Escape

~*~

"You're beautiful, Koushirou-kun. Oops, I mean Kouko-chan."

Mimi finished brushing Koushirou's hair as she glanced into the looking glass he was holding. He was staring at himself, not believing his image. He had kept his hair up in a small ponytail for the last couple weeks, but now that it was down (and almost shoulder-length, like Mimi had predicted) he couldn't believe how...girly he looked.

"Mimi-chan-"

"Oh yeah, don't forget that I'm Misumi now!"

"Yes, I know. But..." He paused. "Am...am I really that pretty? I mean, even with my old haircut?"

"Actually, you are," she told him sweetly and sincerely, setting the brush down and smiling. "You're a very pretty boy, Koushirou-kun. And I'm not just saying that; the other girls think so, too."

"Do they find this to be a negative thing?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Some yes, some no. But they all think that you're a great catch, and some even say that they envy me!"

Koushirou flushed, flattered. "Really? Wow...I'm surprised."

"You shouldn't be. You're great!" She beamed. "And that's why Lord Taichi will pick you!"

The butterflies that had been floating around in his stomach all morning had started up again. "I hope so."

"Now, for your makeup!" Mimi reached into her bag of things that she had collected and started working on Koushirou's foundation, using her mother's precious, geisha-like white powder that she had managed to swipe. It almost didn't seem too far-off from Koushirou's porcelain pale tone, but it made him look pure and innocent, just the way concubines should.

They were by their rock – their secret rock that nobody knew about, for it was tucked away in the nearby woods. Mimi had easily convinced her parents that she was hiding in the cellar early; after all, the lord's men might come in the morning that year. And Koushirou had simply told his parents that he was going to work in the rice fields, and it would take a long time for anyone to find him there even if he actually had been telling the truth. Once they heard the lord's men enter the town, they would run down to them and become indistinguishable among the other girls. It was quite simple, really.

Mimi had already done herself up as she had waited for Koushirou, and each of them had a few belongings in a sack. Mimi's, of course, mostly had make-up.

She finished with his foundation and went onto blush, then finishing with the traditional eyeliner and some surrounding red berries for his lips. She stood back and admired her handiwork, nodded, and then handed the looking glass to him.

And his mouth dropped open.

"Wow, I...I don't even recognize myself!"

"You're gorgeous," she told him, smiling broadly. "He won't be able to resist you!"

"Same goes for you," he told her. "Don't forget about yourself."

"Oh, I suppose I can't help it! I mean, I love Lord Taichi and all, but this is just so exciting and daring!" She clapped in anticipation.

"Well, let's try to keep calm and collected about this," Koushirou advised her.

"I know. Now, I brought one of my kimonos from when I was younger; it should fit you."

They were about the same height (Koushirou had finally caught-up), but he was definitely lacking in the...chest area.

"This was always too long on me, and I was so mad because it's a nice kimono," she told him as he put it on. "But it should fit you perfectly. Oh, look, it does!"

The kimono was yellow with red flowers embroidered all over it, and it made Koushirou's hair look like flame and his eyes like ebony. Mimi nodded in approval. "Looks great!"

"Yeah, he's totally going to want a concubine with no chest." Koushirou tugged at the fabric.

"Now, now! This is no time to be pessimistic! Wait...did you hear that?"

Koushirou was silent as he listened. Yes, there it was – the call. "Oh, Kami-sama...they're here."

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's go!"

They quickly stuffed their belongings into their bags and ran towards the village, trying their best not to soil their clothes, makeup or hair. It wasn't long before the reached the town square, which was filled with girls rejoicing and girls crying hysterically.

"I'm just praying no one recognizes me," Koushirou whispered to Mimi.

"Don't worry about it; you're not the only redhead in the village. And I'm so much more dolled-up that usual that I doubt anyone would recognize me."

"Yeah, but you're prettier than all of the girls here," Koushirou pointed out.

"Ah, so what? There's nothing my parents would be able to do about it. Technically, I'm supposed to be here anyway." She gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. "We'll be fine. Here, let's go up to that man over there."

They headed towards a man on a horse who looked important. As they walked with the crowd, Koushirou could hear the whispers of the villagers watching.

"Who are those two girls? They're awfully pretty."

"Yes, yes indeed. They will be prime candidates for the daimyo."

"Which one do you think is prettier, okaa-san? The brown-haired one or the red-haired one?"

"I think the red-head is."

"No way!"

"I'm not as concerned with that, little Ryuu, as I am with figuring who they are. I almost want to say I've seen them before..."

Koushirou's grip on Mimi's hand tightened as he quickened their pace. The last thing they needed was to be spotted.

They finally reached the man sitting on the horse, who looked at them, nodded, and jerked his head towards the horse-drawn carts. Hearts pounding, Mimi and Koushirou climbed into the carts and sat, surrounded by the mixed emotions of the other girls, waving goodbye to their family members.

