One in the Same

Chapter Ten

   Cat patted the towel over her hair glaring gently over at Botan as he redressed himself. The bath had been enjoyable. She loved feeling the water beating down on her shoulders. Even if it was absolutely freezing, Cat got used to it after a while. What she had enjoyed most though was feeling Botan run his fingers over her scalp and cleaning her hair under the water. Sure she had had her hair washed by others before. Her handmaidens pouring the scented oils over her head. Her mother brushing the curls out as they began to dry afterward. It was one of their favorite things to do together. Just pure together time. This, with Botan, had been entirely different. It was pure. Nothing was expected from her, or him for that matter. He hadn't tried to come on to her in any type of way. Even though there was...something. Something she couldn't put her finger on. Or something she just didn't understand. That seemed more frightening to her than she had expected it to.
   Botan finally looked over at her. Those golden eyes seemed to look directly into her soul. There was so much meaning behind them. But what was the meaning? What was the purpose? What were the thoughts going on through his mind? She pushed out once again. The result was still the same. This time, however, he didn't glare back to her. And the impact of the wall was again gentle. He smirked at her once again and shook his head. "Bangō," he said in a somewhat gentle tone. She nodded in response and looked away. He took a deep breath that seemed to find its way to her own lungs. She looked over at him once more lowering the towel. He was studying her. At least that's what it felt like. His eyes didn't leave hers but there was a searching. A wave overtook her. An bhféadfainn an fear seo a ligean isteach? Was she willing to go that far? Immediately she started laughing and shaking her head. The sound of it shocked Botan. How can ya even think like that, Caitlin? Ya don't even know him. Just the thought of it was absurd. He had done nothing to even make her think that was something he would be interested in. But the waterfall, she interrupted. And what of it? All he had done was run his fingers through her hair. And didn't seem to mind the placement of her hand. She growled and shook her head before turning and walking back towards the hut. She heard Botan moving behind her.
   "Cata," he called gently.
   She ignored him and kept moving. She needed to punch something. And she needed to punch it hard. All her life, Cat had always been in control of her thoughts, her actions, her emotions. And in just a single day, this man had ripped through everything she had ever known. And the worst of it, she had let him.

   They walked back to the hut. Botan just a little behind Cat. Silent as a ghost the entire time. She couldn't exactly say she wanted the silence. She was starting to long for someone to talk to. Someone that could hold a conversation. When they reached the clearing of the homestead she stopped and turned to look at him. Botan nearly ran into her but was able to stop himself just in time. She sucked air in through her nose then pointed over to the house. "Teach, bhaile."
   He frowned, confused, and looked at it then back to her.
   She moved her arm out towards it again. "Teach, bhaile. House, home." She repeated the words in English.
   He shook his head at her.
   She moved the hand and laid it on her chest. "Cata?"
   "Hai?" He replied questioning.
   "Hai. Cata." She pointed to the house. "Teach, bhaile. House, home."
   He seemed to understand. Botan lifted his hand and pointed at the hut. "Ie," he said with a nod.
   "Ie?" She repeated. He nodded. Cat looked around the pointed at a tree. "Crann. Tree."
   Botan pointed, "ki."
   "Ki." She pointed at the ground beneath her. Botan had an interested look on his face as he crossed his arms. "Domhan, earth."
   "Chikyū."
   He was smirking at her. That seemed to infuriate her.
   "Ah hate this, ya know." He cocked his head at her. "Ah hate not knowing how t'talk to you. Ah hate the silence. Ah hate not understanding and having to...to...figure everything out and not even knowing if Ah'm sayin' it right. Ah want t'understand you. Ah want to know what you have to say."
   The smirk left Botan's face and he took a deep breath and exhaled in a growled "hmm" as he looked away. He seemed to either sense Cat's frustration or was just as frustrated himself. Either way, it was a shared understanding. Cat watched him for a moment and sighed then pointed at the stick in his belt. "Claíomh adhmaid, wooden sword. Commonly children use it."
   Botan looked down at it then raised an eyebrow at her. "Bokutō. Torēningu ni shiyō sa remasu." He removed the sword stick from his belt and tossed it to her.
   Cat braced herself for the toss and caught the stick perfectly by the handle. Botan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Sore wa yosō-gaideshita," he mumbled under his breath as he watched her.
   Cat examined the sword. The wood was extremely light and seemingly fit comfortably in her hand. She moved it steadily through the air, feeling the balance of it. The blade was much thinner than the claymores and broad swords she was accustomed to. If it was in fact designed to look like a sword used for combat. "Bakuto?" She asked looking over at him.
   "Bokutō," he repeated. Cat tried the word once more. He chuckled with a nod. "Jūbun chikai."
   She looked back to the stick and moved with it a bit more, lifting it over her head, making a move forward, imitating a downward slash at nothing. Botan watched her with interested eyes. Secretly, she would never admit it to anyone else, let alone herself, she wanted to please him. She moved into a stance and heard him moved behind her. "No," he said and took her hips into his hands. She didn't protest this time at his touch. He moved her to where she was standing sideways. He used his own foot to push hers gently. Botan laid his hand against Cat's stomach. This one she knew and straightened her poster immediately. "Yoi," Botan said with a nod. He moved the sword back and her elbow up. Cat took a deep breath through her nose. She could taste him as well as smell him. That herbal smell that she didn't know again. The pureness of the water they had bathed in. Human smells too, but they were clean. There was that animal smell from before, but it was lighter this time due to the bath she supposed. She liked it. The way he filled her senses. It excited her in a way she had never known before. He seemed to have that effect on her without her permission. And she didn't seem to care.
   The position he had her in wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but she didn't feel right. Where she was used to balancing on the balls, this position had her using all of her foot.
   "Ugoku," Botan said in a commanding voice.
   Deep inside, somewhere she didn't know, Cat seemed to understand. She brought the stick away from her body in a straight slash. "Futatabi," Botan commanded. She moved the sword in the opposite direction. "Futatabi," he reached out with his foot and gently kicked hers. She slid it forward in front of the other this time, though she gave a slight hiss as she moved. Every step she took from that point seemed to be wrong, and he was batting her foot with his. And if it wasn't her footwork, it was her chest, or her hands or her elbow. Cat was getting more and more aggravated as the training session went on. Hisses turned to growls that seemed to make Botan chuckle but not stop berating her. Her ankles and arms were starting to get sore, but that didn't stop him either. "Futatabi, ugoku, Ippo, kōgeki." Over and over and over. She was starting to get light bruises around the base of her feet and ankles. They weren't painful by any means, of course, but it was getting rather annoying. She tried so hard to get it right. But it didn't seem to matter. Botan was continuously finding something she wasn't doing right. Finally, on the last pivot, she took matters into her own hands. She whirled around and aimed the point right for Botan's temple and froze. All he did was smirk at her and slightly titled his head, dodging the blow flawlessly. Her eyes widened at his speed but that wasn't even the impressive part. In one fluid motion, he caught the back of the "blade" and knocked it away before lunging for her. It caught her off guard for just a moment, but she was able to quickly turn it around and parried his move. Botan took the flat of the blade to his raised forearm in defense and continued advancing on her. He was able to block nearly every blow she sent, and the ones he couldn't, he took honorably. But he didn't back down. He spun in a low kick that knocked her off her feet. As she went to brace herself before the fall, Botan sent a second kick and landed the blow right at the base of the wooden sword. It went flying from Cat's hand and before she had realized what had happened, she was on her back with the tip of the stick at her throat. She looked up at him and glared. This was the second time he had bested her.
   "Anata wa shigoto ga hitsuyōdesu. Shikashi, anata wa soko ni tsukudeshou," he said almost sounding proud as he moved the stick back to his belt in an overly exaggerated gesture if you asked her opinion, before leaning forward and offered his hand.
   Cat growled as she took it and he helped her to her feet. He looked down at her ankles and shook his head. "Sorera o mite moraimashou." He said motioning down then back to the hut. She huffed as she walked past him and he just chuckled in return.

