Vernon Dursely was a man of pride, and he did not take kindly to that pride being stepped upon. However that was exactly what had happened to him on the first of November 1981. On that day he had been forced to take in the son of his sister in law. Now that would not have been much of a problem normally, but Vernon was also a man of ignorance and prejudice. He was the kind of man that responded to anything that he did not understand with fear, anger, and violence.
That was why when he found out that the boy's parents were magical he wanted nothing to do with the child. So he went around trying to find a way to get rid of the boy. Of course his wife Petunia had been insistent that they do no such thing as she didn't want to have a wizard by the name of Albus Dumbledore come down of their heads. After much arguing they reached an agreement. They would have the boy sent away for only most of the year but he would return during the summer for appearances sake. Petunia was delighted with the idea, and the couple began to search for anyone that would take the boy for any length of time.
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It was a dreary day in London and not many people were out and about, but there were a few. Among them was a woman. She was fairly short and clearly of oriental background. She had large brown eyes that would have made her look cute were it not for the how they moved sharply and with precision over everything around her. Her hair was also brown and it was tied in a long pony tail that reached down to the small of her back. She wore a black coat with a black skirt while carrying a decorative red parasol which was luckily for her waterproof.
She was not happy about being in England and made it quite know by the dirty looks that she was sending everyone that she saw, but other than that she said nothing to anyone. She walked down the street for a bit before coming to a small coffee shop. It seemed to serve tea, and she was in need of a reprieve from the rain. So she entered the shop and sat. She looked at the menu for a moment and gave a frown. It seemed that they didn't serve green tea, and so with a sigh she ordered the traditional English black tea.
When it arrived she regarded it with a careful examination before finally taking a sip. It was not the greatest tea that she had ever had the pleasure of drinking but it did not upset her sensibilities, and for that she was thankful. After she finished her tea she prepared to leave, but was stopped when a large man and a horse faced woman entered the shop. They had along with them two small children. The first child resembled the fat man in that he was round and blubbery with a tuft of blond hair. The second child on the other hand was beautiful. It seemed to be a girl with long red hair that easily reached her little butt, but it was not properly cared for and so instead of a glistening red it was more of a muted color.
As she was observing the couple and their children the fat man spoke. "We need to find someone to take the blasted boy!" he was in a rage as he pointed to the sleeping red haired child.
The woman couldn't believe that the child was a boy but that was no matter. If they wanted to give the child up then who was she to deny them their boon? So with a gracefulness that was rarely seen she got up from her table and walked over to theirs. "Hello I couldn't help but overhear you two." She began politely in heavily accented English, but she could see that the couple in front of her was comprised of two savages but she reframed from commenting. "I would like to take the boy off of your hands if that's alright with you."
Now normally when a complete stranger walks up to you and offers to take a child off of your hands you would say no, but that was not the Dursely mindset. Instead they were relieved that they had found someone to take the child. However Petunia was a bit weary of what would happen if the child was not in their home at least some of the time. "I would like that but he would need to be back for two months out of the summer." Petunia was about to say more, but it donned on her that she didn't know the name of the woman that had offered to take the child. "May I inquire as to what your name is?" she asked trying to be polite, as not to scare the woman away.
The woman gave a smile that looked quite genuine, but it was forced. "My name is Misaki Mastumoto, and you are?"
Petunia pointed to herself. "I am Petunia Dursely, and that's my husband Vernon, my son Dudley, and my nephew Harry Potter." She said Harry's name with barely contained disdain, but Misaki picked up on it.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. Please write down your address so that I may come and pick little Harry up in two days time." Vernon made to protest, but she knew his kind all too well. "I will send you a check every month as gratitude for allowing me to keep the boy."
Vernon was satisfied with this and decided that it was prudent to keep his mouth shut. With a smile Petunia did as she was asked, and then Masaki left.
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As she had told the Dursleys she arrived at their home two days later in a small expensive looking car with a driver seated in the front while she herself sat in the back. Once the car came to a stop the driver got out and opened the door for her to do the same. He bowed to her for which she gave no visible reply. She walked up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell.
She heard scrambling behind the door for a few moments and then a screech of who is it. She didn't answer instead she again rang the bell. It was obvious that the family did not appreciate that as evident by the fact that she heard hard and heavy steps behind the door. When it finally opened it revealed the purple face of Vernon. It was obvious that he was angry, but the color and anger left his face in an instant when he recognized her.
