Current mood:	satisfied
Entry tags:	df, yoshida

The diary of Nanami Koyuki: DrachenFest
Let me start by apologizing for the lenght of this piece...its outrageous...but what might be even worse is that this it not even the complete story of DF. Some things my character did not join in, so she can not write about it. Suzanne heard a lot though...I hope to find the missing stories back somewhere else.
Disclaimer: may I remind you of the fact that Nanami Koyuki is 17 years old. I´m not responsible for any overreacting of silly romantic views...its a phase (I hope)

Day 1 (Wednesday night)
It went exactly as Tsubasa-onesan predicted. We were on our way to the shrine when suddenly Daimyo-sama was called forth by the Dragon and we found ourselves at the Dragons world. There was a immense variety of species and oni, some beautiful and full of grace, others horrible and frightening. I did not know  what to suspect so I kept myself close to onesan while I observed the new world in wonder. There was a house for us in a camp called Grun. It had everything in it, tatami, tables, zafu and we even had a garden with a pond. It was quite late when we arrived but we freshened up a bit and went to the Dragon to present ourselves. Walking back Daimyo-sama asked about my tea ceremony and told me I had a chance to show him the next day. Also Kiyoshi-sama asked about my costs for an evening. Although I couldn´t hear the answer Im curious to know if I´m ready for a zashiki or not. It was fairly late when we got home to our new house and almost everyone retired for bed and so did I. Hearing the strange languages around my tent, wondering if the Dragon world would rest or not  I finally doze off in a restless sleep.

Day 2 (Thursday)
After a short night sleep I was happy to find out breakfast and tea are the same as at Awaji. Slowly I woke up, trying to react as normal as everyone else seemed to react to the dragonworld. We had little time to accommodate since Akemi-sama received a Japanese letter from someone from the neighboring camp. Although the handwriting was very bad Sakaya-san and sensei-sama managed to translate most part of the letter. We took it with us when we escorted the hime-sama to the Dragon, where she had to present herself. It took quite a while before she got her audience but Akemi-sama and myself enjoyed watching the strange creatures pass by from under our umbrella. When it was time for us to return to the camp we suddenly came to realize Usagi-sama, the hatamoto of the hime-sama had left for the camp allready. We tried not to pay much attention to it, but it was quite obvious the hime-sama was furious. Before we went back to the house we paid a visit to the Stahl camp where we returned the translated letter.
Back home suddenly the Kami from the green camp, which everybody called Avatar came to our house and we all kneeled down in the mud to pay her the proper respect. I had the honor to sit in the livingroom when she was presented with tea and apples and saw how she got her gift from house Yoshida: a green sleeveless kimono with leaves stiched on to it. She seemed quite pleased with it and returned the apple we gave her to the Daimyo that now had the power to heal everyone who ate from it.  When she left I was honored to present her yet another apple which she accepted. She also complimented Akemi-sama on her garden and then she left.
When the house was cleaned up Tsubasa-onesan told me she wanted to practice tea ceremony with me since Daimyo-sama had asked her for a private teaceremony with me. Later on the hime-sama joined us and both of my teachers gave me a lot of information about teaceremony. Later I joined Tsubasa-onesan and the hime-sama at a table inside, there I got the last suggestions and I got to the kitchen to prepare for the ceremony which would be held in the bathhouse so we would have more privacy. Not only was there tea, but also sake and lycheewine, which seemed a bit odd so early in the afternoon. But I dared not ask about it.
I was very nervous, my hands shaking a bit and my heart pounding. Silently I asked the o-kami to stand by me that hour so I would not make big mistakes. Then finally the Daimyo arrived and Tsubasa-onesan closed the curtain behind him and with that I was officially alone with a man for the very first time in my life. I breathed in deeply and pouring the tea went ok, Daimyo-sama seemed to enjoy it, so far no mistakes. Then he poured a cup for me, I tried to take a sip, but I instantly burned my mouth and with tears in my eyes I had to put down the cup again. He looked amused by the whole scene telling me next time I had to make sure the tea was not this hot when I serve it to a guest. He made me pour the sake, which tasted horribly and I had a hard time keeping my face straight, after that the lycheewine.
He again asked me about my lessons and told me I shouldn´t try avoiding him this much. The I had to recite one of my poems to him and that seemed to please him. After this he asked me the most peculiar question: what I thought of him. I didn´t exactly know how to respond and so I gave him a correct answer, he smiled the smile that says he took  the answer for now but wasn´t satisfied with it yet. Then a letter came in and the mood changed. I asked him if something was wrong and he showed me the letter, an invitation from the oni, and asked me what to think of it. I never met oni but Tsubasa-onesan always spoke very highly of these oni and so I told him.
