Author's note:
Okay, this "deleted scene" deserves a bit of an explanation. "Arisugawa's Locket" is a long-running and excellent shoujo-ai-based story here on by Shanejayell. The story revolves around Juri Arisugawa from Revolutionary Girl Utena opening up a bar for anime lesbians. After discussion on the forums at , Shane opened up the Locket for others to use. The following story is my own little shot at it, done for little other reason than that it seemed like it'd be fun and a friend dared me to have Kitsune sing the karaoke song that she does.
You can find "Arisugawa's Locket" at /read.php?storyid992536.
The official "Arisugawa's Locket" thread at is at /forum/topicshow.pl?tid3261. page 10 has the rules for using the Locket in your own fics.
Enjoy!
Deleted Scene #3: Strangelove at the Locket
"You're taking me where?" Motoko asked, looking very shocked.
"It's a bar," Kitsune said, and winked at Motoko as the other girl blinked.. "A gay bar. A gay girl bar. C'mon, put on that red dress you wore for Christmas and let's get going."
"But. . . ." Motoko started to blush, then paused. "I don't like going to bars," she said.
"Awww. . . ." Kitsune looked put out for a moment, but it passed quickly. "C'mon. Indulge me, would you?"
"I indulge you all the time," Motoko said, narrowing her eyes at her lover.
"Okay, so indulge me where other people can see." Kitsune smirked as Motoko's face reddened further. "It'll be fun, trust me. Besides, we should get out of the house more often."
Motoko opened her mouth to protest further, then stopped to think. Kitsune was right about that. While they didn't have to hide their relationship here at Hinata House, it was rare that they got a moment alone. She wasn't sure how going to a bar would count as time alone, but she had to agree with Kitsune - it'd be a good idea for them to go somewhere different. "All right," she said, then thought of something. "Is it close by? Neither of us drives."
"It's right here in Hinata, we can walk!" Kitsune said, grinning madly. "And besides, if we don't have to drive, we can drink as much as we want!"
Motoko sighed. Good idea or not, this was going to be a long night, she could tell.
A few minutes later, Motoko stood in front of the mirror in her room, giving herself a good once-over. As per Kitsune's request, she was wearing the red Chinese dress she'd worn around Christmas. She was glad to see that it still fit her well - while she would hardly consider herself vain, having Kitsune make such . . . flattering comments about her physique was encouraging, to say the least. She started to blush again at the thought, though if anyone but Kitsune had asked her why she probably would have thrown them out of the room.
"Yo, Motoko! You almost ready?" Kitsune called from the other side of Motoko's closed door, then slid the door open and walked in. She pushed the door closed behind herself, and posed. "So, am I sexy or what?"
Kitsune was wearing shiny black leather pants with the cuffs rolled up, a pair of sandals with straps that went up past her ankles, some bizarre kind of black shirt with a collar that went almost all the way up her neck but left an open diamond to show her cleavage, and a pair of sleeves that went from her wrists to halfway up her biceps and served no purpose that Motoko could tell. Motoko couldn't deny, though, that it was so very different from Kitsune's usual slacker-wear, in all the right ways.
Motoko gave her a slow, deliberate once-over, then smiled at her lover. "You look very nice," she said calmly.
Kitsune pouted. "You take all the fun out of dressing up, y'know?" She grinned, then put a hand to her chin as she looked at Motoko. "Okay, I was wrong about you wearing that."
Motoko paused. "You always told me I look good in this dress," she said, a hint of an edge in her voice. "You tried to get me out of it for the entire party last Christmas."
"Well, yeah," Kitsune said with a wink, "but you can't dance in that thing." She thought for a moment, then held up a finger as her eyes lit up. "Hey, I've got something you can wear! Just get out of this. . . ." She started tugging at the side of the dress, and Motoko pulled away.
"I can get out of the dress myself," Motoko said warily.
"But we're in a hurry! Fanservice Strike, Second Form!" Kitsune yanked on the dress, sending Motoko spinning as she shot out of it.
A few minutes later, after Kitsune had dragged Motoko upstairs to her room, Motoko stood in front of the mirror there. She was now clad in a suit jacket and pants, both black, and - at Kitsune's insistence - was wearing only a bra underneath the jacket. She looked at herself from a few different angles, and had to admit it was a look that worked for her. The suit made her look tall, mature, and strong.
"It's not what I'm used to, but I like it," Motoko said, looking over at Kitsune, then paused when she saw what the other woman held in her hands. "What's that for?" she asked.
