A Lesson

Summary: When Hiwon-Biwon succeeds in getting the juiciest story of his career, Lala decides the tarutaru needs to be taught a lesson in humility. (Not as nasty as it sounds)

Author's note: Tarutaru, Mithra, Hiwon-Biwon, Halver, and Final Fantasy XI are all property of Square-Enix and are in no way owned by me. Lala is my character (not in the game I just made her) and her actions in no way represent the Mithra community of Final Fantasy XI. I'm putting this story in the T-rated section just to be safe, but if anyone thinks it doesn't deserve so high a rating please say something. Also, this story does contain a Tarutaru/Mithra pairing. I know the feelings of many concerning Tarutaru and… well any adult situations, but having said this I think I get to delete any reviews left solely to bash me for this. Please enjoy this story and leave a review. Or if you think it needs improvements, please leave any suggestions you can think of.

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Hiwon-Biwon bit his lip, stifling the snicker that had been building in his throat. Silently the camouflaged memory orb he held as he looked through the open window recorded all that he saw and heard so that it could be turned into pictures for the Tarutaru Times. And what he was seeing was too good to be true.

#And to think I didn't want to come to Bastok,# the reporter thought to himself. The Times, tired of the constant barrage of cursed complaint letter being sent to them by Shantotto, and a few other female tarutaru, had decided that their "star investigative reporter" had to leave Windurst before his antics caused the Star Sybil to shut them down. So, in no uncertain terms, they had grabbed him, tossed him on a departing airship, and told him not to come back until he had a world-class story. #Boy are they gonna be surprised.#

And indeed they most likely would be surprised. After four days abusing his expense account in some of Jeuno's less well known, and raunchier, establishments, Hiwon had been forced to make a strategic retreat from Jeuno when he'd angered one of the Hume guards by looking up her dress. He had been most disheartened when he'd found the only escape available to him was the airship to Bastok. But that had only been until he'd noticed just who he had the honor of traveling with. Monarlais Halver, the right hand man of the King of Sandoria himself, was traveling to Bastok with a bare minimum of three bodyguards. Officially, he was going to oversee trade agreements between the two nations, but that was clearly a cover. Why would the most powerful man in Sandoria outside of the royal family itself be needed for something so… menial?

So Hiwon-Biwon had blown a sizeable chunk of his money on Prism Powder and Silent Oil at the local auction house in order to better spy on the Sandorian. Of course he had conducted the negotiations; a typically boring affair that had almost caused the Tarutaru to blow his cover by putting him to sleep.

Now though, he'd found himself witness what could be the story of his career. Halver now sat on the bed in his room at the Bat's Lair Inn, his body covered only by the sheets of his bed. But that was not what held the Tarutaru's attention right now, oh no. It was the creature currently sharing his room that held his attention. A beautiful, youthful woman stood directly in front of the Elvaan noble, a bright smile on her face as she showed off the short, translucent nightgown she now wore, along with the black bra and panties. The most important thing that Hiwon-Biwon noticed though, was that this woman was not Halver's wife.

#The Monarlais has excellent taste in women,# Hiwon thought, a grin coming to his face. #I can see the headline now; "Sandorian Official caught in tryst while on Mission to Bastok." Not that I can't understand the attraction.#

Hiwon's smile faded as he felt the effects of his invisibility and silence protections beginning to fade. He could only imagine what Halver would have his guards to the young tarutaru if he was discovered spying on such a private moment. Carefully he placed the memory orb in his pocket, and made his way out of the building. He needed to get somewhere inconspicuous before he turned visible, lest he draw suspicion on his way back to his own hotel at the Steel Bander Inn. Quickly he sprinted towards an alley, completely unaware of the eyes that followed his invisible form.

He managed to remain completely invisible until he got into a nice dark alley, the familiar heavy sensation sweeping over his body as he became visible again. Happily he looked at the memory ball and notepad, his account of the story on Halver, a story involving those things that made any article famous; sex and scandal. The tarutaru reporter stuffed his prizes back into his pockets, mentally patting himself on the back as he made to leave the darkness of the alley. Suddenly, a delicate set of fingers grabbed him by the collar of his kafkan, yanking him back into the alley. With the same motion Hiwon-Biwon finds himself being lifted into the air and being pinned to the brick wall.

"Hey, let me go. I don't have any money," Hiwon pleaded with his eyes closed, the sharp point of a knife tracing his neck.

"Mmmm, it's not your money I'm interested in, Hiwon," came a seductive, purring voice. The Tarutaru opened his eyes to find that the "knife" he had felt at his throat was the claw of a Mithra he knew very well. Unfortunately, that did little ease his mind.

"Lala! Wha… what are you doing here?"

"I was actually looking for you, not that you leave a particularly hard trail to find," she said with a nasty grin as she planted a light kiss on his lips. "You've been a very naughty little piggy."

