GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 9
(3/18/01)- YAY PEOPLE!! I FINISHED CHAPTER 9!!! I HAD
BEEN WORKING ON IT ALL OF THIS WEEK (*HEHE* IT WAS MY
SPRING-BREAK) ANYWAYS, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. TRANSITON
CHAPTERS ARE A SLOW PROCESS TO WRITE. GOMEN IF IT DOESN'T
SEEM AS LONG AS IT TOOK ME TO GET IT OUT.
Chapter 9:
Usagi took of her geta slowly and stepped into her
danna's apartment. This was the first time one of her
danna's had actually taken her to their home -not to an
apartment they would rent for her. She looked around the
room carefully. It didn't look like the home of a middle-
class workingman. 'Then again... a middle-class workingman
wouldn't be able to afford a geisha as his mistress.'
Still, something about this place didn't quite fit in with
who he said he was.
'But one thing's for sure,' she thought to herself
as she silently followed Darien -who was busy showing her
around the apartment. 'He certainly lives like an American.'
The apartment looked so different from her home.
No tatami mats, no low wooden tables, he didn't even sleep
on a futon! Why, his apartment resembled more a five star
hotel room than a Japanese living space.
"What are you thinking about?" Darien asked in
amusement when he saw the pensive crease on her forehead
deepen.
She shook her face from side to side, like a child
caught slacking from their chores, and answered quickly,
"Nothing."
Darien raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "Why is it
that I find that hard to believe?"
Feeling very uneasy in this new territory, Usagi
lowered her head timidly. "I wasn't thinking anything."
At that moment, time froze for Darien and he just
looked at her -*really looked at her.* This girl that was
in front of him seemed so different from the woman he had
first encountered. The first time Darien had seen Usagi,
she had been a temptress, fully aware of who she was and
what she could do. Then after that, without her knowledge,
she had shown him -through brief glimpses- the hostility
she held in check behind her ever-changing eyes.
She was tempting, strong, naïve, and so innocent.
'How could a woman such as her, living the life she does,
still hold such purity?' He had no answer. Usagi was a
puzzle to him. A wonderful little puzzle that just begged
to be solved.
He smiled at her fragile form and brought her into
his arms. Her eyes widened momentarily as her face gently
settled itself automatically in the crook of his neck. It
was a strange embrace, one free of lust and desire. His
arms were so warm, and from her position she could hear his
heart.
'Ichi... ni... san... yon... go... roku...' she
counted it's steady beat, so soft and comforting, like a
melody. No, like a lullaby. She slowly blinked her eyes
once, then twice, trying to fight against the soothing
feeling that was coursing through her body. But alas, as
hard as she tried, by the tenth time she closed her eyes
to blink... they remained closed as she fell sound asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Usa-chan, are you paying attention to me?"
A blond little girl turned her head around to face
the speaker. "Hai, Yuuko-nee-chan. I'm listening." The
child then got into a frog-like position and hopped her way
towards the woman. "What is it you want to show me?"
Yuuko smiled at her and said, "Usagi, you are a
maiko now." Helping the kid stand, Yuuko's face grew
serious. "You must hold this title with dignity. That
means no hopping around. Don't you want to grow up to be
a geisha just like me?"
Usagi's blue eyes grew wide as her small mouth
yelled with certainty, "Of course I do!" She then looked
at her feet as she nervously wiggled her toes. "I'm sorry,"
she sniffed. "I know I'm not the best maiko to have as a
little sister. Obaa-san doesn't like me very much."
Raising her tear-streaked face she said, "But I do try! I
try really hard to impress her. But- but everything I do
is never good enough for her."
Something inside Yuuko wrenched. Sure, it was true
that the only reason she had accepted to be Usagi's older
sister was because Mama-san had asked her to as a 'special'
favor, but... she didn't mind it now. Usagi was a good
maiko. She studied really hard, practiced day and night
the songs and dances that they taught her at school. She
was always happy and willing to do the duties she was asked.
"Come here," Yuuko whispered softly as she waved
Usagi closer. "It alright now." She hugged the child
close to her, trying to sooth what little pain she could.
She ran her fingers through Usagi's hair. "You are growing
up so fast, but you have a long way to go until you can
become a geisha."
