I was supposed to study for the midterms but I got sidetracked inside and wrote this chapter. Go me.
Disclaimer: I don't own RK.
Note: Yes I've read 'Memiors of a Geisha' but I'm up to chapter ten only. It was the last one left in stock and I grabbed it just as another was about to look at it. Hohoho! Sucks to her! (blows raspberry).
Note2: Some of the geisha facts are obtained from the book; some from research and a few I made up myself.
Special Thanks to everyone who was generous enough to give me their reviews: (This chapter is dedicated to all of you who reviewed!)
kaoru gal, half-breed-demon fox; unknown beedee; Reinagshii; Shanelle; Battousai's Girl; GranolaBar; Nekotsuki; Lady Light; MizzLee; cyjj; faeriekiss01; Gohanzgirl; pnaixrose; Anounymus T; Bradybunch 4529; Annabella5; SaggitarousGal; aphrodite24godess; Mint, Guacamoli; cutie-chan-XD3; MZ. AMbER EYES
Undercover Geisha
Chapter four: Findings
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Saitou ignored the question and instead drifted his topaz eyes, taking in his surroundings.
"Where's the Tanuki?" He asked finally, his gaze turning towards Kenshin.
Kenshin had a startled look in his face but quickly hid it.
"Miss Kaoru went to Yokohama to take care of a sick aunt, that she did." He answered after a moment's hesitation.
Saitou cocked a thin eyebrow in response but then shrugged his shoulders.
Seems that the Tanuki wasn't that ignorant after all. She knew that Battousai would surely forbid her to go if he learnt about the mission.
The infamous Wolf of Mibu leaned against the dojo's pillar. He raised the cigarette to his lips and gave a short whiff. He watched as the exhaled smoke swirled in front of him in grayish circles.
"Damn it, how am I supposed to tell her now?"
Saitou said this in the softest of whispers yet Kenshin's sharp ears picked up the words.
"Tell her what?" He asked, staring defiantly at Saitou.
Saitou stole a glance at Kenshin at the corner of his eyes.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He replied; the smallest of a smirk playing at his lips.
Kenshin stood to his full height, ignoring the lemony laundry soap dripping from his wet hands.
Violet eyes narrowed as Kenshin's instincts as a hitokiri tugged at him restlessly. Something was not right, and damn if he would be the one left in the dark.
Saitou continued. "Considering that what I have to say to her doesn't concern you, why should I tell you what I want to tell her?"
Amber gleamed in Kenshin's violet eyes. "Don't test my patience, Mibu Wolf."
Kenshin could barely resist the urge to growl out the words so it came out instead in slurred, hoarse tones.
Saitou fixed his eyes on Kenshin's and smirked at what he saw.
My, my…Himura doesn't seem to have much control on Battousai today.
The tall police officer dropped his cigarette to the ground and lifted a shiny black boot to crumple out the fire from the small stick of tobacco.
"I suppose I don't have much of a choice then."
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Kaoru stood in the train waiting area, looking left and right. She spotted a carriage heading her way and waved an arm to get the driver's attention.
The carriage stopped in front of her and Kaoru gave a gracious smile at the driver.
The driver, a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, blushed. Ears red, he asked in slightly stammering tones.
"Where to Miss?"
"To the 'Sakura Petals' please." Kaoru replied.
The nineteen-year-old bowed her head to avoid hitting the rim of the carriage as she got in, missing the surprised and slightly perplexed look on the man's facial features.
He quickly regained his composure and tapped the reins, signaling the horses to move.
Inside the carriage, Kaoru gazed at the scenes outside the window with mild interest. This was her first time in Yokohama, having visited mostly either Kyoto or some of the other cities.
It wasn't that much different from Tokyo. The only difference was that the streets were more crowded with people, mostly vendors and merchants who are selling their wages.
Kaoru leaned back her face from the window and smoothened her kimono, letting out a long sigh as she did so.
As soon as she had gotten on the train, Kaoru went to the bathroom to change clothes. The kimono she now wore was made of the purest midnight blue silk. Lighter blue sprays that gave an impression of ocean waves with the touch of white added to them fluttered in a seemingly single direction all over the kimono. A black, blue and white-embroidered obi was wrapped around Kaoru's slender waist and her waist-length hair was brushed and pulled up in a bun with the ends sticking out in a fashionably manner. White and blue diamond-encrusted combs held up her hair; a few shorter strands of her ravenous hair fell loose and framed her pale face, which was void of any foundation.
For her under robe, Kaoru chose a simple one of light blue. She reached a hand up to adjust the white collar of the under robe peeking out of her kimono.
