Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina and make no profit from this work.

AN: Hooray, more reviews with some excellent feedback! Speaking of which, I do wish to provide some insight on why the portrayal of transgender issues thus far is fairly Westernized:

First off, I am from the West, and when you write you tend to write what you know, and naturally it's my own awareness of transgender issues in my country that gave me inspiration for this fanfiction idea (that and re-reading the series again). As such I wanted to include at LEAST elements of the issues facing transgender individuals in Western nations like mine. However I don't plan for it to be the ONLY perspective shown in the story; I plan to introduce and include elements of Japan's views on transgender and LGBT issues, the specifics of 'how' and 'when' to remain unspoiled. I feel that while it makes the story less setting/culture accurate, it will alternatively make for a better, more dramatic and varied story in the long run, and with continued feedback I plan to ensure the quality of the story only improves!

So thank you again for the feedback via reviews, and I hope you will all continue to enjoy and review my story!

Credits:

overmind2000 – Beta Reader/Production Assistant

The Compendium of Steve – Quality Assurance Consultant

Love Hina: Changes

Chapter 3

Since the day Kitsune and Kei had talked, it seemed that little had changed for the Hinata Girls Dorm: Naru spent her time either at school, studying, or punishing Keitaro for incidents that were (almost) always outside of his control. Motoko did much the same, though she also had daily swordsmanship training and her kendo club to attend. Shinobu and Su had about the same schedules, only where Shinobu was helping with cleaning and cooking, it seemed Su was instead creating mechanical abominations and threatening to destroy the very home they lived in in her 'playfulness'. Keitaro had had no incidents of note, outside of the nearly daily accusations of his perversion largely based on insubstantial evidence or poor circumstance. And Kitsune...

Well, perhaps something had changed; Naru had noticed that something had odd with Kitsune for a couple of weeks now, but the fox wasn't giving any hints as to just what had changed. To the bespectacled brunette Kitsune had seemed almost subdued, not her usual mischievous self at all. Her drinking, gambling, and drunken gambling – a favorite – had decreased notably, and before where the fox had been more flirty she seemed to only go for the low-hanging fruit as it were, not putting the usual effort into it. Even the dates she usually went on had gone down, which while Naru considered that a positive improvement it was still unusual for the resident fox to not be going out and enjoying herself and her indulgences.

Naru needed to get to the bottom of this! After all, it's possible that Keitaro had done something to her and that was why she was behaving so odd! Oh if he had, she'd really lay into him this next time; she'd been going easy on him as of late, but since the supposed accidents kept happening, it was about time for her to step it up. Now, if she knew her high school friend at all, she was probably in her room right now 'writing'. Naru honestly wasn't sure how Kitsune got her money for rent most months; she'd never actually seen her write anything as a freelance journalist.

It used to be she'd just jump down the hole in her room, walk out of the manager's room and go right next door to Kitsune's room. Now of course they had a so-called manager, so she couldn't do that anymore. Once she finally got to Kitsune's room she opened her door, not bothering to knock as was all too common for the girls of Hinata, and to her surprise rather than seeing her friend with a bottle of sake she found her with a computer in her lap...

"Kitsune, are you writing something?" Naru asked, still quite surprised to see her friend so out of character. "I've never actually seen you writing before."

"Heh, that's 'cause I do my best work at night." the fox responded with a grin, carefully shutting the laptop and setting it aside. "Need something Naru?"

"Oh, yeah, can we talk for a bit?"

"Hm, sure, I got some time. What's up?" Kitsune inquired as Naru came in, shutting the door behind her and having a seat across from her kotatsu.

"Is everything alright?"

"Ah hell, this again?" Kitsune visibly sighed as she scooted up to the kotatsu and leaned forward, elbows resting on the table and her head in her hands. "You keep asking me, and I keep telling you that everything is fine."

"But it's not! You're not acting like yourself!" Naru insisted, she too leaning forward after pushing her glasses further up her nose. "I'm worried about you, and you've been acting like this for almost a month now!"

"Oi, really, Naru, everything is fine," she repeated, sighing again. "I promise I would have told you if something wasn't."

Naru didn't budge, but did cross her arms across her chest in an attempt to look more stern. Didn't really work on Kitsune but it was a good try anyway.

"Kitsune, what day of the week is it?"

