Inuyasha is not mine (to my everlasting disappointment and despair) and neither are terms and place names from the geisha world

Kagome first saw him at a party, one of the thousands she attended each month. What made him stand out was the fact that his hair was not the normal black of the other men, but was as white as new snow and flowed down to touch the tatami mats. His golden eyes never seemed to look at her. After all, she was merely one to the pretty faces gathered for some event or another, hardly distinguishable from any other maiko at the event. Yet she could have sworn that this strange man was looking for someone, though who would look for someone at one of the innumerable parties in Gion, she didn't know.

Two months later she saw him again, this time in the audience of the spring dances. Again she thought he was looking for someone, that his mind was occupied elsewhere, though he kept his eyes on the stage.

Every time she saw him after that, which she did with increasing frequency thought he never outright asked for her company, or that of any geisha she could hear of. He always seemed to be searching for something or someone, never seeming to find whatever or whomever he sought. Never revealing his name, never mixing with the other geisha and guests, no matter how rowdy the party became, he never spoke, never revealed his name, never indicated in any way that he was present at whatever gathering he attended.

Geisha began to gossip about him, wondering what drew him to Gion when he never indicated interest in the geisha there. No one, not even the other guests at the parties he attended knew who he was, though he always paid his share. Rumor ran rife, speculating on his identity and his reasons for visiting Gion. What everyone knew was that his long waist length white hair was natural, a geisha had accidentally pulled on it during an especially rowdy party, and that his golden eyes always scanned the new arriving faces whenever someone arrived. Everyone agreed that he was either waiting or looking for someone. Someone who never arrived.

It wasn't until she had been seeing him for more than a year, did she learn his name: Inuyasha.

It was one night when she was hurrying to catch up with her older sister at a party, when she literally ran into him. "Watch where you're going", an unfamiliar voice snarled at her

"O, I'm so sorry, please forgive me." She had said automatically, backing up hurriedly to bow. "I had no idea you were there."

"Obviously," he sneered, "with your kind of coordination it's a surprise that you haven't broken your leg before now, what with those stupid shoes you maiko wear. Make sure you're watching where you're going."

"Okikini for your suggestion" she said politely. "If you will excuse me, I'm late for meeting up with my older sister." she bowed again. "Might I have your name, if only to tell my older sister what delayed me?

"Inuyasha." He answered shortly as he walked away.

She bowed once more to his retreating form, and then hurried to the teahouse to meet with her older sister.

"Where have you been?" her older sister, a lovely geiko named Kikyo snarled at her as they left the party. "It never should take you twenty minutes to take a ten minute walk."

"Forgive me Kikyo-onesan, but I accidentally ran into a man and spent the extra ten minutes apologizing to him. I did not mean to be late. I am sorry that I reflected badly on you. "

Kikyo raised an ironic brow. "At least you realize that Kagome. See that such behavior doesn't continue. Did you at least get his name?"

"He said his name was Inuyasha, Kikyo-onesan."

"I don't know anyone named Inuyasha, Kagome. You'll have to do better than that."

"The mystery man."

"What?"

"That's who I ran into. He's impossible to mistake with that long white hair and gold eyes." She looked down. "I was a minute late leaving the party because I had a hard time disentangling myself from a drunken guest and was hurrying so I would not be late when –"She clapped her hands to indicate the collision. "I apologized in the face of his rudeness, and asked his name because I knew you would be interested to know what delayed me."

Kikyo smiled at this. "Well done Kagome. You actually did something right for a change. At least I know that you are not trying to cheat Mother by spending time with a boyfriend when you should be working. And you are not trying to cheat me by reflecting badly on me, and besmirching my reputation. "Nodding, she led the way down the street.

"Kikyo-onesan, do you think we will see him again?"

Kikyo stopped walking in consternation. "Kagome, we have seen him almost every night for the past month. If you are going to be stupid, keep your mouth shut. That way you will not disgrace me, or yourself." With that the subject was closed.

In fact, it was not until a full week later that they saw Inuyasha again. This time it was at a banquet given by Iwazimiya Electric to celebrate its ten-year anniversary. Kagome knew him instantly even though sitting next to him was another man with white hair that also touched the tatami. She could see the difference immediately, for the stranger had even longer hair, and on his forehead bore an outlandish dark blue crescent moon, as well as crimson stripes in his cheeks, not to mention that he was much more elegantly dressed than Inuyasha.

