***Content Warning: Spicy Bits Ahead***

Chapter 12

In the days that followed, while Ukyo and Eduard were at work, Shintaro would stop by to visit when he didn't have class to break up the monotony. He'd bring her one of Ritsu's tabloids, then discuss the articles over tea and soba noodles or miso soup, or they'd talk over cleaning and caring for their weapons. She suspected he was doing this as penance for 'allowing' her to be hurt, but it was nice to have the company and she hoped she could help him be more comfortable around women. At least in theory.

The moment Wakasa signed off on allowing her out of bed, Ukyo and Ed took her out to celebrate. It felt so good to have the sun warm on her face and to wear something besides her nightclothes. First stop after stepping outside was the teahouse. Those sweet bean dumplings were calling her name like nothing else.

As they took a spot over in the corner, she was practically bouncing in her seat. "I'm starving."

Ed pouted as he lay a hand on her thigh under the table. "We fed you breakfast." In truth, breakfast had only happened after they'd managed to exhaust themselves with some early morning togetherness and may or may not have involved her and Ukyo eating pieces of fruit off Ed's chiseled stomach. At least her recent infirmity hadn't diminished their mutual desire for one another.

Her lips curled softly at the memory and she chuckled softly at Ukyo's suddenly flushed cheeks. "You did. Somehow I'm still hungry. I wonder what that's about?" She blinked innocently at the commissioner until his whole head was almost as red as his hair.

Haru came and took their order, happy to see them all and completely oblivious to their flirtations. The moment the cute little tea house maid stepped away from their table, Kitsune spied her new noodle buddy Shintaro sitting against the wall across the room. She was going to wave him over to join them when she saw the waitress approach his table to take his order.

"Curious," she mumbled as she closely observed the interaction between the two of them. His tentative smile, her blushing cheeks and soft giggle, his bashful body language. She'd spent a week with the man, long enough to have somewhat of a feel for his moods and thoughts, but those reactions needed none of those filters. Male interest required no translation at all.

"Kitsune? Are you okay?" Ed's worried voice broke through her thoughts as he took her hand. His other hand went to her forehead then down to her cheeks and neck. "Do you have a fever?"

"Is being out too much for you?" Ukyo was out of his seat and around the table, crowding into the space with her and Ed. "Kitsu, we can take you home. We'll carry you back if you want."

Focus now fully on the two large bodies smashing her between them, she held up a hand. "I'm fine, Ed. 'Kyo, I'm okay. I can't eat if you crush me. I promise, I'm fine."

"Oh, that looks like fun," Haru teased as she set down their orders. "Can I be next?"

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Kitsune giggled at Ed & Ukyo's stunned expressions. Though they hadn't discussed taking their situation public, she couldn't resist giving them a little more grief.

Finally, with a gentle nudge she had Kyo back on his side of the table while still smiling at Haru. "Ignore them. They always joke around like this." Ukyo's lips curled into a smirk but he didn't comment.

The waitress's eyes got big as she looked between the three of them. "I can't even imagine. It must have been difficult growing up in the same village as these two."

"After so long, I barely notice their shenanigans. I'm surprised they told you about that, though." When she looked to her companions, they seemed studiously interested in their bowls.

Haru shook her head and scoffed, "Everyone talks about everything eventually. Especially here at the tea house." A cook called out to her from the kitchen just then. "Excuse me, I have to go. Enjoy your lunch."

Ukyo watched the cute woman scurry to the back of the restaurant. "That was some fast footwork there," he noted lightly as he bit into his dumpling.

"Which wouldn't have been necessary if you two hadn't freaked out on me." She dove into her miso like it might save her life, or at least end this conversation.

No such luck, though, as Eduard continued, "We were worried about you, schatje. One minute we were talking, and the next, it was like you were gone."

Ukyo joined his friend in voicing his thoughts. "Are you really okay?"

Kitsune felt guilty as she took in their looks of love and concern. Even as her mind wandered across the room to the dojo master's table. "I'm fine, truly. I didn't mean to worry you."

And with that, the conversation and bantering returns to its normal level of mirth and frivolity, at least until they had to go back to work.

Rather than return to her room at the Meiko Salon, Kitsune opted to walk around in the sun and enjoy her afternoon. She could have sought out the other members of the Edo vigilante, but at that moment, she preferred to keep her own company as she pondered what she'd seen in the tea house.

