Of Silk And Lace

cap'n coree

Chapter Six: Falling Over Backwards For You

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Fuu sat behind the cramped oak desk, staring out the window as the newest girl sweeped the entrance. Sweat caked her forehead, and she fanned herself, desperate to rid herself of the heat. Mame was acting off. Since Mother's funeral she hadn't been acting the same. Fuu was afraid their fight had done serious damage to their friendship. Every time she recalled the slap she dealt Mame, her hand stung with shame, but she couldn't bear to seek Mame out herself.

"Erika!" Fuu called, massaging her temple, "ERIKA!" The door slid open and an older woman stepped in. She was aged years ahead of her time, her youth stolen by labor. She had been at this very house for over twenty years, and rightfully should have been Mother's heir, but the truth was Mother never liked Erika much. She hated Fuu for stealing what she believed was meant for her, and showed her blatant disrespect at any chance given.

Fuu chose not to notice it, and more often then not went out of her way to be kind to her. She couldn't help flinching whenever she saw her, however, imagining herself, or poor Mame ending up that way in ten to fifteen years. Fuu had pulled her from the harder aspects of the jobs, giving her the simple task of cleaning, and serving food and the herbal contraceptives that every girl must take in the morning.

"Whaddya want?" she snarled, limping over to Fuu.

"I called you in because I have found an error in the numbers this month. You see, you're telling me in this report," Fuu motioned to the paper on the table, "that we need less herbs then last month, but this month we've added several new girls."

"Ah, but Madame, you have no need to take them anymore, and you've taken me off duty as well, so therefore we do need less."

"Ah, but we've added two girls, and anyhow, this past year you didn't need them. You can no longer have children, and you know it." Fuu replied, glaring at Erika over the top of the sheets. "And if I did the math right, which I did, that means someone has been going short."

"You must have made an error," Erika replied, "did you take in to account the extra herbs left over?"

"Erika, don't play your games with me." Fuu warned, "I may be new at this, but I know what I'm doing, and you can't fool me. You're up to something, and when I find out what it is-"

"Mother!" someone called from downstairs. Fuu stood up, instructing Erika to sit still, and dashed out of the room.

"MOTHER!" the shrill voice called again, filled with terror this time. Fuu quickened her pace, rounding the corner at the bottom of the stairs to see-

"YOU!" Fuu's voice boomed, as she regarded the man laying in a heap on her lobby floor. One of the younger girls looked from Mother to the man, at a loss for what she should do. "He is not to be let in!"

"I know Mother, he just showed up out of the blue, looking deranged, and well, half starved, and I tried to tell him to go away but he just kinda...fell...nearly ontop of me." Fuu huffed and stared at the mass of hair and dirt on the ground. He resembled Mugen far more then himself at the moment, except for the pair of glasses that were laying on the floor.

"Jin," she commanded, nudging him in the ribs with her foot. "JIN." She kicked him slightly, and he groaned, flipping over. He was pale. He had always been pale, granted, but it had been a healthy pale, if there were such a thing. Now he looked half dead.

She was tempted to call the guards and have them chuck him out on his now skinny bony ass, but a small voice was nagging in the back of her head.

"You wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for him, and now you're just going to throw him out? You get more and more like the bastard Mugen every day, you know. When are you going to stop bathing, huh? And start picking your nose-"

'SHUT UP!" Fuu hollared, causing the girl to jump. "Okay, fine, get the men 'round back and have them help you carry his lazy ass upstairs, and bring him some food." The girl ran outside as if the hem of her kimono was aflame.

When Fuu returned to her office, Erika was gone.

Fuu was too exhausted to even care.

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Fuu flung herself across the matress, growling in frustration as she walked through the events of the day in her mind. Erika was up to something, and although Fuu didn't know what, she knew it was directed at her. The numbers did not add up, and Fuu wouldn't be fooled. Sure, numbers weren't exactly her strong point, but she spent a long time on those books to make sure everything was exact.

Just what could she be up to?

And Jin, what exactly was he doing back here? It had been nearly three weeks since he left, and she was pretty positive then that she was never going to see him again. She was also positive she didn't want to see him again. It had taken several hours of 'negotiations' to convince the yakuza not to exact revenge.

Fuu gave a sigh and shifted uncomfortably before passing out, unable to process anymore of the increasing drama.

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"What else do you think we need for the house, Takahiro?"

"I'm pretty sure we got everything."

Fuu was strolling through the market, searching for food to last the house the rest of the month. Like Mother advised before she died, Fuu always kept a guard with her. Not that she was worried she would be attacked, but Fuu knew she had an unlucky streak when it came to being kidnapped, and she didn't want to work her way up through yet another brothel.

However, the thugs that were hired didn't make for the best company. Takahiro was the least shifty, although he was so old he offered hardly any protection at all.

On their way home, however, he began to grow tense.

"What are you looking at?" Fuu demanded the third time Takahiro looked over his shoulder.

"I don't want to scare you, " he whispered, "but I think we're being followed." Fuu went to look over her shoulder and Takahiro stopped her immediatley.

"Don't let them know we know!" he snapped.

"Well you've been looking over your shoulder every five steps, I'm sure if I did it just once.."

Takahiro gave her a scolding look then shook his head.

"Honestly-"

"No, we have to lose them, and they can't know we're on to them."

"What are we going to do?"

"Come on," Takahiro said, gripping Fuu's arm a little too tightly. His steps quickened, and Fuu could feel the sweat from his hand seeping through her kimono.

"Takahiro, you're scaring me," she squealed, and he tightened his grasp, pulling her into an alley. "Takahiro- is this really smart? Theres no way out! We'll be trapped in here if they fin-" Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth, and Fuu, startled, dropped the basket of food in her hand.

"We're not trapped." He whispered, "But you are." Instinct took over as Takahiro reached with his free hand for his sword hilt, and Fuu bit. Hard.

Takahiro released her mouth, cursing, and aimed a well placed kick to her stomach. Fuu doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach as she slid down the alley wall.

"TAKAHIRO," she commanded, "What's gotten into you, this is no way to get a raise!" She inched her hand closer to her thighs, leaving one rested on her stomach. She slipped her hand beneath her kimono, clutching the tanto strapped to her thigh.

Takahiro let out a rough laugh and shook his head, "Are you really that dumb? I'm doing a favour for someone."

"Are you here to avenge the yakuza?" Fuu said, shocked. Instantly she feared for Jin, Mame, and the rest of the girls at the house. Jin was in no condition to fight, and if Takahiro had been bought out who knew who else was..

Takahiro laughed again, "Not even close." He unsheathed his sword, raising it above his head, leaving the perfect opening for-

There was a flash of silver, and a sickly squish of skin and organs being punctured as Fuu buried the tanto deep within Takahiro's exposed stomach and twisted upward.

Takahiro coughed, splaying her with blood, before falling forward, collapsing ontop of her, grazing her shoulder with his sword. Fuu struggled out from under the stinking corpse, the smell of blood and piss filling the alley. She picked up the discarded basket, taking care to rub the blood off an apple unlucky enough to have rolled from the basket, before continuing home.

She walked right past the girl at the door, who was too shocked at her appearance to ask where Takahiro was, and headed for the bath.

Like Mother always advised before she died, always keep a weapon on you, no matter who you're with.

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AN: Sorry I haven't updated lately. Been crazy busy.