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$Back in school I am, and ready to finish my backlog.
<snip>
Tokiyo's once short black hair had grown down to her
shoulders in long flowing locks that curled like a gentle stream.
$I fail to see how hair length would be one of the factors. Hair is always
growing, and she could have always just avoided a haircut for a while.
Her formerly cute eyes had grown long and luxurious lashes,
giving her a look that could be described as smoldering, since it
could make any boy feel hot under the collar. Her body was now
like a luxury sports car; elegant curves and padding in all the right
places. She looked like a super model, but she was still in many
was a girl trapped in a woman's body.
That was why as soon as her first school break came,
Tokiyo quickly packed up some things and hopped on a train,
rattling off excuses before her parents could stop her. The moment
she had been expecting for years had finally arrived. The promise
she had made to herself so long ago could be fulfilled at last.
$She would finally quit quit accepting money from old men who wanted to see
her naked.
"We're almost there now, great-grandma," Tokiyo said to
the golden funeral urn that she hugged to her chest as she stared out
the window of the train, watching the scenery blur past. "He'll be
so surprised to see me now, won^�t he?"
$Sheesh. There just ain't any normal people in this are there? Oh, and
wow, I just notices that we're in the double digits chapter wise. Cool.
The lid of the urn rattled slightly, most likely jostled by the
movement of the train. Tokiyo nodded to this as if receiving an
affirmative reply.
$Heh, that'd be sort of convienent. You could tape the lid shut when you
got tired of listening to the old dustpile.
"I really wish I had the money for a new outfit. This is such
an important moment!" Tokiyo thought, nibbling a bit on her
thumb in worry. Most of her allowance had gone for make-up and
accessories, not to mention new bra which emphasized her
improved features. "But what if... what if he's found someone
else?"
"Child," the voice of an ancient woman whispered from the
urn, "that's one thing I'm sure we won't have to worry about."
$Gee, they must be talking about Ken.
Natsume's class was over, but she wasn't ready to go home
yet, not after what had happened... She was sure it had been an
accident. A freak occurrence only to trick her into doing
something foolish. Then again, it might not, and pretending like it
had never happened could cause even more harm. Torn with
indecision, she decided to delay the moment of truth a little bit
while she engaged in some heavy window shopping.
The sandy-haired girl paused as she passed by the window
of a lingerie shop. Having no one to impress, and not having much
of a figure to impress with, Natsume usually avoided the
temptation such shops offered her. Instead, she saved money by
buying her underwear in department stores for much lower prices.
Functional, but not exactly flattering.
$I dunno, they've got some decent stuff.
Now though, there was slight possibility Natsume had
someone to impress after all. That could be the perfect solution to
her dilemma. She would simply try it on before Ayame and ask
her how she looked. Her guest's response should give the sandy-
haired girl at least some idea of what her next step should be.
Besides, there was no harm in browsing.
$Unless you're male and the clerks decide you're a pervert.
For Natsume, entering the lingerie shop was like stepping
across the threshold of the candy store for the first time once more.
Everything was so bright and colorful and enticing; no matter
where she looked, there was something there to catch her eye and
draw her interest.
$Heh heh, that's got to be the most accurate description of entering a
lingerie store I've ever heard. And every guy in there has this huge grin
on his face, it's funny.
Her troubles now firmly in the back seat of her
mind, more like the trunk, she dashed all over the shop, quickly
examining one of the many garments up for sale before moving
onto the next.
Natsume was flipping through the teddies while wondering
which would look best on her, and how Ayame would react when
she saw her in them; which in turn slipped into a daydream about
how her guest would look in some of these. Moving with a dazed
look in her eyes, and the beginnings of a nosebleed, Natsume was
completely unaware of her environment as backed right into
$as she backed
someone.
"Sensei?!" Natsume exclaimed as she looked up, an
$Shouldn't that be looked around? If she backed inte her and all.
apology ready on her lips. The shock of recognizing her mentor
being enough to snap her out of her recent daydream and ground
her back in reality.
Aomori smiled slightly as she adjusted her dark sunglasses,
knocked a bit out of place by their collision.
$She's going to have vision problems later in life.
Her voice was as
refined and elegant as the silk blouse that she wore. "Hello,
Natsume. What an unexpected pleasure. I didn't expect to see you
again until after your little exams were over. Tell me, how are they
going?"
Natsume blushed and adjusted her own glasses in a attempt
to dispel some of her nervousness. Normally, she took ten minutes
or so to get herself ready to be in her mentor's presence and not be
struck by her perfect beauty and grace. It was like meeting a
famous actress in person. No matter how many times one meets
them, their presence always inspired awe.
$Tense error. inspires
"Very well... thanks to the tutoring you've given me,"
Natsume replied nervously, looking away from her mentor.
Ordinarily, she did her best to keep her distance, so she couldn't
catch the scent of the light perfume Aomori-san always wore. It
played teasingly on her nose,
$AHHHCHOO!
enticing her to move closer so she
could breathe it in deeply. But she couldn't risk offending the older
woman. It was impossible for her to move away with the display
inches from her back, but at least she could attempt to hide the
embarrassment that she knew was already plain on her face.
"It was nothing," the woman replied, either not noticing the
girl's discomfort or pretending that she didn't. "Our little chats are
always so wonderfully stimulating. A welcome distraction from
tedious business matters. I look forward to more after your exams
are through."
$Natsume:How about in this? *holds up teddy*
Natsume's blush deepened. She knew her mentor was only
saying it to be nice. Aomori-san was such a powerful and
respected woman after all; she could easily spend time with much
more interesting people than some average college student. The
sandy-haired girl was sure that she had many other admirers.
$That's true.
"What are you doing here, sensei?" Natsume asked in
attempt to move the topic away from herself. "Don't you usually
have business meetings at this time?"
"What, you don't think I like to wear sexy lingerie too?"
$For a business meeting? Damn!
Aomori asked with a grin, her tone of mock-offense. She tilted her
dark glasses down so her student could see the amusement in her
soft cinnamon-colored eyes.
$Err, okay, but that causes problems with my mental images of the two
women's heights.
Immediately, Natsume began to imagine her mentor dressed
in some of the sexy lingerie she'd been looking at, and had to
quickly dig out a tissue to block the oncoming nosebleed before
she managed to embarrass herself further. It seemed like it was her
day for making a fool of herself.
Aomori laughed lightly at her student's antics as she
readjusted her glasses and explained, "Actually, I was thinking of
opening a lingerie shop of my own and was scouting out the
competition while I waited for Nami to finish school for the day. I
want a shop that will be unusual enough to be successful."
$Can't go wrong with leather and snow leopard skin. Rubber works, too. A
nice little domanatrix shop, and I know of three characters already who'd be
there.
"Nami?" Natsume repeated in confusion as she put the
tissue away. Luckily for her, though her nose felt like it was
burning, no actual blood loss had occurred.
Maybe this 'Nami' was her mentor's niece or something.
Aomori-san had never mentioned anything about family before, but
then they rarely strayed into personal topics during their meetings.
Normally, when the topic of business had been exhausted, they
ventured into intellectual and cultural discussions, which Natsume
made sure to brush up on before every session. Sometimes she
spent more time researching the latest plays or philosophical
arguments than her school work.
