I'd like to thank C. Casta�eda for more great fanart, this
time of Natsume, which you can see on my homepage. I'd
also like to thank all the people who have sent me comments
on this fic, especially those who commented on the last
chapter: E.L.Toh, C. Casta�eda, Kichigai, Richard Beaubien,
Henry J. Cobb, Nathan Baxter, Nikholas F. Toledo, and Orlean
(who also commented on a teaser for this chapter)
I also know next to nothing about judo so any help in improving
the fight scene would be greatly appreciated.
***
Kumiko the Demon-girl
(A Lime-flavored Original Fic)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://www.thekeep.org/~amm/
Chapter 8: Operation Anti-Succubus Phase II
****
The Paranormal Club had returned to their clubroom in the
aftermath of their first experiment, each silent with the weight of
his own thoughts. They all sat close to one another before the
small TV, barely aware of one another. Without a word, Nobu
popped in the record of the recent events and pressed play.
Eichi studied it closely, disappointed that it did not contain
the true proof of the supernatural that he needed to take his sister
down from her high scientific pedestal. Nobu watched even more
closely, memorizing every move that his goddess made, until he
saw Ken's hand flash out and turned away in anger. Satoru barely
watched at all, too occupied with the fact that guilt made him agree
to a date with Fujiko after mid-terms.
With the video over, Eichi slowly stood before his fellow
members, cleared his throat, and said, "As you can see, we have
accomplished much in only our first experiment. However, this is
no time for celebration. The enemy is on the run, but not yet
defeated. We must strike now while she is weakened so we can
free Ken from her evil grip forever!"
The other club members were less than enthusiastic. In
fact, they didn't seem to be paying him the slightest attention.
Nobu was watching the video again while Satoru was deep in
meditation.
"Ahem!" Eichi cleared his throat noisily and loudly
repeated, "We must strike now while she is weakened so we can
free Ken from her evil grip forever!"
"Right!" the others agreed with 'less than total but still
acceptable' enthusiasm.
Eichi nodded in satisfaction. "Vice-president, who is the
next girl on our revised list that Ken will encounter?"
Satoru was a bit too shocked to respond right away. He
couldn't believe how casually the other two were treating what had
just happened. They might not be able to feel spiritual energies
like he did, but they had certainly seen what had nearly occurred,
both live and on tape. If Ken hadn't struck the succubus when he
had, one and possibly more people could have been killed.
The last incident had made Satoru realize just how much
he'd been playing at the supernatural, and that his cool mystic
image was just that, an image. Coming so close to the thing he
thought he desired had terrified him instead. Now he only wanted
to stay as far away from the succubus as he possibly could.
However, it was clear that the others, not comprehending
the danger, were determined to go forward. The whole thing was
Satoru's fault for identifying the succubus in the first place, so he
would have to stay with them to make sure they didn't put anyone
else in danger. At least until they realized that they faced a tiger
who only resembled a kitten.
Noting the intent looks the others were giving him, Satoru
faked a divination, making sure to spin the mystical orb in a
slightly wider circle than normal, which dispersed his ability rather
than concentrating it. "I do not see Ken coming into contact with
any of the other girls for the rest of the day."
"We have to do something anyway," Nobu declared,
surprising his clubmates by the vehemence in his voice, who were
used to him being relatively apathetic. "Maybe if we just managed
to separate them physically for a time, then the succubus's power
over Ken would fade."
Nobu had to get the delicate and light-hearted woman away
from the horrible Ken, before his abuse tarnished her pure spirit
forever. Even if it took his very life, he would not allow her to be
harmed again. As a loyal fan, he saw it as his duty.
"No, we have seen what effect another female has on her,"
Eichi said, his expression one of deep contemplation. "If we could
only up the degree of the confrontation somehow, force the
succubus to face many hostile women at once... I have it!"
The other two members blinked at their president dove for
his notes, scattering them all over the floor, until he emerged
triumphant, a single note card held up firmly in his grasp.
"If Ken will not go to the girls, then we must simply bring
the girls to him. Competitive girls can't resist a challenge. If you
tell them there's someone better, they'll have to test them out. We
simply tell the female judo team that the succubus is a world class
judo star in disguise. We also tell them that Ken is really a world
famous model, also in disguise, and has agreed to date anyone who
can defeat the succubus!"
*Where does he come up with this stuff?* Satoru thought,
barely stifling a groan. He'd been on some truly lame TV shows in
his time as a child idol, but none of them ever had plots that bad.
Satoru wasn't about to correct him though. There was no way the
judo team would fall for something that stupid. No one else would
be put into danger.
Nobu couldn't stand the thought of all of those burly judo
girls laying their unclean hands on the goddess. He opened his
mouth to protest, but stopped himself. Perhaps he could turn this
to his advantage. There had to be some way of changing the target
of this judo free for all to Ken. Then he could receive the
punishment he so rightly deserved.
"Well, what do you think? Shall we try it?" Eichi asked
with a smug smile. His plans were perfect; his previous success
proved that. With luck, he'd have his sister on her knees, begging
his forgiveness, before the week was through.
The other members firmly nodded. It was time to set phase
two into motion.
"Stop!!" Ken yelled in the vain effort of getting Kumiko's
attention. The demon-girl was currently running blindly down the
street. Normally, he wouldn't have been so concerned, but she was
also dragging him along by the neck, all due to the spirit bond that
connected them like prisoners on a chain gang. While the
bewildered looks of the occasional passerby were embarrassing, his
bigger concern was the friction of the pavement on his backside,
feeling like he was sitting on a frying pan.
Kumiko continued to run tirelessly, her feet choosing their
destination at random while her mind reeled with turmoil. Not
being the most graceful of demons, she was no stranger to pain.
Tripping and crashing through walls, bumping into torture
equipment, wandering into some of the more dangerous sessions.
Twinges of hurt and the occasional headache had all become part
of being a Demon of Observance.
The pain she felt now was nothing like she had ever
experienced before. Her head buzzed, her chest ached, and the rest
of her body simply felt numb. She had no idea how to make this
kind of pain go away, so she had tried to escape it. However, no
matter how far she fled from the cause, the pain remained with her.
She finally learned one lesson from demonic training that she had
never understood before: truth is pain.
Ken breathed a sigh of great relief when they finally
stopped. He slumped down to the ground, only to jump up in
surprise from the sudden pain from his posterior. Now he probably
wouldn't be able to sit for a week. It was just his luck.
"What the heck was that all about... Kumiko?" Ken's anger
softened when he turned around to see the demon-girl leaning
against a wall, her body shaking with her heavy sobs. He reached
out to touch her.
*Don't,* said a voice in his head, the same one that had
instructed him during the angel's attack. *That's not a good idea
right now.*
Ken shrugged. The whole situation was that voice's fault
anyway. If it hadn't put the idea of striking Kumiko to snap her out
of her rage, he might have tried some less violent method that
wouldn't have left him with a burning rear end. Ken shook the
demon-girl's shoulder while asking softly, "Kumiko?"
Without even turning back, the demon-girl's hand flashed
out, catching Ken in the stomach hard and sending him reeling to
the ground. When Ken groggily looked back up at her a minute
later, Kumiko was still crying as if nothing had just happened.
*I told you so,* thought the voice smugly.
"If you're so smart, what should I do then?!" Ken raged at
the mysterious mocking voice.
*Trace a pentagram in the air like you saw Kumiko do
before,* the voice calmly instructed, though in a tone tinged with
arrogance.
"Summon more demons? No thanks," Ken thought as he
rubbed his sore bottom. The demon-girl had still managed to
punish him, even though she didn't seem aware of it. "Besides, I'm
not a demon. It'll never work."
*Then there's no harm in trying,* the voice pointed out.
*Or would you prefer trying your method once more?*
Ken didn't even want to try touching Kumiko again, even
though he hated seeing her like this. He was sore all over and it
was still morning. The voice was right in one respect; since there
was no way it could work, there was no harm in trying.
