Keeping a Kitsune Ch. 04

Aiko showed up just as I was ladling the sukiyaki into bowls; I suspected she'd already been on her way over when she texted. I buzzed her into the building and opened the apartment door when she knocked. She was wearing a light blue sundress and white strappy sandals that matched her shoulder bag, with sunglasses perched on her head. She looked good, in that casual and effortless way that girls only pull off by putting a lot of effort into it. She grinned and gave me a quick peck on the cheek then waved to Chiyo.

"Hi J, hi Chiyo! I hope it's okay that I dropped by without much warning."

Chiyo waved back with a shy grin. "Hi Aiko! Sorry I'm not getting up, I bumped my broken leg and Jason won't let me stand up until it feels better. Um, I made dinner. Well, most of it – Jason had to finish it and make the rice after I bumped my leg. It's my first time cooking something on my own, so I hope it tastes okay. If it's bad, you guys don't have to eat it, you can order pizza or Jason can make something."

Aiko took a deep sniff. "If it tastes as good as it smells, I'm sure that won't be a problem." She gave Chiyo a radiant grin and Chiyo grinned back bashfully.

Aiko slid into the chair opposite Chiyo, setting her bag on the table. "I brought some presents over, but they can wait until after dinner. I want to see what you've put together."

I finished setting the table and took my seat the head. Chiyo didn't touch her food yet, watching anxiously as Aiko and I scooped thin strips of beef out of our bowls with our chopsticks, dipped them into the raw eggs, and took our first bites.

I was determined to be pleased with it no matter the result, but it turned out there was no need to fake anything. It tasted great; the beef soft and tender, the sauce sweet and savory. A bit heavier on the sweet side than most sukiyaki I've had, but still excellent. I suspected that my little fox's sweet tooth had led her to add more sugar than the recipe called for, but it still tasted good.

Aiko seemed to be enjoying it as well, letting out a murmur of satisfaction and reaching for another piece as soon as she swallowed. I grinned and saluted Chiyo, who was still watching anxiously. "It tastes fantastic, little fox. Try some for yourself."

"Really? You like it?"

Aiko grunted around a full mouth and flashed a thumbs up then swallowed and joined me in assuring Chiyo that it was delicious. "If you don't hurry up and eat your own, honey, I'm going to finish my bowl and steal yours."

Chiyo blushed with happiness and took a bite, trying to hide her smile.

The rest of dinner passed happily, Aiko quizzing Chiyo on where she'd found the recipe and making impressed noises at how well she'd done on her first try. I chimed in with a story about some of my early disasters when attempting to learn to cook – both girls laughed as I described the time I'd let a pot boil over and flooded my parent's kitchen with soup.

Aiko and I cleared the table and did the dishes once we were done eating. Chiyo insisted that her leg was feeling better, but I still carried her over to the couch and set her down with a cup of hot chocolate, telling her to relax and let us handle things. Once the clean-up was done, Aiko and I joined my fox in the main area, Aiko bringing her shoulder bag in and upending its contents onto a coffee table.

She grinned at Chiyo and I as she began to sort the pile of various toiletries she'd dumped out. "From what you guys were saying last night, it sounded like Chiyo doesn't have much in the way of girl things, so I decided to do a little shopping after work. I got her some bath stuff and a woman's razor, and some starter make-up if she wants to try it out. Oh, and some pads – I don't know if you need these, honey, I don't know what your biology is like, but if you do need them Jason sure as hell wasn't going to think of it on his own!"

She finished sorting her pile and looked up with a grin.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I . . . don't really know what all of these are for, but thank you?" Chiyo looked at the pile curiously.

I made myself comfortable and watched as Aiko began picking up items at random and explaining them. I wasn't terribly invested in the great secrets of eyeshadow, but I was honestly curious about whether or not Chiyo had periods. I knew that she couldn't have kits until she grew her fourth tail, but she was obviously otherwise sexually mature.

Aiko went through all the make-up first, then the soaps, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers and lotions. Chiyo was a little skeptical of the concept of make-up, but enthusiastic about the bath stuff, opening each bottle and sniffing it appreciatively. Aiko told her it was barbaric that she'd had to suffer with only what I kept on hand. I felt it necessary to object at this point; before me, Chiyo had made do with cold water and sand, and now apparently my one bottle of body wash and other bottle of shampoo/conditioner weren't good enough.

