A/N: Just for the record - I wrote this in a real rush the deadline was right at my face so I didn't made any proper check on the grammar, but it's not the real point here. I really wanted to play with the whole japanese theme and geishas. I'm kinda the otaku so it was a great opportunity at hands. The story is set in the Meiji era of Japan, in this period happened the rise of the geishas.
Many terms here are derived from Japanese, such as gaijin, happa, maiko and danna. You guys don't need to go that far to figure what they mean, but a little search can provide all the explanation that you need.
The waves crashed furiously against the rocks, obscure clouds taking over the sky, an ominous wind blowing the coal dust from the old abandoned mines of the forsaken island. The entire scenario could easily condense all the feelings and expectations of the young Katniss Everdeen was processing at the time being.
Her younger sister Primrose was crying, being the age of two was not helping her at all. Katniss hold her little sister like a cord to life. Mingling with her sister's frantic screams, Katniss managed to comprehend a handful of words that were being exchanged between their mother and Mr. Albernathy. The mother was crying, a defeated expression on her face, that even at the age of five the older daughter could understand the reason of such sadness. Their mother was going to be alone.
Mr. Albernathy took two small suitcases from the floor, and nodded at the girl's mother, her sobs finally escaping. The woman mouthed innumerous apologies, each one of them piercing through Katniss's heart, and finally she summoned the courage to give her daughters a last goodbye, a pained hug and shaky kiss on their foreheads.
"Mommy?" she could recognize her own voice, it sounded foreign, even though she was certain that the word came from her mouth. Katniss knew that something had changed within her in that moment.
At the appellative endearment the woman barely suppressed the tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… be strong my Katniss, be strong and never give up," that was clarity and certainty in her mother's word that caught her unprepared. At the age of three Katniss and Primrose lost their father, and while mourning their mother had disappeared, her body became a lifeless shell. A year passed and she still mourned the patriarch of the Everdeens.
Mr. Albernathy approached them, an unusual somber expression on his face. Katniss could not recall a single time she met him without the usual flush that alcohol would bring to his features. "It's time to go," his voice almost soothing, probably for Prim's sake, Katniss mused.
She took one last look at her house. Home. The embers at the hearth doing so little to illuminate the room, but enough for Katniss to see an old photography of her father, he was so young, so handsome, so alive. And then, a tear escaped.
"Come on, sweetheart," the endearment sounding alien and hollow in Mr. Albernathy's voice. He gently put a hand in Katniss' shoulder, who was still holding her baby sister in her arms. Her bare feet touching the cold floor of the genkan, the moment they stepped outside the rain came. In a matter of seconds their kimonos were soaking wet. They sat in the old wagon that Mr. Albernathy owned and the old horse neighed before yanking them forward.
One last look. One last memory.
"Sayonara, haha!"
And then they were gone…
She didn't know how long she has been out, but two thing were certain, that her sleep was relentless and that Prim was secured on her embrace. The little girl was up however, her bright blue eyes hypnotized by their surroundings. Artificial lights and exotic fragrances filled the air, chatter coming from everywhere and the heat was greater. It was a very strange place, like no one that she has seen before.
She wondered how they got there in the first place. They're still in Mr. Albernathy's wagon, the owner guiding the horse through the narrow street. And some time along the way they did leave the Sekitan island, sailed in the company of a very unusual red-haired boy that kept shooting a sorry look at Katniss. When they arrived at the harbor… well, she didn't remember much after boarding the boat.
They made a stop and Katniss' heart raced, beating erratic, Mr. Albernathy leapt from his position at the front of the wagon and walked to one of the many houses that were located in this strange-strange place. A second later he was back, accompanied of a woman, her kimono seemed pricey, or at least what Katniss assumed that was pricey. Her hair was in a tight bun, her skin pale – still, abnormally pale, almost as if she was using something to obtain such complexion.
The woman scrutinized both girl, "The older seems fit enough, you know that she doesn't work with babies, not even gaijin ones," her voice harsh and strict. It filled Katniss with pure dread.
"We had a deal, they have to stay together," Mr. Albernathy growled, his whole demeanor assuming a predatorily aspect, "Don't you dare to tear them apart, or Trinket will regret for the rest of her miserable life,"
At this point Katniss could not pretend to be oblivious anymore, "Albernathy-san, what is happening?" there it was again, that tone, alien and unnatural, yet so steady.
The man acknowledged the little girl, raising a hand to her, silently demanding more time. The woman huffed in exasperation, she made her way back to the house and they stood there. He turned to check on the girls, Primrose clinging to Katniss, utter fear displayed in her eyes.
It took a couple of minutes before the woman appear again, "She wants to see them, and you too," she hissed the lasts words towards Mr. Albernathy. He clearly waked the worst in people.
They entered the house, the wooden gate imposing and beautiful, yet he still passes the idea of security. The inner lights were a dimmer, the living room was bigger than their entire house, and all the furniture appeared to be luxurious. Fancy kaiga adorned the wall, even the shoji seemed expensive, more thick and white than the ones found at Sekitan island. Of course, the walls there were covered in coal dust, and by such, were always greyish and dirty.
Mr. Albernathy and the girls waited in an empty room, except for the mirror standing in a corner. Prim disentangled from Katniss and took unsure bare footed steps on the soft tatami. Time seems to stop, and when eternity seemed a reality the sliding doors opened and a bizarre woman appeared.
