“What a spectacular match,” Anjin
began talking to the person closest to him which happened to be a
Scorpion. The clan didn’t matter; he was speaking loud enough so all
those passing could hear as well as all those filling in the seats
around him that had held the entire Spider traveling party just moments
before. He had always had a way with words and he liked Asahina, so a
little boasting was the least he could do in order to shine a more
positive light on the duelist who bested his new yojimbo, Daigotsu. He
very much appreciated Daigotsu as well, she had proven to be efficient
enough to reach the finals and losing to a Kakita Duelist wasn’t
something to be ashamed of; it was expected to happen.
“To win the tournament is one thing; but to win it in such magnificent style is unprecedented. It’s legendary! Such deeds of heroics shall surely be spread far and wide. Poems will be spoken of this man.”
“To win the tournament is one thing; but to win it in such magnificent style is unprecedented. It’s legendary! Such deeds of heroics shall surely be spread far and wide. Poems will be spoken of this man.”
Speaking
of his bodyguard, Daigotsu wasn’t in sight. When the duels started he
had been approached by Daigotsu Yanagi, the same man he spoke with the
day before about assisting Anjin with matters outside of his abilities.
Yanagi had introduced Daigotsu Katsumi, though no introduction was
actually needed. Anjin had already met Katsumi in some strange clouded
world, along with Asahina Kyuzo, Shiba Morasahi, and Matsu Mikoto. It
seemed far from coincidence when Katsumi was the one tasked to protect
him, more like destiny revealed. She probably slipped away to wherever
it was the Spider had disappeared to after the match was lost. Anjin
supposed it didn’t matter too much at the moment, the closing ceremonies
were going to start soon and he had a perfect seat to watch from, a
seat Daigotsu had procured for him.
It wasn’t long before the crowd settled back into the benches provided. It seemed to Anjin that more people were interested in shows of strength than the actual tournament as the crowd was at least halved in size from an hour ago when Daigotsu and Asahina had taken their positions across the dusty field from each other. It was unfortunate that so many were unaware of the power the mind held, and how much wealth could be gained simply from listening instead of applying brute force.
The Mayor began with all due respect given to the samurai who attended; so happy this year he had the honor of holding the championship in his lands, lands largely unaligned. It was a humbled and gracious speech, the perfect start to a long line of others more boastful and less appreciative that were to come. Teachers and dojo daimyos took their turns, speaking both of their schools and their students who placed first in the various competitions over the last three days. Asahina was awarded several scrolls, recommendations and vouchers along with flattering speeches about his skills. Somewhere around two hours, the ceremony finally came to a close, leaving Anjin wishing more Crane had spoken, since they were the type to have the most flowery, drawn-out speeches. He wouldn’t have minded another hour.
The stands began to empty and Anjin watched the people filter out, congregating in small clusters and speaking excitedly with one another. It had been an exciting turn of events this year, and most were unaware of the stranger events that had taken place in that dismal world reflecting this one. How interesting things had turned out. Asahina, Daigotsu, Shiba, Matsu and himself all drawn together in a dream-like place, and then to have found each other outside of it. There was something to it, even if he couldn’t see the reasoning clearly at this moment.
Anjin glanced around to make certain he wouldn’t impede those more mobile with his disability, which included nearly everyone except for small children. The stands were empty save for Daigotsu, who was, much to his surprise, quietly sitting behind him. How long she had been there he wasn’t sure, apparently the ceremony had kept his attention more rapt than he had previously believed. With the way she was hunching, her wrapped chin resting on her hand, elbow on knee, Anjin guessed she had been there quite a while. She had changed, this outfit free of the hole Asahina had inflicted on her clothes earlier.
“Daigotsu-sama, I’m happy to see you made it back to the closing ceremonies. Weren’t they wonderful?” Anjin smiled and began scooting out of his seat, readying his crutches. Daigotsu just stared at him blankly.
“I’m glad you enjoyed them as much as I.” He responded, blissfully ignoring her obvious boredom. Anjin hoisted himself up and started shuffling to the common way.
“Your issue doesn’t interfere with manual dexterity, does it?” Daigotsu questioned.
“Uh, no.” The question struck Anjin as peculiar; he turned back to Daigotsu wondering where she was going to go with it. A follow up never came. She simply stood and walked to the street waiting for him to join her.
Anjin made it to the common way and began towards his tent. The small groups shifted and parted around him providing ample room for him to maneuver safely without tripping. It was common for people to react in such a way when he was standing or walking, but Anjin had learned long ago it wasn’t out of politeness; the people of the Realm feared those who were imperfect. Perhaps that was why when Yanagi had come to him and so candidly referred to his lameness, he had agreed without second thought to accept a Spider in his everyday life. They were imperfect to the Realm as well. Anjin had witnessed the prejudice and fear associated with the Spider, and he found a commonality between them and himself. They were all outcasts. Who else would want to care for a cripple but someone who already had nothing to lose?
At the thought of Daigotsu, Anjin peered over his shoulder to where she was walking behind him. She wasn’t there. He halted and pivoted, searching for his black and white covered bodyguard. She was no where in sight. This was the second time today she had just vanished from his side. And although she had told him not to expect her to be like most yojimbo, he had still expected at least her presence when in public. He supposed it didn’t matter much, he had more than a few errands to see to in town and although some assistance would be nice, he had spent the last two days without someone shadowing his every move and thus didn‘t fear for his life in the slightest.
First, he had to find some servants to carry his goods and help arrange for his luncheon. After asking around, Anjin had some peasant youths volunteered by their parents following him through the city. He would have felt uneasy by the whole ordeal except he was much older than most of those who attended the tournament, so these youths, although twelve to fourteen, were still years behind him. He found the perfect paper for his invitation in the third store he stopped, and spoke with some cooks who would cater for a small fee. It was getting on to evening, and although he hadn’t yet found a place to hold the event, the gala was starting which meant finding the rest of those required for tomorrow would have to wait until morning. It was going to be nearly impossible to requisition what he still needed during the celebration.
Evening turned to night, and paper lanterns lined the streets bringing warm light to the cool dark. It was late spring and the nights weren’t yet balmy but comfortable with little need for extra clothing. Anjin had his share of food from the festivities and sat watching a group of Crab loudly telling tales their parents had shared with them of goblins and heroics on the Wall. Their boisterous voices ushered in the fireworks, the only thing that drowned out the drunken students. Anjin hadn’t seen any of the others about, but that wasn’t surprising since everyone camped, living, or visiting the city was out in the streets. Besides a place to showoff their new talent, it was also a place to make connections between different clans. Granted, not anything like the Winter Courts, but networking did happen at each of the championships held throughout the Empire.
After the fireworks display had finished, Anjin took his leave of the merry affair. It was reaching the time of night when children were in bed and those still celebrating turned to drinking in excess and making tawdry fools of themselves. Anjin had very little interest in doing one or the other, not enjoying the taste of alcohol and knowing full well he wasn’t one to be enjoying company either. Besides that, he had invitations to still write. He returned to his tent and began addressing his first letter to Asahina Kyuzo. Next was Matsu Mikoto. He was in the middle of scripting the invitation to Daigotsu Katsumi when a call came from the front of his tent.
“Kitsuki-san, are you inside?” It was Daigotsu’s voice.
“I am,” Anjin responded.
There was a pause long enough for Anjin to wonder if she was waiting for him to invite her in when, “Are you decent?” finally came.
He almost laughed. It wasn’t as if he was going to be walking around in the nude, and if he was indisposed, something that he didn’t even consider a possibility here, he wasn’t going to be answering a call from the front of his tent. He cleared his throat and called back through the canvas, “Yes, Daigotsu-san. Please come in.”
She pushed open the flap for his doorway and stood in the entrance not stepping inside. Anjin’s smile faded as he gaped at Daigotsu. He promptly dropped his eyes to the paper he was working on, attempting to cover his shock before she noticed.
“You are not leaving tomorrow morning, are you?” Daigotsu asked in the way she seemed to ask most questions, where she was telling you the answer then giving you the chance to agree.
Collecting himself, Anjin met Daigotsu’s inquiring gaze. It looked so different on her when her eyes were all you could see, hard and cold. But now she was without her shozuko and Anjin couldn’t have imagined he would have ever mistaken her for a boy. She was youthful, he knew she was younger than him, but she had to be no older than the children who helped him run errands today. She was pale skinned, with a thin, long nose, high cheekbones and a feminine chin coming to a point. Her hair was long and black, tied back as Scorpion or Crane men were known to do. She didn’t seem to have noticed his initial bewilderment.
“No, Daigotsu-san. I plan to be around most of the day.”
She nodded and dropped the flap, obscuring herself from view. He heard her footsteps moving away, apparently that was all she had to say. Anjin returned to his calligraphy, inviting Daigotsu to his lunch gathering for tomorrow. He was finishing his last letter, this one to Shiba Morasahi when there was a timid voice from outside his tent.
“Kitsuki Anjin-sama? I have a letter to deliver.”
“Please,” Anjin called out, “Come in to deliver it.” The messenger bowed graciously and produced a sealed paper to Anjin then scurried out of the tent.
Anjin turned it over in his hands; the seal was the mon of the Imperial family. Carefully he unfolded the exquisite paper; it was of very fine quality putting the paper he chose for his invitations to shame. He read the lines with equal parts excitement and caution, as one ought to do when receiving correspondence from one of the Imperial families. It was inviting him to a dinner tomorrow night at the mayor’s house. The chop at the bottom decreed it was signed by Otomo Nagi, the delegate sent in place of the Empress for this tournament. Although not the Empress, this was still a great honor to sit with one of the Imperial family. It seemed he had even more reason to stay for another day.
It wasn’t long before the crowd settled back into the benches provided. It seemed to Anjin that more people were interested in shows of strength than the actual tournament as the crowd was at least halved in size from an hour ago when Daigotsu and Asahina had taken their positions across the dusty field from each other. It was unfortunate that so many were unaware of the power the mind held, and how much wealth could be gained simply from listening instead of applying brute force.
The Mayor began with all due respect given to the samurai who attended; so happy this year he had the honor of holding the championship in his lands, lands largely unaligned. It was a humbled and gracious speech, the perfect start to a long line of others more boastful and less appreciative that were to come. Teachers and dojo daimyos took their turns, speaking both of their schools and their students who placed first in the various competitions over the last three days. Asahina was awarded several scrolls, recommendations and vouchers along with flattering speeches about his skills. Somewhere around two hours, the ceremony finally came to a close, leaving Anjin wishing more Crane had spoken, since they were the type to have the most flowery, drawn-out speeches. He wouldn’t have minded another hour.
The stands began to empty and Anjin watched the people filter out, congregating in small clusters and speaking excitedly with one another. It had been an exciting turn of events this year, and most were unaware of the stranger events that had taken place in that dismal world reflecting this one. How interesting things had turned out. Asahina, Daigotsu, Shiba, Matsu and himself all drawn together in a dream-like place, and then to have found each other outside of it. There was something to it, even if he couldn’t see the reasoning clearly at this moment.
Anjin glanced around to make certain he wouldn’t impede those more mobile with his disability, which included nearly everyone except for small children. The stands were empty save for Daigotsu, who was, much to his surprise, quietly sitting behind him. How long she had been there he wasn’t sure, apparently the ceremony had kept his attention more rapt than he had previously believed. With the way she was hunching, her wrapped chin resting on her hand, elbow on knee, Anjin guessed she had been there quite a while. She had changed, this outfit free of the hole Asahina had inflicted on her clothes earlier.
“Daigotsu-sama, I’m happy to see you made it back to the closing ceremonies. Weren’t they wonderful?” Anjin smiled and began scooting out of his seat, readying his crutches. Daigotsu just stared at him blankly.
“I’m glad you enjoyed them as much as I.” He responded, blissfully ignoring her obvious boredom. Anjin hoisted himself up and started shuffling to the common way.
“Your issue doesn’t interfere with manual dexterity, does it?” Daigotsu questioned.
“Uh, no.” The question struck Anjin as peculiar; he turned back to Daigotsu wondering where she was going to go with it. A follow up never came. She simply stood and walked to the street waiting for him to join her.
Anjin made it to the common way and began towards his tent. The small groups shifted and parted around him providing ample room for him to maneuver safely without tripping. It was common for people to react in such a way when he was standing or walking, but Anjin had learned long ago it wasn’t out of politeness; the people of the Realm feared those who were imperfect. Perhaps that was why when Yanagi had come to him and so candidly referred to his lameness, he had agreed without second thought to accept a Spider in his everyday life. They were imperfect to the Realm as well. Anjin had witnessed the prejudice and fear associated with the Spider, and he found a commonality between them and himself. They were all outcasts. Who else would want to care for a cripple but someone who already had nothing to lose?
At the thought of Daigotsu, Anjin peered over his shoulder to where she was walking behind him. She wasn’t there. He halted and pivoted, searching for his black and white covered bodyguard. She was no where in sight. This was the second time today she had just vanished from his side. And although she had told him not to expect her to be like most yojimbo, he had still expected at least her presence when in public. He supposed it didn’t matter much, he had more than a few errands to see to in town and although some assistance would be nice, he had spent the last two days without someone shadowing his every move and thus didn‘t fear for his life in the slightest.
First, he had to find some servants to carry his goods and help arrange for his luncheon. After asking around, Anjin had some peasant youths volunteered by their parents following him through the city. He would have felt uneasy by the whole ordeal except he was much older than most of those who attended the tournament, so these youths, although twelve to fourteen, were still years behind him. He found the perfect paper for his invitation in the third store he stopped, and spoke with some cooks who would cater for a small fee. It was getting on to evening, and although he hadn’t yet found a place to hold the event, the gala was starting which meant finding the rest of those required for tomorrow would have to wait until morning. It was going to be nearly impossible to requisition what he still needed during the celebration.
Evening turned to night, and paper lanterns lined the streets bringing warm light to the cool dark. It was late spring and the nights weren’t yet balmy but comfortable with little need for extra clothing. Anjin had his share of food from the festivities and sat watching a group of Crab loudly telling tales their parents had shared with them of goblins and heroics on the Wall. Their boisterous voices ushered in the fireworks, the only thing that drowned out the drunken students. Anjin hadn’t seen any of the others about, but that wasn’t surprising since everyone camped, living, or visiting the city was out in the streets. Besides a place to showoff their new talent, it was also a place to make connections between different clans. Granted, not anything like the Winter Courts, but networking did happen at each of the championships held throughout the Empire.
After the fireworks display had finished, Anjin took his leave of the merry affair. It was reaching the time of night when children were in bed and those still celebrating turned to drinking in excess and making tawdry fools of themselves. Anjin had very little interest in doing one or the other, not enjoying the taste of alcohol and knowing full well he wasn’t one to be enjoying company either. Besides that, he had invitations to still write. He returned to his tent and began addressing his first letter to Asahina Kyuzo. Next was Matsu Mikoto. He was in the middle of scripting the invitation to Daigotsu Katsumi when a call came from the front of his tent.
“Kitsuki-san, are you inside?” It was Daigotsu’s voice.
“I am,” Anjin responded.
There was a pause long enough for Anjin to wonder if she was waiting for him to invite her in when, “Are you decent?” finally came.
He almost laughed. It wasn’t as if he was going to be walking around in the nude, and if he was indisposed, something that he didn’t even consider a possibility here, he wasn’t going to be answering a call from the front of his tent. He cleared his throat and called back through the canvas, “Yes, Daigotsu-san. Please come in.”
She pushed open the flap for his doorway and stood in the entrance not stepping inside. Anjin’s smile faded as he gaped at Daigotsu. He promptly dropped his eyes to the paper he was working on, attempting to cover his shock before she noticed.
“You are not leaving tomorrow morning, are you?” Daigotsu asked in the way she seemed to ask most questions, where she was telling you the answer then giving you the chance to agree.
Collecting himself, Anjin met Daigotsu’s inquiring gaze. It looked so different on her when her eyes were all you could see, hard and cold. But now she was without her shozuko and Anjin couldn’t have imagined he would have ever mistaken her for a boy. She was youthful, he knew she was younger than him, but she had to be no older than the children who helped him run errands today. She was pale skinned, with a thin, long nose, high cheekbones and a feminine chin coming to a point. Her hair was long and black, tied back as Scorpion or Crane men were known to do. She didn’t seem to have noticed his initial bewilderment.
“No, Daigotsu-san. I plan to be around most of the day.”
She nodded and dropped the flap, obscuring herself from view. He heard her footsteps moving away, apparently that was all she had to say. Anjin returned to his calligraphy, inviting Daigotsu to his lunch gathering for tomorrow. He was finishing his last letter, this one to Shiba Morasahi when there was a timid voice from outside his tent.
“Kitsuki Anjin-sama? I have a letter to deliver.”
“Please,” Anjin called out, “Come in to deliver it.” The messenger bowed graciously and produced a sealed paper to Anjin then scurried out of the tent.
Anjin turned it over in his hands; the seal was the mon of the Imperial family. Carefully he unfolded the exquisite paper; it was of very fine quality putting the paper he chose for his invitations to shame. He read the lines with equal parts excitement and caution, as one ought to do when receiving correspondence from one of the Imperial families. It was inviting him to a dinner tomorrow night at the mayor’s house. The chop at the bottom decreed it was signed by Otomo Nagi, the delegate sent in place of the Empress for this tournament. Although not the Empress, this was still a great honor to sit with one of the Imperial family. It seemed he had even more reason to stay for another day.
***
The communal tent was alive with
jovial voices and firelight as Katsumi passed the open flap of the
doorway of the Spider’s largest tent. It had been a good day despite not
taking first, it would seem. Inside she caught glimpses of youths clad
in other clan’s colors, students who were bending an ear towards what
the Spider could offer. She considered joining them, just for a moment,
to make an appearance as the Spider that shook the Topaz Championship
up, but reconsidered knowing exactly where that would lead, to too much
drinking and probably a late morning the next day. Unfortunately her
morning was already reserved for something of more importance than
sleeping in.
She had spent two days living in Yume-do, only to be returned to Ningen-do to replay those days on the other side. She wasn’t complaining, knowing what was to come was largely a blessing, and one Katsumi didn’t take lightly. It’s just that tomorrow would be the day the little girl became lost, and after this morning she knew it was more than a dream, it was an accurate foretelling of things to come. Today was the third day of the tournament, the final day, the day she had woken in Yume-do. In the Realm of Dreams the people she found herself with had battled dark creatures coined the Noise and saved a Dragon girl from a Scorpion plot.
This morning, being the same day as where she began in Yume-do, she wanted to bare witness to the Scorpion plot and see if things were to repeat in the same manner. She had waited until the iaijutsu tournament was about to begin and stood watch across from the tent they had found the girl in in the dream world. It wasn’t long before her suspicions were confirmed, the Jade Magistrate stormed the tent and rescued the young woman, killing one Scorpion and binding another for judgment. Things had happened precisely the way they had when playing Jashuwa’s game, leaving Katsumi wondering if she could have changed the outcome by interfering instead of watching from the shadows.
Jashuwa’s voice echoed in her head, “Now that you know, what do you plan to do?” There had to be something to it all, she just couldn’t grasp it yet. Even her bones this morning were trying to give her the answer, spelling out a reminder of that place and that strange man. Telling her, “Sometimes dreams are more important than reality.” But that was the riddle, wasn’t it? A dream of the future and the choice to act before something happens, anticipate the problem and change destiny, was it even possible?
Katsumi pushed open her tent, her head swimming with the memories of the vision they had all lived in. Those four she had never met before, and then suddenly they were starting to fall into her life. Kitsuki was now her ward. Asahina was her rival… and now what? Her friend? He had invited her to a tea ceremony earlier this evening. Unless he was unsuccessfully trying to poison her that ritual was reserved for people you trusted, respected, or were trying to impress.
“You received a letter, Katsu-kun.” Yanagi said as Katsumi entered their tent. He was laying on his bedroll, staring up at the ceiling, a single candle illuminating the blackness inside the room.
“From who?” Katsumi couldn’t imagine anyone who would write her.
“Otomo Nagi.” Yanagi rolled to a seated position. “It seems you are invited to a dinner tomorrow night.”
“What is it for?” Katsumi set her katana and wakizashi on the stool in the room and began removing the many layers of her outfit.
Yanagi shrugged, “He’s from the Imperial family.”
“Oh,” Katsumi paused, her heart began pounding. What did the Imperial family want with her? If it was something grave she wouldn‘t still be here, Yanagi would have found her and secreted her away; though on the other hand the Spider may have no choice but to hand her over to keep up appearances. But… it was a dinner, people didn‘t invite someone to dinner to interrogate them. “This is good, right?”
“It could have been, but tomorrow is the full moon, Katsu-kun. You won’t be going.” Katsumi nodded, hearing Yanagi shuffling, probably laying back down.
“We will be staying the next three nights,” He continued, “There are some prospects we’re trying to bring in, and we also want to make sure your new ward can handle your nuances. You will have him take care of you tomorrow, it would be better if he learned sooner rather than later when we’re not around to stop you.”
“I understand, Big Brother.” Katsumi unfurled her tatami mat and bedroll next to Yanagi’s and crawled into bed. Falling asleep to thoughts of the full moon tomorrow, the lost little girl, and the dinner she wouldn’t be attending.
The next morning was a different type of noise to wake to. There’s something always dreary about taking down things that you’ve built, you can see it in the way people slug about, it’s in their voices when they talk, as if dismantling your creation somehow eats away at a person's soul. Katsumi rose and dressed, choosing to leave her bisento behind but taking her wakizashi and newly gifted katana. Most of the clan seemed to have drunk to excess last night, and those that didn’t weren’t within sight, leaving Katsumi to the mercy of the town’s food vendors. At least they were open, serving those that had gotten an early start on the morning, whether traveling or part of the working party.
Katsumi ate quickly and headed towards the area the Scorpion had made camp in. All the clans pretty much stuck together, setting their tents up next to others they knew. She already knew where the Scorpion camp was, having been there twice now, once in Yume-do, the other yesterday, so it wasn’t long before she had wandered in and begun looking for the same little girl she had seen by the cave. Not many people brought children to this event. Most first year students weren’t married yet, and families that came to observe usually consisted of grown children since at least one of them had to have reached adulthood to participate.
That being the case, Katsumi found the child rather quickly, tagging along behind what seemed to be her parents as they packed up their belongings to make the trip back home. Katsumi waited. Tucking herself against a wall within line of sight of the family, she simply watched, making sure the child wasn’t separated from her parents. After two hours of attempting to be inconspicuous, as much as a Spider can be inconspicuous standing in a Scorpion area with no real motive to be there, Katsumi heard the soft whisper of a man’s voice pose a question in her ear.
“Is there something we can help you with?”
Katsumi jumped, caught unaware by the stranger now standing by her side. It was if he wasn’t there a moment ago and suddenly he had appeared close enough to Katsumi she could now feel his presence. He was taller than her, middle-aged, and staring at her casually behind a mask that covered the bottom half of his face. She had heard stories about the Scorpion and how deadly they were because you never saw them coming, striking from the darkness, but this was way more skilled than that. It was morning, there was sunlight, and he had somehow managed to materialize out of nowhere.
She knew she shouldn’t have been so surprised, but she couldn’t help her sudden shock at just how unbearably close he was. Yesterday she had seen something similar before the Jade Magistrate stormed the tent where the Dragon girl was held captive. Two men had ran from the entrance, but not out of the tent. At the time she had thought it may have been a trick of her eyes, the streets were crowded and she couldn’t be certain they weren’t running by at the same moment when she noticed them. Now she believed they may have been there the whole time, just hiding, really well.
“Just… observing,” She said cautiously.
“Observing what?”
“Take down and pack up.” Katsumi wasn’t suited for deceit. Over the years she had learned that telling parts of a truth could get her a whole lot farther than outright lying. In this case the whole truth wouldn’t help here either. The Scorpion were highly superstitious, probably more so than anyone else in the Empire. Telling one of them, especially one who caught her off guard, that she was watching a child because a spirit named Jashuwa had forced her to play a game in Yume-do and this child was about to unleash dark monsters no one can see unless in Joshuwa’s Yume-do to wreck havoc on the living… it didn’t sound like the best of options. Take down and pack up it was!
“Hm,” The man said and slowly looked towards the little girl. “You’re showing some pretty intense interest in that child over there.”
Kuso… It was times like this Katsumi was thankful her standard outfit covered her face. “Maybe it just reminds me of when I was younger.” Katsumi tried to keep her voice steady. She should have said it more definitive and not left it open as if she were suggesting it, but she didn’t want to be caught in a lie and the girl definitely didn‘t remind her of her childhood. As long as she didn’t admit to anything and kept calm they couldn’t touch her without severe repercussions from not only her clan, but the Imperial law as well.
“We’re aware of some of what the Spider are capable of and that they like to adopt children. So, we would very much appreciate it if you would leave.” He was staring at her again, his dark eyes boring into Katsumi.
She didn‘t need to be asked twice. “Very well.” She nodded and started towards the dueling grounds noting the two other Scorpions that moved out her way that she hadn’t previously been aware of either. They were good, very good. Katsumi wasn’t easy to get the jump on, and three had managed to corner her without alerting any of her senses, it made her feel uneasy. She took a seat on the nearest bench and faced towards the Scorpion camp. She didn’t need to be in the camp in order to prevent things from happening, she just needed to be in the path the child would end up taking.
Katsumi drew up her legs to sit cross-legged on the bench and stretched her arms above her head, craning her neck. She paused when a familiar Lion passed through her line of sight, chestnut hair, appealing features and Hikaru trailing behind her.
“Matsu-san!” Katsumi waved her over, “You’re looking a little light to be leaving today.”
Matsu neared, “I’m not leaving. I was just looking for the little girl.”
“How fortuitous, so am I. Come join me.” Katsumi patted the wood next to her and Matsu took a seat. As if their fates were all knotted together, Katsumi thought. Here Matsu was, sitting next to her, they could have easily missed each other but at the precise moment they were in the same place leading to another destined meeting.
“Tell me, Matsu-san, what does the future hold for you?” Katsumi casually questioned. She already knew Matsu was forthcoming with personal information, having just offered up her desire to bed Katsumi in front of Shiba and Asahina without any provocation. Katsumi was interested to see what other sorts of unmentionable information Matsu might share when it was just the two of them.
“Well…” Matsu seemed to be thinking, “In the immediate future I hope to visit my family and discuss my betrothal that my parents set up.”
“That’s a good thing, right? An offer so early in life.”
“No, it isn’t as grand as you may think. No one wants to be betrothed to a Unicorn.”
“I see. You’re unhappy with this. And speaking to your parents will change that?”
“It depends on what they say. If I can get out of it I would be very happy, if not… not so much.”
“It can’t be all that bad, Matsu-san.” Katsumi feigned forced optimism. It appeared to Katsumi that if she disagreed with Matsu’s feelings on a matter she would be corrected by the Lion, making it much easier to steer the conversation the way she wanted.
“It is! They like to shake hands.” Matsu made a face of disgust. “And this one insulted my lion and school which I am very proud to have attended.”
“Oh that’s just terrible.” Katsumi wondered if she was being believable enough, she wasn’t usually the one that handled personal matters, finding it hard to show sincerity. “You are very talented, and Hikaru as well. Who wouldn’t love him?”
“Someone that thinks they should be hunted down.” Matsu scowled.
Katsumi gently patted Matsu’s leg. “Don’t worry, Matsu-san. I am here to help solve your problem.”
