It had gotten dark a while ago, though Mikoto knew the sun was still up. It was just that the trees blotted it from view as it slowly sank below the horizon, a horizon she couldn’t see because she had gone so far into the forest she no longer knew where it actually ended. Hikaru and Hinata had led her there. It was on her orders, but originally she had believed they were just going to wander around town. Even after they had entered the woods, she had believed it would be just a short trek. Now, after several hours of tramping through bushes that pulled at her kimono, sinking into soft ground, and tirelessly following her lions, she had to find Katsumi or else she might not ever make it out of here. She was lost.
She wasn’t just lost she was also hungry. She was tired. And, most of all, she was angry. She was getting married tomorrow and not one of those she lived with was going to be there if they were all gallivanting in the woods. They probably didn’t even care, too busy with their stupid hunting trips and their stupid group outings that she wasn’t even invited to. Tsuruchi invited Shiba right in front of her, but did he think to even offer Mikoto the chance to decline? No, no he did not.
And what was Katsumi thinking? She was most obviously out here; otherwise, Mikoto wouldn’t be out here. Hikaru and Hinata were following Katsumi’s scent, so she had to be out here with everyone else, hunting and foregoing the wedding. Mikoto’s anger melted into sadness. Katsumi didn’t want to come to her wedding. She could empathize with that. If Katsumi were getting married, Mikoto knew she wouldn’t want to be there seeing Katsumi promise herself to someone else. It would be too hard to bare witness to, especially with the way she felt. Mikoto knew she was teetering on the edge of adoration for Katsumi, with the long drop to love lying below her, and Katsumi was like a weight pulling her off the cliff. Mikoto wondered why she hadn’t seen it before. Katsumi was already at the bottom, or at least in the same precarious situation Mikoto was. She probably felt the same way as Mikoto did for her. In addition, Mikoto was marrying Katsumi’s brother, that could make things more complicated for Katsumi’s feelings, she reasoned.
Hinata ran ahead, bounding through the trees and out of sight. Hikaru chased after her and Mikoto followed suit. They must be getting close; her lions hadn’t raced off like that the entire trip. Then Mikoto smelled it, something savory and warm, something was cooking. Her mouth began to water, it was past dinner and she was starving. She had skipped breakfast, and only eaten a small amount for lunch, too nervous about tomorrow and too preoccupied with where Katsumi was. Her stomach gurgled in response, as if agreeing that whatever it was that smelled so delicious needed to be consumed right away.
She wasn’t just lost she was also hungry. She was tired. And, most of all, she was angry. She was getting married tomorrow and not one of those she lived with was going to be there if they were all gallivanting in the woods. They probably didn’t even care, too busy with their stupid hunting trips and their stupid group outings that she wasn’t even invited to. Tsuruchi invited Shiba right in front of her, but did he think to even offer Mikoto the chance to decline? No, no he did not.
And what was Katsumi thinking? She was most obviously out here; otherwise, Mikoto wouldn’t be out here. Hikaru and Hinata were following Katsumi’s scent, so she had to be out here with everyone else, hunting and foregoing the wedding. Mikoto’s anger melted into sadness. Katsumi didn’t want to come to her wedding. She could empathize with that. If Katsumi were getting married, Mikoto knew she wouldn’t want to be there seeing Katsumi promise herself to someone else. It would be too hard to bare witness to, especially with the way she felt. Mikoto knew she was teetering on the edge of adoration for Katsumi, with the long drop to love lying below her, and Katsumi was like a weight pulling her off the cliff. Mikoto wondered why she hadn’t seen it before. Katsumi was already at the bottom, or at least in the same precarious situation Mikoto was. She probably felt the same way as Mikoto did for her. In addition, Mikoto was marrying Katsumi’s brother, that could make things more complicated for Katsumi’s feelings, she reasoned.
Hinata ran ahead, bounding through the trees and out of sight. Hikaru chased after her and Mikoto followed suit. They must be getting close; her lions hadn’t raced off like that the entire trip. Then Mikoto smelled it, something savory and warm, something was cooking. Her mouth began to water, it was past dinner and she was starving. She had skipped breakfast, and only eaten a small amount for lunch, too nervous about tomorrow and too preoccupied with where Katsumi was. Her stomach gurgled in response, as if agreeing that whatever it was that smelled so delicious needed to be consumed right away.
There was a glow ahead, a light beckoning Mikoto towards it. The trees thinned out. She could see shapes around the fire. Then she was out of the woods, stumbling into a clearing where a huge fire blazed and everyone turned towards her rather rambunctious entrance. Asahina sat on a rock next to Tsuruchi; Kitsuki wasn’t far away. Shiba was braiding Sara’s hair. And closest to Mikoto sat Katsumi, wide-eyed and unmoving, shock coloring her face.
“Matsu-san,” Katsumi shook her head in disbelief, “What are you doing here?”
“What are you guys doing here?” Mikoto demanded. “Aren’t you supposed to be in town?”
No one responded. In fact, no one moved besides Hikaru who padded towards Katsumi to nuzzle against her. The fire popped loudly in the quiescent scene, the only other sound being the cicadas calling to one another.
“I’m so hungry,” Mikoto groaned as she moved closer to the static group. She halted after a few steps, her unease growing as the silence continued from everyone. Katsumi hadn’t stopped staring at her, still looking for an answer as to why she was there. “I was looking for you,” Mikoto admitted, offering a contrite smile.
Katsumi didn’t give the reaction Mikoto had believed would come. Instead of opening her arms to her or being pleased that Mikoto had come just to spend time with Katsumi. Katsumi’s face darkened, her eyes narrowed, and her lips thinned. Mikoto could see the muscles in Katsumi’s jaw flex. She had never seen Katsumi angry before, but this was exactly what she would expect it to look like. Katsumi grabbed her bisento and marched towards Mikoto. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong, all she did was come looking for Katsumi. Katsumi gripped Mikoto’s arm, tugging her along back into the woods.
“But-but food,” Mikoto stammered as Katsumi dragged her away.
***
“Oh… Oh no,” Asahina commented after Matsu revealed she was looking for Daigotsu. “Well, I guess they’re leaving us,” he said as Daigotsu jumped up and promptly carted Matsu into the woods.
“That’s what it looks like,” Meintaro agreed. He had no idea what that was all about, but they did indeed disappear in the darkness, swallowed up by the night and the forest.
“What was Matsu-san…” Shiba didn’t finish her sentence, just left it hanging there for the group to interpret however they wanted.
“I think we’ll be alright,” Asahina said.
Meintaro had no doubt about that. They hadn’t come across anything besides the dead Naga and Sara, so it wasn’t like their lives were in any immediate danger. Besides, Meintaro thought while looking around and counting their numbers, they still had five able-bodied people, and one Naga to protect Kitsuki, who hadn’t brought any yojimbo as he had said he would. Still, Daigotsu and Matsu just went running off into the woods in the middle of the night, and although Kitsuki vouched for Daigotsu’s abilities in the wilderness, what did Kitsuki really know about the woods? For all Meintaro knew, being able to follow a beaten path was good tracking in Kitsuki’s eyes.
Meintaro waved to get Sara’s attention. They had already sat around for longer than it took them even to get here. Night had come and nothing had happened. The stars were out and nothing had happened. Whatever was supposed to happen hadn’t, and that meant that it might not happen tonight. He began a series of complicated pantomimes, attempting to discern how long until whatever it was happened.
Sara brought her hands up in the air, fingertips and thumbs touching creating a circle. Meintaro slowly closed his eyes and took a breath. Her answer was clear.
“When the moon is full… So, three weeks,” He said it aloud for everyone to hear and understand.
“That’s just…” Asahina couldn’t even finish the thought. Meintaro was certain he was feeling much the same. It was such a waste of time to sit around all day when she could have told them to begin with that there wouldn’t be any other Naga for three weeks.
