Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto. This was written for the twenty-first Fanfic Friday contest. The theme was to write a story featuring one of your OTP and the theater.
For the Fanfic Friday contest Curtain Call, I decided to go with a romance involving Japanese puppet theater. Bunraku is one of the major traditional theater disciplines along with Kabuki. Kyogen and Noh. The play mentioned in the story, Sonezaki Shinju, is also equivalent in Japan to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The fanfic focuses around Bunraku, but also, the family politics involved for a family ingrained in the Japanese theater tradition.
I'm also using the possibility of Rasa being related to the third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo and Sasori , which I love a lot,to round out the head family of the Bunraku troupe. The ex-fiance is the daughter of Onoki, and mother of Kurotsuchi who are the third and fourth Tsuchikage respectively, though it is not known whether Onoki is Kurotsuchi's maternal or paternal grandfather.
Backstage Politics
Sweat and Tears
Light from the overhead spotlight poured down onto the heads of the puppets, making the second and junior puppeteers sweat under their hoods far more than the head puppeteer. Rasa's fingers moved the puppets mechanics in a smooth fashion, every movement careful and methodical, his attention on making even the practice performance perfect. The traditional Japanese music and narrative voice hummed in the background, telling Chikamatsu Monzaemon's story, Sonezaki Shinju.
The puppet in his hands, the character Tokubei moved with precision, as expected of someone in line for the position to become the head of a famous Bunraku troupe. Across from him, Rasa's nephew Sasori worked with the partner puppet, Ohatsu with equal precision, and yet the young auburn-haired teen also seemed unfazed by the rigorous work which went into manipulating the puppets, the major ones needing three puppeteers to function properly. The practice continued until the third kazekage called out for the rehearsal to end.
Rasa turned his head to finally look towards the audience, wondering what the man was up to. "We've not completed the scene yet."
"Your fiance is paying a visit."
Rasa felt the corner of his mouth twist down, his dark brown eyes drifting over to the daughter of the third tsuchikage, the title given to the head of one of the famous noh performers. The previous marriage meetings set up by the two families left quite a bit to be desired. Rasa couldn't fault the woman for her looks, as her skin was pale, and her hair dark as night. She also acted in the manner expected of a young Japanese lady, but the conversations between the two were not memorable, and her name managed to slip the auburn-haired man's mind.
The woman dressed in a kimono which rivaled the puppet Ohatsu's slightly, and she stood in the aisle way of the theater waiting for Rasa to take his leave, and proceed with the courtship, simply speaking to her about whatever came to mind. The aburn-haired man let his teeth slide slightly across each other, the idea of another boring conversation proving an unwanted annoyance. "This marriage isn't one of love, but to ensure the family line."
Rasa's dark eyes moved over to his nephew, watching the auburn-haired teen carefully. Technically the line should follow through Sasori as the sixteen-year-old was the son of the third's eldest son, but Rasa's older brother died with his wife in an accident when the boy was young, and the child's personality suffered. Rasa noticed the look of apathy Sasori gave the young woman from the other clan and knew the auburn-haired-teen didn't like her. The auburn-haired adult also couldn't put it past his nephew to do something he shouldn't.
The man shook off the eerie feeling emanating from Sasori and handed off the puppet to one of the understudies. He held out a hand, and helped her step onto the stage, catching the family doctor off to the side speaking to one of the backstage hands who managed to injure themselves. Rasa walked over to the young woman and felt her small hands entwine around his upper arm. "You are quite handsome for someone in their mid-twenties. Your hair color is also unique."
Rasa didn't respond, the discomfort of the situation drying out his throat. A creaking sound came from above, and the auburn-haired man looked up at the rigging in the small theater, the realization that something wasn't right hitting. He started to step aside thinking the young woman would follow after with the way she latched onto his arm, but instead she loosened her grip. The rigging from above quickly crashed down, his body moving to step out from underneath, dust rising up from the destruction.
He rose one arm up, covering his mouth with the sleeve from his black kimono used for puppeteering. Rasa's brown eyes widened to see the family doctor there, his leg trapped under the rubble, having pushed the woman out of the way, something he honestly should have done as the woman's fiance.
