Home for Horny Monsters

Hi all! Back again with another chapter of HFHM!

It's been a little bit and I apologize, I'm just trying to balance work, family and life in general along with writing and things have really gotten busy for me.

New to the story? You're gonna want chapter one. There are a ton of characters, plot, and erotic scenes sprinkled throughout, you will be so confused.

Returning reader? I missed you, here it is! This chapter will reveal a bit more about Kisa, as well as a couple more big secrets from the house, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. We're getting close to the final arc of this story, once everything is in place, you're in for a wild ride.

Speaking of rides, a HFHM spinoff starring Dana, Lily and Tick Tock will be hitting Lit soon. Keep an eye out for it, you can always click on my bio or follow me for release info.

As always, don't forget to rate, review, or send me a feedback letter! I read them all (even if I don't respond) and so many of you have sent me some very nice words to keep my spirits up during these difficult times. Take care of yourselves and each other, and I'll see you next chapter!

Painful Memories

Kisa stood in the kitchen and scowled at the pantry door.

How many times had she wandered in here and absent-mindedly opened it? At least three times a day, and now that she was here again, she had decided to look through the whole pantry and discover just what it was that she was looking for.

Her missing memories really bothered her. She had just assumed that something would come back to her in the last few days, but all she got was static. Vivid images of the old man stirred something up in her that she couldn't describe, but they didn't tell her a thing about his identity or even her own.

Tink walked into the kitchen and climbed up onto the counter to pour herself a cup of coffee. She looked at Kisa and yawned, revealing a frightening amount of teeth.

"Stupid cat, litter box somewhere else." She slugged half of her coffee and winced. "Blegh. Maybe kitty pee in here, too."

"Hey, fuck you." Kisa put her hands on her hips. Ever since she had almost fallen off the railing the other day, she had deliberately avoided the goblin. Being alone was difficult in a house full of so many people, but at least everyone gave her some space. In a lot of ways, it was almost like they didn't even see her. She hadn't decided yet whether this offended her or not, but it had given her plenty of time to think things over.

However, the one person in the house who always seemed to notice her presence was Tink, and she never failed to comment on it.

"Worthless cat lay around all day. Tink too busy for fucking." She smiled at her own joke and then drank the rest of her coffee. "Too tired, too."

"Wow, you're so clever," Kisa responded while rolling her eyes.

"Tink very clever, thank you."

"No, that's sarcasm, you stupid goblin!" She growled and held out her hands, her claws unsheathing. "Ugh! Why do they even keep you around?"

"Husband need sexy goblin girl. Other girls fine too, but Tink extra special." She grinned. "Nobody smart like Tink."

"Please. You can't even talk straight, you brain-dead—"

Tink leapt from the counter and landed in front of her, fangs bared. She grabbed a handful of fur on Kisa's chest and shoved. Kisa stumbled back into the shelves, causing boxes and cans to spill all around both of them.

"Ow, dammit!" She tried to reach the box of oatmeal that had fallen on the floor, leaning dangerously far forward on her crutches. They wobbled beneath her until they slid away, causing her to land flat on her face. Tears welled up in her eyes as pain shot through both of her legs, and she rolled onto her back to clutch the thick, plaster cast on her left leg. Her right leg was in a brace that bent at the knee, pins holding the thing in place.

"Easy, Kisa." He came in from the next room over. It was a different apartment this time, and when he knelt by her side, he slid one arm behind her and lifted. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I shouldn't have to fucking call you," she snapped. "I need to learn to do this shit on my own."

"Language, Kisa. Just because you are hurt does not mean we have lowered our standards."

"I'm not hurt, I'm crippled!" She picked up one of her crutches and threw it across the kitchen. "The doctors don't even know if I'll walk properly again, much less dance."

"Anyone can dance, Kisa." He picked up her crutch and set it just out of her reach. "Dancing comes from the soul, not the body."

"Yeah, well tell that to the acceptance committee at Julliard!" She threw her other crutch now and clawed at the table in anger. "They don't give a shit about my soul, they want to see me dance. A full ride! They offered me a full ride, and unless you know some miracle man who can fix my legs in the next year, it's gone forever."

He shook his head and clucked his tongue. "More to life than dance, Kisa."