“Right, so this has been rather uneventful,” Meintaro grumbled.
“Kitsuki-san, would you care to join me for a tea ceremony?” Asahina asked. Meintaro smirked, the last time those two tried a ceremony, Sara touched everything and they ended up wasting a half-hour without ever completing the ceremony.
“Yes, I would like that very much,” Kitsuki eagerly said.
“I mean, would you like to attempt a ceremony? It will probably only be an attempt like last time. Though, since yesterday, she has allowed me to do some things without the need to be a part of it and inspect everything. But you never know, sometimes she just gets in the way,” Asahina explained.
“Would you mind if I join you for the tea ceremony?” Shiba asked.
“Of course,” Asahina beckoned Shiba over as he began to set up.
Luckily for the group, Sara didn’t seem interested. Meintaro watched the fire, and the Naga, while the other three quietly had their tea. He was a little bitter that he still hadn’t had the chance to hunt. He was also still a little bitter about Sara trying to squeeze him to death earlier in the night. He couldn’t even imagine the way Asahina was feeling having to deal with her all day, and for three more weeks. Meintaro had already had enough of her and it had only been a day, a day he didn’t have to spend every moment with her towering over him, like Asahina did.
“We should probably go back first thing in the morning,” Kitsuki suggested once the tea ceremony was over.
“We could go now,” Meintaro said, “We don’t need to be here for three weeks, at which point we can come back. And she already has a fire, so maybe she can just stay here.” He wanted very much for Sara to be gone.
“Yeah,” Asahina agreed, “Ask her to stay here and tell her we’ll come back.”
Meintaro did as Asahina asked; technically, he did as was his own idea. He pointed at Sara and indicated she stay like you would indicate to a child to stay, by opening your hands and patting towards the ground. He pointed at everyone else in a circular motion to indicate they were a group, then gestured the direction of town. After that, he quickly raised his hands in the same fashion Sara had, a circle in the sky, which was the full moon, swept his finger towards everyone again, and patted towards the ground to say they would be there. Just to make sure she got it he repeated the last part. Sara looked towards Asahina, waiting for him to acknowledge that this was what she was supposed to do.
“Nod your head,” Meintaro directed. Asahina needed to agree, and quickly, or else they would be stuck with the Naga for three weeks.
“It’s okay, Sara,” Asahina nodded.
“Alright, let’s go,” Meintaro couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He was ready to put this whole debacle behind him.
Each person gathered up their bags, which really meant that only he and Asahina gathered up anything. Shiba and Kitsuki had traveled rather light. Together they walked towards the woods, leaving the Naga behind them; at least until Sara decided that wasn’t how things were going to work. Before they could even clear the ruins, Sara grabbed Asahina and began pulling him back to the campfire.
“It’s okay,” Asahina told Sara. “We’ll be back.”
It was no use. As Asahina attempted to join his party, Sara pulled him back again. She wasn’t going to let Asahina leave.
Meintaro shuffled back to the fire, standing in front of Sara so she would be looking at him. He shot a finger towards Asahina, swept his hands towards the woods, and made an over-exaggerated shrug. He then pointed at Sara, pointed at Asahina again, patted towards the ground since they had already established that is stay, and again over-exaggerated his shrug. He wanted to know why Asahina couldn’t leave, and since the pantomiming had been working when he told her to stay, he figured it was worth another shot. Sara responded in kind, but her response was short and a little confusing. She pointed at Asahina, then grabbed at her own chest and tugged like she was ripping her heart out, leaving space in her hand to signify she was holding something.
Meintaro blinked. “Right,” he said since he had become the group translator, “She either loves you or wants to disembowel you.” He was willing to bet it was the first one, since she hadn’t disemboweled anyone yet.
“I might not make the wedding tomorrow,” announced Asahina. Right, there was a wedding. Meintaro had almost forgotten. “So, I need you to go talk to Doji Suzuka and see if she can represent the Crane at the wedding, and-”
“I don’t think it would set a good image if you stay out there in the forest with this Naga and you neglected your duties until the full moon,” Meintaro advised. No lord of a town for three weeks while he camped in the woods only six hours away seemed like a very bad image indeed.
“There could be a go between,” Asahina countered. “I’m pretty sure the Naga being in town is not a good thing either. I mean, she seems docile enough right here, and in town…”
“But her friends certainly weren’t,” Shiba cautioned, “And you want to stay out here with her by yourself.”
That wasn’t where Meintaro was going to take it, but it was also a good point. He couldn’t just stand by while Asahina hung out with a Naga not knowing if that spirit would come back to take over her and send her into some sort of murderous rage like it did the others.
“So send a contingency of guards,” declared Asahina.
Asahina obviously wanted to stay, and Meintaro could see the benefit of keeping the Naga out here in the woods. Although he didn’t agree with it, it wasn’t his call. Asahina was his superior. It was Asahina’s say so, in the end.
“Right, so it’s up to you then,” Meintaro nodded, allowing Asahina to make the choice.
“Esssara tata,” Sara nudged Asahina and pointed to the woods. “Esssara tata,” she repeated and then touched her stomach, “No.”
“No, I’m full,” Asahina shook his head.
Meintaro wasn’t sure what Sara was doing, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t asking if he wanted to eat. “I think she’s letting you go,” he informed Asahina.
Asahina picked up his things and started towards the woods, Shiba, and Kitsuki who were still standing halfway between the campfire and the woods. Meintaro watched as Sara slithered behind Asahina, but this time didn’t grab him and drag him back to the campsite. She was doing what she had done since they found her, just following Asahina.
“Okay,” Asahina said after he was convinced she wasn’t going to keep him there any longer. “We should at least put out the fire, we can’t just leave it burning here.”
Sara pulled out a pearl from her pouch and flicked it towards the fire. Meintaro watched as the small stone disintegrated long before it even came close to a heat that could burn it. Then the fire froze, well, stopped moving. It wasn’t made into ice, it was still a fire, but it was sort of statuesque now. Simply not flickering, not burning, and not fading either.
“I agree we need to return,” Kitsuki began, as if the conversation was still open for discussion. “But at the same time, Sara seems to want us to stay here tonight, despite the fact that the full moon isn’t for three weeks if that’s somehow significant. We don’t know why she wants us to stay here, but I doubt it’s to camp.”
“If that’s somehow significant.” Meintaro caught that. It was a low blow. Meintaro didn’t ask to be the translator for the Naga, but damn it all, he was doing it and doing better than anyone else seemed to be able to. Who was Kitsuki to even hint otherwise? Kitsuki, the one that can judge someone as capable in tracking, something he obviously knows little to nothing about, and also translating, something he has shown no attempt at doing.
“I don’t know, I feel that maybe-” Asahina began, cut short by Kitsuki.
“Perhaps we should return to town and leave two guards here to watch out for anything that might happen. They can send one back if something does happen, or come back if something were to befall the other. They could keep us aware of the situation.”
“That sounds like the right course of action. We might as well send a contingency in case, but I don’t believe-”
“I don’t suppose there is any way to leave the Naga here in the woods,” Kitsuki broke in, yet again. This guy was just trampling all over Asahina.
“No, the Naga is attached to me. That’s why I believe I won’t be able to attend the wedding. There’s probably no way for her to not be there unless I’m not.”
“Stranger things have happened with Spiders,” attested Kitsuki.
“I’d rather not make assumptions,” Asahina declared.
When did this become a conversation about the wedding? They had six hours to walk back to town, they could argue about the wedding all they wanted on the way. Meintaro didn’t want to stand around doing nothing any longer. He had already waited for the rest to drink some tea and now they wanted to theorize on what sort of interesting lives the Spider lived.
