[Takarazuka] Celebration, written by Anita

Celebration
Author: Anita
Fandom: Takarazuka Kagekidan
Characters: Ranju Tomu, Oozora Yuuhi, Hiromu Kiriya, Otozuki Kei, Yuzuki Reon
Genre: Humor, yuri, a little bit of romance
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: lots of alcohol consumption, poker.
Status: complete
Summary: Tomu has just become a Top Star and the others prepare a party with lots of love and a little bit of prank. Or was it the opposite?
Notes: Story written for the Secret Coconut, a fic exchange promoted by the community Saint Seiya Super Fics Journal.


Disclaimer: I don’t own any rights on Takarazuka Kagekidan and the stories portrayed here are fictional.

Celebration

  There is almost no one as I arrive at the bar. Today is for my private celebration. The other day, my troupe brought me a cake and we all had a loud party for my second anniversary as their top star, but today I am doing things my own way. I pick one seat by the counter and ask for beer. This is going to be a great night, I think to myself as I have the first sip. My silent toast goes to that day almost two years ago, when those four girls prepared my welcome party to their “star file”, or so they called.

  It is strange how I didn’t think that day that things could change this much. During that party, I was almost sure I was going into a sort of select club, that it was just a sample of many fun days to come with those four. But now they were basically gone, leaving only me and Chie behind for who knows how long. My own days were so hectic since then, I barely had time to greet them in the hallway of the theater. When I finally started to settle in, it was already my second year back in Hanagumi and their finals days by my side.

  Perhaps, every top star feels the same. They look forward to becoming close to those who were already there when she becomes a top but time just goes too fast. Even though it takes one so long to get where I am now, time just keeps ticking. As I have to focus on the next play and then on the following one... they all go away.

  But that party will be forever a very special memory for me. One mixed with laughter and a little of regret.

---

  Before arriving there, I hadn’t considered it would be a party only for the five of us. Well, I hadn’t even thought all of them would make it there. So, even after I got to the house – Yuuhi-san’s –, I still looked around uncomfortably, waiting for more people to arrive. Gradually, it became clear that was not going to happen, so I started accepting the cans of beer they were serving. I was just too nervous.

  Of course, I knew Yuuhi-san and Kiriya-san very well from the time we were in the same troupe, which is funny, considering they knew each other the same way and that would still count three different troupes. But I digress.

  I also knew Chie and Kimu from the many events we have had in common. Even though we were from different classes and troupes, we had all been together at some point one way or the other. And now, we were again reunited in this intimate club. Or so I felt then.

  At the party – or should I call it a get-together? –, we kept drinking as they gave me many advices. I had already heard most of them from Yuuhi-san but it was valid to be remembered again. Or to have a common topic? After watching a silly comedy show on television, Kiriya-san suggested we all played poker.

  I had never really played it before but I ended up complying. The night had been going so well, it was as if nothing could spoil it. I was being welcome inside the warm monarchy of Takarazuka, where Yuuhi-san was the king, Kiriya-san was the knight in shining armor, Chie brought all the fun and Kimu made it all shine with a single smile from her.

  There was no surprise as the rounds went and I kept losing all of the bets – so far made only in the form of appetizers. And I also wasn’t surprised when Yuuhi-san suggested we spiced up the game a bit more. For the last round, we had to bet not only all of our appetizers but also a little bit of our dignity. The loser had to submit herself to each of the others’ wishes as punishment. When no one seemed to bother and set boundaries – and when I saw Yuuhi-san beam at me her special smile – I already knew who that poor loser would be. Well, I had already felt it from the first round, but right then I was so sure, even now, I don’t know why I kept playing.

  I was now positive the entire party had been an elaborated prank to welcome me, as it is so usual when people change troupes. I myself had been submitted to a minor one when going to Sora, as well as I had done my quota, which included planning Yuuhi-san’s welcome prank. I deserved payback, and I kind of looked forward to what they had been preparing specially for me.

---

  I expected that Yuuhi-san would save her small revenge for last but they decided to do it by generation order. Thus, I gulped as she went to the kitchen and told us to wait. She then came back with a big glass filled with a very colorful liquid.

  “I need to drink it...?” I asked hesitating. The smell was so complex I was only sure there was some alcohol in the mix.

  “No, wait.” Yuuhi-san showed her other hand, which held a chicken egg.

  I lifted my eyebrows but I soon guessed from the giggles around me what the woman’s plan was. I gulped again, watching her break the egg inside the glass and mix it.