In truth Vernon had not expected the woman to uphold so he didn't bother to prepare Harry to go with her. In fact he didn't even take the boy out from cupboard that he and his wife had stuffed him in. So when he was greeted with the prim and proper face of Masaki he began to sweat. She could see the fear too, but she said nothing about it. Instead she gave him a smile.
"Hello Mr. Dursely I take it that little Harry is ready for me?" she asked in a smooth silky voice cloaked in the demure of her accent. The man began to sputter incoherently about this and that, but Misaki was having none of that. "Mr. Dursely you have twenty minutes to have Harry out here with any clothing that he will need if he is not here in that time I will come inside and get him ready myself, and if I have to do that then I will be greatly displeased."
Vernon nodded to her before closing the door. He didn't know why be he felt that if she were displeased with him then he wouldn't live that much longer, and he liked living. So fifteen minutes later he came out of the house with Harry in tow along with a small bag that was filled to the brim with clothing. Masaki silently took the boy and the clothing and walked to the car. The driver took the bag from her and put it in the trunk. Misaki kept hold of Harry as she sat in the car. The red haired green eyed child was asleep just as he had been when she first saw him.
She took the time in the car to examine him, and she was not happy. She had thought that he was just naturally small for his age, and while she was right he was actually much smaller then even he should have been due to what was obviously malnutrition. That made her angry, and she was sure that her anger was going to be made visible to the Dursleys.
In the mean time she had the driver take her to the airport. When they arrived the driver once again opened the door for her before going into the trunk and taking the bag of clothing out. However Masaki shot him a look that told him to drop it which he did without hesitation. He was not stupid and knew better than to go against the word of Masaki even if she had not said anything to him. To him a gesture was as good as the word. Once they were out of the car they were led to a small plane which they boarded.
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Light streamed into a small room that was bare save for a small futon that was placed in the middle of the hardwood floor. On that futon lay the pale form of Harry Potter. The boy began to slowly stir as the light became too much for him. Once he opened his eyes he began to look around the room and panic.
He had never slept in a bedroom before, and he knew if his aunt and uncle found out about it then he would be in trouble. So with some effort he got off the small mattress and examined it for a moment. He realized that he had seen many beds in his life but not one like the one that he'd slept in but he put that thought out of his head. He had to get out of the room.
So with swiftness- at least it felt that way to him- Harry ran to the door, but the moment that he got there the handle turned and a woman stepped through the door. The woman had dark eyes and equally dark hair that was done in a beautifully elaborate style. She had a neat bun of hair that rested on the crown of her head, the rest of her hair was puff out to the sides and pulled in such a way that it seemed to simply rest there (kinda hard to explain). She wore a soft white kimono that was beret of designs, and a black obi that was tied in a butterfly knot.
The woman regarded that child in front of her for a moment before grabbing him by the arm. "Come child we have much to do and not much time to do it."
However to Harry it came out as nothing more than incoherent gibberish. The woman knew that also but he was going to have to learn to speak and they were not going to waste time with a tutor when emersion was the best way to go about it.
The woman dragged Harry to a bathing room unlike any that he had ever seen. There was no tub or shower that he could discern. Instead there was a stool and a bucket along with several toiletries that he recognized as shampoo and soap.
The woman stared at Harry pointedly for a moment before speaking. "Take your clothes off and bathe"
Once again the boy couldn't understand a word of what was said, so she repeated herself before forcibly taking his clothing off and sitting him on the stool. She then took the bucket and filled it with water before pouring it over his head. Then she took the soap and lathered it over his body. She didn't bother to try and be modest. Instead she was very through cleaning everything. This left Harry a bit flushed.
Once she felt that he was thoroughly bathed she took him out of the bath and dried him off before wrapping a towel around his waist to hide his modesty in case any of the maiko or geisha that happened to walk by. They quickly arrived back in the room that Harry had awoken in. once there the woman took the towel from him. He made to use his hand to cover himself, but the woman was having none of that.
"Hold still." She commanded in her native tongue. Harry once again didn't understand a lick of what had come from her mouth, but her body language told him that she wanted him to be still. He complied not wishing to test the woman's patience by being stubborn.
She smiled at him as he let his arms fall to the side and relaxed. With that she turned to the large closet that was situated in front of the futon. Harry watched as the woman took several articles of clothing from the closet and set them aside on a small table that was next to a large dresser with a mirror attached to it and a chair in front of it.
