Chapter 21:
Once Shinobu calmed down and everyone was recomposed, the princess and the Urashima siblings volunteered to assist her with dinner that evening. It worked out well as once again Kanako and Kaolla seemed to work great as a team, flawlessly accomplishing all the mundane chopping and cleaning tasks under the direction of Shinobu. Keitaro wasn't allowed to help, and was sequestered to the counter with a cup of tea. The two slave girls found it humorous that their Master was so easily outmaneuvered by the young chef.
In between tasks, Kaolla would somehow sneak up next to Keitaro to steal a hug or two, causing her demeanor to improve with each contact. The young man just laughed at her antics, and obliged her with a tight embrace each time she got close. Both Kanako and Shinobu laughed at the princess, amazed at how the simplest things seemed to cheer her up. This went on until the two Urashima siblings got into a discussion roofing contractors. Keitaro once again felt a warm body next to him so he casually wrapped an arm around the individual and held them tightly against him. As he absently allowed his hands to wander while he spoke, he suddenly noticed that BOTH of his slave girls were standing in front of him with triumphant grins.
Realizing exactly what he was doing and who he was doing it with, Keitaro froze and slowly turned to see a very red faced Shinobu in his arms. Thus began a comical stammering match between the apologetic chef and the even more apologetic landlord as they attempted to untangle their arms from each other without dropping any tea cups or cooking implements. Their reverie was interrupted by the sound of laughter as the two slave girls hooted and cheered at the two's shy antics.
Once the entire kitchen regained composure, trays were prepared and delivered to each of the older girl's rooms. Dinner was eaten at the kitchen counter, with Kanako and Kaolla mercilessly teasing the landlord and chef. Although she never lost her blush, Shinobu took the teasing sportingly and even laughed at the many volleyed innuendos. Eventually, Keitaro decided that the two slave girls had enough fun and asked them to drop the subject for the sake of the young chef. Both girls grinned inside as his eyes clearly indicated that there would be retribution later, and their bodies began to grow warm and tingle in anticipation.
As he was not allowed to help in the cooking, Keitaro convinced Shinobu to leave the cleanup to him and suggested that all three visit the Hot Springs to relax. His generosity was rewarded by three very gracious hugs, and a couple of firm kisses. Once the three girls cleaned up and took their respective spots in the soothing spring, the inquisition began.
"So, how was it?" Kaolla asked Shinobu leadingly.
Once again, a blush graced the young girl's face as she responded. "It was nice…"
"Just nice? She must not be referring to the same hug, little sister." Kanako remarked.
"Yeah, she's prolly talking about the other landlord she hugged earlier." The princess laughingly answered.
"Obviously, she must blush like that with every landlord that hugs her out of the blue." The Goth girl nodded.
"Oh, stop it you two! What did you want me to say?" Shinobu said as she splashed water at her two tormentors.
"Well, did you like it?" Kanako answered, smiling.
"Of course, I did!" The chef answered emphatically.
"Good, that's what we wanted to hear." The Goth girl replied.
"Yeah, we woulda not set you up if we didn't think you'd like it, Shinobu." The princess said cheerfully.
"I just don't understand. Why are you two doing this?" The chef asked.
"Outside of seeing your cute blush?" Kanako asked, causing the young girl to color once more. "I can probably speak for Kaolla by saying we do it for both you and our Big Brother."
"F-For us? I don't understand." Shinobu asked, confused.
The princess responded. "Yeah. We like you. Keitaro likes you. We know you like him. So we just like putting you two together to see if you guys will ever do something about how you two feel. Besides, it's real funny watching you two be all awkward and stuff."
"But, I don't understand. Aren't you two…jealous?" The chef asked carefully.
"Being with Keitaro requires a…different…kind of relationship." Kanako answered. "But suffice it to say that he loves us very much and he has gone to the ends of the earth for our happiness. We have no worries of him ever leaving us, so we feel secure in allowing him to express how he feels to other people. It is a very small price to pay to be with him. Only honest, honorable, and trustworthy people will ever get into his heart. That is a small list, and your name is in it."
"So you're really okay with me…and Keitaro?" Shinobu inquired once more.
"Of course we are. The question is, are you okay with us AND Keitaro as well?" Kanako answered.
"You mean, like sharing?"
The Goth girl nodded. "Yes, we currently share in Keitaro's affections. It's the only way to be with him. You saw what happened with him trying to be exclusive with Naru."
