SotE - Shinoa's bonding (Patreon)

Two JIDA soldiers were standing guard on the outskirts of town, looking at the sun setting.

"This shift's not so bad. At least we got a view this time." The taller of the two remarked. He had short black hair and a slight stubble. He was 20 years of age, and had only been part of JIDA for a year. But his buff physique and impressive reflexes had helped him surge through the ranks.

"Yeah, and it beats going out on recon." His brown haired comrade replied. He was in his mid-twenties, and belonged to the same platoon as his taller friend. The two hit it off instantly, and had watched each other’s backs on several occasions.

"Hey, the moon demon company gets all the perks. It's only fair they risk their necks the most as well." The dark haired man replied.

"Fair point. Oh, there they come." 

Shinoa Hiragi and the rest of her squad were approaching the gate the soldiers were guarding, driving towards them at great in a pair of jeeps.

"Guess the recon went smoothly, no wounded." The brown haired man remarked.

"Yeah, that'll no doubt lead to another embellished story to grace the Hiragi clan." The tall, dark haired man said annoyed. "I swear, if that Shinoa chick keeps roaming around with that smug look on her face for much longer, I'm going to assault her one day."

"I wouldn't go that far, but I'll admit that the Hiragi family has grown far beyond its britches lately. They keep strutting around like they own the damn country! Those downcasting glares all the time make me sick, thinking they're so superior over the rest of us."

"It's all gear and manpower anyways, their supposed 'superiority'. They hoard all the best equipment, and poach the most promising cadets for their own and thus solidify their position. And no one stops them." The tall soldier said, gritting his teeth.

"Because you get eliminated just for trying."

"Well I for one feel taking down one of them shouldn't be that hard. Take that Shinoa brat for example. How hard can it be to put her in her place when she's not hiding inside one of the countless Hiragi mansions? Man I start smiling just from thinking about wiping that smug look off her face."

The shorter of the two JIDA soldiers rubbed his chin. "Well, if you think about it, all you need is a set of plain clothes, maybe a mask, some secluded place, and good timing. With all of that you can snatch her up, humiliate her, and she'd never know you were actually a soldier she could track down and court martial."

"That's a good point actually…" The black haired man replied, stroking the handle of his katana. "If I manage to catch her off guard and prevent her from activating her demon weapon, she's basically just an ordinary girl."

"You’re really thinking about doing this?" The brown haired soldier replied surprised.

"You think I shouldn't?"

"Well I'm not one for taking large risks, even with a reward this alluring. But I've seen you fight, you definitely have the stones to pull this off."

The tall soldier chuckled. "Thanks I guess."

"I'll help cover for you though, it's the least I can do for you exacting revenge on that purple haired brat."

"Cover for me?"

"Yeah, how about you wait with springing your trap until we get another shift like this? I'll report you as being present the whole time, that way you'll have an alibi."

"Sounds good. Guess I'll start preparing my materials then." The tall, rugged soldier said smirkingly as he saw the last of the sun's rays disappear behind the horizon."

Several days later, the tall soldier with his grudge against the Hiragi clan finally had all the pieces in place. He'd commandeered a humvee and scouted out an abandoned mansion where he could transport his target to. He was wearing simple jeans and a T-shirt, combined with brand new running shoes to ensure both stealth and footmarks that couldn't be identified.

The JIDA soldier hid himself on Hiragis usual route from the cantine to the outskirts of town. For some odd, unknown to him reason, the purplette would often go and stare at the sunset all by herself, probably enjoying the view in peace. 

But not this evening, because as soon as the young purplette had reached beyond shouting distance, the JIDA soldier pounced.

He sprinted towards her from his hideout and charged Shinoa full force. The purplette picked up on the footsteps nearing her, but before she could get her stance ready or even take out her pendant, the man had rushed her and wrestled the petite girl to the ground.

"Who are-mppff!!" The young girl tried to ask, only to have her assailant press his hand firmly over her mouth as he used his full weight to pin down her legs and one of her arms. Her only remaining limb being her left arm, Shinoa tried to sock this apparent civilian in the jaw. But he dodged her with surprising agility and pressed two strips of tape over her mouth to keep her quiet enough to move on.

"hmmnnn!!" The purple haired girl yelled into the tape as she tried squirming out from underneath the tall man. But she couldn't bridge the considerable gap in strength, and soon found herself turned face down with her arms forced behind her back by means of several wraps of the sturdy grey tape.

