Chapter 40: A Long Overdue Vacation.
"Welcome in! Oh, I'm so happy to finally meet you!"
Miss Diana was positively beaming as she welcomed Yasui and his family into her home. Ino, Ibiki, and their other children all gawked at the massive entryway with its crystal chandelier and carved wood stairs. Kime shook her head.
"Hey, Mom? Can we let Yasui and Yone run off more often?"
Ibiki cleared his throat and bowed his head towards Miss Diana.
"Thank you for letting us stay here. You have a beautiful home."
Diana waved the compliment off.
"Think nothing of it! As Yasui's family, how could I not let you stay! Besides, I think I have enough room for you all. Let's see… the parents can go in one room. The two youngest girls can take the half bedroom. Yasui, would you mind sharing with your brother? And that leaves the study with the pullout couch for your oldest sister. Does that sound good?"
Everyone voiced their agreement to the room situation and Diana clapped her hands.
"Excellent! Charles can help you with your luggage. Charles! Our guests are here."
Charles's gruff voice came from the study.
"Just finishing up getting the bedding out."
Yone nudged Yasui and whispered,
"That dude's huge! What's his story?"
Yasui whispered back,
"He's Miss Diana's bodyguard or something."
"So, is Miss Diana super famous or something? Because clearly she's rich but like… why?"
"She owns a big real estate company. Like… hotels and that stuff."
Yone shook his head.
"Yasui… how the heck did you become this lady's friend?"
"Bumped into each other at the yarn store."
"That is so dumb."
Diana walked back from where she'd been pulling out towels and blankets and smiled at the family of foxes in front of her.
"Well don't just stand there! Come in! Make yourselves comfortable! We have some snacks in the kitchen if you want."
Mina, who along with her sister Lily, were hiding behind Ino peeked around her mother's leg and asked,
"What sort of snacks?"
Diana smiled warmly at her.
"Well, nothing too extravagant because it was short notice. But we have some things for sandwiches, a few bags of chips, and of course ice cream."
Lily immediately burst out,
"You have ice cream?!"
Both little girls excitedly rushed forward before stopping and looking to their mother for permission. Ino shooed them away.
"Go on. But don't take more than Miss Diana is okay with."
The two youngest sisters cheered and rushed over to Miss Diana, their former shyness forgotten. They giddily held onto her hands and shepherded her towards the kitchen, intent on their frozen treat. Yone's stomach rumbled and he rubbed his midriff idly.
"Don't know about you, but I could definitely go for a sandwich. I missed lunch today."
Ino raised an eyebrow.
"And why would that be?"
Pretending to be deaf, Yone hurried to the kitchen. Behind him, Yasui and the rest of his family followed. Kime was positively beaming.
"I can't believe I finally get to sleep in my own room! No sisters, no late night bathroom trips, no nightmares. This is the best place ever!"
Upon arriving in the kitchen, Yasui looked at the "modest" spread Miss Diana had set out. Most of what was available was more expensive than a week's worth of food for Yasui's parents. They helped themselves and sat around the table as Miss Diana excitedly questioned Yasui's parents.
"So, Ibiki, Ino. What do you have planned for your stay here? Anything exciting you want to see?"
Ino frowned.
"Well… we weren't planning on staying. First bus tomorrow we're leaving."
This was met with cries of despair from everyone. Ino held up a hand for silence.
"This is not a vacation! And in case you forgot, Yone, you're still in trouble for running away!"
Yone threw up his hands in indignation.
"Why me?! I was just chasing down my idiot little brother! He ran away first!"
Ino shook her head.
"Still. We've already spent almost everything we had for this. It's only thanks to Miss Diana's generosity that we're not huddled out on the streets right now."
Miss Diana gestured around.
"Please, Ino. I'm more than able to assist you with any financial matters. I have taken it upon yourself to look after your son while he's here. That includes helping you out."
Ino was about to reply when Ibiki rested his hand on her arm. Ino looked mildly surprised that her usually quiet husband was suddenly butting into an argument.
"Ino, honey. I think we should stay. At least until the end of the weekend. What other opportunity will we have to visit Yasui here?"
There was silence from the entire family. Ibiki wasn't henpecked per say, but he typically didn't have strong opinions about much. As such, he typically deferred to what Ino wanted. Him siding against her in a discussion was… shocking. Ino just stared at him, confused, as he continued.
"You see… I've been thinking. I never got to take you on a real honeymoon. So while we're here… I want to take you somewhere special. Just the two of us."
Ino covered her mouth with her hand before taking a deep breath and addressing her children.
"We'll leave on Sunday. I'm spending tomorrow with your father. The rest of you can figure out among yourselves what you want to do. Yasui knows the area, he's in charge."
Everyone began to voice their opposition to Yasui being in charge when Miss Diana cleared her throat loudly.
"Excuse me." Diana said before waiting for the family to quiet down. She continued once it was silent.
"I think I can help plan some fun activities for us all."
That night, Yasui was lying in bed as Yone climbed up onto the other side. Diana's house typically had king beds, so he could barely even tell that he was sharing the massive bed with anyone. Yone laughed.
"Dang, just like old times, huh. Haven't had to share a bed with your smelly ass in years."
Yasui grunted.
"I don't smell."
"Nah, you have a bit of a funk."
"Shut up."
Yone snickered to himself before yawning.
"Dude, this bed is gigantic. And honestly, I have to know. What exactly is your relationship with this Diana lady?"
"We're good friends, like I said."
"Nah dude, no crap. Is this some sort of sex thing? You her little boy toy?"
"Gross! Don't be immature!"
Yone huffed.
"Touchy…. Besides, she's kinda hot for an older lady. Killer jugs."
"Dude."
"I'm just saying, if you were getting it on with her I'd totally get it. If I had a hot milf throwing herself at me I'd fold too."
"You really are the worst."
"Aaaaah, you're mad! Touched a nerve, didn't I?"
"Shut up and sleep, moron." Yasui grumbled. Yone cackled.
"Just stay on your side. I don't want to wake up to you spooning me."
Yasui rolled his eyes before turning his back to his brother. His mind was racing as he thought about their plans for tomorrow. Diana had ingeniously come up with the idea to let everyone go do whatever they wanted until they met up for dinner. Yasui had volunteered to stay with Mina, Lily, and Diana so Kime and Yone could explore the city a bit. Yasui could only guess what sort of nonsense his family would drag him into.
[Yone]
"Holy crap."
Yone slowly turned in a circle as he looked around the mall. His siblings, accompanied by Miss Diana had all decided to spend some time here before they would meet up with his parents for dinner. Yone knew Kime had wanted to go shopping and that Mina and Lily had wanted to play in the large play place the mall had, so that's where they had gone. Yasui and Diana had gone with Lily and Mina, leaving Yone by himself in the atrium. If Yone was being honest, he wasn't exactly sure what to do now.
