A/N: Once again, thank you for your reviews. Yeah, I have a thing for pretty guys cross-dressing as well…hence the story xD Enjoy, and tell me what you think!

CHAPTER 6 - THE TRIP

Fuji gave the hem of his dress an irritated tug for what must've been the tenth time now. He was quickly losing his patience in trying to gain supremacy over it. Stupidhem seemed to have a mind of its own, riding up his thigh at the most inappropriate of times.

He heaved a sigh, totally regretting that he had left the choosing of his clothes to Yumiko. Look at what sort of attire she put together for him! A white dress the size of a postage stamp and heels high enough to kill him if he ever had the misfortune of tripping. Not to mention the humiliation of forcing to wear a padded bra…..

Fuji quickly steered his thoughts away to something else before his delicate sensibility could be affronted again with the thought of having that particular undergarment on his person…...

He took to observing the other passengers in the bus instead. And was astonished to find that a lot of them, male or female alike, were casting furtive glances his way.

"Tezuka, people are staring at me," he whispered uneasily to Tezuka, who was reading quietly beside him.

"It's because you are looking particularly beautiful today," Tezuka replied drolly without looking up from his book.

Fuji cast a surreptitious glance at him. Was Tezuka taunting him? But he couldn't detect any malice in that remark so much as amusement...

Fuji stared at the passing scenery outside without really seeing them, mind preoccupied with his latest musing. Tezuka has been acting really weird since this morning, almost too nice for his usual diabolical self...…

His previous thoughts of Tezuka falling for him came unbidden back to Fuji. But he quickly shot the idea down. It was too ridiculous. If you like a person, you won't go around threatening and forcing him to do loathsome things, right….his mind argued belligerently.

In the end, Fuji still hadn't got a clue what to make out of Tezuka's inconsistent behavior.

He must have fallen asleep after that, because the next thing he knew, Tezuka was gently shaking him awake. "Fuji, wake up. We are almost there."

Fuji awkwardly lifted his head from Tezuka's shoulder, which he had unknowingly lean against in his sleep. "Oh, that was quick." He gave a small yawn.

"Did you know that you were snoring and drooling all over in your sleep?" Tezuka teased.

Fuji shot him an indignant look. "I did no such things!"

Tezuka smiled wryly. "Are you hungry? I brought some of your favorite wasabi rolls with me." Fuji gratefully accepted the food Tezuka handed him, a little surprise at Tezuka's sudden thoughtfulness. He hadn't realize he was starving.

As the bus came to a full stop in the station, Tezuka quickly got up from his seat. "Come on." He grabbed onto Fuji's right hand with his left and efficiently gathered their belongings in the other.

Fuji stared at their entwined hands, heart suddenly thumping erratically out of control. Tezuka had never held him like this before. Shit, what is wrong with me?

Tezuka didn't let go of his hands until they were safely in a cab. The driver turned around in his seat to greet them. "Where are you and this pretty lady here heading?" He gave Fuji an appreciative look, accompanied by a leery grin while Tezuka was providing him with the address of his grandmother's onsen.

Fuji's ears turned pink with mortification. Bloody hell, he was being hit on! Did the stupid driver really have no inkling at all that Fuji was a guy, albeit a cross-dressing one? Damn this effeminate of his..…

After approximately 45 minutes of the most uncomfortable bumpy ride Fuji ever had the chance to experience, they finally arrived at their destination. The onsen was situated on the craggy slope of a hill, flanked by the sea, which Fuji could clearly see and hear from where he stood, on one side and the village proper at the other. The view looked very picturesque indeed.

As they stood at the foot of the hill, Fuji stared dauntingly at the uncountable number of steps leading up to the onsen. He gulped. How was he going to climb that in his 3-inch high heels? Fuji cursed himself for listening to his sister's dumb advice about how heels would make him looked more feminine in the first place. His feet were going to pay for it big time now...

