The room was barely lit and shadows hid much of its features. Taki stood in front of the mirror and glanced at herself, at her figure, and sighed. She was twenty today, and although she was relieved that she was at last an adult, she felt a twinge of discouragement at her appearance. Her body, her figure, her face, all were too perfect, too voluptuous for the life path she had chosen. Her long, lustry hair, her refined features, her ample chest and long, muscular thighs would have been put to better use had she been a geisha, not a ninja. Her grandfather's training had done wonders on her and had allowd her to compensate her awkward body, but she had always had to work twice as hard to achieve anything the other ninjas did easily. She was too tall, and her chest kept throwing her off-balance. When she had entered puberty, it had become very difficult for her, and no one had taken her seriously. Several years later, however, she had shown them all. The skeptics were convinced, and no one ever doubted her abilities anymore.

No one but her, of course.

She was carrying with her the stigma of her youth, the feeling of inadequacy. She could throw her daggers further than anyone and deeper in the wood than any of her peers. She could leap higher, run faster, think better than all but a few exceptional ninjas. There should not have remained any doubt about how good she was, yet there she was, gazing at her perfect hourglass figure, hating every curve of it. She exhaled again, half with displeasure, half trying to reduce the great expanse of her chest. As usual, it didn't make much of a difference.

She heard the summoning gong. The ceremony of dawn was but a few hours away, and there were many demons to banish before the seal was restored for the coming month. She knew the cleansing ceremony was necessary before the banishments, but she hated it. The other ninja girls would glance at her when they thought she couldn't see them, and giggle and make private jokes at her body. The ninja men would turn away from her to try and conceal their erections. It would make feel like an outsider again.

Time to go. She gathered her weapons and her scrolls, and exited the room, leaving behind an empty mirror and the smell of her natural perfume.

Yin Cho had travelled a long way. He had left his home village of Xing Po Wang with clear instructions, and had obeyed them with almost obsessive care. The ring he was carrying was too precious, too dangerous to handle with anything but the utmost precautions. Far too many people had been hurt by this seemingly innocent iron bauble, and he owed it to all those who had died, who had suffered, he owed it to all of them to take it as far away from the village as the mage had ordered. Of course, he had some measure of doubt as to the motives of wizard, but there was little he could say openly about it. He suspected the mage had had his sights on Li Chin Wa for quite some time, but Yin Cho had been courting her fairly openly for several months, now, and she had responded to his advances. Wizard Mang Xiu had conveniently dreamed that the ring be taken far away from the village, and that it be carried by none other than Yin Cho. "Thirty days towards the rising sun, not one day less, then give it to the first person you meet," the wizard had sentenced. The villager had no choice, and voicing his suspicions would not have helped much. The other villagers would have branded him a coward and a man who shirked his duties. Li Chin Wa would not have liked that either, and that was, more than anything else, the main reason why he had accepted the task.

The trip had taken him a long time. He had travelled far, much further than he would have thought when he left. It had also been much more difficult than he thought. The first week had been easy enough. He had avoided bandits by travelling old, abandoned roads. He had used up his provisions after that week, but was fortunate enough to meet a generous farmer on the road, who had given him enough fruits, vegetables and some dried meat to last another week. It had taken him all of that second week to reach the ocean -- or at least a large enough sea that he thought it was the ocean. He had heard about it before, but was awed by its immensity and its majesty. Its beauty soon faded when he realized that the rising sun would lead him across that obstacle. It would not be an easy trip. He first needed a boat, but did not know where to find one, nor how to take it across the sea. He did not know how to swim either, so he could not even try that. On that night when he stopped at the ocean, he feared his quest was over and he would have to return home. He wondered before sleeping if he could perhaps find someone else to fulfill the quest.

A dream had come to him during his sleep. He saw Li Chin Wa, all dressed in white, and she was standing on the beach, beckoning him to follow her. When he sent after her, she ran away, her dainty feet leaving no traces in the sand. She was like a ghost, but he didn't care. He caught up with her near a large bush where she had stopped. He tried taking her into his embrace, but she was no more solid than his dream, and he fell over himself in the sand. When he rolled over and looked up at her, she was gone. In her place was a large bush -- large and flat and long. He got up and reached to touch the bush, and woke up. It was morning. The sun was rising already.

Yin Cho got up and looked around. He recognized the beach from his dream and, following a prophetic impulse, followed the path he had run in his sleep. It took him moments before he found the large busy -- only, in the light of the dawning morning, he saw that it was no more than camouflage for a small one-man barge. He looked around, fearing that the owner might not be too far, and found no one. He hesitated some more, then looked at the sand. No footprints. The owner must not have come here in a long time. He made up his mind. He would take the barge, travel towards the rising sun for the next two weeks, then come back here and return it where he had found it. It was all for a good cause, he decided, and the sooner he could finish his quest, the better off he would be -- the barge owner would hardly miss it.

