Hiya folks!

I hope you're still having a great flipping time!

Please review!

Enjoy!


Chapter 6- The Star: Orange


"Tenten! Bring the next girl in!" Tenten rolled her eyes and watched Takara fan herself dramatically as a dancer left the stage, tears streaming down her face. After the girl's audition, Takara called her a "plebeian amateur that danced like a burlesque chorus girl".

A dozen dancers offered to audition for the role of Kaminari. None of the girls, however, were good enough for Takara. Kaito was more forgiving, though he was also disappointed with their conundrum. If they didn't find a girl, they would have to put the play on hold and refund all of their sales.

"She was the last dancer," Tenten replied, watching her tone carefully. Takara was angry enough. "That's all?" Takara leaned back into her chair and sighed deeply. "Tell the girls that Kaito wants to rehearse, regardless of out situation. Tell him I'll be in my dressing room. I just need a moment to myself."

"Sure," Tenten replied. She almost felt bad for Takara. It was unfortunate that their performance would be delayed, but being cruel to the dancers was unnecessary. Takara glided backstage and Tenten walked to the lobby and found Kaito comforting the crying girl.

"Your mother has an acidic tongue," he commented with a wry smile. "I'm beginning to see that," Tenten said sarcastically. "She's in her room and won't be attending the rehearsal." Kaito nodded. "I expected that. Come, ladies. Let's try and forget about the auditions for a while. Yumi will lead the warm up." Kaito looked at Tenten kindly. "How would you like to watch the rehearsal with me? I like to have varying opinions of my work."

Tenten shrugged amiably. "I don't mind. I don't know much about theater, but I'll do the best I can." Kaito offered her a seat in the front row and they watched in silence for a few moments. "Have you read the script?" Kaito asked. "No, but I understand the story pretty well."

"Takara suggested simply telling the story but without Kaminari as a character." Kaito frowned. "Uzume may be the protagonist, but Kaminari is far more complex. We've had to change her character multiple times. We wanted to have her do a blade dance, you see, but no one's been trained to do the dance for many years. instead we settled on a girl that at least looked like she could be a war goddess."

"I'm sure any of the other girl's will do the part well," Tenten said. Kaito grinned gratefully. "You are very kind, but I never strive for adequacy. I wanted this opera to be great; I wanted the culture of theater to change." He chuckled. "That may seem lofty of me, but I've been in this business since I was a child. I want to be remembered."

Tenten looked at him in admiration, though she also remember Takara's words about ambition. I wonder what he's sacrificed to get this far, she thought. "If you find a girl in time, you should do the blade dance. Sure it won't be traditional, but this version of the opera is about breaking traditions anyway, right?"

Kaito laughed loudly. "You are Takara's daughter. Always striving for better things." Tenten chuckled. "I just think it would be edgy, plus I have a certain obsession for the beauty in weapons."

"The blade dance is not like fighting. It takes refinement and character. The dance must tell a story," Kaito stated. He looked at the dancers for a few moments and said, "Take a break ladies." Once the stage was clear he stood and smiled at Tenten. "Join me on stage, if you would be so kind."

Tenten looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"You're a shinobi. I want to see what the opera would be missing if we forego the blade dance," Kaito explained. "You just said that fighting isn't dancing," Tenten retorted. "And I stand by that, but I only wish to see." Tenten took a breath but relented and walked up the stairs to the center of the stage.

Kaito went backstage for a moment and returned with a long, blunted katana. "Use this and simply pretend that you are fighting someone," he instructed. Tenten nearly giggled but she didn't want to offend him. She felt absurd, like a child playing pretend, but she obliged anyway.

"Very good," Kaito called from the audience. "Don't be so stiff, alright?" Tenten paused and adjusted her footing. "Is true sword fighting only hacking and slashing? Some acrobatics wouldn't hurt." She nodded absent-mindedly and did a few flips and cartwheels while still skillfully swinging the katana.

"Excellent!" Kaito shouted, his voice booming with excitement. His encouragement only made Tenten move faster; spinning, running and leaping across the stage. She tossed the blade high in the air and let it flip before catching it in her hand by the hilt. Kaito's voice seemed so far away and muffled. All that existed was herself and the blade. Ideas for new steps came to her every second and felt the need to make her movements bigger and bigger.

By the time she stopped to catch her breath, Kaito was standing with the other dancers, his face alight with excitement.


