Loss and Redemption
Discipline and Tenderness
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Disclaimer: See Prologue.
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reviews would be greatly appreciated.
Once again, I would like to thank all
reviewers for the feedback that was provided.
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>This fanfic is based on the manga and anime and
borrows facets from both of them.
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>“*” Spoken words
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>‘*’ Thoughts
>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Love Hina
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Loss and Redemption
style='mso--lan-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Chapter Four: Discipline and Tenderness
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>By: hawker_748
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>**LIME CONTENT WARNING!**
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
For the next two
weeks Keitaro and Motoko s the the early morning on the annex rooftop, with
Motoko either directing him in meditation or teaching him the correct way to
hold a blade. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning never got any easier, even with
a bucket of cold water for an alarm clock. Eventually, Keitaro started waking
up earlier, managing to avoid the bucket. One morning he even managed to wake
up before Motoko. He was tempted to wake her in the same manner that she had
awakened him but he figured that he didn’t need a new cast.
On the day that the
cast was scheduled to come off, Motoko decided that there wouldn’t be a morning
lesson since he’d need sleep for what she had planned for that day. After breakfast
the two of them walked to the doctors office and the cast was red wid without
incident. As soon as it was off Keitaro immediately started scratching the itch
that he hadn’t been able to reach for far too long, sighing in blessed relief
as he did so.
The two of them
returned to Hinata House, Keitaro getting accustomed to walkingh twh two
healthy legs once again. Once back inside, Motoko gestured for him to follow
her. They walked into their room and Motoko retrieved a package from the
closet.
“A small token to
celebrate your recovery,” she said as she passed it to him.
“Um, thanks Motoko,”
he replied with a hint of embarrassment. Remembering what had occurred the last
time he had accepted a package from an Aoyama, Keitaro opened the package with
a hint of unease. He was relieved to discover that there were no letters
inside. There was only clothing and he ed ied it out to reveal it was, “A
hakama and gi?” he asked, the confusion apparent in his voice.
“Yes. ‘Proper
training clothing.’ Don’t you remember?” she asked.
“Yeah, I remember
now,” he said. “Mind stepping out so I can try this on?”
“Do I have to?” she
asked, the barest hint of a smile on her face.
“Yes, if you don’t
mind.”
“You’re no fun,” she
pouted as she walked out the door. ‘Oh well, at least I’ll finally see him in a
kendo outfit.’
After the door
closed, Keitaro shook his head at the strangeness of what had just happened.
The outfit was identical to Motoko’s in all but size. He put it on and
discovered that it was a perfect fit. He found himself admiring the feel of the
outfit and standing a little taller because of it. At this point Motoko
re-entered, without knocking, gave him a quick once over and nodded in
approval.
“Very nice, at least
you look the part now.”
“Thank you. It fits
perfectly, how’d you know my sizes?” he inquired.
“I, I looked thh
sh
some of your other clothes,” she replied with a hint of a blush.
“I see,” he replied
slowly. Can you excuse me again, I need to take it off.”
<
“No.”
“What?”
“You must wear that
from now on as much as possible. It will help you to think of yourself as a
kendoist.”
“You mean I gotta
wear this thing in public?”
Motoko’s eyes
narrowed slightly at that question, causing Keitaro to flinch. “-I- wear that
‘thing’ in public. Am I doing something wrong?” she asked with more than just a
hint of frost on her voice.
“No, no, no! I’m
just a little surprised that’s all.”
“How does your leg
feel?” she asked with a hint of displeasure in her voice.
“A little odd
without the cast, but I’m glad its gone.”
“Feel up to little
exercise?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Excellent. We’ll go
for a little run.”
“How little?”
“About three miles”
It was clear that it was not a suggestion or a request. “You’ll need to improve
your endurance.”
The two of them walked
out of the room and headed downstairs and out the door. Keitaro had a feeling
of dread in the pit of his stomach in anticipation of what this ‘little run’
would be like. ‘I was right, it just got harder.’ After taking a deep breath he
started a slow jog, hampered by the unfamiliar footwear he was wearing. After
getting down the stairs and turning to his right, he looked to his left and saw
Motoko easily keeping pace, a contemptuous look on her face.
