There was a break in the trees up ahead, a break the Naga’s trail led directly into. Morasahi was not a skilled hunter, she had actually never been hunting before, but she had no difficulty finding these tracks and following them. Naga weren’t exactly small creatures, if the stories were to be believed. Judging from the shuffled dirt, this one was no exception. When the creature had begun bleeding, the trail was only made all the easier to follow, and follow they did, their hunting mission now turning into a rescue mission. Or at least an investigation if the creature turned out to be dead. She thought back to what Tsuruchi had said about eating the snake, visions of Tsuruchi and Daigotsu tearing into the mangled corpse of the Naga filled her head, green blood caking their faces and hands. Her stomach turned. Morasahi felt sick. Breakfast had been a poor choice for trying something unique to the Spider diet. For the very little she had eaten, it weighed heavily like several stones knocking together in her stomach.
The air changed as they entered the small clearing hidden amongst the thick woods and underbrush. Morasahi could feel it. Like everyone and everything was holding their breath. Some sort of unnatural silence where she was suddenly aware of every twig breaking under their feet, every scuff of their sandals, and every ruffle of their clothes from every movement. The world was charged and perched on the edge of some unseen cliff, waiting for some unknown action to take place before everything would go careening out of control.
The air changed as they entered the small clearing hidden amongst the thick woods and underbrush. Morasahi could feel it. Like everyone and everything was holding their breath. Some sort of unnatural silence where she was suddenly aware of every twig breaking under their feet, every scuff of their sandals, and every ruffle of their clothes from every movement. The world was charged and perched on the edge of some unseen cliff, waiting for some unknown action to take place before everything would go careening out of control.
She saw it in the Naga’s eyes too. Her dark black eyes that darted between the four of them who had come across her as she leaned against a tree. Morasahi was pretty certain it was a she. It looked like woman from the head to the navel. From there it was all snake, the cylindrical body going on, and on, and on, a good fifteen feet or so, coming to a pointed tail as a snake should. It was a little maddening to behold. Never in Morasahi’s wildest dreams did she think she would ever lay eyes on such a creature. The Naga’s face was human, besides the eerie black eyes, and green olive skin that shone as if glossy. She had long black hair, human shoulders, human hands, and human arms. Her torso was covered with some sort of armored breast piece that tied on the sides, which was her undoing it would appear. The Naga held both hands against her left side, green blood staining her strange skin and oozing from the wound underneath.
“Are you okay?” Tsuruchi asked slowly. It felt like they had all been staring at each other for eternity. The Naga stared blankly back at the group.
“Do you even speak our language?” Asahina asked in response to the unchanging stare.
“Oorassthniv sthnivakisss.” The Naga whispered, her voice cutting through the space between them.
“That answers that,” Tsuruchi shuffled, obviously uncertain of what to do next.
Morasahi didn’t blame him, she wasn’t certain what to do next either. They found the Naga, something Tsuruchi and Asahina had suggested they set out to do; but now what? Without being able to communicate, they were at a loss for how to proceed. How do you tell a Naga you’re here to help after something has just torn a hole in its side?
Asahina dropped his bag and pulled out a small pack located within. “Can I?” He began and lifted the new pack towards the Naga. “I don’t know… if this will hurt you or not…” The Naga continued to stare, which led Asahina into some exaggerated gestures to portray his intentions. He pointed at his side, the same side she was wounded on, and then pointed at the kit. Tsuruchi began pointing at the kit and making happy faces, nodding while doing so. In addition, Morasahi started rubbing her left side and pretended to wrap something around her as if she were bandaging herself up. Asahina then pressed the kit to his imaginary wounded side and pointed at the Naga outstretching the kit towards her.
Apparently it worked. The Naga retrieved something from a small satchel on her waist and held it up for the group to see. It was small, and white, but not evenly so, the light made it look almost oily, creating an uneven distribution of colors on its surface. It was a pearl. Then it was nothing. The Naga crushed the stone between her fingers and let the dust drift through the cracks in her hand. Then something extraordinary took place. The Naga’s tail shrunk and withered away, giving way to two human legs and the rest of the anatomy that came with it. She was nude, but fully human in form, except for the yellow-green glossy skin tone, and being at least a foot taller than Asahina, who was already nearly six feet.
Morasahi blushed, embarrassed for the nude Naga. She pulled off her outer kimono and took a few steps towards the Naga, offering her shirt as a makeshift skirt. Perhaps it was because her eyes were cast downward so she wasn’t staring at the Naga’s nudity, but she didn’t even see the point that she crossed the line from friendly to threatening. The next thing Morasahi knew, the Naga woman had drawn an arrow, aimed it at Morasahi, and narrowed her now yellow eyes ready to loose the arrow into Morasahi’s body. Morasahi stopped the instant she realized what was going on, an instant that was made clearer by the flaring of the Naga’s hair, spreading out like a cobra’s hood, and obvious change in skin color. She literally became more menacing. Without hesitation, Morasahi rushed behind Daigotsu, the closest person to her, and hid from the threat of death and dismemberment.
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Tsuruchi held his hands up trying to indicate for her to stop. Whatever he was doing was working; the Naga lowered her bow and became more… human again. The darkness that had engulfed her fading away to curiosity.
“It’s okay; we don’t mean you any harm. Obviously.” Asahina took a step forward, with no signs of aggression from the snake. Morasahi watched from behind Daigotsu as Asahina began dressing the Naga’s wound. The Naga watched as well. It didn’t take long and when he began packing his kit away the Naga patted him on the head with a smile.
“Sssarassthnika,” It hissed.
“I think she likes you,” Tsuruchi informed Asahina. Tsuruchi then proceeded to wave his arms about in what would have looked like a fit of some sort of madness except he spoke with each action allowing the group to understand the strange motions he was imitating. “Do… you… need… any… more… help?”
Morasahi watched Tsuruchi, and then peered at the Naga who didn’t seem to understand. It wasn’t much of a surprise. Asahina took a few steps backwards.
“Could you… tie her bottom half, please?” Morasahi muttered from her safety behind Daigotsu. She held out her kimono for Asahina to give to the Naga. “I’m sure you’re enjoying the view, but the rest of us…”
Asahina rolled his eyes and took the shirt, handing it to the Naga with ease. She was obviously favoring Asahina for no reason whatsoever. Granted, he had just patched her up, but before that no one had done anything to her and she had turned on Morasahi. Morasahi sighed; it was just another thing Asahina was beating her out at. He can have the forest creatures, Morasahi thought bitterly to herself. The Naga held up Morasahi’s kimono, studying it, then proceeded to drape it over her shoulders, as one should wear a kimono. Morasahi sighed again. Now she was down a shirt, and the Naga was still flashing her private parts to everyone.
***
Anjin watched the heimin scrubbing the samurai laundry, talking idly amongst themselves. He knew how this worked, how the servants would meet up and share the juicy bits of gossip they overheard or were made aware of while tending to the needs of the house they were assigned to. Most of the time it was things that weren’t supposed to be shared, and the working class knew that as well. Nevertheless, they shared, and they traded stories, trying to outmatch their working partner. Anjin wasn’t certain whether it was for entertainment or just to best each other, he didn’t get that involved in the lives of peasants. In court, it was for power. Here though, here it looked like it was just a story to tell for the heimin to laugh about and enjoy a moment in their lives filled with menial labor.
He wasn’t adept at reading lips. Something he had never seen a use for with courtiers always hiding their mouths behind their fans. Now he found himself wishing he had read into it at least a little. For now, he was only catching bits and pieces, but not knowing who to apply it to the information was practically worthless. It was also abundantly clear that his presence made them uncomfortable, probably the proximity to their chosen location. Anjin was sitting on the hill by the river, about twenty feet from where the small group washed the clothes. And, of course, since he was of the samurai caste, they probably thought he would have them punished for speaking so freely of those in higher status, sharing secrets they shouldn’t be sharing. Only one way to find out. Anjin readied his crutches and rose, hobbling towards the small group whose voices became more hushed as he approached, eventually fading into silence altogether.
“Don’t stop on my account,” He said with a smile. The group looked at him warily. “I promise you, I’m not here to get anyone in trouble. I just enjoy a good story as much as the next person does. Does it look like I get to socialize with many people of my own status?” Anjin gestured with his crutches; making it well known he was a gimp. “As you may know, I’m highly ostracized and can’t find company in the samurai class, so, excuse me if I interrupted, but I was just hoping to join you for a bit and listen to whatever it is that you fine folks are laughing about.”
“It was just a silly story about my niece, samurai-sama,” one woman said, giving the rest of them a warning stare.
“I see, perhaps next time I may get to hear such a tale.” Anjin pretended to turn to go, stopping himself so it looked like he had just remembered something. “Would any of you know where I could find Shiba Morasahi-san?”
“Perhaps the Spider area, samurai-sama.” A young girl bit her lip as soon as she had said it, everyone’s eyes shot to her.
“Oh, why would she be there?” Anjin pried.
“I’ve only seen her there. I wouldn’t know.” The girl shook her head and began scrubbing the shirt in her hands nervously.
“I’ve noticed her there as well,” another young girl added.
“Just taking a stroll through town?” Anjin was starting to crack them; he just had to push a little harder.
“Oh, no, she’s always following that red-haired one. The Daigotsu who runs the Spider in town,” Another woman joined in on the conversation.
“Daigotsu Negisa?” Anjin posed.
“Yeah, that’s the one. Those two are like tealeaves and water, always together.”
“I hear Shiba-sama is trying to switch to the Spider family.”
Anjin smiled and quietly listened as the women returned to their normal gossip routine. He could believe Shiba was attempting to become more Spider-like, after witnessing breakfast this morning. She had asked to try Daigotsu’s food in front of everyone. It was quite shocking. Anjin didn’t have a problem with Daigotsu, or the Spider, they were free to do what they wished as they wished, but Shiba was a Phoenix, not a Spider. He had apparently greatly misjudged Shiba. Keeping himself holed up in his office for so long really put him out of touch with those he shared a roof with.
