YOUR ORDERS
Chapter 21: The Day After

PV: HARUKA

What a party! How I'm not a rookie in this area, I was able to wake up early. And I knew that the girls wouldn't wake up with a good mood. That knowledge forced me to make a quite juicy breakfast, imaging that Shinobu wouldn't be able to do something decent by the morning on her own – after all, the blue hair girl wasn't used to drink.

I loved those girls, mainly the veteran ones. They passed thru hard times to keep Hinata-sou working. And they won. I was afraid of just one thing: what they could do to conquer Keitaro… They're phenomenal women, which could fascinate any man they wanted… But they weren't quite successful in the game of love. A maxim: lucky in games, unlucky in love. In the previous day, I felt that some girls were with a strange aura, as if they were possessed by a spirit of lust and debauchery. I recognized several gestures and attitudes from them with an obvious double meaning. The luck was that Keitaro wasn't good at reading between the lines.

I prepared a full table, choosing foods strategically – after all, it wasn't any food that would give energy for someone that woke up with a huge hangover. When the clock was almost midday, I decided to wake up the party goers. With a full inn, it wasn't easy to wake a battalion of women.

It was a truly parade of beauties. The girls that didn't fit in the market criteria of beauty had a personal charm, something that drew the attention. But my concern was about a little bunch of beauties already veteran in the inn.

Some of them still were dizzy, but what drew my attention was Kitsune. She walked slowly, with her hands on the hips. It seemed to be backache, but I didn't remember that she had fallen during the party. She sat down quite slowly, and she did a grimace of pain when she was firmed on the chair seat.

"Kitsune, what happened? Are you with backache?", I asked with some concern.

"Ouch, I think I was positioned wrong during the sleep…", Kitsune answered me, facing her own dish of food.

Naru, who sat next to the foxy girl, looked at her with mockery. Kitsune, when she noticed Naru's way of looking, gave back the mockery also using the eyes. Motoko was next to Naru, and I noticed that she kicked the fatal redhead's legs and looked at her with reprobation. There was a war climate among the three girls, I was sure of it. The others girls talked sociably, while those three ones exchanged accusatory looks. What did those females do after the party? I managed to check them over, glancing at them.

After that super breakfast, Shinobu, Mizuho and Naoko offered their efforts to clean, affirming that I had done a colossal work to feed a battalion with so much food. I thanked them and decided to go back to the annex. I needed to see how my nephew was; after that I'd enquire those girls.

While I was walking to the annex, I thought about those words: "I wished you were my mother, Haruka-san". That thing left me speechless. I was paralyzed, confused with a turmoil of emotions. I felt flattered with such a gratitude 'cause, unlike his legal mother, I sheltered him when he was in the worst moment of his life; almost no-one else credited Keitaro – except me and grandma Hina.

Besides, there was an old known of mine: the fear of age. I even couldn't admit I was his aunt, yet being his mother! In the end, more and more I was convincing myself that I was like Keitaro, a lot more than his own parents. My brother was a sucker, and my sister-in-law was a vixen. In the beginning, I thought that father and son were very alike, but Keitaro was much better.

I and Keitaro were battler individuals, but we still were keeping our deepest feelings inside a thick carapace. We gave up fighting for possible and impossible love affairs. We found out, in a bitter way, that being with someone and carrying out a promise from childhood wasn't a synonymous of being happy. I thought our only hope was getting together to defeat our traumas.

This was what I'd talk to him about when he was awaken, beyond confirming if the smell of woman in the rut I smelled in his room was something real.

PV: KEITARO

Someone knocked on my apartment's door, in a very insistent way. I was so tired, because I'd had to join in an unusual marathon – and without energy refueling. I replied to leave me alone, with a very annoyed tone.

When I tried to sleep again, I felt someone rocking my body. I was compelled to raise my head to know who was making so much noise. Despite the fact I wasn't using glasses and still rubbing the eyes, I recognized that countenance.

"Is… Is… Is that you, Haruka-san?", I asked astonished.

The figure sat down next to me, in my futon, and I noticed the lips moved: "Yes, that's me. We need to talk quite seriously.".

I swallowed dry. Would she know something? Well, she didn't have the right to interfere like that in my life, but she always took care of me as if she was my mother, and that fact became difficult some private secrets to be told. Immediately, she asked: "Why did you swallow dry?".

"You scare me when you get serious like that, Haruka-san!", I changed the subject.

"I know… Who doesn't have a fear also doesn't have awe, Keitaro…", Haruka retorted, with irony in the look and a sardonic smile.

