Chapter 13
"Ugh..." Ryou moaned, collapsing on the couch. "Spring break's finally tomorrow." It had been 4 weeks since Ryou made his resolution. Now it was March, and the snow had started to diminish. Also, Ahri had another period the previous week, adding to his exhaustion. "Finally, I'll get some sleep." He said, wearily. "Hey servant," Ahri started. "My shoulders are stiff, do you have anything to help them loosen up?" Ryou thought about it, and he realized his muscles are pretty stiff, too. "I could give you a back rub..." He proposed, nonchalantly. He was instantly hit in the face with a pillow. "A-as if I'd let a perverted maggot like you lay your hands on me!" Ahri replied, blushing. "Just kidding. It was worth a shot," Ryou said shrugging, getting another glare from the kitsune. "Have you heard of hot springs?" The fox girl shook her head. "Well, hot springs are naturally forming spring that are found commonly in the mountains, and are heated by geothermal heat. They contain valuable and helpful minerals and are well known as a place of relaxation." Ryou informed, matter-of-factly. "Could you not explain it in such a boring way?" Ahri asked, not amused. Ryou sighed. "Fine, it's hot, it relaxes your muscles, and it's good for your skin. Happy?" "Much. Let's go!" Ahri chirped. In less than six hours, Ryou found himself being dragged out his front door for a three day trip to the nearest hot spring town.
"We're here!" Ahri cheered as they stepped off the bus. They had taken an two hour long ride to a small town in the mountains. Ryou, being himself of course, was the pack mule. "Did you really have to drag all this luggage here?" He complained as he set down 3 sets of baggage. "Hmph. I am a maturing woman, I need my luxury." She huffed. "Whatever," Ryou sighed. "We better check in." After getting their room and settling in, Ryou decided to go and get them something to eat. "Don't get lost," Ahri warned. "Someone with your intelligence would never be found in the wild." "Yeah, yeah," Ryou said, walking out the door. As he walked the streets, Ryou took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. He couldn't help but wonder what life would be like without Ahri. "I've already gotten so used to her being around," Ryou thought to himself. "It's going to be lonely..." He shook his head. "No," he scolded himself. "I can't think selfishly like that." After spending some time alone and reflecting on his thoughts, Ryou bought some food and headed back to the room. Upon arriving, he saw that Ahri had finished unpacking, but the fox girl was nowhere in sight. "She must have went off somewhere." Ryou concluded. He got up and felt like a hot bath was in order. He went to the locker room, changed, and stepped outside to the hot spring.
"EEEEK!" Ahri screeched, scrambling to cover herself. "Sorry!" Ryou replied, shielding his eyes. "I didn't know you were in there, sorry!" "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU PERVERT!?" The fox girl cried, indignantly. Ryou stopped. "Hey..." He started, pointing at the sign on the side of the door. "You know that the baths switch at 9pm, right? That way men and women can enjoy both the indoor and outdoor spring." Ahri's eyes grew wide, then she flushed red, embarrassed at her mistake. "Anyways," Ryou said, turning around. "I'll just leave so you can-" "Wait," Ahri started, making Ryou freeze in his tracks. "Stay a bit." She asked. "W-what!?" Ryou exclaimed. "You heard me! Now g-get in b-before anyone e-else comes!" After some awkward shifting, the two teens were sitting back to back together in the warmth of the hot spring. "Y-you better not try anything funny, you sex fiend!" Ahri threatened. "Who's the one who begged me to stay?" Ryou sighed. Ahri fell silent. "You know, I've been thinking about telling you this for a while..." she started. "What?" Ryou asked, curiously. "I... I... I really li-" She was interrupted by a group of middle aged men laughing as the entered the spring. "What do I do, what do I do!?" Ahri frantically whispered. Ryou thought quickly before something could go wrong. "They're going to the far side, so they can't really see you clearly through the steam. Wait until they all sit down, and you can dash for the door." He said. "I'll meet you in our room shortly." Ahri quietly said, "Thanks." Then she dashed off. Ryou stayed a bit longer, and let the hot water relieve his aching muscles. When Ryou got back to the room, Ahri was all dressed in her yukata, and Ryou froze, admiring her beauty. "Don't look at me like that, you creep," Ahri said, embarrassed. "A-anyways, let's forget that incident ever happened, okay?" "Okay," Ryou agreed. The rest to the trip went by fast, and both of the teens had tons of fun. For Ryou, it felt like it went too fast. When they got home, however, Ryou remembered something. Ahri never told him what she wanted to say.
Another day, another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!