Once the last of my students vacated the dojo, I didn't waste any time in using the bucket of cold water in one of the back-corners of the dojo to transform myself into a girl. I then rushed out of the dojo, through the breezeway, and eventually into the house, where I stopped within the doorway that connected the kitchen and the hallway.
My wife, Kasumi, was as beautiful as ever, who was currently slicing and dicing vegetables on the far side of the island. While her head was bowed, so she could keep an eye on what she was doing, I took a moment to reflect on how we had fallen in love, got married, and otherwise found happiness.
* * * * *
As with a lot of things, it had stemmed from something simple and then rippled outward to
become more prominent. Kasumi, whether anyone had been aware of it at the time or not, had had an
interest in learning shiatsu. She had wanted to go beyond the knowledge of it, of course, and
actually make a practice of applying it. So, not wanting to burden anyone, she had begun to
practice on herself.
Kasumi's first attempt, when she had tried to allay some minor back pain caused by menstruation, had left her in bed for two days and, while she had been relieved of back pain, she hadn't been able to feel or otherwise move anything below her waist. In other words, it had turned out to be a disaster: her father had cried over her condition during most of her time spent in bed; Akane had thought it to be her right to take her eldest sister's place in the kitchen, and even my mother's patience with her had been tested yet somehow she had managed to help make the meals come out decent enough to eat; as for myself, I had been "convinced" by my old man and Mr. Tendo to search for a cure since doctor Tofu wouldn't have been in his right mind around Kasumi.
Of course, even though Kasumi had felt bad for making so many worried, she still hadn't wanted to give up on learning how to utilize her knowledge of shiatsu. But, it hadn't been until some weeks later that she had worked up the nerve to ask both of her sisters as to whether or not they wanted to help. Both declined, of course, because they had had better things to do than to risk missing out on something because they wouldn't be able to move out of bed, or perhaps because of something even worse.
I hadn't been aware of Kasumi's interest in shiatsu at that time, so I was surprised once she had approached me and asked for my assistance. How could I have refused her and thus leave myself to feel guilty for having let her down? Yeah, I had been a sucker like that; I am still a sucker, actually. Either way, the fact remained that I had accepted, however tentatively, and so she had begun to use me as her "pin cushion" that following day. Of course, with the physical contact that Kasumi would be making, I had been smart enough to become a girl for each session so no one, especially Akane and Nabiki, would get any ideas.
It had been far from fun in the beginning; in fact, Kasumi had been really bad despite knowing what to do. I remember recalling how it had been exactly the same for her when she had first begun to learn how to prepare meals, back when she had been a young girl. I had seriously considered quitting as her assistant, as I dealt with bouts of pain, stiff limbs, long-lasting muscle spasms, numbness, and even diapers as a result of losing bladder control for a few days. The only reason why I had continued to allow her to poke me for as long as I had, had been because due to how truly apologetic she had been, as well as how she took care of me afterwards without trying to use shiatsu as a remedy.
And then, when I wasn't able to take it anymore, because I had lost a fight to Ryoga due to a loss of some mobility, Kasumi had begun to cry and apologize profusely before I could tell her that I had wanted to quit. Coincidentally, she had declared that she had wanted to quit before I could tell her that I had no longer been interested in being her assistant.
Kasumi had definitely been depressed during the days that followed, and it had been evident in the meals that she had prepared. Her father, along with mine, had gone so far as to threaten me in order to convince me into becoming her assistant again. There had been no doubt that they wanted me to cheer her up, as if I had somehow been responsible for how she felt. Despite that, I still had not been interested in getting poked by her again.
I hadn't remained uninterested for long, however: I hadn't been able to help thinking about Kasumi's situation, nor what I would have done if I hade been in her place. So, late during the night, a few days after she had quit trying to learn how to apply shiatsu, I had given her a surprise visit in her room and convinced her to not give up, telling her that she should give it one more try. The difference that I planned to add, however, would allow me to give her more help than the feedback I had exclusively given during prior sessions.
The following morning had proved to make me ill at ease: while I had been determined to try and help Kasumi learn to use shiatsu effectively, I had not been able to help remembering how the other sessions had turned out. I had managed to remain composed in all appearances though, and, just like I had been a girl during previous sessions, so I had been again. That latest session, however, had begun with myself demonstrating one of the few pressure points that I had known of on Kasumi.
I had hoped that, through experience with correctly-applied shiatsu, Kasumi would pick up on it and, perhaps, have an easier time learning it. Of course, Akane had happened upon us and had seen me touching her sister's upper shoulder, jumped to conclusions and had proceeded to knock me out with her mallet while accusing me of being a pervert. That had been typical behavior for her, at that time.
