Juri let out a small sigh, watching her warm breath fog up the store window. Inside was different type of cards and board games. While in the past her eyes would linger on the tarot cards, debating if she wanted to learn her destiny or not, today they were plastered on the new Digimon pack being advertised.

“Juri?”

Jolting slightly, the brunette whipped around to see Ruki standing behind her, hands in her pockets. Even though she couldn’t see the kitsune, Juri knew enough by now that Renamon was somewhere in the shadows. Giving a nervous laugh, the smaller girl straightened her olive dress down while giving the Tamer a small smile on reflex.

“Oh hey, Ruki-chan.”

“What are you doing here?” The question was blunt, yet unsurprising. Juri hadn’t spent much time with the other girl and what time they did was in silence. The redhead would answer questions Juri might ask, but engaging her in small talk was downright impossible.

“Oh, uhm,” she mumbled, glancing to the window on instinct and when she looked back at Ruki she noticed one of her eyebrows were raised. Juri’s cheeks colored and she ducked her head, the words dying in her throat. Admitting she daydreamed of her own partner sounded petty and jealous.

“I’m going inside. Do you want to come with me?” Juri glanced up to see Ruki staring at her. Reading her was impossible - Takato said nobody but Renamon knew what was on her mind, adding though if she didn’t like you, that much would be clear.

It wasn’t as comforting as Takato probably meant it to be.

“Well?” Ruki’s voice, edging on impatience, broke her train of thought. Caught off guard, the brunette squeaked a surprised-

“OK!”

“Let’s go then.” Ruki waltzed over to the door, pulling it back and holding it open, allowing Juri to scurry inside with a mumbled, “thank you.”

Juri had been inside before when she was alone, though she preferred to go during dinnertime, cutting down on the likelihood of anyone seeing her. The towering glass cases loomed over both of them, and she could see people turning to look at them with the soft jingle of the bell. There was some soft whispers, and in the reflection of the glass cases, Juri could make out two boys shoving at each other, pointing in their direction.

Shrinking into herself, Juri hung closer to Ruki who stopped in front of a large case of Digimon cards. Unlike the ones the brunette were familiar with, these were not in packs but were being sold by the individual card. Some were more expensive than others, although the artwork of one caught her eye. It looked like a fallen angel with a large arm.

“Uhm, so what are you looking for?” Juri asked, pulling her eyes away from it to watch Ruki’s eyes scan each row quickly.

“Not exactly sure,” she admitted. “I had Lee and Takato write down what option cards they use after their fight with Pajiramon. They were panicking and not being smart about what cards to use. I’m hoping I can find something which would benefit their fighting style when I give them a refresher course.”

Juri blinked at this. She wasn’t sure exactly what Ruki was talking about but nodded slowly all the same.

“So you want to help Lee-kun and Takato-kun,” she said, and Ruki shrugged, turning to look at her.

“Sure, I guess. I just don’t want them to die because they used Option cards wrong. If you just modify willy nilly, things are gonna backfire,” the redhead explained before her lips thinned. “And you can’t always count on a miracle to occur to bail you out.”

Juri hummed and looked back at the fallen angel, a small smile playing on her lips.

“How long have you been a Tamer for?”

“Since, oh man, October I think.” Juri looked startled over at Ruki. She knew Lee had become a Tamer around Christmas and Takato recently in June, but this meant she had been fighting Digimon for about eight months before Takato did.

“How did you become one?” Juri asked curiously, already hearing Takato and Lee’s story. Much to her surprise though, an unreadable expression crossed Ruki’s face, the taller girl shifting from one foot to the other, glancing away and staring at her reflection in the glass.

“I was chosen,” she said finally. Juri waited for something more in depth, but an explanation never came. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Juri leaned on the glass, watching her look around.

All their conversations fizzled out like this, and Juri didn’t know what to do to become closer. Turning her head again, she gave one last look at the fallen angel before wandering off.

-o—o—-O—-o—o-

“Hey I’m ready to go.”

Juri jolted a bit, whipping around to see Ruki standing behind her, arching an eyebrow before leaning over to study the tarot cards the brunette had been looking at seconds earlier.

“You gonna get those?”

“N-no!” Juri exclaimed, straightening her back and fiddled nervously with her dress. “You find what you’re looking for?”

“Ah, I guess,” Ruki shrugged before reaching into her pocket and pulling something out, handing it out to her. The thrumming of her heart quieted for a moment as her small fingers reached out and took it, brushing against Ruki’s long slender ones.

Unwrapping the plastic, Juri forgot to breathe for a moment as she stared down at the fallen angel card which caught her attention earlier. Looking dumbly back up at Ruki, she was met with a sight of the other girl looking anywhere but at her, a light blush on her face.

