Chapter Two
AUTHOR'S NOTE : I just want to say – wow, and thank you, to everyone who reviewed my fic! I'm really glad that everyone seems to like it so far. Also, as a side note – my story isn't going to be like the story in Memoirs of a Geisha – it's different from it, although I must credit the movie for giving me my first interested glance into the world of a geisha.
Also, I'm going to include a short list of vocabulary with this chapter, as I use several terms that some might not be familiar with.
okiya – basically, a geisha house
maiko – an apprentice geisha
o-chaya – teahouse
DISCLAIMER : I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did…oh, the possibilities!
After Haruka's proclaimed disdain of geisha, an incredibly awkward silence filled the air. Michiru carefully kept her head tilted down, staring at her hands, which were neatly folded into her lap. She refused to let Haruka see how much the comment had upset her.
Luckily, most everyone in the gathering by now was either a bit tipsy, or full-out drunk, and so the incident was forgotten soon enough and once more laughter and chatting pervaded the room. Michiru took this as an opportunity to lift her head, and was met by Haruka's gaze straight-on. A slight gasp caught in the back of her throat as she found herself staring into an extremely intense set of blue eyes. Haruka's gaze was un-sympathetic, and somehow cold. Michiru felt intrigued. This stranger seemed to have captivated her…
Letting her recollections fade away into the night like an exhale of air, Michiru's slender fingers abruptly stopped strumming the strings of the shamisen. A tiny yawn escaped from her lips, and she knew that soon she should head off to bed. Tomorrow she was incredibly booked up; already she had been asked to attend three different parties. Blowing out the candle that sat by her side, Michiru headed back to her room, her slippered feet gently padding on the wooden floor.
The next morning dawned, and it proved to be a rainy start to the day. Michiru sat up in bed and silently listened to the steady drum of raindrops on the roof above her head.
"Are you up, Kaioh-san?" she heard a childish voice question shyly. Michiru turned her head to see the newest addition to their okiya, a young girl of around nine, kneeling by the door.
"Yes, Asiko-chan." The girl had recently been sold to the okiya by her impoverished parents, and as custom required, Asiko first had to act as a maid around the household before her debut as a maiko. Michiru remembered well how frightened and unsure she had been those first few months living in a strange new place, and she gave Asiko a warm smile of greeting before sitting down in front of her mirror to comb through her cerulean-colored locks.
After giving the curls a few quick brushes, Michiru stared at her reflection, letting her mind wander. Two eyes gazed steadily back at her, as brilliantly colored as chunks of turquoise. Instantly she was reminded of Ten'ou Haruka's intense gaze from the night before, and a slight flush came to her cheeks. What in the world was the matter with her? While she appeared flirtatious to the men who frequented her favorite teahouses, Michiru had always in reality kept a distant outlook towards the guests.
But Ten'ou Haruka's powerful eyes had shaken her, as if a stone had suddenly been dropped into a tranquil pool of water. Why couldn't she get that gaze out of her mind? Haruka had been considerably rude to her, after all. But the reminder of that only sent a pang into her nerves.
"Kaioh-san? Kaioh-san…are you all right?"
Asiko's unsure and timid voice shook Michiru out of her dazed state. "Breakfast is ready, Kaioh-san," the young maid informed her, and Michiru nodded with a smile.
"I'll be right down," she responded, getting up to dress herself in an everyday, plain kimono. Asiko bowed in reply and then hurriedly scampered back downstairs.
Later that night, Michiru climbed down from the rickshaw that had transported her to the Yuyiro Teahouse. She glanced up at the beautiful building with an expression of pleasure on her face; this was one of her favorite o-chaya to visit.
As she went inside, she could already hear the laughter and loud voices coming from the room in which the gathering was being held. Before sliding open the door, Michiru took a quick moment to make sure that her kimono was still delicately folded, and quickly ran a hand over her wig, carefully re-adjusting it. Most geisha wore wigs of glossy black hair folded into intricate shapes, and Michiru was no exception. A stray cerulean curl suddenly escaped, and she tucked it back underneath the wig before sliding open the door and bowing before the guests.
Haruka glanced up as Michiru entered the room, recalling her from the other night. The geisha moved with a smooth elegance, a tiny smile on her red lips as she greeted the other guests. Haruka quietly observed her, remembering the harsh words uttered last night.
"She's back!" Toshi suddenly exclaimed, clasping a tight arm around Haruka's shoulders. A grimace escaped her lips, and she quickly shrugged off his arm. She couldn't stand the man, but it was necessary to put up with his nonsense…after all, opportunities for a woman in this day and age were slim and none. Haruka stared into her still-full cup of sake, watching the liquid ripple slightly, and then brought her eyes up to meet Michiru's. The geisha stared back at her solemnly, no trace of embarrassment on her calm features, her face exquisitely beautiful.
"I'll be right back," Haruka muttered, setting her sake back down on the table and then standing up. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom." As was the custom, a maiko stood up as well to accompany her to the restroom. Haruka let out another grimace, inwardly hating the compliance geisha showed to men. "I can go by myself," she snapped, sliding open the door and heading down the hallway. Rebuked, the uncertain maiko flushed a delicate shade of pink and sat back down at the table.
"Ten'ou-san seems fairly abrupt," Michiru said in a lilting, teasing voice as she poured Toshi another cup of sake. "Has he always been this way?" Her tone was playful, but her curiosity was strangely keen. She wanted to know more about the strange guest.
"For the most part, yes," Toshi replied with a raucous laugh. "But he's a fine worker for my company, hard working, and always willing to give it his all. Doesn't talk much though, never has."
Haruka closed the door to the bathroom firmly, sliding the lock into place. She hated these parties. Too much drinking. She hated the sickly-sweet taste of sake. And the geisha, these entertainers, always willing to partake in a naughty joke, to dance, to play their shamisen, to pour more wine. All for the men. Their obedience sickened her. She had worked so hard to make it where she was, and to be respected for her diligence, instead of a finely-powdered white face and a talent in the arts.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her fierce blue eyes, and thinking with disgust on Toshi. Luckily, he had yet to realize her true gender. Haruka disguised it well, and always had, with her shortly-cropped blond hair and lean, athletic frame.
Women were worth next to nothing in Japan. Her parents were dead. And her little sister, Hotaru…she had Hotaru to think of…who would already be asleep at home by now, tucked into her bed, calmly dreaming. It was this disguise that had allowed Hotaru to be able to sleep in a bed at night, instead of on the streets. It was Toshi and his manufacturing company.
She had always been fine with her disguise, and fine with her anti-social nature. She could get by on her own, as long as she kept herself and Hotaru well-supported. She went through life with a steely gaze and a zealous determination…nothing had shaken her off.
Except for this geisha she had met, this Kaioh Michiru, with her blood-red lips and poised beauty. Haruka had been struck by this the instant she had met her, and so she had instantly reverted to a tried-and-true tactic – to be as bluntly rude as possible. But it hadn't worked.
Her mind was still filled with thoughts of this alluring geisha.
Okies, that's it for Chapter Two...I hope that everyone likes this newest update! Sorry that it took so long - I'm not going to lie, for a while there, I had hit a huge wall of writer's block. But I seem to be it over it, so hopefully the next chapter isn't too far off!