He wasn’t adept at reading lips. Something he had never seen a use for with courtiers always hiding their mouths behind their fans. Now he found himself wishing he had read into it at least a little. For now, he was only catching bits and pieces, but not knowing who to apply it to the information was practically worthless. It was also abundantly clear that his presence made them uncomfortable, probably the proximity to their chosen location. Anjin was sitting on the hill by the river, about twenty feet from where the small group washed the clothes. And, of course, since he was of the samurai caste, they probably thought he would have them punished for speaking so freely of those in higher status, sharing secrets they shouldn’t be sharing. Only one way to find out. Anjin readied his crutches and rose, hobbling towards the small group whose voices became more hushed as he approached, eventually fading into silence altogether.
“Don’t stop on my account,” He said with a smile. The group looked at him warily. “I promise you, I’m not here to get anyone in trouble. I just enjoy a good story as much as the next person does. Does it look like I get to socialize with many people of my own status?” Anjin gestured with his crutches; making it well known he was a gimp. “As you may know, I’m highly ostracized and can’t find company in the samurai class, so, excuse me if I interrupted, but I was just hoping to join you for a bit and listen to whatever it is that you fine folks are laughing about.”
“It was just a silly story about my niece, samurai-sama,” one woman said, giving the rest of them a warning stare.
“I see, perhaps next time I may get to hear such a tale.” Anjin pretended to turn to go, stopping himself so it looked like he had just remembered something. “Would any of you know where I could find Shiba Morasahi-san?”
“Perhaps the Spider area, samurai-sama.” A young girl bit her lip as soon as she had said it, everyone’s eyes shot to her.
“Oh, why would she be there?” Anjin pried.
“I’ve only seen her there. I wouldn’t know.” The girl shook her head and began scrubbing the shirt in her hands nervously.
“I’ve noticed her there as well,” another young girl added.
“Just taking a stroll through town?” Anjin was starting to crack them; he just had to push a little harder.
“Oh, no, she’s always following that red-haired one. The Daigotsu who runs the Spider in town,” Another woman joined in on the conversation.
“Daigotsu Negisa?” Anjin posed.
“Yeah, that’s the one. Those two are like tealeaves and water, always together.”
“I hear Shiba-sama is trying to switch to the Spider family.”
Anjin smiled and quietly listened as the women returned to their normal gossip routine. He could believe Shiba was attempting to become more Spider-like, after witnessing breakfast this morning. She had asked to try Daigotsu’s food in front of everyone. It was quite shocking. Anjin didn’t have a problem with Daigotsu, or the Spider, they were free to do what they wished as they wished, but Shiba was a Phoenix, not a Spider. He had apparently greatly misjudged Shiba. Keeping himself holed up in his office for so long really put him out of touch with those he shared a roof with.
***
Kyuzo looked up at the Naga. He wasn’t used to that, looking up to speak to someone, it made him feel out of sorts, like he wasn’t standing straight, or as if he were sitting or something. He had never really considered how everyone he talked to was shorter than he was, it just was a part of life, but now having to incline his head, it suddenly dawned on him that this is not normal.
“So what did this?” Kyuzo pointed at her wound then grabbed his side not wanting to bump her injury accidentally. He pointed at his weapons then grabbed his side again. “What happened?”
The Naga watched him with big eyes. She seemed rather young for her race, probably younger than Daigotsu. However, she was easily older than everyone there combined. Naga lived for a very long time. Kyuzo wasn’t certain how long, but he knew it was longer than any man who lived to see old age would be.
She removed her bow from her back, the only weapon she carried and held it out to Kyuzo. “Toone kenia.”
“You shot yourself?” Kyuzo asked. As soon as he did, he regretted it. It was a ridiculous question; of course she didn’t shoot herself in her side with her bow. That was impossible.
In response, the Naga simply pointed towards the woods. Maybe someone out there shot her, though he hadn’t seen any arrows on their trip to the clearing. If she was shot, there should be an arrow somewhere. Maybe she wasn’t actually answering his question, maybe this was some sort of gift-giving ritual. Kyuzo held out his bow for the Naga to take, accepting her bow in return.
“Tana?” She turned her head examining Kyuzo’s bow. She lifted it and tested the pull, shrugging and handing it back to Kyuzo. “Essstini kana.”
Not sure what to do from here, Kyuzo mimicked the Naga. He lifted her bow and tugged, surprised at how strong the wood was. He could hardly pull the string back at all. It was impressive. Then he handed her bow back to her. She repeated the pointing towards the woods, a spot Daigotsu was now looking around at with Shiba one-step behind her.
“I think she wants us to follow her. Over where Daigotsu is,” Tsuruchi voiced. He was getting rather good vocalizing both his intentions with the Naga, and what he believed the Naga was intending to say. The Naga did walk towards Daigotsu, stopping a few feet away from here.
“Can you…” Tsuruchi began pantomiming, “Do you…” The Naga wasn’t paying him any attention. “You seem to be the only one who she will talk with,” Tsuruchi finally said to Kyuzo.
“Yes…” Kyuzo agreed. He had noticed it too. When Shiba attempted to help, she was threatened. Tsuruchi and his wild gestures probably only confused the poor Naga. Daigotsu didn’t say anything, which wasn’t unusual. In addition, Kyuzo was the only one she had actively responded to, both in her strange language and through friendly actions… Like patting him on the head.
“Imma.” The Naga pointed at Daigotsu, not through her, at her. Kyuzo narrowed his eyes, this was starting to make even less sense than her shooting herself. “Ma ni.” She said, again pointing at Daigotsu.
“She wounded you?” Tsuruchi blurted out. That wasn’t possible, when would Daigotsu have time to come out here and wound a Naga before returning to breakfast to come out here and find the wounded Naga? Even in the realm of strangeness that is Daigotsu, this wasn’t believable.
“Sstha ni. E kaboothsss,” The Naga pulled her hand across her own face from left to right.
“How did this happen?” Kyuzo tried again, pointing at her bandage.
“Kssthnatssthena,” She grumbled, lowering her voice. “Akassshna,” She finished off with a hiss.
Kyuzo shook his head. He wasn’t getting whatever the Naga was trying to relay. All she did was point at Daigotsu repeatedly and drag her hand across her face.
“Asahina-san, you might want to ask how many of them are around here,” Daigotsu recommended. “Utaku-san said game has been scarce.”
“It makes sense,” Tsuruchi added, “One Naga can’t eat out a forest.”
It did make sense. Moreover, if one Naga was wounded, it would be logical to conclude that another Naga might need help as well. Whatever did this to them might still be out there, maybe even hurting the others. Kyuzo pointed to Tsuruchi, “One.” He pointed to himself, “Two.” He pointed to Shiba and Daigotsu, “Three. Four.” He then held up four fingers, pointing at everyone again then pointing at his fingers. Then he pointed at the Naga and opened his hand in a questioning fashion.
“There are four of us, so how many are you?” Tsuruchi emphasized. Kyuzo began to wonder if maybe that’s the way Tsuruchi comprehended things, by saying them. She obviously couldn’t understand Tsuruchi, yet he repeated everything verbally.
The Naga raised three fingers and pointed beyond Daigotsu, to the direction she had pointed to all along. She slashed a line with her thumb across her neck.
“There are three dead over there. Okay, I got it,” Tsuruchi nodded.
The Naga scowled and grabbed at her face, making a fist right in front of it.
“Angry,” Tsuruchi commented. “Angry looking thing.”
The Naga began to look irritated. She raised three fingers again and drew the line across her neck again, then repeated the scowl and fist in the air.
“Three dead things,” Tsuruchi nodded again. This was starting to become amusing. “I don’t know why I’m talking to you,” Tsuruchi finally said aloud.
Kyuzo smirked and pointed in the same direction the Naga had, where Daigotsu had been standing but wasn’t any longer. Shiba was also out of sight now. “There are three angry Naga over there?”
The Naga just stared and pointed the same way. With an exasperated sigh, Kyuzo started in that direction. Whatever was over there the Naga wanted them to see it, and he had a feeling Daigotsu had already headed in that direction.
“So what did this?” Kyuzo pointed at her wound then grabbed his side not wanting to bump her injury accidentally. He pointed at his weapons then grabbed his side again. “What happened?”
The Naga watched him with big eyes. She seemed rather young for her race, probably younger than Daigotsu. However, she was easily older than everyone there combined. Naga lived for a very long time. Kyuzo wasn’t certain how long, but he knew it was longer than any man who lived to see old age would be.
She removed her bow from her back, the only weapon she carried and held it out to Kyuzo. “Toone kenia.”
“You shot yourself?” Kyuzo asked. As soon as he did, he regretted it. It was a ridiculous question; of course she didn’t shoot herself in her side with her bow. That was impossible.
In response, the Naga simply pointed towards the woods. Maybe someone out there shot her, though he hadn’t seen any arrows on their trip to the clearing. If she was shot, there should be an arrow somewhere. Maybe she wasn’t actually answering his question, maybe this was some sort of gift-giving ritual. Kyuzo held out his bow for the Naga to take, accepting her bow in return.
“Tana?” She turned her head examining Kyuzo’s bow. She lifted it and tested the pull, shrugging and handing it back to Kyuzo. “Essstini kana.”
Not sure what to do from here, Kyuzo mimicked the Naga. He lifted her bow and tugged, surprised at how strong the wood was. He could hardly pull the string back at all. It was impressive. Then he handed her bow back to her. She repeated the pointing towards the woods, a spot Daigotsu was now looking around at with Shiba one-step behind her.
“I think she wants us to follow her. Over where Daigotsu is,” Tsuruchi voiced. He was getting rather good vocalizing both his intentions with the Naga, and what he believed the Naga was intending to say. The Naga did walk towards Daigotsu, stopping a few feet away from here.
“Can you…” Tsuruchi began pantomiming, “Do you…” The Naga wasn’t paying him any attention. “You seem to be the only one who she will talk with,” Tsuruchi finally said to Kyuzo.
“Yes…” Kyuzo agreed. He had noticed it too. When Shiba attempted to help, she was threatened. Tsuruchi and his wild gestures probably only confused the poor Naga. Daigotsu didn’t say anything, which wasn’t unusual. In addition, Kyuzo was the only one she had actively responded to, both in her strange language and through friendly actions… Like patting him on the head.
