WARNING: NSFW. (If you hadn't noticed, haha)

CHAPTER FIVE

"STEP on you?!"

Yukiko nodded, rolling up to bow low, hands elegantly resting on the floor in front of her as her forehead touched just behind them. "It would give me great honour to be walked upon by you, my Prince."

This was insane. Chie knew it was somehow all tied up in the whole ownership fantasy — that their shadows had conspired to make her the owner and Yukiko the property. Something neither of them had ever consciously pursued, considered, anticipated… yet here they were, confronting it outside of the Midnight Channel. In the real world. And that felt even crazier than there being a Midnight Channel in the first place.

"Okay," she whispered, pushing to her knees and swallowing hard as she watched the elegant girl remain in her low bow. As if worshipping her. "Can I try it, a-and if you don't like it, at least we'll know? But you better promise to tell me if you don't like it!"

"Yes, my Prince," Yuki whispered. After a moment, she looked up at the clearly-flustered tomboy. "I-is… this too strange? I don't even understand why… I want you to…"

"Well, it's strange, but not too strange. I mean, if you're going to like it, then hey, I wanna make you happy! I just… am worried about, um, hurting you, I guess. Or making you feel bad."

Yukiko's flawless features easily flowed into a serene smile. "You won't hurt me. I know — I trust that."

"Oh. Well, that's…" Some would-be Dom she was, with her cheeks lighting up like fireworks.

"Do you not want to step on me?" she finally asked. "Y-you don't have to. It was just an idea."

"N-no, it's cool. We can…"

Chie finally stood up, towering over her half-dressed friend. Watching her peer up at her as she laid on her back, perfect little pink lips slightly parted. This was deranged. Just because their shadows had revealed the dark desires in their hearts didn't mean they should be giving in to them. Did it? Weren't they supposed to be becoming better versions of themselves?

"So… like… step on you where? Your head, face? Boob?"

Yukiko giggled softly as her bare shoulders shrugged. "'Boob'. I don't know, either. This is all new to me."

"You say that like I'm some pro."

"Well… you are the one who's seen those videos."

"None of them involved this!" Still, she raised her leg, trying to figure out where to land. In the end, she opted for somewhere fairly neutral: Yukiko's shoulder. "This… is it okay?"

"It's fine," she promised her, cheeks still rosy from all their activities. When Chie still looked uncomfortable, she tilted her head over to kiss her toes. "I mean it. You aren't even hurting me yet."

Her voice was a little hoarse when she managed, "Yet?"

"Well… I expected it to hurt. Even if you aren't whipping me or… or whatever your shadow was doing."

This was difficult for Chie. On the one hand, it was a little hot, but on the other hand the overwhelming majority of her personality didn't like that she was subjugating her best friend. Normally, she would listen to that more, but Yukiko was encouraging her to indulge that quieter, more sinister desire. Might as well test it out just once.

"Really?" Licking her lips in a vain attempt to dispel her nerves, she gradually lifted her foot to press it against Yukiko's lips. "So you… still want me to leave footprints all over your face?"

The little innkeeper flushed a darker shade, breath hitching. She held completely still for a moment before saying in a muffled tone, "Yes, my Prince."

Heat shot straight to her core — even as a slight thrill tingled its way up her leg, since the breath on her foot tickled very slightly. This was really happening, wasn't it? Against all odds, she was putting her best friend in her place. She leaned a little harder against that leg, just to give it the tiniest bit of impression of being stomped on — without running the risk of hurting her for real, of course.

"Then show me. Sh-show me how much you like it when I step on you."

Despite the nerves she was clearly displaying, Yukiko did as she was asked. Her lips pushed up into the toes, eyes closing as she paid homage to the new Master she had just found. Chie squirmed, toes flexing, and tried hard to keep her balance despite this precarious position. This was insane — she really didn't mind kissing her stinky foot?!

"Is that good, my Prince?"

"Y-yes," she hastily stammered, moving to stand above her. So far it was exciting, but she knew she would probably laugh if it kept up because of being ticklish, and might lose her balance. "Now I want you on your hands and knees."

Completely obedient, she flipped over and got into position. Chie could see just how soaking wet she was, since the dark spot on her panties was impossible to miss from that angle. Her own desires began to brew afresh, and she was tempted to drop down and kiss everything she saw… but she tried to push that temptation down. Save it for another time. Possibly only a few minutes into the future.

"Like this?"

