by Lila Mina
Silence fell again in the room. Lana stared at Inoue, dumbfounded, before finding back her voice. “Is this… Is this your main concern, Inoue shihan?” Lana asked, leaning forward. “My freedom, my consent? Not what I do, nor why…?”
Inoue growled with impatience. “I know what you are here for, and why. I already told you: I know him. As for the rest, the only thing which matters is your full and absolute consent. Stop being so evasive! I will protect you and cut all bonds between the two of you if needed. I made this clear before you arrived, and he will not dare oppose me.”
Relief washed over Lana who straightened up and bowed. “I am grateful for your concern and care, Inoue shihan. I swear to you I am here of my own will. Not only I have accepted everything freely, but my limits are respected and enforced at all times.” Lana looked down, embarrassed. “The truth is, I realize I need this as much as he does, and it is by far not just his issues that are being addressed, but also mine.”
Inoue pinched his lips and remained silent for a while, watching her critically. “This is what he alluded to; while he sounded honest, I didn’t wish to take any risk. I had to confront you. It was fortunate you showed up like this. Do you live here now?”
“I do. Ever since the earthquake. But only a handful of people are aware of it, and nobody at our dojo or in our families.” Lana hesitated. “Dojo-cho, may I ask you something?” He grunted. “How… how did you guess?” Her voice trailed off, her throat constricted. “Has anything like this happened before?”
Inoue’s face softened. “No, never. But his usual mood and behavior have changed, which told me a lot given what I know. And then, I learned about your unusual training regimen and I had a hunch. Your fidgety behavior yesterday raised flags. My conversation with him today confirmed everything. Very well, then. Honda san!” He called out with a booming voice.
Honda stepped inside, sat down next to Lana, his head bowed at a slight angle. Inoue crossed his arms over his chest and stared them down. “Honda san. You have here a loyal and dutiful lady, and I believe her to be sincere. I cannot approve you chose one of your students, a mudansha on top of it. But she is no young, gullible girl, doesn’t look like she can be easily impressed, and she has the necessary nerves and spine to handle you. Of course, it would have been more sensible to come to me at first for my permission. But what is done is done and… given that everyone involved–including your wife–is in agreement, I will stay away from this.”
Inoue let silence settle in again. Honda was as still as a statue. “However, a word of warning, Honda san: I will keep a close eye on the dojo morale and above all on Martin san. If I have any doubt as to her well-being, this will end right away, and I will make you pay for it. Don’t you forget your own duty toward her.”
With those words, Inoue stood, and Honda and Lana bowed to the ground until he had left the room. Then Honda got up and followed him into the hall to see him out. Lana remained behind, trying to wrap her head around what had transpired.
Five minutes later, both Honda and Yuki joined her. She was pale while her husband’s face was unreadable. The three of them remained silent for a while, mulling over the storm that had gathered over their heads in a few hours, only to dissipate like a morning fog.
“Lana san,” Honda had never sounded so tired. “Let me express my sincere appreciation for how you handled this situation. Inoue shihan came unannounced one hour ago, and it was impossible to let you know.”
“Maybe it was for the best…” Lana mused aloud. “Everything was sorted out, and he could sense my heartfelt sincerity. But I should have waited for your return last night to share with you my trouble after my brief, yet intense conversation with him. I was clinging to the hope it was my paranoia talking. It didn’t make any sense for him to have grounds to be so suspicious.”
“You were not aware of the deep and complex ties binding us. As he was keen to point out, I should have come clear with him, and introduce you, at the very least when you moved here.”
Lana was startled. “Ah, but forgive me for asking, but why is it all right and even important for Inoue shihan to know, but vital to keep it from everyone else, especially your families?”
Honda pinched his lips. Preempting his terse reaction, Yuki piped in. “Our families are another issue. We will cross those bridges if we need to. It will not go down like this with them because the stakes and consequences are markedly different. But I am glad Inoue shihan is now aware of you sharing our lives.”
Her husband stiffened with disapproval. Yuki sighed and bowed. “I beg your pardon for my poor choice of words. Aware of you entering goshujin sama’s service,” she amended.
“While he made it clear you may count on his support, do not expect him to show you any special favor during your next test,” Honda warned.
“Of course not. I am well aware of the specific scope of his offer.”
Honda grunted and stood up. “I will go and engage in overdue meditation. Lana san, join me later in the dojo. There were several issues with your techniques yesterday evening.” Lana hid her grimace and bowed in acceptance, watching him leave the room. This would be tough and would only work if she took a power nap right away.
“Well, I could use a cup of relaxing green tea. I am going to prepare some sencha,” Yuki said. “Would you like a cup yourself?”
“Not for now, thank you. Please excuse me for a while. I came home earlier than scheduled because I am exhausted today. Tea will be quite welcome before my practice session though.”
Yuki moved to stand up but then changed her mind and sat next to Lana. Like earlier, she cupped her cheek and made her younger partner look at her.