The woman dressed in a kimono which rivaled the puppet Ohatsu's slightly, and she stood in the aisle way of the theater waiting for Rasa to take his leave, and proceed with the courtship, simply speaking to her about whatever came to mind. The aburn-haired man let his teeth slide slightly across each other, the idea of another boring conversation proving an unwanted annoyance. "This marriage isn't one of love, but to ensure the family line."
Rasa's dark eyes moved over to his nephew, watching the auburn-haired teen carefully. Technically the line should follow through Sasori as the sixteen-year-old was the son of the third's eldest son, but Rasa's older brother died with his wife in an accident when the boy was young, and the child's personality suffered. Rasa noticed the look of apathy Sasori gave the young woman from the other clan and knew the auburn-haired-teen didn't like her. The auburn-haired adult also couldn't put it past his nephew to do something he shouldn't.
The man shook off the eerie feeling emanating from Sasori and handed off the puppet to one of the understudies. He stepped off the stage, and walked over the young woman, catching the family doctor off to the side speaking to one of the backstage hands who managed to injure themselves. Rasa walked over to the young woman and felt her small hands entwine around his upper arm. "You are quite handsome for someone in their mid-twenties. Your hair color is also unique."
Rasa didn't respond, the discomfort of the situation drying out his throat. A creaking sound came from above, and the auburn-haired man looked up at the rigging in the small theater, the realization that something wasn't right hitting. He started to step aside thinking the young woman would follow after with the way she latched onto his arm, but instead she loosened her grip. The rigging from above quickly crashed down, his body moving to step out from underneath, dust rising up from the destruction.
He rose one arm up, covering his mouth with the sleeve from his black kimono used for puppeteering. Rasa's brown eyes widened to see the family doctor there, his leg trapped under the rubble, having pushed the woman out of the way, something he honestly should have done as the woman's fiance.
The young woman stared back at the rigging for the lights, her eyes wide and focused on the man before swooning over her hero. Rasa's eyes gritted together, his dark eyes darting over to Sasori. The sixteen-year-old looked on from the stage, the youthful face revealing no emotion, not even shock. Rasa glanced briefly over Sasori, who had set up the rigging for the lights, before turning his attention towards calling an ambulance for the unlucky doctor while some of the backstage crew attempted to free the man.
The auburn-haired man waited for the ambulance and followed them back in. The third gave him the usual glare, before letting Rasa know he would accompany the doctor to the hospital, and to see that things were cleaned up. The aburn-haired man took a deep breath, his dark eyes turning towards Sasori, but stopped short upon seeing the woman who was supposed to be his fiance speaking rather candidly with the man who saved her. The family doctor was lifted up on the stretcher, and the soft, innocent look on her pale features quickly became replaced with fiery passion. Her finger poked into Rasa's chest. "You're the one whose supposed to have rescued me. You are my fiance after all."
The auburn haired man uttered then words Rasa knew shouldn't come out of his mouth. "And risk an injury that would end my career."
Rasa watched the young woman leave to see how her hero faired, and then turned his attention towards the young puppeteer watching him. The auburn-haired man waved a calloused hand to the backstage hands, before grabbing the sleeve of Sasori's black kimono, and pulling him backstage.
"What the hell do you think you were doing, Sasori?"
"What do you mean?"
"I could have been killed."
"You make it sound as if I'm trying to kill you for the head position."
"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past you."
"I honestly expected you to move out of the way."
The sinking feeling of what Sasori actually intended hit Rasa in the pit of the storm. "You do realize the reason she and I are to be married is to hopefully end the rivalry between our two theater groups?"
"They practice Noh, not Bunraku. Plus, I don't like her. Neither do you."
"That's beside the point."
"I don't want her to be my aunt."
Rasa's eyes snapped shut, his teen pushing together patiently, his mind counting to ten. The dark eyes opened back up. "We just lost our family doctor Sasori, and I'm not going to cover for you should someone choose to investigate this. If it didn't get noticed, this time, it will certainly get noticed the next time."
"Don't worry. There won't be a next time. She obviously likes the doctor." Sasori brushed past Rasa. "As for not having a doctor on hand, I believe I have a solution."
"What do you mean she likes the doctor. He's ten years my elder." Rasa's eyes narrowed, thinking about why Sasori would say such strange things, only to realize that the sixteen-year-old had said something else rather odd. "Wait! What do you mean you have a solution!"