The ending here is completely different from what I had
originally planned, so please tell me if it works or not
before I start the next chapter. :)
$Err, howabout before you _finish_ the next chapter?
Chapter 7: Operation Anti-Succubus Phase I
****
His older sister probably had something to do with his
obsession in the paranormal, with the tapes of a certain TV show
only being the spark that ignited an already well-stocked furnace.
At a young age, Seiko Kitanuma had decided to become a scientist,
and furthermore her little brother would become her own personal
lab rat, conducting everything from reflex tests to observing the
behavior of bees when exposed to him.
$At least she didn't want to play doctor.
If that wasn't enough, she had stripped away every mystery
and fantasy of childhood just as he grasped them; disproving fairies
and moon bunnies with her irritatingly calm and detached voice.
$Usagi: Hey! Moon bunnies are real!
Before, he just wanted to get away from her so he could lead a nice
and normal life, but now he planned to shove proof of the
supernatural down her throat with the aloof tone he'd been
practicing in the mirror recently.
$A goal driven man, I see.
Eichi unlocked the door to the Paranormal Club room,
surveying their earlier preparations with a smile. All was in
readiness. He took a seat on the floor and waited for the others to
arrive so 'Operation Anti-Succubus' could begin.
Nobu hadn't slept. Instead, he had been editing and
reediting the footage he had taken ever since the blue-haired vision
of female perfection had bounced her way into his life. At first he
told himself that he was doing it out of dedication to the club, in
order to find out the dread succubi's weak spots. After a few hours
however, that excuse had worn a little thin and he simply accepted
the fact that he liked watching her.
$That's it, don't fight it. Resistance is futile.
The energetic mystery woman was like no one he had ever
seen before. With every movement, every gesture, every
expression to cross her delicate features, he was completely
enthralled, viewing them again and again until the images had
burned into his mind. Nobu knew that most people wouldn't
understand his small obsession. He had no desire to speak with
this girl, no desire to touch her alabaster skin... she was simply too
perfect for that. She was meant to be admired from a distance.
$Preferably through high powered telescopes.
Which left Nobu with a quandary. While he wanted to
believe she was a mortal woman, he had to admit that out of all the
girls he had seen, and recorded, none had possessed that
undeniable yet undefinable thing which he had long searched for,
and which this pale beauty radiated like a star in the night sky. She
might be more than human, but more likely a goddess than a devil.
Which made him feel even more strongly that she should not be
tarnished by human hands. This started a coal of hatred towards
Ken to slowly burn.
$Hmm, to slowly burn towards Ken sounds better to me.
If the club's great plan succeeded today, it would drive them
apart forever. If she really was a goddess and Ken was the only
thing holding her to the mortal realm though, that would mean
Nobu would never be able to see her again. He would be left with
a few hours of footage and an ache in his heart for having once
glimpsed perfection, yet knowing he would never witness it again.
He could not let that happened.
Nobu arrived at the club early, planning to search through
their written plans and find some way of sabotaging them, only to
be surprised to find Eichi already there, going over those plans
carefully. The president looked up only once and nodded before
returning to his work.
Nobu understood. They required all members in attendance
before the great plan could be set into motion. He popped the tape
he had spent the night making into the VCR and settled down to
watch as he waited. He would simply have to watch as their plan
unfolded and take whatever action he could to keep the goddess in
sight.
$Lead me not into temptation...
Satoru was having a pleasant dream. He was the slave a
lady vampire in some dark, musty dungeon filled with rusty torture
$Slave to a lady
equipment. It was just the two of them. There was only the
flickering of torches to illuminate her chalk-white skin snugly
encased in a spiked dominatrix outfit.
"You're such a bad slave, Satoru," she purred as she
approached him, her stiletto heels clicking loudly against the stone
floor. She stopped to snap her whip only a few centimeters from
his face. "I believe I shall have to punish you again. Try not to
enjoy it so much this time."
"Yes, mistress!" Satoru replied obediently, waiting for the
$Mistress should be capitalized. Heh, he's a _bad_ boy, itn't he?
next round to begin.
Then suddenly the vampire began to change. The hard
lines of her face softened as her stern look became a smile. Even
her dark red hair faded to blue as her clothes shifted into a much
more frightening wardrobe... a bunny outfit.
$Right. Therapist time.
Satoru screamed, but it was to no avail as the succubus
drew ever closer, pursing her lips for a kiss... Then he frowned as
her lips met his, feeling much too real to be just a dream. He
blinked and stared into a very familiar face, whose lips were just
now drawing away from his. "Good morning, big brother!"
"Nami!" Satoru shouted in red-faced rage at his very
strange, not to mention perverted, fourteen year old sister. "I told
you never do to that ever again!"
"I know, but you looked so cute lying there that I couldn't
help myself," Nami told him with a grin as she rocked back and
forth on her heels. She was dressed in a stylized sailor fuku that
looked like a school uniform redesigned for combat. "Is it my fault
that my own dear brother is the most handsome man in the world?
You are just too irresistible."
$Ah, she wants to keep it in the family.
"What are you doing in my apartment so early in the
morning anyway?" Satoru asked as his anger level dropped down
to irritation, though he still felt mildly ill. Even though she had
been chasing after him since hitting puberty, he still didn't like his
own sister staring at him with lust in her eyes.
