Fox, Vixen, Fire, and Wolf

“Since the day we met, I’ve known there was something special about you,” I said. “We’ve been through a lot together, like to Hell and back, and I hope we can make our life together as exciting and action-packed as it has been so far. You gave me hope when hope was gone, and gave me strength to journey. What would I be with you, I don’t know, but I hope I don’t have to find out any time soon. I love you, Duo.”

“I’ve never known anyone as wonderful as you,” Duo said. “If someone had told me, before I met either Heero or you, that I would be married to someone who I would love more than anything else, I’d have called them crazy. Now I can’t imagine being with anyone else. I love you, Suichi.”

“Duo Maxwell, do you take Suichi Minamino to be your constant companion, to love, cherish, respect, through good times and bad, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for as long as God will keep you in this life?”

“I do,” he said, smiling over at me and squeezing my hand.

“Suichi Minamino, do you take Duo Maxwell to be your constant companion, to love, cherish, respect, through good times and bad, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for as long as God will keep you in this life?”

“And much longer,” I said. “I do.” As we exchanged rings, I could feel his hands shaking, and I kissed it to try to calm him down.

“By the powers vested in me by the City of Tokyo, I pronounce you beloved husbands,” said the minister. Stepping into Duo’s arms, I kissed him briefly and smiled against the kiss when I heard our families cheering behind us. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you Duo and Suichi Maxwell-Minamino!”

“I’m so happy,” I whispered as we walked down the isle. I was reminded of my mother’s own wedding a few years before, and it broke my heart that she was missing my own. Duo looked just as happy as I felt, and seeing my house filled with my boys, our families, and of course, our three children, made us both completely overjoyed.

“Way to go, Kurama,” my friend Yusuke said at the reception. “Congratulations, both of you.”

“Thank you, Yusuke,” I said. “And thank you so much for being my best man.”

“Hey, no problem, man!” he said.

“The wind here be so full o’ joy and happiness, I hardly think such unhappy winds could’ve ever blown here,” Jin said, his ears moving.

“Be careful what you say, Jin,” Touya warned. “Especially here, and today of all days.”

“It’s alright, guys,” Duo said. “We’ll obviously never forget anyone who died here, but it’d be important to them not to wallow in self-pity and misery.”

“He’s right,” I said, smiling. “As much as I miss the people who died, I almost wish I could thank Marina and her gang. If it hadn’t been for that, I’d still be miserable without Hiei, and I’d have never had the chance to make a life with my new husband.” He smiled at me, and I kissed him.

“Come on, everyone, this is supposed to be a party!” Quatre said. “Let’s make this a happy day, not one of more mourning!”

“Yay, Daddy and Papa!” little Trowa squealed, jumping into my arms, his brother and sister not too far behind. “You mewwied now?”

“Yes, Son, we’re married now,” I laughed. “You and your brother and sister will be staying at Aunt Ami’s house for a few days while the two of us spend some time traveling alone together.”

“You’re leaving us?” Leena gasped.

“Don’t worry, Dear,” I said. “It’s what is called a honeymoon. When a couple gets married, it’s traditional that they travel together for a few days to get to know each other better, you might say.” I could tell that she was close to tears, and I did what I could to console her. “We’ll only be gone for a week, honey, and then we’ll be back, I promise.”

“Bring me back something when you come back, and I guess that’ll be okay,” she said. Everyone laughed, and she hugged me tightly. Many of our friends had brought their children to the ceremony, and so our little ones soon became involved in playing with the others. When Ami and Hilde took their girls to take naps, I walked with them to set my kids down as well. I knew that if Leena saw me just before she went to sleep, she’d be content to be without us for a few days.

“You’ve got such a talent for parenting,” Ami said as she and I walked back towards the ballroom. I smiled, but said nothing. “Those kids love you and Duo as though you’d been with them their whole lives.”

“My lawyer said that as soon as we get back from the honeymoon, we can sign the final papers for adoption,” I said. “Your brother is so amazing. He’s been taking care of the children by himself while I’ve been at work almost every day.”

