HI GUYS I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY!
The deadline for my manga is coming up and I'VE BEEN HAVING ONE HELL OF A WEEK. Whether it is work, or birthdays to plan for, or drawings/translations to tweak, I've just been BUSY.
But I completed Memoirs chapter 7!
Enjoy!
Chapter 7: The Night's Events - Part 1
The first to open the sliding door was Sesshoumaru. In all of his prestigious dress and fine armor and weaponry, he set foot within the Kodachi Geisha House under the influence of several pints of highly concentrated absinthe. All waiting clients and busied servants quickly hushed their usual carefree banter to take in the fearsomeness of such a sight. Daiyoukai and their peacefulvisits into human territory had started to become a common happenstance. However, that didn't make them any less of a fear amongst the human population. Even though they came with no intention to feed, the demons and their punishing gazes still housed sick, dark, and bloodied fantasies that were left unconcealed to their prey.
Audible gulps and perspiration of fear swept across the room as four more demons followed the great Sesshoumaru through the doorway.
Directly behind the Inu youkai was a smug Naraku. His face was flawless except for the line of red that trailed over the bridge of his nose and both cheeks. He, too, had partaken in his fair share of absinthe earlier that evening. In one hand, Naraku held the golden container nearly emptied of the strong alcoholic beverage that he had purchased from Souyu. And in the other, he grasped, possessively, the opposite shoulder of a fair maiden of courtship. She walked in a very seductive manner with her head held high; obviously aware of her jaw-dropping beauty. Her dark black hair tied in a tight top-knot could have confused her for human, if it weren't for her pointed in-human ears and ruby red eyes that warned of foul play. She held a majestic scarlet-striped fan to cover the bulk of her nose and mouth as she whispered judgments of her surroundings to the man who held her tight to his hip.
Following the apparent couple was a rough looking wolf-demon that was sharing a separate container of absinthe with a similar featured, though dressed much more luxuriously, demon of unknown origin. They were laughing hysterically at their own jokes, ignoring the fact that several mortals were now cowering from them with uncertainty.
Sesshoumaru made headway to the front desk, of which was manned by a familiar face that he longed to see lifeless…
He scowled as he approached Izayoi, the human lover to his father.
"S-Sesshoumaru-sama," Izayoi bowed to him, "Is there something that I may help you with? Inu Taishou-sama is not here, and I am afraid he made no reservation for this eve-"
"Unfortunately, I haven't a reservation… And my father will not be accompanying our visit to Kodachi tonight."
Izayoi widened her gemstone eyes. This was the first time that a daiyoukai had come to Kodachi without Inu Taishou in their midst.
Sesshoumaru smirked at the uneasiness of the conversation's atmosphere.
"…And I assume that you would have enough sense to not consider turning us away, lady Izayoi," Sesshoumaru lavished her with feigned regard that was written all over his bitterly hung features.
"I…," Izayoi tried to respond appropriately but was cut off once more.
"You see, this despicable demon behind me wanted a firsthand view of the pathetic excuse of a Maiko that I am now bound to upon my visits to your house. And while I see no need to sully my eyes with her any more than what is required of me, I find my drunken colleague a bit of a handful when he does not get his way," Sesshoumaru towered over her with menacing eyes. And, cocking his head in a challenging manner, his absinthe-laced breath swept over her once more, "So it might do you good to refrain from causing any unnecessary obstacles for my will, hmm?"
Izayoi promptly bowed, "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. I will fetch Rin right away… A servant will take you to your room immediately."
"Izayoi…," Sesshoumaru hissed, catching her before she turned to leave,
"Be mindful to this request… I want no other Geisha nor Maiko servicing our room. Do you understand?"
0oooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0
Her body's override from the opium served Rin well as she knelt, head down; not a chill shivering up her spine as she heard the banter of the room's occupants suddenly die down; her presence now known. She heard a hearty laugh from an unknown being before the fluid and familiar voice of the dog lord's son rang muffled through the thin wooden door.
