Author's Note: I was inspired to write this story after I recently watched Memoirs of a Geisha and read Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki. Honestly, I have ideas for this fiction, but I don't have a timeline on when to complete it. I hope I don't get writer's block with this plot, because there is so much more to this story I want to share. I hope I gain inspiration to keep writing from you, my readers. Thank you for taking the time to read & I hope you enjoy my second fiction!

Chapter 1

I opened my eyes to a dark room, slowly blinking into consciousness. Again, I had awoken to the dream that had been haunting me since childhood. It wasn't a nightmare, though. It was the complete opposite.

It was a happy dream, a dream almost of pure fantasy, without any possibility of being reality. It was such a happy dream, that it brought back the pain of loss when I realized I was only dreaming. I had to work extra hard to will myself back to sleep, to feel that unconscious contentment again. Unfortunately, the insomnia I had been suffering from for the past few months kicked back in, so I sat up and yawned, accepting that I would only be blessed with 3 hours of sleep that night.

As quietly as I could, I stood and walked toward the exit, slowly peeling back the wooden door. I was careful to not wake my Onee-san sleeping in the futon on the opposite side of the room. My feet were bare, something that Okaa-san would have greatly scolded me for if she knew. But I didn't care – It wasn't like anyone was watching me.

I walked along the hallway. Soft hums of the maids and servants snores could be heard through the screen doors as I reached my destination. In the middle of the hallway, I lifted my arms and pulled down the string hanging from the ceiling. What fell before me was a set of stairs that led to the roof of the Okiya. In silence, I began my ascent.

The stars were visible through the small opening in the ceiling as I ascended up each step. And with each step, I felt calmer, more tranquil, as the light from the stars and the moon illuminated the area surrounding me, the beautiful city of Kyoto. As far as my eyes could see in the night, rows and rows of houses outlined its streets. Fantastic temples stood at the busiest places in the city, displaying their ornate architecture. This was my home since Okaa-san had taken me in.

I thought about my life. I thought about what I had been through and what I will go through. I thought about Onii-chan. He was the only one I had left. But, reminiscing was always bittersweet for me.

We were orphans since I could remember. He had told me we lost our parents when I was only 4. Obviously, nobody wanted an orphaned 10-year-old boy and his little sister. In the end, we were left to fend for ourselves on the streets of our small town. He told me this town was called Tomoeda. It was a small farming town located deep in the mountains, about 16 miles from Kyoto. According to Onii-chan, it had the freshest water of all Japan.

My earliest memory was a sad memory – the day I had been kidnapped from this minute, secluded town. The memory was short, but nonetheless as powerful as the first day I experienced it.

Onii-chan and I were sleeping in our usual spot, in a small make shift home inside an abandoned shelter about half a mile from the main farmland. We fended for ourselves after our parents had died, Onii-chan often stealing from the farmers in the middle of the night to provide for our food.

I remember awakening to voices and loud banging on the make-shift door Onii-chan had created in front of our cave. Suddenly, the intruders burst through. Onii-chan stood up and shielded me, trying to protect me. But he was no match for the 3 fully grown men standing at the entrance of our home. My Onii-chan pushed me into a corner and tried to confront the men at the entrance. All I could hear were the loud, angry voices and my Onii-chan's warning to keep away. In fear and worry, I sat helplessly weeping in the corner as I watched Onii-chan act as their punching bag. My voice couldn't escape me for some reason, so I cried silently. I was able to hear every single gasp of agony he had experienced during those 15 minutes. Until this day, I still wished they had beat me instead.

Onii-chan was left bleeding and bruised on the dirt floor and the men turned to leave. I rushed forward, tears streaming down my face.

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan" I cried, "Please don't leave me. Please don't! I will never leave you. Never!"

I could see through my tears that he had opened one of his swollen eyes.

"Crying makes you look ugly, kaijuu," he said hoarsely.

I smiled and began wiping my tears away. Then I heard some movement behind me.

"Oi! Who are you?" I heard the man say. The men hadn't completely left, yet. Touya attempted to stand up to fight, but his injuries prevented him from even sitting up. I turned around, only to be faced by an unattractive, dirty man with too much facial hair and missing teeth. I could smell his stench.

He grabbed at my hair and said, "I'm going to make some money outta you, sweet," and tried to drag me out of the cave.

"No!" I screamed, "Onii-chan! Onii-chan! I want to stay with my Onii-chan!" I reached for his hand, trying to grasp his outstretched hand. That was the only strength he could muster at that time. With the force the man pulled me with, he could've pulled all that hair out of my head and left me bald. But I didn't care, I wanted to stay with Onii-chan. So I struggled, kicking and punching the man until I had landed a critical hit between his legs. He let go of me instantly and I ran toward my Onii-chan, desperately trying to cling to him without further worsening his injuries.

The man recovered quickly and ran after me, picking me up by my torso. I yanked at my Onii-chan's shirt, and it ripped as the man lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder. I tried kicking and punching and screaming again – this time, to no avail.

The last thing I heard through my own deafening screams was Touya's weakening voice screaming my name.

"Sakura!"

I opened my eyes, shocked that his voice was so clear in my mind. It was if though he was right beside me, yelling into my ear. And at first, I hadn't realized the voice was addressing me.

My birth name was buried with me when I became a maiko. The name, 'Kinomoto Sakura', didn't belong to this new me, to this geisha who I had become. Sometimes I even forgot I was ever called that. The name I was granted belonged to the deceased daughter of the Okaa-san of this Okiya. Her daughter had been found dead in a frozen river shortly after being kidnapped. Okaa-san had bought me from the men who kidnapped me, but I always assumed she took me in because I reminded her of her daughter. My assumptions were proven right when she gave me my new name.

"Nadeshiko-san," I heard a maid calling my name, "Please come inside now. You must get ready."

I turned around to see her already descending down the steps. I followed after her, returning the stairs to their original position.

Upon entering my room, I found Aiko-oneesan halfway through her makeup application.

"Ohayou, onee-san," I greeted, bowing in her direction.

She smiled widely and replied, "Ohayou, Nadeshiko-chan. You've been up early nowadays, haven't you?"

I only nodded and smiled in return. Sitting beside her, I opened up my own makeup kit and began removing all my tools needed for applying my makeup.

The full application took about an hour. And, just as I finished, I heard a male's voice from the main floor drifting up the steps and through the thin screen doors of my bedroom. I had become so in tune with the man's voice that even in a sea of chattering men, all I would be able to hear was him.

There was only one man who was ever allowed in the Okiya on a regular basis – our dresser, Li Syaoran.