Session Four; It All Can Change in a Night

Dew clung to Mikoto’s kimono as she waded through the field outside of town. She had woken that morning, eaten breakfast by herself, and left with a basket to find herbs and other plants that could be used in medicinal ways. She had no idea what she was really looking for, not knowing anything about medicine besides folklore and tales. It wasn’t something people studied when there were priests around who could heal with just a prayer. But she had seen Asahina patching his own wound the first day they were in the dream world and the idea planted itself in her head that it was probably something worth learning. Today she would ask Asahina to teach her, he wouldn’t be able to say no if she already had the plants. And if he did, she’d just make sure Hikaru was nearby to keep Asahina from leaving until he decided teaching her was the better idea.

Mikoto looked at her bounty. She had some circle leaved plants, some with pointed leaves, a few thin stalks of something with some sort of seed pods, a plant that was two different colors, and a branch that had berries on it. It looked like a pretty good haul, the only thing she was missing was some sort of flower, and she knew people used flowers for medicine. Mikoto inspected the area, she could always grab some cherry blossoms on the way back, but that seemed way too common of a flower to be useful. Maybe there was a bush closer to the woods that had flowers on it; she could also pick up some bark while there. Mikoto remembered a time when she was young that she had gotten sick and in order to get better they made her drink a tea made from bark, it was terrible. But if bark is part of medicine she would definitely add it to her basket.

Near the forest Mikoto found several bushes with flowers, she grabbed the yellow tiny ones, some purple pokey things, some large white petal ones, and picked the bark off the nearest tree. That should do it, she thought to herself studying the basket now brimming with foliage. The sun had risen, warming the air as Mikoto walked back to the house, Hikaru in tow. The dew was drying off the plants creating a sweet green smell, and the scent of the cherry blossoms that surrounded the village blew on the gentle breeze that kept the spring the perfect temperature for outdoor strolls. Mikoto almost didn’t want to go back indoors. The day was starting beautifully, and even though she lacked an artistic eye for nature, she couldn’t deny that something was just better today.

The house was open on all sides when she came in, allowing the sun, wind, and outside pour into every nook and cranny. Pleased with herself, she crossed the courtyard to Asahina’s room, easily seen from the front door. It was closed, but it was late enough in the morning she didn’t expect him to be sleeping. Mikoto knocked, setting her basket on the ground.

“Asahina-san?”

No answer came. Mikoto frowned, trying again, and again there was no response. It wouldn’t hurt if she just took a small peek she decided and slid the door open enough for her to look about the room. Asahina wasn’t inside. How could he just leave this morning after all the work she did gathering the herbs so he could teach her medicine? She made her way to Shiba’s room who also was missing. That’s two for two. Believing the rest of her housemates had gone on some group outing without her, she almost passed up Daigotsu’s room. Mikoto sighed and looked at Daigotsu’s door. She didn’t want to find out everyone had left her here alone, like she had grown up, and if she knocked and Daigotsu was also gone that would clearly be the case. The door swiftly slid open, Mikoto finding herself in the presence of Daigotsu who was just staring at her as if she was expecting Mikoto. Daigotsu didn’t say anything or make a move.

“Could you help me figure out how to use plants?” Mikoto asked hesitantly.

“Plants?”

“Yes,” Mikoto found her conviction again, “I want to learn medicine so that if any of our soldiers or samurai get injured I would have knowledge to help them.”

“I can do that,” Daigotsu nodded. “What exactly do you have to work with?”

Mikoto held out her basket of plants she had picked today. Daigotsu seemed to be scanning the items, not touching any of them. She took a breath, “Matsu-san, you can put those back outside, they won’t help.”

“Oh… okay,” Mikoto lowered the basket. “Not even a little?”

“No.”

“Okay…” Mikoto had worked for a good hour this morning collecting them, there’s no way all of them were useless. Maybe Daigotsu just didn’t know how to use them correctly and didn’t want to admit it. She went out the back since it was closer to Daigotsu’s room and set her basket near the steps. She’d come back for it once she knew something about medicine to pick out the items that could be helpful.

“Let me check on Kitsuki-san and I’ll meet you in your room, Matsu-san.” Daigotsu was right behind Mikoto when she turned around and Hikaru hadn’t made a noise. She glared at Hikaru when Daigotsu walked off. This was the second time now that Hikaru had acted strangely around Daigotsu, and by strangely Mikoto meant Hikaru seemed to be instantly accepting Daigotsu.

Mikoto went to her room and waited; it wasn’t more than a few seconds before Daigotsu came in and closed the door behind her. Mikoto raised her brows, not sure what Daigotsu had planned. She wanted to know about plants, there weren’t any plants in here, and now that the door was closed it was just the three of them, alone. It didn’t frighten her, but she had been interested in Daigotsu since she met her, and there had been a time or two she had wished to have Daigotsu alone, in an empty house, behind closed doors.

Daigotsu tugged on her shozoku, pulling it off her face and tossing it by the door. “The first things you need to know are the basics of life.”

Mikoto nodded as Daigotsu circled her. A firm pressure pushed on her back below her ribs.

“Here,” Daigotsu said leaning over Mikoto’s shoulder.

Daigotsu was taller than her, not nearly as tall as Asahina but enough that Mikoto’s line of sight fell directly on Daigotsu’s lips. They were thin, had she ever noticed that before? Probably not since Daigotsu often wore her mask. It seemed to be what all the Spider Monks wore, making it difficult to tell them apart when grouped together.

Daigotsu touched Mikoto’s neck with her other hand, gently compressing the area under her jaw near her throat.

“Here,” Daigotsu removed her hand from Mikoto’s back and slid it between Mikoto’s legs pressing on her inner thigh entirely too close to other areas, as if touching wasn’t bad enough. “And here. Those are the most vulnerable parts. If you’re looking for a kill and can get one of those three, do it.”

Mikoto couldn’t resist the urge, she touched Daigotsu’s inner thigh as well, “Here?”

Daigotsu took Mikoto’s hand and slid it closer to her pelvis, “Here.” She could feel the difference in the muscle definition, where her hand now was definitely felt softer and more vulnerable. Her heart began to race. Daigotsu was so close to her, and touching her, and being touched by her, she thought maybe this was when Daigotsu was finally going to make her move. Daigotsu stepped away.

“You see, your heart pumps blood to different parts of your body,” Daigotsu tapped Mikoto’s chest, “and those three places will cause massive amounts of bleeding in a very short time. The one in your back is your kidney, you actually have two but the other is guarded by these ribs over here.” Daigotsu was brushing Mikoto’s left ribs, the brief encounter tickling her.

“In your neck and leg are arteries. You have arteries throughout your entire body, but those two are major, and large, and easier to get to.”

Mikoto nodded. Daigotsu was actually teaching her medicine and not just fondling her. She sighed inwardly, that small glimmer of hope snuffed out by how informative Daigotsu was being. This must be why most don’t learn medicine. If all instruction went the same way Daigotsu was teaching her, she could see where someone could easily get the wrong idea and no one would learn anything because they were too busy answering the call of temptation. Mikoto pressed her lips fighting the call herself.

“We can tell how well your heart is doing by listening to it, or feeling it here.” Daigotsu cupped Mikoto’s hand pressing her fingers on Mikoto’s inner wrist; she waited a few seconds, frowned and allowed a few more seconds to pass. “Your heart is a little fast, Matsu-san.”

“I’m excited to learn,” Mikoto quickly responded. Apparently it worked, Daigotsu nodded and smiled.

Daigotsu stepped behind her again, this time drawing two ovals down her back at the top portion of her ribs. Mikoto closed her eyes trying to imagine the size and position of the invisible lines Daigotsu drew.

“These are you lungs, they’re important for your heart and blood flow. Obviously you cannot survive without air, but it’s more than just breathing.”

She opened her eyes to see Daigotsu once again in front of her. She was untying Mikoto’s obi. Mikoto held her breath; this was going a bit further than just touching, now Daigotsu was undressing her. Once her belt was unknotted, Daigotsu brushed Mikoto’s kimono off her shoulders, then pulled open her hiyoku (under-kimono) and nagajuban (robe worn under the hiyoku) to bare Mikoto’s shoulders completely. Daigotsu traced a finger from Mikoto’s heart down between her breasts, the only thing keeping Daigotsu from touching the flesh there was her susoyoke, the thin slip-like underwear women wore.

“Your heart runs an artery from here to your lungs, stopping about here. Take a breath.” Mikoto did as she was told letting it out as slowly as she could to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. “When you breathe, air mingles with your blood and returns to your heart.” Daigotsu was retracing the path she had so delicately painted with her finger.

“From there the blood runs through your body, carrying the breath of life.” Daigotsu was drawing lines from Mikoto’s heart down her torso, her belt falling away and Daigotsu pushing open Mikoto’s kimono. At Mikoto’s navel Daigotsu veered towards Mikoto’s hip and down her leg, squatting to reach Mikoto’s knee, shin, and the top of her foot. This was driving Mikoto mad. In the back of her mind she wondered if Asahina would be doing the same thing if she had found him to teach her medicine; touching her, undressing her, and not taking advantage of the situation when she had no reservations.

