@GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@
Story by Hikari 
Co-written with Lazuli 
Rated: PG
Part: Prologue


Hikari's AN->
  This is another Alternate Reality story and I'd like to explain a
little of it to you.  As the title says, this story is about Geisha
and their way of life... but in truth, it's a romance story.
  I got the idea for this fic due to this girl that used to go to
school with.  She dropped out of junior high to become a Geisha and
I haven't heard from her since.  I hope everything worked out fine.



Prologue:

	A white blanket of snow enveloped the silent streets of
Gion, Kyoto.  Above, sparkling stars lit up the night sky.  And
on earth, a lonely girl with inky black hair in a peach-like shape
slowly strode towards the heart of the suburb... the "flower-and
-willow" world.

	She was a petit figure who wore a traditional silk kimono
in the shade of spring cherry blossoms.  The tiny white flowers
on the expensive fabric were outlined by golden thread.  At her
waist, a dark blue obi tied at the back in a bow, secured the
dress in place.

	The girl raised her ivory head towards the full moon, her
blue eyes opening fully to take in the majesty of the night.  She
could see the snow falling like feathers from the sky.  She could
feel the crystalline flakes melting on contact with her warm cheeks.

	'Yes,' she thought.  'It had been on a night like this.
Nine years ago...'


		     */^.^\*  flashback */^.^\*

	Amidst the crowd at the Tokyo Train Station, a young child
of merely six years of age held on possessively to her mother's
hand.  She was being maneuvered around clumps of people at an
exceedingly fast pace.  Then, suddenly, she was slammed to a halt
as she collided with her mother's legs.

	She heard her mother ask, "Do you have the money?"  To a
man who stood in front of them.

	He was dressed in a gray business suit and black shoes.
The suit was pressed and topped off with a black tie.  His skin
seemed tan in the dim lights of the train station, giving him the
appearance of uncleanly-ness.

	"Yeah..." He replied as he took his hands out of his
pockets and grabbed the suitcase next to him.  "I got your money."
He looked down at the child in dislike making a pointing gesture
with his chin as he asked, "Is that the kid?"

	"Yes."

	The man bent down to the girl's height and began
scrutinizing her.  He opened her mouth and looked at her teeth.
He examined her eyes, nose and ears, pausing only after scanning
her hair.  He looked up at the girl's mother and pointed to the
kid's hair.  "Has it always been this color or did you bleach it?"

	"No.  She's always been a blond."  The woman lowered her
head, closing her eyes as if in pain.  "She gets it from her father."

	"Alright."  The man stood up taking the child's hand in
his.  Extending the suitcase to the woman, he bowed and placed
it at her feet.  "I'll take her."

	The woman grabbed the suitcase and turned to leave.
Almost instantly, she could hear in the background the screams
of a girl begging for her mother.  Her face lowered as a single
tear escaped from her eye.  "I'll miss you Usa-chan."

		     */^.^\*  end of flashback */^.^\*


	The girl grabbed the sleeve of her kimono and wiped away
the tears that had streaked her face in a very unladylike manner.
Then, her blue eyes took notice of a white blotch on her dress'
sleeve.  Her makeup had rubbed off!

	'Mama-san will not be pleased.'  She thought as she neared
the corner where the Tea House she lived in was located.  Walking
quietly up the steps, she opened the door and discarded her geta
on the floor.

	"Usagi-san, is that you?"  She heard a woman's voice yell.
"Are you back already from the Geisha Tea Party?"

	"Hai Mama-san."  Usagi made her way into the small tatami
living room.  "Tadaimasu."  She said as she bowed formally to
the woman in front of her and sat herself on her knees.

	The lady bowed her head in response while answering,
"Okaerinasai."  Then, she looked at Usagi's face, her face muscles
tightened at the sight.  "What happened to your face?"

	Usagi lowered her head.  "The makeup smeared."

	"Smeared?!"  Mama-san replied incredulously.  "A Geisha's
makeup *never* gets smeared."

	"But I'm a Maiko, not a Geisha."  Usagi tried to argue
but then wished she hadn't even opened her mouth.

	Mama-san stood and looked at her in disgust.  "And you
shall never become a Geisha with the way you behave!"  She strode
past Usagi and stopped at the door before retiring to her room.
"Go wash up your face and go to bed."

	She was about to leave, when she remembered something
else.  "Oh, and Usagi?  You'd better make sure that if you got
that kimono dirty... you clean it up before Obaa-san finds out.
Otherwise, I'll have to punish you."  She looked at Usagi with
her angry stare.  "And you know what I mean."

	Usagi lowered her head guiltily as she acknowledged her
mistake.  "Yes Mama-san."

	After Mama-san had left, Usagi called it a night and went
to her room.  Discarding slowly and neatly her wig, obi, and each
one of the three kimonos she wore, Usagi went to the water tub she
kept in her room to clean up her face and neck.

	With a sponge, she wiped away the white layer that hid
her true skin color from the world.  Passing the water-soaked
sponge through her eyelids, the red and black lines that outlined
her upper lids, vanished.  Now, she looked at herself in the
mirror.  Half of her face still had part of her makeup on.

	Usagi looked intently at the made-up side of her face,
her eyes beginning to water.  'That's not the *real* me.'  She
thought, and began to wipe the rest of the makeup.  Once finished
she spoke, staring angrily at her reflection.  "And neither are
*you*!"

	Tiredly walking to her futon, Usagi untied and discarded
the cloth that confined her hair.  Waves of shimmering gold
cascaded down to her shoulders.  After brushing it slowly,
wringing out the knots, Usagi laid her head upon her pillow and
cried herself to sleep as she so often did on winter nights.



To be continued...

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

Well people,
	TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!!  E-mail us both with your comments.
Also, if you think I should send out a terms dictionary, e-mail me!

JYA NE!
Hikari & Lazuli

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