FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Ow!"

I cringed, rubbing my head where the suitcase fell on me. Looking up, I could see where the luggage rack had broken during flight. Apparently my decision to book second-rate air to save money was a bad idea. Well, at least I was here, rather than a corpse littered across the pacific ocean. Yes, I had arrived quite safely in my chosen vacation spot: Japan. I had always wanted to go. I was fascinated with Japanese culture, although less so than with the culture of my ancestors, which were Celtic. However, I opted to go to Japan rather than Scotland or Ireland because I was getting into the video game industry, and had arranged networking opportunities with many bigwigs inside of Nintendo and Sony, as well as several game studios. In fact, I was meeting with Square tomorrow. That was something I was definitely looking forward to. I picked my bag up off the aisle floor and began to pick up the other bag that had fallen with it, when a hand caught mine.

"Sumimasen, I am sorry," the Japanese girl behind me in the aisle said, reaching for what must have been her bag, "I am so sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

"It's no worry. It didn't hurt that much," I lied through my teeth, doing my best to ignore the throbbing pain and force myself not to clutch my head. Sticking my hands in his pocket, I smiled, "Of course, I've never been here before. I could always use a good guide," I chuckled.

"A guide? I can do that!"

I blinked, dumbfounded. Did I hear right? She had to be kidding. After all, I was when I said what I did. Maybe she picked up on that? Oh, well. A joke's a joke, right? I figured I might as well go along with it for now. "Then it's a deal. Now, all we have to do is book adjacent hotel rooms!"

An obvious blush crept across the girl's face, "Umm..."

"I was just kidding," I interjected, before letting her get too far. Apparently, she wasn't kidding. I slipped into the nearest seat to let her pass, quoting chivalrous intent and the ubiquitous 'ladies first' rule, eliciting a cute giggle from the girl, much to my surprise. As she passed, I slipped back out into the aisle and followed her out, eventually slipping away in the crowd.

***

I looked from the travel brochure to the hotel front and back again, sporting a puzzled look. On the brochure was a fancy-looking corporate hotel with glass elevators and indoor gardens, continental breakfast, and a heated pool. In front of me was a handwritten motel sign that read, "Hourly Rates Available!" Actually, that's not what it said. That's what it was supposed to say, but in place of rates was another word. At least they rhymed.

Unfortunately, I had already booked it. Paid way too much for it, too, apparently. And they charged extra for cancellation. So, here I had to stay. Preparing myself mentally for whatever horrors I may find inside, I opened the door and approached the counter, where an old, wrinkly man with hair as white as a sheet of paper sat looking through a magazine. I cleared my throat, starling the old man to the point that he almost had his chair roll out from under it.

"Excuse me, but I think I have a reservation here," I said sheepishly.

The old man burst into a hearty chuckle, "Son, no one makes reservations here!" After a few seconds where he seemed lost in thought, a light bulb seemed to go off in his head, "Oh! Okusan said something about a new marketing campaign online. I told her it was nonsense, and that no-one would be fool enough to fall for it. Looks like I was wrong."

"Surely there are laws against that here, too." I looked around for pictures of the man, but didn't find any. I knew enough Japanese to get by as a tourist without having to flip through a dictionary every five seconds, but I was beginning to second guess myself. Was this old lecher really married?

"Oh, sure. But who's going to report us? Certainly not you."

I could feel the heat on my face as it turned a deep red, less from anger than from embarrassment. He was right. I'd never admit to having been suckered into booking a room in such a disreputable place. "Fine. You win. What's my room number?"

The old man set down his magazine and pulled out a tray with little hooks on it and stood it in front of me, "Pick one. You're our only guest, and we only have one kind of room."

I looked at the rack. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the magazine was in fact not typical "reading" material. Pervert. With a great gulp, I closed my eyes and reached for a key. Grasping one, I pulled it off the rack and looked at the number. It was a nine. I vaguely remembered something about that being unlucky, but I didn't put much stock into superstitions.

"Oh, that room, huh? It's on the second floor. Just go down the hall until you reach the stairway."

"Thank you," I said as I started to walk away. Something was nagging at me in the back of my head, but I couldn't quite put a finger on what.

