Finished a little earlier than expected, but at the
same time don't feel that it really measures up to
the previous chapters. Can't tell why though, so
you tell me, okay? :)
***
Kumiko the Demon-girl
(A Lime-flavored Original Fic)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://www.thekeep.org/~amm/
Chapter 4: Angel-girl
***
Ayame sat on the floor of her room; her bowed head
allowing the tips of her long strawberry-colored strands to rest
upon her crossed legs. Her pale blue eyes were shut while her
white, dove-like wings were folded neatly behind her and the small
wings on her forehead seemed to bow in imitation. She was as
nude as the day she that had ascended into Heaven, not even
wanting the light fabric of her usual white robe to distract her now.
She was deep in meditation. This in itself was not unusual
for her. Whenever not attending to her duties or studying on how
to serve humans more efficiently, she preferred to spend her time
like this, finding it a superior in may ways to sleep, which she saw
as wasteful.
However, this day she had a very specific reason for
seeking her inner self and the peace that she found there; she was
currently up for review. Today she would find out once and for all
if she would leave proto-angelic status behind and become a full-
fledged member of the heavenly chorus, or would be allowed to
pass on.
Passing on was something that filled her with dread. Just
the thought of it was enough to make her doubt she was fulfilling
her role as an angel to its fullest, spurring her on to larger and
greater deeds, sometimes until she collapsed from exhaustion.
Still, becoming a true angel held its own fears. There was the
increased duties and responsibility, but what worried her the most
was the martyr. She would have to find a pure human soul who
was willing to sacrifice her or his chance at Heaven so that she
could live on. Ayame wasn't sure that she could ask that of
anyone.
Then she heard a pleasant male voice, that seemed to come
from all around her, say, "Ayame, Angel of Investigation, please
report to the Hall of Records for you review hearing."
It was the moment she had been waiting for. Though
figurative butterflies danced in her stomach, after a cleansing
breath she felt ready to face whatever her superior would have to
say. If she was to pass on, Ayame would welcome that decision
with quiet acceptance, knowing that it had to be right. If they
chose to instate her as a full angel, then she would find someone
who truly wished to cease, having already lead a long and full life.
Ayame nodded to herself and stood, uncoiling her long,
lightly tanned legs while being careful that her smooth arms did
not touch her full breasts, whose odd motions always made her feel
uncomfortable and embarrassed. She wished that she could reduce
or do without them altogether, but only so much of her physical
form was mutable.
"The Creator made us this way for a reason and it is not our
place to question his judgment," Ayame recited to herself as she
opened her eyes and reached out to the long white robe which lay
spread out on the floor. The garment rose up as if held by a small
an army of invisible cherubs, wrapping around to conceal her
nakedness until only her arms were left bare, the garment secured
by a large golden clasp that rested on her left hip. Her light red
hair was now secured by golden strands in an elaborate braid and
simple sandals adorned her feet.
With the other hand, she reached out the to the room itself,
which started to run like water, pouring into that hand until the
room was gone and she held a shimmering pearl dangling from a
short golden chain, which she wore as an earring.
Ayame now hovered in a great expanse of sky where large
white, puffy clouds drifted lazily by among huge stone islands that
floated impossibly among the mist. With a great flap of her wings,
it was to one of these islands that she flew.
The Hall of Records was a large marble building that
looked like something out of ancient Rome, though its scale was
far beyond anything the Romans had ever conceived of. Its many
stories and great stone pillars dwarfed even the great pyramids of
Egypt.
Its purpose was to keep track of everything that had
happened, is happening, and in some cases will happen in Heaven,
and also those events on Earth that were the province of angels.
Ayame knew that there was an entire wing devoted to keeping tabs
on important affairs in Hell, and while it wasn't exactly a secret, it
was still not something that was widely known or talked about.
Ayame padded down the hall, having never gotten used to
the loud echoes that followed like shadows in her wake, even after
ninety years of trodding the same path. With the ceiling so high
above her head that small clouds partially obscured the massive
stone arches that held it in place, there was more than enough room
for flight, but she thought that to do so would be improper and
disrespectful. Besides, the echoes that would be created thus were
even more worrisome to her.
There were few doors in the Hall; most rooms had only
simple archways. Though it was considered perfectly all right to
simple enter and leave at one's will, Ayame always waited at the
threshold for permission to gain admittance.
"You may enter, Ayame," Noriaki told her, not looking up
from the reports spread out like a paper fan on his desk. He was an
elder angel with a short grey beard and sharp eyes, and had been
her superior immediately after completing her angelic training
ninety years ago. This had been and was still considered by the
angel-girl to be a great honor, for Noriaki was but second in
command of the Hall of Records. A newborn angel serving
directly under someone of his stature was practically unheard of.
Ayame walked into the plush interior of his office, feeling
the same sense of relief that she always did as the lush carpet
muted her footfalls. There was a chair there for her to sit, but she
simply stood before it. Though her superior may have saw this as
her professionalism, the truth was that Ayame had always found it
hard to be comfortable sitting outside of the lotus position, which
she thought was a bit too silly-looking in a chair.