"Nami Aoda," Aomori replied with a small nod. "I'm
surprised I haven't mentioned her to you before, Natsume. She's a
very gifted young girl working for my talent agency and has
already proven herself to be an accomplished actress, singer, and
acrobat. She has her own TV show, which is doing fairly well in
the ratings, and fully I expect her to become a nation-wide
sensation in only a few years."
$Not that that's saying much, as small as Japan is.
"Oh," Natsume replied faintly. She felt a surge of jealousy
to find out that she wasn't the only person that her mentor was
mentoring. Even though she shouldn't have been surprised. This
Nami sounded more like the sort of person Aomori-san should be
mentoring; someone with skill, grace, and limitless potential. Not
an above average college student that needed to struggle for the
chance to make her dreams come true.
Natsume shivered suddenly as she felt Aomori's hand on
her shoulder; the woman's touch idly drifting towards her neck,
long nails very lightly scraping against her skin.
$Nice touch. In more ways than one.
"Come see me again soon, all right?" her mentor spoke at a
near whisper, her lips close to the girl's ear as she slowly walked
passed. "I miss you terribly, Natsume."
$Heh, she knows.
"Right!" the sandy-haired girl replied immediately, and was
able to remain standing until her mentor was out of sight. Only
then did she allow herself to fall to the floor in a dead faint.
Natsume's day had been far too stimulating to take standing
up any longer.
When Ken had been in elementary school, there had been
another boy who, for reasons he was never quite clear on, he didn't
like. What had been clear from the beginning was this feeling of
antagonism was mutual. As a result, most of fourth grade was
spent in long staring contests. It was a war of looks and glances,
where turning away was to admit defeat.
After nearly an entire school year of warfare, the results of
skirmishes were mentally tallied by each opponent, finding
themselves about equal. Then the boy had moved to another
island, leaving the matter unresolved.
Ken finally knew what it felt like for his peers as they
observed this war of stares.
$Well, no, not really, the other kids had actually just thought they were
wusses for not beating the hell out of each other as is proper. But the
sentiment remains the same.
Kumiko and Ayame's eyes had been
locked on each other from the moment they had met once again.
Their expressions were hard as their eyes bore into each other, as if
willing the other to submit by the force of their glares.
Ken wasn't sure how many moments had passed before he
decided that he had to do something to break up the tension before
someone, most likely him, got hurt.
$You know he's going to get hurt anyway.
So with very forced
nonchalance, he said, "Boy, what a surprise to see you here,
Ayame. I was sure you'd have returned to heaven by now."
No response. Neither angel nor demon seemed aware of
his feeble existence at the moment. Still, he had to do something,
and felt that trying to shake them out of it would be a painful
mistake. "So... is Natsume home? I'm actually a good friend of
hers."
Again, silence was the only response. Perhaps he was just
choosing the wrong target. Ayame could still have a bit of a
grudge from when he had tried to bash her head in, even though it
hadn't done any good. Kumiko, however, always listened to what
he had to say, even if she had the tendency to interpret his words to
her own benefit.
Ken turned to face the demon-girl and said, "Well, it looks
like Natsume isn't here now. We should go."
Kumiko's eyes didn't even flicker in his direction, as if they
were blind to the sight of him and her ears deaf to his words. All
of her attention was focused on the angel-girl before her, and she
didn't seem willing to spare any for him.
"Hello, Kumiko," the angel-girl said suddenly, her voice
flat and devoid of all emotion.
"Hi, Ayame," the demon-girl replied, her voice matching
the angel-girl's tone.
Silence returned for several moments more.
$Ken: Now that greetings are over, who want's pocky?
"Why are you here?" Ayame asked with a flare of irritation.
"I am Natsume's good friend," Kumiko gloated with her
arms crossed and a challenging look on her face. "Why are you
here, Ayame?"
The angel-girl flinched with the demon's news. How could
a sweet, innocent girl like Natsume lower herself to associate with
this... monster in human guise?
$To anyone else, that would have been an insult.
Of course, Kumiko must have
taken great pains to conceal her evil nature and play upon
Natsume's kind-hearted one. The demon probably had something
truly wicked planned for her, something Ayame mustn't allow to
occur. It was the least she could do in return for her host's
generosity.
"I am Natsume's guest. She has graciously allowed me to
stay her with her so long as I desire," Ayame countered, trying her
best for an expression of complete indifference to the demon
sitting across from her.
$When did they sit down?
Distracted by the angel's sudden declaration, Ken wasn't
watching where he was idly wandering and bumped his foot
painfully against the solid oak counter. His muttered curses as he
hopped around the coffee shop almost attracted the attention of the
two combatants. However, it seemed that he hadn't suffered
enough.
$An opinion many of the girls at that college held.
"Hmph!" both angel and devil sniffed with crossed arms as
they turned away from each other, calling this first battle off at a
draw. Though it was clear that the war was far from over.
"I'll just go make some tea," Ken offered, limping only
slightly as he went towards the kitchen without waiting for a
response. The atmosphere of the room had become distinctly
unpleasant, and being the most fragile being there had made him a
touch nervous.
Lost in thought, Ken was completely unprepared when a
collar and matching chain suddenly appeared around his neck,
tugging him off his feet to land flat on his back. As the air was
violently forced out of his lungs, he idly noticed that the ceiling of
the coffee shop could also use a little work. Neither angel nor
demon paid him the slightest attention.
Once again, Ken attempted to theorize the past history
between angel and demon while he lay there and caught his breath.
Kumiko had been so happy to see Ayame, until the angel-girl had
made it abundantly clear that the feeling wasn't mutual. The
demon-girl had taken this rejection pretty hard, and ended up
taking it out mostly on him. Though that had brought about a
certain vulnerability in her, a fear almost that he would come to
reject her too. As if he had the option.
*It couldn't be... that. Could it?* Ken thought as he finally
sat up and glanced at the two combatants, before shaking his head.
That was only his hormones conjuring up perverted fantasies again.
Just because Kumiko was constantly rubbing up against him like a
cat in heat didn't mean everything about her had to do with sex.
$Nah, the rest was just fanservice.
Aside from round two of the staring contest having begun,
very little else had changed between Ayame and Kumiko during
his brief trip to the floor. Without a word, Ken took a seat at a
nearby table and waited for the war to heat up once again.
He didn't have long to wait. Ayame snapped at the demon-
girl, "Well? Why are you here? What do you want?"
"We're here to see Natsume," Kumiko replied flatly. "We
have some very important business with her."
"Well, she's not here," Ayame informed the demon-girl
while trying to keep her voice level. She could feel her anger
bubbling out of control at the very sight of this smug demon, and
hated herself for being unable to contain it. Which only made her
more angry. "I'm sure she wouldn't want to waste her precious
time with a denigrate demon like yourself anyway."
$Are you sure denigrate is the word you're looking for?
Kumiko growled, standing out of her seat a bit as if
readying to leap over the table and rend the stuck-up angel to
pieces with her claws. But she knew that would mean she had lost
the battle and managed to just barely stop herself. She wouldn't
give Ayame the satisfaction of an easy victory.
"We'll just wait for her then. I'm sure she'll happy to see
her good friends and not some pushy freeloader."
$Heh. Nasty.
