The gym was empty.
There was no one in the locker room.
Sousuke remembered the reason why now, having had forgotten it before, preoccupied. There had been an announcement by the gym teacher the day before. Schedules for the boy's gym class had been shifted some, as a result of simple maintenance work being done on the volleyball nets and basketball backboards.
Alone, sitting on one of the hardwood benches near the showers, Sousuke opened his book again. That heated exchange with Kaname had been a golden opportunity. He could have ended the ordeal right then and there. Had it been his pride holding him back? Did his unconscious talent for strategy and tactics veto the move for some reason? Or, had the fact that Kaname had initially calmed down somewhat, even after such drastic events, somehow made him feel overconfident?
No matter.
It was water under the bridge now. There would be no repeat performances. His misdirection had been a success one time, but would be useless from now on. When the PE class did assemble, and If the instructor would not excuse him from gym class, he would keep the book with him at all times, perhaps taped to his back underneath his gym shirt. That might look strange, but he could live with it. As it was, many of the things he did were considered odd. That was odd. There is no accounting for people's reactions or beliefs.
KARMA SUTRA-ROLE REVERSAL
He would study more positions later. Too many different things were running together in his mind. It was amazing, the number of things a Medieval Indian man must have known. No doubt, that knowledge combined with legendary libido must be responsible for the fact that there were so many people on the Indian subcontinent. He wondered if the current people were so preoccupied with sex.
Was that the reason that no SRT had never stepped foot on Indian soil?
When a woman sees that her lover is fatigued by constant congress, without having his desire satisfied, she should, with his permission, lay him down upon his back, and give him assistance by acting his part. She may also do this to satisfy the curiosity of her lover, or her own desire of novelty.
Whenever Kaname saw that he was tired… in some non-sexual way, of course… she would perversely find something to do that caused him to be even more weary. And, of course, the quickest way to get her to do something was to tell her not to do it. He would keep that in mind whenever he read the book.
There are two ways of doing this, the first is when during congress she turns round, and gets on the top of her lover, in such a manner as to continue the congress, without obstructing the pleasure of it; and the other is when she acts the man's part from the beginning. At such a time, with flowers in her hair hanging loose, and her smiles broken by hard breathings, she should press upon her lover's bosom with her own breasts, and lowering her head frequently, should do in return the same actions which he used to do before, returning his blows and chaffing him, should say, 'I was laid down by you, and fatigued with hard congress, I shall now therefore lay you down in return.' She should then again manifest her own bashfulness, her fatigue, and her desire of stopping the congress. In this way she should do the work of a man, which we shall presently relate.
Kaname had once mentioned something about taking Sousuke's role for a day, if only he would take hers, just to see how hard her life was. There was no way for him to be Whispered, however. Her suggestions of how he could become a woman had been anatomically possible, and all the more frightening for that reason. He had given her some C4, and told her to blow up whatever she liked. He promises to smack her afterwards.
Kaname had quickly changed the topic.
Whatever is done by a man for giving pleasure to a woman is called the work of a man, and is as follows: While the woman is lying on his bed, and is as it were abstracted by his conversation, he should loosen the knot of her undergarments, and when she begins to dispute with him, he should overwhelm her with kisses. Then when his lingam is erect he should touch her with his hands in various places, and gently manipulate various parts of the body. If the woman is bashful, and if it is the first time that they have come together, the man should place his hands between her thighs, which she would probably keep close together, and if she is a very young girl, he should first get his hands upon her breasts, which she would probably cover with her own hands, and under her armpits and on her neck. If however she is a seasoned woman, he should do whatever is agreeable either to him or to her, and whatever is fitting for the occasion. After this he should take hold of her hair, and hold her chin in his fingers for the purpose of kissing her. On this, if she is a young girl, she will become bashful and close her eyes. Anyhow he should gather from the action of the woman what things would be pleasing to her during congress.
"Uhhh." It was good that he was alone, and in an environment limited to males. His anatomy had acted without his permission again. Why should reading something like that have such an effect? The book gave no explanation, not even mentioning that precise topic. There was no chapter entitled 'KARMA SUTRA- THE EFFECTS OF READING NAUGHTY AND EXPLICIT BOOKS.'
