Chapter 6: 

    A shaft of light beat down upon Rufu’s eyelids, stirring her from sleep. Slowly, she came to the waking world. Morning sun was leaking in through any crack it could find, caring not that the blinds were closed. With a quiet growl and a groggy puff from her nose, she looked to the clock. It was almost ten. She’d slept late, and good or bad, she could not recall any of her dreams. Regardless, that had to be one of the best nights she’d ever had. Simply her and her Kenny, like it should be.

The fur of her cheek was ruffled by a tiny form shifting between it and her pillow. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her tiny boyfriend’s face in rare, extraordinary detail. The little blemishes here and there, the tiny wrinkles that formed when he blinked. It was funny. She remembered setting him down on the other pillow when they went to bed. When did he wind up using her face as a blanket?

A tiny yawn drifted out of his mouth, and she forgot all about that. A soft whoop rolled out of her in response. The sound seemed to stir Ken more as he shook his head and stared up at her eye. Curse those glasses for getting lost so quickly. The world must have been blurry for him without them, but this close she hoped the sight of a green pool that matched his own shade was clear. She’d never know for sure, but the image of him smiling was proof enough. He reached up and brushed at the fur of her muzzle, eliciting another puff of air from her snout. Her Kenny tucked up against her during a warm lazy summer morning; she could stay like this forever. If only that were possible, but delaying wouldn’t serve them any more. 

“Alright, Kenny. That’s enough. It’s time to get up,” she murmured from the side of her mouth.

    Her boyfriend’s head thumped back into the pillow, his arm following suit. “Ugh...do we have to?”

    Rufu raised her head carefully, propping herself up on an elbow to look down at him. He appeared perfectly fine. Nothing out of place, no limbs at odd angles. What was supposed to be so dangerous about sharing a bed with a human? 

“Unfortunately,” she answered as her long neck stretched down.

    Ken shiverred abruptly and hugged himself. She chuckled at the sight. He was missing the warmth of her fur already? Far be it from her to leave him out in the cold. She slipped her tongue out and under him, before pulling the human up to her lips, pressing him to them firmly. Warmth and electricity shot through her. Familiar and fresh, feelings she missed so much. After their brief kiss, Rufu let her boyfriend go, sliding him off her tongue. The sight of him sputtering and covered in slobber caused the high-pitched giggle her species was known for to spill out of her throat. These moments were her closest treasures.

“First thing in the morning?’ he moaned, “Really?”

    “I think every day should start like this,” Rufu rebutted before she threw the covers off.

    She hopped out of bed and stretched thereafter, groaning, but feeling more energized than she had in days. She didn’t wear much to sleep at night, just her underwear, which left the entirety of her rippling physique exposed for Ken to admire. When she realized this, she smirked, and drew out her stretching with her back to him. Her mane fluffed up freely all the way down her spine without the usual confines of her shirt, almost doubling her in size. Only that and the wagging of her short tail indicated her thoughts, as she flexed and showed off for her tiny boyfriend. Once she was satisfied, she smirked over her shoulder at him. He was leering enough for a dozen men, transfixed without a doubt.

“Eyes up here, Kenny,” she teased.

    “Ubh-bu-d--wh-wha--We showered together!” he sputtered.

    Another asishi laugh rolled out of her while she strode towards her closet with an exaggerated swing of her hips. It was good to know he was watching. Even though he often watched her matches, she could never find the time to enjoy it, lest she take a hoof to the shin. These fleeting instances where she could revel in his attention came far too rarely. The closest they had were weekly workout sessions after school. Thinking back to those moments, it wasn’t the work that came to mind. It was the little things in between. Her and Kenny taking a well-earned rest under a tree. Teasing and flirting with him back when he couldn’t quite handle it. Stars, he’d come a long way. He was still a stuttering mess at times, but he wasn’t so shy around her like he used to be. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been stuttering too much since the shower. That thought put a bounce in her step. The possibility he was finally comfortable enough around her to speak his mind had her grinning from ear to ear when she was dressing herself.

