Chapter Seven: Disaster is Normal
It is a beautiful morning, Motoko thought as she hiked from her hotel to Kujukuri beach. She was in an overall good mood as she walked. While she had not found any weekend romance, she had got her life back on an ordered track this weekend. Walking to the beach in the early morning hours, practicing on the still empty beach with her sword, then meditation. Then a cup of tea while reflecting on her life. Then a hike back to her room where she would write for most of the day, taking time off for meals. She had gotten in about 20 thousand words since Friday night.
Her publisher was thrilled with the news. If we push it, he had said, we might get it out close to the projected time of the novel that was lost in the fire. He had sent a stream of messengers to collect the pages and drop off gifts of encouragement.
But today, she was going to actually take the time to enjoy the beach. If the weather was good enough, she had a bathing suit. If not, there were different sights to see and things to do. She'd be busy again back at school soon enough.
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"It's a beautiful day," Naru remarked as she fastened her bra and reached for her shirt. It had been a wonderful weekend. Without interruption, they had enjoyed each other's company as they explored the sites around Shirako beach and had an uninterrupted intimate weekend for the first time in a long time. She was left feeling radiant and bubbly.
"Yes, it is," Keitaro said—a little wistfully—as he watched Naru's clothing eclipse her beautiful body. Well, we'd have to check out soon anyway. "Well, we don't have to drop our rental off until this evening. So how would you like to spend this Sunday?"
Not noticing the wistful look, Naru said, "You know, even though our original plan was to go to Kujukuri, we still haven't made it there. Why don't we give it a try?"
"Sure," Keitaro said. "I'll start packing the car while you finish up." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "So, what would you and the baby like to eat this morning?"
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It's a beautiful day, Shinobu thought, both excited and nervous. Today was the day of their big date, away from school and the asylum that was Hinata House. Of course yesterday had been pretty quiet. Everybody but Mutsumi had headed out on Saturday morning for an overnight trip, and Mutsumi had headed out in the evening, all dressed up, and came back late. She was still sleeping. Looks like the tea house and baths will be closed to the public today.
She wondered about the mysterious senpai that Mutsumi alluded to, and wondered if the older woman had any insights about love that wasn't matter of fact like Naru or shameless like Kitsune. But then again, maybe not. She remembered when she first met Mutsumi, Mutsumi had promptly asked if she had a boyfriend. When Shinobu had said she didn't, Mutsumi had immediately assumed she had a girlfriend. Who knows how she'd interpret my questions. Mutsumi was much less flighty now, but she sometimes could act goofy.
Preparing to get dressed, she noticed a package from Kitsune, with an envelope next to it. Opening the envelope, she read:
Even if you don't show him what you have, wearing these underneath will increase your confidence and let you feel more feminine.
Curious, she opened the package... and sweatdropped. It was skimpy, low cut bra, and thong panties. Blushing furiously, she returned them to the bag and got out a clean pair of her usual undergarments. Let's try 'cute but not revealing,' she thought to herself.
Once dressed and packed for the beach, she made her way down the stairs to the streetcar stop. Since at this time of the morning on a Sunday, they only ran every half hour.
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"Someone just kill me," Kitsune groaned as Hachi whimpered and licked her face. They had found a motel that took pets, and had crammed four people in a room. Unfortunately, with those teams, Kitsune had wound up with Kyoko, Nagumo, and Kanako… none of them having much more self control than she did.
There was a pounding at the door. "Come on, dammit. Hachi needs to go out!" Sara's voice came from outside. There was the sound of the keypad being punched outside. The door swung open and Hachi rushed into her arms.
"Let's go! Checkout time is in two hours!" Haruka snapped, flipping on the lights. "Damn! We'll probably need all of it to get this place cleaned up!" She clapped her hands. "Let's go! You guys wanted to go to the beach, didn't you?"
"Only if you promise to drown me..." Kanako whimpered. The chorus of moans and groans sounded like the gates of hell as four hungover women crawled out of bed.
I'm getting to old for this shit! Haruka thought to herself as she supervised the turning chaos into order.
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Like many Japanese youth, the two met by Hachiko... the statue near the Shibuya station. Shinobu was worried about being late, so she arrived twenty minutes early. She was surprised to see Takane already sitting there. "Auuu! I'm sorry, did I get the time wrong?"
