Chapter 6: Kako to Mirai (The Past and the Future)

It was roughly 9 o'clock. The sun was steadily ascending, the day becoming brighter. As the last leaves were dropping to the ground, four males were lounging on the luxurious burgundy sofas in the living room, a fine, intricately designed porcelain teapot of strong black coffee laid on the low light-wood table amongst them, the aroma permeating the air. Kuroyanagi and Meister Kirisaki sat together in a loveseat. Azuma was perched off the cushion, while Leol was still in his high-backed chair.

In the centre, pink-haired, violet-eyed prostitute Kanmuri Shigeru sat in a single couch, as though judged by a group of juries. He was holding a cup of warm coffee in his pale hands, fiddling with the handle absentmindedly as he narrated his tale.

"My mother," he took a sharp breath and started, "is Rachel Couronne. She came to Japan to accompany her big brother, James Couronne, when he was sent to be British Ambassador in Japan-"

"Hold on a second," Leol interrupted, "Couronne…as in the aristocratic French family who migrated to Britain in 16th Century, that Couronne? The clan that monopolizes the silk industry in Europe?" he asked in awe.

Kanmuri shrugged, "I don't know. Anyway, she fell in love with my father, Hashiguchi Takashi, who was an artist, newspaper cartoonist and illegal tattooist. He was artsy, and a model Japanese man; she, as a westerner, couldn't help but be intrigued by him. The three of us lived in a small house in Nakata ward, Tokyo, together with Masanobu-onisan, my big brother from a different mother, who had died giving birth to him."

His violet eyes began to have a faraway quality in them. "Near our house, lived the famous painter Kitagawa. He was my father's teacher. He had a child my age, a pretty daughter, talented in singing, playing musical instruments like shamisen and koto, and performing traditional dances. Her name is Harumi." A small smile tugged on his lips. "Oni-san, Harumi and I often played together by the river. Her laughter was like chimes to my ears, her smile bright as sun, her long raven hair finest silk. Harumi is my childhood friend, my best friend…soshite Harumi wa…boku no hatsu koi deshita (and Harumi was my first love)." he closed his eyes, lost in reminiscences, "Kata omoi nan desu kedo (but it was a one-sided love)…Harumi wa oni-san ga suki (Harumi loves my brother)…so I let her go, because I know oni-san loves her too, and will take good care of her. It was the happiest time in my life."

The room was engulfed in silence for a while as Kanmuri was transferred, back to that time. After the pause, he continued again. "When I was four, Grandfather Couronne discovered that mother had been married to a Japanese man without his blessings and took her back to England. Then, when I was nine, my father, and Harumi's father, were wrongly accused of committing a crime, and executed."

"Wrongly accused?" Azuma repeated, aghast, before he could stop himself. Cheeks reddening, he covered his mouth.

"What you must understand is," Kanmuri opened his eyes and explained "both my father and Harumi's father have a long line of samurai ancestors. A decade ago, many were wary of samurais, because the samurais were the one of the victims of the Meiji Restoration. They lost their elevated status and their purpose in life. Many chose to commit suicide. Some organised rebellions. My father and Harumi's father were accused of the latter: using their art as propaganda against the government. There was some sort of McCarthyism at that time, initiated by their enemy, designed to make the two fall victim to the indictment." (A/N: This idea is inspired from Genbu studio's 'Millennium Actress' and a manga entitled 'Madame Butterfly')

"Hidoi ja (it's cruel)," the farmer commented, while Leol frowned. "I suppose that is common in any place…"

Kanmuri waited until the comments stopped before he continued, "After that, Oni-san, Harumi and I were forced to go to hiding and live the lives of fugitives. We came to Izu, and discarded our fathers' names. Oni-san and Harumi used his late mother's name, while I modified my mother's name."

"Couronne means crown in French," Meister elaborated for Azuma, who seemed a bit lost. (A/N: Kanmuri means crown in Japanese)

"Yes," the pink-haired nodded in ascent, "Having no money, oni-san sought work in other people's rice fields, while Harumi and I washed other people's laundry, and sold fresh flowers at the market. It was a difficult transition; we were used to not having to lift a finger for food. The manual labour was tough, and we were almost perpetually hungry, but still, we had each other, and we were still happy." Suddenly, his face was taken over by a shadow, his hands clenched to fists so hard his knuckles were white. "Till that monster Yukino ruined our lives…" he growled through gritted teeth.