The old man audibly cleared his throat, startling me. He held up a jar clearly labeled "Tips" and shook it. I put in what I thought was an appropriate amount of yen, only to elicit a scowl from the man. Apparently, the amount was so small as to be insulting. Oh, well, old man, I thought. The hotel was insulting to me. I simply returned the scowl, and proceeded down the hall.

Reaching the stairway at the end, I couldn't help but feel a tingle go up my spine. I passed it off as cold air and continued up the steps. When I reached the first landing, I tried to look out the small window, but it was so dirty on the outside it looked more like a sheet of paper than a window. And a very dirty sheet.

"Klarke-san!"

My hair stood on end as I froze. Slowly, I turned around. In front of me, at the bottom of the steps, was none other than the girl from the plane.

"Klarke-san, don't go up the stairs."

"Why not?" I p aid good money for this crappy hotel. I wasn't going to let it go to total waste, even if it was the worst place I'd ever been to.

"Step outside and I'll show you."

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have listened, but this girl had a look of genuine worry on her face. We'd never met, so it couldn't have been for my own well-being, so there must be some other reason she didn't want me to go up there. Then the thought struck me: if we've never met, how does she know my name? Things were getting weirder; I decided it would probably be wise to go along with her just to see what was going on.

As we left the stairwell, it felt as if a fog in my mind had lifted. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was gone, I felt strangely...liberated. I looked at the girl, who looked rather relieved. She obviously knew my name, but how? I decided to ask her hers.

"Tamamo."

I was taken aback: she just said what her name was. I hadn't even asked.

"That's what you were about to ask, right? My name is Tamamo."

"Hai," I began to introduce myself in response despite the fact she seemed to know my name. I was more or less trying to test her. "Watashi wa--"

"Klarke."

"How do..."

"Long story. Look up."

I looked up. We had made their way out of the hotel, and were turned facing it. Once again, I felt like something was off.

"Your room was upstairs, right?"

"That's it!" I exclaimed, "How were there stairs? It's a one-story building! There's no way there could be an upper floor."

"Dark magic. Hotel keeper is a bakemono. I've been trying to bust him for a year."

"Bake...mono?"

"A monster. He's not human. He feeds on them, though. He's a nasty sort. Very rare, too. Stupid tourists what don't know 'bout shi and ku brought 'em back."

I looked at the girl. All of the sudden, the cute, innocent girl I met on the plane was gone. In her place was a girl seething with rage, with a look of murder in her eyes. She even sounded totally different, talking more like a spunky girl from L.A., with only a hint of Japanese accent left. I stepped back; I could feel her rage in the very air.

"Stay here."

"No objections here," I said, holding my hands out in front of me as if to surrender.

Tamamo stormed into the hotel. A few second later, a loud crash made me jump. A few moments later, the girl walked out, carrying the old man from behind the counter under her arm as he flailed wildly. She carried him over to the trash can in the nearby alley and took the lid off. "Sukebei," she yelled as she dumped him in head first. "Chican," she yelled as she slammed the lid back down. Finally, she yelled, "Hentai!" and kicked the trash can into the air. As it rose, she pulled out a slip of paper from the pouch she was carrying and slapped it onto the can. The kanji on the paper began to glow, and the can shimmered and vanished.

I stared at the scene, completely shocked. I couldn't even think straight enough to wonder what was going on. I sat, more or less, on the ground, head spinning, as Tamamo approached me. She waved her hands in my face, but I couldn't even react.

"What is wrong with you?"

"M-m-me? Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Me? Me?"

"Why are you-- oh, kuso! Mimi."

I stared, transfixed, at the pair of orange-furred fox ears sprouting from the head of the young girl. "Kemono...mimi?"

"Kitsune-mimi. Klarke-san, yurushi."

The world went dark as she clutched my throat with one hand and struck me in the back of the head with the other.

***

I came to slowly, just barely grasping reality as my vision refocused. The first thought that dawned on me was that I felt cold. Cold metal. I felt sluggish. Then I realized: I was in chains.

I had been taken to a hotel room and shacked to the foot of the bed by my wrists. I had similar restraints binding my feet, and I was in a rather uncomfortable position. Twisting and experimenting with my bonds, I found I was able to stand up and sit on the bed, but couldn't get my feet high enough to lay down. I began to adjust to the sensation, and was beginning to grow bored.

Then I realized I was in chains.

