Taking Care of a Giggling Gorgon (F/F)

[Crowns-n-Quills]

Fate/Stay Night – Taking Care of a Giggling Gorgon
Sakura / Rider (Medusa)​

Months had passed since the final battles of the Fifth Grail War, and the city of Fuyuki found some semblance of peace.

Once, Sakura couldn’t imagine an end to the fighting and living a normal life again, but she was surprisingly mistaken. With the war over, she was finally free from the shadow of her foster family’s past that ruled her. She could move on and enjoy all the things she couldn’t have before: the relationship with her sister she always wanted, the privilege of visiting her beloved Senpai without the ire of her brother hanging over her, and a nice home all to herself ever since her brother moved out.

…Well, “forced” to move out, but he didn’t seem to complain.

In short, everything felt right, except for one thing that lingered in the back of her mind––

––Rider.

***​

The calm that swept through Fuyuki changed them both––but it was a peculiar sight. Rider, the once feared Medusa Gorgon, had strayed far from serving as Sakura’s once stoic and hardhearted protector. She became timid––surprisingly timid––and often slipped into moments of deep thought. She was quiet whenever they went out anywhere and, when they were with friends, she often tried to make herself the smallest and least noticeable presence there. Seeing how she was usually the tallest person among their friends, however, that was easier said than done.

In contrast, Sakura was far more confident and outgoing. She made Rider come with her to do errands constantly despite the former’s reluctance. Perhaps the time she spent around Taiga at the Emiya estate was finally rubbing off on her. Regardless, the dynamic shift between the two was drastic and did not go without notice.

There were many times the two were out shopping while people would mutter as they passed them by.

“Isn’t that Matou-senpai?” a schoolgirl would ask her friend.
“Yeah, but…” her friend would answer, “who’s that woman with her?”
“Did Matou-senpai had a sister and just never talked about her?”
“Do you think they’re*––?”

While Sakura would get a little embarrassed, she noticed how Rider would start fiddling with her fingers and stare at the ground trying to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.

It was only after they spent time with the other servants that Sakura understood why Rider felt so different. Lancer was content with lazy afternoons fishing by the docks, Caster had no problem devoting herself to her role as a housewife to her beloved Soichiro-sama, Berserker followed Illya like a dog whenever she’d let him, Archer was glued to Rin’s side regardless of whether he wanted to or not, and Saber, while still rigid, would have eaten through all of Fuyuki out of boredom if it weren’t for Shirou to temper her. Despite some of their situations, they seemed happy with their lives and how things turned out.

Everything made sense. Rider exuded an air of discomfort that was practically unnoticeable to everyone except Sakura. The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. She often stopped herself and pondered on thoughts like “does Rider think she doesn’t deserve to be here?” or “Does she wish she could’ve fought the war forever?”

More than anything, Sakura wanted to help her. She wanted to make Rider feel as happy with Fuyuki’s newfound peace as everyone else––but how?

***​

Rider leaned back, letting her lavender hair sway gently in the cool breeze, as she sat in the garden and wondered to herself.

Moments before, she and Sakura had finished some shopping downtown. They were met by the typical gaze and gossip of passersby––something Rider was still not used to. The two were waiting at the crosswalk, when Rider felt something blow past her leg.

Her breathe caught in her throat as she jumped, quickly looking over her shoulder to see a couple people staring at her as they waited. With her face reddening, she slowly faced forward and reached down to brush her hand against her right calf. She stopped herself as soon as she realized that Sakura was staring at her too––though, not as blankly as the others.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Rider immediately straightened out and looked at Sakura with a small, sheepish smile.

“Y-Yes,” she answered with as calm of a tone she could manage. “I just felt something…brush up against my leg.”

“It is a little windy today,” Sakura commented. “Maybe it’ll die down when we get back.”

Rider managed to regain her composure and nodded. “I think it will.”

The light changed, and Sakura and Rider walked back home in awkward silence.

