Little Trinkets (Suzume/Rin)

[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume stepped out of her okiya dressed in a pale green kimono decorated with cherry blossom branches and tiny golden sparrows. The obi was tied in a fat sparrow bow, and colored a pale blush, matching the blossoms that floated across her kimono. A tiny golden decoration hung out from her obi. For once, Suzume didn’t mind stepping out in the daylight without her chiyo, dressed all up. Her hair was set up high on her head, and her jade haircomb stuck out of her bun wth tiny little flower designs hanging down from the base. A long, golden hair pin stuck out from the other side, a Chinese-decorated ball hanging off the end. She could afford all of these extravaganzas due to the number of wealthy dannas she’d collected in the three years since her debut. She wasn’t stuck-up, or some sort of gold-digger. She just happened to be the daughter of the last famous geisha in this district, and the high cost of her mizuage also helped. These dannas had paid for her many kimonos, her ornamentations, her living expenses. They had even paid the fees her okasan demanded. Her hazel eyes looked up into the clear blue sky. Today was definitely going to be good, she thought. She pretended not to see the handsome man walking on the other side of the street with long black hair and an attractive face.

As she walked, Suzume met up with many of her colleagues, bowing with respect to her senior geishas, and nodding as those younger and earning less than her bowed with the same respect to her. Even though her chiyo was unable to walk with her, she was hardly alone. Many of her junior geishas surrounded her, barraging her with questions about the men she’d entertained, what the mizuage was like – Suzume pretended to blush and avoided the question – and other such questions. Deciding to play the part of kind chiyo, she quietly demonstrated to the girls around her how to make a man trip over his own feet by just glancing at him. Although this excited them very much, they wanted to see something more daring. They wanted a man to talk to them, or, more specifically, to Suzume. One of them gossiped about how Suzume had at least five silk squares like they had heard ladies on the Mainland carried. This was a lie; Suzume owned at least seven. They begged her with quiet giggles to drop a square as a man passed and get him to pick it up. Suzume sighed internally. It was such a basic trick, and a village girl could easily grasp it. But she played along. She dropped it, but no man was about, so she bent down herself to pick it up, pretending to be slightly embarrassed by the event. As she reached for the square, she loosed the ornament tucked into her obi, letting it fall into the street with a distinct clink. The girls didn’t hear, too busy laughing along with Suzume and telling her that they didn’t care that she’d messed up only slightly. Suzume stood, convincing the others to walk slightly slower. Someone made an old joke and everyone laughed politely. Suzume’s laugh rang out across the street like bells and birds. She hoped the man she’d been sending coy little smiles and glances would come and pick up her ornament. If he didn’t, she knew someone else would, but she hoped it was that raven-haired man.

[Rin Hayashi]

A man was walking along the streets of the village center. He had messy long black hair that was tied back, and he was dressed rather casually, his clothing resembling that of a peasant. Of course, the man himself had no idea what he was wearing. He never did. He put clothes on each day, and all he could do was hope that they matched. Not that it mattered, as he usually only travelled the deserted roads deep in the forest, places that other humans hardly ventured. Now that he was in public like this, it made him quite uncomfortable, and for the first time in a long while he found himself wondering what he looked like. Other people could see him, but he could not see them, and this was a horrifying notion, especially since the man was convinced that he must be a hideous monster. To anyone else, this would seem a ridiculous notion, especially to the girl who kept giving him little smiles and quick glances. Obviously she didn’t seem to think this about him, nor would anyone else with two eyes.

Unfortunately, the man did not see this girl. He couldn’t. She was invisible to him. Everyone was invisible to him. Many people walked past him, moving around on all sides, and yet he could not see a single one of them. He moved slowly, breath coming fast as he walked down the street. In his hand he was tightly clutching a bamboo staff, a long pole that served as a walking stick. His fingers were gripping the object, his lifeline, so tightly that his knuckles were white. He hated visiting the village, alas, it needed to be done. He needed supplies for the coming winter, more specifically, warmer and thicker clothes. It was something he had to do though, otherwise he would die. Not that he would mind dying, as it was something he thought about often. Just...the thought of freezing to death was not very appealing to him. It would be a pathetic way to leave the world. He would freeze in the forest, slowly and painfully, and perhaps one day a lone traveler would stumble across his forgotten bones. No, if he was going to die he would go out with a bang.

Rin slowed his pace slightly, stopping. He would need to ask someone for help soon, get directions… otherwise he would never be able to find what he was searching for. This was the part that he hated the most; asking for assistance. It was embarrassing, pride shattering, and it made him feel completely useless, like some kind of handicapped cripple. Well, he supposed he was handicapped… but still… admitting it made him feel even worse about himself than he already did. He disliked being reminded that he was blind, that he lacked his sight, that he was different. There was a reason that he kept to himself, hid out in the forest, and this was part of it. He was different, he didn’t fit in. At first glance he just looked like a normal man; however, face to face it became more obvious that he could not see. There was always the off chance the person wouldn’t notice he was blind, wouldn’t make some rude remark about it, but it was hard not to notice, as his eyes were an unnatural misty blue color, while the rest of the population’s seemed to be dark colors, like brown. He was just sick of people gawking at him and asking stupid questions like ‘are you blind?!’

