GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask
Author: Hikari
Email: <machi_no_tenshi@excite.com>
Rated: R
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Chapter 7


AUTHOR'S NOTES (2/07/01)->
 MINNA-SAN, GOMEN NE. I KNOW I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A MONTH
BUT WITH CLASSES AND HOMEWORK... I HAVEN'T HAD TIME FOR
MUCH ELSE. TO THOSE OF YOU WHOM I OWE LETTERS TO (YOU KNOW
WHO YOU ARE) I'M LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I WILL SOON BE
SENDING THEM OUT. OTHER THAN THAT, PLEASE ENJOY THIS
CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME FEEDBACK!


Chapter 7:

	"Just look at her!"  An aging looking woman 
exclaimed as she grabbed the arm of a child and shook 
her for a younger woman to see.  "She's not fit for this 
business!"

	"So, maybe she's a little... *exotic*."  The other
woman countered.  "I think she's cute - well... *at least*
she's Asian!"

	"BARELY!"  The older woman shot back, anger in her
voice.  "She has BLUE eyes and BLOND hair!!  Why, she's 
not Asian at all!!"

	"Come here child," the younger woman said as she 
scowled and crunched down on her feet in order to relative-
ly match the child's height.  The girl did as she was told 
and upon the range of the woman's hands, her face was 
cupped with clammy palms.  "You shouldn't look so scared.
I know this place might seem a little strange but... you 
will soon get used to it."  Standing straight, the woman's 
expression grew serious.  "So from now on, you are to refer 
to her," pointing to the older woman, "as Obaa-san, and me 
as Mama-san.  Is that understood?"

	The girl bowed her head in acceptance.

	"Good.  Mayumi!"  She called as she clapped her 
hands twice, and a meek little service girl appeared soon 
at the sliding screen.  "Take her to the next room while 
I speak with Obaa-san."

	Mayumi did as she was told, escorting the child 
out of the room and closing the screen behind her.  She 
then went away to continue with her chores, leaving the 
small girl staring at the thin paper screens.  She could 
hear the voice of the women begin to rise in the heat of 
an argument.

	"You should sell her to a brothel, then we might 
regain some of the money we lost!"

	"We buy her cheap, then you complain for what 
we got?"

	"Had I known she was what we'd be getting I 
wouldn't have paid."

	"Obaa-san, you and I both know that what we asked 
for was an exotic looking girl and that is exactly what 
we got.  Now... her hair might not be as we had foreseen 
it but a wig can quickly fix up that mistake.  As for her 
looks... yes, I do admit she's not what we planned but 
she is *slightly* interesting to the eye."

	"Maybe in your eyes Ritsuko, because I can't see 
her as anything but a failure in this profession.  Why, 
we'd have a better chance making that distasteful little 
servant girl into a geisha!"

	"But the child has a captivating face!  Just look 
into those eyes of hers."

	"I'll tell you what Ritsuko, I can see that for 
some reason you want to back that little hybrid up.  I 
won't stand in the way of her training, but I will *warn 
you*...  She'd better be successful or you can *forget* 
about inheriting this house after I die."

	"Hai, Obaa-san."

	"And one more thing...  Make sure she doesn't get 
in my way."


	*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	Darien stared at Usagi's distressed face as she 
wrestled in her sleep against the bed sheets.  He wondered
silently what nightmare would dare disturb such an angel's
sleep, as he lovingly gazed at her made up face.  The 
thick layer of white make up made him speculate what 
shade of color her cheeks would have turned last night as 
he had looked into her rapture/tormented eyes.

	Thinking of last night made his heart ache with 
yearning as he remembered the way Usagi had acted - as if 
that had been her first time.  Her shyness, her shock and 
amazement, the way she gasped every time he did something 
to her.  The fear that had originally lied within the 
depths of her blue eyes had been erased as she had closed 
them tightly, only to be reopened later as glazed pools 
of underlying desire.  Oh how he longed to see her eyes 
like that again.

	As if on cue, Usagi ceased her fighting and slowly 
opened her tiered eyes.  They skimmed over the room trying 
to give her brain a clue of where she was -ears pounding 
due to a minor alcohol related headache - before her eyes 
clashed with deep-sea blue.  And *then* she remembered 
EVERYTHING.  Last night...  The things he did...  The 
things *she* did...  But most embarrassingly, the things 
she had *felt*.

