Holidays at the Hot Springs

Shigeo's half-lidded eyes were sparkling with amusement, drink, and desire. "Ahh, but which of us do you want to pour you into bed, CC-san?" After the second time there had been confusion over who "Kalt-san" was, the buxom American woman had firmly insisted that their hosts call her by her nickname. After some cajoling, and Cecilia bending forward and slipping her robe a little bit more open, Shigeo had agreed with Yukiko reluctantly following his lead. Their accents made it sound like "Shishi-san" and the naughtiness and impropriety of speaking so informally with a stranger seemed to be a secret delight to both the Japanese.

She lifted her sakazuki, the saucer-like cup traditionally used for drinking sake, and to her lips and gave him a languid smile over it. "I haven't decided yet, Shigeo-san." The older man had very humbly asked them to set aside propriety and address him by his given name, an extremely unusual thing that broke any number of Japanese social rules. He'd said he didn't like the way his family name sounded and the two Americans had agreed to it, not particularly caring about the etiquette since the only Japanese people there wouldn't mind. "It might take more than one person."

The men laughed again and Yukiko chuckled, then went beet red and looked down, though her lips quivered with restrained humor even then. Jason raised his own drink, "Here's hoping! Kampai!"

"Kampai," the others echoed, raising their own sakazuki and drinking deeply.

The bearded American set his dish down with a happy sigh. Damn, he was buzzing nicely; this really was good stuff. He smiled down at Yukiko, "Shiroyama-san, will you pour me another?"

"Ah, a wise man," Shigeo nodded. "Sake always tastes better when poured by a beautiful woman." He glanced at the curvaceous woman to his left, "On that note, CC-san..."

"Pff, these two, eh, Shiroyama-san?" Cecilia grinned at the girl and made a show of rolling her eyes.

"Nn, they are incorrigible!" She was smiling as she said it, her hands demurely tilting the bottle and refilling Jason's sakazuki as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

One of her eyebrows went up. Oh, that little minx! Playing all innocent and sweet and making eyes at her man! She knew she liked her. She sighed, "You're just as bad, you're just better at hiding it." She took the bottle from the younger woman and refilled Shigeo's dish and then her own.

Yukiko's eyes went wide and she blushed deeply, "Me?" But there was a smirk on her lips.

All four of them laughed again. Maybe it was the sake, maybe it was the small number of them, maybe it was the danger of the storm and the thrill of surviving it, but they were all acting far more friendlier, more open than they would have normally. Neither Jason nor Cecilia would certainly have ever thought that any Japanese would behave like these two were; joking, flirting, and with gaijin no less!

The table was littered with the well-organized detritus of a Christmas Eve feast, Japanese style. Most of the dishes had been those the region was known for; Uonuma rice, considered the best in all of Japan, western style katsudon and Tsubame-Sanjo ramen with soba noodles and lean, panko-breaded pork cutlets, steamed buns made with brown sugar, and a rich and warming stew called Noppe made of vegetables, soy sauce, and chicken. There were a few almost Western foods as well: mashed potatoes seasoned with a special spice mix made from peppers left out in the snow and a cranberry and yuzu relish. All had been largely demolished and only two serving dishes were yet untouched. Each one bore a set of danko dumplings on skewers; one plate had the normal round shaped dumplings but the ones on the other were tubular with a slight swelling at one end.

Shigeo reached over and took hold of the dumpling platters and pulled them to the middle of the table between them all. "Now, now, CC-san, Yukiko-chan's a good girl. Look at all this wonderful food she made! Come, try this last regional snack: Sasa-dango."

Jason looked at the plates and raised an eyebrow, "Those ones look like dango," he gestured at the round treats, "but these others...did you make them, Shigeo-san?" They did look kind of like something and not a thing that he could ever imagine Yukiko making anything in the image of. Though the idea that she had was kind of hot.

"No, no." He waved a hand from side to side in a gesture of negation. "I'm useless in the kitchen."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault." Yukiko bowed her head. "The otoko-dango are filled with kinpira, sliced and sautéed vegetables, and I was thinking about..." She blushed deeply, "Things other than cooking and sliced them instead of dicing to put them into the dumpling. By the time I noticed, it was too late."

"Hold on a second." Cecilia picked up one of the skewers of the oblong dumplings and eyed it, "So the ones that look like, uh, this are called "man dumplings." Seriously?"

