Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Belated Gift 2: The Gift that Keeps on Giving ❯ Doll On Display ( Chapter 5 )

When Tooru woke, she was alone and her neck was cramped. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and feeling confused. Her eyes ached with all the tears she'd shed yesterday, she was sure she looked a mess.

She pulled the sheet up around her when she noticed that she was still mostly nude. Her pajama top was unbuttoned and billowing open in the front. She looked around but she didn't see her bottoms anywhere. In fact she didn't see any dirty clothing in the room at all.

She lay back and stared at the ceiling. Where was Shigure? Bathroom? She turned on her side and curled up under the blanket. She felt hollow in her middle. He'd been so strange last night. First so rough in the kitchen, then he'd changed and become so gentle. Her cheeks burned with the memory. She didn't know what he'd be like the next time she saw him and it frightened her a little.

She didn't think that him being gone from bed was a good sign. She tried to quiet her breathing and listened to the house. He'd been away too long for him to be in the bathroom.

She shrieked when a cold nose nudge at her toes. She flew into a sitting position, wrapped tightly in the sheets and moved to the center of the bed.

Kimagure had scrambled away from the bed and was huddled against her bedroom wall looking at her with big scared eyes. She stared at him, her mind slowly trying to piece together the puzzle.

"Tooru-kun?" Shigure's head popped in the door hovering over a covered tray. "Are you alright?" He glanced at the puppy. What did you do?

::Best Girl wasn't moving. It was boring:: Kimagure said sulkily. ::I just wanted to see if she was awake::

Tooru finally gathered her breath enough to speak. "Ah... yes, I'm fine... Kimagure-kun just startled me..." His nose, he'd been nuzzling her with his nose. Tooru took a deep breath and let it out. That's what that wet cold thing touching her toes had been.

She looked at Kimagure still huddled against the wall, "I'm sorry Gure-kun," She held out her fingers trying to draw him, "I didn't mean to startle you..."

As Kimagure inched forward towards the bed, Shigure stood straight in the doorway. "Gure...kun?"

Tooru blushed a little, "Kimagure-kun is a little bit of a mouthful for a dog, don't you think? If I go by mother's standard, it would be 'Gure-kun'." She paused, "Do you think it's not suitable?"

Shigure swallowed back what he wanted to say, that it would be much more suitable to *him*. He didn't think Tooru would EVER consent to call him less that 'Shigure-san'.

He coughed, "No, it's fine..." He shook his hair out of his eyes and gave her a smile. "Is my little flower hungry? You slept very late."

Tooru started to slide over to the edge of the bed, apologies ready on her lips. Shigure quickly walked over and startled her into staying still. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He laid the tray on her lap, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. "Tooru-kun had a long day yesterday, ne?"

He lifted off the cover of the tray. On the platter there were slices of fruit, apples, strawberries, oranges and pears. A tall glass of orange juice sat next to it and some toast with jelly spread on it. He ducked his head a little, "I know it's not much... but I thought i better not try oatmeal again..."

"This is just a snack, I'll take you out for lunch." Shigure picked up a slice of orange. "Eat."

"But-" Tooru began, but Shigure plopped the orange into her open mouth.


Her mouth closed automatically biting down on the orange. The juice spurted and her hands came up as it started to dribble down her chin. Shigure batted her hands away gently and wetly kissed the juices up.

His mouth followed the trail of juice to her lips where lightly placed a kiss before drawing back. "Tooru-kun is sweet as usual." He winked and she ducked her head. "Now finish up your snack and get dressed. We'll just go to some stand so it doesn't have to be fancy."

"Ah, but Shigure-kun." Tooru protested as he got up and turned from her, "Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun come home tomorrow morning...." She paused as he flinched. A little tentatively, she continued, "...I really have to finish the dishes... and the laundry..."

Shigure paused in the doorway but didn't look back. "Dishes are all clean. Laundry is in the washer... you can help me hang it when we get home..."

He looked back over his shoulder, his face carefully arranged into a smile. "Ne, I just want to take my girlfriend out to the park....can't I please?

Tooru blushed, "O-okay... I'm sure Gure-kun would like to take a walk..."

"Then eat up..." Shigure smiled, "I'll be waiting downstairs."

He fled before something in his voice or manner could betray him. He wanted nothing more than to shove that tray aside, to press her back into the bed and keep her there for eternity.

It had taken so much to stop at that one kiss. When he'd been slicing the fruit he'd thought of feeding her each tidbit, but that would have evolved into something else. And he couldn't let it...not until he made her understand that starting tomorrow morning, they would have to pretend like none of this had ever happened.

He'd woken early, still curled around her, when Kimagure had whined that he *needed* to go outside. He'd reluctantly left her to let the dancing puppy out and then had taken a good look around. His thoughts were still a mess, circling around how he was going to tell her.

He watched her for a while, sleeping the boneless sleep of the exhausted. He knew he wanted her to be able to concentrate on just him. She couldn't do that with the mess they'd left around the house. So while she still she caught up on her sleep, he decided to clean up a bit.

He "finished" the dishes by chucking out the pot he'd ruined where she wouldn't find it. He'd called the cleaners again for his suit, his new clothes and her dress. Thankfully they'd sent somebody else to pick up the clothes. They'd store Tooru's maid's outfit until he'd call for it.

He'd fingered at it's starched ruffles while he waited for the pickup man. He hadn't wanted her to wake up from his calling or knocking. It was because of this...this thing that all of this had been happening. If she'd never put it on... But it was best to get it out of the house. He was so tempted to hide the rest of her clothes so that she was forced to greet Yuki and Kyou in it. Let his cousin's see how she was his... how she trembled and reacted to his mere nearness.

She'd truly be his forever then.

But it would destroy her. His family would never stand for it, his cousins because they loved her. Akito because he hated her. She'd be lost between the fighting, Hatori was right. She wasn't strong enough; for all that she said she loved him, for all that she wanted to be with him.

She'd fallen to pieces when strangers had confronted them. She'd be shattered if it where her friends, her new adopted family. She'd try anyway. He couldn't let her be put in that situation. He couldn't.

So he'd sent the dress away. He thought he'd be able to pack his passions away with it, but that little scene upstairs had proved him wrong. That's why he had to get her out of the house, somewhere public enough that he could keep himself in check. Hopefully the park would be private enough for him to talk to her.

He looked around the living room one last time, trying to see it through Tooru's eyes. Was it clean enough to suit? He fussed over a few details, did the same for the kitchen and laundry before shrugging himself into a fresh yukata and sitting at the table. He pretended to read the paper while he waited for her to re-appear.

Kimagure bounded down first, impatient that "Best Girl" seemed to just want to move clothes back and forth in her closet. When she still didn't appear, Shigure decided he'd have to go hurry her along. He froze in the doorway of her room, his knuckle a hairsbreadth away from her open door.

She stood reaching up to the hangers in her closet moving clothes back and forth with a moue of distaste on her lips. She was wearing nothing but his shirt-top. The fabric fluttered around her, falling mid thigh. She had dresses that were shorter, he was sure. But there was something about seeing her creamy thighs emerging from his nightshirt that was just too appealing to resist.

Shigure came up behind her silently. His hands slid up and under the thin fabric pulling it up as he cradled her breasts his hands. He kissed the side of her neck and enjoyed the feeling of her suddenly bared buttocks backing into him in surprise.

"Shigure-san!" Tooru breathed, her hands clutched at the dress she'd been considering on the rack, pulling just hard enough that it popped off its hanger and fell to the floor.

Tooru squirmed delightfully under his hands. He tried to stay as still as possible, her own movements against him causing her nipples to brush and harden against his fingers. Her delightful rear pressed back against him again. Shigure took a step back, not releasing her breasts forcing her to follow him back.

"Ah, oh..." Tooru protested trying to look at him over her shoulder. "Shigure-san?!"

Shigure swiped her legs out from under her with a well-placed foot as he sat on the edge of the bed. Tooru gasped as she started to fall back, his hands still tight about her breasts. She ended up straddling a knee, just where he wanted her.

He began to move his hands and fingers teasing her nipples, pinching and flicking at them. She arched and her hands rested on his forearms, trying to push his hands away. His arms were rock solid and unmovable. He bounced his knee and savoring the wetness he felt growing between her legs. Her arms lost their resistance and her head lolled as he kissed at her neck.

"Ne... If Tooru-kun doesn't want to get dressed, she doesn't have to." Shigure said gently biting her ear.

"But I..." Tooru started, but he moved his knee pushing it up into the air making her slide back towards him. Always mindful of his curse, she immediately leaned forward into his hands so that her back wouldn't fall into his chest. She couldn't keep her ass from sliding back against him.

Shigure shifted so that his other knee went under her one leg and then drew it away so that her legs spread wide. Tooru gasped as the cool air hit her the parts of her that suddenly exposed. She squirmed. She was completely at his mercy. Her legs were spread wide across his thighs. Her feet didn't even reach the ground. Her hands were braced awkwardly against his forearms but most of her weight was in his hands.

If he were to suddenly release her she'd fall forward onto the ground. She didn't think he would, but it sent a thrill of fear to her through her nevertheless. She could feel him pressing against her, and she felt herself wet in anticipation.

He could feel her skin warm under his hands and he thrust his hips a little to make his need a little more obvious. "I like Tooru-kun this way...I think she likes it too, being bare and open?" He could feel her warmth against his legs.

Shigure wanted to reach down and touch her, but if he moved a hand she'd fall. He slowly shifted his hands till they were just under her breasts. He lifted her up a little, reveling in her little gasps. "Don't you like being like this?" He could feel her shudder underneath his hands as his head rubbed against her lips.

"If Tooru-kun wants to stop..." Shigure teased.

"N-no..." Tooru said her hands clutching at his arms, "P-please Shigure-san."

Shigure sat her on him, it was torturous to himself, but he made it slow. She squirmed and gasped. With no leverage she couldn't do anything but allow him to move at his own pace. Now that she was better supported on him. He grasped at her shirt and pulled it apart roughly. The buttons flew and her breasts were suddenly exposed.

Shigure barely grazed against her breasts before his hands dipped down to her nether lips. Tooru tried to move herself on his length but she couldn't get the leverage. When she felt his fingers testing at her lips and exploring her around where he was filling her she gave a little cry.

"I wish I could keep Tooru-kun like this always." Shigure said regretfully. She was inarticulate, as always his hands and movements completely controlled her. They took all her focus and her mind flew in a hundred directions. Her little hands grasped at his forearms, and she was reduced to animalistic grunts and moans as his fingers cleverly played her body.

He rubbed at her little button, and her squirming intensified around him. Her very body was clutching at him, begging for the friction it wanted. He refused to give it to her, preferring to keep her pinned to him as long as possible. She finally came under the clever manipulation of his fingers and his fullness inside her. He gasped himself as her body seemed to try to draw him even further up inside her.

He brought his legs together a bit and lifted her up again making her gasp out his name. "Turn around Tooru-kun... Turn around..." He was he one who controlled her movements, but the words made her try to help him by lifting up her legs. With a minimal about of fuss he got her facing him.

He kissed her, the feeling of her throbbing around him making him want to do nothing more than throw her on the floor and press her inside. She felt him sliding backwards onto the bed and her hands came up to clutch at his yukata. When he fell backwards she went with him, his arms held hers forcing her to support herself on the bed above him so he wouldn't transform. She looked at him wide-eyed and confused. She could still feel his hard length inside her, he hadn't come when she had. "Tooru-kun..." he rumbled, his voice wry. "Please."

Tooru flushed to hear his words on her lips. She finally had the leverage to create the friction she wanted and if he wanted it too... how could she not? She started to move her hips and she was in the unusual position of making Shigure gasp. She looked up at his face and saw his eyes roll, it must have taken a lot of control not to relieve himself earlier.

She wasn't certain how to proceed. Usually Shigure controlled their pace, their rhythm. Fast or slow? She wasn't quite in the state he was in... He was needier than her right now. She moved up and down and watched him for his reaction.

Shigure gasped, too slow. She was going too slow. He slid forward on the bed taking her to the floor with him. She fell roughly on the ground, just barely saving herself from knocking her head.

He pushed into her, the force of it skidding her across the cold floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He panted as he thrust. His head fell down next to her ear. "I'm sorry."

She gave her acceptance of his apology by wrapping her legs around him. He pressed into her, but he wasn't going to allow her to let him use her. He bent down and took her breast in his mouth. His hands wandered over her body teasing her need to match his.

Her hands wandered under his yukata, giving him incentive he didn't need to quicken his pace. He brought one of her knees up so he could get deeper into her. She cried out his name and he finally came inside her. She arched and fell back gasping.

He drew out of her, cursing himself. He hadn't wanted to do this. Was he ever going to regain control of himself?

"Sh-shigure-san?" Tooru whispered. He wouldn't look at her as he sat up and moved off of her. He leaned up against the bed and let his head loll back against it. The dog shuddered at the hurt and confusion in her voice. He had to tell her now. He couldn't wait any longer.

Tooru pulled the edges of the now button-less shirt around her. She crawled over to him tentatively. He looked like he was in pain. She sat at his knee and bit her lip."Shigure-san?" She repeated and put her hand on his knee. What was the matter? Had she done something wrong?

Shigure's hand covered hers. "Tooru-kun." He watched her flinch at the seriousness of his tone. "We have to talk."

"Shigure-san..." Tooru hesitated for a beat and then continued quickly before he could interrupt her. "Shigure-san is scaring me."