"The finishing touch," Kitsune said, and set the black fedora hat on Motoko's head. She tilted the hat slightly to the side, then glomped onto Motoko's arm as they looked at themselves in the mirror. "Damn, we look good," she said. "C'mon!"
Motoko let herself be led by her arm out of Kitsune's room. They made it all the way to the main lobby of Hinata House before running into just about everyone else who lived there. Su, Mutsumi, Shinobu, and Sarah gave the two women a greatly varied set of odd looks.
"That's a new look," Sarah said. "You two goin' out?"
"Yep!" Kitsune said before Motoko could say anything. "I heard about a lesbian bar downtown, so I thought I'd drag my kendo girl down there and check it out."
"Ah," Mutsumi said, "that sounds like fun. Can I come along? I've always wanted to see what one of those is like."
All five women looked at Mutsumi and blinked at the same time. There was a general cry of "What?!"
"It sounds like it could be such a good time," Mutsumi said, holding her hands clasped in front of herself, smiling brightly. "So many people, all there to have fun in a little private place, nobody having to worry too much . . . kind of like a hot springs, but with drinks and dancing."
Motoko gave Kitsune a sidelong glance. "She can't be serious, can she?"
"Y'know, I can never tell," Kitsune murmured. "What do you think, should we take her?"
"It's fine with me," Motoko said with a shrug. "Though I'm not sure what she'll do if someone tries to pick her up."
"That could be fun," Kitsune whispered, then winked at the exasperated look Motoko gave her. "Sure, you can come along, turtle girl," she said. "Do you want to change, or . . . ?"
"Oh, I'll just go as I am," Mutsumi said. "Shall we, then?"
The three women headed out of Hinata House and down into the city. Kitsune led them for a while, winding through the streets until they were in a slightly darker, run-down part of the city.
"Are you sure about where this place is, Kitsune?" Motoko asked after a while. "This doesn't look like the kind of place that would have a bar I'd want to go to."
"Trust me!" Kitsune said, then led them around one more corner. "Here we are!" She posed again, throwing her hand forward as she pointed toward the neon sign.
Motoko looked, then read the sign aloud. "Arisugawa's Locket." At the end of the sign, there was a graphic of a locket opening and closing, with a cartoon picture of a cute girl inside. There was a line of women outside, as well as a small group of men who looked a bit depressed. A tall woman in a trench coat stood by the front door.
"Ooh, this looks like fun," Mutsumi said, looking delighted. "Come on, let's get in line." She started pushing Motoko and Kitsune toward the end of the line. "Come, come."
Once they were inside, the three of them stopped and looked around. Motoko found herself blushing; she'd never seen this many couples in one place at once, no matter who they were. A good part of the club had tables and chairs set up, and Motoko saw a few waitresses working there - one of them was slithering along the floor, but nobody seemed to think this was strange. The dance floor of course took up a great deal of the rest of the place, where easily several dozen couples were moving along to some kind of electronic beat that Motoko wasn't familiar with. Beyond the dance floor, she caught sight of what looked like a small library, and a lit-up sign advertising that the karaoke room was open. She then turned her attention to the bar, which she was sure had been Kitsune's first place to look, and blinked in surprise. Whoever the bartenders were, they both had bright blue hair done in a sweeping, spiky style that she'd never seen before.
Motoko looked over at Kitsune, and said, "Interesting. What do you think?"
"I think I've come home," Kitsune said with a grin. "C'mon, drinks and dancing and karaoke and getting felt up by random women awaits!"
"Ara . . . that does sound like fun," Mutsumi giggled, and headed after Kitsune toward the bar.
Motoko paused again, then hurried after the other women. "I don't know how much I like the idea of some other woman touching you," she said tersely as she came up alongside Kitsune.
"Me either," Kitsune said with a wink. "I'd feel real sorry for anyone who tried to hit on me with you around."
Motoko said nothing, but nodded confidently.
"But first, drinks!" Kitsune strode up to the bar, and leaned against the counter. Motoko slid up next to her, and Mutsumi stood on her other side, looking curious but happy, holding her hand over her mouth.
One of the blue-haired bartenders leaned over toward the three women. "Welcome to the Locket; don't think I've seen you here before. What can I get you three?"
"Beer," Kitsune said with a quick nod. When the bartender asked what kind and gestured to the extensive selection, Kitsune's eyes widened. She glanced back at Motoko, and said, "We're going to be coming here a lot."
Motoko sighed. "Just soda for me," she said to the bartender. "You know I don't like to drink, especially around people we don't know," she said calmly when Kitsune gave her a curious look.
