White Butterfly : Chapter 1
Crawford quickly discovered that the house that the Takatori had given him had belonged to the Fujimiya and it kept secrets within their old belongings. The house was beautiful but it didn’t make them feel welcome. Out of all the rooms he had chosen the music room for his own, and although it gave views of a lovely inner courtyard neither he nor his servants could find it. Doors didn’t always lead where expected and others were locked.
The Fujimiya had been well respected and rich; in fact the emperor was very fond of the Fujimiya’s daughter who served as one of the empress’ handmaidens. The son, Ran, Crawford’s intelligence told him, served the Takatori. Crawford assumed then that Ran did not know the true nature of his lord’s responsibility in the death of his family and the theft of their honour. He wondered idly if that meant he could turn the boy against Reiji by using that information.
Like Crawford himself most of his staff were gaijin that worked for the imperial negotiators for their own reasons. The konketsu Naoe was pale and thin with a woman’s blue eyes. He also had no outward sign of emotion within his slight frame.
He was a pretty boy with lithe thighs and arms, who could prettily pout on demand but was not above using everything he had to his advantage, or for the advantage of Crawford and only him. More than once the pretty boy had been summoned to the imperial bedchambers and gone without complaint. He had reported back everything that happened.
Schuldig was Doitsujin, with his temper as fiery as his hair. He was sharp featured and cruel but he loved the thrill of hunting down secrets as much as exercising his will. He was lazy but diligent in Crawford’s service when it amused or suited him.
Maya and Saya were twins. There was no difference between them and both dressed to heighten the sense of unease that they cultivated. They used it to their advantage. They only ever referred to each other as Neechan and about court became referred to as the Ayakashi Aneki. Despite rumours Crawford never confirmed the true nature of their service. Often they would have a brightly coloured cord around their waists, tying them together. One was never seen without the other, but only Crawford could tell them apart.
Crawford was among the most powerful Onmyoji in the imperial court. It was well known that his mother had been a powerful witch who had fled from her family to bear her child in the court of Qin. His golden mother had been a source of pride to the Qin emperor but had not been so highly prized that when the Japanese onmyoji had demanded the boy that they refused them.
It was only his gaijin features that suggested that he had been born at all, and his enemies often called him the Oni Onmyoji, often without a hint of humour.
He stood well over a head taller than anyone else with the exception of Schuldig and when he had learned the rumour that his father was the King of the Demons he had been sure to capitalise on it, after all his mother had been a witch.
He wasn’t the primary negotiator on the emperor’s staff, but he was the most feared.
Now he sat, sipping peppermint tea and reading his correspondence from the court where some of the women of the Flower and Willow World reported directly to him.
Bikiko was among the preferred courtesans of Masafumi Takatori, and the most reliable of Crawford’s spies. Unlike their father, Reiji, both Hirofumi and his younger brother, Masafumi remained in court obviously waiting for the court to change its opinion of his family. It never would. At least not without Crawford’s recommendation as a means to use it against them.
Masafumi became loose lipped with the slightest amount of sake and Bikiko made sure that he was plied with plenty.
Bikiko was more like Crawford than Crawford cared for, but unlike Crawford she could be manipulated.
Her letters were succinct and poignant, written with the accuracy and wit of haiku, an art that the court adored her for.
It seemed that Masafumi had again applied to the Onmyoji for a teacher, and again had been refused, as far
as Crawford could tell this was his major topic of conversation for all the trysts that they shared. But Bikiko’s talent was for discovering more from what people said than they ever intended to reveal, and it was not like she was Crawford’s only source of gossip in the capital. Although Masafumi had no news his brother Hirofumi was entirely different.
According to Bikiko, following the scandal surrounding the Fujimiya household that the Takatori, led in this case by the same Reiji that betrayed them, had taken in the Fujimiya children and that Hirofumi was to marry, or possibly had already married, the Fujimiya princess Aya-hime. But his preferences were in fact for the Fujimiya boy, Ran and had petitioned his father that he be sent to court.
This news interested Crawford because having been forced to accept the scandal surrounding the Fujimiya, although it was common knowledge that the Takatori had arranged it, due to a lack of evidence the emperor had had no choice but to disinherit the boy, thereby ridding him of any worth to Hirofumi because his bride would inherit the little that was left to the Fujimiya holdings.
That explained the reason that the Takatori had come to hold the Fujimiya lands. Hirofumi’s desire for the boy, however, could be used against him.
The Takatori princess, Ouka-hime, was a spoilt and rather plain girl who, Schuldig informed him, was betrothed by order of Saijou to her cousin Mamoru, a pleasant sunny haired boy who deserved better.
Crawford had already made a few subtle attempts to garner information from the boy’s manservant, Ken, but despite the boy’s privileged, and as yet undeclared, position as Saijou’s heir Crawford had no use for him, yet. Nevertheless he intended to have the boy under his thumb by midsummer, just in case.