Pulling Usagi back so that she could look at her
face, Yuuko wiped her tears away. "A 10yr old girl
shouldn't be crying about who likes you or not. You will
meet many people in our line of work, some friends, some
clients, some will even be your danna. However, you are
never to forget who you are." Yuuko stood and looked down
at Usagi's upturned face. "This make-up, these clothes,
and this hairstyle are more than just a symbol for your
profession. They are you. Without them..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was morning and there was a loud beeping noise
irritating her ears. It was beginning to drive her nuts!
She stirred and slowly began to unglue her eyes. Blue-
blurry blue/gray, that's all she could see. 'Wait,'
something in her head yelled. 'I think I see something.'
She tried to focus her eyes on the white ambiguous
*thing* that cut across the blue she had established. She
moved her hand in order to grab it, but the white thing
moved way. She blinked repeatedly trying to see where the
thing went. Alas, it had disappeared.
"You're finally awake!" Someone called out. She
turned her head towards the voice and tried to make the
shape out. However, for the life of her, she could have
sworn to go blind.
"Who's there?"
He laughed. "I see I'm that easy to forget, huh?"
Her eyes widened slightly as her jaw dropped.
"Shield-san."
He neared the bed and looked at her face. "Are
you alright or- " he stopped for a moment. "Have you been
crying?"
"Why do ask?" She said while moving her face away
from him.
"Because your eyes are puffy and your make-up's
all smeared." At that moment, Usagi felt the bed lift,
and then the water in the bathroom run. "Here," she heard
him say as he neared the bed once more. "Let me clean
you up."
She felt a towel scrub her eyes free of make-up,
giving back to her the gift of sight. She blinked. She
could see again. Then, the towel Darien held in his hand
then began to work on her cheeks.
"What are you doing?" She asked as her hand
desperately grabbed the towel from him.
"What does it look like?" He answered back,
snatching up the towel and trying to continue his task.
"I'm helping you get rid of your make up."
"I don't want you to."
"Come on," he insisted. "It's all blotchy now
anyways. Let me see your face."
For some reason, something inside Usagi snapped.
She pushed Darien off the bed and quickly stood at his
feet, her eyes filled with rage. "Never, EVER, try to
take my make up off!" She screamed at him. "Never again.
DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
Darien stared at Usagi in disbelief. "Ok..." he
raised his hands in peace. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to
see what you really looked like."
"This *is* me," she spat back bitterly. "I *am* a
geisha. There is nothing without the make-up."
"That's not true." He said as he neared her
antagonistic stance. "You're smart... funny... friendly.
You have a bright personality. You're a very spec- "
"SHUT UP!" she cried not caring if he saw her like
this... so vulnerable. "DON'T LIE TO ME! If that was
true my mother wouldn't have sold me!"
Usagi quickly clasped her hands over her mouth.
'What the hell had she just said?' She looked into his
eyes and saw the shock in them. 'What the hell had she
just SAID?!' How in the world had their little discussion
ended up with the mention of her mother?
"Usako?" She heard him say.
She turned from him and wrapped her arms around
herself. 'Please stay away. Please stay away. Please
stay away. Please stay away. Please stay away.' She
chanted over and over again in her mind.
It was useless. Even as she pleaded with her
thoughts, Darien had been holding her to him the whole
time. "It's alright." He stroked her hair in a soothing
manner. "Cry all you want to. I'll still be here."
Those words broke her. She couldn't hold it in
any longer. She had lost. She, the ice queen, was crying
in front of her danna.
Darien said nothing. There was nothing he *could*
say. He had seen women cry before. His ex-fiancée, for
example, when he told her that their engagement was off.
She had dropped on her knees, crying, and asked him to
forgive her for cheating on him. 'But,' he shook his head.
'Melanie hadn't cried like this.' He had never seen a
woman cry like Usagi was doing now -with such desperation,
such anger, such raw emotion.
Darien held her quivering body within his strong
embrace. Then, he shifted her body and carried her over
to the living room, sitting then both on his cream leather
sofa. Usagi clung to him fiercely. She could feel his
warmth trying to sooth her pain away. Soon, her tears
stopped; however, she knew, that from this day forward,
the contract that she and her danna shared would never be
the same.
To be continued...
