Chapter II Bleeding Star.
The abode of the Hagetoras, the great noble House of the West consisted of the privet quarters, guest wing and the main hall, which at times such as the New Year's banquet was indispensable. Arranged in a checkered pattern, deep fire-pits surrounded by unmeltable steel warmed the enormous white hall. Around them, cascading downwards, tables were arranged and the seating order contemplated deeply by the mistress of the house and her advisers every 4 years.
The very ground floor was devoted to the performers, among them the most skilled Geishas that district one of East Rukongai could boast. The prize was big and the Okaa-san of the Hana Niva house and school for Geishas knew it. She was a very industrious woman, who migrated among tables of guests, distributing small groups of silk packed girls, who played koto, twirled fans and poured sake. She herself, greeted the guests, paying the greatest attention to those closest to the four main Households. She didn't have much of a chance with the captain of the Kuchiki's, who sat unmoved to any flutter of a fan or pink cheek, tending only to his ten year old grandson's curiosity. The boy's eyes followed the Okaa-san strut here and there, dawning a dark red kimono, with a pattern of golden koi carp swimming on her sleeves and up her back. She crossed the hall, talked a bit with the fun-loving Captain of Squad 8, moving on to the section devoted to the clan of the Black Tortoise.
Lord Ryukubo sat proudly, his chest puffed out and poised, but eyes attentive to his family, other noble families and the Geishas. He loved to collect those little creatures. He was aware of the contemptible look that the all important Ginrei Kuchiki gave him every time he saw him in the their company, but Ryokubo couldn't help himself.
"Lord Ryokubo". said the woman, bowing very low in front of the noble.
"Yoshino-san." answered Ryukubo with a booming voice."Where is the main attraction of the evening?" he inquired with a lift of a bushy brow.
"My youngest and most talented Maiko stage before a girl becomes a full-fledged Geisha will be out in a little while. I do not like to boast, but I have trained her with all my knowledge."
"I hope that the effort was worth while."
Okaa-san actually loved boasting, but didn't appreciate being doubted. Nevertheless, she knew better then become aggravated with such a generous donor.
"I adopted her at the age of 4 and she did not live a day since then without training my lord."
"What is her name?" Ryukubo was in a good humor, a "golden mirth" , as Yoshino liked to call it.
"Kagaya. It is a good name" Yoshino added."Her eyes are dark as coal, but skin white as snow. I have great hope for her."
Ryukubo hummed a little under his breath.
Meanwhile the object of their discussion stood motionless in the vestibule of the banquet hall. Before her assembled a small quire of instrument playing girls wearing ash gray kimonos, very tidy and almost unperceiveable.
Her older sister handed her two large fans. She was jealous and whispered as if she knew what Kagaya had in mind. "Don't bring the good name of the Okia down."
Someone opened the back door, letting some freezing air in. It was a woman, a Shinigami on her way out into the cold night. Kagaya looked at her fans, they had golden ribs, midnight blue margins on the inner and outer border, blood red on the inside. The doors opened, the tumult of the people perforated each layer of her kimono, from orange, through purple, to light pink, ending with a green pattern of leaves.
The procession entered in a truly entertainment battle style. First the flutes, then the kotos and finally, the dancer. She stepped swiftly on extremely high okobo .
Kagaya remembered how Okaa-san told her to wear those heavy sandals day in and day out. Her feet were bleeding by the end of the first day.
"All for nothing." She thought. "All for money and more silk, and more donors and a larger Okia, and power. Power was the most important of them all."
The gaping mouths of several young Shinigami filled her with bitterness. She craved that black uniform, which would allow her to be her own. Almost free. But all was useless now. There was Okaa-san, next to that bull of a man.
Kagaya knew that Okaa-san planned for her to obtain him as a patron, to serve him as many did before her. She hated it and knew that it didn't matter and most importantly she didn't matter.
The gong signaled the beginning of the melody. Kagaya flipped her fans open, covering her face.
As soon as the flutes whistled, she swiveled the fans. It was the gesture for the rising sun. She was given the liberty to choose the story she wanted to dance to.
