As A Courtesan

MS- The summary says "chp.20" and there will be 20 chapters, just

… be a little patient if you don't see 20 chapters, I'm most likely still

in the process of uploading!

(MS has forgotten she had this story up

on AFF.net, She apologizes! Now she will attempt the impossible and upload

all 20 chapters [it's not finished yet])

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Before anyone else

gets confused, I am 100% aware the Japanese Currency is YEN. For the sake

of not having the future aguement again, I will say now,

I will be

using the money currency as YAN, not YEN. Don't worry too much about it, it

Only comes up several times in the

story.

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Characters are going to be OOC!!! Be Warned!

(Sometimes)

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Setting: Mainly Japanese with

Renaissance twist on certain parts of culture, infrastructure, and

speech.

(and the role of courtesans vs. japanese high court ladies...

in the middle of the story)

Summary-

Kagome must

sacrifice her innocence for the sake of her family, her father and younger

brother. Who knew sleeping with the Ice Prince will lead to a series of

cruel and unexpected events? Join Kagome in her struggle to discover who

she really is after being lied to by her Father for a

decade.

"It's been 10 years, mama. I miss you so

much," a lone tear slipped down a young woman's face as she fingered the

rough texture of a sakura tree bark. The tiny girl who once visited the

grave under the sakura tree has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. The

breeze ruffled her ragged kimono, and the sakura petals floated gently from

the limbs of the tree. She took several steps away from the nicely kept

grave, and glanced back, "I'll take good care of them, I

promise."

The luster of the young woman's hair under the sun's ray

was of a deep blue color, almost as if the color of the midnight sky. Her

skin as flawless as it is creamy peeked out under from her ragged kimono.

She pressed her lips together and hummed a soft melody that was well known

to her. She closed her eyes and inhaled the heavenly aroma of mildew and a

nearby patch of Jasmine flowers. She smiled and opened her cerulean depths,

two pools of gems swirled with unknown emotion, "I wish... my family will

have a better life," she whispered with a hint of depression. Her trance

was broken with shouts of her name from a man,

"Kagome!" the man

stumbled on his feet and fell on the soft soil of the garden. Kagome smiled

softly at her middle aged father and rushed over to help him

up.

"Papa? You look so excited, what happened?" The man laughed

heartily and shoved his hands in his pockets and withdrew several stacks of

yellow paper.

"Money Kagome! We finally have some money!" He dragged

Kagome by the arm into their shaggy old hut, "We can now afford a new

home!" He handed the stacks of money to Kagome as he sat on the wooden

floor to catch his breath.

Kagome fingered the stacks of money

warily, "Where did you get all this money from, Papa?" She counted the

stack of money carefully and her eyes widen when the total amount came out

to 2000 yan. "2000 yan, Papa where did you get all this money from?" she

asked with a serious tone. Small beads of sweat donned his forehead and his

eyes darted around the room nervously.

"Why does it matter, my dear

girl! We can buy a new home and we'll be one step closer to living the life

we had before your mother passed away!" Kagome shook her head, "Where did

it come from, Papa?"

Ken sighed, "The owners of the Red Lantern

Brothel..." Kagome gasped and clutched her hand to her beating heart and

leaned on the wall for support as her knees grew weak, "please tell me you

didn't do that." Ken scrambled over to his daughter, "Kagome, we can use

the money to buy a larger plot of land for crops. We'll be able to pay off

the interest and the loan!"

Kagome shook her head, "No. Papa, we both

know the usurers will kill us if we don't pay the loan with interest

earlier than the due date!" Ken laughed with his confidence spilling over

his head, "Kagome, my dear girl.

"I will leave to the brothel

tomorrow and use some of the loan to win us more money!" Ken threw his arms

up in exaggeration at the amouts of money he can win by gambling. Kagome

sighed with disappointment, "You're gambling instincts are poorer than we

are right now Papa. Please, for the sake of your two children, please

return the money. Your gambling has cursed us to the point we are now,

please, return the money," she begged.

Ken bowed his head in

shame, "Yes my daughter, I will go return the money," he said in defeat.

