Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Identity Crisis ❯ Workin' For a Livin' ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2, Day 1, Workin' for a Livin'

"This isn't fun at all," Kitsune muttered as she carefully nursed the new bump on her new, thankfully thicker, skull. "Damn you Keitaro, how did you do this?" the recently-made boy hissed as he got dressed in Keitaro's rather bland clothing while noting the blisters and calluses on his hands. It was going to be a long day.

Kitsune slowly slid the bedroom door open and poked her head out of the gap in the shoji. She looked to the left and to the right, trying to see if the coast was clear. A sigh of relief left Kitsune as she slid the door open the rest of the way and stepped out. `Got to get to my room and make sure Keitaro isn't ruining my image,' the girl thought to herself, `assuming of course that it's Keitaro in my body.' However, she was stopped when she saw Motoko emerge from around the corner, the sword on her hip held firmly in her hand.

"Urashima," Motoko said in her usual, formal greeting. "Have you forgotten your duties?"

"What… duties?" Kitsune asked apprehensively, a sense of doom looming ominously over her head.

Motoko sighed in exasperation, "The morning rice isn't cooked, the hot springs need to be scrubbed, and the windows on the second floor have been neglected for too long." The kendo girl stepped up closer to the person she believed was Keitaro and added, "It IS your duty as landlord to take care of these chores is it not? I'd hate it if we have to talk about the use of force." To emphasize her point, Motoko pressed her thumbnail between her sword's sheath and hilt and freed an inch of the blade from its secure scabbard.

Kitsune winced and looked at both Motoko's stern face and her partially unsheathed weapon before resigning herself to a day of compliance. "I'll get started right away…" Kitsune answered in defeat, shoulders slumped as she started to walk off towards the kitchen.

***

`I know I keep thinking this, but this IS too weird,' Keitaro thought to himself while still practically glued to the bathroom mirror. `At least Kitsune's eyesight is better than mine,' Keitaro added, `but it feels like something crawled in her mouth and died.' To emphasize the point, Keitaro gagged and saw the rather comedic image in the mirror of Kitsune's body gagging as well, `I guess I'd better brush her teeth, I wouldn't want her blaming me for cavities, but….' The poor boy turned woman reached for the toothbrush rack and paused, thinking desperately. `Should I use her toothbrush or mine? I COULD use Kitsune's but who knows where it's been. If I use mine, than whatever's in Kitsune's mouth will stick to my toothbrush.' With a twinge of disgust of using someone else's toothbrush, regardless of the fact that he was currently in ownership of said person's mouth, Keitaro took Kitsune's toothbrush and applied a large layer of toothpaste on the bristles.

"Well, here goes," Keitaro sighed aloud, then stuck the toothbrush into his new mouth started a furious brushing motion. The paste covered bristles ran over the teeth, scrubbing off the layer of grime and dirt left from the night before. As Keitaro kept the motion going with one arm, he reached for a small paper cup and filled it up to the brim with water from the sink. Then, Keitaro brought the cup up to his lips and drank the cold water, swishing the liquid between his cheeks to ensure the toothpaste's remaining mass would eradicate whatever foul tasting remnants there were. The swishing soon graduated into a gurgling action and seconds later, Keitaro bent down.

As soon as Keitaro bent down to spit out the liquid in his mouth, he looked into the mirror and saw Kitsune's body bending down, her baby T shirt open just enough to show Kitsune's ample cleavage. Instantly, Keitaro spat out the toothpaste water all over the mirror and immediately felt his cheeks grow hot, `Damn it, I should stand up… I mean, I SHOULDN'T be looking down Kitsune's shirt, I mean…' the ronin started berating himself for staring, yet couldn't help but revel in the image despite his guilt. How many times in his life was he going to see this? However, Keitaro's morals won this round, barely, and the youth stood upright once again. The sight when standing up wasn't as immediately alluring as the cleavage shot, but it was still a lot to take.

