Chapter 9: Hating, Loving, and Hugging a Woman on Someone's Birthday – Part 2

Naru looked up suddenly, feeling somebody mount her from behind as she was sitting down at her table with her studies. He rested the front of his body completely against her back, and twined his light-brown legs across her stomach, with his thighs squeezing her slightly. After crossing his forearms softly under Naru's neck, he slowly moved his hands down in front of her in the air.

"Ummm…" she said uncertainly, "oookay."

"No," Mitsune exclaimed, standing behind Naru and the boy, "it's not." The boy gasped as he felt his fellow resident jab him in the ribs, causing him to jump up and raise his arms involuntarily. Mitsune quickly hooked his arms under Kaoru's armpits and pulled him off of Naru.

"Mitsune," he whined. Mitsune plopped him onto the floor, a few feet away from the table, and sat next to him.

"Guys, you don't have to be here," Naru assured. "In fact, I don't want you guys to be here – it's my room."

"I'm just providing refreshments," Shinobu said. He was sitting down next to her with a tray of riceballs and cups of water. "Riceball?"

"Could I have one?" Keitaro asked, putting down his pencil.

"Sure." He gave him a riceball, along with a napkin.

"Thanks," Keitaro replied, taking a bite before using the napkin to rest it on the table.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Kaoru pouted to Mitsune.

"You can't touch her."

"Makoto said that I could."

"Look, don't listen to Makoto; I keep telling you to stop hanging around with him."

"Why? He's such a nice person."

"No, he isn't. He's really messed up."

"Really? That's what he says about you."

"Don't fall for his mind games."

"Could you keep it down?" Keitaro asked, a little annoyed. "We're trying to study."

"Yeah, right," Mitsune muttered under his breath. "You just want to get into her pants." Wanting to respect Keitaro's wishes, Kaoru leaned closer to Mitsune.

"There're no mind games," he whispered into his ear. "I love Makoto." Mitsune grimaced upon hearing this.

"I love touching him," he continued to whisper. "When I hug him, ride on his back, sleep with him-"

"Okay," Mitsune interrupted, "just to be clear, you don't actually…sleep with him, right?"

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked innocently.

"Never mind."

"Remember when I slept with you?" Kaoru asked, recalling when Mitsune had to take care of him. He remembered how they snuggled together in Mitsune's futon, avoiding that chilly winter night. "It was just like that."

"Hey!" Mitsune whispered fiercely. "I told you to never bring that up. Never!"

"Why? You seemed so happy when we held hands while we slept."

"No! I was not happy! I was sad! Very sad!" Kaoru shrugged.

"Well, anyway, the hugging and sleeping, I love doing that, and I do it all the time with Makoto. Since he's gone, I want to do it with Naru. And he said that I could."

"Let's just stop here," Naru said to Keitaro. Shinobu's eyes lit up in anticipation as Naru left her pencil inside her notebook and closed it. She put the notebook inside her workbook, and closed that as well.

"All right," Keitaro supposed, dropping his pencil and eating the rest of his riceball.

"Should we go to the movies now?" Shinobu asked.

"Yeah," she replied, leaning back to stretch her arms. He blushed, glancing at her chest as she curved backwards.

"Great!" Kaoru exclaimed. Surprised, everyone looked on as Kaoru scooted to the table on his hands and bottom. "What are we going to watch?"

-An hour later…-

Although the sun was out clearly in the morning, clouds started to pass overhead as it got closer to the afternoon. Near the center of town about thirty minutes away on foot was the movie theater, which was relatively well-packed this weekend. People glanced at the framed movie posters lining the outside of the theater before entering through either of the double doors, to the left or right of the ticket booth. Ticket machines were also fitted into the narrow walls right next to the entrances, just before the walls of posters jutted out along the sidewalk.

"How about this?" Shinobu asked, stopping in front of one poster. It showed a blonde high school cheerleader sitting next to a brown-haired nerd with glasses in a classroom. The cheerleader and nerd ignored each other, looking straight ahead. However, under their desks, the nerd rested a hand on the cheerleader's thigh. The cheerleader seemed fine with this, as she had her hand resting on his hand. Gazing upon the poster, Naru frowned.

