Disclaimer:
The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase
and related enterprises. The characters from Inu-Yasha are the creations and
property of Rumiko Takahashi and related enterprises. I do not own them and do
not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending
time with them.
On the other
hand, the original characters Mom and Dad are my original creations (actually,
I’m their original creation) and they belong to me. As do other assorted family
members. As for the reviewers and fanfic authors in this fic - they belong to
themselves! But I get to "borrow" them for the duration of this fic -
hee, hee, hee.
******************************************************************************************
Chapter 2.
The curtain rises…
Part A. The
crew assembles.
Roku-chan and
Tasuki approach the backstage area. There is a strong smell of organic solvents
here, making their eyes water. They see the figure of a young woman in her late
teens with long, curly brown hair, holding a spray can and wearing a fume mask
and glasses. She is bent over several items laid out on a newspaper, a
multitude of necklaces around her neck jingling softly against each other.
Roku: Hey, Kaze-chan,
how's it going?
Kaze-chan:
(pulling off the mask) Gettin' there, Roku. Now how many of these black leaves
do you need? I've painted about a hundred already.
Roku: Maybe
another hundred - we're gonna need them in Chapters 5, 6, 10, and 14, and we
might lose some in each scene…
Tasuki: I
don't know why the hell you bother… Ain't nobody gonna notice 'em anyway.
Roku: (hurt)
Well, I still like them - so they're going in!
Tasuki: Hey,
what's up with Tama-neko? (points at the little white kitty who is laying on
his back, waving his paws gently while he stares off into space.)
Kaze-chan:
Oops! Guess he inhaled too many of the fumes! Heh, heh… I'd better get him some
fresh air.
Tasuki:
(noticing Kaze-chan's necklaces) Hey, nice chains! I like your style!
Kaze-chan:
Thanks! I figured that you would be the one to appreciate my neck gear.
Tasuki:
(fingering one of Kaze-chan's pendants - a hematite stone engraved with a rune,
hanging from a nylon cord) Where'd ya get these?
Kaze-chan:
That one's from London, this other one's from France, the dagger one is from
this town, and the other two are gifts.
Tasuki: Damn!
Mine are only from Konan. (fingers his elaborate necklace of polished cabochon
rubies strung between dark green jade beads.) I got this one from a rich
merchant's wife.
Kaze-chan:
Nice when people understand what you like as gifts, isn't it?
Tasuki:
Welllllll, it wasn't exactly a gift…
Roku: Okay,
are we about finished with the Home Shopping Network here? Because, ya know,
there's this little thing called a play that we have to put on!
Tasuki: Geez,
short people have short tempers, don't they? (Kaze-chan snickers quietly.)
Roku: Huh!
Look who's talking about short tempers. Next to you, I'm the most
even-tempered, patient, tolerant… (catching sight of a medium height woman with
a masculine swagger and wavy, dark hair cut in a pixie style) HEY!!! Get over
here, YOU WENCH!!
Chichiri's
Girl: (attempting to run off) Ummm, Roku, there's something I gotta do…
Roku:
(catching her in a headlock) There sure as HELL is something you gotta
do - like EXPLAINING exactly how Mom and Dad got tickets to a play they're not
supposed to know about!! Hmmm, any ideas on that one, Beem?
Tasuki
Gahhhhh, sisters!! (shudders) Fucking violent all the time!
Roku: (giving
Chichiri's Girl a good, hard noogie) Violent?! Moi?! Towards my widdle baby sister??!!
No, no, no, noooooooo - I just wuv her to DEATH!!!
Chichiri's
Girl: Ow, ow, owwwwww!!! - all right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It just seemed like
a good idea at the time… Hey, if you grind a hole in my head, I'm not gonna be
able to help you with the play!
Roku:
(releasing her) Well, let me tell you about another good idea! Since you're the
one who got Mom here, you're the one who has to come up with a way to
keep her from seeing Chapters 1 and 2, got it? Get the Vampire Princess to help
you. And if you fail, you DIEEEEEEE!