$It could be worse.
He also didn't bother to ask how she had gotten into the
apartment building, or passed the locked door of his apartment.
This wasn't the first time she had dropped in for a surprise visit,
though he hoped that she hadn't kicked in the door like last time.
"Early shoot for my TV show today," Nami explained as
she began doing cartwheels around his room,
$Hoping to incite him to lust by flashing her slightly indecent (for a 14
year old girl) panties.
"and a full schedule
after school too. This was the only time I'd be able to see you
today, so I thought I'd better not miss this opportunity."
Nami ended her monologue with a roll onto his bed so that
she was sitting her in her brother's lap, her short dark hair thrown
back as she stuck her chest forward. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Ecstatic," Satoru said flatly as he slipped out of bed and
began to gather his things for the day. As he glanced at his alarm
clock, her realized that he'd be the first in the club room for once.
He better try and find his key then. "I don't understand why you
agreed to so much work, or how you can stand it."
Overwork had been the thing that drove Satoru to abandon
his career as a child idol, and to be firmly against his younger sister
pursuing the same profession. Nami seemed to love it, however,
taking in as much work as she possibly could. As a result, she was
currently one of the more popular idols, having her own TV show
and recording contract, not to mention a slew of endorsements and
other commitments. She was even being scouted for the Olympics
gymnastic team.
"Well, a lot of it is real fun, especially the adoration of my
many fans, who I tragically can not return their love, but when
things get tough, I just think how all of this hard work and
suffering will provide for our future!" Nami exclaimed all in one
breath as she hugged her brother from behind, making sure to press
her 'still developing but already quite significant' breasts into his
back.
"Our future?" Satoru repeated as he gently but firmly
detached his little sister from himself. She had been latching onto
him since she was a baby, so much so that he had once nicknamed
her leech-girl, but only recently had she tried forcing her budding
sex appeal down his throat. Even if she hadn't been his sister,
Satoru was only interested in older women.
$With whips and chains. Must be an odepial complex. Hey, you know what
they say, incest is the best.
"Yes! In only two years, I'll be old enough so we can
finally get married. Then I'll retire and buy us a big house where
we can spend every moment alone in each other's company," Nami
explained; blush freckling her cheeks, stars filling her eyes, and
drool dripping down her chin.
$It's the drool that cinches it.
"It's illegal in Japan, and the rest of the world as far as I
know, for siblings to get married," Satoru pointed out, not
$Come to sweet sunny Arkansas. I know a justice of the peace down the road
that'll have'em married as soon as they hand him the money.
bothering to mention how he felt about marrying his own sister.
She was firmly of the opinion that he was only repressing his
feelings due to some silly cultural taboo.
"I'll just use mom's surname," Nami replied, completely
unfazed by this latest obstacle. "I already use it for work anyway."
"You're missing the point, Nami," Satoru told her as he felt
his anger begin to build again. "We're more than just blood
relatives. Do I have to explain inbreeding to you?"
$Nami: Oooh, ooh, yes, please _explain_ it too me again. I love it when
you talk dirty...
"Who said anything about children?" Nami asked as she
$Yeah silly, that's what oral sex and condoms are for! Or if you're
feeling really adventurous...
performed a few jumping jacks, followed by some stretching
exercises. Her TV show was about a school run by a ninja clan and
she insisted on doing her own stunts, so she needed to keep in
shape. She was also a naturally energetic person and needed to
burn off all of her excess energy. "It'll be just the two of us, alone
forever. We won't even need clothes to keep us warm because
we'll have each other."
Satoru was trying to come up with some way to drive her
sister off so he could take as shower in piece, when an unfamiliar
feminine voice spoke from the hallway, "We will have to leave
now to be on time, Nami."
"Who is that?" Satoru asked his sister in surprise. Nami's
manager was a nerdy little guy who always looked on the verge of
an ulcer, no doubt due to Nami giving him a hard time. He was
also forever apologizing for Nami's frequent surprise appearances.
He seemed to be under the delusion that if he were little more
strong-willed, her might be able to control the wild girl.
Nami shrugged. "She owns the management company
Dashi-kun works for. He's on vacation this week, so she wanted to
handle things for me personally. Don't see why she just doesn't get
some other manager to do it. She's a strange lady."
$With possible lesbianistic tendancies.
That was when a woman gracefully entered the room. She
looked to be in her late twenties, her long dark red hair matching
the maroon business dress she wore. Her clothes concealed most
of her obviously well-proportioned figure, though not her long
legs, whose curves flowed down into high heels. The dark
sunglasses she wore and briefcase she carried made her appear
both mysterious and professional at the same time, enhancing the
aura of command that hung about her.
"Aomori-san," Nami addressed the woman with some
respect. "This is my brother, Sato-chan."
Satoru would have groaned to hear his sister introduce him
like that, if his mind had still been working. Instead, he continued
to stare with his mouth hanging open at the elegant woman who
had just entered his bedroom. He found her remarkably similar to
the vampire of his dream, though red hair and gender were the only
things they actually had in common.
$Satoru:Anh, close enough.
"Pleased to meet you, Satoru-san," Ms. Aomori told him
with a nod, adjusting her sunglasses with one outstretched finger
before turning to address her charge. "Come along now, Nami.