"Friday. What does—"

"It's Friday night. Your 'date night'," Naru expounded, sitting up straight. "Normally every Friday is a date night with some guy you recently met, then Saturday is a party night out, and Sunday is the day you spend recovering in your room. Last time you had a 'normal weekend' for you was right before everyone started going back to school again"

Kitsune wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that description of her 'usual' weekend activities. It almost made her sound like she had some sort of problem, which she certainly didn't.

"You know, most people would consider the change an improvement in my lifestyle, Naru," Kitsune replied. "Is it so hard to believe I just haven't felt like going out recently?"

"It would, back when you were still playing around with that pervert," Naru continued, unaware of the subtle twitch in Kitsune's features at the buzzword Naru liked tossing around as of late. "I figured he'd become your little plaything for a while and you'd go back to normal once you were tired of him. But now, not only are you done with him, but you're not even drinking or gambling like you used to on top of everything else!"

The twitch of the fox's face was not so subtle this time, but in her exposition Naru still hadn't noticed the effect her words were having on her best friend.

"Kitsune, did that pervert—" Naru tried to ask, but the echoing sound of Kitsune's hand against the wooden kotatsu made Naru jump with shock. "Ow! Kitsune!"

"Kei. That is his name. Not 'idiot,' not 'fool,' and definitely not 'pervert'," Kitsune stated, her tone stern, firm, and her eyes open staring right into Naru's. "And no, he didn't do shit to me; Kei is harmless, and I ain't exactly some damsel in distress anyhow."

This was plenty to start ruffling Naru's feathers. Her body immediately tensed up, her face twisted into a frown. Kitsune's face in contrast was like a mask of thin lines and stern features, far less the visible barometer of irritation and fury that Naru's face was.

"What's your problem?! Why are you sticking up for that guy?"

"Uh, 'cause you an' Motoko both seem to have it in your heads that he's some kind of predator or something?" the sarcasm in Kitsune's voice was palpable, even to Naru. "Seriously, both y'all need to chill out."

"Chill out?! He keeps trying to peek on us in the bath and in our rooms!"

"Like when you walk in on him cleaning the bath 'cause you felt like bathing at some odd hour? Or when you tell him there's something that needs to be fixed in Shinobu's room but forget to tell her that he's going to be there?"

"He can still knock!"

"Yeah, but you didn't exactly knock when you came in here now did you?"

"You... you're putting me on the same level as some pervert?!"

"NO! What I am saying, Naru Narusegawa, is you decided a long time ago that Keitaro was a pervert and have just been looking for excuses to make him look like one in your eyes!" Kitsune finally shouted, though her well-practiced mask still didn't show the same wrath as Naru's unmitigated expression did. "I don't understand what your problem is with him anyway! Even before that panty incident you thought he was a pervert! At least Motoko just outright hates men, but you never even talked to one really, and I should know because you made me turn down every one that had any sort of interest in you so you didn't have to!"

"How dare—I just—" at that point Naru just let out a scream in frustration, shot up from her seat, and stormed out the door, not even bothering to slam it behind her.

It wasn't until the thunderous one-woman stampede that was Naru had hit the stairs that Kitsune had launched her final parting words:

"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK HE'D BE SO STUPID AS TO LEAVE PANTIES OUT AFTER INVITING YOU INTO HIS ROOM TO STUDY?! AND WHO TOLD YOU TO GO TO HIS ROOM ANYWAY?!"

The screaming from Kitsune – whom Naru had never heard get so loud in all the years of knowing her – was punctuated by the slam of the fox-woman's door. Naru was utterly seething at this point, more mad at her friend now than any and all times they'd had a 'spat' before. She had half a mind to go back down there and... and...

No, fuck that; Naru had studying to do so that she could get into Toudai, unlike a certain fox who hadn't bothered to do anything constructive with her life! Naru's door – slammed just a little bit louder than Kitsune's – punctuated their shouting match and left the dorm in utter silence for the night.

"As much as it pains me to admit it," Motoko began, a most serious expression upon her face. "I find myself having to... ask for your help, Urashima."

She watched as the male blinked, seemingly confused, but Motoko bit her tongue to hold back the caustic remark that came to mind. The swordsmistress – after nearly an hour of careful contemplation – did in fact need his assistance in a matter, and it was not polite to insult those you would ask for help. Even if it was one of those vile males.

"Wait, you need my help?"

"Yes, and it concerns this weekend," Motoko continued, trying to ignore how his incredulousness irked her sensibilities. "My kendo club is having a weekend-long training camp, and as the captain I would be remiss to not attend. However this means that I am unable to attend to my duties here at Hinata, most notably ensuring that the doors are locked up at night, and more importantly taking care of Kaolla."

