Author's note: apparently, this is the fic that will not leave me alone! the following is, as it says, a flashback tale, taking place about a week after the first part of "strangelove." I realize that this leads to some oddness in the chronology, but "strangelove" is inherently odd, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. more of these may follow if I'm inspired!

Flashback Tales: The Rather Bizarre First Date

Motoko stood in front of Kitsune's door, standing with her hand raised as though she was going to knock. She'd been standing like that for at least two minutes, she guessed. She'd moved her hand toward the door at least four times, had upsetting thoughts twice, chided herself twice more, and had generally been wondering if she was going to make a mess out of all of this.

Perhaps, she thought, there were downfalls to being traditional about such things. Perhaps this wouldn't even be necessary. Perhaps she was simply making this far too difficult on herself.

Or, Motoko thought as the door slid open and Kitsune quirked an eyebrow at her, perhaps she'd just end up standing here until the problem solved itself.

Kitsune looked at Motoko, looked down at her hand, still frozen in the 'I'm going to knock' position. She then smirked, reached up and took Motoko's hand, opened her fist, and placed Motoko's open hand directly in line with her breasts.

Motoko quickly pulled her hand away and hid both of them behind her back, fighting off a blush. She started to say something, then cleared her throat and started again. "I'm not accustomed to this sort of thing," she began.

"It works better if you knock," Kitsune said, grinning. "But if you want to charge into my room and throw me down, I'm okay with that."

"Kitsune," Motoko said tersely. "I thought we were clear on . . . on that."

"Yeah, but I can dream, y'know?"

Motoko sighed. It had only been a week since they'd come to know their feelings for each other, and while she couldn't say that she wished things were otherwise, she did wonder if there were any limits to Kitsune's sexual appetite. The other woman made lewd comments almost constantly, and while Motoko had to admit that she found it somewhat flattering, being the target of such a barrage was taking some getting used to.

As for their own activities, or rather the lack thereof, Motoko had been insistent that they wait until they were ready. She had been a little surprised that Kitsune had agreed to that right away, but they knew that moving too fast might spoil things. At least, Kitsune seemed to know it; Motoko herself knew that she was going almost completely on instinct.

Motoko took a deep breath, and tried not to look too nervous at Kitsune's look of amused anticipation. She had to say what she had come here to say. "Considering the . . . unusual circumstances in which our relationship began, I've come to realize that neither of us formally declared our intents."

Kitsune cocked her head at Motoko. "What do you mean?" she asked, then winked. "It seemed pretty obvious to me."

"Forgive me," Motoko said, bowing slightly, "but it's a matter of tradition for me." She stood tall again, and put a hand to her mouth, clearing her throat. "I wish to know if you would like to go on a date."

Motoko watched Kitsune's face, looking for a sign. She was suddenly glad that Kitsune was very, very easy to read – her eyes were open wide, but she was grinning again.

"That's what you were being all nervous about?" Kitsune asked, then chuckled. "What, did you think I wouldn't say yes? I'm the one who got drunk and went after you."

Motoko frowned. "I didn't think you were completely drunk."

"Close enough," Kitsune said, "it was the only way I could do it." She laughed as Motoko's face fell, and said, "Oh, c'mon, I knew what I was doing." Her features softened just a bit, and she said quietly, "I did. Really."

Motoko nodded, oddly aware of how much she was still blushing. There were times when she still wondered if she'd wake up and find that she'd dreamt all of this; it was an odd kind of fear and something she couldn't make herself ignore, no matter how irrational she knew it was. "So," she said quietly, "can I have an answer?"

"Didn't I just tell you I'd say yes?" Kitsune asked, then winked at her again when Motoko blinked. "C'mon, that's the best idea I've heard since you said we should sleep together. Where do you want to go?"

"I – I haven't planned anything yet," Motoko said, feeling oddly nervous. "I hadn't really thought past whether or not you'd say yes." She paused, and took a deep breath. "Are you busy this Saturday?"

Kitsune drew back a bit, and looked at Motoko as though suddenly realizing something. "Wow, you are serious about this," she said. "Okay, yeah. This Saturday, what, around noon?"

"Noon is fine," Motoko said. "I'll meet you at the fountain in front of the train station downtown." She swallowed hard, finding it almost hard to believe that she'd actually said it.

