Standard Disclaimers Apply. Not mine to begin with, but definitely fun to get creative on. Inuyasha owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Bad Disguise
By Cammi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Two:
In the lair of the so-called 'Shapeshifter'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is very good tea," Kagome complimented their hostess as she sips her tea. Sango did the same and it seems that Shippo is enjoying his own.
"Thank you," the woman said. She is in her mid-forties, her black hair carefully tied behind her head. But what striking about her is her face. Kagome couldn't say it, Shippo tried to (but Kagome pinched him so hard to keep him shut up), and Sango don't care about it. Mimika must've been the ugliest lady in the whole world.
She lifted a tray of sweets and offered it to her guests. "Would you like some?"
"Arigatou, Mimika-san," Sango said and took one. The tray turned to Kagome and she picked one, too. The tray went to Shippo, and the kou-kitsune took three.
"Isn't he adorable," Mimika said, referring to Shippo. "He is so kawaii! You're so lucky Sango to find a pet like him."
Shippo stopped eating and looked at Mimika with an embarrassed scowl.
Sango just laughed. "Yes, he is cute. But I find Kirara the cutest."
"Sango!" Shippo whined.
"It's okay, Shippo," Kagome lifted Shippo up. "I think you're cute."
"Thank you, Kagome."
"So this is what an okiya looks like," Kagome wondered, placing Shippo on her lap. "How long have you been running this place, Mimika-san?"
"About fifteen years," she replied, "you might think I am hustler in this business, but I think that I haven't got the finer points of running an okiya."
"Don't be silly," Sango said, "just one look at this place, and I can tell that you are doing just great."
Mimika puts her tea down and settle her hands on the lap. "I believe you're not just here to talk about my okiya. I believe you want something from me, Sango."
The youkai exterminator smiled. "You are blunt, as always. You never changed."
"And you, my dear, still act like your mother," Mimika said.
Mimika had been friends with Sango's mother for a long time, that she eventually became her godmother. But although Sango had not been visiting her as often as she used to (Mimika would've visited her herself, if not for the things that happened with Sango's family).
Mimika stood up and walked over to the small cabinet at the end of the room. She pulled from the drawer a small box. Immediately, Kagome could already sense the force that is coming from the box. She believes that a Shikon no Kakera is in that box.
The okiya owner sat down and placed the box in the middle. She opened it and the shard is placed in the middle of the cushion glued inside. It looks like a princess in the middle of her vast four-post bed.
"I am so glad that you didn't used it in evil, or gave it to anybody," Sango said. But neither Kagome nor Sango took the jewel. Shippo stared at it.
"I know my part in this world, Sango-chan. And I know the story of this legendary Shikon no Tama. And I am honored to help you fight evil," Mimika explained.
"Did some youkai came here and try to take it away?" Kagome asked, curious if she is having troubles with youkais and other evil entities like they do.
"No," Mimika shook her head, "I haven't."
Kagome let out a sweatdrop. "Really?"
Mimika nods.
"Unbelievable."
"Well, it is a special box," Mimika explained, "it was given to me by a monk and he said that I can keep anything in there and evil monsters will not know what is in there." She took the jewel out and gave it to Kagome. "For some time now, the box proved useful."
Kagome slipped the jewel into her pocket. Then she bowed, "Arigatou gozaimasu!"
Then, Mimika turned to Sango, asking how she'd been for the past few years of not seeing each other, evading the topic of her brother and other unpleasant memories. Just like what Kagome said that morning, "Today is our day-off from everything sad and unpleasant!"
"Kagome," Shippo whispered in Kagome's ear, "how do you think she does it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Mimika. I know she's nice, although her face is…well…anyway, it is expected that she receive rude remarks from other people, right? So how do you think she hide it?"
"Make-up, my dear kitsune," Mimika answered, unaware that she and Sango had been listening to Shippo. "And that is a good question."
"Hontou?"
The okiya owner nodded. "Geishas are very creative with their faces. And they have all kinds of make-up. If one is skilled enough, she can hide even the most hideous face in the world."
Kagome noted the last part of her sentence. "Oh, Mimika…we didn't mean to---"
Mimika smiled. "I know you didn't mean it."
"Mimika used to be the most beautiful girl in my mother's village," Sango spoke after a sip from her tea, "somebody…well…let's just say that she had an accident."
Kagome and Shippo stared at Mimika, but she just smiled. In fact, she had been smiling since they came to visit her this morning. Even though that smiling makes her face more scary than ever, they didn't realize that it makes Mimika's life more easier.
"How do you look like when you have your make-up on?" Shippo asked, curiosity swelling.
"In what manner, my little kitsune?"
"What do you mean, 'in what manner'?"
"I can make myself look younger," Mimika explained, "or older. I can make myself into anyone I want to be. Like a shapeshifter."
"But at least you are kinder than Naraku," Shippo ended with a chuckle, which earned him angry stares from both Kagome and Sango.
"Here," Sango said, stuffing his mouth with the remaining sweets on the tray, "something to shut that big mouth of yours."
"Well," Kagome rose from her seat, taking Stuffed Shippo with her, "we should be going. Our friends might be back in camp be now."
Mimika and Sango rose up. "Let me escort you to the door," the owner suggested.
Sango waved her hands. "Thank you. And besides, don't you have visitors on the other room?"
Her expression changed to shock. "You're right! I must have forgotten about that. Can you lead yourselves out?"
"Of course. Kagome-chan?"
When Sango turned to Kagome, she was standing by the door, not moving. "Kagome, are you okay?"
Kagome looked at the door intently, spotting two shadows. "Someone is outside."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tsu du ku...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes: I revised the first one to make it more readable.