Everything about her was scaring and completely allegoric. Her hair was white, not pale blonde like Primrose's, but ghostly white. Her thin lips are covered with a red ink and her skin is even paler than the woman before. Her kimono too, it seems so expensive that Katniss is sure that the piece by itself could provide fish for at least three months for her whole family.
The woman nods at the girls and scoffs at Mr. Albernathy. Indeed, he does bring the worst in people. "So these are the Evedeens?" her voice is loaded with an accent unknown by the girls and Katniss struggles to grasp the words, "Let me take a good look at them," she takes swift steps towards the maidens and lifts Katniss's chin and look at her straight into her eyes, "Grey, such a beautiful steel. Firm, harsh, cold." she circled Katniss, and the girl could see that the woman's toe nails were painted, a novelty for the young girl, "Dark brown hair, common, but that braid is quite pretty," she stated.
Katniss tugged the end of her braid, her mother have done it, a few minutes before Mr. Albernathy appeared in their house in the middle of the night, "She can be quite a handful, but the girl is brave," Mr. Albernathy intervenes, Katniss dares to look at him for a brief second, just to meet his nonchalantly expression, "Their mother is a happa, just to let you know,"
She nods, "That explains the little one," she turns her gaze towards Primrose, the little girl shivering, "Poor thing, only a baby," she gives pained glance at the girls. Which makes Katniss blister, she hates when people pretend to take pity on her, "The older will go to school, as for the younger…"
Everyone else in the room holds the breath, even Mr. Albernathy, "…I'll help raise her, however you must be part of their life, she still far too young for me to train,"
"Train for what?" the words escaping from Katniss' mouth.
The bizarre woman smiles at me, "To become a geisha, my dear," the word geisha sounds dreamy in her voice, and Katniss has a hard time searching for an example of a geisha in her mind. Nothing clicks. Not until a even more strange woman appears before then.
She does wear a more sophisticated kimono, though. The painting in her face is more elaborate, some floral implements adorning her dark hair, her lips in a bright red. Her features presenting a classic beauty, from her thin lips to her dark chocolate eyes, she resembled one of the old porcelain doll's that Katniss's mother owned. She walks with sublime elegancy and small steps.
"Haymitch-san, konbanwa," she makes a swift bow at him and he only nods.
"Konbanwa, Cecilia-san," she shoots him a brief smile before glancing toward the little girls. She slightly shakes her head, and Katniss wonder is that is a geisha. Cecilia waits for the woman that received Katniss and Prim.
"Thank you, Ripper," the name somewhat suited her, Katniss mused to herself. And then Cecilia left, leaving a trail of sweet perfume behind her.
Both Katniss and Primrose stared at the disappearing figure of Cecilia, with wide eyes and mouths hanging agape. Haymitch and the bizarre lady chuckled at the sight.
"That my dear, is a geisha," the woman explained, "Now, it's time for you to leave Haymitch," Katniss's heart constricted at the thought, he was the only things that remained from the Sekitan island, he couldn't leave her behind.
Noticing her apprehension he was quick in reassuring her, "Look, sweetheart," he kneeled in front of both girls, "I promised to keep you two alive, but Effie here is going to take care of you from now on," the girl was about to cry when he place a finger over her lips, "I will come by, to keep an eye on you girls, I promise," he gave a harsh look to the woman that now Katniss knew as Effie.
"I will take care of them, you have my word," Effie said, struggling to avoid Haymitch's powerful glare.
He turned back to Katniss, "You understand why your mother did this, don't you?" she nodded, "And you will take care of your sister, won't you?" she nodded again, "You can do this, Katniss, I know you can," he gave the girls a quick embrace and soon he stood up and left, not only before kissing Primrose's forehead.
And now it was only the two sisters and Effie.
"Come on, let me show you where the rooms are," Effie chirped, seeming recovered from the previous tension.
Katniss learned that from now on she was going to live in an okiya , the Trinket okiya. That the house had four room – a privilege for many – that Cecilia was the only working geisha at the house at the time, that aside from the main structure the okiya had a garden and two more building a quarter for Purnia – who helped Effie in daily chores – and a storage, where all the kimonos were located.
Effie also informed that Katniss was going to school, not an ordinary school though, but a school for geishas, that she will learn the arts of a true geisha. To master arts such as classical music, dance and entertaining games. It all seemed ludicrous and until a few months ago Katniss would have probably consider this an entire absurd or maybe even a crazy dream. But she knew that it was real, that her life wasn't her own anymore. It belonged to this new place now, where bright lights, beautiful geishas, eccentric women and little girls co-existed.
"This is your room," Effie declared with enthusiasm, until her eyes landed on the girls, Primrose was tired, so tired that she didn't summoned the energy to cry, she took small steps to one of the futons and collapsed atop of it.
And then, then, with Primrose sleeping, Katniss broke into tears. Her sobs mingling with chokes causing a sound that the girl knew that was unique from her part, Effie watched with a concerned look, only panting the girl's back. It wasn't her first time consoling a hopeless girl, Katniss thought.
After some minutes of this and Katniss's tears lulled her to sleep.
She haven't dream since that night.
