Part 10

The days flew by in a flurry of activity for Aya, he spent the best part of one day at the beauty salon, and between that and the two dates he spent with Akimoto-san, he had refused to see Crawford at all after the gift of the cameo, although he knew that he would have to attend the Noh theatre with him. He found that he missed the honest conversation that they would share over books and films, and the hesitant but welcome touches that Crawford gave him as opposed to Akimoto's determined pawing.

He wouldn't even answer the cell phone Crawford had given him.

"You know the real reason," Omi said quietly, he was wearing a pair of flannel pyjamas and had planned an early night in with his laptop, Ken was sat beside him. Because Aya was going to the Noh and the other geisha had already left for the evening the two were sitting alone in the kitchen preparing for an early night. "It's not that he's scared Crawford will kiss him again," Omi's tone was low and conspiratorial, but it was obvious that he wanted to be overheard. "He's scared that he'll let him."

"Hell, I'm taking notes, Crawford woos like a man in a bad paperback novel, I never thought for a moment that it would work." Ken said, he had a box of pocky open in front of him and the two of them were snacking as they talked. Aya was making sure that he was perfect in the mirror. "Do you think he's the dashing pirate captain or the equally interesting but in a different way naval captain?"

"Shi-ne, Hidaka." He stopped and thought about it, "hey, that doesn't roll off the tongue in the same way Kudoh does, does it?" He adjusted the folds of his kimono one last time, and made sure that his hair extensions were hanging in perfect bangs along his face, it had taken him hours with the straighteners to get his hair to sit just right without gunking it up with gel and he was quite proud of the effect. Between them Aya and Kaasan had managed to give him the look of a much more traditional geisha and he had the impression that a blood spatter from murdering ken would ruin the clean white lines they had worked so hard to achieve. Aya was in sparkling white and his red hair stood out like a blood stain, he was, he was willing to admit, quite lovely tonight.

"Yes, yes," Omi said looking up, "very pretty, in fact you look like her out of that movie."

"Really," Aya said, preening just a little. "Which one?"

"Sadako from Ringu?"

"Tsukiyono Shi-ne." Aya growled. "That one doesn't work either."

The Takagi Noh was one of the most famous Noh theatres in Japan and tickets for their performances sold for hundreds of thousands of yen often with at least a six month waiting list. Crawford held his arm out for Murasakiiro to glide alongside him. She was beautiful tonight in shimmering white cotton with her long red hair slick straight on her shoulders and down her back. "You look beautiful tonight." He said, "like a star, or a princess of the moon." Murasakiiro thought about it and decided that she liked the compliment.

"They're performing Momiji tonight." A silver haired man in a white suit said from behind them, "I was wondering if you wouldn't take my tickets, Crawford, and now I see you on the arm of the loveliest woman in all Kyoto."

"Muraki," Crawford said with a smile. The man made Murasakiiro's skin crawl, he was silvery and his white hair hung over one eye. He was also wearing white but the man behind him was scowling. "You know I never miss the opportunity to see old friends, Kazutaka Muraki, this is Murasakiiro of the Ichirogo Okiya, aren't you going to introduce your guest."

"Oh yes," the man said, the light glinted menacingly off his glasses. "This is Asato Tsuzuki." He grabbed the man in black who was lurking behind him. "He's my date for the evening."

"Hostage." Tsuzuki corrected.

They ignored him. "You have beautiful eyes," Muraki said looking at Murasakiiro who did her best to hide under her hair, revealing a single eye, making her look more like that girl from Ringu. "They have such a beautiful eye colour, That is a colour that is definitely not a human eye colour." Tsuzuki grabbed his arm and went to pull him away. "Your eyes are the same colour as Tsuzuki's. I wonder is that a coincidence."

Crawford took Murasakiiro's hand within his own, hers was hot and sweaty where the doctor obviously disturbed her. "Mine." He said, "you've got your own date there."

Muraki laughed, it was a genuine evil laugh. "I know." He grabbed Tsuzuki by the arm and went to take his seat, to Murasakiiro's obvious delight on the other side of the aisle.

"He's creepy." Murasakiiro whispered.

"Yes," Crawford admitted, "but he's a great doctor, he built his own mechanical eye you know."

"No I didn't know, and I don't think I wanted to either." Murasakiiro whined pulling a face.

