First one-shot scheduled in (hopefully!) a series of Tsukimori pairings! Originally written for Tsukimori's birthday in April earlier this year ^^
Warning: Possible spoilers? (because I may steal lines and scenarios to keep some of the characters in character.)
Thanks to my friend who gave me the basic plot idea for this pairing ^^
"Drumroll please, Hihara. And the first role is..." Kanazawa-sensei drawled out dramatically. Turning towards the amida drawing on the blackboard, he slid his fingers down the lines beneath each of his students' names to uncover their corresponding role as a mischievous gleam slowly appeared in his eyes. "Tsukimori! Congratulations, you get the part of the Prince," he announced with a smug look on his face.
Tsukimori's eyebrow visibly twitched as he silently sat in his chair with the rest of the concours members turning their eyes towards him in surprise. Folding his arms and closing his eyes in a subtle attempt to shut out the world around him for a moment, he silently questioned why they were putting on a play for Seisou's annual culture festival and not a musical performance instead; it could have even been a rock band, for heaven's sake, which would have been much more relevant...
"Congratulations, Tsukimori," bubbled up Kaji, cutting off Tsukimori's train of thought, "how wonderful to land the main role in the play!" Continuing to gush in excitement, his eyes suddenly lit up as he turned towards Hino, "wouldn't it be perfect if Hino-san were the sleeping princess?"
Yunoki suddenly spoke up with a gentle smile on his face,"Now now, the role of the princess hasn't been announced yet," he chided, easily concealing any fragment of his annoyance. "We don't want to get our hopes up now do we?"
Hino shrank back in her chair next to Fuyuumi in embarrassment, trying to ignore the two sitting in the front row of the classroom.
Kanazawa coughed from the front of the classroom. "Well, since you're all so anxious to see the rest of the roles, here we go." One by one, he uncovered the rest of the cast list.
'Don't let the princess be Kaho-chan... Don't let the princess be Kaho-chan...' Hihara repeated silently in his head. The rest of the members scanned the names on the board. A sudden intake of breath was heard, during which time Kanazawa took the opportunity to plug his ears with his pinkies.
Just as he predicted, a flurry of surprised shouts and protests were being shout across the room.
"Me!? A fairy!?"
"...how does one look like a fairy, Tsuchiura-sempai?"
"W-what? A girl's role???"
"Hm... how... interesting..."
"...even higher up than a princess, a KING!!!"
"K-kaji-kun..."
"I... I can't...!"
Once the noise died down, Kanazawa let out a sigh. "As much as this hurts me, I can't make any changes to the list once Kira approves..."
"I approve," came a sharp voice from the doorway of the classroom. Kira walked to the front of the room in wide strides before stopping his suited form next to Kanazawa and facing the classroom. "I expect you all to turn this into an enjoyable performance for the school. Any extras and minor roles will be filled in by normal track students, and the orchestration by the music track. Any further questions."
The students sat silently, half with excited and half with dejected expressions on their faces. However, the sound of a chair moving back slowly caught the attention of the occupants in the room. "K-kanazawa-sensei, Kira-rijichou," came a soft voice, catching everyone off guard. "I-I really must ask to switch roles with someone, I... I don't think I'm suited for a major role as the p-...pr-..." Fuyuumi started to shake with anxiety, as Hino reached out a hand to comfort her.
"Hou?" returned Kira with a pensive look on his face. "I'm willing to consider this if you can give me an adequate reason," he added in response to Kanazawa's glare of 'I'll kill you if you break my precious students' on his face.
Tightly clasping her hands together Fuyuumi spoke up again, nervousness evident in her voice, "I am poor with line memorization... and..."
"Given the princess is sleeping for half of the play, I doubt you will have any problems." Fuyuumi lowered her head in greater embarrassment. A small wave of guilt flickered through Kira's stern gaze, but continued on, "I am sure the rest of the members will be most supportive of you." Clearing his throat lightly, he addressed the class this time. "Kanazawa-sensei has the scripts. If any major problems arise, be sure to let him know." With that, Kira turned and left the room.