There were too many voices, too many different footsteps… He was beginning to feel claustrophobic. A man shouldered past him, bumping him to the side, muttering something about ‘watch the hell where you’re going’ and Rin recoiled as if he had been struck. He moved slowly off to the side, trying to get away from the people, away from the crowd. As he walked, moving recklessly now in his hurry to find his way off the main road, he nearly barreled into a girl, the same girl in fact that had been giving him looks earlier. He stumbled a little, seeming to sense that she was there, and came steps away from colliding into her. He did not pick up her item, whatever it had been that she dropped, completely unaware of its existence. Instead, he simply started to walk right on past her, muttering something under his breath.

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[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume laughed with the other girls as they slowly continued their walk down the main street. She kept an eye on the man as he slowed his own pace, moving to the side of the walk. She noted the stick of bamboo he carried in his hand, constantly waving it back and forth, back and forth across his path. She wondered what he carried it for. She didn’t notice a limp, and even if he did use it for a lame leg, he wasn’t supporting himself with the stick. He gripped it tightly, but he didn’t prop himself against it when he stepped. She jumped slightly as one of the meikos asked her about the intricacies of tea ceremonies. Suzume held in a sigh. Were they really asking her about tea ceremonies? She worried about these girls. They needed to pay more attention to their conversations than their actions. A geisha could charm a man with a little skin shown just to him, yes, but if she couldn’t captivate his intellect, she wouldn’t find a good danna, ever. She waited impatiently for the handsome man to hand her the little trinket she had dropped.

Suzume kept a mask of amusement as the raven-haired man brushed passed her. He didn’t pick up her trinket. Inside, she felt her chest tighten. She had never experienced being ignored like that, and she thought she may have known now why her mother warned her against letting her emotions become a part of her choices. None of the girls noticed her rejection, and she planned to keep it that way. Another young man came after the group to hand Suzume her obi decoration, but she told him that it wasn’t hers. His face dropped at the brush-off, but brightened up again when she motioned to a cute young geiko in the group and told him that it was actually hers. The girl blushed, and took the ornament without asking, quietly thanking the man. She gave Suzume a grateful look, not only for the trinket, but for directing the young man her way. Suzume smiled. She was used to young men following her, and she pitied any other girl walking with her, as they were typically ignored, just because, for the most part, Suzume was the daughter of one of the most famous geisha’s in the district.

She excused herself from the group, telling them that she had ‘business to attend to’, and walked quickly in front of them to catch up with the raven-haired man. She gently touched a hand to the man’s forearm, which she noticed to be well-muscled. ”Excuse me,” Suzume said cheerfully, smiling, ”I couldn’t help noticing that you looked slightly lost. I know my way quite well around here, if you need any assistance.” She offered her guidance to the young man, smiling. She didn’t see his face, or the cloudy whiteness over his eyes. She continued walking with the man, waiting for his answer, but she made sure to slow her steps, keeping her hand on his arm, so therefore hopefully indicating to him to also slow down and talk to her.

((sorry about the wait))

[Rin Hayashi]

Rin nearly jumped out of his skin as a hand touched his forearm. “What? Who –?” He had not heard the footsteps of the person, whoever they were, as the crowd was too noisy. With all the bustling about the people were doing, all the chattering and laughing, it was impossible to single out any type of sound. So, when the girl rested her hand against his arm, it took him by surprise. He flinched at the sudden touch, heart nearly bursting through his ribcage. His muscles under her fingers tensed, grip on his bamboo cane tightening. His first instinct was to draw away, but he didn’t. Perhaps if he was in the forest he would have, but not here, not in the village. He wasn’t thinking straight, and so he just kept walking stupidly, eyes slightly wider than they had been before. He took a slow breath, calming himself. The person wasn’t going to hurt him…

At first Rin thought that someone had just bumped into him, however, as he continued to walk the hand remained in place, resting lightly on his forearm. The gesture confused him. He hated not being able to see what was going on around him… If he didn’t get out of here soon he was probably going to end up having an anxiety attack of something.

“Excuse me. I couldn’t help noticing that you looked slightly lost. I know my way quite well around here, if you need any assistance.”

Still baffled, Rin lifted an eyebrow at the girl’s words. Well, how convenient… He needed directions and here appeared a girl that could give them to him. He didn’t even have to ask. That probably meant that he had looked lost to her though, which made him feel a little self-conscious. For a moment, he found himself wondering what he looked like to the people around him, what they were thinking of him. He had an image of all of them staring at him, eyes following every step he took. He knew this wasn’t the case, that he shouldn’t be giving himself so much credit, but the thought still bothered him.