“I saw you looking at the LadyDevimon card, and, well,” Ruki shrugged helplessly, not continuing her sentence, but Juri didn’t need her to.

With a delighted squeal, she threw her arms around the taller girl, bringing her in for a big hug. She could feel the redhead become frozen in her embrace, but after a second the rigidity relaxed ever so slightly.

“Thank you Ruki-chan!” Juri cooed before letting go of her to look at the card once more beaming brightly.

For the record, I know that the "subs" might have been "biased" with the way it was translated

Ruki never thought it would glow for anyone.

She only wore the stupid thing because it made mom happy. After all what was the harm? It was rare for someone to meet their soulmate, and while there were the rare stories of people finding each other in a sea of millions, they were so far in between it felt like listening to a fairy tale. Ruki wasn't the type to subscribe to such silly notions, nor was she the type to let it control her life.

Yet here she was, not wearing her watch since the first time because of all the people it had to glow for, it was the one person who would make the biggest deal out of it.

"Ruki-chan, where's your watch?"

And the one person who would notice it was gone.

"Ah?" Ruki casually looked at her arm, not at all oblivious to the fact the brunette's watch wasn't glowing nor how close she was, latched on to her like a sloth. "I must have forgotten it."

The lie slid easily from her teeth, and inquisitive amber eyes searched hers before shrugging.

"We can go back and get it," Juri suggested, running her hands the length of Ruki's arm before settling on her wrist where her watch used to be. The redhead pressed her lips together before shaking her head.

"Nah, it's fine," she muttered.

"What if it glows. You won't know if you passed by your soulmate," Juri insisted, and it took all her self control not to blurt it did already. For her.

And of course it would be my luck my soulmate wouldn't be one in return, she thought miserably.

"I doubt it will glow for a passerby on the street," the redhead said instead, rolling her eyes but taking the brunette's hand, interlocking their fingers together like a net.

"It did for me."

Juri's voice was soft, barely a whisper on the wind, yet Ruki heard it clear as day, like she was yelling It right next to her. Snapping her head to the side, she stared wide eyed at the smaller girl, her heart trying to escape it's cage by any means necessary - jumping out or taking her intestines down.

"What?" she croaked.

Juri glanced up, and Ruki tried desperately to look like she didn't care. After all they didn't meet that long ago - less than a year - after Juri struck up a conversation with her about the Digimon cards she was looking so intently at. Yet judging by the damned twitch of the brunette's lips, that didn't exactly work.

"My, my, here I thought you didn't believe in love at first sight," Juri hummed before leaning in closer. "Or is it that you're jealous?"

"I don't - I'm not!" Ruki protested hotly. At this, Juri merely chuckled, and bopped her lightly on the nose.

"It's OK. I think that side of you that can't be honest with yourself - while aggravating sometimes - is cute."

"I'm surprised you aren't chasing down your soulmate. You always struck me as the person to be obsessed with that sort of thing," Ruki scowled, not liking the teasing as she used her free hand to rub at her nose. While she allowed it from Juri - only from Juri to be honest - it didn't mean she particularly enjoyed it.

"Who said I'm not?" the brunette asked, arching an eyebrow. I'm just patient as well."

Letting go of her hand, Juri took a couple steps forward, continuing to talk.

"After all they're a stubborn-headed idiot who can't even be honest with themselves. Even though they act tough, they're an emotionally sensitive and if they were anyone else I'm pretty sure I would have seen them cry by now. Impossibly smart but painfully lazy if it doesn't interest them, they have an entire future ahead of them if they just would decide on a direction and go."

Stopping she turned on her heel, so her amber eyes were boring straight into Ruki.

It was quiet.

Then again it was always quiet. The locals never approached the shrine on top of the hill, hidden from view in the woods. The only humans who came through were lost travelers with no knowledge of the place, and even they didn't linger long.

It was a lonely existence.

Shooing away fallen petals from the stone steps, it was the mindless chores which kept Juri's sanity sometimes. It was only due to her - and past sacrifices, though the locals liked to call them shrine maidens - the building didn't fall into disrepair.

Visiting the shrine brought ill luck. Letting it fall to the wayside was the quickest way to piss off the god who was sealed inside.

A god who Juri never felt the presence of, speak nothing of seeing it.

Though that didn't mean she was alone.

Feeling two eyes boring into her, Juri turned to see a red fox watching her from the top of the steps. Snorting slightly, the brunette leaned on her broom and stared right back up at the vulpine.

"You can help you know. You live here too," she admonished, watching the fox yawn but stand up, hopping down the steps toward her. At the last step, instead of a paw being placed down on the stone path, a barefoot took its place.

"You're the keeper," came the retort as a young woman with flaming red hair and stunning purple eyes stared at her, clawed fingers carefully picking out some petals from Juri's brown locks. While Juri was dressed in a simple shrine outfit, the woman was dressed in a beautiful blue kimono which she had as long as Juri could remember.

