Anjin rubbed his eyes and sighed. The sun was about to go down, and after last night he wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming sunset. Daigotsu was going to be here soon, at least he hoped. She seemed rather concerned about keeping herself supervised and had taken precautions last night by showing up at his tent with rope and requested he tie her up. Anjin didn’t doubt she would do the same tonight, but tonight he was better prepared for whatever sort of insanity was going to possess Daigotsu. She had almost escaped last night, thank the Celestial Heavens he had someone run and fetch her brother, Yanagi, who was obviously aware of her condition. They had subdued her with a tonic which her sister, Negisa had claimed would keep her sleeping for eight hours or so. Even so, Anjin hadn’t gotten much sleep, too concerned Daigotsu would somehow break her bonds with some superhuman strength and… Who knew? The possibilities were endless. Yanagi had told him sometimes she became violent, which did nothing to calm Anjin’s nerves and only strengthened his resolve to prevent Daigotsu from doing anything of which he couldn’t handle himself.
Daigotsu and he had a long conversation this morning about her unique situation. Anjin had never heard of such a thing, but that just went to show how much he still didn’t know. There were only so many scrolls and books one could read in a lifetime, and he wasn’t even halfway through his. It wasn’t surprising he didn’t hold all the knowledge or all the answers to life. Unfortunately, because of this, and the secret nature of her madness, Anjin was at a disadvantage when it came to exuding control. He was a cripple, after all, and Daigotsu a warrior. His rope tying skills were laughable, and he wouldn’t ever be able to repeat the same move Yanagi had preformed last night before he had tied Daigotsu up again. So today he had procured a few questionable items that should prove more effective than simple rope.
Anjin wondered how long this would all stay quiet. The other members of their house already suspected something, with their comments and questions this morning. They may have had good intentions when inquiring why he was so worn looking, but the way Daigotsu reacted gave him cause to keep things just between the two of them. Granted, she hadn’t lashed out or threatened him verbally, but the action of her hand tightening its grip on her bisento was enough of a giveaway to Anjin. He had seen it before when he was certain she was going to attack Shiba, on the first day they had met in that cloudy dream of a world. And that day she almost had.
It was funny, in a way. Here Daigotsu was sworn to protect him, and he found her suitable in that manner during her waking hours, at least the ones before nightfall on most days, but three nights a month, when the full moon filled the sky, he wondered if she would be the one to end him. Eventually he would bring Shiba in on the matter, if it came down to that. Until then he figured he’d watch and learn what he could, perhaps in an attempt to help her control whatever it was that brought her to that dreadful state of mind. All he knew at the moment was that there was the poison Negisa had made, one dose of it resting safely inside a tea set the Spider had bestowed to him, one in his robe to use tonight. It had indeed kept her out for eight hours, as Negisa had said, and should prove to do the same tonight and tomorrow.
The wall between his room and Daigotsu’s slid open without even a knock. Daigotsu was sitting there in her full dress kimono, just like last night, with a band of rope in her hands.
“Hello Kitsuki-san, are you ready to tie me up?” Daigotsu held the rope out to Anjin.
“Actually,” Anjin didn’t want to tie her up again. That went miserably the last time. “I have managed to get my hands on some acupressure manacles. They should keep you better restrained though you will be forced to be less comfortable.”
Daigotsu shrugged, “As long as it prevents harm, I have no objections.”
That went easier than expected. Originally Anjin thought he would have to press point after point on why it was a better choice. Given his condition, he needed every little extra bit he could use to control hers.
“I was wondering…” He had to word this very carefully so not to come across as offensive, “if it would be okay for me to… observe the first stages? To see if I can figure out how this madness takes you.”
“Um… Okay.” Daigotsu didn’t seem certain. Maybe he had made her uncomfortable. He genuinely was curious on the way she changed so drastically, and although there was a slight perverse fascination to seeing it all unfold, the majority of his reasoning was purely educational.
“I meant before I gave you your sleepy time.”
“Oh, no. I’m not drinking that.” Daigotsu shook her head but offered her wrists to Anjin so he could start binding her.
