Kyuzo stepped back from the cherry
tree to better see the big picture instead of focusing on the small
details. He looked it over and nodded to himself. It looked real enough,
he had done a fine job with shading so the tree gave the illusion of
gentle motion in a breeze. It was serene. At this moment, he couldn’t
think of anything that would improve upon it more than he already had
today. It was good before, but now it was starting to become a tree and
less a picture of a tree. He went through the motions of cleaning up his
painting station wondering what he was going to do next. Kyuzo had
thought running a town would be much more time consuming than it was
turning out to be. With Daigotsu running construction, Matsu the guard,
and Kitsuki handling the trading and income, there wasn’t much to take
care of himself. On top of that, they were waiting for the bulk of their
new population to arrive, so everything was just continuing as normal
with very little guidance from him. The city was running smoothly and
would continue to do so until they had to expand.
Expanding, that was a thought. Kyuzo had toured the town but he hadn’t seen much beyond the hill they inhabited. He knew there was a forest to the southwest, and a river that ran through the town, but besides that, he wasn’t aware of much of the countryside. There had to be rice patties somewhere. And what was beyond those? It suddenly occurred to him he hadn’t given much consideration to which way the town would expand, or how far, or even what was out there. For all he knew there was another town within a few hours travel. In addition, the Scorpion weren’t very forthcoming with information. They spoke to him with riddles and half-answers.
He sucked his
teeth and headed towards the inn the Scorpion had last been spotted at.
Shiba quickly tailed after him. She was exceptional at the part of being
a yojimbo that required her always to be there, he never had to find
her before he left the house, or even in the house. Usually she was near
enough she could drop whatever she was doing without a moment’s notice.
Kyuzo liked that, not having to tell her what to do.Expanding, that was a thought. Kyuzo had toured the town but he hadn’t seen much beyond the hill they inhabited. He knew there was a forest to the southwest, and a river that ran through the town, but besides that, he wasn’t aware of much of the countryside. There had to be rice patties somewhere. And what was beyond those? It suddenly occurred to him he hadn’t given much consideration to which way the town would expand, or how far, or even what was out there. For all he knew there was another town within a few hours travel. In addition, the Scorpion weren’t very forthcoming with information. They spoke to him with riddles and half-answers.
Soshi wasn’t hard to find, she was standing outside the inn as if she were waiting for someone. It was probably him; she did odd things like that. Like the day he met her and she was in their house tending to Tsuruchi, apparently waiting for him as well then she began talking to him as if he should have known all along whom she was. She knew everything about him and even then some. Granted, the house wasn’t exactly a strange place for someone to be waiting for him, but she popped up whenever he thought of her, and sometimes when he didn’t.
“I’ve decided,” Kyuzo said as he approached Soshi, “I’d like to accompany your group on a scouting mission.”
“It’s inadvisable, Lord Asahina,” Soshi began in that sultry sweet voice of hers, “for you to join us on a mission. Of course, it is still your choice. However, things can get hazardous and if we couldn’t manage to handle the situation, one or two lost scouts aren’t a big deal, but a lost daimyo is.”
Kyuzo had thought she might try to talk him out of it. The Scorpion were a secretive bunch, and choosing them for scouting was the most logical choice, but requesting to join them wasn’t something most people did. They were tight knit and lacked trust in their fellow man, especially if you weren’t a part of their clan. Probably even if you were a part of their clan.
“Perhaps Shiba could accompany you, then? I think the experience would be well worth the risk.” Kyuzo hadn’t even asked Shiba her opinion on the matter, he didn’t mind volunteering people for jobs, but this was a little different, perhaps he should have discussed it with her first.
“What do you think?” He asked Shiba. “Would you like to go? Get out of town for a bit?”
“I am here to protect you,” Shiba responded.
“Alright, that settles it,” Kyuzo nodded and turned back to Soshi, “We want to go.”
“Both of you?” Inquired Soshi.
“Yes.”
“Do either of you have any experience with maneuvering unheard?”
Soshi had him there. He was certain he never worried about creeping around in the dark, that wasn’t the way an honorable man handled himself.
“You said that your group has already checked things out and that it is fairly safe, so I figured we could just ride through-”
“Absolutely true,” Soshi interrupted him. This wasn’t the first time she had cut him off, he could excuse once or twice but this was starting to become a habit. “There are conditions that can change daily, and if, perhaps a bandit group has moved in we would have to worry about that. I’ll tell you what, we will set up a training regimen for you two, and you two could practice. Then we can take you on a scouting mission once you have reached an acceptable level.”
“I suppose I can accept that,” Kyuzo was aware there were dangers abound, but he could not imagine anything that would make him fear for his life. This felt like a ploy to keep him anchored here rather than a concern for his safety. But what else was he supposed to do? Give a little and get a little. He would play her game and keep at it until she had no choice but to allow him along.
Soshi bowed, “I shall see it done.”
***
Airo
slowly walked back from the distillery, carrying his crate of sake. He
enjoyed the drink, and asked for the crate, but it was just a convenient
excuse to scope out the building. Yesterday he had decided that was the
place he was going to target, that demanding voice in his head claiming
that it was perfect, that it had to be turned to ash because it would
burn so beautifully. He had to agree on that, the alcohol would surely
cause an amazing spectacle to behold. Perhaps it would burn hotter than
usual, or maybe just faster. He hadn’t ever set fire to a distillery
before, so this would be a new and exciting experience.
As he approached the house, he saw Soshi standing outside directing two of the Kaiu builders and gesturing to their abode. It seemed out of sorts since the house was still plenty big enough to home all the delegates with room to spare for more. It was also odd that they weren‘t setting up inside the house to build, but around it. Moreover, to further fuel his curiosity on the matter, Airo had been watching the builders for part of the morning and Soshi requisitioning two of them would cut down on the overall progress of the barracks, which Airo was hoping to inform Asahina he was overseeing. It wouldn’t help to bolster his reputation if he took over construction and things significantly slowed.
“Ah, Soshi-san,” Airo greeted Soshi merrily.
“Tsuruchi-san,” Soshi bowed.
“What are you doing this fine afternoon?”
“Very well, and yourself?” Soshi answered, but it wasn’t an answer to his question. Airo wasn’t sure if she misheard him or she was doing it on purpose.
“I’m sorry, I must have misspoken. I said what are you doing?”
“I’m following the instructions of Lord Asahina.”
“Would you care to enlighten me?”
“My instructions are to train them,” Soshi was being cryptic, something Airo had come to expect from the Scorpion.
“The Kaiu?” Airo blinked, as if Soshi knew more about building than the master engineers of the Empire did.
“No.” There was a notable pause; Soshi wasn’t going to correct him.
“Who are you speaking about?”
“Lord Asahina,” Soshi snickered, “Was that not obvious?”
“Them refers to more than one,” Airo pointed out.
“Of course.”
“Is it Shiba?”
“Oh, you are so bright.” Yep, Soshi was definitely mocking him.
“Thank you, my father calls me sun,” Airo retorted, “It was lovely to see you.”
Airo quickly made his way inside. He knew better than to trade slights with a Scorpion. He was aware of their reputation and knew he wouldn’t have two legs to stand on if Soshi really got into it with him. He rounded the corner to the kitchen and his room to find a Spider sitting outside the room at the end of the hall. Just sitting there. She was clothed the same as the first day he met her, this time she had a bisento laying across her lap, and she was… just sitting there.
“Hello!” Airo bellowed as he approached her, “We haven’t been properly introduced.”
Airo waited, she did this the last time too, refusing to say anything.
“Daigotsu Katsumi.”
“Hello Daigotsu Katsumi, I am Tsuruchi Airo-”
“We met,” she said tersely. Airo already knew he had introduced himself, he just liked to remind people who he was in case they forgot.
“I have here some fine sake if you’d like some? It’s fresh from the distillery.”
Daigotsu looked down the hallway, and then checked behind her before turning back to Airo, “I would like that.”
As he approached the house, he saw Soshi standing outside directing two of the Kaiu builders and gesturing to their abode. It seemed out of sorts since the house was still plenty big enough to home all the delegates with room to spare for more. It was also odd that they weren‘t setting up inside the house to build, but around it. Moreover, to further fuel his curiosity on the matter, Airo had been watching the builders for part of the morning and Soshi requisitioning two of them would cut down on the overall progress of the barracks, which Airo was hoping to inform Asahina he was overseeing. It wouldn’t help to bolster his reputation if he took over construction and things significantly slowed.
“Ah, Soshi-san,” Airo greeted Soshi merrily.
“Tsuruchi-san,” Soshi bowed.
“What are you doing this fine afternoon?”
“Very well, and yourself?” Soshi answered, but it wasn’t an answer to his question. Airo wasn’t sure if she misheard him or she was doing it on purpose.
“I’m sorry, I must have misspoken. I said what are you doing?”
“I’m following the instructions of Lord Asahina.”
“Would you care to enlighten me?”
“My instructions are to train them,” Soshi was being cryptic, something Airo had come to expect from the Scorpion.
“The Kaiu?” Airo blinked, as if Soshi knew more about building than the master engineers of the Empire did.
“No.” There was a notable pause; Soshi wasn’t going to correct him.
“Who are you speaking about?”
“Lord Asahina,” Soshi snickered, “Was that not obvious?”
“Them refers to more than one,” Airo pointed out.
“Of course.”
“Is it Shiba?”
“Oh, you are so bright.” Yep, Soshi was definitely mocking him.
“Thank you, my father calls me sun,” Airo retorted, “It was lovely to see you.”
Airo quickly made his way inside. He knew better than to trade slights with a Scorpion. He was aware of their reputation and knew he wouldn’t have two legs to stand on if Soshi really got into it with him. He rounded the corner to the kitchen and his room to find a Spider sitting outside the room at the end of the hall. Just sitting there. She was clothed the same as the first day he met her, this time she had a bisento laying across her lap, and she was… just sitting there.
“Hello!” Airo bellowed as he approached her, “We haven’t been properly introduced.”
Airo waited, she did this the last time too, refusing to say anything.
“Daigotsu Katsumi.”
“Hello Daigotsu Katsumi, I am Tsuruchi Airo-”
“We met,” she said tersely. Airo already knew he had introduced himself, he just liked to remind people who he was in case they forgot.
“I have here some fine sake if you’d like some? It’s fresh from the distillery.”
Daigotsu looked down the hallway, and then checked behind her before turning back to Airo, “I would like that.”
***
Tsuruchi
filled the air with ramblings on poetry and other trivial things
Katsumi didn’t care to hear an opinion on. She was starting to regret
taking him up on his offer for some early afternoon sake. She didn’t
expect them to just drink in silence, but even in polite conversation
there were lulls, she was quickly learning this wasn’t the case with
Tsuruchi. He had also invited the Scorpion woman, Soshi, Katsumi was
pretty sure that’s what he called her. Today was the first day she had
seen her, but Soshi claimed to be head of the house, taking care of the
servants and those that were living here. How strange that she had spent
a few days here and had never been introduced, or at least noticed her
in passing.
“Good afternoon, Meiko-chan.” Matsu’s voice shook Katsumi back into the world of a babbling Tsuruchi. “Good afternoon, Katsumi-chan,” Matsu said timidly smiling at Katsumi.
She had started doing that this morning, apparently they had become close last night and due to the full moon, Katsumi had no recollection of the events. When she had attempted to glean more information, Matsu had welled up with tears and threatened to explode into a torrent of emotion. Katsumi figured it was best left to pretend she remembered and never, ever bring it up again. Now, however, she had to deal with Matsu being very personal and informal. It may be better than the alternative, but it still made her uncomfortable with Matsu giving her pet names in public.
“Afternoon, Matsu,” Katsumi replied.
“Afternoon, Mikoto-chan,” Soshi said sweetly.
Hikaru passed Matsu and leaned against Katsumi, she tried her best not to spill any sake as the big cat nuzzled her arm. The lion liked her for some reason she couldn’t comprehend, and she did her best not to rebuff the cat or else face Matsu’s ire. Matsu was very found of Hikaru, Katsumi learned that the very first day with the way she introduced him. He was as much a part of her life as her family, so Katsumi attempted to treat Hikaru as such.
“You said you knew of an artisan sculptor in town?” asked Matsu.
“I did,” Soshi responded.
“Could you introduce me?”
That reminded Katsumi, since there were four elder Spider Monks in town who didn’t leave with the rest of the clan, she had intended to progress in her school’s techniques. Now was as good of time as any, plus it gave her a convenient out for Tsuruchi’s never ending discourse. She set her cup down, rose, and slid open the door to Kitsuki’s office informing him that she was heading out for a few hours. He quickly waved her away and Katsumi left the small group without dealing with the unpleasant pleasantries of goodbyes.
“Good afternoon, Meiko-chan.” Matsu’s voice shook Katsumi back into the world of a babbling Tsuruchi. “Good afternoon, Katsumi-chan,” Matsu said timidly smiling at Katsumi.
She had started doing that this morning, apparently they had become close last night and due to the full moon, Katsumi had no recollection of the events. When she had attempted to glean more information, Matsu had welled up with tears and threatened to explode into a torrent of emotion. Katsumi figured it was best left to pretend she remembered and never, ever bring it up again. Now, however, she had to deal with Matsu being very personal and informal. It may be better than the alternative, but it still made her uncomfortable with Matsu giving her pet names in public.
“Afternoon, Matsu,” Katsumi replied.
“Afternoon, Mikoto-chan,” Soshi said sweetly.
Hikaru passed Matsu and leaned against Katsumi, she tried her best not to spill any sake as the big cat nuzzled her arm. The lion liked her for some reason she couldn’t comprehend, and she did her best not to rebuff the cat or else face Matsu’s ire. Matsu was very found of Hikaru, Katsumi learned that the very first day with the way she introduced him. He was as much a part of her life as her family, so Katsumi attempted to treat Hikaru as such.
“You said you knew of an artisan sculptor in town?” asked Matsu.
“I did,” Soshi responded.
“Could you introduce me?”
That reminded Katsumi, since there were four elder Spider Monks in town who didn’t leave with the rest of the clan, she had intended to progress in her school’s techniques. Now was as good of time as any, plus it gave her a convenient out for Tsuruchi’s never ending discourse. She set her cup down, rose, and slid open the door to Kitsuki’s office informing him that she was heading out for a few hours. He quickly waved her away and Katsumi left the small group without dealing with the unpleasant pleasantries of goodbyes.
***
Kyuzo
waited quietly for his sensei, Kakita Heihachi, to finish his
hand-to-hand exercise with the wooden posts that had been set up in the
area. He wanted to advance to the next level of training. Obviously, he
was ready with how he had performed in the championship. You didn’t get
the Topaz Championship title for being good, you got it for being the
best. Knowing that he had outperformed everyone else, he was eager to
learn more and be even better because this level was not satisfactory
when it came to perfecting the Kakita technique. He was well aware he
had a long road ahead of him before he was anywhere near the level his
sensei was. Without stopping, his teacher looked over and acknowledged
Kyuzo’s presence.
“Kyuzo.”
“Sensei,” Kyuzo responded with a bow.
“What can I do for you?” Kakita asked refocusing on his exercise.
“I only just realized you were still here, I’ve had a lot of tasks to handle, but now I am here to train,” Kyuzo explained.
“Train what?”
“Whatever you have ready for me next and whenever we can work it into the schedule.” Kakita stared at him for a moment; perhaps he was waiting for more of an explanation.
“Let me get my things,” Kakita said as he turned towards a building behind the training dummies.
“What are your intentions? Are you coming with me or are we going to train here? What sorts of things are you getting?”
Kakita spun around and gave Kyuzo a stare he recognized from his early days in the dojo. This was not a good look; this was a very, very bad look.
“They put you in charge of a town and it goes straight to your head, you forget your position in the dojo. I see how it is. Do not worry, Asahina-kun, I will be back for you. I have a few training exercises in mind.” There was an undue amount of emphasis on the ‘kun’ honorific.
Kyuzo had just dug himself a hole he wasn’t sure he could get out of. He had a feeling the exercises in mind wouldn’t be something he would look forward to. Kakita returned in his training gi, with practice swords and a rope that was dragging a large, heavy-looking wood log. He held the rope out to Kyuzo, Kyuzo remembered this ‘training exercise’.
“Three laps around the town. Come back when you’re done. I’ll be waiting for my student to show up.”
Kyuzo took the rope and began running, the log stubbornly dragging behind him. The town was starting to grow much larger with each step he placed. Three laps would be plenty of time to find Kyuzo the student.
“Kyuzo.”
“Sensei,” Kyuzo responded with a bow.
“What can I do for you?” Kakita asked refocusing on his exercise.
“I only just realized you were still here, I’ve had a lot of tasks to handle, but now I am here to train,” Kyuzo explained.
“Train what?”
“Whatever you have ready for me next and whenever we can work it into the schedule.” Kakita stared at him for a moment; perhaps he was waiting for more of an explanation.
“Let me get my things,” Kakita said as he turned towards a building behind the training dummies.
“What are your intentions? Are you coming with me or are we going to train here? What sorts of things are you getting?”
Kakita spun around and gave Kyuzo a stare he recognized from his early days in the dojo. This was not a good look; this was a very, very bad look.
“They put you in charge of a town and it goes straight to your head, you forget your position in the dojo. I see how it is. Do not worry, Asahina-kun, I will be back for you. I have a few training exercises in mind.” There was an undue amount of emphasis on the ‘kun’ honorific.
Kyuzo had just dug himself a hole he wasn’t sure he could get out of. He had a feeling the exercises in mind wouldn’t be something he would look forward to. Kakita returned in his training gi, with practice swords and a rope that was dragging a large, heavy-looking wood log. He held the rope out to Kyuzo, Kyuzo remembered this ‘training exercise’.
“Three laps around the town. Come back when you’re done. I’ll be waiting for my student to show up.”
Kyuzo took the rope and began running, the log stubbornly dragging behind him. The town was starting to grow much larger with each step he placed. Three laps would be plenty of time to find Kyuzo the student.
***
“Are
you feeling alright today, Shiba-san?” Yuji asked as they cleared off
the Go board. “Usually you’re not so aggressive in the beginning, which
ushered in your swift defeat. You seem off.”
“I’m well, it’s just…” Morasahi was trying to find the words. She wanted Yuji to teach her how to better conduct herself in front of others. After last night’s engagement where she turned all conversation away, and knowing that this winter she was to help hold the Winter Courts, she knew she needed a little training in order to be passable, especially in front of the Empress. Yuji was talented in many ways, one of them being speaking to other people. It seemed to come so easy to him. That’s the reason the first person Morasahi had considered was Yuji to help her. There was the added benefit that she would get to spend more time with him as well.
“I would like you to teach me-um… how to present myself better in court.”
Yuji leaned back and raised a brow, “Don’t you think this would be better suited for someone the same gender as you?”
“I’ve always-um, seen you work very well in court situations,” Morasahi found it easier to ask than she thought she would.
“You flatter me,” Yuji said shaking his head. “I just don’t think I’m the one you should be talking to.”
“Then-um, who would you suggest for something like this?” Even if Yuji wasn’t going to teach her, she still needed to learn.
Yuji crossed his arms, furrowed his brow and pressed his lips. Morasahi knew this was his pondering face. “Given that we’re so far from home, I’m not entirely sure,” He shook his head again. “Maybe you should learn some of the local customs, though the Scorpion tend to be a little strange. But then again, this will be Spider territory, so perhaps you should speak to one of them.”
He couldn’t be serious. Learn etiquette from a Scorpion or a Spider? She had seen Daigotsu’s etiquette and that wasn’t exactly her idea of how one should present themselves in a court setting. Then again, Morasahi knew Yuji was right in asking one of the two, since local customs would be better suited for the area. If his opinion was with the Spider, he probably knew best. She didn’t want to be the odd man out when it came to the Winter Courts.
“I’ll look into it… Thank you,” Morasahi said more than a little disappointed. She excused herself and slowly trudged back home. She felt a strong desire to meditate and figure out the best way to approach one of the two clans for help with ‘etiquette’. She sighed at the thought. Soshi was incredibly rude, treating her as if she were nothing more than a yojimbo. Granted, she was a yojimbo, but she was also the delegate for the Phoenix clan, and with that, she shouldn’t be ignored. And whom would she ask in the spider? She had only met two of them so far, Daigotsu Katsumi, who was a very, very long way from being skilled enough to teach her the ways of court; and Daigotsu Negisa, who she hadn’t really had the opportunity to observe long enough to develop an opinion. She seemed to handle herself rather well when it came to speaking last night, maybe…
Speaking of the two, Soshi and Negisa were inspecting Morasahi’s bonsai tree she had worked on this morning. At precisely the same moment, they turned towards her and bowed, giving Morasahi a greeting. Soshi excused herself without announcing anything, just walked away. Yeah, Morasahi thought, the Scorpion haven’t made the best of impressions so far. Morasahi shook it off and took a seat next to the small stream. Perhaps the answers would come to her if she just had some time to think.
“I’m well, it’s just…” Morasahi was trying to find the words. She wanted Yuji to teach her how to better conduct herself in front of others. After last night’s engagement where she turned all conversation away, and knowing that this winter she was to help hold the Winter Courts, she knew she needed a little training in order to be passable, especially in front of the Empress. Yuji was talented in many ways, one of them being speaking to other people. It seemed to come so easy to him. That’s the reason the first person Morasahi had considered was Yuji to help her. There was the added benefit that she would get to spend more time with him as well.
“I would like you to teach me-um… how to present myself better in court.”
Yuji leaned back and raised a brow, “Don’t you think this would be better suited for someone the same gender as you?”
“I’ve always-um, seen you work very well in court situations,” Morasahi found it easier to ask than she thought she would.
“You flatter me,” Yuji said shaking his head. “I just don’t think I’m the one you should be talking to.”
“Then-um, who would you suggest for something like this?” Even if Yuji wasn’t going to teach her, she still needed to learn.
Yuji crossed his arms, furrowed his brow and pressed his lips. Morasahi knew this was his pondering face. “Given that we’re so far from home, I’m not entirely sure,” He shook his head again. “Maybe you should learn some of the local customs, though the Scorpion tend to be a little strange. But then again, this will be Spider territory, so perhaps you should speak to one of them.”
He couldn’t be serious. Learn etiquette from a Scorpion or a Spider? She had seen Daigotsu’s etiquette and that wasn’t exactly her idea of how one should present themselves in a court setting. Then again, Morasahi knew Yuji was right in asking one of the two, since local customs would be better suited for the area. If his opinion was with the Spider, he probably knew best. She didn’t want to be the odd man out when it came to the Winter Courts.
“I’ll look into it… Thank you,” Morasahi said more than a little disappointed. She excused herself and slowly trudged back home. She felt a strong desire to meditate and figure out the best way to approach one of the two clans for help with ‘etiquette’. She sighed at the thought. Soshi was incredibly rude, treating her as if she were nothing more than a yojimbo. Granted, she was a yojimbo, but she was also the delegate for the Phoenix clan, and with that, she shouldn’t be ignored. And whom would she ask in the spider? She had only met two of them so far, Daigotsu Katsumi, who was a very, very long way from being skilled enough to teach her the ways of court; and Daigotsu Negisa, who she hadn’t really had the opportunity to observe long enough to develop an opinion. She seemed to handle herself rather well when it came to speaking last night, maybe…
Speaking of the two, Soshi and Negisa were inspecting Morasahi’s bonsai tree she had worked on this morning. At precisely the same moment, they turned towards her and bowed, giving Morasahi a greeting. Soshi excused herself without announcing anything, just walked away. Yeah, Morasahi thought, the Scorpion haven’t made the best of impressions so far. Morasahi shook it off and took a seat next to the small stream. Perhaps the answers would come to her if she just had some time to think.
***
Katsumi
removed her leather armguards and chest piece. Training usually forwent
armor, although part of the uniform when mobile, it wasn’t suitable for
a monk to train with something that could negate a blow to their body.
It was part of the conditioning, to endure a strike that would otherwise
cripple a man. To say she was looking forward to what was about to
happen would be a fallacy. Katsumi remembered all too well the way
training worked for the Order of the Spider Monks; she would carry the
lessons for the rest of her life as scars that marred her flesh. She
took a few deep breathes and attempted to center herself; pain was
inevitable, there was no getting around it, only to meet it head on with
strength and determination.
“You know how to ride the water dragon, Katsumi?” Daisuke asked. He would be her teacher while he was stationed here. He was twenty years her senior, placing him at 33, and had a reputation for brutal and effective training. Students had been known to quickly fall out of his instruction into other teachers who were less hands on and more about perfecting oneself before learning a technique. Those that didn’t drop from Daisuke’s regimen usually excelled rapidly through training.
“Of course, Daisuke-sensei.” That was the first thing Katsumi had learned when it came to mastering her chi. It was the first thing most sensei taught with the nature of the training for the Order. Mystical internal healing proved to keep you alive long after all normal means would have run short. Sheer will to continue until you couldn’t mend anymore.
“Good. Don’t use it until I tell you to,” Daisuke said as he walked towards her and passed behind her.
Katsumi nodded, then there was an elbow in her back and a foot lifting her ankle into the air and she was facedown in the dirt. Before she even landed, Daisuke had grabbed her wrist and pulled it behind her, locking her right arm straight. Katsumi managed to soften the landing with her left hand, and much practice from years of trips and throws. She twisted but she knew she was stuck as his knee pressed on her back and she felt him pushing her arm towards her center like a lever, pulling at the shoulder. There was a sickening pop that reverberated through Katsumi’s body, her lunch churning in her stomach, threatening to come up. She bit her lip to keep from wailing and instead made some muffled grunts. Daisuke let go and stood up, taking a few steps away as Katsumi rolled and cradled her stiff arm.
“Fix it without the water dragon,” Daisuke instructed.
Through the blinding pain, Katsumi managed to stumble to a nearby tree. She pushed and lifted her arm with her working one in attempts to realign the ball with the socket, something she was finding much harder to do on her own than when she had reduced other’s joints. She leaned against the tree, which only proved to be more painful as the pressure pushed on her joint causing her muscles to scream in agony. Katsumi pushed her arm again, this time feeling the divot the ball of her shoulder belonged in. Right there. She sucked in a lungful of air and held it as she rammed her shoulder against the tree, forcing her joint to reduce back into place.
Katsumi held her arm and walked back to where she had started her training choking out, “It has been fixed, Daisuke-sensei.”
Daisuke snatched her arm and tugged on it, rotated and manipulated it to test the validity of her claim. Every movement ached, the ligaments and tendons refusing to lessen the tension that came with trauma.
“You can use the water dragon now,” Daisuke said seemingly satisfied.
Katsumi relished in the glorious relief that came with those words. Her body mended itself, melting away the stiffness and ache that spread from her sternum to her elbow. The moment was over much too quickly as Daisuke pointed to the ground and commanded, “Again.”
“You know how to ride the water dragon, Katsumi?” Daisuke asked. He would be her teacher while he was stationed here. He was twenty years her senior, placing him at 33, and had a reputation for brutal and effective training. Students had been known to quickly fall out of his instruction into other teachers who were less hands on and more about perfecting oneself before learning a technique. Those that didn’t drop from Daisuke’s regimen usually excelled rapidly through training.
“Of course, Daisuke-sensei.” That was the first thing Katsumi had learned when it came to mastering her chi. It was the first thing most sensei taught with the nature of the training for the Order. Mystical internal healing proved to keep you alive long after all normal means would have run short. Sheer will to continue until you couldn’t mend anymore.
“Good. Don’t use it until I tell you to,” Daisuke said as he walked towards her and passed behind her.
Katsumi nodded, then there was an elbow in her back and a foot lifting her ankle into the air and she was facedown in the dirt. Before she even landed, Daisuke had grabbed her wrist and pulled it behind her, locking her right arm straight. Katsumi managed to soften the landing with her left hand, and much practice from years of trips and throws. She twisted but she knew she was stuck as his knee pressed on her back and she felt him pushing her arm towards her center like a lever, pulling at the shoulder. There was a sickening pop that reverberated through Katsumi’s body, her lunch churning in her stomach, threatening to come up. She bit her lip to keep from wailing and instead made some muffled grunts. Daisuke let go and stood up, taking a few steps away as Katsumi rolled and cradled her stiff arm.
“Fix it without the water dragon,” Daisuke instructed.
