Inseparably Close
(Note: It has been over a year since Motoko and Shinobu got married.)
The young chef flopped wearily into her red-and-blue striped easy
chair. Her briefcase fell with a thud. She didn’t want to do anything
but sleep, but she didn’t want to sleep yet—there was more to do. Her
eyes shut of their own accord; she promised herself that she’d only
allow them to stay that way for a minute or two. She listened to the
sound of the lightly pattering rain.
Her ears missed the padded footsteps of an experienced samurai.
Most people would have failed to hear this warrior, but for the chef not
to hear it was a sign of exhaustion. The samurai regarded the small
woman with sympathy. Since the target was oblivious, the warrior coiled
to attack.
“What’s that fragrance you’re wearing?” the chef asked, her eyes
still shut.
The samurai let out her breath, slightly disappointed. “It’s
Coco. Didn’t see or hear, but you still found me out, ne?”
“Mm-hmm. You should know by now that you’ll never take me—“
Shinobu started to say.
Motoko sprang, landing with her hands on Shinobu’s shoulders and
her knees on either side of Shinobu’s legs. “—by surprise?” she
finished, her voice lowered. She lowered her mouth next, meeting
Shinobu’s mouth in a loving, lingering kiss. “My gorgeous Shinobu-chan,
how boring would that be?”
“Every moment with you is exciting,” Shinobu answered.
“Oh, my poor wife, you look so tired! Don’t you worry about a
thing tonight. I’ve got you.”
“I couldn’t let you—I mean, it’s my night to cook and…”
Motoko picked up Shinobu and carried her to the bathroom, then set
her on a washing stool. “What you need is a nice long soak while I cook
dinner for you. And I won’t entertain any arguments. This is what you
need.”
“If you weren’t able to carry me, you couldn’t get away with
this.”
“But I can,” Motoko laughed. “Off with your clothes now!”
Shinobu slowly rose to her feet. She started fumbling with the
buttons on the front of her work shirt. Each action seemed like it was
being performed in slow motion. Motoko could only watch for a few
seconds.
“I can’t bear this,” the samurai blurted. “Sit back down. I’ll
get your clothes.”
Shinobu sat. Motoko made short work of her white uniform and
socks. Then she paused. “I remember the day you got this lingerie
set,” she said. We got them to match. You looked so cute in yours.
Just like now, actually.”
“You’re sweet, Toko-chan,” Shinobu sighed.
“And you’re sweet. You’re beautiful.” She continued her work,
removing Shinobu’s undergarments carefully. “And you’re tired…hmm.
You’re probably too tired to resist the advances of a sexy woman.”
Motoko kissed Shinobu and rubbed down her neck and shoulders. As
she kissed, she used one hand to start running the bathwater. She could
feel her wife relaxing under her touch and she let her hands slip lower.
Before long, she was massaging Shinobu’s entire body.
“Not fair,” Shinobu protested weakly. “You know how to touch me.
You know that I want to do to you what you’re doing to me.”
“Datte, I never get the chance to take care of you the way I can
now. All I want to do is pamper you and love you—to give you back, the
way you give to me.”
Motoko lifted Shinobu again and set her in the tub. “How’s the
water?”
“A little hotter, onegai?”
“You bet.” Motoko fiddled with the knobs above the faucet. “How
is it now?” she asked after a minute.
“Well…lonely,” Shinobu answered.
Motoko was unclothed and sitting behind Shinobu in the tub in mere
instants. “You realize that dinner’s going to be late,” she chuckled.
She added a vial of scented oil to the water. She felt Shinobu’s soft
weight pressing lightly against her. Motoko got a sponge and Shinobu’s
favorite body soap. While Shinobu rested, Motoko cleansed her from head
to foot, keeping herself concentrated on just the bathing. She was glad
for the discipline her training had honed, because she kept getting more
and more aroused. Shinobu’s skin felt wonderful beneath her fingers;
the aroma of the bath dizzied her; the feeling of her spouse’s trust
made her absolutely filled with love to bursting.
“So what tuckered you out like this?” Motoko asked.
