CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The next day of their Okinawan vacation was somehow both more exciting and more relaxed than the first. They managed to mostly keep their hands off each other as they showered and got ready for their exploration of the island of Iriomote, which was supposed to be a gorgeous jungle environment. The more they got to spend in each other's company, the more comfortable they became, until Rise began to feel like they had always been dating. Maybe they had done this in a previous life; maybe the spirits of two women from Lesbos had been passed down to them these many generations later. Who knew?

But the others were beginning to take notice, as well. Since their public displays of affection had grown less showy and more casual, Yukiko began to whisper to the other girls more and more often. Even Kanji and Yosuke would glance over thoughtfully when they noticed them holding hands so much, or dragging each other off to this site or the other. Not a single one of them was surprised when the two of them rented a kayak to paddle around the island — and have a little time to themselves.

Paradise. Ai's usual haughty demeanor melted away in the face of the splendour around them, and the company of the woman she loved. It was refreshing, and endearing. All Rise wanted was to drag her ashore and ravage her with kisses — maybe more — but she was content with the way Ai would glance over her shoulder with a huge smile from time to time to ask if she was having fun, or to comment on some spectacle they had observed.

Maybe this could even work. It would work; she had to believe that. From the bottom of her heart, she believed.

The trip into the island jungle involved a lot of mosquito bites for those of them who had turned up their nose at bug spray. Mostly, that was Kanji and Yosuke, but Chie hadn't reapplied when the others did so she wound up with a few. They saw so much wildlife and flora, took tons of pictures. Naoto's camera was broken when Yosuke made a huge gesture and knocked it out of her hands, but they were at least able to salvage the roll of film. The kind of high school vacation that was the stuff of legends.

By the time they got back to the hotel, the sun had already set. That was when Yukiko had the bright idea.

"Onsen?"

"Yes!" she gushed with that glowing, ladylike smile of hers. Rise was always jealous of how naturally things like that came to Yukiko; she had to work at it to get to her level of aptitude. "I think it will be very relaxing after sweating all day in that jungle, don't you?"

Snorting, Chie remarked, "Thought you didn't sweat."

"I- I meant the rest of you…" Yukiko blushed, making the others chuckle.

"I sweat like a pig," Rise admitted. "And I don't care who knows it; girls sweat, it's normal."

Yosuke threaded his fingers in the back of his neck as he grunted, "Yeah, but guys don't wanna hear about that. Nobody wants to think of a girl as 'sweaty', we want girls to be sweet and soft and whatever."

"Thanks, Throwback," Ai snorted with a shake of her head. "Guess we shouldn't mention period shits, either."

While Rise was idly wondering how she even knew about those, the boy was squawking, "Period what?! No — wait, don't- don't tell me!"

"I think girls can be whatever they want!" Teddie announced, prompted by no one. "Sweaty, spicy, salty, sweet! Ooh and umami — an umami girl is a really nifty idea!" Even though they all knew the boy had no idea what he was going on about — except maybe Ai — they still groaned and facepalmed. Maybe if they did that often enough, he would start to get the hint that he should understand the context of the conversation before spouting off.

"Somebody get a muzzle for the mutt," Kanji muttered.

"I'm not a dog! I'm a bear!" He pouted so much that Kanji did snag him around the neck with his arm and gave him a noogie; something like an affectionate gesture from the tall brute.

Of course, Rise was still distracted by her thoughts when Chie whispered to her, "What would Ebihara know about period shits?"

"Huh? Oh… I mean, it's not like they're a secret. Just boys wouldn't know."

"Yeah, exactly."

But that was all Chie said in reply before the struggling Kanji and Teddie collided with her, practically knocking her to the ground. Within seconds, she had hopped back up and started kicking all over their faces and backs. The whole topic was effectively ended — except in the back of Rise's mind.

~ o ~

"You sure you don't want to skip this sauna and go straight to…?"

Ai chuckled a little as she arranged her robe a little more delicately. Even when they were about to soak in a hot spring, she was still always concerned with her appearance; at least Rise understood the reason a little better now. "Slut."

"I'm not a slut!" she protested with a stamp of her slippered foot. "I just… I dunno, I like being alone with you."

"You like what I can do to you while we're alone."

"Nuh-uh! Not just that, I mean…" She fidgeted, looking away.

"It's okay to like getting dick, girl. Coming from a dickgirl, you can…" But even as she was making her crass little joke, she turned to see Rise looking so awkward and trailed off.

"Can what?"

"Come on, what's the deal? You know I don't really think you're a slut."

"N-nah, it's nothing," she said with a semi-believable giggle. Unfortunately, Ai was too smart, and getting too close to her; she was beginning to develop the ability to see through her tatemae.

