Chapter Three: Over all the mountain tops is peace
"Necessity never made a good bargain."
Ben Franklin
When wonting light few are granted the luxury of stars to see. In this world of darkness that surrounded Megumi, where she needed a single star to shine upon her there were none to spare. Instead, her need illuminated a false light, one that looked more tempting as Megumi felt the suffocation of comatose air. Fighting back tears of despair, she looked again to the pearls.
Minds are impressionable when totally consumed by their darkest parts, and the vulnerable state of Megumi's was bending toward one shaky offer of freedom. After rising from her knees, Megumi hesitantly grabbed the immaculate strand and looked upon them. Her eyes were seeking a flaw; any flaw no matter how minor could sway Megumi's thoughts from her currently dangerous leaning. Yet, as her cinnamon colored eyes searched the amethyst pearls she found no flaw. Megumi, in anger, threw the flawless stones onto the wooden floor. They slid across the smooth surface until hitting a wall. The intensity of the color remained visible to Megumi, even when the pearls lay across the room.
Shifting her eyes, Megumi now stood and walked carefully towards them, as if a fell wind would knock her to the floor. Her eyes scanned over the pearls before she picked them up again, letting them slide delicately from one hand to the other. Shaking her head slightly, Megumi set the pearls delicately on her vanity, unsure of what course of action she would take.
"Good morning, my dearest Megumi!" An enthusiastic Kanryuu stated as he tore open the curtains and woke his opium woman with invading sunlight.
Megumi did not respond and tentatively opened her eyes, afraid that the sun might burn them.
"I hope you slept well." Kanryuu stated with a sly grin.
"As well as my soul was able." Megumi responded darkly as she finally sat up against the headboard. She was largely unresponsive in the early morning hours.
"I hope you have taken time to consider my offer. It is very generous of me, I believe." Kanryuu said pompously, his furtive eyes were raised to the heavens, as if the deed was actually posed in earnest.
"I hope you rot." Megumi snarled, and stood upon the floor, her feet were cold against the unfeeling cherry floor. Kanryuu looked back to Megumi and mockingly chided,
"That was not polite of you to say. I think I am quite justified to pose such an offer." Megumi only rolled her eyes and walked towards the vanity, sitting down to brush her long, black hair.
"You've not opened your mind, and I know it. I doubt you've even considered it." Kanryuu asked rhetorically, walking towards Megumi seated at the vanity.
Megumi almost countered Kanryuu, until she caught her tongue from revealing the infirmities in her soul. Yet, Kanryuu read her eyes with some alacrity and she could not fully hide the thought that about escaped her lips. A wry smile formed on Kanryuu's thin lips and he mulled a sordid and dirty thought through his mind.
"In any case," Kanryuu remarked, as if he was continuing an imaginary soliloquy, "even if you choose to attend this festivity with me, you have a rigorous schedule the remainder of this week. A loss in quality means a raise in quantity. Your old quota to make per week has been raised as of today, you are to make 5x the amount you made before." Megumi glared at him harshly, feeling a great desire to slap the crooked businessman for his arrogance. With the facts and figures of opium spilling through her head, Megumi in angry protest clutched the pearls at the vanity, threatening to hurl them beyond the glass of the window.
"Granted, I would have more understanding if you chose to attend the ceremony with me. Otherwise my punishment will remain the same as it always does if you are late." Kanryuu continued and Megumi's grip tightened on the necklace as she clenched her teeth.
"Were I to accept your offer I would need to be severely jaded! You are a creature of greed; no amount of opium or money would cure your illness. I am no fool Kanryuu!" Megumi spat, countering her failing will with anger that had been seething within for many years. Kanryuu grinned, for he had finally uncovered a decent response from his strong-willed servant.
"IF there was reasonable hope that I would eventually let you leave, and this was not a deception you would become an agreeable and good servant?" He questioned, stimulating a false array of hopes amid the flecks of daylight surrounding them.
