CHAPTER FOUR
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ANOMIE THOUGHT THAT THE EVEN WHEN HER CHEEKS WERE RED AND SHE WAS CRYING, Rin had a way of lighting up the room. It was a strange thing to think when Anomie's own body was slack with exhaustion and pain. Still, around Rin, she was hardly ever herself. Or perhaps this was the version of herself that Anomie always wanted. Either way, she knew that Rin brought that side out with a smile.
"I'm sorry," Rin mumbled as she watched Anomie bandage her feet. The woman's expression was still empty; which contrasted Rin's swollen, tear stricken eyes and red face.
"It's just glass and feathers," Anomie said, moving onto fixing the wounds on Rin's other leg. Glass had cut into the heels of the girl's feet and down her legs. Anomie wasted no time to start disinfecting and cleaning off the blood, tossing pieces of glass into the trashcan. Her own feet were still bleeding, but it was easy to ignore as moments passed. "Easy to clean."
Rin's sobs grew, and her shoulders shook. "I'm so sorry." The younger girl's face was covered in her palms. The sobbing grew to sound almost painful, and Anomie had never had the experience of consoling someone, and only continued to clean the wounds.
She settled for humming, in calming tone, an old lullaby murmuring from her childhood. She could only vaguely remember her mother singing the very same song, a long time ago.
The lullaby seemed to calm Rin down, despite the fact that there was no words in the song, whether or not it originally had words, Anomie couldn't remember as she had been very young during the time her mother would shush her cries so no one would hear them at night. The lull of Anomie's voice, quiet and serene, made Rin's shoulders visibly still.
"What's that song?" Rin asked, her voice hoarse and cracked, obviously trying to distract herself from her tears.
"Soutanshi," Anomie said, her eyes meeting the watery ones of Rin. "It's an old one...and sounds better under the muse of a koto."
Anomie had always known the soothing affect of a lullaby, and heard Rin's silent request so she continued, her voice echoing against the walls of the bathroom. She sung louder, so as to cover the sound of Rin's sobs and preserve the girl's dignity.
The moment Anomie finished bandaging the girl's leg; Rin's arms threw around her neck and hugged her in a tight embrace. This sudden motion tore away Anomie's voice, and the girl's arms remained flat at her side before slowly returning Rin's embrace.
Despite sobbing, Rin refused to allow Anomie to treat her own wounds, and forced the girl to sit still as Rin took a look at the scars that covered Anomie's feet, still sore from the glass.
"I'm sorry," Rin murmured out, cleaning the wounds.
"My mother died...and I saw it happen," Anomie murmured, the topic causing Rin to glance up in surprise. "I lied before...when I said I didn't know what happened to her. She gave her life to save me from the recruiters...the human traffickers that wanted me. Girls were known to disappear off the streets...especially the pretty ones. No one cared. There is no one who would care more than a mother."
Rin's eyes started to water even worse, and she sniffed to control it.
"Mothers are the bravest of women...and the strongest...sometimes they die for their daughters, their sons, and sometimes," Anomie felt her heart beat uncontrollably in her chest, almost to the point where she couldn't breathe. "And sometimes they die for their village. Their bravery and strength knows no limits."
"I'll never see her again...I'll never show her that I can cook...I'll never feel her hold me..." Rin's voice trembled as she cried. "She'll never see me marry...or stroke my hair when I'm sad...or tell me it's alright...I'll never see her face again." Tear drops trickled down to the bandages that Rin carefully finished wrapping, and the moment they were sealed, Anomie brought the girl into her arms and held her close, allowing the moisture of those tears to soak through her dress. "I'll never..."
"Shh," Anomie murmured into the girl's ear.
"Sing...please."
Anomie had never felt more like a mother than at that moment, holding the smaller, frail girl into her arms. She was almost afraid if she squeezed too hard, the girl would break. Her voice was light, and slowly lulled into words as she sung.
