As the day was winding down at the Hinata House, Haruka Urashima was enjoying a long, smooth drag from her cigarette. After a busy enough day servicing customers at the Hinata cafe and teahouse, she really needed a break to unwind. Though she had a few seasonal helpers (including that chauvinistic wannabe playboy, Kentaro Sakata) to assist her in the day-to-day tasks, the inflow of customers proved to be enough of a challenge in and of itself. The workload was the main reason as to why she didn't stop by the Hinata House more often. Sometimes she would end up sleeping in the miniature housing unit built right next to the teahouse. While she was no stranger to sleeping there, she preferred the rooms at the Hinata House just up the hill.
Why would Haruka prefer the Hinata House dorms to living at the cafe/teahouse? There were a few reasons.
For one, the rooms and hallways at Hinata House were generally more spacious compared to the teahouse. Her regular living accommodations were something akin to a very modest, very small apartment at the teahouse. While Haruka could manage that, given her general lifestyle, she preferred living in a place that felt less cramped overall.
Another reason was that she had fond memories of the Hinata House throughout her childhood. Back when her parents were still alive, Haruka visited the Hinata House several times a year, one time spending an entire summer there. There was much she adored about the place: how vibrant the sakura trees could be when in full bloom, how cozy and quaint the town in the surrounding area was compared to major cities, how intoxicatingly pleasurable the hot springs could be at times, her moments of bonding with her grandmother (later made legal mother) Hina Urashima, and several other fond memories throughout the years.
The last major reason was one that she hasn't shared with anyone in the whole wide world. Not a single person knows of the well-kept secret that Haruka Urashima has kept guarded in her thirty years on this planet. As for why she kept this reason such a secret was due to a mix of embarrassment and an understanding of what was considered taboo.
For you see, Haruka had very, very strong feelings of affection for one Keitaro Urashima, her own cousin.
While she knew that society frowned upon relations between cousins, Haruka couldn't help but feel the way she did for the young man. His nature was somewhat dopey and he lacked the means to stand up for himself and show backbone at times. But even so, Haruka couldn't help but be drawn to him given his nature. Keitaro was kind, patient, open-minded, and put forth effort to both understand and to persevere. Despite the hardships thrown at him throughout his life, whether it was failing to get into Tokyo U more than once or getting a genuine whalloping by Naru or Motoko during his first few months as dorm manager, Keitaro put forth the effort and pushed onward. It was a trait that Haruka could not help but admire, and over time she developed a sense of affection towards Keitaro because of it. She had a thing for men who either couldn't or wouldn't quit.
As for when her feelings of love for Keitaro began, it would most likely have been when they were both very young. Around the time Keitaro was around five or six years old, Haruka had developed a sense of attachment towards her younger cousin. Being that she was eight years his senior, she felt a familial sense of looking after him, guiding him, and protecting him when necessary. But that sense evolved into something more intense over time. Haruka wanted to look after Keitaro, to see him smile, and to help him find genuine bliss, peace, and happiness while he was on this earth. By the time Haruka was in her late teens, she was crushing on her cousin pretty hard, though she never told a single soul about just how much Keitaro meant to her, or how at times the thought of Keitaro brought a blush to her cheeks or a tingle and increased warmth between her legs when she thought about him for extended periods of time.
In order to scratch her itch, so to speak, Haruka tried to pursue romantic interests elsewhere. Perhaps finding love from another man might get those confusing feelings she had towards Keitaro out of her head. Surely, she was simply going through a phase of sorts and simply needed to grow out of it.
By the time she was out of highschool, Haruka had indeed found interest in another man: None other than the renowned archaeologist Noriyasu Seta.
The two had hit it off fairly well during Haruka's senior year in high school, when Seta was serving as a guest instructor for one of Haruka's classes. The man had characteristics similar to Keitaro in some ways. His hairstyle and eye color, his happy-go-lucky attitude, his drive to not give up on something when he was committed to it, his patience and calming demeanor...these characteristics of his were what Haruka couldn't help but admire. Of course, Seta had his own traits that made him stand out from Keitaro as well. His build was taller, leaner, and had more defined muscle than Haruka's cousin. Seta also came off as more energetic and at times even more air-headed than Keitaro. He had a sort of "loveable goofball" demeanor to how he presented himself overall. Even so, the man had captured Haruka's interest enough so that she started to mingle with him outside of class and spend more and more time with him as the months passed.
