Butterflies. It is revered because it combines both vigor and grace. The vigor to fly, but the grace and subtlety to land on the delicate flowers.

There is a butterfly that has both grace and vigor that calls Yoshiwara home. Sold to the Golden Palace at the age of ten, she had come of age at 14. She had her first costumer the same night. The old hag had decided that she was now old enough to give pleasure to a man.

And so, the butterfly did. That night, she laid with a man for the first time. She found nothing but displeasure during the whole ordeal. Yet, she found that she had a hidden skill that none of the other girls did.

She could read a man. She knew what he was thinking. Almost like a faint whisper in her ear. So she used it. And she became exclusive to Lords. She worked until she could pick her clients herself. Those she had hoped were kind.

But, she only had so many options.

The large man who was now getting dressed had called her a beautiful painting. She stated that he was the artist. He told her that he would marry her if he did not have a wife.

He did not. She has been dead for six months.

But he had finished. And he moved in high circles. He was a blabber mouth as well. Maybe he will mention her to one of his wealthy friends. That's the dream, anyway.

Frontier:
DEMON DAYS

Act 1:
Fisk

The Butterfly knew that everyone here had a dream. For the clients, it was that one of the beautiful Oirans gives them something they cannot find at their homes. For the girls, it was finding a rich, kind client who might look after them.

It was always thus in Yoshiwara. This precarious dream-world of paint and perfume.

The Butterfly also had a dream. But she had to be patient. Had to bide her time. The other girls see her as stuck up, but she was simply too careful to reveal too much.

Sakura: The one on the left. His head is shiny, but he has a kind face.

The Butterfly looked through the wooden gates where the people were walking. She sat with the others, where the passing clients could see them. She spotted the one that the younger girl had spoke of.

And she heard the whisper.

Butterfly: No, Sakura. He is tight-fisted. He is already wondering if he can buy us both for the price of one.

Sakura: How can you be so sure?

The Butterfly narrowed her eyes.

Butterfly: Trust me.

She knew how to spot the skinflints. The time-wasters. And worse.....

???: AHH!

The Butterfly snapped her head around towards the scream. She knew that voice.

Butterfly: Aiko!

She quickly got to her feet, uncaring that her robe was slightly loosened, and rushed to her friend's room.

She immediately spotted the fresh blood on the wooden walls. Aiko was on the floor, shaking with a broken nose and an already brusing eye. The man stood over her with his fists balled.

Aiko: I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!

Daiki: Bitch. I pay good money and...

Butterfly: Hey!

The man turned around but he was drunk. Slow. The Butterfly moved quickly. She stood between the man and her friend with narrow eyes.

Butterfly: Get away from her, pig. Animal.

The man turned back around, stumbling a bit, before shook his head.

Daiki: I paid for her. I'll do what I've with...

He swung, but he found his fist stopped.  The Butterfly held his fist tightly before she delivered an elbow to his face. Blood immediately began to fall as he stumbled back, holding his nose.

Butterfly: I saw you earlier. You couldn't hold my gaze. Why was that? Do you have something to hide?

The man shook his head.

Daiki: I...I only want what I paid for....

Butterfly: I know your type. You no longer perform as well as you did. You now take it out on younger girls like Aiko.

She began to walk forward, causing the man to walk back.

Butterfly: If you were more of a man, you would choose more of a woman. Come on, angry man. I dare you to choose me.

The man looked at her for a moment. She heard the whisper. He was sacred. Good. Angry. Better.

Daiki: I....I...

He quickly turned and began to stumble out of the room. He held his nose as it continued to drip to the wooden floorboards.

Daiki: Damn place is going downhill. G-Girls used to...know how to take care of a man!

The Butterfly watched as he left. She sighed and turned back to her friend. Aiko now held her kimono around herself to cover her body. The Butterfly walked over to her and kneeled down to check on her.

Butterfly: Are you alright?

Aiko: He ran with his tail between his legs.

The Butterfly smiled. Aiko silently thanked her as the older woman cleaned her wounds.

Butterfly: He's scared of us, Aiko. That's why he hates us.

Aiko: If only I'd known that. He wanted to do...such terrible things....

Butterfly: You must learn how to read them. Know their minds, so you can manipulate them.