"Summer sun...why are you so red...because I had a sad dream last night. My eyes are red from the tears...I shed...swollen as I cried," Anomie's voice broke as she felt her eyes begin to water. Crying wasn't something she normally did, but her heart rose in her chest all the same. As the memories of her mom filtered through her mind, from the way her bright red hair would glisten in the sun or the way her smile felt like an infection, leaping onto another's face just as bright. She felt Rin clutch onto her like a child, and Anomie felt her tears drop on Rin's head, mixing into her hair.
The lullaby lasted long enough, and before Anomie knew it, Rin had already gone limp in her arms. Anomie wasn't a ninja and didn't have much strength, but she managed to carry Rin in her arms, and ignore the pain of her feet, pressing hard against the ground. She managed to get the girl to the bed, and lay her down gently and cover the tear soaked girl in blankets. The moment she let go, her knees gave in and she collapsed by the bed, her feet just barely managing to stay standing.
"I love you, Rin..." she whispered slowly, and stared at the girl's swollen eyes as one would a sister. "Please don't cry..."
The tears still trickled down, despite Rin's obvious unconscious state, and Anomie gently wiped them away.
Bad things always happened to the best people while the people who deserve it go on living in bliss. Anomie began to wish, for the first time ever, that she was strong enough to fight someone else's battles. Rin was in a dangerous profession and risked death every time she stepped out from those gates. All Anomie could do was watch her leave.
More than anything, she only wanted to see Rin smile again.
But she wasn't strong enough to do either one.
Long minutes passed with Anomie just numbly sitting by that bed, and holding Rin's shivering hand. She wasn't sure how long it had been. Maybe hours, maybe minutes, but nothing seemed to wake the sleeping girl's form. That was good. Dreams are better than reality, and Anomie wanted Rin to dream a little longer, before reality took hold and tore away that smile forever.
The sound of knocking didn't phase her much, but she slowly stood up and kissed the back of Rin's hand before letting it go. She walked to the door, numbly opening it and seeing Obito, covered and wet with the falling rain. His eyes looked wide and worried, and Kakashi was behind him, looking a little less deadpan than usual.
"Is Rin okay?" were Obito's first words, and Anomie instantly placed a finger over her lips to silence him to a whisper.
"We saw Ebisu...he told us what happened," Kakashi said, stepping inside and taking off his shoes, immediately noticing the mess of glass, feathers, and pillows, covering the room. Obito didn't take off his shoes and immediately went to find Rin.
"Polite and not so polite. There's never a time to forget proper manners," Anomie stated, her face without expression. The moment of weakness; the moment where tears had actually filled her eyes was nowhere to be seen. "She's resting and I'm about to start cleaning."
Kakashi's eyes instantly went to the bandages around Anomie's feet and legs, "What happened?"
"Ahh...It's only flesh." Anomie glanced at the bandages and walked into the kitchen to get a trash bag. He immediately noticed that she didn't wince when she stepped, as if she were used to the pain by now. He slowly nodded, noticing how her pride was obviously greater than her pain. He slowly followed where Obito had gone, and found said boy standing by Rin's bed, frozen stiff.
Kakashi was relieved to see the girl hadn't done anything too stupid, and backed out to let Obito have his time with her. Kakashi didn't see the point in sitting next to someone who is asleep. He also didn't see the point in sitting next to Obito.
He walked back into the other room, finding that Anomie had started picking up the torn pillows and other ruined items and throwing it into the bag. She was careful not to step on the glass, and Kakashi noticed that a bit of red had begun to seep through the bandages around the bottom of her feet when she walked.
"I'll do it," he said and he obviously wasn't asking as he grabbed the bag from her grasp, taking her place. She didn't fight him and instantly went for a broom to begin sweeping.
Kakashi's speed ended up being much greater than her own, and the moment she began to sweep the glass, he grabbed it from her and took her place. She found herself stuck only watching as he cleaned before she grabbed a rag and dampened it before she tried to clean a bit of the blood droplets off the hardwood floor. Kakashi once again, quickly finished sweeping and grabbed the rag, taking her place.