But…why had the girl offered her assistance to him? Did he really look that lost? Rin was oblivious to her flirting, her smile. He just saw this as a small annoyance… and annoyance with benefits, because it meant he didn’t have to ask anyone for directions. He got to save a small amount of his pride. He had no idea what this girl’s deal was, what was motivating her to do such a thing, because he highly doubted she was just being a good citizen…

“Uh, yes,” he started off rather awkwardly, stumbling over the words. He paused, cringing inwardly at the way his voice had come out, and then tried again. “I am trying to locate where they sell clothing,” he told her. He spoke quietly, voice soft, probably hard to hear over the other voices in the crowd. His voice sounded strange to him, foreign, and every time he spoke it was like hearing it for the first time. When had been the last time he had spoken to another living being? It must have been weeks, maybe months. He couldn’t remember. Time all blurred together for him, days coming and going, having no real meaning.

The girl slowed her steps, and Rin followed her lead, doing the same. He was slightly confused as to what was going on, as it was rare that anyone ever approached him. Usually people could sense the unwelcoming vibe he came off and stayed away. If they didn’t, well, they learned the hard way. Slowly, Rin slid his arm away from the girl, letting it fall back to his side. She would probably take offense of the action, but this wasn’t something he had considered, or even cared about. He was a selfish person. He didn’t often think about how his words or actions would effect others.

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[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume held back a giggle as she felt the man jump at her touch. She didn’t think she’d been that quite coming up on him, but she guessed it was a good sign. It meant that she was getting better in her darn platform sandals. She felt the muscles underneath her hand tense up, saw the knuckles on his hand turn white as he gripped his bamboo walking stick. She wondered what made him so tense and jumpy. He was probably a fighter of some sort, and from his dress, she figured possibly a ninja. Much lower than my usual pay, she thought sullenly, but pushed it to the back of her head. He kept on walking for a few paces, breathing deeply. She felt bad for scaring him so, but really, it wasn’t as if she’d grabbed in and tried to drag him down a dark alley.

”Uh, yes, I am trying to locate where they sell clothing,”

Suzume smiled kindly at him. It was obvious that this man was someone who did not speak very much, for she could hear the awkwardness in his tone as he spoke. It was as if he rarely ever heard his voice. But it was still a nice voice, a soft mellow tenor, despite the tenseness which he used it with. The geisha laughed kindly. ”Clothing, is it? Well, that’s only a few blocks down this street!” She nodded, indicating the end of the street. She noticed that his face did not move in the direction she showed. Nor had he looked at her this whole time. She found it slightly odd how he continually looked forward, as if trying to find something far off in the distance. Suzume leaned slightly against him to try and see what he saw, but there was nothing to even be duly noted about what lay ahead. He was an odd person, she was beginning to see, but instead of telling her to back away, it only made him that much more interesting.

”If you would like, I can show you to the vendor. I’m good friends with him, and I’m sure I can get you a –“
Suzume cut off mid-sentence as she moved in front of the man to look him in the face. For the first time, Suzume saw the milky blue-white eyes of the man. She’d only seen such eyes in the elderly, the ones who had lost their sight, so she knew what it meant. No wonder he didn’t look at her. Suzume was unable to stop a tiny gasp of surprise that left her lips, so she immediately covered her lips with her fan, opening it with a quick snap. She then realized that he couldn’t see the look of surprise on her face, so she hurriedly put it back. Suzume laughed quietly, trying to cover up her faux pas. ”I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you couldn’t see!” Suzume linked her arm through his, placing a warm hand against his hand that rested against her arm. ”To make it up, let me show you to the vendor. I’d be all too happy to!” she said, not exactly giving him a choice. The silk of her kimono brushed against his arm like a whisper.

[Rin Hayashi]

The girl had been talking when she suddenly cut off. He heard a surprised gasp leave her lips, and he braced himself, already knowing what words would come next.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you couldn’t see!”

A typical reaction. Rin’s eyebrow twitched. His mouth curved down into a frown. Of course, just like everyone, she had to announce that he was blind to the world. Was he really so fascinating? Rin scowled, clamping his mouth shut so he wouldn’t say anything rude to her. He detested being reminded of his handicap, and he really wished people would learn to keep it to themselves. After all, he already knew that he was blind. He didn’t need to be reminded. “So you noticed, did you?” he mumbled under his breath, tone apathetic. He rarely used any emotion when he spoke, and when he did it tended to be sarcasm. That was a fun one.

“To make it up, let me show you to the vendor. I’d be all too happy to!”

The girl grabbed his arm as she spoke, linking hers with his, making it impossible for him to escape. Rin tensed again at the contact. What was she doing? Why did she keep touching him? He had only just moved his arm away from her and she had already grabbed it again! He kept walking, unsure of what to do. What he wanted to do was shove her off him, push her away, but if he did that he had a feeling she wouldn’t show him the way to the store, so he refrained. He was smart. He would be nice to her, treat her well. That is, until they found the clothing shop. Once he had gotten what he wanted it didn’t matter how rude he was, what he said, what he did. So, for now, he would just have to grit his teeth and bear it.

Most men would probably be thrilled to have such a beautiful woman so close to them. Rin, however, was not. He couldn’t see her for one thing, so he had no idea what she looked like… Not that it even really mattered to him. He just wanted to get his damn clothes and get out of here. He didn’t care if she was the most beautiful girl in the world or a hideous monster. He didn’t associate with women much. Nothing good ever came of them.