"As I have always believed it getting right to the point, that
is what I shall do," Noriaki spoke as his eyes studied Ayame with
an intense gaze that made the angel-girl wish she had spent even
more time in meditation. She was positive that her nervousness
was obvious to an insightful angel like her superior, and it was sure
to ruin her chances for a good review.
Before she could say or do anything, however, Noriaki
continued, "You record as an angel for these past ninety five years,
outside of a few very minor incidents, has been nothing short of
immaculate. It is my privilege to upgrade your status to that of a
full angel, to be put into effect immediately after a suitable martyr
can be found."
Ayame had to bite her lip and hug herself tight to keep
from shouting and leaping for joy, relief, and a hundred other
emotions that had suddenly overwhelmed her at that moment. She
grew quite embarrassed about her sudden onslaught of improper
and unnecessary feelings, but did her best to hide this as well. Still
shaking, she bowed deeply and replied, "Thank you, Sir. I hope I
will earn the trust that you have placed in me."
"There is, however, one minor complication," Noriaki
added after allowing her sufficient time to settle down. His
expression showed clearly that he wasn't totally thrilled with the
addendum he was about to make.
"Complication, Sir?" Ayame asked cautiously. Was she
going to be allowed to pass on after all? Before she might have
been ready for it, but not after being praised for all of her hard
work and dedication. Surely she deserved to be promoted no
matter what minor problems had arisen.
"Nothing to be concerned about, I assure you," he added
quickly with a smile that seemed to her only partially forced. "It is
just that since you must descend to the human world to find a
proper martyr anyway, my superiors would like you to take care of
a small matter first."
"Of ..course, Sir," Ayame replied, stuttering a bit as she
bowed low once again. Noriaki's superiors where the Great
Chorus, made up of those few heavenly beings to have risen to the
exalted rank of archangel, ruling Heaven with their wisdom and
benevolence. There could be no greater honor for an angel then to
serve their wishes. "What would they have me do?"
"They have heard a rumor that Hell has become interested
in a boy on the human world, and they want you to observe this
boy in order to discover if there is any truth to this."
"But surely Those Who Watch or the Angels of
Prophecy..." Ayame started to say, but stopped and blinked in
surprise as her superior made a very odd face when she mentioned
the latter; something she had never seen on him before so had
difficulty interpreting. The Angels of Prophecy could predict the
future to a small degree, though their pronouncements were usually
vague and of little practical use. One of their normal functions was
to determine if a human met one of the conditions of martyrdom;
to be destined to die within a year.
"There are reasons that those members of the angelic
chorus have not been chosen for this assignment, and in fact should
never be made aware of its existence," Noriaki replied, looking
vaguely uncomfortable with this.
"Sir, I do not understand," Ayame said slowly, feeling very
much out of her element. She knew that there were some things
that she was better off not discussing with angels not of her field,
but this was only because such knowledge could not aid and would
even distract them from their duties, but to keep secrets?
Everything in her rebelled against the very idea, yet if that was
what she was ordered, that was what she must and would do.
Noriaki sighed and explained, "I'm not sure I should tell
you even this, but the boy I have mentioned is no ordinary human.
He has been watched by both Heaven and Hell since the very
moment of his birth, and even now it is still being debated as to
what must be done about him. The Great Chorus fears that the
demons have taken action secretly and it could mean a dire fate for
Heaven should they succeed."
Ayame took another cleansing breath and focused on
keeping herself on her feet as he knees felt just about ready to give
out. For her to be trusted with a mission of so great importance,
with the very safety of Heaven hanging in the balance, it was even
more overwhelming than her review had been. The faith that was
being placed in her; she was clearly unworthy of it, but at the same
time she could not refuse.
"Be at peace, child," Noriaki told Ayame with a smile as
the angel-girl began to hyperventilate. Something he had never
really understood about her since angels really didn't need to
breathe. "All you have to do is watch this boy for a while to
discover if there is any truth to this rumor and report back on your
findings. Once that is accomplished, you will be free to locate an
appropriate martyr and become a full angel."
"What is the name of this boy, Sir?" Ayame asked as she
gathered up all her courage to at least give the resemblance of cool
professionalism.
Noriaki didn't even glance at the reports before him, as if
the name was burned into his mind. "Kensuke Iwakami."
Ken, or Kensuke as his parents had named him though they
were the only two people on Earth who ever called him that, wiped
the sweat from his forehead as he collapsed in a chair. The three
of them had just spent a couple of hours cleaning and otherwise
getting the front room of Natsume's coffee shop in decent shape.
The absence of dust and grime, however, revealed the need
for a new paint job for the walls, major waxing of the floor, and a
hundred other little things that would have to be done before the
place could pass a health inspection, much less open for business.
He realized that he'd probably get drafted for that too, but at least
Natsume had agreed to pay him and Kumiko for their efforts.
