Volume 6 - Northern Exchange, Chapter 35 - Hometown Hero

Yuisu awoke from a deep and dreamless sleep to a moonlit room. She felt sluggish as she sat up. It was cold and she slowly realized that she was naked. As her eyes adjusted she noticed that Haru was next to her in the mess of a bed, naked and asleep. Yuisu had no idea what time it was but she did know she was so thirsty she could drink a slimegirl.

Speaking of slimegirls, Quess was long gone but her flowery fragrance lingered in the air and on Haru and Yuisu's skin.

All at once Yuisu remembered the sexy escapades from that afternoon. Sexcapades? she wondered sleepily. As Yuisu recalled the wondrous experience, she was interrupted by her gurgling stomach playing a song of hunger.

"Quiet, you…" she muttered as she stood up. She walked to her dresser and started to dig for some clothes. The clothes she'd been wearing before were scattered about the room and they likely wouldn't be very 'clean' anyway.

Haru rolled over blinked at Yuisu with her big golden eyes. Her night vision was excellent so she could clearly see Yuisu's nude form. As always, she liked what she saw. "Whuddya doin' Yuisu?" she murmured.

"Getting dressed so I can get some water and a midnight snack. Want to join me?"

Haru nodded eagerly. "That sounds great. I definitely need a refill after last, uh, night? Afternoon? Whatever," she said as she crawled out of bed.

Yuisu threw on some pajamas and Haru put on some panties and a tank top then they made their way to the kitchen. Yuisu whipped up a couple ham sandwiches (no cheese on Haru's, of course) and poured two tall glasses of water. She carefully carried it all to the table and they both dove in.

After a few bites of much needed sustenance and a gulp of refreshing water, Yuisu said, "Hey, Haru, I've been wondering something… You never talk about your past or your homeland. What's up with that?"

"That's an uncomfortable topic…" Haru sighed and set down her sandwich then said, "But you deserve to know." She took a deep breath and explained, "I didn't leave my hometown on the best of terms, but it's not that anyone disliked me. They loved me and that was part of the problem."

Haru looked up at Yuisu. "Maybe you remember the jewelry and badge that I wore back when I first arrived?"

Yuisu thought back and she did recall a gold and aquamarine necklace as well as matching earrings and even a badge that Haru had worn on the breast of her white jacket.

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Yuisu said, "Oh yeah… I just assumed those were a fashion thing."

"Those were from my job. I was an Executrix, which is kind of like a military police officer. An enforcer for the harpy world."

"I am a fan of women in uniform…" Yuisu said with a smile. Then she added, "Sorry, please continue."

"Executrices used to be in charge of keeping the existence of harpies secret from humanity which meant making a daring rescue for any harpy that went missing, as well as squashing rumors about the existence of harpies, sometimes with force. But that all changed with the Interspecies Exchange Bill."

Haru rubbed her forehead with her wing. "Suddenly I wasn't protecting harpies anymore. I was enforcing the new laws and restrictions on interspecies relationships. For generations, harpies had sought human mates on their own but now it was illegal unless they went through the 'proper channels'. It became my job to tear couples apart. To send harpies back home, alone and heartbroken."

Haru slouched onto the table and covered her face with her wings. Her muffled voice said, "I hated it. It broke my heart to do that to them. I hated what my job had become."

After a moment of silence, she peered up through her feathers at Yuisu who looked back with an understanding expression. Yuisu is a good listener, and I love that about her.

Haru continued, "I tried to resign but my superiors wouldn't hear of it. I was too good at my job, too well liked by everyone. I was practically a hero in my hometown because of all the great things I had done before. Back when I protected harpies…" She stopped and swallowed hard, unable to continue.

Yuisu reached across the table and held Haru's wing in her hand. "It's okay. Whenever you're ready."

Haru managed a small smile and said, "I signed up for Japan's exchange program without telling anyone. The day that I was approved I dropped off a letter of resignation at the station, said goodbye to my mother, and left the country without talking to anyone else. Since I was basically a military deserter, Japan's Interspecies Exchange Program fast-tracked my homestay placement."

Tears ran openly down Haru's face. "I'm an awful person. I haven't spoken to any of my family or friends since."

Yuisu stood up and walked around the table to be next to Haru then pulled her into a tight hug. "You are an amazing person. You had to make a hard choice and I think you made the right one." She lifted Haru's chin and kissed her lightly on the lips. "And it's not too late to get back in touch."

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Yuisu rested her head on Haru's shoulder and whispered, "You should at least talk to your mom, while you still can."

While I still can? What does she mean by that? Haru wondered, but she didn't press it. She nodded. "I think I'll do that," she said, then yawned widely. "How about the day after tomorrow, when I'm not so exhausted?"

Yuisu yawned too, then smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan." They finished their midnight snack and went back to bed. Haru climbed into the pillow nest she'd built on their shared bed and Yuisu crawled up after. They snuggled close and fell asleep in each other's arms.

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The next evening, Yuisu was at the stove with a huge cast iron skillet and a similarly massive slab of beef steak. She had lightly seared one side of the beautifully marbled steak and had just started on the other. The smell of cooking meat flooded the house and mercilessly taunted the resident carnivores. Haru, Mara, and Froze fidgeted impatiently in their seats at the kitchen table.

Froze's tongue dangled out of the side of her mouth as she panted and drooled. "Oh yah, that smells delicious. I take back everything I said, Haru. I can already tell that is some good meat."

Haru grinned. "I told you that I knew my stuff. Oh, and don't blame me if you can't enjoy other meat after this."

