The Fox Hole
105

Chapter 105:

– Haru –

I was standing on the moon.

Not for the first time, technically—I’d done it before in Jane's and Tevos’s universe. But somehow, it never got old.

Across from me stood a woman who looked like she’d been carved out of fantasy.

She almost didn’t seem real. Her skin was flawless, a soft, luminous shade of blue that seemed to catch the moonlight and reflect it with an ethereal glow. Her robes flowed around her like water, clinging in just the right places, hinting at a lithe, elegant figure underneath—curves gentle but undeniably present. Delicate and supple. And despite having four arms, the extra limbs somehow enhanced her appearance rather than diminishing it. They gave her an exotic allure, like something out of a painter’s fever dream or a hentai artist’s highest-tier commission.

Her face was stunning. Perfectly symmetrical. Delicate, porcelain-smooth features. She looked like a living doll—so flawless it almost felt uncanny.

Almost.

Except I could hear her heartbeat. My fox ears twitched atop my head, catching every subtle sound as I took her in.

"At long last, mine eyes behold thee once more, dearest consort. To gaze upon thee in the flesh, unclouded by dream nor veil, is a solace most profound."

Then she opened her mouth, and her voice was like music woven from silk—beautiful, ethereal, each word laced with a strange, archaic cadence. She spoke like she’d stepped out of an old epic poem, her words framed in elegant, old-timey English that, somehow, absolutely worked for her.

...She was waifu material.

Total waifu material!

She narrowed her eyes at me, lips curving in a faint, amused smirk. "For some reason," she said, "I feel as though thou hast just thought something quite rude."

I let out a soft chuckle, tilting my head with what I hoped passed for innocent charm. "Surely, my lady, thou art merely imagining such base thoughts in mine own head," I said. Trying my best to sound like her. It was hard.

There was a slight pout on her soft, dark blue lips—adorable and dangerous in equal measure. Her narrowed eyes glimmered with mischief as she crossed two of her four arms beneath her chest, the motion somehow only accentuating the subtle, graceful curves already exposed by the cling of her flowing robes.

"Then I shall remember this moment," she said, her voice still smooth and melodic, though now with a teasing undercurrent. "Know this, I shan’t forget thine impish evasion, even if it be wrapped in charm." She paused, and then added with a wry tilt of her head, "Also... thou needn't parrot my speech, endearing as thy efforts may be. Still, if thou must persist in such mimicry, I admit—I find it rather delightful."

Basically I didn't have to talk like her, she understood me just fine. Although she said she didn't mind and found it adorable.

I couldn’t help myself. I chuckled, shoulders shaking slightly. "Maybe next time," I said, dropping the formal tone entirely. "But only if I get bonus points for making you smile like that."

Her lips twitched upward again, betraying her amusement despite the imperious way she held herself. "Points? Nay," she replied, her tone faux-serious. "But perhaps... kisses?" She said and then shifted in place a bit. Her blue cheeks turning almost purple from embarrassment.

Gods help me, I wagged my tails at that. 

I wasn’t expecting the goddess to be so bold, and I teased her about it, smirking as I tilted my head to the side. "Damn, that was bold, huh? Trying to fluster me first?"

She averted her gaze, her long lashes dipping low over those radiant eyes, and she shifted slightly, the folds of her robe catching the low gravity’s breeze. “I… I must be bold,” she murmured, her voice still melodic but quieter now, more vulnerable. “Though it is not my nature. I have spent so long with none but my mother and a few loyal retainers for company. I have not looked upon new faces, nor felt warmth beyond what memory affords. Yet, I see thee... my consort, ever surrounded by sirens of flesh, clinging and cooing—while I... I remain but a shade in the background.” She lifted her head again, her voice firmer now. “It stirred envy in me. A yearning most unbecoming, and yet it didst drive me to hasten the forging of mine own form. I desired not only to watch—but to feel. To be felt. To be seen."

Her words were layered in that same poetic cadence, but the meaning was clear enough. She’d been jealous—achingly so seeing me with all the other women. And if I understood her right, she hadn’t even had a fleshy body until recently. So she spent a lot of time and effort making herself one. She did a good job, that was for sure. I asked her that, just to confirm. "You didn't have a body before now?"

