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 4:B – WALK A MILE IN ANOTHER MAN'S SHOES
In the front row of the theatre, DJFiregirl makes an entrance as she scrambles over people's laps to return dead center between her friends. She has the happiest grin on her face, and looks as if she's swinging on cloud nine. Silverscape and MidnightSun278 share similar looks before turning back to the bouncy redhead, who has begun to randomly whistle the theme song to Super Mario.
"So…did you find a bishonen?" Silverscape asks.
"Boy! Did I ever!"
"And…?"
"And I gave him one of my trademark glomps, of course!"
"Of course."
Dreamlessdays chews a honey bun, but says nothing.
"Blue-haired monks are very desirable, I just want you guys to know that."
"Monks?"
Silverscape eyes light in recognition of the description. "Oh! Chichiri, you mean!" DJFiregirl's only response is that of swirly eyes. Silverscape waves a hand in front of the redhead's face. "Oh, boy. I think we've lost her." She waves her hand again. "Yup. We've lost her. She's often in Wonderland. It's amazing what one person's name can do to a person."
MidnightSun278 gives a brief shrug. "The magic in words…"
Dreamlessdays chews his honey bun, lost in thought. For a moment, he feels the strangest tingle in the air coming directly behind him, but when he turns around, there is no one there but a group of giggling fangirls. His hazel eyes narrow in suspicious as he scans over the crowd, looking for the source of the chill. When he fails to come across it, he swallows the mouthful of honey bun and turns back to face the stage.
- - -
Somewhere else in the audience, two of the theatergoers are not as highly amused by the extended intermission. The young man in the group stands up, peering around the nearly crowed theatre, and then moves towards the aisle, a dark look in his eyes. He's followed by the girl, who suspiciously looks to where Dreamlessdays is sitting.
"The web becomes more tangled…"
- - -
Backstage, most of the cast and crew have dispersed to where Nashie and Teki told them to go. Well, most anyway. Two couples have decided to listen right away and have gone off in their own little corners to discuss the current situation of things. Miaka and Tamahome have climbed up to the top of the grand staircase and are currently sprawled out at the landing, glancing down at the dimly-lit stage below. Tamahome is trying to sit comfortably on yards and yards of white gossamer fabric while Miaka has taken off Nashie's ski-knit cap and is running her hand through dark locks.
"So…another spell…" Tamahome says quietly. Miaka nods.
"Yeah…seems like it…"
"I bet Nashie and the others will be able to cancel it…"
"Yeah…hope so…"
The two fade off into silence, a silence so deafening that even the crickets decide that it would be best if they weren't to participate in this particular quiet. Miaka bites her lower lip nervously, consequently tasting Nashie's Raspberry Snapple lip-gloss. She brings her knees to her chest and stares at the love of her life, who is currently occupying her body. "Tamahome…what if she can't fix it…what if I'm stuck in her body and you're stuck in mine forever…?"
"I don't think the Supreme Director would allow something like that to happen."
Miaka wrinkles her nose. "But what if…?"
"You think because you're in another body I'll stop loving you, Miaka?"
Miaka buries her head in her arms, muffling her answer. Tamahome scoots closer and wraps his arm around his bereaved soulmate, pulling her close into a hug. He tries not to notice the sudden change in sizes between them, but still manages to place his head against Miaka's.
"If you said yes, you're wrong. I'm in love with you, Miaka. Never forget that."
"But it's scary to think about…and we're not the only ones…we'd all have to start over again…what would we tell our family and friends? 'Oh, we just happened to switch bodies with one another so now we can't ever be the person you want us to…?'"
Tamahome gives her a reassuring smile. "Never put anything beneath Nashie. She'll get it done. Just watch."
"I trust her. I just don't trust whoever is doing this."
Tamahome gives her another grin, but doesn't voice his opinion to her. Me neither, Miaka. Me neither.
At that moment, an annoyed Teki storms onto the stage, looking around for the four missing seishi and miko. She isn't able to spot two of them, but her eyes do land on Miaka and Tamahome up on the balcony. She crosses to the center of the stage and ascends two steps, her arms crossed and an eyebrow cynically raised. "Excuse me. But I thought we said that everyone else is supposed to be in the make-up room."
"Gomen ne, Teki-chan," Miaka apologizes, trying not to blush.
"Now, you two."
"We were just talking about this situation, Teki. No need to get so mad over it." Tamahome offers Miaka a hand up, which she gratefully accepts, and the two descend the staircase. Teki rolls her eyes, trying to look stern, but feels sympathy for the two. While she quickly adjusted to coping with being in Nuriko's body, she knew that a few people, most likely the couples of the cast, would not so easily adjust to suddenly and randomly thrown into another person's body.
Which leaves me with just two more people to go and find…
She shoos Miaka and Tamahome towards the make-up room before looking around the stage for the last two cast members. She shakes her head slightly when she fails to see them and strolls over to stage left, hoping that perhaps, with Nashie gone, neither one of them had a nervous breakdown.
