Chapter Three
The thundering drone of a hangover greeted Rei, along with the too bright sun coming in through the windows, as she awoke on the living room couch. Her head throbbed, her body ached all over, and her gut burned like she'd drank a vat of radioactive waste. Hammers further assaulted her skull as she sat up. That's your brain contemplating its own stupidity! She braced herself upright on the couch, head spinning as she got vertical. "Oh god!" she moaned.
"You're awake," Yuichiro's voice caused her a mild jump scare.
"Oh god, I've died and gone to hell," she buried her face in her hands as the memories of last night flooded back. Right now, she just wanted to fall back on the couch and die.
She felt his hand on her shoulder, "Probably not the last time, now here!" He thrust a glass of red liquid in front of her.
"What the hell is this?" she asked.
"Tomato juice," he opened his other palm, "and two aspirin."
Rei greedily seized the aspirin and took two large gulps of tomato juice. She winced as she swallowed – she wasn't a fan of tomato juice. Penance for bad behavior! She continued to sip the semi-sour, pulpy liquid slowly. "Yuichiro, I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked.
"For everything last night," she shook her head, resting the cool glass of juice on her raging forehead.
"It's fine Rei," he raised his hands in protest and resignation, "we can just forget it happened."
Oh great, here is where you've already scared him off! Desperation to salvage something of her life crashed down on Rei. "What if I don't want to forget?" she asked. She froze, hardly believing she'd asked the question.
"Rei?" Yuichiro creased his forehead and brown in confusion.
"Listen… this isn't easy for me…" she stared into the glass of red liquid, feeling pathetic and weak. "Yuichiro, please…"
"Please?"
"Please don't leave me," she shook her head, some tears leaking from her eyes. The words poured out like a glass breaking, "I don't think I can keep it together without you!"
"Rei, I…" he braced the way she'd expect a man about to take a kick to the balls might, "… was any of last night for real?"
Rei again stared into the red liquid at the bottom of her glass. There had been something about last night that felt real. "Some… maybe all…" she shook her head against a still thundering ache, "listen, I think this a conversation best held after the hangover passes." She chugged the remaining juice.
"Fair enough," he said with a degree of understanding she didn't expect. Rei would have to ask Usagi what it was like in her time with Mamoru early on. "Will you need me to tell the public that you are off today?"
"No," she shook her head and stood, mildly dizzy. "I need to get my head back in the game. Let me shower and get dressed first."
Yuichiro nodded, "Got it, I'll get things set up while you get ready."
The autumn morning air remained warm as Yuichiro greeted guests, answered questions, and prayed with them at the shrine. Rei, meanwhile, manned the shrine's store, selling charms for health, fertility, and prosperity among other things. As he finished praying with the most recent group, Yuichiro could hardly believe how much time had passed since he'd started here years earlier.
Unfortunately, two figures approaching in black suits with black sunglasses set him on edge. They looked like private security, and only one person he knew of able to afford private security would come here – Takashi Hino. As the men closed with him, Yuichiro feigned ignorance, "You gentlemen wish to pray?"
"Mr. Kumada, our employer would like to have a word, please," the man spoke deadpan. At least he said, "Please." Despite the pleasantries, Yuichiro knew the request was not meant to be a request.
"All right, I have a few minutes," he said cheerful, hoping to unnerve the men a bit. Neither appeared armed – not that armed security was common in Japan. Even the police frequently did not carry firearms. They aren't here to put you face down in an alley. This is just a show of force. "Lead the way," he held out a hand.
The men led him out of the temple and to the gate leading up to the shrine. A black limousine waited at the curb outside the gate. "If you'll please inform your employer, I do not have time to take a drive," Yuichiro spoke with an authority he rarely used. "Ask him to meet me here."
The two men exchanged wordless stares. One finally called into the wrist microphone of a radio, "Sir, he wishes to speak out in the open, where he stands."
Several seconds passed, and the door to the limo opened, and Mr. Hino exited. Yuichiro sized the man up. He was average height and build, he had dark black hair slicked back, hiding the earliest signs of both grey and thinning of his hair. The man's face was stony and chiseled. Not even wearing a mask of a smile. "Mr. Kumada," Mr. Hino bowed slightly.