  “Let’s toast to Mayu’s reign!” she proposed, handing me the drink and showing the beer cans to the rest.

  Many times, I had very bitter moments as the top star due to a plethora of circumstances. I like to think that having to finish that aberration of a drink will always be the bitterest, no matter what is waiting for me ahead.

  By the end, my eyes were soaked with tears – my whole face was wet, actually, as the streaks from my eyes mixed with the sweat flowing from my forehead.

  “Don’t even thinking of throwing up!” Yuuhi-san shook one finger to my obviously nauseated complexion.

  “Hey, have a drink, Mayu-chan!” Kiriya-san passed me the can she had been holding.

  I finished it in a gulp. “Th-thank you...” But my mouth was still hoarse and sensitive to the lasting flavor of Yuuhi-san’s special drink.

  Now the Tsukigumi Top Star showed me a gentle but completely sadistic smile. “You’ll need it for mine.” She then got up and went to the place where we had left our purses. After a moment, Kiriya-san came back holding a package in her arms, only to hand it to me very ceremoniously.

  I opened trying not to be conscious of all of the tension building up around me. They all knew what awaited me even before I saw the pink fabric.

  “Go change, Mayu! We’re going for a walk down the Flower Road, and you want to be looking dazzling.” Kiriya-san now held out a somewhat familiar bag with Yuuhi-san’s name sewn, almost the same model where we all seemed to put our makeup.

---

  I was nowhere dazzling. There was heavy makeup on my face that made me look like a kid who had just had a very fun time with her mother’s makeup, and I didn’t even feel as bothered about being seen wearing it that night.

  “It’s kind of cold...” I complained lightly, hugging myself. “And we shouldn’t be here.” The Flower Road was off-limits to Takarasiennes.

  “C’mon, loosen up! It’s already May, summer is just around the corner and it’s a lovely night we have,” said Yuuhi-san unable to hold the laughter. Or just unwilling?

  “You should act more feminine, Mayu-chan!” I felt Kiriya slap my back hard and I almost fell with my face to the ground as the thin high heels she had had me wear made me lose balance.

  “What if anyone from the theater sees me here and looking like this?” I tried once more, motioning to my pink outfit.

  I was currently parading the Flower Road, wearing a tutu and a very small top that was only able to cover my breasts and part of my stomach; it didn’t even reach my navel. Oh, and there was a toy tiara on my head. Though it was just another thoughtful detail, it was what bothered me the most along with the wind that kept going through my legs.

  “This is just so wrong...” I complained once more.

  “You’ll refuse my punishment, then?” Kiriya-san now spoke in her senpai tone we were so traumatized to listen from our newbie days.

  “Wait,” I said swallowing. “There is more?”

  “You still haven’t even done anything!” Chie said, following us close from behind. “Wearing girl clothes can’t be punishment...” She rolled her eyes to everyone’s amusement. But mine.

  “Oh, do you see that grandpa over there?” Kiriya-san interrupted our junior, furtively pointing at an elder man walking in our direction. “Now go to him and...” She whispered the rest and gave me a push on the back, almost causing me to fall again.

  Maybe it was because of all the beer. Maybe it was something in the nameless stuff Yuuhi-san had mixed in that drink. But I ended up just laughing as I walked to my imminent victim.

  “Hello, grandpa!” I was using my most affected tone, in total theater mode. “I have just won the competition for the sluttest of Takarazuka city. Let’s kiss!”

  Well, I had been sure no one would ever accept that, and I would never force it... But the elder simply smiled and tried to make a nonchalant face at me before pulling me for a kiss. The girls soon came and thanked the man for cooperating, but they had to dismiss him when he seemed ready to kiss each one of them.

  I rubbed the sweat out from my forehead and rubbed my mouth as hard as I could before breathing deeply.

  “Kiriya-san, there’s no way you’ll convince me to do more now. Let’s go back for me to get out of these clothes...” I said, already turning to Yuuhi-san’s house direction.

  And just as if we were in the middle of a television show, Chie’s voice echoed powerfully:

  “Not so soon, Mayu-san!”

  I halted.

  I mechanically followed the four of them until they stopped in front of one of the most famous statues in the Flower Road. I admired it as any Takarazuka fan would. It depicted Oscar and Andre from The Rose of Versailles standing in of their famous poses from the theater’s adaptation, in which Oscar has her left hand to her chest, Andre stands right behind with his left stretched, holding his cape. They weren’t real size but stood on a black marble that made them taller than us, just as if they were on a stage.

  Looking back at Chie, I waited for her command. That spot wasn’t picked at random but my mind was blocked from just starting to consider what it could be.

