“Ooh, you’re cute!” The sweet voice echoed against the walls of the old cathedral ruins. “I think I’ll keep you.”

Ichigo’s hand flicked to the sword at her hip as she turned around. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows around her, casting scattered reflections of colored light across the floors of the ruined old church and illuminating the woman emerging from the shadows.

The woman was beautiful, Ichigo supposed. Her curling ram's horns, each decorated with a bright red ribbon, nicely complemented her heart-shaped face and pale cotton curls. Her lips were full and painted pink, and her light brown cheeks were dappled with heart-shaped glitter freckles. A dainty golden tiara rested amid her curls, nestled alongside stray wildflowers that could well have gotten there by accident. Her ruffly seafoam-green dress matched her eyes, large, bewitching eyes that sparkled in the darkness.

Some would call her beautiful. Ichigo called her a public menace.

“So,” she said, one hand on her sword hilt as she gave a mock-relax stretch, “you must be Lina. Or should I call you ‘the Princess’?”

The sheepgirl gave an airy laugh, twirling a curly lock of white hair around her finger. “‘The Princess’ will do, sweetie.” She tilted her head to the side. “Why don't you take off that silly little facemask? I'm not sick, dummy.”

Beneath her mask, Ichigo smirked. “Not likely.”

“Are you sure?” Lina's eyes sparkled. She brought her fingers to her lips. “Not even if I.... mwah~!”

A puff of pink pheromones wafted towards Ichigo. Ichigo barely smelled it through the carefully-layered pungent herbs of her mask.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. “Not even if you what?”

Lina blinked. She pouted and stomped the ground with a hoof. “That’s… that’s no fair!”

Ichigo scowled, advancing towards her. “‘No fair’ is you using your little parlor tricks on unsuspecting townsfolk. But I wouldn't expect a bully to understand the concept of justice.”

Lina let out a groan. “Ugh, you talk like such a loser.” She flashed Ichigo a winsome smile, prancing around Ichigo, staying just out of reach. “But the townsfolk love me, silly! Everyone loves their Princess.”

“Is that so.”

“That’s right.” Lina’s eyes sparkled. She brought her fingers to her lips again and blew another kiss. “Mwah~! And so will you, soon~”

Ichigo rolled her eyes, stepping right through the puff of poison. “Are you always this much of a nuisance? No wonder you have to drug people to put up with you.”

“Oh, but they have so much fun! And I take such good care of them, dummy.”

“Uh-huh.”

“That's right.” Ichigo noticed that Lina was stepping closer. Ichigo tried to pretend she didn't. “Just one whiff of my sweetness, and they realize I'm always right, and that I can take care of them much better than they ever could. And so will—”

She sprang at Ichigo, lunging for the mask.

Ichigo grabbed her by the arm, wrenched her to the side, took both the petite sheepgirl's shoulders and slammed her against the wall.

Lina's cheeks went bright red.

“You're not too bright, are you?” Ichigo growled.

Lina's cheeks went redder. “S-Shut up!”

“No. Listen to me, and listen well, because I won't be so patient next time. There will be no more 'misbehaving'.” Ichigo brushed Lina's shoulder, and tiny wafts of visible perfume rose off her skin for a moment, like a puffball mushroom. Gods, perfume magic was probably obnoxious to deal with if one wasn't prepared. What a pointless type of magic.

“But I didn't do anything wrong!” Lina whined. She pouted. “You're so...”

“What? I'm so what?” Ichigo tilted her head to the side. She had to admit, a part of her felt deep satisfaction from this. Her friend Inaba had warned her that this could be tricky, but Inaba always underestimated Ichigo, didn't she? “As I said, you shall get up to no more mischief.”

“But I—”

“And if I ever hear about you getting up to trouble again, or wearing this ridiculous perfume,” she went on, cutting over the brat's objections, “I’m going to put you over my knee like the spoiled child you act like. No more trouble.”

Lina paled. She blinked rapidly, sputtering for a response.

“Do you understand?” Ichigo snapped, giving Lina a gentle—but firm—shake.

Lina bit her lip, then nodded.

“Let me hear you say it.” Ichigo knew how condescending this was. She didn't care. It was like nobody had ever been able to tell this girl ‘no’ before; well, that changed starting today.

Lina's face reddened. “I... I won't get up to any more trouble.”

“Good.” Ichigo smirked. “Now, there's a nice little stream nearby.”

“So?”

“So,” Ichigo said coolly, “you're going to go get all this perfume washed off, aren't you?”

Lina fumed. After a moment, as if realizing Ichigo wasn’t bluffing, she nodded.

