To Lyger 0: Yokai may or may not be in NHC's future, actually…

To Guest: I really haven't given it too much thought. Although I may explore the idea of a Chinese super team at some point, and she would fit in there very nicely.


Carefully, still moving gingerly after the fight, Yuki pushed the doors to Hanabusa open and entered, taking in the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of the ochaya. Mariya sat in the corner, playing the fue while Haruna accompanied her on shamisen. Two hangyoku, Hami and Taniko, practiced the steps of their dance under the watchful eyes of Miyoshia and the newest shikomi, four girls who had only entered the okiya two weeks ago. A family with two small children sat in the nearest corner, the parents speaking quietly in English while the children stared up at the dancers in fascination. The daughter, a girl of eight, had her face made up in all white to look like a geisha. Several of the other tables in the ochaya were occupied, one of them by an older gentleman having tea with Geisha Ane. Yuki let out a breath in relief, the tension of the day finally fading away. While she could still feel the exhaustion of the fight in her limbs, she felt so much better, having fixed her makeup and changed out of her ruined Bu-Geisha kimono into a new regular kimono. "It is good to be back," she murmured quietly to herself.

Behind her, she felt the tension coming from Ayaka, who followed her through the door hesitantly but had paused, hiding behind Yuki. "Are–are you sure this is okay?" Ayaka whispered, a tremor to her voice. "I–I don't wish to impose…"

Yuki stepped to one side so she wouldn't block the door and held out a hand toward Ayaka, giving her a warm smile and guiding her out of the doorway. "This is no imposition," she assured her. "My okiya routinely takes in new shikomi, who will stay here and learn from Takamura-san – she is our okasan, the mother of the house – and the other geisha. Takamura-san will be happy to have you enter our okiya as a trainee. And that will be the case, regardless of whether you decide to leave after a year or to stay and complete the training."

A soft murmur of whispers swept through the teahouse, and Yuki caught sight in the reflection off the windows of several faces turning in their direction. Ayaka flinched, her eyes wide, and pressed herself against the wall next to the doorway, trying to hide behind Yuki. "Why is everyone looking at me?" she whispered urgently, her eyes darting around the room, her hands clasped in front of her obi.

Yuki smiled sympathetically, stepping in front of Ayaka to draw her attention. The music on the far side of the room changed. "You are dressed as hangyoku," Yuki explained. "That draws attention. That is a part of being geisha – and of being hangyoku: people are curious about us and what we do. It can be a little off-putting at first, but I have gotten used to it over time. If you are uncomfortable, we can move upstairs and continue our conversation in my room."

Ayaka gulped, shaking her head jerkily. "No – I'm okay." She let out a breath, smoothing a wrinkle in her kimono. "If I'm going to stay here for now, I'll need to learn to live with the attention." She frowned. "I suppose this can't be any worse than the attention I'm normally used to receiving…"

Yuki turned to face her fully, a sympathetic look in her eyes, her mouth set in a hard line. Ayaka flinched, and Yuki started, smoothing her expression. "I'm sorry if my expression scared you – that was for the circumstances from which we saved you. Please, don't think I'm mad at you; my anger is fully reserved for those who hurt you. But that is over now. I assure you… imoto. No one will ever give you that form of attention ever again – not unless it is your choice. Geisha do not have to receive that kind of 'attention,' and we do not 'entertain' in that manner. You need not allow anyone to so much as touch you without your permission. Your body is your own, and no one can violate that. And if anyone does so, you will tell me about it immediately, and I will put a stop to it. Do you understand?"

Swallowing nervously, Ayaka nodded, letting out a shaky breath, and straightened her back. "Thank you. I… will remember that."

Yuki sighed. Examining Ayaka's face and hair, she frowned. Holding out a hand toward Ayaka's hair, she hesitated and raised an eyebrow. "May I?" Ayaka nodded. Yuki brushed a couple strands of hair away from Ayaka's face and wiped off a smudge in the makeup on her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't fix your hair and makeup before we came here," she apologized. "That could also account for the looks. But I promise that next time, we will make sure you look more 'put together' if you are going to be out in public."