“I like the two guards idea. Having two of them standing by,” Meintaro stated, trying to push for a decision and get things rolling again.
“I don’t necessarily agree that it’s going to come up with anything, but we might as well. I feel that maybe she was just bedding down for the sake of it. I mean, this is her way, I guess. Maybe she intended to just wait for the moon.”
“She did build a tanning rack,” Meintaro noted.
“Yeah,” Asahina agreed.
“The guards can’t hurt,” Kitsuki defended his idea.
“Okay, why not? You and you,” Asahina pointed at the only two yojimbo who were with them, “Stay here and report if anything happens.”
The male and female nodded. Meintaro celebrated silently. At least a plan had been made and they were going to be on their way, even if it was a compromise between everyone’s ideas.
“Let’s go,” Asahina said as he began stomping through the woods, Sara following right behind him.
“That’s what it looks like,” Meintaro agreed. He had no idea what that was all about, but they did indeed disappear in the darkness, swallowed up by the night and the forest.
“What was Matsu-san…” Shiba didn’t finish her sentence, just left it hanging there for the group to interpret however they wanted.
“I think we’ll be alright,” Asahina said.
Meintaro had no doubt about that. They hadn’t come across anything besides the dead Naga and Sara, so it wasn’t like their lives were in any immediate danger. Besides, Meintaro thought while looking around and counting their numbers, they still had five able-bodied people, and one Naga to protect Kitsuki, who hadn’t brought any yojimbo as he had said he would. Still, Daigotsu and Matsu just went running off into the woods in the middle of the night, and although Kitsuki vouched for Daigotsu’s abilities in the wilderness, what did Kitsuki really know about the woods? For all Meintaro knew, being able to follow a beaten path was good tracking in Kitsuki’s eyes.
Meintaro waved to get Sara’s attention. They had already sat around for longer than it took them even to get here. Night had come and nothing had happened. The stars were out and nothing had happened. Whatever was supposed to happen hadn’t, and that meant that it might not happen tonight. He began a series of complicated pantomimes, attempting to discern how long until whatever it was happened.
Sara brought her hands up in the air, fingertips and thumbs touching creating a circle. Meintaro slowly closed his eyes and took a breath. Her answer was clear.
“When the moon is full… So, three weeks,” He said it aloud for everyone to hear and understand.
“That’s just…” Asahina couldn’t even finish the thought. Meintaro was certain he was feeling much the same. It was such a waste of time to sit around all day when she could have told them to begin with that there wouldn’t be any other Naga for three weeks.
“Right, so this has been rather uneventful,” Meintaro grumbled.
“Kitsuki-san, would you care to join me for a tea ceremony?” Asahina asked. Meintaro smirked, the last time those two tried a ceremony, Sara touched everything and they ended up wasting a half-hour without ever completing the ceremony.
“Yes, I would like that very much,” Kitsuki eagerly said.
“I mean, would you like to attempt a ceremony? It will probably only be an attempt like last time. Though, since yesterday, she has allowed me to do some things without the need to be a part of it and inspect everything. But you never know, sometimes she just gets in the way,” Asahina explained.
“Would you mind if I join you for the tea ceremony?” Shiba asked.
“Of course,” Asahina beckoned Shiba over as he began to set up.
Luckily for the group, Sara didn’t seem interested. Meintaro watched the fire, and the Naga, while the other three quietly had their tea. He was a little bitter that he still hadn’t had the chance to hunt. He was also still a little bitter about Sara trying to squeeze him to death earlier in the night. He couldn’t even imagine the way Asahina was feeling having to deal with her all day, and for three more weeks. Meintaro had already had enough of her and it had only been a day, a day he didn’t have to spend every moment with her towering over him, like Asahina did.
“We should probably go back first thing in the morning,” Kitsuki suggested once the tea ceremony was over.
“We could go now,” Meintaro said, “We don’t need to be here for three weeks, at which point we can come back. And she already has a fire, so maybe she can just stay here.” He wanted very much for Sara to be gone.
“Yeah,” Asahina agreed, “Ask her to stay here and tell her we’ll come back.”
Meintaro did as Asahina asked; technically, he did as was his own idea. He pointed at Sara and indicated she stay like you would indicate to a child to stay, by opening your hands and patting towards the ground. He pointed at everyone else in a circular motion to indicate they were a group, then gestured the direction of town. After that, he quickly raised his hands in the same fashion Sara had, a circle in the sky, which was the full moon, swept his finger towards everyone again, and patted towards the ground to say they would be there. Just to make sure she got it he repeated the last part. Sara looked towards Asahina, waiting for him to acknowledge that this was what she was supposed to do.
“Nod your head,” Meintaro directed. Asahina needed to agree, and quickly, or else they would be stuck with the Naga for three weeks.
“It’s okay, Sara,” Asahina nodded.
“Alright, let’s go,” Meintaro couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He was ready to put this whole debacle behind him.
Each person gathered up their bags, which really meant that only he and Asahina gathered up anything. Shiba and Kitsuki had traveled rather light. Together they walked towards the woods, leaving the Naga behind them; at least until Sara decided that wasn’t how things were going to work. Before they could even clear the ruins, Sara grabbed Asahina and began pulling him back to the campfire.
“It’s okay,” Asahina told Sara. “We’ll be back.”
It was no use. As Asahina attempted to join his party, Sara pulled him back again. She wasn’t going to let Asahina leave.
Meintaro shuffled back to the fire, standing in front of Sara so she would be looking at him. He shot a finger towards Asahina, swept his hands towards the woods, and made an over-exaggerated shrug. He then pointed at Sara, pointed at Asahina again, patted towards the ground since they had already established that is stay, and again over-exaggerated his shrug. He wanted to know why Asahina couldn’t leave, and since the pantomiming had been working when he told her to stay, he figured it was worth another shot. Sara responded in kind, but her response was short and a little confusing. She pointed at Asahina, then grabbed at her own chest and tugged like she was ripping her heart out, leaving space in her hand to signify she was holding something.
Meintaro blinked. “Right,” he said since he had become the group translator, “She either loves you or wants to disembowel you.” He was willing to bet it was the first one, since she hadn’t disemboweled anyone yet.
“I might not make the wedding tomorrow,” announced Asahina. Right, there was a wedding. Meintaro had almost forgotten. “So, I need you to go talk to Doji Suzuka and see if she can represent the Crane at the wedding, and-”
“I don’t think it would set a good image if you stay out there in the forest with this Naga and you neglected your duties until the full moon,” Meintaro advised. No lord of a town for three weeks while he camped in the woods only six hours away seemed like a very bad image indeed.
“There could be a go between,” Asahina countered. “I’m pretty sure the Naga being in town is not a good thing either. I mean, she seems docile enough right here, and in town…”
“But her friends certainly weren’t,” Shiba cautioned, “And you want to stay out here with her by yourself.”
That wasn’t where Meintaro was going to take it, but it was also a good point. He couldn’t just stand by while Asahina hung out with a Naga not knowing if that spirit would come back to take over her and send her into some sort of murderous rage like it did the others.
“So send a contingency of guards,” declared Asahina.
Asahina obviously wanted to stay, and Meintaro could see the benefit of keeping the Naga out here in the woods. Although he didn’t agree with it, it wasn’t his call. Asahina was his superior. It was Asahina’s say so, in the end.
“Right, so it’s up to you then,” Meintaro nodded, allowing Asahina to make the choice.
“Esssara tata,” Sara nudged Asahina and pointed to the woods. “Esssara tata,” she repeated and then touched her stomach, “No.”
“No, I’m full,” Asahina shook his head.
Meintaro wasn’t sure what Sara was doing, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t asking if he wanted to eat. “I think she’s letting you go,” he informed Asahina.