“Imma.” The Naga pointed at Daigotsu, not through her, at her. Kyuzo narrowed his eyes, this was starting to make even less sense than her shooting herself. “Ma ni.” She said, again pointing at Daigotsu.
“She wounded you?” Tsuruchi blurted out. That wasn’t possible, when would Daigotsu have time to come out here and wound a Naga before returning to breakfast to come out here and find the wounded Naga? Even in the realm of strangeness that is Daigotsu, this wasn’t believable.
“Sstha ni. E kaboothsss,” The Naga pulled her hand across her own face from left to right.
“How did this happen?” Kyuzo tried again, pointing at her bandage.
“Kssthnatssthena,” She grumbled, lowering her voice. “Akassshna,” She finished off with a hiss.
Kyuzo shook his head. He wasn’t getting whatever the Naga was trying to relay. All she did was point at Daigotsu repeatedly and drag her hand across her face.
“Asahina-san, you might want to ask how many of them are around here,” Daigotsu recommended. “Utaku-san said game has been scarce.”
“It makes sense,” Tsuruchi added, “One Naga can’t eat out a forest.”
It did make sense. Moreover, if one Naga was wounded, it would be logical to conclude that another Naga might need help as well. Whatever did this to them might still be out there, maybe even hurting the others. Kyuzo pointed to Tsuruchi, “One.” He pointed to himself, “Two.” He pointed to Shiba and Daigotsu, “Three. Four.” He then held up four fingers, pointing at everyone again then pointing at his fingers. Then he pointed at the Naga and opened his hand in a questioning fashion.
“There are four of us, so how many are you?” Tsuruchi emphasized. Kyuzo began to wonder if maybe that’s the way Tsuruchi comprehended things, by saying them. She obviously couldn’t understand Tsuruchi, yet he repeated everything verbally.
The Naga raised three fingers and pointed beyond Daigotsu, to the direction she had pointed to all along. She slashed a line with her thumb across her neck.
“There are three dead over there. Okay, I got it,” Tsuruchi nodded.
The Naga scowled and grabbed at her face, making a fist right in front of it.
“Angry,” Tsuruchi commented. “Angry looking thing.”
The Naga began to look irritated. She raised three fingers again and drew the line across her neck again, then repeated the scowl and fist in the air.
“Three dead things,” Tsuruchi nodded again. This was starting to become amusing. “I don’t know why I’m talking to you,” Tsuruchi finally said aloud.
Kyuzo smirked and pointed in the same direction the Naga had, where Daigotsu had been standing but wasn’t any longer. Shiba was also out of sight now. “There are three angry Naga over there?”
The Naga just stared and pointed the same way. With an exasperated sigh, Kyuzo started in that direction. Whatever was over there the Naga wanted them to see it, and he had a feeling Daigotsu had already headed in that direction.
***
“While we’re trading information, tell me, is it true about Asahina-san?” Yasuki Ichio eagerly pressed.
Anjin couldn’t say if it was true or not, because he really had very little clue on what exactly it was. They had been probing each other, the Crab courtier and Anjin. Giving up a slipped word here or there, or mentioning something that they overheard about some other poor soul in this small town. Anjin had just learned much of what he knew already, the Mantis merchants coming in in a few weeks and even more gossip on Tsuruchi Airo and his attempts to burn down the distillery. However, it was becoming much bigger as the story went on, extending now to poor Tsuruchi Airo attempting to set the house Asahina and the delegates slept in on fire in the wee hours of the morning. He was beginning to sound like a monster as people continued to talk about the most interesting thing that had happened since Asahina had taken over.
“Tsuruchi didn’t attempt to set him on fire, if that’s what you’re asking,” Anjin assured Yasuki.
“No, Tsuruchi is old news,” He waved his hand swatting the thought away, “Asahina’s party. You were there, right?”
“I was… indisposed most of the night. I didn’t actually attend. It turned out marvelously, I’ve been told.”
“Yeah, but Kaiu Toturi told me he saw something take place that probably wasn’t meant for the public eye. However, he has a reputation for drinking past his ability and spinning tall tales based on his drunken misconceptions. There you go, there’s another bit for you, now tell me about Asahina and the party.” Yasuki tilted his head waiting for Anjin to spill the rice on Asahina and his party.
Anjin just shrugged, “I can’t say I know what you’re talking about.” He really had no idea. He hadn’t heard anything about Asahina.
“Kitsuki-san,” Yasuki narrowed his eyes, “I thought we were being honest here. I’ve heard something from the Scorpion on the same matter. You can’t tell me you don’t even know who you’re sharing a house with.”
“I’m sorry, Yasuki-san, I really have no idea.”
“Fine, if that’s how you’re going to be about it,” Yasuki dropped a coin on the table to pay for his drink, “I suppose we’re done here.”
“Could you, maybe, tell me what it pertains to besides the party?” Anjin pushed Yasuki’s coin towards the Crab. “Maybe it will jog my memory.”
“Asahina-sama’s penchant for personal parties. The ones you normally don’t hear about outside of a brothel.” Yasuki sat and leaned forward.
“It would seem, Yasuki-san, I don’t truly know those I share a house with.”
Anjin couldn’t say if it was true or not, because he really had very little clue on what exactly it was. They had been probing each other, the Crab courtier and Anjin. Giving up a slipped word here or there, or mentioning something that they overheard about some other poor soul in this small town. Anjin had just learned much of what he knew already, the Mantis merchants coming in in a few weeks and even more gossip on Tsuruchi Airo and his attempts to burn down the distillery. However, it was becoming much bigger as the story went on, extending now to poor Tsuruchi Airo attempting to set the house Asahina and the delegates slept in on fire in the wee hours of the morning. He was beginning to sound like a monster as people continued to talk about the most interesting thing that had happened since Asahina had taken over.
“Tsuruchi didn’t attempt to set him on fire, if that’s what you’re asking,” Anjin assured Yasuki.
“No, Tsuruchi is old news,” He waved his hand swatting the thought away, “Asahina’s party. You were there, right?”
“I was… indisposed most of the night. I didn’t actually attend. It turned out marvelously, I’ve been told.”
“Yeah, but Kaiu Toturi told me he saw something take place that probably wasn’t meant for the public eye. However, he has a reputation for drinking past his ability and spinning tall tales based on his drunken misconceptions. There you go, there’s another bit for you, now tell me about Asahina and the party.” Yasuki tilted his head waiting for Anjin to spill the rice on Asahina and his party.
Anjin just shrugged, “I can’t say I know what you’re talking about.” He really had no idea. He hadn’t heard anything about Asahina.
“Kitsuki-san,” Yasuki narrowed his eyes, “I thought we were being honest here. I’ve heard something from the Scorpion on the same matter. You can’t tell me you don’t even know who you’re sharing a house with.”
“I’m sorry, Yasuki-san, I really have no idea.”
“Fine, if that’s how you’re going to be about it,” Yasuki dropped a coin on the table to pay for his drink, “I suppose we’re done here.”
“Could you, maybe, tell me what it pertains to besides the party?” Anjin pushed Yasuki’s coin towards the Crab. “Maybe it will jog my memory.”
“Asahina-sama’s penchant for personal parties. The ones you normally don’t hear about outside of a brothel.” Yasuki sat and leaned forward.
“It would seem, Yasuki-san, I don’t truly know those I share a house with.”
***
Mikoto shivered in her drenched kimono. Apparently part of the pre-wedding ritual consisted of dumping ladlefuls of cold water on her head while the Kitsune chanted in what seemed like a never-ending melody of prayers. The only bright side to all of this was instead of having to repeat this ritual day after day, she was getting it over and done with in one go. It was the only sweetness she could find in this tasteless rice bun of a predicament. That and Negisa had been extraordinarily nice to her. It seemed they all were very similar after all, Yanagi, Negisa, and Katsumi. Mikoto hadn’t had the opportunity to get to know Negisa, something she was scolding herself for now that she was spending the morning being waited on by her soon-to-be sister. It made her feel a little guilty having Negisa cater to her every need, as long as it didn’t impose on the rituals, of course. And unfortunately, there wasn’t much Mikoto wanted at this moment than to be out of these wet clothes, done with the chanting that was making her ears ring even when there was silence, and not have to smell another burning incense.
As if an answer to her unvoiced desires, the Kitsune stopped singing and dropped the incense into a bowl, which they put in front of Mikoto. Everyone stood in silence save for one shugenja who held a prayer strip and knelt in front of Mikoto. She turned the strip over the smoke from the incense, as if coating it with the scent, and pressed it to Mikoto’s forehead where it stuck marvelously due to the freezing water they had insisted on dumping on her. The solitary Kitsune started chanting, low and quickly. That was a good sign. Mikoto didn’t know what most of the rituals required, but if only one was speaking than it was definitely a good sign. After a quick minute, the kneeling shugenja removed the prayer strip and nodded. Negisa stood and went to Mikoto, helping her to her feet.
“Go get changed, Matsu,” Negisa soothed, “We’ll get some food in you before continuing on.”
Mikoto’s shoulders slumped. She was tired of all this and didn’t want to be privy to any more water or singing or anything. Negisa must have noticed.
“Don’t worry; we’re done with the Kitsune.”
Mikoto nodded. That was the biggest relief of the morning. She felt rushed and disjointed. She had no idea what was really going on and stared wide-eyed as Negisa orchestrated everything around her. Mikoto supposed she was lucky to have someone like Negisa around, when it really came down to it. No one else would be spending their time making sure she was perfect for her wedding, she was certain if her second mother were here she wouldn’t even make the effort to arrange what needed to be arranged. She smiled. Her new family continued to get better and better as she got to know them.
As if an answer to her unvoiced desires, the Kitsune stopped singing and dropped the incense into a bowl, which they put in front of Mikoto. Everyone stood in silence save for one shugenja who held a prayer strip and knelt in front of Mikoto. She turned the strip over the smoke from the incense, as if coating it with the scent, and pressed it to Mikoto’s forehead where it stuck marvelously due to the freezing water they had insisted on dumping on her. The solitary Kitsune started chanting, low and quickly. That was a good sign. Mikoto didn’t know what most of the rituals required, but if only one was speaking than it was definitely a good sign. After a quick minute, the kneeling shugenja removed the prayer strip and nodded. Negisa stood and went to Mikoto, helping her to her feet.