Clearly Shintaro was attracted to women, but given how he'd behaved around her, she didn't know what to make of it. He was so sweet, genuinely a good and honest man, so his lack of a girlfriend was … unusual in her mind.

As if she was led by her thoughts, she found herself in front of a dojo not far from the harbor. At least, it sounded like a dojo from the sound of wooden bokken swords clashing and yelling. They were sounds from so long ago, young voices full of strength and vigor, untainted by battles except in the safety of the ring. Ducking inside, she quietly watched as Shintaro walk the youngsters through their sparring matches, correcting forms, offering encouragement. He was truly meant for this work, shepherding in the next generation of proud warriors.

The moment class ended, he immediately came over to where she was seated. "Miss Yoshimitsu, how good of you to stop by." He bowed politely to her, the formality of it making her blush. "What can I do for you?"

"A conversation, if you please. Are you done with class for the day?"

"I am." He smiled warmly at her and she nodded. It would be a little while for everyone to clear out of there, but at least he was amenable to a conversation. As to the topic, well… she hoped he would keep an open mind.

Shintaro took her through the dojo and out the back door which led to a small connected room. He left her for a moment while he cleaned up from training, giving her a moment to really take in this side of the master swordsman. 'Organized' would have been a sloppy description, with everything in its appropriate place and not even a dust mote to be found. While she waited, she examined the exquisitely carved antique tachi sword on a display on his wall. The curved wooden scabbard and hilt were ornamented with an intricate designs of a dragon and a dream-eating baku. It was in pristine condition and called to her fingers like nothing else.

"You can get it down, if you like," his deep voice offered, startling her a little with his quick return. He smiled when he saw her and went over to put on a kettle for some tea.

Kitsune took in his short and spiky wet hair and his grey comfy-looking yukata. He wasn't as intimidating as he was in his gi, but still very imposing. "Thank you." She carefully lifted the sword off the wall and hefted it, testing its weight in her hands, the ease of withdrawal from the scabbard. It was truly a work of art. Given that she was down to one arm, she did her best with the two-handed weapon with one hand-something she'd trained for but didn't prefer-before taking it in both hands and taking a stance. "This is amazing. I love it."

He brought the kettle over with some cups and set them on the table, taking a seat on a comfy-looking cushion next to it. "You know you can't start training until Dr. Wakasa says you are able," he pointed out to her as he poured tea for them. "I won't be responsible for you reopening your wound."

She couldn't help the pout that his words brought her. That wasn't the reason why she was here, but that reminder was definitely disheartening. She took a tentative two-hand swing and fought to keep it smooth and level. "I understand, but-"

Shintaro shook his head and gestured to the cushion across the table from him. "No 'buts'. Ukyo would be very upset with me if anything happened to you. Eduard, too. I cannot allow you to do anything that will set back your healing."

"Thank you, I appreciate that, but-" Even as she said the words, her injured arm began to hurt as she held her position. It was like a deep-seated betrayal.

He beckoned to her from the table, indicating with his eyes the location of the scabbard. "Come. Sit."

After one more defiant swing, Kitsune did as she was asked and put the sword away and back on the wall. His kind and understanding tone felt like an accusation. "Fine."

She narrowed her eyes at him and took a cushion, watching him in the context of his surroundings. He was a fastidious man, meticulous in every way, with a surprisingly kind streak, and more than a little compassion. Sipping her drink, she contemplated him, his situation, and how she could help him.

His voice broke into her thoughts. "I commend your warrior spirit and your desire to resume your previous training regimen, whatever that was, but I-"

"I appreciate your concern, truly," she acknowledged, cutting him off. Taking a deep breath and blowing out slowly, she decided to address her concerns head-on. "But I didn't come here to talk about training."

He cocked his head to the side as he considered her.. "Oh? I'm sorry. What conversation did you want to have then?"

"I came to ask you about Haru." She watched him carefully to see if she was right in wanting to proceed.

His eyes widened for a moment before his features became noticeably more neutral at the mention of the waitress's name even his movements became jerky and a bit awkward. "W-why would you want to talk about her? W-wi-with me of all people?"

It took a little movement on her part before she could snare his gaze again, and even then, it was a fight to get him to look at her. "You like her."