She pushed Harry into the chair. "Sit and don't move." Harry once again caught the gist of what she was saying and he sat still in the chair. The woman then produced a bag that Harry had not noticed she was carrying. From the bag she took out several things that Harry had never seen before. The first was a can of a clear but sticky looking substance. She dipped her finger in this before smearing it around her hand. She then began to apply the substance to Harry's skin.
It gave the skin a glossy look. Once that was done she took out a white power that was mixed with some water that was in a cup on the dresser. Then she took a bamboo brush and began to apply. She started at his neck and worked her way up. She left the nape of his neck alone. After she finished that she took a sponge and patted in all over his face, neck, and nape. With that done she took a small black pencil and began to draw in his eyebrows and eyes. The last thing she did was take a red stick and applied it to part of his lower lip.
With his make up in place the woman began to work on his hair. She took his hair and worked it into a neat bun that sat on the crown of his head. She then ordained it with jewelry and several ribbons. After that she put some sort of bag over his had. It was very loose and it didn't even tough his head. With that on she took out the articles of clothing that she had laid out earlier and began to dress Harry.
The first thing she made him put on was a small thin undershirt called a Juban it was white in color. Along with the Juban he was given Susoyoke which is a half slip like piece of underwear. On top of the Juban and the Susoyoke he was given a white Hiyoku which was another thin undershirt. Over that he was given Nagajuban which resembled the Kimono that he was given but it was simply white with no designs.
Lastly to complete his look he was given a long Kimono. The Kimono was red, and instead of the intricate designs that were usually put on the Kimono to make it pleasing to the eyes his was designed with catching ones attention in mind. The Kimono had a black dragon on it along with a white tiger that seemed locked in mortal combat. The Kimono was tied in a butterfly knot with a black obi.
To complete his ensemble he was given a pair of tabi which are traditional socks that are divided to allow for the wear of zori or geta. Harry was also given a pair of zori which are sandals with a thong of rubber that goes between the toes. Once he was fully dressed the woman turned toward the door. She said something he didn't understand but he took it to mean that he was to follow her.
He looked at her as she walked out the room. Her steps were short and graceful even though she was wearing the same clothing that he was, so he decided to copy he way of walking. He found it very difficult but he still did it. As they walked he saw many more women that were dressed in very much the same way that he and the other woman were.
The woman led him to a large room that had no chairs, but instead it had a low table that had several pillows around it. Seated at the head of the table was another woman. She was dressed as the other women but she wore no make up nor elaborate hair style.
The woman that had been essentially his leader for the day sat down at the table to the woman's right. Harry noticed that she didn't really sit but instead it was more of a kneeling stance on the pillow. Harry decided that he would do the same and took a place at the right of the woman at the head of the table.
The woman said nothing to the pair. Instead she took a tea pot that was left on the table and carefully poured them each a cup. His leader got hers first and he watched as she carefully gripped it in hand and took a drink. He followed her lead when he received his cup. The hostess as he mentally named her was the last to drink.
He took care to drink at a slow muted pace as they were doing. He didn't know what was going on but he didn't want to have any sort of trouble.
Halfway through the tea the woman revealed a small plate of rice balls which she handed out. The three sat in relative silence as they ate their rice balls and drank their tea, and when it was finished the woman spoke. She spoke in English unlike the other woman but it was clear that she also spoke both English and the other language.
"Young Harry this is the last time that I will speak to you in English so listen carefully." She took a pause to look at him and make sure that she had his full attention which she did. "My name is Misaki Matsumoto, and you young Harry will be living with me for ten months out of the year until you come of age. While you are living with me you will learn whatever it is that is being taught. That includes the language, and the art of the geisha. Also you will be given a new name. Benihime Matsumoto will be your geisha name. We will rarely address you as Harry from this day forth so please get used to that name."
Harry was a little sad that he no longer had his name, but at least they were going to use a name for him rather than calling him freak or boy. "Now then from here on out until I tell you otherwise you are to follow the woman next to you. She is Minami, and she is your Onee-san. Now go."
With the dismissal the two left the room. Minami was in front with Benihime a few steps behind. Minami led out of the building which he realized was fairly large. A man in front of the building handed them each a parasol that was unopened. Minami said something to the man that Benihime took as a thank you.