Through the blinding pain, Katsumi managed to stumble to a nearby tree. She pushed and lifted her arm with her working one in attempts to realign the ball with the socket, something she was finding much harder to do on her own than when she had reduced other’s joints. She leaned against the tree, which only proved to be more painful as the pressure pushed on her joint causing her muscles to scream in agony. Katsumi pushed her arm again, this time feeling the divot the ball of her shoulder belonged in. Right there. She sucked in a lungful of air and held it as she rammed her shoulder against the tree, forcing her joint to reduce back into place.
Katsumi held her arm and walked back to where she had started her training choking out, “It has been fixed, Daisuke-sensei.”
Daisuke snatched her arm and tugged on it, rotated and manipulated it to test the validity of her claim. Every movement ached, the ligaments and tendons refusing to lessen the tension that came with trauma.
“You can use the water dragon now,” Daisuke said seemingly satisfied.
Katsumi relished in the glorious relief that came with those words. Her body mended itself, melting away the stiffness and ache that spread from her sternum to her elbow. The moment was over much too quickly as Daisuke pointed to the ground and commanded, “Again.”
***
Mikoto
stared at her rice with great trepidation. She wanted to eat, her
stomach was rumbling, but her hands were cramped tremendously. She
hadn’t thought that art would be such grueling, painful work, but today
she learned otherwise. She had thought herself lucky when Soshi Meiko
had agreed to introduce her to an artisan sculptor in town. Quickly she
learned that lucky was a misnomer, carving wood until her hands couldn’t
open and her fingers were numb. He had let her go home, with promises
to send for someone to fetch her tomorrow. And although she truly wanted
to learn how to sculpt, it was torture to stare at all the food without
the ability to lift her chopsticks and eat it. So she sat, staring,
stomach rumbling, and trying not to complain about the predicament she
put herself in.
Katsumi was happily munching away on some sort of rice cake, forgoing her chopsticks for fingers. It looked odd; it was brown in color, like there was red bean paste mixed in. However, now Mikoto didn’t care so much how it looked as long as she could eat it without utensils she clearly could not handle.
“What is that?” She asked peering at Katsumi.
“Would you like some?” Katsumi smiled in such a way it honestly made Mikoto nervous.
“Don’t eat it,” Shiba blurted, Katsumi slowly turned her gaze at Shiba, smiling wickedly.
“Shiba-san, just eat your food,” Mikoto commanded.
“Trust me, please. Just trust me on this. Don’t eat it,” Shiba pleaded.
Mikoto’s interest was peaked, Shiba was warning her with such conviction that Mikoto was almost worried it might be some strange poison Spiders weren’t affected by. Katsumi was fine eating it, and although she wasn’t certain what the diets of Spiders were, it couldn’t be so terrible if she was eating it in front of everyone. It wasn’t like a Spider would flay a peasant and serve up their flesh for dinner in the middle of the Empire with a house full of other people. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, and since she couldn’t trust Katsumi’s stomach, and it was obvious Shiba wasn’t going to test it out, that left Hikaru to bare the burden. He was a healthy, tough cat; if it were poison, it wouldn’t kill him.
“Would you mind if Hikaru tried it?” Mikoto posed the question politely.
“That seems more befitting,” Shiba was still taking part in their conversation it seemed.
Katsumi shrugged and broke a piece off tossing it at Hikaru. He lapped it up without hesitation. Mikoto watched him for a minute, waiting to see if anything changed. Nope, Hikaru looked like Hikaru and Katsumi continued munching on her meal. Shiba grimaced behind Katsumi. Mikoto looked down at her hands and the uneaten food she couldn’t consume. It was pretty much this thing Katsumi had or struggle with her chopsticks and go hungry. Mikoto sighed.
“Is the offer still available for me to try it?” She said warily.
“Of course,” Katsumi held out the rice cake.
Mikoto gingerly accepted it, eyeing the food. She sniffed it; it didn’t smell like red beans, it was somewhat earthy in scent. It was much easier to hold, not needing to grasp anything since it just sat stiff in her hand. Mikoto took a small bite. A sharp, bitter taste stung her tongue, smoothed out by the sweet rice it was mixed with. It tasted earthy like it smelled, but it wasn’t the taste of dirt, it was rich and tart. It was… different.
“It has a very…” Mikoto was trying to find the words to describe something so different, “interesting taste. What is it?”
“Blood cake.”
Mikoto wanted to drop the rest of the ‘cake’ in her hand, just touching it made her feel dirty. And to think she just ate it. She didn’t want to offend Katsumi, it was obviously a food Katsumi very much enjoyed, and which she had shared with Mikoto. But… it was blood. She kept her composure, glancing down at the cake and turning it over in her hand.
“It’s definitely a different flavor; maybe if you add something to it it would be more palatable.”
“No,” Katsumi quickly retorted, “It’s fine the way it is.”
Shiba left the room, her food unfinished still on the table. Mikoto could relate to Shiba’s sudden loss of appetite, she wasn’t feeling very hungry anymore either. Maybe she could just eat a large breakfast in the morning, when her hands weren’t so knotted and sore, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about any other meals for the day. Mikoto wrestled with politely putting the blood cake back on Katsumi’s plate or waiting until Katsumi left before tossing it.
“Besides,” Katsumi interrupted Mikoto’s thoughts, “You have to get used to this. You’ll be Spider soon enough and this is what we eat.”
She had a point. Granted, Mikoto wasn’t certain if she really was betrothed to Yanagi, having a few Spider mention it didn’t make it so. She hadn’t heard anything from her parents, and you would think she would at least be informed of such a big change in her life. On the other hand, if she was to wed Yanagi, Katsumi was right in that Mikoto would have to get used to eating the way they ate. Katsumi was his younger sister, and how would that look if she went back to Yanagi telling him of how Mikoto had disrespected their traditions? Yanagi had made an excellent impression on Mikoto this morning. One she would not soon forget. She beat back the unpleasant thoughts and took another bite of the blood cake. She was doing this because she wanted to make Yanagi happy more than anything, if he was to be her husband she didn’t want to disappoint.
The rest of the meal Mikoto listened to Katsumi talk about the different foods she ate and the ingredients required for them. She even went into detail about bleeding cattle and referenced anatomical parts of the animals that were used in each dish. It was a lot to stomach, and Katsumi was intimately familiar with butchering animals, or at least the way she spoke it seemed so. Mikoto was a little surprised; she didn’t know half of what Katsumi knew about her own food preparation. Of course, she knew what meals had fish, pork, eggs, and other things, but she didn’t know how to butcher a fish, or what happened to the other parts of it once the meat was removed. The conversation was both horrifying and intriguing.
Spinning to make his silent, speedy retreat, Airo turned to meet three Scorpions. One, a woman very familiar, Soshi, and two in what could only be described as the fabled ninja gear that only existed in stories since ninja weren’t real. At the moment ninja appeared to be real enough as one forced a dart out of a blowgun that struck Airo in the chest. Airo didn’t have but a second before Soshi lunged to tackle him. Airo twisted to move out of her way, but wasn’t quick enough and as Soshi wrapped her arms around him, pinning his arms to his torso. Airo flexed, lifting and spreading his arms to toss Soshi off him, he broke her hold and ducked low shooting for the door. He had only taken a step when he felt the sting of another dart tag his bicep. This one smothered out the light of the moon, bringing Airo into the blackness of coerced sleep.
Katsumi was happily munching away on some sort of rice cake, forgoing her chopsticks for fingers. It looked odd; it was brown in color, like there was red bean paste mixed in. However, now Mikoto didn’t care so much how it looked as long as she could eat it without utensils she clearly could not handle.
“What is that?” She asked peering at Katsumi.
“Would you like some?” Katsumi smiled in such a way it honestly made Mikoto nervous.
“Don’t eat it,” Shiba blurted, Katsumi slowly turned her gaze at Shiba, smiling wickedly.
“Shiba-san, just eat your food,” Mikoto commanded.
“Trust me, please. Just trust me on this. Don’t eat it,” Shiba pleaded.
Mikoto’s interest was peaked, Shiba was warning her with such conviction that Mikoto was almost worried it might be some strange poison Spiders weren’t affected by. Katsumi was fine eating it, and although she wasn’t certain what the diets of Spiders were, it couldn’t be so terrible if she was eating it in front of everyone. It wasn’t like a Spider would flay a peasant and serve up their flesh for dinner in the middle of the Empire with a house full of other people. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, and since she couldn’t trust Katsumi’s stomach, and it was obvious Shiba wasn’t going to test it out, that left Hikaru to bare the burden. He was a healthy, tough cat; if it were poison, it wouldn’t kill him.
“Would you mind if Hikaru tried it?” Mikoto posed the question politely.
“That seems more befitting,” Shiba was still taking part in their conversation it seemed.
Katsumi shrugged and broke a piece off tossing it at Hikaru. He lapped it up without hesitation. Mikoto watched him for a minute, waiting to see if anything changed. Nope, Hikaru looked like Hikaru and Katsumi continued munching on her meal. Shiba grimaced behind Katsumi. Mikoto looked down at her hands and the uneaten food she couldn’t consume. It was pretty much this thing Katsumi had or struggle with her chopsticks and go hungry. Mikoto sighed.
“Is the offer still available for me to try it?” She said warily.
“Of course,” Katsumi held out the rice cake.
Mikoto gingerly accepted it, eyeing the food. She sniffed it; it didn’t smell like red beans, it was somewhat earthy in scent. It was much easier to hold, not needing to grasp anything since it just sat stiff in her hand. Mikoto took a small bite. A sharp, bitter taste stung her tongue, smoothed out by the sweet rice it was mixed with. It tasted earthy like it smelled, but it wasn’t the taste of dirt, it was rich and tart. It was… different.
“It has a very…” Mikoto was trying to find the words to describe something so different, “interesting taste. What is it?”
“Blood cake.”
Mikoto wanted to drop the rest of the ‘cake’ in her hand, just touching it made her feel dirty. And to think she just ate it. She didn’t want to offend Katsumi, it was obviously a food Katsumi very much enjoyed, and which she had shared with Mikoto. But… it was blood. She kept her composure, glancing down at the cake and turning it over in her hand.
“It’s definitely a different flavor; maybe if you add something to it it would be more palatable.”
“No,” Katsumi quickly retorted, “It’s fine the way it is.”
Shiba left the room, her food unfinished still on the table. Mikoto could relate to Shiba’s sudden loss of appetite, she wasn’t feeling very hungry anymore either. Maybe she could just eat a large breakfast in the morning, when her hands weren’t so knotted and sore, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about any other meals for the day. Mikoto wrestled with politely putting the blood cake back on Katsumi’s plate or waiting until Katsumi left before tossing it.
“Besides,” Katsumi interrupted Mikoto’s thoughts, “You have to get used to this. You’ll be Spider soon enough and this is what we eat.”
She had a point. Granted, Mikoto wasn’t certain if she really was betrothed to Yanagi, having a few Spider mention it didn’t make it so. She hadn’t heard anything from her parents, and you would think she would at least be informed of such a big change in her life. On the other hand, if she was to wed Yanagi, Katsumi was right in that Mikoto would have to get used to eating the way they ate. Katsumi was his younger sister, and how would that look if she went back to Yanagi telling him of how Mikoto had disrespected their traditions? Yanagi had made an excellent impression on Mikoto this morning. One she would not soon forget. She beat back the unpleasant thoughts and took another bite of the blood cake. She was doing this because she wanted to make Yanagi happy more than anything, if he was to be her husband she didn’t want to disappoint.
The rest of the meal Mikoto listened to Katsumi talk about the different foods she ate and the ingredients required for them. She even went into detail about bleeding cattle and referenced anatomical parts of the animals that were used in each dish. It was a lot to stomach, and Katsumi was intimately familiar with butchering animals, or at least the way she spoke it seemed so. Mikoto was a little surprised; she didn’t know half of what Katsumi knew about her own food preparation. Of course, she knew what meals had fish, pork, eggs, and other things, but she didn’t know how to butcher a fish, or what happened to the other parts of it once the meat was removed. The conversation was both horrifying and intriguing.
***
Airo quietly slid his shoji wall
open and crept out the backdoor of their shared home. It was sometime in
the early morning, just past the witching hour, a time when everyone
was in bed and he was the only person to walk the streets. Even with
that being the case, Airo was careful to stick to the shadows and not
rouse any of the houses he passed. He didn’t want anyone to wake and
ruin his fun. It was a silent and uneventful walk to the distillery. He
peeked inside the distillery and listened, the waterwheel churning
through the steady stream was the only noise in the night besides the
natural sounds of bugs and nocturnal things.
Airo cracked the door of the building and slipped inside. He allowed his eyes to grow accustomed to the lightless barn, the windows only allowing pale moonlight to fall in sparse silhouettes away from corners exposing the center walkway and nothing more. He had a good look around earlier today when he toured the facility this morning and once he could make out shapes he headed towards where he remembered the pile of dry burlap sacks was stacked. They were still there. Airo ran his hand over them to make sure they hadn’t been used since he last saw them. Perfect, dry as tinder, which is what they were about to become. He pulled out the flint and steel from his pocket and sparked the coarse material to life, a small flame like the light at the end of a wick, which quickly grew as it spread across the airy, dry bags.
Airo cracked the door of the building and slipped inside. He allowed his eyes to grow accustomed to the lightless barn, the windows only allowing pale moonlight to fall in sparse silhouettes away from corners exposing the center walkway and nothing more. He had a good look around earlier today when he toured the facility this morning and once he could make out shapes he headed towards where he remembered the pile of dry burlap sacks was stacked. They were still there. Airo ran his hand over them to make sure they hadn’t been used since he last saw them. Perfect, dry as tinder, which is what they were about to become. He pulled out the flint and steel from his pocket and sparked the coarse material to life, a small flame like the light at the end of a wick, which quickly grew as it spread across the airy, dry bags.
Spinning to make his silent, speedy retreat, Airo turned to meet three Scorpions. One, a woman very familiar, Soshi, and two in what could only be described as the fabled ninja gear that only existed in stories since ninja weren’t real. At the moment ninja appeared to be real enough as one forced a dart out of a blowgun that struck Airo in the chest. Airo didn’t have but a second before Soshi lunged to tackle him. Airo twisted to move out of her way, but wasn’t quick enough and as Soshi wrapped her arms around him, pinning his arms to his torso. Airo flexed, lifting and spreading his arms to toss Soshi off him, he broke her hold and ducked low shooting for the door. He had only taken a step when he felt the sting of another dart tag his bicep. This one smothered out the light of the moon, bringing Airo into the blackness of coerced sleep.
***
Kyuzo
put on his last layer of his kimono, rolling his right shoulder and
flexing his fingers. His arm was a little stiff after yesterdays’
training, where his sensei had him repeat drawing his sword over and
over again long after sunset. Apparently, he was not quick enough for
Kakita-sensei’s taste. Today he would be, though. Today he was ready to
learn and wasn’t going to allow his newfound position to get the better
of him. After yesterday, he remembered he was still a student and still
had a lot to learn before he was ready to lead this town into its glory
days. Before Kyuzo could sit down for his light breakfast, there was a
rapping at the front door. It was only the first minutes of morning with
the sun just starting its rise above the horizon, and although his
sensei would certainly be waiting for him already, he didn‘t expect
someone to fetch him before light touched the town.
Kyuzo opened the door expecting to see a peasant and instead found a rather precarious scene. A disheveled Tsuruchi Airo was kneeling by the door, his hands bound behind him and a Scorpion clutching at Tsuruchi’s hair, holding him in place. Tsuruchi said nothing; it was the Scorpion of indistinguishable features that spoke, his face hidden behind a mask.
“We regret to inform you, Lord Asahina, that we found Tsuruchi attempting to set fire to the distillery.”
“This must be a mistake.” Kyuzo couldn’t believe the friendly and outgoing Tsuruchi would maliciously attempt to burn down anything.
“Absolutely not,” the Scorpion said. “There are other witnesses in town if you would like to hold a formal trial.”
“Yeah,” Kyuzo rubbed his neck, “He is an official here in town, so we should take all reasonable steps to determine the facts of the story.”
“Absolutely,” The Scorpion agreed and yanked on Tsuruchi’s hair, bringing him to his feet. Kyuzo watched them walk to the center of town where Tsuruchi was again placed on his knees at the whims of the one holding him.
Kyuzo closed the door and sat for breakfast. He wasn’t ready to officiate a trial, especially of such magnitude and against a delegate of a great clan. There was no easy way to find a resolution for this, whether the charges were true or not. Now it was in his hands to decide punishment and Kyuzo didn’t think that was a decision he should be making. He only glanced at Kitsuki and Daigotsu as they passed through the dining area without stopping for breakfast; he had an idea where they were headed since Kitsukis tended to be some of the top justicars in the Empire. Shiba joined Kyuzo for breakfast, and Matsu wasn’t long after, Kyuzo too pensive to offer either a greeting.
“I need you to join me this morning, Matsu,” Kyuzo finally said.
“I have plans,” Matsu retorted. Kyuzo didn’t care about her plans. She was Captain of the Guard and with that came responsibilities, like being present when someone was on trial.
“Tsuruchi is going to be standing trial this morning, I need you there as Captain of the Guard. I believe this is a little more important than whatever it was you were going to do.”
Matsu stopped mid-bite and gaped at him. Shiba was also staring.
“What do you mean?” Matsu asked confusedly.
“I don’t know the whole story yet, but we’re handling it this morning, right after breakfast. Shiba, you’re obviously with me as well.”
Shiba nodded and began eating again. Kyuzo waited, hoping that if he sat there long enough Tsuruchi would be freed. He knew it was a ridiculous notion and didn’t honestly believe it would come to fruition. He just didn’t want to go out those doors because he knew what waited for him, and nothing he had been trained for in life had prepared him for this. Matsu finished breakfast and left the house, Shiba had also finished and sat silently with Kyuzo. He knew he couldn’t put it off any longer, took a breath and rose to meet Tsuruchi, the Scorpions, and Matsu outside.
It didn’t surprise Kyuzo when he saw the Spider grouped on one side of the city square. There were only five of them in town, not counting Daigotsu, and all were present seemingly enjoying themselves while they passed around food to each other and chattered. Tsuruchi and the Scorpion hadn’t moved. Daigotsu, Kitsuki, and Matsu were nearby, quiet and solemn. Everyone was waiting on him Kyuzo realized and strolled to the center of the gathering, standing three yards in front of Tsuruchi, facing him.
“What do you have to say for yourself? Did you do it?” Kyuzo questioned Tsuruchi.
“I feel I should hear the charges levied against me in full before I make my own testimony,” Tsuruchi replied calmly. If he was nervous, it didn’t show. His face was blank and he didn’t waiver in speech.
It was a reasonable request. “Alright,” Kyuzo agreed, “Let’s hear the accusations.”
“Asahina-sama,” Soshi bowed, “I, and two of my men,” Soshi gave a wave to the two masked Scorpions standing by her, one being the one that had Tsuruchi by the hair, “we’re watching… scouting as you had instructed us, and one of them spotted Tsuruchi attempting to be stealthy. First noticed by the mockingbird floors inside your house. We followed him to the distillery, and once he was inside he attempted to set fire to a pile of sacks.”
“This seems like odd behavior,” noted Kyuzo. It was Tsuruchi’s second day in town as a delegate. To sneak out and attempt to set fire to a building just didn’t seem in character for any samurai, let alone one charged with bringing prosperity to the town.
“I agree, Asahina-sama,” Soshi responded.
“What would you think the motive to be?” Kyuzo still believed this all to be a big misunderstanding. Perhaps they misinterpreted something.
“I wouldn’t know. For all we know he could be an agent for any other nation or country, possibly even part of the Ivory Kingdoms, or any other number of the Empire’s enemies. We know the Mantis trade with everyone, so it isn‘t unlikely some outside force corrupted his honor. But only Tsuruchi can give us the reason.”
“The Mantis are looking for a way to weaken the Spider,” Daigotsu grumbled loud enough for most to hear her.
Daigotsu made a good point, but one that could be turned in Tsuruchi‘s favor. What if it was a plot to remove the Mantis from taking part in this town? “He’s here to represent his clan and he has duties here. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions until a full investigation has been completed. At that time sentencing will commence.”
“As you wish, Asahina-sama,” Soshi bowed.
Good, Kyuzo thought, that should buy him a little more time to figure out what to do with Tsuruchi.
“We have already had Kitsuki on scene if you would like to hear his testimony?” Of course they had already taken care of it; Soshi anticipated everything Kyuzo planned to do.
“Go on,” Kyuzo nodded to Kitsuki.
Kitsuki stepped forward, “I was woken this morning with a request to investigate the supposed crime and collect any evidence to support the facts of the case. I believe I have done just that with an unbiased opinion seeing as how I gain nothing from whatever the outcome this trial will dictate.
“First and foremost, I traveled to the distillery where I discovered flint and steel laying on the ground in a corner. This wouldn’t have proven to be amiss on its own; however, it was next to a stack of burlap sacks, which appeared to have been set on fire. This seems to be in line with Soshi-san’s series of events so far. I also found some peculiar darts near this site with Scorpion tassels on them. They have blood on the end, proving to have pricked someone though without an examination I cannot say whom.
“Also, during my investigation, I was able to determine that there was some sort of a tussle within the distillery. I cannot tell who was involved but it was clear there were four people in total inside the distillery when all the events took place. Two of them engaged in some sort of close quarters combat, and two stood back, closer to the door. It would seem that someone, indeed, attempted to set the distillery on fire, and that person was apprehended during the scuffle. As to who, I have very little evidence on that part, however, if you would allow me to examine Tsuruchi-san, I could determine if he had been struck by these darts if he has similar marks?”
Kyuzo nodded. “Absolutely, if you believe this is leading evidence.”
Kyuzo opened the door expecting to see a peasant and instead found a rather precarious scene. A disheveled Tsuruchi Airo was kneeling by the door, his hands bound behind him and a Scorpion clutching at Tsuruchi’s hair, holding him in place. Tsuruchi said nothing; it was the Scorpion of indistinguishable features that spoke, his face hidden behind a mask.
“We regret to inform you, Lord Asahina, that we found Tsuruchi attempting to set fire to the distillery.”
“This must be a mistake.” Kyuzo couldn’t believe the friendly and outgoing Tsuruchi would maliciously attempt to burn down anything.
“Absolutely not,” the Scorpion said. “There are other witnesses in town if you would like to hold a formal trial.”
“Yeah,” Kyuzo rubbed his neck, “He is an official here in town, so we should take all reasonable steps to determine the facts of the story.”
“Absolutely,” The Scorpion agreed and yanked on Tsuruchi’s hair, bringing him to his feet. Kyuzo watched them walk to the center of town where Tsuruchi was again placed on his knees at the whims of the one holding him.
Kyuzo closed the door and sat for breakfast. He wasn’t ready to officiate a trial, especially of such magnitude and against a delegate of a great clan. There was no easy way to find a resolution for this, whether the charges were true or not. Now it was in his hands to decide punishment and Kyuzo didn’t think that was a decision he should be making. He only glanced at Kitsuki and Daigotsu as they passed through the dining area without stopping for breakfast; he had an idea where they were headed since Kitsukis tended to be some of the top justicars in the Empire. Shiba joined Kyuzo for breakfast, and Matsu wasn’t long after, Kyuzo too pensive to offer either a greeting.
“I need you to join me this morning, Matsu,” Kyuzo finally said.
“I have plans,” Matsu retorted. Kyuzo didn’t care about her plans. She was Captain of the Guard and with that came responsibilities, like being present when someone was on trial.
“Tsuruchi is going to be standing trial this morning, I need you there as Captain of the Guard. I believe this is a little more important than whatever it was you were going to do.”
Matsu stopped mid-bite and gaped at him. Shiba was also staring.
“What do you mean?” Matsu asked confusedly.
“I don’t know the whole story yet, but we’re handling it this morning, right after breakfast. Shiba, you’re obviously with me as well.”
Shiba nodded and began eating again. Kyuzo waited, hoping that if he sat there long enough Tsuruchi would be freed. He knew it was a ridiculous notion and didn’t honestly believe it would come to fruition. He just didn’t want to go out those doors because he knew what waited for him, and nothing he had been trained for in life had prepared him for this. Matsu finished breakfast and left the house, Shiba had also finished and sat silently with Kyuzo. He knew he couldn’t put it off any longer, took a breath and rose to meet Tsuruchi, the Scorpions, and Matsu outside.
It didn’t surprise Kyuzo when he saw the Spider grouped on one side of the city square. There were only five of them in town, not counting Daigotsu, and all were present seemingly enjoying themselves while they passed around food to each other and chattered. Tsuruchi and the Scorpion hadn’t moved. Daigotsu, Kitsuki, and Matsu were nearby, quiet and solemn. Everyone was waiting on him Kyuzo realized and strolled to the center of the gathering, standing three yards in front of Tsuruchi, facing him.
“What do you have to say for yourself? Did you do it?” Kyuzo questioned Tsuruchi.
“I feel I should hear the charges levied against me in full before I make my own testimony,” Tsuruchi replied calmly. If he was nervous, it didn’t show. His face was blank and he didn’t waiver in speech.
It was a reasonable request. “Alright,” Kyuzo agreed, “Let’s hear the accusations.”
“Asahina-sama,” Soshi bowed, “I, and two of my men,” Soshi gave a wave to the two masked Scorpions standing by her, one being the one that had Tsuruchi by the hair, “we’re watching… scouting as you had instructed us, and one of them spotted Tsuruchi attempting to be stealthy. First noticed by the mockingbird floors inside your house. We followed him to the distillery, and once he was inside he attempted to set fire to a pile of sacks.”
“This seems like odd behavior,” noted Kyuzo. It was Tsuruchi’s second day in town as a delegate. To sneak out and attempt to set fire to a building just didn’t seem in character for any samurai, let alone one charged with bringing prosperity to the town.
“I agree, Asahina-sama,” Soshi responded.
“What would you think the motive to be?” Kyuzo still believed this all to be a big misunderstanding. Perhaps they misinterpreted something.
“I wouldn’t know. For all we know he could be an agent for any other nation or country, possibly even part of the Ivory Kingdoms, or any other number of the Empire’s enemies. We know the Mantis trade with everyone, so it isn‘t unlikely some outside force corrupted his honor. But only Tsuruchi can give us the reason.”
“The Mantis are looking for a way to weaken the Spider,” Daigotsu grumbled loud enough for most to hear her.
Daigotsu made a good point, but one that could be turned in Tsuruchi‘s favor. What if it was a plot to remove the Mantis from taking part in this town? “He’s here to represent his clan and he has duties here. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions until a full investigation has been completed. At that time sentencing will commence.”
“As you wish, Asahina-sama,” Soshi bowed.
Good, Kyuzo thought, that should buy him a little more time to figure out what to do with Tsuruchi.
“We have already had Kitsuki on scene if you would like to hear his testimony?” Of course they had already taken care of it; Soshi anticipated everything Kyuzo planned to do.
“Go on,” Kyuzo nodded to Kitsuki.
Kitsuki stepped forward, “I was woken this morning with a request to investigate the supposed crime and collect any evidence to support the facts of the case. I believe I have done just that with an unbiased opinion seeing as how I gain nothing from whatever the outcome this trial will dictate.
“First and foremost, I traveled to the distillery where I discovered flint and steel laying on the ground in a corner. This wouldn’t have proven to be amiss on its own; however, it was next to a stack of burlap sacks, which appeared to have been set on fire. This seems to be in line with Soshi-san’s series of events so far. I also found some peculiar darts near this site with Scorpion tassels on them. They have blood on the end, proving to have pricked someone though without an examination I cannot say whom.
“Also, during my investigation, I was able to determine that there was some sort of a tussle within the distillery. I cannot tell who was involved but it was clear there were four people in total inside the distillery when all the events took place. Two of them engaged in some sort of close quarters combat, and two stood back, closer to the door. It would seem that someone, indeed, attempted to set the distillery on fire, and that person was apprehended during the scuffle. As to who, I have very little evidence on that part, however, if you would allow me to examine Tsuruchi-san, I could determine if he had been struck by these darts if he has similar marks?”
Kyuzo nodded. “Absolutely, if you believe this is leading evidence.”