Shigure's body shuddered as if struck and then he couldn't look at her any more. He dropped his head so that it rested on his hand over hers. "Please... Just listen to me. I'm sorry if I'm scaring you."

Silence stretched for a moment until Tooru realized he was waiting for a response. His shoulders were hunched over their joined hands. She ran a hand through his hair wishing she could sooth whatever was worrying him away.

"I'll listen to anything Shigure-san has to say." She said softly.

e shivered at the soothing feel of her hand through his hair. Just start he told himself. Just get it over with. "I love Tooru-kun." Shigure started.

"I love Shigure-san." Tooru replied automatically.

Instead of comforting him, the words seemed to strike him like blows. "Please... just let me talk." Shigure looked up at her and her heart leapt into her throat. He never looked so raw and pained before.

"I love Tooru-kun." Shigure repeated, "I want to be with her always...but..."

But? Tooru thought. But?

"You know..." Shigure said slowly getting a grip on himself, slowly getting his words steadier, "That things will get difficult once the others get home... once the others find out."

Tooru tensed. Things would be more than difficult.

"I think it might be better..." Shigure lifted a hand and stroked her cheek, "...that maybe we should keep it a secret for a little while."

"Secret?" Tooru whispered.

Shigure started babbling out the reasons he'd gone over and over in his mind.

"Please don't think that it's because of silly reasons like age or anything like that. Yuki, Kyou and the others, they probably won't understand. I don't want you to have to defend yourself to them..."

Tooru started to open her mouth, but he shushed her with a quick kiss before he continued speaking.

"And Tooru-kun is almost finished with school. I don't want to prevent her from being able to do that." She started to speak again and he tugged her closer so that she was sitting between his legs, leaning against his knee. She looked up at him wide-eyed. "I know you think that it wouldn't, but with everyone upset around you how couldn't it?"

He kissed her again; a bit desperate and afraid that he wouldn't be allowed to once he stopped speaking. "And... Tooru-kun... I don't want to put you in danger. Akito-san..."

Tooru shivered under his hand. She hadn't thought of that. She'd thought of Yuki and Kyou and how they'd react, about what her friends Hana and Uo would say. She'd even considered having to deal Hatori and Ayame once they knew and after what they'd done together. But Akito? She grew cold remembering Hatori's eye and Yuki's shudder at the man's touch.

Tooru looked up at Shigure the questions visible in her eyes before the words reached her lips. "It won't be forever." Shigure repeated it again, wanting it to hammer home. "It won't be forever. Tooru-kun is almost out of school. Once she's graduated no one would be able to say she doesn't know her own mind. The others would accept it then." They wouldn't, but with a semester's worth of time to work in Shigure might get them prepared to consider it.

"And Akito..." Shigure squared his shoulders, "With time, I might make him understand. But we need time." There wasn't enough time in the world. He knew that, but with time he might be able to lay plans to protect her.

Tooru stared at him, a mess of roiling feelings inside her.

Above them all, she was ashamed to admit, was relief. They wouldn't have to tell Yuki and Kyou when they came home tomorrow. She wouldn't have to deal with anything. It would just go back to how it had been before.

Except, she looked up at Shigure, except she wouldn't be able to call herself his anymore. She wouldn't get to hear him say "my girlfriend".

His hand stroked hers and he pulled her in for a quick kiss. She wouldn't be able to feel this either. The warmth of his lips and how they could make her feel just what he was feeling be it happy, sad, desperate, or playful. She wouldn't get to have any of it anymore.

"It won't be forever?" She whispered as her eyes filled with tears. "Just for a little while?"

"Just for a little while." Shigure agreed quickly. "Just until you graduate. Just until summer, and then we can be together."

"Until summer." Tooru repeated. She looked back up at him, his eyes bored into her full of worry and fear. What was he so afraid of?

"I love you." Shigure said softly. "You know that, right?"

Tooru nodded, tears flowing freely. He was afraid she'd be angry, that she'd be hurt. She sniffled. "I love you too." She looked up at him. "I want to be with Shigure-san forever... If Shigure-san can wait until summer I can too."

Shigure pulled her close and kissed her his hands wandering over her body pushing her torn shirt off. Tooru responded immediately. She was still his and would be even while they waited for summer.

He enjoyed feeling her so close, seated between his legs and pressing against his knees. Her hands ran over his arm and his thigh as his own ran over her body.

He gasped and broke off their kiss when he felt her hand drop to his member. She blushed and ducked her head, but her hand didn't move. She liked it when he touched her, did he like it when she touched him?

Chuckling at her always readable face he showed his approval by restarting their passionate kiss and running his hand through his hair. Her hand began to move and he smiled into the kiss. He couldn't let that continue for too long.

He pressed her back to the floor, moving himself out of her hands. He sucked at her bottom lip and then traveled down her neck. He drew back suddenly and picked her up. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as her world spun. He tossed her lightly on the bed and then covered her again.

Her hands started to move, but he grabbed her hands and held them above her head wanting to move at a slow pace. When those hands began wandering he always went faster than he wanted to.

She struggled a little, confused, but stopped once she felt him pressing against her weeping slit. Her legs spread to let him enter. He didn't though, teasing her with his nearness. Instead he covered her neck with kisses. Then turned his attention to her breasts, fondling with his free hand and nipping with his mouth.

He suckled at her stomach and then made another mark just below her breast. A secret mark he planned to keep fresh. Something to prove that she was hers. She squirmed and wrapped a leg around his drawing him closer. He smiled and nibbled at a breast, and let himself just begin to enter her.

She made a mew of protest and struggled again at his hands, but he kept his arm iron firm. "Ne..." he said nipping at her collar bone. "I thought Tooru-kun knew by now..." He continued lazily licking at her neck and kissing at the wet trail he left. "If she wants something, she should ask for it..."

He looked into her eyes and winked. "What does Tooru-kun want?" He could feel her grasping at him, trying to draw him further in. He wanted nothing more than to oblige. He could feel her leg pressing against the back of his leg, trying to push him forward. Tooru was always so needy. He loved it. He loved making her squirm.

Tooru looked at him, her cheeks were scarlet, but she wanted him to understand. She'd take the time to become someone Shigure didn't have to worry about, someone he didn't have to protect so strongly. She'd become worthy of him. "I want Shigure-san." That wasn't enough. She'd try to use the words he liked, adult words. "I want Shigure-san's..." She couldn't help but hesitate; she wasn't quite adult yet, "cock."

He just barely stopped himself from gaping in surprise at her. He certainly hadn't expected that! He pressed into her and chuckled into her neck. She looked so determined when she said that. He couldn't shame her by laughing at how cute she looked while she spoke profanity.

"Tooru-kun is such a good girl." He whispered into her ear and was gratified by her gasping response of pleasure. Ready to quicken his pace he released her hands and they immediately began running down his back and over his muscles.

Her legs wrapped around him, trying to take him deeper and deeper inside. He obliged as much as possible, pressing into her hard the force of it causing her breasts to bounce. She began crying out, with each thrust yelping out his name.

"Shigure-san! Shigure-san!" She cried. He could only grunt in response, completely focused on their joining. When she came around him she forced him over as well. Her grasping body felt like it was milking him.

He cried out her name and turned it into a moan of pleasure. "Tooru..."

He collapsed beside her and their hands wandered over each other's sweaty bodies in the afterglow. Shigure finally drew back and slid off the bed. Tooru sat up, but Shigure turned back almost immediately, a long slim box in his hand.

He sat beside her and pulled her to him, resting his forehead against hers and running his hand through her hair.

"I wanted to give this to you yesterday... but things got... mixed up." Shigure started hesitantly. He cursed himself as he began to feel as shaky and nervous as a schoolboy. They'd already gotten past the hard part. This should be a piece of cake.

"Oh, but..." Tooru drew back her skin pinking pleasantly as she began to protest. Shigure kissed her, cutting off her words.

"Now, now...let me finish." He said playfully. Tooru ducked her head, nodding reluctantly.

He started again. "I wanted to give this to Tooru-kun so she'd always know how I felt. When I bought it I hadn't thought we'd have to keep our relationship a secret."

Tooru's heart skipped on "our relationship". It was hidden, but it was still there.

"It's even more important now that you have this. It might be hard, later on, to remember how much you mean to me. I..." He hesitated. He'd always been good with words, been able to control them and manipulate them to show just what he wanted to. Now it felt like they'd deserted him. "I just want you to have a reminder... of what we have." He gave up trying to explain and handed her the box.

Tooru turned the box over in her hands hesitantly. She looked up at him and then back down. She didn't need gifts to know how he felt, to know how she felt for him. But, her hands shook, to have something that *proved* it...She opened the box and gasped.

She let her fingers barely graze over the thick heavy silver links, the gleaming heart. She looked up at the man she loved. "Oh... Shigure-san." She breathed. "It's beautiful. It's... It's too much!"

"Ne..." Shigure smiled, loving her reaction. He pulled the box from her nerveless fingers and lifted the necklace out. "Can't a guy spoil his girlfriend sometimes?" He unhooked the necklace and slid around her to lay it around her neck. He latched it, kissed her neck and idly fondled a breast as her fingers came up to trace the links with her fingers.

She suddenly turned to him, kissed him on the cheek and then slid off the bed. "I love it Shigure-san!" She stood in front of her mirror and admired it's lay around the base of her neck.

Shigure chuckled. He decided he her best like this, standing naked in front of him wearing nothing but his collar.

He came up behind her and lifted her breasts in his hands. "Did you notice?" He said as she turned to him, linking her arms low around his waist. She looked up at him questioningly. He lifted the heart. "It's a locket, see..." He ran his thumb against the nearly hidden catch. "It opens."

Tooru looked down at it, there were words there in the gleaming metal. But her angle was all wrong she couldn't read it.

"It says..." Shigure snapped it shut, making her look back up at him. "It says, 'Forever, My Heart.'"

Tooru's eyes shimmered and she mouthed "forever" before Shigure captured her up once more in a kiss. They spent the next couple of hours that way. Both knew that the time when they could express themselves so freely was drawing painfully short. It added and urgency a spice, to their lovemaking.

Shigure made sure to keep control of each session. Before they were separated by the return of the others he wanted to know each inch of her body. He stretched her out on her back and massaged and kissed each inch, learning each knob and dip of her spine.

He turned her to her side, entering her and lifting her leg. He learned how her leg joined to her hip. How the delightful bones of her hip smoothed into the stretch of her side. He spent entirely too much time learning what exactly made her gasp, mew and cry out when he laid her back and examined the join between her legs.

It took a lot of time to get all the folds and secrets of that area committed to memory. But Shigure was very dedicated to his task. He examined the dip of her stomach, the barely visible ribs as they moved under her skin, the way it lead up to her breasts.

He spent a while recovering and teasing her back up to a flaming need by examining how her nipples tightened when he licked, nibbled and touched them. He watched how her skin flushed and changed in color as her needs grew and climaxed. All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend the bulk of the day.

When they'd finally finished he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. He sat her down and washed her clean, refusing to listen to any protests.

He only allowed her to reciprocate and she washed his back, or started to. He took her again on the slick bathroom floor, realizing that it was a room they hadn't experienced before. He went about it slowly. They were both practically exhausted, and there was no burning need to finish. Slick bodies on a soapy floor, they entwined and writhed for an eternity.

Afterwards they soaked for a long time and finally, lazily got dressed. It was early evening, and the light fruit breakfast Shigure had made her had long since worn thin

Tooru contemplated the near empty fridge and cupboards in despair. They'd been so...occupied... all week that she'd never had a chance to go shopping.
Shigure came up behind her as she stared at the few lonely objects in the fridge. She was trying to figure out what she could make out of a head of lettuce and a few other vegetables.

"Ne... I promised you lunch," He said placing a companionable kiss on her neck. "Let me take you on one last date before the others come home..."

Shigure's new clothes were still drying, but he felt a need to dress better than his yukata. He wore his suit pants and a plain white shirt. She wore one of her simple dresses, a blue dress with a white frilly collar. They put Kimagure on his leash. The puppy was thrilled that they had finally disengaged from each other and readily obeyed Shigure's commands to heel. They went out to find a stand to eat at.

They walked hand in hand and more than one person they passed smiled to see the young couple pass by walking their dog. Many assumed, like the cart owner who served them bowls of soba, that they were newlyweds. They had that satisfied glow about them.

After they finished their simple meal, they stopped at a grocery store to pick up some things for home. They lingered in the isles, making the housewives gossip at the cute couple.

They used Kimagure as an excuse to stop at the park on the way home. They let him off his leash where he played in the dimming sunlight with the lingering children and terrorized their mothers. In truth, they didn't want to go home.

Once they went home they'd have to set the house to rights. Scrub away the last remaining traces of their escapades of the past week, and begin pretending that they weren't in love. But finally they had to call Kimagure in and go home.

"What time do they come home tomorrow?" Shigure asked finally as they walked up the path to the house.

"The plane arrives around 10...they should be home by lunch." Tooru said softly. Perhaps prompted by the thought of the others, they disconnected their hands and walked with a little more space between them.

One more night, one morning...that was all they had. They spent the evening cleaning up. Tooru tidied what Shigure had missed earlier and what Kimagure had messed up while they'd be occupied earlier.

Shigure spent some time explaining to the puppy why chewing on shoes, tipping over plants and playing in full laundry baskets were not a good thing to do. Tooru put away the groceries and got things ready for breakfast the next day. She redid the laundry the puppy had dirtied, but it would have to be hung the next morning.

