Ukiyo - Chapter Two
~ * Two * ~
"Arthur."
Arthur turned around and found Alfred a few paces away, smiling in the serene way that the Briton had come to associate with the Japanese, and with this strange westerner who was somehow one of them but still set apart.
"I had hoped you would make it tonight. We're putting on a great show, and I very much wanted you to see it."
As he stumbled to think of something to say, Arthur suddenly realised why he had such trouble thinking and reacting around Alfred. The man always caught him off guard. Even yesterday, when he spent a while with him, it seemed that every sentence, every look they shared, every time Arthur took in his appearance, it was always as surprising as the first time. He couldn't wrap his head around this person. How could someone like this be real?
Suddenly he remembered that horrifying moment last night when the patrons of the tea house had started growing ears and tails - maybe it was not real. Maybe that was the problem.
"I'm looking forward to it," Arthur said, bowing almost in half as it seemed respectful. "But I must ask...Alfred...is this real? Are you...What are you?"
He hoped it wasn't too impertinent, but after what he had seen last night he had to know. It wouldn't scarre him away, not if Alfred aksed him back. But he still wanted the truth about what he was dealing with.
Alfred gave him a look that was perfectly level, perfectly blank. On an English person it might have looked bored, or as if the person was formulating a lie. But on Alfred it just looked sincere. "Everything you see is real, Arthur. I know you saw some strange things last time, but can't strange things sometimes be true?"
Arthur blinked and nodded. "Yes, I suppose they can." He smiled. "After all, if they were not real, they would not be so strange. They would just be stories."
Alfred smiled mischievously. "You are fascinating, Commander Kirkland." Arthur blushed and fiddled with his sword hilt again. He was sure he wasn't "fascinating" - certainly not compared to Alfred. But before he could find a polite way to say that didn't come on too strong, Alfred was holding out his umbrella to share. "Come with me. The show will be starting soon. I was allowed out to come and fetch you, so we must hurry back before the next act."
Arthur walked towards him and stood under the umbrella, a red one this time that stood out magnificently with Alfred's black and gold embroidered kimono. It was raining only a little compared to last night, a few large drops creating dark patterns on the ground but hardly enough to firhgten away the excited crowds in Yoshiwara tonight. "Please, allow me," he offered, taking the umbrella from Alfred and holding it above them.
Alfred bowed his head in gratitude, a secretive smile on his face that had Arthur's mind reeling and giddy with questions he didn't dare ask.
"Anyway, as for myself, I'm not as exciting or mysterious as I look," said Alfred, smiling at Arthur as he began to lead them away from the tea house where Arthur had been waiting. "My blonde hair fools people, but really I'm just like any other body in Yoshiwara. I was born in America, and my parents and I moved here soon after Perry. After they died I would have been...well, I don't know. Who would take in a strange American child who cannot speak Japanese - especially when the people around us did not yet trust foreigners? Luckily, I was taken in by a man who runs some establishments here. He trained me in the fine arts of Yoshiwara, and becuase of my hair I draw quite the crowd. But that's really all it is."
"I'm sure you are selling yourself short, Alfred," Arthur dared to say, adrenaline tingling throughout his body and limbs at such a statement. "There is clearly more to you than the colour of your hair and eyes that makes you special."
Alfred's eyes widened as he stared ahead of them, visibly tensing, despite the layers upon layers of clothing shrouding his body. Arthur wondered he had been too bold, or insulted Alfred in some way. He was about to apologise - or, more likely, end up babbling something embarrassing to save the situation - when Alfred spoke up.
"I am ordinary, Arthur, but...you will see more strange things at the theatre tonight. Last time at the tea house was an introduction, and now, if you think you can handle it and you do not mind...you will see more. Are you all right with that?"
Arthur thought about it for a moment. More to calm and prepare himself than because he wondered about saying no.
He took a deep breath and nodded, staring straight ahead at the walls of Yoshiwara. "I understand. I can take it."
Alfred watched the other's determined frown out of the corner of his eye and smiled to himself. "I'm sure you can. You certainly are a special one, yourself, Arthur."
