Backstage Politics
Star Crossed, Possibly

Karura stared down at her medical textbook, tapping her pencil in a rhythm which helped her to memorize the facts her younger brother could spout off at a much younger age. A piece of white fluttered in front of her eyesight and a white envelope appeared on top of her books. One thin finger pointed at the envelope. "What's this?"

The young sandy-haired woman looked up into a pair of indigo eyes that mirrored her own. Yashamaru's perpetual smirk refused to leave, and he rocked back on his heels, his hands behind his back. "That's from Sasori's uncle."

The woman let out a sound of annoyance, before picking up the envelope to read. Karura opened up the letter, slipping out the note. "I wish to make up for the inconvenience my nephew has caused, and as such would like to take you to lunch in order to apologize."

Karura felt a flutter of embarrassment hit her chest hard, her cheeks heating up. Her delicate fingers pushed the edge of the note to her lips, thinking about the invitation. "Come on. It's just lunch, not an actual real date. Plus, this guy's older than you, and the uncle of one of your brother's classmates."

The sunshine on Yashamaru's face broke, and the smile finally fell into a frown. "Nee-san, is something the matter."

"Yes, well..." Karura swallowed, the heat growing in her cheeks. "Sasori's uncle asked me to lunch, to apologize to me for dragging you into their family matter."

Yashamaru's indigo eyes blinked a couple of times, and the bright smile quickly returned. "Oh, sounds more like a date to me."

The woman felt her throat tighten, and a hand reached up to brush away one of her sandy-haired locks. "Exactly. That's exactly why I am going to refuse."

The palms of the eighteen-year-olds hands slammed down, and Yashamaru leaned forward. "You can't!"

"I very well can." Karura glared at her brother, noting the glimmer in his indigo colored eyes.

"Please..."

"I don't have time for dates, plus he's from a major family that has expectations of who he will or won't marry. It's scandalous to think..."

"Rasa-nii's rather nice, though." Yashamaru continued to pressure. "Plus, what harm can one date be? From the way Sasori talks, his uncle's just as bad as you are about not taking a break."

"If you're trying to tell me we're right for each other because of that, that really isn't a compliment you know." Karura folded her fingers in front of her mouth, hoping that the blush on her face would remain hidden. "Plus..."

"It can't hurt."

Karura's eyes snapped shut, a sigh escaping her lips. "Yashamaru, need I remind you that people aren't always the way they seem to be. They may seem, for example, like a nice person, but it's just a mask for their real self. Plus, I don't want any of this stiff etiquette, as I've got enough on my plate."

"Please. You don't have a logical reason to refuse."

"I don't have a logical reason to refuse? Haven't I given him logical arguments against this?" Two indigo eyes closed, trying to muddle through the mess.

"Sis, all your doing is building your social network."

"That's not all that is going on, though." Karura's eyes snapped open. "You're not going to take my refusal back to him, are you."

"You'll have to do it yourself."

"You..." The woman felt her lips push together, her indigo eyes twinkling in amusement. "I do that, and he'll argue that he wishes to make up for..." Karura looked Yashamaru right in the eye, knowing he'd managed to back her into a corner. "Fine. Fine. I'll meet up with him for lunch."

Giving a yes answer turned out not to be as excruciating as waiting for the lunch date. Karura kept playing over, and over in her head how she didn't wish to go, but soon found herself waiting at a small cafe, her textbooks pulled out so she could study. "You're also going into the medical profession like the rest of your family?"

A thin hand reached up to brush away sandy locks of hair, and Karura raised her indigo eyes up so she could look the aburn-haired man in the eye. Her teeth began to worry her bottom lip, and she set the book aside. "Sort of. I'm planning on becoming a doctor, but the females in my family don't become doctors. They just don't. So, I'm stuck paying for this on my own. I've got a part-time job, but sometimes I think I'll have to take a semester off.."

"Then this lunch must be a nice break for you then, with as busy as you are."

