The once-mighty Tang Dynasty was in decline. The Kage was weak and incompetent. His corrupt government no longer controlled the land. Unrest swep tthe country. Village by village an underground alliance formed the House of Flying Daggers. Based near the Imperial Capital, the House of Flying Daggers moved in the shadows. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, they earned the support of the people. At the same time, they were feared and hated by their bitter rivals, the local deputies.
Inside the ANBU headquarters in Konoha, a group of seven ninjas grabbed their weapons and reported to their two captains. After receiving a nod from both captains, the ninjas walked out the door to patrol the area. The younger captain resumed looking at the list of missions while the older one was still sharpening his weapons. Without looking up from the papers, Sasuke spoke.
"We'll be busy. They began to move again They already elected a new leader and the Kage has given us ten days to catch him."
"It took us two months to assassinate the last leader. Ten days isn't enough, Uchiha."
"Have you heard of Peony Pavillion?"
"Yes."
"Does anyone know you there?"
"No, I haven't been there yet."
"Good, now's your chance."
"Do we have any information?"
"We suspect one of their showgirls is a member of the Flying Daggers."
"Very well, I'll check it out."
With a briefing of the mission and a nod, Hyuuga Neji put his weapons away and walked out the door. Upon arriving at the entertainment house, the young captain was welcomed by the head mistress of the place. and she lead him to a side room. Inside were about ten girls, a year or two younger than him. Each of them were dressed in similar outfits, color was the only difference.
He wasn't sure how he had gotten into a playful game of tug-of-war with the other girls but after drinking a bottle and a half of sake, he was beginning to feel flushed and relaxed. He took another sip of the sake and let go of the rope which sent the girls to the ground, laughter erupting from the entire room. He was finished with the game so he called out to the head mistress.
"Mistress!"
"I'm coming!" she replied but he called out once more.
"Here I am." She made her up the stairs and across the show room. "What can I do for you, sir?"
"I hear you have a new girl."
"You are well informed."
"Is she pretty?" He took another sip of his sake.
"She is quite a beauty."
"Bring her to me."
The mistress hesitated. The Hyuuga tossed something at her feet and she quickly bent down and picked up the three items. Turning around to face the young captain, she said something to him.
"There is one thing you need to know.."
"And what is that?"
"The girl is blind."
"Blind? Then she must be special. I'm curious."
With a smile gracing her lips, the mistress gracefully turned and walked out of the room. Within a few minutes, a slender girl stepped into the center of the room, directly infront of the Hyuuga. She was dressed in a blue kimono, the sleeves reaching the floor. A small amount of make-up covered her face and her hair in two intricate buns with golden trinkets entwined in them. He smiled at her before asking her a question.
"How did you lose your sight?"
"I was born blind." Her eyes were focused in his direction but seemed fixed on a point beyond his head.
"Why would a blind girl work here?"
"Why couldn't a blind girl work here?"
"You're right." He let out a chuckle and reached for another cup of sake. "What is your name?"
"Tenten."
He was about to take a sip but stopped when she answered.
"Tenten? Every other girl in this pavillion has taken the name of a flower. Why is yours so plain?"
"I don't want to compete with those ordinary girls."
"What do you mean?"
"The flowers displayed her can hardly be called flowers. Real flowers bloom in the wilderness. "
He nodded before letting out a slight chuckle and took a sip of the sake. "If you impress me, I'll take you to where the real flowers grow." A smile appeared on her lips.
"What is your talent as the top showgirl."
"Dancing."
He motioned for her to come closer and she did. With a swift move of his arm, he reached out and grabbed his sword and touched her cheek with it. Trailing it down to her chin, her neck and the top tie of her kimono, he undid the first tie in one quick move then the other three. In another quick move, he threw her kimono off and revealed her performance outfit and returned the sword to its sheath. Slightly startled, she began to back away but his hand shot out and grabbed the long sleeve of her outfit before she could get anywhere.
"You do know the rules, right?" and with that question, he let go of her sleeve and clapped twice.
She moved to the center of the room and a line of women walked in carrying each a stringed instrument and sat in the chairs along the wall of the room. With a jingle of some bells, the women began to play and Tenten began her dance. Her dance was slow and graceful along with the music. Her arms moved fluidly with the music and the sleeves trailed around her as she moved. She began to sing.
"Bei feng you jia ren Jue shi er du li Yi gu qing ren cheng Zai gu qing ren guo Ning bu zhi quing cheng Yu qing guo Jia ren nan zai de"
He sang along off-key and was mezmerized by her dance. She repeated the verse again, then finished the dance with a few spins and dipped backwards infront of him. In once smooth move, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down so her back was on his lap and he bent over her, trying to kiss her.
She let out a shriek and the women along the wall rushed over and tried to pull him off her. The mistress also came over, asking him to calm down. As she was struggling and he was trying to get the women to go away, the mistress tried to explain.
"This girl is young and inexperienced. Please forgive her." She turned to another girl. "Take her away." With a swing of his arms, he tried once again to get the others to leave. With the noise of the commotion, no one heard the other captain come in until he yelled for them to stop.
The women bowed while the Hyuuga was still on top of a struggling Tenten.
"This is the captain of the county. Show some respect!" the mistress barked.
"To hell with the captain." He pushed her away.
"Outrageous! Arrest him." the Uchiha told the two soldiers with him.
"Let me go! Who are you?" Neji shouted. "How dare you? I'm the captain."
"You are drunk and indecently dressed. Arrest them both."
The two soldiers led the staggering Hyuuga through the door while the Uchiha grabbed hold of Tenten. The mistress was trying to explain while he making his was to the door, his hand around the dancer's elbow.
"Please don't arrest the girl. That man was drunk. It was not her fault. Please don't arrest her. Our business is new. I rely on her to bring in guests." The three stopped.
"How can a blind girl be the top showgirl? Move!"
"She's a dancer with rare skills. Please see for yourself." He let go of her elbow and she jerked her arm back. He turned to face her.
"Do you know the Echo Game?"
"I played it once."
"Alright. Perform well, and I will let you go."
"Thank you, Captain." the mistress replied. She then turned towards Tenten. "Hurry and go change."
To Be Continued..
This story is based off the movie: House of Flying Daggers. I love that movie and wanted to write a story with it. The characters are a bit OOC so yeahh..
Review :
Constructive Criticism is encouraged but No Flames Please.
Mai.