Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/6193939.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Lycaon_(Band), Jrock
  Relationship:
      ?/Yuuki
  Character:
      Yuuki_(Lycaon), Rito/Zero_(Lycaon), Satoshi_(Lycaon), Hiyuu_(Lycaon),
      Ichirou_(Lycaon)
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe_-_Historical, Edo_Period, Kabuki_Theatre, Drama
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-03-08 Chapters: 1/? Words: 1803
****** The Lonely Onnagata ******
by kyoselflove
Summary
     Playing the roles of women have Yuuki in a sense of longing for his
     long lost lover, like in the plays he does every night. A man he has
     yet to meet; tired of waiting Yuuki goes to seek him out on his own.
Notes
See the end of the work for notes
Within these walls was all he would ever come to know. The smell of the dusty
old curtains, vibrant colors of woodblock prints, along with the laughter and
moans of drunken and greedy men. Smoke thick in the air as patrons huffed on
their pipes, floor sticky with spilt alcohol. Men were cheering loudly behind
the curtain, as he patiently waited on his knees, head bowed, for it to be
lifted. Even with all of its flaws, he had become infatuated with the place.
With the lift of the heavy fabric, the shamisen player started his cue.
Gracefully lifting his body from his knees on the stage, then a beat of the
drum, he tilted his head, glancing into the audience. Standing fully, he
snapped open his fan, swaying it in front of him while his other arm extended
out, his elegant kimono moving along with his actions.
Dancing across the stage, the aragoto entered from a trap door, the music
becoming more rapid as he stepped away from the man. A katana slid over his
neck as the villain held him in a tight hold from behind. Before the scene
could be completed, a group of samurai started to brawl inside the theatre.
The onnagata assumed the fight started over another kabuki actor. Not having
time to see whom, as a ceramic bowl flew on the stage, his aragoto pulling him
away in time, as the bowl shattered to the wooden floor. Both of them were
ushered off the stage, the curtains closing. The aragoto, known to him as
Satoshi, guided him by hand into the back of the theatre.
They entered the dressing room, a very tiny room with four vanities, a rack of
stage clothes in the back, and dimly lit by oil lanterns as there were no
windows.
Sitting down at his vanity, where most would find him when not on stage.
Admiring its years of use before him, rugged wood stained with make up and
tears, the piece of furniture had seen and absorbed a lot. He sighed, looking
over his shoulder, in a quiet, feminine voice, he asked, “The fight started
over whom this time?”
Smiling wide, which irritated him greatly as he wished to still be on stage,
Satoshi answered, “I believe it was Rito. Again.”
Scoffing, he gazed into the mirror, fixing his appearance, his lips blood red
and eyes darkly lined with charcoal. In the reflection he could see Satoshi’s
smile turn into a grin. “Yuuki, do you wish men would fight over you? I’m sure
they will soon.”
With a seductive smile, he continued to look at himself in the mirror. “I’m
sure they will,” he said, “but it will not be for a grab at bare flesh, they
will come to realise that I am a rare beauty.”
The door of the dressing room flew open, banging noisily against the wall,
making the oil lanterns hanging on the walls flicker. Rito lifted up the sleeve
of his kimono, showing off a bright crimson mark colored with hues of purple,
“The bastard grabbed me!”
“Men are possessive it was bound to happen,” Yuuki said softly, looking at
Rito’s plain face contort with anger. An expression you would never find on his
own, for he did not want to ruin his appearance with such an ugly emotion.
Satoshi left the room, going to his own, this room being the onnagata’s after
all but more so, the arguments between them could become too heated for his
liking. Yuuki rubbed away the white paste off his face, keeping the make up on
his eyes and lips, revealing his own natural tone of pale skin. “I hate when
they do this,” Rito continued on, fuming. Yuuki applied a more humanly toned
paste to his face, adding a hint of pink to his cheeks.
Removing the barrettes out of his hair and earrings, he gently placed them in
his jewelry box, he turned to his friend, “I think of it being as a sweet
gesture.” Rummaging through his box again, he took out a butterfly barrette,
placing it on top of his bun, adding matching earrings. He liked the weight on
his ears, as they dangled against his neck.
“Are you delusional Yuuki? They were just fighting over me because I am a piece
of meat they had once bought for a night!” With a look of disgust, Rito sat
down next to him on the verge of tears.
Wincing, Yuuki turned away, looking down at his hands on his lap. Rito
continued with a shaky voice, “Wait until you are sold. No longer will you
think of it as sweet.”
With a delicate twist of his red-coated lips, Yuuki said, “Everyone has their
place in society.”
“You always continue to amaze me Yuuki, but your outcome on the matter will
change soon enough.” Sounding like a sneer, but Yuuki knew his fellow actor
meant well, maybe he would change his views but right now, he had no desire
too.
Giving a softened look, Rito sighed, “Time for me to entertain.” Yuuki smiled
at him, which the other didn’t return, and then walked out of the dressing
room, leaving Yuuki alone.
He wanted to entertain the attention-craved men as well; he felt there would be
no harm done. Wanting nothing more than to hear the glorious stories of the
outside world while warming their bed. Often he would dream of caressing a
broad chest of an unknown man, his face always blurry to him afterwards, the
man would tell of his heroic battles on the land, his ability to overcome even
death itself. They would rest together, enjoying the naked skin of each other,
wanting to feel that heat. Yuuki desperately needed it.
