GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 10
Chapter 10:
Usagi sat with her knees pressed to her chest on
the loveseat as she stared out the window -waiting for her
danna to get home from work. Snow was falling softly over
the city of Tokyo making the neon building signs shine like
fireflies in the mist. It was a pretty illusion, one you
could only witness in the winter. Was this the reason why
people liked this season so much?
She turned her head away from the scene and
concentrated instead on the un-touched cup of hot chocolate
on the coffee table. It had been sitting there since lunch-
time. She extended her small, pale hand towards the cup
and slowly brought it to her lips. The liquid was cold and
tasted bittersweet. Her lips curved into a cynical smile.
She drank again.
Finishing the cup, she placed it back on the table
and turned once again to the window. Yes, now she
remembered. Her real mother had sold her. Obaa-san had
shunned her. Her previous danna had left her. Mama-san
didn't trust her. These were the reason why she hated this
season. To her, winter only brought bad luck.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max Parker caught a glimpse of light within Darien's
office. He looked at his watch. It was 8:00pm and workdays
usually ended at 6:00pm. Was Darien working over-time
tonight? Or... did it have something to do with the meeting
he had with Mr. Kigai a couple of days ago?
He gently tapped on the door, turned the knob and
snuck his head in. The computer was on -its light shining
on the spread of papers on the desk. Darien's chair had
it's back to the entrance. "Yo, Darien?" Max called out.
"You in here?"
Darien spun around in his chair. "Hey Max." He
gave a weak smile. "What are you doing here this late?"
"Overtime. You?"
"Me?" He looked at the papers on his desk. "I
suppose I'm working over time too."
Max neared Darien's desk. Giving the papers a quick
look-over, he was taken aback. "You're working on the
Shimazaki project now? Isn't that due next fall?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Well, doesn't that mean that we have about a year
to do that? The project isn't that big. It would probably
only take us two to three months to have it ready."
"Well..." Darien snapped back angrily. "I want to
get it over with *now*!"
Max raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's wrong?
Did you have a fight with Usagi?"
"No." He said irritably. "I did not have a fight
with her."
"Then... does this have something to do with the
meeting you had with the boss?"
Darien remained silent.
"It does, doesn't it?" He slammed his hands on
Darien's desk. "What did he say? Is something wrong?"
"He didn't say anything I didn't know would soon
be coming."
"Huh?" He made a face. "What's that supposed to
mean?"
"It means," said Darien while getting up and
stuffing his papers inside his brief case. "That I should
get home pretty soon. I don't have much time left."
Then, walking past a very confused Max, Darien
exited his office and walked away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Usagi's head turned at the sound of the door
opening. Seconds later she heard Darien's "Tadaimasu."
Getting up from the loveseat, she walked on bare
feet towards the entrance. She took a quick glance at a
nearby mirror. Her thick blond hair was free from its
confines swirling around her pale made-up face, and she was
wearing a simple red yukatta instead of her traditional
kimono. How long had she been with Darien that she dared
to parade around his apartment without her formal wear?
'Not that long,' she realized grimly.
She had met him a year ago, during the fall. Then,
in the summer, he had become her danna. And now... now she
felt so Americanized it sometimes made her sick to think
that she wasn't behaving as she had been trained to.
Darien looked drained, that was the first impression
she had gotten when she saw him. "Okaeri," she said gently
as she helped him take off his blazer. He thanked her and
walked solemnly towards the couch and plopped down. "You
look tiered," she announced as she neared the back of the
couch and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She
began to knead the tough muscles through his shirt. "You've
been working a lot lately."
He placed his hand on top of hers, stopping her
actions. Turning to face her, he smiled with longing.
Silently taking her hand in his, he guided her body to the
front of the couch and pulled her close to him on the
cushions. Darien smiled as he wrapped his arms around her
slender waist and nestled his head on her chest. 'I wish I
could stop time," he thought. 'I wish this moment could
last forever.'
Usagi's heart churned, something was wrong. She
could feel it. She closed her arms around his form and
hugged him back. "Are you hungry?" she asked softly as she
began to stroke his head.
"No... Not really."
"Then, do you want to go to bed?"
Darien shook his head 'yes' like a small child.
Looking down into his eyes, Usagi could see some inner-
turmoil within. He disentangled himself from her embrace
and taking her hand, lead them both to the bedroom.
Walking over to the corner of the room, Darien took
of his shirt and pants, placing them neatly on a chair that
was there. He then walked over towards the bed and got in.
