お
花
見
・
花
柳
界
・
踊
り
子
22 Years Prior…
Her feet were careful formations. As if stepping upon stones to cross a gurgling creek. She knew, she was aware… one misstep was all it took. Yet this was her domain, the first time she stepped forth. Right here was her debut to bewitch all eyes towards her.
Her dance needed to flow and maintain control, be relaxed with precision. Classic juxtapositions working harmoniously. Her body moved continuously with the melody, each strum arching her back, turning her head, and directing her limbs a certain way. The fan in one hand barely waved, very faint flutters.
As it reached its end, she and the other dancer stepped forward, as their senior between them remained behind. The older woman's posture remained upright, whereas she and her colleague delicately crouched, purposefully sweeping their streaming sleeves as they placed one hand over the other upon their lap.
The final pluck of the string rang, then died away.
Silence sounded. Then… the slight tense of her shoulders eased away at the anticipated applause.
My life is a collection of canvases. Some are so much of color that it's muddy, abstract. Others are pastel and muted yet so crystal clear. The ones I love most are coherent and vibrant.
"That was a beautiful performance young lady!" Appraised an elderly man, his eyebrows and beard so thick, his face was hard to see.
The young girl before him, her face embellished white with her bottom lip painted red, gave off lovely peals of giggles. "I am pleased you are enjoying yourself, Kobayashi-dono."
The gray old man chortled. "I am most happy that you came to me of your own free will. The other maidens seem to be magnetized towards all the younger fellows in this wonderful establishment. I feared I had to request one of them to sit with me."
This she could understand perfectly. A lot of the girls had gossiped about serving the most handsome of patrons. "Well, I assure they mean no offense. It is our first time outside our hanamachi. They probably figured that you would prefer one of our Oneesan, whom bear more experience." Her smile is genuine and pleasant.
Even through his thickly facial hair, she could see the man's grin. "Oh they are most lovely. I even have the pleasure of personally knowing your Okaasan when she was your age. But, I enjoy meeting new faces, it does this old heart good knowing I could be just as fun as these youthful lads. Don't let my grayness and wrinkles fool you, young lady, I have plenty of kick to enliven the party!" He winked.
She laughed merrily. "I believe you wholeheartedly! I am not accompanying you out of pity, I assure. I seek to be quite diverse with every patron I meet. Our profession is indiscriminate after all."
"Indeed, missy. Would you care to pour me more of this lovely brew?" He gestured his empty cup.
"It shall be my pleasure, good sir." Carefully she lifted the nearby pot and tipped the spout until a slender stream fell. She stopped once the tea was centimeters from the rim.
"Much obliged!" He immediately took a sip, "Ahh, white jasmine tea, it's the secret to my longevity."
The girl tried hard not to fall into a giggle fit. "Be sure this wisdom doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
Kobayashi playfully wagged a finger. "Oh, we must not have that now. But tea alone isn't enough, I would much enjoy a wonderful game of shougi."
"I would be most honored to be your first opponent of the evening, Kobayashi-dono." The young lady bowed.
At this Kobayashi burst in full-belly laughter. "Splendid, fair maiden! I wouldn't have it any other way!"
"Allow me to retrieve the shougi board then." Delicately she rouse to her okobo-clad feet.
"We shall have a grand time… forgive me I have forgotten your name." He stroked his beard in embarrassment.
The girl of petal pink hair and spring green eyes gave a brilliant grin. "It's no trouble, sir." She bowed once again. "I am Hanami, maiko-kouhai of Usuginu. Please to meet your acquaintance once more."
お
花
見
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I've honestly been fretting on how to start off this story. I've watched some videos on geisha and maiko, as well as doing some serious research so as not to write this story stereotypically. I'm content with how this turned out.
This would be interesting, writing about the world of geisha within the Ninja World. How they make a living and survive in such a world, as well as interact with other geisha of other hanamachi, amongst other possibilities. This story has been on my mind since before the ending of Naruto, but I decided to see a bit of the next-gen storyline before I could concretely begin storyboarding, as this fanfic is the behind-the-scenes of the canonical story.
And where does Sasuke play into this picture? All in due time, while he is an essential, he's not the center. He will be recurring, but the fact of the matter is that he lives in a different world from Hanami, but the worlds intermingle from time to time.
I don't know when the next chapter would come out, as I have other stories (both fandom and original) to mind. But wholeheartedly believe this story will progress along with the rest. Till next time then!
||CANVAS DEFINED||
Ohanami (お花見)| The title of the first part of the trilogy. Meaning "flower viewing", specifically "cherry blossom viewing".
Karyūkai (花柳界)| Name of this saga. Literally meaning "World of Flower and Willow". It represents the world of geisha, as well as the alternate term for hanamachi.
Odoriko (踊り子)| Name of this chapter. Meaning "dancer", naturally female, it was the term for dancing girls back in the day (as geisha started out as men).
||||GEISHA GLOSSARY||||
GEISHA (芸者)| Literally meaning "performing artist" or "artisan". They are elegant entertainers known for their singing, dancing, and playing instruments. They also have conversation and play games with their guests.
MAIKO (舞子)| Literally translates to "dancing child". They are geisha apprentices.
HANAMACHI (花街)| Literally meaning "flower town". It is the district where geisha and maiko reside. It is a closely-knit community, as they highly value their reputation, especially since there's not much geisha districts in real life today.
ONĒSAN (お姉さん)| Translating to "older sister" or "ma'am" in the geisha community. It is the honorific used by maiko and junior geisha towards their superior.
OKĀSAN (お母さん)| Literally meaning "mother". They are the proprietress of the geisha house known as okiya (置屋).
DONO (殿)| Also pronounced Tono. An honorific that translates to "lord" or "master". It's not necessarily for one of noble status, but it is more formal than -san and -sama.
SHŌGI (将棋)| Japanese chess, aka Shikamaru's favorite game.
OKOBO (おこぼ)| Highly wedged, wooden sandals typically worn by maiko during apprenticeship. They are worn so maiko could prevent their kimono from touching the ground. The footwear is usually made from willow wood.
KŌHAI (後輩)| Meaning junior, it is addressed to junior-level maiko (note that junior maiko only have their bottom lip thinly painted red, while their upper lip is left bare).
USUGINU (薄絹)| Translates to "sheer silk" or "veil" referring to mystery. It is the name of the hanamachi that Hanami resides.
HANAMI (花見)| Also meaning "flower viewing", specifically "cherry blossom viewing". It is the geisha name of our protagonist.