She shook her head. "I possessed a vessel, perhaps. But one without breath. Without warmth. Without touch. What stands before thee now... is the fruit of my longing. After so long... Tis almost like a brand new experience again."

I took a few steps closer. It didn’t escape me that the all-powerful goddess in front of me, this cosmic waifu made flesh, was suddenly looking the slightest bit nervous.

Her fingers curled slightly. Two of her hands fidgeted with the edge of her robe, and I could practically feel the anxious energy radiating off her.

But I didn’t stop.

I reached out and gently took one of her hands—cool, smooth, impossibly delicate—and raised it to my lips. I kissed the back of it softly, letting the moment linger just long enough to make her breath catch.

"Then let me say it properly," I said, voice low, sincere. "It’s an honor to meet you... truly. I’m Haru."

She blinked slowly, as if trying to memorize the shape of my face. Her lips parted, then curved into a smile that hit somewhere deep in my chest. "And I, at long last, am Ranni..."

– Vicky –

Vicky grinned as Amy slowly pulled her hand back from the French girl’s scarred face—well, formerly scarred. The old burn marks and ragged flesh had vanished beneath Amy’s glowing touch, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin.

And wow, this girl really looked EXACTLY like Maelle now!

She glanced between the two girls again to try and find any differences. Nope. Same shade of red hair now that Amy fixed that too, same cheekbones, same jawline.

Vicky caught the exact moment both sisters locked eyes and froze.

Maëlle stood frozen, her eyes wide as she stared at Alicia like she’d just seen a ghost—her ghost. Her lips parted, breath catching in her throat. “Who... who are you?” she asked, voice trembling, her French accent thicker in her shock. “Why do you look like me?”

Alicia blinked, then opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out at first. She tried again—then her eyes widened with sudden clarity. “I can talk now…” she whispered, almost afraid to believe it herself. Her fingers flew to her throat as though expecting the words to disappear if she didn’t hold them in place. “I’ve never… I’ve never been able to talk before…”

The air around them seemed to still, the weight of the moment too heavy for anyone to interrupt.

Then came the kicker—both Alicia and Maëlle turned their gazes toward Amy.

Alicia’s eyes locked on Amy with something between reverence and disbelief. Then, without warning, she bolted forward—so fast even Vicky barely registered the blur of movement. Alicia collided into Amy with a forceful, full-body hug, arms wrapped tight around her savior.

Amy let out a surprised squeak, an adorably high-pitched yelp that cracked through the emotional tension of the moment. Her face went beet red almost instantly as she stumbled back a step, completely overwhelmed.

"Thank you," Alicia gasped breathlessly, her voice trembling with emotion as she clung tighter. "Thank you, thank you, merci, thank you so much for fixing me..."

She kept repeating it, each word more fervent than the last, as though saying it enough times might make her gratitude understood on a deeper, spiritual level.

Amy didn’t know what to do with her hands and ended up just awkwardly patting Alicia’s back, red-faced and clearly unprepared for this level of heartfelt praise—or aggressive snuggling.

Vicky raised a brow, and then couldn't help but giggle. She thought of setting Amy up with Maelle earlier, but maybe Alicia would be better? 

Or maybe both of them?

Vicky had noticed that even with all the help the Fox Hole had brought to Brockton Bay—with much lower crime rates—her sister was still a bundle of teen angst and pent up stress.

...And how was Vicky supposed to know throwing guys at Amy was only making it worse, and that was because Amy liked girls? Her sister really should have trusted her with that information way earlier!

The guy—Verso, if Vicky remembered right—finally walked over, his expression frozen in stunned disbelief as he stared at his sister. His eyes were locked on Alicia, clearly trying to reconcile the impossible sight of her standing there, unscarred, speaking.

Maelle, meanwhile, had her own reaction. She threw both hands into the air and gestured wildly at Alicia, her tone turning from stunned to accusatory in an instant. “What the hell is going on? Why does she look like me?! Who are you people?!”

Her voice cracked with confusion and alarm, and she turned toward Verso like she expected him to step in with answers. But the way his jaw clenched, how his eyes darted to the ground and then back to Alicia—Vicky could see it plain as day. 

There was a mystery to be solved here!