Rin kept walking, rather awkwardly, trying to figure out what this woman was playing at. It was strange for a human to be so kind. There must be something he wanted in return… Hah, well, too bad. She wasn’t going to get it, whatever it was. As soon as she got him to that stupid shop he planned to leave. He was greedy. He didn’t pay people back. Besides, he hardly owned anything, and he doubted he’d have any possessions that interested her. And if it was money she wanted…he didn’t have any of that either. His few coins would be used up after today. “Do you not have better things to do than escort a blind stray around the village?” he asked her, face still directed straight ahead, eyes staring at nothing.

Though he claimed to be uncomfortable with the way the girl was latching onto him, he had relaxed slightly, breathing coming slower. He knew he would not become lost now. He had a guide.

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[Suzume Inoue]

”So you noticed, did you?”

The tone in his voice made her feel even more sorry for her actions than be for. Instinctively, she snapped open her fan to hide a deep blush that rushed to her face, showing a nice pink underneath the white paint that covered her whole face. ”I am sorry,” she apologized again in a more hushed voice than before, realizing his discomfort at his blindness. She was sure the fact that she announced it hadn’t made him feel any better. This made Suzume feel even worse. She had never experience shame on this level before. Yes, she’d felt ashamed of herself when she had accidentally broken the wooden flute of her teacher, or when she’d muddied a beautiful kimono beyond repair. But those incidents had never hurt anyone. She felt now as if she had directed a terrible blow to the young man, and she didn’t even know his name!

Suzume noticed that the man was walking quite oddly, even more so than before. It was as if he was doing his best to keep as far away from her as he could. She felt insulted, and worried over her makeup before realizing again he was blind, so it was very reasonable that he wasn’t disgusted by her appearance. This came as a relief to her, and the relief was a surprise, because she never imagined herself as a vain person. Suzume took his awkwardness as just punishment for her embarrassment of him. Now it looked like he was embarrassing her. Yeah, she felt like she deserved it. The reasonable geisha in her told her to leave the man and find someone that would be more entertaining, that could be a possible danna, or at least give her more connections. But the part of her that was a young woman was wanting to help the attractive blind man, not just because she felt an obligation, but because he was handsome.

”Do you not have better things to do than escort a blind stray around the village?”

Suzume was unable to hold back a snort of laughter, which quickly turned into a laughter of a brook. ”No, not for a long time. A geisha’s work does not begin until the sun goes to bed!” she replied with a sigh. ”And I doubt you are a stray, uh…” she left a pause to indicate she did not know his name. When he did not respond, she quickly picked it up. ”Oh! How rude of me!” she began. ”I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Suzume Inoue. And what would you be called?” She didn’t ask for his name, giving him instead a choice to give his name or what people called him. She hoped he’d give her his name, though.

[Rin Hayashi]

The woman laughed at something, though Rin didn’t understand what was so funny. That wasn’t surprising though, as he seemed to lack a sense of humor. Well, except when it came to sarcasm. He almost always had a few decent sarcastic comments up his sleeve. Though, he did not speak these comments to be funny. His words were usually delivered with a cold tone.

“No, not for a long time. A geisha’s work does not begin until the sun goes to bed!”

A geisha. He felt his lip curl back in disgust. He quickly had to wipe the expression off his face, reminding himself that he needed those warm winter clothes. This piece of news unsettled him. This was a job that someone like Rin had little respect for. He supposed it did, however, explain why she was grabbing him so much, acting like she was. Someone like her would act like that, wouldn’t they? Hm. Lovely. She was probably trying to flirt with him. Well, that was too bad for her, because Rin was definitely not the most flirtatious man around. Hah. Yeah. She had really picked poorly. “How nice,” he said flatly. She could take that however she wanted.

“Oh! How rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself!”

No no no.

“My name is Suzume Inoue. And what would you be called?”

Great. Rin tried to block out her name, but he failed. Suzume Inoue. He inwardly cringed as she spoke it, praying she didn’t ask his. She did. Rin sighed audibly, vague annoyance in the gesture. Names… nothing good ever came of them. Without a name, a person was nothing, just a voice. It was when you put a name with that voice that they started to become more real. Subconsciously, a bond, even if it was only a very small one, was formed. Perhaps for the rest of the population names were insignificant, but to Rin they were full of meaning. He could not see the person’s face he was talking to, and as long as he didn’t know their name they would remain nothing more than a voice, a whisper inside his head that he would soon forget.

“Does it really mattered what I am called?” he muttered quietly, voice only barely audible above the chatter of the crowd. He took his time answering, leaving the geisha to wonder for a few moments longer. Did she really care what his name was? Did it matter to her at all? She was just a random woman who was escorting him, some blind bat, to buy clothing. After today, they would never see each other again. He would purchase the clothes he needed, bid her farewell, and then be on his way again. He would return to the forest, the place he belonged, and he would never see her again. Ever. Their paths would not cross. That was something Rin would make sure of. He never crossed paths with people more than once, because if that happened, the person would become closer, more real.

“Rin,” he said after a long pause. “Just Rin.”

