How Close Is It?
“You’re home, Motoko-san! Welcome back!” Shinobu greeted her
friend warmly.
“How was your training, Motoko-chan?” Kaolla asked.
“Easy, unfortunately,” the samurai girl sighed. “I used to love
training because I was tested so much. Now, it’s barely a challenge.”
“There will be more challenges for you, so cheer up! I made
your favorite, shrimp curry, in honor of your homecoming.”
“You…did that for me, Shinobu-chan?” No one ever did anything
for her, and she blushed profusely. When Shinobu saw that, she knew
that Motoko was touched by her token of affection.
“Of course, Motoko-san,” Shinobu said, blushing herself. “It
was the least I could do for you.”
“Yay, curry!” Kaolla yelled. She ran into the building.
“Motoko’s back! Motoko’s back!”
The supper was delicious, as it always was when Shinobu did the
cooking. The Hinata residents asked Motoko a lot of questions and for
some reason, she was answering nearly all of them.
“Why are you studying karate, Motoko-chan?” Naru asked. “I
thought you always used your sword.”
“I do, when I have it,” the black-haired girl answered. “But
what happens when I don’t have it? Then I need to be ready to fight
with my body weaponry: hands, elbows, knees, feet.”
“You could take lessons from Naru,” Kaolla joked. “She can
really dish it out.”
“No kidding,” Keitaro affirmed.
“Don’t make me demonstrate,” Naru threatened.
“You’ve been training for longer than I’ve known you,
Motoko-chan,” Kitsune remarked. “When are you going to stop?”
Motoko used her best “Wise Woman” voice. “There will always be
more to learn. A true samurai will train until her dying day.”
“That’s some kind of commitment,” Kitsune stated.
“In fact, I only plan on staying here for six days before I’m
off to Nagoya for two or three weeks.”
Shinobu spoke up with more energy than she usually used.
“Motoko-san, you’re leaving again so soon? You just returned home.”
Only Motoko noticed the tone of disappointment in Shinobu’s
voice. She thought that perhaps she’d imagined it. “A new sword
master is arriving at the Takagura School; I have to see if I can
learn anything from him.”
After dinner, the girls headed to the outdoor bath. Shinobu
kept glancing surreptitiously at Motoko. She was afraid that someone
would spot her doing it, but she was unable to resist. Eventually,
Naru, Kistune, Kaolla, and Haruka left. Motoko had her eyes closed
and sat in peace, listening to the night sounds and feeling the breeze
and the water carry her cares away.
“Motoko-san, I-I hope you liked dessert.”
Motoko smiled. “You’re still here, Shinobu-chan? I thought
everyone had gone. Yes, your chocolate mousse was very delicious.
Thank you.”
Shinobu hoped that Motoko wouldn’t open her eyes right now, or
she’d catch Shinobu staring at her openly, admiring her physical
beauty. The timid girl gathered her courage. “Do you remember the
time Tama-chan got into your clothes and you washed everything and you
had to borrow clothes from Haruka-sempai?” She drifted closer to the
tall girl, not totally sure what she was trying to accomplish.
“That pesky turtle,” Motoko chuckled. “Of course I remember
that. I looked so ridiculous.”
“You didn’t look ridiculous, Toko-chan,” the short-haired girl
said. She flushed uncontrollably and quickly turned away from Motoko.
She’d just said the pet name aloud! It was a name she’d written
countless times in her diary, but now she had spoken it. She was sure
that Motoko would notice.
And Motoko did. She opened her eyes and saw Shinobu turning
away from her. “Shinobu-chan? What did you just say?”
“I-I-I said that you d-didn’t look ridiculous…”
“No, I mean what did you call me?”
“Toko-chan?” Shinobu squeaked.
Motoko sat up straighter but stayed in pensive silence; Shinobu
had never called her anything but, “Motoko-san” before. And no one
had ever shortened her name that way, not even her older sister. “I
thought that’s what you said-“ she started.