	Never, in all the years she'd been doing this, had 
she experienced such an emotional roller coaster.  She 
could have sworn that her heart had pounded a hundred 
times faster than its usual beat, and she was frankly 
surprised to be alive today.  The torment he had put her 
through was indescribable; yet the worst part was that if 
he asked her to do it again, she knew her body would say 
'yes'.

	She saw his eyes linger on hers before dipping to 
her lips, and finally going south to where her breasts lay 
exposed.  Heat rushed through her body as her hand slowly 
snaked its way towards the discarded sheet and tried to 
pull it over her in order to cover her body from Darien's 
intimate exploration.  However, as her hand was about to 
fulfill her intentions, Darien's own hand ceased hers and 
forced it to backtrack its steps.

	The way he had turned his now lust filled eyes 
towards her shocked face, made her recall the night before
when his fixed gaze had made her feel -for the first time-
completely aware of herself, not as a human being, but as 
a full blooded woman.  He must have seen something flicker 
in her eyes, for she saw his wicked lips curve into that 
damned seductive smile he had given her last night, and 
her brain knew before it would occur that she would not be 
leaving that bed any time soon.


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	"Are you ready yet?" Darien asked as he knocked on 
the bathroom's door.

	"Almost.  I'll be out in a couple of minutes."  
Usagi answered. She took a deep calming breath and looked 
at her reflection in the mirror.  'What the heck was wrong 
with her?  Why had she reacted the way she had last night... 
*and* this morning!!'  "DAMN IT!" She cursed as she pounded
on the vanity.  'Why the hell couldn't she have controlled 
her damned body?!  Why did she have to experience those 
feelings with him after all these years of doing this as 
her job?  Why had it been *him* who made her realize that 
feelings like that could be felt without love?'  Usagi 
shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.  She was a 
geisha.  This was part of her profession.  He was only her
temporary danna, and this was all business.

	Usagi straitened her wig, pulled in closer the 
neckline of the kimono and exited the bathroom.  "I'm 
ready." She said as her eyes traveled the length of 
Darien's broad shoulders.  A strange shiver cursed 
through her spine as she remembered how tightly she had 
been hanging on to them just hours ago.

	Darien whirled around to face her, his lips 
curving into a very contented smile.  "Ok, I'll take you 
home now."  Moving closer to her, he let his lips lightly 
kiss the exposed skin of her neck.  Placing his hand on 
the small of her back, he let his fingers lightly curve 
on right side of her waist, as he maneuvered her towards 
the room's front door.  "Even though I don't really want 
to."

	Usagi's back stiffened slightly as she realized 
what his seemingly natural actions meant in body language. 
Darien was, maybe subconsciously -she didn't know, trying 
to state his claim of her.  The strange part was... she 
didn't really mind the gesture that much.


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	"Usagi?"  Mama-san asked as soon as she heard the 
front door open.

	"Mama-san," she answered.  "Tadaimasu."

	"Come here Usagi." Mama-san said, her voice cold 
and tense as she called the girl from the waiting from.

	"Hai."  Usagi answered as she discarded her geta 
and walked into the corridor, following the calling voice. 
"You called?"  She asked once she slid the shouji screen 
shut and sat on the tatami floor in front of her mother.

	Mama-san looked upon Usagi with anger and annoyance.  
"Do you know what time it is?"

	"eetou..." she pondered on her answer.  "I don't 
know.  I don't wear a watch, but I do know it's almost 
dinnertime.  Why do you ask?"

	"You have missed your dance practice appointment 
today," Mama-san began, he voice slowly rising.  "Not to 
mention, you ALSO seem to have overlooked the number of 
parties that you are supposed to attend tonight.  Did you 
happen to forget the amount of time that has to be spent 
getting you ready?"

	"I have *not* forgotten about tonight's scheduled 
parties."  Usagi answered in a clipped tone.  "That is 
why I am here, am I not?!"

	"Don't you dare give me that tone of yours."  
Mama-san scolded, standing so that Usagi had to look up 
to see her.  "I'm the one that's allowed to be angry."  
She gave Usagi a curious look.  "What have you been doing 
all this time?  Because I know for a fact that you 
couldn't have spent the whole day with your danna."