"There's… a lot of stuff to do." Yone muttered. He tended to talk to himself whenever he got nervous. Which he was now.
(There's no reason to be nervous. Sure this place is big, but it's just a shopping mall. I could go… anywhere. But that means I have way too many options.)
Yone aimlessly got onto an escalator and looked around for anything to catch his attention. There were all sorts of stores full of different animals, but he didn't exactly have money to spend. Yone sighed.
"Maybe I should have stuck with Yasui."
Sure Yone had frequently imagined with his friends what they would do if they could go to the city, however most of it wasn't exactly possible. Typically it involved going to rock concerts with hot girls and eating at fancy restaurants, and all but two of those required a rather large amount of money to do. However, as he walked past the food court he realized that the second part was possible. Especially as he saw a group of high school students sitting around chatting while drinking boba tea. More specifically, Yone was looking at the very pretty fox sitting with two friends.
Yone smoothed out his fur and straightened his clothes. Sure he'd never been popular with the ladies back home, but here he was at least interesting… right? Yone casually walked over to them and gave a casual raise of his hand.
"Hey, what's up."
The three girls looked at him before returning their attention to their conversation. Yone put his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant.
"I'm new in town. Know any good places to grab a snack?"
They once again glanced at him. Their expressions oozed "annoyed" as the fox huffed.
"Like… you're in a food court. Just pick something."
Yone nodded, trying to laugh like he was cool.
"Right, right. Legit, yeah. Name's Yone by the way."
One of the fox's friends, a dingo, huffed.
"Take a hint, weirdo. We're not interested."
Yone gulped and bobbed his head.
"Oh, gotcha. Uh… bye… I guess."
Tail between his legs, Yone slunk off. He heard the girls giggling behind him.
(What a bunch of jerks. You can at least let a guy down gently.)
Yone slowly wandered to the side of the food court, not really looking at anything. He was resolutely staring at the floor, feeling sorry for himself. He didn't even notice somebody walking right towards him until they knocked into each other. Yone stumbled back and snapped,
"Watch it!"
He looked up to see a rather homely female fox currently sitting on her butt on the ground, rubbing her nose. She had a somewhat wide face with buck teeth and braces, crumpled fur littered with split ends, a massive pair of thick glasses, and squinty drooping eyes. She groaned.
"Gah, geez. Thorry about that. I was looking for thombody."
Yone inwardly cringed when he heard her lispy, mashed words. If he was being honest, this was one butt-ugly fox. She got to her feet, which were below some very gangly legs with knobby knees, and brushed off her skirt and shirt. Somehow even those areas were a total dud. The best word to describe her rump was nonexistent; and as for her chest, saying she had "A" cups was being generous. Yone shook his head.
(Holy crap, this poor girl is somehow the only zero out of ten I've ever met. She literally has nothing going for her.)
The unknown ugly fox rubbed her hands together nervously and glanced around.
"Exthuse me, but you haven't theen a boy fox around here? About theventeen? Bright orange fur? Really cute?"
Yone shook his head.
"Nope, sorry."
"Oh, that'th too bad. Maybe he's just—"
"I knew it, Lorna! I knew it was you."
Yone and the ugly fox turned to see a gaggle of high school students walking over to them, led by a handsome male fox with bright orange fur. The fox laughed.
"Only you'd stick a letter in my locker confessing your love and make a bunch of dumb anime references in it. I still seriously can't believe that you unironically used the phrases 'ultra-sugoi' and 'kawaii-tastic' in a love letter!"
The group of students all laughed while Lorna blushed and looked away.
"I-I thought it wath funny… and you might… want to…."
She trailed off as she lost confidence, the mocking of her classmates shutting her down. The male fox hugged himself as he howled with laughter.
"What?! Go out with you? The ugliest, lamest, and weirdest girl in school?! Heck, the whole city! Are you retarded?!"
Lorna's mouth trembled as a few of the guys with the male fox adopted nasally lisps.
"Lecks make out! My dumb braceths will juffft make it eeeexta desu kawaii!"
"You're, like, thooooooo dreamy! I totally have a body pillow of you!"
"Will you thign my pillow? Because ittttttth totally the only action I'll ever get!"
Lorna burst into tears and ran away, leaving the crowd of students howling with laughter as Yone stood awkwardly by. The other students began to head away, continuing to laugh about their unfortunate classmate. Yone hesitated before swearing.
"Why do I have to be such a nice guy?"
He traipsed after where the dorky fox had run and started looking around. He was now on the third floor of the mall and near the back of it, meaning it was far less crowded as the only things nearby were storage areas and offices. Yone was just walking past a walkway to the parking garage when he saw Lorna the ugly fox looking down at the ground. Yone stared at her before shrugging.
(Why exactly did I follow her? She'll get over it.)
He was about to walk away when she shakily began to climb the railing. Immediately Yone yelled.
"Hey! What the heck are you doing?!"
Lorna flinched and looked at him. Tears were still flowing down her face as she snorted.
"I'm throwing this thupid drawing I did of that jerk off the walkway! I don't know why I wathted my time!"
Yone breathed a sigh of relief but gestured for her to get down.
"Don't climb up there! Do you want to die?!"
"I have to reach out far enough that it doesn't blow back up here!"
Yone walked over and snatched the piece of paper she was holding out of her hands.
"Give me that! I can't believe I decided to follow you just for you to do something this stupid!"
"Give that back!"
Yone stepped back, away from the walkway.
"No way! I'm not going to stand around and watch you accidentally fall to your death!"
Yone looked down at the paper and his eyes went wide.
"Holy crap."
Lorna tried to take the drawing.
"I don't feel like being made fun of again! Why did you even follow me, weirdo?!"
"I was worried you were going to do something stupid. But hold on a second, this is really good!"
Lorna snagged the paper and glared at Yone.
"I know when I'm being mocked, you know. I'm not thupid."
Yone shook his head.
"No, I'm being serious. That drawing is really good! You did that?!"
Lorna nodded, seemingly confused. Yone tapped the piece of paper.
"You could be a professional artist! I've literally never seen a drawing this good before!"
"You… really think tho?"
Yone nodded energetically. Lorna looked at the drawing again.
"I mean… I did thpend a lot of time on thith one. It'th probably my bethed work ever. I'm really proud of the thading on the upper lip. Givths it a lot of depth."
Yone tilted his head.
"It's like… the best drawing I've ever seen."
"Really?"
"Uhuh."
"Well…." Lorna scuffed her shoe on the ground before holding the paper out. "You can keep it. I don't want to remember thith at all!"
"Really? You're giving it to me?"
Lorna shrugged.
