Her lips were pursed and her hands were balled into tight fists, the feeling of her claws against her flesh helping distract her from the guilty steps she took on egg-shells, always toward the building. A few more steps and she would be safely behind it, shielded from the moonlight and any lurking eyes in the darkness of the town.

	She wanted to appear as if she were searching for somebody, but the longer she lingered, the more suspicious she looked, and all the more likely someone would see her and question what she was doing. Fed up with her egg-shells of indecisiveness, she made the split second decision to dart to the backside of the building, pressing herself against the wall as tight as she could, taking several heavy breaths, all of them rapid, before taking one long, shaky one, and letting the realization of what she had set into motion settle into place. 

	Every voice in her head screamed for her to stop, reasoning that she had –technically-- done nothing wrong; but as she saw it, she had already reached a point of no return, and she knew from experience that when her belly rose up and became tense, and when her tail wagged with frisky, untimely whips, each one needing to be controlled so it did not whip against the building and reveal her: there was no reasoning, and she would always find a way to get what she wanted.
	
	There was a single window visible from where she was: an orange glow pouring through it and steam billowing out into the same air she was breathing. She eyed it, rubbing her teeth with her tongue, her heart beating a bit harder with each deliberate step in that direction. When she was inches from it, she turned and looked into the bath, only seeing a small portion of the room, toward the corner, knowing that each inch of visibility she gained would be gained on both sides.

	She put the side of her face in front of the opening and peaked inside, and through the thick, white mist, she saw Hakouro, sitting on a small, wooden bench, completely in the nude, facing away. She swallowed hard, her eyes glued to his backside, her hand gripping her thigh tightly, the other placed against the wall, her claws creating small indentions in the wood.

	“Eruruu?”

	She gasped, instinctively stifling it, pulling away from the window to again press her back against the wall, staring at the tall silhouette clutching a sword bigger than itself, standing only feet away from her.

	“K-Karura...!” She spoke in a near-whisper.

	Karura's surprised expression quickly morphed into amusement, and a smile crept on to her lips, though Eruruu could not yet see it through the darkness. “Should I even ask?”

	“N-n-n-no! W-wait! It's not what you think!” She put her hands out in front of her and pleaded with her palms. 

	“I sure hope not, because it looked a lot like-”

	“Shhh! Don't say it!”

	“Is somebody out there?” Hakouro's voice rang out, only inches away from the window.

	Eruruu gasped. Karura darted forward and grabbed her by the waist, tossing her over her shoulders and jumping gracefully and soundlessly on to the top of the bathhouse. 

	“Should I tell him?” She whispered it, and Eruruu frantically shook her head in response. Karura swore she could see the bright red tinge that she knew had to be all over her face. She couldn't help but smile. She carried her away and dropped her off a safe distance from the bathhouse, and after fixing her dress, Eruruu looked up at Karura, before staring down at the ground with in-turned feet.

	“I gotta be honest. I never pegged you the type.”

	“I'm not!”

	“Shhh, don't want him to hear from way over here, do you?”

	Eruruu blushed harder. “I'm... not like that. It wasn't what it looked like.”

	“Then what was it?”

	“I... I...” She looked around as frantically as was possible while maintaining some level of subtly, hoping something would spark inspiration for a good lie, or better yet, a good excuse to end the conversation.

	“I'm not gonna make you say it. That would be cruel...” She smiled to herself, the street lights making it plainly visible to Eruruu, filling her with a peculiar feeling, not far from dread. “However, he is my master, and my loyalty lies with him. This has put me in a difficult spot.”

	“Karura!” She stepped forward, stopping inches away from her. Looking up, she made the most pitiful and pleading expression she could muster, and it took her little effort to do so. “Please don't tell Hakouro! Please! I'm begging you. You can't tell anyone about this! I'll do anything!”

	Karura seemed to consider this deeply, though her expression, as usual, deceived any sense of authenticity she may have had in regards to seriousness – though, as Eruruu, and how anybody else would have felt, it was as serious as she would ever get.

	“I am begging you, Karura...” She looked as if she could burst into tears.