"There was a huge crop failure when I was twelve, and we were hit very badly. Oni-san had to loan money so we could survive. But he was cheated; the compound interest was unbelievably high." His thin form began to shake, "Every day, thugs came into our home and wreaked everything we had, beat Oni-san up. They were close to killing him, once, and I thought it was going to be the worst, but someone proved me wrong."

"That…bitch," he spat the word and heaved, so strong was his animosity, "paid us a visit after a week, and discovered Harumi when she protected oni-san. The devil's eyes shone like she'd seen a golden egg laying chick. In a way, she had." He tried to still his trembling limbs, "She struck a bargain with us: Harumi and I could work in Maboroshi-ya to pay off our debt, while she would take oni-san to the borders so he could smuggle black dragon to Izu. If not, Yukino would take oni-san even further to smuggle black dragon in from China."

"A thousand and one things can go wrong in China; if oni-san got caught, he would definitely die. So we agreed. And our days of hell began," droplets of crystalline tears poured out of glossy amethyst eyes, as though in slow motion. "For years, I only had to do manual work: wash the prostitutes' clothes, sweep the backyard, mop the floor, buy sake, wash dishes…However, Harumi suffered much, much more. Being pretty and almost as talented as a geisha, she was a big hit, highly sought after by customers. Yukino made her work tirelessly, serving up to 5 or 7 men in a night. In the first place, Harumi is delicate, not an average working girl. She was lonely, bruised all over, and bullied by other prostitutes. Hurt, over and over. Raped, over and over. Victim of twisted fantasies-" before he knew it, Kanmuri was already fighting for breath, raked over by sobs. "I couldn't stand it. I loved her. We didn't try to escape, because we feared for oni-san. We were trapped, imprisoned."

As Kanmuri cried, Azuma stood up and reached out to embrace the pink-haired boy, who yielded, his wet face pressed to the fluffy material on the brunet's shoulder, until Kanmuri took a whiff of the smell, expecting a comforting white plum, a scent that was soft around the edges, so familiar it was visible, only to find a slightly muskier smell, of sweat, germinating rice and the sun. He recoiled quickly, pale hands pushing the flat chest away. When Azuma stared at him, wide caramel eyes filled with shock and hurt, Kanmuri looked away and made use of the time to regain his composure.

"Then, Harumi fell sick one and a half years ago," Kanmuri continued when his voice had evened out, "Repeatedly. The medicine prescribed by doctors only helped for a while, before she fell sick again, her condition worse than before. Soon, she was bedridden, unable to work. Needless to say, Yukino was pissed. Not only there was a significant loss of income, Harumi became a burden to her. She kept on threatening to send oni-san to China."

"Harumi couldn't push herself anymore. We had been plagued with worries for days, when one night, I couldn't get to finish sweeping the yard before the first few customers trickled in. A man, about forty years old, saw me and wanted me."

'Yukino-han, is he a servant here?' A perverted leer, heavy breathing.

'Yes. He's a nuisance, isn't he? Slow and clumsy.' A condescending mockery.

'Really? I think he's pretty. Prettier than a girl. Yukino-han…is he up for grabs?'

"That night…" Kanmuri's voice was quiet as a whisper, "Murasaki was born."

'Clean yourself and wear that!' Yukino tossed a bundle of clothes to a stick-thin, grubby Kanmuri.

The pink-haired boy opened the bundle. 'A female kimono?' he blinked.

'Yes,' Yukino retorted curtly, 'Earn Harumi's keep.'

'K-konbanwa,' cross-dressed Kanmuri stood awkwardly by the door of the room. 'A-ano…is this the correct room?'

'Yes,' the man grinned predatorily, breath reeking of sake, 'Come hither, pretty boy…'

'I-itai!' Kanmuri exclaimed as the man's cock entered the boy. The searing pain was etched in his mind.

The man stilled, and Kanmuri could breathe slower again. 'Baby…is this your first?'

Kanmuri nodded hesitantly.

'Then…' his lips latching to his neck, 'I'll be gentle to you…' he then rammed into the poor, unprepared fourteen-year-old, 'NOT! Hahaha!'