All my objection earned me was a pair of sniffs and eye rolls as the girls sighed over my limited male understanding. I pointed out that Aiko had used my shower without complaint before, and she told me that washing up after a night of sex was different from actually getting properly clean. I gave up protesting and let them continue to bond. The stuff Aiko had brought would make Chiyo smell nice and girly, so it wasn't really a loss for me.

All that was left was the razor and the pads, so I knew we were in for an interesting conversation either way. Chiyo picked up the razor first, turning it over in her hands.

"So, this is a razor. That's a knife for shaving hair off your body. Why would you do that?"

Aiko laughed. "Yeah, it's kind of a pain in the ass, but girls are expected to shave their legs and their armpits, and either shave their pussies or at least keep them trimmed. Here, see?" She raised her arms over her head and stretched her legs out in front of her. I took a moment to admire her elegant body in the sleeveless sundress.

Chiyo frowned. "Do all human girls do that? Should I do it too?" She shrank into herself, suddenly self-conscious.

"Chiyo, you don't have to if you don't want to. I think you look great just the way you are." I meant it, too. Yeah, I usually prefer girls shaved, like most guys. But Chiyo's body hair was part of her wild, natural self. Her pubic thatch and armpit hair weren't long or overgrown, and the dark orange hair was silky smooth. Her leg hair was extremely fine, barely thicker than the hair on her arms.

Chiyo was still frowning. "But I'd be prettier if I did shave? From a human point of view?"

"Um . . . I guess, maybe? But honestly, don't make any changes because of me."

Chiyo turned to Aiko. "Could you show me how to do it? I want to try it. Maybe Jason would start having sex with me again if I shaved and used the make-up."

I felt my cheeks burning. I wanted to shrivel up and die from embarrassment. Aiko looked almost as uncomfortable as I felt. "Um, sure, I could show you how. But I'm not really qualified to comment on you two's sex life."

I broke in: "Change of subject: pads! Let's talk about the pads! Chiyo, do you menstruate?" First time in history a man has willingly changed the conversation to menstruation.

It worked though. Chiyo made an expression of disgust. "Please tell me I misunderstood that word. Bleeding out of the vagina? For days?"

"So, I'm guessing that's a 'no' then?" Aiko looked back and forth between us.

I explained Chiyo's magical understanding of languages, but made Aiko explain the human reproductive cycle and all of its messy details. Chiyo emphatically confirmed that she did not suffer from such sordid human indignities. Aiko congratulated her on her luck and tucked the pads back into her bag.

Not wanting to let the conversation drift back to sex, I asked Aiko about a couple of her friends that I'd met over the years. She caught me up then rolled with the new topic of conversation, checking in on the people in my circle that she knew. She'd met Rob a few times, so I made her laugh by telling the story of Rob and Melissa's latest break-up. They were the classic on-again/off-again couple, and their latest break-up had apparently started with Rob saying yes when Melissa asked him whether a new dress made her look fat. The break-up had concluded with dishes being thrown at Rob's head and mutual vows to never see each other again. That had been a week ago – I had three weeks in the office pool on how long the latest break-up would last. Chiyo didn't seem to really get it, but she laughed when we laughed, happy to see us enjoying ourselves.

During the conversation, my phone went off. I didn't recognize the number, so I didn't answer. When Aiko excused herself to use the bathroom, I checked the voicemail the mystery caller had left.

I didn't recognize the woman's voice, but she sounded smooth and professional. "Mr. Wiggins, this is Tricia Ayami with Kiyoto Mornings on Channel 4. We're doing a story on your recent registration of a wild Kitsune, and we'd like to interview you for the piece. We're planning to go live with the basic scoop tomorrow morning, but if you're willing to grant us an exclusive interview we'd be happy to postpone the story until you can fill us in." After that the rest of the message was contact information if I wanted to do the interview.

I closed the phone and set it down carefully. I wanted to curse, but Aiko had been my friend long enough that she deserved a chance to explain her actions. I waited until she came back and settled onto the couch next to Chiyo then stared at her. "Guess who that phone call was?"

Aiko and Chiyo looked over at me. Chiyo's instincts made her freeze, sensing the anger in my posture. Aiko either didn't pick up on my mood or didn't care; she shrugged. "No idea."

"Channel 4 News. They want an interview with the newest Kitsune owner in Kyoto."

Aiko blinked. "Huh. Are you going to do it? It'd be kind of cool being on the news, I guess."

