AN: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you guys out there love it. I got the idea of this story in my drawing class a few months ago when my teacher had us do drawings of geishas, and what started out as a mental description of what Sakura's life might be as a geisha turned into a story that I had finished within two months. So, this story is twelve chapters, plus an epilogue as the thirteenth chapter. But don't expect super-fast updates, for I'm back in school for the next four months, and I'm a senior now, so I have a lot on my plate right now. But, I will update this story as fast as I can.

Rated: M for Mature do to sexual content and language.

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura and its characters belong to Clamp. Plot and original characters of this story belongs to me.

I would like to thank Lee for taking the time out of her day to edit my story. Thank you, girl!

Geisha Girl

Chapter Two

Sakura followed what her instructor was doing, along with the other five girls in the room. In unison they moved to the music, hips swaying, hands moving. She closed her eyes, letting the rhythm flow through her body.

Three minutes passed before the music ended just as she did her last move. She opened her eyes.

"Excellent!" Her instructor exclaimed. "In three weeks you will all be ready for the banquet and will put on a beautiful performance."

"Thank you" they said in unison, and bowed.

"Dismissed."

All six turned to go. "Sakura?"

Sakura paused in her walking and turned back around, facing her instructor. She was a tall, skinny woman; a former geisha who was a little too old to be going out and performing for men.

"Yes, Ms. Matsumono?"

Ms. Matsumono indicated for her to close the door. Sakura closed it and then approached her instructor.

"That man that dropped you off two days ago . . . You know who I'm talking about, right?"

How can Sakura forget? Syaoran was a man she would never forget, especially when he, quite bluntly, told her that he wanted her.

She nodded her head. "I watched him as he returned you here, to the okiya. I saw what was in his eyes. Did you notice?"

She had to swallow. "No." She didn't say what he had admitted, that he had held her, that he caused some sort of odd, frightful feeling to occur in her. So she told her that lie, shameful for doing it. She had noticed what was in his eyes. Once he revealed that he was attracted to her, she couldn't help but notice what was in them.

Ms. Matsumono nodded, excepting the answer. "He had desire. Frankly, I don't care if a geisha girl sleeps with her customers. But you are different, Sakura. You . . . You have an obligation that you will soon fulfill."

"Please, Ms. Matsumono, don't remind me. " She bowed her head. "I do know of my obligation, and I fear it."

"I know, my dear, but it is an obligation you mustn't forget. That man- what is his name?"

"Li Syaoran."

"Mr. Li wants you, and he is quite handsome. I have no doubt that he'll ask for you again."

"Neither do I" Sakura mumbled.

"My dear, do not get swept up by his charms. Do not let him do anything to you. Entertain him, yes. Give him company. But do not let him touch you. After your obligation is fulfilled, then you are allowed to sleep with him, if you want."

"I doubt he'll be around by then. My obligation might last for years."

Her instructor smiled. "My, you are innocent. I would have thought you would understand men by now, but I supposed it is because you don't have much experience with what men want. If they see something they want, they go after it, like a lion after it's prey." She gazed at the geisha. "He will go after you, and nothing entices a man more than those that forces them to wait." She cleared her throat. "That's all I have to say, to not forget your obligation."

Sakura nodded. "I won't. I'll prevent Mr. Li from touching me except for the required touches."

"Good. Dismissed."

Sakura bowed and walked out of the room. She sighed, walking to her room, lightly sweating because it was so hot. She wasn't wearing a kimono, but rather a cotton shirt and cotton pants, sandals on her feet. She had tied back her hair in a ponytail, not wanting her long hair to get her hotter than what she already was, but it hadn't mattered. It was still much too hot.

She reached her room in the okiya, closed the door, and plopped on top of her bed, inhaling deeply. Li Syaoran. She couldn't get that man out of her mind. He was much too handsome, much too dangerous. She remembered how he grabbed her, pulling her against him, and she felt all the muscles he had under his suit, from his chest down to his thighs. He was hard, lean, and damn scary.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of her during the dinner party at the hotel. She had been glad that she hadn't been the only geisha there, although she hadn't recognized any of them. But she didn't have to. They all had understood each other, because they had all gone through the same thing to get where they were: the tough training, the men who thought they were prostitutes and tried to sleep with them.

But she hadn't been able to talk to any of them, because Syaoran wouldn't let her leave his side except for those times when she was asked to perform.