“Go get changed, Matsu,” Negisa soothed, “We’ll get some food in you before continuing on.”
Mikoto’s shoulders slumped. She was tired of all this and didn’t want to be privy to any more water or singing or anything. Negisa must have noticed.
“Don’t worry; we’re done with the Kitsune.”
Mikoto nodded. That was the biggest relief of the morning. She felt rushed and disjointed. She had no idea what was really going on and stared wide-eyed as Negisa orchestrated everything around her. Mikoto supposed she was lucky to have someone like Negisa around, when it really came down to it. No one else would be spending their time making sure she was perfect for her wedding, she was certain if her second mother were here she wouldn’t even make the effort to arrange what needed to be arranged. She smiled. Her new family continued to get better and better as she got to know them.
***
“If you ask me, it’s a trade up,” Utaku Chun-li nodded as she scrapped the mud from her horse’s hoof. “You know he’s the head of the Spider family around here, right?”
Kitsuki Anjin nodded. He hadn’t actually known, but giving away that he was fishing for information usually caused people to shut down and stop talking. That or they ran circles around him like most of the servants at the house. He had asked one about what sorts of interests his housemates had, and found himself talking about where he grew up. A topic he rarely broached let alone rambled on about for thirty minutes, to a servant no less. It was about then that he decided those living in the same area were much too close to the situation to be of any real use. They were trained well in protecting those they served with misleading answers and the ability to change the subject on a whim.
“Don’t get me wrong, Kitsuki-san, the Matsu are a strong breed of people. Having our men married into their family is a great honor. But it’s better this way if Moto Leon met with such a sad ending. Kind of saves us the embarrassment of having it happen later, after they were married.”
“What do you mean ‘embarrassment‘? I heard there was an accident, but no one is interested in divulging the details,” Anjin pressed.
“There’s not much to say,” Utaku Chun-li dropped the horses hoof and walked to the animals other side to repeat the grooming process. It was somewhat fascinating. There were people who would do that work for any samurai who asked, but the Unicorn were so vastly protective of their mounts that they labored as heimin would. Anjin took in this display along with the gossip Utaku was feeding him.
“Moto Leon was on a ride. Doing what, I can’t say. It doesn’t seem to matter now. I’m sure you know that sometimes horses spook for the most ridiculous reasons. Not our horses, mind you. These beasts here would sooner trample a threat to death than rear and run.” Utaku patted the rump of her giant horse. It was intimidating to say the least, twice the size of a normal steed, and eyes that held intelligence Anjin wouldn’t have believed an animal to possess. “But Moto’s horse, it was just a normal mare. Sure enough, it spooked. Like most men riders, Moto lacked the ability to keep control of the animal and fell to his death. Cracked his head on a rock. That was the end of Moto Leon.”
Anjin nodded again, “I see.” He was aware Matsu didn’t care for her previous fiancé, but the Unicorn lands were several days trek from here, which rendered this accident as nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence. It was still odd, the timing of everything. But sometimes life was just odd in general.
“Now Matsu is ushering in the new Empire. Daigotsu Yanagi and she are the first Spider marriage since they were recognized as a great clan. I would have thought most proposals would wait until the Winter Courts, as most are often made then. But it seems the Spider know how to seize the opportunity. I wouldn’t say who, but I know more than a few Utakus who are less than pleased the Spider’s first wedding isn’t with the Unicorn. But I suppose alliances have to be made with other clans, and the Lion is a good second start, after us, of course.”
Anjin smiled, “Of course. There are no better riders in the entire Empire than those of the Utaku. And your battle prowess is legendary.” Utaku seemed to bolster at the praise. “I’m afraid that’s all the time I have this morning,” Anjin gave a polite bow, “It has been delightful speaking with you, Utaku-san, and I hope we get the opportunity again soon.”
“Absolutely,” Utaku waved a hand in Anjin’s direction and continued with grooming her horse.
Kitsuki Anjin nodded. He hadn’t actually known, but giving away that he was fishing for information usually caused people to shut down and stop talking. That or they ran circles around him like most of the servants at the house. He had asked one about what sorts of interests his housemates had, and found himself talking about where he grew up. A topic he rarely broached let alone rambled on about for thirty minutes, to a servant no less. It was about then that he decided those living in the same area were much too close to the situation to be of any real use. They were trained well in protecting those they served with misleading answers and the ability to change the subject on a whim.
“Don’t get me wrong, Kitsuki-san, the Matsu are a strong breed of people. Having our men married into their family is a great honor. But it’s better this way if Moto Leon met with such a sad ending. Kind of saves us the embarrassment of having it happen later, after they were married.”
“What do you mean ‘embarrassment‘? I heard there was an accident, but no one is interested in divulging the details,” Anjin pressed.
“There’s not much to say,” Utaku Chun-li dropped the horses hoof and walked to the animals other side to repeat the grooming process. It was somewhat fascinating. There were people who would do that work for any samurai who asked, but the Unicorn were so vastly protective of their mounts that they labored as heimin would. Anjin took in this display along with the gossip Utaku was feeding him.
“Moto Leon was on a ride. Doing what, I can’t say. It doesn’t seem to matter now. I’m sure you know that sometimes horses spook for the most ridiculous reasons. Not our horses, mind you. These beasts here would sooner trample a threat to death than rear and run.” Utaku patted the rump of her giant horse. It was intimidating to say the least, twice the size of a normal steed, and eyes that held intelligence Anjin wouldn’t have believed an animal to possess. “But Moto’s horse, it was just a normal mare. Sure enough, it spooked. Like most men riders, Moto lacked the ability to keep control of the animal and fell to his death. Cracked his head on a rock. That was the end of Moto Leon.”
Anjin nodded again, “I see.” He was aware Matsu didn’t care for her previous fiancé, but the Unicorn lands were several days trek from here, which rendered this accident as nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence. It was still odd, the timing of everything. But sometimes life was just odd in general.
“Now Matsu is ushering in the new Empire. Daigotsu Yanagi and she are the first Spider marriage since they were recognized as a great clan. I would have thought most proposals would wait until the Winter Courts, as most are often made then. But it seems the Spider know how to seize the opportunity. I wouldn’t say who, but I know more than a few Utakus who are less than pleased the Spider’s first wedding isn’t with the Unicorn. But I suppose alliances have to be made with other clans, and the Lion is a good second start, after us, of course.”
Anjin smiled, “Of course. There are no better riders in the entire Empire than those of the Utaku. And your battle prowess is legendary.” Utaku seemed to bolster at the praise. “I’m afraid that’s all the time I have this morning,” Anjin gave a polite bow, “It has been delightful speaking with you, Utaku-san, and I hope we get the opportunity again soon.”
“Absolutely,” Utaku waved a hand in Anjin’s direction and continued with grooming her horse.
***
Katsumi kicked around the area the Naga kept pointing to while Asahina and Tsuruchi played silly acting games in order to communicate. You didn’t need any sort of acting to talk to someone. She was aware the Naga didn’t understand their language, but there were certain things that surpassed all barriers, like when the Naga warned Shiba to stay away. That came through loud and clear and not one word was uttered. Nor did the Naga mime exaggerated actions to make her point known. So when she pointed in this direction, Katsumi knew this was the way they were supposed to go. It took no time to find a trail leading away from where the group stood, and instead of interrupt the fun everyone was having, she decided to follow it until she found whatever it was they were supposed to be looking for.
Sure enough, the green blood started dotting this path as well. If the Naga they found hadn’t come this way, then there was another one or three as she had heard Tsuruchi calling out several times, injured Naga wherever this trail led her. Though the blood was… different. Katsumi stopped and bent closer to the ground. The green color was dark, very dark, nearly black. That wasn’t right. Even dried the blood wouldn’t turn that dark. Katsumi should know, she spent a lot of time around blood. Granted, she had little experience with Naga blood, but even oxidized, the shade of green it was supposed to be wouldn’t turn out so black. Katsumi pressed her lips and carefully continued on, Shiba shuffling behind her.
The blood pools continued to grow exponentially until Katsumi found those who had left them. Three Naga were sprawled about a tiny clearing, smaller than the one they had already met. They were clearly dead, their eyes cloudy and unmoving. One’s head was completely missing, as if it exploded, though that wasn’t the strangest thing about them. A creeping cloud of suspicion settled on Katsumi as she narrowed her eyes, noting all the peculiar things about the dead snakes. It engulfed her thoughts so all she could see was the one word everywhere. Taint. The Naga’s scales were black tinged. Taint. Their once yellow-green skin looked sickened and rotten. Taint. And their eyes, that was the worst of it all, the two who still had eyes to gaze through stared with blood red pupils. Taint.
There was no doubting this was the taint at work; Katsumi had seen it many times before. She came from a clan where the taint ran free. It was Fu Leng’s blessing. It was a gift from the Dark Kami. Honestly, taint itself didn’t bother Katsumi. Though she hadn’t accepted it herself, she knew others who had, and they reveled in the abundance of power they possessed after becoming tainted. The thing that bothered her was there was taint in the woods, in these Naga, and it wasn’t the Spider who put it there. The Naga weren’t pledged to Daigotsu or to Fu Leng, they didn’t deserve the gift and seemed to be impervious to other means in which humans could contract it. In fact, the Naga were the ones who taught the Spider how to remove the taint, for those who had wished to do so. This all just didn’t make sense.
Katsumi scanned the surrounding forest, keeping clear of the bodies. She didn’t want Shiba becoming curious and doing something foolish, like touching them. Yes, it was less infectious than it had previously been, Dark Lord Daigotsu had promised only to spread it to those who accepted it before he gave his life for the Spider, but she wasn’t sure exactly what constituted as accepting the taint, and what was just accidental contamination, which no longer applied. She had found where the Naga had come from, down another path leading to the south, and was about to follow that to see where it led when she heard the crunching and shuffling of Kyuzo from the west, where Katsumi and Shiba had just come from.
“Don’t touch them,” Katsumi called out, warning the group who had yet to enter the clearing.