"You want to watch this?" she asked, with a hint of displeasure.

"Yeah," he replied. "I do."

"That's boring," Kaoru whined, tugging down on Naru's hand and bringing her down to his face.

"Boring?" Shinobu echoed. "It looks interesting to me."

"I don't know," she murmured, giving the poster another frown. "It kind of looks stupid to me." Shinobu frowned with disappointment.

"Then, let's watch this!" Kaoru exclaimed. He made an iron grasp on Naru's hand, and dragged her a couple posters down, further away from the theater. This poster showed a grizzled-looking convict in an orange jumpsuit, fending off an enormous crowd of zombies with an assault rifle.

Naru lurched over and sighed. "No. That looks stupid, too. …If not stupider."

"What do you want to watch, then?" Shinobu asked. She shrugged as she glanced indifferently over the posters.

"I don't know," she replied, putting her hands into her pockets. Turning to the entrance, Naru began walking. "Let's just watch what Shinobu wants to watch."

"Bleh."

"Come on, Kaoru," Shinobu chided him. "This is my date, not yours."

"Well…" Naru began, walking up to the end of the line to the ticket booth, "I don't know if I'd call this a date." Upon hearing this, Shinobu gaped at her in shock.

I knew it…he thought sadly to himself, standing behind her in line.

Meanwhile, around the same block, Mitsune peeked around the corner to look at his fellow residents purchase movie tickets. "They're buying their tickets now."

"What are you doing?" Keitaro asked, waiting impatiently beside him. "Are you spying on them?"

"Maybe…"

"Why?"

Mitsune shrugged and brought binoculars up to his eyes for a better view. "I don't know. It just bothers me that Naru is going out with Shinobu and Kaoru. I mean, why doesn't she want to go out with us? We're older and cooler than those pipsqueaks, am I right?"

"First of all, she's just with Shinobu, not Kaoru; Kaoru is just latching onto his new playmate while Makoto's gone. Second, it's not like it's a date or anything. Shinobu and Kaoru are too young. They're just finding something to do for the weekend." Keitaro looked around at the cars and people passing by, before leaning over and looking at him. Noticing his binoculars, he narrowed his eyes. "You have binoculars?"

"No," he replied, "but your aunt does."

"Oh." Keitaro looked down the sidewalk to the movie theater entrance, and saw their fellow residents going inside. "Well, there they go." Mitsune lowered his binoculars. "Can we go watch something now?"

"Okay, thanks," Mitsune said, putting a hand to his ear and walking towards the theater entrance. "I know what they're watching." Keitaro followed.

"What?" Keitaro asked, with a confused look on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I know what movie they're going to watch," he replied. Keitaro realized he was talking about their fellow residents as Mitsune gestured to the ticket booth.

"How?"

"Kaoru," he replied, pointing to his own ear. Looking closely at it, Keitaro noticed an earpiece. "He's a double agent."

"Okay…" Keitaro looked up at the movie times as he and Mitsune lined up at the ticket booth. "So, what do you want to watch?" In response, Mitsune gave him a confused look.

"We're going to be watching the same thing that they're watching."

-Inside the movie theater…-

"Aaand I want those," Kaoru exclaimed, pointing at a yellow box of chocolate candy sitting behind the glass counter.

"I'm sorry," Naru cut in, taking him away from the concessions worker with Shinobu's help. "Excuse me."

"Look, Kaoru," Shinobu said, "we have plenty of food back home, so we shouldn't waste money here."

"But…popcorn…" Kaoru started to mope, swinging his arms back and forth.

"I'm sure that Shinobu can make much better popcorn," Naru remarked. "Besides, he could probably make whatever you wanted."

Kaoru sighed. "Fine."