He spent three days on the ocean before he ran out of water. Food was hardly a problem, since he knew how to fish, but he soon grew thirsty, and hoped he had not lost his way on the ocean. He followed the rising sun as accurately as he could, but he could never be sure if he was on the right path. On the dawn of the twentieth day of his trip, he saw an island straight ahead. He worked his oars almost frantically, fighting a nasty current that was taking him astray. It took him the whole day before making it to shore. Blessed be the gods, there was even a clear brook not far from where he landed, and he drank from it avidly. Once he was sated, he hid the barge in the bushes, much like he had found it, and smoked some fish to have enough provisions to last another week.

He was in Japan.

Taki had found her prey. The hairy oni had captured several villagers and had brought them back to his lair, getting ready to feast upon them. His lair was a dark and humid cave near the Golden Lake. Standing downwind from the cave, she could smell the putrid odor of death and decay of the corpses of the oni's victims. She looked up at the sky. Dusk was imminent, and it would soon be time for her to enter the oni's lair. An hour, perhaps two, and her nightvision would be good enough to allow her to move about discreetly without stumbling into walls or walking over dried leaves. The hairy oni, she knew, was a cunning demon, and would have laid several traps in the cave to prevent intruders from catching him unawares. She knew the traps would be difficult to avoid, but if anyone could do it, she could.

When the time came, she got up and leaped from shadow to shadow in complete silence. She reached the rocky cliff and climbed it like a spider, making no more noise than the wind. She reached the lair's entrance, peered inside and, seeing no threat, slipped inside with her back to the wall.

Yin Cho was truly out of luck. On the twenty-ninth day of his trip, when he was finally starting to believe that he might actually succeed in his mission, everything had gone wrong. He had managed to avoid several horsemen travelling on the same roads as he did, unsure whether they would mean him harm or not. When in doubt, he preferred to avoid talking to strangers. He had come so far, he wasn't about to jeopardize everything simply for the sake of company or curiosity. Unfortunately, by hiding in the forest one time too many while a group of strangely dressed cavaliers were approaching his position, he turned his back to a more gruesome enemy, an ugly and hairy demon. The creature had been laying in wait and Yin Cho had offered it his back. He heard a sound, a branch cracking, then felt a heavy hand hit him across the head. He fell to his knees, then the world went black.

When he woke up, he could not see a thing. It took him a moment before realizing he had a cloth over his head, tied around the neck, and that he was bound at the wrists and ankles. From the muffled echo around him, he realized he must be in some sort of large room with stone walls. There was another sound, also, that of a large creature walking slowly and heavily about. It seemed to be lifting heavy objects from far to his left and dumping them somewhere to his right. Every time an object was dropped, it was followed by the clattering of something that sounded like sticks on a stone floor. Yin Cho shivered at what it could mean. He briefly considered moving, perhaps trying to crawl and flee this place unnoticed, but quickly changed his mind. The smelly cloth over his head prevented him from knowing where he was and where he was going. Also, he had this irrational thought that perhaps if he behaved and kept a low profile, the creature would forget about him and leave him alone. It made no sense, but it might buy him precious minutes of life. He knew he was condemned, but he had no other options.

Then there was a strange sound. Something whizzing through the air and hitting -- and penetrating deep -- into flesh. It was followed by a powerful roar that resounded through the room. Yin Cho didn't hear any more whizzing, but several more sharp objects impacted with the creature and punctured its skin. He heard it rush some invisible opponent, pounding its massive feet in its unstoppable onslaught. The creature hit the wall and roared with anger and frustration. Yin Cho's heart suddenly leaped with joy. Someone was here to rescue him! And, from the sound of it, it sounded like his rescuer had the upper hand. He waited silently while the fighting went on. There were several more sounds of battle, and he tried to understand what was happening even if he couldn't see. Whoever the rescuer was, he was very nimble, because he never heard him make a sound, and he always seemed to elude his captor. Then he noticed a strange sound, just after the creature fell heavily one more time to the ground. It was a weird chant, which echoed in the room and made him dizzy. Magic! His rescuer was a mage! If anything could take down that creature, it had to be a mage! This was his lucky day.

He heard a thud, then nothing for a few seconds, then the sound of a blade slashing through thick meat. There was another chant, then silence. Yin Cho waited, then decided that the creature was dead, and it was time to make himself noticed to his rescuer.

"H-hello?" he called out hesitantly. "Is... is anyone still here?"

No one answered him. He became afraid that perhaps the his savior might have gone already, and cursed himself loudly for waiting too long. Now he would have to escape his bonds by himsefl and somehow find his way out of this smelly prison. Then a voice spoke near him, barely a whisper. It caught him by surprise and he gasped.

"W-what did you say?" he asked.