"Mr. Hino," he returned the bow, not taking eyes off his opponent. "To what do I owe the honor?"
"Have you seen my daughter? I've been trying desperately to contact her."
"Rei has been unwell the past several days; she's only just showing signs of getting better." Yuichiro didn't elaborate.
"Then may I see her?"
"I don't believe she's ready to talk business. If you have a message, I'd be happy to relay it." Yuichiro smiled, hoping it annoyed the man to his core.
Swirling anger burned behind the man's obsidian eyes, "Tell her the developer is offering two billion for the shrine property."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"The land developer seeking to buy the shrine, didn't she tell you?"
"No," Yuichiro shook his head.
"They offered a billion a few weeks ago, now they are offering double!" The other man growled. "Clearly you can understand how big a deal that is!"
Two billion yen, roughly thirteen million US dollars. Rei could live comfortably off of that for years, maybe even for life if she lived conservatively. Why didn't she tell me? Yuichiro mulled the thought over. Rei very well could have been considering selling out, just waiting for the right price. Or maybe she was scared you might get ideas in your head about that kind of money. Maybe she was scared her father would do exactly what he's doing right now – trying to leverage you. "I can, sir, but Rei has not said a word about it. As far as I can tell, she has no intention of selling at any price."
"Mr. Kumada, the property developer looking to buy this shrine is not to be trifled with."
"Neither is Rei," he shook his head.
"If it is a matter of your personal enrichment…"
"My enrichment or lack thereof has nothing to do with Rei's decision!" Yuichiro raised his voice. "I will happily pass on your message to Rei, but do not expect me to influence her decision-making!" He bowed as courtesy demanded, "If you don't mind, I have a shrine to maintain!" He stormed off, leaving the other man speechless.
Rei knew things were bad as soon as she retreated to the living quarters after closing the shrine and cleaning up for the evening. At least, the worst of the hangover was gone. On the other hand, Yuichiro sat on the couch of the living room with a look of seriousness he'd rarely displayed in the years they'd known each other, "Rei, we need to talk."
Shit, here is where he's decided to leave because he's uncomfortable around you. You just had to get shitfaced drunk and make a first-class fool out of yourself! "Okay, talk," she said, sitting on the couch, careful to keep some distance between them.
"Your father came by the shrine today…" Crap, could this day get any worse! "… and he asked me to relay a message."
"What message?" she leaned her head sideways.
"The property developer is offering two billion yen for the Shrine." He paused, clearly looking for more words, "Are you seriously considering selling the shrine?"
"No!" she recoiled, "Hell no!"
"Well, that's a relief," he sighed, shoulders sagging in relief "Why the hell are they offering that much?"
"Premier real estate in Tokyo," Rei shrugged. "Even with sometimes stagnant economics, property in a major metro area does tend to be costly."
"Two-billion-yen worth?"
"If they make an apartment complex out of it, they could make many times that back," she replied.
"Possibly," he shook his head, "but why in the hell would they want the shrine, much less double their offer out of nowhere?"
Why indeed? Most companies would sit on the offer, waiting for the other side to fold. "I don't know," she shook her head, "motivated buyer?" She shrugged, "They would have to fight the zoning commission to change the property usage." Gears in Rei's head began slowly turning, and she didn't like what was coming out, "Do you think my father is trying to pull a fast one?"
"Maybe," Yuichiro rubbed at his chin, "he seemed pretty insistent that you accept the offer. That part worries me."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"If he's trying to commit some kind of fraud, there may be others working with him or controlling him," Yuichiro said grim and low, "dangerous people."
"Yui, listen to yourself…" Rei said, initially dismissive. Is he really batting that far out into left field? Father abandoned your mom as she was dying of cancer. He abandoned you for all intents and purposes. Is it really that far of a stretch that he'd start doing something illegal if it meant furthering his ambitions? The realization and acceptance hit like a brick wall, "Ah, shit!" She buried her face in hand, on the brink of tears.
"Rei, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." While the words offered little comfort, Rei was glad Yuichiro had said them. Unlike Father, whose only apologies were ever empty ones!