Takane looked equally surprised. "Eh? No, no. I didn't want to make you wait for me, so I thought I better come early." He checked his watch. "Would you like some tea before we head out?"
He's such a nice man, Shinobu thought to herself. I hope I can live up to his expectations of me. She hesitated, not wanting to seem grasping. But seeing his smile, she accepted.
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"It's a beautiful day," Mutsumi said, looking out the window. Cool air, nice sunshine... and nobody around to come to her with a medical "emergency." Preparing some tea, and some watermelon, she headed to the hot springs with Tama in tow.
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The water was a bit too cold to go swimming, but Keitaro and Naru had a pleasant morning walking hand in hand up and down Kujukuri beach, stopping to rest at one seaside cafe or another when Naru's feet needed a rest, or she needed to satisfy an odd food craving. "This is a nice place," Keitaro said, gesturing with his free hand. It was too, outside of the ugly jumbles of concrete tetrapods that were an inevitable scene in every beach. "Too bad we didn't get here until today."
"It is a nice place, and it's nice to have the peace and quiet for just the three of us." Naru placed her hand on her baby bump. "But I guess it's back to the nut-house this evening."
They shared a resigned smile. Hinata House probably would always be chaotic, but these moments of peace helped recharge their batteries so they could take it in stride instead of grow to resent it.
In the distance, they could hear a dog barking.
"Weird. I must be missing Hinata," Keitaro said. "That almost sounded like Hachi."
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"Quiet you!" Sara said to Hachi. Hachi looked at her and gave a reproachful wurf while pulling on the leash. "Honestly, there's 60 kilometers of beach here. Why do you want to go there?"
"This isn't a bad place," Kitsune remarked, easing back in a chair in a nearby cafe. She was sunning herself and sipping a glass of ice water, vowing never to get that hammered again. Her eyes narrowed as a shadow fell over her.
"Kitsune nee-chan..." Kokeru said with a lewd chuckle, "Do you want me to rub some lotion on your body?" He flexed his fingers in anticipation.
She punched him in the face, while Sara kicked him in the head and Hachi bit his ankle.
"How did you even get here?" Kitsune growled.
"He showed up at the motel yesterday evening," Ema explained. We let him sleep on the porch and gave him a blanket." She sighed. "I guess it's like feral animals. Show them some kindness and you never get rid of them..."
"You should apologize to all animals for comparing them to him," Mari said wryly.
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It was a little too cool to wear a bathing suit, so Motoko contented herself with shorts and a t-shirt. The beach was getting more active, with families walking around and a few surfers out among the waves. A few teenage guys grinned and tried to chat her up, but she walked by without acknowledging them. It could be part of the growing phenomenon of younger men and older women in relationships, of course. In fact it was a topic in divorce law classes. It involved successful women who chose to take their time finding a partner, and preferred men whose youth wasn't "used up" when they were ready. Or it could just be horny teenagers like Kokeru who were more attracted to the fully matured bodies of adult women. Either way, she wasn't having any part of it.
It felt like it was getting time to have a little something, so she headed over to her favorite of the small restaurants that were along the beach… and froze. There, sitting in a corner booth, was Keitaro and Naru.
Rationally, Motoko knew it was a possibility. It was a popular stretch of beach and close to Tokyo. But after her encounter with Naru on Thursday evening, the only thing she could think was There's no way she'll think this was a coincidence. She'll think I'm spying again. Stopping dead in her tracks, she did a quick turnaround and beat a hasty retreat.
Well, that was a close one, she thought. But, since it was a 60 kilometer beach, there would be plenty of places where she could enjoy the rest of her visit without misunderstanding, or meeting anybody else she knew.
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"I'm sorry, Shinobu," Takane said, as they looked at the very small festival remnants on the beach. It turned out that yesterday was the big day for the event. "I should have done more research."
"No, it's okay…" Shinobu said. "I'm fine walking and just doing things." Actually, his apologetic nature made her worry about how low her expectations were. The term peasant came to mind. She wondered if she was boring to such an urbane young man. If he took her someplace fancy to eat, she'd probably be paralyzed out of fear of making a faux pas. But she couldn't imagine suggesting one of the typical restaurants found on a boardwalk.
Takane took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's been a long time since I got to just go somewhere without a tight schedule. Shall we just go see what the day brings?" He gave a gentle smile.
