The Color of Chinese Bellflowers
Chapter fifteen: Blooming Rose of Thought

Disclaimer: Loveless is property of Yun Kouga.
A/N: This is an original AU fic. This is the third chapter this month! Miraculously the starting date and release intervals I chose for the chapters of this story made it possible for me to publish three chapters this month. Consider February a good month then :3 I write this stuff MONTHS in advance (I'm writing this on Sept. 10, 2007) but that whole February thing wasn't something I planned o.o And I kind of like writing Ritsuka acting a bit more his age, do you guys like the way I portray him?

The okiya was quiet. Which is kind of strange, considering Soubi's okiya was rarely ever quiet. Most of the time it could be more accurately described as noisy, loud, busy but certainly not quiet. Of course there were the ever present sounds of Youji picking on Kio with Natsuo's commentary while the poor maid was trying to dress the two. It was early in the evening and they were getting ready for a night of entertaining. Since Ritsuka's absence from the geisha world he chose to sit next to Soubi by the mirror, the way the man did every night. Oddly enough Soubi hadn't spoken to the cat boy all day, and Ritsuka was getting worried. His eyes would dart up hoping to meet those piercing ones. Oh and by the way, Ritsuka had finally decided what color they were. In reality they were a light brownish-grey color, but he swore sometimes he could catch a glimmer of gold in them.

Ritsuka's cheeks blushed him out of thought when Soubi looked down at him and smiled with an overwhelming warmth. This was one of those times, when his eyes flashed golden. All Ritsuka could do in response was stare up in awe at the face of this man. A generous man, who had taken him away from his dead end life under Mieko and blown a fresh wind into his career. Finally he tore his eyes away, to watch Kio fiddle with some kanzashi in Natsuo's hair.

"These curls of yours are impossible to manage..." Kio mumbled to himself, frowning.

Ritsuka's dark hair bounced too and fro as he shook his head with a small smile, but that gesture went unnoticed while the maid and the geisha playfully bickered. When Natsuo complained he didn't mean it and Kio knew he was playing around, Youji however wanted to be a little more difficult. Sinking back into thoughts he noticed one kept popping up. It had been nagging at him for a week or so now. Assume life as a geisha. Already a thousand reasons to do so were pouring into his mind, but one stood out proud and tall amongst the rest. I want Soubi to notice me. I want him to be happy for me. Sure Soubi noticed him now, but he felt when he put on the mask of a geisha that he could better attract the man's attention. He thought of himself dressed as a beautiful geisha, side by side with Soubi watching the cherry blossoms that would bloom in the next few months. The thought sent his heart into a flurry of heated beating, and all of his thoughts parted in his mind. I want to be the one who is at his side.

I love Agatsuma Soubi...

What?! The cat boy mentally slapped himself. Tediously, that one little phrase kept popping up in his mind no matter how much he tried not to think about it. It was a little disturbing.

I really can't deny it though, can I?

Kio was still in the middle of preparing Natsuo and Youji for the night when abruptly Ritsuka stood, the floor creaking slightly under his light feet. Soubi and the others looked over at him, slightly confused. Ritsuka was trying to say the words on the edge of his lips, but on the outside to everyone else in the room he looked like he was just standing there. His pink lips pressed into a hard line before parting. "I've decided." His hands tightened into fists that hung stiffly by his sides. "Starting tomorrow night, I will resume my life as a geisha. I want to entertain again and I want to become better at it overall, much better." Silently on the floor beside him, Soubi's lips curled into an almost unnoticeable smile around his unlit cigarette. Soubi did that from time to time, in rooms where he wouldn't smoke for Ritsuka he settled for simply holding it in his mouth. Truth being, the man hadn't sat down and honestly smoked for a good few months now.

A mischievous glint ignited in Youji and Natsuo's eyes. The mint haired boy grinned wide, making him look a little like a fox. His redheaded counterpart spoke exactly what he had been thinking. "That includes us right? You want to be better than us?" A strange kind of joy seeped from the teen. "So it's almost like a competition?"

Ritsuka sighed quietly and rolled his eyes, "no I didn't mean it like that. I just want to be better at it, not better than you two." Flipping a lock of hair out of his face his eyes rested on the red head.

Natsuo's lips tugged into a frown, his eyebrows pulling together. "That's no fun. I thought we were going to have a contest..." His lower lip hung out in a playful pout. Ritsuka noticed that Youji's smile also fell, and he just looked bored now.

