InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Shard in Kyoto ❯ geisha house part 1 the boys ( Chapter 8 )

Shard ch9

Geisha house part 1 The boys . . .

This part of the story takes place in the pleasure quarter of Kyoto. Sex will be happening around the characters. It could be something as simple as voyeurism to as much as a full-blown orgy. I'm not going to get into detail. (I want to keep the pg-13 rating) But there will "things" happening with the characters . . .

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Inu-yasha and Miroku are walking at night down a street in Kyoto. Miroku is carrying a torch in his uncursed hand. There are few people walking around them, most of them walking in the same general direction as the boys, but they are essentially alone.

"We're going to sneak into a tea house as girls and spy on someone, right?" Inu-yasha asks in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes, Inu-yasha."

"How?"

"Well, first, I know the madam of the tea house, so we don't have to sneak into the tea house. All we have to do is sneak into the room where the party is happening."

"Like that makes a huuggee difference." Inu-yasha continues in his sarcastic tone.

"It means that we'll have some help making out disguises, and depending on what happens she'll probably cover for some of the mistakes we'll make."

"How do you know she'll agree?"

"Inu . . . Kouga, I saved her life once."

Inu-yasha raises his eyebrow, then remembering that the hood makes it hard to see his face, asks, "How?"

"I was entering Kyoto for the first time and I passed a bandit's hideout. I overheard that they were about to attack a rich merchant returning from a pilgrimage. I waited until the attacked was taking place and . . . "

Miroku raises his hand and smiles. "She was properly grateful and we've been friends ever since. Later I found out that they had been hired by a prince who's favor she'd refused and that was his way to get revenge"

"Feh. How are you going to disguise that hand of yours? You've been going on that it makes you noticeable."

"Simple. I'll wrap it in a bandage and say I burnt myself cooking." Miroku says in a very confident tone.

"Sounds like you've done that before." Inu-yasha observes.

Miroku swallows, "There are times when it is necessary to be someone you are not."

Inu-yasha raises his eyebrows.

"Don't ask, unless you're prepared to answer some questions of mine." Miroku says in a low voice.

Inu-yasha purses his lips, coughs, and says, "What about me?"

"Your hair is easy. Some black dye will take care of it."

"Feh. I should warn you that dye doesn't work well on my hair."

Miroku raises an eyebrow. `And when did he learn about that?' he thinks.

"Does it work at all?"

Inu-yasha shrugs, "After a few hours it just flakes off."

"But, for a couple of hours, it does work."

Inu-yasha nods.

"Good enough. We're not going to be in there all that long. Now, your ears are also easy."

Inu-yasha's ears twitch, "if you think I'm flattening my ears for a couple of hours, I'll rip your's off first."

"No, Inu-yasha. The girls at tea houses tend to have large, complex hair arraignments. They can arrange your hair, so it covers your ears."

Inu-yasha purses his lips, and he nods. "Good enough."

"Inu-yasha, there are a couple of things, I'm not sure about."

"Feh, tell me."

"Well . . . Inu-yasha, girls in a tea house are supposed to be quiet, polite, and when they speak, they are articulate speakers who do not curse."

"Fuck you, monk."

"Inu-yasha . . . "

"I'm not fucking stupid, monk. I know if I open my fucking mouth, I'll ruin this fucking plan." Inu-yasha says with a challenging glare in his eyes.

Miroku sighs. "Very well, Inu-yasha. I'll trust you." He sighs again, "there is one more thing, though."

"What."

"I cannot decide how to disguise your eyes."

Inu-yasha's hands twitch as they reach toward his face. "Yeah. Do you have any ideas?"

"I've got a couple of choices but." Miroku shakes his head. "I don't really like either one."

"Feh. Tell me."

"Ok, the first choice is to put a blindfold around head and say that you're blind."

"Not good. Whoever heard of a blind whore."

"Geishas' aren't whores."

"No, they're more expensive."

"Sigh, can we get back to what I was going to say."

"Feh."

"Inu-yasha, there is, or at least was the last time I was in Kyoto, a blind geisha. Her hands are said to be the most gentle in the city. A massage by her is said to be the best in the city. And she is very successful."

