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Chapter Forty-Nine: Tango:

Tsuzuki got ready for the second homecoming in his life. Tonight, he remembered all of Watari's instructions.

"Check it out," the scientist told him. He held up Anna's gold cat necklace repaired and looking brand new.

"Whoa," Tsuzuki muttered. How did you manage to fix the chain?" Watari gave him a proud grin.

"I have really good friends," he bragged. That grin made Tsuzuki nervous just like when he first brought the necklace in broken.

"Ah, yes!" Watari said as he took the container then. "Perfect, this will do." Tsuzuki felt unease when he saw the look in his friend's eye.

"You have one shot at this," Watari said in present day. Tsuzuki looked at him intently.

At home, the shinigami made it to his bedroom. He peeked into the cracked door.

"Hello?" he whispered. "Are you here tonight?"

"Of course I am," a woman's voice replied. The shinigami almost jumped startled.

"What's wrong?" the wife asked. "Come inside; I won't bite you." That didn't calm Tsuzuki's nerves at all. Still, he needed to get through this to bring Anna back. Tsuzuki readied himself and went inside.

"Tell me what to do," he said at Watari's lab. The blonde scientist put up his hand.

"Hang on," he said, "I need to tell you about this necklace first." Tsuzuki looked at him eager.

"Alright," he replied. Watari cleared his throat.

"Thank you," he said. The man held the necklace towards his friend. "Now," Watari began, "This took me weeks to work on the charm I placed on this necklace." Tsuzuki gave him a puzzled look.

"Weeks?" he asked.

"Yes," Watari said, "Mostly trial and error. Anna-tan's sample is a tough one. Most of the charms I created either broke or got eaten up by the sample itself."

"Eaten?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Don't ask how," his friend explained. "Anyway, I have done it! I created the right charm to fix your kitsune problem." Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at him.

"Go on," he said.

Tsuzuki walked into his bedroom and slid the door shut behind him. The Mother sat on their futon as if she had been waiting for him. Her husband's eyes trailed down to her exposed cleavage through her revealing white robe. The moonlight tonight made her look like a femme fatale goddess.

"Oh?" the Mother asked. "To what do I owe this lovely visit?" Tsuzuki lowered his head. He clutched Anna's necklace in his fist as he swallowed his dignity.

"You're right," Tsuzuki confessed.

"About what?" his wife asked. The shinigami lifted his head.

"You are in control," he made himself say.

"And?" the Mother asked. This next part pained him to say it.

"I will give myself over to you," Tsuzuki blurted out red in the face. The Mother's facial expression didn't change.

"Prove it," she said.

"Initially," Watari explained at the lab. "Daisuke put a charm on this necklace. When the chain broke, the spell was destroyed."

"Why couldn't you use the one Daisuke made?" Tsuzuki asked.

"It's outdated," Watari answered.

"What?" his friend asked.

"In fact, I tried to recast that spell first and the sample rejected it," the scientist replied.

"But why?" Tsuzuki asked. Watari's face became rather grim.

"The Mother, she has evolved," he answered. His pal's eyes shot wide in alarm.

"What did you say?!" he shouted.

"The Mother herself is rejecting Eda-Kimoto powers that are trying to subdue her," the scientist explained. "Because of that, I had to work from the ground up." His face began to brighten up again.

"That being said," he went on. "The new charm will not seal her off again." Watari held up his hand before Tsuzuki could speak.

"Instead," the scientist replied. "Instead, I made it possible for you both to manage her."

"Eh?" Tsuzuki asked with a blank stare.

"With this, she won't drain you every time she feeds, Anna-tan will still be herself, and this will keep the Mother's power in check," Watari explained. "Best part, she can't take it off herself. Consider this necklace like a little collar in a sense." Tsuzuki nodded as if he understood.

"Alright," he said, "So, how do I get it on her without her noticing?" Watari beamed at him with a smile.

"How else?" he asked. "A little 'distraction.'" At first, his friend didn't get it.

"How?" Tsuzuki asked. The blonde scientist smiled and winked at him. The other shinigami's face dropped.

"You can't mean…" her muttered as he figured it out. Watari gave him a stern look.

"You only get one shot at this," he repeated. "If you fail, you'll lose her forever. However, this charm alone won't finish the job." Tsuzuki gave him a blank stare.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There's one more thing you need," Watari told him. He leaned in and whispered the final piece to the puzzle.