- - -
Just a few dozen feet away from where Teki searches for the last two cast members, Nuriko and Hotohori have a conversation of their own, not entirely unlike the one Miaka and Tamahome found themselves having just seconds earlier. They wait behind the back black curtain, which is always down, and only leaves less than three feet of space between it and the backstage wall. The two seishi lean their backs against one another, readily accepting the other's presence.
"Never thought that I'd have to be the guy in the relationship…" grumbles Nuriko.
"Or that you'd be taller than me."
"This really sucks. I can't believe Teki's in my body and Tasuki's in yours." He rests his chin on his knees. "I wonder what this person has against Nashie that he or she is willing to completely wreck our play."
"Nashie has more friends than enemies, but I am unsure of the reason as well." Hotohori closes his eyes. "Knowing Nashie, it is probably due to the fact that she stole a doughnut from said person."
"Yeah…"
There is a moment of contemplative silence, and then…
"Do you think Nashie will be able to reverse what happened…?"
"I wouldn't put it past her. Are you worried?"
"There's the understatement of the year. If so, I'm only a little bit concerned over the state of things." The third seishi shakes his head, muttering under his breath. Hotohori reaches for Nuriko's hand.
"It will turn out for the best."
"If not, then I can always tease Tama-chan for being in Miaka's body."
Hotohori chuckles. "That too."
After a moment, Nuriko turns his head slightly. "What about you?"
Hotohori is silent for a moment, as if weighing his answer in his mind. Finally, the eighteen-year-old laughs quietly and shakes his head. "I'm worried if I'll ever be as beautiful as I was." Nuriko groans.
"Hotohori-sama…"
- - -
Out in the hallway, a group of what appears to be five young men walk hurriedly towards an unnamed destination. The tallest one in the group looks as if he would like to be anywhere but there, perhaps at a club somewhere. The fire-haired one of the group gazes at the ceiling in contemplation, his face a complete enigmatic mask, as if he's concentrating on something at a far higher level than his four companions can comprehend. The smallest of the group, a slim red-haired young man, glances around the hallways for any person who would seem out of place, but the hallway is completely deserted.
"Okay, this is my plan," Nashie says with forced enthusiasm. "Chichiri, as soon as we enter into the auditorium, I want you to cast the sleeping spell onto everyone. And I mean everyone. I have a feeling it won't affect the person we're looking for. "
"So that will single that person out, no da."
Nashie nods. "Then we'll at least know who we're up against. That sounds about right. Kenshin, I'm going to need you to physically attack whoever it is if my talking doesn't work while Chichiri manages to create a magical barrier around him or her. Tasuki, help him out. If things get too bad, get your butt outta here and get backstage to warn everyone else. Sano…I want you to keep my brother and his friends put if all hell breaks loose. They're all idiots, and are bound to do something stupid."
"That's it?" Tasuki gives Nashie an incredulous look. "We're goin' to try and knock the person out? Damn, Nashie, your ideas suck."
"I can't think of anything else on such short notice. So shut it." She walks into the lobby, finding it deserted except for a few lingering fangirls. A few grin in delight at the sight of five bishonen, and Nashie shifts uncomfortably under the star struck stares. The girls were unaware that three of the bodies they were seeing were currently uninhabited by their owners. She ducked her head and opened the doors to the auditorium. The quiet murmurs of the crowd arose to greet them, and the soft golden glow of the far overhead lights cast a gentle, soporific effect onto the room. Nashie looked around and then turned her gaze to Chichiri. "Now."
Chichiri closed his eyes, and quietly murmured a prayer beneath his breath. Nashie could feel the tingling in the air, the sudden magic filling the room. It felt warmer, and then abruptly became cold as Chichiri hurried the spell along. The murmurs which had begun to die out abruptly halted until the room itself was completely silent, except for the breathing of the hundreds within the room. Tasuki shivers.
"That's some fuckin' creepy shit. You coulda made it a little more natural, Chichiri!"
"It had to be done quickly or else, no da…" He trails off, eyes suddenly fixed on the one figure stirring in the crowd. The slender dark-cloaked figure rises from her chair and slowly turns to fix the group with a shadowed glare. Nashie shivers at the darkness penetrating from the figure, but she has a feeling that the worse is yet to come. She takes a hesitant step forward. Tasuki also takes a protective step nearer to her. Nashie hides a smile.
"So you're the one who's been causing all these problems."
The figure smiles. "And what if I am?"
"Why? What's your grudge against me, huh? I don't think I've done anything to you." The figure simply stares at Nashie, but makes no move to reply. Nashie grits her teeth. "Then…why?"
The woman smiles and steps out into the aisle and begins to talk towards the group. It almost seems like she's floating. Nashie flinches slightly, yet holds her ground as she hears Kenshin unsheathing his sword behind her. Sano grunts at the obvious threat, and rams his fist into his open hand, wearing an amused grin. Chichiri glares at the mystery woman, quickly throwing up a barrier around the group.