Today's shoot is a key scene and rushing through it could hurt your
career. Also, if all goes well today, they won't have to reshoot it
tomorrow. Then you can spend the whole morning with your
brother if you wish."
"Yes, Aomori-san!" Nami yelled cheerfully, giving her still-
stunned brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek before bouncing out
of the room.
"Farewell, Satoru-san," Ms. Aomori said with a neutral
expression before turning and following her charge.
$She's been around the town a few times and seen weirder.
"Good-bye, Aomori-san!" Satoru shouted after finally
regaining his wits, only to realize that the woman was already long
gone.
Some time later, Satoru arrive a the club room, taking out
his keys, only to blink in surprise to find the door was already
open. Inside, the other two were already hard at work planning out
their activities for the day despite the early hour.
$Day, despite
Eichi stood at the final member entered and said simply, "It
is time."
The others could only nod.
The first faint tendrils of sunlight reached past the blankets,
being used to insulate the broken window, to caress the sleeping
face of Kumiko, bringing a unconscious smile to her lips.
The demon-girl dreamt of her favorite hot lava onsen's
comforting warmth, her best friend Ayame by her side. It didn't
seem odd for an angel to be in Hell, her large dove wings half
submerged in lava. No more than the fact that Ken was serving
them warm sake, or that Natsume was tied up on the edge of the
fountain, her feeble struggles unable to even shake the heavy
chains that weighed her down.
$That's about the only way you're gonna keep that girl from joining _those_
two in the tub.
Kumiko accepted the offered sake from her slave, kissing
him softly before leaning back in the warmth of the lava, all the
way up to her neck. She tipped the cup to her lips as she closed her
eyes. *This is paradise.*
$Ah, hell.
The demon-girl blinked suddenly, as with a thunderous
explosion, Natsume stood free of her chains.
$Natsume: I must have them both!
Before Kumiko
could even react, the strange girl raced over to Ayame and together
they both flew away, smiling as they looked nowhere but into each
other's eyes.
$Natsume wishes.
The demon-girl reached out for them, trying to yell
out, but she couldn't think of the words. In moments, they were
gone from sight.
*Hmph! Well, I still have Ken-chan!* Kumiko thought in
irritation, only to realize that her slave was no longer by her side.
Instead, the waitress from the caf� was wearing her outfit and
leading Ken away by the collar around his neck. Kumiko again
tried to yell out, but the words would not come. She could only sit
and watch Ken's eager expression as he obeyed his new mistress,
getting farther and farther away.
Kumiko was all alone now. That was when the lava began
to cool rapidly, dropping in temperature until it chilled her pale
skin. Tiny white specs started falling all around her. Snow, she
realized.
$Ah, so Ken's going to leave her when Hell freezes over?
As she looked up to the sky, she found the usual cloud of
smoke replaced with a hazy light that only grew brighter and
brighter as she stared at it. She tried to shield herself from the
blinding light as it fell towards her...
$Nice mental image. Wrath of god/holy revelation kind of thing.
Kumiko blinked again, finding the sunlight painful to her
overly-sensitive eyes. Blocking the glare with one outstretched
wing, she glanced around in surprise to find that she wasn't back in
Hell after all, but in Ken's apartment. Rubbing her cheek in
confusion, she was startled to find her face wet. Experimentally,
she licked her palm. Salty.
$Ohell. Not gonna touch that one.
*Tears?*
<snip>
"Ken-chan!" Kumiko shouted as she shook him like a rag
doll. "You're making strange noises!"
"Wha? Wha?" Ken slurred, his eyes only half open as he
looked back at her. "Oh, is breakfast ready, dear?"
Kumiko frowned slightly and shook Ken a few more times.
"What are you talking about, Ken-chan? You're not making any
sense!"
"It's only an earthquake, dear. They happen all the time
here in Tokyo," Ken replied, his voice still slurred, and his eyes
shut once again. "We'll just have to get used to them. We can't
just move back now that I'm prime minister..."
$Cute.
Kumiko was a bit worried. Maybe she'd been too rough
with her slave and had broke him. She knew that humans were
somewhat fragile in both mind and body, but thought she had
treated her slave the way she was supposed to. The demon-girl's
brow knitted as she tried to remember her classes, but she never
did have a good long-term memory. She had forgotten most of her
lessons right after the tests, and everything else usually didn't stay
in her mind long after making her reports.
$Good thing. If you rememebered everything, life would seriously suck.
The first thing she could think of was something about
getting plenty of water and sunlight. That didn't sound like
something for slaves, but she didn't have any other ideas. She
shrugged; it was worth a try.
$It must be for slaves, because I doubt they'd teach plant care in hell.
Where would they get the sunlight, anyway?
Kumiko gently picked up Ken in her arms, cradling him
like a baby. As he nuzzled her breasts and muttered something
about calling in sick, she entered his small bathroom. Reluctantly
setting him down in the shower, it was cold in the apartment and
her slave was a good source of warmth, she threw open the shade
so that the sunlight fell upon him. Then she turned on the shower
full blast.
"Cold!!" Ken shrieked like a little girl as he leapt out of the
path of the freezing torrent, his panic halted by the bathroom wall
he has just jumped head first into.
