Chapter 1

Every residence is wishing for a day of peace and quiet to when they will be able to engulf themselves with their own wishes or fantasies. Where the rich and poor are forbidden to even mingle, the rich are disgusting and selfish creatures who bride the less fortunate with their money. If there was only a way to end all this madness between the royal clans and their slaves. This is the city of Rikyio…

"Momo, would you stop writing in your journal of make-believe fantasies and come down here, it's a full house!"

Hinamori sighed, closed her book and tucked it into her make-up drawer and straightened out her kimono before scuffling after her manger Chihori's annoying commands. Geez, it really is a full house today!

"Excuse me…"

"Pardon…"

"Oops, sorry didn't see you there…"

"I'd like to order!"

"Momo-chan, what are you doing? You heard the man!" Oh geez. So much for my day off.

She sighed. "Right away Hori-san."

"Thank you for attending, Suyatsu Tea House, please come again." Cleaning up was going to be hell. The tables were stained with left-over food, tea was spilt, and the floors…no one could even begin at how disgusted they were with the floors. But the extra hours meant extra payment. Chihori counted out the bills and tips.

"Good job ladies, service tonight has doubled in payments." Even so with her gratitude, having to split the total with five waitresses wasn't a very high individual check. Hinamori was busy scrubbing the tables when someone tapped her on the shoulder; she turned to find Rukia holding bags of trash.

"It's your turn to take out the rubbish, Momo."

Hinamori grimaced, "But it's raining."

Inoue popped up with an umbrella. "Here you go."

Jumping off a wet, slimy garbage can in the dark was so not a good idea but she did it anyway in which her kimono got caught on the edge and before she knew it, a large ripping sound made its way up her leg. She gasped in horror. Screaming in frustration, she tugged out her hair ornaments as she made her way back inside the tea house.

"Hinamori-chan, are you alright?" Inoue asked pausing at a stain on the table. Rukia was sweeping the doorstep only to follow Hinamori back in with horror. Rukia and Inoue were both looking at her kimono.

"Momo, how and why would you do that? You know Hori-sama's going to be furious." Rukia gaped in disbelief. "Your kimono is your most precious possession and you ruined it!"

"Okay, okay I get it Kuchiki-san but it's dark, wet and slippery outside and maybe if the trash can was bigger than maybe this wouldn't have to happen."

She brushed passed her friends, stomping on her way up, she hoped to stash her kimono somewhere before her manager caught on.

"Hinamori, Momo you better have a good reason on to why you're walking on my floors with your wet and dirty feet!" Chihori's voice boomed up the stairs. "Get down here this instant!"

Busted.

The slapping of the wooden fan against her skin was the only thing she heard and felt against her arm. Every time it came down, she'd curse and if Chihori heard it, the impact would worsen. After her arm formed the red memory of the fan down her lower arm, Hinamori didn't have the time to wash away the warm red line that made its way down her hand when the next unwelcomed customer stalked through the doors.

"Welcome to the Suyatsu Tea House." Orhime chimed. Fine well, these people were the only uninvited guest to the shop in Hinamori's mind. The Royal Clans don't need to be here with their pity money. She looked the time; men only came here to be entertained.

"You will go to your room, change and do your performances. Be here in five minutes as for your kimono, your expenses will pay for it."

Chihori shoved Hinamori on her way threatening her with the blood stained fan still clasped in her hand. She undressed herself, re-did her make-up and hair before Nanao popped her head through.

"The head mistress wants us to perform in three."

Hinamori almost scratched her scalp raw with her comb. It's not fair; I am not supposed to be on duty! Taking a deep breath, she casually brushed passed Nanao or accidentally bumped her aside. She wasn't taking going to have anything else ruin her day or else she'd literally start screaming and pulling her hair out. In the end, Hinamori couldn't concentrate, she'd either spill tea on the table or customer, leave something out of their orders or do something disrespectful. Chihori had enough of her behaviour.

Yanking her by her elbow, she dragged Hinamori into the back kitchen for a serious scolding. Hinamori on the other hand could careless about her scolding; she'd either not hear them or say something insolent which got her multiple slaps across the face, hard.

"You better listen to me as long as you're under my household your life is in my hands and so far your life is your payments and until that is fulfilled you're mine and don't you forget that."

Hinamori, despite being the most disrespectful of Chihori's employees, she was the best at brewing tea, performing and according to the customer's the most striking. These were the only reasons why she was still here but even so it'd take forever until her debts were repaid and working for thirteen years as a Geisha still hadn't paid off, she wasn't sure if she'd ever succeed.

Being left alone in her room, she drowned in her own frustration, anger and pity. Not only was she not going to get paid for weeks but she'd been a disgrace in front of her friends and customers. Hinamori flooded in her own stupidity and grief until all her friends snuck up to her room.

"You're not supposed to be here, Hori-san won't be happy about this."

Her friends brushed it off like nothing. "Won't hurt anybody if no body knows."

Everyone silently agreed with Rukia.

"Better get back down, the head mistress is looking." Nanao whispered through the paper doors.

"Thanks guys." Hinamori smiled slightly, feeling little comfort from their short company.

She awoke from the painful pokes of her manager; she groaned and opened her eyes. "Yes, Hori-san?"

