately at whatever parts of them he could reach.

They moved together. It became unclear who touched who as the moon arced through the sky, but it had ceased to be a concern. Silver and cerulean light dripped down like rain, the odd golden droplet glittering in the sea that formed around them, waves rising as lust surged through their cores. Xion couldn't say if it were her or the blue moon's magic that pushed their feelings into Saïx, let the taste of their wet and cum wash over his tongue as they licked and sucked each other. Every grind of hips against ass, against thighs, every slide of cunt against cunt, cock against cock, and the two together left his back arching, curling, overcome with sensation. Saïx lost himself in their connection, surrendered to vulnerability and exposure, to love and hate and everything inbetween. The walls he'd struggled to take down crumbled, the lock on his heart finally coming undone as the moon's relentless light filled him up.

It was strength and weakness, peace and pain, hurt and healing, envy and acceptance. Friendship and warmth, memories and sorrow, and that pull, pull, pull of others, of oneself, of the ties that bind.

More than cold and empty, more than hot and wild, Xion thought. The moon can offer you much, but it exists in orbit, in connection to another, and thus so too must you. As the moon reaches for our world, for us, so must you reach for that pale glow. So must you reach for the moon, and beyond.

For beyond it laid their hearts, and Saïx could feel them, deep as an ocean's abyss. Axel's affection came first, flowing into him easily. The wolf's heart was full of love for all present, burning and blazing with his emotions. He sought to sear himself into their memories and them into his, desperate to hold on to all these disparate parts of his life, desperate to feel his love returned. There was fear within his touches; of friendship lost, of lovers hurt and hunted, of many things. Saïx saw it, longed for it, feared with him. When they touched each other, it was gentle—relearning the shape of one you'd loved long ago.

Roxas was a different matter. His hands were hard, callouses and claws catching, gaze piercing. Harsh as he was though he never quite cut, even if the promise was always there should Saïx cross any lines. But what if I longed for it? Saïx thought.

He'd give it to you, Xion answered. But there's more to this question. Tell me, Saïx, is there someone else you wish would cut you?

Yes. And she felt it; the cutting claws of a tiny mountain cat, the fangs of a wolf, the dagger of a girl, the great paw of a bear. Xemnas...

Yet tonight Saïx did not wish to be cut, so he wasn't. Roxas understood; Saïx was as loyal as he was territorial, uncertain as he was sure he desired this ritual beneath the moon. Roxas left no marks, never pushed too far. He respected the fact Saïx had learned, had listened to the people Roxas cared for, loved, and trusted. Roxas would likely never have the same affection for him that Axel did, but he could respect what the two had shared—from one cat to another.

It was not a respect that had existed before this night, but Saïx appreciated it nonetheless. Our past is full of pain. I was cruel to you. I was cruel to people close to you. Even now, I still want to stick my claws in them.

The feeling is mutual, Xion informed him, tugging on Roxas, but he's not finding you as disagreeable as he once did.

She thought she heard a chuckle, but she was drawn away from it and into the sea that was her sisters. Kairi's touches were curious if cautious, Naminé's more like than unlike her twin's. Kairi remained more reckless, outwardly aggressive, pressing her thumb into Saïx's mouth and dragging the pad over his fangs, his tongue. Yet Naminé was perhaps more dangerous, her hands dancing feather-light over Saïx's pulse, around his throat, stroking over his cheek and brow. One girl promised a fight, while the other promised an ending—complete annihilation.

He had mocked them thinking he understood the danger. He had not. He supposed he was lucky that the threats were born from the love they bore for Xion, their boys, themselves. So long as he was kind to them he had no reason to fear. In turn, the girls needed do no more than warn him, their tentative touches shifting to express curiosity, a desire to learn, an echo of understanding; these girls who loved so deeply still remembered a time when they were newborn and learning to love. Their hearts could hold some measure of compassion for a beast who had forgot.