"Of course I do," Shintaro responded in an amusingly prim tone. "She's very courteous to her customers and her work ethic is beyond reproach."

Kitsune took him in and blinked a few times, ruthlessly keeping her inclination to fall into laughter in check. After a moment, she asked one question, "So her work ethic is what makes your ears red when you speak to her?" His wide amber eyes and slackened jaw only increased her urge to giggle but she held firm.

"How..? When…?" He started questions only to quickly abandon them and try again. Finally, he settled on one that was clearly filled with despair, "Does Ukyo know?"

She sighed. Her lover, the big lug, had a heart as big as the sky, but he couldn't help teasing those closest to him. Clearly Shintaro was not okay with that. "Just me," she answered honestly. "I noticed this afternoon at the teahouse. Have you told her?"

The dojo master squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his chin to his chest, looking utterly defeated. "Of course not," he replied morosely. "Are you kidding? She's the most beautiful woman in Nagasaki. More beautiful than the moon, more breathtaking than the sea." He took a deep breath, then his eyes snapped to her face in horror. "P-p-present company excluded."

"You're alright." He was so upset, her first instinct was to hug him, but that would have likely had the opposite effect. "I knew what you meant."

He frowned and threw his hands in the air before pushing to his feet. "See? I can't even do a simple compliment right. How am I supposed to talk to her if I can't manage that?" Stalking around his tiny room only seemed to rile him up further. "You're lucky."

"Oh? How so?"

"You have Ukyo, and nobody is more confident than he is. All the girls fall all over themselves to get his attention." All the color washed out of his face as he finished the sentence. "Not that I'm implying he's unfaithful or anything."

Now she did chuckle softly as she joined him on her feet. "I…" she took a deep breath and convinced herself it wouldn't break him if he knew the true situation between her and her men. "I'm seeing him and Eduard. Both. So our definition of 'unfaithful' is a bit…"she rolled her lips between her teeth as she searched for the word, "different than most people's."

All of Shintaro's frantic pacing stopped. In fact, all his movement stopped as he stared at her unabashed. He raised a finger, opening his mouth to speak, only to retract it and clam up. After he did that a couple times, he grimaced and paced away a couple steps only to come back to face her. "I don't even know what to think about that… What…? I… Both of them?"

Kitsune shrugged. "It's just a different situation." He frowned ferociously, growling as he retook his spot on the cushion. "What's wrong?"

"Ukyo and Ed manage to share the same beautiful woman and I can't even talk to one." He held his head in his hands as he lamented.

"Oh hon." She laid her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. The situation was worse than she'd imagined but surely there had to be a solution. "Is the problem just that you can't talk to her? Lots of men are awkward with women and can make it work."

"Awkward would be a step up," he scoffed. "Even if I could talk to her, I… well, I…" His cheeks and ears both turned red. "I don't have a lot of experience," he muttered, completely unable to look her in the face.

Okay, it was a lot worse than she'd feared. "Never even kissed-?" his golden gaze glared at her through narrowed lids, his cheeks an apple red that was rapidly overtaking his whole head. "Yeah. Nevermind." It was no wonder he had no confidence in himself in this arena. How had he gotten to this age without even a kiss? "You're into women, right? Was I just making assumptions?"

A low menacing growl came from his throat, right before he shoved to his feet and stomped out of the room. Kitsune followed him into the dojo where he just stopped in the center of the training area. He seemed larger in this space, like it was his domain and he was its king. She stared as his back as he stood with his hands on his hips.

"Women are soft, delicate," he started in a quiet voice that still carried well across the silent space. At her unintentional snort of amusement, he looked over his shoulder at her with a wry grin. "Most women are soft and delicate. They deserve to be cherished and cared for, protected."

"And you're not capable of that?" She sensed they were getting to the real reason he was uncomfortable around women in general, but Haru specifically.

"I'm a big clumsy oaf. I break things more often than not, even when I don't mean to. I could hurt someone." His voice broke on that last sentence and again, she wanted to reach out and hug him. "I have hurt people in the past-unintentionally. I would never forgive myself for hurting her."

"I honestly don't think you would." While she'd concede that the tea house waitress was petite, and Shintaro was a very big, strong guy, there was no reason to think they couldn't be happy together. The man was a master of the subtleties of the sword. There was no reason to think he couldn't also master interacting with women. Maybe he just needed someone to practice on… Even as she thought it, she couldn't just discount it out of hand. In fact, the longer she pondered it, the better the idea seemed.

