GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@ Story by Hikari Rated: PG Genre: Alt.Reality Part: Chapter 1 AN (9/25/00)-> Hey guys!! I'm so happy I finally finished this chapter. I'm not to pleased with the quality of it though. I've been very tiered lately and I have been adding things anytime I get a chance to. But I'm please anyhow about the how its coming along. I thank you guys so much for sticking with me!! KEEP THOSE EMAILS COMING!! Chapter 1: Eight Years Later, Early Fall... An ivory haired man, with deep ultramarine blue eyes stepped off of the plane and into one of the halls at the Tokyo International Airport. After getting his bags, he looked for any sign that would say "Darien Shields." Masahiro Kigai, his new boss over in this country, had told him that someone, if not himself, would be waiting for him when he arrived. Darien Shields had come to Japan in order to represent the American branch of the Yamada Company. He had had to undergo a rigorous 'crash-course' in the Japanese language and culture for the past two months with a personal tutor that the company had hired for him. Learning things in a classroom was fine, if you were never going to go anywhere, but Darien wondered how different Japan would be from what he had expected. By pure luck, Darien was able to spot the sign with his name through the crowd. As he weaved himself in between the multitude, Darien finally reached the brown haired, medium sized man with dark glasses that was holding the sign. Remembering how he should meet people in Japan, Darien bowed slightly and with a thick American accent said, "Ohayoo." The man gave an estranged expression and tried to suppress a laugh. Taking off his sun-glasses and showing off his Caucasian brown eyes, the man smiled at Darien and said in perfect English, "What are you doing saying 'Good Morning?' It's eight pm." Darien's jaw practically fell as he heard the man and realized his mistake. He had thought that 'Ohayou' could also be used for saying 'Hi' in Japanese. Giving a sheepish grin, Darien raked his fingers through his hair. "Sorry." "It's alright." The man said as he shrugged it off. "Anyone can make that mistake on their first time here." "Wait a second!" Darien said as it finally dawned on him that the man he spoke to was obviously not Japanese. "Who are you?" "I'm your new partner," the man answered as he extended his hand to Darien. "The name's Max Parker." "Darien Shields." Max grinned as he led Darien away towards the car. "I know." Getting into the automobile, Max drove Darien to the hotel where he would be staying at until he was able to find a suitable apartment to live in. After settling Darien in with all of his bags, Max bid him farewell and reminded him to be at work first thing on Monday morning. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "I guess this is it," Darien said as the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the fifteenth floor of the Yamada building. Stepping shyly out of the modern metal lift, Darien walked towards the office number that was written in the paper he held nervously on his right hand. He was dressed in a green/gray business suit with a black tie, which he constantly rechecked to make sure it was straight. Taking a deep breath as he reached the room whose number he had, Darien knocked, turned the knob and went in. Sitting in front of him, with a serious look on his face, was his new boss Masahiro Kigai. He was what you could call a typical Japanese man... straight short black hair, slit black eyes, and the usual oval shaped face which oriental people where very recognized for. Before Darien was able to utter a word of greeting, his new boss stood and walked over to him. Looking Darien straight in the eyes, Mr. Kigai grabbed his hand and shook it with vigor as he said in a very strained English, "Uerukome!!" Loosing his tenseness, Darien smiled at Mr. Kigai. "Arigatou," he answered, shaking the man's hand with the same force Mr. Kigai shook his. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Late November... "So Darien," Max began as he placed his arm around his partner's neck. "I heard The Boss was so pleased with the suggestion we passed to him about the commercial adjustment settings *that* he might consider taking us to celebrate at a Geisha Party." "*Geisha Party*?" Darien's brow raised in query. "OH! You mean the pale women in kimonos." Max's face nearly fell. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'PALE WOMEN IN KIMONOS!!'" Waving his index finger in a reprimanding manner at Darien, Max continued. "*GEISHA*, for your information, are Japanese courtesans. They are beautiful, graceful creatures that stand for raw sexuality. They talk to you about things you want to hear, they avoid the subjects you don't want to talk about, and anything that goes on between the two of you stays secret." Heaving a sigh, Max looked dreamily towards the ceiling. "Ah... the way all women *should* be." "But..." countered Darien as he brought Max down from his wishful dream. "Aren't they considered prostitutes?" "Man, did they teach you nothing about Japanese culture?" "What do you mean?" "I mean," began Max. "That what you just said would not only insult the geisha, but it would even go as far as insulting the president of Japan!" "OH!" Darien said as he thought for a moment. "So what are they then?" "I- Think of them as *entertainers*, ok?" "Parker-san, Shields-san..." Mr. Kigai interrupted over the intercom. "Please come to my office as soon as possible." Darien walked around the desk and pressed the buzzer. "Hai, Kigai-sama. We're on our way." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The door closed as Max and Darien stepped inside the office. Mr. Kigai was waiting for them, sitting in a chair at his desk with a broad smile on his face. Standing up to greet them, Masahiro's smile grew wider. "Omedetou Shields-san, Parker-san. Your proposition was accepted by the board and will be put into effect in January." "That's great sir!" Max said as he smiled slyly. "We should celebrate!" Masahiro caught Max's blunt insinuation and guessed that they were in on his plans. "Alright, alright." He began. "I see someone has told you about my surprise... I *suppose* it doesn't matter." Mr. Kigai went back to his desk and searched through his drawers for some paper. After finding the slips and writing something on them, he handed one to both Darien and Max. "These are the directions to the Geisha Tea-house that's located here in Tokyo. You won't have to worry about the cost, the company will pay your share. Just be there this Saturday at 9 p.m." "Hai, Kigai-sama." They both answered as they bowed. "Domo Arigatou." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* That night, as Darien looked at the direction written on his piece of paper, he noticed how close it was to where he was now living. Then, it dawned on him that there really was a lot about the Japanese culture that he knew nothing about. And it almost scared him that, had he made that 'geisha comment' to his boss, he could have insulted him greatly. "Well I really don't have time right now to cram my brain full of information about geisha." Darien said with a sigh as he lay back in bed, placing his hands behind his head. "I guess I'll just have to find a way to wing it and make sure I don't say anything wrong." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Saturday Morning at a Hotel in Tokyo... "Breath in!" A man ordered once again as he tied a light sky-blue obi tightly around the dark blue kimono with lotus flower imprints that a petit woman with her hair up in a cloth wore. "I am breathing in!" The she argued. "If I were capable of breathing in deeper, my lungs would cave in!" A dark haired girl in a dark green kimono with red line designs on the bottom rim entered the room scowling. "Don't argue; Just do! I could hear you complaining from the other side of the door." "I AM DOING IT, REI! SO JUST SHUT UP!" The girl screamed. The man finally finished tying the obi and after taking his things, he walked up to Rei. "You know what her problem is?" He said, stopping only to allow the other girl to listen in. "She's not built like a Geisha, she has big breasts." And after his rude comment on the girl's structure, he left. "BASTARD!" The girl screamed as she threw a brush at the closing door, ignoring Rei's presence or possible judgment. Then, walking towards the dresser, she placed her wig on and raised her blue eyes to the mirror. "I am a Geisha." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Saturday Night at the Geisha Tea-house... Darien, Max, Mr. Kigai, and about nine more men from the Yamada Company's elite circle where seated in two parallel lines as one geisha played the samisen and two others danced for their enjoyment- their movements precise and elaborate in their story telling. The sweet sad sounding music, making an impact on each of the watchers emotions. Darien had never thought he'd feel so moved when hearing the simple sounds from a foreign instrument. And the combination of sound and choreography was incredible! But it was when the music was reaching its climax that the shouji screen slid, and Darien's eyes were met by the cerulean blue iris of a new coming geisha. To be continued... +~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+ MORE AN!! (Aren't you excited?) Just to let you know that I started Chapter 2 already and that pretty soon you'll get a short one part story that I'm almost finished with. So motivate me some more by droping me a line and telling me what you think of what I write, k? JYA! ATT: */^.^\* HIKA-CHU */^.^\*