03-08-2007, 05:53 PM
I thought it might be nice to let people know how mine and Niyara's characters met in The HIVE RPG in the mixed section..(sorry if its too long.. just had a lot of stuff for it) There is one small sex scene in this sory, so if you are offended or under 18 don't read it..
Many years ago, there lived a small family just outside of New York. An older man who followed the path of a swordsman, his wife, and their newborn son. They were different than most of the citizens of the city, for they had been born with what could only be described as "A feral appearance" by most who looked upon them.
The man had many features of a wolf, his face stretched out in front of him in an extreme approximation of a wolf's maw, his body was covered by a thick gray fur, and his ears were shaped like those of a wild dog. His eyes however, showed a kindness that could not be seen anywhere else. Those who faced him in battle often refered to him as a perfect hunter, while those who truly knew him often compared him to a puppy.
The woman was different from her husband even as she was different from the city dwellers. Her face was mostly that of a normal human, her eyes however were shaped like those of a small cat. She had sharp claws in place of fingernails, a long thin tail stuck out behind her, and her body was covered by smooth black fur.
The boy looked more like his mother than his father. But his features were far more pronounced than her own. He had pointed ears that sat closer to the top of his head, he had thin fur on his face, which stuck out further than normal, but not quite as far as his father's, and thicker fur covering his body. His eyes looked like those of a wolf on the hunt. His hair was silver, and reached the middle of his back by his fifth birthday. His tail was thicker than his mother's, but no less flexible. The fur on his body was a dark gray. All in all an interesting mix of his mother and father, yet different from both.
The man and his wife had lived in that house since they had met, at that time, she was but a young schoolgirl, and he was living on the streets, taking whatever jobs he could get. His name was Teranth, but to closest to him, he was known as Terry. His wife's name was Noriku. When their son was born, they could tell from his first breath that he would grow to be a strong man. They called him Shendo in honor of his great-great-grandfather who had fought in a little known rebelion long ago.
Shendo grew quickly, he was a typical young boy, curious about everything, and willing to try anything at least once. At the age of five, his father began training him to follow in his footsteps. Though technology had replaced the sword with guns and other more advanced weapons in the eyes of the common people, it was still an art that he practiced, and would pass on to his child in hopes of keeping the discipline alive.
Shendo's training began with simple excersizes in control, and endurance. As his skill grew, his father began teaching him basic technique, using a wooden sword rather than a true blade to avoid injury. Shendo enjoyed these training sessions as any child would enjoy what seemed to be a new game to him.
"Attack again lad, lets see what you've got." Teranth said as he held his blade at his side, his stance was deceptively relaxed, but he knew that he could handle anything his son could throw at him right now. Shendo charged at him, the wooden blade slicing through the air swiftly as he came within reach of his father. Teranth met the blade with his own, scarcely moving at all as he swept it to one side. "Too slow my boy, try again."
Shendo attacked again and again, each strike more accurate, but no more effective than the last. Teranth blocked each blow with an ease even his former master would admire. "He should be faster than this by now... I can see he has it in him." "Stop holding back! Show me your true strength!" Teranth shouted as he made an attack of his own. Shendo managed to block the attack, but was driven back several steps by the force of the blow. He nodded, and lashed out with the blade again, this time even faster. Teranth caught it at the last moment on his blade, and stepped inside his son's reach to shove him away. "Better, but not good enough. Keep trying."
Ten years passed from that day, At his mother's insistance, he had been attending school in the city after he had turnd six, though he did not like it as much as she felt he should. He was teased for being different, and in response to this treatment he became angry with the other children, though he never let himself fight back, for he knew that once he started, he wouldnt be able to stop himself from hurting them. One girl in his class seemed almost as much an outcast as he was, though rather than tease her, the other children simply ignored her. Her name was Alita. Somehow, she always ended up being in the same class as he was. She never teased him for being different, and stood up for him when the rest began to get more physical in their torments. The other children seemed almost afraid of her when she stepped between them and their intended victim.
He grew quite fond of this strange girl, but he still felt like there was something wrong. She didnt look much different than the others, but he knew somehow that she was as different from them as he was, in mind if not in body. She had an odd smell to her that he couldn't quite figure out, but he noticed it most when she would stand up for him, or when one of the other children would be bold enough to insult her, he did not understand the way it made him feel, but it did not frighten him as it seemed to with the rest.
One day while he was walking to the bus, several of the largest of the bullies in his class stepped in front of him. "Well well, what have we here? Don't you know we have leash laws in this city?" the largest of the group, a boy the rest called Big-T, Shendo didnt know his real name, nor did he care what it was. The others in the group laughed at this, and positioned themselves around Shendo so he would have no way to get away from them. Shendo ignored the comment, and kept his eyes lowered so they would not see the anger building up in them, the temperature of the area around him seemed to rise as he glared at the sidewalk.
"I don't think he heard you." the smallest of the group, nicknamed Rabbit by those he ran with, he called them his friends, but none of them considered him as anything more than a tool, or a weapon, for he was also the most skilled fighter of the bunch. "With ears like that, I think he heard me just fine. Hey dog boy! Wake up!" Big-T reached out, grabbed Shendo by the shirt, and lifted him off of the ground. Shendo was forced to look at the face of his tormentor, and though his eyes showed the terrible anger he felt, his voice remained chillingly calm. "Let me go... and walk away.."
"Did he just try to tell you what to do man? I think he did!" one of the nameless youths on the side said, nameless not because he didnt have a name, but because he hadnt earned one in this group. Big-T grinned. "Sure, I'll let you go." he shoved Shendo as he let go of his shirt, sending him into the group at the back of the circle. They caught him, and shoved him back toward their leader. Shendo stumbled against him, and was caught off guard by the fist that slammed into the side of his head.
"He jus' attacked you Big-T! I saw it." Rabbit said as he stepped foreward and kicked Shendo in the ribs as he stumbled back. Shendo caught his balance before he could get in reach of those behind him. His voice remained calm as he spoke again. "Why must you fight me..? What could you possibly gain from this?" Big-T glared at him. "Man, its freaks like you that have messed up this city! If we get rid of you, thats one less freak to deal with." One of the others shoved Shendo from behind, and he stumbled foreward again, his rage building by the moment. "I don't want to hurt any of you..." Shendo said as he was pulled to his feet, though in reality he longed to allow himself to tear these punks limb from limb.
"He jus' don' get it! He is worried about hurtin us?" one of the others said, Shendo couldnt see which one it was, and he didnt really care anymore either. He had tried to solve this, and had tried to get away, but before he could even think of striking out against them, he was pushed to the ground again, a ring of fire sprung up around him as his hands hit the concrete. When he spoke again, his voice was anything but calm. "I warned you... I tried to make you see reason.. Get away from me or you will all die!" he growled as he rose to his feet, the flames danced around him, burning higher and higher despite having no real fuel.
"What the fuck is that!" several of them cried out as they turned to run away. Alita came around the corner, and swore under her breath. "Its starting... I knew something like this would happen if they didn't leave him alone.." she thought as she ran toward him.
Big-T stumbled back. "C-come on man... c-cut it out.. we were just playin with ya." Shendo laughed. "Playin huh? Yall play rough in the city then. Well I ain't from the city, and I don't play that way." he raised one hand, and pointed it toward the larger boy. "Give me one damn good reason why you shouldnt die right now for what you have done to me throughout these years?" he growled as Alita came to a stop right behind him. The rest of the gang had ran away from this display. "Shendo! You have to stop this!" she cried.
He glanced over his shoulder at her, some of his anger melted away at the look in her eyes, but it still wasn't enough for him to regain proper control. "Ten years I have put up with this fat sack of shit..." tears began to flow from his eyes as the flames died down slightly. "Why should I stop..." Alita moved a little closer. "Because.... You arent like him.. He knows what it is like to be afraid now... You don't have to hurt him. You arent a killer!" Shendo turned away from her, glaring back at the young man in front of him. "Ain't got nothing to say now? All your taunts run away with your backup? You're pathetic..." he lowered his hand, and turned his back on him. "Get out of here.... I hope you can make something better out of your life than you have.." the flames died down entirely, though a scorch mark on the sidewalk clearly showed where they had been.
"H-how... how did you do that?" the bully stammered as he stood up. Shendo looked back over his shoulder. "Does it matter? I spared your life... I don't know who you are now... but I know who you were.. and that man made me sick.." Big-T stepped back. "Hey.. I'm sorry.. I didn't realize you.." Shendo spun around and glared at him. "Didn't realize what? That I had feelings? That just because I am different that I shouldn't care what you do? Stupid son of a bitch! Get out of here now!" Big-T turned and ran down the street, but stopped about ten feet away. "I meant what I said.. If you come back here, and you need anything. Look me up. Name's Billy Tanner."
Shendo turned back to Alita, ignoring Billy as he ran down the street. "Alita.. I..." She stepped foreward and hugged him tightly. The few that were still in the area thought it strange to see the nearly eight foot freak looking to this much smaller girl for comfort, but Alita didnt seem to notice, or care about, the stares they were getting "Its alright... Come on, lets get you home." She smiled at him as she took his hand. Shendo blushed as she wrapped her arms around him, her scent sending chills up his spine. "Would you.. like to come over for dinner?" he asked quietly as she pulled away a little.
"I.. I'd like that.." She said, a hint of a blush coming to her cheeks. He smiled, and brushed her hair back out of her eyes, it was then that he noticed that her eyes were nearly the same as his mother's, and there were several marks from a razor, and a few very short furry patches on her otherwise flawless face. "Who did this to you..?" he asked as he ran one hand along her cheek. "It was... my mom... she.. she wanted to protect me.." Alita pulled away from him, and looked down. "Do.. do you hate me.. that I have hidden this from you...?"
Shendo pulled her back in close to him, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I could never hate you... but I think it is time to have a talk with your mom... You shouldn't have to hide who you are, and she shouldnt be ashamed to let you show it." Alita shook her head. "I don't want to talk to her about this.. She wouldn't understand.. Can I just stay with you.. and not go back to her?" Shendo smiled again. "If that is what you want.. I am sure we can figure something out. My parents have always taught me, that the law should take second place to what is right. I'm sure they will help us.. And you will never have to hide anything if you don't want to... Never again.."
Alita paid for a taxi, and it dropped them off at the end of the driveway to his house. Shendo glanced up at the front door as it flew open and his mother came running out. "Oh my god! What happened to you!? Your father said you werent on the bus when he went to get you.." her voice trailed off as she got close enough to see he was not alone. "And who is this sweet little thing?" Shendo laughed, all of the days troubles nearly forgotten. "Mom, this is Alita.. Alita, this is my mom.. Noriku." Alita smiled shyly at her. "Its nice to meet you ma'am.." Noriku smiled. "Such a nice girl.. You can just call me Noriku dear.. Now, why don't you both come inside before it starts raining. And you can explain what happened to make you miss the bus today."
Shendo groaned, he had hoped that he wouldn't have to explain what happened, that she would assume that Alita was the reason he was late. But the left side of his face was already starting to bruise from the heavy punch that had caught him earlier. Alita gave him an encouraging smile and the two of them followed Noriku up to the house.
Teranth saw them come into the house, his eyes focusing on the state of his son's face. "You been fightin'?" he asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. Shendo looked back at his father. "No, I ain't been fightin." Teranth stepped toward him, not taking his eyes off of him for a second. "It looks like you been fightin. Your face is bruised, your hands are scraped, and you look like you are hidin somethin. So I ask you again. Have you been fightin?" Alita stepped between them, two long knives appearing in her hands as she moved. "Sir, your son hasn't been fighting, but it was a near thing.. and it would have been worse than fighting if I hadnt showed up. Now back off, and we can explain what happened." she said calmly, though the way she moved made it quite clear that she would back up the implied threat if she had to.
Teranth smiled. "Found yourself quite the woman here son. Alright, lets go sit down, and you explain from the begining." he moved back into the kitchen, and sat at the head of the table. Alita and Shendo sat down on one side of it, while Noriku moved about preparing their meal. Shendo sighed, and looked his father in the eye. "It happened like this... You know about the other kids and what they have done over the years.. I told you about them before.. Anyway, the worst of them got his gang together, and they came at me after school today. I tried to get away from them without anything happening.. I knew I wouldnt be able to control myself if they started pushing too far.. The biggest of them threw me back, and then hit me when his friends pushed me back toward him. I still tried to reason with them.. I didn't want to hurt anybody."