Her legs were next, the man using several feet of tape to bind them together at the ankles and thighs, rendering the young purplette nearly immobile and in no shape to put up much of a fight anymore.

To her humiliation, the tall man then picked her up with ease, slung her over his shoulder and carried her back to the standard issue Humvee he had secured.

This was way easier than I thought! I she really an elite soldier? She barely put up a fight! That useless punching and kicking had almost no strength behind it. Guess she really is just an ordinary girl without that monstrous tool she got through family means…

Once the soldier had reached his Humvee, he threw his captive into the back and climbed in afterwards, brandishing his roll of tape.

Shinoa's eyes widened, trying to kick at her kidnapper and make her way out of the massive vehicle.

But he caught her legs and wrapped them in even more tape, covering her shins and thighs some more until they were completely stuck together without an inch of wriggle room.

The soldier moved on to wrap Shinoa's upper body in more tape as well, pinning her arms to her back by tightly pulling a long strip of tape around, both above and below her modest chest. After that he wrapped his hated fellow soldier's lower face in even more tape, muting her muffled protests even further.

"hmf mmrr mmn mfff-hnn (what are you doing)?!" The purplette protested as more and more of her freedom was robbed from her. She tried her best to squirm and kick at him, hoping to make her kidnapper's work as difficult as possible and maybe even attract attention of some passersby.

But deep down the purple haired young woman realized that was idle hope. She specifically chose this route because it allowed her to avoid all of those judgemental stares from her fellow soldiers, to escape the glares and scowls that resulted from being part of the Hiragi family.

Is he a victim of the vampire war perhaps? Maybe he lost his family and wants to take revenge at one of the soldiers. It would explain him going after someone who looked like she wouldn't put up much of a fight. Boy is he going to be surprised when he finds out who I am… But not before I give this jerk a nosebleed at least! The young soldier thought determined, awaiting her chance to aim another kick at his face.

But her chance never came, because her assailant suddenly rolled her onto her stomach and rested his knee on her back to continue wrapping up her body.

"hmmmnnnn!" Shinoa groaned distraught. That ass! This is no way to treat a lady!

In the end Shinoa remained powerless to prevent or even slow her kidnapper down in rendering her almost completely immobile. When he was finally satisfied with wrapping the petite young girl in tape, he scooted her towards the middle of the trunk and taped her down with even more strips of the sticky grey adhesive. He then climbed into the driver’s seat, and set off.

After a few minutes rolling through the uneven and empty streets, the man stopped in front of a large abandoned villa. Shinoa had never stopped her struggling in the back of that Humvee. She had guessed her captor to be working alone, so if she could loosen up her bindings enough during the ride, then maybe she could catch him off guard when he opened up the trunk. A few feet worth of distance and one free arm was all she’d need to bring out her demon weapon and secure her victory.

But the purple haired girl had to give up on her plan quite quickly. Because no matter what she tried, the tape covering her almost from head to toe just wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t even thrash about enough to dislodge the strips pinning her in the middle of the trunk, let alone work loose the ones actually restraining her.

Whoever that guy is, he thought this through. Using tape was the fastest and most versatile way to tie me up, and it prevents me from wriggling free like you could do with ropes. So despite being up against military personnel, his element of surprise was all he needed to take me down.

Realizing that didn’t help the purplette however. If anything it annoyed her even more. She couldn’t stop wondering how a civilian had even managed to get his hands on extensive suppliers like these, chief of all a military vehicle. His motives were equally enigmatic, and the young girl swore to herself to try and trick her assailant into giving those up.

When the car stopped, the purplette halted her fidgeting and prepared for the moment that man would open up the trunk and lift her out. For a brief moment she contemplated trying to kick him in the head as he leaned forward and then making an escape. But judging by the ride, he had taken her far enough from the military campsite that she wouldn’t be able to return on foot… especially if both of them were taped together, not to mention the rest of her body.

About a minute after the engine cut off, the trunk opened and the last rays of the sun shone into the purple haired damsel’s eyes, making her squint at the tall man cutting the tape pinning her to the boot and picking her up.

“hmrrr.” The purplette groaned annoyed at her continued helplessness, not even bothering to squirm her way off of his shoulder.

Surprised at his captive’s lack of resistance, the dark haired soldier calmly carried Shinoa into the massive abandoned mansion. Don’t tell me her spirit is already broken? This won’t even be any fun if she starts begging for mercy straight away. I want to humiliate her somewhat at least.

