The Price of Freedom

Chapter 1: The Peony Pavilion

A soft, exasperated sigh came from her lips. Another day was passing by idly before her very eyes. She watched with envy as white, puffy clouds sailed smoothly in the azure sky. How she wished to be free, to run like the wind and see the clouds while lying on a patch of fragrant flowers. Oh how she tired to see the world from her insignificant windows.

"Xiaoyu, Mr. Fan has come to pay you a call."

Creature from the netherworld, she absently thought. Not really wanting to deal with the problem of an overzealous and irritating would-be patron, Xiaoyu slumped more deeply in her seat by the window and leaned against the windowpane with awful flourish. "You can tell him that I am ill."

Hearing her friend's words, Pei-pei didn't know if Xiaoyu was being not persuasive or being actually persuasive. "You could at least feign cough," she said smartly.

"Even if he was the last man on earth, Pei-pei, I wouldn't even pour him his drink. He can shove everything down his throat for all I care," Xiaoyu declared with clear defiance.

"You surely don't mean that!" Pei-pei exclaimed with dramatic mockery, then sobered. "Could you at least try and entertain some other patron? I mean, there is always someone willing to offer for you. Some haven't even seen a glimpse of you but they're already laying the world at your feet! At least that ought to get rid of that old, greasy Mr. Fan. If you would only give me a sickle and shovel, it would be my honor to bury him alive for you, but you're really aren't doing anything about your problem."

Struck by the truth in Pei-pei's words, Xiaoyu looked at her friend in earnest then answered, "I know. I am at fault, but how will another patron be any different from Mr. Fan? They can give all but the one thing I want."

Pei-pei looked at Xiaoyu with a mixture of concern and annoyance, as if every conversation they had took the exact same turn. She tugged a bit of her hair to contain her irritation. "Everybody here wishes for the same thing, Xiao...but you know as well as I do that living freely is beyond a courtesan's reach. We can only hope to be bought out, so that we will never have to pay debts again and live a comfortable life."

Xiaoyu clenched her fists in anger. That's not true. I'll free myself of this hopeless place. "A slave of many, a slave of one...a slave is still a slave."

Pei-pei no longer wanted to continue what was beginning to become an argument. She looked at her obstinate friend with sad eyes and quietly said, "I'll tell Mr. Fan that you have taken to bed." With this, she quietly exited the room, leaving Xiaoyu to her own thoughts again.

No doubt, the most sought-after courtesan of the Peony Pavilion will be severely punished for slighting - yet again - a candidate patron's call.

-----

"Master Jin, we have arrived."

Young Jin Kazama straightened in his seat. He loosened his tie and took off his coat. Absent-mindedly, he raked a hand through his thick, dark hair.

Conducting business here and there made Jin Kazama naturally weary and deprived of rest and recreation. He was a vibrant man who worked hard and equally played hard. He lived for the thrill and cunning that went into business ventures, and loved reaping the great rewards. Years have honed him into a man more accomplished than his father and grandfather. Whereas his predecessors established the makings of a great organization, Jin had turned into a total empire. He earned as much as he spent, traveling around the world and getting only the best, which included the choice of female companions. Of all the recreational activities available to him, this was the one he liked best.

A sudden call from a prospective partner had him going on a trip to another country. Thoroughly impressed the economy's rapid progress, he quickly decided to close a deal with counterparts which involved Research and Development in a number of fields, ranging from agriculture to robotics. A venture of such proportion undoubtedly meant a lavish celebration, which included wine and women. Upon recommendation, he decided to pay the famous Peony Pavilion a visit.

When his car came to a stop, Jin got off and surveyed the expanse of the Pavilion. It was indeed a massive place, at least for one that houses courtesans and apprentices. It had been built traditionally, and was located faraway from the hustle and bustle of the city. The Peony Pavilion was surrounded with lush foliage, and even bragged of breathtaking gardens and a bamboo forest. It was, altogether, serene and beautiful. And that day, the Pavilion and all its girls belonged to him, and he was free to choose whoever he wanted to bed...

...Except for the one he, by rules of the house, could never get a glimpse of.

-----

I don't know what drives and/or stops me from writing. It's a real mystery to me, and I have obviously put my love for it to sleep. It's been a while since I last wrote something (well actually, continued), and a fair amount of self-regurgitating, pestering ideas (really, like fungi that never go away) and a sense of obligation has spurred me into writing again. I hope that this time around, NOTHING gets lost ("powers that be," want me to type that again?) and whoever gives this story a try will like it. And I have every intention oｆ finishing it. If I lag, you could hunt me down and throttle me. Be my guest.

I don't own Jin or Xiaoyu. If I did, would I actually be this desperate to write a story about them?