The Flower and Willow World 3/4
Title: The Flower and Willow World
Pairing: LaviYuu, slight, one-sided TykiKanda
Rated: PG-M
Warnings: AU, so there's no spoilers. There's some smexing, but it's very nondescript. This is the kind of thing that E for everyone in the LK fandom...
Disclaimer: Saya owns the play, but not the actors. They belong to Hoshino.
Summary: In the Flower and Willow world, one is allowed to love, but only if the person they love can pay the price for them. Sadly, Lavi can't pay that price. How does love bloom in the Flower and Willow world?
Yeah....so Saya switched over to firefox some time ago, and it won't let her copy/paste directly into LJ.... not sure how to fix the security setting for that yet...grah. should go to F&Qs.... for now it's just troublesome though :/
Anyway...So yeah, all of you who were hoping for this chapter to have the whole Mizuage bidding-war thing….sorry, that isn’t happening in this story. Saya’s done the research and discovered that Geisha never sold their virginity, which makes sense because they weren’t prostitutes. Saya was really looking forward to writing that too…but research is research… Thanks for reading, as always! Sorry for the major OOC in this fic…
3-Make Up Your Mind
Kanda had to admit that even though it had been unexpected, and he’d been all but frozen for half of it, he had indeed enjoyed that kiss. He hadn’t expected it in the least, and felt that Lavi could’ve waited until he was finished talking at the least (it was so rude of him to interrupt), but damn it all if he hadn’t wished he didn’t need to breathe when it was over.
After that, every other question out of Lavi’s mouth seemed to be “Can I kiss you?”More often than not, Lavi didn’t even wait for an answer to that question either, so it was more of a warning, rather than Lavi asking for permission. Kanda never failed to point out that the idea behind asking was to wait for an answer.
However, now that Lavi was old enough to work side-by-side with the Doctor, and not just as an apprentice, he seemed much busier than he had been before. Not only that, but Kanda’s career was flourishing as well. He and Daisya were quite popular for maiko, and were being brought to more and more gatherings.
Komui said that the reason everyone liked them so much is because they worked together like hot and cool spices did to balance each other out. Kanda was a very ill-tempered person, but he couldn’t take his anger out on his patrons, so instead he spoke sarcasm as a second language and always just said whatever came to mind in a falsely sweet voice, no matter how rude it was. That was a heck of a lot better than him losing his cool and exploding at everyone who annoyed him. Daisya however, had a wonderful temperament and was very personable, so any time Kanda said something a little too offensive, Daisya came in and turned it into a joke. He also diffused the situation any time someone said something a bit too offensive or forward to Kanda, which was definitely the reason why Kanda had not killed anyone yet with his kanzashi.
Kanda was starting to notice that he was getting more admiring stares as time wore on. He also noticed that he saw the people who looked at him that way quite often. One person that he saw perhaps weekly was a foreigner who worked with Komui’s danna, Cross. Marian-san really was an insatiable flirt, but all it took was one well-timed, neglected-sounding sigh from Komui, and Cross was lavishing all of his attention on Komui, who usually tended to look much like a pampered cat afterwards.
Compared to his business associate and friend Cross, Tyki Mikk was quite the gentleman. At least, he was in his actions. It had been a little over a year since he had first met this particular regular of his, and not a week had passed where he hadn’t seen the Portuguese man in some tea house or other. At this point, he knew the man well enough to know that Tyki too spoke in sarcasm (very well concealed sarcasm, but sarcasm none the less), and that he liked to slip a few risqué comments into a conversation whenever he knew he could get away with it. And then sometimes he would just whisper them to Kanda when no one was paying attention.
Kanda supposed the man was better company than most, but he did so hate it when Tyki did that.
“Gonna see yer danna and his friends again today, hm, Komui?” Daisya teased, nudging his elder with his elbow. Komui hardly bothered with makeup at this point (he really had no need for it anyway), so his blush was clearly seen by his little brothers. Daisya snickered teasingly, and Kanda just rolled his eyes.
“If you like the man so much, why don’t you just go live with him? He’s offered, hasn’t he?” Kanda asked, though he already knew the answer.
“Lenalee likes the okiya, there is no way I would take her away from there, or let her stay there with all of you hormonal teenage boys without my supervision!” Komui said, giving Kanda a suspicious glare. Kanda was half-tempted to say that if Komui had to be suspicious of anyone at the okiya, it would have to be either Daisya or Bak... Fou didn’t appreciate Bak’s pedophile-like behavior one bit, it got in the way of his work. Daisya was definitely more of a threat to her purity than anyone else was really, Kanda had noticed that the older boy had stopped treating her as a little sister some time ago.
“Well, anyway, along with Cross comes that big guy, Marie, and that fellow Tyki who’s got his eye on our dear Kan-chan, right?” Daisya’s teasing glance was redirected at Kanda, who wasn’t the least bit ruffled by it.
“What makes you say Tyki-kun has his eye on our imouto-chan?” Komui asked, looking questioning. There was something behind the questioning look though, it seemed like he was trying to hide what he knew.
Being called “little sister” still made Kanda twitch, even after all these years.
“Well, you’ve been off on planet Marian or something, so obviously you didn’t pick up on it, but I’ve seen all the looks and those times he whispers to Kanda secretly! Whispering sweet nothings in your ear, is he?” Daisya asked, with a smirk. Komui chuckled behind his hand. Kanda gagged a little and was about to tell them that the only things Tyki ever whispered about were perverse things, but then thought better of it and just denied him saying anything of the romantic nature.
“Ah, well, in any case...we’ll see how long that lasts,” Komui said, suddenly it seemed as though he knew a lot more about what was going on than he had let on at first.
000
Kanda’s face was still cooling off as he and the others walked home from their appointments that night. Daisya and Komui had taken every opportunity afforded to them to point out the fact that there was an absolutely stunning new pink pearl lotus-design comb in his hair. A new comb given to him and placed in his hair by Tyki. Well, Komui had been right about the whole “no romantic talk” thing not lasting long, Kanda had just wished that Komui had given him a less vague warning about what had happened that evening.
It wasn’t as though Kanda had never received a gift before; on the contrary, it wasn’t all that unusual for him to get them at all. He had a lot of regulars, they liked to spoil him, and he wasn’t going to complain. Still, something about Tyki giving him one made him nervous, and he had no idea why. It wasn’t that nervous, butterfly feeling Kanda got from Lavi though, it was just plain nervous, nervous and very curious as to why Tyki had chosen to single him out. There were kinder, prettier geisha out there, he was sure. Nicer ones, at the very least.
Once the trio was about 50 meters away from the okiya’s front gate, they met up with Lavi and the Doctor, who were also on their way home from a house call. Both looked rather tired, but the Doctor knew that Lavi would probably go back to the okiya to talk with everyone for a bit, and so dismissed himself from the group when he came to the turn that would lead to the house behind the okiya.
When the four reached Kanda and Daisya’s room, they sat down and helped each other get out of their heavy kimonos, and take down their hair as painlessly as possible. Because they were not traditional female geisha, the Chan okiya’s geisha tended to cut corners on other things too, such as wearing the traditional hairstyles in favor of wearing more comfortable styles, but it still hurt to have one’s hair wound up and pinned to one’s head all day.
The new ornament was the first thing to leave Kanda’s hair, and though he treated it carefully (because, after all, Tyki had gone out of his way to buy it), it was still quite clear that he wanted it away from his persons. Komui frowned at this, as Daisya huffed.
“Geez Kan-chan, you act like the thing is burning you,” Daisya said, giving Kanda a look that clearly said the boy should be more grateful.
“You guys have been talking about that comb this whole time,” Lavi said before Kanda could respond to Daisya’s comment, “what’s so special about it? I mean, sure it’s pretty, but so is everything else that gets piled onto all of your heads.”
“That was a gift Kanda-chan just got from one of his regulars today. Really, he should appreciate the thought put into a gift given to him by a loyal patron,” Komui chastised. Lavi sharply looked at Kanda, and then the hair ornament that was on his bureau. His look turned questioning when he looked back to Kanda. He knew this wasn’t the first thing he’d gotten from someone, gifts came with the job. So what was so different about it this time?
Kanda looked away from the room, an annoyed scowl on his pretty face. He turned to the mirror and started removing his makeup, which was almost as much of a chore as putting it on.
“It’s just...awkward, to get a gift from him,” Kanda said. He couldn’t really put a finger on what it was that was bugging him, but that came pretty close to it, he was sure. He appreciated the gesture, just as he would’ve if anyone else had given it to him, but for some reason accepting it felt...wrong. Curious.
No one noticed the suspicious look that came to Lavi’s eyes, or the jealousy that spread through his being like wildfire.
000
Just a little before Kanda turned 15, he received a letter from his older brother that said he would be near the Kamishichiken district on a business trip. Apparently, his brother had gotten promoted to an executive position, and was now free to move around the country as long as it was for business purposes. He happened to be traveling to Kyoto, and was determined to see his little brother.
This was not the first letter Kanda had gotten from his brother since he’d gotten that package of letters two years prior, indeed they had started up a regular correspondence, but this was the first one that held such exciting news in it. Kanda was walking on air for the next week, and then as the day when his onii-san would arrive came closer, he began to get excited and nervous. Kanda had worked hard, hoping that this day would come, but now that it was here, he wondered if he would really be able to stand proudly before his own flesh and blood as a geisha.
Lavi sat in the corner of Kanda’s room, reading over the letter that had been shoved in his face the moment he had asked why Kanda had spent the last three days meticulously cleaning his and Daisya’s room. Kanda occupied himself with scrubbing every last remnant of dried makeup off of his bureau.