"Ah, Saki-chan," Crawford said with a laugh, "He won't hurt you, it's professional courtesy." He squeezed Murasakiiro's hand, "and besides, I wouldn't let him."

"Shouldn't we rescue his date, I mean hostage?" Murasakiiro looked at where the dark haired man was obviously in distress. Muraki had more hands than an octopus and was using them to his best advantage. The purple eyed man didn't even seem to notice, he was pointed in the direction of the stage but the end of the world could have happened and he wouldn't have noticed.

"If we do Muraki will be honour bound to rescue you, Saki-chan." Crawford answered with a light laugh.

"But I'm not a hostage." She protested, her face a look of complete innocence. "I even got here under my own steam."

"Even though I'm very jealous at the moment." Crawford said, the tip of his finger was tracing abstract designs on her palm and Murasakiiro was discovering that open air Noh theatres in autumn can be very warm. "You've spent all your time with Akimoto-san, and I haven't seen you since the police commissioner's ball." Murasakiiro realised something as he said that but kept it to herself.

"Akimoto-san pays well for my company." She answered briefly.

"The man is an ass." Crawford said, "he thinks in the European dark ages and thinks women should be locked away in little rooms and not educated."

"Nevertheless he requested me." She answered. "Although I do my best to listen when he talks and not imagine that I am spending my time with you." It shocked her that she had said that, a geisha never spoke ill of a patron and it was alarmingly close to the truth for Murasakiiro to be entirely comfortable. "Mostly we talk of Shakespeare, he is fascinated with the concept that we are pictures out of doors, Belles in our parlours, wild-cats in our kitchens, Saints in our injuries, devils being offended, Players in our housewifery, and housewives' in our beds, as Iago so eloquently put it." Crawford looked at her before he burst out laughing. She actually looked offended for a moment, but as she looked at him she smiled. Her smile was so genuine that he just had to kiss it.

Aya sat at his dressing table brushing out his long blood red hair extensions singing I feel pretty under his breath. "Someone feels pretty." Ken said from the doorway, he jumped out of the way to avoid a lethally thrown hairbrush, which ricocheted off the door frame and caught him on the rebound.

"I think Crawford makes him feel pretty." Omi said, quite sure that now he had thrown his hairbrush that there was nothing projectile left on the dresser.

"A pity that Crawford doesn't know he's a man." Ken added.

"and his worst enemy to boot." Omi added.

"I'm using Crawford to get to Takatori." Aya answered loosely as he bound his now long hair up in a plait for the night. The two of them burst out laughing. "but I am." Aya protested.

"And Kudoh's just made a vow of celibacy." Ken said.

"And Ken will never watch soccer again." Omi said.

"I will get Crawford to participate in this mission," Aya growled and sat down on his futon which chose precisely that moment to make a ny-o sound. "What by all the seven hells?" He asked pulling back the blanket to reveal a small grey and rather sleepy kitten. It obviously wasn't very old as it's eyes were very large. He picked it up by the scruff of it's neck. It nyoed again.

"A kitten." Omi said diving across the room. "Someone got you a kitten. Can we keep it, can we, please, Aya, can we?"

"Remember the last kitten." Aya said checking the animal for anything that could identify where such a gift could come from, and why it was in his bed. They took a moment to remember the last kitten.

"I know you can't do that now." Omi said, "and it was an accident."

Around the kitten's neck was a velvet collar and tucked into it was a square of silk, he opened it up carefully. "Aagh, its from him." He dropped the kitten as if it was poisonous for Omi to pick it up with a murmur of "I'll hug him and love him and call him George" as he rubbed it against his face.

"You're not calling him George." Aya snarled, "and it's a she, and where's my cell?" This rage was only one step away from the takatori ice rage so Ken handed him the cell. "Crawford-san." He said, "that freaky doctor's gotten me a kitten." There was a brief pause. "I know." There was another pause. "Aoi appears to have adopted it." Another silence. "I don't think it's a demon." Omi held it out at arms length. "Professional courtesy." Aya said after a couple of moments. "In my futon." He held the cell away from his ear at the answer to that. "I know." There was another brief pause. "Fine, I'll leave it in your hands." He hung up.

"So Crawford didn't get you the kitten?" Omi asked.

"No, Doctor Muraki got me the kitten." He shuddered. "Omi, can I sleep in your room tonight?"