"Come again? Taking care of Su?"

"Yes. Kaolla is the sort to attach herself to someone here at the dorm, as Konno once explained it," Motoko expounded. "She is a very active young girl living far away from home. To avoid feeling lonely she directs her time and attention to one person in particular, of which this person was Konno first, and then myself after I moved in. As I will be gone, she will need another to direct her attention to in my stead. Normally I would ask Konno or Narusegawa, but after their... altercation the night before last—"

Keitaro immediately felt down; he had been in his room that night, and had heard every word between them. While Keitaro didn't like what Naru called him all the time, and likewise appreciated Kitsune all the more for standing up for him, Kei really didn't think that he was worth them getting into a fight over. They were best friends after all, and who was he?

"—and subsequent behavior in the following days, it would seem that their emotional state would not be conducive to taking care of Kaolla at this time," Motoko finished, the line of her lips twitching ever so slightly. "As such I am forced to ask for you to take care of her."

"Um, okay... what does 'taking care of Su' include, to be specific?"

"I believe an adequate term for Kaolla's comprehension is that you are her 'playmate'," Motoko finished and then leered at the manager, who seemed to lean back from her. "Clear your mind of any unsavory thoughts now, Urashima! If I hear one word of inappropriate behaviors occurring with Kaolla, it will be the end of your lechery for good!"

Keitaro simply nodded, eyes flicking to the sword at Motoko's hip and back to her gaze as it softened.

"I assure you I only entertain this notion with you for the daylight hours; Kaolla does not like to sleep alone, but she shall not sleep anywhere close to you!" there was no rebuttal from Keitaro, so Motoko continued. "I would suggest Konno for that duty, as she has experience with her at night."

"Understood."

And then silence. Motoko had expected more resistance from the male, or signs of ill intention wrought from perversion, but she was not about to second guess this if it expedited the conversation.

"Very well. I expect Kaolla and Hinata to be in the same shape as I left them when I arrive back from my trip Sunday, and if not I assure you justice will be swift," Motoko stated, ending with a swift turn on her heel and heading down the hallway away from the male.

"O-Okay. Have a good trip, Motoko!" Keitaro called to her as she rounded the corner, having given her distance before he spoke again.

Motoko did not respond, but she at least acknowledged the sincerity of the male's well wishes for her travels.

Motoko had gone, and whether Keitaro had planned it or not Su had gravitated to him immediately. It was a subtle start, what with Su simply walking over, taking hold of his sleeve, and smiling up at him. It quickly escalated as he began to head down the hallway with Naru hot on his tail; Su's calm walking turned into skipping and then turned into climbing up Keitaro's body, wrapping her legs around his neck and hanging upside down against his back while waving to Naru trailing the manager all the way to his room. It hadn't even been two minutes since Motoko officially left and Su had already begun her normal energetic and impulsive behavior, only now it was Keitaro as the unfortunate victim.

Keitaro had studying he really should be doing, but with Su already getting riled up that was looking next to impossible already. Thinking over things carefully – as Su seemed to be trying to choke him out from behind – Keitaro decided that studying could wait. He was Su's 'playmate' after all.

"S-AH! SU! SU!" Keitaro gasped out as Su righted herself, now sitting on his shoulders looking down at his head. "Whaddyawannado?!"

"Sorries! I can't understand ya!" was Su's response with a grin that reminded Kei of a certain fox-woman on the premise.

Struggling for air at the moment, Keitaro managed to loosen the girl's grip with her legs on his windpipe long enough to suck in a full breath and try again.

"What do you want to do, Su?!"

"Hm..." Su looked deep in thought for some time, all the while still latched to Kei's neck, the owner of said neck quickly watching his vision blur and brown out as his oxygen was depleting. "Oh! Let's play hide and seek! You seek first!"

Immediately Keitaro was free from the death grasp and quickly filled his lungs with sweet, sweet life-fueling air, so relieved to be breathing again that he didn't even register Su's footsteps and playful cackling as she took off through the halls of Hinata. Once Keitaro could see and stand again, he was without a Su, but left with a Naru whom seemed far less miffed than expected.

"Which way did she—"

"Who knows?" Naru answered tersely, rolling her eyes. "At least with the way Su hides I don't have to worry about you doing anything to her for a while."

"Seriously, which way did she—" Kei found himself shutting up as Naru shot him another glare, but rather than yell this time she instead turned around and headed for the stairs so she could head up to her own room.