“He loves those kids, and he loves you,” she said. “Come on, Bro. He’s waiting for you.” As soon as I walked through the doors, my eyes met Duo’s, and I ran to him. He threw his arms around me and I lifted him off the ground, spinning him around.

“Now that the children are gone, let’s get this part really started!” Duo cried, grabbing some rum from under the table. I laughed heartily as he handed me a bottle, and I took a big swig. I saw a wicked gleam in his eyes as he held up his bottle and proceeded to drink almost half of it.

“Challenging me to drink as much, Lover?” I asked, grinning evilly. I raised the bottle to my lips, and began guzzling down the fermented liquid, finishing off the bottle within a minute. As I wiped my mouth, I looked at Duo, who stared at me in shock. “Even as a human, this won’t give me any kind of buzz most of the time.” A sudden dizziness hit me, and my knees buckled. “But… with all the excitement today… it looks like I just got really buzzed.”

“Easy does it,” Duo said. “We gotta take it slow, or you’ll be wasted by the time the party’s over! I need you at least a little coherent, Love.”

“I’m already, Duo,” I said, smiling. “Dance with me.”

“Okay,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me off the ground. I signaled the DJ to play our song, which we had selected as the one song that was the most appropriate for describing our love. “Bless the Broken Road.” At the end of the song, we kissed, and embraced tenderly.

“My Duo,” I said, looking into his eyes. “I love you so much.”

“And I you,” he said. A few hours later, the reception ended and we walked back to our apartment. We needed to gather our traveling things before the honeymoon began. Before our travels began, however, we took some time in each other’s arms, our first time as married men. As we lay together, I played with his hair, and he kissed the top of my head.

“My husband…” I breathed, hardly believing that it was really happening. “This is incredible, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is, Suichi,” he said. “Indeed it is.” I turned over onto my stomach and gazed lazily at him. “I wonder what you were like as the bandit, Youko Kurama. I heard about your adventures in Demon World, from Hiei and Heero, and I thought how great it’d be to fight alongside you.”

“It wasn’t as glamorous as Hiei probably made it sound,” I chuckled. “I was a member of the royal guard when Raizen was king of Demon World. Hiei and I were assigned to guard the Crowned Prince, a young man who looked remarkably like Yusuke does now. I have often wondered if he is the reincarnation of the prince himself and not Raizen, passing himself down through the generations until there was a need to return to save his world.”

“He probably had no idea he would be saving humans, and fighting against his own people,” he said. He gasped, blushing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You’ve fought against your own kind for nearly a decade.”

“Only when it meant the safety of my family and others I care about,” I said. “If a demon or any other creature for that matter was to come after you or the children, or my mother, I would have no mercy on them. I would sooner go to jail or face a death sentence than let anyone get away with hurting my family.”

“Your mom seemed to be in pretty good spirits this evening,” Duo said. “I understand how hard it must be for her and Mr. Satoro. Before Hilde had the twins, we were expecting a boy, but she lost him due to a fall down the stairs of our apartment.”

“I had no idea,” I said, lifting my head and resting on my elbows. “My mother and step-father have been trying to have children so hard. But from what her doctor said, carrying another child could kill her.”

“You could suggest giving them the twins in the nursery,” Duo suggested. “Two boys were left behind when Marina killed their mothers. They’re only a few months old, and they need a family.”

“Many of the children are being adopted by straight couples from outside the estates,” I said. “And I think Mother and Father would gladly accept an offer like that.”

“Shiori is a dear friend, and she’s like a mother to me too,” he said.

“The look on her face tonight when you said ‘Hi, Mom!’ at the same time I did, oh what a treat!” I laughed. “I think she considers you as her son now, too.”

“I’m glad,” he said. As he stretched and yawned, his arms almost touching the bedposts, I have him the surprise of his young life. His hands were soon bound to the bed, captive to a pair of binding plants whose seed I had deposited in the knots in each post while Duo had been in the bathroom. “Bondage, eh?” he said with a wicked grin.

“This is payback for making me do all the work with the kids this morning before the wedding,” I said. “And you see those scissors over there? If you disobey me in any way, you will lose an inch or so of your precious braid.”

“My hair!” he squealed. In warning, I reached for the scissors. “No, wait, I’ll do whatever you want! Just, please, don’t cut my hair!”