Gulp. "Yes. Arch your back a little." Once she had, she reached down to grab a generous handful of that perky ass.

"A-ah!" Yukiko gasped out, back arching even more as her heat spiked. Amazing that they had both already got off but this neophyte domination play was bringing their desire back so effortlessly. Maybe their shadows were onto something.

"Such a bad little girl you are. You want your prince this much but never said anything? Shame on you!" The words still felt foreign on her tongue but she was doing her best. "We're gonna have to work on that."

Whimpering hard enough to be audible, she gasped out, "Y-yes, Prince! I'm sorry!"

"Oh yeah? You're sorry? Not good enough!" Her hand reared back…

And she hesitated. This was different; everything so far had either been loving or merely playful. Was she truly prepared to cause her best friend pain, no matter how brief?

"Chie?" Yukiko whispered.

"Huh?"

"Y-you don't have to keep going. I know this is… different, and we're both really new to any of it. So I'm not going to be upset if you-"

"No, no, I can do it," she whispered back. "Sorry." Then she cleared her throat and said louder, almost theatrically, "You ready for your punishment, you little… butt?!"

Seemingly unable to help it, her sub giggled at that would-be insult. "Oh no, don't do it, my Prince! Please, I'll be good!"

Chie really saw no other way to put an end to her own mortification and Yukiko's amusement but to deliver a swift smack to her inviting cheeks. She got the most delightful squeak for her efforts. How was it this much fun to punish her best friend? Maybe she really was sick. Maybe the darkness had a lot stronger of a hold on her heart than she wanted to admit.

Not that said best friend seemed to mind. At all. Even a little. Her hips squirmed from side to side, almost as if begging for another hit. So she got one. "AH! Chie!"

"Who?"

"O-oh I- AIYEE!" Another spanking had interrupted her apology. "I'm sorry, my Prince! I'm sorry! Mmhhh, please, be gentle!"

"I thought you didn't want me to be… gentle!"

That spanking made Yukiko moan a little louder. Now she was starting to worry about the noise level; what if someone heard? They would definitely be in trouble, even if they didn't disgust whichever of the staff came running to check on them. She decided she had better be a little bit more careful…

What on Earth was she saying?! This was a terrible thing to be doing to her best friend. Even if she could no longer pretend the desire to treat her this way wasn't there, and the reciprocal desire in Yukiko, it didn't make it right. Maybe using the noise levels as an excuse to stop was for the best.

"Prince?" Her hips squirmed a little as she looked over her shoulder at Chie. "Is… everything all right?"

"O-oh, I'm… yeah. Totally fine. I was just thinking… should… I call my parents? Let them know I'm okay? And you probably want to go take a bath in the hot springs, or…"

Her best friend turned to look at her properly, a frown etched in her fair features. "Hey. Did you think you were really hurting me just now?" She got no response other than flustered squirming, and her smile clearly communicated she thought she was right. "You weren't. I promise you I am just fine."

"But I was… this is really fucked up. Isn't it? I feel like I should be arrested for this kind of thing. You're so gorgeous and perfect, why would I ever wanna even risk hurting you for real?"

"Chie…" It only took a few seconds for her arms to be around the tomboy, nestling her gentle face into the crook of her neck. "We should definitely stop."

"No, c'mon. If you want to do-"

"No," she repeated a little more firmly. "Let's both go make use of the hot spring. Okay? And we can just relax and talk about these things, because… we have all the time in the world. There isn't any rush."

Feeling as stupid as she was grateful, she clung back to her best friend with a heavy sigh. "Okay. And I mean… y-yeah."

"We're both virgins — well, we were until today. Right? I think it's alright for us to have to learn our limits as we go. I'm flying just as blind as you are."

"Guess… that's true…" Finally, she began to relax and leaned into the embrace. "Yuki-chan, how are you so great? Like, seriously."

She was so close that Chie could feel the little chuckle up against her own chest. That made her heart skip over a beat. What a ridiculous crush this already was; they really were made for each other. "I'm not. Just trying my best to be your little bitch."

"WHAT?!"

"W-well," Yukiko amended as she dipped her head in alarm, "I… that's what your shadow called me. And since mine was wearing a collar…"

"Oh. But we don't have to do that! Like, that's crazy! You're not a dog, I don't want you to be a dog, either!"

Her tone was totally reasonable. "Don't you? I mean, somewhere in your heart?"

