Perhaps, She Does

ɪ.

"I'm spending too much for your education, food and shelter! How could you not listen to me?!" A man in mid-thirties shouted at the young lady who was trying to cover herself with the blankets. She was peacefully sleeping in her room when she suddenly woke up and felt that someone walked in.

She was a light sleeper and she would immediately wake up once she heard a noise. Her heart was beating so fast when it was her father. He would usually knock but this time, he sneaked in. She asked him what he needed from her and it seemed like her father had a drink and was not in the right state. She was wearing her sleepwear and being a seventeen-year-old lady, she was already conscious of everyone around her. She asked him once again but he pulled her hair and dragged her closer to him.

"Father, I have classes tomorrow." She was trembling while trying to escape from his grasp. He pulled her hair once again and she cried painfully. It was her first time to see her father acting like that and it has been a year since her mother died from illness.

"Father, please let go. It hurts." She cried softly and he slapped her hard. Her lips started to bleed and she cried for help. She finally realized that the loving and kind father she had before is no longer like that.

"Father, please!" She shouted as she tried to push him off her. He hovered her and started ripping her clothes off. She screamed louder and since it was raining hard outside, no one could hear her. She reached for the lamp sitting on the bedside table and smashed it over his head.

She had a chance to run away from him but she wasn't able to get anything. Barefooted and almost naked, she ran under the heavy rain without looking back. She tripped over the rocky road and this resulted in her having scratches and wounds on her knees and elbows. She ignored the pain and got up to continue on running. She hid in a narrow and cold alleyway, feeling a little safe there since it was dark and no one would see her. She cried silently, thinking about what just happened.

The rain continued to fall and it will not stop anytime soon. She shivered while hugging herself. Somehow, she wished that it would save her from despair. She heard footsteps approaching from behind and she screamed when someone grabbed her but she almost lost consciousness when the man punched her stomach. She coughed and the man carried her on his shoulder. She had no strength to run away again. If she could just wish that someone would come to save her, she would do it.

She groaned in pain when the man dropped her on the ground. She clutched on her body tightly and she heard another set of footsteps approaching but this time, she already lost her consciousness. The two men rescued her from the assaulter. They beat him up until he almost died and then, the shorter one carried her in his arms. He looked at her face and the moonlight was enough for him to see it clearly. He entrusted the young lady in the hands of his friend.

"I will visit her tomorrow. Make sure to take care of her tonight." The man said silently before surrendering the young lady to his friend. The taller one nodded while smiling softly. The rain slowly stopped and he immediately brought him home.

The sun was already up when she regained consciousness. She couldn't move her body because her wounds were wrapped with bandages. The sunlight was passing through the opened windows and it was enough to warm her body. She was slowly forgetting the coldness she received last night. She heard the door opening and a man in early twenties smiled at her. He was carrying a tray of food.

"How are you feeling?" He asked and she hesitated to answer. She didn't know who he was until he introduced himself. He helped her sit up so that she could eat breakfast. He asked her name and it took her a minute to finally tell it.

"Fuyu.. My name is Fuyu." She whispered and he fed her a spoonful of warm rice porridge. The door opened once again and this time, it was a woman. She looked like she was in her late twenties. She was carrying a set of new and clean clothes for the younger one.

"Good thing you're already awake. We thought you're gonna die because you had a high fever last night and the physician said that you were battling between life and death." The woman said and she just smiled sadly. She doesn't know if she should be happy that she almost died last night. Perhaps, it was her fate that she is still alive.

"Thank you for saving me last night." She said while trying her best not to cry. The two smiled at her and they continued to take care of her. They heard commotion outside and the young man went out for a while to take a look at it.

"Fuyu, this might surprise you but I will tell you where you are now. This place is a brothel and we are calling it Shinmachi. Makoto is the current owner of Shinmachi but the real owner is his father. I'm Gia and I will be the one to take care of you from now on. You know what a brothel is, right?" The woman explained and she slowly nodded her head. She was still thankful that they saved her.

"I'm a courtesan, Fuyu. And someday, if you really have no choice and if you don't have anywhere to go, you might turn into one as well." She added and her eyes were filled with fear. If she would decide right now, she would choose to live in a brothel than to be with her own father who tried to touch her.

"I will make a living, Gia-san.. I have nowhere to go.." She mumbled and tears started to fall from her eyes. The older one smiled faintly and caressed her hair gently. Shinmachi will be her new home now. She knows that prostitution is already widespread in their country but she is hoping that it would not be too much for her to handle.

"How old are you?" The older one asked and she told her the information she needed to know. She read things about brothels and courtesans from a book when she was still attending classes. She felt bad that she would not be able to continue her education anymore.

"You're still young. I will ask Makoto that your future guests can not touch you or force you into any sexual deeds." She said and the younger one nodded. Makoto finally came back from outside and he said that one of the most important guests of Shinmachi had arrived.

"He wants to meet Fuyu." He added and this made the younger one nervous. She is still in a bad condition to entertain any guests but Makoto explained to her that this guest was with him when he found her at the alleyway.

Gia and Makoto stood up to open the doors and the young samurai walked in. He smiled softly at the young lady and she tried to bow her head as a sign of respect. The two greeted the young samurai as well with a bow and they left him alone with the young lady. He asked her if he could sit besides her and she nodded. She flinched when he cupped her cheeks as he was also staring at her face.

"As I thought, you're really beautiful." It was almost a whisper and her cheeks turned crimson. It was her first time to hear that she was beautiful. Her friends would not even tell her those words. Now, she started to wonder if her friends were looking for her.

"Thank you.." She stopped when she realized that he didn't introduce himself. He reached for her hand and he carefully lifted it up to leave a kiss on the back of it. She stared at him and she decided to introduce herself to him.

"I'm Yamamoto Shogo. You can just call me Sho." He smiled at her and she was slowly getting mesmerized with his smiles. They suddenly heard knocks from outside and he stood up to open the doors. It was the real owner of Shinmachi and Makoto's father, Aoyama Riku.

"We need to talk, Yamasho-dono." The older one said and she bowed her head to the real owner of Shinmachi. Riku gave her a warm smile before excusing the young samurai. After a while, Gia went back in the room to help her finish her breakfast and to change clothes into an exquisite yukata that she had handmade.