Time, like water, flows. And so, in matter of days Katniss grew used to the routine of going to school, training shamisen in the afternoons – while Prim took tentative dance steps during her practice – she also grew used to the people in the hanamachi, from Greasy Sae that runs a local restaurant to Rooba, the butcher, all of them treated her nicely. Her strolls in the hanamachi send Effie into frezy. Usually leading to a lecture about a good manners and how maidens don't walk out and about.
But Katniss loved the landscape of the hanamachi, especially the view from the rooftops. She could admire all the okiyas, extravagant restaurants, infamous onsens and beautiful ochayas.
At the age of twelve she received her first shamisen from the okiya, Effie bragging about how wonderful Beetee-san's latest creation was striking. Katniss only shaked her head at the woman, in the course of time she grew used and fond of Effie Trinket's etiquette. Every time that Katniss would practice the shamisen Prim would be around, watching intently, even trying some accords of her own. She had knack for shamisen.
It was an awful rainy day, Prim was out with Effie to tend a small tea party. The woman left Katniss in charge of collect a kimono that Portia had designed for Cecilia, it was a simple task, but Katniss made the wrong turn at some point and ended up in a strange path with weird men and women with the obi tied at the front – it was the wrong way she noticed, but then she remembered Haymitch saying something about 'false geishas' wearing their obi in such fashion. It was easier to remove, and Katniss understood the reason behind it.
It took the girl nearly two hours to go to the right track, but it was too late, Portia's store was closed and she would only return in the next day. Effie would be angry, and an angry Effie meant a rambling Effie. Katniss groaned.
As if not bad enough, the rain got worse, it's was a bad summer storm and Katniss umbrella was blew away and in matter of seconds she was soaking wet. Afraid of getting a cold she sprung towards one of the stores across the wooden bridge. However in a false step her feet landed on the hem of her kimono and she felt face forward on the wood surface.
And she was done. Everything went wrong and it was raining, and Effie would be angry, and Haymitch would laugh at her and Prim would ask about what have happened, and she was crying. Her tears mingled with the raindrops, a small relief provided by the fact that no grown-up would come under the rain to ask her if she was okay.
Until he appears. From all the possibilities that the universe could provide, a blonde boy with pale complexion and stunning blue eyes was probably the last scenario that Katniss could have imagined.
She was on her knees, and he kneeled to so his eyes could meet hers, the tears stopping right then, "Ah…" she realized that he was a gaijin and probably didn't spoke her language, "Why so sad?" it stunned her for a moment, it was like he could communicate only with her.
She didn't responded, the rain falling have decreased in intensity and all that she could focus was on the genuine worry in his eyes, his such beautiful blue eye and damp blonde curls. His three piece suit was drenched and his shoes ruined with mud. He was like that because of her.
He started look frantically for something, suddenly he stood up and made his way back to the place where he had come from. It took only a heavy sigh fromher for his return, a paper bag in his arms, he handed it to her and she took it hesitantly, the smell of fresh bread so distinctly.
She was surprised, but not yet happy, he thought. That was when he yanked some dandelions that were near the bridged and gave them to her, "Whenever you're sad, look for dandelions," his voice gentle and sweet, "They always make me smile," he blew one of them at her face and she yelped in surprise, a soft giggle escaping her mouth after.
There it was a real smile from the most beautiful girl…
He was pleased with himself, it was when his mother or who Katniss assumed that was his mother, yelled from far. He looked to the woman's direction and sighed, a downcast expression on his face. He gave Katniss one last sad smile and left.
She blew one dandelion in his direction, wondering if one day she would be able to pay for the bread that he gave. She giggled then, thinking about her silly boy with the bread.
At school things were rather boring. The teacher were never impressed or disappointed at Katniss, she was a regular student after all, managing to excel in the dancing class – the teacher praised her about the body language and self-awareness – however she did struggled in the singing class, she barely said two words. What no one knew it was that singing reminded her of her late father, a memory so precious and amorous yet so painful and heavy.
Every so often Katniss would wonder about her mother, since their departure from Sekitan island she hasn't heard a word of her mother was faring, if the woman was even alive. Prim in the other hand would cry every now and then due the longing and ache heart that only an orphan child could comprehend. And only in those bad times, Katniss would sing for Prim to sleep.
"Hey! Look what I got!" Prim barged into their room, she flaunted something in her hands, something that Katniss have only tasted a few times.
"It's that for real?!" the brunet nearly shouted, "It's that a roll of bread?" her amazement mingling with her astonishment. The blonde girl nodded and split the bread in two pieces, handing her sister the bigger one.
"The emperor's pastry chef started his own bakery!" Prim stated, "The heir of the Chrysanthemum throne was so pleased with him that the prince actually helped to build the bakery,"
"Sounds impressive, isn't that a bit pricey?" that was something that was always on Katniss's mind, money should never be expended unduly in such trivial things.
Prim shook her head, "He gave me for free, a grand-opening gift he said, he seemed nice," she said dreamily, "Did you knew that he is a gaijin?"
Katniss perked up at the information, Emperor Meiji was hard to please, and had a dislike for foreigners, so a gaijin pastry chef able to conquer the emperor's palate was major novelty. And the bread was indeed a wonder, the taste so distinct and vivid, the subtle hints of cinnamon and dill making a marvelous and unique amalgamation of flavors, sending a shiver down Katniss's spine.
