CINDERELLA: A Fushigi Yugi Parody
The rambunctious cast of Fushigi Yugi decides to perform the most beloved of Rodger and Hammerstein's plays. However, much to the chagrin of the director, not everything goes according to the script.
Written by Nashie
-à-à-
CHAPTER 3:B – DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?
As Nashie enters back into the stage right wings, she notices that the scene is already in progress, thanks to MoonshadowJedi. She gives her friend a light punch to the shoulder, the smirk still dominant on her face. MoonshadowJedi raises an eyebrow, glancing over her shoulder to see Hotohori and Nuriko giving the director strange looks. "What did you do?"
"Oh..." Nashie grins. "Just warned them. That's all."
"Looks like you did more than that. What did you say?"
"Nothing of any consequence. C'mon, MJ, lets watch the musical. It's almost time for intermission anyway. We only have three more songs to go." She chuckles. "And then, onto the ball! Woo-hoo!" She pumps her fist in the air before strolling to the far curtain to head towards stage left.
"That girl gets stranger every time I meet her," MoonshadowJedi murmurs, shaking her head and sighing.
Chiriko smiles. "But that's why we like her, right?"
"I guess."
Out on stage, Subaru is trying in vain to instill some sort of attractive dignity into her two daughters, but it soon becomes clear that they are beyond all help. Miaka stands in the corner, watching them, a small smile on her face at the vain attempts of femininism. "Lets move on. Tell me what you're going to say to the prince. Joy?" Yui begins to scratch behind her neck.
"Well...you said to show him...there's more to me than mere beauty...so I thought I might recite a poem..." Nyan-Nyan snorts.
"A poem?"
"What's wrong with that?" Subaru, noticing the beginnings of a fight, steps between the two gracefully.
"Whatever you girls do, you musn't let the prince know how clever you are – men can't stand to be around clever women."
"Yes, mother."
Nashie emerges on stage left, and hurries up to where three of the Suzaku seishi are gathered around the wings to watch the play. She squeezes between them so that she has a decent view and throws them all a thumbs-up.
"So, didja kill either one of 'em?" Tasuki asks.
"I'm not a dominatrix," retorts Nashie indignantly, giving Tasuki a long, furious glare.
"I beg to differ."
"Grrr..." Chichiri places a soothing hand on the director's shoulder, and smiles brightly, immediately cooling down her quickly rising temper. She gives him a thankful, almost bashful, smile as she quickly jabs Tasuki in the ribs with her elbow.
"Ow!"
"No talking backstage."
"Argh!"
On stage, Miaka walks from her shadowed corner in the room after Subaru's spiteful response to her suggestion of not hiding your true self from your true love. "But whatever I said, we'd know we were meant to be together. Then he'd smile and kiss my hand..."
"That's so romantic!" Yui exclaims, hanging onto her every word.
"Say it again, Cinderella," Nyan-Nyan agrees.
Miaka is about to comply when Subaru storms over to her, shaking her head in anger and frustration, whitish curls bouncing from the force. Miaka blinks and steps away from the upset young woman, but as she does so, Subaru sweeps past her towards the couch and falls dramatically into it as the orchestra prepares to begin the next song. "Rubbish! This isn't about love – it's about marriage! Have I taught you girls nothing?
'Falling in love with love is falling for make-believe
Falling in love with love is playing a fool
Caring too much is just a juvenile fancy
Learning to trust is just for children in school'
She climbs to her feet, and starts headings towards the stairway in the upstage area. Yui and Nyan-Nyan obediently follow as Miaka pulls out a large box from behind the couch and begins pulling out feathered fans, outrageous hats, gloves, jewelry, and all other sorts of fanciful accessories.
'I fell in love with love one night when the moon was full
I was unwise, with eyes unable to see
I fell in love with love, love-everlasting
But love fell out with me!'
