One and Only

Ch. 15 Gojo Clan

  The days seemed to fly by, once again. It was already the 18th and Tatsuya, thankfully, allowed me to use any fragrances and bath washes that I wanted. I placed the Orion Pocket Radio that Shoko was kind enough to lend to my sisters and I on the counter of the washroom. Himeko and Mafuyu were already in the large tub, splashing around and enjoying themselves. I flipped the switch on and the beginning of Ai no Bakudan by B'z just started to play. It came out a few months prior, but it was still a favorite for the 3 of us.
  Normally Shoko would be with us, but she went on a mission with Mei Mei. As I rinsed off the shampoo, I sank into the hot water. Letting out a soft sigh as the water eased my sore muscles. I went on a mission with Satoru yesterday, but he decided to experiment with his reversed and amplification techniques. Of course, neither of them worked, so we ended up having to fight off a number of Curses 1 by 1. It was tiring, so I was looking forward to having a bit of a day off. I let my eyes close for a moment, the sound of Himeko and Mafuyu laughing made me feel at ease. The sudden noise of my phones vibration against the tiled counter of the bathroom. I reached for the phone to see that I got a message from Satoru.

Pretty Boy #1
18/8/2005 10:53am
SUBJECT: BOOOOOORED
Maaaiii when are you supposed to be here?? I'm sooooo booooored :(((

I couldn't help but chuckle at the idiot. I quickly typed out a message.

Mai Y.
18/8/2005 10:54am
Not until 2, sorry

Pretty Boy #1
18/8/2005 10:54am
UGHHH THATS SO LOOOONG

Pretty Boy #1
18/8/2005 10:55am
What are you doing right now?? Do you just want to go somewhere?? We can ditch

Mai Y.
18/8/2005 10:56am
I am not ditching, I need to seem professional. And I'm in the bath

Pretty Boy #1
18/8/2005 10:56am
Like in the bath? Right now? Naked?

Mai Y.
18/8/2005 10:57am
Yes?

Pretty Boy #1
18/8/2005 10:57am
Pics or it didn't happen

I just rolled my eyes at the message.

Mai Y.
18/8/2005 10:58am
I guess we'll never know. I'll see you at 2

Pretty Boy #1
18/8/2005 10:58am
Booooo no fun :v
See you later~

I put the phone back onto the counter and right as I let it go, Tatsuya came barging into the washroom
  "Hello My Lady, Lady Himeko, Lady Mafuyu, I hope you three are having a nice bath." She said, placing 3 bath robes on the counter.
  "Mmm," I hummed in agreement. "Much needed, that mission yesterday was a pain in the ass." Tatsuya shot me a look, I quietly apologized for swearing.
  "Yes, well I do hope you're not too sore. We do still need to get the 3 of you into your kimonos after all. Speaking of, I suppose now is the time to begin dressing the 3 of you. Alright, out of the tub."
  "Aw, but I just got in.." I whined.
  "I'm sorry my lady, but the Gojo estate is much farther than the Zen'nin estate was. We will be leaving in just under an hour. But don't worry, plenty of time to get the 3 of you ready." She reassured. "We were able to get some gorgeous kimono for the 3 of you, and plenty of hands to help."
  "Are Mafuyu and I going to be attending the meeting?" Himeko asked.
  "Yes, the 2 of you will be making your first public appearances! How exciting, and in front of an elite clan at that!" Tatsuya squealed.
  I saw Himeko tense up. She hasn't been in front of a large crowd since our father died. We used to hold banquets within our clan frequently. I put a hand on her shoulder.
  "Don't worry, Tatsuya and I will be there to help you." I reassured her, I felt her shoulder relax.
  "Now, come! Its time to get you all ready." Tatsuya hurried us into our robes and led us down the hall. Scooping up the little basket of products and other things we brought with us. We all scurried through the hall, hair dripping wet and sticking to our faces. As we went inside of the dorm, there were 4 other girls waiting for us. One that I recognized from the clan, but the other 3 were from the village that neighbored the estate. Tatsuya began barking orders. The girls quickly brushing, blowdrying, and fixing our hair. They put my hair into a low bun, leaving some out to frame my face. Himeko had shoulder length hair, so they decided to pin it to one side. Mafuyus hair was in a short bob, so they just kept it as is and tried their best to keep her from running around too much. This was much less stressful then the time with the Zen'nin's. The girls made sure to be careful with putting me in to the kimono and tying the obi. I felt one of the girls pull me down a bit so that she could place something in my hair. I looked behind me to see both Himeko and Mafuyu all ready and looking absolutely adorable. We all wore a sage green obi to signify that we were from the Yamazaki Clan.
  Himeko had on a light blue kimono with pink plum flowers across the bottom and stopping just under her obi, green leaves of every shade complimented and tied in the color of the obi to make it look pleasing to the eye. They put a hair clip with 3 white pearls on the side that was neatly slicked back. I took a long look at her and it really hit me. My sister is no longer just a child. She's about to be 11, already a pre-teen!
  Mafuyu wore an adorable milky pink kimono with baby's breath scattered across the hems. It wasn't anything too extravagant, but was enough to make her seem graceful even as a toddler. Her sage green obi tied neatly into the back.
  I turned to look myself in the mirror. I had on a light Grey kimono, cream colored carnations looking as though they were blowing across from my right shoulder down to the bottom and left sleeve. Greens and golds paint scattered through the carnations, as if pollen and leaves were blowing with it. The ornament that was hanging in my hair was a gorgeous gold pin with a jade carnation and gold beads hanging down. They didn't put much make up on me, enough to accentuate my eyes and lips. I haven't felt this pretty in a long time, but honestly I haven't had the time to really look at myself.
  I turned to Tatsuya, about to ask how we all looked only to see her holding back tears of her own.
  "Oh, Tatsuya! Don't cry!" I called out, tears pricking at the corner of my own eyes.
  "I apologize, Mai-sama," she wiped her tears. "For a moment, it felt as though I was looking at your mother."
  I smiled softly to her and gave her a hug.
  "Oh, if only she could see just how beautiful and strong her daughters have become. She and your father would be so incredibly proud of the 3 of you."
  "Oh, you're going to make me cry!" I sniffled. One of the girls gently dabbing at my eyes as to not ruin the make up she just put on me.
  "We must go visit the shrine soon." She added. "But for now. It's time for us to go. Hurry, or we will be late."