Kataomoi

by Hildred Billings

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  "KATAOMOI."

  Author Bio

  Also Available

  Coming Soon

  “KATAOMOI.”

  BOOK 4: REN’AI RENSAI

  Hildred Billings

  BARACHOU PRESS

  “KATAOMOI.”

  Copyright: Hildred Billings

  Published: 29th March 2013

  Publisher: Barachou Press

  This is a work of fiction. Any and all similarities to any characters, settings, or situations are purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

  WARNING: This book contains adult language and graphic f/f sex. It is intended for mature audiences only.

  Editor: Lindsay York

  Cover Design: Lindsay York

  Photographer: Wisky

  This book is dedicated to anyone who didn’t end up with the one they loved.

  "KATAOMOI."

  Tokyo; July 19th, 1997

  The edge of the table slipped from Aiko’s fingers and nearly crashed to the ground.

  “Tasukete!” she cried, knees buckling.

  On the other end, Reina jammed her fingers beneath the table before the centerpiece of their new living area could splinter into a million pieces.

  “Good job,” Reina chided. She waited for Aiko to recover before they continued moving the sitting table through the front yard and into their new house.

  Aiko, moving backwards, steadied herself at the entryway and attempted to step up without letting go of the table again. Its weight tore her fingers, and the sweltering summer sun suffocated her skin.

  Together they managed to push the heavy sitting table into the house, lift it over the genkan, and flip it sideways to fit through the living area door. The moment Aiko was allowed to drop her end was the highlight of the day.

  “I’m dying!” She didn’t bother to adjust the crooked table before collapsing onto the carpet. “Why is moving so hard?”

  Reina sat beside her, sweat pouring off her face. Her short hair stuck up in sticky spikes and her T-shirt clung to her flat chest like an adhesive, but she still smiled, her voice as burly as ever. “You’re a little weak for it, eh, Ai-chan? Come on! We’re almost done with the big stuff!”

  No more! Aiko elected to turn on the air conditioner and herald the endless stream of electric bills. She let Reina finish bringing in some of the heavier furniture.

  Although Aiko inherited the house from her great aunt, she hadn’t inherited most of the furniture. Somehow, her great aunt thought it a great idea to give away most of her furniture to other family members. So while there was already a cozy dining table and chairs, many kitchen utensils, and even a nice television and VCR set, the house was void of other conventional items such as, oh, the sitting table. Thankfully Reina had managed to score one from an old friend about to move, with the caveat they had to move it themselves once it was dropped off. That and the other mountains of furniture and boxes still littering the yard.

  But a house! A dream come true! As Aiko perked her head up when Reina came back in with a box full of sitting cushions, she considered this one of the most monumental days of her life. Not only was she now mistress of her own house, but she was finally moving in with her girlfriend of five years. All those times sneaking around their family homes and hoping nobody saw them stealing kisses were now over.

  Even Reina seemed to share in the felicity: she smiled during her harried trips in and out of the house, to the point Aiko grew concerned that her girlfriend would pass out from heat stroke. She got them two glasses of ice water to share when Reina finished bringing in the boxes and furniture marked for the sitting and dining areas.

  “I still can’t believe it,” Aiko said, curling up next to Reina as they leaned against the crooked sitting table. “We’ve been waiting for this day for so long, and now it’s here! Finally, our own place to live and be ourselves in!”

  Reina took a large gulp of water. “Ah, and that’s not even the best part.”

  “What’s the best part?”

  The glass of water met the sitting table. “We can now do this whenever we want.”

  Reina’s sweaty and smelly body careened into Aiko, tackling her onto the carpet and smothering her with affection. Salty kisses pecked Aiko’s lips and an unruly tongue pushed against hers. The only thing separating them from christening their new living room was the fact Reina was too tired to take off her clothes.

  Aiko pushed her off with a giggle and leaped to her feet. “We can do that later! There’s still more crap to bring in!”

