Chapter Five: Fools Rush In
"There seems to be some strange things going on at Todai lately," Takane said to Shinobu as they sat at a booth drinking tea in a small cafe. It was an Orange Pekoe tea—the style of tea had become a sort of inside joke for them.
"Strange? In what way?" Shinobu asked, suspecting that what he saw as strange would be considered "normal" at Hinata House.
"Well, everywhere I go, I see movement out of the corner of my eye, but when I look, nothing is there. But once I thought I saw a samurai. Another time it looked like a giant robot. Then there was the goth girl who asked me to fill out a survey about things I liked and disliked. It seemed to be in rather bad taste to me. I even saw some teenagers running around."
"Oh my," Shinobu said, sweatdropping. "I CERTAINLY HOPE NOBODY IS FOLLOWING YOU AROUND!" She looked around the cafe, glaring a warning.
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"Should I stop using Mechatama to observe him?" Su asked.
"I never told you to start!" Motoko hissed.
"What do we do?" Kanako asked, sliding down as far as she could go in her booth.
"Stay calm," Motoko said, also crouched low. "She doesn't know we're here. She's just playing a hunch."
Sara peeked over the top of the booth before ducking back down. She then turned to Kokeru, who had a goofy grin on his face. "You can get your hands off my ass or I'll have Motoko remove them!" she snapped.
Motoko smiled and partly revealed her katana, showing which interpretation of that sentence she favored.
"Okay, looks like Shinobu is talking to that guy," Sara said, peeking up again. "Now they're talking to the waitress. Oops, she's looking our way. Now the waitress is coming over.:
"Everybody act natural, or we'll look suspicious!" Kanako whispered sharply.
"Ano…" the waitress said, sweatdropping.
"Ahem," Motoko said, composing herself. "Water and bread sticks please," Motoko whispered.
"And bananas!" Su said.
"Ah, this is not my table," the waitress said, bowing. "The couple over there asked me to give you this."
Motoko took the proffered paper and unfolded it. She sweatdropped and placed it on the table. It was a bill for two cups of tea. On the bottom, they could see Shinobu's script: Leave us alone!
She sighed. "I hope Kitsune is doing better." She began counting out change from her coin purse.
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Kitsune and Kyoko sat, surrounded by beer cans. "Ahhhhh!" Kyoko said, finishing a can. "It's great cutting loose after a day of classes."
"You said it!" Kitsune agreed. She drained a can in one long swallow, slamming it down in front of her, crushing it on the tabletop. "You have some of the best bars here near Todai!"
"Yes," Mari said, uncomfortably. "And maybe we should try drinking at one of them instead of here?" She gestured around her where the students in the library stared at their table.
"Ahh," Kitsune said, waving her hand, "We're s'posed to be waiting here to see if Shinobu's man is good f'r her. "If he lets his eyes rove my way,…" She unbuttoned a couple of buttons on her blouse. "Then …we'll know he's just looking for someone to take advantage of!"
Mari hastily re-buttoned them for her. Kitsune had already undone three, and if she was wearing a bra, it had to be very low cut, as Mari hadn't seen any evidence of it yet. "Please remember where you are, Konno oneechan," she said patiently, wondering if the should run for it before Shinobu showed up. Because if she did show up, Mari knew she'd suffer the consequences of guilt by association. "Let's find a place with free drinking."
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"It sure is noisy in here," Shinobu said as they walked into the library. "I hope we can find a quiet place to study." The two of them had taken to sitting together in the library, studying. Walking to and from was spent in conversation getting to know each other. For example, she learned that Takane's father had worked in the same company Su had worked, because he wanted to prove he could be a success before he took over the family business. She also learned that Takane's mother had worked in the same company handling all sorts of odd jobs.
As they looked for a quiet table, away from the commotion, Takane said, "So you see, Shinobu, You don't need to worry. My parents aren't expecting me to marry 'in my class.' They want me to find a woman of good character."
And he thinks I might be somebody who qualifies? Shinobu thought, hopeful. There was no way she could hope to meet a social status requirement or a family wealth requirement. But maybe her way of living could meet what his family was looking for.
Takane smiled at her expression. She looks relieved, he thought. "I think you have nothing to worry about. With friends like Saionji-san, you show that you have excellent taste in friends."
"Heeeyy there, good lookin'" Kitsune slurred, in a thick Kansai accent. She slid her arms around the thoroughly shocked and paralyzed Takane and batted her eyes. "Ya wanna show a girl a good time in Tokyo?" She leaned forward, revealing her cleavage.
Is she even wearing a bra? Shinobu thought, livid with outrage. "Get your hands off of him, K…" Her voice faltered remembering what Takane said about friends being a sign of character. "Just stop it!"
"Ah," Motoko's tone was icy. "This is the kind of guy you're dating, Shinobu?" It's harsh, but if he was really the right man, he would have pushed Kitsune away immediately! Men!
"Motoko!" Shinobu shouted, angrily, "What are you doing?"