Rider sighed, leaning forward as she clacked the back of her heels against the stone beneath her. She’s been so…jumpy lately, and she couldn’t understand why. This wasn’t the first time it’s happened––she distinctly remembered a moment where she was walking along the beach with Sakura, Rin, and Saber. She trailed behind the three slightly when a small tide washed up on the shore and licked at the tops of her feet. She yelped and quickly leapt away. The others looked at her, she quietly stated the water was cold.

Before she could be bothered by it further, a sharp, cold sensation pressed against her neck and shot down her spine. She yelped and jumped where she was sitting and saw Sakura standing next to her pressing a thermal cup against her.

“Sorry,” Sakura giggled. “Did I scare you?”

Rider calmed down and cleared her throat before answering. “N-No. Of course not.”

“I made some tea after we got back,” Sakura said, extending the cup toward Rider. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Rider smiled and took the cup. “Not at all, Sakura.”

Sakura smiled and sat next to her, looking out at the sky as Rider quietly sipped at her tea.

“We probably shouldn’t have done so much shopping today,” Sakura said. “I didn’t mean to wear you out today.”

“But I’m not tired,” Rider commented quickly.

“Are you sure?” Sakura asked, scooting over closer and gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

Rider flinched away slightly as Sakura began leaned in, pressing her fingers into her shoulders.

“See?” Sakura said, bringing up her other hand as she continued pressing into Rider’s shoulder. “It feels like touching stone!”

“S-Sakura…” Rider muttered, wanting to reel away but finding herself relenting under Sakura’s gentle yet firm touch.

“It’s okay,” Sakura said, “just relax and let me take care of this.”

Rider tried to say something, but found her voice catching in her throat and she tried to stifle a moan as Sakura slowly turned her around and started massaging both her shoulders. Instead, she eased the cup to the ground and leaned forward, letting Sakura work the stiffness from her shoulders.

“I-I forgot…” Rider said, letting out a faint moan as Sakura pressed her thumbs into her shoulder blades, “…how good you were at this…”

Sakura giggled to herself as she kneaded the bottom of her palms into Rider’s upper back. Shinji was demanding, but at least there was one thing that came out from living with him.

Sakura massaged Rider’s shoulders and back for a while until she felt Rider weakly hunch over. She slowly brought her back up and noticed that her eyelids were heavy, and she was trying to keep them up.

“Sorry…” Rider mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sakura said, smiling at her. “You had a long day. Just relax**––I’m almost done.”

“Sakura…”

“It’s fine, Rider,” Sakura said. “This is the least I can do.”

With that, Rider closed her eyes and let Sakura continue. By the time she was done, Rider had already slumped into Sakura’s chest, sleeping.

“I must’ve overdone it,” Sakura said to herself as got up, grabbed the thermal cup with one hand, and slung one of Rider’s arms over her shoulder with the other and walked back into the house.

Sakura giggled as she opened the door. “I’m glad you liked it, Rider.”

***​

Rider groaned as she opened her eyes, wincing at the sunlight that peeked in through the curtains. She could still taste the tea on the back of her tongue. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked around and saw herself on the floor in Sakura’s room; when Shinji left, she could’ve picked any room in the house to sleep but opted to sleep in Sakura’s room with her anyway. Getting her bearings, she yawned and tried to stretch only to discover that she couldn’t stretch her arms out––or move much at all, for that matter. She craned her neck and saw that a blanket had been wrapped around her body, leaving only head, shoulders, and feet sticking out.

She was confused. She tried worming her way out, but the blanket was wound too tightly around her. Her thoughts raced in her head as she quietly struggled in the blanket––Why was she wrapped up? Who wrapped her up? Did someone break into the house? Where was Sakura?

[…! Sakura…!]

Rider’s struggle intensified out of worry for her. No matter how much she buckled and twisted herself, she couldn’t wriggle herself free; in the back of her mind, she cursed her weak body. At best, all she did was kick off her slippers, exposing her socked feet to the faint chill that rolled in from the crack in the window.

