GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: R
Part: Chapter 7
AUTHOR'S NOTES (2/07/01)-
MINNA-SAN, GOMEN NE. I KNOW I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A MONTH
BUT WITH CLASSES AND HOMEWORK... I HAVEN'T HAD TIME FOR
MUCH ELSE. TO THOSE OF YOU WHOM I OWE LETTERS TO (YOU KNOW
WHO YOU ARE) I'M LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I WILL SOON BE
SENDING THEM OUT. OTHER THAN THAT, PLEASE ENJOY THIS
CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME FEEDBACK!
Chapter :
"Just look at her!" An aging looking woman
exclaimed as she grabbed the arm of a child and shook
her for a younger woman to see. "She's not fit for this
business!"
"So, maybe she's a little... *exotic*." The other
woman countered. "I think she's cute - well... *at least*
she's Asian!"
"BARELY!" The older woman shot back, anger in her
voice. "She has BLUE eyes and BLOND hair!! Why, she's
not Asian at all!!"
"Come here child," the younger woman said as she
scowled and crunched down on her feet in order to relative-
ly match the child's height. The girl did as she was told
and upon the range of the woman's hands, her face was
cupped with clammy palms. "You shouldn't look so scared.
I know this place might seem a little strange but... you
will soon get used to it." Standing straight, the woman's
expression grew serious. "So from now on, you are to refer
to her," pointing to the older woman, "as Obaa-san, and me
as Mama-san. Is that understood?"
The girl bowed her head in acceptance.
"Good. Mayumi!" She called as she clapped her
hands twice, and a meek little service girl appeared soon
at the sliding screen. "Take her to the next room while
I speak with Obaa-san."
Mayumi did as she was told, escorting the child
out of the room and closing the screen behind her. She
then went away to continue with her chores, leaving the
small girl staring at the thin paper screens. She could
hear the voice of the women begin to rise in the heat of
an argument.
"You should sell her to a brothel, then we might
regain some of the money we lost!"
"We buy her cheap, then you complain for what
we got?"
"Had I known she was what we'd be getting I
wouldn't have paid."
"Obaa-san, you and I both know that what we asked
for was an exotic looking girl and that is exactly what
we got. Now... her hair might not be as we had foreseen
it but a wig can quickly fix up that mistake. As for her
looks... yes, I do admit she's not what we planned but
she is *slightly* interesting to the eye."
"Maybe in your eyes Ritsuko, because I can't see
her as anything but a failure in this profession. Why,
we'd have a better chance making that distasteful little
servant girl into a geisha!"
"But the child has a captivating face! Just look
into those eyes of hers."
"I'll tell you what Ritsuko, I can see that for
some reason you want to back that little hybrid up. I
won't stand in the way of her training, but I will *warn
you*... She'd better be successful or you can *forget*
about inheriting this house after I die."
"Hai, Obaa-san."
"And one more thing... Make sure she doesn't get
in my way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien stared at Usagi's distressed face as she
wrestled in her sleep against the bed sheets. He wondered
silently what nightmare would dare disturb such an angel's
sleep, as he lovingly gazed at her made up face. The
thick layer of white make up made him speculate what
shade of color her cheeks would have turned last night as
he had looked into her rapture/tormented eyes.
Thinking of last night made his heart ache with
yearning as he remembered the way Usagi had acted - as if
that had been her first time. Her shyness, her shock and
amazement, the way she gasped every time he did something
to her. The fear that had originally lied within the
depths of her blue eyes had been erased as she had closed
them tightly, only to be reopened later as glazed pools
of underlying desire. Oh how he longed to see her eyes
like that again.
As if on cue, Usagi ceased her fighting and slowly
opened her tiered eyes. They skimmed over the room trying
to give her brain a clue of where she was -ears pounding
due to a minor alcohol related headache - before her eyes
clashed with deep-sea blue. And *then* she remembered
EVERYTHING. Last night... The things he did... The
things *she* did... But most embarrassingly, the things
she had *felt*.
