[Fic] A Geisha's love story
Chapter 4
Time passed by rather quickly, Jin realized as he watched the first fall of snow. The flurry specks were really very pretty to look at and Jin watched them sway as the cold night breeze kept them afloat. Winter has come and again, the white curtain of snow that was continuously falling will surely cover the earth that had grown dirty; literally and figuratively, considering that they were living in a place where geishas and prostitutes thrive.
Geishas...
Two years...
It has been two years already since Jin, now 21, met that one beautiful male. The scene where he was by the bridge and talking to a young man kept on haunting his dreams. It even came to a point where he felt empty the minute he woke up; his mind always playing that young geisha's image inside his head. Jin would always see the man's smiles and his eyes that speak of nothing but gentleness, honesty and innocence. Of all the people he'd met, why was it that the young boy's face lingered in his mind when their meeting was so short and brief? In fact, Jin didn't even know his name.
Unable to find any reasons, Jin had lived his life with that young man always inside his head, every single day. Something about the young geisha brought some of Jin's feelings to life, emotions that he knew he did not feel before. If only he can see him again...Jin shook his head a little at the thought. It would be a difficult thing to do since he could barely recall the man's face. All he sees in his dreams were the man's eyes and a pair of pouty lips. He can barely make the man's face definite inside his head. It was frustrating!
"Ne, Pi" Jin turned to his best friend who was carelessly sprawled on his own bed, playing with a hair comb that was very pretty. The comb was shaped like the crescent moon. The arch was covered with exquisite crystals and the wooden part was painted with the color of gold, finished with gloss.
A girl would surely love the little hair adornment if ever she receives it for a gift, Jin thought.
"Is that for Eri-chan?" he asked Yamashita Tomohisa, his best friend. The man was younger than him but he liked the carefree attitude Yamapi always carried around him, not to mention Yamapi being just a natural charmer and all that. He had known the other since childhood. His mother and Pi’s mother were very close friends. He treated Pi as his younger brother.
Yamapi barely moved his head. "No." he said when Jin raised a brow at him, asking for clarification.
"Don't tell me that you bought that thing for yourself?" Jin smirked at his best friend. Yamapi gave a weak smile in return and Jin realized something was bothering his friend.
Jin sat on his bed, leaned his back against the headboard and crossed his arms to his chest, his legs following suit after a short while.
"Anything wrong?" he asked, worried about his friend. He had never witnessed the young brunette in such a way; quiet and troubled. It was unusual of his best friend to act indifferent. Pi was always laughing and smiling and grinning and being stupid. In short, Pi was basically like his twin. A grin formed on Jin’s face at the thought.
Despite the annoying smile on Jin’s face, Yamapi said nothing, kept his eyes focused on the intricate comb in his hands. The comb meant a lot to him. The person gave the comb to him when he, Yamapi, told him he liked him, so much that he didn't care if they were worlds apart.
Allowing his mind to wander off, Yamapi remained silent as blurry images made its way back to his head.
---
He was only 17 then when he first encountered a geisha.
A geisha that was a man.
When he saw the male geisha crossing the streets with so much grace, Yamapi found himself admiring the man's elegance as he walked slowly, eyes were focused straight ahead, and no sideway glances were spared. The purple kimono wrapped around the geisha complimented his slim frame. In Yamapi's mind, the purple kimono's image remained vivid. The color was subdued to a mellow tone, it was made of silk and the butterfly designs were woven in yellow and pink silken threads. The obi was colored with the deepest of scarlet.
Despite the striking color of his obi, the geisha's face looked so innocent and there was this shy aura of his hanging in the air. He was beautiful and refined. The geisha looked so elegant.
Yamapi remembered not taking his eyes off of the male geisha as the man in kimono crossed the street, came to a stop where Yamapi stood.
It was then that their eyes met.
Yamapi expected to see a cheeky grin on the geisha's face but was caught unaware when the geisha shyly looked at him straight in the eyes before very quickly looked at his and walked away.
The young brunette fell in love right there and then. Geishas must have been attending classes for magic or something, Yamapi thought, as his heart kept on beating like crazy against his chest. It was beating so fast that it hurt but Yamapi welcomed the slight stinging pain in his chest. He wished he could see that man again. The geisha who took his breath away…
---
"Still spacing out?" Yamapi heard Jin ask and he felt his best friend poke his side. The dreamy look he had soon turned into an annoyed expression, glared daggers at Jin before he hit the older boy's head.