"Fess up, bitch. You don't want to go with me?"

In the face of that, Rise was quick to shake her head. "No! Not that, I… I just… don't like it that you think I only wanna be alone with you so we can, um, do those things. I also just really like spending time with you one-on-one, okay?"

Ai tilted her head, observing her from a new perspective. "Hmm. It really bothers you that I said that, huh? It wasn't supposed to be like, serious or whatever." Taking a step forward, she drew Rise in closer to kiss her tenderly on the cheek. "Sorry."

The rarest of them all: an apology from Ai Ebihara. "It's okay. I didn't mean to get whiny."

"Well, you did," she snorted, caressing up and down her upper arms, making Rise laugh and smile against her better judgment. "But you had a reason; it's all good. Let's go hit those springs, okay?"

Down they went. Luckily, they weren't co-ed springs; they could have done the swimsuit thing but it wouldn't have been quite as relaxing with Yosuke and Teddie making a big deal every other second about someone's breasts, or a glimpse of thigh, or whatever nonsense. Even though Rise now had a fresh appreciation for the female form, as well, she couldn't imagine being so overcome by hormones that she lost all sense of reason and ability to focus on anything else.

"Ohhhh, this is it," Rise sighed as she sank into the water alongside her girlfriend. Her review was similar.

"Yyyyyeeeeaaahhhhh… God, my every single pore is celebrating…" She sank so far down into the water that the towel turban keeping her hair up got a little damp at the very bottom.

"Yes," said Naoto — the only other one in the water thus far. When they entered the bathing area, she had already been sitting rigidly in the corner, looking about as comfortable as chicken in the home of one Colonel Sanders. "It's a very bracing heat. It's beneficial for joints, and… blood circulation. Psoriasis."

"Yes, exactly," Yukiko said while joining them, delicately removing her towel and dropping it to one side once at the water's edge. Rise did her best not to glance at her body, even though she had no interest in dating any girls besides Ai.

Still, having those recent thoughts about how she was more attracted to her versus Chie had made it a little more difficult to ignore. The innkeeper was definitely stunning; her elegant legs slowly disappeared into the water as she settled in, letting out little hisses from the heated water, breasts bobbing on the surface — and Rise stopped herself from focusing on anything more lewd than that. Wow, maybe this was going to be a problem, after all.

"Want me to help put that tongue back in your mouth?" Ai whispered to her.

"Shhh, I was just… curious. You're still the hottest girl in the galaxy."

Smirking, she breathed, "Good answer," before withdrawing to her own physical space, confident as ever.

"You three seem to be enjoying the onsen," Yukiko ventured hesitantly. But there definitely seemed to be more unspoken, lingering on the heels of that statement.

"Yes," Rise ventured. "Um… do you… should we not be?"

"Oh! No, no, it's great! I'm very pleased that our vacation is going so well, and we're all having a wonderful time."

Silence reigned for about five full, heavy seconds before Ai suddenly said, "You're jealous."

"Excuse me?"

"You think we like this place better than the Amagi Inn. Right?"

The specific way Yukiko's mouth flapped open and closed, how she looked down at the water and back up at them, told Rise that her girlfriend had most certainly hit the nail on the head: Yukiko was hoping they didn't like this onsen quite as much as the one at her family's resort. "O-oh, well… no, it doesn't matter…"

"This is a fine resort, but it's in a major city," Naoto provided calmly. "The Amagi Inn is equally lovely in a much more rural area. But I feel it is disingenuous to compare them."

The junior innkeeper's features lit up in very obvious gratitude. "Oh! Well, perhaps that's a good point; I just worry about our viability and stability. It's not just about me — it's my family's legacy, you know?"

"Oh, of course," Ai said smoothly. "I'm just saying, ask about it and own that. You don't have to be cagey."

"I didn't intend to be," she said with a slight bow. "My apologies."

"No big deal. I don't think you'd remember me staying there, but it's nice."

"Actually, I do." When Ai's eyebrows shot higher, Yukiko continued, "Right after your family moved to Inaba, right? You stayed with us for two nights while some matter was being settled for your estate. From what I can remember, your father was a model guest, and you were…"

That silence was very telling. Eventually, Ai herself just sighed and said, "I was a bitch. I still am."

"No, no, I wouldn't say that."

"Of course not, because you're not a bitch, too. But it's okay, I don't mind saying it for you. For what it's worth, though, I'm sorry if I put your staff through hell."

