Derek had a lot to think about, and it felt like it was a little more than a twelve-year-old should have to think about.

  But, he wasn't just a normal twelve-year-old anymore was he? He was the one who had found Enki after all. Derek reached out to touch the stonewall o his bed, and he could feel the distant presence of his friend.

  It wasn't just that though. He could have given away the deck, he could have decided he didn't want to train. His parents were hesitant to allow it actually. But since he'd earhose honey elixirs, he'd been able to vince his father to drink one. He'd never had a specifijury that had driven him to seek the temple, but it was obvious even to Derek that his father was dealing with a lot of minor pains. The elixir had clearly helped, and not just for a few days or anything.

  That had been enough to vince him that he should at least put some effort into this, and it made seo make sure he couldn't actally hurt anyone by act.

  And then there was his Shizo.

  He smiled at that thought. She'd been so fusing at first. And then there had been his friend Gan, who had pihat the cute white-haired kitsune only paid attention to Derek. He'd thought about that for a few days before he'd asked his mom why Shizoku might ignore everyone else but be sort of bossy with him.

  His mother's amuseme like it firmed his suspis, and theold him that he should only put so much weight into it. The girl might like him, or she might be deg if she wao like him, ht be trying to use him to get some uy jealous. And that girls who did that st one were best avoided if possible, and ignored if not.

  Derek retty certain it wasn't that st o seemed too petty for her. Well, the wrong sort of petty at least. During his raining session with her, she had him doing slow push-ups and ordered him to stop as soon as his arms got shaky, and theured him on how proper form was important and how pushing himself when it wasn't needed could injure him. So he'd asked her "Why do you care so much?"

  "Hmmp. Figure it out on your own, and I might give you a reward." She'd retorted, but he'd been watg her closely.

  The pale girl had been blushing a little, so he gambled. "Because you like me." That was the first time he'd seen her off guard like that, and he felt like he'd seen a glimpse behind a mask. That was also the first time that he'd really noticed she was cute.

  And his reward was a kiss on the cheek. "Not bad." She'd said, trying to act calm and mature even though he could see that she was blushing even harder after kissing his cheek. "I was beginning to think you were that sort of smart."

  "What sort of smart?" Derek had asked, fused.

  "Well, I'm what most people think of when they say smart. I remember things easily, and I figure things out fast. But my Gran Gran and my patron both make sure I know that's not the only type of smart." She wrinkled her ely. "And make sure I know my fw there. Ohink I know something, I move on. You, oher hand," she poked Derek's chest, "don't do that. You keep thinking about it until you are sure. It doesn't look as smart, but it really is. And," she'd hesitated then, and Derek had beey certain that she was hiding something when she'd said, "I think it would be good for me to have someone like you that I trust."

  Now he had an idea of what she'd really meant. If she was maybe going to rule the Azeria eday, her temper might be a problem. And she might want him to be with her. But that would mean ... Derek blushed, not quite able to tihe thought.

  And if he wao do that? If he might, um, move to the when he was older? Derek didn't care about just being strong. And he didn't even care if Shizo was super strong and he wasn't. But, if he was supposed to support her, well, it didn't sit right to not be strong enough to really support and protect her. So, what did he want?

  Derek rolled out of bed and got dressed. It was te and they were supposed to be rexing aating and stuff before bed. So he probably wasn't supposed to do this.

  He went out of his room and down the hall and knocked on the door to Shizoku's room. A slightly rumpled-looking little kitsune in a nightgown opehe door. "Derek? Is something wrong?"

  She really was cute.

  "No, nothing like. But, I o talk. With you. Um." Derek still didn't ualy what he wao say, aaring at him with one eyebrow raised wasn't really helping. Maybe something else. "But first, ah, I was w, you bee a little fox tht?"

  "What? Um, yeah, why?"

  "Could you do that? I think it might make it easier for me to talk."

  She blushed a little and then gnced up and down the hall before motioning him in. "Okay. But you are being a little weird you know."

  Was he? Maybe. He followed her in and closed the door, then watched as she sat on her bed and shifted into her fox form. "You're cute like this too." Derek mused as he walked over to her. She froze in pd this gave him a ce to pet her gently for a moment. Then he scooped her up like he might a cat and sat on her bed, holding her on his p in a cuddle.

  "H, hey!" She protested, "Boys aren't supposed to sit on a girl's bed!"