Then they sat on the porch and watched the puppy run and listened to the clock tick. Tired, Tooru leaned her head on Shigure's shoulder and almost immediately fell asleep. He smiled and leaned his head against her, loving that she trusted him so much that she could fall asleep so easily.

Kimagure jumped up on her, waking her out of her light nap. Shigure started to scold, but she smiled at him and told him it was all right. She let the puppy loll across her lap and scratched him behind his ears. The silence began to press with the knowledge that precious time was passing.

"Does Tooru-kun remember?" Shigure broke the silence lightly, "This is where we first met."

"Yes." Tooru smiled, "I saw the house and thought it looked so pleasant. I was admiring figurines and then Shigure-san startled me." She glowed up at him, "I thought 'what a beautiful person'. And then Yuki-kun hit you with his backpack."

Shigure laughed, "Ne.. I told you I felt a connection. I think we were meant to be."

"Yes." Tooru agreed and leaned her head back against his shoulder. "We're both dogs, right?" She smiled and closed her eyes again.

Shigure chuckled and laid his head back across hers. "Yes." He decided not to tell her he was thinking, "What's a high school girl doing here?" when he first met her.

She fell asleep again on his shoulder with a lap full of warm napping puppy and comfortable against him. Shigure tried to let her boneless trust relax him. He couldn't stop his thoughts, he couldn't help but think about what was going to happen the next morning

::Hey:: he finally thought at the puppy, ::go up to your basket.::

Kimagure whined, not wanting to leave the comfort of Tooru's lap. ::You had her all day!:: He complained, but finally complied and slid off her lap.


Tooru roused when the puppy left, but she didn't have much time to think about it. Shigure barely waited to see if she was awake before he pressed her back against the wooden floor.

He pushed up her skirt and pulled down her panties. She started to protest; they were practically outside. It was almost like doing it in public. Then his mouth used the knowledge he memorized earlier and she forgot about protesting, about the fact they were outside.

He fumbled with his pants as he worked; his yukata was so much more convenient for this kind of thing. He freed himself finally and moved up into a better position. He took her legs and placed them over his shoulders. He pressed close and inside her.

"Another happy memory on the porch..." He chuckled into her ear.

"Yes..." Tooru agreed. "Happy... memory."

It took a while, they were both tired and there was only so often you could do this in one day. They were pressing their limits. But it would be mere hours now until they couldn't do this at all.

The climax was gentle, a slow rising crest that they flowed over together. They fell asleep there when they finished, still entwined with each other. It wasn't until Kimagure nudged Shigure's neck with his nose that he awoke groggily. He rubbed at an eye and looked at Tooru. Her hair was spread out across the planks of the porch. Her dress had fallen just barely back to her mid-thigh. He smiled and couldn't help but run his hand through her hair.

She stirred and snuggled a little closer. Kimagure wormed between them and in her sleep she grabbed on to his furry warmth and pulled him close like a living doll. The puppy gave a wuff of contentment and settled down.

Shigure smiled, it was an impossibly cute image. He looked at the clock it wasn't too late yet. He was loath to wake her just yet, but he was full of nervous energy. He decided to call Hatori; he was probably wondering what had happened.

He first grabbed a blanket and covered Tooru and the puppy. The evening was starting to get cool. Then he grabbed his cigarettes and dialed the number before he could think about it too much. As the phone rang he wondered idly if it would ever get any easier, if he and Hatori would ever not have a tension between them again.

"Souma Hatori." The doctor's clipped tones came over the phone.

Shigure broke in right away before he could continue with his normal greeting, "Its me Ha-san."

"Shigure?" There was a pregnant pause on the other end, "Is everything alright?" It was something he dreaded still, that Shigure would call and say he'd done something terrible.

"As well as can be expected." Shigure said lightly. He could almost hear the sigh of relief on the other end. Of course Hatori would be worrying about what he was capable of now that he'd seen a small slice of what he had *actually* done.

"What did you two decide?" Hatori took out a cigarette. He shook the pack in frustration, just a few left. He'd been smoking much more than usual.

"We're keeping it secret. Until after she graduates." Shigure lit his own cigarette. "So tonight's it... the last night."

"So what are you doing on the phone?" Hatori asked. If he'd been able to have one last night with Kana... He staunchly ignored the part of his mind that longed for another night with Tooru as well. "Where is Tooru-kun?"

"Napping with Kimagure-kun," Shigure coughed delicately, "We've had a long day."

"Kimagure..kun?" Hatori's tone was unexpectedly puzzled.

"Didn't I tell you? No, I guess I didn't." Shigure had been preoccupied with other things. "I bought her a puppy yesterday."

"Don't you think that Kyou and Yuki might be a little suspicious about that?" Hatori said dryly.

"I wasn't thinking like that at the time. I'll come up with something tomorrow." Shigure waved it off. Tooru was obviously enamored of the puppy, they'd forgive his intrusion soon enough.

"I know I don't need to remind you about how observant Yuki is." Hatori sighed. His cousin was being unexpectedly and exceptionally stupid in love. "You'd better start thinking more clearly."

"Yes, Yes, Yes." Shigure sighed. "I know Ha-san." He knew only too well. "But what choice do I have? Do you see any other way? What else could I do, run away with her?"

Hatori remained silent. Shigure imitated his cousin's voice, "The Souma's have many properties..." He returned to his own register. "Perhaps I should have hidden her away on one of those? Kept her all to myself, where only I could find her?"

All options he'd considered, and rejected because he knew they wouldn't make her happy.

"Shigure." Hatori managed to wrap up a scolding, a warning and sympathy all in the name.
"I'm doing the best I can." Shigure sighed.

"How is she dealing with all this? Do you think she can handle it?" Hatori asked after a pause. He started to plan what he would do if he saw the broken look he'd seen in Kana's eyes start to appear in Tooru's.

Shigure sighed and leaned his head against the wall, silently considering the question. "She says she can. I have to believe that she can..."

Hatori took a long pull on his cigarette. The silence stretched on the phone as the both considered what would happen if Tooru broke her silence too soon. Or worse, what would happen if the secret started to destroy her under its pressure. The one who would take the brunt would be her. Shigure wouldn't be in the clear, but it would be her who would really lose.

"I'll help." Hatori said finally, "Anyway I can." He'd promised himself before that he wouldn't let that expression appear on Tooru's face. Back then he hadn't thought that he'd be supporting what could only be thought of as Shigure's debasement of Tooru. But now the other options were so much worse.

Shigure could hear Hatori's reserve in his words. He had a lot to prove to make himself worthy of Tooru and such a little amount of time to do it. Suddenly the semester seemed like a very short time.

He swallowed and refused to give into the fear that he wouldn't measure up, that he wouldn't make it, that he wouldn't be able to keep her safe. He had to admit he'd need the help. "Thank you..." he rasped, his voice suddenly tight.

"Shigure-san?" Tooru yawned sleepily in the doorway clutching the blanket tight around her and Kimagure.

She walked over, a silhouette in the darkness. He could feel her curious eyes on the phone. "Goodnight Ha-san, my little flower has awakened." He smiled at Hatori's snort on the other end.

"Take care of her, Shigure." Hatori said seriously.

"I will." Shigure kept his tone light and playful, not wanting Tooru to pick up the seriousness of the conversation.

"Ah.." Tooru said softly tugging on his arm before he could hang up the phone. "Please ask Hatori-san over for dinner tomorrow night. Everyone will be here, it will be like a welcome home party..."

Shigure blinked at her face in the gloom, searching for what had prompted the thought. Surely she didn't really feel like celebrating the other's return?

"Tell her I'll come." Hatori said on the line. "Its a good idea, I know Momiji and Hatsuharu were probably planning to "drop by". It would be suspicious if Tooru wasn't excited that all her friends were coming home."

"You can't expect her not to have friends." He continued drolly.

Shigure frowned as the barb struck home. It wasn't that he expected her not to have friends, it was just... It was just he didn't want to see her in the center of his cousins and be relegated again to the outside of the epicenter of her life.

"Yes. Come." He said shortly to Hatori. Perhaps it would be better if there were someone to keep him in check on the first night the others were home. It would be the big test.

"I will." Hatori reaffirmed. "Now...go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hatori hung up the phone before he could regret it. He stubbed out his cigarette and lit another while he contemplated seeing Tooru again and NOT picturing her naked covered barely in just an apron. He hoped to god she didn't wear that apron tomorrow.

Shigure hung up the phone and smile at Tooru. "He'll come... he said that Momiji and Hatsuharu were probably going to come by anyway..."

Tooru nodded and smiled faintly, "I'll have to make an extra big dinner..."

"I'll be looking forward to it..." Shigure stepped closer, effectively backing her against the wall, "Tooru-chan always makes the most delicious meals."

She looked up at him, lips starting to part when he took them into a long and lingering kiss.

Kimagure struggled forgotten in her arms to be let down as she let herself focus completely on his lips on hers.

Her arms slowly loosened, nerveless in the sweetness of it, until he scrabbled free to circle around their legs. Shigure finally lifted his head, exhausted by the weight of worry and tension building about tomorrow's invasion. "Ne..." He whispered softly, "Lets go to bed..."

Tooru nodded and he took her hand in his, wishing that he could hug her tight instead.

Tooru followed him up the stairs his pace slow enough that they didn't have to let go of each other's hands. She studied his broad shoulders as they reached the top of the stairs. They were tight and tense; he looked like he was carrying some huge weight on his back. She ducked her head, knowing it was worry about her that had put that weight there. Shigure started to open the door to her room when he felt her arms suddenly reach up and grab his shoulders from behind.

Her hands went up his arms and her face pressed into the hollow of his back as she hugged him tight. "I love Shigure-san..." She whispered. "I can't wait till I'm with him always."

He made a noise, deep in his throat, and rested against the frame of the door. Tooru tightened her grip and rubbed her cheek against his back feeling the muscles loosen and become lax under her.

He turned and tugged her inside and on the bed. He hadn't thought it possible, but they came together again. It was very slow. They took their time with everything. And when they were done they slept still joined together.

Tooru woke when the first light started to drift into the room. She felt a sudden inconsolable sadness. The night was over. It was 'tomorrow'. Shigure slept beside her still, face buried in a pillow and broad back covered by one of her pink sheets. She sat up tucked her legs close to her chest. She was bare and shivered in the cold, but didn't feel like finding her robe. She wanted to look at him for a while.

She fingered her neck; she still had on his pendant. She felt her throat tighten and she couldn't bear not to be touching him. She lifted the sheet and crawled close, relishing his body heat. He made a sleepy noise, but didn't wake. She wanted to feel more of him, and gently eased herself on top of his back. He started to rouse and she folder her arms on his back, her breasts pressing in against him. She put her ear to his skin and listened to his pulse begin to speed up.

She felt very small stretched across her back. Her head was on just below his shoulder blades, the curve of her stomach resting over his rear, and her legs stopped short just past his knees.


Shigure was definitely awake now; his breathing had changed. She jiggled as he rumbled a weak chuckle. "Was my little flower cold?"

Tooru spread her hands over his back and slowly traced up his sides, over the shoulder blades and then on to his bulging arms, tensing under her touch.

"Shigure-san is so...big." She whispered into his skin.

"How so, little Red Riding-hood?" Shigure teased from below her, turning his head so she could see his lavicious smile.

He felt her lips curve into a smile on his back. Her little hands came up to finger the curve of his ear, thrilling him in a way he hadn't expected. "My, Shigure-san," she said softly, hardly able to whisper the tease, "what big ears you have..."

He could practically feel the heat of her blush radiating against her back. She wasn't used to acting teasing and forward. He chuckled again as he whispered back, "All the better to hear you with, my dear." She nuzzled his back and he could feel her shiver. He could almost hear her internal struggle about how she was behaving. But that didn't stop her little hand from moving from his ear in a slow tracing line to his eyebrow.

"My..." she whispered, words catching, "what big eyes you have..."


Shigure shifted and she slid gently back onto the bed. He looked at her with twinkling eyes, hovering over her his heat now radiating downwards. Instead of soothing her, Tooru began to shiver more, nipples tightening. He slowly and deliberately put a hand on either side of her head and a knee by each hip. "All the better to see you with, my dear."

Tooru's eyes were huge. She reached up and traced his lip, her breathing was speeding up and her heart was racing. "My..." her words were barely audible, "what a big mouth you have..."

This time it was Shigure who shivered, his eyes fluttering closed as her fingers traced his bottom lip. His eyes opened at her words and her fingers on his lips felt the smile spread there. She was too caught up in his eyes to see it. The twin sparks there flared into full flame as he whispered back, "All the better to eat you with, my dear."

She let out gasp as he pounced to act on his words and then let out a shriek as he playfully "nipped" down her neck, over her chest and down to her stomach. His hands grabbed hers and pinned her in place, as he kissed and nipped at her body teasing her into delighted giggles.

Her legs started to kick at his ticklish attack till he pressed them down with his legs, barely having to lean into them to completely immobilize her. Suddenly they were staring into each other's eyes, breathless and aware of how close their bodies were to joining.

Tooru panted, unable to move. Shigure bent and slowly sucked a nipple into his mouth. She moaned and squirmed a little, but he just pressed a little harder with his hands and legs, keeping her still.

Shigure kissed at the hollow between her breasts, his hair tickling at them. He licked lightly, tracing a line back down to her stomach. She shivered and shuddered under his touch, her body so eager that her hips were fighting to buck under his weight.

