— Chapter7 Back home

 “Where have you been?!” Tom heard Hinba’s booming voice but couldn’t see her until she ran out from behind a downed tree. 

He instinctively jumped back to avoid getting stepped on. ”The naga did something to temporarily hide me. It’ll wear off soon enough.” Hinba didn’t waste any time as she picked him up. It was very disorienting as she twirled him about to examine him for injuries. “I’m fine, Hinba!” he managed to say while being flung around. 

“I had to know for sure. Tom, it felt like you just disappeared! I was so worried.” The movement finally stopped. She kept him still but didn’t lower him away from her face. 

He planted his hands down on her wrists as both a means to get her attention and to calm his own dizziness. “I’m safe now. Do you need a moment? Or are we ready?” Tom could use a moment to catch his breath as well but he was more than willing to let Hinba make the decision to head out. It wasn’t clear if the prolonged excitement of the past few hours, or days, was having a physical effect on him, but he was very tired. The only reason he felt safe to even think that was because he could still feel the mental shroud of magic protecting his private thoughts from Hinba’s watchful gaze. It will probably wear off soon…

“You’re safe?” She repeated, more to convince herself, then started to nod. “Ok. You’re safe. So the next stop is the worldstone?” 

“Yes.“  They started off. “Wait, no. Take me to the place where we first appeared in the forest the most recent time.”  

—

“Ahh, memories…” 

Hinba was back to her normal, chipper self, Tom thought idly. There was a part of his mind that was worried about the possibility of going back inside her ass. The majority of his brain was just tired and wanted to get the information he needed. “So whenever you summon me to the forest, this is where I appear?”

She nodded, “Yeah, at least since you were in your new fancy apartment.” 

Tom sighed, his apartment was entirely not fancy… “Ok, on the way back, could you try your best to walk in straight lines and take even steps? I want to get a really good idea of where this spot is in relation to the worldstone so I'm going to count your steps.” 

“Do you need to stay in my hand to count steps?” Hinba chewed her lower lip as she asked the question. Tom was still sweaty from his morning walk. Damn, did he smell good, Hinba thought. She was going to have a hard time being patient.  

Tom was too focused on the ground to see her facial expression, oblivious to her predatory glances. “Yeah, I need this to be as exact as possible. Try and walk as close to due south as possible.” 

And so, Hinba marched south. She made sure to keep an even gate in her steps as she eyed the small human in her hand. For the moment, she would need to be patient. 

Tom counted, making sure to keep an eye on her feet and their direction. They were far enough away from the worldtree for Hinba to walk unhindered. She walked until the breach was directly to their left. Hinba turned ninety degrees in an almost comically rigid manner. “It’s a straight shot to the worldstone. Are you sure you need to stay in my hand? You probably won’t be able to see in there anyway…” 

“It was a long time ago, but I remember the path curves to the left at the very end. I know this seems like guesswork but I really am trying to be as exact as possible…” Tom could feel her eyes boring holes into the back of his head but he kept his eyes forward. Whatever she wanted to ask him would need to wait until they were back in his apartment. 

“Okay…” she drawled out, really playing with sound. She noticed that Tom didn’t wince or shudder at her tone. He maintained his forward gaze. Hinba smiled at her little human who was  focused on his task… totally unaware.

Hinba started walking again, passing into the threshold. They were both bathed in darkness and Tom immediately needed to rely on the sound of Hinba’s footsteps to maintain his count. How is she able to see in here? He thought before shaking the question away. It would need to wait until later. 

The telltale glow of the worldstone began to dance on the walls again. It was a bittersweet memory for Tom. On one hand, it was a sign that he was almost home and away from the forest. Unfortunately, Tom had since realized that the dangers and demons of the forest could easily follow him into the human world. 

“And five steps back to the left… or north. Ok this should help.” Tom eyed the smooth blue surface of the worldstone. It was exactly as he remembered. The roots of the worldtree dug themselves into the stone, causing deep cracks around the edges. Towards the center the surface was a reflective mirror that was much taller than Hinba. It was strange to see his reflection upside down. “Hinba, could you hold me up to our reflection.” 

“Ok but I need to ask you something before we leave.” 

