004. Go bandage your injured knee.

"Shit!" I groaned and pulled my leg up to examine my knee. The gash was small, only bleeding a little, and the pain didn't seem so bad now, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Gingerly I stood and moved to unstrap Ushi to lead him back to the barn for the night before I was going to bandage my knee, but something spooked the normally tame beast just as I touched him. Angrily he kicked and thrashed about as he broke the last strap holding him to the plow before bolting off into the Takahashi gardens. I groaned knowing he was likely to cause me more trouble, but I was in no shape for running off just yet as I had to make sure my knee was alright first.

I limped over to the servant's water pump and washed off my knee to clean the dirt out of my wound. It really wasn't too bad, but still stung as I cleaned it carefully. After the bleeding had stopped I decided to find and stable Ushi before he caused too much trouble, so I went searching for the wayward animal. Then as I walked I wondered what had caused its sudden and unexpected fright, but I couldn't think of anything. Maybe there was a hawk or a snake about that I hadn't seen, but whatever it was it had really put a deathly fear into it. There was a clear trail where Ushi had ran, but after a while, he must have changed to a walking pace so I lost his trail and started cautiously meandering around the koi pond. That was when I heard the familiar arguing of the two Takahashi women.

This was not unusual as Madam Takahashi and her daughter were as alike in personality as their good looks; they were literally cut from the same cloth, as the saying goes. Both were full chested, had luxuriously long straight blonde hair, and perfectly pearly smooth skin that was just as pale since they could afford to stay indoors all day. And on occasions when they went out, it was almost never without a stylish bamboo umbrella or a fancy hat to protect them from the harsh sun lest they darken like the rest of the poor working folk. Likewise, both were strong-willed women of wealth and privilege who always got their way. That is until the two of them had ways that conflicted with each other.

Their screaming matches over where a chair sat in a room, the choice of paintings in their main room, or the particular ownership of a dress were legendary. Unfortunately without the master of the household here to settle such disagreements in the last few months since he'd been called away to help more directly with the war effort, that left only servants like me, my sister, or Chizu to be summoned forth to stand as arbiters between the two of them. This however would always end badly as any goodwill you might garner with one would be quickly forgotten, while the disdain of the other would endure for weeks.

They rounded a hallway and came to argue on their back porch, maybe to get some of the cooler evening air and catch their breath. I wanted no part of whatever they were yelling over as I turned to escape their notice as quietly as possible. So of course that is when I stepped on the cliché twig and brought their attention squarely onto me.

I looked at them as their mouths snapped shut and muttered meekly, "Have either of you seen Ushi?"

I was doomed. "Matsumoto, come here," Azami ordered, and I somberly walked towards her like it was to my own execution. "NOW!" Azami shrieked and I hurried my pace. They were each wearing fine dress kimonos and looked as if they were about to attend a fancy party, though none was occurring that I was aware of.

Setsuko decided to be the one to explain, "Kenji," she said pretending to treat me like a respected childhood friend as she moved close to me and placed one hand on my arm as she positioned me between her and her mother. "Please explain to my respected, but forgetful mother, that the proper way to wear a kimono is always by the traditional left, over right technique and that only the dead wear it any other way."

"You are trying to confuse him!" Azami hissed and grabbed my arm to spin me towards her instead to emphatically give her side. "Mister Matsumoto you were born to wealth and also had experience with funerals, so you should clearly remember that when attending a funeral one must wear their kimono right over left for the ceremony to show solidarity and respect for the newly departed." Then she actually smiled at me, "Isn't that so?"

"That's crazy mother! Why would anyone want to dress like a corpse?" Setsuko spat back as she yanked hard on my arm.

"So not to be a disrespectful and spiteful little beast like you!" Azami shot back as she tugged hard on my other arm.

Back and forth now they were just irrationally insulting each other and somehow I was now their tug-of-war toy getting assaulted from both sides. I tried to speak, but neither was listening, just digging in their claw-like nails into each arm and trying to rip me apart. I realized that I had better do something quickly or I was going to lose an arm.