Blades and Flowers

Chapter 3
Loyal Pride

‘Whoever you are I’m a sam…samurai and I’ll kill you, so just stay back,’ she stammered.

The figure moved slowly toward her then it was gone. Her eyes shot back and forth and there was no one to be found. Too scared she went to turn only to bump into the Master…again.

‘Well get off your ass and fight then.’

He drew his sword and got into his stance.

‘What are you doing?’
‘Gensou, you embarrassed me, soiled me, and now you’ve done something even more stupid….challenged me.’
‘No I didn’t, I mean I didn’t mean….no I didn’t!!’
‘Get up or I’ll kill you where you sit. Show some honor at least because your respect is as bland and offensive as your unagi.’

Pissed, she knew she couldn’t win even in her wildest dreams, but she had to try at least that would give her a little more respect from him.

She stood and before she could draw her sword she felt the wind all around her. Her clothes were torn to shreds and she could do nothing but fall to her knees.
‘Why are you doing this?!’
‘Why are you not fighting?’

She rose and ran toward him sword pointed. She was determined to earn his respect. She felt her legs collapse under her but couldn’t save herself in time before she slid head first into the water. She came up struggling for air and saw her Master standing over her. He didn’t say a word, he didn’t have to. Kaoru knew she messed up big and as inexperienced as she was she knew she would get the worst of the worst as soon as she got back. She knew she didn’t have a choice, she absolutely had nowhere else to go.

Dripping wet she trailed water all the way to the door and was about to cross the threshold.

‘I suggest since you almost burned down my house, I don’t need you destroying my floors. Stand outside until you are dry.’

With a slam and a lock on the door he left Kaoru outside to drip dry. Soon after there was a crack of lightening and a huge downpour began to come down on her and all of Kyoto. Kaoru dropped to her knees and began to cry softly. Little did she know the Battousai was standing on the other side. He hadn’t left because he wanted to know what his little Gensou was going to do. The rain lasted until early morning around one a.m. He opened the door and saw Kaoru lying in a puddle of mud asleep and shivering. He bent down and opened one of her eyelids . She jumped and rolled over covering her body totally with mud.

‘Rise and shine Gensou. You are behind in you duties this morning.’

She looked at him in disbelief.

‘Well you do have to clean the dining hall, the kitchen, replace the walls and the stove, then you have to clean the dishes and take down the decorations.’
‘Anything else Master?’

Kaoru was so tired and she felt a little feverish and didn’t want to do anything that was ordered for her to do.

‘Yes. You have to clean all of the mud you have trailed into my home and don’t forget you have to mend the hole in my kimono and also…’
‘Yes Master?’

He moved quickly pinning her to a wall putting his forearm against her throat.

‘You have to be punished for trying to pull one over on me. I know it was not you who swept the floor or the one who destroyed my most beloved article of clothing.’

She looked in shock as she struggled to breath.

‘What shall your punishment be?’

Kaoru still found it a struggle to breath and believe that he found out what she had done. She was caked in mud except for her eyes nose and lips. The delicate parts of her body was covered in the mud and she noticed that the Master was somewhat ogling her. It was making her nervous.

‘Go without….food….Master?’
‘Hmm, that seems pliable but then you wouldn’t have the strength to do your chores now would you?’

He released her and continued to walk. The sudden closeness of him made Kaoru even more nervous and vulnerable. They stopped in front of the dining hall and he pointed without a word and Kaoru began to work. Two hours later, messy, tired and hungry she finally finished everything but the kimono. Reaching the door she could see there was a light on. Knocking softly she asked if she could have the kimono.

‘You may have it, enter’
Knowing that she would be too tired to remember she wasn’t allowed in his quarters he decided to have a little fun with her. He watched her step in and shut the door and walk over to the damaged garment, dropping clumps of mud on his floor. The next thing Kaoru knew she was on the floor on her back holding her head.

‘Oww what in the world’s wrong with you?!!’

He sat on her straddling her pinning her other hand down. His blue eyes bore into hers, his fiery red hair wild and disheveled. He leaned further almost nose to nose.

‘You have broken the most important rule, you have entered my quarters after I told you never to cross that door.’

Kaoru was absolutely scared and her mind raced to find the right words to appease him, then it struck her. She spoke in her most humble and obedient voice.

‘Yes my Master I did but was it not you who told me to always do as he commands with no question or resistance?’

His expression froze, not surprise, just a still face. He did say such a command and she did follow it. He admitted to himself that she played a good hand.

‘Yes my Gensou I did say that, but…’

Kaoru’s inner smile began to slowly fade when her ears heard the ‘but’.

‘…since I did not say nothing of sort about resistance, I think I will go along the lines of that.’
‘What do you mean?’