I drank my tea but apparently not to his liking and he made me put down my cup three times untill he told me I had to look him in the eye when I drank my tea and not gaze into the cup. It felt awkward and I was a bit upset having to challenge him like this. Fortunately he soon asked me to clear the table.
Tsubasa-onesan came in with a big white box and Daimyo-sama put it on the table. It was a gift for me and he hoped I would like it. When I opened the box the gift turned out to be a kimono. I was surprised, shocked, exited and filled with horror. It was the first gift someone ever gave to me, and it was far to great for a maiko my age. I would never be able to repay him the gift and I realized very well what it meant. I stambled an arigato and he told me one would not know the beauty of a kimono unless it was worn by a beautiful girl. So I asked him politely if he would like to see me wearing it that night, but he demanded that I should put it on that instand. I looked at my onesan and just to be sure I asked if he would be staying in the same room. He just nodded and switched places so Tsubasa-sama could help me undress. I dared not to look at him and instead I focussed my eyes on the bath trying very hard not to cry, feeling ashamed, nauseous and very angry, hating him to the core. Onesan undressed me harshly, her way of  letting know she did not agree to this. The Daimyo soon left after I changed into my new kimono, Tsubasa-sama left me with the remark to clean the room and I was let alone. Just when I was to burst into tears Akemi-sama came in and saw the kimono. She made a remark that made the room cold as ice, polite, but icecold and I faked a smile praying to myself she would leave soon. She did and I came to realise with the kimono my life had changed. I went outside, trying to blend into the background, but I succeeded only half. Then Daimyo-sama asked us inside and everyone was presented a gift, including me again: a blue flower for my hair. Usagi-sama was called forth last and an icy silence filled the room. Daimyo-sama broke his present, a couple of hashi, in two with a nauseating snap and Usagi-sama just asked if he was allowed to make himself ready. We went outside and after a short ceremony Usagi-sama took his own life by committing Sepukku. I never saw a man die from this close and I couldn´t help walking over to my onesan and grasping her hand seeking for some comfort.
After this the day was not over yet. We were to visit the oni. They came for us with an escort, and we walked to their camp where we were to kneel down in the mud again bowing for their Kami, then the Daimyo had tea and discussed politics. I couldn´t hear what was said so I spend my time secretly watching the oni, different colored and with horns growing out of there heads. I was quite scared of them to be honest.
When we finally got back home the day did not end yet. We sat down around the tables with a lot of wine and did a little drinking game. You had to tell two stories, only one of them is true. When you guess the true story you didn´t have to drink. I never played the game and soon I was loosing one round after another. Akemi-sama came to the rescue, although I told Daimyo-sama I would not drink anymore, this off course was duly ignored. And so everytime he poured me wine she replaced my cup with a cup of cold tea, so I would stay sober. I had trouble sitting seiza, because I fell down that day so I sat with one hand on the floor when suddenly he placed his hand on mine. First I thought it was an accident, but when he started to caress my fingers with his thumb I realized it was no mistake at all. I tried to stay calm, not  showing the rest of the room a thing.  And  hoping he would remove his hand soon.
Daimyo-sama drank far to much, ending up flat on his back, trying to get me next to him by pulling my obi. He even asked me if my onesan taught me the lessons about what women do. I did not know exactly what he meant, but he had a strange look in his eyes.  I was thankfull Kiyoshi-sama came to rescue me from this awkward situation by telling me my onesan thought it was time for bed. I went to bed with a strange feeling, it almost took my breath away and I ended up crying myself to sleep. I most truly hate him.

Day three (Friday)
The night did not take away the remarks and the glances and as soon as I came in the camp it covered me like a blancket. I tried to stay out of sight as much as I could. Helping Akemi-sama to write invitations to the Oni Ichi, the King of Kargath and a man called Fuchs. She tried very hard to ignore me to the point that it hardly was polite anymore, but I decided not to give in that easily and stayed at her side.