Here Suvarnanabha says that while a man is doing to the woman what he likes best during congress, he should always make a point of pressing those parts of her body on which she turns her eyes. The signs of the enjoyment and satisfaction of the woman are as follows: her body relaxes, she closes her eyes, she puts aside all bashfulness, and shows increased willingness to unite the two organs as closely together as possible. On the other hand, the signs of her want of enjoyment and of failing to be satisfied are as follows: she shakes her hands, she does not let the man get up, feels dejected, bites the man, kicks him, and continues to go on moving after the man has finished. In such cases the man should rub the yoni of the woman with his hand and fingers, as the elephant rubs anything with his trunk, before engaging in congress, until it is softened, and after that is done he should proceed to put his lingam into her.
"Errr… ahhh… perhaps I should read this later." Sousuke swallowed hard. He felt a tingling feeling that might precede an embarrassing event. He would not want to have to explain something like that! Perhaps he should change into his gym clothes if he planned on reading further at this moment. He did just that, after making certain he had a spare set of undergarments just in case.
The acts to be done by the man are: Moving forward. Friction or churning. Piercing. Rubbing. Pressing. Giving a blow. The blow of a boar. The blow of a bull. The sporting of a sparrow.
Blows? That did not sound good! He would never strike Kaname. He quickly skipped ahead some.
When the lingam is removed to some distance from the yoni, and then forcibly strikes it, it is called 'giving a blow'.
When only one part of the yoni is rubbed with the lingam, it is called the 'blow of a boar'.
When both sides of the yoni are rubbed in this way, it is called the 'blow of a bull'.
Ahhh. He was relieved. They were no talking about fisticuffs or muay thai. Wait. He was not really relieved at all. Hardly! Thinking of striking and rubbing had him sweating again. A yoni or lingham by any name still stays the same. Whatever made him think he could get through this book in a calm and collected manner. True, he had acted valiantly up to this point, but things were beginning to weigh heavily on him.
Figuratively, for now.
"One minute can decide the outcome of the battle," he proffered. "One hour - the outcome of the campaign, and one day - the fate of the country. "Also, he who is afraid is half-beaten."
Those two quotations were attributed to Russian Field Marshal Prince Aleksandr Vasilyevich Suvorov, made a Count for his victories in the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-74. He was never defeated in that War or any of his sixty battles. He ascribed his success to intuition, rapidity, and impact. While the words 'rapidity' and 'impact' were somewhat discomforting while he held the open book, the quotation itself was worth remembering. Suvorov achieved surprise owing to the fast movement and maneuvering of troops. He never would have been a legend in the annals of military history if he had been plagued by procrastination or hesitation. Sousuke could no hesitate now, or he might find himself failing the mission. He would do this! He coughed, throat a bit dry, remembering that Suvorov had also said 'Accustom yourself to tireless activity.'
"I should also remember Flavius," the young mercenary asserted.
Sousuke was aware of numerous quotes credited to the celebrated Roman military writer of the 4th century. His treatise, Epitoma rei , contained a series of military maxims which were the foundation of military learning for every European commander, from William the Silent to Frederick the Great. "The courage of the soldier is heightened by the knowledge of his profession." It was not only relevant to battle, but also to his relationship with Kaname, which today by coincidence had taken on the form of a battle. "When men find they must inevitably perish, they willingly resolve to die with their comrades, and with their arms in their hands."
Kaname was the only companion he wished. He'd rather die with her in his arms, than with arms in his hands. He could not imagine a better death.
Back to work. After perusing another chapter, he close the text and stood up, ready to head outdoors. That is where the PE class was assigned to assemble.
As Fate would have it, he exited the facility moments before some infiltrators would enter.
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"That jerk!"
Kaname kicked a gym locker, too hard for her own good. She was hopping around when Kyouko opened her own locker and began getting dressed.
"Are you still mad at Sousuke?" Kyouko asked. "I'm not. It was our fault, after all." She didn't rub in the fact by saying that she had tried to be a voice of reason, and that Kaname had ignored her advice. Snap snap snap. The flash on her camera had her irate BFF seeing spots.
"Oooooh! The idiot!" Kaname pulled her foot back again for another strike, but caught herself in time. "I don't care about the trap. I don't even care about detention." Her words had Kyouko wrinkling her nose. Maya and Ryo looked at each other, having just showed up. The former narrowed her eyes. The latter put her hand over her mouth.
