Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
Alright, no more pessimism! On with the show!
Chapter XXXIV: A Gift Like None Other
Friday, 1/4 4:48 PM
"Remind me," Naru said. "Why are we up here again?"
"I have absolutely no idea," Kitsune remarked. "How about you, Motoko?"
"I'm afraid I'm at a loss on this one," Motoko said. The three had been called up to the attic by a certain blue-haired adolescent, saying it was important.
"Maybe this whole thing will shed some light on Shinobu's recent behavior," Naru said.
"I hope so," Kitsune said. "She's been acting weird ever since she and Sean pretty much ditched us at the temple on Tuesday. It makes me wonder what those two did together."
"Kitsune, don't talk like that!" Naru said.
"And why not?" Kitsune asked with her trademark grin. "Eroticism is pretty common around here, and you know it."
"Yes, I do, but I also know that Shinobu has never been involved."
"She's right," Motoko added. "Sean and Shinobu may be close, but they're not quite that close, are they?"
"We don't really know that, now do we?" Kitsune said. "It's not like we can keep track of their actions at all times or anything. For all we know, they could have--" Kitsune cut her hypothesis short when she saw the topic of discussion make her appearance.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Shinobu said.
"What did you bring us up here for?" Naru asked.
"I'm sure you're aware of Suu's birthday next week."
"That can't be the only reason why you--!" Kitsune started to say before she was interrupted.
"You're right, it's not." Shinobu revealed the calendar she held behind her back. "This is why," she said, tossing it to the floor in front of them. Sure enough, Suu's birthday had been marked on the 11th, but that wasn't all that was there. Also marked were Keitaro's birthday on the 5th and Sean's on the 17th.
"Huh," Kitsune noted. "Six days before and six days after."
"Why didn't anyone tell me Keitaro's birthday was tomorrow?!" Naru asked.
"Probably because nobody knew, except for me," Shinobu said. "and Sean."
"Sean?" Motoko said.
"I'm assuming he marked all the dates on here. Besides, why wouldn't he know this stuff? He is the landlord, after all."
"Why are you bringing this up now?" Kitsune asked.
"Yeah, we'd need more time if you plan on us throwing a party for Keitaro tomorrow," Naru said.
"I've already got something thought up for that."
"Is that why you've been acting so strange lately?" Motoko asked.
"Yeah, what did you think it was?" Shinobu asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Oh, nothing," Kitsune said.
"I should have known better than that," Naru thought. "Shinobu and Sean couldn't be screwing. He's not a pedophile and she's not interested in that sort of thing yet… right?"
"Alright," Shinobu said, "This is going to involve some acting on everyone's part, but here's what I have in mind…"
--- Saturday, 1/5 8:21 AM
"Good morning!" Keitaro said as he entered the dining room for breakfast; all the girls had already gathered there. He was more cheerful than usual, this being his birthday and all, but the reaction he got when he arrived left much to be desired.
"Hey," Naru greeted unenthusiastically. It hurt her inside knowing she didn't look excited about that day, but Shinobu had it all planned to the t, and she had no choice but to follow the plan. She assumed Motoko and Kitsune were in the same boat. She was right, but it didn't affect them as much.
"What are you so cheerful for?" Motoko asked. "Are you looking forward to going back to school that much?"
"At least you get a break," Kitsune muttered.
"Well, it wasn't my idea for you to get a full-time job, was it?"
It was at this point that Keitaro realized that nobody knew it was his birthday, and he debated whether or not to bring it up, eventually deciding against it, considering the direction the conversation around him was heading. He quietly ate his breakfast, listening to Kitsune and Motoko bicker. When he finished (which happened pretty quickly, as the noise was getting unbearable) he needed to think of something to get his mind off them not knowing about his special day. Suddenly, it came to him. "Hey Suu," he said. "Want me to help you with one of your machines?" He figured he might as well make someone happy this day, even if it wasn't him.
"Sure! Let's go!" Suu then dragged Keitaro upstairs to go work on God-knows-what.
"And furthermore," Kitsune said. "How are you even able to afford living here? I've hardly ever seen you work!"
"Kitsune, cool it," Naru said.
"Yeah, Keitaro's already gone," Shinobu added.
"Sorry," Kitsune said, grinning and holding the back of her head. "I must have gotten caught up in the moment."
"Don't you think we laid it on a bit thick?" Motoko asked. "I mean, he might think something's up."