Usagi was waiting for him.
She let her hand trail down his cheek in a caring
manner. "Daijoubu?" He didn't answer. Instead, he just
roughly intertwined his arms around her and crushed her
body to his. Usagi could feel his body shaking. It scared
her. Deep in her mind she could sense a foreshadowing of
desolation. It was a feeling she was well acquainted with,
one she didn't like at all.
That night... Usagi could not manage to fall asleep.
And somehow, she knew that Darien hadn't either.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She finished placing her kimono on and went on to
tie up her obi. Checking to make sure that her make-up was
in order, she left the bathroom and walked towards the
living room where Darien was waiting. He had told her he
had something very important to tell her.
She took in a deep calming breath when her eyes fell
on the broad expanse of his shoulders. Clearing her throat
she said, "You wanted to tell me something?"
He stood up and turned around. "Yeah... I did."
He gestured for her to sit across from him so that they
could face each other. He saw the confusion written on her
face and rubbed an impatient hand on the back of his neck.
"I suppose I'll start from the beginning, ne?"
Silence.
"Well," he went on. "You see, a couple of days ago
Kigai-sama informed me that the American branch of the
Yamada Company had requested my prompt return to the U.S."
Usagi remained silent.
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Darien said with
finality, "I leave in two weeks time." Darien looked at
Usagi. She had been silent for a long time. All she did
that he could take as a reaction was wrap her arms tighter
around her body. He lowered his head sadly. 'So this was
the end,' he thought. This is how they relationship was
drawn to a close.
Unknown to Usagi, her thought had found a voice.
"Don't go," she whispered with an uncharacteristic show of
need. 'Don't leave me!' She screamed in her head. "Not
now Darien... not now that I- that I..."
He was staring at her face. Of all the things he
had expected her to say... this was the last thing. He
crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his.
"Now that you what?"
She looked at him. "I- " She said began but turned
her head away. "Never mind."
He let go of her hands and stood up. "To tell you
the truth," he said as he gave her a cheerless smile. "I
wish you could come with me."
Usagi's eyes widened as her head wiped back in order
to make sure he wasn't kidding. "Really?"
"Uhu."
Usagi began to battle with herself. Could she quit
being a geisha? That was all she'd ever been. She could
never be anything else. She didn't know how to *be*
anything else!
Could she go with him? Was she willing to follow
him wherever he went? But, did he love her? Did she love
him? She did, she realized so the moment she thought she
would lose him -the only man that had treated her as a human
being.
'But,' she thought in alarm. Maybe to him she was
only an obsession, like he had told her the first time they
had been together. Should she trust him? Should she tell
him that there *was* a way that they could be together?
Darien's voice broke through her thoughts. "Are
you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said as her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm fine."
"Please don't cry." Darien said as his hand cupped
her cheek tenderly and began to wipe away her tears. "I
can't stand to see you cry."
"STOP IT!" she cried as she pushed his body away
from her. "Don't you see?! You're only making it worse
for me!"
He tried to steady himself. "What are you talking
about?"
She looked at him through tear-filled eyes in
misery. "Why couldn't you have been like my other danna,
HUH?! That way... maybe that way... I could have prevented
falling in love with you."
Darien's body froze upon hearing her confession.
All he could do was look as Usagi ran away, grabbing her
geta as she left. Out of his apartment she ran, and out of
his life too he guessed.
So this really *was* the end of their relationship.
She would go back to Gion, to her home, to her parties, to
the mysterious world from which she came from. And he? He
would go back to the States. Alone.
To be continued...
*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*
Author's Notes for (3/31/01):
Well minna... This is the last "to be continued" for
Geisha. As you can tell, the next chapter is gonna be the
last. I'm gonna be starting up a new fic so be on the look
out for it, k?
Some extra stuff...
To MARZ: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
To Mehg (my imotou): I'm gonna make you suffer for that
jingle you sent me a while ago.
To Laz-chan: Thanks for all your motivation on this story.
To Brandy: You can call me a b*tch all you like for my
cliff-hangers but I know the truth... You like
being left on the edge. *winks* I'll start
the other story soon.
A special mention to Sailorcelestial who always makes me
laugh with her *coughs-demanding-coughs* emails about me
writing these chapters faster and becoming a writer. You're
a real ego-booster!
And of course, many- many thanks to all of you who have
emailed me about my story. I'm glad to know you enjoy my
stories as much as I enjoy writing them.
JYA MATTA!!!