The achingly gorgeous girl nodded, "Yes. It's the filling that makes them that way, and they're supposed to be round like the onna-dango too. I'm so embarrassed."

Jason shook his head and reached out to pat her hand, the contact sending a tingle through him. Her skin was incredibly soft and cool to the touch like silk left to air on a clothesline on a brisk winter's day. "It's no big deal. How they taste is what really matters to us, you know."

Cecilia's smile was fond, noting how the girl had stiffened at her husband's brief touch, "He's right. Relax, Shiroyama-san. Everything's been great." She shifted the skewer so it was closer to her mouth and then ran the dumpling on the end, which happened to be the largest of them, over her lips. Her pink tongue slipped between them and ran down the underside of it, then up the near curve and back down the far side of the phallic treat. Eyes twinkling, she turned the skewer and fed the dango slowly into her mouth between her lips, sealing them around it and making a soft coo, sucking on her snack a few times before doing so hard enough to pull it off the skewer and fully into her mouth. The men were staring at her as she chewed a few times and swallowed. "Ohh, I like it. It feels so hot and firm in my mouth, and the filling is so nice going down my throat."

Jason drained his sake in one long gulp. God damn, he loved that woman. He grinned at her, his wife's pretty face looking sensually pleased with herself, "You do always feel better with a little man-dumpling in you." Next to him, Yukiko fidgeted a bit, rubbing her legs together beneath her robe, her face stunned and blush on her cheeks as she watched the interplay at the table.

Shigeo's narrow lipped smile grew even wider than usual, "A little man-dumpling?"

"Mm, not quite," Cecilia leaned back and took in the others with a languid smirk, "I prefer big man-dumplings, and Jason's always making a huge one for me," she finished, winking.

Shigeo laughed, his head back, Jason joining in after a moment. Yukiko just shook her head slowly and leaned over the table to speak a bit lower, hoping not to be heard, "CC-san, is...is that so?"

The American woman leaned in as well and put her now empty sakazuki forward to give the girl a cover for her salacious question. "Why yes, Shiroyama-san. Haven't you heard? Gaijin otoko dango are way bigger than native Japanese ones."

Yukiko blinked and blushed again, nibbling her lower lip, her eyes speculative. Before she could speak again, Jason spoke up, "What are you girls whispering about?"

Cecilia leaned back, "I was asking for a refill but couldn't be heard over you two, and then I thought I should apologize to poor Shiroyama-san for all this talk. She's too gentle and sweet for the company of galoots like you."

Jason laughed again and Yukiko tittered a little as she responded to Cecilia covering for her by pouring the buxom bottle blond another drink, her eyes thankful. Shigeo tilted his head to one side, "Galoot?"

The American man shook his head, "It doesn't translate, Shigeo-san, it's a cultural word. It means...a person who acts wild and foolish." He pursed his lips, seeking another term, "Uncouth, if you know that one."

"Very much so," Yukiko answered as Shigeo opened his mouth, "as I have known Shigeo-sama for many years."

Shigeo's eyes opened a bit more, still barely more than half open, in surprise but his smile never faltered. He began to laugh, "Right you are, Yukiko-chan!"

Jason shook his head, "She kind of pegged us, didn't she?"

"She skewered you, baby," Cecilia disagreed with a grin.

He grinned right back at her and then over at Yukiko, "Heh, well, I'd like to skewer h-" Before he could finish, there was a click and a ringing chime from the clock behind Shigeo and Cecilia. All four sets of eyes turned to it; both hands upright as it chimed again, and again, continuing to sound out the hour. "Midnight already?"

The Americans and Shigeo watched the clock as it chimed out the full twelve count, Yukiko taking the opportunity to refill everyone's sakazuki with the last of the second bottle of sake. As the final tone sounded, the slender Japanese girl beamed and announced, "Everyone, Merry Christmas!"

"It is, isn't it?" Cecilia smiled and picked up her drink, "Merry Christmas, guys. Cheers!"

The men took up their sakazuki and all four clinked together in a Western toast, "Merry Christmas!" There was silence then, save for the ticking of the clock and the faint music of the radio, as they drank. Cecilia and Jason drank deeply, draining their cups in long pulls. Unseen by them, the two Japanese sipped slightly and their eyes met before both nodded.

