Chapter Fifteen: Clouds on the Horizon
I can't keep doing this to myself… Kitsune thought to herself as she woke up to the horrible pain of a hangover. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was covered by a blanket, and she could smell ramen that had gone bad. Painfully pulling herself up into a sitting position, she found herself in her underwear, and the usual bottles were strewn around. What did I do last night? She vaguely remembered talking to Naru and then… Oh right, their baby kicked and… well that's what probably set my memories off.
The door slid open and Mutsumi entered with a tray. Water, juice, porridge, and tea accompanied aspirin and vitamins.
Kitsune looked up unsteadily. "How'd ya know I was up?" she rasped out. Damn, it hurt even talking.
"I could hear you moaning down the hall," Mutsumi replied, somewhat brusquely. "Now drink up and eat up, or you'll feel terrible all day." She set the tray next to her house-mate and friend, and began clearing up some of the debris.
Kitsune's stomach lurched. "Maybe later…" she mumbled, turning away.
"No, not later!" Mutsumi snapped, looking up from the cleaning. "This isn't like when you could bounce back when you were a kid!" she added, gentling her tone.
Ah yes, that was the other part of why I did it… Kitsune thought. She'd be 28 next year. Mutsumi would be 29 when Naru's baby was born. A lot of single women our age would be giving up and looking for a condo about now. "All right, fine…" she croaked. "What should I start with ta keep it all down?"
"Water first to rehydrate and to take the aspirin. Then the juice. Then the tea and porridge with the vitamins. Then…," her nose wrinkled, but she gentled her tone. "Consider taking a shower." Having gotten the garbage off of the floor, Mutsumi said in a chair and waited for Kitsune to feel more human.
Kitsune had to admit it worked. She still felt like hell, but she could at least function. "Thanks, Mutsumi." It didn't hurt to talk any longer.
"You're welcome. Ara, Kitsune. You can't keep this up you know. I won't be here forever. I'll be starting my internship full time in March."
"I know," Kitsune replied, fumbling around as she tried to find which piece of furniture she had thrown her change of clothes over. "I'm just having a rough month."
Mutsumi sighed, handing her the clothing. "Ara, Kitsune, I can tell that. Every year around this time, you always start getting a bit self destructive. I'm guessing it's because of your secret that you told me was off limits to ask about." She shrugged. "So I won't ask. But whatever is going on, I don't think it's healthy for you. So, if you can't tell me, you need to find somewhere you can before it eats you up inside. The drinking is getting worse. I hate it when I find you blackout drunk or passed out somewhere unhealthy and I can't wake you or move you."
"It's gettin' that bad?" Kitsune realized she shouldn't be surprised. Just the other night, Naru had said, I'm just worried about you as a friend. And there was the time when she had almost ruined Shinobu's relationship with her boyfriend, and how she had been aggressive towards Keitaro… she'd made a lot of drunken trouble actually. And if Mutsumi was making her discomfort known… "Yeah, I tried to quit after that disaster this summer, but I seem to keep sliding back inta it. I don't know what to do."
"Well, first you're going to take a shower and be presentable for breakfast. I'm going to make sure you get in there and don't get sidetracked on the way. I think you need a normal day."
Kitsune made her way down the hall to the shower and climbed in, sitting on the floor while letting the water pour over her. Mutsumi is right, she said as she sniffed her armpits. I do kinda reek. She grabbed the soap and sponge and began to scrub herself. I guess I've been letting myself go.
Meanwhile, Mutsumi pulled out her pharmaceutical encyclopedia of drugs and began running down the katakana table of contents for the medicine she was looking for. Ji… jisu… jisurufi… there it was. Jisurufiramu. Or, under the official name it was known as in Romaji, disulfiram. She made a face as she read through the description. It sounded like a nasty thing to take. But it might help her out. Still, she would definitely need to have Kitsune consult with a doctor and give her consent. She pulled out her phone and called Dr. Juse.
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The usual Hinata House antics didn't help with the hangover, but Kitsune had to admit that interacting with the others kept her mind off of her problems. So, they had breakfast like always and prepared for school and work.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Kitsune!" Shinobu said cheerfully.
Naru must be covering for me, Kitsune thought. "It comes and goes," she replied with a shrug. That ought to cover me for next time.
"Must be old age!" Sara quipped.