My fingers clenched on my arms. "Of course I'm not going to fucking do it. It's my personal life, and Chiyo's. I don't want to be the human interest story of the day. It's fucking tabloid trash shit, I can't believe even local news would stoop that low."

Aiko shrugged. "Alright, cool."

"Nothing else to say?"

"What is there to say? It's your life, your decision."

"Aiko, you're the only other person who's met Chiyo since I brought her home. I'm wondering how exactly the news found out, and the only logical conclusion I've got right now is that you told them." I was having a little trouble keeping my temper under control.

Aiko blinked. She turned to face me fully, arms crossed. "Jason Wiggins, if you think I would do something like that we don't know each other as well as I thought we did. We're friends; I would never go behind your back like that."

"I want to believe you, Aiko, but how the hell else did the news find out?"

Chiyo looked back and forth between us, trembling slightly. "S-she's not the only other one who knows I'm a Kitsune."

We both looked at her. Chiyo swallowed nervously but continued, ticking names off on her fingers. "There's Kylie, and Dr. Amy, and the lawyers, and the people at the registration office. It could be any of them, right? You said you trust Aiko, so you should trust her."

I blushed in shame. "Shit, you're right Chiyo. It totally makes sense that someone from the registration office would want some quick cash for selling the story to the news, I bet that's what happened. Aiko, I'm sorry I accused you. Can you forgive me?"

Aiko sighed. "Yes, I suppose so. It really does hurt that you'd think I could do that, but an apology helps. I forgive you, buddy."

I turned to face Chiyo. "Thank you for helping me get my head out of my ass. I know you were a little scared there, but you spoke up and helped stop me from being stupid. I appreciate it."

Chiyo ducked her head with a small smile, blushing. "You're welcome."

"Is there anything I can do as an apology?"

Aiko grinned. "How about a foot rub?" She raised her foot and waved it at me.

I laughed and settled down on the floor, slipping my hands onto her offered foot. Foot rubs are a good weapon in any womanizer's arsenal, which was why I'd practiced them; I even took an elective massage class in college. Every girl likes foot rubs, and it's not hard to shift from massaging feet to legs, then more intimate touches if she's into you. I kept this one mostly platonic, though I did get a few sighs and moans out of Aiko that would have prompted a different progression if we'd been alone.

Once I was done, of course Chiyo needed to try it out too. She liked it quite a bit, though I couldn't do much on the foot that was half encased in her cast. Afterwards I got a shoulder rub from Aiko as a reward for doing a good job apologizing then we sat around and chatted for a bit. Chiyo wanted to know about Aiko's job, and that opened up a conversation about police and how they functioned in human society, then another conversation about the concept of art, and Aiko's ambitions to eventually have a gallery show and how close she thought she was to that goal.

I relaxed and enjoyed the company. The awkwardness that had hung over the apartment when it was just me and Chiyo dissolved with Aiko's easygoing presence. I managed to forget that I was a monster for a little bit, and just be a guy hanging out with two pretty girls.

Our conversation broke up when Aiko looked at an alert on her phone.

"Ah, shit. I have to work an early shift tomorrow, and the downtown station is being blocked off by some '52 Now' protestors. The whole grid's a mess. Any chance you can give me a ride home?"

"Not a problem for me. Chiyo, will you be okay by yourself for a bit if I give Aiko a ride home?"

Chiyo confirmed that she'd be fine. Just in case she needed anything, I made her a Skype account and logged her into it on the tablet, programming my cell in as the only contact.

After we left, Aiko asked if I would mind taking her by the store as long as I was giving her a lift. She didn't have a car, so she occasionally took advantage of mine like this. I didn't mind, so we swung by a Seiyu. It pained me to watch her pile up frozen dinners in the cart, so I focused on watching her ass shift under that sundress as she moved through the aisles. It was a very nice ass.

Aiko took full advantage of the opportunity my car provided. She bought a ton of groceries, along with toilet paper and a bunch of other household goods that weren't easy to transport in her shoulder bag. We ended up filling the little cargo area in the back of my Subaru. When we got to her building, after the first trip up to her apartment, I grabbed her keys and went back down for the rest of the bags while she started putting things away.

My arms full, I navigated the lobby and took the elevator up to the 20th floor. Aiko lives in what's basically an apartment tower: 32 floors, 50 one-bedroom apartments on each floor, all of them small. At 2046, I repositioned things so I could get the keys into the door and let myself in. Aiko was busy putting things away, so I dropped the bags on the counter in her little kitchenette with her keys.