Those feelings weaved about the moon beams, tangled with Xion as she immersed herself in Saïx. She saw herself as he did; a being worth envying. His confusion flailed inside her, questions of how she had come to mean so much to all those present, frustration that she had been able to reach out to Axel's heart when Saïx's years of friendship and love had been unable to keep him close. How had she been able to obtain what he lacked, learn the truth of her heart, while he had not? She was a sliver of darkness at the edge of dawn and dusk, a fragile entity whirling in a current of consciousness that rose up over her head and plunged deep below her, and yet her heart somehow swelled so far beyond his own.

She was the side of the moon swathed in shadows, something he had prowled and stalked, hunted incessantly. Yet she had not turned him away for his trespasses. No, she had sat him down and had her say instead. The things he needed to hear, to think upon, she told him. She had opened the door when she had every right and reason to lock it and throw away the key.

There's still anger and hurt deep down, he thought, still spite, but your kindness surpasses all of it. How can such a tiny, struggling thing still be so thoughtful? No wonder they were charmed by you.

Xion smiled, answered not his words, but his feelings. Axel still loves you, Saïx. Roxas does not, but he's not as territorial as you might think. My sisters are wary, but they may warm to you, and I will take my chances. As for all you see in me, I...I've never been sure of myself, never certain I was worth as much as any of them, but...I am what I am.

Saïx's breath was warm against her neck, his heart inviting her to take him as deeply as she wished, to see the truth of his feelings. You are the pull of gravity, a change of orbit, black shadows in the sea. A sliver of nothing that becomes everything, filled with all life offers.

How poetic, she teased. 

And how does one speak to a Maiden of Twilight if not through poetry? 

Rudely, she replied, and felt the laughter of her companions echoing inside them all. Saïx rolled his eyes.

The moment ebbed, humor and sarcasm washed away by sweet whispers, words of love, pleasure reverberating. The woods were muffled, sounds beyond the clearing distant even as their voices rose. They carried high into the night, caught in the boughs and branches that cradled their paradise, and ran through their souls, shivering music that swelled and swayed. It rushed up Saïx's spine as Xion stroked his tail, saw his ears perk, felt his heart judder out of time. The emotions they swam in were complex, contradicting, yet they embraced them all the same.

Heat built, all six panting as their stomachs grew taut and spines curled. Axel whimpered at every pull of his cock, couldn't say who'd slipped their fingers inside him. He wasn't the only one struggling with such, boys and girls alike unsure who had taken them and with what. It didn't matter. They leaned their heads into the hands that cupped their cheeks, slid their bodies against one another, sweat and scent mingling, becoming intense. Thighs spread, legs tangled, lips touched, tails and fingers wrapped around each other. Who touched who? It no longer mattered. All things became one, if only for a moment. Xion felt it and passed it on; every snarl and every moan, every cry of pleasure, of frustration, of joy and sorrow. They surrendered it all; showing, sharing, trusting, until nothing stood between them. Even their bodies seemed to fall away.

And there—Saïx could see it all, feel it all. His heart burst forth, not just open but alive. It escaped the void it had been caught in and danced beneath the lunar light. The blue moon looked down upon him and cast the shadows away, revealing everything. The desire to be friends, to be considered worthwhile by the ones he cared for, to be understood and understand in turn. To love Xemnas and carry his young, to live a life both simple and fulfilling beyond the questions that drove him wild with fear, anger, and envy. To heal the hurts done to him and ease the aches of those he'd harmed.

He reached out and they reached back. With fingers digging into flesh they cried and moaned, coming hard. Gushes of wet and spurts of cum covered Saïx, covered them all, marking him as one of their own.

On this blessed night of the blue moon, we are connected.

Xion caught Saïx as he collapsed, gently redirecting him into Axel's lap. She gathered Kairi in her own, shared a look with Naminé as she wrapped Roxas in her embrace. The six of them snuggled, those with tails swishing them languidly, entirely at ease. 

"I see you have found that which you sought, Saïx."