Suddenly, Megumi withdrew from her attack and bit her lip, internally cursing herself for revealing her failing will to her captor.
"I thought so, I am a reasonable man. Perhaps you could take on an apprentice, and the success of your tutelage to them could determine your freedom. It would serve to satiate my so called greed." Kanryuu stated calmly, letting his eyes pierce Megumi's wandering and feeble looking eyes. The defiant passion had begun to fade from them, and they became more hopeful, despite what her heart said.
Turning from Kanryuu, Megumi faced the window; a myriad of emotions bombarding her now invaded mind. Kanryuu was cautious to approach her, despite what damage he had done, the strong will still lingered within Megumi. He placed his hand on Megumi's shoulder; this seemed to wake her fury again.
At present, Kanryuu seemed vulnerable with his hand lying on Megumi's shoulder, and she took the opportunity to slap him hard across the face. As the powerful hand neared his face, Kanryuu caught her hand and held Megumi fast to him.
"I'm so glad you agree to attend. The maid will help you prepare for the evening." Kanryuu jeered, as he looked deep into Megumi, a wild light in his eyes. Megumi was partially paralyzed at his gaze, afraid of his malicious intent. However, he surprised Megumi by leaving the room without a word. She glanced away to the window and resigned herself to what fate had just granted her.
Kanryuu was in his office, conversing in French to a woman of some stature. From her appearance Aoshi judged the woman to be approximately thirty-five, her graceful but snobbish face was tilted upward. She had a small build, and appeared to be thin, even gaunt. Just as Aoshi had planned on escaping Kanryuu, the spry businessman found the onmitsu master and called him into the room.
"Aoshi-san, this is Mme. Jacqueline Bouffant. She is an expert in woman's fashion in Europe." Kanryuu said, introducing the French woman. Aoshi nodded and bowed to her, wondering why an expert in ladies fashion would be spending time with Takeda Kanryuu.
"He is rather silent." Mme. Bouffant remarked with a wry smirk. Aoshi was startled by such bluntness from a woman of high status within her culture, but hid his shock within the fearsome aura he possessed.
"Yes, during the revolution he was a ninja of some importance, it is in his character to be so quiet." Kanryuu replied and Mme. Bouffant laughed robustly. Aoshi felt odd in such company and began walking out of the office.
"Aoshi-san, please check on Megumi, she is rather frantic and is likely to play some trick upon me." Kanryuu ordered last minute, and Aoshi gave no conformation on whether he even heard the craven man.
Admittedly, Aoshi was quite keen to observe Megumi, something about the opium woman fascinated him. There was a silent, unobtrusive, but remarkably poignant impression about Megumi that refused to leave his mind. Aoshi finally arrived at Megumi's door, finding Megumi absorbing unlikely solitude in the poppy-permeated air. She was also rather ill dressed for a gentleman's eyes. The only thing that adorned Megumi's feminine body was a white sundress that exposed her bare arms, and a small part of her legs.
And while the onmitsu master thought he was being silent, Megumi heard his approach as Aoshi entered beyond the frame of the door.
"Did Kanryuu send you to check upon me?" Megumi asked harshly, her voice was cold, but equally shaken with some tangible fear. Aoshi did not respond but only walked closer toward Megumi, as if entrapped by a beauteous but malicious siren's song.
"I thought he would, but I know when I am beaten," Megumi continued, as if the words she spoke were thoughts she had but recently concealed in her head. " Yet he is a fool to think he can break my spirit. I have held my bushido honor closely, and will not relinquish it so easily. " Aoshi did not respond to Megumi's sudden tangent, but was strangely entranced by the her openness to a man that was for all purposes her enemy.
"Well, say something, or are you a mute unless spoken to!" Megumi barked, and faced the warrior. Her cinnamon eyes delved into Aoshi's own and he could feel the emotions in her soul.
"Aa." Aoshi stated, almost humoring himself with the inarticulate reply.