Matsu didn’t say anything, just stared at Katsumi. Perhaps she was coming across too concerned. She removed her hand from Matsu’s leg and peeked over at the Scorpion camp. She had set out to change the course of events today, but this was information that she knew she had to hand off to someone better suited to the task. Katsumi wrestled with herself before turning back to Matsu. “Could you keep an eye out for the little girl? There’s something I have to attend to.”
“I can do that.” As soon as Matsu answered, Katsumi was off.
Katsumi jogged back to the Spider camp, eager to tell someone of Matsu’s situation. She wasn’t one to actually talk to people and delve into their problems for which her clan always had a solution for. Usually she was a scout, her strengths lying in observing the physical capabilities or shortcomings of an individual and bringing names back to the group so someone more experienced could chat them up and bring them into the web. This time, however, she had tried her hand at developing a rapport and managed to secure a sliver of worthy information. Throwing open the communal tent in her excitement, she was greeted by a few surprised stares. She scanned the room, Yanagi wasn’t there, nor were any of the older Spiders.
“Where’s Yanagi-sama?” Katsumi quickly asked. It was Ryoko that pointed in the direction of the tent Katsumi’s family shared. “Arigato.”
Katsumi calmly backed out of the communal tent and collected herself before entering her tent. She was excited, and although she didn’t have to worry about appearances when talking alone in their tent, this was still business and required a certain decorum. She ducked into her tent, pushing the flap out of the way, and discovered Negisa lounging on Yanagi’s bedroll in her sleeping gown. Yanagi was sitting on the stool appearing to be redressing, tying his chest piece into place.
“Speak of the demon.” Negisa smirked and rolled on her side, draping a hand over her hip. She was a curvaceous and sultry woman. Her long hair was lighter than most, taking on a mahogany color and her eyes were large and complex, hazel, rarely seen in Rokugan. Negisa was not much taller than Katsumi, being only 5’6”, but unlike Katsumi she had long since stopped growing. She was senior to Katsumi by eleven years and Yanagi by four, putting her well beyond the usual age of marrying. The clan had other uses for Negisa’s talents besides wedding her. “I hear we’re staying in this pit a few more nights because the moon is on the rise.”
“It’s as much for our safety as it is hers,” Yanagi sternly reminded Negisa. He waved a hand towards Katsumi’s belongings. “Katsu-kun, another letter was delivered today; it seems you’re becoming popular.”
Katsumi glanced at the letter, curious on who it could be from but didn‘t take any steps closer. “I have something to report.”
“Oh?” Yanagi responded.
“Yeah, I- uh, met a Matsu. Mikoto. She’s a Beastmaster. She has a problem and I think we can help her.” Katsumi watched Yanagi for a reaction; he leaned forward resting his chin on his hand as he often did when considering something. It was something their father did too, or used to do, when he was alive.
“Go on.”
“She’s betrothed to a Unicorn and wishes to be out of it. It might be our chance to get into the Lion clan.”
“That can be arranged. But a suitor is more difficult to set up.” Yanagi leaned back again.
“It doesn’t really matter who it is as long as he’s respectful of her pet, the lion. Otherwise Mikoto doesn’t seem to have a taste for men.”
Negisa giggled. “Oh Little Sister, are you telling me someone is pursuing you?”
“Not… exactly.” Katsumi cast her eyes to the ground nervously. Negisa had a way of making her feel nervous and afraid nearly any time she was around her. “She made her intentions clear, but nothing has come of it since.”
“Yanagi, I have stupendous idea, if I may?” Negisa rose with a nod from Yanagi. She strutted across the tent, circling behind Katsumi and wrapped an arm lovingly around Katsumi’s waist, the other stroking Katsumi’s wrapped face. Katsumi’s heart began to race; partly from fear and partly because she could feel the heat from Negisa’s body radiating through her clothes and the pressure of her body against her back.
“Katsumi has a pretty face, and the Matsu enjoys something else about her. Why don’t we let Little Sister handle this in a more carnal fashion?” Katsumi felt Negisa pull away from her back, no longer caressing her face. With a sudden jerk she was pulled backwards by her obi, her rear ramming into Negisa’s pelvis. “Catch the cat by the tail, so to speak.”
Katsumi was relieved when Negisa swept herself across the room and gracefully laid back on the bed. She straightened her obi and waited on Yanagi to give the final word. Even though Negisa was older, Yanagi ran the family now. He was also in charge of the group here at the tournament, which meant his word went doubly so.
“It has merit,” Yanagi finally said standing to leave. “Katsumi, you are to tempt Matsu and bring her into the fold. It would be easier than sending one of us into the lion’s den.”
Katsumi nodded and turned to go.
“Katsu-kun,” Yanagi called, stopping her. “Your letter.” He brushed his hand along the small of her back as he moved past her and out the tent.
Katsumi had forgotten about it with Matsu on her mind. She retrieved the paper noting the green seal of the Dragon on it and opened it. It was from Kitsuki. “Humbly request”…“banquet at noon.”…“Messenger will…direct.” From the way it sounded, she would have to show up in a proper kimono. It was already getting on to late morning and she still hadn’t finished with the lost child. If she were going to make it she would have to basically run back to the dueling grounds, intervene, and then come straight back here. She tucked the letter away and headed towards the door.
“Where’s my kiss farewell?” Negisa called from behind her. Katsumi froze in her tracks staring at the tent flap only a step in front of her. To see it so close tempted Katsumi to run without saying a word, but she would surely face Negisa’s wrath if that came to pass.
“I have to go. It’s-um, it’s urgent. I-uh… I’ll be back within an hour.”
“Don’t keep me waiting, Little Sister.”
She had spent two days living in Yume-do, only to be returned to Ningen-do to replay those days on the other side. She wasn’t complaining, knowing what was to come was largely a blessing, and one Katsumi didn’t take lightly. It’s just that tomorrow would be the day the little girl became lost, and after this morning she knew it was more than a dream, it was an accurate foretelling of things to come. Today was the third day of the tournament, the final day, the day she had woken in Yume-do. In the Realm of Dreams the people she found herself with had battled dark creatures coined the Noise and saved a Dragon girl from a Scorpion plot.
This morning, being the same day as where she began in Yume-do, she wanted to bare witness to the Scorpion plot and see if things were to repeat in the same manner. She had waited until the iaijutsu tournament was about to begin and stood watch across from the tent they had found the girl in in the dream world. It wasn’t long before her suspicions were confirmed, the Jade Magistrate stormed the tent and rescued the young woman, killing one Scorpion and binding another for judgment. Things had happened precisely the way they had when playing Jashuwa’s game, leaving Katsumi wondering if she could have changed the outcome by interfering instead of watching from the shadows.
Jashuwa’s voice echoed in her head, “Now that you know, what do you plan to do?” There had to be something to it all, she just couldn’t grasp it yet. Even her bones this morning were trying to give her the answer, spelling out a reminder of that place and that strange man. Telling her, “Sometimes dreams are more important than reality.” But that was the riddle, wasn’t it? A dream of the future and the choice to act before something happens, anticipate the problem and change destiny, was it even possible?
Katsumi pushed open her tent, her head swimming with the memories of the vision they had all lived in. Those four she had never met before, and then suddenly they were starting to fall into her life. Kitsuki was now her ward. Asahina was her rival… and now what? Her friend? He had invited her to a tea ceremony earlier this evening. Unless he was unsuccessfully trying to poison her that ritual was reserved for people you trusted, respected, or were trying to impress.
“You received a letter, Katsu-kun.” Yanagi said as Katsumi entered their tent. He was laying on his bedroll, staring up at the ceiling, a single candle illuminating the blackness inside the room.
“From who?” Katsumi couldn’t imagine anyone who would write her.
“Otomo Nagi.” Yanagi rolled to a seated position. “It seems you are invited to a dinner tomorrow night.”
“What is it for?” Katsumi set her katana and wakizashi on the stool in the room and began removing the many layers of her outfit.
Yanagi shrugged, “He’s from the Imperial family.”
“Oh,” Katsumi paused, her heart began pounding. What did the Imperial family want with her? If it was something grave she wouldn‘t still be here, Yanagi would have found her and secreted her away; though on the other hand the Spider may have no choice but to hand her over to keep up appearances. But… it was a dinner, people didn‘t invite someone to dinner to interrogate them. “This is good, right?”
“It could have been, but tomorrow is the full moon, Katsu-kun. You won’t be going.” Katsumi nodded, hearing Yanagi shuffling, probably laying back down.
“We will be staying the next three nights,” He continued, “There are some prospects we’re trying to bring in, and we also want to make sure your new ward can handle your nuances. You will have him take care of you tomorrow, it would be better if he learned sooner rather than later when we’re not around to stop you.”
“I understand, Big Brother.” Katsumi unfurled her tatami mat and bedroll next to Yanagi’s and crawled into bed. Falling asleep to thoughts of the full moon tomorrow, the lost little girl, and the dinner she wouldn’t be attending.
The next morning was a different type of noise to wake to. There’s something always dreary about taking down things that you’ve built, you can see it in the way people slug about, it’s in their voices when they talk, as if dismantling your creation somehow eats away at a person's soul. Katsumi rose and dressed, choosing to leave her bisento behind but taking her wakizashi and newly gifted katana. Most of the clan seemed to have drunk to excess last night, and those that didn’t weren’t within sight, leaving Katsumi to the mercy of the town’s food vendors. At least they were open, serving those that had gotten an early start on the morning, whether traveling or part of the working party.
Katsumi ate quickly and headed towards the area the Scorpion had made camp in. All the clans pretty much stuck together, setting their tents up next to others they knew. She already knew where the Scorpion camp was, having been there twice now, once in Yume-do, the other yesterday, so it wasn’t long before she had wandered in and begun looking for the same little girl she had seen by the cave. Not many people brought children to this event. Most first year students weren’t married yet, and families that came to observe usually consisted of grown children since at least one of them had to have reached adulthood to participate.
That being the case, Katsumi found the child rather quickly, tagging along behind what seemed to be her parents as they packed up their belongings to make the trip back home. Katsumi waited. Tucking herself against a wall within line of sight of the family, she simply watched, making sure the child wasn’t separated from her parents. After two hours of attempting to be inconspicuous, as much as a Spider can be inconspicuous standing in a Scorpion area with no real motive to be there, Katsumi heard the soft whisper of a man’s voice pose a question in her ear.
“Is there something we can help you with?”
Katsumi jumped, caught unaware by the stranger now standing by her side. It was if he wasn’t there a moment ago and suddenly he had appeared close enough to Katsumi she could now feel his presence. He was taller than her, middle-aged, and staring at her casually behind a mask that covered the bottom half of his face. She had heard stories about the Scorpion and how deadly they were because you never saw them coming, striking from the darkness, but this was way more skilled than that. It was morning, there was sunlight, and he had somehow managed to materialize out of nowhere.
She knew she shouldn’t have been so surprised, but she couldn’t help her sudden shock at just how unbearably close he was. Yesterday she had seen something similar before the Jade Magistrate stormed the tent where the Dragon girl was held captive. Two men had ran from the entrance, but not out of the tent. At the time she had thought it may have been a trick of her eyes, the streets were crowded and she couldn’t be certain they weren’t running by at the same moment when she noticed them. Now she believed they may have been there the whole time, just hiding, really well.
“Just… observing,” She said cautiously.
“Observing what?”
“Take down and pack up.” Katsumi wasn’t suited for deceit. Over the years she had learned that telling parts of a truth could get her a whole lot farther than outright lying. In this case the whole truth wouldn’t help here either. The Scorpion were highly superstitious, probably more so than anyone else in the Empire. Telling one of them, especially one who caught her off guard, that she was watching a child because a spirit named Jashuwa had forced her to play a game in Yume-do and this child was about to unleash dark monsters no one can see unless in Joshuwa’s Yume-do to wreck havoc on the living… it didn’t sound like the best of options. Take down and pack up it was!
“Hm,” The man said and slowly looked towards the little girl. “You’re showing some pretty intense interest in that child over there.”
Kuso… It was times like this Katsumi was thankful her standard outfit covered her face. “Maybe it just reminds me of when I was younger.” Katsumi tried to keep her voice steady. She should have said it more definitive and not left it open as if she were suggesting it, but she didn’t want to be caught in a lie and the girl definitely didn‘t remind her of her childhood. As long as she didn’t admit to anything and kept calm they couldn’t touch her without severe repercussions from not only her clan, but the Imperial law as well.
“We’re aware of some of what the Spider are capable of and that they like to adopt children. So, we would very much appreciate it if you would leave.” He was staring at her again, his dark eyes boring into Katsumi.
She didn‘t need to be asked twice. “Very well.” She nodded and started towards the dueling grounds noting the two other Scorpions that moved out her way that she hadn’t previously been aware of either. They were good, very good. Katsumi wasn’t easy to get the jump on, and three had managed to corner her without alerting any of her senses, it made her feel uneasy. She took a seat on the nearest bench and faced towards the Scorpion camp. She didn’t need to be in the camp in order to prevent things from happening, she just needed to be in the path the child would end up taking.
Katsumi drew up her legs to sit cross-legged on the bench and stretched her arms above her head, craning her neck. She paused when a familiar Lion passed through her line of sight, chestnut hair, appealing features and Hikaru trailing behind her.
“Matsu-san!” Katsumi waved her over, “You’re looking a little light to be leaving today.”
Matsu neared, “I’m not leaving. I was just looking for the little girl.”
“How fortuitous, so am I. Come join me.” Katsumi patted the wood next to her and Matsu took a seat. As if their fates were all knotted together, Katsumi thought. Here Matsu was, sitting next to her, they could have easily missed each other but at the precise moment they were in the same place leading to another destined meeting.
“Tell me, Matsu-san, what does the future hold for you?” Katsumi casually questioned. She already knew Matsu was forthcoming with personal information, having just offered up her desire to bed Katsumi in front of Shiba and Asahina without any provocation. Katsumi was interested to see what other sorts of unmentionable information Matsu might share when it was just the two of them.
“Well…” Matsu seemed to be thinking, “In the immediate future I hope to visit my family and discuss my betrothal that my parents set up.”
“That’s a good thing, right? An offer so early in life.”
“No, it isn’t as grand as you may think. No one wants to be betrothed to a Unicorn.”
“I see. You’re unhappy with this. And speaking to your parents will change that?”
“It depends on what they say. If I can get out of it I would be very happy, if not… not so much.”
“It can’t be all that bad, Matsu-san.” Katsumi feigned forced optimism. It appeared to Katsumi that if she disagreed with Matsu’s feelings on a matter she would be corrected by the Lion, making it much easier to steer the conversation the way she wanted.
“It is! They like to shake hands.” Matsu made a face of disgust. “And this one insulted my lion and school which I am very proud to have attended.”
“Oh that’s just terrible.” Katsumi wondered if she was being believable enough, she wasn’t usually the one that handled personal matters, finding it hard to show sincerity. “You are very talented, and Hikaru as well. Who wouldn’t love him?”
“Someone that thinks they should be hunted down.” Matsu scowled.
Katsumi gently patted Matsu’s leg. “Don’t worry, Matsu-san. I am here to help solve your problem.”
Matsu didn’t say anything, just stared at Katsumi. Perhaps she was coming across too concerned. She removed her hand from Matsu’s leg and peeked over at the Scorpion camp. She had set out to change the course of events today, but this was information that she knew she had to hand off to someone better suited to the task. Katsumi wrestled with herself before turning back to Matsu. “Could you keep an eye out for the little girl? There’s something I have to attend to.”
“I can do that.” As soon as Matsu answered, Katsumi was off.
Katsumi jogged back to the Spider camp, eager to tell someone of Matsu’s situation. She wasn’t one to actually talk to people and delve into their problems for which her clan always had a solution for. Usually she was a scout, her strengths lying in observing the physical capabilities or shortcomings of an individual and bringing names back to the group so someone more experienced could chat them up and bring them into the web. This time, however, she had tried her hand at developing a rapport and managed to secure a sliver of worthy information. Throwing open the communal tent in her excitement, she was greeted by a few surprised stares. She scanned the room, Yanagi wasn’t there, nor were any of the older Spiders.
“Where’s Yanagi-sama?” Katsumi quickly asked. It was Ryoko that pointed in the direction of the tent Katsumi’s family shared. “Arigato.”
Katsumi calmly backed out of the communal tent and collected herself before entering her tent. She was excited, and although she didn’t have to worry about appearances when talking alone in their tent, this was still business and required a certain decorum. She ducked into her tent, pushing the flap out of the way, and discovered Negisa lounging on Yanagi’s bedroll in her sleeping gown. Yanagi was sitting on the stool appearing to be redressing, tying his chest piece into place.
“Speak of the demon.” Negisa smirked and rolled on her side, draping a hand over her hip. She was a curvaceous and sultry woman. Her long hair was lighter than most, taking on a mahogany color and her eyes were large and complex, hazel, rarely seen in Rokugan. Negisa was not much taller than Katsumi, being only 5’6”, but unlike Katsumi she had long since stopped growing. She was senior to Katsumi by eleven years and Yanagi by four, putting her well beyond the usual age of marrying. The clan had other uses for Negisa’s talents besides wedding her. “I hear we’re staying in this pit a few more nights because the moon is on the rise.”
“It’s as much for our safety as it is hers,” Yanagi sternly reminded Negisa. He waved a hand towards Katsumi’s belongings. “Katsu-kun, another letter was delivered today; it seems you’re becoming popular.”
Katsumi glanced at the letter, curious on who it could be from but didn‘t take any steps closer. “I have something to report.”
“Oh?” Yanagi responded.
“Yeah, I- uh, met a Matsu. Mikoto. She’s a Beastmaster. She has a problem and I think we can help her.” Katsumi watched Yanagi for a reaction; he leaned forward resting his chin on his hand as he often did when considering something. It was something their father did too, or used to do, when he was alive.
“Go on.”
“She’s betrothed to a Unicorn and wishes to be out of it. It might be our chance to get into the Lion clan.”
“That can be arranged. But a suitor is more difficult to set up.” Yanagi leaned back again.
“It doesn’t really matter who it is as long as he’s respectful of her pet, the lion. Otherwise Mikoto doesn’t seem to have a taste for men.”
Negisa giggled. “Oh Little Sister, are you telling me someone is pursuing you?”
“Not… exactly.” Katsumi cast her eyes to the ground nervously. Negisa had a way of making her feel nervous and afraid nearly any time she was around her. “She made her intentions clear, but nothing has come of it since.”
“Yanagi, I have stupendous idea, if I may?” Negisa rose with a nod from Yanagi. She strutted across the tent, circling behind Katsumi and wrapped an arm lovingly around Katsumi’s waist, the other stroking Katsumi’s wrapped face. Katsumi’s heart began to race; partly from fear and partly because she could feel the heat from Negisa’s body radiating through her clothes and the pressure of her body against her back.
“Katsumi has a pretty face, and the Matsu enjoys something else about her. Why don’t we let Little Sister handle this in a more carnal fashion?” Katsumi felt Negisa pull away from her back, no longer caressing her face. With a sudden jerk she was pulled backwards by her obi, her rear ramming into Negisa’s pelvis. “Catch the cat by the tail, so to speak.”
Katsumi was relieved when Negisa swept herself across the room and gracefully laid back on the bed. She straightened her obi and waited on Yanagi to give the final word. Even though Negisa was older, Yanagi ran the family now. He was also in charge of the group here at the tournament, which meant his word went doubly so.
“It has merit,” Yanagi finally said standing to leave. “Katsumi, you are to tempt Matsu and bring her into the fold. It would be easier than sending one of us into the lion’s den.”
Katsumi nodded and turned to go.
“Katsu-kun,” Yanagi called, stopping her. “Your letter.” He brushed his hand along the small of her back as he moved past her and out the tent.
Katsumi had forgotten about it with Matsu on her mind. She retrieved the paper noting the green seal of the Dragon on it and opened it. It was from Kitsuki. “Humbly request”…“banquet at noon.”…“Messenger will…direct.” From the way it sounded, she would have to show up in a proper kimono. It was already getting on to late morning and she still hadn’t finished with the lost child. If she were going to make it she would have to basically run back to the dueling grounds, intervene, and then come straight back here. She tucked the letter away and headed towards the door.
“Where’s my kiss farewell?” Negisa called from behind her. Katsumi froze in her tracks staring at the tent flap only a step in front of her. To see it so close tempted Katsumi to run without saying a word, but she would surely face Negisa’s wrath if that came to pass.
“I have to go. It’s-um, it’s urgent. I-uh… I’ll be back within an hour.”
“Don’t keep me waiting, Little Sister.”
***
Mikoto sat on the bench perplexed
by Daigotsu’s behavior. Daigotsu hadn’t ever really given Mikoto an
answer, but no answer was usually the polite way to say no. She hadn’t
tried again, believing her charms lost on Daigotsu, but now Daigotsu had
just patted her leg, touched her, and that was the opposite of no. Then
she just ran off. Maybe this was some strange way the Spider played
hard to get. She wasn’t even going to pretend to understand. Mikoto
looked down at Hikaru, “I don’t know either.”
It wasn’t long before the little Scorpion girl came walking towards the dueling grounds. She was clutching a pin doll and although she wasn’t crying, she seemed obviously upset to Mikoto. Okay… now what? Mikoto had told Daigotsu she would keep an eye out, and she stuck to her word, she never said she would interact with the kid. Besides, she wanted to watch the events unfold, see how it worked from this side of the Realm. If they had fixed the problem on the other side, things should just fix themselves here. Yes, it was better to keep her distance for now. Just keep watching, as she vowed to do.
The girl walked past Mikoto and started making her way north of the dueling grounds. That’s where the cave was, except there was no cave now. It wouldn’t have been possible for there to be a cave, the ground was flat with no incline or downward slope. Mikoto gave the child a good amount of space before she started following. She still wasn’t certain what to say to her, and if strangers scared her as much as Mikoto remembered they had, she didn’t want to startle the girl. Just make sure she didn’t get hurt. Or that she got back. What if their interactions in the other world weren’t happening now, now that they were back here? Mikoto decided she’d give it a little time before jumping to conclusions.
The Scorpion girl sat down where the cave would have been and began crying. Things just became even more awkward. If she didn’t know what to say when the child was just scared and lost, now what would she say? Hi lost girl, you’re crying, and I’m a stranger, and stop crying. Mikoto uneasily shifted and peered towards the dueling grounds. Daigotsu said she’d be right back, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could listen to before she just walked away. It was really making her uncomfortable. She didn’t have those motherly instincts that girls constantly referred to.
A black clad figure came into view at the south end of the tournament grounds. Oh thank the Celestial Heavens, Daigotsu had come back. Mikoto waved towards Daigotsu who was making quick work of the space between them, jogging towards her. Mikoto didn’t even get to explain the situation; Daigotsu looked behind her and went straight for the child. She shrugged; maybe Daigotsu had those motherly instincts under that rigid, firm exterior. She didn’t mind letting Daigotsu handle things, she still wasn’t certain of what to say.
Daigotsu slowed down to a trot and began pulling at her mask. It seemed to work. The girl stopped sniffling and just watched Daigotsu approach. Mikoto watched too. How strange would it be if Daigotsu and she were the ones that led the girl back to her camp both here and in that other world? Maybe that’s why it worked, because they were there both times.
“Hello-” Daigotsu had said but before she could finish her thought a wail erupted from the child. Louder and more dire than her previous crying. Daigotsu backed up raising her hands in the air. Mikoto rushed in.
“What did you do?!” Mikoto demanded. Suddenly the girl started screaming and Mikoto stared at her for a second, not even sure what was going on. She followed the girls eyes towards- Oh great, Hikaru. It dawned on her that not every little girl grows up with lions, Hikaru probably scared her even worse than whatever it was that Daigotsu did.
“Hikaru, roll over!” Hikaru lowered himself in the grass and turned his belly up. Mikoto turned back towards the less screaming little girl. “D-do you want to touch him? He won’t bite.”
She stopped screaming and began sniffling again. At least she was quiet. Slowly the Scorpion girl edged towards Hikaru, keeping her eyes fixed on Mikoto as if she were the scary one. The girl sat next to Hikaru and carefully rubbed on his belly. Mikoto nervously looked around noticing Daigotsu had fled the scene. Great, alone with… that.
“Hey, little girl, why are you crying?” Mikoto asked, honestly attempting to be gentle with her words.
“I dun know where my mommy is.” Her face began to wrinkle up again like it was doing earlier and she took some shuddered breaths.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Mikoto attempted to keep her calm. “Would you like Hikaru to take you back to your parents?”
At his name Hikaru looked up at Mikoto. She indicated for him to stay. The little girl sniffled and nodded. From behind her Mikoto heard people approaching, she glanced over her shoulder at two peasants who bowed to her.
“Samurai-sama, we are here to assist with the child.”
Mikoto nodded to the men and tapped her leg for Hikaru to follow, making sure the girl also followed. She trailed right after Hikaru. They all walked at a slow pace so the little girl could keep up. Once they hit the dueling grounds Mikoto saw Daigotsu lounging on a bench and glared at her. She knew Daigotsu couldn’t see her, but it was all the same to her. How could she have just run off while the kid was crying, and after making her wail like that? Leaving her to fix things. Grr. Daigotsu literally threw her to the mercy of something unmanageable with lungs louder than any lion she had ever heard.
“WE’RE NOT INTERESTED IN CHILDREN!” Daigotsu yelled to the empty space behind her. Alright, Mikoto decided, she is indeed a bit off center. Mikoto wasn’t even going to pretend to understand, she just shook her head and continued with the other men to the Scorpion camp to find the girls parents.
They were waiting for the child at the edge of the camp. At least they said they were her parents and the little girl sprinted away from Hikaru towards them. There was some sniffling from the girl while the parents just nodded, took her hand, and walked away. It was a little strange; they didn’t seem to be worried at all and didn’t even give a thank you. Mikoto huffed and turned, aiming to give Daigotsu a piece of her mind only to come face to face with another peasant, this one already bowing to her.
“Samurai-sama, I’m here to take you to Kitsuki-sama’s banquet.” The banquet! She almost had forgotten between the hectic child rearing that had just gone on and Daigotsu’s odd behavior. Mikoto took a deep breath and nodded to the woman.
“Lead the way.”
The peasant woman wove through the crowd, not too fast that Mikoto couldn’t keep up, but swift enough that she didn’t have much time to look around lest she run into another person, or a cart, or something else. It was actually enjoyable to move at such a fast pace after walking what felt like eternity with that little girl. The peasant stopped in front of a small building and bowed, pointing a hand towards the doorway. Mikoto entered to find Kitsuki, Shiba and Asahina seated at a small table, food already laid out and placement for five. She wasn’t the last to arrive, and judging from whom else was here, she guessed Daigotsu was the fifth party who had yet to show.
Mikoto quietly took a seat, staring at the rice on her plate. It was… strange. There were things in it, like peas and small bits of something else, and it had a tint to it like someone had already flavored it with soy sauce. Everyone must have been as curious as she was about the meal because no one said a word, not even welcoming her in when she arrived. Things were so quiet between the four of them. It only made sense; Mikoto didn’t want to talk about Asahina’s new title, since he had bested both her and Shiba in a way that made her look like she had no skill at all. It had been pretty amazing to behold when she saw him do the same to Shiba, but there was no way to bring it up without making herself look like a fool. She had only met Kitsuki the day before, and not even for that long. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about the cripple. Daigotsu had seemed to take a liking to him; she noticed the two sitting together during the iaijutsu tournament. Shiba was with them as well. And bringing up that strange place where she met all of them might make her seem a little insane. She was treating it much like a bad dream. She was aware it was more than that, but everyone else didn’t seem to want to acknowledge the events that had taken place so she didn’t want to be the one to bring it up either.