That sight always frightened me. I believed that my relatives were very peculiar, not to say strange. Despite that, I tolerated them. Actually, I really liked Haruka-san. She lent a hand to me when I needed her the most. I just wanted that she… Well, that she accepted what she meant to me. I'd like to call her "aunt". While I did the morning hygiene, I tried to imagine what Haruka-san would have to talk to me.

Well, Haruka took advantage from the fact that I was cleaning myself to face one more typical day in my life to make a question to me, very close to the bathroom's door: "Let's have a walk? I believe our chat will be more pleasant if we do it out of here.".

I didn't get it. What was the difference to talk either in my room or in a bar? A serious chat would be serious anywhere. I expressed my doubt: "Hey, and why didn't we do it here?".

"It's because there is certain stuff I'd like to talk about without a possibility of interference, do you understand me?", Haruka explained. Well, I found I got it… How I wanted to just walk around, to get out my own "castle". So I agreed to go. Haruka was mysterious that day…

PV: HARUKA

Well, I convinced him to go out. Good, if I intended to approach him, I thought that a pleasant walk would be a good start. And I found that seeing those three annoyed women wouldn't be something useful to begin my day. I'd take care of them another time.

I chose a very special place. It was the bar in Tokyo where I met Seta. It was very different from the epoch when I used to visit it, but it seemed to be pleasant to me yet. During the trip to the bar, I chose to talk about banalities; I'd wish to know better the universe of my nephew, I'd desire to go beyond the obvious.

PV: MOTOKO

Oh, what a day! After the juicy breakfast, I needed to talk to Naru and Kitsune. They gave a hint to the others that they weren't in a normal day; I interfered during the meal, but I felt that Haruka noticed something different. I wished that the others girls from the inn didn't know what we three did, not at that moment.

I grabbed them both, each one of them with one of my arms, and I just whispered: "In my bedroom, right now! And no discussion!". They looked to me in a strange way, but they followed me. I had to follow Kitsune's rhythm, because she was with backache… I tried to imagine what she had done with Keitaro in the bed.

After guiding them to my bedroom, I closed the door and we stay in the front of each other, framing a triangle. So I began to scold, after I guaranteed the door was pretty closed: "Very well, what kind of scene was that in the table? Do you want that the others girls mistrust? Is it not enough that Kitsune is painful from nothing? By the way, why are you like this? Me and Naru aren't like that!".

Kitsune answered: "Damn, none of us had a condom, and I had to improvise… Let's say, he entered by the backdoor… And I got motivated, and I even liked it, but I went too far and this was the price… Satisfied?".

Naru commented: "What a disgust! This is disgusting, I'd never do that!".

I said: "Well, Kitsune said something interesting…".

Naru retorted: "Do you like anal sex too? What awful taste!".

I responded: "What I do with Kei-kun is my problem! I think is too early for this way of sexual intercourse, but it's not the method of sex that is worrying me… I had sex without a condom, and I'm scared now…".

Naru eyed me with understanding and dropped her head. She finally understood my anxiety. Damn, we three went too far, but Kitsune won a huge lumbar pain that, at maximum, would keep some days and disappear. I and Naru could be mothers.

So, I concluded: "Do you get it now? Imagine the scandal when everyone finds out. While we are able to hide this from the others girls, it's better to do so, as much as we can... I believe that Haruka-san will find out soon, soon…".

Naru questioned: "Great, what will you do then?".

I answered: "When a problem appears not to have any solution, it's because this is solved now. I believe that we must do now is nothing. Simply nothing. The good samurai waits for consequences from his own actions in resignation and silence. It's what I will do. When the time comes, everyone will know. If none of us are pregnant, reporting what we did just will serve to increase the animosities, it's something dispensable. And if one of us is pregnant, Naru-san, soon this will be evident.".

Naru and Kitsune nodded positively. It seemed that the subject was over, but I managed to let everything clear: "So that is it! For a while, let's leave this subject as a secret. In an opportune moment, everyone will know, ok?".

They agreed orally with a loud "yes". So, Kitsune intervened: "As you said before, this is not the moment to do something, but some stuff must be adjusted. You act as if you are really pregnant. I believe you should do a confirmatory exam as soon as possible, beyond watching if some strange behavior appears and becomes persistent.".

I completed: "Check the menstrual cycle, isn't it?".

Kitsune continued: "Not just this. Notice if suggestive signals of pregnancy appear. Read books about sexual education to identify them, if this is necessary. But a confirmatory exam is a great deal. I hope you have a trusty gynecologist.".

So Naru asked: "And what about Keitaro? After we had today, everything changed for me. I need too much from his physical presence next to me.".

Kitsune scolded: "Don't think about it! While this situation is open, it's better leaving Kei-kun alone… I feel we hastened something that can escape from our control, and we can't worsen the stuff!".