Minami continued to walk until she came to a car which she told Benihime to get into. The two got into the car, and Benihime watched as they passed by a multitude of large buildings that seemed to dominate the horizon. It was a great experience for the maiko –not that he knew that-.
The car finally came to a stop at a large building that had some script that Benihime was unable to identify on the front along with a picture of a cup of tea. The duo walked into the establishment with Benihime as always a few steps behind. They walked into a room reminiscent of the one that they had met Misaki in however there was a small raised area of the room that seemed to be some sort of stage.
Minami took Benihime's hand and led the young maiko to a seat that was close to the stage and away from the other tables. "Sit and be quiet. You are here to learn."
After a while guests began to trickle in. There were a multitude of men and women in high-end business suits. They all sat at the small tables in the kneeling position that the seats forced them into, but they took it as though it was second nature to them.
Once they were all seated Minami went around with a teapot and began to serve them tea. It was then that she realized that she was the only geisha there and that no one was available to serve the onigiri (rice balls). With grace she went over to Benihime. "Stand." The young maiko did so seeing the urgency in the gesture.
Minami then pointed to the onigiri that was sitting on a platter. Seeing what her (yes I will refer to the Benihime persona in the feminine) Onee-san wanted Benihime took the platter and silently gave each guest their snack. She did it following the grace that she had seen Minami move with. It was tough but she was determined to succeed.
Once she had done that she went back to her seat and drank her own tea. Her Onee-san on the other hand took the stage and began to perform. Benihime watched in awe as Minami sang and dance. At times during the performance Minami would notice that some of the customers would be running low on tea or snacks and she would cut her eyes to Benihime who would notice and begin to refill their cups and bring more snacks.
The guests gave her man remarks that guessed were complements but she didn't know what they were saying at all so she only smiled at them and nodded. Once Minami had preformed enough at least for a moment she took a seat at the table with the guests and motioned for Benihime to do the same. That was when the conversation began.
"I didn't know you had a maiko with you what's her name?" Asked a fairly shrewd looking man. He wasn't pleasing to the eyes but he was paying.
"Her name is Benihime. She was just apprenticed to me this morning, but she is learning nicely. I think I can have her actually performing in three to four months if her drive to learn extends past grace and service."
Another man who had heard the comment looked at the two then he man gave a hearty laugh and looked toward Benihime again. She smiled at him. He turned back to Minami, and then he motioned for her to lean forward before he whispered as to avoid the ears of the other patrons. "Your apprentice is fairly well behaved and a good learner, but I know a boy when I see one."
Minami was shocked by the revelation but she didn't let it show outwardly. She took out a fan and opened it so that it blocked her mouth. "What are you playing at?" she growled.
The man gave a smile full of mirth. "Simple I always wanted to know what a geisha trained in Bushido would be like, and I think this is my chance to find out."
Minami glared at the man. "I am afraid that is impossible. He speaks no Japanese only English." She hoped that such a statement would dissuade the man but it didn't.
"I will teach him, but at any rate bring him to me tomorrow. You may have him every other day. If you refuse to do so then I will reveal him. Is that understood?"
Minami only nodded. She knew that her Okaa-san was not going to be pleased. A few minutes later Benihime watched as her Onee-san got back onto the stage and began to play a strange three stringed instrument while singing. While this was going on she once again began to make sure that the customers had their food and drink as they needed it.
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After the party had ended Benihime was brought back to her room in the compound as she referred to it. Once she was there Minami took a wet sponge and began to remove her make up or now his make up as Harry was revealed. Minami didn't bother to undo his hair instead she simply made him take off his Kimono along with his other garments before taking him to bathe again.
This time though he forced Harry to wear a shower cap to protect his hair. Once he had finished his bathing he was taken back to his room where his futon was laid out but there was something on it. It was a thick black neck rest. Minami gave Harry a set of pajamas which he quickly changed into. Then he lay down, but before his head touched the futon Minami forced him to put his neck on the neck rest. She gave him a glare and muttered something that he didn't understand, but he knew it to mean that he wasn't to move his neck.
Once Harry was in bed Minami left the room with her usual silent grace that showed nothing of what she was feeling. She made her way to a room that belonged to Misaki. She didn't bother to knock as the other woman was expecting her. She entered the room and took a seat on a pillow that was set next to the older woman's futon.