"Nah, he's so clueless, you know?" Naru said.
"I just hope we can keep it up the act," Shinobu said.
"Hey, how are you paying your rent, anyway?" Kitsune asked.
---
The next few days were hard on the ones that knew about Keitaro's birthday besides him. Naru couldn't stand not celebrating the occasion, but Shinobu insisted that it would all be worth it when the time came. Kitsune and Motoko weren't quite as distraught, but there have been times where they almost gave everything away, but quick recoveries combined with Keitaro's natural thickheadedness kept things under wraps. Shinobu on the other hand, was as cool as ice. The other three secretly marveled at how she could keep a straight face for the entire ordeal. Finally, the day came that would bring peace of mind to all involved… or would it?
--- Friday, 1/11 10:12 AM
Naru opened Keitaro's door to find him sitting at his table, busily doing schoolwork. He had long given up hope on having a birthday party, so he put more energy into his education. Despite his efforts, there have been times where he found himself unable to concentrate, and this would soon become one of them. He was so engrossed in his studies, he was unaware of Naru sneaking up behind him until a blindfold suddenly appeared over his eyes. "What the--?"
"Don't speak," Naru whispered into his ear. Her tone of voice was a hair or two shy of being seductive. "Come with me." Keitaro seemed only too eager to obey as Naru helped him to his feet and lead him out the door.
When they got there, Naru met with Shinobu and Motoko, the former leading Sean by the hand, the latter carrying Suu on her back; both of the followers were wearing blindfolds like Keitaro. Silently, Shionobu motioned to the others and the group started moving down the hallway. The two men could only guess as to what was going on. Suu on the other hand, was eagerly waiting for her apparent birthday surprise forthcoming, and it took all her effort not to make any noise, per Motoko's instructions. In fact, all three were told to remain silent so each one wouldn't become aware of the other two and possibly ruin the surprise.
When they got to the dining room, they saw Kitsune making the final preparations. Upon seeing them arrive, she gave the thumbs up and stepped out of the way. Naru, Shinobu and Motoko led their subjects to the table and sat them down (though it took some effort to pry Suu off Motoko's back). The final step in the plan came when Shinobu snapped her fingers, making all three blindfolds vanish.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" The four girls yelled, much to the surprise of the other three.
Yay!" Suu said, "Birthday party!"
Sean was too surprised to say anything out loud, but his mind was a different story. "Somehow, I should have seen this coming," he thought. He did, after all, leave the calendar for Shinobu to find back on New Year's.
"You actually remembered my birthday," Keitaro said, shedding tears of joy.
Naru suddenly broke down, rushing to Keitaro's side. "Yes, I did!" she cried. "I knew all along!"
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Keitaro asked.
"Because Shinobu had it all planned out," Motoko said.
"You did?" Sean asked.
"Yep," Shinobu said cheerfully. "I thought it might be better to have one party for all three of you instead of one at a time."
"It's your birthday too, Sean?" Keitaro asked.
"Next week," Sean said, nodding.
"Let's party!" Suu said.
"I hear that," Kitsune said.
"So, you planned this whole thing, huh?" Sean asked as he watched Suu almost dive into the cake that was provided for them. "I thought you were acting a bit strange lately."
"You noticed too?" Keitaro asked.
"I guess I was just focused on setting up this party," Shinobu said, sitting down next to Sean. "Did you like the surprise?"
"Sure did," Sean answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Then I'm sure you'll love what else I've got planned for you," she thought, smiling as she, along with everyone else watched Naru apologize repeatedly to Keitaro for blowing off his actual birthday. "It was harder for her than I thought."
---
As the next few days went by, everyone noticed that Shinobu was still acting a bit different than usual. She spent more and more time in her room, and whenever she was seen anywhere else, she was always deep in thought and usually lacking in energy, and when anyone asked her anything, she would always dodge the question in one way or another. This got the others thinking that maybe, just maybe, the party wasn't quite the extent to her plans. They had no idea just how right they were, but only one person would ever find out.
--- Wednesday, 1/16 3:47 PM
"Hi everyone," Shinobu said as she got home from school, not bothering to notice that only Sean and Kitsune were in the room.
"How was your day?" Sean asked from his seat on the couch.
"Exhausting," she said wearily. "I'm going up to my room and take a nap."
"Alright. I can take care of dinner if need be."
Shinobu nodded, then shuffled upstairs, yawning all the while.