Kitsune's body was wearing a white baby T-shirt (now somewhat damp with tooth-paste water) that barely covered her chest, yet showed the whole, firm mid-drift area. The lower half of her body was concealed by nothing more than a pair of black satin panties. However revealing, a part of Keitaro's mind was grateful for what little concealment the underwear offered, with anymore visual stimulation, his brain was likely to overload. `I should put some clothes on before I do something I'll regret,' Keitaro thought as he mechanically turned away from the mirror and the provocative image it displayed, and walked to the door. Keitaro's mind reeled with the strange sensations as his first steps were taken in his new body. His new hips swung violently with each step and the new weights on his chest made themselves known with every movement, any attempts to walk with his usual balance was thwarted by the female figure of his new body. A few cautious, experimental steps later, Keitaro had the hang of things and was swaying back and forth with-somewhat-less-than-practiced ease, but he was walking nonetheless. `So girls HAVE to walk like this,' Keitaro thought to himself, feeling enlightened.

As nonchalantly as was possible for a young ronin in a womans body, Keitaro slipped back into Kitsune's room. "Thank goodness," Keitaro said in relief as he leaned against the door and slid down to a sitting position, half expecting someone to march through the door to give him a concussion. "Guess I better put something on that's more than… this," the ronin said as he took some careful steps to Kitsune's dresser. Bravely, Keitaro slid open the top drawer and his eyes almost exploded out of his skull when he saw several black lingerie pieces among other… unique items. `W-what the heck? I never knew she had these!' The blush grew tin staggering amounts as Keitaro quickly shut that drawer and opened the next one.

The second drawer held more practical pieces of underwear and a few T-shirts. `I guess this is good for now,' Keitaro pondered as he heaved a sigh of relief and selected an extra large T-shirt and a white bra. The third drawer held several pairs of cut-off jean shorts and panties of varying colors and styles. Keeping his simple look in mind, Keitaro grabbed a pair of jean shorts and plain white cotton panties and set them with the T-shirt and bra selected earlier on top of the dresser.

`Now for the hard part,' the boy thought as he walked in front of Kitsune's full-length mirror. With wavering hands, Keitaro reached for the hem of the baby T-shirt and pulled the shirt up, only to be immediately confronted with unexpected resistance. `That's right, I have these… things,' passed through Keitaro's mind as he pulled up again, trying to use the baby T-shirt's elastic properties to the best of their abilities. The second try yielded better results and the shirt slipped over Keitaro's new chest and over his head. Then, the garment was brought forward and Keitaro slipped both of his new, slender arms out of the shirt and the article of clothing finally fell to the floor.

"Oh god…" were the words that escaped Keitaro as he looked in the mirror and saw the topless Kitsune looking back. He knew he shouldn't stare, but it was just so rare a privilege to be able to see this without risk of immediate retribution. After almost a minute of staring, Keitaro immediately turned away from the mirror. "Okay, I should NOT get too excited over this. I shouldn't!" was the harsh mantra Keitaro repeated out loud to try and temper his arousal. With nervous arms, Keitaro reached for the bra and slipped the puzzling undergarment over his new chest, hiding the alluring image which captivated him a moment before. "How does this thing work?" Keitaro mumbled as he fumbled with the clasp behind his back for a few seconds before finally getting it to hook. He felt more constrained, and almost uncomfortable before his new body adjusted to the support even as the under-wires pinched his sides.

`Now for step two.' Keitaro reached down and hooked the band of the panties over his thumbs and pulled the black satin undergarment down. The panties slipped down below the knees and Keitaro fiercely kicked them off his feet. With eyes locked firmly on the ceiling, Keitaro reached for the white cotton panties and carefully stepped into them then pulled them up to cover an area he was quite not ready to look at. `Finally,' the boy thought as he grabbed the extra large T-shirt and slipped it over his head. The shirt loosely fit over his new torso comfortably and next the jean shorts were slipped up. `Is it just me, or are these tight?' was the question on Keitaro's mind as he squirmed into the shorts and zipped them up with some difficulty.

With great hesitation, Keitaro peeked into Kitsune's full-length mirror to see the end result of his clothing choices. 'This isn't so bad...' Keitaro thought, seeing Kitsune wearing a T-shirt and jean shorts. 'What am I thinking? This is KITSUNE'S body! She could make a nun's habit look sexy! I'm doomed!'