  She smiled at my terrified expression. “We’ll first need to cover poor Oscar’s face for this one,” she said smiling. “Remove the panties we gave you.”

  That drink Yuuhi-san had given me was still poisoning my blood, or maybe I was just anaesthetized from having to kiss the elder man before because I didn’t hesitate in fulfilling that request. Well the increase of cold air through my legs sobered me up a little but just enough so I would fix my skirt again.

  “Now put it on her head; she doesn’t need to see this.”

  I complied, starting to fear what would come next. My imagines scenarios were so bad, I actually felt relieved when she finally commanded: “Climb the marble so you can give a real kiss of love on that Andre. But remember to pose for a picture!” She pulled out a cell phone as she said it.

  This was actually fun to do but not really to see. The picture was a little too dark in spite of the flash, just not enough to hide the hideous makeup they had put on my face – which partially remained on Andre’s mouth afterward.

  I climbed down, giggling and still not believing I had done all of the things I had that night. I fixed the tutu once more and was about to recover my pink and frilly underwear when I felt a sting on my hand.

  “Ouch!” I complained upon realizing Chie had hit me.

  “It’s a little dirty to put that back on, isn’t it, Mayu-san?”

  “But...”

  “Let’s go back. Let Oscar keep your panties, it kinda suits her.”

  Everyone started laughing immediately as I still gave them a hurtful look.

  But I still had to walk back the whole way, holding down the back of my skirt, too conscious of my exposed bottom. Probably, the drink was finally losing its effect.

---

  I was relieved to be dressed back in my own clothes and my pants had never felt so comfortable as that night. When I left Yuuhi-san’s bathroom, after pouring a lot of water back on my face, they were all drunk again from the sake we had bought in the nearby convenience store.

  “I have just thought of the next game!” announced Chie, never putting her glass of sake down.

  To which Kiriya-san got up and used her own glass as a microphone. “Let me name the game then: to drink more!”

  “I know it is not my place to say it...” I said while walking to the seat they had left for me on the couch. “And I’m sure I will regret it but what about Kei’s punishment?”

  That time, even though I had been the one to voice it, I hadn’t really thought of anything much. They were just too drunk, I knew that more than anyone else. And so did my rear, still frozen from the direct contact with the night air. However, I should read the situation a little more seriously.

  “I’m okay, Mayu-san. I mean, I didn’t think of anything as fun.”

  “C’mon, I already know you all had it planned before!”

  “Not really, I mean, I didn’t.” Kimu showed her smile, which I would learn to love with time. “We’d better just go on drinking, isn’t it more fun?”

  “Wait, wait, wait!” Yuuhi-san stretched her hand and shook it for a while until we were all looking at her. “Our bad, Kimu, we forgot to tell you before. But c’mon, you still have the right to do what you want to Mayu, and we all have the need to watch that. So just say it already what is on your mind.”

  Kimu turned her eyes to me bearing an embarrassed smile, as if to apologize. “I was going to suggest she picked one of us to kiss.”

  “Good one! Shall we revive Mayu-chan?” Kiriya-san suggested, referring to my earlier costume.

  I held my breath in fright.

  “Wait, kiss? Like, on the mouth?” Visibly alarmed, Chie moved uncomfortably in her seat. “C’mon, that’s a punishment for us after the smelly drink and the grandpa and that dirty Andre statue!”

  “We kinda deserve it for even skipping Kei in our game...” Yuuhi-san reasoned while nodding. “As your senior, I say Kei’s punishment has a go. So, Mayu, who will be your prince charming? Be assured I wouldn’t feel rejected in case you went to anyone else.” She smirked. “Really, I’m not just saying it!”

  And everyone laughed, including me. Now that I think back, maybe Kimu just smiled shyly, regretting her choice of prank.

  “As our great elder has given me permission, I will freely choose then,” I answered still laughing. And decided to go fast because I was sure Kiriya-san could remember at any moment that I was supposed to be wearing that forsaken tutu. I wonder if I had looked around, considering a little more my options, whether I would have noticed Kei’s eyes suggestively on me.

  But I never did. Thus, I chose what sounded more fun to me then: Chie. I knew I was making her angry. But I still gave her a full kiss, only to find out just how upset she really was when I felt her hand grab my butt with violence.

  “I’m glad you liked that much, prince Chie,” I said jokingly while parting our lips and pointing to where her hand was.

  Without retorting, she let me go and dove into her sake glass. “Gosh, Yuuhi-san! I can still taste that raw egg...” Chie still commented, emptying the glass as we all laughed hard.

