Chapter 12: Life

Ranmaru groaned as the call of a rooster split through his head. Dragging himself into a seated position, he silently cursed himself for drinking quite so much the night before. Though, in his defence, he argued to himself, it wasn’t like he could drink saké, so he needed to stick to shouchuu, despite its much greater kick. That didn’t help stop his head from complaining though.

Blinking awake, the movement near the foot of his futon drew his attention.

Right! The young girl. His new kamuro.

As the girl sat up, and ran through the ritual of blinking awake herself, she seemed rather confused for a moment. It was fair, she’d fallen asleep before making it to the apartment, so would have no idea where she was.

“Good morning,” Ranmaru said, slowly as the quiet allowed the pain in his head to subside to mildly annoying status.

“Oh! The oiran! I thought I dreamt all that,” the girl replied.

“Nope, you’re properly here... you know, I just realised I completely forgot to ask you your name.”

The girl blinked a couple more times, before a frown spread on her face. “Hitoshi...”

“I get the feeling you don’t like that name much,” Ranmaru said, as he stood up to grab an outer layer around his sleepwear.

“Not really,” the girl replied.

“Well, you’re the first kamuro girl I’ve had, so why don’t we call you Ichi? At least until you think up a name you like better?” Ranmaru offered.

The girl lit up, as she climbed to her feet. “Ooh, I like that... Wait, was your hair always all silvery?”

“It’s been that way since I was a little older than you. I blacken it before I go out to avoid attention though,” Ranmaru replied.

Ichi nodded. “I guess that makes sense. I certainly know I want to stare at it now.”

Ranmaru just smiled and led Ichi into the hallway with the promise of food. The ageya was a fairly large building, but it still didn’t take too long to get upstairs to Saki’s room, where the smell of breakfast cooking resulted in both their stomachs gurgling. After knocking, Saki gave permission for them to enter, though she and Fuji watched Ichi quite closely as the pair sat down at the table.

“So, you’re the new kamuro?” Saki asked, clearly not completely certain about the girl just yet.

“I guess? I don’t really know what a kamuro does, but I’ll be happy to learn. Oh! And you can call me Ichi,” the girl replied, smiling away and trying to exchange a knowing glance with Ranmaru, who tried not to laugh.

“And you want to be a girl?” Fuji added, with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah?” Ichi replied, nervous eyes glancing at Ranmaru.

“Can we at least wait until after breakfast before the interrogation, Fuji?” he asked.

“I’m just curious about your new friend. Men have so many more opportunities in society, as you are well aware, Ranmaru. I’m interested in hearing why someone would want to give all that up,” Fuji countered, crossing her arms.

“Do you want to be a man, miss?” Ichi asked, her tone innocent, though Ranmaru swore he saw a glint of mischief in the young girl’s eyes.

Fuji opened her mouth, before having to pause a moment to come up with a proper reply. “Well, not completely. If I could have what Ranmaru has, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, but... the push for brashness and excessive focus on outdoing each other men are stuck with doesn’t appeal much.”

Having seen Fuji brought to a halt by a child was too much for either Saki or Ranmaru, who both broke down into laughter, further flustering Fuji.

“Fine, fine. I’ll admit, the kid’s clever. You’ve got the brains you’ll need to get somewhere in this society as a woman, kid. I wouldn’t mind helping you develop that wit,” Fuji said, getting her reddened cheeks under control. 

Still giggling a little, Saki got to work dishing out breakfast for everyone: a fairly regular meal of white rice, pickled vegetables, and a couple soft boiled eggs to celebrate the new arrival. Ichi tore into her own meal, having missed dinner the night before at the very least.

The young girl froze, though, when she saw what happened as Ranmaru took a few bites. 

“How did you do that?” Ichi asked, staring in bewilderment at Ranka.

“It’s a gift from a powerful Kitsune. I’m hoping I can get you the same ability, though divine messengers of Inari aren’t always the easiest to find. They’re very busy beings,” Ranka replied, smiling at the girl.

Ichi nodded, her eyes alight with excitement as she finished the last of her breakfast. After eating, the three oiran spent a bit of time discussing lighter rumours, while Ichi listened in, thrilled by even the most mundane information. Ranka could tell both her de facto sisters wanted to discuss her recent romantic endeavour, but none of them felt right opening such a serious topic while Ichi was present. Especially not on her first day. As Ranka prepared to leave, she made Saki a silent promise she’d discuss more later.