“Keep an attitude like that, and I won’t have to,” I cooed. It was fun watching him squirm as I reached for another item next to the scissors. When he saw that I had picked up something else, he gave a sigh or relief and closed his eyes. This gave me just enough time to slip the cock-ring on him without him being able to respond before it was too late.

“What did you just do?” Duo said.

“I gave you a cock-ring so you can’t cum until I want you to,” I said. He growled at me, and so I took the scissors and began cutting his hair. It was only an inch, but I saw the fear in his eyes. “Do you see now that I’m serious about this?” He nodded, so I put the scissors back on the dresser. Moving down to his midsection, I brushed my lips across the base of his cock, smiling when he moaned. “Does that feel good, my pet?”

“Yes…” he breathed. “Since it seems I’m your slave, do you want me to call you Master again?”

“If you want to,” I said. “I’m gonna climb up on top of you, and I want you to suck me. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes, Master,” Duo said, his eyes narrowing. As his mouth enveloped me, I let out a long, low moan that caused Duo to moan as well. I’m quite large, but he was able to take me into his mouth completely from tip to base, and even got his tongue out to lick my balls.

“Oh, Duo, I shall have to reward you for this,” I moaned, my head falling back and my eyes closing. “This is… a talent I never… knew you had.” The longer he worked his magic, the closer I came to climax. I could feel my hair brushing against his cock, and he was hard! I could tell that, had the ring not been holding it in, he would’ve cum long before. “Duo… I’m so close…”

“Cum for me, Master,” he said, sliding me out of his mouth momentarily.

“Very soon, my pet,” I said. “God, I love you! Oh, fuck!” With a rush of heat, my semen exploded from me into his mouth. “Duo, my love, take it all. Swallow it all.” He did so, sucking me try, and moaning in satisfaction when he was done. As I pulled away from his mouth, he smiled and licked his lips.

“Delicious,” he said. “Did I do good, Master?”

“You did, Lover,” I said. “Now it’s my turn to please you.” I saw that he hoped I could remove the cock-ring, but I left it where it was. It was exhilarating to hear him gasp when I kissed and licked his engorged sacks.

“Oh, fuck!” he cried. “Please, Master, remove the cock-ring! I really need to cum!”

“Not yet,” I whispered. “You’ll be begging me far more than that before we’re done here.” In an effort to break loose, Duo tugged at the cords that bound his hands, and I heard the bedpost crack and break off. I saw the absolute fear in his eyes as he stared up at me, and I scowled at him, baring my teeth. “My wife bought me this bed as a wedding gift for our first apartment! How dare you!”

“I’m sorry, Master!” he said. I was very upset, and I grabbed the pair of scissors and yanked the braid from under his back.

“You’ve destroyed something that was very important to me, and now I will destroy something that is very important to you,” I said. “the bedpost can be repaired, and your hair will grow back, but they have sentimental value to us now.” He begged me to stop as I cut away three feet of his beautiful long hair, but I ignored him.

“My hair!” he cried, hot tears running down his face. That was when I realized that I had made a horrible mistake. “I’m sorry I broke the bedpost, Master!”

“Please don’t be angry with me, my love,” I said, kissing the tears from his cheeks. “I’m no longer angry with you.” I released him from the cords and took him into my arms as he cried. “Forgive me, Darling.” He looked down at the long braid of hair that now lay at his feet, and then up to me.

“I loved my long hair,” he said. “It took me five years to get it that long.”

“I’m sorry,” I cooed. ‘I acted very rashly.” I removed the cock-ring and began to stroke him, and he very quickly came to completion. He gave me a satisfied smile. “Feel better?” He nodded, and I kissed him.
My life with my family was bliss. My friend, Yusuke, and his wife Keiko, had two young children now, and would often visit us. It could not be said that the children were every really lonely. I could hardly believe that so much time was passing so quickly, as I was suddenly finding myself walking little Trowa to his first day of third grade. Six years had passed, and I was immensely happy.

