The Laughter in the Walls

As they approached the broad two-storied building, Yuame heard the murmuring of male voices within. When Kaoru rapped his fist on the door they quietened - before erupting anew with enthusiasm.

“He’s back!”

“Took him long enough!”

“Let him in, quick!”

Yuame shot Kaoru a questioning glance, but the tanuki merely grinned wider. There was a commotion, a shuffle of feet and wood scraping on wood before the heavy door was unlocked. It slid back on its track with a grunt of exertion, and Yuame caught a glimpse of two pairs of arms pulling it open. One pair was bulky and rather hairy, the other muscled and smooth.

“Kaoru-dono, welcome back!”

“And ooh~ welcome, Kaoru-dono’s companion!”

Two faces appeared in the doorway, though Yuame could not make out their features in the shadows. He gave Kaoru another look, but before he knew it he was being ushered inside, Kaoru’s hand pushing gently to his lower back. Flustered, Yuame peeked from under his veiled hood as his eyes adjusted to the bright lanterns inside, momentarily blinding him.

“Young man, you are late! And it is too dangerous out here at night! Did we not make that clear?” A third voice spoke up from behind the first two men, slightly higher and haughtier, but still male. Kaoru laughed sheepishly.

Deciding it had to at least be safe, Yuame began to remove his kasa hood, still blinking lightstains from his vision. When he caught a first proper glimpse of their new company, he gasped in surprise.

They too let out a gasp.

“My my, Kaoru-dono! You did not lie to us about his beauty!”

“A true princess in the flesh!”

“Indeed…”

Before him stood three men of various stature. One was stout and broad-shouldered, his round gut billowing over his obi belt. Next to him stood a tall, almost gangly youth, his kimono sleeves hiked up over his bronzed arms. The third, the shortest and most petite of them, had a completely bald head. But their most striking and shared feature was their stark-white makeup, changing their faces into ghostly masks.

“Oh, did we startle you?” the fat man asked. He had a deep, radiant voice, laced with warm concern. The tall one mirrored his contriteness, taking a step back to crowd Yuame less. They both appeared harmless. Yuame finally smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry - a little, yes,” he admitted, his heart still pounding from what he had witnessed outside. The men grinned, further diffusing the tension. Only the small bald man did not smile, still studying Yuame with a cutting side-eye.

“Introductions, then!” Kaoru called out, firmly clapping his hand down on Yuame’s shoulder. Standing at his side, he dramatically announced: “Yuame, it is my honor to present to you; the most famous performers on the Nakamise Street-”

“Mainly known as the local public nuisance.”

“Hush, Yasu.”

“-the kabuki troupe of Denboin!” Kaoru giggled, gesturing at the three men with flair.

“Toshi-sama.” The fat man laughed loudly.

“Masa-san.” The tall youth grinned and bowed.

“Yasu-hime.” The bald man sighed but then raised his chin daintily.

Yuame was speechless. When the silence stretched on, he clapped his hands awkwardly, causing the men to burst into giggles.

“You look like you’re wondering what the hell kind of company you just landed in,” the man called Toshi smirked. “Kaoru-dono, did you not explain anything on the way?”

“I wanted to surprise him,” Kaoru said, rubbing his neck. “But I may have overdone it…”

“Allow me then!” Toshi, who Yuame could instantly guess was the leader, put a hand to his fleshy chest. “Indeed, we are actors, humble purveyors of the arts. And you are standing in our recently acquired theater.”

Yuame followed his flamboyant gesture around the space they were in; a huge, earth-floor genkan stretched along the entire width of the open floor, upon which weathered tatami mats and cushions were strewn about haphazardly. Bright lanterns pulled his eyes to the small stage in the center - but Yuame blinked as he saw it was crowded with wooden crates of all shapes and sizes. Some had been arranged into a table and stools, and there were jugs of sake everywhere - most likely empty ones.

“Kaoru-dono told us you came from Kansai,” the fat man boomed enthusiastically, making Yuame snap his head back to him. “Ah, Miyako! The birthplace of Kabuki! Do tell, do you prefer Wagoto plays or the more traditional -”

“Toshi-sama,” the younger man interrupted him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I believe you are confusing our guest.”