Aiko: H-How? How do I become like you?

The Butterfly placed a hand on the younger girl's cheek and smiled gently.

Butterfly: Be more like the Butterfly. Vigorous, yet Graceful.

Hag: What kind of garbage are you filling her head with?

The two girls looked back at the entrance to see the owner standing there. Her white powered face with red makeup made her look more like a jester, but she was in charge around here.

Hag: Her job is to be compliant and make money. Who the hell do you think you are, Butterfly? You'd better learn your place or you'll work in the tea-shops. Do not forget who bought you when no one else wanted you.

The hag glared at her before she turned and left. A stern talking. At least the punishment wasn't that bad. Or maybe she saw the beating Aiko already got as punishment enough.

So be it.

As the Butterfly helped patch up her friend, two strangers walked into Yoshiwara. Three if you counted the black cat that was now looking at the many lights.

Wade: Yoshiwara. A place of both beauty and pleasure. Funny how those two things hardly cross, huh?

You simply nodded. Though you did not speak, you decided to amuse him. After a few months of traveling with Watari, you learned that you found his presence oddly peaceful despite his jests.

But the two of you were here for a reason. This was the last stop before the village where the Daimyo lived. Or, so you were told.

On your travels here, you and Watari had discovered that the Daimyo was more than meets the eye. He did not deal with the bandits, he recruited them. Had them join him.

He was less of a Daimyo, and more of a crime lord. And his name was Fisk.

Wade: Wow. Look at all these beauties.

You looked up to see that you were now walking in the city. Your eyes fell on the women behind the red wooden bars. You did not like it. They looked like cages.

The woman, though smiling, seemed fearful of the men that eyed them. You wondered what events lead them behind those bars. Why they continued to stay.

Wade: I know that look. You're thinking about it too much.

You looked at him.

Wade: These girls, they owe debts. Most of them, at least. You don't need to feel pity.

You continued to look at him. Watari just shook his head.

Wade: Well, we do need a place to stay for the night. Why not have some company?

You watched as he walked faster ahead.

Kuro: <Meow?>

You were also confused.

Back at the Golden Palace, The Butterfly peeked out the backdoor. She looked around to make sure no one else was around before she stepped out into the cold night air. She held something wrapped in a finely crafted cloth.

Butterfly: Logan?

She whispered the name again into the darkness. Finally, she heard the familiar nose of her friend. From the shadows came an animal. One whose fur was dirty and stained in blood. A small dog like creature.

The Butterfly smiled and kneeled down. She set down the cloth and opened it to reveal left over scraps that she had managed to save. The animal walked over to it and sniffed the food. Finally, he began to eat.

The Butterfly ran her hand through the animal's fur with a smile.

Butterfly: Eat up, friend. I'll have more tomorrow.

Sakura: Butterfly! Hurry back!

The Butterfly sighed. She got back to her feet and bowed her head to her friend. Logan returned the gesture and continued to eat.

She wish she could stay. To clean him at least. But she had to return before the Hag found her.

And so, the Butterfly returned to her place among the girls. Sakura held her fan as she stared at the ground. Mindlessly going through the motions.

However, she did look up just as two strangers walked by. Sakura's eyes fell on the second man. You were taller than most men she had seen. But she also felt a strange aura surrounding you.

Sakura: Those awful men are staring at us. I'll call the guards.

Butterfly: Awful men?

She looked over to see Watari with his face pressed up against the bars. He was talking to the girls in crude words and suggestive actions.

You, however, stayed back and sighed. You began to look at the other girls before your eyes met.

The Butterfly then smiled.

Butterfly: No, Sakura. There's no need.

Oiran of a certain standing are allowed to pick their own companions. So she moved closer to the bars.

Butterfly: I'm very expensive.

You didn't doubt it. She grabbed the bars and pressed her body against the wood.

Butterfly: Unless you pay the brothel a quite exorbitant fee, there is little point in us talking.

She was beautiful. You were absolutely positive in that regard. But you also sensed a kind of calm around her. She wasn't like the others.

Likewise, she could not find out why she was so interested in you. You didn't look rich or cultivated. Maybe it was because she couldn't read you. She heard no whisper. Maybe it was for the sport.

