Disclaimer: Unless I have suddenly, spontaneously transformed into Arthur Golden overnight, I don't own this
Timeless4Life: Another very interesting review...so where's that geisha plushie? Lolx
Tinkerbell: Oh, thank you! I hope you like this one, too-lolx
WheatGerm14: I know it took me a while, but it's finally here, and I think it's better than the last one-lolx
Tomihatsu bowed goodbye to her clients, and thanked them for their kindness, as was custom with the geisha. She made her way down the hall and walked out onto the cold, night streets of Tominaga-cho. It was the biggest part of Gion, the biggest geisha district in Kyoto.
She sighed. It had been a long night…and she still had more engagements and parties to attend. At least with her status, she would be forgiven for only visiting for a half an hour-that was her candle-hour.
She walked down the streets to the Mizuki Teahouse, where she had left her two younger sisters to entertain. Usually she wouldn't drop by in the middle of the evening, but Reiko had been acting strangely. She had convinced herself it was because of the stresses of being geisha, but she seemed to be handling it better than poor Minako! It wasn't that Minako had more duties or engagements than Reiko-quite the opposite-she just didn't handle change all that well. And although her debut had been slightly earlier than Reiko's, even back then, Tomihatsu had felt Minako was never quite as 'ready' as Reiko had been. She had hoped that throwing her in the deep end would sharpen her skills. She had been wrong.
She smiled to herself. Even after all this time, she still referred to them as Reiko and Minako! The only times, it seemed, she called them by their geisha names was when she was introducing them to her clients; 'I would like you to meet my younger sisters…'
She eventually gave in to herself and walked through the decorated entryway into the Mizuki.
"Back so soon, Tomihatsu-san?" the Mistress greeted cheerfully, bowing.
"I am here to check up on my younger sisters, I will be gone in minutes," Tomihatsu assured her, bowing back.
"You are most welcome," the Mistress replied. Tomihatsu smiled.
"Thank you, but I must leave. I have other engagements."
"Of course. Well, they should be where you left them. Oh, but I should warn you, one of them got themselves in a drinking game, and I think she had a little too much!" the Mistress chuckled. Tomihatsu smiled again. She had a feeling that it would be Reiko. She seemed the type, even if only being a maiko.
She bowed to the Mistress again and headed for the door to the main room, where she'd left her younger sisters. She kneeled, and allowed the servant to slide the door open for her. There were lots of heads turned and a few drunken cheers as she came into view. She smiled mysteriously, and fell back on her heels to rise.
"Forgive me, gentlemen," she said. "Perhaps you have been entertained by my younger sisters?"
"We certainly have!" one of them chuckled. "I think one may have had too much sake, though!" They all laughed, Tomihatsu joining in out of politeness.
"If I may ask, where is she?"
"Entertaining-or trying to-Nobu over there," one of the men laughed. "He already disliked geisha, I do not think this will heighten his opinion of them!"
"Why, you make it sound as if my younger sister made things worse," Tomihatsu smiled, inside a small rage being built up. Why couldn't Reiko have stayed out of trouble for once?! It wasn't so bad if Tomihatsu was there to cover it up, but with only Minako there, Reiko would be far more noticeable!
She rose again, and turned her attention to Nobu. She was familiar with the man, although never actually having entertained him herself. Indeed, there was her maiko, hiccupping and giggling helplessly. She walked over there, ready to take her away, when the girl turned.
"Tomihatsu-san!" she giggled. Tomihatsu certainly hadn't expected this! From Minako!
"Forgive us us, Nobu-san," Tomihatsu smiled. "I must have a talk with my maiko here. Get up," she hissed at the younger geisha. She hiccupped again and rose ungracefully, stumbling her way out of the room.
"What do you think you are doing, Minako-san?" Tomihatsu snapped almost as soon as the door slid closed behind them. "You are only a maiko-I would not expect this behaviour from you!"