Shendo took a deep breath before continuing. "I was about to try to push past them.. but them one of them shoved me again.. and something happened.. I don't know what it was.. but when I hit the ground, fire came up around me.. but it didnt burn me.. It was almost like it was listening to what I wanted it to do.. The rest of the gang ran off, and thats when Alita showed up.. The leader.. Billy Tanner was on the ground in front of me.. and Alita told me to stop, I was about to try to turn the fire on him... But she helped me get control again.."
Teranth nodded. "I always knew there was something special about you my boy, now I know what it was." he turned to Alita. "Now, what's your story? You ain't like the rest of them.. and I know just by the look of you that you are even less like them than they realized." Alita shivered in her seat, but did not look away from his intense gaze. Shendo put his arm around her, and she relaxed slightly before opening her mouth. "I was born different.. A freak some would say.. my dad told me that there was nothing wrong with me, and that I should be proud to be different.. My mom wasn't so convinced.. and she made me hide what I was.. she said it was to protect me, but I think it was more for her than for me.. When dad died.. she made me shave the fur off of my face every day.. and she altered my clothes to hide everything else.. Shendo was the first I have ever met who wasn't afraid of me... he understood that I was different, but until today, he didnt know exactly how different I was.. I have less control over one of my abilities than he does... but.. it isnt exactly useful for getting people to go away.. it tends to make them come closer.. Thats why I learned how to fight.. to protect myself from my own ability."
Noriku scooped some stew into a bowl and set it in front of Alita. "And what ability would that be dear?" Alita blushed slightly. "Well.. when I get scared, or sometimes when I am really happy, sad, or angry... I make people..." she looked around the room, as though begging for someone to understand what she meant, but no one seemed to get it. "I make them... horny..." she whispered as she looked down at the table, her face now a bright red.
Teranth stared at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Oh dear! that would cause problems wouldnt it!" Noriku slapped him on the back of the head. "Thats not funny.. Can't you see.. this scares the poor thing as much as anything ever could." Shendo pulled Alita in close, and held her tightly. "Mom, dad... Alita was wondering.. if she could stay with us.. or rather.. if she could stay with me... so that she wouldnt have to see her mom again.. She doesn't want to hide who she is anymore, but she doesnt want to try to explain that to her mom."
Noriku set another bowl in front of Shendo. "I don't see why not. Not here of course.. too many nosy people around here.. but we have been thinking.. You have learned almost everything you can from your father.. and other than your age, there is no reason why you couldnt live on your own.."
Shendo blinked. "Does that mean what I think it does..?" Teranth smiled. "You are more of a man now than most will be by the time they grow old. If you finish out your training with me, there ain't no reason why you couldnt move out on your own.. Take that pretty thing with you, and I know that there ain't nothing you can't handle."
Alita stared at the them in disbelief. "Your son is sixteen, and you are ready to turn him loose in the world? Most parents won't willingly let go when their kids are eighteen!" Shendo smiled. "I should have expected something like this.. but I can't say it isn't a surprise.. Do you have a place in mind for us to go?"
Noriku nodded, and went into the office. She came back out a moment later with a picture, a sheet of paper, and a check. "This house... its in another city, but if you want it, its your's completely.. I understand there are a lot more people there that are different.. and they arent treated like a disease.. You can have a much better start in life than we did... They have more crime going on... but it is still a safer place to be than here."
Alita took the paper from her and read it carefully. "I've heard of this city.. its on the news a lot.. Apparently there are are a few groups that cause trouble.. and a couple that clear it up... and the so called normal people don't try to cause trouble for them.. If I remember right.. The people there are split almost exactly down the middle between people like us.. and the 'normal people"
Teranth smiled at both of them. "If even half of what we have heard is true, we know you will be happy there.. just don't forget to call us every now and then. And I do expect you to stay in practice my boy. When you come back to visit, I want you to be stronger than me." Shendo nodded. "I think we would be stupid not to at least try this out... Even if nothing is different than here, I know that things will work out as long as we are together."
Noriku set a bowl down for Teranth, then got one for herself and sat down next to him. "If you don't want to go.. you don't have to, we just can't hide Alita here without anyone finding out.. And we don't want to hold you to this city if you would be happier somewhere else."
Alita smiled. "Noriku... You've done more for me in the short time we have known eachother than my own mother has in my entire life... How can I ever repay you?" Noriku smiled. "Alita dear... You don't owe me anything.. I do this because it is the right thing to do, and it is obvious that my son loves you.. But I do ask that you try to keep him from getting into too much trouble, you seem like a sensible girl, so I know I can count on you." Teranth glanced over at his wife, then turned back to Alita and Shendo. "Tomorrow we will go into the city, and pick up something for you to wear to keep people from noticing you at first.. No doubt your mother will have people looking for you. And I don't want her to find you until after you are eighteen.. That way she can't drag you back home and force you to do things her way."
Alita looked back at him. "She could try.. but once I set my mind to something I usually get my way. I'm a stubborn bitch when I want to be, and there is no way she will ever make me feel like it is wrong for me to be different from everyone else ever again.. But still, I appreciate any help I can get.. I'd rather just avoid her entirely."
As they finished eating, Alita began helping clean up. Noriku looked as though she was about to object, but after seeing the determined look in her eye she decided against it. Teranth looked at Shendo. "Get some sleep tonight... Tomorrow after we get back from the city we are going to train harder than ever before.. The sooner you are ready to go the better." Shendo nodded. "I won't let you down. Any ideas on how we're gonna be getting to this other city?" Teranth smiled. "That is a surprise for another day. Lets get you ready for the trip first. But for now, get upstairs and take a shower. You need it."
Alita finished with the dishes at the same time as Noriku finished cleaning the rest of the kitchen. "What do I do now though? I mean.. You said you can't hide me here, so what do I do until we leave?" Noriku smiled. "Don't worry dear, we can hide you here that long.. we just wouldnt be able to do it for two years." Alita looked at her in disbelief. "I really don't have to see my mom..?" Noriku nodded. "She doesn't understand you.. and thinks there is something wrong with you. If someone told her they could make you look normal permanently, she would take their offer no matter what consequences there would be.. I can't let you go back to that."
Alita moved over and hugged Noriku tightly. "You have no idea how much this means to me..." Noriku hugged her back after a moment. "I think I might... but lets not worry about that now.. You need to get some rest.. Got a busy few days ahead. We have a couple places you can sleep if you want them." Alita blushed. "Actually... I'd like to sleep..." Noriku smiled. "With Shendo?" Alita nodded, blushing an even darker scarlet. Noriku laughed. "Its nothing to be embarassed about dear. I actually expected it, just wanted you to know you had more options before offering." Alita blinked. "You... you don't mind?" Noriku shook her head. "No, not at all, I would appreciate it if you two behaved yourselves while in this house.. but if something happens, then it happens, and I won't think any less of either of you. You're young and in love. These things happen sometimes."
Teranth went out into the garage and moved to the back of it. "This old bike served me well enough... I think it will do the same for them." he thought as he took the cover off of an older motorcycle. He gathered some of his tools, and began the slightly tedious process of tuning it up. This bike was as unusual as its owner in some ways. Every part was custom made by Teranth when he was younger, it ran off of a small, yet powerful battery, recharged either by solar power, or by plugging it into an outlet if it was needed. The engine would run it almost as fast as a new gasoline engine would, but would also allow it to carry more weight at that speed without slowing down.
Shendo climbed out of the shower, the bruises and scrapes he recieved from the fight already mostly healed. He looked at his face in the mirror as he brushed out his long hair. "Another new ability.. or am I just healing faster because I am used to being hurt...? I guess I'll probably find out later.." He thought as he tied his hair back, and slipped into the shorts he normally slept in. "I wonder where Alita will sleep..." he stepped out of the bathroom, and walked down the hall toward his room. The door was shut as he normally left it, but he noticed the light was on as he came up to it. "No way... She wouldnt have picked to sleep up here.. mom probably just put something in there and forgot to turn the light off.." He opened the door slowly just as Alita finished buttoning up the overly large shirt Noriku had given her to use, it covered her down to her knees, but did nothing to hide her long tail which stuck out behind her, or the smooth gray fur that covered her arms and legs.
Shendo blinked. "Wow... um.." Alita smiled, walked over, and kissed him gently. "Surprised to see me?" He nodded, still somewhat in shock. "I thought you would rather..." she laughed "Sleep somewhere else? Why would you think that?" He looked at her in disbelief. "Well... Its just that.. I mean..." Alita shook her head. "Its alright.. I know. You don't think I would choose to sleep with you, because of my ability.. You think I would be afraid to let it get out of control." Shendo shook his head. "Thats not it.. I thought.. that you would be more interested in keeping things simple for now.. Our lives have been turned upside down today.. and are only going to get more interesting from here.."
Alita pushed him down on the bed. "Relax... Your mom asked me to try to behave myself while we are in this house.. and I will, but the thing is... Our lives are going to get more interesting as you say.. and we may not have time to get closer than this for quite awhile.. So it makes sense to get used to being this close while we can.. So, get yourself comfortable. I'll get in with you in a minute.. I just need to go wash my hair."
Shendo stared at the ceiling after she left. "I can't believe this... Dad tells me I'm almost done learning from him... I get a house of my own as soon as I am done... and my parents don't care that I have a beautiful young woman sleeping up here with me... I doubt they would care if something did happen, but Alita was right.. we should try to behave.. We will have plenty of time later.." he thought with a smile. He turned over onto his side, and looked toward the door, as tired as he was, he was determined to stay awake until Alita got back.
Alita scrubbed her hair roughly, determined to take out the red dye her mom had used on it. She pulled up from the sink, and stared at herself in the mirror. She began to cry as she thought of the abuse she had suffered "for her own good" at the hands of her own mother. Noriku was walking by at that moment, and slipped inside quietly, and wrapped her arms gently around the young girl. "Whats wrong dear?"
Alita shook her head. "Just.. thinking about.. everything I have been through... most of it was a lie.... and I can't even undo the way it made me look..." Noriku kissed her gently on top of her head. "Its alright.. I may be able to do something about that.. My most powerful ability isn't as useful for protecting people.. or causing trouble.. but it is good for some things.. I can restore things to how they should be.. but there is a catch to it.. with objects, it takes whatever it is, and turns it into the parts that went into making it.. Imagine my surprise when I tried to fix the tv, and it turned into a piece of glass, an empty circuit board.. and a large pile of little things that I don't know a damn thing about." They both giggled at that. "But that is not the point. I can take what was done to you, and fix at least how it has made you look... no razor scars... no more hair dye... It won't make the pain of the memories go away, but it will be a good start in helping you accept yourself for who you are."
Alita wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You.. you can really do that?" Norik nodded. "I can tell that it is what you really want.. Just hold still, and don't freak out when you see things changing." Alita nodded once, then stared intently at the mirror.
The changes were subtle at first, as Alita thought about how her mother had cut her hair short, it began to grow out again, slowly changing from red to black. The thin fur that normally grew on her face began to return, and then blended with the thicker fur that was growing on her neck, her fur also darkened to a nearly perfect match for Shendo's coloring. Her nails grew back to their normal clawlike shape, and the polish fell off of them.
The most startling change for Alita to witness, was as she watched her eyes. Her mother had paid for a very expensive, not to mention risky, procedure to make them have a more normal shape (they couldnt manage a complete transformation of them without making her go blind, which her mother would have accepted if they would have done it), and soften the color from their naturally brilliant emerald color, to a more subtle leaf green. She watched in awe as they shifted back to their natural shape and color, even the traces of her tears had vanished. Her teeth took on their naturally sharper state, having been altered as soon as her adult teeth had come in (another expensive procedure).
Noriku slowly pulled her hands away from Alita, and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "How is that? Did I get everything?" Alita stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment, then turned toward Noriku. "I..I don't believe it... Everything... All that she did to me... is gone..." Noriku smiled tiredly. "It will take a few days for your hair to grow back as much as it should be... I didnt have the energy to do it all right now.. So I just took care of everything that wouldnt change on its own first. I think it would be a good idea to try to calm down before you go back to bed.. but don't take too long, I think my son is planning to stay awake until you are there, and he is going to need his rest as much as you are."
Alita hugged her again. "You are the most wonderful woman ever... You have given me something I never could have hoped for.. A new life, without the burdens of the old one.." Noriku returned the hug, though nowhere near as tightly. "You are a sweet girl, and you deserve everything we are doing for you. I wish I could do more.. It would be nice if we didnt have to ship you two off like this.." Alita shook her head. "You arent shiping us off, you gave us a place we could go, but you didnt force us to take it, you would have let us find our own way if we had wanted to... But I think you have done far more than anyone else would have.. Thank you.. I know it isnt much.. but its all I can do right now."
