Hi everyone!
Hope you're all doing well! As usual, review responses are up first!
tmwillson3: Thank you! You gave me an idea for what to do for the 100 review celebration! Read on. And excellent suggestions with Haruhi and the twins. I had a similar theme in mind, but it's good to know that's what my readers want.
Sheepgirl418: So glad you enjoyed the chapter! I'll keep the idea about the twins in mind!
DiamondSparkle42: Aww, thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it so much!
EllatheYoukai: I'm so happy it was so vivid! I always try to picture these chapters as if they were part of the anime (it's easier for me to visualize animation rather than individual frames like a manga), so if those images reach my readers, that's great!
Jenny: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's always awesome to hear from new readers-thank you for the review!
Mjsis1313: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! As I've said before, I love hearing from happy new readers! Thank you for reviewing!
A.A. Enchanted Crystal Blade: That's so sweet! Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter just as much! Like I mentioned to tmwillson3, I agree with you on Haruhi's main role with the twins. I just wanted to make sure that my readers felt the same!
So, I have a trivia question to answer, a review celebration to explain and a new question! I'll start with the trivia question in case any of you have been wondering where the Lobelia Troupe's first performance came from. The performance was mostly influenced by Puccini's Turandot and included a few elements from another one of his operas, Tosca (the failed faked execution was the main part drawn from this opera.)
Now, for the review celebration. Thanks to everyone who entered their suggestions! I wanted to go ahead and get your opinions on this before I went ahead with it. I know a lot of authors do one-shots. However, as a reader, I always get a bit frustrated with one-shots because they always leave me wanting more. I definitely don't want to do that. So, I started thinking about how the manga handled special chapters/extras (I believe they're called omake, but please don't quote me on that! I'm not far enough in my language studies to know for sure!) There were several ideas that I could play off of from the original extras, but not many would be workable without interrupting the main plot/plot of the serial arcs. It annoyed me when those special chapters broke up the main action of the manga at an important point. So, taking that into consideration, I want to offer you guys this for the review celebration:
I would like to do an arc about Kotoko and Ryoji's relationship. I felt like they didn't get enough attention in the anime or manga and really want to expand on their story in this AU. This would definitely be a very sweet and comedic arc, likely told in some form of flashback and probably pulling a little bit from material in manga. It will probably be about five chapters, maybe more if everyone is happy with it. And I think I can do this in a way that won't break up the main action. About every five or ten chapters (depending on what you guys want), I can post a chapter about Kotoko and Ryoji that will have some kind of introduction that includes the main characters and maybe some of the main plot action. I say about every five or ten chapters because it will depend on where each serial arc begins and ends. I don't want to leave you guys on a cliffhanger in the main action just for consistency. Right now, I know that I could definitely work in the first chapter of the Kotoko/Ryoji arc at chapter forty without breaking up a main arc. But if I get to chapter forty five or chapter fifty (again, this is dependent on how often you guys want the arc included) and haven't ended an arc of main action, I'm happy to wait until chapter forty six or forty seven or chapter fifty-one or fifty-two before I go to the next chapter of Kotoko and Ryoji's arc.
So, if you guys are happy with this, let me know and let me know if you would like the arc posted every five or every ten chapters! If you're absolutely vehemently opposed and want something else, let me know! All I ask is that would my nay-sayers please provide alternate ideas that I can suggest in the next update!
Now, with past business out of the way, I'd like to go to the new reader question! I have two potential arcs that could be used next. Both arcs will eventually be used, but at the moment, I'm simply having a hard time picking which one to go with first. One arc revolves primarily around Kasanoda and draws heavily from the anime and manga. The other arc involves Haruhi and her relationship with the twins as well as her relationship with Tamaki. So, my reader question for this week is...which arc would you like to see next? Kasanoda's arc or the arc involving Haruhi, the twins and Tamaki? Send in your thoughts!
The reader wishlist for this week is again...what scenarios and head canons would you like to see regarding Haruhi and the twins? Just remember to keep it PG-13 or less!
The next update should be on Thursday as usual!
Before we go on, I just want to say that this is hands-down the longest chapter of the fanfic. I didn't think it was fair to break it up and make you guys wait until Thursday for the conclusion of the action, so I decided to post it all as one chapter. It was probably one of the most fun chapters to write and I really hope everyone enjoys it!
So, onto the next chapter-in which a competition between troupes occurs!
The morning after the announcement of the competition, it began raining in Shikanai. The rain cast a gray dimness over the entire castle. And within this calm gloom, the members of Le Triomphe de la Comedie gathered in the library to discuss their plans. Mei had offered to stand guard outside the library doors lest the Lobelia Troupe attempted to gain an unfair advantage.