“-I’m sorry, Motoko-san; I’m sorry! I won’t-“
“-I like it,” Motoko said with a shy grin. “I just never would
have expected that from you, Shinobu-chan.” She tried the name
herself. “Toko-chan…it sounds nice.”
Shinobu stayed red and kept her mouth shut. The young samurai
laughed. “Oh, Shinobu-chan! It’s so easy to embarrass you!”
At that, Shinobu turned back toward the older girl. “It’s easy
to embarrass you too, you know.”
“It is not.”
“It isn’t? Watch this: you looked beautiful in Haruka-sempai’s
dress.”
Motoko instantly felt her cheeks turning scarlet.
“In fact, you looked wonderful in all those outfits,” Shinobu
continued.
Motoko’s blush deepened dramatically.
“You look very beautiful now, Toko-chan,” Shinobu said in a
softer voice.
Motoko’s face was absolutely burning. “Okay, Shinobu-chan,
you’ve made your point,” she admitted.
“Are you really going to travel to Nagoya?”
“Yeah…why not, right?” Motoko replied lightly, closing her eyes.
She heard splashing and immediately opened her eyes to see Shinobu
running away from the hot springs toward her room, one arm flung over
her face.
The black-haired girl was confused and very concerned. She
grabbed her clothes and a dry towel and hastily left the bath. She
approached Shinobu’s room and found the door shut. She knocked.
“Who-who is it?”
It sounded like she was crying. Motoko didn’t understand.
“It’s Motoko,” she called.
“C-come in,” Shinobu answered uncertainly.
Motoko stepped into the room and closed the door. The sight of
Shinobu lying on her mattress weeping brought tears to the tall girl’s
eyes. She sat on the mattress next to the smaller girl. She put a
hand on Shinobu’s head and ran her fingers through her fine hair.
“Shinobu-chan, what’s the matter?”
“I can’t…tell-“
“-Yes, you can tell me. Please?”
“I don’t want you to go, Toko-chan. I don’t want you to leave!”
Shinobu sobbed into her pillow.
Motoko stroked Shinobu’s head and neck soothingly. She’d had no
idea that Shinobu would be sad about her leaving. She still didn’t
know why. “Why is that, dear?” she asked softly. Not very
comforting, she scolded herself.
“Because you’re so strong. Because you’re generous and kind.
Because of how you laugh. Because I admire you…”
“Shinobu-chan-“
“-Because I love you!” Shinobu yelled. Her delicate shoulders
heaved as she cried harder.
“Shinobu…” Motoko started. She couldn’t think of how to
continue.
Shinobu turned over and sat up abruptly. “Do you want me to
prove it to you?” she shouted. She took Motoko’s face in her small
hands and pressed her lips to the samurai’s. She and Motoko closed
their eyes at the same time, neither knowing that the other had done
so. Motoko opened her mouth slightly in response to Shinobu’s
motions. She began to relax. Shinobu maintained the kiss for several
seconds, then broke it off and threw herself back onto the mattress.
It had been Motoko’s first real kiss and she was very much impressed.
She sat there, stunned, eyes still closed, until Shinobu’s sorrowful
voice jarred her back to the present.
“So now that I’ve made you hate me, please just leave me alone,”
Shinobu said through her tears.
The bitter words cut deeply into Motoko’s heart and threatened
to hack it to pieces. The young samurai leaned down and hugged
Shinobu fiercely around the waist. She was dimly aware that she and
Shinobu were still wearing bath towels that were soaking wet. The
poor girl’s mattress would be drenched. “Shinobu-chan, I don’t hate
you. Don’t you ever say such a thing! Look at me, Shinobu.”
Shinobu looked deeply into Motoko’s brown eyes. The long-haired
girl gulped back the lump in her throat. She fell into the twin pools
of purple brilliance. “Shinobu-chan…” she whispered. She had
forgotten what she was going to say! So she improvised. “You have
lovely eyes, Shinobu.”