"Sure!" Shinobu said, happily.
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"Crap!" Kanako said, sitting upright in her beach lounger.
"What?" Kitsune murmured, half asleep.
"I just saw Shinobu," Kanako hissed, ducking down.
"Shit!" Kitsune gave a start, spilling her canned coffee across her lap. There's no way she'd ever believe we just happened to be here! While the younger woman had accepted her apology, Kitsune suspected she would be less likely to believe that a repeat encounter was a coincidence. "Maybe we better move further south down the beach."
She looked down at her shorts. The coffee was going to leave a stain across her crotch. "Lemme borrow your sweater." Without waiting for an answer, she pulled it out of Kanako's bag and tied it around her waist like an apron.
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"So, what would you like to do now?" Keitaro said, after fetching Naru another green tea.
"I've been having a good time just walking without being rushed," Naru said, easing back in her chair. Maybe we could take a walk further down the beach before we have to go back home."
"That sounds good," Keitaro said amiably. "How about I go back and get the Kei Car and drive it down here. That way, in case your feet start to get sore, we won't have to travel so far to get back."
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Shinobu, sharing a cotton candy with Takane, gave a start when Keitaro appeared out of a restaurant and started walking up the beach. What is he doing here? No, Naru had said they were going away for the weekend, and had to have been here since Friday. She hadn't told them or anybody else where she was going. No way were they here spying on her. It has to be a coincidence. Still, she didn't want her date interrupted. Well, since he was walking north…
She turned to Takane. "Maybe we can take a look at the beach over that way," she said, pointing to the south.
"Sure, Shinobu," Takane said, happy to see she was interested enough to take the initiative. She had been passive enough that he feared he was boring her.
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Motoko sat on a rock, just looking at the couples walking by. She imagined what they might be saying and planning. It made a nice exercise for adding depth to her novel. If she could give the impression of many people walking by, and give them a little depth, the reader would feel like it was a real place. She took a drink from her Calpis and spied a couple walking in her general direction. They looked good together. The man was confident. The woman looked a little insecure though. In fact, she could almost imagine her saying-
"AUUU!" the girl said, dropping something. The man hurried to pick it up for her.
AUUU? Motoko thought. It couldn't be! She took a closer look at the woman headed her way. It was. Keeping calm, she used her martial training to roll backwards off the rock, landing in a squatting position. Safe! She looked around to get her bearings. A couple—who were interrupted in the middle of making out—stared at her. She stared back, recognizing them… Sara and Kokeru.
"What the hell are you doing?" Motoko and Sara hissed at each other simultaneously—although Motoko said it in an accusatory tone and Sara said it defensively.
Kokeru said nothing, but stared at Motoko, making a lewd chuckle.
Motoko and Sara simultaneously punched him while they readjusted their clothes for modesty with their free hands.
"What are you doing?" Sara growled. "I thought you were on a road trip."
"I was. And this is where I've been since Friday." Motoko glared at them. "What are you doing?" When she landed next to them, Kokeru's hand had been somewhere it shouldn't have been. You're only sixteen! What do you think Haruka is going to say about this?"
"I'm spending time with my boyfriend, Miss Kenpeitai!" Sara snapped.
"What was that?" Motoko growled.
"You heard me!"
"It seems rather noisy here," they heard Shinobu say. Two figures sat on the rock.
"Well, Japan is getting stranger these days," replied Takane's voice.
"Shinobu? What the hell?" Sara whispered. "Were you here spying on them?"
"No, dammit!" Motoko hissed back. "I didn't even know they were here until two minutes ago! That's why I hid back here… and found you! What are you doing here? Did you two run away?"
"No! We all came over yesterday evening."
"They're all here?" Motoko asked, alarmed. There's no way Shinobu will think this is a coincidence!
"What are you worried about?" Sara said, elbowing Kokeru in the head as he tried to move too close. "If they're going this way, we can just go up the beach and leave them in peace."
"Because Naru and Keitaro are up on that end of the beach!"
"Really?" Su said, crashing down next to them. "You musta made a mistake! My Naru-yan detector isn't showing anything"
"What did you put it on?"
"Her bathing suit."
"Nobody's wearing a bathing suit!" Motoko snapped, a little louder than intended. "We're all totally exposed here!"