"Okay," Kitsune said, then started to grin again. "See you there." She slid her door closed, and Motoko heard her giggling from the other side.

Motoko walked down the hall, then leaned up against the wall as soon as she'd turned the corner. She was breathing hard, and felt strangely flush. "I did it," she said to herself, and started to smile. "I actually did it."

She hadn't truly thought that Kitsune would say no. But making their relationship official was important to her, and she felt that asking Kitsune on a date was the right thing to do. There was something about all of this that still felt right. She wanted to do right by Kitsune, and show her that she meant for this to be something important to them both. A first date, a real date, should help to make that clear.

It was then that she realized she had almost no idea what to do on an actual date.

Kitsune slid into the hot springs, found a place to sit, and slipped out of her towel. She glanced back and forth, then started giggling madly again, unable to stop herself. This was just too much.

Motoko wanted to go on a date. A real date. She'd been so cute standing there, looking like some nervous kid trying to say 'will you go out with me?' Sure, she'd tried to be all strong and stuff like she usually was, but Kitsune had known something was up. She hadn't known what, though, and Kitsune had been surprised when Motoko finally came out with it.

Kitsune leaned back on the rocks, folding her hands behind her head. Sure, she thought, she really should have seen something like this coming. Motoko had always been all traditional and stuff, and while she wasn't really all that masculine – Kitsune had seen her less and less like that over the past week, for obvious reasons – it wasn't really a surprise that she'd fall into what was usually the man's thing to do. Not, Kitsune thought, that she would have asked Motoko out on a real date if the other girl hadn't taken the first step. She'd rather just hang around than get all dressed up and go somewhere.

Then again, going out somewhere could be fun. It'd give her a chance to wear some of the stuff she usually kept in the back of her closet. And, Kitsune thought, starting to giggle again, who knew where it could lead. Spending all day together, away from the rest of Hinata House. . . . That had potential. Serious potential.

Kitsune was just starting to wish she'd brought a beer or two to the bath so she could celebrate when she heard someone coming out of the washroom. For a second, she felt herself starting to blush, then realized that it probably wouldn't be Motoko. Sure, there was a chance, but why would her kendo girl come to bathe with her when she'd just asked her out? Kitsune peered through the clouds of steam, and nodded to herself when she saw who it was.

"Hey, Naru," Kitsune said casually. This could be weird, she thought.

Naru stopped, like she hadn't known that someone else was in the bath, then said, "Oh, hi, Kitsune," sounding kind of awkward. She found a place to sit down, then leaned back, but kept her towel around herself.

Yeah, Kitsune thought, definitely weird. "You taking a study break?" she asked.

"Sort of," Naru said. "We just had that practice test last week, but I still have to keep on – on top of things." She started to look away.

Kitsune started to say something about who was on top of what when it came to Naru studying with Keitaro, but managed to hold herself back. Still, it looked like Naru was uncomfortable after walking in on her and Motoko last week. It'd be better to get through with it, Kitsune thought.

"Sounds like it," she said. "Hey, you know any good places around here to go on a date?"

"A date?" Naru asked, looking over at Kitsune, seeming confused.

"Yeah, y'know, two people going out, having a good time, that kind of thing?" Kitsune chuckled, then winked at Naru. "Sure, I know you didn't really date in high school, but who else am I going to ask?"

Kitsune kind of expected Naru to blow up at her. She knew it would have happened if Keitaro had said something like that. Instead, Naru kind of withdrew, and started to frown.

"I don't know why you'd ask me," Naru said. "Who do you have a date with, anyway?"

"Motoko asked me out this morning," Kitsune said, and started to grin. She did her best to keep from giggling. It almost worked. "She was so cute, you should have seen her," she said. "It was kind of like some of those guys who tried asking you out, but with a cuter ass."

For probably only the second time since she'd known her, Kitsune watched as Naru went completely speechless. Sure, the last time had been when she'd walked in on her and Motoko. Maybe it could be habit-forming. After a moment of watching Naru try to form a word, Kitsune laughed.

"Oh, c'mon," she said. "You never looked at Motoko's ass?"

"Kitsune!" Naru finally managed, glaring at Kitsune, looking like she was about to stand up and storm off. "I never – what are you – I can't believe you!"

Kitsune giggled. "What, you don't think so?"