Kaze-chan:
(singing to herself under her breath) Sistersssss, sistersssss. There were
never such devoted sisters…
Tasuki: Ya
know, they're scaring me…
Roku: And where
the hell is Tamahome? He should be here by now!! (Peeks through the curtain at
the audience, munching on popcorn.) Well, the audience isn't too restless yet,
but that's bound to change soon…
Footsteps
approach the backstage area. Roku-chan looks up eagerly, only to see another
petite female member of the crew, with hair as red as Tasuki's.
Roku:
(sighing) Oh, it's you, Sorceress.
Sorceress:
Hey, don't sound so happy to see me. (holds up a box filled with stage make-up)
I'm just here so that we can do Tasuki's facial bruises right after the
Prologue.
Roku: Nah, I
don't mean to sound disappointed - it's just that we're missing Tamahome, and I
thought you were him. Have you seen him around?
Sorceress: Not
for the last hour. He was hanging around while I was doing Tasuki's body
bruises, offering to help out. (laughs) By inflicting REAL bruises, that is…
Tasuki:
(muttering) Asshole!
Roku: Well,
I'd better go look for him. Look, Sorcie, would you mind getting Hotohori to do
the voice-over for the Prologue? I was gonna do it, but now I gotta chase down
missing seishi. Besides, Hotohori's got a nicer speaking voice than I do. Give
him these. (hands Sorceress pages of the script. Sorceress nods, then runs
off.)
Roku-chan
turns to Chichiri's Girl.
Roku: You stay
here near your psychic twin. I may need you at a moment's notice, so be ready.
(runs off)
Chichiri's
Girl (to Tasuki) I don't know why the fuck she calls me your psychic twin.
Tasuki: Beats
the shit outta me.
Tasuki and
Chichiri's Girl fold their arms across their chests and assume identical
belligerent stances. Kaze-chan picks up the boneless kitty and takes it outside
for fresh air. The clock ticks on…
******************************************************************************************
Part B.
Waiting for Tamahome (no, we couldn't care less about Godot…)
Roku-chan
returns to the backstage area, out of breath. Tasuki and Chichiri’s Girl
immediately stop trading stories about Roku-chan’s episodes of irrationality.
Hotohori sits on a stool, getting some last-minute touch-ups to his make-up by
Sorceress, while Nuriko hovers nearby. Kaze-chan has returned with a recovered
Tama-neko and is testing out the stage machinery.
Roku: Damn it!
I can’t find Tama anywhere! I talked to Miaka and Chiriko and even looked in on
Chichiri, but nobody's seen him! I even went so far as to search the men's
room! Gahhhhhhh! Literally pissed off a bunch of guys, except for that lech
Tokaki, who seemed to think I was expressing a personal interest in him! That
jerk's been impossible ever since he's been able to keep his younger form. At
least when he was an old guy, he was a little slower. (rubs her butt
where it got pinched)
Kaze-chan:
(perking up) Tokaki's here? Hurray!!! Didja see Subaru?
Nuriko: The
car or the seishi? (smirks)
Kaze-chan: Ha,
ha, hardee-har-har. Like I haven't heard THAT one about a hundred times.
Roku: No, I
didn't see her, but remember, I was in the men's room! Unless she's
become as big a pervert as Tokaki, I wouldn't expect to see her there.
Tasuki: (under
his breath) Yeah, only one female pervert allowed in the men's room at a time…
Roku: Tasuki -
number one, I heard that, and number two, shut up!
Chichiri's
Girl: Look, Roku, it's already fifteen minutes past curtain time. What are you
gonna do?
Roku:
(jittering) There's only one thing I can do - start the scene with
Tasuki and hope that the music will cue Tamahome, wherever he is, to get back
here in time for the last part of the scene! And when he shows up, one of you
has got to stop me from throttling him! Okay, so are we ready to go? Hotohori?
Hotohori: Just
one moment, I have to check my make-up. (Sorceress hands him a mirror.)
Roku:
Hotohori, you're doing a voice-over for this scene. No one's going to
see you!
Hotohori:
Perfection is not a state of being, it is a state of mind. One must always
strive for excellence regardless of outside approbation…
Nuriko:
*sparkly eyes* I just love it when you talk that that, Hotohori-samaaaa.