“Why not? Wouldn’t it be the safest course?”
“For someone else, maybe. Look, I’m already volunteering myself to be at least half as mobile as I normally would be. I take precautions where I can by separating myself from weapons and people, and keeping myself under watch. I’m not going to submit to rendering myself unconscious if I have a choice in the matter.”
“You realize that this is as much for your benefit as it is for anyone else, the consequences of these actions… nobody would care if it was in a fit of madness.”
Daigotsu gave Anjin a cold stare. Okay, he received the message loud and clear. She wasn’t going to budge on this matter. Earlier this morning she had said her affliction had been part of her life since the first day she could remember. If no one, including her family, has managed to persuade her in however many years that was, he wasn’t going to accomplish it in one night. Maybe, over the course of their time together, he could plant the idea that it is a sound choice. For now he would just have to administer the poison secretly after the moonrise. She doesn’t recall anything from those nights already, it wouldn’t hurt if he managed the tonic that way so it would be one less thing she remembered.
“You can watch me, though I expect it to be uneventful, and I will drink the tonic after the moon rises. In case I don’t succumb tonight.”
Daigotsu had him at a disadvantage there. He wanted to see how the events would unfold, and she had a point, she had said it didn’t always happen on the full moon, sometimes nothing happened at all, but he also knew she was impossible to reason with from his experience last night and didn’t want to wait until there was no logic left in her mind. He began tying her ankles together and nodded.
“That’s acceptable.”
Once her ankles were bound, he looped the rope through the metal clip at the bottom of the cuffs and knotted her feet and hands close together. Then he sat back and waited. It proved to be awkward at first, Daigotsu just staring at him while he watched her. They sat in silence. Anjin considered starting a conversation, but words failed him relating to anything but what was to come. The curiosity of what sort of person Daigotsu would be tonight was overwhelming. Hoping within himself he would get to see something as out of character as last night, but also praying she would be easier than last night as well. Last night was the most he had heard Daigotsu ever speak. He could add up every word since he met her, granted it was only three days ago now, and compare it to the amount she spoke when he found her in his tent with his possessions amassed in one pile and last night would easily outweigh it all. The silence stretched on as the sky darkened outside; surely the moon had risen by now.
Daigotsu began smacking her lips, “I am parched.”
“Would you like some water? I-”
“Water is for infants and tea. I’d kill for something stronger. If I’m going to have to sit here all night the least you could do is offer me a proper drink.”
The wheels began turning in Anjin’s head. It was possible this was what her madness had brought on tonight. It was also possible this was just Daigotsu being annoyed at him for suggesting the tonic earlier. He hadn’t really spoken to her behind closed doors, for obvious reasons being that he was a man and she was a woman, so perhaps she was just this candid when alone.
“I think I know just the thing.”
Anjin went to the kitchen sure there would be alcohol of some sort stored there. It didn’t take him long to find the shochu, the strongest alcohol Rokugan made. Quickly he made his way back to his room, not wanting to leave Daigotsu there for too long in case this was some clever ploy. At the thought he hurried his step, he hadn’t even considered she was just trying to get him to leave. Though the cuffs should prove to be more challenging than just ropes, he didn’t want to find that she had slipped them and ran out into the night. Daigotsu was still there when he returned; in fact it didn’t look like she had made any effort to free herself. Again he doubted the moon had affected her in any way. He held out the bottle to her and Daigotsu just looked at him blankly.
“It appears that I cannot drink by my own accord. How about we free up one wrist and we share a drink?”
That was all Anjin needed to hear to reinforce his decision to definitely not unshackle her. Daigotsu had already proven she wouldn’t ask to be freed if she was in a sane frame of mind from her voluntary binding. That meant this was one of different madnesses Yanagi had mentioned. It seemed harmless so far, but Anjin was cautious to trust what Daigotsu appeared to be.
“I’m not going to do that. Here.”
He opened the bottle and brought it to her lips. Daigotsu titled and Anjin kept it pressed to her mouth. She gulped, and gulped, and tilted her head back further. Anjin was afraid he might drown her, but she kept swallowing without pulling away or showing any signs of stopping. The last of the shochu poured out of the bottle in her last mouthful, she had drunk it entirely dry all in a matter of seconds.