"I said," the voice repeated, louder, "can you walk?"

He realized with shock that it was the voice of a woman. A beautiful voice, too, he noted. He nodded his head in answer to her question, then realized she might not have noticed his response.

"I think so," he added.

"Good," the woman said again. "I don't want to have to carry you anywhere. I'll free you, but then you're on your own. All right?"

"Yes! Yes, absolutely! Thank you so much!"

He felt a dagger cut his bonds, then the noose around his neck. He quickly tore off the smelly cloth and tossed it aside, widening his eyes to try and see the woman beside him. There was almost no light, however, and he could only vaguely make out her outline. He tried standing up. His legs still worked fine, but they were cramped from being tied all night. He massaged them a bit, helping restore the circulation, while the woman waited silently.

"Well?" she asked coldly.

"I'm fine, thanks. Please, one last favor... Could you take me outside? I don't know if this place is big or not, but it'd be a great help if you could show me out. I'm on an important mission and..."

"Very well," she interrupted. "Follow me now."

Yin Cho nodded and moved behind her. He was glad he had asked for her help because she made several turns at several intesections. He never would have made it without her. As they both neared the exit, the light of dawn allowed him to see her more clearly. He almost choked in shock. She was so beautiful! Her waist was thin and her hips were perfect. The muscles in her butt and thighs were firm, and he could only imagine what she looked like from the front. And the voice, he reminded himself, she had such a beautiful voice. He almost walked into her as she stopped.

"This is it," she pronounced. "I'll leave you now."

He nodded, then realized what time it was. Dawn. It was the thirtieth day of his trip, too. And now that he could see her, she was the one! The one he should give the ring to. It was too good to be true. So this was fate at work? How wonderful!

"Wait! Please wait," he called out as she turned to leave. "I'd like to give you something for rescuing me. Please, I beg you, accept this token of my gratitude. I know it's not much, but it's all I have to give."

He fumbled through his pouch and found the ring, wrapped in silk. He handed it to her. She turned to face him for the first time. He almost dropped the ring in surprise. The red cloth of her form-fitting outfit left very little to imagination. The lower half of her face was masked, but her eyes shone like stars. Her beauty was greater than that of any woman he had seen before, even greater than Li Chin Wa. He suddenly hesitated. Giving her this ring would surely ruin her life, but Yin Cho knew he had no choice, not if he wanted to return home as a hero, and marry his beloved Li Chin Wa. He looked at the woman again. "Please," he implored, "you must accept this."

Without a word, the woman took the gift and put it in a small pouch. She turned away and leaped off the cliff. Seconds later, Yin Cho looked down to find her, but she had vanished.

Taki travelled north for several days, slowly returning home. It had taken her two weeks to track down that oni, and while she yearned to be among her peers again, she enjoyed being on her own for some time. Five days after banishing that demon and freeing that foreigner, she remembered his gift and took it out. It was a plain iron ring, with no markings. A peasant's gift, she decided, and took the ring to look at it against the moon. It gave off no shine. Ninjas were forbidden from wearing shiny objects while on mission. It might give them away from the shadows. An iron ring such as this one, however, was no threat. It was probably against the rules, but she saw no harm in trying it for a few seconds. It was just a ring, no more. She slipped it on her left hand.

It was cold, but her hand warmed it up quickly. She lifted her hand and looked at it from closer. It was really an ugly ring, hardly worth any money. She shrugged. She'd drop it in some brook on the way home. She got up and stretched for a few moments. She was feeling restless. A few days away from home, she thought, and she was already in need of some action. On impulse, she ran her hands over the sides of her thighs, up along her waist, then moved them to cup her breasts, her fingers too short to take in all the flesh. She stupped suddenly, shocked at her own brazen behavior. This was something she never did, and she was not about to start now. She knew other ninjas did not shy away from promiscuity as she did, but then they did not hate their bodies the way she hated hers. She sat down and began to meditate. An hour later, she lied down to sleep.

Her slumber was far from peaceful, however, but neither was it unpleasant. Moments after she had fallen asleep, her hands became alive and moved on their own. Her fingers flexed and stretched, then her wrists, then her elbows. Carefully, her right hand moved over her stomach and caressed it gently. Taki stirred in her sleep and the hand froze, but the ninja did not wake up and the left hand joined its sister. Together, they rubbed Taki's hard, flat tummy for long moments, then slid up and stopped at the underside of her breasts. The right hand stretched a finger and pushed against the fleshy mound in an almost comical manner, as if trying to see if it would come alive when prodded. Taki's left hand moved up to cover her left breast and cupped it delicately. It shook it tentatively. Seeing no response, it retreated. Both hands moved to the thighs and rubbed them gently. Taki shifted again, and the hands froze once more. When it became apparent that Taki was in deep slumber, they both became bolder and crawled towards the vee of her sex. The fabric of her thin outfit was stretched over her mons, and a careful observer with some imagination would have quickly realized that it was hairless. The right hand slid over it and warmed it with some gentle rubbing. Taki gasped in her sleep and brought her thighs closely together, preventing the hands from invading her further. Even when sleeping, she had this natural instinct to stop herself from enjoying pleasure. The hands paused, then returned to their normal position. They did not move again that night.

