KAWAAKARI
"The river that glows amidst the darkness"
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Part I
Chapter IV
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"Few ever speak of the worst sin of all; to believe one is not the sinner"
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The tea house's traditional decorations remained untouched, something the owners prided themselves in. They would not deny entry to those wearing the current western fashion, however; courtesy would not allow it, a fact that only added to the strange times they lived in, that sort of now evident transition. Usually, people weren't aware of being in the middle of a new social structure, something Kagome would ponder about from time to time, albeit not too deeply; she had been born with the change, after all. That question didn't matter, however, as she saw herself immersed in her past visits to that house, back when she was a girl by her father's hand, who would bring her on a day when there was a new moon, to start a new cycle while appreciating how important it was. During these times of change, that kind of celebration was being gradually replaced by western festivities, marked on their twelve-month calendar that did not consider the moon's movements as a guide for the beginning and end of each of them.
Even so, that tea house was something she treasured, together with the memories held inside.
Her attention, however, was on other things that day, or maybe just one; him.
InuYasha Taisho would cross her mind every few instants; in-between greeting her friends when they saw her step inside the place, or Mrs. Kimura's words when she neared them to ask if she could start serving the tea. Even now, as Eri and Yuka told Hojō, muttering, how enthusiastic they were about going to Taijiya family's western dance party.
"It will be the first time I attend a dance of this kind…" Eri mentioned. Her family was rather conservative in front of this new era. "What's that about dance notes?"
"They are not actual notes," Yuka explained, who had not missed any event of the kind, "but more like a card where you write the name of your dance partners."
"How many names?!" Eri wondered, alarmed, "I don't think there will be more than two gentlemen interested in dancing with me."
"You'd be surprised how quickly a dance card fills up, "Yuka insisted, "right, Kagome?"
The sudden sound of her name, dragged her mind back to the moment, and the company she was in.
"What?" She asked, trying to appear at least slightly aware of the topic, efforts through which she caught her friend's smile, Hojō 's, whose gaze seemed fixed on her as he spoke.
"We were telling Eri you've promised me the first dance." Kagome watched her friend's smile widening as her own surprise did so too.
"Oh… "She let out, as her voice took on the most innocent tone she was capable of, "did that happen while I was absent-minded?"
There, she saw a false regret taking hold of Hojō's expression, along with the meaningful smile of her friends. It wasn't unknown to her how the girls believed that young-man to be perfect for her, and if she were to reason it with a cold mind, Hojō did belong to a quite respected family in the city; he was well-educated, gentle and handsome… yet that did not stop her from feeling a certain lack of something between them. She could believe that to be love, but she wasn't so naïve as to think couples were formed only through that kind of bond.
Love, she would repeat to herself quite insistently, was but a minor detail among the many aspects one weights when choosing a husband, if one was lucky enough to even feel it.
"That reminds me… what was the reason for you being late?" Eri inquired. She was the most amiable and cheerful of her friends, a girl protected by her parents' love, and her big sister's, whose wedding had been a bit more than a year ago.
Kagome needed but a glance to know, with absolute certainty, to want to keep her encounter with Mr. Taisho a secret.
"Trying on the new dress took longer than expected," she said, thinking that it technically wasn't a lie, for one could consider her journey to the tea house part of it. Even so, she couldn't help wondering if it was a good idea to hide from everyone, the fact that she had a conversation with a complete stranger.
"How is the dress, then?" Was Ayumi's question, the sweetest of all her friends.
The answer helped her to deviate the topic.
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The Yoshiwara district was known for its unforgettable night life. The current social change Japan was going through seemed to ignore that zone, the red-light district of the old Edo. InuYasha was making his way through it with the confidence, aware of its inner workings as the voices of those promoting their tea salons, and other sounds coming from some further away rooms, entered through his ears.
The night was pleasantly cold. The last snow fell about a lunar cycle ago, and even if nature was stirring awake, the scent of the snow was fresh once again.