She stood, just watching him, before she covered her mouth with her palm as she tried to cover her small smile. "I'm not handicapped," she mumbled, and he glanced her way, both eyes narrowing onto her before staring at her bandages. He stood up and all but forced her to sit down on the couch as he continued the cleaning and she watched.
"You're nicer than I thought you were..." she murmured, and Kakashi's shoulders slightly tensed before he went back to cleaning. For the first time, Anomie was able to see the side of Kakashi that Rin had been talking about, and for a moment, she couldn't look away.
But pride was pride, and Anomie snuck to the kitchen and began to cook while Kakashi followed the trail of blood to Rin's mother's room.
Anomie felt like a bit of a housewife for a moment, but she ignored the surge of annoyance as she continued cutting up the vegetables and making the stew.
"Sit down. I'll do it," came Kakashi voice from behind her. Anomie slightly smiled again, and she turned her head towards the masked boy.
"Do you even know how to cook something besides maybe instant ramen?"
"I live alone. Of course I know how," Kakashi retorted, forcing her aside and taking her place.
"Cut them vertically," Anomie suggested, and Kakashi quickly obeyed, while she watched him. She saw his skills in cooking were nowhere near as good as his skills in bragging, but she didn't question his determination. She had basically done most of the work anyway, so she doubted he could screw it up too badly.
"Stop staring," he said with a frown, causing her to shrug. "Sit down."
She bit her lip and brought a chair next to him, still staring him down and enjoying the sight of him tensing.
"I will knock you out if I have to," he told her and she covered her smile in her arms.
"Oh no. Whatever will I do against the great and powerful Chūnin with his great and powerful gelled hair."
"It's naturally this way."
"I don't believe you."
"Believe what you want."
"I will."
"...It's natural."
"I don't believe you."
For a single moment of speaking to him had made her forget about her troubles and drown in the sound of his voice, lulling her eyes closed against her arms until she could only hear the quiet sounds of him cooking.
It wasn't so bad...Rin's friends...they weren't so bad.
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Anomie was woken to the soft smell of stew, filing her nostrils and causing her eyes to slowly open as she felt her form was covered in the soft blankets and no longer laying against a hard chair. Instead she rested on a bed with Rin sleeping comfortably next to her. Anomie slowly sat up, careful not to wake Rin as the bags and puffy-ness of her eyes all but alarmed her.
The room was dark, and the tiny candle, flickering next to her, was the only thing that allowed her to see. She slowly took off her covers and stood up, wincing as her feet touched the ground. She ignored the pain as she escaped the darkness of the room and followed the scent of food until she came to the kitchen and saw Obito cooking, his face looking smug.
"You should be resting," Kakashi said, and Anomie's eyebrow raised.
"I'm good. You cleaned up around here...thanks. What happened?" she asked, referring to the change in cooks.
"Kakashi can't cook anything but rice and fish," Obito said, sounding even more smug while Kakashi's face turned into a scowl.
"I thought you said, 'I live alone, of course I can cook,'" Anomie said, her face blank, but she was hiding back a smirk, not wanting to seem rude to the guy who basically cleaned the entire house out of kindness. Or pity. Whichever.
"Shut up," Kakashi muttered to both of them, closing his eyes and leaning back against the chair.
"I, however, help Baa-chan cook all the time," Obito said as Anomie walked up to the stew, before she picked up a spoon and dipped it inside. She brought it to her lips and took a taste, the heat slightly burning her tongue, but it didn't hurt too much. "I don't like to brag, but I think I am pretty good."
"Kind of bland," she murmured, putting in some salt and other spices, ignoring the sudden change of expression from Obito.
Kakashi snorted, causing Obito to point towards him with a scowl.
"Screw you! I'm still better than you!" Obito snapped, to which Kakashi ignored.
"A loser is still a loser," Kakashi commented while Anomie turned towards Obito.
