- = To Be =-
Part One
The streets were always crowded with busy people. Everyone had something to do, somewhere to be. Vendors would shout out their prices to hopeful clients, smells of food mingled with the stench of too many bodies, and the noise was never ending. The sweet melody from a wind chime was only heard by those close enough to hear it. The large city was an attraction to tourists, hanging on the edge of the Wind Country. It was a city left primarily on its own, allowing those who passed by to forget their pasts or any reputation they had elsewhere.
Entertainment was in high demand, something that was expected in that city. It came in several forms, but none was as popular or as well-received as Aimi's Gardens. While it's particular form of entertainment was something rather vulgar, their presentation was anything but. It was a brothel, more or less, but with the sophistication and elegance of a palace harem.
As soon as the grand doors were pushed open, several people paused to look. The fact that the business could momentarily stop the busy routines of people was proof at just how well they were known to the area.
A slender woman dressed in a kimono stepped out. With practiced moves, she gracefully opened her umbrella and stepped out into the noisy street. A younger girl, not as graceful, but certainly dressed as such, followed immediately after. The sound seemed to grow dimmer, like a bubble around them, wherever they walked.
"Have you seen Ryoichi today?" the taller one asked, staring ahead of her with a cool composure, ignoring the stares they were getting.
"Not yet, but I expect he will be presentable by lunch, at least," the smaller one said, looking at the different displays in windows.
The older woman laughed, her voice causing even more heads to turn. "I would hope so," she replied. Her long, dark hair was partially pinned up with ornamental clips and her kimono's red-violet color complimented her pale complexion. Everyone needed to be as pale as they could naturally be in this business.
They hadn't walked far when they came upon the shop they needed to be at.
"Ah, Chisuzu," the man behind the counter said cheerfully. He was a large, flirtatious man that somehow knew Aimi, the owner of the brothel. "Momoko," he said, nodding at the younger girl.
The dark haired girl smiled. "Is the order ready to be picked up?" she asked.
"You should know better than me," he teased, reaching under the counter to pull out a package.
She pretended to be offended. "Now, you should know that I do not listen in on Madame's phone calls," Chisuzu said.
Momoko handed him some money in return for the package. After a few more words, the two left for their next destination. To anyone looking in on their conversation, it would appear as if they were speaking in polite terms.
"I don't know how you put up with him," Momoko said, trying not to frown. They weren't supposed to show any negative emotions.
The other girl smiled. "What do you mean?" she asked, twirling her umbrella a bit.
"Whenever I come with anyone else to pick up orders, he is always leering at us, making disgusting jokes," she said, deciding that raising her eyebrows would counteract the expression of repulse that so dearly wanted to cross her face.
"Ah," she said, knowing all too well what she meant. "I told him that if he wasn't careful, his wife would find out."
The younger girl looked skeptical.
"And I kneed him in the groin when he tried touching me," she confessed.
Momoko gaped at her.
"Face forward, try to look like you're enjoying a walk around town," Chisuzu said and the girl did just that.
Their next stop was at the pharmacy. This was a shorter, more pleasant visit. It was clear that from the way Momoko was acting, she had a crush on the owner's son. Unfortunately, it would never amount to anything.
The parcel they received was much smaller than the earlier one. It contained small pills for everyone at the brothel to take, ensuring no accidental pregnancies would arise. They would lose funds and it was no place to raise a child. The last woman who got pregnant was forced to get an abortion in an unpleasant way. She was used as an example, an unsightly reminder of where they were forced to work.
"So last night was incredible."
"I so do not want to hear this," Chisuzu said.
Ryoichi, or more fondly called Ryo, had joined them for lunch. Meals were always eaten in privacy, unless it was a dinner with a client. Even then, they usually weren't the ones eating. But here, at least, they were allowed to express themselves openly.
"But you saw who it was, right?" he gushed on, ignoring her comment. "I've never really seen a redhead as hot as him before, have you?"
She sipped her tea in the most demure manner she could muster.
"Oh, don't you pull that crap with me," he said, mock-glaring at her. They were seated in one of the building's inner gardens, the sunlight glinting off his gold hair.
"Unlike you, I don't want to start enjoying this work," she said. "If I could, you know I wouldn't bother staying."
His cheeks puffed up in irritation. "I don't enjoy it," he protested. "I just really liked it last night."
"Mhmm," she said, picking apart her meal.
With a swift move, Ryo grabbed the mushrooms that she had been discarding with his chopsticks. "It tastes better when you eat it all together," he said.
"Not going to happen," she replied, meticulously picking more out of her rice.
He shrugged, popping more in his mouth with a content expression.
Momoko walked into the garden with her tray of food. "You have an appointment tonight, Chisuzu," she said. There wasn't any specific messenger for these sorts of things; it was mostly just whoever the Madame found conveniently nearby at the time.
"When does she not?" Ryo asked, grinning.
Chisuzu flung a mushroom at him.
So this was meant to be a one shot, but...I went past 13 pages in Word and I was only about halfway through, so I thought it might be better if I broke it down into sections.
This story would not leave me alone, hence the reason why I'm not updating on my Sai story as much as I should be O_O
Hope you like it ^_^
Jen
PS: Reviews are loved and adored :D