Kitsune froze for a moment, as Sara's flippant comment stabbed through her. Then resumed eating—Mutsumi had told her that the porridge was just carbs to counter the hangover and she still needed a normal breakfast—as if nothing had happened.
"One of these days, you're going to need to put me in a wheelbarrow to get me to the street car stop," Naru grumbled, semi-goodnaturedly, as Keitaro and Motoko needed to help her to her feet. I'm going to need to use a chair pretty soon and sit at the counter, she thought. "I'm already dreading going to my appointment this afternoon." She stopped suddenly and looked down, putting her hand on her abdomen. "Yes, I know you're there," she said in a cooing voice. "Now can you take a nap while Mommy teaches?"
Kitsune twitched slightly. But she kept her composure. "My license should still be current," she said. "We can dig Keitaro's old van out of storage and I can drive you from the stop and back. It beats standing around waiting for a streetcar." After disappointing Mutsumi and worrying the others, she desperately wanted to show she could still be reliable.
"Oh," Naru said. "I literally forgot we had that. Is it still roadworthy?" The van that Keitaro had acquired after returning from America—which had helped in the pursuit when she ran away to Hokkaido—had fallen into disuse as it was usually more convenient to take public transportation than to look for parking.
Shinobu shrugged. "I kept up paying the registration fees out of the Hinata House budget for the year when you were away on Pararakelse. It had to be serviced… so I guess so?"
Naru nodded. "Thanks for the offer, Kitsune, but my appointment in in Tokyo." She thought for a moment. "Probably wouldn't hurt to make sure it's working in case there's an emergency... or if I turn into even more of a blimp."
"Naru," Mutsumi said patiently, "Your body mass index looks fine for a woman at your stage of pregnancy."
Kitsune smiled. "Anyway, I'll look into it after business starts to slack off today." She checked her watch. "Well, I should probably go and get the tea shop and the baths ready for the public!" she said abruptly, getting to her feet.
The others began getting up too, to head down to the stop.
"We can't go yet!" Su announced. "I have a surprise for Naru!" She gestured to a large box, that they had overlooked in the normal chaos.
"Oh?" Naru asked warily. A surprise from Su usually meant trouble for them.
"Yeah!" Su said. "We need to have Naru's gander reveal party!"
The others sweatdropped. "It's pronounced gender," Motoko said, sighing.
"And we already did that," Naru said gently. "Remember last month when Tomoka and Mei came over? I'm having a girl…."
"I know that!" Su said. "I'm talking ab— wait, the party is supposed to be called gender reveal?"
"Um, yes…" Haruka said sighing.
"Oops," Su said, looking around uneasily.
"What do you mean, 'oops'?" Haruka asked, warily.
"Run for it!" Su yelled, sprinting for the door as a flock of angry male geese burst from the box, honking and hissing.
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Before she headed to the street car stop, Mutsumi handed Kitsune Dr. Juse's card. "Ara, Kitsune, could you do me a favor and call this doctor for an appointment? It's the same one Naru sees. We might be able to help you with your problems."
Kitsune studied it. "Sure, I'll see about doing it some time today." She stuck it in her pocket… and promptly forgot about it.
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When Naru arrived at Juban, Haruna waved her into the teacher's lounge. "Naru-san," she said cautiously. "There is a situation that you should know about. Rika Sasaki has returned to school"
Naru cringed interiorly, wondering what sort of problems to expect from the situation. "I thought her parents pulled her out of school here. Besides, we're almost to the Winter holidays."
"That's what I thought too," Haruna said. "I guess she spent the last few months in another school. Something really doesn't add up there. But her parents requested a reinstatement and the school board agreed in a closed door setting. So, you will be seeing her when you teach in her homeroom."
"Great," Naru said. She'd heard that some girls could be just as much delinquents as the boys, and she really didn't want to deal with that right now in her pregnancy. "So I can expect trouble?"
"Oh, if there's a problem, you let me know!" Haruna said firmly. "Her reinstatement is contingent on her not causing problems. While the principal wasn't thrilled to have that scandal dropped in his lap, he knows you did the right thing in looking into it. So, if she does anything inappropriate, she goes out again."
"Well, that's good to know," Naru said, putting her hand on her abdomen. "But I'm not just concerned for me."
Haruna nodded. "That's quite understandable. We'll be keeping an eye on things until she settles down. So don't worry."
Easy for you to say, Naru thought sourly, thinking about her mobility and another life to care for in a case of danger. Sighing, she slid into her seat and pulled out her cell phone.