“Faster Urashima!
I’ll cut you some slack today because you just had a cast removed, but you’d
better pick up the pace! Keep up with me or else!” She then increased her pace
slightly and pulled ahead.
‘A lot harder,’
Keitaro thought despondently. He increased his pace to match hers but there
were several factors working against him.
Motoko was a
well-trained, well-conditioned martial artist, while he had spent several years
just studying. While he had worked digs at Parakelese, there hadn’t been much
running involved. She was also taller than him and naturally had a longer
stride. Finally, and most importantly, pride was on the line. She may have
cared for Keitaro, and maybe even had romantic feelings for him, but she’d be
damned if she’d let him beat her. All of this conspired to allow Keitaro first
hand experience of what hell was like.
Every stride sent
shockwaves from the balls of his feet all the way up to his lower back. It felt
like the pavement was kicking the bottom of his foot with every step. His lungs
were burning and tired from the exertion of trying to supply his muscles with
oxygen. Breathing was further hampered as phlegm was building up in his throat,
causing him to wheeze.
It felt like his
heart was trying to send messages in Morse code; it was beating so fast.
Finally, he had developed a stitch in his side, but he felt that ‘stitch’
didn’t begin to do the feeling justice. It felt like a seamstress had grabbed
him and shoved him into an industrial sewing machine. Yet he kept going,
knowing that as bad as these were, Motoko would make it worse if he didn’t try
his best.
After what felt like
an eternity, with an additional six months tacked on for good measure, Hinata
House came back into view. ‘Oh, *gasp* God,’ Keitaro thought, ‘we’re *gasp*
almost *gasp* there!’ Even his thoughts were in gasps at this point. He turned
his head slightly to look at Motoko and was inexplicably infuriated to see that
she wasn’t breathing hard. She didn’t even seem to be sweating. He was further
dismayed when she practically sprinted up the stairs.
“Finish fast,
Urashima!” she called out to him.
Digging deep and
calling on resources he didn’t even know he had, Keitaro managed a semi-sprint
up the stairs. When he finally reached the top he fell to his knees and
Shinobu’s breakfast made an encore appearance. As he lay there retching, racked
by the dry heaves, and trying to breathe in every precious oxygen molecule he
could, a shadow fell over him. Gasping, he looked up and saw Motoko standing
over him. The look she was giving him was strangely neutral.
“About what I
expected Urashima. Don’t worry, it’ll feel better shortly.”
“You, you’re gonna
kill me?” he choked out. “Promise?”
“No you fool! Get up
and start walking with your hands on your hips and breathe deep. You’ll get
your wind back sooner.”
Keitaro reluctantly
got to his feet and did what he was told. It was difficult, but in a few
minutes the pain lessened significantly. It still hurt, but he was no longer
praying for a giant asteroid to strike the earth and end it all. After a couple
more minutes, he felt almost human again. “You were right, I feel better now.”
“Good, go get
cleaned up and relax a little. We’ll do this again later, so be careful about
eating anything.”
“Again?! Are you
trying to kill me?”
“I’m trying to turn
you into a quarter decent kendoist,” she replied.
“You’ll get my best,
sensei.”
‘Famous last words
Urashima’’ she thought as she turned and walked back into Hinata House, Keitaro
following behind her.
***
Kitsune was lounging
on the sofa in the living room when Keitaro and Motoko walked in. They were
wearing identical outfits but while Motoko looked unruffled, Keitaro looked
like he’d tried to outrun a mustang. A Carrol Shelby Mustang driven by Steve
McQueen.
In the mood for a
little teasing, and deciding to gauge how close the two of them really were,
Kitsune let out a wolf whistle and called out, “Don’t you two make a lovely
couple.” She then sat make to observe the reactions. Keitaro blushed but this
wasn’t too unusual. He was probably more embarrassed by the whistle than the
couple comment. Motoko however…
‘Uh-oh,’ thought
Kitsune.