As the months turned into years, Haruka started spending more of her free time with Seta, who she learned had developed a strong interest in archaeology and overseas travel. Given her propensity to desire his company more and more, Haruka asked Grandma Hina (who at this point was her legal guardian after Haruka's parents passed away from a car crash during Haruka's highschool years) for permission to accompany Seta on his journeys. Hina was only too happy to help Haruka find love and gave her both permission and financial assistance for her journeys with Seta, only asking Haruka to come visit often and also to jokingly inform her of when the wedding would be, much to Haruka's blushing embarrassment.
Initially, Haruka and Seta bonded deeper and deeper over time during their explorative adventures travelling much of the world together. However, Haruka soon found herself in a genuine rivalry for Seta's attention and affection with another woman: Julia McDougal, the mother of Sarah McDougal and a woman who had spent a considerable amount of time with Seta as well, just like Haruka. Initially each woman saw the other as an obstacle towards the path of gaining Seta's love. However, after momentary squabbling between the women, they surprisingly became fast friends with one another. They had similar interests and hobbies. Their personalities tended to compliment each other, to the point where they could finish each other's thoughts and sentences in mid-conversation. And of course, their one truly shared interest - Seta's love and affection - evolved into a sort of friendly rivalry.
The emotional zenith of it all arrived when the two women decided to gang up on Seta and proposition him into a threeway during one of their excavations. Seta was initially taken back by how bold the women were being with him, not expecting them to offer something like this in a million years. How could they flip in their relationship so quickly as to go from heated exchanges to getting extremely intimate in the span of a few months, let alone practically demanding that they give him an experience in the bedroom that many men could only dream of having?
After some initial hesitation and reluctance from Seta, Haruka and Julia ganged up on the man and let him know that they weren't taking no for an answer. Once Sarah was safely tucked away into bed and it was made certainly clear that she would sleep like a rock for the night, all three of them got quite kinky and intimate for several hours right up until sunrise. The experience was among the most memorable for Haruka, for in that moment she realized something about herself:
While Haruka hid it fairly well in her disposition, it turned out that she was bisexual.
In her moments of intimacy with both Seta and Julia, Haruka had found that she had fallen in love with both of them with a raging intensity that surprised even Haruka at times. When Seta had to momentarily rest during their bouts of intimacy, Haruka turned to Julia and engaged in all manner of kissing, caressing, groping, fingering, and any other descriptors associated with the acts of love-making. It ended up turning into a sort of competition between them to see which one could make the other climax first, with the winner getting to be intimate with Seta the moment he recovered. To her credit during those competitions, Julia could give as good as she got and made Haruka's knees shake, her heart rate pound like a jackhammer, and her moans rage well into the night. It was difficult to remember every fine detail after so many years, but Haruka figured that between the three of them, each member of their little ménage à trois had climaxed at least five times. At that moment, Haruka felt as though she were in heaven. The way things were looking, she was about to enter a very exotic relationship with these two individuals and spend many pleasant years with them well into old age. It would be awkward having to explain it to Sarah in a way that wouldn't make her freak out, but all three of them thought that with time, they could help Sarah see Haruka as a second mother who loved her just as much as Julia did, and who would do everything in her power to help the little girl grow and be nurtured into a fine young woman.
Then things changed when Julia got ill.
After a good six months or so since meeting Julia on Seta's wayward archaeological digs, Julia's health had taken an unexpected turn for the worse. What started out as fever-like symptoms and perpetual coffing turned much worse in the span of a few days. At the time, Haruka, Seta, and the dig crew weren't sure if the sickness was brought forth by contact with an insect, tainted drinking water, or an unidentified bacteria or virus. Only Julia appeared to show symptoms of the sickness. Even so, everyone else among the dig crew was given a thorough physical to see if there were any abnormalities in their bodies, on the off chance they carried the same sickness that plagued Julia McDougal.
