Tsubaki's face was like ice.

Silence stretched out between them tangibly. Eitsu could practically feel her pulling away, despite the highly controlled expression on her face.

She sighed. "No."

"No?"

Tsubaki's response was to pour out a light-flavoured tea for Eitsu. "Where are you staying, Kyuo-dono?"

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because... I don't exactly know, myself. One day you were there, the next day you were gone," was what her mouth said.

Don't ask me again, her dark eyes seemed to say.

Eitsu tossed the remains of the tea casually into her mouth, and stood, brushing back the strands of hair that fell across her face. “Thanks for the tea.”

"I think you meant to say 'fuck you' right?”

“It's kind of hot hearing you say those words with that face of yours.”

“Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.”

"Anything?"

Tsubaki threw her another unamused look. With a smirk, Eitsu left.

What a weird sensation, to meet someone who knew more about her than she did. It was like tripping into an unexpected hole in the dark. She was a young kaibyou, more cat than human. What was she supposed to do? How many other people had she known before, and forgotten? Briefly, the blurry impression of the child from her dream rose in her mind. The suddenly empty eye sockets chased a chill along her spine.

Well, she certainly didn't want to think about it. She wanted to find a comfy place to sleep, something good to eat, and maybe have someone scratch behind her ears. With those thoughts, she headed back towards her mistress' house.

---

"How was the show?" her mistress asked some hours later, the two of them tucked up in bed. Eitsu snuggled drowsily against her breasts as the woman rubbed her ears.

"Alright."

She laughed with genuine amusement. Eitsu could feel the woman quiver beneath her. "You're probably the only person I've ever heard say that a show by Tsubaki was 'alright'. What was so bad about it?"

"Nothing was bad. I said 'alright' and meant it. She's a good performer."

"And pretty?"

"Yes?"

"Prettier than me?"

Eitsu yawned widely, then without warning, bit down softly on one of her breasts. Her mistress squeaked in surprise.

"Naughty!"

"I could say the same thing. What nonsense are you asking me?" She let go and began to lick. Her mistress shivered.

"Don't you know? T- This is the sort of nonsense women love to... hear from their lovers."

"Really?" Annoying.

To distract her mistress, she slyly flipped her onto her stomach and pressed her whole body against her back.

"Naughty," she said again, but made no attempt to dislodge her. She had wanted to ask why Tsubaki seemed so interested in people named 'Eitsu', but it didn't seem so important right now.

"Should I stop?"

"You'll get in trouble if you do."

"Then I'd better not stop."

---

Her mistress' name was Mitsui Toi, which had given her no end of grief as a child¹三井音唯(Mitsui Toi) – Although when written in kanji, her name looks like a very standard Japanese name with four characters, the pronunciation is a little awkward, coming out at three syllables (Mit/sui/Toi). Generally Japanese names have four characters and four syllables, so a given name with two syllables or more e.g. Toriko, Toki etc. would roll off the tongue better. Three character/syllable names sound more Chinese. Hence why she got a bit of stick for it as a kid (children can be bastards!) 三井 (Mitsui) were a well-known historical Japanese merchant family. 音唯(Toi) is made of 'sound' and 'emphasis', however 問丸 (toimaru) is the historical term for wholesale merchants., but now no-one dared to make fun of her name. She was an extremely successful textile merchant, with stores in multiple cities, and contracts with several important noble households.

She was also single and childless – there had been a husband, years ago, but she had quickly shed that dead weight and made a name for herself. Other than managing her small empire, her other hobby was doing charitable deeds for the poor, especially those caught up against their will in the red light district. With her status, power, and good actions, who could complain if she had a few toys on the side?

Eitsu was definitely her favourite of the ones she had picked up. Charming, the right amount of aloof and affectionate, and intelligent enough to not expect more than a benefactor-beneficiary relationship, not like some of those silly kids she had played with before. She was pretty in an androgynous way, well-groomed, cheeky, and her skills... Sometimes Mistress Mitsui found herself day-dreaming during work about the feeling of her rough tongue, her nails, her fingers...

She sat upright sharply and reapplied herself to the papers before her, feeling a little flushed. An order had come through from one of the prominent clothing manufacturers in Obanashi for some high quality cotton, to make some garments for the performer Tsubaki while she was in town. Mistress Mitsui found herself wondering again about Tsubaki's strange fascination with the name Eitsu, then remembered her own Eitsu's disinterest in the performer with a little giggle.

