“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.
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.
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