Everyone else:
- -;;
Roku: All
right, let's get this thing rolling. Kaze-chan, it's time for you to run up to
the control booth and bring down the house lights. I'm having you work the
lights for the time being until Chichiri's Girl is finished with my mom at the
end of Chapter 2. Oh, and as soon as you're ready, cue Kryssa to start the
music. Chichiri's Girl, for right now, you're taking Kaze-chan's place in
running the rotating stage. Remember to wait until Tasuki's made at least one
full circuit of the set before you hit the switch. And don't forget to start
the background scenery moving, too.! Sorcie, I need you to monitor everyone's
radio mikes, but be ready for any other last minute tasks. Hotohori, here's a
flashlight so that you can see the script. Nuriko, as long as you're here,
would you mind holding the light for him? Okay, I think that's it. Everybody
ready?
Everyone:
Yeah…
The cast and
crew move off to their designated tasks. Roku-chan accompanies Tasuki to stage
left.
Roku: (looking
out at the stage, the center of which is dominated by a large circular section
that is slightly tilted towards downstage. The upstage portion is therefore
somewhat elevated, making it clearly visible to the audience.) Okay, Tasuki,
remember that the stage is tilted and will be moving at the same time, so make
sure that you keep your footing.
Tasuki:
(breathing a bit rapidly) Okay…
Roku: (looking
at him keenly) You okay, Gen-chan?
Tasuki: (pale)
Yeah… no. I'm scared shitless, Roku!
Roku: I
thought you were used to this kinda thing.
Tasuki: Not in
front of a live audience, I'm not! What if I fuck up?
Roku: You
won't. And even if you do, you won't be the only one. So try not to worry -
you're gonna be great in any case. Chin up, sweetie!
The house
lights go down. The loud conversations in the audience die down to expectant
murmurs. The music begins, an ominous taiko drum piece in 12/8 time. The stage
lighting comes on, creating the indigo glow of night. Invisible netting holds
tiny twinkling lights in place against the indigo background, some bright, some
dim, creating the illusion of depth in a convincing starry sky. The backdrop
depicts corridors of the Imperial Palace in Konan, complete with lamps lit at
regular intervals. The curtain rises, and the audience oohs and ahs at the set.
Roku: Okay,
Gen-chan - break a leg!
Tasuki: Gee,
thanks, Roku-chan. Fuckin' fall off a cliff yourself, why dontcha?
Roku: (hurt)
"Break a leg" is theatre-speak for "Good Luck," Tasuki.
Tasuki: Oh.
Well, thanks, then. See ya in a few…
Roku: C'mon,
gimme the secret Suzaku handshake.
It’s an
eight-count handshake. First, they slap palms, then the backs of their hands in
a lateral movement. They then lock fingers twice, first right-side up, then
upside-down. They knock fists, then lock pinkies, finally finishing with
hooking their thumbs together and flapping their fingers like wings as they
lift their hands while whistling.
Roku: Okay, go
get 'em, sweetie.
Tasuki steps
out onto the stage, upstage left. Screams suddenly erupt from the fangirls in
the audience. Tasuki stops for a moment, stunned, then remembers his role and
begins striding counterclockwise around the set. When he reaches the upstage
area again, the circular stage begins rotating clockwise in time to his
footsteps, so that he is actually staying in one place while walking. The
background scenery moves at the same pace, showing changing corridors of the
Imperial Palace. Hotohori's velvet voice begins the narration:
Hotohori:
(reading) Night had thrown its black mantle over the Konan Empire, cloaking the
Imperial City and the palace of its emperor in velvet darkness. The stars
blazed brilliantly in the heavens, their light undimmed by the crescent moon,
as once again they asserted themselves as the sole jewels in the firmament now
that the fireworks had ended. The celebrations of the Star-Gazing Festival were
concluded…
Roku:
(whispering) Okay, so far, so good… Now where the hell is Tamahome?!
******************************************************************************************
Part C. A
prolonged prologue.
Sorceress runs
into the backstage area, cursing under her breath. Roku-chan is scribbling
frantically on sheets of paper, passing them to Hotohori. She stops to look up
hopefully at Sorceress, then sags in disappointment.
Roku: No luck,
huh.