When Taki woke up the next day, she quickly got her things and started on the way home. She had forgotten about the ring at her finger and so she didn't remove it as she had planned.

Kosuke was eighteen and a strapping young man. Taller than any other boy his age, and gifted with broad shoulders and a handsome face, he was the favorite topic of conversation of all the girls in his village. He had grown under the protective care of his mother and had never known his father. He had an older brother, however, but had never liked him much. Hikaru was short and lanky, and usually vicious and deceitful. He had few friends, unlike Kosuke, and none of them were of the opposite gender. Hikaru was five years older, and vaguely remembered their father. As if that had any meaning, he had always lorded this fact over Kosuke, ending any dispute with such arguments as "how would you know, father never told you anything like he told me" or "father would agree with me, because he always said I was right." Kosuke would then drop the discussion in disgust. Both brothers also had a younger sister, Hanako, and they often competed for her trust and affection. Kosuke cared deeply about her, but Hikaru would only be interested in her to try and steal her away from Kosuke, which happened often. It seemed as if Hikaru would never let his youger brother steal that girl away from him.

Hanako, eight years younger than Kosuke, was as always unaware of their competition and took great pleasure in being in their company, even if Hikaru was often rude when they were alone together. She was mischievous and enjoyed playing pranks on her older brothers. Kosuke was very proud of her and knew she would make somebody a good wife, some day. She was honest and frank, and had this inner light that made women irresistible -- at least as far as Kosuke was concerned. His experience with women was rather thin. He had never had a father to teach him the things a man does, and women in the village were too shy to take the lead. He was completely unaware of the effect his appearance had on them, although Hikaru had noticed and hated him all the more for it.

On that day particular day, Kosuke had taken Hanako to play hide-and-seek in the fields. This was one of the few times he had managed to take her out without Hikaru intervening to steal her away, probably because he was too busy plotting revenge against some bullies who had mocked him recently. Kosuke was grateful for the private time spent with his sister. There were so few of these moments. He had been looking for her for several minutes when he began to wonder if she might have gone into the woods to hide. She should have known better, but at that age, you tend to forget or disregard instructions, or you simply wander astray following a butterfly or some weird-looking lizard. Kosuke had done it, so he expected it from Hanako. He called out her name several times, but she didn't reply. Slightly worried, he entered the woods himself.

"She is not here," said a woman's voice.

Kosuke spun around, saw no one, then looked all about. Not a soul.

"Who said that? Show yourself," he ordered, unsure of himself.

A woman emerged from behind a tree, just in front of him. She had been invisible despite her deep red silk suit. Kosuke marveled at the way it clung to her skin, revealing her every curve. Half her face was masked, but he could see her eyes. Her hair was long and black, and almost certainly silky. The young man knew without a doubt that he was in the presence of a most beautiful yet unusual woman. She certainly wasn't from these parts. She didn't seem shy nor embarassed under his scrutiny.

"The young girl -- Hanako -- did not come this way. I saw her leave with a young man a few moments ago. He looked like you. Your brother, perhaps?"

Kosuke nodded, taking his eyes off her and looking back where he came from.

"Where did they go? Could you point me the way?"

The woman nodded and extended an arm past him, pointing to the other end of the fields.

"They went that way."

Then suddenly, she grabbed him around the shoulders and dragged him close against her body. Her eyes widened with surprise, mirroring the shock in Kosuke's own eyes, but she didn't let go of him. Rather, she slid one hand down to caress his stomach, then his hard, muscular butt.

"I... what are you doing?!" Kosuke asked, almost choking on his words.

She frowned and seemed to concentrate before answering. "I don't know," was her only, cold answer.

She moved both her hands behind him and pushed his hips against hers. Kosuke gasped with surprise and noticed there was no shine of desire in her eyes. He could feel her pressed close against his, however, and was keenly aware of how soft and pliant her body must be. Her breasts were pushing against his chest and her hips were locked with his own. She grunted with effort, shifting her thighs to try and keep his organ away from her private parts, with only mitigated success. Kosuke could feel heat rising in his loins and showed little resistance to her half-hearted advances. He put his arms around her, trying to reciprocate her caresses, then saw the icy, forbidding glare in her eyes, and froze. Whatever was happening, it was not entirely natural. He let go of her, but not her from him. He tried to push her away, but her own arms held him fast. She was stronger than he thought.

"Get away from me," she snarled angrily.

