Tokyo Love (23 page)

She set the camera aside, letting her arms splay out around her. She was so tired that the
tatami
floors did actually feel good. Ai had opened the door that led to a small balcony, letting a cool breeze in. She said she needed a recharge and was currently kneeling on the balcony, looking like she was in some deep meditation. Kathleen wondered if Ai's processing powers were being stretched a little too much and if the software needed more improving before the beta release.

Then again, Kathleen was almost positive that Ai didn't need the recharge, but simply understood that Kathleen was too tired to deal with her anymore, so she used it as an excuse to step away. Yuriko had gone to the front desk to get some bathrobes so they could go into the
onsen
.

Kathleen wasn't too sure about going into the
onsen
. It just seemed weird to her to basically get naked and bathe with a bunch of strangers in a giant hot tub. However both Yuriko and Ai had insisted that she try it out. Also, the
onsen
in this hotel was supposedly on a real hot spring and was good for the skin or something. Besides, they could get into it for free by being guests.

There was a soft knock on the door and Kathleen turned her head to see Yuriko entering, a stack of blue patterned robes in her hands. She flung one to Kathleen. “Suit up!”

Kathleen unfolded the robe, a stiff cotton. “Can I wear this in the
onsen
?”

Yuriko snorted. “No, but you can wear it to the
onsen
. It's easier than taking all your clothes down there.”

“But I
like
clothes.”

“You have done something like public bathing with me before. How is this different?” Yuriko was already pulling her shirt over her head and Kathleen quickly sat up, looking away.

“Hey! I was really drunk, okay! I thought we weren't going to talk about that again.” Besides, she had a feeling that was pretty different than what usually happened in a public bath.

When she looked back, Yuriko was already pulling on her robe, the smooth skin of her shoulder disappearing under the fabric. She raised an eyebrow to Kathleen. “Come on. After a long day, this is going to feel great.”

Kathleen quickly took off her clothes, knowing that she was avoiding eye contact with Yuriko the entire time. It wasn't like she was ashamed of her own body. She just didn't know how she was going to handle sitting naked in a bath with Yuriko, not to mention a bunch of other strange women. Plus, most of them would be Japanese and probably stare at her American-ness. They probably thought she would be too hairy. Did Japanese women shave? Did they get pimples on their backs? Kathleen seriously doubted their hair frizzed up as much as hers in humidity.

Yuriko led Kathleen towards the back of the hotel, where the hot springs were supposedly piped up. She pointed down the hall as they approached the door. “The men go down there so that we are separated.”

Kathleen thought it was a small blessing. Yuriko opened the door to a large dressing room. It was loud with women chatting and blow dryers running. Some of the women were only partially dressed, drying their hair or putting on makeup. Most were either changing or walking around naked. A few looked up as they entered, but most ignored them.

Yuriko motioned to a shelf of baskets on one side of the room. “We will keep our robes, phones, and room keys here.”

“Will they be safe?”

Yuriko raised an eyebrow. “I once left my entire briefcase, including my wallet, on the train during rush hour. By the time I realized it, the trains were already closed for the night. The next morning, they had it in the office, completely untouched.” She grinned. “People just don't take things that don't belong to them. Not here.”

Kathleen knew this. If she had been in a rush hour in Chicago or New York and forced to be squeezed next to a bunch of strangers, she would not expect her wallet or phone to be with her when she left. This all didn't matter; she was only trying to stall for time.

Yuriko took off her robe, revealing smooth skin and a mole by her navel. She turned, folding her robe and setting it down. Her spine stood out at her back, disappearing into the small swell of hips and …

Kathleen quickly followed suit, if only not to be caught staring. Something about Yuriko's body was familiar. As if she had seen it before, or touched it before. She felt like her fingers knew its texture.

For the first time, she sort of wished she could remember the night of the
nomikai
better. They had just kissed in her memory. Had there actually been more?

Kathleen grabbed a small towel as Yuriko strode into the doors leading into the
onsen
.

