Alrighty. Here we go on the first installment of Eternal Karaoke: ENCORE. I know you're excited. Problem: I need everyone who reviewed for chapter one to re-review for chapter two. Applaudissement Sonique… Neon… I have a feeling I'm going to use the Creep suggestion, so just review your personality + crap for that. Thanks for being patient, all.

Eternal Karaoke: ENCORE

An Eternal Sonata Fanfic

By child of the gallows

Chapter 1: Santeria, by Sublime

SPECIAL THANKS TO GRAYJACK72

DustyStroodle put a hand over her eyes and turned away from her friends. "Give me the hat." She commanded, sticking out an arm. Rubberducky held out Frederic's top hat that was filled to the brim with scraps of paper. She stuck her arm into the hat, fished around for a bit, and finally selected a single scrap of paper.

"Flyleaf, if you would…" DustyStroodle said, handing the scrap to her friend.

Flyleaf took the paper and unfolded it carefully. "The first winner is… Grayjack72." She said bluntly, eyes traveling over the paper.

"Got that?" Rubberducky asked, turning to Crazywing.

"Totally. I'll get him." Crazywing turned on her heel and went onstage. She came back a few minutes later with a dude in a gray jacket. [1]

"Grayjack72," Rubberducky said.

"Call me Gray."

"Alright, Gray. Here's what you're gonna do." Rubberducky pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket. "You're going to… blah, blah, blah… et cetera, et cetera… ah, here we go. You're supposed to meet the character, tell him/her what song he/she is going to be singing, and you get to sit in Waltz's throne if you so choose."

"Cool," Gray said, smiling a little.

"Got the CD?" DustyStroodle asked.

"'Course." He said, handing the girl a manila envelope. Then he gave a thumbs up and went to sit on Waltz's throne. Taking on a tone eerily similar to Waltz's, he began in a commanding voice, "Frederic. You're up first. The song you will be singing is Santeria by Sublime. Oh, and before you go out there, take this."

Out of his pocket, he produced a brown fedora. [2] "Put this on, and don't screw up." He tossed it and it landed perfectly perched on Frederic's head.

He was un-handcuffed and escorted by DustyStroodle. "Okay, this is the first chapter." She muttered to him as they walked to the curtain. "I know it's going to be a little awkward, but get used to it. The reviewers are pretty much screaming for you."

Frederic's shoulders slumped. "But I just went!" He complained.

"Suck it up, baby," DustyStroodle shot him a disgusted look. "There are things in life you aren't gonna want to do. This is one of them. Now get out there and sing your butt off!"

She pushed him out of the curtain. By force of habit, Frederic reached for the brim of his hat, only to remember that it was a fedora, and a much bigger one at that. Instead of falling off, it just fell over his eyes.

Rubberducky handed him the microphone and patted him on the back. "It's not that bad. I'm sure everyone knows this song."

"Lights!" Flyleaf shouted. "Camera! Scribe!" she glared pointedly at the person sitting at a laptop in the corner. "Music! Roll call!"

"Here!"Chorused all four girls running the show. [3]

"Judges!"

Frederic finally noticed the three judges sitting at a long table near the foot of the stage. Just one look at those faces and he was almost sure he wouldn't do too well in their eyes—er, ears—because the judges were Polka, Captain Dolce, and the infamous Count Waltz.

"ACTION!"

A guitar line started up. Before Frederic knew it, the words were upon him.

"I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball. Well, I had a million dollars but I, I'd spend it all. If I could find that heina and that sancho that she'd found, well, I'd pop a cap in sancho and I'd slap- her- doooowwwwn."

Okkaaaayyyy then…

"What I really wanna know, ah baby, oooooo, what I really want to say I can't define, well, it's love that I neeeeedddd… oooohhhhh, my soul will have to wait till I get back. Find a heina of my own. Daddy's gonna love one and all. I feel the break, feel the break, feeeeel the break, and I gotta live it out, oooooohhh yeah, uh-huh,"

Dear lord, was that "oh yeah, uh huh" real? Freakish… had his depression in the fact that he was karaoke-ing again hurt him so much that he was trying?