  "I know," he replied, but he didn't move either and tio pet her and give her scritches. "But it's easier to talk now. And I've been thinking." Shizoku had been squirming a little, but now she stopped and looked up at him. Derek smiled and scritched under her .

  She allowed it for a moment with her eyes half closed, then shook her head and his hand. "Stop that. You were thinking, and you want to talk. I 't listen right if you are doing that."

  That seemed like something he wao remember. "You told me that you might need someone like me that you could trust. I knew you weren't telling me something, but I think I know what that was now. And, um, well, I think I want to be able to do that. To be there when you need someone. So, I am going to bee strong. Strong enough to be able to protect you. I knht now I 't really, anything really dangerous and you'd be proteg me. But I will ge that."

  Shizoku looked at him silently for a long moment, before she raised herself up to lick his . "Accepted." She curled up bato his p to entice more petting. "But this means I'll work you even harder to make sure you live up to your word."

  "I think I live with that," he replied as he scritched along her back to the base of her tails. Hmm? Derek gently grasped two of her tails, ign the yelp of protest that doing so elicited from Shizoku as he stared at the two remaining tails. "Did you know you have four tails now?" He asked as he let go.

  "I do?" She stopped gring at him to gape in surprise and then whipped her tails forward to stare at the four tips. "I do!" Shizoku switched back to her hybrid form to grin at him excitedly. "Yes! I have four tails now!" Then she grabbed his head and kissed him.

  There was a moment of stillness as they both processed that her lips were toug his, and a red-faced kitsuarted to dash away, only to find her hand caught by Derek. "Shizo?" She looked back at him with wide eyes. "It's fine," he said with a smile, "and I won't tell anyone if you don't wao." He gave her hand a geug, and Shizoku let herself be pulled bato his p, her legs across his as she looked down with embarrassment.

  "You're really not supposed to do that," she muttered in rotest.

  "I think if I am going to live up to what you want, I o be able to do stuff like this." Derek began softly stroking her hair as they spoke.

  "That's supposed to be when we're older," Shizoku said even as she snuggled into his chest to enjoy bei.

  Derek didn't say anything and just leaned against the wall as he tio pet his sweet, if prickly, fox.

  When he opened his eyes, he groaned from his stiff ned shoulder. "Ow, what?" Then he realized that he'd fallen asleep with Shizoku in his p.

  She stirred when he began to move and blinked sleepily until she came to the same realization and hopped out of his p. "How long- what time is it?" She hastily g the small sor-based clock built into ea. "Ah! Get out of here! Go! We're te!"

  Derek stumbled to his feet, muscles protesting every motion, but he nodded in uanding. "Right, sorry, shouldn't have fallen asleep." His thoughts were still a bit fuzzy as he opehe door only to find himself staring at Fuyuko. He looked up at her surprised and fused expression, blushed, and wordlessly dashed for his room.

  Fuyuko slowly walked into Shizoku's room as she tried to figure out what just happened. "Um, Shizoku?"

  The kitsune was rushing to get dressed as she called out to Fuyuko, "Close the door behind you! And you have to not tell anyone, okay?"

  "Is everything all right?"

  "Yes! Yeah, it's good, just, a little embarrassing. Look, I'll tell you everything ter, just trust me and don't mention it to anyone."

  "Alright," Fuyuko replied slowly, "but, don't you think Mordecai and Kazue already know? They said that they still pay attention to the hallway. They'd know he just left your room."

  Shizoku swore, "You're right. I'll have to deal with that. And that means they know when he came here too. Gah. Stupid boys making everything so plicated." Fuyuko noticed that her friend was smiling as she said that, which just left her more fused.

  It was amazing to her how quickly Shizoku could get her hair ened and her robes put on and adjusted, and somehow not look at all like she'd just woken up.

  As soon as she was done, Shizoku dragged Fuyuko out into the hallway with her. "Mordecai! Kazue! Everything is fine! Just wait until ter, okay? We'll e to you." Not that she'd asked Derek yet, but for this, her of them really had a choice. "I just want to eat breakfast in peace first."

  Well, Fuyuko couldn't bme her for that. Breakfast was important. But Fuyuko also thought that lunch was important. And dinner. And snacks. Or pretty muything involving food. Maybe she wasn't the best judge of which meals were important. Or maybe she was the best judge because she khey were all important! She rather liked that thought.

  Zagaroth