Panic set in. How did I get here? Who brought me here? Those were answered easily enough. But why? What had I done to get myself essentially kidnapped? What was that girl going to do to me when she got back? My thoughts began to turn to what she had done to the old man in the alley, and once again I was overcome with fear. I began struggling against the restraints, trying desperately to slip my hands out of the cuffs. In a short time, I slipped so far into irrational fear that I was pulling against the chains like a wild dog, senselessly trying to free myself.

In fact, I was so panicked that I didn't see the key in my face till the hand that held it shoved it into my mouth.

I looked up, seeing the girl, Tamamo, standing over me. She had a frustrated look on her face, like she didn't want to deal with me. I held the key in my mouth like a steel pacifier, motionless as she stared at me, until she motioned for me to use it with a tilt of her head. I dropped the key into my hands and unfastened the wrist cuffs, and bent down to unlock the ankle cuffs, but she stopped me from bending over with a finger on my forehead. Not so easily stopped, I lifted my foot up enough to reach it, eliciting a disappointed sigh from the girl. I promptly let out a similar sigh when I realized the key for the wrists didn't match the shackles around my ankles.

I sat back on the bed, getting a good look Tamamo for the first time. She was relatively tall, at about 5'10", with golden hair and blue eyes. She was slender and curvy, but didn't quite possess that hourglass figure that people seemed to admire so much. She was currently wearing nothing but sheer negligee, and her pert B-cup breasts were clearly visible. She looked mostly human, but was betrayed by a pair of golden-furred ears with white tips atop her head, and a fluffy fox tail swaying idly behind her, coated with the same golden fur as her ears, save for the similar white tip at the end.

"Like what you see?"

I snapped out of my trance with a start, still unsure of my position, "Uh..."

"Well, you better get used to it. I can't let you go until I'm sure I can trust you."

"Yes, ma'am." The reply came effortlessly and without thought. I surprised myself with how submissive I sounded.

"Well, now," She giggled, "No need to be so polite."

I began to feel a bit more comfortable in my position. She didn't seem malevolent, although she wasn't exactly being benevolent, either. She was kind of cute, actually. My eyes kept wandering to what her negligee didn't conceal, and I could feel myself blushing. The silence was unbearable, but I couldn't think of anything to say. I was entirely at the whims of my captor.

"So, wanna go get some okonomiyaki?"

The question struck me dumb. I was chained to a bed in a hotel with a practically naked girl, and she asks me if I wanted...pizza?

"Well?"

"I...I...I don't--"

"Alright, okonomiyaki it is!"

Before I could even react, I was being uncuffed from the bed. Still in shock, I was spun around and pushed toward the door, walking like a zombie. As I was ushered through the door, I idly wondered if the girl was even going to dress herself.

"So, how do I look?"

Rather than be sent further into confusion, this question actually seemed to bring me back to sanity. I turned around and looked at Tamamo. She was wearing a purple blouse, brown jeans, and white tennis shoes. Her ears and tails were nowhere to be seen. I decided not to think too hard on it. Afraid to comment on her appearance, I changed the subject, "So, where's the nearest grill?"

"Oh, he's talking now? And even evading my questions."

Her comment brought another blush to my face, and I cast my eyes back to my feet. For some reason, despite her innocent, girly appearance, I felt almost scared of her. Actually, I was scared of her.

"There's a bar in the hotel, but I'd rather go out for a bit. I need to stretch my legs."

I had to suppress a smile, as my thoughts turned to escape. If we left the hotel, it'd require no great effort to slip into a crowd and disappear, especially in the busy streets of Tokyo. We walked to the elevator in silence. I made the occasional glance in her direction, trying to read her intentions. I was usually pretty good at it, but she was proving to be nigh impossible. She had such an innocent, hyper demeanor. If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd have never guessed she had trash-canned an old man last night.

As the elevator arrived and the doors opened, she practically bounced into the elevator. She really looked quite cute, when she wasn't seething with rage. "Come on!" she said, and I slowly stepped into the elevator, turning around to face the door.

Watching it close shut was like watching the guillotine fall onto my neck.