Thinking about Father's deficiencies as a parent sent Rei over the edge. "How did I ever come from such a complete son of a bitch!" she began crying into her hands. Thankfully Yuichiro put his arms around her, anticipating her knees giving out.
"You came from your mom," he held her, "and your grandfather. Your dad was just a sperm donor as far as I'm concerned."
Rei continued to cry as she melted into Yuichiro's chest, "All I ever wanted… was for the dirty bastard to say he loved me… that he was proud of me!" She sobbed as the disappointment of her life began spilling out. "I've never wanted anything else in life, but no one loves me!"
"That isn't true," Yuichiro tilted her head back, staring with fierce intensity "your grandfather loved you very much!" The look in Yuichiro's eyes softened, betraying the words unspoken: "And so do I!"
Rei's heart fluttered. She knew for years how he felt, and she'd closed him off, with rare, exceptional moments. And this moment isn't rare or exceptional? He's the first and only man to be supportive of you that wasn't Grandpa. "Y-Yuichiro…" she whimpered.
"Yeah, Rei?"
"Kiss me," she blurted the words like a seal breaking, followed by the embarrassment of having made the request.
"A-are you sure?" he stammered, cheeks tinged with pink.
Rei remembered that fleeting moment of warmth from the night before, the same sensation she'd had when he held her just now, "Yes," she brought her hands up to his face, placing them on his cheeks, "please… I want this! I want to feel normal for once in my life!"
He pulled her closer, and his lips joined to hers. The kiss was only a second or two, but it left Rei tingling all over. He drew back, eyeing her again, and he rejoined their lips. Rei pressed her body to his, no longer ashamed by an act she'd written off. So, this is what it is like, Usagi. I can see why you and Mamoru do this so often! He pulled back at the end of the second kiss, "Rei, where is this going?" Yuichiro asked breathless and panting.
"Wherever we take it," Rei said, fidgeting, "I want to feel this! I want to actually be living life, not pretending to be the good little girl everyone wants me to be!" Rei snatched him by the collar, brought his lips back to hers, and pressed his lips apart. Rei traced her tongue over his, savoring the giddy head rush and the sudden increase in the room's temperature. They separated again, and both let out deep, panting breaths, "Wow!" she heaved.
"Rei," he too, heaved, "we should stop!"
"Why?" she protested.
"If we don't, I'm going to have a hard time staying in control!"
"Fuck it!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss so firm that Rei fell back onto the arm of the couch and Yuichiro sprawled over her. "I don't want to stay in control!" she continued to kiss, sucking first his bottom lip, then the top. Her hands ran up and down his back, and he was holding her close, massaging her shoulders in small, tight circles, easing the tension of being wound up for weeks.
The contact of lips, bodies, and hands took Rei out of this world. The room was flashing over, and she could sense moisture in her womanhood. She was hungry, horny, and she didn't feel much like breaking this off to go and masturbate. Girl, this is stupid! You're just going to get hurt again! Her worries fell on deaf ears. If this was the only time she'd ever feel this, she wanted to revel in every last microsecond; she wanted to take it as far as it could go.
Yuichiro was in heaven, making out with Rei on the couch of the living quarters. He'd fantasized about doing this for years, and now, he was actually here. Oh gods, I'm dreaming! I'm having a very naughty dream right now! He leaned over top of her, sucking at her bottom lip, then down her chin, and began suckling her neck. His hands meanwhile continued to massage tight circles around her back.
"Ahh…AAHHH… HAAA!" Rei's moans filled his head as he nibbled along her neck. Carnal desire flooded his mind, imagining himself nibbling over every centimeter of Rei's body. Down boy! It's not like this is going to turn into sex! Rei's panting and her fingers running through his hair cast serious doubt about his conviction.
Continued for probably a half hour, but it felt like seconds. Rei pushed him back gently but force fully. "Wait," she signaling the end to the party, or so he thought. Rei eyed him as she sat up. She then stood up, took him by the wrists, and said, "Come!" Still fuzzy from making out with the raven-haired sex goddess, Yuichiro clumsily followed as he dragged her down the hallway to her room. She slid the door aside and began dragging him toward the bed – her bed. This isn't real, this is not happening! Rei paused reluctance in her eyes as she eyed her bed and then him. Here is where things get awkward! "D-do you have a condom?"