Takane had finally untangled himself from Kitsune. "Ah, do you know these... people, Shinobu?" His expression was one of disbelief.
"We're friends!" Su said, popping up through the gathering crowd.
There is no way this could get any worse! Shinobu thought, wanting to die.
"Urp..." Kitsune gulped. She leaned over, unsteadily, and was violently sick on Takane's shoes.
"AUUUU!" Shinobu wailed, running for the door, knowing these idiots doomed her to a single life forever.
"Shinobu!" Takane called, not caring if he was disturbing others. "Please wait!"
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Everyone gave the kitchen a wide berth that evening. The smells coming out were pleasant, but the banging and crashing around behind the door told them that any encounter wouldn't involve Shinobu's usual sweet personality.
Finally the door slid open and Shinobu brought out a tray. She began serving Naru and Keitaro a meal with lots of fish to ensure Naru got a lot of protein. She then went back into the kitchen and brought out a kettle of hot water and dumped several packets of cup noodles on the counter, before gracefully walking out of the room… a performance only marred by her loudly slamming the door behind her, an angry snarl briefly visible on her face.
"Now what the hell did you do?" Naru asked, a bit stunned by the display.
"We were trying to investigate whether this man was good enough for Shinobu," Kanako began, defensively.
"And things got a little out of hand," Motoko added, shamefacedly.
Naru looked around at the girls at the table, noting Kitsune's absence. "Dammit," she snapped, slapping her hands on the table, "this isn't something where you can treat her as a toy! It's too early to tell if they're right for each other, yes, but this could potentially be Shinobu's chance at a happy future you're fooling around with!"
The others looked away, shamefaced.
"But Shinobu is so naive," Motoko said. "She might wind up seduced by some scum, thinking it's true love."
"She might, but unless you know this man's character, one could also say 'she might not.'"
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Shinobu miserably sat near the steps that led down to the main road. They had been getting along so well, and the thought that he had been driven away by the people she lived with grieved her deeply. She idly toyed with her phone, longing to hear his voice, to hear him say Daijobu... don't worry, it hasn't changed how I feel. But she was ashamed after what happened and she left the phone turned off, afraid he would call and say, don't call me anymore.
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"So, what happened?" Naru asked, coolly, arms folded.
Kitsune, looking like death—a towel over her head took the place of the cowl—was lying on a bench in a corner of the teahouse. She groaned and slowly sat up, taking some aspirin with water. She looked better than the other woman... Naru thought she might be one of Shinobu's friends. She was lying curled up on the floor, whimpering, ice pack on her head.
Remembering that afternoon, Kitsune buried her head in her hands. "Ugh, Shinobu must hate me now," she groaned... though what percentage out of remorse and what percentage out of hangover, Naru didn't know. "We thought we would try a honey trap for her boyfriend to see if he had a roaming eye. I... brought some beer along to pass the time. Then she showed up and we got some more, decided to go wait in the library while we drank..."
Naru sweatdropped. Honey Trap? The library? "When have those plans ever worked out?"
"So, when they finally showed up, I was hammered and when I tried to seduce him... it didn't go well."
"Right in front of her?"
"Well, she has a right to know if he's got a roving eye, doesn't she?"
Naru sighed. "Look, after that disaster this summer with Keitaro and Naru, Shinobu is finally at a place where she's ready to move on, thinking about her future in a way that doesn't involve him in girlish fantasies, her own happily ever after, if you will."
"I know," Kitsune groaned. She pulled her towel off of her face and wadded it up on the table before burying her face in it. "I'm an idiot," she said in a muffled voice, "but right now it hurts too much to think about it."
"You've got to start slowing down with that stuff," Naru said gently. "We're not as young as we used to…" her voice broke off, remembering the older woman's sensitivity about her age. "Anyway," she said trying to recover, "You should know these plans of yours always end badly and you should put a stop to them."
Kitsune raised her head from the wadded towel and looked at Naru unsteadily through bleary eyes. "Huh? I went along with it because it sounded fun at the time. But it wasn't my idea."
She looks too hung over to be this convincing in a lie. "Oh? Then who's idea was it?"
"Motoko's," Kitsune mumbled, clutching her head.
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Motoko stood at the foot of the stairs, staring out into the deepening shadows. She knew that she owed Shinobu an apology for her actions, but right now, she couldn't bring herself to ask for one. Men couldn't be trusted… well Keitaro could if you were prepared to dodge out of the way when he fell. But her own sister abandoned the path of the sword when she got married. Naru seemed to be willing to set aside her teaching when she discovered she was was pregnant. Mutsumi was obviously hiding something, and Shinobu was so damned naive! She told herself that she was only doing it to protect the younger woman from being hurt.
Footsteps sounded as somebody came up the road. "Excuse me please," a voice came from the shadows. "Can you tell me where I can find Hinata House?"
Motoko scowled, recognizing the voice. It was him. "What do you want?" She said coldly. Haven't you done enough damage?"
