VI

Koneko watched Issei's wide eyes with a mixture of anxiety and hope. He would understand at a single glance. That she was sure of. What would happen next was all up to him. If he took them from her, she could expect that he understood her request and in moments she would be a very sorry little kitten.

But she would accept her punishment willingly if it earned her a chance to rebuild her bond with him. If he refused her, she didn't know what to do. There was no plan B. She imagined he would laugh at her and demand that she get out of his room. That she was no longer worthy of his time, and he wouldn't waste it trying to discipline a girl who couldn't be taught to be good anyway.

That would shatter me. She thought to herself. Please Issei. Don't give up on me yet… I'm sorry I was so selfish. She willed him to read the words she couldn't say in her eyes.

Issei stared at her for a moment, realizing that their future teetered on his choice at this moment. Would he discipline her and forgive her, or would he send her away and let her blunder end their relationship. This could happen again. He reminded himself. She's desperate, scared, willful, lost in her world, and that makes her unpredictable and wild, prone to acting without thinking. But she's a good girl at heart… if someone could guide her, she'll make it through this.

There was nothing else to think about. He reached out and took her panties sealing her fate.

Koneko gulped. The decision was made. This is what I was hoping for, she desperately reminded herself as hope quickly changed to fear.

He folded her panties and laid them on the nightstand beside his bed. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, Koneko could see the cold had thawed from his eyes. He was angry still, but not distant. Not pushing her away.

"Go and close the door, Koneko." He ordered.

She nodded.

As she turned toward the door, Issei focused his energy. His left arm glowed for a moment. The barrier is in place.

Koneko quietly pushed the door until it clicked in place then returned to his side obediently.

 "I have some questions for you, and I need you to answer them truthfully, okay? Don't lie to me." he asked her in a serious but unthreatening tone.

Koneko's heartbeat quickened. She knew this was coming. She would have to explain herself. She had never been good at that. She couldn't even ask Issei to spank her. If she hadn't thought of the panties, she would never have been able to make the request.

She nodded anyway and squeaked out, "I'll try."

"I need you to promise me."

"I promise I'll tell you the truth." She stated a hint of tedium in her tone.

Issei nodded approvingly. "I know you're scared, but just take your time and try to be clear."

She nodded quickly.

"Why are you in nekomata form?" It was the thing he had fewest ideas about. If it were just for sympathy, he'd rather get that out of the way.

"My transformation is…is triggered by extreme emotions sometimes… like guilt. I can't currently change back." She explained in an almost practiced tone.

"Oh." Issei frowned. He hadn't known she could change involuntarily. "When you calm down, you'll be able to change back?" He asked, curious.

She nodded. With that out of the way, it was time to get the facts.

"Why?" He paused. The source of all of this. Could he start there? He elaborated: "Why are you so against Rias-sama and me being together?"

Koneko stood silent her tail frozen in mid-flick. She hadn't expected something quite so direct. "I…um." She began.

"Do you really think I'll be bad for her?" He asked seriously.

"N-no." She shook her head emphatically. "I've never seen anyone more protective or more caring of nee-sama than you. You're a bit p—"

She cut herself off, subconsciously running a hand over her shirt-covered rear.

Issei couldn't fully smother a smile. "It's okay. I want you to be honest. I promise you won't be punished for speaking your mind now."

Relieved, Koneko nodded. "You can be overly obsessed with breasts sometimes… or just girls' bodies in general… but I don't think you're a bad person."

Issei smiled. "I don't think I'm obsessed, but I have a pretty healthy appreciation," he agreed. He frowned a moment. "I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. I can only semi-control it…"

Koneko blushed. I never thought I'd get an apology for that! "Part of me is jealous…" She flushed. "You… you never look at me like that…" Her shields were crumbling. Issei was appreciative that she was uncovering her vulnerable side.

"Koneko, you are adorable." He stated simply, but hurried on before she thought he was patronizing her. "What I mean is, you have a cute smile, big, bright, soulful eyes, and your hair is eye-catching in a cute way. In this form especially, not even Asia is as cute as you."

Koneko's cheeks colored, her lips curved in a small smile; the first in what seemed like ages.

"When you get a little older, your curves will fill out, and your chest will grow too. (Koneko frowned at her chest, but looked hopeful) You'll keep that smile and those beautiful eyes, and add to that those kitten ears and tail, and I'd bet even Akeno and Rias will be jealous."

