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Perspiration tricked between her shoulder blades, running down to the small of her back where it was absorbed by the damp material of her blouse. It was a hot, hot August day, and the asphalt and concrete around her absorbed and radiated that heat. Still, she thought, happily enough, she was almost home; home to her apartment and its air-conditioning.

She pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and used it to wipe at her forehead. If only she could have stayed in her apartment, she thought, stuffing the damp handkerchief back from where she had pulled it.

In theory she should have been enjoying her school break, just relaxing for a few weeks, maybe heading up north to Hokkaido with her friends in hope of cooler weather. Unfortunately she had set her sites on a certain level of academic achievement. She could have simply floated through university, attended the seventy percent of her classes to be exempted from the final exams, and pass with a reasonable mark.

She could have done that, and once she had graduated from the Cherry Grove Woman's University she could have got a good job. Cherry Grove did rate high on the scale of Japanese universities. She did not do that though. Her goal was much more than that. Graduate school, perhaps at a foreign university, and a medical degree was what she had set as her goal.

Of course that was going to require her to graduate first. At the time she was in her second year, a few weeks before her twentieth birthday. She had received the top marks in her first year, and looked like she would repeat that for her second year. It took work, however.

That was why she was not up in Hokkaido, or down in Okinawa. She was staying in Tokyo, spending her days studying, keeping up on all she had learned.

As she removed her handkerchief to again wipe her brow, she decided that she would take the day off tomorrow. She could go to one of the big hotels in the area and use the pool there. The thought of spending the day, lounging around poolside, appealed to her.

Turning the corner she could see the seven-story apartment building in which she lived. She noted a moving van parked in front, and the movers carrying boxes from the truck, into the building. It was possible she would be getting a new neighbour; there were only two vacant units in the building, and one was beside her.

She also noticed Mrs. Tanaka, carrying several grocery bags, making her way to the front doors. She hitched her bunny knapsack higher on her shoulder and then ran to give the woman a hand.

"It's a heavy load, isn't it Mrs. Tanaka," she said as she took two of the bags from the older woman.

"Ah, Natsuko," she said, smiling brightly at the young woman. "Thank you."

Rei Tanaka was a fifty six year old woman. Her short hair was grey, her face wrinkled, but she was still a handsome woman.

Natsuko was a little taller than Rei, with long, black hair, and smooth skin, nearly unblemished. She was pretty, having grown out of her cute phase in her last year of senior high school.

"I'm glad to help Mrs. Tanaka," Natsuko said, shifting the plastic bags to a more comfortable position as she carried them towards the door.

The elevator was being used by the movers, so Natsuko and Rei carried the bags up the stairs to Rei's second floor apartment. They made a little small talk, Rei told her that she and her husband were planning on taking a trip to the hot springs at Miyake-Jima Island.

Natsuko quickly excused herself once the bags were in the apartment. She like Rei and her husband, but she just wanted to get into her apartment and get something cool to drink.

When she reached her apartment on the fifth floor she found out that she was getting the new neighbour. She moved between the boxes stacked on the balcony and to her front door. Natsuko unlocked the door and entered the cool air of her home.

A few minutes later she was kneeling in front of the small table in her living room, a tall glass of ulon tea by her elbow, removing notebooks from her knapsack. The notebooks were full of, well, notes. Important points from the textbooks she had read and things she wanted to give more consideration to.

She flipped through the latest entries, a review of the work she had done that day. It took almost an hour, with a short bathroom break and another to refill her glass. She closed the last of the notebooks and leaned back on her elbows, staring up at the light fixture. It was probably abut time to start thinking about making dinner.

She was considering what she might want to make, and if it would require a trip to the nearby, small grocery store, when her doorbell chimed. Getting to her feet, frowning slightly at the now cool, damp spots on her clothing, she walked to the door and opened it.

Standing outside her door was a tall woman, wearing a blue kimono, darker blue bands, like fire, went around the sleeves, and the hem of the garment. She was quite beautiful, with pale skin and long, long black hair. The woman smiled at Natsuko, bowing slightly. "Miss Biwa?" she asked.

Natsuko nodded. She wondered who the woman was, and why she had come to the door.

"My name is Shiame Kitsune," she said in way of an introduction. "I am your new neighbour."

"Oh," Natsuko said, understanding the woman's presence. "I'm Natsuko Biwa," she said, feeling a little stupid as she said it. It was obvious that the woman knew who she was.

Shiame nodded, smiling. "I wanted to give you a little something, for the trouble that I am likely to be." She held forth a small box towards Natsuko.

"Thank you," Natsuko said, again a little surprised, but hiding it well. It was something of an old fashioned tradition, giving gifts to new neighbours. She paused for several seconds, thinking. "Would you like to come in?"

"Perhaps next time. I still have some unpacking to do."

Natsuko nodded. "Maybe next time," she suggested.

"I hope so," Shiame said, then bowed again and turned, walking back to her apartment.

Natsuko watched her go, kept watching until Shiame had opened the door to her apartment and had disappeared inside. Once the door clicked shut Natsuko blinked, and then shook her head. Shiame was suddenly in her thoughts. The kimono she had been wearing, and on such a hot day, and the gift she had given.

She stepped back into her apartment and closed the door. Standing there, just above the entry well, she unwrapped the ribbon from the package, and then lifted the lid from the box. Inside was a fan. She smiled as she lifted it from the tissue paper packing. She had always liked fans. She had collected them when she had been younger.

The one that Shiame had given her was coloured a light blue, but it darkened towards the end, creating an almost black border along the edge. On the lighter part of the fan was the image of a fox, looking like it was in run. She snapped it closed and then snapped it open, smiling at the action.

She smiled as she folded the fan shut and returned it to its box.

It was likely that Shiame was going to be a good neighbour. She hoped they would become good friends.

Shiame moved into her apartment, which was very neat, and very sparse. It was the way she liked to live, very light. Everything was already unpacked, so she had lied to Natsuko, but that did not bother her very much. Before things were through she would be lying to Natsuko a lot.

Hardly of concern to her though. Lying to humans was something she had been doing for a very long time. It was in her nature after all. Mischief and chaos were something of her stock and trade. Cruelty was sometimes as well, but Shiame did not think she was going to be cruel this time. Well, at least not greatly so.

She smiled slightly as she stood in the centre of her apartment, wondering just when she would start.

She came out of her apartment, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, a bag over her shoulder, and met with Shiame. The other woman was in front of her apartment, sweeping the balcony in front of her door. She was dressed in a loos pair of slacks and a blouse.

"Miss Kitsune," Natsuko said, for some reason a little surprised. "Good morning."

"Call me Shiame, Miss Biwa," Shiame told her as she brushed a small pile of dust under the railing, sending it flying out into the wind.

Natsuko smiled brightly. "I will. And you can call me Natsuko."

Shiame nodded. "Where are you off to?"

"The Gold Hotel, it's down the street. They have a pool on the roof, and it is only two thousand yen for entry."

"Ah, a pool," Shiame said with a smile. "That sounds nice."

She suddenly had a strike of inspiration. "You should come with me," Natsuko told her.

"I'm not sure."