Noriku stood up, and gently released Alita. "Its more than enough dear.. Now, why don't you get back to bed, The next few days are going to be rough." Alita looked back to the mirror for a moment, then turnd back to Noriku. "Do you.. think Shendo will like how I really look..?" Noriku chuckled. "I think he would love you no matter what you looked like.. but in this case, I don't think you will be disapointed. Personally, I think you look better now, and I am a pretty good judge of these things. Good night dear.. I'll see you in the morning." Alita followed her out of the room, and turned toward Shendo's bedroom. "Goodnight Noriku... and.. thanks again.." "She really meant what she said there... I do look better than I did.. and even if I didn't.. there are other advantages. I doubt mom would ever think to have people look for me this way.. For what she paid, those changes should have been permanent.. Still, I'll be careful, she might think that I could find a way out of it."
Noriku went back downstairs, and slipped into bed just as Teranth came back into the room. "Fixing the old beast for them to take along?" she asked when she saw him. Teranth smiled. "Of course. I don't need her anymore, and she's still a good bike.. It would be a shame to let her sit in the garage when someone could use her." Noriku grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the bed. "You just don't like the thought of leaving your toys laying around." she teased as she began nibbling on his ear. Teranth chuckled, and rolled over on top of her. "No, I guess I don't.."
Alita walked into the room, and climbed into bed next to Shendo. She snuggled up against him, and he put his arms around her. His voice was barely audible as he drifted off to sleep. "I love you..." She smiled, and pushed herself tighter against him before whispering. "I love you too..." As she lay there, her mind kept working on a plan for some sort of disguise, as well as things they would need in their new home. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought of her mom one last time, and how furious she would be when Alita wasn't home yet.
"What do you mean gone?!" The raging business-woman demanded of the strange snake-like man who stood before her. "It isss exactly as I sssaid.. The lady rode out of the city in a cab, with the wolf child from her ssschool closssse at hand." The woman threw the glass she had been drinking out of into the fire. "Where are they now?!" she demanded again, an evil look in her eyes as she advanced toward the freak she had hired to keep an eye on her daughter. "I do not know missstressss. My ssspiesss only operate within the city asss you know.. But, if I were to guesssss.. I would ssay that they are at the wolfman'sss housssse." The woman glared at him. "Find her, kill the other freaks if they get in the way.. bring her back to me at once!" "Of courssssse... Missstressss" the snakeman said before vanishing from the den. "How dare she disobey me! I will show her and that entire family why no one ever messes with me." she laughed evily as she moved back to her desk. "That child is the one black mark on my family name.. It must not be known that my own daughter is one of those freaks!" she thought as she pulled out a small vial from her desk. "They said this would either turn her normal, or kill her. They hadnt tested it on a live freak yet, but it is a chance I will take.. at least if she is dead, no one will know."
The snakeman roamed through the sewers silently, thinking as he moved. "Kill the wolfman's family... She is insane if she thinks I will risk their anger. I think the 'mistress' has outlived her usefulness to us." He hissed as he reached one particular grating. "Come out my sssscaled brethren... The hunt isss on." Several large snakes slithered out of the grate, their eyes glowing bright red as seemed to understand his plan, and began moving toward the place he had just left. "Destroy the woman known as Layla Shendana.. Leave no evidence behind.."
Alita awoke just before Shendo and the rest of the family. Her dreams were uneasy that night, but she could not remember them. She rolled over, and watched Shendo as he opened his eyes. "Good morning sleepy." she said quietly before leaning in to kiss him. "Good morning.." he said as he looked at her in surprise. "Mom helped you last night didnt she?" Alita nodded. "I didn't think it was possible... but she undid everything.. You don't mind do you?" He chuckled, pulled her in closer, and kissed her gently. "Why should I mind? You are happier.. it will be harder for people to recognize you. And, I still have the most beautiful woman in the world laying right next to me."
Noriku sat up in the bed, though she and Teranth hadn't actually gotten much sleep she seemed refreshed. She smiled, and got out of bed before moving to the closet, and picking out some clothes for the day. Teranth got up a moment after her, moved over, and kissed her before picking out his own clothes. "I think those two will do well for themselves. Once they get away from here I mean. Its just not safe here for them.. Its not really safe for us either, but no one is willing to try anything while I am here." Teranth said with a smile. Noriku smiled back. "They have at least a few days here.. but it is a good idea to get them out of here as soon as we can. If Alita's mother is who I think she is, she won't stop looking for her.. The little I know about that woman tells me that there is nothing she wouldnt do..."
"Don't worry, I won't let any harm come to either of them.. I won't be able to do much after they leave, but they will keep themselves safe after that." Teranth said as he turned to leave the room. Noriku nodded. "I know I don't need to worry about them right now.. but.." "You will worry anyway. Thats what you do when you can't control a situation." Teranth smiled at her again as they went into the kitchen.
Alita and Shendo came downstairs, both of them smiling. They moved into the kitchen, and sat down for breakfast. Noriku had already set the table, so they started eating. Teranth looked over at them. "Good morning you two." He then fixed his gaze on Alita. "We will need to get you something other than your own clothes to wear while we are in the city.. between how you look now, and different clothes, it should be dificult for anyone to recognize you." Noriku sat down next to him. "I think I may have something that will fit her pretty well.. It will be a bit loose though." Alita smiled. "Loose would be better wouldnt it? I mean... people might still recognize me if they can see how everything else is shaped.." Teranth smiled. "Thats true, but I really don't expect to have to worry about anything like that today. Even if someone does realize who you are, they ain't gonna try anything themselves. They'll go to the police, and by the time they get there, we will have gone already. And if they show up here.. Well, I've got plenty of places you can hide until they go away.. I'll show you a couple of them before we leave, just try not to touch anyhting.. some of it could fall off of the shelves, and it would make a lot of noise."
Shendo gathered up a few things, while Noriku helped Alita pick out some clothes from her closet. Teranth pulled on his hat, and stepped out into the garage to start the car. The garage door opened automatically when the car started, a safety device of his own design. He then went back inside to wait for the others.
Alita came downstairs wearing one of Noriku's older shirts, and a pair of old jeans. Both fit her fairly well, but as Noriku had said, they were a little loose on her. Teranth moved to the basement door and looked back at them. "Why don't you both come with me for a minute.. This is the best kept secret in this whole house." He opened the door, and went down the stairs. Alita and Shendo both shrugged, and followed him.
The basement floor had been laid out with many seperate slabs of concrete rather than one solid piece so they could hide things under it if needed. Most of the slabs were actually attached to a second concrete layer to keep them from moving, the rest sat on mechanisms to move them if one knew how to activate them. there were four hanging lights in the room, each hanging in a corner to provide the best possible light. The brick wall on the left at the bottom of tthe stairs had many small holes in it, all of them looked to have been put there by someone putting nails in the wall, behind four of them were small hooks that when pulled, would trip the catch to open the main control panel for the different hiding holes. Shendo knew about them, but had never seen the method used to activate the mechanism.
"You ready to learn the secret of this place?" Teranth asked them quietly. Alita and Shendo both nodded eagerly. Teranth pulled out a small metal tool with an even smaller hook on its end, and moved over to the wall. "Now, there are a lot of holes here, and it is important to remember which ones you use for this. Some of them have nothing in them, and some have a tiny button that would be tripped by even the lightest touch.. those buttons reset the entire thing.. This is to keep people from just guessing if they find out how this works that far. Now, if you notice, there is a pattern to the holes. The ones you want are the third in each set. All of the holes have a small notch in them, this is to let the hook slide through easily, otherwise it gets stuck, and you have to work it out of the hole." he pointed to each hole, and also made sure they noted the notch carved in the exact center of the bottom of each hole. "All you do, is slide this thing in until it stops, then turn it to the left one quarter turn, pull on it, then push it in, twist it back, and pull it out. You have thirty seconds to get the next latch or they reset."
He slipped the hook into each of the holes he indicated, taking far less than the thirty seconds for each one, but he had been using this for many years so it was expected that he would be quicker at it. "Next thing is to move the freezer out of the way. If you don't trip these latches first, it won't move at all, makes people think its bolted down.. Which it is in a way, but thats not the point. It will roll free now." He walked over and pushed on the side of the large standing freezer. It rolled away from its spot easily, and he bent down and pulled on a chunk of the floor that looked to have broken loose, it was broken on purpose when he first installed the mechanism. When he pulled up on it, there was a clicking noise, and he let go, the piece slipped back into place without another sound, and a small panel opened in the rear wall. This revealed a set of ten different switches, each with a light on above them.
"Only four of these do anything. But all of them look like they should. Flipping any of the wrong ones will lock the entire thing up for an hour, but otherwise nothing happens.. no one would even know they had locked anything if they made it this far. Most would assume that none of the switches actually did anything once they had hit the wrong one." Teranth smiled. "You'll want to get off of where you are standing, this is how to open the easiest place for you to hide around here.. and one of the most important of them."
Alita and Shindo stepped to one side of the slab they were on, and watched to see what switch he flipped. Both remained silent as they took in all of the information he was giving them. Teranth reached up and flipped the third switch from the right. The slab Alita and Shendo had been standing on tipped up toward the wall without a sound. They looked down the hole as several lights came on inside of it. The lights revealed a ladder descending to the bottom of the hole.
"There are only four people in the world who even know about this thing.. All of them are in this house right now. Lets go down there so I can show you around." Teranth said as he moved swiftly down the ladder. Alita smiled. "This is amazing... I don't even want to think about how much work has to have gone into this.." She went down the ladder after Teranth, leaving Shendo to bring up the rear.
They came down into a short hallway with a heavy iron door at the end, and a single red button next to it. "This will close it up behind you, and open it again. If you are actually hiding here you will want to do that, but for now its fine the way it is." Teranth opened the door as quietly as he could. The hinges creaked a little, but not nearly as much as Alita thought they would. The door opened into a well lit room, several racks of bladed weapons of various sizes lined the walls of this room. Some of the weapons were decorted by ornate gemstones, while others were more simple, yet all of them looked to be expertly crafted.
"This room is the secret to our success in this city.. You wouldnt believe how much some of them will pay for one of these." Teranth said as he pulled one of the ornamented long blades from the wall. "They don't take too long to make, and I can usually get ten grand for one like this if I go to the right people. Most of the rich in the city want at least one.. A decoration, and a defense all in one. I generally give basic instruction with the blade so they don't hurt themselves trying to figure it out." He slipped the blade onto the wall again, and moved down the line to the shorter weapons. "I could tell by the way you moved that you already know what you are doing Alita.. but those knives you have just ain't right for you.. Come over here, and tell me if you see something you like."
Alita blinked. "No.. I couldnt take them... you have done too much for me already." Teranth turned back to her. "Listen little lady.. If you don't pick something. I'll pick for you, and send them with you anyway. Find something you like so I don't have to guess on what you would use well." Shendo grinned at her. "You know.. he won't take no for an answer, so go ahead, pick something out. I'm sure he has something good for you here." Teranth smiled, and stepped back toward the longer blades as Alita moved to the rack of daggers and short-swords.
Shendo looked around the room, admiring the design of the place as much as the weapons. Teranth ran a hand down the hard leather sheath of one of the blades and turned back to his son. "I think you need to pick one too. You may need to protect yourself, and if you do. I want it to be with something that won't break when they look at it too long." Shendo moved over to the rack and without hesitation grabbed ahold of one of them, a long japanese Katana. Even by the traditionally high standards of the culture, this blade seemed exceptionally well made. "I thought you would choose that one.. It is actually one of the only blades in this room that I didn't make myself... that one belonged to your grandfather. He gave it to me just after you were born. He gave me something else to give you, but I wasn't sure why at the time." Teranth pulled one of the drawers open and pulled a pair of black leather gloves out of it, on the palm of both gloves, there was a small red rune carved into the leather. "He had an ability similar to yours.. not as strong I think, but these helped him control it in the beggining.. and I think he knew you would need them." he tossed the gloves to Shendo before closing the drawer.
Shendo caught the gloves in one hand while still holding the sword in the other. "I always thought the stories he told were just stories.. But at least one of them makes sense now.." Alita moved a little further down the rack, picked up two identical daggers, took them out of their sheaths, and held them in a ready position. "I don't know why... but these two just feel right.." Teranth looked back to her and smiled. "A fine choice.. Those two were made for eachother, just as they seem to have been made for you. You'll have to leave them here right now, but when we get back from the city, I want you to keep them with you at all times." Alita slipped them back into their sheaths, and looked at Teranth. "Do you really think I will need them..?"
