Hello everyone! :) Lol, welcome to the first chapter! I'm actually in the middle of working on a different story (a Bleach fanfic, check it out if you're interested! XD), but this idea has been stewing around for a long time, and I couldn't resist posting. ^^"
Okay, please read!
Prologue : Abandoned
The frosty winds were downright bone-chilling, and the heavy downpour of rain wasn't making things any better. Thunder rumbled distantly in the storm, a low booming sound that seemed to reverberate deep into the ground. Thin, icy droplets were driven into my skin at high speed, and I wanted nothing more than to go back home... even if 'home' was nothing more than a small, rundown shack. At least there would be a roof over my head. Everything was dark and shadowed, the dense clouds above covering the sky in a sinister black cloak.
It was cold out here. As in, really, really cold.
"How long are we going to stand here, daddy?" My small hand tugged gently at the sleeve of Father's shirt. He gave me an annoyed glance, yanking the cloth out of my grip, and tilted the umbrella so that even more rain would fall on me.
Awesome.
"They're late," Father crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath, "I can't afford to wait any longer here for them to hold up their end of the deal. If this rate keeps up, we're going to have to find a different way to make money."
"... Daddy?"
Father glared at me, "Keep quiet, you! We're going to stand here some more. If they don't come soon... well, there's no need for me to keep my word anymore, either."
I fell silent, sensing the irritation emanating from Father in tidal waves. Really, I was rather surprised by the fact that he hadn't up and left an hour ago, considering his temper.
After all, standing by the side of an empty road in the middle of a thunderstorm was something only fools would do.
A flash of jagged light streaked across the sky, followed by another low thunder a few moments later. The brief illumination the lightning provided lit up Father's face for no more than a mere second, but it was enough for me to see the frustration spelled out on his face as clear as day.
It was also enough for me to see him make up his decision, as a look of resolution –and was that resignation? –carved itself into his features.
"Come along," He barked to me, spinning heal and walking away, "We're going to town now."
"Oh. Okay," I blinked, regaining control over my numb limbs as I started running after him, "We aren't waiting anymore?"
"Of course not," He spat, loathing evident in the depths of his raven eyes, "I refuse to be played for like a fool. They make me come out here with you for the entire day and don't show up? This is ridiculous! I need the money, badly, but this is going too far! I will not be openly insulted like this!"
"Um..." I trotted at his side, trailing a little, "Are we going to pickpocket today, then? Or are we going to poison someone's food and play doctor? The red medicine you have works for anything! If we didn't get a job today, we can always do what we usually do and just follow a person to corner-"
"I won't get enough money just from that," Father scowled, "Besides, things are rather tight these days. People will notice if someone is suddenly murdered, not to mention we might get caught in the act without the usual merchants bustling up and about in town. There isn't enough time to mess around now... I... I do have another method, though. Just wait and see."
Father strutted down the street ahead of me, and I scampered at his heels. He would know what to do, like he always did. Father knew everything, from the basics of conning to the mastery of senbon (supposedly, great-grandpa had been a skilled acupuncturist... Father never really liked to talk about him much).
"What is this place, daddy?" I glanced around curiously, my head craned all the way back at the flashy lights that were somewhat dimmed and subdued in the dense rain. If not for the storm right now, it probably would've been lively and brimming with energy.
Father didn't reply.
Strange. Father usually answered all my questions, even if it was in a rough and snappish manner...
Father strode up to one of the buildings that looked like some sort of restaurant. Why were we here? We usually just bought something from the stalls along the streets or scrounged for food. The only reason why we ever went someplace like this was to 'borrow' stuff from the people eating...
I sneezed, the cold beginning to seep into my skin, and quickly followed Father inside. I had nothing to complain about, these places were always warm...
"What may I do for you today, sir?"
A beautiful lady had approached Father. She wore an elaborate kimono, with sakura blossoms in full bloom and gleaming hues of emerald leaves vibrantly shining on the cloth. In fact, everything here held such a rich display of resplendent colors against the rosy wood of the walls that this seemed to be part of an entirely different world.
I stared at the restaurant in awe. None of the other shops we'd been in were as pretty as this one.
"-really? She's so young, though..." The beautiful lady was standing in front of me now, and there was a delicate scent of flowers wafting from her skin. Her violet eyes staring into mine were split into so many different shades under the bright light of the shop, "Are you sure about this, sir?"
Father nodded impatiently, his annoyance leaking through, "Just get on with it, geisha."
The lady was a geisha? One of those people who knew how to sing and dance and-
"Alright, then," She sighed, turning around and walking further into the shop, "I'll get Mother. Please make yourselves comfortable here."
I watched her retreating figure for a few seconds before I turned to Father in confusion.
"Daddy, what are we doing here?"
He folded his arms, leaning against the doorframe, "Making a deal. Though, all things considered, I'm left with the short end of the stick in the long run... 'Can't do anything about it, though, I really need some quick money on my hands right now..."
I cocked my head, not really getting what he was talking about.
Father sighed, "You'll see."
I blinked again, before I decided to go back to inspecting all the pretty decorations in the restaurant. Father knew how to handle everything. Even if his teaching methods were harsh, Father knew how to get things done. After all, I know how to survive in this world now, thanks to Father's albeit grueling trainings, and the actual experiences he heaped upon me. They weren't very pleasant, that's for sure, but he taught me what I needed to know.
That was worth it.
Father was always angry. Angry, and upset. The only time I'd seen him smile was when I showed him my first earnings -a fistful of coins I'd gotten from an unsuspecting peddler.
