Disclaimer: I dont own Rurouni Kenshin, Memoirs of a geisha or the work of Arthur Golden.

Heres the second chapter!

"Agony and beauty for us live side by side. Your feet will suffer, your fingers will bleed, even sitting and sleeping will be painful."I was told as I learnt how to sleep like a geisha, keeping my head propped up on a stand so that the painful style my hair was forced into would stay exactly the same the next day, as it was expensive to have your hair styled in such a way.

"You cannot call yourself a true geisha until you can stop a man in his tracks with a single look" I was told one morning as I walked with my master through the streets.

"No one can do that" I said in disbelief.

"Choose someone for me." She said smiling and I grinned, she was going to show me how a true geisha really showed elegance, and the skills it took to hypnotise any man with their beauty and desirable presence. So I looked around and chose a man in a grey hat slowing walking on his own, oblivious of the two eyes that watched his every move. And of course, as my master walked by, his whole body stood still and he turned to watch the beauty glide past him gracefully.

"Choose someone for me, master" I asked and she smirked looking out into the crowd.

"The boy on the bike, but just one look" she warned and I looked out at my victim.

I slowly walked his way and when I looked up he was already staring at me, I smiled lightly until he passed. I felt sorry for the young boy as he crashed into a cart full of chickens but my master came to my side and we carried on walking.

"You are ready" and we both walked with smiles on our faces.

The night of my debut had arrived, and I was dressed in the most beautiful silk kimono I had ever laid eyes on. I was going to have to work extra hard tonight if I was going to pay off the bill this kimono must have cost. With my hair in place and my make up set finely on my face, I stood and turned and swiftly walked out of the room nodding to the servant as she opened the door for me, but just as I was about to step out of the room I caught my reflection in the mirror and I held in a gasp. I couldn't deny how different I looked, I looked exactly how I had wanted to look for so long, I had dreamed of looking like this, and now here I was stood wearing clothes I couldn't afford and about to go and entertain men as the role of a maiko.

"Hurry up. You're not making money standing there gawking at yourself" my old master hissed as she puffed on her cigarette. I was back at my old Okiya, my new master was also entertaining tonight, and so I was to be shown the ropes by my rival, Tomoe.

"For luck" an old woman whispered as she banged two stones together as I was about to leave my old Okiya. I slipped the huge clogs on and walked out into the street and into a horse drawn carriage, inside Tomoe waited for me, and as I sat next to her I felt incredibly nervous. We were both out tonight to attract the most powerful of men, and I was sure Tomoe had everything planned out to make sure I came home with nothing.

I thought of the day's events, when I had promised myself to my new master. Thinking of my new master gave me hope that I would do well tonight.

"This binds us together forever as sisters. Today you leave your childhood and cast away your name. From this day forward, you will be known as Kayuna." When my master granted me my new name, I felt as though I belonged somewhere, and that I was no longer alone. Someone kind had brought me into their home and taught me everything I had dreamed of. It was as if I had stepped into one of my dreams, but it was not a dream, because he was not a part of my life. But I was a maiko now, an apprentice geisha.

We arrived at the tea house, and every room we passed seemed lively and was full of chatter and laughter. It gave me confidence, to know that tonight, I would make someone happy. We entered the room and I kept my gaze to the floor, but Tomoe got straight in there and bowed to every man we passed.

"Friends, we have the pleasure to witness the debut of a new maiko." A man spoke out and I was suddenly the centre of attention as Tomoe knelt next to a man and began flirting with him. I walked across the far end of the room and took a seat next to a man who didn't look as intimidating as the others.

"I remember those eyes" he spoke and I glanced at him.

"What was her name?" he seemed to ask someone but I kept my gaze low.

"This is Kayuna" and my head shot up as I looked at my master who was sat next to the man who asked my name. I remembered him; he was my master's danna. I met him on the first day I was welcomed into my new home.