“New staff to train and it’s tax time—a lot more paperwork,”
Shinobu answered. “Now I wonder how my parents did it. It’s not just
our taxes; the employees have theirs, too.”
“You can’t do this to yourself, Shinobu-chan. We need to hire
someone else to do the taxes.”
“They work by the hour. Our staff will take at least 16 to 20
hours. That’s a lot of money.”
“We can afford it. I’ll bet you’ve got another reason not to want
someone else to do the taxes. And it is?”
“This attention I’m getting right now,” Shinobu admitted.
“Well…now you’re clean, and you’re at my mercy, and you’ll always
have my complete attention.” She nibbled on Shinobu’s ear. Her hands
sought out Shinobu’s breasts and took their time finding them. Shinobu
relished the feeling of her lover’s hands sliding over her slippery
skin, hitting her sensitive spots. She could tell how Motoko wanted to
please her, and she was very tired, so she let Motoko do what she wanted
to do—for now, at least. And as Motoko caressed her abdomen and one of
her hands wandered lower, Shinobu wasn’t sure that she’d be able to move
for a while anyway.
There it was, that first thrill shooting through her body that
came every time Motoko got finished with the foreplay and touched her
most intimate place. In spite of her fatigue, her pelvis began moving,
pushing those fingers deeper into her. She uttered a brief groan.
Motoko thrust firmly past her labia and into her vagina and Shinobu
ground against her, needing more. Her climax arrived soon after that
and she was chanting Motoko’s name in a low voice by the time it did.
Her second orgasm wasn’t far behind the first. She shook and wriggled
against her lover.
“I love you, Toko-chan,” she panted. Motoko withdrew from her
genitals.
“And I love you, little Shinobu,” Motoko responded. “If I leave
you, to go start supper, are you going to be all right to dry off that
incredible body of yours and dress yourself?”
“Hai. I’ve recovered somewhat.”
“Good!” Motoko clambered out of the bath. “I hope you’re hungry,
because I’m going to make a large batch of Italian lasagna.”
“Did I mention that I love you?”
Motoko pulled on her robe and planted a quick kiss on the tip of
Shinobu’s nose. “That’s why we’re married, isn’t it?” She practically
skipped off toward the bedroom.
Shinobu lounged in the bath for a few more minutes (partially due
to her need to stop trembling) then she headed to the bedroom clad in a
large mint green towel. She wasn’t surprised that Motoko had already
dressed and left; the samurai was in the kitchen, no doubt. Shinobu
dressed quickly.
She took a deep breath and strode into the living room. She
plopped down in her armchair and picked up her briefcase from the floor.
She retrieved a few documents and a pen and started working
half-heartedly. It was really difficult for her to concentrate on the
taxes now. One, she hated doing them. Two, she was tired. Three, any
minute now, she’d be interrupted by the woman she loved calling her to
dinner. Four, she was plotting what she’d do to that woman once the
meal was over, and it was going to be way more fun than tax paperwork.
Although her mind was wandering, she completed the worksheet on
Yukio, one of her oldest employees, without any mistakes and immediately
started on the next, Hiroshi.
“Time to eat!” Motoko called cheerfully. Shinobu stood quickly
and thrust her load of papers into the chair. She walked into the
dining room. Motoko was kneeling at the low table. Impulsively,
Shinobu bent and hugged her from behind. Motoko half-turned and they
shared a loving kiss.
“This smells great,” Shinobu said as she knelt at the table. She
tried a bite. “It tastes even better! I’d better watch my job; you’re
improving so fast.”
“I think your job’s safe,” Motoko laughed. “Thanks for the
compliment. I doubt I’d be cooking at all if I didn’t have you for a
teacher.”
“I admit, I’ve never found it so difficult to teach anyone—“
“—Hey—“
“—Because I always wanted to strip you, lay you on the counter,
and eat the ingredients off your body.”
Motoko turned a light shade of violet, but she grinned. “Well if
that’s the reason, I guess it’s okay…maybe we should try that, ne?”