Never, in all the years she'd been doing this, had
she experienced such an emotional roller coaster. She
could have sworn that her heart had pounded a hundred
times faster than its usual beat, and she was frankly
surprised to be alive today. The torment he had put her
through was indescribable; yet the worst part was that if
he asked her to do it again, she knew her body would say
'yes'.
She saw his eyes linger on hers before dipping to
her lips, and finally going south to where her breasts lay
exposed. Heat rushed through her body as her hand slowly
snaked its way towards the discarded sheet and tried to
pull it over her in order to cover her body from Darien's
intimate exploration. However, as her hand was about to
fulfill her intentions, Darien's own hand ceased hers and
forced it to backtrack its steps.
The way he had turned his now lust filled eyes
towards her shocked face, made her recall the night before
when his fixed gaze had made her feel -for the first time-
completely aware of herself, not as a human being, but as
a full blooded woman. He must have seen something flicker
in her eyes, for she saw his wicked lips curve into that
damned seductive smile he had given her last night, and
her brain knew before it would occur that she would not be
leaving that bed any time soon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Are you ready yet?" Darien asked as he knocked on
the bathroom's door.
"Almost. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."
Usagi answered. She took a deep calming breath and looked
at her reflection in the mirror. 'What the heck was wrong
with her? Why had she reacted the way she had last night...
*and* this morning!!' "DAMN IT!" She cursed as she pounded
on the vanity. 'Why the hell couldn't she have controlled
her damned body?! Why did she have to experience those
feelings with him after all these years of doing this as
her job? Why had it been *him* who made her realize that
feelings like that could be felt without love?' Usagi
shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She was a
geisha. This was part of her profession. He was only her
temporary danna, and this was all business.
Usagi straitened her wig, pulled in closer the
neckline of the kimono and exited the bathroom. "I'm
ready." She said as her eyes traveled the length of
Darien's broad shoulders. A strange shiver cursed
through her spine as she remembered how tightly she had
been hanging on to them just hours ago.
Darien whirled around to face her, his lips
curving into a very contented smile. "Ok, I'll take you
home now." Moving closer to her, he let his lips lightly
kiss the exposed skin of her neck. Placing his hand on
the small of her back, he let his fingers lightly curve
on right side of her waist, as he maneuvered her towards
the room's front door. "Even though I don't really want
to."
Usagi's back stiffened slightly as she realized
what his seemingly natural actions meant in body language.
Darien was, maybe subconsciously -she didn't know, trying
to state his claim of her. The strange part was... she
didn't really mind the gesture that much.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Usagi?" Mama-san asked as soon as she heard the
front door open.
"Mama-san," she answered. "Tadaimasu."
"Come here Usagi." Mama-san said, her voice cold
and tense as she called the girl from the waiting from.
"Hai." Usagi answered as she discarded her geta
and walked into the corridor, following the calling voice.
"You called?" She asked once she slid the shouji screen
shut and sat on the tatami floor in front of her mother.
Mama-san looked upon Usagi with anger and annoyance.
"Do you know what time it is?"
"eetou..." she pondered on her answer. "I don't
know. I don't wear a watch, but I do know it's almost
dinnertime. Why do you ask?"
"You have missed your dance practice appointment
today," Mama-san began, he voice slowly rising. "Not to
mention, you ALSO seem to have overlooked the number of
parties that you are supposed to attend tonight. Did you
happen to forget the amount of time that has to be spent
getting you ready?"
"I have *not* forgotten about tonight's scheduled
parties." Usagi answered in a clipped tone. "That is
why I am here, am I not?!"
"Don't you dare give me that tone of yours."
Mama-san scolded, standing so that Usagi had to look up
to see her. "I'm the one that's allowed to be angry."
She gave Usagi a curious look. "What have you been doing
all this time? Because I know for a fact that you
couldn't have spent the whole day with your danna."