When I had returned to consciousness, I had found myself lying on my back, covered up on my futon in the guest room, the one that my family had used at the time. I had found Kasumi sitting beside me, a smile on her face. She had been happy because she had slipped behind Akane and managed to successfully press a pressure point on her neck, which had knocked her out. After she had told me, I hadn't been able to help smiling myself. In fact, I had had the feeling that my days as an afflicted assistant would be over.
Well, they had been over for the most part: while Kasumi had begun to succeed more often and at an exceptional rate, there had still been those few times where I had felt the negative effects of failures. And then, some days after Kasumi's first success, we had begun to talk about things that were outside the usual stuff that concerned shiatsu. I guess that, as a result of our physical contact in regard to the business of learning shiatsu, I had begun to feel more comfortable being more personal with her and, without really thinking about it, I had simply asked how her day had been before our session had started.
Who knew that Ichinose-san, two houses down from the Tendo dojo, had made the best Sukiyaki in the area? I hadn't known that until both Kasumi and myself had opened up and began to hold casual conversations about whatever had come to our minds. Despite the few failures that she had had with utilizing certain pressure points, I can honestly say that I had cared less by then, as we talked animatedly whilst I recovered in her company. She had had to occassionally serve me my meals when the effects of a wrongly-stimulated pressure point had been bad enough, so her company had made it easier to bear.
So, it hadn't been a surprise when things progressed further and had become... complicated, for lack of a better description. Kasumi, as anyone who knew her would have guessed, had been, and still is, devoted to the arts of healing and well-being. While she had learned a few pressure points to use in self-defense, which I had taught her, she had been predominately focused on anything that could have been used for the benefit of the person that she applied her shiatsu to.
One such pressure point leaves someone in a state of euphoria. I hadn't known the technical details at the time, but I now know that the body, after the pressure point has been pressed correctly, produces a natural chemical or something that helps to alleviate pain like... was it morphine? Well, regardless of what it was, she had tried to test that one on me and, up until that time, I had never felt better in my life.
After I had given Kasumi my feedback on how I had felt, I had then complimented her on yet another success, which I had followed up with a sudden declaration of my love for her. I don't know how they had done it, and at the time I hadn't cared, but just about everyone who had ever wanted a piece out of me had appeared from various places and had assaulted me after I had voiced the last word of my declaration. I may be exaggerating a bit, but that's just how I perceive it as happening.
Anyway, after getting bludgeoned, pummeled, thrashed, pounded, scratched, smacked, kicked and otherwise mauled by fiancées, rivals and others like them, I vaguely remembered thinking that it had been the best-feeling beating that I'd ever received. Despite all of that, however, I had somehow managed to get to school the next day even though I had avoided Kasumi and whatever help she could have offered. I had known that it hadn't been her fault for what had happened, as well as for what people had thought of me as afterward (such as a pervert, an animal, a lover of older women, et cetera), but I had needed time to think about what had happened and how I would intend to handle it.
It hadn't helped when Akane had dumped me... again. The only difference had been that Kasumi had been the lap that I had been dumped on. It also hadn't helped when Nabiki had spread around rumors about Kasumi and I being engaged and, on top of that, me being a lesbian. School had been a real pain to get through that day, and some of that pain had been literal. If I hadn't known any better, I had somehow become a great laughingstock (in general), a pervert (mostly by the girls), as well as celebrity of sorts (the guys had not only liked the idea that I had been aiming "high", but that I had been doing it as a lesbian).
I had been only too glad to return to the dojo so I could have some peace and contemplate on what I had to do about my situation. For the most part, however, I hadn't made my presence known in the house because of how my mother had reacted the night before. Being a lesbian had, obviously, not been manly; fortunately for me, she had come to an understanding of sorts after I had been able to explain myself. There had been that, but I also hadn't been ready to confront Kasumi yet.
I mean, when I had told Kasumi that I had loved her, I had really meant it; all that it had taken was a lack of inhibitions for me to not only realize it, but to also admit it, too. She had been and still is very kind, as well as very thoughtful and sweet; I hadn't known why I had never noticed her before. Well, whatever the reasons for being ignorant had been, I had ceased to be so by that time: I had said what I had because that had been how I really felt about her, and afterward I hadn't been able find the same attraction toward any other girl that I had known.