	Karura chuckled. “I was hoping to tease you a bit more, but it looks like you're serious.”

	“You can tease me if you want – as much as you want! – just don't tell him! Please!”

	“Like I said, it's my responsibility to tell him....” She felt the atmosphere grow heavier, “But, I consider us family, Eruruu, and I feel responsible to do right by you as well.”

	“...So you won't say anything?”

	She chuckled. “That depends.”

	Eruruu looked back at her, puzzled.

	“I want my master to get honesty, and nothing else, but since you don't want to tell him about this, you'll need to do something else.”

	“I'll do anything if it means you won't tell him!”

	“Then this won't be an issue.” Her lips curled into a smile, mischievous, even for her. “All you have to do is tell Hakouro how you feel about him, and I won't tell him anything about what went on here tonight.”

	She blinked several times. “W-what do you mean?”

	“All you have to do is tell Hakouro that you love him, and I will keep this secret.” Eruruu's eyes widened further than Karura thought possible. “A secret for a secret. Sounds fair to me.”

	“I-I-I don't... I d-don't l-love Hakouro!”

	She closed her eyes and smiled. “You've heard the conditions. And, as an added incentive, so you can't put it off forever, starting tomorrow, after you wake up, you're not allowed to relieve yourself. Not until you tell him.”

	“W-what?”

	“Better get up the courage quick.” Karura shrugged. “You can tell him tonight if you want. Get it over with.”

	“But I don't love him!”

	“Sorry, but those are the conditions. Don't take it personally, I just have to do what I think is best for my master.”

	“W-wait! So... you're telling me that I have to... tell Hakouro... that, and by 'relieve myself' you mean... I can't go pee?”

	“Starting tomorrow, yes.”

	“Karura! That's insane! You can't make me do that!”

	“Would you like me to just tell him you were peeping, then? Or should I wait until tomorrow to see if you change your mind?”

	Eruruu's face sank. “Karura...” She whined.

	“No negotiating. The conditions are as they are. But that's enough torture for one night. You can decide how you want to this play out on your own. Just remember, I'll be keeping a close eye on you so don't try anything.” Karura turned to walk away.

	“W-wait... Um, I'm not saying I'm gonna do it or anything, but... In the morning...”

	“Yes?”

	“Can I go? Just once when I wake up? It's bad in the morning...”

	Karura smiled again. “Fine. But just once.”

	Eruruu let out a sigh that could have just as easily been one of relief as it was one of worry.

	Eruruu's eyes opened. For a moment, she wondered if it had all been a dream, but after a few moments of hopeful prayer, she conceded to what she knew was true and put a pillow over her face, wishing she could keep it there. With an elongated sigh, she rose from her bed, a feeling just below her belly she worried would become quite familiar later in the day, and left to relieve herself before beginning Karura's sick game. She cherished every moment of peeing that morning, cursing Karura's dreadful idea of 'a added incentive,' though passively acknowledging its necessity, as she would have likely tried to put off forever, just as she had said. 

	Both potential conversations with Hakuoro replayed in her mind as she carried on her morning rituals As much as she wanted to save herself the embarrassment of confessing her feelings – or as she rationalized it: 'exaggerating her feelings' – she knew being pegged as a pervert and a creep was not an ideal alternative, and, ironically, bestowed some degree of interest in them inherently, interest she wished to keep safely 'unexaggerated.'

	She knew what she had to do, but as minutes turned to hours, the issue of how she would say it plagued her, as she could hardly acknowledge those feelings in her own thoughts, let alone say them to him with any grace, or even romance. As she assembled Hakouro's tea, there was a familiar feeling in her lower stomach, and while still unobtrusive, it was a growing reminder that the sundial was against her, and eventually she would be forced to speak those words, regardless of grace, romance, or anything else that would make her look less like a fool.

	When she brought the tea to him, she saw he was in a good mood, and considered it a good sign. Though, it was the exuberance that shined brighter when he was in high spirits that made him difficult to be candid with, and his eyes probed deeper and more mercilessly than usual, which did just as much bad as his mood did good. 