Daigotsu stood, starting at Mikoto’s heart again she drew across her shoulder, tugging the layers of her robe off as she went, down her arm which Daigotsu turned palm up, her fingers spreading across Mikoto’s forearm sending a series of shivers up Mikoto’s back, and touching her fingertips to Mikoto’s.

“And lastly,” Daigotsu was speaking again; apparently they were still in the lesson, “Up your neck.”

Daigotsu stepped in close to her wrapping a hand around the back of Mikoto’s neck and sliding her fingers into Mikoto’s shoulder length hair, grabbing, pulling slowly to tilt her head back. Daigotsu was almost chest to chest with her, she could feel her breath on the dip at the front of her neck. Daigotsu started at Mikoto’s heart again and slid a finger across her collarbone, opening her hand tracing her fingertips towards the back of Mikoto’s skull, encircling her throat.

There they stood, it felt like minutes passed, Daigotsu clutching at Mikoto, leaning in closer as she looked over Mikoto’s face. Mikoto could see Daigotsu’s eyes moving, like she was being studied. Her eyes. Mikoto hadn’t ever noticed them before. Had they always been that way? Daigotsu was peering at her with one eye the color of ripened blueberries and the other a rich umber. Then it was over, Daigotsu promptly released her and moved away leaving Mikoto wondering if it was all in her mind, if that had happened and Daigotsu was about to kiss her.

“Ahem,” Daigotsu cleared her throat, “It’s important to realize where the veins and arteries run for stanching blood flow when assessing a wound. Most wounds you can apply pressure to stop the bleeding,” Daigotsu squeezed Mikoto’s forearm, “But certain ones you need to cutoff the supply by tying off the limb.” Daigotsu drew a line around Mikoto’s bicep.

“Every wound that pierces the flesh will bleed, even minor ones like a prick from a needle. I’ll go over how to tell if they’re serious or-”

“You have beautiful eyes,” Mikoto interrupted. She couldn‘t take her eyes off them; she had never before seen someone with eyes like Daigotsu.

Daigotsu titled her head down, hiding her right eye, the blue one. It didn’t work very well since Mikoto was shorter, but she could read the action all the same, it obviously made Daigotsu uncomfortable for her to have said that.

“Erm,” Daigotsu blinked, “If they’re serious or not.”

“Did I offend you?” Mikoto peered at Daigotsu. Daigotsu shuffled backwards.

“Most people-um, just don’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry.” Mikoto didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable. It just came to mind and, like most things do, out of her mouth.

“It’s fine. It’s just… uh-usually it isn’t… complimented. Only inside my clan has-um, have I ever heard reverence for it.” She was fidgeting. Daigotsu didn’t fidget.

“I think,” Mikoto began, “People get so caught up in what’s different that they don’t see who you really are.” Daigotsu shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck. “You can’t be that bad if Hikaru likes you.”

Mikoto offered a smile in attempts to put Daigotsu back at ease. Hikaru must have been thinking the same thing, that or decided it was time for him to join the petting, he rubbed against Daigotsu’s leg. Daigotsu scratched at Hikaru’s head, between his ears.

“You were saying you would tell me how to identify a serious wound?” She prodded Daigotsu, holding out her arm for Daigotsu to take again.

“Yes. Let’s say you were injured here,” Daigotsu ran her thumb across the outside of Mikoto’s arm where her bicep and shoulder met. Mikoto enjoyed the sensation. “Even if it’s more than superficial, it isn’t life threatening from loss of blood. Disease is a different story, and that’s where plants come in, but that’s further down the line.”

Mikoto nodded. No wonder the herbs were useless today, she had to learn about wounds first, and the body. And she had to admit, she didn’t mind Daigotsu teaching her about her body, caressing her and being so close. Daigotsu continued to talk, continued to touch her, and Mikoto did her very best to pay attention. It was difficult though Daigotsu didn’t seem to notice the sensations she was causing in Mikoto.

There was another moment like the one when she thought Daigotsu was going to kiss her. They had moved onto muscles, strains and sprains, with Mikoto sitting on the ground one leg inclined as Daigotsu used it as a model. Daigotsu was talking about knee strains and how common they were, wrapping Mikoto’s knee. Once she was done Daigotsu became quiet again, her hand on Mikoto’s thigh. Mikoto watched, waiting to see where this was going. There were a more than a few occasions where she had almost misinterpreted Daigotsu’s instruction for foreplay. Medicine seemed to be very hands on. And though she wouldn’t complain if things did end up going in that direction, she still wasn’t convinced Daigotsu even considered her in that fashion. Daigotsu’s hand drifted up her leg, grazing her susoyoke and lifting it by an inch before Daigotsu withdrew again and hastily jumped back into instruction.

“That’s enough for today,” Daigotsu said rising and brushing out her pants. “We’ll pick back up in a day or two, give this time to sink in.”

Mikoto opened her mouth to ask a question, anything that would keep Daigotsu in the room, from keeping things from ending. Nothing came to mind. Daigotsu had already turned her back, picked up her wrap from by the door, and slipped out into the hallway. Mikoto sat there, nearly nude, swept away in her inner turmoil. So badly she wanted to rub her hands on Daigotsu, but she kept telling herself it was simply the way one learned medicine. There had to be touch, how else would you know the subtle difference in firmness where the muscles met?

If she had acted in the way her lustful desires were commanding, there probably wouldn’t be another day that Daigotsu was going to teach her. That was something to look forward to, it may not be Daigotsu naked and entwined with her, but it was another day Daigotsu would lay her hands upon her body, and Mikoto figured that would be close enough. She took a sharp inhale to calm herself. She could smell Daigotsu lingering in her room; it was earthy but sweet, reminding her of daifuku, a rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste. Mikoto sighed and flopped on the floor. Next time they’d have to learn in Daigotsu’s room, she couldn’t have these thoughts running through her head and have Daigotsu’s scent sticking around as a reminder.

Hikaru quietly stared at her.

“You don’t get to say anything,” She scowled at Hikaru, “Where were you when she was accosting me?”

Mikoto rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. Hikaru blinked slowly, unable to comprehend the situation.

“I know,” She said morosely, “I don’t understand either.”

She shrugged and pulled herself together. Rising and dressing slowly, Mikoto reran what had just happened through her head. She was glad they weren’t going to move to the next lesson for a few days; Mikoto was going to need that time to push the stimulating thoughts from her mind, to concentrate on learning instead of mauling Daigotsu.

***

Katsumi stepped outside Matsu’s room and slid the door closed, standing there, waiting to get a grip on herself. Twice she realized she had the opportunity to advance in her mission, and twice she stumbled, uncertain if it was the right moment. Maybe she wasn’t doing this seduction thing right. She wouldn’t doubt it, it wasn’t something she was ever taught or ever used. Because of her eyes she wasn’t suited for tempting most of Rokugan, and inside the Spider clan there wasn’t a need for veiled invitations for physical pleasure. This was a whole new world to Katsumi, one she didn’t fully understand and now she was supposed to just jump in and snatch up Matsu? She wasn’t even sure if Matsu was still interested. The second day they met Matsu had shown interest, but nothing since then. Maybe it was a passing fancy on Matsu’s part. Maybe she wasn’t giving the right signals on her part. Katsumi sighed. Things would be so much easier if she could just handle this the way she knew how, but appearances had to be kept up and that way wouldn’t mesh well.

She encased her face with her shozoku, having done it for so many years it was second nature, and headed back towards her room. Since she was staying in town, and living here now, she had some items she needed to attend to, mainly diet. It had only been a day, but she was sorely disappointed with the food thus far. The cooks here kept to traditional meals for most of Rokugan, which didn’t include traditional meals her clan grew up with. You could live off of rice and fish, but from past experiences after a few days without red meat Katsumi felt her spirit sicken. That was when she learned to bleed livestock.

“Servant, I require water.” A male voice Katsumi hadn’t heard before called from the front of the house.

She crept down the hallway in front of Asahina’s room and looked through the courtyard to the receiving area, where a man she had never seen before stood alone. He was average height, maybe 5’8”, thin, with dark hair in a topknot and a long face. He was incredibly unremarkable in his physical appearance. His clothes were sea green and black, which placed him as a Mantis clan member. Katsumi watched the stranger, curious on what he was doing in their house without anyone greeting him. He turned, obviously noticing her presence across the opening between them and silently watched her as well. Not my problem she thought as she walked towards the kitchen.

Grabbing an empty pitcher, Katsumi headed out the backdoor towards the cattle. On her way she grabbed a heimin who was tending to some other menial farm task. Katsumi never took care of an animal, so she had no idea what exactly he was doing but it was always easier to bleed a cow with two people. After explaining what they were going to do, and the heimin paling considerably, she had him keep the cow calm as she nicked its neck. It doesn’t hurt much, at least the cow never seems to mind the cut, keeping them still so you can fill the pitcher is the hard part. Once her jug was full she showed the man how to put pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding. After about a minute the wound clotted up and Katsumi, the cow, and the terrified heimin went on their merry way.

Katsumi, happy with her haul, walked back into the house to find the Mantis still standing in the receiving room. There was sushi on the table, most of it eaten, and a pitcher of something nearby. She glanced around, wondering where Asahina was. Surely someone was in here with the Mantis, it would be silly if he was still waiting by himself.