From that moment forward, I'd resolved to make Father happy. He's the only person I have in this cruel world, and I want to see him smile. I want to take away that shroud of anger that enveloped him. I want to stay at his side, where he wanted me, where he needed me, where I belonged.
I'd do anything for him, a thousand times over.
... Quite literally, too. No amount of scrubbing would wash away what I'd committed from my own two hands.
The geisha lady was returning now, with an older woman striding briskly in front of her. She seemed really strict and firm, and there was this keen, piercing look in her eyes that unnerved me.
"So, is this the girl?" She swiveled towards me, bending down and scrutinizing me critically, "Doesn't seem like much to me. Small, scrawny, and probably underfed. We're not running a collection center for random brats barely scraping by on the streets!"
I jerked myself away from the old woman, glaring at her defiantly. It took all of my self-restraint to bite my tongue and not retaliate with some sharp words of my own. After all, she was probably the one Father was making the deal with. I probably shouldn't upset a client.
"Spare me this talk. There's much more to her than what meets the eye," I felt a burst of jubilation and pride rush through me at Father's words, even though he didn't even bother spare a glance at me when he spoke. That's okay, though, Father was never prone to compliments. "You just want to haggle the price down, don't you? Fine. Two can play this game. There's a whole boatload of things I can dig up about your okiya, and I can assure you that you'll have no customers once word of your underhanded dealings get out."
"What are you insinuating?" The woman immediately denied, way too quick for my liking. Her eyes flickered to the side, too, a telltale sign of hiding something, "I don't know what you're talking about. This is a proper geisha house!"
"Sure it is," Father smirked, "So what's the price?"
The old woman muttered something unintelligible under her breath, obviously disgruntled, "Get over here, then. I'll give you the money."
I stared in amazement as Father strolled over nonchalantly, easily grabbing the sack of coins from the old woman. How... how did he do that? If he could just waltz in here for money, why did we... why did he make me do those jobs?
My thoughts snapped back to reality when he headed for the door, though, and I quickly moved to follow him.
"Uh-uh!" A hand grabbed the back of my ragged clothing, yanking me to an abrupt stop, "You're not going anywhere, little girl!"
"Let go of me!" I twisted, trying to get loose of the old woman's grip. For someone so old, she sure had a lot of strength in her, "I'm going with daddy!"
"Oh dear," The geisha lady covered her mouth in surprise, but the widening of her eyes couldn't hide her emotions, "She doesn't know? Sir, didn't you tell her about this?"
Father froze as he reached for the doors, effectively stopped.
The pretty geisha lady shook her head sadly, "And I was wondering why she wasn't kicking and screaming like all the others."
"What are you talking about?" I shouted, finally freeing myself from the old hag's hold, "Daddy, what's going on here? Why-"
"Enough!" Father snapped, and I immediately shut my mouth. He whirled towards me and bellowed four simple words.
Four simple words that shattered my world to pieces.
"YOU ARE STAYING HERE!"
His face was red, and his eyes were narrowed in a glare. At me.
"... Daddy...?" Something constricted painfully in my chest, "What's happening? What did-"
"Don't you get it, little girl?" The old hag snarled, grabbing my arm this time in a vice-like grip, "He just sold you to us. You belong to this okiya from this day forward."
A crushing weight slammed into my chest as her words filtered through my muddled mind.
Sold.
Father... sold me?
No. No no no no no no no. There's no way this was happening...
The image of Father bargaining for a price and snatching a bag of money replayed in front of my eyes again. How the old hag had looked over me as if I was merchandise that she was deciding whether to buy or not...
No. No way something like this would ever happen. Father wouldn't sell me, he wouldn't-
"What she said is true," Father's voice was unusually quiet for a moment before he regained his usual attitude again, and he opened the doors.
"No!" I lunged forward, ignoring the old hag pulling at me, "Daddy! Daddy, don't leave me! I don't belong here, I-"
"You're useless," He spun around abruptly, another heated glare jabbing into my very soul, "I'm better off dumping you here, and getting some profit out of you while I'm at it. I don't need you."
Something was eating away at my heart. Something squeezed, and it was so painful, watching Father walk further and further away, disappearing down the road...
"Daddy!" My eyes stung, and something was running down my cheeks, "Daddy! Take me with you! Daddy!"
It hurt so much, watching him swagger down the street carelessly without even a backward glance. If anything, his steps seemed lighter before, and I could almost hear him humming while he was at it.
I was burning up inside. Something was tearing away at me, and it was excruciating, like I was being ripped apart, then sewn back together, then ripped apart again. There was this force just pressing at my chest and swelling, and it was so hard to breathe. I was crying now, hiccupping and sobbing simultaneously as the pain just continued to consume me and... and...
"Come on, now," A soft voice murmured next to my ear, and I barely registered the presence of the geisha next to me, "Don't cry. Crying won't make your daddy come back. I've seen men like that before... too many times to count," A sad note made itself known in her voice, "All men are like this. You'll see for yourself soon, how terrible and dark they all are."
"We can't trust them, because they are deceivers."
"We can't put our faith in them, because they only give false hope."
"We can't believe in them, because they have no loyalty."
"We can't rely on them, because they'll cast us aside without a second thought."
"We can't lose our hearts to them, no matter how handsome or charming they seem, because their hearts are black. In the end, we will be left powerless to watch as they leave, breaking all the promises and vows they've made before."
"You'll learn."
"... Everything will be fine."
*Okiya is basically the term for a geisha house. Girls also learn how to become a geisha at their respective okiya, and the girls are known as maiko (literally, 'dance-child').
Any thoughts? XD How was it? Please leave your comments and suggestions! Not everything is set in stone yet, so please review and let me know your opinions and ideas!