"Wait…wait…even you, Su?" Shinobu asked, shocked.
"Yeah! I told ya I loved the guy, he said he loved me back. He's made me happy ever since." Kaolla said with a smile.
"Wait..wait…but what about Kanako?"
"He loves her too! He's really romantic with her." The princess announced happily.
"Don't you…get jealous?" The chef asked the princess candidly.
"Nah. I understand how much they love each other and I'm okay with that. And even though they're so close, they still somehow make me feel loved. Never been happier." Kaolla announced happily.
"I just don't understand how that works." The chef stated, shaking her head.
"We do not have a normal relationship, Shinobu. But it works for us and we're all happy. You're a good person and we wouldn't mind sharing Keitaro with you to make you…and him…happy as well." Kanako said.
"Shouldn't he decide who he wants to be with?" Shinobu asked seriously.
"Yes, and he has already made us a promise that he will be with us forever." Kanako answered honestly.
"How can you say that? Are you guys married? Did he give you a ring or something?" The chef asked incredulously.
"In a sense, yes. The tokens he has given us have more meaning." The Goth girl answered, looking at her sister slave who was nodding in agreement.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Kanako." Shinobu muttered in frustration.
"That would be the point of being vague about it, Shinobu." Came her simple response.
The Hot Springs was silent for a moment, until the princess finally spoke up once more.
"Are you mad or something, Shinobu?" Kaolla asked worriedly.
"I really don't know how I feel, Su." The young chef said, heatedly. "I mean, I don't know what you two are trying to do with me and Keitaro. You say you're okay with me getting close to him, and then you turn around and tell me I have to share. It's like I have to have your approval to be with him or something."
The two slave girls looked at each other curiously, wondering what caused Shinobu's mood to sour.
"Perhaps I can make things clearer for you, Shinobu." Kanako said, leaning toward the young chef seriously. The young chef tried not to be intimidated, but failed.
"In the end, Keitaro is the one that will decide what sort of relationship he wants, and with whomever he wants. That is the very foundation of our relationship with our Big Brother, he is the one in charge of it all and he makes all the decisions. We exist to make him happy, and in return he has promised to keep us safe and happy as well. Our relationship is a two-way street based on loyalty and trust."
"In order to understand it, you must have an open mind. And that's the problem you are having at the moment. You cannot comprehend the ability of someone to love more than one person and have everyone be happy about it. You keep talking about jealousy where it doesn't even exist in our relationship. Kaolla may say she's jealous, but deep inside she's very happy when I'm with my brother. Much like how I feel when Keitaro is with her. But since our relationship is something you cannot understand, you're fabricating excuses and reasons which you CAN understand thus making yourself upset."
"You are failing to realize that if you attempt to corner our big brother into the mundane relationship dynamics that you understand, much like what Naru tried to do, then not only will you end up heartbroken and alienated from the man you love, but you will also end up hurting him as well. And neither I nor Kaolla will have had anything to do with it. Keitaro is a very different man, being with him requires a different form of loving. So I suggest you stop trying to pigeonhole Keitaro only into the forms of relationships you know about."
"I-I won't be bullied by you…" Shinobu said, hesitantly.
"No bullying, merely the truth. You're in denial, just like Naru." Kanako said simply.
"I'm nothing like her!" The chef said angrily.
"Is that so? Then how come you keep refusing to accept what we tell you about being in a relationship with Keitaro? Tell me, how important is it for Keitaro to keep his promises?" The Goth girl asked pointedly.
"He does everything he can to keep them. It's always been like that."
"And in your mind, when you are with Keitaro, are you with him alone, or with others?" Kanako prodded further.
"A-Alone." The chef responded.
"So you want Keitaro to break his promise with us just to be with you?" Kanako asked.
"No! I'd never make him do that!"
"But if he's alone with you, then he will have had to. Or are you saying that he only keeps certain promises and not others? He is that casual with his heart?" The Goth girl argued.
"No! He's never done that. He keeps even the little promises he makes to me. Ones that I don't even care about, he still make sure to keep it. That's what makes him so great!" Shinobu cried.
Unimpressed, Kanako responded. "Then why do you keep insisting that WE are the ones preventing you from having a relationship with Keitaro? Because he's Granny Heir, he will NOT be allowed to marry ANYONE. Period. So all he can give are promises. Promises to love, cherish, nurture, and protect. Promises that have a deeper meaning than any marriage vow. Promises that are allowed in the types of relationship that works with his heart. Promises he has already made to US."