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[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume saw his lips curl in disgust at the mention of her profession. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen this reaction, but it always affected her the same way. It was like a hard punch in the gut, and though she’d become adept to cover the pain, her actions occasionally betrayed her. This time, her breathing became quite and her steps slowed. She didn’t give any physical warning to the man that she was slowing down. She knew many villagers resented geishas, mostly because they took pretty young girls from the village and trained them in the way of the geisha, but many others, even in the city, thought of geishas as prostitutes. Yes, she’d had sex with her dannas. Yes, they had paid for her company. But most of the payment was not for the sex. It was for the music, the dancing, the tea, and most of all, the company of a woman besides a man’s wife. Many women did not have the same freedoms as the geisha did. They could not talk freely to men, they could not openly flirt like Suzume did so often. But there were restrictions, as well. A geisha’s danna was, in a way, her husband. She was his mistress, but if he did not want her to go some place, then she could not go. Not to mention it was almost impossible to pay off debts owed to the okasan. Suzume was pretty good at keeping them low by staying healthy and injury-free, and taking all the precautions to not become pregnant, but she still owed her okasan for a kimono, a tatami mat, and a good paying customer, even though he’d tried to hurt Suzume.

”How nice,”

It was said in a flat tone. She knew that tone. It was the tone of someone trying to hide there disgust. Suzume walked in silence for a long while, looking at the ground. She did not wish to say anything to the man for a time, nor did she think she could. She knew if she said anything to prematurely, it would come out rude and angry. And that was not something a geisha did. After a time had passed, Suzume spoke. ”You are not the first to have such sentiments.” Her words her polite, simple, but her voice was cold. It was one you did not argue with, and she did not use it often. When confronted with people that insulted her profession, though, it came out easily.

”Does it really matter what I am called?”

Suzume laughed coldly. ”I believe it does. Unless you’re find with being called ‘idiot’, or ‘simple-minded’” Suzume hadn’t meant to, but her sharp tongue had slipped out. Well, he deserves it! she thought bitterly. If he was going to be disgusted by her profession, then she was allowed to retaliate against his cold attitude.

”Rin. Just Rin.”

Suzume smiled, but it wa more out of politeness than anything else. “Well, then, Rin. If you would turn left, right here,” She removed her hand from his arm and placed it against his elbow, directing him to turn. ”Then here we are!” Suzume bowed deeply with respect to the vendor, tugging at Rin’s sleeve to do the same. When she stood, she began chattering away with the vendor, explaining how her ‘dear friend’ had just arrived from a long journey, and was in need of clothing. The vendor was all too happy to provide a reasonable price for the wanderer, ‘for a friend of Suzume’s’. She hoped that Rin would not argue with the story.

[Rin Hayashi]

Something happened just then, something changed. They walked in silence for a few moments, the girl oddly silent. If it wasn’t for her grip on his arm, he would have thought she had left. Rin thought about this for a moment, trying to analyze the girl’s movements. Yes, she was definitely tense. He might have been blind, but he had remarkably good senses and could read people just as well, if not better, than those with sight. He wondered, had it been something he said? He considered this possibility. Hm. Most likely.

“You are not the first to have such sentiments.”

Yep. He had definitely pissed her off. He could tell by the sudden change in the tone of her voice. Gone was the cheerful girl he had been speaking with moments before. Rin wasn’t sure exactly what it had been that he said, but he knew he must have done something. She’s probably seen the rude face he had made when she mentioned being a geisha. Sometimes he forgot that just because he couldn’t see other people’s faces didn’t mean they couldn’t see his. Not that it surprised him. His words and gestures often offended others. It happened a lot. He thought of it as some sort of rare talent; the ability to make someone hate you within the first ten minutes of knowing you. Not many people could do that, eh?

Oh well. It wasn’t his problem. It was her problem for approaching him in the first place. Just by talking to him she had been asking for it. Rin smiled bitterly. She would soon regret helping him, that he was sure of. He was a difficult person, one that not many enjoyed dealing with, and she was no exception.

“I believe it does. Unless you’re fine with being called ‘idiot’, or ‘simple-minded.’”

Rin was silent for a second, a little surprised by her words. Then he snorted. “Call me whatever you want,” he replied, voice just as emotionless as it had been moments before. She’d be gone soon. It didn’t matter. They were almost to the shop. The girl had just announced it. They were turning a corner now. Any moment they would be there.

And they were. Only a few seconds later the girl was introducing Rin to the vendor. She tugged at his sleeve, but Rin didn’t really get what she wanted him to do, so he just stood there with a blank look on his face. It didn’t seem to effect the vendor’s decision though, and the man sounded more than happy to sell him something decent. Well, that was good. That meant he’d have a few coins left over… This pleased him, as it meant that he would be able to purchase food with the extra money. He quite enjoyed food. It was one of his few joys left in the world, as dramatic as that sounded.

“Thank you, dear friend,” Rin said, forcing a large fake smile onto his face, playing along like the girl wanted him to. He held the expression there for a few seconds, and then dropped it, his features returning to normal. He turned away from the girl and the vendor, walking off. So that was that. Now she could go back to whatever it was she had been doing before she got the stupid idea to try and talk to him. Obviously he had been a disappointment. He’d wasted her valuable time, ruined a perfectly good day.