"Why did I have to do all the heavy lifting?" Ken asked of
no one in particular as he took a deep breath, feeling a desperate
need for a shower now that all the dust and dirt that once coated
the shop now coated him. After that would be a long nap; twenty
hours or so would do.
"You're the man, it's your job," Natsume replied with a
sarcastic smile as she handed him a glass of ice water, only a few
small patches of dust marking her white and black outfit.
Ken gulped the refreshing liquid down to avoid a scathing
retort at his new employer. He guessed Natsume was about as
strong as he was, and Kumiko certainly was much stronger... His
thoughts trailed off as the demon-girl's rear end was suddenly only
an inch away from his face as she polished the table next to him
while humming a light, cheery tune that he'd been nodding his
head to without realizing it. The demon-girl seemed so into her
work that she failed to notice his proximity.
Backing his seat up a bit, and doing his best to ignore
Natsume's snickering, Ken couldn't help wondering why Kumiko
had agreed to their now mutual friend's request so easily. He had
expected her to protest, threaten, and generally make a big fuss
about how it was now time for the sex that he had previously
agreed to, but instead she had simply said okay and asked what she
was supposed to do.
With a wink, Kumiko blew a kiss to her reflection on the
now shiny table, which giggled silently in return. Then the demon-
girl stretched her arms high over her head, causing Natsume to
choke on her water for some reason, and without looking back,
sprawled out on Ken's lap, lying her head against his collar bone as
one hand encircled his neck while the other reached under his shirt
to lightly rub his stomach.
This would have been relatively easy for Ken to take if that
were the only thing rubbing. Her left breast was squashed against
his chest, while her behind squirmed all over his lap as she made
herself comfortable. It took every ounce of Ken's concentration to
keep from dropping the glass on the floor.
"No, Kumiko," Ken managed to tell her. His body was
shouting the opposite, but Natume's casually observing them was
enough for his mind to win this contest. "I'm completely filthy
and sweaty from cleaning up this place."
"Oh, I don't mind," the demon-girl replied, her hot breath
on his neck. "I'm dirty too! Besides, I know a fun way we can get
even more sweaty..."
Taking pity on Ken for a moment, and not wanting to get
the place messy after all that effort cleaning it up, Natsume
interrupted by telling them, "You both did a really great job, and
while I can see the place still needs a bit more work, I think that's
plenty for today. Here, let me pay you what I promised and then
you two can celebrate in private."
"We'll be home in five minutes. Then we can do whatever
you want.," Ken whispered to the Kumiko as Natsume got their
money. He was actually looking forward to another round of the
demon-girl's special attention, as long as it was held in private.
"Good!" Kumiko enthused in a stage whisper as she
snuggled closer to him. "Because I have something really fun
planned!"
Ken's sudden feelings of foreboding were interrupted by
Natsume waving a few yen bills before his face. "Take this and
buy your girlfriend something nice. I won't forgive you if you
don't treat my new friend right, Ken."
With a smile, he took the money and told her, "Thanks,
Natsume. Kumiko is lucky to have such a good friend like you
concerned over her welfare."
He guessed that Natsume was a bit jealous about loosing
their little contest to see who could get a date first, with her blatant
flirting as her idea of revenge. Now she making sure that he knew
she hadn't been serious about it, not that it really mattered to him.
"Of course!" Natsume replied with feigned innocence. "I
always take a deep and personal interest in the well being of my
girl friends!"
The sandy-haired girl turned away from Ken and offered
Kumiko a few yen bills as well. "Here you go, Kumi-chan! Buy
yourself something to go with whatever Ken gets you. Obviously
he doesn't deserve anything else when he's got you."
Kumiko stared at the things that Natsume was trying to
give to her, wondering what they were for. They only seemed to
be slips of paper, but she got the sense that they were a bit more
important than that. They didn't look or feel like wards, so with
some hesitation, she took them, guessing from Natsume's smile
that she had done the right thing.
Ken stood and made for the door, Kumiko still clinging to
him like a very comfortable second skin. He was half-worried that
staying a few minutes longer would mean getting talked into doing
something else for his friend. Perhaps before he'd been eager for
another distraction, but at the moment all he wanted was to spend
some time alone with the demon-girl he had become attached to, at
least before her current good nature became too strained.
"Good-bye, Natsume," he told her from the threshold. "I
can't wait to see your coffee shop up and running."
She smiled as she waved. "You'll see it up close. I still
need your help to get this place in shape before mid-terms are over,
Ken."
He knew she was going to say that. "Yeah, I'll do what I
can to help, but I've still got three mid-terms left that I need time to
study for and take. Call me and we'll work something out."
"Well, Kumi-chan and I can always work on it while you're
in class," Natsume said with a grin as her eyes roamed over the
demon-girl. "She doesn't know much about this sort of stuff, but
she's eager, and I think it'll be fun teaching her everything she
needs to know."
"That won't be possible," Ken replied, wishing that
Natsume would just give it a rest. "Kumiko and I are all in the
same classes so we have to be together."
"Really? You two really are inseparatable, aren't you?"