Asahina picked up his things and started towards the woods, Shiba, and Kitsuki who were still standing halfway between the campfire and the woods. Meintaro watched as Sara slithered behind Asahina, but this time didn’t grab him and drag him back to the campsite. She was doing what she had done since they found her, just following Asahina.
“Okay,” Asahina said after he was convinced she wasn’t going to keep him there any longer. “We should at least put out the fire, we can’t just leave it burning here.”
Sara pulled out a pearl from her pouch and flicked it towards the fire. Meintaro watched as the small stone disintegrated long before it even came close to a heat that could burn it. Then the fire froze, well, stopped moving. It wasn’t made into ice, it was still a fire, but it was sort of statuesque now. Simply not flickering, not burning, and not fading either.
“I agree we need to return,” Kitsuki began, as if the conversation was still open for discussion. “But at the same time, Sara seems to want us to stay here tonight, despite the fact that the full moon isn’t for three weeks if that’s somehow significant. We don’t know why she wants us to stay here, but I doubt it’s to camp.”
“If that’s somehow significant.” Meintaro caught that. It was a low blow. Meintaro didn’t ask to be the translator for the Naga, but damn it all, he was doing it and doing better than anyone else seemed to be able to. Who was Kitsuki to even hint otherwise? Kitsuki, the one that can judge someone as capable in tracking, something he obviously knows little to nothing about, and also translating, something he has shown no attempt at doing.
“I don’t know, I feel that maybe-” Asahina began, cut short by Kitsuki.
“Perhaps we should return to town and leave two guards here to watch out for anything that might happen. They can send one back if something does happen, or come back if something were to befall the other. They could keep us aware of the situation.”
“That sounds like the right course of action. We might as well send a contingency in case, but I don’t believe-”
“I don’t suppose there is any way to leave the Naga here in the woods,” Kitsuki broke in, yet again. This guy was just trampling all over Asahina.
“No, the Naga is attached to me. That’s why I believe I won’t be able to attend the wedding. There’s probably no way for her to not be there unless I’m not.”
“Stranger things have happened with Spiders,” attested Kitsuki.
“I’d rather not make assumptions,” Asahina declared.
When did this become a conversation about the wedding? They had six hours to walk back to town, they could argue about the wedding all they wanted on the way. Meintaro didn’t want to stand around doing nothing any longer. He had already waited for the rest to drink some tea and now they wanted to theorize on what sort of interesting lives the Spider lived.
“I like the two guards idea. Having two of them standing by,” Meintaro stated, trying to push for a decision and get things rolling again.
“I don’t necessarily agree that it’s going to come up with anything, but we might as well. I feel that maybe she was just bedding down for the sake of it. I mean, this is her way, I guess. Maybe she intended to just wait for the moon.”
“She did build a tanning rack,” Meintaro noted.
“Yeah,” Asahina agreed.
“The guards can’t hurt,” Kitsuki defended his idea.
“Okay, why not? You and you,” Asahina pointed at the only two yojimbo who were with them, “Stay here and report if anything happens.”
The male and female nodded. Meintaro celebrated silently. At least a plan had been made and they were going to be on their way, even if it was a compromise between everyone’s ideas.
“Let’s go,” Asahina said as he began stomping through the woods, Sara following right behind him.
***
Katsumi dragged Mikoto through town. She didn’t let go of her for one instance. Not when they were stumbling through the forest, not when they made it to the even landscape outside the woods, and definitely not now that they had returned to town and were heading straight for their shared house. She didn’t plan to let go until Mikoto was in her room where she belonged. Even then, she was going to make sure she stayed there, because Mikoto obviously needed someone to keep her in line.
She was livid. How could Mikoto do this to her? How could she do this to Yanagi? Did she really have so little consideration for others that she was willing to throw duty and honor aside for an adventure through the woods on the night before her wedding just so she could see the people she sees everyday? Did she honestly not understand the slap in the face she had just inflicted on Katsumi and her family? And now Katsumi had to go back to town to fix it, leaving Kitsuki behind to fend for himself, shirking her duties and disgracing her own honor to prevent Mikoto from publicly humiliating Katsumi’s family. This did not bode well for Mikoto’s future in the clan. Not at all.
Katsumi opened the door to Mikoto’s room and pushed her inside. She didn’t breathe a word, worried she would allow the full force of her fury out if she opened her mouth. That would not solve anything, in fact, it would then create a much bigger problem, one Katsumi knew she couldn’t fix as easily as returning her sister-to-be to her room. So she stayed silent, pressing her lips and clenching her jaw until it ached. She slammed Mikoto’s door and dropped to the floor, sitting cross-legged and leaning against the door to prevent it from opening. If Katsumi had to sit there the rest of the morning in order to keep Mikoto from running off again, she would. And sit, Katsumi did.
It was probably only a matter of minutes when Katsumi felt the door slide against her back, being opened from inside. She sat forward to allow it to pass by unobstructed by her and peered over her shoulder at Mikoto, who looked down at her with the pleading eyes and a pouting mouth. She was still beautiful even in her distressed state, but her looks weren’t going to get her through everything in life, they most definitely wouldn’t get her through this. Katsumi turned before Mikoto could say anything.
“Go to sleep,” Katsumi commanded.
“But I’m hungry,” Mikoto whined.
It didn’t matter to Katsumi. Missing one meal wasn’t going to kill Mikoto. Missing her own wedding might. There was no way Katsumi was going to let Mikoto out so she could make another dash out to the woods to visit with everyone. No, that wasn’t going to be happening. Katsumi reached behind her, twisting to see the handle of the door and pushed it closed once more. She leaned against it again and pulled out the bone she had been working on hours ago, before this whole fiasco had taken place.
It was half past an hour when the front door opened and in trudged Kitsuki, Tsuruchi, and Shiba, looking weary but otherwise in good health. That was a relief; at least something was going right for a change. After yesterday’s discovery in the woods, then the smoke monster in Katsumi’s room, Kitsuki’s admission this morning about his deal with Negisa last night, and now this with Mikoto, something needed to work out in Katsumi’s favor. No one said anything as they split up, each heading into their own rooms. Shiba, however, did stare at Katsumi in that confused way Shiba often looked at her. But whatever it was this time must have passed because Shiba disappeared into her room without attempting any sort of stuttering and stumbling conversation with Katsumi. That was also a relief; Katsumi wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone. So she whittled away at her bones, carving them into shape and etching in their markings.
It was maybe another half-hour when a pair of feet came into view and stopped in front of Katsumi. Katsumi stopped what she was working on and followed the feet up to a split leg dress in the colors of the Spider, and even though she didn’t want to go any further, Katsumi glanced at Negisa’s extremely annoyed face glaring down at her. Obviously, word had gotten around quickly for the middle of the night. Here it was, nearly four, only hours before dawn, and Negisa was already informed and in a mood Katsumi knew not to provoke. Short answers; don’t get involved, Katsumi reminded herself. She didn’t want to be caught in the middle simply because she was literally sitting in the middle at the moment.
“Dear Sister,” Negisa said, not even offering her wicked smile that usually came with those words. That was a bad sign.
“She’s inside,” Katsumi declared scrambling out of the way of Negisa’s path. She watched as Negisa opened the door, stepped inside, and slid it shut, not saying another word.
She was livid. How could Mikoto do this to her? How could she do this to Yanagi? Did she really have so little consideration for others that she was willing to throw duty and honor aside for an adventure through the woods on the night before her wedding just so she could see the people she sees everyday? Did she honestly not understand the slap in the face she had just inflicted on Katsumi and her family? And now Katsumi had to go back to town to fix it, leaving Kitsuki behind to fend for himself, shirking her duties and disgracing her own honor to prevent Mikoto from publicly humiliating Katsumi’s family. This did not bode well for Mikoto’s future in the clan. Not at all.