A giggle? Was she a silly little girl? Pulling herself together, she efficiently wrote instructions to complete the order and summoned a servant to deliver them to one of her weaving workshops, then drafted an invoice. Somehow business was better than ever since Eitsu had arrived, but when she finally put down her brush, she sighed to herself.

What was wrong with her? She wanted to put a collar around Eitsu's neck, pat her head and keep her by her side at all times. Whenever those cool, golden eyes grazed her body, it was like a physical touch, and she was finding herself craving it.

She, Mitsui Toi, successful businesswoman, richest merchant in Obanashi, was being led around by a mere girl who had her fingers clawed in her heart without apparently even realising it. She knew she was just a meal and a bed for her, she knew, and yet... and yet...

Why did she want more?

"Hadn't I gotten rid of such thoughts already?" she said out loud. "What... what do I do now?"

---

Entangled lazily in the bedsheets, Eitsu listened to the message with a single eye slitted open.

"Tsubaki-dono writes, 'Please come and join me for dinner tonight. I will tell you what you need to know.'"

"Why did she change her mind?"

The servant who delivered the message shrugged helplessly, trying not to look at the section of exposed skin that showed amongst Eitsu's rumpled clothing and the sheets. "I only know what is written here."

He blinked uncomfortably when he realised Eitsu had not only closed her eye again, but also turned her back and retreated under the sheets. After dithering uncertainly for a moment, he bowed and left, to be replaced a minute later by Mistress Mitsui.

"I hear you received a message from that dancer?"

There was no response from the shape in the futon, other than a drowsy yawn. She sat down beside Eitsu anyway, adjusting her kimono with excessive care as she did, before pressing a hand to the curve of Eitsu's shoulder where it showed through the sheets and spoke wheedlingly, "Ei-chan²ちゃん (-chan) - a cutesy suffix, often used when addressing children or young women.? Come on, tell me."

"Why are you asking me?" Eitsu grumbled, curling herself further. "Le' me... sleep..."

Mistress Mitsui bit her lip, forcing her voice to be light. "Are you also... servicing... her?"

She flinched back as Eitsu suddenly rose up, batting away her hand. Before Mistress Mitsui could protest, Eitsu's lips were on hers, sealing them fiercely until she was pressed to the floor and unable to speak. With a shock, she felt Eitsu's sharp teeth pierce her lower lip.

They pulled apart, a smudge of blood on the edge of their mouths. Heart hammering in her throat, Mistress Mitsui gazed up at the feral-eyed girl above her, the kaibyou's glare suggesting that she was contemplating how to best go about devouring her.

She shook like a cornered mouse under those narrow golden eyes. Eitsu was young and strong. It would only take a moment.

Mistress Mitsui scrambled away backwards, mouth stinging, until her hand found the wall. With a huge effort, she stood, trying to tidy her rumpled clothes. "I think... I think you need to leave."

For a moment, she stared at the floor and Eitsu stared at her.

Eitsu stretched, letting the bedclothes fall from her, then stood upright without even tightening her robe. As she stepped past Mistress Mitsui, she stopped and Toi waited (For what?), the heat of Eitsu's body radiating against her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut, begging her to leave and to stay simultaneously in her mind.

She was gone.

Mitsui Toi crumpled to the floor and cried.

---

"You're early," Tsubaki remarked. Her room was filled with servants packing boxes, although she herself remained seated at a low table with a pot of genmaicha³玄米茶 (genmaicha) - brown rice tea, very tasty :) and a novel. Eitsu counted four layers of exquisite robes, their collars visible high up her neck, but Tsubaki barely raised an eyebrow at the single thin robe that Eitsu wore. The cat sat without being invited and helped herself to Tsubaki's tea, pulling a face after a sip.

"What are you reading?"

"The Stoneroot Tale⁴紫物語 (Murasaki Monogatari) - This is a reference to what is credited as the first novel ever created, Lady Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji. 'Murasaki' is the Japanese name of the plant Lithospermum erythrorhizon, known in English as Gromwell or Stoneroot.."

"I'm hungry."

"You will get food when I give it to you," Tsubaki said calmly, flipping a page. "There's a mat in the corner where you can sleep."