He looked up at her and smiled wolfishly. Her eyes were glazed desire and her lips were parted to let her little panting breaths out. "Do you want it?" He asked, "To be devoured?"

Her whole body shuddered in response and she barely had to confirm it with a breathy "yes."

He shifted so that he held onto her forearms as he moved down, still not letting her move. His mouth descended on her and she cried out. He felt a rush of warmth as her body reacted immediately and strongly. She came almost at once, the tease as strong aphrodisiac as the act. He slowed but didn't stop, not letting her body relax. He teased her back up before moving back up her body and then slowly entering her.

She couldn't move, he was sure to keep his weight so that she was pinned, so she had to be content with his pace. He didn't rush it making sure she was built up to match him when he finally released inside her.


Shigure rolled off of her, finally allowing her to move but the feeling he'd set off in her was now keeping her in place. They both lay panting at the powerful reaction that had sparked between them. The strength of it had been unexpected and a little bewildering. It had the definite feeling of an ending, of a 'goodbye'.

Tooru suddenly started crying. And Shigure gathered her up into a loose sweating embrace.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She apologized pressing her forehead into his shoulder, "I can't help it."

Shigure kissed her forehead, "It's okay. Shh... It's okay. You can cry."

She sniffled and let her tears fall. Shigure held her until she fell into a doze and then let himself drift for a while. He could hear the clock ticking. Kyou and Yuki would be home in a matter of hours.

Soon Tooru and he would get up and get dressed. She'd head to the kitchen and start cooking the welcome home dinner, cleaning and mending. He'd hide in his study; perhaps school Kimagure on proper behavior. But, for a little while longer at least, he was going to hold her while he still could.

The rest of the morning slipped by quickly. They'd disengaged from Tooru's bed and she stripped it of the sheets and threw the window wide, erasing the last signs and smells of their pleasure.

It took her less time than they thought to cook breakfast and start on the preparations for dinner.

And they got the last of the laundry hung, with a little effort with Kimagure snapping at the flapping clothes. He even managed to bring down a whole string of clean clothes. Luckily most of the clothes were dry and didn't pick up much dirt. But the naughty puppy had taken a severe dislike to one of Kyou's sweatshirts and had torn a big rent into it.

Tooru scolded him till his tail curled under in dismay, and then collected the shirt to mend. Shigure sat at the table reading his newspaper and trying not to look at the clock. Tooru pulled out her mending basket and started digging through it to find a matching thread to fix the shirt.

Shigure glanced up at her from his paper and started.

He glanced at the clock and blanched again. Yuki and Kyou could be home any minute and there on her neck was his lover's mark!

"Tooru-kun." He said urgently. "Do you have any make-up?"

Tooru's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Make-up? I have a little lipstick..." She said hesitantly. Surely he didn't want her to wear it now?

"No cover-up?" Shigure said then explained quickly, "Your neck."

Tooru's hand flew to her neck, covering the purplish bruise Shigure had left there. It had barely started to fade when he'd re-marked her there.

Her face went bright red. "Ah! I'll go change!"

She ran upstairs in search of a dress with a higher collar then the one she had on. She had to settle for her heavy pink mock turtleneck dress. It was a little warm for the spring-like weather but it would surely bring fewer questions then the bruise would. Shigure frowned, the game hadn't even begun yet with his young cousins and he'd almost lost it because of carelessness.

Tooru came back downstairs, breathless and flushed. She paused did a quick pirouette for him, "Is there anything else?"

Shigure looked her over carefully nothing else was showing. He nodded and she sat back down at the table pressing a splayed hand to her chest in relief. She sat down carefully arranging her skirts to her knees didn't show. She still had faint marks where he'd grabbed her so tightly with his hands that night in the kitchen.

She sighed, her wardrobe was about to become very limited...no short skirts, no low collars for a while... Her eyes widened suddenly. "Shigure-san...it will show if I wear my school uniform...the...the bruises on my knees too..." She hated to bring up the latter; she didn't want to remind him of it.

Shigure winced, he'd forgotten about those. "Let me see..." he said gently.

Tooru sat closer to him and pulled up her skirt to show him her knee. The bruises were faint, but they were definitely recognizable as hand prints.

Shigure made a little noise and kissed at the bruises before pulling her skirt back down. "Don't you have any tights? The thick kind?"


Tooru blushed at his gentle kiss, and shook her head. "And I don't have any makeup either."


Shigure thought for a moment. "Shopping." He finally decided, "I'll send you out for something tomorrow and you can get them then.

Tooru sighed with relief... Tomorrow was Sunday so as long as she had one more long dress she could make it. The bruises would fade quickly enough, hopefully sooner than people would start questioning her need to be covered up.

Her eyes flew wide when she heard an unmistakable rustle and rattle around her mending basket.

***

Yuki sighed and paused at the bottom of the pathway home for what seemed the millionth time. Uotani and Kyou were arguing again and Hanajima had fallen so far behind she was just a black speck behind them.

"I don't see why I have to carry all the bags is all I'm saying!!" Kyou yelled.
Uotani shrugged and crossed her arms, "Because YOU lost the bet, that's why. Are you saying you're a welcher?"

"I am not!" Kyou steamed dropping the bags, "The deal was that I carried the bags out of the airport, not all the way to our house!"

"Oi! Oi! Oi!" Arisa quickly knelt to her purse and bag, "Careful, you idiot, the souvenirs are in here!"

Kyou looked guilty as she dug into her bags, "Did I break anything?"

"Clumsy as usual, Baka Neko." Yuki sighed hearing the last bit and giving Kyou a glare. "If you broke any of Honda-san's souvenirs I'll..."

"You'll what?!" Kyou bristled, turning red. Bad enough that he might have broken some of the things they've so carefully gathered for Tooru, he wasn't going to get beat up as well.

"You'll both disappoint Tooru-kun by fighting as soon as you get home." Saki said impassively. The sparks that flickered off the ends of her eyelashes as she spoke was the only sign of how weary she was of the two's constant bickering.

Both boys had the grace to look chagrined and broke off their staring contest.

Arisa stood and clapped her hands together, "Nothing's broken!" She beamed a smile at the sky, stretched and then bent to pick up the bags. "Let's get going."

She started when Kyou quickly grabbed the bags out of her reach. "Oi-" she started, but he just huffed and walked down the path before she could say anything.

"I told you I wasn't a welcher!" He puffed.

She started to bluster again but Hana put her hand on her arm to stop her. "Let him have some pride." She smiled and walked on, "He doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of you."

Arisa considered it a moment and tried not to let a grin slip onto her face. Kyou had been acting funny ever since their little encounter at the party the other students had thrown. It wasn't often she had that kind of effect on a guy. She was rather enjoying it.

She put her hands behind her neck and smiled at the sky again, keeping her pace slow and even with Saki. She was getting a little reluctant to get to the Souma's home. Her frown slipped a little, everything would go back to normal then. It wasn't that she blamed Tooru for the way Kyou fawned over her. It wasn't anything less than the girl deserved. It would just be depressing to go back to being the non-girl again.


Hana felt the conflicting waves radiating off her friend and the redhead up front. Neither knew what to do with the mess of feelings swirling around in them. She sighed. It was so simple... If they were interested in each other then they ought to just pursue each other. It wasn't in Tooru's nature to be hurt over something like that. She'd be nothing but happy for them.

She frowned at Kyou. Of course, Arisa knew what she wanted, but the boy was a bit different. Were there really such clueless boys these days? She sighed silently and invisibly and slid her eyes to the fair boy just ahead of Kyou. He was part of the problem. If Kyou gave up his claim to Tooru then he'd effectively be giving her up to Yuki. She'd gotten all tied up in their conflict with each other

A long crackle of electricity raced up her braid. Stupid boys.

She'd just have to help them see that Tooru was NOT a prize to be won. The problem was *how*.

Hanajima gave an almost imperceptible shake to her head. Of course before she solved that little mystery she'd have to figure out how the mystery surrounding Tooru first. She'd been behaving so peculiarly for such a long time.

She gave another long look at Yuki, she and the prince were in agreement about that. Tooru was a complete paradox when it came to secrets. You could always tell when she had one. Finding out what the secret was could be another matter entirely.

She wouldn't worry so much, except that when Tooru kept a secret it was usually something that was hurtful or detrimental to her. She'd kept them from helping when she'd become effectively homeless. She'd kept it a secret when she didn't have money to pay for the school trip. And she'd even tried to keep her little fevers and illnesses from them when she could. If she was keeping another secret, who knew how bad it would be this time.

Hana sighed as she realized that the boys were bickering *again*. She didn't even know what set them off this time. Perhaps Kyou had jostled Yuki, or perhaps it had been the other way around, but they were building to a full scale fight and they were almost up to the house!

"Aah! Oh!"

They all froze at the sound of Tooru's voice rising past the screen of the back door. Yuki and Kyou's eyes fastened on each other's as they tried to deny the sounds they'd just heard.

"Ah...No! Gure-kun, not there!"

Moving as one they dropped their bags and flew up the stairs, thrusting the sliding door open with a sick crack of shattered beams.

"Shigure, you-" Yuki started.

"I'll kill-" Kyou said at the same time.

Both froze as they took in the tableau in front of them. Shigure looked up at them startled from where he read the paper. Tooru sat on the floor vainly trying to keep a struggling black puppy out of her mending basket. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes huge.

"Eh?" She said, relaxing her grip on Kimagure's collar in shock.

Kimagure swung his head to the strangers standing in the doorway, ears pricking. He'd been so involved in investigating the interesting basket Best Girl had put on the floor that he hadn't heard them approach. Chagrined that he'd let strangers so close to his home, he let out a howl and pulled free of Tooru.

::BIG DOG!:: he cried barking, growling and charging at the boys, ::INTRUDERS!!::

Kyou reacted like a true cat as the dog charged at them. His hair stood on end he leapt out of the way. He hopped back on the railing of the porch and made the easy leap to catch the gutter beam. He curled over it like a gymnast planting himself on the roof and out of the barreling, snarling black whirlwind's way.

Thwarted on that count the black dervish turned his attention to the other one on the deck and began snapping at Yuki's feet. Quick, but with nowhere to go, the usually collected ice prince was forced into a hopping dance as he avoided the puppy's small but sharp teeth.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Kyou asked peering over the roof.

"Kimagure-kun! No!" Tooru leapt towards Yuki and the puppy trying to get in between them and calm him. Afraid that she was going to get bitten, Yuki grabbed her by the arm and pulled him behind her.

::NOOOOOOO!!!:: The puppy howled, ::BEST GIRL!!:: He lunged forward desperate now that one of the intruders had gotten a hold of *his* Best Girl.

Distracted by trying to ask Tooru if she was all right, Yuki wasn't quick enough to escape the puppy's lunge completely. The puppy didn't make contact with flesh, but got a good grip on is pants leg with his teeth.

Kimagure dug in his back legs and began to pull and worry at the cloth with surprising strength. With one strong jerk, Yuki suddenly found himself practically falling over and now using Tooru as a support. As the puppy began to pull backwards it evolved almost into a bizarre tug-of-war between Tooru and the puppy over who was going to keep Yuki.

Yuki heard his pants start to rip and looked up at Tooru in panic his hands tightening on her arms. She heard the noise too and began to flush, tears forming in her eyes. "Please, Kimagure-kun, stop! Sit! Stay!" The puppy was too involved in trying to protect his mistress from the thing clinging to her to listen.

"STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" Shigure roared slamming his hand flat on the table, reinforcing his yell with a mind shout at the puppy.

The puppy gave a yelp of surprise and let go of Yuki's pant leg. His ears went back, his tail curled under and he crouched flat on his belly, shivering. Yuki, suddenly released from the force pulling on his leg fell forward, almost into Tooru's arms. She artfully tripped as his weight started to descend and just barely got out of the way as he fell, preventing a near transformation on his part.

They all sat gasping in shock, waiting for something else to break the silence. Finally Kimagure gave a low pained whine. ::Big Dog...:: he said sounding betrayed, ::but they're intruders.::

Shigure glared at the puppy and he shrank back a little more. "They live here." You little idiot, he finished silently. Couldn't you smell them all over the house? Look at how much you upset Best Girl.

The puppy looked at Tooru with big pleading eyes. She was in tears and sitting sprawled in the doorway. He whimpered and started to crawl over to her, sliding forward on his belly. ::Best Girl...mad?::


Tooru looked at the whimpering dog, simpering at her with his big puppy eyes and shivering in fear. "Oh, poor Kimagure-kun!" She said scrambling over to hug him, "Did Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun scare you?"

"Scare...him?" Yuki repeated, blinking at her in shock. He looked at his torn and tattered pants leg. "What is that thing and what is it doing here?"

"Ha-ha!" Kyou laughed, still peeping over the edge of the roof. He pointed at Yuki, "Is the little nezumi afraid of the big bad puppy?"

Yuki flushed and shot a death glare at Kyou. "I'm not the one hiding on the roof! Cowardly Baka Neko!"

Kyou flipped himself back down on to the porch, "Say that again!!"

Yuki stood and brushed himself off with deliberate slowness. "Cowardly. Baka. Neko."

"Why you!!" Kyou began to step forward when the puppy in Tooru's arms gave a loud warning bark. The boys were bringing their fight a little to close to Tooru for his comfort. Both boys jumped back from the dog, flushed identical blushes and then gave each other glares daring them to comment on it.

Shigure stood and put his hands on his hips, trying to keep from smiling. Finally he gave up and let a wide grin spread across his face. "Ara! Yuki and Kyou are finally home!"

