Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Thinking Of You ❯ "A Doll House" ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Thinking Of You

"Now Hiei, I want you to remember that it's just a play," you told me. You were taking me to the theatre. Specifically to see a play called "A Doll House".
"Why wouldn't I? And are you saying I might get worked up over this?" I demanded. You giggled. I scowled at you. You walked over and fixed the collar of my shirt. I looked you over, noting that nothing was out of place.
"You never know, it's a very controversial play, even now," you said. I raised an eyebrow.
""Even now"?" I asked.
"Yes. This play was first released in the late 1800s. Stirred up alot of emotions. So many emotions, in fact, that the playwrite had to leave Norway where he lived. Actually he moved out before he wrote it, but he was a very forethinking person in his time," you rattled. I blinked a few times but digested the information anyway.
"Whatever," I said. You sighed and grabbed our coats. You held mine out to me.
"I was just trying to give you some information on the author," you said as you put on your jacket and pulled me out into the hall.
"I'm not unappreciative, but you kinda went on for awhile," I replied. I took your hand in my own and brought it to my lips, kissing it gently. You smiled at me.
We turned around and were brought face to face with Aleki and Mitski. I jumped slightly, startled by their sudden appearance. You smiled welcomingly. Alexi just flinched. Mitski came up and grabbed you in a tight hug. I rolled my eyes.
"You ready for the torture of a lifetime?" Alexi asked me as we walked down the hall. I just looked at her quizically.
"Don't mind her," Mitski said. She wrapped her arms about Alexi, who in turn struggled to get out of her grip. "She doesn't like this play, but she loves the actress that's playing Nora."
"For her lover, you certainly struggle a lot when she jumps you," I whispered to Alexi. She froze in the middle of the hallway. I smiled and wrapped my arms about you. Alexi snarled and tried to charge me.
"Stop it silly!" Mitski called to her lover. "He's just trying to get under your skin!"
"I know that, that's why I'm going to kill him!" Alexi exclaimed. I sniggered and pushed you against one of the walls. You just looked down at me. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed you sweetly on the lips. You smiled as I released you. You gently took my hand and pulled me down the hallway.
"I'll get you Hiei!" Alexi shouted down the hall.
~*~*
We walked hand in hand down the hall towards our seats. You had gotten incredibly good seats apparently. Front row I think. Alexi and Mitski were arguing about something or other behind us. I chose to ignore them. You would shake your head every once in a while and say 'you must remember in what time frame it was written'. I just walked, trying not to think of anything in particular.
You showed one of the people who sit you in your seats our tickets. They led us down the aisle to the front row.
"Seats 14,15,16, and 17," the boy said.
"Thank you," you replied. You slipped him a five. "Why don't you two sit first. I suggest Mitski sits on the end so Alexi can help me restrain Hiei if he gets angry."
"Ok," Mitski replied. She walked down the aisle and sat in seat 17. Alexi went after her and I followed her. You looked about you, then wrapped yourself about my waist, nearly making me fall in the process.
"Kurama!" I shouted in astonishment. You sniggered and prodded me to walk forward. I was pulled down onto your lap when we reached your seat. You nibbled on my ear.
"Hentai," I muttered as I began kissing you back.
"Could you two stop that?" Alexi asked almost pleadingly. I looked at her, she was holding Mitski's hand. "It's hard to ignore, and it's hard enough to restrain myself."
I disengaged myself from your arms and sat in my own seat. You appologised softly. Alexi just smiled in her way and squeezed Mitski's hand.
~* Twenty minutes later *~
"Is it going to start yet?" I asked impatiently. You glared at me, this was the thirtieth time I had asked that, at least.
"Soon Hiei," you replied. No sooner had you said that then a voice announced to turn off all cell phones and beepers, and that photography wasn't allowed. They then said the show would start.
The curtain was pulled apart to reveal a living room of a house. It was nice looking, not luxurious, but not poor. A bell rang and a woman carrying a bunch of boxes entered. A delivery boy brings in a Christmas tree. He gives it to the maid who let the woman in.
"Hide the tree well, Helene. The children mustn't get a glimpse of it till this evening, after it's trimmed." The woman said. To the delivery boy, taking out her purse. "How much?" .
"Fifty, ma'am," the boy said.
"There's a crown. No, keep the change." The woman said. The boy thanks her and leaves. The woman shuts the door. She laughs softly to herself while taking off her street things. Drawing a bag of macaroons from her pocket, she eats a couple, then steals over and listens at her husband's study door. "Yes, he's home." She hums again as she moves to the table right.
