For Larrykitty v2

 

“And stay down…” Tempest Shadow told the beast, knowing it wouldn’t understand her, much less respond.

 

“Those were some good moves, Master!” Himmel cheered. “I was almost worried for a moment.”

 

“There was no reason to be worried, boy. I’ve faced tougher than this stupid beast,” Tempest reassured him as she started walking away. “Come. We need to inform the village we’ve succeeded.”

 

“Wait. We’re just gonna leave it here like this?” Himmel asked, quickly walking behind her. “You sure it’s dead?”

 

“If it survived, it will know better than to come near here,” Tempest answered. “Even the dumbest of monsters recognize when there’s something stronger than they are.”

 

“If you say so…” Himmel said, glancing back at the beast’s body before quickening his pace to keep up with Tempest.

 

The way back to the village proved to be a greater chore than it was following the beast’s tracks. Because it was attacking people who were traveling between villages, the two of them needed to travel off the beaten path in order to find it. Unfortunately, recent snowfall had covered their own tracks, meaning they couldn’t trace back in order to reach the beaten path.

 

“I think we’re lost…” Himmel said worryingly, looking around and seeing no sign of civilization.

 

“Damn. We were out too long,” Tempest only commented.

 

“What do we do?”

 

“If we can get a higher vantage point, we’ll have a better chance of seeing the village from there,” Tempest advised. “Climbing shouldn’t be too hard for you, I hope? I don’t want to have you on my back the whole time.”

 

“I can climb just fine! I climbed trees all the time back home!” Himmel asserted.

 

“That’s not exactly the same, boy…” Tempest replied in an annoyed tone. “But I’ll take your word for it.”

 

A cliff leading to what seemed to be a higher point happened to be nearby. True to Himmel’s word, he scaled the rocky wall with very little issue. Tempest had to admit to herself she was impressed with the boy’s natural talent for adventure. She would almost think it was a hobby, with how eager he seemed to take down ne’er-do-wells and explore new locales. A thought couldn’t help but to occur to her, that perhaps in some other version of this world, she would be much like him.

 

The two reached the clifftop in short time, climbing onto a more even plateau than they expected. It didn’t matter that they were now at a higher viewpoint, as the snow had gotten worse, blurring their vision. Tempest growled in contempt at how the weather decided to hinder them.

 

“I can’t see a thing!” Himmel complained. “Now, what do we do?”

 

“We’ll have to hold off on our trip back. Find a place to hunker down until the snow dies down,” Tempest answered. It was a good thing she had her protégé carry some supplies just for such an occasion.

 

“Master, look!” Himmel shouted, pointing towards the next cliff wall. There was clearly an entrance to a cave, leading deeper into the mountain. “We can wait in there!”

 

“It’s as good a place as any,” Tempest reasoned. “We’ll need to be careful. Usually, these caves are home to beasts.”

 

“If there are any, we’ll just beat them up like the last one and make them share the space!” Himmel boasted, flexing his fist in bravado.

 

His master briefly showed a moment of earnest shock. When she was his age, she already knew the dangers such beasts posed. She had the scar to prove it, after all. Seeing her protégé be so confident about their chances spoke to not only his bravery, but his faith in his teacher. Thinking on this, she brandished a small but sincere smile.

 

“Right. Let’s get inside before we freeze.”

 

The cave seemed fairly large, at least big enough that Tempest didn’t need to crouch as she walked. Finding a dry enough branch, she let off a small spark in order to light it as a torch. So far, it didn’t seem as though anything was inside the cave.

 

The two of them eventually reached a branch in the cave’s path, with the faintest light reaching through one way. Looking inside, they found a wider part of the cave, with a hole in the ceiling that let in the moonlight. In the center of this cave clearing was a small body of water, unfrozen even in the cold weather.

 

“Look, Master!” Himmel shouted, pointing at the water. “I can see steam coming from the water!”

 

“That makes this a natural hot spring,” Tempest commented. “I’m surprised that the villagers haven’t found this.”

 

“We should let them know about this when we get back! I bet they’d love it!”

 

“Let’s make sure it’s safe first,” Tempest said as she approached the water. Dipping her fingers into the water, it seemed warm enough. “A nice temperature.”

 

“So it’s safe?” Himmel asked.

 

“Seems so. And since we’re here, I feel like I could use a bath myself,” she said, an assured smile on her face, seemingly unaware of the blush across her protégé’s face.