"Well, I swear that I, what I really want to know, ah baby, what I really want to say I can't define, GOT- LOVE! Make it gooooooooooo… my soul will have to—"

Frederic had taken a breath to continue singing, and it surprised him so much that the song went into the bridge that he forgot that he couldn't lean his head forward and the fedora fell over his eyes again. But reflecting back on the song, he… couldn't remember any of it. DAMN IT!!!! He pretty much screamed in his head. The only thing that stuck was the part that he repeated… "what I really want to know…" or something.

"Oooooooohhh, what I really want to say, ah, baby, what I really want to say is I've got mine. And I'll make it! Yes, I'm going up!"

Optimism? In such an unusual song? He'd never heard anything like it. But then again, he stuck to the classical music genre ninety-nine percent of the time…

"Tell sanchito that if he knows what is good for him he best go run and hide. DADDY'S GOT A NEW .45. And I won't think twice to stick that barrel down sancho's throat--"

Oooohhhh, fun. Then the meaning of the song hit him smack on the face and he instantly regretted ever enjoying singing the line about the .45. He hoped Allegretto would understand…

"—believe me when I say that I got something for his punk-ass. What I really wanna know, ah, baby, what I really wanna say is there's just one- way back. And I'll maaaaaaaaaaake it, my soul will have to waaaaaaaaaaaaayaaaayt."

And the song faded to an end. Now for the new part—the Judges. Flyleaf came and took the microphone from Frederic and turned to the audience.

"Nice choice, Gray! Way to hit him where it hurts!" She smiled. "Now, what do our judges think…? Polka, would you like to start?"

Polka smiled shyly. "I really liked it. You have a nice voice, Frederic."

"How about you, Captain Dolce?" Flyleaf asked.

"I always knew there was somethin' goin' on 'tween you two." She began, "And I'll be sure to stay out of it, but either way, you do have an excellent voice and I hope I never have to stand where you do right now."

"And Count Waltz?"

"I agree about the voice, and even though I hate your guts, I'm doing this from a purely professional standing." He said thoughtfully. "Do you really have a new .45 that you're gonna stick down Feather Boy's throat? Because if you do, can I pull the trigger?"

"No and no." Frederic said.

"Damn." He growled. "Oh, and I also liked how you called him 'punk ass.'"

"I didn't write the song, Waltz," Frederic sighed exasperatedly.

"Ooooooohhhhh… that would explain some things! Love the fedora."

"Thank you, Frederic. Time to go backstage," Flyleaf said, shooing him away.

Backstage, he was chained back into line by Crazywing. Gray approached him.

"Nice to meet you, man." Gray said. "Hope you miss me. I'll be back someday (I hope.)"

Frederic's mannerisms got the best of him. "Nice to meet you to, I guess, and to tell the truth, I hope I never see you again."

"That's what I'm here for," was all he said as he retrieved his fedora and took his leave. "By the way… CLAVES DESERVES JAZZ[4]."

Saying that with all three lovers of Jazz around is like lighting the fuse on a canister of dynamite. Mind you, it is a very short fuse, and it blows up almost instantaneously. So as the first lucky contestant took his leave, he smiled at the relaxing sounds of a chick fight behind him.

"JAZZ IS MINE, YOU'RE ALL LOSERS!"

"HE WAS MINE FIRST!"

"I GREW UP WITH THE DAMN GUY!"

FOOTNOTES!

[1] – I am sorry if you do not wear a gray jacket. When I think of your name, Grayjack72, I see a guy in a gray jacket. I get some creative license too, you know.

[2] – I don't know how you fit a fedora in your pocket! Don't ask me! I just saw a pic of the band and they were all wearing brown fedoras and I thought it would be a cool idea!

[3] – Those girls seem to be everywhere at once, don't they?

[4] – I don't know if you are a ClavesxJazz supporter, but I needed something to spark the argument.

And it's over. Man, that was really fun to write, and totally worth 99 cents on iTunes. Sorry if I didn't get you completely right, Grayjack72, but you can't say I didn't try. Don't flame me. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.