With a sigh, the dark-haired man reached out a hand, trailing his fingers along one of the tables that was set up. He slid his hand forward, finding the clothing that was stacked on the table, and picked one up to examine it. Hm… This one was too thin. He set it back down and moved on, taking a few more steps before stopping and repeating the process. There were other people walking around him, a few of them looking at the same items he was, but somehow he stood out. He suddenly looked very lonely among the crowd, a little sad, even if he did not realize it himself.

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[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume could see on Rin’s face that he felt the difference in her attitude. She felt a slight pang, but held herself aloof to it. She was geisha, her mother’s daughter. It really shouldn’t matter to her what some lowly man she found on the streets thought of her. But Suzume understood herself much better than that. She wasn’t just a geisha, she was a woman, and one with very little control over her heart. Or, if you listened to Suzume’s mother, she was still only a child. This opinion only made stronger by Suzume’s habit of sneaking away from the okiya when things became too much. Althought not too many people even inside the okiya knew of her disappearances, it did put a smear on her reputation. Even though she’d technically made the commitment to the geisha way of life long ago, sometimes, she didn’t know what to do. And it felt so nice to let her hair down and wear a loose kimono. Even a yukata was much more comfortable than the five layers of silk she wore as her regular uniform.

Suzume threw a polite geisha smile in Rin’s direction at his comment, though she knew he couldn’t see it. It was more to make sure others didn’t think he was blind, or that she was rude enough to ignore her ‘friend’. She began to gossip with the vendor about the price of fish, current politics, and of the latest news of her fellow geishas in the district. The vendor was careful to keep an eye on Rin, watching as he felt the fabric, shuffle down a bit, then repeat the process. Although she tried to divert his attention, the vendor caught sight of Rin’s eyes. ”Your friend here has some interesting eyes, Miss Suzume,” He said it more aside to Suzume, but she was sure Rin heard the man. She laughed. ”Oh, I know, right? Do you remember that old psychic that died a few months ago” The vendor nodded. ”Yeah, didn’t she have those same eyes? I thought she was blind…” Suzume quickly made out to seen like she was correcting him. ”She couldn’t possibly have been! She always knew when I was coming and where I was when I was around her! I sometimes think he’s the same way,” She leaned closer, a joke on her lips, ”He knows more about me than my danna does!” The vendor laughed. Living in the district, he knew that a danna basically knew all there was to know about a geisha, since dannas usually lasted for around a few years.

Suzume glanced over, still chuckling with the vendor over her joke. She saw a look pass over Rin’s face she didn’t expect. He almost looked… lonely. Smiling to herself, Suzume stepped closer to Rin, placing her hands gently over his, reaching underneath one arm to guide his had farthest from her, guiding them to some of the thicker fabric. She brushed her hands over the tops of his, picking up the fabric gently and placing it under his hands. ”Here,” she spoke softly, trying to express her smile through her voice. ”This is possibly what you’re looking for. It’s darker, and not as ornate as some of the others, but I guess your not looking for that, are you?” She laughed softly. She left his hands, moving to pick up some other thick fabrics. ”You’ll have to layer for the winter. Just one fabric won’t do…” Suzume had forgotten that she was mad at him as she did her best to help

[Rin Hayashi]

“Your friend here has some interesting eyes, Miss Suzume.”

Rin heard the vendor say something, making a quiet comment about his eyes. Rin kept his face expressionless, pretending not to notice. Then he moved his head a little, angling it downwards, casting his gaze off to the side, as if to hide his face. This small gesture was the only hint that he had heard anything. Yet another person had noticed his unique eyes… He wondered what they looked like to other people. They must be hideous. He remembered a long time ago that one of the elders in his village had gone blind. Her eyes had been an eerie foggy blue. He remembered that the village kids, him included, had always made fun of her, calling her an evil sorceress. Was that what he looked like to others? He wondered about this for a few moments, hand resting against one of the fabrics on the table. This was one of his problems; he viewed himself in a third person perspective too often, wondering what other people thought, trying to see himself through their eyes.

The girl and the vendor continued to talk, but Rin stopped paying attention. He just kept moving down the table rather absently, every now and then examining one of the clothing articles, wondering if it was what he was looking for.

A gentle brush against his hand followed by a kind voice caught Rin off guard, startling him out of his thoughts. The forlorn expression disappeared from his face and was replaced by one of surprise.

“Here.”

His sightless eyes widened a little as he felt fabric being pressed against the palm of his hand. What? She was still here? Why? She should have left by now. She had shown him to his destination, and that was all he had asked of her. Was she really so bored that she still insisted on talking with him? “You again, eh? I thought you had gone,” he mumbled, no real emotion in his voice, like it didn’t matter either way.

Rin’s first thought was that she was trying to get her revenge on him. For all he knew she was picking out kimonos with flowers embroidered into them. He wouldn’t put it past a person to pull a trick on him like that, make him wear some flowery kimono or yukata. It was the kind of stupid joke someone would play on a poor blind man like himself. So, as the girl offered her help, Rin questioned every little thing she did, every gesture she made, every word she spoke. That is how he was with everyone. It was how he survived, how he protected himself. To him, no one was to be trusted unless they proved otherwise, and that wasn’t something many people could do. Not that he even gave them a chance. “I am perfectly capable of helping myself now,” he said under his breath.