InuYasha wasn't one to frequent that kind of place, for the human stench would usually persuade him otherwise; yet that day he was experiencing a certain yearning that didn't go hand in hand with his usual desires… blood, to fight, to be able to get rid of the parasites that would wander around without a purpose… that was what would always arise his instincts. Seldom times, however, his lust would pile up enough for him to need relief; and in those cases, he would do it here, in the Amadare. The place had a narrow, traditional entrance covered by noren curtains portraying its name and meaning in dainty traces; rain drops. Upon entering, he stepped into a large inner garden where two men, polite to a fault, greeted him while clad in traditional clothes, untarnished to a fault. InuYasha didn't need to utter a word, for his presence was known and never questioned, and as he went through an exterior corridor of a building to his side, the music being played in one of the main rooms, where clients were usually received, gently slipped into his ears. His destination, however, was further inside; a second main room, so to speak, where the sounds were more peaceful… and where he was bound to find what he was looking for.
He stood in front of the door, as to not abruptly interrupt, and soon after, a woman dressed in a simple kimono got close to him, and after a light bow, she kneeled in front of the shōji to slide open the wooden and rice paper panel, so that he could step inside. Such an action was repeated with the following door, after which InuYasha was received by a smiling, female host, who upon seeing him stood up to receive him with the usual politeness that was expected of her.
"Mr. Taisho," said the woman, her voice so smooth it could be woven into a melody. InuYasha had to admit that the long time she had been in charge of the place had refined her; one could barely catch a glimpse of the youkai who started the business almost a century ago.
"Tsuyu," he returned her greetings with a light bow of his head, an action meant more for the two human men who were in there, enjoying the company and conversation with two other women.
"Would you like to join us, or do you prefer a more… private setting?" The question was pure courtesy. InuYasha wasn't one to share a room.
"A more private setting would be great," he concorded, then perceived the gaze of one of the men; a strange face, yet he still sharpened his senses to hear the conversation he had with the women.
"Please, follow me then," requested the youkai by his side, taking small steps in front of him; deliberate ones, he knew, for they allowed her kimono to move in a delicate and harmonic way, highlighting its golden seams.
The men in the room were listening to a story from one of their companions, a shinzōand the oiran instructing her. The contents of said story didn't seem especially relevant, speaking of one of the shinzō that had disappeared during the last full moon, and that she hoped that they, as those in charge of safe-keeping the public order, could find her friend.
"The girl most probably ran away with some lover," Tsuyu intervened, who seemed to be listening to the conversation just like him.
InuYasha didn't add anything.
They entered a more private zone, one linked through a garden with twisting paths; known to him was that place, finding its unpolluted emerald solitude rather pleasant. When they were before a new shōji, it was Tsuyu this time who kneeled and slid the door open.
To act submissive was part of her job, and the youkai only stood up again once InuYasha was inside.
"Who should I call for?" Was her question, drawing his gaze to her. Even after decades of knowing each other, Tsuyu would never leave aside the customs, or her politeness. She wasn't a weak youkai either, even if he could name a number of others who were stronger than her… and the human appearance she had adopted, suited her; it had a subtle beauty, nothing too inconspicuous or extraordinary, but a gentle one.
"Iruīgyō," he replied, his voice devoid of any meaning.
"Very well. She shall be here shortly." Were her words, before attempting to close the door with a brief gesture.
"Don't. Leave it open." He stopped her.
Tsuyu gave him a light and careful bow, before leaving.
There, his gaze wandered, perceiving no changes in his surroundings since he had last visited. The room was made and decorated in the traditional Japanese way, much like the whole, large establishment. The floors were made of naked wood, waxed and smooth to the touch, reflecting the constant light coming from the oil lamps set around. It was a pleasant scent, one that easily took him to years past, when he arrived with his mother to live at a palace.
To one side of the room, there was a low table with a pillow, oriented in a way to comfortably observe the place, and the oiran as she performed her art.
He didn't need to wait long before the rustle of Iruīgyō's kimono came through his ears… not quite near him, yet close enough to catch her scent, and for him to hear and recognize the rhythm of her steps. He remained by one side of the room, observing how the lamp's distribution worked wonders to infuse the room with warmth, and the necessary intimacy for the oirans to share her music, poetry, and conversations with the chosen client.
