The second Rin passed the mini-hallway housing the stairs, everyone all but pounced. Each had on a different outfit and all were dressed. Though there weren't enough men for everyone, no one knew who would be picked, so it was better to get an outfit dirty needlessly than keep their clients waiting like they were now.
"So Rin-chan?"
"Is it a group of old men like we figured?"
"It is, isn't it?"
Mindful of the butterfly obi that could get wrinkled or mussed, Kikyou pressed between the hoard standing in front of the stairs and reached for the list Rin immediately and wordlessly handed over. Brown eyes read the names and rooms and twisted to face those wanting an answer. "Eri, Yuka - help Rin get everyone drinks. I will give you the list so you can hurry. Sango, you're with Enzen-san in room one. Ayame, you're with Yamakawa-san in room two. Kagome, you're with Jouryuu-san in room three. I'm with the other Jouryuu-san in room four and Kaede is with Kyouda-san upstairs in room seven."
The first thought of everyone's mind was Kikyou's dictation. The twins, although mildly relieved not to have to hand their bodies over to men tonight, were not happy at not making money. Tuition needed to be paid, dorm rent needed to be contributed to, and the rest hopefully could be saved.
The second thought all considered as they made to move was the fact that Kaede-obaasan was working.
"EH? Kaede-obaasan and Kyouda-san?" Ayame burst out.
"It must be an elderly man." Kagome reasoned, though she refused to think of the elder maybe doing what they would be in the next few minutes.
"We have guests you three should be getting to." Kikyou broke in. She gave Eri the information and immediately turned for the stairs. Mindful of the short legroom, a hand floated over the railing to the ground floor.
"Kikyou-sama is sure composed." Sango muttered, butterflies starting. The knowledge of what she would do, the pride that made her want to rebel against going through with it, and the weight of responsibility as elder sister to help her brother converged again. It was a constant war between shame and no choice. This job paid well because men were willing to shell out a lot of money for pleasure and the better a woman was, the higher the price. It was that fact which kept Sango at this place.
Also the fact that it paid so high. All the other part-time jobs she had when not working here, studying, or in class were to keep getting cash on the side. Not even a regular part-time job at any of the places she temporarily worked at would be enough compared to here.
Knowing only most of her friend's problems, but sympathizing with her emotions, Kagome grabbed Sango-chan's hand. "You'll do okay Sango-chan." She coached, tugging the way to get downstairs. "We'll all do fine." It was a half-lie, half-truth based on the followed routine they mostly stuck to. Kagome was getting as nervous as her friend and detached their hands to keep the mild trembling hidden. She felt the same Sango-chan did and knew of the issues between disgrace and need for work, as the two spent many nights conversing in whispers when they should've been sleeping.
The three practically skipped steps to catch up with their head geisha and unpronounced leader, quickly braking at finding her standing in the archway. Four pairs of lights in the narrow hallway peeked around under the sliding door tracks and entryway lights.
"Remember your manners." Kikyou murmured.
-.-.-.-
The room was very traditional and plain. Tatami lined the floor, minus space for a small tub of water against a wall and little washing space, with crème walls and shouji. A dark oak closet seemed the only thing in this room housing any intimidation, as it went to the ceiling and fit into a wide space next to a very dinky room. Sesshoumaru assumed it to be a toilet room, given the comparison to his at his apartment.
Yellow eyes stared at the other doorway in the room. The shouji remained closed, but a small draft said that there was a balcony outside. It was dark when they entered, so if he could spy anything, it wasn't much. Sesshoumaru was somewhat tempted to open the doors and look out, but the view wasn't bound to be any good. Housing everywhere in Tokyo was scrunched together to fit maybe two people side-by-side in between the walkway.(1) Even though this place seemed to be here for years, it was doubtful the owner would get away with more than two meters without paying for the cost of space.
Whispers of sound reached his ears and Sesshoumaru turned. Light footsteps stopped right outside his door and after the briefest bouts of silence, the door gently and gracefully slid open. Sesshoumaru blinked at a vision kneeling just outside the shouji track. He watched the woman and took in every detail of face and clothing. The way she stood without wrinkling practically anything, stepping into the room, and then kneeling to quietly shut the door the same way it was opened.