“Hmm. The idea has plenty of good points.
“Anyway, how was your day, sweetie?”
“Oh, not too bad,” Motoko grimaced. “In every class, there’s one
or two who’ll have discipline problems, you know? And I’ve got one this
time—one real troublemaker. If he didn’t have so much talent, I think
I’d have kicked him out already.”
“Tsk tsk. So you admit that you’re playing favorites?” Shinobu
asked with a smirk.
“Don’t be mean! To have favorites is human; even my sister
admitted that,” Motoko mock-whined. “She said that I was the bad girl
who had promise, but I was her favorite for some reason…”
“For some reason,” Shinobu giggled. “Yes, you are my bad girl.
So yummy!” She leaned across the table and she and Motoko shared a
kiss.
The two women talked softly through their meal. Motoko told
Shinobu that Kaolla and Kitsune had broken up for the second time in
three years. Kaolla had called with the news that morning and she had
sounded angry.
“Oh dear,” Shinobu sighed. “Did she say what happened this time?”
“What she said boils down to Kitsune still not wanting to commit.
I gathered, though Su never mentioned it, that she suspects Kitsune of
cheating on her.”
“Not good. What do you think, Toko-chan, is this really the end
for them?”
“It could be. Su-chan sounded really upset,” Motoko conceded. “I
feel bad for them.”
“Everyone’s got to make her own choices. Everyone is going to
endure her share of pain because of that. It’s just so hard to let go
of someone you’re intimate with, even when you know she and you don’t
really work together.”
“You’re right.”
“Luckily, I don’t speak from experience,” Shinobu added with a
sudden smile. “What do you say you and I go to a movie, pretty lady?”
“Is there anything good playing?” Motoko asked.
“Who cares? If it’s good, we’ll enjoy it; if not, we’ll make
out.”
“I’m in!”
“I’ll drive.”
Shinobu and Motoko got ready for their impromptu date in a hurry.
Shinobu dressed in a scarlet tank top and a knee-length black denim
skirt. She also put two silver barrettes in her hair and took advantage
of her triple-pierced ears with one pair of garnets, one pair of
moonstones, and one pair of silver hoops at the bottom. Motoko wore her
sleeveless lavender turtleneck and her hip-hugging white jeans (which
had several holes.) She chose violet leather sandals too, so she could
show off all eight toe rings that she wore. Six of them were gifts from
Shinobu, one was from her sister, and one she’d bought herself. These
delicate little bands seemed to really entice Shinobu. Apparently, even
Motoko’s sister had noticed that…Motoko recalled her birthday, when
she’d opened the box and her sister had winked at her. She’d blushed
hard then and the memory still made her rosy.
“Here’s one that sounds good: The Fast and the Furious,” Shinobu
said, checking the newspaper. “And it’s not going to start for another
forty minutes. We’ve got time for me to paint your toenails, if you
want.”
“I’ll never refuse that,” Motoko answered quickly. She and her
wife both sat and Shinobu quickly applied sparkling light blue polish to
each nail.
“Arigatou—“ Motoko began.
“—Not yet,” Shinobu interrupted. She kept one hand on Motoko’s
leg to keep her seated. “I’m not done yet, love.” She got out a deep,
rich crimson and used it quickly and carefully. Then she finished with
a bright, jaunty yellow. “Okay, you’re all set.”
Motoko regarded the two small butterflies--one on the nail of each
big toe--that Shinobu had deftly painted. “You’re so good at that!
Thanks you, darling,” she smiled.
“You’re welcome; I really like doing your nails. Shall we go?
We’ll get better seats.”
“And a big tub of popcorn to share; yes, let’s go!”
Motoko and Shinobu had the same idea about what “good seats” were.
They chose two in the corner at the back row, away from any exits. They
only watched the movie for a few minutes, before…
“This film sucks,” Shinobu groaned.
“No argument here. Way too macho, and of course the bad guys are
Japanese, driving Japanese cars,” Motoko agreed.
“I dragged you to this. Gomen.”