Tezuka sensed Fuji's trepidation. "Do you want me to carry you up the steps?" he suggested nonchalantly.

That would've been even worse. He had his pride to think of after all. "No, thank you," Fuji replied churlishly. "I am not some helpless girl. I...I will manage." But all the same, Fuji held on tightly to Tezuka's arm to prevent himself from falling flat on his face as he tottered dangerously on up the steps.

Fuji's feet were screaming bloody murder by the time they reached the last one. He wondered if he had just done some irreversible damage to them. Women are nothing but a bunch of born masochists...

A tiny old lady in a faded kimono immediately came out to greet them upon their arrival.

"Kunimitsu! You are here! My, look how handsome you've become!" the old lady exclaimed delightedly as Tezuka went over to give her a hug.

"I'm glad to see you again too, Obaasan," Tezuka bestowed a warm smile on her.

The old lady finally noticed Fuji's presence. Looking expectantly at Tezuka, she asked. "And who is this pretty young lady here?"

Tezuka pulled Fuji forward and introduced him. "I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend with me this time, Obaasan. Her name is….Fuji Syukiko."

Eh? What sort of stupid name is that?

Tezuka's grandmother was looking at Fuji with piqued interest now. Hastily, he gave a deep bow, or as much as he could manage in his heels without ending up toppling over. Act like a girl, act like a girl, he muttered to himself.

"Nice to meet you, Obaasan." Fuji tried to simper as a girl would in this situation. He thought he was doing a rather good job at it, but Tezuka's strange look said otherwise.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." The old lady beamed at him. She turned back to her grandson. "You finally took my advice and brought someone along with you, didn't you? I'm glad." Giving Tezuka's cheek a light pat, she winked at Fuji. "Don't let her go. She's a gem."

Fuji blushed at the compliment. Nowhe felt bad about deceiving such a nice old lady. This is all Tezuka's fault….

"Well, don't just stand there. Come on in," Tezuka's grandmother beckoned them.

Once he left those accursed heels of his behind at the door, Fuji felt his mood became considerably brighter. He nearly sighed with relief.

"Oh," Tezuka's grandmother suddenly stopped in her track. Her face fell.

"What is it, Obaasan?" Tezuka asked with concern.

"I just remembered that the onsen is fully booked this holiday season. You didn't tell me you were going to bring somebody," she chided. "So, I didn't reserve any extra room for Fuji-chan here."

"Oh, that's all right," Tezuka waved the problem aside as if it was no big deal. "Fuji and I can share my room."

Two pairs of stunned eyes looked at him as if he had just sprouted two horns on his head. Did Tezuka forget that I'm supposed to be a girl? What was he thinking, saying that we can share a room? What will his grandmother think?

Tezuka's grandmother, for her part, wisely kept her opinion to herself. "I guess it's settled then," she smiled. "Why don't you two go on to your room first and I'll bring the extra futon over later?"

As they made their way to the allocated room, Fuji hissed at Tezuka. "Why the hell did you tell her that we are going to share a room? Didn't you say your grandmother was very conservative?"

Tezuka shrugged. "Oh, she understands. She knows what it is like to be young." Then he added almost absently. "Which is an entirely different matter from being gay."

How true that is, Fuji thought bitterly. It was the reason he would never let himself to be labeled as one. Any deviation from the norm was frowned upon by society. An abomination of nature. Even though people might say they were beginning to be open-minded about it, the stigma was still too deeply ingrained in them to be washed away so easily….

"Here we are." Tezuka's voice brought Fuji out of his sordid thoughts. He entered the room, and came face to face with a fantastic view of the mountain side and the sea through the window.

"Wow, Tezuka, this is magnificent!" Fuji breathed.

"I know. That is why Obaasan always keeps this room for me when I come to stay."

Fuji was still admiring the view when Tezuka spoke again. "Fuji, we still have a couple of hours before dinner. Why don't we go and have a dip in the hot spring in the meantime?"