Just as she was about to panic, the bedroom door opened a crack. Rider squeaked and, to hide, tried curling into herself. If she curled in tight enough, maybe whoever came in would think she was some sort of cat bed and leave. But, as the door slowly opened, she saw Sakura peek her head before slowly shuffling in carrying a small bag with her.

“Did you sleep well, Rider?” Sakura asked, flashing her a smile.

“S-Sakura?” Rider asked back, confused but relieved. “W-What––”

“You were getting tired from the massage, so I decided to bring you back in the house.” Sakura explained. “You must’ve been restless to get yourself caught in the blanket like that.”

Rider’s gaze trailed down to the blanket wrapped around her. “Yes, I…see that,”

“Well, now that you’re awake,” Sakura chimed, “I can finish it.”

“…Huh?” Rider asked. “Finish…what?”

“The massage, of course,” Sakura said as she sat down besides Rider’s ankles and placed the bag at her side. “I couldn’t just stop at rubbing your shoulders.”

Rider fell silent as she watched Sakura. She was used to her being more open after the war ended but something felt different about her. Her openness was still there, but she could’ve sworn she felt an air of playfulness radiating off her.

“I was going to just give you a regular massage,” Sakura commented, tracing the tip of her fingers along the bag’s top zipper, “but then I decided to try something…a little different.”

Rider was too confused to speak as she watched Sakura sit at her feet. A moment passed before she could sort through her thoughts and finally answer. “…Different?”

“Rider,” Sakura started, looking over at her, “you’re not…ticklish, are you?”

Rider’s confusion ceased for a brief second and she stared at her blankly. “…Eh?”

An awkward silence hung in the air for a while as Rider thought back. As a child, she was toyed with constantly at the hands of her sisters. She remembered how they would randomly pinch her arms and legs, cooing and teasing her over how vulnerable she was. The teasing only persisted as she got older. It was always small things––sudden pinches, poking along her sides while whispering in her ear, grazing the tips of their nails along the tops of her legs. It made her jump, yelp, and shrivel away from her sisters’ touch, but it wasn’t tickling––was it?

“I don’t…think I am,” Rider finally said, unsure of her own answer.

“Oh? You don’t know?” Sakura asked.

Rider slowly shook her head.

A small, gentle smile crept across Sakura’s face. “Then let’s find out.”

Rider’s cheeks flushed faintly as she watched Sakura reach down and grip the toe of her socks with two fingers. With a quick tug, she slipped them off before Rider could say anything else.

Sakura lined up Rider’s socks on the floor before examining her feet. They were a half-inch bigger than a size 10 complimented by a pair of high arches, well-rounded heels, fleshy balls, and slender toes. They were pale but there was a small splash of color––a faint, warm-looking blush––across her heels, balls, and toe pads. The way her toes squirmed and flexed weakly against the cool breeze was cute.

The chill in the air Rider felt brushing past her feet was suddenly overtaken by a new sensation. She stiffened and felt her breath caught in her throat as Sakura quickly but gently slide a finger up her right foot. Her fingernail lingered along the top of her foot, lightly scratching around the ball before trailing back down to her heel. It was a motion that felt all too familiar to how her sisters would tease her, but the way it felt when Sakura did it was different. It was a gentle, playful touch that made her legs tingle and her breath flutter in her chest.

Sakura hummed quietly to herself as she explored every inch of Rider’s feet. Flicking and skittering her nails up and her down her arches made them flinch away slightly. Brushing her fingers along the sides made her feet curl into each other only to stiffen as Sakura traced her fingers up and lightly dug two fingers into her balls, pulling her feet apart. She’d glance over at Rider occasionally and notice how her shoulders rattled weakly and her head rocked side to side as she let out short, shaky breaths. After Sakura had her fill, she moved her fingers up to Rider’s toes, making sure to play with each one. She pinched and wiggled each toe with one hand while tracing a finger under the stem and probing the space between with the other.

