hanafurirou book 2, prologue (OMG FINALLY!)
Hanafurirou rabu!! I finally got my butt around to working on book 2, which I started way back when. In an attempt to get my life started back up again, I'm making an effort to do more translation, and I'm going to try to work on this a little faster than the first one. The current (possibly unrealistic for my brain, but I'm hopeful) plan is a chapter at least every other week. ^_^;; Not sure if it will work out that way, but I'm going to try. (The chapters in this book are shorter than in the first one, so that's one plus.)
So yeah... We're finally at Kichou and Kagerou's story!! (Yeah, they're my favorites too. ^_^;; ) This is the book that the manga was based off, if I remember correctly. (To be honest, I haven't actually read the manga yet. ^_^; But Itsuki Kaname is love!) This book mostly takes place way before the first one (when Kichou and Kagerou are still under 18), and then after it, but this prologue takes place during the middle of the first book. In fact, you'll even see Fuki (in passing, using his Hanafurirou name) here!! ^_^
A little housekeeping before I get to the story itself. I'm not planning on posting this book scene by scene, so I'm adding a plain old "hanafurirou 2" tag (instead of the chapter by chapter ones I used with book 1). And...for those of you who have read my translation of book 1, you may remember the translator's notes... Lots and lots of translator's notes. ^_^; I've decided with this book that rather than repeat all of those notes, I'm going to create a little glossary page for all the past ones (including book 1), and just link back to that. I'll only add notes for new things. (For the record, I did start a glossary a couple of years ago, when I started book 1, but I didn't keep it updated - I'll update that entry when I get the new one set up.) So head over here for the glossary. ^_^ (Or I did put a permanent link up on the sidebar too (if you're not reading this via a friends list).)
That said, let's start off with the translation of the back blurb, and then on to the story itself!
It's been over ten years since prostitution was legalized, and Yoshiwara has returned to its former status as a red light district. Kagerou and Kichou are the two prize jewels of the all-male brothel, Hanafurirou. Kagerou, arrogant and commonly known as "the princess," and Kichou, easygoing and the complete opposite of Kagerou, fight like cats and dogs. However, when they first arrived at Hanafurirou, they were so close that they always used to sneak off and hide together in a storeroom. So what exactly is the nature of their relationship...? The second book of the series set in Hanafurirou!
Ten or so years earlier, the anti-prostitution laws were abolished, and the best red light districts made a comeback. All the old pleasure districts and brothels were rebuilt, and Yoshiwara returned to its previous fame as a red light district.
Mede Shireru Yoru no Junjou (attempted translation: Pure Heart in the Night, Made Foolish by Love)
A single iroko sat elegantly upon the velvet-covered bench in the photo studio.
His red cherry blossom-patterned shikake stood out against his clear, pale skin, which fit well with his stage name of Kagerou. He had huge black eyes (1), double lidded and long and sharp like they had been carved out with a chisel. His long lashes and partially downturned eyes lent his expression an air of beauty and melancholy, but his gaze was cold and deliberate and made him look haughty. His black hair, which had been left down and tied loosely behind him, spilled over his shoulder.
And then there was the person leaning against the wall just a short distance away, arms crossed over his chest and watching the scene in front of him.
This man was just as beautiful as the first... also an iroko.
Unlike Kagerou, his hair was brown and he had large, bright almond-shaped eyes of a much lighter color. His figure was elegant, but his shoulders were wide and his bone structure sturdy. Even under the shikake, it was obvious he was male. But that just gave him a sort of stylish charm.
The best way to describe him would probably be as a "kabuki-mono."
That day, the photo studio that provided services for the brothels of Yoshiwara was busy with the iroko of Hanafurirou and their attendant shinzou and kamuro.
Once every month or so the prostitutes and iroko went to the Kashima photo studio, at the end of Naka no Machi, to get their pictures taken to be put up at their brothels or put in the brothels' photo albums. Often the customers chose their partners not just from reputation and seeing them in the harimise, but by looking through their pictures. Touin, one of Kichou's top customers, was just such a customer, so it was nothing to sneer at.
