"So let me make sure I understand," Aunt Akari said as we walked into the dojo. "You want to use your qi to help us correct our internal energy systems? Our meridians?"

  Morning light was shining through the windows up above, and I took a moment to enjoy the atmosphere. "Yep. Yume agrees with me that it should work since I can adapt my qi to act as a person's own energy. That's how my healing works anyway."

  Beside me, Amaya was still acting a little petulant. I had "slept in" and her surprise attack to wake me up had done nothing. She knew about my astral projection so she wasn't terribly concerned, but she was hungry and sulky when I finally came to. Still, she dutifully followed me as I went to retrieve the meditation mats.

  "Tamamo no Yume ne? You said she possessed you, trained you, and saved your life?" My childhood friend scowled a little as she spoke. "I have concerns. The kitsune in legends are not to be trusted."

  I reached out and ruffled her hair before she batted my hand away. "Don't worry. I haven't explained all of my abilities to you yet, but we're bound together. I would know if she wasn't being honest. The same goes for Ash."

  Amaya paused in her step, looking at me closely with a thoughtful expression. She didn't say anything, however, instead placing her mat nearly on top of mine. I handed the third mat to my aunt, who set hers down across from us.

  Sitting in the lotus position, Aunt Akari looked at me with a touch of trepidation. "You said that Yume agrees that this should work? Is this safe?"

  "Absolutely." She must have seen something in my expression, because she raised skeptical brow. "Probably." I revised. "There is some risk, but it's minimal. If it doesn't work, than by far the most likely outcome is that nothing will happen. I would never let you or Amaya come to harm if I could help it."

  I was fairly confident that I could at least nudge them in the right direction. The more difficult part would be making sure their meridians flowed correctly. I had used all of my enhanced memory to lock the image of Yume's meridians in my mind, so I was confident I could at least handle the primary meridians.

  Aunt Akari took a big breath before giving me a firm nod. "Very well. You should start with me then."

  Amaya gave me a hard look, telling me that she wanted to go first, but I ignored her. I wasn't going to argue with my aunt on her behalf. Not about this anyway. Instead, I activated my Aetheric Eyes and focused on my aunt. Both women gave subtle gasps when my eyes began to glow blue, but neither commented.

  I grimaced. "This is a bit embarrassing to say but…" I trailed off, blushing as I searched for the right words. In the end, I couldn't think of a better way, so I just came out with it. "I'm going to need you to, uh, reduce the amount of clothing you're wearing." I looked to the side, unable to look either woman in the eye.

  "Oh?" Was the only response I got from my aunt, while Amaya gave me a hard poke in the ribs.

  I cleared my throat and swallowed, my mouth suddenly a bit dry. "Well, it's hard to see your meridians through them. It's like trying to see a glowing circulatory system through a thin sackcloth. There are a lot of fine details, and it's hard to even see which direction the energy is flowing."

  I felt movement beside me, and glance to my side to see Amaya working to remove the gi she wore as her top. My aunt and I both reached out to stop her, with me catching her hands.

  My aunt spoke first. "Wait a moment, Amaya-chan, I already said I would go first. Besides, Cai will be less distracted by me, so it would be good practice. I don't need you distracting him while he works on my spiritual insides."

  Amaya blushed a little, but nodded, retying her top closed. I gave my aunt an appreciative smile before addressing her. "A bra or swimming suit should work fine. You can face away and I should be able to see well enough around the thin straps."

  Aunt Akari nodded and turned around as she pulled off her plain blue tank top. "What about my pants?" She pulled her long dark hair over her shoulder as she spoke. I appreciated the clinical way she was acting. It helped to make this a lot less awkward.

  "There are meridians in your legs as well, but we can worry about them another time. Today we'll be focusing on your lung meridian." I scooted forward so I could reach her back. To my surprise, Amaya came with me, never more than a few inches away. It felt like she had become a little clingy since the last time I'd seen her.

  Doing my best to ignore the younger kunoichi, I filled my right hand with qi. Placing it gently to Aunt Akari's lower abdomen, I began to explain. "This is your spiritual center. Everyone has one. Well, at least humans and similar beings do. Eventually, you'll form your first dantian here. For now though, this is where you'll draw in aetheric energy and convert it into qi."

