Morning was always slower in the red light district, especially in the Honnou-ji Temple. Being lively in the night means that most of them are asleep during the day, recuperating what energy they could get before starting business again. Unlike the bustling street of the marketplace, this district was as silent as an abandoned town, most of his inhabitants tucked into bed after seeing their guests off.
It wasn't until midday that the first sign of activity could be seen. Windows will be opened, a few souls would be seen wandering the streets, rushing with chores and errands and some buildings will have their front doors slightly opened, expecting deliveries from the market to replenish their stocks.
Souza was woken up abruptly by Hachisuka who slid into his room and rolled under his covers. He jumped up, wearing only a furisode, startled by the intruder. "Yuri!" He called when he noticed the pale purple hair under his sheets. Tugging it away, he saw the courtesan curled under it, half-clothed with bruises around his neck and his exposed chest. The bruises weren't small either, it looked like handprints...as if someone had tried to strangle him.
Souza let out a gasp of shock before Hachisuka motioned for him to keep quiet, turning idly to the other courtesan. "I'm fine. Just let me...cool down a second here." Hachisuka muttered one could easily see his shoulders shaking.
Souza relaxed, but the frown on his brow deepened. "Did last night's group hurt you…?" He asked. Hachisuka glanced at him momentarily and hugged his knees, nodding slightly.
"Hachisuka, you are an Oiran, you should pick your customers more carefully." Souza reminded him, turning to his vanity cupboard for some ointment. Those bruises were huge, but it didn't look too bad. Still, an appearance of a courtesan is their everything.
"It….was the same person I serviced before...but he snuck in a group...and I thought with more people...means more gold," Hachisuka shivered "It's funny isn't it, being an Oiran, not many could afford you...so you earn less...even though what you earn is way more than a Chusan…"
Souza sighed. "Get up, let me see the bruise…"
Hachisuka did as he was told, gingerly sitting up on the futon and raising his head so that the bruise on his neck was exposed.
"It should fade in 2 or 3 days…" Souza inspected, opening the vial and smearing some of the goo on his neck. "Seeing as you didn't lose your voice, it shouldn't be anything serious."
Just then, there was a call from the door. It was Hasebe again and he didn't even wait for Souza to answer before opening the door. One look at Hachisuka and the bruise on his neck sent him in a fury. "What happened?!" He spoke through a raised voice. Hachisuka's hand flew to cover the mark on his neck but it was too late.
"I'm okay!" He quickly said, "Just...one of the customers went a little overboard…!"
Hasebe tried to calm down, his fingers cupping his temples.
"That group last night?" He huffed "I knew they were up to no good…" He muttered, fuming. Sighing, he turns to Hachisuka, kneeling down to inspect the bruise. "You're lucky is nothing serious!"
"That was what I was saying…" Souza muttered aloud but quickly look up at Hasebe instead. "Why are you here, Hasebe?" He asked.
"Oh, right." Hasebe glance around the room and paced to the side rooms. A courtesan's room of Souza's ranking is usually large, connected with side rooms that functions as the storage and the attendant's quarters. Hasebe pushed the door open, noting the attendants who were already wide awake and folding up their futons.
"Sayo, Hidemitsu," He greeted them "We are lacking some stocks, can you both head out and buy them?" He asked, handing the boys a parchment containing a list of items and a money pouch, turning to Souza "You don't mind, do you?"
Souza shook his head. It's not unusual for such requests. "Be careful out there, Sayo," he smiled at the boy who nodded and trotted out, holding on to his partner's wrist.
After they left, Hasebe turns his attention back to the two, shaking his head slightly at Hachisuka. "I'm going to screen your waiting list again, Yuri," He warned, "We will have to arrange your schedule again."
"What!" Hachisuka exclaimed. Rearranging means fewer customers, fewer customers means no gold! "You have no right to!" He got up but Hasebe was already out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Hachisuka fell back in defeat, sulking.
"You've overworked," Souza turn away from him, turning to his vanity cupboard, he carefully picked up a brush and combed out his long pastel pink hair. "It's not a bad thing,"
"I...I need to get gold...and buy my way out of here." Hachisuka muttered under his breath, his fist clenched around the sheets so that his knuckles turn white. "I refuse to die in here!"
Souza froze, his hand not moving.
Hachisuka turns to him, almost begging for him to understand. "Don't you ever think of that, Souza, to leave here, and never come back?" He breathed.
"The chances of that are extremely slim, you know that, Yuri." Souza turns to him slightly.
"Don't you know what they do to those who died here?" Hachisuka looks up hysterically "Remember the Oiran we served before this, who died due to a disease?!" Hachisuka continued. "I saw it, they just took her away and left her behind a temple to rot." Hachisuka gulped at the memory "I won't be like her."