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The Hinata House effect of people only hearing what sounded compromising out of context, Shinobu and Takane sweatdropped, only faintly hearing that last sentence.
"Perhaps we should move on?" Shinobu asked, uneasily.
"Yes," Takane agreed. "I think we stumbled across where the local perverts hang out." He looked around. There was a rocky cove further down. There weren't as many people that way. "Shall we look over there?"
"Sure!" Shinobu said cheerfully. Naru and Keitaro shouldn't interfere here. Maybe I can finally get to know him better if we have more privacy.
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"Shinobu!" Motoko could barely keep it to an outraged whisper. Do you really think that's wise? Dammit! She had promised Naru that she wouldn't interfere. But this was a potentially dangerous situation. If I follow her, I'll look like a jealous stalker. If I don't and something happens, I'll never forgive myself!
She decided to keep an ear open for cries of alarm. It was possible that Shinobu—scandalizing as it was to Motoko—might actually want to get romantic. So she'd try to respect anything consensual and stay out of sight.
"Hey! Where'd Hachi go?" Sara said in alarm.
"You brought the dog too?" Motoko asked, just imagining how she would explain this one to Keitaro and Naru. "I assume you know where the others went. Go round them up. We better find Hachi before animal control does!"
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Keitaro and Naru walked down the beach, each with an arm around the other. There weren't many people down here, so they could enjoy the crash of the surf and the ends of the waves running along their bare feet. Naru found the surf therapeutic for her feet, but she suspected that they were going to start aching soon. At least there were benches along the way so she could rest as needed.
"I wonder what sort of chaos we'll get home to this evening," Keitaro said with a smile. Their amorous weekend had left him relaxed and ready to face the madhouse again.
"Not too bad, I hope," Naru said, returning the smile. "With Sports Day on Monday, I'd like to have less chaos to deal with for a change." But, it had been a very relaxing weekend and the thought of chaos wasn't nearly as daunting as it felt before their time off.
"Ugh," Keitaro said, abruptly. "Some idiot let their dog run loose on the beach!" He pointed to the black and silver colored shape running across the sand, barking frantically.
Naru rolled her eyes and made a tsking sound with her teeth. Then she stopped. "Umm, Keitaro? Do you think it's a feral dog? It's running towards us." There was a touch of fear in the last part, as she immediately thought of what a dog attack might do to the baby inside her.
"I don't know," Keitaro said, stepping in front of her and picking up a piece of nearby driftwood. "Keep me between you and it though, okay?" If it was a tame dog, it might be cowed by a show of force. If feral… well, hopefully he'd be able to drive it off. But no way was it going to harm my family while I can defend them!
The dog suddenly veered rushing towards them, barking loudly. Naru trembled, her feet unable to move. Keitaro braced himself as the dog leapt up… and then sat, barking and wagging its tail. The two of them shared a disbelieving look.
"Are you lost fella?" Keitaro said, warily.
"He kind of sounds like… Hachi…" Naru's voice trailed off as she looked at the tag on its collar. "But that would be impossible that you would be here instead of in Hinata City, right boy?" She looked around with a glare. "That would mean there were some irresponsible people here letting you run free."
Hachi barked, and then jumped for the driftwood. Keitaro obligingly tossed the bulky thing. Hachi ran after it and dragged it back over. "So, I guess we're not alone here," Keitaro said, joining Naru in looking around. "I don't think even they could be irresponsible enough to leave him here on accident." He sighed. "I wonder if we can make some sort of leash for him so we don't get in trouble here."
"Hmm, I might have a spare purse strap in my bag…" Naru said starting to rummage.
Hachi cocked his head and looked around, then dashed off in the direction of the rocky cove. "Hey! Come back here!" Keitaro yelled.
Sighing, they trudged off after their pet. Naru took his hand, smiling though. While it was a false alarm, the fact that Keitaro had put himself in front of her and the baby meant a lot to her.
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Shinobu and Takane had found a comfortable rock to sit on as they watched the spray of the waves crashing ashore below them. Shinobu leaned back slightly, supporting herself with the palms of her hands. Takane leaned back too, and accidentally brushed his hand against hers.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, pulling his hand away.
"No, it's okay," Shinobu said with a shy smile.
Takane gently placed his hand back down, caressing the back of hers with his fingers. The two of them looked at each other, smiling. Shinobu found herself drawn to leaning closer to him, her eyes locked on his.