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Motoko was studying in the law library, feeling more cheerful. Yuto had called her, and said there was a chance he might be able to come back from his trip to Seoul by the 25th for some time together.
She had just settled in to tackle property law when her phone vibrated. Excusing herself and heading outside, she answered the phone, seeing it was from Naru. While she was on escort duty today, Naru didn't normally call so early. "Hello Naru? Is everything okay?" She paused and listened. "Sasaki? Isn't she the girl you had problems with after the summer break?" Another pause. "Well, do you feel threatened?"
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"Not immediately, Naru said on the other end. "I don't think anything will happen during school. I just feel vulnerable walking to the station for my appointment and then home. Maybe I'm just worried about nothing."
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"No," Motoko said firmly. If this had been interrupting something I had planned, I might respond differently, but…. "If this is the girl you had trouble with at the beginning of the semester, then she might not be thinking rationally. She might do something stupid without considering the consequences. I can head over to the school after my last class instead of meeting you at the station. Don't leave until I get there. OK, see you then."
She hung up and pondered the situation. She hoped Naru was overreacting, but teenagers these days were different than when she was of that age. So, she pulled out a textbook on criminal law and looked up self defense. I can't just go swinging my sword like I did as a teenager. Now that she was an adult, it would be considered assault unless the other party attacked first. Of course, if I put myself in front of Naru and it connects...
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"This thing has seen better days," Haruka said, looking over the van they had just dug out of storage.
It was true. Aside from getting it to a garage for an annual inspection, it hadn't been used much since Keitaro and Naru had used it on their wedding day… and it had been battered then.
"Considering what it's been through, it's amazing it looks as good as it does," Kitsune replied. There were still scorch marks on the roof from where Su had fired her rockets at the Shinkansen train. "I wonder if it still runs..." she mused.
"I think we'll be fortunate if it walks," Haruka muttered dubiously.
"Well, let's get started," Kitsune said, getting a bucket and a sponge. Wasn't I supposed to be doing something else first? Ah well, it can't have been important if I don't remember it…
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While normally she left her shinai in her bag or her locker at school, when she entered the Juban Middle School campus, Motoko wore it openly as in the old days. as she strode across the Juban campus. Her review of the self-defense laws in Japan showed her the nuances were tricky, so she preferred to discourage trouble than to have to pull an angry teenager off of Naru or—and she vowed this would happen first—take a blow herself. Given the wide berth most of the students she walked through gave her, she hoped it would achieve that goal.
Most of being the operative word. One girl, with gray-brown hair, stood around while the other students streamed towards the gate. She had a wrathful look on her face. Motoko gave her a hard look, wondering if she was the one Naru referenced. If so, it could be trouble... she's looking for a fight.
Naru was waiting in the teacher's lounge, bag on her lap, when Motoko entered. "I'm sorry that I put you through this trouble," she said, getting to her feet.
"No, it's okay," Motoko said. "When I was in junior high, some of the girls I knew seemed almost psychotic if they were mad or jealous about something. Since I don't know what this girl is like, I have no way of knowing if this is a real threat or not." She smiled to reassure Naru. "I think it's better to visit you here and have it be nothing instead of have to visit you in the hospital if your instincts are right. So of course I want to make sure you and the baby are safe."
Motoko didn't see the girl when they left the school building, though she did someone with a similar odd gray-brown hair on the train. She wasn't sure if it was the same person because the passengers, staying out of the way of a pregnant woman and a crazy woman with a bamboo sword, crowded at the other half of the car, obscuring her view. So if the girl wore the Juban uniform, she couldn't tell. She shrugged. At least Naru had plenty of room to sit down.
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They got the van up and running around mid-afternoon. It idled rough, but close enough.
"Well, now that it works, and it seems to have a couple of months of time left on the registration, we might as well take it into town," Kitsune grinned. "I need to get some supplies for the tea house. Might as well pick them up instead of pay for the freight handling."
"Your license is still current?" Haruka asked. "You haven't driven in awhile."
"Sure, it's current." I think. "It's like a bicycle. You never forget!"
"Well," Haruka muttered, climbing into the passenger side, "It can't be any worse than Seta."
I hope, Haruka amended her thought as they lurched off.
Oh, yeah, Kitsune thought as she precariously merged into traffic. I promised I was going to call that doctor. Ah well, I can do it when I get back.