She rolled on to her back, an arm over her forehead. She stared at the ceiling. He was handsome and attractive, yes, but that didn't stop the fear she held against him. She just couldn't understand what it was about him that frightened her. And the feeling he caused in her only made it worse.

She looked at the door when someone walked in. It was Hoshiko. "Yes?"

"It's Mr. Li. He wants to see you again."

"Again? For what?"

"He said that he wanted to see you dance and sing. He's in one of the entertaining rooms right now."

Sakura sighed. "Fine. Let me put on a kimono and-"

"No. He wants to see you without a kimono, or any make-up."

She stared at her. "And you are allowing it?"

Hoshiko nodded. "It's just him, no one else. If it was a bigger crowd than yes, but-"

"You fell for his charms."

The okami's silence was a dead give-away.

"Oh, I can't believe-"

"Please, Sakura. He is waiting." She then left.

Sakura sat up on the bed, not believing that the man was here- again. She expected it, but she had this little hope that he wouldn't return. What was wrong with him?

Oh, right, she was a challenge. She nearly growled. She didn't want to be a challenge, to be chased after. She just wanted to be what she was: a geisha. She got off the bed and walked out of the room. Hoshiko hadn't told her which room the man was in, but the first entertaining room she entered was the one he was in.

He was walking around, studying the pictures that were on the wall. It was a plain room, with a little table in the center, pillows on the floor for the men to be seated on.

Sakura contemplated whether to enter or not, but then decided to, figuring that if she didn't enter he would just seek her out and force her to come into the room. She walked in, and slid the door closed, giving them privacy.

The sound of the door closing caught his attention and he turned to look at her. She blinked in surprise. She had expected him to be in a business suit, but instead he was in a white-collared shirt and jeans. It clearly revealed his body, outlining him. He was tall, big, tanned. The feeling was returning, the same feeling she got when he first held her. She resented it, because she didn't know what it was.

What was it?

She saw how he gazed at her, saw how he eyed her from her face down to her sandaled feet. She shifted uncomfortably. She felt too vulnerable, and wished she was in her kimono.

Syaoran held in the urge to grab her and kiss her, his body tugging towards her. But he clamped down the urges, and instead stared at her appreciatively. The plain clothes she wore still covered her up, but at least it gave him an idea of what was underneath. She was petite, her body well proportioned. He didn't hide the lust he felt for her, and slowly walked up to her.

Her eyes widened slightly and she plastered herself against the door. He didn't stop. He wasn't going to hurt her. He would never hurt a woman, or force his intentions on her, especially when this one right in front of him seemed too fragile to handle any pain. He knew she feared him, but he couldn't just keep his distance. If he did, he would never earn her trust, never erase the dark horrors she felt towards him.

He stopped a good foot away from her, his body not touching hers but close enough for her to sense the power vibrating from him. Sakura gulped.

"I-I don't feel like dancing, or singing."

"I wasn't expecting you to" he murmured.

She blinked in surprise, and then took on a perplexed expression. "Then why request me?"

"I needed to tell that woman that I wanted you to do something in order for her to get you."

"What do you want me to do, then?"

"Talk."

"Talk?"

"Yes, talk." He cupped her jaw, ignoring her attempt to make him release her. "I won't hurt you, Sakura."

"There is no way I can know that."

"Ask Zen. He'll tell you that I'm very gentle."

She stared at him. "Why are you using my fear as a weapon against me?"

He burrowed his eyebrows together as he gave her his own perplexed expression. "What do you mean?"

"You know I'm scared of you but all you do is keep coming back, scaring me even more. Then you decide to tell me you want me-"

"Did that frighten you more?"

She looked away. "It doesn't matter."

"It didn't, huh?"

She glared at him, but said nothing. He was amazed at the spurts of courage that she has here and there. "I told you that only so you could know the reason as to why I seek you out." He stepped closer. "I want to know what is it about me that makes you shrink away. I know you don't know, but that's why I want to talk to you, to figure it out."

"What does it matter? What will come out of it?"

He smirked. "Why, I'm sure you know."

She knew what he wanted. Maybe she was innocent, but not too innocent that she didn't know what he wanted. "Nothing will happen between us. You must understand that."

"Maybe."

Maybe nothing will happen? Or maybe he understood? She didn't know, and didn't want to find out.

He grasped her hand, and led her to the table. He sat on a pillow, dragging her with him. She scooted a bit away, wanting to put as much distance between them as she could. She looked at him, waiting for him to start.

"Now, Sakura, what was your first impression of me?"