"Well… you're being nice to me. Tho I figure I might as well."
"Wow… thanks."
The two fell silent for a while before Yone cleared his throat. He felt awkward just leaving while this girl… this absolutely hideous girl, was all emotional and sad.
"Hey, so I'm new around here. Can you show me how to get back to the food court?"
"Yeah, totally! And, like… we can alwayth hang out a bit… if you want. Like, not in a weird way, or flirty way. Like, jutht two foxeth hanging out… like cool people."
"Uh… maybe for a bit. But then I have to go."
"Legit… uh… cool! I'm totally fine with that. So… do you like manga?"
[Kime]
"Oh…em…gee…. My friends are going to be so jealous when I get back home!"
Kime and her small group of friends spent most afternoons bemoaning the lack of interesting things to do in the small town of Aka-Shukusha. There was a single diner and a handful of tiny stores mainly dedicated to tools and farming supplies. Now Kime was in one of the trendiest shopping centers in all of Japan. She clasped her purse excitedly and looked around. Where should she go? She only had a tiny bit of money, saved and scrimped for what felt like years, and had to make the most of it. Part of her wished her parents hadn't told them not to ask Miss Diana for spending money, but she could see how that would be a bit tactless after they were staying with the wealthy leopard for free.
(I wish I could have clothes as beautiful as Miss Diana does. It must be so nice to have money!)
Kime walked into one clothing store and began to look at some of the dresses. They were all out of her price range, but that didn't mean she couldn't look. Maybe she could afford something off the clearance rack.
As she was walking to the section of the store dedicated to clearance items, she saw something that made her heart flutter in her chest. Walking through the next aisle was that cute Labrador boy Yasui was friends with. Kime grinned and hurried over.
"No way! Fancy meeting you here!"
Jack looked up and smiled.
"Oh, hey! You're Yasui's little sister, right? Uh… Kim? Was it?"
"Kime. And… your name is Jack, right?"
Jack laughed.
"Yup, that's me! I'm impressed you remembered that after we only met once!"
Kime smiled sweetly. Truthfully she had positively grilled Yasui for information about his cute friend while they were heading to Miss Diana's house. Kime crossed her hands behind her back, trying to look as cute as possible.
"So what are you doing here? Shopping with your friends?"
Jack shook his head.
"Nothing that fun. I needed socks, and I like the ones from this store. They don't get staticky or worn through easily. Everyone was busy, so I came by myself. It tends to happen a lot when the Drama Club has a performance coming up."
Kime adopted a disappointed look, although inwardly she was squealing with joy.
"Oh no! That's too bad. But, why does the Drama Club figure into it? Are you an actor?"
Jack laughed.
"No way, not me. I'd be too nervous to get on stage. My best friend, Legoshi, is part of the stage crew. He tends to spend most of his free time at rehearsals now because they have a play they're doing in a week or so."
Kime shuffled her feet.
"That's too bad. I wish I was staying long enough to go to that play. It sounds like a great time."
"Oh? When are you heading back home?"
"Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping we can come back sometime and visit again. This place is so interesting compared to our town back home."
Jack tucked his socks under his arm to stand more comfortably.
"Living in a small town sounds nice though! Everyone knows each other, it's quiet and peaceful. Sometimes I wish I lived in a small town."
"It's all well and good until you get bored of doing the same thing everyday."
"Well that makes sense. I guess everywhere has its pros and cons."
Kime smiled. She was hoping that she had talked long enough to get him to at least pay some attention to her rather than initially courtesy.
"Actually… would you mind showing me around? There's so much to do and see, it's a little overwhelming. And given you're here by yourself ..."
Jack's ears perked up and his tail wagged slowly with excitement.
"I'd be happy to show you around! Wandering around the mall by yourself is no fun anyway. Was there anywhere specific you wanted to go?"
Kime closed her eyes as she smiled sweetly.
"I had a few ideas."
Kime couldn't help it, she was absolutely smitten. Jack was cute, smart, funny, and kind. All those idle daydreams during class of meeting a sophisticated boy from the city to rescue her from the boring life she knew were coming true. And best of all, Jack seemed to really like her. He even offered to buy her some snacks from the food court.
"Yasui told me that your restaurant options back home are limited." Jack had explained. "If there's something you want to try, let me know! My treat!"
And so, Kime was happily sitting across from Jack with a small plate of French pastries as he told a funny story about his roommates. Kime laughed as he gestured wildly before resting her head on her hands.
(He's so dreamy. All those country bumpkins back home could learn a thing or two about how to treat a lady from this guy. Maybe he'll give me his phone number so I can—"
"Kime!"
Kime was dragged out of her reverie as Yone sat down at the table with the two of them. Kime had inherited her mother's quick temper, and it immediately flared as her brother interrupted her pseudo-date with Jack. Yone jerked his chin at Jack.
"Hey, how's it going?"
Jack nodded.
"It's going well! I was just showing your sister around the mall."
Yone laughed.
"Nice. She can be a bit ditzy."
Kime grit her teeth.
"Yone. Don't you have anything better to do?"
Yone shook his head.
"Nah, I was honestly looking for an excuse to say goodbye to this girl I met. Great artist, but crap was she weird! And also, like, really ugly. Like, I feel bad for her, but I can only take so much geek before I want to go."
Kime did her best impression of her mother's "rethink what you're doing" voice and growled.
"If you're bored, you could go hang out with Yasui. I'm sure that would be fun."
Yone nodded.
"Hey, good idea! We should go meet up with him!"
And with that Yone stood and began pulling Kime away from the table. Kime squirmed and glared at her brother.
"What the heck are you doing?!"
"Taking my baby sister to go hang out with her siblings!"
Kime grabbed Yone's ear and twisted it. He let her go with a yelp. Kime narrowed her eyes at her brother. She was used to him being a moron, but this was… unusually daft even for him.
"Yone, what are you up to?"
"Nothing! Just want to hang out with my sister."
Kime took a step forward and cocked her arm back. Yone scuttled backwards with his hands raised. He kept it very well hidden that he had never once been able to beat Kime in a fight. As kids whenever they would wrestle it always ended with Kime sitting on his back with his arms pinned helplessly to the floor. Kime spoke sternly.
"You'd better start telling the truth before I thrash you in the middle of this mall."
Yone gulped. She was really scary when she wanted to be. She probably got that from their mother.
"Okay, okay! I'm… you know…."
"You're what."
"Uh… taking you away… from that guy."
Kime was silent for a while as she let that sink in. Yone, trying to press his advantage, continued.
"It's my job to protect you from scumbags! No boy is good enough for my sister! He's probably some sort of weirdo who's planning on pressuring you to—"
"Yone, I'm going to kick your butt now."
