Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions/Sanzaru Games.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

Finally, chapter 5! I do want to apologize for the huge delay; I've been really busy lately and haven't had time to write recently. But, I do finally have it posted and here it is! And I know it's a tad short, but I didn't have much planned for this anyway. Anyway, please read, review, and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Chapter 5: An Unsettling Scent

Northern Japan, 1339

"Let go, Rioichi," Kasumi grumbled as she tried to pull away from my grasp. I held onto her firmly, looking into her makeup covered eyes, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. She was fully dressed in geisha attire, the makeup, the hair…everything. I held onto her wrists tightly, keeping her from pulling away from me and storming off.

"You're hurting me, Rioichi! Let go!" she gave another tug at my grasp and I allowed her to slip through. Kasumi looked away from me, gently rubbing her wrists, which would surely be bruised by morning, and muttering to herself.

"Kasumi," I gripped her chin and pulled her face so I could look at her in her eyes, "why? Kasumi, why would you become a geisha?" her eyes went to the floor as she smacked my hand from her chin. She was embarrassed, and angry, and just confused on what to say. She clenched her eyes shut, keeping tears from streaming down and smearing her makeup, still refusing to look me in the eye.

"Kasumi-san," I whispered softly as I stepped to her, placing my paws just on her jaw line. I could feel her tense at my touch and by the look on her face; she wanted to run, "Is this what you mean when you said you needed more income than just your restaurant?"

"You need to leave." she said softly as she swatted my paws away again, "You need to leave Rioichi. I don't need to discuss anything with you. My business is none of yours or any of your concern." She opened her eyes, glaring at me from underneath a small wall of possible tears. Her point was blunt and her tone was angry. Why she was angry with me, I wasn't sure of. But I had the feeling it was a defense for her.

"Do not expect me to leave after learning this, Kasumi. Do you know the dangers of working in a geisha house? You could be robbed, killed, and not to mention the number of pigs gawking after you and practically begging you-"

"Leave!" she shouted, cutting me off from my sentence, "I don't want to hear anymore from you; just leave!" I stood there, simply watching Kasumi as her falsely pointed anger fumed. We stood there, speechless for long moments, daring to see who would break the silence between us. And Kasumi was the one to break the silence. She shook her head, storming off and making her way to the door with a growl. She slid the door open forcefully, almost ripping the rice paper screen. She stormed off to the right down the hall of the back rooms of the geisha house. I darted behind her, wanting to catch her before she was noticed and an incident occurred.

"Kasumi-san!" I called after the raccoon as she gracefully, yet quickly, rounded a corner. She ignored me, telling me off with a flick of her wrist. I followed behind her, trying to grab to the back of her kimono so I could talk with her.

She would simply swat my paws away and growl at me. She exited the geisha house through the back and started to trot down the streets. I couldn't understand why she was so angry with this or why she was running away. I didn't want to scold her for doing so, not yet at lease, I just wanted answers from her. I chased after her, trying to catch up with the raccoon and get an answer from her. After we'd gotten half way to her noodle shop, my paws latched onto her waist as I spun her around, pressing her form to mine as I looked her in her eyes.

"I just wish to speak with you, Kasumi." My thumbs moved back and forth on her waist, a small and silly attempt to calm her down.

"Let go of me!" she hissed as she beat my paws from her hips, "Don't you touch me!" she glared at me briefly, showing off her anger before storming away again. I sighed, stopping briefly to groan at her stubbornness before following after her again.

By the time I had finally caught up to her, she had locked herself in her noodle house. I walked up to the front door of her restaurant, placed my paws on the door, and called to her through the crack between the two doors.

"Kasumi-san!" I called to her through her restaurant door, "Kasumi-san you have to listen to me! I don't want to embarrass you, I simply want to understand why!" I pressed my forehead to her door and tried to listen to her from the other side. I could hear her slamming things around inside as she stomped towards the back of the building. I couldn't understand, or fully at least, why she had gotten so angry. I was expecting her to feel embarrassed…not angry! I needed to talk to her about this, but she refused to speak with me. Deep down, I think she was embarrassed about this. I think she was afraid to admit that she was a maiko and would eventually become a geisha. I think she was afraid of finding someone who wouldn't approve.

"Rioichi!" I heard Kasumi's voice from above me. I looked up, seeing that she was peering out of the window from her upper story.

"Kasumi, please just listen to me for a short moment!" I pleaded to raccoon for her to listen to me and let me inside.

"You listen to me, Cooper!" she shouted angrily from her perch, "Don't come near my noodle house again! And don't come near me at the geisha house!" she slammed the windows to her home shut, keeping me outside with multiple questions still buzzing around my head.

Sliding my hand off of Kasumi's restaurant door, I shook my head, sighing as I realized that now wasn't the time for talking to her about this. I would wait until she calmed down and she would be willing to explain why she had become a geisha. A geisha! Out of all the possibilities in the village that she could do to make money; selling other menu items at her noodle house, making other home products such as candles and silks for robes…anything other than turning to the life of a geisha! In the stillness of the night I strolled to my restaurant and home quietly. Instead of heading towards the rooftops or staying with the shadows like a ninja normally did, I removed my hood, put my cane behind me, and strolled down the streets of the village. I walked slowly, looking over the small village as thoughts of Kasumi being a geisha raced through my mind. Well, she may not have been a full geisha…but she was certainly close to one. Kasumi was a maiko and everyone knew what would need to happen in order for her to earn the title of geisha. Just the thought of one of those boorish, drunken, lusty guards simply looking in Kasumi's direction, let alone finishing the act that would give her the title geisha, made me sick to my stomach.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Kasumi-san?" I whispered softly as I rounded a corner. My ear perked suddenly when I heard voices near my location. Pulling my hood up over my head, I gripped my cane and pressed my back against the wall of a building and listened carefully.

"My greatest apologies sir" the rather loud, almost burly voice of Madame Geisha became louder as she walked up the street with a gentleman, "I had not anticipated her running off like that."

"I would imagine that you would have better control over your geisha's and maiko girls, Madame Geisha." The rhino laughed nervously at the man's comment as they continued walking. I decided to follow them for their conversation peaked my interest. Madame Geisha hinted at a female running from the geisha house, and Kasumi had done just that.

"Oh I keep my ladies close, but my newest maiko is quite a hardhead. But I assure you, she will be in the geisha house tomorrow evening." I watched Madame Geisha walk next to her male companion. And by the odor, the man was a skunk and from his accent, European.

"I would hope so. I had my eyes set on the raccoon and was hoping for a room with the geisha." Although they hadn't said it directly…they we're talking about Kasumi.

"Well she is not yet a geisha, sir. She is a maiko." I hear the skunk sign before mumbling softly to himself.

"Then I will have her service me as a maiko then, Madame Geisha," he was getting frustrated with the rhino and apparently the situation in general, "But I paid for the raccoon and I intend to get what I paid for."

"Of course, sir. I assure you, Kasumi will be ready for you tomorrow evening." I stopped in my tracks, feeling my heart drop when I heard those words. I had to protect Kasumi from Madame Geisha and the skunk. But there was only one issue…Kasumi wouldn't listen to me.