Kanmuri would always remember the day he lost his virginity, no matter how traumatic the experience was, how much he wanted to erase it off his brain, forgot it ever existed. It was branded like a hot metal to his skin, a burn.

'Boy!' the man gripped Kanmuri's face roughly as he continued abusing the boy's tight hole, 'Open your eyes!'

Kanmuri struggled to obey the command, eyes glistening with tears, sight blurring distinct lines to dark colours. A smirk passed the customer's lips. 'How do you have such,' he sighed, 'pretty, pretty violet eyes?'

The man came and gooey, milky fluid dripped out of Kanmuri's butt cheeks and down the back of his thighs. Kanmuri felt like he was the filthiest person on earth. 'Boy,' the man taunted as he pulled out, 'Your virginity is mine, and mine forever…pretty Violet.'

Kanmuri remembered that after that night, the man would come to him regularly, at first alone, then with his friends, always referring to the pink-haired boy as Murasaki (violet). Soon enough, the man's friends came without him, and word of mouth spread that Maboroshi-ya was the only brothel a man could seek the service of a male prostitute, a pretty one by the name of Murasaki. By a few months, Kanmuri was able to build his own pool of exclusive well-off clients who would pay handsomely for secrecy, and he took over Harumi's previous job completely.

After Kanmuri finished his tale, the room was, again, taken over by silence so thick it was almost tangible, as the four males soaked in the pink-haired boy's roller coaster of a life.

Kanmuri let his reasons sink in their heads before he finally stood up and walked towards the high-backed chair. "Now you know why I can't leave the brothel. I am indebted to her," he concluded, his eyes looking into Leol's blue ones steadily, "Now, if you please, I would like to retrieve the kimono your maids took to wash yesterday."

"Yukino won't let you go," Leol bent forward, his fingers crossed under his chin, his elbows on his knees. He ignored the request and met Kanmuri's stare head on. "Even after the debt is fully paid for in nominal terms, she will still hold your brother and Harumi hostage. You'll work for her until all three of you die."

Now that the unspoken truth was let out of the bag, breathing seemed to be harder. "I know," Kanmuri replied quietly, "I know…but I really can't leave Harumi, especially after fitting into her shoes and experience what she was suffering from. Harumi had endured…for 3 years for oni-san and me…I can't, I really can't."

Leol sighed, and rose to his feet, his eyes catching those of his blonde friend. The latter nodded slightly. "Very well," the white-haired man stated, "I will order one the maid to bring the kimono to you, then I'll give you a ride to Maboroshi-ya."

"You don't have-" Kanmuri protested.

"It's my free will," Leol turned to the brown-haired, caramel-eyed youth, whose brows were knitted together anxiously, his chest tight from holding back tears. "You might want to get ready as well, because I'll give you a ride home too."

"A-arigatou, Pierrot-os eh, no, oni-san," Azuma remarked, dazed from being snapped off his trance.

"Meister Kirisaki can stay in the mansion. Kuroyanagi has to accompany me, because I don't know my way around," Leol continued, "now that the formula has been developed, you need to conduct the experiment."

Kuroyanagi stood up. "Wakarimashita (Understood)," Meister Kirisaki put his hand on his lover's shoulder, gave him a small smile, leaned to his ears and whispered 'see you' before heading to the laboratory alone.

In about fifteen minutes, Kanmuri was already dressed in his female kimono and waiting at the lobby. Leol and Kuroyanagi walked out of the doors in proper suits and Azuma in his farmer getup. The ride was quiet as Kanmuri tried his hardest to avoid everyone's eyes.

The carriage screeched to a halt opposite to the brothel, and the prostitute got off hurriedly, throwing a thank you over his shoulder.

"Kanmuri-kun!" Tsukino, who was mopping the entrance hall with a few other girls, exclaimed in relief as she saw the boy rushing in the door, "I'm so glad you're okay! I thought you encountered an acidde-"

Before the green-eyed brunette could finish her statement, the devilish dark-haired woman, dressed in an unsightly share of red pajama, gave the male prostitute a blow on the face. "How dare you skive off for one night, you trash?" she shrieked, her hand rising to slap Kanmuri, who was doubled over in pain and cradling his swelling cheek, again. "Do you seriously think it would escape my notice?"

