Chapter 11

Morning found most of the inhabitants of the Hinata apartments unhappy with their night of rest, save three. Su was happy as a lark, Tsuruko and Haruka also having dealt with a lot of their stress were both well rested.

Shinobu got up to start breakfast, and found her back was hurting. Su had mistaken her for a tree all night and had tried to climb her several times. When she got to the kitchen, she found the mess of the party untouched. She began cleaning.

Soon a very tired Keitaro came and began helping her. Very much like Mutsumi and the exact opposite of Mitsune he seemed to be unaffected by all the drinking he did last night. However it looked like he hadn't gotten very much sleep.

"Sempai are you alright?" Shinobu asked.

"Ya, I think so, I just am really tired. I could use some coffee I think it will help," Keitaro responded.

He quickly helped Shinobu clear the table, and do the dishes, while he finished off two cups of coffee.

Shinobu was delighted to have him so close, but she was worried about how tired he looked. She worked in silence too nervous to ask him anything. Finally getting the courage she said "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Anything is fine, you decide, however if I must choose, I think I would like to try the same breakfast I had yesterday, but this time I would like it to be still warm from the stove. I bet it will taste even better than it did yesterday," he smiled.

Shinobu found she was blushing again and said "You bet!", and quickly got out the materials she would need to begin breakfast.

"I guess I will go clean something," he said as he left the room. He took off his shirt and roll up his pants in the changing room. He went out to the outdoor baths with his brush broom, and bucket to scrub the stones clean. While he was scrubbing he couldn't help but stare the rock that looked like its mouth was open to the sky. It was rather fuzzy without his glasses but he could clearly tell that the rock was broken. He couldn't believe that he had split that rock in half with his head, but even without his glasses he could tell that the rock had horrible aesthetic presence. He went to the tool shed, and got out some rope, and as a side note, he grabbed some old shrine decorations that were folded up prayers to be hung off ropes. He went back to the bath and bound the rock up to look like a miniature sacred rock.

"That looks much better" he said aloud, standing by the bath looking at his handy work.

"Yes it does," said a very feminine voice behind him.

He whipped around, and saw what looked like Tsuruko wrapped up in a towel.

"Sorry I thought I put out my cleaning sign," he said.

"Oh that's what that sign is for, I didn't mind that it was being cleaned. I just moved it out of the way so I could get in the bath. Also, what did I tell you last night about hitting on older married women? I might find myself falling victim to your advances."

"No... I would ..." Keitaro was at a loss for words, instead he gathered up his brush broom, and bucket and ran for the changing room.

Tsuruko couldn't help but let a girlish giggle escape her lips.

As Keitaro rounded the corner, he plowed right into Motoko also wearing her towel. Together they tumbled to a stop, and somehow Keitaro's broom had dislodged Motoko's towel so that she was entirely naked and they were both holding each other chest to chest.

Keitaro then screamed "Sorry Naru er I mean Motoko" and then put his hands to cover up his face expecting a blow. It never came.

He cautiously opened his eyes, and found Motoko was holding onto him in a very "Su like" bear hug with her legs and arms completely wrapped around him. "Umm... Motoko?"

He heard a laugh coming from the bath. "My, my, you are quite the impatient boy, first it's Kitsune, then me, and now my sister too?" She couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey this isn't funny." He said to Tsuruko. He then turned to Motoko and said, "Motoko are you ok? You can let go now."

Her grip tightened and he could feel her pressing against his chest. He then couldn't help but notice how ice cold she was.

"Umm... Tsuruko? I think Motoko may be sick, she is ice cold."

Tsuruko stood up from the bath, and came towards him. He tried to turn his face away, but Motoko's head was in the way, he closed his eyes, to try and shy away from her forwardness. He then cried "Wait put a towel on."

"What are you talking about, I am wearing a towel. Again tell me how long till you get your glasses in the mail?" She knelt down beside them and felt Motoko. She then said "Bring her to the bath; we need to warm her up."