Kagome patted his shoulder, "Thank you, Papa." Ken shook his head, "No

Kagome, Thank You."

Kagome tilted her head in confusion, "For

what?" Ken reached over and pulled Kagome into a fatherly hug, "Thank you

for taking care of Souta and me when your mother passed away. I know she's

very proud of you" he said softly. Kagome sighed and smiled sadly, heavens

knew her father missed his wife greatly. Kagome pulled back, "Go return the

money. We'll somehow save up some more money for a new home, I

promise."

Ken nodded, "Alright. I'll be back before dusk." He stuffed

the stacks of money into his pockets and slipped out into

town.

A lavishly decorated room

filled with shelves of books was occupied by a very silent creature. He

values the silence of his study, he groaned when a familiar scent filled

the room.

"Oi, Fluff-san!" a loud and seemingly obnoxious voice

disrupted the peace of the Western Prince's chambers and personal study.

The prince rolled his eyes at the intruder, "Hn... What is it Jyunchi?" The

prince continued with the scrolls and parchment on his desk, "Has not this

Sesshoumaru repeatedly said not to call us by that foul

name?"

Jyunchi rolled his eyes at his long time familiar friend,

"Whatever Fluffy," he snaked his arm around Sesshoumaru's shoulder blade,

"Come to the Red Lantern Brothel with me and a few of the guys, just for a

short while!" The prince sighed,

"No."

"Come on Flu-" Jyunchi

was cut short with a book flat in the face.

"No."

"Stupid son

of a b-" Jyunchi received another book, twice as heavy across his

chest.

"No."

"Prince… what's with the books?! Sick b

-"

"If you finish that sentence this Sesshoumaru will make sure

you're unable to use your toy for a long time" he snickered as he

finished his sentence. Jyunchi groaned in frustration and slowly helped

himself up.

"Come on Sesshoumaru, just for a short while. Your

independence will be short lived now that you're going to be wed to the

East," Jyunchi nudged Sesshoumaru's elbow hoping he would accept. He sighed

as Sesshoumaru ignored him.

"Come on Sesshoumaru! Once you're mated

to the Eastern Lord's daughter you will have to be with her day... after

day... after day... and night!" he drawled out. Sesshoumaru looked up from

his work and stared at the large portrait of his mother and father smiling

happily holding him as a pup, "The East..."

Jyunchi nodded, "They're

nekos Sesshoumaru," he sighed, "Bunch of prissies in my

view."

Sesshoumaru snorted, "Prissies? If you meant self-absorbed

cowardly nekos, then we can't agree with you more." Jyunchi's jaw dropped

open at Sesshoumaru's speech, "WHOA HO HO! SESHO- Ma- RO. When did the high

and mighty Ice Prince come out from his shell?"

"High and Mighty Ice

Prince neh?" Sesshoumaru smirked "This Sesshoumaru likes.."

"HAH!"

Jyunchi let out hearty laugh "So Sessh, coming?"

"Must you trouble me

Jyun?" Sesshoumaru gently massaged his temples.

"Yes, think of it as

a bachelor party. In six moons you will be wed to the cat. This is the

chance to enjoy yourself!" Jyunchi patted Sesshoumaru's shoulder for good

luck, 'You'll need it' he thought sympathetically.

"…Hai. I'll go

but keep your whores off my being," Sesshoumaru began to stack the scrolls

together neatly.

"No problem Fluff-san. We're taking the carriage

there so don't be late." Jyunchi gently shut the door. 'My old friend, you

are too predictable.'

Sesshoumaru smiled, "…Hai…"

Kagome sighed happily as she clutched onto the

basket filled with an assortment of vegetables, "They will sell quite

nicely" she concluded. She brought the basket in and set it down on the

corner of the shabby two roomed hut. Kagome ruffled her little brother's

hair and sat next to him under the candlelight,

"Souta, do you need

help?" The boy with jet black hair and chocolate brown eyes stared at

her.

"Nope, I'm good" Souta smiled and returned to his work, Kagome

smiled and stood up and walked out into the gardens. A dark shadow hovered

over her mother's grave. Kagome tentatively walked over and called out

softly, "Hello?" She froze when she heard the shadow sob.

