Author's note

Something I forgot to mention in previous chapters, Murasakiiro is the Japanese word for the colour violet, hence all the references to Aya's eyes, and Aoi is blue. This is also set in the second half of the first season, late enough that they've met Schwarz but Takatori is still alive. Should have mentioned that earlier really. But I lost my disclaimer somewhere along the way. Gion is the place to be a Geisha apparently, in Kyoto, and Crawford's hotel was filched from a guidebook as the most expensive in Kyoto. Many thanks for Liza Dalby for doing the research I filched.

Kaasan is mother, its traditional for people in an Okiya (geisha house) to refer to each other like that, obasan is aunt, aneki is older sister and imouto is younger sister. Should have mentioned that too.

And thank you all sooooo much for reviewing, it does make you more productive

Part 6

Crawford appraised himself in the mirror warily. "You look fine." Schuldig said in his head, "in fact you look like Tom Cruise in that movie."

"What?" Crawford asked, pulling out the lines of the kimono further. "The last samurai?"

"No," Schuldig laughed, "Legend, the one where he was in the gold sequinned mini skirt." He laughed some more and looked through Crawford's eyes at the expression on his face, "Ja, ja," Schuldig said, "you'll kill me when you get home."

"Painfully." Crawford added adjusting the lines of his kimono again. He had had these clothes laid out by the hotel and after some deliberation had decided to wear them. There were a pair of heavy grey pants with a wooden board in the back to help his posture, and a dark green kimono that went over a white shirt. The maid who had helped him dress had named the pieces of clothing and dressed him in front of the mirror without ever once looking at his face. He had put on contacts and was now incredibly nervous. Other people were walking around the hotel in much less, in fact one man from Kyushu was only wearing a yukuta that didn't fasten properly the last time Crawford had seen him.

He smoothed out the lines of the kimono once more and looked down at what he was half sure was a pair of culottes rather than sophisticated trousers, that made him feel a little naked, but when in Gion...

"You can't make me do it." Aya said looking at the door with horror. "You can't make me."

"We can and we will." Kaasan said from behind him. She was waving a black lacquered fan in a rather threatening manner. Omi stood behind her with a scroll under his arm, he was wearing a sailor uniform with a blue pleated skirt, although he didn't attend the local high school he did wear their uniform.

"You don't understand." Aya protested. "He's my worst enemy."

"Nevertheless." Kaasan said reaching into her obi and pulling out a small wooden box which she opened carefully. "He has sent this necklace and you will wear it tonight because you know full well that he will be there. If he is as much of a stalker as you say then you should show appreciation of your gift when you don't expect him to be there."

"But." Aya protested. "I shouldn't have to wear such a thing from a man I have every intention of killing the instant I can." He looked at the string of sapphires again. "And they're pink."

"Now, Saki-chan." Omi said just a little patronisingly. "Pink sapphires are more valuable than blue ones, and they're almost the colour of your eyes." Aya glared at him. "And it will make a lovely choker."

"No."

"Yes." Kaasan added.

"I am not putting a choker on from a man that has every intention of choking me." Aya protested again. "How do I know it's not rigged?"

"You said it yourself," Omi said quietly, "he's Oracle of Schwarz, not the Boston Strangler." Aya's answering glare took ten years off his life. "He's from California, he can't be the Boston Strangler." Omi said, "now put this on before I get Ken to do it."

The colour drained from Aya's face at the thought of Ken doing up a dainty piece of jewellery, Ken who would either strangle him with it trying to get it to fasten or just snap it. "All right." He knelt down letting Omi reach and lifted his hair extensions up so that Omi could fasten the chain. "But I am not letting you forget this."

"Aya," Omi said with a winning smile, "you never let me forget."

Like all the other geisha Murasakiiro looked up when the man entered the party late. He apologised profusely but never raised his head. His dark hair obscured his face and she put him down to being another rich sarariman or politician dabbling in the demimonde. She gave him little thought as she outstretched her pale white hand and poured more sake for the distinguished minister of the interior. The minister of the interior looked at the newcomer and then did a double take and bowed in deference. This made Murasakiiro look at him again. He was dressed in traditional robes that she was of the opinion could make a rock look sexy, with a ruddy health to his cheeks and dark hair that was pleasantly tousled. The expression he wore was pleasantly smug and then she met his eyes. They were the colour of amber. She swallowed the curse in her throat but raised her chin to show the choker she had worn. Crawford had come, and he had come in traditional dress.

"I did not just find him sexy." Murasakiiro thought to herself, doing her best to repress a flush. "I did not just find my absolute worst enemy, the man who stops me from killing Takatori, sexy. It's the clothes, it must be." She looked Crawford over once again. The wide legged hakama made him look taller and they gave him fantastic posture where the kimono gave him a presence that was lacking from his business suits. He looked like a samurai.

A lot of the other guests were wearing traditional robes, but not one of them managed to look quite as sexy as they did it. "It's the clothes," she thought, "everyone looks good dressed like that."

"Crawford-san." The minister of the interior said standing and offering Crawford a seat next to him, "have you had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Murasakiiro-sama?" The minister of the interior, Yamagada Akimoto, showed Crawford Murasakiiro with a wave of the hand. "She is fast becoming the talk of Gion."

"I can say that I have been thus blessed." Crawford answered looking at Murasakiiro with a look of undisguised hunger, as if he might at any time just reach over and gobble her up. Aya suddenly flushed again, thinking that he kind of liked being looked at like that. "And it is my greatest pleasure to surprise her, she is rarely caught unawares."

"The women of today," Akimoto said accepting the cup the Murasakiiro had filled for him, "they have no sense of place, in fact if not for these havens among the geisha I fear I would have to lobby for them to have the vote removed. There is no place for women in the workplace."

