Chapter 10: Taking a Risk

 

Between us, I wasn’t aware why he was petting me, but I was certain Hideki was gathering that I liked it. But I was worried how he would perceive my affectionate reaction.

...Should I be worried? He had yet to do anything to truly harm me. I’d been the one hurting him, and here he was, stroking the white hair on the top of my head like I was being given a treat for a good deed. Given that, him calling me crazy was like the pot calling the kettle black.

He might have been petting me out of curiosity, but I really wanted to know why he was here to begin with. Saying that I was the reason for him coming into this house and ordering me around made no sense.

One more time, I tried to hold back my purring, and asked: “Why --”

“You’re cute.” That interrupting response opened my eyes.

Quickly looking up at him, I blurted out, “What?”

He smirked at my reaction. “I said, you are cute.”

In confusion, I lowered my gaze and closed my eyes once more. How could he say something like that after I had attacked him repeatedly?

The petting finally stopped. His hand rested on the back of my head with just his thumb gently rubbing a spot behind my ear. At last, I was able to regain control and keep a lid on my purring.

He dropped his hand away from me and asked: “Are you having trouble with your pants?”

With a cringe, I pursed my lips tightly and kept my face down and away from him as I turned from him. At that moment, I wasn’t sure if the blush on my face was from him mentioning me being pantless, the trouble I was having with wearing them, or if I was still overwhelmed by what I had done under his petting.

In haste, I was back to the dresser in search of something that could work with my tail.

But he just had to ask: “Why not wear a skirt?”

One deep breath later, I said, “Because the underwear I have isn’t working either.”

“...Do you and your sister wear the same size?”

After a second or two of silence, he had to ask me that really weird question. Turning to look back at him, I raised my voice in retort. “Do you know what size your mother wears?”

“Find out.”

He didn’t respond to my remark about his mother the way I thought he would. In fact, I was a little confused by this reply.

With a little hesitation, and uncertainty, I asked: “Your want mew to find out your maowther’s dress size?”

He smirked at my mewling, but shook his head. “Go find out your sister’s size or try something of hers on.”

To me, there was something really wrong about wearing someone else’s underwear. From perusing memories, especially for Hitoshi to wear Hitomi’s undies.

But wearing a skirt without anything on underneath was seriously asking for something to happen. My tail would, and this wasn’t guessing, show off what was hiding behind the curtains.

...Unless I could find a long dress? One that would reach all the way down to my ankles, and be warmly thick for the current season, would work. And I remembered Hitomi had one of those ridiculously modest school outfits. I doubted my tail had the strength to lift one of those skirts.

“I’ll be back.” In a hurry, I passed him and went for the door --

-- and was immediately grabbed and held by my arm. I glanced back at him and was about to ask what the Hell he was doing, but I choked a startled mewl when he pulled me back to him.

“Let’s go.” With me standing in front of him, he twirled me around to face the direction of the door, and we were both now walking out together. Regardless how I was dressed, I supposed he still believed I’d run.

Looking back at when I was trapped in the bathroom, and held in the hallway, I would’ve. Maybe not now…

In the hallway, we stalled between three other doors. Hideki let go of my arm to rest his hands on my shoulders before asking, “Which room?”

There wasn’t much of a difference between the doors, other than where they were located. So unless he took a peek inside, he wouldn’t know which room had been my sis… Hitomi’s room. But I knew, and reached a hand out to tap the one to my right.

The two doors on my left belonged to my… Hitoshi’s parents. Oddly enough, they did not share the same bedroom. In this family, sleeping together in the same room was meant for one purpose only, and the household was not eager to add a third child to the family. I supposed an elder daughter and young son was enough.

That might change after they learned what had happened to… on second thought, the hospital might give them a different story. As far as everyone there was concerned, I was Fuma Hitoshi.

“Is something bothering you?” Hearing his concerned voice, I glanced over my shoulder up at him.

With a bit of sarcasm, I stated: “You and your friends wishing mew well on myah recovery was a delightful surprise. Your intrusion, to see how I was, completely floored meow. Oh, yeah, myaow wound hasn’t bothered mew since being stabbed.” I turned a little towards him to establish one last thing that bugged me. “And I absolutely love being in your company completely exposing meowself.”