Ken had a sudden coughing fit to hear the demon-girl's
remark. His struggles for oxygen were actually noisy enough to
draw the attention of the two celestial beings away from each
other. Ken regretted his very existence as their twin glares were
now focused firmly on him.
$A clearer minded thinker would have regretted the existence of the two
celestial beings.
"Ah, I think I left something in Natsume's office last time I
was here," Ken said with extreme nervousness as his eyes
wandered over the room to avoid meeting the looks of the angel or
the demon, not sure which was more dangerous at the moment.
"I'll just go get it now!"
Kumiko and Ayame watched Ken race towards the stairs,
only to stop suddenly with a tense smile as he glanced back at the
demon-girl.
$A bit slow, but he does learn.
He quickly tip-toed to a nearby table and sat, staring at
the wall and away from their glances.
The demon and angel returned to their former state, locked
on each other once more. Round three of the supernatural starting
contest had begun.
Tokiyo moved around in a daze, dazzled by all the new
sights that filled her vision. While she knew it was a far cry from
Tokyo, for a girl who had spent nearly her whole life in the
country, the town was a wonder to behold.
"Hmph, what a dump," her great-grandmother whispered
from the urn, still held in the girl's arms. "In my day, people still
had too much pride to allow their town to sacrifice the beauty of
design for such simple structures, plastered with crass
commercialism."
$Commie!
"I think it's awesome," Tokiyo replied in an amazed tone.
She had just crossed the street and now the buildings of the
college that he attended rose up all around her, just as he had
described them. Students flowed past, some strolling by with their
hands in their pockets, laughing with their friends, or their faces
deep in books as the muttered complex equations to themselves.
$Occasionally walking into poles, buildings, or other people.
It
wasn't hard to imagine him, or even herself, fitting into this setting
like they also belonged there.
Tokiyo was so caught up in her daydream that she ended up
colliding with someone similarly lost in thought, knocking them
both to the ground.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't really watching where I was
going," Tokiyo apologized quickly, bowing low to the person after
scrambling back to her feet.
*What good deed did I do to deserve this?* Natsume
wondered with her mouth hanging open to see a full-figured girl
bowing before her, offering the sandy-haired girl a very distracting
sight.
$*sigh* I wish girls bowed here.
She had been running into beautiful women every time she
turned around lately, not that she was complaining.
"You don't need to apologize," Natsume told her while
intensely studying the sky overhead.
$Yeah, the bow was more than enough.
"I wasn't paying much
attention either so we're both at fault. Let's just call it even."
Tokiyo laughed lightly in relief to find that she wasn't the
only one wandering around with a lot on her mind. "In that case, I
was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for... a friend,
$I dunno, but I think she would have said his name just on the off chance
that Natsume knew him.
but this is my first time visiting his new apartment and I'm not
really good with directions. I know it's near this school
someplace..."
Natsume accepted the crumpled slip of paper and studied it
intensely, making sure to avoid accidental contact. It probably
wouldn't have been enough to induce another fainting spell, but she
wasn't about to take any chances.
"Yeah, I know this building. A friend of mine lives there.
Just keep walking on this road, go through the intersection, then
take a right. Can't miss it."
"Thank you!" Tokiyo enthused with a grin and a light
blush, overcome with joy over the fact that she was now one step
closer to her goal. She simply couldn't contain the excitement
bubbling up inside her any longer.
"No problem," Natsume replied nervously, trying to find
something safe to affix her gaze to as the curvy girl bounced up
and down in excitement. Overstimulation was bound to lead to
frustration or embarrassment, maybe both. "Isn't an urn kind of an
odd apartment-warming present?"
"Oh, it's not a gift," Tokiyo corrected. She was so used to
carrying around the urn that sometimes she completely forgot
about it nestled in her arms. "It's my great-grandma!"
"... My condolences for your loss," Natsume said with a
trace of confusion in her voice. She should have realized it was a
funeral urn, but was thrown off by the way the girl seemed almost
cheerful about it. Maybe she really hated her great-grandmother or
something.
$I know I'd like to stick my grandparents in an urn. Cremated or not.
Tokiyo just smiled and waved the sympathy away. She
didn't want to explain her rather unique situation and have this
helpful stranger think she was crazy.
$Tokiyo:Oh, you see, the ghost of my dead grandmother talks to me through
this urn.
Natsume: Yeah, right, and I'm living with an angel.
With a touch of embarrassment, she diverted the topic away
from herself by gesturing to the woman's shopping bag and asking,
"So, where have you been shopping? I was thinking of browsing a
bit later today, even though I don't have much money left after the
train ticket."
"Just a little clothes shopping," Natsume replied nervously,
quickly making sure that the contents of her bag couldn't be seen.
She had bought some black lace lingerie from the shop,
mainly because the girl working there was nice enough to revive
her after her fainting spell.
$Fan her with a pair of panties, she'll wake up.
She doubted she would ever have
enough nerve to actually wear it though. "Well, I've got to get
going. Lot of things to do. Bye now!"
"Right! I better get going to, I only have a couple hours
before... I need to catch my train^�" Tokiyo tailed off in surprise
when she realized the strange girl had already sprinted off. Then
she shrugged, hefted her great-grandmother's urn, and confidently
marched towards her destiny.
Natsume leaned against the back door of the coffee shop as
she caught her breath, deciding to avoid the front as she wasn't
prepared to face her guest yet. She felt a bit embarrassed panicking
like that, but she was currently having serious women problems
and didn't want to risk making them worse. The sandy-haired girl
had had women problems for as long as she could remember.
However, now it was the case of a little too much rather than too
few.
$Probably the only case where too much _is_ a bad thing.
When Aomori-san had agreed to be her mentor, Natsume
had discovered contentment. It wasn't equal to the happiness she
had lost only just before attending college, but it had certainly been
enough for now. Natsume didn't like to think of herself as a greedy
person, but it allowed her the freedom to be casual in searching out
a deeper relationship, and no longer act as desperate as her only
male friend did.
So it was ironic that Ken would be the one to bring Kumiko
into her life. Like her mentor, her friend's new girlfriend fell into
the 'look, but don't touch' category, and both certainly had a great
deal to look at. Instead of contentment, however, Kumiko aroused
in Natsume her old desires, making them harder to resist. Luckily,
she had managed to restrain herself, at least mostly. And those
times when her self-control had slipped she had been able to pass
off as jokes. She still hoped she had made a new friend though,
even a platonic one.
$Kumiko probably doesn't know what platonic means.
Then there was Ayame, apparently the former lover of her
new friend who probably still suffered from heartache over seeing
Ken and Kumiko together. Natsume almost wished her guest
wasn't so attractive; it would make it easier for her to pity and
comfort her through such a tough time. As it was though,
Natsume's desire to help the girl in need and her... more base
desires got all tangled up in knots, usually leaving her completely
unsure of what to do in the other woman's presence.
*Come on, girl. If you go to pieces this easily, how are you
ever going to survive in the ruthless world of the beverage service
industry?*
$Heh.
Natsume thought to herself firmly as she took a deep,
calming breath.
She didn't have time to think of a possible relationship now;
she had a coffee shop to get off its feet. If Ayame was actually
serious about her... sudden advance, Natsume would just have to
tell her that she wasn't ready for something like that now. And if
the beautiful, elegant, gentle woman couldn't wait, well... well,
$That was okay too.
maybe they could come to some sort of compromise.