Koneko's eyes lit up. She never realized how much someone thinking she was attractive meant to her: particularly her nekomata features.

"Th-thanks." She said quietly her cheeks pink.

Issei smiled, glad his initial wording hadn't made her feel bad. Her reactions told him she appreciated his opinion. His tone turned more serious again. "Well then. If you don't think I'm a bad person… and you also don't think I'm bad for Rias-sama…" He started carefully. "Why are you so against me being with her?"

Koneko ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I'm not… per se."

Issei narrowed his eyes in disapproval. "You promised not to lie to me, Koneko."

"It's not… it's not you being with nee-sama…" she tried to explain. "It's…" She sighed feeling childish. "It's…"

Issei understood. "It's what will happen if we get serious together?"

Koneko nodded appreciatively.

"And what do you think that is?" Issei asked raising his left eyebrow.

"Well… you're getting stronger. You'll become more important."

Issei kept quiet waiting for her to make her point.

"From the beginning you said you wanted to become more powerful and more important so you could start your own…h-harem."

Issei nodded unashamed.

"When you do that, you won't need me." She explained. "You'll have nee-sama; Asia will follow you, maybe Akeno too. Xenovia for certain…" She paused. "You'll have plenty of… sexy (she blushed uncomfortably again) girls for your harem. But you're not attracted to me…" She hung her head. "I'll be all alone..."

"Dummy." Issei replied painting a sad frown on Koneko's face. "Did you really think that I would leave you behind?"

Koneko looked up surprised. "Of course! Who wants a flat-chested little girl you're not attracted to in a harem?" She flushed again and her tone quieted. "And… and I'm mean to you all the time. And sometimes you don't deserve it."

Issei rolled his eyes at her 'sometimes' qualifier.

"Koneko…" Issei shook his head. "We're family! I would never leave you behind so long as you wanted to be part of my family; you're more than just your looks. And Rias-sama would never let me leave you behind even if I wanted to!"

Koneko blinked at the obviousness of what he just pointed out. Nee-sama wouldn't leave me behind. Issei would let me stay to keep her happy, even if he didn't want me…Why didn't that occur to me? Why was I so ready to believe he was bad for Rias-sama and bad for me? And he does want me on top of it!

"Besides, do you think I'd let you slip away when I know you'll be sexy in a year or two!"

"Pervert." She laughed.

Issei joined her.

"All of this… all of it was for nothing then."

Issei raised both eyebrows and nodded emphatically. "I wish you would have just talked to me about this…we could have prevented so much trouble."

Koneko's ears lowered in shame. He's right. This is all my fault. "S-sorry. Issei-senpai." The sincerity in her voice made him want to forgive her. "I-I'm glad you talked to me about this." She smiled happily as though her worries had melted away.

"Koneko." He rolled his eyes.

"Hm?" She asked glancing up innocently.

"You're still in for a good spanking."

Koneko gulped.

"I understand now why you did it, but that doesn't excuse your behavior."

Koneko looked away, too ashamed to meet his eyes.

"Lying to Rias, sabotaging my friendship with her, betraying secrets someone trusted you with, insulting your elders…these are all things naughty girls do. You're a good girl. You shouldn't act this way."

With each transgression, his voice grew slightly louder and more indignant.

Conversely, each offense seemed to shrink Koneko a little. She sunk to her knees, crestfallen. Her tail flat on the floor.

"I thought you were improving. This isn't like you. You're a good girl normally. I'm disappointed to see you acting like this." Issei paused to take a deep breath to help keep his temper. "I trusted you…" He told her letting some of the hurt color his tone. "I didn't want you to be afraid of me. I wanted you to understand a little about me, about how I think… so that maybe we could be a little closer.

Koneko couldn't look at him. She felt so ashamed.

When she didn't respond, he continued. "So I took a big chance. I told you one of my deepest, most private fears. Because I thought you might understand why your insults affect me so much."

"I…I do." She said softly.

"Then why? Why! How could you tell Rias-sama!" his voice cracked a little.

Koneko turned her head away trying to avoid the pain in his inquiry. She winced a bit more with each question digging her toes into the carpet. "I…I was desperate!" she cried shrilly. "Every day you two were getting closer, and I was running out of time! I tried to talk to her, but she just defended you to the end!"

Issei stared at Koneko in surprise.

