Hi everybody! Its me, your lovely moderator/merciless hand of judgement, KozmoFox!
I've been having some issues recently during my moderating duties. There always seems to be an influx of new people to this site, and as times change and people come and go, some understandings are lost. The issues I've been having, are people misusing the reputation system, abusing it by using it to attack other members, or to upvote everything a favorite does. I know it might seem like it, but this is not meant to be used in a pseudo-Reddit sort of way. Let me explain it by pasting the same thing I explained to another member just a moment ago.
To be more clear as to the reason why, the reputation system is actually tied directly to site access. Its how we gauge how people are valued on the site, for better or for worse. You post good things, you're contributory, etc, you'll end up with high reputation. On the negative side of things, if you shitpost, post unsavory things, and just go about being some unlikeable jerk for example, you end up in the negative. Upvote the good, downvote the bad, essentially.
And again, this is tied directly into site access. For example, in order to achieve contributory member status (which is still partially at staff discretion; that change is manual rather than automated like other things) you need to meet a criteria of 500 posts made, and a minimum of 200 positive reputation, signalling that you're an active member and contributor to the site that is liked by the community. This gives some of the highest access you can have, especially in regards to downloads and bandwidth, among other things, even higher than a paid membership will get you, because we value an active, contributing community full of great users over what money they can pay us.
This system is not foolproof however; when people abuse this system in ways its not intended to be used, this balance is thrown out of whack. People who aren't deserving of higher contributory membership might get it. People who ARE deserving might not, due to some person they dislike just redbombing them. Things like this make it difficult to ensure a level playing field.
There was a time that only contributory members could downvote for example; they had proven themselves good members worthy of handling such a responsibility, unlike new users who could be creepy or hateful people that just want to redbomb people everywhere, and even then there used to be a limit on how many upvotes people under a certain rank could administer per day, ensuring that for the majority of people, only exemplary posts and content would get the big old greenies.
Recent times threw that into anarchy though. Our beloved Kirito tried to broaden it a little by extending max voting privileges to established members, in addition to contributory and vip members. Something bugged out, and now its all out anarchy with everybody simply having all this potential. Its been like that for awhile and something we're still working on fixing. I felt the need to explain all this because I've been dealing with incidents like this all week, and I feel like its a thing that needs clearing up. I hope you all take this to heart and understand what I've explained here 🙂  ❤️
In the meantime, I'll hassle the big cheese to see where this goes definitively, and I'll try to see if I can get something like this onto the guidelines page, but in fewer words.
Thank you for reading, and hopefully cooperating  with me! It would save me an immense amount of time that I can use to tackle other site issues, instead of policing how people use a green button ❤️

(Note: Contains underaged wetting desperation and a golden shower. Reader discretion advised)
 
Lord Jabu-Jabu of Zora’s Domain was a big fish, and not just in the metaphorical sense. The zora guardian took up a good deal of the fountain he resided in, and could very easily swallow a person whole if they were not careful. For as large as he was, however, he looked even bigger on the inside.
This was what Link, the young hero from Kokiri Village, had just discovered. Standing with his back to the insides of Jabu-Jabu’s teeth, he took his first step into the guardian’s body, cringing as his boot stepped in water mixed with saliva.
“I agree with you, Link,” said Navi, his faithful fairy companion. “This is the least pleasant place we’ve been to so far.” She looked over at the bubbles, strange tentacles, and other gross things before turning back to him. “But King Zora’s daughter is supposed to be in here somewhere, and we can’t get the Zora’s Sapphire if we don’t bring her back. We’ll just have to get this over with as soon as we can.”
Link only nodded in response. The Zora’s Sapphire was the last stone they needed for their plan to stop Ganondorf. He would brave any danger to save Hyrule, no matter how gross it was.
Trekking across the room, Link and Navi came to a red wall not unlike the valve in a heart.
“Looks like this is the door leading inside,” said Navi, “You ready to go in, Link?”
Navi did not expect any reply more than an affirmative noise, but Link was still strangely quiet in that moment. “Um, Link? You ready?” she asked again, turning to him. She found Link glancing off to the side with a look of worry. “Are you alright? What’s the matter?”
Link looked at her and, after a couple seconds, put one hand below the belt of his tunic and rubbed his knees together.
“Oh,” sighed Navi, “Do you need to use the bathroom?”
An embarrassed Link nodded.
“Well, I guess it’s been awhile since we’ve taken a break for that,” said Navi, “But I don’t think we can stop now. The princess might be in danger right now, and I don’t think the zoras would like it if you just relieved yourself inside their guardian. Do you think you could hold it for a little while?”
Link frowned at Navi’s words. In truth, he had needed the bathroom for a little while now, but he didn’t want to mention it ever since they found Ruto’s message in that bottle. He knew that rescuing others came far before taking care of his potty problems, so he stood up tall and put his determined face on.
“I’m sorry, Link,” said Navi, “We’ll get through this as long as we stay careful. Now let’s go find the princess!”
 
 
Not more than a couple rooms further in stood the young Princess Ruto. She was unharmed and not in danger at the moment, but that didn’t mean she had cause to be happy.
“What is with all this gross stuff?” she bemoaned while looking at the strange tentacles and other creatures nearby. She had been in Jabu-Jabu enough times to know that these things were not normal. Then again, ever since that strange red-haired man showed up, nothing had really been normal in the domain.
As much as she wanted to get away, Ruto had no choice but to go forward. The Zora Sapphire, her most precious stone, had gone missing somewhere inside Jabu-Jabu’s depths. She was only ever to give it away to whoever would become her husband. How could she possibly marry someone without it?
But Ruto then became aware of a more immediate problem than that. She groaned as she put a hand on her groin and rubbed her legs together. “Ugh, I forgot to go pee today.”
This was no slight need, either. Her bladder felt quite uncomfortable, right at the point where she’d be looking for the bathroom under normal circumstances. How she had not noticed this earlier was beyond her. In any case, trying to find her stone with this distraction would be a bad idea.
Good thing this wasn’t the first time she had been in here while really needing to go. She knew of a place in Jabu-Jabu’s body that worked to filter minerals out of the water, so she could tinkle in there without harming him. “I hope you won’t mind the detour,” she said out loud, though she didn’t know if Jabu-Jabu could hear her.
But before she could take a single step, the sound of the door opening behind her got her attention. Someone else was in here? She was not expecting company, to say the least. My father better not have sent someone after me.
Standing up tall and refined, Ruto turned around to meet the surprise guests. She expected to see a zora or two, but instead found a young boy in green clothes and a fairy approaching her.
“You! Who are you?” she asked.
“Excuse us,” said the fairy, “I’m Navi, and this is Link. Are you Princess Ruto, by chance? We came in here because we heard you might be in danger.”
“What? Are you saying my father asked you to come here to save me?” Already, Ruto felt her temper flaring up. “I don’t care what he wants, I’d never ask anyone to do such a thing!”
“But that letter in a bottle we found…”
“What letter in a bottle?” Someone actually found that? Ruto shook her head. “Whatever, I can’t go home right now. Both of you, get out of here, understand?”
Turning around, Ruto walked away with a huff and her head turned up. Things were already bad enough, and having someone else around was definitely not what she needed right now. With any luck, they would both take the hint and disappear from her sight.
“Eeeeyaaaahhhh!”
It turned out that Ruto was the one who would disappear. With her eyes looking elsewhere, she did notice the hole in the floor in front of her, and fell straight through to the room below. She hit the ground legs-first, feeling a sharp pain go through both limbs from the impact. “Gaah!”
Ruto slowly stood back up, wincing from the pain. Her legs really hurt now, and the idea of walking through this entire place filled her with dread from how much pain it would put her in. Furthermore, as she only now discovered, the shock of the impact had caused a small bit of urine to leak onto her legs. Even she couldn’t believe how quickly things had gone from bad to worse.
“Princess Ruto!”
And they would only get worse, it seemed.
Ruto straightened herself out right before Link jumped down through the hole and stood eye-to-eye with her once more.
“Y-you’re still hanging around here? I told you to go away!” she yelled.
“We’re sorry, princess, but we can’t leave here without you,” said Navi, “Are you alright, by the way? That was a pretty sudden fall.”
“I’m…” hurting from the waist down, and I really need to pee, she wanted to say. “I’m okay. I’ve been coming inside here since I was little. I know how to keep myself safe.” Of course, there was no way she was going to admit such things to people she had never seen before, let alone ones coming to her rescue.
On the other hand, she knew she wasn’t getting very far on her hurt legs, not even to that spot where she could safely pee. If she played this just right, these annoying intruders may end up working out to her favor.
“Tell you what,” she started, “There’s something very important to me somewhere in here, and I’m not leaving without it. If you help me find it, I’ll go straight back to my father. Deal?”
Link frowned for a moment like he was worried about something, but Navi interjected before he could talk. “Well, if that’s what it will take, then I guess we’ll just have to help out.”
“Great!” Ruto smiled at them for the first time. “Now then,” she continued as she sat down on the floor, wrapping her arms around her raised knees. “I shall now give you the privilege of carrying me.”
“Carrying you?”
Ruto scoffed. “It is a high honor in the zora kingdom to carry the princess wherever she wishes. You should be grateful that I’m asking this of you!”
Navi and Link exchanged looks at each other. “Looks like we’ll just have to play along,” said Navi.
Link didn’t look very happy to hear that, but he walked behind Ruto and lifted her over his head regardless. This boy is stronger than he looks, noted Ruto.
But more importantly, her plan seemed to be working. With Link carrying her around, she could easily hide her injuries and need to pee for the time being. Still, the sooner they found her stone, the quicker she could get out of her and take care of her problem.
“Onward, servant!” she declared, “and don’t even think about getting feely with my bottom, got it?”
 
 
Link could no longer deny it; this was the worst part of his journey by far. Walking around the insides of a fish and dealing with gross monsters was bad on its own. Carrying around a bratty princess as she made demand after demand only doubled his misery.
But the worst part of this whole mess was the constant pressure from his bladder. It seemed like now that he had noticed it, his need to go kept getting worse a lot faster than he would have thought. Having to carry Ruto meant he couldn’t use his hands to hold himself and alleviate some of the discomfort. If not for her nagging, he probably would have set her down to run behind a corner and let loose a long, satisfying pee by now.
So he kept enduring for everyone’s sake, even with all the pain it caused him. He didn’t even leak a drop in one place where he had to swim across a channel, despite how his bladder all but begged for release in all that water. Navi pointing out that peeing in the water Jabu-Jabu had drank would be really rude and might make him sicker helped a little with that.
Eventually, they returned to the room with all the holes they had fallen through. “Hmph, still no sign of my stone,” huffed Ruto, “That must mean it’s deeper inside Jabu-Jabu. Let’s move it, servant!”
Link groaned in response as he stepped forward, carefully avoiding the other holes along the way. Soon, they were in front of the next door.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” asked Ruto, “Get going al-”
“Hah!?”
Link’s entire body tensed up in that moment, as he suddenly felt something leak into his underwear. Something warm and wet, much more worrisome than the wetness he got from swimming not long ago. In his kneejerk reaction, he all but tossed Ruto down and shot his hands to his groin while he bounced from one foot to the other.
“Hey, what the…!” Ruto grit her teeth, stood up, and turned around. “What are you doing, servant? You do not handle a princess in such a manner!”
Link would apologize later, but right now, he was more focused on keeping the rest of his urine inside his body. His dancing paid off, thankfully, and his need lessened to a tolerable, but still uncomfortable, level.
“Are you kidding me?” Link looked up to find Ruto scowling at him with her hands on her hips. “Did you really forget to go potty before you came in here?”
Even with an angry princess in front of him, Link could not lie. He simply nodded while wiggling his hips.
“Ugh, typical,” muttered Ruto, “Well, you better hold it. We’re not stopping until I find my stone and get out of here. There isn’t anywhere to do that in here, anyway.”
More words Link didn’t want to hear, even though he already knew what she was going to say. The pressure was getting painful at that point, but yet again, his only option was to bear it until they were done with this place.
Mustering his strength, Link put his hands back at his sides and gave Ruto an affirmative nod.
“Good, now may we please move on?” asked Ruto, sitting back down to her carrying posture.
Link only sighed as he squatted and lifted Ruto back over his head and went through the door. The doubts that he could hold it through the whole way only grew stronger, but it was not like he could stop now. He just had to remind himself that it was all for Hyrule and the princess. Any pain was worth it for that.
 
 
Ugh, I didn’t think this could get any worse!
Now above Link’s view again, Ruto went back to nibbling her lip with worry. There was still no sign of her stone, but that had taken a backseat to the other predicament in her mind.
Her need for a bathroom had gotten worse much faster than she had expected. Sitting atop Link and halfway curled gave her little means to resist the pressure from her bladder. If she tried to squeeze her legs and hold herself, Link would surely notice and ask if something was wrong.
Then that boy had to go and reveal he really needed to pee, too. As if she needed another reminder of how bad she had to go; it took everything she had to not hold herself while Link was having his potty dance. Even so, there was no way she was going to say anything now. She was a strong princess, not some little kid who had to tell someone she just met that she needed the toilet. She certainly wasn’t going to let him know of where he could pee, either. Just being around there might prove too much for her to handle, and she would have no cover to hide from a boy’s curious gaze.
Her only hope was that the Zora’s Sapphire was only a stone’s throw away from here. As soon as they grabbed it and got out of Jabu-Jabu, she could hop into the waters of the fountain and release a cloud of yellow mist out of everyone’s sight. The guardian wouldn’t mind; it would be like a drop in a bucket given the fountain’s size.