The group startled, the serene silence of their afterglow shattered by the unknown voice. Yet even as Xion stumbled to her feet she noted Saïx alone did not jump, rising slowly to his knees to face the 'stranger'.

Oh, Xion thought, understanding immediately. It's... 

She turned to face the man, taking him in. He was beautiful; strong but sleek, skin golden-dark. His eyes shone a wondrous shade of liquid amber, hair cascading down his back in celestial white. Twin black bear's ears poked through the pale, round and fluffy, a stark contrast. Dark robes covered his body from neck to toe, equally dark fur lining them and spilling across the grass. Xion could not look away from him.

"Xemnas," Saïx breathed, eyes wide. "You..."

"—have returned," Xemnas finished, robes trailing elegantly across the grass. His movements were graceful, his stride impeccable. "In time, it seems, to witness the completion of your quest. How fortunate that my prolonged introspection with the Daylight Sky and his companions did not go on overlong, for I would hear what you have learned as soon as possible. Tell me, Saïx, what are the fruits of your labor; what is the truth of your heart?"

Saïx wavered, throat bobbing as he swallowed around the lump there. "I learned...the truth of my heart is—" His voice faltered.

"Yes?" Xemnas drew the word out, notes like honey dripping from his tongue. Saïx shivered.

"I want..." His breath caught. "You. B-but how are you here? Can I truly be so lucky...?"

"A night of miracles oft accompanies the blue moon. Would you deny its blessings, my pet, or accept all it has to offer?" Xemnas smiled, an expression that appeared more sardonic than it actually was. "It is our good fortune that I should find what I seek in time to reunite with you. Now, I ask again, what have you learned? What does your heart desire?"

Xion heard something else, but the words do you want me were cut in twain by—

"You."

Hot and cold ran through Saïx's veins, fierce light, deep shadow; moonlight. A divine balance, a mystery; the Unknown and the Inbetween. He knew himself and what he wanted, and his heart and body opened to Xemnas, to Xion, to all gathered. He was ready. There was more he could say, but as he knelt there with his arms opened wide, Xion understood he had found his own way to say it.

A feeling grew in her chest; something strange and wonderful. A heart that had long lingered in the abyss unfurled; hate, envy, sorrow giving way to loneliness, which in turn surrendered to joy and affection, a new beginning. Xion turned to Xemnas. His smile was beautiful, and if it were as distant as the moon, it also possessed at least a sliver of its warmth.

Its pale glow.

"This is...your heart's desire?" he asked.

"Yes. Make me yours. I want to be yours. I want to be bound."

Xemnas's smile grew, just a little, and he beckoned his lover forward. "Then you shall be, my pet."

The two knelt on the grass beneath the moon, Xemnas taking Saïx's face in hand, his coat sliding to the ground. It was a tender motion, delicate, as graceful and dramatically poised as all Xemnas's other movements. Xion and her friends watched as he guided Saïx to the ground, as Saïx accepted every direction without qualm or struggle, head bowed, ass raised. His sleek, dark tail bobbed this way and that, upright and eager, inviting. Xion tensed as she felt what he did; the warm presence of Xemnas's chest against his back, the thick, hard cock sliding between his cheeks. She arched her back as that cock slipped inside him, Saïx's lips parting, his eyes as hazy as the stars in the sky. He was breached, body filled complete and utterly, heart spilling in a gasp.

"X-Xemnas..."

"Hush, pet, I am here." Xemnas pressed a kiss to his neck. "Look at you. You open to me so sweetly. Is this what comes of understanding what you wish to surrender—what you wish to give?" His hand ran down Saïx's back, gliding over his hip and around to his stomach. "This connection is what you desire; the promise of a future in which you carry my young. I will give it to you, pet, as you will give all to me."

"Yes," Saïx breathed, pressing his hips back as Xemnas pushed forward.

