“So, you found out for yourself, the hard way, no less.”
Inuko looked up. Through her teary eyes, she saw the blurred image of Kiba, sitting across from her. What was he doing here? She clamped her legs shut, and let her head rest on her knees.
Kiba continued talking, in the manner of a peer tutor. “Urashima and Mariko have been going steady since they were 13. But the Izawa family was always in trouble, and needed a way of getting of favors from other clans free of charge. The solution: have Urashima go out with a girl from whatever family they needed a favor from. At first, both Urashima and Mariko objected, but eventually a deal was worked out. He could date any girl his family needed him to, but he could only treat her…the same way a geisha would treat her customer.”
Inuko recollected what she learned about what geisha did from her 2 month stint in the Bushin Geisha and recited it through her tears: “To flirt, to be close to, to laugh with, but physical or sexual contact is off limits.”
“However, he needed to keep his relationship with Mariko, the only woman he touched or slept with, a complete secret in order for his family to benefit. From the few peers he trusted with his secret, Urashima earned his nickname ‘The Male Geisha’.”
“Why did I never see this coming?”
“Bonding.” Answered Kiba. “Love at first sight. It makes someone overlook or even be attracted to flaws and differences in another person because they want to believe they’re the perfect lover for them. And if the love is returned, they often are. It’s something that takes a lot of negative interaction to break.” He stood up and walked over to her. “It’s sorta what happened to me the first time I looked at you.”
He offered his hand to help her up, and she begrudgingly accepted it. He didn’t pull her closer, like he did earlier, or sling her across his back, like she expected. He just let go of her hand and walked away, leading her back to the Wolf’s Lair. And strangely enough, she followed. Kiba wore a smile on his face, as if he was playing a game and had just eliminated the competition.