Teranth placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "You've already had to defend yourself against people before.. You don't know what people in this new place will be like, so I want you to be ready for anything." Shendo moved over to them. "Don't worry.. We will be fine. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Alita smiled and then looked back to Teranth. "We should get going.. We have a lot to do today."
Teranth lead the way back up the ladder, and after everyone was out, he pushed pushed the freezer back into place, and everything in the room reset itself to its original position. Faint clicks could be heard as all of the latches fell back into place. "Okay, thats all for that one.. If you need to hide, come down here, and open that up.. Close it behind you, and I promise you will be safe.. Its even set up to hide the scent of anyone down there.. It won't keep them from knowing you were in the basement, but it will keep them from thinking you are still there." Alita nodded, and the three of them went upstairs.
Teranth, Alita, and Shendo got into the car, and drove away. Noriku was staying home just in case someone came looking for Alita, she would ensure that if it was a legitimate police operation they would be able to search only where they had a warrant for, and it is wasn't she would send them away after answering a few questions.
"I would have expected him to have her back here by now!" Layla shouted as she paced around her den. "What the hell is taking that freak so long!?" She stopped and leaned against her desk after a few minutes to try to calm down. "Maybe it is time to get a new operative... this one is too independant for his own good. Though he does at least try to act like a proper servant." she smiled before moving to the other side of the desk.
Noriku had just sat down to watch a little Tv, when there was a knock on the door. She sighed, got up, and moved over to it. She looked out the small window, and saw a hooded figure outside. She reached down, and slipped a small handgun into her pocket before opening to door slowly.
"Can I help you?" she said calmly. The figure shook its head. "It isss I who have come to help you. I know you hide the cat-child known asss Alita..." Noriku kept her expression completely passive. "What are you talking about sir? I don't appreciate being accused of something like this." The figure smiled beneath his hood. "Let ussss dissspenssse with the gamesss Noriku Leshara... You have her, and assss far asss I am concerned.. She can remain with you. I only sssseek to tell you that her mother, misss Layla Shendana.. Should no longer be a problem."
Noriku blinked. "I don't know how you know my name, or what you want.. But if you mean what I think you do..." the figure chuckled. "I assssure you. That isss exactly what I mean." He turned around, and after taking three steps from the house, vanished from view. "Protect her well missss Leshara.. She issss sssstronger than you think."
Layla sat back in her chair and contemplated what to do next. "Either the freak is dead, or he has betrayed me... Time to call in other help." she closed her eyes for a moment, and thought about many of the people who owed her favors, or could be bribed into helping. But before she could get too far down the list, she heard a faint hissing noise behind her. Years of political intigue, and several failed attempts to remove her from the list of competition had honed her reflexes beyond what she looked to be capable of, she dove to the side, grabbed the pistol from underneath the desk, and fired three shots at a space just ahead of where she had heard the sound. The first went wide of the mark, but the second and third caught the snake in the side of the head, it went down without another sound. "Betrayal it is then.."
She closed her eyes again, listening for signs of any others, the door burst open, and three armed security guards ran in. "We heard shots.. You alright boss?" She smirked at the largest of the three. "Of course I am fool! I wouldnt be standing here if I wasn't. Search the manor, there may be more of these damn things." She gestured toward the large snake behind her desk.
Two of the guards left the room to carry out her orders, but the third, the only female of the group stayed behind. "Your scaly friend turned on you... I warned you about trusting him." Layla glared at her. "He was no friend. And I never trusted him. He will pay for this. But for now, we will secure the manor, and ensure that he has no more of these things stashed in it."
Noriku closed the door, locked it, and placed the gun back into its hiding place. Then turned and went to sit down again. "I've heard that voice before... I don't know if he really is doing what he said or not.. but he was right about one thing.. Alita must be protected.. I think I'll keep that warning to myself though. And I won't think for a moment that he would be successful if he did try to kill that bitch. I've read about her, and he would have to be damn good if he would have even a slight chance."
Teranth pulled the car into the parking space in front of the clothing store called "Special tastes" he had only been in here once, and while it had nothing he would wear, it had much of what they would need. He smiled, and turned to look at Alita. "Here we are. You two go on in there and pick out whatever you want. I'll be along in a minute, just have to pick something up across the street." Shendo had lived with his father long enough to know that whatever he was getting wasn't likely to be entirely legal, but said nothing about it as he stepped out of the car.
Alita and Shendo walked into the store, and looked around. There was a wide variety of clothing, most of it made for those who were obviously not what most would consider normal. Shirts for those with multiple heads, or extra arms. Pants for those with extra legs. There was a closed off section in the back that had a sign over it which said "Exotic, adults only beyond this point." Alita thought about sneaking back there, but the man behind the counter looked up at her with two of the four sets of eyes he had. "Its a good thing he don't need glasses... I don't think they make them for people with that many eyes..." she looked around the store a bit more, hoping that no one could hear what she was thinking at that point, while they wouldnt likely be offended, it was still rude.
Shendo walked around, a bit confused at first, he hadnt been in here before, but he had been expecting it to be laid out like the clothing stores he was used to. Instead, it was divided into many sections based on what type of person would need that particular article of clothing. "They even have a place to go to get something custom made if you can't find anything that will work for you... I'm amazed that the 'norms' let this place stay open.. Probably just tryin to keep us out of their stores.." he smiled as he saw a pair of leather pants in his size. "Not that it does... but they try." He picked up the pants, and walked around a bit more. His was an odd size, almost impossible to find in most stores, thirty-two inch waist, fifty-six inch legs. usually he just tried to find something long enough (even that was usually hard), and then had his mom help him size the waist down to fit.
Alita moved around the store, thinking about how nice it would be to wear something that was actually designed to show off, rather than hide, the way she looked. "Looking for anything specific deary?" a sweet voice said from behind her. Alita spun around to see who was speaking, then had to look up to see the face of the large woman. Despite her size, she was still extremely attractive, and had a voice that sounded like it would come from someone much smaller. "I.. I don't really know..." The woman smiled. "Well, why don't you come back here with me, and we will see if we can fix you up with something. Maybe even something to impress that handsome man you came in with." she added with a wink. Alita blushed, this woman looked like she would not be out of place at a fashion show (if she wasn't too big to fit through a normal door), but sounded like she still belonged in school. Alita followed her into the area labeled. "Custom fittings, customers must be accompanied by an employee at all times."
Shendo picked a shirt up off of the rack and smiled at the logo. It showed what looked like a humanoid octopuss wearing high heels and what would be a revealing outfit on anyone else, the caption inder the picture said "Freaky, and proud!" He put that shirt back, trying not to laugh as he moved away from that section, as he turned around, another shirt caught his eye. He picked it up, and he couldnt figure out why it was in this area of the store, unlike the rest of the shirts there, it was almost entirely plain. The only decoration was a series of small red markings along the collar. Leaning closer, her saw that they were actually letters, they said. "When the world needs heroes, look somewhere else." he smiled, and took the shirt with him along with a couple of others back to the fitting room.
"Now, lets see what we can do with you." the large woman said as Alita looked around the room they were in. "If you would please strip down to the essentials, and hold still for a moment, I can take your measurements, and we can talk about the design." Alita opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself, afterall, what did she have to be afraid of here, she took off the shirt and pants without a second thought, then stood patiently waiting for further instructions, though she couldn't help but feel a little self conscious. The "essentials" as this other woman called them, were barely enough to cover anything at all, her bra did nothing to disguise her perfectly shaped C-cup breasts, and the thong she wore couldnt hide her carefully sculpted ass. "Flexible, strong, and undeniably sexy.. I bet there are plenty of boys that would be jealous if they could see what I see in you." The large woman stated bluntly as she walked around her.
Alita blushed, completely unused to having a stranger look at her at all, much less speak of her like that. She felt a little angry, but said nothing about it yet. It was obvious to her that this woman was always like this, and not just doing it to make her uncomfortable. "Don't worry, You'll get over this shyness in time. But I think I have everything I need for now, why don't you come over here, and look at some of the usual patterns, so we can play around with them and make something special for you." The large woman smiled at her, and moved toward the computer in the back of the room. She sat down at the chair that had obviously been made for her, it was twice as high off of the ground, as well as being much wider and taller than most.
Alita sat down next to her, relieved that the door wouldn't open from the outside without the key, but would open from the inside freely. "At least.. thats what the sign says.. I didn't test it.." she wasn't too worried about it though, she saw there was another exit to the room very close to where she was sitting. "They aren't trying to make anyone uncomfortable.. but I bet I'm not the only one who finds her to be a bit intimidating.." she dismissed that thought to focus on the patterns showing on the screen.
Shendo came out of the fitting room after a few minutes, amazed to find that everything had fit almost as if it had been made for him. He looked around the store, there was no sign of Alita or his father, but he wasn't worried yet, they would turn up.
Teranth leaned against the wall in the alleyway across the street from the clothing store, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword that was always hidden beneath his coat, his eyes scanning the area for some sign of his friend, or at least the item he was supposed to be picking up. He heard the faint tapping of a cane on the concrete, and turned toward it. He smiled when he recognized the man, while he wsn't actually blind, he made a good show of acting like it at times. The man pretended to stumble as he crossed in front of Teranth, who naturally caught him, during this the man slipped a small box into his pocket, and Teranth stuffed the roll of bills he was carrying into the man's other hand. "You should be more careful, never know what folks will put in the way down these alleys." Teranth said with a falsely concerned tone. "Aye,'tis true enough.. thank ye sir." the man said as he moved away, still tapping away with his cane. Teranth chuckled, and moved into the crowd that was crossing the street. "Good old Bobby, he's never let me down yet."
Alita watched each pattern as it spun around on the screen, but hadn't yet found what she was looking for. "These are all really nice.. but.." The large woman smiled at her. "Not what you are looking for. Don't worry, I understand that. I may have something for you though.. it isn't something we get a lot of call for. But I think you will like it anyway." She pulled open the drawer of the desk, and pulled out a small notebook. "These are some of my designs.. Most don't like them, but you look like you have a mind of your own, and probably won't care if others don't like it."
Alita gazed in amazement at the detail of the drawings. "These are amazing... I don't know why people don't like them..." The woman chuckled. "Mostly because most of my work isn't something you could wear in public.. People know that most of the stuff in the exotic section is my designs.. and that skews their opinion a bit. These that I am showing you though.. You could do just about anything in them with the right accessories.. from a heavy workout in the gym, to a formal wedding reception.. Of course.. I wouldn't recomend that last one.. you would look great, but wearing leather to a wedding gets you some interesting looks. Not all of them are the kind a young lady like yourself would want to attract." Alita giggled. "You sound like you have some experience in that... but I don't think I'm gonna be going to any weddings any time soon.. I don't really have many friends..." The large woman shook her head. "A pretty girl like you with no friends... what is this city coming to? Well, I think you won't need to worry about that, I doubt anyone will be able to ignore you after we are done. Of course, I have a few that are designed to make them ignore you... for those times you would rather be alone."
Teranth moved quietly into the store and glanced around. He waved as he saw Shendo coming out of the fitting room. Shendo waved back at him, and moved toward the front of the store, stopping briefly at the coat rack to pick up a long trenchcoat for himself.
Alita considered the drawings for a moment longer before handing the notebook back to the large woman. "I think.. that third one.. Its nothing fancy, and I think it would look the best." The woman turned the page and smiled. "Subtle, yet seductive. I thought that would get your attention. Come over here, and lets get this fitted to you." She reached behind a curtain, and pulled out one of the leather outfits that was nearly the right size already. "You put this on, and then I'll take care of the rest."
Alita noted the delicate spiderweb pattern on the pants, only a very slight variation in the shading even showed it to be there at all, with a smile as she slipped them on. The inside of them felt more like silk than leather as they slid up her long legs. She shivered slightly at the sensations she felt from the soft material. She then slipped into the leather top, it was not something her mom would approve of, but somehow that made her want it even more. The low cut of it revealed enough to satisfy a young woman who has just realized how good she looked, but still covered enough that she wouldn't be embarassed to be seen wearing it. The pattern on the top was as subtle as the one on the pants, but was different as well, resembling the outline of a cat on a moonless night.
The large woman walked around her, tightening the lacings on each garment before stepping back for a moment. "Now the fun part my dear. If I have your permission.. I'm afraid I have to be a bit more hands on with this part" Alita looked a bit surprised, but nodded in agreement. "I don't have anything to worry about... if she was going to hurt me she would have done it already." Despite the warning, she was a little surprised when the woman closed a hand over each of her breasts, she was too surprised to be offended, and found herself enjoying the sensation of her strong hands caressing her like that. The leather began to contract around her until it was a perfect fit. The woman then went around behind her, and closed one hand over her ass. Again, she couldnt help but enjoy the sensation, despite being more than a little uncomfortable.