“You’re being awfully quiet, Rider,” Sakura commented nonchalantly. “What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing…” Rider stuttered weakly, trying to force the words out between quivering breaths, “I-I’m…fine.”

“Are you suuure?” Sakura cooed, scratching at the base of her toes.

Rider arched her back as she felt skin crawl and tried to stifle a groan. “Y-Yehees…”

Sakura went back to humming as she continued playing with Rider’s feet, occasionally looking away to watch Rider squirming in the blanket trying to reel away from her touch.

Eventually, Sakura pulled her fingers away. She put her hands in her lap and smiled at Rider, who was still catching her breath.

“See?” she asked. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I guess it wasn’t…” Rider answered, taking a deep breath.

“I knew you’d like it,” Sakura chimed, clapping her hands. “And that was only a warm-up, too.”

Immediately, Rider paused and stared at Sakura. “…What?”

Sakura brought her legs out as she shifted from where she was sitting and lifted them over Rider’s ankles, trapping them under her knees. She moved her bag closer to her side and began to unzip it slowly. Once it was open, she fished through the insides and pulled out something that made Rider flinch. Twirling between Sakura’s fingers was a small feather.

“Don’t worry,” Sakura said, “I promise I’ll be gentle.”

Rider tried to speak but stopped herself as she looked down and noticed a dark blot slowly growing beneath her. Her eyes widened and she felt a pit deepen in her stomach––she knew this magic all too well. With newfound energy fueled by fear, she struggled to pull her ankles out from under Sakura’s legs to no avail. All Rider could do was watch helplessly as the darkness stretched up around her, thinning and flattening to become shadowy ribbons that slowly inched toward her. She let out a shuddering breath as the ribbons coiled around her wrapped body, strapping her to the ground and squeezing her in a gentle––almost loving––embrace. Her struggling weakened as the shadow sapped away at the little magic energy she had left.

“There we go,” Sakura said. “And…”

Before Rider could stutter a reply, Sakura grabbed her feet and pushed them back. She tried curling her toes but was met by the feeling of Sakura’s fingers poking the center of her balls.

“Come on~” Sakura cooed, “Open wiiide~”

Sakura wiggled two fingers just inches away from the balls of her feet, scratching in small circles as she watched Rider’s face start to strain. In her efforts to move, Rider craned her neck down and saw a shadow reach over to the tops of her feet from her ankles and hover around the back of her toes. She knew what was going to happen and could only helplessly watch the tip of the shadow dangle near her toes as Sakura continued tickling her. If she could manage to hold out for just a bit longer––
Sakura quickly swiped her fingers downward and skittered them along the tops of Rider’s quivering arches. Rider let out a startled yelp as her feet flinched away and her toes flailed open. As they did, the shadow shot forward, wrapping around her big toes. With her feet tied, any further movements she could’ve made to ease the tickling were now impossible––scrunching her soles or clenching her toes too tightly made the shadow toe tie pull her feet back, forcing them to straighten.

“Perfect––all nice and comfy,” Sakura said. “I wouldn’t want you to get you hurt.”

“S-Sakura––!”

Rider’s protest was cut short by the sudden, quick breath she took after feeling the feather swishing past her heels followed by Sakura shushing her.

“It’s okay, Rider,” Sakura whispered as a gentle, playful smile spread across her face. “Just relax and let me take care of everything.”

It was hopeless. Rider was wrapped in blanket, coiled in darkness, and could do nothing other than resign herself to her Master. She wanted to protest again, but she knew her words fell on deaf ears beyond that point. Instead, she watched with wide, anxious eyes as the tip of the feather hovered inches away from her trapped feet.
The chill of anticipation hung in the air as Sakura dangled the feather inches away from Rider’s feet, waving it back and forth like a pendulum over the tops of her toes. The fear she saw brimming in Rider’s eyes made her giggle. She could’ve spent the whole day teasing her but, as much as we wanted to, she was tired of waiting for the tickling as much as Rider was of dreading it.