After a week passed and Julia's symptoms showed no signs of improving, the call was made to have her transferred to a fully staffed hospital where a professional medical team could tend to her well-being. Seta and Haruka would have sent Julia away ASAP, but the woman was stubborn in staying to continue examining the dig site. It was only when Seta brought Sarah's well-being into the argument that Julia wavered in her stubbornness. What was a little girl supposed to do growing up without a mother? She had already lost her biological father when the man showed that he didn't want to be involved in his daughter's life. Sure she had Seta to help fill that void, but how was she to have a healthy and supportive childhood without her mother?
"Haruka can fill the gap if necessary," was Julia's response, "I trust her unconditionally to look after Sarah as if she were her own daughter." She said these words with a smile on her face, looking directly into Haruka's eyes as she did so, not missing a beat in her response. The action brought Haruka to tears. Such a level of trust that was allotted to her in such a short amount of time moved the normally stoic woman. She couldn't help but throw her arms around her bedridden companion and convulse in tears as she sobbed while muttering "thank you," in Julia's ear.
Of course, when word got out about her mother's condition, Sarah was worried beyond belief. The very thought that her mother could die at any day brought the girl to a sobbing, choking wreck who could barely hold it together. She spent numerous nights by her mother's bedside, holding hands and begging her to "please don't die," numerous times well into the night.
As fate would have it, a minor miracle had taken place to keep things from totally coming apart.
After spending two weeks at a hospital in California, the doctors managed to give an accurate diagnosis on Julia's condition and how to treat it. The procedure involved taking a myriad of medications on a very regular basis, so as to help keep Julia's immune system at peak performance. However, it was highly advised that Julia abstain from any strenuous physical activity aside from the most basic of chores, lest her health suffer as a result. They explained that while they helped Julia's health stabilize to the point where she was not going to die anytime soon, there was going to be some long-term (if not permanent) damage done to her from her exposure to the mystery sickness she came into contact with. Julia's overall physical state was a very anemic one. She tired easily after a few hours of basic movement. Any type of profession beyond a typical desk job would potentially endanger her overall constitution and put her immune system at risk, thus resulting in another trip to the emergency room or the ICU.
When Julia was told that she was to stop engaging in Seta's overseas archaeology trips for her own physical well-being, she was crestfallen. Travelling the world and exploring secrets of the past was a passionate undertaking for Julia. To be told that she was either to abstain from her passion or risk serious medical harm was the biggest dilemma the woman had faced. Again, Haruka and Seta had to help convince her to not risk her health for the sake of her daughter. It was enough to get Julia to (begrudgingly) acquiesce, stating that she could work from the desk side of things where Seta's digs and discoveries were underway.
When the topic of intercourse came up regarding Julia's physical state, the question was asked to the doctors: Was Julia's body strong enough to engage in the act without fear of severe strain?
The doctor's answer was partially satisfactory: Julia would most likely not die or reach a near-death state from the act of intercourse, as long as she took her medications regularly and engaged in the act no more than once a week at the most. Her body would need adequate amounts of time to heal in between episodes of sex. Too much strain during the act could potentially have serious long-term consequences and result in Julia being rehospitalized.
When Julia was told this information, she grumbled at her predicament. The way she saw it, Haruka now had an edge over her in their competition, as Haruka could be ready for another round in the bed in two or three days, assuming nothing too extreme or kinky had occurred the night before.
"Better maximize my time in the bedroom then," was Julia's comical response to the conundrum "Quality over quantity and all that." It was uplifting to see that the woman still kept a sense of humor, even after a brush with death just a few weeks ago from that point.
Of course, Julia's sickness had affected more than just her. Sarah became more alert to her mother's medical condition more and more, dreading the moment she might hear that Julia's state of health might take a turn for the worse. She even started committing to getting her hands on whatever medical materials she could read and understand, in the hopes that she might learn a way to make her mother better again. The fear of losing another parent at so young an age was a strong motivating factor for the little girl.
