Chapter Four

"Miho?" A light knock on the door startled the young maiko out of her pacing and she darted for it all the way from the window in a desperate attempt to lock it. A bump in her rug stopped her plan cold as it snagged her bare foot once she got close and sent her tumbling to the floor in a heap.

Ow! Miho's knee struck and sent a dull vibration through the wood floor. To her horror, the sound carried through the barrier of the door and forced the female on the opposite side to knock hurriedly and then swing it wide open.

"Miho! Are you alright?" The woman in the doorway was slightly taller than the younger woman on the floor, with the same long dark hair, only hers was sleek and straight. Her attire was also different than Miho's as she glided over toward her. She was wearing a sapphire blue kimono with threaded gold flower blossoms splashed about and the back out as she walked.

Miho was mortified as she caught her deep blue eyed visitor's stunned expression. "Yes!" She squeaked a little too quickly. "Yes Kasumi, I am fine." Trying to regain her dignity while maintaining dancer's etiquette, she repositioned herself, sitting on her feet, and then rose up with her back straight and clothes all out of sorts. Her face was flaming but failed to hide it.

"Miho, are you sure you are alright?" Kasumi inquired again while stepping toward the young maiko.

Miho added a smile to her features, which lit up her face enough to calm Kasumi's nerves as she nodded, although not enough to quell her interest as to her clothes.

The older woman was not fooled by the innocence in Miho's face. In fact, she could almost see the secret lurking behind those chocolate brown eyes. "What happened to your clothes?" She asked while nodding downward at the dirt stained burgundy kimono that was still attached to the young maiko. "You look like you've taken a tumble, or a few, in the garden." Kasumi gave her a knowing look as if she were aware of everything.

For a few seconds, Miho was sure she had been found out. The punishment for sneaking outside without permission from the Okaa-san was ten strikes from a switch that had to be chosen by the rule breaker, and suspension from lessons until all of the designated chores that she would be assigned were complete. This punishment has only been given to her once when Miho has attempted to run away when she was twelve. Of all the things she had endured at the okiya, the choosing of the switch was the most torturous. She literally had to study each piece of wood and determine which would hurt less and which would leave less noticeable bruises.

No woman in the district was below this type of punishment, but luckily for Miho, the first experience had been her one and only…until now, she feared. "I did fall. Just now actually. You walked in on me in the middle of it." To avoid coming clean at all costs, she stated the obvious in hopes that it would dissuade her Onee-san, but to no avail.

Kasumi saw past the lie and looked deep within Miho's rooming chocolate eyes. "You are covered in dirt spots. You were not here all this time." Kasumi sighed lightly and then continued while circling the nervous maiko like a hungry hawk. "I came in earlier to check on you and to my surprise, you were nowhere to be found. I left your window open to warn you that someone was aware that you had disappeared but apparently you did not seem to notice. Otherwise, it would be closed by now to stop the cold from coming in."

It was Miho's turn to sigh. "You are right, Kasumi. I have not been here the whole time."

"Where have you been?" Kasumi pressed further.

Another sigh came from Miho's tightening throat as she feared for her skin. "You know I cannot resist the temptation to practice when I am stressed."

Kasumi instantly knew where the conversation was heading. "You went out to practice with your blades again? Really now, Miho! Haven't I warned you countless times that any scar on your flesh will lower your value if found by the wrong person? Playing with daggers and swords are dangerous and you should not be dealing with them now that you have become a maiko!" Kasumi stopped and stared Miho straight in the face with a set jaw. Her face was so young, but looked much older once irritated. "I know that demon slaying runs in your family, but now that you are living here, you must leave that part of you behind. Do you understand? If Hisoka had come up to check on you, you would most certainly have gotten a beating."

Miho had heard this speech before. It was nothing new, since everyone was well aware that she still owned her father's blades and had practiced with them daily after having arrived at the okiya. That was the reason why she acted the way she did as she addressed her mentor. "You know me better than that, Kasumi. Can you give up your past? Have you even tried?" Every woman had a past that they were unable to let go, and Kasumi, Miho knew, was no different.

The older woman gazed into Miho's eyes for a long minute before she decided to answer. "My past didn't involve demon hunters."

Miho only shrugged the simple statement off, but couldn't help but ask a question regarding it. "Kasumi…have you ever met a demon?"

Kasumi had not expected it, but was not startled by such a question. She took a step back and eyed Miho curiously once again. "That is a strange question for a time like this. Why do you ask?"

The younger of the two, again, shrugged her shoulders. "I am still suffering from my dreams."

Kasumi closed her eyes and nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see." Though she knew of the situation with Miho's vivid dreams, she did not know the contents of the dreams other than the fact that Miho always died at the end of them while a demon looked on at her with deep sadness. "You will be shocked to know this, but demon's come through the entertainment houses just as much as humans do."

Miho was shocked. Her mouth dropped in awe for a second and then she fired another round at the patient woman. "Really? How come I have never seen one? What do they look like? Have I met one that you know of?"