“Don’t be too sorry,” Motoko whispered into her ear. She sneaked
her hand under Shinobu’s shirt and rubbed her abdomen, also bending
lightly to kiss her neck.
“Hey now,” Shinobu said in a loud whisper.
“Nani?” Motoko mumbled. “This was your idea.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think that there would be so many—ooh, that
feels good—so many people in here. We’ll get caught!”
“So what?”
“So I—I—oh, Toko-chan—“ Motoko’s hand had undone two buttons on
her skirt and was now roaming freely, exploring between her thighs.
Motoko wasn’t surprised that her lover hadn’t worn panties. It pleased
her; it made her play easier. Shinobu was responding quite nicely to
her actions, too. In fact, the purple-eyed woman—even as she was
protesting—had started rubbing Motoko’s neck and slid one hand beneath
her turtleneck’s lower edge. Shinobu was already dripping wet.
“So this thrills you?” Motoko teased, playfully biting her lover’s
neck. “You are a naughty girl.” She opened the clasp of Shinobu’s lacy
bra. She caressed the young chef’s breasts for a moment, then pushed up
Shinobu’s shirt and bra together and kissed one stiff nipple.
“Toko-chan!” Shinobu half-whispered, half-moaned, “you can’t—not
here—“ She and Motoko had often fooled around in secluded areas, but
they’d never exposed each other. If someone came by, it’d be
scandalous!
“—I am,” Motoko refuted sweetly, her words muffled because she was
lightly sucking on Shinobu’s breast. “If you really want me to stop,
just say so. If you really want me to stop.”
“Kami-sama! Oh yes!” Shinobu squeaked. She quickly undid the
buttons on her wife’s jeans and sought out her clitoris. She found that
Motoko’s panties were soaked. Motoko groaned as loudly as she dared
when Shinobu’s small fingers flicked across her sensitive flesh.
Motoko decided to hurry up and make Shinobu come. She began to
probe with her middle and ring fingers…
But it was too late. Shinobu increased the tempo of her stroking,
using one hand to penetrate her samurai lover and the other to massage
her clitoris. Motoko felt an incredible orgasm approaching. She
quickly pulled her fingers from Shinobu and bit down on them, stifling
her need to scream in ecstasy. Her hips bucked violently and she strove
to keep breathing. Shinobu took advantage of her relative incapacity by
sucking on her earlobe. Motoko trembled with the added pleasure, now
too overwhelmed even to think. She simply rode out the climax.
When she opened her eyes, Shinobu was smiling innocently at her.
Her graceful hand closed around Motoko’s wrist. She pulled Motoko’s
hand to her and sucked on her fingers, one at a time, cleaning them of
her juices. Motoko couldn’t believe it, but just watching was making
her excited, even after the huge orgasm she’d just had.
But the warrior resolved that it was her turn to take Shinobu to
the peak. In one smooth, rapid motion, she dropped to her knees and
pulled her petite partner forward, to the edge of her seat. The smell
of sex made Motoko giddy. She took a long look at Shinobu’s puffy,
slick vulvae. Then she dove in tongue-first.
“Toko-sama!” Shinobu whimpered. Her hands ran through Motoko’s
black mane over and over. She was close to the brink in moments.
And Motoko slowed, toying with her, keeping her near the edge.
Shinobu’s hands left Motoko’s head and clamped onto her shoulders,
digging in with her fingernails. “Evil! You’re just being—ooh—evil.
Do it to me, Toko-chan! Onegai!” She was lucky that this part of the
movie had loud sound effects, because her voice was growing urgent.
Motoko grinned. She hadn’t made Shinobu beg in a while. She
lapped furiously at Shinobu’s sopping vagina and squeezed her firm
breasts with rapid movements.
This was going to be a big one. Shinobu gasped, bit her lip, and
let it happen. She threw back her head but restrained her urged to cry
out. Sharp-edged bliss washed over her.
Just in time, too. Someone toward the front of the theatre stood
and began walking up the aisle. The two young ladies didn’t panic.
They quickly adjusted their clothing and sat as though they were
watching the movie. As soon as the figure had passed, they began
whispering.