Motoko was blushing
furiously and looking quite flustered. Not her normal behavior at all, but then
again she hadn’t really been acting ‘normal’ since she got back from the
challenge. Still…the prospect that Motoko was perhaps nursing some feelings for
Keitaro was disturbing, and without Naru to counteract them, who knew how they
might develop.
Kitsune decided that
she would investigate further, but now was not the time. Later, when they were
separated; perhaps she could talk to Motoko in the hot springs…Yes, that would
be perfect. ‘Divide and conquer,’ she thought with a smirk. Then she saw
someone walking up to the residence who could also be useful. However, certain
preparations were necessary fi
“Su, Sarah, Shinobu,
could you come here?” Kitsune called out.
Within a few moments
the three girls had arrived. “What’s goin’ on?” asked Sarah. She then noticed
Keitaro and Motoko standing there. “What’s with the outfit, dork?”
“Never mind that, go
grab a couple of cushions,” Kitsune ordered.
Shinobu stared at
Keitaro and Motoko’s matching outfits for a couple of seconds before she
retrieved two cushions. The amount of worry she had internalized began to grow
slightly. “What do we do with these?” she asked.
“You’ll see,”
Kitsune replied cryptically. She then broke into a wide grin. “Mutsumi! It’s
good to see you again! How was Okinawa?” The other residents turned around and
sure enough, Mutsumi was walking in.
“Wonderful!” She
then noticed Keitaro and Motoko. “Ah, Keitaro, why are you wearing Motoko’s
clothes?”
This question
resulted in a collective face-fault.
After getting back
on her feet Kitsune replied, “He didn’t borrow them, they’re his. She’s
training him in kendo.”
A confused look appeared
on Mutsumi’s face. “Why?”
‘Sorry to do this to
you sister, but…’ “They’re married now, so it seemed the right thing to do,”
Kitsune answered. With her hands she gestured for Su, Shinobu and Sarah to move
behind Mutsumi with the cushions.
“Married?” Mutsumi
asked.
“YepW yoW you
three!” Kitsune shouted as Mutsumi started to swoon.
Shinobu, Sarah and
Su understood instantly and threw the cushions under Mutsumi. She collapsed
into the soft pile, which prevented her from banging her chin on the floor. As
a result she was merely unconscious and her spirit didn’t start to float away.
‘I’m glad some
things are still predictable.’ “Good work you three, let’s get her on the
sofa,” stated Kitsune.
***
“…so basically,
that’s what’s happening. If I can impress Tsuruko with what I’ve learned,
Motoko will be allowed back into her families’ school. It’ll also cause the
marriage to be annulled,” Keitaro concluded softly.
“I see…” replied
Mutsumi, her expression the same blissful one she always wore. “What does Naru
think of Keitaro and Motoko being married?”
There was an
uncomfortable silence until Keitaro spoke up. “She’s not here. She went to
visit her family for a while and she doesn’t know about the chance we have to
break the engagement.”
“You can’t tell
her?”
“We can’t reach her.
She won’t answer her cell phone, e-mail, instant messages, and her family
refuses to pass on any messages. Believe me, we’ve tried,” answered Kitsune.
“We’ll have to wait until she comes back to tell her.”
“If she comes back,”
muttered Sarah.
Keitaro glared at
Sarah in response. “She’ll be back, I know it,” he said with absolute
conviction.
‘Wishful thinking or
speakinom tom the heart?’ Motoko silently contemplated.
“I agree, she’ll be
back,” Kitsune added. ‘If she wants a chance with Keitaro the sooner she gets
back the better.’ Kitsune’s usual smirk grew slightly as she asked, “Mutsumi,
would you like to join us in the hot spring?”
Mutsumi’s eyes
glazed over and a dreamy look came over her face. “Sure! Let’s take the shortcut,”
she said as she headed for the hidden entrance.
“Let’s just use the
hallway, O.K?” Kitsune replied. She then looked at Keitaro and decided to try
another test. “Hey Keitaro, even though your wife is in the bath that doesn’t
mean that you can peep at the rest of us!” she said in a mock threatening tone.
