Prelude

He is the best of them all, and he knows it

Of them all, it is him who consistently plays the shite, the star, in the Katsura mono. It is he who plays the warrior in the shura. He is versatile, beautiful, the hana and the myo.

Tonight, he stands before his audience on the pavilion stage, in the final throes of the warrior's dramatic death, his kimono spilling about him like black water or blood. He glances across at his rival, speaks the lines to him, but in some deep part of his mind that is not occupied with the performance, he is focused on the wakizure, and it adds a different meaning to the performance for him, especially when the wakizure looks up and smiles, briefly, fleetingly, as the warrior dies.

What he doesn't know, is that he will be lying in his own blood by the end of this night.

A/N—Everything I know about Noh theater I've learned from Wikipedia, so forgive me if I have any details wrong here. I know this is short, but there will be more to come, so….

Shite—Primary actor.

Katsura mono--depict the shite in a female role and feature some of the most refined songs and dances in all of Noh.

Shura—warrior play.

Hana—flower, a description of skill.

Myo—pleasingly adapted to role.

Wakizure—rival's "companion".