The two looked at him suspiciously.

"Shigure." Yuki glared, "Why do I think that *you* had something to do with this?"

Tooru stood and looked uncertainly back and forth between the glaring boys and Shigure, her arms full of puppy. He walked over, placed his arm around Tooru, and bowed his head as if embarrassed. "Is the resemblance that obvious? Of course, it would be, this is mine and Tooru-chan's love child."

"EEEEHHHH!!!" Tooru goggled.

"That's sick, old man!!" Kyou blustered.

"Don't joke about that!" Yuki said flushing and looking away.

"Besides." Hanajima said ascending the steps, "Wouldn't we have known if Tooru-kun were pregnant?"
"Never mind that." Uotani said pushing her hair out of her face and giving Hanajima a strange look, "How could Tooru give birth to a dog?"

"Ah." Saki seemed to consider this. "Yes, you're right."

You shouldn't have to think about it, Yuki and Kyou thought in concert.

"Ha...Ah..." Tooru blushed and tried to explain as Kimagure started to struggle in her arms. "This is Kimagure-kun. Shigure-san bought him for me."

The puppy broke free of her arms and both Yuki and Kyou stepped back out of its way.

The puppy had lost interest in them for the moment, more interested in the other two members of the traveling party.

::Girls!:: He did eager turns around Hanajima and Uotani, tail wagging. Deciding that Uotani looked like the softer touch he jumped up and placed his paws on one of her long legs. He gave a happy bark and cocked his head cutely. ::Girls!::

Arisa laughed, half because the dog was so adorable and half because it was this little thing that had completely unmanned the Prince and Nekozuki. She pet the puppy, gently taking his paws and putting them on the floor. He rolled over and lolled his tongue out of his mouth.

She took up his invitation to rub his belly and the puppy gave a deep growling whine of pleasure. "Rrrr.rrrr...rrrr..." he panted, his mind chanting happily, ::giiiirrrrlllssss::

Hanajima blinked at the puppy and then looked at Shigure. The author was trying hard not to snicker at the puppy's joyful exclamations. He glanced at the willowy dark girl and started at her appraisal.

"Eh...?" He said under his breath.

"There is a resemblance." Hanajima smiled faintly.

"Ah! Ha-ha-ha! Is Saki-san comparing me to a dog?" Shigure waved a hand trying to laugh it off.

"Yes." Hanajima gave a long slow blink. She stared steadily at Shigure until he couldn't take it anymore.

He clapped his hands together and said, "You all must be hungry after your long trip!"

Tooru shot up from where she was petting Kimagure and showing him off to Arisa. "Ah yes! I made lunch! Won't everyone sit down?"

Uotani stood and brushed stray dog hairs off her hands, "Tooru-kun shouldn't have gone to all that trouble..."

"It was no trouble." Tooru smiled. She looked at Yuki blushing, "Perhaps Yuki-kun would like to change his trousers before lunch?"


Yuki looked down and flushed, not only were the pants torn but there was a long tear peaking up from his crotch. The puppy had split his pants with his energetic tugging.

"Ah... Yes..." He barely managed to mumble and escaped up the stairs in a dead run.

Kyou excused himself as well, his hands filthy from his flight up to the roof. Hana and Uotani followed Tooru and the puppy into the kitchen to wash hands and to help set up the table for lunch.

Shigure gave a long shaky breath and sat at the table, collecting himself. This had been both more and less nerve-wracking then he thought. He reminded himself to give Kimagure a treat later on.

Kimagure weaved around all three girl's legs, frustrated that they seemed to be ignoring him. It was bad enough the Big Dog usually took up almost all of Best Girl's attention, but now there were all these others. He whined, but Tooru just gave him a smile and scolded him gently to be quiet.

Arisa though couldn't seem to resist the puppy, she bent down and scratch him behind the ears. "So...this is a surprise, how did you come to get a dog?"

"Ah..." Tooru hadn't thought about that, "Well..." She tried hard not to let a blush cover her features. She couldn't very well say that Shigure had taken her on a date and that the dog had been a gift.

"Shigure-san has always liked dogs..." She said and then really did blush, remembering how he often liked to remind her that they were both dogs.

"Yeah, I remember." Arisa said, still focused on the puppy. "What ever happened to Pochi?"

"Pochi?" Tooru froze; Pochi is what they called Shigure when he was in his dog form. "Oh, Ah, we..we were just watching over Pochi..."

Tooru smiled as a good excuse came to her. "Shigure-san always liked Pochi a lot. So I guessed he really wanted a dog." She focused on setting out teacups on a tray so she wouldn't have to lie directly to her friends. "I think Shigure-san bought Kimagure-kun for me as an excuse."

She smiled and looked at them again, "And, secretly, I always wanted a pet."

Hana's eyes widened a bit, "Ara? I never knew." She didn't pretend to know everything about Tooru, but she felt like she should have known that.

"Yes." Tooru put the kettle on. "I never could tell Mother because we couldn't afford it. And I couldn't impose a pet on Grandfather or the Soumas...but since Shigure-san really wanted it too I was happy to get Kimagure-kun."

"You're lucky to get such a cute dog." Arisa smiled, giving his belly a final pat. "And the look on the Prince's face when he had a hold of his leg-!" She crowed. "Priceless!"

"Ah...but that was very bad of Gure-kun." Tooru said frowning at the puppy. "He's never behaved so badly."

"Gure-kun?" Asked Arisa curiously. "Like...?"

"Yes, just like Mother's standard." Tooru smiled.

"It fits!" Uotani smiled, comfortable with the story she'd been handed an unsuspicious of Tooru.

Hanajima however stayed back and out of the conversation. She felt like there was a lead weight in her stomach. Tooru was lying to them, flat out lying. There had been more truth in Shigure's "love child" statement, then in her throwaway explanation that Shigure had bought it as an excuse to get a dog himself.

There were new walls surrounding Tooru's heart and soul as well. If Tooru had been keeping secrets before, it was nothing to what she was hiding now.

"Hana-chan?"

Hanajima blinked and started. Tooru was looking at her worriedly. "Is something wrong? You look pale."

"Pale?" Arisa looked at Hanajima, "How can you tell?"

"Ah..." She felt Tooru's concern wrap around her tightly and comfortingly. "No... I'm fine. Just...tired."

Tired and very confused. What could Tooru be so desperately be hiding?

"Ah...Then Hana-chan should go sit down." Tooru encouraged with a smile. "Lunch is almost ready."

"Ah... yes..." Hanajima picked up some of the dishes Tooru had prepared. "I'll take these ones out."

Arisa followed suit and the group was quickly seated around the table. It took a little shuffling from their normal seats because Kimagure wouldn't let any male but Shigure sit next to Tooru without growling. It ended up with Tooru sitting between Arisa and Saki and the boys on the other side of the table.

They all exclaimed over Tooru's lunch. She'd spent a lot of time making something special. Her circle of friends were also just so happy to have Tooru with them again that they kept them all around the table long after the food had been finished.

Arisa quickly ambushed her with some sticker photos she'd taken on the trip with the others, a whole album's worth. There hadn't been a sticker booth on the whole trip that she hadn't drug everyone into.

"And I took lots of regular pictures too." The Yankee said proudly holding up a bag of film canisters. "It'll be just like you'd been there! I just have to get them developed."

"Ah...I can't wait to see them!" Tooru clapped her hands, "I want to hear all about it!"

This released a floodgate of descriptions about the trip from everyone. Tooru's head was whipping around to try to listen to each of them, her eyes shining and a broad smile on her face.

Kimagure got bored of being ignored and walked over to Shigure and sprawled himself across his lap. Shigure pet the puppy and tried to be content that Tooru was smiling and happy. What he really wanted to do was pull Tooru from the center of her friends, put her on the table and fuck her. He'd show them the kind of special "lunch" that Tooru gave only to him.

He smiled at the image of it in his mind. Tooru would spread across the table among the leftovers, her dress pulled up over her breasts, and her panties hanging off an ankle. She'd call out his name. Yuki and Kyou would see that she was his to do with as he pleased, her friends would know not to interfere or distract her anymore.

Tooru smiled at something Yuki said and Shigure's hands tightened around the puppy unconsciously. Kimagure gave out a yelp and everyone turned to stare at the author. The puppy wormed out of his lap, giving an accusatory glare at Shigure before jumping up on Tooru.

Shigure smiled and waved off the puppy's behavior. "Guess I just can't compare to a pretty girl's lap...ne...can I lay there too?" His voice and posture were light, but Tooru caught the dark flash in his eyes.

"Disgusting!" Kyou spat, kicking at him.

"Shigure!" Yuki scolded with an ice-cold glare.

Tooru tried, but failed to bite back a gasp. It was just the normal teasing, but she could tell it wasn't going to stay that way long. Hana-chan glanced at her, lips parting. Why was Tooru getting so upset over such a petty exchange? An exchange that happened nearly daily in this household.

Then she felt the roiling blackness that was pouring off the older man. Her own mouth fell open.

"Wha-" She started.

Then Kimagure's head lifted off of Tooru's lap. His ears perked and he scrabbled off and ran out the back door barking.

There were muffled shouts outside and Tooru jumped up to see what he was after. Momiji was on the ground being attacked by Kimagure while Haru and Hatori stood to the side looking confused. Kimagure was licking Momiji's face to the boy's delight.

Tooru ran over to pull the puppy off, trying to bow and welcome the others at the same time. There was another quick round of introductions to the puppy and then they retired to the house. Tooru cleared the table of lunch and served tea and cakes to everyone. The babble and insanity grew as usual when so many of the group got together and Tooru let herself get swept up in it. She let it wash away her worry about Shigure's dark look until she had time to deal with it.


Tooru took some of the dirty plates as Kyou was flushing red over some insinuation Yuki made about a closet. She waved off offers of help from Momiji and Arisa and disappeared into the kitchen for a breather. She dropped the plates in the sink and took a deep breath. She was stifling in her warm dress.

Suddenly a rush of cool air went down the back of her dress as a hand pulled the cloth away from her neck. She gasped and started to pull back, but then Shigure's mouth was on her neck. He sucked hard at the mark of her neck, adding a small nip.

"Shigure-san!" Tooru said in a strangle whisper. Shigure tugged roughly at the neck of her dress, briefly cutting off her air. He turned her to him and took her mouth this time not allowing her and protest. His hands roughly manhandled her through her dress.

"Shigure!" Hatori roughly pulled him off. Shigure gasped, looking at him in astonishment. Hatori glanced at Tooru. "Straighten yourself up and go back to the living room, the others are going to wonder where you are." Tooru nodded and fled, not looking at Shigure.

Shigure started to move past Hatori but the doctor grabbed him tightly at the shoulder digging his fingers into the joint painfully.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hatori hissed. "Anyone could have come through that kitchen door. Anyone. Shigure...They haven't even been home for more than a few hours. Are you giving up already?"

Shigure shook him off and glared at him. "Of course not!"

"Then what did you think you were doing?!" Hatori hissed.

Shigure's shoulders slumped, "I..."

"You were jealous." Hatori supplied when he trailed off, "Get used to it. Tooru will never be just yours alone."

Shigure's head flew up and his dark eyes flashed at Hatori. "What does that mean?"

"It means that she has friends and a life outside of you. It's *normal*, its the way it's supposed to be." Hatori sighed, "Don't you want her to be happy?"

The fight went out of Shigure. "Of course. Of course I do." He scrubbed at his face. "Oh God."

Hatori's grip changed from a restraining one to a supportive one. "It will get easier." He lied.

"Lets go smoke a cigarette while the children talk about their trip." Hatori said guiding him out of the kitchen and out the front door to the lawn. The two men stood on the lawn while the sky darkened and the voices of the children rose and waned. Momiji came out to call them in to dinner some hours later.

Dinner went better for Shigure, who threw himself into teasing Kyou about a couple of the sticker pictures, especially the one where it looked like Uotani was blowing him a kiss.

Kyou blew up characteristically, giving Shigure all the more ammunition. Yuki got his teasing as well, over Kimagure's attack earlier and the fact that he still jumped every time the puppy barked near him. The puppy himself managed to cause plenty of distractions.

He particularly like Momiji and followed the blonde around adoringly. He spent a lot of time chasing the rabbit around the lawn, finally finding someone with as much energy as he. He seemed a bit in awe of Hatsuharu, most likely confused by the fact that he was a cow, and cows were usually much bigger. But that didn't stop him from trying to chew on his long white coat whenever they weren't watching him.

The one person that the puppy absolutely did not like was Hatori. The puppy had quickly named the others just as he had Tooru, calling the junninshi by their animal types and Tooru's friends by Light Girl and Dark Girl.

Hatori he referred to as "The Thing". As near as Shigure could figure, the puppy couldn't figure out *what* Hatori was and was unnerved by him because of it.

Anytime Hatori came anywhere near Tooru the puppy began growling or barking viciously, but if the doctor stepped too close the puppy cowered behind Tooru or Shigure. She tried to encourage him to give Hatori a chance, but the puppy wasn't having any of it. And with Shigure giving her dark looks any time she spent too much time with Hatori, or Kyou or Yuki she didn't press it.

Tooru felt like she was being pulled in a million directions. Uo-chan kept pulling out souvenirs from their trip. Tooru was touched over and over again about all the trouble they went to try make her feel included on the trip. Yuki and Kyou were competing strongly as well, trying to top each other over which had gone to the most trouble to get the souvenirs.

Momiji wanted to cuddle with Tooru as much as her puppy did, when they weren't wrestling about with each other endangering furniture.