"Perhaps, one day, I will even carry yours," Xemnas murmured, voice rumbling in his chest. Saïx moaned, every word and sound from Xemnas rendering him weak. Every need, every want, everything he craved now lay before him. It was the existence he had been longing for.

But the heat of the moment was interrupted. "He'll...carry Saïx's cubs?" Axel murmured, words slipping out before he could catch them. He spoke softly, but Xemnas's ears twitched all the same.

"Axel," he said, fangs bared in a smile. "You have done well in aiding Saïx on his road to awakening. Still, your reckless tongue trips and stumbles as it once did." Axel flushed and Xemnas chuckled, Xion catching snatches of memory from a time long past. "Did you think I was averse to being taken? I am not. Indeed, if any here has skill enough for the task, I would welcome them. Their participation might even be appreciated. My lover may be territorial, but all five of you have a place in this ritual, in his heart. He would not object to continued relations with your family. Perhaps he even craves them."

Saïx said nothing, mewling and clawing at the grass. His mind had gone blank the moment Xemnas pushed inside him.

Xemnas smiled down at him, then looked to Xion and her companions. "Tell me, on this blessed night, is there any among you brave enough to experience this intimacy? To enshrine themselves in our memory? To take my body as I take my mate?"

Silence met him. The air was tense, uncertain. None could miss the desire and the challenge beneath his cool tone, nor the wish to share in something truly special. Xion thought it sweet, a sign that Xemnas truly felt something for Saïx—for the concept of connection—but she knew it was likely the challenge that had Roxas raising his hand.

"I could do it," he said. "Take you, I mean. I'm good enough, ask anyone here."

Xemnas smirked. "Ah yes, Roxas. How I have longed to meet you. What a wonderful way of finally making your acquaintance. Come, join us." His eyes glittered like fireflies in the dark. "However, you should know that all who take me must be willing to surrender their body in turn. I do not fear carrying another's litter whilst protecting those who carry my own, but I do seek balance. To breed me now is to promise to be bred by me when your next season comes."

That made Roxas pause, arm wavering. He failed to lower it, however, because both Axel and the girls held it up. "Wait, what are you guys—"

"C'mon, Roxas," Axel pleaded, as the maidens pouted and simpered. "I-I kind of want to see you and him together. You'd look good. And then next year I thought...you could carry both our litters."

"Axel..." Roxas's face burned.

"I wonder if you'll have double the fat," Xion thought aloud. "And I can't wait to see what sort of bear cubs you'll make. We already know how charming your wolf pups are." She sighed, thinking of the little dogs with their mingling of Axel and Roxas's features flopping about at her feet.

"Besides, you're not the sort to take a challenge lying down," Kairi teased.

"Well, he might, considering what he's about to do," Naminé said. Roxas sent all three of them a dirty look.

Yet Xion could feel his curiosity. Xemnas contributed to the destruction of Axel and Saïx's relationship and was an eerie figure besides, but he was also intensely beautiful and alluring—perhaps that gave Roxas reason to be a little more sympathetic to Saïx in turn—and he appeared, to Roxas's knowledge, willing to change...willing to connect.

The decision was made when Saïx groaned, begging Xemnas for more with a roll his hips. "Hush," Xemnas said, then beckoned Roxas with his eyes. "Come, boy. My pet cannot wait, and I see the fire in your eyes. You will not back down."

Roxas swallowed, but the others' encouragement steeled him, and there was no sense in denying his own desire. Xemnas was as beautiful as he was intimidating, and Roxas wanted to meet him, defeat him, and submit to him in turn. 

He's still not sure what he feels, Xion thought, but sometimes we want to have an experience like that. He could aid Xemnas in his awakening, and in turn awaken himself once more.

And it's a night for miracles, Roxas whispered to her, borrowed her strength as he rose and went to Xemnas, ignoring the others as they whistled and cheered. It's a night for... but his thoughts faltered as Xemnas took his chin in hand, assessing his face, his eyes.