    “Smells like we missed dad’s breakfast,” she told him, “How’s a protein bar sound? Parent free?”

    He grinned, “Heavenly.”

~~

    Quiet. The dining room, the festering heart of the Arkessen household, was dead silent for the first time in forever. She could still see the claw marks on the table; remnants of every attempt to hurt her and Ken. Her eyes swept the room, for any trace of Arkebo, any sign of Mildraff. But there was no stronger smell than the pungent stink of the house. No shadows were cast on the plain beige walls, nor around the corners of the doorways. The kitchen to the left, open through a wide arch twice the table’s length, was empty. The sink, stove, counters, and fridge were all as clean as things ever were around here. Filthy, but nothing left out on them. There wasn’t a trace of either tormentor. No parents, just Rufu and her boyfriend eating some junk food in the morning calm. It felt right. So, so right.

    Even after breaking off a tiny chunk, eased by how soft it had gone in her bag, Ken’s hands were full with the heavy protein bar. He tore into the gooey, nutty viscera undaunted. He was ravenous. Better than that, he was happy, and that made her happy. Happy enough to tease him, even. “Keep making a mess and I’ll have to lick you clean.”

    She smirked, watching him pause and turn bright red.

“...I’m not seeing a downside,” he said softly.

    “Oh? When did my little guy grow so feisty?” Rufu reared her head, before, with a playful growl, she leaned down and bared her teeth,  “I hear the feisty ones make better snacks...”

     She licked her chops. Ken blanched and paled some. Rufu briefly feared that she had gone too far, but then she heard a disgruntled female voice behind her. 

“Finally woke your lazy rears up?”

    All the joy drained from her like water down a sink. Rufu sat upright to face the source. “Last I checked, school was out, and we could sleep in,” she rebutted.

Her parents lorded over her with their arms crossed, or at least they tried to. Rufu had never really noticed just how short her father was before. Even sitting, she had a head on him, and he looked far too shifty and restless to truly match her mother’s intensity. Mildraff hacked up a snarl and asked, “Since when have you ever slept in? Arkebo, do you know?”

    Arkebo’s head swung between both the other asishi indecisively. Finally stepping partially behind Mildraff, he answered, “Only when he’s around.”

    “Y...y-y-you have s-something to say?” Ken stuttered angrily.

    “Aww, look at that, so bold and brave,” Mildraff cooed mockingly, until a scowl of disgust settled on her face, “so long as he has a proper-sized person at his back.”

    “And picking on him is brave?’ Rufu growled, as her mane stood and strained against the back of her shirt.

Mildraff glared back with a slow-burning hatred smoldering in her eyes. There was nothing else behind them. She was hollow, a shell emptied of everything but her vapid rage. Then she turned away with a snort. The teenager’s bare-fanged snarl became a smile of triumph, as, despite the stinging words, some measure of her felt satisfied that her mother had backed down. Rufu’s attention returned to Ken, and she offered him a finger. He gripped the furry digit blindly and religiously. She hoped her parents would leave before they put him through more stress. 

“Careful, honey,” Arkebo warned, “You hear how guardians are with their charges. There’s no telling what a guardian wannabe will do.” 

Unfortunately, the sound of the fridge being opened was accompanied by her mother’s unwelcome voice, “Yeah, well they certainly act like guardians and charges do.”

    Rufu glanced up to see her mother pulling a small tube of chopped and grounded meat out, Ken had compared similar things in the cafeteria to ‘sausage.’ “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she growled back.

    “Oh! Are you hearing this Arkebo?!” Mildraff slammed the refrigerator shut and spun back on her heels. “She’s admitting it right to our faces! You’ve been humping like viliti, I know it! Just like those guardian freaks!” 

    “WHAT?! ” Rufu shook her head and stood up in bewilderment, pulling her hand away from Ken. 