Misaki herself was lying down on the futon. She didn't look at the geisha. "So how was Benihime's first outing?"
"It went well and she was well received, but there was a complication." Misaki raised an eyebrow at this.
"What do you mean complication?"
"Danzo he realized that Benihime was not a girl. He threatened to expose this information unless we allowed him to train her in the ways of Bushido."
Masaki mulled this around in her mind for a few moments. She could certainly have someone paid to kill the old man but that would only create a bigger problem, and she could not afford to have any of her geisha died over something like this. She let out a heavy sigh. "We will play his games. I don't wish to bring any trouble to the geisha here."
Minami nodded before leaving the room. Misaki for her part didn't let the frustration show. There was nothing that could be done and she knew it. They would just have to deal with everything as it came.
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The next day found Harry once again assuming his persona of Benihime. She followed Minami like a shadow, however instead of going to another party Minami took her apprentice to a small compound that had a private garden and guards. The guards led Benihime to the garden, but Minami was not allowed in. Benihime didn't like what was going on, but there was nothing that she could do.
When she reached the garden she was greeted with the sight of the man that had last spoken to Minami at the party. She hadn't really paid him any attention at the time, but now she looked over him with a critical eye. He was a fairly tall man with dark hair that was just beginning to grey. He wore a black suit with a red tie. He motioned for Benihime to sit and she did. Once she was seated at the gazebo of the garden the man produced an apple and said something before pointing to it. He did this several times each time motioning for Benihime to repeat it. That was the entire time that she spent with the man. He would show her an object and say its name in Japanese and have her repeat him. Once he ran out of objects one of the guards that had led her to the garden came into the room. He and the man conversed slowly and repeatedly in Japanese and Benihime copied them.
When they were done the man motioned for her to stand. "What is your name?" He asked in a slow deliberate manner in Japanese.
"My name is Benihime." She responded in equally slow and deliberate Japanese. It went on like this for hours with him teaching her a new phrase when he was sure that she had mastered the previous one. After what felt like an eternity he dismissed her and she was led out of the compound to a car that held a waiting Minami.
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The next day Benihime was once again dressed fully in her Kimono and make-up. Once she was dressed she was led to a small room. She took a seat on one of two pillows that had a strange three stringed instrument in front of it. She looked the instrument over but she reframed from touching it. "Onee-san what is this?"
The words came out a bit slow, but they were understood. "It is a shamisen." Benihime nodded and realized that she would be expected to learn how to play the instrument. She was right and the day was spent with slow lessons on how to play it. She was unable to understand much of what was said, but every time a note appeared on the page she was looking at Minami would show her which string to pluck.
By the end of the lesson she was able to play the first song while reading the sheet music but she was unable to play it without looking which annoyed her greatly.
The next day once again found her in the presence of the man that she had come to know as Danzo. He was teaching her Japanese again, but this time he was using words that she knew in conjunction with ones that she didn't know. This forced her to guess what they meant, but it also made her use them in order to get what they meant.
Things went on like this for three months. At the end of that time Benihime could speak fluently which shocked many people as Japanese was a hard language to get the hang of. She could also read kanji and was working on Hiragana. She had also advanced in the ways of the geisha. She no longer had to follow Minami around and she participated directly in some of the parties.
On one of the days she was due to work with Danzo the man greeted her but he was not wearing the suit that she traditionally saw him in. instead he was wearing an elegant black kimono with a white obi, but the obi didn't hold just his kimono in place. It also held in place three swords at his hip. "Benihime-chan from this moment on your calligraphy will be solely worked upon by the geisha. I will be teaching you Bushido and the long dead art of the Samurai."
She only mutely nodded. Danzo gave her a smile before speaking again. "Now before we begin please change into this." He pointed to another kimono that was exactly like his own.
Benihime gave a sigh before taking off her kimono and reaching up in order to take down her hair, but Danzo stopped her hand before it could do anything. "You are a boy I know, but you are also geisha, and even though you are learning Bushido you are still a geisha."
Benihime smiled at knowing she would be allowed to be as a geisha. She calmly put on the kimono that had been provided for her. "Now that you are dressed I will teach you the way of the sword. This is what comes before all other teachings."
Instead of beginning the teaching with how to use swords and having her work with a wooden one he took her to a forge, and showed her how to make blades and how to care for them. That was all he taught her for a year. After the year had ended he had her to forge her own blades.