"I don't want to risk it." His words sounded pale and heartbroken. "I'm not cut out for a relationship like you and Ukyo and Eduard have, or even you and Sir Toru. Even if I were, I'd probably just mess it up because I don't know any better."

With his head down and shoulders hunched, Shintaro reminded her of a beaten dog. The silence stretched out between them until she knew that her plan, at least the pieces of it she'd sussed out in her head, was likely the right course of action. Dangerous? Potentially, but it was the most likely thing to coax him out of his crippling shyness.

"What if…" her voice seemed unusually loud in the darkening dojo. The late afternoon shadows grew and filled the spaces in between them, reinforcing the kind of isolation she imagined he felt, wanting something so badly and completely unable to attain it. "What if I…" she sighed as she made up her mind. "What if I could help you?"

His shoulders shrugged once as he huffed out an ironic chuckle. "I don't see how."

"I have an idea. I need about a day to hammer out the details, but I think I can do this for you." The moment the words emerged from her lips, her mind immediately started churning over the possibilities.

He faced her now, gold eyes glittering in the twilight, suspicion coloring his features. "You're not planning on approaching Haru yourself, right?" Even as he interrogated her, she could hear the concern in his tone.

She shook her head immediately. "Of course not. That won't help you."

He exhaled sharply. "Thank you," he mumbled. "At least I don't have to worry about that." He stalked back toward his room and then turned around, stopping directly in front of her. "Are you sure you want to help me?"

Kitsune shrugged and looked to her feet. The hopeful notes in his voice were the first things to give her pause regarding her plans. Still, she already promised she'd help him. "Absolutely."

The door to the dojo slid open then and Saori stuck her head in. "There you are! Ukyo and Eduard have been looking everywhere for you!"

Saved by the apprentice! "Oh! I'm sorry. I'll head back now." She turned to Shintaro and gave him her most confident grin. "I'll be back in tomorrow afternoon, okay?"

The big man nodded solemnly. "Thank you." It was sooner than she had considered, but delaying would only serve to make him more anxious.

"Don't mention it."

Kitsune snuck out of her room and out of the salon early the following afternoon. It wasn't that she was ashamed of what she was doing, but the fewer questions anyone had for her, the better. Dressed as a man, she carried a bag on her good shoulder that contained her favorite kimono as well as some… teaching aids.

"This is insane," she muttered to herself as she walked over to the dojo. In her mind she could still see Shintaro's face, hear the heartbreak in his voice as he consigned himself to a life of solitude because he couldn't get past his shyness. She only hoped she was doing the right thing.

She stepped inside the dojo in time to see him training. Hard. The way he moved, it was like the air around him had personally wronged him and needed to pay for it. Taking a seat on the sidelines, she watched silently as he worked through his kata with incredible ferocity and focus.

The moment he finished, he sheathed his sword and came directly over to her. Apparently his focus hasn't been as all-encompassing as she'd first thought. "You came." He offered her a hand up to her feet, which she appreciated.

She nodded. "I promised I would."

His cheeks were flushed from the exertion of his exercising but seemed to take on a darker hue. "So you did." He looked at her strangely as she brought a bag with her and nothing else. "I was expecting books."

She chuckled quietly as she picked her satchel up off the floor. "This is more of a hands-on lesson," she remarked dryly. "Shall we begin?"

His cheeks flushed deep red, but he nodded. He escorted her to his room, then stepped out to clean himself up after his workout. She took the opportunity to change into her kimono and put away her more masculine attire. While she waited, she also broke out some of her teaching tools and set them up for later use.

The moment he returned, he froze in the doorway. No longer in his training gi, he looked comfy in his silver cotton yukata and smelled like fragrant olive flowers. "You… changed." There was no masking the apprehension in his features as he put his dirty clothes in the hamper and made sure she was in his line of sight at all times.

"I did. I figured there was no point in doing this if I were dressed as a man, because you aren't into guys, right?" She kept her eyes on his, willing him to relax. The wouldn't work if he were too freaked out to appreciate what she planned to do.

