17th century Japan was a time of warlords and feudalism.

Any and all subject so a lord's prefecture was expected to devote all, including
life, in allegiance to their benevolent masters. Warriors, farmers, merchants
and even courtesans were to do their duty if called upon to do so.

And so it was that Fumiko, a young geisha from Osaka, entered the bathhouse with
trepidation.

At that time geishas were just starting to evolve from what was before then only
a glorified concubine. But they were still under the control of strict caste
system that made them little more than property of the upper classes.

Such was the lot of the geisha and thus was it the lot of Fumiko.

Fumiko was there to meet and do ritual combat with Keiko, another youthful
geisha from the Edo province (now Tokyo).

Her master sent Keiko, like Fumiko, to the bathhouse. He was a young lord who'd
boasted to another lord that all his property was of superior quality even his
geishas. The other lord took exception to this and took the young lord to task,
arranging on a whim the contest that was about to take place.

The master of the bathhouse bade Fumiko entrance to the private bath suites,
which were separated by wooden doors and partitions. This particular bathhouse
received its steamy hot water from a natural spring. It was an extreme contrast
to the snow, which covered the moonlit hillside.

The young geisha entered the room, closing the outer door behind her.

Keiko was already sitting in the hot water, already sweating. As Fumiko
disrobed their eyes met briefly and a cool enmity that belied the hot atmosphere
swept briefly between the two geishas before turning demurely away as they had
been properly taught.

Fumiko methodically removed and folded her clothes. She then squatted her nude
body over the open wood slats and deliberately started to wash her body, as is
tradition in Japan before entering the tub.

Keiko appeared to not pay attention to Fumiko's ablutions but the truth of the
matter was that she was studying every inch of her counterpart that her
bathcloth rubbed against, hoping to spy some weakness in her opponent.

And though she too seemed disinterested, Fumiko was watching Keiko through the
corner of her eye.

When she was finished Fumiko rinsed then wrung out and hung the bathcloth by the
tub. She very slowly entered the hot water, daintily dipping her right toe
first.

The tub was a tiny furo style enclosure as their masters had ordered barely
large enough to contain just one of their lithe little bodies let alone two.
There would be no retreating once the two of them were together.

Fumiko gingerly placed her tiny right foot next to Keiko, who patiently waited
for the other young woman to share the hot water with her. Keiko was squatting,
is also tradition, in the shoulder deep water with her toes spreading slightly,
as was her knees and ass-cheeks.

The only way for Fumiko to fit in with Keiko was if each had a knee between the
other's thighs.

When Fumiko had settled deep enough that only the tops of her shoulders were
exposed above the water Keiko struck, grabbing the young geisha by her tiny
breasts and twisting her pink nipples. Fumiko squealed and struck back, the
confines of the tub not allowing her to grab at Keiko's wrists, as was her first
reflexive response.

Before each woman was sent to the bathhouse, each was told not to disgrace her
lord with an undisciplined display of emotions or make a spectacle of
themselves. Therefore they were to confine all their fighting to below the
surface of the water and to be as quiet as possible and keep a serene expression
at all times. To do otherwise would be to lose face.

So, as each young woman tortured her adversary's small breasts they had to put
the appearance of complete tranquility.

Both Keiko and Fumiko tried to do as she was ordered but the task was a
difficult one.

Keiko almost had to bite her lip to keep from screaming as Fumiko gave her right
nipple a particularly hard twist. And Fumiko couldn't help but find herself
starting to get angry at her counterpart for her quick and savage attack.

In fact, though their faces appeared stoic, both Fumiko and Keiko's eyes were
starting to burn with an anger and hatred neither had ever experienced in their
young and sheltered lives.

Each was starting to take this battle personally and now took it upon themselves
to destroy her tormentor with enthusiasm.

Fumiko jabbed her short but sharp left thumbnail deep into Keiko's breast.
Keiko suppressed a squeal as raked her fingernails deeply across Fumiko's right
breast in retaliation.

Unable to stop herself from gasping while Fumiko next jammed her sharp thumbnail
into her naval, Keiko reached between the other young geisha's legs and pulled
her thick pelt of pubic hair.

Fumiko again gave an uncontrollable squeal as she returned the favor.

Soon Keiko was quietly squealing as well as both women were pulling pubic hair
as well as scratching at each other's vagina.

Their stony expressions were starting to show cracks of painful concentration as
beads of sweat started pouring down their faces beyond what the hot water
brought.

Both Keiko and Fumiko squealed aloud when both found and began pinching the
other's clitoris.

As Fumiko twisted her adversary's clit it became obvious that Keiko was starting
to lose the battle. Fumiko thrust her fist into Keiko's vagina while still
maintaining her grip on her little love button.

The Osaka geisha thrust her chin forward in forceful determination as she
twisted and punched the other young woman's genitals.

Keiko lost her footing and slid under the water.

Once her head was under the surface Fumiko was free to grab the other geisha by
her throat and choke her under the water.

Losing all sense of decorum now that she was fighting for her very life's
breath, Keiko's left hand reached for Fumiko's long black hair and pulled while
with her right she went for her foe's throat.

But it was all to no avail as her struggles became weaker and weaker as bubbles
of her precious breath surface and soon ceased.

Fumiko rose slowly and painfully out of the hot water, barely able to exit the
deep tub.

She toweled herself off and carefully dressed.

She took Keiko's kimono as she was instructed to do if she'd won as proof of her
victory.

Looking back into the chamber as she closed the wooden door she could see the
other young woman's head floating face down in the steaming water. Her life
extinguished in a hot bathhouse in the snowy region of Japan as cold as the
young departing geisha's heart. All on the turn of two callous masters' whim.

Snuffed out, as was Fumiko's innocence.

Fumiko cried for the last time in her life.