 

“Oh! Well, uh…why don’t I stand guard and make sure no one interrupts you?” Himmel said nervously, turning around and was about to walk away, were it not for his teacher’s hand suddenly gripping his scarf with such force that he couldn’t move. “Eep!”

 

“Not so fast, boy. You’re coming in with me. If I could use a bath, then you absolutely need one,” Tempest insisted.

 

“But…but…you’re a girl!” Himmel tried to reason.

 

“Good to know you have eyes,” Tempest replied sarcastically. “And I’m well aware you’re a boy. Do you really think your teacher’s the kind of woman who’d get nervous seeing a boy naked?”

 

“Notatall!” Himmel blurted out. “But…good boys don’t look at naked girls…”

 

“Hmhmhm…” Tempest gave a small chuckle before pulling Himmel close enough to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “If that’s all you’re worried about, then if I don’t tell anybody, and neither do you, then it would be fine, wouldn’t it? You’d still be a ‘good boy’ in people’s eyes…”

 

“...You promise?” he said after a moment of silent contemplation.

 

“Of course. Consider it a promise from your teacher,” she answered, with a tone that was uncharacteristically, but geniunely, gentle. “Now then…”

 

Before Himmel knew it, his teacher’s hands were at his pants, and were promptly pulled down, revealing his naked waist. Distracted by this, Tempest took the opportunity and pulled off his scarf, followed by grabbing his long-sleeved tunic and pulling that up over his head. The poor boy was dazed from all the movement, but had enough mind to speak.

 

“Master, stop! I can undress myself!” he pleaded.

 

“I need to make sure you get in just in case you chicken out at the last second,” Tempest said in a teasing sort of way. She kneeled down and pushed him gently, making him stumble out of his shoes and pants. Now completely naked, Himmel tripped over his feet and landed face first into the water.

 

“What was that for, Master?” Himmel shouted once he got his head out of the water. The water was high enough where he was up to shoulders sitting down.

 

“I couldn’t just leave you standing stark naked in the cold air,” she answered snarkily. “How’s the water?”

 

“Huh?” Himmel hadn’t noticed it when he first fell in, but the water felt comfortably warm. Already, he could feel his muscles relaxing in the water’s heat. “It feels nice.”

 

“Good,” she replied as she began to remove her armor. Starting with the arms, she simply let them fall where they would. Himmel watched intently, as he had always expressed an interest in her armor.

 

“Where’d you get that armor, Master?” he finally asked.

 

“It’s a gift from Princess Twilight. This set is based on armor I used to wear,” she explained as she removed the breastplate. “It’s augmented to help me use whatever magic I can muster.”

 

“That’s so cool…” he said, mesmerized at the idea as Tempest moved on to the waist pieces and legs. As she removed her tunic, revealing wrappings around her chest, Himmel suddenly snapped back to reality and turned around, his face red. “Urk!”

 

“I already told you I don’t mind if you see me naked,” she told him, undoing the wrappings and letting her breasts breathe.

 

“I know, but I still want to be courteous!” Himmel exclaimed, his face getting redder.

 

“A gentleman through and through, hm?” Tempest sighed playfully. Himmel still wasn’t looking, but he could hear her stepping into the water. “That’s fine and all, but you should know that if you tense up like that, you destroy the purpose of being in the hot spring!”

 

Himmel heard more movement in the water, but he was too slow to keep Tempest from grabbing him under his arm and pulling him towards her. Before he knew it, his back was right up against his teacher’s body. He couldn’t relax at all, feeling her breasts pressing at the back of his head and her legs surrounding his body. Her firm arms were locked across his chest, her legs tucked under his own, ensuring that he couldn’t escape her grasp. Resting her back on a jutted out rock, she was in a comfortable position, but her student was anything but.

 

Being embraced by such a strong woman, the two of them completely naked, Himmel’s heart was beating hard enough to be heard in his ears. With how much his teacher’s armor covered, he never would have imagined how her naked body looked. Toned, yet it still felt somewhat soft to the touch, pressed against his own skin. Her breasts were by no means big, but they were still a noticeable size. All these thoughts rushed in at once, making his own body tense up even more.

 

“You really ought to relax, boy,” Tempest said, derailing Himmel’s train of thought. “Many would step all over each other to be where you are right now.”

