Mishaela sat and pondered in her room in the palace. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She knew that Primord's destruction was their primary objective, but for some reason, she didn't like Sanraku's plan.

There was a light knock on the door.

"Enter" she spoke calmly. She sat at her Vanity, turned towards the large stone double doors.

Himawari entered, the sleeves of her furisode almost got caught in the door as she closed it. Her hair was pulled back loosely in a bun, messy curls falling out of it, but attractivly.

"Hello Mishaela," she said with a smile that made her lightly freckled nose crinckle.

"Hello, Himawari." she said simply with a smaller smile. She then turned back to her mirror and began to space out silently.

The kitsune-elf sat on her knees beside the younger fox and folded her hands in her lap. She observed her for a minute and pondered how to word the thoughts running through her brain.

"It's Splinter isn't it?"

"Why do you call him that?" the blurted out without thinking.

"TMNT. My greatgreatgrandson loved them. They were mutated turtles and their leader was a rat that..." Himawari realized how ridiculous it all sounded, "Look, Sanraku reminds me of someone I once knew and that rat reminded me of Splinter and it's just a big circle of thought. Happens a lot when you're this old."

"I see. Well...what is it you're asking me about Sanraku precisely?" she was not sure what she was asking, and she was partly avoiding whatever question she may have been asking.

"Is it him that's got ya so troubled, Meimei? His whole crazy a** plan?"

Mishaela paused, taken aback. She then turned back to her vanity.
""He's done nothing to bother me. What makes you say that?"

One of Himawari's tails found its way in to her hands and she shook her head, "Silly girl, you don't even know you feel it do you?"

Mishaela scowled a little. "Feel what? Fear for my life and everyone else's in case his plan fails? Who's he to think he can ascend to godhood? Does he really think he's that powerful?"

"Oh, fiddledeedee, Miss Vixen," Red scowled back, teasingly, "You'd know exactly what I mean if you'd pay attention to yourself instead of being stuck on the past."

"Stuck in the past? Who are you to speak to a Great Sage that way!?" She stood up, clearly flustered. "Clarify your intentions...please." she seemed vulnerable and confused, much unlike her usual demeanor.

"You are a person, just like everyone else. And I shall speak to you the way I do other people: frankly," Himawari said calmly, "You're so damn stuck on your dead husband that you can't even see the love you have in your heart for the rat... and his love for you."

Mishaela stood there for a moment, silently, with a look a fury on her face.
"...he may have feelings for me...but that won't change what we are. It is our duty as Great Sages to save this Earth to the best of our ability. Duty comes before any feelings he may have for me." She turned around and stepped away from Himawari a short distance.

"You're impossible," she sighed and finally stood. "I ain't sayin' ya should marry his furry a** and run away to leave us to our fate, but I think you should at least tell each other. Enjoy life while you can."

"He did tell me. He made it quite clear to me just earlier. He told me how he felt, and he apologized for not telling me and for not being clear about it until now...now that he may disappear forever." her voice lowered an octave at the end. Her hands closed into fists and shook a little.

Himawari hugged the other vixen, "You poor kit. There has to be another way. Some way we can defeat that Jello cube without him having ta do that to himself."

Mishaela remained silent for another moment.

"Why are you hugging me? I'm alright. He's the one you should be consoling. He's the one...he'll be ascending to godhood, and then isolated from everyone in a pocket dimension...he's the one who'll be spending the rest of his eternal life alone..." her voice trembled a little at the end of this remark.

"I'm hugging you because that's what people do when their friends are upset," Himawari flailed as she released her, "See how you're gettin' all trembly! You got it bad for the furball! You aren't alright."

Mishaela wa shaking now.

"No...I don't feel that way. All the love in my heart belongs to my Jinosuke. He's my husband...and someday I WILL bring him back. I'd never cheat on him and give my heart to Sanraku. I owe it to my husband to stay loyal...he'll be back, I swear it!" she was obviously fighting back a cry.

"Goddamnit Mishaela, he's not coming back! Loving Sanraku isn't cheating on your husband when he's dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. You can't bring him back. What's done is done in this ******** godless hellhole and you got to come to terms with that."

Mishaela shook violently and pushed Himawari away. She didn't speak, she merely stood there, shaking, as she stared at the ground.
"...I can't. I can't give up on him...I love him, Himawari! I love him! I can't give up on bringing him back! ...would you?" a tear rolled down her furry cheek.

"Aye," she seemed obsessed with looking at the floor, "I would if I lost someone here. Maybe in another place, where there is an afterlife to bring them back from, but here? Only practical to give up."

Her thoughts drifted to the child she had bore here and his hunter father. She was lying a little, but the sage's husband wasn't coming back and she had to understand it was alright to let go.

Mishaela fell to her knees and began to sob.

