Koibumi

by Hildred Billings

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  "KOIBUMI."

  Author Bio

  Also Available

  Coming Soon

  Interactive Site

  “KOIBUMI.”

  BOOK 5: REN’AI RENSAI

  Hildred Billings

  BARACHOU PRESS

  “KOIBUMI.”

  Copyright: Hildred Billings

  Published: 31st May 2013

  Publisher: Barachou Press

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

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

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

  Editor: Lindsay York

  Cover Design: Lindsay York

  Photographer: Wisky

  This book is dedicated to anyone who ever wrote an unsent letter.

  "KOIBUMI."

  Tokyo; July 7th, 2013

  The warm day grew hotter when Aiko kissed her lover goodbye.

  “Ii na,” Yuri said, her shoulders slumping in the thick humidity. “You’re always such a good kisser, Aiko-san.” She turned her head and blushed.

  Aiko offered a wan smile to her neighbor. “You flatter me. It takes two to kiss.”

  Giggling, Yuri ducked beneath the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. “But you have taught me so much!”

  They descended the stairs, Yuri passing through the kitchen and Aiko following close behind. Her spouse, Reina, sat at the dining table with the Sunday paper sprawled out before her, black-rimmed glasses creating tiny beads of sweat on the bridge of her nose. Yuri stopped to bow to her.

  “Thank you for having me in your home last night, Reina-san.” Aiko rolled her eyes. For almost six years now she and Yuri had been lovers, with Reina sometimes joining their fun when she was around. There was no reason for this formality – but that’s how Yuri was, polite to a fault. She was the type to say “please” and “thank you” during sex acts, like the multitude Aiko and her spouse put her through the night before. Not often Yuri had a full night to spare from her working husband and busy sixth-grader. She asked me to “Please touch her right there.” Aiko rolled her eyes once more, this time catching Reina’s attention.

  “You’re leaving so soon?” Reina laid the newspaper down.

  “I have to. My husband is coming home early this afternoon.”

  After more nods and bows were exchanged, Aiko showed her guest out to the genkan where Yuri’s sandals awaited her feet. They commented on the pleasant heat and sunshine streaming through the neighborhood and highlighting Aiko’s blossoming tulip garden, transplants from her mother’s. She hoped the other neighbors would never guess they had spent the night fucking like wildcats.

  Aiko remained in the genkan as Yuri traipsed through the small yard. Her pale blue summer dress and white sweater made her look like the serene example of “Good Wife, Wise Mother” their society upheld. But every housewife has some dirty secret, like being a lesbian. Aiko wondered what hers was.

  Just as Aiko was about to finish waving and head back inside, Yuri let out a cry of alarm.

  “Aiko-san!” she called. “You have a visitor!”

  Aiko bounded out of the house, door open, her mind reeling over what was so surprising about a visitor on Sunday morning. Is it my mother? God help her! The last thing she needed was her mother showing up in time to see another satisfied guest leaving the house of lesbian impiety.

  Who she saw standing outside their gate, however, was not her mother.

  A young, redheaded Caucasian woman waved at her with a wide smile and wider eyes. In the summer sun her countenance exploded in freckles, and her upper arms showed signs of sunburn. What is a foreigner doing here? Was she lost? Did a neighbor tell her that Aiko and Yuri both spoke fluent English? Aiko fought to recall her Bachelor’s degree in English. How did one say “How can I help you?” again?

  “Ohayou gozaimasu,” the foreigner greeted with accented Japanese. “Sorry to bother you. Are you Aiko-san?”

  Aiko halted in her steps, sweat beading down her forehead. Was that from the heat or from surprise? Nobody liked being put into a spotlight like that. “H…hai,” she concurred. “I am Aiko Takeuchi.”

  “Oh, good! You know, it’s really hard to understand Japanese addresses.” The woman folded up a piece of paper and shoved it into her front pocket. She extended a slimy hand toward Aiko. “My name is Chloe Dunn. Pleasure to meet you.”

