I woke up the next morning with Niku in my arms, and once more I couldn’t help but smile. After our baths yesterday, the storm got worse, and our guides said we could stay at the spa. They had some rooms set off away from the main building for more important guests. After the extremely relaxing evening we had, we lay in bed and listened to the storm and found ways to relax ourselves even more with the rain and thunder in the background.

  I grinned and watched her sleep for another minute before I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and rolled away to climb out of the bed. I moved carefully so I wouldn’t wake her. The room we were given was simple but nice. It was a tatami room with a large, extra-soft space in the middle that made up the bed. There were scenic paintings that hung around the room and flower arrangements on small tables under them.

  When I moved to the window, I opened it and looked around outside. It was barely light out, and the air was soft and cool. Everything in the world seemed clean and fresh, and I couldn’t remember a morning where I had felt better about everything going on in my life. Here, or back home. Everything was just going so well, all things considered.

  A soft breeze brought the chilly air inside, and my exposed flesh turned to goosebumps. I rubbed my chest and let out a soft yawn before I breathed the fresh morning air in deeply. There was a soft whine behind me, and I heard Niku adjust under the blankets we had. I opened my eyes and turned to see if she was awake and found her trying to snuggle in under the blanket.

  “Close that window and come back to bed. It’s cold outside,” she breathed softly.

  I grinned and watched her before I turned back to look out of the window once more when I saw Sayo approach our room. It was the younger girl from the day before who tried to give me some extra comfort before my massage. I had finally learned her name as she escorted Niku and me to the room.

  The woman walked through the covered walkway from the main building to our room. It was interesting how this place worked. There were a few rooms like ours. Each was a sort of bungalow off from the main building of the spa, and each of them had its own little walkway. Sayo was dressed in a deep purple kimono, and her hair was once more done up in a prim but stylish way.

  “Actually, it might be time to wake up. It looks like we’re getting company,” I said with a frown.

  Niku gave another soft whine. “You shouldn’t have told them we were meeting with the emperor today. Now they’re going to think we’re more important than we really are.”

  I shrugged and closed the window. “Well, we are pretty important, and the Hanae woman was going to do tea before we left, anyway. How long does a tea ceremony last?”

  Niku groaned. “Hours, Maikeru. It could last hours.”

  I gulped. “What time were we supposed to be at the emperor’s?”

  “He doesn’t hold court till the afternoon, so we have time,” Niku said and climbed to her feet.

  A moment later there was a knock on the door, and I walked over to slip on my outer robe, which hung next to the door. I held it as closed as I could and peeked out of the doorway. Once I did, I found Sayo already giving a low bow.

  “Master Cultivator, the Yudono-Nushi Hanae wishes to accept you for tea shortly. If it is all right. We know you have your meeting with His Greatness, the Lord Emperor Sasuke Kyo.”

  Before she spoke, she sat and bowed even further. It wasn’t a kowtow but a bow from the sitting position. I frowned. They definitely thought we were more important than we really were.

  “Tell her we’ll be right there. Is it still raining?” Niku spoke from behind me as she climbed to her feet.

  I didn’t need to relay Niku’s instructions, and the girl responded while she was still bowing. “No, Lady Cultivator. The rain has finished, and I will let Hanae know. Thank you both.”

  This whole thing made me uncomfortable, so I gave her an awkward smile and closed the door. I turned and found Niku standing there, still exposed, and I couldn’t help but gawk. “You’re beautiful.”

  Niku blushed and lowered her head. I closed the gap between us and wrapped her in my arms before I kissed her neck softly and held her close to me. Our skin pressed up against each other, and she rested her head against my chest.

  She looked up suddenly, and her face grew even redder. There may have been something that stirred and got her attention.

  “Maikeru, she’s right outside.”

  I smirked and nodded sheepishly. “She is.”

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  “No, we have to go.”

  I nodded and kissed her again.

  It was a little while later when we were both dressed and opened the door once more. Instead of the younger Sayo, it was Hanae herself who stood on the other side of the door with a knowing grin. I was still breathing a little heavily, and Niku flushed even redder.

  “Sorry, Lady Hanae, we uh-” Niku tried to explain, but the woman held up a hand to stop her.

  Hanae nodded in understanding and turned and walked off. “Come, it’s alright. I understand young love.”