"Slow down, Miho!" The older woman lifted her hands to halt the questions. "One at a time. Now firstly, you have seen demons wandering in and out of the teahouse all of the time. They may not look like the kind of demons your family had slain when you were younger, but they are demons just the same. Some of them look human, you see? The only demons brave enough to come out of the shadows are the ones that resemble us, which makes it easier to blend in."

"How can you tell if a man is a demon or a human?"

"Well…" Kasumi thought for a moment before answering. "If you look closely at their teeth, you will notice that they have a bit of a sharper, more defined quality to them. Some even have fangs…but that is only a part of their physical features. What really gives their cover away is their arrogance. Demons love pointing out the fact that they believe they are more superior than humans." Kasumi giggled lightly to herself. "I stopped taking offence though when I became a full geisha." She looked up at the more than interested maiko who was watching her with more curiosity than a cat. "It was a demon who had reserved the rights to my mizuage." She blushed slightly while roaming through her own memories.

Miho blushed deeply too, unsure if she wanted to know anymore. "I think I have heard enough…"

Kasumi pulled herself out of her past and placed herself back into the present where she was still standing in front of Miho. "I'm sorry, I have said too much." She sighed and smiled at the still blushing maiko. "Anyway, you must promise me that you will not go back outside without permission again. I cannot protect you if you keep endangering yourself like this carelessly. Hisoka would have both of our skins."

Miho nodded in relief, glad that only a small portion of her adventure out into the forest had been spilled and not the who thing. If Kasumi found out about that demon that came up to me, I would be one step closer to an early grave! I still can't believe that he resembled the demon from my dreams…it is too much of a coincidence. "Kasumi…have you ever had a dream about someone that you didn't know…and then saw that same someone outside of it later?"

The older woman's expression turned from understanding to quizzical. "No…have you?" Kasumi fixed her with the same stare as if she could see right through to her very soul.

Miho fidgeted where she stood.

Kasumi did not back down that easily. She took a step forward and moved to grab Miho's shoulders. "Did you come across someone outside of the okiya walls tonight?"

"W…well…I…"

"Kasumi! Miho! Where are you?" Another woman's voice yelled from the hallway, stopping Miho mid-explanation and making both women turn to stare at the doorframe. Seconds later, a gray haired elderly woman appeared with baggy, tired looking brown eyes and was wearing a simple forest green kimono. Her voice did not help in shielding her old age. "Kasumi, we have a visitor from the main house and I require your assistance." The woman looked from Kasumi to Miho and stopped her gaze directly on the younger female. "Miho, why are you so dirty?"

Miho looked quickly to her 'sister', who gave her a knowing look.

"I apologize, Hisoka. Miho and I had just returned from a walk in the garden. You know her and her clumsy feet. She tripped on her own kimono." Miho released the frightened breath she had been holding the moment that old woman entered the doorway.

Hisoka looked back and forth suspiciously from geisha to maiko, but thought better than to further question them and continued. "Alright…Miho, you are to go and bathe. Kasumi, we need to prepare a room for a female guest. She is in need of a little rest along with her young son, while her two male companions are entertained next door."

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, ma'am. After I have assisted with the mother and son, should I join in the entertainment?"

"No." The elder woman stated simply. "Tonight, you will prepare Miho to be presented to the two gentlemen. I am in understanding that they are both of high rank and they have requested a performance from a well trained maiko."

Miho shuddered in undeniable fear. "I have yet to complete my training, okaa-san!"

Kasumi stepped in front of her to shield Miho from Hisoka's irritated look. "Miho will be ready, ma'am. You can count on me." She turned quickly to silence the startled maiko with more words. "You know everything in which to perform beautifully, and I have faith that you shall be fine with me by your side. All that you need do is pour the tea and saké, and speak only when spoken too by me, or whoever else is in the room." She took Miho by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "Now go and bathe. I will bring you a clean kimono after I have attended to our new female guest."

Miho nodded quickly and slipped out of Kasumi's hold and dashed past their okaa-san as fast as possible.

Kasumi watched her disappear around the corner and turned her attention back to Hisoka. "Did our new guest give a name?"

The elder woman nodded. "Yes. I was told that the woman's name is Kagome."

Author's Note: Happy 7 year anniversary to my wonderful boyfriend, Ian! I love you baby! I hope you read this chapter at some point today and see this!

To everyone else, what do you think of my story so far? If you like it, I'm so glad because this story is getting more and more exciting with every chapter I produce. If you don't like it, well I don't really care because I didn't force you to read it in the first place!

In regards to my fanfic, The Final Wish, please don't think poorly of me. I wrote that damn thing at the end of 2003 into 2004 and was forced to take it down recently because someone threatened to have my story removed if I didn't take out the song I had used in chapter 4. I put it back up entirely without the song. I'm still a little peeved about that, but oh well.

Anyway, if anyone is just now coming across this story, if you are confused, then please read the first installment "A Small Twist of Fate" so that you can better understand what is going on. It explains why Rin was reincarnated.

Miho=Rin's reincarnation-Sorry, but I always feel the need to explain things over and over until I feel sure everyone gets that the main character IS Rin.

OliviaAR