It’s ahead of her though, and I rush ahead, moving the braches of the forest as a gentle breeze.
Hurry. I urge the fox cradled in Megu-chan’s arms, and I feel another nod of understanding.
I’m not sure how it’s done, but Megu-chan does increase her pace, whilst cooing to the tiny fox pup in her arms.
I stand before the incorporeal ogre, its form nothing more than a transparent wisp… for the moment. It stops a dozen feet from me, staring. Its eyes flash bright red in the darkness.
I smile, showing my fangs, and snarl.
I plant my feet wide apart, one further back than the other.
I don’t think I can be clearer than this; my stance states things as they are.
“If you want her, you’ll have to go through me.” I state silently, fixing the ogre with the coldest of stares.
Megu-chan’s footfalls fade further into the distance, but she’s still far too close for my comfort…
Without warning, the ogre’s form solidifies into a dark-skinned, hulking shape, vaguely human, but with a physiology far beyond that of even the most muscular humans.
It fixes me with eyes that glow crimson, like blood shining in the moonlight. In its left hand is a massive, rough-hewn sword seemingly made from rock, the edge saw-toothed and jagged, glinting like obsidian in the moonlight. It raises the weapon above its head.
‘Master!’
Three of the foxes rush to my side, their hackles up and fangs bared.
The sword comes down, aiming for a blow to split me down the middle.
Sadly for the ogre, I’m long gone from where I once was, and the serrated edge of the weapon bites deeply into the soft loam with a sharp crack.
A full three or four meters away, still surrounded by my black-furred servants, I crouch in the lower braches of a Japanese pine.
“Humph.”
If only I had a talisman to purify it… this would be over in but a moment, against something this weak. As it is though…
Go! I command my foxes, and they leap from the tree and fall upon the ogre.
My servants are as fast as the wind, and as fierce as a raging fire; the ogre is immensely strong, but slow and dumb. Within a few minutes it is backing away from the bite of their fangs and burn of their claws.
I accompany them, using my own claws to spill the brute’s foul blood. As weak as this thing is, I’ll admit it’s quite resilient… surprisingly so, even.
It’s time to stop fooling around. Megu-chan is far away now, in no danger… so let’s finish this. The words flow like water as I whisper them, carefully wording my incantation to make sure that this demon will never cause me trouble ever again. It takes a full minute, the ancient words complex and limited, before I can finish my spell and banish the demon. With a final word, and the release of some of my power, the ogre is returned to its incorporeal form, turning into a massive, billowing cloud of black mist. From the deepest parts of the forest, a sudden burst of wind encircles the deathly miasma, dragging it from the sacred grounds and expelling it from my lands. A moment of silence ensues, neither the cicadas nor crickets making a sound. And then, as though I’ve removed cotton from my ears, they resume their midnight symphony.
My servants, unscathed, return to the base of the tree and look to me with expectant eyes.
I nod to them, conveying my praise wordlessly. They’ve done well tonight.
They bow their heads, and then fade into shadows, returning to their spirit forms.
I let out an exhausted sigh; that was a lot of trouble… and in the interim, I’ve lost track of Megu-chan.
I curse quietly as I realize that by now Megu-chan should be nearly home. To leave her unprotected that long…!
‘Osuitsume-sama, please do not worry for the girl; she is safe and warm, as you asked of me, and I believe we are nearly to her home.’
Oh, that’s right… Tsuna is with her, isn’t she? I release a relieved sigh, grateful that despite my failing to stay with her, Megu-chan is safe.
Quickly, then.
Rather than use the ground, I leap from my current tree to another, moving from branch to branch with as much speed as I dare. After all, not only would it hurt, but smacking face-first into a tree is quite embarrassing… especially considering the ones to see it would be my servants. Yes, it would be best to be careful…
Moving more quickly through the trees than I ever could on the ground, I reach the limit of the forest quickly. The line of trees that marks the edge of the forest ends abruptly, terminating in what one could call a park, though the image is ruined by the concrete and steel of the city that begins just beyond a short dozen yards of grass.
I drop out of the tree, landing lightly, my golden eyes piercing the darkness in search of two sets of most important items: my shoes and socks. Not only are they part of my uniform, but it’s sloppy to leave something like that out here. A few moments pass with not a sign of them, and I’m starting to get anxious and irritated; I know I left them here, dammit! Stop hiding, I don’t have time to play around!
Ok, I did not just mentally address inanimate objects…
‘Master, we have brought you what you desire.’
