"Asato, will you go to the lake in the forest for me?" Kei called, as she finished packing a large multi tiered bento box.
"Yes mother, did the well dry up?" Tsuzuki asked as he entered the kitchen.
He was a handsome young man of twenty with violet eyes and messy dark hair. He wore his second best kimono, which was dark blue. He was forever laughing, but often sad.
Kei smiled and shook her head. "No, but it's important that you visit the lake today."
Tsuzuki peered into the bento box, his mouth watering. All of his favorite foods and more than he could eat in a sitting. Yum!
"I doubt even I could eat all this for lunch, but I'll try my best. Thank you." He said with a grin. "What a lovely assortment. Ooh, fried tofu!"
Kei shut and secured the bento box. She wrapped it in a handkerchief and handed it to her son.
"It's to share in case you meet someone today." She explained. "I've been praying to Inari on your behalf, and this morning I had a vision just before I woke. I asked him to send you a beautiful fox wife." She kissed his cheek.
"I don't want a fox wife." Tsuzuki crossed his arms.
His mother continued as if he hadn't spoken. "He said that if you go alone to the lake you could find a beautiful fox spirit."
He sighed and said. "Mom, even if this dream-"
"Vision."
"Even if this vision comes true, we can't count on things turning out how you want. I could be stuck married to a beautiful idiot or a beautiful ninety year old. I'm happy enough with life as it is."
"I worry about you being lonely." Kei said. "I know what the others say about you and about me."
Asato was the product of Kei's brief union with a traveling stranger. Her parents and the rest of their village shunned her as a whore, and because of Asato's strange eyes, people assumed that his father was a demon. He quietly endured cruel taunts and thrown rocks. Kei wanted more than anything for him to find happiness.
"If someone's been bothering you-" Tsuzuki began hotly.
"I'm alright. I made my choices and have no regrets. I just want you to be happy."
"I'm fine."
Tsuzuki kissed his mother on the cheek and walked out the door leaving Kei alone in the kitchen.
"Don't forget to share your lunch with beautiful girls!" She yelled after him.
Tsuzuki walked to the forest and followed the path to the lake. He hoped that his mother wouldn't be too disappointed when he returned alone. He didn't want a wife. He preferred men. He had never acted on his desires, but resigned himself to a lonely life. He took pleasure from long walks in the forest and tasty food.
He stopped walking with a gasp, and ducked behind a tree. A man was bathing in the lake. The water was up to his thighs. He was tall and handsome with long dark hair in a thick braid. He lazily played with his erect cock and stroked his darkly furred balls. Tsuzuki had never seen anyone like him. He glanced around expecting to see silk finery, but the ground was bare.
"Is someone there?" The man called out.
Tsuzuki blushed and stepped out of hiding. "Sorry, I was just going for a walk."
"It's very rude to spy on people, Mr. Pervert." The other man said with a grin, walking onto the shore. "But if you share your lunch, I won't be angry with you."
Tsuzuki hung his head. "Sorry."
"I'm Mibu Oriya. Let's sit down to lunch."
"Yes, of course.” Tsuzuki nodded. “I'm Tsuzuki Asato. I hate to tell you this, but someone stole your clothes."
"I find clothes tiresome, don't you?" Oriya cocked his head and smiled.
He sank to the ground in a single fluid motion, as if he dined naked with commoners every day. Tsuzuki sat down quickly, and unwrapped the bento box. He opened it and frowned.
"Please eat first, Mibu-san." He said politely. "There's only one set of chopsticks."
"We'll take turns. You may feed me."
"Alright."
Tsuzuki lifted the chopsticks, captured a morsel of food, and brought it to Oriya's lips. He accepted it with a grin and a swipe of tongue. Tsuzuki fed himself next. The young nobleman watched as though fascinated. The villager alternated between them.
"Have you lived in your village long?" Oriya asked.
"All my life." Tsuzuki replied and helped himself to some sticky brown rice.
"It must be very interesting."
"Not really, but that's kind of you to say." He fed his new friend a piece of fried tofu. "Are you a nobleman?"
"No, I'm a soldier." Oriya shook his head.
"That must be exciting." Tsuzuki grinned. He fed himself spicy seared beef. "All that travel. I envy you."
"Ah, it has its perks, but I'm ready to settle down."
Tsuzuki fed Oriya a cookie then ate an orange slice. It was such an odd lunch.
"Your wife must miss you when you're away." Tsuzuki said.
"Oh no, I'm not married yet." Oriya replied. "I must say it's very strange to find you living like a human man, but it's certainly clever of you." Oriya parted his lips for another bite, but Tsuzuki had dropped the chopsticks.
"I'm not a demon." Tsuzuki said. "Just because I have strange eyes doesn't mean you can insult me." He clenched his fists and stood. "Keep the bento. I know you're hungry."
