"..."-Portrays speech
Eyeing her over thoroughly, Bardock could quickly tell why she was Head Geisha. She was short and tiny while her other comrades were sometimes amazingly tall for women and had sometimes had wide shoulders. Her figure was the most curvaceous in the room while some had broad, wide and unshapely hips. On top of that, she was just the most exquisitely gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on.
The beauty bowed and said, "You must be Bardock-san. I am Sakura, your Geisha for the night." Bardock nodded and he thought about how enchanting Sakura's singing must be. Her voice was soft and sweet and every word she said sounded as if she were trying to sing a song. It was not at all like the soft alto voices he was hearing around him. It was somewhere between a high alto and a low soprano.
In a one gust, Sakura was sitting comfortably next to Bardock and she smelled exactly like her name, like sakuras. Looking at the soft, delicate features of her face, Bardock could easily tell that he was at least 9 or 10 years her senior. Bardock unsure of how to start the conversation asked how old she was. To which she replied, "18."
"So...How long have you been working here?"
"I have been working here four years, but I have been living here since I was 9." Bardock's eyes widened.
"Why so young?"
"Being Geisha is considered an honor among our people and very prestigious families send away at least one of their children to become Geisha. I have brought great honor and happiness to my family by reaching the position I'm in now."
*What an odd culture, people find honor in making their daughters high class prostitutes.*
"Did you want to become a Geisha?"
"Hai, when I was very young I saw a Geisha play and I really loved it. So I was very happy when they sent me here." Bardocks eyebrows furrowed.
"Didn't you ever miss them?" He saw Sakura frown a little and guessed no one had talked about such things with her before.
"Hai,...I do miss them. But we often talk on the visual screen and all Geishas are allowed to go home on special holidays." He nodded, thinking of how out of place the frown seemed on Sakura's face. So he changed the subject.
"So, I really want to know this and I hope you're not offended. But, how could anyone find honor in sending their children to such a...profession?" Sakura gave a musical giggle and quickly spread the golden fan she was holding over her nose and mouth. It was Bardock's turn to frown, he had really wanted to see such a pretty smile. Bardock looked down at the fan and marveled at how beautiful it was. While the entire fan was colored gold, a brilliantly colored bird with blue, red, purple, green, and dark pink feathers was carefully painted in the center. To the right of the bird, dark red Karasei letters read: Bishonen Sakura. *What does that mean? I know it means beautiful-something cherry blossom. My Karasei
is so horrible, thank kami these women speak standard or I wouldn't be able to understand one word they say.*
Two bright blue eyes lined with gold stared at him as if pondering what he was thinking. The gold fan was now closed a tucked gracefully in
Sakura's dainty hand. Bardock snapped back to life, "Why was that funny?" Sakura waved her unoccupied hand as if to dismiss something,
"You foreigners are all the same. I know you think I'm just a prostitute Bardock-san, but I'm surely not. Not all Geisha sleep with their clients, as a matter of fact, all we really do is talk and have fun."
"Sounds kinda boring to me." Bardock grumbled. Sakura leaned forward and batted her incredibly long blond eyelashes at him. The sent of sakuras overwhelmed him as she said, "Do I bore you, Bardock-san?" Bardock gulped and shook him head. He was about to give a reply when he noticed Sakura's kimono had fell open a little bit. He quickly looked down, then back at her pretty face, then suddenly did a double take. There was no breast there at all, absolutely none to be seen.
*Sakura's flat chested like a...a...* When Sakura realized what Bardock was staring at, the Geisha quickly leaned back and fixed her kimono.
Blushing hotly under the makeup, Sakura watched Bardock swallow thickly. Then he spoke with a hoarse voice, "Sakura, what does bishonen mean?"
Looking down at the fan, Sakura said, "You mean on my fan? It means: Beautiful Boy Cheery Blossom. Isn't that pretty? It was a gift from..."
At that time Bardock tuned Sakura out, becoming lost in his thoughts. *It all makes sense now! The soft low voices, the broad hips, the tiny yet
formed features, and the flat-chests! They were all boys! Beautiful, young boys, but boys nonetheless!* He looked at his crew down the table.
Panboukin was sitting so close to his Geisha as he talked, that his body was literally rubbing against him. The Geisha had a genuine smile on his face and seemed to be flirting with Panboukin. Totepo was being less discreet from his point of view. Totepo was sucking on his Geisha's pale neck, almost trying certain that he would leave a hickey. His Geisha just clutched his head and made soft cooing noises. Bardock practically shuddered in disgust.
"You're a boy!", Bardock nearly shouted with conviction. Sakura looked at him quizzically as if it was something he was supposed to know already.
"Why didn't you tell me?!", Bardock spat. Sakura suddenly thought of a horrifying realization. Most foreigners were not like the men of this planet, who could not care whether the Geisha were male or female. He had heard some men had been angry and even disgusted that their Geisha was a boy.
"I thought you knew, Bardock-san." Bardock was more angry than shocked now.
"Thought I knew? How could I know? You and your backwards planet that glorifies making men and women whores! I have absolutely no interest in boys at all and I'm sickened to know to know I was even...turned on by you!"
Sakura had his head down the whole time and when he looked up, Bardock felt a tug at his heart. Streams of tears flowed from his pretty, saddened blue eyes. Pale white and gold makeup was slowly being washed off when the tears touched it.
"I had no idea, please forgive me Bardock-san. I...I..." Sakura couldn't continue as he wept silently. No one had ever said such cruel things to him and it hurt more than anything he had ever felt. Bardock felt bad now, it was obvious Sakura lived a sheltered life and to be honest, it wasn't Sakura's fault he hadn't asked for details about this Geisha house. Bardock picked up a napkin from the table and tried to dry Sakura's tears.
"I didn't mean that. I was just shocked, that's all." Sakura smiled and Bardock almost felt relieved. As Sakura took the napkin from him, he felt an electric shock go through him at the touch of his bare skin. He looked on as Sakura dabbed her pretty face and stood up.
"I'm going to go fix my make-up, Bardock-san."
"I'll still be here.", he assured him. With a quick bow, Sakura left the room. Staring after him. Bardock wondered how anyone, let alone a boy, could be born so incredibly beautiful and flawless.