"I'm back!" Natsume announced as she marched a bit stiffly
from the kitchen area in the back into the main part of the coffee
shop. "I think we should get more painting done, then..."
The air seemed a bit cooler to the sandy-haired girl as she
entered the main room of her shop, causing goosepimples to lightly
coat her skin. There was also a certain pressuring building up, as if
$pressure
<snip>
Ken nodded with a worried look. "Everything I could think
of, but nothing works for very long."
Natsume hmmed in thought. Even though she had only
known them for a little while, she was sure that Kumiko and
Ayame weren't the sort of people to hold a grudge. If she could
just find something to distract them for despising each other long
enough, the pain would gradually heal by itself and they could
become friends again. If they only had another target for their
rage...
$Ken suddenly grew very nervous.
"Ken, come here and let me see your hands," Natsume said
to him, while simultaneously trying to keep her voice level and
hiding a smirk she felt forming on her lips.
Ken eyed his friend suspiciously. She had that odd look in
her eye, one that meant she was up to something. Then again,
anything had to be better than this cold war of stares. He slowly
walked up to her, holding his palms out for inspection, expecting to
get them coating with paint at any moment. Maybe she planned on
$coated
getting the Kumiko and Ayame to laugh at his humiliation.
Ken was so focused on Natsume's half-grin that he wasn't
watching where he was going, and thus entirely failed to notice his
friend's leg suddenly jut out just before he reached her.
$Err, how? If she's facing him, she'd have to basicly kick her leg
forward, and that would definitle end up with her foot of the ground, as Ken
wouldn't get very close (personal space and all that), and her legs aren't
that long. The trip mechanics elude me.
Leaving
him totally unprepared for stumbling and flying right over the table
on a collision course with the angel-girl, his arms still outstretched.
The two landed on the floor with a crash.
A soft, velvet-like darkness encased Ken with the scent of
sakura petals just under his nose, reminding him of lazy summer
nights out in the country, lying on the grass and looking up at the
stars. All of the sudden, the ground moved underneath him,
snapping Ken out of this pleasant memory, blinking to find blue
eyes staring back at him, frozen in shock. Even this close, he could
tell immediately that they weren't the demon-girl's eyes.
"Ken-chan!!!" Kumiko bellowed, loud enough to rattle the
windows, as she slowly stomped over to the two of them sprawled
out of the floor. Her body quivered with barely surprised rage,
managing to look demonic even in her human guise. "What... what
are you doing?!"
"I only tripped, Kumiko," Ken nervously explained, not
quite understanding what the demon-girl was so angry about. She
knew the reappearance of the angel-girl had put her on edge, but
that was no reason to take it out on him. "It was just a little
accident."
"Wow, Ken. I didn't know you could fondle a women by
accident,"
$Yeah, she thought that was a secret technique only she knew.
Natsume said in a voice filled with sarcasm, gesturing to
them with a smirk. She adjusted her glasses to cover a small stab
of envy.
Ken very slowly looked down, only to find both his palms
flat on the angel's sizable breasts, the fabric of her blouse wrinkled
from all the moving around he had done in attempt to get up. He
noticed that Ayame had seemed to come to this realization at the
same time had had, her face first turning red with embarrassment,
then scarlet with rage.
"You touched me!!" Ayame yelled as her fist suddenly
came up, catching him with a blow to the stomach with enough
force to knock him half way across the room.
$Wanted by hell, scorned by heaven. Poor Ken.
The angel-girl shakily got to her feet, absently straightening
out her clothes. She didn't want anyone even seeing her body,
$What about bathing? I remember passages about if it was a part of the
culture it was okay.
but
to be touched, especially by a mortal... she felt soiled and impure,
no longer fit to be an angel. She made a small exception for
Natsume because of her generosity and obviously pure heart, but
for someone who had done... that with... her. Ayame shivered in
disgust.
"How dare you hit my slave!" Kumiko growled at angel-
girl, glaring up at her with fire burning in her eyes. "Only I can do
that!"
$Ken:Ugg, thanks for... sticking up for me... Kumiko...
"I wouldn't have been forced to if you hadn't corrupted him
with your evil!" Ayame shouted back, glared down at the demon-
girl with equal force.
Natsume held her hand to her head as she watched the two
women spew hatred at each other. She had no idea it would be this
bad.
$She owes Ken an apology.
They really must have loved each other once to reach this
level of anger. The sandy-haired girl knew that Kumiko was
hardly the most selfless woman in the world, but she certainly
wasn't evil.
$Heh, boy is she wrong.
She had to put a stop to this before a brawl broke out
and ruined the shop she had put so much effort in, not to mention
harming the beautiful bodies of the two combatants.
$I dunno, catfights are great to watch from a distance.
"Great! I can see your both full of energy," Natsume said as
she deliberately stepped between them, hoping her delicate skin
wouldn't suddenly be impacted by a hastily thrown punch. "How
about we focus that energy on getting my little coffee shop in shape
and I'll take you all out for a big dinner afterwards.
$I think she'll need another loan for that.
Sound good?"
"Food!" Kumiko exclaimed immediately, already savoring
the opportunity to sample more human cuisine.
$Yeesh, I bet that'd be a hellova fight over where to eat.
The last time she
had eaten had been far too long ago, at least in her opinion. It
sounded much more fun that yelling at the woman who had
spurned her friendship anyway. The demon-girl would much
rather be happy and content than angry any day.
"I suppose so...," Ayame agreed hesitantly. She felt
embarrassed by her recent outburst, even though she knew that
with that monster around there wasn't any help for it. She would
attempt to conceal her contempt for now, at least for the benefit of
her host. She would suffer in silence, punishment for the rash
actions she had recently taken,
$Not much of a punishment.
while trying hard not to think of
how much another human meal interested her.
"Good, it's all settled then," Natsume declared with a grin,
overjoyed that her plan seemed to have worked after all. "Ken, if
you're done groaning on the floor, why don't you and Ayame finish
painting here, while me and Kumiko work on straightening out the
back."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Natsume," Ken replied
nervously as he got back to his feet, wincing from the large bruise
now marking his stomach. Ayame sure packed a powerful punch
for an angel, but better getting knocked around than a taste of her
flaming sword.
Even without thinking of the bond that always kept him
within easy reach of Kumiko, the way the two supernatural beings
were regarding him at the moment made it clear it was a very bad
idea. He wasn't sure which was worse; an angel who could wield a
giant flaming sword thinking he was a pervert, or a demon-girl
with an searing whip who thought he was unfaithful.
$Demon. It's not true that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. They
have demon-girls that could be scorned.
"Oh, all right. Ken and Kumiko will take the front, while
Ayame and I will take the back," Natsume said with a sigh. She
didn't want to be alone with Ayame at the moment, not after what
had so recently happened between them, but she felt guilty in using
Ken as a projectile. There was no way she could have known that
her gentle guest would have a mean uppercut. Somehow though,
that made her all the more interesting.
$Just the hint of danger adds spice.
Despite its semi-dilapidated condition, the apartment
building was more than a little imposing for Tokiyo as she stood
before the entrance, mentally preparing herself to step over the
threshold and confront what may very well be the most important
moment in her young life.
$Which was currently getting beat up elsewhere.
"Get on with it already," her great-grandmother whispered
from the urn. "Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I have all day.