“Ah, I get it, you’re cleaning like a madman because you’re so nervous. If you really need to constantly be doing something, I’m right here you know,” Lavi said lasciviously. Kanda blushed a bright red and scrubbed at his bureau that much harder.
“Jerk, now is hardly the time to be saying such things. If you’re feeling bored watching me clean, then get off your ass and help,” Kanda huffed out, throwing a random bundle of cloth at Lavi’s face. It hit its mark, and Lavi pulled it off with a hint of annoyance.
“That was wholly unnecessary, Yuu-chan,” Lavi said, getting up and standing behind Yuu. He unrolled the cloth (it was a sash) and tied it loosely around Kanda’s eyes. Behind the blind, Kanda rolled his eyes.
“I know it’s you, stupid.”
“I know, but there’s just somethin’ ‘bout you being blindfolded that makes it all that much more exciting, ya know?” Kanda’s cheeks turned a pale pink as he felt his face being tipped up. Before Lavi could kiss him however, Kanda heard footsteps, followed almost immediately by someone entering the room. Kanda reflexively looked toward the door, realized he couldn’t see, and pulled down the blindfold.
At the door, Daisya stood, looking very surprised. There was a second of awkward silence where the three boys just stared at each other, which was broken when Daisya let out a low whistle.
“That was an interesting scene right there...” He said, still sounding quite surprised. “Not to say I hadn’t guessed things were that way between you two but... Just don’t do anything in our shared room Kan-chan, ok? Ya should probably keep it out of the okiya all together, ‘cause if anyone other than myself and maybe Komui had walked in, you’d get dragged out of this room and whipped so fast you wouldn’t have time to blink.”
Daisya was usually a rather carefree person, but when it came to anything that could hurt the okiya’s good name, he tended to get very serious. His words were like a bucket of cold water to Kanda. Daisya was right, a geisha’s good name was not taken lightly, and if Bak were to ever find out that he was doing anything that could possibly lower his worth, Kanda would be severely punished. Geisha did not enter personal relationships on a whim the way Kanda had, he would definitely need to be more careful from here on out.
Kanda looked away from Daisya and to the floor. Lavi did the opposite and looked to the ceiling, sighing and berating himself for almost getting Kanda into trouble.
“Ok then, in any case, Kanda, Bak wants to see us about something,” Daisya said, trying not to sound too serious. Kanda jolted, and for a minute he worried that he and Lavi had already been discovered. But Kanda hadn’t done anything beyond kiss the older boy, so there couldn’t be much of a problem, right? Then again, that was all it took to create malicious rumors, wasn’t it? Kanda tried to stop himself from feeling like he was going to his death as he walked out of the room.
However, when the door is closed, he finds that they are not actually going to see Bak, which instantly relieves Kanda. It is apparent though, that Daisya has brought Kanda out into the hall to talk about what just happened. The two walked slowly through the empty hall, speaking in hushed voices.
“I’m sorry that I sounded so mean in there Kanda, but... ya know it’s true. You’re my little brother here, I just don’t want you to lose face over a fling, or anything that isn’t worth the risk. I personally think it’s great the ya like someone, and I won’t tell a soul, but you’re a really popular geisha, and your competition would jump at the chance to drag your name through the mud.” Kanda knew that Daisya was just looking out for him, and that just made him feel guilty for putting the older boy in such an awkward position. He stared at the ground and mumbled an apology.
Daisya’s comment made him think though; this had been happening for two years now, there was no way that he and Lavi were just having a “fling,” but they had never bothered to classify just what it was they were. Not lovers, really, they’d never done anything that would classify them as such. Friends-with-benefits sounded much too frivolous, a geisha shouldn’t get caught up in such a relationship. But they weren’t really together either. Oh, this was troublesome, Kanda would spend no end of time trying to figure this out.
“Well, as long as you know Kan-chan. But I’ve got to ask one more thing...Just how much have you two done?” Daisya asked, looking at anything but Kanda. Yuu’s face turned turned into an expression of surprise, and he choked on air for a moment.
“Nothing! Nothing beyond what you just saw! Even I’m not that stupid!” Kanda said indignantly, and Daisya breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good to hear. Anyway, the real reason I came to our room was to get you, it just wasn’t to see Bak. Sorry, but that was just the first excuse that came to mind to get ya outta there...Forgot that there was a real reason, ya see,” Daisya explained, having the grace to look embarrassed about this. Kanda quirked an eyebrow at this, silently asking what was going on.
He got his answer when the two of them stopped in the courtyard. Standing in the yard, aged ten years but still young in appearance, was his brother. It was a day earlier than the date given on his brother’s letter, Kanda had not been prepared for this quite yet.
For a few minutes, no one made a move to talk or get closer, the two just looked each other up and down, taking in all the changes that had come about since they’d last seen each other, when Kanda was five. His onii-san had been 15 when he was sent to work, and now he was ten years older and looked the part. His face still resembled Kanda’s in that it was somewhat feminine, but he looked mature. His hair was much shorter than Kanda’s too, of course. It was cut close to his head, with neat bangs swept across his brow. His western business suit complemented his strong frame.
The older Kanda’s face displayed his shock clearly. Yuu felt like squirming under his onii-san’s inquisitive gaze. There was no doubt that Yuu had changed dramatically since he was five, but aside from that, he guessed that his brother had probably not expected his younger brother to look quite so feminine. Kanda’s loosely bound waist-length hair, thin, pale face, and flowing pale red robs were in stark contrast with his brother’s appearance.
“Y-Yuu...?” For a moment Kanda felt his face redden in shame. Somewhere in his heart, he had always wished that his brother would never see him this way. But no, he’d worked hard to get where he was now, he couldn’t be ashamed! He hadn’t had a choice anyway, Yuu had just made the best of his life, he should be proud of that!
After a moment of tentative silence, Kanda found it in him to answer.
“It’s been a long time, Haru-nii,” Yuu said, using the name he remembered having always called his brother, Haruka, when he was younger. They were both a bit old for nicknames, but at the moment neither of them cared. Being called that was all the incentive Haruka needed to run up to his younger brother and hug him for the first time in ten years. The embrace was a bit awkward, as they were both practically strangers to each other, and it was clear that Haruka was not used to physical contact with other people. He’d must’ve lived in a much colder environment that Kanda had, for Yuu had no problem with returning the embrace, even though he’d never been one for frivolous physical contact himself.
After a moment, Daisya, who’d tactfully stayed to the side and silent, spoke up, “Welcome to the Chan okiya, Kanda-san, Yuu-kun’s told us all about you. It’s a bit chilly outside, would you like to come in?”
Yuu pulled away from his brother and gave Daisya a questioning look, wondering why on earth Haruka was being talked to like a costumer; it was abnormal for Daisya to adopt that smooth, cool tone of voice in the okiya, or anywhere that wasn’t a teahouse. It didn’t take him long to realize that to everyone else, Haruka was an outsider, and would always remain that way. Haruka either didn’t notice the behavior or didn’t comment on it, and nodded before following Yuu and Daisya inside.
Lavi was waiting just inside the front entrance, he’d probably been watching the entire exchange.
“So this is Yuu-chan’s onii-chan, hm? I see the resemblance, ‘ere and there. Why don’t we go to the tea room, where Yuu can astound us with his tea ceremony skills?” Lavi asked. Kanda had the grace to look bashful at the compliment. Haruka decided that this was a good idea, and politely asked if that was alright. A moment later, the three of them were sitting across from each other, while Kanda meticulously prepared the tea. Haruka was impressed with his mastery of tea ceremony.
It was difficult for the three of them, Daisya, Lavi, and Yuu, to not fall into their usual banter that accompanied eating or drinking. Kanda wished he didn’t feel like he was at work at the moment, he didn’t like to act like a geisha unless he had to. It was especially weird to act so formal in his own home.
After a tense hour of small talk and casual conversation with Haruka, Yuu excused himself and his older brother, and brought him to the backyard. There were plenty of places to sit, and Kanda had asked that no one bother them for the time being, so hopefully no one would.
“Not a very lively bunch, are they?” Haruka asked, after breathing a sigh of relief. He had never liked having to be serious, Haruka was much more laid back than that, but it seemed that like Yuu, when the costume was on (in this case, his suit), he was a business man. But now it was just the two of them and there was little to no awkwardness.
“You’d be surprised, actually. Those two are a riot, they’re the most energetic people I’ve ever met. They were just acting that way because you’re sort of an outsider here, visitors do not usually come this far into the okiya, but I asked Oto-san for permission to have you here,” Kanda explained, trying not to sound offensive.
“Oto-san?” Haruka asked, looking bewildered.
“That’s what we call Bak, the proprietor of this okiya.”
“Oooh. I get it, so I’m sort of being treated like... a costumer, maybe? The brunette pulled it off just fine, but I have to say I’ve met geisha more friendly than the redhead.” Kanda temporarily overlooked the fact that his brother had ever come into contact with a geisha before this, and explained Lavi’s behavior.
“Lavi isn’t a geisha, he’s the doctor’s apprentice who lives behind the okiya,” Yuu said, pointing to the house that could be seen just over the fence. Haruka let out another little “oh” and looked to where Yuu had pointed. “I don’t know why he was acting so strange though, he’s just visiting himself, though seeing as he practically grew up here himself, I guess he’s almost like one of us.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t like me?” Haruka suggested. There was no offence in his voice, he was just pointing out the most obvious possibility.
“That’s silly, Lavi likes everyone.”
“Clearly not. Gotta say I didn’t much like the looks of him myself,” Haruka said; there wasn’t any contempt in his voice, he was just stating a fact. Haruka had this way of being detached about even disliking someone. Kanda looked surprised, it wasn’t like the Haruka he had known to just randomly dislike someone, and it was not often that anyone decided to dislike Lavi at all.