"Yes," he said, "you have spirit. You will do well. You need not prepare me, for I have already done so. Take me, Roxas, and surrender your heart to this moment."

Roxas and Saïx both shivered. Through the former, Xion saw Xemnas's body. She shared her visions with Axel and her sisters, let them indulge their lust as Roxas took in the sleek muscles of Xemnas's back, the firmness of his ass. His tiny fluff of a bear's tail swept to the side, revealing the glossy wet that trickled down his thighs. Roxas ran his fingers through it, shuddered at the softness of his skin, the slick clinging to him. He dragged his hands up over his ass to his hips, heart skipping a beat when Xemnas tilted them, inviting him inside. His throat caught on a swallow. With a shuddering breath he bent over his back, mimicked Xemnas's own posture, and buried his face in his hair. He smelled wonderful.

Curved as he was, his cock slid against Xemnas's ass. He thrust twice, spreading his wet, then slowly pushed into his opening. Xemnas groaned and pressed into Saïx, who could do nothing but moan. Mind already in pieces, he was fit only to accept cock, head hazy, drooling as Roxas's hips pushed Xemnas deeper inside. Xion could feel it all; Saïx's pleasure and the sweetness of his body, Xemnas's thick cock and his hot, tight hole, the latter wrapping around Roxas as he fucked into him.

You've waited so long for this, even if you didn't know it, Xion thought, though she wasn't sure whose emotions she echoed.

They found a rhythm quickly, Xemnas taking control. Roxas grit his teeth but allowed it, focusing instead on matching the roll of his hips with swift, hard thrusts, barbs catching just slightly. Saïx gasped, the additional force of Roxas's fucking pushing Xemnas deeper, further opening him up to take his beloved's cock. His body surged, each drop of Xemnas's precum pushing it to prepare for his seed, womb forming inside him. The fact Roxas found Xemnas's sweet spot so easily only aided in the matter, ensuring Xemnas's pleasure and plentiful cum with which to fill Saïx with.

There'll be so many cubs, Saïx thought, his giddiness reaching Xion nearby.

Their feelings washed over the others present; girls shivering, Axel whimpering. Naminé and Kairi tangled together, fingering each other's clit and pussy, Naminé's hand in Kairi's hair, Kairi's at the small of her back. Axel couldn't move, overcome with Saïx's pleasure at Xemnas's cock inside him, Xemnas's at Roxas's, Roxas's from Xemnas's hole. Hard, throbbing cocks, soft barbs, and warm, tight bodies were all he knew; memories of his childhood friend, present with his golden lover, curiosity regarding the almost-stranger alluring in every way.

"Axel," Xion said, grounding him. "Come here."

He did, climbing into her lap. Careful not to block her view, he rubbed his ass against her dick, begging without words. Xion giggled, then, ensuring that even turned away he could see the beauty of the moment through her eyes, she held her dick so he might lower himself onto it. They matched Xemnas's pace, as did Kairi and Naminé, the four of them fucking in time with the strange threesome caught in light and shadow, painted gold, silver, and indigo beneath the blue moon.

Roxas groaned, rolling his hips, eager to impress, refusing to bow before Xemnas. He could not deny the other was in control however, drawing Roxas into his body, pushing himself into Saïx's below. Some rebellious streak of Roxas's pushed him to rub the base of his tail, Xemnas's arms quaking before he reached out and grabbed Roxas's own. It flailed in his grasp, Roxas choking as Xemnas stroked him firmly, then released him, giving his attention instead to Saïx's curling appendage.

A growl erupted from Roxas's throat and he dug his nails into Xemnas's hips. Xemnas only sighed, nuzzling his face into Saïx's neck, murmuring something that made the panther laugh—weak and dazed. Any hurt of Roxas's was soothed when Xemnas squeezed around him, warm, comforting. "We are almost there, boy," he purred, and Roxas shuddered, balls tightening, barbs dragging just that little more.