“Hello, Spider-sama,” the Mantis bowed, “I’m Tsuruchi Airo, from the Mantis clan. I’ve been sent here to help Asahina-sama with his growing village.”

His voice was haughty. Katsumi didn’t like that. She just stared at him, holding her pitcher of blood. She wasn’t supposed to handle these things, Asahina had said that she would handle what the Spider would handle, and this was not that. Since he wasn’t here for her and he was here for Asahina, Katsumi just decided to continue staring.

“And who might you be?”

She just stalked off. This wasn’t her problem. She did, however, need to procure some cooks trained in the delicacies of Spider cooking otherwise her pitcher of blood was going to just waste away. Katsumi dropped the pitcher off in the kitchen, warning everyone else from touching or dumping it and headed off to the Spider camp to requisition a cook. She didn’t need to ask or notify anyone, that’s not the way the Spider worked. They took what they wanted, which often left them not wanting for much.

She also had to speak with her family about when they’d be departing. Now that she was staying here, she knew that they would be splitting ways. She would be here for a significant, undefined amount of time, and not knowing when she’d see Yanagi again saddened Katsumi. Yanagi had always been there in her life, Yanagi and Koto, her father. But Koto was dead now, and Yanagi was all she had left. She wasn’t dependant on either of them; she had spent time apart from everyone she knew when she trained at the Black Silk Dojo. It was a part of growing up and she managed fine. But even during those times of separation, at least she knew they would meet again. Once the mission was over, once training was over, once the next town was rid of bandits, but there was no end to growing a town. It would be over when it was over and that may be never.

Finding a cook was easy enough, in fact she found two, but finding Yanagi not as much. She did gather the Spider were moving out tomorrow so she left a message for her brother that she would return early evening to say her goodbyes. Tonight was the last of the full moon, giving Katsumi a limited amount of daylight to work with before she was bound once again under Kitsuki’s watch.

It wasn’t long before they had reached the house and Katsumi began directing the cooks in the kitchen. The other servants politely left, not wanting to be part of something so taboo in their culture. They’d have to get used to it, granted, she had two cooks so they could work different shifts, but the others would have to learn eventually as well. First up was blood cake and whatever was left could be made up into blood tofu. With a whisk of her finger in the jug - just a small taste to tide her over, Katsumi left the kitchen and sat outside Kitsuki’s office. For now it was her turn to watch over him.

***

“Tsuruchi-san,” Soshi Meiko said sweetly, “I suggest you stop insulting the Lion.”

Tsuruchi Airo’s jaw throbbed. His mouth was numb, the kind of numbness that comes from a sudden blow where your body hasn’t recovered enough to assess where it actually hurt. He could feel his lip swelling and wanted to touch it to see if it was bleeding but didn’t want to give Matsu Mikoto the satisfaction of knowing she had wounded him. He hadn’t even said anything offensive, not that he was the offending type, but there was no cause or provocation, it just came out of no where. The last thing out of his mouth was lavish praise on the clan Matsu’s fiancé was from, the Unicorn. Then she backhanded him. She was riled up like only a Lion could get. The intense rage in her amber eyes making them look like they were on fire, wildly dancing.

“Yes,” Airo agreed, “it seems to be the best move for my life.” He wearily eyed Matsu, now wishing he was on the other side of the table by the questionable Scorpion woman rather than where he was next to the honorable Lion.

This whole house seemed to be completely out of sorts with customs and hospitality. First he was made to wait an exorbitant amount of time without a host to greet him. Then there was that Spider who just stared at him from the other side of the courtyard. Then there was the Spider that entered the house and just stared at him as well. They might have been the same one; both were shorter than him and looked similar in build. However, it’s hard to judge a Spider when they’re covered from head to toe. Even after he greeted him or her - Airo wasn’t even sure what the sex was, it didn’t have any distinguishing features. And now Matsu and her sudden rage, she wasn’t even going to tell him what provoked her. She just went back to drinking her tea.

“Would you like some more sake?” Soshi politely offered.

“I would love to take that stroll around town.” Earlier Soshi had offered to show him around, but having waited for a number of hours already, Airo was determined to stay put and continue waiting for Asahina so he wouldn‘t miss him. Now, however, leaving the Matsu to her own devices sounded like a better plan.

“Of course,” Soshi nodded, turning to Matsu, “Mikoto-chan, if you would excuse us, Tsuruchi and I have some business to attend to.”

“I look forward to seeing you again,” Matsu was speaking to Soshi, not Airo. She then returned from whence she came, her pet lion tailing her.

As Soshi rose to escort Airo out, the door rolled open and there stood a Crane man, tall with bleached white hair, and a Phoenix woman, short and armored. Soshi bowed to the couple.

“Asahina-sama, welcome home.”

“Asahina-sama!” Airo bowed, “Finally I get to make your acquaintance. I am Tsuruchi Airo of the Mantis clan and I have been waiting to have an audience with you.”

“Asahina Kyuzo at your service.” Asahina bowed in return.

“To fill you in, Asahina-sama,” Soshi spoke up with her sultry voice, “This is going to be the head of the Mantis clan, replacing the current representative.”

“Who are you?” Asahina looked at Soshi perplexed.

“Soshi Meiko, my lord.”

“It is really nice to meet you, but why are you informing me of what is going on around here?”

It appeared to Airo that Asahina and Soshi hadn’t yet met. He had figured that Soshi was one of the representatives since she was well informed and provided herself as a host in Asahina’s absence. Matsu also hadn’t seemed the least bit surprised to see her, and even was on friendly terms with the way Soshi was speaking to her.

“You told us to scout, my lord.”

“Do you not know this woman?” Airo interjected.

“Not as of yet,” Soshi answered for Asahina.

“Do we ever really know a woman?” Asahina asked rhetorically.

“I know enough,” Airo decided it was a question worth discussing instead of leaving it unanswered. “They are beautiful creatures. The world would be not the same without them.” He gazed at Soshi, who was quite beautiful.

“Agreed. Have they been treating you well here? And I apologize for my late appearance.”

“Yes, the food has been excellent and they have patiently waited on me while I patiently waited on you. I am here to serve you in building this new town for the Spider clan.”

“I just had word with Yoritomo-san, head of the Mantis encampment. I was under the impression that he was the representative.”

“That is currently correct,” Soshi said.

“But you just said-”

“Yes, lord Asahina,” interrupted Soshi, “Tomorrow there should be a missive.”

“I was unaware I was here to replace Yoritomo-san,” Airo quickly explained, “I feel sorry for him. I don’t know what he has done to lose his position to myself.”

“Nothing, he is to be your advisor.” Soshi seemed to know everything. Airo was glad she was here, she made the answers to their questions easily available.

“Oh, that’s good. He knows the current situation. So, are there any other matters left today that you need to take care of? I’d be happy to come with you and assist.”

“Not currently,” Asahina responded. “I have sent out invitations for a gathering tonight for the representatives.”

“With that being the case, Asahina-sama,” Soshi jumped into the conversation again, “Tsuruchi-san and I were going to take a walk around the village. I will show him around and explain what is currently happening in the area.”

“Would you mind if I accompanied you as well?” Asked Asahina.

“Not at all.” Soshi smiled.

“Shiba-san, any objections?” Asahina was talking to the Phoenix woman behind him. Airo forgot she was even there with how quiet she had been.

“It is most unusual to mention your yojimbo, Asahina-sama,” Soshi pointed out.

“This is the least of the unusual happenings lately, Soshi-san. Shiba-san isn’t technically my yojimbo, she is-”

“Captain of the bodyguards, if I’m not mistaken,” She interrupted again. “Shiba Morasahi, she has an older sister.”

“Yes, so formalities aren’t as stringent as normal between the two of us and in public. It will be okay.”

“An interesting way to handle things, lord Asahina,” commented Soshi.

“Shall we walk?” Airo was getting tired of this room. He had decided to see the town several minutes ago now and they hadn’t started towards the door. At his suggestion, however, Asahina and Shiba moved out of the way, waiting in the street for Soshi and him.

“What are you plans for this place?” Airo only knew the Spider were moving into the area and the town was supposed to get bigger and become some sort of guard post. A general idea didn’t give him much to work towards. Airo liked direction.

“Frankly, we’re all rather new at this. All we’ve really done is establish duties. Tonight we will see who has what to offer because my compatriots and I can’t do it all alone. Later we will have hordes of people coming from various clans, but that will take some time. Thank goodness we have Kitsuki-san taking care of the bureaucracy of it all. I was afraid I would be overwhelmed.” Asahina was quite forthcoming about his feelings on his duties.

“So the point of this town is a place of protection for the new settlements that will be beyond?”

“I prefer to see it more as a union of all the clans in order to squelch any underlying strife. I believe it’s a means to yoke any kind of past regresses.”

“Who all is with you now aside from Matsu-san and Soshi?” Airo paused, on that thought he remembered the Spider(s) in the building. “I saw a strange Spider walking around in your home. I don’t mean to intrude.”

“No, I understand. A strange Spider, that would describe the majority of the Spiders that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”

“He refused to give a name. I’m afraid they might be a mute. Is that the case?”

“Oh no, she is definitely not a mute,” Asahina quickly responded. “Perhaps a little shy. Or she might be attracted to you.”