Ayaka shook her head. "No, it's okay. I understand – I'm not actually hangyoku, or shikomi, or anything like that, so…"

"Not yet," Yuki agreed. "But by the end of the day, we will have it settled. I should warn you, though. At least for now, I will help you to do your makeup and hair properly. My oneesan had to help me learn to do it for myself; you will learn also – if you decide that this is something you wish to continue." She smiled sympathetically. "It is a bit complicated. But fortunately, you will not need your hair and makeup done all the time as shikomi – not until your misedashi, your debut as hangyoku."

Ayaka nodded hesitantly. "Yes… sensei?"

Yuki stifled a laugh. "You do not need to call me 'sensei.' 'Yuki-san' or 'oneesan' is sufficient. 'Oneesan' is what a shikomi or hangyoku will call her mentor… and that is what I will be for you." She swallowed, her stomach clenching. Was she ready for this responsibility? She had only completed her erikae less than a week ago; she had hardly finished her own training. Could she really take on Ayaka? And yet, how could she not, knowing everything that the poor girl had suffered, knowing the danger she could face were she not somewhere safe? Her mouth set firmly. She would do what she could.

Ayaka hummed, looking toward the corner where Mariya was now playing shamisen for two of the shikomi to dance with the little girl. "How much is included in this training?"

Yuki furrowed her brows. "It is a detailed process. Etiquette and courtesy, of course. Music – you will learn fue, shamisen, and kotsuzumi, though geisha needn't master all three. Dance, singing, poetry, painting… And of course how to conduct the tea ceremony properly."

Ayaka's eyes widened. "All of that is what geisha do?" she wondered. "In the–the other place, we were expected to learn or do none of that."

Yuki nodded. "First and foremost, geisha are artists. And that is what we will teach you to be, as well!" She paused, furrowing her brows, and cocked her head as she felt more than she saw someone walking toward them and stopping to her side. Yuki turned her head slightly, and her smile widened.

"I thought I must have been seeing things when you walked in!" Grabbing Yuki by both shoulders, Haruna turned her and examined her face carefully, her calm façade breaking momentarily. "I would not believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes," she gasped, pulling Yuki into a tight embrace and releasing her almost as quickly. "You're okay!"

Returning the embrace, Yuki smiled back warmly. "Of course I'm okay," she assured her. "Thanks to my Nihonto-san's quick actions, it was far less serious than it could otherwise have been. Although–" she winced, locking her knees to keep herself upright "–I am still not fully recovered."

Ayaka cocked her head to one side, staring at Yuki in surprise. "What is wrong… oneesan?"

Haruna started, looking more closely at Ayaka.

Yuki winced. "I missed an ozashiki last night with Haruna-san – I had been in the hospital," she explained.

Ayaka gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. "And you still–"

"Of course I did," Yuki interrupted her, cutting her off before she could say any more. She gave Ayaka a reassuring smile. "I had to do what I could."

Haruna swallowed anxiously and flushed through her makeup. "I'm sorry," she told Yuki. "I–I didn't know until after–"

Yuki nodded firmly. "I understand. I know you wouldn't do something like that intentionally." She smiled sympathetically. "I would not hold something like this against you."

Haruna let out a breath. "Thank you – I really do appreciate our friendship."

"As do I," Yuki assured her.

"Actually…" Haruna looked away and cleared her throat. "Since last night, I've been wondering: would you show me how to use a kaiken?"

Yuki cocked her head in surprise. "Of course I will."

Haruna let out a breath. "I'll look forward to the lessons – though I hope I never need them."

Placing a hand on Haruna's shoulder, Yuki nodded in agreement. "I hope so, too."

"Is that another part of the geisha training?" wondered Ayaka.

Yuki stifled a laugh. "Not exactly."

Haruna smiled in amusement. "Yuki-san is the only geisha I've met with that particular skill," she agreed.

"If you are interested," Yuki told Ayaka, "I would be happy to teach you also."

Ayaka nodded slowly. "I would like to learn to defend myself – if you're going to be teaching me all these other arts."

"'Teaching'," Haruna repeated, looking closer at Ayaka, her gaze shifting back and forth between her and Yuki.

Yuki smiled, placing a hand on Ayaka's shoulder. "Haruna-san, this is Ayaka. At least for now – with Takamura-san's permission, of course – she is going to join our okiya as my imoto."


AN: This is the end of "Honor and Dishonor," but Nihon Hiro Chimu will return eventually. In the meantime, the next story, "Guilt and Redemption," will pick up the plot from "Girls' Night Out."