An assassin and white geisha

Part One

by Nightwing

"Please, Manx, don't make me do it, I'll do anything." Manx blinked in shock, she had to check she'd heard his right, because if she hadn't heard it she never would have imagined that she had just heard Aya Fujimiya beg.

He held a bamboo box in his arms like it was a baby, but at the same time with disgust as if that baby had just soiled it's nappy. "I'm sorry, Abyssinian, but it has to be you. Bombay's just too young, and the one time we used Siberian in a mission like this." She stopped.

"We don't mention that." Ken said, "it never happened, and I'll deny it under torture."

"This is a complicated mission, Weiss," she explained, "as Persia explained there is a child kidnapping and slavery ring working out of Gion in Kyoto, the last team we sent in were killed, you are the only team that can do it, but we need to have a figure to draw their attention. They work out of this tea room, but to get an agent in we have set up an arrangement, they don't take in outsiders, you have to be invited, and the only people they invite are the Geisha, therefore we need a geisha. Siberian looks like a man in drag and Balinese's not nearly striking enough to be a famous Tokyo geisha the way we need to present him as. He'd make a fine hostess, but not a geisha." Yohji had his hands on his hips suggesting that he had been mortally insulted. "I can't do it because they know my face, so that leaves you, Abyssinian, we need you to go into an geisha house we have a long standing relationship with and pretend to be a Geisha."

"No," he replied.

"Yes," she answered, "Bombay will be joining you as well, as your maiko, and Siberian as staff, and Balinese you will have a job in a neighbouring tea house."

"But," Aya protested.

"Come now, Aya, you'll make a lovely geisha." Ken said with a smile, "we can give you the name Shi-ne."

Aya answered him succinctly with a "Shi-ne."

"In this folder," Manx said, "are your new identities and everything that the previous team were able to learn. Abyssinian, you will be Murasakiiro, the name is especially fitting and Persia himself decided on it for you, Balinese, you will be Katsumoto Tachi, Bombay, Persia decided to call you Aoi."

"Shouldn't that be yaoi?" Ken said with a smirk.

"Siberian, you will be Hirohata Reiichi, and if I hear another word out of you, you will be the one in a kimono." She turned, "Abyssinian, your art will be haiku and waka, so you don't have to learn to dance, sing or play. There are two kimono and haori in the box, and another fifteen waiting for you in Kyoto. They have all been bought with you in mind. There are also train tickets for you all, but you will all need to be in character before you leave. There is an itinerary for you and Bombay tomorrow to prepare you for arrival in Gion."

"Manx," Omi said, "you said I was going to be his Maiko, what is that?"

Manx's smile was for a moment amused, "my apologies, Omi, but you're going to be his imouto, his little sister, the geisha that he is training."

"Then don't I get kimono too?" He looked a little put out.

"Certainly," her grin was predatory, "they are in Kyoto, but you will need to dress like a teenage girl, but we will arrange that tomorrow. Also Abyssinian there is to be a generous stipend for you on this mission, that you can properly entertain. It's to pay for hairdressers and makeup and the like. There is a card made out in the name Murasakiiro, you just have to sign it. Well, that's everything gentlemen, Weiss, deny these dark beasts their tomorrow."

Aya held up the kimono in front of him, it was clearly a woman's kimono with small sakura blossoms embroidered unto a background of pale violet that faded down to an inky blue black. It was a very expensive kimono. Also in the box were several fine obi and geta, there was even a small box with jewellery for his hair. Kritiker had spared no expense and he mentally made a note to work out how much he could sell them for when he was done, although he might keep some of them for Aya-chan. Her hospital bills were very high, but it would be nice for her to wake up to have a collection of fine family kimono.

"Pretty," Yohji said from the doorway, "the red and gold obi I think. To highlight your hair and the earring."

"Shi ne, Kudoh." Aya growled.

"Really, now, you're not going to be the most beautiful geisha in Gion with that attitude, now put on the dress, not that one, the frilly one on the bed, and I'll go with you to the training centre where they're going to train to walk in the sandals."

"Shi ne, Kudoh, I am not wearing that dress." He held up the offending article, "no self respecting assassin would be seen wearing that shade of pink." It was a pale pastel and trimmed in satin and lace. It would look lovely against his pale skin. "They may make me a geisha, but they can't make me wear coral."

Despite himself Yohji laughed. "You have to see the funny side of it." he admitted as Aya's face got stonier and stonier. "You're gorgeous and you're going to be a beautiful geisha, a geisha that Kritiker is going to be proud to patronise."

"Yohji," Aya said, "pass me the dark blue dress and we can get going."

Yohji was thrilled to have most beautiful lady in all of Tokyo on his arm as he walked through Shibuya to the hair dressers. Aya wore a floor length navy dress with an empire line that was bunched around the padded bra that he wore, although Yohji knew that he was wearing briefs and not panties underneath it. He was wearing a pair of pumps and just a touch of makeup. Ken was escorting Omi who was wearing a genki little school uniform with loose white socks and a skirt that was, in Yohji's opinion, scandalously short as they did their shopping.

