Monster Girls: Kitsune In The City

Aina pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders and huddled against the rain. How had she managed to forget her umbrella at home and her wallet at work? She grumbled quietly to herself as she walked faster. She would've gone back for her wallet and the train pass therein but she had already been staying late and the place was locked tight after she was out the door. The train usually took her from the heart of Tokyo to the Jiyugaoka station. On her feet, it was better than three hours to get home. Her body shivered and she gave a great sneeze.

"Today of all days. Big account on a short deadline. Can't afford to get sick." She groaned, looking up at the dark grey sky.

The sidewalks were largely empty besides herself. Only a few few cars buzzed by during her walk. It was a cold September evening and it had started drizzling around midday. She continued shuffling along, almost back to her apartment when she saw something odd.

A streak of orange-red disappeared around the corner ahead of her and down a side alley. She hurried her step and looked down where it had gone. Hidden in a knocked over trash can, a small red fox huddled out of the rain. Aina was immediately curious and crouched down beside it. She had always had a soft spot for things cute and fuzzy.

The fox cringed back further into the can and whimpered softly. It held its paw tightly against its chest and stared fearfully at Aina. Its entire body shuddered in fear and cold.

"How did you get here? Did you come all the way from the mountains?" Aina asked, holding a hand down slowly.

The fox tried to get further away from her. She pulled back her hand and looked closer. Its injured paw was pretty clear and Aina felt sympathy for the little creature. She didn't want to do it, but the poor thing needed help. So she pulled her coat off and held it out in her arms, "Come on now. I won't hurt you. I can help."

Her words seemed to have got it to pay attention. It sniffed and stepped forward slowly. Aina held very still and let it smell around her coat. She nodded, "Go on. I've got somewhere warm you can stay."

The fox apparently trusted what she was saying because it crawled into her coat, very wary of its paw, and curled itself up tightly. She wrapped the coat up softly around it and held it close to her chest. It shivered pitifully in her arms and burrowed its nose in the folds of her coat.

"Let's get you home." Aina hurried along, trying to be gentle with the injured fox.

Twenty minutes to get home, and she climbed the stairs to her third floor apartment door. It took a bit of juggling to keep the wet and whimpering fox cradled in one arm while getting out her keys. Once she was inside, she sighed happily, "Finally home. Let's see about getting you dry, little guy."

The fox raised its muzzle to the warm air and turned to her. Aina was surprised to see its eyes were a shockingly bright sky blue. There was an intelligence behind them that captivated her. This fox was something special. It would've been bad luck to leave it to its fate out there.

Once she had gotten the fox settled down in a dry bed of a blanket and a towel, she gingerly looked over its injury. It was then she realized that it was hurt far worse than a cut paw. It had been into a bout with some large animal because hidden in the wet mat of its fur was a terrible gash. Once the rain stopped washing it away, the blood started to darken its fur.

Aina had a moment of panic and called an emergency veterinarian while holding the towel tightly over the wound.

The vet showed up quickly and tended to the fox. They marveled at how it had stayed alive so long and how lucky Aina was. No time was wasted though and soon the fox was stitched up. The vet gave it a pill hidden in a little piece of meat. He then gave Aina a bottle of six more and told her to feed it one a day.

"Thank you." Aina bowed to the vet.

"Look in your email for the bill. Call my office if you need to work out payments. We have options for emergencies." He said as he left.

Aina sighed as her door closed. She knelt down beside the sleeping fox and looked at the shaven spot on its side where ten stitches were holding the wound closed. What had inflicted such a terrible wound? Maybe a neighborhood dog?

Whatever did it, the fox was safe now. She got up and headed into the bathroom to get out of her damp clothes and have a bath. She'd been wearing them since she got home more than an hour ago.

In the mirror, she looked herself over. Her short black hair was plastered to her face and still dripping. She had been wearing relatively nice business attire made up of a charcoal skirt and coat over a teal blouse. She was pretty but not really above average. Guys at her work took notice sometimes but she didn't turn tons of heads. The only thing that stood out was due to her largely sedentary job, she had a bit of a plump butt on her. Nothing obscene, but it did cause her heart to pang in desperation a bit every time a skirt or a pair of pants made her hold her breath to fit into it.