“Why?”
“He looks at you funny, it was sort of creepy, from where I was sitting.”
“Really?” Kanda had long-since gotten used to admiring stares, and no longer cared to notice them, and he’d gotten so used to Lavi staring at him that it was usually stranger to not feel that lone green eye on him when they were together.
“Really. But, oddball kids aside, how do you like it here? You never seem to have much bad to say about it, but are you happy here?” Kanda decided against correcting Haruka by telling him that Lavi was 20 and therefore definitely not a child, and answered the question.
“It’s nice here. I didn’t like it at first, but everyone is kind, and it’s much easier to work as a geisha than it was to work at home. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s easier. I’m just thankful that I was sent here, rather than the pleasure district, and work hard to be successful.”
“Successful? Do you really want to be here though?” Haruka couldn’t seem to believe that anyone could be content to live this way, even though it really wasn’t so horrible. He probably felt the same way as Kanda had when he’d first come to the okiya; it was a disgrace for a man to have to do this.
“Well, it’s not like I have a choice, I was sold here, I’ve got a debt to pay. At first I hated it, but then someone told me that because I can’t do anything about my circumstances, I should just make the best of them, so that at the very least, I could be proud of myself for working hard, and being the best. I have to work here, so I might as well make the most of myself.”
“But you do have a choice, Yuu,” Haruka said. Yuu looked over to his brother questioningly.
“I do?”
“Well, yeah... Ever since I started working, I’ve saved up everything that didn’t go to the family, so now I’m rather well off. When I heard what had happened to you, I asked how much you were sold for, and now I’ve got enough to cover it. Besides, you’ve been working it off for years, so I’m sure I could afford to get you out of here, if you wanted to leave.”
Kanda’s face was one of complete surprise. Sure, at first he had hated it at the okiya, and even though he still hated having his hair waxed and styled for formal occasions, and it was troublesome to have to put on makeup and elegant kimono day after day, he had never thought of leaving, of buying himself out. On some level he realized that eventually, he would be able to pay back his debt and leave the okiya if he so wished, but he had never thought to actually work towards that day.
And now here his brother was, offering to buy him out of the okiya. Kanda had no idea what he was supposed to do in this situation. It made sense on a logical level to jump at the chance to be with his blood family again, but over the past 8 years, this okiya had become his home, he didn’t know if he could leave it right now without regrets.
“What would I do if I left?” Kanda asked, putting off his answer with another question. “I’m not trained in many different areas, and I’m no longer used to manual labor. I’d be useless outside of the hanamachi, and it would take a while to change that.” That was a sad truth to admit to, but it was true. Kanda was sure that if he took the time to train for something new, he could do anything he really wanted to, but until he finished this supposed training, what would he do? He really would be useless, jobless, and without finances.
“You could come live with me in Tokyo. You are my brother, there’s nothing wrong with family helping family and living together. You could come work with me too, if you wanted. Heck, you could sit around the house all day and do nothing for all I care, I just don’t want you to be someplace where you aren’t happy.”
Kanda appreciated the sentiment, really he did, but even knowing that he would be taken care of on the outside, he was still hesitant to leave the okiya. His conflict must’ve shown on his face, for his brother sighed and stood up. He looked down to his wristwatch and groaned a little before addressing Kanda.
“I can see that you’re unsure of what to do. You don’t have to answer me now, but think about it a bit, okay? I leave next week, so that’s the latest I can take your answer. The offer is always open though, if you ever want out, just tell me,” Haruka said, looking a little saddened by his brother’s hesitation. “Well, in any case, I’ve got a meeting in a few hours, I’d better rest up before going there.” Haruka bid his brother a good evening, promised to come by again the next day, and left.
000
“So, what was Haruka-san doing here today?” Komui asked Kanda, as the three of them prepared for their engagement for the evening. Komui had seen Haruka as he was leaving the okiya and the two of them had talked for a bit.
Kanda looked over to Komui questioningly. “You called him Haruka-san, do you know him well Komui?” Daisya asked, before Kanda could.
“Not really, that’s just how he was introduced to me. He is a business associate of my danna. His company sells uniforms to the military, and Cross sells them weapons. I’ve only met him once or twice, but he’s a nice enough fellow,” Komui explained. Kanda and Daisya looked at Komui, wide-eyed.
“What?”
“That was my brother, coming to visit me after being separated for ten years,” Kanda dead panned. Komui’s jaw dropped just as he was trying to lightly apply his Kyo Beni(1), and he ended up swearing colorfully when the red line left his lips and went up his cheek. Daisya gave a low, appreciative whistle.
“Y-Your brother?! Bu-but... I mean yeah, there’s a bit of resemblance but goodness... You both act differently and you just... Why am I never told the important things?” Komui huffed, throwing his hands (and consequently the brush he was using) into the air, feeling annoyed and left out of the loop.
“Yes...he is my brother,” Kanda said with a sigh, feeling that Komui’s reaction was far too dramatic for the situation. Well, maybe not far too dramatic... “And... He said he wants to buy me back from the okiya so that I can live with him in Tokyo...” This time, it was Daisya, who was putting combs and ornaments in his hair, that yell obscenities as he accidently stabbed himself with a particularly long-toothed comb.
“Are you serious? He’s going to take you away from here? When? This isn’t fair at all, we had no warning! And what if we don’t wanna let our imouto-chan go just yet? Not fair I’m tellin’ ya, that’s just plain not fair!”
“Relax, Daisya, he didn’t say he was going to, he said I had the option of doing that... If I wanted him to, he would...” The mood of the room went from angry to upset in a second. Kanda knew that both Daisya and Komui were wondering if he would choose to leave or stay.
“So...what is it that you want to do...?” Komui asked tentatively, as though he were afraid of the answer.
“I...Don’t know,” Kanda answered honestly, “I mean, I’d love to go live with my brother, but...” Kanda didn’t need to say it, to know that the others realized what he meant. This place feels like home now.
“Well, in any case...I wouldn’t suggest telling Lavi about that unless you know for sure you’re going to be leaving. That man would fly off the handle if he ever found out that anyone besides himself was planning to do that,” Komui said. Daisya and Kanda both looked at Komui, wearing worried expressions. He gave them an annoyed look.
“Hey, just because you can hide the fact that you like Lavi from everyone else in the okiya, doesn’t mean you can hide it from your big brother! I’ve got years of training here, I have conditioned my mind to pick up on anything that poses a threat to my dear little siblings’ purity! That, and...ah...naw, I shouldn’t say it...” Komui suddenly shook his head and refused to go on. Daisya and Kanda’s interest was immediately caught by this.
“Shouldn’t say what, Komui? How did you know about those two, when I only just found out about them today?!” Daisya demanded an answer with a huff. Komui quirked an eyebrow at him, then looked to Kanda, as if to ask, “Why does he know?” Kanda gave him a similar look that asked, “Why do you know?”
“I walked in on the two of them today! They weren’t doing anything bad, really, and I had my speculations but still...So yeah, I know now,” Daisya said, “Now why do you know? And what was the “that, and...” about?”
Komui debated in his mind whether he should tell his two young charges about this or not. In the end, his excitement over the topic won out over the fact that he wasn’t supposed to talk about it yet, and he blurted it out.
“Lavi has talked to me about becoming Kan-chan’s danna. Not now, but in a few years when Kan-chan’s a full-fledged geisha, and the Doctor has retired and Lavi takes his place. He’s talked to me about it quite a few times, he seems very serious about it.”
Kanda’s face lit up, and he decided that he might need to wear a bit more oshiroi(2) than usual tonight, because his face would be this red until tomorrow morning.
000
Tonight the three were to attend a business meeting with Cross and Tyki, along with a few of their associates. By now, both Kanda and Daisya knew that they were expected to stay quiet while the meeting was in session, keep everyone’s glasses filled, and when it came time for entertainment, they were to entertain.
It was mid-spring, so Kanda wore a deep crimson kimono with pale pink accents and a bright red, almost orange, obi. The hana kanzashi in his hair were sakura patterned, while his kimono had an iris pattern. At the base of the twist in his hair was the pale lotus comb. Daisya and Komui were also wearing spring-patterned kimonos, Daisya’s a color scheme of purples, and Komui’s a mix of pale pink, white, and green. (3)
Though it was getting warmer out, the nights were still nippy, so the three were thankful for the warmth the tea house provided. Komui was, as always, the first to enter the room. For a minute the older man stopped at the door, but then continued in and was followed by Daisya, who strangely enough did the same, though there was no reason to. When Kanda appeared in the door, he realized immediately why they had paused before entering.
Sitting next to a young and well-dressed woman with a beautiful yet scarred feature, was his brother, who looked like he’d rather be elsewhere. Kanda prayed to God that he looked different enough in his work clothes as to not be recognizable. Apparently, praying didn’t work for Kanda because as soon as Haruka looked up at him, his eyes widened in recognition and surprise. Yuu decided to take this chance to show his brother that working as a geisha wasn’t as horrible or demeaning for a boy as he might think, and straightened his back a little before entering the room.
Kanda took his usual seat between Tyki and another one of Cross’ associates, Sokalo, who was quite ill-tempered and liked to engage Kanda in a word battles; there never was a clear winner. Kanda found it rather difficult to maintain his composure while the meeting was in session. His brother stared at him any chance he got, as though he were scrutinizing him, trying to get into his head. Well, it was impossible to really get into a geisha’s head when one was working, but the attempt itself was unnerving. Kanda wrung his hands under the table when no one was looking, and somehow managed to not let anyone catch onto the fact that he was feeling nervous. The only people who noticed were Daisya and Komui, for obvious reasons.