The trio hurries to the archway door in the balcony as the orchestra performs a solo portion of "Falling in Love with Love". Miaka hurries around the living room, separating the different accessories by color and size. Backstage, Nashie runs to the balcony portion of stage left, Chichiri in tow. She cranes her neck up to see Subaru waving down at them, indicating they're ready for the costume change.
"Alright!" She turns to Chichiri. "A bit of magic, magician mine?"
"Hai, no da." He closes his eyes, murmuring a spell beneath his breath. The costumes the stepevils are currently wearing melt into the masquerade ball gowns that Nashie took three days trying to design. Subaru wears a flamboyant black and blue gown, with a tapered waist and full skirt, her hair piled up on top of her hair with a black feather headpiece. Yui's contraption of a gown is pale-pink and orange dotted over with tiny luminescent pearls, so that she looks like walking sherbet. Nyan-Nyan's dress fortunately matches in color with different shades of green, but the fluffiness of it and the sheer amount of jewelry is almost ridiculous. "Are you making sure that everyone in the audience leaves blinded tonight?"
"Was that a joke? I couldn't tell."
Subaru gives one more final wave before entering through the balcony once more to complete the final stanza of her song. The audience cheers at the quick change of costumes, though some shrieks tell the director that the sheer amount of color is horrifying. Nashie manages a weak grimace and a smile of apology as she scampers back into the stage left wings.
'I fell in love with love one night when the moon was full
I was unwise with eyes unable to see!'
As the three stepevils march to the door, Miaka quickly hands them their fans, hats, and gloves as they snatch them out of their hands. Her job done, she steps back towards the couch, watching with indescribable sadness on her features.
"'I (she) fell in love with love, love-everlasting'"
Subaru opens the front door, allowing her two daughters out. Before turning to leave, she gives Miaka one last, icy look. 'But love fell out...with me!' She exits through the door, slamming it behind her. The look on Miaka's face is one of total devastation. She sighs as orchestra begins to play a soft, quiet version of "In My Own Little Corner".
"Go to the ball? Me? I'd much rather sit here by the fire."
Backstage, Nashie gives Tasuki a long, evil look.
"Up on the balcony. Now."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He disappears behind the flat.
On stage, Miaka sits down on the couch, picking up a stray fan and flutters it in her face.
'In my own little corner, in my own little chair
I can be whatever I want to be
On the wings of my fancy, I can fly anywhere
And the world will open its arms to me
I am in the royal palace of all places
I am chatting with the prince and King and Queen
And the color on my two stepsisters faces
Is a queer sort of sour apple green'
She giggles quietly to herself, placing the fan down on the table.
'I am coy and flirtatious when alone with the prince' Oh, Your Highness. She sighs sadly, fighting back tears.
'I am the belle of the ball on my own little corner
All alone...' Miaka buries her face in her hands, sobbing.
"Teki, get ready for the spotlight on the balcony," Nashie instructs. Teki makes an affirmative noise on the other end of the headset. Nashie turns her attention back to the stage.
"I wish, oh, how I wish I could go to the ball," Miaka wishes quietly, through her tears.
Just then, all the lights on the stage go out, except for the spotlight on Miaka. Suddenly, there is a figure standing on the balcony, leaning over to stare down at the small brunette. A glittering spotlight comes up on him, revealing it to be Tasuki, looking as handsome as ever, especially with the cool smirk on his face.
'Falder-ra and fideldy-dee
Fiddeldy fadally fadle
All the dreamers in the world are poppy-cock and twadle'
Miaka gasps and turns to look up at Tasuki. "What in the world? Who are you?" Tasuki grins.
"I'm your faerie godmother." Miaka gives him a blank stare.
"But you're a guy." Snickers erupts from the audience, and Tasuki flushes in embarrassment.
"Yes, I'm a guy. You have a problem with that? Because they don't exactly license what type of faerie you get t'be down at the faerie employment place. Right, now, I'm all that's available." He glares at Miaka, who winces.
"I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I never dreamed..."