Anger cursed through her veins. "What is that
supposed to mean?!"
"I mean, that there is no possible way that you
could entertain a man for this long. Don't forget,"
Mama-san raised her head imperiously, "I know how you
behave with your danna. They've told me so themselves."
That was the last straw for Usagi as she stood up.
"Well it just so happens that I *HAVE* been with him this
whole time!!" She screamed as she balled her hands into
fists trying to release some of her anger. "Isn't that
what you had asked me to do? You know, 'keep him happy'?"
Her body slowly began to shake in frustrated rage. "WHAT
THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH? I DO EVERYTHING YOU
ASK OF ME," she screamed as tears slid down her cheeks.
"CAN'T YOU JUST- "
But Usagi never got to finish her sentence, because
Mama-san's hand flew across her cheek and making her fall
over from the sheer force of the blow. Standing straight
above Usagi's fallen body, Mama-san's eyes froze. "You
ungrateful child," she whispered. "I have taken care of
you, stood against Obaa-san, and molded you into the woman
that you are today... and *this* is how you repay my
kindness? By skipping practice and running around Gion
with *god-knows-WHO*?!" She screamed. "Forget about
tonight's parties, that's commission I'll give to someone
else." And having had the last words, Mama-san left Usagi
on the tatami in the waiting room.
"DAMN HER!" Usagi cursed as more tears fell from
her eyes. Why- Why did she refuse to believe that she had
been with her danna all day? Why did she have to accuse
her of being an incompetent geisha?
'Oh come on Usagi,' a voice within Usagi's head
countered. 'Would you have believed yourself if you had
been in her position?'
'I would have. I was saying the truth!'
'Be honest.' The voice laughed at her. 'Or is it
that you refuse to truly see what those men called you
behind their backs?'
Usagi's eyes grew wide. 'What are you talking
about?'
'Oh please! You mean to tell me that you never
heard them call you "cold," or "frigid," or "unfeeling"?
You couldn't have been that deaf.'
'What are you talking about? Sure, I heard them.
I wanted them to know I didn't like being with them, but
they always kept coming back to me. They never took a
hint!' Usagi tried to argue in her defense.
'Well,' the voice began again with silky smoothness,
'that's not the impression you left on Darien today now
was it?'
Usagi froze on her comment. The voice was right.
What had happened with Darien today -NO, not with *Darien*,
with *Shields-san*? She shouldn't be addressing him on
such a personal level.
The voice's laughter sounded like cackling within
Usagi's head. 'You say that to yourself *NOW*? After
you've screamed his first name in the throws of passion
both last night and this morning?' The laugher became
uncontrollable as it mocked Usagi's emotional turmoil.
'You sure have a strange way of letting men know you're
not interested.'
'SHUT UP! I'M NOT INTERESTED IN HIM!' Usagi
screamed. 'I HATE HIM. I HATE ALL OF THEM. I HATE
EVERYONE. EVERYBODY LEAVES ME.' Usagi curled herself
into a little ball as she sobbed in pain, her tears
falling smoothly on the tatami mat. "Nobody wants me,"
she whispered softly.
...And that was how Mayumi found her the next
morning. Asleep, curled up like a cat, her make-up
smeared and running sideways on her face.
To be continued...
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+
I'M VERY SORRY THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER
OUT SOONER. I DON'T KNOW WHEN CHAPTER 8 WILL BE OUT, THE
ONLY THING I CAN TRULLY SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT IS THAT YOU
HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR ME SCRAPPING THE FIC. I MIGHT
TAKE MY TIME BUT YOU WILL READ ITS ENDING. COMMENTS,
COMPLAINTS AND OTHER TYPE OF MAIL WILL BE HAPPILY ACCEPTED
AT MACHI_NO_TENSHI@EXCITE.COM
MINNA-SAN, JYA MATTA!!'