As she slipped out of her wet clothes and got them in the little washer in the corner of her bathroom, she sneezed powerfully and groaned.

She'd be sick for sure.

*******

The next morning, Aina's fear had been confirmed. Her nose was stuffed and her head throbbed. It didn't matter though, she couldn't afford to stay home. She doggedly forced herself through her morning routine, stopping two or three times to check on the little fox. It was doing well but was unwilling to move. She decided the towel would be an okay sacrifice if the fox needed to do its business.

Drawing out a little piece of cold chicken, she pushed a pill into a cut of it. The fox ate it with a quick snap of its jaws.

Aina giggled, "Hungry, aren't you? Well, how about some more?"

She slowly tore the piece of chicken from last night's dinner into shreds and fed it to the fox. By the last piece of chicken, the fox was getting full. She held it out and the fox seemed to debate eating it. Apparently it knew it needed food to recover its strength and it swallowed down the last piece with a lazy bite.

"Good fox. I forgot to ask if you're a girl or a boy. I guess we'll find that out later. Don't panic or get lonely. I'll be back later." She gently rubbed the fox between the ears. It accepted her touch happily and lazed back into the fluffy towel and blankets.

She sniffled, wrapped a coat tightly around herself, and slipped on a sick mask. It wouldn't do to share this with anyone at work. With a few yen coin from her change jar in hand for the train, she headed off to work.

It was miserable. Her head hurt all day and her cold didn't get any better. Her co-workers expressed a polite concern for her but none of them really cared. Even if they didn't say it, she could tell. They just wanted to make sure she was getting her part of the work done, that they wouldn't be expected to pick up the slack. That was fair. She wasn't certain she would feel much differently if the roles were switched. She had a professional relationship with them, not a personal one. The most personal she got was the occasional work party with drinks and food.

Thankfully though, the train delivered her close to home and the rain had broken during the day so the walk was dry. She got home and slumped through the door. Her feet barely managed to carry her to the couch and she fell onto it. The headache had upgraded itself to full body ache.

There was a soft sound and a wet tongue lapped at her fingers. She just about jumped out of her skin and looked down to see the fox sitting at her side. It was staring intently at her and then glanced at the door. It looked back at her and then turned to the door again.

"You want out? Alright. Just come back. You're still hurt so you need to rest." Aina groaned, pushing herself up off the couch. Everything screamed at her to lay back down and her mind clouded with the ache. She pushed through it and opened the door. The fox slipped out quickly and headed for the stairs. It seemed to understand completely. Aina knew there had to be something special about that fuzzball.

She shrugged it off and went to get undressed. A hot bath sounded monumentally good right now. She didn't bother taking the time to wash herself before filling the tub and slipping into it. Her body sighed a long relief as the heat eased her muscles.

It took some time but she eventually decided that sleep would prove better than continuing her bath. She heaved herself to her feet, her chest catching and throwing her forward in a hacking cough. She grabbed at the edge of the tub and wheezed. Her head spun as she pulled a ragged breath and dragged herself out of the tub. She got a towel and gave herself a half hearted drying.

As she left the bathroom, there was a slight scrabbling at the door. She wobbled to it and let the fox back in. It gave a little yip of excitement and tottered into the living room. Bad luck to leave it outside, so perhaps there would be good luck in it staying. A weak smile touched Aina, "Guess you're going to stick around. Alright."

She reached into her fridge in passing and retrieved a piece of cooked sausage. The fox looked up and wagged its tail excitedly. Unlike a dog, it had a larger, fluffier tail so the wagging was little more than a wiggle through its length. She dropped it in front of the fox before slumping into her bedroom. Any strength recovered by the bath had been sapped by her short walk and her legs shook as she knelt into her futon. She curled up tightly and dragged the covers over her head, slipping into a fevered sleep.

*******

Her sleep was restless and not helpful at all. It was troubled by strange dreams full of nightmarish sights, difficult sounds, and terrible stenches. It went on for hours and every time she opened her eyes, the room was still dark around her. It felt like the night dragged on and on and on. Sleep seemed to last forever but everytime she looked at the clock, only minutes had passed. Her body was coated in sweat and yet she shivered despite the heavy blankets across her.