Leaving Keitaro with no lead on finding Su who had by this point quite a head start. Luckily from what he could tell from his explorations while looking for a good hiding spot for his feminine clothing, wig, and various beauty products, Su didn't know about any of the secret passages. This meant Keitaro had an advantage in terms of what he knew about Hinata's layout, so it wouldn't be that hard to find her, right?

Obvious spots first: kitchen, laundry room, rooftop, empty rooms, supply closet. He found Shinobu, several times in fact as she quickly went from one job to the next with a smile, but no Su. That was fine, as Keitaro didn't expect Su to be in such obvious spots. So then it was outside to no avail, then under part of the deck – again no such luck – and a final miss when he checked his own bath area. Keitaro was quickly realizing that Su and he hadn't exactly discussed the acceptable boundaries for the game area; she could be hiding in the forest behind Hinata for all Keitaro knew, lost in the mountains. Then there was the chance Su had found a secret passageway or two, and that brought to mind many more worries to Keitaro's mind. However, another thought struck Keitaro too:

She could be hiding in one of the other girls' rooms. Okay, this just got a lot more dangerous for Keitaro with Naru still here, which is why it was now time to enlist Mitsune's help. If anyone knew how to snoop around someone's room without leaving a trace, it would be her. Unfortunately, that would not come to pass; the response to the knock upon her door by the manager was one of severely inebriated slurring, followed by a loud snore a few moments later. Yup, Kitsune was out of commission too, and Kei really didn't want to get found out going into the various girls' rooms. There had to be another place he hadn't looked...

...he thought as he was walking right by the entrance to the outdoor bath a few minutes later. Well, it was one of the only places he hadn't checked, and if he was careful there wouldn't be any problems. Unless Naru was in there, which was always a possibility. Still, he needed to find Su, so he went ahead, took a deep breath, and called out to the changing area.

"Hello? Anyone in there?"

Kei got what could only be described as a squeak as a response. Shinobu was in the changing area it seemed.

"Shinobu? Are you decent?" Keitaro asked, just barely loud enough for Shinobu to hear him.

"Uh... n-no..."

"Ah, sorry to bother you!" Keitaro responded as he blushed a bit. "Um, have you gone into the bath yet? I'm playing hide and seek with Su and was hoping to check the bath quick."

"Oh, I haven't gotten in yet," Shinobu called out from the changing room, and continued after a quick thought. "I could look for her for you, if you want?"

"Would you? I get in trouble enough as it is going in just to clean," Kei asked, a sense of relief washing over him. "Thanks Shinobu, you're the greatest!"

He couldn't see the blushing, but he'd been around Shinobu enough to properly imagine her face right now with the compliment, complete with the most adorable little shy smile. She really was such a little cutie, and so domestically skilled at such a young age. She kind of reminded Kei of himself, or rather of herself, and how she had wanted to be at that age. By that point however, 'his' parents were well into the 'what you think doesn't matter; you're a boy so act like one' plan, so the girliest thing 'he' was able to do was to work the family business, which was a sweet shop and bakery. But only with 'his' father, as was often the case so that 'he' didn't become more confused than 'he' was.

Really, remembering all of that 'act like a man' nonsense from when Kei was younger was so depressing. Why couldn't they have just listened to her, and let her be whom she was supposed to be, not how they demanded 'he' act for the sake of their reputation and skewed sense of familial honor? Kei wasn't angry with them, not anymore at least, but recalling it always put her in a dark place she didn't want to be, especially since it always seemed Kei was the one in the wrong, and that her insistences of her gender dysphoria were somehow a deliberate attempt to victimize and hurt the parental Urashimas.

Kei was roughly torn from his internal reverie by a scream coming from the bath. Shinobu! Kei threw caution to the wind and rushed into the changing area, then into the bath without hesitation. Naturally helpful, Kei wasn't about to hesitate regarding the consequences of heading into the bath right then; all that mattered was that Shinobu was okay!

"Shinobu!" he called as he came into the open air of the bath, spotting Shinobu – thankfully towel clad – sitting up at the edge of the bath and clutching her wrist against her chest tightly. "Are you okay?! Did you hurt yourself?! Let me see!"

He quickly put together that Shinobu had slipped and fallen next to the bath, likely hurting her hand on the landing. It clearly hurt; Kei could clearly see the tears in Shinobu's eyes, but at least there was no blood, no visible compound fracture, and it wasn't twisted in some maligned way. As someone once prone to clumsiness Kei knew a little about injuries from falls, which for the moment he was thankful for.