"She sure has been out of it lately, huh?" Kitsune said.
"You got that right," Sean said. "Maybe she's working too hard on her schoolwork or something. I should talk to her about it after she wakes up." A few hours went by and Shinobu never left her room. Whether it was because she was asleep the whole time or for some other reason, he couldn't be sure. Granted, he could find out easily enough, but he wasn't one to invade a person's privacy without good reason. Besides, he thought of a different way to get his information: Naru, Kitsune and Motoko; the three that were in on the party five days before. After a brief interrogation, he found that none of them knew what Shinobu had planned, but Motoko did mention that she has sensed a strange energy coming from the girl's room over the last few days. This gave some clues, but he was still quite curious about what Shinobu could be doing that would require magic.
--- 8:31 PM
"Eat up!" Sean said, bringing dinner with him into the dining room, where everyone eagerly waited--well, almost everyone.
"It's not often that you make dinner," Naru said.
"I can when I have to, even though it may not exactly be Shinobu caliber." That called attention to the absent chef.
"Yeah," Motoko said, noting Sean concerned expression. "I'm worried about her too. It's not like her to miss a meal."
"That's usually because she's the one making it," Kitsune said.
"Still, she must be getting hungry by now."
"Not if she's still asleep," Sean muttered. Midway through the meal, Sean could have sworn that he saw Shinobu out of the corner of his eye heading into the kitchen, but when he turned to get a better look, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Is something wrong?" Kitsune asked.
"Uh, nothing," he said, turning back around to face the group. "I just thought I saw something, that's all." Kitsune shrugged her shoulders, then went back to the food in front of her. "This whole Shinobu thing must be getting to me," he thought. "My eyes are starting to play tricks on me."
Unbeknownst to everyone, Shinobu was peeking at them from the kitchen. "That was too close for comfort," she thought. "I should have turned invisible before I even left my room." She kept watching them (or at least one of them) through the end of the day, patiently waiting for a certain something to happen, which eventually did when Sean went to his room for the night. "Alright," she thought as she watched Sean enter his room, closing the door behind him. "Time to begin the final preparations."
--- Thursday, 1/17 1:51 AM
When Alicia woke up the next morning, she was completely unaware of another presence in the room until she heard a voice from nearby moments later.
"Happy birthday, Sean."
Alicia turned her head and found Shinobu kneeling next to her. "Is it my birthday again already?" she said sleepily. It took a few moments and a giggle from Shinobu to wake her up completely. "Why are you in here?" she asked.
"I have a special surprise for you."
"So that's why you've been so dodgy lately," Alicia said, starting to get up, but was forced back down flat on her futon. "What the…?"
"Don't move yet."
"Oookay," Alicia said, submitting to Shinobu's will. "What is this surprise of yours, exactly?"
"You'll find out soon enough, but first close your eyes."
"Why? My eyes must have been closed for the last couple hours."
"I've only been in here for the last ten minutes or so, so I don't really know that. Close your eyes, please." She placed her hand over Alicia's eyes for added emphasis.
"Okay, okay, they're closed."
"Good. This will just be a minute." The next few moments went by in a deathly silence, and eventually, Alicia started to wonder if Shinobu was even in the room. "Okay," Shinobu finally said. "You can open your eyes now."
Upon hearing Shinobu's voice Alicia quickly opened her eyes, mostly because the voice she heard was more mature than usual, but as her gaze fell on the other girl, she realized that her tone wasn't the only thing that had matured in the last minute; not by a longshot.
"Is something wrong?" Shinobu asked, noticing Alicia, shocked expression.
"Um, I…" That was it. Alicia's brain had stopped working altogether. All she could do was stare at Shinobu's body. She still wore the same nightgown as before, but it hadn't grown with her, so it suddenly became that much more… revealing.
"Like what you see?" Shinobu asked. Of course, a verbal answer wasn't necessary. "You should. I studied what I looked like from the DVD Suu made of your fantasy those months ago. Over the last week, I've perfected the spell that would make me look like that for this very moment."
"Why?" Alicia asked, having a brief lapse of conscious thought.
"My young age, together with how much older you are than me has been on obstacle in our relationship from the very beginning. I figured if I was somehow able to shorten that gap in some way, it might make things easier for us, if even for a little while."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Something I've had been thinking about for a while now," she said, removing what turned out to be the only piece of clothing she had on, showing Alicia just how well endowed she had become.