As if my onesan felt that things went wrong she asked me to accompany her to the other camps to bring the invitations. I gratefully accepted, sensei-sama and Kiyoshi-sama would come to as our escorts. Outside our house the people from camp Grun were brought together where they were told the plans for the camp. They were also told that the family Yoshida was not to be touched nor held back at the gate, since we refused to wear the stamps they made the other people from Grun wear, as if they were murderers and thieves. I was amazed that we gained this amount of respect in just two days. We went through the gate without any problems and soon arrived at the Stahl camp were we left the invitation in the hands of one of the hatamoto of King-sama from Kargath. When we were outside the gates again the grass was full of orks, attacking everyone who entered the field. We found ourselves with our backs against  the wall of a camp called Großes Heer, sensei-sama and Kiyoshi-sama joined in there line and drew there swords. After a while we were able to walk further towards the camp were the oni lived. They were not present at that time so we gave the invitation to one of the servants.
After some scary moments on the field we were back in the camp again where people were making themselves ready to go out shopping. The whole family went and when we arrived at the shops, everyone went its own way and I found myself again with Akemi-sama. We ate icecream and walked by the shops under one umbrella, there seemed to be less tension between us and I was very glad for that. In the afternoon we really had to go back to the camp since we could expect the king-sama of Kargath there. Strangely Akemi-sama and myself escorted the Daimyo-sama and the hime-sama back to our camp. Three women and the Daimyo walked over the same grass people died on not an hour ago. But it went well, at the gate they now were very polite and when we came back home Akemi-sama and I produced a healing potion from the herbs we grew in the small garden. I am not that skilled in alchemy and I was pleased that Akemi-sama taught me some new things.
That day there was a massive fight where the ork camp was stormed and a few men from our family came back to the house wounded. I did not know how to act exactly so I just stood there being stupid and giving the poor men something to drink, sometimes helping them to get up, while the hime-sama and onesan took care of them. Yasuo-sama did not return from the battlefield. And although I tried to comfort my onesan words seemed without meaning and she asked me to leave. The hime-sama told me not to leave her alone and so I sat, a bench away, pretending to study my poems, my eyes fixed on her while she was cleaning bandages. Then, almost half an hour later Yasuo-sama suddenly stood at the gate again. The dragonworld is strange, he didn´t seemed harmed at all. But he did had a message from Death itself, that no Yoshida should die. I contemplated on the message but I do not think I understand it still.
That day I had another lesson in teaceremony, this time with Gina and Akemi-sama. Later on the Daimyo joined in and Gina and I  had to leave the table. We desided to go for a walk discussing our stay at the Dragons world and our lessons.  During dinner onesan and the Daimyo-sama had a long conversation inside the house, I was very curious what they were talking about, since I knew they were talking about me. During dinner we had a lot of strange guests from Limbus, a place when one goes after he dies at the dragons world. Some of them get a second chance and have to do an assignment before they can fully return to the land of the living. And so we had an orc in our house who had to work for us for one hour and later on we had two man who had to perform a fan dance before Daimyo-sama. In the mean time there was a wolfman and a few other from the Grun camp who came to discuss politics with Daimyo-sama. I served them tea and lycheewine, but so much happened at the time that I can not recall what was said.
 After dinner I went for a walk with Tsubasa-sama and begged her to tell me what was going on, she just smiled and used a lot of words to say nothing really. She told me it was time for me to learn something about pillowing, and so we went to the livingroom with some tea and she told me what there is to know about the subject, I almost choked on a peanut but I further tried to be calm and relaxed about the subject, although I´m pretty scared now.
When the king-sama arrived a great storm was ahead and so he apologized, promised to return the next morning and returned to his own camp making sure it would survive the storm. We all went inside and I found myself seated at the zafu of the hime-sama while she was sitting next to Daimyo-sama at his platform. He poured us wine and I recited some poems from a book while he was secretly holding my hand again. It gave a strange feeling and for a minute the room was empty exept for us two.
Soon after the storm was over the oni were at the gate telling us they would be arriving in 20 minutes. This gave us time to prepare and I was to sit at the door to take the shoes. Only the oni Ichi came in the rest stayed outside, standing upstraight in the cold. Oni Ichi proclaimed he could not take off his shoes for his master had formed him with the shoes stuck to his feet. It sounded a bit odd, but then again he was an oni. So I washed his shoes and hoped he would not smother the tatami.The visit took quite a while and I allmost fell asleep, fortunately the cold from outside held me awake.