"Ok," Fuji agreed readily, eager to have his first experience in a hot spring.

Tezuka brought out two sets of non-descript beige-colored yukatas from the cupboard and handed one to Fuji. "Remove all your clothes and put this on," he ordered before doing the same himself.

Fuji was only too happy to remove that breath-impeding dress of his. When he was down to his underwear, Fuji was suddenly aware that Tezuka was staring quietly at him.

He frowned. "What are you looking at, pervert?"

Tezuka's mouth quirked. "Nothing. It's just that you look really sexy in that G-string, it's kind of turning me on."

Fuji's face heated up. Damn Yumiko for asking him to wear one. Shooting Tezuka a murderous glare, he quickly turned his back towards him and donned his yukata before removing his underwear.

"Are you ready?"

"Hnn." Fuji still hadn't quite able to bring his face color back to normal yet.

Tezuka grabbed a couple of towels before leading the way to the hot spring.

As they walked silently down the corridor, Fuji suddenly thought of something. "Tezuka, I heard that the hot springs are gender separated. Since I am a guy pretending to be a girl, where should I go?" he asked apprehensively.

"Don't trouble yourself with that. Obaasan has one reserved for personal use, so we'll go to that one."

They finally arrived at the hot spring. It was the size of a small pool, sitting amidst an outcrop of boulders. Steam rose out of it and vaporized into thick mist around them. The water bubbled invitingly. It looked heavenly to Fuji.

Tezuka had already discarded his yukata and moved into the water. Fuji quickly followed suit. The moment his feet dipped into the water, he gave a sigh of pure contentment. The water felt so good on his aching feet. He slowly submerged himself up to the chest level.

Ahhh, this is so soothing, Fuji thought with eyes closed. He could feel his body beginning to relax, the tight knots of his muscles loosening up and….something tickling at his ear.

Fuji abruptly opened his eyes. Tezuka has somehow gotten behind him, his breath ruffling the hair near Fuji's ear. "Let's do it here," he whispered lustfully.

"N..no! Are you crazy?!" Fuji tried to fight off Tezuka's wandering hands. "What if somebody come in?"

"Nobody uses this pool except for my grandmother, and she's currently busy attending to her guests," Tezuka told him. "Any more excuses you can think of?"

Fuji couldn't think of any at the moment. Taking his silence as consent, Tezuka dragged him to a nearby boulder. He gently settled Fuji on it.

"Are you comfortable?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji gave a small nod, not trusting himself to speak.

Tezuka smiled. "Good. Remember now that you have to keep your voice down, because the public hot spring is just next to here," he warned before burying his mouth on the hollow of Fuji's neck.

The idea was such a turn on for Fuji that when he reached orgasm moments later, he had to bite onto his fist to keep himself from screaming.

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That evening, they had a scrumptious dinner with Tezuka's grandmother. Eyeing the banquet before him, Fuji was having a difficult time to choose what to eat first.

"You are too skinny as it is, Fuji-chan. Eat more, eat more," the old lady urged, while heaping an unreasonable huge amount of food onto Fuji's bowl.

"H..hai."

"Tell me about yourself, Fuji-chan," Tezuka's grandmother inquired once she was satisfied that Fuji had enough food piled on his platter.

Fuji looked up from his wasabi sashimi. "Me? Oh, there is really nothing very interesting about me. I come from an average family, with an older sister and younger brother," he said. "My father is a businessman and my mother owns a beauty parlor. I have just recently moved to Tokyo from Chiba."

"So, how long have you children known each other?" came the next question.

"I only get to know Tezuka when I started my high school years in Seishun Gakuen. I was previously from St. Rudolph all-boys….Ooouff," Fuji suddenly coughed out as he felt Tezuka stamping hard on his foot.

"Fuji-chan, are you all right?" Tezuka's grandmother asked, a little concerned.

