A/N: The idea came to me while re-reading Kenshin's flashbacks in the manga and reading Memoirs of a Geisha, which was a wonderful book and movie (except for the fact that geisha do not bid their virginity…)
Happy Easter everyone!
Note: This is taking place during the Bakumatsu, when Kenshin was an assassin, but there is no Tomoe/Enishi trouble in this – I'm deviating from Watsuki-sensei's storyline as usual.
Standard disclaimers apply.
083: Tea
"You're going to be absolutely lovely, Kaoru-chan." Tomoe said calmly with a pleasant smile on her face.
Kaoru tried to swallow, but then took a deep breath instead. She nodded, one of the ornaments in her hair jingling. "I'll try not to disappoint you, onee-san." She said in a small voice.
"You won't." Tomoe came in front of Kaoru and put her small hands on Kaoru's shoulders. She looked at her protégé's painted face and smiled. "You look beautiful. I'm glad I chose that kimono…your eyes are just stunning with the silver accents."
Kaoru was wearing one of Tomoe's old kimono: one of silver birds flying against a night sky, with a mystifying landscape of dark trees and rocks rising up from the hem.
The corners of Kaoru's painted red lips lifted a little at the compliment. "Thank you. Of course, I do not compare to your beauty."
Tomoe laughed a little. "So modest. You must accept that you are beautiful. Don't be self conscious." Kaoru took the advice with a simple nod. "Alright, let's go to the Akabeko. I have been summoned by Katsura Kogoro of the Chōshū clan. No doubt his wife suggested me." She said as she walked to the entrance way of her apartment and gracefully slipped into her zori.
Kaoru quickly followed suit, except she wore okobo, which were a lot more difficult to walk in. But after weeks of practicing, she found herself to be very good at it, much to Tomoe's pleasure.
"Katsura-san is a very kind man, so he will be a wonderful first engagement." Tomoe said on their walk to the Akabeko.
"How many men will there be?" Kaoru asked, her hands shaking.
"Oh, a dozen or so."
"Isn't it…dangerous to entertain them? I mean, the Shinsengumi…" Kaoru whispered with a shudder.
"Don't fret, Kaoru-chan, Katsura apparently has a very good bodyguard. Never been injured."
"But one man cannot –" Kaoru started before Tomoe hushed her. They had arrived at the teahouse.
"Shush. All you should worry about right now is charming those men." Tomoe said before smiling at the owners of the teahouse, a set of twins who had managed to inherit the teahouse after the untimely death of their father. They directed them up the stairs to the grander entertaining rooms.
When the shoji were slid back, they were greeted by some calls by already drunk men in their thirties and forties. Kaoru felt her hands shake once more as they walked into the room and the shoji was shut behind them.
"Katsura-san this is my new apprentice, Kaoru." Tomoe said as she got down on her knees and gracefully bowed to Katsura. He smiled at her before focusing his attention on Kaoru, who also got down on her knees and bowed.
"Good evening, Katsura-san." Kaoru said in a soft voice.
"What a pretty girl, Tomoe! Her beauty will one day rival yours, if it does not already!" He said jovially. Kaoru could tell he already had quite a number of drinks.
Tomoe smiled pleasantly. "We shall see." She sent a wink in Kaoru's direction before standing up, signaling Kaoru to do the same. Tomoe immediately went to Katsura's side and began conversing about things.
Kaoru felt awkward standing and quickly looked around to find someone to attend to who wouldn't fall over her in a drunken stupor. In her search, she found a small man sitting by the corner of the large table with his two swords next to him in arm's reach. In the candlelight, his red hair glinted brightly. The flickering of the light and threw shadows on his perfectly angled face. He seemed separated from every other man around the table by the way he distanced himself more toward the wall of the room. Also, his eyes still remained focused unlike the others.
Without much thought, she walked over cautiously to the stoic man and took a seat on her knees beside him.
"Sake?" Kaoru asked the redhead, pulling the hem of her sleeve back ever so slightly, the bottle poised above the glass.
He shook his head a little. "No thank you. Someone in this room must be sober." His amber gaze penetrated through her eyes, momentarily stunning her.
"Well…could I offer something else? Tea, perhaps?" She placed the sake bottle back on the table. Before she could stop herself, she started in a low voice, "despite this being a teahouse, it isn't the first beverage that is offered here." before closing her mouth with a gasp. "I'm sorry…that was…"
The redhead had a ghost of a smile on his face. "A very true statement, Kaoru-dono. Tea would be nice, thank you." A smile actually adorned his face, making him more handsome.
She swallowed and bowed to him before standing up and going to the front of the room where a servant stood by.
"Tea, please." Kaoru whispered to her.
The girl bowed before standing up and leaving the room.
Kaoru went back to the red-haired man's side and snuck a glance at him.
"How long have you studied to become a geisha?" He asked.
She swallowed. "Since I was a little girl – for nine years I have studied. But I started at a late age. I was sold to my okiya." She answered softly.
"Where did you come from?"
She looked down at her painted hands. "A village just outside of Tokyo."
"Then what are you doing in Kyoto?"
The servant placed a pot of tea and a few cups on the table and bowed to them before leaving them alone.
