![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
"You dyed your hair blond?" Tohma gave Shuichi the once-over, then adjusted his own bow tie in the mirror near the foyer.
"Yeah. It just didn't seem right going with pink hair. I mean, this is a formal gig, right? Like going to the opera? We have to wear tuxes and everything. So I thought maybe pink hair would stand out too much."
"And blond wouldn't?"
"Well, you're blond. Now we're a matched set, am I right? Heh."
Tohma smiled warmly and grabbed his keys. "Ready to go?"
Shuichi examined himself in the mirror and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this thing."
Shaking his head with a small laugh, Tohma led the way out to the car. Within minutes they were on the road, headed for the Ginza and the newly renovated Kabukiza. Shuichi fiddled with the radio until finding a good station, then turned the volume down a little so they could talk.
"So what's kabuki like? I've never been before."
"Never?" Tohma changed lanes as he answered. "At the Kabukiza it's a lot like opera without the music. Generally a huge production with scores of actors, magnificent costumes, elaborate sets. The play tonight is Shin Usuyuki Monogatari. I think you'll like it."
Usuyuki? It just had to have Yuki's name in the title, didn't it? "Um...what's it about?"
"It's a tragic romance."
Of course. Romance with anyone named Yuki was always a tragedy. "Sounds...interesting."
"It is. A very popular play. It begins with the Princess Usuyuki visiting a temple in Kyoto to view the cherry trees that are in full flower. She's so overcome with their beauty that she writes a poem about them and sticks the paper on a branch. Later, a handsome young samurai named Saemon passes through while on a mission to deliver a sword to the temple on behalf of the shogun. He discovers the poem, and cuts the branch to retrieve the poem. In the distance, the princess sees this and returns to the tree, demanding that the samurai return the poem. As you'd expect, they fall immediately in love and agree to marry."
"Awwww! Sweet. Then what happens?"
"Unfortunately, a villain named Daizen is in love with the princess, and vows revenge. He places a curse on the sword Saemon presented to the temple, which results in great tragedy for their families. When the sword is found to have a curse mark cut into it, Saemon and Princess Usuyuki are charged with treason, when it's actually Daizen who's the traitor, for he wishes to take over the country. Saemon and the princess are placed under house arrest in each other's homes, so the princess goes to the samurai's house and Saemon goes to hers. When their families are unable to prove their innocence, their fathers are ordered to cut off their heads."
"Oh noooooes! What happens? They don't actually do it, do they?"
"No. Saemon's father allows the princess to escape, and then he must commit ritual suicide for this transgression. Meanwhile, the parents of the princess have done the same; Saemon too has been allowed to escape, so her father likewise must commit suicide as atonement."
"Waaaaaah!"
"Heh. It's a very moving part of the play. The father of one—I can't remember which—brings a box to the home of the other. The box is supposed to contain the head of his child, but when the two fathers open the boxes side by side, they discover each has had the same idea—to let the children escape, so the boxes are empty. The scene ends with both men laughing together in their final moments, as each is dying from seppuku."
"Aaaagh! That's so sad!"
"Heh. It's only a play, Shindo-san."
"Yes, but—waaaaaah! Wait, what happens next?"
"Heh. The next scene takes place at the forge, as Daizen orders the swordsmith to reforge the sword he'd cursed to remove the curse mark. His servants remark that the princess is believed to be in the vicinity. Soon she shows up with her servant and begs the swordsmith to give her shelter. Then there's a fight scene, as the servants of Daizen fight the servants of the swordsmith. The swordsmiths are victorious, and the group announces that they're going to report to the shogun at once and inform him of Daizen's treachery."
"Yay! But what about Saemon?"
"Don't you want to be surprised?"
"No! Wait...yes! No, I dunno. Does it have a happy ending? I hope?"
"Yes."
"Okay. That's all I need to know then. Unless there's more. Is there more? Oh, no. I just realized that Yuki would have told me to shut up by now. I should probably be quiet. But I'm so excited about going to the kabuki. I've never been before. And the emperor's really going to be there? Do you think he'll want to meet us? There are probably a thousand other people he'd rather meet. Not that he wouldn't want to meet you. He probably does. But he wouldn't want to meet me. Yuki would have killed me by now." He stared out the window as they wound through the streets downtown.
Tohma merely checked his blind spots and continued driving until they arrived at the front of the palatial theater. "We'll have to get out now and let a valet park the car. You've got your ticket, right?"
Oh no! Shuichi patted down his pockets, then found the ticket. "Yuki would have called me an idiot if I'd forgotten my ticket, but you'd just turn around and return home for it, wouldn't you?"
"Heh. Ryuichi-san's lost more tickets than you can count," he explained, getting out of the car. "And he'd blame it on Kumagoro every time. Forgetting a ticket is really nothing important."
He smiled and led the way to the front door, laughing softly as Shuichi grabbed the edge of his jacket so they wouldn't get separated in the crowd.
TBC
"You dyed your hair blond?" Tohma gave Shuichi the once-over, then adjusted his own bow tie in the mirror near the foyer.
"Yeah. It just didn't seem right going with pink hair. I mean, this is a formal gig, right? Like going to the opera? We have to wear tuxes and everything. So I thought maybe pink hair would stand out too much."