“Toko-chan, don’t say anything sweet to me. Don’t say anything
nice. Don’t say things that will make me love you more, Toko-chan.
Please don’t.”
Motoko couldn’t respond to this request, so she just kept
hugging Shinobu, hoping that her presence would somehow console the
violet-eyed girl. Shinobu sat up, then got to her knees and silently
hugged Motoko back. Motoko couldn’t believe how much strength the
petite girl really had; Shinobu’s arms were clasping her tightly,
afraid to let go. Finally, Shinobu looked up at Motoko. Her eyes
were shining and Motoko sank into them, mesmerized once more.
Shinobu leaned forward and the girls kissed passionately. Their
mouths eased open and they shared the same breath. Then their tongues
met and softly explored, getting acquainted with each other. Motoko
felt Shinobu’s arms relax. Shinobu’s hands gently tugged at Motoko’s
towel. She pulled the clinging fabric from the tall girl’s body and
dropped it to the mattress. Motoko kept kissing Shinobu, maybe not
noticing what had happened, and maybe not caring. Shinobu ran her
dexterous fingers through the black mass of Motoko’s hair and then
began caressing her naked back.
Shinobu withdrew her mouth from Motoko’s and kissed her nose,
then her eyelids, then her brow. She tenderly turned Motoko’s face
and kissed her ear. “You smell wonderful,” she murmured. She turned
Motoko’s head to the other side and kissed her other ear. “You taste
wonderful, too.” She began showering kisses onto Motoko’s graceful
neck. She kissed Motoko’s chest and slowly moved her lips to one of
Motoko’s firm breasts. Motoko’s breasts were pleasingly soft, but her
nipples were hard with excitement. Motoko’s breathing seemed faster
than it had been. Shinobu took one of the strong girl’s nipples into
her mouth and ran her tongue around it and over it, missing nothing.
Motoko sighed and put her hands on the shorter girl’s head, twirling
fine strands of dark blue hair between her fingers. Shinobu sucked on
the other nipple and Motoko uttered an unmistakable groan. “You even
feel wonderful,” Shinobu murmured. I sure do, Motoko thought.
Shinobu kissed Motoko’s ribcage, then her abdomen and navel. Without
realizing, Motoko spread her knees apart.
Instinct had guided Shinobu this far and she wasn’t about to
start second-guessing now. She kissed along the ridges that marked
Motoko’s hipbones. Motoko whimpered. She was shaking now; her body
was pleading for release. Shinobu lightly licked the insides of
Motoko’s damp thighs. Motoko was panting laboriously. She jammed her
middle finger into her mouth and bit down to keep from screaming. But
suddenly Shinobu focused her divine attention on Motoko’s vagina: her
lips massaging, her tongue tenderly lapping in between Motoko’s
sensitive labia, her teeth brushing lightly across Motoko’s rigid
clitoris.
“Shinobu!” Motoko shrieked. Then she was riding a tsunami of
ecstasy. She writhed, gasped, and trembled, losing all control of her
body, abandoning it, placing it in Shinobu’s capable hands and mouth.
Shinobu used her fingers to open Motoko’s vagina farther and she dug
her tongue further inside the black-haired girl. Motoko came again,
vaguely surprised that she was still alive, since she couldn’t
remember breathing for the last few…hours? Days? Eternities?
Shinobu finally drank her fill of Motoko and sat up. She looked
at the tall beauty in admiration. The young samurai’s body glistened
with sweat, her long legs twitched involuntarily, her bosom heaved
tremulously as she tried to catch her breath. Shinobu looked between
Motoko’s legs at her swollen pink labia. A bit of fluid was still
there.
“Whoops, missed a spot,” Shinobu giggled. She dove back to
Motoko’s throbbing vulvae.