What else...
Hmm...
Well...read chapter three.
Bad Disguise
By Cammi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Two:
In the lair of the so-called 'Shapeshifter'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is very good tea," Kagome complimented their hostess as she sips her tea. Sango did the same and it seems that Shippo is enjoying his own.
"Thank you," the woman said. She is in her mid-forties, her black hair carefully tied behind her head. But what striking about her is her face. Kagome couldn't say it, Shippo tried to (but Kagome pinched him so hard to keep him shut up), and Sango don't care about it. Mimika must've been the ugliest lady in the whole world.
She lifted a tray of sweets and offered it to her guests. "Would you like some?"
"Arigatou, Mimika-san," Sango said and took one. The tray turned to Kagome and she picked one, too. The tray went to Shippo, and the kou-kitsune took three.
"Isn't he adorable," Mimika said, referring to Shippo. "He is so kawaii! You're so lucky Sango to find a pet like him."
Shippo stopped eating and looked at Mimika with an embarrassed scowl.
Sango just laughed. "Yes, he is cute. But I find Kirara the cutest."
"Sango!" Shippo whined.
"It's okay, Shippo," Kagome lifted Shippo up. "I think you're cute."
"Thank you, Kagome."
"So this is what an okiya looks like," Kagome wondered, placing Shippo on her lap. "How long have you been running this place, Mimika-san?"
"About fifteen years," she replied, "you might think I am hustler in this business, but I think that I haven't got the finer points of running an okiya."
"Don't be silly," Sango said, "just one look at this place, and I can tell that you are doing just great."
Mimika puts her tea down and settle her hands on the lap. "I believe you're not just here to talk about my okiya. I believe you want something from me, Sango."
The youkai exterminator smiled. "You are blunt, as always. You never changed."
"And you, my dear, still act like your mother," Mimika said.
Mimika had been friends with Sango's mother for a long time, that she eventually became her godmother. But although Sango had not been visiting her as often as she used to (Mimika would've visited her herself, if not for the things that happened with Sango's family).
Mimika stood up and walked over to the small cabinet at the end of the room. She pulled from the drawer a small box. Immediately, Kagome could already sense the force that is coming from the box. She believes that a Shikon no Kakera is in that box.
The okiya owner sat down and placed the box in the middle. She opened it and the shard is placed in the middle of the cushion glued inside. It looks like a princess in the middle of her vast four-post bed.
"I am so glad that you didn't used it in evil, or gave it to anybody," Sango said. But neither Kagome nor Sango took the jewel. Shippo stared at it.
"I know my part in this world, Sango-chan. And I know the story of this legendary Shikon no Tama. And I am honored to help you fight evil," Mimika explained.
"Did some youkai came here and try to take it away?" Kagome asked, curious if she is having troubles with youkais and other evil entities like they do.
"No," Mimika shook her head, "I haven't."
Kagome let out a sweatdrop. "Really?"
Mimika nods.
"Unbelievable."
"Well, it is a special box," Mimika explained, "it was given to me by a monk and he said that I can keep anything in there and evil monsters will not know what is in there." She took the jewel out and gave it to Kagome. "For some time now, the box proved useful."
Kagome slipped the jewel into her pocket. Then she bowed, "Arigatou gozaimasu!"
Then, Mimika turned to Sango, asking how she'd been for the past few years of not seeing each other, evading the topic of her brother and other unpleasant memories. Just like what Kagome said that morning, "Today is our day-off from everything sad and unpleasant!"
"Kagome," Shippo whispered in Kagome's ear, "how do you think she does it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Mimika. I know she's nice, although her face is…well…anyway, it is expected that she receive rude remarks from other people, right? So how do you think she hide it?"
"Make-up, my dear kitsune," Mimika answered, unaware that she and Sango had been listening to Shippo. "And that is a good question."
"Hontou?"
The okiya owner nodded. "Geishas are very creative with their faces. And they have all kinds of make-up. If one is skilled enough, she can hide even the most hideous face in the world."
Kagome noted the last part of her sentence. "Oh, Mimika…we didn't mean to---"
Mimika smiled. "I know you didn't mean it."
"Mimika used to be the most beautiful girl in my mother's village," Sango spoke after a sip from her tea, "somebody…well…let's just say that she had an accident."
Kagome and Shippo stared at Mimika, but she just smiled. In fact, she had been smiling since they came to visit her this morning. Even though that smiling makes her face more scary than ever, they didn't realize that it makes Mimika's life more easier.
"How do you look like when you have your make-up on?" Shippo asked, curiosity swelling.
"In what manner, my little kitsune?"
"What do you mean, 'in what manner'?"
"I can make myself look younger," Mimika explained, "or older. I can make myself into anyone I want to be. Like a shapeshifter."
"But at least you are kinder than Naraku," Shippo ended with a chuckle, which earned him angry stares from both Kagome and Sango.
"Here," Sango said, stuffing his mouth with the remaining sweets on the tray, "something to shut that big mouth of yours."
"Well," Kagome rose from her seat, taking Stuffed Shippo with her, "we should be going. Our friends might be back in camp be now."
Mimika and Sango rose up. "Let me escort you to the door," the owner suggested.
Sango waved her hands. "Thank you. And besides, don't you have visitors on the other room?"
Her expression changed to shock. "You're right! I must have forgotten about that. Can you lead yourselves out?"
"Of course. Kagome-chan?"
When Sango turned to Kagome, she was standing by the door, not moving. "Kagome, are you okay?"
Kagome looked at the door intently, spotting two shadows. "Someone is outside."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tsu du ku...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes: I revised the first one to make it more readable.
What else...
Hmm...
Well...read chapter three.