With that, she headed back to her apartment, calling on some of the shinzou girls and the hair stylist to help her get into full oiran apparel. Ichi watched enraptured at the whole process, only changing into the spare clothing she’d brought with her once the others had left. 

Ready to head out, Ranka asked a guard for accompaniment. The man laughed, saying that he trusted Ranka could defend herself if she were allowed to take a sword with her, but agreed to come along for appearance’s sake. 

The trio drew many eyes as they headed from the ageya to the nearest tailor’s. Ranka’s silver hair usually did that, but the simplicity of Ichi’s outfit stood out as a strange style for a kamuro. Which was, of course, why they were on their way to the tailor’s.

When they arrived, the various kimonos and yukatas ready for young girls at the shop caused Ichi’s eyes to light up. 

“Pick out your favourite two. Good to have a spare, just in case,” Ranka said, as Ichi wandered about the store in amazement.

“Just... anything?” Ichi asked.

“Mhm,” Ranka replied with a smile.

“There’s a changing area in the back, if you want to try some on, young miss,” the clerk added.

As Ranka watched her new assistant run about, overwhelmed by the options, she kept wearing her smile as best she could. Her mind couldn’t help wandering to more serious issues, however. Just as she could offer what Ichi saw as unimaginable wealth right now, the price of her own freedom meant she needed to work out who of her regular clients might have the unimaginable wealth to let her escape Yoshiwara.

It was unlikely any client who came specifically for her male side could be convinced to buy her freedom. Love with a wakashu was expected to be fleeting after all, and the freedom of an oiran had a heavy price tag. For those who were interested in her female side, or both sides, there was probably a risk that her silver hair and the rumours of her possibly being a kitsune would hurt her there. A cultured possible kitsune as a lover was one thing, but as a wife and mother? Gossip would swirl around any respectable family that had hints of that. It would be a tricky sell. 

She’d need something of an escape plan, as well. There was no use getting out of Yoshiwara, just to end up locked away as much as Asa was.

“I think I like these two,” Ichi announced, shaking Ranka from her thoughts.

The girl was beaming away as she held up a pink kimono in one hand and a reddish-purple one in the other. 

“They both look nice. Pick whichever you want to wear for today, and we’ll have the guard carry the other one for us,” Ranka said.

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Ichi nodded and ran off, while Ranka turned to the clerk to pay for the outfits. 

With Ichi now properly dressed, they set off to Yoshiwara’s shrine to Inari. With donations made, Ranka gave a prayer for Ichi’s sake. The pair waited for a moment after their prayers, before Ranka shook her head, realising it had been too much to expect one of Inari’s kitsune to appear immediately.

“It will probably take a few visits,” Ranka said, as she placed a reassuring hand onto Ichi’s shoulder. “But we’ll keep coming back until we hear something.”

Ichi nodded. Ranka could tell there was some sadness in the girl’s body language as they headed back towards the ageya, but she hoped a run through of the duties of a kamuro, and getting to watch Ranka’s musical practice, would be enough to distract them both.

---

A client had called on Ranmaru that night. Not quite a regular. He was a samurai who could only afford an oiran’s service on occasion, but was utterly enraptured by Ranmaru’s silver hair and androgynous traits, so came when he could.

Otherwise known as utterly irrelevant to the escape efforts, and an impediment in the effort to talk with Fuji and Saki.

The next morning, just after breakfast, Ranka had sent Ichi off with one of the shinzou girls, to learn about the neighbourhood and the ageya in the sort of chaotic travelling that was below an oiran. This left Ranka a chance to talk with Saki and Fuji at last, the trio gathering in Fuji’s plush apartment for a change.

“So,” Saki said, stirring the tea that Fuji had served. “You’re in love?”

“Yes,” Ranka half whispered.

“She’s hopeless,” Fuji added, ever helpful.

“I.. I might have a plan though,” Ranka offered.

The other two women raised their eyebrows to study her silently.

“Um... well, it wasn’t my idea, but... a kitsune mentioned that I could try convincing a client to buy my freedom, and then make a break to go free Asa once I was out of Yoshiwara?”