She suddenly found herself curious about who made such bread...
"You're getting good," liar, she though, because deep down she knew that she was no Nasu Yochi – no matter how much he said the contrary.
"If you say so, it's not like a geisha can use a yumi to beguile her customers," she laughed dryly, "What about you, how are those snares?"
He smirked at her commentary, "You know how we're sort of unoccupied at the time, a great amount of free time makes your imagination run wildly" she knew very well of what he was talking about.
"I wonder if I would be a good samurai," her own mind projecting the vision, "Maybe set fire in an entire country perhaps," she smiled shyly, almost as on reflex, something that she had learned at school and now wasn't able to stop.
He chuckled, "I can see that, maybe you could, you know?" he said tentatively, her head turning slowly at him, "Run, and never look back, and then you become a samurai, leave this whole geisha thing behind," the immediacy of his words, the candor was overwhelming, and she could tell that he was not kidding.
"Forget that, Gale," they both sighed, maybe for different reasons, "It's not going to happen, besides I have Prim, and we own to Trinket-san, I couldn't do that to her or to Haymitch," the entire statement was absolutely truth, somewhere along the way both Haymitch and Effie started to grown on her like weeds, or more precisely like dandelions – you know that they're weeds, but they assume such beautiful form that you can deny their presence in your life.
"Yeah, maybe this is for the best," he said finally, "Okay, ready for more, we don't have much time before you singing class ends," the inside joke melting the tension. She was supposed to be in class, instead she found herself training with Gale everyday on the rooftops of the hanamachi.
Their first encounter was rather an accident, one involving him and a curious Katniss that happened to found a lone arrow lodged on the door that granted access to the rooftops of her school, one of her favorite places to take a nap during singing classes.
He was amazed by how a little girl was able to move so silently and swiftly in a kimono like her, he was even more surprised to discover that they both shared the same roots, both native from Sekitan – they even resembled each other, from the grey eyes and olive skin, they could easily be pointed as relatives, maybe cousins.
"That is unacceptable!" Effie shrieked, making Prim and Purnia wince at the shrill sound, Katniss and Haymitch exchanged a sideway glance, "No girl under my roof is going to waltz around with some project of samurai!" she chastised.
It was an uneventful Sunday, the maple trees reddening, and Gale decided to go for a walk with Katniss and Prim, they just chatted and Prim was swinging hers and Katniss hand between then when Effie appeared – apparently out of nowhere – and demanded that both girls retuned immediately to the okiya. Luckily for them Haymitch decided to pay a visit at the time.
It was, a precisely, two hour and forty two minutes long sermon about how a maiden should not be alone with a man of dubious reputation – as if Gale was some sort of criminal.
Haymitch yawned at the end, "Leave her be! Lose the obi, woman! It's not like sweetheart over here loves that boy, anyway," he snarled at her, silence finally settling in.
"Fine, but you better return to your singing classes, or you can bet that the next arrow that you're going to find is going to be nearer than you though! Are we clear?" Katniss gulped and nodded vigorously at Effie, her cheeks ablaze, her mind working a way to figure how Effie discovered her secret. It was Effie after all…
She doesn't know how it happened, how she was able to do something that no one else in the hanamachi did. She became friends with Johanna Mason.
Johanna was one of the most prestigious geishas in the entire hanamchi at the age of seventeen, awakening the jealousy of the other women and the amazement of the men. She was a harsh, gutsy and very talented girl, that acted oblivious to everyone else, but something in Katniss Everdeen caught her eye.
The two girls were fond of each other, often throwing insults at each other, laughing at every awful remark. Effie was always complaining about Johanna manners and Haymitch would laugh every time the surly girl called Katniss 'brainless'.
It was no surprise when Johanna chose Katniss as her protégée, as her imouto-san. The affair seemed ironic in Katniss's mind, since she always considered Johanna an older sister – even Prim considered Johanna a sister, the young girl being the only one able to bring a softer side of Johanna into display.
After some months under the mentoring of Johanna, Effie – along with Haymitch – decided that it was time for Katniss to do her debut at the hanamachi matsuri, leaving her maiko days behind. It was normal for a full-fledged geisha to perform as main attraction, but somehow Katniss was able to impress the members of the city theater responsible for the festival, and by doing so was cast as the main artist of the hanami matsuri.
Like the cherry trees, the hanami also bloomed the jealousy through the hanamachi. Glimmer , one of the most sensual and popular geishas from Koubo was infuriated with the outcome of the line-up, she was supposed to be the star of the show, she screamed at some poor crew members at the rehearsals. Other were more subtle, like Clove, a shot sullen maiko from Pontochou was always whispering of how Katniss got the part, the version that the girl was telling included some more than low moves from Katniss, but the girl from the coal island shrug all of them.
Cinna was hired especially for Katniss, only to… "Add more fuel to the fire," Katniss thought aloud, and Cinna shoot her a bright smile.
"You're not afraid of fire, are you, Katniss?" his voice haltingly and endearing at the same time, Katniss didn't knew how to respond, a simple nod was enough, "Excellent," it was his last words towards her while taking her measures.