ATT: Hikari-chan
AKA: Machi NO Tenshi
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 10
Chapter 10:
Usagi sat with her knees pressed to her chest on
the loveseat as she stared out the window -waiting for her
danna to get home from work. Snow was falling softly over
the city of Tokyo making the neon building signs shine like
fireflies in the mist. It was a pretty illusion, one you
could only witness in the winter. Was this the reason why
people liked this season so much?
She turned her head away from the scene and
concentrated instead on the un-touched cup of hot chocolate
on the coffee table. It had been sitting there since lunch-
time. She extended her small, pale hand towards the cup
and slowly brought it to her lips. The liquid was cold and
tasted bittersweet. Her lips curved into a cynical smile.
She drank again.
Finishing the cup, she placed it back on the table
and turned once again to the window. Yes, now she
remembered. Her real mother had sold her. Obaa-san had
shunned her. Her previous danna had left her. Mama-san
didn't trust her. These were the reason why she hated this
season. To her, winter only brought bad luck.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max Parker caught a glimpse of light within Darien's
office. He looked at his watch. It was 8:00pm and workdays
usually ended at 6:00pm. Was Darien working over-time
tonight? Or... did it have something to do with the meeting
he had with Mr. Kigai a couple of days ago?
He gently tapped on the door, turned the knob and
snuck his head in. The computer was on -its light shining
on the spread of papers on the desk. Darien's chair had
it's back to the entrance. "Yo, Darien?" Max called out.
"You in here?"
Darien spun around in his chair. "Hey Max." He
gave a weak smile. "What are you doing here this late?"
"Overtime. You?"
"Me?" He looked at the papers on his desk. "I
suppose I'm working over time too."
Max neared Darien's desk. Giving the papers a quick
look-over, he was taken aback. "You're working on the
Shimazaki project now? Isn't that due next fall?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Well, doesn't that mean that we have about a year
to do that? The project isn't that big. It would probably
only take us two to three months to have it ready."
"Well..." Darien snapped back angrily. "I want to
get it over with *now*!"
Max raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's wrong?
Did you have a fight with Usagi?"
"No." He said irritably. "I did not have a fight
with her."
"Then... does this have something to do with the
meeting you had with the boss?"
Darien remained silent.
"It does, doesn't it?" He slammed his hands on
Darien's desk. "What did he say? Is something wrong?"
"He didn't say anything I didn't know would soon
be coming."
"Huh?" He made a face. "What's that supposed to
mean?"
"It means," said Darien while getting up and
stuffing his papers inside his brief case. "That I should
get home pretty soon. I don't have much time left."
Then, walking past a very confused Max, Darien
exited his office and walked away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Usagi's head turned at the sound of the door
opening. Seconds later she heard Darien's "Tadaimasu."
Getting up from the loveseat, she walked on bare
feet towards the entrance. She took a quick glance at a
nearby mirror. Her thick blond hair was free from its
confines swirling around her pale made-up face, and she was
wearing a simple red yukatta instead of her traditional
kimono. How long had she been with Darien that she dared
to parade around his apartment without her formal wear?
'Not that long,' she realized grimly.
She had met him a year ago, during the fall. Then,
in the summer, he had become her danna. And now... now she
felt so Americanized it sometimes made her sick to think
that she wasn't behaving as she had been trained to.
Darien looked drained, that was the first impression
she had gotten when she saw him. "Okaeri," she said gently
as she helped him take off his blazer. He thanked her and
walked solemnly towards the couch and plopped down. "You
look tiered," she announced as she neared the back of the
couch and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She
began to knead the tough muscles through his shirt. "You've
been working a lot lately."
He placed his hand on top of hers, stopping her
actions. Turning to face her, he smiled with longing.
Silently taking her hand in his, he guided her body to the
front of the couch and pulled her close to him on the
cushions. Darien smiled as he wrapped his arms around her
slender waist and nestled his head on her chest. 'I wish I
could stop time," he thought. 'I wish this moment could
last forever.'
Usagi's heart churned, something was wrong. She
could feel it. She closed her arms around his form and
hugged him back. "Are you hungry?" she asked softly as she
began to stroke his head.
"No... Not really."
"Then, do you want to go to bed?"
Darien shook his head 'yes' like a small child.
Looking down into his eyes, Usagi could see some inner-
turmoil within. He disentangled himself from her embrace
and taking her hand, lead them both to the bedroom.
Walking over to the corner of the room, Darien took
of his shirt and pants, placing them neatly on a chair that
was there. He then walked over towards the bed and got in.