Besides, the brothel could always get extra prints and sell them, like the old bijinga (2) or procession postcards (3).
Kichou, like Kagerou, was one of the prize jewels of Hanafurirou, the top male brothel in Yoshiwara. However, Kichou didn't have that same unapproachable aura that Kagerou did.
Just then, Kichou was chatting amiably with one of the shinzou while he watched Kagerou with a faint smile on his lips. Sensing the gaze, Kagerou looked over at them.
He wondered just what they were talking about that was so interesting. The boy was one of the ones assigned to Kichou. Kagerou was fairly sure his name was Hotaru. Though his crimson nagajuban was finally long enough to touch the floor, there was still something young about his appearance.
Their eyes met, and Kichou smiled and waved his hand.
This was the man with whom Kagerou competed for the top spot each month. It was said the two of them fought like cats and dogs.
Kagerou turned away in huff, angry since it seemed he was being teased. Out of the corner of his eye, Kichou could see Kagerou start laughing at his childish reaction, and that only made him even angrier.
"There, all done," the photographer said, pulling his head away from his camera.
Kagerou stood up. Finally, he was done with this tedious job he had to do every few months.
"All right, we're do~ne!" Kichou, not Kagerou, said, stretching broadly. "We still have some time left. Wanna grab something to eat on the way back?"
With that question, Kichou's assistants broke out in excited chatter.
"So noisy." Kagerou's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, and he sighed.
They rarely left the brothel in groups, so Kichou usually treated his boys to something when they did. The brothel fed them, but not quite enough to satisfy a growing boy.
Takamura, one of the brothel staff, had other things to do, so he wasn't with them just then. As a result, the boys felt no need to hold back. Mixed in with the excited suggestions of dangos and soba was a voice calling for liquor.
Suddenly, Kichou turned to Kagerou. "What about you?"
Kagerou, not expecting to be included in the conversation, was surprised.
He wasn't particularly interested in going. He was still slightly annoyed at being made fun of earlier, and just the thought of going to a teahouse or somewhere like that with the boys gave him the chills. But just as he was about to decline, he looked over at his shinzou and kamuro, who were looking at him with expectant expressions.
He was well aware that he wasn't as good at taking care of his boys as Kichou was. It wasn't that he wasn't fond of them. Rather, he just didn't know how to deal with them. As a result, at some point it had been established that his boys, particularly the shinzou, were just being leant to him to deal with his problems.
Because of that, Kichou teased him, calling him "princess."
Kagerou sighed briefly. "Fine, I'll go."
"That's a change."
Kichou whistled. Frowning at his coarseness, Kagerou responded with, "I don't have a choice, do I? Everyone else wants to go. If I refused, I'd just look stingy."
"And you're not?"
"I'm not!!"
"Um... excuse me?" Just as Kagerou raised his voice, the photographer called out to them. "I was asked to take one more shot."
"One more?"
"Yes. One with the two of you."
"The two of us." After unintentionally speaking together, the two shared a glance.
The pictures they had just had taken were for use in the collections the customers looked at to choose their partners, so they all had to be taken individually. A picture of the two of them must have been intended for sale separately. The photographer confirmed this.
"There are quite a few customers who have expressed their desire for a picture of the two of you together."
A picture of two iroko... Kagerou had no idea why they would want something like that.
Kichou raised one eyebrow in a perfect arc. "I have no problems with that."
"You have to be kidding. No way. Who would want to take a picture with you?"
"Oh, really?" Kichou returned casually, not seeming to be annoyed, despite his words. Then he looked at the photographer. "He doesn't want to because he's afraid of looking bad compared to me."
"Wha...? I am not!" Kagerou's cheeks had flushed pink with anger, but he quickly forced himself back to serenity. This time he would make sure not to give in to Kichou's taunts. "...I'll have you know, I'm ahead of you in picture sales."