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Tom didn’t hear her content sigh as he was lifted towards their reflection. It felt like he was looking in a funhouse mirror as he pointed up to his reflection. As he was brought up, the other version of Tom lowered to meet him. He was now completely level with his upside down self. “I need to gauge how high up I am…:” he turned back to Hinba and looked at a small area of her skin right below her collar bone. She didn’t have any blemishes to mark the area. “Hmm, hey Hinba?” Tom reached up and touched the same spot on his body, “Do what I do. Put your finger right there, right below your collarbone.” he said and Hinba obliged. “Good. Now please remember that spot, ok?”  

“Mmhmm.” Tom waited until now to look at the facial expression Hinba was making and instantly regretted it. She was biting her lip and there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So is there anything else you need to do on this side?” 

Tom started to slowly shake his head as he felt his heart start to thump loudly in his chest. “We should probably head back. Can we…” He shot a thumb over his shoulder to his escape route. 

Hinba started to nod slowly. “Yeah we really should get back as soon as possible…” she let the sentence hang in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time. “But…” 

Oh hell! Tom fought the urge to leap off her hand towards the worldstone. “It’s right there…”

She raised an eyebrow, “but…” 

“It’s right there.” 

“So there’s an interesting opportunity that presents itself anytime we travel back to the human world. I know you’re eager to get back so we’re both at eye level again, but I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind… indulging me for a bit before we go?” 

“I mind very much, thank you.”  

“No you don’t.” she shot back quickly. “Besides, it’s nothing we haven’t done before. You asked me so nicely last time, begged even.” 

Tom’s eyes went wide and he could feel warmth on his cheeks from Hinba’s comment. “I didn’t beg.” He was being truthful but it was probably the worst thing he could have said. 

“Fine. fine. Now are you going to take off your clothes or am I?” She held a finger in front of Tom. He knew her preferred method of undressing him involved tearing his clothes to bits while he was still in them. 

The amber stone was still in his pocket! His blood ran cold. Tom was able to stop himself a moment before he instinctively covered his pocket to protect the secret inside. If Hinba discovered he had another amber the magic wouldn’t work. “Shit…” He couldn’t risk her finding it. Tom turned to the worldstone once again. “It’s right there…” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Tom saw Hinba’s finger slowly wrap around his shoulder. She hooked her fingernail under Tom’s chin and carefully turned his face back to her. “I don’t need to read your mind to know what you’re thinking.” her words cut through him like a knife but he didn’t speak. “You’re desperately trying to think of a way out of this. It’s ok though, I’m not going to keep you down there for long. I just… really need you inside me.” 

Tom couldn’t help but relax, thanking his lucky stars the naga’s magic was still effective. 

Hinba noticed the tension leave her small human, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Wait, did you actually think I was going to digest you after all we’ve been through?” 

Now he had to roll with it; thinking quickly for a believable response, “No, I was just worried you were going to make me beg again.” It wasn’t the best lie he ever told.

She laughed again, this time she was even louder. “Alright, little snack. I won’t have you beg… Now, I’ll ask you again. Are you going to undress yourself, or would you like some help?” 

Tom gulped. He was out of options. This was happening. “I can do it myself, thank you. Could you hand me my briefcase?” 

“Why? I can just hold onto your clothes for you.” 

Tom shook his head to stall for time so he could think. “You… don’t fold them.” He was doomed. 

There was a long pause. “You want to fold your dirty clothes and stick them into a briefcase that is currently being used to transport all of your food?” 

There was another long pause. Tom briefly revisited the idea of just jumping for the worldstone and hoping for the best. “Yes, please.” he finally said. 

Hinba shrugged. “Alight.” and she reached into her satchel and brought the infamous briefcase to Tom. With a thud, she dropped it by his feet as Tom started to undress. 

The amber stone was safely hidden away. He tried to think of that as a small victory but was not having much luck. As soon as he was fully naked and his clothes were packed away, Hinba took the case back and deposited it back in her satchel. 

“Oh look! You’re naked now.” She teased. “All alone… with me.” Hinba lowered herself to the floor and reclined with her back against the wall of the dim enclosure. 

Great… she’s sitting down, Tom thought to himself. She intends to enjoy herself for a while. Curiosity got the better of him. “How long are you planning to uh… keeping me?” 