“Mm, that was fantastic, Toko-chan.”
“Yeah it was. Kami, you know how to touch me right!”
“Toko-chan daisuki.”
“Shinobu-chan daisuki. Forever.”
Shinobu kissed Motoko fervently. Motoko hugged her tight.
Shinobu’s self-control wavered. “Let’s get out of here,” the smaller
woman said to her wife.
The Aoyama+Maeharas joined hands and left. Motoko figured that
they’d be going straight home, but Shinobu drove their Lexus toward the
downtown area.
“Tell me about your students, please,” Shinobu requested abruptly.
“Sure.” Motoko adjusted her seat, put her hands behind her head,
and sat back. “Every one of them has got promise, or we wouldn’t accept
them. They’re all young; the oldest is sixteen; the youngest is nine.”
“—Gomen, but I meant tell me about each of them,” Shinobu amended.
“Oh. Okay, let’s see.
“Well, there’s Tsuzumi-kun, he’s the nine-year-old. He’s only
been training with us for a few months, but he’s smart and genki. Does
all his chores without complaint. Does his drills better than most
twelve-year-olds I’ve taught.
“There’s Watanari-chan, she’s eleven. She really likes to play
practical jokes. She’s toned it down in the three years she’s been with
us. She fights like a dancer, which is good and bad. Her style is
graceful but she needs to put more power behind it.
“The twins, Fujima Shionu and Fujima Turono, they’re also eleven.
They’re both pretty quiet and very studious. Shionu-kun recently told
me in confidence that he doesn’t expect to ever use his training once he
leaves the school. His father is grooming both the boys to take over
his software business when they get older. But they still work very
hard, Turono and Shionu. They act very mature for their age.
“Then there’s Kaiito-kun…”
Shinobu listened fondly as her wife described all the students.
She was impressed that Motoko knew them so well—there were over sixty to
keep track of. Finally, Motoko finished with her list.
“You care about your students. It’s obvious. No wonder you’re
such an effective teacher.”
“Thank you. I want all my students to flourish, no matter what
they decide to do with their lives.
Motoko looked out her window. “Um, Shinobu, where are we going?”
“We’re here, so the question is, ‘Where are we?’ We’re in a
meadow, far from the city,” Shinobu answered. “Come on.” She and her
spouse opened the trunk of the car and removed a thin blanket, which
they spread on the grass. Shinobu lay on the blanket and Motoko
followed suit, placing her head on Shinobu’s belly.
“Wai. The stars are beautiful out here,” the black-haired samurai
murmured. “Thank you for showing me this.”
“You’re very welcome,” Shinobu said, ruffling Motoko’s hair.
The pair lay under the sky in silence for a long while.
“I’m so happy,” Shinobu whispered. “Are you?”
“Happy and in love,” Motoko answered.
“Toko-chan…”
“…Doushite?”
“Don’t you think we’re being selfish, keeping all this love and
happiness to ourselves?”
The warrior thought hard. “I don’t know what you mean. Isn’t it
up to each person to find what makes her happy?”
“To each adult, yes—but not to each child. Let’s have a child, my
love.”
The silence stretched itself as Motoko lay stunned. “Ano, you
know we can’t—“
“—As in I can’t get you pregnant and you can’t get me pregnant, of
course I know! But there are other ways. I think we should adopt a
baby.”
“Uh, I—that is…why? Why do you think that?”
“Do you have to ask? We both love children. I’ll bet you want to
be a mother as much as I do. We would be terrific parents—far better
than some government institution could be. It’s the right thing to do,”
the young chef said earnestly, still stroking Motoko’s hair.
“You’re right. Demo…it’s a huge decision. Are we mature enough
to handle raising a baby? Do we even have time to do it?” Worry had
crept into Motoko’s voice.
“Hai. I know we have enough love to overcome any troubles that
would come our way. We are busy, yes, but when will we be less busy
than we are now? No one ever gets less busy! It only increases. And
our youth—that’s on our side, I think. We’ll have more energy to play
and to teach our child.”
