The Black Snow
By Icha
Rate: K+
Disclaimer: All heroes and heroines belong to DC Comics. All Japanese characters with the exceptions of Dr. Light II, Katana, Yasu and Imako are from my imagination. Thanks for Athena Phoenix and Kyoko Kasshu Minamino for beta readings.
Chapter 5. Lady Miyako's KimonoDiana once heard that Ginza was 'the shopping Mecca of Japan'. The statement wasn't exaggerated – the district was truly the shopping heaven of Tokyo where anyone could find almost anything they were looking for, from a delicate antique kimono to the latest PDA model. Formerly part of the ocean and built in the early 17th century, Ginza is one of the oldest districts in Tokyo. This area experienced a major earthquake in 1923 as well as damage during World War II. Yet, despite all those events, all of the buildings in Ginza are as glorious as ever, with the blends of modern and retro arts, art nouveau, art deco, and Japanese classic architecture. Nowadays, the visitors always enjoy coming to Ginza – even if tracing Yakuza activities is their primary purpose.
Right now the Amazon stood at the pedestal of Harumi-dori Avenue in front of Eiga Department Store, one of the most magnificent stores she had ever seen ('Eiga' means splendour, majesty or luxury). Not that New York lacked luxurious places to visit – her role as an ambassador and public figure required her to routinely explore Madison Avenue and Soho for appropriate haute couture (or else Cassie – as well as Donna in the past – would make a long night's discussion about the importance of fashion for Madam Ambassador). But Ginza was different. Perhaps because this was Tokyo, Japan. Perhaps because of the bright oriental colors she enjoyed in every corners of Ginza. Perhaps because there was no Kabukiza (Kabuki Theater) in New York, unlike the one across Eiga she'd been contemplating at while waiting for Tatsu. There was a Kabuki show that night, and now many people in colorful Japanese traditional clothes just walked into the theater, some of them carrying large bento dinner boxes they bought from food stalls nearby.
Kicking some decorated pebbles on the pedestal with her crème Prada suede boots, her hands sinking in her expensive red Donna Karan coat, she scanned the vicinity for Katana, who had told them earlier that she would be late by 10-15 minutes. Diana sighed. She disliked detective work; it was Bruce's territory. But Batman had made it clear that Bruce Wayne wouldn't appear in Ginza to retrieve any information from possible Yakuza personnel, so Ms. Diana Prince would have to be the one who did that.
When Diana objected, stating that some of them would surely watch the news and would recognize Diana of Themyscira instead of Diana Prince, Bruce just dragged her to Matsuya Department Store nearby and bought her the expensive boots, coat, a crisp white cotton Oscar de la Renta embroidered dress, a luxurious Louis Vuitton red and crème handbag, and a nice pair of De Rigo spectacles. Bruce also bought some other things that Diana didn't want to know about. They went shopping five minutes after they arrived in Bruce's suite in the Seiyo Hotel, which happened to be in Ginza as well. Then, after the great shopping session, they returned to the suite. Following a quick shower and meal, Bruce showed Diana how to do her hair stylishly with the faux hair and pins he had bought beforehand. As they finished, Diana felt like a Hollywood star from the 60s. Gone was her long raven hair – the mirror showed a blonde bespectacled Marilyn Monroe look-alike, her hair tied with a wine-colored silk Hermès scarf.
"Blonde! Why blonde! Why not RED, instead!" She couldn't help screaming when Bruce gave her the wig earlier.
"Because I picked the wig, not you," Bruce smirked. "And the red hair won't suit your blue eyes."
"Then buy me the green contact lenses!" Diana rolled her eyes, still not believing that she had let him do this to her.
"But you like the boots," Bruce shrugged, commenting matter-of-factly.
"What does it have to do with the hair? Why didn't you make me Jackie Kennedy, instead of Marilyn Monroe?"
"You have problems with blonde?"
"No. Just have problems with being Ms. Monroe, that's all."
"Okay, next time you'll be Ms. Grace Kelly," Bruce couldn't help grinning again.
"Bruce..." Diana swayed between hitting or kissing him, "both are dead already."
"That's why we can imitate them!"
Diana kicked the pebbles again, cursing Bruce Wayne who made her feel like a novice trying to be a detective here. It might be his revenge, as back in Junboku no Koya he really had to play diplomat (which he did pretty well), instead of being a detective. But she also knew that Bruce didn't just sit nicely in their suite in Seiyo, six blocks away from Eiga. She looked at the tall building next to Eiga, her hunter's eyes capturing a shadowy figure lurking in the dark.
Yes. Bruce – or rather, Batman, was here as well with her.
"Diana, Katana is coming," She heard Batman's voice in her star-earrings commlink.