As I felt my air supply being cut off, I clutched my neck, seeking to find what was choking me. I felt nothing, despite feeling what seemed like a fiber wire around my throat. A far as I could tell, there was nothing around my neck. I turned around, looking at Tamamo, and saw her clutching a thin blue string. It was glowing slightly, as if magical. I winced in pain and took empty gasps as the sharp pressure circling me seemed to widen from as wide as a thread to the width of a collar, and felt it go from simple pressure to a searing pain, as if my flesh was being burned. I would have screamed form the pain, but my air supply was completely cut off. I dropped to my knees, and looked up at my captor. I began to feel my eyes water and my vision blurred. It was harder to think as my air was dwindling, but one thought persisted in my mind: What had I done to deserve this? Just as I was about to pass out, the pressure released. I gasped, and my body went limp. Rather than fall to the floor, however, I felt hands catch my head, and Tamamo rested my head on her legs as she knelt down. I rolled over, looking toward the elevator ceiling, and noticed that the floor indicator hadn't moved at all. I lay panting on the floor, and vaguely heard Tamamo apologizing profusely over the pulse in my ear.

After several minutes of recovery, I was urged to stand by my captor. When I proved still too exhausted to stand on my own, she slid her arms under my own, and lifted me up. My eyes went wide in surprise. I weighed over two hundred pounds and was nearly twice the size of this girl, and she lifted me like a pillow. She set me down on my feet, and I immediately grasped the bar circling the interior of the elevator to keep from falling back down. Close to the side now, I noticed my reflection on the smooth silver metal. I did indeed have marks around my neck. They were strangely intricate and beautiful. I traced my fingers along them, feeling a tingling sensation in my fingers. As I slowly regained strength, I turned around and looked at Tamamo, bearing a mix of fear, anger, and bewilderment on my face.

Answering my unasked question, she began to explain that the markings were, in fact, a sort of "collar". It seemed she still didn't trust me. I guess for good reason, considering the fact that I was thinking about escaping. She then went on to explain no one else could see the markings, nor the magical thread that bound me to her. The pain would go away soon, she said, and she was sincerely sorry for what she caused. I began to felt sorry for her. She genuinely felt remorse for having caused it. In fact, the pain was already gone.

Wait, what was I thinking? She was holding me captive! How could I feel sorry for the gir-- thing that held me captive. I still wasn't sure what she was. I felt the anger I had felt earlier overwhelm my other emotions, and I tensed up, nearly lashing out then and there, but logic held me back: there was nothing I could do right now. Just as I relaxed, however, I found myself flinching again, as she wrapped her arms around my stomach. I realized quickly that it was actually a hug from behind, and relaxed again, if still slightly uncomfortable. After all, it was clear she wasn't human.

I laughed inside when she reached over and hit the button for the lobby. I had almost forgotten we were even in an elevator. We hadn't even been moving this whole time.

As the elevator descended, an awkward silence pervaded the air. She had let go of me, and was facing the door. Neither of us could bear to look at each other, though for different reasons. Apparently, she was ashamed of her actions, while I was angered by them. Just as the silence reached a maddening level, the elevator dinged, seemingly shocking us both back into reality. She stepped out before me, and I followed. As we passed the concierge, I noticed that he spoke alarmingly good English. We stepped outside, and I suddenly found myself suddenly overwhelmed by the openness of the outside. I felt like I had been indoors --nay, imprisoned-- for an alarmingly long time, despite the fact that my PDA, which unfortunately did not have a phone feature, said it was only the next day. I stopped in my tracks, taking in a breath of fresh air. It was rather tasty, despite us only being a short distance from the heart of the city.

"Liberating, isn't it? Being in two worlds, that is," Tamamo said, startling me again.

I turned to look toward her, and she had a rather odd look on her face. It was solemn, but light-hearted at the same time. It was almost... motherly. "What do you mean, two worlds?"

"I'll tell you when we get some food."

***

Despite the various forms of public transportation around the city, we walked on foot to our destination. Well, Tamamo's destination. I still had no idea where we were going. Not that that mattered to me at the moment. I was in awe of my surroundings.

Everything seemed so much more vibrant than it had before. I had no idea why, but it was amazing. It was all I could do not to stop and smell every flowerbed we passed. Every bird chirping sounded absolutely beautiful. I felt like just prancing around and enjoying the outdoors like a little girl, and it took far more willpower than should have been necessary not to. It was an odd sensation, and one that brought about no small amount of confusion.

