...Chie's!"

(chapter originally by doragom333 on writing.com)

"What!?" Chie gasped.

The fox perked up.

"Yes," Yukiko affirmed. "We'll give you Chie's clothes for the healing leaves."

"Yukiko, what the hell!?" Chie gaped, turning towards Yukiko. "You're really going to sell my clothes to this beast? There's no way I'm agreeing to this!"

"Your wounds are too bad. There's no way you'd make it home like this. I've thought it over some more and, well, we need the leaves, Chie," Yukiko pleaded, but was looking off to the side nervously.

"No we don't! I can make it home like this just fine, see?" Chie walked forward, only to fall thanks to her injured leg. "Aagh!" she screamed.

"Chie," said Yukiko.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Chie said stubbornly, looking up towards Yukiko. "I'll just need you to help me along to my place. Or I can just stay here and you can get some money to pay the fox and patch me up. The cats are gone so, there's no need to be so hasty. Please?"

"I'm sorry, Chie," Yukiko shook her head. "But I can't leave you here with injuries that severe. Even with those cats gone, you can't even walk straight any more. What if something else attacks while you're like this, here or on the way to your house? It's too risky. I don't know what I'd do if-"

"Stop feeding me bullshit!" Chie snarled. "You could just use your clothes!"

"I've thought it through, and the best option is-"

"To throw your best friend under the bus?"

"Chie!" Yukiko shouted, finally looking directly at Chie. "Please... trust me."

But Yukiko's plea fell on deaf ears. Chie spat at Yukiko, causing her to flinch back, and turned herself around with her arms. "I can't believe this. I'm going home. Both you and that fox can just fuck off!" she yelled, slowly crawling away.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have a choice, Chie," Yukiko said somberly, walking over to her helpless friend.

Yukiko first grabbed Chie's skirt, quickly tugging it down Chie's hips and off her legs before she could react. The garment came off effortlessly, so frayed and worn that it had nearly been destroyed already.

"Ah!" Chie gasped, feeling the cloth leaving her legs. Without a word, she rolled to her side and tried to stand up, but her leg impeded her yet again. Yukiko, in response, pushed her over, knocking Chie onto her back, and straddled the weakened warrior as she went to work removing her shoes and socks.

"Yukiko! You're really-?"

"Don't struggle, Chie," Yukiko interrupted, swivelling around and pulling up Chie's already torn-open tracksuit jacket over her arms and off her body. "It will all be over soon."

Chie responded with grunts, yells, and attempts at bucking Yukiko off of her. So shocked she was that she didn't even think of responding with her arms until her jacket was gone. .

Yukiko then reached toward's Chie's school blouse. The school uniform piece, normally white, was stained red in several places, punctuated with teeth and claw marks.

Chie, unable to dislodge Yukiko, tried to **** away her hands, but the fighting had taken its toll on her. Yukiko's arms would not budge as they pulled the material further and further up Chie's body. "Yukiko, please. Stop this," Chie begged, tears flowing freely, her battered hands clawing feebly at Yukiko's wrists.

Yukiko remained silent, her gaze focused only on her task. She released the cloth, only to **** Chie's arms behind her.

Chie shook and went limp, turning her head to the side and crying, eyes closed as Yukiko removed her shirt.

Yukiko then lifted herself off of Chie and backed up, pulling Chie's shorts down off her legs. Chie offered no resistance at this point, even when Yukiko lifted her legs to get the shorts out from under her bottom.

Yukiko added Chie's shorts to the pile of clothing she had made and looked at the fox. The fox walked over to the pile, seeming to be inspecting the clothes within. Soon enough, it turned up towards Yukiko, let out a bark, and turned towards Chie again.

"Chie, it looks like it wants... everything," Yukiko said, hesitating slightly.

Chie opened her eyes, eyelids all red from her crying. She uttered just one word, "Fine," and then closed her eyes again.

Yukiko, turned back towards Chie. With most of her clothes off, Yukiko was able to see just how badly Chie was damaged from the fight, not that the state of her clothes wasn't already a good hint. Bloody red lines covered her torso in addition to her arms and legs. In addition to the bleeding, there were also several areas of Chie's flesh that had been badly bruised. The nastiest one in particular was along her right calf, likely the cause of her limp. Yukiko bit her lip, taking all this carnage in.