He sprinted away leaving behind a very perplexed Mibu Oriya. He stood, but the half fox had run towards the human village, and he didn't dare follow in broad daylight. He preferred to avoid humans, not to mention their arrows and dogs. He sat back down. He would plan his course of action after lunch. He copied Tsuzuki's previous motions with the chopsticks until he got the hang of it. Human food was really quite delicious, and the bento was packed with his favorites.
Back at the house, Tsuzuki scowled at his mother when she asked pointed questions about beautiful strangers. He retreated to his bedroom.
Late that night, Oriya darted into the human village in his fox form, carrying the bento in his mouth by the handkerchief. He paused frequently to sniff the air. He stopped in front of a dwelling and returned to his man form. He gave a startled yip as a dog approached him. The bento box fell from his parted lips. He growled and the dog fled. He picked the bento back up and stretched luxuriously. He walked inside.
He looked around sniffing and set down the bento on a wooden table. He found butter and brought it with him just in case. He followed Tsuzuki's scent to where it was strongest, a sparsely decorated room with the half fox asleep in a soft nest. Oriya sat beside him and he opened his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Tsuzuki sat up and his sheet pooled around his waist. He blinked sleepily. “Are you stealing the butter?”
"I promise to share.” Oriya said. “I returned your bento box and your chopsticks. I put them in the first room of your-" He waved one arm a bit searching for the word. "Man burrow."
"I don't care." Tsuzuki turned his head away. "Get out of my house."
"You're really very rude, Mr. Pervert." Oriya said with a fond smile.
“I’m rude?” Tsuzuki turned to glare at him. “You called me a demon and broke into my house.”
“And stole your butter. We just had a small miscommunication. We're fox spirits, not demons. Well, you're half human."
"Stop lying."
“I’ll show you.”
Oriya rapidly shrank and changed, until a black fox stood where the man had been. Tsuzuki stared. Oriya returned to his human form. He gently eased the half fox onto his back with a vulpine grin. He drew the sheet away to reveal his naked prey. He nipped his collarbone.
"Are you my beautiful fox wife?" Tsuzuki blurted out.
“What?” Oriya mumbled, slipping a hand between the other man‘s legs to stroke his cock.
“Nothing.”
Oriya nudged Tsuzuki's legs apart. He squeezed off a lump of butter and warmed it in his other hand. When it was soft enough he spread it over his fingers.
"Hold your legs up." He said.
Tsuzuki blushed, but obeyed. He felt exposed in this revealing position, but aroused. Oriya pressed a slick finger into Tsuzki's hole.
"It feels strange." The villager complained.
Oriya smiled. "It gets better."
Tsuzuki was about to grumble that it better when the other man crooked his finger and touched something inside him that made him want. Oriya withdrew his finger and returned with two, which burned a little. He lovingly fingered his mate until he begged to be taken. Oriya eased his fingers from Tsuzuki's ass. He slicked his cock with butter. He hauled the other man's legs up over his shoulders and guided his cock into his ass.
Tsuzuki moaned. "So good."
Oriya gently thrust into Tsuzuki, who rocked back to meet him. He bent down and kissed him, sweeping his tongue into his mate's mouth and tasting his sweetness. He angled his thrusts to rub against Tsuzuki's prostate and increased his pace.
"Love you." Tsuzuki said softly.
Oriya said. "Me too."
Tsuzuki tilted his head up and slipped his tongue between parted lips. Oriya sucked on it and moaned into his mate's mouth. He reached a hand between them and grasped Tsuzuki's cock. He moved his hand up and down as he thrust faster and harder. Tsuzuki was so beautiful beneath him and so tight around him. Oriya snapped his hips wildly and came, spurting a warm flood inside his mate. Tsuzuki yelped. Oriya brought him off with one hand. Tsuzuki came against his belly with a keening animal cry.
"You're beautiful." Oriya whispered reverently.
"You're the beautiful one." Tsuzuki reached up and cupped his cheek.
Oriya took his hand and pressed a kiss to the palm.
"I'll going to pull out now. It might sting."
"Okay."
It did sting, but Tsuzuki didn't mind. He vowed to cherish the memory of this night, even after he was left behind. Oriya lay back and arranged him at his side.
“I’ll take you with me when I leave.” He promised.
Tsuzuki snuggled closer. "Good."
The next morning, Kei knocked softly on the door to Asato's bedroom. She didn't know what had gone wrong yesterday, but wanted to make amends. Perhaps the vision had just been a dream. There was no answer. She pushed open the door and gasped. Her son lay in bed asleep in another man's embrace, an attractive but odd man who grumbled and yipped in his sleep.
She gently shut the door and went to leave presents for Inari.