The sisters exchanged a glance, before Saki cleared her throat.

“I’m not really sure that would work? Any man rich enough to buy your freedom would likely have guards of his own. You’d end up as trapped as... Asa, was it?” Saki said.

“Asa, yes,” Ranka said.

“Yeah, you’re probably better off trying to just make a run for it from Yoshiwara,” Fuji added, before sipping a little of her tea.

“Then I’d risk you two being dragged into it, though. Surely the yarite wouldn’t just quietly accept me running away with no consequences for anyone?” Ranka protested.

“I suppose you have a point there,” Fuji muttered, pouting a little at losing an argument.

“It doesn’t make your alternative plan very good though,” Saki countered. “It would be far harder to escape when there’s more eyes focused on you specifically.”

“Maybe... I have to have some sort of plan, though,” Ranka said, feeling her determination fading.

“You can keep this a secret for a while, right?” Fuji asked.

“Hm?”

“As in, you’re not about to start refusing customers or anything, right?” Fuji added.

“No. No... I want out of this alive. I’m not even completely certain Asa sees things as romantic yet,” Ranka replied, though her cheeks went hot at the memory of Asa’s thumb against her lips... she thought a kiss had been on it’s way, but who knew what the now shattered Nuguo culture said on such things. “Besides, we only have men as customers. That’s a completely different relationship than I would have with her.”

Fuji nodded. “That buys us some time, at least. Maybe that kitsune’s plan has some merit, but... I rather suspect it was made with the idea you’d have a kitsune’s magic, and a far easier time disappearing.”

“Mhm. Your two faces are much too similar not to be put together. Especially with that silver hair of yours,” Saki added.

Ranka crossed her arms, rather annoyed to have her one idea pulled apart so effectively. There was some defence to her pride in that it hadn’t exactly been her idea, but it still stung. 

After a bit more discussion, they did all agree that her practising more with the ageya’s guards was in Ranka’s best interest. She was going to have to spring Asa somehow in the end. Beyond that, however, they had no new ideas. 

---

It was another three days before Ranmaru had the chance to spar with the guards. When he finally did, he was slightly annoyed by the number of girls from the house watching his practice efforts. Their ‘oohs’ and gasps whenever he got in a blow or received one were making his efforts to remember steps barely practised in years rather more difficult.

Panting as he was finally allowed to take a break, he sat down beside one of the guards, across the courtyard from where the girls were gathered. He knew the others were going easy on him, likely on the Yarite’s orders, but he was out of practice enough to appreciate it.

“You’ve been here five years, right?” the guard beside him asked, Ranmaru noting the man was one of the newer guards, and not much older than himself.

“About that, yes. It will be five years this August,” Ranmaru replied, wiping some sweat away with his yukata sleeve.

“You’re not doing half bad for five years out of practice,” the man replied. “Looks like your brain remembers everything. Just your muscles that need to be reminded.”

Ranmaru nodded, grabbing a cup of water to drink.

“Have to admit, I’m a little envious of how many girls have come out to watch you. Even one of the other oirans,” the man said. “We’re usually lucky to get more than a couple shinzou girls. I guess it’s no surprise though, you’re a beauty in either form.”

“I could do without it, myself,” Ranmaru muttered, resting his face against one hand as he noticed more girls were still watching him than the currently sparring guards.

“Oh... uh, I guess you’re still a woman when it comes to romantic interests?” the man asked, growing significantly more awkward.

“It’s just that some of them seem to have started seeing me as two different people, or... something. Glaring at me when I’m a woman, as if I’m a jealous wife keeping her husband from them or some such thing,” Ranmaru muttered. “I prefered when they just all tended to ignore me.”

The guard nodded slowly, before returning to something closer to his original friendly body language. “So, it’s alright to treat you as a guy then?”

Ranmaru nodded. “Growing up, it’s how things were with half my friends. Some folks were awkward with my one side or the other one, but no one ever treated me so differently as these girls are doing.”

The other man was called up for a round then, and Ranmaru leaned back to relax while watching how the guards moved. There was still plenty to be learned by watching.

If he could keep himself from drifting off to daydream about Asa’s singing and beauty.

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