"Thanks for making it. I'm sure Rin will like it now," Anomie commented, putting down the last spice and causing Obito to frown.
"That's a rather backhanded compliment, An-chan," Obito whined, and Anomie shrugged, walking towards the cupboard and taking out four bowls.
"She needs to eat something warm and get better for the mission tomorrow. As long as it's edible, I'm sure she won't mind," Anomie commented, ignoring Obito's comment and the nickname he decided to call her. She also ignored his muttering of a 'backhanded compliment' and her being 'rude' as she shifted on her feet. She began filling up the bowls and taking one in her hands, walking to Rin's room without another word.
Said girl's eyes were open, blank, her back propped against the wall. She didn't glance her way, no matter how close Anomie got to the bed. She turned on the lamp as she set the bowl down on the stand next to Rin.
"Eat," Anomie ordered, and Rin didn't move, as if she didn't hear. "Eat or I'll force it down your throat."
Rin turned her head towards Anomie's cold tone. Despite the tone, Anomie's face was blank and she lifted the spoon to Rin's lips. Upon meeting Anomie's gaze, Rin slowly opened her mouth.
"Good. Obito made it. And Kakashi helped," Anomie found herself smirking as her voice leveled into a whisper. "You got a meal prepared by the guy of your dreams." She left out the fact that Kakashi didn't actually do much, but the mention of his name managed to bring some life back into Rin's eyes.
"I'm sorry," Rin muttered, and Anomie sighed.
"For what?"
"Everything."
"Just eat and shut up. You didn't do anything," came Anomie's retort.
"I have to get ready for the mission...I have to..."
"It's not for another eight hours. Move one more muscle and I'll tie you down."
"You're back to being rude," Rin said in a toneless voice, her hand shakily reaching for the spoon and bowl.
"I never stopped," came Anomie's reply as she sat on the bed, her body lightly brushing against Rin's. "Your friends really care for you. Put off your feelings for the mission and they will take care of you after. Eat. Be healthy...but do your duty."
Rin's grip tightened on the spoon, and at that moment Obito came rushing in. "You're being harsh An-chan!"
"No, she's right," came Kakashi's voice, causing Obito to get angry.
"She's right," Rin agreed, sitting up straighter.
Anomie shrugged, and stood up, leaving Rin to her comrades.
"An-chan...thank you," Rin murmured, just as Anomie got near the door. She didn't answer, and only walked out, hearing the upset mumblings of Obito behind her.
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The moment Rin left for her mission, Anomie began cleaning out the apartment of all traces of the girl's mother. She placed the picture frames that once littered the apartment, into boxes and placed them all in Rin's mother's room. She knew that Rin would be unhappy at first, but she knew that this would be better for her if she didn't come home and be reminded of the loss at first sight.
Her eyes found the flower, that she had picked many months ago, still standing strong and upright. Rin's Chakra kept it alive, and Anomie had caught the girl placing Chakra into the flower every morning so it wouldn't die. The flower that symbolized protection didn't feel very protective, and Anomie was tempted to throw it away for a moment, before she left it as is and leaned against the wall.
Now that Rin's mother was dead, Anomie began to wonder just how thing would change. Finances would be more difficult, especially since she herself was living off of Rin's money. The death also surfaced memories she would have preferred stayed buried. Once more, her thoughts went back to the red light district, and this time they didn't stray.
Anomie began to doubt that they ever would. She had been one of the few girls that never rebelled or complained or tried to run away. She had no love for her life in Kemuri, and yet being free to do whatever she wanted, but having nowhere to go and nothing to do except sit around and wait for Rin to come home.
She felt like a prisoner.
And such led her body to that house. The inside was nothing like the Oiran house in Kemuri, and this one was filled with high levels of prestige and far more obvious shows of money, decorating the girls and the house. Most of the red light district was run down and poor, as if this house was like a black hole, sucking the life from the district.
That would suit Anomie just fine.