Allicia's eyes grew wide once again as she looked up and down Shinobu's naked, shapely figure. She found herself getting aroused by what she was seeing, but she refused to act on her hormones. "Shinobu, we shouldn't--" she started to say before Shinobu's lips suddenly met hers.
"What were you going to say again?" Shinobu asked when she moved her head back slightly.
Alicia couldn't believe what had just happened; her patented "Shinobu Silencing Technique" had just been used against her, with a similar result. "Nothing," was all she was able to say.
"Good," Shinubo said as she raised the blanket to allow herself entrance and saw the state of dress--or rather, undress--Alicia was in. "When did you start sleeping naked?"
"When I moved in here permanently, since I wouldn't have to worry about any incidents involving Naru, to say the very least."
"Or just in case one of us should happen to show up for a late night rendezvous?"
"Well, I hadn't thought of that, but now that I have, it does make things a bit more convenient, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does," Shinobu said, slipping under the covers. Their faces never got more than a foot apart from each other.
"Wait, what if someone walks in on us like this?"
"Then I guess we'll have an audience, won't we?"
"But what if it's Naru and she tries to knock my head off?"
"She'll have to get through me first,"
"This is so wrong right now," Alicia said. The only response came when Shinobu kissed her again and started rubbing her body against Alicia's. "And I don't want to be right," she added, her resolve finally breaking down from the pleasant sensations flowing through her. She wrapped her arms around Shinobu and started doing some rubbing of her own.
"I'm glad you like your birthday present," Shinobu said between heavy breaths caused by her own enjoyable experience.
"Shut up and kiss me," Alicia said, pulling Shinobu's head downward, making contact with hers. The two would spend the next minute or two in a lip lock, but that would pale in comparison to how long they would spend in bed together making a good beginning to Sean's birthday; a very good beginning indeed.
The next time anyone would see her again, Shinobu would have already changed back into her normal age, intending to never take that form again until she grew into it naturally. Of course, there was always Sean's birthday next year, and if she felt she hadn't developed enough, she might consider it. As for the other residents of Hinata-Sou, they would never find out about the gift that had been given that early January morning.
End of Chapter XXXIV
What did you think? See you next time! Please R&R!
Alright, no more pessimism! On with the show!
Chapter XXXIV: A Gift Like None Other
Friday, 1/4 4:48 PM
"Remind me," Naru said. "Why are we up here again?"
"I have absolutely no idea," Kitsune remarked. "How about you, Motoko?"
"I'm afraid I'm at a loss on this one," Motoko said. The three had been called up to the attic by a certain blue-haired adolescent, saying it was important.
"Maybe this whole thing will shed some light on Shinobu's recent behavior," Naru said.
"I hope so," Kitsune said. "She's been acting weird ever since she and Sean pretty much ditched us at the temple on Tuesday. It makes me wonder what those two did together."
"Kitsune, don't talk like that!" Naru said.
"And why not?" Kitsune asked with her trademark grin. "Eroticism is pretty common around here, and you know it."
"Yes, I do, but I also know that Shinobu has never been involved."
"She's right," Motoko added. "Sean and Shinobu may be close, but they're not quite that close, are they?"
"We don't really know that, now do we?" Kitsune said. "It's not like we can keep track of their actions at all times or anything. For all we know, they could have--" Kitsune cut her hypothesis short when she saw the topic of discussion make her appearance.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Shinobu said.
"What did you bring us up here for?" Naru asked.
"I'm sure you're aware of Suu's birthday next week."
"That can't be the only reason why you--!" Kitsune started to say before she was interrupted.
"You're right, it's not." Shinobu revealed the calendar she held behind her back. "This is why," she said, tossing it to the floor in front of them. Sure enough, Suu's birthday had been marked on the 11th, but that wasn't all that was there. Also marked were Keitaro's birthday on the 5th and Sean's on the 17th.
"Huh," Kitsune noted. "Six days before and six days after."
"Why didn't anyone tell me Keitaro's birthday was tomorrow?!" Naru asked.
"Probably because nobody knew, except for me," Shinobu said. "and Sean."
"Sean?" Motoko said.
"I'm assuming he marked all the dates on here. Besides, why wouldn't he know this stuff? He is the landlord, after all."
"Why are you bringing this up now?" Kitsune asked.
"Yeah, we'd need more time if you plan on us throwing a party for Keitaro tomorrow," Naru said.