"Wouldn't show you the book, huh?" Mizuki was there too. "The nerve of some people!" She chuckled, not seeing Kyouko grab hold of Kaname's arm. "Guys are so stupid. All he has to do is show you some book… make it something mildly annoying, like Geppure … and say that it's the one." She referenced Japan's version of Playboy Magazine. "Then he'd be free."
"What?" Kaname clenched her fists, frowning at the feel of broken fingernails against her skin. "Sousuke would never do something like that. He's too honest. He wouldn't hurt someone that way. She finally remembered to blush. "And… you know… he would never read anything like that. Especially in school, where the Class Rep would be sure to catch him… and… well… any other perpetrator."
"Yes, he's a pretty great guy," Kyouko said, trying to diffuse Kaname's ticking mood.
Kaname began nodding her head, stopping when she saw Maya and Ryo scrutinizing her face. "He's alright, I guess. For an otaku nutjob. Hmmmpppfff!?
"I still don't get why you're so upset," Mizuki said, a mischievous look in her eyes. "If he was your boyfriend, it might make sense." She neatly folded her clothes and placed them in her locker. Hmmm. You know… the two of you do seem inseparable?"
"Huh? Ah hah hah hah hah!" Kaname closed her locker, even though she hadn?t put her clothes in yet. She frowned and opened it back up again. "I can't help it if I have two shadows. And I'm often the first one at the crime scene. Besides, he has kind of become my friend. That doesn't make him my boyfriend, just because he's a boy! Sheeeesh!"
"Kaname's probably upset because she hates to lose." Kyouko said reasonably, even though she had a strong suspicion of her friend's feelings for their troublemaking classmate.
"Tell me about it!" Ryo and Maya both laughed. They had said the same thing at exactly the same time. Ryo smacked Maya in the butt with her rolled up gym shirt.
"That's right." Kaname's voice was quiet. So quiet, that it caused the hair on the girls' necks to stand on end. "I especially hate to lose to someone who breaks the rules, blows things up, and gets other people into trouble that they don't deserve." If this were an anime, Sousuke should be sneezing about now. Or, the blue girl's words should be raising a death flag.
"She hates to lose to Sousuke," Mizuki said, tying her sneakers. "Too bad, since there is no way that she can beat him." She made a major effort to keep from grinning. "Of course, if you two were lovers or something, there would be no way for him to win."
"WHAT?" Kaname turned pale. "Don't even joke that way. Geeez. Nobody wants to win that bad. Not even me. AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!"
"Besides, you know Sousuke…." Maya said, pulling her shirt over her head.
"Yes, he probably doesn't even know where 'it' goes." Ryo chuckled, stretching to loosen her muscles.
"If he even knows what it's for," Mizuki put in. "I guess that Kaname will have to teach him."
"Ooooooh!" Kaname took a step towards the other girl. She stopped and fluffed her hair. "I wouldn't bother. I'd just refer him to Shirai."
Mizuki froze. That was still a sore subject with her. It was her own fault. She had thrown down a gauntlet, so to speak. Still, that was a cheap shot.
"So, are you going to try for the book again?" Kyouko asked. She was trying to keep things from getting any uglier. Fighting among friends never accomplished anything.
"Well, if you think I should, Ky." Kaname flashed a smile. "Thanks. That's a great idea. Never would have thought of it, myself!"
"B-But… I w-wasn't…." Kyouko shook her head.
"And it's great that you volunteered to help," Kaname added. She looked at the other girls in turn.
"No!" Maya said. "We only have ten minutes before our gym class officially starts. We should head for our own gym."
"I sneezed enough for one day!" Ryo claimed. "I think my brains even started leaking out my nose."
"Count me out." Mizuki still sounded angry.
"Pleeease" Kyouko held her hands under her chin, trying to look as pitiful as possible. If she was going to be dragged into helping Kaname, she didn't want to be the only one. "I can't control her on my own."
"That's not fair, using Kyouko as bait." Maya scowled. "OK. I know that I'll regret it." After that, Ryo reluctantly agreed. Mizuki held out until Kaname promised to buy her melon bread, each day for the rest of the week. That Shirai reference proved costly.