As if on cue, Tsuruchi stepped into the small opening first, followed by Asahina and the Naga, who descended from the treetops. That was creepy. The Naga waved her fingers towards the bodies, then raised three and made a gesture that clearly was an explosion in Katsumi’s eyes. Obviously, she was explaining their deaths. Asahina, like the foolish, good-natured samurai he was, held out his medical kit towards the Naga. What was he going to do, bring the dead back to life? There was no saving these snakes, and even if he could, Katsumi would keep him from doing so.
“Don’t touch them. Did you not hear that?” Katsumi growled, glaring at Asahina.
“Isshtara dunnada,” The Naga hissed while waving her fingers towards the sky at chest level. “Varasss Kinassthka. Ontada mi nosstha.”
Asahina stared blankly. Why the Naga chose him of all people to try to communicate with eluded Katsumi. She understood what was going on, the Naga was telling them to burn the bodies, something Katsumi would have done without direction. She didn’t want these creatures returning under whoever’s control had made them in the first place. If they weren’t Spider, which she was aware they weren’t, they were an enemy. Katsumi walked over to the two who still had heads and cleanly hacked them off with her katana. She shook the blade attempting to get the sticky black blood off, and found the live Naga next to her, offering Shiba’s kimono. Katsumi gladly took it and cleaned her blade before tossing the shirt back onto the corpses. Katsumi then began piecing together a fire starter while the Naga broke a branch and stripped it.
“Are you trying to make a bow?” Tsuruchi asked the Naga, who blinked back at him. “A bow. Bow? Out of that?” Katsumi was sure he was pointing to his weapon or some other silly action. She glanced at the Naga who was waving her fingers again trying to explain to Tsuruchi what was going to happen next.
“Fire,” Shiba spouted. Good for Shiba, at least someone else was understanding.
“Burn them,” Katsumi ordered.
Shiba nodded, “She wants us to burn the corpses.”
Katsumi peered at Asahina’s back; his string would do nicely for her fire starter. It was perfect to wrap around the stick in order to spin it quickly and build up heat. “Asahina-san, can I have your bow string?”
“Sure,” Asahina chirped. It caught Katsumi off guard. He had been so protective of his bow the last time she asked to use it, now she wanted to wind his string around a stick that was going to create a flame, and he had no issue giving it to her.
“Put kindling around the bodies,” Katsumi directed, “But don’t touch them.”
Everyone set to work building a funeral pyre for the tainted Naga. Katsumi easily got the fire starter to function properly. She had made more than she could count over the years. The group had collected a decent amount of dry wood, allowing the piles to ignite and overtake the bodies within minutes. Katsumi watched, making sure they burned fully. This was something that needed to be handled quickly and effectively, keeping the town from pointing fingers and assigning blame to her clan, to her family. If anyone knew there was taint abound, surely the witch hunters would overrun the town and everything would be put on hold for Fu Leng knows how long, stamping a black mark on the first settlement the Spider were to create. Putting shame on her family, being the ones who would shoulder the responsibility for the failing of the town.
She watched the Naga reach into a pouch on her belt, not the same one she had withdrawn a pearl from earlier. She tossed a handful of some sort of light, powdery substance on the fire and Katsumi gawked as she witnessed the magic the Naga held. The smoke danced and swirled then formed into recognizable shapes. Shapes that clearly told of a story. A story she could feel, as if she were a part of it, and see so clearly in her head there was no mistake made in translation. It was more powerful than any foretelling she had ever experienced, she had no choice but to watch for she couldn’t push it out of her mind.
Three Naga stood tall, surrounded by their people who cheered and adored them. They were heroes in their land, wherever that land was. They were good people. Decent people. Then darkness formed, a darkness that took no shape and choked the heroes, pulling their very souls into darkness. When it released the three they stood there, hallowed of love and only filled with hate and desire to destroy. The darkness pulled back creating a much bigger Naga that was blacker than obsidian. And the three heroes now stood shadows of themselves, darkened husks of who they formally were, unhappy and lost. Katsumi felt the emptiness inside her, and heard the despair from these fallen heroes thoughts. She couldn’t understand them, their hissing foreign to her ears, but she didn’t need to understand the words to know they were crying out.
The Naga who stood beside Katsumi then appeared in this vision of smoke. She was their spiritual leader. She was something to them that these fallen heroes longed to be rid of. A part of their life they desired to seek out and destroy, to snuff out so they would never have to be reminded of who they once were. Then the hunt ensued. That was when the smoke drifted back to just smoke. That was when Katsumi regained control of her being. She stared breathlessly at the Naga woman who stood among them. The Naga’s eyes closed and hands pressed together as if praying. Katsumi didn’t know the extent of her power, but she could feel it now, the raw energy that surrounded her. And she was so young too. Younger than Katsumi.
Sure enough, the green blood started dotting this path as well. If the Naga they found hadn’t come this way, then there was another one or three as she had heard Tsuruchi calling out several times, injured Naga wherever this trail led her. Though the blood was… different. Katsumi stopped and bent closer to the ground. The green color was dark, very dark, nearly black. That wasn’t right. Even dried the blood wouldn’t turn that dark. Katsumi should know, she spent a lot of time around blood. Granted, she had little experience with Naga blood, but even oxidized, the shade of green it was supposed to be wouldn’t turn out so black. Katsumi pressed her lips and carefully continued on, Shiba shuffling behind her.
The blood pools continued to grow exponentially until Katsumi found those who had left them. Three Naga were sprawled about a tiny clearing, smaller than the one they had already met. They were clearly dead, their eyes cloudy and unmoving. One’s head was completely missing, as if it exploded, though that wasn’t the strangest thing about them. A creeping cloud of suspicion settled on Katsumi as she narrowed her eyes, noting all the peculiar things about the dead snakes. It engulfed her thoughts so all she could see was the one word everywhere. Taint. The Naga’s scales were black tinged. Taint. Their once yellow-green skin looked sickened and rotten. Taint. And their eyes, that was the worst of it all, the two who still had eyes to gaze through stared with blood red pupils. Taint.
There was no doubting this was the taint at work; Katsumi had seen it many times before. She came from a clan where the taint ran free. It was Fu Leng’s blessing. It was a gift from the Dark Kami. Honestly, taint itself didn’t bother Katsumi. Though she hadn’t accepted it herself, she knew others who had, and they reveled in the abundance of power they possessed after becoming tainted. The thing that bothered her was there was taint in the woods, in these Naga, and it wasn’t the Spider who put it there. The Naga weren’t pledged to Daigotsu or to Fu Leng, they didn’t deserve the gift and seemed to be impervious to other means in which humans could contract it. In fact, the Naga were the ones who taught the Spider how to remove the taint, for those who had wished to do so. This all just didn’t make sense.
Katsumi scanned the surrounding forest, keeping clear of the bodies. She didn’t want Shiba becoming curious and doing something foolish, like touching them. Yes, it was less infectious than it had previously been, Dark Lord Daigotsu had promised only to spread it to those who accepted it before he gave his life for the Spider, but she wasn’t sure exactly what constituted as accepting the taint, and what was just accidental contamination, which no longer applied. She had found where the Naga had come from, down another path leading to the south, and was about to follow that to see where it led when she heard the crunching and shuffling of Kyuzo from the west, where Katsumi and Shiba had just come from.
“Don’t touch them,” Katsumi called out, warning the group who had yet to enter the clearing.
As if on cue, Tsuruchi stepped into the small opening first, followed by Asahina and the Naga, who descended from the treetops. That was creepy. The Naga waved her fingers towards the bodies, then raised three and made a gesture that clearly was an explosion in Katsumi’s eyes. Obviously, she was explaining their deaths. Asahina, like the foolish, good-natured samurai he was, held out his medical kit towards the Naga. What was he going to do, bring the dead back to life? There was no saving these snakes, and even if he could, Katsumi would keep him from doing so.
“Don’t touch them. Did you not hear that?” Katsumi growled, glaring at Asahina.
“Isshtara dunnada,” The Naga hissed while waving her fingers towards the sky at chest level. “Varasss Kinassthka. Ontada mi nosstha.”
Asahina stared blankly. Why the Naga chose him of all people to try to communicate with eluded Katsumi. She understood what was going on, the Naga was telling them to burn the bodies, something Katsumi would have done without direction. She didn’t want these creatures returning under whoever’s control had made them in the first place. If they weren’t Spider, which she was aware they weren’t, they were an enemy. Katsumi walked over to the two who still had heads and cleanly hacked them off with her katana. She shook the blade attempting to get the sticky black blood off, and found the live Naga next to her, offering Shiba’s kimono. Katsumi gladly took it and cleaned her blade before tossing the shirt back onto the corpses. Katsumi then began piecing together a fire starter while the Naga broke a branch and stripped it.
“Are you trying to make a bow?” Tsuruchi asked the Naga, who blinked back at him. “A bow. Bow? Out of that?” Katsumi was sure he was pointing to his weapon or some other silly action. She glanced at the Naga who was waving her fingers again trying to explain to Tsuruchi what was going to happen next.
“Fire,” Shiba spouted. Good for Shiba, at least someone else was understanding.
“Burn them,” Katsumi ordered.
Shiba nodded, “She wants us to burn the corpses.”
Katsumi peered at Asahina’s back; his string would do nicely for her fire starter. It was perfect to wrap around the stick in order to spin it quickly and build up heat. “Asahina-san, can I have your bow string?”
“Sure,” Asahina chirped. It caught Katsumi off guard. He had been so protective of his bow the last time she asked to use it, now she wanted to wind his string around a stick that was going to create a flame, and he had no issue giving it to her.
“Put kindling around the bodies,” Katsumi directed, “But don’t touch them.”
Everyone set to work building a funeral pyre for the tainted Naga. Katsumi easily got the fire starter to function properly. She had made more than she could count over the years. The group had collected a decent amount of dry wood, allowing the piles to ignite and overtake the bodies within minutes. Katsumi watched, making sure they burned fully. This was something that needed to be handled quickly and effectively, keeping the town from pointing fingers and assigning blame to her clan, to her family. If anyone knew there was taint abound, surely the witch hunters would overrun the town and everything would be put on hold for Fu Leng knows how long, stamping a black mark on the first settlement the Spider were to create. Putting shame on her family, being the ones who would shoulder the responsibility for the failing of the town.
