Alternates!
. . . in which the author asks the eternal question, "What would have happened if Kitsune had decided to pursue someone other than Motoko?"
1. Mutsumi
Kitsune woke up one day and realized that she liked girls better than guys. Being as how Naru had talked about being kissed by Mutsumi, Kitsune decided that the turtle girl was the most likely one to feel the same. Kitsune sought her out, kissed her deeply, and the two of them lived happiyurily ever after, defiling many a kotatsu and coming up with incredibly creative uses for watermelon and various types of booze.
(Note: the author is aware of the continuity errors with this, considering when the first chapter of the main text is supposed to begin. The author does not care.)
2. Naru
Kitsune headed away from the breakfast table in search of Naru. Despite the other girl not being able to do the cherry stem trick, Naru would likely be tongue-tied by the time she was done talking with her, Kitsune thought. She giggled. Tongue-tied, yes, one way or another.
Kitsune hurried upstairs, figuring that Naru would be heading for her room, probably to start studying as she always did. Something nagged in the back of Kitsune's mind. Her own room was right next to Naru's, and there was something - or maybe someone - oh, crap, Kitsune thought. Naru would likely find Keitaro where she'd left him, and that meant--
She skidded around the corner, nearly slipping on the freshly cleaned floor, to find Naru standing over Keitaro. Kitsune had to admit it didn't really look good for him - looking half-unconscious, right outside both of their rooms, with tissues stuffed up his nose. She felt kinda sorry for leaving him like that, and really sorry for what was about to happen to him, judging by the look on Naru's face.
"What are you doing, you perverted little imp. . . ." Naru began, holding up a fist.
Kitsune started to wince. This was about to get ugly.
"It's . . . it's not what you think," Keitaro managed, slowly putting up his hands. "Kitsune, she--"
"What, you're trying to peep on her too?" Naru asked, sounding furious. "It's bad enough I can't take a bath without you showing up, or that Shinobu--"
At that point, Naru pretty much gave up on words and just pounded Keitaro's head into the wall. He lay there, eyes pointing in two different directions, as Naru stormed away.
Kitsune quietly walked up to him a moment later, after she'd retrieved the first aid kit. "Hey, I'm sorry about that," she said as she wrapped up his head. "But look at it this way." She glanced down the hall to Naru's closed door. "You still have more of a chance with her than I do."
Keitaro blinked up at her, looking very confused, his glasses askew. "What?"
"C'mon, you know she likes you, she just can't admit it," Kitsune said, winking at Keitaro. She then looked away and sighed. So much for that, she thought, but she knew where Naru stood. "Damn," she muttered to herself.
3. Su
"Motoko, here's 5000 yen. Get out of the house for the weekend."
Kitsune tried not to smile too widely as Motoko gave her a very confused look. "I was planning on going away for training anyway," the kendo girl said, "but why are you so eager for me to leave?"
"Don't ask questions when you don't want to know the answer," Kitsune said with a smirk.
Motoko frowned at her. "I do want to know the answer, Kitsune."
"Okay, don't ask questions when I don't want to tell you the answer," Kitsune said, winking. "Now c'mon. Go do your training, go master a new strike or sit under a waterfall or whatever it is you martial arts-types do. Go, go!"
Kitsune sighed with relief as Motoko hurried away, though the other girl was giving her a strange look over her shoulder. Not that it mattered, Kitsune thought; by the time Motoko came back she wouldn't have anything to worry about. Neither of them would, if all her plans came together. Kitsune snickered.
She had to admit she felt a little bad about the whole deception thing. Su pretty much relied on Motoko so that she could sleep, and sending Motoko away just so Kitsune could spend the night with the crazy foreign girl again was . . . it felt a little mean, but if it worked, it'd be worth it. If it didn't, well, then Motoko would get in some training and Kitsune would be sore in the less-than-good way from a night with Su. Not exactly what she was hoping for - that amounted to a completely different kind of sore - but hey, she had to try.
Nighttime eventually came to Hinata, and when Kitsune found Su, the younger girl was looking a bit forlorn. Can't have that, Kitsune thought as she walked up to her.