"That Kira, leaving me with all the work again," grumbled Kanazawa, as he watched Kira turn down the hall towards his office.
"Don't worry Fuyuumi-chan, Amou-san and I are here to help you," reassured Hino.
"Thank you, Hino-sempai..." whispered Fuyuumi. 'But... what my real concern is, is the ending of the play...'
"And now, my dear princess, if you would only awaken with my kiss," Tsukimori murmured, kneeling down on one knee. His bangs swept forward romantically as he leaned towards the 'sleeping' princess.
Said princess was lying on a mat on the auditorium stage, her knuckles turning white from squeezing her hands together, and a tense, nervous expression on her face as her eyes were shut tightly. Fuyuumi heard her heart beating in her ears, and wondered in embarrassment if Tsukimori could hear it too. He frowned in hidden concern, noticing her obvious discomfort. Mechanically, Tsukimori closed the final distance by making an obvious miss to the side of Fuyuumi's shaking form.
"Alright," came a thundering voice from the back rows, "that's a wrap." Kanazawa clapped in approval as he began walking down the aisle toward the stage, "you all did a great job. We'll have one more brief run-through on performance day in costume, but this concludes the full dress rehearsal." Everyone applauded, chattering about the performance day and the roles.
Fuyuumi's shoulders visibly relaxed as she let out a breath she had been holding. When she opened her eyes, Tsukimori was still there kneeling next to her and he offered an outstretched hand to help her up. Anxiety coming over her once again, she stared with a slightly frightened look on her face before Hino came running up to her and pulled Fuyuumi up to a sitting position before hugging her in delight. "You did a wonderful job, today Fuyuumi-chan!" Being unknowingly interrupted, Tsukimori sighed quietly before standing up. "Ah, Tsukimori-kun," looked up Hino in surprise before beaming up at him as well. "You were so cool today! I'm sure it will be a huge success!"
"...Thank you," he responded shortly, before turning to leave the auditorium with the rest of the students.
"You know," Hino continued as she faced Fuyuumi once again, "you both pull off the prince and princess really well. It makes the romance so believable!"
Unknown to her, Tsukimori stopped mid-step as a tiny blush alit onto his cheeks. He quickly shook himself mentally before exiting, knowing that Fuyuumi was more than anxious enough for the both of them.
The buzzer sounded throughout the auditorium and applause rose and fell as deep red curtains were pulled open, revealing a colorful medieval scenery of the inside of a castle surrounded by greenery of the land. A fanfare sounded before the orchestra flowed into a light, springy beat. Spotlights lit up center stage, showing the king and queen seated on their thrones. A voice came over the intercom, narrating the story.
Once upon a time, there existed the beautiful kingdom of Seisou. It overflowed with lush scenery and lively inhabitants, who were ruled by a kind and righteous ruler. The day came where a beautiful girl was born to the king and queen; this is where our story begins.
The king, dressed in a bright red coat decorated with golden buttons and cords stood as he addressed his court. "Welcome, my guests, to celebrate the birth of our newborn daughter!" Hino stood proudly as a sparkling fake crown sat upon her burgundy hair. Cheers were heard from some of her friends—namely Mio—in admiration. She took a bow before extending an arm out to introduce the queen.
"Y-yes, thank you so much for visiting us and our beautiful child," Hihara squeaked out in a frilly wig and pink dress, before awkwardly curtsying. Soon the hall was full of squeals and chuckles from the many who knew the popular third year.
The two of them stood together as a procession of guests came to give their good wishes and gifts. A twinkle on the glockenspiel and sweeping notes from the harp blossomed forth from the orchestra pit, as three fairies trudged, stomped, and flew onto the stage.