  Aiko gently shook Chloe’s – firm, very firm – hand. Yuri remained off to the side, almost as confused as Aiko. Chloe continued to speak in slow English, as if Aiko were a child. “Am I bothering you?”

  “N…no.” Aiko wrapped her tongue around English words for the first time since her honeymoon seven months earlier. “What do you want with us?”

  Chloe pulled out a calling card and handed it to Aiko. “I am a graduate student from America. Anyway, I’m doing research on lesbian communities and relationships in Japan for a fellowship program, and your friend Miranda gave me your number.”

  Yuri nearly jumped out of her skin at the dreaded “lesbian” word; Aiko was too busy trying to follow Chloe’s increasingly quick English. “Wh…excuse me?” She blinked, as if that would make comprehension clearer.

  “Ano, Aiko-san,” Yuri interrupted, “I need to get home. Thank you again for letting me stop by.” She scuttled out of the yard and down the street to her own house as if a firecracker went off in her ass.

  Left with the foreigner, Aiko forced a smile. “You are a friend of Michiko’s?” she asked, referring to Reina’s best friend from America.

  “Oh! Right! I forgot she went by a different name here. Yeah, she told me I should stop by to talk about my project.” Chloe’s energetic mien turned to dismay. “Wait, I just realized how awkward this is…”

  “No, no, it’s fine.” Aiko motioned to the front door. “Please, come in.” She wasn’t sure what this was about, or that she wanted to be involved, but Michiko wouldn’t send a random stranger to their house without good reason. Maybe. She hoped.

  Even in the shadows of the house, Chloe’s bright hair stuck out like a beacon. Aiko had to stop herself from staring. No, it wasn’t her first time seeing red hair in person, but she rarely saw so much of it up close. Chloe’s curly locks tumbled from her scalp, through a bandana, and down her back like a wig from a stage play. But Aiko could tell that it was natural. It smells like spices. She showed Chloe into the living area.

  Reina still sat at the dining table, coffee cup obscuring her face as she finished reading the paper. “Who was it?” she asked, putting her cup back down. She glanced up to smile at her wife, and then balked at the redheaded foreigner standing by the sitting table.

  “We have a visitor from America,” Aiko explained in Japanese. “She wants to talk to us about a project about…” she lowered her voice, “lesbians.”

  An explosion of color covered Reina’s cheeks. She dropped the newspaper and gaped at Chloe as if she had three heads, a tail, and a virginal princess clutched in her claws. We haven’t had one of those around here for quite some time. Aiko bade their guest to approach.

  “Hajimemashite,” Chloe said with a bow. She reintroduced herself in slow Japanese for Reina’s benefit. She could’ve said it in Icelandic and Reina would have given her to same slack-jawed response.

  “Ai-chan,” she said, her words spilling out
of her in rapid-fire succession in order to confuse the foreigner, “why is there an American in our house asking about lesbians?”

  Chloe handed another calling card to Reina, who continued to sit as if she had been told her mother was dead. “Your friend Michiko sent me,” she said in English.

  “Michiko?” That was the only word Reina knew – she didn’t speak any English. “What about Michiko? Is she dead?” A new wave of horror flushed her face.

  Aiko attempted to explain what Chloe had told her. As an aside she told Chloe that her spouse did not speak English. Here comes my degree. Aiko had studied to become an English translator: twenty years later, and it was finally coming in handy.

  Chloe accepted a seat at the table across from Reina. Aiko excused herself to serve tea and crackers, although no one touched their cups once they arrived at the table. A notebook, a tablet, and a recorder spilled out of Chloe’s green bag. “I’m doing a study on Japanese lesbianism.” She waited for Aiko to translate to her spouse. “I know your friend through her wife, who studies in our history department.” Both Aiko and Reina tilted their heads in confusion. What did this have to do with anything? “Michiko suggested I interview you. She said you have slept with a lot of women.”