After I made my statement, he said nothing, but just turned me around to face forward once more. In his silent moment, he slipped his arms around my shoulders and bust, pulled me back against him, and slid his hands back up onto my shoulders again.

“Relax. I don’t want us fighting again.” Before he spoke, I felt the firm squeeze on my shoulders, kneading into the flesh and muscle enough to not be mistaken as aggression, but I was a little weirded out by what he was doing: a massage?

Softening the tone of my voice, I informed him, “I’m not tense.”

“You are.” Before I could refute that, he stated: “You are. That back, I saw how flexible you were, but I felt the knots when you sprang up. You’re cramping, right? Even that sweet ass needs a pinch.”

I burned a little hotter, and would’ve kept quiet, but I had my reason for being in this condition. “I was in the hospital for awhile. They didn’t… I had to take tests. That was the only time I was let out.”

With one hand on my shoulder, still massaging and actually starting to feel good, he reached out with his other hand to open Hitomi’s door. As he opened it, he made a remark about my departure from the hospital. “You could have taken some of your time to stretch after being discharged.”

“I wasn’t discharged. I escaped.” After I said that, I wasn’t sure why I thought he had to know that much.

He didn’t pry, or at least, nothing else was said. All that was done in response was me being left to go into the room, and Hideki standing in the doorway, just like before when we were in my bedroom.

...Hitoshi’s room. As I walked in, I shook my head for a moment to rattle and clear out my thoughts.

Then I paused and turned to look back at Hideki, and asked: “Am I Hitoshi?”

He looked surprised at me. I supposed he wasn’t expecting a question like that.

Instead of answering me, he looked me over from head to toe. A minute had passed before I was given a response.

“You are, but different… and nicer.” At that last comment, I raised a curious white brow, and he clarified what was nice about me. “I could never say you were attractive before, and you never had great -- great assets, but now --”

“That’s it? I’m nicer because of how I look?” Why I raised my voice, I haven’t a clue. It wasn’t a bad thing he’d said about me, but it felt shallow.

He laughed at me for a second, but offered me a grimace when I stared straight at him. “That’s… Hitoshi, come here.”

Through my tightly pursed lips, I asked: “Why?”

He groaned: “Please, come here.” That was different, to hear him plead for me to do something.

As he beckoned me to come, he leaned back against the side of the doorframe. If I wanted to, I could’ve sprinted past into the hallway and maybe escaped him this time around.

But I wanted to know what he was going to do. So, for just a little bit, I closed my eyes and tried to keep calm. I didn’t want a repeat of turning him into my scratching post.

When I felt a little less steamed, I walked and stood directly in front of him. Then it was too sudden for me to react. He caught me in his arms.

I was uncertain what to do until he began to stroke over my head, down the slender back of my neck, and across my shoulder before repeating what he had just done again and again. And I finally turned into his arms.

“This is what I meant by being nicer,” he whispered, and I looked up to search for the truth. If he truly meant what he said.

I hadn’t started up that affectionate motor yet, so before I purred, I asked: “Did you like me before...?”

“No. I didn’t dislike you.” He shrugged and explained. “You never gave anyone a chance to get to know you. But now, you’re nicer and approachable.” Then he pulled his hand away to show me his wounded arm. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t mind this if I can still enjoy how you are right now.”

In one arm, he held me still, and as before, I pressed against him. Lightly biting my lower lip, I waited, barely breathing to keep my purring in check, silently longing to hear what he would say next. “You’re never getting dressed, are you.”

Except for the near perfect fit of my body to his, every other sense I had was gone, just the staggering thought of where and how I was touching him. And every inch of my nakedness stretched around his legs, longing for his hand, massive and long fingered, to stroke down, and back up, the entrapping length my own legs, thighs, hips, and more.

It had to have occurred to him that something was wrong. That I wanted him to feel the pulsing heat that which was driving me insane. But maybe he knew, and that was why he was content with teasing me with a simple pet. Did he realize the effect he was having on me?

If he didn’t, I had to breathe it out, speak, and tell him I was confused. Finally, I purred out, “Hideki… I --” I was acutely aware of every brush of sensation from the warmth of his hand, and also the feel of the fabric of his pants; the belt buckle wasn’t very pleasant, but the hard force of his erection was hot against me.

...I was seducing him.

And he lifted me up against him. In one arm, held around my waist with his large hand cupping me from behind, and his other arm carefully guiding me to rest in his embrace, I was carried into my sister’s room.