$he had just jumped
"Wow, it worked," Kumiko commented, her eyes wide in
surprise. Now she knew what to do the next time this happened.
There were so many things to learn about humans. She had no idea
that they'd be so interesting.
*What did I ever do to deserve this?* Ken wondered as he
rubbed the bump now developing on his forehead, which matched
the one he had gotten last night on the back of his head. Due to
being wide awake via a surprise cold shower, the pain was sharp
and hard to ignore.
"Good morning, Ken-chan!" Kumiko exclaimed gleefully
as she hugged her from behind, pressing her full breasts into his
back while rubbing her cheek against his neck. The demon-girl
noted that her slave was also quite cuddly, besides being warm.
"Good morning, Kumiko," Ken echoed with a total lack of
enthusiasm. He guessed that most demons were night people,
committing horrible deeds under the shadow of evening. It was
just his luck to get stuck with the one demon who was a morning
person.
$Heh heh, it's great to be a morning person. Everyone else hates you.
"Hmm, seems like not all of you is awake yet," Kumiko
said, peering at his naked form in the mirror as her hands slipped
down past his waist. "Oh, there it goes!"
$Shouldn't it have been awake first? That's how it usually goes, and
Kumiko would probably notice.
Ken blushed in embarrassment. He thought it was way too
early in the morning for that, but his body obviously had other
ideas. He blushed even more when he noticed the shade had been
pulled back and a middle-aged woman was staring in shock at
them from the building across the street.
$Heheheh.
"Hi, mam!" Kumiko shouted to her, waving in a friendly
manner with a free hand while she continued to hold Ken with the
other. Still stunned, the woman tentatively waved back.
$Heh heh. Friendly people, aren't they?
<snip>
<snip>
Catching a flash of her reflection in the mirror across the
room, Ayame curiously padded over to it. She examined herself
carefully, then blushed deeply to see how embarrassingly small the
shirt Natsume had leant her was, exposing a hint of pristine white
panties.
$Note to self: draw picture. Or retouch an existing one, which would be
easier.
It should have been no surprise since Natsume was a
shorter girl, but the angel-girl was glad no one had ever seen her in
public like this.
$What happened to nudity is no big deal? And it's probably a good thing
for Natsume's blood pressure for her to remain asleep.
Ayame tended to be nervous around others, especially
fellow angels, always worried that she'd say or do something that
wouldn't measure up to heavenly standards. Strangely though, she
had felt none of her normal anxiety around Natsume. She realized
it was a combination of her lingering shock and that Natsume had
been so nervous around her that it had been hard to feel nervous
herself. The fact that someone else could be so concerned about
making the right impression had somehow set her at ease.
Noting her generally disheveled state, especially her hair,
Ayame was glad that even Natsume couldn't see her at the moment.
She took off the borrowed shirt, carefully folding it before setting
on the floor beside her. Then she blushed again, catching the sight
of herself standing there in only her underwear.
$Nah, was better with the shirt.
She was glad that
she didn't use mirrors in Heaven; her face would be red for hours
each day.
$Ashamed? Not likely, but okay. But what happened to the 'nudity is no
big deal' bit?
With one last shake of her head, Ayame twirled quickly,
suddenly dressed in a long skirt and a loose, long-sleeved blouse.
Her strawberry blonde hair was perfect once again.
As she made some finishing touches to her appearance, the
angel-girl's thoughts turned to her new mission. She was supposed
to watch over Kensuke Iwakami and make regular reports of his
activities to Heaven. That mean also seeing Kumiko again, but
Ayame was determined to bear that burden like a true angel. She
wouldn't give that... demon-girl the satisfaction of losing control
again.
Ayame realized that the coffee shop was the perfect base of
operations; it wasn't far from the apartment building where
Kensuke lived or the college that he attended. She wondered if
Natsume would be willing to extend her generosity until the angel-
girl was able to secure her own accommodations.
$Heh, Natsume would probably sabotage any attempt by Ayame to leave.
It would be best
to do something to encourage that idea, to prove her usefulness. It
was a touch deceitful, but then Ayame did honestly want to help
the mortal girl in whatever way she could.
*Hmm, last night she mentioned something about the work
that still needed to be done on her coffee shop,* Ayame thought as
she carefully folded the futon she had slept in, setting the borrowed
shirt on top.
The angel-girl had studied summaries of nearly every
aspect of human life, but this was so broad a topic that even almost
a hundred years hadn't been time enough to cover all the specifics.
So she only knew some things about eating establishments, but
there had to be some place that her vast area of knowledge could be
put to use.
$Not likely. She'll wait tables like the rest of the peons.
She would simply have to look and see.
Ayame stepped out into the hall, turning back to glance at
her host once more. Natsume was currently curled up on her futon,
her hair shading her closed eyes and a smile decorating her lips.
The angel-girl smiled in return before carefully shutting the door
behind her.
"Ayame-chan," Natsume muttered in her sleep.
Like soldiers at the front, the members of the Paranormal
Club inspected their equipment and mentally prepared themselves
for the battle ahead. They knew it would be a hard fight. The
enemy was strong and their chances of success low. Yet in his
own way, each was confident of victory.