The ranking for sales of pictures was often oddly different from the ranking of the monthly sales ranking - in other words the total rankings. At Hanafurirou Kichou usually had the advantage in the monthly battle for number one, but when it came to the picture sales, Kagerou rarely let go of his top spot.
"Then there's nothing to be afraid of, is there? Let him take a picture or two." Kichou took Kagerou's arm and pulled him back in front of the camera.
"Wait... I haven't said I'd do it yet."
"Stop getting all worked up over such a trivial thing, Princess. Else we'll never get out of here."
Kagerou muttered about having his complaints ignored, but he reluctantly let the matter slide. After all, he didn't want to waste any more time in this place either.
"Want us to sit next to each other? Or should we stand?"
"Either way is fine, but if you could be touching, that would be great."
"Touching, huh?"
Kichou slid his arm around Kagerou's waist with one smooth motion, causing Kagerou to freeze in surprise.
"It's not like you're a virgin or anything. Can't you at least lean against me a little? Like you're with a customer?"
"...I don't do that sort of thing."
"Oh? ...So you still act like a princess even with your customers?"
Kichou gave out an evil little chuckle. He looked Kagerou up and down, as if he was imagining how Kagerou acted with his customers. Kagerou considering shoving him away, but he forced the feelings down and stayed still.
Like that, Kichou pulled him closer, and he found himself looking right into Kichou's eyes.
"Oh... His eyes." He found himself thinking that Kichou's eyes really were like glass beads. Such a light and pretty color. Suddenly... he remembered how he always used to peek into those eyes.
Just then, Kichou smiled.
This brought Kagerou back to reality, and he glared at Kichou. "What?"
Kichou replied, without the slightest hint of fear, "I was just thinking you've gotten quite pretty. But in looks only."
"Well, sorry about that...!"
"I was complimenting you, you know." He chuckled. "You were so adorable as a kid... Such puffy little cheeks. You were kinda slow, and you always followed me around everywhere. But when I told Hotaru about that, he didn't believe me."
So that conversation earlier had been about Kagerou?
Kagerou let out an annoyed sigh. There was no need for him to bring up old matters like that, especially about others.
Of course Hotaru didn't believe him. These days, he fought with Kichou pretty much whenever he saw him, and it had been ages since people started talking about how badly they got along.
"That was so long ago I'd forgotten about it," he answered coolly.
Kichou shot him another evil grin. "But... you're sexier nowadays. So much that it makes me want to do bad things to you..."
Then, just as he suggested, he slipped his hand under Kagerou's shikake in an area where it wouldn't show on the camera and started rubbing his butt. Or rather, he grabbed the soft flesh down there.
"......!"
A brief shudder ran through Kagerou's body, and he felt his face flush with warmth.
"W-what do you think you're doing!?" he yelled reflexively, and he slapped Kichou in the face.
This wasn't funny. It just wasn't the sort of thing to do to a colleague from the same brothel.
"I don't have to put up with this." He spun around and started stomping toward the door.
"Hey, wait a minute."
He ignored the oddly carefree voice that called out after him and exited the second-floor studio. Then he rushed down the stairs and out of the building.
He proceeded through the mostly empty streets of the red light district during the daytime without looking around him. His plan was to return to the brothel all by himself, but before he got more than a few meters away, someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Let go...!!"
At first he thought Kichou or someone else had followed him from the photo studio. But that didn't seem to be the case. The person who had a hold of him turned out to be a disreputable-looking strange man who had emerged from a nearby alley.
By the time he saw the man and realized he didn't know him, the man was already pulling him toward the alley.
"Let go of me...!"
The man pressed a large hand against Kagerou's mouth, and another man joined in to drag him into the alley. Kagerou could see a black car waiting at the other end of the alley. He knew that it would all be over if the man managed to get him in that car, so he bit down on the man's hand and tried to run away.