"Yep!" Kumiko chimed in. "We have a bond that makes
sure our souls are never more than a few feet apart!"
"That's so romantic," Natsume said with a catch in her
throat as her eyes began to mist over. "Ken, you're so lucky to
have found a nice soul-mate like Kumi-chan. I hope that I can find
someone like that someday."
"No, you don't," he muttered under his breath as he finally
left.
Ken breathed a small sigh of relief when he entered his
apartment building. The day had been one of the most insane in
his life so it was good to come to a place where the chances of
more strange things happening were eliminated, or at least greatly
reduced.
Kumiko was holding onto his arm and leaning her head on
his shoulder as she had done the entire way home, making them
appear to the average passerby like two people very much in love.
This wasn't an image Ken wanted to cultivate, but when he tried to
pull away, he found the demon-girl's grip like iron, and his
carefully phrased explanations fell on deaf ears.
So still like this, he made for the elevator, only to trip and
nearly fall on his face when Kumiko suddenly became immobile as
a statue.
"What's the matter now?" he asked with a bit of irritation.
He was not more than willing to give into what she wanted, but she
still had to make things difficult for him.
"What is this thing?" she asked as she peered at the elevator
with much the same look as she had given Natsume, at least at
first.
"It's just an elevator," Ken explained, wondering why
something so basic was not included in the demon-girl's
knowledge of humans. "It's... a metal box on a cable that'll pull us
up to my floor. It's really safe and easy."
"Well, I don't like it!" she declared in a voice that left no
room for compromise. "We're taking the stairs!"
"But it's five flights up!" Ken protested as Kumiko began to
drag him towards the stairwell.
"So?" the demon-girl replied as she tirelessly hauled him
up the first few steps. "We have buildings in Hell with many more
floors than that and we never use elevators."
"That's because you can fly!" Ken protested, his ankles
bumping painfully against the edges of the steps.
A moment later, Ken realized his mistake as he suddenly
found himself airborne, with a shadow cast over him by Kumiko's
huge bat wings that somehow managed to fit in the narrow
stairwell.
"Aiiee!" Ken said in fright and panic, the roaring of the
wind nearly drowning out his voice. "We can't fly up these stairs!"
"Why not?" Kumiko asked in confusion as she held him
close to her and ascended rapidly up the stairwell. "I bet this is
much quicker than that nasty elevator!"
"Somebody might see us!" Ken shouted back, feeling that
this would get him kicked out of his nice cozy apartment for sure.
They didn't even let him keep pets, he was sure that demons would
be right out. "I'd rather carry you up the stairs then get caught like
this!"
"That's a great idea, Ken-chan!" Kumiko enthused as she
carefully set him back on his feet as her wings folded behind her
and vanished. Then she leapt into his arms, burying her face in his
chest as her arms hugged him tight enough to nearly bruise his
ribs. Ken thanked whatever heavenly powers that be as he
managed to grab hold of the railing to avoid falling back down the
stairs.
He thought about protesting this, the demon-girl was
heavier than she looked, but realized that the alternative could be
something even worse than the vampire bat express. So with a
firm hold on the railing, he carefully made his way up the stairs
step by step, their progress much slower now though Kumiko
didn't seem to mind.
Ken considered himself luckily that they had already been
more than halfway up when he'd been forced to take up the burden
of their ascent. He was gasping for air and nearly crying tears of
joy when the fifth floor hallway finally came into view.
"Do you think... you could walk... on your own now?" Ken
managed to gasp out, knowing that still carrying Kumiko, he
wouldn't be able to stand up much longer, much less walk.
"No," the demon-girl replied, not seeming to notice his
horrified look. "It's my turn to carry you again, Ken-chan!"
Kumiko moved too fast for Ken's eyes to follow as he
somehow ended up in her arms without her ever letting go of him.
With a spring in her step, she practically hopped over to his door.
Normally, Ken would have loudly protested being put in such an
embarrassing position, but with her soft breasts rubbing up against
his face, he couldn't seem to form coherent thoughts.
"Ken-chan, I think your door is broken. It won't open!"
Kumiko told him, snapping him out of his comfortable haze.
"It's only locked, Kumiko. I have the keys right here," he
explained as he reached into his pocket."
"I'll get them!" the demon-girl shouted and forced his hand
out of the way she explored all around in his pocket. "I've got
them, but they're stuck!"
"That's... not the keys, Kumiko," Ken managed to say,
blushing heavily as the demon-girl tugged hard to free the 'keys.'
"Oh, this must be them then," she said as she pulled out his
key chain, on which dangled several keys, most of which no longer
served any purpose. "Shiny!" she giggled delighted as she held up
the keys and spun them around to catch the light.
Ken instructed her to which key would open the door and
hurried her through the process of opening the door, all the time
expecting and fearing someone would catch him like this. His luck
seemed to be improving as they managed to get inside without him
seeing anyone.
He missed noticing the old woman who lived down the
hall, who simply shook her head and muttered something about
newlyweds before returning to her room.