She squirmed and lifted a thigh between his hips and hers, then forcefully kicked him away. Her arms were strong, but her legs were stronger by far. Kosuke flew back and hit the back of his head against a tree. He groaned in pain, then slumped to the ground, unconscious. Taki stood still for a few moments, confused and puzzled. Her arms hung at her side as if nothing had happened. Her mind raced for some kind of answer, for some explanation as to what happened. Nothing came for several seconds, then her eyes fell upon the innocuous ring she wore on her left hand. That had to be it. The ring had to be cursed. She decided to get rid of it now, once and for all.

It didn't happen, however. She willed her right hand to pull the ring and to throw it away, but her hand refused to respond. She tried to bring her left hand up near her lips, and that was no problem. When she tried to put the ring finger in her mouth to slip it out, however, the hand refused to move any closer and balled up into a fist. Then she heard a mocking laughter in her head. It was an eerie sound, something evil and malicious, something old and cunning and perverse. She shuddered at the sound, shivers running down her spine.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The voice whispered in her head again. "You can call me Hand Demon, my flower. You and I are going to have a great deal of fun together," the voice rasped on.

Taki frowned and shook her head angrily. "If you think that, you've got no idea who you are dealing with, demon. I banish creatures like you for a living!"

The voice grinned in her mind. "I know you, Banisher Taki of the Fifth Shuzu Clan. You are indeed very good at banishing demons, but in order to do your incantations, you need your arms and hands, and as you may have noticed, I am now in control of those..."

Taki nodded in agreement. "That is correct. There is a village not far from here, however, and I will easily find someone who will pull you off my finger. Then you will be at my mercy."

"Taki, Taki, Taki," the voice laughed. "You cannot do that. I will kill anyone you ask for help. In your best interest, don't tell anyone about me. Besides, I mean you no real harm. All I want is for you to take me home. Then, I will let you go."

Taki considered her situation. She could conceivably go back home and ask for help, but it was very likely she would kill several of her peers before anyone realized what was going on. She might very well get killed herself in the process, which was not an option. She couldn't ask villagers for help -- it was likely the Hand Demon would carry out its threat and slaughter the whole village just to make a point. She had no real option but to run away or follow the demon's instructions until he let her free.

"Very well," she agreed. "I will take you home."

The demon's voice grinned again. "Excellent. You are very generous, lovely Taki. You do now how lovely you are, don't you? Aaah, no need to be shy about it, I know you know, Taki. You know the effect your body has on men and women around you. This young man just there, he knew too, don't you think? Shouldn't you have given him some... action? He seems handsome enough. Oooh, but I see that you don't 'like' action, my sweet Taki... Is it perhaps that you don't know what action is? That would be such a shame!"

Taki gritted her teeth. The demon knew exactly what was going on in her mind. He had quickly realized the loathing she had for her own body and was making full use of that chink in her armor. It came as no surprise to her that her hands were suddenly caressing her stomach. They were her hands, but they moved as if they were someone else's. Gestures that were innocent enough when she did them suddenly seemed perverse and reprehensible when these uncontrollable hands did them. Her own fingers moved delicately across her stomach, moving in little circles, then slowly slithering their way up towards her breasts. She grunted in disapproval, cursing the demon in her head, but unable to stop her own hands from reaching the soft, fleshy mounds. She pressed her palms against her nipples, massaging her breasts just as a lover would. The caresses weren't brutal or painful as she expected, but rather gentle and loving. An involuntary tingling settled inside her nipples, rousing them slowly to attention. The fingers kept their movements, gently circling the breasts through the silky cloth, brushing delicately against their sensitive undersides. It was wrong, all wrong, but her body was betraying her to the attentions of that demon. Her nipples were impossibly hard, suddenly, and poking through the flimsy fabric of her ninja outfit. She wanted this to stop, to stop right away before she enjoyed it.

The hands let her go suddenly. Her breathing was ragged, her chest lifting up and down, her nipples embarassingly obvious. She heard a grunt from nearby. The young man was coming to. She looked at him, wondering what to do. Her tips were too hard, too obvious, it would be a shame if he saw her that way -- if anyone saw her that way, for that matter. She decided running away was the best option. Suddenly, she felt something probing between her thighs, hindering any running she might have wanted. Her left hand had nestled itself there and was gently pushing against her mons, a finger tenderly caressing her folds, pushing just a bit of the silky fabric inside to make her uncomfortably aware of her sex. She gasped and clumsily hopped and stumbled away into the cover of the forest. With some luck and a lot of self control, she might stay silent enough and he wouldn't find her.