“Ah,” Daigotsu commented, refreshed. “Thank you, but are you sure that was even shochu? I’m feeling as clear as a summer’s day.” She looked it too.
“I’ll… go get some more.” Anjin was perplexed. He doubted even the hardiest of Crabs could finish a complete bottle of shochu in under a minute and still manage to put a sentence together. Daigotsu was far from the average Crab. She was thin framed and young and it was amazing the way she looked at Anjin without even a slur or stumble and asked for more.
Once again he left her in the joined room, eyeing her carefully before sliding the door closed behind him. In the kitchen he pulled out the vial of poison he had tried to convince Daigotsu to drink earlier, mixing it in with the drink. He also brought back two bottles, just in case she showed the same unnatural stamina towards the tonic as she had with the shochu. He might have to keep her busy until it kicked in. He slid open the door and brought in the two bottles, careful to keep track of which one had the additive.
“It would be easier if you just untie me. I could get my own drink and you wouldn’t have to stagger about, making me wait. I also wouldn’t have to worry about you spilling all over me. A real man should be able to hold his own drink.”
“I might do that when you’re a bit more manageable.” And by that Anjin meant no longer awake. “I’m worried about this being a trick.”
The night before when Yanagi had shown him how to knot Daigotsu’s feet together, he had told Anjin to ignore anything she said once the sun set. It had been good advice considering the result of her breaking free last night; she had desperately been trying to convince Anjin to untie her then as well. Granted, she seemed completely out of sorts last night and tonight she was only a bit more brusque than usual. That and apparently able to consume massive amounts of drink without it phasing her.
“What’s there to trick? I’m only asking to drink freely.”
“I don’t know, Daigotsu. You were fairly sneaky last night, or at least tried to be.”
“Last night was different. Tonight I feel fine.” Daigotsu shook her head indicating for Anjin to come closer. “Get your slow self over here and give me another drink.”
Anjin brought the spiked bottle to Daigotsu. She repeated the same amazing feat as the first, downing the thing in one long drink. He took a step back and watched her, wondering if mixing the fluid would somehow render it ineffective. Daigotsu wiped her mouth on her shoulder and swung her head back towards Anjin leaning in her seat; that was a good sign, she was starting to look tipsy. She blinked very slowly and wobbled. Either the shochu was getting to her or the tonic worked just as effectively as it had last time.
“Hm…” Daigotsu’s licked her lips slowly and eyed Anjin. “Th-ha…one…” Her eyes began to close and her speech was slow and thick. “Tiss-tid… fffun…ny.” She tilted forward and to her right, toppling over onto her face.
Anjin waited. He wasn’t sure how to check to make sure she wasn’t faking. After she had drank the tonic the previous night, Negisa, Daigotsu’s sister, had yanked on Daigotsu’s arms in an excruciating fashion to test for a reaction. Anjin didn’t have the strength or the desire to bring harm to Daigotsu. He watched her slow and steady breathing, noting she hadn’t moved from the uncomfortable looking position she had landed in. He probably watched for fifteen minutes, just waiting to see if she would spring back up. Carefully he approached, Daigotsu still didn’t stir. He pushed her to her side so he could get at her bindings easier. Again, Daigotsu didn’t move. Convinced she was really disabled Anjin untied Daigotsu’s hands from her feet and dismantled the acupressure manacles. He unbound her feet and grabbed her blanket, covering Daigotsu up before sliding their joint door back closed.
Anjin sat in his room contemplating the strange events that had brought them all together and kept them so. Even before he met Daigotsu in the shadow world, he had agreed to accept the Spider’s assistance and was going to be presented with a body guard, Daigotsu had been chosen for that though he didn’t know it at the time. Fate was bringing them together, even without the strange circumstances where he met the rest of the group. Now they all sat in the same house, assigned to the same task, fate was keeping the group together.
