Title: The Floating World
Rating: M
Series: Final Fantasy XIII/XIII-2
Summary: It is hard to be a fabulous courtesan; trained year after year in the arts of the elegant Eden Court. However, it is harder to fall in love with a supposed enemy in a similar profession in a world where love is not a priority but only a distraction.
Disclaimer: I do own a copy of the video game from which I borrowed the characters; but I do not own that concept. I also do not own the history that I decided to base this on. Imagine if I could own a piece of history that was not of my own life? Thrilling.
Notes: The term "floating world" is also known as ukiyo-e in Japanese. I am trying to do my best with a historically accurate (or somewhat accurate) portrayal of courtesans and prostitutes in Edo, Japan. Obviously some things will be twisted to fit the grand scheme of the fan fiction and yes, honorifics will be used because it makes my life a whole lot easier and makes it a little bit more presentable and easy. I won't be sliding in any other Japanese words if they are absolutely unnecessary.
Chapter One: Shifting Childhood
Life is nothing but a sea of possibilities and their outcomes. At least, that is what my life felt like, more or less. I had no real say in any of the possibilities nor in the outcomes for everything was chosen for me, because of me. A person could question my motives, try to understand my misgivings and attentions, but there is nothing I could have said that would explain it all in a greater detail.
That is to say, until now when I can recollect all my memories and tell my story.
My original name is Claire Farron. It was my birth name, bestowed upon me by my mother as she heard it mentioned drifting in the air like smoke in the wind. It was a fleeting experience, but the reaction she had to it was almost instantaneous, or so she used to tell me. The name sounded beautiful to her ears, reminding her of a shimmering crystal held up to the light with not a single imperfection to mar its beauty. The only way for her to hear such a name is if she were in an area not far from where I was sold from, where our home was: Bodhum.
It was a tiny little place, a small village actually. It was on the coast of our brilliant world ironically named Cocoon. I say it is ironic because that is exactly what it felt like: a cocoon that trapped me in its bindings and I had no choice but to be wrapped up forevermore. I could not hate it, because that would mean I would hate myself, my parents, and even my younger sister Serah, who was just as trapped I was.
Our parents were taken from us when I was seven and she was only four. The accident was swift as it was brutal, and I do not believe I have ever recovered from the nightmare of seeing my parents' hands clasped tightly with their eyes wide open with the loss of life. I remember tears cascading down my face without a single sound, and holding Serah as she tried to shake them awake. There was no way that I was able to explain what death was to a mere four year old, as that was the first time I had experienced it myself. I stared at my parents' bodies long and hard, making sure that they would etch themselves into my mind as the sirens blared ever closer to us. We were in a cart accident, my parents were run over as two of them collided with one another and they pushed my sister and I out of the way. We had no time to spare as I watched the wheels pummel them with their hands joined; I remember covering Serah's eyes so she couldn't see the brutality of it all.
Just as quick as it happened, it ended, and then we were pried apart. We struggled against the arms that bound us to them, tugging us at opposite ends to gods know where. I did not want to let go of my sister Serah, but we were both so young and unequipped to fight against any of the elders that tried to tear us apart. Soon, I was turned around; my arms roughly tugged forward along with the rest of my body, and then pushed into a cart that sped through the streets of Palumpolum (for we were on a vacation that my father had planned) and off to an area where I had never been before.
It was a lengthy journey that took several days; the winding roads of the Gapra Whitewoods were the only things I saw after we exited Palumpolum. I did nothing but scream and kick at the rest of the passengers. My sister's name and questions of her whereabouts were the only things that could leave my lips. They would reassure me that everything was taken care of, and that Serah would be completely fine. Then my screams would grow to hauntingly loud tones and I would be threatened to be gagged. I would retort horribly vicious things to them that I should never have learned to say in spite of my age at that time. Many of the passengers were growing sick and tired of me as we journeyed onward, but didn't tell me so outright. They needed to be as cordial as they could as they transported me to wherever it was I was supposed to go. I couldn't stand for it; I needed to get to Serah.
At one point during our journey, I tried to escape the caravan in the dead of night. We were still trapped within the Gapra Whitewoods, but very close to its exit if I remember correctly. Everyone was outside of the cart so they could prepare dinner because it was supposed to be our last night within the woods. There was someone watching my every waking moment—they knew how badly I wanted to escape and so they set up a watch. I planned it hours beforehand, knowing that if I got everyone to focus on other tasks then this part would be no sweat, especially since the one who was watching me was more of a nitwit than anything else.