It took Keitaro several minutes to stand up, it was even more difficult to try and do it with Motoko holding onto him. What he found more difficult than standing up was he had to try several times to put his hand on Motoko to help him balance to stand up. Several times his modesty would kick in and he would almost loose his balance again. It wasn't helping that Tsuruko wasn't helping him, she only went to the bath, and offered suggestions from her resting place in the bath. "Place one of your hands on one of her cheeks. They will probably going to give you the most balance if you put one of them down there." She would also said things like "I bet my sisters breasts are not helping, either they are causing you to loose your concentration, or they are putting you off balance because they aren't exactly small," and "I bet she has soft skin, all the females in our family have really smooth skin. Is it soft and smooth?", and "She looks really cute clinging onto you like that, it's like you're newly weds."

The only thing this succeeded in doing is flustering him, and making her laugh more as each time he once more found himself on his back with her holding onto him.

After several attempts and one very bold move that he was blushing profusely over. He finally made it to a standing position, and brought her over to the bath.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Get in, obviously, if she isn't going to let go of you, you need to get in with her."

He was horribly embarrassed, but he complied. He carefully climbed down into the bath, and found way to submerge both their bodies up to the neck in the deeper end. He was sitting rather awkwardly because he didn't wish to hurt Motoko's arms or legs which were latched around him on his back by rubbing them against the rocks in the bath. So after a few minutes of moving around he finally found a position which he could rest on the bottom of the bath. The only downside is he was kind of forced to hold Motoko's body tight up against him as to keep her head out of the water.

Tsuruko's continual suggestions and comments wouldn't cease embarrassing him while Keitaro was trying to warm Motoko up, and keep her head out of the water. She had moved close to them so she could check on her sister's condition. "That would be easier if you just put one of your hands on her backside, instead of her back." Another suggestion "Rub her back, that will help her warm up." And other comments like "You're lucky you have to do this now, in another few years it would be a lot more difficult as my sister's breasts grow more like my size." To which his gaze couldn't help but look at Tsuruko who was proudly lifting her towel wrapped chest out of the water. "Oh my you're flirting again, you naughty boy, can't be happy with a beautiful girl latched around you, you have to desire more mature woman too?!"

He looked away blushing, and said "You're not making this any easier you know."

Motoko's grasp on him seemed to relax, so he attempted to dislodge her arms. She responded by only latching on tighter.

He tried calling out to her "Motoko?" He couldn't see her face he could just feel her respond to each time he called her name by her squeezing just lightly. Her shorter hair tickled his face as each time she breathed, and it was hard to not think of anything.

"Umm... how come it doesn't seem to be working... her body is still really cold." He said after it had been about 20 minutes.

Tsuruko responded by "I guess you will have to try harder, maybe try concentrating some of your body heat into her. Maybe it would help if you imagine yourself as a source of warmth, like a little campfire or something. Relax and close your eyes, now try pouring your heat into her body."

He complied the best he could and soon found himself nodding off. After a several minutes he heard a voice. "Aru aru? Kei-kun that looks like you and Motoko are having fun." He shook off the sleep that his eyes were fogging over with, and looked over as a very naked Mutsumi was making her way toward them.

"Mutsumi please! Wrap you self in a towel," he said while closing his eyes as tight as he could. "This isn't what it looks like, Motoko is kind of sick, and she passed out and won't let go of me."

"Oh? My! Oh I can't I forgot to bring one with me, besides Motoko isn't wearing one either." With that she submerged herself and came and sat next to him on the other side from Tsuruko.

After several more embarrassing moments he just sat there trying to concentrate on devising the square root of forty seven, trying to distract him away from the temptation of letting his eyes wander around the bath. The heat of the springs was beginning to affect him as Motoko began to stir.

"Keitaro please don't leave me I need you." Motoko whispered in his ear.

Tsuruko said "Keitaro what did she just say, I couldn't hear it." He just shook his head refusing to respond but he looked beet red. So she added "No matter, it seems like she is stirring, you have done well."

A few more minutes later she suddenly let go and stood up out of the water and with a loud shout while holding her fist in the air, "Keitaro watch where you're going." She blinked and looked around, "Hu where'd' he go?"

Mutsumi said "Oh he is below you look down."

She looked down and a very wide eyed Keitaro was sitting below her in the water of the hot springs. She was entirely naked and the top of his head was only inches away from her belly button. She went to punch him and yell pervert when he suddenly fell backwards from either the sudden blood loss from his brain or the heat of the hot springs finally got to him. She missed and the momentum of her fist caught her off balance and she fell on top of him, and she found his head between her breasts under water. His unconscious body was struggling to get air by instinct.