Haru kept drifting out of the conversation, seemingly lost in thought. Not wanting him to feel left out Tooru made a concerted effort to involve him. Then there was Hatori to look after...and Shigure.

Tooru wasn't sure how to act towards Shigure. She could tell that he was upset; she was feeling the pressure as well. Several times she wanted nothing more than to run up to her bedroom and hide. Preferably fleeing with Shigure in tow so that he could chase away these confused feelings inside. But at the same time, when he flashed one of those dark disapproving looks at her, so quick she almost thought she imagined them, she felt like fleeing in the opposite direction completely. She felt like running out of the house and digging out her tent.

"Honda-san...Honda-san..."

Tooru looked up into the concerned purple eyes of Yuki. "Honda-san...are you feeling well?"

"Ah! Yes! Fine!" Tooru assured him. "Its just so much busier than it's been!"

"Aren't you glad? Isn't it more fun this way?" Momiji said munching on what looked to be Haru's left over cake.

"Maybe she's as annoyed by your voice as I am!" Kyou spat, more annoyed that Yuki had expressed his concern first than he was with Momiji.

"Maybe she's bothered that you keep yelling so loudly, Kyou." Haru said blandly, taking his cake back from Momiji.

"What?!" Kyou sputtered.

"Yeah, Tangerine Head," Uotani teased giving him a light noogie, "You're always so loud!"

"I AM NOT!" Kyou yelled, "AND DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Tooru's attention ping-ponged between them all, it was so hard to focus.

"Momiji, Haru... It's getting late." Hatori said, standing. "We should go."

Momiji whined, but Hatori was firm. Hatsuharu could also tell that Tooru was more tired then she was letting on. He helped to separate Momiji from the puppy and out to Hatori's car.
Hatori wanted to linger back to make sure that Shigure would be all right. He didn't really want to leave him while he was in such a volatile mood. But there was no way to diffuse the situation without getting the others out. As he hoped, Tooru's friends took the hint and started to gather their own things as well.

Tooru made a couple of polite objections to everyone leaving, but everyone could read her relief in her posture and voice. Kyou and Yuki started to clear the table while she said goodbye to her friends, giving her some measure of privacy.

Uotani stretched, "Oof.. I am tired. I'll try to get the film developed tomorrow, and I'll show the pictures to you at school."

"I'll look forward to it!" Tooru enthused. She was looking forward to being alone with her friends. Even now Shigure was watching her closely.

The tall girl picked up her bags, pausing to pat Tooru's head like a dog. "I wish you could have been there."

"Me too." Tooru said softly, but glanced guiltily back at Shigure. She *did* wish she could have gone on the trip. But she hoped Shigure understood that she wouldn't trade what she had with him for a 100 school trips.

Arisa hadn't noticed the look, or the guilt. Saki had.

Hanajima had been noticing a lot of things all night long.

None of them quite added up yet. She had her suspicions. She glanced at Shigure and found his dark eyes on her. And she knew that he knew that she knew...something.

He wasn't happy about it. He hadn't been happy about most things that evening.

Hanajima hung back letting Arisa start down the path without her. She turned to Tooru. Should she let Tooru know that she knew something was up? Tooru looked at her with her big brown eyes. As Hana kept the connection between them she started to see doubt and fear flicker. It wasn't something she wanted to see on her face.

"Tooru..." She said softly. She paused. "Good night."

She would wait till she knew exactly what she was confronting. She turned to Shigure and let a crackle of lighting flare behind her eyes and sparks and snaps of electricity flare through her hair. "Good night to you." She blinked and the power she had exhibited was gone. "Sleep...Well."

Shigure straightened, disturbing the puppy in his lap by his quick movement. That little display, as quick as it had been, had been a definite warning. His eyes flashed back, and she nodded goodbye.

She would have to talk to Yuki about this, she thought. Tooru's secret, Shigure's secret and the dark current of denpa that was tying them together. It was unsettling.

Tooru breathed a sigh of relief as Hana-chan disappeared into the murk of the night. Now it was just the regular household. Just Shigure, Yuki and Kyou...it still felt crowded.

She turned around and realized that she was all alone in the room with Shigure.

Tooru glanced to the kitchen, hearing Yuki and Kyou arguing about something, as usual. She glanced back and found Shigure's eyes still on her. Her breathing quickened and her body tingled. She felt a flush flood through her. Shigure gave a slow wicked grin.

"Come my little flower," He said softly. "Come sit by me, you deserve a rest after your long day."

Tooru glanced at the kitchen again. Either one of the boys could come out at any moment. But her feet were obeying him before her mind even started to register protests. She tried to remember what happened earlier... Hatori had come across them, but it could have been anyone.

But then she was beside him sitting at the table. He looked down at her approvingly with his dark eyes. He gave a bare glance at the kitchen before taking her in a deep kiss. When he broke it off as quickly as he'd started it she barely kept herself from swaying into him.

Under the table his hand was crawling up her thigh, pushing up her dress. He paused to massage at her knee and whispered to her. "Tooru...be a good girl...come to my room tonight..."

"Shigure-san!" She protested, her eyes flicking to the kitchen. To his room? Tonight? With Yuki and Kyou sleeping above?

"I'll send Kimagure for you..." Shigure continued. "It will be safe."

"What will be safe?" Yuki asked looking at them suspiciously from the kitchen doorway.

"Walking to the store for me... I'm almost out of cigarettes." Shigure said breezily, moving his hand off her knee slowly under the table.

"Don't be stupid. It's too late to send Honda-san out for something so trivial. If you want them that badly get them yourself." Yuki said dismissively. He walked over to Tooru, "Honda-san don't listen to him when he asks for such foolish things."

Y-yes." Tooru stuttered. They'd almost been caught...again!

"I...I'll...get your cigarettes tomorrow, Shigure-san." Tooru said hesitantly. "Tomorrow," she stressed. Shigure's eyes flashed, but he couldn't protest to strongly with Yuki sitting there in the room with them.

"Honda-san." Yuki said, looking at her seriously and with eyes full of gentle concern. "You look tired. Perhaps you overdid it today."

"Yeah," Kyou said leaning on the kitchen doorframe and drinking out of a carton of milk. "Idiot. You always do too much."

Yuki shot Kyou an annoyed look. "Perhaps it would be best if you went to bed early."

Tooru welcomed the chance to flee. Shigure was boring into her back with his eyes. "Yes... I am tired." She whispered and quickly excused herself.

She lingered in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror.

Shigure wanted her to come to his room tonight. She studied her face, watching it's reactions. Shigure, she thought to herself again, wanted her to come to his room tonight.

Her face turned colors, flushing then going white.

She wanted to go. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to feel him close again. It hadn't even been a full day since they'd last been together. Even now her body tingled at the thought of being next to him, with him and having him in her.

But...

She'd think that, then her mind would flash to his dark eyes. His disapproving looks and glances, the reprimands in hidden in there shot clear through her like an arrow.

And when he'd come upon her in the kitchen with his looming darkness and desperate hands and mouth wandering over her... When he was like that he scared her. It made her think of his hands pressing her hard down onto the countertop and the bruises on her knees.

It made her think that he was mad at her. That he might...punish her.

Had she done something that deserved punishment? She tried to review her actions. She had talked a lot to Yuki and Kyou, but they would have thought it strange if she didn't, wouldn't they? Had she been ignoring Shigure? Perhaps that was it. She had been afraid to show him too much attention, afraid that the others would get suspicious. Perhaps she'd hurt him.

Perhaps she deserved to get punished.

Tooru shivered. Should she go to his room tonight?

Tooru walked out of the bathroom, in her pjs and wrapped tight in her bathrobe. The thought of sneaking down the stairs and into Shigure's room was making her knees turn to jelly in a confused mix of guilt, desire and fear. Her heart felt like it was going a mile a minute already. She closed her eyes and sighed. It wasn't even one day yet.

"Honda-san?"

Tooru started at the sound of her name. Her eyes flew open to see a concerned looking Yuki looking at her from the top of the stairs.

He walked over to her, his wide purple eyes staring at her under a furrowed brow. "Are you sure you're feeling well?"

Tooru stepped back towards her door vaguely wondering if Shigure could hear them downstairs in the living room. Was he still in the living room? "Yes! I'm fine. Please don't worry."

Yuki stepped closer his observant eyes flicking over her. She was glad she had her hair trapped under her robe around her throat, effectively hiding the bruise on her neck. She looked up and was caught in the gentleness and concern she saw there. He gave her his princely smile and she tremulously smiled back her insides warming. Yuki was her friend and he was worried about her. And she had missed his calmness while he was gone. She wished she could tell him what was going on. He was so smart he'd probably understand it better than she.

"I missed Honda-san... a lot..." Yuki said softly. He reached out and plucked at a piece of her hair, running it through his fingers. "I'd planned to make a lot of happy memories with her on the trip."

Tooru tried to keep a shiver from running through her. He'd come so close to revealing the mark on her neck. At the thought of him seeing the evidence of what she and Shigure had done together all thoughts off telling Yuki the situation flew out of her head.

Tooru stepped back again, tilting her head so that her hair slid free from Yuki's fingers. She smiled gently, head cocked to the side. "I wish I could have made those memories too." She said softly. Yuki started to smile again, his mouth opening to continue, but she interrupted. "But with all the souvenirs that Yuki-kun, Kyou-kun, Hana-chan and Uo-chan brought me, and the pictures that Uo-chan took, isn't it just like I was there?"

"Ah..." Yuki didn't know how to respond to that. How did he make it clearer that he'd wanted to make memories with her, just the two of them?

Tooru clasped her hands together. "I can't wait to see the photos! I know Yuki-kun worked hard on picking out the itinerary." She smiled and turned to her door. "Tomorrow I'm going to the market, so if Yuki-kun needs anything please let me know."

"Ah...yes..." Yuki said confused. The conversation was ending. He didn't want it to end yet. Usually Tooru was eager to listen to anything he had to say, patiently waiting for whatever he might want to say.

But now she was already half in her room. "Goodnight Yuki-kun..." She smiled and closed the door firmly and with finality.

Yuki stared at her door for a beat and then turned to his own. She hadn't said anything, or really acted all that different. But there was definitely a mystery surrounding her actions that he didn't understand. It was a puzzle, and he hated unsolved puzzles.

Tooru sat silently on the edge of her bed, not even bothering to turn on the light. She listened as Yuki went to his room, and Kyou came upstairs. There was the inevitable argument over who got to use the bathroom first as they started to settle in for the night. She heard Kyou go up to the roof and listened to him creak up there for a while.

Finally the house grew silent. She lay atop her sheets and dozed. She fell in and out of dreams and nightmares. Shigure featured prominently in both.


She almost missed the light scratching at her door when it came. It blended seamlessly into the dream she was having. She was trapped in a box and there were animals outside. They wanted to get in and the boards of the box were very thin. The box was very small. She was trapped and wanted to get out, but if she left the box the animals would get her.

She wanted to cry out for help, for Shigure to save her but she knew it was hopeless. He was the one who had put her in the box. Then the animals started to scratch at the box, they'd break in any moment and have her. The scrabbling and rattling increased and she woke up with a gasp.

At first she didn't realize that she was awake. She sat up and tucked her legs underneath her. There was still that awful scratching noise and she felt the fear from her dream continuing to race through her. She was fleetingly convinced that there was something like rats or mice on the floor just waiting to bite at her. Then she became aware that the noise wasn't all about her like it had been in her dream. It was coming from her door. Catching her breath and letting her eyes adjust to the dim light the waning moon gave through the window she slid off the bed and crept to the doorway.


She held her breath, each step sounding loud to her ears. She stepped on a board that lightly creaked under her step and she barely bit back a gasp. It sounded so loud that she was convinced that they must be able to hear it in town!

She finally got to the door and gently eased it open. Kimagure bounded in, his heavy pants sounding like a drumbeat clash of sound. He raced in a circle around her eagerly. Big Dog had sent him on a very important mission. He was to get Best Girl and bring her right downstairs.

He was to be quiet and not bark. NOT BARK. That was very important.

She turned in a circle trying to track the black puppy in the darkness of her room. She jumped and gasped when he leapt at her and put his paws on her leg.

::Come! Best Girl Come!:: He thought firmly. Surely if Best Girl and Big Dog were mates she'd be able to understand him. After all, she understood Big Dog, didn't she?

Tooru knelt and pet the puppy, her heart racing so much it was beginning to hurt. She picked up the puppy and started to walk towards the door. Kimagure happily licked at her neck and face as she went towards the hallway. She had understood him! Tooru paused on the threshold as a board squeaked. She stepped back, biting her lip. She was so scared.

She bowed her head. She couldn't do it. She'd get caught. She just knew it. And the thought of Shigure waiting downstairs, his dark eyes glowering in his study-room made her feel like she was turning to stone. She couldn't go downstairs.

She put Kimagure down outside the door and whispered to him. She didn't know how much Kimagure understood of what she said, but she knew that Shigure had some sort of understanding with the puppy.

"Please Kimagure-kun... tell him I can't. I just can't. Go to Shigure-san, please..." She was starting to cry.

Kimagure whined, trying to lick at her face. Best Girl stank of fear. She wasn't coming like she was supposed to. His tail curled under, she was disobeying Big Dog. He could tell by the way she smelled that she knew she was being bad. He whined and took a hold of her robe sleeve in his teeth tugging gently. If she just came it would be ok. Big Dog didn't know yet that she'd been disobedient.