We talked for a long while about a range of topics: the people's lives before going to Palumpolum, their business for taking me, why they needed to be done with this task so quickly and of course Serah. I couldn't stop thinking about my sister and I needed to bring her up as often to remind myself that this all wasn't a dream. I couldn't bear to speak about my parents because every time I thought of them, the same image forced itself into my mind of the cart rolling over their bodies. Naturally, I even hated being in the caravan to begin with.
During our chat, I would give him little small comments just to test if I was any good at either negotiating or manipulation. Even at seven, I knew how to get what I wanted when I wanted it because I was a spoiled child, but definitely not rotten. My acquaintance who believed we were becoming close friends fell for the bait, and soon I had him believing this whole operation was wrong and that maybe he would be sold next. After all, I could only imagine where they were taking me to and from the looks of these people's faces…greed was the only thing keeping them alive.
I hated them with every fiber of my being at seven years old. I never thought I would be able to trust again.
So, I tried to slip out of the caravan. Explicitly stating how much I needed to go on the side of the road and that it was a very pressing need. If I didn't empty my bladder then the caravan would be doomed to the fate of hearing my bellows once more and possibly my bowels emptying as we journeyed. I watched him wince at the memory of my cries, and make a face as if he could smell to what I was referring and so he made an annoyed gesture for me to get out and conduct my business. Climbing out of the makeshift door and onto the dirt paved road, I looked up and did something that ultimately gave me away: I smiled. I wasn't able to realize my mistake until I had flounced away from the group who had not paid any mind and wandered into the woods.
After a few moments of exhilaration and happiness, I heard the shrill calls of the group as they ran into the forest after me. Quickly and with no hesitation, I started to run as fast as my seven year old legs would take me. My feet were stinging with cuts and bruises, for I had no shoes now, and my chest was heaving as I continued to run. I wouldn't stop until I got back to Palumpolum, back to where my sister was, back to where my parents died, and back to an area where I could finally get away from these criminals who took me away from everything I ever loved.
They didn't stop running after me even though I tried to hide behind the thickest of trees, and would be caught every single time, so I resigned myself to climbing. It was another drastic mistake on my part, because I lost my footing and started to slip. Despite my hard grip on the tree, my body was tired and I was panting. My capturers could hear my labored breaths and two of them caught me. They made grabs at my feet, trying to pull me down from the tree and after a few painstaking moments, they succeeded in making me fall down to the ground. I didn't hit the earth hard for I wasn't all that far from the ground due to my slow slipping.
I tried to lay on the ground for a few more minutes but they were lifting me up. I yelled and clawed at everything and anything I could get my hands on until I was dumped into the carriage once more and locked inside. My acquaintance sat in front of the door, glaring at me the entire night, and neither of us had dinner. He was punished for letting me escape, and I was punished for wanting my freedom. I fell asleep with bitter thoughts and tears pricking at my eyes, but I wasn't going to let them see me cry anymore. I was just going to have to try harder if I wanted my freedom.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any other opportunity for that as we hit the next city.
When the carriage finally stopped, my stomach lurched right along with it. There were nothing but buildings lining the perimeter, and they were so cramped together. I remember feeling like I was going to be sick right then and there from claustrophobia, until I was hoisted up and out of the carriage, wanting to take off running from these mad people but could only stand there amazed by the architecture. Everything shined splendidly in the bright light of the day. This place was Eden, the metropolis of Cocoon. My mother had met my father here, many years before she had me and Serah. She told us stories about this place, but I never thought I would ever see it with my own eyes. I was told of where we were among other things, but I chose to turn my attentions away from the people and to the buildings surrounding me.
My admiration didn't last long as I was suddenly tugged outside of the carriage and pushed toward a doorway. I fought against the hands as usual, but I was already inside with a plush carpet beneath my feet that I stared at with wonder before the proprietor of the establishment came to me. I tried to get out of the hold still as the swish of steps drew close and then stopped right in front of me. I did not realize that I was staring only at the floor and nothing around me. A hand was pressed under my chin and drew my gaze upwards. It was a kind face, nothing spectacular in its essence, but the smile that reached the woman's eyes gave me a monetary comfort.
"She is a little odd," she said as her fingers caressed under my chin and upwards towards my cheeks; she pushed a single strand of my cherry blossom colored hair away from my face. The intense inspection made me lash out at her, and let me break free from the holds on my arms.
"Where is my sister?" I cried, glaring at the woman peering down at me, the smile resembling a mother's never leaving her lips.