Those two, and Tyki, of course, who noticed every little thing Kanda did. That too, was usually pretty unnerving.
“Feeling nervous, Misaki-chan?” Tyki leaned towards Kanda and asked in a whisper, inquisitive eyebrow raised. “Misaki” was Kanda’s geisha name. If he was a normal geisha, then this would’ve become his new name the moment he’d become a minarai, and he would never be called anything else. However, the names were just another corner his okiya cut. They called each other by their real names only when they were at home and off from work, being allowed to use each other’s real names was a show of how close to each other they were. Names were another wall that separated personal relationships from business ones.
“Just a tad,” Kanda replied, using his folding fan as a way to cover his moving lips. “Haruka happens to be the brother I haven’t seen since I was five, and I never anticipated having to entertain my own brother.”
“Oh...” Tyki’s eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly became aware of the fact that a certain older brother was discretely shooting glares at him. He shuttered, and quickly sat up straight again. He wondered if he was going to make it out of this meeting alive.
“Misaki, Marie-san was hoping to listen to some music, and Sokalo-san was wondering if you’d accompany our song with a dance,” Daisya said, motioning to the two men sitting next to him. Marie-san was very appreciative of music, though one would not expect that of the burly, silent man. Sokalo too, was a strongly built man whom you wouldn’t expect to appreciate dance, and yet did. Kanda nodded politely and quickly stood from his seat. He and Komui went to the corner where his fans and Komui’s shamisen were kept, and Daisya took a seat near the performance area.
When Kanda had first started learning dance, he’d hated it, but after he’d started entertaining costumers, he’d found it was a wonderful way to block them out. And that was still how he felt, as he took his place in the center of the floor, listened as Komui strummed his shamisen and Daisya sung, and waited for his cue to begin. All he had to worry about for these few moments was dropping his fans and tripping, and he’d never done either. All he had to be aware of was himself, the shamisen, and Daisya’s voice. Dance had become Kanda’s way of meditating, and he felt happiest when he was moving gracefully, with a fan in either hand that now felt like an extension of himself; he’d once entertained a samurai who had mentioned that wielding a sword felt much the same.
When he came back down to earth, the first thing Yuu noticed was Haruka staring at him with a rather impressed and maybe even proud look in his eyes. Suddenly Kanda didn’t feel as nervous as he had all night, and he stopped wringing his sleeves.
000
Just a few moments before the three geisha were to leave the teahouse, Tyki approached him and asked to talk in private for a moment. Kanda was hesitant to say yes, because Tyki seemed a bit different than usual. He seemed a bit nervous, and he wasn’t being his usual overly-confident self, he’d actually been acting odd the entire night and Kanda was unsure of what to make of this. Still, he obliged and stayed in the tea room with the older man until everyone left.
“What is it you wanted to talk about, Tyki-san?” Kanda asked, his business mask still firmly in place, hiding his unease. Tyki seemed still seemed unsure, and for a moment Yuu didn’t think he would reply. Then, something in the older man’s mind resolved itself, and while he still seemed unsure, he now looked determined, too.
“I’ve been considering this for a while now. Next year you will no longer be a maiko, but a full-fledged geisha... I was thinking that at that time, I would like to become your danna.” Kanda’s dark eyes widened in shock; he hadn’t expected this from Tyki, and he certainly hadn’t expected to hear that two people wanted him in one day.
Kanda was unsure of what to do at this particular point in time, because they had never covered what he should do in this situation during his training. He bit his lip and looked to the floor, hoping that the gesture was one of meekness and not of rejection. Honestly, he didn’t dislike Tyki so much anymore, but he hadn’t worked so hard for all of these years to win over this man. Still, Kanda didn’t have much choice in the matter, and it was part of his job, so he supposed he should be thankful.
“I am grateful that you think so highly of me...Thank you, Tyki-san.” Neither man was sure of how to stem the growing awkwardness of the situation, but luckily, Daisya poked his head into the room and told Kanda that they were leaving.
Kanda was silent on the walk home. It wasn’t as though he was a chatter box in the first place, but usually he added some witty comment or other every so often. Now he was just too focused on trying to solve his current problem to make any input. So he had two people who wanted to become his danna, and one person who wanted to buy him from the okiya all together. One was his brother, whom Kanda definitely wanted to see more often and wouldn’t mind living with in the least. Haruka was also offering him freedom from the constrictions of the flower and willow world. Then there was Tyki, his loyal costumer whom he had established a unique friendship with over years of service.
And lastly, there was Lavi, his childhood friend who’d been the one person who had really been able to keep him going through nearly 8 years of training and work. He’d been the one who Kanda had worked toward for years, when he’d lost hope in his brother ever finding him. Lavi had been planning to take him away longer than anyone else had, and Kanda knew that if he took either of his first two options, then he would hurt someone he cared for deeply (even though he would never admit just how deeply he did care).
When the trio reached the okiya, they were greeted by a slightly tired looking Lavi, who had come home not but a few minutes earlier from an appointment, and had decided to wait a little while for their return. Kanda, too busy thinking and not wanting his judgment to be swayed by any particular person’s presence, had pushed right past the man and kept walking until he reached his room, and shut his door louder than he intended to.
“What’s with him?” Lavi asked, hitching a thumb in the direction Kanda had walked.
“I’m not sure,” Daisya said, his eyebrows furrowing in worry. “Tyki kept him behind for a moment, and I’m not really sure what happened between them, but he’s been silent ever since.” The two young men looked towards Komui, to see if he knew anything about this. Komui looked away from them, for he did have an idea of what was wrong, but he really, really couldn’t tell them, at least not now.
“Komui...” Lavi said, in a voice that was very close to threatening. Komui was annoyed with the lack of understanding.
“Hey, I’ve got to follow the rules sometimes too, ok? There are some affairs that need to remain confidential.” Well, in truth, Komui had heard about Tyki’s intentions from Cross, and not the man himself, so unless Kanda affirmed his suspicions, what he knew was nothing more than gossip, but still, Komui was not supposed to tell anyone about such matters until they are official. It was different when it came to Lavi, because Lavi was a close friend of theirs and they all vaguely knew he was planning to take Kanda anyway. This was different though, this was completely business.
“I’m sure he’ll get over it with time,” Komui assured, “he’ll surely make whatever decision is best for himself, and we’ll just have to be happy with it, whatever it is.”
000
Apparently, Kanda was still in the decision-making process when the end of the week rolled by. He was outright refusing to see Lavi, and even at work some of his customers noticed that he wasn’t being as sarcastic or snarky as usual. Luckily, he didn’t have to see Tyki again for the rest of the week.
Haruka had come to visit every day that he had been in town, and had more often than not taken Yuu out of the okiya for a while to eat together. Kanda had borrowed some more western-looking clothes from Haruka and tied his hair back in a simple ponytail in hopes that he would be less recognizable without his usual makeup and clothing. The last thing he wanted was to meet a customer on the streets and have them actually recognize him, and get the wrong idea.
“Yuu, I’m leaving tomorrow morning, you know... And you’ve yet to answer my question,” Haruka said, as they left a small eatery and headed back to the hanamachi.
“I... It’s hard to choose... I want to stay with you, and I would enjoy living with family, I know but... I’ve built a life for myself here too. I don’t know...what I want more...” On the one hand, if Kanda used this chance to escape the world he currently lived in, then Kanda wouldn’t have to worry about the complications involving his two potential danna, Kanda would be free to chose his relationships as he saw fit, and if he wanted he could always go back to the flower and willow world.
This seemed like an easy fix, but it wasn’t. Sure, Kanda would be free to pursue whatever relationships he wanted, friendly or otherwise, but he wouldn’t be in the hanamachi anymore, he wouldn’t even be in Kyoto at all. He’d be up in Tokyo with his brother, and Lavi couldn’t follow him there easily. Tyki could probably find a way to use his work as an excuse to visit, but Kanda didn’t want to further his relationship with the man, he was perfectly fine where they were. Kanda would have to leave behind everyone he cared for and give up the life he was so used to, though he would still have his brother and he could probably make it work for himself. Still...would he ever be as happy in Tokyo as he was in Kyoto?
Haruka sighed, shaking his head. “Then the choice is obvious, Yuu,” he said. “From what I’ve seen in the past week, I can tell that you’ve made a place for yourself in that okiya, you’ve made those people into your new family. Yuu, you were forced to leave your home once, don’t feel as though I want to force you away from your home again.”
Kanda looked at his brother with a surprised expression. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Haruka’s feelings by making it seem like he’d replaced their family or something, but in the end he couldn’t stop himself from treating his friends in the okiya as family. Haruka didn’t seem all that offended by it though, and Kanda thanked hi brother’s detached nature for that. His older brother wasn’t so petty as to take that personally, it was only natural for one to get to know and eventually care for the people around them.
“I... Thank you, Haru-nii.”
“Don’t mention, it. I just want my otouto-chan to be happy, wherever he is! Just be sure to write every so often, or I’ll worry. And...” Haruka’s understanding, big brother aura suddenly took a dive for the worst. “If that redhead or Tyki-san dare to make any moves on you before you’re 30, I’ll come back here and kill them...” For a moment, Haruka looked like the devil incarnate, and Yuu feared for the two aforementioned suitors’ lives.
1-Kyo Beni is the lipstick used specifically by geiko from Kyoto. It’s sold in a shell, and is a hard green cake that turns crimson when applied with a wet brush.
2-oshiroi is the white face makeup geisha and maiko use.
3-Kanda’s layering scheme is called koubai, Komui’s is momo, and Daisya’s is shirozakura.
4-Both “Haruka” and “Misaki” are the names of characters that Kanda’s voice actor, Takahiro Sakurai, does. Haruka is from Tactics, and Misaki is from Junjyo Romantica.