"You know," Shigeo said as the guests set their sakazuki down, "it's great to have a nice soak after a big dinner, friendly laughter, and drinking, isn't it? And what better way to start off Christmas than cleansed and relaxed?" He looked from Cecilia to Jason, "How about the onsen, now that you've eaten?"

The curvaceous woman frowned a bit. "It does sound great...I really wanted to go into the hot springs, but it's so late, and we are both drunk...I don't know if it's safe..."

Jason sighed, "God, it sounds like heaven. But she's right, and there's the snowstorm too, Shigeo-san. I don't like the idea of freezing my dumplings off when I get out of the water."

Yukiko shook her head, "Oh, don't worry. The water is so hot and right from the source, and the walls around it keep all the heat in, that the air in the onsen is always steamy and warm." She put a small hand on Jason's forearm, "It's actually a little cooler in here than it would be standing by the bath, even with our heat on."

Shigeo nodded, "And we won't risk your safety. Yukiko-chan and I will join you, with snacks and drinks, so you can soak up the heat, let it relax your body as you watch the snow swirl overhead and feel your troubles melt away."

The formerly demure girl nodded as well, "Bathing is good for the mind and spirit. You've treated your bodies, why not the rest of you?"

The newlyweds looked at one another; speaking in that silent way that only those who know one another deeply can. Jason raised an eyebrow, one shoulder shrugging. Cecilia pursed her lips and then smiled, shrugging back, the motion causing her robe to slip open a bit more and threaten to expose her nipples. Jason grinned and nodded, "All right. Who would argue with that? Let's hit the onsen."

"Good!" Shigeo stood up as Yukiko began to gather up the platters, plates, and the rest of the meal's remains. The older man gestured to a pair of doors that were on the wall set back further from the Christmas tree. The door on the left had a pink cloth hanging on it with the character for "woman" written upon it in swirling calligraphy, a blue banner bearing the word "man" on the right door. "Just go right through and that'll take you through to the changing area and the onsen beyond. There's a wall all the way, so don't worry about that winter air getting you. Feel free to get in, we'll be along in a few minutes."

He took one of the stack of plates that Yukiko had gathered, the girl taking the other, and the two of them bustled out of the hall. Jason and Cecilia stood slowly and reached out to hold hands over the table. The bearded academic smiled, "It's turned into a really great night. Even if we will have company on our sides of the bath."

"Mm, no sneaking into the same side and dirtying up the pure water tonight." She gave his hands a squeeze and grinned, "Always tomorrow, babe."

"Today tomorrow or tomorrow tomorrow?" Jason released her hands. "Enjoy it, love. See you after." They turned and went to the doors, sliding them open to reveal identical hallways that led back to the changing areas for the gender separate pools of the onsen.

The robe slipped from Cecilia's shoulders almost as soon as she shut the door behind her, the pale blue fabric puddling on the tiled floor. The tile under her feet was a bit cooler than the tatami flooring she'd just been on but not enough to make her feel chilled. The air here was thicker and warmer, embracing her nude form as she picked up the fallen yukata and walked down the hallway to the changing room. It was a small and simple space with benches, cabinets to serve as lockers for the bathers, and a few short stools, all in a lightly stained wood. There was a full length mirror mounted on the wall opposite the "locker" part of the room, so those changing could see themselves. A pair of bucket lights set deep into the ceiling to avoid the humid air shone down to provide dim, soft illumination.

She chuckled as she opened one of the cabinets and hung her yukata on a hood inside, "Soft lighting, hm? Looks like the director wants romantic shots coming up." She could hope, anyway. "Or not so romantic," she said again, turning to face her reflection. Mm! Cecilia ran her hands down her sides and over her taut stomach, then up to cup and fondle her own massive, majestic tits. Her supple legs were clean shaven and shapely and her sweet sex was bare and clean of hair as well, the lips glistening a bit from the arousal that she'd felt building all through dinner. The looks, the flirty comments, her own imagination supplying all kinds of delicious images and ideas, not to mention being drunker than she'd been in quite some time, had felt her aroused and ready. Her right hand left her breasts to slip between her legs and run two fingers over her moist labia, Cecilia shuddering and taking in a staggering breath. "Maybe pornographic," she smirked at her reflection as she raised her fingers to her face and breathed in the scent of her cunt.