"Ow... I slipped, I-I landed on my wrist," Shinobu managed, more focused on her hurting hand than the situation that would likely embarrass her later. "It hurts."

"Let me see it, please?" Kei asked, calmly now as Shinobu brought her hand away from her chest, giving him the opportunity to check it, move it gently, watching as Shinobu responded to the pain of it. "Can you move it yourself?"

After a brief, careful attempt at moving her wrist, with but slight wincing on Shinobu's part, the dark-haired girl nodded that she could in fact move it.

"It still hurts a little..."

"It might for a little while, but you'll be fine, I promise," Keitaro said, moving to pat her head gently, mussing her hair slightly. "Nothing's broken and I doubt it's sprained, but it might be a bit bruised and sore for a little while."

Once he saw the little smile that said 'thank you' cross her features – giving the young girl a smile of his own back – he quickly stood back up and turned towards the entrance to the bath that he'd come in from. Shinobu might be a bit embarrassed about being seen in just a towel by him right then, considering her age and how shy she was already. Hence why now he was getting out of there before it registered to the younger girl.

"I'll head back inside; it's clear Su's not here," Keitaro stated as he began to calmly walk back inside. "I'll have myself or Naru check—"

Kei was going to finish with 'on your wrist later, after your bath,' but unfortunately it seemed that having mentioned Naru had summoned her to the entrance of the changing area right as he was entering it from the bath entrance. Kei froze immediately, as did Naru... until she saw the towel-clad Shinobu with tears in her eyes. For Kei it was like watching a match land on a trail of gasoline leading towards a massive tank with the perfect air-fuel ratio for a fireball.

"You—"

"Naru!"

"—PERVERT!" Naru screeched as she launched herself at Kei, bringing her leg around and driving her shin into his abdomen, winding Kei and sending him flying over the back fence into the forested mountains behind Hinata.

Luckily the branches broke his fall, as did the equally-lucky landing in somewhat soft dirt. Still didn't keep it from hurting, but honestly the kick and her screaming always hurt far worse than the landing ever did. That was going to leave a rather large bruise across his stomach, Kei was sure of that. As he was catching his breath, Keitaro looked up to see someone looking at him from the trees...

"You finally found me, Keitaro!" Su exclaimed excitedly, hanging upside-down from a nearby tree branch. "I was getting bored though, so now let's go through the trees like monkeys!"

Kei grunted with effort as he pried himself out of the hole his body had left in the ground, desperately trying to keep up with Su now that he'd finally found her. He just couldn't catch a break today!

Kitsune found herself waking up to knocking upon her door, knocking that was mimicking the knocking in her head at the moment. Perhaps she'd overdone it a little, but the sake had been quite good this time. More knocking, more groaning in frustration as she sat up, and with another round of knocking Kitsune finally got up, kicking the empty large bottle into the corner of the room with some of the others.

"A'ight, I hear ya…" she grumbled, glancing behind her at the darkness outside her window and opening the door the next moment. "People are sleeping… Kei?"

The form in front of Kitsune was in shambles, covered in dirt and sweat, and looked like he'd been sent through the ringer several times. Kei was utterly exhausted, and yet still was standing with the dark-skinned foreign resident of Hinata clinging tightly to his back like she was a backpack. Kei managed a smile that looked to be about as weak as his body was, and was able to point to the sleeping Su on his back with a shaky hand.

"She finally ran herself out. She's ready for bed…" Kei managed, and then the smile was gone about as quickly as his knees gave out, sending him – and thus Su – falling forward into Kitsune.

"Dammit!" Kitsune exclaimed as she caught the duo, swearing more under her breath as she realized that she couldn't keep them up for very long. "You better be glad I'm used to dealing with drunks!"

Gritting her teeth, Kitsune managed to haul them both over to her western-style bed, falling back against the bed and bringing Kei and Su with her. Sighing after the effort of dragging them both, Kitsune realized with some humor the awkwardness of her position: Kei was atop her, her legs spread and him between them, and his head had found it's way to her sizable bosom as a pillow. Add in Su on top and it would likely be a sight to send Naru into a bloody frenzy, and Kei unfortunately into a bloody pulp.