The good thing about her fancy earrings was that they also served as communication device, so Bruce didn't have to replace them with Audrey Hepburn earrings or whatever crossed his mind. She also wore a silver necklace with pendant that resembled a bat with overlaid W eagle. It was actually an audio-visual recorder that Bruce gave her the last minute before she left for Eiga.
Diana looked around, spotting a longhaired Japanese woman approaching. "Copy that."
Turning to face the woman, she smiled to welcome Tatsu Yamashiro. "Hello, Tatsu, how are you? It's been a while since our last meeting."
The woman smiled, "As fine as I can be while on business like this. How's Junboku no Koya?"
"Fine. Could be better if there's no case, but I'm glad to offer a hand here. Have you been in Junboku no Koya before?"
"Not yet. I should, someday – I keep promising myself." Tatsu tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Diana remembered that Tatsu used to have short hair a la Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Her long hair might indicate that they hadn't met for quite a while, or that Tatsu wore faux hair as well.
"Nice wig, by the way," Diana commented, testing her assumption.
"Likewise," Tatsu glanced at Diana's blonde hair. "Nice Monroe style. Bruce bought that for you?"
Diana grinned. "How did you know?"
"Because no way in heaven you would choose such a model, even for an undercover job." Tatsu turned to the tall building, recognizing a flip of a cape, and smirked. "Next time, don't let him choose the style."
"He told me that it would make me unrecognizable. I see that you also followed his advice," Diana glanced at Tatsu's long hair, expensive Kenzo suit, and black Gucci handbag.
"Dressed for the occasion. I'm a rich Japanese business woman here," Tatsu shrugged. She tapped her dragon earrings ('Tatsu' means 'dragon' in Japanese), which apparently functioned as commlinks as well. "B, don't forget to collect my bag, okay?"
"Acknowledged," She heard the terse Bat voice.
"He better be careful with Soultaker," Tatsu faced Diana again. Soultaker was Katana's precious katana – Japanese long sword. Based on their communications during the brief break in Seiyo, Bruce asked both Tatsu and Diana to leave all their weapons behind, telling them that he would keep them safe for later encounters. It was a hard thing for both women not to bring any weapons at all, but they understood that it was important to gain trust from whoever they were going to meet. Also, they realized that actually the greatest task fell onto Batman to retain both Soultaker (a sword that could and had trapped the souls of the ones killed by its blade) and the Lasso of Truth. Only a strong-minded person like the Batman could be trusted with such arms; thus both Diana and Tatsu had entrusted their weapons to him.
Both of them watched as the shadow above the tall building disappeared – Batman had left to collect Katana's weapons and armor.
"Where did you leave your bag?" Diana turned to Tatsu.
"In the alley behind Matsuzakaya." Tatsu turned her attention back to the street in front of them, to the people in bright kimonos entering the Kabukiza.
"Is that safe?" Diana's eyes widened. She had dropped or lost her lasso several times during battles, but never on purpose.
"Not many people go there, and I just left it five minutes ago. Ah..." Tatsu suddenly closed her eyes. "He got it already."
"You can tell that through your Soultaker?"
"Yes. I presume that you can also feel your Lasso of Truth? Its presence?"
"Yes," Diana nodded. "But I couldn't leave it just like that in an alley. I'm amazed at you."
"Well, not that I can bring it here and hand it over to him just like that," Tatsu grinned. "Besides, he's the Batman. If we can't trust him, we can't trust anyone."
Diana nodded in agreement. She understood that Katana and Batman had been friends for a long time, since they formed the original Outsiders years ago. She also understood that Tatsu knew Batman as Bruce Wayne, thus she wasn't surprised when Tatsu called him by his real name. The Japanese woman didn't even show any sign of surprise when she learned that Wonder Woman had joined them for the Black Snow case, or that Bruce and Diana stayed in Seiyo together. Diana liked Katana, a true martial artist that had even rivaled Lady Shiva. Katana's blessing on their relationship and her aid had relieved her concerns.
"Bag attained," Batman's voice entered both of their commlinks.
"Thank you, Batman," Diana answered this time. "Katana and Wonder Woman out."
"Happy shopping." His curt reply made her smile.
Suddenly, bells chimed eight times throughout Ginza. Diana knew it was the sound of the giant clock of the Wako Building at Ginza-dori Avenue a few blocks away.
She turned to Tatsu. "Shall we?"
Tatsu nodded. "I'm Kawaguchi Hanako, by the way. I'm your business counterpart in Japan. And you are..."
"Ah. Diana Prince," Diana smirked, remembering her not-so-fake name. "From Gotham City, U.S."