"She wouldn't let me say one bad thing about you…" Koneko finally found the courage to look up and meet Issei's eyes. "She ignored any bad thing I said about you, and she scolded me for not giving you a chance! It was… it was the only thing I could think of to change her mind…"

She gazed into Issei's eyes intense remorse written in every line of her face. Her eyebrows scrunched together; her eyes sparkled with unreleased tears; her lips curved so low she looked like desolate child.

"Don't you think I know it was wrong?" She asked quietly. "Don't you think the second the words passed my lips, I would have given anything to take them back?" She paused calmly wiping a tear from her eye. "It was too late. You can't take it back when you say something so awful, so…disgraceful. I twisted your words to make her doubt you. And… I couldn't undo it. And… worse… you had to be there… in the lowest moment, to see the worst of me."

"Koneko…"

"Don't you think I know I'm the worst!" She demanded and sniffled her eyes blurring with tears. "I'm scum. I took your peace offering and stabbed you in the back with it! You'll n-never trust me again!" her voice caught in her throat. An unwanted tear forced its way through her resolve and streaked down her cheek.

"Hey… hey… shhh." Issei soothed dropping a hand onto her trembling shoulder. "Listen, Koneko-nee-chan…"

Koneko balked shocked. For him to call me so familiarly… like a little sister…

"You made a mistake." Issei told her. "A big one… yes. A disappointing one, but not an unforgiveable one." He patted her head softly.

Poor Koneko bowed her head to the floor. The weight of guilt and disappointment was crushing her. "I kn-know." She squeaked. She wanted to say she was sorry, but Issei had already said 'sorry' wouldn't cut it this time. So instead she lay there bowed by his right leg.

"I'm going to help you get rid of this guilt. If you pay a little for your crimes, you'll feel better. I want to help you remember to be good. To remind you to deal with things the right way. I know you can be better. And when we're finished… you'll be forgiven."

Hope poured into Koneko's heart. Could he really forgive me? Can he really trust me after all this?

"Stand up."

Koneko slowly got to her feet.

He patted his thigh. "Come on now, over my lap." He ordered gently.

Koneko's heart raced as she pulled the oversized white nightshirt over her head the wisp of the fabric scratching her soft skin. She let it fall from her hands. It was surprising, she thought, that she wasn't more embarrassed being naked in front of Issei. Her guilt and remorse weighed so heavily they seemed to block out everything else. She glanced up at Issei's waiting eyes. He nodded to her, and she bravely leaned down onto his right knee and pulled herself across his lap.

She winced as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position. Dragging her naked figure across his denim pants felt like sandpaper across her skin. The air-conditioned air blew in gentle eddies, each current breezing coolly across her body causing her to shiver. There was a warmth though too. Issei's lap was toasty and comfy.

Issei nodded slightly to himself, pleased she was being so compliant. He slipped his arms around her shoulders and thighs and drew her in more tightly against his stomach. Koneko struggled not to whine, his arm hairs tickled.

Like before, he adjusted her a bit to the left, tipping her head and shoulders off his left side, then pulled his right leg in raising his knee throwing her off balance and lifting her hips slightly higher than the rest of her body.

Helpless, at his mercy. Like last time. She thought. Willing, submissive. That's the difference. This feels… right. When it's over, everything will be better than it is now.

She's so small and cute…She looks like a kitten curling up to nap on my lap. Issei's left arm rested lightly, but firmly on her lower back his fingers lightly curled around her tail, holding it in place. His right rested on her bare cheeks. Her cute, pudgy rear glowed a soft ivory; the red handprints had long since faded away. He rubbed her cheeks softly bottom to top, down the slope to the arc of her back and around again in a slow clockwise circle stopping when his hand rested across the apex of both cheeks.

Koneko's face brightened. She was glad he couldn't see. Her skin perceived every ridge of his fingerprints in their trail across the pale surface.

"Hang in there, nee-chan, it'll be over soon." He encouraged her.

His right hand left her skin.

 She closed her eyes and held her breath but didn't tense.

The hand crashed a moment later with hurricane force into the crest of her right cheek nearly eclipsing it completely. Koneko's eyes burst open. Owww! She felt the palm collide with her skin, sink deep into the supple flesh, and then wrench back her skin tearing away from his hand as he drew it back and struck her again in nearly the exact same location. On impact, she felt his palm deliver a blunt wide-area collision, while each finger distributed individual blows.

