Disclaimer: I don't own it Rurouni Kenshin, but if I did I hope I'd get a big pension (that made no sense at all)
Sorry if it took me forever to update. My studying and my big sisters wedding occupied a lot of my time (I was a bridesmaid…oh joy) but I did get to ride in a limo so YAY! Oh and about the summary change. My friend told me that teahouses and brothels are the same thing in Japan but I looked it up and they are not so, I changed my summary. Let's just say my friend is no longer giving me advice on Japanese culture for this story. And time for some serious angst!
Chp. 1
Two men walked in the dark Kyoto streets talking in quiet whispers to each other. There is a man in blue who talks and laughs like a business man. There is a man in red who talks and whispers like a mad man, lusting after an image.
"Ah, here we are Harada-sama…this is one of the most respected brothels here in Kyoto!" the man in blue said to the man in red, with his shoulder over Isei Harada's shoulder. "We have a special person here who suits your" the man in blue glanced over at Isei meaningfully, "special tastes."
"I hope so Kido-san...all the other ones I have gone to do no suit my special wishes." Harada looks over to Kido and they both laugh hysterically, entering the brothel.
The smell of perfume and sweat hit them hard. The groans of men and women engaged in pleasure stirred their eardrums into a sensual beat. Harada started twitching uncontrollably ...if this brothel did not suit his needs the way Kido had promised he would have to make that trip to China. He did not want to make that trip; it would arise to much suspicion. He was needed here; the political climate in Japan was too delicate for him to leave yet. He was after all, an important political leader.
"Harada-sama" Kido said looking over to him out of the side of his eyes, "This boy... he has the looks of a demon woman…and beauty also." Harada's body twitched involuntarily. "Also," Kido said continuing on, "the owners of this brothel make sure he won't, or can't oppose any act you impose upon him."
Harada smiled a dark and dangerous smile. Yes this was good, all the other brothel children had resisted. If this boy couldn't resist… then he had come to the right place.
Kido smiled. If this went over well this high ranking politician would be a regular at the brothel. More money for him!
Kido led Harada to the tatami mats and bade him sit down. "Harada-sama sit down, I will lead him to you in a short while…however you must pay first". Harada gave Kido the large amount of money without looking at him, and Kido, bowing exited the room.
--
"Kenji!" Were was that stupid boy now? Kido ran threw the halls of the brothel checking each of the other rooms Kenji could be in. Dammit, Kido thought, if I get Harada as a good customer then I'll be able to get a promotion, maybe even my own brothel in India if I'm lucky! "Kenji!" Kido yelled again. But without Kenji all my plans are useless.
He had checked everywhere; there was only one place left Kenji could be lurking. Kido jumped on the roof and low and behold, he saw a red headed teenager lying on his back staring up at the stars.
"Kenji!" Kido yelled exasperated, "You have a customer, get your girlish ass down from here!" He hated when he had to go looking for him, he had had enough of that from when he first discovered him in an American brothel. Constantly hiding and Kido was always the one who had to go look for him!
Kenji started listlessly at Kido and didn't move at all from where he was lying. "Kenji I'm warning you get your-"Kido started but Kenji interrupted him.
"I thought you said I didn't have any customers for tonight?" Kenji inquired his voice monotone. Kido sighed…he did say that, didn't he?
"Look, just get your ass down in the meeting room and meet this man, he's a very important politician!" "Aren't they all?" Kenji replied getting up. "Whatever" Kido said and he turned to walk away, but then turned back around, "Oh and he paid for at least 7 hours…brace yourself." And with that Kido turned and walked back into the brothel, into the meeting room.
--
Harada sat twitching cross legged on the tatami mat. Kido sat across from him looking at the sliding door waiting for Kenji. It had been 20 minutes already, what was taking him? He could tell Harada was starting to get restless.
Suddenly the sliding door opened and Kenji came in his head and body bowed. He was dressed in a simple but elegant kimono, of dark blue cloth but with stripes of red and green going across at angles.
Harada gasped, this boy was exactly what he had been looking for! That red hair, cascading down his back, sent shivers up his spine! "Look up boy!" Harada said excitedly, he wanted to see whether his eyes were as exotic looking as his hair!