***
The
Scorpion who was holding Airo’s hair helped lift him and half pushed
him towards the house he had lived in for only a day, following behind
Kitsuki. He knew he had been struck by those darts, and he knew that
Kitsuki would find the pin pricks on his chest and arm. However, there
was something inside Airo that just told him today wasn’t his day to
die. So he casually walked towards the house, allowing that Scorpion to
push him and become frustrated at Airo’s lack of fear for his life.
Once inside the house Kitsuki directed the Scorpion to help remove Airo’s kimono. It was an easy task and it didn’t take long for Kitsuki to find the small wounds that had been inflicted on Airo, a small amount of bruising complimented the tiny dots. Airo tried not to smirk while the Scorpion was forced then to clothe him again. It was like having a servant dress him, and really made this whole ordeal worth the trouble that had come with it. Airo strolled out of the house, the Scorpion pushing him along trying to put some hustle in Airo’s step. When they joined the group again, Airo was forced back onto his knees, and Kitsuki hobbled towards Asahina, taking a spot between Asahina and Airo.
Kitsuki nodded, “Tsuruchi-san does have two small injuries on his body that are similar in size and shape to these darts.”
Asahina glanced at Airo. Airo maintained his unmoved expression. It seemed to Airo that Asahina was more nervous about this whole event than he was. At least Airo had that going for him; Asahina’s inexperience was showing which would make an unfortunate outcome less likely for him.
“Could you explain to me, in detail, the events that took place inside the distillery?” Asahina asked Soshi.
“Of course, Asahina-sama,” Soshi was always so polite, even now when she was lobbying for his execution. “We came upon Tsuruchi and stood behind him, observing to see what his intentions were inside the distillery at this hour of the night. Tsuruchi knelt down and began to set the sacks on fire, after which he turned and noticed our presence. That’s when we made our initial move to apprehend him. Shosuro here, attempted to immobilize Tsuruchi with a paralytic dart. I then engaged Tsuruchi in jiujitsu, but he managed to get away. Shosuro landed another paralytic dart this one brought Tsuruchi down. It was then that we managed to capture him to bring him to justice.”
“Very well,” Asahina rubbed his neck, “Is that everything you have to present?”
“It is,” Soshi nodded.
“I would like to hear the testimony of the accused,” Asahina said.
Finally, Airo thought, now was his chance to wiggle out of this. He had been piecing together a story since he first was caught, and having the opportunity to listen to Soshi and see the evidence presented had helped him build a better alibi. Granted, it was far fetched in his mind, but Asahina was having trouble swallowing that he would just burn down a building, so his story really wasn‘t that far out there comparatively. Airo had been doing this for years; he knew when someone was waiting to be convinced the truth was a fallacy.
“Asahina-sama,” Airo began, attempting to put his best foot forward; being tied up and accused of trying to destroy the town’s livelihood wasn’t the best of circumstances to start out in. “Last night, at an hour I can’t even begin to decipher, I was woken by Soshi-san. She told me that Yoritomo Maji had been caught in the distillery attempting to set the building on fire. Being that I am a Mantis, and he was second to me, she believed I would be the best to handle this situation. Of course I agreed, and after I managed to dress, I followed Soshi to the distillery to see what was happening for myself.
“I must have been cloudy in thought due to the early morning hour and having just woke from one of the deepest sleeps I can recall, because it didn’t occur to me that something was amiss until I entered the darkened distillery. Inside I was ambushed by the two Scorpion behind me, and subdued by a series of darts coated in some sort of poison, of which we are now aware is paralytic in nature. And here I awoke, for the second time today, bound and forced to listen to these lies and false accusations of setting fire to a building in a town I was sent to protect.”
Airo had been studying Asahina as he told the story, watching relief wash over his face. That is, until Kitsuki leaned over and whispered something to Asahina, which brought that dark uncertainty back to Asahina like a cloud that just wouldn’t go away. Airo had heard about the Kitsuki method, and now had seen it in practice. It dealt less with who was on trail, and who was accusing, and more of what the Kitsuki said which somehow translated to Kitsuki being the end-all, be-all in this case. It was obvious that whatever the crippled Kitsuki whispered in Asahina’s ear had reigned in Asahina’s eagerness to accept Airo’s story.
Asahina addressed Soshi, “Before I render my verdict, I will allow you to challenge Tsuruchi to a duel for his severe accusations towards your honor by accusing you of lying, if you so wish.”
That was not at all what Airo thought would happen. Though, now that he thought about it, Asahina was a duelist, and a Crane at that, it only made sense for Asahina to allow a duel to decide Airo’s fate. Why didn’t he see that coming beforehand? If she accepted, he was bound to lose.
“I appreciate the offer, Asahina-sama, but we do not flinch at the insults of one of his stature. It is much too far beneath us to acknowledge.”
Damn right, Airo thought to himself, even if it was a scathing cut at his character. At least this wasn’t being left up to Soshi and her Scorpion trickery. He had an entire empire behind him on who would be found to be more truthful, and Asahina was bound to pick the honest and friendly Mantis over a Scorpion.
“Until I can rationalize the reasoning behind such an act, Tsuruchi Airo will be imprisoned and kept under guard for observation.”
It wasn’t death, and Airo could deal with that. In addition, it gave him time to figure out how to get himself out of this mess. He knew it wasn’t his day to die today.
“Asahina-sama,” Daigotsu Negisa called from where she and her Spider were standing, “If I may make a suggestion?”
Airo shot a look at Negisa and back to Asahina, studying him. He had seen Asahina and Negisa wander off two nights ago and partake in some special activities. He had even seen the painting Asahina had designed based off that night. If she was asking for a favor now, it was possible Asahina would be swayed by her unnaturally good looks and her penchant for words. Airo had also had the pleasure of matching words with her and knew she was talented in that regard.
“Go ahead,” Asahina allowed.
“Being that this is a Spider town, or will be in short time, perhaps it would be best if you allowed us to provide Spider justice on the matter.”
“And what, pray tell, is Spider justice?” inquired Asahina.
“Swift.” One word and Airo was suddenly not so certain he had a chance at recovering from this unfortunate set of circumstances.
“You would rather an outright execution?”
“We would,” Negisa confirmed. “If he was willing to endanger the town by burning down the distillery, one of our chief sources of income, then he is obviously imbalanced and incapable of making rational decisions under normal circumstances. This means, if this town were, say, under attack, he might very well snap under the pressure of combat and begin setting our own defenses on fire. Alternatively, even attack our own men. He is a liability to us all.”
“I understand your concern,” Asahina began, “His behavior baffles me-”
“Spend some time in the Shadowlands and a lot of behavior will baffle you.”
Airo could not help his shock. Negisa just inferred that he was tainted. What a ridiculous notion. If anyone were to be carrying the taint, it was the Spider. Yes, the Empress had them tested, but that was three months ago and who really knew how often they succumbed to the darkness of their birthplace. Airo was most certainly not tainted and he almost wished he were in a different position to refute such a vile accusation.
“Since he has disgraced himself, his clan, and us for even being involved with him, I think that’s a fine plan. Have your Spider justice.”
Asahina just condemned Airo to death at the sweet words of a pretty face. This was not the way today was supposed to work out. He had almost been free, well, perhaps not free but not dead. Two Spider Monks approached him, locked their arms with Airo, stood him up and began dragging him away. Asahina didn’t even watch as Airo was dragged away to his doom. No one watched except Daigotsu Katsumi, Negisa, and Soshi who even only offered a pitiful glance. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go…
Airo was brought to a house and shoved inside. It seemed rather strange that he was inside instead of being taken to the outskirts of town where he was certain they would have beheaded him instead of offering him the honorable death of a samurai, to commit seppuku. One of the monks sat him down and began removing Airo’s clothing while another tied a length of rope to the beam on the ceiling hanging above head level. They removed one of his wrists from his previous confinement to remove his shirt, and Airo was filled with a sudden appreciation for freedom. He had never lost it before, and now that he had gained it back, it was glorious. Unfortunately it was also short lived as both monks raised Airo’s hands above his head and retied his hand not only to his other wrist once again, but also to the length of rope from the ceiling so he was now standing with his arms extended up. They untied and removed his pants, and then the two monks departed and closed the door behind them, leaving Airo with only his fundoshi on.
He dropped his weight, putting it fully on the rope anchored to the beam. It didn’t budge. Apparently, the plank could easily support him without collapsing, and the knot was tied well. He wiggled his wrists, twisting them apart from each other; that was also of no use, the rope was snug rendering a slipped wrist an unlikely form of escape. He was stuck standing here with his arms above his head, alone and uncertain what his future held. At least they had made his bindings tight enough that he wasn’t forced to lift his arms on his own accord, thank the Celestial Heavens for small miracles.
The door slid open and in strutted Negisa, her eyes dancing with what Airo could only believe were glee. She looked entirely too happy to be dealing with him.
“I believe there’s been a mistake. Am I not going to be dealt with swiftly?” Airo wasn’t in a hurry to die, but he also wasn’t interested in hanging around for days before they finally took care of matters.
“Oh, you are,” Negisa’s velvety voice ran over him, “We intend to start right away.”
Airo tried not to show the confusion he was feeling on his face. What did she mean by start? That would indicate that there was more than just an execution. And being stripped down to his underwear, and then left in a room with only a female, well, he didn’t have much honor left to consider, but this wasn’t proper. Negisa disappeared into a side room, returning with a small knife that came to a fine point at the end. She circled Airo looking him over the way a predator hunts prey, rounding it before striking. The memory of her veiled threat from two nights ago echoed through his head about spiders eating hornets, and suddenly Airo began wondering if the stories of Spiders consuming the flesh from humans were more than just frightening tales.
His heart was pounding, though Airo did his best to hide his fear. Negisa circled him again, toying with the knife and eyeing him as if she were debating on where to start dissecting. She was on his right side when he felt the burn from a quick cut along his ribs. It was a thin cut; the blade she held must be as sharp as any katana. Moreover, it was a short wound, no more than the length of his thumb. Blood quickly beaded and oozed down his side. Before he could ask what that was about Negisa slit him again, this time on his shoulder. And again on his left side.
“We always start swiftly,” Negisa mocked. She sliced him again. And again. “But ending, that’s a different story. Sometimes they bleed for hours. Sometimes it only takes minutes.” Another flash of pain. Another place where his warm blood was creeping out of his being and down to the ground.
“But you, Tsuruchi,” She grinned as she slowly dragged the tip of the dagger across his abdomen, parting the skin in another shallow and short wound. “I have plans for you.” She repeated the sadistic motion three times more, creating a burning ladder colored with his blood and stinging from his split nerves. “And I plan to keep you around for some time to come.”
He wasn’t sure how many times she had cut him already, but he was certain this was going to go on for a very long while. Suddenly death didn’t seem like such a bad alternative.
He arrived at the same place he had trained yesterday to find Kakita-sensei seated by a small table that wasn’t there before. It was already set for a tea ceremony and Kakita-sensei seemed to be waiting for him. Kyuzo took a seat and Kakita began the ceremony right away without a word. Silently he watched as Kakita went through the motions, attempting to push this morning’s events from his mind. It was an impossible task even with the serenity of the ceremony.
“How do you feel about your decision?” Kakita-sensei finally spoke after the tea ceremony was completed.
Kyuzo rubbed his neck and sighed, “I don’t know. I had to do it, but the situation doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Good,” Kakita leaned back and nodded, “Do you know what that means?”
Kyuzo really didn’t. It meant he was sane and apparently Tsuruchi wasn’t. It meant that he valued life more than Negisa, or the other Spider. It meant he had no choice, and did what he had to do.
“It means that you performed your duties. Not everything you do is something you’re going to like doing, and sometimes it’s not even going to be something you agree with. You have great potential to be a leader, but don’t let that go to your head.”
Kyuzo nodded. It was probably the biggest compliment he had ever received. Well, at least ones said with sincerity. His teacher had just said he was going to become a great leader, or at least had the potential to be one. And in Kyuzo’s book, that meant he was bound to tap into that potential and harness it. He would lead this town to where it needed to go.
“Now,” Kakita-sensei said, “Show me the new dueling stance we were practicing yesterday.”
Once inside the house Kitsuki directed the Scorpion to help remove Airo’s kimono. It was an easy task and it didn’t take long for Kitsuki to find the small wounds that had been inflicted on Airo, a small amount of bruising complimented the tiny dots. Airo tried not to smirk while the Scorpion was forced then to clothe him again. It was like having a servant dress him, and really made this whole ordeal worth the trouble that had come with it. Airo strolled out of the house, the Scorpion pushing him along trying to put some hustle in Airo’s step. When they joined the group again, Airo was forced back onto his knees, and Kitsuki hobbled towards Asahina, taking a spot between Asahina and Airo.
Kitsuki nodded, “Tsuruchi-san does have two small injuries on his body that are similar in size and shape to these darts.”
Asahina glanced at Airo. Airo maintained his unmoved expression. It seemed to Airo that Asahina was more nervous about this whole event than he was. At least Airo had that going for him; Asahina’s inexperience was showing which would make an unfortunate outcome less likely for him.
“Could you explain to me, in detail, the events that took place inside the distillery?” Asahina asked Soshi.
“Of course, Asahina-sama,” Soshi was always so polite, even now when she was lobbying for his execution. “We came upon Tsuruchi and stood behind him, observing to see what his intentions were inside the distillery at this hour of the night. Tsuruchi knelt down and began to set the sacks on fire, after which he turned and noticed our presence. That’s when we made our initial move to apprehend him. Shosuro here, attempted to immobilize Tsuruchi with a paralytic dart. I then engaged Tsuruchi in jiujitsu, but he managed to get away. Shosuro landed another paralytic dart this one brought Tsuruchi down. It was then that we managed to capture him to bring him to justice.”
“Very well,” Asahina rubbed his neck, “Is that everything you have to present?”
“It is,” Soshi nodded.
“I would like to hear the testimony of the accused,” Asahina said.
Finally, Airo thought, now was his chance to wiggle out of this. He had been piecing together a story since he first was caught, and having the opportunity to listen to Soshi and see the evidence presented had helped him build a better alibi. Granted, it was far fetched in his mind, but Asahina was having trouble swallowing that he would just burn down a building, so his story really wasn‘t that far out there comparatively. Airo had been doing this for years; he knew when someone was waiting to be convinced the truth was a fallacy.
“Asahina-sama,” Airo began, attempting to put his best foot forward; being tied up and accused of trying to destroy the town’s livelihood wasn’t the best of circumstances to start out in. “Last night, at an hour I can’t even begin to decipher, I was woken by Soshi-san. She told me that Yoritomo Maji had been caught in the distillery attempting to set the building on fire. Being that I am a Mantis, and he was second to me, she believed I would be the best to handle this situation. Of course I agreed, and after I managed to dress, I followed Soshi to the distillery to see what was happening for myself.
“I must have been cloudy in thought due to the early morning hour and having just woke from one of the deepest sleeps I can recall, because it didn’t occur to me that something was amiss until I entered the darkened distillery. Inside I was ambushed by the two Scorpion behind me, and subdued by a series of darts coated in some sort of poison, of which we are now aware is paralytic in nature. And here I awoke, for the second time today, bound and forced to listen to these lies and false accusations of setting fire to a building in a town I was sent to protect.”
Airo had been studying Asahina as he told the story, watching relief wash over his face. That is, until Kitsuki leaned over and whispered something to Asahina, which brought that dark uncertainty back to Asahina like a cloud that just wouldn’t go away. Airo had heard about the Kitsuki method, and now had seen it in practice. It dealt less with who was on trail, and who was accusing, and more of what the Kitsuki said which somehow translated to Kitsuki being the end-all, be-all in this case. It was obvious that whatever the crippled Kitsuki whispered in Asahina’s ear had reigned in Asahina’s eagerness to accept Airo’s story.
Asahina addressed Soshi, “Before I render my verdict, I will allow you to challenge Tsuruchi to a duel for his severe accusations towards your honor by accusing you of lying, if you so wish.”
That was not at all what Airo thought would happen. Though, now that he thought about it, Asahina was a duelist, and a Crane at that, it only made sense for Asahina to allow a duel to decide Airo’s fate. Why didn’t he see that coming beforehand? If she accepted, he was bound to lose.
“I appreciate the offer, Asahina-sama, but we do not flinch at the insults of one of his stature. It is much too far beneath us to acknowledge.”
Damn right, Airo thought to himself, even if it was a scathing cut at his character. At least this wasn’t being left up to Soshi and her Scorpion trickery. He had an entire empire behind him on who would be found to be more truthful, and Asahina was bound to pick the honest and friendly Mantis over a Scorpion.
“Until I can rationalize the reasoning behind such an act, Tsuruchi Airo will be imprisoned and kept under guard for observation.”
It wasn’t death, and Airo could deal with that. In addition, it gave him time to figure out how to get himself out of this mess. He knew it wasn’t his day to die today.
“Asahina-sama,” Daigotsu Negisa called from where she and her Spider were standing, “If I may make a suggestion?”
Airo shot a look at Negisa and back to Asahina, studying him. He had seen Asahina and Negisa wander off two nights ago and partake in some special activities. He had even seen the painting Asahina had designed based off that night. If she was asking for a favor now, it was possible Asahina would be swayed by her unnaturally good looks and her penchant for words. Airo had also had the pleasure of matching words with her and knew she was talented in that regard.
“Go ahead,” Asahina allowed.
“Being that this is a Spider town, or will be in short time, perhaps it would be best if you allowed us to provide Spider justice on the matter.”
“And what, pray tell, is Spider justice?” inquired Asahina.
“Swift.” One word and Airo was suddenly not so certain he had a chance at recovering from this unfortunate set of circumstances.
“You would rather an outright execution?”
“We would,” Negisa confirmed. “If he was willing to endanger the town by burning down the distillery, one of our chief sources of income, then he is obviously imbalanced and incapable of making rational decisions under normal circumstances. This means, if this town were, say, under attack, he might very well snap under the pressure of combat and begin setting our own defenses on fire. Alternatively, even attack our own men. He is a liability to us all.”
“I understand your concern,” Asahina began, “His behavior baffles me-”
“Spend some time in the Shadowlands and a lot of behavior will baffle you.”
Airo could not help his shock. Negisa just inferred that he was tainted. What a ridiculous notion. If anyone were to be carrying the taint, it was the Spider. Yes, the Empress had them tested, but that was three months ago and who really knew how often they succumbed to the darkness of their birthplace. Airo was most certainly not tainted and he almost wished he were in a different position to refute such a vile accusation.
“Since he has disgraced himself, his clan, and us for even being involved with him, I think that’s a fine plan. Have your Spider justice.”
Asahina just condemned Airo to death at the sweet words of a pretty face. This was not the way today was supposed to work out. He had almost been free, well, perhaps not free but not dead. Two Spider Monks approached him, locked their arms with Airo, stood him up and began dragging him away. Asahina didn’t even watch as Airo was dragged away to his doom. No one watched except Daigotsu Katsumi, Negisa, and Soshi who even only offered a pitiful glance. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go…
Airo was brought to a house and shoved inside. It seemed rather strange that he was inside instead of being taken to the outskirts of town where he was certain they would have beheaded him instead of offering him the honorable death of a samurai, to commit seppuku. One of the monks sat him down and began removing Airo’s clothing while another tied a length of rope to the beam on the ceiling hanging above head level. They removed one of his wrists from his previous confinement to remove his shirt, and Airo was filled with a sudden appreciation for freedom. He had never lost it before, and now that he had gained it back, it was glorious. Unfortunately it was also short lived as both monks raised Airo’s hands above his head and retied his hand not only to his other wrist once again, but also to the length of rope from the ceiling so he was now standing with his arms extended up. They untied and removed his pants, and then the two monks departed and closed the door behind them, leaving Airo with only his fundoshi on.
He dropped his weight, putting it fully on the rope anchored to the beam. It didn’t budge. Apparently, the plank could easily support him without collapsing, and the knot was tied well. He wiggled his wrists, twisting them apart from each other; that was also of no use, the rope was snug rendering a slipped wrist an unlikely form of escape. He was stuck standing here with his arms above his head, alone and uncertain what his future held. At least they had made his bindings tight enough that he wasn’t forced to lift his arms on his own accord, thank the Celestial Heavens for small miracles.
The door slid open and in strutted Negisa, her eyes dancing with what Airo could only believe were glee. She looked entirely too happy to be dealing with him.
“I believe there’s been a mistake. Am I not going to be dealt with swiftly?” Airo wasn’t in a hurry to die, but he also wasn’t interested in hanging around for days before they finally took care of matters.
“Oh, you are,” Negisa’s velvety voice ran over him, “We intend to start right away.”
Airo tried not to show the confusion he was feeling on his face. What did she mean by start? That would indicate that there was more than just an execution. And being stripped down to his underwear, and then left in a room with only a female, well, he didn’t have much honor left to consider, but this wasn’t proper. Negisa disappeared into a side room, returning with a small knife that came to a fine point at the end. She circled Airo looking him over the way a predator hunts prey, rounding it before striking. The memory of her veiled threat from two nights ago echoed through his head about spiders eating hornets, and suddenly Airo began wondering if the stories of Spiders consuming the flesh from humans were more than just frightening tales.
His heart was pounding, though Airo did his best to hide his fear. Negisa circled him again, toying with the knife and eyeing him as if she were debating on where to start dissecting. She was on his right side when he felt the burn from a quick cut along his ribs. It was a thin cut; the blade she held must be as sharp as any katana. Moreover, it was a short wound, no more than the length of his thumb. Blood quickly beaded and oozed down his side. Before he could ask what that was about Negisa slit him again, this time on his shoulder. And again on his left side.
“We always start swiftly,” Negisa mocked. She sliced him again. And again. “But ending, that’s a different story. Sometimes they bleed for hours. Sometimes it only takes minutes.” Another flash of pain. Another place where his warm blood was creeping out of his being and down to the ground.
“But you, Tsuruchi,” She grinned as she slowly dragged the tip of the dagger across his abdomen, parting the skin in another shallow and short wound. “I have plans for you.” She repeated the sadistic motion three times more, creating a burning ladder colored with his blood and stinging from his split nerves. “And I plan to keep you around for some time to come.”
He wasn’t sure how many times she had cut him already, but he was certain this was going to go on for a very long while. Suddenly death didn’t seem like such a bad alternative.
***
Today had been the most trying day
in Kyuzo’s life. He couldn’t remember another day when his word weighed
so heavily, and with it his conscience. He hadn’t wanted to let Tsuruchi
go to the Spider, he hadn’t wanted Tsuruchi dead at all, but when it
came down to it, it was the only option. Everything pointed in the
direction that Tsuruchi was guilty of the crimes he was charged with,
even Kitsuki had informed Kyuzo that Tsuruchi was lying with his last
words uttered. And when he had opted to lock Tsuruchi up, to keep him
alive because he hadn’t actually succeeded in burning down the
distillery, he was forced to overturn that ruling. Daigotsu Negisa,
though not the head of the Spider clan in the area she definitely pulled
some weight with those in attendance, had made a request, something so
simple and yet laden with so many consequences if he refused. After
weighing what he believed to be the result of each decision, it came
down to pleasing the Spider. After all it was to be their town in the
not so distant future and if he started by insulting their way of life
by refusing to let them deal with a criminal, they might see fit to
start problems of their own before Kyuzo had finished his duty in the
area.
It frustrated him to be backed in a corner. It frustrated him that as the lord of the town his word was not final this time. It frustrated him that Tsuruchi had done this unreasonable act. And it frustrated him that he just sentenced a friend to death. He may not have known Tsuruchi for very long, but it was long enough to have made a positive impression on Kyuzo. He thought about it for a moment, really, it frustrated him that he had to make the decision at all. Things like this shouldn’t happen, especially from a samurai, especially from someone sent to protect this town. Now that it was over, he knew business had to continue on as usual, and frustrated or not his sensei would be waiting for him to continue his training.
It frustrated him to be backed in a corner. It frustrated him that as the lord of the town his word was not final this time. It frustrated him that Tsuruchi had done this unreasonable act. And it frustrated him that he just sentenced a friend to death. He may not have known Tsuruchi for very long, but it was long enough to have made a positive impression on Kyuzo. He thought about it for a moment, really, it frustrated him that he had to make the decision at all. Things like this shouldn’t happen, especially from a samurai, especially from someone sent to protect this town. Now that it was over, he knew business had to continue on as usual, and frustrated or not his sensei would be waiting for him to continue his training.
He arrived at the same place he had trained yesterday to find Kakita-sensei seated by a small table that wasn’t there before. It was already set for a tea ceremony and Kakita-sensei seemed to be waiting for him. Kyuzo took a seat and Kakita began the ceremony right away without a word. Silently he watched as Kakita went through the motions, attempting to push this morning’s events from his mind. It was an impossible task even with the serenity of the ceremony.
“How do you feel about your decision?” Kakita-sensei finally spoke after the tea ceremony was completed.
Kyuzo rubbed his neck and sighed, “I don’t know. I had to do it, but the situation doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Good,” Kakita leaned back and nodded, “Do you know what that means?”
Kyuzo really didn’t. It meant he was sane and apparently Tsuruchi wasn’t. It meant that he valued life more than Negisa, or the other Spider. It meant he had no choice, and did what he had to do.
“It means that you performed your duties. Not everything you do is something you’re going to like doing, and sometimes it’s not even going to be something you agree with. You have great potential to be a leader, but don’t let that go to your head.”
Kyuzo nodded. It was probably the biggest compliment he had ever received. Well, at least ones said with sincerity. His teacher had just said he was going to become a great leader, or at least had the potential to be one. And in Kyuzo’s book, that meant he was bound to tap into that potential and harness it. He would lead this town to where it needed to go.
“Now,” Kakita-sensei said, “Show me the new dueling stance we were practicing yesterday.”
***
Negisa’s
underwear sat neatly folded by Katsumi’s door. Katsumi sighed staring
at it. She couldn’t leave it there, someone might mistake it for hers,
which is how this whole situation got started in the first place. Matsu
had gathered up the clothes from Asahina’s room two nights ago, a night
Katsumi didn’t remember, and given what she had thought was Katsumi’s to
her. It didn’t take Katsumi more than a moment to realize Matsu had
made a mistake, but it was one that most probably would make. Katsumi
didn’t wear a susoyoke, the slip-like undergarment women traditionally
wore. Katsumi didn’t wear much of anything that women wore. Her long
hair was never tied as a woman would have it, her clothes were all male
in style, and she even referred to herself in the masculine form. She
was well aware she was female in sex, it was just the way she was
brought up. Now, that little bit of information left her with Negisa’s
susoyoke and a task to rid herself of it that she didn’t want to
complete.
She sighed again and scooped up the folded cloth. Yesterday she had learned the slip was meant for Asahina to have, a memento from Negisa of that night. Now it was up to Katsumi, who currently had the susoyoke, to return it to Asahina. As if Katsumi didn’t already have to worry about how uncomfortable it would be to return the mon she practically stole from that same night, now she had to give him Negisa’s underwear. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was certain it was just a way for Negisa to get under her skin, but the reasoning didn’t matter so much as the task at hand and it was time for Katsumi to hand it over. She left her room and quickly crept to Asahina’s door, hoping no one saw her handling the underwear.
“Asahina-san,” Katsumi called out with a soft tapping at his door.
There was an audible sigh before she heard Asahina respond despairingly, “Come in.”
Katsumi slid his door open and made sure to stay in the hallway, she didn’t want to make this any more awkward than it was already going to be. She placed the folded cloth on the floor just inside the door. “This was meant for you. It’s Negisa’s. Matsu gave it to me.”
“Oh,” was all Asahina said.
“That’s it.” Katsumi closed the door. It was over with. There didn’t need to be any more of an explanation.
“Alright,” Asahina said through the door, “Thanks. You don’t want to stay for a drink or something?”
Katsumi had turned to go back to her room when she heard Asahina. It didn’t take her but a second to open the door again, with a smile Asahina couldn’t see because she was still dressed from the day, and say, “I would love to.”
It wasn’t so much having a drink with Asahina, she really had nothing in common with him. She just was a social drinker which meant the only time she enjoyed a bottle of sake was when it was in the company of someone else, in other words, she rarely turned down an offer for a drink. Before she could even enter Asahina’s room, the Scorpion woman, Soshi, came around the corner with a tray holding a bottle of sake and two saucers.