Sorceress:
Fuck, no! I looked EVERYWHERE, including the café down the street. I have no
idea of where in the fucking hell he can be!
Roku:
(subconsciously noting that the deterioration of Sorcie's language is directly
correlated to the seriousness of the situation) Dammit! The crowd's getting
restless, too!
Hotohori:
(reading the new pages) Having thoroughly pondered his entire childhood back to
the moment of his conception, Tasuki now began to ponder the meaning of Life in
general…
Nuriko: Geez, exposition
much, Roku-chan?
Roku: Dammit,
I'm not in the mood for jokes now, Nuriko. The situation is growing desperate -
and Suzaku only knows how much longer Tasuki's gonna keep walking around out
there before he explodes!
Nuriko:
(peeking out from the curtain) I don't think you have much more time - he's
getting pretty red in the face. 'Course he might be a little winded from this
unexpected walk-a-thon, too…
Roku-chan
thrusts a few more sheets at Hotohori. Hotohori is the calmest person present,
pleased with his increased lines.
Hotohori:
Tasuki now began to meditate on the first creatures to crawl out of the
primordial ooze, marveling at their daring in leaving the safety of their
aquatic environment. And that thought made him contemplate the miracle of Life
in the first place, the first macromolecules joining up to form simple amino
acids, the building blocks of life….
Onstage,
Tasuki's hands curl into fists. The crowd is muttering angrily. Finally,
someone shouts "Get on with it, already!!!" The crowd
suddenly erupts, throwing their popcorn at Tasuki. This is too much for the
hot-tempered bandit. He stops walking (and is now being swept around by the
clockwise motion of the stage) and begins swearing at the audience.
Tasuki: What
the FUCK??!! You think I'm enjoying this? I didn't fuckin' write this
shit - I ain't even fuckin' saying this shit!!! What the fuck do you
expect me to doooooooo?!!!
Roku-chan:
Holy shit, here it comes! The big Rekka Shin'en that's gonna end with the Fire
Marshal shutting us down! Crap! Why are they throwing their popcorn at him?
(Suddenly, a light clicks on in the dark recesses of Roku-chan's brain.) Wait a
minute - this isn't a movie theatre - where did they get the popcorn? (A dark
suspicion arises in her thoughts.) Oh, he wouldn't - he couldn't possibly!!!
(grabs Chichiri's Girl) Listen, I'm gonna go check something out. But
first, I'm gonna try to get Tasuki back on track. He's obviously tired, so you
need to slow down the stage. Remember to move the lever to the RIGHT.
Chichiri's
Girl: Yeah, I got it. Move it to the right, right?
Roku: Right.
(gets distracted when she sees Mom standing up in the front row.)
Mom: (shouting
at Tasuki) You itsa watch you mouth! I not put up with this low-class language!
You itsa clean up your act!
Tasuki: (at
the end of his rope) Oh, yeah? Just try and make me!
Roku: Oh, no, oh,
no, oh, no - he didn't just sass her back, did he?
Everybody:
Yes, he did.
Roku:
(praying) Oh, Suzaku, please spare his life, he knows not what he does…
But it's too
late. The Slipper comes winging out of the darkness, to whap Tasuki upside his
head. He falls to his knees, as Roku-chan leaps onstage heroically to save her
principal actor.
Roku:
(shrieking) Mom, Mom! You can't knock out my lead actor!!
Mom: You got
to teach him some manners, Roku-chan. Where I grow up, in my town, we din't
even know the meaning of such words…
Roku: (nearly
weeping) Okay, I'll teach him, I promise! But please, no more Slipper, okay,
Mom?
Mom: (folding
her arms) Fine, then let him 'pologize.
Roku: (picking
up the dazed Tasuki, using her hand to move his jaw and trying to pitch her
voice lower) Gomen nasai, Kyu-san.
Mom: Hmph. You
sound like a girl. (sits down satisfied)
Nakago: This
play is shaping up even better than I had hoped. I am most amused.
Soi: (cuddling
up to Nakago) Hai, Nakago-sama. Most entertaining. Perhaps we should try to
recruit that mother of the Director of White Stones to join the Seiryuu team.
She is certainly more formidable than Amiboshi.