"Hello, Hino-sempai, Hihara-sempai," yawned Shimizu, decked out in a dashing, suited light-yellow suit, complete with light blue wings sprouting out from his back. "I came with Tsuchiura-sempai and Kaji-sempai... to..." Shimizu started to wobble to and fro, almost falling asleep standing.
Propping the first year up, Tsuchiura continued his lines. "We've come to give our gifts to the newborn princess," he finished gruffly. He was similarly dressed in deep green, and Kaji in a bright teal... both with wings as well.
Kaji flitted forward and bowed respectfully before the king and queen. "It is my greatest honor to be here at the celebration of the birth of the princess!" The other two fairies followed suit and bowed, before approaching the cradle beside the queen where the 'baby' lay.
Shimizu stepped forward first, casting his aqua eyes downwards, "I give her the gift of good musical intonation, especially at the clarinet," he pronounced slowly, but clearly, before stepping backwards.
Tsuchiura tripped mentally as he was caught off guard from what he thought wasn't scripted line, but put it passed as he approached the cradle. "I present the princess with the gift of beauty and kindness."
Kaji then moved up, "And I..."
Before he could finish, there was the sound of the doorway opening abruptly. The strings in the pit chorused down in a low, dark rumble as fog poured out from the left side of the stage and a the lights dimmed as a spotlight shone down on a mysterious figure. "How disappointing I wasn't invited to your glorious celebration, my iking/i, my queen," the dark wizard expressed with ingenuine sadness, removing his black top hat as he bowed. Putting his hat back on, his black cloak and long violet hair swirled behind him as he moved towards center stage. The crowd exploded in excitement, as the most popular male in the entire student body took stage.
Struggling to keep herself from gaping at Yunoki's amazing entrance, Hino shook herself before stepping forward to confront the wicked wizard. "What are you doing here?" bellowed Hino bravely, though as her gaze and Yunoki's met, she faltered and took a small step backwards that only he noticed.
Chuckling lightly, he replied, "my, is that any way to greet one of your guests? I am here to give the princess my gift as well, just like his fairy godmothers." Yunoki turned his laughing golden eyes towards Shimizu, Tsuchiura and Kaji, before smirking and stepped in front of them before the cradle. "To you, dear princess, at the time you grow up into a fine, talented, beautiful young lady, you will prick your finger on a spindle and die." The court gasped in horror, as the queen fell to her knees.
"Yuno-... How could you do this to my precious daughter?" Hihara cried painfully, looking up at Yunoki with angst reflected in his eyes.
Yunoki narrowed his eyes slightly before turning to the king to speak instead. "Your dear child is now under my curse due to your own inconsiderate behavior. This is my wrath which you have brought onto yourself and those around you." He turned on his heal towards the edge of the stage once more, an evil laughter echoing throughout the stage as his form disappeared in a cloud smoke.
The king stepped forward and put a comforting arm around the queen, who was weeping over the fate of her daughter.
"Your Majesty, my Queen, please don't fret," Kaji spoke gently, "I still have something I can do for you. While I cannot reverse the curse of that horrid wizard," stepping forward, the last fairy looked down adoringly at the newborn princess. "At your sixteenth birthday, dear princess, you will not die, but fall into a deep sleep for one hundred years, until a prince wakes you from your slumber with a kiss." With that, the curtains closed on the first half of the performance.
During the applause of the students, the crew members were rushing back and forth to change the set.
Soon, almost sixteen years passed, and the baby princess grew up into a lovely woman with incredible musical talent. Yet even though all spinning wheels and spindles were destroyed and forbidden from the kingdom at the king's request, the curse was ready to manifest itself in the near future.
The lights slowly came back on, and there sat the young princess practicing her clarinet.
"Princess! As always your music is lovely," flounced the queen on stage, before hugging Fuyuumi, who was practicing her clarinet. "Tomorrow will be your sixteenth birthday, what shall we do to celebrate?" grinned Hihara. "We can provide you with lots of food and music!"