There was a shuffling at the door and Mikoto turned to see Daigotsu enter. She was different. First and foremost, she wasn’t wearing a mask. Daigotsu had hair and long hair at that. It was tied back in a half-ponytail and she had an eye patch affixed across one eye. She was also wearing a genuine kimono, albeit male, but the black armor Mikoto had begun to associate with Daigotsu wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Wait, Daigotsu was wearing a kimono, Asahina was wearing a kimono, Shiba was wearing a kimono, and she was the only one wearing her yaori. She began wondering if there was something she had missed in the letter, like a postscript about the formality of the event. Mikoto watched Daigotsu made her way to the empty spot next to Mikoto and quietly sit, joining the silence.
“If all is chaos, and nothing stays together, the world turns to sand. If all is order, nothing’s separate, the world turns to stone.” Kitsuki spouted poetically. Mikoto tilted her head at Kitsuki, wondering if he invited them all here to quote poetry.
“Dear friends,” He continued, “You know that it’s no coincidence that I invited you to dine with me, just as I believe it was no coincidence we were brought together in the first place. I’ve meditated deeply on the strange circumstance of our meeting and I’ve realized it must have been an act of fate. The peril we found ourselves in was not only great but completely unmentioned in all of Rokugan history.”
Mikoto had to hand it to Kitsuki; he did have a way of expressing ideas. Besides the meditating, and inviting people to lunch, and knowing the event had never happened before in history, it was as if he was pulling it straight from her thoughts.
“Now, I’ve spent some time studying omens, and from my studies I’ve learned that meaning flies on the wings of the uncommon. That leads me to think that our incredible unlikely encounter was in itself, an omen. Its meaning was as urgent as any call to arms.
“When we met in that shadowy land, we were given a riddle. This led to another. The last one liberated us when we solved it, but alas, things are never easy, and even the answer presented us with another riddle. That riddle was the center of my meditation and why I’ve called you to join me. I believe I understand the meaning.”
Oh good, he was getting to the point.
“On that day of shadows, we lived within a metaphor. When we were asked to solve the problem, we discovered the problem was what incites the Noise. When we were asked, “What caused the Noise?” We discovered that it was imbalance. When we asked how we could correct imbalance, we answered that it was with counterbalance.
“Perhaps the Noise was a metaphor for the rising tensions and disruptions in Rokugan caused by a growing imbalance between the Great Clans. If so, then it is clear that we were called upon to find a counterbalance. But how are we to do that? The answer to that lies even deeper.”
Mikoto raised her brows trying to show polite interest. She looked down at her food, probably more than a little cold now, and back to Kitsuki who was still talking.
“The Noise was a metaphor for disruption in ourselves, which will destroy us if we cannot silence it. After all, how can we bring balance to the Empire if we cannot find it within? That goes to a far greater question, and that happens to be answered by another that we‘ve already asked, why were we brought together?”
This was not what she had signed up for. Mikoto wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t pontificating about metaphors and riddles and why they were together. It was clear they were together because they chose to be. Sure they were thrown together to begin with, but after that moment everyone made the choices they made and continued to make them until they reached this point. There didn’t need to be any more explanation than that for her.
“Why us? What makes us unique or special to be chosen to achieve some noble cause?”
Kitsuki must like to hear his own voice.
“I’ll tell you.”
Of course you will.
“Balance. We bring balance to one another.”
Mikoto looked down at her food again, nudging her chopsticks sitting by the plate. She considered seeing how far she could tap them before she actually got to use them.
“The precision and control of one counterbalances the passions of another.”
Tap, tap, tap.
“The grace and beauty of one, counterbalances the clumsiness of another.”
Tap, tap, tap.
“We were matched because we can bring to one another the balance that none of us can hope to achieve on our own and each of us will perish without. I admit to being somewhat selfish in this speech, although I have spoken no lie. You see, I have the most to lose without each of you. Because, while you may perish or be consumed by the ambitions of your clan…” Kitsuki paused. Mikoto glanced up to see Kitsuki looking at Asahina, “Or you may be lost someday in the shadows of your own glory, I myself will simply fade into nothing.”
Mikoto slowly slid the chopsticks back to where they started and put her hand in her lap. She cleared her throat and refocused on Kitsuki who didn’t seem to notice her recent behavior.
“We all need each other for this purpose. And if any one of us should fall, the rest will fall into disarray. A carriage cannot ride upon a wheel with a spoke broken.” Kitsuki looked around the table and Mikoto did the same. Everyone was giving him their full attention, except her. If only she actually enjoyed this sort of thing. It didn’t surprise her that Asahina did. And Shiba also seemed the sort to be entertained by others speaking.
“So my friends, I ask you to join with me and answer the call that was so clearly spoken by destiny. I know nothing of the challenge that awaits us but I do know that we must unite to face it. Dear friends, will you join me for this purpose?”
Mikoto waited, sure Kitsuki was going to say something else. No one said anything. Maybe they weren’t sure if he was finished either.
“Eloquently spoken, and I fully agree,” Asahina finally shattered the silence. Mikoto was glad someone said something; it was starting to get awkward enough that even she could feel it, and she wasn’t always aware of the nuances of social situations. “Together we are like the five rings making the world whole. Wherever it goes from here is… perhaps fate, perhaps we are relied on. But I’m part of it.”
“Kitsuki-san,” Daigotsu nodded towards Kitsuki, “Wherever you go, I will be beside you.”
“You have my gratitude and confidence.” Kitsuki responded then looked at Shiba and her, probably waiting for an answer. She needed some time to think on this. She wasn’t going to just jump into pledging her life to someone who had no idea what the cause was for. Honestly, she had only come for the food promised, which she wasn’t even sure she wanted to eat now that she saw it. Kitsuki seemed to accept her lack of response and lifted his chopsticks.
Mikoto peered at Shiba across from her, she wasn’t eating either. Asahina was staring at Daigotsu across from him, now that she noticed it, so was Kitsuki. Daigotsu was eating the strange rice with abandon. Mikoto stared as well, trying to gauge the taste and safety of the food by Daigotsu’s reaction to it. Daigotsu wasn’t giving away anything except that it was something she could eat, and that covered a large area of things Mikoto wouldn‘t.
Mikoto began picking at her rice, pulling each item out, sniffing it, and tasting them one at a time. Onion. Watercress. Egg. Peas. Carrots. The rice was spiced and heavy. Together it wasn’t that bad, but Mikoto would have rather had normal food for lunch. Judging from Kitsuki’s initial uncertainty, Mikoto figured this was not normal food for him either. Mikoto was pushing around more than eating when she felt a brush against her shoulder. Daigotsu pulling a hair off of Mikoto, which she then tucked in her obi.
“What are you doing?” Mikoto demanded.
“There was a hair. I was just removing it.” Daigotsu smiled.
Mikoto stared at her for another minute, but Daigotsu went back to eating as if nothing had happened. She saw Daigotsu tuck it into her robe! Who did that?! The same person who touched her leg and ran off. The same person who wore a man’s kimono. The same person who also ran off when Mikoto had bat her eyes at Daigotsu without as much as a word. There were probably a dozen more odd behaviors Mikoto didn’t even know about.
“Last night, before I turned in, I received a summons to the mayor’s house,” Kitsuki politely made conversation.
“I also received that,” Asahina responded.
“I as well,” Shiba whispered. It was the first time Shiba said anything since Mikoto had arrived. She still wasn’t eating the food.
“Same,” Mikoto added.
“It seems a lot of invitations are going around,” Daigotsu smirked. Yes, she actually smirked. It was so odd to see her face that the facial expression kind of shocked Mikoto.
“Interesting,” said Asahina. It really wasn’t that interesting. If an Otomo was having a dinner party, surely more than just the five of them would be invited. Probably a dozen or two total in attendance. Not that Mikoto had ever been to a party thrown by the Imperial family, but if everyone there had an invite, then it was safe to assume more would as well.
“Any idea what it’s about?” Asahina asked.
“Not yet,” responded Kitsuki.
“Asahina-san,” Daigotsu began pointedly, “You are the Topaz Champion. That has to come with some sort of prestige. And I did end up the runner up-”
Shiba interrupted in her soft, whisper of a voice, “And Matsu lost in the first round.”
“Shiba-san!” Mikoto exploded slamming her fist on the table and staring Shiba down. Shiba glanced at the table under Mikoto’s gaze and began fidgeting. “Eat,” Mikoto commanded. She didn’t take her eyes off Shiba, she was lucky Mikoto was across the table, if she had been close enough it may have resulted in a smack, the way Mokoto disciplined Hikaru.
“You make a good point, but that only accounts for your invitations. None of use would have a place there,” Kitsuki continued on as if nothing had just happened. Mikoto knew it was the polite thing to do. In samurai society if you don’t see it, the problem doesn’t exist.
“So this might be an omen, Kitsuki-san? And you have no insight if this is a good or bad omen?” Asahina wasn’t letting this ‘interesting’ invitation go. It wasn’t destiny; it was just a dinner party. Mikoto visibly rolled her eyes. Although this was better than letting her food get cold while Kitsuki spoke, it was still a tiring topic to be stuck on.
“I don’t believe it’s an omen, but it may be the first step of the path we are set upon,” Kitsuki responded, folding his hands.
“But… still… How would the Otomo family know to invite all of us… individually?” Mikoto glared at Shiba again. She just had to keep this circulating.
“Maybe there are other people invited too,” Asahina proposed. Finally! Now we can move on from this boring talk about boring meals with boring people.
“Is fate only answered by the actions of the knowing?” Kitsuki asked rhetorically. Everyone went silent considering his words. Mikoto pushed her rice around her plate, wondering if it would be rude to leave before everyone else was done. She had had enough of talk of fate and destiny and social graces. She wanted to be rid of the ridiculous expectations and requirements for keeping face, it was supposed to be a luncheon and even this quickly became another bar to be passed. She hadn’t said she would stick with Kitsuki, or Asahina, or Daigotsu, but she knew that it would be expected by one of them; probably Asahina.
“You bring up an excellent point, Kitsuki-san. I know very little about each of you besides your name, perhaps we can learn a bit more about each other?” Daigotsu smiled and looked around the table. Another round of silence between the group.
Mikoto shrugged. She wasn’t too fond of the idea of everyone knowing her life, but what would it hurt? If they were considering each other ‘friends’ as Kitsuki kept referring to them in his speech, then friends should know the ins and outs of each other. Plus, maybe she could gain some insight on the strangeness of Daigotsu. And it would at least come out that Mikoto was betrothed, maybe Asahina would stop trying so hard to impress her once he knew, though he was somewhat impressive himself. She recalled how amazing it was the way he cut every opponent’s mon off. It was a little… exciting. But he had boldly called her ‘chan’ in front of everyone at the tournament. Oh the nerve! What sort of rumors would she have to deny to her mother if anyone had heard it?
“I can start, though there’s not much to say about myself.” Daigotsu was basically talking to the table, her eye wandering to random locations instead of looking anyone in the face. “My father died in the Destroyer Wars last year… and… now I am here. What about you Asahina-san?”
Not what Mikoto had expected. It was short and didn’t say much about Daigotsu at all. Asahina took a deep breath, looking unsure of what to say. Mikoto could see the question made Asahina uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure how winning a championship would feel, but she guessed he recently had many people asking him questions about his life.
“Having the blood of Asahina flowing through my veins and not being capable of communing with the kami, I felt rather fortunate to be taken under the wing of the famous Kakita sensei, who reminded my father that his grandfather was also an Asahina of the Kakita School.”
Asahina gave a little more than Daigotsu did. Mikoto would accept it.
“Shiba-san?” Daigotsu prompted.
“I’m Shiba Morasahi. And… um- I’m the daughter of Mosohai and Soreyu.” Shiba’s voice was getting softer and softer as she continued. “I…um… I was initially intended to be… a… yojimbo for the Isawa family, but-um, my older sister was granted that position. So I’ve recently… been trying my own path.” Shiba looked across the table to Mikoto.
“My mother was a Beastmaster.” Mikoto was proud of that, if there was anything people needed to know about her it was that she was proud of her school, her mother, and herself.
“She died, unfortunately, during childbirth with me. And my father could not stand to be reminded of that,” Mikoto began clenching her teeth. There were many things she got over as she grew older, but abandonment was a lifelong wound.
“So I was not raised by my father in particular, and when he remarried I ended up going to the school. Along the way my new mother arranged for my betrothal to a Unicorn.” She scowled at the thought of Moto Leon. “Who apparently wants to hunt my lion down and thinks that I’m no better than an animal myself… and… That’s that.”
Everyone was staring at her in stunned silence. Finally, she thought, finally people understand how terrible of a match she and Moto Leon would be. She felt somewhat vindicated because obviously his behavior was so repulsive no one knew what to say.
“As you can imagine I was always shunned,” Kitsuki began. Yeah, he definitely liked to hear himself talk, Mikoto decided.
“No,” Daigotsu gasped as if she was shocked. She looked a little shocked, but Mikoto wasn’t sure if Daigotsu was mocking Kitsuki or not.
Kitsuki continued on, “My father considered my affliction to be a curse and so he called upon specialists to try to cure me of it. These specialists used all the magic in Rokugan and couldn’t fix me. They laid me upon stretchers and pulled my legs apart from my hands, in a kind of torture to rid this from my body. And even that didn’t work. From that, I learned something incredibly useful to me. And that is that my affliction is as much a strength as it is a weakness. You see that we are defined by our limitations and by how we live up to those limitations.
“If a man is capable of doing anything, and he tries to do everything he is capable of, he will never master a thing. Where as I, the gimp, the cripple in court, must speak twice as elegantly to get any amount of attention. I could never fight, so I dedicated my time to study, and I embraced this limitation to develop into who I am now.
“This is the only way I’ve been able to gain any attention or reputation, because I see this thing that so many people would call a curse as a blessing instead. That’s how I came to see Bushido as a way of finding balance between capability and limitation.”
Out of that, Mikoto got, “I’m a cripple and can’t do anything but talk.” She reminded herself to never ask Kitsuki a question unless she had a half hour to spend listening to his pseudo-spiritual ranting. Maybe stabbing him wasn’t yet out of the question; she’d have to mention it again to Daigotsu.
If dinner was going to be anything like this, she was considering feigning ill. The group talked a little more, about what Mikoto couldn’t really say, “Talk…Blah blah…imperative… blah blah…” Shiba was obviously enthralled with what Asahina and Kitsuki were discussing. Shiba did enjoy tagging along though, so it made sense she would do so in a conversation. Daigotsu looked just as bored as she did, at least they shared that something in common. Daigotsu stood and Mikoto blinked back to the present. Apparently the lunch was over, Asahina was offering courtesies, Daigotsu had headed out the door, and Shiba looked like she was trying to make up her mind whether to stay or go. Matsu took off while the getting was good. She was going to need to work out some tension before spending another several hours in the company of another windbag, or several of them.
Morasahi left her tent on a mission. Get a fan. Find Asako Yuji to paint the name onto it. Let it dry. Mission completed. First up was the fan. Morasahi entered the first shop that actually had an indoor area. There were many vendors with carts, but this fan had to be special and a cart just meant there would be more chance for dirt to get on it. There were some to shop, most designed in the Scorpion style, but nothing that really stuck out to her. Scorpion colors wouldn’t do at all, that’s not really the message you wanted to be sending someone who was standing in for the Empress. The next shop had a large selection, but still nothing that was truly unique. There was one with birds that perhaps could work. Morasahi picked it up and played with the ribs. It was too flimsy. Another fan had a river that just looked off in some way. Perhaps it was the way the colors only covered a quarter of the fan. She pressed her lips, convinced she wasn’t going to find something grand enough. Plucking a fan with a sunset painted on it, Morasahi waved to the clerk and presented her seal with her name on it. The sunset would have to do.
She sighed inwardly as she headed back to her camp. A day’s notice wasn’t long, but she had to make due with what she had. At least she was bringing a gift, she had at least that much sense. Matsu, on the other hand… Morasahi was almost certain she would show up empty handed and still dressed in her battle armor. The Lion were a strange bunch and the Beastmasters even more so. They were the most untamed of their ranks, oblivious to social graces. And the Spider, Morasahi didn’t even want to consider what Daigotsu would bring as a gift. The severed head of her enemy or something equally as blasphemous.
She found Yuji near his tent playing Go against Agasha Tsunai. Tsunai had no chance. Yuji was rather talented at everything he did, and Morasahi saw him as an equal competitor to her when it came to Go. Tsunai was too eager in her movements, always rushing into defeat. Morasahi stood nearby and watched; the game wouldn’t last much longer.
“You can play me next, Shiba-san,” Yuji offered without even looking at her. It wasn’t as if she was hiding, but it always amazed her how much he noticed. “Agasha is only six moves from her last.”
Tsunai stared at Yuji, stopping mid-placement of her stone. “How can you say that, Asako?”
“Four,” Morasahi piped up. Both of them looked at her. “Y-you could have Agasha-san in… four… moves.”
Yuji examined the board intently, leaning forward. He nodded, “So I can.”
Tsunai tossed her hands up in the air and pushed away from the board. “What’s the point in finishing if you two already know I have no chance? It’s not even fun anymore.” She dropped her stone onto her pile of white pieces and stormed off. Yuji shrugged and began clearing the board; he looked to be amused with himself, or at least the situation.
“Looks like you’re up, Shiba-san.”
It was a tempting offer. Morasahi always enjoyed facing Yuji, he was contemplative and adaptable. He was actually challenging when it came down to finding a way to take the win. But Morasahi played Yuji for a different reason. Yuji made it fun. He wasn’t out to beat her, and was a humble winner as much as he was a tactful loser. He played in a way that Morasahi couldn’t really put into words; he was always relaxed, like it was a way to disconnect from the world for him. He made Go into an art form like everything he did in life. And she could feel it too, when she sat opposite of Yuji, across that board, it was almost like meditating.
“I-um… I can’t.”
Yuji turned towards her, interest on his face. “Oh?”
“I… I’m getting ready for a… dinner. I needed your-um, your help… with… a gift.” She brandished the fan. “Could you-um… write a name on here for me?”
Yuji agreed with a smile. “Of course, Shiba-san. Anything for you.” Morasahi felt herself blush and hurriedly looked at the ground.
Morasahi waited while Yuji entered his tent and collected his calligraphy set. She knew better than to walk into a man’s tent without a chaperone. Not that she worried about her sanctity, she could easily take care of herself and she didn’t think Yuji would be that sort of man; it was just a rule, a part of life, and Morasahi liked following the rules. It didn’t take long before he returned with his Four Treasures of the Study, a term used to denote a full calligraphy set. Yuji opened the case and began setting up, grinding ink into the well in the inkstone, then adding water. Morasahi watched with reserved fascination. Yuji handled everything so delicately. Once set up he raised his hand towards Morasahi. She stared at him a moment, completely forgetting she still held the fan.
“Shiba-san, I need the fan to write upon.” He smiled again.
“Of course.” She gave Yuji the fan, “It’s a gift for… um… the Otomo in presence. I wanted Otomo Kirumi centered on the sunset with the-um, the Imperial seal below it.”
Yuji stared at her. “You’re dining with Otomo-dono?”
“Yes?” She squeaked.
“Wow, Shiba-san, I’ll do my very best on this.” Yuji set the fan aside and withdrew a few sheets of paper he carried inside his case, practicing Otomo Kirumi’s name them.
After a half-dozen practice attempts that Morasahi thought were already perfect, he finally started on her fan. Promising to watch it while it dried, so nothing ill-fated would befall the honored gift, Yuji ushered Morasahi off to get changed as it was already late afternoon going onto early evening. Morasahi took her time readying. She dressed in her finest kimono, well, the finest one she had with her, and redid her hair at least three times. Finally she collected her fan from Yuji, with his compliments on her exquisite appeal, and headed to the mayor’s house to join the rest of the group for dinner.
Morasahi was escorted into the moderate house and seated at a moderate table. The house wasn’t as big as she had imagined it would be, but then again this town was quite small compared to the aligned cities Shiba was used to. She also took into consideration that the whole house was probably emptied for Otomo, and only him. In that case it was a rather large place to bed down in for travel. Asahina was already there, dressed as she would have expected a Crane to dress. His outfit was nearly as elegant as hers, and men’s kimonos usually weren’t as decorative as a female’s. He was always showing her up, just like her sister. She scowled mentally at the thought, the embittered feelings threatening to bubble up.
Kitsuki arrived next, looking much the same as he always did. His clothes may have been a little more lavish than usual, but he always seemed to take great care in the way he presented himself. Matsu was then brought in, nearly last to arrive, just like lunch. And what was she wearing? Morasahi couldn’t help but gape at Matsu’s outfit, it was almost disgraceful. Matsu was wearing a low-cut kimono, showing off flesh reserved for intimate occasions. Her obi was also wrapped low, accentuating her hips, and the whole outfit was hugging tightly to Matsu’s body. It was in the Lion colors, but the dress was definitely a Bayushi styled cut. It would figure. It at least explained the sheer veil Matsu also wore across her face and the tiny scorpions embroidered on the hems of her sleeves and dress.
It was only a matter of minutes with the four of them sitting there silent as the grave before a man whose outfit put them all to shame entered. His kimono bore the mon of the Otomo, signifying him as their host. Morasahi didn’t need to see his sigil to know it was him. The way he carried himself, the air about him, this was what the upper echelons looked and acted like. She was almost embarrassed to be in the company of Matsu during this dinner with the way that she looked. And Daigotsu hadn’t even shown up yet, did she even realize what that signified? Morasahi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She was nervous on her own, she didn’t need the rest of the group to shame themselves and make her anymore so.
Otomo opened his hands in greeting, “Welcome everyone.”
Morasahi bowed and kept her mouth shut. Kitsuki had mentioned that no one should really be talking except for him, since some of them were less suited for the art of conversation. She knew Kitsuki had meant her, Matsu, and Daigotsu, it wasn’t hard to figure out who he was talking about.
“Evening Otomo-dono,” Kitsuki responded.
“I’m sure you’re all curious as to why you are here as… we are missing someone.” Otomo said slowly.
“Ah, yes.” Kitsuki sounded nervous. Kitsuki hadn’t ever sounded nervous to Morasahi. He cleared his throat and continued, “Daigotsu-sama sends her regards, I’m afraid she’s quite indisposed. Um… She intended to make it, but was feeling far from well.”
“That is a slight inconvenience, but I’ve already spoken with each of your clans on the matter so her absence isn’t a hindrance. We are setting up a border post since the Spider can now claim lands. We’ve given them lands west of the Scorpion lands, which would include this area. This will be a border town, a place for… all of the clans to interact. And since each of you is from a different clan, and you were already here, your clans offered you up as dignitaries.”
Morasahi bit her tongue. She wasn’t a dignitary, why would she have been chosen for this? She was the last possible person she would have picked for the job out of the entire Phoenix who had come to the tournament. And to have to interact with the Spider? She tried not to shudder. They were cannibalistic murderers. Vile Jigoku worshippers. One was bad enough, but soon the town would be crawling with them if they were claiming this land and Morasahi didn’t want to be anywhere near the festering web they created.
“That is a great honor, Otomo-dono,” Kitsuki responded for everyone. “May I ask why we were chosen for such an honor?”
“It varies from clan to clan. You would have to ask your own clan champion.”
“Very well,” Responded Kitsuki. “What will we be responsible for in our position?”
“We will be building a castle here, a kyuden, and you will be responsible for one of the first joint Winter Courts with the Spider Clan involved.”
Morasahi blinked slowly. She prayed she didn’t hear that right. The Spider were going to hold Winter Court? What a ridiculous notion. She didn’t want to see what sort of perverse tournaments they held. Or what food they were going to serve… This time she couldn’t hold back the shudder.
“The Topaz Champion will be head of this endeavor, and each of you will serve as a minor shogunate under him,” Added Otomo. Of course, Morasahi thought. Granted, she didn’t want to be a part of this at all, but she was yet again passed up by someone else, and it had to be Asahina.
“It’s an honor I have no words for.” Asahina played the humble act well.
“We will be eating shortly,” Otomo announced, indicating it had reached the gift-giving time. Morasahi pulled out her fan, opened it and offered it to Otomo.
“I have brought you a fan with the Otomo family crest, honoring the name of Otomo Kirumi,” She said without stuttering once. Morasahi was glad she had been rehearsing since she decided on the gift.
“It is far too fine a fan, I must refuse,” Otomo began the ritual of declining twice.
“I insist.”
“I assure you, a gift of that stature would be well above my station to accept.”
“I had this made specifically for tonight. Please accept it.”
“Thank you graciously for your gift.” He collected the fan from Morasahi and turned it over in his hands.
Kitsuki recited a poem. It was actually quite lovely and Otomo agreed. Asahina offered a display of his dueling prowess. Asahina was turning into a one trick pony.
“I would enjoy that,” Otomo smiled. “Please, duel the Shiba again. Your skills are of great renown, and we have an adequate duelist here as well.”
Morasahi grumbled, but kept her face plain. This night was going from bad to worse. First, she was instructed she would basically live with the Spider clan. Then she was passed over in favor of Asahina. And now she had to duel Asahina again, and she caught the slight Otomo had made about her ‘adequate’ skills. She didn’t even have her katana with her, which meant she would probably have to use some sword of questionable quality in place of it.
“We can set up some lanterns and do it right outside.” Otomo smiled and waved his hand towards some servants who made their way out of the room as soon as he gestured.
The group herded outside where Morasahi was given a katana. It wasn’t bad quality, decent enough to be used. Asahina was also given a weapon. At least they were matched with the shoddiness of their swords. Morasahi chose her position though there really wasn’t a good place to stand out there. The ground was uneven, being a commonly used street and the lanterns shone in her eyes no matter which side of the area she stood. She took a breath and watched Asahina; she’d seen him fight more than a couple of times so she knew what most of his strengths were. The problem was he didn’t seem to have any weaknesses. His stance was good and she knew she couldn’t compete if he decided to use his full potential. Morasahi already felt defeated and they hadn’t even begun. Now she knew how Tsunai felt earlier when Yuji and she had made the comments on Tsunai’s lack of skills at Go. This was humiliating in that she had to participate when it was obvious she wouldn’t emerge the victor.
Asahina flashed by Morasahi. It must have been the shadows Asahina moved through causing him to look so speedy because he definitely seemed faster than yesterday. She didn’t even get the chance to swing; he was already past her by the time she noticed he was moving. She hadn’t felt him hit her, which only meant he must have cut her best kimono somewhere. With a sigh she looked down, ready to check her sleeves, but there was no point in that. Above her heart there was a swatch missing, and upon the ground lay her family mon. Her best kimono.
“Still impressive, no matter how many times you see it.” Otomo smiled.