Nakago: Hmmm,
an interesting thought, Soi. Now please remove your hand from my pocket.
Soi: Hai, Lord
Nakago.
Roku-chan
drags Tasuki offstage, then starts slapping him gently.
Roku: Tasuki,
Tasuki, wake up, please…
Tasuki:
(confused) What the fuck was that?!
Roku Never
mind, Tasuki. You have to go back out there. We'll just start again from the
top, and Tamahome will be here for his scene, I promise you!
Tasuki: Why
the fuck should I go back out there? Fuckin' crazy people in the audience,
fuckin nutso maniacs… and I'm so goddam tired of walking already!!
Roku: (drawing
herself up to her full height of 5’2", with tears in her eyes) Tasuki… the
show must go on…
Tasuki: C’mon,
that's not fair. No cryin', for fuck's sake - you know I can't stand it when
girls cry!
Roku: (to
herself) I'm counting on that. (louder) Pleeeeaassse, Tasuki?!
Tasuki: Oh,
all right. Shit!!
Roku-chan pats
him on the behind as he heads back towards the stage. He flips her the bird in
reply.
Roku: (to
Chichiri's Girl) Okay, that's settled. Now remember, turn the lever…
Chichiri's
Girl: To the right.
Roku: Yes!!
Now I gotta go get Tama!
******************************************************************************************
Part D.
‘Home at last.
Roku-chan
dashes upstairs to the lobby, then pauses to catch her breath, noting that the
area is filled with the smell of popcorn. She picks up a discarded popcorn box,
noticing the "Triple T" logo on the side. Glaring, she tosses it
aside and begins to stride purposefully into the center of the lobby. She
suddenly spies the tall, elegant figure of Sesshoumaru, looking even more bored
than usual as he drifts through the lobby, his long white hair swaying gently
behind him, reaching nearly to his knees. Roku-chan shrinks back, knowing his
propensity to casually kill humans who get in his way. But someone is not so
cautious. A familiar voice rings out.
Popcorn
vendor: Lady! Hey, pretty lady! It’s your lucky day, gorgeous! I just happen to
have one last box of popcorn here with your name on it. Half price for such a
cute girl!
Sesshoumaru
turns and fixes his demonic golden glare on the vendor, who suddenly realizes
his mistake.
Vendor: Um,
er, I meant honored sir! Yes, that’s it - most honored, most unmistakably
masculine sir!! Still only half-price for a gentleman of your obviously discriminating
taste!
Sesshoumaru:
(very cold) I do not eat human food.
Vendor: Right.
No human food. So what do you eat then - dog food?! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Sesshoumaru
suddenly leaps up into the air, his poison claws outstretched in attack mode.
Roku-chan makes a running leap and tackles the vendor, leaving an empty space
just milliseconds before Sesshoumaru’s claws rake through that area. Roku-chan
gets up and begins to taunt the enraged demon lord.
Roku: Okay,
Fluffy, if you’re so tough, let’s see that doggie face now!
Sesshoumaru’s
eyes begin turning red as his hair flows back, and he begins to transform into
his canine form. Roku-chan backs away as his transforming body reaches to the
lobby ceiling. Just as he reaches his formidable demon size... he pitches
forward and falls on his nose, forgetting once again that Inu-Yasha has cut off
his left foreleg, so he literally does not have a leg to stand on on that side.
Roku-chan grabs the vendor and hightails it out of the lobby before Sesshoumaru
recovers.
They run all
the way down to the lower level, to the green room. Roku-chan gasps for air,
then angrily shoves the vendor back against the wall.
Roku: You
idiot, you’d better think twice before mocking a demon lord again. You almost
got killed back there! Good thing I saved your life... because now I’m
gonna kill you!!! (She places her hands around Tamahome’s throat and squeezes.)
Tamahome:
(easily removing her hands and holding them immobile above her head)
Re-laaaxxxxxx, Roku-chan. I could’ve taken him, no problem! You know, you need
to learn to not sweat the small stuff.
Roku:
(snatching her hands down) The small stuff. Yeah, the small stuff. Like a play
into which I’ve sunk my LIFE SAVINGS to stage, and that you decide to
bail out of in favor of selling popcorn. Triple T. Tamahome’s Tasty Treats.