Sometime in the morning though, it stopped for some reason. She swore she felt a soft hand on her head. Her dreams just vanished and she sunk deeper into an actually restful dark.

When her eyes finally creaked open, she could see morning light streaming through her bedroom window. Her throat burned and her body was still fevered. But the sleep had helped keep her sane.

A glance at the clock sent a jolt of panic through her. It was well past nine and she usually got to work shortly after eight. She hurled of the sheets and there was a yowl as the fox curled up on the futon at her side was shoved over.

"I'm late!" Aina yelled in panic.

She leapt to her feet and hurried out of her room. Her body burned with the fever but she couldn't miss work. She couldn't miss the deadlines. People were counting on her. She hurried into the bathroom and tried to clean up her face and hair as best she could. She went back to her bedroom and forced herself to climb into clean clothes. Her head swam and she almost fell over twice before she stumbled back out of the bedroom and to the doorway.

The fox was staring at her as she grabbed her things and stopped at the front door to get her shoes on. The motion of bending for her laces over was the last thing her dizzy head could handle and, in her rush, she toppled headlong into the door. Pain, sharp and agonizing, radiated through her scalp as she collapsed on the floor. Her aching body gave nothing but complaint and ignored all her panicked attempts to move. She gave a hoarse scream and started to cry.

"Damn it! Why did I have to get sick now?" She sobbed weakly. Her body had no strength. The sleep had done her immense good and she had squandered it in the fleeting terror of absence. Now she couldn't even raise her throbbing head off the floor and she could only hope that she hadn't split her skull on the door.

The last coherent thought before darkness washed over her was one that she should never go to sleep if you think you have a concussion. She might not wake back up. It wasn't a comforting one.

Black.

She did however wake back up. In her bed. That was strange. Had it all been a nightmare? She managed a look at the clock beside her futon and cringed. Ten thirty. Surely it had been a dream because she was back in bed. Even if it hadn't been, she was definitely late now. She groaned and tried to sit up.

As she did, her bedroom door opened and a cute girl with punkish short russet hair and vibrant blue eyes entered. She was wearing Aina's bathrobe but she was smaller than Aina so it hung on her. She looked to be just out of school, as she still had that teenage lankiness to her stride but her face had the maturity of post teen years. Her body was lithe and taut like that of an athlete. She carried a bowl of steaming food and looked down at Aina, "Please stay in bed, miss. You are terribly sick and you've made it worse. I don't know why you keep trying to get up but you need rest."

"Who... Who are you?" Aina said as she clutched at her blankets. She had been fully undressed beneath them and she had to have every blanket in her house piled on her. She barely managed to raise her head to stare.

The girl held the arm with the bowl across her body and drew open the side of the robe to expose three long gashes across her ribcage that were held closed by ten small stitches. The stitches were spread and looked stretched as though they had been made too small... or perhaps stitched into a smaller body and stretched to fit this moderately larger one. She smiled, "A life saved is a life owed to its savior."

It was then Aina noticed the white tipped ears sticking out of her fluffy russet hair. She tied the robe deftly without spilling the bowl and came to kneel beside Aina. The bowl smelled of rice porridge and sweet honey. Aina could see a long, fluffy fox tail hanging behind her beneath the robe.

"Whaa... What... You..." Aina stammered in awe. The fox girl took advantage of her gaping mouth and pushed in a spoonful of warmth. It tasted good. Really good. Rice gruel was simple to make but difficult to make taste that good. It had more than just honey in it. There were hints of spring spices and the honey didn't just taste sweet. It had a delightful flowery taste that set her tongue to tingling. Her body started to relax immediately upon taking the first bite. It seeped from her belly and to her limbs. A gentle strength slowly trickled back into her and she took another bite offered by the fox girl.

"Now please miss, do stay in bed today. You need to recover." She said, feeding Aina another bite.

"But my work." Aina started.

"You must stay. You need your rest. You told me the same." The fox girl sighed.

Aina groaned and looked over at her nightstand. She nodded, "Alright. Fine. But give me my phone."

"This thing?" She grabbed the little cellular from the nightstand. Aina took it with a weak hand and dialed her work.