Usagi was waiting for him.
She let her hand trail down his cheek in a caring
manner. "Daijoubu?" He didn't answer. Instead, he just
roughly intertwined his arms around her and crushed her
body to his. Usagi could feel his body shaking. It scared
her. Deep in her mind she could sense a foreshadowing of
desolation. It was a feeling she was well acquainted with,
one she didn't like at all.
That night... Usagi could not manage to fall asleep.
And somehow, she knew that Darien hadn't either.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She finished placing her kimono on and went on to
tie up her obi. Checking to make sure that her make-up was
in order, she left the bathroom and walked towards the
living room where Darien was waiting. He had told her he
had something very important to tell her.
She took in a deep calming breath when her eyes fell
on the broad expanse of his shoulders. Clearing her throat
she said, "You wanted to tell me something?"
He stood up and turned around. "Yeah... I did."
He gestured for her to sit across from him so that they
could face each other. He saw the confusion written on her
face and rubbed an impatient hand on the back of his neck.
"I suppose I'll start from the beginning, ne?"
Silence.
"Well," he went on. "You see, a couple of days ago
Kigai-sama informed me that the American branch of the
Yamada Company had requested my prompt return to the U.S."
Usagi remained silent.
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Darien said with
finality, "I leave in two weeks time." Darien looked at
Usagi. She had been silent for a long time. All she did
that he could take as a reaction was wrap her arms tighter
around her body. He lowered his head sadly. 'So this was
the end,' he thought. This is how they relationship was
drawn to a close.
Unknown to Usagi, her thought had found a voice.
"Don't go," she whispered with an uncharacteristic show of
need. 'Don't leave me!' She screamed in her head. "Not
now Darien... not now that I- that I..."
He was staring at her face. Of all the things he
had expected her to say... this was the last thing. He
crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his.
"Now that you what?"
She looked at him. "I- " She said began but turned
her head away. "Never mind."
He let go of her hands and stood up. "To tell you
the truth," he said as he gave her a cheerless smile. "I
wish you could come with me."
Usagi's eyes widened as her head wiped back in order
to make sure he wasn't kidding. "Really?"
"Uhu."
Usagi began to battle with herself. Could she quit
being a geisha? That was all she'd ever been. She could
never be anything else. She didn't know how to *be*
anything else!
Could she go with him? Was she willing to follow
him wherever he went? But, did he love her? Did she love
him? She did, she realized so the moment she thought she
would lose him -the only man that had treated her as a human
being.
'But,' she thought in alarm. Maybe to him she was
only an obsession, like he had told her the first time they
had been together. Should she trust him? Should she tell
him that there *was* a way that they could be together?
Darien's voice broke through her thoughts. "Are
you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said as her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm fine."
"Please don't cry." Darien said as his hand cupped
her cheek tenderly and began to wipe away her tears. "I
can't stand to see you cry."
"STOP IT!" she cried as she pushed his body away
from her. "Don't you see?! You're only making it worse
for me!"
He tried to steady himself. "What are you talking
about?"
She looked at him through tear-filled eyes in
misery. "Why couldn't you have been like my other danna,
HUH?! That way... maybe that way... I could have prevented
falling in love with you."
Darien's body froze upon hearing her confession.
All he could do was look as Usagi ran away, grabbing her
geta as she left. Out of his apartment she ran, and out of
his life too he guessed.
So this really *was* the end of their relationship.
She would go back to Gion, to her home, to her parties, to
the mysterious world from which she came from. And he? He
would go back to the States. Alone.
To be continued...
*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*
Author's Notes for (3/31/01):
Well minna... This is the last "to be continued" for
Geisha. As you can tell, the next chapter is gonna be the
last. I'm gonna be starting up a new fic so be on the look
out for it, k?
Some extra stuff...
To MARZ: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
To Mehg (my imotou): I'm gonna make you suffer for that
jingle you sent me a while ago.
To Laz-chan: Thanks for all your motivation on this story.
To Brandy: You can call me a b*tch all you like for my
cliff-hangers but I know the truth... You like
being left on the edge. *winks* I'll start
the other story soon.
A special mention to Sailorcelestial who always makes me
laugh with her *coughs-demanding-coughs* emails about me
writing these chapters faster and becoming a writer. You're
a real ego-booster!
And of course, many- many thanks to all of you who have
emailed me about my story. I'm glad to know you enjoy my
stories as much as I enjoy writing them.
JYA MATTA!!!
ATT: Hikari-chan
AKA: Machi NO Tenshi