With an outstretched index finger, Ken quickly traced a
pentagram in the air, not noticing the faint fiery trails it left behind.
Pausing for a moment to remember what the demon-girl had said,
Ken declared, "Takashi, Demon of Information, I invoke thee!"
Ken clapped his hands twice and was knocked off his feet
by a sudden cloud of smoke that exploded in front of him. Hearing
the sound of coughing, he looked up to see the pre-adolescent
demon's above him, waving away the smoke with an irritated
expression.
"It worked," Ken said in shock.
"Barely," Takashi replied with look of anger in his red eyes,
directed specifically at Ken. "With such a sloppy pentagram, I'm
surprised it functioned at all. Isn't there anything you can do
properly? Wait, I already know the answer to that. I've seen your
file."
Ken might have been insulted being put down by a demon
munchkin, if not for the sudden connection he had just made.
"You!!" he accused, pointing at the demon with a shaking hand.
"You're the one that's been talking in my head!"
"You're just figuring that out now?" Takashi asked with a
frown. "I know that mortals are generally slow on the uptake, but
really..."
"But how could you? I thought that Kumiko... owned me
or something now, and that no one else could mess with me," Ken
asked in confusion.
"Yes, your soul belongs to her," Takashi replied with an
odd frown that quickly vanished. "A bond connects your souls
now, that's how I was able to... I guess 'hack into it' would be the
closest in human terms. I used the bond as a sort of phone line to
send you messages. It's also how you were able to summon me,
more or less."
"I'm confused," Ken said as he sat down, then jumped back
to his feet again, wincing over his bruised butt. "Why did you
'hack' into the bond in the first place?"
"Kumi-chan isn't like other demons," Takashi explained
with the smile Ken remembered from when the demon-girl had
summoned him. Again, he wondered what that smile meant. He
couldn't be her boyfriend though or he'd be a lot angrier at Ken
now. "As her friend, I was naturally worried what damage a petty
human like yourself could do to her. It seems my fears were
entirely justified."
Ken opened his mouth to protest, but closed it as the pint-
sized demon floated over to Kumiko. No matter what he wanted to
say in his defense, he couldn't refute the demon-girl's tears.
"Selfish!" Takashi shouted at Kumiko in a harsh tone.
"Demons exist only to serve the Creator's plan. They have no right
to shed a tear for themselves. I thought you were above such
things, Kumiko."
The flow of tears from the demon-girl's eyes immediately
came to a halt as she looked up at Takashi, her expression lost.
"Taka-kun?"
"You are a demon, Kumiko!" Takashi insisted. "If you
break down because of every little thing, you'll be no better than
the petty humans or the wimpy angels! Remember, you were
baptized in the fires of Hell like all the demons before you! There
should be nothing you can not endure!"
"You're right!" Kumiko agreed once the words began to
sink in. She was a member of the host of Hell. How could she be
alone when every demon was her brother and sister? Her time
spent in the mortal world must have effected her in a way she
hadn't expected. Why else would she display such weakness? "I'm
a demon!"
Ken was happy to see that Kumiko had gotten over her
depression, but didn't exactly like where this conversation seemed
to be heading, especially for him.
"I don't think a little human emotion is so bad," Ken added
in, trying to ignore Takashi's glare. "I mean, she might not be
perfect and there are a few things I wish she wouldn't do, but
overall, I like Kumiko the way she is."
"You do? Really? Really?" the demon-girl asked, her face
suddenly only inches from his.
Nervously, Ken nodded.
"Oh, Ken-chan!" Kumiko exclaimed with a wide smile as
she enthusiastically pounced on him, knocking them both to the
ground. "You're such a good slave!"
Takasahi sighed, hand to his forehead, as he watched his
best friend and that irritating mortal roll around the alley together.
Ken would be gone in only one year, but Takashi had a feeling that
this year would seem longer than all of his hundreds put together.
"Ahem!" Takashi coughed in order to get the couple's
attention, who seem focused on *ugh* exchanging saliva, and
possibly more if he didn't interrupt. When their disheveled faces
looked up to him, he said, "Kumiko, you might be on vacation in
the human world until the 'Ken' situation can be resolved, but
remember you are still a demon and must act accordingly."
"I will, Taka-kun! Thank you for reminding me," Kumiko
told him with a smile.
Takashi blushed faintly and continued. "It's okay to have
fun doing it, but if you ever feel unhappy again, you only have to
summon me. I'll always be there for you, Kumi-chan."
"Taka-kun, you're so cool!" Kumiko declared as she sprang
up to give him one of her hugs, only to pass right through him.
She turned around, blinking in confusion.
"Your slave has no skill in summoning," Takashi
explained, hiding his relief as he began to fade. " I better be going
before my boss finds out what I've been doing. Good-bye Kumi-
chan... and her human slave."
"Bye, Taka-kun!" Kumiko shouted back, waving
enthusiastically as her fellow demon faded away to nothing.
"Bye, brat," Ken muttered to himself as he stood,
wondering if he her persuade Kumiko to spend some money on a
bag of ice.
*I heard that.*
Natsume sat stunned as watched her guest lick her miso
bowl clean. Having sampled it herself, the sandy-haired girl knew
her cooking was pretty tasty, but it definitely wasn't that good.
Could it be that Ayame, having spent all her money on a plane
ticket, couldn't even a afford a nice hot meal? She must have
sustained herself on the promise of love, a promise that sadly left
her starving. The poor girl.
Not a drop of the soup that her host had so painstakingly
prepared could be wasted. At least that's how Ayame justified
making sure that the smallest particle of food hadn't escaped her.
She tried hard not to think of how good the food had tasted, and
what a sense of warm contentment it brought to her. Something
she had once thought only obtainable via mediation, or an
occasional hot bath. If there were so many things in the human
world to bring such joy, why were so many humans unhappy?
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ayame exclaimed in embarrassment,
finally noticing Natsume's bewildered stare. The angel-girl
realized that she temporarily forgotten all about human table
manners. "It was just that..."
"You don't have to explain," Natsume interrupted with a
smile. "I think the reason is pretty obvious."
"...it is?" Ayame asked nervously. She knew that humans
could be very clever. She had read all about the great things they
had accomplished. Could her host have figured out her angelic
nature already?
Natsume walked over to Ayame, patting the other woman
on the shoulder. "You haven't had a nice warm meal in a while,
have you?"
Hesitantly, Ayame nodded. She had never had a meal of
any kind before, so she supposed it was true.
"I thought so," Natsume said as she started to gather up the
dishes. "As your employer, it's my responsibility to make sure that
you're well-fed from now on. I can't have you fainting from hunger
on the job, now can I?"
Ayame didn't understand much of what Natsume seemed to
be implying, especially her wink at the end, but grasped enough to
realize that once again her host had displayed her seemingly
limitless compassion. The angel-girl was beginning to feel
unworthy of simply being in her presence.
"No, allow me to do that," Ayame insisted as she quickly
collected up the remaining dishes. How could she call herself an
angel when she was being helped far more than she was helping
others? At this rate, she'd be no better than an average demon.
However, she still wouldn't be nearly as bad as... her.
"Are you sure you don't want seconds?" Natsume asked
with a grin. It was flattering how much the other woman enjoyed
her cooking, even if Ayame had been starving. Besides, it was fun
to watch her eat.
*More food?* thought in wonder. The joy from her first
meal still filled her, all the way to her fingertips. To have more
would be... Ayame firmly shook her head to clear it of such
temptation. She needed to stop thinking of her own wants and
desires if she were ever to overcome her probation.
"No thank you," Ayame finally replied in a soft tone.
"Though your food was wonderful, I simply couldn't eat any more
right now. Besides, after you worked so hard to cook, I should be
the one to wash the dishes."
Ayame had never washed dishes in Heaven, but she was
sure it would be a simple matter. The greatest power of an angel
was purification, after all.
"We'll just have to wash them together then," Natsume told
her with a smile, already giddy with the image of such domestic
bliss. It was almost as if she and Ayame had already been living
together for a long time.