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Motoko didn't see any more of the the girl on the train, which meant either she wasn't the one Motoko saw at school, or the girl had realized she was spotted and gotten better at hiding herself. Either way, the trip to the doctor's office was uneventful and, to avoid stares, she put her shinai into her bag. What was I thinking running around with my sword so openly back then? she mused. When she began studying Law at Todai, she quickly learned she easily could have been arrested for assault and her sword confiscated and destroyed.
It was a crisp clear day, which lightened the mood, and the two chatted as they walked.
So she was caught off guard.
At the station, the girl rushed from the crowd without warning. Startled, Motoko was grateful for her sister's training as she immediately stepped in front in a way that meant the girl made contact with her instead of Naru. The conditions for being attacked first being met to justify self defense, Motoko gripped the attacker's arm and, using a jujitsu throw, deposited her on her rear. Seeing the girl reaching for a dropped object that gave off a metallic reflection, Motoko stepped on her wrist with just enough pressure to pin her arm without injuring her. It was over before Naru was even aware there was a threat.
"Wha-?" she asked, staring, looking around wildly. Then, grasping the situation, folded her arms and fixed a baleful stare on the would be attacker. "Rika Sasaki?" she asked sternly. "What are you doing?"
Wow, even that pregnant she's still intimidating, Motoko thought.
"It's all your fault!" Rika hissed, glaring. But Naru thought there was more there than just the expected hatred or resentment in her expression… there was emotional pain too.
"Should I drag her off to the police box?" Motoko asked, shrugging. She leaned over to haul the girl to her feet.
"No, not yet at least," Naru said, putting up her hand. "I don't think she intended to cause me serious harm. I think she just acted without thinking." She picked up the object. It was a cellphone with a case covered in metallic decorations of the kind popular with girls her age. "But I think we should talk with her before she makes any other foolish mistakes."
In a cafe at the station, Rika grudgingly told her the story. This teacher—she would only refer to him as Yoshi-sensei—had left Tomoeda Elementary under a cloud and had found a new assignment in Sapporo. It seemed she had not transferred to another school, but had run away, somehow making it to Hokkaido.
"So… I got there, and…" she was saying tearfully. "He… he…" She bowed her head, unable to continue.
"I think I can guess," Naru said gently, trying to make it easier for her. "He didn't want to see you?"
"Uh-huh," Rika nodded tearfully. "He- he already gave an engagement ring to another girl in his new school!"
Naru and Motoko shared a shocked look.
"But if you hadn't interfered, this wouldn't have happened!" Rika burst out angrily. "All of it is your fault, Urashima-sensei!"
"I don't think that's fair-" Naru began.
Motoko raised her hand. "I'm seeing a red flag here," she whispered. "I need to ask something."
Turning to Rika, she lowered her voice. "I imagine you had strong feelings for him," she began cautiously. "Did he ever try to do anything with you that he said was special and should be kept secret?"
Rika didn't answer directly, but she turned bright red and looked away. "It's none of your business what we did!"
Seeing Motoko and Naru exchange another shocked look, she snapped, It's not like that! We never went to 'C'! All he wanted to do was take a trip outside Tokyo together for my sixteenth birthday."
Motoko, recognizing the significance of that odd statement, felt her hand involuntarily go towards where her sword hilt would be. Calm yourself! "Okay," she said, trying to remember the lectures on talking to children on the witness stand. Keep it gentle and simple. "Miss Sasaki, even if you like him and said it was okay, it's a crime in Japan for him to try to have a relationship with you and get you to hide it from your parents. Do you understand?"
"But he loves me… what if this is my only chance to find happiness?" She pointed to Naru. "She has a man! Why is she trying to stop me from finding one?"
That sounds like what I was thinking after my sister visited… Motoko thought. Am I…? No, I'll deal with it later. "Miss Sasaki... you say he didn't have any bad intentions, but he wanted to take you outside of Tokyo when you turned sixteen. Do you understand what that means?"
"Um, no," Rika and Naru chorused.
Motoko sweatdropped. It wasn't surprising. The laws were in flux and easily exploitable. Those who ended up wondering how could this have happened? never grasped how lax they currently were. "The age of consent in much of Japan is sixteen. In Tokyo, it's eighteen. I suspect that whatever trip your 'Yoshi-sensei' wanted to take would be to one of those areas." There was more to it than that, but Motoko wanted to avoid getting them overwhelmed in legal nuance.