It was almost amazing to Sesshoumaru, a person who dealt with so many different cultures and countries to defend his own people, to see something of such antiquity from his own homeland. No woman ever opened a door from crouching stance anymore, especially not one of this youthful age. She didn't appear that old, but her eyes gave her away.
Sesshoumaru kept eyes trained on her as she managed to turn half circle to face him and gave a koutou without damaging her expensive outfit on the tatami fibers or disarraying it. He was minutely impressed at the natural grace she exuded in this simple greeting and knew the old woman chose someone to fit his personality. He thought back to the president's words of the professionalism and knew it was true. It made him wonder how this place managed to survive so long, since most prostitution was supposed to be illegal in Japan.(2)
Yellow eyes took in the woman's face as she raised and met his gaze for a split second. Long, pitch hair shone in the light above her head in a few curls accented by a simple pink and white kanzashi set. Her bangs were a straight line across her face, as if to express in a way the amount of order of her person. Her eyes were so dark they seemed almost black and lost to the pupils of her eyes. Her skin was pale, even more so than some women he saw around the city. He doubted it was makeup, since the skin of her hands was the same shade. She wore a small hue of pink lipstick which accentuated her mouth and easily drew attention to it, also matching the hairpieces and clothing.
It was plain to see this woman was different than any other Sesshoumaru ever encountered. The manner in addressing herself, the almost shunted look on her face - even hid from her eyes - and the adornment she wore. Especially the adornment; was it possible to find something of such beauty in all of Japan anymore?
The kimono was a furisode, a pure white and stark contrast to the hair resting over it. Stitched in silk along various places were sakura petals suspended as if being blown around by an unseen wind. The matching colors of hair ornaments and clothing were appropriate and the stitching seemed so real it looked very much like someone plucked them off the fabric and made a flower out of them. It was very beautiful, fitting for someone that had such a well-formed face and manners. The obi tied was in a simple butterfly form, the dominant color a pale green to mimic leaves, with red and green stitched in a wave-like fashion to represent air. The woman's outfit was a masterpiece itself and must've cost quite a bit.
The woman stood, still silent, and gave another deep bow at the waist, careful of the arm-width obi constraining her movements. Sesshoumaru wondered if she were ever going to speak, which didn't seem so bad an idea, until she looked him in the eye again.
"Good evening Jouryuu-san. I deeply apologize for having kept you waiting. It was rude of me to do so and I hope you can forgive me for my thoughtlessness."
Sesshoumaru merely nodded, not bothering with words. It was starting to get annoying just standing there when he knew this was not on the agenda for the night. Knowing that, Sesshoumaru was about to speak up and say he wasn't interested in a tryst, when the woman's soft voice beat him to it.
"If it would please you, I will be your companion for tonight. I am Gachi Kikyou and I welcome you to this humble hotel." Having chosen words and form carefully to show proper respect, Kikyou kept track of the seconds in her head to buy enough time for those with other chores. She didn't want to get into any kind of entertainment and have someone bring down the man's refreshments.
Sesshoumaru returned her third bow with a slight one of his own. "I am Jouryuu Sesshoumaru and I thank you for your kind words." It was the perfect time to say what was on his mind, so Sesshoumaru took a step toward the shorter woman before she spoke again. "I must be frank and say that I agreed on this venture for Yamakawa-shachou - I personally have no interest in being here with whatever 'services' you provide. I am sad to say you will be wasting your time."
Kikyou resisted a smile. Having been a geisha for so long, Kikyou was accustomed to the old ways of plutonic entertainment over any sexual agenda a man might have. Most expected to sleep with a woman when they came here, but when she was selected, many were intimidated and often found good talk and good music a fine exception. For people like Jouryuu-san of sophisticated personality and those with money, she often lavished them with proper praise and did an excellent job stroking the ego, which also seemed to be an accepted substitute.
But, this was not the old days of her youth where a man had to pay a good sum if he wanted other entertainment. With modern times brought changes and sacrifices to her reputation...and the reputation of geisha in general. Simply being high-priced entertainers to influential people didn't matter anymore and sharply declined in the past decades; money now equaled a way to get it to survive no matter what one had to do to earn it. This would be a somewhat easy job tonight.