“That would be… a happening,” Airo wasn’t sure how to respond with something so candidly spoken. At least he knew the Spider was female now, though a name wasn’t given by Asahina either. “Is anyone else staying with you? I noticed Matsu and you were sharing a house, though Matsu is betrothed to a Unicorn.”

“Yes, we have a representative from the Phoenix clan,” Asahina waved a hand towards Shiba.

“I should have guessed, the Shiba are the finest yojimbo in the land.”

“We have one from the Dragon clan,” continued Asahina, “Of course you met the Lion, and the Spider.”

“Oh, yes… The captain of the guard.” Airo licked his swollen lip making a note to keep his distance from Matsu when they next met.

“Mikoto-chan landed a stunning blow to end the conversation,” Soshi smirked.

That was enough of that conversation for Airo. “What is there to do for entertainment around here?”

Surprisingly, Shosi waved an arm towards the brothel which was right in front of them. Somehow she had led them, with all their wandering, to this location precisely at the moment Airo asked. It was like Soshi anticipated everything he could want. He really liked her being around. She explained that there were the finest women and men, whatever suited your tastes, in Rokugan who lived in the brothel. Exquisite taste was starting to become a trend in this village, and Airo liked it.

Asahina requested they be shown around more. With an internal sigh, Airo followed. He could always come back and judge the fineness of the women another time; he was going to be living here for a while. Soshi pointed out the inn, where one could sample the sake and shochu that they brewed in town. She then took them to the brewery where Soshi quoted some numbers, the amount of days they let the sake permeate or something equally unimportant to Airo. Eventually they ended their tour at the geisha house.

Asahina didn’t object this time which allowed Airo to enjoy the provided entertainment while also enjoying the local brews. Before he knew it, dinner hour was quickly approaching. He had drunk enough to feel the warmth that emanates from consuming the perfect amount of drink. Honestly, he didn’t want to leave, but he had been tasked to help Asahina with this town and the dinner party would be starting shortly, very shortly. They probably had an hour or two until guests showed up, but Asahina never said what time the dinner would start so Airo really had no idea.

“Perhaps we should head out for the dinner?” Airo suggested.

“Yes,” Asahina agreed, “I have almost enjoyed myself too much.”

They reluctantly left the geisha house and ventured back to their home. Asahina and Shiba split away from Airo nearly the second they entered the doorway, going off in different directions. Airo watched Asahina walk through the courtyard past Matsu, and that was his cue to go. He turned left and followed the hallway out of sight of Matsu. That was one woman he didn’t want to be left alone with.

“Tsuruchi-sama,” a female voice gently called from behind him. Airo spun around to see a short female servant addressing him. “We have moved your stuff from your pony to your room. If you would follow me I can direct you.”

“Oh, thank you.” Airo didn’t expect someone to take the initiative to set him up in this house without being directed. It was a pleasant surprise to not have to wait for his items and thus wait to get ready for the party.

The servant walked around Airo and down the hall. They passed the kitchen and she slid open the shoji wall next to it revealing a simple room with his spare clothes already set out on a quaint table. He was quite happy with his room’s location, lacking neighbors besides the kitchen. Airo didn’t know where Matsu slept, but he knew she wasn’t next door, which put a smile on his face. The dinner that was being prepared smelled wonderful as well. What a way to wake up in the mornings, he thought to himself, rising to the delicious aromas from breakfast being cooked on the other side of his wall.

Airo needed to change out of the clothes he’d been wearing all day, not only around town, but having just arrived they were also what he had traveled in. Airo thanked the servant and dismissed her with a nod, retrieving his fine kimono off the table. When he turned around the girl was still in his room, the door had been closed, and she was approaching him reaching for his belt.

“Excuse me,” Airo exclaimed, “I think you’re in the wrong room.”

“No, Tsuruchi-sama. I am assigned to you.”

Airo narrowed his eyes, he couldn’t rightly be angry at the girl for following whomever ordered her to him, but she had to know this was not the way things worked as well. Men had male servants and women had females. She was going to undress him, and that just wasn’t appropriate.

“Get out of my room.”

“As you wish, Tsuruchi-sama. Would you like me to send in someone else?”

“No!”

“As you wish, Tsuruchi-sama.” She left without another word, silently sliding the door open, then disappearing behind it.

Airo waited, he expected the girl to reopen the door and try to “help” him with his dress again. Nothing came but the noises of the kitchen. Resigning that she wouldn’t come back, Airo dressed for the dinner and peeked out of his room. No female attendant, no lion, and no Matsu, the coast was clear. Carefully he peered around each corner looking for Matsu before he headed to the courtyard where Shiba was trimming a bonsai tree quietly.

“Shiba-san, you’re not accompanying Asahina-sama?” Airo wasn’t sure exactly what their relationship was, but normally a man didn’t have a woman yojimbo, just like servants.

“No.”

“That’s a fine bonsai tree you have there.”

“Thank you, Tsuruchi-sama.” Shiba didn’t say much. Airo liked that.

“I find bonsai trees to be highly therapeutic. Like looking at one just somehow makes you feel better. Unless, of course they are imbalanced. Somehow you can always tell. I wonder if it’s the way they look, like you just know because your mind can see it even if your eyes can’t. Or maybe you can feel it. The lack of balance resonates through our spirit and you just know something is not right with that bonsai. It could be a mixture of both, perhaps you feel it when you see it and yet you don’t actually see it. Like the beauty in the painting of a sunrise. You don’t actually see the sunrise yourself, so you don’t see the beauty that lies in its natural form. But you see the painting, and the artist somehow makes the painting speak of the beauty, but it’s beautiful in a different way. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Instead of feeling the beauty of the moment yourself, you know, in your soul that it should be beautiful and so you just make it beautiful by looking at it.” Airo continued on in that manner, having the greatest of conversations with Shiba, until he noticed the Unicorn enter the house.

“Oh guests! The guests are arriving.” Airo quickly made his way to the door to greet the new arrivals.

One by one a representative from each of the clans trickled through the doorway. First was the Unicorn, whom had gotten Airo’s attention in the first place. She shook his hand, which was quite uncomfortable but he didn’t have to linger with her long since a Dragon came in next. A Crane followed on the Dragon’s heels so Airo didn’t get to personally greet each one, instead he raised his arms, “Welcome to our humble abode. You are our honored guests,” he said merrily.

In came a Spider, beautiful, more so than any woman Airo had ever seen before. Then a Mantis who instantly placed himself by Airo’s side.

“Oh, Yoritomo, I’m so glad to meet you,” Airo said sincerely. He wanted to at least know the person whom he was replacing. “I’m glad you could arrive.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Tsuruchi-sama. We have received word today you would be here.”

“I apologize, I did not mean to take your position. I wasn’t aware of it.” Airo felt a little bad he had somehow edged someone out of the position.

“No apology is needed, Tsuruchi-sama.”

“I think you’ll make an excellent advisor. How long have you been here?”

“I have only been here four days, Tsuruchi-sama.”

“Oh, so we’re both in this boat together.”

Airo didn’t have much time to talk to Yoritomo, however, there were more guests still coming and more people who needed to be blessed on this joyous occasion. He mingled in the crowd, treating everyone as if they were a long time friend. There were plenty to talk to, and there was plenty to talk about. At one point a debate arose about what should be built first for the town. The Phoenix, of course, wanted a temple. The Spider seconded, though requested it be for Shurido. The Unicorn wanted a stable, having twenty-three battle maidens on hand meant they needed more than what the small village could provide. Asahina tried to push for a dojo; no one was interested. Airo began a point by point on why the barracks would be the best choice. It must have been rousing, nearly everyone was nodding and Airo felt he had the support of all the leaders, and then Negisa spoke up. She provided ample arguments why a temple was the right choice. In the end, however, Airo knew his idea was solid, even if the Spider had pointed out that their clan has lived in camps for years and it didn’t hurt your soul, but a lack of a temple did.

The food was brought out and Airo noticed the Spider in residence, whose name he hadn’t yet got, sneaking out the backdoor. He shrugged and continued on with the festivities, which consisted of eating many delicacies at the moment. After dinner, with business set aside, polite conversation and entertainment ensued. Airo felt the urge to improvise a poem, however he didn’t know where to end it, so it just kind of hung in the air and felt hallow. Shiba partook in a game of Go with the other Phoenix, to which Airo just had to observe.

“Shiba-san, you’re doing so well,” Airo exclaimed, “May I watch?”

“If you keep silent, yes.”

“Then I must go.” Airo circled the table and began wandering back into the crowded courtyard until he noticed a particular Lion standing in his way, Matsu.

“Oh, Matsu-san,” Airo stopped before he was within her reach. In fact he stopped about three feet further than that. “Are you having a good evening?”

“So far,” answered Matsu. “No one has been insulting tonight.”

“That’s good. I’d hate for any of these guests to get hurt.” Airo still felt the pain she had caused with her smack.

“Only idiots insult Lions.” Daigotsu Negisa, the Spider advisor who arrived for the party remarked in the snarkiest tone he had ever heard.

“It appears I’ve already been foolish once today, lion’s can be very temperamental.”

“So can wasps, I hear.” Negisa didn’t even look up from Shiba’s Go game which she was watching.