"Hmmm"

"And since she's successful it would be normal for a couple of other blind girls to get training."

"That might work."

"Yes, but it depends on you pretending you are blind."

"I can do it."

"And pretend to be quiet and polite at the same time?"

"Feh. What's the other?"

Miroku shrugs. "There are a few, very few, girls with demonic blood in them that are geishas. We just say that your, say, grandmother, was raped by a demon, and your eyes are part of your heritage."

Inu-yasha purses his lips. "I don't really like either one, myself."

Miroku nods. "We're approaching the entrance to the quarter." He points to a brightly lit street ahead of them. "Getting in will not be a problem. Just remember, we'll have to change out of the girls clothes before we try to leave."

"That's stupid, monk. I have no intention of staying in girls clothing longer than necessary."

"Perhaps, Inu-yasha. I'm just trying to anticipate what might go wrong."

The pleasure quarter of Kyoto is a large walled compound. A couple of the large city blocks are walled off. Each entrance is guarded. There are about a dozen of so guards standing around asking questions and ogling girls.

"Names." One of the guards asks in a very bored tone.

"Daichi"

"Kajiya"

"Whom do you work for?"

"Ronin." Inu-yasha says. "Looking for work."

The guard's eyebrow's raise at the old man, Inu-yasha is pretending to be, but he doesn't ask any questions. `One old man isn't going to cause any problems, if he wants to pretend he's a young man. So what.' He grins, `Maybe, since he's old, he wishes to die between the petals of a young flower.'

"The shrine to Tenjin in Osaka." Miroku says.

"Going into the quarter for some tea?" the guard asks.

Miroku smiles, "Of course, Why else would one go inside the quarter? The tea houses of Kyoto are known throughout Japan."

"I'm not one of the girls, so don't try your stupid lines on me." The guard growls out, but waves them into the quarter.

Most of Kyoto, at night, is lighted by paper lanterns. There aren't many of them, so many of the streets of Kyoto are dark and dangerous places. Inside the pleasure quarter of Kyoto, though, that is a very different story. There are a multitude of lanterns shining brightly.

Most of Kyoto, at night, is deserted. There are few people walking around at night, and those that are, move from place to place in a furtive manner, afraid that every dark shadow might conceal a robber, or perhaps a ghost or demon. Inside the pleasure quarter of Kyoto, thought, is crowded.

Men, some still in armor, but most in fine silken kimonos, some with women companions, walk the street. Groups of armed men stroll down the streets, with people moving away, so as not to interfere with them, looking for a tea house that will serve them. Groups of women, dressed in fine kimonos paraded down the streets, attracting men to the tea house they belong to.

Most of Kyoto, at night, is a quiet town, with perhaps only a few random sounds to disturb the silence. Inside the pleasure quarter of Kyoto, the sounds of gaiety abound. The sounds of the conversions, the sounds of the wooden sandals as they hit the ground form the backdrop, but above those sounds are the sounds of music. Music flows from many of the tea houses, as the girls inside entertain the men.

Inu-yasha's drab kimono and hooded cloak and Miroku's simple monkish clothes are very much out of place amid the fine clothes being shown on the streets.

`Fuck. Just like on Kagome's side of the well. All the noise, lights, and smells.' Inu-yasha thinks.

Inu-yasha's nose is overloaded with the smell of all the various perfumes being worn. All the women have some sort of perfume on, and many of the men also have some sort of perfume or the smell of incense around them. Inu-yasha sneezes.

Miroku raises his eyebrow at the sound. "It's nothing monk."

`I'm just not going to be able to use my senses as I should be able to. Shit. That means, I can be surprised.' Inu-yasha grimaces, but that is hidden by his hooded cloak.

Miroku looks around, "Hmmm. I cannot, at first thought, remember a time when we've been around so many people." He swallows, "Your senses?"

"Are just fucking fine, perverted monk." Inu-yasha growls.

"Too fine?"

"Feh."

Miroku sighs, "Kouga, given all this," Miroku waves at the crowd, "I don't expect your senses to work like they would in the middle of an empty forest." He raises his eyebrow again at Inu-yasha.