Ruto shook her head. Just thinking of how she would pee would make her lose control. It was time to focus now, more than ever, and find that stone. On her honor as princess, she would not let this trouble get the better of her.
 
 
The search continued from there, albeit at a slower place. In addition to the growing dangers deeper in, Link was forced to be very careful with his movements if he wanted to keep his shorts dry at that point.
The kids now found themselves stepping into a new room. Like a few others, this room was a dead-end, just another square full of weird creatures and seemingly nothing else.
“Ugh, still no sign of my stone,” said Ruto, “Servant, let’s turn around and check somewhere else.”
“Wait, Link!” Navi flew up to him, “It feels like there’s something hidden inside here. I think we should try taking out the monsters in here first.”
Link nodded, feeling something off about the room as well.
“Really?” Ruto groaned, “Fine, but make it quick!”
Setting Ruto down, Link stepped forward, his movements stiff and slow. The enemies before him were those weird, sharklike manta rays that liked to glide along in the ground. Normally, Link would use his sword and shield to fight them, but with his bladder restricting his movements so much, he knew that would not be a good idea this time. For this fight, he would have to take a different approach.
Reaching into his tunic, Link pulled out a set of deku nuts in one hand, and his slingshot in another. As soon as one of the creatures got close, he tossed a nut down at the ground, emitting a bright flash that forced the monster into the air. He then quickly took aim and fired seeds at the beast, felling it after only a couple hits. This tactic worked the same with the other monsters, and soon the room was clear of beasts.
Immediately after, a strange light appeared in the center of the room, forming into a big, wooden chest, just like Navi and he predicted. Link lifted the chest open and jumped up to reach in and take its contents. He turned around and held up his prize in triumph: a boomerang fit for a young hero.
“Good work, Link!” said Navi.
“Hmph, I guess you know how to fight,” said Ruto, who stood at the door with her arms crossed. “Now can we please move on before-”
“Gah!”
With nothing holding it back in his triumphant pose, Link felt a long spurt hitting his shorts, enough to seep through and appear as a wet spot on his tunic. Immediately, he dropped the boomerang and shoved both hands as tight as he could onto his groin, bending over and putting everything he had to keep that spot from growing.
“L-Link? You okay?” he heard Navi speak. Somewhere further away, he also picked up a gasp from Ruto.
Link could only gasp and breathe in response. Even if he could talk right now, he was definitely not okay. Even with all his strength, he could feel his hold slipping away. Just a couple seconds later, and the next leak escaped, leaving a damp feeling on his hands. This was followed by a third spurt that dribbled onto the floor, then a fourth, each accompanied with another squeak from him.
And then, with a whine from Link, the floodgates fully opened, making his last spurts seem like little leaks in comparison. The wet patch on his tunic grew to be visible outside of his hands’ reach, though it was nothing compared to the soaking his shorts and underwear received. His hands grew mighty wet as he continued holding his spraying boyhood in vain. Several warm trails ran down his legs and into his boots, creating a gross, damp feeling against his feet. The rest of it fell onto the ground in several broken drops, creating a light piddling noise and a small puddle around his boots.
A full spectrum of emotions ran through Link’s mind the whole time he was wetting himself. In the back of his mind was the relief of finally draining his overfilled bladder, but it could not hold a candle to the shame and humiliation that burned through him. He was supposed to be the chosen hero, yet here he was peeing his pants for the first time in who knows how long. That there were girls to witness him doing this only doubled his embarrassment.
“Oh, Link,” said Navi in a tone of sympathy and concern. She wanted to say more, but soothing a kid that just wet himself was not something she had any experience in. She could only hope that Ruto was not about to say something that would make his misery any worse.
 
 
Fortunately for them, Ruto could not even form a coherent thought at the moment. Link’s wetting had caught her off-guard as much as him, and all she could do was stare with an open mouth at the accident unfolding before her.
It should have been the grossest thing she had ever witnessed, and this was coming from a girl who regularly hung out inside a fish. Even then, she did not want to look away. Every detail, from the big wet spot on his clothes, to the large puddle that grew around him, to his beet-red face and eyes on the verge of shedding tears, made Link look not gross but… cute, in a way. It was enough to make Ruto feel genuine concern for him, and a certain other feeling as well. It took her a moment to figure out what this feeling was, but once she did, she could not help but giggle with a hand covering her mouth.
“Huh?” Both Navi and Link looked at Ruto having her giggling fit. “What’s with you now?”
“Tee hee hee,” Ruto kept laughing, “H-has anyone ever told you how cute you look when you’re really upset?”
“Hey, this is no time to be mean right now!” said Navi. Meanwhile, Link only stared in a manner not unlike a small dog’s.
“I’m not trying to,” said Ruto between laughs, “But you’re just so adorable when you have to pee-eep!”
It came out. Not all of it, but enough for her to hear it hit the ground. Ruto stopped her laughing at once, crossed her legs, and crammed her hands onto her groin. Her time was running out; she had maybe seconds before it all came spilling out.
Of course, Link and Navi had seen it all happen, and now they only gawk in response. “Um, Princess Ruto? Do you need to go, too?” asked Navi.
“I… I…” Ruto stammered, her face as red as Link’s. “Don’t you dare follow me!” She turned around at once and waddled out of the room, thankful that the door closed on its own.
“Ahhh, no, why now?” She panted as she shuffled down the hall, gritting her teeth and keeping one eye closed. Her legs still stung a bit from the fall, but that was the least of her worries right now. Her cheeks burned from the humiliation of nearly wetting herself in front of another person. That he had just had an accident mattered little. And now, she was mere moments away from having the longest pee in a good while, with nowhere suitable to go in sight.
At least, that’s what it looked like. In her desperation, it had become too difficult to think of anything other than I gotta pee, I gotta pee, I gotta pee! As such, she was not paying much attention to where she was going, or what was around her.
A loud screech in front of her changed that.
“Waaaaah!” Ruto jumped back, landing on her bottom. Opening both eyes, she saw the worst things she could see right now: monsters, more than a few, and all of them looking very angry at her. Her mind going blank in panic, Ruto scrambled backwards on all fours, unaware of the small trail of dribble she was leaving on the floor. But as fast as she could crawl away like this, the monsters were faster, already closing the distance towards her.
For a moment, Ruto thought this was the end for her, and a very unfit way for her to go out at that. This fear was immediately quelled by a boomerang flying in from behind her and striking the creatures all before they could lay a single claw on her. The next thing she knew, something round, black, and hissing landed in front of her, and then she was lifted back up and rushed away from the monsters. Mere seconds later, a loud boom erupted behind her, and she didn’t dare look back to see the carnage that the bomb had just caused.
“You okay, Princess?” came Navi’s voice again.
Looking up, Ruto noticed they were back in the room with the chest. She had been saved from danger, all by a kid that had wet himself. Even after how poorly she treated him, he still came to her rescue. This boy was something special, she had finally realized. He had done more to earn her respect in one day than any other zora had achieved in years. Maybe he’s the one I’ve been waiting for...
“Y-yes, I’m fine,” she replied, “Th-thank… Huh!?”
That was when Ruto felt the last of her hold giving out, heralded by a squirt leaving her body from between her legs. She squeezed her legs together as much as she could, but at the angle she was held, it could do nothing to stop the oncoming flood.
Ruto found herself making the same squeaks and gasps Link made as she finally let loose a steady, powerful stream of lightly-tinted urine with an audible hiss. It splattered against the fabric of Link’s hat, soaking it in mere moments.
For a moment, her embarrassment was at the same level as Link’s during his accident. The Princess of Zora’s Domain losing control and wetting herself like a child? Truly unthinkable! Even worse than that, she was letting go directly on another person, and not even another zora. The whole domain would be ashamed to know of such a scandalous act.
But none of that mattered when she remembered something about relieving herself after being fit to burst: it felt good. Much too good for her to care about anything else in that moment. Ruto couldn’t stop herself from smiling and sighing in bliss, lifting her head and closing her eyes as she let every last drop of pee spray out wherever it may land.
Unfortunately for Link, that turned out to be all on his head. It did not take long for his hat and hair to grow soaked with zora urine. His sudden shower kept going from there, running down parts of his face and making him shut his eyes and mouth to keep it from getting in them. Drips and tiny trickles fell off his head and onto his tunic, spreading the wetness to his shoulders and chest. The sharp smell forced its way up his nose, making it wrinkle in disgust.
It was the grossest thing he had ever endured in his life, but not once did Link think about setting Ruto down or tossing her away. The moment the pee struck his head, it was like he became robbed of all logical thought. Even Navi could not find the words to speak, and only looked on in stunned silence.
This shock and disbelief stayed with them until the very end, with Ruto’s stream dying away as quickly as it had started. At the same time, Ruto felt herself coming down from the high of relief, and the weight of what she had just down began to weigh her down. She knew full well the only place all of her urine could have gone, and she was starting to realize how heavy she must have felt in his arms right now.
“Um, let me down now, please,” she said.
As if waking from a dream, Link perked up and did as he was asked. Once on the ground, Ruto stood up and faced him, where she first saw the damage she had caused. Link looked like a puppy caught out in the rain. A smelly, gross rain, but he was not a happy kid either way.
Ruto had a hard time looking at Link in such a sad state any longer. Even after being treated like dirt and wetting his pants, he still came to her rescue like a true hero. The only reason he would have done something like that was if he genuinely cared for her safety. That fluttering in her heart came back, and there would not be a distraction for her this time. She had to come clean to him.
“L-Look,” she started, her hands behind her back, “I lied to you about there not being somewhere to pee. The truth is, I was about to go there and do that when you showed up. After that, I just wanted to get my stone and get out before I didn’t have a choice anymore.”
“But if you knew about it, why didn’t you take us there? Link had to go, too,” said Navi.
“Because princesses don’t just tell people they just met that they need the bathroom!” said Ruto with a red face, “And for all I knew, he probably would’ve wanted to peep on me while I was going.”
“But Link’s not like that.”
“Yeah, w-well I guess I know that now.” Ruto sighed and looked away. “So, what I’m trying to say is… s-sorry, and stuff. You probably still hate me now, but at least I said it.”
Looking back to them, Ruto noticed they looked unconvinced of her apology. With how poorly she treated them, she supposed it was to be expected.
“Well, I guess I won’t mind if we took a detour to get you cleaned up,” she continued, “I certainly do not wish to be carried around by someone who stinks of pee.”
At this, Link perked up a little, finally getting rid of those piercing puppy eyes and even smiling a little. Ruto still found it adorable how it only took a little bit to cheer him up.
“If Link wants to do that, then I guess it’s fine,” said Navi.
“Tee hee, now then,” said Ruto, sitting back down, “I shall guide you to the waters you can bathe in. Now shall we be going, Mister Pee-Pants Hero?”
Link obliged, picking her back up and stepping out of the room. Ruto winced a bit at the warm, wet hands holding her rump, but it could not be helped. Perhaps this would give her the perfect excuse to join him in his bath. I wonder if I’ll get to see a Hylian without his clothes on today? Her cheeks turned red at the thought. She could not deny that she was a little curious about what they looked like, and why they hid their bodies under so much clothing.
But one thing was certain at that point: as soon as they found her stone, Ruto knew she would not hold onto it for very long. Their quest here was not over yet, but Link had already proven himself worthy of taking the Zora’s Sapphire, and with it, her hand in marriage.

The woods had grown boring. Nash Latkje, special agent of the Harmonian Southern Defense Force, had been wandering through this forest for what felt like days, and he was running low on resources and supplies from the hike. Not that his training hadn't prepared him for hardships such as these, but the strain was still taking its toll on his constitution. "I'm never going to get anything done at this rate," he complained, voice weak from exhaustion.
"Stop whining up there, I can hardly sleep with your chatter ringing in my ears." The lack of energy could almost squarely be blamed on the passenger taking residence on Nash's back. A young woman with pale skin and white hair, practically albino, was attempting to rest on top of bags and boxes only secured by Nash's shoulders, in the middle of the afternoon no less.
The question certainly occurred to him why he was even putting up with her laziness. "If it's so hard to sleep, then get up and carry your own things."
"Talk like that again, and you can kiss that information goodbye," she retorted, yawning.
The two met in the abandoned Blue Moon Village, where the woman, whose name she revealed to be Sierra Mikain, was the only remaining resident, which made her Nash's only lead. His job was to research information on the True Runes, with Harmonia's ally Highland moving to war, that kind of knowledge could be vital. Problem was, the nature of the True Runes wasn't recorded in any kind of book, making the only source he could go to the Rune Bearers. And with Sierra the only survivor of the Moon Rune's Blue Moon Village, that made her all he had. Which meant he had to do her bidding, carrying her to Muse to appease her.
"Although, there is a way you can give me some energy," Sierra offered, a very sultry seductive tone evident in her voice. She spun around and slid lower down, swinging her legs around Nash's waist and pressing her face close to his neck, close enough where her cold breath made his hairs stand on edge. Opening her mouth with the smack of her saliva splitting, her lips surrounded Nash's nape as her sharp fangs pierced the tough skin.
With reflexes so quick they could only belong to a veteran fighter, Nash's left hand let go of its grip on the luggage to aim a hidden anchor wire at Sierra's head, forcing her retreat. "Hey, we agreed there'd be no blood-sucking, you old witch!"