She struggled to get off of him, but his thrashing made it quite difficult. To add to her embarrassment Tsuruko would say things like, "Don't hold your boy friend under water, I am sure he can't breath any air between your breasts." She was able to gather herself long enough to get off of him. His head bobbed above the water and gasped for air and then stopped thrashing. Then he just lay there floating in the water. With Mutsumi's help they got him picked up and were making their way to the side of the bath. Tsuruko wouldn't help, she would only laugh and offer questions like "does he need mouth to mouth?" to which Mutsumi would drop his feet and say "I don't know I will check."

Motoko would then push Mutsumi away and say "he's already breathing he doesn't need mouth to mouth."

Mutsumi would say "awe your no fun" and pick up Keitaro's feet out of the water.

Several more suggestions were offered. Motoko would have to once again push Mutsumi away. After several minutes they got him out of the bath on the side of the pool. Motoko had had enough of the bath, and got up out of the water went over and gathered up her towel, and then threw one to Mutsumi, and said "Cover yourself."

She then left in a huff Leaving Mutsumi and Tsuruko watching over the unconscious Keitaro. After a few minutes he regained consciousness. Mutsumi said "Keitaro come join us in the bath."

He responded by standing up and saying "umm... no thank you I have lots of other things I should be doing." and he quickly ran and gathered up his brush and bucket and his shirt and ran for the exit. Leaving a just Mutsumi rather disappointed, and Tsuruko was in a fit of giggles.

Motoko rushed back to her room, she was horribly embarrassed. "What just happened?" she asked herself. She remembered waking up in the bath holding onto something, and before that she could remember Keitaro come running at her at full speed. What she didn't expect to be totally naked with him again! 'What is happening to me?' she thought.

'First I wake up colder than wet sushi. I also had a horrible night sleep, so couldn't wake up as early as I hoped. Adding to my embarrassment, Keitaro sees me naked yet again, and Tsuruko laughing at me like I was some kind of freak.'

She collapsed on the floor. After several minutes of just trying to let it all out, she decided to get up and go get dressed for the day. Shinobu would be calling her very soon for breakfast, and she couldn't go to breakfast in her towel from the bath. She removed her towel, and went to her underwear drawer to pick out what she would be wearing today. She had already worn most of the new things that Kanako and Kitsune had helped her get, so she resorted to not wear one of the last of her new ensemble. She pulled out one of her old plane white undergarments and one of Kanako's hand-me-down bras. She quickly put on the bra and panties. And then went to the closet to pick out something to wear. She couldn't help but notice one of Keitaro's boxers, and for some unfathomable reason, she changed into them and put her panties in her drawer. She quickly got dressed in her usual attire for practicing, and she went into the kitchen to get breakfast.

She quickly wolfed down the first few pancakes that Shinobu had just finished cooking, and drank a glass of orange juice. She went up to the roof and was trying to practice. Each time she would focus her mind, the image of Keitaro sleeping, or laying in the bath, or any number of other pictures of him, or of him and Naru, or of Naru speaking to her before she left the other day, would leap into her head, and her focus would falter. After a two whole hours of fighting with her brain, she decided that that was enough, and sat down to try to give her brain time to clear itself.

'Just before I woke up in the bath, I had the vague notion that I was holding onto Keitaro tightly,' she thought. 'If that's true, then why am I always climbing into bed with him, or grabbing onto him. I feel so... almost... dirty. Is it true what Naru called me before she left? Why do I keep taking my clothes off and throwing myself at him... I don't understand.'

"Why do I keep throwing myself at him every chance I get? Is my mind slipping?" she said.

"I don't think so," said a voice behind her. Suddenly having a voice behind her made her jump several feet.

"Onii-san! What are you doing here? How long have you been there?!" exclaimed Motoko.

Tsuruko said "Long enough to see that you have totally lost your ability to concentrate, and to hear that you throw yourself at Keitaro more often than what I just witnessed in the bath earlier."

Tsuruko watched her sister collapse onto her knees, then curl up into a ball sitting on her knees. She started to cry. Tsuruko rushed over and sat down beside her, and put her arm around her.