He thought on what the future may hold and how fortunate he was to have found a place he belonged. It had been a very long time since others exhibited faith in his abilities, usually believing him to be weak due to his physical appearance. But not these people and especially not Daigotsu. She had said to him that three nights a month her life was in his hands. That was a large amount of trust granted only two days after meeting. Yanagi obviously trusted Anjin could handle the situation since he was aware of Daigotsu’s special circumstances and still assigned her to him and him to her. Now he was elevated to a position where he would constantly be in the public eye by Asahina, and not one of the group had shown reservations because of his disability. Yes, he was very fortunate to have these people.
Daigotsu and he had a long conversation this morning about her unique situation. Anjin had never heard of such a thing, but that just went to show how much he still didn’t know. There were only so many scrolls and books one could read in a lifetime, and he wasn’t even halfway through his. It wasn’t surprising he didn’t hold all the knowledge or all the answers to life. Unfortunately, because of this, and the secret nature of her madness, Anjin was at a disadvantage when it came to exuding control. He was a cripple, after all, and Daigotsu a warrior. His rope tying skills were laughable, and he wouldn’t ever be able to repeat the same move Yanagi had preformed last night before he had tied Daigotsu up again. So today he had procured a few questionable items that should prove more effective than simple rope.
Anjin wondered how long this would all stay quiet. The other members of their house already suspected something, with their comments and questions this morning. They may have had good intentions when inquiring why he was so worn looking, but the way Daigotsu reacted gave him cause to keep things just between the two of them. Granted, she hadn’t lashed out or threatened him verbally, but the action of her hand tightening its grip on her bisento was enough of a giveaway to Anjin. He had seen it before when he was certain she was going to attack Shiba, on the first day they had met in that cloudy dream of a world. And that day she almost had.
It was funny, in a way. Here Daigotsu was sworn to protect him, and he found her suitable in that manner during her waking hours, at least the ones before nightfall on most days, but three nights a month, when the full moon filled the sky, he wondered if she would be the one to end him. Eventually he would bring Shiba in on the matter, if it came down to that. Until then he figured he’d watch and learn what he could, perhaps in an attempt to help her control whatever it was that brought her to that dreadful state of mind. All he knew at the moment was that there was the poison Negisa had made, one dose of it resting safely inside a tea set the Spider had bestowed to him, one in his robe to use tonight. It had indeed kept her out for eight hours, as Negisa had said, and should prove to do the same tonight and tomorrow.
The wall between his room and Daigotsu’s slid open without even a knock. Daigotsu was sitting there in her full dress kimono, just like last night, with a band of rope in her hands.
“Hello Kitsuki-san, are you ready to tie me up?” Daigotsu held the rope out to Anjin.
“Actually,” Anjin didn’t want to tie her up again. That went miserably the last time. “I have managed to get my hands on some acupressure manacles. They should keep you better restrained though you will be forced to be less comfortable.”
Daigotsu shrugged, “As long as it prevents harm, I have no objections.”
That went easier than expected. Originally Anjin thought he would have to press point after point on why it was a better choice. Given his condition, he needed every little extra bit he could use to control hers.
“I was wondering…” He had to word this very carefully so not to come across as offensive, “if it would be okay for me to… observe the first stages? To see if I can figure out how this madness takes you.”
“Um… Okay.” Daigotsu didn’t seem certain. Maybe he had made her uncomfortable. He genuinely was curious on the way she changed so drastically, and although there was a slight perverse fascination to seeing it all unfold, the majority of his reasoning was purely educational.
“I meant before I gave you your sleepy time.”
“Oh, no. I’m not drinking that.” Daigotsu shook her head but offered her wrists to Anjin so he could start binding her.
“Why not? Wouldn’t it be the safest course?”
“For someone else, maybe. Look, I’m already volunteering myself to be at least half as mobile as I normally would be. I take precautions where I can by separating myself from weapons and people, and keeping myself under watch. I’m not going to submit to rendering myself unconscious if I have a choice in the matter.”
“You realize that this is as much for your benefit as it is for anyone else, the consequences of these actions… nobody would care if it was in a fit of madness.”