"He wouldn't do that! He loves me!" Rika colored and looked a bit uneasy.
She probably didn't realize she was being groomed, Motoko thought.
Naru and Motoko rolled their eyes. Naru, the only one at the table personally experienced in what men wanted physically in their relationships, took over.
"Rika," Naru said bluntly, "if he loves you, then why did he find another girl instead of wait for you?"
"I-" Rika stopped and thought for a moment. "No, you're wrong!"
"How old was this girl in Sapporo that he gave the ring to?"
"She was the same age I was when he first gave me my ring. Fourth year."
"Fourth Year?" Naru and Motoko exclaimed together, aghast. Since the schools were divided 1-6, 7-9, and 10-12, that meant the other girl was in primary school!
Motoko cleared her throat. "Okay, I know your feelings for him are real, so I won't treat you like a child and say they aren't."
"Okay…" Rika replied warily.
"But this teacher chose you at that age and then, when he moved, instead of waiting for you, he found another girl the same age you were then. Not the same age you are now. Don't you think that something sounds wrong about that? Especially with what I just told you about what a trip outside of Tokyo when you turn sixteen means?"
"When the time came, I might have been ready for that!" Rika snapped, blushing furiously… but she seemed less sure of herself.
"Maybe you think you would," Naru said quietly. "But you wouldn't have been. Adult love needs to have two mature people who are committed to each other and are able and willing to face the life changing effects that happen together." She gestured to her abdomen.
Rika's blush became a deeper red.
"I don't know your Yoshi-sensei or what he's like," Naru continued. "But whatever he is, he seems like he either doesn't grasp the consequences or he doesn't plan to live up to them. Do you think either would be good for you? You're about fourteen now? Your whole life is ahead of you, but I don't think he's thinking about that."
"Here's something else to think of," Motoko said, gentling her tone. "You might think you're ready. It's not for me to say. But what about this other girl in primary school? Do you think she can possibly be ready or even understand what that means? And do you think she might end up being discarded, like you were? And if she is, do you think he might move on to another of that age?"
"Maybe…" Rika growled. "But that's her own fault for stealing him from me!"
"Rika…" Naru said, "She doesn't deserve that. You didn't deserve that. This Yoshi-sensei is the one who is making victims out of both of you. Maybe this girl is scared and doesn't know how to get away from this. You could be the one to break that chain. You and this other girl could still have a happy youth instead of looking back as a victim. I think you need to tell your parents about what happened… all of it."
Rika was silent for about a minute, looking miserably down at her hands. Then she looked up. "Would you come with me if I talk to my mom, Urashima-sensei?"
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"I guess having a van does make things more convenient," Haruka conceded.
They had been able to get the supplies, and with the money they had saved, it allowed them to acquire a cache of cigarettes to use when Naru wasn't around. It also allowed Kitsune to get some bottles of sake to replace the ones she used.
I just won't use as much as I used to, Kitsune told herself to assuage her conscience… which lately took the appearance of a disapproving Mutsumi.
Mutsumi… why does that remind me of something I was supposed to do? Something about a card?
She fumbled in her pocket, but came up empty. She had dropped the card in the liquor store.
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The number at the table was smaller that evening. Naru and Motoko hadn't come home yet. Keitaro had received a text message from Naru: MET THE SASAKI GIRL. THE THREE OF US ARE TALKING TO HER MOTHER. WILL CALL YOU WHEN WE'RE HEADING HOME.
So, while the conversation was as lively as ever, Shinobu thought the atmosphere seemed a like it was missing something. Is this what it will be like when Mutsumi leaves to start her residency? The thought made her sad. She knew life moves forward, but why did the changes in it have to be painful?
She brought the tea to the table, watching Keitaro talking to Seta—he'd shown up again—about archaeology, while Hachi slept at his feet. She was happy to see how animated he was talking about it when he was apathetic after returning from Pararakelse. I guess some changes can be good.
"So, Part-timer," Seta was saying, "We're on the verge of something big in the Todai ruins in Molmol. I wouldn't be surprised if we're still working on it when you finish your degree. I'm willing to hold open a spot for you then."
"Well, I'm interested," Keitaro said, after taking a pull on his beer. "But this past year taught me to include Naru in my decisions. So we'll have to see where she's at after she has our little girl."