“Asahina-sama,” Soshi said, “If I may?”
“Please,” Asahina allowed Soshi to speak. Soshi pushed past Katsumi and knelt near Asahina. Katsumi edged her way into the room, taking a seat next to the tray Soshi had just placed and poured herself a cup.
“I would like to apologize for any deception we may have done in your presence, and by that I mean keeping my twin sister a secret from you. Sometimes we find that until we know the worth of a lord it’s best to hide some of our capabilities. The fact that we’re being so candid with you now indicates a lot more than you’re probably aware.”
Katsumi unwrapped her shozuko and neatly folded it in her lap. She sipped her sake and watched the two talk. For some reason every time she was drinking in this house Soshi was there talking to her drinking partner. Asahina didn’t seem to be surprised by anything Soshi was saying. Soshi pulled out a package and handed it to Asahina.
“Asahina-dono,” Soshi said, “We are yours to serve.”
Before Asahina could go through the normal refusing a gift twice before accepting it, Soshi stepped out of the room. Katsumi tilted her head as she watched Soshi nearly glide away. The boards under her feet didn’t squeak once. That was pretty impressive since the whole hallway was lined with mockingbird floorboards. The Scorpion were proving to be everything her clan had said they were so far.
Asahina unwrapped the package as Katsumi poured another cup for herself. He turned an ornate mask over in his hands and brought it up to his face to test the fit. It was blue and white, like the Crane colors. A strange present, as the Scorpion and Spider were really the only clans to wear masks. The Scorpion because they were the deceivers of the Empire, and the Spider… well, that was for different reasons. He stood and collected Negisa’s garment, then hung his new mask with his Topaz armor, the set he won from the championship. Katsumi smirked to herself when Asahina tucked Negisa’s panties into the armor, hiding it from sight. He wasn’t very good at hiding his actions, then again, he wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings either. That was something she would unfortunately have to speak to Negisa about. He had told her something yesterday and Katsumi wasn’t certain what he had actually meant by it.
Asahina sat back down and poured himself a drink. He didn’t say anything to Katsumi, she kind of preferred it that way. She wasn’t interested in conversation, she listened more than talked herself. And after Tsuruchi yesterday, she didn’t want to hear more asinine babbling. Speaking of Tsuruchi, he had been as noisy in death as he was in life. Earlier in the day, when Katsumi was training, Tsuruchi could be heard screaming in agony from somewhere nearby, no doubt enjoying the Spider side of justice. Perhaps that was why Asahina seemed so forlorn and withdrawn. Maybe he heard the screams too. Everyone probably did, they were loud enough. Katsumi shrugged, it didn’t matter now. Tsuruchi was taken care of, Asahina had given them the okay to do it, now it was over.
Asahina drank and brooded, and Katsumi enjoyed the voiceless evening until the bottle was empty and the night had long since come. Once there was nothing more to consume, she simply set her saucer down and stalked off to her room to call it a day. Even though nothing was said the entire time, Katsumi felt that was probably the best company she had since arriving here precisely because nothing was said. She didn’t have to feign interest, or be jostled about by sloshed up, enthusiastic braggarts. It was kind of like that tea ceremony Asahina had done several days ago for her, except better, because this was something she knew and didn’t have to worry about tapping into etiquette she was still learning. You just sat and drank until the pitcher ran dry.
She sighed again and scooped up the folded cloth. Yesterday she had learned the slip was meant for Asahina to have, a memento from Negisa of that night. Now it was up to Katsumi, who currently had the susoyoke, to return it to Asahina. As if Katsumi didn’t already have to worry about how uncomfortable it would be to return the mon she practically stole from that same night, now she had to give him Negisa’s underwear. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was certain it was just a way for Negisa to get under her skin, but the reasoning didn’t matter so much as the task at hand and it was time for Katsumi to hand it over. She left her room and quickly crept to Asahina’s door, hoping no one saw her handling the underwear.
“Asahina-san,” Katsumi called out with a soft tapping at his door.
There was an audible sigh before she heard Asahina respond despairingly, “Come in.”
Katsumi slid his door open and made sure to stay in the hallway, she didn’t want to make this any more awkward than it was already going to be. She placed the folded cloth on the floor just inside the door. “This was meant for you. It’s Negisa’s. Matsu gave it to me.”
“Oh,” was all Asahina said.
“That’s it.” Katsumi closed the door. It was over with. There didn’t need to be any more of an explanation.
“Alright,” Asahina said through the door, “Thanks. You don’t want to stay for a drink or something?”
Katsumi had turned to go back to her room when she heard Asahina. It didn’t take her but a second to open the door again, with a smile Asahina couldn’t see because she was still dressed from the day, and say, “I would love to.”
It wasn’t so much having a drink with Asahina, she really had nothing in common with him. She just was a social drinker which meant the only time she enjoyed a bottle of sake was when it was in the company of someone else, in other words, she rarely turned down an offer for a drink. Before she could even enter Asahina’s room, the Scorpion woman, Soshi, came around the corner with a tray holding a bottle of sake and two saucers.
“Asahina-sama,” Soshi said, “If I may?”
“Please,” Asahina allowed Soshi to speak. Soshi pushed past Katsumi and knelt near Asahina. Katsumi edged her way into the room, taking a seat next to the tray Soshi had just placed and poured herself a cup.
“I would like to apologize for any deception we may have done in your presence, and by that I mean keeping my twin sister a secret from you. Sometimes we find that until we know the worth of a lord it’s best to hide some of our capabilities. The fact that we’re being so candid with you now indicates a lot more than you’re probably aware.”
Katsumi unwrapped her shozuko and neatly folded it in her lap. She sipped her sake and watched the two talk. For some reason every time she was drinking in this house Soshi was there talking to her drinking partner. Asahina didn’t seem to be surprised by anything Soshi was saying. Soshi pulled out a package and handed it to Asahina.
“Asahina-dono,” Soshi said, “We are yours to serve.”
Before Asahina could go through the normal refusing a gift twice before accepting it, Soshi stepped out of the room. Katsumi tilted her head as she watched Soshi nearly glide away. The boards under her feet didn’t squeak once. That was pretty impressive since the whole hallway was lined with mockingbird floorboards. The Scorpion were proving to be everything her clan had said they were so far.
Asahina unwrapped the package as Katsumi poured another cup for herself. He turned an ornate mask over in his hands and brought it up to his face to test the fit. It was blue and white, like the Crane colors. A strange present, as the Scorpion and Spider were really the only clans to wear masks. The Scorpion because they were the deceivers of the Empire, and the Spider… well, that was for different reasons. He stood and collected Negisa’s garment, then hung his new mask with his Topaz armor, the set he won from the championship. Katsumi smirked to herself when Asahina tucked Negisa’s panties into the armor, hiding it from sight. He wasn’t very good at hiding his actions, then again, he wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings either. That was something she would unfortunately have to speak to Negisa about. He had told her something yesterday and Katsumi wasn’t certain what he had actually meant by it.
Asahina sat back down and poured himself a drink. He didn’t say anything to Katsumi, she kind of preferred it that way. She wasn’t interested in conversation, she listened more than talked herself. And after Tsuruchi yesterday, she didn’t want to hear more asinine babbling. Speaking of Tsuruchi, he had been as noisy in death as he was in life. Earlier in the day, when Katsumi was training, Tsuruchi could be heard screaming in agony from somewhere nearby, no doubt enjoying the Spider side of justice. Perhaps that was why Asahina seemed so forlorn and withdrawn. Maybe he heard the screams too. Everyone probably did, they were loud enough. Katsumi shrugged, it didn’t matter now. Tsuruchi was taken care of, Asahina had given them the okay to do it, now it was over.
Asahina drank and brooded, and Katsumi enjoyed the voiceless evening until the bottle was empty and the night had long since come. Once there was nothing more to consume, she simply set her saucer down and stalked off to her room to call it a day. Even though nothing was said the entire time, Katsumi felt that was probably the best company she had since arriving here precisely because nothing was said. She didn’t have to feign interest, or be jostled about by sloshed up, enthusiastic braggarts. It was kind of like that tea ceremony Asahina had done several days ago for her, except better, because this was something she knew and didn’t have to worry about tapping into etiquette she was still learning. You just sat and drank until the pitcher ran dry.
***
Morasahi
looked around the table while she ate her rice and fried fish. Today
was starting out unusual, which didn’t bode well for her since breakfast
was the only peaceful time Morasahi had to herself. At least it had
been for the last week, but not today. Today the table was filled with
food from end to end, small helpings made for the size of a family since
today the other four delegates whom she shared a roof with had shown
for breakfast. Quickly she took back the thought, Morasahi didn’t want
to consider these people part of her family. In actuality she didn’t
even want to consider her family. But the point was still strange that
today the table held five people when usually she had maybe shared
breakfast with one any other day this week.
It worked out for the best, really. Yesterday she had been informed that the Shiba yojimbos she had sent for to protect these housemates of hers had finally arrived. Even though it had only been ten days since she had sent word, finally was the proper term to use for the relief Morasahi felt when they came to town. Ten days of worrying about every one of those in the house, well, most of them at least. And seven days since Tsuruchi had committed his crimes against the town, which had done little to lessen the stress of being charged to watch over those under this roof. Morasahi shuddered at the thought, she had heard the screams from that day, she knew whose they were, everyone did. She didn’t want to consider what Spider justice implied, or why Tsuruchi had cried out as he did. No one was supposed to cry out in pain, and he did, more than once.
She shook the horrifying thought from her head. That was over now and it was time to look ahead, or at least plan ahead. Now she was certain nothing like that would ever happen again. She had five Shiba, tried and true to keep harm from the group, and the group from harming, hopefully.
“Um,” Morasahi began, no one looking at her. “The yojimbo I had requested are… here, so you will all have personal protection so I don’t have to try and… follow each of you around individually.”
Daigotsu was staring at her, Morasahi didn’t miss that over the last week. She had had enough staring from the Soshi twins, since she had been learning the art of bonsai from one of them, well, it was originally one of them. Now that there were two, she was lucky enough to have both of them on hand to instruct her the last seven days. It had been trying, to say the least, but if she ignored that they were two people it wasn’t so bad, and she did learn much from them, so it couldn’t be all that bad. Matsu didn’t acknowledge that she even heard Morasahi, and Kitsuki nodded and continued eating.
Asahina paused long enough to reward Morasahi with a “good job” before he filled his mouth with more rice. She had done a good job, who else could find five Shiba yojimbo in under two weeks? Probably no one.
“And… where are these yojimbo?” Matsu looked around.
“They’ll be showing up shortly,” Morasahi diligently tried to prevent the eye roll that came with such a question.
As if she was going to present them at the very moment, like some sort of gift at breakfast. She pitied Shiba Kimiko, who would be charged with Matsu. Matsu had a temper and seemed to be a little slow on the uptake with most things. She would be a challenge to protect. She remembered the smug smile Kimiko had when Morasahi had told Shiba Midori she was to watch Daigotsu. Daigotsu might be a Spider, but Matsu would probably prove to me more difficult than Daigotsu. Kimiko had no idea what she was assigned to.
Breakfast finished and the party separated, each wandering off wherever it was that they went during the day. Morasahi, on the other hand, had training to take care of. The last week while Asahina had practiced with his sensei, Morasahi had learned bonsai from the Soshis, not wanting to venture far from the house in case she was needed by someone. Now though, since the yojimbo had arrived, she was free to come and go as she pleased. And Morasahi was interested in furthering her training. Then she would get around to the finer points of being a samurai. She hadn’t forgotten about learning the courtier ways, she just hadn’t had the time to dedicate to such things yet.
Negisa sat up and smiled, “Oh really? Asahina said that? Asahina Kyuzo?”
“Yeah.”
“What was it in regards to?” Negisa was leaning forward completely interested in what Katsumi was going to say next. It was a little unnerving to Katsumi; Negisa usually didn’t take interest in something unless it had potential to be toyed with.
“I had informed him that I had my mon, which I had originally given to him as a trophy from the duel but… well, you know what happened that night more than I do. I ended up with it the next morning and figured I should return it because it was his trophy to take in the first place, but I wasn’t certain if I took it back or if he gave it to me, or what the case really was. Then he said to me, ‘I’ll be honest with you, it hurt my feelings a little because I thought you had given it to me as a gift.’ And I just didn’t know how to proceed from there. So… I still have it.”
“Oh, Little Sister,” Negisa chuckled in that way that Katsumi had learned long ago meant something was going to come from Negisa that Katsumi didn’t want to hear. “You took his prize. I know you don’t understand what that feels like, what has ever been taken from you?”
Nothing. Katsumi didn’t have much in the way of possessions, some clothes, her bisento, her bones and her wakizashi. Now she owned more clothes than she had ever before, and that was still only three uniforms and three kimonos. The Spider took what they wanted from whomever they wanted, but no one had need of anything Katsumi held dear, and the list of things that were close to her heart was half as big as the list of things she owned.
“These other clans operate differently than we do; they’re more about giving than they are taking, if you can manage to understand that. You gave him something, and then you took it, even if giving wasn’t your intention in the first place.”
Katsumi nodded. She could grasp that concept. When bringing Asahina’s trophy to him she had inadvertently given him a gift. She tried to imagine being given something, in all her life she had to earn everything she ever owned. They just didn’t give things to each other. Practically won out with the Spider, which meant no one really owned much.
“Besides it’s not exactly a bad thing for us,” Negisa continued settling back and returning to her usual self, “That means he has feelings. It’s a chink in his armor. To put it a way you might more appreciate, it’s a tendon you can hamstring. So use it to your advantage, Little Sister, find a way to make those feelings something he feels for you. If that means you have to bed him, then do it. Though judging from past experience, I seriously doubt he’ll have any emotional feelings for you after that. And he’s so gentle you won’t enjoy it as much as others.” Negisa grinned devilishly. “So apologize and make it sincere, or at least sound sincere, and return his silly little trophy.”
“Understood,” Katsumi nodded again, “But how do I do that, make it sound sincere?”
Negisa frowned, “I suppose you’re right, you’re hopeless when it comes to manipulation. Send him a letter, that way you don’t have to stumble through some misguided apology. Think about what Asahina likes to do and take that route. Of course, I could attempt to teach you how to use your feminine wiles, what little of them you do have.”
“I think I can manage,” Katsumi quickly responded.
“Very well, if that is all?” Negisa waved her hand to dismiss Katsumi.
Katsumi took the opportunity to leave while Negisa was being generous. She didn’t ask Katsumi for anything in return, and usually everything came with a price. Even advice. It was the same reason Katsumi didn’t want to take Negisa up on her offer, then she would owe her more than this little talk already cost her. She may not collect today, but Negisa always collected, and sometimes the price was steeper than one was willing to pay.
It worked out for the best, really. Yesterday she had been informed that the Shiba yojimbos she had sent for to protect these housemates of hers had finally arrived. Even though it had only been ten days since she had sent word, finally was the proper term to use for the relief Morasahi felt when they came to town. Ten days of worrying about every one of those in the house, well, most of them at least. And seven days since Tsuruchi had committed his crimes against the town, which had done little to lessen the stress of being charged to watch over those under this roof. Morasahi shuddered at the thought, she had heard the screams from that day, she knew whose they were, everyone did. She didn’t want to consider what Spider justice implied, or why Tsuruchi had cried out as he did. No one was supposed to cry out in pain, and he did, more than once.
She shook the horrifying thought from her head. That was over now and it was time to look ahead, or at least plan ahead. Now she was certain nothing like that would ever happen again. She had five Shiba, tried and true to keep harm from the group, and the group from harming, hopefully.
“Um,” Morasahi began, no one looking at her. “The yojimbo I had requested are… here, so you will all have personal protection so I don’t have to try and… follow each of you around individually.”
Daigotsu was staring at her, Morasahi didn’t miss that over the last week. She had had enough staring from the Soshi twins, since she had been learning the art of bonsai from one of them, well, it was originally one of them. Now that there were two, she was lucky enough to have both of them on hand to instruct her the last seven days. It had been trying, to say the least, but if she ignored that they were two people it wasn’t so bad, and she did learn much from them, so it couldn’t be all that bad. Matsu didn’t acknowledge that she even heard Morasahi, and Kitsuki nodded and continued eating.
Asahina paused long enough to reward Morasahi with a “good job” before he filled his mouth with more rice. She had done a good job, who else could find five Shiba yojimbo in under two weeks? Probably no one.
“And… where are these yojimbo?” Matsu looked around.
“They’ll be showing up shortly,” Morasahi diligently tried to prevent the eye roll that came with such a question.
As if she was going to present them at the very moment, like some sort of gift at breakfast. She pitied Shiba Kimiko, who would be charged with Matsu. Matsu had a temper and seemed to be a little slow on the uptake with most things. She would be a challenge to protect. She remembered the smug smile Kimiko had when Morasahi had told Shiba Midori she was to watch Daigotsu. Daigotsu might be a Spider, but Matsu would probably prove to me more difficult than Daigotsu. Kimiko had no idea what she was assigned to.
Breakfast finished and the party separated, each wandering off wherever it was that they went during the day. Morasahi, on the other hand, had training to take care of. The last week while Asahina had practiced with his sensei, Morasahi had learned bonsai from the Soshis, not wanting to venture far from the house in case she was needed by someone. Now though, since the yojimbo had arrived, she was free to come and go as she pleased. And Morasahi was interested in furthering her training. Then she would get around to the finer points of being a samurai. She hadn’t forgotten about learning the courtier ways, she just hadn’t had the time to dedicate to such things yet.
***
“What is it you wanted, Little
Sister?” Negisa walked away from the door leaving Katsumi to close it on
her own. Katsumi looked around the house Negisa was residing in. It was
decently built, not paper walls and mockingbird floors like hers, and
not large either, but it had a living area and two rooms, along with a
small kitchen. Negisa had done well for herself when claiming her
residence until the kyuden was built. However, she wasn’t here to take
in the construction of the house, she had come to Negisa with a problem
Katsumi had very little experience with.
“Asahina said something to me… I don’t know what to do about it,” Katsumi sat in the middle of the floor and pulled off her mask. “He’s just so peculiar.”
“Did he say he loves you?” Negisa asked, her boredom clearly showing.
“No. Oh, no. No. He said I hurt his feelings. What does that even mean?” Katsumi couldn’t wrap her head around it. Obviously, she knew what feelings were, she had them as much as anyone else, but how did you hurt them? You could hurt because of them, which wasn’t the same thing. Like feeling sorrow, or lonely, or even dishonored, those feelings could hurt you, but someone couldn’t hurt them.
“Asahina said something to me… I don’t know what to do about it,” Katsumi sat in the middle of the floor and pulled off her mask. “He’s just so peculiar.”
“Did he say he loves you?” Negisa asked, her boredom clearly showing.
“No. Oh, no. No. He said I hurt his feelings. What does that even mean?” Katsumi couldn’t wrap her head around it. Obviously, she knew what feelings were, she had them as much as anyone else, but how did you hurt them? You could hurt because of them, which wasn’t the same thing. Like feeling sorrow, or lonely, or even dishonored, those feelings could hurt you, but someone couldn’t hurt them.
Negisa sat up and smiled, “Oh really? Asahina said that? Asahina Kyuzo?”
“Yeah.”
“What was it in regards to?” Negisa was leaning forward completely interested in what Katsumi was going to say next. It was a little unnerving to Katsumi; Negisa usually didn’t take interest in something unless it had potential to be toyed with.
“I had informed him that I had my mon, which I had originally given to him as a trophy from the duel but… well, you know what happened that night more than I do. I ended up with it the next morning and figured I should return it because it was his trophy to take in the first place, but I wasn’t certain if I took it back or if he gave it to me, or what the case really was. Then he said to me, ‘I’ll be honest with you, it hurt my feelings a little because I thought you had given it to me as a gift.’ And I just didn’t know how to proceed from there. So… I still have it.”
“Oh, Little Sister,” Negisa chuckled in that way that Katsumi had learned long ago meant something was going to come from Negisa that Katsumi didn’t want to hear. “You took his prize. I know you don’t understand what that feels like, what has ever been taken from you?”
Nothing. Katsumi didn’t have much in the way of possessions, some clothes, her bisento, her bones and her wakizashi. Now she owned more clothes than she had ever before, and that was still only three uniforms and three kimonos. The Spider took what they wanted from whomever they wanted, but no one had need of anything Katsumi held dear, and the list of things that were close to her heart was half as big as the list of things she owned.
“These other clans operate differently than we do; they’re more about giving than they are taking, if you can manage to understand that. You gave him something, and then you took it, even if giving wasn’t your intention in the first place.”
Katsumi nodded. She could grasp that concept. When bringing Asahina’s trophy to him she had inadvertently given him a gift. She tried to imagine being given something, in all her life she had to earn everything she ever owned. They just didn’t give things to each other. Practically won out with the Spider, which meant no one really owned much.
“Besides it’s not exactly a bad thing for us,” Negisa continued settling back and returning to her usual self, “That means he has feelings. It’s a chink in his armor. To put it a way you might more appreciate, it’s a tendon you can hamstring. So use it to your advantage, Little Sister, find a way to make those feelings something he feels for you. If that means you have to bed him, then do it. Though judging from past experience, I seriously doubt he’ll have any emotional feelings for you after that. And he’s so gentle you won’t enjoy it as much as others.” Negisa grinned devilishly. “So apologize and make it sincere, or at least sound sincere, and return his silly little trophy.”
“Understood,” Katsumi nodded again, “But how do I do that, make it sound sincere?”
Negisa frowned, “I suppose you’re right, you’re hopeless when it comes to manipulation. Send him a letter, that way you don’t have to stumble through some misguided apology. Think about what Asahina likes to do and take that route. Of course, I could attempt to teach you how to use your feminine wiles, what little of them you do have.”
“I think I can manage,” Katsumi quickly responded.
“Very well, if that is all?” Negisa waved her hand to dismiss Katsumi.
Katsumi took the opportunity to leave while Negisa was being generous. She didn’t ask Katsumi for anything in return, and usually everything came with a price. Even advice. It was the same reason Katsumi didn’t want to take Negisa up on her offer, then she would owe her more than this little talk already cost her. She may not collect today, but Negisa always collected, and sometimes the price was steeper than one was willing to pay.
***
The
paper made a scuffing sound as it flew under Kyuzo’s door. He heard
footsteps swiftly move away from his room, the mockingbird floors
groaned and squeaked under their feet. Whoever it was, it wasn’t Soshi
or the other Soshi either, he supposed. He never did get the other ones
first name. Kyuzo frowned at the thought; he would have to rectify that
eventually. He walked to the paper laying on the floor and picked it up.
It was folded intricately. Cute, Kyuzo thought. As he unfolded the
paper, he noticed it even smelled gently of cherry blossoms. Someone
took their time with whatever this was, a love letter maybe? Naw, who
would write him a love letter?
Kyuzo began reading, it was addressed to him; at least they got the room right. The penmanship was beautiful, probably better than he could write. “My sincerest apologies… never intended to lead you into thinking… taking what didn’t belong to me…” The letter was long and embellished and conveyed the perfect message for an apology. The more Kyuzo read, the more it pieced itself together. “Perhaps we could spend some time in each other’s company… a walk would be delightful… performing a tea ceremony…” This wasn’t right; there was no way this was from who he thought it was. He studied the bottom of the paper where Daigotsu Katsumi was stamped. Impossible.
Kyuzo reread the letter. This was so out of character for Daigotsu, he had a hard time believing this was actually from her. Maybe someone was playing a trick on him, and her. It would make sense on why they slipped it under the door instead of hand delivering it. Kyuzo shook his head. This ridiculousness was something he didn’t want to be dragged into. He set the letter down and went back to his painting, promising himself he’d just pretend it never happened.
Kyuzo began reading, it was addressed to him; at least they got the room right. The penmanship was beautiful, probably better than he could write. “My sincerest apologies… never intended to lead you into thinking… taking what didn’t belong to me…” The letter was long and embellished and conveyed the perfect message for an apology. The more Kyuzo read, the more it pieced itself together. “Perhaps we could spend some time in each other’s company… a walk would be delightful… performing a tea ceremony…” This wasn’t right; there was no way this was from who he thought it was. He studied the bottom of the paper where Daigotsu Katsumi was stamped. Impossible.
Kyuzo reread the letter. This was so out of character for Daigotsu, he had a hard time believing this was actually from her. Maybe someone was playing a trick on him, and her. It would make sense on why they slipped it under the door instead of hand delivering it. Kyuzo shook his head. This ridiculousness was something he didn’t want to be dragged into. He set the letter down and went back to his painting, promising himself he’d just pretend it never happened.
***
The
Spider Monk pointed Morasahi towards a house not far from where her
section of town was. The original Spider had claimed a small area of the
town, being there before the barracks were completed. It made sense;
Morasahi wouldn’t want to move from a house to a barracks then to the
kyuden once it was completed, which hopefully wouldn’t be too long from
now. Therefore, they just stayed where they were. This one, though, this
one was a decent sized place. It wasn’t fancy, nor was it big, but a
family could easily live in it, and from what Morasahi understood
Daigotsu Negisa only occupied it. She approached the door and knocked.
“Enter,” Negisa’s voice called from inside.
Morasahi did as she was ordered and stepped through the threshold. Negisa was writing at a table in the family living area of the house, behind her stood a familiar face, though pale and bleak. She had seen this character around town the past few days, always behind Negisa, always washed out. It had given Morasahi a spine tingling feeling when she first laid eyes on him, now that she was closer, the feeling began crawling up her back again. It was Tsuruchi Airo, or at least it looked exactly like him if he was depressed and a corpse. She tried to avoid looking at him, instead focusing on Negisa who didn’t bother looking up from what she was doing.
“Can I help you, Shiba-sama?” Negisa plainly asked.
“Um, yes, Daigotsu-san,” Morasahi shifted uncomfortably, “Um, I was wondering if you could teach me to be more…appropriate in court settings? Or…social situations…as it were.”
Negisa looked up with a smile, “I could probably do that for you. Is there a specific thing you wanted to learn?”
“Um…mostly I would like to learn more about the Spider I only know…what I’ve heard which…as you may know is generally not good so I would like to learn more about your culture as a whole and…how you interact in social situations.”
“Please, sit,” Negisa gestured to a spot nearby. “Tell me, Shiba-sama, why come to the Spider?”
“Um-well…because…As I’m sure you can tell, we’re going to be here for a while and as this will all become Spider land I thought it would be most…appropriate for me to be able to…know the…Spider culture and the way… that…social settings are held here. Seeing as how I have almost no experience in court situations in general, and since our Winter Court will be here in the Spider land I want to know how to understand Spider court…better.”
Negisa studied Morasahi; it was very reminiscent of Daigotsu Katsumi, the way she stared at Morasahi constantly.
“The first thing you need to know about the Spider is our code of life, Shourido. We abide by it as the rest of the Empire lives for Bushido; however, through Shourido we find perfection. We strive for knowledge, insight, control, strength, will, determination, and perfection, the ultimate goal. Shourido is all about self-perfection. Do you see how I’m dressed?”
“Yes,” Morasahi ran her eyes down Negisa’s outfit; it was a single-layered dress with knots across the torso tying it closed. The skirt was slit up the sides to her thighs where her bare flesh could be seen.
“It’s one of our tenets. Men are stupid. Not in and of themselves, some women are the same. However, if you show them something that they want, you can throw them off balance. Do you still want to learn from the Spider knowing that? I have no objections to teaching you. Ask yourself if you will have a problem learning.”
Morasahi thought about it, she wasn’t sure where Negisa was going with her assumption that she would have a problem learning. She couldn’t foresee a problem with learning the way the Spider worked. She needed to learn from someone, and if dressing a little less reserved was something she might have to do in a court setting, it wasn’t going to be the end of the world.
“I would still like to learn, yes.”
“Very well,” Negisa leaned forward becoming suddenly serious, “We will start tomorrow. We will have conversations and meetings and you can observe how I handle things. You will be there anytime I desire you to witness a private conversation or anything else for that matter. You will also join in when I instruct you to, you have to practice what you learn from watching. Is that understood?”
Morasahi nodded timidly, “I understand.”
“Do you still wish to learn?”
“Yes.”
Negisa stood unexpectedly and withdrew a tanto from her belt; she slit the palm of her hand and held out the knife to Morasahi. Morasahi just stared, what was going on?