Ken managed to convince Kumiko to let go of him as he
crawled over to his bed and flopped down with a sigh of relief, the
work at Natsume's coffee shop and the effort of carrying the
demon-girl up the stairs having taken most of his energy for the
day. Even though it was still early, all he wanted to do was sleep.
Not having noticed them closing, Ken's eyes fluttered open
to see Kumiko sitting on the bed beside him, slowly running her
gloved hand through his hair. He realized that she was once again
in the outfit she had worn when they had first met; tight black
leather studded with silver buttons like stars in the night sky,
probably because she was more comfortable like that. Her eyes
were red again, and both pairs of wings were visible, though her
larger set rested on her shoulders like a cape. Her mouth was
closed as she smiled down at him, though he suspected that her
fangs had also returned.
He couldn't help wondering then how her disguise felt,
especially when she had shed it so quickly. Was it uncomfortable,
or even painful, to wear? If it was, why did she agree to do it?
She wasn't exactly the sort of person to do something just because
he would suffer if she didn't. His thoughts fled, however, when
she leaned over and very gently kissed him on the lips.
"Kumiko," Ken started to say and then paused, trying to
find the very best way to phrase his panicked thoughts. She
seemed to be in a good mood now, but he knew all too well how
quickly her mood could change. On the other hand, a
disappointing performance without a few words of explanation
beforehand could cost him his life.
"Yes, Ken-chan?" she whispered softly as she slipped his
shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor.
"Humans aren't like demons," he started to explain
nervously. "We get tired easily. And after all that's happened to
today, well... I think I'll need just a little rest before I'll be able to
fully... satisfy you. Because as you slave it's my duty to please you
as best as I can."
Sweating in fear, Ken watched the demon-girl's face for the
smallest sign of how this news would be taken. It was mostly the
truth, but he wasn't sure if she'd be reasonable about this sort of
thing.
Kumiko blinked a few times in confusion, but smiled
enticingly as understanding dawned. "Oh, we're not going to have
sex yet."
"We're not?" Ken replied in surprise, relief, and only a
touch of disappointment. "Then why did you take off my shirt?"
"Because... it's time for your training, slave!" the demon-
girl shouted gleefully as she stood, punctuating her exclamation
with a crack of a whip that had materialized in her hand.
"Training?" Ken asked fearfully, his eyes drawn to the
dangling whip as if it were a deadly cobra.
"Yep!" Kumiko replied in high spirits as she held out her
free hand and made a sharp tugging gesture. The spiked collar,
which was quickly becoming Ken's most hated object in the world,
materialized around his neck with an attached chain that lead off
into her hand.
"Being my slave is really very simple! Do what I say, and
I'll reward you, like this!" Kumiko pulled on the chain, bringing
Ken's head close to hers as she kissed him deeply and thoroughly
before dropping him back on the bed.
*This might not be so bad,* Ken thought with a small
smile, liking this new game so far. With the demon-girl in charge,
he didn't have to worry as much about doing the wrong thing and
risk upsetting her. Besides, he was starting to find this game kind
of exciting.
"But if you don't do what I say, I'll have to punish you like
so!" Before Ken could react, Kumiko's whip flashed out and
caught him right across the stomach.
"AARRGGHH!" Ken nearly screamed in shock and pain,
the touch of the whip feeling like a white-hot fire scorching a line
across his stomach. Cautiously he looked down, expecting a bright
red scar, but was surprised to find that the whip hadn't left so much
as a mark on him.
Kumiko held her hands over her pointy ears, wearing a
very irritated expression. "Why did you have to shout so loud!?"
she shouted at him.
"That hurt!" Ken yelled back at her, not even caring about
offending her at the moment.
"It's supposed to, baka!" she replied as she inched closer to
him, the whip ready to strike again. "It wouldn't be much of a
punishment if it didn't!"
"I... I suppose you're right," Ken admitted as he
apprehensively studied the whip while cursing his earlier
carelessness. If it was a bad idea to get the demon girl mad
normally, it was downright suicidal to piss her off while she was
wielding a fiery instrument of discipline.
"Okay, now where were we?" Kumiko asked with a
confused look.
*Right where you tell me this was all a little prank that
went too far and I'll never have to see that whip again,* Ken
thought, but didn't dare say it. "That as your slave it's my job to do
what you say or you'll punish me."
"Right!" Kumiko agreed immediately and then was silent
for a time as she tried to remember what was supposed to come
next. While there had been a class on domination and slave
education during her demonic training, as a demon she had never
had to put that knowledge to use before. Besides, she hadn't really
paid attention to that class, except for the teacher's cool outfit. As
a result she had a vague idea of what she was supposed to do.
"Now I'm supposed to test you to make sure you follow my
orders!" Kumiko said, trying to sound confident. She was pretty
sure she was skipping some steps, but decided that they couldn't
have been that important. "Umm... stand up!" *crack!*
At the sound of the whip, Ken shot out of bed in panic; so
quickly that his foot got caught on the tangled sheets and he landed
on the floor face-first.