Once inside, he roughly dropped her onto the hardwood floor.

“Hmmmn! (Owww!)” She moaned, immediately rolling around the floor to resume her struggles.

The man calmly towered over her, enjoying the show she was putting on. Her struggles and muted groaning was pleasing him to no end.

So, no timid damsel just yet. Perfect. This is exactly what a Hiragi member deserves! How does it feel to be powerless? Frustrating, frightening? Go on, keep wailing at me, and moan at me to be released. He thought triumphantly, barely suppressing a smirk as Shinoa bumped into his leg by accident.

After a few minutes, the purplette calmed down. She was panting heavily by now, but the tape had held its ground completely. She glared at her captor for just standing there and mocking her.

“mmhh mmff mmmn mmgg (take of this gag)!” She demanded.

The man complied, though not because she asked him to. He simply wanted to humiliate the purplette a little more, and that would work best if she could respond to his taunts.

He kneeled down in front of the slender girl and ripped the tape covering Shinoa’s face.

“Who are you? What is your goal to all this?” The purplette immediately demanded to know.

“You don’t have to worry about any of that.” The raven haired man replied calmly. “The real question you should be asking is: how is it possible you got captured so easily, despite being a member of the high and mighty, prestigious ‘Hiragi family’.” The muscular man said with no small amount of contempt.

His captive looked at him through narrow eyes.

The Hiragi family? That’s why he captured me?! Because of my clan? Well that settles it, this guy is nothing but a JIDA soldier with an extreme case of jealousy. And here I thought I had a real vendetta on my hands, this is just the same old grudge of the lower classes!

“What does my clan have to do with me lying on this filthy floor covered in tape?!”

“Me and several friends simply think it was high time your clan was taken down a peg or two. The Hiragis aren’t anything special in my opinion. You cling to your position at the top through hoarding of power and resorting to dirty tactics. You are as much of a threat to our species as the vampires are.” The tall man insulted.

The purplette below him grinned confidently. “Judging by that speech, I’d have to conclude you are a soldier. One of many who probably lost a comrade and decided to blame it to the top brass rather than his own lack of skill.”

Her captor gritted his teeth. “Arrogant as always.”

“It’s not arrogance when you’re pointing out the obvious.” Shinoa retorted. “But with you being a JIDA soldier, surely you must realize how much trouble you are in for kidnapping me?”

The man frowned at her. It was clear his captive was anything but intimidated or scared, and it annoyed him to no end.

“You’re in no position to be wearing such a smug look. As long as you don’t know who I am I have nothing to worry about. The JIDA army is vast, you’ll never spot me again once I’ve donned my uniform and gotten my hair cut.”

But to his surprise (and frustration), his supposed ‘damsel in distress’ began laughing confidently.

“I don’t have to. I’ll just have to look at the records of today’s surprise headcount.”

The muscular man flinched. “Headcount? There’s a headcount today?” He asked, trying to mask his nervousness.

“Oh, so you know what those are at least?” The purplette mocked, delighted at having managed to turn the situation in her favour at least a little. “Yes, there will be one in about an hour or two. Normally soldiers aren’t privy to the time and place of a headcount, but being part of the ‘prestigious Hiragi clan’ has it’s perks.” She grinned mischievously.

“You’re bluffing.” Her kidnapper retorted, though the trembling in his voice now betrayed he was worried about this news.

“I might be; guess you’ll find out when you get back tonight.”

By now the man was having trouble keeping himself in check. The way Shinoa kept taunting him was gradually getting on his nerves, and his frustration only grew when his captive made even more demands.

“Now how about you untie my legs? I need to go to the bathroom.” She said calmly.

“Tsk. Like that’s gonna work.”

“It’s true!” Shinoa said annoyed. “I really need to go! Look, I’ll even promise not to make a fuss if you just free my legs, it’s that urgent!”

“Just piss yourself.” Was the brash comeback.

“Ewww.” The purplette moaned in disgust. “I can’t believe I got kidnapped by a perv who’s into that stuff.” She said with pretend dismay.

“You little brat!” The dark haired soldier said, finally losing his temper and slapping her in the face.

“OW! Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing you big brute! That HURT!”

“A spanking is supposed to hurt. It’s the only way to teach brats how to behave.” The tall man countered, slapping her butt next and then barging out of the house to make the headcount. 