Both women entered the luxurious Eiga, whose art deco structure was very different from the traditional Japanese Kabukiza. Diana reached for her necklace, tapping its pendant to activate the device. She only wore her basic red and blue costume beneath her dress, plus her star earrings and the bat-eagle necklace. She wore none of her weapons at all; her tiara, breastplate, lasso, girdle, vambrace, and boots were inside a bag Batman had been carrying. She knew that Katana also dropped all her costume, as Katana's Japanese armor was thicker and harder to disguise than hers. Should anything happen inside Eiga, their only defenses were their martial arts techniques and their abilities to seize the opponents' swords or guns for their protection.
Eiga wasn't the biggest department store in Ginza, compared to Matsuya for example, but it was indeed luxurious. Golden, silver, and bright primary colors brightened the cosmetics and perfume sections on the first floor. A sudden attack of fragrance of Chanel, Paco Rabanne, Karl Lagerfeld, and Elizabeth Arden made Diana dizzy. She never liked wearing perfume; she never wore perfume (not that she ever needed it), and she always managed to escape from any salesgirls' attempts to make her try and buy any kind of fragrance. This time though, she had to be patient while asking for directions to the kimono section, as apparently the only salesgirl available for information was at the Calvin Klein fragrance booth (other girls were preoccupied with other customers – it was a busy night), and she was very keen on testing her new Eternity Summer on Diana.
After a solid five minutes' talk with the salesgirl and letting her spray the fragrance on her wrists, Diana gladly left the perfume section with Tatsu, emanating the fragrance of jasmine, gardenia, lotus, and mimosa.
"You smell like a florist," Tatsu sniffed and grinned.
"Yeah, that's why B never put on any perfume at all. It left marks for the enemies to trace back," Diana smirked. Arriving at a huge eastern section, she sighed in relief and admiration. "We're here."
Impressive. That was the word for the kimono section of Eiga, which was separated from the rest of the department store with glass walls. Diana had never seen so many kimonos of various colors, patterns, and fabrics in a relatively small place, and for a while she even forgot her true purpose of coming here.
Lots and lots of kimonos were hanging on the racks, some also worn by the mannequins. They were divided by the seasons, age of customers, and use. As it was summer, most of them were bright colors or pastels, with cheerful patterns of leaves, flowers, fishes, dragons, clouds, and so on. Some autumn and winter kimonos were on sale, most of them with darker and calmer colors. Some collections were made of sateen and polyester or even high quality cotton, but many of them were also made of the best Japanese fine silk from the techniques that had been developed more than a thousand years ago. Such kimonos commanded a high price – even higher than the dress Diana was wearing.
Tatsu sighed. "It was like a mini Matsuzakaya here..." Matsuzakaya was the biggest Japanese kimono franchise in Ginza, perhaps also in the whole of Japan.
Diana nodded, touching the hand of a silk bamboo-patterned black kimono nearby. She almost believed that Lady Miyako's kimono actually existed, and was not just a secret Yakuza code. I guess every girl has her own weakness. They were not the only women amazed by the kimono display there. Two other young women and an elderly woman (their mother, perhaps) were gasping and sighing in awe.
"May I help you, ladies?" a cheerful Japanese voice greeted them. Tatsu and Diana turned to see a sweet Japanese salesgirl wearing a lemon-green sateen kimono with plum patterns.
"We would like to look at some kimonos," Tatsu answered in Japanese.
"With pleasure, I shall help you to choose," the girl bowed and walked to a rack full of summer kimonos for young women. She took out an indigo silk kimono with embroidered koi fishes and cranes, handing it over to Tatsu.
"This kimono color suits you, Madam. It just arrived yesterday," she said cheerfully. Taking another kimono (deep violet with pink sakura and golden butterflies), she faced Diana.
"This one is perfect for you, Madam. Your hair color blends well with the butterflies."
Looking at the kimono, Diana smiled. It was truly a beautiful kimono, and if she weren't here for a case, she would just go to the fitting room to try it. She gestured to Tatsu to begin the mission. She wasn't a shopaholic per se, but she did have a weakness for exotic clothes (Aphrodite knew how much she spent for those Thai silk sarongs and Indian sari a while ago!). Tatsu nodded.
"Those are beautiful, thank you. But my friend and I are looking for Lady Miyako's kimono. I believe you still have it in stock?"
The cheerful girl suddenly blinked nervously. "I'm afraid we don't have such a kimono in our collection, Ma'am."
"Ah, but I'm sure you do," Tatsu spoke matter-of-factly. "Just check in the back at the storage, or ask your supervisor."
The girl nodded hastily, then went to the cashier station to speak with an older woman wearing a leaf-patterned mustard kimono, who nodded several times. The older woman then walked to Diana and Tatsu, bowing and smiling.