Katsumi opened the door to Mikoto’s room and pushed her inside. She didn’t breathe a word, worried she would allow the full force of her fury out if she opened her mouth. That would not solve anything, in fact, it would then create a much bigger problem, one Katsumi knew she couldn’t fix as easily as returning her sister-to-be to her room. So she stayed silent, pressing her lips and clenching her jaw until it ached. She slammed Mikoto’s door and dropped to the floor, sitting cross-legged and leaning against the door to prevent it from opening. If Katsumi had to sit there the rest of the morning in order to keep Mikoto from running off again, she would. And sit, Katsumi did.
It was probably only a matter of minutes when Katsumi felt the door slide against her back, being opened from inside. She sat forward to allow it to pass by unobstructed by her and peered over her shoulder at Mikoto, who looked down at her with the pleading eyes and a pouting mouth. She was still beautiful even in her distressed state, but her looks weren’t going to get her through everything in life, they most definitely wouldn’t get her through this. Katsumi turned before Mikoto could say anything.
“Go to sleep,” Katsumi commanded.
“But I’m hungry,” Mikoto whined.
It didn’t matter to Katsumi. Missing one meal wasn’t going to kill Mikoto. Missing her own wedding might. There was no way Katsumi was going to let Mikoto out so she could make another dash out to the woods to visit with everyone. No, that wasn’t going to be happening. Katsumi reached behind her, twisting to see the handle of the door and pushed it closed once more. She leaned against it again and pulled out the bone she had been working on hours ago, before this whole fiasco had taken place.
It was half past an hour when the front door opened and in trudged Kitsuki, Tsuruchi, and Shiba, looking weary but otherwise in good health. That was a relief; at least something was going right for a change. After yesterday’s discovery in the woods, then the smoke monster in Katsumi’s room, Kitsuki’s admission this morning about his deal with Negisa last night, and now this with Mikoto, something needed to work out in Katsumi’s favor. No one said anything as they split up, each heading into their own rooms. Shiba, however, did stare at Katsumi in that confused way Shiba often looked at her. But whatever it was this time must have passed because Shiba disappeared into her room without attempting any sort of stuttering and stumbling conversation with Katsumi. That was also a relief; Katsumi wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone. So she whittled away at her bones, carving them into shape and etching in their markings.
It was maybe another half-hour when a pair of feet came into view and stopped in front of Katsumi. Katsumi stopped what she was working on and followed the feet up to a split leg dress in the colors of the Spider, and even though she didn’t want to go any further, Katsumi glanced at Negisa’s extremely annoyed face glaring down at her. Obviously, word had gotten around quickly for the middle of the night. Here it was, nearly four, only hours before dawn, and Negisa was already informed and in a mood Katsumi knew not to provoke. Short answers; don’t get involved, Katsumi reminded herself. She didn’t want to be caught in the middle simply because she was literally sitting in the middle at the moment.
“Dear Sister,” Negisa said, not even offering her wicked smile that usually came with those words. That was a bad sign.
“She’s inside,” Katsumi declared scrambling out of the way of Negisa’s path. She watched as Negisa opened the door, stepped inside, and slid it shut, not saying another word.
***
Kyuzo was tired and walking through the woods hadn’t helped matters. Yesterday Sara had followed them back to town, and he had received very little sleep that night for several reasons. Now, the following night, he spent the entire time he should be sleeping walking back to town with Kitsuki, Tsuruchi, and Shiba. And, of course, Sara was there as well. The trek to and from that ancient circle of ruins was a long one, and proved to be fruitless, at least for tonight. Apparently, the full moon was when they needed to return, but it would have been nice to know that before he spent his day, and night, stumbling amongst the trees and bushes. The wedding tomorrow was sure to be late morning, close to midday, which meant he wouldn’t get a full night’s rest yet again. And even less considering he still had to figure out what to do with Sara during the wedding, if he could even manage to separate her from him so he could attend.
Waiting so long before they made the trip back to town now seemed silly. He hadn’t planned on returning in the middle of the night, but then again, he had hoped something would have happened long before they realized nothing was going to. In Kyuzo’s mind, he had believed they would be done before evening and already back and probably in bed by now. When evening wore onto night, and still nothing happened, he believed it would come to pass during the night and he could start back first thing in the morning in order to attend the wedding without Sara. But things weren’t working out as he had planned. Sara was still trailing behind him, they didn’t meet any other Naga, and even worse, they learned the opportunity wouldn’t arrive until the full moon, three weeks away.
What was he going to do about the wedding? He was the lord of the town, and Matsu was one of his direct subordinates, so he had to show or it would be a seen as an insult, and that was the last thing he needed right now. It seemed no one had the answers for him, not even the Phoenix, who Kyuzo was sure would know something, but after talking with Asako Yuji, it turned out they knew even less than Kitsuki, who also couldn’t solve the issue with the Naga. Then it occurred to him, if there was anyone who had the answers to everything, it was Soshi, or the other Soshi, either way, their pooled knowledge and network of Scorpion seemed to always provide Kyuzo with what he needed. They should have some sort of idea of what to do with Sara so he could save face and attend the wedding.
He broke away from the group when they hit town, determined to find Soshi and seek her advice on the matter. As it turned out, Soshi was occupying a house not far from the center of town, not far from his house. It was strange with her being so close and he had never known it before. However, at the moment, it seemed trivial since he had much more pressing matters to address. He rapped the door and waited, well aware of the hour and how inconvenient his visit would be. It was no surprise when several minutes passed before a servant girl answered the door, cautiously opening it and looking as if she just awoke.
“Asahina-sama,” the servant said with shocked.
“Please, I need to speak with Soshi-san,” Kyuzo informed her hoping the hour wouldn’t prevent her from waking Soshi.
The girl repressed a yawn and considered the request. “May I inquire what this is about?”
“It is kind of an emergency situation. It has to do with the wedding today.”
“Of course, Lord Asahina,” She nodded and shut the door.
Kyuzo waited for what seemed like hours; the seconds feeling like minutes, and every minute ticking by stretching time into hours. The door glided open again, Kyuzo half-expecting to see the tired face of the woman who had answered, instead both Soshis greeted him simultaneously. It obviously hadn’t been long since the servant had left him, because neither Soshi was dressed in anything more than their nightclothes, sheer, lacy cloth that did little to cover their bodies or protect their modesty.
“Lord Asahina, how may we assist you?” They chorused in their synchronous manner.
“First and foremost, I beg your forgiveness for the ungodly hour,” Kyuzo apologized.
“No forgiveness is needed,” the Soshis concurrently informed him.
“I have this Naga situation, and the wedding is today, and I need someone to represent me at the wedding because I can’t just not go.”
“Why would you not go, Lord Asahina?”
“I don’t want to bring the Naga to the wedding, and it seems impossible to separate her from my person, so that leaves me with not attending,” Kyuzo explained.
“Is there a reason you would not want to bring the Naga to the wedding?”
“I just, I’ve never been confronted with this protocol, and I don’t want to overstep any bounds. I don’t know… I will take your advice on this.” It’s not like Naga were common, so there weren’t any rules when it came to how to deal with them and attend a wedding. But the Soshis, they always seemed to know the answer to things. Kyuzo knew they were aware of much more than they let on, with the hints that they dropped from time to time.
“Please, come inside, Lord Asahina.”
Kyuzo nodded and stepped inside the house. Strangely, though, Sara didn’t enter. She waited outside the threshold and cocked her head to the side as Soshi closed the door on her. In the receiving room was a large round table, and placed in clear view laid a pillow made in white and blue. It was decorated with cranes and Kyuzo had a feeling it had been put there specifically for him. Of course, it would be rude not to take his designated seat, and so he did while the Soshis sat next to him on either side.
“Lord Asahina,” Soshi to his right said. “I believe it is time for a history lesson for you.” They didn’t switch their sentence between the two of them. It was just one Soshi who spoke, a great relief for the time of night it was.