When they had left Daimyo-sama and myself went outside for a walk. We watched the stars that shine so brightly at the Dragonsworld and when we got back he took a bottle of wine, two cups and placed a tatami mat outside for us to sit upon. He pointed out some stars and then asked me to pour some drinks. I was very nervous, the stories from Tsubasa-onesan still in my head. I did not pay enough attention to the bottle and the light was poor, and so I spilled wine over the tatami mat, my kimono, his hakama and both our hands. I did not no wether to laugh or to cry, so I apologized and got a napkin from the kitchen. I tried to clean the mess as well as possible, drying his hands with the lining of my kimono and getting the cups out of the way. Then, because I was paying to much attention to the cleaning and not to myself I licked away some wine from the inside of my wrist. I bit my lip and dared not to look at his shocked face. But he began to laugh and so did I, it broke the tension in the air, I took a deep breath and tried to pour the cups again, now with more success. We discussed the political situation at the Dragonworld, also he asked again the question what I thought  of him.  I  gave the polite answer again and so I  had to answer the question over and over again untill I showed my second face.  I am afraid I  told him too much, for the answer was honest, but maybe not what he wanted to hear. Then it was my turn to ask the questions, so I returned his and he gave me a polite and very correct answer back. Then I asked what he discussed with my onesan. Again I did not get the full truth but it seemed they discussed danna-ship. He told me a danna would give a geisha gifts like kimono, and flowers for her hair, and I heared what he was saying.
Having a danna is a great privilege, especially when the danna is a man of great wealth and status. But maiko never have danna, it is something for geisha. Furthermore is a commitment between danna and geisha a very official one, almost like a marriage, not something to think lightly about. 
We were disturbed by a gatekeeper who told us there was someone at the gate for us. Since Daimyo-sama and I were the only ones left awake we went to the gate ourselves finding there one of the oni who had some information for the Daimyo. I didn´t listen, being too occupied with my own thoughts. Back at the house I escorted him to the bathroom as a maiko should and then we both went to our own rooms.
This night leaves me puzzled. Was this charming side I saw tonight, the human side of our Daimyo-sama, or is this too a part of the game. The hate I so purely felt yesterday slowly ebbed away...but what came in return? I can not place it yet.

Day four (Saturday)

Akemi-sama found her garden full of herbs, enough to make a lot of healingpotions, although it would take us quite some time to make them. I was looking forward finally meeting the King-sama of Kargath of whom I heard so many stories. But when he was at the gate Akemi-sama told me to start on the herbs, which would probably take me an hour. I could sit in the bathhouse and start while she would serve tea to the King-sama. I off course  was dissapointed but could not refuse, we needed the potions  so I began the work and Sakaya-san came to help me. When I was done, and the potions were in bottles I was sad to see King-sama leave at that very moment. I decided to go for a walk, trying to get rid of this awfull feeling all the bullying gave me. When I was on my way back to the camp I ran into the hime-sama and daimyo-sama who told me I had to make a gift for king-sama and present it later that day. My heart jumped, now that I still had a chance to meet this famous man.
Onesan had a fan from Sumoto that we could give him and since he told her that he liked our culture very much I folded several minature figures that represented different aspects of our culture, Akemi-sama folded a kimono for me and so we decorated the box of the fan.
After this we tried to present him the gift three times, but karma prevented that we came near, every time the King-sama was busy or away.
Daimyo-samas sister, Inazuma-sama wrote us a ritual to plead the o-kami for their help in the upcomming battle. It was a very nice ritual, including a fan dance, a solo kata, a dual kata and unarmed fight. After this we cleaned the mess and made ourselves ready to go to the battlefield. All went quite strange. Outside the gate the oni were already waiting for us and they joined our group as we walked in formation. It took us quite a while, and the whole world of the dragons came to a massive field, where they fought over some banners. Many people died, but they all came back. There was a lot of rain, and the field became slippery. The hime-sama walked swiftly down the hill while we were carrying bottles of water and healingpotions. It was hard to keep up with her and when we saw Daimyo-sama fall in the battle she rushed down to him. I could not leave her alone, and so I followed her into battle. Fortunately Daimyo-sama was already on his feet and the battle seemed to be won. So we gathered up in a formation ready to walk away from the battlefield, but then behind us one of our allies was under attack. Without hesitation Daimyo-sama rushed down to come to aid, and so did the rest. The enemy was strong though and we found ourselves closed in all the sudden. Mogura-san handed me the Yoshida banner as he took his own sword to defend us, but I soon lost him out of sight. My onesan came running by being followed by a large man in black armour. He smashed her to the ground and began slashing her with his sword over and over again. My heart stopped pounding and I froze to the ground, unable to speak or move. Then he stood up, looked around and fixed his eyes on me. I just looked back, standing completely still as he lifted his sword in the air. Then suddenly from the left Masuo-sama came in my vision, passing me by and attacking the man in black armour in full rage. Someone pulled me away from the scene and although I rather stayed with my onesan, someone took the banner and pushed me uphill.