Eyebrow raised, Takane found himself drawn to her, looking at her beautiful eyes, her soft lips. They leaned closer. Shinobu was vaguely aware that her eyes half closed as their lips came closer and-
She looked around, sharply.
"What is it, Shinobu?" Takane asked, surprised by the change of mood.
"It's silly, but I felt like we were being watched." Shinobu said.
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"Now what do we do?" Kitsune whispered to Kyoko. They had gone there since they had seen Hachi streak over. She had no idea they would run into Shinobu.
"I don't know," Kyoko said. "I had no idea we'd find them here! How good are you at sneaking around when there's no door to hide behind?"
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Takane looked around. The area was secluded, but there was still a clear view of the beach to their left. "I don't see anything."
"I guess I was just jumpy," Shinobu said. "So where were we?" She blushed a little bit at being so forward, but as long as she didn't engage in adult kissing, she shouldn't get in over her head here.
"Well," he said, leaning forward and placing his hand on Shinobu's cheek. "I think we were…" Shinobu leaned forwards too, closing her eyes, heart beating rapidly. This seemed so right…
"Woof" Hachi interjected.
Takane facefaulted while Shinobu jumped back, startled.
Kokeru ran out from behind a rock, grabbed Hachi and ran back. "Umm, never mind us, please continue!"
Sara stood up from behind the rock and punched him in the head. "Shut up, dork!"
"Keep your head down!" Motoko snapped. "Oh, dammit!" she said, realizing she had blown her own cover.
Shinobu bared her teeth. "What the… are all of you spying on me?"
"Umm, not intentionally?" Haruka said, emerging from another rock. It was true. If I had known they would be here, I wouldn't have come by to look for Hachi!
The others began to emerge from cover as well, seeing no sense in hiding any longer.
"Why are you all trying to ruin my life?" Shinobu shouted, staring agape as they emerged.
"Shinobu, it's all right…" Takane said, bemusedly.
"No, it isn't!" Shinobu began to sob. "You said yourself you can tell a lot by who a person's friends are… and these people, well, I'll never get away from them. So what does that say about me?" She ran off.
"Well, I suppose there's no way this can get any worse." Ema said.
"What the hell are you morons doing here?" Naru snarled.
"Hoo boy..." Ema sighed.
Naru glared at the Hinata residents. "Voyeurism is pretty damn low!" She turned to Takane. "I'm so sorry for all of this. When my husband and I came here on Friday, we had no idea you'd be here too."
Takane shook his head. "I just don't understand any of this. Why does she feel like I would think less of her because of this? Why is she upset"
"Well," Kokeru said. "I think the reason is clear."
"Oh?" Takane asked, desperately looking for an insight.
"It's obviously PMS."
Fists from angry Hinata House women struck him from all angles.
Naru turned back to Takane. "Well, I don't want to give away anything from her past that she doesn't tell you on her own. But I think her view of herself and how she thinks you view her are different. She thinks your image of her is so high that the real Shinobu can't compete. So everything that goes awkward, she's going to think it will prove she's not good enough for you."
"But that's ridiculous!" Takane protested. "I know she's not rich or from a highly cultured background. But this isn't the Tokugawa era! Status doesn't matter as long to me! What matters is she's a good woman." He sighed. "But if she ran away, there's probably no hope she'll want to consider this, is there?"
"Never say there's no hope!" Naru said, having heard (and lived through) that fear too often. "Go after her and tell her how you really feel."
"Got it, Takane said with a determined expression on his face. "I'll try to make her feel more at ease by telling her I don't think highly of her-"
"DON'T SAY THAT!" they all shrieked.
As he rushed off, he could hear Naru say, "Now then, I think some explanations and apologies are in order here, right?"
.
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Shinobu hadn't gone far when she stopped running and, slumping onto a bench, buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Maybe it would have worked out, maybe it wouldn't. But she liked him. Not because he was rich or refined. But because she liked the person she saw and wanted to learn more and more about him and hoped that what she discovered would be someone worth spending the rest of her life with. But that wasn't happening and she didn't know if she'd ever have the courage to look for love again after this disaster… and the worst thing was, here, disaster was normal.
She was vaguely aware of a shadow falling over her. She looked up and saw Takane bending over her.
"Can we talk?" he asked, gently.