Naru insisted: "And what can escape from our control more than a non-planned pregnancy?".

Kitsune answered in a very simple way: "Kei-kun could conclude that a possible pregnancy just had its place because some of you wanted to blackmail him in his definitive choice. Using a child as blackmail would be a fact that would hurt our beloved man in a irreversible mode…".

Naru swallowed dry after so direct explanation. Being a target of Keitaro's hate would be worse than an atomic bomb.

I finished our little meeting about our lives after we lost our virginity. Well, Kitsune hadn't already lost her virginity in a strict meaning of the word, but that was just a technical detail; she already knew how to do it. And, more than ever, me and Naru should prepare our spirits for a very winding road, in a case of our suspicions becoming real.

I recently entered in the College; it wasn't a good moment to be a mother… And being an unmarried mother in Japan wasn't a comfortable situation.

PV: HARUKA

Well, after we had our places to sit in the bar, I noticed that Keitaro appeared exhausted. Next after we did our requests, he started to tremble and sweat. When I put my hand over his forehead, I felt his skin was frosty to the touch.

"Damn, Keitaro! You're having a hypoglycemia! Sorry, you didn't have to go out with me before you had eaten something…", I said, annoyed with myself.

After the waiter brought a chocolate tablet which Keitaro ate, it didn't take more than five minutes to my nephew's face getting more colored. I sighed relieved. It was when I provoked him: "What did you do yesterday, ha? What did it leave my Kei-kun so breathless?".

Keitaro looked to me surprised, and so he amended: "My Kei-kun? Since when did you call me like that? So… You know, as if you were someone so intimate to me, Haruka-san?".

I answered: "I always was close to you, but I never wanted to admit that I could be… Be an aunt! I'm not the sister of your father? That thing makes me your aunt! I'm not correct?".

Keitaro argued: "Well, I believe so, but you're prepared to be called as aunt? Can I call you aunt?".

I guaranteed: "For a while, not in the front of girls… I'm still getting used to. But, in intimate moments, I already don't see any problem at all.".

Keitaro smiled with his mouth wide open and said to me: "This is a good start, aunt Haruka!".

I still thought strange to hear him calling me as aunt, but I tried to be happy. I was advancing in my relationship with my nephew. But I had a subject that I didn't want to silence…

"Keitaro, you recently had a hypoglycemia, and Naru seemed to be at war with Motoko and Kitsune. What happened this dawn?", I insisted.

I waited for an answer. He delayed, but he answered me. Obviously, he shortened the entire story, but just what I heard at that moment, told by my nephew, was enough to make me gaping. I wasn't aware that I had a sex athlete inside my own house.

"You like it, didn't you?", I provoked him. Having sex with three women should be an interesting experience for a man. Seeing that he got crestfallen, I continued: "What happened? Don't you enjoy being an owner of a harem?".

"Ha-Ha-Haruka-san!!", Keitaro exclaimed with staring eyes. It was so easy to confound him with his own experiences. I couldn't help laughing.

"Here you do, here you pay… It's so easy to leave you abashed… Maybe this is what makes the girls have fun…", I told, smiling to him.

"Do you think… Well, that I'm a dastard, aunt?", Keitaro asked me, facing me with curiosity. I saw that he wanted a true answer.

"No. At least, not all the time! You're as normal as other people are. You have defects and qualities that allow other people to identify you as Keitaro.", I explained him. He was surprised with my psychoanalytic digression, but soon he gave me a frank smile. So, I kept on talking: "I just want that you behave now. If you consider me as a mother, I'm not ready to be a grandmother. The girls will be more and more bold, and I don't want people to put themselves in a risk unnecessarily.".

"I know, aunt… You know, I wanted to tell you about that mother talk… That occurred because I'm feeling needy, you know… I don't intend to put on your shoulders a responsibility that doesn't belong to you!", Keitaro unburdened to me.

"Don't you worry. In a certain way, I feel responsible for your protection, Keitaro. I need to guide you in a manner more adequate than your mother did. You deserve something better.", I unburdened.

He was staring, as if trying to understand what I recently told. I waved my hand and said: "Forget it… You don't know about some facts that surrounded my brother's wedding!".

Keitaro screamed immediately: "Dad? What happened to him that time?".

"It's not the moment yet. But, one day, I'll challenge your mother and soon the truth will be known. I promise you, Kei-kun!", I explained, trying to calm him down. I could notice the look of doubt he gave me, but I smiled in the way to send trust.

In the way back home, we passed thru a bunch of girls that were descending the subway station's stairway. They saw Keitaro and got closer to us. One of them wore a black band tight to the neck, a yellow t-shirt and a light blue miniskirt; that girl approached us and said: "Keitaro-kun! You over here? I didn't know you had a sister!".