Inu-yasha coughs, and doesn't meet his eyes. Miroku nods.

"Inu . . . Kouga." Miroku whispers as he pulls Inu-yasha to one side. This lets a richly dressed man, with swords, walks past the two without having to break strides.

Miroku can see Inu-yasha's jaw move as he grinds his teeth together. "Remember, Kouga, you're an old peasant man, you have to get out the way."

Inu-yasha's lips curl in an ugly grin. "One of these days . . . "

"Just not tonight."

Inu-yasha nods.

Miroku nods. He points to the right. "The house we're looking for is in that direction. Let's go."

Tamamo's house, when the boys reach it, looks like many of the others they pasted on the way. It is a one story house with thin walls. The room facing the street doesn't have any walls. They have been removed to show the first room of the house. Only some thin mosquito nets enclose the room.

The boys enter the house and are greeted by a beautiful young woman. Miroku gives her his real name and asks to speak to the madam of the house. The young woman directs them to sit at a table next the left-hand wall.

The walls are beautifully painted seascapes. The low table and the visible furnishings are of high quality. This is not a cheap place. (Although, next to it, is a similar larger house that is cheaper and large numbers of men are sitting or standing. The guards of the men in the rich house wait in the cheaper house.)

"This humble girl will return with some tea for such important gentlemen and I will deliver the message the honorable monk has given me." She mumbles as she bows before she leaves.

Other men are sitting at the few, less than a half-dozen, tables in the first room. Some of them have tea, but a couple tables have saki bottles on them. All the other men in the room are dressed in very rich kimonos.

Inu-yasha and Miroku can feel the disgust that they have that a peasant and a poor monk were invited to sit down. "What is the city coming to, when scum like that is allowed to even enter this house?" inu-yasha and Miroku can hear one of the men say, he wasn't even trying to keep his voice down.

Inu-yasha tenses, but does nothing else.

"Yes, and even from here I can see the rust on that piece of shit sword that old man is carrying." Another of the men says, again without concern whither or not Inu-yasha and Miroku can hear him.

This time, Miroku's hand tightly griping Inu-yasha's arm and a hissing, "Stop" is all that prevents Inu-yasha from charging the man.

The young woman returns quickly, with tea, "Madam is busy right now, but, when she's finished she'll see you, honorable monk."

Miroku nods, sips his tea, "As good as I remember it, my compliments." He says as he salutes with the cup of tea. "We'll wait."

`Now that we've stopped. Let's see what I can hear and smell.' Inu-yasha thinks as he concentrates on his senses.

Beneath the odor of the perfumes, his nose detects another odor. The odor of humans and the musks they emit when rutting. He wrinkles his nose. `Shit, I knew I smell it, but.' He concentrates on his body, calming it. `All the women and men in the building, and the surrounding buildings . . . I must maintain control.'

He thinks. He hides the grimace as he thinks, `everybody emits special odors when they want it, most of the time, it's too light for humans to smell it. I can, though. Which, means, it hits me harder than it does a normal human.' He covers a sneeze with his fist. `I'm going to have to ignore my nose tonight.'

Inu-yasha trains his ears to the back wall. Through it, he can hear the sound of music, laughter, people talking and having a good time. He can also hear the grunts and groans of couples. He blushes.

Miroku, seeing the blush, smiles and directs his attention to the street, where beautiful women are parading themselves.

Inu-yasha redirects his ears behind him, through the thin wall, he hears a couple, perhaps three people talking.

"Before we finalize this, I want to make sure that you two understand what is going to happen." A woman's voice says. Even through the wall, Inu-yasha's back shivers and he has to adjust his position on the floor, her voice is so alluring.

"Yes, Ma'am." A male voice, his voice crackling from adolescence, says. "My young sister, here, will stay here and be taught the arts of a geisha."

"Yes, to wear the fancy clothes." A small female child's voice says. She sounds very happy. "To eat good food."

"Yes, all those and more." The woman says. "I will pay you 100 ryo in silver for her."