Before Arthur had time to protest, he realised that Alfred had led him straight up to a gate in the wooden barricade surrounding the red-light district. There was only one entrance to the area, on the other side of Yoshiwara, and this was only a meagre back door leading to a small park and a hospital. Arthur hadn't heard of a kabuki theatre being built out there. Apparently he was wrong, as Alfred stepped out from under the shelter of the umbrella and walked up to a ward who stood by the gate. They spoke briefly, and then the gate was opening.
"Is your theatre in the park back here?" asked Arthur, curious.
"Not exactly."
Arthur looked at Alfred in confusion, but when Alfred didn't explain, he focused back on the gate opening before them.
His eyes grew wider as the scene before him spread into view. Even at first glance, Arthur could tell this must be one of the "strange things" Alfred had promised he would encounter tonight.
Right on the other side of the gate, the ground fell away into a vast lake, so wide that Arthur couldn't see the shore on the other side. It may have been the early hours of the morning, and the sky a deep, dark black, but the full red moon had come out again and lit up the world around them, as did the hundreds upon hundreds of glowing flower-shaped lanterns that drifted lazily across the still lake. The heavy, scattered rain drops pattered against the surface of the water, making soft sounds like a quiet drumming. There was a long wooden bridge that stretched from the gate of Yoshiwara, far into the distance out across the lake and Alfred led him towards it.
His first step onto the bridge and Arthur could feel that he had left the real world - or, at least, the one he was used to - behind them.
"How do you feel?" asked Alfred after a few moments of walking down the bridge in silence.
Arthur thought about it for a minute, trying to name any one of the dozens of emotions and thoughts flitting around his head. He settled for "Strange...but, intrigued."
Alfred gave him a crooked grin, a smile Arthur had not seen on the man before, but one which suited him very well. He returned it.
"I must tell you a little about kabuki before you get inside," said Alfred. "You see, kabuki lasts for hours, sometimes all day. You watch an act or a few scenes, then go back to reality for a while to work and live your life. Then you return and get sucked back into the fantasy again."
"It sounds interesting."
"It is, indeed. I'm sure you can't stick around long enough to see the whole thing, so just enjoy what you can. You can't speak Japanese anyway, so perhaps you won't feel the loss to badly. You missed act one already, so I will give you the story."
Arthur nodded vigorously, already enraptured by the prospect of theatre and getting lost in a story. They continued walking down the bridge, still no end in sight. It felt like they were lost in time, like they would be here forever, and Arthur didn't seem to be minding, at all.
"It's a love suicide, a popular type of show at the moment, if not a little depressing," Alfred half-smiled, half-grimaced. "Our story this evening was written by the owner of our theatre, the one who took me in after my parents died. The story goes that once upon a time there was a kitsune - a fox spirit who can change between the body of a fox and the body of a human. Like the ones you saw last night. She was a good kitsune, a messenger of the fox god Inari. She was in love with a human, and they planned to marry, as humans can take fox spirits for their wives. But there was another human who wanted her. He stole her star pearl - a treasure where kitsune keep their souls. And with this star pearl, the bad human had control of the kitsune. He forced her to marry him. That was the end of the first act."
"And this act?" asked Arthur, so enthralled with the story that he did not notice a golden glow in the distance.
"The kitsune and her true lover still meet in secret. Although they cannot be married, there is nothing stopping their love for each other. But then the bad human finds out. And he uses his control over the kitsune to force her to be loyal to him. He forbids her from seeing or contacting her lover. They are separated for good now."
It was terribly tragic, and Arthur felt it sitting heavily on his heart. It was just a story, and although he often found himself to be more sensible to fiction that others, he felt strangely, uncessarily saddened by this story. Why was it so different? Why did the thought of two lovers not getting to be together, being forced apart by magic and obligations, strike his heart so fiercely now?
"We are here."
Arthur looked up and found that they were approaching a magnificent estate, with several differen buildings spread out around the small, wooded island at the end of the long bridge. The architecture was very Japanese, far more impressive than the other buildings of Yoshiwara. But Arthur had a guess that this was a very different part of Yoshiwara than most people ever saw.
"I must leave you now. I need to get my make-up on. Kiku will soon be here to show you to your seat."
Alfrred took the umbrella back from Arthur and walked off between two of the nearby buildings.
"Wait!"Arthur called. "What character do you play?"