“Let me hear you say it.” This was unnecessary. Ichigo would be watching—respectfully, despite it all—long enough to make sure Lina complied. But if Ichigo was honest with herself, it just felt so satisfying to see one of these would-be temptresses so utterly humbled. A little too satisfying. I had best not get too used to this.

Lina finally mumbled her agreement, glaring daggers the whole while.

Ichigo smiled. “There. Now, wasn't that easy?”

~ ~ ~ ~

It was a week later. Ichigo sat at the bar, enjoying a nice lunch. Inaba, her little fairy ally, sat on the bar next to her enjoying a thimbleful of cream.

Behind them, she heard the door fly open.

“Miss Knight!” blurted a male voice. Ichigo spun to see one of the local woodsmen in the doorway, doubled over and panting for breath. “It's—it's happening again!”

“What is?” Ichigo lowered her fork, frowning. “Are you alright?”

Other patrons were hurrying over to help the man to a table, but he shrugged them off. “The Princess!” he managed. Ichigo noticed a wet rag clutched in one of his hands, and she realized he must have been using it to filter his air. “She's—she's up to her old tricks, Miss.”

“Seriously?” Inaba snapped.

Ichigo rolled her eyes. “Well, I did warn her.” She rose to her feet. “Where?”

“On the old Fisher's Bridge.” The man pointed unnecessarily. “She's—she's worse than ever, Miss. Be careful!”

“Of course. Not to worry; I can handle her.” Ichigo rummaged in her pack and procured her facemask, holding it up and taut before Inaba. “Spell it?”

Inaba fluttered up and planted a light kiss on the other side of the mask. The mask glittered with fairy magic. The fairy smiled at her. “Be careful. She'll be ready for you this time. She knows you’re a threat.”

“I'd say the same about me,” Ichigo said, rolling her eyes as she stalked out the door, “but I’m not sure I know she is. I'll be back in thirty.” She gave the bar patrons and Inaba a cocky smile. “Someone just needs to put this ‘Princess’ back in her place.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Ichigo released the man and stepped over him as he slumped to the ground. It hadn't been hard to carefully choke him to unconsciousness. He was a miller's apprentice, for the gods’ sakes. None of these victims-turned-bodyguards were warriors, were anyone with a chance at fighting Lina’s petty tricks. It infuriated her.

Her mask was already strapped onto her face; as per Inaba's fretting, she wasn't taking any chances. As she approached the old wooden bridge, mottled with patches of grass and moss, and could see Lina sitting up on the bridge's railing.

The little brat was kicking her feet.

“You should be careful,” Ichigo called, stepping onto the bridge. She smirked beneath her mask. “Children shouldn't play on the railing.”

With no sign of surprise, Lina flashed her a grin. “Oh, it's the cute one with the stupid mask! I was wondering when you would show up.”

She hopped down off the railing. “It's good to see y—”

Ichigo bolted forward. Lina had time to give a squeak before Ichigo had her by the hair and yanked her head back.

“Ow!” Lina struggled uselessly. “You stupid oaf! I said, it's good to see you've—”

“You don't learn, do you?” Ichigo forced the sheepgirl back against the wall, sneering. “So arrogant. We just had this conversation, didn’t we?”

“Shut up!” Lina sputtered. “Let me—just let me say my line! I said, it's good to see—ow!”

Tired of listening, Ichigo had given Lina's hair another sharp tug. Not enough to hurt, but enough to startle. “And I said, if I ever saw you misbehaving again...”

Giggling rose from all around her, and she heard a rustling in the bushes.

Ichigo turned to see new faces emerging on either side of the old bridge. They were sheepgirls like Lina, fluffy and bright-eyed and barely-dressed, flowers—but no crown—decorating their fluffy hair. Ichigo noticed little bracelets with heart-shaped jewels on their wrists.

Instinctively, Ichigo went for her sword. But... but they were unarmed. And their eyes were glowing awfully bright. More victims of ‘the Princess’ and her stupid pheromones?

She looked at the extremely smug-looking Lina. Could she take her hostage, maybe? She could make Lina make them stand down… but that would mean letting herself be surrounded with her back to the railing.

Ichigo released Lina and bolted for it, bounding in long strides down the direction she'd come from. She couldn't let them crowd her in. She had to break through their ranks.

The three were ready for her. She curved to the side and kicked out at one, knocking the hooves out from under the perfume-slave, then took a running leap across her falling form. The next-nearest grabbed for her arm. Ichigo elbowed her in the forehead.

But elbowing that one left her arm exposed. Before she could land and take a defensive stance, the third sheepgirl grabbed her by the wrist.

Ichigo was yanked back in midair. She landed, stumbling, trying to write herself.