By the time I had composed myself enough so I could enter the house with enough confidence to confront Kasumi, I had finished my last kata and made my way toward the dojo's exit, the one that connected the hall with the house. I had paused, of course, when I had found Kasumi waiting for me in the doorway, where she had stood a bit meekly. "Kawaii," had been the only thought that I could process at that moment, as my heart skipped a beat.
Kasumi was older than me, sure, and perhaps she didn't share many of my interests and hobbies (which is probably why I hadn't considered her before), but she had been the only one, out of everyone that I had known, that had given me the kind of treatment that I admittedly liked. Her respect had been a nice addition, which I had always reciprocated. Later I would find out that it wasn't uncommon for a Japanese man to like being pampered by his wife, the kind of pampering that I had missed from my mother when my old man had taken me on that ten-year training journey.
So, for several moments, Kasumi and I had stood there silently, neither of us able to look at the other. I had thought I had been ready for the confrontation, but I had obviously been under the influence of a delusion: as strong willed as I can be, I just didn't have access to much confidence back then, when my feelings for a girl had been concerned. Finally, though, I had managed something lame, like, "Kasumi, about last night..."
"It's alright." Kasumi had interjected.
That had seemed to settle it, but I just had to say more, to admit my love for her without being under the influence of anything.
"I... Do love you."
It hadn't been easy to commit myself, but I had managed after a short time and, due to that, I had felt very proud of myself. To Kasumi's credit, I don't think I would have ever been able to say something like that unless the girl I had to tell it to was her identical twin in every way.
Unexpectedly, Kasumi had broken down and cried. Worried that I had done something wrong, I had wasted little time in reaching her to give her a hug, where I had made a poor attempt to comfort her. But if that hadn't confused me, then what she had done afterward certainly had: once she had calmed down, she had looked up to regard my face before she had begun to cry again, perhaps harder than she had before. She had then pulled away and had retreated from me, and had quickly made her way into the house.
I had felt like dirt for the rest of that night, not that the others in the house had needed to help me feel that way, obliging themselves to compounding how I felt as they had. I mean, I had felt guilty because it had just seemed so obvious that I had done something to hurt Kasumi, but being blamed and threatened hadn't helped me to figure out what I had to do in order to make her feel better.
Later that night, I had spent the time reserved for sleeping on the roof so I could have some time to figure out what I had to do in regard to the situation concerning Kasumi. But, when I had realized that the hour was late, I had wondered why her bedroom light had still been on. Curiosity getting the better of me, and having yet to think of any good ideas by that time, I had decided to investigate.
The curtains had been drawn, so I hadn't been able to see anything through Kasumi's window. I had decided, instead, to knock on her door so no one would have thought that I had been peeping or anything, should I have surprised Kasumi by entering her room via her window. Supposing that she hadn't heard my soft rapping, and not wanting to alert anyone as to what I could have been doing by knocking louder, I had decided to quietly open her door and enter her room.
What I had discovered, to say the least, had been shocking. No, it hadn't been because Kasumi had fallen asleep on her bed without even changing from the clothes that she had worn during the day but, rather, from what she had been doing before sleep had overtaken her. Open on the bed, beside her, had been a small photo album and, when I had inspected its contents, I had found myself, as a girl, in each picture, from cover to cover.
Now, I know that I'm dense when it comes to some things, but I had managed to put the pieces together quickly enough that I had been sure that even my math teacher would have been proud: Kasumi had liked me... As a girl. I had been so shocked that I had even managed to deny what I had known without realizing it, instead being being thankful that the pictures had been in good taste and not racy. Then I had once again wondered why Kasumi had an entire photo album with pictures of myself as a girl, and it had all come back to me. I vaguely remember making it back to my room after I had numbly set her album aside and tucked her into bed, turning off her light afterward.
The following morning had been... Awkward. And I had noticed that, while everyone else had been giving me the evil eye, Kasumi had been uncharacteristically anxious, being so distracted that breakfast had come out no better than Akane's best. Being a Sunday, there had been no school to miss due to nausea, so that had been one good thing about that morning... I guess.
After I had recovered from breakfast, I had once again spent some time in the dojo to gather my thoughts. However, instead of practicing a kata or five, I had decided to meditate in the center of the hall. When I had begun to think about Kasumi liking girls, I had thought that it couldn't have been too weird if someone were to consider Nabiki's love for money... Not that that thought had really helped me to decide on a course of action.
And I had had a need to act. I had discovered a love for Kasumi, and no other, but the thought of conveying that as a girl... Well, I hadn't been frightened by the idea, but it had made me question who I was, and that alone had unnerved me. But I had still gone ahead and asked myself if I could sacrifice one of the most prominent factors that made me what I was, just so I could express my love. What about Kasumi, though?