After a rather silent walk, we arrived at what I assumed was our destination: an abandoned toll booth on a bridge leading out of the city. The windows were all blacked out, and the change collector boarded over. The door had no handle, just a keyhole. The keyhole appeared rather old fashioned, seeming to accept a skeleton key.

Tamamo pulled a bronze key from around her neck and inserted it into the lock, turning it to produce a resounding "clunk". She pushed the door open, revealing a dusty chair and an empty wooden shelf, but little else. She steps inside, and beckons for you to do the same. Confused, but in no position to argue, I step inside the cramped space, rubbing uncomfortably against her as she pulls the door closed.

In an instant, my world goes pitch black. For a moment, I wonder if she has knocked me unconscious again, but the warmth of her breath on my neck tells me otherwise. After a few moments, she pushes the door back open. I am immediately stunned by what I see. Even more so by what I hear. Gone are the relatively peaceful sounds of light traffic on a bridge. In their place are the sounds of a busy restaurant.

We stepped out of the small room, and I turned around to see where we had come from. It appeared to be a small broom closet, with a few cleaning supplies on the floor. She closed the door and ushered me into the main part of the restaurant. It appeared we had come in the back. Walking to the front, we sat down at the bar of what was immediately recognizable as an okonomiyaki grill, just as Tamamo had promised.

I briefly think of what I want, and open my mouth to order, but am caught off guard when Tamamo blurts out, "Two of my usual, Ebisu."

The man behind the counter looks up, "Who's your friend, Tamamo?"

Tamamo replied, her Japanese accent back in full force, despite her perfect English. "Oh, just a stray I picked up. Nothing special about him. I just..." She grinned, "Well, he IS my type."

Something told me I needed to keep my mouth shut.

The young man behind the counter raised an eyebrow, seeming to doubt her story momentarily, but he quickly broke into a hearty chuckle, with squinting eyes and an open mouth, "What ever you say, Tamamo. I won't judge." He turned around and set about preparing the batter for our lunch.

Tamamo breathed a quiet sigh as he turned around, confusing me further. Was she hiding something from him? My pace quickened, but she set a hand on mine in my lap, gripping it softly to comfort me. It had the intended effect, but I still had my concerns. I opened my mouth to say something, but was silenced by the insertion of a rice ball procured from the counter into my maw.

The man called Ebisu turned around and chuckled softly, "Having fun are we?"

The look in Tamamo's eyes said I should go with it. She seemed...desperate. I mumbled around the rice, nodding slightly, "Mmmmhmmm." With that, Tamamo smiled and removed the ball just enough for me to close my mouth, biting of a larger mouthful of rice than I was really comfortable with.

Good thing I really liked rice.

We are handed metal trays with wooden frames. Upon each was an Osaka-style modan-yaki, with squid, shrimp, the udon noodles that made it a modan-yaki, and the requisite otafuku sauce, as well as what looked like bonito flakes. Katsuobushi, if I recalled correctly. They were still sizzling, indicating that the tray was heated itself. I hadn't read about this way of serving okonomiyaki, making me wonder if it was unique to this place. It definitely seemed odd, though it had a similar "fresh off the grill" effect to those restaurants where one was supposed to cook it oneself at the table. I looked up as the cook told us to "enjoy", nodding in appreciation as I cut into the dish with the small spatula Tamamo handed me.

At Tamamo's silent urging, I hurriedly finished my food. I wanted to savor it; it was my first okonomiyaki after all, but something made me rush. Probably the same thing that told me not to ask any questions for now. I did ask one, however.

"So, Tamamo?"

"Yes?"

"How come everyone's speaking English?"

Ebisu chuckled behind the counter, but didn't look up from the register he was fiddling with.

"They're not, silly. You yourself aren't even speaking English."

"Then how--"

I was cut short by Tamamo pressing a gentle finger on my lips. After effectively silencing me, she moved her finger down to my throat. I immediately understood her meaning. Whatever she had done to me, it was making me understand everything clearly. A little disconcerted but otherwise satisfied for now, I started to stand up to search for a restroom, b ut as soon as I lifted from the chair, I immediately lost the use of my legs, making me fall unsteadily back onto the seat.