"I'm sorry Lala but I'm in a very big ru…"

"I come back to Windurst and what do I find? You've gotten yourself kicked out of the city. Now I ask if that's fair, after all I've done for you." Hiwon started to protest but was cut off as Lala's lips once more pressed against his, this time much more forcefully. At the same moment, one of the hands that pinned him against the wall crawled under his kafkan, grabbing a handful of flesh and kneading it slowly.

"Lala… I… I need…"

"Don't worry, lover, I know what you need," the Mithra said with a smile as she slung the smaller creature over her shoulder. Hiwon-Biwon gave a futile struggle, attempting to wiggle free of the ninja's grip. It was merely a token gesture, as the Tarutaru found himself being taken back to the Bat's Lair Inn.

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The room smelled of flowers and cinnamon, a direct effect of the incense Lala was burning on a special burner sitting on the nightstand, along with a pot of something that smelled of apples. The room was dimly lit thanks to a small oil lamp sitting on a table; its light flickered making the shadows of the room dance.

Hiwon grunted as he landed on the bed, more surprised than hurt that Lala had just tossed him like a sack of potatoes. An audible click came to his ears as Lala locked the door to the room, a wicked smile on her face as she dropped the key into the chest covering of her carapace harness. Beads of sweat had appeared on the youthful Tarutaru's forehead as his body shook a little with nervousness. Lala smiled. Tarutaru looked so cute when they were scared, particularly little Hiwon-Biwon. He could talk a good game, and he definitely had an overdeveloped interest in the opposite sex, but that was it.

Quietly, purposefully, she approached him, a predatory smile on her face as she looked down at the blonde sitting on the bed. She leaned into him, kissing him as he hands glided down the front of his kafkan, unfastening it as she did so. Gently, she pushed the "ace" reporter back until he had to support himself with his elbows. She stopped kissing him and pulled open the kafkan, pulling the light cloth material over his shoulders and letting it drop off of him.

"You really need to go easier on the sweets love," Lala said as she stared down at Hiwon's chubby torso, an act that brought an embarrassed look to Hiwon's face.

"All Tarutaru have bellies," he said, his muscles relaxing ever so slightly. "I'm not fat."

"Yes you are," Lala said playfully. "But don't worry; you wouldn't taste half so good if you weren't." Slowly the ninja undid the clasps of her carapace harness, removing the boney armor and dropping it to the floor. Hiwon swallowed a lump that had appeared in his throat as his eyes opened wide as he took in the sight of the Mithra. She smiled as she undid the clasp of her bra, letting the filmy material fall to her feet. Lala once more crouched over him, grabbing the Tarutaru's arms and pulling them to his side, making him fall completely onto his back. Her fangs glistened in the glow of the oil lamp as she continued to smile at the now helpless form beneath her. Though he had relaxed a little, it was fairly obvious that if she barked he'd probably leap out of his pants.

#Which might be a nice trick, but I don't think that'd be very helpful here,# she thought to herself. She slid off of him, allowing her chest to grind against his naked stomach for effect as she stood before him.

"Turn over."

"Wha...?" Without another word, Lala grabbed Hiwon by his ankles and flipped him over onto his stomach. She snickered as his flesh jiggled a little from the movement and then reached over and sat the pot on the bed near him. A gentle heat radiated from the pot as Hiwon watched Lala's hand dip into the container's contents. The scent of apples grew stronger as her cupped hand rose, a quantity of warm apple scented oil in her palm. Lala drew her hand over Hiwon's exposed back and turned it, allowing its contents to fall onto the reddish-brown skin.

"Ah," Hiwon gasped as the warm oil touched his cold flesh, pooling at the small of his back.

"You whimper too much," Lala whispered into his ear, her hands delivering more of the fragrant liquid to different areas of the tarutaru's back. Carefully she began to rub the oil into his flesh, kneading the muscles around his spine. The circular motions of her hands coupled with the soothing sweet scent in the air, as well as the tranquilizing effect in the smoke, did much to make Hiwon relax. He gave a relieved sigh as the clawed fingers moved over his back, stimulating his sense of touch as the aroma's stimulated his sense of smell. Forgotten were the notes and the memory ball containing the reporter's work. Forgotten was his exile from Windurst. All he could concentrate on was the here and now with Lala. His eyes widened as he suddenly felt one of the woman's claws slide under the waist of his braccae.

"What…?"

"Shhh, Love. Just breathe in deeply and let the incense take you away."

"But…"

"Don't worry, I promise to be gentle." Hiwon's body jumped as the braccae were pulled from his body and he shivered a little as air hit the newly exposed flesh. Her own carapace subligar fell to the ground as Hiwon turned over to look at her. She favored him with a predatory smile before she sprung at him, landing on his soft body as she pinned his wrists to the bed with her hands. Her ankles held his legs, leaving him completely helpless beneath her. Her smile had not faded as she licked her lips, her bangs hiding her eyes as she stared at him. Hiwon's sweat was mixing with the apple oil, and the scent hung heavy in the air around him, exciting Lala's sense of smell. Idly she wondered if the Tarutaru reporter knew what a dangerous position he was in. He was completely trapped beneath a much larger and stronger creature, one that still was quite predatory in nature. In days long gone, Mithra hunters had eagerly hunted small creatures on Elshimo Island called Opo-Opo for food. The hunt was always exhilarating for a predator, particularly those that shared their bloodlines with cats. The thrill of running an opponent to the ground, of being able to display your utter control over them, it never died, and it hadn't died in the Mithra. She wondered what sound Hiwon-Biwon would make if she bit him, what he would feel like between her teeth. Had this been only a few thousand years ago, poor Hiwon would more than likely already be bones.