"You and I both know that's the only way I was ever going to go to college. My whole future depended on being able to dance! I haven't just lost my legs, I've lost my will to live." She threw herself forward onto the table and bawled, slamming her fists against the wood of the table. "It's not fair! I've been kicked around my whole life, and just when it was getting good, I get hit by a fucking car!"

The table beneath her hands vanished and she was back in the kitchen with Tink, her back pressed against the shelves. The goblin snarled, lines of exhaustion written across her face.

"More to smarts than big words," she growled, then put her face in her hands and took a step back. "Ugh. No. Tink sorry, no want fight."

Kisa stared at the goblin, her heart pounding in her chest. The flashback this time had not only been intense, but all the rage and misery she had felt back then had somehow carried itself forward in time, and all she could think about was how she had lost everything that mattered to her. Her legs had been crushed, her femur splintered in several places. So many dreams had gone out the window, just like her memories, and all the pent up anger in her body finally had a direction to go.

"Well, I do," she growled, then threw herself at Tink.

The two of them shoved each other around the kitchen, grappling, grunting and claring. More containers fell, splitting open boxes of pasta and a giant bag of rice. The floor became slick with dried goods, so they ended up on the counter, throwing fists and claws at each other. Tink bit into Kisa's shoulder, only to spit out a mouthful of fur. Kisa picked up a jar of spaghetti sauce and smashed it across Tink's eyes, blinding her.

They fell off the counter and crashed onto the floor. Kisa rolled on top of Tink, her hands squeezing the goblin by the throat. There was an unlabeled rage now powering her, and she smacked the goblin's head onto the floor repeatedly.

Tink just laughed. This made Kisa mad enough that she picked up a nearby can and smashed it into the goblin's head.

"What the absolute fuck is going on in here?"

The temperature of the room dropped dramatically as Yuki stepped into the kitchen. She was covered in fresh paint and crystalline shards of ice spun in circles around her outstretched hands. Her eyes were wide open, and circles of frost had formed along her cheeks.

Kisa froze in place, then looked down at the goblin. She had just attacked a member of the house for no good reason. Granted, Tink had pushed her first, but she could only imagine how the others might see it. The anger from before melted out of her, and she let go of Tink's hair.

A feeling of dread filled her chest, and she moved back from the goblin, afraid that Yuki might attack her.

"Tink helping dumb cat find snack in pantry," the goblin declared. "We climb too high, fall off shelves, big mess." She sat up and wiped some sauce off of Kisa's face, then licked her thumb. "Still taste good."

"Are you sure?" Yuki's eyes narrowed at both of them. "I thought the house was under attack with all that noise!"

"Tink step on dumb cat tail when fall. Make big sound. Misunderstanding is all." She stood up and looked around, a forlorn expression on her face. "Big misunderstanding."

Yuki looked back and forth between the two of them and then sighed. "Here. Let me help you two clean up." She walked to the nearby closet and pulled out a broom and a dustpan.

The three of them swept up the food and broken glass, and then mopped up the sauce. Kisa said nothing, but Tink grumbled the whole time. Once they were done, Yuki cast a suspicious gaze over both of them before departing.

"Why—" Kisa began, but Tink put a hand over her mouth and shook her head, then beckoned her to follow.

She led Kisa down the stairs to the basement—a place that Kisa hated. It was like a giant concrete coffin, and for some reason, the freezer filled her with a sense of dread.

"Fox have good ears," Tink whispered. "We talk now."

"Why did you stick up for me?" Kisa rubbed her arms with her hands, her body filled with a phantom chill. "I was going to beat your ass."

Tink rolled her eyes. "Good joke, but no. Tink no worried, much better fighter than stupid cat. Not important, though." She sat down on the floor and yawned again. "Tink no want cat to get in trouble and have to leave."

"Why though? You and I don't get along."

"So? Tink not always get along with others. For long time, Tink get along with nobody. Learn how to fix everything, maybe everyone love Tink, maybe not, but had to try." The goblin pulled her goggles off her head and stared at the lenses as if lost in a memory. "Tink make much trouble, get grief from everyone. So Tink be quiet, hope nobody notice, still trouble. Things work out, but Tink still lonely. Then husband come, make everything worth it."

Kisa scrunched up her face. "That doesn't answer my question in the slightest."