"I know, but I'm only human," Juri smiled as her hair was mussed with. "And I can groom myself, Ruki-chan."

"Clearly not," Ruki complained, leaning down and sniffing her, wrinkling her nose as she withdrew her head. "You reek. Take a bath."

Juri laughed lightly and dropped the broom to wrap her arms around the taller woman, leaning on her tiptoes to give her a gentle kiss. There was a grunt, but the affection returned in kind.

"I'll take a bath as soon as I'm done here. It would go a lot faster if you helped, especially considering your magic …"

"You're the first human to bother me on a constant basis to use my powers for menial upkeep," Ruki replied in a deadpan.

"I'll give you a belly rub if you do," Juri offered, only to get a snort in return.

"If you think a respectable kitsune-"

However, Juri had heard this song and dance before. Before the proud fox could go off on her tirade, the shrine maiden ran her fingers down the length of Ruki's back, smirking when the kitsune immediately shut up and the tails she could normally keep hidden popped out.

"You help me for a belly rub, yes?" she hummed, watching amused as Ruki's long tails swished back and forth, and a cross between indignation and the refusal to state she enjoyed the gentle scratching marred her pretty face.

"…I will help you for more of this," she said after a moment, her voice quiet, and Juri's smirk only grew wider. She had noticed as she grew, Ruki's desire to stay and interact in her human form seemed to grow as well. This was the first time she had chose a back scratch over a belly rub though.

"OK," Juri hummed, removing her hand, though taking a moment to run a hand through Ruki's unruly hair. She made a mental note to do something with it.

Maybe a braid…

"What would you have me do?" Ruki asked sullenly, looking around the courtyard. Bending down and picking up her broom, Juri thought about it for a moment, doing a mental run down of all her chores needed to keep the place from falling down around her.

"Hmm ... I think if you can cut some wood for the fire and patch up the roof where's it's starting to leak, that would help me a lot," she said after a moment.

"As you wish," Ruki sighed, and started to walk off. Juri's hand, however, darted out before she could get very far and grabbed the kitsune's clawed one. As the fox turned in surprise, Juri leaned on her tiptoes and gave Ruki another kiss - this one on the cheek.

"Thanks Ruki-chan."

Ruki grunted once more, but the sullen features melted ever so slightly.

"Of course."

-o--o---o---o--o-

"Ow - jeez, Ruki-chan be careful!" Juri whined as the two of them sat in the tub, the kitsune sitting behind her and washing her hair. It was something she had done for as long as Juri could remember. She vaguely remembered being embarrassed for whatever reason so long ago, but now she would be worried if the kitsune didn't insist on taking a bath with her.

"Stop squirming then," the kitsune complained, her tails wrapped around the shrine maiden's waist to keep her still.

"I'm squirming because you have yet to grasp that humans don't have claws! How long have you been around?! You've must have bothered other shrine maidens before me," Juri complained as Ruki tilted her head back gently to wash the suds out of her hair.

"I've showed myself to a few, but you're the first one I've ever had to take care of," Ruki grunted. "Such a helpless kit you were ... are."

"Should I feel honored?" Juri asked, closing her eyes as the water cascaded down her face, her body relaxing now that she didn't have those long nails digging into her scalp.

"You should," Ruki replied matter-o-factly, rinsing the last of the soap from the young human's hair, finally withdrawing, allowing Juri to finish washing the rest of her body. She had tried washing it before, but in the past the child would just cry and say it was too embarrassing though never elaborated on why.

"Of course," Juri sighed, though a smile played on her lips as she grabbed the soap and started washing the rest of her body, knowing damn well if she didn't do a good job, Ruki would complain the entire time. "Though that does remind me ... you've been here for ages, right? Why have you stuck around for so long?"

"I was told to wait." Juri paused and looked at the kitsune, who was watching her intently, her tails swishing back and forth. She was almost like a cat sometimes, she couldn’t help but think. 

"Wait? By who?" It was the first time Ruki had mentioned this, though if the shrine maiden was looking for an answer, she was sorely disappointed as the kitsune just shrugged her shoulders.

"I do not remember."

"Well do you remember what or who to wait for?" Juri asked instead, curious now.

"No."

Juri looked at Ruki in frustration, only to realize after a second the kitsune didn't honestly remember. Pressing her lips together, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the other girl.

"Then we'll wait together, hm?"

-o--o---o---o--o-

Juri wasn't sure when the last time she saw Ruki in her vulpine form was. While she still had to be bribed to help around with the chores, the kitsune had seemed to make herself at home as a human.

While there were still things she didn't get quite right - Juri was positive by now she didn't fix her claws out of spite because the human called her a cat one time during an argument - it was impossible for the rare visitor to pick up that Ruki was anything but human.