"What are we going to do? Was Misuzu crazy when he made this announcement?" Hikaru asked as he paced between two of the bookcases.
"Yeah! Make the princess smile and cry? I know we could manage to make her smile. But she's so reserved, we'll never be able to make her cry!" Kaoru complained.
"Oh, of course you could! You just have to find something that touches her heart," Renge chirped. The troupe's manager and costume designer was busy adding some finishing touches to a brilliantly colored skirt by the light of one of Kyoya's enchanted lanterns.
"'Touches her heart?' I'm not sure what might do that…Do you have any ideas, Tama?" Honey asked. "Tama?"
The king of the troupe sighed and stared out the window and into the dreary courtyard below them. He had been awake the entire night before trying to answer the riddle posed by Misuzu's challenge. Of course, he knew of themes they could perform that might bring tears to the princess's eyes. Perhaps a play about a character losing their mother. Or a monarch being stripped of their kingdom and title by uncontrollable circumstances. But such matters seemed so personal. It hardly seemed fair to put them on display in front of the entire court. If they were going to win this challenge, it would be in a way that respected Haruhi's dignity and didn't dig into such painful topics.
He turned back to his troupe. "I'm afraid I don't have any ideas yet. Kyoya, do you have anything?"
The illusionist frowned at the black notebook in front of him. "Not as of yet. However, in such circumstances, I find that it's useful to revisit the original instructions in their exact form. I wrote down Misuzu's challenge word-for-word after court disbanded last night."
"Then let's hear them again," Tamaki said with a wave of his hand.
"'In order to win, you must be able to bring a smile to the face of our judge and tears to their eyes,'" Kyoya recited.
"So…that doesn't give us much to go on. But let's focus on one task at a time. What could we do that would make the princess smile?" Tamaki asked.
The others began to think. Brows furrowed and quiet 'hmms' passed through the air.
Hikaru suddenly elbowed his brother. "Hey, Kaoru—what if we worked on that idea you had after we crossed the Lucentia? The one where everyone thinks Arlecchino has been turned into a toad? I read some of your notes on it last night and I laughed so hard I almost cried."
This statement rang out clearly for one of the troupe members. Honey gasped and seized Mori's arm as realization struck. As the others turned to him expectantly, Honey offered a wide grin. "That's it! I have it! I know what Misuzu wants us to do!"
With surprising speed, Tamaki caught on to this train of thought. He bounded over to Hikaru and grabbed the twin by the shoulders. "Hikaru, you're a genius!"
Hikaru blinked and stared. "Uh, I am? How?"
"Think about what you just said!"
Hikaru mouthed the words, then shook his head. "I don't get it."
"'Laughed so hard I almost cried?'" Tamaki prompted.
Hikaru's mouth dropped open. "Oh! That's it!"
"That's exactly what Misuzu wanted!" Kaoru cried. "I knew there had to be a trick to it."
"Wait, I didn't hear what you said!" Renge exclaimed as she edged about the excited group.
Tamaki leaned down to her and explained in a whisper, "Misuzu wants us to make Haruhi laugh so hard that she cries. That counts as a smile and tears."
"Oh! That makes sense! But how are we going to do that?" Renge asked.
Tamaki began to reply, then paused, the initial exuberance melting from his face. "That….is an excellent question."
This led to another brainstorming session. However, like most group work, it quickly devolved into individuals offering random comments or grumbling. Tamaki sat in a chair, staring at Renge's project as the conversation washed over him.
"We've got to do something hilarious. I'd love to get back at that stupid Pukeweed Troupe," Hikaru muttered. "Did you see what they had prepared for their second performance? They were all going to dress up as men! All of them! I understand one member having to dress as the opposite gender, but everyone? It's ridiculous. It turns everything into a mockery."
"Yeah, and did you hear them practicing for it? Benibara was singing! It sounded like a dying cat," Kaoru added. "Thank goodness the queen had a case of nerves."
"Sounds like we got lucky," Honey chimed in.
This discussion slowly sank into Tamaki's brain as he watched Renge work on the multicolored skirt.
"I'd love to get back at that stupid Pukeweed Troupe…They were going to dress up as men!"
"Benibara was singing!"
"We've got to do something hilarious."
"—Dress up as men! It's ridiculous!"
Tamaki snapped up from his reclining position, banging one fist on the table and scattering Renge's materials across the floor. The rest of the troupe flinched in surprise.
"I know what we'll do!" the troupe leader cried.