"Sounds like ya plan to be away for awhile then?" Kitsune asked. She looked slightly intoxicated… something that Mutsumi had been glaring at her over.
"Well, we're talking about it," Haruka said, unexpectedly. Everyone was surprised at the news except for Seta, Haruka, and Sara. "We just need to decide what to do with Sara. Either she comes along, or she can stay here if you don't have any objections."
Kokeru, who had somehow managed to invite himself, looked at Sara like a starving wolf salivating over a piece of meat and gave a lewd chuckle. Without interrupting her eating, Sara punched him in the head, while Haruka elbowed him with a Bajiquan strike. As a team they shoved his unconscious body aside, making more room at the table.
If someone has to leave, there's a change I wouldn't feel sad over, Shinobu thought.
"We'll have to talk it over too then. See what's best for everyone." Keitaro replied, sweatdropping.
"Yeah, if she was interested in going on to college, I'd have fewer qualms about the latter." Seta said. "But if she's going to be a NEET, I don't want to drop that responsibility on you."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not in the room," Sara growled.
"You need to start thinking about it," Haruka said coolly. "Yeah, I know you're still young, but if you don't start thinking about it soon, you'll find that some choices are gone."
Sara looked at the unconscious Kokeru. She did have some feelings for the jerk, and being away from Haruka would be a break. "Maybe I could start college preparation classes next semester in case I change my mind," she said grudgingly.
"Well, that's reasonable," Shinobu said, hoping to head off another argument at the table.
Keitaro's phone rang then, causing Hachi to look up and give an irritated bark at the phone.
After having a brief conversation, Keitaro looked up. "Naru and Motoko are on their way home. They'll see us in about an hour."
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Some days, it's pretty boring running the after hours bar, Kitsune thought. Not many people came by anymore in the winter months, and the student members of Hinata House were busy studying. So she had nothing to do except sample the sake she had bought… keeping it below the counter because Mutsumi was already annoyed that she forgot to call the doctor and she didn't want to get lectured any more.
The door slid open around 9pm. Motoko walked in, shaking off the snow in the entry. Kitsune thought she looked a little despondent. "Heya, Motoko," she called out. "Why so sad? I thought your boyfriend was coming back soon!" Her smile was a bit of a leer, but her heart wasn't in it.
Damn the gossip, Motoko grumbled to herself. But, she forced a smile as she took a seat. "Yuto called me back, apologizing and saying that he wouldn't be able to make it back until after New Years," she said. "There goes my chance at the Christmas date." She sighed. "I'm 24. Right now I'm feeling like I'm getting too close to my sell by date for this."
Kitsune who was almost 28, and whose Christmas Cake expiration date was long past, felt her eye twitch. "Yeah, that's kinda rough, isn't it?" She tried to hide the bitterness as she set a flask of warmed sake in front of the younger woman.
Motoko, feeling sorry for herself, missed the clue. "Ever since I realized I was wrong to chase after Keitaro, I've been looking for the right person." She poured from the flask to her cup and downed it in one gulp.
"That wasn't even six months ago," Kitsune said, a little testily. "I wouldn't start any melodramatic planning to get your condo and your cats yet." Now if it were me… my ship sailed, long before I hit 25. No guy's going to want marriage with a woman with my situation.
Motoko drank another cup of sake. "I mean, I want something like what Naru and Keitaro have together… but is that like one chance in a million? Did I miss my own chance because Shinobu found the chance first?" A third drink followed the second. "No Christmas date… Am I going to have to settle for some guy who seems to put business over a woman who's willing and able to love him?"
Exasperated, Kitsune pulled a bucket of ice out of the freezer and handed it to Motoko.
"Erm… what am I supposed to do with this?" Motoko asked, puzzled.
"Probably dump it in your panties to cool yourself off!" Kitsune growled. "Right now, ya got love and sex mixed up. They're not the same thing! Believe me, I know!" She gentled her tone. "Look… if you're just horny, that's easy enough to fix without a man. Just go to your room for twenty minutes and deal with it. But if you wanna man who loves you the way Keitaro loves Naru or the way Takane seems to love Shinobu, having sex isn't going to guarantee it. In fact, it'll probably make the wrong kind of guy—the kind who just wants to hook up—chase ya while the decent men stay far away."