     “We heard you in the bathroom! Didn’t we Arkebo?” Mildraff shouted.

    Once again, the male asishi looked between the two of them indecisively, as if unsure who to side with. “Uuh…”

    “ARKEBO!”

    “Y-yeah! We heard you two!” he blurted.

    “Ugh! Useless!” Mildraff stomped towards the table, slab of meat in hand. “Well? Have you shoved your ‘boyfriend’ through your wet vulva yet?!”

    Rufu’s jaw dropped. 

“No?” Mildraff asked incredulously, “Deplorable.”

Her mind was racing and panicking trying to piece together a plan. They had been too loud in the bathroom last night, and her parents heard it and came away with half truths and rage. 

“You couldn’t just be a weakling, could you? You had to be some microphile guardian degenerate!”

    Her mother slammed the sausage, tall and thick enough to crush a human vehicle, onto the table next to Ken. He lay shaken and terrified, quivering like a tree in a storm, as his mouth moved soundlessly. She couldn’t let this go any further. Her mother had tried to take his life before, and she wouldn’t let her terrorize Ken again. Her claws splayed, biting into the table. Her lips peeled back, exposing her teeth and gums, and Mildraff smirked.

“Look at him! Smaller than your father! Useless!”

A quiet “Hey…” from Arkebo went mostly ignored.

Rufu pulled herself back from the brink. No! She couldn’t sink to their level! She wouldn’t act like an animal! Her lips fell back over her teeth. “Well, Mildraff, if size is all that matters, then no wonder neishor don’t want to hire you!”

    Mildraff’s jaw went slack, and the dining room fell quiet. Arkebo trembled like Ken. Then with a vicious snap of her teeth that Rufu had to jerk back to avoid, Mildraff snatched the human away and held him near her face. Ken cried out in pain. “You WILL leave this human! You will never speak to him again! You will stop chasing your worthless education, you will find a job, and you will put this rebellious phase behind you and start supporting this family! You will stop trying to be something you’re not, and start acting like a real asishi...”

 The creature’s lips flapped on and on, spewing meaningless words, but Rufu couldn’t hear her anymore. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as the hammering of her own heart filled Rufu’s ears. She saw only him. The one person in her life who had supported her...was squirming helplessly in her mother’s fist with a thumb claw at his face. The brute would crush him at this rate. A careless twitch might take her Kenny away forever. The worst part? She was letting it happen.

    All her life, they had done nothing but take, and take, and called her a parasite for the privilege! Now they were trying to take away the one thing she wasn’t prepared to lose. She couldn’t...She couldn’t handle...She didn’t know what to do! Hot tears spilled down the corners of her eyes. Her teeth grit together as she grimaced in despair. She couldn’t do it! She wouldn’t be that! 

A yelp from Ken managed to pierce through the rushing blood in Rufu’s ears. There was a small gash on his cheek. Mildraff looked disgusted, and shifted him further away from her face. Her Kenny was going to die. Rufu clenched her eyes shut. She didn’t have a choice here. She needed to act. A stray thought. Would she really be like them if she was lashing out for his sake? Suddenly her eyes were open. Her claws ripped out of the table, and a feral snarl etched itself across her face. She bellowed an inhuman yowl, and that was the only warning her parents received.

    Virtue One: Focus. Ken was the priority, the object, freeing him came first. In one instant, she grabbed the corner of the table and tossed it out of her way. In the next, she lunged for her mother’s arm. Grabbing the older asishi around the wrist, she jammed her thumb claw through the skin into Mildraff’s joint to coax Ken free. The human dropped straight into the open palm Rufu had already moved beneath him.