Yone squealed as she lept on him and put him into a headlock. Any passersby looked on in confusion as the two fought. Whispers broke out as Kime tightened her chokehold.
"What makes you think I need you to protect me from boys, huh? For your information I am very capable of looking after myself!"
"Gah! Can't…. Breathe!"
"Now quit interfering in my day or I'll pull your pants down and dangle you over the balcony!"
"Hey you forgot your— oh."
Kime and Yone looked up as Jack stopped in front of them. The Labrador looked from Kime to Yone and gulped.
"Oh… uh, you forgot your purse. I'll… set it here. Well, I should be going now. It was nice hanging out with you."
Jack gave Kime a wane smile and waved before heading off towards the entrance. Kime felt her heart sink and she released her brother.
"Wait! Jack, hold on!"
Yone was rubbing his neck when he noticed Kime slowly turn towards him. He paled and began shuffling away from her.
"Uh… Kime. Mom would be upset if you started any trouble here. So just think it over before you—"
Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Kime covered her face and ran towards the nearby ladies bathroom. Yone sighed.
"Geez, second time today."
For Kime's part, she was proud that she didn't cry. But that didn't mean she didn't feel deeply humiliated by her less than ladylike display in front of her crush. Kime groaned and pressed her palms against her eyes.
(Jack must think I'm some crazy, violent weirdo! Why does my family always have to ruin everything! Can't they just realize how embarrassing they are?!)
Kime sighed and leaned against the wall. Her logical side told her that there most likely never would have been anything between her and Jack. They lived too far apart, had only known each other for less than a day, and weren't the same species. But at the same time, he was Kime's ideal boyfriend. The fact he had a really cute butt was also a plus.
Once Kime felt like she'd calmed down a bit, she smoothed out her clothes and fur before leaving the bathroom. Hopefully she could resist wringing Yone's neck the next time she saw him.
[Yasui]
"Yasui! Look at how high we are!"
Yasui put on a smile and waved at Mina and Lily. He had offered to take them to the playplace so everyone else could have fun, which meant he had to be the responsible one. The only saving grace was that he had Miss Diana and Charles with him. And as if on cue, Miss Diana walked over to the table where he was sitting and sat down beside him with two cups of coffee.
"Thought you might need one of these. Your little sisters are a bit of a handful."
"Yeah, they sure are." Yasui replied. He watched as they both went down the slide again before running over to him. Mina pointed at the large slide and squealed.
"Yasui! That slide's taller than our house!"
"Yeah, it sure is."
Lily grabbed Mina's hand and pointed towards another part of the playground.
"Mina! They have a huge trampoline! Let's go jump on it!"
"Last one there's a rotten egg!"
They both giggled as they rushed away. Yasui looked to his right to see a very tired looking horse at the next table. She met his eyes and smiled wearily.
"Cute kids."
"Thanks."
The horse was interrupted as a young male horse trotted over.
"Mommy! Can I go on the slide again?"
She rubbed her eyes.
"You can go on the slide as many times as you want. You don't need to ask me each time. Go play."
The child left and the mother horse wearily took a sip of her drink. Yasui laughed.
"Got some extra strong coffee?"
"Irish coffee. Extra Irish."
Yasui nodded and returned his attention to his little sisters. Miss Diana rested her hand on his arm.
"It's very sweet that you're watching them. You're very responsible."
"Well, I am sort of responsible for this whole mess. The least I can do is make it up to my family."
Diana laughed. Yasui turned to her and frowned.
"What's so funny?"
"You'd make a great father, Yasui."
"Yeah, that's probably never going to happen." Yasui snarked. Diana crossed her arms.
"Oh, Yasui. Why can't you realize that you're harder on yourself than anyone else is."
"I'm more referring to my whole… being a hybrid situation. Even if someone decides to marry me, I'm most likely not able to have children."
Diana grew serious.
"What makes you say that?"
"I did some research. Most hybrids are prone to cancer and are infertile. Yay me."
"Have you heard back from that genetic testing place yet about them seeing you?"
"Not yet…."
Diana gave him a sympathetic look and patted him on the head.
"Don't worry too much, Yasui. It doesn't do you any good in the short term. It just makes you miserable."
"Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind." Yasui replied. He looked back around the playground before tilting his head. Diana followed his eyes and saw Kime sulkily walking towards them. She sat down at their table and mopily propped her head up on her elbow. Yasui hesitated before asking,
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Yasui knew that tone. And he knew better than to pry while his sister was in a bad mood. Fortunately for him, his sisters chose then to eagerly call out to him.
"Yasui! Come watch us! We're going to do a flip!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" Yasui called before getting up and heading towards his younger siblings. Kime sighed and scratched at the table with a claw. Diana looked her over before smiling. She moved to sit across from Kime and crossed her arms.
"Boy troubles?"
"More like idiot brother trouble." Kime grumbled.
"I'm assuming it was the older of the two."
Kime sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"I was hanging out with this really cute boy and Yone came over and ruined it! He made me look like some sort of psycho!"
"Well it's understandable he'd butt in. You only just met this boy. Not saying he did the right thing, but it's understandable."
Kime huffed.
"Yone just likes messing up my life. He knows I've always wanted to meet a cute city boy. Heck, that's the main fantasy of pretty much every girl back home. The dating pool in our village is… slim."
Diana grew a far away look as she matched Kime's relaxed posture.
"I remember being your age. I thought every boy in my class was an absolute moron."
"I know, right! Boys my age are the worst!"
"Mhh…. But then in my second year of highschool we had this transfer student. His name was Usul, and I was positively smitten by him. He was handsome, smart, and athletic. I used to go do my homework down by the track so I could secretly watch him run laps. I thought he was perfect."
Kime leaned in, curious about the story.
"So did you ever ask him out?"
Diana shook her head.
"No. I always made excuses. I was too busy, or I didn't want to get involved with anyone yet. I was convinced that I'd get around to it later. And, well, look at me now! Yasui is the closest thing I have to family. Well, him and Charles."
Kime jumped as Charles huffed indignantly at almost being excluded. Kime glanced at him.
"Gee, for such a big guy you sure do know how to go unnoticed."
Charles dipped his head in appreciation as Diana laughed. Kime looked at Miss Diana and frowned.
"Sorry, but… what exactly was the point of that story?"
"The point is that you'll meet a lot of boys and think you've ruined your chances with them. But here's a hint. Boys are really simple minded. They are perfectly happy to not think if they can help it. So don't be too stressed out about this boy."
Kime nodded. She had to admit, it was nice to have some mature girl talk. Sure, there was her mother. But discussing boys with her mom just felt weird. As if sensing her train of thought, Diana leaned in.
"So what was the cutest part about this boy?"
Kime laughed and covered her mouth embarrassedly.
"Well… he had a really cute butt."