"Greetings, mother," Fuyuumi replied. "I do not need much, you are too generous on your daughter," she blushed as Hihara embraced her.
"Nonsense," came laughter from the doorway, as Hino walked onstage as well. "We must do something for you, it's a special day for our special princess," she explained, draping her arm around Fuyuumi in a friendly manner. "Leave this all up to your mother and I, we will drum up a wonderful party for you!"
Arm in arm, the king and queen happily left the stage, feverishly planning the princess's birthday. Fuyuumi smiled at their excitement. "What wondeful parents I have," she exclaimed. The lights dimmed, and she left the stage.
The next day came all too quickly. With the wicked wizard's curse long forgotten and the celebration the focus of the day, a hooded figure carting a large parcel went unnoticed. Sure enough, the princess found herself drawn to a secluded part of the castle.
The scenery changed to a room with a spinning wheel. Fuyuumi appeared once more, dressed in a beautiful blue dress. "My, what is this?" she questioned, as she looked at the unfamiliar contraption before her. Approaching it, she reached out to touch it and accidentally pricked herself on the spindle. "I... I'm feeling faint, I need to lay down." Weakly, the princess collapsed on the ground, never to open her eyes for another hundred years.
Soon, the kingdom was covered in darkness. The princess was found asleep and the king and queen wept over her. She was laid back onto her bed. The night came, and the fairies returned to watch over the kingdom.
"Let's put everyone to sleep for the hundred years," suggested Shimizu, as he rubbed his eyes.
"And put up thorns and briars to protect the castle to keep it undisturbed," added Tsuchiura.
Kaji solemnly faced the faced the crowd, and spoke. "Now we must wait for a brave prince to come and wake our dear princess."
The kingdom was put to sleep. A hundred years passed. Many attempts during that century were made to infiltrate the castle but all failed, until one day...
A handsomely suited form marched onstage in black boots and navy-blue uniform. Gasps of surprise and delight were heard from all over the audience. "I have heard a lovely princess who practiced her clarinet diligently sleeps deep within this forest of thorns. I have come to save her," Tsukimori pronounced clearly and sharply, as he turned toward the audience, brandishing a sword and slicing it through the air.
"You think you can get through this?"
"Who's there!" pointing his sword towards the intruding voice, the prince found three fairies.
Tsuchiura walked forward as he continued to talk, "all who have attempted to get through these briars have perished. Do you think you can do it?" he challenged, crossing his arms as he quirked an eyebrow.
"Surely you will be the one to save Fuyuumi-san," smiled Shimizu.
"Beware," warned Kaji, "there are creatures of darkness hiding in the shadows. I pray you succeed; be brave."
And just as sudden as they appeared, the three tried to vanish off stage, but Kaji and Tsuchiura were seen trying to drag Shimizu off quickly.
Holding the sword first to his chest, and then thrusting it up into the air, he proclaimed in a serious voice "I swear upon this sword I will rescue that princess." Bringing it back down, he rushed towards the backdrop where enemies appeared from behind the scenery.
The prince braved the thicket of thorns, and defeated the monsters that threated to eat him. One after the other they were slain, and the prince was able to cut his way through to the castle. He quickly came across the room where a beautiful young lady was sleeping peacefully.
Not that he was a man of words to begin with, Tsukimori was still struck dumb as he took in Fuyuumi's form on the decorated platform. Her hands were folded gently over her stomach, and her face was serene, not anxious as it had been the many practices before. "What a beautiful princess. How long you must have been sleeping here alone and in silence; but now, I am here at your side." Kneeling down, he reached out a hand to caress her face lightly. Gently, he picked up one of her hands and held it in his. "If only you would awaken, I could hear your melodious clarinet, and we would make wonderful music together."
Fuyuumi blushed as she lay 'asleep'; she knew that Tsukimori was only speaking scripted words, yet she couldn't quite remember in her flustered mind if the clarinet had been a part of it.