'Falder-ra and fideldy-dee
Fiddeldy fadally foodle
All the dreamers in the world...are, uh...um, dizzy in the noodle!'
"That's terrible," critiques Miaka after a moment, causing Tasuki to scowl.
"It rhymed, didn't it?"
"No, that's not what I meant. It's what you said about dreamers. Why shouldn't people dream?" Tasuki looks heavenwards.
"This is gonna be a long night." He slides down the banisters to land on the stage, and hops off, ignoring the shrieks of dozens of fangirls in the audience.
Backstage, Nashie watches in silent approval as Miaka and Tasuki continue to talk about dreams. She crosses her arms, leans against the wall, and closes her arms, praying to the God in heaven that nothing else bad happens tonight.
"Excuse me, ma'am? Are you the director?"
Nashie opens one eye, only to stare into the flushed face of a short young woman with big blue eyes and russet-colored hair, a notebook draped under her arm, and headphones hanging around her neck. Nashie blinks for a moment, cocking her head to the side and giving Chichiri and Mitsukake odd looks. They both shrug, and wait to see Nashie's response.
Nashie sighs and straightens up. "Yeah, I go by that title sometimes."
"Thank god! I thought I'd never find the backstage area! You know how many doors are that lead to nowhere in this theatre?"
"Um...I guess I do now. What's up, kid?"
"I'm not a kid! I'm almost sixteen!"
"Ah...but you didn't answer my question."
"Oh. Um...I'm Neko-ane. I was watching the musical in the audience – it's really good by the way – and I heard some people talking about sabotaging it." Nashie shares a suddenly worried look with Mitsukake and Chichiri. Of all the times and places, someone wanted to get their revenge on her now?
"O-okay...um...are you sure you heard them correctly?"
"They were talking about finding the origins of something called the Text. That's all I remember, really." Nashie gives the small girl a long look, and then scratches her head.
"The text? What text? Like a textbook? "
"Just, 'the text'." Neko-ane gives a slight shrug of one of her shoulders.
"Great. Just great," mutters Nashie. "I don't have any texts back here except for the script." She chews on her bottom lip, thinking quickly. "Okay, we're going to solve this the easy way. Neko-ane, can you do my a really big favour? After this scene, I want you and Chichiri to go and find these people and ask them what they mean by the texts. I'll help them if I can, if it means I can stop them from ruining my musical...are you okay, Neko-ane?"
At this point, a dazed look has come over Neko-ane's face at the mention of Chichiri's name. Nashie waves a hand in front of her face. "Yo? Neko-ane?"
"Did you say...Chichiri?"
"Yeah. He's right there behind you." Neko-ane lets out a yelp of surprise, spins around, and launches herself at the blue-haired monk. Chichiri's arms spiral outwards as he struggled to maintain his balance. He looks down at the girl now firmly attached to him, and gives Nashie a look. Nashie manages a small giggle, and shrugs her shoulders helplessly. Mitsukake gives the smaller man a sympathetic look.
"It's you, it's you, it's you, it's you, it's you!"
Chichiri sweatdrops, giving Nashie a confused and embarrassed look. "I guess it's me, no da."
"I love you, I love you, I love you!"
"Um...arigato gozaimasu, na no da." Nashie sighs, rubbing the back of her head in exasperation. Of all the people to come back here and warn here of impending doom, she just had to be a Chichiri fangirl.
"Alright...um, Neko-ane? This is really important. Do you think you can avoid further physical interaction with Chichiri until you find these people? After all, we're on a really tight schedule." Neko-ane pulls away from her favourite monk and flushes.
"Gomen nasai, Miss Director Ma'am. I'll try."
Out on stage, the set has already changed to that of the garden outside of the stepevil's house, easily rendered by just raising the flats that composed the house. Blue and violet scoop lights create a moonlit glow onto the greenery, casting long dark shadows. Near one of the stage left trees lay a group of pumpkins varying in height. Strategically placed bushes create a sense of depth on the stage as Miaka and Tasuki step towards the lip of the stage, a blue spotlight on each of them.