The question was awkward, but not as awkward as her having second thoughts. He did, in fact, have one in his pocket. He nodded, "Rei, are you sure this is what you want?" His feet turned into blocks of ice.
"Is there any going back from what we've done thus far?" she asked.
"I… I don't think so," he didn't know how to answer. Even if they could put a stopper on the genie bottle, there was no putting things back the way they had been before.
"Then why not take things all the way?!" He still couldn't believe the words were coming from her mouth.
"I want to be sure it is what you want," he took her hands, feeling himself shiver. My god, she actually wants this?! "Rei, if we do this, I'm going to become very possessive of you. Can you live with that?" As much as he wanted it, Yuichiro didn't want to become her greatest regret.
"I'd rather live with someone being possessive of me," she squeezed his hands in return, "than be neglected by anyone else!" She stared with her beautiful violet eyes. "Yuichiro, please, I want this with you, and you alone!" she pleaded.
"There are risks to doing this…"
"I'm on the pill," she cut him off. "I'm pretty sure we have better odds of getting struck by lightning," she guided his hands to her chest. The soft mounds of her breasts under his hands and fingers brought reality back into focus. Had he not already been hard, the sensation of her breasts under his fingers would have made him like steel. She's not looking for personal space. This is the greenest green light you'll ever get! His heart began accelerating like a runaway train.
"How would you like to do this?" he massaged her chest, incredulous that her hand wasn't slapping him across the face for such intimate contact. I'm touching Rei's boobs! And Rei actually wants to have sex… sex with me! The thought was impossible after years of waiting, but the situation nevertheless had arrived – ready or not.
"You're the one that had a significant other before," her cheeks were bright red as he massaged, and she shuddered lightly. Her thumbs slowly made circles on the backs of his hands as he continued to paw at her bust. "I've only read trashy romance novels!" she moaned slightly, "I'm pretty sure they weren't realistic!"
He brought his hands off her chest, bringing her hands to his lips in the process. He kissed her fingers, "Rei, tell me what you want. I want this to be about how you want to feel!"
"I want to feel what Usagi feels when she kisses Mamoru," she traced a hand along his cheek. "I want to feel what Makoto and Minako have felt when they've taken lovers! I want to believe that maybe there is more to life than just being alive!" She pulled him in and they kissed. Yuichiro began running fingers through her silk black hair. His knees must have given out; they were now sitting on the bed. "Yui… Please! I want this!"
Rei sprawled backwards, grasping the collar of his undershirt though his priest garment. Yuichiro's lips migrated down her neck, moving across, ear to ear. Rei panted and squirmed, grasping at her white robe and pulling it askew, revealing her undershirt. Yuichiro slid a hand under the shirt, gently massaging and caressing around her toned belly. Rei squirmed and undulated. "Don't stop! Don't stop!" she panted and whined. The words were a heavenly fantasy come to life.
The hand slid off to the side, down along her hip, and he squeezed his fingers around her right buttocks. Rei let out a minor scream, and Yuichiro panicked, "Too much?!"
"No, no!" she protested, "It's just, no one has ever touched me like this…" Rei panted, staring him in the eyes, and her shocked expression morphed into a grin, "Do it again!" You don't need to ask me twice! His left hand again squeezed the rounded mass of her rump. Squeezing turned to massage ranging from a faint, teasing caresses to firm squeezes, working her glutes back and forth. "Ahhh…ahhh…" she moaned and shivered. My lady, I never knew you had such a fine ass! You really are a goddess!
Rei again snaked hands up his arms to his chest and eventually up to his collar. She pulled open his robe and massaged his chest through his undershirt. She gripped handful between her fingers, "You're wearing too damn much!" she moaned as she dragged at material until his upper robe and undershirt were discarded. Her hands began tracing over exposed skin throughout his chest, stomach, back, and arms. His kisses meanwhile moved further down her neck reaching to top of her left collarbone.