Then there was Seta.
The man had never really lost anyone who he was so close to in life. He had distant acquaintances and family pass away before him, but most of those tended to be from old age and not something sudden like sickness or a vehicular-based accident. When Sarah's sickness came on, Seta was something of a nervous wreck. When you pour your heart out to someone and get to know them on such a personal level, the thought of suddenly losing that person can feel overwhelming at times. That sense of worry showed in Seta's work, whether it was forgetting dig site notes or poorly written progress reports, or any of a number of daily tasks that the archaeologist either performed half-done or in pisspoor execution. Seta's mind was simply too scattered and distracted at the idea of losing a woman who he saw as practically his wife at that point. Even though the two of them weren't married, Seta and Julia saw the other as their soulmate, with Haruka added in as a second wife to complement their trio. Even so, the very thought of losing someone so precious to him with no warning drove Seta to emotional lows at times. He was drinking heavily in the late hours of night at times and smoking cigarettes more often throughout the day, sometimes smoking a whole pack within 24 hours.
It was this series of emotional dips in Seta's personality that began to put strain on his relationship with Haruka. While the two still stayed close and intimate in the bedroom when possible, Haruka could tell that Seta was becoming more withdrawn ever since the experience with Julia's sickness. After a few months of things going on in that state of emotional limbo, Seta finally broke things off, or at the very least put the relationship on emotional hiatus.
"I just need some time alone," he said, "I can't be the man you deserve right now."
That statement was the proverbial knife through the heart for Haruka. Was he breaking up with her? Did he no longer love her, or Julia? Deep down, Haruka believed that Seta did still carry strong feelings for the both of them, but after Julia's sickness, he had become somewhat emotionally crippled by the experience. The fear of loss had left an impact on the man and so he kept himself distracted and buried in his work to avoid having to go through that kind of pain once more.
While Haruka was somewhat crestfallen at Seta's decision, she couldn't bring herself to hold a grudge with him over it. She was still in love with Seta...and with Julia for that matter. She still wanted to make things work between them. Even if Seta chose Julia as his wife, Haruka would be content with being his second wife or mistress (though she frowned on the title of ‘mistress' as it implied cheating and unfaithfulness in her view). All three loved each other, so there was nothing to hide, no secrets to keep from one another. But after Julia's prognosis and her adjusted lifestyle, the relationship suffered and each of the three started to drive apart. Julia stayed in America while Seta ventured the world on his weeklong or month-long excavation digs, buried deep in his work.
Haruka ended up moving back to Hinata and running the dormitory alongside Grandma Hina. She had spent many a night with a cigarette in one hand and a cup of sake in the other recounting all her adventures and experiences with her grandmother turned adoptive mother, sometimes crying into the night over Seta's semi-rejection in the process. Hina was the supportive figure she needed at the time, the proverbial (and literal) shoulder to cry into.
Over time, the pain started to fade and dim as Haruka busied herself with work around the dormitories, assisting Hina in the everyday run of the place. Given that Hina was nearing her twilight years, Haruka found herself stepping in her place to run the more labor-intensive and physically strenuous tasks, still being a woman in her late twenties at that time. For a time, Haruka was able to distract herself working at the Hinata apartments, watching as the building transitioned from a mixed-sex apartment complex into an all-girls dormitory. In that time, she became acquainted with the incoming tenants one by one. First came Kitsune, followed by Naru, then Motoko and Kaolla within a few days of each other. While the girls could frustrate her significantly with their teenage/preteen drama as they grew up over the years, Haruka still saw them as a sort of family; a somewhat dysfunctional family at times, but still a family.
And then there was Keitaro.
When Haruka was notified by Hina that Keitaro would be coming to the Hinata House to serve as Hina's replacement as head manager, Haruka couldn't help but instinctively blush. While at least a part of her heart was now with Seta and Julia, Haruka would always have lingering attraction for Keitaro. The flame that was her hidden love for him never went out; at best it simply turned into glowing embers beneath the ashes of a campfire, not burning intensely but simply lingering with a pulsing glow just underneath the surface.