Kaname squared her shoulders and spoke, like a coach giving a pep talk to a teaming vying for a national championship. "This should be a piece of cake. Sousuke is outside. The boy's gym and locker room is empty. There are no locks in there, and the guys share lockers. So, there will not be any traps. We can do this."
After Kyouko said a silent prayer for them all, Kaname led her friends into enemy territory, so to speak. She employed stealth techniques that she had learned from Sousuke, pushing forward with her usual indomitable will. They got into the boy's gym unseen. They penetrated the locker room too, but not until after they all made a hideous face, their feet hesitantly hanging over the tiled floor, just before they took their first step in.
"Is that-" Ryo said in a fake shock. "-a jockstrap?!" She pointed at a random spot on the floor.
"Eep!" Kyouko ducked behind Kaname. She stood up, embarrassed.
"Which locker is Sousuke's?" Maya asked.
"How should I know?" Kaname answered snappishly. "I've never been in here before."
"Look for one with a picture of Kaname," Mizuki quipped, a little louder than she usually would. "Or, maybe one with a big heart… with the initials. K.C. and S.S…." She sniffed.
"No, look for one with power cables running to it," Ryo chuckled. "Or blast marks." Ryo chuckled. "It doesn't have to be shared. What do you want to bet… Sousuke's locker partner is in the hospital…."
"Just look for one with a book in it. It will be Sousuke's. I doubt the other guys can even read!" Kaname's comment had everyone laughing.
They opened locker by locker.
It didn't take too long, with all of them helping. Sometimes they found things that defied description. At others, they found things that left them cross-eyed or ready to gag.
There was no sign of a book, however.
"What was that?" Mizuki asked. "I hear voices. Lots of them. The sound is getting louder." She was right. The PE class schedule thrown off, Sousuke's group had only just left for the athletic field. The group before his was coming back in to get cleaned up for class.
"Oh Shit!" Maya almost never sore. "Boys!"
"Kaname!" Ryo looked shocked and angry at the same time.
"The showers. Hurry" Kaname took charge. "Follow me." She led the way.
"Earth to Chidori," Mizuki drawled. "We have stinky and sweaty boys coming in. They will be heading for the showers." Indeed, the gym class prior to Sousuke's had finished their scheduled track and field assignments.
"Not until they undress. That gives us some time. Come on!" Kaname spoke in a stage whisper. "The boy's shower room should have two sets of entrances, just like ours. We can sneak out undetected that way!"
"Are you staying," Ryo called to Kyouko, frozen like a deer in oncoming headlights. "Hoping for a sausage party?"
Kaname pulled Kyouko along by the shirt collar. The pigtailed girl's eyes looked like they were spinning.
The girls all ran into the huge shower room. It was larger and coarser than the girls, with a greater number of shower heads and a dirty cracked floor. The drain reaked of industrial strength cleaning solution. Kaname raced over to the far door. "If I'm right, this will lead to the maintenance corridor. It shouldn't be locked the way that ours is. I doubt any janitor is going to peak in on the boys…."
"Out of my way!" Mizuki shot past like a missile. She was close to hyperventilating. She couldn't stand being there, not only because she had been dumped by Shirai in a boy's bathroom. "Oh no!"
"Move!" Kaname took hold of the door handle after Mizuki let go. She couldn't get it to move either. It was locked.
"Ka-naaah-may…." Kyouko looked frightened. She still had nightmares about the Full Monty Virus incident, when here clothes disintegrated right after she had seen Onodera go entirely naked.
"Be calm. We'll be alright." Kaname knew there was only one way out. She would try her best to put on a brave front. "We'll calmly walk out and claim that the girls shower was out of soap." She put slimy half-used soap in each of the girl's hands, two bars apiece. She didn't have time to pick the stray pubic hairs off.
Sure, their reputation might take on some tarnish, but things wouldn't be too bad.
"No problem," Kaname said, beginning to feel confident. "There should be no problem at all!"
The showers all came on at once. Someone had thrown a master switch, usurping individual control. The water was everywhere. It was super-hot, before the temperature equalized. The trapped girls were cooked and soaked at the same time.
"You were saying?" Maya asked with an acid tone..