Declaimers: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I just love to abuse the characters who belong to Watsuki.

Prologue
One Night in Kyoto

The stage was lit, a bright beam of serene white light shown down from the unseen ceiling and focused on one spot in the middle of the wooden stage, contrasting the entire theater into complete darkness. The audience sat in silent anticipation, the faint murmuring abruptly stopped.

Without warning, a lithe figure stepped into the light from the darkness. First it was a small foot, and then it was the hem of a snow-white kimono embroidered with the delicate patterns of cheery blossoms. Finally, a woman stepped fully into the halo of light.

Barely a single noise could be heard in the theater packed full with people, all attention was focused on the performer. Her face was an opaque mask of white, matching the color of her outfit. Long, silky, black hair was tied back into an elaborate bun decorated with pearls and crystals. The light bounced from her snowy kimono dazzlingly, making her look divine and not unlike a goddess as her slender frame twisted and turned in the light beautifully.

The dance of darkness, as the performance was known as, was performed by the Geisha known simply as Kamiya. She was an unheard of entity in Kyoto until 3 months ago, when her beauty captivated the entirety of the ancient city. Turmoil was brooding underneath the peaceful surface, with rumors of killings and assassinations every day, and perhaps it was the anxiety that resulted from this general unease that fueled the citizens' need for relaxation and beauty. Within months, the bidding price for her person had broken any record in recent history. It was only a matter of time before she picked her Dana.

Despite Kamiya's immense popularity, her past is a complete mystery. She was still an apprentice under Hibino, a renowned and wealthy Geisha whose family goes back to the beginning of the written history of Gion with ties to the first Shogun. But rumors have it that Kamiya came from Tokyo and somehow found herself under the roof of Hibino.

The audience gave an enthusiastic and long applause for the young performer as she kneeled and bowed on the ground to signal the end of her dance. She elegantly pushed off of the ground with four delicate fingers and stood up, not a fold in her dress. Just as abruptly as she had entered, Kamiya stepped out of the ring of light, and disappeared like a ghost into the darkness.


Author's Note: Don't expect ANYTHING as of yet, this "Kamiya" is a Geisha? Oh really?