“He has never seen a play,” Kaoru gently chimed in. His hand remained on Yuame’s shoulder, steady and warm. Toshi and Masa ooh-ed. Yasu gave a small, dismissive scoff.

“Oh my! You must have even more questions then!” Toshi laughed. His voice was loud, but his friendly demeanor was starting to put Yuame at ease.

“Yes, well, first off… How do you know each other?” he asked, looking between Kaoru and the men. He was well aware of Kaoru’s forte for making connections - but these men were acting like they were old friends. For a second, he wondered if he had actually been asleep for days.

“You haven’t even told him that?!” Toshi and Masa yelled in unison.

“I was going to!” Kaoru sputtered. “I figured it would be easier to explain with you guys here.”

“Here we go again.” Yasu rolled his eyes, but he did follow as his companions ushered Yuame and Kaoru up to the make-shift table on the stage. Another crate was pulled up, and after some searching an extra sake-cup was retrieved from somewhere. Before Yuame could refuse, Masa had already wiped it clean with the edge of his tunic and placed it before him with a goofy grin.

“Well then, do tell him, Kaoru-dono,” Toshi said with flair while ceremoniously filling Yuame’s cup to the brim first, then Kaoru’s. The tanuki sighed dramatically, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. Yuame smiled softly despite himself.

There it was, Kaoru’s favorite place; the center of attention.

“Well, it happened as I was passing by Yoshiwara this morning. Suddenly, I see a guard hurling somebody out the gate -”

“Oh, how embarrassing,” Toshi exclaimed, covering his face with his hand dramatically. Masa and Kaoru laughed, before he continued. “I was not going to interfere because, this had nothing to do with me, you know? But this brute of a guard kept on harassing a defenseless drunkard, and that did not sit right with me.”

“I wasn’t that drunk!” Toshi protested, sloshing sake over the table as he gestured at Kaoru. Masa smirked and made eye-contact with Yuame, wordlessly conveying: he was. Yuame smiled back.

“Anyway, I could not just stand by as this guard pulled out his truncheon, so I decided to interfere…”

“Good, because these two were no help,” Toshi smirked, clapping Masa so hard on the shoulder he too spilled his drink.

“I was trying!” Masa wheezed. “Yasu was the one who just stood back!”

“Of course. Not risking my face for you,” Yasu said, dead-pan.

“That guard is a piece of work anyway.” Toshi rumbled, suddenly solemn as he refilled cups. “He’s got it out for any of us eccentrics. None of the other guards care if you leave long after the morning bell, but that one…”

The three men fell silent for a second, nursing their drinks. Yuame looked between them, studying their expressions until Kaoru scraped his throat. “Should I continue?”

“Yes! By all means!” Toshi beamed at him, but Kaoru had barely opened his mouth before he was interrupting him again. “So here I was, nearly getting kicked into the trench-”

“- we’re panicking, but then this guy shows up out of nowhere-“ Masa added excitedly, pointing at Kaoru.

“Yes! And absolutely goes off on the guard in archaic speech! Calling him a cowardly hound unworthy of a jitte and that he would drag his ass before the magistrate. That guy didn’t know what hit him!” Toshi guffawed, hitting the table with his fist. “He definitely thought you were a samurai! He got rightfully scared!”

“And before his ruse could be seen through, we already had Toshi-sama up and moving.”

“Not an easy task, I tell ya.”

“Shut up, stick,” Toshi growled, swatting at Yasu’s head, who dodged him easily.

Yuame listened wide-eyed as the men continued the story in unison. When he glanced at Kaoru from the corner of his eye, he saw that the tanuki was glowing with pride. He had to admit it was endearing.

“-so Kaoru-dono joined us all the way here, but we had already decided to recruit him then,” Toshi beamed. “Oh! I should mention-” A loud burp interrupted his speech. Masa and Kaoru giggled like children. Yasu pursed his lips.

“So far, I have with great pleasure and pride taken the hero roles upon myself…” Toshi continued unabashedly, once again putting his hand to his chest. He was a stout man of middle-age, betrayed by his receding hairline. “But I am aware that that role benefits from, hm, fresh blood… What, nobody is going to call me old and fat?” he then sneered, looking around.