“It is not magic, it is not maho. This is the way we make a vow.”
Morasahi didn’t want to cut her hand open. She didn’t want to cut herself at all. What were the Spider thinking by harming themselves just to prove they are serious in a matter? However, on that thought, it proved much if one was willing to put their body to harm in order to prove their sincerity, maybe the Spider weren’t so monstrous after all. You could trust a man by his actions much more than you could trust a man by his word. She gingerly accepted the blade and made the smallest gash she thought possible without offending Negisa.
Negisa grabbed Morasahi’s hand and pressed their wounds together saying, “Now bound by blood, I am bound by my word.”
Morasahi wondered if she should say something. She just stood there silently hoping she had performed her part in this ritual correctly. Negisa let go, sheathed her tanto, flicked her hand and began writing again. Morasahi wrapped the extra cloth from her sleeve around her palm, stifling the blood flow.
“Thank you very much,” was all that came to mind. Morasahi bowed and hurried out the door. That was the most uncomfortable she had been since she arrived in this town, and unfortunately that was also what she had to look forward to the next few weeks, perhaps even months. This was going to be a Spider town after all.
“Enter,” Negisa’s voice called from inside.
Morasahi did as she was ordered and stepped through the threshold. Negisa was writing at a table in the family living area of the house, behind her stood a familiar face, though pale and bleak. She had seen this character around town the past few days, always behind Negisa, always washed out. It had given Morasahi a spine tingling feeling when she first laid eyes on him, now that she was closer, the feeling began crawling up her back again. It was Tsuruchi Airo, or at least it looked exactly like him if he was depressed and a corpse. She tried to avoid looking at him, instead focusing on Negisa who didn’t bother looking up from what she was doing.
“Can I help you, Shiba-sama?” Negisa plainly asked.
“Um, yes, Daigotsu-san,” Morasahi shifted uncomfortably, “Um, I was wondering if you could teach me to be more…appropriate in court settings? Or…social situations…as it were.”
Negisa looked up with a smile, “I could probably do that for you. Is there a specific thing you wanted to learn?”
“Um…mostly I would like to learn more about the Spider I only know…what I’ve heard which…as you may know is generally not good so I would like to learn more about your culture as a whole and…how you interact in social situations.”
“Please, sit,” Negisa gestured to a spot nearby. “Tell me, Shiba-sama, why come to the Spider?”
“Um-well…because…As I’m sure you can tell, we’re going to be here for a while and as this will all become Spider land I thought it would be most…appropriate for me to be able to…know the…Spider culture and the way… that…social settings are held here. Seeing as how I have almost no experience in court situations in general, and since our Winter Court will be here in the Spider land I want to know how to understand Spider court…better.”
Negisa studied Morasahi; it was very reminiscent of Daigotsu Katsumi, the way she stared at Morasahi constantly.
“The first thing you need to know about the Spider is our code of life, Shourido. We abide by it as the rest of the Empire lives for Bushido; however, through Shourido we find perfection. We strive for knowledge, insight, control, strength, will, determination, and perfection, the ultimate goal. Shourido is all about self-perfection. Do you see how I’m dressed?”
“Yes,” Morasahi ran her eyes down Negisa’s outfit; it was a single-layered dress with knots across the torso tying it closed. The skirt was slit up the sides to her thighs where her bare flesh could be seen.
“It’s one of our tenets. Men are stupid. Not in and of themselves, some women are the same. However, if you show them something that they want, you can throw them off balance. Do you still want to learn from the Spider knowing that? I have no objections to teaching you. Ask yourself if you will have a problem learning.”
Morasahi thought about it, she wasn’t sure where Negisa was going with her assumption that she would have a problem learning. She couldn’t foresee a problem with learning the way the Spider worked. She needed to learn from someone, and if dressing a little less reserved was something she might have to do in a court setting, it wasn’t going to be the end of the world.
“I would still like to learn, yes.”
“Very well,” Negisa leaned forward becoming suddenly serious, “We will start tomorrow. We will have conversations and meetings and you can observe how I handle things. You will be there anytime I desire you to witness a private conversation or anything else for that matter. You will also join in when I instruct you to, you have to practice what you learn from watching. Is that understood?”
Morasahi nodded timidly, “I understand.”
“Do you still wish to learn?”
“Yes.”
Negisa stood unexpectedly and withdrew a tanto from her belt; she slit the palm of her hand and held out the knife to Morasahi. Morasahi just stared, what was going on?
“It is not magic, it is not maho. This is the way we make a vow.”
Morasahi didn’t want to cut her hand open. She didn’t want to cut herself at all. What were the Spider thinking by harming themselves just to prove they are serious in a matter? However, on that thought, it proved much if one was willing to put their body to harm in order to prove their sincerity, maybe the Spider weren’t so monstrous after all. You could trust a man by his actions much more than you could trust a man by his word. She gingerly accepted the blade and made the smallest gash she thought possible without offending Negisa.
Negisa grabbed Morasahi’s hand and pressed their wounds together saying, “Now bound by blood, I am bound by my word.”
Morasahi wondered if she should say something. She just stood there silently hoping she had performed her part in this ritual correctly. Negisa let go, sheathed her tanto, flicked her hand and began writing again. Morasahi wrapped the extra cloth from her sleeve around her palm, stifling the blood flow.
“Thank you very much,” was all that came to mind. Morasahi bowed and hurried out the door. That was the most uncomfortable she had been since she arrived in this town, and unfortunately that was also what she had to look forward to the next few weeks, perhaps even months. This was going to be a Spider town after all.
***
Soshi
had built the strangest obstacle course Kyuzo had ever seen. There were
old creaking boards with metal scraps underneath hanging by string so
they tapped and chimed against each other. There were posts that looked
to be unsafe to cross, laying crookedly in one section. A series of
ropes tied between two poles, a ladder just laying on its side about a
foot off the ground. And much more that was still being built. At the
beginning lay rice paper, about ten feet of it, side by side.
“You will walk across this without leaving footprints before you can move on to the next section,” Soshi pointed at the paper.
Kyuzo nodded. This was going to be challenging, but he knew he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to. He rubbed his hands together trying not to smile too big and lined himself up on one side of the rice paper walkway. His first step tore the paper. Okay, softer, Kyuzo told himself. He tried again, this time making it across without tearing any but definitely left indents from his feet. Again. Kyuzo lined himself up, tried a third. Then a fourth. By the seventh, he could make it across without bending the paper. This was actually fun. Shiba had joined in shortly after Kyuzo and was already waiting at the second obstacle.
“A very good start,” Soshi commended Kyuzo and Shiba, “Now you will cross these logs.”
Shiba skipped across the logs as if they were buried ten feet below the ground. Not one twisted or tipped. It couldn’t be that hard if Shiba managed it so easily. Kyuzo stepped to the first one and felt it lean forward, quickly he hopped to the next, but it was too late to right the situation. The first hit the second, the second spilled out from under him, Kyuzo went sprawling on the ground as the rest of the logs fell in on him.
“Well done, Shiba-san,” Soshi acclaimed.
“I’m alright,” Kyuzo said as he pushed a stump off his leg and clamored back to his feet.
“I can see that,” Soshi smirked, “How’s your pride?”
“Yes, I’ve been through training before,” Kyuzo sighed and began setting the posts back up. “I haven’t been at this long enough for my pride to be harmed.”
“You will walk across this without leaving footprints before you can move on to the next section,” Soshi pointed at the paper.
Kyuzo nodded. This was going to be challenging, but he knew he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to. He rubbed his hands together trying not to smile too big and lined himself up on one side of the rice paper walkway. His first step tore the paper. Okay, softer, Kyuzo told himself. He tried again, this time making it across without tearing any but definitely left indents from his feet. Again. Kyuzo lined himself up, tried a third. Then a fourth. By the seventh, he could make it across without bending the paper. This was actually fun. Shiba had joined in shortly after Kyuzo and was already waiting at the second obstacle.
“A very good start,” Soshi commended Kyuzo and Shiba, “Now you will cross these logs.”
Shiba skipped across the logs as if they were buried ten feet below the ground. Not one twisted or tipped. It couldn’t be that hard if Shiba managed it so easily. Kyuzo stepped to the first one and felt it lean forward, quickly he hopped to the next, but it was too late to right the situation. The first hit the second, the second spilled out from under him, Kyuzo went sprawling on the ground as the rest of the logs fell in on him.
“Well done, Shiba-san,” Soshi acclaimed.
“I’m alright,” Kyuzo said as he pushed a stump off his leg and clamored back to his feet.
“I can see that,” Soshi smirked, “How’s your pride?”
“Yes, I’ve been through training before,” Kyuzo sighed and began setting the posts back up. “I haven’t been at this long enough for my pride to be harmed.”
***
“Since
we’ve learned about external care and treatment, it’s time to get into
the more complicated aspects of medicine, internal.” Katsumi tugged at
her mask and tossed it by Mikoto’s door, as she had done every day prior
when teaching her the ways of the body. “It involves several factors,
most of them dealing with spiritual health.”
Mikoto smiled while listening to Katsumi. She enjoyed these times, when Katsumi would become so vocal while instructing her. She didn’t say much any other time, and even if it was all for learning purposes, she was still talking to her. This was Mikoto’s fourth lesson on medicine from Katsumi. The sessions were stretched out, Katsumi only teaching her for a few hours and always leaving Mikoto with a “We’ll pick back up in a few days.” She was true to her word. Sure enough three days later Katsumi would beckon Mikoto to Mikoto’s room where they would go over another section of the body or healing practice, and Mikoto would have the pleasure of enjoying Katsumi touching her and talking to her, and it just being the two of them.
Honestly, Mikoto wasn’t sure where they stood when it came to intimacy. After that night nearly two weeks ago, she had believed Katsumi had warmed up to her and they would share the secrets lovers shared, but it hadn’t turned out that way. Katsumi had returned to her previous self, referring to Mikoto as Matsu-san and not making any effort to spend time with her outside of these one on one lessons. At mealtime, when they were fortunate enough to eat together, Katsumi would offer her food to Mikoto; that was something personal. And Mikoto couldn’t help but feel there was more to each of these medicine sessions than just learning. So, for the time being, she just took what she could, and waited for Katsumi to come to her.
“Are you familiar with chi and chakras?” Katsumi asked.
“A little,” Mikoto shrugged. She only knew a little about everything Katsumi had taught her so far, even the things she thought she fully understood it turned out Mikoto knew practically nothing about. Katsumi would go into such detail that Mikoto felt like a child compared to her and Katsumi was younger than she was.
“Well, we’ll start with the chakras then. There are seven parts of your body where you harness power and they each affect you differently.” Katsumi drew a line from her head to her groin. “Most people have one that is higher functioning than the others, which creates an imbalance. And sometimes these chakra can be low functioning, or cloudy, which brings on illness. Sit down.”
Mikoto dropped to her knees, sitting on her feet. Katsumi took a position behind her, kneeling as well.
“The first point is here,” Mikoto felt Katsumi rest her hand on Mikoto’s head, “Which is actually your seventh chakra, Sahasrara. It is our spiritual connection to the world.” Katsumi began stroking Mikoto’s hair. Mikoto smiled and instinctively leaned into Katsumi’s touch. “With Sahasrara, we can access the void; we can tap into our higher consciousness which allows us to see the lives we’ve lived before who we are now. It also allows us to empathize with others because we can more readily understand each other when we are connected.
“If one has too much energy in Sahasrara they can become destructive and frustrated from access to such great power. Those who have been damaged through this chakra often suffer from feelings of confinement, being cut off from the rest of the world, fear, worry, depression, sleeping issues, madness and headaches. They may even fear a spiritual connection since they are unable to understand it with the physical sense.”
Katsumi tilted Mikoto’s head back and touched a finger to her forehead, Katsumi’s other hand cradled her head. “This is your sixth chakra, Ajna.” She ran her finger across Mikoto’s brow towards her ear almost absently while explaining the rest. Mikoto closed her eyes, enjoying the caress of Katsumi. “It controls wisdom, imagination, insight, and wholeness of self. People who have an excess amount of energy here can be egotistical and manipulative. Those damaged here are undisciplined and intellectually stagnant. Confusion, exhaustion, sensory difficulty like hearing and vision are associated with Ajna.”
Mikoto heard some shuffling behind her, Katsumi no longer touching her head. She opened her eyes to see just her ceiling but felt Katsumi untie her obi then Katsumi tugged on her arms, pulling her backwards, “Here, lean back,” Katsumi instructed.
She did so and was embraced by Katsumi, Katsumi acting as a backing for Mikoto to lean against. Katsumi scooted closer, apparently positioning herself in the correct manner to continue the lesson and set her cheek against Mikoto’s.
“The fifth is Vishuddha,” Katsumi said quietly. Her tone had changed, and although she still sounded like she was instructing, it was very reminiscent of the way Mikoto imagined Katsumi would whisper in her ear when they were alone together. Kind of like this. Katsumi played her fingers along Mikoto‘s throat. “It makes us strong physically and mentally. It brings contentment and a will to experience new divine and sexual things. If Vishuddha is someone’s imbalanced chakra, they will be arrogant and talkative, often dominating and possessing high sexual energy. If Vishuddha is damaged one would be timid, lacking in intimacy and communication, often you see mouth and throat issues due to Vishuddha’s location.”
Katsumi slid her hand under Mikoto’s kimono and exposed the top of her chest. “Here is your fourth, Anahata,” Katsumi traced a heart over Mikoto’s while whispering in her ear. “Anahata rules love. Jealousy, envy, lack of confidence and paranoia come with a damaged fourth chakra. Those organs associated with the heart also suffer, which includes the lungs.”
It could have been Mikoto’s imagination, but when Katsumi was talking about the heart, she felt Katsumi press her chest closer to her own. Katsumi then separated Mikoto’s robe and wrapped her arms around Mikoto’s abdomen pressing just below her chest.
“Here we have Manipura, your third point,” Katsumi ran her fingers from Mikoto’s belly to her ribs, sending shivers across her body. “Willpower and balance in thoughts and emotion are ruled by Manipura. Excess energy here causes perfectionism and high stress. If one has low energy here it affects all internal organs that touch this spot, liver, pancreas, stomach, intestines, nearly everything.”
“And Swadhishtana is down here,” Katsumi’s hand trailed towards Mikoto’s pelvis, pushing under her skirt and cupping her crotch, her palm pressing just above her pelvic bone. This was definitely not part of Mikoto’s imagination. She held her breath, waiting for Katsumi to move on to the next chakra, trying not to focus on the warmth of Katumi’s hand, or the sound of her breathing that had quickened. The moment never passed. Instead, Katsumi shuffled to Mikoto’s right and laid her delicately on the floor before undressing Mikoto fully.
“Swadhishtana rules over sexuality and emotions,” Katsumi breathed into Mikoto’s ear. “If it is overactive a person becomes overindulgent…” Words Mikoto was finding harder and harder to comprehend with what Katsumi was doing between her legs.
Mikoto smiled while listening to Katsumi. She enjoyed these times, when Katsumi would become so vocal while instructing her. She didn’t say much any other time, and even if it was all for learning purposes, she was still talking to her. This was Mikoto’s fourth lesson on medicine from Katsumi. The sessions were stretched out, Katsumi only teaching her for a few hours and always leaving Mikoto with a “We’ll pick back up in a few days.” She was true to her word. Sure enough three days later Katsumi would beckon Mikoto to Mikoto’s room where they would go over another section of the body or healing practice, and Mikoto would have the pleasure of enjoying Katsumi touching her and talking to her, and it just being the two of them.
Honestly, Mikoto wasn’t sure where they stood when it came to intimacy. After that night nearly two weeks ago, she had believed Katsumi had warmed up to her and they would share the secrets lovers shared, but it hadn’t turned out that way. Katsumi had returned to her previous self, referring to Mikoto as Matsu-san and not making any effort to spend time with her outside of these one on one lessons. At mealtime, when they were fortunate enough to eat together, Katsumi would offer her food to Mikoto; that was something personal. And Mikoto couldn’t help but feel there was more to each of these medicine sessions than just learning. So, for the time being, she just took what she could, and waited for Katsumi to come to her.
“Are you familiar with chi and chakras?” Katsumi asked.
“A little,” Mikoto shrugged. She only knew a little about everything Katsumi had taught her so far, even the things she thought she fully understood it turned out Mikoto knew practically nothing about. Katsumi would go into such detail that Mikoto felt like a child compared to her and Katsumi was younger than she was.
“Well, we’ll start with the chakras then. There are seven parts of your body where you harness power and they each affect you differently.” Katsumi drew a line from her head to her groin. “Most people have one that is higher functioning than the others, which creates an imbalance. And sometimes these chakra can be low functioning, or cloudy, which brings on illness. Sit down.”
Mikoto dropped to her knees, sitting on her feet. Katsumi took a position behind her, kneeling as well.
“The first point is here,” Mikoto felt Katsumi rest her hand on Mikoto’s head, “Which is actually your seventh chakra, Sahasrara. It is our spiritual connection to the world.” Katsumi began stroking Mikoto’s hair. Mikoto smiled and instinctively leaned into Katsumi’s touch. “With Sahasrara, we can access the void; we can tap into our higher consciousness which allows us to see the lives we’ve lived before who we are now. It also allows us to empathize with others because we can more readily understand each other when we are connected.
“If one has too much energy in Sahasrara they can become destructive and frustrated from access to such great power. Those who have been damaged through this chakra often suffer from feelings of confinement, being cut off from the rest of the world, fear, worry, depression, sleeping issues, madness and headaches. They may even fear a spiritual connection since they are unable to understand it with the physical sense.”
Katsumi tilted Mikoto’s head back and touched a finger to her forehead, Katsumi’s other hand cradled her head. “This is your sixth chakra, Ajna.” She ran her finger across Mikoto’s brow towards her ear almost absently while explaining the rest. Mikoto closed her eyes, enjoying the caress of Katsumi. “It controls wisdom, imagination, insight, and wholeness of self. People who have an excess amount of energy here can be egotistical and manipulative. Those damaged here are undisciplined and intellectually stagnant. Confusion, exhaustion, sensory difficulty like hearing and vision are associated with Ajna.”
Mikoto heard some shuffling behind her, Katsumi no longer touching her head. She opened her eyes to see just her ceiling but felt Katsumi untie her obi then Katsumi tugged on her arms, pulling her backwards, “Here, lean back,” Katsumi instructed.
She did so and was embraced by Katsumi, Katsumi acting as a backing for Mikoto to lean against. Katsumi scooted closer, apparently positioning herself in the correct manner to continue the lesson and set her cheek against Mikoto’s.
“The fifth is Vishuddha,” Katsumi said quietly. Her tone had changed, and although she still sounded like she was instructing, it was very reminiscent of the way Mikoto imagined Katsumi would whisper in her ear when they were alone together. Kind of like this. Katsumi played her fingers along Mikoto‘s throat. “It makes us strong physically and mentally. It brings contentment and a will to experience new divine and sexual things. If Vishuddha is someone’s imbalanced chakra, they will be arrogant and talkative, often dominating and possessing high sexual energy. If Vishuddha is damaged one would be timid, lacking in intimacy and communication, often you see mouth and throat issues due to Vishuddha’s location.”
Katsumi slid her hand under Mikoto’s kimono and exposed the top of her chest. “Here is your fourth, Anahata,” Katsumi traced a heart over Mikoto’s while whispering in her ear. “Anahata rules love. Jealousy, envy, lack of confidence and paranoia come with a damaged fourth chakra. Those organs associated with the heart also suffer, which includes the lungs.”
It could have been Mikoto’s imagination, but when Katsumi was talking about the heart, she felt Katsumi press her chest closer to her own. Katsumi then separated Mikoto’s robe and wrapped her arms around Mikoto’s abdomen pressing just below her chest.
“Here we have Manipura, your third point,” Katsumi ran her fingers from Mikoto’s belly to her ribs, sending shivers across her body. “Willpower and balance in thoughts and emotion are ruled by Manipura. Excess energy here causes perfectionism and high stress. If one has low energy here it affects all internal organs that touch this spot, liver, pancreas, stomach, intestines, nearly everything.”
“And Swadhishtana is down here,” Katsumi’s hand trailed towards Mikoto’s pelvis, pushing under her skirt and cupping her crotch, her palm pressing just above her pelvic bone. This was definitely not part of Mikoto’s imagination. She held her breath, waiting for Katsumi to move on to the next chakra, trying not to focus on the warmth of Katumi’s hand, or the sound of her breathing that had quickened. The moment never passed. Instead, Katsumi shuffled to Mikoto’s right and laid her delicately on the floor before undressing Mikoto fully.
“Swadhishtana rules over sexuality and emotions,” Katsumi breathed into Mikoto’s ear. “If it is overactive a person becomes overindulgent…” Words Mikoto was finding harder and harder to comprehend with what Katsumi was doing between her legs.
***
Katsumi
followed Asahina out to the line of cherry trees that surrounded the
town. He was finding his preferred place to perform a tea ceremony; she
had seen him do this once before when last he invited her. That was
several weeks ago now, and this time she requested his time and skill.
She had put a lot of thought into how best to ensnare Asahina in the
Spider’s web, and after consulting Negisa, she suggested Katsumi show
interest in him in a romantic way. It wasn’t the first time she had been
asked to show interest in someone, though romance wasn’t usually the
end result, which made those encounters much easier in her opinion. This
time though, she was navigating without knowing which way was north.
And apparently, her previous attempt hadn’t been enough to spark an
interest.
Earlier in the week, she had sent Asahina a note. An apology letter. It didn’t take Kitsuki much convincing for him to write it for her, even with her vague responses. All she had to do was mention it involved the last full moon, and he had seen the painting since then of that night, which was all the information she really needed to supply. He seemed happy enough to oblige without details. However, Asahina hadn’t responded to her letter. He had gotten it, she was sure of that since she hadn’t seen it laying about on the floor. Perhaps she should have hand delivered it, but it was just another way for her to mess the whole thing up. So she slid it under his door and nothing came of it. He never said a thing to her about it. Perhaps it said not to mention it in the note, but that didn’t sound like Kitsuki; Katsumi kicked herself for not reading it first.
Asahina sat down, apparently finding a suitable location. Katsumi joined him, waiting for him to set everything up. Waiting for him to open his kit. It was the easiest way to make sure he got his trophy back. She had thought long and hard about how to best return it without actually giving it to him, and this just seemed like the path with the least amount of explaining. Katsumi never asked about that night, she had lived with the curse long enough that she no longer cared to know what had ensued. As long as she hadn‘t killed anyone, she didn‘t need to know, and only then because murder would mark her as a criminal which would entail swift action on her part to maintain her life and freedom.
He paused after opening the box, glanced at Katsumi and then began removing items from the set. Obviously he had seen it but chose not to say anything. A wave of relief washed over her. It seemed he was saving her from the discomfort of attempting to give answers she didn’t have, whether he knew it or not. She smiled to herself; Asahina was a peculiar man. He never asked for clarification from her, and was fine with sitting in silence, allowing Katsumi just to exist in the same space without the unnecessary social interaction. She liked that. It made her feel at home.
“Asahina Kyuzo at your service.”
“Tsuruchi Meintaro, brother of Tsuruchi Airo. I’m here to take his place, as well as deal with him.” Meintaro wanted to get this unpleasantness taken care of as quickly as possible so he could start mending bridges that Airo had burned.
“Yeah, we had a really nasty situation here a few weeks ago,” Asahina commented. Meintaro didn’t need Asahina to express his opinion on the matter. He already knew what had transpired from both his daimyo and a letter he received along the way here.
“I got a letter. Do you know where he is?”
Asahina looked confused, obviously he wasn’t responsible for notifying Meintaro that his brother was awaiting his arrival. Just then, a woman clad in black silk with white webs embroidered along her dress entered the open door. She looked at Meintaro with her hazel eyes and gave a polite bow.
“Tsuruchi-san, I saw you entering town, I am Daigotsu Negisa.”
“You’re the one who sent the letter.”
“That is correct. My most humble apologies for what has happened to your brother.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything.” Airo did it, and now it was a mess Meintaro was going to have to clean up. “So, where is my brother?”
“We are currently holding him,” Negisa waved her hand towards the door.
“Asahina-sama, with your permission I would like to take my leave and take care of this.”
“Permission granted,” Asahina nodded and turned towards the back of the house, returning to his strange exercise routine.
“Lead the way,” Meintaro instructed Negisa.
“Shiba,” Negisa called, “Come.” A diminutive woman who had been in the courtyard joined Negisa as the three headed outside.
She led him to a house nearby, only a short walk from the center of town. When he entered, he saw Airo kneeling near the back of the living area. He was ashen and somber and didn’t issue any greetings, only sat there and watched Meintaro. Meintaro felt his rage bubbling up, Airo had caused such a commotion, created such a rift through not just the Tsuruchi family, but the Mantis clan, and Meintaro hadn’t yet learned how the town was after Airo’s shameful actions. He scanned the room, finding what he was looking for, his grandfather’s bow, the one gifted to Airo, sitting across the room. Meintaro waked to it, grabbed it and stopped in front of Airo. He considered shooting Airo, putting an arrow through his throat, removing the stain from his family’s life. Instead, he shook his head and left the building. Airo wasn’t worth it. Airo wasn’t worth anything now. He had chosen to put himself in this position and it was his burden to bear, not Meintaro’s to free him from it.
Earlier in the week, she had sent Asahina a note. An apology letter. It didn’t take Kitsuki much convincing for him to write it for her, even with her vague responses. All she had to do was mention it involved the last full moon, and he had seen the painting since then of that night, which was all the information she really needed to supply. He seemed happy enough to oblige without details. However, Asahina hadn’t responded to her letter. He had gotten it, she was sure of that since she hadn’t seen it laying about on the floor. Perhaps she should have hand delivered it, but it was just another way for her to mess the whole thing up. So she slid it under his door and nothing came of it. He never said a thing to her about it. Perhaps it said not to mention it in the note, but that didn’t sound like Kitsuki; Katsumi kicked herself for not reading it first.
Asahina sat down, apparently finding a suitable location. Katsumi joined him, waiting for him to set everything up. Waiting for him to open his kit. It was the easiest way to make sure he got his trophy back. She had thought long and hard about how to best return it without actually giving it to him, and this just seemed like the path with the least amount of explaining. Katsumi never asked about that night, she had lived with the curse long enough that she no longer cared to know what had ensued. As long as she hadn‘t killed anyone, she didn‘t need to know, and only then because murder would mark her as a criminal which would entail swift action on her part to maintain her life and freedom.
He paused after opening the box, glanced at Katsumi and then began removing items from the set. Obviously he had seen it but chose not to say anything. A wave of relief washed over her. It seemed he was saving her from the discomfort of attempting to give answers she didn’t have, whether he knew it or not. She smiled to herself; Asahina was a peculiar man. He never asked for clarification from her, and was fine with sitting in silence, allowing Katsumi just to exist in the same space without the unnecessary social interaction. She liked that. It made her feel at home.
***
Tsuruchi Meintaro rode into town,
the same town his brother had ventured into only two weeks prior, and
would never leave. Meintaro grimaced at the thought of his brother; Airo
had created a mess of their family name and Meintaro was here to make
up for it. Not only was he here to retake the position of Mantis consult
and restore honor to the Tsuruchi family, but he needed to retrieve a
specific heirloom Airo had been gifted with, one he no longer deserved.
He dismounted from his horse and allowed the heimin to take it and
stable it while a short man quickly came to greet him. Undoubtedly the
mayor of the town.
“I’m here to see Asahina-sama,” Meintaro said sternly.
“Of course, samurai-sama, right this way.” The mayor bowed graciously and scurried to the large house not far from where they were standing. Meintaro followed, once entering the house he was asked to wait while Asahina was fetched from the backyard. Asahina was doing some sort of exercises with a rather unusual obstacle course. Asahina hustled inside and bowed to Meintaro.
“I’m here to see Asahina-sama,” Meintaro said sternly.
“Of course, samurai-sama, right this way.” The mayor bowed graciously and scurried to the large house not far from where they were standing. Meintaro followed, once entering the house he was asked to wait while Asahina was fetched from the backyard. Asahina was doing some sort of exercises with a rather unusual obstacle course. Asahina hustled inside and bowed to Meintaro.