“During the time of Oblivion’s Gate, and the Clan Wars, and the time between, the Naga fought the Foul, at least, that is what they call it. The Foul is anything tainted, or corrupted, which includes Shadow Corruption, the Taint from the Shadowlands, and anything else along those lines. They fought the Foul vehemently.”
Kyuzo understood bits and pieces of what Soshi was saying. He knew of the Taint, at least that people could be tainted, just not exactly how or why. He knew some good people became tainted, ruling out that only the wicked harbored Taint. However, Shadow Corruption, that was something new and foreign. He had never heard of whatever that was. Moreover, Soshi had indicated that even more than those two things were grouped into the Foul that the Naga fought. He nodded for her to keep going.
“Now, a little known secret outside the Spider clan to few other people, the Naga taught the Spider something. It’s a gift, or a trick. A way to rid people of the Taint. The way to do this is almost impossible to live through, but if you make it, and you survive, the Taint is gone completely.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Kyuzo believed it to be a good thing. It indicated that the Naga and the Spider had some dealings at some point in time, and they taught them how to rid themselves of Taint.
“It is. However, the Naga fight everything that we hate. Everything that we fight against, they too, combat.”
“So we have the same goals. Okay. But is that widely known?”
“No, not entirely,” Soshi shook her head. “But the reason this is important is because of who they fought.”
“From the way you say that, I imagine it was the Empire,” Kyuzo cringed; he didn’t want to hear that he had brought a Naga into town and they- she was their enemy.
“It was the Empire, at least part of it. However, at the time they were not part of the Empire. That’s been a recent occurrence. We’ll say five months, maybe six months time since the Empress’ decree.”
“So, the Spider,” Kyuzo concluded. Soshi had led him right to the answer, and the reason a Naga at the wedding might be a very bad idea.
“Yes,” Soshi nodded slowly.
“This lesson has been informative, but it hasn’t helped me in what to do about the wedding. So I ask again, do you have any advice to offer?”
“We suggest you bring the Naga, however, if you know of anyone who might harbor enough of the Taint to react to jade, it would be a good idea to not have them anywhere near the Naga.”
Kyuzo rubbed his neck, uncertain how to proceed from here. He hadn’t been told anyone was tainted when he took over the town, and although there have been an awful lot of Spider who have come since then, all the Spider had been tested before they were allowed in the Empire. Perhaps Soshi was insinuating that one, or many of them were tainted. Maybe they knew something he didn’t. Alternatively, maybe they believed he knew something they didn’t.
“Why would you think I have knowledge of that?” Kyuzo probed, seeing what direction they were coming from.
“There’s always the possibility. There are always secrets people have that even we don’t know.” Soshi kept her gaze steady, unblinking, watching Kyuzo intently.
“Alright,” Kyuzo said moving the conversation along, “I suppose everything is going according to plan with the wedding?”
“Of course,” Soshi to his left said,” Well… other than the bride returning in the middle of the night for reasons unknown. We have had the scout placed on her flogged.”
“I’ll just keep things going according to plan and excuse myself so I can get some rest,” Kyuzo rose and moved to the door to let himself out.
The Soshis rose in tandem, returning to their synchronic behavior, “Lord Asahina, feel free to stop by anytime you wish.”
He nodded and opened the door to find Sara still waiting for him. Kyuzo had little doubt she would be anywhere else. She followed him back to his house, to his room, where he readied for bed and made plans to sleep in past the sunrise.
Waiting so long before they made the trip back to town now seemed silly. He hadn’t planned on returning in the middle of the night, but then again, he had hoped something would have happened long before they realized nothing was going to. In Kyuzo’s mind, he had believed they would be done before evening and already back and probably in bed by now. When evening wore onto night, and still nothing happened, he believed it would come to pass during the night and he could start back first thing in the morning in order to attend the wedding without Sara. But things weren’t working out as he had planned. Sara was still trailing behind him, they didn’t meet any other Naga, and even worse, they learned the opportunity wouldn’t arrive until the full moon, three weeks away.
What was he going to do about the wedding? He was the lord of the town, and Matsu was one of his direct subordinates, so he had to show or it would be a seen as an insult, and that was the last thing he needed right now. It seemed no one had the answers for him, not even the Phoenix, who Kyuzo was sure would know something, but after talking with Asako Yuji, it turned out they knew even less than Kitsuki, who also couldn’t solve the issue with the Naga. Then it occurred to him, if there was anyone who had the answers to everything, it was Soshi, or the other Soshi, either way, their pooled knowledge and network of Scorpion seemed to always provide Kyuzo with what he needed. They should have some sort of idea of what to do with Sara so he could save face and attend the wedding.
He broke away from the group when they hit town, determined to find Soshi and seek her advice on the matter. As it turned out, Soshi was occupying a house not far from the center of town, not far from his house. It was strange with her being so close and he had never known it before. However, at the moment, it seemed trivial since he had much more pressing matters to address. He rapped the door and waited, well aware of the hour and how inconvenient his visit would be. It was no surprise when several minutes passed before a servant girl answered the door, cautiously opening it and looking as if she just awoke.
“Asahina-sama,” the servant said with shocked.
“Please, I need to speak with Soshi-san,” Kyuzo informed her hoping the hour wouldn’t prevent her from waking Soshi.
The girl repressed a yawn and considered the request. “May I inquire what this is about?”
“It is kind of an emergency situation. It has to do with the wedding today.”
“Of course, Lord Asahina,” She nodded and shut the door.
Kyuzo waited for what seemed like hours; the seconds feeling like minutes, and every minute ticking by stretching time into hours. The door glided open again, Kyuzo half-expecting to see the tired face of the woman who had answered, instead both Soshis greeted him simultaneously. It obviously hadn’t been long since the servant had left him, because neither Soshi was dressed in anything more than their nightclothes, sheer, lacy cloth that did little to cover their bodies or protect their modesty.
“Lord Asahina, how may we assist you?” They chorused in their synchronous manner.
“First and foremost, I beg your forgiveness for the ungodly hour,” Kyuzo apologized.
“No forgiveness is needed,” the Soshis concurrently informed him.
“I have this Naga situation, and the wedding is today, and I need someone to represent me at the wedding because I can’t just not go.”
“Why would you not go, Lord Asahina?”
“I don’t want to bring the Naga to the wedding, and it seems impossible to separate her from my person, so that leaves me with not attending,” Kyuzo explained.
“Is there a reason you would not want to bring the Naga to the wedding?”
“I just, I’ve never been confronted with this protocol, and I don’t want to overstep any bounds. I don’t know… I will take your advice on this.” It’s not like Naga were common, so there weren’t any rules when it came to how to deal with them and attend a wedding. But the Soshis, they always seemed to know the answer to things. Kyuzo knew they were aware of much more than they let on, with the hints that they dropped from time to time.
“Please, come inside, Lord Asahina.”
Kyuzo nodded and stepped inside the house. Strangely, though, Sara didn’t enter. She waited outside the threshold and cocked her head to the side as Soshi closed the door on her. In the receiving room was a large round table, and placed in clear view laid a pillow made in white and blue. It was decorated with cranes and Kyuzo had a feeling it had been put there specifically for him. Of course, it would be rude not to take his designated seat, and so he did while the Soshis sat next to him on either side.
“Lord Asahina,” Soshi to his right said. “I believe it is time for a history lesson for you.” They didn’t switch their sentence between the two of them. It was just one Soshi who spoke, a great relief for the time of night it was.
“During the time of Oblivion’s Gate, and the Clan Wars, and the time between, the Naga fought the Foul, at least, that is what they call it. The Foul is anything tainted, or corrupted, which includes Shadow Corruption, the Taint from the Shadowlands, and anything else along those lines. They fought the Foul vehemently.”