"Hey, Su. What's up?"
"Motoko's been gone all day," Su said, sounding sad.
Kitsune suffered a moment of regret, then shoved it aside, thinking of the greater goal. "Yeah, she told me she was going to go train this weekend. She didn't tell you?"
Su shook her head. "Hmm-mm." She paused for a second, then looked up at Kitsune and started to smile. "Hey, can I sleep with you tonight?"
Kitsune just barely managed to keep herself from bursting out laughing. Just what she'd wanted to hear. It was all she could do to act a little reluctant. "Ehh . . . I don't know, Su, you kind of wore me out. . . ."
"Come on, Kitsune!" Su said, and leaped at her. Su attached herself to Kitsune, hanging onto her side. "I'll be gentle," she whispered into Kitsune's ear, then giggled.
Kitsune paused for a second, her mouth hanging open, then said, "Sure."
Later that night, as they were bedding down, Kitsune suddenly found herself starting to wonder. Was this even right? Was she about to try to seduce a middle-schooler just to satisfy her own desires? Sure, Su could act like she was mature, but she usually didn't even act like she was really thirteen. Kitsune had her wonderings about Su, 'cause she acted the same to pretty much everyone, and had even kissed Motoko that one time. But was Su anywhere near serious about any of that? Or was she just being a kid 'cause she didn't know any different?
Kitsune's train of thought derailed and careened off a cliff as Su tackled her onto the two futons.
"Ack! Su!" she managed to yell as her face collided with her pillow.
"He he he. . . ." Su, now kneeling on Kitsune's back, giggled. "First pin goes to Su!"
"Oh no!" Kitsune wormed her way out from under the other girl and gave her a shove, sending her sprawling. "No fair, you've had time to practice!" She leaped at Su, and pinned the other girl's shoulders down, leering at her. "You do this with Motoko?"
"Yeah, but she never tries as hard," Su said. "You're a lot more fun!" Her hands snapped up, for a second Kitsune thought the younger girl was going to grope her. She was kind of disappointed when Su just tickled her ribs, but Kitsune couldn't help laughing and had to let her go. Su leaped at her again, cackling.
Kitsune was ready for it this time, and snatched Su around the waist as she came flying toward her, and the two of them tumbled across the covers and into the wall. They struggled for dominance, working their way back onto the futons, until Kitsune decided to give it a shot and planted a kiss on Su's lips. She didn't linger, just in case, but when she pulled back, Su was grinning widely.
"Ooo, kissy-kissy. . . ." Su kissed Kitsune back, holding it until she was struggling for breath. "That was fun," she said as Kitsune tried to recover. "I didn't know you wanted to do that!"
"Been wanting to do it for a while," Kitsune said, breathing hard and grinning at Su. "Just took me a while to realize it, y'know?" She had no idea how seriously Su was taking this - not much at all, she guessed - but that was okay, at least for now. Hell, Kitsune found it a little strange herself, but figured she might as well go with it.
"Hmm," Su said, looking all quiet and thoughtful for a second. Kitsune wondered just what was going through her head, then shrugged it off when Su put her face right next to hers. "So, you wanna be lovers?" Su asked.
"Well, yeah," Kitsune said with a wink.
Su grinned, yelled "Yay!" and yanked the covers over the two of them.
It was three days before anyone in Hinata House saw them again.
4. Shinobu
Kitsune headed out to the balcony, watching Shinobu as she hung up the laundry. She cracked open the beer she was carrying, and took a swig right before heading up the stairs. This was going to require alcohol, she could tell, but she'd already made up her mind. Few things seemed quite as crazy; she couldn't think of the last time she'd done something that could be quite as messed-up as trying to seduce a junior high-age girl. She giggled madly to herself; she really hoped that it would work.
Shinobu turned and looked at her as she climbed the last of the stairs. She smiled. "Hello, Kitsune," she said cheerfully.
"Hey, Shinobu," she said, then winked. "How's it hanging?" Sure, the phrase was one she'd picked up from an American movie made in the 80s, but it was fun to use, and Shinobu was hanging laundry.
