Romancing the Kazekage- A Gaara Love Story

Tsuki no Matsuri: Festival of the Moon

We've had an influx of new readers. I suddenly feel the need to re-introduce myself to all the newbies.

Hello, my name is Valentine. I love Gaara because don't we all love the good-looking, damaged, emotionally unstable, psychopathic types?

A lot of readers ask how I came into writing around this relatively niche subject (courtesan culture of India, 15th Century, to be exact) and that is because I trained to be one. Just out of interest, not to actually become a courtesan. As in I learnt to dance and read old hindi literature and write poetry. Not to be good in bed. I didn't need no schoolin' in that hahahaha.

So, if you are new here, enjoy getting into the RTK world. If you really want to submerge yourself there is a tumblr which, I swear, will be updated more regularly. I post costume/song/setting inspirations up there.

The song inspiration for this chapter is: Pinga from the movie Baijrao Mastaani or the song Dola Re from the movie Devdas.

Just to make it a little clearer: Lena's singing is italicised, Ai's is not.

Enjoy this chapter!

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Tsuki no Matsuri: Festival of the Moon

The story of Renai is known by all who reside in the world. From shinobi to carpenters, courtesans to nurses, everyone is told the childhood fairytale by their grandmothers: there was once a goddess who shook heaven so fiercely, with unashamedly salacious charm, that she was cast out of that world and tied to the moon. In a celestial imprisonment she waited for someone to set her free. The story, of course, depends on the story teller; some choose to say that Senso heard her singing from the gates of heaven and went to find her, others say she threw a star in his direction and waited for him to discover the source of the stardust. There is one fact, as factual as a fairytale can be, that remains undeniable to all who tell it: to free Renai from her prison in the sky, Senso cut the chain around her ankle and the sheer force of his blade obliterated the moon.

Renai is worshipped as the embodiment of love, hope and lust. Senso is heralded as the great warrior God who destroyed the moon in order to save the one he cared most about. But the goddess holds a special place in a courtesan House; out of respect for her reckless charm each woman wears anklets. Bells are placed on the chains to tinkle softly and call out for their saviour in the hopes someone could free them from their ties to the courtesan world.

Tsuki no Matsuri, the Festival of the Moon, celebrates Senso's destruction of the heavenly body and Renai's return to Tengoku (heaven). Throughout this holy month, believers are called upon to reflect on the divine and magical effects of love, devotion and worship. Usually, the Great Houses send gifts to the rulers of the land, Kage and Kings, while putting on a performance and elaborate prayer ceremony for common folk to attend. It is a night in which no one is defined by their role in society and instead valued for the person that they are. It is a night where courtesan can be valued in the community for the keepers of religious traditions and legends, not just for their trade.

Koto had been preparing for their ceremony and performance since the beginning of the month. Being a small House on the outskirts of a village, they had not been expecting a diverse or large audience, nor had they been expecting Renai herself to be included in the ceremony. But nothing seemed to be going as normal of late. Ever since Ai had become more involved in Koto, with customer's spying her as she spied on performances from the balconies above the stage, there was demand for her presence by mayors and feudal lords and the like. It's not that Ai was outstandingly beautiful, although she was beautiful, it's more the look she could shoot at a person. That look of longing and curiosity and lust; it enchanted men and women. If you saw her stood on a balcony, gently singing along to the performance, her sweet face adorned with a look of melancholy, not a single person could walk by without asking her what it is she was looking for and if they could be the one to provide it.