"And brother, you can tell father and mother, that I will send them at least half of all the money I make." The girl says.

"You are sure you want this, Kimi?" The boy says.

"Yes, big brother. I know the new taxes are too high. Only by doing this can I help the family." The girl says. "I've been brought up, right. So, for the good of the family, I must be sold to the tea house." A pause. "I promise not to run away, or disobey any of your orders, Ma'am."

"That's good, dear. Obeying me is the first and most important rule of the house." The woman says. "Then we are agreed?"

"Yes" The girl child says with excitement in her voice. She's obviously looking forward to living in the tea house.

"Yes. I've been ordered by my father to sell my . . . my sister to a tea house. That's want I'm going to do." The boy says, his voice breaking either with emotion or simply does to his young age.

"Sign, or place your mark here." The woman says.

"Good . . . it's done." The woman says. "If you wish, you can stay here tonight, and I'll have one of the girls visit you."

"Huh. Ummm . . . free?" a pause, "I accept." The boy says.

"Please leave us. Akemi will see to you." The noise of coins is heard by Inu-yasha. "Here is the money."

He hears the sounds of the sliding door open and close.

"Now your new name is Kin."

"Yes, my new name is Kin."

"Good, girl. Mariko will see to you tonight. In the morning we'll start your training."

"Yes!" the girl says excitedly. "I want to learn how to read and write, learn how to make music, recite poetry and more!"

With amusement in her voice the older woman says, "You will learn that and more, child. But, everything begins with a first step and yours begins tomorrow morning." A pause. "Just follow Mariko here and obey her, as you will obey me."

The sound of a sliding door again is heard by Inu-yasha.

"Who's next?"

"The monk Miroku and a friend are outside, Ma'am."

"Miroku . . . One of his hands is covered?"

"Yes, Ma'am. His friend is an older man with a hood over his head, but his eyes . . . they gleam."

"Hmmmm....I see . . . Bring them in." The older woman orders.

"Miroku." Inu-yasha hisses. A pause. "Fuck it, Miroku stop ogling the girls."

Miroku starts. His attention was occupied by a group of geishas' parading on the street outside.

"I was not ogling girls."

"Feh."

"Those are beautiful women. I was ogling, not girls." Miroku says.

"Feh." A pause. "We're about to be summoned to the mistress of the house."

"Good." Miroku's eyes narrow. "Your hearing?"

"Of course."

Miroku nods. "That will come in useful tonight, I'm sure."

The young woman that served them tea comes over and asks them to follow her.

As the two boys pass through the doorway at the back of the room, which leads into the rest of the house, Inu-yasha groans.

"Are you feeling well, old sir?" The young woman asks.

Miroku grabs Inu-yasha's arm and catches him as he stumbles. "He's just old." Miroku quickly says, trying to cover for Inu-yasha.

"Fuck that hurts . . . " Inu-yasha mumbles.

As Miroku turned to catch Inu-yasha, his eyes catch sight of a scroll on the doorjamb, they just pasted through. It is a very powerful anti-demon spell. Any full blooded demon would have been prevented from entering the inner house. Only because Inu-yasha is a half-demon was he able to enter.

"How do you feel?"

"Like something just ripped me in half, monk." Inu-yasha growls, "It's passing." He stands up and shakes Miroku off. "I'm fine."

Miroku lets go, and turns the young woman and says, "lead on, he is fine now, these spells come and go."

"Of course."

Inu-yasha makes a fist inside the sleeve of his robe. `I feel weak, like the night of the new moon. Fuck.' He thinks.

"What the fuck just happened?" he whispers to Miroku.

"There is a powerful scroll on the doorway we passed through."

"Feh."

Walking down the corridor, the boys realize that most of the house is behind the open first room. That is just a waiting area. The real house is spread out behind it and it occupies several acres of land. The house remains one story. It is a series of large rooms connected by open walkways. The moveable rice paper walls allow the number of rooms and size of the rooms to be changed at will. All the walls are painted, most with eye pleasing seascapes.

The Inu-yasha and Miroku, after a couple of turns in the corridor, are lead through a doorway and into a room.