Fuck, she hoped she could seduce Yukiko when the girl brought her the snacks and booze. She felt she had a pretty good shot at it.

She laughed again and turned back to her wooden locker. Other than her robe, it held a short sided bucket made from bamboo. It was meant to carry any toiletries into the bath, being able to float, as well as holding water for cleaning oneself off before entering to soak. It held a few complimentary items as well; a wash cloth, a bar of soap wrapped in a large kudzu leaf, and a pair of bottles that held locally made "all natural" shampoo and conditioner. Grabbing the bucket, she walked to the entrance to the onsen proper; a space simply hung with a cloth banner to block it off from the changing room. The bathing area was quite large; half again as big as the main hall. There was a set of six concrete washing stations to one side of the entrance, each with a wooden stool, where bathers were supposed to sit, soap up, scrub, and rinse themselves. There were wooden walls on all sides of the onsen, the right one actually cutting the pool in half; the bathing area for men on the other side of it. Along the wall of the great hall behind her and on that opposite, were a few stone benches where women could sit out of the water to speak if they wanted to take a break from soaking. The pool itself was irregularly shaped but was generally round on one end and then narrowed to become a more oval shape before the wall that split it in two abruptly stopped this side. On the curve of the rounded end closest to the ryokan, the poolside gave way to a set of stone steps that led into the pool. The water was dark in the faint light that came from the ornate stone lanterns set about the bathing area but steam was rising off of it and the air in general was hazy and very thick. It was warm too; feeling like a balmy day in early spring rather than a dark winter's night. Overhead the blackness of the night could be seen, as could the swirling snow, but none of that chill reached Cecilia as she made her way towards the hot spring. The entire area was covered in stone and tile and it glistened faintly with wetness in the humid air. Here and there around the edge of the pool there were mats set for those who wanted to lay or sit by the spring and converse with those soaking.

Cecilia considered scrubbing down briefly but shrugged the idea off. She'd just ridden in a car all day, she couldn't be that dirty. Plus, she was just too eager to get in and actually be in a Japanese hot spring! She set her bucket on one of the mats and then moved to the stairs. Two of the steps were above the water, the third covered with maybe an inch of water, two further steps fully submerged. The third step went on along the wall of the spring to form a thin, slightly sloped "bench" that bathers could sit on, though at the pool's edges even a short woman could sit on the bottom and still be above water from the top of her shoulders up.

"Oooh, fuck," she breathed as she walked down the slick steps into the water and then let herself fall forward into the hot spring. The dark water seemed to almost pull her in and embrace her; it was not warm but genuinely hot, shockingly so to the point that it was both heavenly and almost uncomfortable at once. The heat sank into her and muscles eased and relaxed after only a few moments of the steady pressure and intense warmth and it was everything she'd imagined. "Oh, ohhh, this is soo good!" The heat washed over her and through her, and with it came pleasure, and a deep seated, almost glowing satisfaction.

She half walked, half swam to the middle of the hot spring where it was deepest and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her feet were still on the bottom here and the water lapped at her lips. Cecilia bent her knees and slid under the surface to let her whole body be wrapped in the bone soaking heat and fluid embrace of the hot spring. She floated in the dark stillness of the torrid waters and felt a strange blend of relaxed exhilaration spread tingling through her; starting from her stomach and radiating outward to the very tips of her fingers and the ends of her wiggling toes.

The busty American hung there for a few moments, having to work a bit to stay submerged as her ample assets tended to make her buoyant. She then pushed off the bottom and slid along in, as much under the surface as she could get, hands outstretched in front of her. As they came into contact with the bottom step, she lifted herself up, hands palm down on the underwater step, back arching, head tossing her soaked hair back over her shoulders as she breached in her best impression of a mermaid. She even shifted to have her knees down on the bottom so that her ass and feet were lifted out of the shallower water at the edge of the pool. Water coursed down her slick, shiny skin and slid in droplets down and over the heaving slopes of her jugs and along the graceful curve of her neck.

She held the pose for a few seconds and then started to laugh, her breasts jiggling with the motion and shaking more droplets down. God, she felt so silly! But it was just too fun! And it probably looked pretty good too; her body wet and gleaming, tits heaving and thrust out. Cecilia smirked, her head still tilted back, "I bet the guys would shoot in their robes if they saw me now."