Dreaming

It hadn't taken Chouko that long to get sleep, with the maiko finding herself in a tea house much like the one she was sleeping in. For starters, there were far more windows in this one room than what she had seen in the teahouse she was staying in. Add in the fields of corn, she got the feeling that this wasn't Japan. But where was she then?

Naomi sat right beside her, smile on her face. Her makeup was a lot lighter than it had been now, a far cry to what was like now. Not that Chouko minded either way. Naomi was cute in whatever geisha look she was going for at the moment. Though, this was her preferred look.

Almost by instinct, their lips met. Passion flooded through on both wnds, reminding her of how far they had come. Asuka was probably pretty proud of them. Wherever she was.

Breaking away, Naomi stood up.

'Dōomoimasuka? (What do you think, dear?)'

Her voice echoed through his mind, bringing with it an ease of sorts.

'Sore wa kanpekida. Asuka ga itta yō ni. (It's perfect. Just like Asuka said it would be.)'

Naomi mimed a chuckle, watching Chouko get up.

After, they make their way out of the room and found themselves in the tea house proper. Tatami mats and thin paper walls were the main building blocks of the tea house. Add in the approriate furniture and decorations, it made the place feel like a home. On top of being a business.

'Honkaku-tekina geisha to shite ocha o teikyō suru junbi wa dekimashita ka? (Ready to serve up some tea as a full-on Geisha?)'

Chouko turned to Naomi, giving a nod. A smile formed on her face. So she walked over to the door. Flipping the sign to 'open', she returned to her position beside Naomi. Men and women piled in, each one a possible subject for future work. If anything, it made both geiko excited.

For Naomi, an entirely different dream awaited her.

She found herself in a void of falling cherry blossoms. A younger 'her' stands in the middle. Dressed in not a kimono, but rather the clothes of a tourist. More specifically, a set of shorts and shirt.

"You found someone like you." the girl whispered, the words reaching out for Naomi. Deaf ears are all they reach. "Can you really love them though?"

Naomi looked away.

'Hai (Yes).'

Her younger self just laughs. Pushing it out, she tried to change the dream. Shift it to something far happier. Anything, other than this reminder of a choice she had made back then.

But the dream refused to give. Grabbing hold further, Naomi's younger self charged forward. But then she felt something tight around her waist. A pair of arms and a familiar feeling.

'Chouko?'

Turning her gaze, she found her fellow maiko before her. Still dressed in the same kimono that she went to bed in, it works surprisingly well.

Chouko just nods, tightening the wrap around Naomi a tiny bit. Shifting her position, their gaze was now on Naomi's younger self. Strangely, this appeased this strange person as things faded away.