“Keeping you where? Please be more specific.” 

Tom rolled his eyes. “You know what-”

She cut him off, “Don’t worry, you’ll wake up with all of your limbs. No guarantees on that sunburn though.” 

Tom felt hypnotized as he watched her free hand approach. With painful slowness, she pinched his right arm slightly above his wrist, then the same with the left. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as his arms were lifted above his head. Little by little he felt his weight release from his legs. After his feet no were no longer in direct contact with her hand, she let her arm relax at her side. 

“Have I ever told you how good you taste?” Tom snapped out of his hypnosis to meet Hinba’s gaze. She was already starting to wet her lips in anticipation. 

“No.” 

“Do you want to hear how good you taste?” 

“Nope.” He didn’t make any attempt to play along or try to talk her out of whatever she was about to do to him. 

Her cheek twitched into a wry smile. “You know, you’re usually more energetic. Have you gotten bored with me already?” 

He knew it was a rhetorical question; something to nudge a response from him. Tom actually thought of a really mean and snarky comeback but decided against it. There was no sense in making things harder on himself. Honestly, he was just tired, and sometimes honesty is the best option. “Sorry, I’m just really tired. It’s just been a minute since I’ve actually been home and I’m just excited to sleep in a proper bed.” He forced a smile and prepared for the worst. 

Hinba nodded for a time. “You humans sure do love your beds… as much as I’d love to tease you by saying that my stomach is your new home, I really do agree with you. It’s gonna be nice to get off my feet for a while. Plus I won't have to carry you all over the place.” 

Tom took a moment to look up at the hand that he was dangling from. “Was that a joke?” 

“I’m going to put you down now.” Hinba didn’t bother to answer his question, but merely lowered him to her mouth. She parted her lips when he was close to reveal her sharp teeth. Tom gulped nervously but refrained from making any attempt to stop his descent.  

Tom made contact with her soft lips with his feet and moved them so his legs slipped into her mouth. He saw Hinba close her eyes, presumably enjoying his “taste”. All he could hope for was that she would make this quick so he could get home. 

When Tom was fully inside her mouth, Hinba wasted no time tossing him around her mouth to absorb every modicum of his flavor. He felt like a limp ragdoll as she effortlessly moved him around. The only times he offered any resistance was when his face was pressed directly against a particularly wet spot of her mouth that prevented him from breathing. Hinba was on cloud nine. 

All good things… she thought. Once Tom was sucked clean of all the sweat from his morning hike, Hinba moved him to the back of her mouth where his feet dangled over her waiting throat… and then she gulped hard. There wasn’t the slightest hint of a struggle as the human slipped down. Hinba made a noise that was a cross between a moan and sigh when she felt Tom arrive at her stomach. One of her hands rested on her abdomen right above where she could feel the telltale flutter of a recent meal trying to get comfortable. Her other hand darted down to her loins. She had to stop herself from immediately plunging her fingers into her folds. 

This was becoming an annoyingly familiar situation. Tom tried to keep as much of his body out of the digestive juices. He wanted to avoid as much irritation to his skin as possible. At least Hinba was enjoying herself, he thought to himself while the soft sounds of her distant moans could be heard just barely over the ambient gurgling. Please cum quickly, Tom silently hoped she would use her magic to make him go unconscious. 

“Hey Tom…” He heard Hinba’s voice. “I think you being in my stomach is making the amber wear off…” His heart sank as he realized what she meant. “How badly do you want me to cum?” She smiled as soon as she heard Tom’s annoyed groan. Her fingers slipped into her womanhood. 

Tom could hear her heart rate start to pick up. The added movement made it that much harder to stay out of the acidic puddle. Just as he was becoming desperate Hinba gave her stomach a hearty slap. It felt like he was inside of a punching bag and for a brief moment the shockwave made him feel weightless. He splashed down hard. Desperation turned into blind panic as he fought to regain purchase higher up on the undulating walls. “Dammit Hinba!” He coughed. 

She couldn’t hear him. She was too focused on her own pleasure to pay attention to Tom’s thoughts especially as the amber magic was still in the process of waning. His struggles however… those were taking her right to the edge. Honestly it didn’t need to take long but Hinba wanted to milk Tom’s thrashing for as long as possible. 