"Is that all?" Megumi commented sarcastically, somehow hurt by Aoshi's deceptive disinterest. Shaking her head, Megumi walked toward the cherry colored vanity, and picked up the much-debated strand of pearls.
"This was a gift from Kanryuu for attending a ball with him, as if he could bribe me with such a trite offer." Megumi said angrily, strongly defending her honor, and clasped them around her neck. "I'm trying on the chain for size." Megumi then mumbled, only wishing for that thought to be heard only by her own soul.
Since Megumi was so absorbed in her own struggles, she did not notice the frown grace Aoshi's lips as the 'chain' was fastened around her neck. As if the necklace made her an untouchable goddess. Turning her head towards Aoshi, Megumi gazed quizzically at him, and even laughed flirtatiously.
A moment was created between them, and both the spy and the opium woman were taken completely aback. Silence fell heavy on the sun drenched room, and, in an ungrateful instant, was spoiled by the entrance of Takeda Kanryuu and his French woman.
"Kanryuu," The French woman said with an unmistakable accent ruining her speech, "This woman is quite gorgeous, it is an honor for me to prepare this woman for the ball." Megumi glared at the women and snarled,
"Who is this gajin woman?" The French woman was slightly insulted, and Kanryuu replied with a slight grimace,
"This is Mme. Bouffant, she is going to dress you for the ball." For a moment Megumi looked as if she would snap Kanryuu and the French woman's neck in half, but than her eyes turned sad again. Mentally reminding herself of her newfound fate, she accepted the gajin.
"Hello, Megumi, have you ever worn a corset before?" Mme. Bouffant asked. Answering no with a grunt, Megumi saw a constrictive object meant to be worn around the torso.
"Kanryuu, Aoshi; please leave while I dress her." Mme. Bouffant requested, and both of the men left the room.
"I do not lie to my customers, you are quite beautiful. Remove your traditional garments, and put these things on." Megumi did, as she was bid, and walked behind the changing screen. The first item was basic underclothes, and the others were additions. Megumi felt bare and open to all eyes with such a distasteful lack of clothing.
"Are you changed?" Mme. Bouffant asked in a heavy accent, Megumi did not verbally respond but she did walk out from behind the screen. She was wearing what appeared to be a white lacy leotard, and a pair of white hose attached to the leotard by a garter.
"Very good, now here is the corset." Megumi looked at the corset while it wrapped around her frame. Utterly confused at its purpose until Mme. Bouffant began to draw the laces and push out any extra air. However, keeping her silent dignity, Megumi bore with the abrupt pain that the corset brought.
"You are a brave and strong woman, most Japanese I dress struggle violently when I put on the corset." The French woman commented offhandedly. Megumi grimaced at the compliment; she generally disliked them as they were often deceptive by nature,
"I am not as strong as you would think." Megumi stated sarcastically, feeling wretched and fallen in her current circumstances.
"So you talked…I was waiting…you are like that ninja, silent." At that point, Mme. Bouffant finished lacing and tightening the corset and she walked towards a dress that was lying on the bed.
"I hope you appreciate my effort, it is not often such parcels are brought to Japan." Mme. Bouffant said, and held the dress delicately, "Put it on." She ordered.
The End of Chapter 3
Rissi's Drabblings:
Sorry if this seemed kinda long. The week itself has been totally haywire! I've had track meets, tests, and parties! Oh my! Well, I have nothing really important to say accept, this next chapter is going to kick butt! I didn't get many reviews but that def. Happens. So…I will remind you all with my favorite way. Thanks to those who read my story but failed to find the review button, and thanks to those who did find the review button. You will go to heaven.
Zero27: I'm not demanding the fluff anytime soon, but seriously; your story has some potential. Just refigure it to match how you feel now. I'm glad it has the essence, and you are right. I'm desperate for depth! Enjoy this latest chapter.
Yvonne: Thanks for reviewing. Here was your Aoshi Megumi scene. I hope you enjoyed it.
Sayonara