He stood still. Not knowing what he would do, I was strangely at ease with the fact that he would decide what would become of this moment. I rested my cheek down on his shoulder and waited to discover what would happen next.

And my ears perked up when I heard the sound of the metal screech of a score of clothing hangers being shifted across the bar in Hitomi’s closet. I glanced and saw he was single-handedly searching for something I could wear.

“Once you’re dressed, I’ll take you home with me.” A frenetic shiver ran through me like an electric shock. What did he mean by taking me?

With some effort, I purred: “Why?”

By the sound of the tightly packed clothing being abruptly shifted, he must have found an outfit for me. He gently lowered me until I set my feet back on the floor. Once down, he let me go.

Looking back up at him, I again asked: “Why?”

“I don’t know why, or what it would mean, but you ran from the hospital. That can’t be good.” He smirked and said, “You’re trouble, but I’m not letting you go.” For a moment, his eyes settled on mine, hard and bright with a keen interest, but softening as I began to comprehend what he intended.

“You want… I can stay with you?” How was I supposed to take this?

Before he said any more, I felt the stroke of his hand brush through my hair, just petting my head. I was making him smile; I purred, turned my head toward to follow his hand, and nuzzled into his palm. Gradually, I closed my eyes again and simply enjoyed the attention I was being given.

“Hitoshi, I know you can fight. You’re in trouble, and I won’t let anyone hurt a girl.” In my rubbing against his hand, he gently caught me beneath the chin and lifted my attention to his eyes. “Put this on, then we can go. You can stay with me until your family comes home to settle the problem.”

“They won’t recognize m--meeeow,” I said, and pursed my lips up real tight afterward. And he grinned at my struggles with mewling.

“We’ll work on that.” His hand slipped away from my chin, but he tapped a finger on my jaw to grab my attention. “Try this on.”

I glanced away from him at the outfit he’d picked out for me. It was a blue school uniform close to the one I was planning to find, but this one was older, and it might not exactly fit the reason I was searching for it.

The pleated navy skirt was short.

I started to explain to him why I couldn’t wear that. “Tail will --”

“I know, I saw, but the back of this skirt has a clip. You can pull your tail through the gap if you close the clip around the top button.” He turned the skirt around to show me what he was talking about.

On the back was an adjustable series of clips. How it worked was that the hoop of the clips would latch on an opposing button on the other side of the slit in the skirt’s back. What he meant was for me to close the top clip and leave the middle ones undone for my tail to be free.

I supposed that would work, but I was curious how he knew about this. So I asked: “How did you know about the skirt?”

“My friends.” Now that he said that, right then, I should’ve known. “They… there was a time those guys did cruel acts --”

“Like what they did to mew?” As I interrupted him, he handed me the skirt to try on.

And while I was slipping the skirt up and around my hips, with my tail prematurely protesting, he said, “Yes. They are paying for what they did.”

Turning and twisting myself around, to see how my tail was managing the fit as I clipped and trapped it, I asked: “How?”

He looked me over a moment before answering me. “Other than a beating, I turned in -- I won’t say who, and I’d rather you not get to know him, but the one who stabbed you is in custody.”

There went my revenge, and I said just as much. “I didn’t want that to happen.” But now I was wondering how he, and his friends, got out of being suspects. “How did you not get put behind bars?”

“Everyone acted as a witness and made their statements as to what happened at the shrine.” As we had our discussion, he turned me around to have a look for himself at how my tail and skirt got along. “He confessed, and we supported his claim.”

That was just for stabbing me. Without thinking, I started to voice that thought. “But I was beaten by all of --”

“You started the fight.” Those words cut into me, but I let them take a slice so I could trigger the memory of having been the instigator. Before I recollected the event, he continued: “You stomped one of my friends while he was down. Do you remember where you hit?”

I let go of the initial thought of how I’d started the fight at the shrine and instead answered: “Yes. I drop-kicked the back of his head.” But I saw that happen rather than remembered doing it. “I don’t know if that was really mew.”

“You’re different, and I believe a better person now, but if it were anyone else you did that to, they would’ve been severely injured.” Hideki pulled my chin up to face him, and he smirked. “Lucky for you, my friends have thick skulls.”