"Ow!"
"That's what you get for being so nosy!" Yamapi then sat up on the bed, reached for an elegantly designed box and placed the comb inside, secured it next to his side.
Jin pouted. "You know, I regret having you as my best friend whenever you're mean."
Yamapi brushed his best friend's sulking image.
"I saw him again..." a whisper came.
Jin's pout turned into a frown. "Who?"
"Him."
"By him you mean?" Jin asked again, confused as to who him refers to.
"Tou-chan..." the younger of the two whispered again and Jin just nodded, not knowing how to react properly.
---
A young man faced the floor-length mirror as he studied himself, twirled around to see how the silken cloth draped over his body. He stared at his reflection and smiled at the man behind him before he sat down carefully on a cushioned stool, remembered not to get even a single crease on his cloth.
Tatsuya smiled at his best friend as he gathered Kazuya's hair in his hands. The soft and silky strands were colored with mixtures of red, brown and golden hues. The younger one's hair complimented his gentle features and his fair skin.
"What are you thinking, Tat-chan?" Kazuya asked softly, stared at his friend's reflection in the mirror.
"I like your hair.” The older replied. “The color looks good on you." Tatsuya smiled as he started clipping Kazuya's hair, arranged it in a messy yet elegant bun on the back of the younger's head.
"Our hair color is almost the same, Tat-chan!" a chuckle ended Kazuya's words.
Tatsuya nodded slightly, smiled at his friend. "I know!” he exclaimed, amused. “It’s just amazing how you could look so feminine in almost every color; be it your kimono or your hair."
"You look feminine in everything, Tat-chan!" Kazuya pouted.
The older of the two rolled his eyes as his response. Tatsuya fluffed the bun up and made sure to have Kazuya's hairstyle look elegant. He reached for a bender and curled the strands of hair he'd left loose earlier. Kazuya looked satisfied at how he looked when Tat-chan told him that he's finished.
"Thank you, Tat-chan" Kazuya said to his friend. "I look really pretty!"
"You should be." Tatsuya smiled as Kazuya glanced at his reflection every now and then.
The door slid open then, revealing Nakamaru Yuichi. Yuichi was the one who always fixed Kazuya's obi. The man was also in charge of choosing Kazuya's kimono. Basically, he was Kazuya's dresser.
"Good morning!" the man greeted with a cheery smile as he slid himself inside the room, placed his belongings in their proper places before he went to his client.
Tatsuya and Kazuya greeted the man in return, watched Yuichi fumble for his things. When Yuichi was ready, Kazuya stood up and held both of his arms up as his dresser started placing Kazuya's obi in place. He had asked Tatsuya to help him keep the cloth snug around Kazuya's waist, lecturing the two on how ‘unpretty’ it would look like if any part of the ensemble was creased and kept untidy. Unknown to the dresser, the two young geishas kept on rolling their eyes and grinning while mimicking Nakamaru as the oldest went along with his lecture.
The obi was always the hardest part of the ensemble to keep in place.
Yuichi frowned a little when the cloth kept on having a crease as it curved around Kazuya's waist. He was already pouting when Tatsuya helped him by pulling on the kimono's hem and Yuichi was finally able to straighten the golden silk he was holding. After a few turns, Kazuya's obi was tucked in place; perfect and crisp. The ensemble was done and complete.
"Today is the day isn't it?" Yuichi asked as he brought Kazuya's hands down to the man's sides, inspected the young geisha's fingers in the process.
Kazuya nodded slightly. "Yes. I am really nervous though..."
"I'm sure you are.” Yuichi nodded. “But try to keep calm, okay? I'm sure Johnny-sama won't let anything go wrong."
"Yes. Father had already talked to me. Besides, I think the persons he has in mind are nice and uh, gentle..."
Tatsuya saw the fear that crossed Kazuya's eyes briefly before the young man's eyes became glassy; feared the unknown. Kazuya was feeling apprehensive and he wanted to assure the younger that everything would be okay, but Tatsuya knew better. Last night, he prayed that Kazuya’s highest bidder would be someone who respects people and not treat Kazuya as some sort of a high-class prostitute.
Yuichi pressed his lips together before he nodded again. "I hope so. I wish you well in your mizuage, Kame-chan."