"Oh, not really…" After a brief hesitation, she admitted, "One of our staff may have cried, but she was also going through a lot in her personal life at the time…"

That actually did make Ai lapse into a contemplative silence. Rise could understand; she also had a few rude awakenings along the way as she grew up much faster than was kind over the course of her career. Conversely, her poor girlfriend had been allowed to be bitchier and bitchier toward people in her pursuit of being respected as a woman with no checks or balances. Someone as endlessly forgiving as Yukiko actually telling her she was a bitch was the lowest of blows.

"I'm sorry, Ebihara-san. That wasn't intended to make you feel-"

"No."

"What?"

"Don't you apologise to me for telling me I'm terrible. Especially when it's true, and I made that hoe cry. I know I'm a tarted-up piece of shit with a shit attitude to match; I own that. But I'm trying to…" She sighed as she searched for the proper words. "Someone's been showing me that I want to aim that attitude at people who deserve it, not defenseless women who are doing their jobs. Plenty of room for improvement. I'll get there."

As Rise smiled at her and reached beneath the surface of the water to squeeze her hand, Yukiko was also smiling as she watched the two of them, and even the typically-stoic Naoto was wearing a hint of a pleasant expression. Quite a nice moment — and encouraging. However, it was interrupted very shortly afterward by the sliding paper door slamming open.

"UGH!" Chie burst out angrily — and sweatily. She looked like she had been in the sauna. "What… what the hell did I… eat?!"

"Are you alright?" Yukiko asked, half-rising out of the water in concern. Dutiful wife.

"Yeah, yeah, I just… oh my God, I never wanna go through that again… I'd rather die — I almost did!" Still clutching her stomach with one arm, she staggered over toward the water. "But it's over, I promise. Just wasn't so fun."

Rise sighed and shook her head. "Well, you got what you paid for; we all told you to go easy on that spicy sauce, but did you listen?"

"SHHHH! Hush, you." Then she tossed her towel aside like a matador tricking a bull before plopping down on the edge of the steaming water. "I just wanna forget all about… everything."

Chie had trailed off, seeming quite concerned. It took a few seconds before Rise realized that she was looking directly at Ai — and it was a look that spelled trouble.

"May I help you?" Just the semi-frosty tone of Ai's voice made it clear they both interpreted Chie's expression the same way.

"What are you doing here?"

"Not the backstroke yet. I mean, give me a few and I'll think about it."

"Yeah, but… you're not supposed to be here."

Ai's smile was lazily confident, even though her voice was as tense and sharp as it had ever been. "Oh yeah? And where should I go, exactly? You think I should hop the fence to hang out with Yosuke and Kanji? Both the best and worst day of their lives, I'm sure."

"Hey, I don't make the rules," Chie shot back, folding her arms very tightly over her chest. Not out of anger, but out of modesty — a trait that wasn't commonly associated with the headstrong jock. "No boys allowed."

"Great. If we see any, we'll throw them out. I'm glad we had this talk."

"You know what I mean. Wear whatever you want; honestly, I don't care! I really don't! But what if some other woman comes in here? You really think she's gonna be as cool with what you are as your public-relations girlfriend? Huh? I mean, this is as much to keep you out of deep shit as it is to protect us!"

This time, it was Rise who spoke up. "Protect us from what?"

Chie's lips thinned. "This isn't about you."

"The hell it's not. You really think I'm going to sit here and let-"

"You know what? It's fine." Ai stood and waded right up to Chie. The water barely came up to her waist, which may have been the reason Chie and Yukiko looked terribly nervous right about now. "Clearly, somebody wants me out of the pool for girl-only swim. The real question is, can she handle my exit?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"Chie, please," Yukiko was hissing under her breath. Trying to appeal to her girlfriend's affection for her in the hopes that it would deflate the tension.

"Please what?! Do you really want us all to get kicked outta this hotel with nowhere else to go for the next like, three days? Because we let some skirt-wearing boy sit in the onsen, when he can just as easily-"

SMACK.

Chie's head reeled with the force of the blow, and she actually had to slide her elbows back to keep from bouncing off the stones bordering the hot spring. Yukiko gasped and backed up, hands covering her mouth and eyes wide. Once they had both recovered, they turned to glare at Ai for daring to strike her just for stating her opinion.

The problem was, Rise was the one heaving with the force of her breath, standing a mere foot away with a stinging palm. Ai was still off to one side of her, one arm up and in front of her chest in an instinctual attempt to protect herself from a physical threat — just as shocked as the victim and her girlfriend were.

"Oh… I… Rise…" Now the betrayal was setting into Chie's features, bottom lip starting to tremble as her eyes watered. Understandable; even though she was normally a tough chick, being physically accosted by one of her closest friends would definitely have made Rise cry, too.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Huh? I'm… I'm Chie."