"All right," Naru said, glad to avoid any inconveniences. Her hand, now very sweaty from Kaoru's death grip, pulled Kaoru along as Shinobu walked beside her. "Let's go to Theater Five." They headed deeper inside the movie theater, turning their backs to the entrance. A moment later, Mitsune and Keitaro opened the door and went through. Peering into the small crowd of people entering and exiting theaters, they were easily able to spot Naru, Shinobu, and Kaoru by her flowing amber-brown hair.

"We've got…twenty minutes left," Mitsune noted, looking at the lobby clock and his ticket, "so let's follow them in without being seen."

"Sure," Keitaro replied without feeling, tagging along as Mitsune hurried quietly behind them.

"Theater Five," Naru said out loud, seeing the said numeral planted on the wall next to the closed theater door. Unbeknownst to them, Mitsune and Keitaro followed a few feet behind. It immediately became a little darker inside, with the usual movie theater lighting. They found it mostly empty, except for a couple people in the front middle row. "Where should we sit?"

"From the middle back," Shinobu responded. Led by Naru, they trekked up the stairs. She paused at the middle, trying to decide the row that they should sit in.

"Is this good?"

"Hmmm…let's go one more row back."

"Sure." With that, they walked up a couple more steps before walking into the aisle. Mitsune and Keitaro quickly tiptoed past them and settled into the very back row.

"Mission accomplished," Mitsune commented softly, resting back into his cushy theater seat.

"I can't believe that I'm going along with this," Keitaro muttered, sitting next to him. "Look, why are we doing this? Why would she care that she sees us?" In response, Mitsune paused for a moment or two before shrugging, which annoyed him greatly.

"Hey! Guys!" Keitaro suddenly exclaimed. Horrified, Mitsune tried to muffle Keitaro's mouth, but it was too late. Shinobu turned around in his seat and saw them, giving them a strange look.

"Oh, hey. When did you get here?" Confused, he looked around the theater aisles and wondered how the two of them got in without their knowledge. "And how did you get here without us seeing you?" By now, Naru and Kaoru had turned around as well. She gave Mitsune a steely look, wary of his actions.

"Maybe…you should get your eyes checked," Mitsune remarked. "Heck, I don't blame you for missing us; it's pretty dark in here."

"…Right," Naru said skeptically, narrowing her eyes. "Anyway, what are you guys doing, sitting back there? Come sit with us."

"It's okay. We like sitting in the back-"

"Aw, come on," Keitaro interrupted Mitsune. "It'd be rude to not join our fellow residents." Looking helpless, Mitsune glanced at Keitaro before gazing at Naru, Shinobu, and Kaoru. He sighed as Keitaro got up from his seat and left the back row.

"Damn it," Mitsune muttered to himself. He looked dejectedly at the movie trivia on screen and got up to join the others.

-Meanwhile…-

At the tea shop, Haruka took the chair out of her small office and rested it behind the counter, while holding a lit cigarette between her lips. She took the newspaper to her chair, when she noticed something out of place on her counter. Looking closer at the countertop, Haruka saw that her ashtray was gone from its usual place next to the cash register. It was replaced by another ashtray, which was shiny, metal, and silver. It also had a black dot on one of its edges, and a piece of paper under it. Exhaling some smoke, she took the paper and turned it over:

Sorry about last night. Hope you like the new ashtray. – Kaoru

Haruka sighed, putting the note down onto the countertop. Where is my ashtray? she asked herself. Shaking her head in dismay, she rested Kaoru's ashtray on one of the wide armrests of her chair before sitting down with her newspaper and crossing her legs. Next, Haruka took the cigarette from her mouth with her right hand, and fished out her cell phone from her apron pocket with her left. She flipped the cell open, went to her digital phonebook, and called Kaoru.

-At the movie theater…-

Kaoru glanced furtively to his left and right, before reaching into his shirt to pull out a banana.

"Got another one?" Mitsune asked, sitting between Keitaro and Shinobu. Naru sat to Shinobu's right, while Kaoru was to Naru's right.

"Yup." Kaoru started to rear back, as if he was throwing a baseball.