It was all heat and strange affection. Xion felt her sisters push against her, Axel still bouncing on her tiny cock. Her eyes remained on the threesome, felt their hearts spiraling. Xemnas's emotions were still new, but they expressed themselves in such a wondrous, thorny array, complex despite their infancy. Yet even she could recognize the tenderness with which he treated Saïx; every touch fragile when the man himself was not. But Saïx loved it, responded with adoration, tilting his head so his hair might fall aside and bare his neck. Xemnas licked him there, tasted the pulse that beat below his skin; wild, longing, caught in a rapid dance of desire.

Despite Xemnas's focus though, he remained aware of Roxas, keeping the boy close with his allure and his body's strong grip alone. They rolled together; a curious encounter, but one of sex, of pleasure, of risk and reward, of aided awakenings and love to be shared. Axel, Kairi, and Naminé were caught in the current with Xion, all touching, wet and sweat-slick, the moonlight flooding their stomachs and filling their hearts.

For all they had followed Xemnas's rhythm, it was Saïx who sent them toppling. Bound to the blue moon most strongly, its magic penetrated him to his core, joined by Xemnas as he took him over and over. Their connection seared itself into his heart, driving him mad, burning him up in lunar fire. He'd wanted this for so long, but hadn't understood it. Yet rebirth was always possible, and Saïx had discovered his. He moaned with every thrust, whined, and then came all over the grass with Xemnas's teeth in his neck.

He gave his pleasure to Xion in gratitude, and it passed through her and into the others—save Xemnas himself, whose only ecstasy was the sensation of Saïx coming undone beneath him. Xion let him be, even as she shuddered to feel the way he bit down, pouring his seed into Saïx, hole tightening around Roxas so he was forced to do the same. Roxas could only pound into him, fucking him hard through his orgasm, sending shivers up Xemnas's spine as he left his cum in his womb. The force of his hips pushed Xemnas deeper in Saïx, where he did the same to his beloved pet. Axel clung to Xion throughout, whimpering as he spurted all over her stomach, tail wagging as he accepted her seed inside him. Kairi and Naminé shuddered against each other, wet staining their thighs and fingers, lips caught in a kiss.

To Xion it seemed they all fell as one, enraptured by the moon and the bonds it had nurtured.

They slowed to a stop, afterglow bidding them to lie upon the grass. Roxas dragged himself off Xemnas's back and stumbled to the ground. Xemnas made a small noise but said nothing else to him, his attention taken entirely by Saïx. He laid them both on their side, rubbing his stomach soothingly. "Very good," he murmured. "You've done well, pet."

Saïx smiled, his expression a stark contrast to the one he'd worn when he met Xion so many months ago. He mumbled something incoherent, leaning back against Xemnas and nuzzling him. Xemnas laughed in response; a warm rumble from deep in his chest.

Roxas spared them a glance before rising, tripping back over to where his friends lay nearby. Xion did not miss the quiver in his legs, although she did not judge. She was in much the same boat herself. She caught him as he tumbled, the five of them forming a makeshift nest with their bodies.

Liquid amber rose to where they sat, and Xemnas said, "You did well to keep up with me, Roxas. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Yeah," was all Roxas managed, breathless and flushing at the implication of Xemnas's words. Xion giggled, the others laughing and teasing as they drew him close. With the blue moon overhead enough magic lingered to render Roxas and Axel beasts again, and Axel immediately began grooming Roxas with his tongue, the girls running their fingers through their lovely coats. It felt as if the night revealed another side to them, even after every other truth and need it had already awakened and exposed.

They stayed like that for a time, Saïx and Xemnas resting in their bestial forms, teeny, spotted Roxas being rolled back and forth as Axel licked him. They caught their breath and found peace, wondering at how much they had experienced in such a short time.

It was not long before Xemnas shifted shapes and rose, however. He slipped on his coat then hung Saïx's clothes over his arm, whispered something to his lover. Saïx sighed and turned back into a man, smiling softly when Xemnas swept him up and held him close.