Before Hinamori could receive an answer or simply ask more questions, she was being unrobed and then she was dragged towards the bath house without warning her flesh was practically flaking off.

"Hiro-san, it burns!" she shrieked.

Chihori pointed a finger at the brunette, warning her. "You will do as told; in ten minutes you shall be cleaned till the point where your skin is raw. I won't have a soiled, disrespectful Geisha in front of me when I get back."

At first Hinamori sat there until she realized that she really did need a bath, so she did exactly as told well not exactly but until she felt she was clean enough before tip-toeing back into the changing room to recollect her belongings. Back at the tea shop, everything was unusually quiet which was expected at some point having it being one in the am but hearing her manager in an engrossed conversation was not.

"Certainly this must be some mistake." Chihori sounded taken back. "I mean you must have the wrong Geisha. She's obstinate, clumsy and impolite; he definitely doesn't want to have a waitress like this one."

Hinamori had her eye squinting through the cracks in the door's wooden frame and frowned against her manager's cruelty towards her character. Made me look bad why don't you?

"I'm afraid, the purinsu is firm with his wishes and what he wants certainly will not be ignored unless you'll be making this difficult for us, Chihori." The man's voice was dangerous now. But Chihori's response was quivery.

"Certainly not, pardon me of my rudeness." Before Hinamori could open the door and scream that everything was a lie, a hand caught her by the wrist and she was being pulled back up the stairs. It was quite frightening when her friends locked her in her room but it was more terrifying when they were pulling at her hair.

"I am sorry, Momo but you'll have to bear with us. Apparently this is Chihiro's orders." Nanao whispered Hinamori opened her mouth only to be interrupted by Nanao "Don't ask questions because we don't know about anything," combing and pulling at Hinamori's hair till her scalp turned sore. Inoue was re-mixing a new batch of Shiro-nuri (face paint) with diluted water as Rukia was scrubbing her face, raw. They worked quickly but in a careful manner applying on the layers of make-up to her face, greasing and playing with her hair till they found the right style to position it on her head. Hinamori was used to being as pale as a ghost with luscious full red lips and radiant eyes but right now at one-thirty in the morning, she looked different, more dazzling. Her friends tucked her multiple ornaments in her twist of glossy black hair before squeezing the life out of her with a usually pink silk obi around the waist.

Upon arriving downstairs, Chihiro and her visitor were just patching up the details of their discussion when Hinamori happened to be walking down the steps in her kimono with its light pink stitched flowers and black ripples along the hem upon its silky red background.

"Ah, Momo just the lady we've been looking for. Chihori if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have my discussion with her now."

"But-" her manager wasn't finished yet.

"But what?" this man with odd red hair rolled his eyes.

"We were just finishing discussing the funds."

The man smiled, "Right…forgot."

Grabbing an inked brush from a nearby counter, he wrote something on a white napkin obviously Hinamori knew right away what it was. A price or payment. But she didn't know why or what it was for.

"Oh…my." Chihori's voice came out in a surprised breathless manner. She looked from Hinamori and back to the man standing in front of her. "But this is too much, you're master certainly must know what he's getting his hands into. This is beyond an imaginable amount of cash; it pays for the debts and even more."

"Exactly." The man nodded. "It's what's intended but even I do not know the reasons behind all of this. Now," he walked over to Hinamori and placed his hand on her shoulder pushing her towards the paper doors. "If you'll excuse us, I believe it's our turn for a discussion."

Hinamori was confused at what this man wanted, and at why her manager was just standing in the hall holding the napkin because numbers didn't mean anything till you've seen it with your own eyes. Despite this she placed herself in the small room with a stranger who seemed to have business with her.

"What do you want?" Hinamori blurted out on gut feeling. The man raised his eyebrows and frowned.

"Isn't it common courtesy for a geisha to introduce herself to their customers?"

"Hinamori Momo, at your service." She said before bowing slightly.

Renji rolled his eyes, "I don't do the whole Geisha schedule thing and nor do I want to, I am only here to send you a message. My name is Abarai Renji…" And I thought his name would sound weirder than his looks. "On orders from the purinsu of the Aisu Clan. Hereby-"

"What? You're royalty?" Hinamori didn't mean to sound rude but she was never fond of royalty nor was she ever going to speak to one. So she stood up. Renji wasn't only surprised but he was offended.

"I don't know what's suddenly gotten into you but your defying royal orders."

She gritted her teeth, "I don't care about you and your royalty matter of fact I can't even seem to remember when I ever cared about them."

Before Hinamori could turn away, her manager swung open the door and slapped her straight across the face. No one had ever seen Chihiro so furious.

"Momo, you will obey royalty-"

"I will not." Hinamori snapped.

"You will because you've just been bought by the Aisu Clan!" Chihiro shot back.

Authors Note: Well here's the first chapter of my new story on which I'll be juggling updates between this and Only You: You&Me, forever? Anywho I'd like to know your opinions on this one so please review! I'll try and update when I get 6+ reviews.

Preview: Hinamori hoped this clan wasn't as cold as they sounded because even though standing in front of a gorgeous mansion, she hoped that it'd just swallow her up at this very moment and make her disappear. And she thought she was released from the grasp of hell at the tea house but now only to be captured and brought to another.