*Have I embarrassed her again somehow?* Ayame thought
in mild alarm as her host began to blush. She really was such a
sensitive girl.
With crossed arms and a stern expression, Yui Kurojima
slowly paced the gym as the female judo team practiced.
Occasionally, she barked out corrections, but usually it only took
her glare for the team member to quickly correct herself. The girls
hurried to obey not out of fear, but awe. Each one admired their
captain for her complete devotion to the sport of judo, not to
mention her phenomenal abilities in the ring. Each strove to
improve their skills and earn her rare smile.
Not one of them suspected the truth, that their captain
actually loathed the sport she seemed so dedicated to. Yui hated
judo with every fiber of her being; she hated the muscles that
training had given her, the sweat that clung to her after a match, the
touch of another woman's body, and even the fabric of the loose
white gi she wore.
Yui had a very simple dream. All she had ever wanted was
to be a housewife to a kind and hard-working salary man, perhaps
with a child or two. Hours and hours of training which she should
have spent improving her cooking and sewing skills. Getting sent
to college when she wanted to find a husband... but she could not
win against her parents.
Both of her parents had been champion judo masters, each
remaining undefeated for years. They had met during one such
tournament and fell in love, but neither gave up on their sport
which they loved just as much. Yui's mother had continued to
compete until she was seven months into her pregnancy and even
then the officials had to forbid her from entering. Soon, it was the
three of them attending matches with Yui in the arms of whatever
parent wasn't competing at the time.
When Yui was four years old, they had been on their way to
another match when their small car was smashed by an out of
control truck. Her mother had died instantly, leaving her father
crippled but alive. Protected by her mother's body, Yui had been
completely unharmed. At her worst moments, she wished that she
had been the one crippled. That way her father couldn't have
forced her mother's legacy onto her.
For without his wife and the sport he had loved just as
much, Yui's father became obsessed with training his daughter to
be the greatest judo master the world had ever known. All of Yui's
free time was to be spent in training. She had no time for hobbies
or friends. Her father even wanted to keep her from school, but
luckily there the government had intervened.
There were times when Yui was ready to stand up to him,
to tell him just what she thought about judo and his training.
Perhaps her father sensed this, because those were the times he'd
talk about her mother, how much she was like her now, and how
proud she would be of her daughter. Guilt forced Yui to keep her
silence.
However, becoming the captain of the school's judo team
had given Yui an idea of how to escape her own personal hell. All
she needed to do was find a girl who was better than her, someone
who, no matter how hard she trained, Yui could never defeat.
Then her father would be forced to give up on his dream and his
daughter could become a simple housewife, free of guilt.
That was why she pushed the judo team so hard, hoping
that some day one of them would soundly defeat her. None of
them had yet to come close, but Yui still had hope that there was a
woman out there skilled enough to overpower her.
The Paranormal Club now stood before the gym where they
could hear the faint sounds of the female judo team practicing.
They were equipped and ready to set their plan into motion, all
except for one small problem.
"I don't think I should be the one to tell them," Eichi said
nervously as he tried to think up an excuse. The real reason was he
had met their captain before and the girl's glare had terrified him,
not to mention tossing him into a pond. All he had done was
compliment her for winning her last match. For this, the
punishment could be far worse. "I... still feel dizzy from earlier
and really think I should sit down."
"Well, I've already had my turn. I'm not doing it," Satoru
insisted with crossed arms. The prospect of confronting those
smiling girls again filled him with almost as much apprehension as
the succubus did. It was almost like a dozen clones of his genki
sister, though on second thought that would be far worse.
"No problem, I'll handle it," Nobu told them both with an
uncharacteristic smile. "I'm always eager to come to the aid of my
fellow club members."
The president and vice-president stared at their treasurer in
shock. They were half-convinced he had never even spoken to a
woman before, always hiding behind the lens of his camcorder.
For him to volunteer so causally... but then neither were the type to
look a gift horse in the mouth.
Eichi explained his plan once again and Satoru provided
encouragement, with Nobu nodding along, the faint smile never
leaving his lips. Little did they know he was prepared to set his
own plan into motion.
Yui was carefully instructing a girl who showed promise
when the sound of the closing gym door caused her to look up. A
boy was daring to invade the sanctity of her training time. She
despised any distraction that would prevent the rest of the team
from reaching the limits of their abilities, and therefore grant her
freedom. With stern eyes she approached the intruder.
Nobu was a little taken aback by the woman's glare as she
came towards him, reminding him uncomfortably of his mother, at
least whenever he had shown the slightest hint of rebellion. Now
wasn't the time to think about that, he knew as he wiped the sweat
from his brow, it was time to carry out his promised vengeance.
"What are you doing here?" Yui demanded of the large,
pudgy boy. Despite his size, she couldn't bring herself to think of
him as a man. "Didn't you see the sign on the door? It clearly said
a practice session is underway and no spectators are allowed."
It was some moments before Nobu could respond, feeling
like a butterfly pinned under the weight of the woman's glare. This
was part of the reason he generally avoided contact with people,
women especially. "Umm, yes I saw the sign. I'm sorry, but...
there's something I had to tell you."
Yui sighed audibly. Not another love confession from
some wimpy looser who'd probably be scrimping and saving for
the rest of his life. She wasn't going to get involved with a man
unless he at least had the potential to get a house of his own. To
her, that meant he needed to possess at least some self-confidence.
"Not interested. Now get out."
Nobu immediately made to leave, then stopped himself.
The image of pain on his goddess's face as that... monster Ken
struck her rooted him to the spot. "I think you misunderstand," he
told her with a bit more conviction. "I believe that a female
student is being... abused by her boyfriend."
A hush fell over the gym as all the women simultaneously
stopped their training upon hearing Nobu's words, who shrank back
from a dozen sets of curious eyes. Yui was still indifferent, but the
silence irritated her. She had enough problems of her own, she
didn't need those of a silly girl who actually chose the mess she had
gotten herself into.
"My only concern is for my team, so you can... just... ?" Yui
began to say, but stopped when she realized that no one was paying
her the slightest attention. Instead, her team was now crowded
around the boy, plying him with questions about this silly girl.
With this group to work with, she'd be an old maid before she
could finally give up judo. "Everyone, back to your training!"
"But captain," one girl pleaded with teary eyes. "Her
boyfriend is none other than that notorious pervert Ken Iwakami!"
Another girl nodded and added, "And you should hear all of
the mean and nasty and perverted things he's been doing to this
poor girl. They should lock him up and throw away the key!"
"No!" yet another girl disagreed. "We should find him and
teach him a lesson so that he wouldn't even think of harming
another girl again!"
"Yeah!" several concured immediately.
Yui hung her head in her hands. The whole team was fired
up about punishing this 'Ken' person, who seemed to possess an
unsavory reputation. She had never heard of him herself and
honestly wouldn't have cared if she did. However, she knew her
team wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything until Ken was
dealt with. Besides, he just might be the catalyst the team needed
to make a real improvement.
"Very well," Yui spoke after a minute of silence. "You
may teach this Ken a lesson, but only with the art of judo!"
"Right, captain!" the team shouted back.
As Yui took a seat on the bleachers to await their surprise
victim, she idly wondered what sort of weak girl would let a man
control her like that.
Kumiko skipped down the street, singing out nonsense
rhymes at the top of her voice, and ignoring the looks of passing
pedestrians or the shouts from the apartment buildings for quiet.
The demon-girl also seemed to be ignoring gravity as her air time
would make a professional basketball player green with envy. Ken
was happy she was in such a good mood now, but really didn't
want any fines for disturbing the peace.
"Kumiko, maybe we should see if Natsume has any work
for us today," he suggested as he was nearly running to keep up
with her spastic pace. The thought of fines reminded painfully of
his current financial situation. Their now mutual friend could help
with that, even if that meant working like slave in return.