"After this disaster, do you really want to?" she asked bitterly, despair in her voice.
Takane sighed and sat down next to her. "I get the impression you think you have to be some sort of super woman for me. But that's not what I'm looking for."
"You're… not?" Shinobu asked. "But isn't that what someone of your…" her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry. That makes it sound like I think you're a snob."
Takane smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. Shinobu leaned in next to him. "Look, I don't know if we'll ultimately be compatible or not. But I'm not looking for a rich and cultured woman. That doesn't always translate to a good heart. That's what I'm looking for in a potential wife, and I think you might have that."
"A- a potential wife?" Shinobu asked, bewildered.
"Well, yeah. Look, I'm not dating you to look for a friend with benefits." He colored slightly and continued. "Maybe I'm jumping the gun by bringing it up now, but isn't the real point of dating finding the person you want to be with for the rest of your life? Yeah, you have some… interesting friends. But if they shaped you into the person you are, they've got to have some good traits, don't they?"
"R- really? Look, this kind of disaster is normal for me. Are you sure you still want to try?"
"Yeah, I do," Takane said. He hesitated. "Look, I don't, and never did have any plans to take you off to a hotel on the first date. I think we should wait on that. I hope our relationship succeeds. But if it doesn't, I don't think either of us want to look back on what we did with regret."
"Really?" Shinobu asked, feeling like a broken record, but both relieved and amazed at his attitude. She remembered what Naru had said a few days ago, never daring to dream she might actually meet somebody who fit it…
Shinobu, you are worth a guy who will treat you with respect. I think every girl wants their first time to be with the one they love forever. Maybe we need to insist on waiting until we know that guy's the one instead of thinking we have no reason not to do it and hoping it works out.
"Yes, really." Takane looked serious. "Maybe I'm just an hopeless dreamer. Other girls I've dated think I'm 'strange,'" he made air quotes, "because I didn't put any moves on them, but this just seems to be the right way to do things." He looked down. "Sorry, that was probably too much information on a first date."
"No," Shinobu said, trying to be reassuring. "I think that sounds like it should be the right way to do things. And," she blushed, "that's a line I don't think I'm ready to cross yet either." She looked around. None of the Hinata House residents were near by. "So," she said shyly, "where were we?" This was a bit forward for her, but she looked up to his face and leaned forward.
Takane smiled, understanding. "Well," he said, leaning towards her, placing his hand on her cheek. "I think we were…."
He brought his lips close to hers. Shinobu could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. But while she wouldn't go all the way, she wanted this—
Without warning she sneezed.
The two stared at each other, stunned: Takane from surprise; Shinobu from horror. She thought she finally could understand the times Motoko was ready to commit seppuku over an embarrassment. There's no way we can go anyway but down here!
But he began to laugh, and pulled out a package of paper tissues. He took a few and handed the rest to her. "Well," he said. "I think there's nowhere we can go but up from here."
Shinobu let out a shocked giggle. "I… never thought about it that way." She looked thoughtful. "But I guess you're right. If we can still stand each other after all this, maybe there's hope for us.
The two of them cleaned each other's faces as the sun began to set.
"Get back here, Hachi!" they heard Motoko yelling. The dog ran past them, barking frantically, followed by the rest of the girls and Keitaro.
"Welcome to the Hinata Asylum," Shinobu said, shaking her head. "Where disaster is normal."
The End of the "Shinobu's Turn" arc.
Next Chapter begins the "Stepmother" Arc.
Author's Notes
I hope you enjoyed this arc of the story.
The next arc is called "Stepmother." It will address the relationship between Naru and her stepmother which came to my attention when reader Samhan asked me almost a year ago (when I published Forever and a Day)—Why didn't Keitaro and Naru just go to her parent's house when they were stranded in Tokyo? I kicked the idea around since then, but Barriers wasn't really the place for it. But now, in the fourth month (the Japanese would say fifth month) of her pregnancy, it's going to be hard for Naru to keep ducking the issue.
"outside of the ugly jumbles of concrete tetrapods that were an inevitable scene in every beach" You may have seen them in anime, looking like giant caltrops. They're used to prevent against erosion.
"Miss Kenpeitei." The Kenpeitei were the feared military police during WWII. They had a reputation of targeting anyone they believed were acting suspiciously. Sara is essentially accusing Motoko of spying on her.