"Have you lost your mind?" Takara paced around her dressing room with a cup of wine in her hand. She was flushed from drinking, stresses and flustered, despite spending hours to try and relax despite her earlier frustration. After the day's rehearsal, Kaito formally asked Tenten to portray Kaminari for their opera.

Tenten refused.

She'd never professionally danced a day in her life. There were plenty of other girls that wanted the part with more experience on stage. Kaito was convinced, though, that she was perfect for the role. He insisted that she at least think it over and discuss the idea with Takara.

Tenten had no desire to talk to Takara; especially since she was already in a horrible mood. Kaito smiled, however, and presented Takara with expensive wine and flowers to appease her.

His gifts only worked for a few minutes. The moment the words, "I want Tenten to play Kaminari" left his mouth, Takara's momentary glee was replaced with confusion, then fury.

"Tenten does not have any training, Kaito. One of those chorus girls has more experience," she shouted. Tenten silently agreed with her, though her doubt stung a bit.

"This is your daughter we're talking about, Takara," Kaito replied softly. "She has natural talent. With a few weeks of practice, I have faith that she'll be a great performer."

"Look, Kaito," Tenten interjected, "I agree with her. I don't know what I'm doing."

Kaito ignored her and looked sternly at Takara. "You didn't see her dance earlier. You don't know what I know. She has great potential."

Takara slammed her hand down on her vanity. "We have less than two months to prepare, Kaito. I cannot put my faith in an inexperienced dancer."

Tenten stood to leave, since the issue seemed to be settled. "I'm sorry, Kaito, but-"

"You know you can trust my judgement, Takara. Kaminari does not dance in the chorus. Previously, all she had was three duets. Now she has the duets and a blade dance. Come now, you can teach her what to do. If she's anything like you, she's a fast learner."

Takara gave a drunken, bitter laugh. "If memory serves me correctly, she said she was nothing like me," she spat glaring at Tenten, who felt the tiniest twinge of guilt.

Kaito glanced at each of them, stood, and took Takara's hands gently. "Let her prove herself and trust me. Please."

Tenten watched them uncomfortably. Though she felt that she had done nothing to earn Kaito's support, let alone a job performing for him, she was flattered. She didn't have many other options. Since she was no longer needed as a shinobi, she should develop other skills. Dancing wasn't a skill she assumed she would pursue, but it was something.

Takara eventually spun to face Tenten with a stern glare. "I want you onstage tomorrow before dawn. You only have one chance to impress me," she said.

Tenten, not seeing any other reason to argue, nodded. "I'll be there."

The next morning, Tenten stood on the stage alone, purposely early. She dressed comfortably and tempered her breathing. Takara approached her from backstage, her heels clicking loudly on the wooden floor.

"Good morning," Tenten greeted. "Well, well. I expected you to quit passively. I like your courage, Tenten, but I must confess: I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into."

"No need to worry," Tenten replied with a small smile. Takara grinned, despite herself. "Then let's get started. First, you're dressed all wrong."

"Will I have to wear platform sandals?" Tenten asked. "No. Kaminari is barefoot. So go on, take off your shoes. I've brought you a kimono to wear. They're much stiffer than pants and you'll have to get used to wearing them. Go and change. I'll wait for you."

Tenten did as she was bid and laced herself into the kimono, which was terribly tight and long. She nearly tripped when walking back on stage.

"Alright. I've never really taught anyone how to do this before, so all I'm going to do is show you the steps and you copy them, understand?"

"Yes," Tenten replied. Takara smiled and handed Tenten a large fan. "Pretend that it's your sword," she said, "and watch what I do."


After years as a shinobi, Tenten was familiar with feelings of utter exhaustion. Her first few weeks rehearsing with Takara's troupe was tiring, but the most satisfied she'd felt since the war ended. Each of the other dancers treated her with genuine kindness and she enjoyed getting to know all of them. The man that was cast to play the king, an apparently famous dancer named Haru Hayato, joined them three weeks before opening night.

Haru was tall and slim, with dark blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He was friendly, but pretentious and arrogant. Haru was appalled to know that Tenten had no prior experience, but he eventually got over it.

As Tenten improved, Kaito added scenes for her to participate in. She would perform three duets with Takara, a dance for the king, a group performance with four other girls and her blade dance.

The opera would be split into two parts that were two hours each and spanned for two nights. The opera would run for three months and Kaito assured them that the first nine performances were all sold out.

Two weeks before opening night, Kaito presented them with their finished costumes. All of them were vibrant but sturdy. Haru's robes were emerald green and lined with silver, with a heavy-looking warlord's headdress.