The room is brightly lit. The walls of the room are painted. The scenes on the walls are from the Kama Sutra. A handsome young man and beautiful young woman are enjoying themselves. The walls were painted by a master artist.

On the floor, sited on some pillows is a very beautiful young woman in her late twenties to early thirties. Long, floor length black hair frames a wide face. Her face is covered in white make-up with black, hands drawn eyebrows a couple of inches above the eyes. (Her real eyebrows have been removed.)

She raises a fan to cover her mouth, the fan is also decorated in sexually motifs, and says, "Please sit." Her other hand waves toward a couple of silken pillows on the floor in front of her.

"Tamamo. It's been a long time." Miroku says as he sits down.

"Yes, it has, my perverted friend." She says, still covering her mouth with that fan, her painted eyebrows raise. "I had thought you were not going to return to Kyoto?"

"I am here only for a few days."

"I see." A pause. "And your companion."

"A friend of mine." A pause. "Tamamo, I must ask a favor of you."

Those eyebrows raise. "So."

"Before I do, I would like to ask a question or two?"

"Feel free, I will answer as I can."

"The quarter seems very busy, is there a reason?"

"You have been in the wilderness too long, my friend." She says with amusement in her voice.

Her voice changes to a normal tone and she continues, "All the houses in the city are gathering soldiers. 5,000 arrived yesterday. Another 10,000 will arrive within the week. More are expected after that. They have to be entertained."

Miroku nods. "I see. I have been out of town." He mumbles.

She smiles, "While some of the samurai, no doubt, would be happy with boys or other samurai, most of the samurai wants female company and entertainment." A pause. She smiles, "I'm sure you've used the line about dying tomorrow in battle and before that you want one last night of pleasure?"

Miroku coughs, "I have never used that line."

With a smile that could have come off the Mona Lisa, she continues, "So, my house, and all the houses in the city are being stressed to make sure that there are enough girls to go around."

She sighs and shivers, delicately. "I thank the gods each day that my house is one of the better houses. In some of the lower class houses, they are using up girls on a regular basis." She shakes her head. "Lying on a futon and having to service a half-dozen men or more every hour is killing them."

"You have been continuing to make donations to the temples to help the girls?" Miroku asks gently.

"Of course, but with all the new soldiers in town, nothing I can do will improve the lot of the girls in the poorer houses."

Miroku clears his throat, but before he says anything . . .

`Shit, they're going to talk in circles and it'll take forever. And before anything will happen she's going to have to know what I am.' Inu-yasha thinks.

"Fuck this." Inu-yasha interrupts.

Miroku and Tamamo look at him. Miroku groans and he covers his face.

He pulls down his hood and says, "What the monk is trying to ask is we need to spy on someone here. And we need to dress up as," His lips curl in disgust, "girls to do it. Will you help or do I do this the old-fashioned way?" His hand reaches for his sword hilt.

Tamamo says, "Miroku, I see that the politeness of your friends has decreased over the years."

Inu-yasha growls.

"Please Tamamo, forgive him. His upbringing."

Inu-yasha interrupts, "I was raised by myself in the wildness. Fuck politeness. It's boring. Will you help us?"

Tamamo's eyebrows raise, "Son of the great white demon dog, Inu-yasha, please control yourself. If you are going to become a woman tonight, you must learn patience."

Inu-yasha closes his open jaw and whispers, "How did you know?"

"Your hair and eye color, son of the great white demon dog, are well known. Rumors of the jewel of the four souls have reached me and I'm aware of Miroku and your parts in at least some of them."

Both boys look at her, surprised.

In a calm voice she gently chides, "Miroku, I'm surprised. You know I hear everything."

Miroku nods. "I just wasn't expecting you to be so, so blunt about it." He says. `Yes, as the madam of one of the most popular tea houses in Kyoto, everyone comes here. Between the saki and pillow talk with the girls, Tamamo hears everything.'

She nods to Inu-yasha, "Since your friend, wishes to be blunt, I will accommodate him. Rumors of the shards are common. Everyone in my house has been rumored to possess at least one. I've had many offers to share the pillow talk of the girls. Most houses have offered very handsome payments, even for the smallest of rumors."