"I…" Cheeks warming, she slammed her eyes shut. "Yes. But it's more like… I guess I saw you that way because you seemed dependent on me. But that was just my fucked-up way of thinking about it, y'know? Not like, you actually are that way, or that it's what I want. Is… am I making any sense?"

"Well my shadow sure seemed to enjoy being on yours' leash," she said with a small, sly smile. Making Chie gulp again. "But we don't have to do that — right away, or ever."

Letting out a sigh of relief, she held onto Yukiko for support. "Good. No offense, but I'm not ready to…"

"Y-yeah," she confirmed with a giggle. "You're not, I can tell. There's nothing wrong with taking our time, like I said."

"Yeah!" Laughing louder and more boisterously, she scratched the back of her neck. "So um, let's hit the bath, and we can figure ourselves out more later, right?"

Nodding with a patient, excited smile as she retrieved her yukata, she said, "Absolutely, my Prince."

~ o ~

They enjoyed a late lunch before retiring to the baths. Yukiko took a staffer aside as they entered, speaking quietly to her while Chie glanced over curiously. But she decided to leave her to it; probably Amagi Inn business that was none of hers. So she finished undressing and quickly rinsed off, then left her towel by the edge of the spring as she began to edge into the roiling hot water.

"Oooh! AH! Mmm, God it hurts so good…" Closing her eyes, she began to sink down like a melting icicle, totally at peace with the world. The scent of sulfur in the air was a small price to pay for the restorative dip.

It was another few minutes before she heard steps — bare feet moving across the stones from the wooden deck. Chie opened her eyes to see Yukiko had a towel around her body and another folded atop her head, and looked perfectly serene in her surroundings. This was her home, after all.

"Ahhh, the heat must be getting to me," Chie said in a voice convincingly like a random guy. "A vision of a goddess appears!"

Yukiko let out a "pfff" as she dropped her body-towel to one side and slowly began to slide into the water. She barely had to ooh and ahh; she had probably bathed in it several times a week for her entire life. "Oh, Chie… that does feel nice to hear, but you don't have to keep doing that."

"Doing what? Being honest?" As Yukiko laughed, she leaned back to relax again. "You really are super pretty. I'm not just buttering you up; I always thought that. Guess I just didn't realise I thought about it as much as I did. Pretty dumb, huh?"

"Not when I'm in the same boat," she countered smoothly as she pressed in close to Chie's side, wrapping her arms around one of hers. She shivered at the sensation of a nipple sliding over her skin but suppressed any further comment.

"Mmmm, I guess… that's true."

"So. You wanted to talk about how spanking me made you feel?"

Dipping her head, she muttered under her breath, "N-not unless I have to…" But the pointed look from Yukiko made her sigh. "Okay. So… like, it was really hot, but it also made me want to protect you. From me! Isn't that crazy?!"

"Not at all," she whispered as she pressed her lips into Chie's warm cheek, causing the latter to smile and lean into the contact. Yukiko giggled quietly. "I think it's very sweet. But I also know a part of you wants to punish me, and a part of me wants to be punished. So…"

"So what? We just live with it because I'm a big chicken?"

"NO!" They both laughed a little. "Not a chicken. You're my brave hero."

That line made Chie grin much more giddily, even if she felt like her face was on fire. "N-nah. You're just too important to the world not to save."

"The world, psh. I highly doubt anyone would know I was gone, except for my family and friends."

"Are you kidding? You're famous!" At her friend's dubious look, she amended, "Well, you were already Inaba-famous, and now you've been on the news and everybody knows you're smokin' hot. So like, pretty famous now, right?"

"I suppose," she whispered shyly, before clearing her throat. "But you're trying to distract me. Perhaps we should do some research."

"Research? On whether you're smokin' hot?"

With a little smirk, she muttered, "I have a feeling you can do that all on your own. No, I meant into you punishing me."

"OH! Oh, that. Well, u-um…" She would have tugged at her collar if she had one. "I mean, how would you even do that? Looking at porn again? I would feel pretty weird watching it with you. Hell, I'd feel weird watching it by myself again!"

"Other-Chie had a whip, too…"

That silenced her friend for a few seconds. She kicked her feet, watching them bounce lazily in the murky water. Then she whispered, "I don't want that."

"You obviously do."

"No… it's just the kinkiest thing I've ever heard of. I think our shadows kind of… take little pieces of stuff we want, and blow them up as big as they possibly can. To get us to freak out. Like, do you honestly want to be my dog, wearing a damn collar?"