The demon-girl blinked as she turned to face him, then
grinned even wider than before. Ken was glad no one else was
near them because her fangs were showing. He didn't have much
time to think about it as she grabbed both his arms and started to
spin him around in circles, all the time saying in a sing-song voice,
"Ken-chan, Ken-chan, my sex slave, Ken-chan!"
Ken's world quickly resolved into a blur, making him
incapable of even considering embarrassment. It reminded him of
an amusement park ride he had tried once, one that had made him
violently sick afterwards. For the first time that day, he was glad
his stomach was empty. Starting to black out, he struggled to
speak, "Can... you... please... stop... spinning... me?"
"Okay," Kumiko said simply, slipping her arms around his
waist and holding him close to her as they slowed and stopped.
When Ken could finally see again, he found the demon-
girl's smiling face only inches from his own, and could feel the
warmth of her body pressing against him. As she closed her blue
eyes to lean her head forward, Ken matched her, pursing his lips...
only to blink in surprise when she kissed him on the nose.
Kumiko giggled in amusement before quickly kissing him
firmly on the lips, slipping her forked tongue through his surprised
lips. It only took Ken a moment, however, to recover enough to
return this kiss as his hands felt along her back to make sure her
wings weren't showing as well.
"Excuse me," said the sort of masculine voice that normally
made women tremble. "Are you Ken Iwakami?"
Kumiko glanced at the interloper with irritation. She had
private business with her slave to attend to, even if they were
standing in the middle of the street.
Ken blushed faintly in embarrassment to be caught making
out in public yet again. The demon-girl had to have some power
over him, destroying his reason with her soft touch. "Umm, yeah,
that's me."
Satoru adjusted the glasses he had borrowed for his
disguise. He was dressed in casual clothes of white T-shirt and
jeans, which he normally wouldn't have been caught dead in. They
had been a gift from his sister, which was probably why they were
an embarrassingly tight fit. Still, being such a change from his
usual dark outfits, he thought it made him nearly unrecognizable.
He wasn't about to take the chance that the succubus hadn't spotted
him in the convenience store earlier. "Someone in the gym wants
to speak with you now."
"With me?" Ken asked in confusion. He wasn't exactly
known for his athletic abilities, so he doubted any team would be
interested in recruiting him. "Who?"
Satoru shook his head. "I'm not sure. I hadn't met the
beautiful woman before, but she said it was really important."
"Well, if it's important than I guess I have no choice," Ken
replied with a smile as he started off in the direction of the gym.
Women in general never wanted to talk to him, and now a beautiful
woman was going through such trouble just to speak with him...
He had to find out what she wanted, if only to satisfy his burning
curiosity.
Kumiko didn't know what this was about, but she didn't like
it. The messenger was very deliberately looking away from her,
trying to pretend that she wasn't there. Some demons did that
when she observed them back in Hell, so it was hard for her not to
notice. She was also becoming more and more distrustful of
human women. It was as if they were all out to steal away her
slave with their strange ways.
Ken found his forward progress suddenly halted by the
demon-girl's firm grip, arms around his waist as she rested her head
on his shoulder, along with two soft mounds pressing into his back.
"This will only take a minute, Kumiko. Then we can go to
Natsume's."
"I don't want to see that weird girl," Kumiko replied,
feeling a vague mistrust of her slave's friend. Then her voice was
like silk as she whispered, "I want to go back to your apartment for
some real fun."
Ken felt a pleasant shiver down his spine as the demon-girl
nipped lightly at his neck, caressing the now sensitive skin with her
tongue. Ken rationalized quickly that after her recent fit of
depression, it probably was better to spend some time with Kumiko
than worry about what a stranger wanted. Since the demon-girl's
anger or sadness usually meant something bad for him, it was the
most sensible choice.
Satoru tried his best to avert his eyes from the sight of the
succubus working her powers over her victim. He had to admit
there was something oddly compelling about it. Ken's life would
be short, but he was definitely enjoying his final moments. He was
sure that one of his books did mention something about a ritual for
summoning succubi...
The vice-president of the paranormal club and former child
idol violently shook his head. With his luck, instead of
summoning someone like Aomori-san, he'd get the demonic
version of his sister. That would be a fate worse than death. He
needed to convince Eichi to drop this whole scheme so he could
abandon the supernatural forever. Some of the possibilities were
downright scary.
"I think the woman said something about a demon hunter,"
Satoru shouted while still trying to sound casual. He was still
surprised to get the couple's attention. "I don't know what she
could have meant by that. Demons are only make-believe, of
course."
Kumiko's eyes narrowed. She had never met a demon
hunter before, but she had heard a lot about them from other
demons. Most of them were crackpots who were only able to
annoy spirits at their best. There were some though that could give
demons real problems. The demon-girl wasn't about to let some
stupid mystic cut her vacation short. With a firm grip on her slave,
Kumiko marched forward with a steel gaze and a determined
stride.
"You're going the wrong way," Ken managed to croak out
from the headlock that the demon-girl had him in.
Natsume gleefully tore open a box containing all the things
she had ordered especially for her coffee shop, each marked with
"Natsume's" in cursive English script. She had planned on saving
this moment until she was nearly ready to open, but finding herself
in need of a spare apron, had decided what the heck. She still had
her sign to hang up.
Ayame stared at the garment that her host handed to her in
puzzlement. Was she suggesting that she change into this? She
wasn't sure how to wear it, but didn't think there was nearly enough
material to cover her decently. However, she was alone with
Natsume, in the back room of the shop where no one else could
observe them. The angel-girl supposed it would be okay,
especially if this was what her host wanted.
"What are you doing?!" Natsume shouted in surprise as she
frantically tried to keep her glasses from slipping off her nose. Her
guest had started to lift up her blouse, exposing the lightly tanned
skin of her smooth, flat stomach. There seemed to be something a
bit odd about it, but the sandy-haired girl couldn't place it in her
current state of mind. She was too busy resisting the urge to reach
out and touch the enticingly silken surface.
Ayame blinked, freezing at her host's exclamation. That
was when she noticed Natsume was wearing the new garment over
her clothes. The angel-girl blushed deeply in embarrassment.
Once again she had completely misunderstood. Despite all of her
studying, there seemed to be a lot of things she still needed to learn
about humans.
"I was just... umm...," Ayame stuttered, still blushing
deeply, as she quickly tucked her blouse back in and threw on the
new garment as her host was wearing hers, though she couldn't
seem to tie it in the back.
"I doesn't matter, don't worry about," Natsume told her with
a smile as she carefully tied the apron for her guest, fighting the
new urge to let her hands drift downward. It was odd but
whenever Ayame acted nervous, Natsume felt completely at ease.
Probably because she was too concerned about her guest to worry
about her own failings. "There. Now we're ready to wash those
dishes! Let's go!"
Smiling at Natsume's enthusiasm, Ayame nodded.
"How did it go?" Eichi asked when the vice-president of the
Paranormal Club had returned from his critical yet dangerous
mission of convincing the succubus to fall into his carefully
constructed trap, like a spider luring a moth into its web with an
open flame, or something like that.
"They're on their way," Satoru admitted almost reluctantly,
still surprised that the judo team had fallen for Eichi's farcical tale.
The whole time spent searching for Ken and the succubus,
Satoru had planned to say something stupid and unconvincing so
he could honestly report that the plan had failed. It was just the
sight of them making out in the middle of the street, without a care
in the world, while he lived in fear... For a moment, he had
forgotten about the consequences and just wanted to see the
succubus suffer. And he was definitely not starting to feel jealous
of Ken.
"Good," Eichi said with a smug grin as he rubbed his hands
together. "Soon, the evil succubus will be defeated and I will have
my sister on her knees, begging for my forgiveness!
Mwhahahaha!!"
Noting the odd looks the other club members were giving
him, Eichi added with a faint blush, "Umm, just forget about that
last part."
Nobu just shook his head as he went back to his camcorder,
checking his shot once again. They were currently hiding in the
bushes near a gym window where the shade was partially broken,
enough for them to look into to the darkened interior. The stage
was set, awaiting the star to make her grand entrance. Nobu was
determined not to miss a single moment or her, or Ken's
humiliating punishment.