He had checked out the place thoroughly beforehand, there was nothing in there Shinoa could use to free herself. There was nothing wrong with leaving her to squirm and tire herself out for a few hours.

Maybe a bit of isolation will fix that big mouth of hers. He thought angrily as he climbed into the Humvee and raced back to the basecamp.

Inside the mansion meanwhile, Shinoa was left lying on the ground, seething with anger at both her stinging jaw and butt, but also because her ‘bathroom break’ plan had failed so completely.

“I am definitely, DEFINITELY finding out that bastard’s identity. I’ll have him transferred to guard duty of my older brother’s headquarters and go up to insult him for the rest of his miserable life!”

She rolled onto her stomach and from there on manoeuvred herself onto her knees through great effort and lots of frustrated grunting. The tape wrapped around her arms and legs creaked with every move she made, but it gave no signs of letting up.

“Right then. It should take at least another hour for the headcount to start. And after that it’ll be an hour and a half before that jerk can safely sneak off base again. That should buy me enough time to figure out an escape plan.

After rocking back and forth a little, Shinoa managed to heave herself to her feet. The purplette hopped a couple of steps to prevent the momentum from making her crash back down again, and finally steadied herself.

“Pfewww. That’s going to get old real soon. Guess I better take care not to slip and fall again.”

She looked around the hallway of the deserted mansion. There were stairs and a door each on the left and right walls.

“Guess I’ll start exploring…”

Shinoa’s first destination was the kitchen. She figured it would be her best bet by far to find something useably sharp to cut herself free.

After hopping to the door on the left and fidgeting with the knob to gain entrance, she found a living room behind it. The purplette peered inside, and spotted it lead towards a room with a white tiled floor.

“That’ll be the kitchen I bet.” She said to herself, hopping her way into the living room.

The young woman was so focused on her goal she never noticed the large rug lying in the middle of the living room. Because of that, when one of her hops landed her onto the fluffy rug, she was taken by surprise by the difference in underground and lost her balance. The thin layer of dust spread along the floor also helped make the rug a bit more slippery than normal, and the force of her landing made the woven material slide forward.

“Aaaahhh!” Shinoa shrieked as she felt her legs sliding out from underneath her.

What happened next felt like it played by in slow motion. The heavily taped up purplette felt herself falling towards the ground, but with her limbs so constrained she was forced to let gravity do its work and prepare for the unfriendly reunion of her butt and the floor.

*BAM*

“OWWWW!!” The young woman moaned, rolling onto her side and rubbing her butt with her hands as best she could for a little while.

“I’m crawling the rest of the way.” She muttered surly. “I am NOT risking another spank like that one!”

After worming her way onto the white kitchen floor, mewling a little as the cold tiles brushed the bare skin of her thighs not covered by either tape or stockings, she decided to crawl to her feet again.

But even after making her way around the entire kitchen, she found nothing that could be of help. In fact, she found nothing at all.

Every single drawer and cupboard had been completely emptied, save for cobwebs and dust. This house wasn’t just vacant; it had been ransacked.

“Great, that’s 30 minutes of my precious escape time down the drain…” The purplette muttered annoyed. “And a lot of my energy wasted. Hopping around and flailing with your arms in search of handles or knobs is a lot more tiring than you’d think.”

The tightly taped soldier hopped her way back to the living room and bounced onto the sofa for a brief moment of rest on something comfier than hard wooden floorboard.

“I guess since the headcount hasn’t even started yet, I can take a short breather like this. No sense exhausting myself trying to get out of this tape and then having no strength left to wield my demon weapon…”

So Shinoa spent the better part of 15 minutes calmly lying on her side on the fluffy couch, doing her best to ignore the creaking of the tape very time she so much as twitched.

When she felt a bit more rested, she clambered to her feet again. Guess I’ll check upstairs…

But that was easier said than done. With her wrists taped together behind her back she stood no chance of using the banister for support. And mindlessly jumping up the steps was a certain way to end up with a broken neck.

All of which meant the purple haired girl had only one real way to mount the stairs: sit on her tush and bump herself up one step at a time.

With each new step she cursed the tape holding her captive. She felt like a child climbing steps for the first time.

“This better be worth the trip. If I get up there and not find anything useful, I might throw a tantrum.” She groaned angrily as her 7th bump brought her past the halfway point.

Once she reached the first floor, she crawled towards the very first door in sight. It had been left open ever so slightly, and a hefty kick from her combined legs made it swing open. She peered into the darkness, and quickly discerned it to be an ordinary room.

