Disclaimer: The original idea for Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro. Therefore, I give him all the credit (sorry Sony!) But I don't own it, anyway.
The title of this fanfic is from a quote by Deepak Chopra: "The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers." I thought it was appropriate.
Hi guys! Trying my hand at my first multi-chapter fic. Pairings are traditional, just the way we like 'em. This fanfiction is derived from the wonderful movie Moulin Rogue, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Or, more precisely, Spectacular Spectacular from Moulin Rogue. Though the plot and time-period and many other details are different, I still give credit to Moulin Rogue for the idea. And don't worry, guys, after chapter one, Author's Notes are making minimal appearances. And there will be NONE in the text of the fic. So, enjoy!
Chapter One
It was dark in Shingetsu village. Even so, the town was alive with the drunken, worn-out nightlife that the village used to be so infamous for. Indeed, it was said that Japan's finest Oiran were bred in the streets of Shingetsu. The locals delighted when high-ranking Shogunate officials would stroll into their village and whisk some lucky girl up to a glamorous life of a geisha. Though Shingetsu Oiran were not known nation-wide, they still got their income from such happenings, and they were happy.
Kamiya Kaoru, however, was not. Ever since the Shogunate had fallen to the new Meiji government, things were not that easy. The Meiji believed in virtue and integrity…to put in more blunt words, they did not support the Orian in Shingetsu.
Oh sure, Kaoru knew that the Meiji was every bit as lusty, greedy and selfish as the Shogunate had been, only, they hid it where the Shogun had flaunted it.
One particular hiding place was the very village of Shingetsu. Kaoru mused that maybe that was the reason they had not come to her village's rescue. They would rather have their dirty secrets buried in the harsh, cold ground. The ground that held so many bodies already.
The tyrant over Shingetsu was a cruel one. He killed anyone who did anything out of order. Hung them up for the village to see. It was disgusting, and the new government had done nothing to stop him. The Meiji left Shingetsu village to the wolves.
Kaoru fiddled with her drink, stirring the foreign wine around and around. Her current suitor was a foreigner himself, and could barely even speak Japanese. Kaoru could scarcely tell the difference between when he wanted to screw and when he wanted to show her off to his native business associates. Therefore she found it taxingly difficult to dress accordingly.
That night, for instance, she was wearing a sultry green kimono, which dipped down to bare the tops of her breasts. The side was slit up higher than was normally…acceptable. Her lustrous, midnight-black hair was in an elegant up-do, cascading down from a twisted bun to her bare, milky shoulders, adorned with many beautiful ornaments.
Rough, drunken men all around her were turning their lust-filled eyes on her. It made her uneasy, so she carefully avoided their stares, raising her chin as if to show them she was too good for them.
And she was. Kamiya Kaoru was well-known around Shingetsu, not that that meant very much anymore. But even beyond the small village's borders, clients knew of her. She was one of the most sought-after Oiran concubines in the Chubu region of Japan.
"Eberly-san," Kaoru began sweetly, tired of waiting patiently while the untrustworthy German man tried to make his deal. She wanted her night's pay so she could go back to The House.
"Yes my sweet flower?" It seemed that Hagen Eberly had only memorized how to kiss-ass in Japanese. Kaoru supposed they did it differently where he had come from.
Kaoru, in response to Hagen's well thought out compliment, giggled and blushed, scooting her kimono up on her slim body. "It's getting late, Eberly-san," She said in a soft tone.
"I know, dear," He answered absently. "I just need to finish this up," He added in broken Japanese.
"Of course, Eberly-san."
He turned back to his business men, Kaoru's sour look going unnoticed.
An hour later the two of them were exiting that shady restaurant, Hagen's hand slowly making it's way to Kaoru's breast.
"I'm going back to Germany tomorrow," He said in a slurred voice. "To finalize the deal with my associates. I need an extra-special going away gift…"
Kaoru knew, of course, that that meant she was not getting her pay easily that night. She gave an inaudible sigh as Hagen led her off behind the restaurant, undressing her as he did so. He didn't even have the decency to take her back to his inn.
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"Kaoru-san, are you listening?" Yone barked at the slender girl before her.
Kaoru slowly averted her wistful sapphire eyes from the other orian to face Yone, or more precisely, Yone's puppet-master Enishi. "Hai." The corners of her eyes watched the other girls still, as they talked and laugh, complained about their current suitor. Kaoru would never be a part of that. She wasn't like them; she did not delude herself with friends. She had none.