Eichi and Satoru turned and looked at each other as their
third member began to chuckle to himself. "Have you ever heard
him laugh before?" Eichi whispered.
"Never," Satoru whispered back, still wearing glasses and
dressed in clothes that were nearly painted on.
*Why did I ever allow these lunatics to join my club?*
Eichi thought to himself in despair.
Ken had convinced Kumiko to let him walk like a normal
person, but she still retained a firm grip on his hand. He was a bit
surprised by the serious look on her face and her complete silence
as they made their way to the school's gym. He didn't even think
she could be serious without the icy, murderous glare that terrified
him.
He also wasn't sure how he should feel about the current
situation. Judging from the demon-girl's reaction, a demon hunter
was a dangerous threat. Ken had to wonder how big a threat it
would be for Kumiko, who had nearly killed an angel wielding a
giant flaming sword. Should he hope the demon hunter was a
pushover so that Kumiko would be safe, or should he want this
woman to succeed and free him from the demon-girl forever?
Before Ken could make up his mind, they had arrived at the
college gym. It was an opposing building, especially dark and
silent in the middle of the day. The shades had all been drawn with
the only light from the opened doorway, revealing a lone figure
standing in shadow.
Kumiko did not hesitate. Tightening her grip on her slave,
she entered the gym, the power of her footsteps leaving behind
small divots in the wood floor. Her eyes were on the woman, still
partly concealed in darkness, while her free hand flexed, ready to
call forth her whip. She expected an attack to come at any
moment.
The gym door slammed shut as the gym lights switched on
overhead, the sudden glare nearly blinding them. As Ken's eyes
adjusted, he realized they were now surrounded by women, each
dressed in a white gi. Each also wore a mask of anger, directed not
at the demon-girl, but at him. He shrunk back from their gazes, not
realizing Kumiko had let go of his hand.
"Pervert!" "Sicko!" "Monster!" "Bastard!" "Meany!" were
some of the kinder things the girls shouted as the closed in on him
from all sides, their eyes glowing with fury. Ken wondered where
this was coming from as frantically searched for some avenue of
escape. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to offend an
entire martial arts team, at least not recently.
"A jerk like you isn't fit to live!" "You must be punished for
your misdeeds!" "Yeah!" This is going to be fun!"
As the chorus started to take on a more menacing tone, Ken
decided that he should at least try to find out what was going on.
Maybe this was all one big misunderstanding. "Umm, what is this
all about anyway?"
"Get him!" the girls simultaneously roared with rage,
practically leaping the remaining distance in an effort to be the first
to grab him. Ken found himself nearly smothered by a dozen girls,
all pulling and yanking at his clothes, and occasionally his skin.
Something he might have fantasized about before, but the reality of
it was painful, especially when a knee caught him in the ribs and a
set of teeth bit down on his hand.
"Kumiko!" he cried out to the demon-girl in desperation,
reaching out to her with his one free hand. He was rather
disappointed when she ignored him completely, instead moving
slowly towards the one woman not currently trying to maim him.
The next moment he was defying gravity as one girl
managed to tear him from the grasp of the others. Ken's relief was
short-lived as he landed painfully on the ground, only a foot away
from the safety of the mat. When he managed to look up, he
noticed the girls closing in again, their earlier anger replaced with
devilish glee.
Kumiko continued to walk slowly forward, her attention
totally focused on the woman who stood before her. She had to be
the demon hunter; she had the same look of smug, righteous
arrogance that the demon-girl had heard described a dozen times
before. Whatever form her attack would come in, the demon-girl
was ready. She wasn't about to let anyone take her slave from her.
*This is the girl who lets her boyfriend beat her up?* Yui
thought with some surprise. She had been expecting someone
more... victim-like. This girl had a strange aura of strength about
her that seemed to flow out from her every movement. *Doesn't
seem to care what's happening to her boyfriend though, not that I
blame her.*
Kumiko stopped only an arm's length away from the
woman, staring directly into her brown eyes, and was a little
disappointed that the woman didn't turn away, or at least flinch.
She was trying to be intimidating like a proper demon, but it didn't
seem to be working. She wished that she really had paid more
attention in class. "Are you the one?"
*She must mean the one who was in charge of the little
lesson her boyfriend was receiving,* Yui thought with a smirk.
>From the cold tone of the woman's voice, she seemed concerned
about that after all, even if she made no move to stop it. Her judo
team was currently using the boy in a game of toss, though no one
seemed able to catch him before he hit the floor.
"I suppose I am," Yui replied with a challenging smile.
"What are you going to do about it? Fight me?"
Kumiko gritted her teeth in rage. Not at being so obviously
taunted, but the fact that the demon hunter was stealing all the best
lines. Not to mention succeeding in the cool, indifferent yet deadly
attitude that the demon-girl wanted to convey. No wonder demon
hunters were hated so much. After taking a moment to calm down,
Kumiko replied, "If I have to."
Yui blinked in surprise. She was well known as the most
skilled martial artist on campus, especially for pushing her
opponents until they broke like cheap exercise equipment. She had
expected her to back down, or hesitate at the very least. This girl
looked eager for a fight, and just might be able to provide a decent
workout.
"Very well," Yui told her with a smile as she dropped into a
ready stance, her bare feet firmly gripping the floor. "If you can
defeat me in a judo match, I'll call this whole thing off."
"Judo?" Kumiko repeated with a puzzled expression. She
had heard of many bizarre methods that demon hunters used in
attempt to banish their prey, but they were normally somewhat
mystical in nature. Still, she supposed that with egos as big as
theirs, they each had to have their own style.
"You do know at least the basics of judo, don't you?" Yui
asked with a smirk as she began to slowly circle around her
opponent. Her hands hung at her sides in a deceptively casual
stance, ready to be used at a moment's notice.
Kumiko nodded with a smile of her own as she slipped off
her shoes, no nasty laces this time, and began to circle herself in an
effort to keep her opponent at a distance. "I took it as one of my
electives."
Yui chuckled a bit, though she wanted to laugh out loud.
This amateur thought a single class would be enough to equal her
years of constant training? Yui knew she was going to enjoy
teaching this girl a lesson in reality, preparing to launch her first
attack.
Kumiko smiled at the demon hunter's overconfidence. She
might be trained to battle demons, but she still was a mortal, and
no match for demonic strength and endurance. The demon-girl
was going to relish taking this girl down from her pedestal, and
readied her first strike.
Their wordless cries echoed through the cavernous gym as
they lunged for each other with outstretched hands.
Natsume added a dab of liquid soap to the dish-filled sink,
a bit ashamed to find the dishes from last night's dinner still resting
there. A surprise visitor had thrown her whole routine off, not that
she really minded. Steaming hot water added to the mix and soon
the sink was filled with nice, white suds. Natsume fixed her
glassed before turning back to face her guest and ask, "So do you
want to wash or dry?"
Ayame had been so focused in observing what her host was
doing that she didn't notice the question at first. "Umm, whichever
you'd prefer, Natsume. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never
done this before."
Natsume nodded with an understanding smile. She
supposed that in America they all used washing machines, but
being the eldest in a large and somewhat poor family, the sandy-
haired girl had gotten used to the idea of washing dishes by hand.
Still, she hoped her coffee shop would do well enough that she'd be
forced to use her 'not quite new' washing machine.
"Hmm, why don't you wash? If you don't mind hot water,
that is," Natsume said after a moment of thought. "I think it'll go
faster if I put things away at the same time."
"I don't mind at all," Ayame replied as she approached the
sink, the heat rising from it already bringing a smile to her face. It
was more than warm, but not too hot; just the way she liked it.
Eyes shut, she slowly slipped her hands beneath the layer of suds,
shivering from the delicious heat as the sensation traveled up from
her arms.