She was humming to herself as she stretched up to put things in a cupboard, and I took a moment to appreciate the sight. Tall, slim, elegant, her hair cascading over her shoulders, sundress flowing over her firm ass as it poked out slightly as she reached up. I'd fucked that ass a few times, and it was magnificent. And it belonged to a great friend, as I'd been reminded twice over the last two days. Aiko had been wonderful, not judging or pushing when she found out I had a fox spirit in my apartment, just being her normal sunny, welcoming self. Caught up in a sudden wave of gratitude and affection, I slipped up behind her and hugged her, pulling her back to nestle against me.

Aiko laughed. "Hello to you too. What's up?"

I smiled and nuzzled her neck, shifting one my hands to cover her hip and tug her closer to me. "Nothing. Just appreciating how lucky I am to have you in my life."

"I know, I'm wonderful. You don't deserve me. But I'm trying to put these groceries away right now."

"Mmhmm. Very important." I tugged her hair to the side and softly kissed her neck, working my way up to the back of her jaw.

"Ooh. Mmm. Jason, stop that." Aiko protested, but at the same time her butt was grinding gently back against me, rubbing against my growing erection.

I stepped back for a moment, but only to spin Aiko around and pick her up. I set her down on her kitchen counter and stepped between her legs, my hands running over her back as I kissed her. Her lips were cool and soft, with just a hint of mint from her lip gloss as she kissed me back, her arms and legs wrapping around me.

I tangled a hand in her long hair and tugged her head back, trailing kisses down her neck again as my other hand slid up to toy with her small breasts, discovering to my delight that she hadn't worn a bra today. I rolled her hardening nipple between my fingers through the thin fabric of her sundress, while her legs flexed behind me, pushing her stomach hard against my erection as her back arched.

Aiko gasped in pleasure, but then she gathered her wits and put her hands on my shoulders, pushing back. "No, hey, stop."

Her ankles were still locked behind me, so I ignored her protests, my mouth moving over her collarbone, tasting her smooth skin. Aiko moaned but grabbed my hair and tugged my head back. I met her eyes, which were wide with arousal, but her face was serious.

"Jason, seriously. Stop for a minute."

I took a deep breath and braced my hands on the counter, meeting her gaze. Our hips were still locked together, but I forced myself to pause with an effort of will. "What's up?"

Aiko grinned. "Not that I couldn't use a good pounding, but we have a rule. No cheating. We only hook up when we're both single. I don't know exactly what's going on with you and Chiyo, but it doesn't take a detective to know that you two have been fucking."

I sighed and stepped back. Aiko relaxed her legs and let me move away, making a small sound of frustration. She stayed perched on the counter and raised an eyebrow at me. "What exactly is going on with you two anyway? I didn't want to be rude by asking in front of her, but I'm really curious."

I ran a hand through my hair, my libido dying. "It's . . . complicated."

"So talk. What are friends for, if not counseling on relationship issues?"

"I . . . shit, Aiko." I paced away then turned back. "I'm worried if I tell you everything, you'll think I'm a monster. I'm not proud of what I've done over the last few days."

The twinkle of friendly mischief in her eyes died, and Aiko slid off the counter. "I don't know what's bothering you, but it sounds like you need to talk to someone about it. If it can't be me, find someone you can talk to."

"No. You deserve the truth. It's just tough to talk about. Can we sit down somewhere?"

"Sure." Concern in her eyes, Aiko led me over to her couch and we sat down.

I opened my mouth a couple of times without anything coming out, then finally nerved myself up and started talking. I couldn't watch her reaction, so I kept my eyes down, focused on my hands, but once I started I couldn't stop confessing. I told her everything – seeing Chiyo bathing while I hiked, the sudden obsessive need to have her, hunting and trapping her, raping her repeatedly despite her broken leg. Using her body to bribe the patrolman, fucking her again in the motel. The encounter with Kylie, getting shot by the shock pistol, the theft of Chiyo's pearl, the confrontation with another perspective on what I'd done. The long drive home, the realization that I'd been a monster. Continuing to fuck Chiyo even after that realization, her enjoyment of sex despite being my captive, registering her as my property, my determination to make right what I'd done, and finally the discussion about rape last night and realizing that I was still abusing her even while I was trying to fix things.