Confused, I looked at Tamamo, assuming she had something to do with it. "Wha--"

"Where do you think you're going?" Tamamo glared.

"I have to..." I felt ashamed. It wasn't the subject matter. I was plenty fine with telling someone, in no uncertain terms, that I had to take a piss. What caused me to burn with sudden humiliation in my present situation is that I actually had to _ask. _And I had to ask someone who looked half my age.

Tamamo just glared at me. Something told me she already knew what I needed. By this point she was just cementing her dominance over me. After several seconds of uncomfortable silence that felt like hours, she sighed, and I felt control return to my legs. I stood up, and she gestured me towards the back, where the restroom was. I glanced at the door and noted that it was one of those unisex "family rooms" that only had one toilet. I began to walk in the indicated direction, still burning with shame. Then she did something I didn't expect.

She followed me.

My heart skipped a beat. But not out of anticipation. Out of fear. I quickened my pace, trying to get to the door with enough time to lock it on her, but to no avail. She pushed me into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and locking it, a sly look on her face.

"What are you doing?" I asked frantically.

Tamamo's appearance scared me, her devilish grin twisting my bowels into fancy ribbons. She just stood there silently, and motioned towards the toilet, which, thankfully, was of the design typically seen in America. I knew what I had to do, but I was still reluctant to do it in front of her. I stood over the toilet and unfastened my pants, freeing my maleness from its confines. It was limp as a wet noodle, in fact._ Nothing like a bit of shame to turn you off,_ I mused. Deciding it would be better to do my business quickly and get this ordeal over with, I reach for myself to aim, only to find that my arms have gone just as limp as my legs had a moment ago. I tried moving them, but every attempt to do so was met with a painful prickling sensation, like when the circulation is cut off in a limb for too long.

I tried to turn around and confront Tamamo, but when I did so, I was met with the same painful prickling in my legs. I had no choice but to just stand there, hanging out for her to see. It felt like the whole world could see me, helpless as I was.

I felt her slink behind me, pressing her lips to my ear. she planted a little kiss on my earlobe before whispering into it, "I need you to understand just how much power I have over you." She slid her right hand do wn my side, and gently rubbed my thigh.

I opened my mouth to object, but she placed her other hand on my throat and squeezed. I felt the pressure cut off my air completely, my eyes going wide in surprise, before she relaxed, but not completely. I could breathe, but not normally. Her hand, I thought, _so much strength, despite her size. _I swallowed painfully as she cupped my groin.

"I know you probably don't believe me now, but I'm doing this for your own good. You'll see in time." She rubbed lightly over my privates, before taking my completely soft shaft into her hands. "You know, I'm kinda surprised. I haven't seen you hard this whole time. You're kinda small, too."

I said nothing out of fear, but part of what she said both angered and hurt me on a deeper level. I always knew I was below average, but hearing a woman say it was just so... well, it was a blow to my masculinity.

She squeezed a little more and let go. "Do you understand that I have complete authority over you?"

I nod slightly.

"Good." With a snap of her fingers, I feel control return to me, and wobble a bit momentarily. She looks toward the toilet, and I look at her helplessly. "What's the matter?"

"Can you please turn around? Please?"

A devilish grin creeps across her face. "Please, mistress."

I blush harder than I ever have in my life. "Please, mistress..."

Tamamo bursts out into laughter. "Wow, I was just kidding. Never expected you to actually say it. You've got a submissive streak, don't you? Good, you'll live longer that way around here." Taking on a more serious tone, she narrows her eyes at me. "I just need you to understand that you must do what I say, when I say it. It's for your own good, trust me."

I nod, and am relieved when she does actually turn around, with a rather obvious sigh as if disappointed. I finish up and walk to the door, following her out.

I follow her back to the counter, and wait when she motions for me to stay put. She clears her throat, attracting the attention of Ebisu once more.

"What is it, Tamamo?"

"Can I...um..." A blush creeped across her face. This was the first real vulnerability I'd seen in her. Who_ was _this guy? "Can I borrow the wooden key?"

Ebisu's eyes narrowed. "What did you do, Tamamo? Don't tell me..." I suddenly felt his eyes on me, feeling as if his gaze weighed a hundred tons.

Tamamo just hung her head.

"Tamamo, you know I can't. You should just go. Leave him and go."

"But he's innocent!"