"Enter."
Rin, with hasty regard for a demon's natural impatience, opened the sliding door and revealed herself to the room. It took a few seconds for the debuting Maiko to realize that she was supposed to not only be looking at them, but also talking with and charming them as they enjoyed their evening.
Despite the opium, her heart decisively skipped a beat at this thought.
The maiden's head shot up and her glazed eyes ran over the inhabitants coolly, issuing no real focus for the ease of her own performance.
At first, there was absolute silence and an all-encompassing depraved atmosphere as their haunting inhuman eyes scoured her still knelt form. The fact that these demons, other than Sesshoumaru-sama, seemed new and not of the dog demon clan caused Rin's heart to skip over yet another beat.
It was highly unusual.
But, warmly, Rin smiled and lit up the room with her fresh womanly aura.
"Good evening, honorable guests," her voice transformed into practiced feminine majesty. The exhaled air filled the room softly and musically; as tender as a silhouette casted by a dawning sun, "My name is Sasaki Rin, but please call me Rin-chan."
Her doe-brown eyes shimmered joyously still even as her eyes fled over annoyed golden ones to the far left. She finished the opening statement, "…And I will be servicing you this evening."
"Sesshoumaru… You didn't tell me that she was a beauty…," the dark-humored Naraku cooed, looking the tempting morsel up and down before smirking evilly, "Though still so young… poor thing." Rin remained poised and unperturbed. But though her body was currently immune to the profane attention she was gathering, her heart continued to stumble.
Sesshoumaru merely scoffed in reply, looking up at the human coldly.
"Well?" He demeaned, merely lifting the empty sake' dish that was before him.
"Yes, of course, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin forced a smile despite the insult, "What would you-"
"Sesshoumaru-sama, how uncordial could you be?" The female demon spoke up in her breathy seductive tone, cutting Rin off with a wave of her closed fan, "This young girl was so polite introducing herself to us… might it not humble ourselves to do the same?"
Amused, Sesshoumaru curtly replied, "I suppose if you feel that you owe her such. Though, she already knows the name that truly matters."
Drunken counter-attacks flew back at him from the lot of demons before Naraku stood and strode fluidly over to Rin; his unknown intentions interrupting the banter once more.
Rin, though uneasy as the demon stepped ever closer, only managed to look up at him strangely.
"My dear Rin-chan," he breathed, hungrily, as he took her hand into his, "Please excuse my rude friend, Sesshoumaru while I introduce you to the rest of us."
He turned and motioned towards the two jokester demons at the back, "That one is Byakuya, my little brother." The demon in question raised his hand in a lazy wave towards Rin.
Naraku then motioned towards a pelted demon to the right of Sesshoumaru, "And that is Koga, the wolf-demon tribe leader's nephew."
Koga also raised his hand, "Yo!"
"And this…," Naraku now shifted his arm towards the female demon, "…is my lovely Kagura."
Kagura seemed to have developed a slight scowl since the last time Rin looked upon her. And upon noticing such displeasure, Rin spoke up.
"Oh, she is quite lovely…," Rin's hand twitched with uncertainty within Naraku's own, "Forgive me, but with someone as pretty as her, your reason for seeking my company tonight escapes me."
"Mmm, how coy," Kagura gladly took the compliment with a smirk.
Rin turned back to the demon before her, growing uncomfortable with the extended contact, "And how may I regard you, honorable guest?"
He smiled at her with cruel intentions.
"Naraku," the demon chuckled before lowering his face to kiss her hand slowly, yet fiercely, "You can call me Naraku…"
His eyes lifted to her own, forcing Rin to hold in her breath slightly.
"Naraku. Surely your intentions are to live through the night, yes?" Sesshoumaru icily broke through the moment.
Smiling still, Naraku turned, "Oh? Are you jealous, Sesshoumaru?"