  "You mentioned some of this yesterday." The stately woman replied. "What does that have to do with me though? We tried to feel the aether yesterday, but there wasn't enough in this place."

  "That's true. We won't be focusing on drawing in aether today though. Instead, I want you to focus on the sensation of my qi and try to welcome it in." I began to push trace amounts of qi toward her core. "This process takes a great deal of trust, so it might not work at first. Even with me trying to camouflage the energy, your soul has a natural resistance to foreign qi. Begin the meditation breathing I taught you, and I'll synchronize with you."

  We worked for several long minutes with little success. "I can sense the energy. It's a very strange feeling. I don't understand why it's so hard to accept it though. I certainly trust you, so why isn't it working?" My aunt asked.

  "Mmm." I hummed, as I split my focus to answer her question. "You trust me deliberately, but not instinctually. You've always been a cautious person by nature, and your body is something you naturally protect. The fact that you've managed to accept any energy at all is impressive. I feel like I could probably…" I hesitated, not sure if I should continue.

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  "What is it?" She asked.

  "Well…" I let out a sigh before deciding to continue. My aunt wasn't one to let things go easily. "I think I could push the energy into you. I just don't know for sure that it wouldn't hurt you if I tried."

  My Caliber —the measure of my existence— had risen a lot since I started cultivating. It was difficult for someone with lower caliber to affect someone with higher. Conversely, someone with higher caliber could more easily effect someone with lower. I suspected that the difference between me and a normal human was high enough that I could do some serious harm if I wanted to. Or if I get careless.

  My aunt's breathing grew irregular as she pondered what I told her. "We've been at this for some time with no measurable progress. Perhaps you should try to force it?"

  I moved the hand that had been tracing energy pathways from her back and set it on her shoulder. "Are we in a hurry? It's true that I want you both to gain strength quickly, but I don't want to hurt you because of impatience."

  She looked back at me over her shoulder. "I can understand that. But it sounds like every increase in strength could soon mean the difference between life and death. Didn't you take the same risks yourself?"

  "Well—" I started, only to be interrupted by Amaya poking me in the ribs again. It didn't hurt, but I could still be tickled; something that Amaya had discovered earlier and seemed to be taking advantage of. She gave me a serious look through narrowed eyes.

  I blinked, then responded. "No. While I appreciate that you want to help me, that doesn't seem like a good reason to push yourselves." Her eyes grew even more narrow, and her mouth twitched into something I could almost call a pout. I sighed. "No, you're right. I did say we're a team, and I get it."

  I turned back to my aunt who was watching with amusement. "It's your choice. We can start slow if you want, but I'll stop if something seems wrong."

  She held my gaze a moment longer before turning away again. "Very well. I think it would be good to know what you can do, and if it makes me stronger, than that's even better. Besides, despite what my qi may say, I trust you."

  I smiled softly, though she couldn't see it. "Thank you. I'll begin then."

  Beginning our breathing once more, I summoned qi, placed my hand on her core and pushed. There was an immediate difference, and a much more substantial amount of my qi forced it's way past her spiritual barriers. I began guiding it to her lung meridian, forcefully clearing debris and correcting pathways.

  Your skill: Soul Manipulation (self) and your ability: Soul Mending have combined to create the skill: Soul Manipulation (Any). This newly evolved skill will begin at skill level 1.

  Soul Manipulation: Your understanding of qi has increased. You can now use your qi to manipulate the soul structures of other beings. Other beings must either be willing or significantly weaker than you. The more trust a being has in you, the easier it will be to manipulate their spiritual structures.

  I allowed the notification to flash before my eyes just long enough to make sure it wasn't a warning, then turned my focus back to my patient. I could only maintain control of the qi I sent into Aunt Akari for a limited amount of time before it was absorbed into her system. That meant I had to continuously supply more qi, which was adding to the difficulty of the process. Still, I was making decent progress.