"I understand that you ladies are looking for Lady Miyako's kimono?"
"Yes," Tatsu confirmed. "I believe you still have it stocked, though it might be out of season."
"It is a rare hand-made kimono, I must say, and very expensive as well. We don't usually take it out just for show. Might I know the level of your interest?"
Tatsu gestured to Diana, who nodded and opened her Louis Vuitton bag. Inside were several bunches of dollars neatly tied and arranged to fit her bag (the woman had noticed that it was an expensive bag). Diana remembered what Bruce said earlier. They pay more respect to your wealth. So we play by their game. She was glad that she decided to take the money despite her previous hesitation. She was satisfied to see the woman's eyes widen in awe.
"Very well, then. I might be able to take you downstairs myself. May I inquire your names, please?"
"I'm Kawaguchi Hanako, and this is my associate from Gotham City, Ms. Diana Prince."
The woman bowed and excused herself to the cashier station. She made a brief phone call, and then came back to her guests.
"This way, please," she gestured for Diana and Tatsu to follow her. They walked out of the kimono section toward women's accessories. She took them behind a piece of protruding wall with a large poster of two girls with stylish summer hats and stopped. There was a black curtain there that she swept aside while gesturing for her visitors to enter. As she closed the curtain, she walked a few paces to a metal door with numbers and characters and a small screen. She entered a combination of numbers and pressed her right palm on the screen. The door opened briefly while the three women entered the room behind the door.
Diana and Tatsu were 'welcomed' by two men and two women, all dressed in black. One man and one woman dressed in all black kimono and hakama, carrying katana. The other two obviously carried guns in their belts. Their stoic expressions warned both women that they indeed had found 'Lady Miyako's kimono'.
Their 'lady-escort' bowed to the four men and women. "This is Kawaguchi Hanako and Ms. Diana Prince of the Gotham City. I shall leave them with you now."
As the four bowed back, the woman turned and left the room. Soon, Diana and Tatsu were circled by the four men and women.
"So you are here for Lady Miyako's kimono?" The woman in black Japanese clothes asked briskly in Japanese.
"More of the Black Snow, actually," Tatsu answered. "This is my associate from Gotham, would like to talk about the future works in her city."
The man in hakama nodded and gestured to his friends. "Search!"
The two women in black quickly searched Diana and Tatsu for any guns and other weapons. The woman in hakama opened Diana's handbag, not showing any expression upon seeing the amount of money she brought. The woman also studied Diana's passport (blonde bespectacled 'Diana Prince' – Bruce had made the passport way back in Gotham just in case, and attached the photograph right after Diana put her wig on). The other woman dug Tatsu's bag, retrieving her wallet, examining her longhaired photograph and 'Kawaguchi Hanako's' Citibank Platinum credit card. Diana's examiner also took a glance at her pendant, but in an interested way, not out of suspicion.
Satisfied that both visitors were clean, the two women in black nodded to their leader.
"I'll take you to our leader now. Follow me." The leader gestured to Tatsu and Diana, then walked to another door. He punched a code, pressing his palm onto a small screen, then the door opened in a silence, revealing a big elevator. The six men and women entered the elevator. The man in hakama pushed a button, making the compartment moving downwards.
They were going underground, below Ginza. During the short trip, Diana slipped into the 'Bat' mode of heightened awareness. She was getting ready, and she knew Tatsu was too. She knew that Batman had been following the whole scene through her pendant, and she had to restrain herself not to check if the pendant was still working.
Soon, the elevator reached its destination. The fancy door opened again in silence, and all of its passengers went out in steady steps. The man in hakama took Tatsu and Diana down a long corridor towards another metal door. He punched another code, and the door opened.
Behind the door, there were many people dressed in white working on certain emulsions, extracting some white powders, and packaging the powders into small plastic bags. There were several more people in black, some in hakama and some others in modern clothes, all holding either katana or guns. The man in hakama who escorted Diana and Tatsu walked to a tall man, who wore hakama, kimono, and jinbaori with a typical mon embroidered behind it. After they talked for a while, the man in jinbaori turned and walked to Diana and Tatsu.
"Welcome to Black Snow's lair," he bowed.
Author's note:
Thanks to Sandicomm for New York tips! Re: Katana, I wasn't sure if she actually knew that Bruce Wayne was the Batman. But as they had been working together in the Outsiders for a long time, I assumed that Tatsu knew Batman's real persona. And Tatsu's sensitivity to Soultaker is only my theory. Re: Ginza, of course you won't find any Black Snow, Lady Miyako's kimono, or Eiga Department Stores in Ginza. But the rest of Ginza's depictions were based on true conditions, including the Kabuki Theater.