"H..hai. Just some wasabi choking up my nose, that's all," Fuji laughed nervously as he took a sip of water. He'd nearly blew everything away with that slip….

Tezuka quickly took over the conversation. "Obaasan, Mother has been asking about your health. She's worried that you are working yourself too hard."

"Don't you worry about me." Tezuka's grandmother gave a laugh. "I am as healthy as a horse despite my old age. The onsen has magical properties, you know." They continued to talk about Tezuka's family for a while, the earlier slip forgotten. Fuji could only sighed with relief.

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After dinner, Tezuka's grandmother suggested that they take a stroll along the beach. Unable to find any excuse, they complied.

The moon was full that night, shining brightly down at them and lighting their path clearly. The sand felt cool and soft beneath their feet and the air was tinged with the salty taste of the sea.

Fuji used to live in Chiba, which was close to the coastline, so he had been brought up to love the sea. He couldn't resist the urge now to have a little dip in the sea, letting the waves gently lapped at his feet.

"Come and join me, Tezuka," Fuji beckoned, but the other boy maintained a fair distance from the shore, almost as if he was afraid of it.

"It's all right. You go ahead."

Fuji shrugged. Maybe Tezuka didn't have any affinity to water..…

He frolicked to his heart's content before moving up to where Tezuka was patiently waiting for him on the embankment. He plopped himself beside Tezuka and giggled like a child. "That was fun."

Tezuka smiled. "I'm sure it was. Why don't we rest here for a while?"

Fuji nodded. He lied on his back, gazing up at the moon. It looked impossibly huge from here. Soon Fuji's eyelids began to feel extremely heavy and he fell asleep before he knew it.

Something was gently shaking him. "Go away," Fuji muttered before slipping back into his sleep again.

The shaking became more persistent. "Wake up, Fuji. It's time."

Somewhere in his sleep fogged mind, Fuji realized that whoever was doing this to him wasn't going to stop bugging him until he did so. Slowly, groggily, Fuji cracked open his eyes, one at a time. He found Tezuka's face looming over him.

Fuji was aware of a couple of things at once as he became more fully awake. One, his head was lying on Tezuka's lap, with a warm coat spread over him. Two, there were sounds of waves crashing onto the shore in the background.

He sat up abruptly when he realized that he was still on the beach. "Tezuka, why didn't you wake me up? What time is it now?"

Tezuka shrugged. "Probably about six something in the morning." His eyes were staring intently out on the sea, as if waiting for something.

Fuji was aghast. "You mean I slept through the night? Didn't you sleep at all?" Fuji suddenly noticed the absence of Tezuka's coat and the cold breeze coming from the sea, stinging his cheeks. Tezuka must have given his coat to me to keep me warm while I was sleeping...

Instead of feeling grateful, Fuji got mad instead. "What the hell do you think you are doing?! Giving up your coat while you yourself are sitting here freezing your butt off? Don't you have any sense at all? What am I going to..."

Tezuka quieted Fuji in the only way he could think of. He kissed him on the lips. Fuji abruptly ceased his ranting.

"Don't talk," Tezuka told him as he broke away. His returned his gaze to the sea again. This time his face broke into a tiny smile. He pointed. "Look."

Fuji's turned towards the direction indicated and momentarily lost his breath. A warm glowing ball was slowly rising from beneath the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of blue, pink, orange and red. Golden rays merged and reflected, creating a symphony of colors so impressive that surely heaven must have looked like that.

Fuji, for all his time spent on the beach, had never watch a sunrise before. He felt humbled by the sheer majesty of it. "It's breathtaking, Tezuka," Fuji murmured, eyes fixed on the rising sun. His earlier vexation with Tezuka was forgotten.

"I know. I want us to be able to share this together." Tezuka took hold of Fuji's hand and gave it a squeeze, gazing out to the sea as well.

Fuji felt inexplicably blissful at the moment. Somehow, he could feel the squeeze all the way to his heart.