Keeping a Kitsune Ch. 03

"Where are we?"

"Home?"

"And what are you wearing?"

Her eyes widened. "I'm wearing clothes, Master. I'm sorry, I forgot."

"Now, I know we're still working out the details, but you said you wanted me to be Master in the ways you liked, and you said you liked the rule about not wearing clothes at home."

"Yes Master."

"So, what kind of fox breaks rules that she likes?"

"A bad little fox, Master." Chiyo lowered her eyes, blushing.

"What should Master do to a bad little fox?"

"P-punish her?"

"That's right. I think a spanking is too harsh - you weren't being purposefully disobedient, you just forgot. I'm going to take away your furniture privileges. No couches or chairs until I give you back the right to use them. Go ahead and strip and get on the floor."

"Yes Master. Thank you for not spanking me, Master."

Chiyo scrambled out of her clothes and slid down to kneel on the carpet. I folded her clothes and put them back in the shopping bag with the rest of her limited wardrobe.

I was going to have her start on the BDSM reading, but Chiyo wanted to help with the hunt for Kylie. I couldn't really disagree with her priorities, so I loaded some photos onto the tablet for her while I settled down at the computer to go over the rest of them. We were both motivated, and it kept our minds off our other problems.

After I'd been working for a while, Chiyo moved over to sit on the floor at my feet. She leaned against my leg then looked up at me to see if it was okay. I grinned and stroked her hair, and she smiled and cuddled up to my leg. We spent most of the afternoon that way, steadily grinding our way through the photos.

We went through every woman in the American Zone my crawler bots had connected to a '95 Het or an H&K ND4, hundreds of photos of female faces. None of them was Kylie.

I was out of leads. I had Yamedara, the game show host with the stolen Het and the string of ex-girlfriends, but there was no actual connection to Kylie, just an inability to disprove a connection. I had to admit I was stumped. So I did what I always did when I was stumped on a case - I called Rob.

Rob is my best friend in Kyoto, and my partner in the online research and threat analysis division at our company. I learned IT in college - Rob learned it in the Marines. He's 28, four years older than me, but parties harder than I did when I was in college. He gave me that stupid Ender nickname, but there's no one I'd rather have at my back.

I put the phone on speaker so Chiyo could listen in and dialed.

"Ho Ender! How's the great outdoors?"

"I'm actually back in Kyoto, man. Strange shit went down and I had to cut the trip short."

"Details, details."

"I'm going to have to give you a rain check on the details; the whole story is going to take a while, and I guarantee if I tell you the story you're going to have a million questions that I don't have time to answer right now. I called because I'm working on a problem, and I need a fresh perspective. You got some time?"

"Working late and swamped because I'm handling a double workload while my lazy partner is on vacation, but I can spare a few minutes. Read me in." That's one of the things I love about Rob; he's a fountain of bullshit, but he can cut if off at a moment's notice if he needs to. It's also why he's so good at our job - laser focus when there's a problem to solve.

"Short version - I got robbed, and I'm trying to track down the thief."

I gave Rob everything I had on Kylie, except for the details about Chiyo, which meant leaving out why Kylie had stunned me and what she'd stolen. Rob knew I was leaving stuff out, but he trusted I had a reason.

"Okay, start with the easy solution. Call the cops."

"Not an option. The item she stole is something that I don't want the law to know about."

"Motel registration, name and license number; security camera footage." No questions about why I didn't want cops involved; like I said, best friend.

"She paid by the hour, cash under the table, no records. Place didn't have cameras. I was on vacation, didn't memorize the license before she drew down on me, couldn't afterwards."

"Any other buildings nearby have cameras?"

"Shit, I didn't think to check. Tiny town, only two other buildings that might have a view. I'll call them both and check about cameras."

"Okay, moving on. I'm assuming you don't have a photo?"

"Just the one in my head."

"Okay, so facial recognition programs are out. It's a long shot, but you could try getting a sketch artist and then feeding that into the bot."

"Better than what I've been doing. I just spent the last day and a half manually checking photos on every woman in the AZ connected to a '95 Het registration or an ND4."

"That was going to be my next suggestion. You tried criminal records yet? If your girl's played the stick-up game before, she might have a mug shot."