She gave another bow. "I have more talents than physical pleasure Jouryuu-san. Of course, if you are willing to pay for those services I will not turn you down...but I have been a licensed geisha for at least fifteen years now. If you wish, I will entertain you in other ways."
A brow rose in Sesshoumaru's amount of surprise at hearing those words. A geisha? He wasn't aware any still existed, let alone the registration offices that once littered the country of Japan were around. If there were even a dozen in the Shinjuku district alone, no one would know of them, since none would dress like this out in public. It was mildly odd to do so with so much western influence crowding its way into the country.
Luck was on his side it seemed. Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement to the woman's last words. It would prove an even more appealing than lying with a woman at any rate. With his looks, Sesshoumaru could get any woman he wanted if he poured on the charm. Sadly, many of those around his age or younger in Tokyo were too crude for his tastes. It almost amused him to find someone such as this with grace, manners, etiquette, and impeccable dress. It would be interesting to find out how she would entertain him.
"I accept your offer Gachi-san. If you don't mind, I would like to sit down and make myself comfortable."
At those words, Kikyou immediately moved to the closet and grabbed a zabuton. She set it in the center of the room and waited until her client sat and made himself comfortable before going for a table to hold the refreshments that hadn't arrived yet. Kikyou bought herself a little more time, knowing they would be coming any minute, and grabbed a zabuton for herself. As she needlessly arranged it to look perfect, trying to give the impression she was being picky about its position, Kikyou glanced to her companion. "Is there a style of music you prefer Jouryuu-san? I excel in a number of instruments, if you care for me to play for you at any time tonight."
The woman wasn't talking about any kind of modern pieces, but that suited Sesshoumaru fine. Modern pop and western music were too loud and noisy and he avoided it whenever possible. White swished as he nodded. "I prefer traditional music and I listen to European classical as well."
Knowing the walls were thick enough to obscure certain things if more than one room was occupied, as they were tonight, Kikyou wasn't worried about anyone hearing and being interrupted. She mentally went through the songs on her shamisen and shakuhachi, pondering which ones to go choose.
A knock on the door finally came and Kikyou rose to answer it. She didn't bother with pretenses and kept in mind a lecture for later on keeping paying customers waiting and found Eri to be the target. Kikyou didn't mince words, sending an openly unhappy look to the girl before taking the tray off her hands. "Eri, please fetch me my shamisen from its place and bring it down as quickly as possible."
Eri nodded, a grim look on her face that she tried to hide in case the man inside saw. "Hai, Kikyou-sama." Knowing she was in for it later, Eri jogged to the top floor, not needing to be as careful to spill anything on the way down. Kikyou-sama's eyes appeared to be dead half the time, but when she put emotion into them - anger especially - she was a fierce person. Eri was feeling chastised already.
Since Eri shut the door before leaving, Kikyou turned for the low table, both hands gripping wooden handles. Everything was set on the table before Kikyou kneeled and started taking things off the tray. She arranged them for easy access to both and set the tray on the floor beside her. "I apologize for this having taken so long Jouryuu-san."
The tea was good. It was mixed well and Sesshoumaru sipped it slow to enjoy it...and because it was very hot. He sat back and let himself become acquainted with the presence of the hostess centimeters away. She soon asked him a few general questions of his life and of things in Tokyo to start their conversation, soon taking the reigns so skillfully Sesshoumaru rarely saw it coming that she talked more than him. He didn't mind, as she had some interesting opinions and mindsets of things in Japan and the world in general. She didn't talk that much, but the depth of what she said and how it was said made more of an impression.
A second knock soon sounded and Kikyou rose. She took the case from Eri wordlessly and again let the girl shut the door since her hands were full. The wood box rested on the floor before Kikyou kneeled and situated her furisode to keep from being wrinkled. "If you are a fan of traditional music, do you like the shamisen Jouryuu-san?"
Sesshoumaru pulled the cup away from his mouth and watched the Japanese guitar being assembled.(3) This was the first time he was able to do so and watched with muted interest. "I am, but I don't ever recall being played for in private."
Kikyou's lips twitched, stopping for the smallest of seconds to refill his cup and returning to her assembly. Hands moved automatically from many years of use of the same guitar. It was well kept and served her in so many performances. Only the strings were replaced a few times in the seventeen years of being in her occupancy.