It had been much more crowded in the dressing room, but this room was much larger. The center held a large, steaming pool, the water murky. Lining the walls were small stools facing showerheads and shelves of soaps and other products. The room was still loud, with the voices of people chatting echoing off the walls and mixing with the sounds of people showering by the walls.

Yuriko walked over to a couple of free stools, seating herself. “So, just like with the bath in the apartment, you have to shower off so you can go into the water clean.” She pointed to the products on the shelves. “Shampoo, conditioner, soap, exfoliant. These are all really good quality, actually.” She leaned a little closer and Kathleen suddenly found she had to concentrate on keeping her eyes above Yuriko's shoulders. “Just make sure to look like you are really scrubbing. Otherwise you'll get old ladies glaring at you because they think you are a dirty foreigner.”

Kathleen grimaced. “Great.”

Yuriko smiled, turning on her spray and testing the warmth. “Relax. This is not that much more different than a spa, right?”

Kathleen only grunted in reply. Even as she bathed, she couldn't help but look around. There were all ages in the bath, from little kids to old women. Some women looked like they were sleeping as they soaked and some young girls chatted loudly. If they were wearing swimsuits, it would completely the same as any hotel pool or hot tub in America.

Yuriko finished first, standing up. “I'm going to check out the bath outside. Meet me there?”

Kathleen nodded, trying not to look up “I'm just going to do another rinse.”

“Okay.” Yuriko turned away. She had taken the little towel and used it to bathe. Now she folded it on her head as she went to another door and walked outside.

Kathleen took a deep breath, taking the time to really hose herself off. She felt a little better, being wet like everyone else. When she stood, she couldn't help but hold the towel in front of her. She knew it was ridiculous, it was much too small to cover anything, but it made her feel slightly less exposed.

She pushed open the outside door and found another large pool of steaming water. It was more crowded out here and Kathleen definitely knew why. The pool had fountains on the edges, bubbling into the water. Everything was lined in a rustic looking stone and there were even plants sprouting through the rocks. The perimeter was a tall wooden fence. While the sun hadn't completely set, it was getting dark and soft paper lamps had already turned on, making everything seem more intimate. It was beautiful and Kathleen found herself putting her towel on her head like Yuriko, just to feel the cool night air on her already heated skin.

The pool was curvy, winding around rocks and the pathway. Yuriko had found a somewhat secluded corner. It was quieter out here without tile to make the voices echo, though there were more people in this pool. Kathleen walked in slowly, a little intimidated that she couldn't see to the bottom of the murky water. It smelled different than any hot tub she had ever been in. It was a little sulfuric, but still pleasant. Running her fingers over the surface, it felt soft to the touch.

She stepped over to Yuriko and sat down on the underwater ledge. The water came up to her shoulders and totally hid the rest of her body. Yuriko smiled to her. “I have to admit, Ai chose a pretty great
ryokan
to stay at. This is the most scenic
onsen
I've ever been in.”

Kathleen let her arms float on the water, still feeling the strange texture between her fingers. “Are they all not like this?”

“This one is pretty nice. You'll find a lot are only indoors now and tend to be very plain.” She sank a little lower, resting her head on the ledge behind her. Her hair clung to the sides of her neck until it floated gently in the water. Yuriko closed her eyes, eyelashes in damp clumps on her cheeks. Kathleen suddenly remembered a moment from that night in Yuriko's tub. She had been close enough then that Kathleen though she could count every one of those lashes.

Kathleen took a deep breath and looked away. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortably warm, but she didn't want to get out yet.

A family joined the pool. It looked like a mother, grandmother, sister, and a young boy. The boy splashed around in the water, constantly trying to climb onto everyone's lap. The grandmother eventually took him to the center and let him splash around. His laughter rang out in the evening air.

Kathleen couldn't imagine bathing like this with her mother. It would be too strange and awkward. Especially since her mother was rather fit for her age and Kathleen knew she had always been a little on the heavier side. Not that her mother had ever directly told Kathleen to lose weight, but it always seemed to her that she wished Kathleen would shape up more. She would probably sit here and stare at Kathleen's thighs with that slight frown, as if she could rub out the extra pockets of fat with her disapproval.