She was a little worried when Motoko merely blushed instead of making a threat
towards Keitaro.
For his part Keitaro
blushed upon recalling all that he had seen the previous nights. He used the
back of his right hand to wipe away the single drop of blood that had been
discharged from his nose. Realizing that he wouldn’t be welcome anywhere near
the hot springs, he went to his private bath to clean himself up and soak his
sore muscles.
***
<:p>
After all of the
women had entered the hot spring and engaged in small talk for a few minutes,
Kitsune decided it it was time to get down to business. Figuring that Mutsumi
was as good a place to start as anywhere, she said, “So Mutsumi, what do you
think of our newlyweds?”
All of the ambient
chatter ceased as though a switch had been thrown.
Mutsumi pursed her
lips in thought and replied, “It’s unexpected. I didn’t think that they liked
each other. Are they closer now?”
“Probably a little,
they do sleep together,” responded Kitsune.
Motoko blushed
heavily at this and stammered, “It, it, its not like that! We sleep in the same
room but nothing happens!”
“Is that
disappointment I hear in your voice?” Kitsune needled. ‘Damn, she’s not
objecting with that much vehemence. This could be worse than I thought.’
“No! It’s not like
that at all! I’m merely teaching him kendo, and the two of us wake up earlier
than anyone else. By being in the same room we don’t disturb anyone else.”
‘That sounds a
little more reassuring,’ Kitsune thought. “You really want back into your
family school, don’t you?”
“Of course, it’s
what I live for,” she replied succinctly.
‘Better, much
better.’ “So how goes the training Motoko?” asked Kitsune.
“Difficult. We have
a lot to accomplish and only a short time to do it.”
“So you have to push
Urashima very hard? Oh my. He can’t be enjoying that, can he?” commented
Mutsumi.
“No, but our style
isn’t easy to learn. It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice.”
“How is sempai
doing?” asked Shinobu.
“He’s trying the
best he can,” replied Motoko.
“Yeah,” Su
interjected, “he ran until he tossed his cookies today!”
“Su!” cried out
Shinobu.
“Yep, he puked,
heaved, barfed,-”
“We get the point!”
shouted Kitsune, who was looking a little green around the gills.
Mutsumi, seemingly
unaffected by the topic of conversation, asked, “So what’s it like being
married to Keitaro?”
“Yeah, tell us!”
added Sarah.
The other residents
were all leaning forward in anticipation of Motoko’s answer.
“It’s… alright.”
As one, the other
residents of Hinata House blinked.
“Just alright?”
asked Kitsune.
“Isn’t that rather
dull?” inquired Mutsumi.
“No! I mean we train
together, we sleep together,-”
“Now we’re getting
somewhere!” cried Kitsune, while Shinobu blushed to the point that she could
have hidden in a tomato patch. “What’s the flight time for the flying turtle?”
“I didn’t mean like
that!” shrieked Motoko. “We sleep next to each other on two futons, we don’t
have any contact.” ‘Aside from that one night,’ she recalled with a faint
blush. ‘It was… very nice, but we haven’t done anything since.’ Motoko was a
little surprised at the disappointment that thought brought her.
“I was right, that’s
dull,” chortled Kitsune. “Doesn’t seem worth the trouble to me.”
“What, what do you
mean?” stammered Motoko.
‘Good, good, just
have to keep it up,’ Kitsune thought to herself with a slightly sinister grin.
“How much ‘fun’ can it be if you need two futons?”
Motoko was unable to
think of a way to respond to this comment.
“Oh my, that’s not
fun at all,” added Mutsumi. “At least Keitaro’s working hard at the training,
right?”
“Yes, that’s
correct,” responded Motoko.
“Narusegawa should
be happy when she hears how hard that Keitaro is working to get out of the
marriage, right?” Mutsumi asked.
Motoko swallowed
once before answering. “I, I suppose so.”
“Yeah, it’s
perfect,” chortled Sarah. “Motoko just has to keep cracking that whip and that
dork will do anything to get away!” Caught up in her malicious glee, Sarah
didn’t notice the pensive look that came over Motoko’s face.