"I said stand up, slave!" Kumiko shouted in a voice whose
stern tone was undermined by occasional giggles. Her whip
flashed out again...
"Owie!" Ken exclaimed as he felt a searing pain on his
back, propelling him to his feet.
"Better," Kumiko said with a smile as she gently but firmly
tugged on the chain, bringing his lips to hers once again, kissing
him ever so softly. Time seeming to slow to a crawl as they
remained so as the moments passed, until she abruptly shoved him
away.
Ken stumbled but managed to stay on his feet, staring at the
demon girl who stood smiling innocently before him, feeling more
than a little bit lost. He had no idea what to expect from her
anymore.
"About face! Forward, march! One, two, three, four, one,
two, three, four!" Kumiko commanded, cracking her whip after
each count. She was trying look confident about her orders as her
teacher had instructed, but she wasn't sure if she was getting two
classes mixed up here.
*Am I in the SSDF now?* Ken wondered as he stared back
at Kumiko while his body continued to follow her orders. *Does
she even know what she's--* Not paying close attention, Ken had
to learn the hard way that the demon-girl's commands couldn't be
obeyed to the letter, smacking bodily into a wall of his apartment
as he attempted to step through it.
"Well, you did part of what I said, so do I reward you for
the part you did or punish you for the part you didn't? Hmm... let's
just call it even," Kumiko thought out loud as she tried to come up
with something else for him to do. The problem was that all she
could seem to think of at the moment were much more like
rewards than tasks. Staring at Ken's bare chest wasn't helping her
any either. It only made her hungry...
"Quick, slave! Make me something to eat!" the demon-girl
demanded with a crack of her whip, remembering some of the
yummy human food he had given her earlier that morning.
Ken groaned and thought about telling Kumiko off as he
picked himself off the floor, but another crack of her whip
propelled him into motion as he dashed for his little kitchen area.
He realized a bit too late that it was some distance from where the
demon-girl was standing, the collar closing around his throat as he
landed painfully on the floor once again.
"Umm... are you okay, Ken-chan?" Kumiko asked
tentatively as her slave lay slumped on the floor where he had
fallen, unmoving for several minutes.
"Nnnn," Ken groaned in reply, his forehead still pressed to
the wood as if prostrating himself before the emperor. He had
completely lost the will to move, or to think about the possible
consequences of his immobility.
Kumiko knelt down beside him, cradling his body as he
stared back at her with a glazed expression. As he lay limp in her
arms like a stunned animal, the demon-girl studied him closely,
trying to discover the reason for his strange behavior. The only
thing that seemed different was the sizable bump developing on his
forehead. She poked at it and nearly dropped him as he convulsed
suddenly.
"Wai! You're growing a horn!" Kumiko shouted in
excitement. "I didn't even know humans could get horns."
"We don't," Ken replied bitterly as he couldn't stop from
touching the bump himself. It was like the lump was hot-wired to
every nerve in his body, set to broadcast a message of sharp pain
on contact.
He managed to extricate himself from her arms and stood a
bit shakily, happy that the floor was only swaying under his feet
like the deck of a ship caught in a mild summer storm.
"Are you okay, Ken-chan?" Kumiko repeated in a small
voice, her expression openly worried as she slowly stood up
herself.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ken replied, not wanting any sympathy
from her at the moment. He had just learned the hard way another
reason why still having her around was not a good thing for him
and was doing his best to reaffirm his conviction to do everything
he could to escape from her.
"Then why haven't you made me something to eat yet?!"
the demon-girl raged as her whip snaked out and bit into his side.
Ken yelped and dashed for the kitchen once again, this time
with Kumiko trailing close behind. Convincing himself to get
away from her was all well and good, but he had to do what she
said in the meantime if he didn't want to get hurt.
He found his kitchen to be depressingly empty. In fact, the
only thing of any real substance to eat was a single container of
cup ramen. On the bright side, it was quick and easy to prepare as
he filled it with water and shoved it in the microwave, occasionally
glancing at the demon-girl to gauge her currently level of
impatience.
Kumiko took this opportunity to poke around the small
kitchen area, opening the nearly empty fridge, rummaging around
the miss-matched dishes and old tupperware containers in the
cabinets, delighting in the bright blue flames that appeared when
she played with the stove. She noticed Ken reacting rather
strongly to the latter and thought it best to turn them off again.
Remembering how he had reacted to her summoning of Takashi,
she wondered if Ken might have a phobia of fire. She added that
to the mental list of adjustments that still needed to be made to her
slave.
Ken sighed in relief as the demon-girl stopped messing
with the stove. With his luck, she'd probably blow up the
apartment. He actually smiled when the microwave sounded with
a cheerful ding, indicating the pre-prepared edibles were now hot
and ready to eat. Snatching up a pair of chopsticks from the
counter, Ken didn't even notice how hot the cup was as he grabbed
it and shoved both of these into the demon-girl's hands.
At first, Kumiko only stared down at them in surprise,
failing to notice her slave's anxious glances. Then she smiled wide
and held the cup up to her face, rolling it against her cheek as she
savored the delicious warmth. She made little contented noises as
she brought its heat to her other cheek, her eyes shut to focus on
the wonderful temperature.
