Replies to Reviews of "A Miraculous Adventure in Atlantis," Epilogue:

To Geft: There are quite a few questions left to be answered. So far as the heroes know, the Phoenix is still missing; the Whale is not missing, though I assume you meant the Shark, which is currently in Paris, held by Prequinateur.


"Kampai!" Yuki smiled brightly, holding up her cup and dipping her head to the guest sitting next to her at the low table in the Hanabusa teahouse's back party room. Waiting for him to finish his tea, Yuki refilled his cup before taking a sip of her own, savoring the light jasmine blend. Three of the guests spoke quietly in the middle of the table, nibbling bites of the shojin gomadoufu. At the opposite end of the table, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Haruna chatted animatedly with Fujisawa-san at the head of the table. Next to her, Takeji, Fujisawa-san's oldest son, leaned over to whisper something to the man next to him, who laughed, leaning back and turning his full attention on Haruna. Yuki breathed, slowly and deeply, and refocused on the guests beside her and their conversation. Giving a cheerful smile, Yuki nodded in response to the older man reclining beside her. "As a matter of fact, I was just down by the harbor yesterday – Geisha Haruna and I were invited to a tourist event taking place alongside the water."

"Oh?" Konya-san raised an eyebrow in interest, selecting a piece of sushi. "And how did you enjoy the festival?"

"I am always delighted by the opportunity to meet new and interesting people," Yuki replied. "And especially to share so much of our culture with people who do not understand it! Those are the two greatest joys of my life, which I am so pleased to be able to carry out now as geisha."

Konya-san hummed. "It is good to see your progress, Geisha Yuki," he observed, emphasizing the title. The corners of his eyes crinkled with a small smile. "The last time I saw you at one of these parties, you were still several weeks away from your erikae."

She nodded, the corners of her mouth turning down slightly. "I am sorry that it has been so long since our last party," she apologized. "You were always so kind to me as hangyoku."

"I find that the best test of a man's character is the way in which he treats others," Konya-san confided, his voice dropping softer so Yuki had to strain to hear him. "Particularly those subordinate to himself. If a man acts with propriety to those above him, what profit is it? He is only fulfilling his duty. But if he acts properly with those below him, that is significant."

Yuki refilled his teacup, inclining her head deferentially. "That may very well be the case, Konya-sama."

He smiled. A little louder, he told her, "Perhaps now that you are geisha, you will have greater availability for ozashiki. Having observed Miyoshi-san as she trained to become geisha, and now yourself, I am eager to watch your new minarai's training as she progresses."

Yuki's eye drifted across the room to where the two minarai knelt together in the far corner, watching the ozashiki quietly. "I am eager to watch that, as well," she answered Konya-san, meeting Ayaka's gaze. Ayaka quickly looked away, and Yuki stifled a giggle. "Having been minarai and hangyoku myself so recently, it has been fascinating to experience having a minarai of my own to look after."

"Then perhaps an ozashiki will be productive for you and for your minarai," observed Konya-san, following Yuki's gaze and giving the two minarai an evaluating look.

"Perhaps you are correct, Konya-san. I would be delighted to host an ozashiki for you," Yuki told him, smiling. "Provided that we find a time that works, Geisha Haruna and I, as well as our minarai, would be happy to join you for your next party!"

Konya-san nodded. "Then in that case, my assistant will contact Takamura-san's office next week to arrange it."

"I look forward to the opportunity to share more of our culture with your guests!" Yuki assured him, dipping her head and moving down the line to greet the next guest, a younger man attending his first ozashiki as a member of Fujisawa-san's company. Quietly, the man mumbled a greeting, not quite meeting Yuki's eye. She smiled encouragingly. "Welcome, Mori-san," she greeted him, filling his teacup. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to share more of our culture with you this afternoon. Have you experienced an ozashiki before?"

As he answered softly, Yuki kept her eyes on Mori-san's face, though with her peripheral vision she focused her attention on the corner where the two minarai knelt quietly, still watching the proceedings from a distance. Ayaka's hands moved incessantly on her lap, the tension in her posture obvious to Yuki's trained eye. Beside her, Erina, Haruna's new minarai, knelt motionless, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes roaming constantly. But, then, Erina, though she was a little younger than Ayaka, had been a trainee at Hanabusa for a few months already before becoming a minarai. Thanks to that training, she already knew the proper way to behave during ozashiki – curious, but quiet; seen, but only in the background unless directly addressed. Ayaka, however, was another story. The moment she had been admitted to Hanabusa, she had already been Yuki's minarai – brought in at Yuki's recommendation to be her trainee. That had been almost a month ago now, and since then, Ayaka had been working hard in her classes on traditional culture. However, although she had progressed quickly through her classes, learning how to dress, apply the makeup properly, and even starting calligraphy, before now Yuki had kept her away from any public settings. But this morning, they hadn't been able to avoid it anymore. It was time for Ayaka to make her first appearance as a minarai.