He shook his head and couldn't look her in the face. "I'm sorry. I'm really bad around-"

This time she gave into her urge and took him by the wrist, seizing all the words from his lips. "It's okay. You're fine. I promise this won't hurt and you'll be okay."

He swallowed nervously, his eyes wide and wary even as he nodded at her. "So… what do I need to do?"

"Breathe, relax, have a seat. In whatever order you'd like." If he was this wound up now, the lesson might be over before it truly begins. She dragged an especially fluffy cushion over next to his futon and gestured to him.

Stepping around her well out of arm's reach, he did as she asked, approaching the cushion and sitting cross-legged on it. "Okay, now what?"

Kitsune dropped her head back on a silent laugh. "It doesn't work quite like that." She took a seat on the floor in front of him and folded her hands in her lap. It was work getting him to make eye contact with her, but the moment his golden eyes met hers, she smiled. "Just so we're both on the same page, there are a couple rules."

His eyes grew wide in alarm and his complexion alternately paled and flushed. "R-r-rules? What are we going to do that requires rules?"

Closing her eyes, she sighed and held up a hand. "No, nothing bad, I promise. First rule is, this is all about you. Your comfort is paramount. So, if you have questions, need to stop, slow down, whatever, please tell me. Okay?" He nodded tentatively. "Great. Rule two, you're in control here. Nothing here happens without your say-so, okay?"

He nodded again, more confidently. "Okay."

"Excellent." She then rose to her feet and stepped lightly behind him to take up a position on her knees on the futon. When he turned to look at her, she soothed him with her hands on his shoulders and turned him back around. He was strung tighter than a bow. "We're just going to have a conversation for now, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, nodding stiffly and holding completely still under her hands.

"Okay." He was a big guy, there was no denying that, he easily dwarfed Ukyo and Ed, and having all that power at her fingertips was a heady temptation. Starting easy, she began by working her thumbs gently into the thick muscles of his shoulders, feeling them give a little as he exhaled a sigh. A good sign as far as she was concerned. "So tell me, have you always been a monk?"

He sat up straighter and tried to look back at her, but she just kept rubbing and massaging until he settled down again. "I'm not a monk, you're confusing me with Asagi."

Kitsune snorted. "Yeah, he's no monk either, trust me," she muttered and let her fingers roam over the deliciously muscular landscape of his shoulders and neck. Touching him was no hardship to her whatsoever. His skin was warm beneath the cotton fabric and it was difficult to confine her touch to just these places.

"Why would you ask me that?" His voice sounded a bit deeper, his breathing slower, and he seemed overall much more peaceful than when she'd initially arrived.

She shrugged but he couldn't see it. "This. This place. It's just you, very neat, self-contained. I'm just curious about you. Where are you from?"

"Iga Province, originally. I was a ninja for hire until the Nakagawa brothers saved my life. In return, I pledged my life to their service."

She sensed there was more to the story, but didn't want to pry. Iga ninjas were revered for their skills and swordsmanship. No wonder he was so gifted with his blade. "So that doesn't leave a whole lot of time for women, huh?" Kitsune knew if they were going to get to the point of this meeting, she'd need to prod them in the correct direction.

Shintaro flinched a bit at the direct question but didn't bolt, which she took as a sign of progress. "Not really." The silence between them was punctuated by his occasional sigh as his stiff shoulders warmed and melted under her skilled fingertips. On a final sigh, he said in a small voice, "I'm a giant compared to most men, not to mention someone as delicate as Haru… or you for that matter. I'm afraid that if I touch her, I'll shatter her into a million pieces with my big, clumsy paws. I would die if that happened."

"Ohh…" She felt her heart break as he quietly admitted what she'd suspected all along. Mindful of how he might react, she wrapped her arms around him from behind as best she could. and pressed her cheek to his back in a hug of support. He did stiffen back up for a moment, but it was short-lived as he pressed back against her warmth and covered one of her hands with his.

He stroked the back of her hand a couple times before sighing again and curling in on himself. "You probably think I'm weak now, right? I mean, you have Ukyo and Eduard, strong, confident men who know about women. What they want, how they feel, how to make them happy. I'm hopeless."