The training was pretty uneventful, the choreography wasn't that complicated, but the solo act that Katniss was involved demanded her to do a free style dance that she had no clue about. Every year it was supposed to have a theme, always represented by the girl of the night, and she was clueless of what to do. And in the final moments before stepping on stage Cinna appeared with a lacquer box, inside the most beautiful kimono that Katniss ever laid eyes on.
Lights out and only the faint sound of a taiko, at the audience she could easily spot Effie, Haymitch and Prim. Johanna only a few tables away, sited with a red-haired boy that was familiar. Looking in the other direction she saw Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter, wwith whom she was friends with and in the mezzanine she could make the figure of Gale. A smile almost appeared, but she held it back.
A sole spotlight illuminated her, and her limbs froze. Then she could hear people whispering, they're concerned, maybe she didn't knew what to do. And she didn't. But she twirled, and twirled and twirled. The hem of her kimono and obi seemed to be on fire and Katniss suddenly became alive, her feet making swiftly moves, her arms waving gracefully according to the rhythm of the taiko and shamisen that played at the background.
Cherry tree petals started to rain over her and the entire stage was illuminated and Katniss twirled one last time.
The morning after a poster celebrated the most wonderful performance by the girl on fire.
It was in one of the many nights that Katniss went out with her onee-san to observe that she realized that she was being observed.
Her heart almost stopped when the pair of blue eyes locked with her grey ones. He was there, after so many years, the same blonde curls, the same pearly white smile and handsome features. Maybe she was dreaming.
She could see that he was itching towards them, "Hey! Are you even there?" Johanna barked beside her, making Katniss nearly jump, "What you're so focused on…" her dark eyes traveled to where Katniss's gaze was and smiled wickedly at the sight of the blonde gaijin, "Mellark-san,"
"Mason-chan, nice to see you again," his voice – his accent surprisingly fluent – sweet and jovial, so different from the usual customers that Johanna tends to entertain – most of them business men – "I can see that you still master the dances of Mokuzai province," he smiles fully at her and Johanna wicked humor falters a bit.
"I take pride in my hometown traditions," she said nonchalantly, but Katniss knew how difficult it was for Johanna – or any other geisha for that matter – to speak about her hometown, "Have you met my imouto-san already? Mellark-san, I like you to meet Everdeen-san," she made a slightly motion for Katniss to bow but the younger girl was abruptly cut off the blonde.
He took her hand and placed a gently peck on it, "It's a pleasure to meet you Everdeen-san," all that she could think was of how his pale complexion contrasted with her olive skin, in the warmth that his hand provided to hers and the beautiful shade of blue his eyes were. He was staring at her. Johanna gave a good natured laugh, and nudged the girl's side.
"The p-pleasure is all m-mine," she finally blurted out. Johanna gave her an incredulous look and shook her head, almost imperceptibly at Katniss, and then the younger girl remembered her job, "So, where are you from, Mellark-san?" Katniss's voice was unsure and shaky.
That wasn't normal, Katniss wasn't unsure and shaky. All this time watching Johanna working gave her the confidence to talk with the clients and the grace to escape from delicate situations, she has even developed something the another geisha called the 'no' mask – these types of mask were famous for the weird smile, that sometimes evoked happiness and at others sadness, it all depended of the eyes of the observer.
But something to do with the blonde boy in front of her made the girl crumble. It was the simple fact that she owned him. And there he was, acting as if nothing have ever happened to them, or maybe to him that brief interaction – years ago now – didn't meant anything, or at least not like they meant to her. Maybe, he didn't remembered her, or she was just one more sad girl in the middle of the street that he decided to help, and Katniss felt foolish for cherishing such unrealistic connection between them.
Johanna decided to leave them be, another customer had ordered sake anyways. Peeta didn't missed a beat, "I would like to correct myself," his voice shy and uncertain.
"What?" indeed it was a barely audible phrase of his, but she hasn't managed to comprehend what he wanted to correct.
"It's not the first time that we meet," his eyes were clouded with doubt, and her heart started to beat a lot faster, maybe he did remembered her, "I could never forget such beautiful grey eyes," and he did remembered her. She could see his eyes clearing and a blush spreading in his pale cheeks, and she did felt the same blush escalating to her own – mentally thanking Prim for the extra coat of white powder.
"And I could never forget my boy with the bread," and it wasn't supposed to sound like that. Not that possessive nor that intimate, but she had being fantasizing with him for so long that was nearly impossible to suppress the words that have been playing in her mind for so long, "Oh, I mean… the bread, yeah… I never forgot the bread,"
The smile that bloomed in his face was a priceless memory that she would never forget, it was as if someone told him that he had won the lottery, "In that case I don't have to feel bad for dreaming in meet you again, every single day and night," he said with a happy smile.
It was a dangerous dance what they're doing. Nor geisha or maiko should be doing that, flirting in such indiscreetly manners with a customer, she could feel eyes falling on them, a quick move to serve him more tea was enough to disperse the hawking eyes from the other customers.
"I'm sorry for plaguing your sleep," her tone returning to its steely nature, "Maybe one day I will figure a way to pay you back, Mellark-san,"
His smile faltered, "Please, call me Peeta, it's my first name after all," it sound like a challenge, and he didn't knew that she never refused one.