I had then begun to consider Kasumi for a while. She had been so kind, self-sacrificing and considerate of the whole household, and she had cooked and cleaned for everyone without asking anyone for anything in return. Should I ask her to accept me as a man? Could I?
I must have scrapped several practice dummies that remotely looked like myself (how thoughtful Akane had been) before I had come to a decision. It had become noon by then, so I had sought out Kasumi at the place I had thought she'd most likely be: the kitchen. Sure enough, she had been there preparing lunch, and she hadn't been doing a very good job of it.
When I had made my presence known to Kasumi, I had to apologize for startling her. Fortunately, she had managed to calm down by the time I had told her, "I want to give it a try."
She had seemed confused for a moment, but realization had soon shown through and she had to lean against the counter to support herself. When she had seemed ready to question my resolve, which could have very well broken it, I had simply smiled while I upended a bucket of cold water over my head.
From there our new relationship had gone slowly... Very slowly. Everything had returned to a semblance of normality but, in addition to school, shiatsu lessons and martial arts challenges, Kasumi and I had interjected some time, whenever possible, to exploring ourselves physically. And since Kasumi had been most aware of what happened around the house, and when, she had been able to find times that we could have some privacy without discovery.
Cuddling, I must say, had probably been the best way to start our relationship. It was simple enough, and had allowed us to feel comfortable sharing our personal space with each other. While we had cuddled, either one of us would read something aloud, talk about something whether if it were significant or not, or we had just been silent and enjoyed the other's company.
Of course, cuddling was a gateway to other forms of physical contact, and so we had eventually explored some of them. Our relationship, by then, had picked up pace and had blossomed into something more: from a couple trying to discover what they had wanted, to a couple knowing exactly what it was that they had wanted. The days soon came where neither Kasumi nor myself could find it easy to wait until we could have more time together, and having to conceal our activities had proved to have been frustrating for us both.
Finally, after some scheming between the two of us, I had, as a man, told our families that Kasumi and myself wanted to get married. It had been an unexpected event to everyone, what with Kasumi and I having been so discreet about our relationship, but our parents had nonetheless been happy to the extremes. I can't say the same about other parties, but how their opposition had been overcome is another story for another time.
Both Kasumi and I had thought that the wedding ceremony had been boring, so we were both glad when we had left for our honeymoon: which had been a month-long journey around Japan, on foot, more for Kasumi's benefit than it had been for myself since she had had much of our country yet to explore. Of course, during our first night out, we had taken the final step in our relationship by stoking our passions into a climax. Before we only had only gone so far as to excite each other into a state of unsatisfied yearning.
* * * * *
And that's how it had happened, sans some unnecessary details. The honeymoon had been
great, and our eight years of marriage wonderful. There wasn't anything that I'd want to
change before or after we fell in love.
Kasumi ceased the upward and downward strokes with her knife and smiled, though she left her head bowed. "How did class go today, dear?"
"It was alright." I replied casually, then slipped around the island so I could snuggle up against her side. Looking up at my wife adoringly, almost innocently, I suggested, "But I can think of better things."
She giggled while she placed her knife on the cutting board and embraced me, her "husband", afterward.
"I bet you could." Then, after hearing my stomach protest about there being food around and none of it finding its rightful place inside of it, she, with amusement tinging her voice and visage, added, "But wouldn't you rather help me prepare dinner?"
I wasn't going to argue with that, so I quickly left to set the table, humming some upbeat tune as I did. But not before planting a kiss on my beloved's lips, of course.
With little trouble I soon entered the living room with all of the dishes and silverware that would be needed for dinner, along with some condiments and other desired articles. I set them all on the table with a flourish that I could only do by using my skills as a martial artist. That done, I made to return to the kitchen to have fun helping my wife, but I paused a moment as I regarded my mother and child playing in the garden.
Our son, Mamoru, definitely took after his mother and yet he was more than capable of being rambunctious at times. He is six-years-old, and took to learning martial arts, as well as shiatsu, very well. And with parents like us, I was proud that he had been raised thus far to be a kind, considerate and charming young boy.
My fondest moments with my son, were during the days that I helped my wife breast-feed him. I had been able to tell that the frequent feedings, day in and day out, were wearing her out. However, when I offered to help, she had made it clear that there would be no alternatives for breast milk. Trying to store milk away so she could use it later didn't work out very well, however: she was often too busy with chores around the house and with work at doctor Tofu's clinic. So, while we both worked the same hours, more or less, she only had time to store one bottle of breast milk per day, which would only account for two feeding sessions out of the average of ten that Mamoru, at that time, had needed each day.