Yeah, I guess I’m just an UPTIGHT PARANOID WENCH!!!
Tamahome:
(hurt) I didn’t bail out on you. I’m not that kind of guy. I was just finishing
up there, then I was gonna be onstage before you guys even missed me.
Roku: Oh, before
we missed you. Well, I got news for you, Tama. We first missed you about TWENTY
MINUTES AGO!! You obviously learned time management from the Doctor’s School of
Relative Time!! Ya know, where you get a twelve noon appointment and they
finally deign to see you about 1:30 PM!!! This whole time, Tasuki’s been pacing
around onstage waiting for you, wearing a damn TRENCH into the wood floor! And
the crowd is angry and impatient and about ready to walk out! So whaddaya
think?! Am I still sweating the small stuff?!
Tamahome:
(truly contrite) I guess the time got away from me. But I didn’t mean to screw
you over. In fact, I’ve known all along that you were spending your own money
on this play, so I wanted to help you out. (gets excited) And I think I did
pretty good! Man, you can’t believe all the okane I made!! Tons of
okane!! And it’s all for you!!
Roku: (stares
at him for a long, quiet moment) As usual, Tama-baby, your heart’s in the right
place even though your head’s somewhere around the constellation of Orion.
(sighs) You know I can’t stay mad at you, Boy Blue. But you sure take me to the
limits of my patience, I can tell you that. So come on, put in your freaky reflective
contact lenses and let’s get this show rolling.
Tamahome:
Okay, okay - but first, let me show you some of the okane!! (starts emptying
his pockets. Quarters, nickels and dimes begin spilling out in piles.) See,
look at all the silver pieces!! (A couple of Sacajawea dollars roll out.) And
even some gold pieces!!! Yeah, some people tried to rip me off with stupid
paper money, but I said No, sir! Only silver or gold!! (beams proudly at
Roku-chan)
Roku (puts her
hand up to her forehead, hiding her eyes... then lowers her hand to reveal eyes
filled with tears, and smiles at him.) Yeah, you done real good, Tama-chan.
(very soft and affectionate) Real good, my little Boy Blue. (She pulls
the young man, who towers over her by at least ten inches, into a warm hug,
then pushes him towards his dressing room.)
******************************************************************************************
Part E. No,
the other right!!
A very short
time thereafter, Roku-chan and Tamahome are quickly approaching the backstage
area. To Roku-chan’s horror, she hears the stage machinery groaning under some
tremendous strain. Nuriko and Hotohori are anxiously observing the stage from
the wings, while Sorceress and Chichiri’s Girl struggle with something in the
background.
Roku-chan
looks out from behind Nuriko and Hotohori... to see Tasuki running flat out at
top speed on the rapidly spinning circular stage. His coat is open, and he has
also pulled open his shirt in a desperate attempt to get more air. His eyes are
beginning to glaze over, and the director can tell that it is only a matter of
moments before he loses it. If he falls, the speed of the spinning stage will
catapult him out into space with the force of several g’s. The background
scenery is also flying by, giving many audience members vertigo. There are some
cries for airsickness bags. Roku-chan can make out the form of Kaze-chan flying
down from the lighting booth, running desperately towards the backstage area.
Roku: What the
FUCK is going on here??!! (she runs up to where Chichiri’s Girl and
Sorceress are struggling with the stage controls.) Why is this lever all the
way over to the LEFT??!!
Chichiri’s
Girl: Hehhehhehheheh. Ummmmmm, Tasuki was looking a little tired, so I turned
the lever to the right to slow the stage, like you told me to. Only it started
speeding up instead. So I turned it more to the right, and it kept
getting faster, so I turned it MORE to the right, and it just kept getting worse...and
now it’s stuck!!!
Roku: (stares
at her sister) I am a complete moron. I am the most stupid person to ever draw
breath on the face of this planet! I am a COMPLETE AND TOTAL BRAINLESS TWIT TO
FORGET THAT YOU CAN’T TELL YOUR RIGHT FROM YOUR LEFT!!! You IDIOT!! You
kept turning the lever to the LEFT!!! You were supposed to turn it to
YOUR OTHER RIGHT!!!