"You should come, it will be fun, and it was just going to be me alone; I'd be happy to have your company." Suddenly Natsuko realised that she did not know if Shiame could come. After all, she was probably not a student, so she would not have the day off.

Before Natsuko could apologise for her assumption, Shiame said, "It does sound fun. I think I will go with you."

Natsuko wondered if she should suggest that Shiame need not come along just for her. She decided not to. She did not want Shiame think she had made the invitation, expecting to be turned down.

"Let me get my things," Shiame said as she turned and opened the door of her apartment. "Come in."

Natsuko followed her into the apartment. She looked around, noting the lack of furniture and other things. The apartment was much like hers. Kitchen and bath room almost directly off the entryway, with a small living room just beyond. In the living room were two doors, each leading to a bedroom, or whatever one wanted to use the rooms for.

Shiame gave her a can of cola and then went into the bedroom to get ready. She came out a short time later, a bag slung over her shoulder. "I'm ready," she told Natsuko.

"Then let's go."

As they walked towards the hotel they chatted amiably, asking and answering a few questions. Shiame, as it turned out, was a writer of sorts. Technical stuff, she told Natsuko. Nothing glamorous, but it was a job that gave her a good amount of free time.

She was interested in Natsuko's dreams of medical school and told the younger woman that it was good that she was willing to work hard. Natsuko was quite flattered and found herself quite happy that Shiame had agreed to come with her.

The hotel was quite busy. Natsuko had not been the only person to have the idea of using the pool it seemed. They paid for the day and then took the elevator to the roof.

In the locker room Natsuko found herself sneaking glances at Shiame, though she was not sure why. The woman was quite beautiful. Shiame was also looked at Natsuko, though she did not hide it. Natsuko was so embarrassed by her won peaking that she was completely unaware that Shiame was checking her out.

They showered and then changed into their bathing suits. Natsuko had a modest two-piece suit that was a little faded, and a little too small on her. The fact that it was a little too small made it daring enough for her. Shiame wore a one-piece suit that was part mesh, and was quite daring.

They left the changing room, gathering a number of appreciative watchers, and made their way to the pool, both jumping in and out of the heat.

They swam, got some sun, played in the water like a pair of children, fended off overly interested males, had a light lunch in the hotel's restaurant, and had way too much to drink. At least Natsuko did. It was later afternoon when the two made their way back to the apartment. Natsuko needed a little help keeping her balance, but Shiame was quite happy to do so.

It was their first day together and they had already become good friends. Natsuko had to go to the library the next day, taking one day off was quit enough, but suggested that they get together in the evening. Shiame agreed and offered to make dinner for her.

As Natsuko went to bed that night, she thought back on the day and smiled. Spending time with Shiame was quite fun. As Shiame stared out her apartment windows she thought about how much fund she was going to have with Natsuko. Hopefully Natsuko would have fun as well, but that was not really necessary.

When, on a Saturday night, five days after she had moved in, Shiame suggested that they should head out of the city and into the mountains for some hiking, Natsuko readily agreed. She did not like hiking all that much, but she was certain that she would enjoy it while she was with Shiame.

Shiame enjoyed being in the mountains, and thought it would be fun to spend the day with Natsuko, who she had come to like very much as well. That was not her real reason for suggesting that they make the trip. Her real reason was a little more complicated, and had to do with an early morning start time.

She smiled at Natsuko over her dinner and nodded as the young woman told her about her day.

After several seconds she frowned and shifted up into a sitting position, her frown deepening as she did so, and the lifted the covers up, peering under them. The smell of urine was strong, and in the faint light of the day, leaking through the blinds, she could see the damp spots on the futon, on her pyjamas, and on the top sheet.

She stared for several seconds, trying to understand how she came to be lying in a wet bed. The obvious answer was that she had just wet the bed. That was impossible however. She did not wet her bed. Had not since she had been about four. And yet, at impossible as it was, she was lying in and looking at the proof.

She suddenly jumped up, throwing back her sheets as she did so. The yellow stain on the futon was quite large. The back of her pyjamas were wet, and stuck to her bottom, all the way to her knees, some of the pyjama top had also ended up getting wet. How much had she wet?

She stood there, looking down at the mess, and she had no idea what to do. What did you do when you wet the bed? She had no experience with it. Wait, she thought, recalling something from when she had last wet her bed. Her mother had hung the futon up on the drying poles, in the sun and wind, so it would dry.

Of course that had been in their houses small backyard, and she had been four at the time. She could hang her futon out the window of her apartment; use the big clips to hold it to the railing. She had done that before, once a week to air it out a little. Never before with a big, yellow stain on it. How could she let anyone see what had happened. It would be so embarrassing.

She could was it out, in the bath! That was it. It would get soaked of course, but she could hang a wet, but unstained futon out her window. It would take a few days to dry completely. That did not matter. She had a spare in her closet.

Finally, having a plan, she tossed the comforter back, happy to note that it was still unstained, and then gathered up the wet sheets and futon. Okay, she had it all in control. She was running to the door when her alarm went off, surprising her so that she lost her balance and fell back, ending up lying on the straw of the tatami matting, her wet bedding atop of her.

She struggled free of the pile and crawled across the floor, slapping her hand on the alarm, shutting it off. She got back to her feet, then went and again gathered up her bedding. She shifted the load in her arms, reaching out to open the door, then passed through the doorway. At least the day could not get much worse, she thought, making her way to the bathroom.

It was that moment the front door opened--Natsuko thought she had locked her door, but sometimes she did not, Japan was a safe country after all--Shiame stepping into the entry well. "Good morning," she said cheerfully, "are you ready to go?" Then her eyes widened.

Natsuko stood there, not at all certain what to do. She was standing there, in soaked pyjamas, carrying an obviously stained futon, and a woman she thought much of had just came in and seen her in all her shame. She wanted to cry. She could feel her eyes sting slightly as tears began to gather.

Then Shiame did something that Natsuko had not expected. She stepped forward and took the wet bedding from her, gathering it up in her arms. "Go and clean up," she told Natsuko. "I'll take care of this." She smiled.

Natsuko nodded and did what she was told. She was glad to. The last time she had wet her bed, oh so long ago, there had been someone to tell her what to do, to handle things. It mad Shiame telling her what to do seem right.

She entered the small room that contained the toilet, a sink and a washing machine. She stripped off all her clothes, the wet pyjamas and her nylon panties, the cotton gusset stained a deep yellow, and tossed them all into the washing machine.

She passed through the room, sliding open a glass door, stepping into her bathing room, and then closed the door behind her. She took a moment to check her hair, suddenly worried that she might have got it wet as well--her hair hung down to the middle of her back. Fortunately it was dry.

Natsuko put her hair up and then pulled a shower cap over it. She turned on the taps, grabbing the showerhead and pointing it into the bathtub, waiting for the water to get hot. Once it did she sat down on a plastic bath stool and turned the warm water on herself. Once she was dripping with the water she turned off the shower and grabbed a bar of soap.

She scrubbed herself down, paying particular attention to the area between her legs, and her pubic hair, wanting to make sure no scent of urine clung to her. Finally she felt clean enough and used the hose to rinse to soap suds from herself.