“No point wasting my time in there.” She concluded. “I’d be happy to find a broken coat hanger in there, and tape isn’t affected by lock picks.”

Her next discovery was the mansion’s largest bathroom. After crawling inside, she tried getting to her feet again and start looking for a means of escape again. 

However, this time her attempt went sour, in a big way.

After hopping to her feet on the shiny, tiled floor Shinoa lost her fotting and began wobbling a little.

“Ohh!” She gasped as she made a hop backwards to keep her balance. But the brief jump knocked the back of her legs into the side of the bathtub and completely tumbled her. “Kyaa!” The purplette shrieked as she tumbled into the bathtub with a painful “Owww!”

But even worse, thanks to the narrow yet high rim, the taped up Moon Demon officer had absolutely no wriggle room left in her. She kicked and squirmed with all her might, but the slippery porcelain bath simply made it impossible to get any grip and right herself again, much less climb over the high edge with both her legs taped together. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t get out.

The purplette’s cheeks began burning with embarrassment. “This can’t be happening. I’m stuck inside the freaking bath?!” She groaned annoyed. 

But that’s exactly what had happened. With her arms and legs firmly taped up, and the bathtub keeping her lying in one spot, poor Shinoa truly had nowhere left to go.

“I should’ve just remained lying in the hallway…” She muttered frustrated.

After an hour and a half of lying in her tub, thrashing around every so often to vent her frustrations, Shinoa heard the front door creaking open and slamming shut.

Immediately afterwards she heard her captor swearing loudly and roaming around the house. It took him a few minutes to reach the bathroom and find her lying inside the bathtub.

“What the-?” He said surprised.

“A little help here?” Shinoa said annoyed. “This isn’t exactly comfortable. And I’m not even talking about your stupid choice of restraint.”

“How did you get in here?”

“I searched the house for a means to escape of course. What else did you think I was going to do while you were wasting time on base? Lie in the hallway like a good little damsel?”

“Can’t blame a guy for having hopes.”

“Well consider your hopes crushed.”

“Not entirely… You don’t look like much of a free bird to me.” He mocked. “In fact you look more like a fish out of water.”

“Will you stop making fun of me and lift me out of this tub!” Shinoa groaned angrily. “I’m sore from lying in this awkward position for God knows how long!”

“Your own fault for not ‘lying in the hallway like a good little damsel.” The man countered as he hoisted the slender girl to her feet and dragged her back to the living room… by her hair.

“Oww! Hey! Ow! How about being a little less rough on our first date!” Shinoa taunted in between moans of pain as she struggled to climb to her feet and hop to match her captor’s pace.

“Tsk. You’re still not acknowledging the trouble you’re in? I don’t know if you’re foolish, spoiled, brave, or a mix of the three.” The tall man sneered angrily as he threw the purplette onto the mat in the living room, making her groan angrily as another bruise formed on her hip.

“And just so you know: I would never stoop as low as dating someone with the body of a child.”

“A child?!” The young soldier shrieked, losing her calm for just a moment at that low blow. “How dare you! I’m still growing!”

She had tried her best not to show it, but by bringing up her rather… conservative body shape, her captor’s remark had hit a sore spot.

Sadly for the purple haired girl, her captor had noticed the undertone of embarrassment in her voice. And it made him feel like he struck gold!

“Oh, are you really? I was beginning to suspect you for being a vampire. Most of my men remarked you haven’t developed at all over the past years.”

“Wow, big surprise: you lead a platoon of pervs.” The purplette countered annoyed.

The raven haired man smirked. Yep, her physique is definitely a red switch. I guess that smug attitude is a cover to hide her insecurity. No surprise, given her lack of sex-appeal at that age. She must be self-conscious about it. Guess I’ve been approaching this the wrong way…

“What, no comeback?” Shinoa sneered after her kidnapper remained silent. “If so, how about you take off this tape and get a move on? I’m bored with the foreplay.” 

“Take off the tape?” The rugged man repeated surprised. I see, she must be betting on getting enough freedom to summon her demon weapon. That means it’s still on her. I heard rumours about Shinoa’s weapon being really small when it was dormant, so I suppose it’s possible…

He kneeled beside his captive, but rather than remove the tape, he began frisking her.

“Wha- HEY!” The purple haired girl yelped as his hands travelled up and down her body. She began trying to squirm away to stop him, but her tape held strong.