She watched the Naga reach into a pouch on her belt, not the same one she had withdrawn a pearl from earlier. She tossed a handful of some sort of light, powdery substance on the fire and Katsumi gawked as she witnessed the magic the Naga held. The smoke danced and swirled then formed into recognizable shapes. Shapes that clearly told of a story. A story she could feel, as if she were a part of it, and see so clearly in her head there was no mistake made in translation. It was more powerful than any foretelling she had ever experienced, she had no choice but to watch for she couldn’t push it out of her mind.
Three Naga stood tall, surrounded by their people who cheered and adored them. They were heroes in their land, wherever that land was. They were good people. Decent people. Then darkness formed, a darkness that took no shape and choked the heroes, pulling their very souls into darkness. When it released the three they stood there, hallowed of love and only filled with hate and desire to destroy. The darkness pulled back creating a much bigger Naga that was blacker than obsidian. And the three heroes now stood shadows of themselves, darkened husks of who they formally were, unhappy and lost. Katsumi felt the emptiness inside her, and heard the despair from these fallen heroes thoughts. She couldn’t understand them, their hissing foreign to her ears, but she didn’t need to understand the words to know they were crying out.
The Naga who stood beside Katsumi then appeared in this vision of smoke. She was their spiritual leader. She was something to them that these fallen heroes longed to be rid of. A part of their life they desired to seek out and destroy, to snuff out so they would never have to be reminded of who they once were. Then the hunt ensued. That was when the smoke drifted back to just smoke. That was when Katsumi regained control of her being. She stared breathlessly at the Naga woman who stood among them. The Naga’s eyes closed and hands pressed together as if praying. Katsumi didn’t know the extent of her power, but she could feel it now, the raw energy that surrounded her. And she was so young too. Younger than Katsumi.
***
“What’s with you and Katsumi, anyways?” One of the Spider asked. His face was hard and eyes were cold, a very menacing scowl and glare directed at Anjin. Perhaps he chose the wrong group to prod about Daigotsu.
“What do you mean?” Anjin was taken aback by his blunt question.
“Don’t act so surprised. She has a soft spot for cripples, doesn’t she?” A female voice jeered behind the mask of a Spider Monk.
Anjin shook his head. “I was just curious on what you thought of Daigotsu Katsumi, this doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
“It has everything to do with you,” the second Spider Monk commented, also female. “Some of us know what it’s like to need a little release every now and then. Surely it’s nothing more than that.”
Anjin held back his embarrassment. He was aware there was nothing going on between Daigotsu and himself, however these Spider were literally pushing him into a corner attempting to tell him otherwise. He hadn’t ever come across someone so outspoken about matters usually hidden behind fans and said in hushed whispers.
“I don’t know what sort of information you’ve been fed-”
“Look, Kitsuki, save us your polite talk you reserve for bailing yourself out of trouble. Just be straight with us. See, Kairo here thinks it’s a big mistake, but I’ve been telling him what people are saying. They notice how much time she spends with you. So settle the bet, you two are more than just town shogunate to each other, right?”
Kairo crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes while the shorter of the two females leaned on him. All three of their eyes were glued to Anjin, waiting for his answer. They were sort of right, but in the completely wrong lands about what type of relationship Daigotsu and he shared. She was his yojimbo, even though he had a Shiba yojimbo as well. It was a prearranged deal with Yanagi, Daigotsu would watch over him and help with the difficulties of a life of a cripple, and Anjin would keep her out of trouble, especially those three nights of the month she often couldn’t control herself. Yes, they were more than just delegates, but they were far, very far, from lovers.
“You have the wrong impression of things-” Anjin began only to be cut off by the third Spider, the female who had joked about Katsumi having a soft spot for cripples.
“He probably wasn’t man enough for her,” she shrugged and looked Anjin up and down, “She’s been following around that Lion, that Matsu they also house with.”
“You don’t say,” Kairo turned his icy stare from Anjin. “Looks like it’s Kitsuki’s lucky day.” He uncrossed his arms and rolled his shoulder. “It would be my duty to tell Yanagi-sama about his sister, and I have a feeling he wouldn’t be too happy about that situation.”
The two Spider Monk females giggled obnoxiously.
“What do you think he’d do? Cripple the cripple?” One snorted.
Kairo shrugged in response, “Whatever it would be, I could tell you from experience, Yanagi-sama is fiercely protective of Katsumi.”
“Thank you for your time,” Anjin quickly bowed and took his leave before they surrounded him again.
“Anytime, Kitsuki. Anytime,” She called after him.
“What do you mean?” Anjin was taken aback by his blunt question.
“Don’t act so surprised. She has a soft spot for cripples, doesn’t she?” A female voice jeered behind the mask of a Spider Monk.
Anjin shook his head. “I was just curious on what you thought of Daigotsu Katsumi, this doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
“It has everything to do with you,” the second Spider Monk commented, also female. “Some of us know what it’s like to need a little release every now and then. Surely it’s nothing more than that.”
Anjin held back his embarrassment. He was aware there was nothing going on between Daigotsu and himself, however these Spider were literally pushing him into a corner attempting to tell him otherwise. He hadn’t ever come across someone so outspoken about matters usually hidden behind fans and said in hushed whispers.
“I don’t know what sort of information you’ve been fed-”
“Look, Kitsuki, save us your polite talk you reserve for bailing yourself out of trouble. Just be straight with us. See, Kairo here thinks it’s a big mistake, but I’ve been telling him what people are saying. They notice how much time she spends with you. So settle the bet, you two are more than just town shogunate to each other, right?”
Kairo crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes while the shorter of the two females leaned on him. All three of their eyes were glued to Anjin, waiting for his answer. They were sort of right, but in the completely wrong lands about what type of relationship Daigotsu and he shared. She was his yojimbo, even though he had a Shiba yojimbo as well. It was a prearranged deal with Yanagi, Daigotsu would watch over him and help with the difficulties of a life of a cripple, and Anjin would keep her out of trouble, especially those three nights of the month she often couldn’t control herself. Yes, they were more than just delegates, but they were far, very far, from lovers.
“You have the wrong impression of things-” Anjin began only to be cut off by the third Spider, the female who had joked about Katsumi having a soft spot for cripples.
“He probably wasn’t man enough for her,” she shrugged and looked Anjin up and down, “She’s been following around that Lion, that Matsu they also house with.”
“You don’t say,” Kairo turned his icy stare from Anjin. “Looks like it’s Kitsuki’s lucky day.” He uncrossed his arms and rolled his shoulder. “It would be my duty to tell Yanagi-sama about his sister, and I have a feeling he wouldn’t be too happy about that situation.”
The two Spider Monk females giggled obnoxiously.
“What do you think he’d do? Cripple the cripple?” One snorted.
Kairo shrugged in response, “Whatever it would be, I could tell you from experience, Yanagi-sama is fiercely protective of Katsumi.”
“Thank you for your time,” Anjin quickly bowed and took his leave before they surrounded him again.
“Anytime, Kitsuki. Anytime,” She called after him.
***
Meintaro waited for the Naga to finish her praying. The story he had witnessed through her magic dust and the fire answered so many questions they hadn’t been able to correctly get across to one another. He understood everything so much better now. There was a threat, something evil that turned the smaller Naga against this one in front of him. That threat needed to be vanquished. The Naga opened her eyes and Tsuruchi launched into his questions. First, he raised three fingers and then lifted his arm to indicate a bigger Naga.
“The big one, see? Three little ones and the big one.” Meintaro pointed at his hand that looked sort of like a forest monster with his colored paint on it. “Where did this one go?”
The Naga grabbed Meintaro’s hand.
“Okay… you got the big one?”
“Tsuruchi-san, the trail goes that way,” Daigotsu explained, pointing towards the south where there was a rather obvious trail now that he was looking for it.
Meintaro looked at the Naga who still held his hand and didn’t seem to be giving any other sort of indication of what to do next, then decided his best bet was probably to check out where this trail went. It was a new trail, and long, made by the three smaller Naga and they had been moving quickly through the woods by the looks of it. Asahina tramped behind him, and Daigotsu and Shiba were somewhere back behind the Naga, who was right behind Asahina. No one said a word as they wandered through the woods. Honestly, Meintaro had had enough conversation for today. It felt like a lot of things were getting nowhere fast. If this didn’t pan out then they had found a Naga and a bunch of dead Naga and both of those really equated to a headache and not much else.
Finally, the trees broke and Meintaro came across a campsite. There was food encased in some sort of… yeah, he didn’t want to know what that was. There were skins hung on racks, boar, rabbit, and a deer or two. In the middle was a large campfire, larger than a human would need, much larger. Moreover, throughout the entirety of the camp, not one set of very large Naga trails existed. Only four sets, the three smaller, and the one that the living Naga created. The Naga group had been here for a while, which meant the three others hadn’t turned until they were out here. There had to be a fifth set somewhere, maybe he was just missing it.
It was obvious that acting wasn’t Meintaro’s strong suit. It was time to try his hand at something everyone could understand, pictures. The Naga created that story from smoke, Meintaro had little doubt he could relay a message similar in clarity with a stick and some dirt. So he picked up a stick and began scribbling. First, he drew three lines, all about the same height. Then he drew a much larger line that towered over the other three.
“Here,” Meintaro said tapping at the three on the ground. He pointed to the woods from where they came and pointed at the three small lines again. Then he pointed at the larger line and pointed north. “Or,” Meintaro then pointed east, “Or,” south was the next direction, “Or,” west the final direction he pointed.
It seemed to be working. The Naga nodded in understanding and pointed at the ground. Not at the lines he had drawn in the dirt, but at the actual ground. Meintaro drew his bow and took in his surroundings. The thing was here. At least, he had thought it was here until the Naga pushed his hand away from his bow, bringing his attention back to her. She pointed down once again, towards the ground.
“It’s in the earth,” Asahina clarified.
“You think so?” Meintaro began digging below him.
“Nisstha ah inssshnin dita kata. Nisstha tonta,” the Naga almost seemed to be laughing at him.
“It’s like… a spirit or something,” Asahina elaborated.