Karura felt her chest tighten, her mind racing to figure out whether the man was choosing to be condescending, or he actually was being polite. "I guess it is. Yashamaru insisted I go, as he thinks I've been too busy. It was the same with the play actually."

The man watched her carefully, a silence falling over the two. "So, do you plan on..."

"Don't. We don't really know each other. That's not to say the conversation can't go there, but you're the one to invite me, so you should start. About the theater. I know nothing about it, and the companion who was with me that day, her explanation held a lot to be desired."

"Oh." The aburn-haired man's face fell, his eyes looking at his hands. "As you already know, I'm Rasa, the second son of the third for our troupe."

"Sasori's going to be the one to take over."

"Not necessarily. Theater hierarchy, it doesn't always pass down like it normally does. One's ability to perform does matter, so sometimes a person outside of the head family will be chosen."

"So, Sasori doesn't show talent, or he's too young."

"Sasori has talent and is honestly a genius. He's better than I am. You know though how he is." Rasa began to explain to her the different positions for the puppeteers, and the fine details. Something told Karura he didn't enjoy talking to her about just the theater, and finally, he spoke up. "An honest question for you, since I've shared a bit about myself, and how the troupe works. Are you planning on becoming a doctor, or getting married?"

Karura felt a shudder run down her spine, and her lips pushed together. Her fingers tightened around the table. "Why can't I have both? Truth be told, I've been thinking of opening a clinic, or doing volunteer work, depending on if I was married. I'm becoming a doctor because I want to help people."

"Oh," Rasa's dark eyes twinkled, and a smile flitted across his mouth. "What would you do though if a child was on the way?" This comment made the woman draw a breath, her fingers tightening around the table again. "Or are there going to be no children? Would you marry for love, or because someone might provide for you, so you could finish school?"

"I don't think this is an appropriate conversation." Karura titled her head slightly, making her sandy colored hair move slightly to one side. "That said, I plan on having children, but I wouldn't marry for anything but love. Someone providing for me, and there being no love. I couldn't live that way."

The man took a bow. "I'm sorry. I did not wish to be rude." Rasa sat up. "I'm just interested in the fact you're planning on becoming a doctor."

The woman felt her indigo eyes narrow, and a smirk spread across her face. "Haven't you ever talked to a woman before? I mean, outside of your family?"

The color drained from the auburn-haired man's face, his dark brown eyes darting to the ground. "No. Actually, I've only ever talked to my fiance. We only ever talked about the theater."

"Oh." Karura let out a sigh, pleased that her drink had arrived so she could stay off some of the embarrassment why she drank the milk coffee. "I apologize. I asked you about the theater without realizing that you weren't really wanting to talk about it. I was curious though to know more, particularly since Yashamaru's been spending a lot of time over there."

"Did you ever think..." Rasa's mouth opened but then stopped short.

"Go on."

The man took a deep breath, letting the release of the air come out. "See, I'm wondering if Yashamaru's inclination to not become a doctor really has to do with the way you've been treated, and the reason he hangs out as much as he does, even when we're not practicing..." Rasa twisted his cup around in his hands nervously. "Might that have something to do with the fact he doesn't want to be around them. I mean, my family is pretty messed up, and the person he hangs out with the most is Sasori."

Karura stared at him, her indigo eyes widening. "Does he actually think not allowing me to pursue becoming a doctor like the rest of the family is wrong? I mean..." Her eyes darted down to the ground. "Oh, sorry. I hadn't..."

"No! I'm sorry! I brought up something I shouldn't have." Rasa's voice strained, and a slight blush appeared on the man's cheeks. "Look. If you're ever looking for a quiet place to study, there is always the theater, if you can put up with the chanting. I always found the melody soothing when I used to do my own studies." The man cleared his throat, the blush deepening even more. "This way you can keep an eye on your brother, if you wish."

"I'll need to think about that." Karura swallowed. "Obviously, this isn't a good idea. He's a kind man, but there are alternate intentions here, even if he doesn't yet realize them. This can only end in heartbreak."