For Kitsune though, it was just heavy; she had a grown man and a teenage girl laying on her! Best she could do for the moment was shift so that it didn't bother her much and then wait it out, sighing again and glancing down at the sleeping head on her chest. Kei seemed so different when sleeping; awake and it was all smiles and tension, but asleep he was utterly relaxed, free of worry and the thoughts and feelings that plagued him. Quite a substantial difference really. Kitsune quickly snuck the glasses off of his face, lest they get broken as he slept head buried in her bosom for the moment, and it was then that she could more vividly see the woman she'd seen quite a long time ago. She hadn't seen Kei as Keiko since that first time, presumably because she – Kei – was more careful, and Kitsune was being less of a snoop into the manager's business.

Still, looking at Keitaro's face close up without his glasses, she couldn't help but notice what sort of changes would need to be made, what ridges and bone structure would make this more masculine face into something far more feminine and cute. It wouldn't require terribly much really, as Kei wasn't exactly a pinnacle physical specimen of masculinity in terms of looks, and especially not in his behavior. In a way, perhaps Kei was lucky with how he looked, imagining how much worse the dysphoria would be if he was physically big, burly, and prone to growing thick beards. After all, it hadn't been until she knew exactly what she was looking at that she had recognized Keiko as Keitaro, which was quite a weird thought to have.

Speaking of thoughts, it hurt to think so hard with the pounding still going on in her head; it was time she too went to sleep. Wasn't the most comfortable position under a pile of bodies, but hell, only difference between this time and one or two others was the fact that everyone involved was still dressed! She wrapped one arm around Kei's head, the other around Su's, and still feeling the leftover effects of the sake was soon joining the other two in their rest with a smile on her face...

Motoko would be coming back that evening, and for that Keitaro was elated. Kitsune was too for that matter; as sweet as it was having the hard-working manager pass out in her arms and sleep on her chest so soundly the last two nights with a truly exhausted Su still clinging to him, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable way for Kitsune to get a night's rest. Su's occasional squeezes and grips in her sleep would make Kei cringe and groan atop her at night, often waking her up. Then there was the positioning and the weight of two bodies on her and all, just not the best idea to do more than on-occasion.

But for now, that was of little concern to the fox as she sat in the open-air bath, sipping sake with the bottle floating mostly-full nearby, relaxing as the hot water caressed her curvaceous nude body. Unlike some of the other girls, Kitsune never really bothered with bringing a towel to cover herself, considering she wasn't exactly shy and her hair was so short she didn't bother putting it up in the bath. Meant she got all the effects of the warm water on her soft skin, helping the fox to melt into—

"KEITARO!"

"Ah hell..." Kitsune grumbled, pissed at the disruption of her relaxing bath by none other than Naru pissed off again. "The hell is she screaming about now?"

Kitsune listened as the thunderous footsteps took the angry woman across Hinata, up to the second, then third floors, heading towards the far right of the bathing area. Oh, wasn't that where Kei's single bath was? This thought was replaced by the curiosity of what she was seeing in the nearby trees by that balcony, since there was no wind but one of the trees seemed to be moving. The tree kept moving, and moving... until she heard a loud crack and the tree started falling towards the bathing area. It was going to just fall short of the fence, but it's when it was falling that she spotted...

"Kei?" Kitsune muttered aloud, the awe of watching Keitaro – dressed in only a towel and carrying his clothing – riding the top part of the tree as it fell, only to jump off in a high arch towards—"Oh hell he's aiming for the bath!"

Kitsune managed to get the bottle of sake in her hands and raise it up right as Kei managed the splashdown right in the center of the hot spring bath about the time the tree collided with the ground nearby. His clothing seemed to harmlessly land on the nearby fence instead of in the water, which was now spread over much of the stone ground around the bath with the waves Keitaro's landing had made. With a gasp and a sputter Kei stood from the water, instinctively tugging the towel around his waist to make sure he was still properly covered, and moved to wipe his eyes and glasses so he could see again.

"Okay, okay, gotta keep moving; she'll find me—" Kei's tongue stalled in his throat as he found himself staring at the fully nude Mitsune in front of him, eyes wide and arms raised, sake cup in one hand, sake bottle in the other, the former being brought to her lips as she downed what remained in the cup and dropped it into the water. "I'M—BRUGH!"

"Kei, ah know you like 'em after the last two nights, so shut the hell up, enjoy 'em, and do as I say," Kitsune said, having rushed over and pulled the about-to-scream-sorry manager into her breasts like he'd slept in them the nights before, holding him there as she stepped around, positioning herself so that her back was to the entrance. "Now kneel down, keep silent, and don't move, got it?"