Let's get this over with so I can finally go to my eternal rest."
$Lazy bum. Wanting to rest for eternity.
"Yes, great-grandmother," Tokyio whispered respectfully
before entering the lobby.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, the young girl
looked around, noting that the interior of the building seemed more
well kept and cheerier than she had expected, and not at all
forbidding as she had feared. It seemed like a very nice place to
live, just the sort of place she expected him to choose.
It took her only a glance at the mailboxes to find the name
of the one she was searching for. She gasped to see his name
printed so simply that it should have blended in with all the others,
but it leap out at her just the same. She placed her hand over it
briefly before turning towards the stairs.
The elevator would have been faster, but a little too fast for
Tokiyo right now. Despite all of the thought she had put into this
moment, she still didn't feel ready, fearing that one misspoken
word would be enough to ruin her only chance for true happiness.
Her footsteps grew slower and slower as she neared her
destination, but when she was only a single floor away from her
destiny, dread of missing her chance gave her an extra burst of
speed, leaving her panting as she reached the floor she sought.
$Ken would have appreciated that.
Tokiyo was more sensitive to the world around her than
most people, which had its advantages and disadvantages. Most of
the people at school had branded her outcast for seeing and hearing
things which they could not. Only her two close friends, and now a
new student teacher, ever tried to understand her.
$That should be interesting.
On the other hand, it was this sensitivity that allowed her to
hear the voice of her great-grandmother, whose wisdom had been a
source of comfort these past few years. The newly blossomed
woman wasn't sure what she would do without this guidance when
her undead relative finally passed on.
There was definitely something odd in the air on the fifth
floor of that apartment building, and it seemed to be coming from
the open door where the sounds of heavy construction, or
demolition, were located. Glancing at the doors to the left and the
right of this, she realized that the source of this disturbance was
none other than the apartment that she sought.
Cautiously, Tokiyo stepped over the threshold and glanced
around. It seemed like a normal apartment, but the details were
so... him. Little things that she was sure no one else would notice.
What didn't fit was the small middle-aged woman and the two
burly workmen installing a new window. There was also
something in the air that she couldn't place, like the lingering smell
of cigarettes from a century before.
$Nasty. Is that what demons having sex smell like?
"Excuse me," Tokiyo spoke politely to the woman. "I was
wondering... what happened here?"
The landlady spun around to find herself looking into a
unfamiliar face. She guessed her to be a potential tenant checking
out the building and smiled in a friendly fashion.
"The man who lives here claims that he accidentally
smashed the window while moving some furniture around, but my
guess it was one of those drunken rages college boys seemed so
inclined to. It's strange though. The window looks like it was
broken from the outside."
$Landlady:But I never let little details like that prevent me from blaming
the tenant and taking their damage deposit.
"I'm sure he would have never done anything like that,"
Tokiyo replied with a bit more force than she had intended. "It
must have been an accident, just like he said."
"Well, it doesn't make any difference to me what caused it,"
the landlady replied with forced indifference, not liking being
addressed with such a tone, especially by a young girl she didn't
know. "Who are you anyway?"
Tokiyo blushed a bit and managed to stutter out, "Just a...
friend of your tenant. You wouldn't happen to know where he is
now, would you?"
The landlady shrugged. "No idea. Haven't heard from him
since early this morning when he phoned me about getting his
window fixed. Probably taking an exam or something."
Tokiyo thanked the woman with a small nod, then with a
final look around, left his apartment to seek him out in the town
again. She was confident she would see him again soon, as if fate
were guiding her steps.
$Or the old dead woman.
Natsume was lucky that the pervious owner of her coffee
shop had been a total neat freak. Not only did it possess the
heavenly joy of its own furo, but had been maintained with
hospital-like sterility until the place had closed. Leaving the new
owner to clean up the dust that had accumulated in the meantime.
$Those two sentances should be combined or reworded or something.
It had been a long time since the place had last been in
business, however, leaving a lot of dust that needed to be cleaned
up. Natsume had done a general sweeping and dusting over when
making the kitchen ready for her own use, but there were still
plenty of hard to reach areas that needed to sparkle before the
sandy-haired girl was ready to call the health inspector. The shop
could pass as it was, but this was her first foray into the business
world and she wanted everything to be perfect.
$Even the cockroaches were renting tuxedos in anticipation.
Natsume had left her guest with tidying up the kitchen
while she herself tackled the storeroom. Immediately, she wished
that she had told Ken and his girlfriend clean up the back instead.
Because with all the heavy stuff that needed to be lifted, moved, or
otherwise shoved around, this would not be a fun job. However, it
did have the benefit out being out of sight of Ayame while still
within shouting range should her guest need something.
The sandy-haired girl both hoped and feared that she
would. There was still the very large matter of the kiss to deal
with. Ayame and Kumiko's pure and unreasonable hatred of each
other only made that more complicated. Also, the way her guest
had punched Ken in the gut for accidentally touching her... The
thought of it made Natsume afraid, but a bit excited at the same
time. Beneath that kind and gentle visage lurked a tigress, ready to
pounce on a moment's notice.
Natsume was brought out of her pleasant daydream by a
sudden sharp pain in her foot, which she had just dropped a heavy
box on. She managed to bite her tongue to avoid yelling out and
attracting the attention of her guest, who was likely to ask what had
happened,
$And possibly wash her mouth out with soap, considering her aversion to
foul things.
something the sandy-haired girl wouldn't be able to
answer honestly. Cleaning the storeroom up might not be mentally
taxing, but it did require some concentration at least.
She needn't have bothered. Ayame was deaf to any sound
she would have made anyway. The angel-girl was deep in thought
as she went about the kitchen, cleaning with mechanical precision.
Heaven naturally needed to gleam, free of any hint of corruption.
This created the perfect duty for angels in training to learn
humility. Purification of the physical was nearly as important as
purification of the spiritual.
$Cleanliness _is_ next to godliness, despite the opinons of countless
saints.
Ayame had thought that after finding a place to stay and
relaxing in the warmth of Natsume's kindness, she was ready to
face Kumiko once again. Obviously, she was wrong. The angel-
girl had forgotten how irritating and selfish the demon could be, or
how disgusting and utterly vile she had become. Even corrupted as
she had made him, the angel-girl was surprised that Kensuke
Iwakami could tolerate her presence.
$Well, it's not like he has much of a choice.
Ayame knew she would have to strive to be more
professional in the future if she was going to be able to do her job
and gain true angelic status at the end of her year probation. It was
divine will, or perhaps just a lucky break, that the focus of her
observations and Natsume happened to be friends, making it much
easier for her to watch over him.
$And punch him in the gut.
The angel-girl gasped as she suddenly remembered the
dreadful thing she had done earlier.
$_Now_ she feels guilty.
The overwhelming presence of
the demon had shoved it to the back of her mind, but Ayame knew
that was no excuse for her conduct. She should have striven to
make amends as soon as Natsume had returned,
$-_- Ah, _that_ dreadful thing. Clearly, it's okay to punch the mortals,
just not to screw them.
but instead she had
forgotten and allowed her suffering to linger on. She knew her
host was much too kind even to mention how much she was
hurting from the vile deed Ayame had committed,
$But she'd be happy if Ayame kissed it and made it all better.
something
worthy of the demon she so easily condemned.
