Yuura

This story is told through many POVs. This chapter is Yuura and Calvin's POVs.

It may not seem as if this story is about geishas yet. But later on, it will. I wrote this story right after reading the Memoirs of a Geisha book and was inspired by it. Much of the information about geisha is based on the book.

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Yuura

The New York City skyline boomed of colors. It was pink, orange, and blue, like a painting exposed to the world. The skyscrapers stood against the masses of colors and ate them all up, blocking the color's shine from everyone's eyes.

We were getting ready for my brother's, Calvin's, wedding. In the mirror, a white dress with bunches of furls layered one on top of another reflected back. A plain white shirt accompanied the beautiful wave of furls lay against a girl's skin, pale like a pink petal and soft like the clouds.

No matter how many times I looked at myself, even after 12 years, I would not believe what I saw in the mirror. My blue eyes came with blond-black hair. This hair rained out of my head like soft drops, and gave a magical effect.

"Yuura!" my mom's voice startled me since I was staring at myself without notice of the world. "The hairdresser is here!"

My mom ushered the hairdresser, John, into my room. As soon as he saw me, John grabbed my hair at seemingly random places, but within an hour, my hair danced on my head like an elegant princess.

Calvin

My wedding was successful and the wedding reception was all smiles and laughter. My wife was Eva Everheart, a person my parents arranged for me to marry, but a person I loved, indeed.

My dad was the head of the Barley Manufacturing Co. and like any rich parent, money was his goal. Any major decision my dad made involved, mostly, him making more money. My marriage is an example. Because the Everheart family was another powerful company, me marrying Eva meant combining the Barley and Everheart family, creating an ever bigger and better company. And since I loved the girl, it made a win-win situation with me and my dad.

But Yuura's life was a different story. My sister was a girl and marriage meant nothing, for her, to my parents. So in the end, I was the heir and Yuura was nothing more than a figment of my parent's lives.

So what was to come of my younger sister? It was all up to my parents.

Yuura

"Sweetheart! We have to talk to you."

My mom was calling me in the middle of my brother's wedding reception. He warned me before that mom and dad would want to talk to me. Calvin didn't say what about, but I knew it was something urgent.

"Yes mommy?" I was immature around my parents so I could get what I wanted.

"Come here and sit down. Daddy and I have something to tell you."

"Okay."

My dad handed me some cake. "Here darling."

I squirmed in my chair, nervous of what my parents were going to say.

"You know your brother's going to be the heir of my company, right?"

I smiled. "Yes."

"Aren't you wondering what you are going to do?"

That question struck me, hard. I almost threw up the cake I was eating on my dad, but I managed not to. I always thought of my brother and was proud of him. I never ever wondered about me.

"Sweetheart, you know where Japan is, right?" my mom asked.

"Of course! If I dig a hole, I'll get to China, but right next to it is Japan!"

"Would you like to live there?"

"Ummm, maybe. Why? Daddy, are you moving your company there?"

"No sweetheart, you're moving there."

"By myself?"

Both my parents nodded.

"Without mommy, daddy or Calvin?"

"I'm sorry to say so sweetheart."

I felt my eyes water. Although I wasn't that surprised, something inside of me screamed 'no!' My parents needed me for nothing and were probably going to give me away to a random stranger. I dropped my cake on the floor. Why? Why couldn't I just stay here and live with them? I screamed aloud until my voice cracked. My parents didn't want to support me.

"Yuura!" Calvin heard my scream. "What's wrong?"

Other people were rushing in, seeing what was wrong, but my parents shooed them away. I explained to my older brother that I was going to Japan.

"Mom and Dad said so?"

I nodded.

Calvin looked at my parents and with anger, said, "Why?!"

"Calvin, you know your sister can't stay with us anymore. Japan's the best place for her. We already found someone willing to take Yuura in."

"What are you trying to do to Yuura? Kill her? You know that there's a Chinese hatred going around in Japan. And you should also know that your own daughter is Chinese. Yuura's only 12! Why are you trying to ruin her childhood?"

"Calvin. I already told you. We have everything settled right now. Yuura's going to Japan and that's that."

My brother grabbed my arm and led me back to the reception, away from my parents.

"Yuura. You hear what they just said, right?"

Through all my tears, I could not see Calvin, but I nodded anyways.

"I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Maybe I can just stay in New York without them knowing."

"They'll know Yuura. But I'm perfectly sure they will allow that. But if you stay here, they won't give you any of you inheritance. "

"I don't care! I'm staying here!"

I tried to escape Calvin's grasp, but he held onto me tightly.

"Let me go, Calvin!"

"Yuura, do you know what America is going through right now?"

"I don't know and I don't care!"

"Listen to me! Right now, America's suffering. It's the Great Depression. Everybody is living on the streets. Dad's managing to keep the Barley Company up and it all has to do with money. He's taking a big risk, sending you to Japan, losing so much money. You won't survive on the streets, Yuura, especially since you have been pampered since you were young."

I knew, by then, I had no choice. My brother was right, like he always was.

"Calvin, I'll go to Japan then."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

But, Calvin was not ready to let me go. "Let me give you some advice. The Japanese hate Chinese. Don't tell anyone—not a soul—that you're Chinese, okay?"

Again, I nodded.

Calvin hugged me and mumbled, "I'm going to miss you, Yuura."