Even as that thought entered her mind she chided herself. There was no way to know that for sure. The Tarutaru had not always been so easygoing, though precious little evidence remained of the little creatures' history before the creation of the Federation. It was entirely possible Lala would be the one lying helpless as Hiwon feasted upon her. She lowered her head and kissed Hiwon-Biwon on the lips, her tail slowly stroking the small thighs tenderly. She smiled as her little lover began to participate in the kiss, his tongue touching hers slowly as it entered his mouth.

Slowly she let go of his hands, letting them roam to her chest as she stroked his ribs, counting each one as her clawed fingers touched them. Hiwon gasped as Lala put her full weight on his hips. The difference in their body sizes was small enough that Lala was not forced to bend her body in painful ways to reach her little lover's head. She felt a warm sensation as one of Hiwon's hands started to stroke one of her breasts, a familiar apple scent coming to her nose. Apparently Hiwon had dipped his hand into the pot that had miraculously kept from turning over. She smiled approvingly as the Tarutaru's body began tighten when he moved beneath her, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to get a rhythm going. Lala's own legs began to move her hips with him, helping Hiwon as she took some of the weight off of him. She cooed encouragements to him, stroking his small chest with her claws, allowing the sharpened points to gently glide over his skin.

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She looked down at Hiwon-Biwon as the naked, sweating Tarutaru panted in his sleep, exhausted. But who wouldn't be after roughly six ours of intense "love-making." Lala had to admit, Hiwon certainly had stamina, even if he wasn't particularly talented. Slowly she rounded up her clothes, dressing as she went with a smile on her face. The plan had gone without a hitch, surprising how quickly it had been cobbled together. Quietly she picked up Hiwon's braccae, rifling through his pockets until she pulled out his notepad and memory orb. She stuffed the notepad into her travel pack, planning to burn it later. She also withdrew a purple memory orb; glad she'd anticipated Hiwon's use of the helpful little balls. Lala whispered a command into the orb before pointing it at Hiwon's unconscious form and recording him slowly. Once she thought she had enough of him, Lala touched her purple orb to Hiwon's blue one, exchanging what they had recorded between them.

She looked angrily at the purple orb as she stuffed it in her bag, knowing full well what was now on it. In truth, she did not give two twitches of her tail about Halver or the ramifications this whole incident could have on his career, or his precious reputation. If he wanted to have an affair, then he could suffer the consequences for it. Her cousin, the Mithra in the orb, however, was another matter entirely. Zala was young and impetuous, and Lala fully intended to have a discussion with her young cousin about such reckless behavior. She wasn't sure how far the Monarlais would go to protect himself should rumors start.

That was Hiwon-Biwon's problem. When he did bother to work, the Tarutaru's instincts often led him to rather big stories. Unfortunately, that meant he often caused a lot of trouble for those involved. Lala knew better than to trust Hiwon-Biwon to pick up on the dangerous position he was putting himself and Zala in. He probably had no idea just how many times Nanaa Mihgo had ordered for him to be shut up.

And Lala was tired of cleaning up these mistakes. It was time to teach her little lover a lesson in respecting other's privacy. Casually she stuffed the blue orb back into Hiwon's braccae before shaking the pants roughly. Soon the orb fell from the pocket, bouncing once before rolling under the bed and stopping under the nightstand. A cruel smile came to Lala's lips as she stuffed all of Hiwon's clothes into her pack. She'd mail them back to his house before leaving Bastok.

#A nice little run naked through Bastok Markets should teach him to value other people's privacy,# Lala thought as she gently stroked Hiwon's cheek, eliciting a whimpering noise from the sleeping Tarutaru. Silently the Mithran Ninja exited the room, and walked towards the two Elvaan guards who stood before the stairway to the second level. She threw them both a friendly smile as she made her way to the front desk.

"Are you leaving miss?" the Hume innkeeper asked as Lala approached.

"Yes. But I should tell you the room is still in use." At those words the Innkeeper cocked an eyebrow. "He's still asleep and I would appreciate it if you kept your staff out of the room."

"I can't promise anythi…" the innkeeper's voice was cut off as a silver coin was placed lovingly into his hand.

"I trust that shall ensure my friend is not disturbed before about noon." The innkeeper smiled at the silver.

"I'll tell my workers personally." Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. "But, if he should stay beyond noon…"

"Then toss him out on his haunches for all I care, I'm not paying for him to sleep all day," Lala said as she walked out of the inn, her eyes glancing backward towards the room Hiwon still occupied.

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The End… I'll let you decide how Hiwon is going to get outta this one.