He could feel Hinba’s heartbeat increase to a fevered pace then slow back down again and again. It was clear she was edging herself at his expense. Tom opened his mouth to scream his indignations as loud as he could but stopped himself. There was a strange feeling of acceptance that filled his conscientiousness. The strange feeling of someone else being present in his mind returned along with an overwhelming … pleasure. Hinba’s desire was overflowing and taking over his every waking thought. As quickly as he realized what was happening, another, almost welcome, feeling came over him and the constant movement of his prison was replaced with quiet and stillness. 

—

“Help us!” thousands of voices cried in unison. “HELP US!” and thousands of beading red dots sparked into being surrounded by a crushing blackness. Tom screamed an incoherent string of words before he… woke up.

—

He recognized his kitchen instantly. The floor was cold against his naked back and he still felt damp and tacky. It took him a solid minute to notice that Hinba was leaning against his fridge and she was in her human form sporting nothing but her standard black bra and panties. “Hi,” was all he managed to say. 

“Hi.” she said as well before walking closer to him. Both of her hands were behind her back but he made no attempt to movi as she approached. Tom resigned himself to simply admire her beauty in her human form. “You’re out.” one of her arms came out from behind her back to reveal a half empty bottle of whisky. 

Tom was unsure what to make of her comment. “I thought you didn’t like hard liquor.” 

She responded by nodding to two empty bottles of beer and then repeating, “You’re out.” 

He could almost feel his life slipping away as she spoke. “I assume you’re not much of a wine drinker?” There were a few bottles of both red and white wine that Tom kept for when the mood really struck him, but he could predict her response before she even needed to breathe a word. 

“Nope.” 

“What time is it?” 

“Past nine.” 

“I’ll get you more beer… but could I shower first?” he asked with a hopeful smirk. 

Hinba nodded, “good boy.” Her other hand was still behind her back. “One other question… I was trying to find your laundry detergent to do the bed sheets and I happened across these.” She was holding a bundle of high quality rope. “I have my guess of what this is… but I would just love to hear your explanation.”

— 

A little over an hour and a half later they were back at Tom's apartment. He had taken a shower to wash off the leftover stomach acid, then they left the apartment to go to a nearby corner store to pick up as much beer as they could carry, which was surprisingly little. Hinba refused to let Tom carry any of the alcohol. For a moment he thought she was beginning to get soft on him before they passed a Chinese takeout restaurant on the way back. “Order as much as you can carry.” she demanded. 

He had no problem buying take out. It was honestly one of his favorites but he knew that’s not why Hinba picked this place. There was probably some other reason… maybe it was another manipulation tactic. “Who knows.” he grumbled to himself as he signed the receipt, making sure to give a decent tip. 

Tom was about to hand the receipt back when he noticed the date. “It the date right on this thing?” he asked the employee behind the counter. They just nodded, giving him a strange look. Four, no five, days in the forest… yet we only left this morning? 

“Can you believe she just… let us go?” Tom had barely finished half of his plate before switching entirely to alcohol. “Like she had both our numbers, and then she just… fucked off.” 

Hinba was well into her fourth plate. “You’re talking about the Oni from the temple?” 

Tom brought his drink over to his small two seater couch, it was the only holdover piece of furniture from his smaller apartment. With a content sigh he flopped himself down, happy to be back in relative safety. His eyes met Hinba’s for a moment as she was still eating at his minibar. Even though she had started drinking before him, she still seemed completely sober. Tom on the other hand felt the warmth of his drink spreading through his entire body. “Yeah. Let’s say hypothetically, she did kill you, but I managed to make my way back to the worldstone.”

“All the way back? Past Blue?” Hinba was referring to the giant Yōkai that also had a taste for humans. 

“Yes, I know. It’s just hypothetical. If you died in your demon… or Oni form” Tom wanted to break the habit of calling her a demon. “And I somehow managed to survive and get back here. Would you just wake up here as a human.” 

Hinba let out a quick laugh. It was probably the only outward indicator of her inebriation she’d made so far. “Maybe. I really don’t know how close to the worldstone I’d have to be for that to work. But if it worked, then yeah I would be stuck as a human and I would be unable to go back to the forest.” She squinted at Tom until he started to shift in his seat. “You’d like that wouldn’t you? Me? Stuck like this?” Hinba stood up and motioned down the length of her body. 