"He's human. You know the rules."

"I can't do that! You know I can't!"

I had had enough. I burst out. "What the hell are you talking about!?" My outburst was met with the stares of them both. Tamamo looked at me with a sadness I hadn't seen before. A sympathetic fear. Ebisu looked at me with a cold pity that unnerved me on every level.

"You should tell him, Tamamo."

"I think...we need to be alone for this."

"Fine." With a snap of his fingers, a cabinet opens behind the counter, with that same blackness visible inside. "Just don't stay long."

Tamamo nudges me to the cabinet, and I reluctantly step inside. Suddenly, Ebisu snaps his fingers once more and the door starts to swing shut. Tamamo goes wide-eyed and bolts for the door. It seems to happen in slow motion. My heart begins beating faster as the adrenaline from the fear kicks in. I try to lunge forward as Ebisu grabs Tamamo around the arms, holding her firmly as she thrashes against her. He had a look of pity in his eyes, an apologetic look. Tamamo, on the other hand, looks afraid. But not for herself.

For me. She was afraid for me. And that was the last I saw of her then.

***

The darkness was perfect. It was not an exaggeration to say I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face. There was no light present at all. I fumbled in front of me for the door of the cabinet I had been locked inside, only to fall flat on my face. A spotlight suddenly shone down on me, revealing a pristine white floor, perfectly smooth and free of blemishes. I stood up, and stepped out of the spotlight. I immediately fell into the darkness.

And then I saw the light again, as I crashed into an identical circle on the floor.

I looked back where I came, expecting to see a second light, but instead saw nothing. It was as if I had fallen back where I started. I carefully edged to the border of the white light, and pressed my hand to the floor, only to have it go right through, exactly where the light ended, as if the light was making the ground solid. Then I heard laughter. The laughter of an old, feeble man.

"Always amusing to see the lesser ones try and flee."

"Indeed," I heard another voice, "Though, he figured out he wasn't going anywhere faster than most."

"Perceptive," the first voice croaked, "Which is why he's here, of course."

"Indeed," a third voice said. "Shame, really. Seems like a bright guy. Not very athletic or charismatic, but intelligent nonetheless."

"Benten-sama, you're not sweet on the poor guy, are you?" The second voice broke into a hearty chuckle.

"No, Hotei." The third voice, the only one even remotely female sounding, replied, "Just stating the facts."

This whole time, I could not see where the voices were coming from. Aside from the light that I was now sitting cross-legged on, there was nothing. I was tense, becoming less scared and more angry as these beings that I couldn't even see talked down on me. As if sensing my emotions, the first voice spoke again.

"I say it's time he saw what powers lie beyond his world." Suddenly, more spotlights shone around me, seven in all, in a perfect circle. Within three of the seven circles sat massive beings, having the appearance of men but with the proportions of giants, all looking down on me. The center-most of the three was a man that looked very old and very frail, with a forehead of almost hilarious height. To his right sat a fat man that looked very similar to the traditional depictions of Buddha. To the left of the man sat a rather curvy female of mesmerizing beauty. My eyes lingered upon her for a bit too long, and she gave a wink that shocked me back into awareness.

I turned and stared right into the eyes of the man in the middle. "Alright, Forehead. Where am I and why am I here?"

The man balked for a moment, then burst out into another feeble chuckle. "Boy, you got guts, I'll give you that. My name's Fukurokuju. And I, along with these two here," He raised his arms to the side as if to indicate the people next to him, though it looked more like a shrug, "Are going to decide your fate for the rest of your life, if you are going to have one at all."

It was my turn to balk. "Excuse me, but I think I should have some say in what happens to me."

"It would be wise for you to listen, and not speak," the female said.

"I'd listen to her," the fat man added. "She is a goddess of wisdom after all."

I looked at the fat man, and let him know just what was going through my mind at the time. "I'll try to keep that in mind, Fatty."

"Fat and happy," the man corrected, much to my dismay. "But perhaps you best hold your tongue, lest you lose it."

"I think I'll keep my ton--" I was cut off suddenly, and felt the first pangs of true fear I had felt since entering this darkness. My tongue was suddenly gone. Like it had never existed.