Tooru gently tugged herself free and pushed the puppy out of the room. She closed the door to just a crack, not open enough for the puppy to get through. "Please... go to Shigure-san, Gure-kun... Please, go."

Kimagure whined and scratched at the door. He couldn't go back down to Big Dog without Best Girl. He knew that to do that would be very, very bad.

Tooru closed the door all the way, making sure not to hurt the puppy in the process. She quickly went back to bed and crawled beneath the sheets. She could still hear Kimagure scratching. She buried her head under the blankets. She started to cry, hating herself for being so afraid.

Shigure listened carefully in his room, waiting to hear Tooru's light step on the stair. He ran an impatient hand through his hair. It had taken forever for the house to quiet. Just to be safe, he'd waited long past when he was sure the others were asleep before waking the puppy and sending him out.

He hadn't allowed himself to think too deeply before the puppy was gone. He didn't examine what he was doing; think about why he needed Tooru to come to him so urgently. Now, as his pulse raced in anticipation he couldn't stop thinking.

He already had an excuse ready if she was caught coming up or down the stairs. The puppy was so convenient that way. It was obvious whom the puppy considered "his owner". Surely it'd go to her if he had to go out.

He couldn't wait for her to get here. God, he wanted her. He wanted to reestablish his claim on her. He planned to grab her the moment she stepped into his room and press her down across his table. He'd take her from behind, grabbing those breasts of hers and burying himself into her. She was his bitch, and he make her know it.

Then he'd throw her on to his futon and cover her. He wished he really was like a dog and could tie with her, locking himself inside her. Shigure fantasized about the things he would to do her, about what he would make her do to him. He wanted to feel her mouth on him.

He was already aching for her. Perhaps he'd have her take him in her mouth first, and then spend his time recouping in devouring her body. Or perhaps he'd do it at the same time she was servicing him. They'd never done that he realized.

He grinned wickedly in the dark. He loved introducing her to new things.

He growled in impatience. Where was she? He'd sent Kimagure for her forever ago. It had been more than enough time for her to come down. By now he could have hand his fingers insider her, her mouth on him. He could have tasted her.

He sent out his thoughts toward the puppy. Had the stupid thing gotten distracted? It would be just like the puppy to get caught in chasing shadows when he was supposed to be doing something important.

When he finally caught the puppy's thoughts he was already raging, stewing in his desires and needs.

::Where are you?:: He thought darkly.

He could feel the puppy's quivering in his mind. He was torn and trying to hide his thoughts. Kimagure didn't want to get Best Girl in trouble but it went completely against his nature to disobey the person he saw as leader of his pack. He couldn't understand how Best Girl could even contemplate such a thing.

Shigure was completely out of patience. He roughly forced himself into the puppy's mind and read the situation there.

Tooru wasn't coming. She was hiding in her room, and the puppy could still smell the fear coming out of the room.

The bitch. Shigure's thoughts got caught up in the puppy's, momentarily losing himself in the animalistic dog-ness of it. The bitch was disobeying him, her mate. Didn't she understand she was his? Damn her! Had she thought that the presence of the others excused her behavior?

He was out of his room and silently advancing up the stairs before he could think about it. She knew she was disobeying. Her fear spoke volumes. She knew better.

Kimagure cowered by the door trying to look as submissive as possible. Big Dog was furious. Oh, Best Girl! Why had she been so bad!

Shigure barely glanced at the dog as he walked up to her room. ::If the others come,:: he thought firmly ::Tell me. Keep them away if you can::

He didn't wait for assent, knowing the there was no way the puppy would disobey. He wasn't thinking clearly. He didn't have a plan for if they caught him up here. He didn't care.

He opened the door without warning, and not knocking. He was careful enough to close it silently. The figure on the bed didn't move. Did she know he was there? She would soon enough.

Tooru held her breath. Kimagure had gone silent. She thought she'd heard someone come into her room. She hid under the blankets like a child. She listened over the blood rushing in her veins. Was that someone else's breath she heard? Was that a step towards the bed?

Suddenly the blankets were pulled off of her and a heavy hand covered her mouth. Shigure leaned in towards her, his dark eyes black with anger. "Don't make a noise." He hissed.

Tooru's eyes went round and she gasped under his hand. It made a small eek noise that she couldn't prevent. Shigure's face grew darker, something she hadn't thought possible. "Why can't you do as I say? Why do you keep disobeying me?"

He looked around the room frowning, hand still over her mouth. He glared at her. "Don't. Make. A. Noise." He said firmly and slowly drew his hand back. She watched him, obediently keeping silent. "Don't. Move." Each word was bitten out, hissed. Tooru shivered.

She stayed meekly still as he walked over to her dresser, watching him with rolling eyes. She should have gone downstairs. She knew he was upset. Why hadn't she thought about what would happen if she didn't come?

Shigure opened her top drawer roughly pawing through her things. He found what he was looking for and walked back over to the waiting girl. Her eyes were wide and white in the darkness. She was shivering in fear. It was just as she should be.

He climbed onto the bed and straddled her stomach pinning her to the bed. He kissed her roughly, forcing her mouth wide open. He held her to the bed, pressing with all his weight on her forearms. He bit at her lip and pulled back. She looked at him gasping for breath. Before she could react he stuffed her mouth with one of her pairs of panties. He took a pair of stockings and tied the gag into place between her teeth, moving too quick for her to protest. When her arms started to so come up automatically he sat forward so his weight was on her chest immobilizing her and robbing her of breath. When the gag was secured he sat back and let her gasp for breath, breathing deep through her nose.

"Tooru-kun has proven she can't be trusted to be quiet." Shigure hissed. "So I'll have to make sure of it myself."

Tooru shook her head, protesting. She could be quiet! She thought desprate. She could hardly breath around this cottony mass in her mouth.

Shigure bent down and whispered in her ear. "Is Tooru telling me no?"

His words were soft and deliberate. She froze and a shuddered. There was such menace in his tone. She closed her eyes and shook her head again. She wasn't telling him no.

"Tooru," He said in that same deliberate whisper. "Has been a bad girl." He sat back still resting over her stomach. He slowly untied his yukata. He stretched the tie between his hands as if testing its strength.

He could feel her shivering underneath him. It wasn't enough; he wanted to see the goose pimples on her flesh. He wanted to see her nipples tighten and rise in reaction to the chill rushing through her body. She was still in her robe and pjs, that wouldn't do at all.

He slid off her his eyes giving her a silent command to stay still.

She was pinned by that gaze and the only reaction she gave to his untying her robe and unbuttoning her top was to flare her nostrils as she started to breathe heavier.

He roughly pulled down her bottoms and tossed them to the floor. Pulled out the top and robe from beneath her and left her naked except for her panties on the bed.

He hooked his fingers under the band of her panties and started to tug them down. Tooru gasped and choked around her gag and couldn't keep her legs from kicking a little as the force of it drug her down the bed a little.

Shigure frowned at her. She shuddered at the look there. She'd done it again, disobeyed him without meaning to. He turned again, and came back with his yukata tie and her bathrobe belt. "I told you to stay still."

He grabbed her hands and Tooru tried to stay limp. God, she'd never seen him this angry before. She must have really done something awful in not coming downstairs.

He roughly forced her to sit up and then took her hands behind her and tied them back and together. He pushed her forward so that she lay on her stomach, and yanked up her ankles behind her. He tied them together and then too her wrists with her bathrobe tie. He sat her up on her knees. The ties forced her to thrust out her chest. She was so unbalanced that she had to keep her legs spread in order to keep upright.

She breathed deeply through her nose, her heart and mind racing. Shigure stood back from the bed admiring his handiwork. Tooru was spread open so that he could see every part of her. Her nipples were tight in the cold air. Her chest was heaving as she tried to get enough air through the gag. He smiled darkly and rested his hands on the edge of the bed.

"Was Tooru afraid of the others seeing her coming downstairs?" He asked in a genial whisper.

He walked around the bed and sat down next to her. He leaned down and gently kissed at one of the perky nipples. He gave a long lick at it and then another along her collar bone. Tooru shuddered under his touch. She didn't shrink from him though, thrusting forward instead.

"Perhaps I should leave you like this." Shigure said softly, hefting the weight of one breast in his hand. He loved her reaction; she was squirming at his touch. If she really didn't want it surely she'd be shrinking from him? She knew she deserved this.

"When Tooru didn't appear for breakfast I'm sure one of them would come looking." Shigure rumbled, leaning forward to kiss and nibble at her ear. He kept his hands on her body, wrapping them around her waist.

"What would they think seeing Tooru like this?" He drew back and looked at her face. Her cheeks were blazing even in the darkness. "I wonder..." He continued, he drew his hands up to caress her breasts. His thumbs worked loose circles around her nipples. "Would Tooru still be ready like she is now? Look at these nipples, begging to be sucked." He bent his head to flick each one slowly with his tongue

Tooru shuddered again, imagining it. Yuki or Kyou, seeing her like this... She squeezed her eyes shut but that made the mental image even clearer. Oh God, it would be awful. Would her body react like it was now, tightening in anticipation?

Shigure ran a hand down her throat. He could feel her pulse speed up. Was she excited by the idea? He looked up at her face, glaring.

"You like that?" He asked harshly. Her eyes flew back open and she stared at him. "What a slut Tooru is."

His hand dropped down to test her slit. She was wet already, and breathing hard. "Do you want to do with them what you did with Aya and Ha-san?"

Tooru stared at him, chest heaving. No she didn't want that. She was afraid to shake her head no. She was afraid he'd misunderstand.

Shigure watched her breathing speed up, her chest pushed forward even more. Her skin went red and he could feel a sudden rush of warmth around his fingers. She didn't shake her head no.

Her skin was pimpled and her eyes began to tear. "Bitch." He hissed. "Slut." He thrust his fingers inside her. She arched and her eyes went wide.

He pushed her back on the bed. With the way she was tied it forced her to thrust her crotch into the air. He pushed her knees even further apart and thrust his face between her thighs. He breathed deep and then looked at her through the valley of her breasts. "Look at you. Wet at the very idea."

Tooru could feel his breath on her and squirmed. She was a slut. She must be. All she wanted right now as to feel his mouth on her.

She didn't want Yuki or Kyou to see her like this. She just wanted Shigure. She just wanted him forever. But he said she wanted it, and her body seemed to want it... did that mean she really was a slut?

Shigure watched the expressions chase across her face. He smelled her renewed arousal. He growled, and thumbed her clit roughly. She gasped and squirmed startled by the sudden stimulation.

"What are you thinking of?" He growled. "I knew you were a slut. You sucked off Ha-san all on your own. Are you thinking of that?"

He pushed his thumb inside her and felt her grasp at him. "Or perhaps you're thinking of Aya? You came for him so easily. You didn't even protest."

He put another finger inside her as she squirmed. She couldn't press forward, but he could tell she wanted to. "You even cried his name."

Tooru felt like she was breaking inside. She'd done all of those things. She had been the one to go to Hatori. She thought Shigure had wanted her to. But she had to admit it was her that walked over, her who had taken Hatori in her mouth without any prompting. A slut, she was a slut. And Ayame...even now, thinking of his golden mesmerizing eyes made her shiver. Thinking of what she'd done while those eyes watched her... oh god, everything Shigure said was true.

She shuddered and her body shook. And now she was tied like this, in this embarrassing way, and all she could think about was that she wanted him to touch her more.

All she had was his finger inside her and it was driving her wild. She could feel herself throbbing and grabbing at him. Her nipples ached they were so tight.

Shigure watched her squirm and shudder, watched the realization of what she was wrap around her mind. He smiled. "Bitch."

He watched her shudder at the word. "I always knew she was a dog." he said genially, almost carelessly. "I didn't know she was a bitch though." He smiled and removed his finger. Her hips thrust, not wanting to loose that contact. "A bitch in heat, that's what Tooru is."

He slid along her side and kissed at her breasts, watching her come down from the lack of his touch. "Just like a bitch in heat. I don't think that Tooru cares who mounts her. She just wants it, ne? She just wants a cock inside her."

Tooru's eyes were leaking tears. That wasn't it. That wasn't it at all. She only wanted to make him happy. She couldn't help it that she was like this. He made her that way. She shook her head without thinking. She just wanted him.

Shigure drew back, his face a careful mask of surprise. "Tooru doesn't want it?" His hand went back to her cunt, "It feels like she wants it. But if she doesn't want it, I'll go away." Tooru shook her head in immediate denial. Shigure frowned. "Or maybe it's that you want Yuki or Kyou instead?"

Tooru shook her head again, fiercely. She thrust her hips forward as much as she could in her bound state. She wanted him. She wanted him.

Shigure put two fingers inside her and rubbed back and forth idly, carelessly. He sighed. "It seems like you just don't want to wait for them." Tooru writhed around his hand. "Typical of a bitch like you."

Tooru sobbed around her gag, wondering how much of what Shigure said was true. She didn't think it was true... but she had done those things with Ayame and Hatori. And here she was, trying to grind against Shigure's hand and he just sat there playing with her like a toy.

Shigure looked at her. "Looks like Tooru is having a tough time. Do you really need a cock that badly?"

Tooru gasped around her gag, she needed him. That's what she needed.

"Tooru has to tell me if she wants to get it." Shigure said, enjoying the hopeless look on her face. "It's a lot to ask. Why should I do this for Tooru if she's just going to go to another next time she goes into heat?"

"Especially." Shigure said as if it suddenly occurred to him, "when she's such a disobedient bitch. I told Tooru to come downstairs remember."