"Oh, don't throw it," Mitsune whined, causing Kaoru to stop. "Just pass it along." Frowning, Kaoru did as he was told, handing it to Naru as she gave him a strange look. He went into his shirt to get another banana, when his cell started to vibrate. Kaoru reached into his pants pocket and brought out his cell. The display said "Tea Party." He slid part of his cell and brought it to his ear to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Kaoru, where's my ashtray?"

"Your ashtray? I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Haruka asked. She puffed on her cigarette once more, with her newspaper resting on her lap. "You're the one who replaced it."

"How do you like it? I think it looks nice and modern, very sleek and state-of-the-art."

"I don't care about that." Looking indifferent, as usual, Haruka glanced at Kaoru's ashtray and brought the cigarette above it to tap out some ash. "I just want my old ashtray back." When her finger tapped down on the cigarette and the ash fell into the ashtray, the ashtray's black dot turned red as it emitted a red light.

What the…Haruka thought, peering at the ashtray. Suddenly, it hissed, sending a plume of wet spray into the air above. Surprised, she jerked back from the spray and arched her eyebrows.

"Oh, now I remember!" Kaoru exclaimed while gripping his banana. "I put it in your desk, in one of your drawers."

"Okay." Haruka sniffed. "Kaoru…"

"Yeah?"

"Your ashtray just sprayed me with something that smells like bananas."

"Does it smell good?"

"…Yeah, I guess."

"Good, it's a new invention of mine."

"Oh, really? What does it do?"

"It's just an ashtray that releases a mist into the air, whenever you drop ash into the ashtray. The mist works as an air freshener, as well as an aphrodisiac."

Haruka was about to comment on how it wasn't such a bad idea, when she heard the last word that he said. "…Aphrodisiac? You mean, like a love potion?" For a moment or two, she could only hear slight static on the other line.

"…Ummm, I didn't say that," he replied, in a dishonest tone.

"Kaoru," Haruka said sternly, "did I just inhale an aphrodisiac?"

"...You might have." Getting aggravated, she sighed.

"How strong is it?"

"Oh, you know me. I just want to make you happy-"

"Kaoru," Naru whispered, noticing that the lights were getting dimmer. "The trailers are about to start."

"Sorry, Haruka, but I have to go. The movie's about to start."

"You're at the movies? With Keitaro and the others?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, how strong is the aphrodisiac?"

"Very strong. Bye." Kaoru slid his cell back into its original state, and back into his pocket. Thinking about Haruka, he couldn't help but smile mischievously.

If I got the formula down correctly, this would be so great for Haruka! With my air-freshening and body-arousing ashtray spray, she'll smell better and guys will actually want to go into her shop, whether it's for business or pleasure. Plus, she'll actually be attracted to them!

-At the tea shop…-

A little shell-shocked, Haruka slowly flipped her cell closed and stared at it. "Fuck," she finally breathed out, looking out at the tea shop entrance. Fearing for her sexual life, she quickly slipped her cell back into her apron pocket and reached her hand over to the ashtray to put out her cigarette, when she remembered what Kaoru said about her invention. Getting up from the chair, Haruka flipped the newspaper onto the counter and gingerly picked up the ashtray, putting it next to the cash register. She let go of her cigarette, dropping it to the floor before putting it out with her foot. With a brisk pace, she walked around the tables to get to the entrance. Haruka slid one door closed, and went to slide the other one, when she heard a strange sound, like a bird cawing.

Looking up, she widened her eyes as a large and majestic-looking bird flew straight at her from outside. "What the fuck?" she muttered, backing away from the door opening. The golden bird, with its swan-like neck, flew inside the tea shop and fluttered to rest on top of a large shelf behind the counter.

"Magic?" a voice called out, from just outside the entrance. Haruka turned around to see another woman standing at the doors. The woman had long black hair, and bangs which covered her forehead. Her hands gripping each door, she wore traditional Japanese clothing, with her white kimono and dark blue hakama. She had a pale-white complexion, yet she seemed strong and her skin had a healthy glow to it. The woman smiled, seeing the bird inside the tea shop. "There you are." She walked inside, past the tables and up to the counter. Raising her arm, the woman was able to get the bird to flutter down and perch on her shoulder. Haruka frowned at the whole thing, not wanting this to happen. "I'm so sorry about that. Sometimes, Magic gets curious and swoops into places that she likes."