 

“I’d gladly trade places with them,” he said snidely, even though he couldn’t hide his nerves. “A hero isn’t like this…”

 

“Now now, don’t get so full of yourself,” she chided. “You’re not a hero yet. You’re still only a boy.”

 

“But if I don’t start being a hero now, how can I expect to help others?” Himmel exclaimed, splashing the water in front of him. “I just…want to be somebody people like…”

 

“Himmel…” Tempest said in her sternest tone, causing the boy to freeze. She rarely ever called him by name. Her arms loosened their grip around him as well, to his surprise. “Look at me.”

 

Slowly, Himmel shifted his body around. His eyes couldn’t help but to look at his teacher’s body. Skin like chocolate, with light shadings from scars left by various battles. Her body was slack, her muscles loose, something he’d only seen when she was asleep. Her arms were where the most scars were located, received from defending herself. Though her body was lax, her abs still had some slight definition. His eyes stopped right at her chest, unable to stop from staring. He was so distracted that he hadn’t realized Tempest’s hands were moving until they grasped his head, if only to adjust his view higher.

 

Tempest’s expression was a mix of different conveyed emotions. Her smile was genuine, not one of domination or pride. It was though she was in some kind of pain, but not physically. Perhaps she was showing sympathy for him, so eager to make something of himself no matter what the cost. She seemed like she would cry at any moment.

 

“Master…?”

 

“I don’t mean to tell you you’re still a boy to insult you,” she said. “I’m trying to tell you that you shouldn’t be in such a hurry. You’re still a child, and you should take the time to enjoy being one. This time is shorter than you realize, and some people…barely get to have one.”

 

“I…I didn’t mean to make you worry!” he hurriedly said, afraid that he had made her upset. “I wanted to be better than other boys! So I wouldn’t be called a brat anymore…so I…could make you happy…”

 

“For crying out loud…” she sighed, but not in an angry way. She pulled Himmel towards him again, burying his face in his shoulder. “You already make me happy, my student. Each day, I’m amazed by what you’re able to accomplish. I don’t want you to get too proud of yourself though, so I don’t say it as often as I want to. You are dear to me already, and I want to be able to cherish this time we still have. So if there is something you want to do, right now’s a good time.”

 

“You mean it?” Himmel asked once he drew his face apart from his teacher’s shoulder.

 

“Of course,” Tempest said, still smiling. “We’re already close enough to take a bath together. I can’t imagine what else you’d – mm!”

 

What stopped Tempest mid-sentence was her student suddenly lunging forward and giving her a full kiss on the lips. Her breasts were squished against his small chest, her head held in place by his hands. The boy’s eyes were shut tight, perhaps in an attempt not to be intimidated by his teacher’s visage so close. Their lips were still closed, him not knowing how an intimate kiss works, but it still seemed to hold his interest. Finally, he let go of her face, falling backwards on his butt into the water, having had to get on his knees to kiss her. The two of them sat there in stunned silence, catching their breath.

 

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Tempest said, getting a hold on the situation. Himmel could only shake his head in response. “Was there anything else you wanted to do?”

 

“Uh…can I…hug you?” he asked in an almost uncharacteristic manner. She figured he had finally let the brave face go. It was…adorable in a way.

 

“Usually, a hug comes before a kiss, but that doesn’t mean ‘no’,” she answered, opening her arms. “Come here.”

 

Nervously, Himmel approached her, opening his arms to slip under hers and resting his head right on top of her breasts. She could only give a slight grin at how cheeky it was. Now he was acting his age, she thought. With one hand at the back of his head and the other at the middle of his back, she held the boy’s body close to hers.

 

Tempest had never thought about how her student’s body felt before this moment, being so close together with no clothes on. He felt surprisingly soft to the touch, which was strange to her given how much activity he seemed to get up to. Before she knew it, she found herself running her hand up and down Himmel’s bare back. Himmel only responded by pressing himself closer, probably feeling the most comfortable he had been in a while. The fact that he felt so safe around someone like her filled her heart with an indescribable joy that she wanted to make last as long as possible.

 

And then, she felt it. Something pressing against her stomach, right where Himmel’s waist was. While it wasn’t by any means hard, it was stiff enough for her to notice. In the middle of this tender moment, it seemed another guest had appeared.

 

“Himmel…” she said softly, but just sternly enough to catch his attention. “Something’s poking me…”