Kitsune noticed it
though. ‘Shit! Is she starting to have second thoughts?’ She threw an icy stare
at Sarah that the younger girl didn’t notice. ‘Sarah just had to bring it out
in the open didn’t she? Motoko didn’t seem to be bothered by losing Keitaro
until that brat opened her big mouth!’
“Hey, when will Naru
come back?” asked Su.
Everyone looked at
Kitsune, who simply sighed and said, “I’m not certain, maybe a month or so.”
“How hard will you
train sempai?” asked Shinobu.
“As hard as I must,”
Motoko replied. Her voice betrayed none of the uncertainty she was now feeling.
“Good luck then,”
Shinobu said with complete honesty.
“Thank you. On that
subject, I think that its time for another training session. If you’ll excuse
me,” Motoko said as she walked out of the bath.
Watching her leave
Kitsune thought, ‘she’s gonna work that poor guy to death. I’ll do what I can
Naru, but it would be easier if you were here.’
The mood in the bath
lightened considerably when Su asked Mutsumi if she could get some more hot
springs turtles so she could try a new turtle noodle soup recipe she had
discovered. In the resulting ‘discussion’, any thoughts of Keitaro and Motoko
were pushed to the back of everyone’s mind.
***
True to her word,
Motoko found Keitaro and told him that it was time for another run.
“How long?” he
asked.
“Three miles, just
through the neighbourhood.”
“Alright, let me go
change…”
“-Urashima,” Motoko
interrupted. “Wait,” she told him, “for this, you can wear sweatpants and a
shirt.”
“O.K. Then gimme two
minutes.”
Just over a minute
later the two of them were standing at the top of the stairs of Hinata House
and ready to begin. Motoko turned to Keitaro and said, “You should be able to
keep a better pace in that outfit, so we’ll go a little faster this time.”
‘Better pace?! Is
she slipping steroids into my food?’ “Yes sensei.”
“Remember, the pain
will go away eventually so don’t be afraid to push yourself. Let’s go.” With
that she started to jog down the stairs, Keitaro following behind her.
Running through the
neighbourhood, Motoko was outwardly the epitome of focus; Keitaro was doggedly
trying to keep pace despite his obvious fatigue. In reality, Motoko was running
on autopilot, trying to make sense of the confusion in her thoughts.
‘Am I trying to push
him away?’ she asked herself. ‘No, I’m not. At least I don’t think I am. I’m
simply training him kendo, and that training will be lot of work. I told him it
would be hard, he should be expecting this.’
‘But I’m supposed to
be his wife. We should be equals, but I’m treating him just like any other
student. But he’s more than just student isn’t he? He’s my husband. Perhaps
reluctantly, but he’s done more for me than anyone else ever has in my life.’
Motoko had a sudden flashback to a night a few weeks earlier. She remembered
stifled screams of agony, the gentle kiss of cold steel, and the dripping
warmth of freshly spilled blood.
‘He saved my life.
He suffered terrible injuries to protect me from myself. He did that for me and
I treat him like he’s just another student. No warmth, no compassion, just
another student.’
She looked over to
see how Keitaro was handling the run. As she expected, he was beat. But he
wasn’t beaten. Far from it, the determination she saw in his eyes told her that
he’d run with her until he dropped.
‘He seems to be
giving it his all,’ she mused. ‘I don’t know what his kendo skills are like,
but I can’t find fault with his effort and determination.’ This thought gave her
pause, as it raised another point in her mind. ‘Why is he working so hard? He
said he cares for me, but he’s working as if he wants to impress Tsuruko and
get out of the marriage.’
>
‘But his main
interest is getting me back into the Shinmei School,’ Motoko recalled. ‘He went
to see Tsuruko behind my back not to end the marriage, but to get me
reinstated. Or is he just saying that to spare my feelings? If he really was
interested in me, then there’d be no reason to push himself this hard. If he
gave a half effort than the be be no way he’d impress Tsuruko and we be
married for real.’ Upon contemplation, Motoko was able to bring herself to
admit that she could probably live with that.
