Part 4: The Enemy Camps Establish a Truce

Chapter 8: Meeting the Neighbors

Lieutenant Sadaki was troubled. His small unit was to have received two Junior Geishas some time ago but the girls never showed up. He learned by radio that two other outposts to the south had received girls, but two other units to the north had not. He concluded that some misfortune must have befallen the Junior Geisha's boat on the way to his island.

Sadaki expected that there would have been some search made, but he learned that the military commanders were too occupied with war plans to worry about a few missing girls. He was pleased that the American Girl Scouts had fallen into his hands. It was not as though the men were lacking female companionship. But he wondered about the fate of the other girls.

One day, a couple of months after the Girl Scouts joined them, his scout reported seeing smoke rising from an island some miles to the south. The smoke was not coming from the vent of the volcano but from somewhere else, and it was the sort of thin trail that you would expect to see from a distant camp fire. It was only visible using binoculars.

Sadaki concluded that the island must be occupied. He knew there were no Japanese troops stationed on that island, nor was there any longer a population of natives. He concluded that if there were people living there, it was likely to be survivors of the missing Junior Geishas.

The Japs had scavenged some items from the wreckage of the plane that brought the Girl Scouts to their island, including an inflatable raft. Lieutenant Sadaki decided to send the raft with a few men to investigate the island to the south of them and possibly rescue stranded girls. One thing he did not consider was that there could be enemy troops on that island. That seemed too unlikely to even think about it.

So it was that Corporal Hideki, Private Sato, Private Hiroto and Private Kenji were dispatched to the island one calm morning, rowing there in the raft. The raft was large enough to accommodate a dozen people, so they should be able to rescue everybody who might be stranded on that island.

The American Commandos were well aware that the distant island to the north of them was occupied by a small unit of Jap soldiers. They had learned from the Junior Geishas that had their boat gone a couple of miles farther north before the motor died, the sailors would have rowed the boat to that island, where they were expected.

Consequently Lieutenant Foxworth kept a scout on the lookout for anybody coming their way. One morning the scout reported seeing a raft approaching their island. The Americans were waiting when it arrived. As the Japanese soldiers were pulling their raft up onto the beach, they were surprised when the Americans suddenly appeared and ordered them to put their hands up. They even gave this order in Japanese.

The Jap soldiers complied, seeing that they were surrounded. The Americans seized their weapons and then they marched the Japs up to a clearing, not far from their hidden cave.

The Junior Geishas, hearing that there were Jap soldiers coming their way, asked Lieutenant Foxworth if they might be allowed to greet the soldiers. He considered that. He trusted the girls by now and he thought that it might put their visitors at ease to find Jap girls living with the Americans. He told the girls that they could be there to greet the soldiers as long as they kept some distance from them. So the girls put on their schoolgirl outfits and prepared to greet their visitors.

The four Jap soldiers expected to be mistreated by the Americans and even possibly shot. They never expected to see a greeting party of six pretty Japanese girls dressed up like schoolgirls, lined up and smiling at them and bowing to them courteously. Corporal Hideki figured it out. These must be the girls that they had come here to rescue. But they didn't look like they needed any rescuing for they looked well fed, well groomed, well cared for.

The American commander, Lieutenant Foxworth, introduced himself to the soldiers, in Japanese! He welcomed them as visitors and he invited the men to sit down and talk with him. He even offered them some food and tea and allowed the girls to serve it to the men.

Foxworth's Japanese wasn't very good but he had a corporal standing beside him to correct his speech and translate where necessary. He told the Jap soldiers that he had expected that they might come looking for the missing girls some day. He told them that the Americans had grown very fond of the girls and they preferred to keep the girls with them.

However he said that he realized that two of the girls had been intended to be sent to the Japanese on the nearby island. He suggested that they might allow the soldiers to return to their island and even take two of the girls back to their island if they agreed to certain conditions.

The conditions were First, that the Japs agreed never to reveal to anybody beyond their own unit that there were American Commandos on this island. They were to swear a sacred oath to this on their lives and the life of their Emperor. Secondly, they were to agree in advance that they would only take girls who were willing to go with them and that this was to be the free choice of the girls.

Third, they were to agree that their unit and this American unit would never attack each other, but that they would consider that a truce existed between them for the duration of the war. The Lieutenant added that he thought it unlikely that the war would come this way but that it would be fought out to the south of them.

Corporal Hideki was amazed at this offer. It was very generous he knew. He figured that the American officer was doing this for the sake of the girls. Clearly he wanted to keep them out of conflict, which he could only do so long as a truce existed between the two enemy units. He suspected that the offer to allow two of the girls to return with him to the other island was an empty one, being that it was conditional upon the girls agreeing to go with them.

He figured that the girls had likely grown fond of the Americans and they would all prefer to stay with them. Hideki asked to consult privately with the other three men with him. He told his men that he thought that they should accept this offer but that if they preferred to die now for the Emperor instead, so be it. When he put it that way, the three privates agreed that they should accept the offer.

Hideki bowed to the Lieutenant and he said "Before we agree to your offer, sir, we need to inform you that just as you have six Japanese girls with you here, so too do we have six American girls with us! They are American Girl Scouts whose plane crash-landed on our island just after the war began. They and their scout leader are all living with us and doing well. We are caring for them, just as you are caring for these girls, and we have grown fond of them. You must also agree to let those girls remain with us, and in that case we will accept your offer."

This news created quite a stir among the American Commandos. Some of the Americans thought that it was their duty to try and rescue the American girls from the Japs. Others pointed out how well they were getting along with the Japanese girls, and perhaps the same was true for the American girls and the men holding them.