Pairing: LaviYuu, slight, one-sided TykiKanda
Rated: PG-M
Warnings: AU, so there's no spoilers. There's some smexing, but it's very nondescript. This is the kind of thing that E for everyone in the LK fandom...
Disclaimer: Saya owns the play, but not the actors. They belong to Hoshino.
Summary: In the Flower and Willow world, one is allowed to love, but only if the person they love can pay the price for them. Sadly, Lavi can't pay that price. How does love bloom in the Flower and Willow world?
Yeah....so Saya switched over to firefox some time ago, and it won't let her copy/paste directly into LJ.... not sure how to fix the security setting for that yet...grah. should go to F&Qs.... for now it's just troublesome though :/
Anyway...So yeah, all of you who were hoping for this chapter to have the whole Mizuage bidding-war thing….sorry, that isn’t happening in this story. Saya’s done the research and discovered that Geisha never sold their virginity, which makes sense because they weren’t prostitutes. Saya was really looking forward to writing that too…but research is research… Thanks for reading, as always! Sorry for the major OOC in this fic…
3-Make Up Your Mind
Kanda had to admit that even though it had been unexpected, and he’d been all but frozen for half of it, he had indeed enjoyed that kiss. He hadn’t expected it in the least, and felt that Lavi could’ve waited until he was finished talking at the least (it was so rude of him to interrupt), but damn it all if he hadn’t wished he didn’t need to breathe when it was over.
After that, every other question out of Lavi’s mouth seemed to be “Can I kiss you?”More often than not, Lavi didn’t even wait for an answer to that question either, so it was more of a warning, rather than Lavi asking for permission. Kanda never failed to point out that the idea behind asking was to wait for an answer.
However, now that Lavi was old enough to work side-by-side with the Doctor, and not just as an apprentice, he seemed much busier than he had been before. Not only that, but Kanda’s career was flourishing as well. He and Daisya were quite popular for maiko, and were being brought to more and more gatherings.
Komui said that the reason everyone liked them so much is because they worked together like hot and cool spices did to balance each other out. Kanda was a very ill-tempered person, but he couldn’t take his anger out on his patrons, so instead he spoke sarcasm as a second language and always just said whatever came to mind in a falsely sweet voice, no matter how rude it was. That was a heck of a lot better than him losing his cool and exploding at everyone who annoyed him. Daisya however, had a wonderful temperament and was very personable, so any time Kanda said something a little too offensive, Daisya came in and turned it into a joke. He also diffused the situation any time someone said something a bit too offensive or forward to Kanda, which was definitely the reason why Kanda had not killed anyone yet with his kanzashi.
Kanda was starting to notice that he was getting more admiring stares as time wore on. He also noticed that he saw the people who looked at him that way quite often. One person that he saw perhaps weekly was a foreigner who worked with Komui’s danna, Cross. Marian-san really was an insatiable flirt, but all it took was one well-timed, neglected-sounding sigh from Komui, and Cross was lavishing all of his attention on Komui, who usually tended to look much like a pampered cat afterwards.
Compared to his business associate and friend Cross, Tyki Mikk was quite the gentleman. At least, he was in his actions. It had been a little over a year since he had first met this particular regular of his, and not a week had passed where he hadn’t seen the Portuguese man in some tea house or other. At this point, he knew the man well enough to know that Tyki too spoke in sarcasm (very well concealed sarcasm, but sarcasm none the less), and that he liked to slip a few risqué comments into a conversation whenever he knew he could get away with it. And then sometimes he would just whisper them to Kanda when no one was paying attention.
Kanda supposed the man was better company than most, but he did so hate it when Tyki did that.
“Gonna see yer danna and his friends again today, hm, Komui?” Daisya teased, nudging his elder with his elbow. Komui hardly bothered with makeup at this point (he really had no need for it anyway), so his blush was clearly seen by his little brothers. Daisya snickered teasingly, and Kanda just rolled his eyes.
“If you like the man so much, why don’t you just go live with him? He’s offered, hasn’t he?” Kanda asked, though he already knew the answer.
“Lenalee likes the okiya, there is no way I would take her away from there, or let her stay there with all of you hormonal teenage boys without my supervision!” Komui said, giving Kanda a suspicious glare. Kanda was half-tempted to say that if Komui had to be suspicious of anyone at the okiya, it would have to be either Daisya or Bak... Fou didn’t appreciate Bak’s pedophile-like behavior one bit, it got in the way of his work. Daisya was definitely more of a threat to her purity than anyone else was really, Kanda had noticed that the older boy had stopped treating her as a little sister some time ago.
“Well, anyway, along with Cross comes that big guy, Marie, and that fellow Tyki who’s got his eye on our dear Kan-chan, right?” Daisya’s teasing glance was redirected at Kanda, who wasn’t the least bit ruffled by it.
“What makes you say Tyki-kun has his eye on our imouto-chan?” Komui asked, looking questioning. There was something behind the questioning look though, it seemed like he was trying to hide what he knew.
Being called “little sister” still made Kanda twitch, even after all these years.
“Well, you’ve been off on planet Marian or something, so obviously you didn’t pick up on it, but I’ve seen all the looks and those times he whispers to Kanda secretly! Whispering sweet nothings in your ear, is he?” Daisya asked, with a smirk. Komui chuckled behind his hand. Kanda gagged a little and was about to tell them that the only things Tyki ever whispered about were perverse things, but then thought better of it and just denied him saying anything of the romantic nature.
“Ah, well, in any case...we’ll see how long that lasts,” Komui said, suddenly it seemed as though he knew a lot more about what was going on than he had let on at first.
000
Kanda’s face was still cooling off as he and the others walked home from their appointments that night. Daisya and Komui had taken every opportunity afforded to them to point out the fact that there was an absolutely stunning new pink pearl lotus-design comb in his hair. A new comb given to him and placed in his hair by Tyki. Well, Komui had been right about the whole “no romantic talk” thing not lasting long, Kanda had just wished that Komui had given him a less vague warning about what had happened that evening.
It wasn’t as though Kanda had never received a gift before; on the contrary, it wasn’t all that unusual for him to get them at all. He had a lot of regulars, they liked to spoil him, and he wasn’t going to complain. Still, something about Tyki giving him one made him nervous, and he had no idea why. It wasn’t that nervous, butterfly feeling Kanda got from Lavi though, it was just plain nervous, nervous and very curious as to why Tyki had chosen to single him out. There were kinder, prettier geisha out there, he was sure. Nicer ones, at the very least.
Once the trio was about 50 meters away from the okiya’s front gate, they met up with Lavi and the Doctor, who were also on their way home from a house call. Both looked rather tired, but the Doctor knew that Lavi would probably go back to the okiya to talk with everyone for a bit, and so dismissed himself from the group when he came to the turn that would lead to the house behind the okiya.
When the four reached Kanda and Daisya’s room, they sat down and helped each other get out of their heavy kimonos, and take down their hair as painlessly as possible. Because they were not traditional female geisha, the Chan okiya’s geisha tended to cut corners on other things too, such as wearing the traditional hairstyles in favor of wearing more comfortable styles, but it still hurt to have one’s hair wound up and pinned to one’s head all day.
The new ornament was the first thing to leave Kanda’s hair, and though he treated it carefully (because, after all, Tyki had gone out of his way to buy it), it was still quite clear that he wanted it away from his persons. Komui frowned at this, as Daisya huffed.
“Geez Kan-chan, you act like the thing is burning you,” Daisya said, giving Kanda a look that clearly said the boy should be more grateful.
“You guys have been talking about that comb this whole time,” Lavi said before Kanda could respond to Daisya’s comment, “what’s so special about it? I mean, sure it’s pretty, but so is everything else that gets piled onto all of your heads.”
“That was a gift Kanda-chan just got from one of his regulars today. Really, he should appreciate the thought put into a gift given to him by a loyal patron,” Komui chastised. Lavi sharply looked at Kanda, and then the hair ornament that was on his bureau. His look turned questioning when he looked back to Kanda. He knew this wasn’t the first thing he’d gotten from someone, gifts came with the job. So what was so different about it this time?
Kanda looked away from the room, an annoyed scowl on his pretty face. He turned to the mirror and started removing his makeup, which was almost as much of a chore as putting it on.
“It’s just...awkward, to get a gift from him,” Kanda said. He couldn’t really put a finger on what it was that was bugging him, but that came pretty close to it, he was sure. He appreciated the gesture, just as he would’ve if anyone else had given it to him, but for some reason accepting it felt...wrong. Curious.
No one noticed the suspicious look that came to Lavi’s eyes, or the jealousy that spread through his being like wildfire.
000
Just a little before Kanda turned 15, he received a letter from his older brother that said he would be near the Kamishichiken district on a business trip. Apparently, his brother had gotten promoted to an executive position, and was now free to move around the country as long as it was for business purposes. He happened to be traveling to Kyoto, and was determined to see his little brother.
This was not the first letter Kanda had gotten from his brother since he’d gotten that package of letters two years prior, indeed they had started up a regular correspondence, but this was the first one that held such exciting news in it. Kanda was walking on air for the next week, and then as the day when his onii-san would arrive came closer, he began to get excited and nervous. Kanda had worked hard, hoping that this day would come, but now that it was here, he wondered if he would really be able to stand proudly before his own flesh and blood as a geisha.
Lavi sat in the corner of Kanda’s room, reading over the letter that had been shoved in his face the moment he had asked why Kanda had spent the last three days meticulously cleaning his and Daisya’s room. Kanda occupied himself with scrubbing every last remnant of dried makeup off of his bureau.