‘But he’s willing to
nearly kill himself to get me reinstated and end the marriage. Why would he
make the effort if he wanted me? Why is my reinstatement so important to him?’
She nearly smacked herself in the head as she realized that there was an
obvious way to find out staring her in the face. ‘Why don’t I just ask him?’ As
Hinata House loomed in front of them, she decided to do just that.
After reaching
Hinata House once again, Motoko was pleased to see that while Keitaro was
having trouble trying to catch his breath, he wasn’t throwing up either. She
allowed a small smile to appear and told him, “Better Urashima, it wasn’t as
hard this time was it?”
“No, it wasn’t.
Death wouldn’t be an improvement this time,” he gasped.
As she watched him
get his strength back, she decided that she would ask him now, while they had a
moment of relative privacy.
“Urashima, may I ask
you a personal question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Do you find being
married to me that distasteful?” she asked quietly.
Keitaro was taken
aback at this question, but quickly responded, “No I don’t, why do you ask?”
“Why are you working
so hard to impress my sister? Why are you working so hard to end the marriage?”
“I’m not. Being
married to you could be, rather, is nice, but that’s not what you really want
is it?”
Surprised at being
the one to answer a question like that, Motoko replied, “I don’t know what you
mean.”
“Your first love is
the Shinmei School right?” When Motoko nodded, he continued. “I’m doing this to
get you back in, that’s why.”
“But why is it so
important to you Urashima?” Motoko asked uncertainly.
Keitaro didn’t
answer that, at least not verbally. He walked up to Motoko until he was
standing in front of her. He looked around to make sure that none of the other
residents was in the vicinity. Satisfied that no one was looking, he held up
his hands, palms facing her.
Motoko drew in a
sharp breath as she realized what he was attempting to demonstrate. Running
horizontally across each palm was a long, thin scar, a souvenir of her suicide
attempt of a few weeks ago.
In a quiet voice he
said, “that’s why. I’m worried about you, and I’m concerned by what you might
do. I know you said you wouldn’t, but I don’t know for sure.” He then put his
hands down and walked past her into the residence, leaving a shaken Motoko
behind him.
***
For the remainder of
the afternoon and evening Motoko made an active effort to avoid Keitaro, as she
didn’t think that she could face him for a while. While Keitaro and the others
enjoyed a visit with Mutsumi, Motoko spent most of the time on the roof, in
Keitaro’s traditional spot, lost in thought.
Kitsune and the
others noticed her absence but didn’t know what it was about and were
uncomfortable at the prospect of raising the issue with Keitaro. In addition,
no one was in any mood to risk a return of the stress and tension of a couple
of weeks ago, and so they decided to avoid the issue in the hopes that it would
go away on its own. And in the back of Kitsune’s mind, she was hoping that a
little friction between Keitaro and Motoko would help Naru’s chances. She had no
ill will towards either of them, but Naru needed all the help she could get
right now.
Later that evening,
after Mutsumi had left and Keitaro was in his room getting ready for bed,
Motoko finally walked in. Keitaro stopped removing his sock, looked up at her
for a few seconds and then resumed undressing.
Motoko had been
nervous about facing Keitaro again, but she had come to a decision while
thinking on the roof. ‘I owe him my life, I may end up owing him for being able
to rejoin the Shinmei School. The least I could do is show him a little
kindness. I can be a little more humane in my teaching methods, right?’
Motoko allowed
herself to make an admission. ‘I do care for Keitaro. I see that now. Why
shouldn’t I try to let him know that? Why not show him?’
She nodded to
herself as she decided on a course of action. ‘I’ve been thinking that he isn’t
acting much like a husband. Well, am I acting anything like a wife? No, I’m
not. Maybe, maybe I should start to change that.’
After taking a deep
breath to calm herself, she said “How are you feeling Uras- Keitaro?”
Surprised at hearing
his first name, Keitaro looked up at Motoko and rep, “I, “I’m O.K., I guess. My
muscles are just a little sore.”