That was the other trait Sierra harbored, which meant one more nuisance Nash had to put up with. Sierra wasn't human, or at least, hadn't been in a very long time. The power of the Moon Rune had turned her into a vampire, granting her immortality, along with the ability to spread her affliction to others at will through a bite. This alone made Nash incredibly wary about accompanying her, considering his knowledge of the vampire massacre in North Window long ago, until Sierra lectured him with a history and biology lesson on vampires too long for him to pay attention to. The most he was able to gather was that, as the owner of the Moon Rune, Sierra didn't need to suck blood to survive.
The coven mistress was prepared to attack Nash for making fun of her age, but that proved to be unnecessary. The change in balance he caused to himself in order to strike back took away his footing, the gravity of his cargo pulling him down to his right, sending the two colliding in a crash of personal items. They splayed out among the goods, neither in control of their positioning upon hitting the dirt. Didn't stop Sierra, on top, from elbowing Nash in the side of the head when his open hand happened to stop Sierra's bare thigh from hitting the ground.
However, he wasn't the only one feeling pain now, as Sierra realized soon after. The source was quite different, but it was no less worrying, that warm ache emanating from her stomach. Even with the extra power provided as a vampire, Sierra still had a bladder of her own, one that still required tending to. And the harsh landing in the dirt had reminded her, it would certainly like to be emptied, possibly into that same dirt, watering the same grass it sprouted. While a lack of blood meant that wasn't fluids adding to her strain, she still needed water, and however much she had taken from Nash's supply was proving to be a mistake.
Living in a lone cabin in the woods for centuries, answering nature's call like that was hardly a foreign concept. Sierra wasn't even a shy girl. No, the obstacle now was Nash. With the whole thigh grope incident still fresh in her mind, probably because she hadn't moved off of Nash yet, she had no faith that a man like him wouldn't take a peek if she were to expose herself out in the open. Humans were such primitive, base creatures.
Which left her with the pressing question of what she could do? Frankly, she didn't have the energy or drive to wander far enough off the road to remain unseen, if she could even give a reasonable explanation for her absence (or a threat not to question it). But she'd lose her ride if she nodded off on his back and subsequently peed herself. Could she even hold it?
"Hey! Get the hell off me, you bat!" Or maybe she should take things one step at a time, that first step being unpinning Nash. Of course, she did so very slowly, allowing him to breathe again, coughing at the sudden influx of oxygen.
Sierra had no sympathy, of course. "Hurry and pick all that up, it'll be dark soon."
"Why didn't we take a carriage?"
"There weren't any in the last town, they had all been rented out."
Immediately afterwards, as if strictly to make her look dumb, the two picked up the approaching sound of bouncing, rolling wheels and clopping hooves. The source, as it trotted into view, was a wooden carriage pulled by two horses, its passengers a Kobold mother and her two sons, who were roughhousing playing with a wooden doll. Nash's gaze turned a side-eye to Sierra, exasperated and frustrated.
However, amidst the silence of the forest, their focus was inevitably pulled to the Kobolds making a ruckus. "Come on, lemme see it," the Kobold pup that didn't have the toy pleaded, reaching over their mom to take the doll by force.
"No, it's my turn," his brother shouted, leaning away to protect his figure, holding it outside the boundaries of the carriage to keep it out of reach.
"Boys, boys, please settle down," the mother reprimanded, reaching out to keep them separated and properly in their seats. However, the jolt of grabbing her son by the collar made him lose his grip, dropping the toy outside the carriage.
With the cart moving very slowly in its leisure ride, Nash had no trouble catching up, picking the wooden doll off the ground and returning it to the Kobolds. "There you go. Take care not to drop it again."
The mother pulled the reigns to the horses close to her chest, bringing the steeds to a halt. "Thank you very much, sir." She turned her children's heads to look at Nash. "Thank the nice man, kids."
The kid who dropped the toy gave his gratitude, but his brother instead tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mom, I gotta go tinkle."
With the vehicle already stopped, there was no reason to refuse the request. "Alright, go on that tree right there," the mother instructed, pointing to a tree within easy view. Many would find the lack of privacy a deal-breaker, but the Kobold pup wasn't concerned with modesty, he just needed to go. Lifting a leg to climb over the wall, he jumped out of the carriage, running to the aforementioned tree with a paw on his crotch. As soon as he reached the trunk, he quickly shoved his pants down, reaching both hands to his front and aiming a clear, healthy stream of liquid, splashing and streaming down the rough bark into a puddle by the roots.
Nash thought nothing of it, that's just what you need to do, and looked away to give the kid his earned privacy. Sierra didn't look either, for entirely different reasons. Of course, she had to deal with someone else peeing when she really needed to go, and while she could and did avert her eyes, there wasn't much she could do to avoid hearing it. At least, not with only one free hand, as the other was tugging on the front hem of her skirt, pulling it down for no logical reason other than to give that hand something to grip and keep it busy, anything to prevent it from being too obvious by slipping between her legs.
Thankfully, for the sake of her own sanity and dryness, the leak didn't take very long. Less than a minute and the pup was done, shaking himself dry and pulling his pants back up to bound back to the carriage. "All set, mom!" Safe and relieved, the family urged the horses on, and their carriage rolled away, down the road and out of sight.
The lack of auditory stimulation slowly brought Sierra down from riding out her tall waves of bladder strain. She could feel her abdomen easing up on its torment, allowing her to remove the grip on her skirt, mere seconds before Nash looked at her once again. "It's going to be dark soon," he reminded. "We should start setting up camp before we can't see."
"Let's keep moving. There's a mansion nearby we can stay at."
That claim came out of nowhere, leaving Nash stunned, to put it lightly. "What?! When were you going to tell me?"
"I just did. Now pick up my stuff and carry me," Sierra commanded, practically falling asleep on her feet.
"This information can't be worth this much hassle," Nash lamented, yet he still bent down to gather their personal items. "I'd certainly like to spend a night in a real bed, though." The side of the road the two were inhabiting was soon bustling with the grunts and crashes of a poor man torturing himself with heavy packing.
Of course, Sierra was suffering through torture of her own. She was at the phase of desperation where she was once again eyeing all the foliage, thinking about what would happen should she run behind any of it and unleash her body's contents in a nice warm stream. She was pretty tempted to do just that, it would certainly feel really nice. Just squat and take care of business, with a messy puddle to show for it.
If only Nash wasn't right there. If she were to sneak away, he could either follow her to be a pervert, or abandon her in the middle of nowhere for the way she treated him. Either way, she wouldn't give him the chance, she'd be sticking by him. Men were nothing more than miserable little piles of secrets, he'd be doomed without a generous vampire to protect him.
There was another reason she couldn't simply tell him she needed to whiz, either. Vampires had very slow metabolism, which allowed for their long lives and limited diet. And because of that unusual biology, Sierra's cycle of fluids progressed at a far slower rate than humans. As such, she hadn't needed any sort of bathroom break since the two had met. Now was hardly the time to introduce that little fact about her body.
"Sierra! Get over here, or I'm leaving you behind," Nash called. That's all she needed to hear to confirm her views of dumb humans. It was also what she wanted to hear, because it meant her seat was free to take once more. Slowly, with a heaviness in her step, she climbed back onto Nash's back, who had long since given up arguing, nodding off to sleep within minutes. Whatever she'd need to do about peeing, it could wait until she'd gotten some rest.
---------------
"Hey, hag! Is this the place you were talking about?!" Nash attempted to hit Sierra on the head to forcibly wake her up, but with her eyes still closed, she managed to intercept the blow.
What a rude awakening. "There are better ways to wake a lady, you know," she loudly yawned, wiping her eyes clear.
"Well, you're certainly not like any lady I know."
"Thank you," Sierra accepted, knowing full well it wasn't meant to be taken as a compliment. She arced her head up to look ahead of them, and sure enough, she saw a large, gothic mansion shrouded in darkness. Suddenly, the vampire was awake, and on guard. "Yes, this is the place." She hopped off Nash's back, wiping her clothes off to look cleaner and more presentable.
However, that landing on the hard soil was the kind of wake-up call she didn't need. The impact rippled through her body, resonating in everything malleable from her ankles to her neck, and that included her quite full bladder. All that pent-up urine jumped at once, creating a powerful force attempting to force its way out, with a stinging stab of agonizing pain, to the point there was the faintest idea she would wet herself there.
In a stroke of good fortune for the vampire, that fear never came to pass, not even a tiny leak, her underwear remained dry, for the time being. A lucky break, to be sure, but one that wasn't likely to repeat. She would need to stave off the need through actions of her own, starting by bouncing on her heels, biting her bottom lip.
She couldn't have picked a worse time to outwardly show her need, as that's when the front door opened, and on the other side stood a well-dressed butler. She didn't even notice that Nash had knocked. "My apologies, sir, but we are not accepting unsolicited visitors at this time," the servant informed.
"S-sorry, it's just...we're wandering travelers, and we were hoping you would be willing to house us for the night."
"The master has made his intentions clear, no uninvited guests..." The butler was repeating himself in denying Nash, but he stopped when he noticed the smaller, more distant Sierra, still as a stone. "Oh, my apologies, I was not aware that Miss Sierra was traveling with you." He stood aside, opening the path into the foyer. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Sierra walked in while Nash stood by, dumbfounded, at the sudden change in attitude. It was only once the door was nearly closed behind them that he was snapped back to his senses, bolting inside to catch up to the two. "Sierra, you know the person who lives in a mansion like this?"
His question went unacknowledged. "Is your master in at the moment," Sierra asked the butler.
"He has requested that he not be disturbed. However, I will be sure to inform him that the Founder has come to visit. For the time being, I'll have a room prepared for you and your..." The butler looked at Nash, his face sneering with disdain. "...mule."
"I also expect a bath and meal," Sierra demanded.
The butler bowed. "That is to be expected. Please, this way, miss." He led the way towards the quarters the two travelers would be sharing for the night.
On the walk there, Nash leaned down to Sierra, whispering to remain unheard by their host. "So, the guy who owns this place is a vampire, isn't he?"
"What gives you that impression," she replied, matching the low, breathy volume.
"They know you, by a fancy title no less, and that dismissal of me? I've heard that exact same tone from you."
"Hmph. I suppose even humans can be perceptive. There's also a signature, suffocating bloodlust in the air that follows any gathering of vampires."
"Really? I didn't notice that part."
Sierra groaned. "Then you're even denser than I thought. You can't leave your guard down around blood-sucking creeps like these."
"Self-loathing much there?"
"I only suck blood because I want to. It's totally incomparable. So don't go off on your own in this creepy place, unless you suddenly want to be sucked dry."
"Do I have to accompany you to the bath too? I have no desire to see naked grand-" He couldn't even get the insult out before Sierra knew how it would end, retaliating with a burst of magic, stinging Nash through his clothes, silencing him with nothing more than a yelp of pain.
Yet somehow, their bickering went unnoticed by the butler, or rather, he simply didn't intervene, until they reached a closed wooden door at the end of a dimly-lit hallway. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." He opened the door and guided Nash and Sierra inside, allowing them to see where they'd be staying during the night, and it certainly wasn't some forgotten side room. It was large, clean, decorated with various adornments and furniture, soft chairs, a fireplace, and one large bed. "Someone will be in to inform you when dinner or the bath is prepared. If you'll excuse me." The butler bowed and left the two alone, closing the door behind him.
Immediately, Nash ran to one of the couches, jumping into a laying-down position with a slight bounce upon impact. "Man, this place is swanky! Sure is welcome after all that time in the wilderness!"
"Don't get comfortable. I've got a hunch that tonight isn't going to be peaceful."
"With vampires? That's to be expected. So long as it's after supper, I'm starving for a good meal!"
"If I can even stay awake that long," Sierra lamented, covering her mouth with a yawn. Slowly, she stumbled over to the same couch, falling on top of Nash, eyes half-closed and mouth hanging open. "Come on, give me some energy."
Even pinned, Nash still had the strength to push her off. "I quite like my blood inside my body, thank you very much!"
Sierra was thrown off her human prey, landing on her stomach on the carpeted floor beneath. And that soft crash brought her need, forgotten in her drowsiness, back to the forefront of her attention. After all, she had yet to empty her bladder, and it was starting to get annoying. No, worse than annoying, demanding. Demanding that she find the restroom and drain herself of all those pesky liquids she had ingested.
Most would expect a mansion to be the easiest location to be having this problem. A huge home like this would have bathrooms around every corner, just go to one. If only this place wasn't so passively hostile. She wasn't kidding when she said it was dangerous to go alone in here, and even with her superior vampire powers, she was outnumbered and exhausted. So, unless she asked Nash to come with her to the bathroom, like a little girl, it simply wasn't safe to follow the logical, easy solution.
Nope, she'd need to just hold it. Hopefully, sleeping would make the time go by faster, quick enough that the events of the night to come would pass by before the desperate need became unbearable. Pushing herself up to her feet, Sierra trudged to the bed, crashing onto the soft mattress, face down and suffocating in the quilt. "I expect you to be punctual in visiting me, Rean," she slurred, muffled through the blanket.
---------------
It was dark when they arrived, but now, it was pitch-black outside. In the intervening time, they had been served a wonderfully prepared dinner, and Sierra had left the room in a huff when Nash began flirting with the maid tending to them, leading to a long, warm, and lonely bath. Now, she had returned to her permanent spot of the bed, currently wishing she had dealt with the disgusting implications and just peed in the bath. Would have saved her the pain she was experiencing now.