“You’ve been planning this, Shinobu-chan. I hear what you’re
saying…and I need to think about it. We’re talking about a human being
here; we can’t afford to be wrong.”
“I have faith in you,” Shinobu said. “And if you decide that we
shouldn’t have a baby, then we shouldn’t. Search your wonderful heart.
I will abide by your choice.”
“Arigatou. I will make the right decision. I promise.”
Shinobu continued to play with Motoko’s fine hair. “The moon will
rise soon and it will be just past full. Keep your eyes on that valley
over there. That’s where we’ll see it.”
Motoko put one of her hands over one of Shinobu’s. “I cold wait
here forever with you,” she whispered. “I’m yours forever: heart, mind,
and body.”
The two young lovers lay under the stars and soon the moon began
to rise, large and luminous. Motoko’s breath caught. “Kire,” she
murmured.
“The silver light makes you look like an angel,” Shinobu
whispered. “My beautiful guardian sent by heaven.”
It was true. Both women were bathed in the moon’s soft argent
glow, marked with stark, deep shadows. They sat upright as if they were
in a dream and gazed at each other in wonder and admiration. They
kissed in silence. Their lovemaking was slow, caring, and
gentle—totally unlike their earlier wild sexual encounter in the
theatre. This time, there was no lust or hunger; this was an expression
of the deepest love. It was well after midnight when the couple finally
made it home to their apartment suite.
In spite of the short night, both women were energized in the
morning. Shinobu cooked an early breakfast. The Aoyama+Maeharas kissed
and raced out the door to their jobs. Shinobu found herself more
motivated to do her best than she ever had. In the last year, she’d
opened her restaurant and quit at the hotel. Working for herself was
fun most of the time, but she occasionally had to force herself to
lighten up. Sometimes she did work too hard, as Motoko had pointed out.
Today, Shinobu continued training her three new employees. She realized
that her job was similar to Motoko’s; she was teaching. Of course, she
did some cooking for the restaurant as well.
Motoko was also working hard. Her sister was teaching the older
students and she had the younger. The reason was simple; Motoko had
more patience and (though she didn’t like to admit it) her sister was
still marginally better than she was when it came to advanced
techniques. Motoko kept thinking about her choice all day. She didn’t
want to make Shinobu wait for an answer. She turned the problem over in
her mind again and again. Finally, she reached a decision. It was not
an easy one. But once she’d made it, she wasn’t distracted and had fun
helping her students learn.
“I’m home!” the black-haired woman called. She stepped out of her
shoes and into her house slippers.
“Welcome back,” came the cheerful reply.
“Hey! What do I smell?” Motoko asked suspiciously.
“Um…rice, taiyaki, and—“
“—It’s my turn to make dinner. You know that.”
“Demo, you did it for me yesterday.”
“In other words, you’re paying me back? What happens then? I pay
you back, you pay me back—it’ll be like we switched days.”
“Well, you can end the cycle by letting me cook tomorrow,” Shinobu
responded with a smirk. Motoko sighed. Shinobu was obviously in one of
her cheeky moods, and it was no good arguing with her during such a
time.
Motoko hung her sword on its pegs above the hearth and entered the
kitchen. She greeted her wife with a long, soft kiss and a comforting
hug. “Did you have a good day?” she asked.
“Yeah. I hired a highly recommended accountant to do the taxes
and it’s a load off my mind.
“How about you, Toko-chan? Did you have a good day?”
“Hai! After normal lessons, I demonstrated the rock-splitting
technique. My sister pulled me aside and told me that she couldn’t have
done it any better! Also, I’m seeing improvements in some of my younger
students’ skills. Often, progress is so gradual that you can’t tell
it’s happening from day to day, so this is encouraging.”
“I’m glad,” Shinobu said with a warm smile. “You have good
students, I think.”
“Yes. I’m proud of them. Normally, we don’t train anyone past
the age of nineteen, but if you should ever want to learn, say the word.
I’ll give you your own lessons, in private.”
“When I have the time, I’ll take you up on that, Toko-chan.