Kyuzo understood bits and pieces of what Soshi was saying. He knew of the Taint, at least that people could be tainted, just not exactly how or why. He knew some good people became tainted, ruling out that only the wicked harbored Taint. However, Shadow Corruption, that was something new and foreign. He had never heard of whatever that was. Moreover, Soshi had indicated that even more than those two things were grouped into the Foul that the Naga fought. He nodded for her to keep going.
“Now, a little known secret outside the Spider clan to few other people, the Naga taught the Spider something. It’s a gift, or a trick. A way to rid people of the Taint. The way to do this is almost impossible to live through, but if you make it, and you survive, the Taint is gone completely.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Kyuzo believed it to be a good thing. It indicated that the Naga and the Spider had some dealings at some point in time, and they taught them how to rid themselves of Taint.
“It is. However, the Naga fight everything that we hate. Everything that we fight against, they too, combat.”
“So we have the same goals. Okay. But is that widely known?”
“No, not entirely,” Soshi shook her head. “But the reason this is important is because of who they fought.”
“From the way you say that, I imagine it was the Empire,” Kyuzo cringed; he didn’t want to hear that he had brought a Naga into town and they- she was their enemy.
“It was the Empire, at least part of it. However, at the time they were not part of the Empire. That’s been a recent occurrence. We’ll say five months, maybe six months time since the Empress’ decree.”
“So, the Spider,” Kyuzo concluded. Soshi had led him right to the answer, and the reason a Naga at the wedding might be a very bad idea.
“Yes,” Soshi nodded slowly.
“This lesson has been informative, but it hasn’t helped me in what to do about the wedding. So I ask again, do you have any advice to offer?”
“We suggest you bring the Naga, however, if you know of anyone who might harbor enough of the Taint to react to jade, it would be a good idea to not have them anywhere near the Naga.”
Kyuzo rubbed his neck, uncertain how to proceed from here. He hadn’t been told anyone was tainted when he took over the town, and although there have been an awful lot of Spider who have come since then, all the Spider had been tested before they were allowed in the Empire. Perhaps Soshi was insinuating that one, or many of them were tainted. Maybe they knew something he didn’t. Alternatively, maybe they believed he knew something they didn’t.
“Why would you think I have knowledge of that?” Kyuzo probed, seeing what direction they were coming from.
“There’s always the possibility. There are always secrets people have that even we don’t know.” Soshi kept her gaze steady, unblinking, watching Kyuzo intently.
“Alright,” Kyuzo said moving the conversation along, “I suppose everything is going according to plan with the wedding?”
“Of course,” Soshi to his left said,” Well… other than the bride returning in the middle of the night for reasons unknown. We have had the scout placed on her flogged.”
“I’ll just keep things going according to plan and excuse myself so I can get some rest,” Kyuzo rose and moved to the door to let himself out.
The Soshis rose in tandem, returning to their synchronic behavior, “Lord Asahina, feel free to stop by anytime you wish.”
He nodded and opened the door to find Sara still waiting for him. Kyuzo had little doubt she would be anywhere else. She followed him back to his house, to his room, where he readied for bed and made plans to sleep in past the sunrise.
***
The sudden pinpoint force she felt hit her forehead launched Mikoto from her sleep. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just surprising, whatever it was. She flailed as she sat up, unsure of what had just happened and then she saw Negisa kneeling in front of her. What time was it? Mikoto blinked blurrily, trying to focus in the dark of the room, in the dark of the night. It was obviously still before sunup, but Negisa sat dressed, right next to Mikoto’s futon, with a look on her face Mikoto wasn’t sure how to classify. It was like a glare, but colder, because there wasn’t any rage behind it, just calculated anger. At least, that’s what it looked like. She couldn’t be sure since she still couldn’t even see clearly, nor think clearly. This might all be a dream. A strange dream, but a dream nonetheless.
“Huh?” Mikoto muttered groggily.
“Would you care to explain just what you were thinking?” Negisa demanded.
“What?” Mikoto shook her head, still unsure of the situation or even what Negisa was talking about.
“I get woken up to a Scorpion telling me my sister-to-be has run out the night before her wedding,” Negisa glowered.
Mikoto wrinkled her brow trying to make sense of it all. She didn’t run out in the night, she was right here, sleeping, as Katsumi had told her to do. She shot a look to the door that was closed, and wondered if Katsumi was still sitting outside. Maybe Katsumi could explain to her sister that she was here sleeping.
“So let’s just be clear on something,” Negisa dropped her voice, “Absolutely. Crystal. Clear. I love my family. I will do anything for my family. You are not part of my family yet. And if you bring shame on this house with your actions, I will make you wish you had never been part of this family. Are we clear?”
“Uh, okay,” Mikoto rubbed her eyes still not fully awake.
“Rest well, Sister-to-be,” Negisa smiled and opened the door revealing Katsumi sitting where Mikoto had left her, right in front of the door. “Katsumi will be watching over you. Just to make sure you don’t do anything else foolish.”
At her name Katsumi turned and raised a brow at Mikoto who was sitting confused in her bed, half covered. All Mikoto could do in response was nod. Then Katsumi slid the door shut again, closing Mikoto in the dark once more. She slumped back in bed and rolled on her back staring at the ceiling trying to piece Negisa’s midnight visit together. It was something about family, and Katsumi, and… the thoughts grew fuzzy as she slipped back into the heavy sleep she had been in before whatever it was poked her forehead.
“Huh?” Mikoto muttered groggily.
“Would you care to explain just what you were thinking?” Negisa demanded.
“What?” Mikoto shook her head, still unsure of the situation or even what Negisa was talking about.
“I get woken up to a Scorpion telling me my sister-to-be has run out the night before her wedding,” Negisa glowered.
Mikoto wrinkled her brow trying to make sense of it all. She didn’t run out in the night, she was right here, sleeping, as Katsumi had told her to do. She shot a look to the door that was closed, and wondered if Katsumi was still sitting outside. Maybe Katsumi could explain to her sister that she was here sleeping.
“So let’s just be clear on something,” Negisa dropped her voice, “Absolutely. Crystal. Clear. I love my family. I will do anything for my family. You are not part of my family yet. And if you bring shame on this house with your actions, I will make you wish you had never been part of this family. Are we clear?”
“Uh, okay,” Mikoto rubbed her eyes still not fully awake.
“Rest well, Sister-to-be,” Negisa smiled and opened the door revealing Katsumi sitting where Mikoto had left her, right in front of the door. “Katsumi will be watching over you. Just to make sure you don’t do anything else foolish.”
At her name Katsumi turned and raised a brow at Mikoto who was sitting confused in her bed, half covered. All Mikoto could do in response was nod. Then Katsumi slid the door shut again, closing Mikoto in the dark once more. She slumped back in bed and rolled on her back staring at the ceiling trying to piece Negisa’s midnight visit together. It was something about family, and Katsumi, and… the thoughts grew fuzzy as she slipped back into the heavy sleep she had been in before whatever it was poked her forehead.
***
After the late night last night, the sprint this morning, and another long trek through the woods back to town this evening, Morasahi was more than ready to crawl into bed and be done with the day. Technically the day was over long ago, several hours at least, and now it was pre-dawn, the start of tomorrow. But to Morasahi, it was still part of yesterday. A yesterday she wanted to put behind her. The only good thing about the journey home is she knew everyone would be as tired as she would tomorrow, because everyone was out well past midnight stumbling through the woods like she was. Now, rounding four in the morning, she changed into her nightclothes and crawled into bed.