Kaoru chose not to answer his question. Instead, she pulled her sleeve back slightly and picked up the pot of tea. It used to bother her to do this, but Tomoe had forced her to accept it as part of the entertaining. But when she was about to tip the spout, his calloused hand came to rest on the back of her hand.
"You do not have to bare your arm to me, Kaoru-dono since it displeases you." He whispered in her ear, even though nobody would've been able to hear him anyway.
She gasped, thinking that she held her composure well, but apparently she didn't since he read her expression openly. "Thank you." She whispered, bowing her head low to hide her blush, even though it couldn't be seen under her thick make up.
She poured the tea into his cup before placing the pot down. She watched his hands that killed hundreds, she assumed, pick up the cup with gentleness and grace. He was a very graceful man.
"You have a question?" He asked, his cup a few inches away from his lips.
She looked down at her hands, silently chiding herself for being so rude as to gawk at him. "I was just admiring your grace. You have more of it than I do, I'm afraid. With training you could probably become a better maiko than me."
To her great surprise, he laughed. Half the room became silent, listening to the red-haired man openly laugh before quieting down to a low chuckle. He sipped his tea to silence himself.
"Kami-sama! Our young Kaoru-chan has managed to make Kenshin smile. And not only that…she made him laugh! An incredible feat!" Katsura exclaimed, raising his sake to Kaoru, who was trying not to jump up and flee from the room. He turned to Tomoe. "Let me tell you, Tomoe-san, we have been to many teahouses and have seen many geisha. None of which has managed this. You have a very special apprentice."
"I agree wholeheartedly, Katsura-san, I do." Tomoe said, smiling at Kaoru with pride.
Kaoru was sure her makeup was melting with the heat radiating off her face. She never had so many people stare at her with praise in her life. She glanced at Kenshin, who smiled at her before sipping his tea again.
When the room went back to its normal chatter, Kenshin said, "You have grace of your own, Kaoru-dono, and it's something that many people will notice and revere you for."
Her heart felt a certain warmth that she hadn't felt since being with her parents. Despite his status as an assassin, she knew that this Kenshin was an extremely good person at heart.
"Is it true?" She asked him.
"Is what true?"
"That you've never been hurt. That is what onee-san told me."
He smiled sadly, suddenly far away from her. "I am hurt every time I wield my sword. Every time I take a life..." He admitted in a soft voice.
Her eyes widened. "Then why do you fight?"
He looked away from her questioning eyes. "I want to help the weak, protect those who need protecting."
She smiled, about to say something until Tomoe said, "Come, Kaoru, we must be going."
Kaoru looked at Kenshin with wide eyes. She didn't want to leave him, but she bowed to him all the same before standing up. He took her hand when she was about to turn around.
"I will visit you, I promise." He said, staring at her intensely. For a brief moment, she saw a flicker of violet in his eyes. She knew that he had never shown such vulnerability in a long time.
She nodded, unable to speak. Removing her hand from his, she turned her attention toward Tomoe who was waiting for her by the shoji.
"Good evening, gentlemen, it has been a pleasure." Tomoe said graciously.
"No, thank you, Tomoe-san, Kaoru-chan." Katsura said.
Kaoru wondered when he found it appropriate to call her "chan," but she dismissed it when she saw his rosy cheeks and his eyes shine in the light.
When Tomoe and Kaoru were outside, Tomoe said, "You were wonderful! I kept an eye on you. I couldn't believe when you walked right up to Himura-san, I was about to warn you, but I'm so glad I didn't."
Kaoru stayed silent as they walked the lighted streets. She definitely didn't expect the night to end this way, but it gave her some hope that the future will be brighter. Thinking of seeing him smile again made her heart skip a beat.
"When will we entertain them again?" Kaoru asked.
"Whenever Katsura requests us, which I hope will be very soon because you got quite a lot of money for your first appointment. I suppose he gave you more for making Himura-san laugh." Tomoe then shook her head. "That poor boy…Katsura-san gave up his sword so he could use him."
Kaoru tucked this new piece of information in the back of her mind to ponder over later. "They were kind. Kenshin was kind." She admitted softly.
Tomoe shot Kaoru a look. "Do not make attachments, Kaoru. We are artists. We don't give ourselves to men freely, remember the first thing you were taught: geisha are not prostitutes."
"I know that, onee-san. I just…"
She shook her head. "We are not free to love, please let this sink in so you can prevent yourself from making mistakes that some of the greatest geisha have made in the past."
Kaoru lowered her head and said nothing. For the first time under Tomoe's teaching, she wanted to counter her teacher's words. But she held her tongue as a proper apprentice is supposed to.
Despite Tomoe's ramblings about their next client, Kaoru could only think about the mysterious redhead whose laugh uplifted her in a way that she never thought possible. She hoped that Kenshin Himura would stay true to his word and visit her.
But she somehow knew that it was a given fact – he would visit her, if the flicker of violet in his eyes meant anything.
A/N: This was going to stand alone…but then I kind of became conscious of the fact that I love writing Kaoru as a geisha (sigh) so I think this will be continued for at least one more theme. I never realized how much fun the Bakumatsu era can be! (Not that it really was a fun era…but you know what I mean)
Please review!
MissGoalie