"As you wish, Peeta," her voice in a teasing, and yet, dangerous tone, he felt like he was walking on a thin line that if crossed would tick her off.
"May I call you by your first name?" and he was right, her face shifted to a stunned look for a brief moment, but enough for him to see that she was caught off guard. A sudden feeling of pride filled him, "It's only fair," he stated.
"I'm Katniss," he notice how she omitted the part where she allowed him to call her by the first name, but it's was a small victory all the same. He has heard of how she was more evasive and mysterious than most geishas in the hanamachi.
In reality, Peeta Mellark heard about this geisha with olive skin, dark brown hair and steel grey eyes. Of how serious and talented she was, how beautifully she played the shamisen and how her dances hypnotized everyone, but more intriguing is that she never sang to none of her customers – always assuring them that she was no singer – something deep within him said that she was lying. And something even more deep said that this mysterious and elusive geisha was his girl on fire.
She kept grinning at Katniss the entire way to the okiya, "What?!" Katniss snapped at some point, she may have asked but deep down she what was playing on Johanna's mind.
"He likes you," the older girl said in singsong voice, "You like him," she completed, making a chant with the two phrases, grinning wider at Katniss blush.
"It's not like that, it's… not…" Katniss stuttered, because in all honesty she didn't knew what was her relation with Peeta Mellark. Yes, she could say that he was just a customer, but it's wasn't that accurate – he was more than that – and she could point him as a lover – he was less than that.
She realized that he was something in between. A love interest perhaps, and she felt foolish for allowing her heart to have this. All these years and the only prospect of being a geisha that really appealed to her was that geishas are not supposed to fall in love. Geishas are wives of the night and art, thus not being able to have their hearts broken by someone who will abandon them, who won't recover from the loss of someone special. Geishas don't become mothers who give their children away.
And now this magnetic attraction towards Peeta Mellark was putting everything on stake. Maybe in time he would forget her, move on. Maybe in time he would find someone else and forget her, move on. The thought frightened her more than anything.
He was feeling his head over the clouds. It was like he received a blessing from the goodness Amaterasu and was graced with a glimpse of paradise. Paradise being that small tea house in Gion's hanamachi and talking to her.
"What else? What else do you know, Portia?" it was probably the billionth time that he was asking her about Katniss, but he couldn't help himself. When he heard that his longtime friend was working for the Trinket okiya he felt like a small child who just found a treasure chest.
The woman huffed in exasperation and exchanged a quick glance with her partner Cinna, "She likes green, adores primroses and despises tomcats,"
"Or at least her sister's infernal tomcat," Cinna interjected, Peeta's blue eyes darted to him, and Cinna couldn't help but to fall for the puppy eyes that the boys had, "Her okobos are the most silent of the hanamachi, her favorite kanzanshi is one that I made with feathers and sakuras, when she is not with her wareshinobu styled she like to have her hair braided,"
Peeta listened to every single word, his heart swell with every tale that the two stylist could recall from the girl. He could imagine the kind of place that her homeland was, an island with shades of grey like her eyes maybe. He could even see hew shooting arrows with her yume bow atop of the hanamachi, her braid waving at the gentle breeze.
He dreamt with her that night.
She dreamt with him that night.
And Johanna could tell. At breakfast Katniss had a huge smile on her face, an absentmindedly one, but still a smile nonetheless. Haymitch, who decided to see Prim and Katniss was surprised at first and then intrigued, "What's up with sweetheart over here? Why is she all bright and shiny?"
Johanna chuckled and Prim and Effie looked equally intrigued, Purnia watching from afar, a suspicious look at Katniss, "Bet that lover boy had something to do with it," Johanna teased, her wicked smile contaminating Haymitch's face.
Effie's eyes were harsh, Prim's surprised and Haymitch's amused, "Well, well, well, so it seems that you got a heart of your own, maybe even a danna," Katniss didn't knew of what he was talking about and her face showed it.
"A danna is a man with the means to support you, to buy you kimonos, make-up, shoes and jewelry that the okiya normally wouldn't provide, and a danna always has a special bond with the geisha, they share something… intimate," Johanna explained, Katniss and Prim nodding slowly in entente, "And Mellark-san happens to be one of the most wealthy man in all Gion," the older girl winked at Katniss in conspiratorial manner, making the girl blush.
"Mellark!" Effie squealed, making everyone at the table jump, "As in the Mellark family?" Johanna rolled her eyes at Effie, but nodded all the same, "Oh, he may be married, but still, such a prestigious man," the woman said dreamily.
Married? The turmoil set in Katniss mind was like a hurricane, "It's not the father, I'm talking about the youngest, Peeta-kun," Johanna corrected the information, "He is young, single and a rampant infatuation towards Katniss, it's a win-win situation," and Katniss's heart swelled, and she didn't even knew why.
"If he became your danna you could avoid mizuage ceremony, who knows what kind of creep could take you," Katniss shuddered at the thought. The many awful stories that she has heard about other maiko that have their mizuages actuated and brought by despicable men, such as Cray, the head of the imperial guard of the western gate of Atami – he was famous for his grotesque habits of buying most mizuages that anyone else.
Some were lucky, or better yet, blessed. Like Delly-chan, a good spirited maiko from Kagurazaka – she was acquaintances with Katniss, they met at the hamami matsuri.
