Geisha (Shinobi Saga) by Sessha Batto

GEISHA
     
     
     
    Yoshi regarded his 'consort' with dismay. It was bad enough he was bound to a man so much older, but this was adding insult to an already untenable situation. “I must have misheard you, my Lord,” he demurred. “I could have sworn you said geisha training.”
    “You are very beautiful, pet,” the Shuhan of Mochizuki shuudan was quick to point out. “Your social skills, however, are most definitely lacking. I'm paying your shuudan a fortune for the privilege of being with a callow, insensitive, robot.”
    “I am shinobi, my Lord.” The shadow wolf of the Takahashi clan dipped his head, hiding his face behind a waterfall of platinum locks. “Emotion has been trained out of me.”
    The Shuhan merely murmured something uncomplimentary, continuing to eye his much younger lover with disdain. He had made his decision and did not appreciate having it questioned by an ill-trained brat, no matter how appealing the prospect of punishing him for his transgression. “It has already been arranged. Zenshiro will accompany you to the hana-machi so you can study with the other maiko. You're supposed to be a genius, put your talents to work and master your lessons quickly. The longer you are out of my sight, the more … disappointed I will be. I believe you've known me long enough to realize that would be unpleasant.”
    Yoshi suppressed a shiver, the Shuhan's idea of unpleasant was something he knew all too well. Pain he could handle, he'd been trained to withstand the most brutal of tortures, but humiliation was another thing altogether. Left to his own devices he would happily stay in the shadows for the rest of his life. Of course, the man who'd bought him knew that, it had been one of his first, and most triumphant, discoveries. Five years was a long time, it took a lot more to embarrass the shadow wolf now than it had at the tender age of fifteen. This, however, was too much. “My Lord, geisha training is for women. I'm a man, they'll never accept me.”
    “Well then, we won't tell them, will we,” the Shuhan hissed. “Honestly, you're pretty enough to be a woman. You won't even need makeup, your skin is already bone white. I'll send directions that they're not to dye your hair.”
    “But, when they see me, they'll know.” Yoshi worked hard not to show the panic threatening to overtake him. “They'll call the police. You'll be exposed.”
    “You won't be living in the okiya, you and Zenshiro will stay in my penthouse in the city. There will be no reason for them to see beneath your under-kimono. Pad your chest and play along. Now go get packed. I'll send someone to your room to fix your face and hair and help you dress.”
    The stunned shinobi left the room on autopilot, slowly navigating the maze of corridors before reluctantly slipping into his room. “I was afraid you'd be here.”
    Amusement sparkled in the seated man's eyes. “Is that any way to greet your new roommate, guard, and closest companion?” Zenshiro's soft retort only spurred Yoshi's anger to new levels.
    “Fuck you,” he spat, turning his back on the lounging figure and beginning to gather his possessions.
    “Well, I certainly wouldn't protest. In fact, I'll happily take you up on that once we reach our new home. Until then you'll just have to rely on your memories.” Zenshiro smirked at the brilliant blush flooding the shadow wolf's face.
    “I doubt your Shuhan would approve.” Yoshi's voice could have frozen lava. “I suppose I could ask him.”
    “Go right ahead.” Zenshiro's smirk darkened. “He expects you to come back trained. Being entertaining is part of it, as is the humiliation of making you pass as a woman. But the most important skill you need is seduction. That teaching will fall to me.”
    “I don't need seduction training,” Yoshi argued. “I seem to attract quite enough attention as it is.”
    “You don't get it.” Zenshiro moved soundlessly, pressing hard against Yoshi's back so the shadow wolf