And then.
"Kichou...!!"
Kichou had followed them. He jumped down from the top of a nearby wall and kicked out at the men's heads. His furisode flapped around him like a butterfly's wings.
One of the men let go and collapsed, clutching his head. Kichou stooped to duck the other man's punch and shoved his elbow into the man's stomach. His movements were agile, like he was used to doing this sort of thing.
"Run for it!" He grabbed Kagerou's hand and started running.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to move in a kimono, and one of the men caught up to them almost immediately.
"Kichou...!" Kagerou yelled as the man grabbed at his clothing. His sleeve tore, letting out a sound almost like a scream, and he tumbled to the ground.
"Kagerou!" Kichou stepped in front of Kagerou, almost as if he was shielding him. "Go on ahead!"
"But..."
"Just do it! Go get help...!"
The men came at him again, and the situation quickly shifted to a fist fight. Then a third man emerged from the car, a wooden sword in hand. He lifted it above his head and swung it at Kichou without hesitating.
"Kichou...!!"
"Ugh..." Kichou grunted, as he curled into a ball.
The man smiled and stepped forward to finish him off. However, he never got a chance to do it. The moment the man approached him, Kichou grabbed a handful of sand from the ground near the man's feet and threw it in his face. When the man faltered, he slammed into him, and the man fell to the ground with a thud.
Then, finally, some people started to peek into the alley to see what was going on. The men noticed this and made noises of disappointment. They jumped into the car to get away, and a few of the onlookers made to follow them.
"Kichou...!!"
Kichou collapsed, and Kagerou flew to his side. He had probably been hurt pretty badly. Kagerou found himself wondering what would happen if his injuries were enough to be fatal.
Why did Kichou have to go so far just to save him? He could have understood it had it been way back when. But why now?
He cradled Kichou's limp body to his own, and the sleeves of his furisode spread out around him like a butterfly's wings.
notes:
1: When the Japanese say "black eyes," they almost always mean brown eyes, of course. ^_^
2: Pictures of beautiful women with the specific purpose of illustrating their beauty.
3: I think they're referring to postcards featuring pictures of high-class courtesans traveling to "assignments" with their kamuro and shinzou in tow.
So yeah... We're finally at Kichou and Kagerou's story!! (Yeah, they're my favorites too. ^_^;; ) This is the book that the manga was based off, if I remember correctly. (To be honest, I haven't actually read the manga yet. ^_^; But Itsuki Kaname is love!) This book mostly takes place way before the first one (when Kichou and Kagerou are still under 18), and then after it, but this prologue takes place during the middle of the first book. In fact, you'll even see Fuki (in passing, using his Hanafurirou name) here!! ^_^
A little housekeeping before I get to the story itself. I'm not planning on posting this book scene by scene, so I'm adding a plain old "hanafurirou 2" tag (instead of the chapter by chapter ones I used with book 1). And...for those of you who have read my translation of book 1, you may remember the translator's notes... Lots and lots of translator's notes. ^_^; I've decided with this book that rather than repeat all of those notes, I'm going to create a little glossary page for all the past ones (including book 1), and just link back to that. I'll only add notes for new things. (For the record, I did start a glossary a couple of years ago, when I started book 1, but I didn't keep it updated - I'll update that entry when I get the new one set up.) So head over here for the glossary. ^_^ (Or I did put a permanent link up on the sidebar too (if you're not reading this via a friends list).)
That said, let's start off with the translation of the back blurb, and then on to the story itself!
It's been over ten years since prostitution was legalized, and Yoshiwara has returned to its former status as a red light district. Kagerou and Kichou are the two prize jewels of the all-male brothel, Hanafurirou. Kagerou, arrogant and commonly known as "the princess," and Kichou, easygoing and the complete opposite of Kagerou, fight like cats and dogs. However, when they first arrived at Hanafurirou, they were so close that they always used to sneak off and hide together in a storeroom. So what exactly is the nature of their relationship...? The second book of the series set in Hanafurirou!