Morasahi fumed as she made her way back into the house, handing her weapon off to the first servant that she passed by. She wasn’t even certain who she had given the sword to, she was too livid to care. She took her seat and waited for the rest to make their way back in, clenching her fists under the table. It was one thing to have to be subjected to a duel where she was clearly outmatched; it was another for Asahina to cut her kimono to shreds. Dinner was brought out; Morasahi ate her meal in silence brooding over her new lot in life. It was much like the old path, Asahina besting her at every opportunity like her sister had. And now she had to work under him. Dinner passed without much attention given from Morasahi. Sake was brought out to accompany the conversation that ensued after the meal. Finally the night ended and Morasahi took her leave with all respect given that was expected of her. She hoped to wake up tomorrow, with this whole evening having been a terrible dream. Morasahi knew she wouldn’t be so fortunate.
Kyuzo opened his tent to find a small group of heimin waiting outside. Before he could ask what was going on, they entered his small home and began packing and taking his items. He just stared as they made quick work of the few items he had brought with to the tournament, eventually dismantling his tent as well. They were all going in the same direction, so instead of causing a scene Kyuzo just followed the group to their destination. The house he ate at last night, coined the Mayor’s House, the one Otomo had been staying in, seemed to be where his worldly possessions were being taken. He approached the house, uncertain whether he should enter or if he should wait for someone to attend to him. It wasn’t customary to barge into another’s house, but it also wasn’t customary for a group of peasants to be moving your items without asking either. There didn’t seem to be anyone around but those moving his items. They must be moving him in the biggest house since he was taking over as standing ‘mayor’. He could live with this.
Kyuzo called out to the nearest heimin who didn’t seem to be carrying or doing much of anything.
“Go fetch Kitsuki Anjin-san and have him inform the rest of the group to meet me here, along with him.” The peasant nodded and ran off.
Kyuzo entered the house, inspecting the place he was going to be living. He had seen the courtyard and the receiving area last night, but hadn’t had the opportunity to tour the rest of the place. It wouldn’t have been acceptable to ask to be shown around, living quarters were deeply personal places. The house was a large square with the receiving room being the first room you would enter, which also opened to the courtyard in the center of the house. The courtyard could open on the opposite side to a short hallway leading to a backyard where a bathhouse was located. There was a kitchen already establish and eight other empty rooms. After a little toying he found you could move the walls into whatever position you wanted, allowing one to make bigger or smaller rooms. The floors also made a familiar creek when he walked across them. Kyuzo smiled thinking about the hallways of his dojo. It was the same noise that would have you standing holding buckets of water, or running while dragging a log behind you because you didn’t obey the bedtimes assigned. The entire house had mockingbird floors throughout.
After directing some of the heimin who were busying themselves around the house to move walls into a place he found acceptable for his bedroom, Kyuzo waited at the front of the house for the rest of the group to arrive. The group began trickling in. Shiba was the first to show up. Kyuzo smiled to himself thinking about their practice duel last night and the trophy he took from it. When the dinner party had headed indoors Kyuzo had hung back and retrieved Shiba’s mon that he had once again successfully removed. He figured he’d keep it after Daigotsu had given him hers. Though that was a very different scenario than with Shiba. Daigotsu had come up to him after he took the win, stood much closer than one should be, and slid the cloth under his belt. She gave him a memento of herself and it had made his heart quicken, her brushing against his stomach had only reinforced the strange feeling she enticed.
Matsu reported in next looking as lovely as ever. Last night she had worn a very flattering kimono, low cut and tight against her body. Kyuzo had tried not to stare lest he face her wrath. Matsu had made it clear she lacked interest in men and outright threatened him. And at lunch he had learned she was already betrothed, although she was quite bitter about it. Neither of those made her any less beautiful to behold, and Kyuzo enjoyed looking at her.
Lastly Kitsuki and Daigotsu arrived together. He found Kitsuki harder to catalog than the rest; he was obviously well read and intelligent. He had an unfortunate affliction, which he didn’t shy away from recognizing in the presence of others. And although amiable to everyone, Kitsuki seemed to be taking a liking to Daigotsu. He had seen the two together on more than a few occasions over the last few days, and with what Daigotsu had said at lunch yesterday, that she would stand beside Kitsuki no matter where he went, that sounded a little intimate. And then there was dinner where Kitsuki knew Daigotsu wasn’t feeling well and made apologies for her. Why Kitsuki and not someone from the Spider clan offering an apology? And Daigotsu herself, Kyuzo wasn’t even going to pretend he understood her. He found her presence and prowess in combat alluring, but she had other qualities that unnerved him or just screamed that he should keep his distance. The more he learned about her, the more intriguing she was becoming and the easier it was for him to overlook those scathing flaws.
“Good morning everyone,” Kyuzo said once the group had finally come together. There was a round of polite greetings between them as Kyuzo looked over to the house, he hadn’t thought of how to go about this besides jumping right into the thick of things.
“How was dinner last night?” Daigotsu asked, not directing it towards anyone in particular.
“I thought about trying to figure out why you weren’t there last night… but, I don’t know, I had a lot to think about.” Kyuzo was surprised he even said that in front of everyone, or at all. In his head he had something better, what he was trying to convey is he was thinking about her, but it had just come out awkward. “Are you okay?” He quickly tried to cover his tracks.
“I am feeling much better,” Daigotsu said with a nod.
“You look fine. You look a lot better than…” Kyuzo eyed Kitsuki who was much paler than usual and ragged looking. Maybe he was now ill from whatever Daigotsu had.
“You look like you spent a night in the Shadowlands,” Shiba bluntly put it.
“Maybe you can explain in a little more detail what happened to her last night, Kitsuki-san?” Kyuzo didn’t want to bother with Daigotsu’s short and shielded explanations. Kitsuki on the other hand had no problem over indulging in explanation. Kitsuki inhaled deeply and blew it out as if the thought exhausted him. He shook his head and refused to speak. Whatever it was they could talk about this after things were taken care of, they had much on their plate and not as much time to complete it all.
“First of all,” Kyuzo began getting down to business, “Collect some people to gather your stuff and bring it here. There’s no point in you living in tents.”
“I must have missed something,” Daigotsu tilted her head.
That’s right, she wasn’t at dinner and so she probably had no idea they had all become diplomats for their clans. Or that they were going to move in together. Or that they now were running the town.
“I‘m going to be this…” Kyuzo didn’t want to start there, that made him seem like he was lording over everyone with yet another title that had been placed on him. “We‘re going to set up this…” No, not a good place either. How did Otomo explain it? “This area we’re in right now is going to be… a Spider borderland. And that’s my job.”
“What does that have to do with the mayor’s house?” Daigotsu was right, he really hadn’t explained the situation well with that. He was floundering. Kyuzo had so much on his mind he didn’t even know how to get it all out in a coherent way.
“Setting it up is my job, I mean. That’s why you and all of us were invited to dinner because we’re all expected to be here and manage this.”
“We’ve all been assigned by our respective clans as dignitaries of this new outpost.” Kitsuki explained everything in one sentence. Kyuzo nodded in agreement, that’s what he was trying to get at. He had a long way to go if he was going to be leading not only the group, but an entire town, and being a diplomat interacting with the Spider clan.
“Needless to say,” Kitsuki continued, “These positions will present some bizarre challenges.” He looked even more haggard than when he first showed up. “This, I suppose, is something we’re getting rather used to…”
“Alright. Would anyone like to hold any job in particular? It’s up to me to assign positions and I would appreciate your input. I barely know you and can’t claim to know where you’d excel yet.” This was one of those things he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to consider. Since last night’s dinner, and this morning’s interruption, he had been thrust into running things without any information. He didn’t even know what the town produced, if anything. Or how many lived here. This was a nightmare he wasn’t trained to handle.
“The women!” Matsu exclaimed. Kyuzo stared at her. He wasn’t even sure if that was a real answer from Matsu or if she was just joking. What kind of position would that be anyways?
“Could you be more specific?”
“Captain of the guard,” Shiba said loud and clear. Kyuzo wasn’t certain if he’d ever heard her say a sentence without stuttering, let alone so definitive.
“Yeah,” It made sense to Kyuzo to put the Lion in charge of defenses and training personnel. “Yeah, Matsu, you should fit nicely as Captain of the guard.”
“I would do well with bookkeeping,” Kitsuki offered.
“Done.”
“I could be in charge of commerce,” Daigotsu suggested, “Food, trading, the like.”
Kyuzo didn’t want to outright tell Daigotsu no. He had allowed both Matsu and Kitsuki to pick jobs they wanted and to deny Daigotsu, a Spider, equal chance at position might cause discontent before they even got started. He imagined what trading would be like under the charge of a Spider. The image that came to mind was one quite violent and destructive.
“We don’t want to be eating people,” Shiba responded. Kyuzo could see she was in an ornery mood this morning. Though he was glad she said it and he didn’t have to go into detail about why he didn’t think Daigotsu would be ideal for that job. Daigotsu shrugged; apparently she didn’t take it as insulting as it clearly was meant to be.
“Kitsuki, could you also handle the trade agreements and finances?”
Kitsuki nodded, “Easily enough. I will handle the affairs of the public.”
“I may not speak with the kami, but I could coordinate religion.” It was Daigotsu again, this idea seeming even worse than her previous one. He didn’t know what code the Spider followed, but he was certain Bushido wasn’t it. They worshipped Fu Leng and Jigoku, and having a whole town fall under the taint wasn’t the way Kyuzo wanted to be remembered.
“Daigotsu,” Kyuzo began carefully choosing his words, “You will be in charge of all the things that require a Spider to be in charge of at the Spider gate on the Spider boarder. Is that acceptable?”
“I will live up to every expectation.” Kyuzo wasn’t sure if she realized he had edged her out of a direct position, and he also wasn’t sure what expectations she planned to be meeting, however, she seemed pleased enough to be given a task, even if it wasn’t clear on what that task may be.
“Now, we just have to figure out who will be constructing for our needs.”
“Asahina-san,” Daigotsu sure was talkative today, “In lieu of the Crab, who are by far the most renowned engineers, I could step in. The Spider are quite resourceful.”
He didn’t see a problem with that. There wasn’t much Daigotsu could pervert in overseeing the building of walls and houses. “You could oversee that but don’t forget your primary duties.”
Daigotsu nodded. “Kitsuki-san,” she leaned towards the Dragon, “We will be together quite often with me as head of construction and you in charge of the paperwork.” Maybe Kyuzo wasn’t wrong about the two of them. Daigotsu hadn’t made a comment to anyone else about how they would all be sharing a roof and be together often. No, she singled out Kitsuki.
Kitsuki gave a small smile and nodded. “Very well. Might I suggest you also take charge of scouting and border surveillance?”
“Isn’t that something under the Captain of the guard? I wouldn’t mind taking that position if it would please you, Asahina-san?”
“Oh no, no. That’s Matsu’s job.” Kyuzo was quick to snuff that out. That was also something he didn’t need, almost as bad as Daigotsu in charge of religion creating a tainted village. Or trade, resulting in what he imagined pillaging the neighboring countryside. He was not about to give her reign over their soldiers where she would have them slaughter each other, or innocents. The Spider were well known for their unrelenting aggression, killing all who stood in their way.
“How would I fit into all of this?” Shiba asked pointedly. Kyuzo hadn’t forgotten about her, the Shiba were the best yojimbo in the Empire and having one in their presence was a blessing from the Fortunes.
“You will be the High Guard, Shiba-san. You will watch over us while we watch over the rest.” Shiba nodded with little emotion.
Kyuzo looked around the group, mentally going over the list in his head on what he believed a town needed. Matsu would be the tactician. Shiba, the loyal yojimbo protecting all. Kitsuki will handle all the public affairs where a strong speaker would be ideal. And Daigotsu… well, she would handle the odd and end jobs that would keep her out of trouble and didn’t require her to be punctual. She was late to the lunch yesterday and didn’t even show for dinner. Now looking at her she didn’t seem the slightest bit ill, but Kitsuki on the other hand…
“Why are you so ragged, Kitsuki-san?”
“I… didn’t sleep well,” Kitsuki slowly put the words together. That wasn’t like Kitsuki at all. On top of that Kitsuki also wasn’t the type to keep answers secreted away. He shared some unpleasant information yesterday at lunch; a little clarification on why he wasn’t functioning to his fullest wasn’t any more personal than that. Kyuzo eyed the ragged Dragon, something wasn’t right here.
“You really do look terrible,” Shiba again bluntly pointed out.
“You should get some rest, Kitsuki-san,” Daigotsu suggested. “I have a feeling you may need it later.”
Kitsuki just turned and slowly made his way back to where the remaining tents were camped. Daigotsu followed. Matsu and Shiba also headed out to collect their personal belongings, leaving Kyuzo alone to… do what? He had to speak with the mayor, or the previous mayor, figure out the current workings of the town and what he could do to improve them. Otomo-dono had said he expected to see an increase in the town’s size and production, in order to do that he had to know what they were even producing.
As if Kyuzo could manifest his thoughts into reality, the mayor came to call on him producing several pages of inventory, records, and missives, including a list of those inbound to the town. A group of Kaiu, the best engineers of the Empire, was going to be here in a matter of days to build the gate. Emerald Magistrates were also making there way to the city. Good, that covered construction and law enforcement. Volunteers from the Scorpion, Spider, and a large group of Lion totaling 100 samurai would take longer to arrive, but were at his disposal to man the gate once it was built.
The primary source of trade and income was rice, along with the sake brewery and a small silk dying operation. During the spring and summer the town also produced their own silk from the silkworms that hung on the cherry trees. Overall, the town was well suited to grow exponentially, no wonder this one had been picked to be the border town for the Spider.
Kyuzo made sure to inquire on the usual happenings of the town. Number of citizens. Frequency of visitors. He wanted to know exactly what he had to work with and didn’t want any surprises if he could manage it.
After the long conversation with the mayor, it was rounding to lunch. The rest of the group had been moving around the house, marking out their rooms or other areas needed. Kitsuki was having some servants move around walls to create an office separate from his bedroom, in fact on the other side of the house from his. Matsu staked claim to the front most corner room, closest to the entrance and receiving room. Daigotsu pushed around some walls choosing a room adjoining Kitsuki’s, placing her in the back most corner of the house. Shiba set up near the kitchen, isolating herself from the rest of her living companions. Kyuzo had chosen to put a room between the courtyard and the back entrance, giving him access to both the front and back of the house if he desired it, without having much in the way of floorboards to cross.
Kitsuki was his closest neighbor, and on the other side was the office Kitsuki had put together. The fact that Daigotsu chose to make a room closer to Kitsuki than Kyuzo, or anyone else for that matter, or by herself like Shiba had done, only made him more suspicious of a secret relationship between the two of them. It was a silly thought when he considered who Daigotsu was.
Daigotsu was always exhibiting odd phrasing and strange behavior, all the little eccentricities he had been noticing over the last two days may just be Daigotsu being Daigotsu. After all, she had given him just cause to believe she was interested in him. She forced a gift on him, not that he was complaining, and simply the area in which it was placed was rather personal. She had also accompanied him for a tea ceremony that he performed for just the two of them, and although he was distracted by her unsettling mismatched eyes, and she had grimaced when drinking the tea, she had conducted herself with a calmness he previously didn’t believe she was capable of. He also saw her face for the first time and was surprised by how normal she looked under her mask. Then there was the eye patch she had worn to lunch to cover her blue eye, proving she had some sense of what polite company entailed. Yeah, the behavior she exhibited towards Kitsuki was probably just another oddity that Kyuzo didn’t understand about the Spider clan.
Having delegated the day’s tasks out to others, Kyuzo found himself with a few hours of free time. He had been working on a cherry tree painting, and decided that now was as good of time as any to spend his time adding to it. He enjoyed painting. It was a skill that took not only a keen eye, but a sharp mind able to separate the complexities of your model and piece it back together with a brush. Standing for hours and the careful strokes needed added to the physical skill required to paint as well. Painting also helped him remove unnecessary thoughts from his mind. You had to devote your full attention to what your hand was portraying from your mind, leaving all the unanswered questions and uncertainty that could cloud your thoughts with no room to exist.
“Good afternoon, Asahina-sama,” Kitsuki’s voice called from behind him. Kyuzo had left open his door since the weather was beautiful and he had no need to shut out the world while he painted. Kyuzo turned to find Kitsuki standing in the doorway, Daigotsu slouching behind him.
“Afternoon,” Kyuzo responded.
“I apologize for interrupting your painting and will make this quick,” Kitsuki began. “We went for a walk about the town and noticed that the Unicorn and Scorpion clans were still around in some numbers.”
There was that suspicion again. Here they were together, and they walked around the town together. Daigotsu sure was dedicating a lot of time to spend with Kitsuki.
“I overheard the Unicorn talking and there was potential planning to keep some men behind. Armed. And they didn’t seem to have a purpose they were forthcoming with. I wasn’t under the impression that they were welcomed in that capacity. The Scorpion seem to have the intent to offer scouts for our use before reinforcements arrive.”
Kyuzo ran it over in his mind. It wouldn’t be terrible to have extra trained men and women sticking around, but he also didn’t want one clan attempting to make a power play in his newly inherited town. “I wouldn’t say they’re unwelcome as far as this being a joint function border gate. However it is very early to be considering amassing forces here and it seems they’re not afraid they’re stepping over boundries.”
“Since they haven’t been invited to stay, we should certainly be cautious of their motives. Perhaps we could tactfully request some to stay, but convince them to lessen their numbers?”
“I’ll have to speak with the Captain of the Guard about this, but I will keep your advice in mind.” Day one and there seemed to already be trouble brewing.
“Very well,” Kitsuki bowed and headed towards the study.
“Kitsuki-san,” Daigotsu touched Kitsuki’s arm before he left. “Are you going to be staying in the house for the remainder of the afternoon?”
There she went with that touching again.
“Most likely, yes.”
“I will take my leave then.” Kitsuki nodded in response and continued on his way to the study leaving Daigotsu behind who was now looking at Kyuzo.
“Asahina-san,” There was something about the tone she used that gave Kyuzo the feeling she was up to no good. “I noticed you had a bow the other day,” Daigotsu paused. Had that been a question? It didn’t sound like a question to Kyuzo, but she was standing there silent either unable to finish her thought or waiting for a response.
“Yes?” Kyuzo said filling the silence.
“Could I borrow it?”
Kyuzo blinked at Daigotsu. “That’s mighty forward of you, as to be expected. But I have to ask you why you would want to use something of mine?”
“I do not own one.” Yes, short cryptic answers, the Daigotsu way of speaking.
“I suppose you want to use my arrows as well?” Kyuzo said slightly annoyed.
“Yes. But if you would rather me spend the time to find a fletcher in the town, I suppose I could dedicate the rest of my afternoon to that.”
“If that’s the case, you could also find a bow.” Kyuzo wasn’t certain what she wanted with it, but handing over his weapon to anyone wasn’t something he was apt to do.
Daigotsu shrugged, “That works for me.” She turned towards the front door, obviously done with this conversation.
“Wait,” Kyuzo called. He didn‘t want her to take offense to what he had said, and strangely he didn‘t really want her to leave yet either. Daigotsu half-pivoted so she was looking over her shoulder at Kyuzo not showing him the front of her body which indicated she wasn’t giving him her full attention. Then again, she leaned and slouched and often didn’t look at people when talking, maybe this was another of those Daigotsu oddities. “It’s just that I don’t know what your intentions are, so I can’t say yes.”
“I was going to try to shoot it.”
“So, you were going to practice with it?”
“Yes, I have only seen it used and I think it’s about time I mastered it myself.”
“If that’s the case I can teach you and I have no qualms with you using my bow.” Kyuzo smiled, “Just let me clean this up first.” He quickly put away his painting materials while Daigotsu waited in the courtyard. Kyuzo grabbed his bow and joined her. “Do you know where there’s a target area around here?”
“I know where to go. Just follow me.”
Kyuzo followed Daigotsu as they made their way west out of town. Kyuzo found it a little odd that they were going outside of town to find targets, but Daigotsu had said she knew where to go, so he followed. Once they descended the hill, they turned south towards the woods. Perhaps there wasn’t a place in town to shoot so Daigotsu was going to use trees as target practice. It was hell on the arrows, but it was still suitable as long as they found some nice young growth, ones under twenty years. When they entered the small cropping of trees Daigotsu slowed down peering around. She was still moving forward but appeared to be looking for something. Yep, it must be young trees, Kyuzo determined.
It wasn’t until he heard a rustling coming from somewhere beyond them that he remembered the way Daigotsu had said his name at the beginning of the conversation. That way that made you believe someone was up to trouble. Daigotsu took another careful step and waved Kyuzo over towards her. He wasn’t sure what they were going to find, but apparently Daigotsu wanted to show him. Kyuzo tried to be as quiet as Daigotsu had been, but he seemed to lack the lightness in step that Daigotsu exhibited. Another interesting thing to learn about Daigotsu, she walks through the woods delicately. Kyuzo scanned the area and laid eyes upon the thing that was rustling ahead of them. There stood a decent-sized boar, foraging for food or whatever it was that boars did when pushing their nose into the ground.
“Right there,” Daigotsu spoke softly, “We’ll use that.”
“So, you want to kill this for sport?” Kyuzo wasn’t sure what to really do. Daigotsu had said she wanted to learn to shoot a bow, and now they stood maybe fifteen yards from a boar which she was telling him to use to teach her to shoot.
“Not sport. You wouldn’t just leave it there once we kill it, would you?”
Kyuzo exhaled heavily and contemplated the situation. He wasn‘t worried about the boar‘s life, he just didn‘t understand the need to find an animal that moves to loose Daigotsu‘s first arrows at. A disturbing thought came to him that perhaps the Spider use this tactic to learn any weapon. They did live in the Shadowlands where goblins and oni and other terrifying things he was told as a kid lived. Maybe it was a do or die feat, find something that could kill you and kill it first. “Is this some sort of trophy in your lands?”
“Oh no, we only keep trophies from intelligent creatures.” Just when Kyuzo thought the things Daigotsu said couldn’t get any more strange, she crossed the line into the bizarre. He didn’t even want to know what these intelligent creatures were that she was referring to.
The air filled with a deep squeal. “Shoot it!” Katsumi yelled as she stepped out and aimed her bisento.
How was he going to do that? He hadn’t even strung the bow yet thinking they would have had plenty of time for him to show her how to do the basics before actually shooting. The pig charged. Kyuzo dropped his bow and brought his hand to the handle of his katana. Daigotsu took two steps forward, meeting the beast before it was able to use its momentum to gore her. She plunged the blade of her polearm into the shoulder of the pig, angled towards its heart. She successfully knocked it sideways as it stumbled and swept its tusks towards her. Kyuzo took a step and sliced the neck of the boar with his katana. It wasn’t going to take much to finish the pig off as it was losing significant amounts of blood from Daigotsu’s wound on the other side of its neck. The pig shuddered and moved forward and backwards as its body began to shut down. Finally it fell to the dirt. Kyuzo sighed and flicked his blade in attempts to clean it before sheathing it.
“Wasn’t that fun?” Daigotsu exclaimed as she began tying the boar up.
Kyuzo just pressed his lips. On one hand he had just been tricked into hunting a pig and he felt a little betrayed by that. On the other, he had just helped Daigotsu kill a dangerous beast that weighed at least as much as the two of them put together, which she probably could have handled on her own, and that was slightly arousing. Not that Kyuzo thought killing things was erotic, but Daigotsu was obviously a capable woman and this was one of those things that quietly swept her flaws under the rug of reasoning.
“So… Yeah. You have blood on you.” Kyuzo rubbed his neck while he watched her tie the pig up.
“It’ll come out,” Daigotsu assured him. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard her say “Mmmm” before she actually spoke.
“I don’t know… I thought you wanted to… We were just…” Kyuzo felt like she had played him for a fool enlisting in his help. But he saw what she did to the pig before it had even attempted to gore her, she didn’t need him around if she just wanted to hunt.
“We could find some birds,” Daigotsu suggested.
“Daigotsu,” Kyuzo waited until she was looking at him before he continued, “This isn’t my idea of target practice. I would rather something less messy that won’t overfill our storeroom.”
“Oh.” Daigotsu said it the same way she had when Matsu made it clear she wanted to bed Daigotsu, sudden understanding. As if it hadn’t ever occurred to her before that this wasn’t fun for everyone. She walked over to a sapling and broke it, using a knife to cut the green base that wouldn’t tear; quickly she trimmed off the branches and slid it through the ropes binding the boar, hoisting it onto her back. Kyuzo was trying very hard not to notice the blood that was trickling out of the pig’s gaping wounds onto Daigotsu.
“What else would you shoot at? Inanimate objects don’t move. Anyone can hit that.” They had started back towards the town, Daigotsu leading the way so he couldn’t see her when she asked, but she sounded genuinely curious.
“No, no, I disagree. It’s a very centering balancing act about enhancing your Bushido.” They walked in silence until they cleared the forest, Kyuzo taking a position beside Daigotsu so he could talk to her instead of the corpse of the pig.
“There are certain things in life that you won’t… that you just won’t be able to grasp having such innate skill in everything you do. See, most people would have to practice something to see the inner beauty of it. Perhaps you just see beauty in all things.”
Daigotsu was quiet for a while. It wasn’t that strange since she didn’t talk often, and even when she did her sentences were short and to the point. “Asahina-san,” her voice had lost some of the arrogance that it usually carried, “The next time you-if you ever do go practicing with me again, we’ll do it your way. I… think I might enjoy that.”
Kyuzo told himself he should stop being surprised by Daigotsu, but yet again he found himself at a loss of words on her sincerity. It was almost enough for him to forget she was about to carry a bloody carcass through the middle of town to their newly acquired house. Almost.
“Do you think you could wait here, Daigotsu? I’ll be right back.”
Before she could answer Kyuzo trotted off towards the Spider encampment. They weren’t hard to find, and even easier to convince to lend a sack and help do whatever it was they did to animals before preparing it for food. Kyuzo wasn’t dense, he was aware there was a lot involved in butchering an animal. He knew a thing or two about medicine and the way the human body worked, an animal’s wouldn’t be as complicated, but it was bound to have some of the same organs. When they returned Daigotsu seemed to already have started on disemboweling it. She was covered in blood. Kyuzo sighed again.
“Oh, nice catch! Who killed it?” One of the Spiders asked.
“Asahina-san delivered the final blow,” boasted Daigotsu.
The Spider slapped Kyuzo on the back. He should have expected all Spider to be so physical like Daigotsu was, but he wasn’t prepared to be touched by the others.
“Nice job,” the Spider said. Kyuzo just pressed his lips not wanting to respond.
“It’s a good kill. Are you going to eat some of it with us?” The other Spider was inspecting the corpse and was the one that asked.
“Hmmm,” was all Kyuzo could manage with his mouth closed and lips pressed tight. If he shared his true feelings on the matter, he was surely going to send his gate town into unneeded turmoil with the Spider clan. “To be fair, I would call it self defense.”
“It usually is with boars,” The one next to him commented. “Is it your first boar kill?”
“Yes.”
“It’s okay, it gets better from here.”
“No,” the other one piped up again, “Your first kill is always the best.”
“Let’s get this going,” Daigotsu urged.
“We get some of this for helping you transport, right?”
Kyuzo didn’t give Daigotsu a chance to argue, “Absolutely.”
It seemed to make the Spider happy; the task took no time at all to complete. Daigotsu and the Spiders negotiated for parts and who would be butchering the animal. Finally the Spider took off towards their camp with the carcass, leaving a bloodied Daigotsu for Kyuzo to accompany through town. He began to wonder why he didn’t leave once he had delivered helpers to Daigotsu. Watching them touch all that dead flesh, it gave Kyuzo an intense desire for tofu and to never, ever look at a pig again. He wanted to put this whole encounter out of his mind, a task made more difficult with Daigotsu sharing a house with him, covered in the boar’s blood, walking with him through town.