“Sometimes the wasp’s sting is highly poisonous, especially in regards to the O-Suzumebachi,” Airo retorted. She had been opposing him all night. This time it wasn’t going to work.

“Yes, but even those can be eaten by spiders.”

Okay, it was going to work. Airo quickly walked in the other direction, knowing he was out of his league with Negisa. She was going to chew him up and suck his blood, or whatever it was that spiders did to bugs. The rest of the night Airo kept not only Matsu within his line of sight, but Negisa as well.

He still had a genuinely good time, mainly because he avoided those two as if they were tainted. At one point they were together, talking in a corner and Asahina joined them. He wanted to yell for Asahina to run, but if Asahina wasn’t afraid of Matsu then obviously he knew how to handle the Lion. Then he noticed Shiba. She was sitting by herself, drinking, looking more somber than usual. This would be the perfect time to tell her about poetry. Shiba was such a good listener.

Somewhere in the middle of explaining why Ikoma Ume was the embodiment of Bushido for her compilation of over four-thousand individual poems, Airo watched Asahina depart the party with the two beautiful, yet dangerous women, Matsu and Negisa. Maybe they were going for a stroll, he thought. It was only worth a passing consideration; Shiba was eagerly waiting for him to finish his lofty thoughts on poetry and its place in Rokugan.

***

Thoughts of caressing the white silk and seeing her mon again clouded Katsumi’s mind as she hurried back to the house she shared with the others and Asahina. Asahina had it. She had given him that small piece of her kimono when he cut it off during their duel three days ago and now kicked herself for doing so. It was so perfect and beautiful; she desperately wanted to see it again. Maybe even hold it again. No, not maybe, she definitely wanted to hold it again. To touch it and to have it. There was not another Spider sigil in all of Rokugan as flawlessly made as that one; with how it played on her mind, she was certain of it. Yanagi had agreed with her, maybe not with words, but his actions proved she was right in coveting such an exquisite piece of cloth. She was free now because he had untied her, and it took hardly any convincing on her part.

Katsumi went in the same way she had left earlier in the evening, through the backdoor. It was the closest entrance to Asahina’s room, which meant she didn’t have to go through the party to get there. This meant she didn’t have to inform Asahina she was going to be looking through his personal effects in order to find the trophy she had given him. If he still had it… That thought had not crossed her mind yet, but now it did. Katsumi’s chest tightened imagining Asahina had thrown it out, imagining she would never see it again.

She threw open the shoji wall of Asahina’s room that was facing the backdoor to find his room wasn’t empty… Asahina stood on one side, the back left corner from where Katsumi had entered, and looked to be painting. He was now staring at her, surprise on his face. To Katsumi’s direct right two nude women were in the throes of passion before she had come in unannounced. One stared at her with big frightened eyes, big orange frightened eyes. Katsumi tilted her head; yep, it was Matsu on her back looking at Katsumi upside down. Negisa was on top of Matsu, a rather annoyed expression on her face.

“Don’t mind me,” Katsumi pardoned herself, entered, slid the door close and headed towards Asahina’s items.

“I’ve only just gotten started…” Asahina began. Katsumi knew where this thought was going and didn’t want him to finish the sentence. She just wanted her mon.

“No.” She said brusquely and began riffling through Asahina’s folded clothes.

“Little Sister, when you’re done getting whatever it is you need, I expect you to make up for interrupting our painting.”

Katsumi glanced over her shoulder at Negisa, she was well aware of how Negisa wanted her to make it up to them. There were certain things Negisa said when she meant something different, and there were certain ways she said those things when she wanted something specific. This was one of those times.

“Can I help you with anything?” Asahina broke Katsumi free from Negisa’s wicked smile. “I’m sure we’ve always been fast friends, you could just ask me for something.”

“Asahina, it’s okay,” Negisa assured him, “She has… issues on occasion. We’ll see shortly what she’s looking for.”

Katsumi tossed her hands up after going through the clothes. It wasn’t there. She shuffled through the writing stuff on the table, not there either. That thought that it was gone forever began creeping in again and Katsumi could feel her heart pounding. “Where’s my mon?” She tried not to sound frantic.

“Little Sister,” Negisa cooed, “I assure you if you join us, we will get you your mon.”

It was tempting. Not joining, but the assurance that they would find it for her. Negisa always kept her word, no matter how mundane or on the other side of the spectrum, how terrifying that word was. She wanted that swatch so badly. It was calling to her even now, she just didn’t know where it was and Negisa always had ways of finding things. Ways Katsumi did not always understand.

“I promise.”

That was all she needed to hear from Negisa’s lips. She promised. Katsumi crossed the room and began pulling off her clothes. The sooner she could get this over with the sooner she could set eyes on that superlative white cloth again. There wasn’t anything she would not do to hold it once more.

***

In Kyuzo’s wildest dreams, he would have never imagined this. During the party, Daigotsu Negisa had hinted she would enjoy staying here instead of going home with everyone else, and Kyuzo had thought he was lucky then. Negisa was gorgeous and she was going to let him paint her in the nude. He had thought Matsu was beautiful but Matsu paled in comparison now. Then Negisa invited Matsu, and Matsu accepted. Nothing could make this night any better. Two beautiful women, naked, twisted around each other and he got to enjoy the show while painting the two of them. Then Daigotsu Katsumi barged in, and at first, he thought things were over, but Negisa brought Katsumi into the fold flawlessly. It was unbelievable.

Katsumi was quickly undressing while Negisa stroked Matsu’s stomach and waited. Kyuzo also waited to see where he could put Katsumi. He had just started, so there was plenty of room to do whatever he wanted. Without a word, as if they had done this before, Katsumi slid into the position Negisa was previously occupying and began fondling and licking Matsu. Negisa ran her fingers down Katsumi’s back, petting her while her other hand moved between Matsu and Katsumi’s legs. Since the two were stacked on top of each other, Kyuzo wasn’t sure whom Negisa was playing with and tried not to think on it too long. He honestly wanted to get this painting done, although it was taking a lot more work to keep his mind on it and not just watch the women entwine themselves with one another.

Still without an idea where to start, Kyuzo allowed himself a few minutes of enjoyment, watching, telling himself it was so he could better paint them. After all, he did have to know all the little details of their bodies in order to portray them in the right manner. Negisa was flawless; from her red-tinted hair to her perfectly shaped legs, she was pristine. Matsu, although beautiful as well and statuesque in shape, carried the brand of the Matsu family on her back, a scar burned into her flesh. Katsumi was a much different story than the other two. She had a much smaller chest, lacked the curviness both Negisa and Matsu had, and was scarred across her torso.

Negisa wrapped her arms around Katsumi, groping her chest and pulling her off Matsu. She nuzzled Katsumi’s neck, whatever she was doing brought a few moans from Katsumi, then Negisa gently pushed Katsumi away. Negisa seemed to be running things, which wasn’t surprising since it was her idea in the first place. She lifted Matsu into a seated position, Negisa between her legs, and kissed her passionately. Meanwhile, Katsumi scooted behind Matsu and cupped her breast; she was planting her lips on Matsu’s shoulder. Matsu switched from kissing Negisa to Katsumi, who Matsu was now also leaning on. Perfect. That was it.

Kyuzo popped back to his painting and began outlining the new scene. Matsu between the Spiders, embraced with Katsumi who was fondling her breasts, and Negisa toying between Matsu’s bent knees. He wanted to keep it as simple as possible, allowing the emotion of the scene to come through without being bogged down by ornate detail. He mixed the colors to get the perfect shade for Matsu’s hair, that chestnut brown, wild and shoulder length. He peeked around the screen noting her eyes were closed, and he decided to leave them that way. Carefully he detailed her body, making sure not to paint over where the other two would be overlapping Matsu. None of their skin color was the same, enough of a difference that it was actually going to make it easier to depict who was where. He continued peeking at the women who were constantly changing position, it didn’t matter how they were joined as long as he could find the specifics he needed, like the color of Matsu’s nipples or the exact curve of Negisa’s thigh.

Negisa was next on his painting, taking up the second largest amount of space. Her hair was mahogany in color, more red than Matsu’s who leaned towards golden yellows in her brown hair. He left it the way it was, tied up into two bobtails. Here he would have Negisa watching Matsu and Katsumi who were locked together in a kiss; she’s not upset, it is enjoyment on her face. This also gave him the ability to paint her hazel eyes; strange in color, green with honey browns. He had noticed them when they were speaking at the party; she was rather close during their conversation about bedroom activities.

There was a series of muffled pleasurable sounds that pulled Kyuzo back to the present. He paused in his work and leaned around the easel. He hadn’t forgotten they were there, but he was painting, which meant he was blocking out distractions. Unfortunately, or fortunately for his painting, that meant the group since he was using them for reference more than entertainment. At least he was, now he ogled the women, tilting his head trying to locate which one, or ones were making the noise. Two were on their back, facing the same way, and one was perched between the two. They had created a kind of chain from pubis to mouth with Matsu covering her mouth at the furthest end. Obviously some of the noise was coming from her.