Eichi reviewed his plans for flaws once more while
mentally composing a formal letter to his sister, which boiled down
to, "You're wrong! Nya! Nya!" Nobu made sure his camcorder
was in working order, with plenty of film and batteries, and
wondered the best way to drive the blue-haired goddess away from
Ken while still keeping her bound to the mortal realm. And Satoru
prepared for a divination while daydreaming of Ms. Aomori
dressed in black leather, whip held ready.
$Ask Natsume, I'm sure she's already drawn a similar pic.
<snip>
In truth, Satoru just wanted to make that... succubus as
angry as he was at her. Succubi were supposed to be dark and
carry a mature sexy allure, the product of their evil nature.
$In other words, he's pissed that what should have been the ultimate
dominatrix turned out to be cute.
Not be
so... cheerful and cute. She stood as an insult to all dark mystics
everywhere, and even worse, her attitude reminded him of his
sister.
He also had a bad feeling about talking to the convenience
store girl; something that refused to clarify itself, much to his
annoyance. For some reason, while he could see the future of other
people with some clarity, divinations of his own future were
always too cloudy to make out.
"No, no, no!" Eichi argued nervously. "With your prior
acting experience, not to mention your ability with women, you'd
be far more convincing than I ever could! And that's much more
critical to the plan than goading the succubus."
"In other words, he asked the convenience store girl for a
date before and she turned him down flat. Now he's too
embarrassed to speak to her," Nobu commented dryly.
Eichi hung his head in shame, not bothering to deny it.
"Very well, I will do as you say," Satoru told him, unable to
bear seeing their president look so pathetic. Besides, if she really
was such a loner, he should have no problems with her.
$Famous last words.
"Then we
should be on our way. Ken will arrive at the convenience store in
roughly fifteen minutes."
"Right! Paranormal Club, go!" Eichi shouted with fist
upraised before running out of the door.
"He's been borrowing your mecha anime again, hasn't he?"
Satoru asked the remaining club member as they watched their
president sprint down the hall, only to fall down the stairs.
Nobu sadly nodded.
$When SD versions of yourself actually argue in your head, quit watching
anime. Ditto with weird speeches and nosebleeds.
Natsume yawned as she sat up, automatically grabbing her
glasses from the table next to her. Brushing the hair our of her
$out of her
eyes, she slipped them firmly into place, knowing they wouldn't
stay there for very long. As the room snapped into focus, she
couldn't help noticing that she was alone. Had her night with the
gentle, beautiful woman been a dream? Well, she was sure that the
bits near the end had really been a dream, but for the most part she
didn't have that vivid an imagination.
$Nice clarifier.
*She must have already left,* Natsume thought with a sigh,
noticing the spare futon neatly folded next to her. On top was one
of her favorite shirts that she had leant Ayame to wear. *And I
didn't even really get to see how good she looked in it.*
Natsume wished that her guest had at least said good-bye,
but knew there was no use in getting depressed over this. It was all
her fault for acting like a total idiot last night, which probably
drove Ayame to leave at first light. She felt ashamed of her
conduct, but her guest had effected her in ways she hadn't
expected.
$expect.
Stretching as she stood, Natsume did a few morning
exercises to wake up her body, which still felt half asleep. Quickly
throwing together an outfit for the day, she went out in the hall,
heading in the direction of her furo. A nice long bath was just the
thing she needed to feel better.
$Uh huh, yeah, she was going to clean up for the day. Riiight.
That was when she heard a sound that seemed to be coming
from downstairs. A squeak, like the sound the door made whose
hinges still needed to be oiled. Natsume raced down the stairs,
hoping to catch Ayame before she left and apologize for the way
she had acted last night. At least then they could part on a friendly
note.
Natsume blinked, nearly falling on her face in surprise, to
find the wood floor of her coffee shop gleaming back at her. All of
the furniture had been pushed against the walls, and out on the
center of the floor knelt Ayame, polishing the wood until it her
own reflection shown back at her.
$until her reflection shone back at her.
"What...?" Natsume managed to say after a few moments,
still half frozen in shock. She couldn't help wondering how long
had her guest been up and hard at work. The floor had been
heavily scuffed and coated in dust. Now it looked as if it had just
been installed, shining with a gleam normally seen only in furniture
commercials.
Ayame startled at the sound of Natsume's voice, but smiled
when she looked up to see her host standing by the stairwell.
"I wanted to do something in exchange for letting me stay
the night. Then I remembered that you wanted help in decorating
your coffee shop. I don't really know anything about that, but I did
have some prior experience in polishing floors, even if those had
been marble.
$What in Gods great name did she learn to polish off floors in heaven?!
I hope I haven't done anything rash."
Natsume violently shook her head side to side. "No, you
did a great job! I was just surprised. I mean, I never expected my
floor could ever look this good. I'm almost afraid to walk on it and
mar your work."
Ayame blushed lightly from the compliment as she stood.
"You really are too kind to say so. It was only a simple thing that
anyone else could have done, but I'm ashamed to admit that it was
the only way I could think to repay you."
"I said before that you're my guest. You didn't have to go
through so much trouble," Natsume told her with a smile as she
padded across the floor on bare feet. She stopped suddenly to
realize she was now in full view of the large windows that fronted
her coffee shop, in only a nightshirt. With a panicked expression,
she quickly dashed back to the concealment of the stairwell. It was
still early in the morning, but who could tell what sort of hentai
freaks might be lurking about?