Kenji slowly looked up, his once sky blue eyes now a dark deep ocean blue. He stared at nothing, comatose like.
Harada nearly fainted. This boy was beyond perfect. No other brothel boys he had encountered in all his journeys had come this close to the image he wanted to achieve. None. And now it was all his!
"Does Kenji please you, Harada-sama?" Kido said looking at the floor.
"Yes indeed he does, thank you Kido-san…um which room?" Harada said getting up and walking towards the sliding doors.
"Go down the hall, and make a left and it's the door on your right" Kido replied still staring at the floor.
"Thank you" Harada exclaimed exited, bowing and making his way toward the room with Kenji in tow. At the door, before he closed it Kenji gave one last look toward Kido before following Harada into his hell.
"Sorry Kenji" Kido said finally looking up "But a guy has got to make money!" And with that he exited the room, to go collect his paycheck.
--
The following day
--
At the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu dojo, clothes fluttered on the clothesline, kimonos, gi's and hakama's swaying in the light summer breeze. Shouts of rigorous training could be heard inside the dojo and outside its walls.
Kenshin put the back of his hand against his forehead and smiled at his handiwork. The breeze would help the clothes dry faster and it wasn't strong enough to knock them down. Suddenly a memory of a little boy with red hair pulling down the clothes on the line flashed in his mind, but he immediately blocked the memory from continuing on. No, he wouldn't think about him, not today.
Kenshin picked up his now empty clothes basket and started walking toward the door when his foot hit something. Looking down, he smiled and the 'thing' smiled back. "Hello Shinya-chan" he said smiling at Yahiko and Tsubames 5 year old son. Shinya stated giggling furiously and went running out into the yard.
Kami-sama he brings back so many memories Kenshin thought immediately growing depressed looking at Shinya play. Wasn't he the same age when he..? Kenshin stopped himself quickly from going any further with the memory. Kenshin walked inside to put away the basket.
--
"Good job Kai! But you're still to slow!" Yahiko said finally slamming his bokken into Kai's stomach.
"Son of a bitch!" Kai yelled about to hit Yahiko back when another bokken came slamming into the back of his head.
"And what did I tell you about cursing like that?!" Kaoru screeched walking in with Tsubame and Kaori coming in behind her. The two other women stood giggling while Kai got repeatedly hit by his mother.
"You may be nearly 20, but as long as you live here I don't wanna hear stuff like that coming out of your mouth, I swear you've been hanging around Sano and Yahiko to much!" Kaoru yelled causing Kai to go swirly eyed. When she finally released his collar from shaking him he sat huddled in a corner whimpering.
Kaori smiled gleefully at seeing her brother in trouble. Tsubame simply shook her head.
"We were in the kitchen making dinner" Tsubame said smiling, "Once Megumi and Sanosuke get here we'll all eat so clean up."
"And that brat of theirs...oww stop don't hit me to!" Yahiko wailed as Kaoru slammed her 'bokken that pops out of nowhere' on his head.
--
Since Tsubame and Kaori had helped Kaoru with dinner, it wasn't as bad as expected (Yahiko voiced this and had gotten a number of wounds over his body).
Megumi and Sanosuke with their son Souzou had arrived also. Kaoru insisted they had just come for a free meal, while deep inside she was overjoyed they had come over. This time of the year always got her feeling the weakest, the most vulnerable. His birthday was only one week away.
Kenshin tapped her gently on the shoulder and she looked into his questioning eyes. She had been looking into her teacup and hadn't even noticed when Kai cursed at Yahiko for stealing some of his food.
She smiled at him and simply shook her head, but before he could ask her anything about it, a familiar chi was standing at the door.
"You may come in Saitou" Kenshin called startling everyone. Nobody had even noticed the wolf creeping up to the door, about to knock. Kenshin could feel that chi coming a mile away, but he decided to wait until Saitou got close to the door.
Saitou stepped in flicking his cigarette outside. "Hello Battousai" he sneered. Kenshin snorted, "What business do you have here Saitou?"
