I'M ALIVE! Who knew, yeah?
Well, I'm not going to keep you waiting any longer! On with the necessary stuff and then on with the long-awaited chapter!
Disclaimer!: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo:Shoos away rabid lawyers who are eager to take away Yuffie-chan's collection of pennies:
A/N! Well, no one guessed the scene from last chappie... well, it was from Fruits Basket, when Yuki visits Ayame's shop. Oh well. On with the story, neh?
Chapter 7: Saké and Stories
After the initial fright of seeing a man in women's clothing, who soon after tried to hug Kyo, I found myself seated in a relatively ornate parlor decorated in mostly deep reds and violets. I was sitting on a foreign-looking red couch. Kyo wasn't there with me; he and Yukimura-san left me here soon after we arrived.
I explored a bit, just looking around for anything interesting, but the room proved to be fairly bland, except for the lush colors and expensive furniture. So now I'm just sitting on this couch, ready to fall asleep again...
Well, never mind! The door's opening and... oh, it's that boy from the watchtower. The little boy with the white hair and yellow eyes. He entered the room, clad in shorts and a baggy aqua t-shirt. He didn't look at me when he entered the room, completely wrapped up in his handheld video game, which he gripped in his small hands. He draped himself over a violet armchair across from me, still playing his game. I decided just to watch him, he had to stop playing sometime, didn't he?
An hour and a half later, he's still playing the game, but now he's spouting some very colorful language that would make pirates blush.
A few minutes later, when I start to doze off, I am jolted awake by the sound of a video game crashing into a wall. The golden eyed boy glared viciously at the broken pieces of plastic.
"Damn it!" He shouted at the demolished game. "Why did you have to run out of fcking batteries when I get to the last fcking battle! God Dammit!" He continued ranting until he ran out of air (impressive lung capacity for such a little kid), and then he collapsed back into his chair. He then turned his eyes towards me.
"Well? What're you doing here?" I glared at him, snippy little kid.
"I've been here for the entire time that you've been here. I'm waiting for that as-... Kyo to come back." I snapped at him, stumbling over what to call Kyo.
"Oh!" He sat upright, staring at me. "You're Kyo's girl? Sorry, I thought you'd be prettier." Veins are popping out of my head. That is not something I'd like to hear. "No matter. It's not like you're really ugly or anything, just not what Kyo would normally pick." Not. Helping. "Whatever. So, I hear that your name's... Shiina Yuya?" I nod. "'Kay. I'm Sarutobi Sasuke. One of Yukimura's Ten. That dipshit at the gate, that's Saizo. He's another one. Yukimura sent me to take you to your room, or whatever."
He led me out of the room and down some winding corridors (what is it with rich people and confusing houses?). "He wants to talk with you over dinner, Yukimura does, but Kyo said that he doesn't want to see you. What'd you do to make him hate you, anyway? Wait, never mind, don't answer that. Kyo hates all women. Since that Sakuya chick anyway."
That got my attention. Sakuya. Kyoshiro-san's wife.
"Why does Sakuya-san bother Kyo so much? I mean-"
"Old girlfriend." Sasuke-kun cut me off. "Old rivalry. Women always cause too many problems. No offense, of course."
"..." Well, at least he bothers to acknowledge my feelings. He's kinda nice for a foul-mouthed little ninja.
Eventually, he led me to another classic shoji door, but he walked in with me. He strode right over to the opposite wall and sat down, leaning against it. He pulled a different game out of his pocket and turned it on. He looked up at me.
"You can sleep you know. I'm just staying here 'cause I don't want to have to come and find you when it's time to eat." I nodded timidly, but with a smile.
I found a futon, untied my hair and I quickly lay down. I glanced over at Sasuke-kun, who was entirely focused on his game, and didn't seem to spare a thought for me. That's fine. 'Kids are kids, no matter what their occupation is,' I thought, just before sleep took hold of my mind.
"Hey!" I was shaken awake. "Wake up!"
"nn... S... Sasuke-kun?"
"Yeah, yeah. Hurry, Yuya-nee-san. Dinner time."
I finally opened my eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the light. Sasuke-kun stood over me, his white-lavender hair nearly covering his catlike eyes. I didn't move for a few moments, staring at his eyes. The amber orbs reminded me somewhat of Kayos own demon eyes. Was he a relation of Kyos?
No, I don't think so. I doubt that demons like Kyo can even have families. Well, except for saints like Muramasa-san... and from the way that this child swears, he's no saint.
