Eight
A/N: My first Uta-Pri fic! Whoa! And about the title…There's a totally irrelevant reason why I named this "Eight" but oh well..haha..
Disclaimer: I don't own Uta-Pri. Just Midori and other new charas. If I did, I would've been married to Natsuki by now. (/) Aannd I also don't own the song Midori sings. The great band Paramore owns it. Also, this chapter's title doesn't belong to me, neither. It's a title of a song sung by Miku, and this song is made by an epically awesome guy named Hachi. 3
Oh right. The time setting is about 3 weeks after the start of the school year. Yeah.
Chapter 1: In a Rainy Town, Balloons Dance with Devils
"Tch. Now where have I gotten to?" Midori mumbled as she stepped up to a huge iron gate with peculiar designs on them. The most she could see that night under the one flickering light post were a G clef, a bass clef, and an eight note. Obeying her tired feet, she sat down beside the huge brick wall bordering the gates. Her eyelids felt as heavy as stones. But she shouldn't sleep in a place like this. Who knows what might happen to her. Rape, kidnap for ransom, murder. She was sure of one thing, though. The worst thing that could happen to her would be getting sent back home. She looked around the dark empty streets, hoping she could find someone to like, assault or something for enough money for just this night's lodging. In her haste to escape from home, she completely forgot about taking money for lodging, food, and stuff like that. All she had with her was a week's worth of clothes and her one and only beloved Telecaster. She folded her knees and rested her head on them. Then, when she turned to her left, she saw something move in the darkness. Or was it just her messy brown hair blocking her sight? But when she tucked them back, the moving thing became clearer. Under the crescent moon's light, golden hair glimmered and a silhouette of a tall guy carrying something like a suitcase came to view.
"Must be a businessman," Midori thought. A sinister smile crept up her face. Blending into the darkness, she quickly dashed across the street and walked opposite to the man's direction until she was a good distance behind him when she crossed the street again. She slowly snuck up behind him and in one quick move, she grabbed his wrists and squeezed them tight behind him.
"Agh! What the—" the guy groaned but abruptly stopped a few seconds before something dropped to the asphalt. Midori ignored it and was now attempting to press a pressure point behind the neck when suddenly, the guy's head turned and about five milliseconds later, he whirled so quick that Midori was sent staggering aback. But she quickly regained her footing, considered she knew some judo.
"Hand over all your money now and I'll let you live another day unharmed," she spoke just like evil villains she was in movies.
"Leave me alone, street rat," he spoke back, his voice dripping with iciness and his emerald orbs like that of the devil. A normal girl would be frightened to death by now, but Midori wasn't a normal girl. She was everything but normal. Add to that the fact that she was desperate for a good night's sleep right now.
"So this is how it goes, eh?" she replied as she dropped her luggage bag and her Telecaster on it. "Challenge accepted." And so, the battle was on. They jabbed and kicked at each other, only to end up missing every time. After a while of swerving and jumping and kicking and rolling, Midori was getting a bit tired. Actually, she was tired like hell. But she tried her best not to pant so much, seeing her opponent hasn't even broken a sweat. In fact, he looked a hundred times more pissed off than a while ago. Midori decided to use what remained of her strength for her ultimate down-taking move and charged at him when suddenly, a big guffawing person just appeared out of nowhere in front of her. He seemed to pick up something she can't make out and walked towards her opponent. The object soon gave off a glare under the moon's light. It was a pair of glasses and it seemed the big guy slipped it on the guy.
"Huh? Headmaster?" spoke the guy, she presumed, the threat in his voice now replaced with that of pure innocence. Suddenly, the big peculiarly-clad person turned to her, and she recognized him immediately. Shining Saotome.
"What do we have here? A little lost girl having a brawl with my academy's student in the middle of the night?" He gave her an unpredictable grin, as if he was planning something. And yes, he actually was. Planning something that just might change fate.
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"What exactly is Natsuki's part time job that it took him this long to get back?" queried Ren, who leaned beside the door. Natsuki had not come back and it was already midnight. Being his roommate, Syo got a little too worried and went to all his friends freaking out. And so, Haruka, Tomochika, Masato, and Ren were all here. Ittoki and Tokiya had gone to search the whole school once again just to make sure.