"If you don't take care of yourself and continue to be so reckless, you will be like her, Yuri." Souza warned, putting down his brush. "There's a thin line between hardworking and being a fool,"
Hachisuka lay back down on the futon, curling up again. "Yuri, hah, what an ironic name I gave myself." He mused "A lily so pure and innocent, yet I am nothing but a rotting, living corpse, existing to serve men's earthly desires, how pathetic."
Souza couldn't reply to that. He turns back to his mirror, eyeing his reflection. He looked tired, but the eyes that were reflected saw the truth of what Hachisuka was saying. That he was right.
He eyed the little birdcage he kept on top of the cupboard. It was a small cage as big as the size of one's palm, but a padlock kept the gold bars shut tight. He couldn't help relating to the little decorative item he so meaninglessly kept.
"Don't you ever want to leave too, Souza?" came Hachisuka's low mutter, muffled by the sheets.
Souza's eyes didn't tear away from the cage. "I can't, even if I want to, I can't,"
Sayo walked along the street, a small wooden cart behind him. It was already filled with half a dozen of sake bottle, fruits and vegetable. Even though the cart was way bigger than Sayo himself, the boy had insisted to be the one pushing it and Hidemitsu couldn't help admiring the strength Sayo had.
Age wise, Hidemitsu was only a few years older than Sayo. Though his body frame was a little bigger than Sayo, the boy had shown the strength that surpasses his. "We need to stop by the grocer, that should be the last one," Hidemitsu scanned the parchment. They've ticked off most of what was written here except for sack of rice, flour and other miscellaneous.
"It's around the corner," Sayo pulled the cart along effortlessly. "We should get back soon, nii-sama would need our help getting ready."
Hidemitsu nodded and hurried along.
The grocers was a place they frequent and the owner greeted them with a smile and twinkling eyes. He nodded at the parchment of paper and disappeared behind the counter to gather the items requested. Hidemitsu waited outside with the cart, as it wouldn't fit into the shop and Sayo glance around the shop, noting the crates of seeds, herbs and many other things that were arranged neatly on the ground. There were others here as well, browsing through the herbs in the crate. Two of them looked rather peculiar. One had light blue hair that reached down to the floor while the other wore striking red robes and was adorned with accessories of gold. But they both had a katana on their waist so Sayo looks away, wondering if they were traveling samurais or ronin.
His eyes fell on a jar of Konpeito on the counter. Sayo had only had candy once when Souza bought some for him. He really liked it but that was ages ago. He clutches his money pouch tightly, knowing full well that he shouldn't be buying anything that was not written in the list.
Unbeknown to him the two other strangers in the store has been staring, noticing the boy's distraction with the candy.
"Here you go, little boy," The owner, an old man who seems still too strong for his age returned with the groceries they purchased. Sayo tore his eyes away dejectedly from the candy and motioned to their cart outside. They loaded the items in and Sayo handed him the money, getting ready to leave.
Just then, the curtain of the store parted and the samurai with the long blue hair approached them, the jar of Konpeito in his hand. "Here," He handed it to Sayo, who looks shockingly at the jar and then to the stranger. He was confused. Who is this person?
"I saw that you were looking longingly to it, and you've worked hard, why not accept this as a gift for a job well done?"
Sayo looks at the extended jar again and then to Hidemitsu who was looking equally confused.
"I-I can't accept things from strangers," Sayo muttered but the stranger shook his head. "I'm Kousetsu, I'm a traveling samurai." He introduced himself with a small smile "I just took this off the counter, surely you don't think it's dangerous?"
Honestly, there was something about the man that made Sayo feel a sense of calmness. He didn't feel afraid or alert by the man's presence, unlike those who would touch his brother back in the house. And he really does want the Konpeito too, for himself, for Hidemitsu and for nii-sama.
"Thank you." He accepted the gift, backing to Hidemitsu and dropping it into his cart. Kousetsu got up with a satisfied smile as Sayo and Hidemitsu bowed to him and the owner as thanks before wheeling away towards the red light district.
"Do you know that boy?" The owner asks after a while. He was wearing a gentle smile, like one's grandparents would smile to their grandchildren. "I'm rather fond of him," He turns away to go back into the shop. "No, not really." Kousetsu lied.
Kousetsu joined him, his companion inside already waiting at the desk with the herbs they had picked out. Kousetsu pulled out his money pouch and paid for it, as well as the jar of candy.
"That boy is very hardworking, it is a pity he is working in that place," The old man sighed, packing up the herbs.
"How long have you known the boy?" His companion asked with a raised brow. The man behind the counter stroke his beard, recalling "It's been 3 years when they both arrived here, I still remember." The man chuckled "I wonder what they've been feeding them, they look like they haven't grown at all….young boys like them should be eating healthy and going outside to play...not trap in a tea house."
"3 years?!" The black haired man exclaimed but Kousetsu hushed him with a slight turn of his head. "Thank you, for the herbs as well as the conversation,"
"Do come again," The owner replied too and the two left, joining the busy streets outside.