When she left the bathroom a few minutes later, a towel wrapped around her chest, hanging down to the middle of her thighs, she could see that Shiame had been busy.

She had turned the table in the living room on its side and had hung the futon over it. The windows were open and a fan had been set up to blow air on the mattress. Shiame looked over at Natsuko, smiling. "Sun and fresh air will make it as good as new by tonight, and no one will be the wiser."

"Thank you," Natsuko said earnestly. "This had never happened before. I," she paused, "I don't know what happened."

"Well, I'm sure it is nothing," Shiame said reassuringly.

Natsuko nodded, hoping that Shiame was right. Wetting her bed just seemed wrong.

"I'd understand if you don't want to go out today. Maybe you'd just like to get some rest."

Natsuko shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She hoped she was fine. Perhaps she was sick and that was why she had had that accident? She did not feel sick, however. "Let's me just go and get dressed and then we can leave."

"Are you sure?"

Natsuko did her best to smile. "I'm sure."

Natsuko found herself enjoying the hike more so than she had ever enjoyed such activities in the past. It must have been the company.

They had hiked for most of the morning and part of the early afternoon without seeing anyone. That was why both were surprised when they heard someone call out Shiame's name.

Both turned to see an older man, perhaps in his forties, coming down one of the overgrown paths. He wore loose trousers and a loose, rough shirt. On his back was a wicker basket, packed full of mountain vegetables.

Shiame's eyes widened in momentary surprise and then she smiled. "Abe!" she cried out. "What are you doing here?"

Abe ambled up to Shiame. "I thought I might as that question. I heard you were up north, taking a break from things."

"I got bored. Let me introduce you to Natsuko Biwa, my friend. Natsuko, this is Abe Fujima."

"Mr. Fujima," Natsuko said and bowed to him. "I am very pleased to meet you."

He laughed. "I'm pleased to meet you as well Miss Biwa." He looked to Shiame. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Out for a hike. We were looking for a picnic spot I thought was around here."

"It's just down that path," he said, pointing to the far side of the clearing they had met in.

"Good thing I met you then. I probably would have missed it." She looked at the basket on his back. "Doing a little gathering?"

"Good time to get this and that," he told her.

Natsuko, feeling a little out of place, and wanting to sit down and rest, decided to give Shiame and Abe a chance to reminisce, if they wanted to. "I think I'll go down and get lunch ready," she said brightly. "I think we have enough if Mr. Fujima wants to join us."

He smiled and shook his head. "I don't think I have time, but thank you."

"I'll see you in a little bit then Shiame said, and then turned and headed towards the path he had indicated."

Shiame and Abe watched her go. Once she had disappeared down the path Shiame turned her full attention to Abe. "So you old Racoon, what are you doing here?"

"What I always do," he told her. "Just keeping busy, nothing interesting happening." He looked at her, then towards the path. "Looks like you might have something going on."

"As I said, I got bored."

"Doesn't look like your usual type."

Shiame sighed. "Just too hard and too damaging to bring down dynasties these days. I'm going to work small for the next little while."

"What are you going to do?" Abe was smiling quite broadly, showing a few too many teeth.

"Nothing too bad. Just bring some chaos and change into her life. Nothing that she can't handle."

"Oh," he said, frowning.

"Can't be terribly cruel to all of them, and Natsuko really does not deserve that sort of treatment."

"Doesn't really matter if she deserves it or not."

"Why Abe, you sound a little darker than I last recall."

"It's been a long time, and the wild places have not fared well."

"That is true." Shiame nodded.

"I don't quite care much about what happens to them these days."

She looked at the basket he carried. "One must be careful when you pick mountain vegetables. There are poisons, and the untrained may pick that instead," she said sagely.

Abe smiled. "I have everything I need to cause a little chaos of my own."

"To each their own," Shiame told him, then turned and walked the way Natsuko had gone.

Waking up that morning she discovered that it was not a onetime thing. Once again the futon under her was stained a bright, wet yellow, and the stain from the day before was visible in places where the futon was still dry.

She knew what to do now, and reacted to it with less panic and more resignation.

Soon she was cleaned, the wet pyjamas and sheets were in the washing machine, and the futon was hanging from the table, drying. She looked at the open window and sighed. She would not be able to run her air conditioner while the window was open. She was beginning to realise that this bedwetting thing could be a problem on many levels.

When she left the apartment she found Shiame in front of her apartment, sweeping the walkway.

"Good morning," Shiame said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Natsuko replied, not able to match that cheerfulness.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Just the same thing as yesterday," she said sullenly.

"Oh dear. Are you going to see a doctor?"

Natsuko said nothing for a few seconds. She was not sure she wanted to go and tell a doctor that she was wetting her bed. It was not something she could ignore though. "I'm going to give it one more day. If it happens again, then I'll go tomorrow."

Shiame nodded. "I'm sure that is best."

Natsuko nodded and walked pass Shiame, heading towards the stairs.

"Do you want to do something tonight? Maybe go for dinner?"

Natsuko looked over her shoulder and nodded. "That would be nice. Thanks."

"See you later then."

"Right." Natsuko started down the stairs, feeling a little better. Shiame seemed to be able to make her feel good.

"Poor Natsuko," she said, smiling. "I'm afraid that things will not clear up anytime soon, and they are bound to get worse."

She shook her head and put the broom to the side then leaned against the railing, watching all the people pass by below her. While Natsuko was her primary concern, her main project as it were, there were other people who could benefit from a little chaos in their lives. She watched a young mother, leading her child towards a nearby daycare centre. There was someone who could use a little help, and little bit of shaking up.

Her smile grew Cheshire like as she turned and walked towards the stairs.

She spent the morning in the University's library, studying a she always did. She cut her studying short in the afternoon and then went to the nearby clinic where students often went. As luck would have it, she got one of the female doctors, which made it a little easier. She explained how she had started wetting her bed. It had taken a little bit to get that out in the open. She had blushed furiously as she explained the problem.

The doctor, to her credit, was nothing but professional. She asked a number of questions of Natsuko: 'Had she wet the bed before?'; 'Did she have any history of bladder problems?'; 'How was her current medical history?'; and others. She answered the all, getting a sinking feeling that the doctor did not know what the problem was.

There was an examination, rather thorough. The doctor poked and prodded her and took a number of samples. And when it was over she told Natsuko that she would send things to the lab and that she was going to arrange for Natsuko to see a specialist.

Natsuko thanked the doctor and left the clinic, still with no idea of why she could no longer stay dry at night.

She looked down at the yellow stain on the futon and realised that the mattress was about as ruined as it could get. She had gotten used to it, but it smelt strongly of urine, and the stains were not going to come out. Well, she could take it to be cleaned, but the thought of carrying the mattress to the cleaners was more than she could bear.

Getting up, she once again went through her new, morning ritual. Hang the mattress up to dry in the sun and air. Her wet clothing went into the washing machine. She cleaned off in the shower. Not long afterwards, but longer than it had taken before she had started wetting her bed, she exited her apartment.

"Bad night?" Shiame asked. Again she was sweeping the walkway.

"Yes," Natsuko said glumly. "I just wish there was something I could do about it."