	“Oh, excellent, Eruruu, please, come in.”

	“H-Hello, Hakouro...”

	“I was looking forward to drinking some of your tea today.”

	“I-I'm glad.” She looked toward the ground as she walked, her cheeks glowing red as she set the tray down in front of him, next to a scroll.

	“Hmm?” His eyes probed. “Is something the matter?”

	“N-No! Nothing a-at all...”

	His eyes sharpened a bit. “Are you sure?”

	“Y-yes!” She hurried toward the door to leave.

	“Eruruu.”

	She stopped in her tracks and swallowed. “Yes?”

	“I was wondering if you'd care to join me for some tea today. It gets quite lonely in here.”

	“D-Does it? I-I mean I... I suppose...” She tried to think of a good excuse, but everything that came to mind was a lie, and she couldn't find the heart to use a lie to leave Hakouro lonely.

	“Excellent.”

	She stood around awkwardly for several moments before approaching the table and sitting on the opposite end. She poured them both a cup of tea, thinking to herself about how perfect of a situation it was to confess her feelings, yet felt hardly relieved by the convenient turn of events.

	She took nervous sips of her tea and within minutes found herself looking down in surprise at an empty cup. Hakouro noticed her expression and, much to her dismay, insisted she have another, going as far as to pour it for her. She kept it low, away from her lips, raising it only to take the smallest sips to be polite, but as she again got wrapped up in her thoughts, it rose up and remained close by, where she soon emptied it again.

	The familiar feeling in her stomach was getting hard to ignore. It was a bit past noon and had been many hours since she had last relieved herself. She had been limiting her fluid intake up until that point, and worse yet, she knew none of the tea had yet had time to reach her bladder, so there was much more pressure to come.

	Several times she tried to share her feelings, or at least say enough so she would be forced to explain, but the words always remained inside. Each time she tried to put voice to them, her chest would tighten and nothing would leave her mouth. Each failure made her grip on the cup tighten, and she would involuntarily raise it to her lips and take another sip, wondering why she continued the same harmful process, and then she would again attempt to just 'get it over with' and force the words out. 

	By the time she finished her third cup, she got up and excused herself. The feeling in her lower stomach was stronger, and it was starting to extend downward, between her legs. In that room was the best place to tell him -- alone, talking, and his positive mood -- and she cursed her own cowardice for failing to do so, but she stood by her choice to leave, knowing if she drank anymore tea she would run the risk of having an accident before saying what she needed to say.

	She shuddered. Having an accident at her age was not an option, but with the tea rushing through her, she knew she had to do something soon, but felt no closer to her admittance than she had while peeping the night before. She swallowed again, knowing she only had one option left.

	She hurried outside and checked her surroundings, paying extra attention for women with large swords and slave bindings. After verifying that she was either alone, or not within a worrisome distance of anyone who might follow her, she rushed across the courtyard to a tree in a secluded corner, just against the wall of the castle. 

	When safely out of sight, she hid behind the tree and did a small dance, keeping her thighs tight and rubbing as she peeked out from the side to make sure nobody had seen her. When the coast was clear, she undid her robe and reached for her panties.

	“Changed your mind?”

	Eruruu gasped loudly and stumbled back toward the wall, covering her underwear with her hands, looking at up at the sound's source.

	“If you'd like, I can leave you to do your business. In fact, I think this would be a perfect chance to tell Hakouro-”

	“-No-no-no-no, you don't have to do that!” She retied her robe, her cheeks bright red.

	“I don't? Because it looked a lot you were about to go.”

	“It's.... Can't I just have a little more time? Just let me go one more time, please?”

	“Sorry. Can't do that. We had a deal.”
	
	“But... Karura!”

	She remained quiet.

	Eruruu looked up at her in astonishment before balling her hands into fists and marching away with a scornful expression. The heavy steps and extra extension of her legs made her bladder throb, and her marching soon disintegrated into short, rapid steps. After having been so close to release, her urge spiked significantly, and she feared that if she crossed someone familiar too soon or at the wrong moment, she would be unable to conceal her squirming from them, and could only pray they did not stop to talk to her.