After she closed her fist around her boyfriend, there was a flash of movement in her peripheral vision. Virtue Two: Awareness. She stepped back in the blink of an eye and used her hold on her mother to jerk her opponent in front of her. Arkebo had charged in, hand already raised for a swipe, only for his claws to end up halfway into Mildraff’s shoulder by mistake. Rufu’s mother roared in pain, and her father realized his mistake far too late. All the better for her. With barely a thought, Rufu popped Ken into her mouth, and closed it shut to free up her other hand. Shifting it over to Mildraff’s arm as well, Rufu continued to tug her mother along, spinning her around, before finally letting go. The momentum sent her parents crashing into the table with a loud, tumbling crack.

Her parents preoccupied, the teenager quickly opened her mouth, and dropped Ken back into her palm. She barely paid the slobber-covered human’s shivering any mind, as she rushed over to a cabinet. Yanking it open, she set Ken on a shelf, and closed the cupboard. Her boyfriend was finally safe, for the moment, and thus her attention returned to her parents, as she ran back to the entrance of the dining room.

    For a moment, Mildraff groaned, but Arkebo had softened the blow, pinned between her bulk and the broken table. Thus, with a shake of her head, the growling matriarch of the family was swiftly back on her paws. She was trembling and slobbering like a beast. 

“Hahaha, what was that supposed to be? Pathetic! If you can’t take me down on first engagement then you shouldn’t even try! Come on! Come to mama, and I’ll show you how a REAL asishi fights!”

 Virtue Three: Control. She wouldn’t fight on her mother’s terms. Her mother would fight on hers. She widened her stance, and readied her hands before her, claws splayed and palms open. No growl escaped her lips; she forced her mane to settle down, as if her mother wasn’t a threat. Then she pulled out an insult she’d heard Kenny use before as bait.

“Penis.”

    Mildraff roared with rage and charged her. Rufu quickly shifted her hands to catch the older asishi’s and braced herself. Her legs tensed with the impact of Mildraff’s weight against her palms, but she stood her ground. Their fingers interlocked, claws sunk into the back of each other’s hands. Miildraff’s head shot forward on her long neck, jaws open wide. Rufu reeled, head jerking back, and the older asishi’s jaws slammed shut just a hair’s breadth from her throat. In that moment, Mildraff pushed forward, and Rufu no longer had the traction to resist her. Claws screeched loudly, carving through tile, and heaving breaths puffed out of nostrils above snarling, salivating maws.

Her mother was better than she gave her credit for, but Rufu didn’t need to think to know how to turn this around. She just followed her instincts. Virtue Four: Flexibility. As the kitchen counter neared her back, Rufu pressed her claws deeper into Mildraff’s weaker hand, and twisted her mother’s injured wrist back. With a yelp, the older asishi’s fingers released, and Rufu quickly pulled her hand away. She spun herself to her mother’s side, pulling along the hand that still held onto her, so that it was the older asishi who ran into the counter. To finish off, Rufu pinned Mildraff’s arm against her back, put another on the back of her head, and slammed the monster’s face into the kitchen counter with all her might. 

Her opponent’s free hand swung back at her, claws carving through her side. With a vicious growl, she responded by pulling Mildraff’s head back up and slamming it into the counter again. Her mother’s grip loosened. Another slam, and the hand let go, falling pathetically out of her side. Yet Rufu continued. A fourth time and a fifth time she threw her mother’s head into the wood. There was blood. She could smell it, see it staining the fur of Mildraff’s head. She could end this now. If she could only tighten her grip on her mother’s skull and… strong as the urge was, she couldn’t do this. Killing either of her parents was going too far. She took a breath. Her grip on the older asishi’s skull loosened. Virtue Five: Discipline.

“Stop it!”

Pain flared in the back of Rufu’s head alongside the sound of shattering wood, and she lost her grip on her mother. Cold air brushed across in a feeling she knew well. The feeling of an open wound, and the pin pricks of wooden splinters. She was dazed ever so slightly, just enough for Mildraff to retaliate with a shoulder to the chest and send her tumbling down with her father. The impact knocked some sense back into her, and made her aware of a throbbing in her head now. Ignoring it, she rolled away from her father and the broken table leg that laid on the ground, and pushed herself up to her knees. Only to see Mildraff standing above Arkebo snarling. Blood arched around her snout, dripping like tears. “Stand up! For once in your life, teach this runt some manners!”