His naughty hand snuck back up from her butt, to her stomach beneath her shirt, and began dragging up the simple cotton undershirt. "Last chance to back out," he teased as the shirt moved upward, and his hand grazed the underside of her bra. If it doesn't stop here, it won't stop!
She seized the hand and drove it upward toward her right breast, pushing the bottom of the shirt over her bra, showing her cleavage. "If you stop, I'm going to be very upset with you!" Rei scolded.
He smirked in return, "I guess we can't have that!" His hands came under the shirt and the undershirt came up and over her head and arms. Rei again lay with her arms spread overhead, and her hair loose and spread over her pillow. Wasting no time, he planted his lips on the tops of her breasts with suckling kisses and playful teasing of his tongue.
"Oh god!" Rei yelled as her breathing quickened and her chest rose and fell. Rei moaned, reaching behind her back as her body undulated. Yuichiro sensed the release of tension as Rei slid her bra off, exposing her bare breasts to him for the first time.
"Rei?" he stared in shock at her respectable sized breasts, now completely uncovered.
Rei pointed to her right nipple, perky after all the attention he'd given the rest of her breasts. "Hurry, before they fall down!" He lowered his mouth, letting warm breath spill over her breast, and he began to flick the nipple back and forth with short swipes of his tongue. "Faster! Harder!" She exclaimed breathless as her hips rose up and down from the mattress with every playful flick.
"Yes, ma'am!" he wasted no time, stroking his tongue over the nipple with swift, firm movements. Lips sucked and his tongue lapped down from her breast, into her cleavage, back up to the opposite breast, and he resumed teasing the opposite nipple.
Rei writhed back and forth, moaning his name and a breathless, "Yes!" on repeat. It went on for a countless stretch of time, Yuichiro noticing the sun had set as he worked his way back up to her lips for the moment. I could do this all night and not get tired! "Y-Yuichiro!" she moaned.
"Yes?" he paused, staring into her wide, violet eyes deep with concern.
She seized his hand by the wrist and guided it down under the waist band of her skirt, under the elastic band of her panties, and finally over her mound. "Touch me!" He hesitated for a moment, fingers only tracing over the outer lips and the curls of hair. "Silly boy, you really got to get in there!" Rei gripped the waistbands of both her skirt and underwear and shucked both downward past her knees and then her ankles. Without missing a beat, she spread her folds with her fingers and began touching herself, minor screams came from her mouth as fingers moved back and forth in rapid succession.
"Rei… did you just masturbate?" he felt like a total idiot for asking the obvious.
Her fingers were still within her folds, and she was turning red in embarrassment. "Y-yeah, I did…"
"It's been long time," he brought his index finger between her moistened folds, testing her reaction. Rei simply nodded and closed her eyes. He stroked back and forth, finding the now swollen pleasure nub, "… since I've done this."
"Oh yeah!" Rei opened her eyes, "MORE!" She opened her legs further and she drove her head back into her pillow, head thrashing side to side as he pleasured her. This can't be real! I must be having one hell of an erotic dream right now! Yuichiro blinked several times, still finding Rei naked and splayed out like the sex goddess he dreamed of. His hand was still touching her soaked womanhood. Well, if this is a dream, might as well have fun with it!
He moved back and forth, side to side, and circling her clitoris. Each tease elicited a pleasured moan and her writhing back and forth, no longer ashamed of being nude in front of him. His lips kissed along her stomach and the sides of her hips. Feeling more comfortable now, the hand migrated down toward her entrance and he slid his middle finger within her, meeting virtually no resistance. He curled the finger upward, and Rei shook her head side to side more slowly. He withdrew the finger and resumed toying with her clitoris. Her hips bucked up and down, and she finally screamed in orgasm.
For a few seconds afterwards, they just stared at each other, incredulous at what they had just done. Rei laid back, stunned at everything. She stared down, seeing his hand still over her womanhood, and then back to his eyes. And here is where she says she wants to stop… "Why the hell are you still wearing pants?!" she chided.