“I see.” Noticing
that Keitaro was only wearing a shirt and boxer shorts, she asked him,
“Keitaro, could you please lie down on your stomach?” ‘Yes, I think it’s time I
started to act a little like a wife.’
Confused by this
unusual request, Keitaro simply did as he was asked. ‘What’s going on, is this
some type of punishment?’ he wondered as Motoko walked over to the futon and
sat down next to his knees. ‘Don’t know why I’d be punished though, I haven’t
d-’ the rest of that thought was cut off as Motoko placed her hands on his
lower calves and began to massage them.
‘His legs will
undoubtedly hurt the most after all that running’ Motoko thought to herself as
she proceeded to work out some of the tenseness in Keitaro’s legs. She worked
up and down the back of his legs, going as high as the edge of his boxer
shorts. ‘This feels nice,’ Motoko noticed with a little surprise. ‘I knew that
he would like it, but this is kind of fun for me, too.’ So focused was she on
his legs, she failed to notice that his upper body had gone as tight as a drum
skin.
If anyone had asked
Keitaro, he would have sworn that all activity in his brain had come to a
screeching halt. The idea that Motoko would willingly give him a massage was
inconceivable. Oh, she had done it once before when everyone had thought he’d
failed the center exam, but that time it had felt like someone was driving a
steamroller on his back. This was gentler, softer, almost sensual. Hell, it WAS
sensual, and Keitaro was thankful that the way he was lying down prevented any
visually embarrassing moments.
Motoko’s hands moved
up and down Keitaro’s legs, rubbing and squeezing as they went. ‘He seems to be
uptight,’ Motoko mused, as she went after a stubborn knot of tension in his
left leg. ‘It would be lot more pleasant for the both of us if I was a little
more civil towards him.’ She started to use her fists to pound on his legs
above the knee, smiling to herself as he felt the tension lessen.
‘I’m a little
surprised,’ she thought, ‘I may have not thought of him as active, but his legs
aren’t in too bad shape.’ Motoko found herself enjoying the sensation of
rubbing Keitaro’s legs, and a little curious about the other parts of his body.
Trying to keep herself focused on what she was doing, Motoko tried to push all
extraneous thoughts out of her head, but her slight blush was testament to how
difficult that was.
Gradually, Keitaro
began to let himself relax and loosen the tensed up muscles in his back.
Motoko’s hands felt strong, callused, but with some softness there. ‘Every
woman would love to have hands that feel like hers,’ he mused. The calluses
added a firmness to herp thp that made the massage more effective. They weren’t
any really rough areas, and the varying textures was causing all sorts of nice
sensations. Her hands felt wonderful on his legs and he began to wonder what
they’d feel like elsewhere, and if all of her skin was that smooth.
As Motoko continued
to rub, knead, and squeeze the muscles on Keitaro’s legs she figured that she
had done everything that she could to work out the knots in his legs. Her eyes
fell onto his back and her curiosity inspired a small debate. ‘Should I…?, no,
it’s too forward. But on the other hand, I was wondering about it, right?
Besides, it’s what a wife would do, I’ll do it…’ A Kitsune like smirk came over
her features. ‘He does have a great deal of tension there anyway.’
Keitaro was enjoying
the sensation of pain free legs and a few not so innocent thoughts about Motoko
when he felt her hands leave his legs. He was about to thank her when she
suddenly straddled his hips and pushed his shirt up. The level of tension in
his back and shoulders shot up exponentially and his brain started to short
circuit. ‘What the h-’
Any further thoughts
were eliminated when he felt Motoko rest her hands on his shoulder blades and
then begin to work out the suddenly abundant tension there. The leg massage had
been wonderful, this was… indescribable. Despite the fact that his blood
pressure was probably off the scale, Motoko was working out the knots in his
back. Almost unwillingly, he felt himself relax as weeks worth of tension was
eliminated from his body.
Motoko was enjoying
the sensation of relieving the pent up stress in Keitaro’s back and shoulders.
He had a more athletic build than she would have expected, and he was warm as
well as being tense. She couldn’t deny the fact that she liked the feeling of
his back and shoulders under her hands. ‘I’m feeling a little odd,’ she
realized. ‘I’m flushed, and why is my heart pounding? This isn’t hard work.’