The dark haired cat boy's delicate hands unclenched so they could rest on his sharp hips. "I never knew you two were so competitive."

Natsuo seemed to ignore that comment and looked away in a pout. Youji's ears perked up and he smiled. "You're just afraid that we're better geisha than you are!"

Unintentionally, Ritsuka's left eye twitched oh so slightly and his tail gave one firm wave before settling back into its usually slow pattern. Maybe if I become a better geisha than Natsuo and Youji combined, Soubi will notice me more. Childishly his face frowned a little, but it didn't go unnoticed by Youji. A slender tanned finger pointed out at Ritsuka from Youji, who was laughing loudly. "It's true, it's true! You can see it as plain as day on your face Ritsuka."

Immediately the dark haired cat boy's arms crossed over his chest defensively, a blush reddened his cheeks and he was surprised at the words that flew out of his mouth before he knew he was even saying. "It is not! I could be better if I wanted to!" His initial blush grew worse as soon as the words left him, since everyone was now staring straight at him in surprise. "And I will be starting tomorrow." Ritsuka smiled like that had all been planned. "You can bet on it."

Kio settled the last kanzashi into Natsuo's curls. "You guys take life too seriously." He said, making a lazily sweeping hand gesture. "Have more fun and just live life!"

Soubi's eyes drifted to his friend and long time maid. "Kio, you don't take life seriously enough." as he spoke, the unlit cigarette in his mouth bounced up and down.

Kio laughed and scratched the back of his head, "well that may be true but I know a bad situation when I see one. But oh well, you guys are just kids anyway. Get moving or you two will be late!" he began pushing them out of the door despite their protests. Ritsuka's long fingers came up to cover his face in disbelief, really what just happened? Now he realized he was alone in the room with Soubi. Slowly his heart started pumping harder and faster, and he covered it with his hands fearing it was so loud that the older man could hear it.

The soft sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he felt the warmth of Soubi's hands on his shoulders. Ritsuka's fingers still hid his face and he was glad for it now, he was red, confused, and embarrassed. Not exactly the way he wanted Soubi to see him.

"Ritsuka?" the teen heard Soubi's deep and creamy voice say. A "mm..." escaped Ritsuka's pink lips only to be muffled by the hands over his face. It sounded about as happy as a prisoner of war. Does being your own prisoner count?

Soubi's large hands tightened slightly over Ritsuka's shoulders, thumbs rubbing softly and soothingly over the cotton kimono. The older man waited a moment before speaking again after he felt Ritsuka's shoulders relax somewhat. "Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka's cool voice seeped through his fingers. "Yes, what?" his voice sounded a little unsure of itself.

Soubi let his glasses slip down the bridge of his nose a few centimeters, so he was looking at Ritsuka with his own eyes despite that being nothing more than a blurry image to him. "It should be a crime for you to cover the beautiful face you were given, so would you please move your hands?"

Ritsuka parted his fingers so that only his eyes peeked out. Even so he couldn't bring himself to look directly into Soubi's eyes, especially now that his glasses weren't obscuring them. Without the glasses the older man's eyes were more piercing and haunting than usual. Definitely not easy to look into. So instead, Ritsuka settled for staring at the center of his chest. Normally this was one of the times Soubi would smile or chuckle, but he did not. His voice came out sounding serious but that undertone of warmth was still there. He was just trying to be stern. "Please, let me see that beautiful face of yours?" he asked. His voice barely above a whisper.

Ritsuka had no choice but to obey, so after a moment of hesitation his hands slid down from his face to hang loosely by his sides. His eyes couldn't choose what to look at, it's options seeming to be Soubi's chest, Soubi's face, his own hands, and a picture mounted on the wall just behind the man in front of him. For now, he settled for staring at the tatami mats on the floor. Silence ached in the six inches of space between them, and Ritsuka thought to himself. What am I doing?

"Ritsuka, please let me see your face." Soubi pleaded.