He sped up the fingers insider her making her squirm and shudder. "That's right. I suppose if Tooru wanted it that badly she would have come down earlier. She must not want it." He looked at her, stilling his fingers. "Is that true?"

Tooru shook her head vehemently. He just couldn't stop now.

Shigure smiled. "Then you do want it?" Tooru nodded.

"Tooru is a bitch then isn't she?" Shigure smiled, "A bitch in heat."

He waited patiently for her response. When she didn't respond right away, he started to stand "I must have misunderstood then... " Tooru squirmed trying to get closer to him, bumping his hip with her leg. He looked back down. Tooru was shaking her head. "I didn't misunderstand?" She gave a slight, reluctant nod. "You are a bitch in heat." Tooru nodded again, squeezing her eyes shut.

He crawled up onto the bed, readjusting her so that she was laying uncomfortably on her back, hips thrust into the air. "You are a bitch in heat that needs a cock?" He asked again, enjoying her degrading nods of agreement.

Tooru nodded again. With each nod it was becoming truer, she was a bitch, a bitch in heat, a bitch in heat that needed a cock. His cock.

She thrust her hips, marking her point.

Shigure smiled and levered himself up and positioned himself between her legs.

"I suppose I can help out Tooru this time." He circled his hips a little letting his cock, hard and ready from all this play, tease at her opening. "Would Tooru like that?"

Tooru nodded eagerly.

"I suppose." Shigure said, pressing in a little. Tooru arched, trying to get more of him in. What a greedy bitch. "I suppose I can..."

"As long as Tooru understands." He said keeping himself still. She squirmed all around him. He was breathless himself, finding it very hard not to move and press in. "That now she's MY bitch."

He stared into her eyes, "Tooru is MY bitch, and she mustn't disobey any more."

Tooru nodded. She understood. His bitch, she was his bitch.

Shigure smiled and pressed in to the hilt. "Good girl," he breathed. "Good girl, my bitch, my sweet bitch." He said breathlessly as he pumped into her eager pussy.

Tooru shook and shuddered below him coming quickly.

He didn't pause; nowhere ready to come himself. He kept his pace steady and she quickly climbed again with him. He was grateful for the gag, she was making the most delightful grunts and sounds around it, muffled just enough so that they wouldn't carry much past the bed.

He felt her clench and cum around him again, and chuckled. All this really had worked her up. She must really have enjoyed being tied up, what a wanton slut his Tooru was.

"Again?" He said breathlessly, "You really are in heat."

Tooru couldn't even respond. Her arms and legs had been devoid of feeling for some time now. They'd lost circulation, and now she felt like all she was a pussy and a pair of tits. If Shigure said she was a bitch in heat, she must be one. If she was one she might as well enjoy the feelings

Shigure came inside her, eliciting another grunt and another orgasm out of Tooru.

Shigure fell forward, careful to keep himself from transforming. "Good think I gagged you." He panted. "Or the whole house would know that you were in heat." He chuckled as she shuddered below him. It was enough to make him twitch again.


"Then I'd have a hard time keeping the other's off my bitch." He said sitting back. He sniffed at the cunt that she was still forced to hold up in the air. "Its the scent, its so obvious and it drives us males wild."

He sat her up, pleased at the groggy glazed look she had on her face. She'd been well fucked and looked it.

He lifted a breast and kissed at the nipple, and then began fingering her again. It took a little while to get a response, but soon she was wriggling against his hand again. "Ready again so soon." He clucked and looked her in the eye, "How typical. What a greedy, greedy bitch you are..."

He sighed heavily. "I don't know if I can again..." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, "Tooru is so insatiable... I was right before. She's never satisfied."

Tooru shivered, ashamed of her body's response to his light touch. She wondered if she really could be in heat like he said. He certainly didn't seem to be feeling the burning need she did. At the same time though, why did he touch her if he didn't want her to get like this?

Shigure gave a long suffering sigh and lifted her up by her armpits. He settled her on the floor and sat at the edge of the bed. "I suppose if Tooru wants more she'll have to work a little to get me ready. I just can't keep up you see."

He ran his hand through her hair and had her look into his eyes. "I'll undo your gag." he said softy. "But you must obey me."

Tooru nodded. She'd do just about anything to get the gag out of her mouth.

Shigure read this in her face and untied the gag, and helped her spit the panty out of her mouth. "I'm sorry Tooru..." He said softly, stroking her cheek, "But I know how loud a bitch can be when she's in heat. Especially you."

Tooru swallowed thickly. Surely, it was true. She would have cried out at the top of her lungs earlier.

"Now," Shigure spread his legs a bit further apart, his member displayed between it. "I know that Tooru can't nearly be satisfied yet." He looked artfully embarrassed, "but I just can't keep up...."

Tooru looked up at him, her arms still tied to her ankles. She knew what he was asking. She closed her eyes and dipped her head. If she wanted it, and since she was a bitch in heat, she did, she had to help him.

It was awkward. She couldn't use her hands to lift him to her mouth so she had to dip and tilt to lick at the head. He wasn't as unready has he claimed, just the sight of her kneeling between his legs was enough to make him half hard again.

She licked at the length, waiting for it to stand enough on it's own that she could comfortably take it in her mouth. She bobbed up and down on it as it hardened and thickened under her ministrations.

"More..." Shigure breathed, running his hands gently though her hair, "Take more in..."

Tooru wasn't sure what he meant at first, she was taking all she could fit... He had gotten more in when he'd taken control before but she didn't know how.

She hesitated a moment too long. Shigure's hands tightened on her head, painfully tugging on her hair. He thrust a little forward. "Tooru promised me that she would obey."

Tooru gagged and tilted her head. His head popped in her throat and she understood, that was what he wanted. She ignored the urge to gag and choke and brutally thrust his cock down her throat. She'd promised she'd obey.

"Don't...forget..." Shigure gasped. She was getting so good at this. His wonderful bitch, she responded to training so well. "ugh...to...suck."

Tooru responded immediately latching her lips as tightly as she could around the thickness invading her throat and mouth. She kept her head bobbing up and down. She tried to vary her rhythm, just like he did when he took control.

Shigure was in heaven. Was this the same sweet innocent Tooru? No, it was his bitch that was latched on to his cock. He had to stop this soon or he'd come.

It was a lot to ask of his self-control. He considered let himself use her mouth this way and getting his pleasure while denying her. After all, she had disobeyed.

But then sucked hard against his cock and he felt much more forgiving. He still wanted to come in her mouth, but he thought he might do something for her in return...

Tooru felt him stiffen and knew what was going to happen next. She looked up at Shigure... He looked her right in the eye as he began to cum. She winced and began to swallow.

"Oh... Tooru..." Shigure breathed, hardly able to gasp for air. "Good girl..." He sighed as he came down, "Oh...sorry, Tooru.." He tried to look regretful, "But you did too good a job."

Tooru looked up at him pitifully from between his legs, her mouth dotted with the cum she hadn't been able to catch. She'd thought while she did that that she'd get to have him again. She was still buzzing with the arousal he'd woken in her before. Was he going to leave her like this?

Shigure smiled at the puppy dog look gazing up at him from between his legs. He patted at her hair. "I'm sorry!" He said, "but can I help it when Tooru does such a good job?"

Shigure stood, loving the way her eyes tracked him. He stretched. "I know Tooru is still needy." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Tooru is always needy." He shook his head as he turned back around. "But I'm getting tired."

He turned back around as if he was considering. He was feeling pretty good, but she had disobeyed him earlier. He couldn't resist torturing her a little. "Perhaps I should leave you hear like this. Yuki and Kyou will be getting up soon. Maybe they could help you out."

"Shi-!" Tooru started. He gave her a dark look and she immediately went silent. She'd almost forgotten she was supposed to be quiet.

Shigure made a show of stretching out his shoulders. "Mmmm...but Tooru is my bitch..." He said winking at her, "I suppose I should take care of her."

He walked back over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He leaned over and gently undid the tie at her hands and ankles. "I don't think we need these anymore..."

Her arms and legs were completely asleep, even without the bonds she couldn't even manage to stand. Shigure helped her to slowly lever herself into the bed and laid her flat in bed.

His nose wrinkled. He didn't want to kiss her. His cum was still on her lips. He settled for kissing her neck and nibbling at his mark on her neck. He slowly covered her.

He used his hands, slowly teasing at her body. She was careful to keep her lips together and stay quiet. Any time she started to get to loud he stopped which was just awful.

By the time she was frantic for him he'd become ready again himself. He just couldn't resist her writhing body below him, and perhaps there was something to be said about the scent of her as she became aroused.

He slid inside her and she gave a long gasping sigh. He rode her slowly. This time had to last.

Shigure hissed, the rhythmic sound they were making was too loud. Yuki might hear it next door. He was too heavy...

He slowed and slowly drew out. Tooru made a mew of protest. She sat up and looked at him in silent question. What had she done wrong now?

Shigure smiled reassuringly at her, "I want to see more of Tooru..." He said softly. He lay back and gestured to her. "Come... up on top of me... there is a good girl..."

He smiled as Tooru crawled up catlike up his body. She slowly straddled him, hesitantly sliding down on his length. Shigure grunted. She was being too damn good again. He moved his hands down from her waist to drift over her ass.

"Careful." He whispered, "Tooru may do too good a job again..."

Tooru hesitated and Shigure groaned again. She bit her lip. Every part of her body was telling her to move. But if she did "too good a job" she'd be left wanting again. What was she supposed to do then?

Shigure's hands cupped her ass and began guiding her up and down at his tempo... "Like this, " he breathed.

Tooru followed the guidance of his hands. It seemed to take forever, but it was such a pleasant journey to get there.

When Tooru finally arched, Shigure grunted, cumming again inside her. She made a choked series of noises, wanting so much to cry out but minding Shigure even in this.


Shigure smiled and tugged her down, kissing at her ear and whispering, "Next time, we'll do it some where you can be free to call out my name. I like to hear it on your lips."

Unexpectedly, Shigure felt wetness against his shoulder. He looked up to see Tooru's face screwed up into a scowl and tears falling from her eyes. She bent forward and buried her face near his ear. "Next time? Then Shigure-san still wants me?" Her whisper was hoarse, her throat dry and rough.

Shigure started and his hand came up to cup the back of her head. "Of course." He sputtered.

"Even though..." She sniffled, "even though I was disobedient? And I'm..." She couldn't say it, and she didn't know which word to chose, bitch, slut, or insatiable...

She shook her head and pressed her face into the side of his neck.

Shigure smiled. "What you are..." He whispered, "...is mine."

He shifted so that she was beside him and held her as she continued to sniffle. She fell asleep soon after, exhausted. He tucked her into bed and regretfully set her alarm to an earlier hour than she'd had it at. She'd need time to get cleaned up before the others rose.

He stretched and retrieved his yukata tie from the floor and quickly got dressed.

::Kimagure.:: He thought, pleasantly surprised to find the puppy alert and awake. He'd thought for sure the puppy would have fallen asleep. Apparently he'd taken his duty more seriously than Shigure thought he would.

::Did anyone stir?:: he asked, hesitantly poking his head out of Tooru's door. It wouldn't do to get caught now.

The puppy danced in place. ::Nope! I listened careful!:: He gave a doggy snort. ::Cat snores!::

Shigure chuckled silently. ::And Mouse?:: That was the one he really had to worry about. His room was right next door to Tooru's. Kyou's was across the hall.

::He doesn't snore.:: Kimagure said, following him as he tiptoed down the stairs.

Shigure took that to mean that Yuki too had slept through the night. He smiled. Good to know they were such heavy sleepers, though it was likely exhaustion from their trip and all the excitement earlier.

He frowned. He hadn't really been thinking much about that when he'd gone upstairs. He settled into his futon and it began to sink in what he had just done.

He'd just brutally gagged Tooru, tied her up and fucked her brains out, while Yuki slept next door.

He felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. How could he have done that? How could he have risked losing her? Just because he lost his temper?

A traitorous part of his mind rose up claiming it was her fault. She should have come to him when he told her too.But he knew in his heart, he shouldn't have asked it. He knew better. To risk it on something so stupid, one more night of pleasure.

He wondered suddenly if he'd left any marks. Both his yukata tie and her bathrobe tie were soft, but he certainly hadn't been gentle. Could he have bruised her? On the ankles no big deal, her socks could cover those. But if on her wrists it would be noticeable.

If not by Kyou or Yuki, then certainly her friends would notice. He remembered the warning look Saki had given him. And it would be very hard to put her friends off of his trail, especially that one.

And besides all that...what had he just put Tooru through?

His sweet, gentle Tooru...He'd bound and gagged her. He'd certainly scared her, coming out of nowhere like that.

He reviewed what he'd gotten from Kimagure earlier. She'd been terrified before he'd even gotten to her room. Then he'd been so rough with her, and he'd called her names. She'd even asked if he even wanted to be with her still....

Shigure turned on his side. What had he done? He closed his eyes. He'd done terrible things...and even worse, the thought of it still excited him. he wanted to do it again.

How in the world was he going to face her in the morning?

Kimagure curled up next to his back, huffing as he settled down. He breathed deep; Big Dog smelled all over of Best Girl. It was almost as good as being able to sleep next to her. Big Dog slowly fell asleep, his scent floating through a vague set of emotions, fear, sadness, and desire (what, again? Kimagure thought). The puppy was tired. He'd been up for a long time. He wondered if tomorrow was going to be as interesting as today had been.

***