GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask Author: Hikari Email: Rated: PG Genre: Alt.Reality Part: Chapter 4 AN (11/27/00)-> I KNOW... I KNOW... IT'S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH SINCE I'VE SENT A CHAPTER. NO... THAT'S NOT TRUE. IT HAS BEEN A MONTH AND I AM *SO* SORRY PEOPLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE HAD PART OF THIS CHAPTER IN MY PC. I JUST HAVEN'T HAD MY INSPIRATION IN THE RIGHT PLACE RIGHT NOW. WITH FINALS COMING IN ONE WEEK, I'VE BEEN HAVING TO WORK A LOT TO MAKE SURE MY ART PORTFOLIO IS LOOKING GOOD... AND THAT TAKES TIME. ALSO, I HAD TO DO SOME RE-WRITING 'CAUSE I ENDED UP CUTTING OUT A CHAPTER FROM THIS STORY, SO I HAD TO FIND A WAY TO FIT IN THE STUFF FROM THE CHAPTER THAT I HAD CUT AND MAKE IT FIT. I THINK EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FINE NOW. LOTS OF THANKS TO LAZULI-CHAN, WHO -EVEN THOUGH SHE'S NO LONGER CO-WRITING THIS WITH ME- STILL HELPS ME ON THE SIDES. ALSO, THANKS TO MY SUPER-KAWAI IMOTOU MEHGTH, WHO HELPED ME SOME IN THIS CHAPTER TOO. AND... SINCE I ALSO KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE HERE TO READ, I WILL END MY BLABBERING AND LET THE STORY CONTINUE!! Chapter 4: A man covered his eyes from the bright golden rays of the sun trying to look at the road ahead. The streets of Gion were filled with people of all kinds... especially of geisha. Darien smiled. As planned for his summer vacation, he had arrived at the city where Usagi lived. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Anou-eetou..." Darien said as he shyly stepped into an okiya. "Sumimasen, demo... do you know if a geisha by the name of Usagi lives here?" "Usagi-san?" "Hai." He answered expectantly. "Iie... gomennasai." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Darien stepped inside a geisha filled room. "Minna-san sumimasen. But, I was wondering if a geisha named Usagi lives here?" "Usagi-san?" "Hai." "Iie." Darien bowed his head. "Arigatou." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Darien was beginning to damn the fact that he couldn't find his way through Gion. The streets were so confusing. He tried looking once more at Usagi's business card for any clues of her whereabouts. The only thing it said was 'Gion, Kyoto' and a phone number. He started to put away the card into his pocket until he realized his dumbest mistake. 'BAKA!' He screamed at himself. Quickly taking the cards out once again, he looked at the number and began to search for a payphone. Inserting his calling card inside the machine, he began to dial the given number. Someone answered, "Moshi-moshi?" It was a female voice. 'Could it be hers?' "Eetou... Konnichiwa. I'm looking for the residence of a geisha by the name of Usagi. Does she live there?" "Hai. She does." The woman paused for a moment. "Do you wish to speak with her?" Darien began to blush. "A... no! I-I actually wished to know the address of where she lives." "Umm..." The girl thought it over. "Let me ask Mama-san first." "Alright." Darien answered. In the mean time, he searched his pockets for a pen in order to write down the girl's answer. Darien looked down at his hands... they were shaking. Why where they doing such a thing?? Could it be- could it be his anxiety? What the hell was happening to him?! He never used to be this way. Ever since he broke off his last engagement he hadn't been interested in any type of woman that crossed his path. Yet, just one encounter with a geisha (of ALL people) had turned his brains to mush. What was it about this girl that could do such things to him? "-r? Sir?" He heard the woman call from the receiver. "Are you still there?" "Hai." He answered quickly. "I'm here." "Mama-san gave me her permission. Do you have something to write with?" "Hai. I do." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "So you are the man that was inquiring about Usagi-san, ne?" Asked an elderly looking woman dressed in a simple kimono. Darien bowed his head. "Hai, Obaa-san." They sat peacefully inside the tatami living room, their teacups filled with ocha atop a short wooden table. The older woman eyed him suspiciously. "May I ask the reason why?" "Well," Darien said as he began to blush slightly. "I met her- " he paused to rethink. "Almost a year ago, I met her at a geisha party my boss invited me to and that's where I met her." She smiled. "That's not what I asked you." "It isn't?" Darien's face began to turn red of embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Hahahaha. You asked me for my reason for being here, right?" "Un." "Umm... I- I was- I AM on my summer vacation in Kyoto and I remembered that Usagi told me that this was where she was from, so... I- I decided to come and see if I could see her once again." He finished almost in a whisper. "Well Shields-san, you're in luck. I happen to know of a party that she will be attending tonight. It's not reserved so you may join in if you'd like." The old lady began to smile. "Would you like to know where it is?" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* It was nearly TWELVE O'CLOCK!! Darien had been waiting for almost two hours for Usagi to arrive at the party but there was still no sign of her. Geisha kept coming and going. Some of them would flirt with him and try to get him to join in, but no matter how hard their efforts were... they just couldn't get him to take his eyes of the door for more than five minutes. Darien stood up. He was tiered of waiting and all hope of seeing her tonight had just fled him. Obaa-san had warned him that it was never one hundred percent sure that Usagi would be at the party. Geisha came and went. They were always scheduled for a lot of parties and always tried to at least make one small appearance... but sometimes they would just skip the party and go home if they were very tiered. He walked towards the shouji screen. He wasn't going to wait anymore. Maybe Usagi not showing up was just a sign that... that his obsession was beginning to control his life. He shook his head clear of thoughts and extended his arm to move the screen when it swung open. A surprised geisha looked at him. The geisha's deep red lips were parted in a small and delicate 'o'. Her outlined, blue eyes were wide open as she stared at the man who was almost face to face with her. 'She had come.' Darien smiled at her as he felt his insides melt from her closeness. 'SHE HAD COME!!' Darien tried hard to fight down the urge to wrap his arms around her silk suited body and kiss her seductive full lips. All he could do was smile, as he stayed rooted to his spot, fearful that if he so much as breathed heavier that before... she might disappear. "Sumimasen." He heard her say as she bowed her head to him and made her way inside the tearoom. Darien turned, his eyes following her movements as she entered the room and bowed to everyone present. He saw her speak with the head geisha then sneak a peak at him. He saw her lips curve into a smile as she winked in his direction. She finished her conversation and began walking towards him. Darien could sense his body heat rise with every step she took. His heart pounded inside his chest, making him feel as if he would pretty soon have a seizure. He looked at her, his eyes catching hers. They still held that masked sad expression. "Konbanwa." Usagi said as she bowed her head to him. A boyish smile crossed his lips as he bowed his head to her and said happily, "Konbanwa." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "So," Usagi began as she poured him some sake in his cup. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here in Gion. Don't you live in Tokyo?" "Oh..." He began to blush. "I- I had some vacation time and my partner told me of how beautiful Gion was in the summer." Darien took a sip of his cup. "So I came." She smiled a secretive smile as she slowly closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side. "Then..." she raised her gaze to meet with his. "Then how come you were asking around for me?" Darien just gazed at her. It was always her eyes... Why did they hold him so? What was it about her gaze that always managed to keep him entranced? Why did her eyes always hold such a suppressed expression? "What is it?" She asked worried at the look he gave her. It was the look of a man who saw more than what was shown. And it angered her. "What are you looking at me like that for?" She bit out before she could mask her fear. "I- I- " He mumbled, trying to see what he did wrong. "I was just- " Usagi interrupted him with a nervous giggle. "Gomen, gomen... I did not mean that the way it sounded." Whispering softly, "Yes you did." He looked down at the tatami floor for a moment, and wondered how many emotions this porcelain geisha had to hide. Did she really like being in his company? Bringing him out of his thoughts, Usagi placed her hand on his shoulder giving him a sad smile and with a gentle - almost broken voice - she said to him in English, "I am sor-ry. It was not to you." Feeling an indescribable urge, Darien lifted his hand off him knee and guided it towards her face. Caressing softly Usagi's cheek, forgetting of the party before him, he smiled at her. "I know." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Plopping down on her futon after a tiered day of work, Usagi snuggled underneath her covers and tried to get some needed sleep. Yet, she couldn't push away the memories of the scenes not so long past. The American's touch. The way his hand softly traced the contours of her cheek... It's warmth... It's tenderness... It's sincerity... To be continued... +~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+ OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO SAY THANK-YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT E-MAIL ME EVERY TIME THEY READ MY STORIES. YOUR E- MAILS ARE VERY MOTIVATING!! BUT PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH... *evil laugh* ESPECIALLY SINCE I KNOW THAT YOU ARE *DEFINITELY* GONNA BE WANTING THE NEXT CHAPTER TO BE SENT SOON. EMAIL ME! -> OYASUMI! ATT: */6.~\* HIKA-CHU */6.~\*