Many years ago, there lived a small family just outside of New York. An older man who followed the path of a swordsman, his wife, and their newborn son. They were different than most of the citizens of the city, for they had been born with what could only be described as "A feral appearance" by most who looked upon them.
The man had many features of a wolf, his face stretched out in front of him in an extreme approximation of a wolf's maw, his body was covered by a thick gray fur, and his ears were shaped like those of a wild dog. His eyes however, showed a kindness that could not be seen anywhere else. Those who faced him in battle often refered to him as a perfect hunter, while those who truly knew him often compared him to a puppy.
The woman was different from her husband even as she was different from the city dwellers. Her face was mostly that of a normal human, her eyes however were shaped like those of a small cat. She had sharp claws in place of fingernails, a long thin tail stuck out behind her, and her body was covered by smooth black fur.
The boy looked more like his mother than his father. But his features were far more pronounced than her own. He had pointed ears that sat closer to the top of his head, he had thin fur on his face, which stuck out further than normal, but not quite as far as his father's, and thicker fur covering his body. His eyes looked like those of a wolf on the hunt. His hair was silver, and reached the middle of his back by his fifth birthday. His tail was thicker than his mother's, but no less flexible. The fur on his body was a dark gray. All in all an interesting mix of his mother and father, yet different from both.
The man and his wife had lived in that house since they had met, at that time, she was but a young schoolgirl, and he was living on the streets, taking whatever jobs he could get. His name was Teranth, but to closest to him, he was known as Terry. His wife's name was Noriku. When their son was born, they could tell from his first breath that he would grow to be a strong man. They called him Shendo in honor of his great-great-grandfather who had fought in a little known rebelion long ago.
Shendo grew quickly, he was a typical young boy, curious about everything, and willing to try anything at least once. At the age of five, his father began training him to follow in his footsteps. Though technology had replaced the sword with guns and other more advanced weapons in the eyes of the common people, it was still an art that he practiced, and would pass on to his child in hopes of keeping the discipline alive.
Shendo's training began with simple excersizes in control, and endurance. As his skill grew, his father began teaching him basic technique, using a wooden sword rather than a true blade to avoid injury. Shendo enjoyed these training sessions as any child would enjoy what seemed to be a new game to him.
"Attack again lad, lets see what you've got." Teranth said as he held his blade at his side, his stance was deceptively relaxed, but he knew that he could handle anything his son could throw at him right now. Shendo charged at him, the wooden blade slicing through the air swiftly as he came within reach of his father. Teranth met the blade with his own, scarcely moving at all as he swept it to one side. "Too slow my boy, try again."
Shendo attacked again and again, each strike more accurate, but no more effective than the last. Teranth blocked each blow with an ease even his former master would admire. "He should be faster than this by now... I can see he has it in him." "Stop holding back! Show me your true strength!" Teranth shouted as he made an attack of his own. Shendo managed to block the attack, but was driven back several steps by the force of the blow. He nodded, and lashed out with the blade again, this time even faster. Teranth caught it at the last moment on his blade, and stepped inside his son's reach to shove him away. "Better, but not good enough. Keep trying."
Ten years passed from that day, At his mother's insistance, he had been attending school in the city after he had turnd six, though he did not like it as much as she felt he should. He was teased for being different, and in response to this treatment he became angry with the other children, though he never let himself fight back, for he knew that once he started, he wouldnt be able to stop himself from hurting them. One girl in his class seemed almost as much an outcast as he was, though rather than tease her, the other children simply ignored her. Her name was Alita. Somehow, she always ended up being in the same class as he was. She never teased him for being different, and stood up for him when the rest began to get more physical in their torments. The other children seemed almost afraid of her when she stepped between them and their intended victim.
He grew quite fond of this strange girl, but he still felt like there was something wrong. She didnt look much different than the others, but he knew somehow that she was as different from them as he was, in mind if not in body. She had an odd smell to her that he couldn't quite figure out, but he noticed it most when she would stand up for him, or when one of the other children would be bold enough to insult her, he did not understand the way it made him feel, but it did not frighten him as it seemed to with the rest.
One day while he was walking to the bus, several of the largest of the bullies in his class stepped in front of him. "Well well, what have we here? Don't you know we have leash laws in this city?" the largest of the group, a boy the rest called Big-T, Shendo didnt know his real name, nor did he care what it was. The others in the group laughed at this, and positioned themselves around Shendo so he would have no way to get away from them. Shendo ignored the comment, and kept his eyes lowered so they would not see the anger building up in them, the temperature of the area around him seemed to rise as he glared at the sidewalk.
"I don't think he heard you." the smallest of the group, nicknamed Rabbit by those he ran with, he called them his friends, but none of them considered him as anything more than a tool, or a weapon, for he was also the most skilled fighter of the bunch. "With ears like that, I think he heard me just fine. Hey dog boy! Wake up!" Big-T reached out, grabbed Shendo by the shirt, and lifted him off of the ground. Shendo was forced to look at the face of his tormentor, and though his eyes showed the terrible anger he felt, his voice remained chillingly calm. "Let me go... and walk away.."
"Did he just try to tell you what to do man? I think he did!" one of the nameless youths on the side said, nameless not because he didnt have a name, but because he hadnt earned one in this group. Big-T grinned. "Sure, I'll let you go." he shoved Shendo as he let go of his shirt, sending him into the group at the back of the circle. They caught him, and shoved him back toward their leader. Shendo stumbled against him, and was caught off guard by the fist that slammed into the side of his head.
"He jus' attacked you Big-T! I saw it." Rabbit said as he stepped foreward and kicked Shendo in the ribs as he stumbled back. Shendo caught his balance before he could get in reach of those behind him. His voice remained calm as he spoke again. "Why must you fight me..? What could you possibly gain from this?" Big-T glared at him. "Man, its freaks like you that have messed up this city! If we get rid of you, thats one less freak to deal with." One of the others shoved Shendo from behind, and he stumbled foreward again, his rage building by the moment. "I don't want to hurt any of you..." Shendo said as he was pulled to his feet, though in reality he longed to allow himself to tear these punks limb from limb.
"He jus' don' get it! He is worried about hurtin us?" one of the others said, Shendo couldnt see which one it was, and he didnt really care anymore either. He had tried to solve this, and had tried to get away, but before he could even think of striking out against them, he was pushed to the ground again, a ring of fire sprung up around him as his hands hit the concrete. When he spoke again, his voice was anything but calm. "I warned you... I tried to make you see reason.. Get away from me or you will all die!" he growled as he rose to his feet, the flames danced around him, burning higher and higher despite having no real fuel.
"What the fuck is that!" several of them cried out as they turned to run away. Alita came around the corner, and swore under her breath. "Its starting... I knew something like this would happen if they didn't leave him alone.." she thought as she ran toward him.
Big-T stumbled back. "C-come on man... c-cut it out.. we were just playin with ya." Shendo laughed. "Playin huh? Yall play rough in the city then. Well I ain't from the city, and I don't play that way." he raised one hand, and pointed it toward the larger boy. "Give me one damn good reason why you shouldnt die right now for what you have done to me throughout these years?" he growled as Alita came to a stop right behind him. The rest of the gang had ran away from this display. "Shendo! You have to stop this!" she cried.
He glanced over his shoulder at her, some of his anger melted away at the look in her eyes, but it still wasn't enough for him to regain proper control. "Ten years I have put up with this fat sack of shit..." tears began to flow from his eyes as the flames died down slightly. "Why should I stop..." Alita moved a little closer. "Because.... You arent like him.. He knows what it is like to be afraid now... You don't have to hurt him. You arent a killer!" Shendo turned away from her, glaring back at the young man in front of him. "Ain't got nothing to say now? All your taunts run away with your backup? You're pathetic..." he lowered his hand, and turned his back on him. "Get out of here.... I hope you can make something better out of your life than you have.." the flames died down entirely, though a scorch mark on the sidewalk clearly showed where they had been.
"H-how... how did you do that?" the bully stammered as he stood up. Shendo looked back over his shoulder. "Does it matter? I spared your life... I don't know who you are now... but I know who you were.. and that man made me sick.." Big-T stepped back. "Hey.. I'm sorry.. I didn't realize you.." Shendo spun around and glared at him. "Didn't realize what? That I had feelings? That just because I am different that I shouldn't care what you do? Stupid son of a bitch! Get out of here now!" Big-T turned and ran down the street, but stopped about ten feet away. "I meant what I said.. If you come back here, and you need anything. Look me up. Name's Billy Tanner."
Shendo turned back to Alita, ignoring Billy as he ran down the street. "Alita.. I..." She stepped foreward and hugged him tightly. The few that were still in the area thought it strange to see the nearly eight foot freak looking to this much smaller girl for comfort, but Alita didnt seem to notice, or care about, the stares they were getting "Its alright... Come on, lets get you home." She smiled at him as she took his hand. Shendo blushed as she wrapped her arms around him, her scent sending chills up his spine. "Would you.. like to come over for dinner?" he asked quietly as she pulled away a little.
"I.. I'd like that.." She said, a hint of a blush coming to her cheeks. He smiled, and brushed her hair back out of her eyes, it was then that he noticed that her eyes were nearly the same as his mother's, and there were several marks from a razor, and a few very short furry patches on her otherwise flawless face. "Who did this to you..?" he asked as he ran one hand along her cheek. "It was... my mom... she.. she wanted to protect me.." Alita pulled away from him, and looked down. "Do.. do you hate me.. that I have hidden this from you...?"
Shendo pulled her back in close to him, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I could never hate you... but I think it is time to have a talk with your mom... You shouldn't have to hide who you are, and she shouldnt be ashamed to let you show it." Alita shook her head. "I don't want to talk to her about this.. She wouldn't understand.. Can I just stay with you.. and not go back to her?" Shendo smiled again. "If that is what you want.. I am sure we can figure something out. My parents have always taught me, that the law should take second place to what is right. I'm sure they will help us.. And you will never have to hide anything if you don't want to... Never again.."
Alita paid for a taxi, and it dropped them off at the end of the driveway to his house. Shendo glanced up at the front door as it flew open and his mother came running out. "Oh my god! What happened to you!? Your father said you werent on the bus when he went to get you.." her voice trailed off as she got close enough to see he was not alone. "And who is this sweet little thing?" Shendo laughed, all of the days troubles nearly forgotten. "Mom, this is Alita.. Alita, this is my mom.. Noriku." Alita smiled shyly at her. "Its nice to meet you ma'am.." Noriku smiled. "Such a nice girl.. You can just call me Noriku dear.. Now, why don't you both come inside before it starts raining. And you can explain what happened to make you miss the bus today."
Shendo groaned, he had hoped that he wouldn't have to explain what happened, that she would assume that Alita was the reason he was late. But the left side of his face was already starting to bruise from the heavy punch that had caught him earlier. Alita gave him an encouraging smile and the two of them followed Noriku up to the house.
Teranth saw them come into the house, his eyes focusing on the state of his son's face. "You been fightin'?" he asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. Shendo looked back at his father. "No, I ain't been fightin." Teranth stepped toward him, not taking his eyes off of him for a second. "It looks like you been fightin. Your face is bruised, your hands are scraped, and you look like you are hidin somethin. So I ask you again. Have you been fightin?" Alita stepped between them, two long knives appearing in her hands as she moved. "Sir, your son hasn't been fighting, but it was a near thing.. and it would have been worse than fighting if I hadnt showed up. Now back off, and we can explain what happened." she said calmly, though the way she moved made it quite clear that she would back up the implied threat if she had to.
Teranth smiled. "Found yourself quite the woman here son. Alright, lets go sit down, and you explain from the begining." he moved back into the kitchen, and sat at the head of the table. Alita and Shendo sat down on one side of it, while Noriku moved about preparing their meal. Shendo sighed, and looked his father in the eye. "It happened like this... You know about the other kids and what they have done over the years.. I told you about them before.. Anyway, the worst of them got his gang together, and they came at me after school today. I tried to get away from them without anything happening.. I knew I wouldnt be able to control myself if they started pushing too far.. The biggest of them threw me back, and then hit me when his friends pushed me back toward him. I still tried to reason with them.. I didn't want to hurt anybody."
Shendo took a deep breath before continuing. "I was about to try to push past them.. but them one of them shoved me again.. and something happened.. I don't know what it was.. but when I hit the ground, fire came up around me.. but it didnt burn me.. It was almost like it was listening to what I wanted it to do.. The rest of the gang ran off, and thats when Alita showed up.. The leader.. Billy Tanner was on the ground in front of me.. and Alita told me to stop, I was about to try to turn the fire on him... But she helped me get control again.."