Now that she looked at Inuyasha, she could see that he looked more present at the event than at others she had seen him attend, and much more uncomfterble. She could see it in the tense lines of his shoulders, the ridged set to his face. She could tell he was controlling a serious case of the wiggles only by close proximity to his iron faced brother? father? uncle? No matter, whoever it was clearly was controlling him by sheer force of disapproval

The banquet passed without a word from the two men. Try as she might to concentrate on other things, both her eyes and mind found their way to the mysterious Inuyasha time and again. Even when she got up to dance with Kikyo, her mind was fixed on him. She could feel his eyes on her the entire banquet, yet when she looked at him, his eyes were fixed straight ahead unseeing. He seemed to be trying to hold onto the mask for which he was well known for in Gion. He didn't react to anything, didn't speak. Nothing else about his demeanor showed any change since he had told her his name.

She had tried like she had done before to draw him into conversation, using every trick in her considerable arsenal, yet all attempts had been rewarded with stubborn silence. She knew geisha who had given up and simply ignored him at parties, and would have been tempted to follow suit if she didn't know Kikyo would be after her hide when, not if, she found out that she'd given up on a client.

Once when she returned form escorting a guest to the bathroom she saw him grimace, away from the direct gaze of his equally stoic relative. It stood out because it was the most emotion she'd seen him display at an event. Maybe the wince was because Kagura and her imouto Kanna were trying to catch his attention. Kagura was the best dancer in Gion, but her conversational skills were abysmal. Kanna was even worse a geisha than Kagura, for she so rarely spoke that she had the nickname of "the mirror" in Gion.

She could also see something new in Inuyasha's eyes. Fear, hurt, and desperation battled for dominance in his unusual golden eyes for all he strove to maintain a bored outlook. She didn't know how the other geisha missed it, or why she saw it. Maybe she knew his name, had heard his voice, and knew that he was not unfeeling despite his behavior at parties. There had been real irritation in his voice when she had run into him and now…, the pain was too visible, buried just beneath the surface, hidden behind a paper thin screen of boredom and arrogance.

Attending to the guest she was chatting with, she asked, "Do you know either of the two men with white hair over there?"

He smiled at her. "Yes actually. Those are Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru Taiyoukai. Inuyasha's actually one of my closest friends. He's the one without the stripes on his cheek. He can be a bit of an ass when he actually opens his mouth to talk, but once you get to know him he's a great friend. Sesshoumaru is 15 years older than Inuyasha, cold as ice and a complete bastard. He could murder his own family and not turn a hair, and given how he feels about Inuyasha, wouldn't hesitate to do it, with or without provocation."

"Oh" she said as she refilled his sake cup, "that's hard to imagine Miroku-san. I loved my family before I came to Gion, I just can't imagine hating my family like that. Are you sure that's true?"

"Inuyasha was the son of their father's second marriage. Sesshoumaru never considered Inuyasha's mother or Inuyasha part of the family. He hated his father for marrying another."

"That's interesting. Do you know if there is something wrong with Inuyasha-san? He seems to be so sad tonight."

"His mother's been missing for the past year. She still hasn't been found, and the police think she's dead. Sesshoumaru insisted that Inuyasha come tonight to represent the family, ignoring the fact that Inuyasha can't accept his mother's disappearance yet."

"Oh", she said again. Before she could recover herself, he asked her a question, changing the topic with lightning speed.

"Would you give birth to my child?"

She gaped at him before smiling sweetly. "I would only consider having the child of my danna, who ever that shall be, and no other." Kikyo would be proud of her. If he was interested in becoming her danna, he would stick around. If he wasn't interested in the commitment, he would stay away. She was not a whore to give her body to the first man who asked for it.

She smiled again and excused herself. Kikyo was signaling. It was time to move on to the next party.

Kagome saw Inuyasha again the very next night. The minute he entered the party, he cornered her and angrily asked if she had told anyone what Miroku-san had told her last night. Or to be more accurate, rudely interrupted her and demanded to know "Who did you tell what the damm pervert told you, and what was it?"

"Oh, you mean Miroku-san?"

"Filthy letch who asks every body in a kimono he comes across to bear his child and gropes them at every possible opportunity, who else would I mean."

"He didn't quite get to the groping stage with me, but he did ask me if I would have his children."

Inuyasha's golden eyes bored into her own. "You're avoiding answering my question, maiko. Answer it now."

