Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Identity Crisis ❯ Trials and Research ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Trials and Research

Keitaro woke groggily and rolled onto his back, searching for his glasses. He'd had the strangest dream, though why he'd dream about switching bodies with Kitsune was beyond him, especially since the dream didn't have him taking advantage of the situation. Opening his eyes he found an unfamiliar ceiling. Keitaro bolted up right in bed and felt an unfamiliar jiggling on his chest and panted in fear, `It wasn't a dream?' he thought, panicking, `I'm in Kitsune's body?! SHIT! Maybe I should just stay in bed and try to sleep through this.'

However, the ronin knew not even sleep would allow him to escape the strangeness of this new reality, he would probably have nightmares. Wearily, Keitaro stood up out of bed and immediately began squirming, trying to discover the source of a nagging discomfort: his bra was twisted, and was pressing against his new busom. `Damn, I thought it was a good idea… how do girls sleep in these things?'' he asked himself as he stood in front of Kitsune's mirror and saw the somewhat blurry image of a woman wearing an extra large T-Shirt that reached just passed her thighs.

Keitaro remembered the logic of his nightwear decision with perfect clarity, agreeing with it despite its obvious shortcomings. Had he exposed too much of Kitsune's bare skin, he would surely have driven his libido insane. Yet as Keitaro fumbled to straighten out the twisted bra he couldn't ignore the rather ripe stench that seemed to emanate from his borrowed flesh, or the oily feeling of his new feminine hair. One thing was obvious: Keitaro would have to bathe today.

***

Kitsune woke up rather early and once again dressed in Keitaro's rather plain and unflattering clothing. Today the misplaced girl would begin to reap retribution from Keitaro as a payment for the whole situation. `Today shall be only a taste of my fee,' Konno Mitsune thought, cackling as she picked up Keitaro's wallet and flipped it open and saw that his ID and bankcard were, thankfully, still there. Once again a rather mischievous grin creased Kitsune's new features

`These shoes are just horrible,' Kitsune complained as she pulled on Keitaro's worn and discolored footwear. The relocated girl then grabbed Keitaro's backpack, nonchalantly unzipped it, and unceremoniously dumped its contents on the floor.

"Well, good thing no one else is awake yet," Kitsune muttered as she stepped out of Keitaro's room and quickly dashed out of Hinata with plans for compensation in mind.

***

Minutes later, Keitaro carefully slid open the door to Kitsune's room and scanned both directions of the hallway. Satisfied that the corridor was clear, Keitaro took a precarious step out of the sanctuary that was Kitsune's room with a change of clothes and a towel in hand. After sneakily crossing ten meters, he finally reached the hot springs. `Well, here goes,' was the reluctant thought that slid through Keitaro's mind as he, slipped the oversized T-shirt off his new torso, trying to be as chaste as possible.

As with the first day, the shirt met resistance on the uptake. The struggle persisted for a second as Keitaro remembered the lessons of the day before and successfully slipped the shirt off. Next he slid her underwear off and before he knew it, Keitaro was once again nude in Kitsune's body. Of course, Keitaro's nobler side won any debate as Keitaro kept his eyes focused squarely forward, not willing to take advantage of either Kitsune's better eyesight or her body at the moment.

Keitaro grabbed the basket full of soaps and brushes and a towel with the other arm and proceeded into the blessedly vacant hot springs area. Keitaro washed his new body as quickly as possible, trying not to imagine where his hands were spreading soap. After dumping bucket after bucket of cold water on his head, he stepped into the blissful heat of the Hinata baths. The boy hadn't been allowed in the baths, ever - every time he found himself in the steamy water, the experience had ended in pain, now he had time to enjoy himself.

The warm steamy waters seemed to envelope Keitaro's new curves as he sunk in. It was a feeling that far surpassed the relaxation of any normal warm bath Keitaro ever experienced. A sigh escaped him as he leaned back onto the rocks and let the water soothe his worries away. However, his peace and tranquility was quickly interrupted as the door slid open and pattering footsteps made more arrivals announced.

A great sense of dread overtook Keitaro's spirit and the boy quickly swiveled his head to see both Naru and Motoko in the nude. Quickly, Keitaro dived under the water praying that the steamy springs would conceal him. Just as he submerged his head, he looked down and realized he had no reason to fear punishment for using the girl's baths. Cautiously, Keitaro raised his head from the water and saw Naru and Motoko looking at him curiously.

"Oh, heh, the rush helps wake me up," Keitaro explained weakly.

"You must have gone to bed half drunk again Kitsune," Motoko surmised wisely as she lowered herself.

"Yeah, you know me, always getting hammered," Keitaro said with a nervous laugh, trying to keep his mind and eyes off his new bath-mates.