Kitsuki was right, Kyuzo thought. He had said earlier today that these positions were going to create some bizarre challenges. Kyuzo was now starting to think that that was an understatement.
It wasn’t long before the little Scorpion girl came walking towards the dueling grounds. She was clutching a pin doll and although she wasn’t crying, she seemed obviously upset to Mikoto. Okay… now what? Mikoto had told Daigotsu she would keep an eye out, and she stuck to her word, she never said she would interact with the kid. Besides, she wanted to watch the events unfold, see how it worked from this side of the Realm. If they had fixed the problem on the other side, things should just fix themselves here. Yes, it was better to keep her distance for now. Just keep watching, as she vowed to do.
The girl walked past Mikoto and started making her way north of the dueling grounds. That’s where the cave was, except there was no cave now. It wouldn’t have been possible for there to be a cave, the ground was flat with no incline or downward slope. Mikoto gave the child a good amount of space before she started following. She still wasn’t certain what to say to her, and if strangers scared her as much as Mikoto remembered they had, she didn’t want to startle the girl. Just make sure she didn’t get hurt. Or that she got back. What if their interactions in the other world weren’t happening now, now that they were back here? Mikoto decided she’d give it a little time before jumping to conclusions.
The Scorpion girl sat down where the cave would have been and began crying. Things just became even more awkward. If she didn’t know what to say when the child was just scared and lost, now what would she say? Hi lost girl, you’re crying, and I’m a stranger, and stop crying. Mikoto uneasily shifted and peered towards the dueling grounds. Daigotsu said she’d be right back, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could listen to before she just walked away. It was really making her uncomfortable. She didn’t have those motherly instincts that girls constantly referred to.
A black clad figure came into view at the south end of the tournament grounds. Oh thank the Celestial Heavens, Daigotsu had come back. Mikoto waved towards Daigotsu who was making quick work of the space between them, jogging towards her. Mikoto didn’t even get to explain the situation; Daigotsu looked behind her and went straight for the child. She shrugged; maybe Daigotsu had those motherly instincts under that rigid, firm exterior. She didn’t mind letting Daigotsu handle things, she still wasn’t certain of what to say.
Daigotsu slowed down to a trot and began pulling at her mask. It seemed to work. The girl stopped sniffling and just watched Daigotsu approach. Mikoto watched too. How strange would it be if Daigotsu and she were the ones that led the girl back to her camp both here and in that other world? Maybe that’s why it worked, because they were there both times.
“Hello-” Daigotsu had said but before she could finish her thought a wail erupted from the child. Louder and more dire than her previous crying. Daigotsu backed up raising her hands in the air. Mikoto rushed in.
“What did you do?!” Mikoto demanded. Suddenly the girl started screaming and Mikoto stared at her for a second, not even sure what was going on. She followed the girls eyes towards- Oh great, Hikaru. It dawned on her that not every little girl grows up with lions, Hikaru probably scared her even worse than whatever it was that Daigotsu did.
“Hikaru, roll over!” Hikaru lowered himself in the grass and turned his belly up. Mikoto turned back towards the less screaming little girl. “D-do you want to touch him? He won’t bite.”
She stopped screaming and began sniffling again. At least she was quiet. Slowly the Scorpion girl edged towards Hikaru, keeping her eyes fixed on Mikoto as if she were the scary one. The girl sat next to Hikaru and carefully rubbed on his belly. Mikoto nervously looked around noticing Daigotsu had fled the scene. Great, alone with… that.
“Hey, little girl, why are you crying?” Mikoto asked, honestly attempting to be gentle with her words.
“I dun know where my mommy is.” Her face began to wrinkle up again like it was doing earlier and she took some shuddered breaths.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Mikoto attempted to keep her calm. “Would you like Hikaru to take you back to your parents?”
At his name Hikaru looked up at Mikoto. She indicated for him to stay. The little girl sniffled and nodded. From behind her Mikoto heard people approaching, she glanced over her shoulder at two peasants who bowed to her.
“Samurai-sama, we are here to assist with the child.”
Mikoto nodded to the men and tapped her leg for Hikaru to follow, making sure the girl also followed. She trailed right after Hikaru. They all walked at a slow pace so the little girl could keep up. Once they hit the dueling grounds Mikoto saw Daigotsu lounging on a bench and glared at her. She knew Daigotsu couldn’t see her, but it was all the same to her. How could she have just run off while the kid was crying, and after making her wail like that? Leaving her to fix things. Grr. Daigotsu literally threw her to the mercy of something unmanageable with lungs louder than any lion she had ever heard.
“WE’RE NOT INTERESTED IN CHILDREN!” Daigotsu yelled to the empty space behind her. Alright, Mikoto decided, she is indeed a bit off center. Mikoto wasn’t even going to pretend to understand, she just shook her head and continued with the other men to the Scorpion camp to find the girls parents.
They were waiting for the child at the edge of the camp. At least they said they were her parents and the little girl sprinted away from Hikaru towards them. There was some sniffling from the girl while the parents just nodded, took her hand, and walked away. It was a little strange; they didn’t seem to be worried at all and didn’t even give a thank you. Mikoto huffed and turned, aiming to give Daigotsu a piece of her mind only to come face to face with another peasant, this one already bowing to her.
“Samurai-sama, I’m here to take you to Kitsuki-sama’s banquet.” The banquet! She almost had forgotten between the hectic child rearing that had just gone on and Daigotsu’s odd behavior. Mikoto took a deep breath and nodded to the woman.
“Lead the way.”
The peasant woman wove through the crowd, not too fast that Mikoto couldn’t keep up, but swift enough that she didn’t have much time to look around lest she run into another person, or a cart, or something else. It was actually enjoyable to move at such a fast pace after walking what felt like eternity with that little girl. The peasant stopped in front of a small building and bowed, pointing a hand towards the doorway. Mikoto entered to find Kitsuki, Shiba and Asahina seated at a small table, food already laid out and placement for five. She wasn’t the last to arrive, and judging from whom else was here, she guessed Daigotsu was the fifth party who had yet to show.
Mikoto quietly took a seat, staring at the rice on her plate. It was… strange. There were things in it, like peas and small bits of something else, and it had a tint to it like someone had already flavored it with soy sauce. Everyone must have been as curious as she was about the meal because no one said a word, not even welcoming her in when she arrived. Things were so quiet between the four of them. It only made sense; Mikoto didn’t want to talk about Asahina’s new title, since he had bested both her and Shiba in a way that made her look like she had no skill at all. It had been pretty amazing to behold when she saw him do the same to Shiba, but there was no way to bring it up without making herself look like a fool. She had only met Kitsuki the day before, and not even for that long. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about the cripple. Daigotsu had seemed to take a liking to him; she noticed the two sitting together during the iaijutsu tournament. Shiba was with them as well. And bringing up that strange place where she met all of them might make her seem a little insane. She was treating it much like a bad dream. She was aware it was more than that, but everyone else didn’t seem to want to acknowledge the events that had taken place so she didn’t want to be the one to bring it up either.
There was a shuffling at the door and Mikoto turned to see Daigotsu enter. She was different. First and foremost, she wasn’t wearing a mask. Daigotsu had hair and long hair at that. It was tied back in a half-ponytail and she had an eye patch affixed across one eye. She was also wearing a genuine kimono, albeit male, but the black armor Mikoto had begun to associate with Daigotsu wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Wait, Daigotsu was wearing a kimono, Asahina was wearing a kimono, Shiba was wearing a kimono, and she was the only one wearing her yaori. She began wondering if there was something she had missed in the letter, like a postscript about the formality of the event. Mikoto watched Daigotsu made her way to the empty spot next to Mikoto and quietly sit, joining the silence.
“If all is chaos, and nothing stays together, the world turns to sand. If all is order, nothing’s separate, the world turns to stone.” Kitsuki spouted poetically. Mikoto tilted her head at Kitsuki, wondering if he invited them all here to quote poetry.
“Dear friends,” He continued, “You know that it’s no coincidence that I invited you to dine with me, just as I believe it was no coincidence we were brought together in the first place. I’ve meditated deeply on the strange circumstance of our meeting and I’ve realized it must have been an act of fate. The peril we found ourselves in was not only great but completely unmentioned in all of Rokugan history.”
Mikoto had to hand it to Kitsuki; he did have a way of expressing ideas. Besides the meditating, and inviting people to lunch, and knowing the event had never happened before in history, it was as if he was pulling it straight from her thoughts.
“Now, I’ve spent some time studying omens, and from my studies I’ve learned that meaning flies on the wings of the uncommon. That leads me to think that our incredible unlikely encounter was in itself, an omen. Its meaning was as urgent as any call to arms.
“When we met in that shadowy land, we were given a riddle. This led to another. The last one liberated us when we solved it, but alas, things are never easy, and even the answer presented us with another riddle. That riddle was the center of my meditation and why I’ve called you to join me. I believe I understand the meaning.”
Oh good, he was getting to the point.
“On that day of shadows, we lived within a metaphor. When we were asked to solve the problem, we discovered the problem was what incites the Noise. When we were asked, “What caused the Noise?” We discovered that it was imbalance. When we asked how we could correct imbalance, we answered that it was with counterbalance.
“Perhaps the Noise was a metaphor for the rising tensions and disruptions in Rokugan caused by a growing imbalance between the Great Clans. If so, then it is clear that we were called upon to find a counterbalance. But how are we to do that? The answer to that lies even deeper.”
Mikoto raised her brows trying to show polite interest. She looked down at her food, probably more than a little cold now, and back to Kitsuki who was still talking.
“The Noise was a metaphor for disruption in ourselves, which will destroy us if we cannot silence it. After all, how can we bring balance to the Empire if we cannot find it within? That goes to a far greater question, and that happens to be answered by another that we‘ve already asked, why were we brought together?”
This was not what she had signed up for. Mikoto wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t pontificating about metaphors and riddles and why they were together. It was clear they were together because they chose to be. Sure they were thrown together to begin with, but after that moment everyone made the choices they made and continued to make them until they reached this point. There didn’t need to be any more explanation than that for her.
“Why us? What makes us unique or special to be chosen to achieve some noble cause?”
Kitsuki must like to hear his own voice.
“I’ll tell you.”
Of course you will.
“Balance. We bring balance to one another.”
Mikoto looked down at her food again, nudging her chopsticks sitting by the plate. She considered seeing how far she could tap them before she actually got to use them.
“The precision and control of one counterbalances the passions of another.”
Tap, tap, tap.
“The grace and beauty of one, counterbalances the clumsiness of another.”
Tap, tap, tap.
“We were matched because we can bring to one another the balance that none of us can hope to achieve on our own and each of us will perish without. I admit to being somewhat selfish in this speech, although I have spoken no lie. You see, I have the most to lose without each of you. Because, while you may perish or be consumed by the ambitions of your clan…” Kitsuki paused. Mikoto glanced up to see Kitsuki looking at Asahina, “Or you may be lost someday in the shadows of your own glory, I myself will simply fade into nothing.”
Mikoto slowly slid the chopsticks back to where they started and put her hand in her lap. She cleared her throat and refocused on Kitsuki who didn’t seem to notice her recent behavior.
“We all need each other for this purpose. And if any one of us should fall, the rest will fall into disarray. A carriage cannot ride upon a wheel with a spoke broken.” Kitsuki looked around the table and Mikoto did the same. Everyone was giving him their full attention, except her. If only she actually enjoyed this sort of thing. It didn’t surprise her that Asahina did. And Shiba also seemed the sort to be entertained by others speaking.
“So my friends, I ask you to join with me and answer the call that was so clearly spoken by destiny. I know nothing of the challenge that awaits us but I do know that we must unite to face it. Dear friends, will you join me for this purpose?”
Mikoto waited, sure Kitsuki was going to say something else. No one said anything. Maybe they weren’t sure if he was finished either.
“Eloquently spoken, and I fully agree,” Asahina finally shattered the silence. Mikoto was glad someone said something; it was starting to get awkward enough that even she could feel it, and she wasn’t always aware of the nuances of social situations. “Together we are like the five rings making the world whole. Wherever it goes from here is… perhaps fate, perhaps we are relied on. But I’m part of it.”
“Kitsuki-san,” Daigotsu nodded towards Kitsuki, “Wherever you go, I will be beside you.”
“You have my gratitude and confidence.” Kitsuki responded then looked at Shiba and her, probably waiting for an answer. She needed some time to think on this. She wasn’t going to just jump into pledging her life to someone who had no idea what the cause was for. Honestly, she had only come for the food promised, which she wasn’t even sure she wanted to eat now that she saw it. Kitsuki seemed to accept her lack of response and lifted his chopsticks.
Mikoto peered at Shiba across from her, she wasn’t eating either. Asahina was staring at Daigotsu across from him, now that she noticed it, so was Kitsuki. Daigotsu was eating the strange rice with abandon. Mikoto stared as well, trying to gauge the taste and safety of the food by Daigotsu’s reaction to it. Daigotsu wasn’t giving away anything except that it was something she could eat, and that covered a large area of things Mikoto wouldn‘t.
Mikoto began picking at her rice, pulling each item out, sniffing it, and tasting them one at a time. Onion. Watercress. Egg. Peas. Carrots. The rice was spiced and heavy. Together it wasn’t that bad, but Mikoto would have rather had normal food for lunch. Judging from Kitsuki’s initial uncertainty, Mikoto figured this was not normal food for him either. Mikoto was pushing around more than eating when she felt a brush against her shoulder. Daigotsu pulling a hair off of Mikoto, which she then tucked in her obi.
“What are you doing?” Mikoto demanded.
“There was a hair. I was just removing it.” Daigotsu smiled.
Mikoto stared at her for another minute, but Daigotsu went back to eating as if nothing had happened. She saw Daigotsu tuck it into her robe! Who did that?! The same person who touched her leg and ran off. The same person who wore a man’s kimono. The same person who also ran off when Mikoto had bat her eyes at Daigotsu without as much as a word. There were probably a dozen more odd behaviors Mikoto didn’t even know about.
“Last night, before I turned in, I received a summons to the mayor’s house,” Kitsuki politely made conversation.
“I also received that,” Asahina responded.
“I as well,” Shiba whispered. It was the first time Shiba said anything since Mikoto had arrived. She still wasn’t eating the food.
“Same,” Mikoto added.
“It seems a lot of invitations are going around,” Daigotsu smirked. Yes, she actually smirked. It was so odd to see her face that the facial expression kind of shocked Mikoto.
“Interesting,” said Asahina. It really wasn’t that interesting. If an Otomo was having a dinner party, surely more than just the five of them would be invited. Probably a dozen or two total in attendance. Not that Mikoto had ever been to a party thrown by the Imperial family, but if everyone there had an invite, then it was safe to assume more would as well.
“Any idea what it’s about?” Asahina asked.
“Not yet,” responded Kitsuki.
“Asahina-san,” Daigotsu began pointedly, “You are the Topaz Champion. That has to come with some sort of prestige. And I did end up the runner up-”
Shiba interrupted in her soft, whisper of a voice, “And Matsu lost in the first round.”
“Shiba-san!” Mikoto exploded slamming her fist on the table and staring Shiba down. Shiba glanced at the table under Mikoto’s gaze and began fidgeting. “Eat,” Mikoto commanded. She didn’t take her eyes off Shiba, she was lucky Mikoto was across the table, if she had been close enough it may have resulted in a smack, the way Mokoto disciplined Hikaru.
“You make a good point, but that only accounts for your invitations. None of use would have a place there,” Kitsuki continued on as if nothing had just happened. Mikoto knew it was the polite thing to do. In samurai society if you don’t see it, the problem doesn’t exist.
“So this might be an omen, Kitsuki-san? And you have no insight if this is a good or bad omen?” Asahina wasn’t letting this ‘interesting’ invitation go. It wasn’t destiny; it was just a dinner party. Mikoto visibly rolled her eyes. Although this was better than letting her food get cold while Kitsuki spoke, it was still a tiring topic to be stuck on.
“I don’t believe it’s an omen, but it may be the first step of the path we are set upon,” Kitsuki responded, folding his hands.
“But… still… How would the Otomo family know to invite all of us… individually?” Mikoto glared at Shiba again. She just had to keep this circulating.
“Maybe there are other people invited too,” Asahina proposed. Finally! Now we can move on from this boring talk about boring meals with boring people.
“Is fate only answered by the actions of the knowing?” Kitsuki asked rhetorically. Everyone went silent considering his words. Mikoto pushed her rice around her plate, wondering if it would be rude to leave before everyone else was done. She had had enough of talk of fate and destiny and social graces. She wanted to be rid of the ridiculous expectations and requirements for keeping face, it was supposed to be a luncheon and even this quickly became another bar to be passed. She hadn’t said she would stick with Kitsuki, or Asahina, or Daigotsu, but she knew that it would be expected by one of them; probably Asahina.
“You bring up an excellent point, Kitsuki-san. I know very little about each of you besides your name, perhaps we can learn a bit more about each other?” Daigotsu smiled and looked around the table. Another round of silence between the group.
Mikoto shrugged. She wasn’t too fond of the idea of everyone knowing her life, but what would it hurt? If they were considering each other ‘friends’ as Kitsuki kept referring to them in his speech, then friends should know the ins and outs of each other. Plus, maybe she could gain some insight on the strangeness of Daigotsu. And it would at least come out that Mikoto was betrothed, maybe Asahina would stop trying so hard to impress her once he knew, though he was somewhat impressive himself. She recalled how amazing it was the way he cut every opponent’s mon off. It was a little… exciting. But he had boldly called her ‘chan’ in front of everyone at the tournament. Oh the nerve! What sort of rumors would she have to deny to her mother if anyone had heard it?
“I can start, though there’s not much to say about myself.” Daigotsu was basically talking to the table, her eye wandering to random locations instead of looking anyone in the face. “My father died in the Destroyer Wars last year… and… now I am here. What about you Asahina-san?”
Not what Mikoto had expected. It was short and didn’t say much about Daigotsu at all. Asahina took a deep breath, looking unsure of what to say. Mikoto could see the question made Asahina uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure how winning a championship would feel, but she guessed he recently had many people asking him questions about his life.
“Having the blood of Asahina flowing through my veins and not being capable of communing with the kami, I felt rather fortunate to be taken under the wing of the famous Kakita sensei, who reminded my father that his grandfather was also an Asahina of the Kakita School.”
Asahina gave a little more than Daigotsu did. Mikoto would accept it.
“Shiba-san?” Daigotsu prompted.
“I’m Shiba Morasahi. And… um- I’m the daughter of Mosohai and Soreyu.” Shiba’s voice was getting softer and softer as she continued. “I…um… I was initially intended to be… a… yojimbo for the Isawa family, but-um, my older sister was granted that position. So I’ve recently… been trying my own path.” Shiba looked across the table to Mikoto.
“My mother was a Beastmaster.” Mikoto was proud of that, if there was anything people needed to know about her it was that she was proud of her school, her mother, and herself.
“She died, unfortunately, during childbirth with me. And my father could not stand to be reminded of that,” Mikoto began clenching her teeth. There were many things she got over as she grew older, but abandonment was a lifelong wound.
“So I was not raised by my father in particular, and when he remarried I ended up going to the school. Along the way my new mother arranged for my betrothal to a Unicorn.” She scowled at the thought of Moto Leon. “Who apparently wants to hunt my lion down and thinks that I’m no better than an animal myself… and… That’s that.”
Everyone was staring at her in stunned silence. Finally, she thought, finally people understand how terrible of a match she and Moto Leon would be. She felt somewhat vindicated because obviously his behavior was so repulsive no one knew what to say.
“As you can imagine I was always shunned,” Kitsuki began. Yeah, he definitely liked to hear himself talk, Mikoto decided.
“No,” Daigotsu gasped as if she was shocked. She looked a little shocked, but Mikoto wasn’t sure if Daigotsu was mocking Kitsuki or not.
Kitsuki continued on, “My father considered my affliction to be a curse and so he called upon specialists to try to cure me of it. These specialists used all the magic in Rokugan and couldn’t fix me. They laid me upon stretchers and pulled my legs apart from my hands, in a kind of torture to rid this from my body. And even that didn’t work. From that, I learned something incredibly useful to me. And that is that my affliction is as much a strength as it is a weakness. You see that we are defined by our limitations and by how we live up to those limitations.
“If a man is capable of doing anything, and he tries to do everything he is capable of, he will never master a thing. Where as I, the gimp, the cripple in court, must speak twice as elegantly to get any amount of attention. I could never fight, so I dedicated my time to study, and I embraced this limitation to develop into who I am now.
“This is the only way I’ve been able to gain any attention or reputation, because I see this thing that so many people would call a curse as a blessing instead. That’s how I came to see Bushido as a way of finding balance between capability and limitation.”
Out of that, Mikoto got, “I’m a cripple and can’t do anything but talk.” She reminded herself to never ask Kitsuki a question unless she had a half hour to spend listening to his pseudo-spiritual ranting. Maybe stabbing him wasn’t yet out of the question; she’d have to mention it again to Daigotsu.
If dinner was going to be anything like this, she was considering feigning ill. The group talked a little more, about what Mikoto couldn’t really say, “Talk…Blah blah…imperative… blah blah…” Shiba was obviously enthralled with what Asahina and Kitsuki were discussing. Shiba did enjoy tagging along though, so it made sense she would do so in a conversation. Daigotsu looked just as bored as she did, at least they shared that something in common. Daigotsu stood and Mikoto blinked back to the present. Apparently the lunch was over, Asahina was offering courtesies, Daigotsu had headed out the door, and Shiba looked like she was trying to make up her mind whether to stay or go. Matsu took off while the getting was good. She was going to need to work out some tension before spending another several hours in the company of another windbag, or several of them.
***
Morasahi sifted through her
traveling pack fretting over what sort of gift she was going to present
to her host tonight. She hadn’t brought much along with her, she wasn’t
planning on staying longer than the rest of her traveling party but now
she found herself invited to a dinner with one from the Imperial family
and nothing to show her gratitude for the invitation. Morasahi emptied
out her bag and threw the sack itself on the ground. Nothing. It had to
be something good, something unique; you couldn’t just give anything to
someone of such high status. Something that she highly valued wouldn’t
work either, it would come across as an insult because who was she to
offer an Otomo a worn and loved item like her Go set? She was nobody.
She racked her brain, there had to be some bit of knowledge in there that could give her a footing for this situation. She had studied heraldry, and although she didn’t know family lines past the last few generations, maybe there was some insight she had overlooked. Otomo… Mainly compromised of tacticians, something she could relate to; that didn’t help. Let’s see, wasn’t there a famous courtier Otomo? Yeah! What was her name? Kuri? Kimi? Otomo Kirumi! That was it. Now what? Morasahi wasn’t a courtier, and although she understood the basics of etiquette she didn‘t understand court very well, or those who attended it. A name wasn’t going to be enough to offer as a gift. There was no way she would conjure up a poem before dinner, and probably even less of a chance she would be able to recite it. She tried to imagine what people in court did. All the women and men of court standing around, playing their word games, reciting rhetoric, hiding behind their fans. That was it, their fans! It was the perfect embodiment of a courtier. It also would pair nicely as a tribute to Otomo Kirumi. Now to find a fan that suited the situation.
She racked her brain, there had to be some bit of knowledge in there that could give her a footing for this situation. She had studied heraldry, and although she didn’t know family lines past the last few generations, maybe there was some insight she had overlooked. Otomo… Mainly compromised of tacticians, something she could relate to; that didn’t help. Let’s see, wasn’t there a famous courtier Otomo? Yeah! What was her name? Kuri? Kimi? Otomo Kirumi! That was it. Now what? Morasahi wasn’t a courtier, and although she understood the basics of etiquette she didn‘t understand court very well, or those who attended it. A name wasn’t going to be enough to offer as a gift. There was no way she would conjure up a poem before dinner, and probably even less of a chance she would be able to recite it. She tried to imagine what people in court did. All the women and men of court standing around, playing their word games, reciting rhetoric, hiding behind their fans. That was it, their fans! It was the perfect embodiment of a courtier. It also would pair nicely as a tribute to Otomo Kirumi. Now to find a fan that suited the situation.
Morasahi left her tent on a mission. Get a fan. Find Asako Yuji to paint the name onto it. Let it dry. Mission completed. First up was the fan. Morasahi entered the first shop that actually had an indoor area. There were many vendors with carts, but this fan had to be special and a cart just meant there would be more chance for dirt to get on it. There were some to shop, most designed in the Scorpion style, but nothing that really stuck out to her. Scorpion colors wouldn’t do at all, that’s not really the message you wanted to be sending someone who was standing in for the Empress. The next shop had a large selection, but still nothing that was truly unique. There was one with birds that perhaps could work. Morasahi picked it up and played with the ribs. It was too flimsy. Another fan had a river that just looked off in some way. Perhaps it was the way the colors only covered a quarter of the fan. She pressed her lips, convinced she wasn’t going to find something grand enough. Plucking a fan with a sunset painted on it, Morasahi waved to the clerk and presented her seal with her name on it. The sunset would have to do.
She sighed inwardly as she headed back to her camp. A day’s notice wasn’t long, but she had to make due with what she had. At least she was bringing a gift, she had at least that much sense. Matsu, on the other hand… Morasahi was almost certain she would show up empty handed and still dressed in her battle armor. The Lion were a strange bunch and the Beastmasters even more so. They were the most untamed of their ranks, oblivious to social graces. And the Spider, Morasahi didn’t even want to consider what Daigotsu would bring as a gift. The severed head of her enemy or something equally as blasphemous.
She found Yuji near his tent playing Go against Agasha Tsunai. Tsunai had no chance. Yuji was rather talented at everything he did, and Morasahi saw him as an equal competitor to her when it came to Go. Tsunai was too eager in her movements, always rushing into defeat. Morasahi stood nearby and watched; the game wouldn’t last much longer.
“You can play me next, Shiba-san,” Yuji offered without even looking at her. It wasn’t as if she was hiding, but it always amazed her how much he noticed. “Agasha is only six moves from her last.”
Tsunai stared at Yuji, stopping mid-placement of her stone. “How can you say that, Asako?”
“Four,” Morasahi piped up. Both of them looked at her. “Y-you could have Agasha-san in… four… moves.”
Yuji examined the board intently, leaning forward. He nodded, “So I can.”
Tsunai tossed her hands up in the air and pushed away from the board. “What’s the point in finishing if you two already know I have no chance? It’s not even fun anymore.” She dropped her stone onto her pile of white pieces and stormed off. Yuji shrugged and began clearing the board; he looked to be amused with himself, or at least the situation.
“Looks like you’re up, Shiba-san.”
It was a tempting offer. Morasahi always enjoyed facing Yuji, he was contemplative and adaptable. He was actually challenging when it came down to finding a way to take the win. But Morasahi played Yuji for a different reason. Yuji made it fun. He wasn’t out to beat her, and was a humble winner as much as he was a tactful loser. He played in a way that Morasahi couldn’t really put into words; he was always relaxed, like it was a way to disconnect from the world for him. He made Go into an art form like everything he did in life. And she could feel it too, when she sat opposite of Yuji, across that board, it was almost like meditating.
“I-um… I can’t.”