"I want to be an Oiran," she said, all the while pondering what fit of stupidity was forcing her body to bow to the groups of Oiran girls. What kind of stupidity was controlling her mouth and her legs? There were no men in sight, as this time of day was usually brought on by the girls putting off appointments as to seem more mysterious. It was the same in Kemuri, so Anomie was easily able to guess the correct time here as well.
The Oiran promptly laughed, taking one look at her slightly poor choice of dress and making a mockery of everything else. The Oiran house was never friendly to those without money, and it had always been as such.
"I am already trained. Exceptionally well," Anomie continued, her body in the perfect bow. "I haven't the money nor a sponsor...so I ask that one of you sponsor me and I won't rest until I have paid you all back...ten fold."
"These are just words, child," came a voice of a woman far away from the rest. She was a woman tall and beautiful with a face covered in white, pale makeup and ruby red lips. Anomie could almost immediately feel her presence was different than the rest. A Tayū. "You'll find...we listen to facts. Not words, child." The way she repeated child was offensive, if not mocking, but Anomie knew it would be senseless to react.
"Listen to whatever you like. I am what I say," Anomie replied, her voice in monotone.
"Arrogance is justified when there's something to back it up. So far, all I see from you, child, is a beautiful face and big words," the Tayū replied, her voice making some of the Oiran laugh, but Anomie's face remained impassive.
"Test me if you like. I am what I say," Anomie repeated as she sat up from her bowed position, staring the Tayū straight in the eyes. "I might even be better than you."
All the Oiran looked shocked by the words, and stared to the Tayū, as if they were waiting for the woman to snap.
But instead, the woman only laughed, a musical sound that as she whilst hiding her chuckle behind her fan. The Oiran looked surprised, especially when the Tayū, with her fan, motioned for Anomie to stand up. She obeyed without a second thought.
"Come with me," the Tayū said slowly.
"Minami," One of the Oiran looked shocked, staring over to the Tayū as if said woman were crazy.
Minami didn't looked happy to be questioned, and her scowl immediately made everyone cease chatting. As Anomie began to walk through the Oiran, she immediately saw one attempt to trip her with a closed fan, but Anomie was so used to such actions in Kemuri, that she easily dodged it.
Their obvious signs of hatred didn't bother her, as the women who made their emotions so open didn't scare her. If anything, it was people like Minami, who had full control over said emotions, who were calculating and vengeful, but not obvious. Those were the type to fear. When you have no idea what someone really thinks of you, it makes the surprise attack all the more effective.
Anomie followed the Tayū into one of the many rooms, and watched as the woman took a seat, her legs folded under her thighs next to a small Kotetsu table, stripped of its futon for the summer. When she saw that Anomie hadn't moved from the door, she motioned for her to sit across from her.
Mirroring the Tayū actions, she sat down in a similar stance.
"You realize that you have offended every Oiran in this house, do you not?" Minami said and at that moment one of the Shinzou* girls, the servants of the Oiran, came in with tea. There were two of them, and they couldn't have been more than 15 years old. They weren't the most attractive of the girls in the Yūkaku house, so that no doubt contributed to why they served the Oiran instead of the customer.
"I am not here to make friends," Anomie replied, watching as one of the Shinzou poured the tea into two cups before bowing and walking near the door and standing straight.
"None of us ever really do. You have received lessons," Minami said, her voice cutting through the silence as she lifted the tea cup and slowly spun the cup before lifting it, her hand underneath as she took a seat. "I can tell that much at least. You met with my yarite**...I am impressed that you got him to lie to us on your behalf. He said you were very rich and a man."
"I'm afraid I am neither of those things," Anomie agreed, and she saw Minami smirk, holding back her obvious trickle of annoyance.
"If you have enough to make men do your bidding, especially men in service of me...I had no choice but to allow this one on one conversation," Minami didn't sound pleased, but made no move to hide her impressed gaze. "Our work has flourished during this war...men are quick to seek our comforts."