It was so bad, in fact, that she couldn't even sleep, an outcome she couldn't have imagined before now. Instead, she was laying on her back, hands folded above her stomach, attempting to focus on the ceiling instead of her body. It wasn't working. All she could picture now was her overfilled bladder, pulsating and bursting at the seams. Leaks of any magnitude had yet to manifest, a testament to her willpower, but she couldn't shake the disastrous mental image of the white clothes she wore beneath her blue cape rapidly turning a darker color.
And then there was what laid beyond the door giving her cause for worry. Much like a child terrified of the monsters that lurked in the night, Sierra was kept awake by what she thought laid just outside their room. Yes, the denizens of the mansion were fellow vampires, but she had no misconception about their friendliness, or rather, lack thereof. So close to her kind, after everything that had happened with the Moon Rune, there'd be an assault soon, enough reason to be on edge.
Could she wait it out? No, no chance, she knew. There was no telling how long the vampires would wait before beginning their attack, meanwhile, it was absolutely evident there wasn't much time before this bed was soaked in her urine. And getting into a fight right now could only end in disaster. So, all she could do was run out to the bathroom before anything bad could leap for her. But, alone, on the toilet? That was the worst place to be interrupted.
"I'm...so what do I do now?" Her teeth were clenched and her legs rubbed against one another, shifting the blankets around, catching them between her knees, adding them to the creation of friction agitating and burning her smooth legs. The strain, blood flushing across her cheeks as her body turned hot beneath the sheets, sweat rolling from her forehead and down her thighs. She hadn't even noticed, until she felt the dampness beneath her waist. "Ah, no no no...oh, right. Haven't leaked yet." It was very telling that she almost believed her bladder had given up.
If she was confined to this bedroom, what were her options? Her mind was first drawn to the window, just balance a squat on the windowsill and do it out into the night. Unfortunately, that window simply would not open, they had tried. Even the advice from the maid accomplished nothing. Guess the owners took every measure to ensure she couldn't escape. There was an empty vase in the room, she had noted, but it was clearly for decoration only. That's why it was on a high shelf, out of reach. Hell, at this point, Sierra even weighed the possibilities of cutting her losses and spraying down a corner, but "spray" was the correct word. She had to pee bad, on a hard wooden floor, it'd be loud, cacophonous, deafening, it was sure to wake Nash in time to see her disgracing herself to the highest degree.
That was the first time a new consideration had appeared. "Nash." Her head rolled, turning her gaze over to Nash, confined to sleeping on the couch. Was he really her only means of escaping this drenched fate? Wake him up, demand he accompany her to the bathroom, and have him serve as lookout while she did her business. If she could even trust him to serve as a competent line of defense. Not that she trusted her panties to serve as adequate defense should she not rely on him, but what was the better of two terrible choices? Honestly, she couldn't tell.
She was hesitant, extremely so, until her extremely pained bladder hit her again with a vengeance, making its mark with a sudden, searing, localized agony. She had been stroking her legs, but now she had to squeeze them together right at the crotch, forcing them with as much pressure as she could muster, to counter the internal pressure working overtime to turn external. The strain put Sierra in such a trance, she couldn't even tell who was succeeding. No doubt she could feel moisture around her sensitive parts, but it could be either sweat or urine. The only certainty was, if she had to push herself to that limit again, it was guaranteed to be urine next time.
"Ggghghgh, do I even have a choice?" Like it or not, Nash was the only available alternative to wetting herself. Both were undesirable, conclusions to her predicament that should have been far below her, but when push came to shove, she'd rather be dry. "Hey! Nash!" Her shout echoed through the large, dead room, yet even letting the call sit, Nash didn't stir. "Damn it, how the hell can you sleep through that? Don't you need to be alert for attacks? Nash! NASH!"
Only through that louder cry was Nash pulled back into the waking world. He propped his head up, looking at Sierra with tired, irritated eyes. "What?! What's so important that you need to wake me up?!"
"You are coming with me to the restroom, right this second." There was no shame, it was a demand, a simple statement, an unequivocal truth. "And I'm not going to stand for any slowness on your part."
Out of it, having just been forcibly awakened, Nash was silent for a minute while the request sunk in, leaving Sierra squirming under the blankets in the meanwhile. Eventually, while his vampire roommate was struggling to stay dry, begging for a response, he reacted. "Ha...hahahahaha! Oh, the mighty Sierra, the vampire vastly superior to humans, is too afraid of the dark to go to the bathroom by herself? Oh, I couldn't have made that up if I tried!"
Sierra, face already crimson from the effort of holding, couldn't get any redder in her anger. And the worst part was, despite how much she wanted to, she couldn't formulate a retort. He wasn't wrong. The reason she wasn't going alone was because she was worried about being attacked. Not by some nameless, imaginary monster, the threat was very real, but the concept was similar. Too similar for her liking.
The two conceptions were so similar, in fact, that she lost her will to fight back. She couldn't rely on being threatening enough to will Nash to do her bidding, not with him laughing at her, so she couldn't win a verbal argument. Instead, in a stunning display of uncharacteristic timidity, her voice fell into close to a whisper, only audible thanks to the dead of the night offering no background noise, even the wind being silent. "Yes. Please, help."
Nash's laughing stopped in an instant, and he almost fell off the couch in shock. Sierra acting...humble? Ladylike? Dependent? The surprises were just never-ending tonight. The sad way she was begging, asking for his assistance, there was only one way he could take it. "After everything you've done to me? No. Take care of it yourself." He laid back down, rolling to face the back of the couch to prevent eye contact between the two.
Sierra would take that opportunity to kill Nash, if she was even able. It was all she could manage to avoid an accident, fingertips digging deep, through her underwear, to put everything she had into physically holding, because internal muscles were starting to falter. A trickle of urine slipped out of her bladder, and only clenching herself kept it from leaking into her panties. Soon, there'd be too much of a flood behind the dam to possibly expect success. She only had one chance to convince Nash before there would no longer be a point. "What do I need to do to get you to agree? Promise to stop insulting you? Take you along for the rest of my adventure? Take my top off? I'm begging you, what do I need to do?!" Her voice cracked, giving away how choked up she was getting over this plight.
It was a lucky break, because the sound of a girl crying awoke something in Nash. He wasn't the chivalrous type, it had nothing to do with being an honorable man, but something a lot more personal. "Julie..." Against his logical judgment, he jumped to his feet with a spring, approaching Sierra in her bed. "Fine, I'll help. Get up."
She wasn't surprised at the assistance, considering how she was requesting it, and she was the kind of woman who got what she wanted. Problem was, it was no longer enough. "I...I can't move."
"I'm not carrying you again." Rolling his eyes, he reached out and yanked her blankets down past her feet, exposing the delicate way her legs were folded over one another. Wearing nothing more than a gown, nearly all of her legs visible, as she shook and squeaked under the stress, hands covering her private area, lips parted and eyes closed. If only she hadn't constantly mistreated him over the last few days, it might have been a pleasant image. Instead, he merely groaned in disdain, reaching out and forcefully grabbing her shoulders and pulling her out of bed, standing her up straight. "You can walk on your own."
Sierra wasn't so sure. The sudden, involuntary change in posture wrought havoc on her bladder. A jump like that, no one could ride that out without any side effects. The pee that had been attempting to spurt out finally had an opening. A small, warm drop of urine spread across a small portion of her womanhood, jolting her to attention, with her eyes shooting open, and one of her fangs piercing into her bottom lip.
All of a sudden, she had a rush of adrenaline coursing through every vein in her body. After all, while her life didn't depend on running to the toilet, her clothes definitely did, and that was just as imperative in her mind. Her muscles, previously locked up across her entire person, simultaneously loosened, allowing her to bolt from the room, grabbing Nash's hand and dragging him along, faster than he could keep up.
As a creature of the night, the total lack of illumination did nothing to inconvenience Sierra, she was able to keep footing and turn corners with no missteps. That was one variable taken care of cleanly, but the other was still a major obstacle; as her first time in this mansion, she had no clue where the bathroom was. She knew where the bath was, but that room had no toilet. She was navigating blind, and with no outward indicator of the room each door housed, she had nothing to work off of. "Where the hell's the toilet?!"
"Stop pulling! It's right there!" Without even processing what Nash had shouted at her, Sierra stopped just because he shouted, only stopping to think as she skidded to a halt. She looked in every direction, frantic like prey on the run from a predator, and was indeed greeted with a door.
Reaching out to the doorknob, slow enough to appear as fear, she turned the handle and pushed the door in. And while it was shrouded in shadow, she could make out that it was indeed a toilet. "How did you know this was it? I told you not to leave the room alone!"
"Is now really the right time to be going after me? You're leaking."
That shut Sierra up real fast, and in the vacuum of silence, she heard the last of her strength breaking. And it sounded like light drops of liquid falling into the carpet. Only then did she realize, just how warm and wet her crotch had gotten while she wasn't paying attention. Nash was right, she was out of time, to the minute. There was literally zero time to argue, leaving her with no choice but to turn around and run into the bathroom, reaching an arm back to slam the door shut behind her.
Alone in a dark room hardly bigger than a closet, Sierra was faced with the open toilet. Honestly, she was a lot luckier than most in this situation. Centuries ago, while she still lived in human civilization, toilets weren't a thing that had been invented yet. And the Blue Moon Village, in the middle of the forest, was not privy to their luxury once they had become commonplace. She had used them more recently, when she slept in inns while venturing to visit the humans, but she had never developed an instinctual demand to void her bladder while in the facility's presence.
Unfortunately, it meant nothing, when her bladder was about to drain of its own volition. The one hand that had yet to let go of her groin registered a growing warmth on the palm, and it wasn't stopping. "Ngh, nn, n-no..." What horrible timing it would be to wet herself with only one step left to go, an ironic fate she couldn't allow to pass. "I'm gonna whiz if it kills me!" With her hand already gripping her underwear, it was a simple matter to pull them down around her knees. It wasn't easy, pulling on one point in the middle was a lot more awkward than pulling from the sides, and a lot more wet, but the same result was basically accomplished.
A mere second later, she dropped her butt onto the toilet seat, getting lucky with her skirt being pressed up by the seat, instead of getting caught between her rear and the porcelain. It wouldn't have mattered, the fear of further soaking her clothes held no power, not against her muscles pushed to the brink of exhaustion. She needed to pee, and it was happening now.
Soon enough, the room was reverberating the low sound of a powerful torrent of urine slamming against the inner bowl of the toilet, the sheer force and forward angle causing an impact above the lingering water. It didn't matter, either way, it'd be loud, deafening even. It was amazing that Sierra could even hear her own thoughts over the waterfall cacophony.
She would have been able to guess her thoughts regardless, there wasn't much complexity or nuance. "Ooooooohhhhh, that's wonderful..." Her head fell in a heavy sigh, maybe more like a moan, as she shuddered in relief, sending the angle of her pee stream haywire. Her knees turned inwards as she released the tension her body had been unintentionally carrying, allowing her urine to flow out at an even heavier rate, with the speed to propel it directly into the water. The result was an tenfold increase in volume, ensuring any noise she made could never be heard. And she couldn't help but make full use of that happy little benefit. "Haaaaahhhhh, I've never had to go that bad before, and I never want to again...but this feels so good."
Yes, the relief washing over her body was wonderful, a fantastic type of ecstasy she rarely felt without a man keeping her company, covering the skin on her arms and legs with goosebumps. She couldn't help it, she moaned again, a long, drawn-out moan with rising and falling pitch and tone. It lasted so long, it outlasted the rush of water quieting to a trickle, making her unseemly and immodest sounds audible, probably throughout the rest of the mansion. It didn't stop her, of course, but she took care not to repeat it once the moan ended naturally.
Shortly afterwards, her bladder ran dry, reducing her output to lingering, broken drops falling irregularly to join with their brethren, before ending completely with nary a splash to stimulate her ears. "Phew, happy I'm good enough to wait long enough," she boasted, ripping off some nearby toilet paper and drying herself off. Not just her crotch, but the small traces down her legs too. And soaking up a little of the moisture drenched into her underwear, where very little could be done. The white garment was badly tinged by the color of a vampire's urine, dyed a red hue by the blood diet. She'd just have to live with the gross warmth permanently cradling her privates. The thought occurred to her that it might be a little exciting to ditch the panties, but in a skirt like hers around a man like Nash? Trouble waiting to happen.
Speaking of Nash, he was ostensibly still waiting outside, standing guard to buy time for her to do her business. Hopefully he hadn't been abducted while she was preoccupied, a fact she wasn't too sure of herself, expecting to be met with no one as she opened the door to leave back into the hallway. Of course, there was no need to be concerned, if she even was, as Nash was standing right there, leaning against the wall to the side of the door. "You know, it's really difficult to listen out for attackers while you're making a racket in there," he criticized.
"I can't help it. Women like me get very excitable and loud. Definitely not the first time I've moaned like thaaaaa..." Sierra's voice trailed off as she wobbled in her stance, falling over and relying on Nash's frame to keep her upright. "Great, I'm still exhausted and now I'm dehydrated." She looked up at his face, looking down at her with confusion as to what she was doing, a confusion she was happy to clear up, baring her fangs. "You know what would solve both problems?"
Rolling his eyes with a disdainful sigh, Nash pushed Sierra off, letting her fall to the floor. It wasn't so bad, her fall was broken by the carpet. "I don't know how you expect me to protect you if you insist on keeping me malnourished."
"Who says I need you to protect me? You have no idea what secrets I'm hiding or what I'm capable of."
"That's nice. You're still human. You stand no chance against vampires actively out for your blood."
"I seem to have been holding my own so far."