"I guess I can start on that if we can't come up with anything better. It's going to be a long list."

"Going through the list might be faster if you have a sketch to let the facial software narrow it down to possible matches. Hey, wait a minute - you said this was up near the border of the British Zone, right? Did you check Het registries on their side of the border?"

"No, I didn't. Hang on; I'm trying to remember if it was American or British plates. Shit, it might have actually been British, but I can't be completely sure. I was too focused on the woman, not the car."

"Typical Wiggins; shake some boobs and that's all you can think about."

"You shouldn't say hurtful things just because they're true."

Rob laughed. "We don't have direct access to the British registries, but I know a guy on that side of the border. I'll give him a call; see if I can get him to pull a file together for you."

"I owe you a beer."

"A scotch. And the details on what else went down that you don't want to talk about yet."

"Done."

Our lines of investigation had just quadrupled. In addition to Yamedara, we had the British registries, security cameras, and all of the mug shots in the AZ, which we could narrow down to a manageable list with a sketch.

Something told me the British registries were our best shot, but I could move on the others while we waited to hear back from Rob's contact. I started with the mug shots; I logged into the police database through my work credentials and started a program searching for anyone in Kylie's age bracket with an adult or juvenile record, telling the program to load the mug shots into the same photo app we'd been using. That would take a while to run, so I moved on to the next easiest target.

A quick search got me phone numbers for the diner and the charging station across the street from the motel. The diner didn't have security cameras; the station did, but they weren't willing to allow me remote access. I confirmed that they still had Monday's tapes and wouldn't be deleting them until Saturday. If I wanted to view them, I'd have to drive out there and probably bribe whoever was working the counter.

While I was on it, I sent a contact request to Yamedara's agent. I didn't have a good hook, so I just framed it as an interview request for a college newspaper. Not high odds, but it didn't hurt to try.

Chiyo had started reading the BDSM essays on the tablet while I worked, since there wasn't anything she could help with. She closed the app and paid attention while I filled her in what I'd done.

"So, that just leaves . . . the sketch artist?"

"Yep. I wanted to talk that over with you before I did anything. I have a friend who would probably be willing to do the sketch. She'll be able to do a more accurate sketch if she can get a description of Kylie from you as well as from me, but she's pretty observant. I don't know if we'll be able to pass you as human in front of her."

"Do you think I'll be safe around her?"

"Yes. She might be a little scared of you, or say something offensive, like Amy did, but Aiko wouldn't hurt a fly."

"And you trust her?"

"Yeah, I do. I like her and I think she's a good person."

"Well, if I'm going to have to spend time around humans we might as well start with one that you think is nice."

Having secured Chiyo's blessing, I called Aiko up. Aiko's a sketch artist for the KPD; we met at the mixer during a law enforcement convention I went to for work, and we ended up going home together after a few drinks.

After catching up with Aiko, I explained what I needed. She agreed to come over with her stuff in a couple hours in exchange for a home cooked dinner.

I hung up and looked down at Chiyo. "So, little fox, we have two hours to kill. We can't really do much to hunt Kylie right now while we wait, and I have to admit, having you sit naked at my feet all afternoon has put some dirty thoughts in my mind. Do you feel like doing something sexy?"

Chiyo grinned. "Yes Master. I had some dirty thoughts too sitting here."

I thought about a few things I wanted to do then I had a sudden panicked flash of guilt. "How's your leg feel? It wasn't too bad sitting on the floor, was it?"

"No, it's alright. The new pain pills are really good."

"Okay, that's good. Still, probably best to avoid anything too vigorous. I've got an idea; here, let me help you up - the punishment is over, your furniture privileges are back."

Once I helped Chiyo to her feet I went ahead and scooped her into my arms. I carried her over to a couch then got us positioned in a sixty-nine with her on top. She was already getting a little wet just from anticipation. I took in a deep breath of her scent then I explained what we were going to do.

"Alright Chiyo, we're going to have a contest. We each get to use our fingers and mouths, and the contest is to see who gets the other person to orgasm first. The loser has to do the dishes that have been piled up in the sink before Aiko comes over."

"That doesn't seem fair, you have lots more practice than I do."

"I didn't say it was going to be fair. No whining. Ready, set, go!"

