Chapter 5 : New Year's celebrations
Title : Onnagata
Author : dark kingdom
Email : kataki2001-at-yahoo.fr
Fandom : Sailor Moon (anime) Dark Kingdom
Pairing : Kunzite / Zoisite (they're only just meeting here...)
Rating : a bit of violence and hints of sex
Copyright : Zoisite, Kunzite, Sailor Moon and the rest are the property of Naoko Takeuchi.
Author's comments : this chapter is about action, yaye! Well, actually, not so much in the beginning. I find that writing in first person makes it more difficult to write action scenes. Weird uh?
Anyway, this is told by Shiro again. And there is a few Japanese vocabulary because it's back in the "real" world, so there's again a glossary for most words in the end. Not just for Japanese ones, actually.
Great.
I was hoping I was done with the whole "acting" business, or at least that I would only have to deal Lord Kunzite, and I'm back into it, complete with the girl's attire and wig.
I know this kind of celebrations. I doubt the daimyou summoned actors just to see them acting, we'll have to entertain his guests in more than a way.
Saiyuki and I emerge from the Dark Kingdom into a sparse wood. Below us on the road comes a party of palanquins. Sayuki weaves a pattern in the air and they freeze like if time had stopped.
We walk among them unnoticed, and we take one of the young actors down from his chair. I take his place and close my ears. Saiyuki gets out a shakuhachi to perform a tune with it. Lord Kunzite enchanted it before we left so that it would alter memories of people who hear it.
Saiyuki teleports away with the sleeping actor, and soon after the rest of the company starts moving again. They only show a hint of disorientation. I ask the one closest to me.
"How long still before we reach the castle?"
He blinks twice, frowns as he wasn't sure of something - of who I am? -, and I get ready to run away. But he gives a nod and replies normally.
"We'll be there before the sun sets."
The sun is low on the horizon already, so it must be rather close. But I just wanted to check that the spell had worked.
We arrive in a court crowded with rakugoka, courtesans' servants and luxurious palanquins. We're attributed small quarters, the best ones being reserved to high rank courtesans. I walk around unnoticed among the excitement and the crowd of new faces. Something I couldn't have done with my usual look.
It's pretty useful to blend in, and talk to the lesser people as well. I don't get as many disdainful reactions as before. Maybe Lord Kunzite knew what he was doing when he changed me.
When night falls, everyone gathers around the daimyou to dance, perform and drink. I take mental notes of who is here, who seems to be in the best terms with the important people, and who is politely ignored.
Night follows its usual course. Given the number of distinguished tayuu of both genders, and since no one knows who I really am, I manage to keep a low profile enough that most guests wouldn't pay too much attention to me.
I gracefully turn down the uninteresting ones in favor of those who I think could give me the best information. I get them to drink until they would either pass out or tell me what I want to hear.
Before dawn, while everyone's asleep, I carve on a small wood board a list of names in the code that Saiyuki taught me, and let it flow along the river.
The second day passes like the first one, with more luck in my information harvest, and less on avoiding guests' attention. Too bad. I figure I should be happy to see that my charm still works despite the change of looks. Not so much.
But it takes what it takes, and I know that Lord Kunzite will kill me if I don't bring back important news.
As the sun sets on the third festive day, a wave of whispers runs through the crowd. I didn't hear any bell ringing to announce a new arrival of palanquins, but a guest I haven't seen sits at the daimyou's right side.
Tall, nearly as tall as Lord Kunzite, and long black hair. He wears a traditional kimono, but it's obvious that he's not from here. And not coming from overseas either, unlike what I hear in the murmurs around me.
Even from a distance, I can see his slit yellow eyes.
Tanzanite.
Saiyuki told me that it was more difficult for Tennous than for youma to shape-change, partly because they're more humans (though she didn't elaborate what she meant by this), and partly because their power was such that it was impossible to really disguise. So, even if they can transform themselves, they can't change their eyes.
A tayuu by his side gives him sake, but he doesn't drink as much as the other guests. After a while, he bows to tell something to Yoshimoto's ear. Our host claps in his hands. Everyone gets silent. He commands the actors to take the stage over the tenjin playing shamisen.
The company I joined performs first. The Tennou is a lot more attentive than the other guests, not even starting to get drunk, also. My fellow actors must be feeling the threat even if they don't know who he is, because they all give better performances than the previous nights.
During my solo moments, I can feel the weight of yellow eyes on me, as intense as Lord Kunzite's stare, yet even more uncomfortable.
I'm relieved when we're allowed to leave to stage to be replaced by another company. But Tanzanite says something with a smile to Yoshimoto, and the daimyou summons me. I bow and go sitting at their feet, hoping that the Tennou only sees the actor and didn't notice anything else.
He doesn't say much to me, his attention being turned to the actors on stage right away, but I don't dare sneaking away. Besides, it's my best chance to get information straight from the source.
Two companies perform after mine, and Tanzanite calls a wakashugata from the second one. Then he excuses himself to the Daimyou and without further civilities, leads us to the rooms he was assigned.
Something's telling me that he's not so much an admirer of art. Also it doesn't seem like he talked a lot with Yoshimoto. Or maybe the strategic talks took place where no one saw them.