Making his way to the bustling floor of the theatre, Yuuki smiled, as men
looked him up and down, taking a liking to what they saw. It made Yuuki’s smile
become more flirtatious, as he scoped for an attractive man to take an interest
in him.
Hearing a boisterous laughter, Yuuki moved his eyes along the tables to find
where it came from, the voice pleasing him more so than the other men. Moving
towards the infectious laugh, the table was full of men enjoying their spirits,
since they were dressed in ordinary clothes and had full sets of hair, Yuuki
figured they were probably of the middle class but they held swords. The one
that had Yuuki interested was indeed handsome; the man’s piercing eyes met his.
Suddenly, all their laughter stopped, the men turned their heads to look at
him. Yuuki blushed at the newfound attention on him, the one he had his eyes on
said nothing, taking a sip of his sake. One of the other samurai’s stood from
the wooden bench, coming towards Yuuki.
The man was not bad looking, even still, Yuuki found himself looking over the
man in front of him, to meet the intense gaze of the one he wanted. “The star
of the show is finally on the floor?” The alcohol from the man’s breath hit him
first, causing him to stand back a little, he saw the man lick his lips.
Yuuki’s painted face became flushed at the compliment. Did they already desire
him? He could feel his heart quickening in pace at the thought.
“Hiyuu, leave him alone,” the other man said, his eyes never leaving Yuuki.
Though he didn’t have a chance to reply, Rito charged up to him and grabbed his
arm, tugging him to the back of the theater. “What the fuck do you think you
are doing?” Rito hissed in his ear, the loud sounds of everyone muffled as he
shut the door to Yuuki’s room, the grip on his arm finally released.
“What?” he asked innocently, in his mind, he was doing nothing wrong.
“Were you thinking about taking on that whole table of samurais tonight?” Rito
snapped, then let out a growl, “you need to learn how to please first.”
Yuuki let out a giggle, “Don’t all men love a virgin?”
“Yuuki.” Rito’s voice made Yuuki stop laughing, the other was fuming, and Rito
had his fists clenched with his lips pursed. After a moment, Rito relaxed and
sighed, “If you want, you can have your first time with me.”
To him the offer was absurd; he always wanted to have his first sexual
relations with an older man who held a power over him. One that had seen enough
hardships to appreciate the comfort Yuuki had to offer him. Not a pity offering
from a weak boy such as Rito. Knowing that love would never find him as it did
to the women he acted as in the theatre, he had given up on such elaborate
dreams long ago. Maybe he would find a bittersweet end, like Koganosuke and
Hinadorifrom Imoseyama Onna Teikin. Falling in love with the enemy always
fascinated him, though their own parents killed them, an event that would never
happen to Yuuki. His mother sold him to the theater when he was just an infant,
never knowing his father’s name nor hers.
“I’ll politely decline,” Yuuki said, moving away, determined to see the
mysterious man again.
He caught the look of offense on Rito’s face, but either way, his friend
managed to smile. “Just be careful, okay?”
Yuuki hummed his response, turning away, he was grateful when he heard his door
shut close. Alone at last, even though solidarity was not what Yuuki sought
for. But another moment of Rito’s bickering would have sent him over the edge.
Face still immaculately neutral, though his muscles twitched to frown, he wiped
away his painted face. In the mirror, he did not recognize the boy staring back
at him. Yuuki prided himself for being beautiful, but once the mask came off,
he was no one. Just an average boy without a purpose. The others felt like
slaves; forced to do the work, the acting, he supposed they were indeed. But
Yuuki, felt as if he really was the women he played. After the makeup came off,
he felt like he was an actor, an imposter.
Yuuki sighed.
Tonight had already become a failure. His show being cut short always set him
in a bad mood. A momentary lapse in his resolve, Yuuki forced his arm across
his vanity, all his supplies tumbling to the dusty wooden floor. He sucked in a
breath and blinked. His eyes would stay dry.
More often than not, the interruptions were becoming more frequent. The
suspicion that a battle would break out again had him on the edge of his seat.
Not in fear, but in excitement, he loved what he did, the theatre was his life,
even so he had always dreamed to see it burnt to the ground.
End Notes
     shamisen; a traditional Japanese three-stringed lute with a square
     body, played with a large plectrum.
     aragoto; 'rough style' or 'the reckless warrior', male actors usually
     playing the hero or villian
     onnagata; a male kabuki actor playing a woman's role
     kabuki; a classical Japanese dance-drama
     Koganosuke; a young samurai, the handsome son of Daihanji no Kiyozumi
     Hinadori; the beautiful daughter of the widow Sadaka
     Imoseyama Onna Teikin; This play is based on the Taika coup d'etat in
     645, in which Emperor Tenchi, with his loyal minister Fujiwara no
     Kamatari, succeeded in destroying the wicked Soga no Iruka. There is
     a scene in which, a Romeo and Juliet-type story about the lovers
     Koganosuke and Hinadori, whose parents have been feuding over the
     boundary between their territories.
     This takes place around 1780 (Edo period).
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!