I dove in and started licking. Chiyo squealed and laughed, then yanked my pants down and tried to catch up.

I did have the advantage of experience, but Chiyo almost won. That inhuman little tongue was a weakness of mine; I know it may sound strange to enjoy a cat-like raspy tongue sliding over your cock, but for me it was a kink I'd never realized I had until I met Chiyo. In the end, I barely managed to hold out long enough to get Chiyo off first, her small body stiffening above me in orgasm while her tails twitched furiously, hitting me in the forehead.

I didn't let up while she came, taking advantage of her distraction to start pushing her into a second one. When I kept going after her second orgasm, she realized that I wasn't planning on stopping and managed to get her mouth working on me again. She got me off before I could get her to a third one, but once I'd recovered I finished her off for the third time before having mercy on her.

Chiyo licked me clean and pulled my pants back into place, but then she just kept lying on top of me, all limp and rubbery and sighing in contentment. Eventually her weight on top of me was too much, so I poked her until she sighed and got up.

We took a fast shower to clean the smell of sex off us then I pulled on some clean clothes and showed Chiyo how to do dishes. I got her a stool from the counter to sit on, and she washed and dried while I got started on dinner. I was running a little low on groceries, since I had planned to be out hiking in the mountains all week. Still, I was able to throw together some spaghetti and garlic bread.

Chiyo was just finishing the dishes when the buzzer sounded, announcing that Aiko was on the sidewalk. I glanced around in panic.

"Shit, Chiyo. You have to get dressed - here's your crutches, go get your clothes! I'll stall her in the hallway. Oh, and no 'Master'. While Aiko's here, I'm just Jason, okay?"

I ran over to the door and buzzed Aiko in, then hurried down the hallway to intercept her. I met her halfway down the hall; she had a satchel over her shoulder and a grocery bag under one arm. Aiko's awesome - tall and willowy, like a fashion model, and totally chill. I love hanging out with her, and sleeping with her. She figured out early on that I wasn't good boyfriend material, but when we're both between relationships I'm one of her first call-ups when she's in the mood. She kissed my cheek as I met her, giving me a one-armed hug.

"Hey J. I brought wine, since you're cooking."

"Aw, you shouldn't have. I'm only cooking because you're doing me a favor."

"But I know you never remember to keep wine in stock. So really I brought it for me." She laughed and let me go.

"Hey, Aiko; serious face for a minute."

"I can do serious face."

"I didn't tell you on the phone, but I want you to know before we go in. The second person who's going to be giving you a description for the sketch isn't human. She's a Kitsune. You don't have to be frightened of her - we just registered her with the government earlier today, and she's perfectly safe. Just treat her like you'd treat any other girl, okay?"

"Wow. You're serious, aren't you?"

"Totally serious. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I can handle it. I've never seen a non-human up close, this actually sounds pretty interesting." She grinned.

"Just, don't prod or stare at her, okay? She's not a zoo animal, she's a person."

Aiko nodded and looked at me seriously. "I get it, Jason. I can be cool. If you think I'm being weird, just kick my ankle or something and I'll back off."

"Thanks Aiko. I do think you'll be cool, that's one of the reasons I invited you. I'm just a little nervous - this is going to be Chiyo's first time really hanging out with a human who isn't me, and I want it to be a good time for her."

"Chiyo is the Kitsune, I take it?"

"Yep. Come on, let me carry the wine and I'll introduce you."

Chiyo was standing next to the table when we came in, leaning on it to keep her weight off her leg. She had her crutches propped against the table, and was wearing the same outfit she'd worn earlier in the day. She looked nervous, but gave Aiko a tentative wave and said hi.

Introductions were a little awkward and none of us were quite sure how to start a conversation, but fortunately the food was almost ready, so we were able to busy ourselves getting everything set out. I opened a beer while Aiko poured herself some wine; Chiyo had to settle for water, since her pain pills didn't mix well with alcohol.

Once everyone was seated and had started eating, Aiko decided to break the ice and get a conversation started.

"So, how did you two meet?"