Alfred looked over his shoulder. "The kitsune." With that, he disappeared into the shadow of the buildings.
Arthur turned back to look at the main building, and found a Japanese man standing right in front of him. He couldn't help but jump in surprise. Hoping he hadn't caused offense, he quickly bowed.
"Good evening, sir. I do apologise, I didn't hear you approach. I...Ah...Alfred-san invited me to the show tonight. I'm afraid I forgot to collect my ticket from him, though..."
The man just stared at him, that dead and level look Arthur recognised from so many other Japanese faces. The one that looked different on Alfred because his eyes were so bright and open.
"I know. Please follow me."
It was only then that Arthur breathed a sigh of relief that the man actually spoke English. He hadn't thought of that issue before.
They headed into the foyer of the main building, removed their shoes, and then set off down and around some winding corridors - all empty and bare of any decoration.
Arthur found himself having to hurry after the Japanese man. He was slight and small, wore restrictive blue and white robes that looked like it would make it hard to move his legs. But he was quick on his feet. And soundless. too.
"I'm honoured to be allowed into this theatre to see a performance. I know it doesn't mean much, but would you please give my deepest gratitude to the owner of the establishment?"
"I am the owner," said the man, without turning round. All Arthur could see was the back of his short black hair, shining in the golden lights hanging along the corridors.
"Oh! I...I am deeply sorry! I didn't realise. Thank you so much for having me here. It looks beautiful already." The man said nothing, but the silence around them was heavy and deafening. "...So..." Arthur stumbled for a way to ask his next question. "...Might you be the one Alfred was telling me about, who took him in when he was young?"
The man suddenly whirled around to face the British sailor, and Arthur nearly collided with him.
"I am."
Arthur blinked. Now that he had a good look at this "Kiku" in the light o the corridor, he could take in his appearance. The Japanese man was beautiful, quite androgynous, with wise dark eyes, and silken pitch black hair framing his snow white face. But none of that really settled with Arthur because it suddenly occurred to him that, although Alfred had said the theatre owner took him, this man couldn't be the owner. He was just as young as Alfred, maybe a year or two older. How could this peson have adopted Alfred after his parents' deaths? Alfred had said he was a child, didn't he? This...none of it made sense.
"Your seat is in this box, Commander Kirkland. Do not cause any trouble for Alfred."
Arthur nodded, ashamed to have been staring so rudely. Kiku opened a door in the wall of the corridor and Arthur stepped into a room which was once again boisterously loud and full of people. A little like the tea house last night, except so very much bigger.
The theatre was huge, a vaulted ceiling giving an almost cathedral-like impression of grandeur, all in golden coloured wood. There were two levels of boxes, full to bursting with theatre patrons. Then, on the ground, there were half a dozen shallow pits lining the floor. Audience members were sitting in these pits too, eating, drinking, waiting excitedly for the next act of the show which they must have started watching hours ago.
The stage was a sight to behold - elaborately painted settings of Japanese vistas and a few props on the raised platform at the front of the room. But there was also a long walkway that extended out into the audience, right through all the pits where the audience was sitting.
Arthur felt the door shut behind him, and although the sound was slight, some nearby patrons looked over at the noise and focused on him.
They were not human.
Now Arthur understood why this theatre was in such a strange place. it wasn't a normal theatre. Although he was nervous and a little scared, if he was honest with himself, he still felt relieved. Because he had been right: Alfred was too special for an ordinary tea house or theatre like the others in Yoshiwara. A place like this made much more sense for someone as magnificent as the American obviously was.
For some reason, the patrons who spotted him began to whisper amongst themselves, looking at him pointedly, not caring at all how rude they were being. maybe they were not used to regular humans, or wsterners, coming to these special shows?
Arthur fidgeted with his sword handle, and wondered if he should just take a seat where he stood. He was in one of the low pits, two sections away from the main stage. He could settle himself down and avoid being noticed, but he really wanted to be near that walkway in case Alfred should come by there during his performance.
"Um, excuse me?"
Arthur looked up just as a small, pale green winged-rabbit floated down into his vision.
"What's your name?" the rabbit asked in a squeaky little voice. It sounded young, almost childlike.
"Arthur Kirkland," he replied,bowing.