Sasuke-kun quickly grew tired of me staring at him like a half-wit, so he nudged me with his foot again until my eyes focused again. I muttered an intelligent "Huh?" and Sasuke-kun rolled his eyes.
"Dinner?" He supplied. I started and practically flew to my feet. Of course, I nearly fell over in the process, but I caught myself eventually. I glanced around frantically for my hair ribbon , and I found it dangling from Sasuke-kun's empty hand. The other was, of course, preoccupied with yet another video game.
I snatched my ribbon, muttered a quick "thanks," and I made myself somewhat presentable.
After a moment or two, Sasuke-kun clicked his game off, and strode out the door, his tabi making little swishing noises on the polished wood floor. These hallways were so well polished that you could nearly use them as a mirror. It was a pity that my bare feet had to tromp all over them... I hope that Kyo at least had the courtesy to remove his shoes before coming in.
Twenty or so left turns later, Sasuke-kun slid open a large shoji door, and he led me inside to sit on a soft red cushion at a large table. Sasuke slipped into a side-room and brought out a plate with some rice and curry chicken on it.
"It might be a little cold," he said. "Demon Eyes didn't want you here at dinner, so you're getting yours late."
What. An. Ass. He didn't want me to eat with him? What the hell! Son of a freaking...
"Okuni'll be here soon though. She wanted to meet you."
"Okuni...-san?"
"Yukimura's girl. His wife, actually. You've already met Yukimura, and Okuni wants to see who could best her in the competition for Kyo."
Now I was confused. Competition? For KYO! Who would want him!
"Competition?" I voiced, curiosity overwhelming my anger.
"Yep," Sasuke-kun said, pulling out his game again. "She was crazy about Demon Eyes a while ago. Probably still is. I think he actually used to like her too. Must've been her chest."
"Isn't it past your bedtime, Sasuke-chan?" Sasuke-kun's head whipped around to the door, glaring at the new woman who practically glided into the room.
"Whatever. Shiina Yuya, Sanada Okuni. Have a nice dinner." Sasuke-kun stood and stalked out of the room, colorful language following him every step of the way.
"What a brat..." The new woman spoke again, and I looked her over. She was taller than me, but only by about three inches... I certainly could understand Sasuke's comment about her chest.
She wore a low-cut white top with a very wavy red skirt. It swirled about her while she walked over to the table, nearly covering her dainty feet. Her shirt barely covered everything that it should, and the shoulder straps were pushed off of her shoulders, baring even more pale skin. Her pale face was framed by long jet black hair that fell to her knees. She had chocolate brown eyes and bright red lips.
She seated herself gracefully at the table, looking me over as well. She arched a thin eyebrow and sniffed delicately.
"I'm surprised, you're not his type at all." I tilted my head to one side, somewhat confused as to what she meant.
"You're not just thin, you're scrawny. Flat as a board, and with plain features too. The only thing extraordinary about you is your hair color, and it just looks like wheat." Growing more pissed by the second here. Must remember not to hit the wife of the host... "I mean, it's not much of a surprise that Kyoshiro-sama bought you, but, my goodness, the fact that Kyo-san hasn't killed you get is nothing short of astounding! Do you know, little girl, is he ill?"
That did it.
"EXCUSE ME!"
"Well... At least you have a limit. No personality and no figure would be a catastrophe." She sniffed delicately. I fumed. She turned her dainty face to the side, and wrinkled her aristocratic little nose. Oh how I longed to break that little-
"Follow me then, we shall talk in my chambers." She turned about and strutted right out the door. I had no choice but to follow her, seeing as Sasuke-kun had left and I had no way to remember how to get back to my room or out of this house. Damn.
Swish, tap, swish, tap, swish swish, tap... Okuni-san waltzed her way down hall after hall, her skirt moving with each graceful step and each provocative sway of her hips. I shuffled along behind her, feeling smaller by the second. Was this really the kind of woman that Kyo wanted? How could I ever amount to...
What am I thinking! Why do I care what that bastard likes! He certainly doesn't care for women with morals, if he's after this scantily-clad hussy! Someone else's wife too!
Wait a minute... if she liked Kyo that much, why's she married to the drunk guy?
Eventually, she stopped at a large shoji door with dark colored paper.
"Open the door," she said, not even bothering to look at me. I glared at her raven-hair, considering refusing. When she made no move of impatience, I strode up to the door and opened it, just to get out of the hallway. I stomped inside, furious with myself for obeying this woman. Kami, the Academies must've loved her and her sizes, but hopefully this attitude of hers got her locked up in solitude!