“Asahina Kyuzo at your service.”
“Tsuruchi Meintaro, brother of Tsuruchi Airo. I’m here to take his place, as well as deal with him.” Meintaro wanted to get this unpleasantness taken care of as quickly as possible so he could start mending bridges that Airo had burned.
“Yeah, we had a really nasty situation here a few weeks ago,” Asahina commented. Meintaro didn’t need Asahina to express his opinion on the matter. He already knew what had transpired from both his daimyo and a letter he received along the way here.
“I got a letter. Do you know where he is?”
Asahina looked confused, obviously he wasn’t responsible for notifying Meintaro that his brother was awaiting his arrival. Just then, a woman clad in black silk with white webs embroidered along her dress entered the open door. She looked at Meintaro with her hazel eyes and gave a polite bow.
“Tsuruchi-san, I saw you entering town, I am Daigotsu Negisa.”
“You’re the one who sent the letter.”
“That is correct. My most humble apologies for what has happened to your brother.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything.” Airo did it, and now it was a mess Meintaro was going to have to clean up. “So, where is my brother?”
“We are currently holding him,” Negisa waved her hand towards the door.
“Asahina-sama, with your permission I would like to take my leave and take care of this.”
“Permission granted,” Asahina nodded and turned towards the back of the house, returning to his strange exercise routine.
“Lead the way,” Meintaro instructed Negisa.
“Shiba,” Negisa called, “Come.” A diminutive woman who had been in the courtyard joined Negisa as the three headed outside.
She led him to a house nearby, only a short walk from the center of town. When he entered, he saw Airo kneeling near the back of the living area. He was ashen and somber and didn’t issue any greetings, only sat there and watched Meintaro. Meintaro felt his rage bubbling up, Airo had caused such a commotion, created such a rift through not just the Tsuruchi family, but the Mantis clan, and Meintaro hadn’t yet learned how the town was after Airo’s shameful actions. He scanned the room, finding what he was looking for, his grandfather’s bow, the one gifted to Airo, sitting across the room. Meintaro waked to it, grabbed it and stopped in front of Airo. He considered shooting Airo, putting an arrow through his throat, removing the stain from his family’s life. Instead, he shook his head and left the building. Airo wasn’t worth it. Airo wasn’t worth anything now. He had chosen to put himself in this position and it was his burden to bear, not Meintaro’s to free him from it.
***
Mikoto
felt there was something wrong that morning when she woke up, but she
couldn’t put her finger on it. She had felt like she was forgetting
something all week. It gnawed at her between her lessons with Katsumi
and playing with her new lion, Hinata. It bothered her during the lulls
at meals when no one was speaking. It just kept growing until that
afternoon when she was thinking about the next time she would see Yanagi
and it occurred to her she hadn’t had her moon blood for the month. She
was supposed to have it over a week ago, and between the joys of life,
she just hadn’t realized it never came.
Her heart stopped beating. She was sure it had just stopped. There was no way she had missed it, maybe she wasn’t certain of the day. No, it was certainly the day she had thought it was. There had to be some sort of explanation besides… Besides, she was pregnant with Asahina’s child. Her second mother had always been so adamant about staying chaste, now she was starting to understand why it was so important. What was she going to do? Katsumi will know, she quickly assured herself. Katsumi knew how to deal with everything, always calm and collected and, oh Celestial Heavens, she was pregnant. She wasn’t even married; she had never been with a man before that night, and what would her betrothed think? What would Katsumi think?
Mikoto rushed out of her room and found Katsumi sitting on the back steps watching Asahina run through his little obstacle course.
“Katsumi-chan,” Mikoto said, her throat tight with fear, “I need to talk to you.”
Katsumi looked up at her, those mismatched eyes not giving much away, “Yes, Matsu-san?”
“Not here, I need to talk to you, now.” Mikoto grabbed Katsumi’s arm and literally pulled her back towards her room where she shoved Katsumi inside and slammed the door shut. Katsumi blinked at her.
“I don’t know how to say this…” Mikoto began attempting not to cry.
“Matsu, what is this all about?” Katsumi sounded concerned, or was that anger; she wasn’t thinking straight at the moment and really couldn’t tell one from the next. She would be so angry, she was certain of it.
“Katsumi, I’m late.”
“For what?”
Mikoto threw up her hands, “No, Katsumi-chan, I’m late.”
Katsumi tilted her head; Mikoto could see Katsumi just wasn’t grasping the idea. For Akodo’s sake! “Katsumi, I’m pregnant!”
Mikoto waited for Katsumi to explode. She was marrying Yanagi, Katsumi’s older brother, and she was already pregnant, Katsumi had every right to be enraged at the situation. It never came. Katsumi looked Mikoto over, taking a step back, then she pressed on Mikoto’s breasts and nodded. This wasn’t exactly the right time to be fondled. Her eyes brimmed with tears and Katsumi embraced her, hugging her closer than Katsumi had ever done before.
“What am I going to do?” She choked back a sob.
“There’s not much you have to do, your body will take care of most of it on its own,” Katsumi pulled back and loosened her wrap around her head. She was smiling. That was insane. Here Mikoto was trying to keep from turning into an utter wreck, and Katsumi was smiling about it. It was so terrible.
“No, you don’t understand, I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby and I’m not married, and it’s Asahina’s. What am I going to do?” Mikoto tried to get the severity of the situation through to Katsumi. She was carrying the child of another man than her husband-to-be and she had never really been told how to handle something so catastrophic.
“Matsu,” Katsumi said with a grin on her face, “It’s Yanagi’s baby.”
Her heart stopped beating. She was sure it had just stopped. There was no way she had missed it, maybe she wasn’t certain of the day. No, it was certainly the day she had thought it was. There had to be some sort of explanation besides… Besides, she was pregnant with Asahina’s child. Her second mother had always been so adamant about staying chaste, now she was starting to understand why it was so important. What was she going to do? Katsumi will know, she quickly assured herself. Katsumi knew how to deal with everything, always calm and collected and, oh Celestial Heavens, she was pregnant. She wasn’t even married; she had never been with a man before that night, and what would her betrothed think? What would Katsumi think?
Mikoto rushed out of her room and found Katsumi sitting on the back steps watching Asahina run through his little obstacle course.
“Katsumi-chan,” Mikoto said, her throat tight with fear, “I need to talk to you.”
Katsumi looked up at her, those mismatched eyes not giving much away, “Yes, Matsu-san?”
“Not here, I need to talk to you, now.” Mikoto grabbed Katsumi’s arm and literally pulled her back towards her room where she shoved Katsumi inside and slammed the door shut. Katsumi blinked at her.
“I don’t know how to say this…” Mikoto began attempting not to cry.
“Matsu, what is this all about?” Katsumi sounded concerned, or was that anger; she wasn’t thinking straight at the moment and really couldn’t tell one from the next. She would be so angry, she was certain of it.
“Katsumi, I’m late.”
“For what?”
Mikoto threw up her hands, “No, Katsumi-chan, I’m late.”
Katsumi tilted her head; Mikoto could see Katsumi just wasn’t grasping the idea. For Akodo’s sake! “Katsumi, I’m pregnant!”
Mikoto waited for Katsumi to explode. She was marrying Yanagi, Katsumi’s older brother, and she was already pregnant, Katsumi had every right to be enraged at the situation. It never came. Katsumi looked Mikoto over, taking a step back, then she pressed on Mikoto’s breasts and nodded. This wasn’t exactly the right time to be fondled. Her eyes brimmed with tears and Katsumi embraced her, hugging her closer than Katsumi had ever done before.
“What am I going to do?” She choked back a sob.
“There’s not much you have to do, your body will take care of most of it on its own,” Katsumi pulled back and loosened her wrap around her head. She was smiling. That was insane. Here Mikoto was trying to keep from turning into an utter wreck, and Katsumi was smiling about it. It was so terrible.
“No, you don’t understand, I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby and I’m not married, and it’s Asahina’s. What am I going to do?” Mikoto tried to get the severity of the situation through to Katsumi. She was carrying the child of another man than her husband-to-be and she had never really been told how to handle something so catastrophic.
“Matsu,” Katsumi said with a grin on her face, “It’s Yanagi’s baby.”
***
“No, it’s Asahina’s,” Mikoto looked confused. At least she wasn’t close to crying anymore.
“It’s Yanagi’s,” Katsumi repeated, nodding her head at Matsu slowly. What was so hard to understand about that? Matsu was going to marry into the family, and no matter who fathered the child, it was going to be a Spider, it was going to be Yanagi’s, it was going to be a part of this family.
“I’ve only ever been with Asahina. It’s his.” Matsu’s face twisted up as she withdrew, suddenly unsure of the situation.
Katsumi put her hand under Matsu’s chin, bringing Matsu’s eyes to meet hers. “Mikoto,” Katsumi began slowly, calmly, “The baby will be Yanagi’s.” There was a sudden light in Matsu’s eyes, it was a look when an idea is fully realized and it snaps into place. Matsu nodded once, and then shook her head.
“I can’t have a baby!”
“Can I have it?” Katsumi was completely serious. If Matsu didn’t want the child, Katsumi would take it for the clan. They were the procurers of lost children like herself, her brother, and many, many other Spider who grew up inside the clan. Most were not related by blood, but the blood in your veins didn’t determine if you were a Spider, the blood you shed, the blood that bound you to the clan made you a Spider.
Matsu shook her head, her eyes going wide, “No, no, isn’t there a way to get rid of it?”
Katsumi narrowed her eyes. There were ways Katsumi knew of. Negisa had taught her along with most of the medicine Katsumi knew, but this wasn’t a time for those drastic measures. “You will be having this child,” Katsumi said coldly. Matsu nodded slowly.
“Look, Mikoto,” Katsumi rubbed her thumb along Matsu’s cheek and softened her tone, “You’re in good hands. My family will take care of everything.”
Matsu seemed to relax when Katsumi offered a gentle smile.
“But won’t Yanagi be upset? He’ll know it isn’t his.”
“No,” Katsumi didn’t even consider the question before answering. It was a child being brought into the Spider clan. They didn’t have many births from being in the Shadowlands, in a world full of taint and danger, but now that they were inside the Empire that was all going to change. “No. It is Yanagi’s. It doesn’t matter where it came from, Yanagi is the father.”
“I don’t know,” Matsu groaned, “I just need some time to figure things out.”
“You don’t have much time; other people will be figuring things out in short order. Trust me on this, we will take good care of you, we will make it work out.”
Matsu put her hands on her face and shook her head again. Katsumi couldn’t understand what the problem was. Matsu was in line to marry Yanagi, and now she was going to birth a child, this was a happy occasion, not one worthy of tears and despair.
“Mikoto,” Katsumi rested her hand on Matsu’s shoulder, “You just think about it, take some time, but not too long. Yanagi will be back soon. I will hold off until then. But, you will be having this baby, and it will be Yanagi’s. Those two things are certain. How you handle the rest is up to you.”
Matsu’s watery eyes peeked out behind her hands as she nodded. Within an instant Matsu was holding onto Katsumi, burying her face into Katsumi’s chest and clutching to her back. Katsumi smiled genuinely as she cupped Matsu’s belly. Her family was going to have a baby. There was nearly nothing that could ruin this moment, Matsu’s tears be damned.
“It’s Yanagi’s,” Katsumi repeated, nodding her head at Matsu slowly. What was so hard to understand about that? Matsu was going to marry into the family, and no matter who fathered the child, it was going to be a Spider, it was going to be Yanagi’s, it was going to be a part of this family.
“I’ve only ever been with Asahina. It’s his.” Matsu’s face twisted up as she withdrew, suddenly unsure of the situation.
Katsumi put her hand under Matsu’s chin, bringing Matsu’s eyes to meet hers. “Mikoto,” Katsumi began slowly, calmly, “The baby will be Yanagi’s.” There was a sudden light in Matsu’s eyes, it was a look when an idea is fully realized and it snaps into place. Matsu nodded once, and then shook her head.
“I can’t have a baby!”
“Can I have it?” Katsumi was completely serious. If Matsu didn’t want the child, Katsumi would take it for the clan. They were the procurers of lost children like herself, her brother, and many, many other Spider who grew up inside the clan. Most were not related by blood, but the blood in your veins didn’t determine if you were a Spider, the blood you shed, the blood that bound you to the clan made you a Spider.
Matsu shook her head, her eyes going wide, “No, no, isn’t there a way to get rid of it?”
Katsumi narrowed her eyes. There were ways Katsumi knew of. Negisa had taught her along with most of the medicine Katsumi knew, but this wasn’t a time for those drastic measures. “You will be having this child,” Katsumi said coldly. Matsu nodded slowly.
“Look, Mikoto,” Katsumi rubbed her thumb along Matsu’s cheek and softened her tone, “You’re in good hands. My family will take care of everything.”
Matsu seemed to relax when Katsumi offered a gentle smile.
“But won’t Yanagi be upset? He’ll know it isn’t his.”
“No,” Katsumi didn’t even consider the question before answering. It was a child being brought into the Spider clan. They didn’t have many births from being in the Shadowlands, in a world full of taint and danger, but now that they were inside the Empire that was all going to change. “No. It is Yanagi’s. It doesn’t matter where it came from, Yanagi is the father.”
“I don’t know,” Matsu groaned, “I just need some time to figure things out.”
“You don’t have much time; other people will be figuring things out in short order. Trust me on this, we will take good care of you, we will make it work out.”
Matsu put her hands on her face and shook her head again. Katsumi couldn’t understand what the problem was. Matsu was in line to marry Yanagi, and now she was going to birth a child, this was a happy occasion, not one worthy of tears and despair.
“Mikoto,” Katsumi rested her hand on Matsu’s shoulder, “You just think about it, take some time, but not too long. Yanagi will be back soon. I will hold off until then. But, you will be having this baby, and it will be Yanagi’s. Those two things are certain. How you handle the rest is up to you.”
Matsu’s watery eyes peeked out behind her hands as she nodded. Within an instant Matsu was holding onto Katsumi, burying her face into Katsumi’s chest and clutching to her back. Katsumi smiled genuinely as she cupped Matsu’s belly. Her family was going to have a baby. There was nearly nothing that could ruin this moment, Matsu’s tears be damned.
***
“If
you can’t manage to say something without that stutter of yours, you’re
going to be completely hopeless in a court setting,” Negisa rolled her
eyes while correcting Morasahi yet again.
“I know,” Morasahi sighed. She knew that was the biggest problem to overcome and apparently it was already irking Negisa. She had been learning etiquette and courtly things from Negisa for a little over a week and although she knew when the appropriate time to speak was, she still was having trouble putting together a sentence without pausing to make sure it was eloquent enough, which of course had the opposite effect.
“It isn’t that difficult,” Negisa rubbed her temple, “Even Katsumi can accomplish the appearance of intelligence.”
Morasahi looked down, ashamed she was doing so poorly when Negisa was setting aside this time specifically for her. She had been following Negisa around most of the last week; whenever Negisa called, she was there. It was part of the contract they had established before Negisa agreed to be her teacher. Negisa seemed to be important to the Spider here in town, practically running things for them. Morasahi had determined taking on a student, even if it was only a few hours a day, must be taxing on Negisa’s precious time.
Negisa’s fingers gently upturned Morasahi’s chin, bringing her face to face with Negisa who was only inches from her now. She hadn’t heard Negisa move closer, but here she was, nearly nose to nose. She was different from a moment ago as well. She looked sweet, not at all miffed as she was when complaining about Morasahi’s stutter.
“Morasahi-chan,” Negisa’s voice was cloyingly rich, “You know I just want to hear your honeyed voice, don’t you?”
Morasahi nodded faintly. Negisa really only wanted the best for her, she was positive that was the case. Negisa acted cold on the surface, but she was kind and caring underneath her composed exterior, one she only put on because she was Morasahi’s sensei. It was times like this, when Negisa dropped the act and spoke to her on a personal level that allowed Negisa’s true colors to shine through.
“I know others want to hear it too,” Negisa cooed, “A certain Phoenix, even. He said- No, I shouldn’t tell you.” Negisa pulled away and downcast her eyes.
“Do you mean Yuji?” Morasahi perked up.
“I really shouldn’t…” Negisa shook her head, “He told me in confidence.”
“If…if you think that’s…best.” Morasahi sighed inwardly. She didn’t want to let it go, she wanted to know what had been said, but it wasn’t polite to ask questions when someone tried to drop the subject. You were supposed to respectfully agree with them.
“Say what you meant to say,” Negisa prompted her, “I know that wasn’t what you wanted to say.”
“I… I was-um, curious on-”
“No,” Negisa interrupted her, her voice becoming demanding, “Say what you meant to say. Forget about what you think I want to hear and tell me what you want to hear.”
“I want to know what Yuji told you,” Morasahi let it fall out of her mouth.
“Good,” Negisa smiled. “That, Morasahi, is how you assert yourself. That’s what Yuji wants too. He said he would like to hear you speak what is on your mind more often. He gets enough polite conversation from the other polite Phoenix. Hearing a little honesty would be refreshing.”
Honesty. Morasahi thought about it, her honesty had gotten her in trouble more than a few times, that’s the whole reason she was trying to get lessons on how to better present herself. Now Negisa was telling her to throw courtesy to the wolves and say whatever she is thinking.
“Won’t that get me in trouble?” Morasahi asked.
Negisa chuckled and shook her head, “You don’t have to say everything you’re thinking. Parse out the things that don’t need to be said. Only give an opinion when asked, but give a genuine one. People can tell with your stutter that you’re not being honest, that or they’ll think you an imbecile, and we don’t want either of those. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
Morasahi did. The times her honesty had got her in trouble were always times she wasn’t asked, it was just allowing the words to come out for no reason. If she could rein those back and only express herself when the time was right, there shouldn’t be an issue.
“How will I know when the time is right?”
“You’ll know, Morasahi-chan. You’ll learn as we continue our lessons. By the time Winter Court arrives you’ll be steeped in Spider tradition and it will come naturally.”
“I know,” Morasahi sighed. She knew that was the biggest problem to overcome and apparently it was already irking Negisa. She had been learning etiquette and courtly things from Negisa for a little over a week and although she knew when the appropriate time to speak was, she still was having trouble putting together a sentence without pausing to make sure it was eloquent enough, which of course had the opposite effect.
“It isn’t that difficult,” Negisa rubbed her temple, “Even Katsumi can accomplish the appearance of intelligence.”
Morasahi looked down, ashamed she was doing so poorly when Negisa was setting aside this time specifically for her. She had been following Negisa around most of the last week; whenever Negisa called, she was there. It was part of the contract they had established before Negisa agreed to be her teacher. Negisa seemed to be important to the Spider here in town, practically running things for them. Morasahi had determined taking on a student, even if it was only a few hours a day, must be taxing on Negisa’s precious time.
Negisa’s fingers gently upturned Morasahi’s chin, bringing her face to face with Negisa who was only inches from her now. She hadn’t heard Negisa move closer, but here she was, nearly nose to nose. She was different from a moment ago as well. She looked sweet, not at all miffed as she was when complaining about Morasahi’s stutter.
“Morasahi-chan,” Negisa’s voice was cloyingly rich, “You know I just want to hear your honeyed voice, don’t you?”
Morasahi nodded faintly. Negisa really only wanted the best for her, she was positive that was the case. Negisa acted cold on the surface, but she was kind and caring underneath her composed exterior, one she only put on because she was Morasahi’s sensei. It was times like this, when Negisa dropped the act and spoke to her on a personal level that allowed Negisa’s true colors to shine through.
“I know others want to hear it too,” Negisa cooed, “A certain Phoenix, even. He said- No, I shouldn’t tell you.” Negisa pulled away and downcast her eyes.
“Do you mean Yuji?” Morasahi perked up.
“I really shouldn’t…” Negisa shook her head, “He told me in confidence.”
“If…if you think that’s…best.” Morasahi sighed inwardly. She didn’t want to let it go, she wanted to know what had been said, but it wasn’t polite to ask questions when someone tried to drop the subject. You were supposed to respectfully agree with them.
“Say what you meant to say,” Negisa prompted her, “I know that wasn’t what you wanted to say.”
“I… I was-um, curious on-”
“No,” Negisa interrupted her, her voice becoming demanding, “Say what you meant to say. Forget about what you think I want to hear and tell me what you want to hear.”
“I want to know what Yuji told you,” Morasahi let it fall out of her mouth.
“Good,” Negisa smiled. “That, Morasahi, is how you assert yourself. That’s what Yuji wants too. He said he would like to hear you speak what is on your mind more often. He gets enough polite conversation from the other polite Phoenix. Hearing a little honesty would be refreshing.”
Honesty. Morasahi thought about it, her honesty had gotten her in trouble more than a few times, that’s the whole reason she was trying to get lessons on how to better present herself. Now Negisa was telling her to throw courtesy to the wolves and say whatever she is thinking.
“Won’t that get me in trouble?” Morasahi asked.
Negisa chuckled and shook her head, “You don’t have to say everything you’re thinking. Parse out the things that don’t need to be said. Only give an opinion when asked, but give a genuine one. People can tell with your stutter that you’re not being honest, that or they’ll think you an imbecile, and we don’t want either of those. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
Morasahi did. The times her honesty had got her in trouble were always times she wasn’t asked, it was just allowing the words to come out for no reason. If she could rein those back and only express herself when the time was right, there shouldn’t be an issue.
“How will I know when the time is right?”
“You’ll know, Morasahi-chan. You’ll learn as we continue our lessons. By the time Winter Court arrives you’ll be steeped in Spider tradition and it will come naturally.”
***
Katsumi
plucked her wooden bowl off her cabinet, the worn leather pouch already
sitting inside it, and sat on her floor. The bones clicked together as
she shook them out of the pouch into her hand. The sound sang to her,
the feel of those pieces filled her with a comfort she had been missing
the last two weeks. She had been so busy training for most of the time,
building with the Kaiu the rest of the time, and on top of that teaching
Matsu, she hadn’t really had the time to sit and divine. Well, that and
she hadn’t had a reason to call on the universe. What was she going to
ask it, how long the Kaiu would take with the wall? Perhaps it was ‘what
joint will be dislocated today during training?’ There were just some
things that weren’t worth consulting the Realm about, and then there
were some things that were. Like now.
She let the bones trickle out of her hand into the bowl, the odd shaped pieces scattering across the surface. Katsumi set the bowl down and shuffled through her cabinet, near the back, in a small white cloth she kept Matsu’s hair that she had taken several weeks ago. Tucked into the folded cloth for safekeeping. She would have to get a better sample, Katsumi thought to herself. A few hairs were enough of a focus, but a small lock would be better, easier to manage.
She pinched the hair, carefully dropping it into the dish and closed her eyes. She wanted to know about the baby. No, she needed to know about it. Even though she was young in age, she had performed this same ritual for other expectant mothers, granted, that was a time when children were less likely to come into the world healthy, if at all. Nevertheless, it was almost habitual to ask the Realm about the health of the unborn for her. It would determine a great many things, for instance, whether Matsu even carries the baby to term, or if Katsumi would rid her of it before then. Katsumi blew out a breath, hoping things wouldn’t come to that and shook the bowl, the bones knocking together.
The moment came, a whispering in her head that the answer awaited her. Katsumi opened her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. “He will grow without concern; worry will not touch the child.” No clearer answer could have come. Today, it seemed, the Realm wished to tell her exactly what she wanted to hear, and even gave her something more than what she asked. She carefully put her things away, folding the hair back into the cloth and hiding it from sight.
She let the bones trickle out of her hand into the bowl, the odd shaped pieces scattering across the surface. Katsumi set the bowl down and shuffled through her cabinet, near the back, in a small white cloth she kept Matsu’s hair that she had taken several weeks ago. Tucked into the folded cloth for safekeeping. She would have to get a better sample, Katsumi thought to herself. A few hairs were enough of a focus, but a small lock would be better, easier to manage.
She pinched the hair, carefully dropping it into the dish and closed her eyes. She wanted to know about the baby. No, she needed to know about it. Even though she was young in age, she had performed this same ritual for other expectant mothers, granted, that was a time when children were less likely to come into the world healthy, if at all. Nevertheless, it was almost habitual to ask the Realm about the health of the unborn for her. It would determine a great many things, for instance, whether Matsu even carries the baby to term, or if Katsumi would rid her of it before then. Katsumi blew out a breath, hoping things wouldn’t come to that and shook the bowl, the bones knocking together.
The moment came, a whispering in her head that the answer awaited her. Katsumi opened her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. “He will grow without concern; worry will not touch the child.” No clearer answer could have come. Today, it seemed, the Realm wished to tell her exactly what she wanted to hear, and even gave her something more than what she asked. She carefully put her things away, folding the hair back into the cloth and hiding it from sight.
***
Meintaro
sat at the breakfast table, preoccupied with what he would do to
relieve his boredom today. He had only been in town a few days, but
there didn’t seem to be much to actually take care of. Things were
running smoother than he had imagined they would, especially without the
Mantis assistance in the form of coin. He had sent for aid, as every
other clan seemed to be building their name in this town, the Mantis
should have an equal part. In what they couldn’t supply by way of
personnel, they could provide with more than ample amounts of currency
and goods. The Mantis, after all, were the best at commerce in the
entire Empire.
“Who are you?” A voice snapped him back to his surroundings. A female Spider sat at the table; she was dressed as he had seen the Spider Monks dress. Meintaro blinked at her blunt way of questioning.
“I am Tsuruchi Meintaro. I’m the new Mantis delegate.”
“Oh,” She said and raised her brows, “Are you as intriguing as the last?”
“No one is as intriguing as Airo-kun was.” Meintaro was genuine in his feelings for Airo. Airo may have ruined his own life at the end, but that didn’t discount all of his quirks and good nature he had throughout his life.
“I see. You two were personal?”
“Yes. We were very close.”
“Oh. Huh,” she said with a pause, obviously considering something, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Daigotsu Katsumi.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Daigotsu.”
She must be the Spider delegate, though from what Meintaro had gathered, Daigotsu Negisa was the delegate. She was the one who sent him the letter informing him that the Spider were holding Airo, and she was the one that dealt with Meintaro when he had arrived in town. This girl at the table looked quite young; perhaps she was just a student who happened to be having breakfast here today.
“I’ve been checking in with others, but I just want to verify it, how is the town coming along?” He’d find out soon enough what her station was by her answer.
“It seems to be coming along just fine.”
That didn’t really provide him with what he was looking for.
“It seems rather quiet around here,” Meintaro noted, referring to the lack of troubled activity, excluding his brother, of course.
“There’s a lot of building going on, not much time for anything else.”
“I noticed. It seems to be coming along rather quickly with the Kaiu.”
“That’s precisely why they were sent,” Daigotsu said. She wasn’t giving anything she knew away, just repeating everything Meintaro already knew.
“Do we know how much time they have around here?”
“Yes, we will be able to keep them for about a year.”
“I would think they could finish things before then,” Meintaro couldn’t imagine what a dozen Kaiu could do in a year. They built the Kaiu wall in seven days, and it still was standing after the years of onslaught from the Shadowlands. This was just a small town. The Kaiu could probably build two-hundred towns twenty times this size in a year.
“They definitely could, we’re very lucky to have them,” Daigotsu said with a smile.
“I agree. The Shiba yojimbo as well. They’re supposed to be the greatest in renown amongst all the clans.”
“Only the best for the Spider clan.”
“Of course… they deserve so much.” Meintaro attempted to be polite. The Mantis had fought tooth and nail for centuries before being recognized as a great clan inside Rokugan. The Spider came along, calling themselves a great clan before the Empire even approved it, and within a few short years, they were elevated to great clan status and for what? Helping fight a war?
“Have you met the others in residence?” Daigotsu asked not looking at Meintaro while she was talking to him.
“I haven’t had the opportunity. I’ve been too busy attempting to get organized.”
“Hm, well, we have Shiba Morasahi-”
“Oh, yes, I’ve talked to her.” He had cornered Shiba one morning asking her about the events that took place with his brother. Daigotsu Negisa had obviously done something to Airo to put him in the state Meintaro found him in a few days ago, but Shiba didn’t know anything that happened after the trial.
“I assume you’ve met Asahina-san.”
“Yes, but only briefly.”
“He has been spending quite a bit of time on other projects,” Daigotsu nodded, still not making eye contact. Meintaro was starting to get perturbed by her lack of etiquette.