The goblin groaned. "Dumb cat like Tink. Not know place yet, not even know self. Lonely, like Tink was."

"I like being alone."

"No." She shook her head firmly. "Difference between alone and lonely. Right now, dumb cat is both. Maybe hate Tink, but that's okay. Maybe if wait, dumb cat will make friends like Tink, find purpose. Husband say to give dumb cat a chance, so Tink keep mouth shut."

Kisa frowned. "So, what, you're gonna be nice to me because Mike said so?"

"Yep." Tink slid the goggles back over her head. "Doll try to kill husband, now friends. Fox try to kill husband, also friends. Demon lady, too. Give extra chance, make best decision. Tink give extra chance, also make best decision." She stood and stretched, her tail flicking behind her like a whip before giving Kisa a knowing look. "Especially because dumb cat broken in head. Tink know all about that."

Dumbfounded, Kisa watched as the goblin walked up the stairs.

"But doesn't mean Tink always nice," she shouted down the stairs, then turned off the light with a laugh and closed the door.

Though it was dark, there was enough light coming in through the basement door that Kisa could still see plenty. She chuckled at how juvenile turning off the light was and waited a couple of minutes for the goblin to clear out.

She sat on the bottom step, her tail curling around her feet. Ever since the day she had arrived, she had felt lost. Her entire history was missing from her, but why?

What hurt more was that Tink had been right about her being lazy. The few times she had given any thought to attempting to remember anything, she had been filled with fear. It was almost like she didn't want to remember, but why would that be? She barely spoke to the others, and they had given her plenty of space as a result.

But did she need that space? Was Tink right? Was she lonely?

"A second chance," she said, her eyes on the opposite wall.

The freezer hummed, and the fur on her back and neck stood up, the room now closing in on her.

"A second chance," said the old man, holding a dark collar in his hand. It was made of some type of dark fabric and had a silver bell on it. His face was twisted up as if in pain as he sat across from her in their apartment. "Something leftover from the old country. It may fix you, Kisa, but it will change you."

She pulled her hair up and tilted her head back, revealing her throat.

"Do it," she demanded, her leg throbbing. She had been out of pills for the pain for nearly a week now and didn't care if some weird folk tale killed her.

With a sigh, he leaned forward and buckled the collar around her neck. She waited for something to happen, to feel different inside, but...nothing.

"I thought this was supposed to change me?" she asked.

"Take time. Magic never an exact science, Kisa." He coughed, his face briefly turning bright red. "We will know in a day or two."

The apartment shattered like glass, and she was now back in the basement once more. Only now, the light was back on and she saw a blonde woman in front of her. She projected an aura of hope and radiance.

"A second chance," said the woman, holding the same collar in her hands. "Now that it's off, how do you feel?"

There were no words. Kisa threw herself at the woman and embraced her, her eyes full of tears.

"You saved my life, thank you!" When she stepped back, she wiped the tears from her eyes. "If I can ever do anything to repay you, just tell me and I'll do it."

The woman's eyes gleamed beneath the hanging bulb of the basement. "As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me. It won't be easy, but you will be helping me like I helped you."

The room swirled again and she was now in the second-floor studio room, only now it was fully furnished. The harp stood against the wall, the strings vibrating on their own as it played a song by itself.

"Please, Emily, give me a second chance, I know I can do it this time!" Kisa was on her hands and knees. "Please don't make me wear it again."

The blonde woman from before regarded Kisa cooly. There was a cruelty in her face that hadn't been there before, and she crossed her arms across her chest. Dangling from one of her hands was the collar.

"It's just for a little while," Emily explained as she slid it around Kisa's neck. "I just need you to be a little bit...cattier. You owe me, remember."

Kisa cried silently as she stared at her hands. For now, they were human. But for how much longer?

Kisa threw herself back onto the steps, her hands clutching at her throat to tear the phantom collar off. The memories were just fragments, but they had been real enough. Emily had been the previous Caretaker, and she had been partially responsible for her transformation.

Holding her head in her hands, she let out a cry that became the drawn out yowl of a cat in pain. She stumbled up the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Please, Emily, take it off!" She was pulling at the collar on her throat, but Emily was ignoring her.

"Not until you can fit through here." Emily tapped at a cardboard cutout she had on the floor. They were in the study, away from the others. "Once you can fit through there, the collar comes off."