Kathleen still felt a little heavy here, but she didn't feel totally embarrassed. Maybe it was because everyone was naked and uncaring. Maybe it was because that even though most of the women were still tiny, they had other imperfections. The old women were wrinkled and sagging, the young women might have odd blemishes or moles. It all didn't matter. In the end, Kathleen kind of felt like she was the same as the rest, just a sack of skin trying to relax.

“Do they hurt?” Yuriko suddenly asked.

Kathleen turned back to her. “What?”

“Your hands. You keep rubbing them.”

Kathleen hadn't realized she was. In her contemplation, she had started massaging her wrists and fingers. “They are just a little sore. I had to submit a rather extensive report before we left.” She gave an awkward laugh. “Kind of pathetic that I strained my muscles typing up a paper.”

Yuriko rolled her eyes, grinning. “A little. Come on, let me help.” She reached out to take one of Kathleen's hands, but she suddenly paused, just before touching her. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if in confusion.

Kathleen simply gave her hand over. Yuriko suddenly softened, taking her hand with both of hers and rubbing into the sore muscles. The water, heat, and Yuriko's hands felt nice. Almost too good. Kathleen's hands weren't injured and any pain quickly disappeared, but she let Yuriko continue, switching between hands periodically.

“If they still bother you tomorrow, we could get some ice from the front desk.”

“Nah, it's not that serious.”

Yuriko nodded, continuing. “Do you know what Ai has planned for tomorrow?”

“She said something about walking around and shopping or eating some special tofu or something.” Kathleen grimaced.

Yuriko looked up. “I'm guessing she meant
yuba.
That doesn't seem to excite you.”

“I wouldn't mind walking around town. But tofu is … well, it's weird.”

“You should try it. It's a very old tradition here because the Buddhist priests couldn't have meat.”

Kathleen shrugged. “I kind of wanted to look at more shrines.”

“I'm sure Ai would be accommodating.”

Kathleen hesitated. “I mean … I was looking up some shrines and there is this place I want to check out. Like, there is a trail to get there from one of the shrines we visited today. It's a little hike, but it's in the woods and well … I kind of didn't want to bring Ai this time.”

Yuriko looked up slowly. “Any particular reason?”

“Well, besides, you know, generally … ” She knew she wasn't making much sense. “Anyway, it would be cool if you came too. I figure I'd probably get lost unless I had at least one person who is fluent in Japanese.” She suddenly spoke quickly. “If we go in the morning then we could come back and pick up Ai by the afternoon and go shopping. Which would be good because then she could carry anything we buy and … yeah.”

Yuriko was grinning, biting her lip as if she could hide that she was laughing at Kathleen. “I think a morning hike would be great. Do you have the name of the shrine?”

Kathleen, suddenly feeling like her chest wasn't going to burst, nodded quickly. “Yeah, on my phone. I have directions too, but you should probably look them over.”

Yuriko nodded, still smiling. She looked down to Kathleen's hands, which she still held, though she wasn't massaging them anymore.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash and everyone looked up to see the young boy giggling loudly. His mother was trying to quiet him and the grandmother was nodding to everyone apologetically. When Kathleen turned back, Yuriko dropped her hands, biting her lip and settled herself against the wall again. Both of their hands dropped back into the water.

They were quiet for a moment, but Kathleen was suddenly aware, whether by the shift in position or because of some mysterious current in the water, that they were a little closer now. Close enough that Kathleen thought perhaps her hand was touching Yuriko's where it rested on the underwater ledge. Or maybe it wasn't Yuriko's hand, but her upper thigh.

In that instant, Kathleen had a nearly uncontrollable urge to brush her. Like in some strange curiosity, to see what she was touching. To feel the softness of Yuriko's skin that she had felt before, but couldn't quite remember clearly. No one would be able to see, not in the murky water. What would Yuriko do? Would she be disgusted? Would she move away? Would she touch Kathleen back?