Suddenly they were interrupted by Mina and Lily running over to Kime.
"Kime! Look at this cool sticker I got! One of the people in the store over there gave it to me!" Lily cried while showing her older sister the sticker. Kime looked at the sticker, which was just the store's name in shiny letters, and nodded.
"Very nice. Are you two being good for Yasui and Miss Diana?"
They both nodded as Yasui came up behind them, breathing hard.
"You two! Don't run away like that! I had no idea where you were!" Yasui exclaimed. Lily showed him the sticker.
"I wanted to show Kime my sticker!"
"I wanted to see if anyone had snacks. I'm hungry!" Mina moaned while rubbing her stomach.
Yasui checked the time. It was already past noon. He hadn't thought about what to do for lunch, and he didn't exactly have that much money on his person. He could go use one of those crazy ATM machines Diana had taught him to use, but he didn't see one near the play place. Yasui scratched his chin.
"Well… I'll see what I can come up with. I sort of forgot about lunch and don't have a lot of cash with me."
Diana rested a hand on his arm.
"Don't insult me like that, Yasui. I wouldn't suggest bringing your siblings here and then expect you to cover their meals."
Before Yasui could protest, Diana bent over to be closer to Mina and Lily's eye level.
"So what do you two want to eat?"
Mina wriggled excitedly.
"Can we get Sillymeals at QuackDonalds!"
Diana laughed.
"I don't think I've been to a QuackDonalds since I was… well… ever actually."
"We haven't either!" Lily added. "We heard about them from our friend Jessi! He got to go to a larger town for a wedding and they had one there and you get toys with your meal!"
Diana looked at Yasui and Kime.
"Do you two want something different or do some burgers and fries sound good?"
Yasui shrugged and Kime nodded. Diana took that as acceptance and motioned for the two youngest children to lead the way to the food court. As they headed out, Diana asked Kime.
"Where is your oldest brother?"
Kime pulled a face.
"Probably skulking around somewhere. He's probably scared that I'll beat him up again."
Yasui shook his head.
"Kime, don't be so harsh. We all know Yone is a bit… impulsive."
Kime crossed her arms and gave Yasui the stink eye.
"Don't make me beat you up too."
If Yasui was being honest, he found QuackDonalds… confusing. The mascot was a clown duck who served veggie burgers and fries. He had so many questions. Was the duck QuackDonald? Why did he sell hamburgers? Why was he a clown? What did clowns have to do with sandwiches? Apparently they also sold pie and coffee? Nothing about the restaurant made sense to Yasui. But Mina and Lily seemed to enjoy it so that was good enough for him.
About halfway through the meal Yone suddenly sat down beside Yasui.
"Good. I was freaking starving." Yone said while helping himself to some of Yasui's fries. Kime gave him a sour look and Yone held up his hands.
"Relax. I talked with your little boyfriend. Apologized for making things awkward blah blah blah. You can thank me for being such a good brother now."
Kime sighed.
"It doesn't matter. I'll probably never actually get to talk to him again."
Yasui swallowed his bite of food and asked,
"Who are we talking about?"
"That Jack dude you're friends with." Yone answered. Yasui frowned.
"What's he got to do with anything?"
"We was hanging around with Kime today until I showed up." Yone replied.
Kime huffed.
"You specifically butted in to make things awkward and make him leave. We were just hanging out."
Yone crossed his arms.
"Every guy my age cares about one thing. And that's getting into a girl's skirt. No way I'm letting him fool around with my little sister."
Yasui shook his head.
"Jack's a nice guy. He's not like that. Lots of the time he'll text me to invite me to hang out with him and his roommates around dinner."
Kime leaned forward excitedly.
"So you have his number?! Give it to me!"
As they began to get carried away, Yone took some more fries.
"I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing?"
[Ibiki]
Ibiki had to admit that he felt out of his element. He was a simple guy. He worked hard, he provided for his family, and he didn't talk much. He'd never been on a vacation or even left the area of the town and village he was born in. So standing in the middle of the bustling city streets staring at the chaotic mess of a city intersection was a bit intimidating. He felt Ino squeeze his hand a bit tighter.
"Wow, honey." She said, "This is definitely a bit different than back home."
Ibiki just nodded, too focused on where he was heading. He had gotten directions from Yasui and Diana for everywhere he had wanted to visit. He just hoped he was right and Ino would enjoy them too. Part of him had wanted to ask her, but he had wanted it to be a surprise.
Ibiki led the way out of the city and towards a more populated area of the docs. He scanned the area for what he was looking for and led Ino towards a sign that said "City Harbor Tours." Ino gave him a curious look.
"Ibiki? What are you doing?"
"I, uh, booked us a cruise. Around the harbor."
Ino's eyes widened.
"Where did you get the money for that?!"
"Well… Yasui gave me a decent bit of cash. Said it was to apologize for all the trouble he caused running off like that. He wanted us to have a good time."
Ino smiled.
"He's a sweet boy. Although he definitely causes his own unique problems. But still, a cruise! I don't think I've ever even been on a boat before!"
Ibiki shook his head.
"Me either. Heck, I've never seen the ocean before. You… want to go get a good look?"
Ino snuggled up beside him.
"I'd love that."
Hand in hand, they walked to the end of the pier. The sun was out and it was a clear, cold winter day. Ino whistled.
"It just… keeps going. It's hard to imagine that much water in one place."
Ibiki nodded.
"I'd hate to get stuck way out there. Not sure how sailors did it, spending months on boats like that. I'd go bonkers."
Ino laughed.
"Always the optimist."
Ibiki let his mind wander as they stood there. Maybe he should have tried to take Ino somewhere special before this. She wasn't the pretentious sort, so she'd never complained about their lack of romantic getaways. But still, it was a regret of his that he hadn't gotten to take his wife on a nice honeymoon. Ino broke him out of his revere when she asked,
"Hey, Ibiki?"
"Hmm?"
"Remember when you proposed to me?"
Ibiki scratched his head. It had been some time since that had happened.
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Do you remember what you said to me?"
Ibiki shuffled his feet and coughed. This was a little story he still got teased about.
"I do."
Ino laughed.
"I still remember every little detail to this day. It was right after the Harvest Festival, and you were walking me home. We stopped at the village gate and looked down the mountain at the town. And you said…."
Ibiki flattened his ears and sighed.
"I said, 'Wanna get hitched?'"
Ino laughed as Ibiki groaned. She reached up and ran her hand along his chin.
"You were dead serious. Not a hint of a smile on your face. Just three words, no ring, no theatrics, no nothing."
"Yeah, I know. Pretty dumb."
She playfully swatted his hand.
"That's not what I think! I thought it was sweet."
"Sweet?" Ibiki inquired, his eyebrow raised. Ino smiled at him.