"I never even thought about it!" Naru said, then took a deep breath and leaned back against the rock again. "It was weird enough seeing you and her together like that, you don't need to tell me all the details." She folded her arms over her chest, and looked down.

Ah, Kitsune thought, so that was it. She looked away, and took a deep breath, really wishing that she'd thought to bring a beer or two. Maybe three. "Yeah, I bet that was a surprise," she said quietly.

"It was probably the last thing I thought I'd see," Naru said, sounding calmer. "You were after almost every guy at our school. What. . . ." Out of the corner of her eye, Kitsune saw Naru looking over at her. "What happened?"

Kitsune shrugged. "I don't know," she said, wishing it was that simple. "I've always kinda looked at girls, I never really thought about it. It was worse when I came here, but I just ignored it. You know what high school was like, you were just about the only girl who wasn't dating someone, and that was 'cause of all your studying." She glanced over at Naru, expecting a dirty glare or something, but saw that the other girl was giving her a curious, almost apologetic look. "Maybe I just kept chasing guys 'cause I was looking for something they didn't have. Like I said, I really don't know."

"So what is it about Motoko?" Naru asked.

"She's just. . . ." Kitsune gestured vaguely. This, she thought, would be much easier if she wasn't so sober. "She's kinda masculine but kinda not, like she's got all the best of both worlds. I like that she's strong, but she's soft too, in all the right ways – c'mon, don't give me that look, you know what I mean!" She giggled again, then sighed. "She's Motoko," Kitsune said with a quiet sigh. "It just feels good being with her."

Naru tilted her head as she looked at Kitsune. "That sounds really strange coming from you. I didn't think you'd ever get serious about anyone, the way you were during high school. And . . . I really didn't think it'd be another girl."

"Me neither," Kitsune said with a nod. "Funny how that works out, huh?" She shrugged, then grinned. "Does this mean you don't know where we should go on a date?"

Motoko stood at the fountain outside the train station, as she had been for the past half-hour. She held her hands folded behind her, then in front of her, then at her sides, then started to pace around the fountain, doing her best not to mutter under her breath. As little as she knew about dating, she knew that taking her sword along wasn't part of it, no matter how much she wanted to. She would have felt less fidgety with the familiar weapon at her side.

She took a deep breath, and tried to walk more slowly. There had been enough time, she thought, to plan for a few things that they could do. She wasn't quite sure how long a date was supposed to last. She'd heard that they were supposed to start earlier, though considering Kitsune's drinking and sleeping habits, noon was as early as Motoko could expect her to be ready. She just hoped that she'd prepared well enough.

With that in mind, Motoko looked down to her outfit. She'd never owned much in terms of fancy clothes, and so had gone with a simple, sensible dark blue shirt and a pair of black pants. She'd been tempted, briefly, to wear the short-sleeved shirt and miniskirt that Kitsune had dressed her up in during that ill-fated day several months ago, but had decided that was out of the question. While she could hardly show up to a date in her kendo practice clothing or her school uniform, there were limits.

Motoko glanced toward the clock at the train station again, and sighed. In two minutes, it would be noon. Knowing Kitsune, she would be at least five minutes late. Motoko folded her hands behind herself again, wondering if it was possible to actually injure herself from first-date jitters.

A second later, someone cupped their hands over Motoko's eyes.

Acting on pure instinct, Motoko snapped her arms up to force away her unknown assailant's hands, and spun around as soon as she was free, bringing her leg up for a kick. When she saw that it was Kitsune, she nearly spun herself all the way around again before managing to stop herself.

"So, should I ask if you're glad to see me?" Kitsune asked, smirking. She winked at Motoko.

"Don't do that," Motoko said, trying to catch her breath and wondering if this was a horrible idea after all. Surely if she'd started the date by nearly attacking Kitsune nothing good could come of it.

She paused, and looked at what Kitsune had chosen to wear. Her top was purple and low-cut, and had an odd assortment of straps over her shoulders. The jeans she wore were rather tight, and flared out around her ankles. Motoko felt her face growing warm, and lowered her gaze. "You look very nice, Kitsune," she managed.

"Thanks. Wow, you're tense," Kitsune said. She tilted her head, then grinned. "C'mon, let's go get a drink, it'll loosen you up."