Kisa growled, but crawled toward the opening. She turned her head sideways and found that it was still a tight fit. Determined to make it through, she pressed forward until the cardboard split around her shoulders.

"Damn." Emily shook her head. "Guess we'll try again tomorrow."

"No, please." Kisa grabbed for Emily's hand. "Please, I... I'm having trouble remembering things. I'm forgetting who I was."

For a moment, the Caretaker's features softened, but the moment didn't last.

"We'll try again tomorrow," she declared.

In the kitchen, Kisa moved out to the dining room. Other memories were coming back, memories full of blank spots that made no sense. She could see herself sitting at a table with Emily and Tink, but the other seats were blurry. There was an argument on the stairs about being unable to go into town and shop for new clothes. Another one about helping Emily hunt down some rats.

None of it made sense! She paused as Death emerged from the office, then ducked away to avoid the specter. She peered around the corner to see Mike sitting at the desk with some books in front of him.

He looked up, his eyes immediately meeting hers.

"Oh. Hey, Kisa."

"Hey, Kisa." The old man was lying on the floor of the kitchen, his hand pressed to his chest. His breath was coming in gasps, and he reached up to touch her face. "You... I..."

"Shh. The ambulance is on its way." She cradled his hand against her face.

"Death...answers before...asked..." His eyes slid down her face and onto the collar around her neck. It had only been a few days, but her leg was already out of the cast, the transformation of her body already begun. "I need...to take...that off..."

"No." She put her hand to her throat. "You can take it off later. It's helping, I barely have a limp now."

"No, Kisa, you don't..." He looked past her shoulder at someone she couldn't see. "Oh. Okay then." A sigh escaped his lips and then he was gone.

"No! Please, you can't leave me!" She held his head tightly against her chest and screamed.

Kisa bolted past the study and headed straight for the backdoor, anxious to get outside of the house. Random memories bounced around in her head in no particular order, memories of the house. There was no longer enough air for her to breathe, and it wasn't until she shoved her way into the garden and stood beneath the open sky that she felt like she could finally inhale fully.

The nymph was out there, floating on her back beneath a small swarm of birds. She reminded Kisa of a Disney princess and wondered if Naia ever burst into song.

Naia.

Kisa stormed up to the edge of the fountain and slammed her paws on the rim.

"How come you don't know me?" she demanded. "I have memories of this place. Memories of Emily. Yet none of you seem to know who I am, and that doesn't make sense!"

Naia lifted her head, water running in streams down her hair. "That's a very good question," she admitted, then sat up. The birds above her flew away and vanished in the bushes of the garden. "I've asked myself that same thing more than once."

"You're all in on it, aren't you?" Kisa hopped into the fountain and scowled. The water was freezing. "It's some kind of sick joke between you guys, isn't it?"

The nymph shook her head. "No, it really isn't."

"Well I think you're lying, and that's good enough for—" she grabbed for Naia and her hands moved through the nymph, her body now made of water.

"Stop," Naia said calmly, placing her hands on Kisa's wrists. "Your anger is misplaced."

Kisa pulled away and swung, but Naia let the hit connect, spraying water everywhere. She swung again and again, her rage and frustration building as she shrieked at the nymph.

"Why doesn't anybody know who I am?" she yelled, then fell to her knees. The water parted beneath her, and she dug her nails into the cool stone of the fountain, hoping the marble would crack beneath her fingers.

Naia slid her arms around Kisa and held her tight, stroking her hair. While she did this, the back door opened and Yuki came out, covered in fresh paint.

"I saw what happened," she explained, then pointed at one of the windows up above. "From my room. And I heard what you said."

Kisa sighed in exasperation as the kitsune sat on the edge of the fountain. "Okay, fine, you busted me. I tried to start a fight, but clearly everyone here can kick my ass, so—"

"How old are you?" Yuki asked, then brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "'Cause you're acting like a toddler."

Kisa drew back and hissed.

"The same thing happened to me," Yuki told her. "While your memories are gone, mine aren't. I spent years with everybody here, and I have so many memories with all of them, but theirs were taken away. I know what you're going through—for the most part, anyway. It sucks. But it wasn't their fault, or mine for that matter. I almost made a terrible decision because I didn't know who to blame for it."