As much as Kaoru wanted to impress the person who owned the teahouse she was going to, the young woman hated putting on her makeup. Not to mention the time it would take to perfect it.
However, Kaoru did love the kimono. It was a special gift, given to her by an equally, if not more, special person.
She hugged herself, loving the feel of the cool silk against her alabaster skin. Kaoru let out a sigh of content as she leaned her back on the soft comfy seat.
She was tired from the train ride and playing with Takeshi only made her more exhausted than before.
Kaoru glanced at the long slender box next to her and gave it an affectionate pat. If worse come to worst, she could just use her bokken.
The raven-haired young woman shuffled a yawn with her hand and turned her head so that it would rest sideward on the seat. She didn't want to mess up her hair.
Mesmerizing sapphire blue eyes closed as Kaoru fell fast asleep once again.
Yet it wasn't long before old formerly-repress memories surfaced once more into the endless abyss that is her mind and red lips bowed down in a small frown.
Even in the land of dreams, one can not escape from one's unfavorable past. No matter how much you strive to make your future better, past mistakes would always come back to haunt you.
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"You know Himura. I'm quite surprised that you didn't accompany Tanuki to Yokohama, knowing how you flock around her like a mother hen." Commented Saitou as he glanced indifferently at Kenshin across from the table.
Both Sano and Yahiko snickered at the comment while Kenshin merely smiled through gritted teeth.
"Grrr…that wolf. How I would love to beat him to a bloody massacred pulp." growled Battousai mentally.
Momentarily forgetting his non-killing vow, even the Rurouni agreed.
"Sessha would have accompanied Miss Kaoru, that I would…" Kenshin started.
"But Jou-chan went ahead and ditched the rurouni here." Sano interrupted, flexing a thumb at Kenshin's direction. A cocky grin plastered on his face.
The former rurouni blushed red as Yahiko snorted loudly before he and Sano laughed boisterously. Even Saitou had to smirk and hold back his laughter.
Deep in the corners of Kenshin's mind, Battousai could be seen fuming.
"Come on…Just one Hiten Mitsurugi attack…Preferably the succession move."
ooooooo000000000ooooooooo (Dream sequence)
Aunt Tokito had ordered one of the maids to summon down the seniors of the medium-sized building that was the okiya, but not before she instructed Kaoru to bow as low as she could when the two presented themselves.
"Do not speak unless you're spoken too. If one of them asks a question, I will answer it for you. Keep your eyes down and always keep quiet and perhaps they'll accept you."
Kaoru had simply nodded and kept her mouth shut as instructed as the soft thumps of footsteps coming down the staircase echoed in the room. She merely had a small glimpsed of the two women as they descended and Kaoru draw her knees and bowed so low that her nose bumped against the polished wooden floor.
From the rustling of clothes, Kaoru knew then that the two women had sat on the cushions provided for them in front of the young girl.
"Sit up straight child so that I can see your face." said a hoarse voice.
Kaoru did as she was told and sat up, stealing another glance at the women in front of her before she turned her gaze on the maple-polished floor.
As Kaoru later learnt, the oldest of the seniors, whom everyone calls Grandmother, was a kind-hearted old lady who always seemed to have a smile etched upon her wrinkled face. Unfortunately, she wasn't the keeper of the okiya since she had become too old. The position instead went to a middle-aged woman who was as nasty as nastiness goes. Whenever she smiled, her yellow teeth could be seen and reminded Kaoru of the Cheshire cat's grin in one of those, at the time, popular foreign stories.
The former, whom they call Mother, had lifted Kaoru's chin up and gave a sharp gasp at what she saw.
"What peculiar eyes! I've never seen this kind of color before in all my life. Such a radiant blue…like sapphires."
Kaoru's aunt, Tokito, merely scoffed at the complement and answered.
"She got that from her father…my dear poor deceased brother-in-law."
From the way she said it, Kaoru didn't felt that her aunt was as remorse as she made herself to be.
"Beside I don't really think that Kaoru's eyes are such a big deal. In fact, they sort of remind me of the color of a drowned dead man's lips." Tokito commented.
"I think they're beautiful…like the ocean just settling after a storm." Grandmother had commented.
Tokito rolled her brown eyes. "Really Granny, you don't have to get so philosophical."
Grandmother merely smiled at the comment while Mother was busy staring at Kaoru, sizing the young girl up.
"How old are you child? Can you tell me a little about yourself?"
Of course, Tokito was the one who answered for Kaoru.
"Her name's Kamiya Kaoru. She's five years old and she lived at Tokyo. She is born on the year of the dragon under the planet of Neptune and Uranus and under the Moon as well."
Grandmother rubbed her chin in interest.