The room was painted in a deep, seductive shade of red. Violet pillows scattered the tatami mats on the floor, and a little sofa was stationed against a wall next to a small bookcase. A few coils of what looked like wire laid on top of the shelf. A mahogany vanity was on the opposite wall, with an ornate golden mirror propped up on it. Okuni-san swayed over to the little vanity stool and motioned for me to sit on it.
I edged over to the seat, and, at another hand gesture, sat down on the little purple cushion. She picked up a brush with gold etching and untied my hair. She began to run the no-doubt expensive brush through my wheat-colored hair. I fidgeted. I was very unused to the attention and the finery that I was surrounded by.
"Stop," she commanded, in that deep breathy voice of hers. I stiffened and held as still as I could. She continued to brush my hair and clicked her tongue at different intervals when she found a particularly hideous tangle.
"Excuse me, Okuni-san," I ventured. "Why are you-"
"I won't have anyone, much less you, running around my house looking like a rat lives in her hair." And I go right back to fuming. "Which Academy did you come from?" I stiffened further, if that was possible.
"Rolling Meadow," I muttered.
"Hmph. I came from Crystal River Academy. Much better, I hear."
"Like I ca-" "But I didn't stay there long." Cut off again. I guess that this means that I must listen, and not speak.
"I was taken out to become a shrine maiden when I was eleven. I stayed there for three years before being taken back to the Academy, and then right to the Cages for sale. I didn't stay there for very long either. After a few weeks, it was arranged that I was to be rented out to the local O-chaya to entertain gentlemen as a geisha. I became extremely popular and quite powerful. Men loved me, women wanted to be me. It was a fantastic feeling.
"And then I met Kyo-san and Kyoshiro-sama. Kyoshiro-sama was friendly but distant, always thinking deeper than he needed to. He was distracted, and he was Kyo's best friend. And Kyo... Kyo was... fantastic. A demon over men, he stood out among all of my customers. He was... unforgettable. I became distracted during my appointments. I began to spill the tea and my kimonos lost their splendor.
"Eventually no one wanted to hire me anymore, and I was sent back to the Cages. I was devastated. I heard rumors that Kyo was falling for another woman, rumors that he had never loved me, never even seen me, just another geisha from a long line of the same. I panicked. What if another man were to buy me? I would have no chance, no life, nothing. I was lost in my own thoughts and fears.
"Then, one day, I saw Kyo walk by outside. But he wasn't alone, he was with a woman. Later I learned that her name was Sakuya. That was the lowest point in my life. After three days of shock and sadness, I swore that I would never feel that way again. It was an embarrassment to who I was and who I am now. I began to market myself off. I would show off in the windows, I would flirt without end, I would do anything I could to keep myself from drowning in Kyo's wake.
"After a while, I met a man who looked like he was just browsing. Wandering through the corridors, occasionally sharing a bit of small talk with one girl or another, he was a very strange man. He looked very young, especially compared to the usual. He was very popular with the caged women, because he never forced them into anything. He eventually came to favor my cage. His name was Yukimura Sanada.
"He started to bring me presents. Little things: a comb, some new shoes, a little mirror... Then he started to bring me larger gifts: a new yukata and books. He never came without a gift. We talked and flirted for hours. Whenever he came in, I could forget all about Kyo and not even have to pretend.
"After a month or so, he asked me to marry him, right then and there in the cages, and I accepted, obviously. A year or so later, I found out that Yukimura had actually told to go and find me, by none other than Kyo himself. That was the most relieving feeling in the world, learning that he remembered me, and actually cared."
I sat still for a while, while she started to sort through her vast assortment of hair ornaments and combs, before choosing a small turtle-shell comb with inlaid mother of pearl flowers. She began to pull my hair up, twisting it around. I decided to venture forward again.
"Why are you doing all of this for me?" She was quiet for a moment, and her face in the mirror was pensive.
"Kyo-san has a great favor for me, and while I could never fully understand how he would allow a little girl like you to travel with him, I can at least make you look presentable in return." I accepted this. Even with the insult hidden within the statement, I could live with being her repayment, even if it was to a bastard like Kyo.
End Chapter
O-chaya Geisha house
I'm sorry if it was too short, it certainly was a trip to write.
Six months, man... I am soo sooooo sorry! If anyone's actually still reading this story, which I hope you are, there is no excuse I can give you that could make up for my laziness and horrible case of writer's block.
I hope to hear from you all soon, and I promise to try to write much, much faster.