"And now, my dear princess," he started slowly, as he leaned closer to her face. Pausing for a moment, Tsukimori analyzed her face. He found himself drawn inwards toward her sweet expression, full of refinement yet reflected modesty; something he respected in a person. "My princess, if you would only awaken with my kiss." Leaning inwards, he was inches away from her face when he stopped abruptly, not moving.
Feeling Tsukimori's closeness, Fuyuumi felt butterflies in her stomach as her heart hammered through her chest, cheeks flushed. Peeking slightly, her eyes shyly met Tsukimori's serious, intense stare. A small smile graced her lips, and squeezed the his hand that was holding hers, before closing her eyes once again.
Neither of them were quite sure what these unspoken feelings were in the moment, but Tsukimori decided to act upon it. He finally bridged the gap between them, chastely kissing her soft lips. His heart made a small flip as he thought he felt her respond and kiss back.
As he slowly pulled away, the auditorium erupted in applause. Opening her eyes, Fuyuumi was met with Tsukimori's extended hand once more, and this time took it along with the hint of a smile on his face. The two of them rose together and hands entwined.
The princess awoke, along with the rest of her kingdom. The prince took her hand in marriage, and the two lived together happily ever after.
The audience's applause grew louder gave a standing ovation, as the rest of the cast came on stage.
All together they bowed towards the audience, before leaving the stage as the curtains came to a close.
With no one behind them as they were walking towards the changing rooms, Fuyuumi stopped before turning the corner where the others would be. Facing Tsukimori, she smiled happily, whispering, "Thank you."
Tsukimori had a blank, confused look on his face for a moment. "For what?" A sudden realization crossed his mind, as he took a step closer to her and leaned in close once more to kiss Fuyuumi again lightly on the lips. Drawing back quickly, Tsukimori blushed heavily, not quite understanding his own actions. "U-um..."
Also looking quite red, Fuyuumi giggled at her sempai's reaction, as she put her thoughts together. "Thank you, for understanding what I can't say in words."
~Omake ending~
Tsukimori leaned in to kiss Fuyuumi once more. The moment their lips touched it felt like a spark of electricity shot through them. Both of them opened their eyes in surprise and realized it wasn't a spark, but the distinct sound of a certain Nikon camera shutter...
"Amou-san!"
"A-Amou-sempai!"
"Nice shot, Amou," cheered Tsuchiura who was standing right behind her.
Too flustered to make a move, Fuyuumi shuffled to hide behind the nearest object, which was Tsukimori. He in turn had an extremely red face but still managed to sputter out some sort of protest. "Y-you have no business with us, you are invading our privacy."
"Calm down now, a journalist has to get her hit story for the newspaper, doesn't she?" Amou pouted. Looking towards Fuyuumi, she gave her a sly look. "Fuyuumi-chan, I had no idea you were the one to be involved in this 'violin romance'," Amou said, before giving her a wink.
Tsukimori buried his face in his hand, not knowing how he was going to live through this one...
There exists an official picture of Hihara in a wig and dress. That's where I got the idea for Hihara's look. XD
I am totally enamoured with the sleeping beauty play in the CCS anime/manga. That was another inspiration for this fic :D
I'm fairly busy (and lazy) but I have, even if vague, ideas laid out for Tsukimori and every other major character (yes, I mean Lili AND Kiriya as well!!!). It's not that I like slashing Tsukimori all over the place or even that I like these different pairings; it's more for fun, practice and challenge as a writer, and exploration of characters.
If I write them, they are likely NOT to be as long as this one; they may be a paragraph, a page, more humorous, serious, mature, or complete nonsense. If there's a certain pairing you want to see sooner than others... or if there are certain scenarios/elements you'd like to see, please feel free to make your suggestions ^^ If I get enough support I may press myself harder to write another one!
I hoped you enjoyed it!