"Maybe the doctor will come up with something. When do you go see her again?"

"Two days from now. Not that I'm expecting much."

"You have to keep a positive attitude."

"I'm positive that she won't be able to help," she said, but managed to smile slightly, making a joke of it.

"I'm sure it will work out."

"Maybe, but until then I have to deal with waking up in a soaked futon every morning." She kept her tone low even though there was no one close enough to hear.

"I'm sure you can do something about that. Maybe get a waterproof sheet to cover the mattress. At least that will help."

Natsuko looked a little surprised. "I never thought about that."

"Well, you've had a lot of things on your mind. If you want, I'm going shopping today, I could get one for you."

"Would you do that?"

"Of course. I know you're busy at school, and would probably feel a little embarrassed about it."

"That's true. Won't you feel embarrassed?"

"It's not like I'm getting it for myself. There is nothing that I have to be embarrassed about." She smiled to take the sting out of the barb.

"That's true enough. Lucky you."

"Don't be so gloomy Natsuko," Shiame said, pitching her tone a littler higher than usual. "Why don't you go to school and I'll take care of things."

"Thank you Shiame. You've been a great help."

Shiame smiled broadly. "What are friends for?"

She was finishing up the review when there was a knock at her door and then Shiame opened it. "Good evening," she said cheerfully. "Had dinner yet?"

"Not yet," Natsuko answered. For a moment she thought about asking about the waterproof sheet, but she held off, not sure she wanted to broach the subject at that moment.

"Let's go to dinner then. A new Indian restaurant opened in Shibuya and I've heard good things about it."

"That sounds interesting," Natsuko said as she got to her feet.

"I think we'll both be pleased with it."

"Oh, that," Shiame said, a touch of concern in her voice.

"You didn't forget it, did you?"

"Not exactly," Shiame told her cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you get ready for bed? I'll get the things. Don't worry, everything will be fine," she added, after noting the concerned look on Natsuko's face.

"Okay," Natsuko said, wondering what Shiame meant. Well, she was certain that things would be fine. Shiame had said so after all.

Natsuko entered her apartment, kicking off her shoes before stepping out of the entry well. In the living room her mattress still hung, dry, and ready. Natsuko looked at it for a moment, then decided to leave it. She would use her spare mattress now that she had a plastic sheet to put on it. The stained mattress she would throw away.

She entered her bedroom and pulled the futon from the closet and tossed it onto the floor. She pulled out a set of recently laundered sheets and put them to the side. She would just have to wait for Shiame to come back.

"Where are you?" she heard Shiame call.

"In here," Natsuko answered.

Shiame entered the room, carrying a bag with her. To Natsuko it seemed a little large for carrying a waterproof sheet. "What's the bag for?"

"Well, I went to get the sheet for you, but before I bought it I realised that it might not be for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if the mattress does not absorb the urine, it might run onto the tatami matting," she said.

Natsuko looked down at the straw matting. It would be something of a problem if the tatami were to become urine soaked.

"Also, you will still have to deal with wet sheets, and wet bed clothes, won't you?" Shiame had continued.

"That is true. What can we do about it?" If Natsuko had not been drunk she might have seen what was coming. As it was it took her completely by surprise.

"I thought you could use these." Shiame reached into the bag and brought out a white object. She flipped it open, revealing it completely. It was a disposable, adult diaper.

"That is a diaper," Natsuko stated the obvious.

Shiame nodded. "Yes."

"But I don't need to wear a diaper," she stated vehemently.

Shiame sighed. "Natsuko, do you or do you not wet your bed?"

Natsuko reacted as if she had been slapped.

"Well?"

"Yes, but I'm certain it is only temporary."

"That may be so, and it is probably is true, but right now you are wetting your bed, are you not." Her tone was not very harsh, but it demanded an answer.

"Yes," Natsuko said, and then for some reason added, "I'm wetting my bed."

"Well, what do you think that people who wet their beds have to wear, if they want to avoid ruining their beds?"

"Some sort of water proof garment," Natsuko said, sounding a little petulant.

"And this," she held up the diaper, "is a water proof garment. So it is something that you do need to wear."

Natsuko could not argue against that logic, even is she were sober she felt that she might not be able to argue against it.

"So, I think you should wear it. It will keep your clothes, and your bedding dry. You will be able to get up, remove the diaper, and things will be just like they were before you started having this problem. It is a lot easier than what you are doing now, and what you would have to do if you just put a waterproof sheet on your bed."

For a moment Natsuko was silent. "I'll wear it," she said, nodding.

"Wonderful," Shiame said. "Let's get this on you." She knelt down and spread the diaper on the futon.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you ever put a diaper on before?"

Natsuko shook her head, staring dumbly at Shiame.

"So you'll probably need help. The entire point is to keep everything dry. If you aren't wearing it right then you might get leaking."

"Oh," Natsuko said.

"Get undressed." Shiame reached into the bag and drew out a bottle of baby oil and a container of baby powder.

Natsuko undressed slowly, not at all sure what she was doing. It did not make sense. Well, maybe it did. She could see the reason for the diaper. It made a lot of sense, the way Shiame explained it. Shiame putting that diaper on her just seemed wrong, though everything that she had said was true enough. Natsuko had never put a diaper on anyone, and certainly not herself.

She blushed slightly as she took off her blouse. She was not certain why. She had seen Shiame naked and Shiame had seen her naked. Why would she feel embarrassed about getting undressed? Maybe it was because of the face she was getting undressed while Shiame remained clothed and the reason she was getting undressed.

Eventually she stood there, naked, having just slid her panties down to her ankles. She kicked them off and looked at Shiame. "What now?"

"Lie down," she told her, patting the diaper lightly. The plastic backing crinkled softly.

Natsuko did so, not certain why she did, other than she could think of no good reason to not do so. She moved to stand on the mattress, then knelt down, positioned herself over the diaper, was she really going to let Shiame put that on her, and then lay down on it. The bad compressed slightly under her bottom, like a thin cushion was under it, and the plastic crinkled again.

"Lift your hips up a little," Shiame said. Natsuko did so and she shifted the diaper around slightly. "Okay, good." She picked up the baby oil and squirted a little of the oil into her hands, then began to rub it. "This will protect your skin," she said.

Natsuko nodded, guessing that that made sense, but was not thinking straight yet. If she had been, she would have again seen what was coming. She did not, until Shiame started rubbing the oil between her legs, this it was obvious.

"What are you doing?" Natsuko demanded, closing her legs tight and pushing Shiame's hands away, or she tried to.

"I told you," Shiame pushed Natsuko's hand away; she was stronger than she looked, and forced her to lie still. "I'm trying to protect your skin."

"But, but..."

"Natsuko, it only makes sense to make sure we do this right. Do you want your skin to get irritated?"

"Well no," Natsuko said, hoping she could explain things.

"Good," Shiame said and went back to rubbing the oil into her skin before Natsuko could say anything else.

Bowled over, as it were, Natsuko let Shiame do, as she wanted. A red flush had spread across her entire body as the other woman gently rubbed the oil over intimate areas, but, somehow, it did not seem sexual. She would have thought that Shiame's hands being where they were that it would have to be sexual, but it was not. Probably because Shiame was treating it all so clinically, Natsuko guessed.