“Where are you going?” the enslaved sheepgirl cooed. “We’re about to have so much fun!”

Ichigo was caught on the wrong side of the bridge, and the other three were closing in fast. She gritted her teeth.

She feigned surrender, leaning in towards her captor—then reversed and wrenched her wrist free. So what if they outnumbered her? She was still stronger, smarter, combat-trained. Even though her combat trained-brain was reminding her just how inconsequential training became when you were outnumbered with no room to maneuver and no reach advantage.

She swung at her assailant, but the sheepgirl ducked in closer, making Ichigo's jab narrowly miss the shoulder. She hissed and pulled back—

Or tried to.

Her hand seemed to be stuck in the sheepgirl's long, fluffy curls.

Ichigo frowned, disoriented. She kept trying to pull away, but the curls were like thick wool, and stronger than spiderweb. The sheepgirl giggled, not even seeming hurt by the tugging on her hair.

“What—”

She felt another sheepgirl pressing in, and now her other hand was getting caught up, too. She could feel the wool snaking around her wrist, tightening, moving like a living thing. She struggled, but the harder she fought, the tighter the wool's grip became.

“Just don't fight it,” another sheepgirl cooed in her ear.

“S-Stop—” Ichigo snarled. She tried to wrench free again and nearly lost her balance.

The other sheepgirls were pressing in, grabbing her arms. She felt the wool appearing to come free with a mystical glow, and her heart leaped, but her hands were only free for a second before the wool still encircling them—like fluffy bracers—tightened once more and forced her wrists to lock together.

She blinked rapidly, disoriented. The sheepgirls nuzzled her, pressed in all around, and she couldn't see what was happening as the wool tightened around her wrists. Her arms were behind her back, she realized, and the sheepgirls were weaving the silken wool tighter and tighter to make sure they'd stay there.

In a panic, she flailed in an effort to kick one of them away. A curse spilled from her lips as her knees—cushioned by thick wool bindings—struck the mossy stone of the bridge.

She thrashed and wriggled uselessly, cursing, panting. Hands on her shoulders kept her kneeling despite her best efforts. The sheepgirls smiled sweetly down at her.

Then, hearing a familiar laugh and a click-click-click of dainty hooves, she looked up to see Lina approaching. The Princess stood triumphant over Ichigo with a wicked little smile.

“Isn't it splendid!” Lina cooed. She swept her curls back with an airy motion to cup her necklace. For the first time, Ichigo’s gaze focused on it. It had a delicate golden chain and a large pink heart centerpiece, the gemstone surrounded by six smaller hearts of different pastel hues. Each heart-gem was carved with elegant loops and flourishes, reminding Ichigo of nothing so much as womb tattoos. “This is what I found in that church, by the way. Thanks for not searching me back then.” She leaned down with her hands on her knees as if addressing a child, her breasts bouncing right in front of Ichigo's face. “I always wondered why you didn't look as I bathed, though. Was someone a little shy~?”

Ichigo glared defiantly, ignoring Lina's breasts. “There was nothing worth seeing.”

Lina giggled. “Gosh, such a stubborn girl with such a vicious tongue! But I have a feeling you're going to be regretting those words very soon.” Her eyes glittered. “You're going to be regretting lots of stuff before too long~”

That gaze was dark and malicious, hungry, predator eyes. Ichigo's heart started to race. Fuck. Ichigo had... Ichigo had humiliated Lina last time, she realized. Mercilessly.

Panic rose like a sputtering trick candle inside her. She was caught, helpless. What was Lina going to do to her now that the tables were turned?

“Listen,” she said, turning to one of the captive sheepgirls, “you... you can fight this. You can. Just focus on counting up from one, cover your mouth, just try to—”

“Take off her mask,” Lina commanded.

Ichigo's eyes widened.

The sheepgirl Ichigo had been pleading with gave Ichigo a happy, dreamy smile. “Yes, Princess!”

In those sparkling pink eyes, Ichigo saw a reflection she was not letting herself become a part of. “No! No, don't! Don't—don't you dare—”

“If you're going to be so rude,” Lina said to her, grinning, “I deserve to see those pretty lips, don't I~?”

Ichigo thrashed hopelessly, but she couldn’t stop the sheepgirls from untying the mask. She felt the fairy magic sputter, then dissolve as the silk fell away from her face, and she stared up at Lina with wide eyes and lips parted with one last word of defiance—

Lina's hands gripped Ichigo by the shoulders, and Ichigo saw a ghost of a smirk as she seemed to notice the echo of what Ichigo had done on their first meeting.

Then, before Ichigo could say one more word, the Princess shoved Ichigo facefirst into her soft, enveloping cleavage.