Arc 4: Cold and Hot It was a cold Saturday as rain fell. Sasami silently cursed herself for not bringing her umbrella. She got off the bus and half-walked and half-ran in the rain while clutching Misao's note. Already, the ink began to bleed as the note got wet. Sasami silently cursed again, and hoped she remembered enough of the directions. After a few blocks, she finally found the address. It looked like a house of sorts, but it had two main doors, each with its own mailbox and nameplate. She rang the door bell for the one labeled 'Amano'. Beyond the door she heard the muffled sound of footsteps and Misao's voice as she called, "Coming!" The door opened and Misao greeted her with a smile, which slowly melted into surprise. "Sasami! You're all wet!" "Yeah! I forgot my umbrella!" Sasami rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Come in before you catch a cold!" Misao grabbed her hand and pulled her through the doorway. "You're really cold, Sasami! You'll have to change out of those wet clothes." Divested of her wet socks and sneakers, and wearing a pair of rabbit embroidered slippers, Sasami dripped across Misao's apartment and into the bathroom. "Bathrobes and towels are in the left cabinet. I'll bring you some clothes to change to." With a twinkle in her eye, Misao added, "Feel free to take a bath if you want to." Misao was about to close the door when Sasami blurted, "Misao-san, is that a jacuzzi?" "Why yes. Do you want to try it?" "Um, well, that's ok, it'll be too much trouble." "Oh no, not at all. Here, let me start it." Misao turned the valves before Sasami could protest. The Jacuzzi began to fill with steamy water. "You might want to stretch a little and rinse with lukewarm water before you go in. Otherwise, it might feel too hot." "Ok." Misao shut the door and Sasami disrobed and rinsed herself. She did a few stretching exercises, then waded into the Jacuzzi. She sat on a rectangular protrusion which rose from the bottom of the Jacuzzi. She relaxed in the water. She looked around her and noticed that the tiles were painted with a forest scene to give the illusion of bathing in a spring. She waved her hands over the jets and played with the bubbles on the water's surface. Then she heard a tap on the door. "I have a change of clothes, Sasami-chan. Where do you want them?" Sasami panicked. She had forgotten to wrap herself in a towel and didn't want Misao to see her. Just the thought of Misao seeing her made her blush. "Just a minute!" She quickly got out of the Jacuzzi and stepped towards the cabinet. In her haste, she didn't see the white bar of soap under her foot and with a yelp of surprise, slipped. "Ah!" *Klonk! Klonk* Sasami knocked down several little pails and a shampoo carrier in the process of reaching out in hopes of finding something to steady herself. She landed on her behind. "Ow, ow!" Sasami leaned to one side and rubbed her bruised behind. "Sasami!" The door quickly slid open. Misao surveyed the scene before her and averted her eyes. Then, she stepped behind the door. "Umm, are you ok?" Sasami felt warm all over and really embarrassed. But with Misao behind the door, she somehow felt relieved. "I'm fine." She got up, took a towel from the cabinet and wrapped it around her. She peeked around the door. "Misao-san?" "Ah, umm, here's the change of clothes." Misao held out a bundle of clothes. "Here's two sets of shirts and shorts, and uh, underwear. It's new, and still in plastic." Sasami studied Misao. (Am I seeing things or is Misao blushing?) Sasami reached out and took the clothes. "Thanks." Sasami glanced over at the Jacuzzi. (I guess she really is a good person.) "The Jacuzzi feels real nice." "Umm, I'm glad you like it." "But it's kinda a shame to waste all that water." Misao's heart skipped a beat. "It's okay, I mean, I'm the only one that uses it, and I use up that much water too." "Well, it reminds me of a hot spring." "Umm, I thought it felt boring just sitting there, so I used some stencils and painted some trees and rocks." "Really? How neat!" "And, umm, there's a shower radio on the side, which you can play some music." "Wow. Maybe you should show me. Would you like to join me?" "Ano, I, I thought you might want to be alone." Misao turned away slightly. (Even her ears are red.) Sasami smiled. "Hey it's your bath. And aren't you my host?" "I... well..." "I can't let all that good water go to waste, so I'm going back in. And you're welcome to join me." Sasami stepped back in. Misao heard a rustle of clothes and a soft splash which meant that Sasami was probably in the water. Sasami sat and listened for Misao beyond the door. She heard a rustle of clothes and footsteps walking away. Then a thought struck her. Misao might have the rumored Western aversion to nakedness. (I might have made her uncomfortable at the idea. I hope I haven't offended her.) She remembered going to hot springs with her mother and sometimes with friends. She had bathed among other girls, but she usually had a towel. (I guess I'm a little squeamish too.) She looked at the slightly open door and shrugged. (Oh well, I guess she's not coming.) She took off the towel and squeezed some water out. She laid it on a shelf nearby and found the radio. She turned it on and it played a gentle samisen tune. Then she leaned back into the water. Before she realized it, Misao stepped through the door and closed it. Sasami sank into the water. (I didn't hear her. Shoot.) Misao turned her back to Sasami and placed a bundle of clothes on a shelf. She removed her bathrobe which she hung on a peg. This time, Sasami averted her eyes as Misao started to rinse. Sasami silently berated herself. (Aversion, huh? Looks like I'm the one who's squeamish.) The splashing stopped and Misao stepped into the Jacuzzi. (It's okay... it's okay... we're both girls.) Sasami looked over to Misao who sat opposite her and hastily concealed her surprise. Misao bowed her head to the side. Her arms were crossed over the swell of her breasts and her legs were folded together as she sat. Her cheeks were still flushed like before. (She looks so vulnerable.) Sasami thought as she lay in the water up to her neck. (But she also seems embarrassed.) Then it occurred to her if she could see Misao even through the jets of water, then Misao could see her too. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. A few moments passed. Meanwhile, Misao was silently trying to convince herself. (It's okay... it's okay... we're both girls. She doesn't use a towel, so I shouldn't. And this is Japan. And I'm Japanese. So this is normal.) She spread her arms across her chest, determined to cover as much as possible. (This is normal.) "Er, where did you get this music?" Misao looked up. "Umm, there was a section called 'Japantown' in the city where I used to live. I found a store which imported Japanese CDs, and I bought this there." She paused and looked off to the side. "Do you like it?" "Yeah, but I don't think we have this CD in our store." "There's a product number on the back of the CD. I can help you track it down." "Really? Thanks, Misao-chan." (Misao-chan? She did say it, right? I don't know why, but I'm happy to hear it.) Her arms relaxed as she sank into the water. Then, she remembered. "I have some bath beads. Would you like to try it?" "What does it do?" "The beads contain a herbal formula and Vitamin E. It supposed to cleanse and moisturize your skin." "Sounds neat. Ok. I'll try it." Misao half rose in the water, and started to reach out. Then she hesitated. By doing so, she had left the concealing comfort of the gushing water. (It's okay, it's Sasami.) She reached out and popped a few beads out of a dispenser on a wall onto her hands. She held out the beads to Sasami. "Put these in the water around you. It will dissolve on its own." It was difficult to ignore the slender glistening figure before her, and Sasami did her best to casually accept the beads with a nod while her inner self chanted, (It's just Misao... not squeamish... not squeamish...) She spread the beads as instructed and hugged her knees again. In a minute or so, the steam rose with a soft, almost minty aroma. "It has a bit of eucalyptus oil in it." Misao explained. "Wow, this is so cool. It's better than a hot spring. I rarely get to go to springs, while you have one to yourself." "I would rather go with you to a spring, Sasami, than be here by myself." The words were out before Misao realized what she said. She glanced anxiously at Sasami and turned away. "Um, if you'd like to use the tub, just let me know." Sasami felt surprised at Misao's reply, and a little flattered. "Maybe we should go to a real one then. I know an old fashioned resort, but it's kinda far." "Really? I... I would love to! Is next weekend ok?" Sasami paused. "Yeah, I'm free then. I'll check the weather for next weekend, just in case." Misao giggled. "Once bitten, twice shy." She smiled jokingly. "Ah ha ha ha! I get it!" Sasami relaxed against the wall of the jacuzzi. "I'm sorry to be so much hassle. I really should have checked the weather." "Don't worry. I'm just glad you came." They talked a little bit more easily. Then finally, Sasami started to feel a little too warm and sleepy. Misao must have noticed this, and suggested that they get out. "At this temperature, you shouldn't stay longer than 15 minutes. This is because you don't want your body temperature to be so high, that your own body might think it has a fever." They dried off and began to put on some clothes. Sasami had turned her back to Misao as she examined the packaged underwear. There was a set of black bra and panties and another in the shade of yellow. (If it wasn't for me, she would have worn this.) Two visions of Misao clad in each set of underwear came unbidden into her mind. (Black looks nice. Eh? What am I thinking?) She shook her head as if to rid herself of the vision, and opened the yellow set. She slipped them on and found them to be, well, a little tight. She selected a shirt and shorts and put them on. Then she peeked back to see if Misao was done. To her surprise, Misao had a slight yukata on and was drying her hair. The yukata had soft shades of yellow and brown. There were several embroidered wren in flight or perched on twisted twigs. "Wow, that's a nice yukata." "Thanks. I found it in a store not far from yours." Then Misao noticed Sasami's hair. "Your hair's so long." "Oh, yeah. I have to braid it now. Mother sometimes does it for me." "I know a little bit about braiding too." "Really?" "In high school, I had a few friends who kept up with the latest styles. They taught me in exchange for help with their homework." "That's cool! What kind of styles did they teach you?" Misao gathered up some of her own hair and positioned it to demonstrate a style. "Several. There's one that encircles your head like a headband. Another that rolls in a shape of a bun. And yet another that makes it wider and flatter." "I wonder how the headband style would look on me?" Sasami spoke the words aloud, but she asked herself the question. Misao hoped that Sasami would ask her, and unconsciously held her breath. (Nah, I've been too much trouble already.) Sasami picked up the towel and began to dry her hair. "Ano, do you have a brush I may borrow?" Misao felt a little disappointed. "I think so." She opened a nearby cabinet and selected a brush. She rinsed it and handed it to Sasami.
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