Miaka, jogging after Tasuki, calls after him, "Wait. If impossible things are happening every day, then why can't I have impossible hopes and dreams? Even something as impossible as going to the ball?" Tasuki turns around and grins at her.
"Then go to the ball, Cinderella. No one's stoppin' you but you."
"But I have no way to get there," Miaka reminds him despondently. Tasuki frowns.
"You've gotta a point there." Miaka clasps her hands together.
"Godmother, I've been wishing as hard as I can."
Nashie grins at seeing Tasuki turn an angry red at being called 'Godmother', but fortunately, the young man doesn't fall out of character by ranting and raving about his not being a woman. "I know you have. Go on, stand over there, and let me see if I can do somethin' about this." He playfully pushes Miaka behind him, before gesturing to one of the pumpkin in the back of the stage. Glittery faerie magic, compliments of the special effects managers, swirl from Tasuki's fingertips to the pumpkin, which moves slightly, but abruptly goes back to its resting place. "When I say move, I mean move." He gives the pumpkin an irritated look before gesturing again.
The pumpkin shudders and begins rolling towards the lip of the stage, earning oohs and aahs from the audience. As the orange vegetable continues to roll around the stage, it gradually gets bigger and bigger, turning into an ivory white. Vines that twisted from the step curled around the lower half of the pumpkin, hardening and turning into an iridescent gold. The vines warped and shifted to become the wheels and the driver's seat of the white carriage. A door formed into the side of the pumpkin-shaped carriage, and swings open, to reveal a plush white velvet interior.
Miaka's hands fly to her mouth. "Oh my goodness!" Tasuki grins.
"Okay...now we just need some horses."
He looks around the garden for the mice, but fails to see any. He frowns and surreptitiously meets Nashie's gaze in the wings.
"Um...MJ?" Nashie calls over the headset. "Were the mice out there for the scene change?"
"Yessss...they were behind the big tree where the pumpkins were."
Nashie looks out towards Tasuki. "Oh, boy. Ne...Chichiri...do you think...?"
"...I could make a horse out of nothing? I'm not too sure, no da. They could end up going rampant and trampling someone on stage." Nashie winces at the thought of Tasuki and Miaka getting trampled on stage, and the poor reviews they would get for their musical.
"Damn. We can't keep going without the horses."
"Excuse me..." Neko-ane pipes up.
"And you're positive that there aren't any behind the tree?" asks Mitsukake, glancing out onto the stage.
Nashie follows his gaze, and looks out on the set. "Yeah..."
Neko-ane waves her hand. "Excuse me..."
"Tasuki's getting mad, no da. And the audience is getting restless."
Nashie raises her eyes skyward. "Why? Why is everything going wrong tonight? Is this punishment for eating all those Krispy Kremes last week? Argh!"
Neko-ane, frustrated at being ignored, finally tugs Nashie's sleeve. "Miss Director Ma'am! Look!" Nashie follows her gaze to where the small redhead is pointing, and see something small moving in the darkness. She grins, letting out a whoosh of breath, before kneeling next to the shadowed area and grabbing whatever it is by the tail. She frowns as she tugs on it, wondering when such a tiny mouse got so heavy. She tugs even harder and finally pulls the small mammal out from the darkness.
"When did you get so heavy...?" And once into the light, she finally gets a good look at the creature.
Neko-ane lets out a yelp and jumps behind Chichiri. "It's a-a-a..."
Now Nashie usually thinks members of the rodent family are incredibly adorable – mice, ferrets, rabbits, and hamsters are all at the top of her list of being superbly cute. But when faced with a filthy, foot-long monstrosity with beady-red eyes and sharp teeth, she is prone to panicking.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"
She drops the huge rodent onto the ground, immediately going into prissy girl mode, shaking in disgust and repeating 'ew, ew, ew!' over and over again. The rat flops to the ground, but makes no move to go scampering off stage. Instead, it just sits there, looking up at the disgusted director as if she were insane. Chichiri sighs at Nashie's antics.