Early off, Enishi, the keeper of The House, had sensed Kaoru's potential. Her easy grace, her effortless beauty. The spunk and roughness of her demeanor could be easily removed, Enishi saw. He had Kaoru ostracized from the rest of the new trainees, subtly but clearly made it known that Kaoru was the best of the best, no one would amount to her. Enishi was a shrewd man. He knew the mind of a woman, he knew what would happen.
Kaoru was lonely, it was true. But when she gazed off in that melancholy way, she looked beautiful. Her sadness was something to be played off of, Enishi knew.
"Kaoru," Enishi drawled, exhaling smoke into the young girl's face.
She didn't even flinch. She simply turned her pensive blue eyes onto him again.
"You understand the magnitude this new visitor, don't you Kaoru?" Enishi went on coolly. "He could very well be the difference between this town's devastation and our prosperity. And," He flicked a few stray ashes from the end of his cigarette. "It's on your shoulders, shapely as they may be."
Kaoru hardly noticed his particular comment. She simply nodded.
"You will entertain him, do whatever he asks, and make him believe you love him. He is rich, Kaoru, very rich. He could sway the government in our favor. This will be the most important assignment that has come to you. You must do everything in your power to sway him." All of this was said in the very detached demeanor that was Enishi.
Kaoru nodded again. She could care less if her new suitor was the emperor of Japan. A suitor was a suitor—she always had to do everything in her power to win them over.
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Fireflies buzzed outside of Kaoru's window. She sighed and wrapped her wool coat around her shoulders. Fireflies were so pretty. She wanted to be one of them.
But not because of their beauty. Kaoru knew enough about the dangers of being beautiful, and she had had quite enough of it. What she wanted was the freedom of the firefly. They came and went every summer, swirling their green light around until it eventually faded into the mist. She sighed.
Freedom was something Kaoru thought about all the time, but never dreamed of. She was too far-gone for freedom. She was afraid she had lost her ability to survive. Or worse, her will to live. But she would never know.
Making a decision, Kaoru placed an arm on the windowsill and launched herself over. She landed softly in the bushes below.
She blinked in the darkness, trying to adjust her eyes to the lack of light. Hesitantly, she treaded forward, into the haze of fireflies. As they swirled around her, she was tempted to laugh. She hadn't laughed since she was a child.
Suddenly, a soft sound filled her ears. It was music, Kaoru realized at once. But not the dreadful kind she danced to when entertaining her suitors. No, this was a simply melody, played directly from the heart.
Pushing all former fears and doubts aside, Kaoru stepped toward the pond, where the music was coming from. Across the waters was a magnolia tree, and underneath its leaves was a figure playing a flute.
It seemed the flute player had noticed her, for the notes were getting higher, teasing her as they treaded back and forth.
Kaoru felt a genuine smile tug at her mouth. After a while, the music ceased. There was moment of silence, in which neither Kaoru nor the flute-wielder said anything or moved. The comfortable silence was filled with the buzzing of fireflies.
"You play very well," Kaoru called out across the waters.
The figure didn't respond, but Kaoru sensed he was smiling.
"So do you," he returned at last.
Kaoru laughed this time. "I'm not playing anything," she giggled.
"Aren't you, though?" And with that the shadowy figure disappeared, seeming to melt into the darkness.
Kaoru gasped when a gust of wind blew her hair and garments. She clutched the clothing to herself, wondering if the flute-player had been nothing more than that. Just the wind.
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Kaoru readied herself for the afternoon where she would meet her newest and most important suitor. Absently, she fussed with the hair comb that had just been placed tastefully to the side of her elegant bun.
She couldn't believe it. She was nervous. There she was, looking like spun gold from head to tow, and she was actually anxious. In her deep-blue, shoulder bearing furisode, Kaoru was certainly a sight to behold. Her onyx locks tumbled down from a menagerie of ornaments. Her lips were painted wine red in a sultry way. But despite all this, Kaoru could not keep her hands from shaking.
"There, mistress," one of the dressing girls sighed. "You look splendid."
Kaoru didn't answer. Compliments like that only served to remind her of every painful moment she spent with men. Instead, Kaoru swept from the room and strode down the hallway to meet Takeda-san, the man who might have been the answer to all their problems. But he would definitely be the start of hers.