"What, milord?" Kaoru asked.
But Tamaki was already on his feet. "Renge! How fast can you make our costumes? Could you manage four or five in a day?"
Renge nodded, her eyes wide. "Yes—I think I could."
"Excellent! Honey, Mori—I need you to find Misuzu immediately and ask if we are allowed to draw help from people outside the troupe. On top of that, ask if we can use some of the courtiers as background actors," Tamaki directed.
"Yessir!" Honey exclaimed. Mori replied with a monosyllabic mumble of assent.
"Kyoya, we're going to need music for this play! Can you manage it?" Tamaki asked.
"Of course," Kyoya replied.
"Perfect! And Hikaru, Kaoru, I want you two to make sure that the Lobelia Troupe isn't snooping around to get ideas. If we're allowed to use outside help, Mei may be a bit tied up from here on."
"But milord, what are we doing?" Hikaru asked.
Tamaki offered a devilish grin to the entire troupe. "We're winning this competition!"
#
Over the next three days, the two troupes worked at a furious pace. Misuzu approved all of the requests from Le Triomphe de la Comedie. Upon hearing what the troupe's play involved, he even offered to help himself. Of course, in fairness to the Lobelia Troupe, he also volunteered his abilities to the three girls. After all, since he wasn't the judge of the competition, he could help either group. And as there was only one rule, there could be very few violations. However, Misuzu found his offer soundly rejected by the Lobelia Troupe. Their pride had led them to refrain from asking for any help or approvals. Le Triomphe de la Comedie declared it the other troupe's loss and accepted Misuzu's help gratefully.
The night of the performance, the entire court packed into the throne room. Two elaborate stages had been erected in the center of the room, one standing in front of the other.
Kasanoda took in this scene as his stomach flipped. The members of Le Triomphe de la Comedie had asked him to act in a silent bit part with a few other courtiers and servants. Why had he agreed to this again?
"Are you alright?" Mei came to his elbow and looked up to him.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Kasanoda stammered.
"You're sweating a bit," Mei noted.
Kasanoda sighed. "Fine, I'll admit it. I'm terrified to go up there."
"Aw, don't be nervous. It's just a silent part and you don't have to do anything but stand there. Besides…" She took his arm and offered a smile. "I'll be up there with you too."
Kasanoda returned her smile and they took their seats among the rest of the court.
The Lobelia Troupe was slated for the first performance. They strode to the center of the room and bowed as the queen took his throne. However, the princess's chair held the place of honor on the center of the dais. A few moments after the queen took her throne, Haruhi stepped out into the room and sat down with a sigh.
The three girls rose and Suzuran and Hinagiku strode back to their stage. Benibara stood before the court, allowing a moment of silence before she spoke.
"I believe our work needs no introduction. So, we now present…The Fool and the Princess."
At this title, the members of Le Triomphe de la Comedie, who had been allowed to watch their opposition's performance, tensed slightly. But, Tamaki subtly waved off the concern. Surely such things were coincidence.
The play opened with Benibara dressed as a male jester. "He" cavorted around Hinagiku, who had taken on the role of a carefree princess. Benibara danced about, performing balletic displays and general foolishness to make Hinagiku giggle.
After every comedic turn, Benibara stole a glance at Haruhi. But there was not so much as an upwards twitch at the corners of the princess's lips.
Near the end of the first scene, Hinagiku declared that the jester was her dearest friend. Benibara's response was enthusiastic in words, but not so in gesture. Shortly after this exchange, Suzuran, playing a princely suitor favored by Hinagiku, arrived to take the princess out riding. Benibara watched the lovers go with a sigh.
But where the audience expected an end to the scene, Benibara pulled a guitar from nearby and burst into a melancholy song proclaiming "his" secret love for the princess while strumming away. Taken aback by this sudden introduction of song, the court glanced at each other in confusion. The song warbled on about forbidden love and separate worlds. By the time the song ended, the audience had listened to twice as much of the music as they had wanted.
The next scene revolved about the princess's upcoming marriage. Benibara fretted about the princess's chambers, desperately attempting to see why Hinagiku wanted to marry this prince. So Hinagiku waxed poetic about the prince's wonderful charms. Benibara could only nod, the tendrils of the jester's hat drooping slightly.
Yet, the princess soon returned to speak of her favorite jester. She begged Benibara to allow her to confess a secret. Benibara agreed hesitantly. Hinagiku revealed that she had never been kissed—by the prince or otherwise. She expressed anxiety over the entire situation and a desire to impress her prince. And finally, Hinagiku shyly requested to kiss her "dear friend" in order to practice for her fiancé.
