Author's note: Thanks to all for reviewing! To be honest, I didn't expect anyone to relate this to Memoirs of A Geisha. I didn't mean at all to relate this to that at all! To clear things up a bit, Yuri is not a short form of Sayuri, nor is her mum a geisha, but as more about her past is revealed, you'll understand why I chose the term geisha. And I do apologise for not putting this up earlier: this story takes place three years after the movie. Sorry for the confusion! I would like to say this: please don't jump into conclusions before giving the story a chance. The first chapter of every story usually doesn't tell much – you have to dig deeper to get the gist.

Disclaimer: I don't own the who's who in the movie.

Chapter 2

Yuri couldn't get her eyes off the man. She continued to stare at him, incredulity and fury boiling slowly in her stomach. He seemed to be equally bewildered, wondering what the heck was a teenage girl doing in his father's house, holding a backpack, as if he had invited her to stay for the night. Surely he could have chosen an older companion, not one that looked at least five years younger than him.

"What the heck are you doin' here?" he said coldly. Yuri narrowed her eyes. "I should be asking you that question, since you barged in here without even buzzing."

His eyes narrowed as well. "Excuse me? I live here."

"What, you're his tenant?"

"Look missy, I'm his – "

"Hold it!" said her father suddenly, holding his hands up and inserting himself between them before things blew up. Yuri was glad he did, because she was an instant closer to giving the gaijin the greatest punch she'd ever given. "Since this is my house, you're both to adhere to my rules. Get it?" He gave them both stern looks.

"Why should I – "

"What's she got to – "

"Shut up!" He pointed at the low table, where the tea had gone cold. "That is our new Peace Zone. Sit facing each other. Hear me out first before you start clawing."

They glared at each other and did as was told. Yuri took a few breaths to slow her heart rate down, but every time she looked up, her resentment grew ever more as she met his angry stare. As her father sat and poured cold tea for them both, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yuri," said Dad harshly. She clenched her fists as the gaijin sniggered.

"Sean," said Dad to the other man in an equally strict tone.

Yuri rolled her eyes. Typical American name.

"Okay, now that you're both settled – Yuri," he looked at her, "when I was at the United States, before I came here and met your mother, I had a family there." He had a family there. The sentence hit her like a ton of bricks, and it felt as if the force had shattered her heart into a million little pieces. She swallowed, and it felt like bile to her tongue. The memory of all those happy times – the respect she had for her father despite being a gaijin – evaporated along with what little good mood she had for the day. She tore her eyes away from him and fixed them on the floor.

"Sean," said Dad, now turning towards the man sitting in front of her, slowly being hit by realisation, and he did not try to belittle his intelligence. "She's Yuri. She's your stepsister."

Silence fell heavily. Sean stared disbelievingly at her. It was hard for him to digest the fact – all his life he'd been alone, just he and his mom; he had wished he had a younger brother or a sister to play with – but mom never got married again. How ironic that his little wish had come true – now, and he did not like it at all.

"Yuri," said Dad, more softly this time. "I've cleared out the, er, wardrobe, you know, the one with no doors – there's just room for a mattress and – "

"I get the message," she said with as much bitterness she could dispel.

The mattress was lumpy and she hated it, but what she hated more was the gaijin half-sleeping at a ninety-degree angle to her feet. If she even moved an inch away from her sleeping position, her toes would touch his, and they would instantly draw their knees up to their chin and mumble and huff with impatience. Yuri tried her best to go to sleep, just shut her eyes and forget about the hell around her, but it was more difficult than the entrance examination. And the mattress was so small.

Finally, after slamming into each other's toes for about the hundredth time, he sat up and turned on the lights. "I can't sleep like this, you know!"

She sat up as well and glared at him. "You think I did it on purpose?"

"Just to annoy me!"

"It's not my fault that you have long legs!"

"That just shows that I have the better of the gene pool."

"So I'm a deformity now?"

"Just slightly better than a sewage rat."

That was just about enough insult that she could take for one day. With a feral growl she lunged at him, and the first contact she made was an almighty punch in his stomach. He yelled in pain and pushed her off, but she wasn't done yet. She slapped him hard and he lost all control. He was sick of being a gentleman. He slapped her in return, and pinned her down onto the floor.

"Why - you jerk!"

"That's for hittin' me for no reason!"

She snarled and aimed a kick, but unfortunately, it missed his groin.

"Shoot!"

"Bitch!"

The door slid open.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"