"Rude."

He tilted his head. "Why?"

"'Do you not speak, girl?'" She quoted. Enough said.

He peered at her. "Well, you wouldn't answer my question. You just stared at me."

"Because you were staring at me with a hard face."

He sighed. "Fine. Next question. What was your next impression of me?"

"Barbaric. Do you need me to explain why?"

No, he didn't. He all too well remembered how he had acted the first time they were alone.

"And the next?"

"Cocky." He opened his mouth but she interrupted him by continuing on with her list. "And demanding. And strange, blunt, pushy, straightforward, controlling-"

"All right, all right" he interrupted, raising a hand. He sighed again. No wonder she was scared of him. All of the impressions he gave her were horrible. He raised an eyebrow as he considered his next question. "When did I first scare you."

She looked away. "When you came into my room the first time we met. You just . . . Forced your way in . . . and that's when I got scared, especially when you closed the door."

"Did you think I was going to rape you?"

She glanced at him. "Yes."

He frowned. Now why would she think such a thing?

Unless it happened before.

"Had someone tried to rape you?"

Her head snapped up. "That's none of your concern!"

That only answered his question. "Of course it is" he said smoothly. "Now who was it that tried to rape you?"

"How dare you ask me-"

"I suppose it was a man who wanted to sleep with you, thinking you were a prostitute."

She was breathing deeply, her hands clenching.

He continued with his assumption. "You went to your room, he barged in, forced his intentions on you-"

"He didn't force his intentions on me" she muttered. "I screamed bloody murder, someone heard, and I was saved." She inhaled. "But that hadn't scared me enough to be scared of you. I still accompanied men, still stayed alone with them. I wasn't about to generalize all men just on the actions of one. "

"Then why, for heaven's sake, are you scared of me?"

"I don't know" she said in exasperation. "I've repeated that so many times, and yet you still ask."

"Because there's something about me you don't like, something that makes you run away, and I want to know what it is so I could fix it!"

"I can't tell you what it is!" She placed a hand on her forehead, feeing a headache about to form. "Mr. Li-"

"Syaoran."

She glared at him briefly. "If I knew why I was scared of you, I would tell you."

"Would you?"

"Yes. That way, if you request me again, you would know what not to do and put me at ease." She closed her eyes. "I hate feeling scared, because I feel like it is a distraction to my job. I can talk to you, but the feeling of fear is still in me."

Syaoran stared at her. She was extremely devoted to being a geisha. He was glad. When they had had lunch at the restaurant a couple of days ago, she explained that marriage was out of the question for a geisha girl, because once they marry they have to quit the business. She had no intentions of leaving the geisha life, and that relieved him, because that meant he wouldn't have to worry about her having dreams of them marrying once they get involved.

He took hold of the hand that she had placed against her forehead, felt the tension that invaded her muscles. He didn't know what he was doing, or what he was going to do, but he merely followed an instinct.

He kissed her hand.

Sakura held her breathe the moment his lips touched her skin. To her surprise, the fear within her eased a little, instead of intensifying. She watched as he turned over hand and placed a kiss on her palm as well.

He was reassuring her, she realized. He was using gentle caresses to show her she had nothing to fear.

Except for that feeling at the pit of her stomach.

With a cry, she frantically pulled her hand away, jumped up, and retreated to the other side of the room, away from him. She leaned against the wall. He was doing something to her body, making her feel something that was strong and frightful. It was a tingling sensation, one that made her shiver slightly as she stood against the wall.

She shouldn't have let him placed his lips on her hand. She shouldn't have allowed that type of touch. She had said she wouldn't let him touch her, because she has an obligation to fulfill soon, but instead she was ignoring her own vow.

Her chest rose and fell with every breathe she took. Syaoran watched her with hooded eyes. For a moment, she had felt reassured. She had felt safe with him. He had sensed it. But what caused her to retreat from him?

He stood and made his way to where she was.

"No" she said hoarsely. "Stay away. Keep your distance."

"I can't" he whispered.

"Why?" She cried desperately. The sound of her desperation was what made him stop walking towards her. "All I ask is for you to leave me alone."

"But I can't" he repeated.

She glared at him. "Fine. But do not think that for one moment I will go to bed with you, because I won't. I will not tolerate any more of those type of kisses from you, or any touches other than those necessary. If you request me again-"

"I will, don't you worry" he murmured.