“Ah, I get it, you’re cleaning like a madman because you’re so nervous. If you really need to constantly be doing something, I’m right here you know,” Lavi said lasciviously. Kanda blushed a bright red and scrubbed at his bureau that much harder.
“Jerk, now is hardly the time to be saying such things. If you’re feeling bored watching me clean, then get off your ass and help,” Kanda huffed out, throwing a random bundle of cloth at Lavi’s face. It hit its mark, and Lavi pulled it off with a hint of annoyance.
“That was wholly unnecessary, Yuu-chan,” Lavi said, getting up and standing behind Yuu. He unrolled the cloth (it was a sash) and tied it loosely around Kanda’s eyes. Behind the blind, Kanda rolled his eyes.
“I know it’s you, stupid.”
“I know, but there’s just somethin’ ‘bout you being blindfolded that makes it all that much more exciting, ya know?” Kanda’s cheeks turned a pale pink as he felt his face being tipped up. Before Lavi could kiss him however, Kanda heard footsteps, followed almost immediately by someone entering the room. Kanda reflexively looked toward the door, realized he couldn’t see, and pulled down the blindfold.
At the door, Daisya stood, looking very surprised. There was a second of awkward silence where the three boys just stared at each other, which was broken when Daisya let out a low whistle.
“That was an interesting scene right there...” He said, still sounding quite surprised. “Not to say I hadn’t guessed things were that way between you two but... Just don’t do anything in our shared room Kan-chan, ok? Ya should probably keep it out of the okiya all together, ‘cause if anyone other than myself and maybe Komui had walked in, you’d get dragged out of this room and whipped so fast you wouldn’t have time to blink.”
Daisya was usually a rather carefree person, but when it came to anything that could hurt the okiya’s good name, he tended to get very serious. His words were like a bucket of cold water to Kanda. Daisya was right, a geisha’s good name was not taken lightly, and if Bak were to ever find out that he was doing anything that could possibly lower his worth, Kanda would be severely punished. Geisha did not enter personal relationships on a whim the way Kanda had, he would definitely need to be more careful from here on out.
Kanda looked away from Daisya and to the floor. Lavi did the opposite and looked to the ceiling, sighing and berating himself for almost getting Kanda into trouble.
“Ok then, in any case, Kanda, Bak wants to see us about something,” Daisya said, trying not to sound too serious. Kanda jolted, and for a minute he worried that he and Lavi had already been discovered. But Kanda hadn’t done anything beyond kiss the older boy, so there couldn’t be much of a problem, right? Then again, that was all it took to create malicious rumors, wasn’t it? Kanda tried to stop himself from feeling like he was going to his death as he walked out of the room.
However, when the door is closed, he finds that they are not actually going to see Bak, which instantly relieves Kanda. It is apparent though, that Daisya has brought Kanda out into the hall to talk about what just happened. The two walked slowly through the empty hall, speaking in hushed voices.
“I’m sorry that I sounded so mean in there Kanda, but... ya know it’s true. You’re my little brother here, I just don’t want you to lose face over a fling, or anything that isn’t worth the risk. I personally think it’s great the ya like someone, and I won’t tell a soul, but you’re a really popular geisha, and your competition would jump at the chance to drag your name through the mud.” Kanda knew that Daisya was just looking out for him, and that just made him feel guilty for putting the older boy in such an awkward position. He stared at the ground and mumbled an apology.
Daisya’s comment made him think though; this had been happening for two years now, there was no way that he and Lavi were just having a “fling,” but they had never bothered to classify just what it was they were. Not lovers, really, they’d never done anything that would classify them as such. Friends-with-benefits sounded much too frivolous, a geisha shouldn’t get caught up in such a relationship. But they weren’t really together either. Oh, this was troublesome, Kanda would spend no end of time trying to figure this out.
“Well, as long as you know Kan-chan. But I’ve got to ask one more thing...Just how much have you two done?” Daisya asked, looking at anything but Kanda. Yuu’s face turned turned into an expression of surprise, and he choked on air for a moment.
“Nothing! Nothing beyond what you just saw! Even I’m not that stupid!” Kanda said indignantly, and Daisya breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good to hear. Anyway, the real reason I came to our room was to get you, it just wasn’t to see Bak. Sorry, but that was just the first excuse that came to mind to get ya outta there...Forgot that there was a real reason, ya see,” Daisya explained, having the grace to look embarrassed about this. Kanda quirked an eyebrow at this, silently asking what was going on.
He got his answer when the two of them stopped in the courtyard. Standing in the yard, aged ten years but still young in appearance, was his brother. It was a day earlier than the date given on his brother’s letter, Kanda had not been prepared for this quite yet.
For a few minutes, no one made a move to talk or get closer, the two just looked each other up and down, taking in all the changes that had come about since they’d last seen each other, when Kanda was five. His onii-san had been 15 when he was sent to work, and now he was ten years older and looked the part. His face still resembled Kanda’s in that it was somewhat feminine, but he looked mature. His hair was much shorter than Kanda’s too, of course. It was cut close to his head, with neat bangs swept across his brow. His western business suit complemented his strong frame.
The older Kanda’s face displayed his shock clearly. Yuu felt like squirming under his onii-san’s inquisitive gaze. There was no doubt that Yuu had changed dramatically since he was five, but aside from that, he guessed that his brother had probably not expected his younger brother to look quite so feminine. Kanda’s loosely bound waist-length hair, thin, pale face, and flowing pale red robs were in stark contrast with his brother’s appearance.
“Y-Yuu...?” For a moment Kanda felt his face redden in shame. Somewhere in his heart, he had always wished that his brother would never see him this way. But no, he’d worked hard to get where he was now, he couldn’t be ashamed! He hadn’t had a choice anyway, Yuu had just made the best of his life, he should be proud of that!
After a moment of tentative silence, Kanda found it in him to answer.
“It’s been a long time, Haru-nii,” Yuu said, using the name he remembered having always called his brother, Haruka, when he was younger. They were both a bit old for nicknames, but at the moment neither of them cared. Being called that was all the incentive Haruka needed to run up to his younger brother and hug him for the first time in ten years. The embrace was a bit awkward, as they were both practically strangers to each other, and it was clear that Haruka was not used to physical contact with other people. He’d must’ve lived in a much colder environment that Kanda had, for Yuu had no problem with returning the embrace, even though he’d never been one for frivolous physical contact himself.
After a moment, Daisya, who’d tactfully stayed to the side and silent, spoke up, “Welcome to the Chan okiya, Kanda-san, Yuu-kun’s told us all about you. It’s a bit chilly outside, would you like to come in?”
Yuu pulled away from his brother and gave Daisya a questioning look, wondering why on earth Haruka was being talked to like a costumer; it was abnormal for Daisya to adopt that smooth, cool tone of voice in the okiya, or anywhere that wasn’t a teahouse. It didn’t take him long to realize that to everyone else, Haruka was an outsider, and would always remain that way. Haruka either didn’t notice the behavior or didn’t comment on it, and nodded before following Yuu and Daisya inside.
Lavi was waiting just inside the front entrance, he’d probably been watching the entire exchange.
“So this is Yuu-chan’s onii-chan, hm? I see the resemblance, ‘ere and there. Why don’t we go to the tea room, where Yuu can astound us with his tea ceremony skills?” Lavi asked. Kanda had the grace to look bashful at the compliment. Haruka decided that this was a good idea, and politely asked if that was alright. A moment later, the three of them were sitting across from each other, while Kanda meticulously prepared the tea. Haruka was impressed with his mastery of tea ceremony.
It was difficult for the three of them, Daisya, Lavi, and Yuu, to not fall into their usual banter that accompanied eating or drinking. Kanda wished he didn’t feel like he was at work at the moment, he didn’t like to act like a geisha unless he had to. It was especially weird to act so formal in his own home.
After a tense hour of small talk and casual conversation with Haruka, Yuu excused himself and his older brother, and brought him to the backyard. There were plenty of places to sit, and Kanda had asked that no one bother them for the time being, so hopefully no one would.
“Not a very lively bunch, are they?” Haruka asked, after breathing a sigh of relief. He had never liked having to be serious, Haruka was much more laid back than that, but it seemed that like Yuu, when the costume was on (in this case, his suit), he was a business man. But now it was just the two of them and there was little to no awkwardness.
“You’d be surprised, actually. Those two are a riot, they’re the most energetic people I’ve ever met. They were just acting that way because you’re sort of an outsider here, visitors do not usually come this far into the okiya, but I asked Oto-san for permission to have you here,” Kanda explained, trying not to sound offensive.
“Oto-san?” Haruka asked, looking bewildered.
“That’s what we call Bak, the proprietor of this okiya.”
“Oooh. I get it, so I’m sort of being treated like... a costumer, maybe? The brunette pulled it off just fine, but I have to say I’ve met geisha more friendly than the redhead.” Kanda temporarily overlooked the fact that his brother had ever come into contact with a geisha before this, and explained Lavi’s behavior.
“Lavi isn’t a geisha, he’s the doctor’s apprentice who lives behind the okiya,” Yuu said, pointing to the house that could be seen just over the fence. Haruka let out another little “oh” and looked to where Yuu had pointed. “I don’t know why he was acting so strange though, he’s just visiting himself, though seeing as he practically grew up here himself, I guess he’s almost like one of us.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t like me?” Haruka suggested. There was no offence in his voice, he was just pointing out the most obvious possibility.
“That’s silly, Lavi likes everyone.”
“Clearly not. Gotta say I didn’t much like the looks of him myself,” Haruka said; there wasn’t any contempt in his voice, he was just stating a fact. Haruka had this way of being detached about even disliking someone. Kanda looked surprised, it wasn’t like the Haruka he had known to just randomly dislike someone, and it was not often that anyone decided to dislike Lavi at all.