  Well, all but one.

  I didn’t think that night would be one of the few the five us would actually gather in the same place. Everyone seemed so warm and friendly, I was really sure I had become part of the select club Star File and its legendary parties.

  Few months later, however, this club had to face the loss of one of the member’s loss. I had been so worried about my own performance, I failed to notice how stressed Kiriya-san had been for some time already. And I could say the same for Yuuhi-san’s retirement. But they had been in Takarazuka for a while already, so it seemed normal that they just went on to their own projects, to live their own lives outside the great kingdom of Takarazuka. It wasn’t something I could have made a difference had I been there for them.

  What broke my heart was Kimu’s announcement.

  Even before I became a top star, I had already heard of all of the troubles her troupe had been facing. We had never been close, and I myself had barely time to breathe during that time. After that party, however, she started to catch my attention.

  Her smile was golden! And her skin was so soft... I kept on waiting for the day we were both free to call her to go out somewhere. Being the two latest top stars, I thought we had all of the time in the universe. If only I had paid more attention that first night, when she had been silently praying that I picked her...

  Maybe then, I could have been there with her, supporting her during those dark times. Then, she would probably be with me in our kingdom, as my queen. And not like a foreigner, so far apart we were now that we can barely meet.

---

  I drink the last of my beer and look at the empty seat on my side. It is just too hard not to have your woman with you, it breaks my heart thinking I could have made a difference starting from that welcome party. I close my eyes and imagine how our first kiss could have been. Her soft lips against mine. So good; even in my imagination the feeling was just too good!

  Even if it is for the best that she left and is now pursuing her dream career, it is kind of lonely to watch her on television when I could be kissing her around the theater. But it’s not as if we could never meet each other again, I tell myself. Takarazuka can seem like a dream kingdom but it is not another country; plus, I am always in Tokyo for this or that reason. Things could be worse.

  Still, I will always regret that night and all of the days it took me to realize my overgrowing feelings. Really, it wasn’t until she announced her retirement – ironically, a few days from my first anniversary as a top star – that I woke up to what was inside me. ‘Too late! Why didn’t I see it before?’ I thought back then, beating myself over my stupidity.

“What are pouting for?” I hear someone ask to my side.

  On the empty seat, a gorgeous woman, hair almost to her shoulder, smiled at me in a way that lit up the entire bar.

  “I was just remembering things,” I tell Kimu, who widens her smile even more.

  Now, she wore a long skirt and lipstick but there was still a lot from her former otokoyaku self that remained in her mannerisms.

  “I hope that was not an indirect for me to give you your gift.”

  My mouth feels dry the second she says it. Thus, I signal for the barman to bring me the check. 

  “Hey, I was thinking of getting a drink first,” she complains but starts to get up again, always careful of her skirt.

  I lean until my mouth is close to her ear and whisper: “You can drink all you want in the room I booked for our first anniversary.”

  Her cheeks get awfully red but what I enjoy the most is the laughter sound that comes from her lovely mouth. For a moment, it is hard to focus on how much money I should get from my wallet.

  As we start to leave the bar, our hands brushing against one another, I ask:  “So, what did you get me to celebrate our first year together?”

  She opens a little her purse and I see something pinkish inside. My heart stops.

  “It’s so close to your own anniversary as a top star, so I thought we could remember both dates together. Mayu-chan. Don’t worry, we have panties today. Just no tutu. Also you’re forbidden to kiss anyone else but me this time,” she says, while pulling out a tiara and putting it on the top of my head. It is no secret she still resents how I chose another over her that night.

  “What?” I complain.

  “Now put mine too!” Kei hands me another piece and I gladly crown my queen before getting into the cab with her.

  As we go to our suite, I still regret not having confessed to her sooner. However, it is selfish to ask for more when I already feel as if there couldn’t be greater happiness in the universe. As long as I can keep my Kimu smiling like that, nothing else matters for either of us. I make that silent promise and kiss her.

THE END!

Anita, 28/04/2013

Author’s Notes:

Not much to say here but I need to thank GoodOldBadMood for offering me such an amusing prompt. This was mostly about the pranks and even though it was so much fun to come up with them – and then, make it worse – I apologize for how lacking I am in that aspect. Still, this was one funnies Takarazuka fanfics to write, I think it just loses to my Tomu/Teru fanfic. I hope you have enjoyed it. And, if so, please drop me a line! I don’t mind if you do it anonymously, I just want to know what you thought ;) Either way, thank you very much for reading!