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 9
(3/18/01)- YAY PEOPLE!! I FINISHED CHAPTER 9!!! I HAD
BEEN WORKING ON IT ALL OF THIS WEEK (*HEHE* IT WAS MY
SPRING-BREAK) ANYWAYS, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. TRANSITON
CHAPTERS ARE A SLOW PROCESS TO WRITE. GOMEN IF IT DOESN'T
SEEM AS LONG AS IT TOOK ME TO GET IT OUT.
Chapter 9:
Usagi took of her geta slowly and stepped into her
danna's apartment. This was the first time one of her
danna's had actually taken her to their home -not to an
apartment they would rent for her. She looked around the
room carefully. It didn't look like the home of a middle-
class workingman. 'Then again... a middle-class workingman
wouldn't be able to afford a geisha as his mistress.'
Still, something about this place didn't quite fit in with
who he said he was.
'But one thing's for sure,' she thought to herself
as she silently followed Darien -who was busy showing her
around the apartment. 'He certainly lives like an American.'
The apartment looked so different from her home.
No tatami mats, no low wooden tables, he didn't even sleep
on a futon! Why, his apartment resembled more a five star
hotel room than a Japanese living space.
"What are you thinking about?" Darien asked in
amusement when he saw the pensive crease on her forehead
deepen.
She shook her face from side to side, like a child
caught slacking from their chores, and answered quickly,
"Nothing."
Darien raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "Why is it
that I find that hard to believe?"
Feeling very uneasy in this new territory, Usagi
lowered her head timidly. "I wasn't thinking anything."
At that moment, time froze for Darien and he just
looked at her -*really looked at her.* This girl that was
in front of him seemed so different from the woman he had
first encountered. The first time Darien had seen Usagi,
she had been a temptress, fully aware of who she was and
what she could do. Then after that, without her knowledge,
she had shown him -through brief glimpses- the hostility
she held in check behind her ever-changing eyes.
She was tempting, strong, naïve, and so innocent.
'How could a woman such as her, living the life she does,
still hold such purity?' He had no answer. Usagi was a
puzzle to him. A wonderful little puzzle that just begged
to be solved.
He smiled at her fragile form and brought her into
his arms. Her eyes widened momentarily as her face gently
settled itself automatically in the crook of his neck. It
was a strange embrace, one free of lust and desire. His
arms were so warm, and from her position she could hear his
heart.
'Ichi... ni... san... yon... go... roku...' she
counted it's steady beat, so soft and comforting, like a
melody. No, like a lullaby. She slowly blinked her eyes
once, then twice, trying to fight against the soothing
feeling that was coursing through her body. But alas, as
hard as she tried, by the tenth time she closed her eyes
to blink... they remained closed as she fell sound asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Usa-chan, are you paying attention to me?"
A blond little girl turned her head around to face
the speaker. "Hai, Yuuko-nee-chan. I'm listening." The
child then got into a frog-like position and hopped her way
towards the woman. "What is it you want to show me?"
Yuuko smiled at her and said, "Usagi, you are a
maiko now." Helping the kid stand, Yuuko's face grew
serious. "You must hold this title with dignity. That
means no hopping around. Don't you want to grow up to be
a geisha just like me?"
Usagi's blue eyes grew wide as her small mouth
yelled with certainty, "Of course I do!" She then looked
at her feet as she nervously wiggled her toes. "I'm sorry,"
she sniffed. "I know I'm not the best maiko to have as a
little sister. Obaa-san doesn't like me very much."
Raising her tear-streaked face she said, "But I do try! I
try really hard to impress her. But- but everything I do
is never good enough for her."
Something inside Yuuko wrenched. Sure, it was true
that the only reason she had accepted to be Usagi's older
sister was because Mama-san had asked her to as a 'special'
favor, but... she didn't mind it now. Usagi was a good
maiko. She studied really hard, practiced day and night
the songs and dances that they taught her at school. She
was always happy and willing to do the duties she was asked.
"Come here," Yuuko whispered softly as she waved
Usagi closer. "It alright now." She hugged the child
close to her, trying to sooth what little pain she could.
She ran her fingers through Usagi's hair. "You are growing
up so fast, but you have a long way to go until you can
become a geisha."