Saitou stared for a moment. He had come to bring the Battousai information on his long-lost son. It had been rather uncomfortable helping his old rival search for his youngest child but Saitou himself was a father and did his best with the help of the police force to help find the boy. The best they had come up with though was that the boy was on a ship bound for the American city San Francisco. With that information in mind he had honestly and as kindly as he could told Battousai that his son was most likely lost forever, disappearing in to the cities underground, never to be seen by his family again. But he had recently received news otherwise.
"Battousai if you would stop glowering at me like that, I would like to tell you where a red haired boy was spotted" Saitou growled pulling out his cigarette box.
Everyone stopped eating and stared at Saitou. A red haired boy, Kaoru's hands started to shake and she gripped her tea cup harder. Kenshin felt like the wind had got knocked out of him, but he gained his composure. "Are you sure Saitou?" Kenshin questioned.
Everyone sat stone still and waited as Saitou lit one of his cigarettes and put it in his mouth. Kaoru didn't even bother telling him not to smoke in the dojo; she wanted to hear if this boy was her baby.
Saitou narrowed his eyes. "My informants never lie Battousai" Saitou snarled. Kaoru felt like she was going to kill the teacup in her hands if she didn't say something. "Well where was he spotted?" she said feeling breathless. All the people at the table looked from her to Saitou, their eyes asking the same question.
Saitou closed his eyes and took a long drag from his cigarette. He was going to need to be calm to tell them this. "The police force has been following a certain brothel ring for awhile now. They have not only been taking children from orphanages who think they are being given to good homes but also kidnapping girls from yards and houses. We've finally tracked them to a certain brothel, where the boy was seen on the roof by a stealth officer sent to investigate the place."
Saitou took another long drag from his cigarette. Kami-sama I'm glad Battousai doesn't have a weapon, Saitou thought, I can't have him going to every brothel in Japan hunting down his kid.
"Go on" Kenshin hissed, his voice having already dropped several octaves. Sanosuke took notice of this and slowly leaned over to Tsubame and whispered to her, "Hey, Tsubame-chan, how about you take Souzou and Shinya out for awhile?" Tsubame took the meaning and after whispering to Yahiko, she took both boys by the hand and left the room.
Saitou ignored Kenshin's comment but went on with his story once Tsubame left. "Our stealth officer scaled another roof to take notes for awhile, but spotted on the brothels roof the boy. He recalled our search for a boy with red hair from ten years ago and took notes on him. Suddenly, another man scaled the roof. He talked to the boy and they both returned to the brothel. After receiving the information, the officer left."
"Where?" Kenshin growled his eyes dark amber now, "Where is this place?"
"In Kyoto, the police are going to be infiltrating the brothel in about 3 days from now, so if you want to make sure this boy is really you're son Battousai, I suggest you go to Kyoto." With those words Saitou turned and opened the door about to leave. But Kaoru's voice stopped him.
"S-Saitou-san, do you think" Kaoru stopped and inhaled, "do you think, he might be…working there?"
"With your son's looks and where he was seen at...there is almost no doubt what he is exactly doing there" Saitou said not turning around. "Remember Battousai, in 3 days we're taking the brothel and dispersing all its inhabitants" And with that, Saitou left closing the door.
Kaoru stared down at her empty teacup. Her whole world was going into slow motion. Someone was slamming the table with there fist, someone was crying silently and someone was calling her name.
Then the realization of were her son probably was, the realization of what was probably happening to him hit her square in the chest. The very ground under her feet seemed to slip away, and someone was still calling her name, louder, but she stopped hearing them.
Then everything she was seeing turned black.
--
Yep, she fainted
Um, this was a bit depressing…even for me and I love this kind of stuff
Uh, do you readers think I have a fetish for ending chapters that way? Don't worry this is the last chapter I'll end this way.
Oh, but I should say two things. One, the next chp. will contain a lot of child rape and stuff such as that so if you're sensitive to that sortive stuff…well watch out and don't read the next chp.
Second thing, I should probably say, that I do accept anonymous reviews…just don't flame me, bleh flaming is not cool!
Okay, please review, pretty please!!