Having finished oiling Natsuko, Shiame reached into the bag she had brought, removed a towel to wipe off her hands, and reached for the baby powder. She sprinkled the sweet smelling powder between Natsuko's legs and said, "Lift your legs." And before Natsuko could fully comply Shiame lifted her legs up, lifting Natsuko's entire backside from the diaper. More powder sprinkled down on her and then her legs were lowered and her bottom once again settled securely on the diaper.

"There we go." Shiame put the baby powder aside. "That should make sure that you stay comfortable during the night. "So let's get this on you." She pulled the diaper up between Natsuko's legs and very efficiently secured it, using the three tapes on each side.

Natsuko lay there as the diaper was fastened securely around her hips, gently pulled up so it was snug between her thighs, forcing her to spread her legs slightly. The diapering process to start to finish had not taken very long, but it seemed like a great deal of time had passed, or maybe moved backwards.

She was brought out of her musings by a rustling and snapping sound. She looked and saw that Shiame had brought out another white object, with shiny bits of metal on it. It took her a moment to recognise what it was. "What is that for?" she asked, indicating the diaper cover.

"Lift your hips," Shiame told her. Natsuko complied, unthinkingly, and she slid the diaper cover under her. "This is just a final layer to prevent any possible leaks. She pulled the cover over the diaper and began closing the side snaps. The made loud clicks as each of the snaps was closed. Natsuko thought there was something final in that sound.

The waistband and leg bands of the cover were tight, she could feel them digging into her skin, bit it was not painful, just hard to ignore.

"Well, that is it," Shiame said. She began to pack away the changing supplies in the bag.

"Thank you," Natsuko said automatically. She was not really sure is she should be thanking Shiame for diapering her.

She smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll let you get to sleep." She stood up, picking up the bag. "Good night," she said, and then turned and walked from the room. A short time later Natsuko heard her front door open and close.

She got up from the futon, the plastic diaper cover muffling the sound of the disposable. She was on her knees, looking down at herself, over her shoulder at her behind. The diaper puffed out, and the bright, white diaper cover made it all quite obvious.

Natsuko thought about taking off the diaper, but then she might have to deal with another wet bed come the morning. She sighed and reached for the sheets. She would try the diaper, for tonight.

She had hoped that the night before was just a dream, but it seemed not. She sat up and reached over to shut off the alarm. Shifting the sheets she peered under them. No signs of dampness, no scent of urine, everything was fine, for the mattress and sheets, and the pyjamas she wore.

Flinging the sheets back, she got out of the bed, feeling the weight of the diaper pull at the diaper cover.

She went first to the washroom, as she had before she had started wetting the bed, and removed first the diaper cover and then the diaper. The padding in the diaper was stained yellow and soaked, but it had contained all the urine.

Rather pleased with the fact that things had been contained, she rolled the diaper up and used the tapes on it to seal it up. She placed it to the side for later disposable and then went into the bathing room to clean up.

"Good," Natsuko said, feeling her face grow a little warm. "Everything worked just like you said. No delays in getting ready this morning."

"I'm glad," Shiame said, a warm smile on her face.

"I guess I'll continue to, well, you know." She could not bring herself to say more than that.

"Good."

"But I was wondering, could I get that stuff off you? That way I can take care of things myself."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Shiame told her. "I'll be happy to give you a hand."

"But I can do it myself?" Natsuko protested, careful to keep her voice subdued.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that. I think it would be best if I continued to take care of."

"But..."

"Do you not what my help?"

"Well, of course I'm happy for it..."

"Then there is not a problem here."

Natsuko did not know what to say. She did not want to tell Shiame that she was uncomfortable with the older woman diapering her, but Shiame had been so kind, and that would be rude to say. "It is too much trouble, I don't want you to go out of your way for me," she tried.

"Oh, it is no problem what so ever. I'm glad to help. We're friends after all."

And that defeated Natsuko. "Yes, we're friends. I'm glad you want to help me," she said, trying not to sound glum.

"Then it is settled," Shiame said happily, seemingly unaware of Natsuko's reservations.

Natsuko took a list of possible garments from the doctor and said she would think about it. She did not want to admit that she was already wearing diapers at night. Of course now that it was doctor's orders, in a way, she did not feel so bad about the fact she had turned to diapers.

She still wished she did not have to wear them. And she could certainly do without Shiame putting them on her, no matter that she did a very good job of it.

Natsuko would let her do so for another few days, she decided as she left the clinic. She was certain that Shiame would get tired of helping her very quickly. As kind as she was, Natsuko knew it had to be a huge imposition on Shiame. In a few days she would ask Shiame to show her exactly how to put the diapers on. That would give her the perfect chance to back out of her kind offer.

Feeling a little better, if only because she had settled a few things in her mind, she continued home, feeling better than she had in days.

After giving the matter some thought, and carefully watching Natsuko, she had come up with three possibilities.

The first one that was Natsuko wanted what was happening to happen. That had distressed Shiame a little. After all, if Natsuko was going to enjoy it, what fun was that? Fortunately she had quickly dismissed that idea. Natsuko was pragmatic about diapers, but that did not mean she liked them.

Then she had considered the idea that Natsuko was a submissive young woman, looking to be ordered about. That would also take the fun away from it. She had also discounted that idea. Natsuko was a rather independent young lady, and not at all that submissive: Polite yes, but not submissive.

The third idea, and one that she considered quite likely, was that Natsuko was, in a way that she was not even aware of yet, in love with her. That idea made Shiame quite happy. Oh, she would miss the pushing she would have to do in normal circumstances, and the mind games that went along with them, but that was fine with her. After all, brining that love to the surface would by quite enjoyable in itself.

And maybe in the end she would then leave Natsuko, broken hearted. It was unfortunate, but sometimes brining chaos into a life required certain sacrifices. Never on Shiame's part, however.

Natsuko had never got over the embarrassment of being diapered, of waking up wet. Each morning she would feel her face grow hot as she put the wet diaper away, hung up the diaper cover to dry in the bathroom, when Shiame asked her if things had cleared up.

Every night her whole body would flush as she undressed in front of Shiame, and Shiame oiled her, and powdered her and finally diapered her.

She had accepted it, as a necessary evil, but she was not happy about it.

Fortunately, other than the morning when she woke up and evening when she went to sleep, were the only problem days. The rest of the time she was fine.

She left early that morning. It was mid August and the break was over. It was time to get back to school, full time. There would be a ceremony for the start of the new term. She did not actually have to be there, but it would be a good place to meet her friends before class started. She knew they would be there, they had agreed on it at the end of the last term.

Soon after she entered the auditorium she found Akiko, Midori and Fuyuka.

"Natsuko!" Akiko called out as soon as she spotted her friend.

"Natsuko, how are you?" Midori asked.

"Get lucky on the break?" Fuyuka asked with a wink.

Natsuko smiled as she joined the small group. "It's good to see you all. Akiko, Fuyuka, how was Hokkaido?"

"Boring," Fuyuka said, stretching out the word.

"It was a lot of fun, no matter what Fuyuka says."