Two of my black-furred servants emerge from the forest, my socks and shoes dangling from their mouths.
The apparel is dropped at my feet and hurried but them on, then stand and bounce on my feet to make sure they shoes are on snugly.
‘Master, your ears and tail.’
A gentle reminder from Nagi, the eldest of my servants, makes me aware of the black-furred fox ears poking through my hair, and the white-tipped tail waving habitually behind me, causing my black skirt to flutter to and fro. Ah yes… those aren’t normal things to have, are they? Best to correct that, then, before someone sees me.
I shake my head my fox ears disappear in a wave of black hair, and my tail simply vanishes. My appearance more acceptable, I take off at a light jog, wondering just how close Megu-chan is to the dorms and if I can beat her there. There’s really no need for such concern… about who beats who where, we live in different buildings after all, but still… I have to make sure she’s home, safe and sound. At the entrance to Megu-chan’s building I pause, casting a glance through the glass doors to the deserted lobby. Is she back yet, I wonder? Surely she’s here by now, safely tucked away in her room…
“Inari-chan?”
From behind me, a soft, lilting voice cute in the extreme and laced with curiosity and confusion.
My body seizes reflexively: caught red-handed.
I turn around and put on my best “cool” air, trying to seem nonchalant.
“Oh, Megu-chan. Konban wa.” I greet her smoothly, my hands going behind my back causally.
If I don’t mention it, maybe she’ll overlook…
“Konban wa. Inari-chan, what are you doing up so late? I told you to go to bed early so you’ll do well on your midterms.” She gently scolds me, her cheeks puffing out cutely. Honestly, worrying about something like that…
“I couldn’t sleep, so I wanted to see if you were still up.” I explain smoothly, then continue after a small pause, “and it looks like you are.”
I smile at her mischievously, locking her eyes with my own as I reach forward.
“Ah…” she makes a soft noise as my hand brushes over the top of her head. I pull the leaf from her hair and hold in front of her nose.
“Out for a stroll? And with a new friend, too.” I tease, bending down to her height and moving my face very close to hers.
“Waaah!” She cries softly, her eyes wide and staring.
Ah… she’s really pretty… her lips look soft…
I pull back before I can do something very stupid and cock my head to the side in an ‘Ok, let’s hear it’ kind of way and raise an eyebrow.
Megu-chan doesn’t immediately answer my unspoken question; she’s too busy being flustered and blushing beet red. Unable to form a coherent sentence, Megu-chan opts for looking down and away as she stammers out her explanation.
“Um, I was just, you know, out for a walk in the woods, and well, this little fox came out of the bushes and he looks so cold and hungry and I didn’t see the mama fox, so I just picked him up and…”
She pauses in her rambling and peeks shyly up at me.
Oops. I think I might have laughed out loud…
“Inari-chan! You’re laughing at me? Mou!” She whines, her face an impossible mixture of outrage, embarrassment and exasperation.
By now I’m really laughing, not only at her expression and explanation, but also at the little in-joke that she’s calling Tsuna a ‘he’, and it’s agitating the little fox quite a bit. I can even see her tail trying futilely to wag in protest, pressed against Megu-chan’s amble bust.
Megu-chan seems really upset now, though, and I manage to contain my mirth, though only just.
“I’m sorry Megu-chan,” I gasp, my eyes tearing up with unrestrained amusement, “it’s just that only you –ahahaha -would pick up a random wild animal and bring it back to a dorm –hahaha -that doesn’t allow any pets!”
Silence from Megu-chan. Did I say something bad…?
I wipe my eyes and look at her closely; she seems very disheartened.
“Megu-chan? I’m sorry. Did I say something bad?” I ask, bending down again to peer upwards at her downcast face.
She shakes her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the fox pup in her arms.
“No, you didn’t say anything bad, Inari-chan… I just… forgot that the dorm doesn’t allow pets…”
Her voice is strained, as if she might cry. I feel my own eyes water in an empathic response; seeing Megu-chan sad makes me sad as well… gah, that’s just too cliché…
I say nothing, foreseeing a very difficult situation that I didn’t anticipate: Megu-chan wants to keep Tsuna. That’s… a bit troublesome…
Letting a mortal, even a shrine maiden from a long line of devote priests, keep something like Tsuna…
I grimace at the thought. Yes, that could be… quite troublesome…
But if I say ‘Let the fox go’ now, she’ll… probably cry.
And that’s simply not allowable.
