Kabuki? Kabuki? Kabuki?

## **Toshi Ranbo - Imperial College**

**Early Summer**

The last few weeks since the tournament had been tense despite the clean sweep for the college. Even with the extra sessions of meditation and the several instructional demonstrations he had been doing, Tsuruchi Hiroshi was finding it hard to relax and he had noticed it wasn’t just him - there was something in the air throughout the college. A certain brittleness had developed between his fellow classmates; as he flowed from Single Whip into High Pat on Horse it struck him. A rest day was coming up and there was only one way to break the tension and restore the center to their little group ……. Kabuki!

Hida Benjiro had been very busy these past few weeks, he would alternate between the training field and his rooms reading The Sword and the Black Lion. All his waking moments were split between his classes and his personal training, and his nights were not as restful as they could be since the dreams had started. While the focus were doing wonders for his studies, it was slowly wearing him down.

A light knock sounded on his door frame. “Kabuki?” Hiroshi asked, already knowing the answer, as the door was opened. “We should see if Daisuke and Kyuichi want to join us. It would be a good chance to get to know some of  the other students here beyond our class.”

Another knock on Kitsune Kyuichi’s door brought him out of the light slumber he had been enjoying. The classes plus his own renewed dedication to the bow had meant he was wiped out most days. Today he had taken advantage of the time with his arm in chilled water to take a short nap. “Kabuki?” a voice called through the door making him blink in confusion.

“Kabuki?” he parroted, and the door opened, revealing some of his fellow students. He opened his mouth to give some sort of excuse, then thought it over again and managed a smile. “Let me dry myself…”

Kitsuki Daisuke stood in the College courtyard, near the main gate.  Despite this being a rare day of leisure for the students, he was engrossed in reading a book of sayings of Agasha Kitsuki. He had his nicest yellow kimono on, over which he wore his best haori and hakama, both Dragon green.  His hair was even vaguely neat for once.  He looked up from time to time, clearly waiting for someone.

Hiroshi, Benjiro and Kyuichi headed to Daisuke’s room but it was empty. Suspecting he was probably studying they headed to the library but only saw Osaku with his nose buried in yet another scroll. Shrugging his shoulders Hiroshi said “Well we tried. He must have made other plans for the day. Shall we?” Hiroshi indicated towards the library exit.

As they approached the College exit they spotted Daisuke standing by the gate already dressed for the theatre and book in hand.

Daisuke slipped his book into a sleeve as the others approached. “So, we have a choice.  Tales of the Shining Prince promises a fine historical romance of the reign of the second Hantei, with lots of glorious costumes, while Tale of the Peony Lantern promises supernatural delights. I’ve already seen Kitsuki Tadashi and the Red Letter but I don’t mind seeing it again.”

“The Peony Lantern sounds good to me. What was The Red Letter like?” Hiroshi enquired.

Daisuke’s face lit up.  “Brilliant!  Sword fights and clever dialogue, costume changes, devious plots… everything!”

Hida Benjiro Smiled. “I like adventures and sword fights, but I would also enjoy some scares and monsters. But really I just need to get out for a bit, I will let you choose where we go”

Daisuke grinned.  “Let’s go - and see which performance still has free seats!”

The Senzai district was bustling, even this early in the day.  The Kabuki houses opened early to catch families and the leisured classes with popular plays.  When the sun set, the streets would become even more crowded and boisterous, with barkers trying to get the maximum number of customers into the theatres and tea houses.

The theatres themselves were resplendently painted with colourful scenes from today’s offerings.  The luxurious silks and headdresses of the Shining Prince and his court; the heroic figure of Kitsuki Tadashi and the menacing visage of the corrupt governor who opposed him; and a comparatively stark image of two women, faces shadowed, one holding a lantern painted with a peony.

Finally they came to a decision, tonight they would go see the Peony Lantern, a tale of romance and ghosts. They entered the theater and found themselves seats towards the front, eagerly waiting for the start of the play.

Finally it started, the actors entered the stage and the story starting unfolding. A tragic story of forbidden love, Saburo the hero who they were rooting for, and Otsuyu the woman he loved. Each encounter between the lovers preceded by "karannn koronnn", the sound of her wooden shoes on the stage. And finally the twist in the story, when it was revealed that Otsuyu had been dead all along and her ghost had been visiting Saburo. The four boys could not hold gasps of surprise, and as the tragic end of the story unfolded they could not tear their eyes from the stage.

It had been everything they’d hoped for: scares, romance, and tragedy. Laughs and exclamations could be heard throughout the play and they would elbow each other and point at the twists and turns the story took. When the play finally ended, they slowly left discussing the play and its ghosts. As they walked back towards the college after buying some fish sticks, they continued talking about the play and sharing over and over their favourite parts.

As Kyoshi recounted as they walked through the market how the sound of the wooden shoes "karannn koronnn" announcing the arrival of the ghost was his favorite bit, Hiroshi and Benjiro looked at each other smiling and dashed off. A few minutes later they came back with a mask and some wooden clogs looking very pleased with themselves, as Kyoshi started to smile and Daisuke shook his head in disbelief. Life at the college was about to take an interesting turn.