Daimyo-sama was hurt by somekind of mahotsukai and sound asleep, the Hime-sama called for me, asking me to take care of him while she would run down hill again to help others. Rain came down swiftly and soon we were soaking wet. We laid the Daimyo down and I prevented his face from getting wet by holding my sleeve above it. I sat there shaking because of cold and shock. Watching the rain clearing the battlefield, we lost 6 people that day, including Inazuma-sama. The others were hurt badly and I carried sensei-samas helmet with me from the battlefield. Slowly we walked back, feeling gloomy and I am not even sure if we won or not. Back home I helped sensei-sama to remove his harness and then put on the kettle for some tea. At that point the Avatar came by congratulating us with the victory. Kaminari-sama was badly wounded, and when he removed his harness inside the house a huge wound became visible. Inazuma-sama asked me to get a bowl of water and a hashi for him to bite on. It was a very strange situation, with me first putting away the shoes for the Avatar and her company, then aiding Inazuma-sama and immediately after that the Daimyo-sama asking for more tea. All this while I was still soaking wet and cold from the rain. Most of it went by in a blurr and when hime-sama prepared and performed a dance I found a moment to sneek away and put on another kimono.
When I returned the Avatar was ready to leave and so I helped them in their shoes and cleaned most of the mess. I was very tired at that time, when the hime-sama came to sit next to me, wanting to talk to me about the situation with the Daimyo. She told me she knew what the glance in his eyes meant and that neither she nor I could do anything about it. She then stressed out that I must be very aware of the fact that she was The Hime-sama, first wife and head of the household and that I was still just a guest. I heard her well, muttering that it is in no matter my intension to embaress or dishonor her.
She then left and finally I had some peace and quiet untill after dinner. We sat around a table, Furakawa-sama telling stories about frogs and Inazuma-sama telling stories about death and torture. Outside bad wetter came and with it thunder and lightning. I am ashamed to admit I fear both, but when Akemi-sama asked if she could sit between my onesan and myself, then holding my hand, I know she didn´t like the wetter either.
Stories came and went and my onesan left. After a while the hime-sama asked for me to join a small party to the King-sama of Kargath. I almost gave up hope meeting the man, and so I was very excited when we left. Arriving, sensei-sama had challenged the king-sama for a duel. I do not exactly know why, but it had something to do with him not having an honest fight on the battlefield. Almost it looked like the duel would end in a draw, but then sensei-sama knew to give the King-sama a final blow. They both got healed and we went inside. There we had to sit at a table on a bench, high above the ground. Onesan and I giggled a bit, she was sitting right next to the King-sama at the very same bench! We were presented with something to drink. The hatamoto of king-sama poured the drinks in strange cups. She first gave the hime-sama, then Gina-san, then me, then my onesan, then Daimyo-sama and King-sama got his drink last. We were a bit embaressed by this and dared not to drink before Daimyo-sama touched his cup and when he did we carefully took a sip, it was sparkly and strange. My cup was see-through and it stood on a leg with a foot. They also had something for us to eat, small light-colored squares which tasted awfull, but we all took one to be polite, and something they call cookies. With a brown very sweet substance in the middle. Daimyo-sama and king-sama discussed politics and customs and the rest of us were looking at all the strange things at the court of this king-sama. We also heared a story about halflings and kendar who made the cookie-food.
Then Daimyo-sama made onesan and I switch places, something that was not easily done, so I was now next to the king-sama. I finally got to presenting him the gift telling him how honored I was sitting next to him and seeing all these things that are stange to me. He took the gift and most instantly began to praise me and the Daimyo for the most splendid gift. He used a lot of words expressing his gratitude and that he was so pleased by getting an other splendid part of our culture. I dared not to tell him and looked at Daimyo-sama who looked amused, telling the king-sama that he was glad that the wrapping of the gift touched him like this. I took out the fan for him and again he praised the high work of art. It was hard for me not to giggle.
Gina-san almost fell asleep at the end of the table and so the hime-sama asked if we were to be excused. We were walked to the gate by the King-sama himself. And soon after we came back I retired for bed where I looked back at yet an other very peculiar day.