Kei tried to nod, only realizing after that it had resulted in him rubbing his face into her breasts more. Then came the thumbs up as they got into the position he'd been told they were moving into, and not a moment too soon as the one-woman-stampede showed up just that moment.

"Kitsune! Where'd that idiot go?!" Naru demanded loudly, looking around the bath and seeing nothing from her position, such as Keitaro's face – and indeed the rest of his body – frozen on the spot in it's concealment behind Kitsune.

"Follow the clothing," was all she said, gesturing with the bottle-holding hand towards the fence with Kei's clothes draped over them. "Guess the clothing weighed him down too much. Bet he lost the towel too by now."

Kitsune grinned as she heard Naru let out a primal growl and rush back into the house, probably intent on cutting where she think Kei was heading off before he got there. Especially since after Kitsune's last comment she was undoubtedly assuming Keitaro was now a streaker in addition to his supposed peeping and perving activities. Blunt and straightforward as Naru was, it wasn't exactly hard for Kitsune to mess with her if she really wanted to, which came in great for saving Keitaro's ass this time.

"Alright sugar, I think the coast is clear," Kitsune said, only now releasing her hold on Keitaro, who immediately withdrew himself from her sizable bosom, turned around where he sat, and began to apologize before Kitsune interrupted. "Oh hush! You ain't got nothing to apologize for! I was the one who pulled you into my tits and wouldn't let you go, wasn't I?"

"Still—"

"Seriously, you spent the last two nights sleeping on my gals, and you're embarrassed now just because there was no shirt between your face and them?" Kitsune mused aloud, chuckling as she reached around under the water for the sake cup she'd dropped. "Please, I wouldn't have done it if I was gonna get up in arms about it. Ah, there's the cup! Wanna drink?"

"No thank you! I should get out and—"

"Run into Naru while she's on the hunt for you and likely will be for quite some time?" Kitsune finished, shaking the water out of the sake cup as she spoke. "Face it, you probably shouldn't leave this bath for about as long as I plan on being in here, so why don't you just sit down with me and enjoy it? It's nice ain't it? Good for your skin too for that matter."

"...why are you doing this?" Kei asked after a long pause, still facing away, head down and eyes closed.

"Well, honestly? Still pissed at Naru and the idea that we shared a bath would infuriate her to no end for one," Kitsune responded matter-of-factly, though with a smug satisfaction across her features. "Two is because there's nothing wrong with a couple of ladies talking, bathing, and drinking together. Hell, the other girls and I do it all the time, though not as much the drinking."

Kitsune couldn't see it, but she could feel Kei smile, if only briefly before embarrassment took it's hold once more.

"I... thanks," Kei managed, softly as he scooted around, still not looking at Kitsune, but at least was sitting on the same side of the bath as her, blatantly facing away though. "I don't think I can face you right now though, because..."

"Yeah, I could feel 'it' earlier," Kitsune said, an eye opening as she watched Kei slump a bit more. "Hey, don't get down; I know I'm hot, and I'm glad you think so too! Sake will help it get limper quicker though, so have a drink."

Kei hesitated a moment, but soon was reaching behind him for the cup, which Kitsune handed him and filled to the brim, and which then quickly made it to his lips. Repeat again, and Keitaro handed the cup back to the fox-woman.

"Thanks," he said, still rather quiet. "This feels kind of weird, sharing a bath again."

"Who else have you shared a bath with?"

"Oh, my adoptive sister, a long time ago and nothing happened!" Kei quickly added, sitting up a little straighter. "We were both little, and it only happened once, because after the bath I told my parents... um... told them I wanted 'mine' to look like 'hers'..."

Kitsune didn't really have a response for that; hadn't exactly planned on getting to such things so quickly but hell, why not?

"Yeah, can't imagine that went over well," Kitsune commented as she poured herself some more sake. "And I'm guessing public bathing, male-only or even mixed, was an outright no from there?"

"Yeah. I, uh, really feel uncomfortable when I can see my own body, even more when others can see it too," Kei explained, getting quieter as he spoke, becoming more self-conscious. "You know, because it's not the one I'm supposed to have..."

Silence again. This was a tougher conversation than Kitsune had originally thought it'd be...

"You know, since the last time we chatted, I've been doing some research into your... condition isn't the right word but you know what I mean, right?" Kei perked up a bit at this, clearly curious. "Learning more about the 'condition,' about people like you, the medical stuff, the way people treat you, that sort of stuff. Found out one of the chairs for Tokyo's Setagaya Ward is openly transgender, didn't know that. It's been really interesting to say the least."

