The Shadows In Our Hearts

4: Finding Her Feet

The next day was a busy day for Morana. After the eventful talk with Shiamzu and the clothing dump with Akimoto, Morana was slowly adjusting, knowing that each day would have its chaotic flare. The thought had excited her. 

It was early morning as she had awoken before anyone else besides a few servants. She was nervous to address them and ask for assistance, but she knew nothing about how the house operated and didn't want to do something wrong.

Gathering her wits, she approached Seki, whom she was the most familiar with. "Excuse me, Seki." She tried to make her voice sound soft, but it had come out as a crack that caused her face to fluster in embarrassment.

The young boy turned to her, shocked, but a sense of understanding washed through him when he noticed her embarrassment. It reminded him of the many times he had been in her situation.  "Do you need something, Onee-san?"

Morana stood there, confused by what he had called her, and the young boy saw her look of confusion. "That is a term young boys use to address older young women. It's also used for older sisters." Seki explained to clear up her confusion.

"And how do I address you?" Morana mumbled the question, feeling almost humiliated that she didn't know this information.

Seki smiled kindly at her as he was eager to explain, "You add a suffix '-san' to my name. So, Seki-san will do just fine." Morana nodded in understanding and ensured that she kept this information in mind.

"Um, I would like to have some tea, but I don't know if I'm allowed to make it myself or what is the proper way to go about it." Seki could tell that being in this environment was putting a heavy weight on the young samurai's shoulders.

"I can help you! You are always free to make your tea. I'll show you to the kitchen where the tea is kept. Master Shimazu and his wife will make tea sometimes, but we make it for them too." Seki explains as he grabs Morana's hand unexpectedly and starts guiding her to the kitchen. The woman was caught off guard by this but held back her instinct to retract her hand from the young boy. She didn't want to offend the boy by doing so.

Seki had brought Morana to the kitchen, where she hadn't been before. The kitchen was a room with simple yet functional furniture. The walls were wood, and the floor was covered in traditional tatami mats. In the middle of the room was a large wooden table where food was prepared. In the corner was a conventional clay oven used to cook meals. Along the walls were various cabinets and shelves for storing food and cooking supplies. The room was filled with the aroma of freshly cooked food and baked bread, making it a cozy and inviting space for the cook.

Morana was staring in awe at the simplicity of the kitchen as Seki let go of Morana's hand and walked over to a cabinet where he brought out a tea kettle.

"This is a kyusu or a tea kettle," Seki explained as he pulled out a small ceramic container. Opening it up, Morana saw green leaves in the container. Curious, Morana ventured over to the young boy and watched as he placed a spoonful into the kyusu with a built-in mesh strainer—pouring water into where it barely covered the leaves before placing the top of the kyusu over it.

"Now we wait to seep the leaves for roughly seven minutes. I can bring this to where you would like to sit. Master Shimazu likes to drink his tea out on the back porch where he can watch the koi fish." Seki explains as he turns to Morana. The woman thought momentarily, then decided where to drink her tea.

"I would like to sit in front of the koi pond if possible." She told the young servant. He smiled brightly at her as he brought the tea to the back porch, where she could sit and drink her tea.

It was a beautiful morning, and a calm breeze blew through as Morana sat down and Seki set the tea beside her.

"Thank you Seki-san." Morana bowed to the young servant who returned it.