Ten or so years earlier, the anti-prostitution laws were abolished, and the best red light districts made a comeback. All the old pleasure districts and brothels were rebuilt, and Yoshiwara returned to its previous fame as a red light district.
Mede Shireru Yoru no Junjou (attempted translation: Pure Heart in the Night, Made Foolish by Love)
A single iroko sat elegantly upon the velvet-covered bench in the photo studio.
His red cherry blossom-patterned shikake stood out against his clear, pale skin, which fit well with his stage name of Kagerou. He had huge black eyes (1), double lidded and long and sharp like they had been carved out with a chisel. His long lashes and partially downturned eyes lent his expression an air of beauty and melancholy, but his gaze was cold and deliberate and made him look haughty. His black hair, which had been left down and tied loosely behind him, spilled over his shoulder.
And then there was the person leaning against the wall just a short distance away, arms crossed over his chest and watching the scene in front of him.
This man was just as beautiful as the first... also an iroko.
Unlike Kagerou, his hair was brown and he had large, bright almond-shaped eyes of a much lighter color. His figure was elegant, but his shoulders were wide and his bone structure sturdy. Even under the shikake, it was obvious he was male. But that just gave him a sort of stylish charm.
The best way to describe him would probably be as a "kabuki-mono."
That day, the photo studio that provided services for the brothels of Yoshiwara was busy with the iroko of Hanafurirou and their attendant shinzou and kamuro.
Once every month or so the prostitutes and iroko went to the Kashima photo studio, at the end of Naka no Machi, to get their pictures taken to be put up at their brothels or put in the brothels' photo albums. Often the customers chose their partners not just from reputation and seeing them in the harimise, but by looking through their pictures. Touin, one of Kichou's top customers, was just such a customer, so it was nothing to sneer at.
Besides, the brothel could always get extra prints and sell them, like the old bijinga (2) or procession postcards (3).
Kichou, like Kagerou, was one of the prize jewels of Hanafurirou, the top male brothel in Yoshiwara. However, Kichou didn't have that same unapproachable aura that Kagerou did.
Just then, Kichou was chatting amiably with one of the shinzou while he watched Kagerou with a faint smile on his lips. Sensing the gaze, Kagerou looked over at them.
He wondered just what they were talking about that was so interesting. The boy was one of the ones assigned to Kichou. Kagerou was fairly sure his name was Hotaru. Though his crimson nagajuban was finally long enough to touch the floor, there was still something young about his appearance.
Their eyes met, and Kichou smiled and waved his hand.
This was the man with whom Kagerou competed for the top spot each month. It was said the two of them fought like cats and dogs.
Kagerou turned away in huff, angry since it seemed he was being teased. Out of the corner of his eye, Kichou could see Kagerou start laughing at his childish reaction, and that only made him even angrier.
"There, all done," the photographer said, pulling his head away from his camera.
Kagerou stood up. Finally, he was done with this tedious job he had to do every few months.
"All right, we're do~ne!" Kichou, not Kagerou, said, stretching broadly. "We still have some time left. Wanna grab something to eat on the way back?"
With that question, Kichou's assistants broke out in excited chatter.
"So noisy." Kagerou's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, and he sighed.
They rarely left the brothel in groups, so Kichou usually treated his boys to something when they did. The brothel fed them, but not quite enough to satisfy a growing boy.
Takamura, one of the brothel staff, had other things to do, so he wasn't with them just then. As a result, the boys felt no need to hold back. Mixed in with the excited suggestions of dangos and soba was a voice calling for liquor.
Suddenly, Kichou turned to Kagerou. "What about you?"
Kagerou, not expecting to be included in the conversation, was surprised.
He wasn't particularly interested in going. He was still slightly annoyed at being made fun of earlier, and just the thought of going to a teahouse or somewhere like that with the boys gave him the chills. But just as he was about to decline, he looked over at his shinzou and kamuro, who were looking at him with expectant expressions.