"How quaint, a Moon child. It's obvious from the paleness of her skin. Neptune, the planet of water and grace and Uranus, the planet of independence and will…Hmm…She would grow up to be a graceful woman with a strong will." She prophesized.
Mother peered at Kaoru's face, looking with a critical eye at the girl's facial attributes.
"She has an oval-shaped chin, meaning that she is the submissive type but the shape of her eyebrows shows a defiant nature…how strange indeed."
Grandmother added. "But the look in her eyes shows an intelligent girl. You don't see much of those types these days."
The older woman laughed. "Aside from Tokito and Miyuki that is."
Mother laughed as well. "An advantage to us as well. Smarter ones are always easy to teach and they're fast learners."
Turing to face Kaoru, Mother then said.
"Now, the rules in this house are quite simple. Always do as you're told, work hard and maybe you'll even get to learn how to become a geisha like your aunt."
Tokito scoffed at this but said nothing.
oooooooo0000000ooooooooo (End of Dream Sequence)
A bump in the road snatched Kaoru from her dreams and woke her up. She groaned and cupped her face with her hands as she leant forward so that her elbows touched her knees; forgetting for the time being that the position was improper.
Soon, she let her hands go limp and settle at her sides as she sat upright. She heaved a sigh.
"Another memory." She muttered softly.
Kaoru closed her eyes for a moment, and then snapped them open once more.
"No matter how hard I tried to forget…my memories of the past will always resurface. It was only a matter of time."
Kaoru sighed and leaned against her seat, careful not to ruin the alignment of the combs in her hair.
The ebony-haired girl stole a glance at the view outside the window of the carriage.
"I wonder…what are they doing now?"
A smirk erected from her naturally lush lips.
"I hope Yahiko's having fun being tort…err, teach by Sano."
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"What I want to tell Tanuki is that she should be on the lookout the minute she steps into Yokohoma soil."
"And why is that Saitou?"
If possible, Saitou's smirk grew wider.
"Because not everyone there is fond geishas, some women are even quite envious to the point that they turn green and die from suffocation."
"WHAT?!?!"
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Kaoru had a puzzled look on her face as the driver helped her step down from the carriage. She looked behind her, a small frown etched on her lips.
"Is something wrong, Miss?"
The driver's question startled Kaoru and she turned to give him a smile.
"Ah...it's nothing. For a minute, I thought I heard a close friend of mine but that would be impossible since he's at Tokyo."
Kaoru giggled. "Pretty silly huh?"
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"WHAT?!?!"
A deeply amused Saitou continued, ignoring the close-to-exploding-volcano that was Kenshin.
"For obvious reasons, it's no wonder why she didn't tell you."
The amber in Kenshin's violet eyes stormed to take over. Battousai was fighting to surface instead of the Rurouni.
"Tell me what?" Kenshin…rather, Battousai asked in a brawled voice.
Saitou calmly took a sip of his tea before he replied indifferently.
"There is no sick aunt in Yokohoma. Kaoru went there to work at the teahouse as a geisha."
That was the last nerve. Battousai was so enraged and surprised that it wouldn't be a surprise if his hair burst into flames of blood red.
"WHAT THE HELL?! DAMNIT KAORU!!"
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Kaoru's ears perked up as she was about to enter the teahouse.
"Eh? I could've sworn Kenshin said my name."
She shook her head in dismay before she let out a giggle. "I must be imagining things."
"Really, it's impossible for someone to be heard at such a long distance."
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Saitou gazed his topaz eyes down at the sharp blade of the sakabotou against his throat. His eyes traveled upwards to meet with Battousai's amber orbs; a thin eyebrow quirked.
Battousai glared at the taller man and said in a hoarse voice that he often used back at the Bakumatsu. (sp?)
"Explain."
Sano shuddered.
How could a single, lone word make his skin crawled and the hairs at the back of his neck stand on their ends?
The former-gangster could hear Yahiko muttering softly besides him.
"Boy, is Kaoru going to get it."
From the murderous look on Kenshin's face, Sano couldn't help but agree.
Though, it looks like Saitou will be the first to taste the Battousai's wrath rather than Jou-chan.
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Kaoru ignored the stares being thrown at her by the people around her. She took note of the lecherous stares of the men present and the envious glares of the women…other geisha and maids, there as well.
Kaoru swallowed a sigh and made a move to smoothen the imaginary wrinkles in her kimono. She stood at the other end of the receptionist's area, waiting patiently for the maid who was there to inform the mistress of the teahouse-slash-okiya.
She wasn't as naïve as most everyone she knew took her for. She knew she was lovely in her kimono with an added note that she didn't use any padding to emphasize her willowy figure. She didn't need it. Never had, never will. The only time she used padding was when she went back to her simple life in Tokyo.