Teranth nodded. "I always knew there was something special about you my boy, now I know what it was." he turned to Alita. "Now, what's your story? You ain't like the rest of them.. and I know just by the look of you that you are even less like them than they realized." Alita shivered in her seat, but did not look away from his intense gaze. Shendo put his arm around her, and she relaxed slightly before opening her mouth. "I was born different.. A freak some would say.. my dad told me that there was nothing wrong with me, and that I should be proud to be different.. My mom wasn't so convinced.. and she made me hide what I was.. she said it was to protect me, but I think it was more for her than for me.. When dad died.. she made me shave the fur off of my face every day.. and she altered my clothes to hide everything else.. Shendo was the first I have ever met who wasn't afraid of me... he understood that I was different, but until today, he didnt know exactly how different I was.. I have less control over one of my abilities than he does... but.. it isnt exactly useful for getting people to go away.. it tends to make them come closer.. Thats why I learned how to fight.. to protect myself from my own ability."
Noriku scooped some stew into a bowl and set it in front of Alita. "And what ability would that be dear?" Alita blushed slightly. "Well.. when I get scared, or sometimes when I am really happy, sad, or angry... I make people..." she looked around the room, as though begging for someone to understand what she meant, but no one seemed to get it. "I make them... horny..." she whispered as she looked down at the table, her face now a bright red.
Teranth stared at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Oh dear! that would cause problems wouldnt it!" Noriku slapped him on the back of the head. "Thats not funny.. Can't you see.. this scares the poor thing as much as anything ever could." Shendo pulled Alita in close, and held her tightly. "Mom, dad... Alita was wondering.. if she could stay with us.. or rather.. if she could stay with me... so that she wouldnt have to see her mom again.. She doesn't want to hide who she is anymore, but she doesnt want to try to explain that to her mom."
Noriku set another bowl in front of Shendo. "I don't see why not. Not here of course.. too many nosy people around here.. but we have been thinking.. You have learned almost everything you can from your father.. and other than your age, there is no reason why you couldnt live on your own.."
Shendo blinked. "Does that mean what I think it does..?" Teranth smiled. "You are more of a man now than most will be by the time they grow old. If you finish out your training with me, there ain't no reason why you couldnt move out on your own.. Take that pretty thing with you, and I know that there ain't nothing you can't handle."
Alita stared at the them in disbelief. "Your son is sixteen, and you are ready to turn him loose in the world? Most parents won't willingly let go when their kids are eighteen!" Shendo smiled. "I should have expected something like this.. but I can't say it isn't a surprise.. Do you have a place in mind for us to go?"
Noriku nodded, and went into the office. She came back out a moment later with a picture, a sheet of paper, and a check. "This house... its in another city, but if you want it, its your's completely.. I understand there are a lot more people there that are different.. and they arent treated like a disease.. You can have a much better start in life than we did... They have more crime going on... but it is still a safer place to be than here."
Alita took the paper from her and read it carefully. "I've heard of this city.. its on the news a lot.. Apparently there are are a few groups that cause trouble.. and a couple that clear it up... and the so called normal people don't try to cause trouble for them.. If I remember right.. The people there are split almost exactly down the middle between people like us.. and the 'normal people"
Teranth smiled at both of them. "If even half of what we have heard is true, we know you will be happy there.. just don't forget to call us every now and then. And I do expect you to stay in practice my boy. When you come back to visit, I want you to be stronger than me." Shendo nodded. "I think we would be stupid not to at least try this out... Even if nothing is different than here, I know that things will work out as long as we are together."
Noriku set a bowl down for Teranth, then got one for herself and sat down next to him. "If you don't want to go.. you don't have to, we just can't hide Alita here without anyone finding out.. And we don't want to hold you to this city if you would be happier somewhere else."
Alita smiled. "Noriku... You've done more for me in the short time we have known eachother than my own mother has in my entire life... How can I ever repay you?" Noriku smiled. "Alita dear... You don't owe me anything.. I do this because it is the right thing to do, and it is obvious that my son loves you.. But I do ask that you try to keep him from getting into too much trouble, you seem like a sensible girl, so I know I can count on you." Teranth glanced over at his wife, then turned back to Alita and Shendo. "Tomorrow we will go into the city, and pick up something for you to wear to keep people from noticing you at first.. No doubt your mother will have people looking for you. And I don't want her to find you until after you are eighteen.. That way she can't drag you back home and force you to do things her way."
Alita looked back at him. "She could try.. but once I set my mind to something I usually get my way. I'm a stubborn bitch when I want to be, and there is no way she will ever make me feel like it is wrong for me to be different from everyone else ever again.. But still, I appreciate any help I can get.. I'd rather just avoid her entirely."
As they finished eating, Alita began helping clean up. Noriku looked as though she was about to object, but after seeing the determined look in her eye she decided against it. Teranth looked at Shendo. "Get some sleep tonight... Tomorrow after we get back from the city we are going to train harder than ever before.. The sooner you are ready to go the better." Shendo nodded. "I won't let you down. Any ideas on how we're gonna be getting to this other city?" Teranth smiled. "That is a surprise for another day. Lets get you ready for the trip first. But for now, get upstairs and take a shower. You need it."
Alita finished with the dishes at the same time as Noriku finished cleaning the rest of the kitchen. "What do I do now though? I mean.. You said you can't hide me here, so what do I do until we leave?" Noriku smiled. "Don't worry dear, we can hide you here that long.. we just wouldnt be able to do it for two years." Alita looked at her in disbelief. "I really don't have to see my mom..?" Noriku nodded. "She doesn't understand you.. and thinks there is something wrong with you. If someone told her they could make you look normal permanently, she would take their offer no matter what consequences there would be.. I can't let you go back to that."
Alita moved over and hugged Noriku tightly. "You have no idea how much this means to me..." Noriku hugged her back after a moment. "I think I might... but lets not worry about that now.. You need to get some rest.. Got a busy few days ahead. We have a couple places you can sleep if you want them." Alita blushed. "Actually... I'd like to sleep..." Noriku smiled. "With Shendo?" Alita nodded, blushing an even darker scarlet. Noriku laughed. "Its nothing to be embarassed about dear. I actually expected it, just wanted you to know you had more options before offering." Alita blinked. "You... you don't mind?" Noriku shook her head. "No, not at all, I would appreciate it if you two behaved yourselves while in this house.. but if something happens, then it happens, and I won't think any less of either of you. You're young and in love. These things happen sometimes."
Teranth went out into the garage and moved to the back of it. "This old bike served me well enough... I think it will do the same for them." he thought as he took the cover off of an older motorcycle. He gathered some of his tools, and began the slightly tedious process of tuning it up. This bike was as unusual as its owner in some ways. Every part was custom made by Teranth when he was younger, it ran off of a small, yet powerful battery, recharged either by solar power, or by plugging it into an outlet if it was needed. The engine would run it almost as fast as a new gasoline engine would, but would also allow it to carry more weight at that speed without slowing down.
Shendo climbed out of the shower, the bruises and scrapes he recieved from the fight already mostly healed. He looked at his face in the mirror as he brushed out his long hair. "Another new ability.. or am I just healing faster because I am used to being hurt...? I guess I'll probably find out later.." He thought as he tied his hair back, and slipped into the shorts he normally slept in. "I wonder where Alita will sleep..." he stepped out of the bathroom, and walked down the hall toward his room. The door was shut as he normally left it, but he noticed the light was on as he came up to it. "No way... She wouldnt have picked to sleep up here.. mom probably just put something in there and forgot to turn the light off.." He opened the door slowly just as Alita finished buttoning up the overly large shirt Noriku had given her to use, it covered her down to her knees, but did nothing to hide her long tail which stuck out behind her, or the smooth gray fur that covered her arms and legs.
Shendo blinked. "Wow... um.." Alita smiled, walked over, and kissed him gently. "Surprised to see me?" He nodded, still somewhat in shock. "I thought you would rather..." she laughed "Sleep somewhere else? Why would you think that?" He looked at her in disbelief. "Well... Its just that.. I mean..." Alita shook her head. "Its alright.. I know. You don't think I would choose to sleep with you, because of my ability.. You think I would be afraid to let it get out of control." Shendo shook his head. "Thats not it.. I thought.. that you would be more interested in keeping things simple for now.. Our lives have been turned upside down today.. and are only going to get more interesting from here.."
Alita pushed him down on the bed. "Relax... Your mom asked me to try to behave myself while we are in this house.. and I will, but the thing is... Our lives are going to get more interesting as you say.. and we may not have time to get closer than this for quite awhile.. So it makes sense to get used to being this close while we can.. So, get yourself comfortable. I'll get in with you in a minute.. I just need to go wash my hair."
Shendo stared at the ceiling after she left. "I can't believe this... Dad tells me I'm almost done learning from him... I get a house of my own as soon as I am done... and my parents don't care that I have a beautiful young woman sleeping up here with me... I doubt they would care if something did happen, but Alita was right.. we should try to behave.. We will have plenty of time later.." he thought with a smile. He turned over onto his side, and looked toward the door, as tired as he was, he was determined to stay awake until Alita got back.
Alita scrubbed her hair roughly, determined to take out the red dye her mom had used on it. She pulled up from the sink, and stared at herself in the mirror. She began to cry as she thought of the abuse she had suffered "for her own good" at the hands of her own mother. Noriku was walking by at that moment, and slipped inside quietly, and wrapped her arms gently around the young girl. "Whats wrong dear?"
Alita shook her head. "Just.. thinking about.. everything I have been through... most of it was a lie.... and I can't even undo the way it made me look..." Noriku kissed her gently on top of her head. "Its alright.. I may be able to do something about that.. My most powerful ability isn't as useful for protecting people.. or causing trouble.. but it is good for some things.. I can restore things to how they should be.. but there is a catch to it.. with objects, it takes whatever it is, and turns it into the parts that went into making it.. Imagine my surprise when I tried to fix the tv, and it turned into a piece of glass, an empty circuit board.. and a large pile of little things that I don't know a damn thing about." They both giggled at that. "But that is not the point. I can take what was done to you, and fix at least how it has made you look... no razor scars... no more hair dye... It won't make the pain of the memories go away, but it will be a good start in helping you accept yourself for who you are."
Alita wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You.. you can really do that?" Norik nodded. "I can tell that it is what you really want.. Just hold still, and don't freak out when you see things changing." Alita nodded once, then stared intently at the mirror.
The changes were subtle at first, as Alita thought about how her mother had cut her hair short, it began to grow out again, slowly changing from red to black. The thin fur that normally grew on her face began to return, and then blended with the thicker fur that was growing on her neck, her fur also darkened to a nearly perfect match for Shendo's coloring. Her nails grew back to their normal clawlike shape, and the polish fell off of them.
The most startling change for Alita to witness, was as she watched her eyes. Her mother had paid for a very expensive, not to mention risky, procedure to make them have a more normal shape (they couldnt manage a complete transformation of them without making her go blind, which her mother would have accepted if they would have done it), and soften the color from their naturally brilliant emerald color, to a more subtle leaf green. She watched in awe as they shifted back to their natural shape and color, even the traces of her tears had vanished. Her teeth took on their naturally sharper state, having been altered as soon as her adult teeth had come in (another expensive procedure).
Noriku slowly pulled her hands away from Alita, and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "How is that? Did I get everything?" Alita stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment, then turned toward Noriku. "I..I don't believe it... Everything... All that she did to me... is gone..." Noriku smiled tiredly. "It will take a few days for your hair to grow back as much as it should be... I didnt have the energy to do it all right now.. So I just took care of everything that wouldnt change on its own first. I think it would be a good idea to try to calm down before you go back to bed.. but don't take too long, I think my son is planning to stay awake until you are there, and he is going to need his rest as much as you are."
Alita hugged her again. "You are the most wonderful woman ever... You have given me something I never could have hoped for.. A new life, without the burdens of the old one.." Noriku returned the hug, though nowhere near as tightly. "You are a sweet girl, and you deserve everything we are doing for you. I wish I could do more.. It would be nice if we didnt have to ship you two off like this.." Alita shook her head. "You arent shiping us off, you gave us a place we could go, but you didnt force us to take it, you would have let us find our own way if we had wanted to... But I think you have done far more than anyone else would have.. Thank you.. I know it isnt much.. but its all I can do right now."