"Kitsune," Motoko said tersely, just short of glaring at the other woman. "First, I'm underage. Second, I'm not starting this off with you getting drunk." She sighed, and tried to smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm nervous, and you're not making this easy on me."

"Easy? You're the one who's not letting me drink." Kitsune pouted for just a second, then smiled and leaned close to Motoko. "I'm just kidding," she said, sliding her arm over Motoko's shoulders. "C'mon, smile, or I'm going to spend the whole day with my hand on your ass."

Motoko looked Kitsune in the eyes, suddenly wary. She hadn't expected such a public display of affection. Kitsune leaned even closer, and Motoko started to draw away. "Kitsune. . . ."

Kitsune darted in close and kissed Motoko on the cheek, then pulled back. Motoko felt herself flush very red very quickly, and didn't notice that Kitsune had taken her hand until she squeezed it.

"You worry too much," Kitsune said with another wink. "So, what d'you have planned for us?"

"I – I had hoped you'd like going to a movie," Motoko managed after taking a deep breath. "After that, I supposed we could go for lunch somewhere nearby."

"Sounds like a good start," Kitsune said, nodding. "And hey, we've got the whole day, and the whole night if we want to."

Motoko felt her blush grow hotter, and Kitsune's ever-present grin wasn't helping things. She sighed. That was just how Kitsune was, she told herself, and she should be used to it by now. Then again, if Kitsune was any other way, things likely wouldn't have happened between them. Motoko managed a small smile. That was the heart of it, she thought. Any other way, and they would be no more than friends.

"Finally," Kitsune said quietly. Motoko glanced at her to see that she was smiling – not smirking, but genuinely smiling. "I was starting to wonder if you really wanted to do this."

"I do," Motoko said. She squeezed Kitsune's hand, then let go and offered her arm instead. " Shall we go?"

A few minutes later, when they arrived at the movie theater, Motoko looked up at the marquee and felt her stomach start to sink. Something was already going wrong, she thought, and of course it had to be with the first thing she had planned.

"Y'know," Kitsune said, looking up at the theater along with her, "I never would have thought you'd be the steamy romance type."

"That's not what was listed in the paper," Motoko said quietly. When she'd checked yesterday, the movie listings had shown that there was a simple comedy playing, and she'd figured that would be fine – not entirely her kind of film, but something safe for a date. But, judging by the fact that the marquee now had a sign that showed two people in an intimate embrace, the movie showing had changed. She swallowed hard.

"If you don't want to--" Motoko began.

"Oh no, we can see this," Kitsune said quickly. "C'mon!"

It wasn't often that Motoko found herself helpless, but Kitsune yanking her toward the theater to see a steamy movie on their first date was just about all she could deal with. She didn't fully regain her senses until they were seated.

Motoko blinked twice, then glanced over at Kitsune just in time to see the other woman yawn, stretch, and casually put her arm around Motoko's shoulders.

"I can't believe you just did that," Motoko said flatly.

"Hey, it's not like I tried to grope you," Kitsune said, then chuckled.

"I'd expect that you'd at least wait until the lights went down for that," Motoko said without thinking.

The lights started to go dim, and the curtain over the screen began to rise.

"Ooh, good idea," Kitsune said quietly.

"Kitsune!"

"Hey, Motoko, you got some whipped cream on your face--"

Motoko glowered at Kitsune, and lowered her spoon. "I'm not falling for that again, Kitsune."

"No, I mean it this time. . . ."

The two of them were sharing a table outside of an ice cream shop that was near the movie theater. After putting her through a romantic movie, Kitsune had said she'd make up for it with something sweet. To Motoko's surprise, the other woman had been speaking literally. While the parfait was quite good, and not the kind of thing that she'd normally eat, Motoko hadn't thought that Kitsune would use the food as a chance to make her blush even more.

She dabbed at her face with her napkin, and gave Kitsune a flat look. "There. Is that better?"

Kitsune gestured vaguely with her spoon. "Would have been better if you'd . . . oh, c'mon. You know I'm just teasing."

"You tease too much, Kitsune," Motoko said wearily. She looked back down to her dessert, then looked back up a moment later when Kitsune hadn't said anything. The look on Kitsune's face wasn't what Motoko had expected.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Kitsune said. "But I wouldn't do it if I didn't think you liked it, y'know?" She started to smile, and winked at Motoko.