"There were hardly any cute guys there," Fuyuka countered. "How could we have any fun?"

The other three laughed at that. Natsuko looked at Midori. "Did you get down to Okinawa?"

Midori shook her head. "Only got down to Yanakawa in Kagoshima prefecture. I got a great part-time job at a restaurant there."

Fuyuka shook her head. "I can't believe you go off on vacation just to get jobs in restaurant."

Midori smiled. "I learn a lot. When I take over my parents' restaurant I want to be ready, I want to bring all kinds of new things there, to make it better." Midori's tone had taken on a certain ring to it, and her eyes got a far away look.

Fuyuka shook her head again. "Yeah, I'm sure that you'll be on Iron Chefs before we all know it." She was being sarcastic.

"Be nice," Akiko scolded.

Midori was not upset by what Fuyuka had said. She just smiled and looked over at Natsuko. "Did you have fun?" she asked.

"Well, I was mostly studying."

"As if that is anything new," Fuyuka said.

"I did spend some time with my new neighbour, and that was fun."

"Is he cute?" Of course Fuyuka asked that.

"She," Natsuko corrected.

"Is she cute," Akiko asked in a joking tone.

They all laughed at that for a moment. "She is really nice. When you come to my place you'll have to meet her."

The other three said they would be happy to meet Natsuko's new neighbour, and that if Natsuko liked her they probably would.

After a little more small talk about what they did on the break they stopped talking as the dean of students took the stage to welcome them back. His speech was a little too long, and it was dull, but all the students, there were about two hundred of them--out of about two thousand students--listened politely. Then they left, heading off to their first class of the day.

Natsuko and Midori shared that class, and, after saying goodbye to the other two, they continued on to their math class, on the other side of the campus. Natsuko had always liked Midori. She was a kind young woman, smart, and she had known exactly what she had wanted to do for most of her life. Natsuko liked that.

They were halfway across the campus when Natsuko asked, suddenly, "Midori, have you ever wet your bed?"

Midori looked a little surprised by the question. "Why ask?"

Natsuko was prepared for the question. "It's something I've been reading out, just another symptom. I thought I would get some information, case studies as it were."

Midori nodded, accepting Natsuko's answer. Natsuko had asked such questions in the past about various medical conditions she had read up on. She felt a little guilty, lying as she was to Midori.

"Well, I used to have occasional accidents, just until I was about six." She smiled slightly and a hint if a blush crossed her nose. "And when I was sixteen, after some friends and I had got some beer from a vending machine.

"My mother was so angry at me, for drinking and for wetting me bed. She put the futon on the drying poles in front of the house and all the neighbours knew about it. I was so embarrassed." She laughed at that. "Taught me not to drink too much."

Natsuko nodded. "That sounds like some of the stuff read about."

They continued on, chatting about embarrassing little incidents when they were younger and laughing at them from a more mature perspective. Natsuko was thinking that she would like to find someone closer to her own age that shared her problem. Talking to such a person might give her some insights on her own problem.

And maybe it would be nice to know she was not alone.

She had not thought of such a thing before. Maybe she would ask Shiame to keep the diaper supplies in her apartment. That way, in cases where she came in too late, she could handle the diapering herself. And maybe that way she could take complete control of the situation.

Then again, having the things in Shiame's apartment had its benefits. When her friends came over, as they had done a few times over the last two weeks, it was good not to have anything like that in the place. Not that Akiko and the others would snoop, but all of them felt pretty free moving around in each other's apartments.

Shiame, as it turned out, was standing on the walkway, smoking a cigarette. "Good evening," she said in a friendly tone.

"Hey," Natsuko replied. "You weren't waiting for me, were you?" her tone was a little hesitant.

She shook her head. "Just got to writing something and I took a break. Have fun tonight?"

"Yes."

"Let me get the things tonight to take care of you."

"Thank you," Natsuko said, because that was the only thing she could say.

Natsuko was still upset about her bedwetting, and the diapers she wore because of it, but she had become used to it. She could always make things a little more embarrassing for Natsuko, and in fact she was thinking of switching from disposable diapers to cloth diapers. Having Natsuko have to take care of such thing, or perhaps getting a diaper service, would be most amusing.

That was something still a little bit into the future. The next part of her plan would start the next day.

Natsuko took the notebook and looked it over. Amid the rough scratching and crossed out lines, was a math problem. Natsuko looked at it and then shifted towards Akiko. "Here," she said, starting to write under the problem.

Akiko watched for several seconds, then began to nod. "I understand," she said, finally.

"Good," Natsuko told her.

Akiko looked over the problem for a few minutes, making sure she understood exactly what Natsuko had done. She looked up and at her friend. "Natsuko?"

"What?" she asked, not looking up from her own notes.

"You've known Miss Kitsune for more than a month, right?"

That made Natsuko look up. "Yes," she nodded. "It's been about six weeks."

"What do you think about her?"

"She is a good friend. Why?"

"Oh, I was just curious. I think she is real nice as well."

"Isn't she? She is one of the kindest people I have ever known. She had been quite helpful." Natsuko almost wanted to tell Akiko just how helpful Shiame had been, but she held her words.

"You're lucky to have such a nice neighbour."

Natsuko nodded, agreeing with Akiko completely.

Akiko looked at her watch. "I've got to go."

Natsuko nodded and said goodbye to Akiko. All her friends usually left before she did, she was always the one who stayed late to study.

After Akiko left Natsuko got up and wandered through the book stacks, making her way to the small medical section near the back. She had been researching the question of bedwetting, and was learning a lot about it. As she took a book from the shelf she considered what she had learned.

There were a number of conditions that could lead to her problem, but most had obvious causes so she had discounted them. She was thinking it might be stress, but the most stressful thing in her life was the bedwetting. It really did not make sense.

She was flipping through the book, considering possibilities, when she suddenly felt something odd. A moment later she felt her panties grown damp and could feel moisture running down the inside of her thighs. She was wetting herself!

Desperately she tried to stop it, but nothing happened to stem the flow of urine. She grasped her skirt and pulled it away from herself and up to protect it as the urine soaked back along to the back of the panties, and continued to run down her legs, staining her socks and some of it into her shoes.

She stood there, helplessly, her skirt pulled above her waist, in droopy panties, and in a puddle of urine. Natsuko was dumbfounded. How could that have happened?

Natsuko was not sure how long she had stood there, but suddenly she shook her head. She had to clean this up.

From a nearby janitor closet she got a mop and mopped up the puddle of the urine from the floor tiles. In the bathroom she looked at herself. There was a small wet spot on the back of her skirt. Increasing the length on the straps on her bunny knapsack caused it to hang down low enough to partially cover that spot.

That taken care of she left the library, nearly running. She had to do something, but she could not think of what.

Akiko and Fuyuka on the other hand would benefit, probably, from that chaos.

She reached forward and traced a finger across a map she had drawn. "I think we can get this to work."

"Do you think so?" Akiko asked, a tremor in her voice.

"It is not as if the Yakuza can declare this money to be stolen, can they?"

Akiko shook her head. "It is not the police I am worried about though."

"The gangsters are certainly a threat, but this plan we came up with will protect us from discovery."