Provided that you’d wear your glasses, of course.”
Motoko sweatdropped. She quickly changed the topic. “We should
go shopping tonight. What do you think?”
“That was a little too off-hand. You’ll be looking for something
in particular, I can tell. What is it?” Shinobu wasn’t easily caught
unaware by any of her spouse’s plans; she knew her too well.
Motoko did indeed have a reason for her suggestion, and she wanted
to keep it a secret for a little while longer. “Nothing, it’s just that
we haven’t gone in a couple of weeks—“
“—Like I’d believe that!” Shinobu took Motoko’s hand. She ran
her thumb lightly over Motoko’s palm and wrist. “Why don’t you tell me,
hmm?”
Motoko reveled in the light, sensual touch. Shinobu could be very
persuasive…but the warrior held onto her resolve. “You’ll find out
soon. Ne, let me surprise you.”
“This time,” Shinobu answered with a sly grin. “I need more
charcoal for my drawings…yes, we should go.”
An hour later, they were strolling through the city’s downtown
market. Shinobu’s favorite gallery was close by, but Motoko suddenly
steered her into another shop.
The store was very clean and had a cheerful atmosphere.
Strollers, high chairs, plush toys, baby clothes, and lots of other
things for infants and toddlers were being sold inside. Shinobu’s
breath paused. She looked at Motoko with wide eyes.
“You’ve made your decision?” she asked in a rush.
“A conditional decision,” the taller woman answered. “We’ll need
to make a few changes to accommodate our child.
“For starters, we’ve got to say goodbye to the apartment. We need
a house in a small town or in the country so our baby can play and grow
and be safe. We’ll also need to work out a reliable schedule. We’re
going to raise the kid; we aren’t going to pay someone else to do it for
us. And when we get home, you and I have to talk about roles. All
children ask questions and we have to have some answers.”
“You did think about this.”
“Very carefully.” The samurai winked at her lover. “Now let’s
get some of the things we’re going to need!”
They wound up buying nearly everything that they thought they
should have. They didn’t get baby clothes, however. “We don’t know if
it’s a girl or a boy yet,” Shinobu had said when Motoko had asked her.
“Good point,” Motoko conceded. “We’re going to the adoption
agency soon, ne?”
“Yes. I’ve got most of the paperwork they’ll need to see, so it
shouldn’t take long.”
The sun rose, ushering in a clear and cool day that weekend. The
Aoyama+Maeharas were nervous, but they drew strength from each other.
After breakfast, they drove to the large legal building that housed the
adoption center. Motoko’s great sense of direction guided them through
the maze of hallways and into the chief adoption officer’s suite.
A thin man with black hair and a long mustache sat behind a steel
desk. “May I help you, madams?” he asked politely.
“Yes, sir. My name is Aoyama+Maehara Shinobu and this is
Aoyama+Maehara Motoko. We have an appointment.”
“Please be seated. My name is Taikegawa Shiro.”
The young couple sat. “We are here to adopt a child,
Taikegawa-san,” Motoko said.
“Of course. Will you or your sister be the legal mother?”
“Shinobu is not my sister; she is my wife. We will both be the
baby’s mothers,” the tall woman answered without hesitance.
The thin man suddenly looked very confused. “N-n-nande?” he
finally stammered. “Are you for real? Are you trying to start a court
case or something?”
Motoko’s eyebrows rose. Shinobu quickly patted her arm to calm
her. “Iie,” the slight, purple-eyed woman explained. “We aren’t here
to give you trouble. We’re here to start a family.”
“I don’t know if I can help you. I think that the legal process
requires a father.” Taikegawa looked as though he wanted to be
somewhere far away.
“Don’t worry,” Shinobu soothed. She pulled a thick file from her
briefcase. “I have three documented precedent cases right here.”
The officer leafed through the papers. “These all happened in
Tokyo.”
“It’s still Japan,” Motoko said sharply.
“True…demo, this is a more conservative city. Besides, in two of
these cases, the hopeful parents were men—“
Shinobu kept her tone polite and casual, which was no mean feat.