‘Osuitsume-sama…’ Tsuna begins, but seems to stop herself mid-sentence; we’ve had the same thought. I’m a third year, and the third years’ dorm allows small pets…
I sigh and straighten my posture, putting my hand on my hips and carefully composing a defeated face.
“I guess it can’t be helped, then.”
I grab her hand and tow her towards the other side of the student housing campus.
“Wah… Inari-chan?!” She yelps softly, her voice full of surprise, but follows as I pull her along.
My stride is quite a bit longer than hers, due to our differences in height, but she hurries along with me as I explain myself.
“Since you can’t have pets, and I can, isn’t the solution obvious?” I ask, giving her a cool glance and small smile.
Her face shows only confusion for a few moments, but as she understands my insinuation her face lights up like festival fireworks.
“Really?!” she asks with the excited voice of child who has just learned that yes, she’s getting exactly what she wants for her birthday.
“Really.” I confirm, unable to keep the smile in my heart from forming on my lips.
And so, ten minutes later after walking her back to the second years’ dorm, and assuring her that the fox would be taken care of, and wishing Megu-chan goodnight I’m left alone in my apartment.
Well… not alone.
I sigh pointedly, and glance at the little fox pup sitting obediently in front of the door.
“You might as well take a human form when it’s just us two.” I remark, perhaps a bit flippantly, but I’m tired and this is going to be very troublesome for the foreseeable future… though since this situation ensured Megu-chan’s safety it’s well worth it, I will admit. I turn away from her and enter the kitchen, my agenda to acquire a snack and something to drink; I’m famished.
‘As you wish, Osuitsume-sama.’
There is no puff of smoke or bright light to signal Tsuna’s change from fox to human, but as I reenter the living room, food and drink in hand, I’m greeted with a very cute, very naked, girl sitting composedly on my couch.
Needless to say I’m a bit surprised and I might have yelped. Loudly.
“Gah!?”
“Osuitsume-sama? Is something wrong?” She asks innocently, her hands in her lap, her posture prim and proper. Sadly, such a position leaves nearly nothing to the imagination, and before I can help it I’m appreciating her… feminine assets. She’s bigger than I am, even larger than Megu-chan… damn it, why do I have to be the one with a normal chest?! So unfair…!
I close my eyes a moment and gather my wits. It’s not good to be staring like that, even if it’s Tsuna… and even if she is nice to stare at.
That was a bit… unexpected, but not unreasonable. After all, I didn’t really tell her to do anything other than take a human form, did I?
My composure regained I step to the couch, about to sit, but think better of it and simply set my food and drink on the coffee table. It’s not going to be easy to eat and drool over such a sight at the same time…
“Wait here.” I say, and duck into my room. She’s a bit smaller than I am height-wise, but her chest should make up for that… as frustrating as that is. Though I really don’t know about her waist… she looks pretty tiny, and she’s never worn modern clothing before…
“Tsuna, come here.” I call to her, and within a moment she’s standing at the door… still nude.
“What do you require of me, Osuitsume-sama?” She asks, her voice properly subservient.
I make sure to keep my eyes on her face, even though our differences in height make the gesture just that: a gesture.
”Here, put this on.” I mutter, handing her one of my larger t-shirts. Without a word she takes it and, after a moment of study, pulls it over her head.
“Is this ok?” She asks with her arms at her sides, her face innocent.
I nod, once, and then cross to my dresser and rummage though it for a suitable pair of underwear.
I pull out the smallest ones I have, pale pink with a smiling Hello Kitty on the front and toss it towards her wordlessly.
Another moment and I’ve procured socks for her as well, but that still leaves the matter of her lower half…
I look to her to ask if she’d like shorts or pants, but stop short: she’s standing there holding the panties I threw her with a peculiar expression; a mix between rapture and curiosity.
As I’m watching, I barely hear her whisper “Kawaii…”
And that does it. I start laughing, quickly getting to the point where I’m glad I’m already on the floor so I don’t have far to fall.
Ah, that’s just too cute, Tsuna… really, that’s not even fair.
I’m soon wiping tears of mirth from my eyes as I ask her what she would like to wear.
Of course, without knowledge of such things, I guess it would be hard choice, and it’s left up to me with a “Whatever you think is best, Osuistume-sama.”
And so a couple minutes and a very embarrassing lesson on how to put on panties later, I’ve got her as completely clothed as I can in a t-shirt, sweat shorts, underwear and socks. The bra will just have to wait until tomorrow… she’s at least two cups larger than I am.
Don’t be jealous, don’t be jealous…