She kneeled on the ground, then sat down, trying to press her thighs together and squeeze the hand so it would be trapped there and stop moving. The demon laughed silently in her head and moved the other hand behind her, between her cheeks. A finger slid inside the crack of her well-defined butt and probed for the rosette that had to be there, somewhere. Taki gasped when the finger found it and pushed a bit inside. This was so wrong, so awfully perverse, but that finger and the one wriggling between her folds were hard to ignore, and her body, which had never known the pleasures of the flesh, was responding to the pleasurable caresses. She bit her lower lip, and squeezed her thighs even harder, lifting her derriere away from the penetrating finger. It felt good, but she had to stop it somehow.

The demon smiled approvingly. "That's right, my flower, resist me with all you have. It'll only make my victory sweeter."

Taki paid him no heed, focusing her efforts on evading the caresses of her own hands. Finally, both hands retreated and moved up to her collar. They fumbled around for a few seconds, then found the buttons of her ninja outfit. The fingers deftly worked on the buttons and the top of her uniform quickly came undone. Taki had no recourse but to throw herself down against the ground to avoid her hands exposing her. The demon frowned disapprovingly and sent her hands crawling back between her legs and against her breasts. This time, he would not be thwarted, and he began tugging at the fabric, obviously meaning to rip it off her. Taki was suddenly frightened that she would be completely naked within moments.

"Wait! Wait," she said, panting. "I'll let you undress me instead. You win."

The demon howled with laughter. "That's very good. I like it when they work with me. Are you sure you're letting me win, my flower?"

Taki swallowed, then nodded. It was better to let the demon have his fun than to be forced to run naked for the next three days. She was a professional ninja. She could ignore his jibes and endure the humiliation if she separated her mind from her body, if she took refuge within her own mind. She nodded again.

"Yes," she whispered, "you win. For now."

She stood up and waited while her hands made quick business of pulling down the top of her outfit. The demon paused for a few moments, then joined her hands above her head. Smiling with glee, he then contracted the arms' muscles and made her breasts jump several times. They went up, then down, then jiggled as they settled. He repeated the routine several times until he was seemingly satisfied that her chest was as firm as it appeared. Taki closed her eyes and focused on her inner self, reciting in her head the mantras she had learned during her years as a ninja disciple. It provided some measure of relief from her humiliation, but the sensations in her chest were still distracting.

The demon got quickly tired of this particular game, and moved her hands to cup her breasts. It squeezed them gently, as it had before, circling the long fingers around the fleshy mounds. Taki's concentration held firm, despite the pleasure which she felt rising within her. Her fingers trailed lazily up and down and across her sensitive tips, causing them to slowly harden into erection. Her hands then moved to lightly tug her nipples, then released them. They settled quickly, her breasts barely moving. The hands repeated the gesture, this time tugging a little harder. The tips became harder as a result and Taki realized they were more sensitive than she had thought. Their erection was distracting to the extreme and she surprised even herself by enjoying some of it. She quickly chastised herself and resumed her silent mantra. She would not be distracted, she decided, and would not let the demon have this victory over her.

The Hand Demon was done with her breasts, it seemed. Her nipples were erect and pointing upward, hard and sensitive. The hands moved to her sides and gently caressed her there, her fingers idly tracing meaningless patterns across the delicate flesh. It both tickled and aroused her, and strong shivers nearly broke Taki's concentration. It wasn't hard for her to figure out where this was going, and she knew she was helpless to prevent it. All she could do was to resist enjoying it.

Ungh! The hands had returned to her breasts and had mashed them together. The gesture had surprised her and triggered a shiver of pleasure that jolted through her body and nestled between her legs in a warm buzz. Taki could feel herself reacting to the pleasure; her folds were parting and becoming wet. Her nipples felt like burning rocks at the tips of her breasts. Part of her mind was becoming hazy with lust, and she was suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the constant waves of pleasure much longer. Her distress grew further when she felt the hands sliding down towards her thighs, their caresses becoming more insistent. Her training was failing her! She was capable of resisting pain, but pleasure was something she was not familiar with. Something she was not capable of resisting, having not experienced it before.

Her hands moved between her thighs, parting them to gain better access. Taki whimpered; she was so sensitive there. The cloth still protecting her sex was damp with the nectar of her arousal, which was flowing freely, now. Her right hand pressed against her mons while the left one slid between her parted folds and pushed and tugged at the fabric there. Her hips bucked once, involuntarily, before Taki struggled to regain control of that part of her body. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain control, however. The hands were gently teasing her sex, as if coaxing it into action, and she was very wet, now. A finger slipped up and down between her nether lips, the other hand busily warming her sensitive mons. There was a strong urgency in her loins, one which she was helpless to fight no matter how hard she tried.