$Perverts are early risers? Gee, that explains much.
<snip>
As the town was beginning to awake, The Paranormal Club
had all taken up their positions around the convenience store, ready
to set their plan in motion.
Eichi was in 'disguise', wearing a somewhat feminine pair
of dark glasses he had swiped from his older sister a year ago, as he
nervously loitered around the entrance. Satoru, dressed all on
black with a camera slung over his chest, resembled a cat burglar
on holiday.
$ :j
He stood to the other side of the doorway, arms
crossed, as he watched the empty street. Nobu looked much the
same as he always did, including the camcorder that seemed glued
to his right eye. Even though people tended to overlook him
anyway,
$Horrible pun for the mountain of a guy.
he hid himself away in the shadow of the nearby alley.
Eichi nodded to Satoru, who nodded in return. With a small
sigh, the vice-president passed the sliding glass doors into the
$passed throught the sliding
<snip>
Suddenly, all the little pieces she knew about him fit
together. Having already gone through the really interesting
magazines at the convenience store, she had recently read in a
girlie one that said guys were usually emotionally insecure. So if
they ever needed to talk about a problem, it was always 'their
friend', even though they were really talking about themselves.
$HAH! Good one.
It was no wonder that he always turned girls down; he was
afraid of what his overbearing girlfriend would do. She was
probably the reason he was so soft-spoken0, after being forced to
$soft-spoken,
submit to her will time after time. Perhaps she even... sexually
abused him. That had been in the article too, but she had been too
embarrassed to finish reading it.
$Heh, boy is she on the wrong track.
<snip>
Satoru blinked several times at her extreme reaction. Eichi
was right; girls were really moved by secret love confessions. He
felt a bit guilty about making a false one then, but also couldn't
help wondering if it would work on a more mature woman.
$Yes, I wonder if Natsume will find out.
"I'd
better go in the back of the store to observe then. She's a very
suspicious woman and if she sees me, she might suspect
something."
*In other words, you don't want to suffer her horrible abuse
if I fail to scare her off,* Fujiko thought with a heart full of pity
that such a kind, handsome man should be forced to suffer so.
"Don't worry," she told him with what she hoped was a
sultry look. "I'm sure I'll be able to get this inhuman witch to leave
_your friend_ alone, Satoru-san."
*How did she know my name?* Satoru wondered, sure that
their paths had never crossed before. Still, she was determined to
go along with the plan, which was all that really mattered. "Good
luck... and please be careful, Fujiko-san."
*How romantic!* Fujiko thought with hearts in her eyes as
Satoru walked to the back of the convenience store. The only way
it could be better was if she already had her motorcycle. Then after
the evil ogre woman had been defeated, they could speed away to
their very first date.
$Gotta love bikes.
While Kumiko was busily finding the perfect place to keep
her jar of glass, so it caught the light in just the right way, Ken
finished getting dressed. He felt a little envious of the demon-girl's
quick change abilities, especially the fact that she didn't need to
buy clothes, but didn't think it was worth spending all of eternity in
Hell for. He also made a mental note to call the landlady later to
see about getting the window fixed, doing his best not to think of
how much it would cost him. Maybe his parents would be willing
to give him a loan, as long as they weren't too curious about what it
was for. He didn't think they'd believe an angel smashed his
window.
$That, or their suspicions that he was in league with demons would be
proved right.
"Ready for some breakfast, Kumiko?" Ken asked with
some amusement as the demon-girl watched the light play over the
shards of glass with rapt attention.
"Yum!" Kumiko exclaiming, catching her slave in a flying
tackle that knocked them onto his bed. He could have sworn she'd
been dressed a moment ago as she pressed her naked body against
him and said in a sultry tone, "But you're tasty too, Ken-chan. I
could eat you all up."
$But then there'd be nothing left!
<snip>
Ayame sat at one of the several tables that filled the main
room of the coffee shop, watching the sunlight pour through the
many windows to flood the place with morning light. The angel-
girl smiled to feel its gentle warmth, reminding her of heavenly
comfort.
It nearly dispelled her earlier anxiety. Dread created when
Natsume had commented how strong she must be in order to move
all those heavy tables by herself. Her host had gotten dressed and
helped her to put everything back that Ayame had moved to polish
the floor. Because of the supernatural strength that had always
been part of being an angel, she had easily lifted those tables
before, not even considering how unusual the feat would be for a
mortal.
Ayame had tried to convince Natsume that she had only
done so with great difficulty, and believed she had succeeded,
though she also realized someone could have been watching her
through the large windows that made up the front of the shop. She
had been so focused on her task that someone could have observed
her unnoticed. It was, however, unlikely due to the early hour.
Still, she had been in the mortal world for less than a day and had
nearly given away her true identity. How would she ever manage a
full year?
$Giving a bit too much credit to humans ain't she? We're not exactly an
observant species.
"The fish is almost done now, Ayame!" Natsume shouted to
her from the kitchen in the back of the shop. "I hope you're ready
for Natsume's world famous breakfast. Well, famous to my family
anyway."
