GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@
Story by Hikari machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 1
AN (9/25/00)-
Hey guys!! I'm so happy I finally finished this
chapter. I'm not to pleased with the quality of it
though. I've been very tiered lately and I have been
adding things anytime I get a chance to. But I'm
please anyhow about the how its coming along.
I thank you guys so much for sticking with me!!
KEEP THOSE EMAILS COMING!!
Chapter 1:
Eight Years Later, Early Fall...
An ivory haired man, with deep ultramarine blue
eyes stepped off of the plane and into one of the halls
at the Tokyo International Airport. After getting his
bags, he looked for any sign that would say "Darien
Shields." Masahiro Kigai, his new boss over in this
country, had told him that someone, if not himself,
would be waiting for him when he arrived.
Darien Shields had come to Japan in order to
represent the American branch of the Yamada Company.
He had had to undergo a rigorous 'crash-course' in the
Japanese language and culture for the past two months
with a personal tutor that the company had hired for
him. Learning things in a classroom was fine, if you
were never going to go anywhere, but Darien wondered
how different Japan would be from what he had expected.
By pure luck, Darien was able to spot the sign
with his name through the crowd. As he weaved himself
in between the multitude, Darien finally reached the
brown haired, medium sized man with dark glasses that
was holding the sign. Remembering how he should meet
people in Japan, Darien bowed slightly and with a thick
American accent said, "Ohayoo."
The man gave an estranged expression and tried
to suppress a laugh. Taking off his sun-glasses and
showing off his Caucasian brown eyes, the man smiled at
Darien and said in perfect English, "What are you doing
saying 'Good Morning?' It's eight pm."
Darien's jaw practically fell as he heard the
man and realized his mistake. He had thought that
'Ohayou' could also be used for saying 'Hi' in Japanese.
Giving a sheepish grin, Darien raked his fingers through
his hair. "Sorry."
"It's alright." The man said as he shrugged it
off. "Anyone can make that mistake on their first time
here."
"Wait a second!" Darien said as it finally
dawned on him that the man he spoke to was obviously
not Japanese. "Who are you?"
"I'm your new partner," the man answered as he
extended his hand to Darien. "The name's Max Parker."
"Darien Shields."
Max grinned as he led Darien away towards the
car. "I know."
Getting into the automobile, Max drove Darien
to the hotel where he would be staying at until he was
able to find a suitable apartment to live in. After
settling Darien in with all of his bags, Max bid him
farewell and reminded him to be at work first thing on
Monday morning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I guess this is it," Darien said as the
elevator stopped and the doors opened on the fifteenth
floor of the Yamada building.
Stepping shyly out of the modern metal lift,
Darien walked towards the office number that was written
in the paper he held nervously on his right hand. He
was dressed in a green/gray business suit with a black
tie, which he constantly rechecked to make sure it was
straight. Taking a deep breath as he reached the room
whose number he had, Darien knocked, turned the knob
and went in.
Sitting in front of him, with a serious look on
his face, was his new boss Masahiro Kigai. He was what
you could call a typical Japanese man... straight short
black hair, slit black eyes, and the usual oval shaped
face which oriental people where very recognized for.
Before Darien was able to utter a word of
greeting, his new boss stood and walked over to him.
Looking Darien straight in the eyes, Mr. Kigai grabbed
his hand and shook it with vigor as he said in a very
strained English, "Uerukome!!"
Loosing his tenseness, Darien smiled at Mr.
Kigai. "Arigatou," he answered, shaking the man's hand
with the same force Mr. Kigai shook his.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Late November...
"So Darien," Max began as he placed his arm
around his partner's neck. "I heard The Boss was so
pleased with the suggestion we passed to him about the
commercial adjustment settings *that* he might consider
taking us to celebrate at a Geisha Party."
"*Geisha Party*?" Darien's brow raised in query.
"OH! You mean the pale women in kimonos."
Max's face nearly fell. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN
'PALE WOMEN IN KIMONOS!!'" Waving his index finger
in a reprimanding manner at Darien, Max continued.
"*GEISHA*, for your information, are Japanese courtesans.
They are beautiful, graceful creatures that stand for
raw sexuality. They talk to you about things you want
to hear, they avoid the subjects you don't want to talk
about, and anything that goes on between the two of you
stays secret." Heaving a sigh, Max looked dreamily
towards the ceiling. "Ah... the way all women *should*
be."
"But..." countered Darien as he brought Max
down from his wishful dream. "Aren't they considered
prostitutes?"
"Man, did they teach you nothing about Japanese
culture?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," began Max. "That what you just said
would not only insult the geisha, but it would even go
as far as insulting the president of Japan!"
"OH!" Darien said as he thought for a moment.
"So what are they then?"
"I- Think of them as *entertainers*, ok?"
"Parker-san, Shields-san..." Mr. Kigai
interrupted over the intercom. "Please come to my
office as soon as possible."
Darien walked around the desk and pressed the
buzzer. "Hai, Kigai-sama. We're on our way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The door closed as Max and Darien stepped inside
the office. Mr. Kigai was waiting for them, sitting in
a chair at his desk with a broad smile on his face.
Standing up to greet them, Masahiro's smile grew wider.
"Omedetou Shields-san, Parker-san. Your proposition was
accepted by the board and will be put into effect in
January."
"That's great sir!" Max said as he smiled
slyly. "We should celebrate!"
Masahiro caught Max's blunt insinuation and
guessed that they were in on his plans. "Alright,
alright." He began. "I see someone has told you about
my surprise... I *suppose* it doesn't matter." Mr.
Kigai went back to his desk and searched through his
drawers for some paper.
After finding the slips and writing something
on them, he handed one to both Darien and Max. "These
are the directions to the Geisha Tea-house that's
located here in Tokyo. You won't have to worry about
the cost, the company will pay your share. Just be
there this Saturday at 9 p.m."
"Hai, Kigai-sama." They both answered as they
bowed. "Domo Arigatou."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That night, as Darien looked at the direction
written on his piece of paper, he noticed how close it
was to where he was now living. Then, it dawned on him
that there really was a lot about the Japanese culture
that he knew nothing about. And it almost scared him
that, had he made that 'geisha comment' to his boss, he
could have insulted him greatly.
"Well I really don't have time right now to cram
my brain full of information about geisha." Darien said
with a sigh as he lay back in bed, placing his hands
behind his head. "I guess I'll just have to find a way
to wing it and make sure I don't say anything wrong."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Saturday Morning at a Hotel in Tokyo...
"Breath in!" A man ordered once again as he
tied a light sky-blue obi tightly around the dark blue
kimono with lotus flower imprints that a petit woman
with her hair up in a cloth wore.
"I am breathing in!" The she argued. "If I
were capable of breathing in deeper, my lungs would
cave in!"
A dark haired girl in a dark green kimono with
red line designs on the bottom rim entered the room
scowling. "Don't argue; Just do! I could hear you
complaining from the other side of the door."
"I AM DOING IT, REI! SO JUST SHUT UP!" The
girl screamed.
The man finally finished tying the obi and after
taking his things, he walked up to Rei. "You know what
her problem is?" He said, stopping only to allow the
other girl to listen in. "She's not built like a Geisha,
she has big breasts." And after his rude comment on the
girl's structure, he left.
"BASTARD!" The girl screamed as she threw a
brush at the closing door, ignoring Rei's presence or
possible judgment. Then, walking towards the dresser,
she placed her wig on and raised her blue eyes to the
mirror. "I am a Geisha."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Saturday Night at the Geisha Tea-house...
Darien, Max, Mr. Kigai, and about nine more men
from the Yamada Company's elite circle where seated in
two parallel lines as one geisha played the samisen and
two others danced for their enjoyment- their movements
precise and elaborate in their story telling. The sweet
sad sounding music, making an impact on each of the
watchers emotions.
Darien had never thought he'd feel so moved when
hearing the simple sounds from a foreign instrument.
And the combination of sound and choreography was
incredible! But it was when the music was reaching
its climax that the shouji screen slid, and Darien's
eyes were met by the cerulean blue iris of a new coming
geisha.
To be continued...
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+
MORE AN!! (Aren't you excited?)
Just to let you know that I started Chapter 2 already
and that pretty soon you'll get a short one part story
that I'm almost finished with.
So motivate me some more by droping me a line and
telling me what you think of what I write, k?
JYA!
ATT: */^.^\* HIKA-CHU */^.^\*
Story by Hikari machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 1
AN (9/25/00)-
Hey guys!! I'm so happy I finally finished this
chapter. I'm not to pleased with the quality of it
though. I've been very tiered lately and I have been
adding things anytime I get a chance to. But I'm
please anyhow about the how its coming along.
I thank you guys so much for sticking with me!!
KEEP THOSE EMAILS COMING!!
Chapter 1:
Eight Years Later, Early Fall...
An ivory haired man, with deep ultramarine blue
eyes stepped off of the plane and into one of the halls
at the Tokyo International Airport. After getting his
bags, he looked for any sign that would say "Darien
Shields." Masahiro Kigai, his new boss over in this
country, had told him that someone, if not himself,
would be waiting for him when he arrived.
Darien Shields had come to Japan in order to
represent the American branch of the Yamada Company.
He had had to undergo a rigorous 'crash-course' in the
Japanese language and culture for the past two months
with a personal tutor that the company had hired for
him. Learning things in a classroom was fine, if you
were never going to go anywhere, but Darien wondered
how different Japan would be from what he had expected.
By pure luck, Darien was able to spot the sign
with his name through the crowd. As he weaved himself
in between the multitude, Darien finally reached the
brown haired, medium sized man with dark glasses that
was holding the sign. Remembering how he should meet
people in Japan, Darien bowed slightly and with a thick
American accent said, "Ohayoo."
The man gave an estranged expression and tried
to suppress a laugh. Taking off his sun-glasses and
showing off his Caucasian brown eyes, the man smiled at
Darien and said in perfect English, "What are you doing
saying 'Good Morning?' It's eight pm."
Darien's jaw practically fell as he heard the
man and realized his mistake. He had thought that
'Ohayou' could also be used for saying 'Hi' in Japanese.
Giving a sheepish grin, Darien raked his fingers through
his hair. "Sorry."
"It's alright." The man said as he shrugged it
off. "Anyone can make that mistake on their first time
here."
"Wait a second!" Darien said as it finally
dawned on him that the man he spoke to was obviously
not Japanese. "Who are you?"
"I'm your new partner," the man answered as he
extended his hand to Darien. "The name's Max Parker."
"Darien Shields."
Max grinned as he led Darien away towards the
car. "I know."
Getting into the automobile, Max drove Darien
to the hotel where he would be staying at until he was
able to find a suitable apartment to live in. After
settling Darien in with all of his bags, Max bid him
farewell and reminded him to be at work first thing on
Monday morning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I guess this is it," Darien said as the
elevator stopped and the doors opened on the fifteenth
floor of the Yamada building.
Stepping shyly out of the modern metal lift,
Darien walked towards the office number that was written
in the paper he held nervously on his right hand. He
was dressed in a green/gray business suit with a black
tie, which he constantly rechecked to make sure it was
straight. Taking a deep breath as he reached the room
whose number he had, Darien knocked, turned the knob
and went in.
Sitting in front of him, with a serious look on
his face, was his new boss Masahiro Kigai. He was what
you could call a typical Japanese man... straight short
black hair, slit black eyes, and the usual oval shaped
face which oriental people where very recognized for.
Before Darien was able to utter a word of
greeting, his new boss stood and walked over to him.
Looking Darien straight in the eyes, Mr. Kigai grabbed
his hand and shook it with vigor as he said in a very
strained English, "Uerukome!!"
Loosing his tenseness, Darien smiled at Mr.
Kigai. "Arigatou," he answered, shaking the man's hand
with the same force Mr. Kigai shook his.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Late November...
"So Darien," Max began as he placed his arm
around his partner's neck. "I heard The Boss was so
pleased with the suggestion we passed to him about the
commercial adjustment settings *that* he might consider
taking us to celebrate at a Geisha Party."
"*Geisha Party*?" Darien's brow raised in query.
"OH! You mean the pale women in kimonos."
Max's face nearly fell. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN
'PALE WOMEN IN KIMONOS!!'" Waving his index finger
in a reprimanding manner at Darien, Max continued.
"*GEISHA*, for your information, are Japanese courtesans.
They are beautiful, graceful creatures that stand for
raw sexuality. They talk to you about things you want
to hear, they avoid the subjects you don't want to talk
about, and anything that goes on between the two of you
stays secret." Heaving a sigh, Max looked dreamily
towards the ceiling. "Ah... the way all women *should*
be."
"But..." countered Darien as he brought Max
down from his wishful dream. "Aren't they considered
prostitutes?"
"Man, did they teach you nothing about Japanese
culture?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," began Max. "That what you just said
would not only insult the geisha, but it would even go
as far as insulting the president of Japan!"
"OH!" Darien said as he thought for a moment.
"So what are they then?"
"I- Think of them as *entertainers*, ok?"
"Parker-san, Shields-san..." Mr. Kigai
interrupted over the intercom. "Please come to my
office as soon as possible."
Darien walked around the desk and pressed the
buzzer. "Hai, Kigai-sama. We're on our way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The door closed as Max and Darien stepped inside
the office. Mr. Kigai was waiting for them, sitting in
a chair at his desk with a broad smile on his face.
Standing up to greet them, Masahiro's smile grew wider.
"Omedetou Shields-san, Parker-san. Your proposition was
accepted by the board and will be put into effect in
January."
"That's great sir!" Max said as he smiled
slyly. "We should celebrate!"
Masahiro caught Max's blunt insinuation and
guessed that they were in on his plans. "Alright,
alright." He began. "I see someone has told you about
my surprise... I *suppose* it doesn't matter." Mr.
Kigai went back to his desk and searched through his
drawers for some paper.
After finding the slips and writing something
on them, he handed one to both Darien and Max. "These
are the directions to the Geisha Tea-house that's
located here in Tokyo. You won't have to worry about
the cost, the company will pay your share. Just be
there this Saturday at 9 p.m."
"Hai, Kigai-sama." They both answered as they
bowed. "Domo Arigatou."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That night, as Darien looked at the direction
written on his piece of paper, he noticed how close it
was to where he was now living. Then, it dawned on him
that there really was a lot about the Japanese culture
that he knew nothing about. And it almost scared him
that, had he made that 'geisha comment' to his boss, he
could have insulted him greatly.
"Well I really don't have time right now to cram
my brain full of information about geisha." Darien said
with a sigh as he lay back in bed, placing his hands
behind his head. "I guess I'll just have to find a way
to wing it and make sure I don't say anything wrong."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Saturday Morning at a Hotel in Tokyo...
"Breath in!" A man ordered once again as he
tied a light sky-blue obi tightly around the dark blue
kimono with lotus flower imprints that a petit woman
with her hair up in a cloth wore.
"I am breathing in!" The she argued. "If I
were capable of breathing in deeper, my lungs would
cave in!"
A dark haired girl in a dark green kimono with
red line designs on the bottom rim entered the room
scowling. "Don't argue; Just do! I could hear you
complaining from the other side of the door."
"I AM DOING IT, REI! SO JUST SHUT UP!" The
girl screamed.
The man finally finished tying the obi and after
taking his things, he walked up to Rei. "You know what
her problem is?" He said, stopping only to allow the
other girl to listen in. "She's not built like a Geisha,
she has big breasts." And after his rude comment on the
girl's structure, he left.
"BASTARD!" The girl screamed as she threw a
brush at the closing door, ignoring Rei's presence or
possible judgment. Then, walking towards the dresser,
she placed her wig on and raised her blue eyes to the
mirror. "I am a Geisha."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Saturday Night at the Geisha Tea-house...
Darien, Max, Mr. Kigai, and about nine more men
from the Yamada Company's elite circle where seated in
two parallel lines as one geisha played the samisen and
two others danced for their enjoyment- their movements
precise and elaborate in their story telling. The sweet
sad sounding music, making an impact on each of the
watchers emotions.
Darien had never thought he'd feel so moved when
hearing the simple sounds from a foreign instrument.
And the combination of sound and choreography was
incredible! But it was when the music was reaching
its climax that the shouji screen slid, and Darien's
eyes were met by the cerulean blue iris of a new coming
geisha.
To be continued...
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+
MORE AN!! (Aren't you excited?)
Just to let you know that I started Chapter 2 already
and that pretty soon you'll get a short one part story
that I'm almost finished with.
So motivate me some more by droping me a line and
telling me what you think of what I write, k?
JYA!
ATT: */^.^\* HIKA-CHU */^.^\*