She was correct about layering though. That was necessary. Rin sighed quietly, wishing that something as simple as purchasing clothing wasn’t so difficult. If it were up to him he would have just stayed in the woods straight through winter. If only it didn’t get so damn cold… He contemplated freezing to death, but then shook his head, letting the thought pass. Too slow. Thinking of all the ways he could die was not an unusual thing for him. In fact, he probably would have been dead by now, but he still couldn’t think up an appealing enough way to leave the world. Everything was either too slow, too painful, or just too pathetic.

Luckily, he wasn’t as picky when it came to choosing clothes. He never thought much about it, as he couldn’t even see the clothes himself and spent most of his life hidden away in the shelter of the trees. “But since you are still here, do you have any suggestions?” he asked, lifting his head, turning his face in her direction. He paused, but then narrowed his light blue eyes slightly. “And you better not trick me into buying any flowery yukatas.” His voice was monotone, and it was hard to tell if he was being serious or joking. He turned his head away again, as if he were looking down at the table, at the clothing there. “Something neutral will do.”

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[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume pretended not to notice his surprise, but it also surprised her as well. She’d been getting the feeling that he wasn’t enjoying her company much, so she hadn’t been trying as much as she would have with someone who acted interested. But she couldn’t stop herself when she saw him fumbling about looking for the right fabric, and her hands had drifted to his, like when she played the shamisen. It had surprised her as well, though years of practice at wearing her geisha mask worked wonders on hiding strong emotions. Yet it wasn’t working today. Darn it, why did he have to be so good-looking, yet act like an arrogant, pompous bastard?!

”I am perfectly capable of helping myself now,”

Suzume chuckled. ”Oh really? So I suppose you’d be fine wearing a pink yukata with butterflies flying across it?” she joked with him. He hadn’t actually picked that one up, but he’d come very close to doing so. The comment was very un-geisha like of her to say. She typically refrained from making jokes at another’s expense unless it was someone she’d known for quite a while. Poking fun at the wrong person could not only mean the loss of a client – and therefore, an income – but also the loss of good connections. She could hardly believe how easily he was making her blur the obvious line she had set between her geisha life and personal life.

Rin sighed, making Suzume frown a bit. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult it had to be, being blind. Especially with her lifestyle. Her looks were very important to her career. She pitied him a tiny bit, and did her best to not let him know. People like Rin, living on the outside of society, rarely ever wanted pity. She’d had a danna like that once. He had burn scars all along the left side of his body, but he grew angry every time he saw people throw pitiful glances his way. Something that should’ve been simple, like shopping for winter clothing, became a difficult task. Suzume closed her eyes, then reached out for a fabric. She tried to guess what kind it was, by it’s weight and weave, but upon opening her eyes, found it was something quite different from what she’d originally thought. She relied on her eyes for so much of her life. Suzume couldn’t bear the idea of having to live without it.

”But since you are still here, do you have any suggestions? And you better not trick me into buying any flowery yukatas. Something neutral will do”

Rin looked her way, and it sent a flutter through her heart. Gosh, she was acting like a meiko! A simple head-turn was all it took to make her heart beat faster? But she took in his facial features. He had a strong jawline, with nice, clean cuts. She would’ve sworn that he had noble blood in him, from his looks. He was clean shaven, with clear, pale skin, and the black hair that fell across his face was contrasted by the blue-ness of his eyes. ”Oh, I suppose I could help you,” she began. ”But you were doing just fine, picking out yukatas on your own!” She teased him again. She pointed to a couple of fabrics in the far back, and was handed them. ”These ones are very thick and heavy. They’re deep blue, dark grey, and black. Are those neutral enough for you?

[Rin Hayashi]

“Oh really? So I suppose you’d be fine wearing a pink yukata with butterflies flying across it?”

Rin made a face, cringing. He imagined himself dressed in a pink yukata that was embroidered with butterflies and flowers. His hair was even tired back in ribbons to complete the feminine look. People all around him laughed, hunching over they were giggling so hard, their laughter echoing down the crowded streets. He shook his head, trying to clear the image from his mind. No way in hell was he going to let that happen. See, while Rin no longer had his vision, that didn’t mean he didn’t have an imagination. His mind, in fact, was a very active place. He could paint such vivid pictures with it, come up with the wildest of ideas. It’s what happened to a person when they spent all their time alone. He needed at least something to entertain himself, and so he used his mind, spending most of his time deep in thought, living inside his imagination, in his memories.

“Would you really do such a thing to a poor blind man like me?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow in question. Again, it was hard to tell if he was being serious or trying to joke around. His voice didn’t hold much emotion in it, soft and plain. Usually, when someone made a joke you would be able to hear the sarcasm, hear the laughter in their words. His voice was different though. That was probably because he didn’t get to use it much though, because he wasn’t experienced in all the different pitches and tones. He lived alone, he hardly spoke to anyone. He was surprised he still remembered how to talk. He supposed that was a good thing. He was already blind, he didn’t need to be mute as well.