Chichiri’s
Girl: Oops! My other right... now I remember!! Hehhehhehhehehheh.
Roku: Well,
what are we gonna do to rescue Tasuki?! Nuriko, can you do anything?
Nuriko: Well,
I tried pulling on the lever when it first got stuck - and damn near broke it
off. I’m afraid that brute strength isn’t the answer here, Roku-chan...
Roku:
(desperate) We’ve got to do something!! Or Tasuki’s gonna die!! And probably
take out a few audience members with him!!
Meanwhile, out
in the audience, Nakago views the situation with intense enjoyment.
Nakago:
Hmmmmmmm, death by hamster wheel. I must admit, that method never occurred to
me before. Most entertaining! I must keep it in mind for future
interactions with the Suzaku seishi.
Backstage,
Tamahome begins tugging fiercely at the handle, when Kaze-chan finally arrives,
breathless.
Kaze-chan:
Outta my way!!
She jumps at
the lever, pulling it outward while simultaneously kicking the wall which
houses the piston assembly with several short, hard kicks. She then pulls the
lever slowly to the right in small increments. The machinery begins to slow
down, emitting one last mechanical groan as it moves back to normal speed. The
young stage mechanic then looks up at Roku-chan.
Kaze-chan:
(grinning weakly) Captain, me engines can’t take much more o’ this!
Roku: (falling
to her knees before the teenager) You’re a genius!!! Will you marry me?
Kaze-chan:
(grins again) Sure! That makes me what - number ten on your list of marriage
proposals this week?
Roku: I think
number eleven. Which reminds me - how’s my boy?
Tamahome
re-enters the backstage area carrying Tasuki, who had collapsed on the
decelerating stage. His face is still very flushed, but his breathing is
slowing down to normal. Roku-chan places a trembling hand on his forehead.
Roku: (very
soft) Gods, I’m so sorry, Gen-chan. I never meant to put you through this much.
Chichiri’s
Girl: (crying) No, I’m the one who’s sorry. How could I be so stupid?!
Roku: No, it’s
my fault. I blew out of here in such a hurry, I never bothered to make
sure that you understood my instructions clearly...
Tamahome:
Well, then it’s my fault, since I’m the reason that you were forced to
leave, and the reason that Tasuki was stuck out there for so long...
Kaze-chan: No,
it’s my fault, because I knew that the stage control was sticky, but I
forgot to tell anyone...
A soft,
irritated voice speaks up.
Tasuki: Yer
all a buncha assholes!!!
Everyone:
Tasukiiiiii!!!!!
They all fall
on him in a big group hug.
Tasuki:
Gahhhhhhhh, get offa me, already! Can’t stand all this fuckin’ sap! Yer makin’
me sick!!
Roku: Thank
Suzaku you’re all right!! Just give me a couple of minutes to let the audience
know that we’re closing the play tonight, then I’ll be right back here, and we
can...
Tasuki: What
the fuck are you talkin’ about, closing the play?! Tama’s here now, so we’re
just gettin’ ready to start! What the fuck’s wrong with ya?
Roku: I
thought maybe you needed a break, Tasuki. I mean, everything’s going wrong
anyway, and you nearly died out there...!!
Tasuki: Shit,
I didn’t nearly die!! I ain’t that easy ta kill, ya know!
Roku:
(laughing) No, you’re not, are you? I guess I forgot that.
Tasuki: Damn
right you did. Now let’s get this ball rolling...
******************************************************************************************
Part F. The
oni appears...
Tasuki and
Tamahome stand in a set comprised of a bed, a wardrobe and a table and chairs.
The stage is no longer rotating, but is still slightly tilted upward towards
the back, keeping the upstage area clearly visible to the audience. Further
downstage are two abbreviated walls, representing the outside walls of
Tamahome’s bedrooom. The tension grows between the two characters as they act
out their angry confrontation. The music of the taiko drums contributes to the
building tension.
Tamahome: I
saw you tonight. (accusing) I saw the two of you together...and now I know why she
rejected my proposal!
Tasuki: (eyes
widening in shock) No, you’ve got it wrong! We weren’t...we didn’t!... (stops
and takes a deep breath) We gotta talk, Tama.