“Don’t fret or lose sleep over matters, which are out of your hands,” she admonished her in a low whisper. “You are blameless for what happened today, for the choices and decisions made by others decades ago. It is important you grasp sensitive issues, but not every problem he must face is yours to solve.”
Yuki’s lips brushed her companion’s. “I hope you haven’t forgotten our plans for tonight, and that you will feel refreshed and be again full of stamina… because you will need it. I have a surprise for you, I will bring it to your room later,” she added before catching her lover’s bottom lip with her teeth and tugging at it.
Lana sighed and relaxed into her mistress’ comforting and sensual embrace. “Thank you oku sama,” she whispered. “I can’t wait to see it.” Yuki smiled against her mouth and left her alone. Lana sighed; after rubbing her eyes, she headed for her room.
She woke up less than an hour later and stretched her arms above her head. Sleeping had done wonders for her overall physical and mental state, and she put her earlier exhaustion on the stressful situation with Inoue, dehydration and her restless night. To her delight, she discovered cold-brewed sencha and a handful of rice snacks next to her futon, another proof of Yuki’s thoughtfulness. The precious beverage would help her focus during her upcoming training session.
There was also a small package beautifully wrapped in soft and silky paper, with a card on top of it. Yuki’s elegant writing. ‘Wear this tonight, under your little black dress, but don’t open it now’. Curbing her curiosity, Lana set aside the gift and took the time to enjoy two cups of tea while contemplating the stone garden outside her window.
She changed into her dogi and trotted to the dojo. Kneeling at the entrance, she proceeded with the ritual salutations and waited until Honda formally acknowledged her. Her instructor was practicing jusan jo kata, a solo performance combining a series of thirteen defense moves using a long staff. This was still much too complex for her to perform, as she knew four of those techniques, and then, only approximately.
She didn’t know for how long he had been at it, but as she watched with utter fascination, Honda went through the entire motion five times in a row, each time faster than before, until coming to a halt in the appropriate final stance. He faced the main wall and bowed to the Founder, symbolically offering him his st
aff back, and replaced it on the weapon rack before sitting down and turning toward Lana. She hastened to join him.
“Lana san, yesterday your footwork and hip moves were hesitant at best on many forms of ryote dori. As a result, you still wrestle your way through the technique, using your strength to compensate for your poor execution. We will go through all fifteen defenses that you know, in both static and fluid stances. Let’s begin, onegaishimasu.”
Training went by in a blur and Lana ended up drenched in perspiration, struggling to keep her panting in check. To her annoyance, the feeling of dizziness was coming back, even if much lighter than earlier.
“Let’s stop here for today, your technique has improved, but I want you to focus on these issues in the coming weeks, understood? Also, you should work on your endurance. The weather is getting uncomfortable and warm, and you are sensitive to it, but your stamina could be better.”
“Yes, Sensei, thank you,” Lana acknowledged and bowed.
She couldn’t wait for a long and thorough cool shower, as well as something to eat. Honda returned her bow, and this signaled the end of their training session. His body language shifted subtly, his physical presence became much more pressing, it was no longer her instructor in front of her. A delicious tingle spread from her core.
“I understand Yuki has planned something for us tonight,” her master continued with a deeper voice. “It has been too long indeed since the three of us were together. After dinner, please prepare yourself and come to my bedroom.” Lana bowed again, this time even more deeply.
“It will be my pleasure, goshujin sama, I am looking forward to it.”
“As I am. You are dismissed.”
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About the Author
Readers will find behind the pen name Lila Mina a woman in her early forties who has been living in Japan for a decade with her family. After nearly twenty years of using her writing skills for drafting legal briefs and business reports, she went back to her first love: fiction. These days, you can find her practicing aikido, writing or editing her manuscripts in local coffee shops, or sipping delicious green tea at home.
Inspired by the rich and complex Japanese culture and folklore, her stories feature strong and mature female protagonists facing their inner demons or ruthless enemies and who are never shy to embrace their desires.
The TEMPER saga is her first major published work of fiction.
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Table of Contents
1 Just Another Manic Tuesday
2 Tempers Are Running High
3 Obedience and Respect
4 Losing Control and Denial
5 Attempting to Move On
6 Facing the Truth
7 A New Player in the Game
8 Mapping New Territories
9 Testing Limits and Accepting Them
10 Inside and Out
11 Taking out the Trash
12 Master and Apprentice
13 Rattling Her Inner Cage
14 A Lesson in Discipline
15 On Shaky Legs
16 Burnt Bridges
17 Creepy Encounters
18 Master and Mistress of the House
19 Memories Buried under Ashes
20 A Ladies’ Night
21 Snarls and Teeth
22 Strange Neighbors
23 Two Sides of the Same Coin
24 Fighting Ghosts
25 An Offering of Blood
Glossary of Japanese terms
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