"You don't seem to realize. Since middle school boys had been trying to show off for me with flowery nonsense and grand displays of affection, all just to try to impress me. And each and every one always talked about me like I was a prize to be won. But not you. To you, I was the only girl in the world. You didn't showboat or strut around trying to seem like a big shot. You just treated me like I was important to you, and that you loved me."
Ibiki felt a bit of warmth rising in his cheeks. He'd never heard this before. Had he really been that impressive to Ino just because he wasn't a fop? Ino rested her head on his shoulder and looked out at the sea.
"Ibiki, you've been the best husband a lady could ask for. And I don't tell you that enough."
Ibiki took a deep breath. He wasn't used to being the center of attention. He wasn't sure how to respond. Should he say something long and meaningful back? Ibiki thought it over before realizing exactly what he wanted to say. He gently tilted her chin up with his thumb and looked into her warm, beautiful eyes.
"Ino, you're just as beautiful as the day we met. I love you."
And then he kissed her. He didn't care if the other animals on the pier were giving them looks, two foxes kissing in public with their tails wagging like crazy. Ibiki just wanted to kiss his wife, plain and simple.
As they separated, Ino giggled.
"For being the strong, silent type you sure can be a romantic."
Any further discussion was ended when the stork running the ticket booth announced that their cruise was departing in ten minutes. Ibiki and Ten joined the group of people climbing on board and took some seats near the back of the boat. It wasn't a particularly crowded cruise as not many people decided to sail around the harbor during January. But that was probably why the tickets had been so affordable.
The boat slowly made its way out into the harbor and the captain began to point out various buildings and interesting historical sites. Ino rubbed her arms.
"It's breezy out on the water."
Ibiki draped his arm around her and pulled her to his side.
"We're mountain foxes. We're pros at keeping warm."
Ino laughed.
"And we don't have to worry about any of our kids giving us grief about how gross we're being."
Ibiki gave her a sly look and slid his hand down a bit. Ino gasped and playfully moved his hand back up to her shoulder.
"Behave, Ibiki! We're in public!"
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm on my honeymoon with my beautiful wife."
Ino rolled her eyes and they settled into silence for the rest of the cruise. It was past noon when they docked at the pier again, and Ino and Ibiki stepped back onto dry land. Ino sighed.
"Well I'm glad to be off that boat. That was nice, but sea travel is definitely not my style."
Ibiki nodded.
"Yeah. And then there was that seal guy who stopped us to ask for directions."
Ino shook her head.
"How could he stand being in that freezing cold water!"
Ibiki raised an eyebrow.
"You saw him when he climbed aboard, right? That was a whole lotta animal."
Ino blushed.
"No, I did not see him. The moment I noticed he was naked I covered my eyes. Seriously! Who swims around naked all the time! They should have called the police."
Ibiki shrugged.
"Maybe sea creatures just follow different rules. Never met one before."
Ino took Ibiki's hand as they headed back towards the entrance of the pier.
"So, honey. What's next on the schedule?"
Ibiki pursed his lips.
"Well… I figured we could find some sort of nice restaurant to try. Although we shouldn't eat too much since dinner is supposed to be big."
Ino nodded.
"That's an idea…. Or… since we're on our honeymoon… we could go grab a bottle of champagne. And then we could sneak back to Diana's house while everyone else is gone. Personally I think it would be a shame not to take advantage of that nice king sized bed while we can."
Ibiki frowned.
"But we still have some money to spend."
Ino grinned.
"Well… I saw a store along the way where I can spend it. But you have to promise to stay outside and not peak."
Ibiki chuckled.
"I feel like a teenager again, sneaking around with you."
The shop didn't take too much time, and soon Ino emerged with an unmarked bag. They stopped at a market on the way back and bought a bottle of champagne and a small thing of cheese and crackers. Both foxes couldn't help but grin at the feeling of having a secret romantic outing again after so many years. They were barely able to restrain themselves from running up the stairs to the house before locking the door to the room they had been given. Ino giggled.
"It's so nice to not be rushed for time for this! Usually we're trying to sneak it in while the kids are all away and never know when they'll get home. But we have four whole hours to ourselves."
Ibiki made a low rumble in his chest and grabbed Ino by the waist. She shrieked with laughter as he kissed her neck.
"Ibiki! Give me a moment to get out of these clothes!"
"I can help."
She wagged a finger.
"Uh-uh-uh. I'm going to get changed. You can pop the cork on that champagne and get some charcoo… uh, sharkyu… fancy French cheese and crackers going."
Ibiki rolled his eyes as Ino scampered off to the bathroom. Where did she get all these ideas from? She was always telling him about all this odd foreign stuff she heard about from who knows where. That's probably what she stopped to get, some funny foreign outfit she wanted to wear. Sometimes Ino was still just like a teenager, obsessed with anything new and interesting.
Ibiki heard the door open as he was working on the champagne cork.
"Almost got this dang cork, Ino. Bugger is stick tight as a—"
He looked up and his eyes went wide. Ino was wearing… something. It was this thin lacy getup with lots of black fabric straps that covered a whole lot of nothing. The cork flew off with a loud pop as the champagne fizzed out of the bottle. Ino shyly stood in the doorway, blushing furiously.
"Well, sweetie? Do you like it? It's called lingerie. I'd heard about it in a book."
"Ino?"
"Yeah?"
"You know how I said I don't care for foreign stuff much?"
"I recall."
"This is one foreign thing I definitely like."
Ino laughed and joined her husband on the bed.
"And Ibiki?"
He nodded, barely able to tear his eyes away from her.
"If Yasui asks, we spent the money on crepes."
Later that evening, everyone convened at a restaurant called Table 23. It was called that because it was located on the twenty third floor of the Intercontinental Japan hotel in the heart of the city. Yasui and family were all amazed by the beautiful building as they made their way up to the restaurant. Meanwhile Diana was looking at them all like a proud mother showing off her child. Ino gawked at the marble floor and said to Diana,
"I really think this is too extravagant! We can't ever hope to repay you."
Diana waved her comment off.
"Think nothing of it! I'm just overjoyed to finally have a group of friends to bring here! And as for the price, well, I get to eat for free here."
Ibiki nodded.
"Friends with the owner?"
"Oh no, I own the hotel."
Yone slowly looked up at her, his face a mask of shock. He licked his lips.
"Miss Diana? Do you want to get married?"
Everyone laughed as they rode the gleaming brass elevator up to the twenty-third floor. The doors slid open with a ding, revealing the fanciest restaurant any of the members of Yasui's family had ever seen. The floors were black marble shot through with gold. Oil paintings lined the walls as soft classical music filled the air. Diana pointed to a table near the windows that stretched from floor to ceiling around the entire room.
"Oh look! The mayor's here tonight."