"No." Kitsune scurried around in front of him, amused to see that they were closer to the same height when she was on her knees and stretched up tall while he slouched. Taking his face in both her hands, she forcibly brought his forlorn gaze to hers. His normally golden eyes were dulled by the sadness she felt radiating off of him. "You are none of those things. You are not weak, not even close, and you could never, ever"-she emphasized the word with a slight shake-" be hopeless." Unable to bear the despair darkening his features, she did what she knew would take him right out of it.

Not giving him an opportunity to deny her, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him like her life depended upon it. She closed her eyes to allow her senses to take in the moment and commit it to memory, his quick gasp as they touched, his scent, the softness of the skin of his cheeks, his scar, the slight stubble of his jawline against her palms framing his face. Just as fast as she started, she pulled back, taking in his shocked face as his large, warm hands settled against her hips.

Somehow he'd grown during the kiss, now on his knees to match her position and towering over her. His skin, which had been warm to the touch as they kissed was now flame red and hot in a blush that stretched from beneath the collar of his yukata up to his hairline, with special congregations at his cheeks and ears. "I-I-I didn't expect…" he blinked a couple times and licked his lips before trying again, "I... Why?"

Well, he hadn't shoved her away, which she knew was a possibility, so she slid her hands from his face to his shoulders. "Because. You're a good man, with a kind heart, and I wanted to show you that you wouldn't break me."

His long fingers contracted slightly on round flesh of her ass as he closed his eyes and chuckled softly. "Well, you certainly did that. But Haru isn't a ninja, and what about Eduard? Ukyo?"

The concern for his friends was touching, if unwarranted. "Haru and I aren't that different physically. We mostly all come with the same standard parts more or less." She wriggled a little closer to him until her breasts flattened against his muscular chest, and while his head had questions, other parts of him were much more decisive in their interest. "And this isn't about Ukyo and Ed. This is about you." As much as she wanted to pull his sexy mouth down to hers again, the next step had to be his alone.

Molten gold eyes searched her face. "Again, why?"

She blinked up at him slowly, loving the way his eyes fell to her lips when she licked them. "You're a good man and you deserve to be happy. I wanted to help you." Feeling mischievous, she pulled him down close enough to brush her soft lips against the shell of his ear as she whispered, "And… I wanted to know what you tasted like."

He stilled as his fingers dug into her hips almost painfully. For a moment the room was silent but for their heartbeats, her hot breath in his ear, his on her neck till finally he leaned back a little to look her in the face. "We shouldn't." He was so close she could see the pulse pounding in the side of his neck as she twined her arms around it.

"Alright, if that's what you want." She moved to put some space between them, but he wouldn't release her from his grasp. His face was that of a man conflicted. Honestly, she considered it a win that he was able to speak to her while looking her in the eye, especially this close. She unwound her arms from his neck, wistfully slipping her hands down his extremely muscular arms.

"Your wound..." He ghosted a large hand delicately over her silk covered bicep, looking pained.

"I'm fine." She watched him carefully as he teetered on the edge of submission. "If you want to stop, you need to let go of me." She cheated a little bit as she wriggled in his arms until she had her back to him. His stiff cock nestled just above her ass, one hand on her hip as the other slipped up to spread out across her stomach.

With a ragged groan, he pulled her in by her hips, trapping her against him as his lips zeroed in on her neck. What he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm as he scraped his teeth against the spot just beneath her ear that had her moaning. She threaded her fingers through his short, spiky hair holding him in place as her body heated up under his attentions.

She gasped out his name as his hands began to trace her curves through the silk of her kimono. He definitely didn't move like a man with no experience. His touches remained chaste, though, and while she would have preferred him to pay attention to her nipples or even maybe venture further south of her navel, the most daring thing he did was occasionally massage her stomach and press their bodies even closer together. Even still, her skin was on fire where he touched her and spreading rapidly.

"We should stop," Shintaro tried again, his hot breath tickling her nape before he rested his chin on the crown of her head. One arm wrapped possessively around her waist, his other hand trailing up and down her arm from her hand to her shoulder, he paused seemingly to attempt to collect himself.

This time she went with the question her body all but wailed, "Why?" She scraped her nails lightly against the back of his neck, sending a shudder through his body. The heat from his skin called to her lips, and honestly, she wanted nothing more than to taste the fine sheen of sweat on his neck and hear him moan as he felt her nails run down his back to his ass.

