I Dreamed A Dream/Lovely Ladies

Les Shaman Miserables

Juntine stared at the ground. "There was a time when men were kind, when their voices were soft and their words inviting… There was a time when love was blind and the world was a song, and the song was exciting. There was a time… then it all went wrong."

"I dreamed a dream in time gone by," Juntine confessed to herself, aware that no one would be listening to her plea. "When hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die! I dreamed that God would be forgiving! Then, I was young and unafraid – and dreams were made and used and wasted. There was no ransom to be paid, no song unsung, no wine untasted."

Juntine felt a tear catch in her eye. "But the tigers come at night, with their voices soft as thunder. As they tear your hope apart, they turn your dream to shame!"

"He slept a summer by my side," Juntine cried, tears now flowing freely. "He filled my days with endless wonder. He took my childhood in his stride – but he was gone when autumn came! And still I dream he'll come to me, that we will live the years together. But there are dreams that cannot be, and there are storms we cannot weather!

"I had a dream my life would be so different from this hell I live in! So different now from what it seemed – now life has killed the dream… I… dream…"

Juntine was still sobbing lightly when five prostitutes set up shop near her spot. They hung up a sign, with prices and the word Lilly5 emblazoned on it. The people that appeared only at night were coming out, and Juntine hid amidst the shadows, in the corner, waiting for three sailors to leave. They were clearly customers for the prostitutes.

"I smell women, smell them in the air!" one sailor cried. "Think I'll drop my anchor in that harbor over there!"

Juntine cringed at the graphic analogy.

"Lovely ladies, smell 'em through the smoke! Seven days at sea can make you hungry for a poke," a second sailor yelled. Juntine made sure she was well hidden, so she wouldn't be mistaken for one of the prostitutes.

"Even stokers need a little stoke!" the third sailor concluded.

The Lilly5 were ready for the filthy men, however. "Lovely ladies, waiting for a bite! Waiting for the customers who only come at night. Lovely ladies, ready for the call – standing up or lying down or any way at all! Bargain prices up against the wall!"

Three of them, a redhead, a smaller girl, and a smart-looking one with glasses had left, leaving a blonde and another girl. Juntine walked out of her hiding place when a hag ambushed her.

"Come here, my dear, let's see this trinket you wear. This bagatelle…" the hag began, fingering a golden locket that was around Juntine's neck.

"Madame, I'll sell it to you," Juntine offered. The blonde stripper looked on curiously.

"I'll give you four," the hag offered.

"That wouldn't pay for the chain!" Juntine cried angrily.

"I'll give you five. You're far too eager to sell," the hag noted. "It's up to you."

"It's all I have," Juntine admitted.

"That's not my fault – no more than five," the hag agreed as she put five francs into Juntine's outstretched palm. "My dear, we all must stay alive."

Juntine took the locket off and gave it to the hag. In a flash, the hag left, leaving Juntine feeling rather awkward as the rest of the Lilly5 returned to their post and began chanting their advertising pitches.

"Lovely ladies, waiting in the dark!" they smiled and yelled. "Ready for a thick one or a quick one in the park!"

The blonde prostitute stood up. "Long time, short time, any time, my dear! Cost a little extra if you want to take all year!"

Juntine tried to get out of the sleazy neighborhood, but an old woman stopped her.

"What pretty hair," the woman sighed. "What pretty locks you've got there… What luck you got. It's worth a centime, my dear. I'll take the lot!"

"Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" Juntine cried. The Lilly5 were now looking on with great interest.

"Let's make a price," the old woman offered. "I'll give you all of ten francs… just think of that."

"It pays a debt," Juntine confessed.

"Just think of that."

"What can I do?" Juntine asked herself. "It pays a debt. Ten francs may save my dear Annette!"

The three sailors came back, as Juntine was being led away by the old woman.

"Lovely lady, fastest on the street," one nodded. "Wasn't there three minutes – she was back up on her feet."

"Lovely lady, what yer waiting for?" another inquired. "Doesn't take a lot of savvy just to be a whore. Come on lady – what's a lady for?"

Juntine emerged from the house. Her lovely hair was cut very short, and even though she still looked great, she felt hopelessly lost.

The redheaded prostitute nudged the blonde whore in the shoulder. "Sharona, give me the dirt, who's that bit over there?"

"A bit of a skirt. She sold her hair," Sharona explained.

"She's got a kid," the tiny one said. "Sends her all that she can."

The redheaded girl nodded. "I might have known. There always is some man. Lovely lady, come along and join us! Lovely lady!"

Juntine tried to run, but Sharona grabbed her arm. Juntine froze. "Come on, dearie, why all the fuss? You're no grander than the rest of us. Life has dropped you at the bottom of the heap – join your sisters!"

"Make money in your sleep," the small girl nodded offhandedly.

Juntine looked at the sailors, who had just been watching the act with a dropped jaw. Juntine uneasily walked towards one.

"That's right, dearie," Sharona smiled, "let him have the lot."

"That's right, dearie," the redhead agreed. "Show him what you've got."

The Lilly5 started their endless sales pitch again. "Old men, young men, take em as they come! Harbor rats and alley cats and every kind of scum! Poor men, rich men, leaders of the land – see them with their trousers off, they're never quite as grand! All it takes is money in your hand!"

The Lilly5 suddenly began to say something more solemn than before. "Lovely ladies, going for a song… got a lot of callers, but they never stay for long…"

Juntine sighed, starting to walk off with one of the sailors. "Come on, Captain, you can wear your shoes. Don't it make a change to have a girl who can't refuse? Easy money lying on a bed, just as well they never see the hate that's in your head."

"Don't they know they're making love to one already dead?!" Juntine cried to the Lilly5 before she walked off with the sailor.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King or Les Miserables.

Character Notes 2: The Lilly5 were the first people I 'cast' in this strange fiction. They fit the role perfectly, but if I offended a Lilly5 fan, sorry! And I finally reveal the identity of Cosette... yep, Anna Kyoyama. Ren wouldn't be Cosette, actually, he's (censored)