Daigotsu gave Anjin a cold stare. Okay, he received the message loud and clear. She wasn’t going to budge on this matter. Earlier this morning she had said her affliction had been part of her life since the first day she could remember. If no one, including her family, has managed to persuade her in however many years that was, he wasn’t going to accomplish it in one night. Maybe, over the course of their time together, he could plant the idea that it is a sound choice. For now he would just have to administer the poison secretly after the moonrise. She doesn’t recall anything from those nights already, it wouldn’t hurt if he managed the tonic that way so it would be one less thing she remembered.
“You can watch me, though I expect it to be uneventful, and I will drink the tonic after the moon rises. In case I don’t succumb tonight.”
Daigotsu had him at a disadvantage there. He wanted to see how the events would unfold, and she had a point, she had said it didn’t always happen on the full moon, sometimes nothing happened at all, but he also knew she was impossible to reason with from his experience last night and didn’t want to wait until there was no logic left in her mind. He began tying her ankles together and nodded.
“That’s acceptable.”
Once her ankles were bound, he looped the rope through the metal clip at the bottom of the cuffs and knotted her feet and hands close together. Then he sat back and waited. It proved to be awkward at first, Daigotsu just staring at him while he watched her. They sat in silence. Anjin considered starting a conversation, but words failed him relating to anything but what was to come. The curiosity of what sort of person Daigotsu would be tonight was overwhelming. Hoping within himself he would get to see something as out of character as last night, but also praying she would be easier than last night as well. Last night was the most he had heard Daigotsu ever speak. He could add up every word since he met her, granted it was only three days ago now, and compare it to the amount she spoke when he found her in his tent with his possessions amassed in one pile and last night would easily outweigh it all. The silence stretched on as the sky darkened outside; surely the moon had risen by now.
Daigotsu began smacking her lips, “I am parched.”
“Would you like some water? I-”
“Water is for infants and tea. I’d kill for something stronger. If I’m going to have to sit here all night the least you could do is offer me a proper drink.”
The wheels began turning in Anjin’s head. It was possible this was what her madness had brought on tonight. It was also possible this was just Daigotsu being annoyed at him for suggesting the tonic earlier. He hadn’t really spoken to her behind closed doors, for obvious reasons being that he was a man and she was a woman, so perhaps she was just this candid when alone.
“I think I know just the thing.”
Anjin went to the kitchen sure there would be alcohol of some sort stored there. It didn’t take him long to find the shochu, the strongest alcohol Rokugan made. Quickly he made his way back to his room, not wanting to leave Daigotsu there for too long in case this was some clever ploy. At the thought he hurried his step, he hadn’t even considered she was just trying to get him to leave. Though the cuffs should prove to be more challenging than just ropes, he didn’t want to find that she had slipped them and ran out into the night. Daigotsu was still there when he returned; in fact it didn’t look like she had made any effort to free herself. Again he doubted the moon had affected her in any way. He held out the bottle to her and Daigotsu just looked at him blankly.
“It appears that I cannot drink by my own accord. How about we free up one wrist and we share a drink?”
That was all Anjin needed to hear to reinforce his decision to definitely not unshackle her. Daigotsu had already proven she wouldn’t ask to be freed if she was in a sane frame of mind from her voluntary binding. That meant this was one of different madnesses Yanagi had mentioned. It seemed harmless so far, but Anjin was cautious to trust what Daigotsu appeared to be.
“I’m not going to do that. Here.”
He opened the bottle and brought it to her lips. Daigotsu titled and Anjin kept it pressed to her mouth. She gulped, and gulped, and tilted her head back further. Anjin was afraid he might drown her, but she kept swallowing without pulling away or showing any signs of stopping. The last of the shochu poured out of the bottle in her last mouthful, she had drunk it entirely dry all in a matter of seconds.
“Ah,” Daigotsu commented, refreshed. “Thank you, but are you sure that was even shochu? I’m feeling as clear as a summer’s day.” She looked it too.
“I’ll… go get some more.” Anjin was perplexed. He doubted even the hardiest of Crabs could finish a complete bottle of shochu in under a minute and still manage to put a sentence together. Daigotsu was far from the average Crab. She was thin framed and young and it was amazing the way she looked at Anjin without even a slur or stumble and asked for more.