"Ha! That's what he said!" Mara joked, earning a laugh from Froze and an amused scoff from Haru.

Finally, the wait ended when Yuisu announced, "It's done! Seared and rare with just a dash of salt. Thanks to all that fat marbled throughout, it should practically melt in your mouth. And don't go and ruin it by drenching in it steak sauce."

Froze shook her head. "I wouldn't dream of it. Thank you for cooking, Yuisu."

"Thanks, Yuisu!" Mara and Haru echoed in unison as Yuisu shuttled the plates to the table.

Yuisu set out four plates then joined them at the table. Each plate held a 16 ounce cut of steak that was seared on the outside but a deep pink inside. "Alright, girls. Let's dig in!"

While they devoured the amazing meal, savoring every bite, Mara paused to ask, "What about Tsuen, Kehp, and Quess? What are they going to eat?"

Yuisu gestured at Mara with a finger. "Good question. They courteously volunteered to have their dinner later so that you meat-eaters could savor your special meal. Be sure to thank them."

Mara grinned and winked with three eyes. "Oh, I'll thank Tsuen, alright…"

Haru shook her head. "Must you make everything sexual?"

Mara gave Haru a dubious look. "Oh? Who's the one who was so busy getting busy during dinner time last night?"

Haru shrugged it off. "It's my mating season, okay? It's not an easy time."

Froze nodded knowingly. "I know that feel. When I'm in heat, I practically have to be chained down to keep control."

Mara glanced between them, then at Yuisu. "So mating season is a free pass to being a horndog?" She threw her arms in the air and whined, "I want a mating season too!"

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The following day, Haru called her mother as promised. The call had to go through the Department of Interspecies Exchange's network and the audio quality wasn't great due to the great distance and neglected infrastructure between Japan and the remote and snowy location of Haru's secretive hometown.

"Hello? Who is this?" a woman's voice said. It was low and sweet and similar to Haru's.

Haru took a slow breath and said, "Hello, mother."

"Haru? Is that you?!" The calm voice turned jubilant. "Oh Haru, I've missed you so much!"

"Yes it's me, mom. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner… and I'm sorry I left."

"Oh my darling, don't be sorry about leaving," Haru's mother assured her. "You did the right thing. The interspecies laws were flawed and they needed to be fixed. Good harpies like you taking a stand helped make that happen."

Haru tilted her head and the phone with it. "Huh? You're acting like the laws have already been fixed…"

"Oh yes, they've been amended, at least on the harpy side. We'll be able to travel to a bunch of cooperating countries and form consenting relationships without restriction. I believe the final version was ratified last month."

Haru groaned and mumbled, "I wonder if Agent Will knew and kept it from me…"

Her mom said, "Agent Will is just a dear, isn't he?"

"Wait. How do you know him, mother?" she asked harshly. Haru couldn't help but think of the time Agent Will messed up Mara's arrival because he was out on so-called 'business' in lamia lands. She didn't want to imagine him on a tryst with her mom.

"Well, he calls sometimes to let me know how you're doing. I figured you knew about that. It was great knowing you were safe, but it doesn't compare to speaking to you directly." Her voice turned mischievous. "And he doesn't tell me any of the fun details. So have you found some good men yet? It is that time of the year, after all."

Haru flushed red and stammered, "Uh, actually, I guess I'm in love with one person."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Haru! That old 'multiple mates for biodiversity' thing is bunk now that we have the whole world to choose from. Sometimes even I've considered the thought of settling down with one man. But then I'd have to give up on all the wonderful and diverse sex."

"Ugh, too much information, mom," Haru whined. "And actually it isn't a man I'm in love with. It's a woman. My host, Yuisu." There. That's it. I've finally come out of the closet to my mom. Now for the aftermath, Haru thought. A bead of nervous sweat ran down her forehead as she imagined the incoming lecture.

"I bet she's just wonderful! I can't wait to meet her," Haru's mom practically cheered into the phone. "Ooh, since you're settling in with one person, you could even get married! I could attend my daughter's wedding! Oh, I never dreamed that was possible!"

Haru coughed in surprise. "First, we aren't getting married. Yet. Or ever. Maybe?" she stammered. Conversations with her mom always managed to get her flustered, but this was new level entirely. "What I mean is, we haven't talked about that."

She sighed and said, "And it might not matter. We're not even supposed to be dating until Agent Will gets that amendment through on Japan's Interspecies Protection Act. And we couldn't get married in Japan anyway until gay marriage is allowed. Who knows when that will be."

"Oh Haru. Even in Japan you're still fighting the law for the sake of love! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom." Haru smiled, then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was Yuisu, looking impatient. Haru said, "I have to go now but I'll try to keep in touch. Let me know in advance if you do plan on coming to visit. Unannounced visitors drive Yuisu a little crazy."

"Of course, darling. Call me again soon. I love you."

"Love you too, mom," Haru said, then hung up the phone and turned to Yuisu. "What's up? You look like you're about to burst."

Yuisu's eyes were wide and glistening and happy. She looked like a hyper little puppy dog. She mumbled, "Uh, I may have overheard some of what you said to your mom…" Then she grinned like an idiot and blurted, "You said you're in love with me. You've never said that before. You love me!"

Yuisu leapt up and wrapped her arms and legs around Haru in a vice-like hug, then yelled out, "And I love you, Haru!"

Haru had to step back to keep her balance, but she was strong enough to hold Yuisu's weight just fine. She smiled and blushed and hugged Yuisu back. She whispered through Yuisu's hair, into her ear, "I love you too, Yuisu."