The rabbit seemed to giggle, and looked like it was smiling. It was defnitely a rabbit like almsot any other, save for the wings and the colour of its fur, of course - but it's facial expressions somehow seemed human.
"Alfred mentioned you might be coming tonight. I was hoping to meet you! Would you care to sit with me for the show?"
Arthur smiled, actually relieved that someone had taken him under their wing (literally, as it happened), even if that "someone" was a flying green rabbit.
"That would be wonderful, thank you very much."
The rabbit flew up to the walkway right where Arthur had wanted to sit. Although it wasn't a big creature it managed to shoo away a nearby creature (green and scaly, with a strange bald patch on its head) and make space for itself and Arthur.
"Aren't you nervous around all these weird creatures?" asked the rabbit, as Arthur sat down and crossed his legs neatly.
"Yes, but we are all here to watch a play. I'm sure that no matter what some of these...people get up to in their daily lives, the theatre is still a haven from all that. They obviously have things they want to escape, too, just like humans who come to the theatre."
The rabbit eyed him, looking far too wise and calculating for a fluffy little creature with floppy ears.
"Alfred was right about you," the rabbit said finally.
Arthur blushed, and the rabbit laughed outright this time.
"I'll do my best," it said, out of the blue.
Arthur was confused, but then a hush fell over the crowd. All manner of goblins, animal-people, a fair few of those "kitsune", and countless, unnameable others settled down in their seats or on the floor as a few actors arrived on stage.
"I hope I'm not ...offending, but would you like to sit on my shoulder or...head or something?" Arthur whispered to the rabbit. "Can you see down there?"
The rabbit smiled at him and hopped up ontot he shoulder of his prstine white uniform. They shared a smile and then the show began.
For a while there were two men talking, both wearing huge costumes that made them appear larger than life. One was obviously some sort of warrior, with bold red and black make-up paitned onto his pure white face. Another was wearing a white fox mask and dressed in pure, snowy robes. They gestures and the facial expressions of the warrior were big and bold, easy to see and udnerstand from anwyhere in the grand room. Arthur suddenly understood the immense power of kabuki - it was strong, it was fierce, it could capture an audience even in a huge room like this.
The rabbit on his shoulder whispered into Arthur's ear that the actors were recapping the previous scenes.
It was a few minutes before Alfred arrived, and when he did, Arthur didn't see it coming. The stage had dropped away and raised again, revealing Alfred rising up higher above the other actors. It wasn't magic, but it felt like it, with how lost Arthur was in the play.
He wore the same kimono as when Arthur met him earlier: a big black shining shadow of material, all covered in gold and red flowers and swirls sweeping around the fabric. Unlike the other actors, who clearly wore elaborate black wigs, Alfred kept his long golden ponytail, that flowed magnificently over his black robes with every dramatic turn of his body. He wore a black fox mask on his head. His face had been covered in white powder, and there were red lines sweeping down from his eyes towards his cheeks. Some red paint on his lips, too, gave him the appearance of a bold frown, or wide smile depending on how he moved his mouth. He made a strange sight, but still devastatingly beautiful and amazing to behold.
A murmur of sound sprang up around the crowd at Alfred's appearance. He must be a popular actor, Arthur thought. He was sure it wasn't just becuase of his unqiue hair, but because he was a skilled actor. Arthur couldn't wait to see him shine.
"Now the kitsune woman, Alfred's character, is meeting with her human lover," the green rabbit whispered in Arthur's ear.
Alfred spoke with a man on stage who was obviously the kitsune's evil human husband, judging by his angry make-up, his outrageous actions, and the "boo"s thrown at him by the crowd. It seemed that the audience was perfectly within its right to shout and jeer as much as they wished.
After a talk, Alfred ran out out on to the walkway, headed straight for Arthur. The Briton was so captviated following Alfred's every moment that he didn't notice the actor of the human lover had appeared at the other end of the walkway, too. Alfred rushed towards him, his body movements looking for all the world like those of a lost and desperate woman. His make-up and clothes may have been exaggerated, but the way he moved brought the character to life so naturally it was amazing to see.