"All right then, when you request me again, I will do what I always do and give you company. I will sing, I will dance, play my instrument, but I will not sleep with you. I will not let you kiss any part of my body. Do you hear?"

"Oh, yes, I hear." And he did hear. But that didn't mean he was going to listen.

She seemed satisfied with his answer, because she nodded once, and didn't ask any more demands. Did she really think he was going to leave her alone and not kiss her again? Even if it meant her hand? If she did, she was sadly mistaken.

Sakura tried not to meet his intense gaze. She concentrated on his shirt, glad he was a good distance away. If he got any closer, she would probably get the feeling again, and she didn't want that.

"I should get ready" she finally said. "I have a customer who is going to come in a little while, and I want to be prepared. Unlike you, they want me to be a professional and wear my kimono and make-up."

"Maybe" he replied. "Or maybe they just aren't bold enough to ask for you not to wear it."

With that said, he turned and left the room. She sighed in relief. He was gone, for now, allowing her to have some peace before he requests her again.

- - -

Luck was not on her side, because her next customer turned out to be the man who had been with Mr. Zen on Friday night.

Sakura's eyes were closed as she sang for not only Mr. Totsuda, but for four of his friends as well in one of the entertaining rooms. She blamed Mr. Zen for this mess she was in. He was the one who introduced her to his friends, and because of him two of his associates have requested for her. Hoshiko, of course, was thrilled with all the business she was getting on her behalf, and Sakura wasn't about to spoil it.

She sang the last note and opened her eyes. She bowed as they clapped.

"What a voice!" One exclaimed.

"My, where did you find her, Totsuda?"

"Through an associate of mine."

She stood up, and met Mr. Totsuda's gaze. She immediately hooded her eyes. This man was only about one thing: Sex. It didn't take a genius to see it. He was gazing at her the way Syaoran did, except that there was always a hint of tenderness in the latter's eyes. In Mr. Totsuda's eyes there was nothing but brute coldness.

She stood there as they began to discuss her openly, without caring that she would hear everything they say. She resisted the urge to yell at them to respect her because they had the nerve to talk about how she would be in bed! Was that what all men think of?

And why was she, apparently, always the one to be sought after? Neither Syaoran, nor Totsuda, were the first to want to bed her, but she would always tell them that she wasn't a prostitute, and wouldn't sleep with them. They usually left her alone: except for the amber-eyed man.

She couldn't help but feel that Totsuda would be exactly the same.

She wanted to be dismissed. She has sang several times, danced twice, and now she was exhausted. Her voice was probably hoarse, and she wondered how she was able to sing without her voice going out on her.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Mr. Totsuda stood up along with the other men. They were all shaking hands with him before one by one they left. She was left alone with Mr. Totsuda, and she wished he had gone, too.

To her dismay, he walked forward and approached her.

He grabbed a tendril that was near her ear that had fallen loose from her hair style while she was dancing. She stayed quiet, wanting to slap his hand. But she didn't move, and waited for what he would say.

"How beautiful you are" he murmured. "I must thank Zen for introducing you to us that night, or else I might have never discovered you."

"Please, Mr. Totsuda, I am tired and wish to rest or else I just might collapse."

"Oh, you will collapse- in my bed."

She glowered. "I am not going to sleep with you."

"Oh yes you are. You are to do with what a customer asks."

"Not this. Sex is not part of the package, and I am allowed to reject your request. Please leave."

"Why you are a feisty little woman, aren't you?"

"I am an angered woman who will do whatever it takes to protect herself. You aren't the first man to suggest me sleeping with him, so don't think that I haven't found ways to defend myself at times like this."

Her warning must have given him pause because he stepped back. "I will have you."

"So you say, but I can promise you that you won't."

He growled, and she could see his temper rising. "I promise you that I will" he hissed. She merely smiled, not at all fazed. He turned around, and stomped away from her.

When he left the room, she mentally patted herself on the back. Job well done. If only she could do the same with Syaoran.

- - -

Syaoran watched as the sun went down from his office window. It was past seven, and he should have gone home already, but he had much to do. Dynasty, the company he was president for, was planning on taking over another small company, and he had to make sure that every fact he put down was accurate, or it meant losing money.

Unfortunately, his mind had kept getting distracted.

Kinomoto Sakura . . . She was always on his mind. He hasn't daydreamed about a woman since . . . Well, since never. It was frustrating to have her in his mind, because most of the time his thoughts swirled on how she would look beneath him, naked, as he pumped into her, resulting in him getting very uncomfortable on his leather chair.