Inu-yasha growls, "I don't have any money. All I can offer is . . . "

Miroku's hand covers Inu-yasha mouth. "Don't say another word. You've already messed this up enough." He removes his head and a small scroll sealing Inu-yasha's mouth is revealed. Inu-yasha reaches up to rip it off, only to pull back his hand as the scroll stings him when he touches it.

"Tamamo, I cannot offer much money, or much of anything. I was hoping our prior friendship would sway you." Miroku says in a humble tone.

Tamamo waves her fan. "I will allow you and your friend to enter my house and disguise yourselves as my girls."

Miroku swallows, "as much as I would like to believe that this is being offered freely, I must ask."

"Is there a condition?" she finishes for him.

Miroku nods.

"Of course. I will expect a favor for a favor." She nods to both of them.

Inu-yasha grabs Miroku's hand.

"Inu-yasha!" Miroku says in surprise. He tries to remove his hand from Inu-yasha's grasp, but Inu-yasha is too strong. Inu-yasha uses Miroku's hand to rub off the scroll across his lips.

"What sort of favor, woman?" Inu-yasha growls.

"I don't know, son of the great white demon dog. It will be a favor without conditions."

"Why?" Inu-yasha growls.

"Should you survive the struggle for the jewel, Inu-yasha, I would expect great things from you. Having you owe me a favor, could be a very powerful thing in the future." She nods her head at Miroku, "before your friend left the city, he was considered to have a great future as well."

She smiles, "So, I will take the risk that tonight my house will be disrupted, but in the future, you two will owe me a favor." The smile grows.

Inu-yasha and Miroku look at each other. Miroku shrugs, and they both slowly nod, accepting the condition.

She claps her hands and a couple of girls enter the room. "Take them to bath area. They are to be bathed and led to my personal quarters. Tell Yuki and Sachiko that they are to bath and groom them." She smiles, "They are to be made into beautiful women."

Inu-yasha growls, "Before I do that, I want to know how will you disguise my eyes?"

"Oh those. Hmmm . . . I do know a couple of small spells that change colors. One is designed to change white hair to black. An older geisha uses it to hold back the demands of time. It might work on your eyes as well."

She flips her fan closed, mumbles a sutra, and opens the fan. The colors on the fan have all been turned black, instead of the painting that was on it. "A spell to change colors, a simple parlor trick, for amusement. It'll work if needed." She slips the fan closed and opens it again. It has returned to normal.

"Now, please follow the girls." She says as she dismissing them.

End chapter 9.

Sighs . . . I had planned on more for this chapter, but . . . this is a good enough break point. Ch 10 will be the girls . . .

Disguises and the boys . . . They had to have had adventures before they met. Those lines refer to them. Whither are not I ever expand on them, shrug. Given enough time, yes, but that's long time in the future.

The selling of children to tea houses . . . it happened. Technically the deal was that girl would work for the tea house for a period of time and in exchange the tea house would educate the girl, housing, feeding and clothing the girl. If her duties included sex . . . well that was never spelled out. The girls were supposed to send home some money to their parents as well. Now . . . The girl in this chapter reacted like some of the girls in the stories. Chances were that at least some of the girls didn't like it and had to be forced, but . . . you don't hear about it.

Geisha's, especially the best ones, were probably the best educated persons in Japan at this time. They had to know poetry (and be able to make poems up on the spur of the moment), music, dance. They had to be able to carry on conversations about any subject.

The power of the tea house madams . . . At times they were very powerful people in Kyoto. As indicated they knew a lot about the city and you didn't want to make them mad at you. (They could use their "personal" connections around town to ruin most houses.)

The lower class girls (whores to be blunt) things like what was mentioned in the story happened. The troops must be entertained. If they are not keep happy . . . well . . . the troops will find ways to make themselves happy. Riots, rapes, rampages . . . Or just a revolt to put in place a leader that will do things to make them happy.

And before TV, radio, etc. That basically means saki and women, especially for the common soldiers.

Thank you for reading

jeff shelton