"And blond wouldn't?"
"Well, you're blond. Now we're a matched set, am I right? Heh."
Tohma smiled warmly and grabbed his keys. "Ready to go?"
Shuichi examined himself in the mirror and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this thing."
Shaking his head with a small laugh, Tohma led the way out to the car. Within minutes they were on the road, headed for the Ginza and the newly renovated Kabukiza. Shuichi fiddled with the radio until finding a good station, then turned the volume down a little so they could talk.
"So what's kabuki like? I've never been before."
"Never?" Tohma changed lanes as he answered. "At the Kabukiza it's a lot like opera without the music. Generally a huge production with scores of actors, magnificent costumes, elaborate sets. The play tonight is Shin Usuyuki Monogatari. I think you'll like it."
Usuyuki? It just had to have Yuki's name in the title, didn't it? "Um...what's it about?"
"It's a tragic romance."
Of course. Romance with anyone named Yuki was always a tragedy. "Sounds...interesting."
"It is. A very popular play. It begins with the Princess Usuyuki visiting a temple in Kyoto to view the cherry trees that are in full flower. She's so overcome with their beauty that she writes a poem about them and sticks the paper on a branch. Later, a handsome young samurai named Saemon passes through while on a mission to deliver a sword to the temple on behalf of the shogun. He discovers the poem, and cuts the branch to retrieve the poem. In the distance, the princess sees this and returns to the tree, demanding that the samurai return the poem. As you'd expect, they fall immediately in love and agree to marry."
"Awwww! Sweet. Then what happens?"
"Unfortunately, a villain named Daizen is in love with the princess, and vows revenge. He places a curse on the sword Saemon presented to the temple, which results in great tragedy for their families. When the sword is found to have a curse mark cut into it, Saemon and Princess Usuyuki are charged with treason, when it's actually Daizen who's the traitor, for he wishes to take over the country. Saemon and the princess are placed under house arrest in each other's homes, so the princess goes to the samurai's house and Saemon goes to hers. When their families are unable to prove their innocence, their fathers are ordered to cut off their heads."
"Oh noooooes! What happens? They don't actually do it, do they?"
"No. Saemon's father allows the princess to escape, and then he must commit ritual suicide for this transgression. Meanwhile, the parents of the princess have done the same; Saemon too has been allowed to escape, so her father likewise must commit suicide as atonement."
"Waaaaaah!"
"Heh. It's a very moving part of the play. The father of one—I can't remember which—brings a box to the home of the other. The box is supposed to contain the head of his child, but when the two fathers open the boxes side by side, they discover each has had the same idea—to let the children escape, so the boxes are empty. The scene ends with both men laughing together in their final moments, as each is dying from seppuku."
"Aaaagh! That's so sad!"
"Heh. It's only a play, Shindo-san."
"Yes, but—waaaaaah! Wait, what happens next?"
"Heh. The next scene takes place at the forge, as Daizen orders the swordsmith to reforge the sword he'd cursed to remove the curse mark. His servants remark that the princess is believed to be in the vicinity. Soon she shows up with her servant and begs the swordsmith to give her shelter. Then there's a fight scene, as the servants of Daizen fight the servants of the swordsmith. The swordsmiths are victorious, and the group announces that they're going to report to the shogun at once and inform him of Daizen's treachery."
"Yay! But what about Saemon?"
"Don't you want to be surprised?"
"No! Wait...yes! No, I dunno. Does it have a happy ending? I hope?"
"Yes."
"Okay. That's all I need to know then. Unless there's more. Is there more? Oh, no. I just realized that Yuki would have told me to shut up by now. I should probably be quiet. But I'm so excited about going to the kabuki. I've never been before. And the emperor's really going to be there? Do you think he'll want to meet us? There are probably a thousand other people he'd rather meet. Not that he wouldn't want to meet you. He probably does. But he wouldn't want to meet me. Yuki would have killed me by now." He stared out the window as they wound through the streets downtown.
Tohma merely checked his blind spots and continued driving until they arrived at the front of the palatial theater. "We'll have to get out now and let a valet park the car. You've got your ticket, right?"
Oh no! Shuichi patted down his pockets, then found the ticket. "Yuki would have called me an idiot if I'd forgotten my ticket, but you'd just turn around and return home for it, wouldn't you?"
"Heh. Ryuichi-san's lost more tickets than you can count," he explained, getting out of the car. "And he'd blame it on Kumagoro every time. Forgetting a ticket is really nothing important."
He smiled and led the way to the front door, laughing softly as Shuichi grabbed the edge of his jacket so they wouldn't get separated in the crowd.
TBC
no subject
Date: 2013-09-13 06:31 pm (UTC)From:And again wow. Four chapters... *is stunned into awed silence*
no subject
Date: 2013-09-14 02:53 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-09-14 06:04 pm (UTC)From:Not really sure about the drabbles, though. But I will do my best.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-14 07:08 pm (UTC)From:^︵^
no subject
Date: 2013-09-14 07:47 pm (UTC)From:Just keep your fingers crossed that I won't run out of ideas...