"You know..." Koushirou started as he glanced around. "I...I really wish I could've said goodbye to my parents."

"I did in my head," Mimi replied, looking just as downcast.

"Same. But it's not enough."

"I know. Hopefully, we'll see them again one day."

Because regardless, they weren't coming back. If they were rejected, they would stay in the city, hopefully to find work of some sort and try again the next year. If they continued to fail, they would most likely marry and start a family. What else was there to do? But to go back to their families...that would be deathful shameful. Leaving like this was an insult enough to their family name and ancestors, especially for Koushirou. But they were willing to sacrifice that.

After all, it was for Lord Yagami Taichi.

~*~

No one spoke to them on the hours-long ride there; there were too many glares of envy. Koushirou couldn't believe that girls were actually jealous of his looks, but perhaps it was something he'd have to get used to.

Mimi simply gazed at the passing landscape, marveling at the fact that she was actually traveling away from home. Koushirou tried to do the same, but he was too nervous; he was actually going to meet the great Lord Taichi.

"Hey," she whispered to him at one point, "you should try to practice your girl voice on others. See if it's convincing enough."

Koushirou nodded. They had been practicing it for weeks. His voice was already on the higher side for a boy, so all he really had to do was keep it quiet and hushed.

"Konnichiwa!" Mimi suddenly screamed out of the blue, making some of the girls jump. "I think we need to liven things up a bit! I'm Misumi!"

"And I-I'm Kouko," Koushirou said, almost in a whisper.

The girls simply stared at them for a moment before one decided to be friendly. "Um...hi. I'm Noguchi Ayako. I've never seen you two in the village before. What are your family names?"

That seemed to be the question all of the girls were buzzing about. All eyes were on them now.

"Um..." They hadn't thought about false family names! They didn't think anyone would ask! They both frantically tried to think of names that weren't in the village. "S-Sasaki Misumi!" Mimi managed to spit out.

"A-and Shimizu K-Kouko," Koushirou stuttered.

"Oh," Ayako said, perplexed. "I've never heard of them before."

"Well, we're relatively new in the community," Mimi explained, improvising as she went. "And our families aren't very sociable. I keep telling them to reach out, but they're so introverted!"

Koushirou was ready to bang his head into a wall. Repeatedly. How did we not think up this stuff sooner!? So stupid... Less dreaming about Lord Taichi and more logical thinking!

Mimi kept light conversation with Ayako, but Koushirou mostly kept quiet. Mimi nudged him after awhile, Oh, yeah, this is supposed to be for me to practice my voice.

"What do you think, Kouko-chan?"

He hadn't been paying attention to the conversation at all. He suddenly sat up straight and said, "Umm...I don't know."

"How do you keep such posture?" a girl suddenly asked, looking over. "You looked so poised and...peaceful. I wish I could do that, but I'm just a klutz!" She couldn't have been older than 14.

Koushirou blushed at the compliment. "I don't know...I don't try it. But thank you so much."

"Maybe you could teach me?" She looked up brightly. "I have to get chosen! My family needs the money really badly."

"Yeah...same with mine," came a girl with a dirty face from the corner. "But I don't want to go."

"Me neither," said another.

"Well, I think you're nuts!" Mimi exclaimed, hands on her hips. "To be with Lord Taichi would be amazing! And you'd live in a palace for the rest of your life! Doesn't that sound exciting?"

The girls just shifted back and forth awkwardly. "It doesn't sound so great to me. I miss my family already," said the dirty-faced girl.

"Yeah, me too," said the other.

"But you'll make them happy with all that money," piped up another one who was almost as pretty as Mimi, but not quite. "So in the end, everyone's happy! My family will be financially secure, and I'll get to sleep with a master lover!" She sighed in bliss at the thought, but Koushirou couldn't help but blush.

"But doesn't it disturb you that it'll be with so many other girls?" one girl asked. "I don't like that... I want a husband who will only love me."

"Me, too," agreed several girls.

"Well, if you really don't want to be there, I think he'll be able to tell," said Koushirou, trying to reassure the worrying girls. "I'm sure he's nice enough that he wouldn't pick an unwilling girl no matter how pretty she is."

"That's not true!" the dirty-faced girl interjected. "My cousin...she didn't want to go, yet she got picked 'cause she was really, really pretty!"

That caught the girls' interest.

"What did she say?"

"What is it like?"

"How is Lord Taichi?"

"Does she live like a queen?"

"Is he really good in bed?"

But then, seeing the dirty-faced girl's frazzled reaction, Koushirou asked, "Have you heard from her at all?"

It got quiet. Solemnly, the dirty-faced girl shook her head. "Not a single word."

No one said anything. And that is when it really sunk in that if they were picked, they would never see or hear from their families ever again. A couple began to cry. Mimi and Koushirou just looked at each other, mournful, but still full of hope.