“I saw.” Meintaro looked towards the backdoor where he knew the strange obstacle course was sitting.
“And of course there is myself. And Kitsuki Anjin.”
“Oh, I haven’t met him yet.” He had no idea there was a Dragon even in the house.
“He might be the one you hear in the back room from time to time.”
“Oh, the one with the Shiba yojimbo always standing outside the door?” Meintaro had noticed the yojimbo and had wondered what he was doing in the hallway, but it was best not to ask if it didn’t concern him.
“Yes. Yes. I check on him from time to time as well. And of course we have Matsu Mikoto.”
“That would explain the lions.”
“Yeah…” Daigotsu said slowly, “Have you been assigned a task yet?”
“I was just to take over Airo-kun’s position.”
“He didn’t have a task,” Daigotsu candidly said.
“From what I understood he was just to overview everything. This, from what I understand, is running very smoothly.”
Daigotsu shrugged. The conversation didn’t continue, and Meintaro was back to wondering what he was going to do for the day. There was only so much supervising he could do before he would be forced to drink himself into a stupor just to get through the day. There was a brothel in town, maybe he’d check that out, see how smoothly that was running. And of course, there were the Soshi sisters; he wouldn’t mind getting to know them a little better.
“I was waiting.”
Asahina turned towards her and raised his hand in a questioning manner, “For?”
“Oh. Until you were done eating.”
“I’m not eating now.”
“Well…then that being the case, would you care to join me for a walk?” Katsumi ran her gaze over the table while waiting for an answer.
Asahina had asked her to a tea ceremony every night the last week, that is until she declined two nights ago. And although she was pretty sure she hadn’t hurt his feelings again by saying no, this seemed like a good way to transition back to spending time together. Really, it seemed like a better alternative to running off in the middle of a tea ceremony, or breaking his tea set, should anything happen once the sun fully set. At least this way they were already mobile, and he would just think she was a little mad. Besides, Asahina could also handle himself if worse came to worse. He was literally the best person to attempt a night of no precautions with, not that she believed she needed them… it was just in case.
“I would like that,” Asahina nodded and dusted off his pants as he stood.
Katsumi glanced behind her, making sure Kitsuki wasn’t looking for her yet. It was about this time she usually showed up in his room, whether he noticed it was the same time or not.
“Shall we, then?” She quickly headed towards the front door and out into the rapidly fading daylight.
“Who are you?” A voice snapped him back to his surroundings. A female Spider sat at the table; she was dressed as he had seen the Spider Monks dress. Meintaro blinked at her blunt way of questioning.
“I am Tsuruchi Meintaro. I’m the new Mantis delegate.”
“Oh,” She said and raised her brows, “Are you as intriguing as the last?”
“No one is as intriguing as Airo-kun was.” Meintaro was genuine in his feelings for Airo. Airo may have ruined his own life at the end, but that didn’t discount all of his quirks and good nature he had throughout his life.
“I see. You two were personal?”
“Yes. We were very close.”
“Oh. Huh,” she said with a pause, obviously considering something, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Daigotsu Katsumi.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Daigotsu.”
She must be the Spider delegate, though from what Meintaro had gathered, Daigotsu Negisa was the delegate. She was the one who sent him the letter informing him that the Spider were holding Airo, and she was the one that dealt with Meintaro when he had arrived in town. This girl at the table looked quite young; perhaps she was just a student who happened to be having breakfast here today.
“I’ve been checking in with others, but I just want to verify it, how is the town coming along?” He’d find out soon enough what her station was by her answer.
“It seems to be coming along just fine.”
That didn’t really provide him with what he was looking for.
“It seems rather quiet around here,” Meintaro noted, referring to the lack of troubled activity, excluding his brother, of course.
“There’s a lot of building going on, not much time for anything else.”
“I noticed. It seems to be coming along rather quickly with the Kaiu.”
“That’s precisely why they were sent,” Daigotsu said. She wasn’t giving anything she knew away, just repeating everything Meintaro already knew.
“Do we know how much time they have around here?”
“Yes, we will be able to keep them for about a year.”
“I would think they could finish things before then,” Meintaro couldn’t imagine what a dozen Kaiu could do in a year. They built the Kaiu wall in seven days, and it still was standing after the years of onslaught from the Shadowlands. This was just a small town. The Kaiu could probably build two-hundred towns twenty times this size in a year.
“They definitely could, we’re very lucky to have them,” Daigotsu said with a smile.
“I agree. The Shiba yojimbo as well. They’re supposed to be the greatest in renown amongst all the clans.”
“Only the best for the Spider clan.”
“Of course… they deserve so much.” Meintaro attempted to be polite. The Mantis had fought tooth and nail for centuries before being recognized as a great clan inside Rokugan. The Spider came along, calling themselves a great clan before the Empire even approved it, and within a few short years, they were elevated to great clan status and for what? Helping fight a war?
“Have you met the others in residence?” Daigotsu asked not looking at Meintaro while she was talking to him.
“I haven’t had the opportunity. I’ve been too busy attempting to get organized.”
“Hm, well, we have Shiba Morasahi-”
“Oh, yes, I’ve talked to her.” He had cornered Shiba one morning asking her about the events that took place with his brother. Daigotsu Negisa had obviously done something to Airo to put him in the state Meintaro found him in a few days ago, but Shiba didn’t know anything that happened after the trial.
“I assume you’ve met Asahina-san.”
“Yes, but only briefly.”
“He has been spending quite a bit of time on other projects,” Daigotsu nodded, still not making eye contact. Meintaro was starting to get perturbed by her lack of etiquette.
“I saw.” Meintaro looked towards the backdoor where he knew the strange obstacle course was sitting.
“And of course there is myself. And Kitsuki Anjin.”
“Oh, I haven’t met him yet.” He had no idea there was a Dragon even in the house.
“He might be the one you hear in the back room from time to time.”
“Oh, the one with the Shiba yojimbo always standing outside the door?” Meintaro had noticed the yojimbo and had wondered what he was doing in the hallway, but it was best not to ask if it didn’t concern him.
“Yes. Yes. I check on him from time to time as well. And of course we have Matsu Mikoto.”
“That would explain the lions.”
“Yeah…” Daigotsu said slowly, “Have you been assigned a task yet?”
“I was just to take over Airo-kun’s position.”
“He didn’t have a task,” Daigotsu candidly said.
“From what I understood he was just to overview everything. This, from what I understand, is running very smoothly.”
Daigotsu shrugged. The conversation didn’t continue, and Meintaro was back to wondering what he was going to do for the day. There was only so much supervising he could do before he would be forced to drink himself into a stupor just to get through the day. There was a brothel in town, maybe he’d check that out, see how smoothly that was running. And of course, there were the Soshi sisters; he wouldn’t mind getting to know them a little better.
***
The sky was getting darker as the
sun began to sink past the horizon. It wouldn’t be long now before the
moon filled the night sky, and for once Katsumi wasn’t afraid of what
this full moon would bring. She had spent the last two nights shackled
and tied in Kitsuki’s room, as had been prearranged from the last month.
However, the last two nights she remembered being shackled and tied,
and bored out of her mind as well. He still didn’t trust her it would
seem, and even though she had kept her sanity after nightfall, there was
no convincing him that she need not be tied any longer. If she had gone
both previous nights this month without an issue, she certainly wasn’t
going to subject herself to another long and tediously slow night of
watching Kitsuki read. She was gaining a hold of her curse, and she
believed she could easily maintain control tonight as well.
Katsumi walked through the house to the dining area where Asahina was taking his meal. Katsumi ate much earlier, especially when this time of the month came around and she was usually tied up somewhere by dinner. She stood there, just watching Asahina for a few minutes. She wanted to wait until he was done, or at least close to it so she didn’t interrupt his meal.
He put his bowl down and sighed. “Yes, Daigotsu? What do you want?”
Katsumi walked through the house to the dining area where Asahina was taking his meal. Katsumi ate much earlier, especially when this time of the month came around and she was usually tied up somewhere by dinner. She stood there, just watching Asahina for a few minutes. She wanted to wait until he was done, or at least close to it so she didn’t interrupt his meal.
He put his bowl down and sighed. “Yes, Daigotsu? What do you want?”
“I was waiting.”
Asahina turned towards her and raised his hand in a questioning manner, “For?”
“Oh. Until you were done eating.”
“I’m not eating now.”
“Well…then that being the case, would you care to join me for a walk?” Katsumi ran her gaze over the table while waiting for an answer.
Asahina had asked her to a tea ceremony every night the last week, that is until she declined two nights ago. And although she was pretty sure she hadn’t hurt his feelings again by saying no, this seemed like a good way to transition back to spending time together. Really, it seemed like a better alternative to running off in the middle of a tea ceremony, or breaking his tea set, should anything happen once the sun fully set. At least this way they were already mobile, and he would just think she was a little mad. Besides, Asahina could also handle himself if worse came to worse. He was literally the best person to attempt a night of no precautions with, not that she believed she needed them… it was just in case.
“I would like that,” Asahina nodded and dusted off his pants as he stood.
Katsumi glanced behind her, making sure Kitsuki wasn’t looking for her yet. It was about this time she usually showed up in his room, whether he noticed it was the same time or not.
“Shall we, then?” She quickly headed towards the front door and out into the rapidly fading daylight.
***
Morasahi
sat in the courtyard watching the stream gently bubble by, lost in her
thoughts and drinking the night away, a pastime she often partook of.
She thought about the training over the last month, from bonsai to
courtier, and etiquette to yojimbo. On top of Negisa constantly fetching
her so she could observe Spider culture, it was a lot to have done. So
much that she was honestly amazed she learned it all in such a short
period. She was proud of herself for doing so much and allowed herself
to gloat to no one about how talented she was.
The clunking and creaking on the other side of the wall brought Morasahi out of her self-congratulatory party. It was Kitsuki. There was no room for confusion on who would make that annoyingly loud sound as he walked about the house with his crutches. Sure enough, Kitsuki hobbled through the courtyard, seemingly in a hurry to get somewhere. He looked anxious and nearly passed by Morasahi without acknowledging her. Almost. He snapped his head in her direction.
“Have you seen Daigotsu-san?” Kitsuki asked, panic underlying his voice.
“She went for a walk,” Morasahi recalled. She was sitting in the courtyard when that conversation happened as well, roughly a half-hour ago.
“A walk?” This time the panic clearly rang through.
“Um…yes. Is-um, something the matter?” Morasahi didn’t know what was going on, but if Kitsuki was worried then it must be severe.
“Where? Did she say?” Kitsuki was starting that interrogating thing that he did. He talked to everyone as if he was judging every word that came out of his or her mouth. He focused so intently when it came to conversation with that Kitsuki that Morasahi often became more aware of every pause, stutter, and ‘um’ she uttered with him.
“No-um… She’s with-um Asahina, they went-um…out together.”
Kitsuki took a deep breath and nodded, “Thank you,” he said in a much calmer voice than Morasahi anticipated.
Her nerves were wracked now because of Kitsuki and she didn’t even know what the problem was. Morasahi glowered at the stream. She had no one else to look at and now her night was probably ruined by Kitsuki’s little scene, so the stream was now to blame since it was the only thing in her company at the moment. She took another drink attempting to get back to that place she was in only a few minutes prior.
The clunking and creaking on the other side of the wall brought Morasahi out of her self-congratulatory party. It was Kitsuki. There was no room for confusion on who would make that annoyingly loud sound as he walked about the house with his crutches. Sure enough, Kitsuki hobbled through the courtyard, seemingly in a hurry to get somewhere. He looked anxious and nearly passed by Morasahi without acknowledging her. Almost. He snapped his head in her direction.
“Have you seen Daigotsu-san?” Kitsuki asked, panic underlying his voice.
“She went for a walk,” Morasahi recalled. She was sitting in the courtyard when that conversation happened as well, roughly a half-hour ago.
“A walk?” This time the panic clearly rang through.
“Um…yes. Is-um, something the matter?” Morasahi didn’t know what was going on, but if Kitsuki was worried then it must be severe.
“Where? Did she say?” Kitsuki was starting that interrogating thing that he did. He talked to everyone as if he was judging every word that came out of his or her mouth. He focused so intently when it came to conversation with that Kitsuki that Morasahi often became more aware of every pause, stutter, and ‘um’ she uttered with him.
“No-um… She’s with-um Asahina, they went-um…out together.”
Kitsuki took a deep breath and nodded, “Thank you,” he said in a much calmer voice than Morasahi anticipated.
Her nerves were wracked now because of Kitsuki and she didn’t even know what the problem was. Morasahi glowered at the stream. She had no one else to look at and now her night was probably ruined by Kitsuki’s little scene, so the stream was now to blame since it was the only thing in her company at the moment. She took another drink attempting to get back to that place she was in only a few minutes prior.
***
Katsumi
dug through Matsu’s clothes, trying not to mess up the neatly folded
piles in her dresser. She kicked herself for not thinking ahead and
bringing her own robe, but that might have looked awkward, walking from
her room to Matsu’s with a robe in hand. It wasn’t something she ever
had to consider before. It was always her room, her tent, or some other
sleeping arrangement that was also partially hers and her clothing was
within arms reach. This time, though, this time it was Matsu’s room she
was staying in, and finding it an odd experience overall and the night
hadn’t even truly begun. Aha, she pulled out the sleeping robe and
finished undressing, wrapping Matsu’s robe around herself before laying
on the futon.
She was alone in Matsu’s room, which was the initial plan. She didn’t want to have to attempt to dance around in conversation about the possibilities of tonight with innuendo and tones that Matsu and her weren’t on the same page about. It was much easier with her family, having grown up with them she knew the secret language they all spoke to each other and didn’t have to guess at what was being implied with most things. It took years to develop that sort of bond and understanding, and Matsu had only been almost part of the family for a month. And what a long month it had been. That was why she was here in the first place.
Katsumi was lonely.
There wasn’t a time in her life that she had ever slept alone, that is until recently. She had always shared her bedroom, and often her bed, with someone else for a variety of reasons, most stemming from practicality, then later by choice. Now she found herself in her own living quarters, falling asleep every night feeling the sting of solitude and utter despair that came with it. All she wanted was to have someone next to her when she closed her eyes tonight, and Matsu was almost family, so it was close enough to count in Katsumi’s mind.
As for the rest, Katsumi was well aware of Matsu’s feelings towards her and understood that everything came with a price. In order to share a bed with Matsu, she knew she would have to offer herself up. Which wasn’t much of a price in Katsumi’s mind. Sex was a part of life, and sex was a pretty decent bartering item. Apparently there were many people out there that held sex in such a high regard that it was worth more than gold. Katsumi wasn’t one of those people, but she was well aware they existed. She knew Matsu wasn’t on that end of the stick, but also was aware that sex meant more to Matsu than it did to herself. It would suffice to be ample payment for tonight.
She was alone in Matsu’s room, which was the initial plan. She didn’t want to have to attempt to dance around in conversation about the possibilities of tonight with innuendo and tones that Matsu and her weren’t on the same page about. It was much easier with her family, having grown up with them she knew the secret language they all spoke to each other and didn’t have to guess at what was being implied with most things. It took years to develop that sort of bond and understanding, and Matsu had only been almost part of the family for a month. And what a long month it had been. That was why she was here in the first place.
Katsumi was lonely.
There wasn’t a time in her life that she had ever slept alone, that is until recently. She had always shared her bedroom, and often her bed, with someone else for a variety of reasons, most stemming from practicality, then later by choice. Now she found herself in her own living quarters, falling asleep every night feeling the sting of solitude and utter despair that came with it. All she wanted was to have someone next to her when she closed her eyes tonight, and Matsu was almost family, so it was close enough to count in Katsumi’s mind.
As for the rest, Katsumi was well aware of Matsu’s feelings towards her and understood that everything came with a price. In order to share a bed with Matsu, she knew she would have to offer herself up. Which wasn’t much of a price in Katsumi’s mind. Sex was a part of life, and sex was a pretty decent bartering item. Apparently there were many people out there that held sex in such a high regard that it was worth more than gold. Katsumi wasn’t one of those people, but she was well aware they existed. She knew Matsu wasn’t on that end of the stick, but also was aware that sex meant more to Matsu than it did to herself. It would suffice to be ample payment for tonight.
***
Mikoto
opened her door, already expecting to find Katsumi laying in her bed.
For the past three nights, Katsumi had been there, only wrapped in a
robe and lounging on her futon, waiting for her to come to bed. It was
heavenly to open her door every night and have someone waiting for her.
It was even more so because it was Katsumi, whom she was developing a
significant adoration for. This was the arrow that drove straight to her
heart, having Katsumi return those feelings and affection.
It was overwhelming, since she had never had a family who cared for her, and never was shown love by any, and now here Katsumi was giving her all that she craved. She even stayed the entire night, nestled by Mikoto’s side, proof it was more than just a sexual encounter for Katsumi. Mikoto felt like her heart was going to burst from all this new affection that she was receiving. It was buckets and buckets more than she had ever expected to gain in her lifetime, and it had only been a little over a month since they had met for the first time.
The night with Asahina, Negisa, and Katsumi, she didn’t count as true companionship. It was a lost-in-the-moment sort of ordeal, one she had regretted ever since. However, this was different, this was her room and Katsumi’s choice and this was something special. So much so that she had cried the first night Katsumi stayed over. That ended quickly and she made sure never to repeat it, no matter how moved she was. Katsumi had grabbed her by the chin, it wasn’t rough but it she felt the strength behind it, then Katsumi simply said, “No.” It was the way she said it, the commanding tone. Mikoto didn’t want to experience that Katsumi again.
Mikoto smiled at Katsumi laying in her bed. It was going to be another wonderful night.
It was overwhelming, since she had never had a family who cared for her, and never was shown love by any, and now here Katsumi was giving her all that she craved. She even stayed the entire night, nestled by Mikoto’s side, proof it was more than just a sexual encounter for Katsumi. Mikoto felt like her heart was going to burst from all this new affection that she was receiving. It was buckets and buckets more than she had ever expected to gain in her lifetime, and it had only been a little over a month since they had met for the first time.
The night with Asahina, Negisa, and Katsumi, she didn’t count as true companionship. It was a lost-in-the-moment sort of ordeal, one she had regretted ever since. However, this was different, this was her room and Katsumi’s choice and this was something special. So much so that she had cried the first night Katsumi stayed over. That ended quickly and she made sure never to repeat it, no matter how moved she was. Katsumi had grabbed her by the chin, it wasn’t rough but it she felt the strength behind it, then Katsumi simply said, “No.” It was the way she said it, the commanding tone. Mikoto didn’t want to experience that Katsumi again.
Mikoto smiled at Katsumi laying in her bed. It was going to be another wonderful night.
***
Matsu
brushed at Hikaru’s mane and simultaneously scratched her new lion’s
chin. Katsumi hadn’t gotten the name of the new one yet, but she was
sure Matsu would tell her when she felt the time was appropriate. They
were sitting in the courtyard of their house, something Katsumi was
finding Matsu did often. She was very much like her lions, enjoying
lazing about on a warm spring day. Katsumi wasn’t that way, and honestly
all this inactivity was making her restless. Coupled with the
excitement that Matsu was carrying in her belly, Katsumi found it
difficult to sit still most of the time, however, she felt she did a
fair job of trying to hide it since Matsu hadn’t said anything yet and
it had been a week since Katsumi began tagging along with Matsu
everywhere she went.
Katsumi stood, about to check on Kitsuki again, as was her duty being one of his now two yojimbo. It was the only way she could relieve herself of the excess energy she had pent up inside her. She stretched and turned and her heart gave a flutter at the familiar silhouette standing in the front doorway to the courtyard.
Yanagi descended the steps and offered a small bow to Matsu, “Matsu-dono, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” He presented an envelope to her, “I return with a letter from your father.”
Katsumi watched Matsu who at first wasn’t aware of even who stood before her. It took her a second to put the pieces together, which wasn’t surprising since she had only met Yanagi once before. Katsumi could tell when it clicked for Matsu because her face lit up and she was quick to jump to her feet and bow back.
“It’s good to see you again as well, Yanagi,” Matsu said with a smile. Katsumi cringed a little. Matsu did that constantly, and after a month, she figured she’d be used to it, but she wasn’t yet. Matsu was very personal when it came to addressing people, a habit Katsumi wasn’t very fond of.
“I looked for you in the Spider area, but you didn’t seem to be with your family,” Yanagi was speaking to Katsumi.
Katsumi couldn’t help herself, she knew she was smiling, granted, her face was mostly hidden, but she knew Yanagi would be able to tell from her eyes. At the mention of family, she glanced at Matsu’s stomach, then back to Yanagi. He was staring at her, and they began a conversation without the need for words. It could best be described as that secret language Katsumi had with her siblings, a series of glances and subtle twitches around the eyes, or a movement of the hand that looks like nothing more than a tic and a message was sent from one to the next. Katsumi was sure he understood, and after a minute of silence with Matsu looking between the two of them Katsumi decided it was time to share the news.
“Would you like to have a drink?” She said to Yanagi.
“I would enjoy that,” Yanagi responded, nodding his head in a goodbye at Matsu, and the two headed to Katsumi’s room. Once inside Katsumi peeked down the hallway before closing the door.
“We’re going to have a baby,” She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down so no one outside the room would hear. “Matsu is pregnant,” Katsumi was so giddy about the news still, “The child is healthy, I checked. But I haven’t told Negisa, Matsu didn’t want anyone to know yet. I don’t know why, I told her we would handle everything.”
“Oh, good.” He sounded genuinely happy. Katsumi knew he would be. She knew her brother as well as she knew herself, and Negisa nearly as much.
“Kuso…” Katsumi muttered, remembering Negisa. “Negisa doesn’t know. Don’t tell Negisa I knew. Please don’t tell her I knew.” Katsumi was shaking her head; she could feel the dread creeping over her. If Negisa found out Katsumi knew there would be Jigoku to pay for keeping it from her.
“It’s alright, Katsu-kun, I won’t tell her.” Yanagi brushed Katsumi’s arm, it was a small gesture but Katsumi felt better by it. She always felt better by Yanagi.
Katsumi embraced Yanagi, leaning her head on Yanagi’s chest. “I missed you,” She said even lower than their previous conversation. He wrapped his arms around her as well.
“I missed you too,” Yanagi whispered back.
“Is your day filled?”
“I just got back so I will have some things to take care of.”
“Will you be too busy for me?”
“Of course not,” Yanagi pulled back and Katsumi looked up at him, he placed a hand on her covered cheek and rubbed his thumb against it, “I can make time whenever you want, Katsu-kun.”
Katsumi smiled and nuzzled his hand. “Take care of what you need to. I’ll see you tonight.”
Katsumi stood, about to check on Kitsuki again, as was her duty being one of his now two yojimbo. It was the only way she could relieve herself of the excess energy she had pent up inside her. She stretched and turned and her heart gave a flutter at the familiar silhouette standing in the front doorway to the courtyard.
Yanagi descended the steps and offered a small bow to Matsu, “Matsu-dono, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” He presented an envelope to her, “I return with a letter from your father.”
Katsumi watched Matsu who at first wasn’t aware of even who stood before her. It took her a second to put the pieces together, which wasn’t surprising since she had only met Yanagi once before. Katsumi could tell when it clicked for Matsu because her face lit up and she was quick to jump to her feet and bow back.
“It’s good to see you again as well, Yanagi,” Matsu said with a smile. Katsumi cringed a little. Matsu did that constantly, and after a month, she figured she’d be used to it, but she wasn’t yet. Matsu was very personal when it came to addressing people, a habit Katsumi wasn’t very fond of.
“I looked for you in the Spider area, but you didn’t seem to be with your family,” Yanagi was speaking to Katsumi.
Katsumi couldn’t help herself, she knew she was smiling, granted, her face was mostly hidden, but she knew Yanagi would be able to tell from her eyes. At the mention of family, she glanced at Matsu’s stomach, then back to Yanagi. He was staring at her, and they began a conversation without the need for words. It could best be described as that secret language Katsumi had with her siblings, a series of glances and subtle twitches around the eyes, or a movement of the hand that looks like nothing more than a tic and a message was sent from one to the next. Katsumi was sure he understood, and after a minute of silence with Matsu looking between the two of them Katsumi decided it was time to share the news.
“Would you like to have a drink?” She said to Yanagi.
“I would enjoy that,” Yanagi responded, nodding his head in a goodbye at Matsu, and the two headed to Katsumi’s room. Once inside Katsumi peeked down the hallway before closing the door.
“We’re going to have a baby,” She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down so no one outside the room would hear. “Matsu is pregnant,” Katsumi was so giddy about the news still, “The child is healthy, I checked. But I haven’t told Negisa, Matsu didn’t want anyone to know yet. I don’t know why, I told her we would handle everything.”
“Oh, good.” He sounded genuinely happy. Katsumi knew he would be. She knew her brother as well as she knew herself, and Negisa nearly as much.
“Kuso…” Katsumi muttered, remembering Negisa. “Negisa doesn’t know. Don’t tell Negisa I knew. Please don’t tell her I knew.” Katsumi was shaking her head; she could feel the dread creeping over her. If Negisa found out Katsumi knew there would be Jigoku to pay for keeping it from her.
“It’s alright, Katsu-kun, I won’t tell her.” Yanagi brushed Katsumi’s arm, it was a small gesture but Katsumi felt better by it. She always felt better by Yanagi.
Katsumi embraced Yanagi, leaning her head on Yanagi’s chest. “I missed you,” She said even lower than their previous conversation. He wrapped his arms around her as well.
“I missed you too,” Yanagi whispered back.
“Is your day filled?”
“I just got back so I will have some things to take care of.”
“Will you be too busy for me?”
“Of course not,” Yanagi pulled back and Katsumi looked up at him, he placed a hand on her covered cheek and rubbed his thumb against it, “I can make time whenever you want, Katsu-kun.”
Katsumi smiled and nuzzled his hand. “Take care of what you need to. I’ll see you tonight.”
***
“Matsu-dono,”
Yanagi called from behind Mikoto, she peered over her shoulder to see
him standing alone in the hallway. Katsumi didn’t come back. “I would
enjoy it if you joined me for lunch.”
Mikoto nodded, “Okay,” was all she managed to get out.
She wasn’t sure what Katsumi and Yanagi had talked about, but she had a feeling he was made aware of her situation. That she was pregnant with Asahina’s child. She couldn’t tell how he had taken the news, he sounded friendly enough as he had always spoken to her, all of the two times so far, but with the Spider Monks and their headgear, she couldn’t see anything but his eyes which didn’t tell her anything at all. Mikoto nervously got up and started towards the dining area.
“We can take it in your room,” Yanagi informed her. Less of a suggestion and more of a statement of what will be happening. He spoke to a passing servant who bowed and scurried towards the kitchen.
“Okay,” Mikoto nodded again and walked to her room with Yanagi in tow. She just knew he was going to be upset. Why else would he want to eat privately? She tried to calm herself; breaking down into tears wasn’t going to help matters at all. Plus, there was a very good chance that he didn’t know yet. Katsumi had said she would keep things quiet until Mikoto was ready, why would she go against her word? She wouldn’t, Katsumi wouldn’t lie to her. It was just a friendly meal, Mikoto assured herself.
They sat in her room while another servant set up a small table between the two of them and brought a tray with tea while they waited for their meal. Yanagi unwound his shozoku setting it at his side, allowing Mikoto to see his face for the first time. He was so very different from what she had imagined. Katsumi and Negisa were both very feminine looking, with thin noses and pointed chins, and although that is the only thing they had in common, Mikoto had expected Yanagi to share that characteristic with the two. He didn’t at all, his jaw was squared and his face broad. His complexion was dark, unlike Katsumi who was very light skinned. In addition, his eyes were the blackest she had ever seen, also unlike Katsumi and even Negisa, who had hazel eyes. Mikoto had noticed his eyes before, seeing as that was the only thing she could look at, but it still was so vastly different from Katsumi she couldn’t help but focus on them again. They just drew her in. She smiled to herself, he may not be as breathtakingly gorgeous as Negisa, but he was easy on the eyes, just like Katsumi.
“I met with your father to finalize our betrothal; your mother was very hospitable. It isn’t often we receive such an ungrudging reception.”