"Natsume-san?" the angel-girl hesitantly called out of her,
not willing to face her host after her shameful conduct, but not
wishing the demon to overhear either. "I wish to apologize for...
what happened earlier. There's no excuse that can be made for my
actions, but I want you to know that... It wasn't my intention to
cause you any harm."
"What are you talking about, Ayame?" Natsume called
back to her a moment later, even though she knew exactly what her
guest meant, since she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it
herself. She needed to hear Ayame actually say it so she could find
out how her guest really felt on the matter. Otherwise, Natsume
was sure to say the wrong thing and ruin everything. "You haven't
done anything that you need to apologize for."
Ayame blushed, ashamed to have to explain her crime,
though it was something she had to face. Hiding from her faults
was unworthy of an angel. "Before, when we were painting... We
fell and then our... lips met."
"Oh that?" Natsume replied, forcing herself to sound
casual. It sounded like her guest had a sudden hormone attack that
she was feeling guilty about now. It definitely wasn't the time to
admit how much she had enjoyed it,
$Yeah, she'd be seriously repulsed. We're hoping for hot yuri action
later, though.
especially with Ayame's ex-
lover in the next room. Talk about awkward situations. "It was no
big deal. I know I'm just too irresistible!"
Ayame smiled as her host began to laugh. Natsume had
such a pure heart; nothing seemed able to taint her.
$It was divine intervention.
"You really are
a wonderful person, Natsume, to forgive me so easily."
The sandy-haired girl was thankful she was in another room
at the moment as she held her burning cheeks in her hands. "Don't
mention it."
Finding that destiny was taking its sweet time, and not
really a patient person by nature, Tokiyo began to ask the students
milling about as she wandered around the college, in the hope that
someone may know his current whereabouts. She was
disappointed, and a bit worried, but the reactions that she got.
Most claimed to not know who she was talking about, some
swearing vehemently that they had never had anything to do with
him. One woman had even gone so far as advising her on the
$Hmm, maybe... so far as to advise her about the
dangers of perverted men.
It couldn't been the man she was seeking. Tokiyo knew
well what a kind and sweet gentleman he was, and not at all like
the immature boys she attended high school with. The men were
probably just envious, and that woman... he probably turned her
down for a date and she was still bitter about it.
Tokyio had always been active but rather short on stamina,
so her little quest had taken a lot of out of her. She needed to find
some place to rest and relax before resuming it. Not to mention
she was wearing brand new shoes and her feet were killing her.
$And her back muscles still hadn't got used to her new burgening assets.
She could endure the pain and exhaustion for the fulfillment of her
dreams, but not for wandering around aimlessly with no hope in
sight.
$Hmph, she folds at the first hint of trouble.
"Why don't you try that coffee shop, dear?" her great-
grandmother suggested as she gasped for air. "I'd prefer a nice tea
room, but I guess we'll just have to make do."
$Yeah, it's not like the old dust bunny could drink tea anyway, it'd just
turn her to mud.
"Right!" Tokyio agreed with renewed enthusiasm. Now
that she had become a woman, she should be going to trendy places
like coffee shops, just like the upperclasswomen. She ran across
the street, only to find a closed sign hanging on the door.
Tokiyo sighed as she glanced in through the high windows
that made up most of the facade. It looked like such a nice place
too; simple and elegant, without being too overwhelming like
many similar places she had passed by earlier.
Then she blinked in surprise to notice movement inside,
only to gasp when recognition dawned. She couldn't fail to note
that the door was unlocked.
Ken felt strangely uncomfortable as he explained the finer
details of painting away missed spots to Kumiko, muttering in low
tones while she simply nodded and said nothing at all. They began
their work in silence some distance away from each other. While
they were still close enough that Ken had no fear of the bond
suddenly appearing, she felt far out of reach.
The cursed college student hadn't known the demon-girl for
very long, only a few days, but she was so open with her emotions
that he could plainly see that something was bothering her.
"Kumiko?" Ken asked softly when he saw she was simply
staring at the wall, unmoving, paint brush held limply in her hand.
"Yes, Ken-chan?" the demon-girl asked as she turned her
head to face him, though her eyes looked distant, as if seeing
something far beyond the coffee shop.
"No, nothing," Ken responded with a sigh and a shake of
his head as Kumiko went back to slowly painting the wall. He was
only her slave; no more than a warm body and a source of
nourishment. He had no right to pry into her past, even if he
couldn't stop being curious over what exactly was the relationship
between her and Ayame.
$Wonder how she'd react if she knew he thought they'd been lovers.
The idea of an angel and a demon as former lovers was
simply ridiculous, the product of too many late night hentai
marathons.
$And healthy religious ponderings.
The notion that they were once friends was enough of
a stretch to begin with, but then again, they did act like spurned
lovers, and Kumiko was hardly the typical demon...
No, best not to think about it. In the end, it didn't really
matter the reason. He just had to make sure he didn't get caught in
the crossfire, or his already shortened lifeline would be cut
abruptly. Just when he thought his life couldn't get more
complicated.
Especially now that Ayame was actually living with
Natsume. Ken couldn't even begin to imagine the reason for it,
though it was clear that his friend was unaware of her guest's
angelic nature. It couldn't also be... that, could it? Then he shook
his head, realizing that if it were true, there was no chance
Natsume wouldn't gloat about it.
$Natsume: Ken! Ken! I nailed an angel! A _real_ angel! Hah!
Ken:MmmblemmbleAtleastIgotademonmmble...
"Ken-chan!" came the shout that snapped him out of his
thoughts. Though it was more of the two arms that seized him
from behind in an enthusiastic hug, not to mention the soft mounds
now pressing into his back, that really grabbed his attention.
$His luck has certainly gone up since he met Kumiko. Used to, all the
women avoided him. Now they go out of their way to spit on him, hit him, or
press their breasts against him.
"Kumiko, I don't think now is...," Ken started to say, though
with a smile as the demon-girl seemed like her old self once again.
He trailed off, however, when he noticed that Kumiko was still
standing in the same spot as before, staring back at him with her
eyes wide in shock.
*Then who the...?* Ken thought in confusion as he turned
around and stared at the dark-haired young woman before him.
She had a grin that he wasn't used to seeing on mortal women, at
least when they were looking in his direction. While she did look a
bit familiar, he was sure that he would instantly recognize a
beautiful woman who was actually affectionate to him.
"Excuse me, but do I know you?" Ken asked her in
confusion.
"It's me, Toki-chan!" the woman replied in glee, not
seeming at all offending by his inability to identify her.
This response left Ken even more baffled. Tokiyo was his
younger cousin who he had spent most of the summer with.
$Yeesh. Nothing like keeping it in the family.
She
had been a gangly short-haired tomboy who had been completely
unconcerned with her appearance. It hadn't been all that long since
he'd seen her last and she certainly hadn't had the hair, curves, and
definitely breasts, of the woman standing before him now.
"...Toki-chan?" Ken repeated hesitantly.
Tokiyo nodded with an even larger grin than before. It
seemed that all of her earlier fears were unfounded. From the way
his mouth was still hanging open, she could tell he had noticed her
new and improved appearance. Her dream was about to come true.