The connection of his and her skin sparked like flint sending electric pain through the mass of nerve endings located right beneath the handprint. The first blow's abrasion generated a flicker of heat that the wind from the swish of the second slap fanned. The cluster of friction ignited waves of heat.

The force and the pain took her breath away. Before she could react, a third strike landed on her right outer thigh followed by a powerful underhanded wallop that solidly connected between her upper thigh and lower right cheek lifting her an inch off his lap. Her tail tensed, its fur standing on end with each impact.

"Ow! Ouch! Owhowhowhow…" She bleated desperately the moment her breath returned. He was holding back the first time! She realized. Not this time. His strikes were coming full-force, hard and fast!

Issei approved of his initial assault, her right cheek and thigh were already colored in pink handprints. As he painted her left cheek the same rosy tint with equally harsh blows, the pain overwhelmed Koneko's self-control; she was bucking and jumping with each punishing stroke.

Though intensifying her punishment would come as a shock, he knew he needed to spank her much more severely than the last time to compensate for the quantity and seriousness of her offenses. If he didn't reinforce the consequences, she might repeat her transgressions.

Still, her cries seem a bit overly dramatic compared to last time. The thought lodged in the back of his mind, as a flurry of alternating center cheek licks, drew a high-pitched wail, followed by gut-wrenching sobbing.

He didn't lighten or slow her punishment however. The pain was exactly what she needed to pay for her sins, to relieve her guilt, and to remind her to be good. He cocked his arm back and struck the curviest part of each cheek rapidly alternating after several smacks to each side.

"Owhow! Oh! I'm sorry! Issei! Ow! Please! Ouch! No! I'm sorryyyyyy!" she interjected weeping after each impact.

She's certainly learning her lesson. He noted as her legs splayed and her right foot whizzed through the air in response to a particularly well-aimed smack that separated her left cheek from the right.

Tears burst from her eyes only a few strokes in and had continued flowing throughout the ordeal as she alternated between sobbing and pleading.

Issei shifted her balance to his left leg, and lifted his right between her flailing knees. Since she had offered him a new target, he took advantage of it, emphatically applying his hand to the tops and sides of her inner thighs.

She broke down bawling like a child in response to the suffuse of sharp pains each stroke caused. The layered handprints enveloped her bottom in volcanic heat. Issei could feel it from several inches above her skin. He noted, too, with satisfaction that her delicate ivory skin was now a mix of reds and dark pinks from the backs and sides of her thighs all the way across her throbbing cheeks.

Koneko was nearly at her limit, she had been crying pretty heavily for about ten minutes while he taught her the consequences of misbehaving. He lost count of the number of times she told him she was sorry too. He was quite sure she would remember this moment for a long time.

With two smacks to each side and bottom of her thighs and one more across the apex of each cheek, he ended her punishment.

Issei lowered his right leg and shifted her body back across both knees. He released her tail, and gently stroked her heaving torso as she continued to wail for two more minutes before her cries quieted to heavy sobs.

Once they did, Issei gently lifted her up into a sitting position on the lower-unspanked parts of her thighs. Koneko flew to his chest her fingers clinging to his shirt as she trembled with sobs against him. Issei held her, rubbing her back, and as her sobs lessened, he reminded her that she was forgiven, that he was proud of her not only for coming to him on her own for punishment, but also for following through and submitting obediently like a good girl.

"It's all over, nee-chan." He whispered as she quieted against him on his knee. He felt her nod against his chest. Her breathing slowed to normal occasionally punctuated by a hiccup.

"You were very brave, Koneko-chan," He praised her.

She looked up at him and smiled embarrassed.

"Hurt a lot more without the 'kitties,' huh?" He asked

She nodded vigorously.

She squeaked, but Issei couldn't understand her.

"Hm?" he asked quietly.

A few moments later, she repeated matter-of-factly: "You didn't hold back this time."

He shook his head. "I told you I wouldn't. And it was much more serious… what you did this time." He reminded her.

She nodded accepting his assessment. "It didn't help being nekomata either."

"Why?" Issei asked, the thought regarding her more pronounced reactions resurfaced from the back of his mind.

"My senses are amplified in this form." She tiredly explained. "About ten times."

"Including touch?" He asked his eyes widening in horror.