“—You said you didn’t want a court battle. Neither do we. But that’s
exactly what you’re going to get if you try to keep us from raising a
child. Look closely at those cases. We will win if this goes to court,
and you know it.
“Now if you want to set aside bias and talk, we’re ready. We’ve
brought all the paperwork that shows our stellar work histories and
considerable incomes. We have our evaluations that show us to be
mentally competent and not addicted to any drugs. Here are our letters
of recommendation, too; they all come from very respected citizens.”
Taikegawa looked beaten, but he tried one last angle. “What about
the child as she’s growing? You realize that she’ll be picked on,
probably even excluded from some things. Would you put your baby
through that?”
“You may rest assured, Taikegawa-san, that we will take care of
our child. We will meet all of our problems as a family. Obviously, we
don’t have every answer—but we will handle any situation that arises,”
Motoko answered soberly.
The thin man sighed. “I’ll send you to caseworker Nuriya, then.
She’s down the hall on the left: room 221.”
“Arigatou,” the two women said together.
“He probably sent us to someone more prejudiced than he is,”
Motoko muttered as they neared the caseworker’s office.
“We’ll see,” Shinobu answered. “Let’s give her a chance or we’re
no better than Taikegawa.”
“Ohayo,” the plump, smiling woman with curly grey hair greeted
them. “It’s Motoko and Shinobu, correct?”
“Ohayo,” Motoko said, confused.
“Ohayo gozimasu,” Shinobu echoed. “You know us, ma’am?”
“Hai! I took two of my brother’s children to an anime festival
once. There I saw a genki young woman propose to another young woman
right in front of everyone. It wasn’t something anyone could forget!
“And now you’re married? And you would like to start a family?”
“Yes, Nuriya-san,” Motoko answered. She and Shinobu were greatly
relieved.
“Please, call me Minato,” the caseworker invited. “I will help
you however I can.”
“We want to raise a baby who is very young and very in need of
help,” Shinobu explained. “I’ve heard of birth mothers who want custody
of their children…“ She left her statement unfinished, but Motoko took
it up.
“We don’t want anything like that to happen to our family,” the
samurai finished. “This will be tough enough—you know, raising a
child—without having problems like that.”
“I understand,” Minato responded. “Let me check through my
files.”
The two young women only had to wait for a minute or so. “Let’s
go to the infants’ rooms,” Minato suggested.
The walk was short and the trio wound up in a tidy room where two
babies were sleeping and two were being fed by nurses. Minato led
Motoko and Shinobu to one of the cradles. “This little boy is just six
weeks old. His mother was shot fatally, but he was only slightly
premature. Thanks to medical science, good luck, and his will to live,
he survived and is in perfect health. We haven’t been able to locate
any of his mother’s relatives and we have no clue who the father is.”
The baby stirred.
“He’s so tiny,” Motoko whispered.
Shinobu asked, “May I hold him?”
Minato nodded.
As gently as she could, the young chef reached out and gathered
the infant into her arms. He started crying. Shinobu made quiet,
soothing sounds and rocked him carefully. He calmed down quickly and
looked up at her with wise green eyes. “He’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“May I hold him too?” Motoko asked. She held out her slightly
trembling arms.
“Of course.”
The baby squirmed a little as she held him and he gave a tiny
yawn. Motoko grinned and two tears ran down her face.
“He must really like you,” one of the nurses said as she fed the
baby on her lap. “He cries for a while when any of us picks him up.”
“I love him,” Motoko said simply.
“Can we change his name right now?” Shinobu asked.
“H-hai,” Minato answered, taken aback by the sudden decision the
couple had made.
“We’d narrowed it down to Masamune or Tsukikaze,” Shinobu reminded
her wife. “Which do you like better?”
“Tsukikaze,” she answered, taking her eyes from the child for an
instant. “It fits him.”
“Our son’s name is Aoyama+Maehara Tsukikaze, then,” Shinobu said,
smiling and watching the baby. She put her little finger in the
infant’s palm and he gripped it with all of his strength.
THE END
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