She didn't answer me directly, glancing behind me to the people who were in the cart with me and nodding. "I will take her. There is a spark in her that I can give her credit for. Hopefully she will be put to good use. It is not like I can give her back; it is already too late. Thank you for your patronage." Bowing slightly as the people left, she took my arm now and pulled me forward as she walked back.
Originally, we were in a small corridor, just inside of the building but it did not lead to anywhere else as there was another door right in front of us that was closed. When the people had fully vanished from her sight—as she was standing there with a hand pressed to the second door—she gave a small sigh of content and said to me without looking: "Welcome to the Eden Court. There is much to be learned here, and you will earn your keep. There is more beauty within these walls than there is within the outside, for we have a world of our own in here."
My mouth opened to question her words but they were caught in my throat as two doors slid open in my line of vision. Immediately all shades of reds, yellows, and deep purples assaulted my eyes, but I could not lie and say I was not stunned by its brilliance. I think that time I did not need any prompting to move through the doorway, but did so out of my own volition. My hands were now pressed together before me as I took in the sight, and there were so many people milling about in a tizzy. The frenzy of movement, the sounds of chatter as one spoke to another, and magnificent shades of colors made me excited, for what I could not say.
I didn't notice when the woman had stepped through the doorway, shutting it closed behind us as I watched on. She let me linger there for a few more moments before she touched my arm softly and nudged me in another direction. Again my mouth opened with questions and she tapped my lips. "Do not speak; I will speak for you at this present time. You may call me Nora-san. I have heard from a small bird about your situation, Claire-chan. As stated before we here at this home will take care of you as long as you learn and repay us. This is your home now as well, you cannot go back to the way things were."
Tears pricked at my eyes at her hard words flowing out of a light mouth. She spoke softly to me, easily reminding me of my mother whose comfort I desperately wanted. I might have been young, but even I understood that nothing would ever be the same again. Wanting to ask about to my sister again, Nora stopped me, pulling me in front of yet another door but bowing and urging me to do the same. Pressing a finger to her lips before calling out, I knew it was better to leave my questions for later and so I did as she silently requested: I bowed low and waited.
"Mother Etro, I have brought our newest girl. Merely seven but there is something within in her, come have a look-see. I am quite certain that she will become a great asset to the Eden Court." I wanted to look up, but my head hung low in my bow and my heart raced all the way downward to my ribcage. I was fairly certain that its aim was to burst out of me and spill everything and anything that it could, but I just tried to breathe as the door slid open with a ferocity of annoyance and there was another pair of feet right before me.
"She is pink." The words were clipped and sudden; my head still hung low.
"Youthful and eccentric, very different from the plain ones we have here in the home. Perhaps her eccentricity will bring in more customers, Mother Etro. Maybe she won't have to be as made-up as the others either." My eyes were closed, but the soft lilt in Nora's voice made me open them, turning my head slightly to the side to look at her. Even as she bowed the smile did not fade from her person.
My chin was jerked roughly upward without warning, and my hand flew to the arm that it was attached to. Nora's hand was at my back, soft and steady, urging me to rethink what I was doing and for some reason I cannot explain, even to myself, I yielded to her touch and let the other woman in front of me—Mother Etro, from what I had heard—scrutinize me in a similar fashion like Nora had done before, only she was not as gentle.
This woman had silver hair that swept down low and long, whereas Nora's was in a brilliant white up-do. Mother Etro's eyes were such a clear shade of color that I wondered if they were white as well, but a slight tint showed me that they were just a really pale blue. She frightened me and awed me at the same time for she was beautiful, even if she was a little old and possibly as cold as the depths of the sea. Nora's eyes were warm and a light green that reminded me of my mother's emerald necklace that she wore only days before my life had taken a turn for the bizarre. There was a slight pang in my chest as I recalled my mother smiling down at me and showing me her beautiful necklace.
There was a justification for comparing the three women, one of whom I had just lost only days prior to the meeting, and two who were supposed to be my new caretakers, but even so I just wanted to go back home and wish this all away. I had hoped that the past few days were a mere vivid dream that I would awake from, only to realize that it had become my reality. I wanted to cry again with thoughts passing through my mind as the older woman continued to burn her gaze into mine and then released me just as quick as she held me. I stumbled—almost falling down, but kept my ground and balled my fist ready to strike so she could feel my anger and pain as she turned her back toward us.
"Yes, there is a spark." She made a wave of her hands that Nora caught, and pulled me close to her. "She will do. Give her work. She'll learn in three months' time."