"Is that my little lark twittering out there?" a deep voice sounded through the door.
"Yes, it is," she said. She was opening some packages.
"Is that my squirrel rummaging around?" the voice called.
"Yes!" she answered.
"When did my squirrel get in?"
"Just now." The woman the bag of macaroons in her pocket, and wiped her mouth. "Do come in, Torvald, and see what I've bought."
~~ Most likely two to three hours later. ~~
"Oh, what an awful awakening! In all these eight years- she who was my pride and joy- a hypocrite, a liar- worse, worse- a criminal! how infinitely disgusting it all is! The shame!" Nora says nothing and goes on looking straight at him. He stops in front of her. "I should have suspected something of the kind. I should have known. All your father's flimsy values- Be still! All your father's flimsy values have come out in you. No religion, no morals, no sense of duty- Oh, how I'm punished for letting him off! I did it for your sake, and you repay me like this," Torvald was shouting. I had grown to hate him over the course of the play, and my right arm, the one by you, was smoking slightly. My hands gripped the armrests tightly. Alexi was snarling.
"Yes, like this." Nora returned.
"Now you've wrecked all my happiness- ruined my whole future. Oh, it's awful to think of. I'm in a cheap little grafter's hands; he can do anything he wants with me, ask for anything, play with me like a puppet- and I can't breathe a word. I'll be swept down miserably into the depths on account of a featherbrained woman." Torvald was shouting.
Oh no he didn't... I was thinking throught his whole little episode. Then a letter came, freeing Nora from black mail. And what did he say? I'm free, Nora, I'm free!
"Bastard," I muttered under my breath.
Nora finally wisened up and decided to leave her husband and children, saying he was nothing but a stranger.
"Nora- can I never be more than a stranger to you?" Torvald pleaded to her. Nora picked up her overnight bag.
"Ah, Torvald- it would take the greatest miracle or all-" she replied.
"Tell me the greatest miracle!"
"You and I both would have to transform ourselves to the point that- Oh, Torvald, I've stopped believing in miracles."
"But I'll believe. Tell me! Transform ourselves to the point that-?"
"That our living together could be a true marriage." Nora said. She went down the hall. Torvald sank into a chair by the door, his face buried in his hands.
"Nora! Nora!" he whispers. He looks about and rises. "Empty. She's gone." A sudden hope seems to leap into him. "The greatest miracle-?"
The door slams shut.
The production of "A Doll House" got a standing ovation from the crowd. As much as I had hated Torvald, I liked the play. It was one of the first things I had seen that had drawn some sort of emotion from me.
"So what did you think of the play Hiei?" you asked me as we got into the apartment. I looked at you and handed you my coat.
"It was really good. But I hated Torvald. He was a bastard," I replied. You chuckled.
"Alexi hates him too. You both don't seem to know that women were treated like possesions when this came out. Nobody liked this play. It shocked them. Women were looked upon as being less then men. That they were on the earth to serve two purposes: to have children and to obey their man. Most marriages weren't formed on love. They were a way to survive, or they were arranged. It stirred up the general populace. Torvald was the average male during that time period. Nora to a point was the average wife. You two look at the play through the eyes of the times. You both think that Helmer was a shovenistic bastard. But you must remember, this was set in a different time, where different rules applied. If we had seen this play then, you would've hated Nora as an insubordinant bitch. When the playwrite put this on in Germany, he had to write an alternative ending to get this famous German actress to do the part of Nora. In that ending Nora comes back. The playwrite, in his later years, said that that was the biggest mistake he ever made," you told me. I blinked but then processed the information.
"Are women still treated like this?" I asked.
"Normally no. But even now women aren't looked at as equals of men. They still only make about 70-80% of a man's salary for any given job, I think. But some people still look at them as posessions. It's rather sad," you said. You sat on the couch. I sat beside you.
"I now respect your mother a whole lot more," I said. You smiled sadly.
"It is rather amazing, isn't it?" you replied. I fell asleep in your arms.

Author's notes: On a totally different note from the last chapter, a new chapter.... Right. I hope you like this one. I am beginning to integrate a lot of neat stuff, I hope. "A Doll House" doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Henrik Ibsen. It's a very good play, but I'm warning you about Helmer aka Torvald. I didn't like him. Thanks for reading, R&R!