  Since she was up again, Aiko readily volunteered to bring in the light items while Reina fought with the heavier ones. The goal was to get everything in the house before the sun set and the new neighbors complained. Unpacking would be primarily Aiko’s job in the coming weeks.

  Still, there were pressing matters up front, such as making the bed. They chose the largest bedroom for themselves, the same room Aiko’s great aunt once spent a majority of her later years in. This meant a desperate clean up was required, for the decay of “old lady” infected the room and was compounded by the stifling humidity. Aiko clanged the air conditioner to life and went about making the room hospitable while Reina roused a racket below.

  The first order of business was the bed: spacious, a rarity in Japan. Aiko stripped off the old linens and beat the old fumes from the mattress. Just as the air conditioner finally pumped out enough cool air to alleviate the sweat on the back of Aiko’s neck, she pulled out a new set of sheets and pillowcases to go beneath the plush brown comforter.

  She disposed of the old linens and smoothed down the bed. Bags of clothing and accessories littered the floor, but for now Aiko admired the enticing bed she and Reina would be sleeping in from now on.

  Every night. If a large bed was rare, then regularly sleeping with her girlfriend was even rarer. Sleepovers had been sparse during the last few years, save for when parents went out of town or they knew no sex could happen. The few nights they stole together, however, were the loveliest times, and Aiko couldn’t think of anything sweeter than falling asleep in Reina’s arms every night. In this bed! Her heart fluttered at the thought.

  “Oi, Ai-chan!” Reina’s parched voice careened up the staircase. “We’ve got a visitor!”

  Aiko scuttled downstairs, expecting the gas man to be their caller – the electric man had already come a couple of hours before. However, it was not a man who stood in the open doorway, but a woman. An older woman. With mischief on her wrinkled face.

  “Okaasan!” Aiko stepped into the genkan and approached her mother, Junko. “What are you doing here?”

  Junko helped herself inside and said, “I swear I tried to stay home and let you have your fun moving in, but around lunch I got so unsettled I had to come see how you were doing!” She held up a shopping bag. “I brought some food to help you until you make it to the supermarket.”

  Aiko had no choice but to accept this gift of food, and to let her mother follow her into the kitchen. Of course, Aiko had yet to fully acquaint herself with her new kitchen, so Junko got a great show of watching her daughter open and close cupboards, rearrange items in the fridge, and curse out a cockroach making its way across the counter like a big badass. Her borderline shrieks summoned Reina from the living area, still dripping with sweat.

  “Oh, Reina-san,” Junko said with a slight bow of the head. “You look...uncomfortable.”

  R
eina returned the head bow and grabbed a rag off the countertop. After she mopped the sweat off her forehead she said, “It’s a hot day for moving, but somebody’s got to move the furniture.” Although her voice was strained, her words were formal. Aiko took her mother’s distraction as an opportunity to shove the food somewhere in the fridge.

  Junko exuded the fake smile she usually reserved for people she found dejected and objectionable – like Reina. The only saving grace was that she did not know about the five-year relationship. Otherwise Junko paid Reina the necessary respect as her daughter’s “best friend” and nothing more. In private she always rambled about Reina’s “desperate need of a makeover and a boyfriend.” At least she was too old to consider “lesbian!” as another possibility.

  “Well, I don’t think I’d be much help moving around the furniture.” Junko perused the dining area, surveying the table and four chairs left behind. “You will put a cover on that, won’t you? I believe my dear late aunt had a lovely embroidered tablecloth when I was younger. What happened to it?”

  The one with the moth holes and grime along the edges? She had thrown it out, of course.

  “Never mind that. Have you had the house blessed yet? Have you visited the local shrine yet? Do you even know the local deity? Goodness! What would you do without me?”