"You're lucky I'm the worst you've had to deal with. Hell, you're lucky to have me around, period. You're never going to find a better..." Once again, her voice trailed off, this time because of something else pulling her attention away. "I know I was more concerned with other matters, but...how did I miss this much bloodlust in the air? I sensed it before, but this is a whole other level."
With his attention drawn to it, Nash began looking around, diverting all his senses towards feeling the atmosphere. "Now that you mention it, there certainly is quite the heavy stench of danger." He reached into his coat, pulling out a small, card-sized sheet of paper. "I'm prepared."
"With one talisman? Good luck with that."
"I don't need you wishing for me, I've got enough luck as it is."
"Well then, let's see how far your luck carries you." Sierra readied herself for a fight, while Nash prepared his hidden arsenal of weapons. Their night was far from over, a fact Sierra quietly lamented. "I hope you're prepared to see us, Rean."

The city of Greenhill, part of the autonomous Greenhill Principality, was a famous town. Not just for its unique independence status, having seceded from the City-State Muse some time ago, but for the educational opportunities present within. The city housed New Leaf Academy, one of the most prestigious colleges in the Dunan Republic. Even as the conflicts heated up between Jowston and Highland, Greenhill was keeping free of the bloodshed.
Unfortunately, the war was coming to them, as the Allied Army's leader and his Orange Company were sneaking in on an important mission to rescue Greenhill's mayor-in-hiding, Teresa, to recruit for the war effort. The plan was clear and simple; use forged papers to enroll in the academy, find any useful information, and don't act suspicious while doing it. Time was of the essence, lives were constantly at stake after all, but it was a pretty leisurely errand.
The company members posing as students included: the Allied Army's leader, Riou, destined wielder of the Bright Shield Rune. Nanami, Riou's adoptive sister, dangerous with both her nunchaku and her loud mouth. Eilie, a travelling performer that liked to hang around Riou for reasons unspoken. Gengen the Kobold warrior, Chaco the Winger thief, and Flik the veteran hero, who was away from the party at the moment conducting his own investigation, while simultaneously avoiding a relentless new admirer.
For now, things were calm. The party was wandering around the campus, checking out the classrooms and study halls, talking to the students, occasionally going into town and witnessing Highland soldiers throwing their power around. Okay, tensions were high all around, with Greenhill's citizens almost enacting vigilante justice on the Allied Army's informant, Fitcher, but that was resolved without any violence thanks to Flik's gambit, and it was back to the five being ordinary students.
Unfortunately, that last event had been the final straw that wore out the final, honorary member of the team, a very young girl named Pilika. Despite her age, she had been through a lot of hardship, most notably watching her village, Toto, be burned down, whereupon her parents died and she was almost killed by Prince Luca Blight of Highland. The event had understandably traumatized her into becoming mute, and the only people she could connect with anymore were Riou, Nanami, and their childhood friend Jowy, who...wasn't here at the moment.
As dusk set in and the sun dropped below the horizon, the Orange Company returned from the town onto campus, Pilika resting as Nanami carried her on her back. "What do you think they're going to serve for dinner, Riou," Nanami asked excitedly. In the couple days they had spent at the school, the food served had become her favorite thing, wolfing down her plate, and seconds, and thirds at each and every meal.
"I don't think it matters, you'll eat it regardless," Riou offered.
"Yeah, you eat worse than a pig," Chaco teased, flying in front of the pack so all could see his evil grin.
"Well, of course! I'm a fighter, I need to keep my strength up," she shrugged off. "It's all about proper nutri..." Her statement trailed off as they re-entered the campus gates, as there was someone standing in their path: one of the school's established students, Nina. They had run into her multiple times recently, but it was odd to see her standing still. "Nina? You're not bothering Flik anymore?"
It took time for Nina to respond, she was hunched over, hands on her knees, and panting. "I-I am not 'bothering' Sir Flik! Destiny has brought us together, and I will not let fate pass me by! He just...hasn't realized our inevitable future yet. As soon as I find him again, I'll make sure he understands! Every elegant knight needs his princess!"
Nanami's face soured, and she closed the distance with a march, leaning inches from Nina's face. "Listen, don't think Flik's going to be into you just because you're enthusiastic about him. He's clearly into strong women who know more about fighting than they would reading or cooking," she declared, a heavy air of "holier-than-thou, I know I'm right". "But actually knowing how to cook doesn't hurt," she snickered.
The fires of conflict were being stoked, quite frankly worrying all those watching, and yet somehow, Nina laughed it off, with an exact mirrored haughtiness. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Nanami, you're being such a great friend. But you don't have to worry, I'm a well-rounded woman," she boasted, bringing up a forearm to prop out her upper chest. "Well, I suppose you do have something to worry about. Did you hear those sounds in the dorm last night?"
In an instant, Nanami's skin turned pale. "Y-y-yes...but that couldn't have been that ghost you talked about, right? G-ghosts aren't r-real...right? I-I mean, o-of course they aren't!" She laughed nervously, continuously looking back at Riou, allowing him to see the sweat beads drip from her forehead. It wasn't a surprise, she had reacted this same way every time the topic of the ghost in the dorms had been brought up since they arrived.
"No, you're right, I made that old story up," Nina admitted. "But there was something last night. Who knows? Could be a real ghost. Well, I should get going, I've got my own things to do. Have a good night, Nanami." Nina waved farewell, running off into the distance. "Sir Flik! Where have you run off to?!"
Once Nina had dashed away, Eilie made her thoughts crystal clear, ones it sounded like she had been holding in for quite some time. "That girl's crazy, getting so obsessive over a guy. A real woman knows how to control herself."
"Gengen thinks neither of you are ones to talk," the Kobold accused.
She should have been offended, Eilie certainly was, but Nanami was still too shaken up to properly respond. "R-Riou...s-she was just kidding, right? T-there's no ghost, right?"
It wouldn't be out of character for Riou to comfort his older stepsister, but as the younger brother, a different response was also appropriate. He held his hands in front of his face and wiggled his fingers. "At the stroke of midnight..."
"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Nanami covered her ears, closed her eyes, and shook her head violently enough to sway her hair side to side. "Nononononono! There's no such thing as ghosts!" Trembling so fiercely, Pilika had to tighten her grip around Nanami's neck to prevent falling off, reminding her carrier that she was present at all. "Oh! There's nothing to be scared of, Pilika! I'll even sleep with you tonight!"
Pilika looked at Nanami, perplexed. She couldn't verbally express her confusion at what the older girl was trying to claim, but everyone else caught on to the face-saving scheme. All except Chaco, lost in thoughts of his own. "She called you 'Nanami'. Didn't we give everyone fake names?" The team looked between each other, acknowledging the Winger had a point, but none could come up with an answer. Did they say their real names at some point and forget, or did Nina know more than she let on? Try as they might, none could come up with a plausible answer, so they shrugged, gave up, and proceeded to the dorms, before it got dark.
---------------
"Hnnnnngghhhh," Nanami grunted, clawing at her blankets. It was the dead of night, everyone else was long since asleep, yet she remained awake. Fear had prevented her from entering slumber, she couldn't relax while worrying about a roaming ghost, but it wasn't the only thing keeping her from getting comfortable. It wasn't just endless plates of food at dinner, but also chugging down a half-dozen drinks to wash them down. Her stomach may have seemed bottomless, but in the hours that had passed, her bladder had proven it did not share that distinction, as all those glasses of liquid filled it up to near-limit.
In any other situation, this shouldn't have even been a concern. She was up, she was desperate, perfect time to run to the bathroom and relieve herself. Even if they were camping out in the wilderness, it was easy enough to wander off and water the plants. The key difference was, at any other time, there wasn't the threat of a ghost. If she were to leave the security of her bed, she had no idea what horrifying thing she would find out in the halls. She wasn't brave enough to take that risk, because she knew: if she saw something scary on the way out, she suddenly wouldn't have to go anymore.
And she had very few options to pee. Attempting to make it to the proper location was a risky proposition, and there were no alternatives in her room. No containers, no window, and she couldn't very well wet her bed with another girl sleeping in it. "Unless I...no!" A brief thought flashed through her mind of soaking the sheets and blaming Pilika if questioned, but that seemed unnecessarily cruel.
That left only one possibility, to find someone willing to accompany her. Of course, the first thought was Pilika, she was right there after all, but asking a little kid to be her comfort was demeaning, and wouldn't ease her fear at all. She'd have to brave the darkness a little to run into one of the other bedrooms, but whose? Of course Chaco and Gengen were out of the question, so would it be Eilie or Riou, a fellow girl or her brother?
"Riou...Riou will help me, definitely." Despite the lack of blood relation, the two were close as could be, he was sure to help out however he could. And his room was right next door, so she wouldn't have to survive the black halls for long. Finally, she had a plan, and not a moment too soon. "I gotta get over there, now!" She quickly swung her legs out from under the quilt, bending her knees so her feet could touch the floor, ready to run, when one final concern occurred to her. "I can't just leave Pilika alone..." Crossing her legs and squishing her thighs together, she gently prodded the little girl. "Pilika...Pilika..." Pilika remained firmly in slumber, and it didn't seem like more pushing would change that.
Though, that peaceful rest was not to last. At that moment, a piercing, echoing creak overtook Nanami's ears, sending a shiver up her spine. And in that instant, her eyes shot open, all sleepiness fizzled away in a sea of adrenaline, even the impossible-to-rouse Pilika shot up immediately, instinctively clutching for Nanami. "I-it's okay, Pilika," she comforted, "although that shock almost got me." A heart-stopping surprise like that, it was a miracle she didn't have an accident then and there.
Without any time to think before panic took hold, Nanami could only think of one explanation for the ruckus. "I-i-i-it's the ghost!" She squeezed Pilika's wrist hard enough to cut off circulation, and took off running with enough speed to pull the little girl's arm off, yanking her from the bed. Nanami dragged her all the way to Riou's door, knocking with the force to knock it off its hinges. "Riou! Riou, get up! Get up now!"
The pounding continued for another half-minute, until Riou finally answered, wiping his eyes. "What is it, Nanami?"
"That creak! It's the ghost! I know it!"
"It's probably just someone stepping on a creaky stair. You're being paranoid."
"No, I'm serious! It's the ghost, it has to be!" She grabbed her brother's collar and began shaking him, waking him up fully with his own shouts.
Gengen slumped around the corner, yawning. "Gengen can't sleep with all this screaming. What's going on?"
Following behind, Chaco peeked from behind Gengen's back. "Are you still freaking out about that ghost story?"
And finally, Eilie rose from above both their heads. "For what it's worth, I heard the creaking too."
"See?! It's real! The ghost is real!" Nanami shook Riou harder, who was beginning to go limp.
Finally, Riou knocked his sister away. "Alright, we can go take a look." He left his room to join his team, pushing them aside to lead them, very slowly, out into the corridors. He leaned in around the nearest corner, everyone else following his lead shortly afterwards, to take a peek. Nanami was the last to look, even Pilika got in before her.
Aside from Nanami, none of them were expecting to see anything, and prepared to chew the girl out for wasting all their time with her nonsensical phobia. In fact, they were geared up for it, when a shadow flashed by, disappearing out of view down the stairs. That was absolutely the sight no one was expecting to see, even Nanami found herself hoping she was wrong. As such, when no one else could muster up a response to the sight, she expressed herself, clearly and loudly. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Letting go of Pilika's wrist, she tightly hugged Riou from behind, desperate for comfort.
As that startle and jump reminded her, that wasn't the only thing she was desperate for. Her full bladder jolted, but without much room to slosh around, the urine needed to move somewhere else. That relocation turned out to be into her underwear, a little patch of warm dampness spreading across her crotch, out of sight beneath her pants, but absolutely noticeable to Nanami. "Eep!" Her arms released Riou, as their focus rediverted to pressing against her pants, begging to keep that little drop the only bit that escaped.
The resolve was enough to hold off the flood for now, but leaving an intense pain near her stomach as punishment. Now would be the perfect time to hit the bathroom, if not for one major problem that had just presented itself: Nanami was right. There was something prowling the dorms. Now wasn't the time to take a break, with all the sabotage and cutthroat tactics going on in this war, it was imperative they catch the specter or whatever it really was, and Riou was leading the charge. "Hurry! Don't let it escape!"
As the team ran after the shadow, Nanami was left behind with Pilika, eyeing the opposite direction, the one housing the toilets. "Wait! I need to...Agh!" It was clear her teammates weren't going to listen to her, and it wouldn't be appropriate to hang behind while they did something important, just to pee. The only action she could take now was buckle down, be tough, and hold it in. Groaning loudly, since her friends clearly weren't listening to her, she grabbed Pilika's hand and ran after the four.
---------------
Well, the good news was, there was no ghost. The dark spirit they witnessed was, in fact, just Flik. He was tailing Shin, Teresa's aide, through secret passages and into the forest behind the campus. It was nice to know there was no ghost, but this meant a lead to their actual mission, and they couldn't very well ignore that and go back to sleep, which meant the whole team was trekking further into the forest.
It also meant that Nanami still had not relieved herself, and it wasn't looking like she would get the chance any time soon. There hadn't been another leak, she could thank her strength training from Grandpa Genkaku for that, but she was still on the verge of an accident with little time left. And having this predicament in the woods was the ultimate torture, every tree tempting her with memories of what she could do to them if she wasn't in the middle of a mission, and accompanied by others. No way would she let Flik see her acting so pitiful.