As Rufu climbed back up to her paws, Arkebo did the same and reluctantly hunkered down in the most amateurish fighting stance she had ever seen. All front heavy, no space between the legs, claws at his collarbone. Between that and her mother’s panicked attempts to wipe the blood off in the sink, she almost could have laughed. Mildraff stood beside her husband, her whole head and torso drenched in oily water. They had her sandwiched with another counter to her back. No way out.  She was going to have to fight both of them at once. Two opponents was a first for her; much less a frenzied former fighter and an unreadable idiot. But she couldn’t back down. The only way forward was to go through them, so that was exactly what she was going to do. Virtue Six: Resolve.

For a moment things were quiet, still. Her parents were sizing her up. Then her mother charged her again, and so too did her father, with some bewildered screaming. She could barely hold her mother back earlier. She couldn’t meet both of them at the same time. At the very least she didn’t have to worry about Ken in the cabinet. They didn’t seem to know where he was, or maybe they’d forgotten him entirely. That left one possibility. To break through one of them before they broke her. Rufu ran forward to meet them halfway, narrowly ducking under a swing from Mildraff and charging around her side. When the teenager rose back up, she brought her arms to bear in front of her, slammed a palm into Arkebo’s throat, and her other arm into his hands. She could already feel his claws sinking in, but she would suffer through it if kept his hands occupied. Rufu continued her charge forward, pushing her father along like he was nothing, before she shoved him off of her into the fridge-freezer, back first. His claws tore open bloody gashes on her arm, but she grit her teeth through the pain. He slammed into refrigerator, stunned, and Rufu rushed forward while he was disoriented to grab one of its handles and throw the freezer open. Her father’s head lolled back into the icy interior, and Rufu was all too ready to slam the door on him, until Mildraff’s clawed fingers stabbed through her daughter’s clothing and skin. 

A piercing pain shot through the side of Rufu’s belly. She yowled. The claws were in past the first knuckle. Her grip on the freezer door shook. Pain wore away at her adrenaline. Fatigue caught up with her, and she leaned heavily on the cold metal just to keep herself standing. However, just as quickly as they entered, the intruding fingers retreated. Mildraff yanked them out in a hurry, frantically waving her hands, trying to shake the blood. The muscles in Rufu’s arms bulged under her own weight, as she glared at her mother with a building growl in her throat. Strength began to return to her legs, slowly, steadily, and at last, she shut up her groaning father with one hearty slam of the freezer door, eliciting a final yelp from him. 

Eyes fixed on her mother, Rufu pounced the panicking parent. She grabbed Mildraff by the shoulders as she came down, and just as Rufu herself struggled against her mother’s full strength, her mother struggled against hers. Mildraff was unprepared, however. She crumpled to the ground under her daughter’s weight. 

Virtue Seven: Ferocity. Rufu’s teeth flashed before her mother’s eyes; she didn’t give Mildraff any chance to react before they clamped around one of the older asishi’s ears, her teeth easily piercing the thin tissue even at its base. It took only one hard torque for her to rip the ear straight off of her mother’s head. Mildraff screamed in agony. The sound sent a shiver down Rufu’s spine, equally vindicating and sickening. Disgusted, she spat the bloody ear onto her mother’s face, and the older asishi’s hands flung it in a panic.

Mildraff couldn’t fight anymore. Raising one leg up, Rufu braced herself against a knee. With a deep breath, she shot back up to her paws. A fresh jolt of pain shot through her sides, but at least she’d done it quick. The sound of something sliding behind her made her spin her head back around, claws splaying in preparation. 

    What she saw, however, was Arkebo sitting on the ground, freezer above his head, with a wrapped and frozen faloofa hanging from his mouth. It dropped to the ground, clinking on the tile like a brick, and he looked to be missing a few teeth. He had a starry-eyed, vacant stare she’d often seen in practice among the more hopeless attendees. A classic concussion.

