Day 2: Historical AU

Keiou 1 (1865)

Souma lingered in the street outside the okiya. It was cold, but she managed to look busy as she waited for the geisha to come out on their way to their afternoon lessons. She'd come too early again. She'd arrived late enough to miss the merchants conducting their business, but somehow she always managed to turn up before the geisha were ready for the day.

Finally, the sliding door opened, and women started to come out of the building. Some of them had dance practice, others music, tea, or calligraphy. Souma probably should have learned their schedules to make her job easier, but there was only one woman here she cared about.

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Kendappa came out, deep in conversation with another woman. Her eyes met Souma's, but only for a moment before she returned her attention to her companion.

Souma, too, continued to pretend she wasn't waiting. It was critical that the two of them didn't appear to know each other.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kendappa reach up to touch her elaborately-styled hair. After a moment, she sent her companion on with a laugh and a wave before turning to Souma – to all appearances, because Souma happened to be there.

"My hair is slipping," Kendappa said. "Fix it for me?"

Without hesitation Souma crossed over to her and reached up to her hair. Even though Souma was taller than the geisha, with Kendappa's tall geta they were almost equal in height. She fiddled with Kendappa's plum blossom hairpins while the other woman spoke in a low voice meant only for her.

"There's going to be a meeting tomorrow night, at the Himawari-ya. A few of our girls have been asked to attend. Can i hope to see you there?"

"Of course," Souma answered, not wanting to let go of her hair just yet. She wasn't even doing anything, not really; if Kendappa's hair truly had been slipping, Souma's touch would have only made it worse. "I'll take any chance to see you."

Kendappa laughed softly and turned to her. "I'm yours, you know. You don't need to ogle the back of my neck."

Souma flushed and tried to deny it. She couldn't help noticing Kendappa's bare nape, of course, but she would never let it distract her from their work.

Kendappa smiled and brushed Souma's loose hair back from her face, but her eyes were unusually serious as she asked, "You know you're the only one i love, don't you?"

Souma knew. She could feel in her bones how much Kendappa loved her. But at the same time, Kendappa flirted with people for a living. Souma could never be sure if some official with prospects would sweep her off her feet. Souma was only a shinobi with nothing to offer other than herself. She feared the day when Kendappa took a danna.

"I know," she said softly. Suddenly businesslike, she added, "Tomorrow night, at the Himawari-ya. I'll be there."

Kendappa took both Souma's hands in hers. "Don't forget," she replied brightly. "I'll be waiting."

All was quiet when Kendappa and two of her coworkers entered the Himawari-ya the next night. They were shown into a large party room where members of the Shinsengumi were waiting for them to arrive.

The Shinsengumi weren't wearing their trademark blue haori, of course. Not for a secret meeting like this. The last thing they wanted to do was to proclaim to all Japan that the Shinsengumi were convening on this little teahouse.

Not so secret, Kendappa thought, before putting on her best smile to flirt with and tease the hardworking "defenders of Kyoto." Souma and the others would be here soon. It was her job to keep the samurai entertained until then.

She managed, of course. Kendappa and her colleagues were top-class entertainers. Their guests never realized she had sold them out. Not even after the loyalists arrived.

In the commotion, Kendappa looked for Souma. The shinobi had promised to be here. She was a fighter; it wasn't only her job to pass along information to the rebel samurai.

The other girls shrieked and fled. Kendappa pressed herself into a corner as if she were afraid. She had no fear of the battles that needed to be fought to free their nation, but more importantly, she had to see.

The men fighting ignored her. Typical. Kendappa did have one moment of excitement when one of the Shinsengumi, reeling from sake and the surprise attack, had his blade deflected and stumbled toward her. Kendappa just had time to whip out a dagger from her obi and block his wild swing. She could see his eyes go wide with shock, and she smiled her sweetest smile.

A moment later, the man's eyes rolled up, and he fell to reveal Souma standing behind him. She pulled her short sword from his back and offered her free hand to Kendappa, who took it. "You came," she said.

"I promised, didn't i?" Souma replied. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine," Kendappa said. "In fact, i'm all the better for having you here."

It was hard to tell with the low light and Souma's dark skin, but Kendappa could have sworn Souma blushed. "I'll always come for you. But you shouldn't be in the middle of the battle. Please go outside with the others."

So polite, Kendappa thought. She could have pointed out that she was only on the periphery of the battle, but with Souma here, it was no longer so important. "Won't you escort me?" she asked. "Who knows what could happen."

Souma blocked another sword without looking. "Of course."

The other geisha were not, in fact, just outside the teahouse. They must have decided that the arrival of the loyalists, and the ensuing battle, marked the end of the party, and either gone on to their next engagements or fled all the way back to the okiya.

How dull.

"You were late." Kendappa pouted up at Souma.

"I'm so sorry," the shinobi replied. "They sent me on an errand at the last minute. I could have told them it was better suited to Okada."

"Okada," Kendappa scoffed. "You're better than him. He can only kill, but you're good for so much more. They wouldn't have known to come here tonight if it weren't for you."

Souma shook her head. "I only carried the message. You were the one who did the work."

"And to think, all it took for me to betray them was a pretty face." Kendappa had meant to lighten the mood, but Souma continued to look troubled.

"I hate putting you in danger like this," she said. "You shouldn't be anywhere near a battle. But it's the only way we can catch the Shinsengumi off guard." It was only through the work of women like Kendappa that they were able to track the Shinsengumi's activities at all.

"I know." Kendappa laid her hands on Souma's shoulders, then trailed down her arms to take her hands. "It's necessary for now. But i promise you, Souma, i'll retire once the emperor is restored to power. The two of us can open a teahouse together."

Souma closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Kendappa's. "I'd like that."

"Once the emperor is restored to power," Kendappa murmured again into the space between them.

Omake: "Won't you come back with me?" Kendappa asked. "After all, women are allowed inside the okiya." Her tone made it very clear what she meant, and Souma's sudden stammering showed that she understood perfectly.

A/N: Technically CLAMP already did the KenSou historical AU in Tsubasa. I knew i wanted mine to be AU from everything CLAMP's done, so my next thought was a geisha spy during the Bakumatsu, because those women don't get enough attention.