	She hid in her room and paced, rubbing her thighs together as she walked, one hand placed on her lower stomach, the other still clenched into a fist. Each time she tried to shoe-horn her thoughts into a coherent plan with some chance of success, she was side-tracked with what-if's and by the crushing fear of Hakouro's outright rejection of her. Of further befuddlement was the persistence of her need, and the various mantras and expletives that would compulsively repeat in her thoughts, and at times, on her lips with a whisper barely audible to herself about how badly she needed to go.

	Her lower regions were beginning to throb, and she knew from experience that the situation was dire. The rate she had put away the tea matched the rate it has come back to haunt her, and not long after reaching her room, her hand pressed up against her underwear through her robe, in a physical attempt to keep the urine inside her a bit longer.

	Another issue that was becoming increasingly prominent was whether or not she could hide her desperation long enough to tell him, and of even more so, keeping it in as she dealt with the significant stress associated with the act in question. The thought of having an accident alone in her room was enough to send her whole face to the funeral pyres, but, in front of Hakouro, it made her wonder if there would be need of a funeral for the rest of her.

	She stopped pacing and danced on the spot, one hand pressing tighter into her groin, the other now rubbing her lower stomach. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was an adult and she would hold it, just as an adult should, yet a moment after her verbal declaration, the thought lurking in the back of her mind suddenly came to the forefront: if she lingered much longer, the situation would be out of her control. The adult move was to prevent an accident by whatever means, and that meant taking responsibility and forcing herself to do what she had to do – namely, confessing her love to Hakouro.

	She whined pitifully, her voice warbling as she did a motion crossed between a bounce and a vibration, and she swallowed again, dancing more intently on the spot, feeling the shoreline of her bladder raise further and further with each ebb'ing series of moments. With a mental commitment and a deep breath, she internalized her fidgeting and headed for the door to her room, stopping in front of it before walking out

	After hesitating for several seconds, she quickly undid her robe and looked down at herself. She pulled her panties down to the middle of her thigh, and in the light brown, nearly white cotton, she saw a small dark spot in the center, about the length of an acorn. In one way, she was disturbed that it had escaped without her feeling it, just as she always was when she looked down after close calls, but in another way, she was relieved, as it was small and unintimidating, and was her secret, and would, by Witsuarunemitea's good grace, remain that way. 

	With a new found understanding of the importance of acting strongly and quickly, she redressed and exited her room, rushing toward Hakouro's tea room with occasional, stifled fidgets. When she reached the room, she danced outside the door for several moments, took another deep breath and again repressed her need and shoved it deep inside, before opening the door and doing her best to appear casual as she entered.

	“Hello, Eruruu.”

	“H-h-h...”

	Hakouro looked at with concern. “Are you alright?”

	“H-hello, H-Hakouro.

	“Hello.”

	They both waited in silence for several moments, Eruruu's cheeks glowing red and her attention steady turning back to the quickly advancing sensation between her legs. 

	“Care to sit down?”

	“I-I-I... h-have to leave.” She turned around, and without another word, exited the room. She rushed down the hallway, her hand pressed against her groin the moment she was out of sight.

	After only a few moments, she stopped herself, knowing moving further away from the room could only end badly. Had her thoughts not been so consumed by the sudden increase of her desperation, she'd have found the irony in her embarrassingly candid pee dance – in public, no less – as she reasoned to herself that she was an adult and had to make the adult choice, and failing to make that choice, which meant doing the last thing on earth she wanted to do, meant she'd inevitably do something unforgivably childish. 

	She turned to face the direction she had come from, and much to her horror, standing before her, was Hakouro, who had sneaked up on her, much like the very tea he had given her earlier.

	“Eruruu, are you alright? Are you in pain?”

	She swallowed and shook her head. She was looking up at him, bent slightly forward, walking with high-knee steps, but remaining in place. Both hands were rubbing her thighs, only inches from her groin, and her were lips pursed tightly, looking as if she were pleading with him.