   As Botan continued on with his day to day life, Cat took it upon herself to explore her surrounding. Mainly, the seemingly single room hut. In her exploration, she discovered that it wasn't necessarily a single room. But in fact, there were multiple hidden sections of the hut. What you thought was a wall, was actually a sliding panel that concealed another room or cabinet. She found what was most likely a privy, due to the smell and single hole in the floorboards. Another panel held different herbs and spices and grains that looked familiar but she wasn't completely for sure. Botan watched as he repaired a broth in the pot over the fire. When he brought her a small bowl of it and showed her to drink it, she frowned and shook her head. "Ah can't," she pointed to her fang again. Botan chuckled and pointed down. When Cat looked, she couldn't help but smile. The liquid in her cup was a warm brown colour with a very deep red hue. She smirked back up at him as she took a sip. The taste was bland but herby at the same time. She could feel little floating pieces bob against her lips. It took her a moment to realize that it was, in fact, not broth. But a tea that he had made.
   "Tae," she said pointing at it with a smile.
   Botan looked up and swallowed. "Ocha," he replied.
   Cat looked back down and nodded. "Ocha."
   "Hai," Botan replied with a nod. "Yoi."
   "Yoi?" She asked, tilting her head.
   "Sono imi wa," he broke off looking around frustrated. He let out a growled "hmm" as he continued to not find what he was looking for. He reached over and gently patted her on the back with a smile. "Yoku yatta," he said in a pleased sounding voice.
   Cat raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment before slowly nodding. "Ah think ah get it."
   Botan nodded as he finished his ocha with a final sip then he stood and looked out the window for a moment.
   Her eyes searched over his body again then stopped at the stick still in his sash. Slowly she looked back up to his eyes and tapped the stick with her finger. He looked down at it then back at her. She smirked softly up at him. Slowly Botan returned the smirk. She pushed gently at his mind again. There was still a wall, but even now the impact was lesser and lesser still. The more she tried the sooner she would be able to breakthrough. Cat didn't know what she expected to find there. And there was a part of her that wanted to know his secrets. Find out what went on in that mind. But at the same time, she wanted to just leave it be. If she never heard his thoughts it would make no difference to her. It was simply something that seemed out of the norm. Not being connected to someone through the mind. Never knowing what they were thinking. It was a mystery with Botan. What was surprising to her, is it didn't make her uncomfortable. If Botan had any intention of hurting her, he surely would have done it already. Images of the waterfalls came to her. He had been so gentle to her. So kind. If he was going to do anything...
   "Cata," Botan said bringing her back to earth.
   She shook her head and looked up at him. Cat wasn't going to let those thoughts get to her. At this point, she had no choice but to trust this man. Nothing about him suggested anything otherwise. Did she feel safe? Maybe not exactly. But it was better than the alternative.
   "Cata," he pulled her from her thoughts yet again. He was looking at her worriedly.
   She shook her head once again. "It's nothing. Just thinking." She said with a smile.
   Botan's look suggested he didn't believe her. As if he had somehow understood. Cat tried offering him a smile. But his look didn't falter. Cat sighed and took a deep inhale through her nose. This lack of communication thing was not getting any easier. Even if they were going through words together. How do you explain something to a person who doesn't even speak your language?