It rang twice and then a professional voice spoke up, "Hello?"

"Mister Matsumoto. This is Aina Tsukima. I am too ill to make it into work today." Aina said quietly.

"Tsukima? In the future, I would appreciate a call before company hours. However, considering your condition I will let it slide this time. Be sure to take care of yourself. When do you think you'll be able to return?" Matsumoto didn't sound angry or annoyed. In fact, there was a tone of relief in his voice as if he had been worried about her.

"Umm... Since its Friday, I'll be able to rest over the weekend and return Monday. Please tell everyone how sorry I am. I know we had that big project and, due to my sickness, I'm slacking on it. I just need to feel better and I'll be back." Aina said, her voice weak and full of regret.

"See that you do. Your coworkers were concerned about your sickness." He said in a fatherly tone of reproach.

Aina frowned, "I-I was wearing a mask. Nobody was going to get sick."

"That was not their concern. You work yourself very hard. You are an example of determination around here. Nobody wants to see you fall further ill because of your work ethic. Take care of yourself, Tsukima." And he hung up.

Flabbergasted. Aina was flabbergasted. A good English word for it. She had never thought herself some extremely hard worker. She just always tried to keep up with what was asked of her and she tried to lend a hand to any struggling coworker. That was what a good employee was supposed to do. She set the phone aside and snuggled up to her neck in her blankets. She owed it to her coworkers to honor their concerns and recover as soon as possible.

"So you will remain?" The girl sighed, her eyes showing plenty of worry.

"Mhmm. Thank you for what you've done." Aina said, looking up at her.

Her fox ears twitched and she visibly relaxed. She held up another spoon, "You needn't thank me ma'am. My life will forever be yours. Anything you need me to do, I am here. If you want me to return to being your pet, I am more than happy to do so. I will reside with you and your home for as along as you allow."

Aina had to let that sink in. This fox spirit was pledging herself and her blessings because Aina saved her. Good luck be damned, this was divine intervention. She was nearing middle age and hadn't ever had a family beyond her estranged father. She lived alone and never made time for friends. Her eyes drifted to down the fox girl. She was pretty cute and Aina had glanced more than once at young women like her. Would she be offended if...

"That look in your eyes. I know what you're thinking." The fox girl's voice broke through her thoughts.

A deep blush rose to Aina's fevered cheeks. She glanced away, "You... You do?"

"Yes." She nodded, "And if that's what you want... I am giving myself to you completely. I will submit."

"No!" Aina squealed and sat up quickly. Bad idea. Her head swam abruptly and she slumped back in bed, pain washing over her aching body. She managed to groan out, "Not if you don't want to. We can just be friends. I don't want to make you. That's no way to have a relationship."

The fox pursed her lips and then broke into a small smile, "Then let me care for you, and we'll see where things go."

That brought a warm flutter to Aina's heart. In love with an adorable fox girl. Who would've thought it could happen to a woman like her?

"Hey, what's your name?" Aina asked.

"I call myself Syp. I am a Kitsune of the healing flame. I'm not powerful or important enough to have my own shrine or to be the God of a place. I am just a wandering spirit." She said and fed Aina another delightful bite.

"I'm Aina. Thank you for being my friend." Aina have her a bright smile.

Syp finished feeding her the bowl and left the room. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into a sleepy haze. She was just drifting off when the blankets moved and a very warm, very naked body pressed up against hers.

"Umm... Syp?" Aina looked over to see her at her side.

"I am not powerful enough to give you a proper blessing. But being near me should help you. You need to stay warm and comfortable to recover. I will help." Syp said quietly, wrapping an arm across Aina and squeezing close to her side.

She couldn't deny it. Syp's body was wonderfully warm compared to a normal person and she felt herself relax further with the second body in the small bed. She returned Syp's embrace and closed her eyes again. God must truly be smiling upon her for this turn in fortunes. Syp might think herself weak, but someone so kind and caring itself was a grand blessing to her life.

Aina decided to stay in bed all day. She slept off and on, greatly appreciating Syp's warm company. By the time the Kitsune got up to get her something to eat for dinner, she was feeling back to how she had that morning. Her head wasn't throbbing anymore and she managed to teeter into the bathroom without hurting herself.