Rolling her eyes, she put both her hands on her hips and snapped, "And I'm Rise. And that's Yukiko, and that's Naoto, and that's Ai — my girlfriend. Who has just as much right to be here as you do!"

"Wha… oh, come on, you're really going to hit me over that? And don't start what you can't finish!"

"Bring it, Meat Portal Moron! I'm not as big a pushover as you think!"

"STOP!"

They both reeled back from the loud exclamation from Yukiko, who was suddenly standing between the two squared-off girls with her arms stretched out in their directions. Rise felt like she shouldn't have noticed how her breasts were rising and falling from the force of her breathing… more important things were happening right now. So she refocused.

"Please, just… just calm down," she pleaded with them now that she had both their attention, eyes wide and beseeching. "Now… I really don't know whether or not Ai should be allowed in here, technically speaking; I don't understand things like that very well. But I can say there haven't been any… shenanigans the entire time we've been in the onsen. So is there really any harm? Can't we all just agree to enjoy ourselves instead of fighting?"

"You… just… Yuka," Chie breathed through her teeth. Rise's eyebrows rose at that nickname. "You're really okay with this?! What if we get kicked out?"

"Then I'll get kicked out," Ai cut across them. "Right? I didn't actually come with your group, so it won't reflect badly on you at all. Just some 'freak' who messed everything up for herself. No skin off your nose, Satonaka."

Flabbergasted by all their attitudes, Chie definitely looked the vaguest bit hurt. In desperation, she asked Naoto, "Don't you have an opinion?!"

"Hm?" A little surprised at being addressed, she took a moment to clear her throat before saying, "I think there isn't any problem with Ai being part of our group. Clearly, she identifies as a woman. You may disagree, and that is your prerogative. I would be curious if her legal status has changed, but even regardless of that, I don't think it's up to any of us to pass judgment on how she presents herself."

Everyone else was stunned. Ironically, Ai was the most shocked, even though Naoto was on her side; she just had not at all been expecting the support, much less for it to be so learned and well-phrased. After a moment, she cleared her throat to say, "You… really feel that way?"

"Why shouldn't I? There are plenty of studies; transgenderism has been well-documented for decades. It's only the past few that it's been thought of as something other than a mental illness, but that doesn't… mean it's not valid. Just that the science and public understanding had to catch up. They still haven't, in some ways."

"Do you understand any of this?" Chie asked Yukiko.

"No, I do not. But I don't understand a lot of what Naoto-kun says, so…"

"She's saying I'm a girl," Ai sighed. "You may not like it, my mom may not like it — a lot of doctors and politicians in this country may not like it. But you know what? Fuck you."

"HEY!" Chie burst out.

"Nope. You really want me gone? I'll go. But it won't change who I am. The people who mind don't matter, and the people who matter don't mind."

"Wait, wait — y-you got me all wrong!" She leaned forward a little now that Yukiko's hand wasn't forming a barrier. "Why are you acting like I said we have to beat his ass just because, like, he got an extreme makeover? Of course not! I'm just- why is this so hard to understand?! He's a GUY! He has a- a thing, right? So why am I the only one acting like that matters?!"

Instead of answering with words, Ai did get out of the water. And she stood proudly with her hands on her hips over all of them. Yukiko gasped before covering her eyes; Chie gaped in shock and couldn't stop glancing between face and unmentionables. Naoto was clearly fascinated, but it seemed to be in an academic way; she just wanted to see what such anatomy looked like. Rise, of course…

Rise wanted to go to her. Comfort her poor girlfriend. But first she would see what happened next.

"This is me, bitch. Call it whatever you want. But there's a fucking person in this patchwork body. Accept me or reject me; I could care less. I'm done sitting here being shit-talked by a hypocrite."

"I… what? Excuse me?! How does- HEY! Get back here! Where the hell are you going?!"

By the time anyone else spoke, Ai had already walked back to the locker room, snagging one of the towels to wrap around herself along the way. Rise let out a long sigh before easing her way out of the onsen.

"Y-you don't have to go," Yukiko said quickly.

"No, I do. She needs me right now, and… and to be honest, I don't really feel like hanging around anymore."

"Oh, so now you're gonna make me the bad guy?" Chie snapped. "I was just saying I was concerned, and he left — and I don't know how that makes me a hypocrite, either!"

"Because you told her she didn't get to be who she was. That she's a freak. Haven't we been over this already? You think maybe you would have learned something, because you and Yukiko would be considered 'freaks' by a lot of people! Right? And it's not like you 'decided' you were gonna be that way! But hey, wow, guess you learned NOTHING!"

Stunned silence was her only companion as she marched away from the hot springs toward the locker room. For once, Rise was fine with that. If anyone had tried to talk to her, she might not have been able to control her actions.

To Be Continued…