Feeling she made her worry long enough, Sakura brought the feather down and swiped it across the base of her toes. Rider flinched immediately, flexing her toes as she stifled a grunt. Humming quietly to herself, Sakura began wiggling the feather up and down her feet. She brushed lightly back and forth with slow, wavy movements down to Rider’s heels before circling around to brush back up her arches. Rider’s breath grew short and shaky as she began squirming weakly in her bonds. Her feet curled inward slightly whenever the feather gazed up the sides and fluttered against the balls. She would lean back and bite down on her lips, forcing down a moan, as Sakura dipped the feather between her insteps, brushing it up and down against the space between her feet to make sure Rider could feel every movement.

Sakura dragged the feather up the side of Rider’s right foot before pulling away from the base of her pinky toe. Rider took a heaving breath and watched Sakura hold the feather over the top of her toes, following it as it swayed back and forth with a nervous gaze. Being a tease, Sakura would dip the feather down slightly only to pull it back, giggling to herself as she watched Rider’s feet flinch back and heard her breath catch in her throat. After a moment passed, Sakura finally swished the feather across the pads of her toes. Immediately, Rider forced down a yelped and her feet began squirming weakly against the toe tie. Her toes flickered and flexed as Sakura brushed the feather back and forth against the stems, going slower and slower with every trip.

“You shouldn’t hold it in like that, Rider~” Sakura cooed.

Regardless of Sakura’s teasing, Rider held in her laughter despite the shuddering grin she felt creeping across her face––she held it in despite every fiber in her body wanting her to erupt. No matter how much she wriggled, the shadow held her and her feet firm. Her toes curling away in a desperate attempt to flee from the feather’s fluffy fluttering was all too tempting for Sakura.

Just as Rider though it couldn’t get worse, a new sensation shot through her nerves and she squealed. Sakura finally dipped the feather between her toes, twirling it around to make sure every inch of that space was tended to. She lingered in that spot for only a few seconds, but every second felt like agony to Rider. When she was satisfied with her teasing, she weaved the feather under one toe before dipping in to tickle between the next two. It was agony––pure, unadulterated, ticklish agony that ate away at Rider’s defenses. After what felt like hours, Rider snorted before finally bursting into chuckles. Her laughter was music to Sakura’s ears––deep and melodious like a lullaby you’d sing to a restless infant.

“There it is~” Sakura said, sliding the feather across the base of Rider’s toes before looping over to tickle her right toes.

Rider’s head leaned back as wave after wave of laughter flowed through her. She could feel the feather’s veins teasing the gaps as it twirled between Sakura’s fingers. Sakura would occasionally slip the feather out from her toes and proceed to saw the feather back and forth against the stems, sending ticklish shockwaves through Rider’s body. Sakura wielded the feather with grace and used it with an unrelenting precision, probing every inch of Rider’s toes to leave the bound girl squirming breathlessly.
As she felt the feather finally leave her toes, time seemed to finally move forward for Rider. She slumped back and took a few, shaky deep breaths, letting out a few stray giggles as she did. She rubbed her heels together and splayed out her toes as far as they could go without setting off the shadow. She let out a quick stutter as she felt fingers pressing into her arches. Sakura rubbed the gorgon’s wriggling feet, kneading her fingers into the tender bits of her arches, as she listened to Rider steadying her breath. Despite the tension leaving her body, Rider couldn’t help but feel nervous as she noticed her Master’s fingers lingering over her feet. She knew another strike could happen at any time––

No sooner had that thought popped into Rider’s head before she let out a yelp and was thrust back into chuckling fits. Knowing her massage lowered her guard, Sakura took the opportunity and began scribbling her fingers against Rider’s feet. They shuddered against her touch, tugging at the toe tie weakly only for the shadow to pull them back. She crawled her fingers rapidly up and down the sides of her feet, making Rider splutter and squirm in the blanket. The gorgon laughed and rocked back and forth helplessly, trying to worm her way out from Sakura’s legs to no avail as she pressed her legs down against her ankles.