"Kitsune, you didn't have any this morning, did you?" Naru asked, concerned as she drifted closer to Keitaro.

"Oh, no no!" Keitaro answered nervously with another chuckle, feeling heat rise into his cheeks. "It's not even 10 A.M. yet!"

"Well… okay." Naru relented. Then, a good spirited smile creased on Naru's lips as she looked at Keitaro appraisingly. "How do you keep that body, Kitsune?"

`Ack! Actually she lost it!' Keitaro thought to himself, the joke corny even in his ears. "Well, ya know, hard work and exercise," Keitaro answered vaguely.

"But your breasts are so big!" Naru said and emphasized by grabbing the still alien appendages on Keitaro's chest and giving them a gentle squeeze. Keitaro jerked and his spine tingled at the sensation of Naru's hands all over his bosom and his face grew even redder.

"H-hey now!" Keitaro objected weakly and looked at Naru nervously while covering his bust from any further pawing. "What about Motoko? Hers are getting pretty big too!"

"You're right!" Naru said with an enlightened smile before she grabbed Keitaro's hand and dragged him over next to Motoko.

"I will not participate in this juvenile comparison," Motoko said hurriedly with a red face.

"Too late!" Naru said as she grabbed one of the Kendo girl's breasts and pushed Keitaro's hand on the other.

`Oh god… it's so soft…' Keitaro thought as he closed his eyes as he tried to keep his mind from wandering. `Wait a minute! Its Motoko's breast! Please oh god, don't hurt me!'

"AIIIEEE, quit it!" Motoko shrieked as she brushed away both invading hands. Keitaro brought his new hand back and cracked his eyes open to see Motoko still shielding her chest looking nervously at both him and Naru. All the incredible contact with bare flesh and the tantalizing images were too much for Keitaro's brain. The whole bath had gotten his blood boiling in more ways than one. A strange fluttering in his lower abdomen overwhelmed him, and suddenly, he had to leave.

"Excuse me!" Keitaro shouted as he jumped out of the baths still dripping, then grabbed a towel and hurried back into the house.

The two remaining girls looked at each other questioningly for a second. "What?" Motoko asked rhetorically, "Even I occasionally forget to visit the restrooms before the springs."

***

Kitsune snuck back into the Hinata house with a full wallet and several new tabs at local bars started in Keitaro's name for the awaited return to her own flesh. She also made it a point to have several pieces of clothing for her old body that she had her eye on ordered, once again in Keitaro's name, to be delivered in three weeks.

She looked around in the hallway and bent down to pry open a panel in the living room floor that she knew was hollow underneath. Sure enough the bottles of sake she'd stashed there long ago were still sitting undisturbed. Kitsune deftly reached into her back pocket and withdrew the wallet that was now in her possession and opened it. With a delighted flick of her wrist, she pulled out the thick wads of Keitaro's savings and slipped them into a zip-lock bag before dropping the bag into the hollow area beneath the floor with the sake. Another quick look around and Kitsune slipped the panel back over the spot and secured it in place.

`I guess it's still early,' Kitsune mused as she stood up and walked into Keitaro's room. `Oh well, I guess a nice bath in the hot springs would feel good, even in this body,' the transformed girl surmised as she grabbed Keitaro's bathing gear and a change of clothes.

Kitsune walked into the changing room and didn't take notice of the kendo garb or Naru's pajamas, not realizing that her course of action could be potentially dangerous. The girl slipped off what she still considered Keitaro's ugly clothing and slid the door that led to the springs open.

The results were immediate as the formerly chatting Naru and Motoko turned to the opening door and were confronted by who they perceived as Keitaro displaying full frontal nudity. Kitsune looked at the two angry girls and realized her error too late.

***

The battle cries of "Keitaro you pervert!" and "Urashima, you shall die for this!" echoed throughout the Hinata. Keitaro scarcely acknowledged the screams and explosions that seemed to echo around the house. The scene was quite surreal as Keitaro sat in a near-trance with the chaos of Hinata ensuing around him. Keitaro sat on a futon in Kitsune's room wearing nothing but the same oversized T-shirt he used as a nightgown the day before, just staring down at his new hands.

`Why… why did I do that?' the boy thought as he reflected on his actions a few minutes back. `How can I ever look any of the girls in the face again after what I just did?' He tried to reason it as need; a biological impulse that was beyond his control. Then he remembered that Naru caught Kitsune trying to do the same thing the day before. The reasoning helped, yet the utter guilt that lingered dampened what were once joyful spirits mere minutes before.

He looked back into the mirror and saw Kitsune looking back with guilt and fear her eyes and he tried to compose himself a bit. It was unbecoming for Kitsune to look guilty. At that moment, the door slid open and a once again dressed Kitsune walked back into her old room wearing Keitaro's old body complete with the compliment of bruises, courtesy of Naru and Motoko.