With precision that was not often seen she forge four blades. The first blade was a tanto or Japanese knife like a dagger. It was fairly short even for tanto, but it was easily concealed not that she would. The next blade was a wakizashi or Japanese short sword it was of a similar design when compared to katana, but only shorted. The blade that Benihime had created was red as opposed to the silver that most recognized as steel. This was because she had mixed clay along with some of her own blood into the metal. The sheath was black with no decoration.
The third blade that she created was a katana or Japanese long sword. They are the swords that are most often recognized by westerns. The blade was much longer than the wakizashi, and it was black instead of red. The sheath was white with no decoration.
The last sword she crafted was chokuto. Chokuto are not wide recognized as Japanese swords due to their straight blades that lack any type of curve. The chokuto that she had crafted was shorter than her katana but longer than her wakizashi in an effort not to have her look awkward when she used it.
Once her swords were done Danzo began to teach her how to user them. This entire period of training took two years. When that was finished Danzo drilled the ways of Bushido into her. Bushido is known as the way of the warrior, and it lays out how a true warrior should lead their life. It contains eight tenants
The first tenant is justice or rectitude as some call it: it is to follow the will of what is right and what is wrong. It is to deliver punishment when it is proper and to defer when it is not. It is to know what is good for everyone not just you.
The second tenant is courage: the ability to do what needs to be done regardless of your fears or the opinions of others. To not have this courage is nothing short of blight upon the warrior that warrants nothing less than death.
The third tenant is mercy: the cruel do not maintain power long. To rule by fear is to incite rebellion and hatred. By showing mercy others will look upon you with eyes of kindness and respect and is proper for a warrior.
The fourth tenant is politeness: Rudeness shows a lack of respect for not only those that you are being rude to but to your own station in life. Being polite shows that you feel others are deserving of respect, but you also show that so are you.
The fifth tenant is sincerity: a man is nothing without his word. If a man lies he shows that he is nothing. That is not to say that all lying is wrong, but to lie to those who put their trust in you is poor taste and shows that you are not to be trusted.
The sixth tenant is honor: Honor is the only thing that matters after death. It is the life of the warrior to protect his honor. A slight against that honor is not tolerated, and it is the will of the warrior that all in his power be done to preserve that honor even if it calls for death.
The seventh tenant is loyalty: when a man has given you his trust it is the will of the warrior that you return it. It is a slight against ones honor when they leave a friend or ally to their fate and it is not something that is easily forgiven.
The final tenant is self control: A warrior is to hold himself in a controlled manner. Losing control of ones emotions is a danger to themselves and those around them. Anger clouds judgment and causes other problems.
Although Benihime did spend much time learning Bushido and becoming a better geisha she was forced to go back to her relatives every summer, and she hated it. Normally when she went back she didn't bring any of her geisha things, and she would become Harry again. However the summer on which her eleventh birthday would occur she decided that since she was well versed in the way of the geisha and Bushido that there was no reason to hide it.
So on the first of June 1991 Petunia was shocked when she opened the door to reveal Misaki along with a red haired girl dressed in a elaborate kimono. Her face had a light smatter of make-up that was not readily discerned, but Petunia had been using make-up long enough to see it. The horse faced woman stared at the two for a moment before speaking. "Who is this little girl?"
Misaki laughed and said something to the girl in Japanese causing her to laugh also, but they quickly stopped. "This Ms. Dursely is your nephew Harry, although we call him Benihime now. Let us in while I have a man take his things up to his room."
Petunia nodded mutely as she took in the beauty that was her nephew. As she looked him over she also noticed the three swords that were at his waist along with the one that went across his back. She had the distinct feeling that he knew how to use them.
Once they were inside the house Petunia motioned for them to go into the living room, and soon after she brought out a tray of tea along with several wafers. She served the tea fairly nicely Benihime thought, but she was married and too old to become a geisha. Not to mention it would take a lot of make-up to make her look even a little bit presentable.
Once the man had finished putting Benihime's things in the guest bedroom Misaki left but not before glaring at Petunia. Benihime had told her what the Dursleys tried to do to her during the summers, but now that she was trained enough she would defend herself if need be.
Petunia for her part was curious as to what went on while the boy was gone so she decided to ask. "What is it that you do when you're gone?"