However, a week after a consultation with doctor Tofu and an ingestion of strange herbs, I had begun to lactate. I had nearly been entirely beside myself with worry, wondering if I had been doing the right thing, but I reasoned that I had already committed myself and thus I was willing to do it for my wife.
And I would never regret my decision. In fact, despite how life-altering the experience had been for me, my wife loved the person that had been borne from it. Also, if anything, Kasumi and I became even closer, and so did I with our son. Even so, I have my reservations about becoming pregnant, however curious I am about it.
As for my mother, she was aging well as a grandmother and was very happy if her ever-present smile and occasional laugh in the garden was any indication. Once she had a purpose in life due to the birth of her grandson, she had divorced Genma since he neither worked nor would be a good influence on Mamoru; a smart move, if I do say so myself. Besides, with the sacrifice she had made when she had allowed Genma to leave her to fend for herself for ten years, it was a surprise that she hadn't divorced him sooner. Well... Perhaps not.
In any case, my mother was having the time of her life spoiling our son. She had been shocked when I had begun to breast-feed Mamoru, but she thought that my devotion to my wife was manly. Soon after that event passed, my mother discovered how I expressed my love with my wife, and it had taken some time for her to understand. When she had, she had been very moved, and was proud of my sacrifice. Of course, it wasn't much of a sacrifice anymore... Or at all, to be precise.
I shook my head with a faint smile on my face and returned to the kitchen to help my wife prepare dinner. Cooking hadn't been bad before, but it had become fun after some time with my wife. And while I had been a decent cook before marrying her, I was now very accomplished after a few years under her tutelage.
With a wink, I began to help my wife by taking the last vegetable that needed to be cut, a daikon, and I tossed it into the air, where I then cut it into even slices.
"Show off." My wife commented with a slight smile.
She received a playful raspberry from me, in reply.
* * * * *
"Ah! A fine meal, girls! A fine meal!" Mr. Tendo exclaimed heartily after everyone had
finished their meals. Despite losing his life-long friend, he had taken a liking to being a
grandfather, and that alone seemed to have made him content.
"Nuh-uh!" Mamoru piped up from his place at the table. "My mommies' meals are duh best!"
Chuckling, Mr. Tendo admitted, "Yes, they are at that!"
My wife and I regarded each other with a smile, then I took her hand and gave it a meaningful squeeze: it was now time to tell the family about the news that was responsible for making me so retrospective today.
"Everyone," My wife addressed those at the table, who continued once she was sure she had everyone's attention. "I have an announcement to make."
While our grandparents awaited intently, our grandmother seeming to have an inkling about what my wife was about to announce, our son, on the other hand, seemed ready to bounce with joy if there was anything that he considered to be good news.
Deciding to not make a big deal of it, my wife simply stated, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh, happy day!" Our father exclaimed as he hopped to his feet and danced about with fans that bore the image of the rising sun on them but, of course, he was soon crouching and began to cry profusely into one of his arms. "You make your father proud!"
Our mother reached across the table and took my wife's free hand in both of her own, smiling as she said, "That's wonderful news!"
"What does dat mean?"
But it seemed that our little Mamoru didn't get it. His face was scrunched up a bit as he glanced over at us expectantly, awaiting an answer from us.
"What that means," I volunteered, "is that you'll have a brother or sister in several months."
"Oh, wow! Really?" Our son responded, his face visibly brightening. "Can I pwactice my martial arts wit' my brudder or sistuh when they get here?"
I made my son's hair mussy with my free hand while I smiled and replied, saying, "After they grow on you some, okay?"
"'Kay!" He chirped in response.
Our son didn't really understand, but I figured that it would all work out when the time came.
After our mother straightened out our son's hair, she regarded my expectant wife and asked, "Have you thought of any names yet?"
"Well..." My wife began, turning her head to regard me. "Since I was given the honor of naming our first child, I'd like to leave the name of our second child in my beloved's hands."
Seeing that our mother was waiting for me to answer her question, I shrugged and said, "I honestly haven't given it much thought yet. But, should she be a girl, I've had a name picked out since our first child, back when I had given my lovely wife some suggestions."
A grin threatened to ensnare my lips, and my wife bowed her head and covered her eyes with her hand so as to not give away the humor trying to sneak its way over her visage, knowing exactly which name that I spoke of.
I could tell that our mother was curious, so it came as no surprise to me when she inquired, "And what name might that be?"
To our mother's amusement, I had answered with, "Yuriko."
Dedication: To my pal, Skyblue.