Takara was given a beautiful scarlet kimono with a low neckline. Her sleeves dragged along the floor even when her arms were raised above her head. The fabric was decorated with embroidered dragonflies and water lilies.

All of the other girls were given either bright pink kimonos, which symbolized that they were aligned with Uzume, or royal blue ones, that showed that they were aligned with Kaminari.

Tenten's costume was gold with dark blue trim. Though the only part of her costume Tenten cared about was her katana. It was long and gilded, with a navy hilt and multicolored tail on the end. It was one of the nicest blades she'd ever seen, even though it was dull and only a prop.

They practiced in their costumes for an entire day, then carefully put them away until the week of the first performance.

As Tenten stored her costume in her dressing room, which was not nearly as nice as Takara's, a gentle knock came fro the other side of her door. "Come it," she called. "I thought you'd like to have some tea and relax," Takara said peaking her head inside. "I'd like to," Tenten replied. "Let's go to your room."

Tenten followed her up a steep flight of stairs and sat in the modest luxury of Takara's room. Once the tea was served, Takara looked at Tenten and said, "So, are you excited for the opera."

Tenten smiled sheepishly. "Yes. I think it'll be a great show." Takara pursed her lips, something she did when she was pleased. "You've impressed me more than you could possibly imagine," she admitted. Tenten blushed modestly. "Thank you, that means a lot to me."

Takara took a dainty sip of her tea. "I can't imagine what would have happened if you weren't here with us. You're a godsend." She took another swallow of tea thoughtfully, then said, "What will you do when the opera is over? Don't you have responsibilities waiting for you back in Konoha."

The mention of Konoha took Tenten by surprise. She hadn't thought of the village in a long time. Her departure was so abrupt; she didn't even say any good byes. In hindsight, she should have told someone she was leaving. She had asked the Hokage for permission to leave, of course, but she never told him when she planned on going.

"I have some friends back home, and I promised one of them that I would return in time for her wedding, but, other than that, I'm not sure what I'll do after the opera ends," Tenten admitted.

Takara gave her a searching look. "You just have friends back home? No suitors?" Tenten chuckled. "Don't be silly." Takara shrugged nonchalantly. "Haru is quite taken with you."

"That's gross," Tenten groaned. Takara giggled and poured herself another cup of tea. "You're a picky little thing, aren't you? Just like me."

"I'm not picky," Tenten muttered. "I just know what I want now."

"Now? You didn't know before?"

Tenten looked down at her tea bleakly. "I thought I knew what I wanted, but I never really knew," she confessed. "Well, that's all a part of being an adult. When I was your age, I thought I wanted a man older than Satoru." Takara burst into laughter and Tenten smiled awkwardly. "Alright," Takara giggled while composing herself. "Tell me what happened."

Tenten shook her head quickly. "Nothing happened." Takara rolled her eyes. "Something always happens that makes you change what you want in a man... or a woman," she finished quizzically.

"I just want someone that recognizes my strengths. I don't want someone that pities me," Tenten explained. Takara set her cup down. "That's understandable."

Something about the sudden silence made Tenten want to have a moment of catharsis. She's been hiding from her problems since the war ended and now she had nothing stopping her from confronting them.

"There was... a person that I thought I wanted but I never thought that we would be anything more than friends," she started. Takara shifted in her seat, but stayed quiet and attentive.

"After the war, we didn't see each other or even speak for a year. You have to understand that after the war I felt so hopeless and useless that I needed solace from anything. When we saw each other again, I wanted that comfort to come from him, since I trusted him the most. Laying in bed next to him was the weakest I'd ever felt; needy. And he knew it; he said so. All that time beforehand I tried to understand why he finally wanted me. He never did, though. He did it because he felt sorry for me."

She took a breath; her hands were trembling so much she set down her cup so she wouldn't drop it. Takara stood and tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind Tenten's ear. "That's an especially hard lesson to learn and I'm sorry you had to learn it from someone you really cared for."

"I didn't just care about him," Tenten whispered, mostly to herself. "I admired him. He'd overcome so much; things that I thought were far worst than what I experienced. I felt that if he could rise above all of it, then so could I."

"And you have," Takara murmured, "You're still here and you're doing more than you could have ever fathomed. I'm not a shinobi, and even I can see your strength." She laughed, her pretty blue eyes wet with emotion. "You're only human and quite an exceptional one, if my opinion counts for anything."

Tenten looked at her with immeasurable gratitude. "It does," she assured Takara. "It really does."


Two Chapters in Two Days!

Please Review!