"It is an old tale of the last star in the morning sky, which does not want to disappear..." whispered Okaa-san into Ryukubo's ear.
"Then, she attempts to outshine the sun? Very ambitious." said Ryukubo doubtfully, but he was already captivated. Of course what could there be to not enchant of what was visible beyond the lairs of silk.
The Geisha had a pair of charcoal eyes and equally black hair. Ryukubo couldn't understand how she was able to perform so perfectly with all the clothing lairs on. There was grace and beauty. In the middle of the performance, the star folded her fans, acting as tongues of fire. The kotos ceased they trickling melody.
Kagaya hit the hard fan edges in the tact of the flute, dancing. This was her own sequence that of a duel between the sun and the star. Because the star must eventually die. And she did. A jerk and her red fans exploded like blood dirtying the horizon only with diluted pink.
Okasan taught her to be fast and swift, the sun exploded finally with a dew on green hills that flourished on the train of her Kimono. She saw Ryokubo whispering into Okaa-san's ear.
The woman stood up and Kagaya could almost see the two old feet twitching with excitement.
As soon as the Geishas reentered the parlor and the view of the hall was obscured, Okaa-san whispered the good news, puffing out her feathers. Several younger Maiko's gasped, hearing the price.
"You could put a silk kimono of the highest quality on each of you for that."she concluded.
"Extraordinary." exclaimed Shunsui with glassy eyes.
"Yes it was." added Shinji."I wish some of the rookies were as good with their swords as that Geisha was with her fans" he gave a large toothy jeer.
"Dry your drool, they say that the old geezer Ryukubo already payed an amount of money you can only dream of." added Hiyori, who appeared behind him out of nowhere.
"And what brings the antithesis of a Geisha here?"
"Youuuuu!." Hiyori started to cause a commotion, but a stern look from the Head Captain sitting several tables away, gave her the chills and she calmed down.
"So, why are you spoiling the mood, snuggle tooth."
"indiscernible mumbling I came to look for Captain Hikifune. Do you know where she went to?" simmered Hiyori through clenched teeth.
"NO. She walked out somewhere just before the performance." answered Shinji.
"You should look for her in the Hagetora Clan party, it's her family after all."added Shunsui, who allowed a cute Maiko* to pour him some sake yet again.
Kirio Hikifune was indeed with her family, but not in the Banquet Hall. She sat tapping her fingers on her knee, while a woman next to her whimpered from time to time.
"Stop it." Kirio said sharply, which made it almost unbelievable that she was talking to her own sister.
The other woman cheered up almost instantly. "So, you will help." she inquired.
"Help?! Help?!." simmered Kirio. She had chubby cheeks and short blond hair.
"Don't blow you're fuze sis!" said the other. Masane was younger then Kirio, but a lot taller.
Kirio inhaled. " We are way beyond that." she added matter-of-factly."
"How long have you known about this?" demanded Kirio.
"I've been hearing strange stuff for a while now, but for the life of me I wouldn't think that all this had such an origin." explained Masane.
The sisters spoke of the secret hidden by the Hagetora's for nearly two centuries. The head of the clan, Hagetora Shinzo was the only heir of the main family. When he was a child he succumbed to a disease and was to die. His father wouldn't allow it. He took the tooth of the Holy Tiger Beast, powdered it and gave the child to drink. Since then the gift bestowed on the Hagetoras by heavens was dormant, as if enshrined in the body of a growing child. Yet, time passed and the child became an adult about to die. Now, the Beast was struggling to get free, which endangered the balance of the Soul Society, the Hagetoras and now Kirio, who had to tell the truth to the Head Captain.
"I don't know weather it would be better to tell the Head Captain or actually face the Holy Beast " sighed Kirio. The inquisitive side to her took over for a little while. "Of course running with it to the Head Captain just now isn't that necessary. Let's wait until the Banquet ends and check the records on similar events, maybe there is a way to seal the Tiger after all." she thought to herself as she changed her destination from the Banquet Hall, to the library and flash stepped, carried by her imagination as much as reishie.