5
A loud knock reverberated through the okiya, the maid closest to the gate dropped her wet laundry and scurried over to greet their guest. Aeris glanced up from her shamisen practice, cocking her head to the side when she heard the tinkering of a female's voice. She placed her shamisen on the floor, peering through a hole in the paper door to see who had come to visit them; a stunning woman with thick ebony hair piled on her head and warm brown eyes stood in the middle of the okiya, a beautiful robe of silver clad on her thin body. She ebbed of maturity and charisma and instantly Aeris wanted to be this woman, but who was she?
"Midori-san!" Aeris flinched as she heard the shrill voice of Scarlett. "Why, what brings you to our okiya?" The blonde geisha emerged from the stairwell, her hands on her hips. "Looking for a job?"
"Scarlett-san, you're looking well." The one they called Midori smiled politely but no humor reached her coffee-colored eyes.
"And so are you! You look so much better when you put on a little weight." A smug grin plastered Scarlett's lips.
Midori seemed to ignore the snide remark and turned to the maid who had greeted her at the gate. "Please let Mrs. Nakamura know that I am here to see her."
Scarlett's countenance turned serious. "Why are you here to see her?" She narrowed her eyes.
"That…" The brunette turned around, "is none of your concern."
Aeris admired Midori-sama's courage to stand up against the likes of Scarlett: obviously they had a history together, and it wasn't a very pleasant one.
The maid led the dark-haired woman off to one of the rooms on the lower floors; Scarlett's narrowed eyes following them the whole way. Aeris' curiosity was now welling over and she wondered who this mysterious woman was and why she had caused such a stir in the okiya.
Something pulled at her mind…at her whole body. Something seemed to tell her that this one woman could change the course of her Fate.
"I heard Midori-sama is here!" Yuffie came tumbling into the room, breathing heavily. "Where is she?"
Putting a narrow finger against her lips, Aeris motioned to the tearoom across the okiya. "Who is Midori-sama?"
"She's one of the most renown geisha's in Wutai! She also happens to be the personal rival of Scarlett." The younger girl craned her head out the door, trying to catch a glimpse of the lovely geisha. "Scarlett-san has been jealous of her since they were in school together."
"Why?" Aeris also peered out the door.
"Because Midori-sama lives on her own and doesn't have to answer to an okiya."
"Why is she here?" Aeris also peered out the door.
Yuffie shrugged. "I dunno. But it has to be something really important…no one comes to see Mrs. Nakamura without prior notice."
As if on cue, the owner of the okiya came rushing down the stairs, the hem of her purple kimono fluttering as she walked. She seemed equally surprised as everyone else about the visit: her hair was done-up hastily; a few errant strands had fallen out of the loose bun piled on her head. The older woman looked around once before stepping into the tearoom, shutting the door behind her. Aeris had caught a quick glimpse of the dark-haired geisha: kneeling demurely at the table, sipping a cup of green tea. In that one fleeting glance, Aeris saw what had made the geisha what she is today. Her graceful movements, her modest behavior, her quick wit and tongue…all the things that Aeris did not yet possess.
The okiya seemed to wait with bated breath; all were trying to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place in the tearoom. Yuffie let out a deep sigh, clearly frustrated. "I wonder what they're talking about." Darting her eyes around the okiya, the thin girl darted into the kitchen, emerging with a bucket and a washcloth. She then proceeded to wash the floor boards near the tearoom, obviously as a ploy to listen in on the conversation. Her movements started to slow the longer she listened, at one point completely stopping, her eyes growing bigger as Aeris watched.
Suddenly, the tearoom door opened, sending a surprised Yuffie sprawling down the steps. Everyone in the okiya seemed to jump at the sound, one maid even let out a little yelp, quickly trying to cover it with her hand. Mrs. Nakamura stood with one hand still on the frame of the sliding door, her eagle-eyes scanning for something: Aeris shuddered when they landed on her.
"Aeris! I want to see you in here." Mrs. Nakamura's voice seemed to be a mixture of anger and worry.
"Yes, ma'am." She quickly scuttled to the other side of the okiya, wondering what she had done wrong this time.
Mrs. Nakamura shut the door behind her, taking her place at the end of the table, across from Midori-sama. Aeris stood a little off to the side of the table, waiting with her head bowed.
"Aeris…this is Midori-san, a very well-respected and famous geisha." The older woman motioned to the beautiful lady across from her.
"I am very honored to meet you, Midori-sama." Aeris kneeled on the floor, bowing deeply to the geisha, her forehead almost touching the ground.
"And I you, Aeris-san; I've been dying to meet you." Midori smiled.
Aeris looked as shocked as Mrs. Nakamura did, leaning forward. "You…you have?" She had never met this geisha before, so how could Midori know her?
The ebony-haired geisha laughed. "Ah, we haven't met in person, but I've been hearing a lot of things about you."
This time Mrs. Nakamura leaned forward. "You have? Our Aeris?"
Midori's brown eyes sparkled with surprise. "Why, of course. One cannot forget such startling green eyes."
The older woman patted her chin, glancing over at Aeris. "Well, I suppose she does have unusual eyes."
"Oh, yes. I've seen her walking to and from class and she has made such a strong impression on me! At times I wonder if she wouldn't be perfect for me to take her on as my younger sister…"
Mrs. Nakamura seemed completely stunned, the cup of tea she was about to drink out of stopping halfway to her mouth. "Aeris be your younger sister? Why, Midori-san, a geisha as popular as yourself can take on any girl in Wutai as your apprentice!"
"Yes I know, I'm often asked, but I haven't found one that has struck me as hard as Aeris has." She turned to the girl and smiled. "She has made quite an impact."
Aeris was completely befuddled by everything that had been transpiring in the room. What was a younger sister and why did Midori-sama want to take her as one? What kind of impression had she made on this geisha she had never set eyes on? What was going on?
Mrs. Nakamura's demeanor changed. "I see. Well, if our little Aeris interests you so much, we should discuss this in-depth. But I must warn you, she is a bit of a troublemaker and is already in a substantial amount of debt."
"How much?"
Mrs. Nakamura hesitated. "Ten thousand gil."
The other woman nodded, sending the ornaments in her hair swinging. "That is very considerable, still I would like to discuss the matter and see if we can find a solution."
"Very well." Mrs. Nakamura's voice dripped with pleasure. "I'll go get my account book." Turning to Aeris, she nodded her head towards the door. "You may leave us now."
Relieved, Aeris bowed to mother and then again to Midori, closing the door behind her with a silent sigh. She was greeted by a huddle of maids, all of them crowding around the door, obviously hearing everything that had been said.
Yuffie bounded up to her, excitement shining in her eyes. "Midori-sama wants you to be her younger sister!"
"What's a younger sister?" Aeris was still confused as to what was going on.
"It means Midori-sama wants to take you on as her apprentice, silly! And with such a great older sister like Midori-sama, you're sure to pay back most of your debt to the okiya!"
"Does everyone get an older sister?" Aeris asked.
"Most apprentice geishas try to, but it's hard, especially if you want someone like Midori-sama. Her fees are double what normal geishas charge."
"Fees?" Aeris gulped at the word. Fees could only mean more debt for her. "Do you have an older sister, Yuffie?"
The other girl looked sheepishly down at her feet. "Scarlett-sama is going to take me as her younger sister once I'm finished with my lessons this coming spring."
Somehow this thought worried Aeris greatly.
A/N: Sephiroth and Vincent will be making an appearance shortly so don't fret! Anyways, let me know how this it faring so far...any reviews and critiques are greatly appreciated!