Sesshoumaru set the glass on the table to keep the geisha from having to stop and refill his tea. He wanted to see the assemblage of one of Japan's old instruments from beginning to end. Yellow eyes took in the skill at putting the pieces together without pause or hesitation. He suddenly knew she was very able and familiar with the guitar, so knew he would get a good performance, even if he didn't expect it.
They had at least an hour before everyone else was tended to and things were over, so Kikyou let the eyes she felt remain as she kept brown trained on piecing the strings as she wanted them and lazily tuning it with a known ear. Slim fingers lightly plucked each of the three strings to get their tone. "Have you ever tried shamisen Jouryuu-san?"
"Can't say that I have. I've never played any traditional instruments before."
Kikyou gave the slightest of thoughtful hums. "It's a pity; playing is so relaxing and I imagine you'd be good at it with a little knowledge and practice." Happy with where everything was at, fingers ran through a quick strum to hear the final blend of tones and moved to grab the plectrum from its resting place.
Wondering what to play depended on her client. With a few quick looks, pretending to take notice of his teacup instead of his body, Kikyou took in the position of shoulders, wrinkles in the face, and absence of slouch to the spine. Jouryuu-san was tense from stress and / or work, so he wouldn't enjoy himself if he didn't relax any. Enjoyment meant money and in an instant, Kikyou knew the tone and speed of which to play. She mentally pictured half a dozen hand positions on the neck and started at one of them. She would start slow and on a high pitch, bringing it down to a deeper section gradually as if she were trying to unwind something. Kikyou felt a little like some relaxing music herself, so she would play according to how she felt and assume it was how her client was as well.
The woman was good and she didn't even appear to be trying. Sesshoumaru gave her a little respect for the effortless way one hand crawled around the neck and the other plucked the strings in synch. He never heard anything like this and he had a small cd collection he listened to on a somewhat regular basis during late office hours. Staring was rude, but Sesshoumaru couldn't help to watch the serene expression and her arms move. She sat with a minute slouch, legs together in the proper female sitting position. Not once did he see on her face or in her body that she was getting uncomfortable. It wasn't easy to sit on your ankles for very long, despite how much padding was between you and the floor.
So much time seemed to've passed by the time Kikyou finally ended the impromptu song. She rested the shamisen across her lap and moved to fill the errant teacup, seeing no steam rose from it. She started a little more small talk about the song and of things in general to gauge response to her playing before asking if Jouyruu-san wanted another piece. After filling his cup again, she picked up the guitar and positioned her hands. Kikyou stole another subtle look to find how the first piece worked and saw she was somewhat successful. Being slightly relaxed herself, Kikyou decided on a more fun set and positioned the plectrum.
The second song seemed shorter than the other, despite the amount of chords plucked. Sesshoumaru chalked it up to the different tempo and higher sounds. As the geisha rested the guitar on her lap again and filled his cup, making yet more talk, Sesshoumaru decided this trip wasn't as bad as he assumed. There was too much work to do to think of sex in his life and Sesshoumaru was so accustomed to celibacy, he was ready to deny this place even though it was paid for by Jalco. Thankfully, he could now say he enjoyed himself without lying.
Talk was a lot easier after her musical charms as Jouryuu-san interacted more with her and Kikyou could see his money was well spent. She always tried to please the customer because they would pay the written price for her services and it would be shameful not to give as good a performance as she could. Granted, every one was different because each person wasn't the same, but entertaining was easy to predict.
During a story she was telling, subtle noise came from outside the door and brown eyes looked to it. Kikyou immediately stopped talking, head bowing in apology at cutting the tale short, and stood to see what was going on. No one made a noise while clients occupied these rooms because there was no point in wandering around and it was highly distracting. If anything happened outside this room, it had to be the other men who came with Jouryuu-san. Not stooping this once, Kikyou gradually slid the door open and peeked her head out. The room in front of hers was gaping open, but the back of a plain sweater met her vision in the hallway.
Things were done. It was time to see her guest off and let him exit.