“Why?”
“He looks at you funny, it was sort of creepy, from where I was sitting.”
“Really?” Kanda had long-since gotten used to admiring stares, and no longer cared to notice them, and he’d gotten so used to Lavi staring at him that it was usually stranger to not feel that lone green eye on him when they were together.
“Really. But, oddball kids aside, how do you like it here? You never seem to have much bad to say about it, but are you happy here?” Kanda decided against correcting Haruka by telling him that Lavi was 20 and therefore definitely not a child, and answered the question.
“It’s nice here. I didn’t like it at first, but everyone is kind, and it’s much easier to work as a geisha than it was to work at home. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s easier. I’m just thankful that I was sent here, rather than the pleasure district, and work hard to be successful.”
“Successful? Do you really want to be here though?” Haruka couldn’t seem to believe that anyone could be content to live this way, even though it really wasn’t so horrible. He probably felt the same way as Kanda had when he’d first come to the okiya; it was a disgrace for a man to have to do this.
“Well, it’s not like I have a choice, I was sold here, I’ve got a debt to pay. At first I hated it, but then someone told me that because I can’t do anything about my circumstances, I should just make the best of them, so that at the very least, I could be proud of myself for working hard, and being the best. I have to work here, so I might as well make the most of myself.”
“But you do have a choice, Yuu,” Haruka said. Yuu looked over to his brother questioningly.
“I do?”
“Well, yeah... Ever since I started working, I’ve saved up everything that didn’t go to the family, so now I’m rather well off. When I heard what had happened to you, I asked how much you were sold for, and now I’ve got enough to cover it. Besides, you’ve been working it off for years, so I’m sure I could afford to get you out of here, if you wanted to leave.”
Kanda’s face was one of complete surprise. Sure, at first he had hated it at the okiya, and even though he still hated having his hair waxed and styled for formal occasions, and it was troublesome to have to put on makeup and elegant kimono day after day, he had never thought of leaving, of buying himself out. On some level he realized that eventually, he would be able to pay back his debt and leave the okiya if he so wished, but he had never thought to actually work towards that day.
And now here his brother was, offering to buy him out of the okiya. Kanda had no idea what he was supposed to do in this situation. It made sense on a logical level to jump at the chance to be with his blood family again, but over the past 8 years, this okiya had become his home, he didn’t know if he could leave it right now without regrets.
“What would I do if I left?” Kanda asked, putting off his answer with another question. “I’m not trained in many different areas, and I’m no longer used to manual labor. I’d be useless outside of the hanamachi, and it would take a while to change that.” That was a sad truth to admit to, but it was true. Kanda was sure that if he took the time to train for something new, he could do anything he really wanted to, but until he finished this supposed training, what would he do? He really would be useless, jobless, and without finances.
“You could come live with me in Tokyo. You are my brother, there’s nothing wrong with family helping family and living together. You could come work with me too, if you wanted. Heck, you could sit around the house all day and do nothing for all I care, I just don’t want you to be someplace where you aren’t happy.”
Kanda appreciated the sentiment, really he did, but even knowing that he would be taken care of on the outside, he was still hesitant to leave the okiya. His conflict must’ve shown on his face, for his brother sighed and stood up. He looked down to his wristwatch and groaned a little before addressing Kanda.
“I can see that you’re unsure of what to do. You don’t have to answer me now, but think about it a bit, okay? I leave next week, so that’s the latest I can take your answer. The offer is always open though, if you ever want out, just tell me,” Haruka said, looking a little saddened by his brother’s hesitation. “Well, in any case, I’ve got a meeting in a few hours, I’d better rest up before going there.” Haruka bid his brother a good evening, promised to come by again the next day, and left.
000
“So, what was Haruka-san doing here today?” Komui asked Kanda, as the three of them prepared for their engagement for the evening. Komui had seen Haruka as he was leaving the okiya and the two of them had talked for a bit.
Kanda looked over to Komui questioningly. “You called him Haruka-san, do you know him well Komui?” Daisya asked, before Kanda could.
“Not really, that’s just how he was introduced to me. He is a business associate of my danna. His company sells uniforms to the military, and Cross sells them weapons. I’ve only met him once or twice, but he’s a nice enough fellow,” Komui explained. Kanda and Daisya looked at Komui, wide-eyed.
“What?”
“That was my brother, coming to visit me after being separated for ten years,” Kanda dead panned. Komui’s jaw dropped just as he was trying to lightly apply his Kyo Beni(1), and he ended up swearing colorfully when the red line left his lips and went up his cheek. Daisya gave a low, appreciative whistle.
“Y-Your brother?! Bu-but... I mean yeah, there’s a bit of resemblance but goodness... You both act differently and you just... Why am I never told the important things?” Komui huffed, throwing his hands (and consequently the brush he was using) into the air, feeling annoyed and left out of the loop.
“Yes...he is my brother,” Kanda said with a sigh, feeling that Komui’s reaction was far too dramatic for the situation. Well, maybe not far too dramatic... “And... He said he wants to buy me back from the okiya so that I can live with him in Tokyo...” This time, it was Daisya, who was putting combs and ornaments in his hair, that yell obscenities as he accidently stabbed himself with a particularly long-toothed comb.
“Are you serious? He’s going to take you away from here? When? This isn’t fair at all, we had no warning! And what if we don’t wanna let our imouto-chan go just yet? Not fair I’m tellin’ ya, that’s just plain not fair!”
“Relax, Daisya, he didn’t say he was going to, he said I had the option of doing that... If I wanted him to, he would...” The mood of the room went from angry to upset in a second. Kanda knew that both Daisya and Komui were wondering if he would choose to leave or stay.
“So...what is it that you want to do...?” Komui asked tentatively, as though he were afraid of the answer.
“I...Don’t know,” Kanda answered honestly, “I mean, I’d love to go live with my brother, but...” Kanda didn’t need to say it, to know that the others realized what he meant. This place feels like home now.
“Well, in any case...I wouldn’t suggest telling Lavi about that unless you know for sure you’re going to be leaving. That man would fly off the handle if he ever found out that anyone besides himself was planning to do that,” Komui said. Daisya and Kanda both looked at Komui, wearing worried expressions. He gave them an annoyed look.
“Hey, just because you can hide the fact that you like Lavi from everyone else in the okiya, doesn’t mean you can hide it from your big brother! I’ve got years of training here, I have conditioned my mind to pick up on anything that poses a threat to my dear little siblings’ purity! That, and...ah...naw, I shouldn’t say it...” Komui suddenly shook his head and refused to go on. Daisya and Kanda’s interest was immediately caught by this.
“Shouldn’t say what, Komui? How did you know about those two, when I only just found out about them today?!” Daisya demanded an answer with a huff. Komui quirked an eyebrow at him, then looked to Kanda, as if to ask, “Why does he know?” Kanda gave him a similar look that asked, “Why do you know?”
“I walked in on the two of them today! They weren’t doing anything bad, really, and I had my speculations but still...So yeah, I know now,” Daisya said, “Now why do you know? And what was the “that, and...” about?”
Komui debated in his mind whether he should tell his two young charges about this or not. In the end, his excitement over the topic won out over the fact that he wasn’t supposed to talk about it yet, and he blurted it out.
“Lavi has talked to me about becoming Kan-chan’s danna. Not now, but in a few years when Kan-chan’s a full-fledged geisha, and the Doctor has retired and Lavi takes his place. He’s talked to me about it quite a few times, he seems very serious about it.”
Kanda’s face lit up, and he decided that he might need to wear a bit more oshiroi(2) than usual tonight, because his face would be this red until tomorrow morning.
000
Tonight the three were to attend a business meeting with Cross and Tyki, along with a few of their associates. By now, both Kanda and Daisya knew that they were expected to stay quiet while the meeting was in session, keep everyone’s glasses filled, and when it came time for entertainment, they were to entertain.
It was mid-spring, so Kanda wore a deep crimson kimono with pale pink accents and a bright red, almost orange, obi. The hana kanzashi in his hair were sakura patterned, while his kimono had an iris pattern. At the base of the twist in his hair was the pale lotus comb. Daisya and Komui were also wearing spring-patterned kimonos, Daisya’s a color scheme of purples, and Komui’s a mix of pale pink, white, and green. (3)
Though it was getting warmer out, the nights were still nippy, so the three were thankful for the warmth the tea house provided. Komui was, as always, the first to enter the room. For a minute the older man stopped at the door, but then continued in and was followed by Daisya, who strangely enough did the same, though there was no reason to. When Kanda appeared in the door, he realized immediately why they had paused before entering.
Sitting next to a young and well-dressed woman with a beautiful yet scarred feature, was his brother, who looked like he’d rather be elsewhere. Kanda prayed to God that he looked different enough in his work clothes as to not be recognizable. Apparently, praying didn’t work for Kanda because as soon as Haruka looked up at him, his eyes widened in recognition and surprise. Yuu decided to take this chance to show his brother that working as a geisha wasn’t as horrible or demeaning for a boy as he might think, and straightened his back a little before entering the room.
Kanda took his usual seat between Tyki and another one of Cross’ associates, Sokalo, who was quite ill-tempered and liked to engage Kanda in a word battles; there never was a clear winner. Kanda found it rather difficult to maintain his composure while the meeting was in session. His brother stared at him any chance he got, as though he were scrutinizing him, trying to get into his head. Well, it was impossible to really get into a geisha’s head when one was working, but the attempt itself was unnerving. Kanda wrung his hands under the table when no one was looking, and somehow managed to not let anyone catch onto the fact that he was feeling nervous. The only people who noticed were Daisya and Komui, for obvious reasons.
Those two, and Tyki, of course, who noticed every little thing Kanda did. That too, was usually pretty unnerving.