"You ask me why and expect an answer. You should know – or at least ask the one person you least expect to have dealings with me. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."
Nashie frowns. Huh? Why the heck is she ripping of lines from Kingdom Hearts?
"You know, I never really considered making your little musical out to be a complete disaster. But once you've meddled in the affairs of the gods, then you're really starting to push it." She suddenly sends her hand waving towards them, a five green colored globes fly from her fingertips, tiny at first but growing larger by the second. They smash violently in a flash of silver lightning and red fire from the barrier Chichiri had cast around them. Nashie closes her eyes at the onslaught of dangerous magical power and light, and throws up her arm to shield her eyes.
"This is only intermission, Supreme Director. You still have half of the play to attend to. Your cast and crew awaits you in the wings." She smiles. "I highly suggest you cancel this play and let your cast go. Because if you don't, there will be consequences to pay. Which will you choose, Supreme Director?"
"Tell me! Who are you?"
"And ruin the surprise?" She turns her gaze slightly so that now she's glancing at Chichiri. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?"
"I'm warning you…I had nothing against you before today, but you're ruining my work. I ask you one more time – tell me who you are."
"No."
Kenshin takes a step forward. "Nashie-san has done her best to make sure everything had gone on right tonight, de gozaru ka. How do you justify your actions against her? You can't so you hide behind your mask. Can't you answer a simple question concerning your identity?" The figure seems to hesitate at seeing Kenshin, but she still doesn't seem to want to back down. Instead, she throws her head back, and the group can see the superior smile appear on her still shadowed features.
"I consider myself to be a fair and honest person, so I'll make a deal with you, Supreme Director. I can continue my tricks and spells on your musical…or I will tell that couple from earlier that you do indeed know the origins of the Text. And I believe their dealing with you will be far harsher than mine." Nashie gulps. The woman smirks. "Well?"
Chichiri shoots Nashie a look, remembering her earlier denial of knowing nothing about the origins of the Text, and her subsequent revealing that she did. The monk frowned, wondering about the contents of the letter the couple had earlier shown to Nashie. Is it honestly that bad, no da?
Tasuki, on the other hand, was in no mood to make deals. He scowled at the figure, his right hand itching to find the tessen and throttle the mysterious mage with it. Sano also looks a bit bored at the conversation, and looks ready to begin a real decent fight. Nashie gives them both a quelling look before putting her hands up in defeat.
"I'm sorry guys. But I can't let them find out that I know about that letter." She lowers her eyes. "It's embarrassing, but we're going to have to let her continue."
"Don't you know what she could do to us?" demands an irate Tasuki. "First, it was Miaka's song that turned us into fuckin' delusions of a drugged elephant, and then switchin' bodies with one another! I don't wanna see what other shit she has up her goddamn sleeve!"
"Believe me, if those two got a hold of that letter, being stuck in Hotohori's body would be the LEAST of your concerns." The direction turns back to the figure. "You have a deal, though I don't see how my cast benefits from this."
"I really don't want any harm to come to the cast. It's because of you I'm doing this." Nashie winces, but still glares angrily at the cloaked woman. "I'm feeling generous tonight, Supreme Director. Learn from this."
"If this is what you call generous, we're screwed if she gets pissed off," mutters Tasuki, and the woman sends him a dark, quelling look.
"This spell will last for five more minutes. Then, it's over and done with. But other little diversions might distract you while you continue the musical." She laughs. "It does have a certain…chivalry to it, doesn't it?"
Nashei grinds her teeth. "And after the musical…?"
"Robin shall make amends."
"How fitting," the direction grumbles. She approaches the figure and holds out her hand, seething. "It's a deal, then. You are free to cast whatever spells you like during the rest of the musical if you don't tell the couple about that letter and you swear to meet me as soon as bows are over. I want to know why you have a grudge against me."
"A fair deal. Though I must say, I'm getting the better half of the bargain."
"Are you sure you should be trusting her, Nashie?" Kenshin asks.
Nashie pauses and then sighs. "I'm a crappy director – I have no choice."
"We're done for," grumbles Tasuki, crossing his arms.
Nashie gives the mystifying woman a long glare that would render a volcano into the poles of Pluto before turning on her heel and storming away. Sano looks a tad bit disappointed at the lack of the fight, but stalks after Nashie anyway. Tasuki also turns, flipping the figure off as he disappears through the door. Chichiri, the last one left in the theatre, cocks his head to the side and gives the figure a long look before shaking his head and departing as well.
The woman watches them all go before settling into her seat once again. Her spell flickers slightly, and the form under the cloak shifts, but quickly changes back to that of a young woman. She folds her hands in her lap, and grumbles something about silly directiors.
"Maybe she'll learn now not to borrow without asking."
- - -