Noriku stood up, and gently released Alita. "Its more than enough dear.. Now, why don't you get back to bed, The next few days are going to be rough." Alita looked back to the mirror for a moment, then turnd back to Noriku. "Do you.. think Shendo will like how I really look..?" Noriku chuckled. "I think he would love you no matter what you looked like.. but in this case, I don't think you will be disapointed. Personally, I think you look better now, and I am a pretty good judge of these things. Good night dear.. I'll see you in the morning." Alita followed her out of the room, and turned toward Shendo's bedroom. "Goodnight Noriku... and.. thanks again.." "She really meant what she said there... I do look better than I did.. and even if I didn't.. there are other advantages. I doubt mom would ever think to have people look for me this way.. For what she paid, those changes should have been permanent.. Still, I'll be careful, she might think that I could find a way out of it."
Noriku went back downstairs, and slipped into bed just as Teranth came back into the room. "Fixing the old beast for them to take along?" she asked when she saw him. Teranth smiled. "Of course. I don't need her anymore, and she's still a good bike.. It would be a shame to let her sit in the garage when someone could use her." Noriku grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the bed. "You just don't like the thought of leaving your toys laying around." she teased as she began nibbling on his ear. Teranth chuckled, and rolled over on top of her. "No, I guess I don't.."
Alita walked into the room, and climbed into bed next to Shendo. She snuggled up against him, and he put his arms around her. His voice was barely audible as he drifted off to sleep. "I love you..." She smiled, and pushed herself tighter against him before whispering. "I love you too..." As she lay there, her mind kept working on a plan for some sort of disguise, as well as things they would need in their new home. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought of her mom one last time, and how furious she would be when Alita wasn't home yet.
"What do you mean gone?!" The raging business-woman demanded of the strange snake-like man who stood before her. "It isss exactly as I sssaid.. The lady rode out of the city in a cab, with the wolf child from her ssschool closssse at hand." The woman threw the glass she had been drinking out of into the fire. "Where are they now?!" she demanded again, an evil look in her eyes as she advanced toward the freak she had hired to keep an eye on her daughter. "I do not know missstressss. My ssspiesss only operate within the city asss you know.. But, if I were to guesssss.. I would ssay that they are at the wolfman'sss housssse." The woman glared at him. "Find her, kill the other freaks if they get in the way.. bring her back to me at once!" "Of courssssse... Missstressss" the snakeman said before vanishing from the den. "How dare she disobey me! I will show her and that entire family why no one ever messes with me." she laughed evily as she moved back to her desk. "That child is the one black mark on my family name.. It must not be known that my own daughter is one of those freaks!" she thought as she pulled out a small vial from her desk. "They said this would either turn her normal, or kill her. They hadnt tested it on a live freak yet, but it is a chance I will take.. at least if she is dead, no one will know."
The snakeman roamed through the sewers silently, thinking as he moved. "Kill the wolfman's family... She is insane if she thinks I will risk their anger. I think the 'mistress' has outlived her usefulness to us." He hissed as he reached one particular grating. "Come out my sssscaled brethren... The hunt isss on." Several large snakes slithered out of the grate, their eyes glowing bright red as seemed to understand his plan, and began moving toward the place he had just left. "Destroy the woman known as Layla Shendana.. Leave no evidence behind.."
Alita awoke just before Shendo and the rest of the family. Her dreams were uneasy that night, but she could not remember them. She rolled over, and watched Shendo as he opened his eyes. "Good morning sleepy." she said quietly before leaning in to kiss him. "Good morning.." he said as he looked at her in surprise. "Mom helped you last night didnt she?" Alita nodded. "I didn't think it was possible... but she undid everything.. You don't mind do you?" He chuckled, pulled her in closer, and kissed her gently. "Why should I mind? You are happier.. it will be harder for people to recognize you. And, I still have the most beautiful woman in the world laying right next to me."
Noriku sat up in the bed, though she and Teranth hadn't actually gotten much sleep she seemed refreshed. She smiled, and got out of bed before moving to the closet, and picking out some clothes for the day. Teranth got up a moment after her, moved over, and kissed her before picking out his own clothes. "I think those two will do well for themselves. Once they get away from here I mean. Its just not safe here for them.. Its not really safe for us either, but no one is willing to try anything while I am here." Teranth said with a smile. Noriku smiled back. "They have at least a few days here.. but it is a good idea to get them out of here as soon as we can. If Alita's mother is who I think she is, she won't stop looking for her.. The little I know about that woman tells me that there is nothing she wouldnt do..."
"Don't worry, I won't let any harm come to either of them.. I won't be able to do much after they leave, but they will keep themselves safe after that." Teranth said as he turned to leave the room. Noriku nodded. "I know I don't need to worry about them right now.. but.." "You will worry anyway. Thats what you do when you can't control a situation." Teranth smiled at her again as they went into the kitchen.
Alita and Shendo came downstairs, both of them smiling. They moved into the kitchen, and sat down for breakfast. Noriku had already set the table, so they started eating. Teranth looked over at them. "Good morning you two." He then fixed his gaze on Alita. "We will need to get you something other than your own clothes to wear while we are in the city.. between how you look now, and different clothes, it should be dificult for anyone to recognize you." Noriku sat down next to him. "I think I may have something that will fit her pretty well.. It will be a bit loose though." Alita smiled. "Loose would be better wouldnt it? I mean... people might still recognize me if they can see how everything else is shaped.." Teranth smiled. "Thats true, but I really don't expect to have to worry about anything like that today. Even if someone does realize who you are, they ain't gonna try anything themselves. They'll go to the police, and by the time they get there, we will have gone already. And if they show up here.. Well, I've got plenty of places you can hide until they go away.. I'll show you a couple of them before we leave, just try not to touch anyhting.. some of it could fall off of the shelves, and it would make a lot of noise."
Shendo gathered up a few things, while Noriku helped Alita pick out some clothes from her closet. Teranth pulled on his hat, and stepped out into the garage to start the car. The garage door opened automatically when the car started, a safety device of his own design. He then went back inside to wait for the others.
Alita came downstairs wearing one of Noriku's older shirts, and a pair of old jeans. Both fit her fairly well, but as Noriku had said, they were a little loose on her. Teranth moved to the basement door and looked back at them. "Why don't you both come with me for a minute.. This is the best kept secret in this whole house." He opened the door, and went down the stairs. Alita and Shendo both shrugged, and followed him.
The basement floor had been laid out with many seperate slabs of concrete rather than one solid piece so they could hide things under it if needed. Most of the slabs were actually attached to a second concrete layer to keep them from moving, the rest sat on mechanisms to move them if one knew how to activate them. there were four hanging lights in the room, each hanging in a corner to provide the best possible light. The brick wall on the left at the bottom of tthe stairs had many small holes in it, all of them looked to have been put there by someone putting nails in the wall, behind four of them were small hooks that when pulled, would trip the catch to open the main control panel for the different hiding holes. Shendo knew about them, but had never seen the method used to activate the mechanism.
"You ready to learn the secret of this place?" Teranth asked them quietly. Alita and Shendo both nodded eagerly. Teranth pulled out a small metal tool with an even smaller hook on its end, and moved over to the wall. "Now, there are a lot of holes here, and it is important to remember which ones you use for this. Some of them have nothing in them, and some have a tiny button that would be tripped by even the lightest touch.. those buttons reset the entire thing.. This is to keep people from just guessing if they find out how this works that far. Now, if you notice, there is a pattern to the holes. The ones you want are the third in each set. All of the holes have a small notch in them, this is to let the hook slide through easily, otherwise it gets stuck, and you have to work it out of the hole." he pointed to each hole, and also made sure they noted the notch carved in the exact center of the bottom of each hole. "All you do, is slide this thing in until it stops, then turn it to the left one quarter turn, pull on it, then push it in, twist it back, and pull it out. You have thirty seconds to get the next latch or they reset."
He slipped the hook into each of the holes he indicated, taking far less than the thirty seconds for each one, but he had been using this for many years so it was expected that he would be quicker at it. "Next thing is to move the freezer out of the way. If you don't trip these latches first, it won't move at all, makes people think its bolted down.. Which it is in a way, but thats not the point. It will roll free now." He walked over and pushed on the side of the large standing freezer. It rolled away from its spot easily, and he bent down and pulled on a chunk of the floor that looked to have broken loose, it was broken on purpose when he first installed the mechanism. When he pulled up on it, there was a clicking noise, and he let go, the piece slipped back into place without another sound, and a small panel opened in the rear wall. This revealed a set of ten different switches, each with a light on above them.
"Only four of these do anything. But all of them look like they should. Flipping any of the wrong ones will lock the entire thing up for an hour, but otherwise nothing happens.. no one would even know they had locked anything if they made it this far. Most would assume that none of the switches actually did anything once they had hit the wrong one." Teranth smiled. "You'll want to get off of where you are standing, this is how to open the easiest place for you to hide around here.. and one of the most important of them."
Alita and Shindo stepped to one side of the slab they were on, and watched to see what switch he flipped. Both remained silent as they took in all of the information he was giving them. Teranth reached up and flipped the third switch from the right. The slab Alita and Shendo had been standing on tipped up toward the wall without a sound. They looked down the hole as several lights came on inside of it. The lights revealed a ladder descending to the bottom of the hole.
"There are only four people in the world who even know about this thing.. All of them are in this house right now. Lets go down there so I can show you around." Teranth said as he moved swiftly down the ladder. Alita smiled. "This is amazing... I don't even want to think about how much work has to have gone into this.." She went down the ladder after Teranth, leaving Shendo to bring up the rear.
They came down into a short hallway with a heavy iron door at the end, and a single red button next to it. "This will close it up behind you, and open it again. If you are actually hiding here you will want to do that, but for now its fine the way it is." Teranth opened the door as quietly as he could. The hinges creaked a little, but not nearly as much as Alita thought they would. The door opened into a well lit room, several racks of bladed weapons of various sizes lined the walls of this room. Some of the weapons were decorted by ornate gemstones, while others were more simple, yet all of them looked to be expertly crafted.
"This room is the secret to our success in this city.. You wouldnt believe how much some of them will pay for one of these." Teranth said as he pulled one of the ornamented long blades from the wall. "They don't take too long to make, and I can usually get ten grand for one like this if I go to the right people. Most of the rich in the city want at least one.. A decoration, and a defense all in one. I generally give basic instruction with the blade so they don't hurt themselves trying to figure it out." He slipped the blade onto the wall again, and moved down the line to the shorter weapons. "I could tell by the way you moved that you already know what you are doing Alita.. but those knives you have just ain't right for you.. Come over here, and tell me if you see something you like."
Alita blinked. "No.. I couldnt take them... you have done too much for me already." Teranth turned back to her. "Listen little lady.. If you don't pick something. I'll pick for you, and send them with you anyway. Find something you like so I don't have to guess on what you would use well." Shendo grinned at her. "You know.. he won't take no for an answer, so go ahead, pick something out. I'm sure he has something good for you here." Teranth smiled, and stepped back toward the longer blades as Alita moved to the rack of daggers and short-swords.
Shendo looked around the room, admiring the design of the place as much as the weapons. Teranth ran a hand down the hard leather sheath of one of the blades and turned back to his son. "I think you need to pick one too. You may need to protect yourself, and if you do. I want it to be with something that won't break when they look at it too long." Shendo moved over to the rack and without hesitation grabbed ahold of one of them, a long japanese Katana. Even by the traditionally high standards of the culture, this blade seemed exceptionally well made. "I thought you would choose that one.. It is actually one of the only blades in this room that I didn't make myself... that one belonged to your grandfather. He gave it to me just after you were born. He gave me something else to give you, but I wasn't sure why at the time." Teranth pulled one of the drawers open and pulled a pair of black leather gloves out of it, on the palm of both gloves, there was a small red rune carved into the leather. "He had an ability similar to yours.. not as strong I think, but these helped him control it in the beggining.. and I think he knew you would need them." he tossed the gloves to Shendo before closing the drawer.
Shendo caught the gloves in one hand while still holding the sword in the other. "I always thought the stories he told were just stories.. But at least one of them makes sense now.." Alita moved a little further down the rack, picked up two identical daggers, took them out of their sheaths, and held them in a ready position. "I don't know why... but these two just feel right.." Teranth looked back to her and smiled. "A fine choice.. Those two were made for eachother, just as they seem to have been made for you. You'll have to leave them here right now, but when we get back from the city, I want you to keep them with you at all times." Alita slipped them back into their sheaths, and looked at Teranth. "Do you really think I will need them..?"
Teranth placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "You've already had to defend yourself against people before.. You don't know what people in this new place will be like, so I want you to be ready for anything." Shendo moved over to them. "Don't worry.. We will be fine. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Alita smiled and then looked back to Teranth. "We should get going.. We have a lot to do today."