"Eh, you worry too much," Kitsune said.
"Oh, my . . . can I get a watermelon daiquiri?" Mutsumi asked.
A few minutes later, the three of them sat around a table. Motoko had a glass of cola, Mutsumi had a watermelon daiquiri in a glass nearly the size of a fishbowl, and Kitsune had seven miniature glass mugs on a tray, each filled with a different kind of beer. She was going through them slowly, sipping from each one and saying, "That's good, that's good, that's good. . . . Hey, Motoko, you should try some of these."
"You're trying to get me drunk, aren't you?" she asked flatly.
"Maybe," Kitsune said with a wink and grin.
"Oh, you shouldn't let her do that," Mutsumi said, then giggled. "I'm sure Kitsune would make you do all kinds of horrible things if she got you drunk, like. . . ."
"Like what?" Motoko asked tersely, though she could feel her cheeks turning red.
"Yeah, like what?" Kitsune asked, sounding interested.
"Like . . . making you sing karaoke!" Mutsumi exclaimed, pointing toward the sign.
"Y'know, you're right!" Kitsune said, and downed one of her small beers. "C'mon, Motoko, drink some of these, and we'll go sing!"
"I will not," Motoko said. "Making a fool out of myself--"
"Is a great idea!" Kitsune proclaimed.
Motoko sighed.
Sure enough, as soon as Kitsune had finished her samples, she grabbed Motoko's arm and almost literally dragged her toward the karaoke room. Mutsumi, still working her way through her daiquiri, said that she'd join them when she was done, but wanted to watch people dance for now. Once they were in the karaoke room, Motoko stopped Kitsune.
"Are you sure it's all right to leave her out there?" she asked.
"What, the turtle girl?" Kitsune asked. "She'll be fine, she can take care of herself. Besides, she's usually with Keitaro, don't you think she'd know how to fend somebody off?"
Motoko gave Kitsune a serious look. "Are we talking about the same Urashima?"
"Ooh, good point," Kitsune said after a moment. "But don't worry about her. You saw the bouncers in this place, right?"
"I suppose so," Motoko said with a sigh. "Now, if you're still insisting on this . . . ." She gestured toward the stage, where a girl in a sailor fuku was singing something that sounded like it could cause cavities if you listened to it for too long.
"I am!" Kitsune said. "I'm gonna go next, try to get a seat up front."
With a distinct feeling that she was going to regret this - she could already see the alcohol taking effect on Kitsune - Motoko managed to find herself a seat in the first row. The woman in the fuku finished before too long, and Kitsune strode onto the stage with a grin on her face that Motoko recognized. Whatever it was she'd chosen, it was going to be embarrassing.
"All right, this one's for my little kendo hot-pants up here," Kitsune said, then flicked her tongue at Motoko.
Women all around her started laughing and cheering, and Motoko put a hand to her forehead. Just when she was starting to wonder how it was going to get worse, Kitsune started singing.
"Oh do it all night, do it with me! I'll take you to heaven if you make me feel free, babe. . . ."
Motoko put both hands over her face, and took a deep breath. She'd only heard this song once, coming from an arcade when she was downtown with Su after school, and it had been bad enough then. . . . Somehow, the fact that this place seemed to have the lesbian lyric mix only made it worse.
"You! - may have good sex, with Jill and Kate and Meg and Jess! It! - may be okay, with Kelly, Milly, Beth, and May! You! - may do it again, with Jude and Kris and Mel and Jen! But you're gonna feel so free - when you're doin' it with me!"
By the time Kitsune was done with the song - the longest four minutes of her life, Motoko was sure - she'd had lewd comments whispered to her by more than a few other women in the room, along with a great deal of shoulder and back pats that she hoped were meant to be sympathetic. Kitsune walked off of the stage to a great deal of cheering, and stepped in front of Motoko, then gently took her face out of her hands and gave her a deep, long kiss in front of everyone.
Motoko's head was spinning a bit by the time Kitsune finished. "All right, I forgive you," she said as Kitsune flopped into the seat next to her.
"Good," Kitsune said with a wink. "Now get up there and make me proud," she said, adding a little pat on Motoko's ass for emphasis.
"Fine," Motoko said as she stood, "but I'm not faking an orgasm on-stage."
"Damn."
Motoko looked through the list of songs once she was standing by the karaoke machine. Most of the songs she didn't know, and for most of the few she did, she'd have to commit suicide if she allowed herself to be caught singing them in public. After a bit more searching, she finally saw one that would do. She hadn't heard it since she was much younger, back when she'd been drawn into the animated adventures of a young man whose life also followed the way of the warrior.
