Tang Mu

Chapter 4

I just got into the clothes and he wants me to get out of them? But…it
would feel nice to be as clean as what I'm wearing. He is doing far
too much for me. Perhaps this is his way of apologizing for bruising
me all week. In any case, he is doing too much. I don't deserve this.
For five years now, I've been nothing but a pleasure girl. I am
undeserving of such kindness.

"There should be other women here who can help you with your clothes."
He grins and briefly teaches me how to ask for help while giving me
some money. We will be separated here. I will not have his knowledge
while I am bathing. I am both relieved and nervous about this
revelation.

(Kenshin grabs his wife's ponytail. "Hold it! Sessha told you. We
don't have the money. You will have to wait until they come out to see
more, that you will." Kaoru scowls at the man, but gives in.)

I am nervous. All these women know each other. I have no idea what
anyone is saying. I'm completely in the dark here, but the steam
coming from the other room calls to me. I step into what must be an
entrance of some kind. There are small buckets with shoes in them. I
guess I must remove my shoes. I have noticed this a lot. Every place
has somewhere to put your shoes. I guess it is a custom here. It makes
sense. This way the floor doesn't get dirty with dirt from outside.

Women are staring at me. I have never felt more foreign than right now.
What do I do? I observe for a brief moment. People have buckets,
towels, things to wash with. I have nothing. Perhaps that is where the
money comes in to play.

"Hello…" I stop a woman. She is looking at me funny. "Um…" How do I
say this? I point and give her a questioning expression. I hope she
understands. How did Enishi say that? "I don't…s-speak…"

"Oh…you're not from around here huh? Here. Let me help you." She takes
me by the hand. I guess it worked! Thank the gods! I am taken to a
small counter. The woman speaks rapidly in Japanese. All the things I
need are set on the counter by a bath house worker.

"Do you have money?" I don't understand. I stare at her. I'm confused
again. She takes out a couple coins from her purse and shows them to
me. Ah! I see. Yes. I nod. I have money. "What's your name honey?"
That word. It's the same thing Oibore said when I met him. When he
told me I had a pretty name.

"Liya? Ni.ne?" No. she doesn't understand Chinese! It is her turn to
be confused. I make a frustrated sound and try again. "Liya." I rest
my hand on my chest. Then, I gesture toward her and nod. Hopefully,
that will work.

"Oh! Noriko." We smile at each other as I hand the worker my money. I
know I gave too much. Hopefully, the worker won't jip me with the
change. I will have to have faith.

* * *

I wonder how she's faring. Most likely, she's already getting
frustrated. She's smart though. She'll figure things out. I pay the
employee for my supplies and proceed to the changing room. I haven't
had a good bath in a while. I wonder if this bath cleans your clothes
like that one in Kyoto does. I guess I'll find out.

Damn. It doesn't, but it comes close. You have to wash your own
clothes, but at least they have spots to hang them up to dry. This is
going to be interesting.

* * *

There are so many shameless women here. They're all naked as the day
they were born, but no one seems embarrassed. This tiny towel isn't
doing much to cover my own body. Everyone is staring at me.

"Liya…you have so many bruises!" She gestures to my injuries. I smile
and wave her off. This is very embarrassing. And to make matters
worse, I don't get to hide under the water yet. Bathing is separate
from soaking. At least the thick lather will provide some sort of
protection against this incessant staring I can't seem to get away
from.

I bathe quickly, yet thoroughly. My body feels lighter now that all
the grime is off of it. This is a nice feeling. The feeling of being
clean. I like this.

* * *

I haven't let myself relax this much in a long time. This is certainly
a step up from where I was before. You were right Onee-san. Liya has
been good for me. It's only been a week and I am already feeling very
relaxed. Now if only this confusion regarding the Battousai would go
away.

He is obviously a different man now. Not a bloodthirsty killer. He has
managed to find happiness with that Kamiya girl. I wish I could attain
such happiness. I'm too much of a monster to get it though. Of course,
so is he. Why is he happy and I am not? It's not fair Onee-san. I
close my eyes to see Tomoe. She makes an attempt to brush my hair out
of my face and smiles sadly at me. 'It's just not fair…'

* * *

"I don't…Help…?" I hold up the kimono and a colored chord or two.
Maybe Noriko will help me again. She has sort of taken me under her
wing. If she is not already married, she will make a good wife some
day. She's very patient.

"Let me guess. Her boyfriend bought her that and she has no idea how
to put it on."

"You got it." Noriko takes hold of the articles of clothing and sifts
through them. Her eyes glitter. I think she likes them. They are very
pretty. Exquisite silk and such a delicate pattern. I like them much
better than my dress, but my dress is easier to put on so I will keep
it. It is also easier to take off, as the gang's boss found out three
years ago when he bought it for me.

"Liya…" She gently prods. I turn my attention back to the dear woman.
Slowly, she holds up each article, presenting it as she tucks and ties
it into the proper place. I have been moved to a long mirror so that I
can see what is happening in the back. Her fingers are very skilled. I
hope to be able to do this some day with as much ease as she is able
to.

Her friend giggles at the intensity of my watchful gaze. "I think
she's learning Noriko-chan. Is she married?" The obi is presented to
me. I smile and nod my understanding.