  She said it so casually! And with a big smile plastered on her freckled face! Reina choked on her own spit; Aiko patted her on the back. “What kind of study is that?” Reina checked her open mouth. “Are you looking for the biggest slut in Tokyo?”

  Well, dear, you would win. Last they figured Reina had slept with 450 women. More, now. Usually Reina wore it as a badge of honor. Then again, Reina had never been accused of anything by a foreigner the moment they met.

  “Please forgive my forwardness, Reina-san. I’m merely following a lead. Your friend said you were the most interesting woman of our kind.”

  “Our kind?” Aiko repeated at her.

  Chloe pursed her lips. “Well, yes. I’m queer too. And I want to understand what it’s like to be a lesbian in Japan. I’m focusing my project on two different areas: direct interviews and essays submitted by volunteers. I would be honored if you would let me interview you over the course of this summer, Reina-san.”

  “Shinjiran…” Reina said after Aiko translated. “I can’t believe it! Why would an American be interested in something like that?”

  Aiko shrugged, but did not relay the question to Chloe. No sense offending their guest.

  “What’s this going to be for?” she then asked the girl scribbling down hasty notes in English. “Will it be published?”

  “Most likely. In English, of course. I plan on translating the essays I receive and compiling them into a book. The interviews will be used for academic purposes.”

  “What kind?”

  “That’s difficult to explain.” Chloe tapped her pen against her lips. Freckles jiggled with every thump. “They may be published with the essays, or they may be compiled into data. The data would be used for equal rights campaigning and cultural studies, specifically in gender roles and sexuality. Of course, you’re not obligated to share anything you’re not comfortable with. Your names will not be used unless you grant permission.”

  Reina raised an eyebrow after Aiko’s Japanese eased into the air. “I could get fired for being lez. Like hell I want that public.”

  “Like I said, your name doesn’t have to be made public.”

  “Hmm.” Reina stared at the table, her hands folding across each other and fidgeting with the teacup. “You said Michiko said to come find me specifically? Really? Me?”

  Chloe nodded. “She was adamant that I speak to the both of you.”

  At the sound of that, Aiko jerked upright. “Both of us?”

  “I would be honored if you wrote an essay about your experiences, Aiko-san.”

  “Majisuka…” Aiko covered her chest with her hand. “This is so much so fast!”

  “You don’t have to do anything for me today. Please, think about it. I’ll be staying in Tokyo until the end of the summer. If you decide to help, we can work on it anytime.”

  The look Reina gave her when Aiko finished translating was a classic one: “No.” it meant. “Tell her to get the hell out.” Reina didn’t like talking about her “experiences” or her issues, especially those revolving around her vagina and its attractions. I’m not sure I’m into this myself. An essay? About her life as a lesbian? How boring it would be! “My name is Aiko. I’m a lesbian housewife. It’s like being a regular childless housewife, but the penis my spouse inserts into me is fake.” New York Time’s bestseller!

  “I’ve already started talking to other women, but I especially look forward to hearing from the both of you.” Chloe said over her tea. “Please feel free to call me when you’ve made your decision. I won’t take up any more of your time today.” She gathered her belongings and stood, the chair screeching across the wooden floor. “Thank you for your hospitality.” She bowed to Aiko, who leaped up on her own feet and followed Chloe out into the genkan.

  Once she disappeared down the street with a fervent skip in her step, Aiko retreated into the house and stared at her spouse from across the room. Reina sat at the table, chin in hand and glasses fogging.

  “That was bizarre.” She slapped the table. “I’m still not quite sure what happened.”

  Aiko fiddled with her fingers. “You know that tell-all book you’re always joking about writing?” She continued when Reina glanced up at her. “Well, I think that’s your chance walking through the door.”