It was difficult to find where he had left off, was he done with Negisa or had he been interrupted? He studied Matsu and Negisa in his painting, they looked finished to him. Jumping from painting to the flesh incarnations of the two, Kyuzo felt certain it was a perfect replica of each of them. He cleaned off his brush and started on the darkest black he could manage for Katsumi’s hair, leaving it long and flowing. It would be best if her eyes were closed too, Kyuzo determined. She had those mismatched eyes, but he couldn’t remember which one was blue and which one was brown. Kyuzo didn’t want to unveil his painting only to find out he painted the wrong one on the side rendered. Moreover, it added to the feeling; Matsu’s eyes were closed and it only made sense Katsumi’s would be too. She was quickly colored and detailed, Kyuzo making sure to add the feathering of small scars above her petit left breast.

He leaned back looking over the piece, it was impressive if he said so himself. The only thing left was to add some color to offset the negative space around the women. He added some muted kimonos around the floor, lacking in detail so it would not draw the eye from the center. In addition, he lightly shaded the surrounding background, darker near the women and growing lighter as it extended towards the corners of the frame. That was it, there was nothing else Kyuzo could add to make it any better. It may not have been a masterpiece but it was quite lovely. Satisfied, Kyuzo put his painting supplies away and made himself comfortable on the floor so he could unwind while enjoying the view.

Negisa whispered in Katsumi’s ear and beckoned Kyuzo over, that was all the invitation he needed. He was fine watching; it wasn’t his place to insert himself in the middle of their sexual romp. The original intention was to paint Negisa and Matsu, and then Katsumi when she came in, but if they requested him to join, there wasn’t a reason he could conjure up to keep him from joining. Honor be damned, they wanted him to partake of their flesh.

Katsumi shook her head. “Negisa, you promised.”

With an eye roll, Negisa waved at Katsumi as if she was shooing away an annoying fly. “I suppose I did, where is this ‘mon’ of yours?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kyuzo had forgotten all about it between the painting, and the distracting noises and movements over the last hour, “I can go get it.”

He stood and made his way to his set of Topaz armor. It didn’t really surprise him when he felt Katsumi standing right behind him peering around his shoulder still completely in the buff. He pulled her mon out from his hidden stash of trophies, right now only consisting of Daigotsu’s and Shiba’s removed mons, and held it out to her. Quickly Katsumi snatched it from his hands, turning it over before rubbing it against her face and sinking to the floor. While Katsumi clutched at the cloth lovingly, Kyuzo blinked at her a few times wondering if she had forgotten that she had given it to him in the first place. He didn’t even bother posing the question, resigning that he might never understand her.

“Asahina,” Negisa called to him.

Oh yeah, this wasn’t just another odd Daigotsu moment he had been caught up in. Negisa was leaning on her wrist with Matsu behind her, pawing at Negisa’s breasts. Matsu was nibbling on Negisa’s ear, completely caught up in the affair. Kyuzo shuffled towards the two, pulled in by Negisa’s beckoning finger. He began disrobing and Negisa rose to her knees, helping him undress. Before he knew it, her mouth was on him and Kyuzo lost all sense of reasoning. He was swimming in the beauty of Negisa and Matsu and fell quickly to his own desires.

Negisa positioned on her back and Matsu sprawled out on top of her. She was suckling on Negisa’s breasts and tonguing her nipples leaning over Negisa with her hips in the air. Kyuzo ran a hand between the apex of Matsu’s legs, to which Matsu eagerly sunk lower, widening her thighs for him to tickle parts that were more intimate. Kyuzo took this as an offer, lining up behind Matsu and pushed into her sex with one slow movement.

Kyuzo had just begun when his wall flashed open from the backyard again. Another Spider, this one looking to be male, covered from head to toe the way Daigotsu usually was, entered and made a b-line for Katsumi who was still curled up with her mon. Kyuzo had little interest in getting involved, preoccupied with Negisa and Matsu. The Spider took Kyuzo’s blanket, wrapped Katsumi and carried her out of Kyuzo’s room, leaving the door ajar. Kyuzo should have cared more, he knew that somewhere deep inside him, but any concern was quickly thwarted by the breathy groans from one of the girls below him.

***

Morasahi clutched the shochu bottle contemplating using it as a club with which to hit Tsuruchi. It would probably get him to stop talking. Granted, he would be on the floor, possibly bleeding from the skull, and Morasahi couldn’t guarantee he would still be alive, but that was a price she was willing to pay. And what was he going on about now? Fishing? Or Sailing? It was something about water. Whatever it was Morasahi didn’t care so she had stopped listening long ago. She was too wrapped up in her unfortunate life to give Tsuruchi even the slightest bit of interest, even for politeness’ sake.

The party had ended, but even before then Morasahi was brooding over the events of the night. She did not enjoy the bustle of social situations, even less so when she was ignored by everyone except Tsuruchi who followed her around and talked, and talked, and talked. This just wasn’t her place in life, yet there she was, amidst a crowd, feeling uncomfortable and unwanted. Now it was just her, Tsuruchi, and Asahina drinking into oblivion while Tsuruchi and Asahina argued about whatever it was they were arguing about and Morasahi contemplated all the wrongs in her life.

It began with Go. Why couldn’t she just unhinge like Asako Yuji could? Every time she sat down at the table, whether against him or anyone else, it became all about winning. She planned five moves ahead, she was aggressive, and she would find the very best way to best whoever it was on the other side. Even when it was Yuji. She kicked herself for it. She wanted simply to enjoy the game, and although Yuji was a challenging opponent, he played differently than she did. Where she strove for victory, he played to learn something new. Where she knew her next move by a series of calculated factors, he waited until his opponent’s stone was placed before considering what to do next. It wasn’t that he lacked foresight, Morasahi knew that, it was just the way Yuji lived in all aspects of life. In the moment.

Afterwards she didn’t even speak with him again. Morasahi found conversation extremely difficult. She filtered and scrutinized every word before she allowed it to come out of her mouth, causing her speech often to be broken and ideas hang without an ending. The times she didn’t it usually resulted in offending someone because she spoke exactly what was on her mind and that wasn’t always the most polite thing to say. Add in a room full of people and Morasahi knew to keep her mouth shut. Give greetings when needed, answer questions politely, and above all else, never engage in conversation. Something other people did not understand, like Tsuruchi.

Tsuruchi never shut up. Even when Morasahi had given curt answers and shown disinterest, he did not stop talking. She even refused to answer or acknowledge him at a few points and he just kept going. Today was his first day in town, and Morasahi wasn’t sure she could stomach many more with him around. Even with how bad the Spider were, creeping in from every direction, Tsuruchi was worse because you always knew when he was near. Like in the garden earlier tonight when she was trimming the bonsai tree. It was supposed to be meditative and Tsuruchi, who recognized she was trying to connect to the void through this act, began on a tirade about art and how different people interpreted it. It was ridiculous. She didn’t even get to finish the tree.

Oh yes, the tree. It was her second tree. The first… It didn’t make it. Morasahi had snipped a crucial segment of the foliage off, and in attempts to “fix” it, she then massacred the other side of the shrub. It was so terrible to behold she had hid the remains. She did not want anyone to know what she had done for fear of being the butt of many jokes to come. Many whispers behind her back, and smirking faces patronizing her with questions on how she’s coming along in her studies, in her abilities. Everyone knowing she was not as talented as her sister was and reminding her of it every, single, day.

Morasahi felt the sting of embarrassment in her chest. All that anger, regret, and disappointment that she kept locked away inside, which she was so careful not to spill aloud, began boiling over with the added embarrassment of tonight. Oh no, here it came. Her face began flushing fully; it had already been reddened from too much drink, now she felt the burn on her neck spreading quickly. She pressed her lips trying to keep her feelings under check, but it was too late. Her eyes welled up with tears and silently they poured down her face. She gasped in a short, shuddered inhale and it was all over. Morasahi began weeping.

“I dint teven get to finsh…”  She cried, knowing full well both Asahina and Tsuruchi were probably staring at her. The room had suddenly fallen to an uncomfortable silence. Great, that was another thing she ruined now. They were so happy a moment ago, and here she was, making a scene because she let the floodgates loose with too much shochu.

“I dralnk tsoo mulch,” Morasahi tried to defend herself from questions the two hadn’t asked. She knew they were thinking it but just being too polite to say it to her face.

She took another drink and wiped at her face, blinking blearily at those sharing the room with her. Tsuruchi turned as soon as Morasahi was looking at him and began hurriedly talking with Asahina again. Asahina took a little longer to recover, slowly being drawn back in by Tsuruchi’s babble. They were doing what one ought to do when confronted with a samurai losing face, politely ignore it. For some reason this didn’t make her feel better. Here she was, dishonoring herself in such a manner, and those she held contempt for kept their wits about them acting as if the entire world was right.

However, it wasn’t right. The whole world had gone to Jigoku once the Empress decreed the Spider amnesty. Before that even, when the things from the Burning Sands had come to claim Rokugan as theirs and so many, many casualties were had. The Crab lost all their land from the Destroyer Wars, and although they‘re reclaiming and rebuilding, the world was shaken by Kali-Ma and her minions. Before that, even. Her world had started crumbling when her sister replaced her as yojimbo. She hadn’t found a footing since, and with tragedy after tragedy, she wasn’t sure she ever was going to.