Everywhere they went people looked at Aya, he was attracting all sorts of attention. A complete stranger had bought him a flower on the street, causing Yohji to put his arm through the heavy wool of Aya's winter coat and almost drag him along. Dressed like that Aya was incredibly beautiful, and although never embarrassed to be seen out with him- Yohji was proud to be on his arm.

"Can we get this over with?" Aya growled.

"You have to get used to people looking at you as a woman," Yohji said, they were deliberately taking the scenic route through Shibuya for partially that reason, and partially because Aya looked so beautiful that Yohji wanted to show him off. This morning they had waxed Aya's legs and arm pits which had caused him to wince, swear and threaten to kill the beautician, though he hadn't raised a peep when they waxed his eyebrows. He'd complained about the creams and lotions they used on his face, and then outright whined at the foundation. Yet the overall effect was so powerful that even Aya had been forced to concede that he made a beautiful woman. "You have to get used to people looking at you desirously as a beautiful woman. A geisha is supposed to make her customer's fall in love with her."

"You fell in love with me." Aya answered sharply. It was true. Yohji confessed his love several times a day, nto that Aya took much notice of him.

"You have to make a room full of strange men fall in love with Murasakiiro, knowing full well that if any of them try to even get to first base with her I'll gut them."

Aya chuckled at that, looping his arm through Yohji's, "jealous, jealous Ta-kun," he teased. "They'll want me more when they know that I have a boyfriend." He was playing with him, acting very much the coquette, but it was uncomfortable. "So is this why I am being treated to the Kudoh Seminar in seducing women?"

"No, this is to get me used to people looking at you and falling in love with you so I don't gut all your customers before you get tipped." He shrugged making his blonde hair bounce, "you'd kill me if I cost you money with my petty jealousy."

"True," Aya admitted, "Omi said that a geisha, if she's successful, can earn hundreds of thousands of yen a night," he practically had yen signs in his eyes at the idea, "even before tips and gifts, and I spoke to Manx and she said I could keep everything I made. I don't think that she's expecting me to do well."

"That's two reasons to do well," Yohji said, "the money, and the chance to prove Manx wrong."

"She asked for photos." Aya added, "every night before we're to entertain Ken is to email her photos of Omi and I, part of me says that this mission is a set up."

"They are stealing children and selling them to the highest bidder." Yohji said, "but I know what you mean, we don't normally go as far afield as Kyoto, and this is happening in the flower and willow world, and why us?"

"It's the photos, I'm convinced we could go in, scout about, be done in a week and then back." Aya said, "I was willing to accept that this was necessary except that she wants photos."

"It's just for future blackmail." Yohji said, "it just gives her one more thing to hold over you."

"Don't even joke about that." Aya said with a mock punch to his arm.

"Well if it isn't my favourite little white kitten?" A nasal voice asked from behind them, "and being seen with a lady, what will Abyssinian say, have you done professing your undying love for him. Does that mean someone else can have a try?"

Yohji swore and Aya lowered his head, when Yohji turned around he wasn't surprised to see Schuldig. He was wearing a green blazer and white trousers, and holding a bag that appeared to be full of books. Nagi was behind him doing his best to stifle laughter by gnawing on his knuckle. He must have taken the boy shopping for the school year. "I imagine he'd say." Yohji began.

"Hello Schuldig." Aya finished.

Schuldig gaped. Nagi just pushed his knuckle into his mouth deeper whilst he pointed with the other hand.

"I am fully armed, and this is for a mission." Aya answered, "so put the finger away, Prodigy, before I break it off." If anything this just made Nagi laugh harder.

"Abyssinian," Schuldig said in awe, "you're gorgeous."

"Mine," Yohji said, tugging on Aya's arm, "Now come along."

"Prodigy," Aya said, before he let himself be led away, "Bombay is here too, and he's wearing a school uniform."

"A girl's school uniform." Yohji added. Schuldig's eyes bulged and Nagi had to stop pointing to stem the flow of blood from his nose, whilst the other tugged on Schuldig's hand to go and find the cause of his nosebleed.

"That was just cruel," Yohji said as they stepped into a quieter street, "and how did you know it would have that effect on the boy?"

Aya just smirked, "isn't a woman allowed her secrets?" In the heels Aya stood of a height with Yohji but where Yohji was gangly even in the long dress Aya looked like a fashion model with all of her height in her legs. She reached forward and kissed him briefly, surprising Yohji that the gloss he was wearing was cherry flavoured.

"There was never any secrets between us, Aya," Yohji chided, "how did you know?"

"Omi calls out his name in his sleep," Aya answered, "and believe me the way he calls it out tells me it is not a nightmare." He pulled his coat closed over the dark blue dress.

"But." Yohji protested.

"It's the secret girlfriend that you've been teasing him about mercilessly for weeks, ever since you found out that he had one."

Yohji looked shocked for a moment and then shrugged, "I'd love to say that they were ideally matched but," he stuck his lip out, "he got a nosebleed. That's just..."

"He's sixteen, Yohji." Aya said opening the door to the hairdressers, "he's only sixteen."

"Our little Omi's got himself a boyfriend." Yohji gushed for a moment, "and he's just as twisted as we are." He clapped his hands together in delight. "But something tells me he won't look as pretty in a dress.