The younger girl looked a little confused. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Kitsune said with a grin. "Hey, are you learning any English?"
"A little," she said, and flung a skirt - looked like Naru's, Kitsune thought - over the clothesline. "I'm not very good at it."
"D'you think you could try translating this song for me, though?" Kitsune said, taking a folded-up piece of paper out of her pocket. She had to admit to herself that this was probably the worst way she could think of to get Shinobu's attention, but she knew it would.
"A song?" Shinobu asked, setting down a shirt and giving Kitsune a curious look. Got her, Kitsune thought. "I - I suppose I could try that," she said. "What is it?"
"It's, um, a love song!" Kitsune said. "I only have it in English, and I can sort of read it, but I'm not quite sure what all the words mean. You want me to sing it?"
"Sure!" Shinobu smiled brightly.
Here it goes, Kitsune thought, and started singing from the paper she held.
"I - I - I love little girls, they make me feel so good! I love - little girls - they make me feel so . . . bad! When they're around, they make me feel like I'm the only guy in town. I love - little girls - they make me feel so good!" She paused, and looked to Shinobu. "You got it so far?"
The look on Shinobu's face was not one that Kitsune would call 'encouraging.' She wouldn't even call it 'hopeful' or 'indeterminate.' 'Traumatized' would be a better way to describe it.
"K - Kitsune," Shinobu managed, "I . . . I don't think I want to translate that!"
"Eh, forget it," Kitsune said, throwing the paper aside and deciding to go for broke. "I know what it means." She started to advance on Shinobu, and leaned down a bit so that they were on the same eye level. Grinning madly, she said, "And I reeeeeeally like it."
Shinobu blinked once, and tears started to form at the bottom of her oh-so-very-large eyes. "Kitsune," she managed, "you . . . you like. . . ."
"Yep." Kitsune leaned forward a little bit more, saw that Shinobu seemed frozen, then moved in and kissed her.
The younger girl didn't really start to struggle until Kitsune's tongue was in her mouth, but it didn't take long after that. Shinobu pulled herself away and took a step back, her face bright red. She then dashed down the stairs and back toward the house. "Auuuuuu!"
"Damn," Kitsune muttered. "Was that too strong?" She paused, then grinned. "Better find out!" She ran off after the fleeing girl.
Fortunately, Shinobu wasn't moving all that fast - maybe it was panic, maybe it was the fact that she was shorter, or maybe it was that her real feelings were holding her back. Kitsune clung to that last idea as she hurried into Hinata House and caught sight of Shinobu down a long hallway.
"Hey, don't run!" Kitsune yelled as she gave chase. "The song's not over yet!"
Shinobu rounded the corner and kept running. At least, she would have if Keitaro hadn't polished and waxed the floors just that morning. She slipped, and started to tumble. Kitsune sprinted to catch her, lost her own footing as she hit the corner, and slammed into some kind of eight-limbed tumble with Shinobu.
When they stopped moving, Kitsune was laying flat on her back, spread-eagled, with Shinobu kneeling over her face. Her skirt was covering Kitsune up to her forehead, and her feet were on Kitsune's shoulders. There was a moment of silence as neither of them moved. Kitsune then pushed the younger girl's skirt aside and grinned up at her.
"You smell good, y'know?"
Shinobu balled her hands up under her chin, which was starting to quiver.
"They don't - ask me questions," Kitsune sang, winking at Shinobu. "They don't - try to scold me. They don't - look for answers, they just - want to hold me." She reached up and gently patted Shinobu's butt. "Isn't this fun? Isn't this what life's all about?" She started to raise her head, bringing her face closer to Shinobu's. "Isn't this a dream come true?"
Somehow, that made Shinobu recover herself, as she leaped to her feet and started dashing down the hallway again, slipping and skating on the slick floors. Kitsune cursed for a second as she watched her go, noted that Shinobu was again wearing the teddy-bear panties, then righted herself.
"Isn't this a nightmare tooooooooo!" she belted out before giving chase once again.