Once again he left her in the joined room, eyeing her carefully before sliding the door closed behind him. In the kitchen he pulled out the vial of poison he had tried to convince Daigotsu to drink earlier, mixing it in with the drink. He also brought back two bottles, just in case she showed the same unnatural stamina towards the tonic as she had with the shochu. He might have to keep her busy until it kicked in. He slid open the door and brought in the two bottles, careful to keep track of which one had the additive.
“It would be easier if you just untie me. I could get my own drink and you wouldn’t have to stagger about, making me wait. I also wouldn’t have to worry about you spilling all over me. A real man should be able to hold his own drink.”
“I might do that when you’re a bit more manageable.” And by that Anjin meant no longer awake. “I’m worried about this being a trick.”
The night before when Yanagi had shown him how to knot Daigotsu’s feet together, he had told Anjin to ignore anything she said once the sun set. It had been good advice considering the result of her breaking free last night; she had desperately been trying to convince Anjin to untie her then as well. Granted, she seemed completely out of sorts last night and tonight she was only a bit more brusque than usual. That and apparently able to consume massive amounts of drink without it phasing her.
“What’s there to trick? I’m only asking to drink freely.”
“I don’t know, Daigotsu. You were fairly sneaky last night, or at least tried to be.”
“Last night was different. Tonight I feel fine.” Daigotsu shook her head indicating for Anjin to come closer. “Get your slow self over here and give me another drink.”
Anjin brought the spiked bottle to Daigotsu. She repeated the same amazing feat as the first, downing the thing in one long drink. He took a step back and watched her, wondering if mixing the fluid would somehow render it ineffective. Daigotsu wiped her mouth on her shoulder and swung her head back towards Anjin leaning in her seat; that was a good sign, she was starting to look tipsy. She blinked very slowly and wobbled. Either the shochu was getting to her or the tonic worked just as effectively as it had last time.
“Hm…” Daigotsu’s licked her lips slowly and eyed Anjin. “Th-ha…one…” Her eyes began to close and her speech was slow and thick. “Tiss-tid… fffun…ny.” She tilted forward and to her right, toppling over onto her face.
Anjin waited. He wasn’t sure how to check to make sure she wasn’t faking. After she had drank the tonic the previous night, Negisa, Daigotsu’s sister, had yanked on Daigotsu’s arms in an excruciating fashion to test for a reaction. Anjin didn’t have the strength or the desire to bring harm to Daigotsu. He watched her slow and steady breathing, noting she hadn’t moved from the uncomfortable looking position she had landed in. He probably watched for fifteen minutes, just waiting to see if she would spring back up. Carefully he approached, Daigotsu still didn’t stir. He pushed her to her side so he could get at her bindings easier. Again, Daigotsu didn’t move. Convinced she was really disabled Anjin untied Daigotsu’s hands from her feet and dismantled the acupressure manacles. He unbound her feet and grabbed her blanket, covering Daigotsu up before sliding their joint door back closed.
Anjin sat in his room contemplating the strange events that had brought them all together and kept them so. Even before he met Daigotsu in the shadow world, he had agreed to accept the Spider’s assistance and was going to be presented with a body guard, Daigotsu had been chosen for that though he didn’t know it at the time. Fate was bringing them together, even without the strange circumstances where he met the rest of the group. Now they all sat in the same house, assigned to the same task, fate was keeping the group together.
He thought on what the future may hold and how fortunate he was to have found a place he belonged. It had been a very long time since others exhibited faith in his abilities, usually believing him to be weak due to his physical appearance. But not these people and especially not Daigotsu. She had said to him that three nights a month her life was in his hands. That was a large amount of trust granted only two days after meeting. Yanagi obviously trusted Anjin could handle the situation since he was aware of Daigotsu’s special circumstances and still assigned her to him and him to her. Now he was elevated to a position where he would constantly be in the public eye by Asahina, and not one of the group had shown reservations because of his disability. Yes, he was very fortunate to have these people.
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