Ayaka had been nervous this morning when Yuki had arrived, her kimono slightly wrinkled from her anxious handwringing. Yuki had taken her back up to her room and changed her into a different kimono. But she could sympathize with Ayaka's nervousness: she could still remember her own first ozashiki, the first time she had observed the ceremony that would become such a major part of her life. But for Ayaka, the anxiety was so much worse than it had been for Yuki. Yuki's stomach clenched in sympathy. This was her first time in a public setting – with people from outside the okiya – since they had rescued her. Could any of the men in this room have been her "clients" in that horrible brothel? Would any of them recognize her? They had altered her appearance since then – her hair had grown longer, her clothing and makeup were entirely different, and she had put on some healthy weight thanks to proper nutrition – but had they done enough? On seeing the poor girl's discomfort, Yuki's heart went out to her. But at the same time, Ayaka could not live her entire life in hiding in the okiya.

After another thirty minutes of working her way around the table to chat with the guests while Haruna did the same on the opposite side, Yuki glanced up and met Haruna's eye. Giving her a subtle nod, Haruna moved back around to Fujisawa-san at the head of the table, while Yuki finished making their fifth pot of tea and slipped away, back toward where the two minarai sat. Erina looked at her in surprise as she knelt in front of them.

"You are both well?" Yuki asked quietly while removing her shamisen from its case.

"Yes, Geisha," Erina answered her quickly, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Ayaka hesitated for a moment and looked to one side, but she finally nodded. "Yes, oneesan."

Examining Ayaka more closely, Yuki schooled her expression to hide a frown. Between her hair and the shading of her makeup, they had tried to hide Ayaka's features as much as possible, but still Yuki wasn't satisfied. "Do you recognize any of the guests?" she asked Ayaka, who shook her head.

"No, oneesan," Ayaka responded. She squeezed her hands together, barely resisting the urge to wring the front of her kimono. "But I did notice a couple of them looking at me strangely." She looked away. "I was… uncomfortable."

Yuki sighed, giving her a sympathetic smile, and placed a comforting hand on Ayaka's shoulder. "You cannot stop the looks, unfortunately. But so long as that is how it stays…"

Ayaka frowned, letting out a huff. "I understand."

Yuki was just about to stand up and return to the table when a shadow appeared over her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Surreptitiously, she slipped one hand into the sleeve of her kimono, her fingers closing around the cool, smooth handle automatically.

"I have enjoyed meeting you, Geisha Yuki," Takeji told her as she turned to look up into his grinning face. "I hope we will have even more opportunities to get to know each other… better… in the future. I think we might both find such a relationship to be beneficial."

"I do enjoy meeting new guests and sharing our culture with them," Yuki agreed, keeping her voice calm and collected. She stood up and moved slightly to one side so Takeji's hand fell off her shoulder.

Takeji hummed, raising an eyebrow at her and folding his arms. Looking her up and down, he asked, "Would you introduce me to… other elements of our cultural heritage?"

Yuki smiled thinly, eyeing him carefully. "If you permit us a few minutes to prepare, Geisha Haruna and I will be happy to present one of the greatest elements of our cultural heritage. I will perform on my shamisen while Geisha Haruna dances," Yuki explained, indicating the instrument still resting in her case. "Geisha Haruna is an incredible dancer, and you will not want to miss it!"

"It will be a pleasure to have you perform," Takeji told her, smirking. "But I think it will be an even greater pleasure to have a… private performance."

Yuki's nostrils flared. He was not the first; he unfortunately would not be the last to make such a suggestion. But she could handle ignorant and boorish comments. "We typically do not offer 'private' performances of the type you desire."

He shrugged, glancing down at Ayaka. "Perhaps that is too much of a commitment for a fully-trained geisha," he conceded, grinning at Ayaka as he looked her up and down. "But perhaps your minarai would consent to a… private show?"

Ayaka shuddered slightly, her eyes widening, and she leaned backward.

Placing herself between Ayaka and Takeji, Yuki's mouth set in a thin line. "The minarai are here as guests and observers. They are not here to be your 'private show,' Fujisawa-san. Nor, for that matter am I. Or Geisha Haruna." Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped lower. "Unless you apologize to my imoto right now, you will no longer be welcome in this ochaya."

Takeji's eyes narrowed, and he raised himself to his full height. Not taking her hand off the blade handle in her sleeve, Yuki met his gaze steadily, refusing to look away. Her lips tightened into a thinner line, and she clenched her jaw. Finally, Takeji looked down at Ayaka. "I apologize."

Yuki's expression didn't change as she stared at Takeji while he returned to his place at the table.