	Anger cursed through her veins.  "What is that 
supposed to mean?!"

	"I mean, that there is no possible way that you 
could entertain a man for this long.  Don't forget," 
Mama-san raised her head imperiously, "I know how you 
behave with your danna.  They've told me so themselves."

	That was the last straw for Usagi as she stood up. 
"Well it just so happens that I *HAVE* been with him this
whole time!!" She screamed as she balled her hands into 
fists trying to release some of her anger.  "Isn't that 
what you had asked me to do?  You know, 'keep him happy'?" 
Her body slowly began to shake in frustrated rage.  "WHAT 
THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH?  I DO EVERYTHING YOU 
ASK OF ME," she screamed as tears slid down her cheeks.  
"CAN'T YOU JUST- "

	But Usagi never got to finish her sentence, because
Mama-san's hand flew across her cheek and making her fall 
over from the sheer force of the blow.  Standing straight 
above Usagi's fallen body, Mama-san's eyes froze.  "You 
ungrateful child," she whispered.  "I have taken care of 
you, stood against Obaa-san, and molded you into the woman
that you are today... and *this* is how you repay my 
kindness?  By skipping practice and running around Gion 
with *god-knows-WHO*?!"  She screamed.  "Forget about 
tonight's parties, that's commission I'll give to someone 
else."  And having had the last words, Mama-san left Usagi
on the tatami in the waiting room.

	"DAMN HER!" Usagi cursed as more tears fell from 
her eyes.  Why- Why did she refuse to believe that she had 
been with her danna all day?  Why did she have to accuse 
her of being an incompetent geisha?

	'Oh come on Usagi,' a voice within Usagi's head 
countered.  'Would you have believed yourself if you had 
been in her position?'

	'I would have.  I was saying the truth!'
	 
	'Be honest.'  The voice laughed at her.  'Or is it
that you refuse to truly see what those men called you 
behind their backs?'

	Usagi's eyes grew wide.  'What are you talking 
about?'

	'Oh please!  You mean to tell me that you never 
heard them call you "cold," or "frigid," or "unfeeling"?  
You couldn't have been that deaf.'

	'What are you talking about?  Sure, I heard them. 
I wanted them to know I didn't like being with them, but 
they always kept coming back to me.  They never took a 
hint!'  Usagi tried to argue in her defense.

	'Well,' the voice began again with silky smoothness, 
'that's not the impression you left on Darien today now 
was it?' 

	Usagi froze on her comment.  The voice was right. 
What had happened with Darien today -NO, not with *Darien*,
with *Shields-san*?  She shouldn't be addressing him on 
such a personal level.

	The voice's laughter sounded like cackling within 
Usagi's head.  'You say that to yourself *NOW*?  After 
you've screamed his first name in the throws of passion 
both last night and this morning?'  The laugher became 
uncontrollable as it mocked Usagi's emotional turmoil.  
'You sure have a strange way of letting men know you're 
not interested.'

	'SHUT UP!  I'M NOT INTERESTED IN HIM!' Usagi 
screamed.  'I HATE HIM.  I HATE ALL OF THEM.  I HATE 
EVERYONE.  EVERYBODY LEAVES ME.'  Usagi curled herself 
into a little ball as she sobbed in pain, her tears 
falling smoothly on the tatami mat.  "Nobody wants me," 
she whispered softly.

	...And that was how Mayumi found her the next 
morning.  Asleep, curled up like a cat, her make-up 
smeared and running sideways on her face.



To be continued...

+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+

 I'M VERY SORRY THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER
OUT SOONER. I DON'T KNOW WHEN CHAPTER 8 WILL BE OUT, THE
ONLY THING I CAN TRULLY SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT IS THAT YOU
HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR ME SCRAPPING THE FIC.  I MIGHT
TAKE MY TIME BUT YOU WILL READ ITS ENDING.  COMMENTS,
COMPLAINTS AND OTHER TYPE OF MAIL WILL BE HAPPILY ACCEPTED
AT <MACHI_NO_TENSHI@EXCITE.COM>

 MINNA-SAN, JYA MATTA!!'

*/6,~\  HIKA-CHAN  */6,~\