"Master?" I whispered and she smiled nodding at me. Megumi whispered something in her dannas ear and he smiled turning his attention away from me and back onto my masters. I was thankful and I turned to the man sat on my other side, I noticed him finishing a cup of tea. So as he placed it down, I pulled back the sleeve of my kimono revealing the skin of my wrist and I leant the pot to pour the tea, but nothing came out. The pot was empty, how had I not known. I glanced across the room to see Tomoe with a smug smile on her face and then back to my master who looked a little nervous.

"Determined, isn't she? If thered been a drop of tea in that pot, I believe Kayuna wouldve gotten it out." And the men around us chuckled lightly; I felt my face heat with embarrassment.

"Dont tease, Baron. It is her very first time." My master tried to cover for me.

After that little incident my master said I should show everyone my dance, and to everyone's approval I stood and made my way to the front and took the fans a maid offered me. My master played the samisen and I began to dance, the room went dark and the light was focused on me, I was glad of this because it shut everyone out and I felt as though I was back in the dance room on my own. I even demonstrated a trick I had made up on my own where I connected the fans together and fanned my whole body down before throwing them into the air before catching them and ending my dance with a spin and bow.

"What a beautiful dance, her fans are so hypnotic, that you never notice her feet" Tomoe teased the men as she took the fans and threw them around as she sat down gaining everyone's attention. She clapped the fans shut with just a hit to her body and she threw them to the floor, the men all clapped at this little show of entertainment.

"What's her name?" Tomoe asked as myself and my master sat back down.

"Her name is Kayuna" my master spoke for me.

"Kayuna, a name as sweet as she is" Tomoe hissed quietly but I ignored her.

"Im afraid these days even a common chambermaid can call herself a geisha" Tomoe spoke and I looked up in wonder to who she was talking to and I hadn't even noticed Misao walk in. Misao looked just as beautiful as I had last seen it, we had been very good friends, but she had sided with Tomoe in a bid to become just as successful.

"So its nice to see such a sincere young maiko, isn't it?" Tomoe asked the general sat next to her.

"Why, yes" he agreed.

"Surely you would like to thank Tomoe for her gracious compliments" Megumi asked me and I turned my gaze to the floor.

"There is so much that I would like to say to Tomoe" I smiled back sarcastically.

"Sometimes the smartest remark is silence" Tomoe snapped back. I smiled at a man as I poured him some sake.

"What better advice to follow than your own" I spoke back softly.

"Kayuna" my master spoke but she was interrupted.

"I was a maiko myself once" Tomoe lit a cigarette and took a drag out of it, I knew she was frustrated.

"Of course, but it's been such a very long, long, long, long time" I spoke as I lit a man's cigarette and blew the match out focusing on Tomoe. The men laughed at my come back and Tomoe laughed also but I knew she was not amused, because they were laughing at her.

I looked to the end of the room and noticed a man sat quietly on his own in a corner, he was neither interested in the conversations going on around him or enjoying the company. He was dressed in a black kimono, and for a moment I panicked when I saw his sword nestled by his side. His face was shadowed by the dimmed light and I knew that this was a dangerous man if he was brave enough to bring a sword with him into a room with so many other men, but still I found myself wandering over to him and kneeling in front of him. I picked up the sake bottle and poured some in his glass whilst revealing the skin of my wrist to him. After I had poured it I straightened up and took a look at the man in front of me.

"Kaoru" he whispered my name and when he opened his eyes and leant forward into the light I froze and sucked in a breath as I stared into the eyes I had dreamed of every night. Those beautiful violet eyes, but now his eyes held a tinge of amber in them, the colour glittered in a teasing way and I felt hypnotised and frozen on the spot at just the sight of him. I hadn't seen him in 5 years, and he had changed so much.

Review if you want more. The next chapter will be wrote in Kenshins POV.

Thank you :

Elune - glad you like it, thanks for the review.

sulou - hope this chapter was interesting to read.

alwyzme - Now that you mention it, it really does mirror that scene but i didnt want it to, but oh well. Theres not going to be so much Tomoe and Kenshin in this one, im going to focus on Koaru and Kenshins feelings. Hope you liked the chapter.

Jasmine blossom625 - Me too, and i hope my geisha story does well.

happyloveygirl - You wont have to wait long, the next chapter will be in Kenshins point of view.