Pulling Usagi back so that she could look at her
face, Yuuko wiped her tears away. "A 10yr old girl
shouldn't be crying about who likes you or not. You will
meet many people in our line of work, some friends, some
clients, some will even be your danna. However, you are
never to forget who you are." Yuuko stood and looked down
at Usagi's upturned face. "This make-up, these clothes,
and this hairstyle are more than just a symbol for your
profession. They are you. Without them..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was morning and there was a loud beeping noise
irritating her ears. It was beginning to drive her nuts!
She stirred and slowly began to unglue her eyes. Blue-
blurry blue/gray, that's all she could see. 'Wait,'
something in her head yelled. 'I think I see something.'
She tried to focus her eyes on the white ambiguous
*thing* that cut across the blue she had established. She
moved her hand in order to grab it, but the white thing
moved way. She blinked repeatedly trying to see where the
thing went. Alas, it had disappeared.
"You're finally awake!" Someone called out. She
turned her head towards the voice and tried to make the
shape out. However, for the life of her, she could have
sworn to go blind.
"Who's there?"
He laughed. "I see I'm that easy to forget, huh?"
Her eyes widened slightly as her jaw dropped.
"Shield-san."
He neared the bed and looked at her face. "Are
you alright or- " he stopped for a moment. "Have you been
crying?"
"Why do ask?" She said while moving her face away
from him.
"Because your eyes are puffy and your make-up's
all smeared." At that moment, Usagi felt the bed lift,
and then the water in the bathroom run. "Here," she heard
him say as he neared the bed once more. "Let me clean
you up."
She felt a towel scrub her eyes free of make-up,
giving back to her the gift of sight. She blinked. She
could see again. Then, the towel Darien held in his hand
then began to work on her cheeks.
"What are you doing?" She asked as her hand
desperately grabbed the towel from him.
"What does it look like?" He answered back,
snatching up the towel and trying to continue his task.
"I'm helping you get rid of your make up."
"I don't want you to."
"Come on," he insisted. "It's all blotchy now
anyways. Let me see your face."
For some reason, something inside Usagi snapped.
She pushed Darien off the bed and quickly stood at his
feet, her eyes filled with rage. "Never, EVER, try to
take my make up off!" She screamed at him. "Never again.
DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
Darien stared at Usagi in disbelief. "Ok..." he
raised his hands in peace. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to
see what you really looked like."
"This *is* me," she spat back bitterly. "I *am* a
geisha. There is nothing without the make-up."
"That's not true." He said as he neared her
antagonistic stance. "You're smart... funny... friendly.
You have a bright personality. You're a very spec- "
"SHUT UP!" she cried not caring if he saw her like
this... so vulnerable. "DON'T LIE TO ME! If that was
true my mother wouldn't have sold me!"
Usagi quickly clasped her hands over her mouth.
'What the hell had she just said?' She looked into his
eyes and saw the shock in them. 'What the hell had she
just SAID?!' How in the world had their little discussion
ended up with the mention of her mother?
"Usako?" She heard him say.
She turned from him and wrapped her arms around
herself. 'Please stay away. Please stay away. Please
stay away. Please stay away. Please stay away.' She
chanted over and over again in her mind.
It was useless. Even as she pleaded with her
thoughts, Darien had been holding her to him the whole
time. "It's alright." He stroked her hair in a soothing
manner. "Cry all you want to. I'll still be here."
Those words broke her. She couldn't hold it in
any longer. She had lost. She, the ice queen, was crying
in front of her danna.
Darien said nothing. There was nothing he *could*
say. He had seen women cry before. His ex-fiancée, for
example, when he told her that their engagement was off.
She had dropped on her knees, crying, and asked him to
forgive her for cheating on him. 'But,' he shook his head.
'Melanie hadn't cried like this.' He had never seen a
woman cry like Usagi was doing now -with such desperation,
such anger, such raw emotion.
Darien held her quivering body within his strong
embrace. Then, he shifted her body and carried her over
to the living room, sitting then both on his cream leather
sofa. Usagi clung to him fiercely. She could feel his
warmth trying to sooth her pain away. Soon, her tears
stopped; however, she knew, that from this day forward,
the contract that she and her danna shared would never be
the same.
To be continued...