Some horrible things had happened around the world during that time. Terrorists had attacked America, striking down even some of my own friends, and four or five of my boys. Earthquakes and tidal waves had brought devastation to parts of Asia. Thousands of soldiers had died in what seemed like a never-ending war. But many happy times had taken place as well. A city was growing up around where an alien ship had fallen, and my company was starting to take root as well.

“Welcome home, Darling,” Duo said as I walked in from a business trip to Macross City.

“Where are the kids?” I asked, kissing him quickly.

“Leena’s at her play rehearsal, and the boys are at soccer practice,” he said. “They won’t be home for a few hours yet.”

“Good, because I want to talk to you,” I said. “I think we should move.”

“Where? And why?” he cried. “Tokyo is our home, and this is the only life the kids have ever known.”

“Duo, you know that I spend far too much time away from the children, and you of course too,” I said. “I think that if we moved to Macross City, and got a house there, I could be at home every night instead of just on weekends. I’ll have my district manager promoted to run the area, and then I can head to branch in Macross City full time, and not have to keep flying back and forth.”

“How do you think the children are going to react to this?” Duo asked. “Leena is supposed to be in the school plays for the rest of the year, and the boys are finally starting to settle down in their studies.”

“Families move all the time,” I said, trying to reason with him. “We can wait until the end of the school year, and move during the summer.”

“I don’t want to do this, Kurama,” he cried. “End of story, I don’t want to move anywhere!” There was suddenly a knock at the door, and Duo stormed into his study, slamming and locking the door behind him. After dealing with what they wanted, I started to think about what Duo had said, and realized that he was right. To uproot them just seemed to be so unfair. Realizing this, I knocked on the door of Duo’s study. “If that’s you, Kurama, I don’t want to be bothered.”

“Duo, I want to apologize,” I said. “You’re right about us not moving. The children will be much happier here than they would be anywhere else.”

“What about MY happiness?” he asked, moving closer to the door. “Is that not important?”

“Of course it is, my love,” I said. “As much as I love the children, if something were to happen to them, God-forbid, I would be able to move on without them. But that is only if I have you with me, and if I know that you’re happy.”

“You know that I miss you when you’re away on these business trips,” he said. “But like a loyal little wife, I pack your bags for you and wave to you as you walk out the door on Monday morning.”

“Are you… unhappy in our marriage?” I cried.

“Well, no, not really,” he said, opening the door finally. “But I’m not completely happy either. I hate being away from you for so long, but I know that as the owner of your own company, you really don’t have much of a choice. I just wish that things were back the way they were before we got married, and before that damn space ship showed up! I don’t know why, but I was so much happier back then than I am now.”

“Oh, god,” I said, my eyes misting with tears. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to leave me!”

“No, I’m not,” he said. “But I can’t keep living as Miss Suzy Homemaker, Kurama. The kids are old enough now that they can have a babysitter after school, and I can work during the day. We can add our suite to the list of rooms in the mansion that gets cleaned every few days.”

“I can hire you at my company, and I can give someone a promotion to area manager in Macross City,” I said. He smiled, and I ran to his arms. “I’ve missed you so much, Duo, and I want to make you as happy as you’ve made me.”

“Thank you, Darling,” he said, kissing my cheek. My lips lowered to his neck, and my teeth dug into it, gently but firmly. Duo whimpered, and I worried that I’d hurt him. “No, don’t stop, it feels good.” I smiled against his skin, and began to lave at the wound with my tongue, as though making gentle love to it. His fingernails began to scrape along my back, and he suddenly hit a spot that nearly caused me to cry out in pain. I bit down hard, not being able to control myself, and Duo screamed. When I was able to control myself and pull off him, there was blood everywhere, and Duo seemed to have lost consciousness.

“Duo, no!” I cried, immediately using my powers to heal him. “Duo, please, speak to me!”

“Kurama…” he said softly, opening his eyes. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “But you were scratching your fingers on my back, and when you touched a spot on my lower back, pain hit me like an arrow.”

“Take off your shirt,” he said. I did so, laying down on the couch so Duo could get a good look. “Oh, no! You’ve got to get this checked out. It’s a huge, black spot on your back!”