I didn't know what any of that meant, but I was pulled through the door by Nora as it shut before my eyes. Mother Etro went back to whatever it was that she had been doing in the first place while I was pushed and pulled along every corner of the house. I did not realize that where Mother Etro was, it was incredibly sullen. However, when we left that cornered area of the home, we were immersed in sights and sounds yet again. The cacophony was such a shock to me that I was certainly startled.
There were girls of all shapes and skin colors fluttering around us wearing so many different pieces of clothing, I wondered if they were costumes. Faces were painted in various ways, some so beautiful that it made the girls' faces mature or give them an extra something that made me stop in my tracks and stare; there were others that the makeup was promptly being taken off after it had ran and no longer mattered to the person it was on. These women I stared at too.
"This is the garden tier of the Eden Court. No one but those who live here are able to come inside and see this part of our world. Be thankful as there are no outsiders but the ones we bring in that are here to live and work beside us, beside you." The soft lilting voice of Nora filled my ears I continued to observe, and then nudged to another area—a corridor of similar fashion, but there were more doors than just a wide expanse in which people were passing by.
It was not as quiet as where Mother Etro was located, but neither was it as loud as the garden tier. There was a pitter patter of sounds, like steps coming from all sides where we were. Nora slipped right by me, walking out in front of me and leading this time around. We continued down the hall past all of the rows of doors on each side. Each one brimming with life inside and I wondered how many people lived here and what exactly their professions were. Stopping at the end of the hall, Nora slid open one of the doors and tilted her head, urging me to go inside.
I nodded, wandering in and finding two other girls with chopsticks in mid-air containing rice as they openly gaped at me. Immediately, I was on the defensive and tried to shrink back to Nora, but she closed the door and left me with the two girls. I banged on the door, yelling at Nora for abandoning me the second she saw fit. I only turned around when I heard one of the girls behind me giggling, and I leaned onto the door, pressing my back into it while tugging at the hem of my pale blue kimono; it was supposed to match my eye color—the last gift I ever got from my parents.
Cramming some of the food into their mouths, the girls patted the same space to the side of them in a silent request to come sit with them. There was nothing else for me to do but give into them. I was not shy in the least, but still I moved slowly and hesitantly. I did not know these girls, and soon all of the feelings that were welling up inside of me from the past few days finally broke through. As I shrank down beside them tears fell from my eyes, and they let me cry without a word of protest for a long time. Once my cries slowed down to soft sobs, they explained that doing such a thing again would be useless and unnecessary once I got the hang of things within Eden Court. I glared at them, immediately hating them for casually dismissing the sharp turn my life had taken without giving me any thought whatsoever—like I was nothing and no one.
"What are you? Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? Where is my sister?!" I looked at both of the girls, my eyes puffy and red from my previous breakdown. My words still came out breathlessly, hoping that air would pass through my lungs soon enough.
The girl on my right chuckled as she put some more food into her mouth before putting the bowl in front of me. The rice spilled out of her mouth and onto the table, making me contort my face into disgust, but my stomach growled audibly and so I had no choice but to eat what she gave me.
"I'm a girl, the same as you I think. I've been here long enough to see and feel that crying doesn't do me any good but a big fat whipping right across the back. And I think you don't want that do you?" She didn't wait to let me answer, but continued talking. "My name is Fang. The name was given to me by Mother Etro three days after I was sold here along with my cousin Vanille." She tilted her chin to the strawberry haired girl whose smile lit up her entire face. "I don't know where your sister is, but if she's not here then she could be anywhere in Eden. I don't suggest trying to look for her either, unless you do really like those whippings."
My eyes were downcast, and I gripped the hem of my kimono tighter. Serah could be anywhere in Eden…anywhere in Cocoon probably and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt the need to cry, but I was so tired that I couldn't produce anymore tears, and so I let my head fall right onto the table. There was a loud thump as I hit it, and I could hear Fang sigh beside me. A hand was placed on my head, as delicate fingers stroked my hair. It reminded me of my sister and another pang of heartbreak filled my every pore. I was getting tired of the pain.
"Are there many girls…sold here?" I asked, not lifting my head from the table, nor did I address the soft fingers that trailed through my hair. I would allow it for now; I craved to be soothed.
"Every girl that is here is sold to this house. We all work for this house; we work here to earn our place even if we don't like it. That's just how it is." I finally looked up again, sensing the bitter tone in Fang's voice at her response. I wondered just how long she and Vanille had been here, and how had their lives been before I was sold here. Would I suffer? I wanted to escape and look for Serah even more at that moment.