*/6,~\ HIKA-CHAN */6,~\
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: R
Part: Chapter 7
AUTHOR'S NOTES (2/07/01)-
MINNA-SAN, GOMEN NE. I KNOW I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A MONTH
BUT WITH CLASSES AND HOMEWORK... I HAVEN'T HAD TIME FOR
MUCH ELSE. TO THOSE OF YOU WHOM I OWE LETTERS TO (YOU KNOW
WHO YOU ARE) I'M LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I WILL SOON BE
SENDING THEM OUT. OTHER THAN THAT, PLEASE ENJOY THIS
CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME FEEDBACK!
Chapter :
"Just look at her!" An aging looking woman
exclaimed as she grabbed the arm of a child and shook
her for a younger woman to see. "She's not fit for this
business!"
"So, maybe she's a little... *exotic*." The other
woman countered. "I think she's cute - well... *at least*
she's Asian!"
"BARELY!" The older woman shot back, anger in her
voice. "She has BLUE eyes and BLOND hair!! Why, she's
not Asian at all!!"
"Come here child," the younger woman said as she
scowled and crunched down on her feet in order to relative-
ly match the child's height. The girl did as she was told
and upon the range of the woman's hands, her face was
cupped with clammy palms. "You shouldn't look so scared.
I know this place might seem a little strange but... you
will soon get used to it." Standing straight, the woman's
expression grew serious. "So from now on, you are to refer
to her," pointing to the older woman, "as Obaa-san, and me
as Mama-san. Is that understood?"
The girl bowed her head in acceptance.
"Good. Mayumi!" She called as she clapped her
hands twice, and a meek little service girl appeared soon
at the sliding screen. "Take her to the next room while
I speak with Obaa-san."
Mayumi did as she was told, escorting the child
out of the room and closing the screen behind her. She
then went away to continue with her chores, leaving the
small girl staring at the thin paper screens. She could
hear the voice of the women begin to rise in the heat of
an argument.
"You should sell her to a brothel, then we might
regain some of the money we lost!"
"We buy her cheap, then you complain for what
we got?"
"Had I known she was what we'd be getting I
wouldn't have paid."
"Obaa-san, you and I both know that what we asked
for was an exotic looking girl and that is exactly what
we got. Now... her hair might not be as we had foreseen
it but a wig can quickly fix up that mistake. As for her
looks... yes, I do admit she's not what we planned but
she is *slightly* interesting to the eye."
"Maybe in your eyes Ritsuko, because I can't see
her as anything but a failure in this profession. Why,
we'd have a better chance making that distasteful little
servant girl into a geisha!"
"But the child has a captivating face! Just look
into those eyes of hers."
"I'll tell you what Ritsuko, I can see that for
some reason you want to back that little hybrid up. I
won't stand in the way of her training, but I will *warn
you*... She'd better be successful or you can *forget*
about inheriting this house after I die."
"Hai, Obaa-san."
"And one more thing... Make sure she doesn't get
in my way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien stared at Usagi's distressed face as she
wrestled in her sleep against the bed sheets. He wondered
silently what nightmare would dare disturb such an angel's
sleep, as he lovingly gazed at her made up face. The
thick layer of white make up made him speculate what
shade of color her cheeks would have turned last night as
he had looked into her rapture/tormented eyes.
Thinking of last night made his heart ache with
yearning as he remembered the way Usagi had acted - as if
that had been her first time. Her shyness, her shock and
amazement, the way she gasped every time he did something
to her. The fear that had originally lied within the
depths of her blue eyes had been erased as she had closed
them tightly, only to be reopened later as glazed pools
of underlying desire. Oh how he longed to see her eyes
like that again.
As if on cue, Usagi ceased her fighting and slowly
opened her tiered eyes. They skimmed over the room trying
to give her brain a clue of where she was -ears pounding
due to a minor alcohol related headache - before her eyes
clashed with deep-sea blue. And *then* she remembered
EVERYTHING. Last night... The things he did... The
things *she* did... But most embarrassingly, the things
she had *felt*.