"Oh God, not you again!" Takane snapped, taking a closer look as he stepped out of the shadows. "I think I might say the same about you!" He looked up at the stairs. "I assume this is the place." He moved past her and headed up the steps.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Motoko growled, grabbing his sleeve. "This is a woman's dorm!"
"I assume there are public areas in this dorm to meet in a modest setting, isn't there?" He shook off her grasp and checked his watch. It was about 6:30 pm. Surely not too late to come by.
"Only if she wants to talk to you! Why should she after what you did in the library?"
"What I did?"
"Is something the matter, Motoko?" Shinobu asked from further up the stairs. Her concern about raised voices outweighed her anger at this afternoon's antics. She stopped and stairs. "T- Takane," she gasped, at once happy and mortified to see him. The former because she never expected to see him again, the latter because of the events today and because she felt a mess… Kyaa! I'm still wearing my apron! She hastily removed it.
"Stop bothering her!" Motoko said, hand on her shinai.
"Please stop it, Motoko!" Shinobu, said, half plea, half growl. "He's not bothering me." She stood in front of Takane and said… nothing. She was tongue-tied. She blushed. "Umm…"
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to find you," Takane said, embarrassed. "By the time I was able to escape the library, you were gone and you weren't answering your cell phone. So I couldn't talk to you." He gestured downwards. "So after I bought a new pair of shoes, I set looking up women's dorms in Hinata City." He blushed slightly. "I got a lot of strange looks for asking about that."
"Sounds rather stalkerish!" Motoko said, caustically.
"GO AWAY MOTOKO!" Shinobu snapped, the last vestiges of patience vanishing. She turned to Takane, embarrassed. "I'm sorry about this. Could we talk somewhere else? I think we'd be the entertainment for the other residents here."
"Of course," Takane replied, relieved. "You probably know the local restaurants around here. Would you like me to take you to your favorite while we talk?" He smiled warmly.
"Y- yes!" Shinobu said, blushing further, but still happy to be with him. She took his arm and they walked down the street. As they left, Shinobu gave Motoko a venomous look.
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Motoko sat in her room in the zazen position, meditating… or trying to. Her mind kept going back to Shinobu, a lamb being targeted by that wolf! But what could she do when she came back, broken hearted from being taken advantage of? A sympathetic ear, or a stern reminder?
The sliding door to her room slammed open.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Naru shouted, glaring malevolently at her from the doorway.
"With me?" Motoko tried to stay calm. What is her problem?
"Yes, you! I could hear Shinobu down by the road!" She strode over to where Motoko sat. "I found out that apparently you were the ringleader of whatever happened today! "Why are you harassing her?"
"Dammit Naru, don't be obtuse!" Motoko stood up, frustrated that Naru couldn't see it. "Shinobu's an innocent! She doesn't know what men are after!"
Naru bit back an angry retort. She slid the door closed and eased herself down to sit on the tatami mat, gesturing for Motoko to join her. When the younger woman did, Naru spoke gently.
"Motoko, I think that while protecting Shinobu is what you're admitting to yourself, I think this is probably something more about you than her. I don't know if it's because you were hurt before, or whether it was because you feel jealous that Shinobu might have a chance at something you don't see as happening for yourself anytime soon. Maybe it's both, but something's eating you up inside, isn't it."
Motoko wanted to deny it, but faced with Naru's words, she couldn't. "My own dating experience is less than ideal," she said, grudgingly. "I do wish there was a man in my life who I would feel the same way about that you do with K-" her voice broke off abruptly, not wanting to reopen that wound. But despite her attempts not to think about it, she did wonder what it would be like to share her life and her bed with a man she felt as deeply about as Naru did Keitaro. Dammit! I am jealous! She buried her face in her hands out of shame. What a mess I've made of things!
Naru nodded, speaking soothingly. "It's okay, Motoko. I've forgiven you for that." Please don't run away again! "Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you also afraid that your relationship with Shinobu will wind up like your relationship with your sister when she married?"
Motoko thought about that. She had always loved her big sister, but that was different than her friendship with Shinobu. She looked up to Tsuruko as her ane-ue, but Shinobu usually looked up to her. But yes, they were friends. And when Tsuruko had met the man who became her husband, there was less time for her. This happened with Keitaro and Naru too. Certainly Haruka was more distracted now than she was before she married Seta. It would inevitably happen with Shinobu, whether Takane turned out to be the one or whether it turned out to be someone else.
"Maybe…" she conceded. But if he does her wrong, he'll answer to me! They were friends, but sometimes Shinobu felt like a little sister she never had.
"Okay," Naru said, feeling like she was drawing understanding from a struggling student. "But if you act in a way that breaks them up apart from her own unforced decision, she might keep trying or she might give up all together. But even as sweet as she is, she will grow to resent you whether she stays here or moves on."
Motoko gave a long unhappy sigh.
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Author's Notes
"Free drinking." Not drinks at no charge, but unlimited refills in a certain amount of time.