"I. . . ." Motoko trailed off, then nodded. "I do like it, I suppose. I'm just not used to it."

"Oh, right," Kitsune said, starting to nod as well. "You didn't really ever have a boyfriend, huh?" When Motoko shook her head, Kitsune chuckled. "No wonder you were so nervous when you asked me out. You've never been on a date before, have you?"

Motoko started to protest, then sighed. "No, and I'm surprised you even had to ask," she said. "You should know me better than that."

"Well, it's only been a week," Kitsune cracked. "But yeah." She paused, and grinned wider than usual. "Wow. I don't think I've been anyone's first date since junior high."

"You can stop now," Motoko said tersely. "Just because this is old news to you doesn't mean it's not--" She cut herself off, realizing that she was starting to stand up from her chair. Forcing herself to be calm, she sat back down.

"Hey," Kitsune said, reaching across the table and putting her hand over Motoko's. "I'm sorry, okay?" She paused, then gave Motoko a small smile. "Look, you know I'm not really used to this either, right? I never really dated anyone seriously, I was always looking for someone who was hot or loaded. I never just liked someone 'cause of just, y'know, who they were."

"I see," Motoko said quietly. She turned her hand over so that she could hold Kitsune's. "Thank you, for that. I just get worried, I hope you can understand. With all my training, some things simply didn't happen to me when I was growing up, and this . . . all of this wasn't part of life for me."

"That's a damn shame," Kitsune said, "but I gotta say, I'm glad that I'm your first. Makes me feel kinda special."

Motoko lowered her gaze and blushed. That was just it, she thought. In her own slightly warped way, Kitsune felt for her just as she felt for Kitsune. Perhaps she didn't need to worry, or at least, not as much. Perhaps things would simply be all right.

They returned to Hinata House just as the sun was setting, holding hands as they walked up the long staircase that led up to the old building. Motoko tried to stop at the front door, but Kitsune just grinned at her, and led her upstairs to her room's door. There, she paused, and turned to Motoko.

"Sure, it's kinda weird to end a date outside when we live in the same house," she said with a wink, "but this is close enough."

"I see," Motoko said. She cleared her throat. "I hope you had a good time today, and I hope we can do this again."

Kitsune giggled, then smiled at Motoko when she frowned. "I love it when you get all traditional like that. It's so cute. But yeah, we should do this again. You don't have school tomorrow, right?"

Motoko paused. "I thought you set aside your Sundays for drinking and gambling?" she said, managing to keep a straight face.

"Hey, sounds like a date to me," Kitsune said with a smirk. She leaned in close to Motoko, then stopped when their faces were about an inch apart.

". . . Kitsune?" Motoko felt her face growing red again.

"Sorry," Kitsune said, still smirking. "But I still don't kiss on the first date." She leaned back, and slid open her room's door. "Goodnight!"

Motoko stood there as Kitsune walked stepped into her room and slid the door shut, red-faced for more reasons than she really wanted to consider. They had been so close, she thought, and after being together all day . . . to end it with such a tease. . . . Motoko shook her head, trying to calm herself. She supposed she should have expected such a thing. Besides, Kitsune did say that she liked being traditional sometimes, and that might have been part of it. She nodded to herself. It was good to hold to some of the older values, and she still felt that they shouldn't move too quickly.

Motoko nodded to herself, smiling, and turned to walk away. It was still somewhat light out, and she should be able to get in some practice–

From behind her, Motoko heard the door slide open, and she whipped around just as Kitsune grabbed her and pulled her close. "Ten seconds," Kitsune said. "Date's over!"

Kitsune ran her hands up Motoko's back and buried her fingers in her hair, pulling her close and down. Motoko struggled for just a second, mostly from surprise, then let herself be pulled in. A warm rush swept through her as their lips met, and she wrapped her arms around Kitsune, holding her as close as she possibly could. After a moment, Kitsune started to pull back, but Motoko didn't let her.

When they finally managed to separate, Kitsune was red-faced and breathing hard, and Motoko was much the same. She held Kitsune to her, reaching up to stroke her light brown hair.

"So," Kitsune murmured after a moment, "same time tomorrow?"

Motoko laughed quietly. "I'll meet you right here at noon."