“Where are you going?” Sakura asked, letting her nails fiddle around the bottom of Rider’s arches. “I’m almost done.”

“S-Sakurahahaha! Plehehease!” Rider begged.

But her words fell on deaf words. Sakura stroked her fingers over every inch of the gorgon’s feet like she was strumming a guitar as Rider’s laughter echoed throughout the room, threatening to escape through the window. She marched her fingers up Rider’s balls and proceeded to scribbling them around her toes, fondling each one to see which was the most ticklish. Her ring toes won out and earned themselves a playful tickling as Sakura pinched and wiggled them much to Rider’s shrill pleas.

Sakura ceased her assault and Rider slumped back, taking in ragged breaths. She fished through the bag, being sure not to jumble everything, and carefully pulled out a pen. It was a strange-looking pen––its body was round and a little bulky in the back like a little missile with a rubber grip across the middle and a smooth bronze cap at the top with a dull-pointed tip. She pressed the tip of the pen against the ball of her palm and clicked the back. Immediately, the tip vibrated against her skin and she felt a faint tingling in her palm that slowly radiated outside into her arm. As she clicked the pen again, the vibrations intensified and she giggled slightly. She tested it again to see how high it went––the highest the pen could go was six before resetting.

Sakura took one last look at Rider’s feet. Their once faint blush had deepened with light scratch marks scattered along her tender flesh. Her rosy toes squirmed weakly, spreading out slightly before immediately curling in as if the chill from outside was tickling her. Looking up further, Rider’s face was about as red as her soles were. Faint tear streaks ran down her cheeks, her bangs were frazzled slightly, and her hair looked like it was knotting. She looked completely and utterly ravaged.

Rider looked down and her eyes widened at the sight of the pen. “Wh-What’s that…?”

“Relax––it’s just a massage pen,” Sakura answered. “I bought it from the makeup store last week, remember?”

[Massage…pen…?] Rider thought, still trying to steady her breathing.

“It’s supposed to help relieve specific tensions points all over the body. I’m surprised I haven’t used it yet…”

Sakura’s words lingered in the air for a moment before Rider noticed a playful smirk creep across her Master’s face. Rider’s eyes widened as the realization swept over her.

“I think now would be the perfect time to test it, don’t you?” Sakura asked.

“N-No…” Rider muttered, gulping down a shaky breath.

Sakura dangled the pen between two fingers. “Don’t be like that, Rider. It’s not going to hurt you.”

“S-Sakura please––!”

“But…” Sakura trailed on, pressing the back of the pen against her lips and giggling. “…it might tickle a little bit~”

Rider’s words caught in her throat along with her breath as Sakura triple-clicked the pen and brought it closer to her soles. No matter how desperately she struggled, Sakura and the shadow refused to budge. To say she was terrified of her own helplessness would be an understatement. As soon as she felt the pen press against her right heel, the dams began to leak.

Sakura glided the pen tip along her foot with long, slow movements that made Rider splutter and burst into fits of laughter. She traced circles on her trembling heel that slowly spiraled outward, dragged the pen up and down the side of her foot before circling under her arch to repeat the process at her instep, scribbled back and forth on the blushing ball before flicking up to trace under the pads of her toes. All of this made the gorgon rattle in her blanketed body, throw her head back and forth, and mutter rapid-fire pleas amidst her wheezing and incoherent laughter. Sakura pulled the pen back, letting it vibrate inches away from Rider’s foot as she moved it back and forth across it, scanning the foot like a prospector looking for gold.

“It has to be here somewhere…” Sakura muttered, reaching up to the base of Rider’s arch.