"NOO!" the

shadow cried in a loud, deep voice. Kagome recognized this voice, "Papa? Is

that you?" She crept closer to the shadow, and indeed it was her father,

hunched over his wife's grave sobbing heavily. Kagome raced over, "What's

wrong Papa?"

"Kagome… OH KAGOME!" Ken curled into a fetus position

with his back touching the grave. Adrenaline pumped in her veins as she

grew nervous from her father's display of emotion, "Papa? What

happened?"

"Kagome… I have failed you. I failed you as a father… a

provider… a human being!" Ken sobbed and gripped her wrists.

"Papa I

don't understand. What are you talking about?" Kagome gently shook her

father and soothingly patted his back.

"… it's gone Kagome.. It's

all GONE!" Ken sobbed heavily into Kagome's shoulders. "My dear girl it's

all gone…"

"What is gone? Papa you just came from the brothel to

return the money… Papa. Where is the money?" Kagome's fears began to build

up it slowly came to her.

"Gone…" he sobbed into his

hands.

"GONE?! Papa where has the money gone? It doesn't have legs so

it can't run or crawl. Papa. Where. Is. The. Money?" Kagome's ragged breath

made Ken very nervous. He shook slightly,

"I- I went to the brothel…

I was feeling a bit lucky and I gambled a little… only 200 yan. But since

I won.. I gambled another 200.. when I won again… I put it all Kagome! ALL

…" Sobs racked his body as he recalls the horrible experience. Kagome

sighed, 'I'm very disappointed in you...' she mentally scolded her father.

Kagome continue to pat on her father's back.

"Papa… it's okay. We

can pay it off. I can work another job. Papa you can help too!" she

reassured.

"No. Kagome you don't understand. Yuko, she made a deal

with me before I put on the bet. She saw the lucky streak I had… She made

a deal… if I win, I get twice the amount I bet.. if I lose, I have to give

the brothel twice the amount I lost in a moon's time… Kagome.. I have

failed you.." he groaned loudly and banged his head against the stone

grave. Kagome felt tears stream down her face as the rush of reality hit

her in the guts.

"oh papa.." Kagome embraced her father gently as

possible. "how can we ever solve this mess?" Ken continued to sob

uncontrollably. Kagome felt her heart grow soft, "Papa.. you've gone

through so much. Please, go rest. I'll think of something. I always do."

Kagome ushered her father into bed. 'What to do… Papa why have you put us

in the same position that has taken my mother's life?' Kagome sighed and

leaned against the sakura tree.

'What can I do? Souta can't work,

Papa is getting old… I am left.' the spots of stars began to emerge in the

sky as the sun's bright rays died down behind the horizon. Kagome continued

to wonder what she can do to help her father.

'what can I do?! Papa

said some one called Yuko.. Is she the one who lent him the money? The

brothel. Yuko owns the Red Lantern Brothel. What can I do? I can cook…

clean… maybe deliver? But her pay is only 100 yan a week for those kind of

jobs.' Kagome huffed and began to head to town.

'What else can I do

in a brothel? A brothel…' The red lanterns giving the brothel's name shown

brightly in the long distance.

Kagome stopped in front of the

brothel. Courtesans waved their naperies on the edge of the balcony. Their

kimonos were layered in color fabrics and barely covered their over-sized

breasts. Kagome stood in front of the brothel wondering if she should

really go in or not. Several courtesans banded together and chattered

noisily.

"Did you hear Yuko? The prince is coming here! Along with

Jyunii-chan."

"Hai. The prince will not bed us Courtesans… he only

bed… virgins…." Kagome gasped softly, "Maybe..." Kagome took another step

closer to the brothel's front doors, "Maybe..." Kagome gulped nervously as

she reached the front doors; she was only a step away from entering the

brothel.

'I will carry the responsibility… Papa… My innocence for

the sake of my father's life and my brother's life… My innocence is… not

valuable…"

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MS- I won't be making anymore Author Notes until the final

chapter!!