Motoko's red face was only partially caused by the alcohol. "Kitsune! I wasn't talkin' about sex!" Well mostly, anyway. Cups four and five. Motoko shook the flask. Almost half empty. "Dammit, I know that." Intoxication meant her own Kansai dialect was coming out to match Kitsune's to the point that any third party would find the conversation unintelligible. "I just wanna be with a man who loves me the right way, an' I ain't sure whether Yuto is even into me that way or if I'm seein' something that ain't there." Drink six. It's getting warm in here… she thought, removing her sweater.
Kitsune pulled out her own bottle and took a long pull. "Well, you're not gonna get the right answers by gettin' hammered, Moto, and yer not gonna get the right man by bein' easy. "I'm the wrong woman t'ask about gettin' Mr. Right. But I sure as hell c'n tell ya what won't work! Right now, I'm worried ya look like yer des'prate enough t'go down that path and ya need to quit it." She took another long pull.
Motoko had downed cups seven and eight. The flask was getting light. "I know, I know… but it hurts so much. I thought I was just tryin' ta protect Shinobu from gettin' taken advantage of. But Naru was right… I was just jealous about her gettin' a decent guy. Why d'ya have the heater up so high?" She unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt. That was tricky.
"Dunno… where the remote ish," Kitsune said. Internally, she knew she had to stop. But Motoko had brought up the painful memories again. Fuckit. "Look… if ya don't know if thish Yuto guy is the right guy, then keep yer friggin pants on until ya know he is!"
"I said I ain' talkin' about sex!" Motoko snapped. She finished the last two cups right out of the flask. Then, frustrated by the difficulty of the buttons, just pulled her shirt off, and fanned herself with a convenient menu. "I'm not lookin' t'be cheap. I jus' don' wanna die old an' alone runnin' a tea shop. Shit! Even Haruka found a decent man! Whas wrong with me?" She began sobbing, thoroughly intoxicated.
Stung by her words, Kitsune began sobbing too. They clung to each other and wept. One for what she feared might happen, the other for what she knew was inevitable.
Mutsumi and Haruka entered the tea shop about then. "Ara, Kitsune. You left the sign out and it's after… ten…" She stared as Motoko—topless except for her sarashi—and Kitsune clung to each other, sobbing, drunk out of their minds. "Damn it all, Kitsune," she growled.
Haruka stared at the two women, feeling a little guilty over what she allowed when she was the Dorm Mother and the bad habits that set. "Okay…" she sighed. "I think first we try to get Kitsune to bed since she's closer. Then we get Motoko dressed and take her back to her room, and hopefully they stay put."
"Thank you," Mutsumi said miserably. "Kitsune can be hard to get up stairs by myself."
Haruka noticed the tone. "There's something more, isn't there?"
"Well, not exactly…" Mutsumi mumbled. "I'm just getting so exhausted watching her doing this to herself and trying to get her back to her room in the aftermath. She won't listen and I don't know much longer I can deal with it." A tear trickled down her cheek.
"Hey, hey Mutsumi!" Haruka said, putting her arm on Mutsumi's shoulder. "You don't need to deal with this on your own. We can help too, you know. She embraced the younger woman as she began to sob with frustration and grief.
.
.
Naru looked exhausted as she sat in the kitchen in her nightgown. She had been nodding off when they brought the sobbing Motoko into the dorms and into her room, but she was alert as she listened to Mutsumi and Haruka. Keitaro stood behind her, massaging her shoulders. The humor of the drunken parties had worn off awhile ago. Kitsune and Motoko's behavior could be called self-destructive. "I agree with Haruka. "I don't know how to best help you Mutsumi, but obviously we can't leave you alone with this problem. Kitsune is our friend. I'm hoping Motoko just got swept up in the current."
"Well, there is a way." Mutsumi said. "But Kitsune needs to see the doctor first and give her consent to get that kind of treatment authorized. And she keeps ducking making the call to see the doctor." She made an exasperated sigh.
"Well, Winter break is happening soon," Naru said. "Maybe I can work on her to go before she gets too hammered."
"Well, we need to be careful how we handle it of course," Keitaro said. "When I got back from Pararakelse, I wouldn't have been able to get help on my own and I fought Naru about getting help. I just hope Kitsune doesn't have a similar reaction." He looked apologetically at Naru. "It made the person I love most miserable and I don't want to have anyone else go through that."
Naru placed her hand on top of his. "It's like storm clouds are on the horizon… and we need to find a safe harbor for her before it's too late."