  Now I blushed.

  Hanae led us down the walkway, but instead of going into the main building, she led us off down a path and to a small, serene garden. It was small, but the garden was the very definition of the word zen. While just moments ago we heard people inside the building splashing and speaking in the baths, there was no outside sound here.

  Morning mist crawled through the small walking stones that made their way through the garden. The stones were placed close together and forced me to slow my pace as I walked along them. The stones led to a small, yet another small building off of the main one that had a sliding door and a thatched straw roof.

  Without waiting for us, Hanae stood in front of the closed door and watched us for a moment with a soft smile. She bowed her head softly first to me, and then to Niku before she spoke. “Take as long as you’d like here in the garden to calm your spirits. When you are ready, I request that you wash your hands and face in the basin and enter my tea room. This is the tsukubai. It is to cleanse yourselves and wash the dust of travel behind.”

  When she spoke, she motioned to a small stone water basin next to the doorway. There was some bamboo that hung above the basin and dripped water into it slowly. I wasn’t sure how, but there was also a small pond in the garden, and I got the feeling the water in that basin was from the pond. I could smell the mineral-rich water from here, and I widened my eyes to Hanae before I gave her a soft bow.

  “Of course,” I said simply.

  Hanae smiled and nodded in approval and then went inside the small building. I looked back at Niku and found she hadn’t left the little entryway into the garden, and then I gave a soft inhale as I realized we truly were in something spiritual. Niku was already looking at what I ignorantly just walked through.

  It was a shrine, or well, the entrance to a holy place. It looked like one of the Shinto torii gates back home, but instead of lumbar it was two trees that were very much alive that seemed to bow to those who walked through it. Vines wrapped around the trees and connected the limbs of both of them, connecting and seeming to hold each other in shape.

  The trees were a smooth green, and I didn’t recognize what sort they were. I realized at the base of each of them there was a large fluffy piece of moss. Must be for someone to kneel and pray? I thought to myself. I looked up, and along the branches were a couple of small squirrels as well as a bird nest in the tree branches that came together.

  I looked back over to the pond that fed the basin somehow and saw the golden light of the morning sun reflect off the water. Some of the remaining morning mist floated across the unblemished still water.

  “Well, if I didn’t know this place didn’t cater to cultivators, I’d definitely think it did now,” I said as I looked around.

  The aura was strong throughout this garden. I could see the glittery specks of the different types of aura. On top of that, there was a resounding peace I felt in my spirit as I took it all in. Everything was where it was for a very purposeful reason.

  “This whole place is a shrine to Misume,” Niku said as she finally walked into the garden area.

  I nodded. “Yeah, you can feel the aura here. It’s incredibly strong.”

  Niku walked on the stones over to the basin and washed her hands. “This water.”

  I watched her and smiled. “What about it?”

  “It’s like Enyo brought it here himself for Misumi,” she said and washed her hands.

  I stepped behind her and looked into the basin over her shoulder. I reached around her and took her hands in mine, and we washed our hands together.

  “I can’t practically feel the power in this water. It’s so..” but Niku wasn’t sure how she could finish the statement.

  I just nodded along. It was nice. The water was cool and crisp, but I didn’t get the same reaction she did. The mana in her system was roiling at the connection to her element.

  “Are… are you okay?” I felt silly for asking, but with the way her system was going, I couldn’t be too sure.

  She turned suddenly and looked up at me. “Are you kidding me? I’m amazing. I feel like I could break through just being close to this water. It’s so pure, so… it’s just so amazing. All of this place is.”

  I laughed a little and nodded. “It is nice.”

  I wondered if it was possible for her to break through to the next level just because of the water? Or this area? I obviously didn’t know how any of this worked. Was breaking through dangerous?

  She walked away from me and headed to the door of the tearoom. No, it wasn’t dangerous. I told myself as I watched her and thought of all the books I had listened to. I finished washing my hands and washed my face before I followed her over to the entrance. When I walked closer to her, Niku got a serious expression.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Maikeru, have you ever been part of a tea ceremony?”

  I shook my head.

  “It’s a serious thing. It might even be more serious with everything that’s going on with me right now while I’m here. I don’t know,” she said, her inflection matching the serious words.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be good.”

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