“Shinobu! D-ah! Ah! Ah! D-oh! Ah! Oh!” She’d been trying
to say, “don’t,” but it just wasn’t possible, so Motoko stopped trying
and surrendered to her most mind-blowing orgasm yet. After what could
have been forever, the purple-eyed girl retreated reluctantly from
Motoko’s sexual organs.
Motoko’s body quivered as she lay helpless on Shinobu’s soaked
mattress. She felt Shinobu’s arms around her waist and her lips on
her forehead. “That was fun. Thank you, Toko-chan.”
“Shin…obu, you’re…than…king…me? Am I…still…on Earth? I…feel
like…I’m…flying.”
“Anything for you, my love,” Shinobu whispered.
“I…love…you, Shi…no…bu,” Motoko gasped. She opened her eyes and
saw Shinobu blushing. Vaginal fluid covered the lower half of her
face. “You’re so…cute, Shin…obu! How can…you…blush now…after…what
you just…did…for me?”
“It’s just what I’ve dreamed of hearing you say, Toko-chan.”
The lithe girl hugged her lover tightly. “Listen, if you really want
to go to Nagoya-“
“-I’m not…going, Shinobu. I’m not…prepared. First, I need to
learn…to appreciate…what I’ve got…right here…right in my arms.”
“You’ve made me so happy!” Shinobu cried. Motoko eventually
managed to breathe normally again. Shinobu released her and she sat
up.
“I-I’m afraid your mattress will need to be washed,
Shinobu-chan,” Motoko said ruefully.
“That’s okay, it was damp anyway.”
“Stay with me tonight,” Motoko invited.
“But I thought that Kaolla-san sleeps in your room when you’re
home.”
“I’ll ask her to use her room tonight,” Motoko said. Her legs
were wobbly, but she managed to stand. “You really did a number on
me,” she observed as she wrapped her towel around her.
“What else could I do, Toko-chan? But where are you going?
Your dry towel and your clothes are right here.”
“I’m going to take another bath, thanks to you!”
“Heheh,” Shinobu laughed sheepishly. “I’ll join you…”
“Oh no you don’t! You’re going to get washed up and ready for
bed, Shinobu-chan. I’m not taking three baths tonight.” With that,
Motoko headed back toward the hot spring. She stopped at Su’s open
door.
“Su-chan?” she called.
“What’s up, Motoko?” Kaolla asked cheerfully.
“I need some time to myself tonight. Could you sleep in your
own room, please?”
“Yeah, I guess…Motoko, you smell funny-“
“-Thanks-got-to-run-sorry!” Motoko said as she dashed away,
cheeks flaming. She kept her bath short and quickly returned to
Shinobu’s room. Shinobu was waiting for her in a pink nightgown,
looking totally adorable. She held Motoko’s dry towel. Motoko
reached for it, but Shinobu playfully snatched it away.
“I’ll dry you, Toko-chan,” she offered innocently.
“Is that a good idea?” Motoko asked dubiously.
“No funny business, I promise. I’ll just make you dry by
rubbing this fuzzy towel all over your amazing body.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring…”
“Ahem. I meant, ‘I’ll just dry you’.”
Motoko let her wet towel fall to the floor and stepped over to
Shinobu. “Just remember, you promised.”
Despite incredible temptation, Shinobu kept her promise. All
the same, Motoko was quite aroused by the time Shinobu finished.
Motoko dressed hastily. “Now let’s get some sleep,” she said. “I’m
exhausted. And I wasn’t, just an hour ago.”
The girls walked hand-in-hand to Motoko’s room and lay down for
the night. They snuggled lovingly under Motoko’s warm blankets.
Motoko sighed, feeling truly content for the first time in her life.
“Say it, Shinobu,” she requested dreamily.
“Say what, Toko-chan?”
“That,” the young samurai answered placidly.
“That,” Shinobu answered with a giggle.
“No, I meant your pet name for me.”