"Thank you, Nakamaru-san." Kazuya bowed slightly and watched his dresser walk away from his room.
"You are afraid, aren't you, Kazuya?"
"I am more worried than afraid, Tat-chan…"
"Would you like to tell me why?"
Kazuya sighed. It was time to let his best friend know about his love.
"Two years ago, I met someone, Tat-chan..."
"And?"
"We are both strangers to one another. I didn't have the chance to know his name though. He seemed so gentle and I liked his smile. He was handsome too. Since that day, I never did forget him. Night and day, he had occupied my mind--"
Tatsuya found himself interrupting the younger male. "Are you telling me that--"
"Yes, Tat-chan," Kazuya averted his gaze to the floor. "I'm in love with him." he whispered.
"But you know that we can't fall in love, Kazuya!" Tatsuya replied in horror. "We are never to fall in love! How naïve can you get?! Oh, why did you not tell me about this the soonest time possible?" the older of the two looked exasperated.
"I...I thought I'd be able to forget him..." Kazuya’s voice was low and had the slightest hint of being afraid.
"But your mizuage will take place in a week's time!" Tatsuya cried out. "Will you be able to give yourself and perform your best once you're doing the act with your highest bidder? We can't disappoint father! Aunt Mary would surely punish us if we give the okiya disgrace!"
Kazuya pressed his lips together. He had thought about this already. His mizuage, his highest bidder, the sex that will take place two days after the bidding; he'd thought of all these and every time he'd thought of those things, he felt his heart growing heavy; burdened. For so many nights, he wished upon the stars to make that man be his highest bidder.
Kazuya wished and hoped and prayed...but he and that man never did get the chance to meet again. The man wasn't his destiny. The man who was so handsome and cute and who had talked to him by the bridge wasn't destined to be his danna.
"Don't worry, Tat-chan. I will do my best for my highest bidder." Kazuya assured his best friend as he tried to calm his heart down. The love he'd been nurturing inside him has to end now. It has to, even if Kazuya knew it would be difficult.
Right now, his mizuage is more important than anything else.
“I am sure that I will be a renowned geisha as Takizawa-senpai…” Kazuya whispered before he turned around, wiped the tears that were threatening to fall. It hurt…he wanted him. Kazuya only wanted that one man to touch him, to hold him, to love him but, maybe, the man had forgotten about him already…
It has been two years…and that little memory they’ve shared in that bridge seemed so distant now…
Yes, it hurt, Kazuya thought and a tear rolled down the smooth skin of his cheek.
~*~
Chapter 5
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A/N 2: I am sorry for another short update. I will try to get back to this once I’m done with the other two on-going fics I have… (-_-‘)
About the Mizuage:
Mizuage (水揚げ?, lit. "hoisting from water") was a ceremony undergone by a Japanese maiko (apprentice geisha) to signify her coming of age. When the older geisha training her deemed the maiko ready to come of age, the topknot of her hair was symbolically cut. Afterward, a party would be held for the maiko.
During the Edo period, courtesans undergoing mizuage were sponsored by a patron who had the right of taking their virginity.[1] Mizuage has also historically been connected with loss of virginity of maiko,[2][3] but this practice became illegal in 1959.[4]
According to research by anthropologist Liza Dalby, mizuage was an important initiation to womanhood and the geisha world. Mizuage gave way to the next ritual often referred to as ‘turning the collar’ or ‘Erikae’: where a maiko exchanges her red collar (maiko) for a white collar (geisha). Previously to the mid twentieth century, all maiko had to go through this ceremony in order to become a full fledged geisha. Once the mizuage patron's function served (of deflowering the young maiko) he was to have no further relations with the girl.[5] Mizuage was not considered by geisha to be an act of prostitution. The money acquired for a maiko’s mizuage was a great sum and it was used to promote her debut as a geisha.[6]
Since 1959, mizuage has become the equivalent of a sweet sixteen party. Mineko Iwasaki, one of the geishas that Golden met while writing "Memoirs of a Geisha" described mizuage in her autobiography as being an initiation party. Mizuage was demonstrated on the to-be geisha by a change in hairstyle.[7] It is a celebration of the passage of girl (maiko) to woman (geisha).
***Arthur Golden's novel Memoirs of a Geisha portrays the mizuage as a financial arrangement in which a girl's virginity is sold to a "mizuage patron."
Taken from Wikipedia :)