Suddenly Meintaro felt extremely foolish. He had thought maybe it was some sort of tunneling snake, those existed. He folded the dirt back into the tiny divot he had made. “I think you’re right.”
It was obvious they weren’t going to find whatever it was that had brought about the change, at least not at the moment. Moreover, Meintaro didn’t know how to combat spirits either. He also felt confident in assuming Asahina, Daigotsu, nor Shiba could do it either.
“I suppose that’s that, then,” Meintaro dusted off his hands and began walking back towards the town. It was going to be a decently long walk, several hours at least. “Do you guys think we should bring her back with us?”
“I… don’t think that will go over well with the town,” Asahina commented.
“Why not?” Meintaro countered, she was wounded and couldn’t stay out here by herself with some sort of evil spirit roaming around that corrupted Naga. “The Naga have done nothing but help the Empire throughout all of history.”
“Yeah, but superstition might play a factor,” Asahina argued. “People have a hard time accepting the things they don’t understand.”
“Asahina-san,” Daigotsu interrupted, “I think the decision has been made for you.”
Meintaro turned, Daigotsu was right. She was starting to be right a lot. She didn’t say much, but when she did it had some substance to it. The Naga was tailing Asahina. From the moment Asahina had bandaged the thing, it had followed him, and continued to do so. When Asahina stopped, so to, did the Naga. Well, at least they weren’t going to leave her out here.
“The big one, see? Three little ones and the big one.” Meintaro pointed at his hand that looked sort of like a forest monster with his colored paint on it. “Where did this one go?”
The Naga grabbed Meintaro’s hand.
“Okay… you got the big one?”
“Tsuruchi-san, the trail goes that way,” Daigotsu explained, pointing towards the south where there was a rather obvious trail now that he was looking for it.
Meintaro looked at the Naga who still held his hand and didn’t seem to be giving any other sort of indication of what to do next, then decided his best bet was probably to check out where this trail went. It was a new trail, and long, made by the three smaller Naga and they had been moving quickly through the woods by the looks of it. Asahina tramped behind him, and Daigotsu and Shiba were somewhere back behind the Naga, who was right behind Asahina. No one said a word as they wandered through the woods. Honestly, Meintaro had had enough conversation for today. It felt like a lot of things were getting nowhere fast. If this didn’t pan out then they had found a Naga and a bunch of dead Naga and both of those really equated to a headache and not much else.
Finally, the trees broke and Meintaro came across a campsite. There was food encased in some sort of… yeah, he didn’t want to know what that was. There were skins hung on racks, boar, rabbit, and a deer or two. In the middle was a large campfire, larger than a human would need, much larger. Moreover, throughout the entirety of the camp, not one set of very large Naga trails existed. Only four sets, the three smaller, and the one that the living Naga created. The Naga group had been here for a while, which meant the three others hadn’t turned until they were out here. There had to be a fifth set somewhere, maybe he was just missing it.
It was obvious that acting wasn’t Meintaro’s strong suit. It was time to try his hand at something everyone could understand, pictures. The Naga created that story from smoke, Meintaro had little doubt he could relay a message similar in clarity with a stick and some dirt. So he picked up a stick and began scribbling. First, he drew three lines, all about the same height. Then he drew a much larger line that towered over the other three.
“Here,” Meintaro said tapping at the three on the ground. He pointed to the woods from where they came and pointed at the three small lines again. Then he pointed at the larger line and pointed north. “Or,” Meintaro then pointed east, “Or,” south was the next direction, “Or,” west the final direction he pointed.
It seemed to be working. The Naga nodded in understanding and pointed at the ground. Not at the lines he had drawn in the dirt, but at the actual ground. Meintaro drew his bow and took in his surroundings. The thing was here. At least, he had thought it was here until the Naga pushed his hand away from his bow, bringing his attention back to her. She pointed down once again, towards the ground.
“It’s in the earth,” Asahina clarified.
“You think so?” Meintaro began digging below him.
“Nisstha ah inssshnin dita kata. Nisstha tonta,” the Naga almost seemed to be laughing at him.
“It’s like… a spirit or something,” Asahina elaborated.
Suddenly Meintaro felt extremely foolish. He had thought maybe it was some sort of tunneling snake, those existed. He folded the dirt back into the tiny divot he had made. “I think you’re right.”
It was obvious they weren’t going to find whatever it was that had brought about the change, at least not at the moment. Moreover, Meintaro didn’t know how to combat spirits either. He also felt confident in assuming Asahina, Daigotsu, nor Shiba could do it either.
“I suppose that’s that, then,” Meintaro dusted off his hands and began walking back towards the town. It was going to be a decently long walk, several hours at least. “Do you guys think we should bring her back with us?”
“I… don’t think that will go over well with the town,” Asahina commented.
“Why not?” Meintaro countered, she was wounded and couldn’t stay out here by herself with some sort of evil spirit roaming around that corrupted Naga. “The Naga have done nothing but help the Empire throughout all of history.”
“Yeah, but superstition might play a factor,” Asahina argued. “People have a hard time accepting the things they don’t understand.”
“Asahina-san,” Daigotsu interrupted, “I think the decision has been made for you.”
Meintaro turned, Daigotsu was right. She was starting to be right a lot. She didn’t say much, but when she did it had some substance to it. The Naga was tailing Asahina. From the moment Asahina had bandaged the thing, it had followed him, and continued to do so. When Asahina stopped, so to, did the Naga. Well, at least they weren’t going to leave her out here.
***
Anjin was careful with the Scorpion. After his encounter with the Spider, he wasn’t keen to put himself in a position where he didn’t have the upper hand again. This time he had waited around one of the trade areas in town. Making it obvious he was watching the Mantis. He tried standing conspicuously in the street while they went amongst their merchant business; that didn’t seem to draw anyone out. He tried dropping prying questions to the heimin around the area, about how he was looking for information on Tsuruchi Meintaro. Most of them blinked at him and hurried along with their duties; that also didn’t bring about any Scorpion who might have been paying him any attention. He even stopped for lunch by the Scorpion section of town, making sure not to be in their section, and lamented about how mysterious his housemate Tsuruchi Meintaro was; Anjin was disappointed to not be joined by at least three Scorpion willing to strike a deal about his problem. It wasn’t until he finished his soup and readied himself to leave that someone seated themselves across from Anjin.
Victory at last! The Scorpion woman wore a half-mask covering her nose down. It was designed in a style that reminded Anjin of a jester; a leering smile frozen with red lips and red circles on the cheeks overlaying black lacquer. Besides the mask, she looked very much like every other Scorpion he had known, dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair, and round-faced. There was a subtle beauty to her, but nothing like Matsu, Negisa, or Soshi had. Maybe it was the way her eyes were painted and exaggerated, probably to better suit the mask she wore.
“You shouldn’t be so noisy when asking for our help,” She scolded, “All you had to do was actually ask, Kitsuki-san. Now the whole world is watching you, wondering what secrets you cannot keep.”
Anjin reseated himself, “That was not my intention. Nevertheless, you have to admit, you aren’t easy to find. It’s not as if I can walk to a door, knock, and request an audience with someone who would be willing to converse with me about what I’d like to know instead of running me in circles about my place of birth or where I grew up.”
“How was your child home, Kitsuki-san?” Her eyes crinkled in the corners; under her fake smile she had given a real one.
“It was a place that taught me much. One I’m not fond of revisiting.”
“Fair enough,” The woman crossed her hands on her lap, “So tell me, what is so important you must stoop to painting yourself a fool in order to converse with us?”
“Important is a strong word,” Anjin drawled, “I’m merely interested in getting to know those who I’ve come to share a roof with, and it turns out certain people are better at finding things out over others. I’ve been terribly busy-”
“With your paperwork. We know.”
“Yes, and because of this it turns out I’m learning all sorts of things I hadn’t been able to ascertain myself.”
“You would be wise to pick which fruit is ripe, and which is filled with rot,” She warned.
“Will I have to judge yours the same?”
“Of course not, everything from the Scorpion is at the peak of perfection.”
“Then tell me about our latest delegate. I’d be curious to know what sorts of things he keeps hidden from us. Anything I might… I should keep watch for?”
“We understand your concern, and share it as well. It seems the new insect is the brother of the old one. After his quick demise you can rest assured we have been keeping this new addition under the magnifying glass.”
“Anything else to note?” Anjin was hoping for something more to go on. He was cautious to trust the new Tsuruchi for the very reasons the Scorpion seemed to be cautious.
“We’re not the only ones watching. Other arachnids have been spinning webs in the corners of our homes. They haven’t proven to be aggressive, and so we allow them to stay for the time being. But they’re watching, and they’re waiting.”
“I see,” Anjin murmured. It seemed Tsuruchi wasn’t going to be an issue no matter the case, with both the Scorpion spies and the Spider… whatever they were good at besides being brusque; Tsuruchi Meintaro didn’t have enough room to even consider damning the town, let alone the space to take action.
Anjin placed his hands in his crutches, pushing himself up to his feet. “I think I might stop for lunch at this very place the next time I’m looking for some company,” He mused before shuffling out the door.
Victory at last! The Scorpion woman wore a half-mask covering her nose down. It was designed in a style that reminded Anjin of a jester; a leering smile frozen with red lips and red circles on the cheeks overlaying black lacquer. Besides the mask, she looked very much like every other Scorpion he had known, dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair, and round-faced. There was a subtle beauty to her, but nothing like Matsu, Negisa, or Soshi had. Maybe it was the way her eyes were painted and exaggerated, probably to better suit the mask she wore.
“You shouldn’t be so noisy when asking for our help,” She scolded, “All you had to do was actually ask, Kitsuki-san. Now the whole world is watching you, wondering what secrets you cannot keep.”
Anjin reseated himself, “That was not my intention. Nevertheless, you have to admit, you aren’t easy to find. It’s not as if I can walk to a door, knock, and request an audience with someone who would be willing to converse with me about what I’d like to know instead of running me in circles about my place of birth or where I grew up.”
“How was your child home, Kitsuki-san?” Her eyes crinkled in the corners; under her fake smile she had given a real one.
“It was a place that taught me much. One I’m not fond of revisiting.”