The Goth girl allowed a few moments of silence before she continued.
"So in the END, Shinobu, we won't be the ones that prevent you from being with Keitaro. Your closed mind will. Open your heart, and open your mind. Selfishness and insecurity are the two main reasons Naru lost Keitaro. I would really hate for a good person like you, someone who Keitaro already likes, to fall into the same trap."
With that, the Goth girl stepped out of the spring, grabbed her towel, and walked out into the inn without bothering to get dressed. This left Kaolla and Shinobu to mull over her words.
After a bit of silence, the princess spoke up. "Hate to say it Shinobu, but she's spot on. I wanna put it in a nicer way but I can't."
The young chef sniffed. "It's not fair. I want him too."
"And nobody's stoppin' ya. So how come you don't wanna share then?" The princess asked.
"Because how will I know that he won't love you girls more than me?" Shinobu said finally.
"Can't be greedy. Just gotta trust him." Kaolla said with a smile and shrug.
"I-I don't know if I can do that, Su." The chef said sadly.
"Then big sis is right. Only thing holdin' ya back from Keitaro is you." Kaolla sighed.
"That's not fair! How would you feel if he liked Kanako better than you?"
"He kinda already does having been in a relationship with her since they were younger…"
"And doesn't that bother you?" Shinobu demanded, unable to believe what she heard.
"Nope. He still loves me, and I get his attention whenever I want it. Didn't ya notice that when we were cooking?" Kaolla answered, smiling with head tilted to the side.
"Well, what if you found out he liked her body better than yours?" The young chef challenged.
"Not much difference in our bodies, Shinobu," the princess said with a giggle. "Haven't you looked at Kanako? She's built just like you and I. We're not all curvy and shapely, but we're hot in our own right. We got nothing to worry about."
"W-What about them having sex?" Shinobu asked hesitantly.
"What about it? It's not like he isn't having sex with me too." Kaolla said with a grin.
The frank remark from the princess caught the chef completely by surprise. After a few stammers, she finally managed to speak coherently.
"Y-You…you…sex with Keitaro?" She asked finally.
"Yep, he's an awesome lover. I should thank Kanako for that, I guess." Kaolla said happily.
"So, he took your virginity?" Shinobu asked in shock.
"No. I wish he did, though. It happened a long time ago during a not-so-good time in my life." The princess said seriously.
"I'm sorry, Su…I didn't know." The chef said quietly, shocked at this revelation.
"Hey, not your fault. Besides, it made my first time with Keitaro much better. Can't wait to do it again, actually" Kaolla said with a small smile. The young girl began to relive her moments with Keitaro. A randy grin began to grace her features as she looked out into space thoughtfully, her thighs suddenly squeezing into each other.
After a long silence, Kaolla's reverie was interrupted by Shinobu when she asked, "W-Was it good?"
The princess leaned back against the rocks and closed her eyes with a smile. With a sigh she said, "I heard people say that sex is the best with someone you love. Well, I love him lots. So what can I say? It was real special and he was even better than I ever imagined."
"But he also has sex with Kanako. Aren't you worried that he might like sex better with her?" The chef asked pointedly.
Kaolla just sighed and shook her head. "See? That's what won't work in a relationship with Big Brother. That insecurity thing you have. You're worried that if he loves someone else, and enjoys having sex with them more, that he will leave you. Isn't that it?"
"K-Kind of…" Shinobu answered quietly.
"That's what I figured." The princess remarked. "So yeah, you don't trust him enough. That's prolly why Kanako got a little miffed. She holds Big Brother's promises sacred.
"I still don't understand why you don't care if he loves Kanako more than you." The chef wondered.
Kaolla shrugged and replied, "I guess it's how I was raised. Love is love, no matter what way you look at it. Besides, they allow multiple marriages in Molmol so I grew up around people with this kind of relationship. Come to think of it, it's actually kinda weird to have only ONE spouse in a Molmolian marriage. Anyway, I know that no matter how much he loves Kanako, it doesn't change how much he feels about me. Not only did he promise me that, but it also shows every time he's with me. He's got a lotta love in that big heart of his. It's all about trusting how he shares his love. And for me, his promise is good enough."
"I…I just know if I can do that, Su." Shinobu said, uncertainly.
The princess sighed. "Then, that's just too bad. Big Brother's a great guy. Wish you trusted him more…"