Which was good, Juri supposed, considering how possessive Ruki had become over the years of her. She would say it was like a mother protecting her young, but it didn't quite feel that way. Especially when she saw the anger which burned in the kitsune's eyes when a traveling priest and kissed Juri on the back of the hand.

Juri had never felt afraid before - and especially not of Ruki - but in that instant, she just knew something bad would happen if she didn't do something. Even now, despite it being a week since the man left, even though the fire in those violet eyes had been extinguished, she could see the ghost of the flames flickering just below the surface. And it made her uncomfortable.

Juri didn't really like the feeling.

Suddenly a waterfall of flowers of all different sorts were dropped on her head, and the shrine maiden spluttered in surprise, looking up to see Ruki looking down at her.

"Ruki-chan...?" she could only start to ask in confusion, only for the kitsune to interrupt her.

"I upset you somehow. You look at me weird. I don't like that. So, I brought you these as apology," she said bluntly, never one to beat around the bush. Bending down, she picked one of the flowers at random and tucked it behind Juri’s ear.

Juri was quiet for a moment, not quite sure how to respond, While Ruki had shown the ability to express remorse for things before, the apology had usually been simply accompanied by a lick - and latter kisses after Juri explained humans didn't lick each other. This was the first time Ruki had honestly gone out of her way to give her a gift of some kind.

"It's ... I wasn't upset at you," Juri murmured, reaching out and stroking Ruki's head. The kitsune closed her eyes and scooted closer, bowing her head and allowing the gesture with no commentary this time.

"Then why do you look away from me then?" Ruki asked softly, tilting her head ever so slightly - a habit which she carried over from her vulpine form when she wanted to be scratched behind the ears.

Juri wasn't quite sure how to answer the question, so instead she asked one in kind.

"Why did you look like you were going to hurt that priest who was here recently?" she asked instead, her fingers finding that sweet spot which always caused Ruki's tails to pop out.

"Because he wanted to take you away." The harshness in Ruki's voice surprised Juri and she stopped scratching. Ruki opened her eyes, and once again the fire was there again. "You're mine Juri. I won't let some human take you away from me."

The shrine maiden's lips pulled downward at that, and she removed her hand from Ruki's head, ignoring the kitsune's instant look of betrayal. However, to ensure she would continue to listen, she reached out and took Ruki's hands in her own.

"Ruki-chan ... listen to me. You can't just own humans. I'm not yours like I'm some sort of thing to be owned. Just like I don't own you," she explained gently before looking down and rubbing her thumb across Ruki's soft skin. "Besides, it's not like you have any reason to worry. I'm not allowed to leave this place."

"... Do you want to?" Ruki's voice was quiet, but there was an unrecognizable edge to it. Juri didn't answer at first, but instead lifted the clawed hands up and, like the priest did to her, kissed them gently.

"Yes ... but I would want you to come with me. Life without you would be scary." She glanced up. "You're irreplaceable, Ruki-chan."

Ruki's face twisted and contorted, and for a moment Juri thought she might cry. Though after a few seconds, no tears came down, but suddenly the kitsune leaned forward and licked her right across the lips.

"Wha-Ru-" Juri spluttered in surprise only for Ruki to cut her off.

"A kitsune kiss of promise," she said. "I'll be with you forever."

-o--o---o---o--o-

Forever was a long time, but after the fourth go around, Juri had learned to deal with it. Honestly, the only hard part was dealing with Ruki's loss of memories each time they were reborn.

It was the price she had to pay, Juri learned eventually, for giving up her godhood to be with her. Learning that Ruki was the god she was supposed to be serving took an entire lifetime in of itself to come to terms with.

The human - though sometimes Juri wasn't sure if she could be called that anymore with the memories of multiple lifespans - wasn't sure why she kept going back to the kitsune, the goddess, who made her immortal without her permission. Yet there was something about that day - as well as the heartbroken howl of agony the day she died - which made Ruki literally impossible to leave alone.

"Happy Birthday, Ruki-chan!" she chirped, holding out a stuffed fox, beaming brightly at the girl who looked exactly like her kitsune appearance so many years ago. Minus the clawed hands of course.

Juri never thought she would miss those stupid clawed hands.

The girl blinked and took the fox in her hands and held it close.

"How did you know I liked foxes?" she asked, cradling it. Juri felt the familiar constricting of her throat, but she smiled all the same. It took forever to find Ruki this time, and upon seeing so hurt and alone she had been, Juri had gotten to work in becoming her friend.

It took more effort than she was used to, but Ruki’s mother had said she was the first person to open up to so fully since her father passed away. Juri wasn’t surprised Ruki opened up to her in the end, but she couldn’t help but wonder if that’s why the goddess did what she did.