Akiko let out a nervous little laugh. "I can't believe that I am actually thinking of doing this."

"I can. When I saw you I knew I was looking at someone who was willing to take chances, no matter how dangerous. You are a rare young woman." No harm in stroking her ego.

She nodded, the shivering stopping. "Let's go over the plan once more."

Shiame smiled. "We'll start when the couriers come out of the building and onto the street. I'll have dealt with the van and you'll...."

She was just in the process if unlocking her door when she door to Natsuko's apartment banged open and Natsuko was suddenly on her.

"Shiame," she said, sounding near tears. "I need your help. I need someone's help."

"What is it?" Shiame asked, making her voice sound concerned. She knew exactly what had Natsuko concerned. It was, after all, her doing.

She lowered her head, staring at her feet, and said if a soft voice, "I wet myself today, I couldn't stop it. I was just standing there and it came out."

"Oh dear. Have you gone to see a doctor yet?"

She shook her head. "Tomorrow, when the clinic is open." She looked up at Shiame. "I need to do something now though!" There were tears in her eyes and she looked desperate.

Shiame opened her eyes and Natsuko almost flew into the embrace. She sobbed softly as Shiame held her. It was obvious that too many things that Natsuko had taken for granted had fallen away, and the young woman was something of a wreck. Shiame should have felt guilty, but she did not. She had been doing this kind of thing for a long, long time, and she just did not feel guilty any longer.

After a time Shiame released Natsuko, and then pushed her an arms-length away. "Go into your apartment and rest. I think I have an idea."

Natsuko nodded, completely trusting that Shiame would do something. After she had gone into the apartment Shiame turned and walked towards the stairs. She could have had what she needed on hand, but she had decided to play it all out as if it was spontaneous. It made it look better, and was more fun.

"Any problems," she asked, her tone concerned, as she entered the apartment.

Natsuko simply shook her head and looked at the plastic shopping bag that the other woman carried. She wondered what was being brought into her life now.

Shiame closed the door, kicked off her shoes, then stepped up into the apartment. "I think these will take care of the problem." Without any more fanfare she reached into the bag and drew out a package of extra large Oyasumimans, the product name of disposable underpants made for bedwetters.

Natsuko knew what they were. She had seen commercials for them on television. "They are for children," Natsuko said, seeing that as the biggest, and most immediate problem.

Shiame walked into the living room and knelt down in front of the table, placing the Oyasumiman package on the tabletop. "Well, we'll see I guess." She tore the package open. "I think that they might just fit you, hopefully not too tight." She drew out a pair of the underpants and held them up towards the Natsuko.

Natsuko walked over and gingerly took them from Shiame. They looked a little like full cut briefs, the sides made out of a thin, stretchy material, the centre looked a lot like a very large sanitary pad. They looked too small for her, but she took note of how much the sides stretched. "Maybe," she said softly.

"Well, you might as well try them on."

"But they are for bedwetting."

"They are absorbent. They are subtle. They should be perfect for your current need."

Natsuko, once again faced with the insurmountable facts, placed the underpants on the table and them lowered her sweat pants and panties. She had been naked so many times in front of Shiame that she did not hesitate in the other woman's presence.

She picked up the underpants and them stepped into them: Carefully, for fear of tearing the sides. They slid up her legs, a snug fit; she had to work them up, over her thighs and then over her hips. The sides pressed in on her, and she felt the padding slide up between her legs, over her bottom and against her pubic mound.

"They look like they fit," Shiame noted as she reached forward and gave the sides a gentle tug.

Natsuko's face grew hot, but she nodded. "They are a little snug," she moved around a bit to feel if they would interfere with the way she moved. "But they are alright." She looked at Shiame. "Why didn't you get me these for my bedwetting?"

"I did not know if they were absorbent enough. I hoped that your," she paused, "waking accident did not involve so much flow."

That made sense to Natsuko and she nodded. "I don't think I wet as much as I do when I am sleeping," she said, and then blushed even redder as she thought about what she actually said.

"I'd carry a few of these with you," she put her hand on the package in front of her. "Hopefully you won't need them at all, but, well, he kind of hoped the same thing with the bedwetting."

Natsuko suddenly felt both embarrassed and ashamed. Ashamed that she had somehow let Shiame down. The woman had helped her so much, and Natsuko had simply made things worse. "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that this has not proven to be anything more serious. Are you going to see the doctor?"

Natsuko nodded. "I have an appointment with the same specialists I saw before. Maybe this time he'll find out what the problem is."

"I hope so," Shiame told her.

There were no answers, no matter where she looked. Her wetting made no sense to her. About four out of five times she easily got to the nearest washroom, just as she had in the past. That fifth time however, she would simply find herself wetting before she could do anything to stop it. Such a pattern made no sense.

She would think about that as she stood in a washroom stall, sliding the wet garment down her legs, or when she woke in a wet diaper, trying to make some sense of it. There was no sense in it.

As the weeks passed, and she settled into the new pattern, her friends found out about what was happening. Natsuko basically told them, or let them find out. She did not like having to keep secrets, and once it was out things felt better.

All of her friends were quite supportive and none of them judged her or made fun of her. She thought at first that Akiko and Fuyuka might think less of her from the way they acted, but they told her that was untrue, and Natsuko believed them. Something was concerning her friends, but she did not make any demands. If they wanted her to know or for her to help, they would tell her.

Her ideas on things had readjusted somewhat and by mid November Natsuko felt as if things were normal.

She and Shiame were in Natsuko's apartment. Natsuko was studying and Shiame was reading a book. They sat at the table, a comfortable silence about them.

"Oh, Natsuko," Shiame looked up from her book, "can I borrow that new, red blouse you bought."

"Of course." She did not look up from her notes. "It's in my wardrobe."

Shiame got up to get the blouse, Natsuko continued to study. A minute later she returned carrying the red blouse in one hand and a garment bag in the other.

"Natsuko, look what I found," she said, holding the garment bag up. The zipper had been lowered, revealing a white blazer within.

Natsuko looked up and smiled when she saw what Shiame carried. "I forgot that was in there."

Shiame knelt down, laying the garment bag and the blouse on the tabletop. "It's your school uniform, isn't it?"

Natsuko nodded as she drew the garment bag closer. "I put it away after I graduated. I'm not sure what I kept it." She folded the blazer back to reveal the blue, pleated skirt.

Shiame smiled. "Why don't you put it on? I think you'd look cute in it."

"Maybe, but it doesn't fit anymore. I grew a bit in my first year in university."

"Oh, give it a try. I'd like to see you in it."

Natsuko sighed and looked put-upon, but she then smiled. "Okay, for you." She got to her feet and began to undress. When she was down to her disposable underpants and the T-shirt she had been wearing, she reached into the garment bag, shifting things about until she could remove the white blouse. It was wrinkled from its long time in the garment bag, and the class pin had come off the left collar.

She pulled the blouse on, expecting to find it short on her arms, a little tight across the shoulders, and tight across her bust. As she buttoned it up she was a little surprised to find that none of those things were so. It fit her quite well.

