Hey! Well.. um... This story basically came out of a picture Clare found on Tumblr about months and types of animus that go with it. She's born in August and got Yaoi (Lucky her...) but I'm born in February and got Musicals. I didn't think much about it until she pointed out Utapri was a musical. She then followed up by imagining me in the Utapri world. The story just kinda grew from there and yeah... Here we are... Oh and just a note. My character is Misaki and Clare's is Miku.
"Shit!" Setsuko Miku cursed. "God damn it! I hate this stupid fucking crowd!"
The tiny redhead swore as she pushed her way through the throng of student.
"You know, you really shouldn't curse in such an open area in school," said her best friend.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Misaki. Who's gonna tell on me? You?" she snorted. "As if. You swear just as much as me." She rolled her eyes as she tugged her friend forward by her bony wrist.
Hitomi Misaki, the girl in question, smiled softly and breathed a small laugh through her sharp nose. She lowered her head and shook it as she allowed herself to be pulled forward.
"Of course I swear, Miku. I couldn't be your friend if I didn't. But I don't swear in the company of such unintelligent company. Don't wanna confuse the idiots too much you know?"
Miku gave a short laugh. "Oh. Ever the lady as always," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Groaning, the started walking faster. "Argh! We're going to be late if we continue at this pace. It's our final exam, Saki. We can't screw this up!"
"Chill, Miku… We're the top students in the S Class and we're only expected in the recording room, which is less than 5 minutes away from here, mind you, in 15 minutes."
"Yeah, I know!" the urgency in her voice was clear. "But it's best to- Ow!"
Miku, as usual, had not been paying attention to where she was going. As a result, she had bumped into a person and had stumbled and almost fallen. Rubbing her right temple, where their heads had collided, she turned to the boy. Slightly squinting due to the pain, she noticed that it was a short blond boy she had connected heads with.
Now, when she said short, she meant short. Standing at 155 cm barefoot at the age of 16, she was a dwarf compared to Misaki who stood at the proud height of 175 cm. Though, her short stature did add to her image of cuteness. However, even with the heels she was currently wearing, she measured up to be only 160cm.
So really, if she head headbutt a guy, he had to be somewhere near her height. And that meant he was seriously short.
Having had the crowd slow her down in addition to crashing into the boy, Miku was on edge to say the least. And with the addition of her short temper, Misaki just knew what was about to happen.
As expected, Miku dropped her hand and turned to face the poor creature who was the subject of her anger.
Misaki sighed but moved back. Knowing there really was no way of stopping her tornado of a best friend. And true enough, Setsuko's usually sweet face was starting to grow become a shade of red Misaki doubted was healthy.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!? Watch where you're going shorty!"
The boy was obviously taken aback. Misaki sighed. People really needed to stop thinking Miku was an innocent bundle of sweetness and joy. She never was and never would be.
Coming to his senses, the spectating girl assumed, he shot back an insult.
"What?! YOU watch where you're going! And who are you calling shorty, you dwarf!"
Miku gasped as Misaki sighed. Great. He just HAD to bring up her height.
"I am not a dwarf! I'm looking down on you right now!"
"You're in heels! It doesn't count!"
Misaki tuned out the rest of the insults in favour of studying the boy's companions. She wasn't worried. Miku wouldn't say something she hadn't said before.
Standing opposite her, on the other side of the arguing pair, were a group of guys.
Of the 6, the only two bluenettes of the group had bored yet slightly irritated expressions. As if to say, 'Oh god. Not this again.'
Standing next the the two of them were two redheads. The taller one with longer hair was smirking, obviously thoroughly amused with the display in front of him while the other boy with fiery hair glanced at the pair concerned, if his frowning face was anything to go by.
Shifting her line of sight to the left, she was met with the sight of a brunette smiling innocently at the scene. She grit her teeth and narrowed her cat-like eyes. Something about this boy greatly irritated her. It might have to do with the aggravatingly naive look on his face but Misaki expected it went much deeper than that.
Trying to keep a sneer off her face, she switched to studying the taller blond of the two. He looked sweet. Honestly innocent and earnest. Somehow unlike the brunette, this boy didn't grate on her nerves. Strange.
As she drew her eyes back to the fight on hand, the guy with wavy hair tucked behind his left ear caught her gaze. Smirking at her in what he thought was a charming manner, he winked at her, expecting a smile in return. Giving him a blank look, she paused for a second before looking down to check her watch.
15 seconds had passed since the fight started. Considering that Miku was in a hurry to get to the recording studio and since the crowd had finally cleared, Misaki estimated that Miku would limit their quarrel to about 30 seconds.
Shifting her weight onto her right leg, she crossed her arms.
"10", her clear voice rang through the now empty call.
"9", Miku's voice raised a octave.
"8", the other spectators looked at her.
"7", the boy more became expressive in his actions.
"6", the taller blond rolled up his sleeves.
"5", the words 'fucking midget', 'blond smurf' and 'retarded gnome' were exchanged.