Well, she didn't want to demean herself, but it wasn't really looking like she was going to have a choice. She had to go bad, and their tailing task was slow-going. And with every passing second, Nanami's bladder was becoming more of a pained nuisance, threatening louder and louder to spill its contents straight into her pants, and she was beginning to feel powerless to resist. Maybe it really would be worth it to be honest, and just ask to stop.
Well, they were stopping, but it wouldn't be for anything to ease the struggle, at least not for her. Looking out over the limited distance, and lost in her own worries, Nanami wasn't paying attention to her immediate surroundings, and was caught off-guard by Pilika tugging on the scarf around her waist. "W-what is it, Pilika?" She looked down at her little companion, and with her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she could see exactly what was bothering Pilika. She was lightly clutching the front hem of her pink dress, rubbing her thighs together and looking really nervous. She couldn't say what the problem was, but she had performed this exact mime before, it could be perfectly translated into words: "Big sis Nanami, I gotta go potty."
This wasn't the first time she had needed to make that request, a small girl needed more frequent breaks of all kinds on the long road from one town to another, and Nanami always took the responsibility of taking her off the path to answer nature's call away from prying eyes. Not only was it wrong to make Pilika hold it longer than necessary, but it also provided a good opportunity to handle her own needs without ever having to admit as much. It had become a response to associate that potty dance with her own impending emptiness, something she absolutely didn't want to picture when she really needed that exact feeling, with no idea when she'd get it. Just the sight was enough to make Nanami whine, repeatedly pressing her legs into each other.
However, as she soon realized, this could be a perfect opportunity. No one would have the heart to refuse Pilika with such a critical request, not unless the present situation was too dangerous to allow any stragglers. Right now, they could probably get away with an escape. "Hey guys, Pilika needs a quick minute. You go on without us, we'll catch up."
"You sure? We can wait for you," Riou offered.
"I agree," seconded Flik. "It would be dangerous to leave you two alone in unfamiliar territory, especially in the dark."
Two against two, and it didn't look like anyone else would be stepping in, leaving the two sides at a stalemate. That is, until Eilie put her foot down and started pushing the two men further on their path. "Don't you two know anything? When a girl says she needs alone time, she means it! Let's go!" She helped the boys along their way, Flik in particular being rendered speechless, as Gengen and Chaco followed, having played no part.
Finally, the ladies had their privacy. Nanami sighed in relief at the thought of the relief she'd soon be getting, practically drooling at the image. It took Pilika tugging on her scarf again, pointing to the denser forest off the beaten path, to bring her back to the real world. "R-right, we should hurry." She led Pilika into the deeper shadows of the many tree trunks, waiting just long enough to ensure they were out of sight before reaching for the waistband on her pants. "Phew, I've been waiting too long for this."
But just as she was about to undress, she was interrupted by yet another tug from Pilika. A part of her wanted to just ignore whatever the request was in order to pee, but the big sister instinct overpowered the urge. "What is it now," she asked, a tone of frustration clearly evident. She looked over Pilika, desperate to find what was bothering her now. But she was just doing the same potty dance, turning this into a frantic guessing game. "You're starting to have an accident? You need help undressing? Something else hurts?" Every one was met with a dismissive head shake as Pilika's prance grew faster, until Nanami finally hit the jackpot. "You want me to stand watch?" The little girl nodded in agreement.
On the surface, it sounded like a reasonable request. It was the dead of night in the middle of some woods, probably with monsters and vicious animals. Having someone guarding her while she was incapacitated was the sensible thing to ask, and under ordinary circumstances, Nanami would be happy to oblige. If only it wasn't imperative that Nanami start peeing soon. "I-I promise nothing is going to attack you, Pilika! Just let me go..."
Before she could properly plead her case, Pilika's eyes suddenly pressed tightly shut, and she squeezed her dress even harder. Nanami couldn't see the finer details, but there was little to get in the way of hearing what happened next. A light pattering sound, with the tiniest hint of liquid hitting fabric, but primarily pee falling into the dirt between her feet. Pilika was already having her accident, and Nanami was about to do the same. She quickly twisted her legs, grabbing her crotch with no hint of shame, halfway doubling over with a pained grimace. She wanted to rip her pants down and go right there, but she had yet to receive approval to not stand guard, and she wasn't going to get it now. "Please, just don't take too long, Pilika!"
The instant she got the okay, Pilika lifted her pink dress above her waist, shoving her white panties to her ankles, where only she could see how much they were actually yellow now. She squatted down, wrapping her arms around her knees, making good use of what Nanami had taught her back when she didn't know how to pee outside. Without any obstructions, the golden stream sprinkled cleanly into the soil.
That soft little tinkle was enough to drive Nanami crazy, as her bladder made one more shove, practically forcing all her pee out. She had to double, and triple, and quadruple her grip to force her muscles into obedience, being pelted with endless agony in the process. She had to turn away to ensure she wouldn't see the relief, if she would have even found the strength to open her eyes, but with her hands way too occupied, there was nothing she could do to drown out the noise. Pilika wasn't letting out a constant pee, she was nervous, spraying in loud and forceful, but brief spurts. She'd rest for a second, and then resume going for another two. Not only did this mean it was taking nearly double the time to finish, but every pause, Nanami found herself praying it was the end, only to have her hopes dashed as more flowed out.
It was unavoidable, that flowing sound to a desperate girl had to have an effect. Nanami had to pee so incredibly bad, she needed to follow Pilika's lead. Warmth quickly filled her underwear, renewing the tepid dampness and sticking the fabric to her skin. And this time, her panties weren't enough to contain the leaks, as the stream seeped through, snaking down her legs and being absorbed by her pants. Even her gloves were taking damage, and she could feel the heat on the fingertips and palm of her right hand clutching her crotch.
She tried her hardest, but there as nothing more Nanami could do. She was already grabbing herself as hard as she could, with her thighs twisted together, and she was putting all her effort towards holding. She was not about to give up and accept a wetting, but it was starting to look futile with the increasing soaking her green pants were displaying. If it wasn't near-pitch black out, she was sure she'd be found out as soon as she returned to the group. That is, if she didn't totally lose it, because that couldn't be hidden.
Perhaps fate had decided she had suffered enough recently, or she had a lot more endurance than she previously believed possible, because the flow of urine heating her lower half was stemmed, a little more dripping down before nothing more sprang forth. It was a close victory, she felt soaked enough to believe she didn't make it, but Pilika was still shooting out a stop-and-start stream, so Nanami couldn't have emptied out yet. Plus, her insides were still being tortured, so she definitely still needed to pee, worse than almost any other time, even with that partial release.
It was a combo of good fortune tonight, because the splashing of urine into a growing puddle halted, and five seconds later, had yet to restart. She heard Pilika's clothes rustle, as she surely pulled her underwear back up and let her dress cover it again. She no longer needed someone taking special care to watch for her, not that Nanami had done a good job of that task, so it was time for the older girl to do what her body demanded. Once again, she gripped her waistband, determined to let nothing interrupt her this time as the pants slid past her butt.
At that moment, a rustling emanated from a nearby shrub. Even that wasn't enough to stop Nanami, her pants halfway down her thighs as she was halfway bent down into a squat. The only thing giving her pause was Pilika jumping at the noise, shaking as she looked between the source of the noise and Nanami. She clearly wanted some protection, but now wasn't the time. "J-just get behind me," Nanami commanded, getting her pants to her knees as she moved her attention to removing her panties.
Too bad her luck had run out. The rustle happened again, and it had friends this time, multiple echoes from behind other hiding places in the same general direction. Whatever was causing the noise, it was something numerous, and experience had only shown her one thing that would act that way: monsters. Monsters were coming for them, obviously Pilika couldn't fight them off, and Nanami would be useless if she were to go through with undressing. She could either take the punishment while peeing, or...
"Pilika, let's run!" She grabbed Pilika's hand and dashed off, away from the noises, towards the direction the party had left in. It was a simple plan, lead the monsters to the people capable of fighting, let them deal with the threat, and run off on her own while they had their battle. It no longer mattered if they could easily guess what she was doing, who cared? Nanami had to pee! It was hard enough holding it as they ran, each step allowing a little more urine to slip out and join its brethren, the added wetness no longer registering.
Just as it was beginning to seem she was going to fail, silhouettes appeared at the end of her vision, totaling a perfect five, exactly what she was expecting. "Riou! Riou! Something's chasing us!"
Hearing his name called out, Riou turned to face his sister, and see her frantic stride and terrified facial expression, with nothing behind her. "Are you okay, Nanami?"
"No, I think she's right. I hear something coming," Flik warned, drawing his sword from the scabbard on his belt, prompting everyone else to grab their weapons. There was a painful silence, as everyone waited for the inevitable ambush, scanning their surroundings for any other clues to where the attack would begin from. Even Nanami was sticking around, she had no idea how many creatures were lurking in those woods, she didn't want to duck behind a tree close to any of them and waste the opportunity she was banking on by coming out here in the first place. Her rapid dancing and stepping were becoming faster and faster as the flood in her bladder was rising over the dam wall, reminding her how much every second counted right now.
Finally, their patience paid off, as enemies jumped from beyond the treeline, coming to a halt before the party, ready to attack. Five Holly Boys, and one Holly Elf. The Holly Boys were no problem, incredibly weak in both attack and health, but the Holly Elf was heartier, fast, and commanded the small tufts of leaves. Defeating the dryad first would be the real priority, or its abilities would cause trouble. And of course, it was hanging in the back row, where only Eilie's attacks could reach it. Now was Nanami's only chance to bow out, drawing as little attention to herself as possible. Still holding Pilika's hand, she took careful, deliberate steps away from the battle formation, quietly sneaking away into the deeper forest.
Too bad Riou had different plans. "Nanami! Let's get the elf together!"
True, the step-siblings had an attack where they'd strike the same enemy with a unified series of swings and kicks. But now was hardly the time for such a strenuous activity, not if she wanted to stay...only mildly wet. "I-I don't think that's a good idea! I need to..." She couldn't even admit the truth before Riou jumped forward, snaking between the Holly Boys to stand immediately before the Holly Elf.
Now he was in a precarious predicament, in the middle of an enemy formation, waiting for Nanami to leap in and team up. They had practiced this move many times, both in training with Grandpa Genkaku and in the field, it was strong, but it absolutely required the two working together in perfect harmony. Riou had just thrown himself into danger, because he wholeheartedly believed Nanami would join him. Trust was his defining characteristic.
Nanami didn't have a choice. "Alright! But only one attack!" She leapt forward to join her brother, landing right next to him, staring the Holly Elf down. The two looked at each other and nodded confirmations to start fighting, with Nanami's of course looking much less optimistic. Still, it was enough, and their wild attack began. It started with swinging their weapons in various directions, all in perfect time and coordination. Having to lean her body forward to get maximum power from her nunchaku was not easy on the poor girl. Then came the unarmed attacks, something many times worse. Each punch sent a recoil shockwave back through her person, rippling her bladder like a stone thrown in a pond, to say nothing of needing to lift one leg in the air for a high kick, fully exposing the wet patch on her pants and growing it further. How she didn't lose it there was anyone's guess.
The attack paid off, the final hits connected, and the Holly Elf faded from existence, allowing the two to jump back to their positions. Notably, Nanami in the back row, allowing her to ruthlessly squeeze between her legs, free from witnesses. The wetness was starting to feel chilly, a good sign if it meant there wasn't much hot pee to warm it up, but she was still extraordinarily damp. Once again, she had to concentrate all her focus on holding, totally isolating her senses from her surroundings. She started wavering with lost balance, she didn't see or hear everyone else jumping forward in succession to attack their foes.
And she certainly didn't see, after the other four had taken their turns, there was still one Holly Boy alive. It hopped twice to approach, leaving everyone on guard but unsure where it would strike. And, because fate was evil, its attack was aimed directly at Nanami, as it revealed when it rocketed towards her torso. Whether it could sense her distraction, or it was just going for the one target not actively defending herself, maybe it was just bad luck. Whatever the reason, it wouldn't end well for Nanami, especially when she only realized something was closing in seconds before impact, too late to dodge, not that her stiff body would be able to react fast enough anyway. Still, she attempted a last-second evasion, ducking off to the side with all the speed she could muster.
It wasn't quick enough, of course not, but something else interfered. Flik, the honorable mercenary, in the front row before her, came to her aid. He swung his blade with expert precision, cutting through the Holly Boy in its tracks, in a wide swing that almost hit Gengen to his side. It would have been a legendary save, if it wasn't all for a tiny foe that would have barely scratched through their thick, battle-ready clothing.
It also would have been better had Nanami known she'd have been safe standing her ground. She had made the grave mistake of making a sudden dive, one that upset the delicate equilibrium, the only thing keeping her from a further accident. And she knew this, even before the exact moment of failure, she didn't even try physically holding this time. It wouldn't do any good. The color faded from her face, she froze, and couldn't say anything, only making small choking sounds, nearly putting her on the same level as Pilika. While most were simply confused by her sudden change in attitude, Riou had the experience to know something was wrong. "Nanami...is something wrong?"
While their eyes had adjusted to the darkness reasonably well by now, sound was still the primary sense to rely on. That meant, with their ears open, everyone clearly heard the crashing slam of fluid falling onto the hard dirt. It was loud to all, but to Nanami, it might as well have been deafening. Not just from proximity, though that certainly didn't help matters, but shame. Not only was it embarrassing to pee herself at her age, not only was it embarrassing to have an accident in front of her brother, a girl that looked up to her as a big sister, a dreamy older man, and three people she barely knew, but it had to be her, heir to Genkaku's trainings. Her and Riou had only recently been told of their grandpa's exploits, that he used to be a hero of the state, so with that in mind, it felt like she was failing something much greater than herself.