"Wait a second, guys!" MoonshadowJedi suddenly calls over the headset, excited. "I found them. All seven of them. They were on the wrong side of the stage. Tell Tasuki he can keep going on with the scene." Nashie lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God!" She gestures to Tasuki. On stage, the young man has crossed his arms, looking quite irritable before turning to stage right and glancing for the cage of mice.
"Let's try this again." He waves his hand towards the mice, and four of them scamper into view. As they do, they grow larger, their stubby legs turning into the powerful and graceful ones of white horses, white manes swishing down their necks, and their little pink tails disappearing into the lush ivory tails of the white stallions. Black bridals attached around their muzzle lengthen and drop onto the driver's seat.
"They're so beautiful!" enthuses Miaka, giving Nashie a sly look that obviously says that she hopes the horses stay put.
"Horses, a carriage...now we just need..." He glances at the three remaining mice and snaps his fingers. Immediately standing in the place of the mice are three black-haired men, dressed in pristine suits and three-cornered hats complete with white feathers. They look around in confusion before walking towards the carriage. The footmen take their place at the door in the carriage, while the driver pulls himself up onto the set to drive the carriage.
Tasuki looks over his work. "So we have footmen, a driver, a carriage, and horses...I know I'm forgettin' somethin'." Miaka looks down at her brown dress and apron with a bit of a smile on her face. Tasuki turns back to her, and smirks. "Of course! Almost forgot about that. C'mon. Turn around. Can't make me do all the work by myself."
Miaka obliges and begins to spin slowly. The audience immediately gives rapt attention to the stage, awaiting the most magical part of the musical. Tasuki gives Miaka one look before nodding and waving at her with both hands. Magical silvery-blue and golden dust spins into the air as the orchestra softly begins to play a soft rendition of "Impossible". As Miaka is spinning, the sparkles surround her in a beautiful shimmering cloud, turning her into some kind of mystical faerie princess. The brown of her working frock lightens to a beautiful sparkling silver, so pale that it nearly looks white. Silver and crimson ribbons crisscross across the bodice of the dress, and hang down delicately on the full, gossamer like skirt. The sleeveless dress blooms out around Miaka's slender form like a rose, a silver billowing cape-like veil sprouting from the shoulders. White gloves that slide past her elbows magically appear on her arms while pearl-and-ruby teardrop necklaces sparkles into existence at her throat, the matching pearls dangling at her ears. A ruby and diamond tiara appears in her mass of auburn hair, now tumbling in curls over her shoulders.
A gasp of wonder arises from the audience at the image Miaka presents. While the girl was already cute beyond words, Chichiri's magic (and Nashie's sharp eye for beautiful dresses) has turned the sweet maiden into a stunning faerie tale princess. In fact, both miko and seishi make an extraordinary pair – Miaka in her silver ball gown, Tasuki in his golden faerie costume. Even the aforementioned bandit seems astounded by the magic worked on his priestess, despite the fact that he was one of the few who saw the dress before tonight.
Miaka stops spinning and opens her eyes. "Oh, my..."
Even Nashie is a bit dumbfounded. "Wow...points for us, huh, Chichiri?"
"Hai, no da." Nashie frowns as she peers at the details of the dress.
"But in the original dress, there was no red. But you added red ribbons and rubies. What's up with that?"
"Just a little nod to our patron god, na no da." Neko-ane looks out at the Suzaku no miko and gasps.
"That is so cool. She looks like a real princess!"
Miaka lifts the skirt of her dress to reveal a pair of glass shoes, and models them off for the audience. Tasuki finally seems to snap out of his reverie, and a grin slips onto his face. "Not a bad job, if I do say so myself." A grateful smile appears on Miaka's face.
"Thank you!" She glomps onto Tasuki. "Thank you so much!"