  Here came the smothering mother, convinced that her youngest baby, now forging into the world on her own (sort of), was completely incapable of tying her shoes and brushing her hair. Aiko indulged her mother’s need to clean the kitchen and unpack half the dining materials. Let her! All the less work for Aiko to do. Sure, Junko would assume her daughter truly was an incompetent housekeeper, but there were months, nay years, for Aiko to turn that opinion around. She was twenty-three years old – a whole adult life lay ahead!

  Besides, there were more exciting things for Aiko to do on moving day: like help her girlfriend bring in boxes. Reina exiled herself outside, a good enough distance from Junko, and pulled in as much stuff from the front lawn as possible. The relentless afternoon sun pummeled her body and created waves of sweat off her brow and down her back. At times Aiko caught herself standing in the doorway and gawking at her girlfriend’s sweaty figure, lean, thin, and today, athletic. When they first met Reina had long hair and wore heavy eye make-up, leading Aiko to think of her as a sexy Cleopatra. Now she thought of another figure, someone called Adonis. He was good looking, right? Right.

  Reina dropped off the last of the smaller boxes in the hallway with a championed sigh. Aiko passed her a handkerchief and a bottle of water, both of which she used as if they came in dozens – the handkerchief returned sopping wet, and the bottle of water was now a bottle of air. Before Reina headed out again, Aiko blew her a kiss and carried a box into the kitchen.

  “Ara, why is Reina-san doing all that work?” By some miracle, Junko had the dishes organized. “Shouldn’t you two have boyfriends to help you do the heavy lifting?”

  Aiko bristled. “Neither of us have boyfriends, Mother.”

  “It’s a shame! You haven’t had a boyfriend in years, Ai-chan, and your youth is escaping from you. Are you really so picky?”

  “Yes.” Aiko turned on a small oscillating fan overlooking the counter. “And Reina is even pickier about men.”

  “Kawai sou.”

  What’s unfortunate about it? Reina’s disgust toward men meant more time for Aiko.

  Junko hung around until dusk, infusing herself in the kitchen and living room, where she insisted on cooking a light meal for the new roommates. The look on Reina’s face when she heard she was expected to eat Junko’s cooking was priceless.

  The night did not bring a reprieve from the heat, but it did bring a reprieve from Junko’s meddling. After saying goodbye, Reina kicked in the last box while Aiko swept the outdoor walkway. At least their new neighbors could not complain of any mess outside.

  Reina insisted on unpacking her clothing upstairs, which meant Aiko was left to take the first shower...alone. A shame, since she fantasized about the bathing they could do together, a rarity until that point. Aiko spent her shower rinsing off her sweat and imagining what it would look like with the two of them in there, sharing the showerhead and lathering each other’s bodies.

  After her shower, Aiko retreated upstairs and switched places with her girlfriend. While Reina bathed, Aiko attempted to put her own clothing away – but Reina had overtaken a majority of the closet and the dresser drawers. Aiko barely found enough room to unpack her underwear.

  Once Reina returned, they decided it was late enough to go to sleep. Together, of course! Here came the moment Aiko had waited for since the first time she and Reina had a sleepover.

  Or almost.

  “What side do you want?” Reina asked, as they stood at the foot of the bed and studied the comforter. “I really don’t care.”

  “Hm.” Aiko tilted her head. “I don’t care either. But it seems like a decision we should not make frivolously. It will dictate how we sleep forever!”

  “You’re overreacting. If we don’t like our initial decision, we can always swap places.”

  “Wouldn’t that be bad luck?”

  “Huh? Who says that? Your mother?”

  Aiko said nothing.

  “Fine, I’ll take this side.” Reina rounded the corner next to the window. “I like sleeping on my left side anyway.”

  Glee tickled Aiko’s toes. That way she’ll be facing me most of the night. Reina was not a romantic at heart, but she had her ways of expressing it...whether she knew it or not. Aiko hopped onto her new side and scrambled beneath the covers. She watched her girlfriend turn off the air conditioner and the overhead light before crawling in beside her in nothing but a tank top and a pair of underwear.