And then Vicky’s stomach growled—loudly—and all the mystery was forgotten. With a dramatic sigh, she whined, “Ughhh, where the hell is Haru? I’m starving!”

"I'm already here," came Haru’s voice from behind her, smooth and maddeningly casual.

Vicky did not shriek. Okay—yes, she totally did. A short, high-pitched squeak escaped her before she whipped around, her feet lifting off the floor as she panic hovered!

Every head in the restaurant turned to stare. Not that it was a big crowd—just her, Amy, the French twins, and Verso—but still.

Haru was standing as cool as ever behind the bar. And seated at the counter was another newcomer! A tall, stunning woman with deep blue skin and four arms. She looked like a fantasy character or something. She looked so freaking cool! 

But still, Vicky was annoyed with Haru for pulling that cheeky move. He could have said something that whole time.

– Haru –

Vicky floated over to the bar, arms crossed as she fixed me with a glare that didn’t quite hide her smirk. “You sneaky fox bastard,” she said, tapping her foot in midair as she hovered just above the ground. “You scared the hell out of me, and you better have food ready or I swear I’m raiding your kitchen.”

I chuckled, letting my tails fan out lazily behind me. “Sorry, sorry,” I said, not sounding the least bit sorry. “But you know pranks are basically written into my Kitsune DNA.”

Vicky huffed at me, but the edge had already faded from her voice. She landed lightly and turned toward the Goddess seated beside me—and immediately lit up. “Oh my god, hi! Another new girl!? That's awesome! It’s totes nice to meet you!” she cheered. “I am loving the whole elegant fantasy queen vibe you’ve got going on. That robe? The hair? The arms? Absolutely killing it.”

"Indeed?" Ranni tilted her head slightly, clearly amused by the sudden burst of energy being directed at her. She offered Vicky a soft, measured smile.

Vicky leaned in slightly, one brow raised. “Also—just checking, but are you an alien? No offense if not, but the only other blue-skinned hotties we’ve had around here lately turned out to be aliens, and, well… trend is a trend.”

Ranni's smile widened just enough to show amusement without mockery. “I suppose,” she said gently, her voice rich and velvety, “you could say my origins lie beyond the bounds of this world…”

She was trying to be all mysterious and cute. And I forgot she could hear my thoughts because she turned to me and pouted.

I had a feeling Vicky was barely getting started. The way she kept glancing at Ranni, practically vibrating with curiosity, I could already see the barrage of questions coming. And knowing her, they were probably going to include everything from "Do you have a magic staff?" to "What's your skincare routine?"

I’d spent the better part of a few hours with Ranni already—Yes, she had stopped time on the moon just so the two of us could talk a bit more. Just to get to know her a bit more, although there were clearly a lot of things she was still hiding. 

Particularly, why me? Why had she done so much for me personally? Unless we knew each other in a past life I was starting to suspect, judging by my dreams and how she called me her consort. Although, I hadn’t expected to be a reincarnation twice over! It was a lot to unpack, and I had no doubt that now that she had shown up in the flesh we would have plenty of time to talk about it in the future. 

But it was enough time for me to know that while Ranni was incredibly powerful—ruthless, even, when the situation demanded it—she was also a complete introvert. Like, Ami-chan-tier shut-in.

And that was saying something considering I hadn't seen the sun goddess in literal weeks...

Still, Ranni was kind, especially to those she considered friends. And now that she was here, seated among people I cared about, she made the effort. She folded her four hands neatly, and calmly answered Vicky’s rapid-fire barrage of questions.

Vicky practically bounced on her toes, her words coming out in a flurry of excitement. “Okay okay okay, so—why the witchy outfit? Like, is that a fashion thing where you’re from or are you, like, actually a sorceress? And your world—tell me everything. Does it have magic? Real, actual spell-flinging magic? Are there dragons? Like, big dragons, Skyrim-style asshole dragons or nice dragons? Do people ride them? Or fight them with enchanted swords the size of tree trunks? And oh my god, the arms—” she pointed excitedly, eyes wide. “—do they all work? Can you multitask, like, braid hair and cast spells and hold a teacup at the same time? Because that is so badass.”

Woops...never mind—Ranni suddenly looked like she was seconds away from short-circuiting. Her composed expression faltered, her luminous eyes going wide as Vicky’s endless stream of questions continued to batter her like a verbal hurricane.