Never, in all the years she'd been doing this, had
she experienced such an emotional roller coaster. She
could have sworn that her heart had pounded a hundred
times faster than its usual beat, and she was frankly
surprised to be alive today. The torment he had put her
through was indescribable; yet the worst part was that if
he asked her to do it again, she knew her body would say
'yes'.
She saw his eyes linger on hers before dipping to
her lips, and finally going south to where her breasts lay
exposed. Heat rushed through her body as her hand slowly
snaked its way towards the discarded sheet and tried to
pull it over her in order to cover her body from Darien's
intimate exploration. However, as her hand was about to
fulfill her intentions, Darien's own hand ceased hers and
forced it to backtrack its steps.
The way he had turned his now lust filled eyes
towards her shocked face, made her recall the night before
when his fixed gaze had made her feel -for the first time-
completely aware of herself, not as a human being, but as
a full blooded woman. He must have seen something flicker
in her eyes, for she saw his wicked lips curve into that
damned seductive smile he had given her last night, and
her brain knew before it would occur that she would not be
leaving that bed any time soon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Are you ready yet?" Darien asked as he knocked on
the bathroom's door.
"Almost. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."
Usagi answered. She took a deep calming breath and looked
at her reflection in the mirror. 'What the heck was wrong
with her? Why had she reacted the way she had last night...
*and* this morning!!' "DAMN IT!" She cursed as she pounded
on the vanity. 'Why the hell couldn't she have controlled
her damned body?! Why did she have to experience those
feelings with him after all these years of doing this as
her job? Why had it been *him* who made her realize that
feelings like that could be felt without love?' Usagi
shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She was a
geisha. This was part of her profession. He was only her
temporary danna, and this was all business.
Usagi straitened her wig, pulled in closer the
neckline of the kimono and exited the bathroom. "I'm
ready." She said as her eyes traveled the length of
Darien's broad shoulders. A strange shiver cursed
through her spine as she remembered how tightly she had
been hanging on to them just hours ago.
Darien whirled around to face her, his lips
curving into a very contented smile. "Ok, I'll take you
home now." Moving closer to her, he let his lips lightly
kiss the exposed skin of her neck. Placing his hand on
the small of her back, he let his fingers lightly curve
on right side of her waist, as he maneuvered her towards
the room's front door. "Even though I don't really want
to."
Usagi's back stiffened slightly as she realized
what his seemingly natural actions meant in body language.
Darien was, maybe subconsciously -she didn't know, trying
to state his claim of her. The strange part was... she
didn't really mind the gesture that much.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Usagi?" Mama-san asked as soon as she heard the
front door open.
"Mama-san," she answered. "Tadaimasu."
"Come here Usagi." Mama-san said, her voice cold
and tense as she called the girl from the waiting from.
"Hai." Usagi answered as she discarded her geta
and walked into the corridor, following the calling voice.
"You called?" She asked once she slid the shouji screen
shut and sat on the tatami floor in front of her mother.
Mama-san looked upon Usagi with anger and annoyance.
"Do you know what time it is?"
"eetou..." she pondered on her answer. "I don't
know. I don't wear a watch, but I do know it's almost
dinnertime. Why do you ask?"
"You have missed your dance practice appointment
today," Mama-san began, he voice slowly rising. "Not to
mention, you ALSO seem to have overlooked the number of
parties that you are supposed to attend tonight. Did you
happen to forget the amount of time that has to be spent
getting you ready?"
"I have *not* forgotten about tonight's scheduled
parties." Usagi answered in a clipped tone. "That is
why I am here, am I not?!"
"Don't you dare give me that tone of yours."
Mama-san scolded, standing so that Usagi had to look up
to see her. "I'm the one that's allowed to be angry."
She gave Usagi a curious look. "What have you been doing
all this time? Because I know for a fact that you
couldn't have spent the whole day with your danna."