Damn. He has to find a way to get through to her. But how? She was determined to keep him at arm's length, and he was just as determined to disintegrate that small distance between them.

His phone rang and he swiveled his chair around so that he was facing his desk, which was covered with scattered papers.

He picked up the phone. "Dynasty."

"I called at your apartment, but you weren't there."

He sighed. "Hello, Mother."

"Xiao-Lang, why aren't you at home?"

"I'm still working."

"Working too much is bad for you."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Mother."

He heard her sigh.

"Of course not."

He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the edge of his desk. "Why are you calling?"

"To let you know that I found a suitable wife for you."

He groaned. "I thought you would leave me alone about that."

"I never promised to leave you alone about it. Honey, I want you to stop sleeping around with these faceless women-"

"Don't lecture me, Mother. I'm a grown man. I don't need you to find me suitable wives. I can find my own wife, but for now I wish to enjoy the pleasures of being a bachelor."

"Bachelor? Over here in Hong Kong you are nothing more than a playboy! I have a magazine right here that says that you, heir to a very large fortune, is busy finding gold within the bodies of the female population. And that's a direct quote!"

"I cannot control what the press writes about me."

"I know that, but what troubles me is that they are true. You must remember that you are a Li, and the Li's don't want their name smeared."

"I am not smearing the family name. Do you care about the Li name more than you do your own son?"

"Do not play that card with me, Xiao-Lang. I care about all my children before anything else. You know that. But you, and your four sisters, aren't the only Li's. Your uncles, your aunts, your grandparents, etc. They have all read the magazine and are furious over what you are doing, and demand that I force you into marriage."

"Which you practically are by finding me a suitable wife."

"No. I am refusing to do what they ask and am instead asking you to marry the woman, giving you a choice."

"Yes, you are giving me a choice, and at the same time pressuring me."

"I am not pressuring you. I am merely asking- no, I am begging that you marry the woman I found for you an-"

"Mother, your controlling attitude is what drove me here to Tokyo. I may be your only son, but I do not wish to be smothered. I will not marry who you chose for me. I will marry when I want to marry- No, if I want to marry."

"I fear you will never want to marry."

"If that happens, so be it. My sisters have already given you grandchildren, what else do you need from me? Why do you want me to get married?"

She didn't answer for a long while, and he merely waited. He cared for his mother, he truly did, but they weren't close. They have never been.

"What will happen to the family fortune, then, if you don't marry? You are the sole heir, remember? If you were to marry you would have children, and the riches-"

"I plan on giving the family fortune to my sisters, the way Father should have done it before he died. Just because I am a boy does not mean I should get all the money. It's too much, anyways." What can he possibly do with 6.2 billion dollars? "I make my own money with the Dynasty company, anyways."

"Fine." He could hear the anger in her voice. "Do what you like. But I do hope that one day you find love and marry. Living alone is not glamorous. Take it from someone who had to live alone for the past twenty-six years, Xiao-Lang. You may love your life now, but soon it will be nothing but loneliness and regret. Good-bye."

She hanged up the phone and he slowly placed his phone on the receiver. He shrugged, not caring about her warning. Marriage was nothing but complications. Look at Zen, who was divorced two times. And then there was Tokumatsu, who looked as if his second marriage was on the rocks. To Syaoran, it was nothing but a waste of time.

And love? What is love?

A mere illusion, an emotion that didn't exist, made up in the minds of people. People say that the heart decided whom it loved, that it was the one that controlled the person. But the heart was nothing but an organ, its sole purpose to keep a human alive. It gave blood, and received blood, controlled by the brain. So how can a body organ have feelings of love? It's illogical, and unbelievable.

Syaoran didn't know what his mother was talking about. He enjoyed his solitude, to live alone. He didn't want a woman to be with him everyday, asking him where he was going or what time he will return. He didn't want to answer to anybody. To think of being with the same woman for the rest of his life, claiming that they love each other . . . He shuddered. How can he tell a woman a lie and pretend that love existed, and at the same time have her in his home?

He didn't know how any of his married associates could do it.

AN: So, how was this chapter? Good? Bad? It was kinda hard to describe the attitude of what one person who doesn't believe in love might feel towards the emotion. I tried my best. Anyways, please review!

P.S: I'm still working on Mystical Star, for those wondering about it. I'm . . . experimenting on subplots, and trying to figure out how to keep the story on track. Never fear, I will upload the next chapter as soon as I'm sure where the story is heading.