“Fair enough,” The woman crossed her hands on her lap, “So tell me, what is so important you must stoop to painting yourself a fool in order to converse with us?”
“Important is a strong word,” Anjin drawled, “I’m merely interested in getting to know those who I’ve come to share a roof with, and it turns out certain people are better at finding things out over others. I’ve been terribly busy-”
“With your paperwork. We know.”
“Yes, and because of this it turns out I’m learning all sorts of things I hadn’t been able to ascertain myself.”
“You would be wise to pick which fruit is ripe, and which is filled with rot,” She warned.
“Will I have to judge yours the same?”
“Of course not, everything from the Scorpion is at the peak of perfection.”
“Then tell me about our latest delegate. I’d be curious to know what sorts of things he keeps hidden from us. Anything I might… I should keep watch for?”
“We understand your concern, and share it as well. It seems the new insect is the brother of the old one. After his quick demise you can rest assured we have been keeping this new addition under the magnifying glass.”
“Anything else to note?” Anjin was hoping for something more to go on. He was cautious to trust the new Tsuruchi for the very reasons the Scorpion seemed to be cautious.
“We’re not the only ones watching. Other arachnids have been spinning webs in the corners of our homes. They haven’t proven to be aggressive, and so we allow them to stay for the time being. But they’re watching, and they’re waiting.”
“I see,” Anjin murmured. It seemed Tsuruchi wasn’t going to be an issue no matter the case, with both the Scorpion spies and the Spider… whatever they were good at besides being brusque; Tsuruchi Meintaro didn’t have enough room to even consider damning the town, let alone the space to take action.
Anjin placed his hands in his crutches, pushing himself up to his feet. “I think I might stop for lunch at this very place the next time I’m looking for some company,” He mused before shuffling out the door.
***
“I understand Katsumi and you have become rather close,” Negisa smiled as she set out the cups and returned to the kitchen to fetch the teapot. Mikoto smiled as well, Katsumi brought out the happiest part of her, and they had become close recently. Very close. “How long has she been taking care of you?”
“A while. Over a week. Maybe two,” Mikoto tried to remember the first time Katsumi showed up in her room, or the first day Katsumi spent every moment with her. The month had been a whirlwind of events; it was hard to tell when one thing took place compared to others that were completely unrelated.
“I see,” Negisa returned with the kettle and set it on the table, “And has she done a divination to see if the child is healthy yet?”
Mikoto felt her breath catch in her throat. She felt her lungs refuse to inhale. Negisa knew about her secret pregnancy, the one she just told Yanagi about last night. With that being the case, she probably already knew it was not Yanagi’s as well. Mikoto was mortified. Soon everyone would know why this wedding was being pushed up if word had gotten out already.
“Didn’t you know?” Negisa began pouring the tea. “Katsumi has the gift of sight. She does readings.”
Mikoto wrung her hands under the table. She didn’t know Katsumi had any gift, but that wasn’t what was on her mind at the moment.
“Has she done anything awkward, like taken a sample of blood or hair?” Negisa asked calmly.
“Now that you mention it…” Mikoto recalled the lunch that seemed to have been years ago, not just months, when she first met everyone and sat down to eat with them. Katsumi had collected hair off Mikoto’s kimono; she remembered how odd it was at the time. She also remembered how she had hoped it was a token of love; some sort of keepsake Katsumi looked at longingly before bed. “I was wondering what she did with that hair.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, that’s a good sign. At least she’s doing some of her duty,” Negisa pressed her lips and sipped her tea.
There was a long spell of silence in the room, Mikoto waiting until her hands stopped shaking from the sudden adrenaline that shot through her system with the recent inquiries before she dared reach for her cup. Negisa looked to be lost in her own thoughts for the time being. Maybe if she didn’t acknowledge the baby, it wouldn’t be brought up again, Mikoto thought.
“I suppose a little history is in order,” Negisa finally said.
“About Katsumi?” Mikoto chirped. Negisa let out a feminine giggle.
“No, about the Spider. It’s time you learned what you’ll soon become.” Negisa set her tea down and began pouring over the rather short history of the Spider clan. She covered how they ran their households, which was a strange mixture between the Lion and the Scorpion, if one could imagine something of that sort. She talked about the clan’s wealth, but failed to mention where it came from, just that there were stockpiles of it secreted away. She even brushed the dirty subject of maho, and how the Spider no longer practice it since the Chuda refused to give up their identity in order to be accepted as part of the Empire. Eventually the topic turned to those Spider in the Ivory Kingdoms, which prompted Mikoto to finally ask a question.
“What about Yanagi? I barely know him and I’m going to be marrying him in three days.”
“You two will have plenty of time to get to know each other,” Negisa smiled.
“Yeah, but I’d like to know something about him before then,” Mikoto pleaded.
“Fine,” Negisa waved a hand, “Yanagi is a well renowned Spider Monk. He was trained with the first of the Order when they formed roughly a decade ago after the dissolution of the Order of Venom.”
Okay, he was a Spider Monk, Mikoto already knew that.
“Needless to say,” Negisa continued, “he is highly skilled in everything combat related. That has always been his place in the family with Koto as a father. Koto always did draw out the fight in people…”
Koto was their father’s name. Mikoto knew he was dead, first because Yanagi wouldn’t be head of house if that wasn’t the case, and second because Katsumi had said something about it at that lunch they had.
“Luckily, he retained some of his earlier teachings on etiquette and courtesy before Koto and continued to develop his social graces; otherwise he’d be a walking disaster like Katsumi. As it stands, he can hold his own in most conversations. Other than that, he is quite the hunter and I know you’ve already learned a thing or two about his bedroom manner,” Negisa grinned wickedly. “Yanagi will take care of you in every way that a husband should.”
“What about Katsumi?” Mikoto asked, “Will she continue to take care of me as she has been?”
“That’s for Katsumi to decide.”
Mikoto nodded and sipped her tea. She hoped Katsumi would. She would have to ask her once she saw her again… whenever that would be. All these marriage rituals were taking up her time, and then she would actually be married, and with that being the case, she wouldn’t be sharing a home with Katsumi any more. Joining her family felt more like she was driving a wedge between the two of them.
“A while. Over a week. Maybe two,” Mikoto tried to remember the first time Katsumi showed up in her room, or the first day Katsumi spent every moment with her. The month had been a whirlwind of events; it was hard to tell when one thing took place compared to others that were completely unrelated.
“I see,” Negisa returned with the kettle and set it on the table, “And has she done a divination to see if the child is healthy yet?”
Mikoto felt her breath catch in her throat. She felt her lungs refuse to inhale. Negisa knew about her secret pregnancy, the one she just told Yanagi about last night. With that being the case, she probably already knew it was not Yanagi’s as well. Mikoto was mortified. Soon everyone would know why this wedding was being pushed up if word had gotten out already.
“Didn’t you know?” Negisa began pouring the tea. “Katsumi has the gift of sight. She does readings.”
Mikoto wrung her hands under the table. She didn’t know Katsumi had any gift, but that wasn’t what was on her mind at the moment.
“Has she done anything awkward, like taken a sample of blood or hair?” Negisa asked calmly.
“Now that you mention it…” Mikoto recalled the lunch that seemed to have been years ago, not just months, when she first met everyone and sat down to eat with them. Katsumi had collected hair off Mikoto’s kimono; she remembered how odd it was at the time. She also remembered how she had hoped it was a token of love; some sort of keepsake Katsumi looked at longingly before bed. “I was wondering what she did with that hair.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, that’s a good sign. At least she’s doing some of her duty,” Negisa pressed her lips and sipped her tea.
There was a long spell of silence in the room, Mikoto waiting until her hands stopped shaking from the sudden adrenaline that shot through her system with the recent inquiries before she dared reach for her cup. Negisa looked to be lost in her own thoughts for the time being. Maybe if she didn’t acknowledge the baby, it wouldn’t be brought up again, Mikoto thought.
“I suppose a little history is in order,” Negisa finally said.
“About Katsumi?” Mikoto chirped. Negisa let out a feminine giggle.
“No, about the Spider. It’s time you learned what you’ll soon become.” Negisa set her tea down and began pouring over the rather short history of the Spider clan. She covered how they ran their households, which was a strange mixture between the Lion and the Scorpion, if one could imagine something of that sort. She talked about the clan’s wealth, but failed to mention where it came from, just that there were stockpiles of it secreted away. She even brushed the dirty subject of maho, and how the Spider no longer practice it since the Chuda refused to give up their identity in order to be accepted as part of the Empire. Eventually the topic turned to those Spider in the Ivory Kingdoms, which prompted Mikoto to finally ask a question.
“What about Yanagi? I barely know him and I’m going to be marrying him in three days.”
“You two will have plenty of time to get to know each other,” Negisa smiled.
“Yeah, but I’d like to know something about him before then,” Mikoto pleaded.
“Fine,” Negisa waved a hand, “Yanagi is a well renowned Spider Monk. He was trained with the first of the Order when they formed roughly a decade ago after the dissolution of the Order of Venom.”
Okay, he was a Spider Monk, Mikoto already knew that.
“Needless to say,” Negisa continued, “he is highly skilled in everything combat related. That has always been his place in the family with Koto as a father. Koto always did draw out the fight in people…”
Koto was their father’s name. Mikoto knew he was dead, first because Yanagi wouldn’t be head of house if that wasn’t the case, and second because Katsumi had said something about it at that lunch they had.
“Luckily, he retained some of his earlier teachings on etiquette and courtesy before Koto and continued to develop his social graces; otherwise he’d be a walking disaster like Katsumi. As it stands, he can hold his own in most conversations. Other than that, he is quite the hunter and I know you’ve already learned a thing or two about his bedroom manner,” Negisa grinned wickedly. “Yanagi will take care of you in every way that a husband should.”
“What about Katsumi?” Mikoto asked, “Will she continue to take care of me as she has been?”
“That’s for Katsumi to decide.”
Mikoto nodded and sipped her tea. She hoped Katsumi would. She would have to ask her once she saw her again… whenever that would be. All these marriage rituals were taking up her time, and then she would actually be married, and with that being the case, she wouldn’t be sharing a home with Katsumi any more. Joining her family felt more like she was driving a wedge between the two of them.
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