Kaoru smiled sadly. That day, when she'd first step down the train to Tokyo, she nearly cried right there in public as she hugged all of her old friends. That same day, she had made a vow as too never come into the kind of life she had as a geisha.
But, as the harsh saying goes, vows are meant to be broken.
The pitter-patter of feet reached Kaoru's ears and the ravenous young woman stood in the proper position, with her hands clasped in front of her.
Kaoru bowed when a middle-aged woman wearing an extravagant violet and red kimono stopped in front of her. She made sure that her neck and shoulders were bending at just the right angle so that everyone could catch a larger glimpse of her alabaster, foundation-free nape.
It was one of the ways that a geisha does mischievously as she bows.
"Good afternoon." Kaoru said politely, for the ride to Yokohoma had taken a lot longer than she'd expected.
The other woman bowed to her as well, though not as gracefully. Perhaps it was the way her dark brown-grey hinted hair was pulled and twisted into a messy bun and held up insecurely by various adornments.
Obviously, the woman was in too much of a hurry when the maid had informed her of Kaoru's presence.
"Good afternoon, Miss. I understand that you called for me?" The woman replied smoothly.
"Yes I did," Kaoru replied, her voice soft and smooth as silk.
"If I may, I wish to work here in your teahouse as an entertainer."
The older woman's dark eyes gleamed with surprise…and a bit of suspicion.
"Why would you want to work here Miss?" She made a gesture at the air around her.
"Based from what I can see of you, you looked to be successful enough to retire."
Kaoru replied unhesitant. "Regardless if I am successful or not; it is my choice to continue my line of work if ever I wished it would be so."
"And also," Kaoru quirked an eyebrow. "I chose to work here because of the complements I've been hearing of 'The Sakura Petals'."
The older woman's face brightened with pride at the indirect complement given to her. Kaoru could've sworn that the woman even puffed out her chest slightly like a man who had his ego boosted up.
"Yes. Our teahouse is the best there is, and I'm not just saying that for the sake of bragging." The woman replied.
Kaoru nodded her head and smiled daintily. "Of course, of course…"
The woman reached out a hand, as if to touch Kaoru's face.
"If I may…"
Kaoru waved her hand to let the woman know that she didn't mind.
The woman smiled and cupped a hand under Kaoru's chin and tilted the younger woman's face up, screening her every facial feature.
After a few moments, the woman let go and Kaoru tilted her chin back.
"You have amazing eyes, like diamonds." The woman muttered.
Kaoru let a mischievous smile played at her lips.
"Sapphires actually." She corrected.
The woman nodded her head. "Yes, yes. Of course."
"How long have you been a geisha?" She asked Kaoru.
The mischievous smile on Kaoru's face lingered. "I believe greetings are in order before we should begin with the questions."
"Alright," the woman agreed. "What…?"
"May I ask what is your name, Okasan-sama?" Kaoru interrupted, a small innocent smile on her lips. 'Oka-san' was the term geishas often called to the mistresses of the teahouse in which they are working.
The woman looked surprised that Kaoru had interrupted her but regained her composure just the same.
"I am Yamaguto Reiko." The woman- Reiko- replied.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yamaguto-san." Kaoru said pleasantly. "To answer your question, I've been a full-length geisha for four years now. I was an apprentice geisha at the time I was twelve-years-old and I became a geisha when I was thirteen. Currently, I am nineteen."
"Who was your trainer? Which okiya were you trained at?"
"I was trained at the Kokurei Okiya and…" Kaoru stopped as a flash of memory crept into her mind.
A swish of dark ebony and bluish-tint hair blowing against the soft wind; shading laughing grey eyes.
Kaoru shook her head mentally and continued.
"My older sister was Otushiro Miyuki."
Reiko nodded her head, obviously pleased with the information.
"Very well. When can you start?"
Kaoru gave a slight shrug.
"As soon as you allow me too."
"Great. Tomorrow, you'll start working here as a geisha."
Reiko clapped her hands together and two maids rushed to stand beside her.
"Take the young woman's luggage and show her to her room, the largest geisha room we have."
The two maids nodded their heads and rushed outside to gather Kaoru's things.
A sudden thought crossed Reiko's mind and the older woman turned to face Kaoru, who remained in her spot, as if waiting for an order from Reiko herself.
"I never did quite caught your name Miss…?"
'That's because I didn't gave you mine.' thought Kaoru.
Kaoru opened her mouth and said.
"Your name shall be forever known as…"
"Mizumi. But I prefer to be called Sapphire or Raven."
To be continued
