Aww yeah.

[bloodsong1]

Sarah felt giddy. Here she was, in Kyoto, in a little house just the right size for her family, with a fully stocked kitchen! Oh the cooking she could do!

"I must make tea!" She cried and whirled back to the cupboards. Some quick rooting uncovered a tin of genmaicha, her favorite, green tea with roasted rice. She filled the kettle and hummed to herself while digging out a gorgeous clay teapot and matching cups. She put them on the dividing counter and looked up. Shippo was giving her a very bemused look. "What?"

"This is what it takes to make you happy? A stocked kitchen?" He asked. She blushed.

"I've been wanting to cook exclusively Japanese food for a long time, but it's hard to get all the proper ingredients in upstate New York. I was on a serious bento kick for a while, but I ran into issues with amounts. I later realized I wasn't packing enough food into my little box," She explained. "I've been expanding my cooking skills in a variety of ways, but I keep coming back to Japanese food as an ideal. So, yes, having this opportunity does make me happy." She ducked her head, feeling ridiculously shy. "It also feels like I'm actually on vacation for the first time since we arrived in this dimension. I don't know how fast the enemy is going to move in Tokyo, but I'm almost done with the bracelets, so I'm hoping I've got some breathing room to get the last two blessings. And, well," She looked up and smiled. "I feel safe now." Shippo's eyes glowed for a few seconds and he smiled back, a happy smile she hadn't seen before.

"I'm very glad to hear that," He said, his voice turning a little husky. Sarah's blush deepened, but she couldn't break his gaze. Was he...getting closer? Her breathing turned shallow as energy began building between them. She could almost HEAR the thrum of a vibrating cord.

Just as he reached the counter and leaned over, the tea kettle whistled loudly and there was a sharp knocking at the front door. Shippo blinked, winced.

"Damn it," He whispered. Sarah's blush turned magenta and she whirled to shut off the gas. By the time she got back to the counter with the hot water, Shippo was at the front door, Marc right behind him.

"Cuteness, turn off the TV," She said, measuring tea into the pot and adding the water. "We have guests."

"Okay, Mommy," Becca turned off the TV. Shippo and Marc returned, escorting Ginta, Hakkaku, two women and three kids.

"Reiki-san!" Ginta and Hakkaku exclaimed in chorus. The females, mates Sarah was guessing, rolled their eyes at each other. The males put insulated containers on the table in front of Becca and turned to Sarah.

"Nice illusions, Shippo," Ginta complimented.

"Too nice. She doesn't smell the same," Hakkaku complained, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Sarah reached up behind her and loosened the necklace. The females and kids gasped as she removed it.

"Does this help?" She asked. Hakkaku sniffed a few times and grinned.

"That's much better! Reiki-san, this is my mate Kurokaku and my pups, Myakaku and Ginkaku."

"It's very nice to meet you," Kurokaku said, bowing. Sarah came around the counter, hands extended and palms up. The boy, Myakaku, sniffed her left hand carefully. Ginkaku grabbed both her hands and took her time smelling each one.

"Children!" Kurokaku cried, horrified. The pups whined and backed into their father, heads bowed and tails dragging.

"I don't mind, Kurokaku-san," Sarah said, sidling in her direction. "If you wish to memorize my scent as well, I give you permission. Would you prefer my hands or my neck?" Kurokaku's mouth opened and closed several times and she looked at Hakkaku for help. He shrugged.

"Reiki-san hugged Ginta and I when she found out about Kouga. She is American, after all."

"This is all very intimate. I am not comfortable with this," Kurokaku announced. Sarah promptly backed up two paces and bowed.

"As you wish. May I offer you some tea?"

"I would like some," Ginta's mate spoke up. Ginta blushed.

"Reiki-san, this is my mate, Fumiko and my daughter, Maiko."