The gorgon winced and squeezed her eyes shut. She chortled slightly through her teeth as she clenched her toes as tight as she could, though that made little difference. Sakura wielded the pen with such focus that it cut through what little wrinkles Rider could make like butter. From the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow’s ribbons emerge again, lingering behind her curled toes––waiting for the opportunity to ensnare them.

“Maybe…up…” Sakura mumbled, holding Rider’s foot steady as the pen tip traveled up the middle of her arch.

Rider let out a whimpering giggle as she rolled her shoulders back. Her breath became short and panicked the further up her arch Sakura traveled, until…

“…here!” Sakura said, sinking the pen’s tip into a tender spot in the center of Rider’s arch.

At that moment, all sense of restraint was lost on Rider.

“GYAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!” Rider shrieked as her eyes popped open and her toes shot up in a spasm.

Realizing she couldn’t curl her toes in fast enough, Rider yelped as the shadows lunged forward and wrapped themselves around the rest of her right toes. With her right foot immobilized, the shadow began pulling it back until the sole was nice and taut.

“I was trying to keep you still,” Sakura said, “but your toes wouldn’t stop wiggling.”

“S-Sakura!!” Rider stammered, fidgeting against the blanket. “P-Please don’t––!!”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” Sakura cooed. “Now, let’s see what we can do about all this tension~”

Rider watched in silent, abject horror as Sakura clicked the pen to its maximum setting and slowly, ever-so-gently pressed the tip against the spot. She exploded immediately, throwing her head back as she screamed in manic, ticklish laughter.

“STAAHAHAHAHAHAAP!!” she wailed. “NAAHAHAHAHAT THEEHEHEHERE!!”

Rider could feel her thoughts unraveling by the second as the sounds of Sakura’s humming and the pen’s faint, droning buzz mixed and seemed to overshadow her piercing shrieks and guffaws. Her left toes jolted and flexed at random, struggling to free her from the shadows binding her toes. Sakura did everything she could to torture that spot––

With her index finger, she held the pen in place and let the tip ravage the spot, sending shockwave after explosive shockwave of sensations rattling through Rider’s body. She’d comment that she wasn’t moving it, but the screaming gorgon’s fraying nerves argued otherwise. Her taut, reddening foot jerked helplessly against the pen tip and her toes curled against the shadow helplessly to alleviate some of the tickling––any of the tickling, if she could.

Sometimes, Sakura would click the pen off. For a moment, Rider fell silent, hoping that that her torment was finally over only to suddenly feel the pen click on again and find herself immediately thrown back into the void of hysterical laughter. It was a gradual process as Sakura left the pen on at a certain setting for an ungodly length of time (at least from Rider’s perspective) before clicking the pen again, increasing the vibration. With every passing threshold, her shrieks and cries rose in octaves. The fact she could feel her nerve endings cluster together and converge toward the spot as the pen tip continued teasing her didn’t help in the slightest.

She twirled the pen between her fingers, forcing the tip to swivel in its place. Like a leaf enslaved to the winds, Rider’s body shuddered and shook in the blanket as she erupted further into panicked, guttural guffaws. She didn’t even bother to try breathing at this point, resigning herself to long streams of breathless laughter as her left toes spasmed and wriggled with bouts of newfound energy whenever Sakura pressed the swiveling tip in, making sure Rider could feel it moving ever so slightly deep into the flesh of her sole.

“I read somewhere that there’s a certain spot on the foot you can press that relieves all the tension in your body,” Sakura commented. “Can’t you just feel the relief just wash over you, Rider~?”

At this rate, Rider could barely hear Sakura over her own hysterics. She strained against the shadow to sit up, but her strength wasn’t as monstrous as it was before. In the back of her mind, beyond her thoughts that had been left in shambles, she wished she was never summoned into the Fifth Grail War at all.