"The Hokage had said that this isn't a house dedicated to that kind of pleasure."
"The Hokages have never really been able to control the red light district, and have never gone as far as putting this establishment out of business. We do no wrong, and we make men happy."
"If they can pay for it."
Minami bowed her head an inch, a smile lingering on her lips.
"You are gorgeous," Minami said, setting the teacup down as Anomie picked up hers. "And polite...to a point. You've been a kamuro***, have you not? I can tell. We all have similar pasts, and your rude behavior is like looking in a less talented mirror."
Anomie didn't comment.
"Your arrogant comment about replacing me has not been forgotten, Anomie," Minami continued, her eyes closed as she took another sip of tea. "While it did not win you my favor, it did win you my attention. Congratulations. I see potential in you."
"So I am that beautiful?" she said and with Anomie's tone of voice, the words didn't sound like a question. It was a statement tone, as if she had said the sky was blue.
"Arrogance will get you nowhere."
"It got me here."
Minami hid her smile behind her now opened fan, but didn't speak of insults like Anomie had attempted to bait. "I will sponsor you. If not to see your success, then if to see your failure." A rather sardonic laugh escaped the Tayū lips. "Nothing would please me more, An-chan."
That nickname again. What the actual fuck?
But Anomie only bowed, her head hovering over the ground while her hands moved to their appropriate places.
"Thank you very much."
"Thanking me is not necessary as of yet. It's a loan, not a favor. You know the life we live. If you let it consume you, like it has consumed many others, you will become a walking corpse. I can't lie and say that I hope you will overcome it. Seeing your arrogance fade into an empty doll would be the highlight of my week," Minami said simply, standing up and looking down as Anomie began to sit up. "Clothes and your hair. It's all wrong. The white hair, I can handle, but the pink dye has to go."
Minami was beautiful, with pure black hair, and onyx black eyes with pale skin and clear features. Anomie was surprised she was allowed to keep any of her original hair color at all, so she had no complaints about the strips of pink.
"I prefer more darker colors in my girls." Minami walked around the table, stopping in front of Anomie before she knelt down, pressing her palm against her cheek. Anomie's eyes darted towards it, but didn't say anything. "But customers don't care about hair color, as long as you know how to move, when speak, how to entertain, those sorts of things. You are right about one thing to be arrogant about, An-chan. You are very beautiful and you have such pretty eyes. But beauty won't mean anything if I have your skin torn from your disrespectful body."
Anomie only had to hold back her smile. There wasn't anything she particularly liked about Minami, but she was at least beginning to respect her. Anomie never liked the last Tayū who had taken to bossing her around and almost getting her killed, but Minami seemed much smarter than Ohashi. Smarter and colder.
But at least Minami wouldn't do anything stupid and cause Anomie to lose her life in the process. She would be more worried about Minami taking a much more direct attempt on her life. That wasn't something Anomie had to fear. It was better this way.
For the first time since arriving in Konoha, Anomie felt like she was where she was supposed to be.
From here on out, her life before was easily erased.
A part of her felt almost sick at the thought of selling her body like before, but that greater part of her yearned for the excitement of making men want her. Of making men shower her with praise and gifts. Of making everyone submit underneath her.
A part of her, that sick, twisted part, felt like she deserved the treatment and degradation that came along with it. She knew that Konoha wasn't supposed to have slaves, but no village is perfect and every Oiran in this house is bound to it. And that was what Anomie ultimately wanted.
She wanted the pretty dresses and the beautiful makeup and the worship of men. Her flesh was a small price to pay for it.
That night, Minami's Shinzou stripped her down and examined every inch of her body for imperfections. They found that she already had the Oiran mark on her neck, and Minami watched as they scrubbed her body of the worldly filth until her skin was raw and red. Anomie didn't move and stayed standing as they did their duty.
"Your tattoo..." Minami stood, and grabbed Anomie's wrist, finding a small black marking right under the heel of her wrist. It had been on her for as long as she could remember, and a point came where Anomie had stopped questioning what it was. "This might be a problem. I do hate damaged goods."