She met his gaze head on. "My name is Kagome. And a geisha never tells about anything she might hear at a party. Men come here to relax, and they can't relax if they have to worry about something they might say in the influence of drink coming back at them and ruining their careers. The arrangement benefits both sides." She added with a delicate shrug that Kikyo had made her practice in the mirror for an hour.

He snorted, clearly disbelieving her.

She glared at him. "You can chose not to believe me if you wish, but it's the truth. And even if I was allowed to talk about what I heard, I wouldn't. It was personal stuff, and it will stay that way. If you must know it was about you, and personal and that's all I will say about it."

He relented with ill grace. "Fine, but if I hear one whisper of what I know you were talking about, I will make sure your reputation is ruined beyond repair and have you tossed on the streets. Understand?"

She bowed from the waist. "Of course, I understand."

"See that you remember." With that, he stomped out.

When he had gone, Kagome noticed the entire party staring at her. kuso…

Kikyo listened to her story in silence with an impassive face. She hadn't wanted to tell her one-san about this, but knew that however bad Kikyo's reaction might be now, it would be worse if she hadn't heard it right away, rather than waiting to hear about it on the street.

"…and that is all, one-san." She bowed her head, waiting for Kikyo's judgment.

Kikyo sighed heavily. "You did well telling me about this when you did. You did not make a mistake. You did exactly as you should." She heaved another sigh, "I do wish the timing could have been better, though.

"Onesan?"

"I've been looking for a danna for you Kagome. Maybe this will actually help. People once they learn that you know this Inuyasha's name will look for you to try to find out what they can from you. Yes, you did say you gave your word not to tell about his family circumstances, but that doesn't stop you from telling them his name and letting them find out what they will from it." She nodded. "Yes, I can work with this. Get some rest."

It was just as Kikyo predicted. Once word got around that Kagome actually knew the mystery man, requests for her company poured in. Soon her earnings for a few weeks topped the last month's record. Just as quickly they dropped off, because it soon became apparent that all she knew (or that she was willing to tell) was his name, and obviously didn't recognize the surname. Several of her clients were amazed at her ignorance. The Taiyoukai family was only the richest and most reclusive in Japan. Several jealous geisha needled Kagome endlessly for her ignorance, or failing that lambasted Kikyo for having such an ignorant imouto. There wasn't anything really to be done, beyond some lowered heads and promises of better behavior in the future. Within two months everything had gone back to normal, the hanamachi and its clients chasing the next bit of interesting tidbit of gossip and tearing it to shreds. Through all of this, Inuyasha avoided Gion. It was six months before Kagome saw him again.

One month after the furor had died completely down, Kagome was dressing for the evening when Sango, another maiko in the okiya, burst into her room.

"Kagome-san, you'll never guess who just asked for your company tonight!"

"Oh please let it not be Naraku-san. I simply can't stand him. I can't see why Kikyo makes me accommodate his requests as often as she does."

Sango shook her head, smiling. "No, it's not him. Guess."

"Sango-chan, I don't know. Tell me."

"No, guess."

"Sango-chan, please tell me. I have to be ready to go in 10 minutes. I don't have time for guessing games."

"It's Taiyoukai Inuyasha."

Kagome gasped, "Him?"

Sango giggled. "As far as I know, there is only one of him, though you would be the one to know if anyone in Gion knows."

"Tonight?"

"It's right after the birthday party for Tetsunosuke Shinomasu VIII. I overheard Mother on the telephone scheduling it. He's got 10 minutes, same ochya, northeast room. He doesn't want Kikyo-san, just you.

"Okikini for the heads up, Sango-chan. Owe you one.

"You're welcome Kagome. Don't worry, I'll cash it in soon!" with a last giggle, Sango left to make her own preparations for the night. Giving a last half-hearted glare in Sango's general direction, Kagome turned her attention to her makeup. The okiya's dresser would be here soon to help her into her kimono for the night; she just had to get her makeup perfect. Dipping the flat brush into the oshiroi, she carefully painted the back of her neck, leaving just a hint of bare skin visible in the shape of a wide w. As she carefully painted her lips bright crimson, she frantically thought of all the reasons Taiyoukai Inuyasha would have to demand her company tonight.

He was waiting for her when she arrived; sitting with his back to the door, back straight as a board, deliberately not touching the sake she could see poured at his elbow. As quietly as she entered, he heard her, turning to pin her with an accusing golden stare. She stared back, not sure why he was glaring at her, trying not to sweat at the pressure of his eyes. Abruptly he broke the staring contest and turned back around. Looking at his body language she knew he was sulking, though she was impressed that he could sulk while keeping his back ramrod straight. Moving to where she could see his face, she asked gently, "What is it?"