"Aren't you going to eat it?!" Ken shouted at her in
irritation. After all the trouble she had put him through to make it,
the least she could do was stop playing and taste it. Besides, he
hadn't anything to eat all day and his hunger had finally overcome
the daze he'd been in, now demanding to be sated.
"Of course!" Kumiko declared with a giggle. "But first,
your reward!"
Cradling the cup in her arms, the demon-girl leaned
forward to stand on her toes and kiss him on the nose. Then she
proceeded to peck at him; placing light kisses on his cheeks, lips,
and even his eyelids, occasionally stopping to giggle in
amusement. Ken found himself near laughter as well from the
ticklish touch of Kumiko's lips. *She's not all bad.*
With one last kiss set firmly on his lips, the demon-girl
abruptly turned away from him, and with the cup of ramen in one
hand and the chain that bound them in the other, made her way
back to his bed, dragging him along behind her.
*She's bad enough!* Ken added as he struggled to avoid
getting choked by the collar while staying on his feet.
Kumiko plopped herself down on Ken's bed, dropping Ken
himself kneeling before her, like a dog staring up at his mistress.
He was also salivating as he watched bits of the precious food slip
out of the cup, sliding over her boots, to land on the bed; a bright
square of carrot lost among his sheets. He wanted to growl in
anger at this waste, but his stomach beat him too it.
The demon-girl was about to start in on the noodles
squirming around in a watery beef-flavored broth, when she
blinked and looked down at her slave. "What was that noise?"
"That," Ken managed to not shout through an enormous act
of self-control, "was my stomach growling. It's trying to tell me
that it's hungry."
"Humans get all the neat stuff," Kumiko commented,
pouting cutely as she poked around in the cup with her chopsticks.
"My tummy doesn't make funny noises like that."
Ken only sighed and shook his head.
"Itakematsu!" Kumiko shouted with glee as with a deft
movement of her chopsticks, she stuffed a mass of the noodles into
her mouth; spilling both, small pieces of noodles, and assorted bits
of vegetables all over her boots and Ken's bed.
"Ith gooth!" she mumbled around a mouthful of noodles.
She attempted to swallow them all by using the chopsticks to push
them deeper into her mouth rather than actually chewing them.
*Ugh, what table manners,* Ken thought, half-disgusted
and half-amused. *I'm taking her to a restaurant... if I can avoid it
somehow.*
With a loud slurp, followed by an equally impressive gulp,
the noodles had vanished into her fanged maw, pursued closely by
a swing of the still-steaming broth. Only pausing to smile and
make various yummy sounds, Kumiko again dove her chopsticks
into the cup and pulled out a mass of glistening noodles, dropping
them into her mouth as broth dribbled down her chin.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kumiko noted Ken's intent
look that seemed focused somewhere in the vicinity of her breasts,
while a small pool of drool was forming at his feet. *Wow, this
slave training really works!* she thought in delight. Having just
about run out of ideas herself, she considered contacting her old
teacher for more fun things she could try.
"Is there something you want, slave?" Kumiko asked him
while instinctively clutching the precious cup ramen closer to her.
She was trying to sound sexy, but the effect was ruined with her
mouth still half-filled with noodles.
Ken sought for his earlier anger, but it was lost in his all-
consuming need to eat something, anything. He was even
contemplating a mad grab for the spilled food before the demon-
girl could stop him. Maybe, just maybe, if he conveyed how
important it was to him, and to her, she'd give him the rest of the
ramen. She didn't even need to eat while here he was, starving to...
He blinked to realize that he had found his anger again, just when
it wouldn't do him any good.
"Kumiko-sama," Ken spoke to her in the most reverential
and worshipping tone he could manage. "We humans are much
more frail than obviously superior demons. We need some things
in order to exist; warmth, shelter, and food. While I live only to
serve you, I will not continue to be able to do so if those needs are
not met..."
"So you're saying that you're hungry?" Kumiko asked
distractedly as she discovered how so much easier it was to eat
when she chewed up the noodles before swallowing them. She
even managed to spill less.
Ken nodded so eagerly that he risked whiplash. Though it
had seemed an insurmountable task, finally he had gotten through
to the demon-girl.
"Well, if you're hungry, slave, you can... lick my feet!"
Kumiko told him with the joy of having finally remembered
something else from class. She knew it was supposed to be lick
her boots, but that didn't sound as nearly as much fun to her. Shiny
black leather couldn't possibly taste good.
Struggling to hold back tears over the great burden that was
his life, Ken slowly slipped off Kumiko's boots, sucking up the bits
of fallen food as the last shreds of his dignity were blown away.
The demon-girl's giggles were muffled as she continued to feed her
face while watching her slave give her proper attention.
Ken slipped off both boots at once, running his hands over
her soft skin down all way to her now bare feet, the demon-girl's
giggles growing in volume. Noting this, a plan began to form in
his mind, that if he could make her laugh hard enough, she just
might let go of the cup and the rest of it's contents could be his.