Crawford stifled a shocked laugh with a nervous cough the expression on Murasakiiro's face might rightly be called a death glare. "On the contrary, Akimoto-san," she said leaning forward and filling her own glass with sake, "the women of today are in fact much more reserved than the women of previous generations, although geisha such as myself are honoured for their wit there is much pleasure to be had in the company of geisha like Ichigo or Ichimomo, but they are hardly as prized as we modern women." Her tone was sweet and her voice breathy, "and men cannot appreciate how attractive it is that you look in that kimono."

Akimoto stuttered for a few moments and then regained his composure and did his best to smile. "But yet Murasakiiro-sama, do you wisely use your vote?"

Murasakiiro smiled, just a little, "I know who I do not vote for." She answered sweetly. She flashed her eyes at Crawford. "I do not know whether I should be honoured at your devotion, Crawford-san, or simply frightened that you seem intent on following me."

Crawford laughed. "Judging by the pride with which you wear your sapphires then I would say honoured." He reached forward and lifted Murasakiiro's jaw to see the line of pink stones that surrounded her throat. "Does this constitute as our third date I wonder?" He breathed the words into her ear and she swallowed and then blushed brightly. "I do enjoy seeing that flush spread along your neck."

Murasakiiro steeled herself and then slapped him on the hand with the fan. "Crawford-san," she said and there was no sweetness in her voice, "this is not the time nor the place for such overt displays of affection, you will have Minister Akimoto believing that even the votes of geisha such as I can be swayed with a line of sapphires."

Crawford laughed again, sitting back on his heels. "Is it the place of such a beautiful woman to talk about politics?" He asked, archly.

"I believe it is the only remaining topic we are to discuss." She answered, "but if I am too knowledgeable I wonder if you would mistake me for Asaji Washizu, or her English equivalent, Lady Macbeth?"

Crawford smiled, it was a dark thing, as if he had seen prey that he more than anything wanted to catch, "Would you be Lady Macbeth?" He asked, "managing her lord from the shadows before finally going mad." Crawford answered, "no, Murasakiiro-sama, there are other women I would compare you to, with no need for politics."

"You seem well read, Murasakiiro-sama." Akimoto said, tilting his head.

"It is the nature of my gei," she answered lowering her eyes, "how can I cage the mood of a moment if I cannot see how others have."

Akimoto seemed to accept this answer. "Then will you honour us with your gei?" He asked.

Murasakiiro flicked narrow violet eyes to Crawford and then she smiled. "I would be honoured but alas I have nothing prepared and the one poem I know by heart I have already performed for Crawford-san, and fear I would not amuse him twice with such a doggerel."

"Then your own poetry must be something of wonder, for the poem you read to me was a work of American pride." Crawford said.

"that I know," Murasakiiro answered, "but I have no intention of reading it twice." She turned her head, checking the time on the wall. "And if you gentlemen would excuse me, I have other obligations this evening."

"Is this your first party of the night?" Crawford asked, standing up at the same time Murasakiiro did.

"No, Crawford-san, this is my third." She answered. "It seems that I am as popular in Gion as I was in Tokyo. Akimoto-san, I am more than honoured that my presence has amused and flattered you, I will tell Okasan that she is to accept any more invitations from your party." She bowed her head. "Crawford-san, it is always a pleasant surprise."

"I'll walk you out." He said, offering her his arm, like a knight in a story book. He waited patiently whilst she knelt at the door to open it and then shuffled through. "Akimoto is an insufferable ass." He said, plainly, offering her his hand to help her up. Her hand was pale and slender and hot to the touch, although Murasakiiro looked like she had been carved from marble her skin was hot. "I'm sorry about what he said."

"It is not your fault, Crawford-san." Murasakiiro answered quietly, "but thank you for thinking so well of me that you would see me to the door and apologise on his behalf, many of the older men in politics have no idea of a woman's worth." There was more steel in that than Murasakiiro probably intended. Crawford reached out and lifted her jaw to show the line of sapphires again, here in the corridor out of the gaze of prying eyes. "Crawford-san." She said turning her head away.

"I'm going to kiss you now, Saki-chan, if you don't want me to, you just have to say." He answered, giving her a few moments in which she batted her eyes furiously, trying to make sense of what was happening, and then he reached forward and pressed his lips against hers, his hands however never strayed from where they had been, one on her shoulder and the other on her jaw.

After a few minutes Murasakiiro pushed him away, gently, as if she didn't really want to. "I can't do this," she said, "I'm sorry, I have a boyfriend."

Crawford's face mottled for a moment as he thought. Then he smiled. "No problem," he said, "I'll just have to steal you away." He reached forward and kissed her again, just lightly. "And remember that we have an appointment tomorrow at three for afternoon tea."

Aya went straight back to the Okiya and poured himself a long tall glass of Okasan's liquor, which he emptied in a single swallow and then refilled. "You're back early." Ken said sitting at the table. "It's barely two o'clock."

Aya drank more of the whiskey and coughed slightly. "He's going to steal me away." He said to himself in complete misery.

"Is this your mystery customer?" Ken asked, patting Aya's hand as if he possibly understood. Aya nodded and looked like he might burst out crying at any moment. "I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm, even if he is a bit stalkerish, just tell him you have a boyfriend."

"I did." Aya almost wailed. "He says he's going to steal me away. And now I have to see him tomorrow."

"You never have this problem when Yohji's telling everyone he loves you and that he's your boyfriend, hang on a minute he's not this mystery customer is he?" Ken's simple face frowned.

"No," he leant forward. "It's Crawford." he whispered. "And if this carries on I think he's going to propose."

Ken burst out laughing. "Crawford as in Schwarz Crawford." He asked through the chortles. "Well he didn't see this one coming, did he?"