The paper walls close behind me, and my fellow actor jumps in surprise. I fake it, too, realizing that I shouldn't let Tanzanite guess that I've already seen tricks like this. With a bit of luck, he'll put my nervousness down to that.
I simper.
"What an honor for us to be chosen by such a distinguished guest, when all these beautiful tayuu were competing to offer you sake."
His eerie yellow eyes pierce me like a butterfly pinned to a wall. He's not one of my usual guests, playing along the rules of the Way. His smile makes me shiver when he finally replies :
"I like boys better. And the smell of your fear was more exciting."
Uh oh. I don't like that at all. And as drunk as he is, my little colleague doesn't like it either.
He lets out a small whimper and takes a step back behind me. The Tennou waves a hand, and dark red flames encircle the boy, tightening into solid bonds - not without burning him slightly in the process.
Ick. Lord Kunzite's energy threads never hurt me. Does he have a better control over it, or is Tanzanite not bothering to injure the people he wants to sleep with? Stupid question, from the look on his face.
I wish I could use what the youma taught me, but I have no weapon, no way to escape. And they always talked about Lord Kunzite as if he was invincible. I try to talk my way out of this trap and wear my most seductive smile.
"Why wasting your energy to get by force what is yours already, Master?"
He makes a quick move with his other hand, and it's like a fire whip catching me and drawing into his arms. He takes my wrists and bend my arms in my back.
"Because it wouldn't be funny otherwise, you naïve fool."
I try not to show any pain or fear, since it's what he's looking for. I desperately try to think of a way to run out of this alive, but I don't see any, and I feel the fire whip biting harder through my kimono, the heat reaching my flesh.
The Tennou grabs my throat and forces a kiss on me. Thoughts run through my mind in chaos, I wonder if I should better give in to try and charm him, or bite him in hope he'd kill me quickly.
Before I can make my decision, his mouth contorts against mine and he throws me violently away. My training allows me to stay on my feet, and I see Tanzanite staggering. He stares at me with an incredulous look on his face distorted by pain and disgust.
I don't have the time to think, my eyes give me warnings : Tanzanite, still choking and his skin turning to green, clenching his fist like Lord Kunzite when he's about to strike a raw energy ball. The sword at his belt. My legs project me aside as Tanzanite strikes and misses me, I leap towards him - something so crazy that he reacts too late to it -, turns round his side while catching his sword and twirl back in his back with the sword held high…
The blade cuts deeply into his throat as he's turning to me, letting out a flow of… green? Green blood? He howls ragingly. He doesn't die, yet, and an uncontrolled wave of power sweeps me against the wall.
I think I'm dead already, but he fell on his knees with his hands around his neck, a yellow light around them. He's trying to heal himself. I grab the sword on the floor, rush back and put all my weight into my move.
Arms and neck are cut neatly, yet he looks up to me with sheer hatred in his eyes as his head falls. Energy runs out of him in waves, but it's not burning like before. So I stay there, plant the sword in his chest, catches the knife at his right, stabs him until his body falls and the energy fades.
When it seems to be over, I look around me, panting. The other actor is still lying tied on the floor, his eyes wide open in shock. I doubt music and distance could have covered all the noise of our fight, so I get the sword back from Tanzanite's chest and rush out of the room, in the direction opposite to the celebrations.
I expect a youma will appear and kill me, but the only people I come across are drunk guests and entertainers. They all shy away at the look of my sword stained with a poisonous looking substance. Some think it's part of the show.
Good idea. I yell quotes from various famous war scenes as I run to the gates, regardless the fact that most are to be told by male roles and I'm still in that damn heavy onnagata attire. But hey, it's good enough : who expects that a lady-like boy like me could really be dangerous?
By the time the guards figure out the truth, I'm halfway down the hill and heading to the river.
I'm reaching the bottom of the hill when Saiyuki phases out of nowhere in front of me.
"Come quick, Lord Kunzite summoned us."
She grabs my arm and teleports us back in the Dark Kingdom, in Lord Kunzite's reunion room. Bandana and my other tutors are there, but not the Tennou himself.
Saiyuki asks in my place.
"Where's Lord Kunzite? He called us and told me to get Shiro back here as fast as possible."
Bandana looks intently at my sword and my clothes stained with green blood.
"Queen Metallia summoned him. Any idea why?"
All others follow the direction of her look and wait for my answer. I'm not sure if they should know, so I retreat against the wall and drops
"I'll report only to Lord Kunzite".
My reply seems to satisfy them, and we await in a tense silence.
To be continued...
Glossary :
shakuhachi : flute
rakugoka : storytellers, mostly of the comical type. Sort of jesters, without bells.
Tayuu : Tayuu is the highest rank of courtesans, and also the highest rank of actor. Which says a lot about the way actors were assimilated to prostitutes at that time, I find. And well, they were prostitutes anyway.
Tenjin : second rank courtesan. Often had other talents like music.
Shamisen : I swear I'm not trying to show off. But I'm currently reading a collection of tales from that time, and he keeps talking about all that and who plays what, so of course I'm influenced and the story just doesn't sound true without it. Shamisen is a kind of zither.