Anger cursed through her veins. "What is that
supposed to mean?!"
"I mean, that there is no possible way that you
could entertain a man for this long. Don't forget,"
Mama-san raised her head imperiously, "I know how you
behave with your danna. They've told me so themselves."
That was the last straw for Usagi as she stood up.
"Well it just so happens that I *HAVE* been with him this
whole time!!" She screamed as she balled her hands into
fists trying to release some of her anger. "Isn't that
what you had asked me to do? You know, 'keep him happy'?"
Her body slowly began to shake in frustrated rage. "WHAT
THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH? I DO EVERYTHING YOU
ASK OF ME," she screamed as tears slid down her cheeks.
"CAN'T YOU JUST- "
But Usagi never got to finish her sentence, because
Mama-san's hand flew across her cheek and making her fall
over from the sheer force of the blow. Standing straight
above Usagi's fallen body, Mama-san's eyes froze. "You
ungrateful child," she whispered. "I have taken care of
you, stood against Obaa-san, and molded you into the woman
that you are today... and *this* is how you repay my
kindness? By skipping practice and running around Gion
with *god-knows-WHO*?!" She screamed. "Forget about
tonight's parties, that's commission I'll give to someone
else." And having had the last words, Mama-san left Usagi
on the tatami in the waiting room.
"DAMN HER!" Usagi cursed as more tears fell from
her eyes. Why- Why did she refuse to believe that she had
been with her danna all day? Why did she have to accuse
her of being an incompetent geisha?
'Oh come on Usagi,' a voice within Usagi's head
countered. 'Would you have believed yourself if you had
been in her position?'
'I would have. I was saying the truth!'
'Be honest.' The voice laughed at her. 'Or is it
that you refuse to truly see what those men called you
behind their backs?'
Usagi's eyes grew wide. 'What are you talking
about?'
'Oh please! You mean to tell me that you never
heard them call you "cold," or "frigid," or "unfeeling"?
You couldn't have been that deaf.'
'What are you talking about? Sure, I heard them.
I wanted them to know I didn't like being with them, but
they always kept coming back to me. They never took a
hint!' Usagi tried to argue in her defense.
'Well,' the voice began again with silky smoothness,
'that's not the impression you left on Darien today now
was it?'
Usagi froze on her comment. The voice was right.
What had happened with Darien today -NO, not with *Darien*,
with *Shields-san*? She shouldn't be addressing him on
such a personal level.
The voice's laughter sounded like cackling within
Usagi's head. 'You say that to yourself *NOW*? After
you've screamed his first name in the throws of passion
both last night and this morning?' The laugher became
uncontrollable as it mocked Usagi's emotional turmoil.
'You sure have a strange way of letting men know you're
not interested.'
'SHUT UP! I'M NOT INTERESTED IN HIM!' Usagi
screamed. 'I HATE HIM. I HATE ALL OF THEM. I HATE
EVERYONE. EVERYBODY LEAVES ME.' Usagi curled herself
into a little ball as she sobbed in pain, her tears
falling smoothly on the tatami mat. "Nobody wants me,"
she whispered softly.
...And that was how Mayumi found her the next
morning. Asleep, curled up like a cat, her make-up
smeared and running sideways on her face.
To be continued...
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+
I'M VERY SORRY THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER
OUT SOONER. I DON'T KNOW WHEN CHAPTER 8 WILL BE OUT, THE
ONLY THING I CAN TRULLY SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT IS THAT YOU
HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR ME SCRAPPING THE FIC. I MIGHT
TAKE MY TIME BUT YOU WILL READ ITS ENDING. COMMENTS,
COMPLAINTS AND OTHER TYPE OF MAIL WILL BE HAPPILY ACCEPTED
AT MACHI_NO_TENSHI@EXCITE.COM
MINNA-SAN, JYA MATTA!!'
*/6,~\ HIKA-CHAN */6,~\