“Your pet name for me.”
“Oh, you!” She hugged the smaller girl and they both drifted
off to sleep.
A while later, Haruka rapped on Motoko’s door. “Motoko-chan,
have you seen Su?” she asked softly. “Motoko?” There was no answer,
so she quietly slid the door open. Bathed in a beam of silver
moonlight, Motoko and Shinobu were blissfully asleep. Shinobu’s arm
was draped protectively around Motoko’s waist. Haruka smiled and
closed the door soundlessly. “Ah, young love.”
Morning arrived, and Keitaro followed his nose to the kitchen.
When he got there, he stopped in his tracks, astonished and fully
awake. “Motoko-chan? I didn’t know you cooked. You look great,
too-“
“-You’re lucky I’m in a terrific mood, Urashima, or you’d be
through that wall already. This is not for you. This is not your
business. If you want breakfast, you’d better get it yourself;
Shinobu-chan will not be cooking this morning.” With that, she picked
up a heavily laden tray and sashayed out of the room. “And have a
good day!” she called over her shoulder.
Keitaro blinked. “Well, that certainly was surreal.”
Motoko entered her room and regarded her beautiful lover,
sleeping soundly. “She’s too good for me,” the samurai breathed as
she fought back the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes. She
padded over to Shinobu and set the tray near her. Sure enough, the
wonderful aromas woke the petite girl. Without opening her eyes, she
felt the mattress next to her. It was vacant. “Toko-chan?” she
panicked. She shot up into a sitting position.
“Easy, Shinobu-chan. I’m right here,” Motoko soothed.
Shinobu looked in the direction of the lilting voice. Her
breath caught in her lungs. Motoko was wearing a beautiful yellow
kimono with embroidered roses and vines trimming the seams. She had
an elegant, midnight blue Sapporo around her slim waist, tied with a
bow in the small of her back. “Toko-chan, y-you look fantastic,”
Shinobu stammered.
“All for you,” the samurai beamed.
“How did you get out of bed without waking me?”
“I’ll grant that it wasn’t easy, what with you hanging all over
me. I’ll bet it took ten minutes.”
“Why not just wake me?”
“Because I know you, and you’d never have let me feed you
breakfast in bed. Are you hungry?”
“Toko-chan, you are so sweet! You shouldn’t have done all
this.”
“I was inspired by your courage. Now open wide.”
“My…courage?” Shinobu asked as she chewed.
“Well, yes. I know that I can be intimidating, but you told me
you loved me anyway. It was the bravest thing I’ve ever heard. The
most romantic, too.” Motoko paused. “Ha-ha-ha, you’re as red as an
apple!”
“Serving me breakfast in bed doesn’t give you the right to make
me blush, Toko-chan. Although…maybe looking like a goddess does…”
“Shinobu-chan,” Motoko said as her cheeks burned.
“Got you back!” Shinobu pointed out smugly. “Let’s go shopping
today, what do you say?”
“That sounds good,” Motoko agreed.
“I’m glad you approve. Hmm…it’s got to be as red as your
cheeks…”
“What does?”
“The sexy lingerie set you’re going to buy. Oh, darn it, now
your cheeks are redder; I guess we’ll have to match that red…they need
to be as revealing as your cheeks, too…and speaking of revealing
cheeks, hmm, probably a nice satin thong…of course, trying it on will
be the real fun…I’ll probably have you model every outfit in the
entire mall-“
“-That’s enough, Shinobu-chan! You’ve made your point. Again.”
Motoko felt as though she’d stuck her face in boiling water.
“But you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.”
“Are you just going to sit there trying to keep all my blood in
my face or are you going to get dressed so we can go shopping?”
“Actually, I won’t have you try them all on. We need to get
back so I can do what I’ve been meaning to…”
Motoko sighed. “Spill it, Shinobu.”
“Make love to you for the rest of the day.”
“I’m trying on three at most!”
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