Minutes stretched into hours as the tickling persisted. If she weren’t a familiar, Rider swore she would’ve died if it continued.

***​

Like a hero swooping in to save the kingdom, salvation finally came for poor Rider. After what felt like hours, Sakura finally relented and switched the pen off. The center of her arch glistened like a blood-red ruby in the middle of a cherry-blushed ocean that was her sole.

“There, all done~” Sakura chimed.

Rider was unresponsive. Her eyelids drooped over her teary, half-glazed eyes and her tongue hung out the side of her reddened face, lapping at the tears still lingering on her cheek.

Finally taking pity on her Servant, Sakura grabbed her taut foot and began kneading her thumbs into her arch, giving the spot extra focus. Rider squirmed inside the blanket as she moaned––she moaned with such bliss as she felt all the tingling in her foot wash away under Sakura’s dexterous fingers.

“This feels good, doesn’t it?” Sakura asked, rubbing the spot.

“Mmmm…Mmmm~” Rider half-whined, feeling the heat from her face slowly fade away.

“You’ve been holding that back for a while, haven’t you?”

Rider couldn’t deny it. She could feel the strain in her nerves melt away as Sakura rubbed out the last of the tingling from her foot.

Rider slumped on the floor with heaving breaths before looking up to see Rider smiling at her.

“Did you like it?”

Rider was silent for a moment, thinking through her words carefully, before finally answering with a small, tired smile on her face. “I-I…guess I did.”

“I’m glad,” Sakura said, beaming.

Rider looked up at the ceiling, trying to regain her thoughts. [Is it…is it over…?]

“Hmmm…” Sakura muttered, looking over at her bag again.

Rider’s thoughts screeched to a halt at the sound of Sakura looking through her bag again. Reluctantly, she craned her neck up again.

“…S-Sakura…?” she asked with a mutter.

“That’s strange…” Sakura said, fishing something from the bag. “What’s this doing here?”

Rider’s blood ran ice cold. In Sakura’s hand…was a second massage pen.

“W-Wait…” Rider said, her panic slowly building. “Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!”

“I must’ve bought a second one by accident,” Sakura concluded, ignoring Rider’s pleads. “And…I was so busy with your right foot that I completely forgot about the left one.”

“Sakura!” Rider stuttered with newfound desperation. “P-Please! Just let me go and we can-mmph?!”

“You need to calm down, Rider,” Sakura said, placing a finger against her lip in a pantomime to keep quiet. “You were pretty loud last time, so I’m just making sure you don’t cause a noise complaint.”

Rider could barely speak as a shadow curled across her face and wrapped itself snuggly around her mouth, silencing her. She struggled in her bonds once more but, in her desperation to free herself, she failed to notice the shadows forming near her right foot. She scrunched her toes only for the shadows to force their way between them. She let out a terrified, muffled shriek as the shadows coiled around her clenched left toes and tugged them back, leaving both her feet taut and immobile.

“You look like you’re getting tense again,” Sakura said, clicking both pens to their max settings. “Don’t worry––I’ll take care of that.”

Rider’s struggling ceased as she recognized the futility in it. She was bound, gagged, and utterly at the mercy of her Master. And there was nothing she could do about it except watch with teary, fearful eyes as the massage pens slowly descended toward her quivering arches.

***​

Heya, Tickle Media. Hope you don't mind a newcomer. I just started writing ticklefics on DeviantArt and got a comment on my first story that pointed me over to Tickle Media to earn more of an audience and hone my writing. I sat on it for a while and decided to follow through.

So, here it is--a Fate/Stay night piece featuring Sakura and Rider. Most of the time, most Fate-related tickle works are either about Saber or Rin, so I decided to do something different. My girl Rider needs some love.

This is the original version of the story. For anyone that wants to read the revised, softer version--check it out on my DeviantArt page

Hope you like it!

 

[Crowns-n-Quills]

Feel free to leave comments and critiques.

I'm always looking to improve my writing.