Again, the feelings of yearning began to emanate within Haruka's core, blushing at the idea of spending long periods of time with her cousin while feeling faint heat between her legs. Hopefully, he was still the same loveable dorky goofball she recalled from their childhood years. Haruka had grown particularly closer to Keitaro in the immediate aftermath of her parents' sudden death. He was there for her as much as possible for her to bury her face into his chest and cry her heart out whenever she needed to do so. It was that willingness to be there for her that sparked her affections for him in the years that followed.
Upon Keitaro's arrival at Hinata House and the misunderstandings that nearly got him thrown out on his first day, Haruka stepped in to help smoothen things out between the incoming manager and his new tenants. She felt the need at times to give him the occasional bonk on the head whenever he referred to her as "Aunt Haruka," as the term made her feel like some old spinster of sorts. She was only 30 years old by that time and believed she was still fairly good in the looks department.
Whenever Keitaro beseeched her for advice, Haruka gave whatever pearls of wisdom she felt she could impart that would honestly help out her cousin. Whether it was learning the ropes in managing the dorms or figuring out how to better get into Tokyo U or the finer points of dating and courting a woman, Haruka helped and advised where she could. Though on that last particular topic, there were times where Haruka almost blurted out her innermost feelings to Keitaro when nobody else was around:
‘If you're looking for a woman to love you and stay by your side, then just be with me, silly.'
It seemed the years had only temporarily dulled Haruka's love for Keitaro, particularly when she had Seta and Julia to fill up the emptiness in her heart when the three of them were away on adventures. Now that Keitaro was back and a more regular part of Haruka's life, the old feelings from long ago were coming back with renewed intensity. Of course, there were two obstacles in Haruka's desire to confess romantic affection to Keitaro.
The first obstacle was that Keitaro was apparently set on getting into Tokyo University over a promise he made to a girl around his age. Legend says that if two people successfully apply to Tokyo U in the same year, they will fall in love, be married, and live happily ever after. While most adults would chalk up such a legend to nothing more than cutesy wishful thinking, Keitaro was dead set on that goal, and had been for many years up to the present. He felt driven to see that promise he made long ago turned into reality so that he could live happily ever after with his ‘promise girl.'
The second obstacle was the deeper, more societal one that Haruka felt might cause problems if she ever pursued love with Keitaro. Given that the two of them were blood cousins, many in society might frown upon the idea of them being together and intimate. While such an idea was not as taboo as relations between direct siblings, the thought of first cousins being close in that way was still considered incest. And while Haruka didn't really care too much of what broader society thought of her, she wasn't sure if Keitaro would share that same sentiment. Would he be disgusted if Haruka propositioned him? Would he never want to speak with her or even see her face again if she confessed to him? The very idea of him doing so left a bad feeling in the pit of Haruka's stomach. The thought of one of the people she loved the most in the world rejecting her and detesting her afterwards might be more than she could emotionally bear. It would be like Seta saying "I never loved you," straight to Haruka's face.
All these thoughts and recollections occupied the woman's mind as she finished her cigarette all the way to the filter. Taking one last good draw, Haruka rubbed out the remnants of it in the ashtray before getting ready to close up shop. The cafe was nearing its closing hour and most of the patrons had left the establishment. Perhaps she would make her way up to the dorms and have a nice soak in the hot springs to get her mind off of unpleasant memories. That usually did the trick.
As closing time was nearing, a yellow taxicab pulled up just outside the teahouse, and out stepped a young woman. She had a somewhat refined look about her, though not of royalty. With her little black cat, she made her way towards the entranceway of the tea house, suitcase in hand as she crossed the threshold. At that moment, as the teahouse manager was turning around towards the front of the building, the newcomer made her presence known there and then.
"Long time, no see, Aunt Haruka," said the girl with a smirk on her face as well as in the tone of her voice.
Recognizing that voice and the appearance of this new visitor, Haruka grumbled at the title thrown at her by the young lady. Keeping her composure, the older woman simply responded in the briefest of retorts:
"Hello there, Kanako. It's been a while."