"Yip," went the fox.

Reminded that she shouldn't keep customers waiting, Yukiko began with Chie's sports bra, thankfully covered only in sweat and not blood or dirt. Pulling it off exposed Chie's firm breasts, which Yukiko tried not to stare at. Throwing the bra onto the pile, Yukiko looked ot the fox, who just looked back at her expectantly.

Yukiko sighed and grabbed Chie's panties, turning away as she pulled them off to try and afford her friend at least a little modesty.

With the panties on top of the pile, the fox sniffed at it once more, then turned towards Chie, examining her body and injuries intently. It then reached into its bib with its mouth and brought forth a few of the precious leaves, setting them on Chie's most severe injuries.

The fox then let out a great howl before walking back to Chie's clothes, gathering them all up in its mouth, and finally leaping to roof of the shrine in a great leap, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Uhhh..." Chie groaned.

Yukiko turned around to see Chie sitting up facing her, rubbing her eyes. As she was competely naked, Yukiko could see that the leaves had already worked their magic: the nasty bruises were fading back to Chie's normal skin tone, and it was likely that the bleeding had stopped too.

"Chie!" Yukiko said, smiling with relief.

Chie, her expression crestfallen, turned away from Yukiko, curled up and hunched over.

"Chie," Yukiko began. "I'm sorry, I-I just didn't know what else to do."

Chie remained silent.

"But I had to do something. Look how easily I kept you down. You needed that healing."

"Yeah," Chie finally spoke, bitterly.

"Please, understand, Chie. I was doing what any friend would do."

"Really?" Chie scoffed. "Throwing around that work like you know what it means. I can't believe you Yukiko!"

"Chie...?"

"Are we really friends?" Chie shouted, getting worked up again, but still not facing Yukiko. "We put in so much work to get that fish together, all to help your cooking, then I get seriously hurt protecting you from those mangy felines, only to have you throw it all away at the end, nullifying everything I've suffered through for you, like it meant nothing!"

"Chie," Yukiko tried to speak.

"And then," Chie continued. "When I needed your help so badly, you instead kick me down even further! Do you really care about me, or is it just convenience that makes me your friend?"

"Chie! Let me explain, dammit!" Yukiko snapped. "You want to know why I used your clothes to buy the leaves? This is why!" Yukiko shouted, reaching over Chie and dropping something in her lap.

"Wha-?" Chie said, looking at the bundle of cloth. Eyes going wide, she stood up and turned around.

Yukiko stood before Chie entirely naked, her skin appearing paler than usual in the night air. Her face was scrunched up, only barely holding back tears during Chie's rant.

"Yukiko," Chie whimpered, sniffling once more, and would have cried anew had she not already dried herself out. "Yukiko!" she shouted, dropping the clothes and embracing Yukiko.

"Chie," Yukiko replied, now openly crying herself and returning the hug.

"This was your plan all along? But why?"

"Your clothes were completely wrecked. I knew if I gave mine up, you would try and share yours with me, but they were so far gone that they would have ended up falling apart on the way back, leaving us both mostly naked. This way, you'll at least be coveredt."

"And you didn't tell me because?"

"If the fox knew it was getting the raw end of the deal, it might have increased the price. Oh, Chie, I'm so sorry for all of this."

"Yukiko. Oh, Yukiko," Chie said, smiling once more, looking Yukiko straight in the eyes. "Don't worry about it. Now I can't believe I thought you actually betrayed me. Some friend I am."

"Some friend I am!" Yukiko repeated. "Now, how about you get dressed and let's head back home, it's been a long day."

"You said it," Chie replied. "Wait, I just noticed. If you're naked, that means your underwear's here too?"

"Oh! Uh, um..." Yukiko stuttered, blushing red. "I must have put those in there accidentally while I was taking off everything to even things out with you. Just wanted to keep everything together. I'd like those back now, please."

"Haha, sure," Chie grinned. "But are you really okay heading back in just that?"

"You've been through much worse," Yukiko shrugged. "I can handle a little embarrassment if it comes to it."

Both girls then made to get dressed, and-