That girl was pretty, but I didn't know if I should face her observation as a compliment. Keitaro faced her and said: "Hi, Megumi-san! This is my aunt, Haruka-san. Haruka-san, know one of Motoko's colleagues.". We greeted each other with the traditional body bow, and I tried to imagine how he knew her.

"Keitaro-kun, will you go out tonight? We could enjoy the night life… Me, you and the girls, do you agree?", Megumi proposed, with a malicious smile.

"I don't know, my money is short… And I don't like night life very much…", Keitaro said, not understanding the meaning of the girl's proposition. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

"For someone who works with events, it's very hard to believe that you don't like the night, honey…", Megumi provoked. She was a typical girl that didn't accept a "no" from a man. And she amended: "If money is a problem, I pay all the costs. C'mon, if you join us that would be a pleasant payment.".

"I'm sorry, but I don't like to exploit other people…", Keitaro explained. I noticed that the girl was almost losing patience with him.

"Look, I'll be more clear, we need you because…", Megumi said, getting closer to Keitaro's left ear, where she whispered something that probably would finish the phrase I heard. After the whisper, Megumi kept off and eyed him steadily, giving a smile with the right corner of mouth. Megumi stood a defiant attitude.

Keitaro looked at her with disapproval and said, adjusting the glasses: "I'm not a toy. I won't go out with you and that's it. Let's go, Haruka-san?".

I agreed. The others girls looked sad, as if they had lost the chance to have their favorite candy. Megumi looked at me with spite, as if I was the culprit. If I wasn't in a hurry to embark, I'd give a lesson to that girl. I didn't like that someone faced me bad.

During the trip, I asked: "What was the indecent proposal that finicky girl did?".

"As if it isn't enough the fact that I can be a father, it appears a woman is wishing to buy my body? And the worst, she said that she was better and prettier than Motoko-chan? What an absurdity!", Keitaro explained.

"From where did you know her?", I wished to know.

"In a social event that the Hinata-sou's girls organized. Motoko-chan's colleagues were over there. They are people that live in the high society. Qualities different from mine.", Keitaro confessed.

"Huuuuuummmm… My nephew is getting more decided than ever… And the indignation with the attitude from that futile girl, are you in love with Motoko?", I provoked him, with a light smile.

"I like all the girls of Hinata-sou. They're all of them special to me, and I don't accept that someone despises them. I don't get much involvement with the new tenants, but those ones that I knew when I arrived at the inn are very precious to me.", Keitaro unburdened, burying his head between his crossed arms.

I caressed Keitaro's hair, trying to stimulate him. I could feel his apprehension with the possibility of being a father. Damn, Keitaro-kun, why didn't you use any protection? I knew that he'd face that situation in the same way he challenged his mother to get into Toudai, but I understood that such a situation would scare any people when it's faced for the very first time.

"Well, if those girls wanted to do an orgy with you, that's their problem. The duty I had to do, avoiding others nuisances, you did already. Sometimes, it's good to see a man thinking with his upper head…", I said with a tone of proud. He glimpsed me, giving a weak smile. I sighed relieved, because he didn't look to me as if he was in a deep depression.

"What do I do?", Keitaro asked me, breaking the silence.

I sighed deeply, and so I answered: "Meanwhile, nothing. Wait for the confirmation of the possible pregnancies. Don't talk any word with anybody until the moment when it's impossible to hide. Don't create preoccupations if there isn't a problem to be solved. Don't allow new harassments from the three girls that you laid down before, or a little war can burst out and worsen the situation. I believe this is enough to prepare the spirit to challenge the future.".

"Thank you, aunt Haruka. I do not know how to thank you enough for what you did for me.", spoke Keitaro, saying the words with softness.

"I'm just doing what I can for a dear relative. Well, if the fears were confirmed, I also must prepare myself for a personal battle.", I unburdened.

He looked through not to understand my last phrase, but he didn't make any questions. Both of us had to exorcise some personal demons if any of the pregnancies were confirmed.

When we arrived at the inn, we went directly to the annex. I needed to set the thematic bar to turn it into a simple Tea House. It's agreed that there wasn't any work that Sunday.

So, I just had to await the future…

Chapter written between 29-Jan-2006 and 01-Feb-2006, and translated between 08-Nov-2006 and 14-Nov-2006. My chapters were getting a bit longer… It occurred since the moment I decided to write my chapters in the palmtop; this device helped me to write my ideas any time I wanted and any time I had the opportunity to do it. I'd like to thank all the reviews given and I'll try to keep this rhythm to translate the chapters. Until the next chapter, folks!