Tasuki blushes slightly, but quickly tries to hide it. "There's just one thing you gotta remember, kid. You have to leave the ball before midnight, okay? It's very important."
Miaka's face falls. "Twelve?"
"Don't make that face. We all have rules t'follow, and that's one of 'em. That magic only lasts 'til midnight." He shoos her towards the carriage. Now, go on. You got a ball to get to!" Miaka smiles again and races towards the carriage, easily helped in by one of the footmen. Tasuki walks up to the door as Miaka leans out one of the windows. She leans down and gives the seishi a small peck on the cheek as the orchestra explodes into the reprise of "Impossible".
'It's possible!
For a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage!
It's possible!
For a plain country bumpkin and a prince to join in marriage!'
'And four white mice are easily turned to horses!
Such falder-ra and fiddle-de-de, of course is!
Quite possible!'
"It's possible!"
'For the world is full of zanies and fools...'
'Who don't believe in sensible rules...'
Miaka grins. 'And won't believe won't sensible people say...'
"And because these daft and dewey-eyed dopes
Keep building up impossible hopes
Impossible things are happening every day!"
Nashie gives Neko-ane and Chichiri a thumbs-up before shooing them towards the stage entrance door. As soon as they are gone, she turns back to Mitsukake, who has raised his eyebrow at the thought of leaving Chichiri alone with the russet-haired girl. She gives him a long glowering look before bursting out into laughter. "I'm so glad I'm not Chiri-baby right now."
"So...this disaster is averted?" Sake asks from the sound room.
"Hopefully. It depends how well Chiri-baby can work his magic. Maybe he'll just make them go to sleep and that'll be over with."
On stage, Miaka and Tasuki are finishing up the song.
'It's possible!'
'It's possible!'
"It's possible!"
The music swells as the two teenagers hold the last note together, earning whoops and hollers from the audience. As soon as they end on the last note, the lights on the stage go dark, and the red curtains swings close, signaling the end of the scene, and the end of the first act. Out in the audience, the house lights rise to full – time for intermission. The audience erupts in cheers at the last scene before breaking off into conversations. Many people rise to take a bathroom break while others venture into the lobby to see if they can find anyone they know.
Backstage, Tasuki offers Miaka a hand to get out of the carriage before it disappears in a cloud of magic. Both of them are widely grinning as they step back into the stage left wings, and are swept into hugs from the director. "That was excellent! You guys were great out there!"
Miaka grins and then winks at the taller girl. "Remember, we can't let Tamahome or Hotohori or Nuriko see this dress yet."
"I know. Praise Suzaku, you look beautiful Miaka! I mean, wow!" Miaka blushes slightly.
"It's really nice. And it's not uncomfortable either! Really flowy and cool." She looks around. "Hey, where's Chichiri? I wanted to thank him."
"Averting disaster," Mitsukake replies with an amused shake of his head. "He has to go and talk to some people in the audience who may cause trouble for us later during the performance."
"Hey, Nashie. How long's this intermission, anyway?" Tasuki asks.
"Fifteen minutes. Long enough to get ready for the ballroom scene, and long enough for the people in the audience to go to the bathroom." She checks her watch. "This play really shouldn't exceed too far past ten. Besides, we still have a cast party to attend to."
"You never did tell us where..."
"Because it's still a surprise...aren't those wonderful?" Tasuki pretends to be surprised.
"You mean, you're gonna treat us by takin' us all to Burger King? Real nice of you."
Nashie scowls. "I'm not that cheap, Gen-chan."
"Oh, really."
"You really love the Big Stuffed Fish, don't you?" At Tasuki's look, Nashie smiles. "I thought so. Alright, Mits, we have to set up for the ballroom scene. Tasuki, Miaka, make sure that no one sees you for fifteen minutes. We want that surprise reaction at Cinderella's appearance to be genuine. Got it, kids?" At their nods, Nashie grins and drags Mitsukake out onto the set to meet up with the rest of stage crew.
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