Yuji turned towards her, interest on his face. “Oh?”
“I… I’m getting ready for a… dinner. I needed your-um, your help… with… a gift.” She brandished the fan. “Could you-um… write a name on here for me?”
Yuji agreed with a smile. “Of course, Shiba-san. Anything for you.” Morasahi felt herself blush and hurriedly looked at the ground.
Morasahi waited while Yuji entered his tent and collected his calligraphy set. She knew better than to walk into a man’s tent without a chaperone. Not that she worried about her sanctity, she could easily take care of herself and she didn’t think Yuji would be that sort of man; it was just a rule, a part of life, and Morasahi liked following the rules. It didn’t take long before he returned with his Four Treasures of the Study, a term used to denote a full calligraphy set. Yuji opened the case and began setting up, grinding ink into the well in the inkstone, then adding water. Morasahi watched with reserved fascination. Yuji handled everything so delicately. Once set up he raised his hand towards Morasahi. She stared at him a moment, completely forgetting she still held the fan.
“Shiba-san, I need the fan to write upon.” He smiled again.
“Of course.” She gave Yuji the fan, “It’s a gift for… um… the Otomo in presence. I wanted Otomo Kirumi centered on the sunset with the-um, the Imperial seal below it.”
Yuji stared at her. “You’re dining with Otomo-dono?”
“Yes?” She squeaked.
“Wow, Shiba-san, I’ll do my very best on this.” Yuji set the fan aside and withdrew a few sheets of paper he carried inside his case, practicing Otomo Kirumi’s name them.
After a half-dozen practice attempts that Morasahi thought were already perfect, he finally started on her fan. Promising to watch it while it dried, so nothing ill-fated would befall the honored gift, Yuji ushered Morasahi off to get changed as it was already late afternoon going onto early evening. Morasahi took her time readying. She dressed in her finest kimono, well, the finest one she had with her, and redid her hair at least three times. Finally she collected her fan from Yuji, with his compliments on her exquisite appeal, and headed to the mayor’s house to join the rest of the group for dinner.
Morasahi was escorted into the moderate house and seated at a moderate table. The house wasn’t as big as she had imagined it would be, but then again this town was quite small compared to the aligned cities Shiba was used to. She also took into consideration that the whole house was probably emptied for Otomo, and only him. In that case it was a rather large place to bed down in for travel. Asahina was already there, dressed as she would have expected a Crane to dress. His outfit was nearly as elegant as hers, and men’s kimonos usually weren’t as decorative as a female’s. He was always showing her up, just like her sister. She scowled mentally at the thought, the embittered feelings threatening to bubble up.
Kitsuki arrived next, looking much the same as he always did. His clothes may have been a little more lavish than usual, but he always seemed to take great care in the way he presented himself. Matsu was then brought in, nearly last to arrive, just like lunch. And what was she wearing? Morasahi couldn’t help but gape at Matsu’s outfit, it was almost disgraceful. Matsu was wearing a low-cut kimono, showing off flesh reserved for intimate occasions. Her obi was also wrapped low, accentuating her hips, and the whole outfit was hugging tightly to Matsu’s body. It was in the Lion colors, but the dress was definitely a Bayushi styled cut. It would figure. It at least explained the sheer veil Matsu also wore across her face and the tiny scorpions embroidered on the hems of her sleeves and dress.
It was only a matter of minutes with the four of them sitting there silent as the grave before a man whose outfit put them all to shame entered. His kimono bore the mon of the Otomo, signifying him as their host. Morasahi didn’t need to see his sigil to know it was him. The way he carried himself, the air about him, this was what the upper echelons looked and acted like. She was almost embarrassed to be in the company of Matsu during this dinner with the way that she looked. And Daigotsu hadn’t even shown up yet, did she even realize what that signified? Morasahi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She was nervous on her own, she didn’t need the rest of the group to shame themselves and make her anymore so.
Otomo opened his hands in greeting, “Welcome everyone.”
Morasahi bowed and kept her mouth shut. Kitsuki had mentioned that no one should really be talking except for him, since some of them were less suited for the art of conversation. She knew Kitsuki had meant her, Matsu, and Daigotsu, it wasn’t hard to figure out who he was talking about.
“Evening Otomo-dono,” Kitsuki responded.
“I’m sure you’re all curious as to why you are here as… we are missing someone.” Otomo said slowly.
“Ah, yes.” Kitsuki sounded nervous. Kitsuki hadn’t ever sounded nervous to Morasahi. He cleared his throat and continued, “Daigotsu-sama sends her regards, I’m afraid she’s quite indisposed. Um… She intended to make it, but was feeling far from well.”
“That is a slight inconvenience, but I’ve already spoken with each of your clans on the matter so her absence isn’t a hindrance. We are setting up a border post since the Spider can now claim lands. We’ve given them lands west of the Scorpion lands, which would include this area. This will be a border town, a place for… all of the clans to interact. And since each of you is from a different clan, and you were already here, your clans offered you up as dignitaries.”
Morasahi bit her tongue. She wasn’t a dignitary, why would she have been chosen for this? She was the last possible person she would have picked for the job out of the entire Phoenix who had come to the tournament. And to have to interact with the Spider? She tried not to shudder. They were cannibalistic murderers. Vile Jigoku worshippers. One was bad enough, but soon the town would be crawling with them if they were claiming this land and Morasahi didn’t want to be anywhere near the festering web they created.
“That is a great honor, Otomo-dono,” Kitsuki responded for everyone. “May I ask why we were chosen for such an honor?”
“It varies from clan to clan. You would have to ask your own clan champion.”
“Very well,” Responded Kitsuki. “What will we be responsible for in our position?”
“We will be building a castle here, a kyuden, and you will be responsible for one of the first joint Winter Courts with the Spider Clan involved.”
Morasahi blinked slowly. She prayed she didn’t hear that right. The Spider were going to hold Winter Court? What a ridiculous notion. She didn’t want to see what sort of perverse tournaments they held. Or what food they were going to serve… This time she couldn’t hold back the shudder.
“The Topaz Champion will be head of this endeavor, and each of you will serve as a minor shogunate under him,” Added Otomo. Of course, Morasahi thought. Granted, she didn’t want to be a part of this at all, but she was yet again passed up by someone else, and it had to be Asahina.
“It’s an honor I have no words for.” Asahina played the humble act well.
“We will be eating shortly,” Otomo announced, indicating it had reached the gift-giving time. Morasahi pulled out her fan, opened it and offered it to Otomo.
“I have brought you a fan with the Otomo family crest, honoring the name of Otomo Kirumi,” She said without stuttering once. Morasahi was glad she had been rehearsing since she decided on the gift.
“It is far too fine a fan, I must refuse,” Otomo began the ritual of declining twice.
“I insist.”
“I assure you, a gift of that stature would be well above my station to accept.”
“I had this made specifically for tonight. Please accept it.”
“Thank you graciously for your gift.” He collected the fan from Morasahi and turned it over in his hands.
Kitsuki recited a poem. It was actually quite lovely and Otomo agreed. Asahina offered a display of his dueling prowess. Asahina was turning into a one trick pony.
“I would enjoy that,” Otomo smiled. “Please, duel the Shiba again. Your skills are of great renown, and we have an adequate duelist here as well.”
Morasahi grumbled, but kept her face plain. This night was going from bad to worse. First, she was instructed she would basically live with the Spider clan. Then she was passed over in favor of Asahina. And now she had to duel Asahina again, and she caught the slight Otomo had made about her ‘adequate’ skills. She didn’t even have her katana with her, which meant she would probably have to use some sword of questionable quality in place of it.
“We can set up some lanterns and do it right outside.” Otomo smiled and waved his hand towards some servants who made their way out of the room as soon as he gestured.
The group herded outside where Morasahi was given a katana. It wasn’t bad quality, decent enough to be used. Asahina was also given a weapon. At least they were matched with the shoddiness of their swords. Morasahi chose her position though there really wasn’t a good place to stand out there. The ground was uneven, being a commonly used street and the lanterns shone in her eyes no matter which side of the area she stood. She took a breath and watched Asahina; she’d seen him fight more than a couple of times so she knew what most of his strengths were. The problem was he didn’t seem to have any weaknesses. His stance was good and she knew she couldn’t compete if he decided to use his full potential. Morasahi already felt defeated and they hadn’t even begun. Now she knew how Tsunai felt earlier when Yuji and she had made the comments on Tsunai’s lack of skills at Go. This was humiliating in that she had to participate when it was obvious she wouldn’t emerge the victor.
Asahina flashed by Morasahi. It must have been the shadows Asahina moved through causing him to look so speedy because he definitely seemed faster than yesterday. She didn’t even get the chance to swing; he was already past her by the time she noticed he was moving. She hadn’t felt him hit her, which only meant he must have cut her best kimono somewhere. With a sigh she looked down, ready to check her sleeves, but there was no point in that. Above her heart there was a swatch missing, and upon the ground lay her family mon. Her best kimono.
“Still impressive, no matter how many times you see it.” Otomo smiled.
Morasahi fumed as she made her way back into the house, handing her weapon off to the first servant that she passed by. She wasn’t even certain who she had given the sword to, she was too livid to care. She took her seat and waited for the rest to make their way back in, clenching her fists under the table. It was one thing to have to be subjected to a duel where she was clearly outmatched; it was another for Asahina to cut her kimono to shreds. Dinner was brought out; Morasahi ate her meal in silence brooding over her new lot in life. It was much like the old path, Asahina besting her at every opportunity like her sister had. And now she had to work under him. Dinner passed without much attention given from Morasahi. Sake was brought out to accompany the conversation that ensued after the meal. Finally the night ended and Morasahi took her leave with all respect given that was expected of her. She hoped to wake up tomorrow, with this whole evening having been a terrible dream. Morasahi knew she wouldn’t be so fortunate.
***
Katsumi wriggled her wrists, straining
as hard as she could to get free from the rope. She knew it was of no
use somewhere in her sound mind, Yanagi had tied them and he always did
make the most difficult knots. She had shown up at Kitsuki’s tent
earlier that evening, before the sun had set. He was supposed to watch
her tonight, but he was gone, and now that he was gone she had to
get free. Kitsuki had enlisted in Yanagi’s help. That meddlesome
Yanagi. No, not meddlesome, he meant the best but he didn’t know about
the other people who were walking around outside. They were just waiting
to take her stuff, to take Kitsuki’s stuff, maybe even Yanagi’s stuff.
Katsumi had managed to scoot around the room, collecting everything
Kitsuki owned and piling it on the bedroll; she was sitting on it for
safekeeping. No one was going to take it while she was sitting on it.
She wouldn’t let them. Now it was hers. But what about the stuff in the
next tent? Or the one after that? No one was watching those things. She had to go and get them. And add them to the pile. And keep them safe. And take them as hers.
It had already been a few hours since she first felt the need. The first consisted of struggling and writhing around to no avail. The second hour she had taken a different approach and collected the stuff. Now she was pulling on the ropes again, pushing down on her feet and tugging with her wrists hoping to tighten the knot in order to create some slack somewhere else. Maybe if she started yelling for help someone would come and cut her free. It was an idea Katsumi considered longer than she probably should have. The only problem with that was how would she know that they wouldn’t just take all the stuff for themselves? It was hers. She gathered it fair and square. Yelling was out of the question.
There was a shuffling outside and Katsumi stopped moving following the noise behind the side of the tent with her eyes. It was circling her, probably trying to figure out the best way to steal her stuff when she wasn’t looking. There was a reason she was sitting on it. It would be harder for anyone else to take. The person stopped at the front of the tent, the flap opened and Kitsuki ducked in. He stopped as soon as he entered and gawked at her. Katsumi stared wide eyed back. He was going to think she had gone insane. He slowly scanned the room, probably looking for his stuff that was now hers. Good thing she was sitting on it.
“I was afraid someone was going to take your stuff!” Katsumi blurted out. Nice cover, he won’t expect a thing.
“Of course,” Kitsuki responded slowly, “I… I appreciate your caution.”
“You might want to go and check next door, I heard someone out there. I think other people are out there taking other people’s stuff,” Katsumi suggested, trying to get Kitsuki to leave. If he was gone she wouldn’t have to pretend she was keeping his stuff safe. She could get out of the ropes and take the things that were now hers and leave.
“Their stuff is none of my concern.” Damn, it wasn’t going to work. Katsumi began fidgeting with the ropes again.
“I’m concerned. I could go take a look.” Katsumi held out her wrists towards Kitsuki.
“I don’t think so…” Kitsuki took a step closer to her. “I want you to tell me what’s going on.”
“I had to gather the stuff up.” Why didn’t he understand that? She had to.
“Clearly. Why?”
“It-It’s comfortable.” It was the truth. Having everything next to her was making her feel better. She wanted to get a bigger pile and roll around in it. This pile was much too small, not big enough for rolling. “Would you like to try? It’s mine though. But you can sit next to me.”
“No thank you… Daigotsu, do you know why you’re tied up?” Kitsuki was talking to her like a child, she wasn’t a child.
“Yeah, I asked you to.”
“Why was that? Because I do not understand what’s going on.”
“I didn’t trust myself, but I do now. That’s why you should untie me.”
“I’m not going to do that. Why didn’t you trust yourself?”
“Because it’s a full moon. I can’t control it yet. Sometimes I can, I’m doing it now. Let me out?” Katsumi pleaded.
“Tell me about the moon and I’ll consider it.”
Easy! She knew all there was about the moon. Once he understood she could get out and get more stuff. The pile just wasn’t big enough.
“At the beginning of the world there was Lady Sun and Lord Moon. And Lord Moon had The Nothing hiding in his shadow. The Nothing whispered things into Lord Moon’s ear, telling him things that weren’t true. Then they had kids. But Lord Moon ate all of his kids because of the Nothing, except Hantei. So Hantei cut Lord Moon open and all the kids fell to the earth, except one, because he was already dead. That’s why there are only nine kami. And Fu Leng fell far from his siblings. He fell so hard he punched through Ningen-do and into Jigoku where he grew in power and became the Dark God. But he’s dead now too. Kali-Ma killed him before the Dark Lord Daigotsu killed her.
“We morn the death of Fu Leng, but now the Dark Lord Daigotsu rules over Jigoku. He’s pretty amazing…” Katsumi said dreamily. There was a reason she shared his name, it wasn’t like the other clans where you were born into a family. Though there were some that were born into the Spider clan, and more that would come now that they could reproduce outside of the Shadowlands. She wasn’t born into it. She took the name and pledged her allegiance to Daigotsu last year during her ‘gempukku’ ceremony. She bled for Daigotsu, and Daigotsu bled for her.
Kitsuki stuck his head out of the tent. She only had a matter of moments before he was looking again. She leaned back, pulling her arms as hard as she could away from her feet where the knots kept the two together. There was a sudden jerk and her right wrist flew free. She quickly slipped her left wrist out of its loop and began picking and twisting at the knot keeping her ankles together.
“Tell me more about Lord Moon.” Kitsuki was back in the tent looking slightly panicked.
“Not unless you let me use your wakizashi.” Katsumi was almost out; she didn’t care to talk any more.
“I’m afraid it’s only for decoration. It’s not even sharp.”
Katsumi was almost certain he was lying about that, no one walked around with a dull blade. She’d find out as soon as she was able to take it, which wouldn’t‘ be too much longer. She shrugged and continued to pick at the knot. It was pretty stiff since she had been pulling it at for a few hours. Kitsuki kept talking but Katsumi wasn’t listening anymore. He was just a noise in the background. The bond was loosening, she was almost out. The rope fell away from her left ankle; quickly she removed the lasso from her right ankle and scrambled to her feet, making for the entrance. Kitsuki stood in the doorway, but he was a cripple and he couldn’t keep her there. She had to get more stuff.
“Daigotsu, what about your stuff here?”
Katsumi stopped suddenly and looked back at her pile. He was right; if she left it here it might not be here when she got back. Kitsuki knew where her hoard was. It wasn’t safe here. She skittered back to the pile and pushed everything around. She had found a sack earlier, now she just had to locate it. There it was! Katsumi began loading her stuff into the bag. She would just bring it with and once the bag was full find a better place to hide her rolling pile.
There was a rustle by the door and Katsumi looked up to see Yanagi standing there. Kuso! Kitsuki wasn’t going to be hard to get around, but Yanagi was a different story. He basically taught her everything she knew, but he had way more time to perfect it. Katsumi shrunk back, trying to think of another way to get out of this.
“Katsu-kun,” Yanagi began in a soft tone that still demanded attention. “Come here.”
“But… there’s stuff here.” Katsumi timidly tried to explain.
“Come here.” Yanagi repeated.
“I can’t. I have to take it with me.”
“I know where you’re stuff is, Katsu-kun. The large pile from last time. We can go get it together.”
Katsumi dropped the half-filled sack and trotted over to Yanagi, grinning from ear to ear. Before she knew it, she was falling. Her feet were swept under her she wasn’t moving forward anymore, but down. She felt her left arm being twisted up, and a hand pushing on her back, towards the ground. The impact was hard but Katsumi had been knocked down more times than she could count, all it provided was a minor discomfort and jolt to her body. She twisted her neck to see Yanagi sitting on her hips, grabbing her right arm and felt the rope wrap around her wrists. He was hogtying her! It took literally seconds for Yanagi to bind her hands and feet together behind her.
“It’ll be a little harder for her to get out of these,” Yanagi explained to Kitsuki. “Just be happy it’s one of the less dangerous ones. You might want to hire someone on nights like this just to stand outside, keep watch, someone who could handle her in case she is in one of those more violent moods.”
“Is there a medicine that can calm her nerves?” Inquired Kitsuki.
Katsumi craned to see Yanagi. He glanced down at her and she shook her head ever so slightly. She knew the answer and desperately wanted to keep it from coming to that. “I’d be calm if you untied me!”
“There have been a couple of times…” Yanagi crossed his arms and wrapped his hand around his chin, that one knuckle pressing on his bottom lip.
“No.” Katsumi interjected, trying to keep Yanagi from even considering the alternative. “Big Brother, no.” She shook her head again with gusto this time. “No!”
Yanagi stood up and poked his head out of the tent; Katsumi could see there was at least one person on the other side. “Go get Negisa.”
“No! No! Please, Big Brother. Please?” Katsumi begged and squirmed around on the ground trying to roll off her stomach and onto her side. Yanagi stepped around her and watched her wiggle.
“Feeling okay down there?”
“I’m stuck…” She said defeated.
“Yeah.” Yanagi squatted next to her and tugged the shoulder of her kimono back up to her neck. It had come loose long before Kitsuki had even came back from the dinner, and all the moving since had only made it slip further down.
“Please? I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Katsumi was almost to tears, “I just want my stuff.”
“I know.” Yanagi whispered and gently caressed Katsumi’s cheek.
He stood and took a step back, waiting for Negisa to show up. Futilely Katsumi pulled at her bonds. Even if she did get out Yanagi would just tie her up again, and there wasn’t enough time before Negisa arrived anyways. It didn’t take long before the tent flew open and in came Negisa, fixing her eyes on Katsumi. Katsumi’s chest tightened. She stopped moving and held her breath. From what Negisa was wearing, she had probably been pulled away from entertaining someone or herself with someone. She may have appeared pleasant to others, but Katsumi could tell from the fire in her eyes that if it were just her and Negisa, Negisa would surely go on a warpath. Negisa kneeled next to Katsumi and held out a small bottle close to Katsumi’s face.
“Drink this,” she pressed the bottle to Katsumi’s lips.
Katsumi opened her mouth and began drinking. She didn’t want to give Negisa any more cause for discontent and there had been other times where when she refused Negisa had found ways to ‘make’ Katsumi drink. Negisa stood, backing up to stand with the other two, all of them watching Katsumi. Katsumi stared back, determined to best the poison Negisa had just given her. She had ignored more threatening things in life than a little cocktail that made you sleepy.
Warmth began to spread through her body, starting with a fluttering in her chest. It ran down her legs, up her arms, and quickly clouded her head. Something told her things were going to be okay. There were worse things to ignore than a little cocktail that made you sleepy… It really wasn’t so bad when she thought about it. The room began to pull away from her and she could feel herself fighting her droopy lids. Maybe if she just laid her head down, conserved some energy so she could stay awake. The ground was so soft; it embraced Katsumi as she sunk further into the drug induced relaxation. She’d have to collect her stuff later, she was so tired.
It had already been a few hours since she first felt the need. The first consisted of struggling and writhing around to no avail. The second hour she had taken a different approach and collected the stuff. Now she was pulling on the ropes again, pushing down on her feet and tugging with her wrists hoping to tighten the knot in order to create some slack somewhere else. Maybe if she started yelling for help someone would come and cut her free. It was an idea Katsumi considered longer than she probably should have. The only problem with that was how would she know that they wouldn’t just take all the stuff for themselves? It was hers. She gathered it fair and square. Yelling was out of the question.
There was a shuffling outside and Katsumi stopped moving following the noise behind the side of the tent with her eyes. It was circling her, probably trying to figure out the best way to steal her stuff when she wasn’t looking. There was a reason she was sitting on it. It would be harder for anyone else to take. The person stopped at the front of the tent, the flap opened and Kitsuki ducked in. He stopped as soon as he entered and gawked at her. Katsumi stared wide eyed back. He was going to think she had gone insane. He slowly scanned the room, probably looking for his stuff that was now hers. Good thing she was sitting on it.
“I was afraid someone was going to take your stuff!” Katsumi blurted out. Nice cover, he won’t expect a thing.
“Of course,” Kitsuki responded slowly, “I… I appreciate your caution.”
“You might want to go and check next door, I heard someone out there. I think other people are out there taking other people’s stuff,” Katsumi suggested, trying to get Kitsuki to leave. If he was gone she wouldn’t have to pretend she was keeping his stuff safe. She could get out of the ropes and take the things that were now hers and leave.
“Their stuff is none of my concern.” Damn, it wasn’t going to work. Katsumi began fidgeting with the ropes again.
“I’m concerned. I could go take a look.” Katsumi held out her wrists towards Kitsuki.
“I don’t think so…” Kitsuki took a step closer to her. “I want you to tell me what’s going on.”
“I had to gather the stuff up.” Why didn’t he understand that? She had to.
“Clearly. Why?”
“It-It’s comfortable.” It was the truth. Having everything next to her was making her feel better. She wanted to get a bigger pile and roll around in it. This pile was much too small, not big enough for rolling. “Would you like to try? It’s mine though. But you can sit next to me.”
“No thank you… Daigotsu, do you know why you’re tied up?” Kitsuki was talking to her like a child, she wasn’t a child.
“Yeah, I asked you to.”
“Why was that? Because I do not understand what’s going on.”
“I didn’t trust myself, but I do now. That’s why you should untie me.”
“I’m not going to do that. Why didn’t you trust yourself?”
“Because it’s a full moon. I can’t control it yet. Sometimes I can, I’m doing it now. Let me out?” Katsumi pleaded.
“Tell me about the moon and I’ll consider it.”
Easy! She knew all there was about the moon. Once he understood she could get out and get more stuff. The pile just wasn’t big enough.
“At the beginning of the world there was Lady Sun and Lord Moon. And Lord Moon had The Nothing hiding in his shadow. The Nothing whispered things into Lord Moon’s ear, telling him things that weren’t true. Then they had kids. But Lord Moon ate all of his kids because of the Nothing, except Hantei. So Hantei cut Lord Moon open and all the kids fell to the earth, except one, because he was already dead. That’s why there are only nine kami. And Fu Leng fell far from his siblings. He fell so hard he punched through Ningen-do and into Jigoku where he grew in power and became the Dark God. But he’s dead now too. Kali-Ma killed him before the Dark Lord Daigotsu killed her.
“We morn the death of Fu Leng, but now the Dark Lord Daigotsu rules over Jigoku. He’s pretty amazing…” Katsumi said dreamily. There was a reason she shared his name, it wasn’t like the other clans where you were born into a family. Though there were some that were born into the Spider clan, and more that would come now that they could reproduce outside of the Shadowlands. She wasn’t born into it. She took the name and pledged her allegiance to Daigotsu last year during her ‘gempukku’ ceremony. She bled for Daigotsu, and Daigotsu bled for her.
Kitsuki stuck his head out of the tent. She only had a matter of moments before he was looking again. She leaned back, pulling her arms as hard as she could away from her feet where the knots kept the two together. There was a sudden jerk and her right wrist flew free. She quickly slipped her left wrist out of its loop and began picking and twisting at the knot keeping her ankles together.
“Tell me more about Lord Moon.” Kitsuki was back in the tent looking slightly panicked.
“Not unless you let me use your wakizashi.” Katsumi was almost out; she didn’t care to talk any more.
“I’m afraid it’s only for decoration. It’s not even sharp.”
Katsumi was almost certain he was lying about that, no one walked around with a dull blade. She’d find out as soon as she was able to take it, which wouldn’t‘ be too much longer. She shrugged and continued to pick at the knot. It was pretty stiff since she had been pulling it at for a few hours. Kitsuki kept talking but Katsumi wasn’t listening anymore. He was just a noise in the background. The bond was loosening, she was almost out. The rope fell away from her left ankle; quickly she removed the lasso from her right ankle and scrambled to her feet, making for the entrance. Kitsuki stood in the doorway, but he was a cripple and he couldn’t keep her there. She had to get more stuff.
“Daigotsu, what about your stuff here?”
Katsumi stopped suddenly and looked back at her pile. He was right; if she left it here it might not be here when she got back. Kitsuki knew where her hoard was. It wasn’t safe here. She skittered back to the pile and pushed everything around. She had found a sack earlier, now she just had to locate it. There it was! Katsumi began loading her stuff into the bag. She would just bring it with and once the bag was full find a better place to hide her rolling pile.
There was a rustle by the door and Katsumi looked up to see Yanagi standing there. Kuso! Kitsuki wasn’t going to be hard to get around, but Yanagi was a different story. He basically taught her everything she knew, but he had way more time to perfect it. Katsumi shrunk back, trying to think of another way to get out of this.
“Katsu-kun,” Yanagi began in a soft tone that still demanded attention. “Come here.”
“But… there’s stuff here.” Katsumi timidly tried to explain.
“Come here.” Yanagi repeated.
“I can’t. I have to take it with me.”
“I know where you’re stuff is, Katsu-kun. The large pile from last time. We can go get it together.”
Katsumi dropped the half-filled sack and trotted over to Yanagi, grinning from ear to ear. Before she knew it, she was falling. Her feet were swept under her she wasn’t moving forward anymore, but down. She felt her left arm being twisted up, and a hand pushing on her back, towards the ground. The impact was hard but Katsumi had been knocked down more times than she could count, all it provided was a minor discomfort and jolt to her body. She twisted her neck to see Yanagi sitting on her hips, grabbing her right arm and felt the rope wrap around her wrists. He was hogtying her! It took literally seconds for Yanagi to bind her hands and feet together behind her.
“It’ll be a little harder for her to get out of these,” Yanagi explained to Kitsuki. “Just be happy it’s one of the less dangerous ones. You might want to hire someone on nights like this just to stand outside, keep watch, someone who could handle her in case she is in one of those more violent moods.”
“Is there a medicine that can calm her nerves?” Inquired Kitsuki.
Katsumi craned to see Yanagi. He glanced down at her and she shook her head ever so slightly. She knew the answer and desperately wanted to keep it from coming to that. “I’d be calm if you untied me!”