"It is time for us to depart," Xemnas said, looking toward Xion and her companions. "Saïx, is there anything you wish to say?"

"Thank you," he said, eyes hazy and warm, "for letting me experience this. For reminding me what it is to have a heart. For reminding me of what it is I look for when I reach for the moon."

Xion smiled. "It's fine, Saïx. I can't say we didn't have a good time, and I'm glad I got to know you a little better. Just...next time you come calling, bring better table manners."

He laughed; a short, sharp sound. Xemnas shook his head, but not before carefully tucking Saïx's against his chest. Saïx purred.

"We will be leaving now," Xemnas said, offering an elegant tilt of the head. "May you be blessed by the radiant moon. Farewell."

And he was gone just like that, slipping through the shadows, retiring to a place unknown. The five watched them go, still laid out upon the grass. They were exhausted and sweaty, although it left them feeling ethereal as opposed to tacky. They were happy, content, bonds affirmed, bodies at ease. Hands sought hands, cheeks brushing cheeks as they nuzzled one another. The girls stroked their sisters' hair and pet the boys, and the boys, still in their feral shapes, nosed and rubbed their heads against them. Ears twitched and tails flicked, and the five sighed happily.

The moon remained glistening above, indigo, cornflower, silver, and gold streaking the sky, drops of light and delicate beams creating a haven for them to rest, shadows soothing. They would return home in a moment, but for now, with the issue of Saïx resolved and the panther and his bear at peace, they napped, safe and sound.

 

---

 

It was some time until they heard from Saïx and Xemnas again, the river whispering to Aqua that they had retreated to Xemnas's abode and would likely reside there until their pregnancies were complete. A warm complex of caverns within the mountains seemed as good a place as any to tend to one another, and so the maidens and their companions did not worry. Xemnas's ability to weave between their world, the Unknown, and the Inbetween would keep them safe, and thus both men could nest happily, round with young and content in each other's company.

"Do you think they'll come visit after they give birth?" Aqua asked, sitting at the table with a steaming cup of tea. "You say Xemnas mentioned Sora once, right? Perhaps I should invite everyone else around..."

"They'll come," Xion affirmed, as she and the other four reclined in their nest of pillows. "The connection we made still exists, I can feel it."

"Unfortunately," Roxas mumbled, yelping when Kairi and Naminé tugged at his tail. They giggled wildly, cooing when Axel leaned in to kiss his scowl away.

"Quiet, love. We all know you enjoyed being with them." Axel grinned. "Besides, you made Xemnas a promise, didn't you?"

Roxas huffed, burrowing up against Xion's side. "Yeah, but..." He peered up at her, then looked to Axel, Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua, before tucking his chin and whispering, "Even if it was fun, I'm happiest here. This is where I want to be, always."

"Well, it's not like we'll kick you out of the nest once they arrive," Kairi said, grinning.

"It'll certainly be easier for Xemnas to take you while you're in it," Naminé added.

"I meant here with you, not here in the—oh, you're all terrible," Roxas huffed, pouting right up until Axel started kissing him again.

"We know what you mean, Roxas," Xion said, smiling. She could feel his love, and her sisters' delight, Axel's pleasure, and Aqua's amusement. It swirled inside her as their touches lingered longer, grew more sensual. Their hearts wound around each other, warm and happy, light, the five in their nest and their protector in her chair all tied, tangled, and in love.

 

---

 

Thus it was that in a little cottage in the woods where the weather was always as the sweetest spring, three maidens, their mother, and their darling wolf and cat remained. Their friends came by often, and they reveled in all the bonds they had forged, the connections they had made, the love they could share. Beyond those warm evenings there lay wondrous, curious, and strange things however, a horizon blossoming as dawn with new opportunities, new folk to meet. Yet home remained most important of all, and the maidens knew that it would always be waiting for them—their sacred sanctuary, their promised place, where they might rest and bestow their love upon the world as glorious twilight.

And here our story ends; happily ever after.