The tall soldier started searching the pockets of her skirt, although Shinoa interpreted it as a stroking of her thighs. He next moved on to checking her vest, but to the purplette that felt like him groping her chest.

Shinoa closed her eyes, trying to ignore her captor’s hands invading her privacy, hoping he wouldn’t notice her becoming so flustered. She had to bite her lip to stifle her moans, just so her raven haired assailant wouldn’t notice she was secretly becoming aroused by his attention. All her crawling around and making the tape rub against her body so tightly had made her body incredibly sensitive. And this jerk wasn’t being tactful at all!

Eventually, the JIDA soldier found what he was looking for: A large black key-shaped pendant.

This must be it. He realized as he yanked the thing loose.

Crap! He found my demon weapon! That’s what this all was about?! The purplette thought, slightly disappointed at some level.

“So, you’re finally done groping my breasts?” She sneered.

“Which breasts?” The raven haired man taunted, making the purplette frown at him. “Don’t flatter yourself, you brat. There’s no way anyone would be interested in a flat, short, stuck up little bitch. Trust me, if I did this purely for fun, I would’ve nabbed Mitsuba. Now she has sex-appeal, with that lovely pair of funbags.”

“You are a pervert.” Shinoa insulted her captor, but she failed to hide from him the layer of jealousy at hearing him compliment her more voluptuous fellow soldier.

“And you are a child. Physically at least.”

“Stop saying that!” The young captive yelled annoyed, twisting in her tape and grunting angrily at her failure to make it budge.

“It’s true.”

“Not it’s not. I’m more mature than you, kidnapping women he has a grudge against!” Shinoa interjected, desperate to get some sort of grasp on the situation -and keep the subject away from her body-.

But all her captor did was chuckle. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should’ve ditched you and gone for Mitsuba after all. Not only does she have the body of a proper adult woman, she’s also a lot sweeter than you.”

“Oh, so now I’m too much to handle for you?”

“Oh not at all. I mean you’re still pointlessly squirming on the ground after all. I’m just trying to say that I’m starting to feel I wasted my time snatching you up when there was a proper lady up for grabs.”

“Why do you keep comparing me to Mitsuba. It’s not fair!” Shinoa finally cried frustrated. All this talking about her body was making her feel terribly flustered. “I can’t help the way my body is shaped, and I don’t care that much about it either!”

That was a blatant lie, of course she felt insecure about her lack of femininity. But she was fervently hoping for her badmouthing captor not to see through her lie. 

“I guess I can understand why this makes you uncomfortable.” The tall and muscular man jeered, feeling strangely empowered by seeing his hated captive so worked up by him jabbing away at her sore spot “I mean, you must know better than anyone just how much sexier Mitsuba is than you. No doubt you’ve changed together so you’ve seen first-hand how badly she outclasses you.”

He then kneeled down again and pinched her butt. “This flat tush for example. Completely lacking in form or substance…”

“STOP IT!” The purplette shrieked, finally breaking down at this newest blow to her pride and invasion of her privacy… She couldn’t take it anymore.

First she’d gotten kidnapped and tied up just because she was part of a family she herself hated to the bone. And now the lowlife responsible kept bringing her down on her number one insecurity!

“Just stop it. Please. I won’t tell anyone about any of this. Just let me go and we’ll pretend none of this ever happened.” She pleaded.

But to her despair, the tall soldier began laughing again.

“What’s wrong? We were having such lovely banter! That’s what you and the Hiragis enjoy, isn’t it? Mocking the lower classes, making fun of them as you crush them underfoot? Are you not having fun now just because the subject isn’t particularly of your choosing?”

“Why do you hate me so much?” The purplette said, her voice now shaky and almost failing from holding back her tears of frustration. “You want to take out your anger towards the Hiragi clan on me? Then let me give you a news flash: You’re aiming for the wrong girl!”

The man blinked a few times, quietly processing that strange remark. “What?” He finally asked, his confusion remaining.

“I hate the Hiragi family just as much as you do! You think my life is easy because of my last name? WRONG! Because of that cursed reputation, my life has been hell! I’ve been mistreated by my family for as long as I can remember, purely because of actions my sister took! You think that’s fair?!”

“You-“ The man tried to respond, but now that she’d begun letting all of her pent up anger out, there was no stopping the young woman taped up at his feet.