"I've already got something thought up for that."
"Is that why you've been acting so strange lately?" Motoko asked.
"Yeah, what did you think it was?" Shinobu asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Oh, nothing," Kitsune said.
"I should have known better than that," Naru thought. "Shinobu and Sean couldn't be screwing. He's not a pedophile and she's not interested in that sort of thing yet… right?"
"Alright," Shinobu said, "This is going to involve some acting on everyone's part, but here's what I have in mind…"
--- Saturday, 1/5 8:21 AM
"Good morning!" Keitaro said as he entered the dining room for breakfast; all the girls had already gathered there. He was more cheerful than usual, this being his birthday and all, but the reaction he got when he arrived left much to be desired.
"Hey," Naru greeted unenthusiastically. It hurt her inside knowing she didn't look excited about that day, but Shinobu had it all planned to the t, and she had no choice but to follow the plan. She assumed Motoko and Kitsune were in the same boat. She was right, but it didn't affect them as much.
"What are you so cheerful for?" Motoko asked. "Are you looking forward to going back to school that much?"
"At least you get a break," Kitsune muttered.
"Well, it wasn't my idea for you to get a full-time job, was it?"
It was at this point that Keitaro realized that nobody knew it was his birthday, and he debated whether or not to bring it up, eventually deciding against it, considering the direction the conversation around him was heading. He quietly ate his breakfast, listening to Kitsune and Motoko bicker. When he finished (which happened pretty quickly, as the noise was getting unbearable) he needed to think of something to get his mind off them not knowing about his special day. Suddenly, it came to him. "Hey Suu," he said. "Want me to help you with one of your machines?" He figured he might as well make someone happy this day, even if it wasn't him.
"Sure! Let's go!" Suu then dragged Keitaro upstairs to go work on God-knows-what.
"And furthermore," Kitsune said. "How are you even able to afford living here? I've hardly ever seen you work!"
"Kitsune, cool it," Naru said.
"Yeah, Keitaro's already gone," Shinobu added.
"Sorry," Kitsune said, grinning and holding the back of her head. "I must have gotten caught up in the moment."
"Don't you think we laid it on a bit thick?" Motoko asked. "I mean, he might think something's up."
"Nah, he's so clueless, you know?" Naru said.
"I just hope we can keep it up the act," Shinobu said.
"Hey, how are you paying your rent, anyway?" Kitsune asked.
---
The next few days were hard on the ones that knew about Keitaro's birthday besides him. Naru couldn't stand not celebrating the occasion, but Shinobu insisted that it would all be worth it when the time came. Kitsune and Motoko weren't quite as distraught, but there have been times where they almost gave everything away, but quick recoveries combined with Keitaro's natural thickheadedness kept things under wraps. Shinobu on the other hand, was as cool as ice. The other three secretly marveled at how she could keep a straight face for the entire ordeal. Finally, the day came that would bring peace of mind to all involved… or would it?
--- Friday, 1/11 10:12 AM
Naru opened Keitaro's door to find him sitting at his table, busily doing schoolwork. He had long given up hope on having a birthday party, so he put more energy into his education. Despite his efforts, there have been times where he found himself unable to concentrate, and this would soon become one of them. He was so engrossed in his studies, he was unaware of Naru sneaking up behind him until a blindfold suddenly appeared over his eyes. "What the--?"
"Don't speak," Naru whispered into his ear. Her tone of voice was a hair or two shy of being seductive. "Come with me." Keitaro seemed only too eager to obey as Naru helped him to his feet and lead him out the door.
When they got there, Naru met with Shinobu and Motoko, the former leading Sean by the hand, the latter carrying Suu on her back; both of the followers were wearing blindfolds like Keitaro. Silently, Shionobu motioned to the others and the group started moving down the hallway. The two men could only guess as to what was going on. Suu on the other hand, was eagerly waiting for her apparent birthday surprise forthcoming, and it took all her effort not to make any noise, per Motoko's instructions. In fact, all three were told to remain silent so each one wouldn't become aware of the other two and possibly ruin the surprise.
When they got to the dining room, they saw Kitsune making the final preparations. Upon seeing them arrive, she gave the thumbs up and stepped out of the way. Naru, Shinobu and Motoko led their subjects to the table and sat them down (though it took some effort to pry Suu off Motoko's back). The final step in the plan came when Shinobu snapped her fingers, making all three blindfolds vanish.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" The four girls yelled, much to the surprise of the other three.