Tsuzuki walked over and kissed his wife on the lips. The Mother smiled impressed into the kiss. The shinigami drew back staring at her. His wife raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that all you've got?" she asked. Tsuzuki lunged forward and pressed his lips against hers in a stronger need. The bold move sent shivers down her spine. Her husband pinned her down to the futon. The Mother was to flip him onto his back. She drew back with a smile on her face.

"So good of you to finally submit to me," she cooed. Tsuzuki gave her a little smile.

"Take me," he said in a low voice. The Mother giggled as she leaned in for another kiss. Tsuzuki let his body go numb for this dance. His wife moved her mouth down to his neck as she grabbed onto his tie. With quick work, it ended up halfway across the room. The shinigami reached up and pulled the sash of the white robe in tiny inches. The cloth fell from her body like the petals of a flower. Tsuzuki forced himself to stay focused. Her touch challenged his hunger as she slid off his shirt. His hand tightened around the gold cat necklace. His boxers were the last thing to go.

The Mother spread her legs over him and leaned in for another kiss. Her husband could not wait anymore. As she slid her tongue into his mouth, Tsuzuki moved the necklace around her neck. The heated romance began with one clasp.

The angel sailed downwards with her knife. However, the young man grabbed onto pale wrists. She looked at him with big alarmed eyes.

"What?!" the murder-hungry angel asked. The young man forced a kiss on her lips. She tried to break away, but he pulled her in closer. The violent angel's grip loosened on her silver knife and let it hit yellow grass below. In that kiss, the young man saw into the darkened angel's soul. A girl of eighteen floated around trapped underwater. The soaked white linen on her curved body drew his hand towards her.

Tsuzuki opened his eyes and looked around in the empty darkness. He tried to listen in closer for any signs of life. Through the buzzing, he heard the laugher of children. The shinigami raced forward towards the sound.

I feel her! he thought. She's nearby! Tsuzuki ran faster through the narrowing tunnel around him. The buzzing dead as the laughter rose. At one point, it became so much that he fell on his face.

No, I can't give up! Tsuzuki thought. I have to bring Anna-chan home! Suddenly it all went quiet. The shinigami lifted his head and saw a big red playhouse just ahead of him. A single dead iced-over tree stood to the left of it. His eyes darted around the place.

Where am I now? he thought. His ears caught a low hum. Tsuzuki looked forward with such surprise. His beloved Anna danced around in the cold darkness. She look lost in her own little world as the howling winds played with the skirt of her baby doll dress. A confused look came over her husband's face. Is that Anna-chan? he thought. Tsuzuki pushed himself to his feet and brushed himself off. He found himself surprised as he noticed how light his body felt.

"Anna-chan!" Tsuzuki shouted over the high winds. His voice traveled all the way to her mind. The woman stopped dancing and looked up. By the puzzled expression her face, he could tell she wasn't lost yet.

"Asato-kun?" she asked. "What are you doing here?" He reached out for Anna's hand.

"Never mind about me," Tsuzuki told her. "You shouldn't be here. Come home." His wife tilted her head at him.

"Why?" she asked so child-like.

"I miss you," Tsuzuki pleaded. "Come back to me." Anna shook her head, smiling.

"It's so peaceful here," she said. "Everything I need is here." Tsuzuki's fingers reached for her lovely hand.

"But your home is with me," he tried to reason with her. "Please wake up."

"I am wide awake," Anna insisted. However, she paused when she noticed the look on his face. "No?" she asked. Her husband calmly explained the situation. Each word stung her. The calming daze wore off when Tsuzuki stopped talking.

"How do I get home?" Anna asked. The shinigami looked stunned.

"You mean you want to come home now?" he asked.

"Yes!" the woman yelled. "Take me home!" Tsuzuki grabbed her hand.

"Don't let go and don't look back," he ordered.

"Alright," Anna replied. The shinigami led his wife out of her dark docile prison.

A naked woman laid on the yellow grass surrounded by brightly colored lotus petals as she slept at the young man's feet. His heart trembled in a calm bliss from rescuing her. He looked up and saw the violent angel sitting before her with torn clothes and broken wings.

"What did you do to me?" she hissed. The young man held out his hand.

"Come with me," he told her. The angel blinked at him bewildered.

"Why would I do that?" I asked. He helped her to feet.

"Because I love you," the young man answered. The angel gave him a blank stare.

"Liar," she hissed.

"But, I'm not," he replied. The violent broken angel blushed at his gentle smile.

Anna nuzzled Tsuzuki on the neck. "I'm home," she whispered. The shinigami pulled her closer to his body.

"Welcome back," he whispered back happily.