"...and what's the point of giving my heart to Sanraku!? He'll be gone soon too! He'll be gone and I'll never see him again either! I'll be alone...again! I can't take it, Himawari! I can't handle that again! I can't..." her head hung down as her white hair covered her features. She was at a full cry at this point, sniffling, huffing, and everything.

"Oh, Meimei," Himawari also sunk to the floor and hugged her close, "Hush now before you get your fur all soaked and you smell like wet fox. You're only looking at the what ifs here. Our favorite little rat may not even have to do that to himself.

"He HAS to...Primord's too powerful with magic at his disposal! What other than the help of a god can stop that monstrosity!? He took down Riketz, Vexx, and Trance without so much as a single, permanent injury! I don't want to lose Sanraku any more than you do...there, I said it! I don't want to lose him!" she looked up at Himawari, dark trails going down from her eyes where the fur was wet.

"I don't want to lose Sanraku...I love him! I always assumed that his feelings for me were only professional. Now that I know...I don't want to lose him! I want to show him how I feel! I..." she grew quite embarassed and hid her face in her hair again.

The mention of Riketz made Himawari stiffen her embrace before standing and walking away. Without turning around she spoke in an eeirly calm voice, "Say it to him. Before you lose him, say it to him."

A graying eastern nursemaid entered with a wailing baby and spoke to Red. She forced herself to turn around and her own tears were flowing quite freely. After handing the child to her, which seemed to calm him almost instantly, the woman tried to comfort Himawari.

"Beejway gao yang jong duh goo yang!" she snapped and the woman ran off in a frightful hurry.

"Now, where were we? Ah yes, get yer furry a** up and tell him."

Mishaela's voice was low.

"I can't do that to him...if I do...it'll tear him to pieces. I can't do that to him before he performs this task. He may not have the heart to do it if he knows I love him back. I want dearly to let him know...but it would only serve to do him harm. I can't do that to him before he leaves us..for good." she stopped shaking and stopped crying too, but all happiness was gone from her voice.

The baby squirmed and clung to his mothers neck. His short, messy silver black hair had small foxy ears poking from the top and his bushy tail was flicking as it stuck out from under his tiny kimono. It squeeked and yipped and finally calmed down as Himawari snuggled him, "Shhh, little Ketz."

She looked at the other kitsune, "You need to. Don't you think he deserves to know? Needs to?"

Sanraku's voice chimed in.

"What is it I need to know?"

Mishaela gasped before looking up.

"I was sent by Admiral Glazunov to inform you two that you've been summoned to a meeting in one hour. He's devised a strategy to stall for time while I perform the ritual...what news did you have for me?"
Mishaela remained silent, terrified to open her mouth for fear of the unknown.

The baby squeeked and wagged its tail, reaching towards Sanraku with one arm and clinging to Himawari with the other.

Sanraku gave the child his finger. Shortly after having his finger nearly torn off by the herculean child, he turned his attention back to the two kitsunes.
"Is it bad news? If it is, I'll need to know immediately so that I may properly analyze my possible responses to it."

Mishaela remained silent again.

"Sssssssssaaaaaaaaaakuuuuu," the child whimpered when the sage pulled his finger away.

Himawari gave her son a quick pat on the head and looked at Mischaela, "I'd say its lovely news."

Mishaela shook a little when Himawari spoke.

"Sanraku...is there any other way?"

Sanraku grew a concerned look on his face.

"...if there were, I'd likely choose it over this course of action, wouldn't you think?"

"...o-of course. I apologize. I should have thought.." she grew silent again.

"Just what's going on here?" Sanraku looked back and forth between the two kitsune women.

Himawari sighed, "Nothing, kid. Our Lady Sage just seems to be a bit under the weather."

"Kukuku" the baby blurted out, still looking at Sanraku with pitiful, puppy eyes.

Sanraku knelt next to Mishaela.

"Are you ill? I'd hoped you would be there at my side when I performed the ritual, but if you feel weak, you'd best rest, lest we lose you to Primord."he then made a mental note of his three 'est' streak in the last sentence.
Mishaela slowly turned her head up to look at him.

"Sanraku...I wish very dearly that you didn't have to perform this ritual...I've never had the opportunity to indulge you in your feelings-"

"It's fine, Mishaela. I wouldn't want you to show me affection out of pity, or as some sort of goodbye present-"

"Sanraku! ...I...I don't want to lose you. I care about you...alot...just as you do me." her claim grew into an almost inaudible whisper towards the end.

"Mishaela~" Sanraku paused and smiled. "You don't have to say that to make me happ-" he was interrupted as Mishaela tackled him to the ground in an embrace and a strong, passionate kiss, leaving Sanraku's eyes wide in surprise. Mishaela's eyes closed tightly as tears began to travel down her snout.