Suddenly,
Kaze-chan shines a green spotlight at an angle onto Tamahome’s face. A
reflective "oni" symbol pasted on his forehead and his reflective
contacts make the greenish light seem to shine out from his face. The audience
gasps, and Tasuki steps back, fear suddenly crossing his features.
Tasuki:
(softly) What the Hell? I’ve never been afraid of Tama before, not even
when he was under the kodoku spell!
Tamahome walks
downstage until he is even with the short walls. He stops, standing in the
green spotlight, his eyes and oni symbol glowing eerily. The lamps on either
side of the short walls flicker, then go out, leaving downstage in sudden
darkness. Spotlights of greenish-yellow shine down in front of Tamahome, nearly
obscuring him and Tasuki .
Tamahome:
(amused, seductive) So let’s talk.
He slowly
pulls the walls together as if they were sliding doors, gradually cutting off
the upstage view of him and Tasuki. As soon as he draws the doors together, the
music stops and the lights go out, leaving the stage in darkness. In the
silence, there is one final sound - that of a bolt being shot. The audience
lets out a long, trembling breath as the curtain comes down between scenes.
Roku: (peeking
out at the audience from the wings) Yesss!!
******************************************************************************************
******************************************************************************************
Author’s
notes: (6-13-02) Ooh, yeah, boo, scary! Pretty schizophrenic chapter, ne? Some
slapstick, some sap, some danger, some tension - yeah, you can tell that I’m
pretty schizo myself about this fic.
And we haven’t
even gotten to Chapter 1, yet!! Aaarrgghhhhh! I really do not intend
this fic to be as long as White Stones - but like White Stones, this is taking
on a peculiar life of its own and once again, I feel like I'm only along for
the ride. Gackkkkk! Not again, you cry!! Not to mention the return of
encyclopedia-length chapters!
To my faithful
audience members - I will get back to you in upcoming chapters, I promise! I
would like to thank everyone for their suggestions - I'm going to incorporate
as many as possible into this story. Now, since this is a Kaze-chan-centered
story, I'm going to do a Kaze-chan and answer the reviewer's questions
here, since I'm getting behind on my e-mailing!
To Bashou-chan
- You were the one who told me your age in one of the first e-mails that
you sent to me! Hope I didn't make you self-conscious!
To Chao-chan -
Yes, I will go back and make the corrections you suggested - but I had you
refer to "Tama-kins" because that's what you called him in a White
Stones review from 3-29, Ch. 17. But no prob, I'll still change it to your
preferred form of address! As for a nude Mitsukake… may be difficult, but it
seems like a lotta people want that. Can't make any promises but I'll mull it over!
As for Nakago's whip - you asked for it, you got it! Now it's up to you to face
down "Ice-Blue Eyes."
To Fawkes:
Sorry that I haven't been writing any more Inu-Yasha fics, but Dandelion is
complete, at one chapter. I guess I'd better put that info somewhere. I can't
take it any farther without stepping into Becky's territory in "Fall of a
Prince" - we're sorta discussing it now, but I can't make any promises
without clearance from Becky… and we've BOTH been incredibly busy. But
if I do get any other Inuyasha-based inspirations, I will write for the
Inuyasha page again! Thanks for following me here!
Kaze-chan - I
did my best. Instead of a missing prop, we ended up with a missing actor.
Even more nail-biting, ain't it? ^ ~
Kryssa - I
haven't forgotten you, up in the sound booth - you will have some lines in
upcoming chapters, I promise!
Aikido-chan -
Thanks for the beta-read, as usual!
Once again,
thanks to everyone… and I'm still taking requests!
Next time:
Yes, we finally arrive at Chapters 1 and 2 - the most traumatic chapters in the
entire story. Will Chichiri's Girl succeed in her assignment to divert Mom from
the dreadful events happening on stage? What will Dad think? Will anybody
be able to get the Vampire Princess out of the bathroom? And… how will Tamahome
get Tasuki to scream convincingly? Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Do you think that this
chapter will be appropriately serious, considering the serious subject matter?
Come on - you know meeeeeeeee. ^ ~
Ja ne!
Roku-chan