One hand finally left her folds and moved up, giving her some relief from the onslaught of delight. The respite was short lived, however, and the wandering hand found the way inside her clothes. It slithered down like a snake, squirming under the leather belt circling her waist, then slipping bewteen her thighs. She tried squeezing her legs together to hamper the progress of the probing hand, but the hand didn't seem to want to go back to her sex. Instead, it pushed a finger between the front of her folds and sought her pearl, that intimate area that she knew was the center ofher pleasure. It was very rigid, and extremely sensitive. The finger pushed against it, eliciting a sharp yelp of pleasure from the helpless victim. Her knees buckled under her and fell to the ground, struggling to regain her balance.

Her hands gave her no respite, however. Her left hand moved to fondle and massage her breasts, occasionally tweaking her nipples, while her right hand slipped a finger inside her sex, pumping gently in and out. Waves of pleasure shot through her body, crushing any control she might have left. She squirmed and squealed with shameful delight, her chest heaving with each ragged, panting breath. Her hips bucked erratically with each thrust of the finger, with each pinch of her nipples. She realized with humiliating embarassment that her legs were now spread wide and that she lacked the will to bring them together again.

A second finger slipped in between her folds, then a third. Her second hand snaked down inside her outfit and spread her labia, helping her fingers gain access further inside her boiling canal. She was totally drenched, her whole body aflame with desire, with repressed passion.

There was a noise nearby, a cracking of leaves and branches, but she was too far gone into ecstasy to react. Her body entered the early throes of orgasm, and she cried out shrilly, trying to suppress the climax, only succeeding in extending it longer. She trashed on the ground, the hands working her like a musical instrument, leaving her no time to catch her breath. It felt like several minutes before her breath returned to normal and her hands came out of her sex. She felt sticky and dirty. She tried standing up and realized she had control of her arms again. The demon seemed to have had its fun and was probably leaving her alone for now. She looked around and saw the young man she had knocked out earlier just standing there, staring at her with wide, startled eyes. She froze, then realized her breasts were bare, and she quickly brought the front of her outfit up to cover herself. She suppressed a gasp -- her breasts were still sensitive, her nipples still hard from the recent sex. She looked up at him, glaring, and he turned around.

"Are... you all right?" he asked, with gentle sollicitude.

Taki was surprised by his attitude. He didn't seem to be lusting after her, although his member was erect. He had made no gesture to take advantage of her; rather, he had inquired about her well-being. That certainly was a welcome change from all those male ninjas who leered at her whenever they could. She had never been particularly good at being nice to people, but he was sweet enough, and she might as well try to make a friend now. Maybe he could help her, somehow.

"I'm fine. What's your name?"

"Kosuke," he answered. "Tachibana Kosuke. What's yours?"

"Taki," she replied stiffly. She didn't like giving her name to a stranger, but after what he'd seen of her, after what she must have done in front of him, he could hardly be called a stranger anymore. She struggled with her outfit, putting it back into place and strapping on her arm and shoulder protectors. She was decent again, but her hips and the inner of her thighs were completely drenched, making her red outfit much darker in these regions. It was humiliating, but there was nothing she could do about it for now.

"You've been very kind, Kosuke, but I don't think you should stick around. There's no telling what might happen when... when it starts again."

"You're probably right, but could you tell me what happened, at least? It was... quite a sight."

Damn it all, but she was blushing! She was ashamed of what had happened, but it wasn't her fault! Why did she have to feel embarassed about it all? It wasn't her who was perverse, it was those filthy, demon-controlled hands! She tried to keep the waver out of her voice as she answered.

"My hands are possessed by some kind of demon." She paused, afraid that the hands might come to life to strangle him, but the demon seemed to ignore her for now. "It made me do what you saw. I couldn't stop it."

Kosuke frowned. That seemed an unlikely story, but in this day and age, who knew what could happen. It was a strange, unfriendly world, out there, and he was honest enough about his candor and his ignorance to admit at least that. If she was speaking the truth, if her arms had become her own worst enemy, perhaps he could help make a difference. He knew he didn't have the callings of a hero or a warrior, but he was also aware of his own physical ability. Perhaps she'd trust him to help. It wouldn't make him a hero, but at least it might make him more respected in the eyes of his elder brother. It certainly was worth trying.

"I don't know if it's a good idea, but maybe I can do something to help?" he offered.

Taki paused for a moment, then shook her head. "You can't stay around me, not with what my hands can do. But there's something you can do to help, yes, if you would. I need you to go to the village of Shinka and tell Master Shuzu about what happened to me. The village is east from here, four or five days away if you go quickly. Now, I think the demon is sleeping, or it wouldn't have let you live this long, so leave, now! I don't know where I'll be going exactly, but it's somewhere west, in China. Go! Run!"

Kosuke looked shocked and hesitant, but he left at a quick pace. It was only a few minutes before he vanished from her sight. She sighed with relief and headed for the nearest river. She needed to clean up.