  “I can’t believe this has really happened,” Aiko said, as she wrapped the comforter around her waist. “You and me, in our own place! Every day!”

  Reina lay down and turned off her lamp. “Yeah, real exciting.” She yawned. “More unpacking tomorrow. And then work on Monday.”

  Aiko flopped on her side, fingers rubbing her girlfriend’s bare arm. “While you’re at work, I’m going to do the boring stuff. Like register our household,” our household! “and visit the neighbors. Oh! And we’ll need a new nameplate. What do you think we should do?”

  “Eh?” Reina squinted.

  “You know, for our nameplate. Should I try to get one with both our names on it? Or two separate ones?”

  Reina shrugged, her shoulders pushing her pillow up around her head. “Who cares? Just get whatever’s cheaper. I’m paying for it.”

  She had a point, but that wasn’t the point. These trite discussions about adjusting to their new home weren’t about economics or budgets – it was true, however, that Reina was currently the only source of income and therefore had a say in how much of her money was spent. But how like her not to understand Aiko’s motives! All she wanted was a quaint conversation focusing on this monumental step in their relationship.

  “I’ll keep money in mind when ordering plates tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to get at the shrine?”

  Turning over, Reina gaped at Aiko in disbelief. “Who the hell cares about the shrine?”

  “Sorry.” Aiko fumbled her hands on top of the comforter. No, Reina also didn’t like traditional aspects of life, such as visiting Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples. But if Aiko was determined to do everything “right” then a trip to the former was imminent.

  “Ah, there’s one thing I need.” Reina’s voice lost its caustic edge. “I need a new train pass from the station here to the one at work. Starting Monday I can’t use my old one since it’s a different line.”

  “I can’t do that for you.” Who did Reina think Aiko was? A shifter? “The person who uses the pass has to get it. Unless you’re a child. Are you a child?” Aiko wanted to answer that on her girlfriend’s behalf.

  “Mou, I don’t have time for that!”

  “Go tomorrow.”

&nbs
p; “The office will be closed tomorrow.”

  “Then go next Saturday and suck up paying out of pocket this week.”

  Reina glared at her. “This whole cohabitation thing isn’t really fun right now.”

  “We’ll adjust. At least neither of us have to live with our mothers anymore.”

  “Thank God!” The bed rocked as Reina shoved herself farther beneath the comforter, feet kicking the ends out of their pockets. “No more of your mother sniffing around every time we try to get frisky, and no more of my mother’s dirty looks when we get noisy. Happy days.”

  To that Aiko could agree. Just because Reina’s mother knew of their relationship didn’t make her any happier about it, if blatant ignoring said anything – at least Junko, in her ignorance, still treated them as human beings. And while Reina’s old house was a place they could have some privacy as long as they kept quiet, Aiko had a strict “hands off” rule in her natal home. Now that they had their own house they could...Aiko blushed. Reina saw it right away.

  “Maa, Ai-chan,” she said with the rough purr of seduction. “We have our own bed now.”

  Aiko slipped beneath the comforter and searched for her girlfriend’s wandering hand. “So we do.” She found it and gripped their fingers together; Reina brought both hands near her stomach. “I admit I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”

  “Eh? About what exactly?” That smarmy smirk on Reina’s face expressed she knew exactly what her girlfriend meant.

  Aiko bit her lip, a heartfelt giggle squirming in her throat. “Having our own private place that we can come to and stay for however long we like. And do...whatever we feel like.”

  Brown eyes alit in mischief. “Ehh, you can say it, Ai-chan. If this is our room, you can say whatever naughty things you want.”

  “You know!”

  “Hm, no, I don’t know.” Reina splattered both hands beneath her tank top, her head creeping closer to Aiko’s. The red in her cheeks may have been from the increasing heat in the room, or the increasing arousal between them. “You can’t be too cryptic. You’re an adult, so you should say what you mean, especially to me.”