As an angel, she was supposed to prefer the cool cleansing
wind swirling about her as she fluttered among the clouds, but no
matter how hard to tried to accept this, they only made her shiver
and long for a place of warmth. Ayame looked back at her host
and said, "But you'll have to tell me what I'm supposed to do."
Natsume had been staring at the sunlight as it gently
caressed Ayame's smiling face, slipping down past her neck, so her
guest's words caught her by surprise. "Ah! I mean, it's pretty
simple. Just take the sponge and scrub the dish all over, wash off
all the suds, and I'll take it from there."
Ayame tilted her head to the side as she sorted out this new
information. As far as she knew, sponges where little sea-dwelling
creatures. First of all, she'd have to fly all the way to the ocean in
order to find one, and even then rubbing one against the dish was
likely to make it more dirty than less. This had to be another
instance where her knowledge of human affairs was incomplete.
"I'm sorry, but I do not understand."
Natsume thought she had explained it pretty clearly, but
maybe it was some sort of language barrier. Her guest spoke fluent
Japanese, but her understanding could still be less than perfect.
"Here, let me show you."
"This is a sponge," Natsume explained, putting the object in
question in Ayame's hand. The angel-girl squeezed it gently,
feeling sorry for the sea creature being used in such a way, but she
had to follow the ways of humans for now.
Natsume stood off to one side of her guest, blushing faintly
as she took Ayame's hands in hers and guided her through washing
her first dish. The other girl's hands were warm and slick with the
soapy water, while her body was so near that Natsume could feel
her guest's breath on her face. It was all the sandy-haired girl could
to keep from trembling as she edged closer to the taller woman.
"Oh, I see now. It's all so easy!" Ayame enthused as she
finished washing her first dish, lifting the now purified vessel high
above her head in triumph. In her excitement, she had forgotten
that Natsume was still holding onto the bowl and the smaller girl
was yanked off her feet to land face-first in Ayame's significant
cleavage.
*So warm and soft,* Natsume thought, filled with such a
sensation of comfort and peace that she didn't know or care what
was happening. She only wanted it to last forever, a moment
frozen in time as she drifted along with the scent of sakura petals
tickling at her nose.
"I'm so sorry!" Ayame immediately apologized as she
quickly set the dish aside and held out her host at arm's length to
make sure she was all right. If she was ever going to blend in the
human world, she would have to be much less forgetful in the
future, especially about her angelic strength.
Natsume hung limply in her guest's arms. Her eyes were
opened, but unfocused, and there was a blissful smile on her lips,
in contrast to her bloody nose. "Mio-chan," she muttered to
herself, giggling like a ticklish child.
"Are you all right, Natsume?" Ayame asked, her voice full
of concern, as she leaned her head close to look into her host's
eyes, partly hidden the sunlight reflecting off her glasses.
Natsume blinked at her like a drunk just starting to sober
up. She opened her mouth to speak, but it simply hung there,
unwilling to form the words. There were so many things she could
say at this moment, each one better than simple silence, but the
best she could do was, "Umm... ah... hmm..."
"Oh, my! Natsume, your nose is bleeding!" Ayame said in
alarm, noticing the slow drip of the red fluid. It was the first time
she had seen human blood before, though knew it as a sign of their
frailty. *They were right to put me on prohibition. All I seem to
be able to is hurt humans instead of helping them.*
"Eeep!" Natsume practically leapt out of Ayame's arms as
she quickly stopped the flow with a damp washcloth while hiding
her face from her guest. She could feel her cheeks burning, but it
was no surprise. It had reminded her of the last time her nose had
bled like this and that was a pleasant, but very embarrassing
memory. Combined with being held in Ayame's arms had brought
up certain mental associations that made the sandy-haired girl very
glad mind-reading was only a pulp fantasy.
"Is there anything I can do to help, Natsume?" Ayame
asked with concern as she very carefully placed her hands on the
other girl's shoulders in an effort to peer into her now hidden face.
"I'm fine, really! I get nosebleeds like this all the time, its
no big deal," Natsume insisted, frantically adjusting her glasses
while struggling not to think of a number of things her guest could
do for her. "Now that you know how, let's finish up those dishes!"
"As you wish," Ayame said reluctantly as she released
Natsume and returned to the sink where the dirt dishes awaited her,
occasionally glancing back at her obviously nervous host. The
angel-girl frowned, and made a mental note to closely observe
human relations at every opportunity from now on. Perhaps then
she could discover what she was doing wrong.
Natsume sighed in relief, no longer feeling her guest's soft
touch. Living together was going to be harder than she thought,
but maybe once she got used to Ayame, everything would be all
right. If she could ever get used to her.
"That was an unexpected turn of events," Eichi commented
in surprise as he watched the judo team grab Ken instead of
Kumiko. It was frustrating that the shouts of the girls were
unintelligible from where they crouched behind bushes. If he
could understand them, he might know why this was happening.
"Are you sure you explained it to them just as I told you, word for
word?"
"Of course, I really wouldn't have known what to say
myself," Nobu replied nervously, keeping his eye glued to the
camcorder. "Maybe they just misunderstood me."
Eichi was too deep in thought to notice the hesitation in the
treasurer's voice. "Or perhaps they only wish to take him to safety
before launching their attack on the succubus."
*I don't think so,* Nobu thought with a smile as Ken was
tossed high in the air, only to drop to the wood floor. He was only
beginning to get what he deserved for mistreating the goddess.
Who knew what other horrible things he had been doing to her in
private? At least in a full-body cast, he wouldn't be much of a
threat.
"He's doing it again," Eichi whispered to the vice-president
as their treasurer began to chuckle.
Satoru nodded absently. He hadn't even noticed Ken's
predicament, being wholly focused on the succubus, especially the
deadly look in her eyes as she approached the other woman. The
build up of supernatural energy chilled him. Someone was going
to get seriously hurt and it was all his fault.
Satoru sighed as he glanced up, then blinked in surprise,
noticing the catwalk that hung above the gym. From up there,
maybe he could do something and avoid getting noticed by the
judo team or the succubus.
"Now where is he going?" Eichi asked in confusion as
Satoru suddenly leapt to his feet and ran off. Then he realized his
fellow club member was so focused on the budding confrontation
between Yui and the succubus that he probably hadn't heard a word
his president had said.
It was his turn at camera duty, but he couldn't get much
through a window. Maybe the vice-president had the right idea. If
he snuck in the back, he could probably get some great shots from
the shadows. It had nothing to do with the all the chance photos he
could get from a dozen girls fighting in loose-fitting gis. His focus
had to be on the succubus, to capture the moment she revealed her
supernatural nature.
Nobu was too busy cursing the brutish girl for confronting
the goddess to realize he was alone. It became clear to him where
this was going. The tomboy couldn't stand to be in the presence of
such perfect example of womanhood and had to befoul her with
her unclean hands. However, the only thing Nobu could to now
was pray that the goddess would teach that bully a lesson.
*Here we go again,* Ken thought from his most recent
landing spot, luckily on the thin, yet to him heavenly, softness of a
gym mat. He had already lost track of how many times he had
been tossed around, or how many bruises he had gotten as a result.
He was a bit surprised no one seemed to notice that the arc of his
descent always kept him close to the demon-girl.
After nothing had happened for several moments, Ken
looked up in surprise, blinking as the world pitched and swayed
around him. He shook his head in attempt to clear it and
immediately regretted the massive headache this gave him.
Through his blurred vision he saw that all the girls were presently
ignoring him, gathered in a circle an indeterminate distance away.
They seemed to be shouting something, but he couldn't make it out
over the roaring in his ears.
Ken managed to drag himself to his feet and found that he
could overcome his current lack of balance as long as he kept in
motion. The crowd parted as he approached, as if afraid to come
into contact with him now, and he saw what everyone had been
shouting about.
*What is this girl made of?* Yui thought in irritation. She
had tried holds that she had previously used to flip opponents four
times her own weight, but they couldn't even budge this girl. It
was like her adversary was made of lead, with all of her joints
welded into place.