"I'm sorry about that," Leol interjected as he closed the entrance door, took off his hat and bowed slightly. "I'm afraid it was my fault," the aristocrat gave Yukino a charming smile.

Caught off guard at her worst, Yukino tried to cover her ugliness. "Oh, who may this be?" she laughed awkwardly.

Leol was irritated by the high-pitched sound, but he only grumbled inwardly. "Just a researcher, M'am. I was walking down the street when I saw the boy, and I thought to myself, I absolutely must have him. I forced him to come to my mansion, since I am quite new in Japan…and I am uncertain of the safety of the brothels here…" he purposely seemed a bit hesitant, "I hope you're not offended." As he said this, he passed an envelope of money to the greedy, cruel woman.

Yukino peeked into the envelope before she shook her head, more than satisfied by the sum. "Oh no, not at all! In fact, you should buy his services again!" she remarked gleefully, and tried to lick Leol's boots.

"Oh, definitely," Leol thanked the Gods he was a decent actor, "If you don't mind, may I have a word with him before I take my leave?"

"Sure! Everyone!" she barked at the girls who were mopping the floor, "Leave them alone for a while!"

As soon as there were only the two of them at the entrance hall, Kanmuri looked up at his two-times saviour reluctantly. "Thank you. I owe you," he said, "But that doesn't mean that I'll agree be your assistant."

"Again, it's my free will." Leol shrugged and turned around. "In case you change your mind, you know where to find me," he stated, before going through the door and left.

The white-haired scholar was whistling when he reentered the carriage, which still hosted Azuma. "All done," he informed the brunet and smiled, "you needn't worry about his getting beaten."

"Arigatou gozai masu (Thank you very much)!" Azuma stated earnestly as Leol told the carriage driver to proceed to the countryside where the farmer lived.

Azuma and Leol conversed livelily about types of rice before the brunet got off at his village. As Leol was waving enthusiastically at the boy, Kuroyanagi said suddenly, "Leol-sama, I don't understand why you let Kanmuri-kun off that easily. A genius will be very valuable to our research."

"That may be true," the lopsided grin left Leol's face as he replied the other man in a serious tone, "not that I'm wishing this to happen, I suspect that the girl…Harumi, was it? She had contracted HIV, or her liver collapsed from exhaustion," he looked down at his feet, "either way it is highly likely that she will not live till much longer."

Kuroyanagi gulped. "And after she dies…"

"The cage that imprisons the boy will cease to exist," Leol finished, "Right now, she was the only obstruction to Kanmuri's freedom, the key that locks him in."

"But what about Kanmuri's brother?"

"After she dies, they'll be able to run away their own ways," Leol reasoned, "They can't tag a dying girl along their escape. The reason Kanmuri's brother chose not to take flight earlier was because both Kanmuri and Harumi were still too young to. At 16, Kanmuri is considerably stronger. Both will be able to flee." Leol heaved and looked away pensively. "It was the girl who…so-called shredded Kanmuri-kun' wings."

"Okaerinasai (welcome home)," Harumi greeted her childhood friend in relief as he was dragging his feet through the door. "Tadaima (I'm back)," Kanmuri replied as he plopped down to the futon in his full prostitute gear (sans the hair pins). Having stayed awake the previous night, his form felt as heavy as lead now.

"I was so worried when you didn't come yesterday night. Thank goodness you're okay! I thought you had an accident, or was beaten so badly by a mean client, or-" flailing her arms, she lost her breath and slumped forward, her hands on either side of Kanmuri's head. Her lips curled upwards slowly. "I'm so glad you're fine…" the last statement was gasped breathlessly.

Kanmuri opened his violet eyes, despite the fact that his eyelids weighted tonnes right now. Upon closer inspection on the upside down view of her face mere inches away from his, he found traces of a sleepless night on the additional lines on Harumi's forehead, the eye bags under her dark irises. "Don't worry," his fingers reached for locks of black hair which fell onto his skin, "I'm strong."

Something passed between the two individuals who had known each other for longer than a decade, played together, slept under the same roof, shared laughter, tears, suffering, pain. They were soul mates; their platonic love ran deeper than that of ordinary friends, close to a mother's unconditional affection, a lover's devotion.