Delly had her mizuage sold to Thom, before being client and geisha they were friends, and Delly may not be the most talented and beautiful geisha of them all, and Thom may not be the wealthiest man alive but they loved each other, and at least they seemed the two most happy people in the entire world.
And then Effie Trinket made her top priority to see Katniss and Peeta bonded as geisha and danna.
She was beyond nervous, it was a daily thing, and yet she was at breaking point. Her mind kept chanting 'normal day, a day like no other' but it was useless, in her heart of hearts she knew that was wrong, it wasn't a normal day. It was the day that Peeta Mellark and her would be alone for the first time.
Firstly Johanna tricked her, saying that have forgot her shamisen at her house. When Katniss got to the tea house she was placed in a room and discovered that she was supposed to attend a client that Johanna had schedule but forgot. Johanna was never there in the first place.
What Katniss didn't knew it was that Haymitch had Peeta convinced to take a tea, the old drunk said that had business to discuss with him, the subject being Katniss herself.
Saying that Peeta went into frenzy was almost an understatement. The boy barely hid the smile from his face the entire way from the bakery to the tea house located near one of the hanamachi's lake. The sunset was sublime and the fall leaves made the scenario his favorite, all orange and incandescent, but right in the center of a small gazebo in the lake he saw her.
A red kimono with an intricate golden pattern covering it; her okobo was lacquer black and her kanzashis reminiscent from a broken arrow. The air from his lungs had vanished. She turned to meet his gaze and the stunned look was only surpassed by the undeniable blush of her cheeks. He could tell that she was unprepared, her hair in a braid, face clean from any make-up, she looked more beautiful than any geisha.
"Katniss," he breathed, he took one last step towards, it was only a couple of feet away from her, but it felt like mile.
"Peeta," her voice shaky and he found her nervousness adorable, geisha never showed such emotions.
They were a loss for words. All the question that he rehearsed in his mind were gone, all the feelings that she wanted clear with him were trapped in her head. Their mouths opened and closed, no words coming forth, until she made the first question.
"English?"
"American,"
"Oh,"
Her imagination went to the most wildest places in the world trying to figure it out his nationality, "A small city from a state called Kentucky,"
"Kentucky," she echoed, her tongue tasting the word, it seems like a special place.
"It's nothing special really, lots of coal mines and dust," he smiled sadly, but her astonished face caught him off guard, "Did it I said something wrong?"
She stared at him in disbelief, there was no way to know her past, but somehow they shared similar backgrounds. A smile spread in her face and he reciprocate, not really sure of what she was smiling at, maybe there was something funny at his face. He scrunched his features and she laughed softly.
"There is nothing wrong, you're just right," her tone light and his heart lodged on throat for some reason, "It's just that my hometown seems similar to yours," she said earnestly and a bell rang in her mind.
She finally comprehended the reason why Johanna set this trap to her. All of this was maneuver to bring Katniss and Peeta together, so he could become her danna. Her main reason to cooperate was the avoidance of the mizuage, the prospect of selling her virginity in order to prove herself a woman was ludicrous and bizarre and grotesque – she may be only seventeen but in a couple of years the mizuage would be impossible to deflect.
For Peeta all that crossed his mind was that Haymitch knew something that he didn't, that maybe Katniss wanted to know him better, but it wasn't right for geishas to chase clients like this, thus being the reason of the old man's trap. And Peeta was more than willingly to cooperate with such plan.
Katniss and Peeta talked for hours, about nothing and anything in particular, she served him tea and he explained her how to make the takoyakis that she was eating – geishas rarely drank or eat in front of customers, but he decided that the sound of her gulp was almost angelic – they started to ask personal questions, such as dreams and ambitions until curiosity spoke louder, "So your father worked for the emperor?" she asked in full amazement.
"Yes, but he decided to retire from the palace, he prefers small pleasures, that's why we have the bakery, he is happy there and so am I," his voice full of respect and admiration, he asked her about her parents and something propelled her to tell the entire tale. He listened attentively to her words, every syllable precious in her voice.
"That why… that why I'm here, and maybe it was for the best," he smile sadly at her, "But that's also why I'm never …" she couldn't finish, not in front of him. He was staring at her in way that made her conviction falter, "I don't know if I could ever fall in love," there were many interpretations to that sentence, and even herself wondered what it really meant, but when his hand covered hers her mind shut.
It was warm and familiar and unique. Comforting in a way that she could express, his hand raised to her face and she leaned into his touch, his eyes lids closing slowly with hers, he gently place a loose strand of her hair and placed behind her ear. The blush on her face came fully and she felt foolish for assuming something more.
They stayed at the tea house until six and Peeta walked her to the okiya, people on the streets whispering as they walked by, close enough to awake assumptions, but not close enough to bring rumors upon them.
"Sayonara, Mellark-san," she teased, knowing how much he liked when she called him by the first name.
"Sayonara, Katniss-chan," he teased back, and her face flushed, he adored to see her lit up at the endearment. When he disappeared from view a smile appeared on her face.
"You seem different," Prim said that night, while Katniss braided her hair to sleep.