Motoko pushed a few buttons, picked up the microphone, and smiled at Kitsune. Her lover looked a bit too plastered to recognize her, but that was all right; it would feel good to sing this.
"Kowareru hodo aishitemo, sanbun no ichi mo tsutawaranai. . . . Junjou na kanjou wa karamawari, I love you sae ienaideiru my heart. . . ."
She sang her heart out, and by the time she was done, Motoko felt utterly drained. But the grin on Kitsune's face was worth it. Kitsune stood as Motoko finished, and met her halfway to the stage.
"Hey, that was. . . ." She trailed off, and just kissed Motoko on her cheek, then whispered, "Thanks. Wanna go dance?"
"All right," Motoko said, and the two of them walked out with their arms around each other.
Just after they exited the karaoke room, a woman walked up to the two of them. She was as tall as Motoko, and had orange hair done in thick curls that hung straight down past her shoulders. Her dress seemed odd for this place - she was clad in a pair of pants that matched her hair and a uniform-type top that made her look very much like the person in charge. She fixed her blue eyes on Motoko and Kitsune as the two of them stopped.
"Hello, is this your first time here?" the woman asked. When Kitsune and Motoko nodded, she said, "Welcome to the Locket. I'm Juri Arisugawa, I run this place."
"Kitsune Konno," Kitsune said. "This-" She pinched Motoko's ass. "-is Motoko Aoyama. She's mine."
"Kitsune!" Motoko glared at her.
"I can see that," Juri said with a faint smile that might have almost been a smirk. "I'm glad to see you're having a good time, but I have to ask you something."
"What is it?" Motoko asked, looking concerned. She suddenly remembered Mutsumi - she'd been worried, but after Kitsune had started singing, she'd forgotten about the other woman.
"Did you two bring a friend with you? A dark-haired woman, wearing a plain dress and with two antennas in her hair?" Juri asked.
Motoko and Kitsune looked at each other and blinked. "I told you we should have brought her with us," Motoko said.
"Yeah, that's our Mutsumi," Kitsune said. "What'd she do?"
"She's been on the dance floor," Juri said with a sigh, "kissing everyone she can. Nobody's been able to ask her to stop, she kisses them once they get close enough. Naturally, this is causing problems with some of our resident couples."
Motoko grimaced. "I can see that," she said. "We'll take care of her. I'm sorry about this, Arisugawa."
"It's all right," Juri said with another faint smile. "Just get her under control, please."
"On our way," Kitsune said, tugging Motoko along toward the dance floor. "Hey, Mutsumi! Time for a break!"
Mutsumi twirled in place at hearing her name, and beamed at Kitsune as she came closer. Mutsumi's face was bright red, and she looked to be wearing at least three different kinds of lipstick. "Oh, Kitsune! There you are! I'm having such a good time! Everyone here's so friendly. . . ."
"That's great, Mutsumi," Kitsune said, then caught the woman by her shoulders as she tried to move in for a kiss. "Time for you to sit down." She struggled as Mutsumi tried harder, pressing her face closer. "Motoko . . . you're the strong one, get her off of me!"
Motoko came up behind Mutsumi, and gently pried her off of Kitsune. "Please, Mutsumi," Motoko said, "you're embarrassing yourself."
"Oh my . . . I am?" Mutsumi asked, suddenly looking concerned. "I didn't mean to. . . ."
Motoko gently guided Mutsumi back to a table, then ordered her something to eat so that she wouldn't go on another kissing spree. By then, Kitsune had returned to the table.
"So," Kitsune said, leaning up against Motoko, "you think it's safe to dance now?"
She sighed, then chuckled. "I was starting to think we'd never get to it."
Motoko took Kitsune's arm in hers, and the two of them made their way to the dance floor. A slow song started playing, one that almost resembled a waltz, and Motoko took the lead, smiling warmly as Kitsune melted into her as they danced. It was a while before she realized that they'd never done this before, as it felt like they knew the steps by heart.
"Kitsune?" Motoko said after their first song ended.
"Mmh?" Kitsune asked, her face half-buried in Motoko's shoulder.
"We need to come back here," she said.
"Mm-hmm," Kitsune said.
Motoko smiled to herself. It seemed odd to be feeling so close and personal in the midst of so many people, but it was a good feeling. When she and Kitsune needed time away from Hinata House, they would definitely have to return to the Locket.