“I’m not going to answer that. Wait, would you still have your magic abilities?” 

“You tell me.” She answered and Tom saw her eyes start to burn with a fierce red glow. With a quick motion she removed her shirt and then started to walk towards the couch. “Tell me you’d hate it. Tell me you’d miss seeing me tower over you and I might go easy on you later.” 

Tom took another long gulp from his drink, even with ice it still stung his throat. “I don’t know! I mean there would be a huge logistical problem if you were stuck as a human. For one, where would you even live?” 

Hinba’s jaw almost hit the floor. “If you think for a moment that-“ 

He cut her off, “I mean I have the extra bedroom but I’m kind of using it as an office right now.” Hinba was just shaking her head back and forth. “I guess you could crash on the couch if you’d like but it might be too small for you.” 

“Ok now I know you’re just fucking around.” Hinba walked around the coffee table in the middle of Tom’s living room, removing her pants as she did so. She sat down on the couch then rotated to face Tom. “If you think for a moment that you can make a hypothetical situation where I’m stuck in the human world and it doesn’t end up with you and I in the same bed-“ 

Tom opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off when Hinba brought one of her feet up to his face. He was immediately silenced. “You would still be mine. Got that?” He nodded into the sole of her foot. “You still ARE mine. Do you understand?” Another nod. She pushed his face back slightly before removing her foot. “Excellent.” 

His drink was getting low. Tom swirled the remaining ice cubes around before taking another sip. “Can I ask you something?” 

Hinba nodded. “What is it?” 

“Why did you pick me?” She gave him a look. “I always figured I didn’t just fall into the forest. I guess I just assumed that you did something to bring me.” 

“If you must know… you smelled good.” 

“That’s it?” Tom couldn’t help laughing at the simplicity of her answer. 

“That’s it.” She repeated. “You know, Tom… once we find out what happened to the town, you could continue your life here. You will always belong to me, but you can keep your human… endeavors.” Hinba wasn’t partial to the idea of a job, “You’d still need to give me most of your time but with how time flows differently for you and I when we’re apart… it wouldn’t be terrible for me to leave you alone for a few months, here and there.”   

There ‘s an idea. Tom mulled over the potential arrangement in his head. If she was willing to go without him for a week, that would be over a year for Tom. Not to mention when they were both on the same side of the worldstone, the ratio of time is inverted. Tom could stay in the forest for a week and barely a day would go by on this side. Hinba was offering him “months” at a time. He could potentially have eight years or more to live a normal life for essentially the cost of a long weekend provided he was doing the math right. 

He took another sip of his drink. Tom knew Hinba well enough to know when something was too good to be true. There wasn’t any reason to believe she was trying to trick him. Afterall, she already owned him, but in any case it was not a decision he should make while inebriated. “It’s a generous offer to be sure… I think I need some time to consider it.” His words were a practiced mantra. 

“I look forward to your answer.” Hinba was clearly amused. If they were playing poker, all the cards were already face up. They both knew each other's tricks at this point but played along just to keep the game going. Neither wanted the facade to end. “Now finish your drink. I want to show you just how scary I am at eye level. You might prefer the other me after tonight...” 

— 

“Looks like my poor little human’s all tied up…” 

Tom struggled against his restraints. The rope that he had once purchased to help him carry a dead body out of his apartment was now being used to restrain him. He fought the back throughout the entire… extensive process. Even when Hinba was only a head taller, she still was able to overpower Tom with an almost comical ease. His arms were crossed tightly behind him as he lay on his back in his bed. Hinba used the legs of the bed to help forcibly spread Tom's feet as far apart as possible without becoming uncomfortable. 

“You put up a good fight, but in the end…” she leaned over the side of the bed to whisper the last bit into his ear, “I still have you right where I want you…”

Tom tried to respond but was only able to chew on the rope in his mouth. It was becoming a strangely routine for Tom to find himself at the mercy of Hinba’s sexual proclivities. Maybe not this way specifically, Tom mused, but in some similar fashion. If she was trying to make him afraid of her even when she was in her human form, it was working… 

Hinba eyed Tom’s struggles one more time to make sure he had no chance of escaping against his bindings. Satisfied, she crawled onto the bed and positioned her hip directly above his face. “Deep breath.” 