Giving a smile of his own with eyes lightly closed, Sesshoumaru responded, "Ah, I know no such feeble emotion. But such may inflict your 'lovely Kagura.'"
Kagura, until this moment, had been sullying the atmosphere with her territorial aura as Naraku toyed with the human maiden. Now, however, her cheeks merely flushed and she turned away, bitter that she had been caught by Sesshoumaru.
"Oh, Kagura, calm yourself," Naraku released his hold of Rin's palm, "Can't you see that I am merely seeking a response from her? Though, strangely enough, I sense no fear from this girl at all," he looked down upon the human once more, "A brave one isn't she?"
"Ha, don't make me laugh," Sesshoumaru retorted, looking towards them both, "She is merely sedated. …A trick that humans use to fool highly sensitive youkai."
Byakuya, Koga, and Kagura all looked up at Rin peculiarly, causing her adequate discomfort despite the drug's influence. She looked to Sesshoumaru with eyes that seeped surprise.
Sesshoumaru met her gaze, "…Though they seem to forget that some are more sensitive than others."
Rin simply stared at him, the fear that resided within her heart beginning to transform into defiance.
But it was Koga that interrupted the stare down, "Oh yeah I can smell it now that you mention it… Hey uh, Rin or… whatever."
Rin looked to him and smiled, "Yes, Koga-sama?"
"Come here, would ya?"
Rin nodded lightly and obediently made her way to the wolf demon after but a moment's hesitation. Naraku, after receiving a disapproving look from Sesshoumaru, willingly gave up the remaining bit of his absinthe to the dog demon. Eyeing the Maiko as she crossed his line of sight, Sesshoumaru, bored of the night thus far, drank.
Rin had gracefully managed to arrive before the wolf-demon. And after a moment of silence, he patted the zabuton gleefully at his side in a motion for her to sit.
"What are you doing, Koga? Are you that enthralled by her?" Byakuya whispered from his left; low enough for only keen ears.
When Rin sat, taking special notice that she was only mere inches from Sesshoumaru as well, Koga answered his friend, "Well, if we gotta be here and she's gotta be here, might as well have fun right?"
He then grabbed the bottle of absinthe from Byakuya's lap.
"Here ya go, drink up!" Koga forced the container of the highly alcoholic substance into the girl's small hands.
"Um… uh," a little flustered, Rin replied with a sweet smile, "I could not possibly do that, Koga-sama. This was not purchased here at Kodachi… So I would feel awfully ill for taking it."
"Quit with the act and have a good time!" Koga laughed, obviously drunk as he rested his hand upon the young Maiko's shoulder, "I've never had the pleasure of drinking with a mortal woman before! Should be fun, huh?!" He looked towards his comrades for approval.
All but Sesshoumaru and Kagura took interest in his proposal. And with notice, Naraku spoke towards his good friend.
"That does sound amusing… Why not, Sesshoumaru?"
Rin sat there with bottle in hand, her nerves on edge as the dog demon beside her lifted his eyes to the room.
"I suppose the crisp scent of absinthe is far more preferable to that nauseating human stench of hers...," he cruelly responded, looking down upon her with trace amounts of disgust before addressing his comrades again,
"…Do what you want."
Rin's brows nearly furrowed at his insult, but she maintained character. She turned back to Koga, seeking strong-willed confirmation. She might as well impress her other customers if she could not impress Sesshoumaru.
"Are you sure you do not mind, Koga-sama?" She asked, determined; gathering a victorious smile from the wolf-demon.
"Not at all! Drink as much as you like!" He insisted, elbowing Byakuya in a friendly manner.
Nodding sheepishly, Rin lifted the bottle to her lips.
Okay so part 2 will come in due time... What will happen when a drunk mortal maiko is around four drunk demons?
STAY TUNED, READ AND REVIEW, TO FIND OUT :D
By the way, seriously guys thank you for all the reviews!
It makes me happy that you guys are so antsy to read the next chapters!
(it's what made me hurry up with this one even though I really didn't have the time)