No reply. Chie slowly turned to look down at her blushing friend.

"There are worse fates," she finally whispered.

"Yuki-chan…?"

"It would mean I really do belong to you. It should sound degrading, but it's you. That is what I want, even if a collar and leash is a bit literal."

Gulping, she rubbed up and down Yukiko's back for a moment as she pondered the ramifications. Her friend wanted a collar? Or no — she wouldn't mind a collar, because what she wanted was what it represented. That wasn't quite the same thing but was close enough that she still felt surprised.

"So…" She swallowed hard. "If I did get you a collar… would you react the way your shadow did?" The way Yukiko bit her lip and tried not to grin said it all. "Whoa…"

"Is that so bad? Maybe it's a little extreme…"

"No! No, it's cool, just like… a really big engagement ring, or something! R-right? One that goes around your neck instead! Y-yeah!"

Yukiko kissed the corner of her mouth. "You're adorable when you're flustered." When Chie only turned her head slightly, she repeated the action more firmly against her lips. "My reluctant Prince."

"Shut up already," she grumbled, even if she was smiling. They embraced tightly for a moment, relaxing and letting the heat from the springs penetrate their bones. "Mmm… I'm still really shocked over here. My best friend is my… can I say… is the word 'girlfriend' right?"

"Oh. I guess I haven't thought about that part yet." Eyes wide, she looked up at her curiously. "Is that what you want to call me?"

"I, uh, I think so? I don't know…" Yukiko didn't push. Eventually, Chie whispered, "Yeah."

All smiles, she whispered, "And you can still just be my Prince. I think I like that better than 'girlfriend' for you… and you sure aren't my boyfriend."

"Thank you," she sighed in obvious relief. "I hear plenty of kids saying I'm too much like a boy, so like, I'm glad you're not trying to put me in that box, too."

"Does it bother you that much? Everyone calling you a boy."

Chie sighed, nuzzling the top of Yukiko's head — careful not to dislodge her towel. "At first, it was kinda cool, almost. Like they were saying I was strong because I know martial arts, and am no pushover. But then it was like… I don't want to actually be a boy, I want to be a strong girl. Y'know? So what they say gets to me sometimes. My shadow saw that, kept bringing up how I'm not very girly and I'm jealous of how cute and feminine you are."

"Hmph," Yukiko sighed through her nostrils, staring out across the gently bubbling water. "Then that was very rude of your shadow. Of course, she seemed to be rude most of the time…"

"Mm, you ain't lying." Her hands began to rub up and down her arms, pulling her even closer. "You feel really good."

"Do I?" When Chie nodded, she smiled and melted into the embrace. "I've been waiting for a long time for someone to say that to me."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Just because I didn't expect it to be you didn't mean my shadow wasn't right, as well: I wanted a Prince to dote on me. To make me feel special."

The tomboy thought about that for a moment, leaning back against the rocks with her junior innkeeper in her arms. They really could have collided together like this at any time. How backwards was their society that such a love was discouraged, or looked down upon? Perhaps it wasn't met with so much hatred as it was in the west but it was still unfortunate. There were probably tons of couples that were equally unlucky — maybe even at their school.

"Then I'm gonna say it to you every day for the rest of your life."

Giggling, Yukiko lightly swatted her forearm. "Stop."

"Why? Why stop? I mean it."

"Stop because… it sounds… too good to be true. But I'll get used to this eventually, my Prince."

Then she surprised her by rolling over and straddling her lap, sliding her arms around Chie's shoulders. She only had time to blink before she was being kissed soundly by a delicate angel. Her mind went blank, her heart thudding hard in her chest as she wrapped her arms tightly around her and held her as close as was humanly possible, eyes closing to let the moment surround her rather than slip past like so many others.

A little at a time, she began to notice their hips were moving — a natural reaction. She broke the kiss to pant quietly, "I guess… if I had a dick, this would be leading to… something else."

"Y-yes, I… I suppose… that's true." She snickered. "And you just said you didn't want to be a boy."

"Well, I don't! But like, it would make at least one thing easier…"

"Important things don't always come easily, Prince. Now… do you want something more from me?"

"Oh… well…" Her hands slid down and began to knead Yukiko's ass cheeks. Their owner gasped, posture going rigid. "I could think of a few things."

"Nh! Chie, that's indecent!"

Dipping her head, she whispered, "Sorry! I was just trying to play with you, I don't… know what I'm doing."