"And here I thought you said he was smart," spoke the fat man. I was awestruck when I looked up at him. In his hands was a stick, seemingly no bigger than a toothpick in his hands due to his size. He held the stick over a fire, and it took my brain a few seconds to register what was on the end of the stick. He was roasting my tongue. Over an open fire. Even if I could speak properly, I don't think I could have managed words.

"Oh, Hotei. I think you broke him, poor thing. That was a little harsh, though. Even the smartest of men will do stupid things if they don't know all the facts. Then again, the smartest of men know when they don't have all the facts."

"Does that mean I can't eat his tongue?"

"Sure, you can. As long as you replace it. After all, he can't well defend himself or his actions if he doesn't have a tongue to speak with."

"Ah. Well," I watched helplessly as he swallowed my tongue, "Thanks for the meal!"

Thankfully I felt my tongue back in my mouth within moments, as if it had never been gone. It wasn't as if it had been ripped out and regrown. It was simply not there, and then it was. Still, nothing quite like not having a tongue to make you grateful for having one.

"Well, speak up," Fukurokuju said, but I kept silent I was too afraid of what would happen next. "Ah, I was afraid of that. Hotei, how many centuries have you been a god? You should know better than to behave that way."

"So...you really are gods?" I spoke up, meekly. I could feel my voice wavering. I was truly terrified of the beings before me now. Though somehow, deep down, I knew that there was someone else I was more terrified of. I don't know why that thought crossed through my mind at that moment, but...

"Yes, we are three of the seven gods known as the Seven Lucky Gods. As I said before, I am Fukurokuju, god of longevity. This is Lady Benten, goddess of wisdom, and Hotei, god of happiness. If you like, you can call me Forehead. It's easier to remember, after all." He laughed his feeble laugh once more, and I could help but smile a little, despite myself. "Now, to the matter at hand. You are here because you saw something you shouldn't. Something that must remain in the spiritual world, and not in the mortal world. If you have anything to say, say it now. If not, you may choose between imprisonment in our world, having us alter your mind so as to pose no threat to us, or death."

"All because I saw Tamamo's ears? I have to choose between imprisonment or death because someone else showed me something I wasn't supposed to see?"

"Wait, I thought he was here because he saw the kitsune send us the old lecher in the hotel?" Hotei spoke up.

"Oh, my. This complicates matters. We were only aware that you had seen her capture the creature. You say you saw her ears?"

"Yeah, I-"

"There's a fourth option, if you're willing. It will be hard, though, and your life will still never be the same." Benten finally spoke up, suddenly seeming alarmingly serious in contrast to her relaxed attitude earlier. "We can make you a spirit. If you are a part of this world, and abide by its laws, then there is less risk of you exposing it. You will still be able to interact with the mortal world as you always have, and move around freely. However, know this: if you agree to this, and you still do something that endangers this world, the punishment will be far more severe than what we offer now."

"You are sweet on him, aren't you?"

"Silence, Hotei. You are still a child. Sometimes I wonder why you were allowed to be a part of us."

"Hush, now, Benten. Hotei. And let us listen."

"May I ask a question?"

"You may." Forehead smiled, a slight smile directed at me that he seemed to keep hidden from the others.

"What made you change your mind? Why are you suddenly willing to let me be a part of your world, when you were so eager to end my life to protect it before?"

Fukurokuju chuckled again. He seemed to have predicted my question. From the looks of it, Benten had too, and she had a look I would go so far as to call admiration in her eye. She smiled and answered, "Because you're already a part of it."

***

I wouldn't be able to resume my life for some time, though exactly how long was unsure, they said. I'd be living in a manor as a guest, located somewhere in the mountains of Europe. There, I would be instructed and trained, given lectures on history and culture that any child of the spirit world would have been given. Arrangements were to be made to ensure that my place in life would not be lost unduly. Should I remain longer than my allotted vacation time, which was likely, another spirit would take my place in my job for a time, posing as me. Normally I would have objected to this, but I was too dumbfounded when they told me to argue.

I still didn't understand what they said about me already being part of the spirit world. I was never afforded the chance to ask about it, either. I wondered if it might have something to do with the two worlds comment Tamamo had made, but I didn't know if I would ever see her again to ask.

The door I stepped through when it appeared seemed like a perfectly normal, if overly ornate door. Its appearance belied its impact on my life, for it was the doorway to a very strange, new future. My future.