Kisses, A tale of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
The summer sun shone down on the district, giving everything a vigorous glow. Grass and brush grew wildly as crops were gathered, homes repaired from spring rain and storm damage and people bustled about happily. Compared to the ages past it was a quiet little place, but it still was busy for the summer season. And tucked away beside a slightly weathered home was Cafe Alpha, a coffee shop and hub of activity for the area around it.
"Thank you," Chrstine said politely, the black haired young woman taking the cup of coffee from her hostess gratefully. She looked fit, the slightly shorter woman comfortably sitting at a table in the mostly empty Cafe Alpha.
"You're welcome," Alpha said as she sat down across from her, the taller, slim green haired woman smiling gently. Looking at Chris curiously she asked her, "So what brings you out here?"
Chris took her cup and blew on it gently, steam wafting around her face then she took a sip. "Meeting a friend, actually," she admitted.
Alpha hesitated a moment then asked, "But why did you pick such an out of the way place like this to meet?"
Chris chuckled softly, "We both heard about your cafe, of course."
Alpha blushed, faintly surprised. Of course she knew the cafe was well known, she had people coming from various parts telling her that, but it was still a bit surprising to hear it from a new customer. Occasionally she wondered what Owner would have thought, but it was a question that she really couldn't answer.
The bell hanging at the front door rang and a tall, slightly muscled figure entered, looking around curiously. His long brown ponytail brushed his overcoat as he looked around, then a smile lit up his face as he saw Chris. Walking over he nodded respectfully to Alpha, but his eyes were focused on the other woman.
"Shane?" Chris asked softly.
"Hey, love," Shane answered as he sat down beside her.
Alpha excused herself, walking away only to look back at them curiously. Shane and Chris were kissing lingeringly, a kiss both of hello and promising other things. With a blush Alpha went up to the counter, returning to the making of her freshly ground coffee.
Even after the couple left Alpha found herself thinking of what she saw, that kiss. It wasn't as if she hadn't kissed before, but for her it had been an entirely different thing, All the times had been to exchange information with fellow androids, touching lips and tongue to trade data electronically. There hadn't been a emotional component...
Alpha felt herself blushing again, knowing that was a lie. In most cases there was no sense of anything else, but with Kokone she found herself reacting in ways she didn't understand. She knew her android body was designed to mimic a human's but the heart racing excitement with Kokone was something she had never expected, and wasn't sure she wanted.
Deciding she had thought about it enough Alpha got up, moving around the cafe as she cleaned the tables lovingly, polishing them until they shone. Under the vase on Cris table she found a sizable tip, and Alpha smiled knowing that she had satisfied another pair of customers. As the sun began to set Alpha closed up and went next-door to her home, stretching out happily to dispel any of the tension of the day.
'I wonder if Kokone feels those things when we kiss?' Alpha wondered a bit guiltily as she got ready for bed.
The next morning Alpha was up early, as usual, and decided to use the time to do a serious clean up of her house. Sweeping the floor, cleaning the windows and doing the wash kept her busy for a few hours, but as she worked she found her thoughts tending to kisses once again.
'Maybe I need some fresh air?' Alpha thought wryly as she sat on the front step, watching the drying sheets gently flap in the wind.
Later that day Alpha pulled her helmet on and climbed on her scooter, then pulled her goggles into place. The engine purred happily as she started the scooter up, then with a bit of a lurch she was off, bouncing a bit on the older roads. The scooter was an almost ideal mode of transportation in this era of disrepair, able to maneuver over broken roads and unsure terrain quite gracefully. The only thing Alpha found herself wishing for when she hit the bumps was a softer seat!
"G' morning Alpha," Ojisan waved to her from where the little old man sat comfortably on a old folding chair by the gas pumps. He was a fixture in this neighborhood, someone who had been here seemingly forever, and he knew Alpha pretty well.
"Good morning," Alpha nodded brightly as she coasted to a stop, getting off so that he could get to the gas tank.
Getting up Ojisan ambled over, pulling the gas hose free, unscrewing the cap and pushing it in. "You heading up to Yokohama again?" he asked curiously.
"Just riding today," Alpha admitted, "but probably soon." Watching the smaller man she felt pretty certain that he had been kissed, but somehow she couldn't quite imagine it. And the idea of asking him about kisses... was impossible.
"What?" Ojisan asked curiously, seeing the faintly odd look on her face.
"Nothing, nothing," Alpha blushed, shaking her head.
Ojisan looked faintly amused as he finished up, wiping the tank of Alpha's scooter off lovingly with a dirty rag. "I've been seeing Kokone up here pretty regularly," he noted thoughtfully, "it's nice that you're making a new friend."
"Yes," Alpha reddened once again. There was something in Ojisan's tone that made her blush, one that reminded her of times she had seen a parent speaking approvingly to a child...
"Anyway," Ojisan said briskly, "you're welcome to bring her by whenever you want."
"Thank you," Alpha bowed then got back on her scooter. "Have a nice day," she said as she started off.
"You too," Ojisan called.
Driving the roads of the District Alpha was struck once again by the closeness of the people here, the connections between them. She easily recognized people she passed, waving to customers and friends, and she knew a lot about them and they knew about her. In a larger city that would be impossible, but here in the countryside it was easier, the busy rumor mill spreading word like wildfire.
The scent of saltwater on the air reminded Alpha of where she was going and she slowed as she neared the shore, taking a steep turn cautiously. The house was set by the shore, a small, comfortable place suiting the woman who lived there. Alpha pulled up, getting off her scooter as she saw Sensei open her front door, the older woman smiling her greetings.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Alpha said respectfully, taking her helmet off and slipping her old style goggles free.
Sensei chuckled softly, her voice surprisingly vigorous for someone her age. "Actually," she strode over, her pants and blouse comfortable, "I was hoping for company."
"Good," Alpha smiled back comfortably, aware of how her own style echoed the other woman's. She, too, usually wore pants of various types, blouses and men's shirts, with a vest added for a bit of formality. 'I wonder if I picked up this sort of dress from Sensei.' she wondered, 'or if it was something I developed on my own?'
Picking their way over rocks and sand they made their way down to the shore, the breeze stirring their hair as they stood close together. Despite the wrinkled skin Sensei's hands were graceful as she picked up the smooth stone, gazing out over the water then with a flick of her wrist sending it skipping across the water.
"Wow," Alpha blinked in surprise.
"Nice to see I can still do that," Sensei grinned. She looked at Alpha curiously then asked in very motherly tones, "What's this I hear about you having a new friend?"
Alpha blushed, "It's not.. I mean..."
Sensei chuckled, her eyes warm and kind. "You know how rumor spreads in the district," she reminded her gently.
"Yes, I was just thinking about it," Alpha admitted.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Sensei offered.
"Yes, I would," Alpha looked away shyly, "and maybe I could ask you about something."
"Oh?' Sensei looked interested.
Blushing redly Alpha asked, "Could you tell me about kisses?"
Sensei blinked at her in surprise a moment, then smiled. Guiding them over to a large stone she said, "We'd better sit, this is going to be a long conversation..."
End
Notes: This is inspired by some of the scenes from YKK, where Alpha and Kokone did the memory transfer and Alpha was blushing... I thought it might be cute if she was a bit troubled by her reactions to Kokone. I'm not sure how realistic it is that Ojisan and Sensei are acting semi-parental, but I thought that with Owner gone they might step into the role. This story, like all my YKK fics, is dedicated to Chibi Halo, and is also a birthday present. :D