Alfred the kitsune-woman and the human lover talked on the walkway in the middle of the audience for a while. And Arthur couldn't help but notice leers from much of the crowd who were close to the stage and to Alfred. Perhaps he was popular not just for his skill as an actor, then... Arthur had not wanted to believe it, but he suspected that Alfred might have another job besides "actor" and "tea house host." He had heard stories that men could sell their bodies in Yoshiwara, too. And if they had not been raised to believe it was wrong, who would resist Alfred? Besides, these creatures were not human, maybe they didn't have the same rules.
But Alfred with someone...like them? Not even human? It made Arthur's stomach churn and his heart burn in anger.
The evil husband appeared on the walkway, catching the two lovers in the act. The crowd began to roar, and the winged-rabbit whispered to Arthur that the evil husband was forbidding the kitsune-woman from seeig her lover again.
The lover disappeared in an impressive display of smoke and silk flags, and the husband backed off behind the stage. Alfred was left alone on the walkway, close enough that Arthur could have touched the trailing ends of his kimono.
The crowd was muruming excitedly, and Arthur began looking around, trying to see what they were so excited about.
"'Mie,'" the rabbit breathed into Arthur's ear, the little animal's breath tickling his skin. "He has to find the perfect pose to show us everything his character is feeling right now. It's incredible when an actor can manage it right!"
Sure enough, Alfred began to move, slowly but surely arranging his body to present his character's barest emotions to the audience. He knelt down, raising his arms to the ceiling, and after a moment carefully twisted his body round to show the crowd behind him. His eyes were closed, his mouth downturned so that the exaggerations of the make-up made it look like a devasated frown. He twisted, and crumpled until his body was almost folded in on itself, just his hand still reaching out, one to the sky, and one clutching at the ground.
All around the crowd was crying his name with strong Japanese accents. "Jonezu-ya! Jonezu-ya!" There were a fair few non-human shouts thrown in there, too, roars and whinnies and all manner of strange sounds.
Arthur himself just clapped, staring in awe at Alfred, whose face was almost facing him. He had never seen a performance so moving even though he didn't understand a word.
There was a flurry of activity on stage as some actors danced out with more streamers, perhaps to shield Alfred as he disappered from the stage. But before they got out onto the walkway, there was a roar from somewhere right behind Arthur.
He turned , a hand coming up instinctively to shield the little green rabbit on hs shoulder.
Two...creatures...were arguing. One looked like a goblin from a book of fairytales Arthur had once read - its body a sickly rown colour, fat stomach spilling over his small loin cloth, a wide jaw and large, jagged teeth on full display as it fought with its neighbour. The other looked human enough except for his neck began to get longer, and his mouth to open wider that was natural.
Arthur didn't understand what was happening, but then the goblin creatured leapt to his feet and darted forward, reaching straight for Alfred.
Not even stopping to think, Arthur jumped up, drew his sword, and stood between Alfred and the goblin. The creature was almost twice his size, Arthur now realised, and could have easily pushed him aside or snapped him in half. But he could not allow this behaviour, least of all where Alfred was concerned. He was not scared, because even amongst such a strange crowd, he was sure this was the right thing to do.
He could feel Alfred's eyes staring into from behind his back, and everyone else's eyes in the big, vast room were on him. More mutters and whispers swept the audience, but Arthur didn't need to understand the language to know they were probabl talking about how foolish he was to take on such a creature.
The little green rabbit flew up to the goblin, speaking to it quickly in Japanese as it hovered up by one of its ears. Whatever it said must have done the trick as the goblin bowed low to Arthur, then to Alfred who was standing up behind him now, and finally returned to his seat.
As the goblin sat down, Arthur noticed Kiku, the theatre owning, standing in the doorway where he had left Arthur earlier. He had two pointed, furry ears on his head now, and three bushy tails, all of deep black, sticking out from his robes. So he was a kitsune, too.
A hand landed on Arthur's shoulder, making him jump. "It's all right, Arthur. It's just me."
Arthur turned and looked up into Alfred's eyes, the American appearing even taller as he stood on the raised wakway above him. Arthur's heart was pounding, he felt sick and worried and scared that he'd never be allowed to return or that Alfred would hate him. But one look from those bright blue eyes, and Alfred told him it was all okay.
"You did well, Arthur. Thank you for protecting me. I mean it."