Sometimes Yasui forgot how rich Miss Diana was. He knew she was wealthy, but then things like this happened and he remembered that she was filthy stinking RICH. They were seated at a large table with a perfect view of the city. The waiter handed out menus to everyone before bowing away, leaving them to look over their options. Yasui smiled as his parents, who were a bit disheveled looking still, gazed wide-eyed at their menus.
"You two look tired. Did you guys have a fun day?"
Ibiki hid his face behind the menu and Ino smiled a bit too wide.
"Absolutely. We went on a cruise, and then we just… went sightseeing."
Kime leaned in.
"Oh! What was your favorite part?"
Ino smoothed her ruffled fur a bit and was suddenly interested in her menu.
"Oh… definitely the… buildings. So many buildings. Right, Ibiki?"
Ibiki nodded furiously.
"Yeah. Buildings."
Diana chose then to interject.
"Well we had a wonderful time at the mall. And I'm sure Mina and Lily will sleep well tonight. They barely sat still from the moment we got there."
And with that, the children began launching into stories of what they had done and how much fun they had had. Meanwhile Diana surreptitiously leaned over to Ino who was seated beside her and whispered.
"Did you enjoy the champagne?"
Ino's ears and tail flattened and her eyes went wide. Diana snickered.
"I have a doorbell camera. It notifies me whenever anyone drops something off at the door or opens it."
Ino gulped.
"You don't happen to have any other cameras around the house? Do you?"
"Don't worry." Diana purred. "Just the doorbell."
Ino breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well that's good. Although… I sort of wish you did. I wouldn't mind having this afternoon on tape to… enjoy later."
As she said that, Ibiki, who had been staring a hole into the floor, looked up at her in shock. Diana laughed.
"You two are the cutest couple. I think it's wonderful that after being married so long you're still madly in love. What I wouldn't give for a relationship like that."
The meal was extravagant, and very delicious. Yasui couldn't think of a time he'd been happier. Almost all of his favorite people were together having fun and laughing. He'd patched things up with his family, they'd gotten to meet Miss Diana, and Miss Diana was thrilled to be included in a happy family setting. In Yasui's mind it couldn't get any better. Until it did.
Apparently Diana hadn't been content to just treat them all to dinner. She had gotten them all seats at a play that night. Of course several of Yasui's siblings had been hesitant as soon as they heard about the play, until they were informed that it was a comedy written recently and not some dusty old boring affair where everyone talked weird.
Upon walking in the theater doors, they were all given headbands with different animal ears or horns on them. Yasui got a pair of fake antlers, which he was instructed to keep on. The play centered around a group of actors trying to come up with a new play to perform. All their ideas were terrible, and so they decided to go camping to try to brainstorm and mix things up. While camping a group of fairies heard their bickering and decided to play a prank on them. Once they were all asleep, the fairies used their magic to transform the hapless animals into different species. The fox became a rabbit, the elephant a squirrel, the chicken a tiger, and so on.
This led to a lot of pretty funny jokes and situations that had the audience laughing loudly. And then the fairies revealed themselves to the actors so they could gloat. The actors quickly thought of a plan, and tricked the fairies into wasting all their magic powder by turning different things into other things. Here was where the headbands that all the playgoers had been given came into play. They shone a light around the audience and called for the fairies to "turn that rabbit into a deer!" And then the deer would take off their rabbit ear headband and everyone would laugh. It was a really good time all around.
The family staggered back through the door of Miss Diana's house, laughing and recalling their favorite parts of the play. Yasui and Ibiki each had Lily and Mina respectively on their shoulders as the two little girls had fallen asleep on the ride back home. As they were all getting ready for bed, Ino and Diana were talking with Yasui while they got water in the kitchen.
"I'm so sad that we're heading home tomorrow." Ino said. "This has been such an amazing weekend."
Diana patted her hand and smiled.
"It's been wonderful having you stay with me. Please come visit again. Yasui can confirm that I am usually bored to tears and jump at any opportunity to have some fun."
Yasui nodded.
"Yeah, that's true. Although the fun isn't over yet."
Diana and Ino shot him questioning looks. Yasui held up his phone.
"I was texting with Shinrai and he couldn't believe I hadn't told him you were in town. He's insisting we need to let him meet you before you go."
(WARNING: this next section has some very mild sexual undertones. There is no explicit content, but if you do not want any of that type of content feel free to skip. All pertinent information will be reiterated later.)
[That same night, 10pm.]
"So what exactly is so important you woke me out of a dead sleep and dragged me to your car in the middle of the night."
Rikimaru, former police chief who was definitively middle aged, said as he rubbed his eyes. Teressa, his "partner" for the time being smiled at him.
"Such an old dog! Asleep this early on a Saturday."
"I had the day off." Rikimaru grumbled. Teressa pursed her lips in mock sympathy.
"Awww, sorry I woke you up. But I thought that this lead on our mysterious fur trader warranted it."
Rikimaru immediately was alert.
"You found something?"
"I did, you may now tell me how amazing I am."
"Don't push it, Teressa."
The female fox smirked as she drove the two of them through the city. As was typical of a Saturday night, the streets were still busy.
"Our 'Fox Queen' is apparently the soul of paranoia. She uses multiple couriers to transport the furs to buyers and gather payment. All through dead drops. But, I got intel that a shipment of cash is about to be sent to her. They use different businesses as drop locations without the owner's knowing, so who knows how long one place stays a drop zone."
"So what's the plan?"
Teressa handed him a small surveillance microphone.
"Put this in the back of your mouth. Don't worry, it's waterproof."
Rikimaru raised an eyebrow before carefully affixing the microphone to the side of his mouth. Once it was set, he spoke.
"Testing, testing."
A small radio on the dashboard crackled and his voice echoed from it. Rikimaru nodded.
"Nice. So what am I looking for? And also why am I doing the looking and not you?"
Teressa huffed.
"Give me a second to explain. The drop is happening at a club. I've booked you a private room with a view of the employee break room. Apparently sometime before midnight, a courier is going to come in and pick up a red envelope of money. You need to describe to me what he looks like so I can follow him and slip a tracking device into the envelope."
"What if they find the device?"
Teressa held up a 1,000 yen note.
"It's disguised as money. Ingenious, I know. The problem is that the transmission range is limited, so I have to keep my eye on the receiver and follow from a distance. We can't risk spooking the courier."
Rikimaru nodded.
"Makes sense to me. So what room am I in?"
"The Scarlet Room. Go to the front desk and introduce yourself as Benson."
"Benson, got it."
"Good, because we're here. And remember, don't approach the courier directly. Heck, don't look at him if you can."
Rikimaru glowered at her. He might be an old dog at this point, but he wasn't stupid.
"I worked undercover for years. I've got this."