Oh no, Haruka thought, starting to feel a sexual desire building up inside herself. She's hot.

"It's okay, but I'm afraid that you have to leave now." The woman gave Haruka a puzzled smirk.

"Why's that?"

"I've decided to close shop for the day," Haruka replied agitatedly. Continuing her puzzled look, the stranger walked casually around the tables to get closer to Haruka.

"Kind of early, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…something came up." Getting closer, the woman glanced outside and saw that it was getting a little sunnier, as the clouds broke slightly. She eventually came to a stop in front of Haruka, next to the doors.

"Like what?"

"Ummm…" As Haruka looked into her brown eyes, she couldn't help but notice the woman's beauty. The woman's eyes were sharp and piercing, her nose protruding with a soft point, and her lips were pink. Haruka now noticed that the woman's lips were glistening, as the woman had just licked them sensually.

I think she's attracted to me, the woman thought to herself, curiously sizing up Haruka's body. She looks kind of cute, with her short hair. She also looks a little bored, though. Imagining Haruka's face with an orgasmic expression on it, the woman slowly smirked in a mischievous manner towards Haruka. I think I should change that bored expression of hers…

"…I just think that there might be something wrong with me today," Haruka blurted out.

"Shoo, Magic," the woman said softly, turning her head to the bird without looking away from Haruka's eyes. As commanded, the bird flew away, back to the shelf it landed on previously. Haruka looked back at the woman, and saw her shaking her head softly. "What do you mean?" she asked, giving a warm smile. "You look beautiful to me." Haruka blushed and scoffed nervously.

"That's not what I mean." As the woman arched her eyebrows in concern, she stepped closer to Haruka. They were now only separated by a foot of space. Still blushing, Haruka stepped back a little bit. However, to her dismay, she walked straight back into a wall, leaving her nowhere to go. Haruka glanced back at the wall anxiously before looking back at the woman.

"What's your name?" the woman asked.

"…Haruka," she blurted out nervously, looking at the strange wrappings that covered the woman's chest behind her kimono.

"That's a beautiful name," the woman remarked, casually reaching behind Haruka's back to undo her tied apron lace.

"W-What are you doing?" By trying to undo her apron, she had to lean even closer to Haruka, with their faces a couple of inches apart.

"I'm just undoing your apron…." Untying the lace, the woman finally tilted her neck and pressed her lips together with Haruka's. Haruka parted her lips in shock as the woman leaned in for a kiss. The woman expertly explored the inside of Haruka's mouth, causing Haruka to close her eyes blissfully. She stopped a few moments later, and removed her lips from Haruka's. "My name's Tsuruko."

"I…" Haruka stammered, blushing, "I think your name's beautiful, too." Tsuruko smiled warmly again.

"Thanks." Looking down at Haruka's apron, Tsuruko started to lift it above her head. "Watch your head." Haruka shut her eyes as the apron's neck hole passed up over her face.

"Anyway," Haruka began, "a few minutes ago…" Sighing, she looked over at the counter. "This is going to sound strange, but I accidently and unknowingly inhaled an aphrodisiac." Tsuruko dropped the apron to the floor, and went to work on Haruka's t-shirt, lifting it off her body as well.

"Right," Tsuruko said, not believing Haruka's words. She reached behind Haruka and unclasped the bra.

"Wait," Haruka suddenly exclaimed. Tsuruko stopped immediately, and watched as Haruka walked past her to the door. Her unclasped bra still clinging to her breasts, Haruka walked in front of one of her doors, where an "Open" sign hung on a nail. She promptly flipped the sign over, walked back inside the tea shop, and finished sliding the doors closed. Finally, Haruka switched the door lock on, on the side of the door handle.