“Master,” Maya and Saya said in perfect unison, almost as if they practised. Each was a perfect replica of the other. “The water for your bath is ready.” Since there were the only people in the Fujimiya estate who were loyal to Crawford they wore plain brown linen kimono devoid of pattern. If there was someone that they felt the need to disturb then they wore shimmering white silk and let their hair down to the floor.
He stood up. “Are we still having issues acquiring servants from the village?”
“Yes, Master,” they replied.
“A crone in the village has declared,” Saya explained, “that while the Fujimiya are in the shadow of the Takatori deception that no one will work in this estate.” Saya took his left hand and Maya his right.
It was Maya that continued the explanation. “She appears to be feared in the surrounding areas as some kind of witch.” Crawford was listening intently but said nothing; it was common for the two to talk in unison or to swap like this.
“In fact, she gave me some herbs for Naoe’s cough without being told of it.” Maya was, though a stranger would be hard pressed to notice, slightly more shy than her sister, but both doted on the solemn-eyed Naoe.
“She has said,” Saya continued, opening the door to the room in which the bath had been prepared, “that you will have to send to Kyoto for servants because none in the area will work for us, or the Takatori.”
Crawford sighed as they began to undress him. Unlike most men of the court he wore his hair short, both of the twins had fixed theirs in place with numerous ebony wands.
Naked Crawford stepped into the bath. It was blistering hot, the way that he preferred it, behind him Saya and Maya undid their kimono to join him. “In the morning,” he said, “bring this woman to me, perhaps she will know the secrets of this house. I have no doubt that a little truth will sway her opinion.”
“Yes, master.” They said in unison.
“You seem tense, master.” Saya said pressing her bare breasts against his shoulder, “we would be honoured to serve you.” They always referred to each other in the plural.
“No,” Crawford said bluntly, “I have other uses for you tonight.” He told them, and then allowed them to start the process of washing him. “it is tiresome making do without servants,” he groused. Maya was using a bowl to pour water over his chest as Saya rubbed him down with a perfumed cloth.
Naoe knocked and entered, kneeling just inside the door. “Master, “ he said swiftly, most people would have lowered their eyes from such a display but Naoe’s gaze remained solemn-eyed. “Takatori Shuiichi has arrived and is requesting your presence.”
Crawford paused for only a moment. “Maya,” he addressed the twin with the bowl, “Attend Lord Shuiichi, explain that I am indisposed, the chances are that he will bring some gifts with which to buy my loyalty.” He lifted his hand from the water, letting the oiled drops fall back to the surface. “Accept it on my behalf, we cannot afford a refusal at this point in the game, but make light of it as if I have a hundred such, but that I am grateful nonetheless.” Maya nodded and climbed from the bathtub, “also make it obvious why I am indisposed.” Maya nodded then pulled out three of the wands so that her hair lost its precision in styling and loosely belted shut her kimono.
“Do you wish me to take her place, Master?” Naoe asked. He wore a child’s kimono with a wrap around his chest to help assuage the cough that afflicted him each winter, his gloves were held in place with a thread to one finger, and tight hanzubon and toeless navy tabi. He had a short sword stuffed through the knot of his obi.
“No, Naoe.” Crawford said quietly, “I feel I may have need of this tension.”
“As you wish, Master,” Naoe said quietly, he knelt down beside the bath and lifted the ladle that Maya had laid down, “have you had a vision?”
“More a sense of unease.” Crawford said, “I doubt that I will feel safe releasing this unease until we have settled into this place and learned some of its secrets.”
“By your will.” Naoe conceded, but there was no trace of any emotion in his voice, he looked and behaved, apart from his cough, like a very pretty mannequin.
Schuldig opened the door, “Takatori is here to see you,” he drawled, his eyes lingering on both Crawford and Saya’s nudity, but also the image of Naoe kneeling beside the bath.
“I know,” Crawford informed him dryly. “Maya is on her way to meet him.”
“The other one,” Schuldig corrected him, “I left him in the observatory.” He went to turn away, “and don’t think I’m going to join you in your bath.”
“And I am glad.” Crawford told him. “Saya, attend to Lord Reiji, Naoe.” He stood up and steeped into the sheet that Naoe held out to dry him, “You and I can have some supper.”
Author’s note:
I changed some names; Bikuko is Hel.
Schoen became Hikarin
Todt became Usagi because Shishi or Shiko just sounded awful.
And Neu became Omemie, which is the presentation of art by a patron but was the best option for New I found.
Glossary –
Doitsujin - German
Hanzubon – shorts
Kimono – call yourself fan-girls?
Konketsu – halfbreed.
Obi – the wide belt used to fasten a kimono
Onmyoji – sorcerer
Tabi – socks
Tayu – a very high-class courtesan.
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