"What's got you down in the dumps? I'm the one they beat to a pulp," Kitsune muttered waspishly.

"I did something… wrong," Keitaro whispered, head down.

"Oh?" Kistune asked. "What did you do that was so wrong?" She then looked at the confused boy in her body and his wardrobe. "Ohhh, so you took Anatomy 101, eh? Well, don't feel too bad. No man could resist that body."

"You're not mad?" Keitaro asked, heartened, as he looked Kitsune in the eyes.

"Oh yes I am, you're not getting away with it that easily." Kitsune responded. "I said I understood, that doesn't mean you get free reign to mess around with my body."

"What do I have to do?" Keitaro said, resigned to the fact that he'd have to do something to pay Kitsune back for her… services.

"Well… I had my eyes on this cute Vespa, if I have it before October, that'd be fine," Kitsune answered. "Oh, and that means I need a matching riding wardrobe and goggles too! Since we're like this, that means you get to see if the clothes will fit, and remember, the colors I look best in are red and blue. Speaking of clothes…"

Keitaro's guilt drained away as the list of items to `make it right' got steadily longer.

***

Another day drew to a close as Kitsune was once again put through the rigor of Keitaro's chores while Keitaro sat back in Kitsune's room to watch the sun set. However, in the sun a silhouette of a flying van quickly formed and grew. Keitaro looked up in shock and horror as the flipping van soon eclipsed the red sun and hit the ground, only to settle in a roll and stop short of Kitsune's mess of a room.

`Just my luck,' Keitaro thought as he watched the dazed Seta climb out of the open window and contemplated if he should finish off that bottle of sake he'd found earlier. "Hello, Seta-san," Keitaro greeted with a rough deadpan.

"Ah, hello Kitsune!" Seta answered as he hopped off the van. "I left something here a few days before…" the professor pondered for a moment as though trying to remember exactly what he'd left behind.

"The statues?" Keitaro ventured.

"No no, still no room for those," Seta replied with a carefree wave. "Oh yes, there were some notes that were left in the crate with the statues!" Seta hopped into Kitsune's room and saw the stack of notes on the floor. "Yes yes, a lot like this! Thank you, Kitsune!" Seta said.

"Ah, about that and the statues, there's something I have to tell you about that," Keitaro said nervously.

"They are intact, right?" Seta asked with concern.

"Well, last I heard," Keitaro answered. "Actually, it's about what the statues do. See, I'm really…" Keitaro grabbed his throat and found the words wouldn't leave his mouth. His suspicions were confirmed. `Think! There should be a way to tell Seta-san!' Keitaro shouted at himself. Then, an idea occurred, `Of course!' It was childish, rudimentary, but it might just work! Quickly, Keitaro walked back to Seta.

"What is it Kitsune?" Seta asked, bewildered.

"You good with Charades?" Keitaro asked hopefully.

"Well… I tried to play in my college days, but I was never any good at it," Seta confessed.

`Damn!' Keitaro thought, then added, `but he's my only hope!' "Well, ok. I have something very important to tell you by using charade, so please try!" Keitaro pleaded.

"I'll try," Seta answered, clueless.

Keitaro looped his fingers over his eyes to signify glasses. "First word Naru?" Seta guessed curiously. Keitaro furiously shook his head, then squashed his new breasts flat and did the glasses thing immediately there after. "Ok… first word Naru?" Seta guessed again. Frustrated, Keitaro grabbed a photo album he saw on Kitsune's desk and opened it. He yanked out a picture of his old body and held it up to his chest. "Ok, you're in love with Keitaro!" Seta guessed. Keitaro quickly shook his head `no' then pointed at the picture and pointed at his new skull. "You think about Keitaro a lot?" Seta guessed again. Keitaro slapped his forehead, for a professor, the man was an imbecile. "You're Keitaro in Kitsune's body and the two of you switched with those statues I gave you?"

Keitaro nodded frantically, "Finally!" Keitaro exclaimed in relief.

"Wow… I mean, wow," Seta said as he sat down on the top of his van to take it all in.

"Tell me about it," Keitaro answered. Seta looked at his scribbled notes and contemplated.

"You know this actually works out rather well!" Seta announced happily, "In fact, there's a colleague at the university who's doing a study about whether or not men or women get the better orga-"

"I'd rather switch back!" Keitaro interrupted hastily as his earlier embarrassment quickly returned.

"But it's in the interest of science, Keitaro," Seta pouted. He saw the look Keitaro shot back and quickly decided it was best to not push it. "Well, I guess I'll be going over these glyphs and see if I can switch you two back."

"Thanks Seta-san," Keitaro said to the professor's back as he jumped back into his van and started the seemingly-immortal vehicle back to life before driving the trundling hunk of metal into the sunset.