"It was-hic!-only a game, Tomi-hic!-hatsu-san!" she protested.
"You cannot even say my name!" Tomihatsu said disgustedly. "Get yourself back to the okiya. You cannot go back into that room!"
"But they-hic!-need entertaining!"
"You are drunk, Minako-san! You can entertain no better than a frog that has lost its croak! Go back to the okiya. Now!" Minako sighed. "Here is money for a cab. You cannot walk home in that state!" She handed her a few notes, and gave her a gentle push towards the exit. Then she remembered. "Minako-san!" The maiko turned.
"Where is Reiko?" but Minako only shrugged.
"I have not seen her for a while," Minako replied. "She left a-hic!-hour ago." Tomihatsu sighed at her hiccupping, but when her younger sister's words entered her ears, she stopped.
"You have not seen her since?" Minako shook her head. "Go back to the okiya. I will sort this out. Now, Minako-san!"
Tomihatsu turned on her heel in search of the Mistress. "Are you still here, Tomihatsu-san?" she heard someone greet.
"Have you seen my younger sister?" Tomihatsu asked, getting straight to the point, ignoring all courtesy.
"I saw your drunk maiko leave a minute ago."
"And what about my other younger sister?"
"I am not sure. I thought she was still in there," the Mistress told her. Tomihatsu felt a small flash of worry rise in her chest.
"She is not there," she argued. "Minako-I mean-she said she had gone."
"I did not see her leave." In that moment, when she realised her younger sister was missing, Tomihatsu actually felt scared. This was her maiko they were talking about-her younger sister, the less vulnerable of the pair admittedly, but all the same, she had a responsibility to her! And she was missing...Tomihatsu knew what she was going to do. "Call all my other engagements," she told the bewildered Mistress. "And cancel them all. I must look for my younger sister!"
"I would advise against it-"
"She is my younger sister, I am responsible for her! I will look all over Kyoto if I must! And call the okiya. Tell her Okasan that I have gone to search for her." Without another word, she turned on her heel and marched out of the teahouse, in pursuit of Reiko.
She lay in bed, her neck cramping up because of her takamakura. She had never found it comfortable. She still wasn't completely used to it. Minako had fallen asleep a long time ago-this was evident by her loud snoring. She couldn't sleep, though, no matter how hard she tried. The events of the night just wouldn't leave her head. How could she ever call herself a true geisha now? If anyone were to find out, she would be destroyed. Okasan would throw her out, Tomihatsu would disown her, and she would no longer be a geisha. She would be forced to go the places Tomihatsu sometimes talked about, a jorou-ya, in the Miyagawa-cho district, or the 'pleasure district' as Tomihatsu 'fondly' called it.
She couldn't allow that to happen. Being a geisha was stressful, but it had to be better than being a prostitute! She couldn't allow herself to become such a person-to be driven to that!
No-one could know. No-one must ever know! If anyone did, she would be destroyed! She was still only a maiko, she had barely begun! She couldn't let anyone find out! She would never tell anyone, she would make sure of that. She wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. It would be a secret, her secret, and she would take it to the grave.
The next morning, she was woken early by Okasan, who told her she had a visitor. Her heart flipped at the words. What if the man had come back for her? What if he had told everyone, and she was going to be thrown out?
"It is Tomihatsu," Okasan told her, seeing the look of alarm on her face. She breathed a silent sigh of herself, and got herself up. She pulled on a simple robe and walked out into the okiya.
"Tomihatsu-san," she greeted, returning her older sister's bow.
"My younger sister," she smiled. "Where were you last night?"
"Forgive me, Tomihatsu-san, I was not feeling well."
"Okasan told me. What is wrong? Are you still unwell?" Reiko shook her head. "Why on earth did you leave without telling me?! I almost cancelled all my engagements to search Gion for you!"
"I could not!" Reiko protested. "How could I have got the message to you?"