***

After a few failed attempts, Kitsune was finally able to cook a suitable pot of rice for breakfast. `I guess I can have a break now,' the girl thought as she sat down at the table.

"Urashima, have you forgotten your other duties?" Motoko asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Can't I have a few minutes to eat?" Kitsune whined, tired after her kitchen fiasco.

"Do not worry, Urashima," Motoko answered, "we will leave you a meal once the hot springs are cleaned."

"Fineeee," Kitsune grumbled as she got up and walked to Keitaro's room to put on his scrubbing clothes. However, as she reached Keitaro's door, she came face to face with her old body.

Both cursed people locked nervous, surprised gazes on each other. Though they were expecting the other person in their own body, to be confronted by the evidence is another thing entirely. "Umm, you see…" Keitaro began nervously.

"What? I just want to know how you got us into this mess," she snapped irately, "and you should put on something a bit better than THAT!"

"I'd rather not…" Keitaro confessed sheepishly.

"What, afraid you'll like what you'd see?" Kitsune said with a leer that did not suit Keitaro's features.

"Umm, yes, I mean no, I mean…" Keitaro stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Urashima, the baths are waiting!" Motoko announced from the far end of the hallway, brandishing her blade.

"All right already!" Kitsune shouted back. The girl turned boy then slid open the door and said to Keitaro, "We have to have a conversation about reimbursement."

Keitaro sighed and leaned against the wall and watched his former body enter his old bedroom swaggering with Kitsune style confidence, he was going to pay for this. A few moments of peace had passed when Naru came down the stairs and saw who she thought was Kitsune.

"Kitsune, can I talk to you?" the girl asked.

"Umm, sure," Keitaro answered, seeing no harm in a conversation with Naru.

"Good," Naru said as she grabbed Keitaro's arm and dragged the boy turned woman up to her room on the second floor.

The two sat down on the floor and Naru looked down at her hands. "Kitsune, I'm not sure what to think of Keitaro anymore…" the girl began. "I mean, he's pretty harmless most of the time and he's actually pretty fun to be around, but when I checked on him earlier, I saw him, well…" Naru paused as a deep blush colored her cheeks.

"Yes?" Keitaro asked, wondering what exactly Kitsune did to his body.

"He was… well, you know, the same thing he did his first day here," Naru answered.

Keitaro's mind blanched remembering the incident with perfect clarity. `She told KITSUNE about that?!?! Wait… she tried to do that in MY BODY?!' a thousand and five things flashed in Keitaro's mind, not the least of which was a prayer to save his reputation as he tried to think of something to say. "Well, it's a natural thing, really," Keitaro said.

"You think so?" Naru asked tentatively.

"Umm, sure!" Keitaro answered. "I mean everyone does it." `Everyone does it? What kind of answer is that?'

"You sure?" Naru questioned again.

"Yeah!" Keitaro answered, nodding his head vigorously. Then genius struck him. He was in Kitsune's body, why not act like Kitsune? "You must've done it a few times too, right?"

"Well, yeah, occasionally…" Naru admitted shyly. "But I never let anyone catch me! And I NEVER did it that early in the morning!"

"Well, then there's no issue," Keitaro said as he stood up, grinning with devious joy because he'd avoided yet another Naru related disaster.

"Well, thanks for the chat, Kitsune," Naru said warmly as she too stood up and gave Keitaro a hug. Keitaro's mind froze as he felt Naru's breasts collide with his own, making him blush.

`Oh god, oh god, oh god, this feels… different.' With nerves of steel and a stomach full of butterflies, Keitaro reached around and returned the hug for a brief minute., praying that he wouldn't get clobbered. Seconds later, Keitaro broke off the hug and took several nervous steps out of Naru's room. "Well, see you at breakfast," Keitaro said as he left the floor and went back downstairs.