They sat there long enough for the sun to climb high in the morning sky. 'This isn't going anywhere, she is either afraid to talk because she fears my reaction, or ashamed of herself,' she thought.

Tsuruko asked "Do you love Keitaro?"

Motoko shook her head in a "yes" although all that Tsuruko could see is her hair bobbing in a slow agreement. Then after a few seconds her "yes" turned into a "no", then a very firm "yes".

"Do you want to be with Keitaro all the time? Do you get jealous of the others when they occupy his time?" asked Tsuruko.

Motoko's head bobbed in a slow "yes."

"Do you think this makes you a bad person, or a dishonorable person, or even a dishonorable warrior?"

Motoko's short hair wriggled as she strongly responded "yes."

"Do you think that you did something shameful to Keitaro, or one of the other girls here?"

Motoko just sat there without moving, almost as if she was petrified. Several minutes later Motoko quietly said "Naru left because of the shameful act I did."

She got up to run away, and found herself held down by Tsuruko's powerful arms over her back.

"I know have not done anything shameful or dishonorable, because I see no evil in your heart. Don't think otherwise either, I actually know far more than you think I do. In fact I am quite happy for you, because Keitaro is a klutz; er I mean he is a very good man. Most importantly, my little sister, he knows how to treat you and take care of you. He may not know how to treat some of the other girls here, but he has great understanding of you. Today he showed me great compassion towards you. He must have feelings in his heart for you somewhere. He may just need a little help finding them. Most of all my little sister, its up to you to find in your heart the courage you need to go after what you desire most. If it is to be with Keitaro, then do everything within your ability to make it happen. Also there is one thing I want you to know she may be a friend, but on the battle field for love, there is no truce between women." Tsuruko gave Motoko a big squeeze and then stood up and walked away. "Come to me if you need training in the art of seduction. After all how do you think I obtained a husband so easily?" and she laughed as she walked away down the stairs.

Motoko sat there for a while, not quite knowing what to do. Eventually she got up and went inside to see if she could make sense of what her sister had said.

Keitaro ran to his room, and closed the door. His face was so red that it felt hot to the touch. He quickly changed out of his wet clothes, and dried himself with a towel. He went to go get dressed and remembered his clothes in the laundry room. He wrapped the towel around him and made a quick dash for the laundry room.

He found his laundry basket, and made his way back to his room without incident. He finished getting dressed and quickly put away his laundry without really thinking too much about it. His mind was rather distracted as he did so. 'They were so smooth and soft, yet firm' and he would shake his head trying to clear out the thoughts. Only to once again think 'she does look pretty cute with short hair, I have always kind of liked the tomboy look.'

"No!" he suddenly said. "Naru is the girl I am supposed to be with!"

He went out to join the rest of the girls for breakfast. Shinobu had finished making breakfast, and Su was drooling on the table holding a fork in each hand. He sat down next to her and waited. Tsuruko joined them, and Shinobu brought the pancakes to the breakfast table. She had gone all out, and there was a large pile. Keitaro suddenly asked "um where are Motoko and Kitsune?"

"Motoko already ate, and is working out on the roof and Kitsune only yelled 'I'll be down later, after my head clears' when I went to go get her," responded Shinobu. "So there is no need to wait for them."

Soon the pile of pancakes became just a bare plate, and Keitaro said "Those were wonderful, even better than yesterdays" he had remembered what he had said earlier this morning.

Shinobu blushed, and said "Th... Thank you sempai."

"You're welcome, anytime for the most wonderful chief in the house."

Shinobu picked up her plate, and quickly stood up. She then said "I am going to start on the dishes now." She practically ran for the kitchen. In the kitchen she put down the dishes and then sat there blushing holding her cheeks in her hands. 'He said I was wonderful,' was all she could think.

In the dining area, they had watched her dart off and Keitaro thought 'She must have something she would rather be doing this morning.' So he called out to the kitchen, "Shinobu do you need help doing the dishes?"

A shaky voice from the kitchen cried "No, I have them, please let me do the dishes."

Keitaro got up and left to go study in his room.

After eating Tsuruko quickly made her way up to where Motoko always practiced. She heard Motoko utter "Why do I keep throwing myself at him every chance I get? Is my mind slipping?" It was easy to put two and two together, so she approached her sister.