    Stepping from over her mother, Rufu stumbled back in the dining room, unable to turn away from her handiwork. Then, and only then, did what she had done begin to set in. Chunks of wood splayed out like pellets from a shotgun, the booming bass of her heartbeat, the trembling in her limb, the iron taste of blood on her tongue and the nauseating appeal it came with. Everything about this felt so good, and that felt so wrong. She couldn’t take this back, either. No second rounds, no reset button. Right as tears threatened to shed, she heard a shout. A quiet and muffled, “Rufu!” Her breaths slowed. This sound reminded her of what was important, who was important. Her mind was clear. They had to leave. Now.

Her energy was all but gone, as she limped towards the cabinet she left him in. Opening it up, she saw her tiny boyfriend just as she had left him. Relief flooded both of their features, as she sluggishly raised her arm up to his shelf. She left a lazy palm open for him, and once he was on, she began her tired march out of this place. All the while, Ken’s petting kept her focused and her thoughts level. As the hallway to the front door neared, she had to take one last look at her parents. They were a sorry sight. Bloody. Missing an ear. Missing teeth. Beaten. Scared. Half conscious, and half alive. Animals. Asishi. After what she’d done to them she couldn’t deny she was something similar anymore. But not the same. No, she surrendered to her instincts, but not for her own satisfaction or enjoyment. She was an asishi. But, maybe, that didn’t mean she was an animal?

    “I don’t want to see either of you ever again,” were the only words Rufu spared for her parents.

    Then, Kenny secure, she ran. She was out the door and into the sunlight. Her paws thundered along the pavement, carrying past the end of the street and past the nearby gym. She didn’t realize when she started to slow down. When her breath grew so heavy. When her paw pads started to ache. Not even how long the tiny voice sheltered in her cupped hands had been calling out to her, “Rufu!...RUFU!...RUFU!”
    Finally, the young asishi slowed to a halt. Panting, she looked around the sidewalk, as her mane fluffed up to attention. A few neishor walked by in the noon daylight, but the streets were almost empty. Not a sign of her parents. She realized she’d still been afraid of some recompense. Afraid that her parents might come find her. But no, they weren’t coming. She was free. Ruf sniffed, as her eyes began to well up, her cheeks soaking. “Rufu!” the little voice finally grabbed her attention.

    Her head snapped down to look at Ken, resting in her palms. “What’s wrong?” the human asked.

    With a shaky breath she answered, “I...I don’t know where to go. I don’t...I didn’t think about what was going to happen…”

    Ken’s hands immediately flew to her thumb, beginning to stroke her fur, “They didn’t leave you any choi--”

    Rufu shook her head, “No, no! It’s not that! Kenny, I don’t have any plans! I don’t know what’s going to happen to me…”

“...And I’ve never been happier.”

Epilogue

    Rufu leaned her head back and took in the hot water, running in rivulets through her fur. On busy days like these she always loved to close her eyes and soak in the shower, letting the warmth melt away the strain of hauling furniture up several flights of stairs. This place was nice. She couldn’t stay in here forever, though. She tapped the rubbery button, shutting off the water and opened her eyes. Sliding the curtain back, she stepped out into the steam-filled bathroom. It was small. Big enough for a single neishor and not much more, but it was clean. The sleek tile and ceramics shone, and were mercifully odorless aside from her dirty clothes in the hamper. She could hardly believe this was theirs now.

    Rufu grabbed a towel and began to dry herself off. It was shocking how much could change in half a year. After she had ran out on her parents, she thought for certain she’d be homeless, or worse, in prison. Thank the stars for Bubba. When they met up with him to retrieve Ken’s mech, that lupari had been as nosey as the stereotypes said. Literally. He ‘smelled’ something wrong with them, and he would not stop pestering them until he heard the story. The next thing she knew, she was living in a snug little home on the outskirts of town with eleven nosy, cuddly furballs asking her every question they could think of. It was tough not to cry while she slipped her clothes on, remembering those days. What a shock it was to be around a family that didn’t hate each other. She hadn’t adjusted fully. She’d been a pain in their rears, but they were nothing but kind and understanding. She wouldn’t forget it.