Yay!" Suu said, "Birthday party!"
Sean was too surprised to say anything out loud, but his mind was a different story. "Somehow, I should have seen this coming," he thought. He did, after all, leave the calendar for Shinobu to find back on New Year's.
"You actually remembered my birthday," Keitaro said, shedding tears of joy.
Naru suddenly broke down, rushing to Keitaro's side. "Yes, I did!" she cried. "I knew all along!"
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Keitaro asked.
"Because Shinobu had it all planned out," Motoko said.
"You did?" Sean asked.
"Yep," Shinobu said cheerfully. "I thought it might be better to have one party for all three of you instead of one at a time."
"It's your birthday too, Sean?" Keitaro asked.
"Next week," Sean said, nodding.
"Let's party!" Suu said.
"I hear that," Kitsune said.
"So, you planned this whole thing, huh?" Sean asked as he watched Suu almost dive into the cake that was provided for them. "I thought you were acting a bit strange lately."
"You noticed too?" Keitaro asked.
"I guess I was just focused on setting up this party," Shinobu said, sitting down next to Sean. "Did you like the surprise?"
"Sure did," Sean answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Then I'm sure you'll love what else I've got planned for you," she thought, smiling as she, along with everyone else watched Naru apologize repeatedly to Keitaro for blowing off his actual birthday. "It was harder for her than I thought."
---
As the next few days went by, everyone noticed that Shinobu was still acting a bit different than usual. She spent more and more time in her room, and whenever she was seen anywhere else, she was always deep in thought and usually lacking in energy, and when anyone asked her anything, she would always dodge the question in one way or another. This got the others thinking that maybe, just maybe, the party wasn't quite the extent to her plans. They had no idea just how right they were, but only one person would ever find out.
--- Wednesday, 1/16 3:47 PM
"Hi everyone," Shinobu said as she got home from school, not bothering to notice that only Sean and Kitsune were in the room.
"How was your day?" Sean asked from his seat on the couch.
"Exhausting," she said wearily. "I'm going up to my room and take a nap."
"Alright. I can take care of dinner if need be."
Shinobu nodded, then shuffled upstairs, yawning all the while.
"She sure has been out of it lately, huh?" Kitsune said.
"You got that right," Sean said. "Maybe she's working too hard on her schoolwork or something. I should talk to her about it after she wakes up." A few hours went by and Shinobu never left her room. Whether it was because she was asleep the whole time or for some other reason, he couldn't be sure. Granted, he could find out easily enough, but he wasn't one to invade a person's privacy without good reason. Besides, he thought of a different way to get his information: Naru, Kitsune and Motoko; the three that were in on the party five days before. After a brief interrogation, he found that none of them knew what Shinobu had planned, but Motoko did mention that she has sensed a strange energy coming from the girl's room over the last few days. This gave some clues, but he was still quite curious about what Shinobu could be doing that would require magic.
--- 8:31 PM
"Eat up!" Sean said, bringing dinner with him into the dining room, where everyone eagerly waited--well, almost everyone.
"It's not often that you make dinner," Naru said.
"I can when I have to, even though it may not exactly be Shinobu caliber." That called attention to the absent chef.
"Yeah," Motoko said, noting Sean concerned expression. "I'm worried about her too. It's not like her to miss a meal."
"That's usually because she's the one making it," Kitsune said.
"Still, she must be getting hungry by now."
"Not if she's still asleep," Sean muttered. Midway through the meal, Sean could have sworn that he saw Shinobu out of the corner of his eye heading into the kitchen, but when he turned to get a better look, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Is something wrong?" Kitsune asked.
"Uh, nothing," he said, turning back around to face the group. "I just thought I saw something, that's all." Kitsune shrugged her shoulders, then went back to the food in front of her. "This whole Shinobu thing must be getting to me," he thought. "My eyes are starting to play tricks on me."
Unbeknownst to everyone, Shinobu was peeking at them from the kitchen. "That was too close for comfort," she thought. "I should have turned invisible before I even left my room." She kept watching them (or at least one of them) through the end of the day, patiently waiting for a certain something to happen, which eventually did when Sean went to his room for the night. "Alright," she thought as she watched Sean enter his room, closing the door behind him. "Time to begin the final preparations."
