User blog comment:RealityWarper/Hellhound College Guard/@comment-26948101-20151027061206

The whole thing is hard for me to take in- it almost feels as though I'm watching this from somebody else's body, but its my name she keeps using and my body that she keeps touching.

I can't believe what I'm about to do next. Instead of putting on the boxing gloves, I simply drape them across my shoulders.

"So if you beat me, then that means you'll be out of my life forever, right?" I can hear myself ask Anna in an emotionless monotone.

The confident and aggressive look on her face had vanished.

"Th-that's right...." she said, trying to maintain her composure.

"Well then..." I say absently as I sit down on the floor of the boxing ring Indian-style before tapping my chin with my right middle and index fingers. "Have at it. I forfeit."

Anna swallows hard. I could tell she wasn't expecting this reaction from me.

"No....you get up and fight me." she orders.

"Why? You'll win regardless." I observe, my monotone concealing the sensation of dread and fear that was starting to overtake me whole being.

"Get up and sign the contract!!" Anna snarled.

"I refuse." I looked up at her. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything, Anna. But you can't force me to love you."

"You'll learn to love me, I just know-"

"Or else what, Anna?" I cut her off, surprised at the forceful timbre in my voice. "You'll beat me up for not giving you the answer you want to hear when you just asked me to make a huge life-changing decision with zero notice? I may just be a lonely, weak human.....but I know enough to say that isn't love. Even for a mamono."

Anna's facial expression had changed from uncertain to almost panicky. To my surprise, I had put her in a no-win scenario. She had genuinely envisioned no other scenario than me being coerced into signing the contract, yet the timid, weak human male she had cornered wasn't budging.

"Honestly, Anna..." I said. "I thought so much better of you. This shit right here-" I held up the contract she presented me. "That's beneath even the shadiest gyoubu danuki con-artist."

For emphasis, I flung the contract back at her. Our eyes locked as it fluttered to the floor of the boxing ring.

"I guess we're done here. I'll let myself out...." I said as I got up from the floor. Any second now, I was expecting the Hellhound to tackle me and make good on her threat of caving in my face. I got as far as the door to the cage encircling the boxing ring before turning around.

Anna simply stood her ground, sullenly eyeing me as I exited. I carefully put the boxing gloves on a bench next to the cage's door before she spoke up.

"Get back here..." she growled.

"Goodbye, Anna. Again, congratulations on your diploma." I feebly waved as I walked away. The only thing was that with each step I took, the more I was overcome with a sense of regret.

" GET BACK HERE, INSOLENT HUMAN! " she roared.

I continued walking toward's the gym's exit.

"C-come back....." she said softly. It almost sounded as though she was in tears. "Don't go, husband!"

Often times, I wonder how my life would've turned out if I took those remaining three steps out of the gymnasium and never looked back. Instead, my body was wracked with an overwhelming sense of guilt upon hearing my protector's earnest appeals for me to stay.

I turned to see Anna slumped onto her knees, appearing defeated on the floor of the boxing ring. As displeased as I was that she drew up a contract for me and was willing to threaten me in order to get me to sign it, I couldn't bear to see her like this. Even if I was upset with her, after all she had done for me, this would be a shitty thing to do to her.

She seemed to be looking absently down at the floor, telltale wisps of steam coming from her eyes indicated she was crying, even if her tears were instantly vaporized. Her head swiveled back up and I thought I caught the faintest glimpse of a wag from her tail as I opened the door to the cage.

"Oh....it's you...." she huffed.

Instead of helping her up, I sat down next to her.

"Anna..." I sighed as I clasped her paw. "You can't force me to love you with a contract because.....I was in love with you before you ever put pen to paper."

"B-but....why were you acting so mopey and emo when I wanted you to sign the contract?" she asked, her paws gently squeezing my hand.

"Well....us humans see the world a little differently." That was an oversimplification, and both of us knew it as she pressed her body a little harder against mine. "I.....I didn't think I'd need some silly contract to let you know how much I cared for you, Anna. To let you know how much I appreciated everything you've done for me since I arrived here."

"I wanted you to sign it because I was afraid you'd wind up with someone else. You have NO idea how frustrating it was for me to be so close to you all that time and not be able to do anything about it." It wasn't my imagination- her lithe, charcoal-hued frame was now leaning much harder against me.

"Come on now- who else could I wind up with?" I ask her. Part of being my self-designated bodyguard was being aware of all my quirks and shortcomings.

"Well....I heard something about that manticore sophomore wanting to have you over at her birthday party..."

" Holy shit- you mean Carrie?!? " I gibber excitedly before I manage to compose myself, remembering my present company. "I mean....rumor had it she's too much of a daddy's girl with all kinds of baggage."

"And there was that shirohebi exchange student, too...." Anna said as she continued leaning hard against me.

"Really? I thought she was that touchy-feely with everyone."

"Most lamia are that way..."

~*thud*~

Before I know it, the two of us are in a heap on the ring's floor after Anna's continued leaning against me. I'm on my back with Anna straddling me- the two of us carrying on the conversation without missing a beat.

"Hey....what about that Gandharva in the marching band? She ever say anything about me?" I tease.

"UGH! She thought you were a weird, creepy perv who talks too much! How the hell were you able to pass anything when all you can do is think about all these other monster girls in your class!?" an exasperated Anna sighs.

"Because I had an awesome bodyguard and didn't have to worry about anything thanks to her- that's why!" I say as I reach up and playfully rub my thumb in a circular pattern along Anna's right ear. She seemed to like that.

"By the way, Anna....?"

"Hmm?"

"My answer is 'Yes'. A thousand times 'yes'. I love you madly and want you by my side no matter what comes our way."

"Took you long enough, you stubborn weakling." Anna teased as she leaned in to kiss me.

~*~*~*~*~ SEVEN YEARS LATER ~*~*~*~*~*

"And then what happened daddy?" Oleska asked as she looked up at me.

"A bunch of stuff that either mommy or I will have to tell you about when you're older..." I tell my Hellhound pup.

"That's so...." Oleska could no longer stifle a yawn. "....romantic."

"It sure is." I lean in and give her a quick peck on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, kiddo."

"Good night, daddy." my little girl mutters sleepily as she rolls over in her bed, looking as snug as a bug under her comforter. I gently pat her head as I get up and turn the lamp on her nightstand off.

As I turn to make my way out of her room, I can see Anna in the doorway. She had been watching over us the whole time.

"You always leave out the part where you were begging..." she teases me.

"If memory serves me, you had me on my knees and begging MANY times that weekend, babydoll..." I remind her as I lean in for a quick kiss. "But I didn't think it was age-appropriate for her."

"Play your cards right and I can get you back on your knees begging for more again before 10 o'clock, mister." she says with a lewd wink. "But I'll insist that you put this on first." Anna holds up a bright orange ball gag. "I can't have you making so much noise calling out my name and waking up Oleska again."

"You thought of everything, babydoll..." I said as I kissed her on the lips.

"Mmm....hmmmm...." she almost moaned. "Less talking, more begging, human."

"Right...." I say, following my frisky Hellhound waifu back to our room. As I caught a glimpse of the sheer negligee she was wearing under her robe, I could only thank the powers that be that I didn't take those final three steps out of the gymnasium that fateful day.