Benibara struggled with this revelation for a moment. Finally, the jester reasoned that a kiss would do no harm. The two slipped behind a screen and the "friends" shared a kiss. The princess emerged, grateful and happy, knowing that she would be able to impress her prince. She swore she would never forget this favor. But the jester could not hold back the tears any longer and ran from the princess's chambers.
The final scene took place on the roof of the castle. Benibara declared that "he" could not bear to see the princess married off. So the jester had retreated to the loneliest part of the castle. Upon realizing that this heartbreak had no solution, the jester again erupted into a swan song about the cruelty of fate and love. This mournful tune continued until it had been declared that the princess had left her castle permanantly for the kingdom of her husband. Unable to bear the news, Benibara cried out and jumped from the parapets in despair.
The curtains closed to highly hesitant applause from the audience. The Lobelia Troupe paraded around to the front of the stage and bowed to the princess. They glanced up, expecting to see tears in the princess's eyes.
Disappointment greeted them.
Haruhi had been unaffected by this melodrama. In fact, she seemed hesitant to even offer applause. But as the rest of the court, she offered her polite "approval." The Lobelia Troupe walked off to take their place in the crowd as the first stage was broken down to make way for the second stage.
The members of Le Triomphe de la Comedie disappeared behind the second stage. Honey soon trotted around to the front of the curtain.
"Like the Lobelia Troupe, we will allow our work to speak for us. We present…The Debtors."
The curtains pulled back to reveal a sitting room in a house. Hikaru and Kaoru stepped onto the stage. However, unlike previous performances, both twins were dressed as female innamorati. They proclaimed themselves as the twin sisters, Isabella and Vittoria.
The peace of the twins' household was soon interrupted by the raucous arrival of Arlecchino and Pedrolino, who were revealed to be cousins of the twins. The two pleaded with their relatives to hide them. They declared that they owed money to the terrifying Il Capitano and would meet a horrendous fate as they could not repay the debt. The sisters sighed, listening to their cousins' plight. After a few moments of counsel, the twins came up with a plan.
They would host a party and invite Il Capitano. They would then ply the good captain with wine until he passed out. Then, with the help of their closest friends, they would send Il Capitano on his merry way in a farmer's cart that would be far from town before daybreak.
Arlecchino and Pedrolino agreed heartily to this, but abruptly asked how they would escape the captain's wrath. They had nowhere else to hide and making an appearance at the party would be out of the question if Il Capitano attended. They would need some sort of disguise if they were going to help with this scheme. To this, Isabella and Vittoria simply smiled.
The next scene opened to a parlor scene, complete with a harpsichord. The courtiers asked to perform stood in this parlor as party guests. The twins, acting as gracious hostesses, bustled onto the scene. They soon stated that the guests needed to meet their cousins. Isabella called out for Arlecchinetta and Pedrolina.
Pedrolino sauntered into the parlor and the court choked back a laugh. The Lobelia Troupe blanched in fury.
The performer had donned a rose colored silk gown and his face had been carefully made up with powder and rouge. A curly blonde wig completed the ensemble. Pedrolino glanced back behind him and waved as if trying to coax someone to come forward.
Arlecchino, garbed in a bright red dress, face powder, overdone rouge and a flowing blonde wig, trudged out onto the stage to the riotous laughter of the audience. Halfway through the parlor, he jerked and shifted in an attempt to compensate for the corset his disguise placed him in. He came to stand beside Pedrolino to greet the other guests with a frown. Obviously, he had not had such a disguise in mind in the previous scene.
Between the talents of Mei and Misuzu, both Tamaki and Honey made quite convincing women. The courtiers snickered and giggled openly. The Lobelia Troupe simply glowered. However, both royals restrained themselves to amused snorts.
This was all the encouragement Tamaki and Honey needed. They exchanged a grin and readied themselves for the next part of the scene.
After the twins' "dearest lady cousins" had been introduced, Il Capitano strode into the room. Arlecchino shrieked and dodged behind the nearest guest…who happened to be Kasanoda. Pedrolino went to Arlecchino and reminded him that they were in disguise. Abashed, Arlecchino pulled out a brilliant red fan and waved it rapidly.
Isabella and Vittoria offered Il Capitano a glass of wine before leading him to greet the other guests. The captain blustered through most of the introductions without much thought. But, when he reached Arlecchino, he paused. Arlecchino giggled nervously and the fan flitted about even faster.
Sensing some problem, the twins hurried through the introduction of their cousin Pedrolina and proclaimed that dinner would be followed by dancing. At this, the party-goers walked off the stage and the curtains closed.