--- Thursday, 1/17 1:51 AM
When Alicia woke up the next morning, she was completely unaware of another presence in the room until she heard a voice from nearby moments later.
"Happy birthday, Sean."
Alicia turned her head and found Shinobu kneeling next to her. "Is it my birthday again already?" she said sleepily. It took a few moments and a giggle from Shinobu to wake her up completely. "Why are you in here?" she asked.
"I have a special surprise for you."
"So that's why you've been so dodgy lately," Alicia said, starting to get up, but was forced back down flat on her futon. "What the…?"
"Don't move yet."
"Oookay," Alicia said, submitting to Shinobu's will. "What is this surprise of yours, exactly?"
"You'll find out soon enough, but first close your eyes."
"Why? My eyes must have been closed for the last couple hours."
"I've only been in here for the last ten minutes or so, so I don't really know that. Close your eyes, please." She placed her hand over Alicia's eyes for added emphasis.
"Okay, okay, they're closed."
"Good. This will just be a minute." The next few moments went by in a deathly silence, and eventually, Alicia started to wonder if Shinobu was even in the room. "Okay," Shinobu finally said. "You can open your eyes now."
Upon hearing Shinobu's voice Alicia quickly opened her eyes, mostly because the voice she heard was more mature than usual, but as her gaze fell on the other girl, she realized that her tone wasn't the only thing that had matured in the last minute; not by a longshot.
"Is something wrong?" Shinobu asked, noticing Alicia, shocked expression.
"Um, I…" That was it. Alicia's brain had stopped working altogether. All she could do was stare at Shinobu's body. She still wore the same nightgown as before, but it hadn't grown with her, so it suddenly became that much more… revealing.
"Like what you see?" Shinobu asked. Of course, a verbal answer wasn't necessary. "You should. I studied what I looked like from the DVD Suu made of your fantasy those months ago. Over the last week, I've perfected the spell that would make me look like that for this very moment."
"Why?" Alicia asked, having a brief lapse of conscious thought.
"My young age, together with how much older you are than me has been on obstacle in our relationship from the very beginning. I figured if I was somehow able to shorten that gap in some way, it might make things easier for us, if even for a little while."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Something I've had been thinking about for a while now," she said, removing what turned out to be the only piece of clothing she had on, showing Alicia just how well endowed she had become.
Allicia's eyes grew wide once again as she looked up and down Shinobu's naked, shapely figure. She found herself getting aroused by what she was seeing, but she refused to act on her hormones. "Shinobu, we shouldn't--" she started to say before Shinobu's lips suddenly met hers.
"What were you going to say again?" Shinobu asked when she moved her head back slightly.
Alicia couldn't believe what had just happened; her patented "Shinobu Silencing Technique" had just been used against her, with a similar result. "Nothing," was all she was able to say.
"Good," Shinubo said as she raised the blanket to allow herself entrance and saw the state of dress--or rather, undress--Alicia was in. "When did you start sleeping naked?"
"When I moved in here permanently, since I wouldn't have to worry about any incidents involving Naru, to say the very least."
"Or just in case one of us should happen to show up for a late night rendezvous?"
"Well, I hadn't thought of that, but now that I have, it does make things a bit more convenient, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does," Shinobu said, slipping under the covers. Their faces never got more than a foot apart from each other.
"Wait, what if someone walks in on us like this?"
"Then I guess we'll have an audience, won't we?"
"But what if it's Naru and she tries to knock my head off?"
"She'll have to get through me first,"
"This is so wrong right now," Alicia said. The only response came when Shinobu kissed her again and started rubbing her body against Alicia's. "And I don't want to be right," she added, her resolve finally breaking down from the pleasant sensations flowing through her. She wrapped her arms around Shinobu and started doing some rubbing of her own.
"I'm glad you like your birthday present," Shinobu said between heavy breaths caused by her own enjoyable experience.
"Shut up and kiss me," Alicia said, pulling Shinobu's head downward, making contact with hers. The two would spend the next minute or two in a lip lock, but that would pale in comparison to how long they would spend in bed together making a good beginning to Sean's birthday; a very good beginning indeed.
The next time anyone would see her again, Shinobu would have already changed back into her normal age, intending to never take that form again until she grew into it naturally. Of course, there was always Sean's birthday next year, and if she felt she hadn't developed enough, she might consider it. As for the other residents of Hinata-Sou, they would never find out about the gift that had been given that early January morning.
End of Chapter XXXIV
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