“There have been a couple of times…” Yanagi crossed his arms and wrapped his hand around his chin, that one knuckle pressing on his bottom lip.
“No.” Katsumi interjected, trying to keep Yanagi from even considering the alternative. “Big Brother, no.” She shook her head again with gusto this time. “No!”
Yanagi stood up and poked his head out of the tent; Katsumi could see there was at least one person on the other side. “Go get Negisa.”
“No! No! Please, Big Brother. Please?” Katsumi begged and squirmed around on the ground trying to roll off her stomach and onto her side. Yanagi stepped around her and watched her wiggle.
“Feeling okay down there?”
“I’m stuck…” She said defeated.
“Yeah.” Yanagi squatted next to her and tugged the shoulder of her kimono back up to her neck. It had come loose long before Kitsuki had even came back from the dinner, and all the moving since had only made it slip further down.
“Please? I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Katsumi was almost to tears, “I just want my stuff.”
“I know.” Yanagi whispered and gently caressed Katsumi’s cheek.
He stood and took a step back, waiting for Negisa to show up. Futilely Katsumi pulled at her bonds. Even if she did get out Yanagi would just tie her up again, and there wasn’t enough time before Negisa arrived anyways. It didn’t take long before the tent flew open and in came Negisa, fixing her eyes on Katsumi. Katsumi’s chest tightened. She stopped moving and held her breath. From what Negisa was wearing, she had probably been pulled away from entertaining someone or herself with someone. She may have appeared pleasant to others, but Katsumi could tell from the fire in her eyes that if it were just her and Negisa, Negisa would surely go on a warpath. Negisa kneeled next to Katsumi and held out a small bottle close to Katsumi’s face.
“Drink this,” she pressed the bottle to Katsumi’s lips.
Katsumi opened her mouth and began drinking. She didn’t want to give Negisa any more cause for discontent and there had been other times where when she refused Negisa had found ways to ‘make’ Katsumi drink. Negisa stood, backing up to stand with the other two, all of them watching Katsumi. Katsumi stared back, determined to best the poison Negisa had just given her. She had ignored more threatening things in life than a little cocktail that made you sleepy.
Warmth began to spread through her body, starting with a fluttering in her chest. It ran down her legs, up her arms, and quickly clouded her head. Something told her things were going to be okay. There were worse things to ignore than a little cocktail that made you sleepy… It really wasn’t so bad when she thought about it. The room began to pull away from her and she could feel herself fighting her droopy lids. Maybe if she just laid her head down, conserved some energy so she could stay awake. The ground was so soft; it embraced Katsumi as she sunk further into the drug induced relaxation. She’d have to collect her stuff later, she was so tired.
***
Kyuzo awoke earlier than usual. Normally
he rose with the sun but today it hadn’t yet crested the horizon before
he stirred out of his bed. The last few days had been filled with
incredible events that seemed to be compounding on one another, becoming
more and more unbelievable as the week progressed. Last night he had
just been told he was to be a magistrate, to take charge of an entire
village. He took a deep breath and shook his head at the memory. He had
no idea how to run a town, and all this responsibility was being thrust
upon him leaving Kyuzo confused and a little overwhelmed. Granted, he
was honored to be receiving so many blessings. It was just that it was a lot of them all at once.
He
took his time dressing, considering the next course of actions he
should be taking as the new head of the town. Kyuzo wanted to be sure
not to dishonor himself, or those who worked under him. The group he had
met several days ago, the one that kept popping up and continued to be a
factor in his life, was now working for him as shogunate. He still
wasn’t sure what to even make of that. They were an interesting bunch
and finding a job for everyone’s ‘unique’ talents was going to be
difficult. Finding talents he could use would prove to be just as
difficult. Another deep breath came and went, Kyuzo attempting to calm
his thoughts, it wasn’t working as well as he had expected. Feeling the
need for a little serenity already, he decided to watch the sun rise.
Kyuzo opened his tent to find a small group of heimin waiting outside. Before he could ask what was going on, they entered his small home and began packing and taking his items. He just stared as they made quick work of the few items he had brought with to the tournament, eventually dismantling his tent as well. They were all going in the same direction, so instead of causing a scene Kyuzo just followed the group to their destination. The house he ate at last night, coined the Mayor’s House, the one Otomo had been staying in, seemed to be where his worldly possessions were being taken. He approached the house, uncertain whether he should enter or if he should wait for someone to attend to him. It wasn’t customary to barge into another’s house, but it also wasn’t customary for a group of peasants to be moving your items without asking either. There didn’t seem to be anyone around but those moving his items. They must be moving him in the biggest house since he was taking over as standing ‘mayor’. He could live with this.
Kyuzo called out to the nearest heimin who didn’t seem to be carrying or doing much of anything.
“Go fetch Kitsuki Anjin-san and have him inform the rest of the group to meet me here, along with him.” The peasant nodded and ran off.
Kyuzo entered the house, inspecting the place he was going to be living. He had seen the courtyard and the receiving area last night, but hadn’t had the opportunity to tour the rest of the place. It wouldn’t have been acceptable to ask to be shown around, living quarters were deeply personal places. The house was a large square with the receiving room being the first room you would enter, which also opened to the courtyard in the center of the house. The courtyard could open on the opposite side to a short hallway leading to a backyard where a bathhouse was located. There was a kitchen already establish and eight other empty rooms. After a little toying he found you could move the walls into whatever position you wanted, allowing one to make bigger or smaller rooms. The floors also made a familiar creek when he walked across them. Kyuzo smiled thinking about the hallways of his dojo. It was the same noise that would have you standing holding buckets of water, or running while dragging a log behind you because you didn’t obey the bedtimes assigned. The entire house had mockingbird floors throughout.
After directing some of the heimin who were busying themselves around the house to move walls into a place he found acceptable for his bedroom, Kyuzo waited at the front of the house for the rest of the group to arrive. The group began trickling in. Shiba was the first to show up. Kyuzo smiled to himself thinking about their practice duel last night and the trophy he took from it. When the dinner party had headed indoors Kyuzo had hung back and retrieved Shiba’s mon that he had once again successfully removed. He figured he’d keep it after Daigotsu had given him hers. Though that was a very different scenario than with Shiba. Daigotsu had come up to him after he took the win, stood much closer than one should be, and slid the cloth under his belt. She gave him a memento of herself and it had made his heart quicken, her brushing against his stomach had only reinforced the strange feeling she enticed.
Matsu reported in next looking as lovely as ever. Last night she had worn a very flattering kimono, low cut and tight against her body. Kyuzo had tried not to stare lest he face her wrath. Matsu had made it clear she lacked interest in men and outright threatened him. And at lunch he had learned she was already betrothed, although she was quite bitter about it. Neither of those made her any less beautiful to behold, and Kyuzo enjoyed looking at her.
Lastly Kitsuki and Daigotsu arrived together. He found Kitsuki harder to catalog than the rest; he was obviously well read and intelligent. He had an unfortunate affliction, which he didn’t shy away from recognizing in the presence of others. And although amiable to everyone, Kitsuki seemed to be taking a liking to Daigotsu. He had seen the two together on more than a few occasions over the last few days, and with what Daigotsu had said at lunch yesterday, that she would stand beside Kitsuki no matter where he went, that sounded a little intimate. And then there was dinner where Kitsuki knew Daigotsu wasn’t feeling well and made apologies for her. Why Kitsuki and not someone from the Spider clan offering an apology? And Daigotsu herself, Kyuzo wasn’t even going to pretend he understood her. He found her presence and prowess in combat alluring, but she had other qualities that unnerved him or just screamed that he should keep his distance. The more he learned about her, the more intriguing she was becoming and the easier it was for him to overlook those scathing flaws.
“Good morning everyone,” Kyuzo said once the group had finally come together. There was a round of polite greetings between them as Kyuzo looked over to the house, he hadn’t thought of how to go about this besides jumping right into the thick of things.
“How was dinner last night?” Daigotsu asked, not directing it towards anyone in particular.
“I thought about trying to figure out why you weren’t there last night… but, I don’t know, I had a lot to think about.” Kyuzo was surprised he even said that in front of everyone, or at all. In his head he had something better, what he was trying to convey is he was thinking about her, but it had just come out awkward. “Are you okay?” He quickly tried to cover his tracks.
“I am feeling much better,” Daigotsu said with a nod.
“You look fine. You look a lot better than…” Kyuzo eyed Kitsuki who was much paler than usual and ragged looking. Maybe he was now ill from whatever Daigotsu had.
“You look like you spent a night in the Shadowlands,” Shiba bluntly put it.
“Maybe you can explain in a little more detail what happened to her last night, Kitsuki-san?” Kyuzo didn’t want to bother with Daigotsu’s short and shielded explanations. Kitsuki on the other hand had no problem over indulging in explanation. Kitsuki inhaled deeply and blew it out as if the thought exhausted him. He shook his head and refused to speak. Whatever it was they could talk about this after things were taken care of, they had much on their plate and not as much time to complete it all.
“First of all,” Kyuzo began getting down to business, “Collect some people to gather your stuff and bring it here. There’s no point in you living in tents.”
“I must have missed something,” Daigotsu tilted her head.
That’s right, she wasn’t at dinner and so she probably had no idea they had all become diplomats for their clans. Or that they were going to move in together. Or that they now were running the town.
“I‘m going to be this…” Kyuzo didn’t want to start there, that made him seem like he was lording over everyone with yet another title that had been placed on him. “We‘re going to set up this…” No, not a good place either. How did Otomo explain it? “This area we’re in right now is going to be… a Spider borderland. And that’s my job.”
“What does that have to do with the mayor’s house?” Daigotsu was right, he really hadn’t explained the situation well with that. He was floundering. Kyuzo had so much on his mind he didn’t even know how to get it all out in a coherent way.
“Setting it up is my job, I mean. That’s why you and all of us were invited to dinner because we’re all expected to be here and manage this.”
“We’ve all been assigned by our respective clans as dignitaries of this new outpost.” Kitsuki explained everything in one sentence. Kyuzo nodded in agreement, that’s what he was trying to get at. He had a long way to go if he was going to be leading not only the group, but an entire town, and being a diplomat interacting with the Spider clan.
“Needless to say,” Kitsuki continued, “These positions will present some bizarre challenges.” He looked even more haggard than when he first showed up. “This, I suppose, is something we’re getting rather used to…”
“Alright. Would anyone like to hold any job in particular? It’s up to me to assign positions and I would appreciate your input. I barely know you and can’t claim to know where you’d excel yet.” This was one of those things he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to consider. Since last night’s dinner, and this morning’s interruption, he had been thrust into running things without any information. He didn’t even know what the town produced, if anything. Or how many lived here. This was a nightmare he wasn’t trained to handle.
“The women!” Matsu exclaimed. Kyuzo stared at her. He wasn’t even sure if that was a real answer from Matsu or if she was just joking. What kind of position would that be anyways?
“Could you be more specific?”
“Captain of the guard,” Shiba said loud and clear. Kyuzo wasn’t certain if he’d ever heard her say a sentence without stuttering, let alone so definitive.
“Yeah,” It made sense to Kyuzo to put the Lion in charge of defenses and training personnel. “Yeah, Matsu, you should fit nicely as Captain of the guard.”
“I would do well with bookkeeping,” Kitsuki offered.
“Done.”
“I could be in charge of commerce,” Daigotsu suggested, “Food, trading, the like.”
Kyuzo didn’t want to outright tell Daigotsu no. He had allowed both Matsu and Kitsuki to pick jobs they wanted and to deny Daigotsu, a Spider, equal chance at position might cause discontent before they even got started. He imagined what trading would be like under the charge of a Spider. The image that came to mind was one quite violent and destructive.
“We don’t want to be eating people,” Shiba responded. Kyuzo could see she was in an ornery mood this morning. Though he was glad she said it and he didn’t have to go into detail about why he didn’t think Daigotsu would be ideal for that job. Daigotsu shrugged; apparently she didn’t take it as insulting as it clearly was meant to be.
“Kitsuki, could you also handle the trade agreements and finances?”
Kitsuki nodded, “Easily enough. I will handle the affairs of the public.”
“I may not speak with the kami, but I could coordinate religion.” It was Daigotsu again, this idea seeming even worse than her previous one. He didn’t know what code the Spider followed, but he was certain Bushido wasn’t it. They worshipped Fu Leng and Jigoku, and having a whole town fall under the taint wasn’t the way Kyuzo wanted to be remembered.
“Daigotsu,” Kyuzo began carefully choosing his words, “You will be in charge of all the things that require a Spider to be in charge of at the Spider gate on the Spider boarder. Is that acceptable?”
“I will live up to every expectation.” Kyuzo wasn’t sure if she realized he had edged her out of a direct position, and he also wasn’t sure what expectations she planned to be meeting, however, she seemed pleased enough to be given a task, even if it wasn’t clear on what that task may be.
“Now, we just have to figure out who will be constructing for our needs.”
“Asahina-san,” Daigotsu sure was talkative today, “In lieu of the Crab, who are by far the most renowned engineers, I could step in. The Spider are quite resourceful.”
He didn’t see a problem with that. There wasn’t much Daigotsu could pervert in overseeing the building of walls and houses. “You could oversee that but don’t forget your primary duties.”
Daigotsu nodded. “Kitsuki-san,” she leaned towards the Dragon, “We will be together quite often with me as head of construction and you in charge of the paperwork.” Maybe Kyuzo wasn’t wrong about the two of them. Daigotsu hadn’t made a comment to anyone else about how they would all be sharing a roof and be together often. No, she singled out Kitsuki.
Kitsuki gave a small smile and nodded. “Very well. Might I suggest you also take charge of scouting and border surveillance?”
“Isn’t that something under the Captain of the guard? I wouldn’t mind taking that position if it would please you, Asahina-san?”
“Oh no, no. That’s Matsu’s job.” Kyuzo was quick to snuff that out. That was also something he didn’t need, almost as bad as Daigotsu in charge of religion creating a tainted village. Or trade, resulting in what he imagined pillaging the neighboring countryside. He was not about to give her reign over their soldiers where she would have them slaughter each other, or innocents. The Spider were well known for their unrelenting aggression, killing all who stood in their way.
“How would I fit into all of this?” Shiba asked pointedly. Kyuzo hadn’t forgotten about her, the Shiba were the best yojimbo in the Empire and having one in their presence was a blessing from the Fortunes.
“You will be the High Guard, Shiba-san. You will watch over us while we watch over the rest.” Shiba nodded with little emotion.
Kyuzo looked around the group, mentally going over the list in his head on what he believed a town needed. Matsu would be the tactician. Shiba, the loyal yojimbo protecting all. Kitsuki will handle all the public affairs where a strong speaker would be ideal. And Daigotsu… well, she would handle the odd and end jobs that would keep her out of trouble and didn’t require her to be punctual. She was late to the lunch yesterday and didn’t even show for dinner. Now looking at her she didn’t seem the slightest bit ill, but Kitsuki on the other hand…
“Why are you so ragged, Kitsuki-san?”
“I… didn’t sleep well,” Kitsuki slowly put the words together. That wasn’t like Kitsuki at all. On top of that Kitsuki also wasn’t the type to keep answers secreted away. He shared some unpleasant information yesterday at lunch; a little clarification on why he wasn’t functioning to his fullest wasn’t any more personal than that. Kyuzo eyed the ragged Dragon, something wasn’t right here.
“You really do look terrible,” Shiba again bluntly pointed out.
“You should get some rest, Kitsuki-san,” Daigotsu suggested. “I have a feeling you may need it later.”
Kitsuki just turned and slowly made his way back to where the remaining tents were camped. Daigotsu followed. Matsu and Shiba also headed out to collect their personal belongings, leaving Kyuzo alone to… do what? He had to speak with the mayor, or the previous mayor, figure out the current workings of the town and what he could do to improve them. Otomo-dono had said he expected to see an increase in the town’s size and production, in order to do that he had to know what they were even producing.
As if Kyuzo could manifest his thoughts into reality, the mayor came to call on him producing several pages of inventory, records, and missives, including a list of those inbound to the town. A group of Kaiu, the best engineers of the Empire, was going to be here in a matter of days to build the gate. Emerald Magistrates were also making there way to the city. Good, that covered construction and law enforcement. Volunteers from the Scorpion, Spider, and a large group of Lion totaling 100 samurai would take longer to arrive, but were at his disposal to man the gate once it was built.
The primary source of trade and income was rice, along with the sake brewery and a small silk dying operation. During the spring and summer the town also produced their own silk from the silkworms that hung on the cherry trees. Overall, the town was well suited to grow exponentially, no wonder this one had been picked to be the border town for the Spider.
Kyuzo made sure to inquire on the usual happenings of the town. Number of citizens. Frequency of visitors. He wanted to know exactly what he had to work with and didn’t want any surprises if he could manage it.
After the long conversation with the mayor, it was rounding to lunch. The rest of the group had been moving around the house, marking out their rooms or other areas needed. Kitsuki was having some servants move around walls to create an office separate from his bedroom, in fact on the other side of the house from his. Matsu staked claim to the front most corner room, closest to the entrance and receiving room. Daigotsu pushed around some walls choosing a room adjoining Kitsuki’s, placing her in the back most corner of the house. Shiba set up near the kitchen, isolating herself from the rest of her living companions. Kyuzo had chosen to put a room between the courtyard and the back entrance, giving him access to both the front and back of the house if he desired it, without having much in the way of floorboards to cross.
Kitsuki was his closest neighbor, and on the other side was the office Kitsuki had put together. The fact that Daigotsu chose to make a room closer to Kitsuki than Kyuzo, or anyone else for that matter, or by herself like Shiba had done, only made him more suspicious of a secret relationship between the two of them. It was a silly thought when he considered who Daigotsu was.
Daigotsu was always exhibiting odd phrasing and strange behavior, all the little eccentricities he had been noticing over the last two days may just be Daigotsu being Daigotsu. After all, she had given him just cause to believe she was interested in him. She forced a gift on him, not that he was complaining, and simply the area in which it was placed was rather personal. She had also accompanied him for a tea ceremony that he performed for just the two of them, and although he was distracted by her unsettling mismatched eyes, and she had grimaced when drinking the tea, she had conducted herself with a calmness he previously didn’t believe she was capable of. He also saw her face for the first time and was surprised by how normal she looked under her mask. Then there was the eye patch she had worn to lunch to cover her blue eye, proving she had some sense of what polite company entailed. Yeah, the behavior she exhibited towards Kitsuki was probably just another oddity that Kyuzo didn’t understand about the Spider clan.
Having delegated the day’s tasks out to others, Kyuzo found himself with a few hours of free time. He had been working on a cherry tree painting, and decided that now was as good of time as any to spend his time adding to it. He enjoyed painting. It was a skill that took not only a keen eye, but a sharp mind able to separate the complexities of your model and piece it back together with a brush. Standing for hours and the careful strokes needed added to the physical skill required to paint as well. Painting also helped him remove unnecessary thoughts from his mind. You had to devote your full attention to what your hand was portraying from your mind, leaving all the unanswered questions and uncertainty that could cloud your thoughts with no room to exist.
“Good afternoon, Asahina-sama,” Kitsuki’s voice called from behind him. Kyuzo had left open his door since the weather was beautiful and he had no need to shut out the world while he painted. Kyuzo turned to find Kitsuki standing in the doorway, Daigotsu slouching behind him.
“Afternoon,” Kyuzo responded.
“I apologize for interrupting your painting and will make this quick,” Kitsuki began. “We went for a walk about the town and noticed that the Unicorn and Scorpion clans were still around in some numbers.”
There was that suspicion again. Here they were together, and they walked around the town together. Daigotsu sure was dedicating a lot of time to spend with Kitsuki.
“I overheard the Unicorn talking and there was potential planning to keep some men behind. Armed. And they didn’t seem to have a purpose they were forthcoming with. I wasn’t under the impression that they were welcomed in that capacity. The Scorpion seem to have the intent to offer scouts for our use before reinforcements arrive.”
Kyuzo ran it over in his mind. It wouldn’t be terrible to have extra trained men and women sticking around, but he also didn’t want one clan attempting to make a power play in his newly inherited town. “I wouldn’t say they’re unwelcome as far as this being a joint function border gate. However it is very early to be considering amassing forces here and it seems they’re not afraid they’re stepping over boundries.”
“Since they haven’t been invited to stay, we should certainly be cautious of their motives. Perhaps we could tactfully request some to stay, but convince them to lessen their numbers?”
“I’ll have to speak with the Captain of the Guard about this, but I will keep your advice in mind.” Day one and there seemed to already be trouble brewing.
“Very well,” Kitsuki bowed and headed towards the study.
“Kitsuki-san,” Daigotsu touched Kitsuki’s arm before he left. “Are you going to be staying in the house for the remainder of the afternoon?”
There she went with that touching again.
“Most likely, yes.”
“I will take my leave then.” Kitsuki nodded in response and continued on his way to the study leaving Daigotsu behind who was now looking at Kyuzo.
“Asahina-san,” There was something about the tone she used that gave Kyuzo the feeling she was up to no good. “I noticed you had a bow the other day,” Daigotsu paused. Had that been a question? It didn’t sound like a question to Kyuzo, but she was standing there silent either unable to finish her thought or waiting for a response.
“Yes?” Kyuzo said filling the silence.
“Could I borrow it?”
Kyuzo blinked at Daigotsu. “That’s mighty forward of you, as to be expected. But I have to ask you why you would want to use something of mine?”
“I do not own one.” Yes, short cryptic answers, the Daigotsu way of speaking.
“I suppose you want to use my arrows as well?” Kyuzo said slightly annoyed.
“Yes. But if you would rather me spend the time to find a fletcher in the town, I suppose I could dedicate the rest of my afternoon to that.”
“If that’s the case, you could also find a bow.” Kyuzo wasn’t certain what she wanted with it, but handing over his weapon to anyone wasn’t something he was apt to do.
Daigotsu shrugged, “That works for me.” She turned towards the front door, obviously done with this conversation.
“Wait,” Kyuzo called. He didn‘t want her to take offense to what he had said, and strangely he didn‘t really want her to leave yet either. Daigotsu half-pivoted so she was looking over her shoulder at Kyuzo not showing him the front of her body which indicated she wasn’t giving him her full attention. Then again, she leaned and slouched and often didn’t look at people when talking, maybe this was another of those Daigotsu oddities. “It’s just that I don’t know what your intentions are, so I can’t say yes.”
“I was going to try to shoot it.”
“So, you were going to practice with it?”
“Yes, I have only seen it used and I think it’s about time I mastered it myself.”
“If that’s the case I can teach you and I have no qualms with you using my bow.” Kyuzo smiled, “Just let me clean this up first.” He quickly put away his painting materials while Daigotsu waited in the courtyard. Kyuzo grabbed his bow and joined her. “Do you know where there’s a target area around here?”
“I know where to go. Just follow me.”
Kyuzo followed Daigotsu as they made their way west out of town. Kyuzo found it a little odd that they were going outside of town to find targets, but Daigotsu had said she knew where to go, so he followed. Once they descended the hill, they turned south towards the woods. Perhaps there wasn’t a place in town to shoot so Daigotsu was going to use trees as target practice. It was hell on the arrows, but it was still suitable as long as they found some nice young growth, ones under twenty years. When they entered the small cropping of trees Daigotsu slowed down peering around. She was still moving forward but appeared to be looking for something. Yep, it must be young trees, Kyuzo determined.
It wasn’t until he heard a rustling coming from somewhere beyond them that he remembered the way Daigotsu had said his name at the beginning of the conversation. That way that made you believe someone was up to trouble. Daigotsu took another careful step and waved Kyuzo over towards her. He wasn’t sure what they were going to find, but apparently Daigotsu wanted to show him. Kyuzo tried to be as quiet as Daigotsu had been, but he seemed to lack the lightness in step that Daigotsu exhibited. Another interesting thing to learn about Daigotsu, she walks through the woods delicately. Kyuzo scanned the area and laid eyes upon the thing that was rustling ahead of them. There stood a decent-sized boar, foraging for food or whatever it was that boars did when pushing their nose into the ground.
“Right there,” Daigotsu spoke softly, “We’ll use that.”
“So, you want to kill this for sport?” Kyuzo wasn’t sure what to really do. Daigotsu had said she wanted to learn to shoot a bow, and now they stood maybe fifteen yards from a boar which she was telling him to use to teach her to shoot.
“Not sport. You wouldn’t just leave it there once we kill it, would you?”
Kyuzo exhaled heavily and contemplated the situation. He wasn‘t worried about the boar‘s life, he just didn‘t understand the need to find an animal that moves to loose Daigotsu‘s first arrows at. A disturbing thought came to him that perhaps the Spider use this tactic to learn any weapon. They did live in the Shadowlands where goblins and oni and other terrifying things he was told as a kid lived. Maybe it was a do or die feat, find something that could kill you and kill it first. “Is this some sort of trophy in your lands?”
“Oh no, we only keep trophies from intelligent creatures.” Just when Kyuzo thought the things Daigotsu said couldn’t get any more strange, she crossed the line into the bizarre. He didn’t even want to know what these intelligent creatures were that she was referring to.
The air filled with a deep squeal. “Shoot it!” Katsumi yelled as she stepped out and aimed her bisento.
How was he going to do that? He hadn’t even strung the bow yet thinking they would have had plenty of time for him to show her how to do the basics before actually shooting. The pig charged. Kyuzo dropped his bow and brought his hand to the handle of his katana. Daigotsu took two steps forward, meeting the beast before it was able to use its momentum to gore her. She plunged the blade of her polearm into the shoulder of the pig, angled towards its heart. She successfully knocked it sideways as it stumbled and swept its tusks towards her. Kyuzo took a step and sliced the neck of the boar with his katana. It wasn’t going to take much to finish the pig off as it was losing significant amounts of blood from Daigotsu’s wound on the other side of its neck. The pig shuddered and moved forward and backwards as its body began to shut down. Finally it fell to the dirt. Kyuzo sighed and flicked his blade in attempts to clean it before sheathing it.
“Wasn’t that fun?” Daigotsu exclaimed as she began tying the boar up.
Kyuzo just pressed his lips. On one hand he had just been tricked into hunting a pig and he felt a little betrayed by that. On the other, he had just helped Daigotsu kill a dangerous beast that weighed at least as much as the two of them put together, which she probably could have handled on her own, and that was slightly arousing. Not that Kyuzo thought killing things was erotic, but Daigotsu was obviously a capable woman and this was one of those things that quietly swept her flaws under the rug of reasoning.
“So… Yeah. You have blood on you.” Kyuzo rubbed his neck while he watched her tie the pig up.
“It’ll come out,” Daigotsu assured him. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard her say “Mmmm” before she actually spoke.
“I don’t know… I thought you wanted to… We were just…” Kyuzo felt like she had played him for a fool enlisting in his help. But he saw what she did to the pig before it had even attempted to gore her, she didn’t need him around if she just wanted to hunt.
“We could find some birds,” Daigotsu suggested.
“Daigotsu,” Kyuzo waited until she was looking at him before he continued, “This isn’t my idea of target practice. I would rather something less messy that won’t overfill our storeroom.”
“Oh.” Daigotsu said it the same way she had when Matsu made it clear she wanted to bed Daigotsu, sudden understanding. As if it hadn’t ever occurred to her before that this wasn’t fun for everyone. She walked over to a sapling and broke it, using a knife to cut the green base that wouldn’t tear; quickly she trimmed off the branches and slid it through the ropes binding the boar, hoisting it onto her back. Kyuzo was trying very hard not to notice the blood that was trickling out of the pig’s gaping wounds onto Daigotsu.