But more than anything, it just felt bad. The torrid torrent rushing out, soaking her pants while simultaneously powering through the two layers of clothing, hitting the ground so hard it splashed back onto her ankles. Her loose pant legs now stuck to her skin, squishing with every minute movement, constantly fluctuating between the searing heat of the pee and biting chill of the wind. And it just wasn't stopping. She could still pull her pants down, squat, and spray to save herself from about half her bladder, but there was no point, she was drenched already. And she wasn't about to expose herself in plain view of everyone.
She didn't need to, they were already getting quite the view of her disgrace. Up to now, Nanami had been forceful, loud, took charge, and did things her way with guts. Granted, it was an immature brand of bravado, but it was still far removed from the kind of juvenile behavior that would excuse peeing herself. If Pilika had an accident, that would be cause for concern and comfort. With Nanami, someone who should know better, it only meant she was a loser, not worthy of respect. She'd be forever in the shadow of her younger brother, the Allied Army's commander. Riou would go down in history one day as the boy who defeated Luca Blight, and she'd be his sister, the one who peed herself.
That was her fear, one founded by the first person with the courage to remark on the sight. Would it be Riou to tell her it'd be all right? Would it be Flik or Eilie putting in an honest effort to make her feel better? Maybe even Pilika could chime in with a smile or something? Nope, it was Chaco. "Hahahahahaha! Wow, that's rich! And you were lecturing me on responsibility in Two River! Some 'big girl' you are!"
It was harsh, but Nanami couldn't argue. She had failed, made herself look incompetent, pitiful. She still was, even as she was being mocked, she was still peeing. It had eased up, though it was still quite violent, and unceasing. It wasn't the only water she'd be producing either, as she couldn't help it again and began crying, wails and all.
She didn't even realize how loud she was sobbing until there was no splashing from the puddle beneath her to drown it out. Somehow, her bladder had finally emptied. She had to admit, there was some satisfaction to being finished, her episode was over, and she didn't feel like she might explode with the force of Viktor igniting fire spears. But those tiny comforts were erased, as soon as she opened her eyes, reddened and swollen, and saw everyone staring at her. Why wouldn't they be, she had just humiliated herself, wasn't that a funny sight? She had the right to be upset, and she exercised that right. "D-don't look at me," she shouted, running off into the woods like it wasn't too late for that.
Five minutes earlier, this kind of privacy would have been the best possible outcome, a place she could let loose and leave this whole mess simply a close call. But now, after she had already ashamed her entire being, the dark void only served as a reflection of her inner self: black, cold, and alone. Not that it would embarrass her any further at this point, but without anyone to see, she fell to her eyes and started a second round of tears.
"Nanami?" Was actually having a little time to herself to cry too much to ask? Why did Riou have to come over?
"J-just leave me alone. I'm not worth worrying about." She waved her brother away, refusing to look anywhere near him.
"We're still looking for Teresa, remember? Come on, I can't have someone chickening out on us. The only way we're going to win this war is to be strong, no matter what troubles are thrown at us."
"But I'm pathetic! I can't help you, I'm just a burden who should fade away and be paid no mind."
"...okay, let me tell you something. Back when me and Jowy's brigade was attacked by Luca Blight, when we escaped and were on the run. We could have disappeared into the shadows where we'd never be found, or we could have stayed with Viktor and Flik where we'd be safe. But you know what Jowy was adamant about? That we infiltrate Highland territory, when we were already branded traitors, and get into Kyaro. Not to retrieve some item, or say goodbye to his family. It was to make sure you were with us."
That was a part of the story she hadn't heard before. With great difficulty, she choked back her tears, and faced Riou, bending down and extending a hand to pull her to her feet. "J-Jowy said that?"
"Yep. You know him just as well as I do, would he have gone so far if he didn't believe in you?"
All at once, it was like a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders. There was still a lot of lingering misery, but she felt...relieved, like the feeling of blissful release had only just hit her. Without any assistance, she jumped back to stand, towering above her brother for a second before he righted himself. "W-well, of course! I knew he had faith in me all this time! We're friends! In fact, I was the one protecting you two when we were little!"
Riou chuckled. "Yeah, you were. Guess I'm only paying back the favor now, huh?"
"Oh, come on! You don't owe me anything! Just end this war, and the three of us can live in peace somewhere! Then we'll be even!"
"You're feeling alright now?"
"Sure! Momentary setback, it's all good. Just need to take a bath when we get back to the dorms." She started marching back towards their team, a very noticeable spring in her step, despite the added discomfort so much leg movement caused.
Riou smiled, this was more like the Nanami he knew. It took her a minute this time, the constant stress taking a toll on her, but she still bounced back. He had to sprint to catch up with her lead. Things would be okay.
Well, Nanami still had one concern. "Hey, I know he trusts me, and wouldn't think less of me or anything like that, but...please don't tell Jowy about this when we see him again."
"I...I don't think this will be what we talk about when we meet," Riou replied, suddenly somber.
"Good! Let's just get this over with, so I can wash myself off!" Everyone was safe, Nanami was back in good spirits, and they still had a lead towards finding Teresa and securing an alliance with Greenhill. Everything was on track. Except, if they did find someone at the end of this maze, Nanami was determined to hang back, out of sight. Couldn't have the rest of the team looking bad.

Moravia, the castle stronghold commanded by Kasim Hazil, one of the Scarlet Moon Empire's Five Great Generals. With the Imperial military stationed in the fortress, most would not dare attack the palace, much less a Liberation Army barely fifteen-thousand strong. The fact that a team of six were doing just that was insane, that was the only way to put it. No one would believe this army had a strategist, or if they did, they would certainly object to the notion that this was his idea.
However, the plan was a lot more complicated than that. Yes, they wanted to dethrone Kasim, reduce the power of the Empire and potentially recruit another powerful leader, but that wasn't the only objective. The Liberation Army's strategist, Mathiu, was distracting Kasim, while a team of six would fight their way to the prison to rescue one of the army's most valued assets, Viktor.
And if anyone could penetrate this fortification, it would be these six. Valeria, former lieutenant of the Empire, her skill with the Falcon style sword unmatched. Camille, fiery redhead with a fiery lance thanks to an attached elemental rune piece, it was unwise to owe her a debt. Krin, low class thief with a penchant for poisons. Cleo, longtime guardian of the McDohl household, and her charge, Tir McDohl. Son of another of the Five Generals, Teo McDohl, Tir had already been named leader of the Liberation Army, his natural charisma and propensity for justice earning scores of followers. He was strong, intelligent, moral, and quite cute.
That last observation colored the face of the last member of the entourage as red as her limited clothing. She was Kasumi, a young black-haired ninja hailing from the village of Rokkaku, dedicated to ending the reign of Emperor Barbarossa through the victory of the Liberation Army. To her credit, Kasumi was putting her all into this contract, but it wasn't just because of training. She...wanted to do good by Tir, he was a good man and she wanted to be by his side, be it bodyguard or something more. That was the honor and strength all proper ninjas lived by.
However, that stalwart obedience came with a downside. Kasumi and Tir had been separated recently, as she had her own mission with Krin, with the two only just reuniting before this undertaking. She would not leave his side...even if she really wanted to now. Thing was, in her desire to act out her role as guardian, Kasumi had found herself on the receiving end of hydration making its way down south. Sheepishly, she lightly gripped the sides of the cloth covering her lower front for comfort and support.
It was pretty awkward to admit that she had let herself reach this level. She was trained, she was experienced, it's not like she had no practice in holding her bladder. It wouldn't do much good for a suspicious trail of liquid to trickle down from the rafters onto the espionage subjects, impeccable control was an important qualification for the job. Which made it only more concerning that it was painful enough to be worrying. She was in a bad spot, no other way to say it.
"Kasumi. Kasumi!" Her name being called out brought the ninja back to the moment, as she only now recognized Tir snapping his fingers inches from her face. And her blush, which had since faded and cooled, had its glow reignited at the proximity. Years of reflex and self-defense training took hold as she jumped back and placed a hand on one of her many kunai, poised for attack. It took until now for her to notice the other four looking at her weirdly. "Good, you're back," Tir continued unflinchingly, "we're heading up the tower now."
"Y-yes, Master Tir," she blurted, releasing the hold on her weapon to stand straight. "I'm ready, I won't hold you up!"
Observing the interaction, Krin covered his mouth and snickered. "Look at you, acting all proper around the boy. Can't help but wonder why," he asked, stretched out, leaning in towards Kasumi.
She wasn't taking it, as she smacked him away. "You can shut your mouth." There was only so much politeness to go around, especially with most of it going towards Tir. Not to mention, the lacking mental faculties at the moment to spare on manners. Talking wasn't needed anyway, everyone had their serious faces on with weapons tightly gripped, it was time for action. Whether it would serve as a welcome distraction or an unpleasant exertion, only time would tell.
The six-person party marched up the stairs to the second floor of the stone building, Kasumi taking one last look back. She couldn't imagine actually doing it, but she had thought about asking for a quick break to run outside and "tend to the castle's gardens". Regardless of whether she would have worked up the courage to speak up, the opportunity had passed her by.
As they ascended, each step sending a tiny jolt straight through the desperate ninja, she reflected on how she ended up needing to relieve herself this badly. Granted, there wasn't much to consider, it was a simple tale of lacking time management. She was busy, not alone, there was no chance to duck away to take care of business. Even when she returned to the castle serving as the Liberation Army's headquarters, it was so big, and she was new, the bathroom was too hard to find before she was called out again. There was no time to go off the side of the boat on the way there, either. She needed to hope she'd be given another chance soon, or that this wouldn't take forever and she could endure. After all, they did need to act fast before their presence was reported, she could get lucky and hold out, it was possible.
But it wouldn't be easy, as guards were waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Two elite soldiers, a whip master, and three hell hounds, a full six on six match. Weapons were drawn on both sides as the combatants got into position, Tir, Camille, and Valeria taking the front line. "You may want to consider targeting the whip master in the back first," Valeria offered, experience behind her words.
The problem was, Kasumi wasn't paying attention, she needed to pee too bad and wanted everything to hurry up. All that was running through her head was how to finish this fight as quickly as possible, so they could get out of here before it was too late for her. As the fastest member of the group, she activated her Shrike Rune and dashed forward. Slipping between two of the hell hounds, she circled behind a guard in the back corner before he could process what was happening, thrust her arms beneath his armpits, brought her forearms up to bind him, and jumped straight up.
While rune powers were varied, usually magic based, there were physical runes as well. That was where the Shrike Rune fit in, its power granted Kasumi the ability to perform a devastating suplex, a stone-shattering slam from high in the air. With the soldier in her grasp, the ninja flipped mid-flight, and began rocketing back to the floor, crashing his head with an echoing blast while she remained safely suspended from his torso. Displaying the same speed she used initiating the move, she jumped back into formation, letting his body fall flat.
The instant her feet hit the floor, Kasumi regretted performing that super move. The hard impact, while not nearly as hard on her as it was on the soldier, still had quite the powerful adverse effect. She had been concerned about the waves steps were making, a fierce landing created a tsunami in comparison. She felt it so hard she could picture it, easy enough with a mental image identical to the attack she just performed, just replacing the guard with an ocean of pee and the floor with her bladder's borders. Her knees buckled at the blow, and her eyes widened as she choked back a breath. Most would have their accident right there, yet Kasumi showcased her inner strength and remained totally dry. Somehow, she knew that wouldn't last.
Still, she felt satisfied that she had delivered such a strong opening, breaking through her haze of desperate discomfort, until the single image that could bring her down played out before her; the guard got back up on his feet. She gulped, a bead of sweat sliding down her cheek. "He must have an amazing helmet," she breathlessly observed, in a sort of awe. She stepped back in slight fear, more for her own well-being than anything about their foes.
Though the opponents were also worth her attention. Her reckless charge had thrown everyone else off-balance, giving the whip master the chance to swing his lash, siccing the hell hounds out. One leapt at Camille, who attempted to hold it off with her spear, while another jumped at Tir, who defended much less successfully. And the third, despite Valeria also being within easy reach in the front row, was coming straight for Kasumi. "Agh!" She froze, faced with a threat she was not expecting, without any viable means of fending the canine off.
"Kasumi!" Once more, her name being called brought her into the moment, where she saw the dog immediately before her face, but not approaching. And she saw how that was possible, in the hell hound's mouth was a staff, biting down, unable to attack. She recognized the weapon as Tir's, so the real surprise was Tir himself. He was straining to reach the staff in front of Kasumi, his battle-worn clothes further ripped, bleeding from his own continuing attack, yet his focus was still on protecting someone else. He had a fire and fury in his eyes as he swung his staff, flinging the canine off and sending it flying back to its crowd, at the same time the others relented their assaults.
Cleo skillfully threw her Air Sword at the whip master, taking him down, while Krin threw a needle to defeat the elite soldier Kasumi attacked, which meant he was so close to death already. Tir spun his staff and whacked a hell hound on the head with an electrically charged hit, which Camille followed up with a flaming jab, enough to pacify it. Finally, Valeria used her Falcon Rune to unleash a flurry of stabs on the other elite soldier, eliminating him as well. That just left two hounds without their master.
Kasumi's next turn was up, she hesitated given her previous failure, but it would be pretty difficult to mess up this time. She definitely wasn't trying another usage of the Shrike Rune, so she simply jumped in and slashed one of the dogs, which Tir followed up with another killing bash. Without any direction, the final hell hound didn't attack, and with four warriors solely on his tail, it didn't last long and the fight was done.
Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief that the struggle was over, until Camille marched into her face, a good head taller. "So why did you rush in, without any solid strategy, while Valeria was talking?"
Camille was a tough lady, being on her bad side was enough to make even a trained ninja nervous. Either to avoid the question, or just different priorities, she responded with an unrelated question of her own. "Master Tir! Is Master Tir alright?!"
Camille moved aside, allowing Kasumi to see Tir sitting on the ground, clutching his injured arm. However, Cleo was standing next to him, channeling her Flowing Rune, Kasumi was afraid she'd be following the name's lead soon enough. As the light of the divination faded, rain began falling from no discernible origin, the last thing the ninja wanted to see at the moment. As the drops landed on Tir's body and slid across his gashes, the crimson blood washing away, revealing perfectly mended skin. No worse for wear, Tir stood up as if nothing happened. "Thank you, Cleo."
Kasumi should have been happy that he was safe, and she was, but something was more gripping and demanding at the moment: the lingering puddle, evidence of the water magic that had just been cast. Oh, how much she wanted to double, triple its size. The image of the still fluids was tempting, enough to force another violent punch from her tortured bladder, one she was not properly prepared for. If she wanted to avoid an accident, she had to at least press against her crotch now.
In a stroke of unfiltered, pure luck, she'd be doing that anyway as part of a different motion. With her hands clasped together on the skirt-like strip hanging from her waist, and secretly applying force, she bowed repeatedly to the boy no older than her. "I-I apologize profusely, Master Tir. It's a great shame for a bodyguard to require protection, and I understand if you wish to dismiss my services."
Unable to look as an equal, Kasumi only heard footsteps without an origin, until they stopped and a hand was gingerly placed on her shoulder. "No need to be so hard on yourself. It was a mistake, nothing major, no big deal. I still respect your skill." The praise gave Kasumi the strength to look up, and see Tir's face directly before hers, beaming with a youthful smile.
He was being nice to her, and she appreciated it, but the proximity was more obvious. Once more, her face flushed bright red, it might as well be her default color. Her open mouth was quivering and shivering, unable to form words, pupils darting for a solid ten seconds. Eventually, her brain flatlined into one single thought she could concentrate on. "Agh," she shouted, leaping back to maintain distance from Tir. That reaction confused him, it confused everyone, Krin made a circling motion with his finger to say she was crazy.
They all shrugged it off, however, and regrouped to continue the task. Kasumi took a second longer to compose herself, and realized something important. "I need to stop jumping around so much." Sudden motion like that just kept agitating her, sloshing and shaking her collection of urine, priming pressure and pain on her muscles. No one was looking this time, she took full advantage and outright grabbed between her legs, stroking her thighs against each other and grunting in the struggle.
It paid off, the wave passed, and she could stand up normally again. Cautiously, she resumed walking so as to not stray too far from the pack, while not straining herself. She needed to act inconspicuous, which would be easier if the other five weren't trying to hold a distracting conversation. "How do you think that bear Viktor will react to us infiltrating a castle to save him," Valeria asked.
"I guarantee he'll have some kind of smart quip, a 'what took you so long'," Camille answered, resigned to the fact that she was right.
"Come on," Tir defended, "Viktor's cooler than that. He'll be happy to see us. Schtolteheim Reinbach III does not so easily forget his kin," he shouted, holding a fist in front of him jovially.
Despite Tir being happy about it, Cleo sighed. "You can perfectly remember that complicated name from months ago, yet Gremio and I had to fight to get you to do your studies."
Tir shrugged, and the team continued as if the conversation never happened. Not up to joining the discussions, Kasumi took the silence to whisper reassurance to herself. "If I keep it easy, I can survive this. I can hold it."
---------------
The idea that she could not strain herself was nothing more than wishful thinking. That first group of enemies was far from the only ones they'd be fighting, there were plenty more encounters, various combinations of the same three types, and they added up over time. By now, the party had slain dozens of opponents since arrival, and Kasumi had to pull her weight. She still wouldn't dare using the Shrike Rune, but again, all the battles added up. Her need was growing fast, approaching her hard limit.
Yet, somehow, the hardest challenge was yet to come. "Come on, Kasumi! You can make it!" She didn't believe those words, she heavily doubted she could "make it", but that wasn't the topic at hand. Word had traveled through the castle that they had intruders, and the place was on lockdown. That didn't mean it was impenetrable, they just needed to be a bit more creative. Such as crossing from one roof to another to enter their window, using a tightrope Krin set up. Her five comrades had already crossed the gap, and were waiting for the ninja to take her turn.
Under any other circumstance, a balancing act like this wouldn't even be worth a second thought. She could handle this obstacle easily if she was fully flexible, but that just wasn't the state she was in. In a desperate attempt to not burst, one taking more and more concentration by the minute, Kasumi's joints had gone stiff. It did have a negative impact on her fighting ability, but her teammates weren't paying total attention, she got away with it then. Now, with all eyes on her to do something much more precise, there was no place to hide.
Still, she couldn't chicken out here. So, without the freedom to bend her knees, she extended her left leg and placed it on the rope, flattening her foot against the thin bridge. Applying pressure to ensure it wouldn't snap or slip, she swung her other leg around very awkwardly, placing that foot down firmly, taking her off solid ground. Her arms were extended to her side to maintain balance, an act normally unnecessary for her, so they couldn't be anywhere near her crotch. At least there wasn't any wind, she was shaking enough already.
The whole time she was crossing, she was embroiled in a harsh, internal struggle. Her bladder had since grown violent, demanding its master to be allowed to drain, a request it would continue to be denied. She didn't want to keep holding, she'd be more than grateful for any place to relieve herself, a need so urgent she was beginning to waver on the point of privacy, anything to avoid this agony any longer. It was beginning to have an adverse effect on her physical well-being, the effort chilling her blood like a fever, exacerbating the already-present chill the altitude brought.
It certainly felt like it was taking forever, definitely due to the pressure, but Kasumi had reason to believe it was long no matter what, judging from the weird looks everyone was giving as she crossed. Or that may have been due to her inhuman walk, more like a badly-made puppet whose strings were operated by someone suffering from hypothermia. Valeria turned to Krin, the person who had spent the most time with Kasumi, who could only shrug. There was no real explanation for her performance, and that's the way she wanted it. Better to have them unable to guess that she was on the verge of wetting herself.
Eventually, she reached the other roof, finally able to stand on steady ground once more. She was still shivering, arms still out, but she was safe. "Good, finally," Camille groaned, "we can finally move." She leapt through the window, thankfully without glass, with the rest following.
Of course, Kasumi was again the last to prepare to make the jump. "I'm losing my speed," she had to admit, dropping her arms to her side, shuffling her feet and standing on her toes to better prepare for the next wave of desperation, sure to be soon.
She wasn't expecting the hearty pat on the back from Tir. "Hey, good job making it across the rope. I can tell you were afraid, but you still did it."
She wouldn't dare tell him it wasn't fear making her hesitate. Well, it was, but of a different variety. She didn't even realize Tir was hanging behind, she thought he jumped through the window already. And most importantly, she was in a precarious position when he slapped her, with minimal point of contact between her feet and the balcony. With that push, she was thrown off-balance, windmilling her arms as she fell forward, landing on her stomach with a loud crash. Hearing the impact, the four that already reentered the building looked back. "Ha! Some ninja," Krin laughed.
At least he was the only one mocking, as Tir grabbed Kasumi's arm and pulled upwards. "You alright?"
The fall wasn't as devastating as it very well could have been, thanks to some light "cushioning", but Kasumi was already right on the edge. No matter the tumble, she was done for. She probably would have lost it if nothing happened, she was just pushed too far. She could practically feel her bladder muscles give out, as urine began to rush to its exit, like a dam on a river being broken. She would be wet really soon.
But, for as long as her body would allow, Tir McDohl would not bear witness to Kasumi's accident. He would not see it, he would not hear it, absolutely none of his senses would be provoked. No one else's should be either, but Tir remaining blind was the top priority. With speed closer to her average, and above it, she jumped to her feet, vaulted through the open window, shoved everyone out of her way, and bolted down the hall, around a corner and out of sight, shouting all the while.
Out of sight, out of earshot, the ninja could make it no farther. The boiling liquids burning a hole in her abdomen, or perhaps the dagger twisting the same spot, however she could describe the pain, it had overtaken her. Her legs went numb, causing her to fall on her butt, knees also hitting the ground as they splayed outwards, that tiny crash becoming the hole that sank the ship, as water began pouring through. The only preparation she had the time or energy to make was lifting the front flap of her robe up to keep it out of harm's way.
She didn't want to look down to avoid the shame, so she heard the sound before she saw anything. For the briefest instant, it was the light pattering hitting fabric, until the pee absolutely soaked through the thin white garment, when it was replaced by the stream smashing against the smooth stone beneath her. Seconds later, even that was usurped as there was no more untouched marble in the path, and there was no sound but splashing water, drowning out the distant sounds from elsewhere in the castle.
By all respects, Kasumi should have been horrified by what she had been reduced to, and she was, anyone capable would be when brought to the level of a mere child. It didn't feel enjoyable, the sudden emptiness left an ache akin to a stomach cramp, and it was spreading a warm, gross wetness through her thin leggings. It smelled awful, stale and pungent. Her head fell, letting her see her mess against her will, the translucent, lightly golden jet shooting forward and outward in small waves, small pockets of foam forming on the surface. She had disgraced herself, her clan, and the Liberation Army in her incompetence.
Still, sometimes a girl just needs to pee. "Ooooohhh," she moaned, her voice cracking as she attempted to reach that high note of bliss, placing her hands on her thighs, careful to keep them dry. "Too...too far..." Those were the last words Kasumi was able to form, as everything following came out instead as broken sighs and inelegant moans, when it wasn't just heavy breathing. There was no room for anything in her mind but the feeling of release.
"K-Kasumi?" Well, except for fear. Or, "terror" would be the more apt descriptor. That voice was definitely Tir, no mistake about it. And now he was seeing Kasumi at her lowest moment. She had spent so long struggling and suffering to avoid him knowing, and she couldn't even get that.
Unfortunately, there was nothing much she could do about it, the flood wasn't stopping any time soon, she would be seeing this one through to the end. "M-Master Tir!" She stuttered as she racked her brain for possible excuses, but it didn't matter. Regardless of how she explained it away, the incontestable fact was that she peed herself. Nothing could make that better.
If she had to face it, she would face it like an adult. She gulped, and slowly turned to face her audience, braced for the look of utter disgust. Instead, far from her wildest expectations, there he was, looking off to the side with a hand against his head, blocking all view of her. "I-I just wanted to make sure you were okay, after y-you ran off like that. I...I guess this explains it."
"Y-yes," Kasumi replied, blankly. How was she supposed to take that? The idea that Tir, a boy who had made it big thanks to his strength, courage, and ingenuity, wouldn't be ashamed of her? It just seemed impossible to believe. It had to be an act, he had to be secretly loathing her under that soft facade.
Or, the more she thought about it, maybe it really did make sense. It wasn't just ability that propelled Tir into his position, it was kindness, charisma, and trusting that made him who he was. No one else could amass such a large and varied army. So, was it possible that he wouldn't hold this against her? "Y...you're really not angry with me?"
"Why would I be angry?"
"W-well, because I'm proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I'm incompetent! I tell you that I'm protecting your life, and I can't even do this? I need to fight monsters and imperial soldiers, and-"
"And you pick all of them up and suplex them, no matter how big they are! That's amazing! You've proven time and time again that you're strong and dedicated, exactly the kind of woman I can use more of. In the places where it matters, you're great, no other way to say it."
Kasumi could no longer breathe. Tir McDohl, commander of the Liberation Army, just praised her in the face of obvious evidence to the contrary. And maybe having a crush on him made it even sweeter. He really was one of a kind, and she'd protect that for as long as she lived.
First things first, however, she did need to finish peeing, it was wrapping up now. A few spurts followed the full stream, and lots of drops from the large patch of drenched underwear falling into the massive puddle she didn't dare examine. As soon as there was only a minimal amount of remains dripping, she stood up, dropped her lower coverings, and hurried away, feeling the urine splash around her boots. She stepped carefully to avoid spreading the wetness, forcing Tir to face the complete opposite direction. "Please, Master Tir...please never tell anyone about this, I'm begging you." She clasped her hands together to complete the image.
"Wouldn't you rather I get Cleo for you. She can wash you off with her Flowing Rune, and I know she's good about keeping-"
"No!" She covered her mouth at the outburst, until it was evident Tir wouldn't reprimand her for shouting at a superior. "I...I mean it. Tell no one."
"I don't really get it, but alright," he shrugged. "I won't tell a soul." Kasumi nodded, walking in front of him as a good bodyguard should for the two to return to the group. Until Tir remembered something, and called out to her. "Oh, Kasumi! Until we return to our castle, you should avoid using your Shrike Rune."
She pivoted back to face him, perplexed. "What does my Shrike Rune matter?"
"Er, well..." He scratched his cheek as he looked at a spot on the wall, rather than the girl he was talking to. "When you jump up, we can all see your underwear. I imagine you'd rather avoid that now, with what it would reveal."
The blush Kasumi had become known for today hadn't diminished in quite a while, this one more internal temperature induced rather than embarrassment, but that latter category came back in full force, harsher than ever. She reeled back, clutching at her robe to cover as much of her lower body as it could. "I've been flashing my panties to you this whole time?!"