Yes, she had been the good daughter and accepted the slight with silence. Allowed herself to be replaced simply because she was supposed to be happy she was even given thought to. Morasahi knew she was strong and would continue on, because that is what life was all about. Nevertheless, she also knew she was so tired of being passed by and struggling just to get to stand at the bottom of the ladder, being a foothold for those climbing over her. Why didn’t she deserve a little praise or notice? It wasn’t too much to ask that people see how talented she was instead of sliding her to the back while they lavish another who wasn’t even better than she was. It wasn’t too much to ask at all.

“Hey,” She shouted to Asahina, “I kin kill people jush ash swell ash syou. I donneed to cuddup clothesh to prove tha‘.” Whether he understood her was unclear, he only afforded Morasahi with a brief glance.

“I can…” She quietly assured herself, allowing her self-doubt to overpower her thoughts.

She probably could… maybe. Now she wasn’t so sure and began bawling again. She couldn’t do anything right. She didn’t even need to say right; she just couldn’t do anything at all. She couldn’t even talk to Yuji and she had known him for years. That was what started this all, wasn’t it? It was the party tonight, and her self-deprecating into a drunken stupor. That is all it was. That is all it was. She felt her mind defog slightly and her breathing slowed. That is all it was, she nodded to herself.

Morasahi tried to focus on solving the problem. If she had an end goal, she found it easier to fix the situation. Steps, factors, and planning calmed her nerves. Her world wasn’t ending, and although painful, her life wasn’t a tainted mess. That is all it was, she repeated over and over again, soothing her tumultuous soul. The problem was so simple; it was just talking to Yuji. Just talk to him, that’s all she had to do. Just talk in general. To anyone. She could do that. Morasahi’s tears stopped trickling down her cheeks. Her breathing was still shaky, and so was she when she stood to go to her room. But she knew what she had to do. Just talk to someone.

Now hopefully she remembered in the morning. On second thought, after making a fool of herself tonight, perhaps it was better if she didn’t remember but wrote it down instead. Yeah, she could do that. Just talk.

***

Katsumi awoke staring at the wall of a tent, the soft hiss of stone on metal coming from behind her where Yanagi was most certainly sharpening his bisento. It was such a common noise to her she recognized it immediately. Still in Yanagi’s tent, that was a good thing considering last night was another full moon. Mentally she checked off location from the list that she ran down every morning after the full moon and began systematically going over the rest. She was nude; she could feel the blanket on her bare skin and no pull on her shoulders from a kimono. Okay, that wasn’t how last night started. She went to sit up and found herself cuddling a small piece of cloth. That also wasn’t how last night started. Pulling it into view so she could examine it her heart skipped a beat. White silk with the symbol of the Spider dyed on it, it was obviously the mon of someone. There wasn’t blood on it, or her hands, so hopefully she hadn’t killed someone to collect the trophy. Katsumi sighed and rolled over to face Yanagi, holding up the cloth.

“Do I even want to know?”

Yanagi smiled mischievously, “Matsu looked stunning, and so did Negisa.”

Katsumi let out another sigh. Of course Negisa would be behind this.

“And so did you,” Yanagi added.

Well that explained the lack of clothes. However, the mon still hadn’t been answered.

“And Asahina is a wonderful artist,” Yanagi’s grin grew.

Kuso… Katsumi thought. “This is mine then?”

“Well… You did kind of give it to him. Did you want to keep it now, or did you want to give it back to him again?”

“You could have just said I didn’t want to know,” Katsumi balled up the mon and tossed it at Yanagi, it fell tremendously short being so small and light.

He chuckled and shook his head, returning to sharpening his blade. Katsumi watched him, propping herself on her elbow. She didn’t move to get dressed and she didn’t care what time it was. She just enjoyed the moment, listening to slow scrape of the whetstone, a sound she wouldn’t be waking up to again any time soon. Watching Yanagi’s methodical movement as he ran it over his polearm. Katsumi thumbed at the scars on her chest, tracing each one placed above her heart.

“You’re leaving today,” Katsumi said susurringly.

“I am,” responded Yanagi.

“We haven’t spent much time together.”

“We have not.” He stopped running the stone over his blade and gazed at Katsumi. She shuffled out of the blankets and behind Yanagi, draping her arms over his shoulders and nestling her head against his.

“We’re together now,” she whispered in his ear. Yanagi reached up and caressed her arm, leaning his head against hers.

“That we are.”

He slipped his hand down Katsumi’s arm and gripped her wrist, turning up her palm and cradling her hand in his. He flicked her finger against the blade of his bisento, slicing it. Katsumi’s heart raced excitedly as Yanagi drew her finger into his mouth, sucking on the wound and milking it with his teeth. He must have dropped his polearm because he turned on Katsumi and grappled her sharing a fiery kiss. She could taste her blood in his mouth, which only fueled her hunger.

***

There was a knock at Mikoto’s door and moments later she heard it slide open. She opened her eyes to see one of the house servants sitting in her doorway bowing to her. Mikoto attempted to shift onto her hip so she wasn’t laying facedown while being spoken to but a soreness she hadn’t experienced before kept her on her belly.

“Matsu-sama,” The servant girl said, “I trust you had a wonderful night?”

Mikoto groaned in response.

“We’ll make you some tea this morning. Asahina-sama is calling for everyone this morning to breakfast.”

“I’ll be there,” Mikoto groaned and brushed her hair out of her face.

The girl left, closing the door behind her. Mikoto surveyed her room; there were clothes everywhere, most of them not hers. After last night’s debacle, she wasn’t sure what was hers, what was Katsumi’s, and what was Negisa’s, so she had just grabbed everything and brought it with her back to her room. This morning she would have to sort through it and give them back to the proper owners.

Last night… wow. That was all she really could say. She had never done anything like that before. In fact, she had never done anything with a man before last night. It was an evening of new and exciting things that she would not soon forget. And Katsumi… There was a flutter in Mikoto’s chest at the thought of the Daigotsu living with her just down the hall. She was happy Katsumi had kept her waiting, it was probably one of the reasons last night was so amazing.

Mikoto sorted through the clothes, folding them into piles. Now that she wasn’t completely exhausted and was in a clear mind, it was much easier to pick out her items. She looked over the piles; Negisa seemed to have gathered everything of hers so she was left with only two, hers and Katsumi’s. She rushed through dressing, knowing Asahina was waiting on all of them, gathered up Katsumi’s clothes and giddily went to Katsumi’s room.

“It’s Matsu Mikoto,” Mikoto called out after knocking on Katsumi’s door.

“Come in,” Katsumi answered.

Mikoto slid the door open and tried not to blush or smile too big even though she knew she was positively glowing. Katsumi looked the way she normally did, with her Spider Monk outfit hiding her soft, light skin, leaving only her enchanting eyes to gaze at.

“Good morning, Katsumi-chan,” she said affectionately. Katsumi didn’t respond, just stared at her. Maybe she was too flustered to speak; you couldn’t really tell when you only had eyes to judge.

“Um, here are your clothes, you left them last night.” Mikoto set the folded pile down in Katsumi’s room.

Katsumi sighed, “Painting, right?”

There was something strange about the way Katsumi was asking, but Mikoto figured it must just be the way she was. She always ran off when shown the slightest bit of interest from Mikoto and never seemed to speak about those moments again. Moreover, yesterday when Katsumi was teaching Mikoto medicine, Mikoto was certain those seductive times were not in her head. Katsumi was just the hard to get kind of girl.

“Yeah,” Mikoto dreamily breathed.

“Thanks for returning these.”

Katsumi didn’t move, just stood where she had been since Mikoto entered, watching her. Mikoto nodded and withdrew to the hallway taking a few calming breathes before going to the dining area. Asahina had called a meeting and Katsumi was sure to be there shortly. Maybe they could sit together for breakfast.

Shiba and Asahina were already waiting when Mikoto took her seat. This was vaguely reminiscent of another meal where they were all waiting on Katsumi then too. Thinking on it, she was also late to the painting party, maybe she just had a thing with tardiness. It endeared her to Mikoto even more. She would have to keep up on Katsumi about time, Mikoto wouldn’t mind always being the one to wake her up and get her ready. Katsumi entered and Asahina jumped right into things.

“We’re doing a great job, everyone. The party last night went off well, and I have no complaints. Keep up the good work. You,” Asahina pointed at Katsumi, “Keep doing well on the construction. You,” he was now pointing at Mikoto, “Get going on the guards. And you,” now it was Shiba, “Start on the bodyguards. Okay?”

No one responded.

“Great. Let’s do it.” Asahina strolled out of the room leaving Shiba looking confused, Katsumi unimpressed, and Mikoto uncaring about whatever it was he had said. Katsumi walked to the kitchen without saying a word. Mikoto frowned, Katsumi was back to her old self, quiet and pretending like Mikoto didn’t exist. A pit was growing in her stomach, Katsumi’s behavior this morning was quickly causing Mikoto to lose her appetite so she headed back to her room to sleep a little longer. Maybe she could dream about the amorous Katsumi. She flushed at the thought and cuddled back into her bed.

Mikoto arose several hours later feeling much better. The sun was high in the sky, marking it close to noon, and the house was quiet. She brushed out her hair and dressed fully, deciding she was going to confront Katsumi about her behavior. Really, if she wanted to keep things secretive, Mikoto didn’t mind. In fact, that was half the fun with relationships, keeping it out of the public eye. Living with a houseful of others only made it even more of a challenge, and thus more entertaining. All Mikoto wanted was to know if last night was a one-time thing that Katsumi was trying to avoid, or if she wanted to take things further, to a more personal level.