The contact of his skin against mine, and seeing him smile at me, stirred the cooling fire in me until I was lit back up and hot again. But I had to tell him what I had intended. “Hideki… I wanted revenge.”

“I’m sure you did. Not many people, if any at all, take pleasure in being cut or stabbed.” As a wave of disgust crossed his face, he shook his head to be rid of it. “There was no excuse for your ruthless attack. None for my friend stabbing you either.” Up along my jawline, then to my cheek, he held me still to announce: “Between you and me, I am taking responsibility for what happened. But if I had struck you, rather than pushed you out of the way, none of this would’ve happened.”

I remembered falling away from him and his gang, but not the push or shove that had started it. And what did he mean by hitting me? He didn’t want to? I knew he didn’t want to see a girl hurt, but I wasn’t… Hitoshi wasn’t a girl then. What had happened? Why didn’t I remember how this all had started?

I was missing some part of that scene and I didn’t understand why my memories weren’t revealing that important opener.

“What do you meow… mrow?” I twisted my lips around, even tucked my tongue in my cheek, to try and sort out the word I wanted to say.

“Hitoshi, it was an ugly affair, and I don’t want you to fret about it anymore.” He brushed his hand up slowly alongside my face, to the top of my head... and yet his fingers idled over the white hairs, teasing the tips of my ears with the warmth of his palm. “Just be who you are now. I like you more this way.”

And there wasn’t much else I wanted now other than for him to continue giving me his full attention. Long before his teasing became a torment, I slipped up against his body and in his arms, turned my head up into that inviting palm, and relaxed in a purrfect moment filled with affection as I forced him to pet me with every twist and turn in his embrace.

“Before we go, I’ll have to go back to your room for my jacket.” As we had an awkward look at each other, since I was still rubbing my head into his still hand, he tilted his head at me with that expression of complete amusement. “While I’m grabbing, put on some panties, will you?”

I turned a darker shade of red as a flare of heat caused me to break out in a nervous sweat. “I--I was going to, but --”

“You’re tail’s trapped. No more flashing that cute butt in public.” Before I could react, he tapped me with his finger right on my nose. “Got it?” And he broke away from me…

As he walked out of the bedroom, I neared the dresser to find a pair of my sister’s undies to wear. Without really caring what color or type they were, I opened the drawer and pulled out a blue pair of lacey lingerie.

“...Blue. It had to be blue.” Okay, so now I did care about the color, but I slipped them on anyways.

And as I straightened the skirt back down around me, I wasn’t feeling quite the same as I had the moment before I’d finished dressing myself. Something was off --

-- and a jolt of panic went straight through me. I couldn’t believe what I was doing with Hideki!

Without another second wasted, I bolted out of the bedroom and straight into the hall --

-- to see Hideki coming out with his jacket on.

Not knowing what was wrong with me, but guessing at the cause, I averted my gaze from him in an instant and ran for my life.

“Wait! Hitoshi, WAIT!” He was calling out for me, and I could hear his footsteps close behind, but between the two of us, I was faster.

With him so close that he could’ve easily snatched my tail again, I was thankful for being much lighter on my feet for one reason. As I reached the front door and threw it open, I leapt out and over the stairs to land safely down on the ground, but more importantly, further away from him.

The distance I’d created between us wouldn’t be enough to outrun his longer strides, but in my panicked state, I did something unexpected. I ran to a tree and climbed straight up to the highest branch!

“No… nonono. Ah, c’mon!” Hearing him come closer, I looked down and saw he was staring up at me in disbelief.

Before the hot spell could overtake me again, I looked away and stayed right where I was. But I wasn’t quiet, and I yelled down to him: “Go away!”

“Hitoshi! Please come do--” He abruptly stopped talking, which caught my curiosity, but I dared not look to see what had happened. Instead, I listened, and heard him state: “Good evening.”

“Are you causing trouble again?” Who was that? A deep voice, male, and far from being amused.

“No, Officer.” Hideki was speaking to a police officer!? Why was there one…

...the hospital. They really were after me.

Without a thought, I silently, and carefully, clawed my way further from where the two were talking to keep myself out of sight. Each time, I dug my sharp nails into the bark of the tree with hands and feet keeping me latched on, but most of my efforts that kept me in the tree were from my tail giving me an instinctive twitch which direction I should sway and balance my weight.