Hands brushed lightly over Kumiko's knees, all the way
down to her ankles, sliding over the surface of her feet, forcing her
to stop eating to avoid choking on her own laughter. It wasn't
enough to relinquish her hold on the cup however.
Feeling victory finally within his grasp, Ken smiled as he
laid down on his stomach and kissed the top of her feet, rewarded
with a fresh wave of laugher. Then his kissed each toe one by one,
starting from the smallest toe on the right foot, all the way across
to the smallest on the left, and noting with glee that with each kiss
the demon-girl's laughter grew in volume. *And now for the
finale,* Ken thought with an almost smug grin as he did as he had
been ordered and lightly licked her feet.
"Umm," Kumiko murmured throatily, suddenly tugging
hard at the chain, pulling Ken up into the bed with her. He blinked
to meet her half-lidded eyes only inches from his, but she only
smiled in reply as, still having a firm grip on the chain, brought
him in for a deep kiss, holding him to her as her tongue explored
his mouth, seeming to savor him as she had savored the noodles.
Just as Ken was starting to set his worries aside and
enjoying the moment, Kumiko broke off the kiss and rolled over,
pinning him to the bed with her bare legs. Moments passed in
silence as she simply stared down at him while her wings flapped
lightly behind her.
"Are we done with training now, Kumiko-sama?" Ken
asked hopefully, want to never see that cursed whip again even
more than he wanted something to eat.
"Almost," the demon-girl replied with a hungry smile. "I
still have to give you your reward."
Ken had a sudden feeling of deja vu as she began to peel
off her long black gloves one by one. He used this time to
frantically search for the ramen cup. Finally, his eyes fell upon it,
set just out of reach. He strained with all his might to attain the
life-giving instant noodle meal, but was only just able to tip the
cup over to reveal that it was, in fact, empty.
The next moment, when the demon-girl pressed her nude
form against his and tore off the rest of his clothes with one
powerful swipe, he forgot about all else but her, and the pleasure
she offered.
Ayame checked and re-checked the scroll, feeling a great
sense of relief now that she had finally found the correct building.
Trying to locate something in the human world had proven more
difficult that she had expected. There were so many streets with
similar names, in places also with similar names, and very little
sense of logic to their layout whatsoever. And did they really need
to have so many languages? Those were thoughts for another time,
however, as was a hundred percent sure that this was the apartment
building she as looking for.
The angel-girl floated up to the fifth floor, her giant dove-
like wings flapping silently behind her, as she peered into windows
searching for the boy who matched the image she held. While she
did feel a bit bad in spying on people like this, she had no worries
about being seen, as her current form was invisible to all, including
demons and her fellow angels.
*I didn't expect this,* Ayame thought with a blush as she
turned away from the sight in the window. She had found the boy
she was looking for all right, she had seen his face quite clearly,
though his current expression was nothing like the one in picture.
The angel-girl felt really bad about spying on him now, but she had
her duty to perform.
Ayame didn't think there was anything wrong with two
humans making love. In fact, as an angel she felt it was something
that it was her duty to encourage, as the Creator willed the humans
go forth and multiply. But she also saw it as something very
special and private, something to be shared between two people
with a deep bond between them, and not something to be observed
by others, even angels.
Keeping her eyes averted from the couple on the bed,
Ayame studied the room carefully, but could find no demons
lurking about; and while she felt a bit ashamed to boast, she didn't
think that even an arch-demon could hide completely from her
abilities. Still, there were faint traces of demonic power hovering
in the air, so apparently the rumor had some basis in truth...
Something out of the corner of her eye brought her
attention back to the couple on the bed. She could have sworn that
the woman... but no, she had to be mistaken. Not even a demon
would dare to... That was when the woman rolled on top and
unfurled two enormous bat wings.
Ayame began to turn green, and was thankful that angels
didn't require food to exist, otherwise she knew she'd be heaving
her guts out all over the street below. Two humans having sex was
beautiful and right, but a human and a demon... together, doing
that... the very thought made her ill. It was a perversion of
everything she had ever believed it, making a mockery of the
Creator's great plan...
Angels in general never held high opinions of their
opposites, and Ayame's opinions on the matter were stronger than
most, but even she was shocked that there was a demon who was
so vile and disgusting that she would... Ayame couldn't even bare
to think about it anymore. Even Hell could not sink so low as to
use such base seduction, this had to be the lone act of a very
twisted demon who even Hell would be ashamed of.
The angel-girl would tell her superiors and let them handle
it. Then after a very long ritual of cleansing, she would find her
martyr and avoid contact with all demons for the rest of her
existence. It was clearly the proper and only thing that could be
done in this situation.
There is a certain element of perversity in the makeup of
every being, a tiny factor that makes them do something even
though they know it to be wrong. That can be the only explanation
for, as Ayame made to leave, she turned back one last time just as
the demon's head reared up to look her in the eyes.
With a soundless scream, an angel fell to Earth in a dead
faint.