Quietly shutting the door, Kikyou returned to the man's side. She kneeled on the tatami and gave a brief koutou. "It has truly been a pleasure to spend time with you tonight Jouryuu-san, but I fear our time is over. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoyed yourself. I enjoyed myself immensely in your company." It was true. Men nowadays seemed all the same and even through the times, Kikyou had encountered few like this man. Not only was his temperament and integrity different, he was a lot like her in some respects and it was nice to finally see.
He was an interesting man in obvious ways. Never had Kikyou seen white hair before, but this seemed to be a genetic thing instead of dye. A man of his caliber would never dye his hair, even on a bet, and his eyebrows were the same shade. Whatever happened was natural. The eyes were an almost amber or yellow color, which made Kikyou think of some form of albinism. Everyone in Japan had black or brown hair and black or brown eyes with few exceptions. This Jouryuu Sesshoumaru seemed to be one of the exceptions.
With a nod, Sesshoumaru gave a mildly deep bow to tell of his gratitude and satisfaction. "Thank you for your hospitality and attention Gachi-san. I did find the evening to my liking and thank you for being chosen to attend to me." Sesshoumaru left the remainder of his tea and stood, waiting until the geisha had as well and headed to the door before him. He started for it, crossing past only after she finished opening it for him. She didn't bother kneeling this time and left the door open after they exited.
There were three other doors open as well and Sesshoumaru spotted Inuyasha in the front area almost pacing in his usual impatient way. Ignoring the boorish manners of his younger brother, Sesshoumaru headed for the front and his things.
Kikyou followed, finding the others in the rooms, starting on getting things straightened. Her lips pressed together that the others hadn't come out to see their clients off, but they did have to scrub everything down for the next use, so she forgave them for that work ethic.
Kaede was already behind her desk, head bowed and writing something down. Kikyou stood in the edge of the hallway and watched everyone slip into coats and shoes. She listened to Kaede and one of the men go over numbers and an agreement, watching out of the corner of her eye a wad of bills being handed over.
Footsteps padded to a stop behind her and Kikyou looked over a shoulder to find Kagome almost peeking over it as she watched as well. Sango was suddenly next to her friend as the trio stood in silence.
"So which one did you have Kagome-chan?" Sango barely whispered.
Being so close, Kikyou heard and hoped no one else did. Before Kagome could answer, Kikyou cleared her throat subtly to warn of any further talk. She stole a look around her side at two pairs of brown eyes focused on her and narrowed her eyes a little in displeasure. "Remember your manners." She murmured.
"Thank you so much for coming." Kaede suddenly piped up.
That was their cue. Kikyou gave as low a bow as possible around her obi, feeling the others do the same. "Thank you very much for coming." They echoed in unison, remaining bowed until cold wind swished inside as the door was opened. Giving it a few seconds, Kikyou looked up to find the last man exiting, seeing the group was a lot younger than most who graced these walls with their presence, and watched a young man with hazel eyes shut the door behind him. He looked familiar and although they never met, Kikyou surmised that that man was the other Jouryuu-san.
I am a BEGINNER Japanese learner, so if these are not 100 correct, please let me know if you care to do so. I only have a web page and a dictionary to learn from. This spot dedicated to new vocabulary only.
Translations: Koutou-Bow deeply (Kikyou's is done from the floor) - Kanzashi-Ornate hairpin, also ornaments clipped to the hair - Furisode-Long-sleeved kimono that go to the floor
Shamisen-Three-stringed Japanese guitar - Shakuhachi-Bamboo flute
Having done much research, this story will be highly Japanese orientated and probably confusing at points. Numbers at the end of sentences will describe the whole sentence, while numbers next to a word will describe only that. If any of these are wrong, please correct me.
1:Housing everywhere in Tokyo was scrunched together to fit maybe two people side-by-side in between the walkway.: Due to the size of the country, Japanese don't have yards or much space in between like people in larger countries.
2:It made him wonder how this place managed to survive so long, since most prostitution was supposed to be illegal in Japan.: Yes it is, but it is not enforced really strictly. http:www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/IES/japan.html#8 Section B talks about it more in detail.
3:Sesshoumaru pulled the cup away from his mouth and watched the Japanese guitar being assembled.: You think I could find ONE webpage that details assembly of a shamisen? Nope...so I did a vague explanation instead. Gomen.