Just as she was about to catch up, Shinobu rounded another corner, and Kitsune's feet slipped out from under her before she had a chance to get a grip. She slid into the wall, felt her head it, and then things got all swirly and dark. . . .
When Kitsune woke up, she was laying on her futon with a cold cloth over her head. Keitaro was sitting next to her futon, reading from one of the books he always had with him. When he saw that her eyes were open, he gave her a concerned look.
"Are you all right?" he asked. He held up two fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"
"Two," Kitsune muttered. She put a hand to her head, and felt what seemed to be a lump the size of a saké bottle. She groaned. "How long. . . ?"
"A few hours," Keitaro said. "Shinobu said you were acting crazy and that you'd hit your head."
Kitsune felt her face turn red as she remembered what had happened. This could be a problem. "Did she say what I was doing?" she asked.
"Just that you were singing something," he said with a shrug. "Are you feeling all right? Besides the bump, of course." He smiled.
"I'll live," she said with a weak wink. She was about to ask about Shinobu when her door slid open.
Naru stood in the doorway, looking panicked. "Shinobu just cleaned out her room and left!"
Kitsune groaned. Crap. That didn't work very well. . . .
Deleted Scene #1: Early Training Sessions
Kitsune stood in what might pass for a basic kendo stance, holding the bokken out in front of herself. Motoko stood next to her, holding a hand to her chin, appraising the other girl's form.
"Move your left foot back," Motoko said. "That's far enough."
"My legs are already sore," Kitsune said, and cocked her head at Motoko. "How old were you when you started doing this?"
"Five years," Motoko said calmly. "Your grip's off." She moved to stand behind Kitsune, and wrapped her hand around Kitsune's. "Hold it gently but firmly, don't strangle it."
"Gotcha." Kitsune adjusted her grip, then leaned back against Motoko a bit. "Is that better?"
"Close." Motoko put her other hand on Kitsune's hip, and adjusted the other woman's stance a bit. "Keep your legs at about shoulder width, for balance."
"Right," Kitsune said, and pushed against Motoko again, rubbing back and forth a bit with her back.
"Kitsune," Motoko said, starting to blush, "what are you doing?"
"Wishing you weren't wearing binding."
Deleted Scene #2: A Very Merry Christmas
Motoko reclined on the couch, watching Shinobu chase Su and Sarah around the room. All of them dressing up for Christmas had been amusing, though she wasn't sure how well this red dress suited her. Kitsune, of course, was another story entirely - she'd been flaunting herself at Motoko all evening, and Motoko was almost growing weary of it.
"Hey," Kitsune said lazily, sitting herself down in Motoko's lap. "Naru and Keitaro took off, so looks like the party's winding down." She leaned in close, and whispered in Motoko's ear, "Y'know, I can get you out of that dress in about five seconds."
"Kitsune, you're drunk," Motoko said, fighting off a blush.
"Only a little," Kitsune giggled. She started tugging at the edge of Motoko's collar. "C'mon. Five seconds. I bet you I can do it."
"Kitsune!" Motoko glared at her; Kitsune was starting to talk a little louder and the others might hear. "No. You're drunk, and I'm not stripping in the middle of the house."
"You didn't mind that one time," Kitsune said with a wink.
"That was different! Everyone else was gone!" Motoko said.
The room was suddenly silent, and Motoko looked around to see everyone else looking at her. Kitsune, of course, was leering madly. She glared at Kitsune, her face feeling like it was on fire. "Get off of me," she said. "I'm going to bed."
"Can I come?" Kitsune said, leaning closer.
"No," Motoko said, pushing her away.
"C'mon, I'll be good," Kitsune said.
"No." Motoko struggled for a moment, and managed to worm her way out from under Kitsune despite the other girl's attempts to cling to her.
"Are you trying to make me beg?" Kitsune smirked up at her from where she now kneeled on the floor. "'Cause if you want, y'know. . . ."
"No!" Motoko turned and hurried toward the stairs.
Kitsune paused, and looked around at everyone else. "Five seconds," she said with a grin, and ran upstairs after Motoko.