"No, no, I'm sorry. It was… an instinct." Drawing back slightly, she tucked a wet strand behind her ear, then caught her towel as it began to slip off into the water. She seemed to decide its perch was precarious since they would be moving a lot more, and instead tossed it onto the nearby rocks. "I have been taught to never be immodest, you know. That's why my shadow… well, she was so…"

"Slutty?"

"Not my choice of words," she hedged, cheeks warming. "But yes. I suppose I've always wanted to be less inhibited." Her smile was tentative, but almost a little proud of itself. "I think I'm making great strides today. Don't you?"

God that smile was adorable. "Y-yeah, of course. You're so hot… and being so hot. Like, are you sure we're not about to get caught? I don't wanna randomly get you in trouble, or… like… force you to let everybody know how we are now."

"Oh? And… how are we?" Her eyebrow arched bemusedly.

"Y'know! Like…" After a moment, she pouted and glared. "You're trying to give me shit, but you're not any more used to the idea than I am, you jerk!"

Giggling, she nuzzled their noses together. "Okay, okay. Yuri. But you're right… I couldn't say it in front of anyone else. Oh — don't worry about intruders, I asked the staff to ensure we would have privacy."

"You did?! Really? Wow…" As Yukiko hugged her tighter, she shook her head. "You think of everything. Man, I wish I was smart like you."

"Chie-chan… I keep telling you, don't I? You are not stupid; you just don't apply yourself in your schoolwork. But if you did, you would be getting grades just as good as mine. Not saying you have to," she headed off the protests. "But you might want to consider studying with me more often. We'll spend more time together, and your grades will be better, and… then whatever your dream is, you can achieve it with the right education."

"Wow, okay, Mom," she goaded, poking her in the ribs. Instantly she squealed and tried to squirm away. "What? That's funny? You think it's funny, huh?!"

Yukiko squealed out "STOOOPAHAHAHAHA!" as she flailed around in the water. Which only made Chie want to poke her even more.

"You can't handle a little of this? Huh?"

"NOOOOHOHOHAHAHAHA!" she cackled, thrashing around and frothing the water with her limbs. Chie couldn't help continuing to punish her little ribs, laughing herself now. "CHIE!"

"Yeeeeeeeeaahh?"

Completely breathless now, she swatted her arm. "Cut that OUAAAHAHA! I can't- I can't breathe!"

Relenting, Chie simply embraced her, feeling that warmth sink into her bones — and not just from the water. This was a level of closeness, of complete emotional openness, that she had always wanted from Yukiko. She simply didn't have the language to ask for it. Maybe Yukiko didn't, either, since she had been raised to never inconvenience anyone and pushing the boundaries of their friendship definitely seemed to fit that category. Luckily, their shadows had conspired to push them together.

"I feel super lucky."

"Hm?" asked a still-breathless Yukiko.

"Uh… to have you, and like… be together. That stuff."

"Aww, such a poet."

Dipping her head, she muttered, "You don't have to be mean. But like, seriously, I know it's probably messed up to be grateful to our shadows, cuz like, they pretty much tried to kill us. Or would have, if we rejected them, but like… maybe that's…"

"Maybe it's what?"

"Maybe that part's not so weird. Like… it hurts to shut out part of yourself."

Yukiko nodded thoughtfully as she caressed up and down her lover's ribcage. "I would tend to agree. They did seem so grateful when we relented and stopped trying to argue against their being part of us."

"Right? And like, now I can feel them. Well, mine, anyway."

"The fighting spirit? Yes… it's like…" Pressing a hand to the center of Chie's chest, and causing the heart lying underneath to skip over a beat, she whispered, "I can feel Konohana Sakuya inside of me, but she cannot be given form anymore. That doesn't mean she's gone, though."

"Yeah. Do you think it's because we're in the real world, and not in the TV?"

"Very likely. We might see them again if we return to that other world."

"Mm." Simply breathing for a moment, she then whispered, "I don't think I want to go back. It's dangerous there, and… I already rescued my world. Got her right here."

Yukiko snickered softly. "What a line." Still, instead of goading her further, she left a light kiss on her lips. "But I feel the same, so perhaps I shouldn't tease."

"Yeah, cut that shit out. Just let me love you." She smirked a little before pushing her lips into Yukiko's again, humming with mingling interest… and relief. They felt the same. Maybe this whole situation wasn't so disastrous after all.

To Be Continued…