“Hmph,” Mikoto muffled while biting her lip. She wasn’t very fond of hearing about her parents, especially after the last time they arranged for her husband-to-be. It had caused a rift between what little relationship she had with her father and her second mother, one that hadn’t been repaired, and Mikoto didn’t plan to make any effort towards in the future.
“The lands are nice around here. I had considered where we would locate once we were married. It’s all I thought about on the trip, trying to find the perfect place to etch out our family.”
She couldn’t help the smile that covered her face, he had been thinking of her the entire time he was gone.
“That’s still a ways down the road. Nevertheless, having the opportunity to travel the surrounding countryside has put the thought in my head, and you were there every step of the way. Of course, we’ll be here for some time yet to come, the Black Silk Dojo is completely in ruins, there’s nothing salvageable there, and I hear a small dojo has already been built here. We might expand on that.”
As the conversation continued, Mikoto was put more and more at ease, especially when Yanagi never made another reference to family besides what he had already said. It was a ways off. Katsumi had obviously not informed Yanagi, otherwise he wouldn’t have phrased it the way he did. Yanagi told her about his trip, about the plans the Spider had for this town, about many things that people just talked about with each other. He asked how she was, what she had been up to lately, a topic that Mikoto didn’t want to dwell on due to the recent revelations. He showed great interest in her life and even wanted to know the details of the Beastmaster’s way and her relationship with Hikaru and Hinata. Overall, it was a rather enjoyable afternoon. Mikoto was surprised at how fast time had flown when Yanagi said his farewells due to previous engagements he had to attend to.
He left her with a smile and a feeling that things were going to turn out just fine, that was until she remembered that she was still carrying a child and he didn’t know about it yet. Mikoto sighed and flopped on the floor, landing on Hikaru. He only raised a brow and cracked an eye to acknowledge her.
“What am I going to do, Hikaru?” She said, knowing he wouldn’t provide an answer. As expected, he closed his eyes and resumed his nap. Katsumi could probably help direct her in how best to broach the subject. Mikoto gathered herself and went about the house in search of Katsumi. She needed some comfort and Katsumi was perfect at that.
Mikoto nodded, “Okay,” was all she managed to get out.
She wasn’t sure what Katsumi and Yanagi had talked about, but she had a feeling he was made aware of her situation. That she was pregnant with Asahina’s child. She couldn’t tell how he had taken the news, he sounded friendly enough as he had always spoken to her, all of the two times so far, but with the Spider Monks and their headgear, she couldn’t see anything but his eyes which didn’t tell her anything at all. Mikoto nervously got up and started towards the dining area.
“We can take it in your room,” Yanagi informed her. Less of a suggestion and more of a statement of what will be happening. He spoke to a passing servant who bowed and scurried towards the kitchen.
“Okay,” Mikoto nodded again and walked to her room with Yanagi in tow. She just knew he was going to be upset. Why else would he want to eat privately? She tried to calm herself; breaking down into tears wasn’t going to help matters at all. Plus, there was a very good chance that he didn’t know yet. Katsumi had said she would keep things quiet until Mikoto was ready, why would she go against her word? She wouldn’t, Katsumi wouldn’t lie to her. It was just a friendly meal, Mikoto assured herself.
They sat in her room while another servant set up a small table between the two of them and brought a tray with tea while they waited for their meal. Yanagi unwound his shozoku setting it at his side, allowing Mikoto to see his face for the first time. He was so very different from what she had imagined. Katsumi and Negisa were both very feminine looking, with thin noses and pointed chins, and although that is the only thing they had in common, Mikoto had expected Yanagi to share that characteristic with the two. He didn’t at all, his jaw was squared and his face broad. His complexion was dark, unlike Katsumi who was very light skinned. In addition, his eyes were the blackest she had ever seen, also unlike Katsumi and even Negisa, who had hazel eyes. Mikoto had noticed his eyes before, seeing as that was the only thing she could look at, but it still was so vastly different from Katsumi she couldn’t help but focus on them again. They just drew her in. She smiled to herself, he may not be as breathtakingly gorgeous as Negisa, but he was easy on the eyes, just like Katsumi.
“I met with your father to finalize our betrothal; your mother was very hospitable. It isn’t often we receive such an ungrudging reception.”
“Hmph,” Mikoto muffled while biting her lip. She wasn’t very fond of hearing about her parents, especially after the last time they arranged for her husband-to-be. It had caused a rift between what little relationship she had with her father and her second mother, one that hadn’t been repaired, and Mikoto didn’t plan to make any effort towards in the future.
“The lands are nice around here. I had considered where we would locate once we were married. It’s all I thought about on the trip, trying to find the perfect place to etch out our family.”
She couldn’t help the smile that covered her face, he had been thinking of her the entire time he was gone.
“That’s still a ways down the road. Nevertheless, having the opportunity to travel the surrounding countryside has put the thought in my head, and you were there every step of the way. Of course, we’ll be here for some time yet to come, the Black Silk Dojo is completely in ruins, there’s nothing salvageable there, and I hear a small dojo has already been built here. We might expand on that.”
As the conversation continued, Mikoto was put more and more at ease, especially when Yanagi never made another reference to family besides what he had already said. It was a ways off. Katsumi had obviously not informed Yanagi, otherwise he wouldn’t have phrased it the way he did. Yanagi told her about his trip, about the plans the Spider had for this town, about many things that people just talked about with each other. He asked how she was, what she had been up to lately, a topic that Mikoto didn’t want to dwell on due to the recent revelations. He showed great interest in her life and even wanted to know the details of the Beastmaster’s way and her relationship with Hikaru and Hinata. Overall, it was a rather enjoyable afternoon. Mikoto was surprised at how fast time had flown when Yanagi said his farewells due to previous engagements he had to attend to.
He left her with a smile and a feeling that things were going to turn out just fine, that was until she remembered that she was still carrying a child and he didn’t know about it yet. Mikoto sighed and flopped on the floor, landing on Hikaru. He only raised a brow and cracked an eye to acknowledge her.
“What am I going to do, Hikaru?” She said, knowing he wouldn’t provide an answer. As expected, he closed his eyes and resumed his nap. Katsumi could probably help direct her in how best to broach the subject. Mikoto gathered herself and went about the house in search of Katsumi. She needed some comfort and Katsumi was perfect at that.
***
Mikoto
was melancholy the following day. She hadn’t found Katsumi yesterday
and ended up also sleeping alone for the night. Katsumi having
disappeared after Yanagi had arrived and not waiting for Mikoto when she
opened her door for bed. She had thought that perhaps Katsumi was
giving her a wide berth in case Yanagi wanted to spend time with her,
which he had during the afternoon. But after dinner when Katsumi still
wasn’t around, she had expected Yanagi to make a late night call, one
that never came leaving her a little grumpy since she was certain
Katsumi was only neglecting her because she was going to be wedding
Katsumi’s older brother. In Mikoto’s perfect world, she would have
Katsumi’s affection, and Yanagi’s romanticism, probably a little of
Soshi’s familiarity…
“Hmph,” Mikoto grumped. Katsumi still didn’t call her by her given name. She thought over the last month and how Katsumi still referred to Mikoto as Matsu, that was except for that one day when she called her Mikoto when Mikoto found out she was pregnant. Even those nights over the past week that Katsumi crept into her room, she couldn’t recall hearing Katsumi even say her name. And the mornings after it was always Matsu. It had to be her imagination; she couldn’t believe Katsumi wouldn’t have said her name at least one other time.
Her foul mood persisted most of the day, that is until Katsumi finally showed up after lunch and pulled Mikoto to the side for a private conversation. Katsumi informed her that Yanagi wanted to spend some personal time with Mikoto. Was Katsumi saying what she thought she was saying?
“Do you mean personal time like you and I spend together?” Mikoto asked, trying not to be too revealing as it would probably make her blush to say such things, and they were still in a place other people could overhear.
Katsumi nodded, “Yes, I would suppose so. I’ll show you where he’s staying and you can meet him before dinner. I believe you’ll be staying the night, so you might want to dismiss your yojimbo early.” Katsumi gave a knowing look before leaving Mikoto alone yet again.
Mikoto’s stomach was in knots the rest of the day. On one hand she wanted this to happen, if she was going to play along with what Katsumi had suggested, that the child would be Yanagi’s, she wanted to at least pretend it was his which meant spending a night with him. On the other hand, he might not know yet, and she couldn’t bring herself to deceive Yanagi into thinking it was his kid. But what would she tell him? Hey, Husband-to-be, I slept with another man and now you’re saddled with his spawn because we’re going to get married. That sounded horrible. What if he decided to cancel their betrothal? This was grounds to do just that, and where would she be then? Alone and dishonored.
She felt the same way when Katsumi showed her where Yanagi was residing. She felt that way when she went to have dinner with him. She continued to feel that way during the entire meal, unable to eat much of anything. Afterwards, when he had brought Mikoto to his room, and they were standing there alone, and he tugged the knot out of her obi, she couldn’t stand feeling that way anymore and pushed Yanagi away.
“I…uh,” The words stuck in Mikoto’s throat, she suddenly felt as if she hadn’t had a drop of water in days. Yanagi watched her and waited. “I’m-uh…” Mikoto sucked in a breath, closed her eyes so she didn’t have to see his reaction and threw it out there, “I’m pregnant.”
She waited for some sort of outburst, maybe even hear him walking away and out of the room, but no sound came. Mikoto cautiously peeked through one eye, Yanagi was still standing there, but instead of some sort of shock or expression of anger, he had a smirk on his face.
“How fortunate we are to have conceived a child our first night together,” Yanagi beamed.
“But… I’m already pregnant, and I thought you should know before tonight went any further.”
“Mikoto,” Yanagi shook his head, the smile not moving, “You don’t remember the night we found out we were to be wed? I do. It was a very personally affair with just the two of us about a month ago.”
He was saying that the night she spent with Asahina she instead spent with Yanagi… However, she knew that wasn’t the case. Others knew that wasn’t the case, like Yanagi’s entire family. What Katsumi had said the day Mikoto told her she was with child came back to her, she had insisted it was Yanagi’s baby, even though they both knew otherwise. Now here Yanagi was saying the same thing. They really were alike. That feeling she had been carrying all day let go, she felt it fall to the ground where she could kick it away. Then she smiled and unwound her belt, allowing that to fall to the ground as well.
Mikoto traced the scars on Yanagi’s chest as she cuddled next to him. They were grouped together in one cluster, a great many of them set on his left breast. It was strange how few he had everywhere else, but here was marred significantly. She had noticed his left hand had been cut in the same fashion, so had Katsumi’s, and, now that she thought about it, even Negisa carried a scar on her palm, though she couldn’t recall if Negisa had so many like Katsumi and Yanagi. Mikoto didn’t go around looking at other’s hands. She just knew Katsumi intimately and now Yanagi similarly. It must be some sort of odd Spider ritual, one she wasn’t going to pretend to understand, and as long as she didn’t have to do it, she didn’t care. The ones on the chest though, Negisa was flawless, which meant it had to be something only Spider Monks did since Katsumi and Yanagi were both a part of that order.
A shame they had to inflict such pain on their bodies, though she could relate to that having been branded with the Matsu seal upon her gempukku ceremony. Hers was square on her back, and she remembered the way it burned and burned for days. She remembered not being able to sleep on her back for weeks, and how it stung when she sweat. How she bathed in cold water when washing her hair or any part near her brand because the heat from the bath would cause the wound to be rife with pain that would spread through her core. Mikoto kissed at Yanagi’s scars on his chest as if to say she would protect that part of him now. They were right over his heart, and that was now hers to shelter. She laid her cheek on them and drifted off to sleep next to her betrothed, listening to his heartbeat and promising never to hurt it.
“Hmph,” Mikoto grumped. Katsumi still didn’t call her by her given name. She thought over the last month and how Katsumi still referred to Mikoto as Matsu, that was except for that one day when she called her Mikoto when Mikoto found out she was pregnant. Even those nights over the past week that Katsumi crept into her room, she couldn’t recall hearing Katsumi even say her name. And the mornings after it was always Matsu. It had to be her imagination; she couldn’t believe Katsumi wouldn’t have said her name at least one other time.
Her foul mood persisted most of the day, that is until Katsumi finally showed up after lunch and pulled Mikoto to the side for a private conversation. Katsumi informed her that Yanagi wanted to spend some personal time with Mikoto. Was Katsumi saying what she thought she was saying?
“Do you mean personal time like you and I spend together?” Mikoto asked, trying not to be too revealing as it would probably make her blush to say such things, and they were still in a place other people could overhear.
Katsumi nodded, “Yes, I would suppose so. I’ll show you where he’s staying and you can meet him before dinner. I believe you’ll be staying the night, so you might want to dismiss your yojimbo early.” Katsumi gave a knowing look before leaving Mikoto alone yet again.
Mikoto’s stomach was in knots the rest of the day. On one hand she wanted this to happen, if she was going to play along with what Katsumi had suggested, that the child would be Yanagi’s, she wanted to at least pretend it was his which meant spending a night with him. On the other hand, he might not know yet, and she couldn’t bring herself to deceive Yanagi into thinking it was his kid. But what would she tell him? Hey, Husband-to-be, I slept with another man and now you’re saddled with his spawn because we’re going to get married. That sounded horrible. What if he decided to cancel their betrothal? This was grounds to do just that, and where would she be then? Alone and dishonored.
She felt the same way when Katsumi showed her where Yanagi was residing. She felt that way when she went to have dinner with him. She continued to feel that way during the entire meal, unable to eat much of anything. Afterwards, when he had brought Mikoto to his room, and they were standing there alone, and he tugged the knot out of her obi, she couldn’t stand feeling that way anymore and pushed Yanagi away.
“I…uh,” The words stuck in Mikoto’s throat, she suddenly felt as if she hadn’t had a drop of water in days. Yanagi watched her and waited. “I’m-uh…” Mikoto sucked in a breath, closed her eyes so she didn’t have to see his reaction and threw it out there, “I’m pregnant.”
She waited for some sort of outburst, maybe even hear him walking away and out of the room, but no sound came. Mikoto cautiously peeked through one eye, Yanagi was still standing there, but instead of some sort of shock or expression of anger, he had a smirk on his face.
“How fortunate we are to have conceived a child our first night together,” Yanagi beamed.
“But… I’m already pregnant, and I thought you should know before tonight went any further.”
“Mikoto,” Yanagi shook his head, the smile not moving, “You don’t remember the night we found out we were to be wed? I do. It was a very personally affair with just the two of us about a month ago.”
He was saying that the night she spent with Asahina she instead spent with Yanagi… However, she knew that wasn’t the case. Others knew that wasn’t the case, like Yanagi’s entire family. What Katsumi had said the day Mikoto told her she was with child came back to her, she had insisted it was Yanagi’s baby, even though they both knew otherwise. Now here Yanagi was saying the same thing. They really were alike. That feeling she had been carrying all day let go, she felt it fall to the ground where she could kick it away. Then she smiled and unwound her belt, allowing that to fall to the ground as well.
Mikoto traced the scars on Yanagi’s chest as she cuddled next to him. They were grouped together in one cluster, a great many of them set on his left breast. It was strange how few he had everywhere else, but here was marred significantly. She had noticed his left hand had been cut in the same fashion, so had Katsumi’s, and, now that she thought about it, even Negisa carried a scar on her palm, though she couldn’t recall if Negisa had so many like Katsumi and Yanagi. Mikoto didn’t go around looking at other’s hands. She just knew Katsumi intimately and now Yanagi similarly. It must be some sort of odd Spider ritual, one she wasn’t going to pretend to understand, and as long as she didn’t have to do it, she didn’t care. The ones on the chest though, Negisa was flawless, which meant it had to be something only Spider Monks did since Katsumi and Yanagi were both a part of that order.
A shame they had to inflict such pain on their bodies, though she could relate to that having been branded with the Matsu seal upon her gempukku ceremony. Hers was square on her back, and she remembered the way it burned and burned for days. She remembered not being able to sleep on her back for weeks, and how it stung when she sweat. How she bathed in cold water when washing her hair or any part near her brand because the heat from the bath would cause the wound to be rife with pain that would spread through her core. Mikoto kissed at Yanagi’s scars on his chest as if to say she would protect that part of him now. They were right over his heart, and that was now hers to shelter. She laid her cheek on them and drifted off to sleep next to her betrothed, listening to his heartbeat and promising never to hurt it.
***
Daigotsu
was sitting in the courtyard watching Shiba clip her bonsai tree. It
was probably the first time Kyuzo had seen Daigotsu without Matsu in a
week. Those two had suddenly become fast friends, trailing after each
other and being practically inseparable. However, tonight she was alone;
no Matsu in sight and the night was warm, spring fastly giving way to
summer. The season was already half over and it had already been nearly
six weeks since Kyuzo took over as lord of the town.
Wow time was moving quickly. Maybe even too quickly, as Kyuzo realized he knew very little about those he shared a roof with. Besides what he had learned weeks ago at Kitsuki’s luncheon, he hadn’t actually spoken to the other four outside of work related questioning. That was partially Tsuruchi Airo’s fault. He had instantly made a friend the day Airo came into town, and two days later he had turned Tsuruchi over to the Spider so they could enact justice on his attempted arson. It reminded him not to get too close to the others because he was their superior and one day he might have to put another friend on the chopping block.
Maybe that was why he liked Daigotsu’s company, as odd as she was. She rarely spoke, and not in the way Shiba rarely spoke. It was more of a mutual understanding that neither of them had to say anything in order to drink, or walk. Moreover, she never forced polite conversation after a tea ceremony. She participated alongside him, whereas Shiba followed, leaving Kyuzo to feel as if he was by himself even with Shiba around. That’s how she spoke to him too, as if they were equals, and not at all like everyone else where he was their superior. He was her superior, but she just didn’t treat him that way.
“Daigotsu-san,” Kyuzo called across the courtyard. Daigotsu looked up in response. “Would you care to join me for a walk?”
“I would, Asahina-san.” Daigotsu hopped up and followed Kyuzo to the door.
They took the same path they had a week ago, when Daigotsu had asked Kyuzo to go on a walk. It led to the outskirts of town and circled the edge of the hill the city sat upon, giving them a view of the cherry trees and the unadulterated sky. They just walked, Kyuzo listening to the sounds of the night and the shuffling of their feet on the grass. The full moon had passed a week ago, but half of the globe sat in the sky illuminating their surroundings enough to get by. Overall, things were pleasant.
“Asahina, do you know any of the tenets of Shourido,” Daigotsu pushed away the pleasantness Kyuzo had just been reveling in.
“No, not really,” he said, not sure where she was going with this. She never spoke and here she was initiating a conversation, which meant it was either going to be extremely odd or something people didn’t normally discuss.
“Do you know it’s all about achieving perfection?”
“So they say,” Kyuzo was trying to be careful with his words.
“It’s true. That’s what everything in life is about, becoming a better person, right?” Daigotsu asked peering at him while they walked.
Kyuzo didn’t know what to say. If he agreed with her, he was agreeing that Shourido led to the end goal in life, a thought he really didn’t agree with because a samurai lived by the code of Bushido. The entire Empire lived by Bushido, except the Spider. The entire Empire also worshipped the Celestial Heavens and the kami who reside there, and the Spider worshipped Jigoku and the Dark Kami, which was the polar opposite of the Heavens. Obviously, Shourido was the same to Bushido as their deities were to each other. Meaning Daigotsu couldn’t be right that Shourido was the key to life. And honestly, he didn’t want to hear about the antithesis of his core beliefs.
“I am not going to pretend I know what life is about,” Kyuzo concluded politely.
“The Dragon have great insight on the matter,” Daigotsu pointed out, “which is another tenet of Shourido, insight. Those who practice Shourido attempt to gain knowledge and insight about the world and our place in it.”
There was nothing he could say to refute that. Kyuzo looked around while trying to find an out from the conversation, allowing it to fade away with the growing silence he gave was nearly the only option.
“Beautiful night out, isn’t it?” Kyuzo said, attempting to change the subject.
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Daigotsu looked up at the moon, and then glanced towards the row of cherry trees. “Is this the type of thing that inspires you to paint?”
“I don’t know what inspires me.” Kyuzo thought about it and realized he really didn’t know. It was just a feeling he had, something that kind of jumped out at him saying this was something that needed to be painted.
“You just feel it or something?”
“Yeah,” Kyuzo thought, that was a good way to explain it, “It just comes to me. I just get in tune to whatever it is.”
“I don’t think I understand,” Daigotsu furrowed her brow.
How could he explain that feeling? The sudden picture that fills his head when something sparks his artistic desire. The way it moves him to want to share that feeling with the world through his painting. The calming and zen-like quality of putting a brush to the paper.
“It’s like any other type of meditation,” Kyuzo slowly put the words together trying to find the right phrasing, “When you connect to the void and feel the emotions of the universe and it just… well, inspires you.”
“I think I can understand that,” Daigotsu nodded.
“Do you not practice the art of meditation?”
“I meditate,” Daigotsu affirmed, “I can call on the void, but it is only a tool to be used. My strength, my emotions and my will comes from within, not without. I don’t feel anything I didn’t put there.”
“Hm,” Kyuzo considered the experience she described, which was greatly different from his own. Maybe that’s why he painted and others did not, because he felt things differently. Or maybe that’s what the difference was between Bushido and Shourido, the way the universe responded to each devotee.
“Maybe it’s like you said,” Daigotsu added contemplatively, “Some people have to work to see the beauty in things, while others just see it in everything.”
Kyuzo smirked. He had said that, and had applied it to Daigotsu when he said it. It was after the hunting mishap, which he had thought was not hunting at all, and she had deceived him into dirtying his katana with the boar’s blood. He tried to explain practically the same experience as painting, now that he thought about it. She didn’t understand the training that went into kyujutsu, that one usually practices long hours to find that center before loosing an arrow, the center like in meditation, or painting, or iaijutsu. The calm that was the void, that spoke to you and allowed you to intuit when to move, or how, or where, or what to apply it to. It was no wonder that she didn’t understand the same concept that came with painting.
They finished their walk in silence, the way they had done before. Simply a lack in conversation that didn’t feel forced or uncomfortable. When they returned to the house, Kyuzo had thanked Daigotsu for her company and retreated to his room. That inspiration he had spoken about earlier was nipping at him and in his mind he could clearly see his next painting. Daigotsu was standing in the moonlight, and everything that made her different defined her; her male kimono, the way she tied back her hair, and her mismatched eyes. Those most of all, with one brown and the other blue. That would be the focus; that was the one thing that she had and no one else did. It made her unique.
Wow time was moving quickly. Maybe even too quickly, as Kyuzo realized he knew very little about those he shared a roof with. Besides what he had learned weeks ago at Kitsuki’s luncheon, he hadn’t actually spoken to the other four outside of work related questioning. That was partially Tsuruchi Airo’s fault. He had instantly made a friend the day Airo came into town, and two days later he had turned Tsuruchi over to the Spider so they could enact justice on his attempted arson. It reminded him not to get too close to the others because he was their superior and one day he might have to put another friend on the chopping block.
Maybe that was why he liked Daigotsu’s company, as odd as she was. She rarely spoke, and not in the way Shiba rarely spoke. It was more of a mutual understanding that neither of them had to say anything in order to drink, or walk. Moreover, she never forced polite conversation after a tea ceremony. She participated alongside him, whereas Shiba followed, leaving Kyuzo to feel as if he was by himself even with Shiba around. That’s how she spoke to him too, as if they were equals, and not at all like everyone else where he was their superior. He was her superior, but she just didn’t treat him that way.
“Daigotsu-san,” Kyuzo called across the courtyard. Daigotsu looked up in response. “Would you care to join me for a walk?”
“I would, Asahina-san.” Daigotsu hopped up and followed Kyuzo to the door.
They took the same path they had a week ago, when Daigotsu had asked Kyuzo to go on a walk. It led to the outskirts of town and circled the edge of the hill the city sat upon, giving them a view of the cherry trees and the unadulterated sky. They just walked, Kyuzo listening to the sounds of the night and the shuffling of their feet on the grass. The full moon had passed a week ago, but half of the globe sat in the sky illuminating their surroundings enough to get by. Overall, things were pleasant.
“Asahina, do you know any of the tenets of Shourido,” Daigotsu pushed away the pleasantness Kyuzo had just been reveling in.
“No, not really,” he said, not sure where she was going with this. She never spoke and here she was initiating a conversation, which meant it was either going to be extremely odd or something people didn’t normally discuss.
“Do you know it’s all about achieving perfection?”
“So they say,” Kyuzo was trying to be careful with his words.
“It’s true. That’s what everything in life is about, becoming a better person, right?” Daigotsu asked peering at him while they walked.
Kyuzo didn’t know what to say. If he agreed with her, he was agreeing that Shourido led to the end goal in life, a thought he really didn’t agree with because a samurai lived by the code of Bushido. The entire Empire lived by Bushido, except the Spider. The entire Empire also worshipped the Celestial Heavens and the kami who reside there, and the Spider worshipped Jigoku and the Dark Kami, which was the polar opposite of the Heavens. Obviously, Shourido was the same to Bushido as their deities were to each other. Meaning Daigotsu couldn’t be right that Shourido was the key to life. And honestly, he didn’t want to hear about the antithesis of his core beliefs.
“I am not going to pretend I know what life is about,” Kyuzo concluded politely.
“The Dragon have great insight on the matter,” Daigotsu pointed out, “which is another tenet of Shourido, insight. Those who practice Shourido attempt to gain knowledge and insight about the world and our place in it.”
There was nothing he could say to refute that. Kyuzo looked around while trying to find an out from the conversation, allowing it to fade away with the growing silence he gave was nearly the only option.
“Beautiful night out, isn’t it?” Kyuzo said, attempting to change the subject.
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Daigotsu looked up at the moon, and then glanced towards the row of cherry trees. “Is this the type of thing that inspires you to paint?”
“I don’t know what inspires me.” Kyuzo thought about it and realized he really didn’t know. It was just a feeling he had, something that kind of jumped out at him saying this was something that needed to be painted.
“You just feel it or something?”
“Yeah,” Kyuzo thought, that was a good way to explain it, “It just comes to me. I just get in tune to whatever it is.”
“I don’t think I understand,” Daigotsu furrowed her brow.
How could he explain that feeling? The sudden picture that fills his head when something sparks his artistic desire. The way it moves him to want to share that feeling with the world through his painting. The calming and zen-like quality of putting a brush to the paper.
“It’s like any other type of meditation,” Kyuzo slowly put the words together trying to find the right phrasing, “When you connect to the void and feel the emotions of the universe and it just… well, inspires you.”
“I think I can understand that,” Daigotsu nodded.
“Do you not practice the art of meditation?”
“I meditate,” Daigotsu affirmed, “I can call on the void, but it is only a tool to be used. My strength, my emotions and my will comes from within, not without. I don’t feel anything I didn’t put there.”
“Hm,” Kyuzo considered the experience she described, which was greatly different from his own. Maybe that’s why he painted and others did not, because he felt things differently. Or maybe that’s what the difference was between Bushido and Shourido, the way the universe responded to each devotee.
“Maybe it’s like you said,” Daigotsu added contemplatively, “Some people have to work to see the beauty in things, while others just see it in everything.”
Kyuzo smirked. He had said that, and had applied it to Daigotsu when he said it. It was after the hunting mishap, which he had thought was not hunting at all, and she had deceived him into dirtying his katana with the boar’s blood. He tried to explain practically the same experience as painting, now that he thought about it. She didn’t understand the training that went into kyujutsu, that one usually practices long hours to find that center before loosing an arrow, the center like in meditation, or painting, or iaijutsu. The calm that was the void, that spoke to you and allowed you to intuit when to move, or how, or where, or what to apply it to. It was no wonder that she didn’t understand the same concept that came with painting.
They finished their walk in silence, the way they had done before. Simply a lack in conversation that didn’t feel forced or uncomfortable. When they returned to the house, Kyuzo had thanked Daigotsu for her company and retreated to his room. That inspiration he had spoken about earlier was nipping at him and in his mind he could clearly see his next painting. Daigotsu was standing in the moonlight, and everything that made her different defined her; her male kimono, the way she tied back her hair, and her mismatched eyes. Those most of all, with one brown and the other blue. That would be the focus; that was the one thing that she had and no one else did. It made her unique.
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