$Infamous is more likely.
<snip>
Ayame was too focused on the food appearing before her to
notice how close her host was, even when hands accidentally
brushed against the angel-girl's long hair. She thought that while
the containers which held them bore pleasingly intricate designs,
the grilled fish and miso soup looked gross. One was the carcass
of a dead animal, the other a green sludge.
$Dead animals and sludge! Mmm mmm good!
The scents that wafted
up from them, however, tickled at her nose in a most enjoyable
way, causing her to smile even if she didn't quite understand the
reason. However, she wasn't sure if she liked this uncontrolled
reaction. The rice was the most non-threatening dish, reminding
her of snow, and with no scents to disturb her.
"I'm sorry for not using fresh fish or other fresh ingredients.
Like I said before, I wasn't really prepared for guests," Natsume
apologized as she quickly laid out her own breakfast at the place
setting opposite Ayame.
The angel-girl frowned mentally, being careful not to let it
appear on her face. Her host must have noticed her distaste as she
had eyed the fish and miso, thinking it was her fault. Ayame didn't
want Natsume to feel uncomfortable, especially when the angel-
girl hoped to be allowed to stay a while longer, so quickly told her,
"No, no, you shouldn't be concerned with that. It couldn't look any
better even if it was fresh."
"You're too kind, Ayame," Natsume said with a small smile
as she reached across the table to pour her guest some tea and then
to herself. Finally, she sat herself before the breakfast she had
prepared and announced, "Ititakimasu!"
Ayame noticed that all of Natsume's attention was focused
on her as she watched with a smile from across the table, her
chopsticks ready but making no move to eat. The angel-girl
assumed it was customary for the guest to take the first bite, so
picked up her chopsticks, somewhat awkwardly manipulating them
to grasp a small misshapen ball of rice. Nervously, she slowly
brought the rice to her lips, only for it to slip out of her grasp and
land with a splat on the table.
Natsume giggled. It seemed that while her guest knew how
to hold her chopsticks, she had never tried eating with them before.
"No, Ayame. Like this," the sandy-haired girl instructed as she
picked up the small bowl of rice and proceeded to shovel some of
its contents into her mouth.
Blushing faintly in embarrassment, Ayame nodded.
Bringing the rice bowl close to her face this time, she tried again,
only spilling a few grains as she scooped the rice into her mouth.
Almost fearfully, she chewed her food, all the while Natsume
looked back at her curiously. Drawing upon her courage, she
finally swallowed, and then smiled. The food brought such a light,
pleasant sensation that she felt silly in being so afraid of it before.
$It's the light cocane dusting. Bet you can't eat just one bowlful!
<snip>
Ayame apologized with a light blush, reacquiring her
chopsticks as she watched her host eat. After she was confident
that she wouldn't embarrass herself, the angel-girl carefully tore off
a bit of her fish and popped it in her mouth.
"Ayame!" Natsume shouted in panic, leaping out of her seat
and catching the other woman before she fell to the ground.
$Ayame: Akk! There's a bone stuck in my throat!
<snip>
Ken eventually decided on the local convenience store.
There he could purchase the basics of food to go with all the
condiments he had at home, thus saving precious yen. He could
also get a little present for the demon-girl, a subtle bribe so she
wouldn't be reluctant to part with her money, or think her slave
needed to be punished any time soon.
$Heh, buying her a present with her own money. What will he think of next.
*Hey, I haven't seen her here before,* Ken thought, noting
the cute girl behind the counter who was idly thumbing through a
motorcycle magazine. She had dark shoulder-length hair, drawn
into a short pony-tail in back, and long bangs that nearly obscured
eyes in front. The leather jacket that she wore looked like it had
been in a few accidents. He marched through the sliding glass
doors like a zombie, his eyes focused completely on her.
"Excuse... me miss," Eichi said as he darted in to keep the
succubus from following Ken inside.
"Me?" Kumiko asked in confusion, pointing to herself.
"Yes," Eichi confirmed, relieved that she wasn't quite as
threatening up close as he had been expecting. Then he realized
he'd been so worried about what the succubus might do to him that
he never actually had come up with a plan to delay her.
$Heh.
<snip>
"Butt out, ugly!" Kumiko yelled back at her as she picked
Ken up, failing to notice how much his eyes bugged out as she held
him around the neck in an iron grip. "This is between me and
him!"
Fujiko's calm lasted for all of three seconds. "Ugly?! At
least I don't dress up like some cheap tramp and flaunt my assets at
any man who happens to walk by! And I bet your bust is about as
real as that cheap blue hair dye!" she shouted back as she leaned
over the counter, unable to believe how shameless this woman was
to be grabbing at a stranger in public like that. Satoru was afraid to
even look at another woman, but of course she could do whatever
she wanted. Women like that just made Fujiko sick.
$Cute.
"There's nothing wrong with the way I'm dressed!" Kumiko
yelled back in irritation. She had spent a lot of time that morning
choosing her outfit from Ken's manga collection. It had been a
surprise how many nice outfits were considered improper in public.
"And my slave said it looked good on me, so there!"
Fujiko stuttered in rage, unable to believe that this... demon
could say that poor Satoru was her slave, just like that. "He only
said that because he was scared of what you'd do if he didn't!"