"Even I don't know. He only told me he'd be back by eight because of his part time job, took his violin and left," Syo replied. "What if he lost his glasses and went all Satsuki and sent 50,000 people more to the hospital? Or maybe went home because Satsuki doesn't want to come back? Or maybe he broke his glasses and stayed Satsuki and got lost in the streets and decided to live in the streets and become an independent musician? Or worse!"
"Or worse?" everyone in the room chorused, getting on the edge of their seats.
"HE MUST'VE GOTTEN STUCK IN A PIYO PIYO COLLECTIBLES STORE AND WON'T COME BACK UNLESS HE GETS THEM ALL!" Everyone in the room face-faulted. Suddenly, the room's door burst open.
"Natsuki's in the Headmaster's office!" announced Ittoki with Tokiya behind him. They all rushed off to the office, having one thought in their mind. Satsuki.
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"Tch. If only you had given me your money in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess," Midori hissed at Natsuki, dealing him a death glare that sent him quivering.
"I promise! I really would've given it, but I don't know why I didn't!" replied Natsuki, which took Midori.
"You mean...you don't remember—" she started but suddenly, the office's door flew open.
"Natsuki! What happened? Did you drop your glasses?" shrieked a blond guy wearing a designer hat frantically. Along him came two red-haired girls and about four guys. The red-headed guy was as frantic as the little blond, and the other guys seemed to just watch the situation seriously, as if analyzing what happened. They all looked at Midori as if she was an alien, which kind of pissed her off.
"Headmaster, who's she?" asked the girl with long red hair.
"W-what exactly happened, Shinomiya-san?" spoke the girl with the short red hair in a somewhat weak and soft voice.
"Ah, you should be thankful I was there!" spoke Shining with that usual feel-high tone of his. "I caught this girl assaulting Natsuki-kun from behind. That was when his glasses fell and I knew it was going to be dangerous at this rate so I stopped them just in time before he sends her to the hospital!" They all turned to the girl, who was as bewildered as a lost kitten, but as pissed off as a hungry lion at the same time. What's with the glasses falling? And sending her to hospital? Hah! Like her skills would allow that. Then she looked around.
"Okay wait. Just two questions. Where exactly am I and who are you people?" she snapped. She hated it when stuff confused her.
"At this very moment, you are in my very own Saotome Academy! I obviously own this school and run it and these people are just some of my students. And you just happened to commit the crime of attempted assault on one of them. And we all know where criminals go, yes?" Midori froze. She was dead meat, and she realized that just now.
"W-wait a sec! Can't you punish me some other way? Like maybe school service or something? I mean, come on man! I'm a homeless minor!" she retorted. She was tired like hell. And sleeping in jail was definitely out of the option.
"But little miss, the only way you can do that is to be a student here!" Shining replied with a roar.
"Let me enrol, then! I'll work for my tuition as well!"
"Hmm? It seems you do not know what kind of school this is. Saotome Academy is an academy for music and musically talented people. Do you think you'll qualify?" She had to admit she wasn't very good at music. She only made music to release whatever she was feeling, most of the time being anger and frustration, resulting to her songs always being intensely metal rock. But this was her only glimmer of hope. She took out her Telecaster from its bag.
"Got some amps?" she said coolly to Shining, who snapped his fingers, summoning two men in tux and shades carrying an amplifier and a microphone. Once the set-up was done, she strummed the intro and began.
"And when it rains in this side of town,
It touches everything. Just say it again and mean it,
So we don't miss a thing.
You made yourself a bed at the bottom of the blackest hole.
And you'll sleep till May and you'll say
That you don't wanna see the sun anymore.
Well oh, oh. How could you do it?
Oh, I, I never saw it coming.
Oh, oh. I need an ending so why can't you stay
Just long enough to explain?"
"Her voice has a unique timbre. So smooth and flawless, as well as her playing. And that is a very soothing but deep song, the type that gives you intense mixed feelings," Shining complimented inwardly. "Who wrote the song?" he asked her.
"Me," she said nonchalantly.
"What's your name?"
"Suzu—" she started but quickly cut herself off. This was her only chance of freedom. She couldn't screw this up. "Miyazaki Midori." Shining grinned that very unfathomable smile again.
"Miyazaki Midori, welcome to Saotome Academy!"
A/N: Uh so, yeah..And if you're asking what a Telecaster is, consult old Wiki. Comments, suggestions, criticisms, and the like are my lullabies to sleep. Thank you! ^_^