3

The first few weeks of school had been long and hard. This was not a traditional school in the sense of books and tests, but was a school where one who wished to become an apprentice geisha would come to learn all the things she needed to know to entertain a group of guests: shamisen, tea ceremony, singing and dance. The teachers were harsh and very strict, nitpicking at every detail and slapping a ruler against their knuckles for not learning their lessons properly.

They would wake at the crack of dawn and nearly run their way to the school, making sure not to be the last ones in class. They would take a quick break in the afternoon, running back to the okiya for a rushed lunch, and then hurry back to school to finish their daily training. In addition to this, Mrs. Nakamura had given them chores to do when they came home. Aeris was juggling school, her obligations to the Nakamura okiya, and practicing an hour for each of her lessons. Not to mention the tiring task of staying out of Scarlett's way.

"AERIS!" Speak of the devil.

Scarlett's puckered face peered from around the corner of the room. "There you are, you stupid girl." She stormed over to where Aeris kneeled, roughly grabbing her by the arm, pulling the small girl to her feet. "You're in big trouble."

"What…are you talking about?"

The blonde woman raised her hand and slapped her across the face, hard. "Shut up! I know you were up in my room snooping! I could smell the stench of fish all over my clothes!"

"Scarlett-sama, I was never in your room." Aeris was bewildered.

The other woman seemed not to notice; instead she was rudely pulling Aeris upstairs. "We'll see what Mrs. Nakamura has to say about this! And how you are to reimburse me for the ring you stole!"

"The ring?" Aeris stumbled. "What ring?"

"The one you stole when you were snooping around in my room, you thief!" Scarlett yanked on her sore arm.

"Scarlett-sama, I didn't steal a ring from you." She gave a confused look to the furious blonde. "And I never went into your room."

The older woman's eyes narrowed into thin slivers of blue. "You liar. You fucking liar." She reached out behind her and threw open Mrs. Nakamura's screen door. Turning, she put on her best distressed look. "Nakamura-sama! You won't believe what this smelly little peasant girl did!"

Mrs. Nakamura was at her desk, a calligrapher's pen in fingers, hand hovering above a blank scroll. An annoyed scowl twisted her hawkish, yellowed face. "What is all this commotion, Scarlett?"

The blonde threw Aeris into the room. "This…this…ugly little thing! She went into my room and stole my ruby ring! The one the okiya gave me last year!" Thin tears started to form in the geisha's eyes. "I loved that ring, Nakamura-sama."

"I didn't steal it!" Aeris turned and gave the okiya mistress a pleading look. "I didn't. I have no idea what she's talking about."

Mrs. Nakamura sighed. "Scarlett, did you see Aeris go into your room?"

"No, but I know that she did because I saw her out back selling it for money." She grabbed at the inside of Aeris' sash, pulling out a wad of cash. "See!" She flailed it in front of Mrs. Nakamura's face, as if for emphasis.

Aeris had never seen that money…Scarlett must have planted it sometime while she was being dragged to Nakamura-sama's room. Still, she could not defend herself, it would be to no use, all the evidence pointed that she was a thief.

Mrs. Nakamura's eyes narrowed. "Aeris, is this true?" The younger girl could only lower her eyes; to the older woman, this was answer enough. "Well, we cannot have any stealing in this okiya. I must add this to your debts."

"Debts?"

"Of course." The owner of the okiya pulled out a book, turning to a page with Aeris' name and started to write in figures. "We pay for everything: your lessons, your registration fees, your books; we also feed you and clothe you. Once you become a geisha, you are to repay the okiya everything we have invested in you. Right now, it seems as though you cost more than you're worth." The older woman gave her a disappointed look. "If you can't make money then you're of no use to this okiya. On top of all the debts you owe from school and lodging, you now have ten thousand gil looming over your head."

"Ten…ten thousand gil?" Aeris could not believe her ears, she desperately turned to Scarlett, pleading with her eyes, but the older woman could not contain her happiness.

"Well, you stupid bitch, looks like you just landed yourself in debt for the rest of your life." With a hidden smile behind the sleeves of her house kimono, she exited out the doorway, leaving a much panicked Aeris.

"Mrs. Nakamura, I am but a young girl, how am I to pay off such a heavy debt?"

"You fool. If you cannot pay off your debts than you are of no use to me or this okiya. If you cannot become a successful geisha, I have no choice but to keep you as a mizutengeisha for the rest of your life." The old woman's eyes burned with fury. "You had better hope you become a very very successful one."

Aeris' heart hung heavy as she bowed to Mrs. Nakamura and left her room. How was she to repay all of her usual debts and also have this huge cloud hanging over her future? And what had caused Scarlett to wage out this personal war? Sure, she was aware that the geisha was cruel to everyone in the okiya, but her full rage seemed to be reserved for Aeris alone. There was no way that Aeris could survive in Wutai, not as long as Scarlett was here. I must leave here. It was her only option. I'll do it tonight. I'll take a boat back to Mideel and leave all this behind. At the time, it sounded like a good idea.