My mind went blank. How was I going to explain this? Funny you should ask, Aiko, simple story really: I hunted and trapped her like an animal, then raped her multiple times. But it's no big deal - I had a permit, and the law says everything's okay. Now she's my slave, with full approval of the government of the United States and all outlying territories. I feel bad about what I did, but we're just going with it. Oh, and we're still having sex, but it's consensual now, really.

I know, I should have thought of this before and had a plan. But my brain just hadn't gotten to that point. I was still dealing with the realization that what I'd done was wrong even though it was perfectly legal, and I hadn't moved on to thinking about how my friends, family and co-workers were going to react to it. I couldn't open my mouth. I wasn't sure which possibility scared me more - that Aiko would hate me like I deserved and our friendship would end, or that she'd react like Amy and dismiss it because Chiyo wasn't human.

In the end, Chiyo saved me. "Oh, we met while Jason was out hiking in the mountains where I lived. I'd broken my leg, and he set the bone for me and took me home."

"Oh, you poor thing. Is that what the crutches are for?"

"Yeah, I have a neat cast now, and some really good pills that make it so that it doesn't hurt very much. Do you want to see my cast?"

And suddenly they were chatting like old friends. Aiko guided the conversation effortlessly. She wanted to know all about Chiyo's little mountain valley and lake, and what Chiyo thought about human society. Chiyo explained about having to be registered, and made me go get her new ID card so that she could show it to Aiko.

Chiyo rattled off the details about her status under the law, and Aiko was appropriately infuriated at the human justice system. She'd had no idea about the details; like Kylie, non-humans weren't part of her life. They existed in movies and documentaries, not something you thought about day-to-day.

Aiko didn't press about our status. Chiyo's explanation and ID card had made it clear that I was her owner, but neither of us was acting like I owned her. Aiko picked up on the fact that we weren't volunteering details about our personal relationship and kept the conversation on other topics. I chimed in occasionally, but was content to let the girls carry the bulk of the conversation.

After dinner, Aiko announced that if we wanted her to do a sketch, it had better happen before she had too much wine, so I cleared the table while she got her tablet and stylus out and got set up.

Aiko's good at what she does. It was the first time I'd ever actually been involved with doing a police sketch. I don't know if you've ever tried to really verbally describe someone's face in detail - it's much harder than you think, let alone turning that into a sketch. Aiko made it seem easy, asking very specific questions, showing us reference photos to help guide our descriptions as she worked. Gradually Kylie's features took shape under her stylus, until we had something that Chiyo and I both agreed was definitely Kylie in every detail. In its own way, what Aiko accomplished was as magical to me as Chiyo's tails or knowledge of languages.

Once Aiko was done and had transferred the sketch from her tablet to mine, I poured her another glass of wine and slid it over to her. I've always like hanging out with Aiko, and Chiyo seemed to be enjoying having another girl around to talk with.

We hung out at the table for a bit more, idly chatting. Aiko complimented Chiyo's outfit, and then of course Chiyo had to get up and drag Aiko over to pull the rest of her new clothes out of the bag and hold them up to be admired. Aiko complimented one of the other skirts, so Chiyo handed her one of her crutches and shimmied out of her skirt, changing into the new one right in front of us.

I almost had a heart attack at that point, since the one piece of her earlier outfit Chiyo hadn't put back on was panties. Chiyo didn't think anything of flashing Aiko her pussy, of course. Aiko, bless her, just rolled with it.

"Oh my gosh, that skirt looks just as good on you as I thought it would. And are those your tails? They're so pretty! Is it rude if I ask to touch them?"

Chiyo blushed, suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't really like it when other people touch my tails. But, um, if you're gentle you could touch them a little if you really want to."

"Oh no, honey. I would never touch them if it makes you uncomfortable; that's why I asked first. They're so gorgeous though, I love the little tips of white at the end, and the way the fur matches your hair."

"Thank you! I like my tails too. And, um, I love your hair; I like how smooth and shiny it is. And you have a really nice ass."

"Aw, you're a sweetheart. Jason likes my ass too." Aiko snickered as she said it, shooting me a glance. I had to get this conversation nipped in the bud before they started swapping stories about how I was in bed.

"So, ladies, if you're done looking at clothes, maybe we could find something fun to do for the rest of the evening, something that the guy can participate in too? I'd suggest we teach Chiyo foosball, but that's going to be kind of awkward with her on crutches."