“If it’s about the size of a fist, it’s nothing to worry about,” I said. “Touch it, and I can probably tell you that it’s one of my ‘birthmarks’ from where my tail used to be.” Running his fingers gently across my lower back, I suddenly felt that pain again, and this time I did cry out loudly. “God, it hurts!”

“Your skin just above your tail looks like a bowl of noodles,” he gasped. “Twisted, yellow, and full of water.”

“Like Hiei, I am falling to a disease that only demons fall to,” I said, realizing what it was. “Animal spirits, upon reaching a certain age, begin to weaken significantly, and I must be beginning that stage.”

“Is there something that can be done?”

“Only if I return to Demon World,” I said, standing up. “It cannot be completely cured, but if it is treated soon enough, I may be able to beat it back for a few more years. Perhaps even a decade or two, if I’m lucky.”

“I hope to God that you’re right,” he said. I hugged him gently, kissing the top of his head. “I’ll call Hilde, and she can probably fix dinner for the kids tonight while we’re gone.”

“Yes, do that,” I said. “I’ll make a few phone calls and get an emergency appointment made with the physician who treated my demon father.”
After seeing the doctor that night, I was scheduled for an emergency surgery the next morning to drain out the fluid and try to remove the diseased amount of tissue from my back. The doctor was fearful that it would lay me up in bed for several weeks, but he said that it was still in the very early stages and could be brought into remission in a matter of only one or two surgeries.

“Not to bring up bad memories, Youko, but when your father had this disease, he came to us too late, and I could do little for him,” he said. I nodded, remembering vividly what my father’s body looked like shortly before his death. “It’s also been several decades since then, and human medicine combined with Demon methods has dramatically improved the prognosis for victims of this disease.”

“I have complete faith in you, Doctor,” I said. “Is it all right for my husband to stay with me tonight?”

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll try to find you a bed that is a little larger than most of the others so he doesn’t have to sleep in the chair.”

“My goodness, for a demon, he certainly is a lot friendlier than most,” Duo said after the doctor had left.

“Like me, he is part human,” I explained. “His father was human, and his mother is a wolf-like apparition. Not only that, as you may know, but when Yusuke became the king of Demon World a year ago, one of his laws was that humans and demons were to be treated equally in Demon World, and if a human needed special medical attention, they were to be given what they needed.”

“Sounds like something Yusuke would do,” he said. “Have you called the kids yet?”

“No, and they’re probably in bed by now,” I said. “Time passes much faster in the human world than it does here.”

“Let me call my sister, at least,” Duo said. “We can explain the situation to her and then she can tell the kids that Daddy and Papa are going to be away for a while.”

“Tell her to have them call you before they leave for school,” I said.

“Right,” he said, dialing the number. “Hello, Ami?”
“Yes, Leena, I’m going to be fine,” I said much later that night. “Now, you be a brave little girl, and obey your aunts, okay?”

“I will, Daddy,” she said, a scared voice not masked by courage. “Will you be back for my play?”

“I certainly hope so, Honey,” I said, a tear streaking down my face. “Papa and your brothers will be, at least. Unfortunately, I can’t promise you a thing about me.”

“Get better soon, please, Daddy,” she begged. I wanted nothing more than to be able to take her into my arms, to comfort my daughter. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said. Hanging up the phone, I nearly burst into tears. “Oh my god…”

“You okay, Lover?”

“What do you think, Duo?” I said, leaning back into the pillows on our hospital bed. “This scares me a hell of a lot more than I let on to her, or you, or anyone. And the thought of dying and leaving you to raise the kids by yourself is nearly as painful as this disease itself.”

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “You’ll be okay, I know you will. Our religious beliefs may be different, but Jesus Christ, or Buddha, or whoever it is watching over us, is protecting you. And more importantly, I know that I love you.”

“I know you do, my darling Duo,” I sighed. “My biggest concern is that I told Leena I’d be fine. What’ll it do to the children if I die tomorrow? I’ll have lied to the one living girl in the world I care about most.”

“I don’t know, Kurama,” he said, kissing my cheek gently. “I hate to be a harpy here, but you should probably get some shut-eye.”

“Sleep well, my love,” I said. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I could think only of our life together thus far. I wasn’t even forty years old, and I already had cancer. But at least I had a very supportive family and group of friends.