Arthur nodded, and Alfred let his hand trail up Arthur's neck a little to brush the tips of Arthur's scruffy hair, before he pulled himself away. "No harm will come to you for what you did. You can be sure of that."
Whether he meant that Kiku, the owner, owed him for protecting Alfred, or that the goblin would be sent away, Arthur wasn't sure. But he trusted Alfred's words. And he didn't know why. Surely, Alfred was not a bad person, but Arthur had never been so quick to trust anyone.
"I must go," said Alfred. "Thank you for coming tonight. I will see you next time."
Arhur wanted to ask if he could see Alfred after the show, but the words never made it out before Alfred was whsiking himself away backstage and out of sight.
"Arthur?"
Arthur sat down, tense and alive with adrenaline, and turned to the winged-rabbit. "Alfred is lucky to have you," the rabbit said, perching itself on Arthur's knee and looking up at him with all the sincerity a rabbit could mster. "He deserves you, too. He needs you. Please stay with him until he's safe and happy, okay? Don't let him tell you to leave, don't let him do what he thinks is for the best. You make sure it all works out."
Arthur nodded, not really having to consider what he was promising because somehow, he knew he had already made that promise to himself.
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Forgot to add last time that I need to give a big shout out to sweet-land-of-libertea on tumblr for helping me with the research. She's been an IMMENSE help, and guided me to finding lots of information and details I needed. So THANK YOU, Libertea!!! If this story sucks it has nothing to do with her, she provided me with the awesome information and I messed it up... OTL
Historical NotesUkiyo = Forgot to mention the name of this story last time. Ukiyo is the word for the "Floating World" of Yoshiwara - referencing urban life, pleasure, and alluding to the water-trade (mizu-soubai), which is a euphemism for the particular sorts of entertainment found in Yoshiwara. It also sounds almost identical to the phrase "uki yo" ("Sorrowful World"): a buddhist concept about this earthly plane where life is fleeting and desperate.
Kabuki = a type of theatre in Japan which was popular for ordinary people rather than thought of as being an elite or high-class form of etnertainment. The audience were allowed to get rowdy, there was drinking and eating, and even shouting at performers. (I'm kind of imagining it like a mix betwen the groundlings in Shakespeare's time, and modern day panto...)
Love suicide = a common genre/plot for kabuki, made popular by a playwright named Chikamatsu. Two lovers who cannot be together on earth kill themselves, or die in other ways, and are together in the afterlife.
the stage = the stage had a walkway that extended into the
audience, and some of the action would take place there, not just on the
main stage at the front. There were LOS of special effect, it seemed,
including hooks and ropes atatched to clothes to make characters fly
revolving stage, bits that could lower and raise, etc.
"Jonezuya!" = (this is all based on research, as I have not been able to catch a kabuki play yet!) during particlar moments of a show, an actor may have to strike a dramatic pose (called "mie") to convey his character's emotions to the audience. If he did it really well, the audience would shout out the actor's special kabuki name, or his father's name if they REALLY wanted to praise him. And they add "ya" on the end. Alfred is a unique member of the kabuki guild as he is a westerner, so they haven't given him a guild name to integrate him with the Japanese actors. He is separate. So they shout out "Jones-ya" to praise him for his acting.
red make-up = balck make-up in kabuki is (apparently) used for negative traits, so you'll see it on villains. Red is for postitive characteristics like love, righteousness and heroism, so Alfred is obviously playing a good character. (Although Arthur isn't to know this.)
onnagata = a young man (usually teenager) playing a woman's role in kabuki. Women had been allowed to do kabuki in the 17th century, and there wre even whole troupes made up solely of women. But then they were banned from performing because actresses usually doubled as prostitutes and it got out of hand. So men took over, and young boys did the female roles (similar to Shakespeare's plays in his time). However, banning women from performing didn't do much to curb prostitution, as the young boys/teenagers who took their places were also pursued and desired by patrons and still doubled as prostitutes (like Alfred in this story).
a day of kabuki = one kabuki show might last all day. (Even now, when I first looked into going to one myself, I think it was about 7 hours, with some breaks.) There are breaks in between the 5 acts, but it's a looooong event. So Arthur will not get to see the whole story if he can only stay for a little while.