"How come?" the older sister asked, genuinely curious, "I'm the same from yesterday,"
The blonde girl looked to her sister, scrunching her nose, "Maybe…"
The next weeks were about joining Johanna at night in the hanamachi and spending time with Peeta in the afternoons. The truth was that her mind was always on Peeta, when she served tea to a customer she briefly wondered if he would like that tea, when she spotted someone with orange clothes she thought of how he liked the muted shade of the color and every time she looked at a dandelion she smiled at the thought of him.
Even when Gale was around it was hard to not think about him, they were at the roof top of greasy Sae's restaurant, both seated at the edge with bowls of noodles in hands, "You seem different," it was like hearing to Prim, only in the form of Gale.
"I'm the same from yesterday," she replied nonchalantly.
"You were with him, yesterday," the revulsion in Gale's words didn't went unnoticed by Katniss, "Since you became friends with him you seem strange, like you are not the real you,"
It was a funny choice of words, because indeed she didn't felt like herself, not as long she was away from Peeta. When he was near she was light and nervous at the same time, dreamy and anxious altogether.
"What I do with Peeta is none of your business," the harshness in her tone was surprisingly even to herself, "It's not like you're jealous," she teased, trying to lighten up the mood, but it backfired.
"Maybe I am," his eyes were set at the clouds in the sky, her head snapped at him, her breath coming with a certain difficulty, "It never occurred to you that maybe, he is not the only one with feeling towards you?" she didn't like to where this was heading, she didn't like it at all.
He looked at her, right in the eye, and he lunged at her, his mouth darting to connect with her. She managed to place a hand in his chest and hold him back, "Gale, what are you doing?!"
The pain in his eyes were more than she could bare, "I thought that… maybe… gomenasai," his tone was dejectedly and he stood up and made his way back to the first floor.
Katniss stayed there for hours trying to process what just have happened.
She was in the middle of her way back to the okiya when she heard his loud footsteps, and she turned to meet his eyes, and there it was that sensation, of being at ease and nervous at the same moment, "Katniss, is everything alright?" he placed a friendly hand over her shoulder, and she flinched, his eyes were confused for a moment and she couldn't tell what settled in them.
She stared at him, and her eyes landed on his lips.
"Katniss are you-" she cut him mid-sentence, her lips shushing him. It's was sloppy and clumsy, and she didn't knew how to kiss him, but his arms encircled her waist and her hands rested in his chest and time seemed to hold still.
Something stirred deep within her, something familiar and foreigner, something that she couldn't explain it.
They pulled away, his arms still around her, her head resting on the crook of his neck, her eyes closed , "I'm sorry… I just wanted to know… how…" he pecked her lips, once, twice, three times.
"Oh, I don't mind if you need reassurance of my feelings for you," he kissed her one more time, "I can provide all the certainty that you need," she could feel the smile in his voice and she smacked his arm lightly. They laughed and for the first time she realized where she was. In the bridge that she has first seen him, all those years ago now, people finally appearing in the streets.
They pulled away, and he walked her to the okiya like always but this time he went inside with her, he didn't said anything, he didn't have to, she knew exactly what he was going to do. He went straight to Effie's small office and asked to patronage Katniss as her danna.
She wasn't sure at first, if her own feelings were true, if she could forget the past with her shattered family and move on. In the end she did, she did move on. With him by her side it was easy. When it was announced at the tanabata matsuri of her commitment with Peeta – as geisha and danna – men groaned in unison, and the other geisha in the hanamachi congratulate her, Delly being one of the firsts and she discovered that Peeta and her were friends.
Prim grew up, but instead of becoming a maiko Effie decide to grant her wish. Prim started to attend at a small apothecary at the hanamachi, and if she kept the good work she could move to Tokyo to become a doctor. Katniss was ecstatic and Peeta joked of how primroses drove her insane.
After a year she became a full fledge geisha, and Peeta worked hard to support her, he opened his own bakery with the guidance of his father, his mother was always nagging him of how he would never get married, since a geisha could never marry.
Geishas were married to the night, but in the afternoons Katniss would steal kisses from Peeta, a caress in the cheek, and the feeling of hunger was never absent when he was near, a smile never far from his lips when she was near.
At the age of twenty she paid her debt with Effie thanks to a surprisingly surge of customers since her last performance at the hanami matsuri. When all was settle and done Peeta took her for a walk at the park of Gion, the cherry trees blossoming beautifully.
"You know, there is something that I've been dying to ask you," she knew what he was doing, whenever he wanted something he would come like this.
"If you're talking about that trip to Okinawa you already know the answer," she huffed, the subject was being a constant in their conversations, "It's not that I don't trust Finnick, is just that I don't trust Finnick in an onsen," they laughed a bit.
"It's not that," he stopped suddenly, petals falling over them, "Katniss, I don't know how you do it, but in America…" his tone was serious and the look in his eyes made her stop dead on her tracks, "Katniss Everdeen from Sekitan island, sister of Primrose Everdeen and heir of the Trinket okiya," her throat closed and her heart hammered against her ribcage, he knelt in front of her, "would you marry me?" he took a small velvet box from his jacket pocket, when he opened she could see a beautiful ring, with no diamonds but a pearl, a token from a memory that they both cherished so much.
She had to leave her entire life as a geisha behind, and the answer was simple, yet entailed so much…
"Yes," and the kiss they shared under the cherry trees sealed what Katniss could only see a new beginning.