When I thought I was far enough away, risking myself on a pair of thick branches, I thought of what more I could’ve risked if the police officer had noticed me before Hideki. I didn’t want to go back, or get into more trouble than what I might have already caused for escaping, and I certainly didn’t want my family… Hitoshi’s family having to deal with a documented record of their supposed son-turned-daughter being taken in by the authorities.

What should I do? Wait here, run for it, or would it really be better to explain my situation to the officer? Would he understand that I didn’t want to be locked up in the hospital and wait another minute for me to find out whatever those ambitious white coats had planned? More tests? Or experiments?

Through the tree’s limbs, I peered over the high foliage and saw the officer leave. What had just happened?

After a minute of silence, I watched Hideki walk to the base of the tree. He searched first; it must not have taken him long to spot my red shirt. Then he silently gestured for me to come down.

When I didn’t, he tried to loudly whisper: “Hitoshi, please come down.”

I wasn’t sure if he could fully see me, so I didn’t bother shaking my head in refusal. But I did refuse him with a plain, “No.”

“Please?” After a few seconds, he tried a different approach. “Why? What did I do?”

...He hadn’t really done anything. Helped, really, but it was the purpose behind that had me afraid.

Instead of answering him, I bluntly stated: “You were doing all of that to… you just want…” Or rather, I tried to be blunt about it. Seeing him get confused, I took a moment to compose myself, and opted to say one quick word that would get my meaning across. “Sex.”

His shoulders dropped. If he sighed, or rolled his eyes, I didn’t catch either of them, but he did have an exasperated demeanor about him.

“Yes, I’m a man, and you are one Hell of a woman. Around here, there wouldn’t be anybody who’d turn down the openings you were giving and the messages you were sending in there.” Hearing his honesty was… was that relieving or distressful? I wasn’t sure, but I continued to listen to him. “Hitoshi, I didn’t. Sex is easy to come by.” He paused and shook his head, then said, “You are not easy to come by. That’s why I didn’t take you up on the opportunity in there with you.” He reached out, placed his hand on the tree’s base, and leaned forward to look straight up at me. “I do like who you are. I’m not going to throw away the chance we could have for a quick lay. Please, believe me, I’m not everyone else.”

At that point, my mind was in turmoil about what kind of answer I should give him. I didn’t know if it would truly be what I wanted to say or if I’d be under some infatuated influence when my answer could come out.

In a safe response, I tried to tell him, “Then leave --”

“Did he scare you?” There was an odd sound of concern in his voice, but I couldn’t tell him I was afraid of the officer and what he might’ve been doing here.

“What? No.” I maneuvered down a little, so as to not yell too loudly in case the officer was still around. “I was already up here when the officer arrived.”

At least this time he waited for me to finish before he spoke. “The instant he appeared, you went into hiding.”

I didn’t want him to be right, so I came up with a lie. “I was waiting for you to finish and think I’d left. I would’ve gone back in --”

“Don’t pretend you don’t need someplace else to stay.” He interrupted me again, but I instantly shut up and stared at him in wonder at what he meant. “You ran from the hospital, and I saw the officer spooked you more than he spooked me coming out of nowhere.” Once more, he gestured for me to come down. “I’m offering you my place to stay.”

...He was right, I couldn’t stay here, but to go with him, to his home, was asking for a lot of trouble. A problem that would cause many issues between us if I lost control again. For a few seconds, I looked away from him in contemplation on where else I could stay. Or who I could trust. In fact, I didn’t know if anyone would believe who I was, and I had no friends to convince with stories of my past.

Nobody knew who I was. I still wasn’t certain who I was.

“Hitoshi,” he asked, (I quickly looked back down at him as he continued), “are you hungry?”

“...Why?” I was, having not eaten anything for a whole day, but that wasn’t relevant to the current topic we were discussing.

“We don’t have to go back to my house right away.” He pointed over his shoulder, someplace down the road, and stated: “There won’t be any reason for the authorities to investigate a restaurant. Wherever, whatever you want, we’ll go and I’ll buy. We could have dinner there, that is, unless you trust my cooking?”

I had no idea how skillful he was in the culinary arts, but if he was offering a treat at an established restaurant… I had no desire to refuse that. It was public, and he couldn’t do anything if I did lose it. And I believed he was being sincere.

“Do you want to go… thank you.” As he thanked me, I carefully began to descend and join him…