Ken suddenly found himself dropped to the floor. He
wasn't about to complain since he could breathe again, though he
was starting to feel uncomfortably warm. Looking up, he found
the reason why. Kumiko stood firmly, fists clenched, head down
with eyes shut, but also faintly glowing with a flickering flame that
encased her whole body.
Backing fearfully away from the demon-girl, Ken wondered
where this sudden confrontation had come from. He was positive
that he had never met the convenience store girl before, and this
was going a little too far for just a stranger concerned about his
welfare. She could be picking a fight out of boredom, but he didn't
think she'd be this vicious.
$Do not annoy the clerk, for you are just another face, and a good target
for job related stress.
Could she be a secret admirer? Ken
knew he was that lucky, but he hoped that it wasn't another angel
$wasn't that luckly, I believe.
out for blood.
Eichi was roused from a pleasant dream involving sending
his sister to Hell, to be replaced with a blurry image of Nobu
recording something with his camcorder, and a dull stab of pain
from the front of his skull. *What the heck happened?* All he
could remember is a pair of red eyes boring into his, then darkness.
Finding himself sprawled out on the sidewalk, Eichi
attempted to stand, only to discover his sense of balance had gone
for a coffee break. The best he could do was kneel next to Nobu,
tugging on the treasurer's pant leg. "Wasa happin'?" he slurred.
"The succubus looks ready to explode!" Nobu enthused at a
whisper, still keeping his camcorder trained upon the scene
unfolding in the convenience store. "She looks so magnificent
when she's angry."
Getting the general gist of things, Eichi nodded. It sounded
like everything was going to plan; not that he could remember what
the plan was at the moment. "Good, good," he whispered back.
"So long as she doesn't blow up the store. I think I need an
aspirin."
Nobu glanced down to see the president had passed out
again, shrugged, and returned to his filming. He couldn't bear to
miss a single moment of the goddess in action.
At the back of the store, where he had been taking pictures
the moment Ken had entered, Satoru felt a sudden chill creep up
his back. The same chill he had felt just before the bunny-girls had
ambushed him. Fujiko had ignored his advice and done the one
thing that he had dreaded: she had pushed the succubus too far.
Holding the mystical orb in his fist, Satoru began to inch
forward while muttering a mantra that was supposed to remove all
sense of his presence. If he managed to knock the succubus
unconscious with the orb, then maybe no one would get hurt. Most
likely he'd be the one getting very hurt, but feeling responsible for
getting Fujiko into this mess, he had to try something. At least the
demon was finally acting the way a succubi should.
$So maybe he'll like her better. Heh, if only he know what went on behind
closed doors.
Fujiko wasn't the least bit impressed by her opponent's
show of anger. In fact, she smiled, the sweet taste of victory on the
tip of her tongue. All it would take was one more push and she
knew this girl would come out swinging. Then she'd just deck her
and claim her prize. "I know he was lying to you because he told
me himself; how frightened he was of you, how much he hated the
sight of you, and how he'd do anything to get away from you."
"No, that's not true," Kumiko muttered to herself, head
down. "He's my slave, he has to do what I say... He has to like me.
He has to stay with me. He has to!!"
When the girl's head snapped up with a inhuman growl,
Fujiko knew fear. It was all there in the woman's red eyes, her
fangs, her claws as she reached out for her. All she could do was
watch as five razor edges neared her throat, paralyzed with fright.
The sound of the slap echoed loudly in the now silent
convenience store. The others could only stare in shock as Ken
pulled his hand away, and Kumiko stared back at him, one hand
now on her reddened cheek.
Eichi was filled with glee, sure that Nobu had recorded
whatever supernatural activity had taken place that he couldn't
make out with his blurred vision. It also looked as if Ken had
finally spurred the evil yet enchanting succubus. It was a shame
$spurned
that his other brilliant plans would go unused, but perhaps he could
salvage them for himself.
<snip>
Then there was her own reward. It had nearly cost her life,
but she had freed Satoru from the shackles of his evil girlfriend,
leaving him free to express his love for her. There would be a
happy ending after all.
Ken didn't know what to think. It had been just like the
time the angel had attacked. Kumiko slipped into some sort of
killing haze, and he snapped her out of it before she could do
something they'd both regret. Then why did he feel so terrible
inside when she stared back at him with hurt eyes?
Kumiko had never been alone before. From her earliest
memories, Ayame had been there for her. Even after they had
parted, the demon-girl knew that somewhere out there was her
good friend, to run to if she ever needed her again. Only last night
did she discover that for nearly a hundred years, she had been
living under false hope, a dream. Her 'friend' loathed her very
existence and never wanted to see her again.
That was when Kumiko had discovered she already had
someone else to run to, someone to comfort her when her normally
cheerful outlook seemed hollow. Now she realized that too was a
lie. He was only a slave; just a puppet who did what she wanted
because he hadn't any other choice.
Wordlessly, Kumiko fled, not even noticing Ken dragging
along behind her on the end of the chain that bound them together.
$HAH! Totally ruins the 'sniff sniff sob' bit, but I like it anyway.
Good chapter, good chapter. I liked this one. Now, maybe the next one
won't take so long? I've no overall gripes here. Keep it up.
Kichigai