Tsuchinoto of Lightning

Part 2 - My love

Not long after Fumiko and Hikari ran away, a search party was organised. Fumiko was one of the best girls at the ogimoto house, her skills immaculate. A couple of local men who spent nights with Fumiko looked for the two.

Meanwhile they hid in an old somewhat dilapidated building, staying absolutely quiet when one of the men lurked nearby, luckily it was too dark and murky for him to see their dark kimonos. When the group went away the couple giggled like little schoolgirls and whispered what they would have done if that man saw them, or...

- What if I had my favourite kimono on top? ( Light with a flower pattern ) - whispered Fuyuki.

- I don't know...

- He would have definitely seen us if I had worn it the other way round. - Explained Fumiko, her favourite was underneath a dark kimono, one which was usually worn by her when she had no clients.

- Maybe we would have had to kill him even...

- Don't say stuff like that! - Fumiko raised her whisper and covered her ears. - Are you the demonic presence haunting yoshiwara?

- was. - Hikari played along, scaring Fumiko into believing he was a man-eating demon. He towered over her as she layed on the cold ground.

- Eeeek! Stop it, Hikari!! - Fumiko turned away from him, keeping her ears shut.

- I'm not going to eat you... Or am I?! - He growled as he bit into her cheek and tickled her waist, barely getting through the layers of kimono.

- Stop that, now!!! W-What if I'm the demon?!

- What? No way!!

- Are you scared, Mr. Tomikane?

- Don't call me that, from now on, call me Mr. Kagome.

- But, don't you want to keep it? A-are you really going to give it up and t-take mine?!

- Yeah, I don't mind.

- ...well then, Mr. Kagome, I promise I won't eat you tonight.

And thats how, unknowingly, Fumiko continued the family tradition of husbands inheriting their wife's last name. That night, after the search group was long gone, they started working on the shack, making it as sleepable as it could be.

***

- C'mon, you have to find her! - yelled the Madam to the men.

- Fine, I've got plenty of good women that don't run away! How could she?! I raised her ever since she was a little brat and made her a fine courtesan! She talked to me first! I thought she was going to be loyal! Oh my!

- Madam, we have done what we could, now we wish for your payment.

- Talk to the Shimatsubura sisters, there's three of them, and talk to Kikishimasuke. Those are good enough...

Those four girls were Yujos, prostitutes. Of course, not by their own choice, but the nature of a Yujo puts her in a worse place than an Oiran or a Tayu.

Yujos can't reject their customers, while Tayus could, Yujos live off of their body.

Poor girls, not only are they in this situation, but they believe they're wrong for feeling bad after it. The Madam was the one that 'raised' them and taught them it's normal, since they get her much money...

What Fumiko didn't know was that she was also going to be convinced to become a Yujo. They earned much money, so that's mainly why she was so frustrated with the loss of her.

But surely if Fumiko found out what a Yujo actually does, or how she gets treated, she'd definitely run away...

***

- Come inside, dear, you're gonna get cold. - said a raspy old man's voice

- ... - The old woman sat on her front porch and was, indeed, freezing, her blanket provided no comfort, nor her kimono.

- You're still thinking about her?

- Yes. Yes, I am. Everyday...

- Me too. There hasn't been a day of those six years that I haven't thought about Fumiko. Let alone how Fuyuki feels...

- We should look for her again.

- It's no use, were old now, how could we move so quickly to find her?

- Oh, I know...

The sweet old lady shed a tear and hunched over...

***

Fumiko and Hikari woke up the next day, cuddling, non-existent abs hurting from the amount of laughter that was in last night. Hikari was cold, and since Fumiko could still move her fingers, she quickly ran to the closest trees and ripped the branches off. But the wood was wet, it couldn't be burned. She frantically ran uphill, pulling up her kimono for a better run. She caught some cuts on her ankles, but it was nothing after Hikari warmed up next to the fire. They cuddled next to each other to keep warm...

- Fumiko?

- Yes?

- I... want to spend the rest of my life with you... I wish I can die next to you... I love you...

- Hikari, I love you too...

- Oh, darling, I know...

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I wish to say that they didnt do the boombayah, they did that later (16-17) and that in those times it was normal to get married so young and have kids early. I am against child marriages and against MAPs.