She swallowed and nodded emphatically. "Including touch."

"Why didn't you tell me!" Issei exclaimed. "Are you saying that you felt the impact and the pain ten times worse than usual?"

Koneko nodded again.

Issei sat in silence absentmindedly rubbing her back. "You should have told me. I would have compensated. I would have held back on my—"

"That's why I didn't tell you." She cut him off blushing.

"I felt so, so bad about what I did to you… that I-I wanted it to hurt a lot more… so… so I could pay the full price." She tried to explain.

"Still… it's not for you to decide how much punishment you need. You just have be a good girl and accept it from the ones who love you." He paused. "I punished you so much more severely than I meant to…"

She frowned quietly.

"Koneko?" he asked.

She turned her gaze to his eyes. Something in his tone seemed out of place.

"You can change back; can't you?"

She nodded.

"You could before too." It wasn't a question. It was an educated guess stated with conviction.

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded again.

"And… your transformation, it wasn't triggered… you did it on purpose… Didn't you?"

She didn't like the way this conversation was going. She felt a little perverted. A little guilty too. She nodded her assent slowly, her golden eyes locked on his.

Issei embraced her warmly. "You were so brave, and I'm happy that you saw how serious your mistakes were… serious enough to take it upon yourself to make your spanking more severe."

Koneko nodded seriously. Happy that he understood why she did it.

Issei shook his head sadly. "But you promised not to lie to me."

Koneko hung her head shamefully.

"You promised… and the very first question I asked you… you lied."

Without warning, Koneko found herself facedown bent over his lap again. Her heart fell into her stomach, as she realized what was about to happen.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she pleaded as tears of panic sprung into her eyes.

"You broke your promise and lied. How can I trust you if you do that?" he scolded as he firmly applied particularly vicious slaps to her tender thighs.

"No! No! Issei, please! Ow!" the string of cries returned her to uncontrollable bawling as he peppered her sore cheeks back into an inferno.

"When are you going to learn, young lady?" He asked sternly, catching sight of and reaching for the hairbrush on his nightstand.

Preoccupied with the re-ignition of her rear, Koneko didn't notice the movement.

With no warning at all, Issei suddenly scattered punishing hairbrush wallops across her burning cheeks transforming her bawling into one long connected  wail, punctuated by screams of "Please!" and "No!" and the occasional drawn out "I'm soorrrryyy!"

In mere moments, she had returned to the tear-stricken five-year-old begging her onii-san to stop spanking her. The kiss of the hairbrush was monstrous. Poor Koneko's enhanced senses felt every detail down to the curve of the rings of the wood grain each time the brush cracked across her rear.

Issei angrily smacked the centers of both of her cheeks with the brush twice before asking her. "Is lying okay, Koneko?"

She sobbed but made no reply.

He applied two more crisp smacks to each cheek. "I asked you a question."

"No! No! It's NEVER okay!" she howled.

"That's…" He whipped the hairbrush down on her lower left cheek. "Right." The wooden back clapped her right cheek in the same place.

"Issei…" She sniffled. "Please…"

"Koneko." He called.

Sobbing piteously, she turned and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Are you ever going to lie to me again?" he asked.

She shook her head emphatically, eyes wide. "Owwwww…" She mewed pitifully.

His anger ebbed, but still he held her gaze.

"I—sob—p-p-promise." She whispered.

Issei sighed and let the hairbrush drop onto the bed.

Koneko's eyes expressed relief as she whimpered out a pain that had nearly doubled the spanking she had just received.

Issei picked her up and hugged her tightly to his chest. He cried into her shoulder. Alarmed, Koneko's eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, she forgot her pain as she tried to figure out what was happening.

Why is he crying? Is it my fault?

She wrapped her arms around him trying to comfort him even as she sobbed in pain against his chest.

"I didn't… oh god, I didn't want to do that, Koneko!" he quietly lamented in misery. "I'm breaking the rules. I'm not supposed to cry. I'm supposed to be firm. But I love you, Koneko! It hurts to hurt you! Please!" He begged. "Don't make me do that ever again!"

Koneko was so shocked she went absolutely silent blinking at him. "Loves" me. She repeated in her mind. That's what he said. "It hurts him to hurt me, because he loves me." Her heart absolutely soared.

As all of the morning's events replayed through her mind, she whispered, "I promise…Issei. I'll never hurt you like this again."