Yuichiro took the unexpected hint, pulled the condom from his pocket, and quickly finished the process of disrobing. He couldn't help but notice a smile from Rei as she saw him naked for the first time. As he tore the condom wrapper, Rei lay with legs splayed open. "Rei, this might hurt," he said as he rolled on the condom.
"I broke it a long time ago, indulging in self-love," she laughed, "Right now the only thing you could do to hurt me is hold bac!"
The invite pushed his doubts to the side. Yuichiro lay over her in between her legs and pressed gently but firmly until he felt himself slip inside her body. His lips curled in satisfaction, and he closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of her warmth encasing his length. If I never get to do this again, I will die happy. If I get to do this again, I'll never tire of it.
"So, that's what it feels like!" she laughed, squeezing him between her legs.
"I'd forgotten it's been so long," he moved in and out, savoring the pressure of her tight around him. "Rei, you have no idea how good this feels right now!"
"Don't be so naïve," she panted, "it's my first time!" Her legs wrapped around him, "Oh god, that's amazing!"
Between Rei's satisfaction and his own, Yuichiro was in heaven as he thrust back and forth, pausing to grind their pubic bones at times. Rei began massaging her breasts as her head turned side to side. Never before had he's ever seen something so goddamn hot!
The familiar sensation drew near, "Rei," he groaned, "it's going to happen!" He twitched, then throbbed inside her, mind traveling to another world as he released. "Oh god!" He collapsed down onto his elbows, hovering over her body.
"So," she heaved, "that's what it feels like."
"Yeah," he heaved, feeling himself soften. After about a minute, the inevitable happened, "Rei, I'm coming out now," he withdrew himself from her channel, disposing of the condom in the wastebasket. Yuichiro climbed back onto the bed beside her. For a long moment, neither said a thing. He did, however, put his arms around her when it became clear she wasn't going to push him away.
"So, what now? She asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, just that, what do we do now?"
Yuichiro slid from Rei, and she lay, staring at the ceiling. She had jumped head-first down the rabbit hole, and was now somewhere completely unexplored. She was aware of him disposing of the condom, but unable to compute what she'd just done. I had sex.
The return of his presence beside her was far from unwelcome, but Rei did feel a bit self-conscious in the fact that she was bare-ass naked. You just had sex, and yet, you're still worried about laying around in the buff. She couldn't bring herself to speak, as if breaking the silence in the air would break an already tumultuous reality.
After what may have been a minute, there was the sensation of arms enfolding her. He's so warm. A profound sense of reassurance came over Rei, not something she expected. Here in this moment, she could almost fool herself into thinking everything was all right. I never thought I'd find it in this situation of all places. She dared break the silence with the lingering question, "So, what now?"
"What do you mean?" he continued to hold her.
"I mean, just that, what do we do now?" She turned to face him, almost nose to nose. Rei's heart began jumping again. If she wasn't tired and hungry right now, she ask him for more.
"Rei, I…" On cue, his stomach growled. "I mean, we probably should get cleaned up and make dinner." He eyed their discarded priestly garments, as did she, "and I suppose we should get our outfits cleaned and ready for tomorrow." I hate when he talks sense. She just wanted to pull the covers over them and spend the rest of the night in bed – with him.
Rei's own stomach growled. "I suppose you're right," she looked down, "Dammit, Yui…"
He continued to hold her, his eyes returning to hers, "I'm here Rei."
"We are going to have to figure this out, aren't we?" It was possibly the stupidest question she'd ever asked anyone.
"Yeah," he nodded, "but don't feel in a hurry," he assured her, "We have time."
Curiosity got the better of her, "Are you going to be possessive of me?" she asked.
"Let's just say it's going to be hard going to sleep tonight!"
Rei gave him a slight smile, "Good! Ummm…" she turned red, embarrassed by her outburst.
"Yeah?"
"Will you hold me tonight, like you did last night?"
"In the same bed?"
"That kind of is a must."
"Sleepwear or none?"
Rei smirked, turning her eyes side to side, "None!" Father would be so pissed off right now if he could see this – good!
Author's notes: Hi, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. This will likely be my last update until sometime around the Christmas holiday. Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you next chapter. Until then, stay healthy, stay safe!