"Hence why it's you going in and not me. Also you'll fit in with the clientele more easily than I will."
Rikimaru was about to inquire further when Teressa put the car in park and gestured for him to leave. Rikimaru sighed before opening the door and stepping outside.
The club was a low, windowless building with a neon sign reading "Ebony and Royal" in fancy characters. Rikimaru opened the doors and found himself in a dimly lit entryway with quiet jazz music playing. He furrowed his brow in confusion at the unusual atmosphere. There was a small desk manned by a petit gazelle who smiled at him as he entered.
"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?"
Rikimaru cleared his throat.
"Yeah. Should be under the name Benson."
The gazelle flipped through a book before nodding.
"Excellent. We have you scheduled for two hours in the Scarlet Room. It's down the hall to your left. Last door on the right."
Rikimaru thanked her before slowly heading towards this strange room. This club was not what he had been expecting. His first assumption had been nightclub, but it might be either a strip club or jazz club. Although the first one was unlikely because it was too quiet. He opened the door to the Scarlet Room and found that it was a simple room decorated much the same as the rest of the building. Exposed brick walls with laminate floors. There was a small couch, some sort of bench, an odd coat rack, and a few other chairs and the like. Everything was… weird.
"What sort of place is this?"
Rikimaru's question was soon answered as he heard the telltale click of heels on the floor. The door opened and he turned to see who his visitor was. Immediately his heart dropped into his stomach.
Standing in the doorway was a tall lioness. She looked to be in her late thirties or so, possibly older. She was wearing thigh length black latex boots with long stiletto heels, long latex gloves that stretched from her upper arms down to her claws, and a collection of black latex straps that only barely could be considered clothing. She shifted her weight, confidently resting a hand on one hip as she idly tapped the handle of a whip she was carrying.
"Mmmmmm. So you're my new plaything? I'm Mistress Thorn."
Rikimaru's well trained mind quickly sorted through everything in rapid succession. The outfit of this lion, the weird atmosphere, and the name. Ebony and Royal… black and blue….
(Dammit this is a BDSM club, isn't it.)
Rikimaru gulped as Mistress Thorn closed the door and began to seductively strut towards him. He held up his hands.
"Look, lady. I think there's—"
He was cut off as she cracked her whip.
"You will not speak unless I give you permission to, and even then you will address me as 'Mistress Thorn' or 'Mistress.' Am I clear?"
"This is clearly—"
She expertly flicked him with the whip. Leaving a smarting sensation along his leg.
"Am I clear, slave?"
Rikimaru grit his teeth. He glanced past the practically nude lioness at the door. There was a small window that offered him a view of the employee break room. He had to suck it up if he wanted to catch a serial killer.
"Yes… Mistress Thorn."
The lioness smirked at him as she strode around him.
"Well well well. I guess a skilled enough master can teach an old dog new tricks. Now then, let's get a good look at you."
She tapped her whip against her hand and gestured imperiously at him.
"Undress, slave."
Rikimaru bit his tongue. He was certain that Teressa had intentionally done this, just to make him uncomfortable. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and set it down on the floor. At the lioness's command his pants then joined them. Instinctively he covered himself up as much as he could, uncomfortable under Mistress Thorn's scrutiny. She pursed her lips, slyly sneering at him.
"Are you shy, little puppy? You're not scared to let Mistress see you, are you?"
Rikimaru worked his jaw and shifted in place. This earned him another stinging blow with the whip.
"Your mistress asked you a question, slave!"
"No… Mistress Thorn."
(This is my literal Hell.)
Mistress Thorn circled behind him and pushed him to his knees. She was surprisingly strong, and at least a head taller than Rikimaru. The bloodhound grunted as she placed one booted foot on his back and slowly ground her heel into him.
"Such a naughty dog. I can tell you're a stubborn one. But don't worry, Mistress Thorn will break your nasty little spirit and make you a good pet in no time."
As she said that, she applied a bit more pressure to Rikimaru's back. This, coupled with her words, elicited a low whimper of fear from Rikimaru. He'd faced gangsters and criminals for years without any issue. But this lioness genuinely terrified him. Mistress Thorn purred.
"Good puppy."
True to her word, Mistress Thorn was very thorough in her process. Rikimaru was subjected to humiliation and pain for minutes at a time. But, she was a skilled practitioner of her trade. Whenever she sensed that her work was getting to be too much for her client, she'd switch to rewarding his "progress" through various means. All in all Rikimaru felt like he'd been in the room for years. It was almost sheer luck that he saw the courier out the window.
Rikimaru was handcuffed to a chair as Mistress Thorn slowly purrused her tools. Her gloved fingers gently tapped each one in turn.
"Hmm… what should we do next? We have some candles I'm dying to try. I'd love to watch you squirm as hot wax drips on you. But of course there's this big, beautiful paddle I could spank you with. If you behave I'd even let you be my chair for a while."
Rikimaru caught a flash of movement and fixed his attention to the door. A shifty looking jackal with a messenger bag had just opened the door and glanced around before reaching into a locker. He pulled out a red envelope and slipped it into his bag. Immediately, Rikimaru spoke as quietly as he could.
"Male jackal. Green coat. Brown over the shoulder bag. I repeat, male jackal. Green—"
His words were cut off as Mistress Thorn wrapped her hand around his snout and squeezed his jaw closed.
"I did not give you permission to speak, slave!"
Rikimaru gulped and squirmed. She sighed and moved over to where she had set down a duffel bag when she had entered.
"You really are a very naughty boy. Bad dog!"
Rikimaru whimpered pathetically and averted his eyes. He cringed as he realized he had done that instinctively, beginning to be conditioned by this psychotic lioness. She pulled a muzzle out of her bag and strode over to him.
"Naughty puppies that can't behave must be punished. Isn't that right?"
Rikimaru hung his head.
"Yes, Mistress."
She smiled.
"You'll be a good little pet in no time. Nobody can resist submitting to Mistress Thorn."
Two hours after he went in, a very subdued and quiet Rikimaru slinked out of Ebony and Royal. He felt… raw. He had been emotionally torn down and put together again in a way that pleased a truly sadistic lioness. He was glad that Teressa was clearly still following the courier. He didn't want to hear her laughing about what she'd subjected him to.
Rikimaru furtively slipped back into his small, dingy apartment. He crawled into bed absolutely exhausted and closed his eyes. He was sore all over, and so tired. And he was embarrassed. Rikimaru hated the fact that a part of him had enjoyed that. He rolled over and tried to forget that the entire night had happened.
"When I see that stupid fox next I'm going to wring her neck!"
Rikimaru recoiled as his mind immediately imagined what he expected to hear.
(Bad dog. Mistress did not give you permission to speak.)
….
(I'm really in trouble now, aren't I.)