“Oh, I suppose I could help you. But you were doing just fine, picking out yukatas on your own!”

Rin scowled at her joke, turning his head ever so slightly in her direction, narrowing his eyes. He wondered if he had really been picking up yukatas… He didn’t think so, as the fabric had felt too rough and course to belong to such a nice item. Of course, he couldn’t be sure, seeing as he couldn’t actually see the clothing he had been examining. He just grunted in response to her, reaching out to examine another material. As he did so, the girl seemed to find something. She told him they were blue, grey, and black. He seemed to consider this and then gave a slight nod. “I suppose those will do,” he said and then held out his hands, motioning with his fingers for her to hand him the clothing. While he was fairly certain the girl hadn’t actually gone and chosen a yukata for him, it wouldn’t hurt to be sure.

“Why are you still here?” he asked her. His words stemmed from curiosity, though they came out a bit rudely. He didn’t mean it to come out that way, it just did. That was just Rin though. He didn’t stop and think about what he said. He just said it, whatever was on his mind. “Is it because you pity me?” That was the typical response he would get. If people put up with his rather unattractive personality it was usually because he was blind, and they felt they had to help him or they’d be a bad person. Rin took the clothing from the girl, running his fingers up and down the fabric, making a thoughtful face. He tilted his head to the side slightly, but then nodded to himself, seeming pleased with her choice. “Hm. And how many coins must I sacrifice?”

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[Suzume Inoue]

Suzume laughed quietly as she saw Rin cringe as she joked about a flowery yukata. From the look on his face, she imagined that his blindness had done nothing to inhibit his imagination. She could almost see what she assumed he saw, and this made her have to snap out her fan to hide a very un-geisha-like face. Despite his very unemotional front, Rin seemed to be a very funny person. And she liked that. Suzume smiled at him. ”I suppose you aren’t too fond of the idea of wearing a yukata?” she asked, her tone light and airy. She began to take in his clothing. It was a good thing he was getting clothes now, and not later. What he was currently wearing looked much worse for wear, and it was lucky for him that his clothing was neutral. She could easily see where he could turn up looking like a buffoon, with an orange top and deep violet pants. She cringed herself at the image of terrible clashing colors.

”Would you really do such a thing to a poor blind man like me?”

Suzume rolled her eyes. Even though his tone lacked any sort of emotion, she guessed he was trying to tell a joke. She sighed. ”I don’t think anyone would describe you as poor, Rin,” she commented, ”A simple conversation is enough for anyone to lose sympathy for you,” Except her, of course. Silly her, seeing only the good in everyone. Hadn’t her chiyo warned her against it? That it left her wide open for anyone with enough wit to rob her completely? Her chiyo had warned her of this, knowing of the blow it’d deal to Suzume’s pride. She prided herself on being a good judge of character, and she’d only found herself to be wrong twice, and they’d been few and far between cases. Still… Suzume glanced over at Rin, who was examining other fabrics, and shook her head. He wouldn’t do that, she was nearly certain of it.

When Rin indicated for her to hand over the fabrics, she did so, just barely brushing her fingertips against his by accident. She blushed, restraining herself from jumping and pulling them away in an obvious show of embarrassment. Geez, she really was retro-evolving. Suzume stepped back as Rin collected the fabric from her, looking it over. She watched him carefully, realizing with a somewhat relief that he couldn’t see her staring at him. Thoughts floated passed her in her mind. How did he become blind, was one of the main thoughts. She also wondered how he’d survived for so long without human contact. Her job required so much contact that she’d become blasé about it. A simple touch of the hands wasn’t suppose to be anything to her anymore, and linking arms was hardly something one blinked at. But Suzume had seen that Rin wasn’t so accustomed to touch. He’d tried to distance himself from her when they linked arms, and he was jumpy to the touch. She couldn’t imagine a life like that.

”Why are you still here? Is it because you pity me?”

Suzume jumped at his words, pulled out of her thoughts. She blushed a bit, trying to find a proper way to answer it. Nothing she knew fit the situation. Frustrated, Suzume did a crazy thing; she told him what she really thought. ”A little bit. I do pity you a little,” she admitted. ”But not because you’re blind. Because you seem unaccustomed to ideas I’ve grown up with. I could never imagine not talking to someone at any time of day, nor could I imagine living alone. I’m always surrounded…” Suzume trailed off, stopping herself before she revealed too much of herself. ”Nut it’s mostly because I find you interesting!” she finished, brightening up. It sounded fake to her, and she knew it would sound fake to him, but she couldn’t think at the moment. She was also jealous of him, because he had a freedom she didn’t. He could go anywhere, do what he pleased, speak his mind. And here she was, a little bird in a big world. She wanted to explore, but everyone kept telling her that it was all too big and she was too small. She felt like she was locked in an ornate cage.

”Hm. And how many coins must I sacrifice?”

Suzume took tally of his purchases, then quickly rounded out a price. ”Does five pieces sound good?” she asked both Rin and the vendor. The vendor gave her a look, so she quickly snatched out a few pieces of her own as silently as she could and gave him three more pieces, sending him a look that told him not to push it.