  Unfortunately, my aunt was clearly feeling a lot of discomfort. She was sweating, and her breathing was beginning to fall out of rhythm. I decided I had pushed enough for now.

  I pulled back, only then realizing I was sweating just as much as she was. "I'm all done for now. It looks like it succeeded, and I even gained a skill improvement. How are you feeling?"

  She smiled, though there was a bit of a grimace to it. "It was… unpleasant, but I think I'm fine." She stretched a bit, almost as if she expected to be sore. I knew the feeling.

  "I apologize for the discomfort." I gave her a short bow. "That feeling is due to the repositioning of your meridians and some blockages I tore free. It's a good thing, and not a sign of something going wrong." I flicked my Aetheric Eyes back on for a moment to examine my aunt again. "You now have substantially more qi in your system. You should meditate for a while. Try to circulate the qi if you can. It will help you to clear the debris, as well as grow accustomed to manipulating the energy."

  Aunt Akari gave a short nod before putting her tank top back on. "Thank you for this." She turned back towards me, stretching out her legs as she did. She had been sitting in the same position for hours. "The gift you are giving us could be priceless. If this helps us to move the way you can, it could save our lives." She gave her own small bow, this one in appreciation. She was a proud woman, but she knew the value of gratitude.

  I grinned at her. "Of course! Saving the two of you is the main reason I'm doing any of this."

  I turned to look at Amaya. She had turned away and was already beginning to undo her gi. She paused once it was open and glanced down. Then, to my surprise, began blushing furiously. She wrapped her gi tight once more, holding it closed and shrinking down.

  My aunt noticed as well, leaning forward to whisper to her. The sound was meant to be quiet, but I easily overheard her asking what the matter was.

  "I forgot that I… didn't wear any." Amaya whispered back. "I was hoping to appeal to him as a woman, but… this is too much."

  I felt my own blush rise when I overheard her and immediately tried to focus on other things. I blocked out the rest of their conversation as best I could, lecturing myself about how it wouldn't be fair to encourage Amaya before she knew the truth about my relationship with Ash and Yume.

  I cared deeply for Amaya, and could easily see myself loving her as more than just a friend. The problem was that it wouldn't be fair to her to get her hopes up before she knew what she would be committing to. And I have no idea how to explain things to her.

  "No! I need to do this!" Amaya practically growled, and it drew my attention back to them. Before I could say anything however, Amaya pulled her gi off and held it close against her chest. She couldn't bring herself to look back at me, but I could clearly see the blush as it spread down her neck and shoulders.

  For my part, I sat there in stunned silence. The smooth white expanse of Amaya's back was incredibly sexy, and the shy blush only added to her allure. I was brought back to myself when I heard my aunt stifling a laugh. My own blush grew, and I had to shake my head to try and clear it.

  Amaya scowled a little at my aunt before glancing back at me over her shoulder. "Well?"

  "Uh, yeah, sure." I cleared my throat and adjusted my position so that I was facing her back. Filling my hands with qi, I reached out to gently touch her. "Itadakimasu." The word left my mouth before I had a chance to consider it. The common phrase used to express appreciation for food or gifts was a bit too suggestive for current company.

  My aunt simply laughed harder, forfeiting her former attempts to stifle it. Amayas blush grew even deeper, and mine wasn't far behind. Joking and flirting came easily enough to me, but this was different. My aunt was here, and this wasn't just any girl in front of me.

  "Sorry," I said in a low voice to Amaya.

  She shook her head a little. "Mmm. It's ok. Let's continue." The informal way she used contractions was a strong indicator of just how flustered she had become. She normally never used them; a by-product of having a formal mother, or so I assumed.

  "Ok, try to relax and breath with me." I encouraged as I gently touched her skin. She shivered, but did as I instructed. I didn't use my qi right away, instead simply breathing with her for several minutes, letting her get used to my presence.

  When she finally calmed down, I slowly began to feed her core with my energy. To my surprise, there was no resistance at all. It was as if the very core of her being was eager to accept my qi. Perhaps that should have been a little concerning, but I pushed my surprise away for now. I needed to focus on making my friend as strong as she could possibly be.