Ranni glanced toward me, desperation flickering across her doll-like features as if begging for rescue.

I just smirked, tails lazily flicking behind me, and turned my attention to the stove to start making breakfast for everyone. Chefs had priorities after all and I had a bunch of hungry people waiting.

I heard her mutter under her breath—quiet, but not quiet enough that my ears missed it. “Retribution shall be thine, consort... for casting me to the wolves like this...”

Still, to her credit, she drew a breath, composed herself with the grace of a queen attending court, and turned back to Vicky, who was absolutely vibrating with anticipation. It was going to be a long morning—but at least it would be entertaining.

"Indeed, my world is steeped in sorcery. Many branches of the arcane have shaped it—some grand, others... forbidden. Dragons soar above the peaks of shattered kingdoms, and ancient beasts slumber beneath poisoned lakes. Death and undeath both walk the lands freely, as natural to it as breath..."

"That’s so metal," Vicky whispered.

Ranni repeated the word “metal” like it physically offended her, her elegant brows drawing together in visible disapproval. She muttered under her breath, her voice laced with quiet disdain, "Such barbarous terminology... modern language is a blight upon the grace of expression." She folded two of her arms, while another reached up to rub at her temple like she was nursing a developing headache. "To reduce the grand tapestry of wonder and arcana to the phrase so metal... hath civilization fallen so far in all of these new worlds?"

A sudden, sharp grunt of pain echoed from across the restaurant. I looked up from the stove just in time to see a guy with distinctive black and white hair drop like a sack of bricks, both hands clutching his crotch as he collapsed to his knees.

From the expression on his face, he’d just had the wind—and a whole lot more—knocked out of him.

Standing across from him was a teen girl I didn't recognize but I figured she was from this new world Naruko and I visited last night. Her expression was pure fire and zero regrets.

"Just sit there on the floor in pain until you feel like answering me!" she huffed at him.

Little firecracker, that one.

Her twin—or what I assumed had to be her twin, given the matching faces—was standing beside Amy. She just winced and gave the guy a look of pure, silent pity.

The guy wheezed out a pained, high-pitched, "Alicia, it hurts..."

"You'll be okay, Verso..." Alicia said. And then she giggled and said, "talking is so much fun! Thank you so much Amelia!" And then she wrapped Amy in a hug that made the parahuman healer squeak.

Huh...? I think I missed out on a whole lot of stuff in only a few minutes. (I wasn't counting the hours spent with Ranni where time had been stopped of course.)

The girl who kicked "Verso" turned her head and locked eyes on me next. She then started marching across the room, right up to the bar. 

"Hello! I am Maelle! Thank you so much for saving Lumiere, my beloved home," she started. "Now can you please tell me what the hell is going on here!?"

"...I'm just as confused as you are..."

“I know what’s going on!” Kunou suddenly declared, sitting on the other side of Maelle.

Maelle let out a little shriek—

“Hah! It wasn’t just me!” Vicky cut in.

—and turned to stare at my mischievous little sister who suddenly appeared next to her. “When did you get here?” Maelle asked, staring at Kunou’s ears and tails nervously. “Are you related to… Haru? The one who owns this strange place?”

“Yep, that's my Nii–chan! And I’ve been here the whole time!” Kunou cheered.

“No you haven't, we just got here…” Tanya said right next to Vicky—who suddenly let out another yelp and was floating in the air again. Tanya just tipped her hat and smirked.

“Dammit! Everyone needs to stop sneaking up on people!” Vicky whined and landed again.

“You know what’s going on here, truly?” Maelle asked Kunou.

Of course I do! I'm super smart!” Kunou declared. “And I’ll tell you all about it if you go on an adventure with me after breakfast!”

Somehow, my little sister always knew when the Fox Hole connected to a new world and I had no doubt she wanted to explore it.

And I was 100% certain Kunou had no idea what was going on here, but seeing Maelle’s relieved expression I didn’t know if I should say anything? And then Kunou turned to me quickly and made a gesture that I should “shush!” Yep, Kunou just wanted to rope the new girl into an adventure with her.

I shrugged and went back to flipping the bacon.

XXX