Slowly but surely the dark haired cat boy lifted his head up, his dark eyes meeting with Soubi's which currently glimmered almost golden. When he looked up a smile spread over Soubi's lips. "That's what I wanted to see. No matter what you will always remain beautiful, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka's heart exploded into a fury of heated beating, his dark eyes widening a fraction. A fierce blush rested across his cheekbones. Everything this man told him sent him into a flurry of emotions. Only Soubi held the authority to make him sad, make him happy, to make him feel out of this world. Ritsuka clung for dear life on the things he told him, every word becoming an addiction. Oh how he wished he could do that openly, to crash to his knees and beg this man in front of him to simply speak. Soubi cared, but Ritsuka wasn't sure of how much so he held himself back. Of course he thought of this man like the most elegant porcelain doll, it sat on the topmost shelf so everyone could see it but he didn't dare reach out to touch it. Fearing that he would knock the doll away and accident and break it, he obediently kept his hands to himself.

"Thank you very much, Soubi. Someone like me doesn't deserve such kind words from a man like yourself." Ritsuka stated. He'd regained a polite expression and his hands held each other demurely in his standing lap.

That earned a chuckle from the older man, "I think it's more of the other way around, you are far better renowned than I am at this point. But regardless of our statures we will always be equals when we're together-"

At the chuckle Ritsuka's heart fluttered. Please, he thought. I want to hear that again, please. He pleaded in his own mind.

"-don't you agree?" Soubi's rich voiced tickled the younger teen's ears.

Letting himself go he smiled, "I agree."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dancing. Some people call it a sport, others consider it an art style. Whichever category it actually fell under, Ritsuka didn't know. He just knew he wasn't very good at it, and that's why he never danced or performed. So, why was he doing it now? Since when am I so easily drawn in to these things? Ritsuka thought. It was the next night. For the first time in weeks Ritsuka had transformed himself back into the mysterious and charming creature he had been before he ran away that winter night. And now, he danced in front of a crowd of composed men. Composed men that shrunk themselves to mere onlookers like curious children every night by coming to these teahouses just to see the geisha. Also watching him was Natsuo, who sat politely with a mischievous smirk on his face. Youji kneeled behind Ritsuka, using his shamisen to accompany Ritsuka's dance.

One peach colored hand held onto his fan holding it flat and level, while the other hovered under it by a few inches palm up. The teen spun as the tempo of Youji's shamisen quickened. This was a song that had few words, it's story was mostly told through Ritsuka's actions. The story was one of his favorites to watch, a sad story about a young couple's doomed love. Although, he had never danced to it before he had seen it enough times to know all of the movements to it. First, the two meet. After that, they see each other more and more and their flicker of a love becomes a roaring fire. But it can never come to fruition, for he is the emperor's son and she is but a lowly chamber maid. Near the end of the story they are found making love and she is to be executed, while he's rushed into his already arranged marriage.

Ritsuka didn't think he could dance this well, and he still thought so towards the end of his performance. However, the audience watched on breathlessly as the wide-eyed geisha before them danced. Each sweeping move was dramatic, the way he held out his limbs as the son grieved for his lover was elegant. His arms and hands draped exotically like a weeping willow. The telling of the story was perfect, men watching that had yet to see this dance knew exactly what it was about. Finishing his performance Ritsuka smiled charmingly, and took a very small bow.

Viewers clapped politely as Ritsuka took his seat again. Natsuo had his arms folded and his face looked impressed. "I didn't know that you were such a great dancer, Ritsuka."

"It's true." Youji said after putting away his shamisen. "It's amazing." He complimented with a too sweet smile, Ritsuka knew he was probably going to be teased once they were tucked away inside the okiya.

"Arigatou, Youji." Ritsuka replied.

A new man spoke up, "it took my breath away." His voice was deep, yet his tone reminded Ritsuka of a dirty snake. Taking a good look at him he noticed this new man was dangerously thin, with short blackish brownish hair that tickled his midnight colored eyes.

"I've never seen you in the teahouses before, what might your name be sir?" Ritsuka asked with a smile.

A slick smile spread over his pale face. "Daisuke."

Don't worry, the next chapter will pick up straight after this one. Also as an added bonus, the next two chapters will have a special release interval of one week. I hope you liked chapter 15!
PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER SIXTEEN - March 7th, 2008
What happened next surprised Ritsuka.

It happened without a sound.

It also happened without any form of warning at all.

In a split second his heart detonated into a frenzy of uneven beats. Was his heart in his throat? He couldn't tell. Actually he couldn't tell much at all, besides the sinking feeling in his stomach. Had all of his internal organs fallen? It felt like it. His mind was congested, his eyes bulging. Right now there were two things he was absolutely sure of. One, he wasn't alone. And two, he was being choked from behind.