"We could burn it off," one of Shinzou suggested, and Minami met Anomie's gaze, finding that it was free of fear of that fact.
"Would you like that?" Minami asked, and her voice remained neutral with no trace of kindness.
"Whatever you desire," Anomie replied, and Minami raised a single thin eyebrow before she dropped her hand like poison.
"I'll have it burned away soon enough. I do hate those kinds of tattoos that turn property into something else. An Oiran only needs markings that remind them of what they are..." Minami's faced remained impassive. "Property. None of these girls came to us on their own violation. You are the only one. Hopefully friendships aren't what you're looking for, Anomie."
Anomie remained silent.
"But no matter. I will pay for your kimono and your very own Shinzou until you are able to do so yourself. Housing, I can pay for as well."
"I have a house," Anomie replied, and Minami's expression turned blank.
"How close is it to this district? You aren't naïve enough to think I'd allowed you to go far while you are under my care, are you?"
That night, for her disrespect, Anomie was disciplined by the warm welcome of a bamboo stick. Minami gripped her by the hair, in so tight a fist that Anomie was nearly certain that her hair was to be ripped out, "I will destroy you." The threat might of once filled Anomie's heart with fear, but she didn't feel anything. The pain was expected from the first moment Anomie had opened her mouth and she accepted it like a brother in arms as it reminded Anomie the thing she had begun to allow herself to forget...
That no matter where and what the village, this was what she was.
That thought struck her harder than any lash, and she found herself numb to its realization.
The pain was well deserved and it made her feel subdued...it made her heart fill with a sense of knowing her place.
It was the only thing that made her forget her past and her future. It was the only thing that allowed her to live in this world with her eyes closed and body submerged in darkness.
This was good enough for her.
"A Geisha is a work of art that struts around and remains untouched. An Oiran is a sculpture. You have to feel it to know its worth and the longer it stands, the more knicks and imperfects appear for fingers to dig into the crevices of the art. It is beautiful, even as it crumbles. That is what you will do. Oiran or not. The poison remains and soon enough, you will crumble too."
Author's Note
A brief description of Anomie is as follows: She's an Aquarius. Her favorite food is square melon. Her least favorite food is udon and salted pork. She doesn't really have any hobbies outside of worrying about Rin and maybe reading on occasion. She also sometimes doesn't know the meaning of a 'tactful approach' and everything she says is honest, mostly rude. She has a heart-shaped birthmark on her left butt cheek that sometimes looks like a smiley face when she is at a certain angle.
That last piece of information felt a bit too personal aha.
紫陽花 (Ajisai) (Hydrangea) - symbolizes heartfelt emotions. It can be used to express gratitude for being understood. In its negative sense hydrangea symbolizes frigidity and heartlessness.
*Shinzou - Shinzou (新造) were girls older than kamuro, and were trainee for yuujyo. There are 4 types of shinzou. Bandou shinzou (番頭新造) were girls that were not too attractive to become a yuujyo, or yuujyo that are too old for their job. They took care of the oiran. Furisode shinzou (振袖新造) were yuujyo trainees around the age of 15-16. They did not take customers. Furisode shinzou became oiran in the future. Tomesode shinzou (留袖新造) were the same age of the furisode shinzou, but did not had the future of becoming a high grade yujyo. They took customers. Lastly, taiko shinzou (太鼓新造) were yuujyo that didn't have many customers for sex work, but were very good at entertaining customers with their talents. They showed their talent at banquets.
**Kamuro - Kamuro (禿) were girls that did every day chores for the oiran. The girls were around 10 years old. They did everyday chores of the yuujyo in charge, who would then educate the kamuro about yuujyo.
***Yarite If you wanted to spend some time with the oiran, you had to contact someone in between. This person was called a yarite (遣手). This was applied not only to oiran, but to yuujyo in general.