Her eyes opened wide and her blush deepened as she remembered the last time
she’d had a feeling like this.
But this time, she
was virtually positive that she wasn’t coming down with a cold.
Keitaro was unaware
of this revelation in Motoko’s thoughts, as he was too busy luxuriating in the
massage. Motoko’s hands felt incredible, but there was something else, a
feeling almost like a silk cloth on his back. ‘My God, her hair!’ he realized.
Her hair was brushing against his back and adding an amazing counterpoint to a
truly wonderful massage. Keitaro realized that he was becoming sexually aroused
as his breathing started to become shallow. Just when it seemed that he’d start
to lose control Motoko stopped.
Keitaro barely
prevented himself from pleading for Motoko to continue.
Barely.
“Do you feel better
now, Keitaro?” Motoko asked. She was still straddling him so he had to look up
over his shoulder to see her.
‘I’d feel better if
you hadn’t stopped,’ he thought. “Yes, thank you Motoko. The stiffness is gone
now.” ‘Most of it anyway.’
She pushed herself
off of him and stood up. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so harsh a sensei Keitaro,
you didn’t deserve it.”
“What do you mean,
Motoko?”
“I mean you’ve done
everything that’s been asked of you and more without complaint,” she replied.
“You’ve been there for me, comforted me, and you even saved my life. And I
still treated you like you were just another student,” she concluded sadly.
Keitaro looked up at
her for a few minutes, trying to determine what to say. Finae sae said, “Please
don’t be sad Motoko, you don’t deserve any more sadness. There’s no need to
apologize, you’re just trying to do your best.” With a small smile he added,
“‘Sides, I think I work better with stern discipline.” He was startled when an
image came into his mind unbidden of Motoko in a dominatrix outfit, causing him
to blush.
“You’re very kind
Keitaro. If you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for bed,” she stated as she
walked out the door.
As soon as the door
closed Keitaro released all of the facial control he had been using and he
struggled to catch his breath. ‘My God, that was… hot! Where did she learn to
do that?!’ he wondered as he attempted to get his blood flow back down to
normal.
His efforts at
self-control were hampered when Motoko re-entered the room. ‘He’s looking at
me,’ she realized. She had to admit she kind of liked having him look at her
like that. ‘Just a little tenderness seems to work wonders.’ She then started
to change into her nightshirt with out making much of an effort to conceal
herself from Keitaro.
For Keitaro this was
exquisite torture. He knew that he cared for Naru and that maybe he even loved
her, but he had NEVER been this excited by her, not even in that hotel room in
Kyoto. He’d never been this excited before in his life. He longed to take
Motoko in his arms and make her his, but he knew that if he did everything
would change. This gave him pause, as he wasn’t sure that he wasn’t just
feeling lust right now.
‘O.K., it probably
is lust,’ he reluctantly concluded.
‘Alright, it IS
lust,’ he admitted finally.
Keitaro didn’t want
to do anything that would end up hurting anyone, so he was able to mentally put
down his hormones. While he’d been having an internal debate, Motoko finished
dressing and laid down on her futon and turned out the light.
“Goodnight Keitaro,”
she whispered in a throaty voice that caused the hairs on the back of his neck,
among other things, to stand up.
“G, goodnight
Motoko,” he replied hesitantly. As he lay there, thinking back to what had just
happened, he remembered his promise to get her back in the Shinmei School. That
more than anything helped kill the last traces of desire in systsystem. ‘She
wants to be a warrior, not a wife. Remember that and throttle back!’ But a
small voice was asking him if that was what HE wanted
Having somewhat
reluctantly decided on what he believed to be the right course of action,
Keitaro closed his eyes and attempted to fall asleep. Only tonight, sleep was
the farthest thing from his mind.
‘This is gonna be a
long night,’ he thought miserably.
End Chapter Four Coming Soon: Chapter Yet again, Thanks to
5
Harvey Bautista for riding shotgun on this story and pre-reading it.