***

"Stupid stubborn rocks," Kistune muttered as she pressed the bristles of the brush harder against the stone's stains, scouring the algae off of them. The tired tenant wiped the bead of sweat off her new brow and looked back at the main house. Sounds of everyone else enjoying their breakfast echoed out into the hot springs area making her supremely jealous. After a moment of reflection, Kitsune gripped the handle even harder and pressed the brush against the stains once more.

After tireless minutes, the hot springs were finally clean enough and Kitsune tiredly walked back into the house. `First thing I'd do when I get a free minute is drain Keitaro's bank account,' the devious girl thought. She slid the kitchen door open and saw a still warm breakfast labeled `For Keitaro' sitting on the counter and a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, obviously `For Keitaro' as well. `Keitaro better have A LOT of money in his bank account,' Kitsune thought viciously.

***

One of the few things Keitaro could never deal with was boredom. Another was temptation. Being in Kitsune's body conveniently presented both dilemmas for the overtaxed boy. `There must be a clue to this body swapping somewhere,' Keitaro pondered as he searched Kitsune's pig-sty of a room for clues. After 10 minutes and finding nothing but nosebleed inducing mess and dirty laundry, Keitaro gave up the search in that room.

Keitaro stood in front of the door to his old room feeling impervious in Kitsune's body. `If there's a clue, it might be in here,' he deduced. With firm resolve, Keitaro slid the door open and stepped in. An immediate visual survey showed only after a few hours, Kitsune's wild lifestyle was beginning to reflect itself in his bedroom. Clothes were strewn about and textbooks were haphazardly flung around. However, one thing immediately caught Keitaro's eye as he saw the desk and that only ONE of the statues Seta had entrusted him with was left sitting there: the female statue.

Quickly, Keitaro got to his old desk and saw a half empty sake bottle sitting where the male statue once was. `So its her fault, not mine,' Keitaro concluded, a strange sense of joy overwhelming him. Whether to save his reputation, or out of sheer habit, Keitaro picked up the half empty sake bottle and then saw several pieces of paper on the desk that looked as though they were stuck to the bottom of the purloined statue. Keitaro picked up the sticky notes and crumpled sheets of paper with his free hand and saw that scribbled on the papers were many strange glyphs and translation work that appeared to be Seta's.

Several glyph phrases had one or two words translated. From one page, Keitaro could make out `Change **** week ***** traits shall stay.' On another, the ronin could barely make out `Broken ***** permanent if it ****** sacrifice.' Keitaro rolled his eyes, Seta's handwriting got worse with every visit, and the state of the papers didn't help.

"That doesn't sound good," Keitaro mused. With the bundle in one hand and the bottle in the other, Keitaro quickly left his old room to try and make sense of Seta's scribblings. The ronin walked back into Kitsune's room and cleared off a large enough portion of the floor to sit down on and spread the sheets for further examination, almost subconsciously Keitaro, set the bottle of sake to his side and begun to look at the sheets. The first two sheets he pushed to the side and picked up a third. The jumbled glyphs had yet another partially translated phrase which read `Hollow ***** souls *** stolen *** understanding'. "Well, THAT makes a lot of sense," Keitaro mumbled sarcastically fishing for a meaning in the madness.

After a few more minutes of useless staring at the paper, Keitaro felt exhausted mentally and emotionally and looked at the half empty bottle to his side. "Well, what could a sip hurt?" Keitaro asked himself as he picked up the bottle. Cautiously, Keitaro brought the bottle to his lips and tipped it slightly, taking a small sip of sake. The alcohol burned a path from Keitaro's mouth down to his stomach, leaving him warm and tingly, as though he were reunited with a long lost friend.

The taste of sake wasn't as foul as Keitaro remembered. In fact, the small amount in his stomach appeared to settle his nerves a bit. "I can see why she likes this stuff," Keitaro said enthusiastically as he held up the bottle and reluctantly capped it before the urge to finish it off won over logic. It was a very strong urge.

***

The sun was setting and Kitsune walked back into Keitaro's room with heavy feet. "Keitaro needs a fortune to repay me for this," Kitsune mumbled as she collapsed on Keitaro's futon.