"Does Mother Etro give everyone a name?" I asked, changing the topic quickly because my sadness was growing even more by the second. With watching my parents die, having my sister taken away from me, and suddenly being sold by a bunch of greedy people…I needed to think about something, anything else. If I was going to live here now, I would have to learn about this place and its inhabitants—starting with Mother Etro and probably Nora would be a damn good start. These girls had experience, and I would utilize that to the best of my ability until I found a way to get out of this.
"Not everyone." It was Vanille that spoke up that time. "If she thinks your name is all well and beautiful, then she does not change it. But…sometimes people fight with her to change their name because it was who they were before coming here, not who they become. Nora-san said many have tried but she has not changed her thoughts. Mother Etro is the one that controls this house, because she is the one that owns it." She too put her plate in front of me, urging me to eat more as I "looked hungry" to her and Fang the second I was put into the room.
I barely shoveled a portion into my mouth before Fang asked, "So what's your name, girlie? We're going to be spending a lot of time together living in this room and doing all of our chores. Not to mention we all start lessons in three months' time. We arrived only a week ago." I blinked at her words. Only a week in this place and they acted as if they had a lifetime of experience. Perhaps things moved just as swift as the women in the garden tier of this place?
I swallowed audibly, letting the rice slide down into my stomach. "Claire. Are there…other houses like this one?" My question had more to do with my desire to find Serah again. If there were other ones like this one, then perhaps I would find her again someday soon. I could only hope and pray that she was completely unharmed and that I would see her again in the near future.
"Many. But, this is the most expensive as well as the biggest. This is the best Court in all of Cocoon. Only nobles and important figureheads come to our attentions. The girls here are the best of the best." Vanille stood up and moved away from the table, searching for something within the room. As soon as she found it, she grinned and turned to us before showing me a long scroll as Fang talked. Moving our bowls from the table and onto the floor, we spread the scroll and looked at the picture of a woman clad in a splendidly colored kimono; a true one filled with many layers and incredibly elaborate designs. Her hair done up in some of the same fashion the women in the garden tier donned on earlier. So many pins and hair accessories with atop her head, and I could tell she was beautiful before I looked at the face. Such a beautifully sculpted and painted one she had, and I absentmindedly licked my lips.
"She is a tayu. She is beautiful, smart, and lies in bed with men only if she allows it. Many of the girls here are what we're supposed to be in a few years. That's what we're supposed to be after our lessons, and women like these are what pay for the house. Pretty, huh?" I looked at Fang, realizing she was only about a year or so older than me, whereas Vanille seemed to be only a year younger than me. These two girls knew more about this world than I could and it was only a week of their stay. Would I be the same in only a week?
I scowled at the picture, seeing what my future would hold—a future that I didn't even want. Of course the woman in the picture was beautiful, and so were the women that I had seen earlier in the garden tier, but that…that wasn't what I wanted at all! I was about to start screaming, and Fang could tell for she tugged on my arm and put her hand across my mouth. "Don't. I know it's hard. I know it's not what we want, but this is our life now, Claire. Maybe when we're like this we can find a way to get out and you can see your sister again. Who knows, maybe she'll be like this too."
With an argument like that, I couldn't make a comeback. What if Serah was sold to a house much like this one? Maybe we would find each other again with our faces painted and wearing beautiful clothes? Would we even recognize each other then? I asked myself these questions as I stared at the picture. I couldn't fall into despair if I was ever going to see her again; I knew that in my heart I would find her, and I would recognize her because we were blood and that was much thicker than water. I would see Serah again, even if it killed me. I didn't scream, thanks to Fang's words. She had calmed me down before I could lash out again, and when I muttered a small thank you to which she laughed off.
"Trying to keep a cool head around here is hard. The first day we got here, we got so many whippings! I don't want anyone else to do the same. I'm guessing you're living in this room with us, so…" She stuck out her hand. "Let's be friends, okay?" Vanille nodded, a giant smile lighting her features.
Their cheerful dispositions reminded me so much of my little sister that I could only nod and take her hand. "Friends…" Trusting adults I couldn't handle, seeing as they only continued to make my life more and more miserable, but perhaps trusting two other girls who were thrust into a similar situation as me could work out, especially if they reminded me of my younger sibling who seemed to look up to me. Of course, there was the ache in my chest because there were so many things missing from my life in such a short amount of time—and no matter what they could not be replaced, but…I had to do something, and if I had to live and work in the Eden Court…
I would make sure that it would get me to my sister. I'm sure that my parents would want to see us together again.