    Exiting the bathroom at last, she looked around the bedroom. Just a single bed barely big enough for her. Basic bare walls and a dresser. This wasn’t Bubba’s home, though. It was smaller, but something much bigger. Her ear twitched, as she picked up the conversation in the other room, and made her way towards it.

    “He-hey! There’s the big girl now!” cheered the welcome voice of Robert.

    The only other room in the apartment was a living room and kitchen joined together, with a countertop between them. The Drummond family were sitting together at a human-scaled table on the counter, their mechs parked on the kitchen side. Rufu was beaming at the sight of them as she walked over to them.

“So how’s it feel to have a home of your own?” asked Ken’s father.

    “Strange,” she admitted, “But good.”

“That’s what I like to hear. You’ll be as boring as the rest of us soon!”

She laughed. They would never have this without Robert and Anne’s help. Even with her and Ken both working part-time jobs, signing this apartment was their doing financially. It wasn’t much yet. Just a couch, one older display, corner table, a stool, and some tiny, unpacked boxes from the Drummonds’ place. It was a start, though. The place where their new lives would be born. Pulling out a stool, she sat down at the counter and crossed her arms in front of her, looming over the humans with a smile. 

Ken added, “I-I didn’t think I’d b-be moving out before graduating.”

    “Yeah, well, aren’t you lucky we’re ‘cool’ parents?” Anne reminded. Again. “Most parents wouldn’t help their son’s girlfriend rent or let him move in with her.”

    Ken hunched and squirmed a bit, but his father leaned over to Anne with a grin. “You mean like how we eloped before our families knew we were engaged?”

Anne blushed so brightly that Rufu could see her face turning. The human woman promptly punched her husband in the chest. He recoiled, though he was already laughing. Rufu let out a giggle at their antics.

“Just remember the deal!” Anne declared loudly, pointing at the young couple. “We’ll help pay your rent, but neither of you are dropping out of school! Secondary, and then you’re heading to university! No buts!”

    She nodded with understanding.  She had to keep up her rising grades if she wanted to follow through. She had to keep up her practice and hope her martial arts would be good enough for a scholarship, and she had to work. This wasn’t going to be easy by any measure. At least she wasn’t alone in this, though.

    “We r-remember, Mom,” Ken answered.

    “Good.” Anne’s tone finally softened. “Now, we should probably go.”

    “What? So soon?” Rufu blinked in surprise as she watched the humans stand up. Robert sighed and stretched. 

“Yeah, it’s a long drive back to the human district. God, I can’t wait for the day when we aren’t all cooped up together.”

    “W-well...I’m not now,” Ken pointed out.

    “Alright Mr. Smartdonkey,” Robert began harshly, before pulling his son into a hug. “You take care, son.”

    Anne joined the embrace and kissed Ken on the forehead. “And call us if you need something.”

    “I will.” Ken wrapped his arms his parents.

    “We will,” Rufu amended, as she leaned her head down and carefully curled her fingers around them in a ‘hug’ of sorts. After all that they were doing, she had to thank Ken’s parents somehow. As she leaned back, the humans separated, and Robert and Anne were soon in their mechs. Rufu scooped her boyfriend up into her hand and walked them all to the door. Ken’s parents left the apartment after saying their final goodbyes. The door was shut and locked. Ken sighed. She looked down over her bosom at him. So much had changed for the two of them. Half a year here and gone like a whirlwind, in and out and full of chaos. He needed time to acclimatize, she was sure. Surer still was how she’d help him do it.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Let’s go test out the bed...”

Fin.