Ken was nearly knocked off his feet when someone else
latched onto him with enough force to bend bones. Kumiko eyed
the intruder suspiciously and snapped,
$Not the bones I hope...
"Ken-chan, who is this
grabby girl?"
Tokiyo glared at the clingy woman butting on her romance,
$Should be an in before on.
wondering the same thing, but decided it would be better to let Ken
introduce her first. Then this harlot would see that she didn't have
a chance with someone as nice as her cousin. He had far better
standards than to settle for someone like her.
Ken was too busy resisting the urge to groan to notice the
new staring contest heating up. The demon-girl was overreacting
again, but at the same time there was something pleasant about her
possessiveness, especially after being ignored in favor of Ayame
earlier. Maybe she did care about him, even just a little bit.
"Kumiko, this is Tokiyo, my cousin," Ken explained with a
wave of the hand that the demon-girl didn't have an iron grip on.
"Second cousin," Tokiyo corrected with a smile,
$I draw the limit at third. That's Louisianna law, and that's good enough
for me.
though her
gaze was like steel, returning Kumiko's distrustful look in full.
"And who is this woman? A new friend of yours?"
"I'm his mistress!" Kumiko declared before Ken had the
chance to speak, clinging even more tightly to him, squeezing him
with both arms in a suffocating hug. "And Ken is my sex slave!"
It took all of Tokiyo's willpower not to faint dead away.
"What's with all that shouting... Ayame?" Natsume said as
she emerged from the store room. Her voice trailed off to see that
her guest had taken a break from her cleaning in order to peer
around the doorway, looking into the main room without being
seen herself.
The sandy-haired girl would have never figured Ayame for
a voyeur, but then again if it involved her former lover, she
probably wouldn't be able to resist the temptation either. Her guest
might be beautiful and kind, but she was human after all.
$Well, no, but she still wanted to look.
Still, Natsume didn't like the idea of Ken and Kumiko
making out on the floor that Ayame had worked so hard to clean,
not to mention leaving her with mental associations that would
make it a bit difficult to run a business there.
$Heh. Poor Natsume. She really needs to get laid, maybe release some
tension.
Ignoring the startled look of her guest, Natsume marched
into the main room of her shop, only to be confronted by the sight
of Ken with two lovely ladies vying for his attention. It seemed
that it wasn't just her luck that had suddenly improved, though a bit
of a surprise that the guy the girl she had run into earlier had been
so eagerly searching for was none other than her formerly dateless
friend.
"Quite a little harem you've got now, Ken," Natsume teased
as she walked over to the three, who seemed to be in the middle of
a heated argument. "I'm so envious."
$Funny thing was, she was serious.
"It's not like that at all, Natsume!" Ken shouted back at her,
blushing faintly in embarrassment. After taking a breath, he calmly
explained, "This is just my cousin, Tokyio."
"Second cousin," Tokyio corrected immediately as she
shook the new woman's offered hand, smiling as she sized up the
newcomer. The woman that had given her directions before. Was
this another possible rival?
Somewhat baggy clothes didn't exactly show off her body,
not that she seemed to have much to show off, especially in the
chest area. Combined with the glasses definitely pushed her into
the 'cute' category that she herself once occupied. No competition.
"Pleased to meet you again, though I am a bit surprised."
"What can I say? It's a small town," the sandy-haired girl
said with a grin while still keeping a firm grip on the girl's hand. "I
didn't introduce myself before. I'm Natsume Takimori, Ken's
completely platonic friend. I'm also willing to help his cute cousin
any way I can."
"Thank you," Tokiyo as she tugged her hand free of the
woman grinning back at her. A platonic friend, but there was
something about her that made Tokiyo feel uneasy. Something she
had been too distracted to notice during their first meeting.
$Maybe it was the way she talked to her breasts and not to her face...
"You know each other?" Ken asked, blinking at the two of
them. If they had met somehow, he would have thought one would
have mentioned the other, especially considering his friend's...
tendencies. He had vaguely mentioned Natsume to Tokyio before,
but hadn't mentioned his cousin to his friend, for reasons that were
all too obvious.
"We sort of ran into each other earlier," Natsume explained,
grinning at Ken's confusion. Sometimes he really had no idea what
was going on. "I had no clue you were the one she was so very
eager to find, Ken."
Tokyio blushed faintly. She hadn't thought she had been
that obvious, but she was excited to see him again. She thought it
was only natural. To go so close over the summer, only to be
forcefully separated in the guise of education.
$Suggest replacing in with under.
"Well, what are you doing here anyway, Toki-chan?" Ken
asked his cousin, trying to steer the subject away from himself.
The demon-girl's grip tightened at every mention of his name and
he was starting to lose feeling in his arm.
Tokyio carefully set the golden urn on a table, then hopped
up to set beside it, idly swinging her legs as she explained, "Well,
as soon as high school went on break, I just had to come and visit
my cousin, especially after all the wonderful times we had over the
summer.
$At that nudist camp.
Lying out under the sun,
$naked,
swimming in the lake,
$naked,
taking
our baths together..."
$with our clothes on for some strange reason...
"We only did that once!" Ken insisted, blushing in
embarrassment over the looks that Natsume, Kumiko, and now
Ayame, who had just reentered the room, were giving him. "And
that was only because we had to get ready quickly for the trip into
town! And I didn^�t see anything!"
$Well, she was a bit flatchested then.
"Ken and I take all of our showers together," Kumiko
declared with a disdainful snort, though did not loosen her grip on
her slave, much to his continued discomfort. "And we always
sleep together!"
Tokiyo took a step back from the grinning demon-girl with
wide eyes. Ayame paled, not even realizing her hands were balled
into fists. Natsume felt faintly envious, though not of Kumiko.
"When you say sleep, you mean just sleeping in the same
bed, right?" Tokiyo asked, laughing nervously. "You don't mean...
that, do you?"
$You should see his scars.
"I mean we have-- mmph!" Kumiko began to shout, only to
be muffled by Ken's hand, who was currently worried about the
looks Tokiyo and Ayame were giving them. He didn't want to
upset his cousin, but he didn't want to anger the angel-girl even
more. "Why did you bring that urn along, Tokyio? Shouldn't you
have left it at your family shrine?"
"But great-grandma wanted to see you too, Ken-chan!"
Tokyio replied, though she was still staring at Kumiko with a
distrustful look, to which the demon-girl answered with a
raspberry, causing the young girl to frown.
Natsume and Ayame stared at the urn in bewilderment as
its lid suddenly rattled for a bit, then stopped. Ken groaned, still
wondering how his cousin could get it to move on command like
that. Probably some slight of hand trick she had learned to
maintain her illusions.
Tokiyo was a really nice girl mostly. She just had a strange
obsession with their late great-grandmother. When he had stayed
over with her parents, she had lugged that urn around everywhere
she went, even taking it into the bathroom
$ICK! That's too far, even considering she loves the old ash.
and setting it beside her
on the dinner table. Her parents had at least tried to cure her of this
habit when it had first manifested, years ago after their great-
grandmother had passed away. Everything they attempted failed,
however, and since she was perfectly normal in all other respects,
they just gave up and pretended the urn didn't exist.
$Typical response. Perfectly in character.
"Ah, I need to freshen up a bit. I feel like I was wandering
around this town for hours,"
$Possible because she was.