His head whipped up from his contemplation of the sake in his cup. "What? What are you asking? And what makes you think that I wanted to talk to you at all?"

She shrugged conscious of Kikyo's admonition to not challenge him. "I guess that I thought you wanted to talk. If you have such a good ear to what happens in Gion, then you know that I haven't let a whisper of what I know about you past my lips, not even to my one-san. If I was mistaken…." She trailed off as she attempted to rise, only to stop as his fingers seized her wrist in a strong grip, preventing her from moving.

"No. I want you to stay. I-I owe you an, an apology." He bit out, looking like it half-killed him to admit it. "And I do want to talk. But I expect that this be kept quiet." Another glare, as if daring her to contradict him. She kept quiet, steadily gazing at his face, only giving a tiny nod of assent. He took a several deep breaths before he began.

"What exactly did the Letch tell you?"

"Don't you already know? You did confront me to warn me not to tell anyone about what I heard. I assumed that Miroku-san had told you."

"I saw the two of you talking. The letch likes to regale strangers with my family history, and I saw you indicate me to him."

"He told me your name, your brother's, a few comments on the characters of the two of you…"

"Like what?" he snapped testily.

She smiled briefly. "That you could be an ass when you actually opened your mouth to talk, that he was cold as ice and could do murder with or without provocation. He mentioned the fact that your brother didn't approve of your father's second marriage. Also that your mother was missing. Then he asked me to bear his child, I refused, and then it was time to leave."

He sighed. "Just the bare basics. The letch was discrete for once." He gulped his sake in one go, never noticing when she automatically poured him another. He drained the second cup just as fast. As she poured his third cup and placed it in his hand, she wondered just what was bothering him so much to seek out her company. He was obviously very unsettled, just look at the way he was gulping down his sake obviously not tasting it at all.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked him after he finished his third cup and she was pouring his fourth. "You did want to talk?"

He didn't answer for what felt like a full minute. When he did speak, it was in a completely dead voice. "It's my mother.

"What about her? "

"I'm losing hope that she's alright."

"Well she has been missing for a year, right?"

"Closer to a year and a half. The Bastard insisted that our security force look for her, he doesn't trust the police at all. Ended up calling the cops after six fucking months. It's been a year since then, and still no fucking word." His head drooped down, to rest gently on the polished table.

"Oh, Inuyasha. It must be hard keeping up appearances with that weighing on your mind. I'm sorry. Your mother means a lot to you, doesn't she?" she sat there, unsure of what to do.

She sat there for three minutes, unsure for the first time since her debut as a maiko of what to do or say. Slowly, ready to pull back if he flinched, she attempted something she remembered her mother used to do when she was upset over something, pulling him into a hug. He stiffened, and pulled away quickly.

"I don't need any help" he said in as cold a voice as he could manage.

She could plainly see that he did need help, but was willing to wait until he admitted it. "Ok, if you want to talk some more, you know where to contact me" she said to excuse herself as she rose to go.

As she was closing the door, she saw his eyes meet hers, and knew that she would be hearing from him soon.

Glossary

Danna: patron, a man who pays a geisha's bills in return for "favors"

Gion: a geisha district in Kyoto

Geisha: an entertainer, who's job description rigidly excludes selling her body. Used here as plural

Geiko: "art child" a fully qualified geisha (used in Kyoto)

Kimono: long traditional wrap-around dress, tied in the back with a wide sash called and obi. Kimono are one size fits all, so geisha have helpers to fit each kimono to her by folding part of the kimono up in the obi, plus the obi knots are super complex and require assistance.

Kuso: a Japanese curse word, means "shit"

Maiko: "dance child" apprentice geiko, dresses much more colorfully than geiko

Okikini: geisha speak (yes, they have their own dialect) for thank you

Onesan: older sister, here referring to a maiko's mentor

Oroshiroi: the white face makeup worn by kabuki actors and geisha

Ochya: teahouse, the traditional places where geisha work

Sake: rice wine, traditional Japanese liquor

Tatami: straw floor mats, used in traditional Japanese architecture

Note: maiko wear ten cm tall clogs. Inuyasha is right calling them stupid

I'm evil leaving this here, I know. This is the first time I'm attempting a multi-chapter story, so review, and hopefully I won't abandon it!!!