He was well aware that he wasn't as good at taking care of his boys as Kichou was. It wasn't that he wasn't fond of them. Rather, he just didn't know how to deal with them. As a result, at some point it had been established that his boys, particularly the shinzou, were just being leant to him to deal with his problems.
Because of that, Kichou teased him, calling him "princess."
Kagerou sighed briefly. "Fine, I'll go."
"That's a change."
Kichou whistled. Frowning at his coarseness, Kagerou responded with, "I don't have a choice, do I? Everyone else wants to go. If I refused, I'd just look stingy."
"And you're not?"
"I'm not!!"
"Um... excuse me?" Just as Kagerou raised his voice, the photographer called out to them. "I was asked to take one more shot."
"One more?"
"Yes. One with the two of you."
"The two of us." After unintentionally speaking together, the two shared a glance.
The pictures they had just had taken were for use in the collections the customers looked at to choose their partners, so they all had to be taken individually. A picture of the two of them must have been intended for sale separately. The photographer confirmed this.
"There are quite a few customers who have expressed their desire for a picture of the two of you together."
A picture of two iroko... Kagerou had no idea why they would want something like that.
Kichou raised one eyebrow in a perfect arc. "I have no problems with that."
"You have to be kidding. No way. Who would want to take a picture with you?"
"Oh, really?" Kichou returned casually, not seeming to be annoyed, despite his words. Then he looked at the photographer. "He doesn't want to because he's afraid of looking bad compared to me."
"Wha...? I am not!" Kagerou's cheeks had flushed pink with anger, but he quickly forced himself back to serenity. This time he would make sure not to give in to Kichou's taunts. "...I'll have you know, I'm ahead of you in picture sales."
The ranking for sales of pictures was often oddly different from the ranking of the monthly sales ranking - in other words the total rankings. At Hanafurirou Kichou usually had the advantage in the monthly battle for number one, but when it came to the picture sales, Kagerou rarely let go of his top spot.
"Then there's nothing to be afraid of, is there? Let him take a picture or two." Kichou took Kagerou's arm and pulled him back in front of the camera.
"Wait... I haven't said I'd do it yet."
"Stop getting all worked up over such a trivial thing, Princess. Else we'll never get out of here."
Kagerou muttered about having his complaints ignored, but he reluctantly let the matter slide. After all, he didn't want to waste any more time in this place either.
"Want us to sit next to each other? Or should we stand?"
"Either way is fine, but if you could be touching, that would be great."
"Touching, huh?"
Kichou slid his arm around Kagerou's waist with one smooth motion, causing Kagerou to freeze in surprise.
"It's not like you're a virgin or anything. Can't you at least lean against me a little? Like you're with a customer?"
"...I don't do that sort of thing."
"Oh? ...So you still act like a princess even with your customers?"
Kichou gave out an evil little chuckle. He looked Kagerou up and down, as if he was imagining how Kagerou acted with his customers. Kagerou considering shoving him away, but he forced the feelings down and stayed still.
Like that, Kichou pulled him closer, and he found himself looking right into Kichou's eyes.
"Oh... His eyes." He found himself thinking that Kichou's eyes really were like glass beads. Such a light and pretty color. Suddenly... he remembered how he always used to peek into those eyes.
Just then, Kichou smiled.
This brought Kagerou back to reality, and he glared at Kichou. "What?"
Kichou replied, without the slightest hint of fear, "I was just thinking you've gotten quite pretty. But in looks only."
"Well, sorry about that...!"
"I was complimenting you, you know." He chuckled. "You were so adorable as a kid... Such puffy little cheeks. You were kinda slow, and you always followed me around everywhere. But when I told Hotaru about that, he didn't believe me."
So that conversation earlier had been about Kagerou?
Kagerou let out an annoyed sigh. There was no need for him to bring up old matters like that, especially about others.