Iruīgyō appeared then, composed, her clothes of a pale yellow and embroidered on the front, lower part with a myriad of colourful strings, resembling the view of a forest where every silver and golden lace represented a path, adding light to the design. Her features were veiled behind a barely transparent cloth with golden ends.
Two shinzōcame with her, one with a shamisen in hand, while the other took little time to set a bottle of sake and two cups on the table.
Iruīgyō, the oiran, reverently bowed as soon as she stood before him, then asked, "what is my lord's wish today?"
Her voice was soft, with a tone that hid many meanings, deliberately ambiguous, something she had learnt to do so subtly, delicately, he knew. He was also aware of what she meant, despite it all, yet this time he preferred to wait for a bit.
"Later." He voiced, not explaining himself further. He was the client, after all.
The oiran nodded, once, then neared the part of the room that was prepared for her performance, where she carefully kneeled on a pillow, the delicate seams of her kimono gently entering InuYasha's view. Next, she received the shamisen from one of her companions, while the other had already closed the shōji, and was now offering him sake, which he accepted after seating on a pillow placed right in front of Iruīgyō, whose vestments remained intact, the veil included.
Soft notes filled the place as soon as her fingers stroked the shamisen's cords, notes of melancholy, notes of mystery. InuYasha had the urge of looking through his memories for that something unknown that the instrument, with its sharp sounds, seemed to stir awake. His gaze became fixed on her figure and her veil, his lips wet from sake, his cup always filled by the shinzō by his side, as Iruīgyō's notes cut the air and he became enthralled in the futile task of glimpsing beyond her veil.
He awaited with contained impatience, finishing a bottle of sake, to the oiran to unfold her full skill with that instrument, and he even listened through her next song, this time with a shakuhachi in hand, feeling a certain distaste for the emotive note coming from the bamboo flute. It wasn't until the end of the third piece of music, and bottle of sake, that InuYasha stood up.
"That's enough." He voiced, then started towards the next room.
He slid the panel of wood and rice paper open, not waiting for the shinzō to do so, as was the ceremonial tradition. They couldn't be surprised, he was the hanyou, and they knew it too. He stepped inside, finding the expected two futons on the furthest side, a byobu laying on the floor, just in case, and a couple of low tables with a set of cups around a bottle of sake, while the room itself was cladded in a dim light perfect for intimacy. InuYasha stood by the futons, waiting for Iruīgyō to stand up, and take her short and delicate steps inside the room. He could not deny the amount of detail they had put into everything; the place, the preparation, and the oiran's elegant presence as she lifted her feet over the wooden shōji. Once she stood inside, the panel gently closed behind her, leaving them alone.
InuYasha observed her, there, with her kimono perfectly on, her features still hidden behind the light veil.
"What is your wish, my lord?" There it was, that question.
InuYasha didn't answer, but remained in a thoughtful silence that made the oiran elaborate her question further.
"What may you be seeking tonight?" She used her art in persuasion, despite knowing it lacking in front of that particular client. "Youkai? Human?" She awaited his answer, there, by the door. "Female? Male?"
There were many possibilities.
"Woman." He uttered, taking a moment to appreciate how the youkai's shape changed beneath the kimono. "Light skin, dark hair…" His voiced became shadowed by his own imagination, suddenly knowing what he wanted to find beneath the veil covering Iruīgyō.
"And the eyes, my lord?" the oiran inquired.
InuYasha took a deep breath, recalling exactly what he wished to see.
"Chestnut brown," he requested.
There were many more characteristics to consider, many more details to narrow down, yet that didn't bother his steps as he went closer and, by one end of her veil, pulled it aside.
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To be continued.
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A/N
I really liked to write this chapter, to show that sort of stark contrast between Kagome's and InuYasha's life. I hope you are enjoying the story too, and that you tell me in the comments.
Kisses!
Anyara
Vocabulary
Oiran: Courtesan who provides sexual services
Shinzō: Apprentice of the Oiran
Shoji: Rice paper panel used as a room divider
This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart