GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Part: Chapter 4
AN (11/27/00)-
I KNOW... I KNOW...
IT'S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH SINCE I'VE SENT A CHAPTER.
NO... THAT'S NOT TRUE. IT HAS BEEN A MONTH AND I AM *SO*
SORRY PEOPLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE HAD PART OF
THIS CHAPTER IN MY PC. I JUST HAVEN'T HAD MY INSPIRATION
IN THE RIGHT PLACE RIGHT NOW. WITH FINALS COMING IN ONE
WEEK, I'VE BEEN HAVING TO WORK A LOT TO MAKE SURE MY ART
PORTFOLIO IS LOOKING GOOD... AND THAT TAKES TIME.
ALSO, I HAD TO DO SOME RE-WRITING 'CAUSE I ENDED UP
CUTTING OUT A CHAPTER FROM THIS STORY, SO I HAD TO FIND
A WAY TO FIT IN THE STUFF FROM THE CHAPTER THAT I HAD
CUT AND MAKE IT FIT. I THINK EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FINE
NOW.
LOTS OF THANKS TO LAZULI-CHAN, WHO -EVEN THOUGH SHE'S
NO LONGER CO-WRITING THIS WITH ME- STILL HELPS ME ON THE
SIDES. ALSO, THANKS TO MY SUPER-KAWAI IMOTOU MEHGTH, WHO
HELPED ME SOME IN THIS CHAPTER TOO. AND... SINCE I ALSO
KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE HERE TO READ, I WILL END MY
BLABBERING AND LET THE STORY CONTINUE!!
Chapter 4:
A man covered his eyes from the bright golden
rays of the sun trying to look at the road ahead. The
streets of Gion were filled with people of all kinds...
especially of geisha. Darien smiled. As planned for
his summer vacation, he had arrived at the city where
Usagi lived.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Anou-eetou..." Darien said as he shyly stepped
into an okiya. "Sumimasen, demo... do you know if a
geisha by the name of Usagi lives here?"
"Usagi-san?"
"Hai." He answered expectantly.
"Iie... gomennasai."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien stepped inside a geisha filled room.
"Minna-san sumimasen. But, I was wondering if a geisha
named Usagi lives here?"
"Usagi-san?"
"Hai."
"Iie."
Darien bowed his head. "Arigatou."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien was beginning to damn the fact that he
couldn't find his way through Gion. The streets were
so confusing. He tried looking once more at Usagi's
business card for any clues of her whereabouts. The
only thing it said was 'Gion, Kyoto' and a phone number.
He started to put away the card into his pocket
until he realized his dumbest mistake. 'BAKA!' He
screamed at himself. Quickly taking the cards out
once again, he looked at the number and began to search
for a payphone. Inserting his calling card inside the
machine, he began to dial the given number.
Someone answered, "Moshi-moshi?"
It was a female voice. 'Could it be hers?'
"Eetou... Konnichiwa. I'm looking for the
residence of a geisha by the name of Usagi. Does she
live there?"
"Hai. She does." The woman paused for a moment.
"Do you wish to speak with her?"
Darien began to blush. "A... no! I-I actually
wished to know the address of where she lives."
"Umm..." The girl thought it over. "Let me
ask Mama-san first."
"Alright." Darien answered. In the mean time,
he searched his pockets for a pen in order to write
down the girl's answer.
Darien looked down at his hands... they were
shaking. Why where they doing such a thing?? Could
it be- could it be his anxiety? What the hell was
happening to him?! He never used to be this way.
Ever since he broke off his last engagement
he hadn't been interested in any type of woman that
crossed his path. Yet, just one encounter with a
geisha (of ALL people) had turned his brains to mush.
What was it about this girl that could do such things
to him?
"-r? Sir?" He heard the woman call from the
receiver. "Are you still there?"
"Hai." He answered quickly. "I'm here."
"Mama-san gave me her permission. Do you have
something to write with?"
"Hai. I do."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So you are the man that was inquiring about
Usagi-san, ne?" Asked an elderly looking woman dressed
in a simple kimono.
Darien bowed his head. "Hai, Obaa-san." They
sat peacefully inside the tatami living room, their
teacups filled with ocha atop a short wooden table.
The older woman eyed him suspiciously. "May I
ask the reason why?"
"Well," Darien said as he began to blush
slightly. "I met her- " he paused to rethink. "Almost
a year ago, I met her at a geisha party my boss invited
me to and that's where I met her."
She smiled. "That's not what I asked you."
"It isn't?" Darien's face began to turn red of
embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Hahahaha. You asked me for
my reason for being here, right?"
"Un."
"Umm... I- I was- I AM on my summer vacation
in Kyoto and I remembered that Usagi told me that this
was where she was from, so... I- I decided to come and
see if I could see her once again." He finished almost
in a whisper.
"Well Shields-san, you're in luck. I happen
to know of a party that she will be attending tonight.
It's not reserved so you may join in if you'd like."
The old lady began to smile. "Would you like to know
where it is?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was nearly TWELVE O'CLOCK!! Darien had been
waiting for almost two hours for Usagi to arrive at the
party but there was still no sign of her. Geisha kept
coming and going. Some of them would flirt with him
and try to get him to join in, but no matter how hard
their efforts were... they just couldn't get him to
take his eyes of the door for more than five minutes.
Darien stood up. He was tiered of waiting and
all hope of seeing her tonight had just fled him.
Obaa-san had warned him that it was never one hundred
percent sure that Usagi would be at the party. Geisha
came and went. They were always scheduled for a lot of
parties and always tried to at least make one small
appearance... but sometimes they would just skip the
party and go home if they were very tiered.
He walked towards the shouji screen. He wasn't
going to wait anymore. Maybe Usagi not showing up was
just a sign that... that his obsession was beginning to
control his life. He shook his head clear of thoughts
and extended his arm to move the screen when it swung
open.
A surprised geisha looked at him. The geisha's
deep red lips were parted in a small and delicate 'o'.
Her outlined, blue eyes were wide open as she stared at
the man who was almost face to face with her.
'She had come.'
Darien smiled at her as he felt his insides melt
from her closeness.
'SHE HAD COME!!'
Darien tried hard to fight down the urge to
wrap his arms around her silk suited body and kiss her
seductive full lips. All he could do was smile, as he
stayed rooted to his spot, fearful that if he so much
as breathed heavier that before... she might disappear.
"Sumimasen." He heard her say as she bowed her
head to him and made her way inside the tearoom.
Darien turned, his eyes following her movements
as she entered the room and bowed to everyone present.
He saw her speak with the head geisha then sneak a peak
at him. He saw her lips curve into a smile as she
winked in his direction. She finished her conversation
and began walking towards him.
Darien could sense his body heat rise with
every step she took. His heart pounded inside his
chest, making him feel as if he would pretty soon have
a seizure. He looked at her, his eyes catching hers.
They still held that masked sad expression.
"Konbanwa." Usagi said as she bowed her head
to him.
A boyish smile crossed his lips as he bowed
his head to her and said happily, "Konbanwa."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So," Usagi began as she poured him some sake
in his cup. "You still haven't told me what you're
doing here in Gion. Don't you live in Tokyo?"
"Oh..." He began to blush. "I- I had some
vacation time and my partner told me of how beautiful
Gion was in the summer." Darien took a sip of his cup.
"So I came."
She smiled a secretive smile as she slowly
closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side.
"Then..." she raised her gaze to meet with his. "Then
how come you were asking around for me?"
Darien just gazed at her. It was always her
eyes... Why did they hold him so? What was it about
her gaze that always managed to keep him entranced?
Why did her eyes always hold such a suppressed
expression?
"What is it?" She asked worried at the look
he gave her. It was the look of a man who saw more
than what was shown. And it angered her. "What are
you looking at me like that for?" She bit out before
she could mask her fear.
"I- I- " He mumbled, trying to see what he did
wrong. "I was just- "
Usagi interrupted him with a nervous giggle.
"Gomen, gomen... I did not mean that the way it
sounded."
Whispering softly, "Yes you did." He looked
down at the tatami floor for a moment, and wondered
how many emotions this porcelain geisha had to hide.
Did she really like being in his company?
Bringing him out of his thoughts, Usagi placed
her hand on his shoulder giving him a sad smile and
with a gentle - almost broken voice - she said to him
in English, "I am sor-ry. It was not to you."
Feeling an indescribable urge, Darien lifted
his hand off him knee and guided it towards her face.
Caressing softly Usagi's cheek, forgetting of the party
before him, he smiled at her. "I know."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Plopping down on her futon after a tiered day
of work, Usagi snuggled underneath her covers and tried
to get some needed sleep. Yet, she couldn't push away
the memories of the scenes not so long past.
The American's touch.
The way his hand softly traced the contours of
her cheek...
It's warmth...
It's tenderness...
It's sincerity...
To be continued...
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+
OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO SAY THANK-YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE
THAT E-MAIL ME EVERY TIME THEY READ MY STORIES. YOUR E-
MAILS ARE VERY MOTIVATING!! BUT PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
DON'T FORGET THAT ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH...
*evil laugh*
ESPECIALLY SINCE I KNOW THAT YOU ARE *DEFINITELY*
GONNA BE WANTING THE NEXT CHAPTER TO BE SENT SOON.
EMAIL ME! - Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com
OYASUMI!
ATT: */6.~\* HIKA-CHU */6.~\*
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Part: Chapter 4
AN (11/27/00)-
I KNOW... I KNOW...
IT'S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH SINCE I'VE SENT A CHAPTER.
NO... THAT'S NOT TRUE. IT HAS BEEN A MONTH AND I AM *SO*
SORRY PEOPLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE HAD PART OF
THIS CHAPTER IN MY PC. I JUST HAVEN'T HAD MY INSPIRATION
IN THE RIGHT PLACE RIGHT NOW. WITH FINALS COMING IN ONE
WEEK, I'VE BEEN HAVING TO WORK A LOT TO MAKE SURE MY ART
PORTFOLIO IS LOOKING GOOD... AND THAT TAKES TIME.
ALSO, I HAD TO DO SOME RE-WRITING 'CAUSE I ENDED UP
CUTTING OUT A CHAPTER FROM THIS STORY, SO I HAD TO FIND
A WAY TO FIT IN THE STUFF FROM THE CHAPTER THAT I HAD
CUT AND MAKE IT FIT. I THINK EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FINE
NOW.
LOTS OF THANKS TO LAZULI-CHAN, WHO -EVEN THOUGH SHE'S
NO LONGER CO-WRITING THIS WITH ME- STILL HELPS ME ON THE
SIDES. ALSO, THANKS TO MY SUPER-KAWAI IMOTOU MEHGTH, WHO
HELPED ME SOME IN THIS CHAPTER TOO. AND... SINCE I ALSO
KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE HERE TO READ, I WILL END MY
BLABBERING AND LET THE STORY CONTINUE!!
Chapter 4:
A man covered his eyes from the bright golden
rays of the sun trying to look at the road ahead. The
streets of Gion were filled with people of all kinds...
especially of geisha. Darien smiled. As planned for
his summer vacation, he had arrived at the city where
Usagi lived.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Anou-eetou..." Darien said as he shyly stepped
into an okiya. "Sumimasen, demo... do you know if a
geisha by the name of Usagi lives here?"
"Usagi-san?"
"Hai." He answered expectantly.
"Iie... gomennasai."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien stepped inside a geisha filled room.
"Minna-san sumimasen. But, I was wondering if a geisha
named Usagi lives here?"
"Usagi-san?"
"Hai."
"Iie."
Darien bowed his head. "Arigatou."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien was beginning to damn the fact that he
couldn't find his way through Gion. The streets were
so confusing. He tried looking once more at Usagi's
business card for any clues of her whereabouts. The
only thing it said was 'Gion, Kyoto' and a phone number.
He started to put away the card into his pocket
until he realized his dumbest mistake. 'BAKA!' He
screamed at himself. Quickly taking the cards out
once again, he looked at the number and began to search
for a payphone. Inserting his calling card inside the
machine, he began to dial the given number.
Someone answered, "Moshi-moshi?"
It was a female voice. 'Could it be hers?'
"Eetou... Konnichiwa. I'm looking for the
residence of a geisha by the name of Usagi. Does she
live there?"
"Hai. She does." The woman paused for a moment.
"Do you wish to speak with her?"
Darien began to blush. "A... no! I-I actually
wished to know the address of where she lives."
"Umm..." The girl thought it over. "Let me
ask Mama-san first."
"Alright." Darien answered. In the mean time,
he searched his pockets for a pen in order to write
down the girl's answer.
Darien looked down at his hands... they were
shaking. Why where they doing such a thing?? Could
it be- could it be his anxiety? What the hell was
happening to him?! He never used to be this way.
Ever since he broke off his last engagement
he hadn't been interested in any type of woman that
crossed his path. Yet, just one encounter with a
geisha (of ALL people) had turned his brains to mush.
What was it about this girl that could do such things
to him?
"-r? Sir?" He heard the woman call from the
receiver. "Are you still there?"
"Hai." He answered quickly. "I'm here."
"Mama-san gave me her permission. Do you have
something to write with?"
"Hai. I do."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So you are the man that was inquiring about
Usagi-san, ne?" Asked an elderly looking woman dressed
in a simple kimono.
Darien bowed his head. "Hai, Obaa-san." They
sat peacefully inside the tatami living room, their
teacups filled with ocha atop a short wooden table.
The older woman eyed him suspiciously. "May I
ask the reason why?"
"Well," Darien said as he began to blush
slightly. "I met her- " he paused to rethink. "Almost
a year ago, I met her at a geisha party my boss invited
me to and that's where I met her."
She smiled. "That's not what I asked you."
"It isn't?" Darien's face began to turn red of
embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Hahahaha. You asked me for
my reason for being here, right?"
"Un."
"Umm... I- I was- I AM on my summer vacation
in Kyoto and I remembered that Usagi told me that this
was where she was from, so... I- I decided to come and
see if I could see her once again." He finished almost
in a whisper.
"Well Shields-san, you're in luck. I happen
to know of a party that she will be attending tonight.
It's not reserved so you may join in if you'd like."
The old lady began to smile. "Would you like to know
where it is?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was nearly TWELVE O'CLOCK!! Darien had been
waiting for almost two hours for Usagi to arrive at the
party but there was still no sign of her. Geisha kept
coming and going. Some of them would flirt with him
and try to get him to join in, but no matter how hard
their efforts were... they just couldn't get him to
take his eyes of the door for more than five minutes.
Darien stood up. He was tiered of waiting and
all hope of seeing her tonight had just fled him.
Obaa-san had warned him that it was never one hundred
percent sure that Usagi would be at the party. Geisha
came and went. They were always scheduled for a lot of
parties and always tried to at least make one small
appearance... but sometimes they would just skip the
party and go home if they were very tiered.
He walked towards the shouji screen. He wasn't
going to wait anymore. Maybe Usagi not showing up was
just a sign that... that his obsession was beginning to
control his life. He shook his head clear of thoughts
and extended his arm to move the screen when it swung
open.
A surprised geisha looked at him. The geisha's
deep red lips were parted in a small and delicate 'o'.
Her outlined, blue eyes were wide open as she stared at
the man who was almost face to face with her.
'She had come.'
Darien smiled at her as he felt his insides melt
from her closeness.
'SHE HAD COME!!'
Darien tried hard to fight down the urge to
wrap his arms around her silk suited body and kiss her
seductive full lips. All he could do was smile, as he
stayed rooted to his spot, fearful that if he so much
as breathed heavier that before... she might disappear.
"Sumimasen." He heard her say as she bowed her
head to him and made her way inside the tearoom.
Darien turned, his eyes following her movements
as she entered the room and bowed to everyone present.
He saw her speak with the head geisha then sneak a peak
at him. He saw her lips curve into a smile as she
winked in his direction. She finished her conversation
and began walking towards him.
Darien could sense his body heat rise with
every step she took. His heart pounded inside his
chest, making him feel as if he would pretty soon have
a seizure. He looked at her, his eyes catching hers.
They still held that masked sad expression.
"Konbanwa." Usagi said as she bowed her head
to him.
A boyish smile crossed his lips as he bowed
his head to her and said happily, "Konbanwa."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So," Usagi began as she poured him some sake
in his cup. "You still haven't told me what you're
doing here in Gion. Don't you live in Tokyo?"
"Oh..." He began to blush. "I- I had some
vacation time and my partner told me of how beautiful
Gion was in the summer." Darien took a sip of his cup.
"So I came."
She smiled a secretive smile as she slowly
closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side.
"Then..." she raised her gaze to meet with his. "Then
how come you were asking around for me?"
Darien just gazed at her. It was always her
eyes... Why did they hold him so? What was it about
her gaze that always managed to keep him entranced?
Why did her eyes always hold such a suppressed
expression?
"What is it?" She asked worried at the look
he gave her. It was the look of a man who saw more
than what was shown. And it angered her. "What are
you looking at me like that for?" She bit out before
she could mask her fear.
"I- I- " He mumbled, trying to see what he did
wrong. "I was just- "
Usagi interrupted him with a nervous giggle.
"Gomen, gomen... I did not mean that the way it
sounded."
Whispering softly, "Yes you did." He looked
down at the tatami floor for a moment, and wondered
how many emotions this porcelain geisha had to hide.
Did she really like being in his company?
Bringing him out of his thoughts, Usagi placed
her hand on his shoulder giving him a sad smile and
with a gentle - almost broken voice - she said to him
in English, "I am sor-ry. It was not to you."
Feeling an indescribable urge, Darien lifted
his hand off him knee and guided it towards her face.
Caressing softly Usagi's cheek, forgetting of the party
before him, he smiled at her. "I know."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Plopping down on her futon after a tiered day
of work, Usagi snuggled underneath her covers and tried
to get some needed sleep. Yet, she couldn't push away
the memories of the scenes not so long past.
The American's touch.
The way his hand softly traced the contours of
her cheek...
It's warmth...
It's tenderness...
It's sincerity...
To be continued...
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+
OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO SAY THANK-YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE
THAT E-MAIL ME EVERY TIME THEY READ MY STORIES. YOUR E-
MAILS ARE VERY MOTIVATING!! BUT PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
DON'T FORGET THAT ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH...
*evil laugh*
ESPECIALLY SINCE I KNOW THAT YOU ARE *DEFINITELY*
GONNA BE WANTING THE NEXT CHAPTER TO BE SENT SOON.
EMAIL ME! - Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com
OYASUMI!
ATT: */6.~\* HIKA-CHU */6.~\*