Then Yui had to quickly counter a move that would have
sent her onto her backside. The girl must have been lying before,
she couldn't have become this good after a single class. She was
obviously no amateur.
*Stupid slippery girl!* Kumiko thought, gritting her teeth
in anger. All she had to do was get a good hold on the demon
hunter and this little contest would be all over. Then the demon-
girl would be able to play with her slave in peace. The problem
was the demon hunter never stood still enough for her to get that
hold, always squirming out of her grasp like a worm.
The judo team had just gotten over the shock of their
captain fighting the very girl they were trying to save, only to be
astonished that this new girl was actually holding her own against
someone who had won every judo competition she had ever
entered. Even training under her guidance for so long, the entire
team knew that none of them could stand up to Yui for this long.
Whoever this new girl was, they hoped she'd be willing to join
their team. Then they would be unstoppable.
"Go, captain, go!" the judo team cheered Yui on, but she
neither heard nor saw them. All of her attention, everything she
had, was focused on her immovable opponent. She had managed
to budge her just a bit, fueling her hope of victory. She only
needed to find the proper hold, the keystone that would collapse
her opponent like a stone bridge.
"Please stop this, Kumio!" Ken shouted once he finally
realized what was going on. Any minute he expected the demon-
girl to slip into the 'true demon' mode, like she had faced the
homicidal angel with. He didn't think a human would be able to
walk away from being snared by a whip and tossed into a wall. He
didn't want to see anyone get that hurt, or the trouble it would
cause if Kumiko's true nature was known.
Oddly though, demon-girl continued to struggle using only
the techniques of judo, at least as far as Ken could tell. Even
though her face was red with anger, she didn't even attempt to use
her whip. For some reason, she seemed determined to fight her
opponent fairly. He was surprised that she even knew how.
Ken blinked to realize that Kumiko's opponent was none
other than Yui Kurojima. There was a small shrine for all the judo
awards and trophies she had won in the administration building.
Walking past this a few times had intrigued Ken, so he had gone to
one of her matches, idly planning on asking her for a date
afterwards.
What he saw that night drove all thoughts of dating from
his mind. Yui had steamrolled through her opponents, tossing
them aside idly without breaking a sweat, a smug never leaving her
face. She didn't seem to care what sort of pain others suffered as
long as she emerged victorious in the end. Imagining himself
being flipped into orbit for asking her out convinced him to avoid
her altogether, just to be on the safe side.
Ken grinned wickedly as a plan started to form in the dark
recesses of his mind. Maybe living with a demon was filling his
head with evil ideas, but after what he had just gone through, he
decided it was worth it.
"Kumiko, she just tried to touch your bottom!" Ken shouted
in mock-alarm, pointing to Yui for emphasis. The rest of the judo
team shot him puzzled glances, but he only smiled smugly in
return.
"Only Ken-chan can touch my bottom!!" Kumiko roared
with rage as with renewed strength, grabbed Yui by the waist and
tossed her up so high that she landed on the metal catwalk.
The rest of the judo team could only stare at her in awe as
Kumiko picked up her shoes, slung her slave over her shoulder,
and marched out of the gym. Despite his embarrassing
predicament, Ken couldn't help smiling.
Ayame and Natsume stood side by side, identical contented
smiles to match their identical aprons as dishes were washed,
dried, and put away. It was as if all the nervousness and unease of
before had been forgotten and they were completely relaxed.
The angel-girl had been lulled by the pleasantly warm water
as she dipped the dishes in, only to reluctantly bring them to the
surface. The colder room air on her skin made her eagerly look
forward to the next time she could submerge her hands beneath the
waves of white suds, making the process of washing dishes filled
with anticipation.
The simple and repetitive task also brought her peace of
mind. She no longer had to worry about complicated matters like
her recent probation or being a good guest. Her only concern now
was making sure the dish was thoroughly washed, scrubbing off
the stubborn bits of food with the trusty sponge. Even though she
had realized it wasn't alive, she treated it gently. It was a sacred
object to aid in purification.
It also helped to know she was finally doing some good. In
this mission there were no grey areas, either the dish was clean or it
wasn't. Her smile was one of accomplishment as she presented the
now purified vessels to her host.
Natsume was facing straight ahead, drying the dishes and
putting them away, but her eyes were always on the woman next to
her. She actually preferred it now that Ayame wasn't focused on
her, seemingly staring off into space. The sandy-haired girl felt
content to watch her now, to note the way the sunlight shone
through her strawberry blonde hair, the slight point to her nose, or
the way her lips moved as she smiled.
It was like she was standing in a gallery, admiring the work
of a great sculptor. She couldn't feel nervous like that, unless the
artist was looking over her shoulder or something. Natsume
quickly glanced up, then blinked in surprise. She had never been
the religious type even though she had been raised Buddhist.
Ayame, coming from America, was probably brought up with the
Christian religion, but she didn't seem like the religious type either.
Natsume shook her head of heavenly matters; she had
enough mortal problems. Specifically, bridging the gap between
Kumiko and Ayame. She had a tentative friendship with the both
of them and didn't want to see either of them hurt, but didn't want
them to be enemies either, especially when they'd be working
under the same roof.
Natsume didn't want to see Ken get hurt either. He was a
good friend for a guy, and besides, she could just tell that he and
Kumiko were made for each other.
A loud clatter snapped the both of them out of their daze.
They looked down to see a wooden plate still wobbling on the floor
before it settled and stopped. Ayame had passed it to Natsume
without looking, and not paying attention herself, the sandy-haired
girl hadn't tried to receive it.
"I'm so sorry," Ayame apologized as she looked up to meet
Natsume's eyes. "I'm afraid I wasn't paying close attention."
"No, it's my fault. I'm the one that should have been paying
closer attention," Natsume insisted as she picked up the plate and
began to dry it.
"You mustn't do that. It fell on the floor, I should wash it
again," the angel-girl protested. She felt horrible, not for allowing
the dish to become sullied once again, though that was bad enough,
but for disturbing the wonderful sense of peace that settled over
them. They were finally getting along like two normal humans and
she had ruined it.
"You don't have to. It's fine, really," Natsume began to say,
but seeing the intent look in her guest's eyes, shrugged and handed
the plate back to her. With a smile, she added, "I promise that I'll
be ready for it this time."
Ayame smiled in return as she accepted the plate and
dipped it back into the still warm water, feeling the serenity
restored. If she could only manage to keep things like this, she
would have nothing to worry about. Nothing except for her current
mission that is. She frowned for a moment, but shrugged that
thought away. There was no point in worrying about it now.
Natsume accepted the recleaned plate, and feeling confident
in their current casual atmosphere, decided that a little small talk
was needed. "Hmm, where did you get those clothes, Ayame? I
thought you hadn't any other clothes with you, and that fits you too
well to have come from my closet."
Ayame nearly dropped the dish she was washing as the
innocent question threw the angel-girl into a state of panic. Her
clothes were a natural extension of herself so they could take
whatever form was appropriate at the time. In Heaven, that meant
a simple white garment, but she had noticed that in the mortal
world, they wore a variety of clothes. She had just dressed
accordingly, forgetting that for mortals, their clothes had to
actually come from someplace.
"My suitcase!" Ayame replied very nervously. "I set it
down when I knocked at the back entrance to your shop, but when
no one answered, I forgot to pick it up again. I just remembered it
this morning, but seemed to have forgotten it outside once more.
I'll go get it!"
"I'll get it for you!" Natsume offered, already in motion,
unable to withhold the curiosity of all the things that might be
inside. Her guest couldn't be too mad if she took a small peek.
Thinking quickly, Ayame rapidly, yet still efficiently,
washed three dishes and set them on the counter. "No, no, no. I'll
get my suitcase. I wouldn't want to burden you with the task when
you have those dishes to dry."
*When did she get ahead of me?* Natsume thought in
surprise, noticing the clean but still wet dishes waiting for her on
the counter. With a shrug of her shoulders, she surrendered. She'd
have plenty of time for peeking later.