"I, wow, just because of me? You didn't need to do that you know."

"I know. I figured you'd appreciate it though, and yes that's why I've been so 'different' the last few weeks, before you ask," Kitsune stated, clicking her tongue in – mostly – feigned frustration. "Seriously, I act a little differently and everyone starts losing their minds thinking something's wrong with me."

"W-Well, they're just worried is all," Kei says, smiling as he started to sit back up more, the conversation helping 'it' behave itself. "You all care about each other so much. It's quite nice to see honestly."

"We care about you too, sugar," Kitsune said, watching as Kei blushed so much that his neck began to turn red. "Two of them obviously do, two just don't know how to show it, and me, well, I don't let just anyone sleep with me, nuzzle my heavy breasts like you did, or see me in all my bare, curvy, soft—"

"Oh gods please stop!" Kei exclaimed, shoving his hands against his crotch, trying to keep 'it' down, trying to think of a good way to change the subject. "Did you have any questions about what you read or... something?!"

"Why yes I did in fact!" Kitsune responded, grinning as she'd gotten what she wanted ultimately. "How come you're so worried about people knowing? From what I read, it's not nearly as bad as you seem to think it is. There are actors, singers, a government official, all open about it. A lot of stuff I read seemed like a lot of people are quite accepting of it."

"No, they're not," Kei responded immediately, strangely firm in his tone. "Tokyo and larger cities, people are more understanding, but once you get into the provinces it's much different, because people are more conservative and traditional. That's the area I grew up, trust me, and even here at Hinata, around town, you can see it. Even in the big cities where they are more open-minded, most people see transwomen as some form of entertainment, something they see on TV that they can laugh at, whose lifestyle is little more than a gimmick for their amusement. Ever wonder why 'a guy dressing and trying to pass as a girl' seems to happen mostly in comedies, or in dramas where that's the focus issue, but never as 'just another character' anywhere else?"

Kitsune was speechless; this was quite a turnaround, and the firmness behind his tone was completely unexpected, as was how dark and down it seemed to make him. That feeling in the pit of her stomach, definitely not the alcohol's doing, was beginning to rear it's ugly head again.

"When cisgendered 'normal' people have to take people like me seriously, it scares them, or angers them. We become real people who are different, and people don't like it when there's something they don't, can't, or won't understand," Kei continued, bringing his legs back up again, something Kitsune was figuring he did when he was self-conscious and sad now. "And it... it makes m... us... hate ourselves even more than we already do..."

His little slip-up didn't go by Kitsune; Keiko was saying she hated herself for who she was. Kitsune set down the bottle and slid over to her manager, gently wrapping her arms around her masculine body and pulling her in tight for a hug. Kei naturally tensed up at the feeling of Kitsune's body against hers, but relaxed into her the next moment, and even more deeply the next. Kitsune didn't say anything, but even so she could sense – as Kei put her hand over Mitsune's own – that Kei knew she was sorry to bring such feelings up, and that all jokes aside, she did care about the woman that took care of their home, watched over Su, and rushed to Shinobu's aid without so much as a second thought.

It was like that for a while, but strangely enough it wasn't Kitsune who broke the silence:

"You know... taking care of Su... helping out Shinobu... it made me feel a bit like I imagine a mother feels taking care of her kids," Kei said, bringing a smile to both her own and Mitsune's face. "I really like that feeling."

"You'd make a good mom I bet," Mitsune said, and then squeezed Kei a bit tighter as she felt her about to speak. "And if you say that I would too, I'll break you. I ain't having no kids any time soon, sugar!"

That got a giggle out of Kei, who gave Mitsune's arm a squeeze instead. Then it was back to the silent embrace, and after a fair amount of thought, it was Kitsune who broke the silence this time:

"Next time I go out on a Friday, you're going to come with me..." Kitsune said, leaning in closer so that she was whispering the last words almost breathily into Kei's ear. "Keiko Urashima..."

End Chapter 3

AN: Chapter 3, that's a wrap! Getting into things a bit more now, moving the timeline a bit as we go! I hope everyone loved this chapter and if there are any questions about pronoun usage, please PM me and I'll help to clarify when I can, and if need be I will put a detailed descriptor in the next chapter to help clarify things (possibly at the top of this one too if I get enough confusion). Anyway, next chapter is already underway by the time you're reading this, so look forward to it soon!

A.W.R II