“Shunned by my own family, ridiculed by anyone outside it. I’m forced into a military position by the clan which hates me, and I’m hated by anyone else because they think I reached my rank through my clan! Do you see where I’m going here? Your anger towards the Hiragis is nothing compared to mine!!!” The purplette bellowed, panting heavily in her tape from setting loose her rage.

Her captor didn’t respond at all for the first moments. He just sat beside the purple haired young woman, staring at her with a slightly open mouth.

I was wrong. The tall, burly soldier realized to his shame. That cocky attitude of hers… It was indeed the product of growing up in the Hiragi clan. But it wasn’t out of a superiority complex, it was a defence mechanism. She shields herself with it…

“I didn’t know any of that.”

“Well of course you didn’t! Like you pointed out several times: The Hiragi clan is powerful! No way any of this ever gets out in public!” The young woman cried, stifling the last of her sobs.

The man shifted uncomfortably, finally scooting closer to his captive.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I said I’m sorry. I feel… sorry. Sorry for you, and your past.”

“I you really feel sorry, then how about taking off this tape?”

“Sure.”

“Huh? What?!”

“I said sure.”

“Just like that?!”

“No, not just like that.” He replied, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to put his now all the more confusing feelings into words. Seeing is formerly most hated Hiragi family in this new light had turned his world upside down.

“I… was wrong. I thought all Hiragis were the same, and that you and our attitude were the worst of the lot. Turns out the real ass in this room is me.”

“I’m glad we finally agree on something.” The young girl mocked.

“Hey, cut me some slack okay? I’m trying to do the right thing here!”

“That doesn’t count after messing up as much as you did!”

“Haaah. Can’t really argue there.” The dark haired JIDA soldier admitted.

Shinoa frowned. “Your apology and prostration is really nice and all, but I can’t help but feel all this tape is taking away a lot of the satisfaction.” The slender captive pointed out dryly.

“Of course. Hang on a second.” He replied, pulling out a knife and carefully cutting her loose and helping her too her feet.

After stretching her petite body for a few poses, the purple haired girl moaned relieved. “Thanks, my arms and legs were killing me.”

“Don’t mention it. Seriously, don’t mention it.” The much taller man tried to joke as he handed Shinoa back her soul weapon. “Again, I’m really sorry about all this. I never knew what you really went through behind those high and mighty doors to the elite’s world.”

“Well now you do.” The purple haired young woman replied. “And now to make sure nobody else finds out.” She smirked, summoning her demon scythe in the blink of an eye and pressing it up against his neck.

The rough soldier froze in place, his eyes wide and beads of sweat pearling on his brow. I couldn’t catch a single movement. She’s good! Really good!

“So, I take it I am to be killed for humiliating you and for exposing your deep seethed anger towards the clan at the top of our army?”

“You should be.” Was the slender girl’s response. “But all things considered, I’m actually feeling relieved right now.” She continued, withdrawing her weapon from his throat.

“Relieved?”

“Yes. Relieved that you let me go without raping me, relieved that you’re at least understanding and grown up enough to recognize when you’ve made a mistake. And most of all: Relieved that someone finally forced me so close to my breaking point all of my frustrations just… came out.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there’s a thank you coming my way.” The tall man joked.

Shinoa smirked. “Don’t push you luck. I’m grateful to be out of that tape, but since you are the one to put me in it, a thank you is a bit much don’t you think?”

“I agree.”

“But I will return the favour: I’ll keep my promise from earlier, and not tell anyone what transpired her this evening.”

The purplette then dematerialized her weapon. “However, if you ever try and pull a stunt like this again, I can’t guarantee your safety.” The purplette warned with a particularly fierce and intimidating look.

“Duly noted.” The tall JIDA soldier replied, the sensation of her razor sharp blade against his skin somehow returning.

“Good.”

Shinoa then confidently turned her back to her former captor, and calmly walked towards the exit.

The dark haired soldier remained standing on the same spot for now, gazing at the young woman’s back and her surprisingly feminine, hip swaying walk towards the front door.

There’s a lot more woman in that petite body than I reckoned…

He rushed out of the living room and caught up with his fellow soldier in the hallway.

“Hey!” He said, louder than he’d planned.

Shinoa turned around. “Yes?” She asked, one eyebrow curiously raised.

“Would you… like a ride back to camp?” He offered, the faintest of blush visible on his cheeks.

The purplette’s eyes widened in surprise at first, but soon that trademark playful grin of hers returned.

“I would actually. Very much so.”