	“Can I help you at all? Do you need to be carried?”

	Her cheeks continued to darken and her eyes started to tear up. She shook her head again in the negative, unable to speak, lips still pursed.

	Hakouro's eyes tightened for a moment, and she saw him begin to fixate on her lower body. She clenched at her thighs, hoping she could keep her predicament a secret, but knowing deep down the sentiment was futile for reasons, at that point, entirely beyond her control. Her entire lower body was throbbing: it had been for awhile, and was getting progressively worse as she continued shaking her head at Hakouro, an almost comical pout on her lips.

	Before Hakouro could vocalize his suspicions, her eyes lit up, and in an instant, her attention went from him to her own lap, where warmth was growing out from around her groin at an alarming rate. She loudly sucked air into her lungs as her lips spread in terror. As the stream picked up speed, the numbness in her lower body, a numbness she had not noticed until then, dissipated, and what she had for a moment prayed was just a unusually large leak, was confirmed as her worst nightmare.

	They both stood in silence, Hakouro going back and forth between Eruruu's lower body and face in astonishment, and Eruruu, at first looking to his eyes, but soon, after finding them too intimidating to handle, hung her head downward.

	There was the sound of urine trickling onto the wood flooring, much of the urine trailing off the back of her thigh, and any of it not caught by her robe, splattering directly below. The rest of it formed rivers down her legs, leaking off her heels, making two small puddles at her feet, both growing toward the third puddle of run-off, threatening to unify into one great puddle.

	“Eruruu...”

	She was leaned forward, her butt protruding out several inches and her eyes filled with tears, still staring downward. At the sound of Hakouro's voice, she looked up in horror.

	“I...I...”

	“If you had to go... you could have just told me.”

	They spent several moments staring at each other, before Eruruu turned and ran away, tears streaming down her cheeks. The whole time all she could think about was how something like that could have happened, and how she hoped she would wake up from the horrible nightmare that she had to be in. Upon returning to her room and promptly locking herself inside, she covered her face with her hands and tried to sob, but no more tears came out; instead, she felt a strange mixture of emotions, the most powerful being one of anger.

	She turned to face her door, and went as far as to reach out for it, before remembering she was covered in a layer of her own urine, and she was still wearing the same soiled clothing. She peeled off the bottoms of her underwear and changed robes, leaving them in a pile off in a corner of her room to be dealt with later. While she was out, she would bathe, but before she did that, there was something of the utmost importance that needed to be dealt with.

	She headed out to the courtyard, being careful to avoid Hakouro. In her walk, she realized she had left a large puddle of her own urine on the ground for him, or whoever he commanded, to clean  up. Her cheeks returned to their previous level of heat as she struggled to push the thought out of her mind, so she could focus on that matter of importance.

	Upon making it outside, she took several steps in the direction of the tree she had tried to relieve herself at earlier in the day.

	“Looking for someone?”

	She looked over and saw Karura, a smile that said victory, and appropriately, Eruruu had a lingering sensation of having lost in a great way. She could merely frown in return.

	“... Are you going to tell him?” She looked as if she could start crying again at any moment, though, unlike how she had been with Hakouro, she looked hardly helpless.

	She closed her eyes, that same smile on her lips. “No.” Eruruu's expression softened immediately. “I feel like that was punishment enough. I am a bit surprised though... You'd rather pee yourself in front of him than just tell him the truth?”

	“It isn't the truth!” Her expression re-hardened. “A-and, it's none of your business.”

	“Peeking on my master was you getting involved in his business. “ Her smile didn't leave off for an instant.

	“Shh!”

	“But I suppose you're right. If you decide to tell him, that's up to you. For now, go get cleaned up. You smell rather bad...”

	Eruruu frowned, and feeling unsatisfied, walked off, though relieved her secret was safe. She pondered to herself whether or not it had been a worthwhile trade, but ultimately dismissed the considerations as pointless and nothing more than dwelling. She headed straight for the bath, again being careful of Hakouro, planning ways to avoid him until she was safely in the female's only area – and, if necessary, until the end of her life.