"Where did you go?" Tomihatsu repeated. "Minako told me that you had left one hour before I came to collect her. Okasan told me you returned one hour after Minako. Where did you go, Reiko-san?" she asked desperately, grabbing the girl by the shoulders.
"I went for a walk," Reiko truthfully replied.
"Don't be so cheeky, Reiko-san! You went for a walk? Where did you go?"
"To the Minamiza Theatre."
"That does not take three hours from the Mizuki Teahouse!"
"Forgive me, Tomihatsu-san," Reiko apologised. "You have been so kind to me."
"What are you saying, Reiko-san?" Reiko continued to bow her head wordlessly. "Oh, I understand. You have nothing to say for yourself and this is your way of apologising? I am not impressed, Reiko-san!"
"Please, forgive me for asking, Omesan, but is it true you are planning my mizuage?" At this, Tomihatsu stopped pacing. She turned to look at the maiko, with an enquiring expression on her face, as though trying to read Reiko's expression.
"Who told you this?" Tomihatsu asked suspiciously.
"I was talking with Minako…and she told me that you think I am ready."
"I do think you are ready, Reiko-san," Tomihatsu told her truthfully.
"You mean it is true?" Reiko gasped. "Tomihatsu-san, with all respect, I do not agree. I do not think I am ready for this. I have only been a geisha for three months!"
"Well then I regret to inform you, child, that the bidding has already begun," Tomihatsu told her gently. "I think you are ready. You have only been geisha three months, that's true, but you have also been the best maiko I have ever trained."
"And what about Minako?" Reiko pointed out, watching the older geisha begin to pace again. "She has been a geisha for longer than me, but she has not had her mizuage. Please, I want to understand why you think I am ready when she is not."
"Because you are mature enough to engage in debate," Tomihatsu explained. "Minako would just accept it-like of course any geisha should-but I see a strong spirit in you, yet also one that shies away from taking the first step. I am simply pushing you into taking that first step."
"You think my mizuage is the answer?"
"You will be a full geisha after that. The men will start to respect you, which is what you deserve."
"It has only been three months, Tomihatsu-san!" Reiko burst out suddenly. "I am not ready for this! Please, let me train for longer!"
"You have already established yourself as a competent geisha. It would be a waste to continue training."
"I have not had enough experience," Reiko continued, feeling a few tears prick her eyes. "They will expect more of me when I am a full geisha. I have not had enough experience."
"Yet you perform so well."
"Beginner's luck," Reiko mumbled.
"Reiko-san," Tomihatsu began. "The only reason I am still standing here listening to you is because I don't want to send that spirit to waste. It would be such a pity to lose such strength. But the truth is, I have already made up my mind. You are ready, Reiko-san, whether you like it or not." Reiko listened to her carefully, feeling familiar feelings of unfairness creep up her skinny form. "You have no choice in this matter." With that she turned away and began to walk out, when Reiko said;
"There are a lot of things I have had no choice with." Tomihatsu stopped and turned to survey the girl.
"It is just another knot in the bond of geishahood, Reiko-san. We never have a choice."
'That much is true,' Reiko thought sadly, after telling Tomoyo to see Tomihatsu out. She returned to her room and knelt before her mirror again. There used to be a girl staring back…now there was…a woman. This woman was different to the girl Reiko was used to. She was tainted.
What Tomihatsu had said had not been correct. Even after her mizuage, Reiko would not be full geisha. She never would be. Reiko knew she would never be a full geisha, not after what had happened. Full geisha didn't go with strangers; full geisha didn't allow those strangers to undress them so; full geisha didn't allow themselves to be so naïve…full geisha didn't lose their most precious attribute before their time.
Glossary:
maiko: Apprentice geisha
okiya: Geisha residence
Okasan: Mother
jorou-ya: Brothel
takamakura: tall pillow-stand geisha use to sleep on
Omesan: sister
mizuage: The time when a geisha loses her virginity