Teranth lead the way back up the ladder, and after everyone was out, he pushed pushed the freezer back into place, and everything in the room reset itself to its original position. Faint clicks could be heard as all of the latches fell back into place. "Okay, thats all for that one.. If you need to hide, come down here, and open that up.. Close it behind you, and I promise you will be safe.. Its even set up to hide the scent of anyone down there.. It won't keep them from knowing you were in the basement, but it will keep them from thinking you are still there." Alita nodded, and the three of them went upstairs.
Teranth, Alita, and Shendo got into the car, and drove away. Noriku was staying home just in case someone came looking for Alita, she would ensure that if it was a legitimate police operation they would be able to search only where they had a warrant for, and it is wasn't she would send them away after answering a few questions.
"I would have expected him to have her back here by now!" Layla shouted as she paced around her den. "What the hell is taking that freak so long!?" She stopped and leaned against her desk after a few minutes to try to calm down. "Maybe it is time to get a new operative... this one is too independant for his own good. Though he does at least try to act like a proper servant." she smiled before moving to the other side of the desk.
Noriku had just sat down to watch a little Tv, when there was a knock on the door. She sighed, got up, and moved over to it. She looked out the small window, and saw a hooded figure outside. She reached down, and slipped a small handgun into her pocket before opening to door slowly.
"Can I help you?" she said calmly. The figure shook its head. "It isss I who have come to help you. I know you hide the cat-child known asss Alita..." Noriku kept her expression completely passive. "What are you talking about sir? I don't appreciate being accused of something like this." The figure smiled beneath his hood. "Let ussss dissspenssse with the gamesss Noriku Leshara... You have her, and assss far asss I am concerned.. She can remain with you. I only sssseek to tell you that her mother, misss Layla Shendana.. Should no longer be a problem."
Noriku blinked. "I don't know how you know my name, or what you want.. But if you mean what I think you do..." the figure chuckled. "I assssure you. That isss exactly what I mean." He turned around, and after taking three steps from the house, vanished from view. "Protect her well missss Leshara.. She issss sssstronger than you think."
Layla sat back in her chair and contemplated what to do next. "Either the freak is dead, or he has betrayed me... Time to call in other help." she closed her eyes for a moment, and thought about many of the people who owed her favors, or could be bribed into helping. But before she could get too far down the list, she heard a faint hissing noise behind her. Years of political intigue, and several failed attempts to remove her from the list of competition had honed her reflexes beyond what she looked to be capable of, she dove to the side, grabbed the pistol from underneath the desk, and fired three shots at a space just ahead of where she had heard the sound. The first went wide of the mark, but the second and third caught the snake in the side of the head, it went down without another sound. "Betrayal it is then.."
She closed her eyes again, listening for signs of any others, the door burst open, and three armed security guards ran in. "We heard shots.. You alright boss?" She smirked at the largest of the three. "Of course I am fool! I wouldnt be standing here if I wasn't. Search the manor, there may be more of these damn things." She gestured toward the large snake behind her desk.
Two of the guards left the room to carry out her orders, but the third, the only female of the group stayed behind. "Your scaly friend turned on you... I warned you about trusting him." Layla glared at her. "He was no friend. And I never trusted him. He will pay for this. But for now, we will secure the manor, and ensure that he has no more of these things stashed in it."
Noriku closed the door, locked it, and placed the gun back into its hiding place. Then turned and went to sit down again. "I've heard that voice before... I don't know if he really is doing what he said or not.. but he was right about one thing.. Alita must be protected.. I think I'll keep that warning to myself though. And I won't think for a moment that he would be successful if he did try to kill that bitch. I've read about her, and he would have to be damn good if he would have even a slight chance."
Teranth pulled the car into the parking space in front of the clothing store called "Special tastes" he had only been in here once, and while it had nothing he would wear, it had much of what they would need. He smiled, and turned to look at Alita. "Here we are. You two go on in there and pick out whatever you want. I'll be along in a minute, just have to pick something up across the street." Shendo had lived with his father long enough to know that whatever he was getting wasn't likely to be entirely legal, but said nothing about it as he stepped out of the car.
Alita and Shendo walked into the store, and looked around. There was a wide variety of clothing, most of it made for those who were obviously not what most would consider normal. Shirts for those with multiple heads, or extra arms. Pants for those with extra legs. There was a closed off section in the back that had a sign over it which said "Exotic, adults only beyond this point." Alita thought about sneaking back there, but the man behind the counter looked up at her with two of the four sets of eyes he had. "Its a good thing he don't need glasses... I don't think they make them for people with that many eyes..." she looked around the store a bit more, hoping that no one could hear what she was thinking at that point, while they wouldnt likely be offended, it was still rude.
Shendo walked around, a bit confused at first, he hadnt been in here before, but he had been expecting it to be laid out like the clothing stores he was used to. Instead, it was divided into many sections based on what type of person would need that particular article of clothing. "They even have a place to go to get something custom made if you can't find anything that will work for you... I'm amazed that the 'norms' let this place stay open.. Probably just tryin to keep us out of their stores.." he smiled as he saw a pair of leather pants in his size. "Not that it does... but they try." He picked up the pants, and walked around a bit more. His was an odd size, almost impossible to find in most stores, thirty-two inch waist, fifty-six inch legs. usually he just tried to find something long enough (even that was usually hard), and then had his mom help him size the waist down to fit.
Alita moved around the store, thinking about how nice it would be to wear something that was actually designed to show off, rather than hide, the way she looked. "Looking for anything specific deary?" a sweet voice said from behind her. Alita spun around to see who was speaking, then had to look up to see the face of the large woman. Despite her size, she was still extremely attractive, and had a voice that sounded like it would come from someone much smaller. "I.. I don't really know..." The woman smiled. "Well, why don't you come back here with me, and we will see if we can fix you up with something. Maybe even something to impress that handsome man you came in with." she added with a wink. Alita blushed, this woman looked like she would not be out of place at a fashion show (if she wasn't too big to fit through a normal door), but sounded like she still belonged in school. Alita followed her into the area labeled. "Custom fittings, customers must be accompanied by an employee at all times."
Shendo picked a shirt up off of the rack and smiled at the logo. It showed what looked like a humanoid octopuss wearing high heels and what would be a revealing outfit on anyone else, the caption inder the picture said "Freaky, and proud!" He put that shirt back, trying not to laugh as he moved away from that section, as he turned around, another shirt caught his eye. He picked it up, and he couldnt figure out why it was in this area of the store, unlike the rest of the shirts there, it was almost entirely plain. The only decoration was a series of small red markings along the collar. Leaning closer, her saw that they were actually letters, they said. "When the world needs heroes, look somewhere else." he smiled, and took the shirt with him along with a couple of others back to the fitting room.
"Now, lets see what we can do with you." the large woman said as Alita looked around the room they were in. "If you would please strip down to the essentials, and hold still for a moment, I can take your measurements, and we can talk about the design." Alita opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself, afterall, what did she have to be afraid of here, she took off the shirt and pants without a second thought, then stood patiently waiting for further instructions, though she couldn't help but feel a little self conscious. The "essentials" as this other woman called them, were barely enough to cover anything at all, her bra did nothing to disguise her perfectly shaped C-cup breasts, and the thong she wore couldnt hide her carefully sculpted ass. "Flexible, strong, and undeniably sexy.. I bet there are plenty of boys that would be jealous if they could see what I see in you." The large woman stated bluntly as she walked around her.
Alita blushed, completely unused to having a stranger look at her at all, much less speak of her like that. She felt a little angry, but said nothing about it yet. It was obvious to her that this woman was always like this, and not just doing it to make her uncomfortable. "Don't worry, You'll get over this shyness in time. But I think I have everything I need for now, why don't you come over here, and look at some of the usual patterns, so we can play around with them and make something special for you." The large woman smiled at her, and moved toward the computer in the back of the room. She sat down at the chair that had obviously been made for her, it was twice as high off of the ground, as well as being much wider and taller than most.
Alita sat down next to her, relieved that the door wouldn't open from the outside without the key, but would open from the inside freely. "At least.. thats what the sign says.. I didn't test it.." she wasn't too worried about it though, she saw there was another exit to the room very close to where she was sitting. "They aren't trying to make anyone uncomfortable.. but I bet I'm not the only one who finds her to be a bit intimidating.." she dismissed that thought to focus on the patterns showing on the screen.
Shendo came out of the fitting room after a few minutes, amazed to find that everything had fit almost as if it had been made for him. He looked around the store, there was no sign of Alita or his father, but he wasn't worried yet, they would turn up.
Teranth leaned against the wall in the alleyway across the street from the clothing store, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword that was always hidden beneath his coat, his eyes scanning the area for some sign of his friend, or at least the item he was supposed to be picking up. He heard the faint tapping of a cane on the concrete, and turned toward it. He smiled when he recognized the man, while he wsn't actually blind, he made a good show of acting like it at times. The man pretended to stumble as he crossed in front of Teranth, who naturally caught him, during this the man slipped a small box into his pocket, and Teranth stuffed the roll of bills he was carrying into the man's other hand. "You should be more careful, never know what folks will put in the way down these alleys." Teranth said with a falsely concerned tone. "Aye,'tis true enough.. thank ye sir." the man said as he moved away, still tapping away with his cane. Teranth chuckled, and moved into the crowd that was crossing the street. "Good old Bobby, he's never let me down yet."
Alita watched each pattern as it spun around on the screen, but hadn't yet found what she was looking for. "These are all really nice.. but.." The large woman smiled at her. "Not what you are looking for. Don't worry, I understand that. I may have something for you though.. it isn't something we get a lot of call for. But I think you will like it anyway." She pulled open the drawer of the desk, and pulled out a small notebook. "These are some of my designs.. Most don't like them, but you look like you have a mind of your own, and probably won't care if others don't like it."
Alita gazed in amazement at the detail of the drawings. "These are amazing... I don't know why people don't like them..." The woman chuckled. "Mostly because most of my work isn't something you could wear in public.. People know that most of the stuff in the exotic section is my designs.. and that skews their opinion a bit. These that I am showing you though.. You could do just about anything in them with the right accessories.. from a heavy workout in the gym, to a formal wedding reception.. Of course.. I wouldn't recomend that last one.. you would look great, but wearing leather to a wedding gets you some interesting looks. Not all of them are the kind a young lady like yourself would want to attract." Alita giggled. "You sound like you have some experience in that... but I don't think I'm gonna be going to any weddings any time soon.. I don't really have many friends..." The large woman shook her head. "A pretty girl like you with no friends... what is this city coming to? Well, I think you won't need to worry about that, I doubt anyone will be able to ignore you after we are done. Of course, I have a few that are designed to make them ignore you... for those times you would rather be alone."
Teranth moved quietly into the store and glanced around. He waved as he saw Shendo coming out of the fitting room. Shendo waved back at him, and moved toward the front of the store, stopping briefly at the coat rack to pick up a long trenchcoat for himself.
Alita considered the drawings for a moment longer before handing the notebook back to the large woman. "I think.. that third one.. Its nothing fancy, and I think it would look the best." The woman turned the page and smiled. "Subtle, yet seductive. I thought that would get your attention. Come over here, and lets get this fitted to you." She reached behind a curtain, and pulled out one of the leather outfits that was nearly the right size already. "You put this on, and then I'll take care of the rest."
Alita noted the delicate spiderweb pattern on the pants, only a very slight variation in the shading even showed it to be there at all, with a smile as she slipped them on. The inside of them felt more like silk than leather as they slid up her long legs. She shivered slightly at the sensations she felt from the soft material. She then slipped into the leather top, it was not something her mom would approve of, but somehow that made her want it even more. The low cut of it revealed enough to satisfy a young woman who has just realized how good she looked, but still covered enough that she wouldn't be embarassed to be seen wearing it. The pattern on the top was as subtle as the one on the pants, but was different as well, resembling the outline of a cat on a moonless night.
The large woman walked around her, tightening the lacings on each garment before stepping back for a moment. "Now the fun part my dear. If I have your permission.. I'm afraid I have to be a bit more hands on with this part" Alita looked a bit surprised, but nodded in agreement. "I don't have anything to worry about... if she was going to hurt me she would have done it already." Despite the warning, she was a little surprised when the woman closed a hand over each of her breasts, she was too surprised to be offended, and found herself enjoying the sensation of her strong hands caressing her like that. The leather began to contract around her until it was a perfect fit. The woman then went around behind her, and closed one hand over her ass. Again, she couldnt help but enjoy the sensation, despite being more than a little uncomfortable.