He knew the drill before she even lowered herself onto his head. She didn’t bother with subtlety as her folds passed over his nose. Her hips moved forward causing Tom to feel her arousal wet the bridge of his nose down to his chin. This motion repeated several times as Tom struggled to find air. Her scent permeated his nostrils and his mouth was mostly useless from the gag. 

“I’m going to need more…” she moved her hips down the length of Tom’s body dragging her crotch over his chest. He could feel her leave a trail of wetness as she moved to his groin. Tom tried again to struggle against his binding, if only to get a better look at Hinba’s movement. The ropes dug into his skin around his neck and chest. Tom tried to lift up his head but was unable to do more than wiggle under her weight. 

Hinba laid down when she could feel Tom’s erect cock pressing against her asscheeks causing him to shudder as her warmth enveloped him. Her pussy lips pressed against the base of his shaft and her chest threatened to smother him. She planted a kiss on his forehead. Tom wanted to scream. He hated how she could go from fearsome predator in one moment to someone displaying genuine affection in the next. The shift was enough to give him whiplash. 

“If you do a good job, I’ll consider releasing you.” She sat upright and positioned her opening directly above Tom’s manhood. “If not and well… I have something extra humiliating for you to dream about. I’m sure you’d love it.” Tom gulped nervously as she lowered herself. The soft warmth traveled all the way down to the base of his groin. He gasped at the sudden pleasure. 

This wasn’t fair, he told himself. There was no way he was going to last long enough to satisfy Hinba. His thoughts were clouded as she began to bounce herself up and down. She was making a show of it, grabbing and pinching her nipples, doing everything she could to bring Tom to the edge as quickly as possible. He came quickly, but she didn’t stop as one of her hands traced circles around her clit. She got what she needed from Tom, now it was her turn. Her pace increased and the added sensitivity of Tom’s post orgasm cock was too much to endure. 

It was too much. He started to shake head against growing discomfort. Hinba slowed and started moving her hips side to side rather than up and down. “Too bad. So where do you want to be trapped in your dream? You haven’t had a chance to really explore this human body of mine”

Tom started to make a series of muffled cries through his gag, exciting a soft giggle from Hinba. She moved her hand to the side of his face to undo a small knot before Tom felt the rope in his mouth loosen. Hinba pulled it away. He still couldn’t turn his head all the way to see her but he could at least speak. “This isn’t a fair fight. I can’t do anything tied up like this and you’re…” he didn’t finish the sentence. 

“Not fair, is it? I quite like you this way. How better would you be if you weren’t all tied up?” 

Go big or go home, he thought. “I’d rock your world just like last time. Now are you going-” 

“Rock my world, huh?” There were a lot of things that seemed to happen all at once. First Tom saw Hinba’s eyes start to glow again and for a moment, he thought it was here following through on her threat but instead of fighting unconsciousness, he could feel his dick getting hard again. At the same time, both of her arms shot backward and Tom felt her fingertips scratch against the skin of his ankles but he was unable to see what she did. In another quick motion, she hooked a fingernail under the rope closest to his waist and traced upward along his chest. Again he wasn’t sure what she was doing until her finger passed his neck and the pressure on his airway release. 

Her nails cut through the rope like butter. He moved arms out from behind his back and moved his legs slightly. They were free as well. “Go ahead.” she smiled down at him. “Rock my world, pet.” her voice lowered to a purr. “I’m going to make your punishment twice as long if you don’t live up to that boast.” 

For a moment Tom couldn’t move a muscle. He silently wondered how much worse off he was now that he was free of his bindings and considered asking for them back. No, he was too far into this lie to back out now. Tom really didn’t want to learn the differences between a human stomach compared to a demon stomach. With a quick motion he wrapped his arms around her muscled core to try and flip her onto her back, thinking he would have better chances if he was on top. 

After his attempt failed miserably he thought quickly for a plan B. Her strong core didn’t budge an inch from his efforts. It’s going to be a long night, he thought to himself.