Foxworth said "I will agree to your proposal, Corporal, so long as I can be assured that the girls you have are not being held against their will. You are welcome to question our girls and assure yourself that this is true for them. If you will allow my Corporal Livingston to accompany you back to your island as my representative, and allow him to question your girls and bring back any who want to come here, then we do have an agreement." It might be risky to send the Corporal with the Japs but they needed to establish some trust.

Hideki bowed again and said "Agreed. My men and I accept your generous offer, sir. I can also pledge that my commander will accept it too, as it would be dishonorable for him to reject an agreement made by his representative, by me. We hereby pledge, on our honor and on our lives, and on the life of the Emperor, that we will not reveal your presence on this island, and that we will not attack you."

The Lieutenant offered the man his hand. Corporal Livingston explained that it was an American custom to shake hands, to seal a deal. Hideki then shook the Lieutenant's hand, as well as exchanging bows with him.

That settled, the Jap soldiers were invited to visit with the girls while they rested up, before paddling their raft back to their island. The Junior Geishas were polite to their visitors of course, but they made it clear that inasmuch as they were given a choice, they would prefer to remain here with the Americans. Eriko was concerned for the safety of Livingston, her boyfriend, who would be going with the Japanese soldiers back to their island.

Eriko said "Let me go with you, Livingston. They will not mistreat you if I am with you. Also by my presence I can assure their commander that we girls are happy here with you. It will be more effective than if they only hear it from you men." That seemed to make sense. Foxworth agreed to let her accompany Livingston with the four Jap soldiers.

Eriko decided to take her samisen with her. She figured that the Jap soldiers might enjoy hearing her play it for them. She also put on her yukata and obi. They all went down to the beach and the Jap soldiers and their guests prepared to row back to their island. The Americans returned the Japs' weapons to them, to their surprise. It was to demonstrate trust between them.

Two hours later after some hard rowing, they were back to their island. The other Jap soldiers on the island were amazed to see that their men had an American soldier and a pretty Japanese girl who was apparently with the American. Livingston was interested to see several young American girls with the Japs. The girls were wearing only their panties and shoes. He wondered if the Japs were keeping the girls stripped down like that.

They were escorted to the Japanese commander, Lieutenant Sadaki. Corporal Hideki spent several minutes alone with his commander. There were some sharply raised voices coming from his office as Hideki had a lot of explaining to do. Finally Sadaki emerged from his office, Hideki trailing behind him.

Livingston bowed to Sadaki. So did the pretty Japanese girl who was standing beside him. Sadaki said "Well now, it seems that my Corporal has made some sort of an agreement with your commander that I am obliged to honor. Let me hear what you have to say about this."

Livingston explained the agreement in great detail. Sadaki was surprised how well he spoke Japanese. On questioning him, Sadaki learned that Livingston had grown up as a boy in the same city he lived in. They talked about familiar sights in that city and they became quite friendly. Finally Sadaki got around to acknowledging the girl who was with Livingston.

Eriko had remained silent until she was spoken to. Now she was invited to speak. She told Sadaki that she and the other Junior Geishas had been well cared for by the Americans. They had grown fond of one another, and the girls wanted to remain with the Americans. She was here to confirm that and because she was concerned for the safety of her man, the Corporal.

Sadaki laughed at that, amused at the notion that the girl's presence would protect the American from him. Perhaps she should not have said that, Eriko thought. She stood by Livingston, clinging to his arm. Sadaki was actually charmed that the girl had risked her own safety in coming here with him.

"Well, Corporal, it seems that you have made a conquest of this pretty girl. If the other girls with your unit are as devoted to their men as this one is, then I have no doubt that you are treating them very well. I understand that you are here not only to meet me, and confirm this agreement with us, but to interview our girls as well. You are welcome to do so and if any of them want to go with you, they are free to do so." Sadaki was a decent man.

Meanwhile the American girls, having learned that the American soldier was here to visit with them, hurried to get their Girl Scout uniforms on. It would not do to greet the man wearing only their panties! Livingston was then allowed to visit with the American girls and ask them about their treatment by the Japanese. They assured him that they were doing well and that their treatment was quite good.

Patty piped up and said "Sometimes when I am naughty, I get a spanking. But only because I deserve it!" she added. Upon further questioning other girls admitted that they were sometimes spanked by the men. However they assured him that the spankings were not severe. As they learned better the etiquette expected of Japanese girls, such spankings were diminishing, and were often done as much for pleasure as for discipline.

Keiko spoke up and explained that she was doing her best to instruct the girls how they were expected to behave. She seemed quite impressed when she learned that the beautiful Japanese girl accompanying Livingston was a real Geisha! So were the other girls.

Eriko explained that she was only a Junior Geisha, with much still to learn. Still, the young American girls were very much interested in hearing everything that she could tell them about being a Geisha. Thanks to Keiko, they all thought that was an excellent thing to be.

Livingston satisfied himself that indeed these girls all wanted to remain with the Jap soldiers. They were after all, fucking with the men, and considered them to be their boyfriends. The thought occurred to him that perhaps all wars could be settled by an exchange of girls!

Livingston returned to the Lieutenant, leaving Eriko with the fascinated American girls. He told Sadaki that he was quite satisfied that the girls all wanted to remain here. He went on how the girls were eagerly listening to Eriko explain what it meant to be a Geisha, fascinated with her. Sadaki was amused. He said that it was too late in the day to make another round trip to the other island, and he invited Livingston and Eriko to stay overnight with them.