Tokiyo declared suddenly, breaking
the silence. She hopped off the table, slipped the urn back into her
arms, and turned to face Natsume. "Is it all right if I use your
bathroom, Natsume-san?"
"Umm, sure," Natsume replied a bit nervously, still a little
freaked out by the way that lid had just rattled on its own, without
anyone jostling the table or anything. The idea of ghosts and other
supernatural beings disturbed her greatly. A childhood fear that
she had never gotten over.
$Wait till Grandma manefests in all her spectral glory. She was quite a
looker back in the day. Introducing, Granny the ghost-girl!
"Just go up the stairs. It's the second
door to your right."
"Thanks!" Tokiyo said with a grin before practically
sprinting up the stairs.
"My cousin is... a bit odd," Ken told them tactfully as soon
as the girl was out of sight. "She was really attached to our great-
grandmother and took her death hard. Then she got this crazy idea
that great-grandma's urn could talk to her, and has been lugging it
around ever since."
Ayame didn't think Tokiyo was imagining things. She had
definitely sensed something odd about that urn, but it had been
elusive, as if trying to protect itself from being known. It could
very well be the ghost of the girl's departed great-grandmother, or
perhaps something more dangerous only pretending to be her,
preying on the young girl's weakness. The angel-girl would need
some time alone with the urn to tell,
$Heh, good luck there.
but she couldn't risk saying or
doing anything that would reveal her own supernatural nature.
Noting the expressions of the women gathered around him,
Ken added, "Other than that, she's a really sweet kid. She's not
crazy or anything, just a little... off, I guess."
$Not counting being obsessed with her cousin.
Tokiyo:That's second cousin!
"Well, I don't like her!" Kumiko suddenly declared with
narrowed eyes, tightening her grip on Ken just as it was about to
loosen. "She's obnoxious, pushy,
$By all means, let that color your perceptions of someone.
and she touched my slave
without my permission!"
"Slave?" Ayame repeated with wide eyes.
The angel-girl had assumed, or rather hoped, that she had
only misheard the demon before. It was one thing to use him as an
outlet for her selfish sexual urges, but it was something else to
dominate him utterly. Was she acting under orders after all? This
boy was supposedly important to both Heaven and hell,
$Hell
even
though he appeared to be no more than an average human.
$Below average, even.
"I really wish you'd stop telling everyone that, Kumiko,"
Ken said, hanging his head in embarrassment.
"Yes, my slave!" Kumiko shouted in Ayame's face. "I own
him! He's mine! So don't you try and touch him again either!"
"He touched me!" Ayame shouted back, feeling a familiar
rage overcome her once again.
"I think Ken's little cousin is cute. I mean, coming all this
way just to see her favorite cousin, to tell him how much she
missed him," Natsume said with a smile, in an effort to dispel the
tension that once again seemed to be filling the air. "I was only
teasing before, Kumiko. No one is trying to take your Ken away
from you."
The sandy-haired girl really hoped the feud between her
new friend and her new guest cooled down before her grand
opening of her coffee shop. Even putting them alternate shifts
would mean at least one battle a day, and she didn't want to find
out if her little shop could take that kind of abuse.
"He is lucky to have such a thoughtful cousin," Ayame
agreed, mostly to conceal a surprisingly underhanded thought
which had popped into her head. Instinctively, she recoiled from
the idea of being somewhat deceptive, but she had been taught that
subtle methods were preferable to direct ones.
If Tokyio truly desired her cousin, and Kensuke was willing
to return these feelings if not restrained by the demon, wasn't it her
duty as an angel to help them find happiness? And if a certain
demon was hurt in the process, wasn't this a fitting punishment for
her misdeeds?
$Looks like Heaven has a fury like a woman scorned, too.
For whatever reason, Kensuke was important to
Heaven, and had to be freed of the demon regardless.
$I think the regardless is a bit redundant.
"I still don't like her," Kumiko pouted, with her arms
crossed under her chest, though still retaining a firm hold on one of
Ken's arms.
Sometimes it seemed like every woman was out to take her
slave away from her, except for Natsume that was. Constant
vigilance meant she wasn't able to relax and risk dropping her
guard. She wondered if it wouldn't be better to just consume all of
her slave's soul and go home. The demon-girl shoved that thought
aside, however. She wasn't the type to give in so easily.
Ken shivered, as if someone had just lightly stepped over
his grave.
$And then dropped a 16 ton anvil on it.
Tokiyo managed to slam the bathroom door just as the tears
began to drip down her cheeks. She leant against the door and
gasped for air, willing herself not to break down in heaving sobs.
Everything had been going so perfectly. She had searched
around vainly for Ken, but that gave her the time to prepare herself,
so she was ready to confess her feelings to him, feelings that she
had nurtured in silence for years until he could realize that she was
more than his tomboy cousin, she was a woman who loved him.
And he had noticed! She had seen it in his eyes, giving her
a look he usually reserved for the older women they would pass by
on their way someplace. How many times had she wished he
would look at her that way? Just when he finally does, that blue-
dyed witch shows up and ruins everything!
"Careful there, you're warping the metal," her great-
grandmother whispered to her.
$Suggest naming her. It'd help.
"This urn didn't come cheap, you
know. Now that I'm dead I'm not in the sort of financial position to
replace it."
"Sorry, great-grandmother," Tokiyo said, her voice thick
with emotion as she carefully set the funeral that she had been
squeezing to death on the sink.
$A bit late for that.
Catching herself in the mirror, she
blushed in embarrassment and quickly snatched a tissue to wipe
her tears away.
"And don't you go giving up on me now, girl. This is only
a minor setback," the great-grandmother lectured in a stern tone,
which softened with confusion as she added. "I just don't
understand what went wrong. My curse should still be in place..."
$Ken: AH HAH! So _SHE'S_ the one responsible! *pulls out dustbuster* Now
you're gonna get it! Banzai!
Great-Grandmother: AHHH!
Tokiyo blinked as her great-grandmother muttered
something too low for even her sensitive ears to understand.
"What did you say, great-grandmother?"
"Uhh, never mind what I said, child," her great-
grandmother said quickly. "The important thing is that something
is very wrong here. If you hadn't been so caught up in the moment,
I'm sure you would have noticed it too."
"What do you mean?" Tokiyo asked in puzzlement.
"I don't think this 'Kumiko' is a normal human woman," her
great-grandmother stated firmly, with a touch of worry in her
voice. "And if she is what I think she is, my great-grandson could
be in grave danger."
$Only of losing his soul, I mean, geez.
Kumiko sneezed suddenly, making everyone else blink at
her in surprise. She rubbed her nose as she glanced around,
wondering if she could catch human illnesses after all.
$Ah... Another nice chapter. The plot thickens, and Natsume goes chunky
style from over stimulation. This really should be done as a manga. So,
now we know why Ken was so pathetic. He really was cursed, not just by the
girls. But now it doesn't matter! Does he love his cousin, or, like many
people, would he rather date outside of his family/species? Ayame begins
the spiral into dirty deeds and underhanded machinations, just another day
of training for the big job in heaven. And Kumiko bounces around
pleasingly.
What madcap wonders await us next chapter?
I await in glee.
-Ragun P. Moody
ICQ# 37606443
"It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's,
not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's
its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It
isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise
yours and theirs."
-- Oxford University Press, Edpress News