  * * *

  What was supposed to be a restful Sunday turned into a harem of anxiety and foreboding. Reina fidgeted from one end of the house to the other, mumbling with Aiko about whether or not they should accept Chloe’s proposal. A tell-all book! Reina joked about that for a reason – because it was funny. Not because she thought she actually should do something that ridiculous. Aiko reassured that neither of them had to do anything. “I’ll call her tomorrow and decline,” she said at dinner.

  Reina grunted in neither agreement nor disagreement. Once the shock wore off she considered the proposition, and even conducted a mock interview in her head. “When did you first know you were a lesbian?” “When I realized I wanted to fuck every woman on TV.”

  “You have to be kind of flattered, really,” Aiko said in bed that night. She flipped through a travel magazine as Reina crawled in. “Out of all the women in Japan, it’s you she wants to interview.”

  “Because I’m a slut.” Reina pulled the comforter up around her chest.

  Aiko almost dropped her magazine. “You are not!”

  “Fine. Because I was a slut.”

  “Well, I suppose your colorful experiences would be more entertaining than somebody who has only had a couple of partners.” Aiko tossed the magazine onto her nightstand. “And it’s not like you’re shy and retiring.”

  “Ha!”

  “I’m serious.”

  Oh, I know. It wouldn’t be the first time Reina laid out her sexual history to a stranger – but those other times weren’t about compiling information for mass consumption. Reina imagined herself as a serial number in a file box somewhere in America. Subject #69, Japanese. Exhibits hypersexual activity by attempting to fuck every lesbian she meets. Is somehow married. Reina almost forgot to take off her wedding band so she wouldn’t accidentally wear it to work the next day. “Why would some American want to know about Japanese lesbians?” Reina sank into the bed, head hitting her pillow.

  Aiko curled up next to her. “I suppose there’s always some niche to explore in the world of academia. And you heard what she said. The data could be used to help with equal rights.”

  Reina continued to stare into the space before her. “You know I’m not an activist of any kind.” That required time, and a heart.

  “Well, whatever you want to do, I’ll follow suit. Did you hear that she asked me to write an essay about my life as a lesbian?”

  Chuckling, Reina wrapped her arm around Aiko’s shoulders
and held her close. “What would you write? About how I first seduced you, I hope.” Those were some of Reina’s happiest memories: introducing a young and virginal Aiko to the wonderful world of exhausting, nasty sex. If she closed her eyes she could still remember the look on her wife’s face when they first undressed each other. Hell, if she thought hard enough she could remember Aiko’s first orgasmic face. Write about that!

  “I’m sure I would have to at some point.” Aiko traced a ticklish line up Reina’s bare arm. “Then I would talk about how skillful you are in bed. I’d have to mention what you did to Yuri-san last night.” Her smile was as devilish as sin.

  Reina liked sin – especially sin she had yet to succumb to. “She really enjoyed that, huh?” Not often the docile neighbor let out eager cries, even in the throes of sex. More her wont to let out pitiful moans like a bad pornographic film. But last night! Miss Yuri was coming out of her lesbian shell, fucking the other end of Reina’s strap-on as if she were doing an advanced form of her husband. Well, I am. She was certain her cock was bigger, anyway.

  “Nee, Ai-chan…” Reina slipped her hand down the front of Aiko’s nightgown. The round of her breasts was softer than cake. “Shiyou ka?” Another night, another chance to get laid.

  “Ehh. We did it really hard last night.” Aiko burrowed herself further into Reina’s embrace.

  “So? What are we? Dead?” They were forty, not eighty. Sex every night should still be a realistic possibility. Otherwise what was the point of sharing a bed?

  Aiko poked her spouse’s bellybutton through her cotton T-shirt. “My omanko’s still a little sore from you thrusting so hard last night.” She giggled, tongue hanging out of her mouth.

  I bet it is. Reina was a proud show off. When they had guests, she liked not only to treat them to a great time, but her wife as well. A little competition is healthy. When they were alone…oh. Tenderness abounded. Since March they were experimenting more with Aiko on top. That was something she wouldn’t divulge to Chloe in a billion years.