“What else would you shoot at? Inanimate objects don’t move. Anyone can hit that.” They had started back towards the town, Daigotsu leading the way so he couldn’t see her when she asked, but she sounded genuinely curious.
“No, no, I disagree. It’s a very centering balancing act about enhancing your Bushido.” They walked in silence until they cleared the forest, Kyuzo taking a position beside Daigotsu so he could talk to her instead of the corpse of the pig.
“There are certain things in life that you won’t… that you just won’t be able to grasp having such innate skill in everything you do. See, most people would have to practice something to see the inner beauty of it. Perhaps you just see beauty in all things.”
Daigotsu was quiet for a while. It wasn’t that strange since she didn’t talk often, and even when she did her sentences were short and to the point. “Asahina-san,” her voice had lost some of the arrogance that it usually carried, “The next time you-if you ever do go practicing with me again, we’ll do it your way. I… think I might enjoy that.”
Kyuzo told himself he should stop being surprised by Daigotsu, but yet again he found himself at a loss of words on her sincerity. It was almost enough for him to forget she was about to carry a bloody carcass through the middle of town to their newly acquired house. Almost.
“Do you think you could wait here, Daigotsu? I’ll be right back.”
Before she could answer Kyuzo trotted off towards the Spider encampment. They weren’t hard to find, and even easier to convince to lend a sack and help do whatever it was they did to animals before preparing it for food. Kyuzo wasn’t dense, he was aware there was a lot involved in butchering an animal. He knew a thing or two about medicine and the way the human body worked, an animal’s wouldn’t be as complicated, but it was bound to have some of the same organs. When they returned Daigotsu seemed to already have started on disemboweling it. She was covered in blood. Kyuzo sighed again.
“Oh, nice catch! Who killed it?” One of the Spiders asked.
“Asahina-san delivered the final blow,” boasted Daigotsu.
The Spider slapped Kyuzo on the back. He should have expected all Spider to be so physical like Daigotsu was, but he wasn’t prepared to be touched by the others.
“Nice job,” the Spider said. Kyuzo just pressed his lips not wanting to respond.
“It’s a good kill. Are you going to eat some of it with us?” The other Spider was inspecting the corpse and was the one that asked.
“Hmmm,” was all Kyuzo could manage with his mouth closed and lips pressed tight. If he shared his true feelings on the matter, he was surely going to send his gate town into unneeded turmoil with the Spider clan. “To be fair, I would call it self defense.”
“It usually is with boars,” The one next to him commented. “Is it your first boar kill?”
“Yes.”
“It’s okay, it gets better from here.”
“No,” the other one piped up again, “Your first kill is always the best.”
“Let’s get this going,” Daigotsu urged.
“We get some of this for helping you transport, right?”
Kyuzo didn’t give Daigotsu a chance to argue, “Absolutely.”
It seemed to make the Spider happy; the task took no time at all to complete. Daigotsu and the Spiders negotiated for parts and who would be butchering the animal. Finally the Spider took off towards their camp with the carcass, leaving a bloodied Daigotsu for Kyuzo to accompany through town. He began to wonder why he didn’t leave once he had delivered helpers to Daigotsu. Watching them touch all that dead flesh, it gave Kyuzo an intense desire for tofu and to never, ever look at a pig again. He wanted to put this whole encounter out of his mind, a task made more difficult with Daigotsu sharing a house with him, covered in the boar’s blood, walking with him through town.
Kitsuki was right, Kyuzo thought. He had said earlier today that these positions were going to create some bizarre challenges. Kyuzo was now starting to think that that was an understatement.
***
Anjin rubbed his eyes and sighed.
The sun was about to go down, and after last night he wasn’t looking
forward to the upcoming sunset. Daigotsu was going to be here soon, at
least he hoped. She seemed rather concerned about keeping herself
supervised and had taken precautions last night by showing up at his
tent with rope and requested he tie her up. Anjin didn’t doubt she would
do the same tonight, but tonight he was better prepared for whatever
sort of insanity was going to possess Daigotsu. She had almost escaped
last night, thank the Celestial Heavens he had someone run and fetch her
brother, Yanagi, who was obviously aware of her condition. They had
subdued her with a tonic which her sister, Negisa had claimed would keep
her sleeping for eight hours or so. Even so, Anjin hadn’t gotten much
sleep, too concerned Daigotsu would somehow break her bonds with some
superhuman strength and… Who knew? The possibilities were endless.
Yanagi had told him sometimes she became violent, which did nothing to
calm Anjin’s nerves and only strengthened his resolve to prevent
Daigotsu from doing anything of which he couldn’t handle himself.
Daigotsu and he had a long conversation this morning about her unique situation. Anjin had never heard of such a thing, but that just went to show how much he still didn’t know. There were only so many scrolls and books one could read in a lifetime, and he wasn’t even halfway through his. It wasn’t surprising he didn’t hold all the knowledge or all the answers to life. Unfortunately, because of this, and the secret nature of her madness, Anjin was at a disadvantage when it came to exuding control. He was a cripple, after all, and Daigotsu a warrior. His rope tying skills were laughable, and he wouldn’t ever be able to repeat the same move Yanagi had preformed last night before he had tied Daigotsu up again. So today he had procured a few questionable items that should prove more effective than simple rope.
Anjin wondered how long this would all stay quiet. The other members of their house already suspected something, with their comments and questions this morning. They may have had good intentions when inquiring why he was so worn looking, but the way Daigotsu reacted gave him cause to keep things just between the two of them. Granted, she hadn’t lashed out or threatened him verbally, but the action of her hand tightening its grip on her bisento was enough of a giveaway to Anjin. He had seen it before when he was certain she was going to attack Shiba, on the first day they had met in that cloudy dream of a world. And that day she almost had.
It was funny, in a way. Here Daigotsu was sworn to protect him, and he found her suitable in that manner during her waking hours, at least the ones before nightfall on most days, but three nights a month, when the full moon filled the sky, he wondered if she would be the one to end him. Eventually he would bring Shiba in on the matter, if it came down to that. Until then he figured he’d watch and learn what he could, perhaps in an attempt to help her control whatever it was that brought her to that dreadful state of mind. All he knew at the moment was that there was the poison Negisa had made, one dose of it resting safely inside a tea set the Spider had bestowed to him, one in his robe to use tonight. It had indeed kept her out for eight hours, as Negisa had said, and should prove to do the same tonight and tomorrow.
The wall between his room and Daigotsu’s slid open without even a knock. Daigotsu was sitting there in her full dress kimono, just like last night, with a band of rope in her hands.
“Hello Kitsuki-san, are you ready to tie me up?” Daigotsu held the rope out to Anjin.
“Actually,” Anjin didn’t want to tie her up again. That went miserably the last time. “I have managed to get my hands on some acupressure manacles. They should keep you better restrained though you will be forced to be less comfortable.”
Daigotsu shrugged, “As long as it prevents harm, I have no objections.”
That went easier than expected. Originally Anjin thought he would have to press point after point on why it was a better choice. Given his condition, he needed every little extra bit he could use to control hers.
“I was wondering…” He had to word this very carefully so not to come across as offensive, “if it would be okay for me to… observe the first stages? To see if I can figure out how this madness takes you.”
“Um… Okay.” Daigotsu didn’t seem certain. Maybe he had made her uncomfortable. He genuinely was curious on the way she changed so drastically, and although there was a slight perverse fascination to seeing it all unfold, the majority of his reasoning was purely educational.
“I meant before I gave you your sleepy time.”
“Oh, no. I’m not drinking that.” Daigotsu shook her head but offered her wrists to Anjin so he could start binding her.
“Why not? Wouldn’t it be the safest course?”
“For someone else, maybe. Look, I’m already volunteering myself to be at least half as mobile as I normally would be. I take precautions where I can by separating myself from weapons and people, and keeping myself under watch. I’m not going to submit to rendering myself unconscious if I have a choice in the matter.”
“You realize that this is as much for your benefit as it is for anyone else, the consequences of these actions… nobody would care if it was in a fit of madness.”
Daigotsu gave Anjin a cold stare. Okay, he received the message loud and clear. She wasn’t going to budge on this matter. Earlier this morning she had said her affliction had been part of her life since the first day she could remember. If no one, including her family, has managed to persuade her in however many years that was, he wasn’t going to accomplish it in one night. Maybe, over the course of their time together, he could plant the idea that it is a sound choice. For now he would just have to administer the poison secretly after the moonrise. She doesn’t recall anything from those nights already, it wouldn’t hurt if he managed the tonic that way so it would be one less thing she remembered.
“You can watch me, though I expect it to be uneventful, and I will drink the tonic after the moon rises. In case I don’t succumb tonight.”
Daigotsu had him at a disadvantage there. He wanted to see how the events would unfold, and she had a point, she had said it didn’t always happen on the full moon, sometimes nothing happened at all, but he also knew she was impossible to reason with from his experience last night and didn’t want to wait until there was no logic left in her mind. He began tying her ankles together and nodded.
“That’s acceptable.”
Once her ankles were bound, he looped the rope through the metal clip at the bottom of the cuffs and knotted her feet and hands close together. Then he sat back and waited. It proved to be awkward at first, Daigotsu just staring at him while he watched her. They sat in silence. Anjin considered starting a conversation, but words failed him relating to anything but what was to come. The curiosity of what sort of person Daigotsu would be tonight was overwhelming. Hoping within himself he would get to see something as out of character as last night, but also praying she would be easier than last night as well. Last night was the most he had heard Daigotsu ever speak. He could add up every word since he met her, granted it was only three days ago now, and compare it to the amount she spoke when he found her in his tent with his possessions amassed in one pile and last night would easily outweigh it all. The silence stretched on as the sky darkened outside; surely the moon had risen by now.
Daigotsu began smacking her lips, “I am parched.”
“Would you like some water? I-”
“Water is for infants and tea. I’d kill for something stronger. If I’m going to have to sit here all night the least you could do is offer me a proper drink.”
The wheels began turning in Anjin’s head. It was possible this was what her madness had brought on tonight. It was also possible this was just Daigotsu being annoyed at him for suggesting the tonic earlier. He hadn’t really spoken to her behind closed doors, for obvious reasons being that he was a man and she was a woman, so perhaps she was just this candid when alone.
“I think I know just the thing.”
Anjin went to the kitchen sure there would be alcohol of some sort stored there. It didn’t take him long to find the shochu, the strongest alcohol Rokugan made. Quickly he made his way back to his room, not wanting to leave Daigotsu there for too long in case this was some clever ploy. At the thought he hurried his step, he hadn’t even considered she was just trying to get him to leave. Though the cuffs should prove to be more challenging than just ropes, he didn’t want to find that she had slipped them and ran out into the night. Daigotsu was still there when he returned; in fact it didn’t look like she had made any effort to free herself. Again he doubted the moon had affected her in any way. He held out the bottle to her and Daigotsu just looked at him blankly.
“It appears that I cannot drink by my own accord. How about we free up one wrist and we share a drink?”
That was all Anjin needed to hear to reinforce his decision to definitely not unshackle her. Daigotsu had already proven she wouldn’t ask to be freed if she was in a sane frame of mind from her voluntary binding. That meant this was one of different madnesses Yanagi had mentioned. It seemed harmless so far, but Anjin was cautious to trust what Daigotsu appeared to be.
“I’m not going to do that. Here.”
He opened the bottle and brought it to her lips. Daigotsu titled and Anjin kept it pressed to her mouth. She gulped, and gulped, and tilted her head back further. Anjin was afraid he might drown her, but she kept swallowing without pulling away or showing any signs of stopping. The last of the shochu poured out of the bottle in her last mouthful, she had drunk it entirely dry all in a matter of seconds.
“Ah,” Daigotsu commented, refreshed. “Thank you, but are you sure that was even shochu? I’m feeling as clear as a summer’s day.” She looked it too.
“I’ll… go get some more.” Anjin was perplexed. He doubted even the hardiest of Crabs could finish a complete bottle of shochu in under a minute and still manage to put a sentence together. Daigotsu was far from the average Crab. She was thin framed and young and it was amazing the way she looked at Anjin without even a slur or stumble and asked for more.
Once again he left her in the joined room, eyeing her carefully before sliding the door closed behind him. In the kitchen he pulled out the vial of poison he had tried to convince Daigotsu to drink earlier, mixing it in with the drink. He also brought back two bottles, just in case she showed the same unnatural stamina towards the tonic as she had with the shochu. He might have to keep her busy until it kicked in. He slid open the door and brought in the two bottles, careful to keep track of which one had the additive.
“It would be easier if you just untie me. I could get my own drink and you wouldn’t have to stagger about, making me wait. I also wouldn’t have to worry about you spilling all over me. A real man should be able to hold his own drink.”
“I might do that when you’re a bit more manageable.” And by that Anjin meant no longer awake. “I’m worried about this being a trick.”
The night before when Yanagi had shown him how to knot Daigotsu’s feet together, he had told Anjin to ignore anything she said once the sun set. It had been good advice considering the result of her breaking free last night; she had desperately been trying to convince Anjin to untie her then as well. Granted, she seemed completely out of sorts last night and tonight she was only a bit more brusque than usual. That and apparently able to consume massive amounts of drink without it phasing her.
“What’s there to trick? I’m only asking to drink freely.”
“I don’t know, Daigotsu. You were fairly sneaky last night, or at least tried to be.”
“Last night was different. Tonight I feel fine.” Daigotsu shook her head indicating for Anjin to come closer. “Get your slow self over here and give me another drink.”
Anjin brought the spiked bottle to Daigotsu. She repeated the same amazing feat as the first, downing the thing in one long drink. He took a step back and watched her, wondering if mixing the fluid would somehow render it ineffective. Daigotsu wiped her mouth on her shoulder and swung her head back towards Anjin leaning in her seat; that was a good sign, she was starting to look tipsy. She blinked very slowly and wobbled. Either the shochu was getting to her or the tonic worked just as effectively as it had last time.
“Hm…” Daigotsu’s licked her lips slowly and eyed Anjin. “Th-ha…one…” Her eyes began to close and her speech was slow and thick. “Tiss-tid… fffun…ny.” She tilted forward and to her right, toppling over onto her face.
Anjin waited. He wasn’t sure how to check to make sure she wasn’t faking. After she had drank the tonic the previous night, Negisa, Daigotsu’s sister, had yanked on Daigotsu’s arms in an excruciating fashion to test for a reaction. Anjin didn’t have the strength or the desire to bring harm to Daigotsu. He watched her slow and steady breathing, noting she hadn’t moved from the uncomfortable looking position she had landed in. He probably watched for fifteen minutes, just waiting to see if she would spring back up. Carefully he approached, Daigotsu still didn’t stir. He pushed her to her side so he could get at her bindings easier. Again, Daigotsu didn’t move. Convinced she was really disabled Anjin untied Daigotsu’s hands from her feet and dismantled the acupressure manacles. He unbound her feet and grabbed her blanket, covering Daigotsu up before sliding their joint door back closed.
Anjin sat in his room contemplating the strange events that had brought them all together and kept them so. Even before he met Daigotsu in the shadow world, he had agreed to accept the Spider’s assistance and was going to be presented with a body guard, Daigotsu had been chosen for that though he didn’t know it at the time. Fate was bringing them together, even without the strange circumstances where he met the rest of the group. Now they all sat in the same house, assigned to the same task, fate was keeping the group together.
He thought on what the future may hold and how fortunate he was to have found a place he belonged. It had been a very long time since others exhibited faith in his abilities, usually believing him to be weak due to his physical appearance. But not these people and especially not Daigotsu. She had said to him that three nights a month her life was in his hands. That was a large amount of trust granted only two days after meeting. Yanagi obviously trusted Anjin could handle the situation since he was aware of Daigotsu’s special circumstances and still assigned her to him and him to her. Now he was elevated to a position where he would constantly be in the public eye by Asahina, and not one of the group had shown reservations because of his disability. Yes, he was very fortunate to have these people.
Daigotsu and he had a long conversation this morning about her unique situation. Anjin had never heard of such a thing, but that just went to show how much he still didn’t know. There were only so many scrolls and books one could read in a lifetime, and he wasn’t even halfway through his. It wasn’t surprising he didn’t hold all the knowledge or all the answers to life. Unfortunately, because of this, and the secret nature of her madness, Anjin was at a disadvantage when it came to exuding control. He was a cripple, after all, and Daigotsu a warrior. His rope tying skills were laughable, and he wouldn’t ever be able to repeat the same move Yanagi had preformed last night before he had tied Daigotsu up again. So today he had procured a few questionable items that should prove more effective than simple rope.
Anjin wondered how long this would all stay quiet. The other members of their house already suspected something, with their comments and questions this morning. They may have had good intentions when inquiring why he was so worn looking, but the way Daigotsu reacted gave him cause to keep things just between the two of them. Granted, she hadn’t lashed out or threatened him verbally, but the action of her hand tightening its grip on her bisento was enough of a giveaway to Anjin. He had seen it before when he was certain she was going to attack Shiba, on the first day they had met in that cloudy dream of a world. And that day she almost had.
It was funny, in a way. Here Daigotsu was sworn to protect him, and he found her suitable in that manner during her waking hours, at least the ones before nightfall on most days, but three nights a month, when the full moon filled the sky, he wondered if she would be the one to end him. Eventually he would bring Shiba in on the matter, if it came down to that. Until then he figured he’d watch and learn what he could, perhaps in an attempt to help her control whatever it was that brought her to that dreadful state of mind. All he knew at the moment was that there was the poison Negisa had made, one dose of it resting safely inside a tea set the Spider had bestowed to him, one in his robe to use tonight. It had indeed kept her out for eight hours, as Negisa had said, and should prove to do the same tonight and tomorrow.
The wall between his room and Daigotsu’s slid open without even a knock. Daigotsu was sitting there in her full dress kimono, just like last night, with a band of rope in her hands.
“Hello Kitsuki-san, are you ready to tie me up?” Daigotsu held the rope out to Anjin.
“Actually,” Anjin didn’t want to tie her up again. That went miserably the last time. “I have managed to get my hands on some acupressure manacles. They should keep you better restrained though you will be forced to be less comfortable.”
Daigotsu shrugged, “As long as it prevents harm, I have no objections.”
That went easier than expected. Originally Anjin thought he would have to press point after point on why it was a better choice. Given his condition, he needed every little extra bit he could use to control hers.
“I was wondering…” He had to word this very carefully so not to come across as offensive, “if it would be okay for me to… observe the first stages? To see if I can figure out how this madness takes you.”
“Um… Okay.” Daigotsu didn’t seem certain. Maybe he had made her uncomfortable. He genuinely was curious on the way she changed so drastically, and although there was a slight perverse fascination to seeing it all unfold, the majority of his reasoning was purely educational.
“I meant before I gave you your sleepy time.”
“Oh, no. I’m not drinking that.” Daigotsu shook her head but offered her wrists to Anjin so he could start binding her.
“Why not? Wouldn’t it be the safest course?”
“For someone else, maybe. Look, I’m already volunteering myself to be at least half as mobile as I normally would be. I take precautions where I can by separating myself from weapons and people, and keeping myself under watch. I’m not going to submit to rendering myself unconscious if I have a choice in the matter.”
“You realize that this is as much for your benefit as it is for anyone else, the consequences of these actions… nobody would care if it was in a fit of madness.”
Daigotsu gave Anjin a cold stare. Okay, he received the message loud and clear. She wasn’t going to budge on this matter. Earlier this morning she had said her affliction had been part of her life since the first day she could remember. If no one, including her family, has managed to persuade her in however many years that was, he wasn’t going to accomplish it in one night. Maybe, over the course of their time together, he could plant the idea that it is a sound choice. For now he would just have to administer the poison secretly after the moonrise. She doesn’t recall anything from those nights already, it wouldn’t hurt if he managed the tonic that way so it would be one less thing she remembered.
“You can watch me, though I expect it to be uneventful, and I will drink the tonic after the moon rises. In case I don’t succumb tonight.”
Daigotsu had him at a disadvantage there. He wanted to see how the events would unfold, and she had a point, she had said it didn’t always happen on the full moon, sometimes nothing happened at all, but he also knew she was impossible to reason with from his experience last night and didn’t want to wait until there was no logic left in her mind. He began tying her ankles together and nodded.
“That’s acceptable.”
Once her ankles were bound, he looped the rope through the metal clip at the bottom of the cuffs and knotted her feet and hands close together. Then he sat back and waited. It proved to be awkward at first, Daigotsu just staring at him while he watched her. They sat in silence. Anjin considered starting a conversation, but words failed him relating to anything but what was to come. The curiosity of what sort of person Daigotsu would be tonight was overwhelming. Hoping within himself he would get to see something as out of character as last night, but also praying she would be easier than last night as well. Last night was the most he had heard Daigotsu ever speak. He could add up every word since he met her, granted it was only three days ago now, and compare it to the amount she spoke when he found her in his tent with his possessions amassed in one pile and last night would easily outweigh it all. The silence stretched on as the sky darkened outside; surely the moon had risen by now.
Daigotsu began smacking her lips, “I am parched.”
“Would you like some water? I-”
“Water is for infants and tea. I’d kill for something stronger. If I’m going to have to sit here all night the least you could do is offer me a proper drink.”
The wheels began turning in Anjin’s head. It was possible this was what her madness had brought on tonight. It was also possible this was just Daigotsu being annoyed at him for suggesting the tonic earlier. He hadn’t really spoken to her behind closed doors, for obvious reasons being that he was a man and she was a woman, so perhaps she was just this candid when alone.
“I think I know just the thing.”
Anjin went to the kitchen sure there would be alcohol of some sort stored there. It didn’t take him long to find the shochu, the strongest alcohol Rokugan made. Quickly he made his way back to his room, not wanting to leave Daigotsu there for too long in case this was some clever ploy. At the thought he hurried his step, he hadn’t even considered she was just trying to get him to leave. Though the cuffs should prove to be more challenging than just ropes, he didn’t want to find that she had slipped them and ran out into the night. Daigotsu was still there when he returned; in fact it didn’t look like she had made any effort to free herself. Again he doubted the moon had affected her in any way. He held out the bottle to her and Daigotsu just looked at him blankly.
“It appears that I cannot drink by my own accord. How about we free up one wrist and we share a drink?”
That was all Anjin needed to hear to reinforce his decision to definitely not unshackle her. Daigotsu had already proven she wouldn’t ask to be freed if she was in a sane frame of mind from her voluntary binding. That meant this was one of different madnesses Yanagi had mentioned. It seemed harmless so far, but Anjin was cautious to trust what Daigotsu appeared to be.
“I’m not going to do that. Here.”
He opened the bottle and brought it to her lips. Daigotsu titled and Anjin kept it pressed to her mouth. She gulped, and gulped, and tilted her head back further. Anjin was afraid he might drown her, but she kept swallowing without pulling away or showing any signs of stopping. The last of the shochu poured out of the bottle in her last mouthful, she had drunk it entirely dry all in a matter of seconds.
“Ah,” Daigotsu commented, refreshed. “Thank you, but are you sure that was even shochu? I’m feeling as clear as a summer’s day.” She looked it too.
“I’ll… go get some more.” Anjin was perplexed. He doubted even the hardiest of Crabs could finish a complete bottle of shochu in under a minute and still manage to put a sentence together. Daigotsu was far from the average Crab. She was thin framed and young and it was amazing the way she looked at Anjin without even a slur or stumble and asked for more.
Once again he left her in the joined room, eyeing her carefully before sliding the door closed behind him. In the kitchen he pulled out the vial of poison he had tried to convince Daigotsu to drink earlier, mixing it in with the drink. He also brought back two bottles, just in case she showed the same unnatural stamina towards the tonic as she had with the shochu. He might have to keep her busy until it kicked in. He slid open the door and brought in the two bottles, careful to keep track of which one had the additive.
“It would be easier if you just untie me. I could get my own drink and you wouldn’t have to stagger about, making me wait. I also wouldn’t have to worry about you spilling all over me. A real man should be able to hold his own drink.”
“I might do that when you’re a bit more manageable.” And by that Anjin meant no longer awake. “I’m worried about this being a trick.”
The night before when Yanagi had shown him how to knot Daigotsu’s feet together, he had told Anjin to ignore anything she said once the sun set. It had been good advice considering the result of her breaking free last night; she had desperately been trying to convince Anjin to untie her then as well. Granted, she seemed completely out of sorts last night and tonight she was only a bit more brusque than usual. That and apparently able to consume massive amounts of drink without it phasing her.
“What’s there to trick? I’m only asking to drink freely.”
“I don’t know, Daigotsu. You were fairly sneaky last night, or at least tried to be.”
“Last night was different. Tonight I feel fine.” Daigotsu shook her head indicating for Anjin to come closer. “Get your slow self over here and give me another drink.”
Anjin brought the spiked bottle to Daigotsu. She repeated the same amazing feat as the first, downing the thing in one long drink. He took a step back and watched her, wondering if mixing the fluid would somehow render it ineffective. Daigotsu wiped her mouth on her shoulder and swung her head back towards Anjin leaning in her seat; that was a good sign, she was starting to look tipsy. She blinked very slowly and wobbled. Either the shochu was getting to her or the tonic worked just as effectively as it had last time.
“Hm…” Daigotsu’s licked her lips slowly and eyed Anjin. “Th-ha…one…” Her eyes began to close and her speech was slow and thick. “Tiss-tid… fffun…ny.” She tilted forward and to her right, toppling over onto her face.
Anjin waited. He wasn’t sure how to check to make sure she wasn’t faking. After she had drank the tonic the previous night, Negisa, Daigotsu’s sister, had yanked on Daigotsu’s arms in an excruciating fashion to test for a reaction. Anjin didn’t have the strength or the desire to bring harm to Daigotsu. He watched her slow and steady breathing, noting she hadn’t moved from the uncomfortable looking position she had landed in. He probably watched for fifteen minutes, just waiting to see if she would spring back up. Carefully he approached, Daigotsu still didn’t stir. He pushed her to her side so he could get at her bindings easier. Again, Daigotsu didn’t move. Convinced she was really disabled Anjin untied Daigotsu’s hands from her feet and dismantled the acupressure manacles. He unbound her feet and grabbed her blanket, covering Daigotsu up before sliding their joint door back closed.
Anjin sat in his room contemplating the strange events that had brought them all together and kept them so. Even before he met Daigotsu in the shadow world, he had agreed to accept the Spider’s assistance and was going to be presented with a body guard, Daigotsu had been chosen for that though he didn’t know it at the time. Fate was bringing them together, even without the strange circumstances where he met the rest of the group. Now they all sat in the same house, assigned to the same task, fate was keeping the group together.
He thought on what the future may hold and how fortunate he was to have found a place he belonged. It had been a very long time since others exhibited faith in his abilities, usually believing him to be weak due to his physical appearance. But not these people and especially not Daigotsu. She had said to him that three nights a month her life was in his hands. That was a large amount of trust granted only two days after meeting. Yanagi obviously trusted Anjin could handle the situation since he was aware of Daigotsu’s special circumstances and still assigned her to him and him to her. Now he was elevated to a position where he would constantly be in the public eye by Asahina, and not one of the group had shown reservations because of his disability. Yes, he was very fortunate to have these people.
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