"I… If we keep this up," his trembling exhalation sounded more like a capitulation than a fortification, "I won't be able to control myself. And-"

The rest of his sentence died on his lips as Kitsune brought his hand to her mouth and brushed his fingers over her lips. "Shhh…" She blew on one finger, licked the pad of the next, nipped at the third. Angling her head up, she pulled his mouth down to hers as she slowly moved his hand down to cup her breast. The jolt of sensation as his thumb skated over her nipple was instantaneous, and she moaned into his mouth even as her back arched into his touch.

Shintaro's hands needed nothing in the way of instruction as one slipped inside the front of her kimono, the warm roughness of his palm against her sensitive skin had her clawing at his hip as she broke their kiss to catch her breath. It was but a moment for her to untie her obi sash and let her kimono part to further his exploration.

Lured by the siren call of her bare skin, his hands took their time mapping out the landscape. Over the fleshy mounds of her breasts, down her stomach, the closer he got to her center, the more she writhed against him. Spurred on by her breathless instructions, his fingers smoothed down the front of her thighs, only to slowly make their way back up again.

As he got close enough for her to feel the heat of his hand, she knew she needed to stop him. using him as a sex toy for her own pleasure wouldn't teach him anything. Her hand on his wrist stopped him, his worried golden eyes immediately on her face.

"Did I-?"

"No," she assured him, leading him by the wrist as she laid herself down in his bed and had him stretch out next to her. "I just thought you might enjoy a change of scenery." With one knee up, her kimono opened and spread around her like a pool of pink silk, she felt a bit like a sumptuous feast laid out before a starving man, and the way he looked at her only underscored that. "Shintaro."

He bit his lip as his eyes caressed every exposed inch of skin. "Incredible…" he whispered.

She reached for his hand and placed his palm on her trembling stomach. "You can touch me, if you want."

His skin was so warm, his fingertips so gentle as he pet and stroked her stomach, dragging them over her ribs, then down to her hip bones and back. Her body reacted instantly, arching up to get closer to the sensations as she closed her eyes. His light touch as he circled her stiff nipples tore a whimper from her throat.

His deep voice next to her ear startled her eyes open, even as he lightly pinched and plucked at her sensitized flesh. "Tell me how to please you."

She turned her head and sealed her mouth to his, her fingers speared into his soft hair, their tongues battling and dancing together and the kiss set them both ablaze. Her other hand encircled his wrist, drawing it down her body, over her stomach and past her belly button. Low on her stomach, she laced her fingers with his as she led him to her slick folds and the little bundle of nerves just inside.

"Mmmm," she tore her lips away from him as her head thrashed on the pillow from their combined touch. It felt so good, her guiding his hand back and forth over her clit, teaching him how to tease and arouse her. Eyes half-opened, lips shiny and wet as she panted, she watched him as he concentrated on the way her hips undulated beneath his fingertips. "... inside. Please."

His thick fingers slippery with her juices, he followed her lead as she pressed two of them deep into her tight sheath. He hissed as her nails dug into the muscles of his shoulder, but acceded to her breathless demands and pleas that he not stop.

Her whimpers and cries grew louder as he worked her over, slipping in and out of channel, learning what made her lose her mind. It was no time at all until she reached her peak, drenching his fingers in her nectars.

Kitsune collapsed to her back with an arm over her face as she caught her breath. What Shintaro lacked in experience, he clearly made up for in natural talent. She sighed deeply as she felt him shift in the bed next to her.

"I take it that was satisfactory?"

The guffaw that burst past her lips was totally unavoidable. From anyone else, that hesitant question would have been a humble brag. She raised her arm to look at him through heavy lids. "You were perfect. I think lesson one is in the books."

His beaming smile was immediately tempered by a confused look. "I'm not sure what I learned?"

This poor guy… She rolled over to her side and faced him as she rested her head on her hand, and suppressed a grin as his eyes naturally perused her nude form revealed just beyond the confines of her robe. "You learned to listen. That's a large part of attending to a lover's needs: listening. knowing how to touch them and when, and paying attention. You do all of those exceptionally well." When he still didn't look convinced, she knew what she had to do.

After pushing him to his back, she climbed astride his hips and lightly plucked at the sash of his yukata. "I think you need a demonstration." His hands immediately settled on her ass as her breasts flattened against his chest as she wriggled up to whisper in his ear, "Tell me how to please you."