He raised an eyebrow, waiting?

‘What do you mean…Master?’
‘I mean since you’re smart mouth added that little comment at the end to try to show me up with my own words using them against me. You know, ‘do as I command with no question or resistance’ I think I’ll make you eat your own words.’

He got up and extended his hand to her. Reluctant at first, she grabbed it as he helped her to her feet. She turned to leave but he grabbed her wrist and yanked her so close to him the mud smeared and broke off against him.

‘I want you to stand in the garden over there and take all of the mud you can off of you while I watch.’

She felt appalled by the request. Her body was being concealed since he torn her clothes apart in all the right places. He stood his ground with a fierce look on his face and she quickly retreated trying her best not to drop any more on the floor. The cement under her feet was cold so she did little hops to keep them from getting to cold. He watched her in amusement as her breasts bounced in the cold night air. Kaoru looked at him in contempt as she stood holding herself shivering. She was still dirty with strips of mud that stuck to her.

‘Now I want you to rinse yourself clean, but right here not by the well.’

The situation was so degrading that Kaoru felt hot tears fall from her face. A few more buckets and she was clean. Her hair was matted to her face and shoulders. Her skin was cold and her fever was getting worse.

‘Now come inside.’

She stood in the middle of his room and he guided her to the fire. She was so embarrassed that she could die. Lying in his presence naked and wide open for his abuse. The thoughts that ran through her mind were at first scary and unknowing, but as she lay their more and more under is eye she began to relax.

**He wouldn’t do anything vulgar, she thought to herself.

‘My Gensou?’

His voice startled her a bit almost forgetting he was still in the room.

‘Y..yes my Master?’
‘You know not to question or resist me don’t you?’
‘Yes Master.’

He was suddenly on top of her. His hands were beside her head his torso so close to hers, his legs placed between her.

‘Then why did you disobey me?’
‘I didn’t?

He lowered his body closer to hers. Her breasts now warm and flushed pressing against his chest.

‘Yes you did. It was not you who swept the floors nor you who destroyed my belongings, now was it?’
‘No my Master.’
‘Then you should also be punished for lying and disobeying me?’
‘Yes my Master.’
‘And what should your punishment be?’
‘I don’t know. What does my Master have in mind?’

Kaoru’s words quivered as did her lip. She didn’t know what the man had in mind. She knew he would have her do something crazy like walk the streets of Kyoto naked or serve the entirety of her stay with nothing but a smile.

‘You’re deep in thought. Grace me with your inner dialogue Gensou.’
‘Uh no it’s nothing.’
‘Tell me.’

She told him her ridiculous thought and prayed that he would never consider it.

‘So you find all of this amusing?’
‘No my Master it’s just I tried as hard as I could.’
‘If I had that attitude against the Shinsingumi, I wouldn’t be here.’
‘Master please, you’ve already humiliated me, no more I beg of you.’

He grabbed her hair pulling her to him.

‘You will know when to beg me, understand?’
‘Yes my Master,’ she sobbed through tears.
‘Go to bed Gensou. I want you up early to fix me breakfast and I want it in the meditation hall do you understand?’
‘Does Master want anything in particular?’
‘Surprise me.’

Kaoru left and headed toward her room. She got dressed and headed toward the kitchen and got everything prepared for tomorrow which was only a couple of hours away. Finished a half hour later she went to her room when she thought she heard a noise outside. Reaching the garden she peeked behind the wall to see her Master practicing. She never saw anything so graceful with such a deadly touch. She heard of the Hiten style was deadly and she did experience it but not fully, but she never knew how beautiful the movements were either. She was entranced by it she didn’t realize that she stepped from behind the wall and made a noise. The Battousai, very secret and quiet did not like for anyone to observe his tactics and practice…to many spies and mercenaries. Kaoru’s back screamed in pain as it was slammed into the wall, her Master’s hand this time tight around her neck cutting her air supply.

‘Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.’
‘Please.’
‘I thought I told you about begging. Now why are you spying on me?’
‘I wasn’t. I’m not a spy, I just heard a noise.’
‘You sure you’re not a spy? You take a lot of embarrassing things that someone else wouldn’t.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Well I think you are and that little show at the pier was fake. What? Did they think sending a woman would soften me. Get your sword and prepare to die.’
‘I’m not…’

The sword came across her throat only nicking her. She knew if he wanted to she’d be dead.

‘Master I swear I am not a spy, I just want to learn to use a sword, I promise please!! Please believe me!!’

She cried her words, choking in fear staggering back to get distance between them.

‘Then let’s test that shall we. Even woman who know the sword have a certain honor code they’re willing not to break.’