Well, maybe that blouse had been too big for her when she had been in senior high. She seemed to remember having one that was a few sizes too large. Her hands shook slightly as she removed the skirt and stepped into it. Again she expected it to be tight, expected to have to work it over her hips, but that was not the case. She easily slid it up her legs and then did up the fastenings on the side.

Hands shaking even more she picked up the blazer and put it on. It fit as well as the blouse had.

"It looks good on you," Shiame noted.

Natsuko shook her head. "It can't be." There was a hint of panic in her voice. "This should not fit so well. It shouldn't!"

Shiame stood, a concerned look on her face. "Relax Natsuko. I'm sure it is nothing. Maybe that is not your uniform," she suggested. "Maybe it got mixed up with someone else's?"

Natsuko looked at her nametag on the front of the blazer. She removed the blazer and looked at a tag on the inside. Her name was embroidered on the tag at the collar. She dropped the blazer and removed the skirt. Again, her name was embroidered there as well.

"It's mine," Natsuko said.

"Well then, the material must have stretched."

"What?"

"Sometimes, especially when you put things away, the fibres relax and the material stretches. It doesn't happen often, but I once had to give away my favourite dress because the material stretched."

"Really?"

"Of course." Shiame smiled broadly. "Would I lie to you?"

Natsuko shook her head. "Of course not."

"Then trust me."

Natsuko relaxed. "I was worried there. I thought that maybe..." She shook her head. "I was just being silly."

"Happens to all of us," Shiame reassured her. She looked at her watch. "I've got to be going now." She grabbed the blouse. "I'll see you later. Maybe we can go out with you wearing that uniform."

Natsuko laughed at the joke as Shiame left the apartment.

Natsuko knelt down, planning on continuing the review of her notes. She would put the uniform away later. No more than a minute into the work she topped. She could not concentrate on the work. Her mind was refusing to focus on that. The question of why the uniform fit, of why she had begun to wet herself, of why she was wetting her bed, all began to spin around n her mind.

She stood and walked into the second bedroom, used mostly for storage and for the occasional overnight guest. After a few minutes of rooting around thought boxes she found a scale that she had bought but never used.

The kitchen had a tiles floor and that was where she put the scale. Then she stood on it, watching as the little dial spun around, and then began bouncing back and forth as it zeroed in on her weight. It finally stopped at forty-six. Forty-six kilograms? she thought. Was that right? She had never been very much interest in her weight, but that did seem a little light.

In her bedroom was a full-length mirror and she took her blouse off and looked at herself. She did not look skinny, no bones showing. She was slim, as always. Still, something, when she really thought about it, looked off.

She found a tape measure and used it to check her height: One hundred and fifty-nine centimetres. She could not recall the last time she had measured her height, but that did seem a little off.

Could she be shrinking? Maybe from a loss of bone and muscle mass? She ran through a number of causes that could result in such a thing, wondering if they could also have caused her loss of bladder control. Nothing fit, however. She was certain that both of the doctors who had closely examined her would have discovered such a major thing.

She pulled off her T-shirt, standing in front of the mirror clad only in a pair of disposable underpants and her bra. She looked at her bra, gently running her hands along the straps. Over the last few weeks she recalled readjusting the straps of all her bras as she had put them on, thinking at the time that they had stretched out in the wash, or the clasps had loosened slightly.

Now she was thinking about it again. Tugging at the bra made her realise that the cups were a little loose as well.

She began to look through her wardrobe, pulling out clothes, trying them on for fit. All of them seemed loose. She found a dress that fit well, one that she had bought a few days ago. She remembered trying on one in her size and finding it too big. She had not thought about that, just had tried a smaller size.

She took off the dress and looked at the label. It had been two years, maybe a little longer, since she had worn that size.

Was it possible? Could she be getting smaller? No, it had to be impossible, but then again, unexplained loss of bladder control of the type she had suffered seemed to be impossible as well.

She thought back to when things were a lot more normal, truly normal as opposed to just what passed for normal these days. With all the odd things that had occurred, she realised, with some surprise, Shiame had been the catalyst, or so it appeared.

That was impossible as well. Shiame could have nothing to do with all that had happened. Couldn't she?

Slowly, as if in a trance, she picked up the earlier discarded blouse and put it one, buttoning it up. Out in the living room she put on the skirt. She had to find Shiame.

Somehow, just before Natsuko knocked on her door, she knew Shiame was not in. She also had a feeling where she might find the other woman, if woman she was.

She started up the stairs, climbing slowly towards the roof. Her mind was spinning around in a chaotic whirl, coming up with answers and ideas that she did not like, or did not want to accept.

Just as she was assaying the last flight of stairs she felt the wet warmth in her underpants as urine soaked the padding and spread up across her bottom. She could fell the padding grow heavy as it absorbed the liquid.

A number of drying racks were up on the room, all of them empty presently. Shiame stood neat the edge of the roof, farthest from the stairs. She was lit by the lights below and Natsuko could see she was wearing a kimono.

As Natsuko approached she noticed something behind Shiame. Something that moved, lashed around a bit. After a moment she realised they were tails. Nine tails, she knew without counting. Nine fox tails.

Shiame turned at that moment to face Natsuko. Her ears were those of a fox, and her face had the cast of a fox to it as well. She smiled, showing too many teeth. "So, you finally realised what you shared your life with."

"What are you?" Natsuko asked, knowing very well what Shiame was.

"You know, my mother always said this would happen," Shiame said, not answering Natsuko's question. "She used to say that no matter how clever you were, how beguiling, that humans would eventually realise the truth.

"In the old days that was bad. Humans still believed in us. Now, it is not such a terrible thing. I mean," she took a step towards Natsuko and put a hand on her shoulder, "who are you going to tell who would believe you?"

She let go of Natsuko and turned back to look out over the building. "I think you picked it up faster than I would have wanted however. I think I would have liked to get farther with you before you knew the truth. I think it would have been more fun."

"Fun for who," Natsuko demanded, anger and betrayal in her voice.

Shiame turned to look back at Natsuko, a puzzled look on her face. "How could you ask that Natsuko? Fun for me of course. I did not do this for your enjoyment. You do not like wetting your bed, or wearing the diapers to deal with it. You certainly do not like me putting you in them every night, as if you were a helpless child."

She again took a step closet to Natsuko. "You do not like pissing yourself, and you do not like the training pants, for that is what they are if you think about it, that you wear to deal with it. You certainly are not at all happy about the fact you are now about two years younger."

"You did it all," Natsuko said. She had known, but she needed to voice it.

"Of course my dear little Natsuko." She put her hands on Natsuko's shoulders. Natsuko had look up into Shiame's eyes. "And you'll continue to not enjoy what I have in store for you my little one. But you'll love getting a chance to spend time with me, so you'll put up with it, which will make it more enjoyable for me."

She leaned over and whispered into Natsuko's ear. "You are my plaything until I grow bored with you. You are my little doll. When I am finished with you perhaps then you'll be able to be in control of your life once more, but never as long as I am with you."

Natsuko shivered in fear as a thrill of panic mixed with delight washed through her. She was Shiame's plaything. As much as she hated that, she could live with it, as long as she was Shiame's.

And Natsuko, as she so often did since the fox spirit had come into her life, blushed a deep red across her entire body.