"No. She blushed when she entered the bathing area. A married woman
would not blush quite as much." They giggle, I assume, at my expense.
That's alright though. I deserve it. I don't know anything about this
place. It is normal for a foreigner to be laughed at. I don't mind.
"Let's give her the obi-musubi! We can make her pretty for her
boyfriend." They seem to be enjoying making me pretty. I feel a bit
like their doll, but that is also alright. I kind of like being
primped for once. The gang boss had the prostitutes primp me for him
and his men. I hated it. They made me look like a little whore. These
women are much nicer. They are making me look my age and making me
look proper. I feel much more at ease in their hands.

"Liya…are you paying attention?" Noriko's friend taps my shoulder. I
smile at her and watch how to make the obi look like a flowering
side-ways bow. It's very elaborate, but it looks very nice. I will try
my best to learn how to do this by myself. Before my parents were
killed, I prized myself on my knot art techniques. Hopefully, this
won't be much harder to perfect than that.

Someone is brushing my hair. I never asked for this much attention. I
feel like a princess. It's Noriko's friend. They are being far too
nice to me. I will have to thank them somehow. I don't want to insult
them with money, but there must be something I can do. I haven't done
my knots in a while. Maybe I can make them something. I will have to
have Enishi show me where the chord shops are. But I don't have any
money. I don't want him paying for my gift to these women. I need to
thank him even more than Noriko and her friend. Too many debts and
I've only been here a week.

"Is your boyfriend waiting for you outside?" I don't understand. What
did she say? I look to Noriko. She smiles and waves off her friend's
attempt to communicate. I guess whatever they asked has already been
answered.

"She doesn't speak Japanese, Sakura. We will see when we all exit
together."

He's not here yet. What do I do now? I look around at all the people
in the street. Not one looks like Enishi. "Liya…Do you want to walk
around with us?" Noriko's hand gestures to the shops nearby. I guess,
if we stay near to the bath house, it's okay to go with her.

"Duo xie…" I give her a slight bow and smile. She and her friend did
so much for me. I know they don't understand what I just said, but it
makes me feel better that I at least said it. They giggle and bow.

"Oh…Liya!" Noriko points to her friend. "Sakura." So her name is
Sakura. Very pretty name.

"Sakura…" I nod and smile as we walk to the nearest shop.

* * *

I glare at my clothes. They're still not even close to being dry. I at
least want them to be no more than damp before I put them on.
Hopefully, Liya has found some friends or has decided to do some minor
exploring on her own. This'll be a while.

The bath fires have allowed the clothes to dry somewhat rapidly, but
they're still not drying fast enough. Luckily, no one's stuff is going
to get burned. This bath house is pretty resourceful to have a safe
spot near the fires like this.

* * *

Oh, silk chords! I can do knots with these! But…no money. I close my
eyes and pray to the gods to give me luck. I will pay Enishi back
soon. My skilled fingers choose two long strands of red silk chord.
These will do very nicely. Smiling, I hand the store keeper a few
coins. She blinks and hands me back half.

I am called over to a small booth. Quickly, I join the two women.
Chopped ice? With syrup? They have that in Japan!? I used to love when
mama made this! "I'll pay this time Sakura! Don't worry about it!"
Before I can say anything Noriko pays for three shaved ices. I blush
and thank her as best I can. Too much. These people are too kind. I
need to find a place to make my knots so that I can properly thank
them.

Luckily, we sit at a small table by the water. It's very peaceful
here. I am liking this place more and more. My new friends watch with
fascination as I twist and weave a chord around two of my fingers. I
haven't lost my touch after five years. This will be a satisfactory
gift for now. I pull it tight and make quick work of a pair of slider
knots. One is done. I begin the other and end it just as quickly. Why
are they clapping? It wasn't that hard.

I smile and hand each of the women one 'endless knot' necklace.
Bowing, I use this to show my gratitude for their help in the bath
house and for the shaved ice treat. They have accepted them with awe.
I don't deserve such praise. It was really a very simple gift.

"I see you found friends." I look up to see Enishi. Smiling, I nod and
turn to my friends. They are staring at him with suppressed horror.
What is this all about?

"…Enishi…meet Noriko and Sakura. They helped me in the bath house." He
smirks. Light teal eyes fall on my gifts. Nodding his approval, he
speaks to the women. They don't seem to let their guard fall entirely,
but they don't look like they're going to run away anymore. In fact,
they just look very surprised.

"I did not come here to hurt anyone. Thank you for helping her." They
nod shakily. Black eyes dart from him to me as if they're asking me
how I ended up with a man like him. Enishi whispers in my ear. Ah! So
that's how you say it!

"Ari…Arigatou…" I manage with a slight bow.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Ni.ne = more or less 'And you?' (Mandarin)

arigatou = thank you (Japanese)

Kimono stuff again:
http://www.kikimimi.ne.jp/www/sortie/Ekimono.htm
The obi-musubi is really pretty. It's apparently used often for the
coming of age (20 yrs old) ceremony. Liya is twenty, but no one knows
this yet. Noriko and Sakura chose this tying method simply because
it's pretty and it stands for happiness. It looks like a fluffy bow
that is turned diagonally.

I thank this website:
http://www.ainj.com/public_bath.htm
for it's wonderful info on Japanese public baths. For the sake of the
story I took some liberties with it. Such as, I thought it would be
pretty gross for Enishi to put on his dirty clothes after he took a
bath. That's okay though. I'm sure people can deal with the artistic
license.

Chinese knotting is a very pretty art form:
http://www.knottingartist.com/
I have no idea how to do it, but I wish I could.