Then the door opened. A fully dressed Negisa stepped into the room, closed the door and settled next to Morasahi’s futon as if she was planning to stay a while. She didn’t even knock, not that Morasahi would tell Negisa that, but that wasn’t the point. Negisa was sitting in her room at this ungodly hour, for Heaven knows what reason. This morning’s first memories came rushing back, Negisa, naked, kissing her good morning. Morasahi froze up, hoping this didn’t have to do with that. She didn’t want to talk about that. She didn’t remember what went on last night and would rather keep it that way, nor did she want to make a big deal about it. Whatever happened happened, and it was all Daigotsu Katsumi’s fault.
“Good evening, Negisa-san,” Morasahi greeted her once it was clear she wasn’t going away any time soon.
“Good evening, Shiba-san,” Negisa smiled in return.
“Wh-what can I help you with?” She asked, just a little afraid of the answer that would come.
“It’s easy, actually, I’m going to help you with some of your issues today,” Negisa studied the Go board that was set up mid-game.
“What problems… would those be?” She honestly had no idea what Negisa was referring to. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or maybe it was just that she had so many.
“Asako Yuji, of course. Have you forgotten the original portion of our deal?” Negisa placed a stone on the board, seeming to contemplate the validity of the move. Morasahi was thankful for that. It kept Negisa from staring her down, something the Daigotsus were very good at doing.
“No… I just… was not expecting it so early,” Morasahi stuttered. It had only been a month, and something like that took time. A lot of time. She had expected maybe more training, then some courting, and in six months time, maybe, maybe she would get around to revealing her intentions to Yuji. During the Winter Court would be a good time. That’s when marriages were usually made.
“It’s alright,” Negisa assured her as she shot her look in Morasahi’s direction. “It’s actually fairly simple.” Negisa began crawling towards Morasahi, putting herself uncomfortably close. “Tomorrow, at some point, bat your eyes prettily at him, say his name, look him in the eye,” Negisa did just that before she leaned into Morasahi, breathing into her ear. “You know, be friendly. And then offer to take him back to your place, or his, it doesn’t matter, for a game of Go.” Negisa sat back and waved a hand at the board on the ground. “Drink some sake with him and… let things happen.”
“You don’t think… what if he says no? I don‘t think I can do that,” Morasahi squeaked.
“Don’t worry, there’s nothing to fear about that. Courage is something that you learn; it’s not something people are born with. Do you think the Matsu are born into talking to lions and treating them as equals?”
“Yes.”
“No,” Negisa chortled, “They’re not. They’re raised at a young age to do that. It’s something that is learned. It is not normal. Courage is earned.”
Morasahi shifted uncomfortably. This was too early. She hadn’t even spoken with Yuji since she had asked him to teach her courtly things. She had been so busy with her school’s training and with Negisa’s training that time had just slipped away from her. Now Negisa wanted her to… to falsely bring Yuji into her room with promises of games of intelligence and once that was done to seduce him and she expected it to work just like that? Maybe another time, maybe after they go for a few walks or something.
“Does it have to be tomorrow?” Morasahi asked, already knowing the answer but hoping her reservations would change Negisa’s mind.
“It will have to be tomorrow,” Negisa affirmed.
“Why? Why can’t I just…” Morasahi was grasping for anything here. She needed more time. “You know… wait a few days?”
“It will be tomorrow,” Negisa commanded.
That was it; there was no getting out of it now. Negisa had spoken and no amount of wiggling on Morasahi’s part would change the outcome. Negisa stood and dusted her dress off letting herself out of the room. But before she closed the door, she turned and offered that smile Negisa often wore and said, “I expect a lot from you, Shiba-san.”
Then the door was closed, and she was gone. Morasahi toppled backwards onto her futon. So much for the sleep she was planning on getting. Now she had to work up the courage to step outside her normal behavior and spend time alone with Yuji. Closed off in someone’s room. She wanted this, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be forced into this situation, and that’s precisely what was happening. It wasn’t happening on her terms. She sighed and stared at her ceiling, going over what to say tomorrow.
Then the door opened. A fully dressed Negisa stepped into the room, closed the door and settled next to Morasahi’s futon as if she was planning to stay a while. She didn’t even knock, not that Morasahi would tell Negisa that, but that wasn’t the point. Negisa was sitting in her room at this ungodly hour, for Heaven knows what reason. This morning’s first memories came rushing back, Negisa, naked, kissing her good morning. Morasahi froze up, hoping this didn’t have to do with that. She didn’t want to talk about that. She didn’t remember what went on last night and would rather keep it that way, nor did she want to make a big deal about it. Whatever happened happened, and it was all Daigotsu Katsumi’s fault.
“Good evening, Negisa-san,” Morasahi greeted her once it was clear she wasn’t going away any time soon.
“Good evening, Shiba-san,” Negisa smiled in return.
“Wh-what can I help you with?” She asked, just a little afraid of the answer that would come.
“It’s easy, actually, I’m going to help you with some of your issues today,” Negisa studied the Go board that was set up mid-game.
“What problems… would those be?” She honestly had no idea what Negisa was referring to. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or maybe it was just that she had so many.
“Asako Yuji, of course. Have you forgotten the original portion of our deal?” Negisa placed a stone on the board, seeming to contemplate the validity of the move. Morasahi was thankful for that. It kept Negisa from staring her down, something the Daigotsus were very good at doing.
“No… I just… was not expecting it so early,” Morasahi stuttered. It had only been a month, and something like that took time. A lot of time. She had expected maybe more training, then some courting, and in six months time, maybe, maybe she would get around to revealing her intentions to Yuji. During the Winter Court would be a good time. That’s when marriages were usually made.
“It’s alright,” Negisa assured her as she shot her look in Morasahi’s direction. “It’s actually fairly simple.” Negisa began crawling towards Morasahi, putting herself uncomfortably close. “Tomorrow, at some point, bat your eyes prettily at him, say his name, look him in the eye,” Negisa did just that before she leaned into Morasahi, breathing into her ear. “You know, be friendly. And then offer to take him back to your place, or his, it doesn’t matter, for a game of Go.” Negisa sat back and waved a hand at the board on the ground. “Drink some sake with him and… let things happen.”
“You don’t think… what if he says no? I don‘t think I can do that,” Morasahi squeaked.
“Don’t worry, there’s nothing to fear about that. Courage is something that you learn; it’s not something people are born with. Do you think the Matsu are born into talking to lions and treating them as equals?”
“Yes.”
“No,” Negisa chortled, “They’re not. They’re raised at a young age to do that. It’s something that is learned. It is not normal. Courage is earned.”
Morasahi shifted uncomfortably. This was too early. She hadn’t even spoken with Yuji since she had asked him to teach her courtly things. She had been so busy with her school’s training and with Negisa’s training that time had just slipped away from her. Now Negisa wanted her to… to falsely bring Yuji into her room with promises of games of intelligence and once that was done to seduce him and she expected it to work just like that? Maybe another time, maybe after they go for a few walks or something.
“Does it have to be tomorrow?” Morasahi asked, already knowing the answer but hoping her reservations would change Negisa’s mind.
“It will have to be tomorrow,” Negisa affirmed.
“Why? Why can’t I just…” Morasahi was grasping for anything here. She needed more time. “You know… wait a few days?”
“It will be tomorrow,” Negisa commanded.
That was it; there was no getting out of it now. Negisa had spoken and no amount of wiggling on Morasahi’s part would change the outcome. Negisa stood and dusted her dress off letting herself out of the room. But before she closed the door, she turned and offered that smile Negisa often wore and said, “I expect a lot from you, Shiba-san.”
Then the door was closed, and she was gone. Morasahi toppled backwards onto her futon. So much for the sleep she was planning on getting. Now she had to work up the courage to step outside her normal behavior and spend time alone with Yuji. Closed off in someone’s room. She wanted this, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be forced into this situation, and that’s precisely what was happening. It wasn’t happening on her terms. She sighed and stared at her ceiling, going over what to say tomorrow.
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