Eitsu glanced at the sleeping mat, still laid out in spite of the packing, and instead settled herself down by Tsubaki's side, dropping her head on her lap. Tsubaki sighed and returned to her book.

The servants continued their bustling, Tsubaki read, and Eitsu slipped into a comfortable doze. Occasionally, unconsciously, Tsubaki's hand would leave her book and stroke Eitsu's untied hair, and she would twitch and mewl softly.

Eitsu dreamt.

She was lying in the sun, the sweet chime of a furin⁵風鈴 (furin) - a glass bell with a wind driven hammer, often hung outdoors during summer. ringing above her. A plate of watermelon sat between her and a teen boy... girl... all of them gathered on a porch shaded by maples in full spring leaf.

Actually, the plate held more seeds and watermelon rinds than it did actual watermelon.

Once more, Eitsu couldn't really discern the youth's features, but some part of her knew that she was looking at a bishounen⁶美少年 (bishounen) - a pretty boy, particularly one who is androgynous-looking.. Or a bishoujo⁷美少女 (bishoujo) - a pretty girl, usually a cute archetype.. It didn't matter to her either way.

Occasionally, the teen's hand would stroke Eitsu's head. In spite of the heat, Eitsu playfully grabbed the hand, biting lightly, her bites becoming licks when the youth didn't encourage nor avoid the rough-housing. Their fingers tasted like watermelon.

Eitsu's paws were orange this time. She felt young, far younger than she had been in the previous dream, and reckless. A few words growled from her throat. She evidently been speaking human languages in cat form for a while. "Play with me..."

"Daidai⁸臭橙 (daidai) - a variety of bitter orange, also the original word for the colour orange in Japanese, no talking," the young human said, pushing her mouth shut with a slim hand. "Cats don't talk."

"I do..."

"No."

Eitsu transformed.

"Ei- Daidai! Change back now!"

"Don't wanna."

She pressed up against the youth as if she were still in her cat form, rather than the body of a naked young woman. A lock of gingery-brown hair fell across her vision.

The teenager looked like they were about to spurt blood from their nose at any second. "Turn back into a cat! Or at least put some clothes on!"

She laughed. “Or?”

“Well, I suppose you could stay like this...”

The person she was leaning against seemed to turn soft, melting into a kind of viscous substance that quickly began to engulf her body. She struggled against it fruitlessly.

"Eitsu... You were so eager before... What's the matter...?"

An oily smoke wrapped around her face, covering her mouth like a gag. She tried to bite it, and instead receive a mouthful of miasma that pressed the inside of her mouth like fingers.

“Is that what you're into...?”

She glared at the shadowy form, her heart beating rapidly but her expression threatening violence. A pair of eyeless sockets emerged from the fog, and that birthmark, that damned heart-shaped birthmark, glowed through it all.

“Eitsu-sama...”

She tried to concentrate. Something kept changing, but she couldn't work out what it was. She couldn't breathe.

“I've found you...”

“Get fucked.”

“You're shaking...”

“Of course I'm shaking. Who the hell are you?”

“You know me... Eitsu-sama... Eitsu-sama...”

Someone calling me? The voice seemed to duplicate. She woke with a gasp.

"Eitsu-sama?"

The smell of grilled eel was very strong. She turned to find a plate of it hovering right beside her head, held by Tsubaki.

“Eitsu-s... dono, were you having a nightmare?”

Eitsu shook herself. Her stomach roiled. Even the smell of grilled eel, one of her favourite foods, made her stomach lurch.

“What did you dream of?”

Eitsu shook her head. “It's... I won't concern you with it.”

“You're being oddly polite. People often say that problems are solved quicker if shared.”

“So why don't you share the information about my past lives, hm?” Eitsu offered a sharp grin.

Tsubaki lowered the eel, finally. "In some of your past lives, the circumstances of your death... were suspicious."

Eitsu rubbed her ear. "So you're saying I was murdered."

Tsubaki put down the plate of eel, poured herself a cup of tea, drank it, and then poured herself another. "I... I didn't know how to tell you this. But with the news I've heard recently... It might be nothing..."

Eitsu yawned and put her head down on the table. She heard Tsubaki sigh.

"There's something I found out yesterday that might provide a clue to what happened to you."