Masa quickly shook his head. Yasu sighed. “No need when you already said it,” he drawled, but his piercing gaze was fixed on Yuame and Kaoru. Seeing they were not laughing either, a glint of approval appeared in his eyes, though it disappeared almost immediately.

Toshi nodded, his cheeks more red suddenly as he busied himself with the sake. “Well, so… As for these two; Masa is our villain.”

The gangly youth gave a polite wave. Yuame had never seen anyone who looked less like a villain.

“And Yasu-hime plays any and all damsels, mothers and wives.”

“Brilliantly so. You lot don’t deserve me.” Yasu crossed his legs and flicked open a fan, fanning himself while glaring at Yuame across the top.

Yuame simply listened, finally taking a small sip from his cup to avert his eyes. The sake burned faintly on his tongue, but overall he could barely register the taste, let alone the sensation of drinking liquid.

He was starting to understand why Kaoru had brought them here, as well as the dynamics of this eccentric group. But he still had many questions.

Toshi had seemingly recovered from his vulnerable moment, and spoke again: “Once I saw Kaoru-dono’s performance this morning, I knew he would be perfect for the hero-roles. And then, he also mentioned a companion even more suited for the stage…”

All looked at Yuame now, eyes gleaming with expectation. Yuame blinked, before pointing at his nose in confusion. “… what? Me?”

Masa and Toshi nodded vigorously. “You’ll be the talk of the city with that face! Every man and woman will throw themselves at your feet! We’ll make sure of that!”

Yuame went rigid. Kaoru coughed at his side. Finally, the long-haired male gave a charming giggle, covering his mouth with his sleeve. “Oh, but I couldn’t possibly…”

He sounded flattered, humbly declining the offer first as was socially accepted. But Kaoru, who knew Yuame longer than today, caught a glimpse of his mouth tacking down.

Yuame knew that Kaoru knew. He was in trouble.

***

“Yuame, please - won’t you at least consider it?”

“What the hell were you thinking, Kaoru?!”

They were arguing in hushed voices on the top floor, a crawl space filled with boxes, garments and other theater props. Kaoru had rapidly excused them after that reveal, explaining they were still tired from their journey. Bedrolls had been conjured out of some corner, and Toshi had told them jovially that they could stay anywhere in the theater just like they did - making Yuame realize this was also their living space.

“So I should have walked away from a human in need?” Kaoru huffed. Yuame responded with a glare so piercing that the tanuki went pale.

“I’m not saying that - though I’m sure you had your reasons, and it wasn’t just chivalry.”

Kaoru gasped. “How dare - okay, they looked rich, so I thought-”

“There it is.” Yuame pinched the bridge of his nose. “But you could have left it at that. Why would you ever promise the both of us as actors?”

“Don’t you get it? Offering myself was not enough!” Kaoru hissed with exasperation. “This is the middle of Asakusa. Getting to live, let alone work here, is a privilege! I had to sweeten the deal for them to even consider letting us both stay without cost!”

Yuame had no response to that. His shoulders slumped as he stared at the floor. Seeing that, Kaoru also deflated. Taking a step closer, he reached out to comfort him.

“Let’s think about it tomorrow, okay? For tonight, we’re safe here.”

Yuame swallowed. Exhaustion pulled at him, sudden and heavy.

Kaoru put his arms around him. Yuame allowed it, closing his eyes as he leaned against Kaoru’s chest.

“These actors - they’re good people. As far as humans go,” Kaoru murmured.

“... I know. I can tell.”

Kaoru perked up, stepping back to look into his eyes. “So, we’ll stay here?” he asked, hopefully.

“... Yes.” It’s not like I have anywhere else to go…

Kaoru grinned happily, before rolling up his sleeves and beginning to clear a space for their bedrolls. After a moment, Yuame moved to help him.

Though the attic was just as dusty and crowded as the previous hovel, Yuame had to admit that it felt much less restrictive. There was a warmth to the air that had moved into the wood, making it feel sturdy and reliable beneath his feet. From below, the laughter and banter of the three actors filled the space like protective candle-light.