It was not before an hour later that the Hand Demon awoke again. She had had enough time to bathe in a nearby river and to try and remove the cursed ring, without avail. It was a cursed item, and while the demon may be sleeping, it would not be removed against its will. It seemed like she was without recourse, at least for now. If that young boy could get to Shinka and ask for help on her behalf, she might stand a chance. Perhaps.

"We must be going now, my precious flower," the demon whispered inside her head. She said nothing but got up.

"Where do we go, then?" she asked.

"West. To China."

Without a word, she left in that direction, cursing the demon in her mind. There was nothing but silence answering her. It took her several moments before realizing that perhaps the demon could not read her thoughts, that perhaps it had only been guessing about her embarassment at her own body and at her virginity. She pondered the situation for several moments, wondering if there was something there she could use. She needed to make sure, however, so she formulated a thought which she knew the demon could not resist, a mental picture of herself, her hands plunged between her thighs, a look of rapture on her face. She hoped that if the demon could see it, it would not feel the sensation of disgust and loathing hiding behind it. Long moments went by, but still the demon said nothing. It couldn't read her mind. Her thoughts were still her own!

She smiled. This wasn't much, but she was finding out that the demon had limitations. That would surely be useful later on.

It took several days for Taki to reach the ocean, and several more to find a fisherman who would take her across to China. He had refused at first, but the Hand Demon, who had done little to embarass her since that first time with Kosuke, had seductively cupped her breasts, as if implying that once at sea, the fisherman could have his way with her. She bit her lips in protest, but said nothing. The fisherman, a certain Murasaki, smiled toothlessly and nodded that he would take her to the other side. The words, she thought, were heavy with implications. The man's wife seemed very, very displeased, glaring at her as if she was a wanton woman.

Taki wondered if there was some truth in that.

Much later that night, when the moon was high in the sky and everyone was asleep, Taki had a dream. She was bathing with the other ninjas of her clan, most of whom were male, and she was very aware of the desire in their eyes. As she prepared to step out of the bath, her left hand moved up to her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her fingers then moved to her nipple and tugged and tweaked it repeatedly. She gasped with surprise, then flung her right hand to try and control the other one. The fingers of her left hand fluttered around her nipples before being pulled away, then danced uncontrollably before her eyes as she tried to understand what was happening. The left fingers stopped suddenly, then brushed against her right hand. She felt a numbness in her whole hand, which spread throughout her right arm before fading away. Against her will, she let go of her left hand.

She blinked as suddenly both her arms and hands eluded her control. She pressed her palms against her warm breasts, pushing the nipples in, then tweaking them and tugging them delicately. Again, the tingling warmth, this time inside her chest, spreading outward and fading. She gasped. Her nipples had suddenly become impossibly hard, like granite, and her hands were moving away. The hardness was irresistibly arousing, but with her fingers away, she couldn't relieve herself. She moaned loudly, then blushed furiously as she noticed the male ninjas making a circle around her. Some of the female ninjas were a little further away, looking disapproving.

Her nipples showed no sign of relenting or softening up, and her hands were immobile by her side. She wanted to leave, but the men were surrounding her. She turned around in panic, looking for an exit. The desire was still mounting within her, her tips itching furiously, as if they were stabbed by countless burning needles. She needed to touch them so bad! But it was useless, her hands were heavier than mountains. The burning inside her nipples spread out inside her breasts, the skin becoming overly sensitive and erogenous. She moaned again, uncontrollably, her breathing ragged, her chest perking up with every gasp of pleasure. Biting her lips, she tried controlling herself, but her mounds felt warm, lush, full... It was a moment before she realized what the sensation meant. Looking down, her chest was slowly inflating. Looking up, she saw a man reach for them with both hands, and she was helpless to stop it. Her hands just wouldn't move. The sensation was so powerful that she let out a sharp yelp! The jolt of pleasure shook her and settled between her thighs, which were fortunately below water level. She knew she must be terribly wet, but at least the bath hid that from the men.

She grabbed the man's wrists and pulled him forcibly against her, mashing her oversized chest against his own. She could feel her breasts billowing slowly against him; it was a matter of minutes before they became even larger than her head! Her arms hugged him tight and he ground his hips against hers. She could feel his erect member pressing between their stomachs. Her desire, her lust was driving her crazy -- it just couldn't be controlled. She lifted herself against his shoulders, then dropped on his maleness with one perfectly smooth motion. He filled her to perfection! Without need for prompting, he began thrusting and grunting, her motions quickly matching his. In very little time, she felt her body shaking and spasming in climax, leaving him far behind and still pumping. He kept going, pushing and pulling, sending her through a seemingly infinite series of orgasms...

And then she woke up, her hands inside her clothes and frantically thrusting in and out of her sex. The Hand Demon was roaring with evil laughter. She climaxed again, and again, and again, in turn whimpering and squealing, unable to stop the demon's filthy manipulations. It lasted endless minutes, then the demon fell asleep, and so did she.