Of course Hotaru didn't believe him. These days, he fought with Kichou pretty much whenever he saw him, and it had been ages since people started talking about how badly they got along.
"That was so long ago I'd forgotten about it," he answered coolly.
Kichou shot him another evil grin. "But... you're sexier nowadays. So much that it makes me want to do bad things to you..."
Then, just as he suggested, he slipped his hand under Kagerou's shikake in an area where it wouldn't show on the camera and started rubbing his butt. Or rather, he grabbed the soft flesh down there.
"......!"
A brief shudder ran through Kagerou's body, and he felt his face flush with warmth.
"W-what do you think you're doing!?" he yelled reflexively, and he slapped Kichou in the face.
This wasn't funny. It just wasn't the sort of thing to do to a colleague from the same brothel.
"I don't have to put up with this." He spun around and started stomping toward the door.
"Hey, wait a minute."
He ignored the oddly carefree voice that called out after him and exited the second-floor studio. Then he rushed down the stairs and out of the building.
He proceeded through the mostly empty streets of the red light district during the daytime without looking around him. His plan was to return to the brothel all by himself, but before he got more than a few meters away, someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Let go...!!"
At first he thought Kichou or someone else had followed him from the photo studio. But that didn't seem to be the case. The person who had a hold of him turned out to be a disreputable-looking strange man who had emerged from a nearby alley.
By the time he saw the man and realized he didn't know him, the man was already pulling him toward the alley.
"Let go of me...!"
The man pressed a large hand against Kagerou's mouth, and another man joined in to drag him into the alley. Kagerou could see a black car waiting at the other end of the alley. He knew that it would all be over if the man managed to get him in that car, so he bit down on the man's hand and tried to run away.
And then.
"Kichou...!!"
Kichou had followed them. He jumped down from the top of a nearby wall and kicked out at the men's heads. His furisode flapped around him like a butterfly's wings.
One of the men let go and collapsed, clutching his head. Kichou stooped to duck the other man's punch and shoved his elbow into the man's stomach. His movements were agile, like he was used to doing this sort of thing.
"Run for it!" He grabbed Kagerou's hand and started running.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to move in a kimono, and one of the men caught up to them almost immediately.
"Kichou...!" Kagerou yelled as the man grabbed at his clothing. His sleeve tore, letting out a sound almost like a scream, and he tumbled to the ground.
"Kagerou!" Kichou stepped in front of Kagerou, almost as if he was shielding him. "Go on ahead!"
"But..."
"Just do it! Go get help...!"
The men came at him again, and the situation quickly shifted to a fist fight. Then a third man emerged from the car, a wooden sword in hand. He lifted it above his head and swung it at Kichou without hesitating.
"Kichou...!!"
"Ugh..." Kichou grunted, as he curled into a ball.
The man smiled and stepped forward to finish him off. However, he never got a chance to do it. The moment the man approached him, Kichou grabbed a handful of sand from the ground near the man's feet and threw it in his face. When the man faltered, he slammed into him, and the man fell to the ground with a thud.
Then, finally, some people started to peek into the alley to see what was going on. The men noticed this and made noises of disappointment. They jumped into the car to get away, and a few of the onlookers made to follow them.
"Kichou...!!"
Kichou collapsed, and Kagerou flew to his side. He had probably been hurt pretty badly. Kagerou found himself wondering what would happen if his injuries were enough to be fatal.
Why did Kichou have to go so far just to save him? He could have understood it had it been way back when. But why now?
He cradled Kichou's limp body to his own, and the sleeves of his furisode spread out around him like a butterfly's wings.
notes:
1: When the Japanese say "black eyes," they almost always mean brown eyes, of course. ^_^
2: Pictures of beautiful women with the specific purpose of illustrating their beauty.
3: I think they're referring to postcards featuring pictures of high-class courtesans traveling to "assignments" with their kamuro and shinzou in tow.