Plain and simple.

So she stood up.

Sakura: You're not thinking of making an agreement with that filthy ronin? I'm surpised they even let him and his friend in the pleasure quarter.

Butterfly: I'll see you later, Sakura.

The Butterfly began to adjust her rode as she walked to meet you in the main room. Watari, meanwhile, was still trying to get a rise from at least one girl.

He was unsuccessful.

You, however, were already being lead to a room.

There, the Butterfly asked you to strip. You had spotted the wooden tub and decided it would be best to be clean. So you took off your armor and your robes. Kuro sat ontop of you robe as you sat in the tub.

It was a bit too small for you.

As the Butterfly cleaned you, she realized that Sakura was right. You were filthy. She noticed the dirt on your skin, as well as the dried blood. But she knew better than to ask.

But you were muscular. A Samurai's body with many scars.

Yet, when it came time, you appreciated the subtle art of the bedroom. And as a good Oiran, she had many skills. But she could still not hear a whisper. Not a thought from you.

But you were not without skills yourself. Though your love making was unpolished. More suited to the roadside than the parlor.

After the half-men she was used to, however, she could not complain. You were gentle with her. You did not rush her nor did you push her. You were kind. Kinder than any she had ever met.

Your hands, though scared and rough, felt smooth against her body. And by the time the sun rose the next day, she found herself satisfied for the first time in ages.

You sat with the blanket covering part of your lower half. You stared at the purple butterfly that was permanently painted into her back as she laid on her stomach.

Kuro had long since fallen asleep in your robes. So had Watari, who was thrown out of the Pleasure Quarter and was forced to find shelter in a teahouse.

You looked over to where your hat and mask laid beside your clothing. You got to your feet as the Butterfly rolled over to watch. You began to get dressed in silence as the Butterfly eyed you up and down.

Butterfly: You did not utter a single word.

You just turned enough to look at her.

Butterfly: You have a look in your eye. One of a man ready to die. Or kill.

She could not read you. She heard no whisper. But she didn't need one. You just nodded in response to her question.

Butterfly: You are to kill a man? Anyone in particular?

You nodded once again.

Then, she heard it.

Daimyo

The Butterfly sat up with wide eyes.

Butterfly: I did not read you as a fool! You will never get close enough to even touch him!

You finished tying your robes and turned to her. You then nodded again.

Butterfly: The Daimyo....he is not yours to kill!

She jumped to her feet and glared at you.

Butterfly: He is mine. If anyone kills him it will be me! He is the source of all my suffering. He killed the only one who had ever cared for me.

You looked at her oddly. Once again, she could not read you. But you did not care. You simply picked up your hat and mask.

Butterfly: Leave. Either that or kill me. If you have any sense you'll do the second. I might warn him that an assassin is in the city.

You just pulled your mask on. You then turned to her. She looked into your eyes, and she saw it. She finally read it.

You had two thoughts.

Anger.....

And sadness.

Her face changed from that of anger, to that of sorrow. You were a hurt soul. Perhaps more so than she was herself.

So she sat there as you grabbed the rest of your things. Kuro once again buried herself into your armor and you set the money you owed on the counter. You looked back at her once again, then you left.

A few hours later, she still told no one of what happened. What your plans were. Why would she?

She wanted Fisk dead as much as you did. He killed someone dear to her. The only family she had ever known.

But she saw something else in your eyes. The fear of what lies beyond your destination. She felt it too.

Once the Daimyo dies, what is there for her? What comes next? Surely she would be happy, would she not?

She wondered this as she sat with her friend behind the Golden Palace. Logan ate what was left of breakfast as she stared at the sky. A butterfly landed on her head.

Wade: Was she good? Come on. She looked like she was soft and delicate.

You did not speak as you and your companion continued towards the road that would lead you to your final destination.

Watari would go ahead by a day. Scout the area. He would then send for you to move in. Then, on that day, the Daimyo dies.

Fisk dies.

There is a butterfly that has both grace and vigor that calls Yoshiwara home. Sold to the Golden Palace at the age of ten, she had come of age at 14.

Her name, was Sai Rokku.

And she wanted to kill the Daimyo.

But you may just get to him first.