As she was walking down the hallway, she heard voices from Asahina’s room. There seemed to be more than a few of them. Mikoto peeked at Katsumi’s closed door deciding she could wait a few minutes before seeing Katsumi and rounded the corner to Asahina’s room. His door was open and inside stood Shiba, Tsuruchi, Soshi, Katsumi and Asahina all looking at one wall.

“I can draw you a much simpler picture, Shiba-san, if you would like?” Soshi politely offered.

“You have an interesting imagination, Asahina-san,” Katsumi’s voice came from the front of the group.

“Indeed,” Soshi agreed.

“Yes, I could get lost in this,” Asahina commented.

Okay, what where they talking about? Mikoto stepped around the doorway trying to make her way to Katsumi’s side.

“Now where’s my sushi?” Tsuruchi spun and marched towards the kitchen. Shiba followed, and Soshi shuffled out leaving Katsumi and Asahina staring at a painting.

She snuggled next to Katsumi and glanced at the screen. It wasn’t just a painting, it was their painting. From Negisa’s curves to Katsumi’s scars, everything was there. The coloring brought your eye directly to the three of them, and Mikoto’s breath quickened remembering the scene depicted. She flushed a little.

“It’s very detailed,” she said, complimenting the picture more than Asahina.

“Gazing into this beautiful picture, I am inspired,” said Asahina thoughtfully. “I must add to my other work to make it as wonderful as I have made this one.” Asahina pulled out the painting he had shown Mikoto yesterday, the one with the cherry tree, and set it up on the easel. “Daigotsu-san, I don’t think I’ve shown you this one that I did the other day.”

Mikoto turned back to Katsumi, who was now staring at her.

“What is it, Katsumi-chan?” She smiled at Katsumi and tilted her head.

Katsumi just turned back to the painting, studying it. Mikoto took a deep breath, Katsumi smelled so good even in Asahina’s room. She scooted closer to Katsumi, their arms touching. Katsumi didn’t move away. That was good. Maybe she did just want to keep things a secret in front of others since, with the three of them in Asahina’s room, Katsumi didn’t seem to mind Mikoto being so close.

“This is pure fantasy, right?” Katsumi pointed at the painting.

A shot pierced Mikoto’s heart. How could she say that? Her chest hurt, it felt like she couldn’t breathe. She could feel her eyes burning, the tears threatening to well up and stream down her face.

“What?” Mikoto squeaked, “What do you mean?”

“Asahina painted this from his mind, right?” Katsumi wasn’t even looking at Mikoto as she twisted the knife deeper. It was the most special night she had ever had in her life, and here Katsumi was trying to take that away from her. In Katsumi, she had found someone she wanted more than just a one-night stand with, and Katsumi was treating her like this happened on a daily basis and she couldn’t recall one girl from the next.

“You… don’t remember?” Mikoto felt her lip quiver and her voice shake. Katsumi flashed her eyes to Mikoto, finally taking them off the painting.

“Oh, no. It was magical,” the words rocketed out of Katsumi’s mouth and focused on Mikoto. Mikoto wasn’t aware what was going on, but she had to believe Katsumi was being sincere. She just had to, otherwise it would hallow out her heart.

“Yes it was,” She managed to choke out. Katsumi nodded feverishly in agreement.

“We must do it again some time… erm, Mikoto…chan.”

Mikoto swallowed the rock in her throat and blinked away the mist in her eyes. Katsumi called her Mikoto-chan. The pain was subsiding, washed away by a sudden delightful euphoria at the sound of her name from Katsumi’s lips. Soshi had said it in the same fashion but it didn’t make her feel the way it did now, when it was coming from Katsumi. She beamed at Katsumi and edged closer again, somehow they had separated by a foot during this large misunderstanding. Mikoto rectified that and rubbed against Katsumi again.

Suddenly it dawned on her that Katsumi had suggested they invite a third party again. The gears began turning in Mikoto’s head. Last night, after Katsumi was carried away, and after-- Mikoto flushed remembering what happened after that. She inhaled sharply and blew it out slowly, trying to calm herself. After Asahina had left, Negisa had dressed and sat next to Mikoto, lovingly combing her hair with her fingers. Then she had told her the news that shocked Mikoto to her core. Apparently, Moto Leon was dead. There was an accident and he fell from his horse. It was good news, but also some thing one usually did not put so bluntly. In addition, the way Negisa had said it made it sound like she had some sort of hand in the matter. As if that wasn’t already a lot to handle, in the interim, she had been arranged with Negisa’s younger brother, Yanagi. Apparently, it was Katsumi’s older brother because Negisa had said Yanagi was the one that fetched Katsumi last night, and she couldn’t imagine anyone younger than Katsumi carrying her, no matter how thin she was. Katsumi was barely of age, if Yanagi were younger then Mikoto would be betrothed to a child.

Unfortunately, at the time she didn’t get a good look at him. She was a little occupied with - ahem, other things. This was also unfortunate because that meant that her new betrothed knew she wasn’t chaste. He had walked in on them after Asahina had joined. Celestial Heavens, she didn’t even know what was going on at the time Yanagi had walked in, was she with Negisa, or Asahina? And when exactly did Katsumi leave?

She sighed, pushing the mortifying thoughts from her mind. Obviously the Daigotsu family wasn’t as concerned as her second mother had been about her purity. After all, Negisa had initiated the encounter, Katsumi had joined, Negisa invited Asahina, and now Katsumi was offering another go. If she was going to keep up with this lifestyle, and Katsumi was offering herself for Mikoto’s pleasure, she wanted to pick the third party.

“Well…” Mikoto murmured, “If we do it again… maybe you could invite your brother?”

It would be the perfect opportunity for Mikoto to get to know her new fiancé. Maybe not so much intercourse, she barely knew the man. However, what better way to learn about someone than putting him or her in such a vulnerable state? If Katsumi asked, maybe he would say yes because she is his sister, so it would really just be with Mikoto. Then she could have both Katsumi and Yanagi to herself.

“Actually…” Katsumi seemed to be thinking how best to approach this subject. Mikoto knew she asked something quite taboo, but she felt comfortable enough with Katsumi, especially after last night, to mention it and gauge a reaction. “He’s leaving town today.”

“Oh. Well…” Mikoto couldn’t tell if that was a polite no or if Katsumi was considering the best time to arrange things, “Your sister said something last night, and I thought… I don’t know. Put it out of your mind.” Mikoto shifted uncomfortably under Katsumi’s stare.

“Alright,” Katsumi kept eyeing Mikoto.

It might have been a bad suggestion. Maybe Katsumi was backing out now, she was just staring. Maybe she had ruined things between Katsumi and herself. Mikoto tried to offer a smile to offset the palpable silence between the two of them.

“Have you met Yanagi?” Katsumi finally spoke.

“I don’t… believe so.” Mikoto honestly wasn’t certain. Most of the Spider at the tournament, and still around town dressed like Katsumi did, as a Spider Monk. How was she to know if she ever really met him? Katsumi turned and gave a glance over her shoulder, behind her, and suddenly walked out of the room. Mikoto was confused. They seemed to be past the awkward suggestion and yet Katsumi just left, for no reason. Mikoto blinked and watched the doorway, wondering if it was another one of Katsumi’s strange habits. She crept towards the door, peeking out into the hallway to find a tall and definitely male Spider Monk rounding the corner towards her.

He flourished a beautiful flower Mikoto had never seen before seemingly out of nowhere, offering it to her with a bow. “Matsu Mikoto-chan, it is my pleasure to finally meet you.”

She blushed completely. Mikoto could feel the heat emanating from her chest, neck, face, even her ears. They all burned at the very formal and kind way this man had spoken to her. She plucked the flower from his hand and smelled it, it was sort and powdery. Katsumi reappeared behind the man; he was several inches taller than her, probably the same height as Asahina was. His skin was dark, much darker than Katsumi’s, and his eyes were as black as one’s eyes could get. Katsumi touched him on the arm, Spiders, always touching everyone, and leaned in speaking low, but with how close Mikoto was she could hear the words.

“She wants to invite you next time.”

It was Yanagi. It had to be, otherwise Katsumi was talking about something completely different and Mikoto was drawing a parallel where there wasn’t one.

“Of course,” He replied sharing a knowing look with Katsumi. “The next time I’m traveling through here, which should be next month if everything goes according to plan.”

“You’ll be back so soon, Yanagi-sama?” Katsumi asked. They were talking to each other, completely cutting Mikoto out of the picture.

“Yes, we’re just scouting the Shinomen Mori, seeing what is left of the Black Silk Dojo. We’re also thinking of reopening in the area.”

“I look forward to seeing you again.”

“As do I,” Mikoto piped up, both Daigotsu‘s turning back to her.

“Of course I look forward to seeing you, and possibly at some other point, meeting Hikaru as well.”

He asked to meet Hikaru, Mikoto was soaring. What a man this Yanagi was. He was polite, sweet, and wanted to include Hikaru in his life as much as he did Mikoto. This is what a betrothal should be made of.

“Of course,” Mikoto said dreamily.