During the brief intermission, a figure in a black dress stepped out from behind the stage. The recognition of this character led to another choked snort of laughter from the princess. Kyoya paused, surveyed the amused crowd, then shrugged. He placed a wooden box off to one side of the stage, turned the crank attached to the box a few times, then opened it. The sound of far-away music twinkled out into the room. This task finished, Kyoya returned to his place behind the stage.
The next scene opened onto a library in the house. Arlecchino burst into the library, gasping and fanning himself after an apparently exhausting round of dancing. He sank down onto the nearby couch and struggled to remove his shoes. With this feat accomplished, he flopped back with a sigh.
But he was not left alone for long. Il Capitano soon entered the library with yet another glass of wine. Arlecchino stared at him with wide eyes, but the captain had not seen through the disguise. Instead, Il Capitano dropped down on the couch beside Arlecchino. After an awkward conversation, the captain began edging closer to Arlecchino. It quickly became apparent that Il Capitano had taken a romantic interest in Arlecchinetta. His advances were promptly refused and as soon as Arlecchino managed to slip his feet back into his shoes, he ran out the door of the library.
After the library scene, the play returned to the parlor. The party appeared to be languishing, despite Isabella and Vittoria's best attempts. Thus, Isabella suggested Arlecchinetta demonstrate her musical talent at the harpsichord. Arlecchino protested repeatedly, but was eventually coaxed to the harpsichord bench. He sighed and asked for a song request. Il Capitano slurred out a call for a love song, sloshing another glass of wine about. At this, Arlecchino rolled his eyes. However, with no other requests, the unwilling performer was forced to accept. Much to the amusement of the audience, Arlecchino began singing a saccharine tune in a fairly good falsetto. But several times throughout the tune, his voice cracked, sparking laughter from the audience. This didn't seem to bother any of the party-goers, especially Il Capitano who still stared at Arlecchinetta with an admiring gaze.
During this tune, Le Triomphe de la Comedie received their first smile from the princess. Unable to restrain her amusement any longer, she shook her head with a grin. Now, if the last act went as planned, their victory should be assured.
The final scene took place in the library. Pedrolino and Arlecchino both sought sanctuary here. After complaining about Il Capitano's seemingly inhuman tolerance for alcohol, they paced about the room, wondering what they could do. But in the midst of this discussion, a heavy knock came at the door. The captain announced his presence outside the library. Terrified by the surprise, Pedrolino dove underneath the couch just as the door opened. Arlecchino gulped and began to back away as Il Capitano swaggered in. Not to be refused again, the captain chased Arlecchino about the room. This chase finally ended in Arlecchino's capture and an expertly faked stage kiss. Arlecchino instantly pushed Il Capitano away and ripped the blonde wig off with a shout of indignation. At this revelation, the captain's eyes went wide. Apparently overloaded, he crashed to the floor in a faint.
The audience roared with laughter as Arlecchino stared down at the unconscious captain in surprise. Pedrolino crawled out from under the sofa and joined his companion in the silent observation. Moments later, Isabella and Vittoria entered the library and stopped short. This staring contest continued until the curtains closed to the cheers of the audience.
Yet in spite of this commotion, only one opinion truly mattered. The members of Le Triomphe de la Comedie rushed in front of the stage to see if their ploy had worked.
And indeed, the princess was bent double in her chair. When she glanced up, she was wiping tears from her eyes. The troupe grinned triumphantly and struck flamboyant poses. This made her laugh until she nearly tipped out of her chair and onto the floor. And still the tears of laughter streamed from her eyes.
A formal declaration of victory was entirely unnecessary. The court swarmed Le Triomphe de la Comedie, cheering and praising their ingenuity. After all, who would have thought of the tears that came from laughter?
On the dais above the celebration, Ranka leaned forward until he caught sight of Misuzu. The advisor glanced up from the edge of the celebration and grinned. The queen returned this smile with a wink.
Everything had gone according to plan.
Now, the next chapter excerpt is...
"You're all insane! How did you ever think of something like this?" Haruhi asked.
"It just took time and a great deal of work," Tamaki replied. "But a great deal of our success was due to Mei, Misuzu and Renge."
As if on cue, Renge emerged from the backstage. She had exchanged her usual dress for a pair of knee breeches, tights and an elaborate waistcoat. At Haruhi's surprised look, she grinned.
"Just getting into the spirit of things!"
Will this celebration last? Or will the Lobelia Troupe find a way to ruin things, yet again? Check back Thursday to find out!