Kanmuri's eyelids drooped, and the moment was gone as quickly as it came. "I want to sleep…" he murmured deliriously.

"Take off your outer kimono first!" Harumi pulled the garment off the nearly cataleptic boy, making him sprawl face down on the bed. "Is it okay, sleeping now? Doesn't Yukino-sama have something for you to do around this time?" she asked as she folded his kimono.

"It's okay," Kanmuri's voice was muffled by the pillow, "There'll be this high-rank Colonel coming later…he's bringing his son, who's going to depart to Manchuria for the first time tomorrow, to lose his virginity tonight. Tsukino managed to convince Yukino to give us beauty sleep." Harumi could hear the faint snort in his voice.

Harumi didn't reply for quite sometime, the sounds of rustling sheets and porcelain clinking against porcelain filling the room, before Harumi pushed Kanmuri so that he'd be sitting on his bottom, rubbing his eyes. "Don't sleep!" she shouted to his face, and pushed a cup of piping tea to his face, "drink this!"

The boy obeyed automatically, his muddled brain incapable of producing an argument. The warm, fragrant liquid slid down his throat and filled his mouth. It was pleasant. "What was that?" he asked when he returned the cup to her.

"Ginseng. It'll strengthen your body and improve your health," Harumi answered.

Now, that woke Kanmuri up. If he hadn't already swallowed the whole thing, he would splutter it back to the cup. "That's part of your prescription, right?" he raised his voice, "why did you give it to me…"

As soon as he finished his question, voice weakening towards the end, black spots appeared in his sight. Objects blurred to blotches of fading colours, his limbs becoming numb. In a matter of seconds, he was out like a light, the flame of a candle snuffed, his world disappearing to black. His consciousness was far, far away from his body.

The pale, dark-eyed girl fixed the position of the best friend she drugged on the futon, laid his head on a fluffy pillow, and tucked him in his blanket. Her fingers lingered on strands of sakura hair and caressed Kanmuri's sleeping face; it looked so young, so carefree, so devoid of worry lines and so, so angelic she couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly as she bent down to kiss the top of his head, "But I have to do this. "Watashi wa…anata no hane koboremashita onna nan desu kara. Tsuzuitehoshikunai (Because I am the girl who clipped your wings…and no longer wishes to continue)."

Harumi left him, took off her pajama, and dressed in a kimono for the first time in nearly a year, a red coloured one with patterns of golden phoenix sewn on it, applied a light make up on her face, tied the obi behind her back, and exited her prison, which was also her fortress, her gaze remaining on the lump on the bed that was Kanmuri's peaceful form. "Someday, you'll understand." Her last attempt to convince herself, and she proceeded to walk across the brothel.

It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. True, she had been resting and true, her health had improved slightly, but she was still plagued by her disease, the parasites leeching off her strength. By the time she arrived at the corridor outside Yukino's luxurious room, Harumi was out of breath; she was clutching her chest and leaning on the wall, sheen of sweat covering her temple. She took mouthfuls of breath, regained her composure and wiped the sweat carefully off her face before settling down on her calves in front of the door, and knocked it lightly. "Yukino-sama?" she called out.

At first, there was no reply. Harumi knocked insistently, and raise her voice again. "Yukino-sama?" She was aware that there would be hell if she annoyed the woman, but right now, Harumi was strangely detached from fear. "Harumi nan desu kedo (I'm Harumi)."

Yukino, who was lying on her bed, her face covered with cucumber, intended to ignore the incessant, irritating call, but upon hearing that, she shot up and slid the door open hurriedly, slices of green cucumber falling off her face. "Harumi?" Yukino exclaimed, surprised that it was indeed the girl, sitting in flesh in front of her. The former prostitute was a little off colour, but she was as beautiful as the devil remembered. The sound of money jingled in Yukino's ears. "You've recovered?"

"I'm feeling better now," Harumi countered and smiled, "Thank you for your concern for me."

"It's nothing." The doll was fooling no one, but Yukino chose to plough on. "So, what brings you here? Why do you wish to see me?"

"Yukino-sama," Harumi tilted her head slightly, her large, long-lashed delicate eyes firm as she spoke. "I have a proposal."

TBC

A/N: Cliffhanger! Tee he, sorry about that. Chapter 7 is the last chapter! Review Please!