Benihime gave her a smirk. "I am a geisha and a practitioner of Bushido. I am also a samurai." She didn't care to hide being a samurai even though the carrying of swords in Japan was against the law she still did it often and often got in trouble for it.
When Petunia heard the word geisha she got a sour look on her face, and said the first thing that came to mind. "So you're a whore."
Before she knew what had happened she was pinned to the couch with a small knife at her throat. "If you ever refer to my profession in such a manner again I will gut you where you stand woman." Benihime said in a cold voice before removing her tanto from the woman's neck and taking a seat back on the couch.
She poured herself more tea before speaking again. "Geisha are not whores as you so elegantly stated. Geisha are entertainers. We perform. We sing, dance, serve tea, play instruments, and we make conversation. We do not allow swine to touch us more than is necessary although many have tried and died by my hand."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but she knew that Benihime was not one to be trifled with. The rest of Benihime's tea was finished in silence. "Petunia you are to help me dress in the mornings." Petunia only nodded not feeling like getting gutted any time soon.
Benihime for her part went up to her room and took off her make up and took her hair down before changing into a haori which is a smaller jacket like kimono. She settled down and began to read.
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Two hours later the silence that had enveloped the house after the incident between Benihime and Petunia was shattered when Vernon and Dudley came into the house. Petunia would have warned them about what was going to happen but she knew that they would do as they felt.
So when Dudley barged into the kitchen Petunia sighed. "Where's the freak mum I wanna show him something."
"He's upstairs in the second bedroom." Dudley stiffened at that. Even when Harry came over for the summer he wasn't allowed to sleep in that bedroom.
Vernon overheard what Petunia said and rounded on the woman with rage in his eyes. "Why on earth would you let that little freak into that room Petunia?! Go throw him and his things into that cupboard right now!"
Petunia ignored the anger in the fat man's voice and replied calmly. "Do it yourself."
That riled him up even more, but he would never put his hands on his wife. Instead he decided to follow her advice and made his way up the stairs and toward the second bedroom. He yanked the door open almost ripping it off the hinges, and he was greeted in kind to his violence. Before he knew what had happened he felt a sting in his chest and looked down to see that he had been stabbed in it. Unluckily for him it was in the heart, and he died shortly thereafter.
Benihime was shocked at her aim. She had not stabbed the man in the heart on purpose, but the shock of the door being thrown open like that was a shock. However she didn't feel sorry for the man. She had killed several men who thought geisha were women of ill repute, and adding a man like Vernon to the pile of bones was nothing to her.
Petunia had followed Vernon and was going to stop him from doing something stupid but she wasn't fast enough and she was forced to see her husband die. Petunia had never seen anyone die before that and she hoped she never would.
Numbly she went to the kitchen and dialed the police who came fifteen minutes later, however as they were taking a look at the scene Benihime bribed both officers with two thousand pounds apiece to simply call it an accident which they readily did.
Once that was done Benihime turned to Petunia. "If no one else wishes to join him in the afterlife then I suggest you follow my instruction." Petunia nodded
Dudley never found out what had happened to his father. The police had told him the "official" story, and as such he tried to pick on Benihime for being dressed as a woman, and she ignored him. When it got too much for him he tried to attack her against his mother's wishes, and as punishment she took him over her knee and used the flat of her katana to spank him. "If you ever do that shit to me or anyone else again you'll get more of the same."
Two weeks after Vernon's death things in the Dursely household had calmed down and a new routine had been forged. Every morning Petunia would wake up early and tie Benihime's obi, and then she would wake breakfast. Benihime would wake Dudley and if he refused to get up she would spank him, and then the trio would eat. All the meals were light and served with tea. Dudley complained at first, but a few spankings got that notion out of his head.
It was on one of those mornings that Dudley got the mail and handed Benihime a letter that was written to Harry Potter. Benihime opened it and nearly ripped it apart in shock. Just was she was about to do that Petunia stopped her.
"That letter is real!" she exclaimed hoping that she wouldn't have upset Benihime.
"How am I supposed to reply to it?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"We can't but there is a place that I can take you to get the things on that list."
Benihime turned to Dudley. "Go to a friend's house your mother and I are going out." Dudley nodded and left in a hurry. Petunia grabbed her keys and made for the door, but Benihime grabbed her. "You are not wearing that. I have a few kimono for you. You're going to wear one anytime you go out with me." Petunia nodded and the duo went upstairs.