“Feeling nervous, Misaki-chan?” Tyki leaned towards Kanda and asked in a whisper, inquisitive eyebrow raised. “Misaki” was Kanda’s geisha name. If he was a normal geisha, then this would’ve become his new name the moment he’d become a minarai, and he would never be called anything else. However, the names were just another corner his okiya cut. They called each other by their real names only when they were at home and off from work, being allowed to use each other’s real names was a show of how close to each other they were. Names were another wall that separated personal relationships from business ones.
“Just a tad,” Kanda replied, using his folding fan as a way to cover his moving lips. “Haruka happens to be the brother I haven’t seen since I was five, and I never anticipated having to entertain my own brother.”
“Oh...” Tyki’s eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly became aware of the fact that a certain older brother was discretely shooting glares at him. He shuttered, and quickly sat up straight again. He wondered if he was going to make it out of this meeting alive.
“Misaki, Marie-san was hoping to listen to some music, and Sokalo-san was wondering if you’d accompany our song with a dance,” Daisya said, motioning to the two men sitting next to him. Marie-san was very appreciative of music, though one would not expect that of the burly, silent man. Sokalo too, was a strongly built man whom you wouldn’t expect to appreciate dance, and yet did. Kanda nodded politely and quickly stood from his seat. He and Komui went to the corner where his fans and Komui’s shamisen were kept, and Daisya took a seat near the performance area.
When Kanda had first started learning dance, he’d hated it, but after he’d started entertaining costumers, he’d found it was a wonderful way to block them out. And that was still how he felt, as he took his place in the center of the floor, listened as Komui strummed his shamisen and Daisya sung, and waited for his cue to begin. All he had to worry about for these few moments was dropping his fans and tripping, and he’d never done either. All he had to be aware of was himself, the shamisen, and Daisya’s voice. Dance had become Kanda’s way of meditating, and he felt happiest when he was moving gracefully, with a fan in either hand that now felt like an extension of himself; he’d once entertained a samurai who had mentioned that wielding a sword felt much the same.
When he came back down to earth, the first thing Yuu noticed was Haruka staring at him with a rather impressed and maybe even proud look in his eyes. Suddenly Kanda didn’t feel as nervous as he had all night, and he stopped wringing his sleeves.
000
Just a few moments before the three geisha were to leave the teahouse, Tyki approached him and asked to talk in private for a moment. Kanda was hesitant to say yes, because Tyki seemed a bit different than usual. He seemed a bit nervous, and he wasn’t being his usual overly-confident self, he’d actually been acting odd the entire night and Kanda was unsure of what to make of this. Still, he obliged and stayed in the tea room with the older man until everyone left.
“What is it you wanted to talk about, Tyki-san?” Kanda asked, his business mask still firmly in place, hiding his unease. Tyki seemed still seemed unsure, and for a moment Yuu didn’t think he would reply. Then, something in the older man’s mind resolved itself, and while he still seemed unsure, he now looked determined, too.
“I’ve been considering this for a while now. Next year you will no longer be a maiko, but a full-fledged geisha... I was thinking that at that time, I would like to become your danna.” Kanda’s dark eyes widened in shock; he hadn’t expected this from Tyki, and he certainly hadn’t expected to hear that two people wanted him in one day.
Kanda was unsure of what to do at this particular point in time, because they had never covered what he should do in this situation during his training. He bit his lip and looked to the floor, hoping that the gesture was one of meekness and not of rejection. Honestly, he didn’t dislike Tyki so much anymore, but he hadn’t worked so hard for all of these years to win over this man. Still, Kanda didn’t have much choice in the matter, and it was part of his job, so he supposed he should be thankful.
“I am grateful that you think so highly of me...Thank you, Tyki-san.” Neither man was sure of how to stem the growing awkwardness of the situation, but luckily, Daisya poked his head into the room and told Kanda that they were leaving.
Kanda was silent on the walk home. It wasn’t as though he was a chatter box in the first place, but usually he added some witty comment or other every so often. Now he was just too focused on trying to solve his current problem to make any input. So he had two people who wanted to become his danna, and one person who wanted to buy him from the okiya all together. One was his brother, whom Kanda definitely wanted to see more often and wouldn’t mind living with in the least. Haruka was also offering him freedom from the constrictions of the flower and willow world. Then there was Tyki, his loyal costumer whom he had established a unique friendship with over years of service.
And lastly, there was Lavi, his childhood friend who’d been the one person who had really been able to keep him going through nearly 8 years of training and work. He’d been the one who Kanda had worked toward for years, when he’d lost hope in his brother ever finding him. Lavi had been planning to take him away longer than anyone else had, and Kanda knew that if he took either of his first two options, then he would hurt someone he cared for deeply (even though he would never admit just how deeply he did care).
When the trio reached the okiya, they were greeted by a slightly tired looking Lavi, who had come home not but a few minutes earlier from an appointment, and had decided to wait a little while for their return. Kanda, too busy thinking and not wanting his judgment to be swayed by any particular person’s presence, had pushed right past the man and kept walking until he reached his room, and shut his door louder than he intended to.
“What’s with him?” Lavi asked, hitching a thumb in the direction Kanda had walked.
“I’m not sure,” Daisya said, his eyebrows furrowing in worry. “Tyki kept him behind for a moment, and I’m not really sure what happened between them, but he’s been silent ever since.” The two young men looked towards Komui, to see if he knew anything about this. Komui looked away from them, for he did have an idea of what was wrong, but he really, really couldn’t tell them, at least not now.
“Komui...” Lavi said, in a voice that was very close to threatening. Komui was annoyed with the lack of understanding.
“Hey, I’ve got to follow the rules sometimes too, ok? There are some affairs that need to remain confidential.” Well, in truth, Komui had heard about Tyki’s intentions from Cross, and not the man himself, so unless Kanda affirmed his suspicions, what he knew was nothing more than gossip, but still, Komui was not supposed to tell anyone about such matters until they are official. It was different when it came to Lavi, because Lavi was a close friend of theirs and they all vaguely knew he was planning to take Kanda anyway. This was different though, this was completely business.
“I’m sure he’ll get over it with time,” Komui assured, “he’ll surely make whatever decision is best for himself, and we’ll just have to be happy with it, whatever it is.”
000
Apparently, Kanda was still in the decision-making process when the end of the week rolled by. He was outright refusing to see Lavi, and even at work some of his customers noticed that he wasn’t being as sarcastic or snarky as usual. Luckily, he didn’t have to see Tyki again for the rest of the week.
Haruka had come to visit every day that he had been in town, and had more often than not taken Yuu out of the okiya for a while to eat together. Kanda had borrowed some more western-looking clothes from Haruka and tied his hair back in a simple ponytail in hopes that he would be less recognizable without his usual makeup and clothing. The last thing he wanted was to meet a customer on the streets and have them actually recognize him, and get the wrong idea.
“Yuu, I’m leaving tomorrow morning, you know... And you’ve yet to answer my question,” Haruka said, as they left a small eatery and headed back to the hanamachi.
“I... It’s hard to choose... I want to stay with you, and I would enjoy living with family, I know but... I’ve built a life for myself here too. I don’t know...what I want more...” On the one hand, if Kanda used this chance to escape the world he currently lived in, then Kanda wouldn’t have to worry about the complications involving his two potential danna, Kanda would be free to chose his relationships as he saw fit, and if he wanted he could always go back to the flower and willow world.
This seemed like an easy fix, but it wasn’t. Sure, Kanda would be free to pursue whatever relationships he wanted, friendly or otherwise, but he wouldn’t be in the hanamachi anymore, he wouldn’t even be in Kyoto at all. He’d be up in Tokyo with his brother, and Lavi couldn’t follow him there easily. Tyki could probably find a way to use his work as an excuse to visit, but Kanda didn’t want to further his relationship with the man, he was perfectly fine where they were. Kanda would have to leave behind everyone he cared for and give up the life he was so used to, though he would still have his brother and he could probably make it work for himself. Still...would he ever be as happy in Tokyo as he was in Kyoto?
Haruka sighed, shaking his head. “Then the choice is obvious, Yuu,” he said. “From what I’ve seen in the past week, I can tell that you’ve made a place for yourself in that okiya, you’ve made those people into your new family. Yuu, you were forced to leave your home once, don’t feel as though I want to force you away from your home again.”
Kanda looked at his brother with a surprised expression. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Haruka’s feelings by making it seem like he’d replaced their family or something, but in the end he couldn’t stop himself from treating his friends in the okiya as family. Haruka didn’t seem all that offended by it though, and Kanda thanked hi brother’s detached nature for that. His older brother wasn’t so petty as to take that personally, it was only natural for one to get to know and eventually care for the people around them.
“I... Thank you, Haru-nii.”
“Don’t mention, it. I just want my otouto-chan to be happy, wherever he is! Just be sure to write every so often, or I’ll worry. And...” Haruka’s understanding, big brother aura suddenly took a dive for the worst. “If that redhead or Tyki-san dare to make any moves on you before you’re 30, I’ll come back here and kill them...” For a moment, Haruka looked like the devil incarnate, and Yuu feared for the two aforementioned suitors’ lives.
1-Kyo Beni is the lipstick used specifically by geiko from Kyoto. It’s sold in a shell, and is a hard green cake that turns crimson when applied with a wet brush.
2-oshiroi is the white face makeup geisha and maiko use.
3-Kanda’s layering scheme is called koubai, Komui’s is momo, and Daisya’s is shirozakura.
4-Both “Haruka” and “Misaki” are the names of characters that Kanda’s voice actor, Takahiro Sakurai, does. Haruka is from Tactics, and Misaki is from Junjyo Romantica.