Ayame practically raced outside, slamming the door shut
behind her. She really hated lying to her host, it gave her a sick
feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she had to conceal her angelic
nature from her. Hopefully, she wouldn't make such screw ups in
the future and wouldn't need to lie to Natsume again.
Focusing on the image of a suitcase in her mind, Ayame
removed her pearl earring, cupping it in her hands as she began to
chant in a low tone. Light began to bleed through her fingers,
focused on the ground before her, until with a bright flare of light,
a simple brown suitcase now stood there.
Ayame tested the handle with her now empty-hands,
smiling in accomplishment. She had never tried to make a piece of
luggage before, but she had done a very passable job, if she did
think so herself. She returned to the shop and her host filled with
renewed confidence.
"What happened to your earring?" Natsume asked with a
small frown, gesturing to her guest's now unadorned ear.
"I was worried that I might lose it, so I put it in here,"
Ayame replied nervously, patting the suitcase for emphasis. It
didn't seem like it would ever be easy for her.
The judo team was torn with indecision. Some of them
wanted to run up to the catwalk to make sure their captain was all
right, while others wanted to catch up to the mysterious judo
master in order to beg her to join their team. The latter were sided
with a few who still wanted to punish Ken further for his horrible
deeds, even more so after seeing what an amazing judo master his
girlfriend was.
Splitting up to do both was out of the question. They were
a team, they did everything together. So together, they milled
around in confusion.
Only a short distance from them, Eichi lurked in the
shadows. He was nearly bursting with glee. He had done it, he
finally had all the proof of the supernatural he needed contained in
the magical little camera. With it, he had gotten some really great
shots of the judo team, especially of their magnificent captain Yui,
including a shot where she happened to bend his way so one could
see the tops of her...
Eichi shook his head to clear it. He had been so caught up
in taking pictures of the judo team for... purely documentative
purposes that he had nearly missed the moment he had long waited
for. On film, he had managed to capture images of the succubus
hurling Yui into the air with superhuman strength and eyes
glowing red with hellfire. At least he hoped he hadn't just
imagined the last part. Still, it was the proof he needed to make his
sister suffer like she deserved.
"Where's that laughter coming from?" one of the judo team
asked with a frown. "It sounds like a guy's voice."
"It must be another pervert!" another insisted.
"We need to find him and make him suffer, even worse
then Ken!" yet another declared with her fist upraised.
"Yeah, let's get him!" the rest agreed.
Eichi stopped laughing when a hand suddenly grabbed him
by the shirt and tossed him in the air, only to land face-first on the
hard wooden floor. He sat up in alarm to find himself surrounded
on all sides by stern-faced women. There was no sign of escape.
"Peeping on us were you?" one asked, her arms crossed,
making her breasts... Eichi made a mental note to stop borrowing
Nobu's tapes, especially without reading the labels first. They
made him notice the oddest things at all the wrong moments.
"No, no, no!" Eichi told them with an outstretched hand in
a feeble attempt to ward of further violence. Where was his loyal
club members when he needed them? He had to think up an
excuse quick. "I was just... planning on trying out for the
basketball team! Yeah, that's it. I was thinking of shooting a few
hoops to practice, but I saw you ladies practicing here and didn't
want to disturb you. So I was just waiting until you left."
Eichi grinned confidently. Not only could he come up with
clever plans for future use, but could work under pressure too.
Maybe he should think about a career in politics.
"What's that you're hiding there?" another girl asked,
pointing to his arm, which still protectively held the camera and the
precious film it contained.
"It's my ball of course," Eichi replied with a smile. "After
all, can't shoot hoops without a basketball."
The judo team all frowned simultaneously at him. One girl
pointed out, "It's a little small for a basketball."
"Well... I deflated it before coming here. Makes it easier to
carry that way," Eichi replied, starting to feel just a bit nervous. It
was possible that, brilliant though it may be, these girls just weren't
buying his story.
A hand flashed forward and scooped the camera out of his
arm before he could protest.
"It's a camera!" the judo team member shouted in disgust,
holding it up for the others to see. "This pervert was taking
pictures of us while we were teaching that other pervert a lesson!
He was probably planning on getting us in the locker room too!"
"Looks like you girls have found me out," Eichi told them
with a smug smile and equally conceited chuckle. "You see, I'm
actually a scout for a major advertising company and we feel you
girls are just the thing we need for our new add campaign."
"Get him!" one team member shouted and eleven girls
closed in on Eichi, who had finally realized the trouble he was in.
The girl with the camera took out the film with the intent of
exposing and therefore ruining it, but instead shrugged and
pocketed it. She sat on a bench, took out a fresh roll of film she
happened to have with her, and started to take snapshots of the
others as they tried to see which one of them could toss the pervert
the highest in the air.
High above the judo team, their captain was slowly
returning to consciousness. Yui squinted in the semi-darkness as
the her blurred vision sharpened to reveal the catwalk that hung
above the gym. *How did I get way up here?*
Slowly, her mind cleared as well, a minor headache fading
to leave behind the memory of recent events. Impossible as it
seemed, she was high above the gym because the other girl had
thrown her up there.
Never before had Yui witnessed such amazing power,
determination, and pure judo skill. In retrospect, it was a miracle
the judo captain had managed to hold out as long as she had. The
other woman had clearly been in a whole other class from her. She
never stood a chance of winning.
Yui grinned at that thought. Her search was over. She had
found the one opponent she could never defeat. All she had to do
now was make this mystery woman the new captain of the judo
team. Then Yui could finally give up on the sport and begin her
search for a good husband.
Squirming a bit to make herself comfortable as she
contemplated her future happiness, Yui blinked in surprise to
realize that she was lying on something soft, rather than the hard
metal of the catwalk, though there was something relatively small
and hard pressing into the small of her back. Whatever it was, it
had cushioned her fall.
"Umm, hi," Satoru said, face flushed with embarrassment,
as the woman who had landed on top of him sat up and looked
back at him in shock. He had been trying to catch her so she
wouldn't get hurt, but he had underestimated the power behind the
succubus's throw.
Yui's eyes slowly glanced down to discover exactly what
hard thing had been pressing up against her. "Ecchi!" she
screamed, grabbing the boy and holding him high above her head
before hurling him to the other end of the catwalk.
Satoru recovered from his fall to look up with wide eyes at
the woman marching towards him. He wasn't sure which was
worse, women who wanted to date him or those who wanted to kill
him. In either case, he knew explanations never worked, the only
solution was flight. The only problem was the exit was on her side
of the catwalk.
The judo team glanced up at their captain's scream, letting
Eichi to fall where he may. A dozen girls simultaneously blinked
in surprise to see Yui facing off against the handsome man who
had agreed to take each of them on a date before. They had since
discovered that he was Satoru, a freshman student well known as
many a woman's ideal boyfriend.
"No, no, you don't understand!" Satoru pleaded as the
woman once again held him high above her head, but this time
facing the gym floor, which he could tell was a long way down.
He had no idea mortal girls could be just as dangerous as succubi.
Yui couldn't hear his feeble cries over the blood pumping in
her ears. She had worked hard to keep herself pure for marriage
and this sick pervert had attempted to befoul her with his base
impulses. "Die, pervert!"
Satoru screamed, but the only sound her could hear was the
wind rushing past him very fast as the ceiling fell away. Then it
was all over, but not with the hard smack of the wood floor that he
had been expecting. Something soft and yielding had broken his
fall. Much softer than any gym mat. *Am I in heaven?*
Glancing around at the blushing faces of the dozen girls he
had just landed on, Satoru had to wonder if he had been better off
with the single angry one.
Nobu just shook his head at the sight through the window.
Eichi had been tied upside-down with a sign proclaiming him as a
pervert while Satoru was running around the gym in half-shredded
clothes with a dozen girls close at his heels. It was like Nobu
always thought, it's better to observe and enjoy things from a
distance because getting involved meant nothing but trouble.