"4", words colourful enough to make some people blush were said.
"3", Miku let out an incredibly shrill scream that made her opponent stare silently.
"2", she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"1", she turned swiftly and walked passed Misaki, heading to Recording Studio 1, grabbing the taller girl's hand by the way.
With an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her naturally red lips, she followed without resistance.
Peeking over the shoulder of her companion, she noted the flushed red cheeks on the usually pale face.
"You ok?" she whispered.
Shaking her head, Miku silently fumed at the thought of the situation she had landed in.
Snapping out of the coma-like state her shriek had put him in, he chased after her with a loud call. "Hey! Wait! Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!"
Turning with a roll of her eyes, Miku was ready to start screaming at the boy once more. To their surprise, they found the tall blond boy sitting on the marble floor, the boy who was previously referred to as a 'blonde smurf' wrapped up in his long arms.
Apparently, the entire entourage had followed the boy and were now approaching the two girls. The boy who had winked at Misaki earlier walked up Miku and looked down at the girl.
"Hello little lamb, I'm deeply sorry for all the stress Syo has caused you. A princess like you should not have to deal with such troubles," he smiled charmingly.
Miku's expression darkened the more he spoke to her and Misaki grinned to herself. Oh she knew where this was going. And it wasn't going to be pretty.
"What did you call me?" she ground out.
"Why little lamb? Do you not like being called a princess?" he asked, his blue eyes like that of a puppy dog's.
Growling, she yelled, "I am not little you giant freak! I am anything BUT little! Take that back you numbskull!" Her body shifted into a combat position, her right leg forward, her back bent, her chin tilted down.
"You're gonna regret that, " She beamed, an expression of pure glee tinted with the fury boiling inside her body, as she lunged forward.
Only to be stopped by a firm grip on her right hand.
"We have to go, Miku. Time should not be wasted with such company." Misaki stated, giving him a mockingly sweet smile. In control as always.
Miku huffed, "He had to apologize first," she glared at him.
Hearing her, the boy bent down to take her hand, holding it to him lips, he gently kissed it before whispering to her, "I'm sorry my sweet princess."
As she took her hand back with a slight look of disgust on her face, the boy turned to Misaki. Who at that point, still had an expression of fake politeness.
He grinned at her, taking her hand in his. "Such a beautiful lady, so tall and elegant," he whispered before kissing her hand.
Allowing him to do so, she took her hand back before replying. "Such a waste of space, so fake and mindless. You know," she smiled innocently, "you really should learn how to speak to girls."
And with that, she turned and walked off towards her original destination.
The boy in question was shocked to say the least. His eyes were wide and open, eyebrows raised high and lips parted slightly.
Miku whipped out her phone before taking a picture of his face with a smile and a giggle.
Looking up at him with an expression only to be described as 'angelic', she gave him a grin before speaking. "Oh you'll have to do so much better than that."
She turned to the "Retarded gnome" and stuck out her tongue, making a weird face.
The midget fumed silently within his human constraints as she caught up with her friend. His body was trapped and his mouth was covered with a hand. He could only bite back scathing retorts and glare with all his might.
A bluenette with straight hair started to chuckle, his eyes gleaming with mirth at his friends' agony.
" Learn how to talk to girls? Tch," the tall boy muttered. It was a huge blow to his ego. Considering that was an art form in which he prided himself in being an expert.
Reaching the studio short of breath, but on time, Miku fell back onto the velvet sofa with a loud huff. Clutching a turquoise pillow to her chest, she watched Misaki stroll to the table opposite her at the other side of the room and sit on its edge. Her long legs bent slightly to keep her on the desk.
Silently, she reached and arm out to Miku and made a grabbing motion. Rolling her eyes, she looked around for a deep purple pillow before throwing it to its waiting recipient.
Holding the pillow and resting it on her knees, she asked Miku, "You ok?"
With a deep sigh, she answered softly, "Yeah."
"God, that damn tiny little piece of shit! He was so rude! Completely disrespectful! And he-!"
"Chill, Miku," Misaki drawled out in that bored tone of hers. "What's done is done. It's over, dear girl. Let it go."
Miku stared at her for a moment before exhaling. "You're right," she beamed. "We'll probably never see them again."
Nodding her head earnestly in agreement, she asked, "Can we start rehearsing the song now?"
Finally relaxed, she laughed freely. "Yeah. C'mon. Before our crazy principal arrives."
Misaki shivered at the thought of their principal; the Shining Saotome. He was….. an… eccentric man, to say the least. And he honestly gave Misaki the creeps.
Moving to kneel beside each other, they sat on the ground in front of the low glass coffee table in the centre of the room with their sheet music and lyrics between them.
Getting lost in the melody and rhythm, they didn't notice the time fly.
That was until the door to the studio slammed open.
Shining Saotome stood at the entrance in all his red glory with his arms posed above his head. Twirling towards them, he exclaimed, "I, Shining Saotome, am here to witness the grand partnership between the top S Class students! Do fabulous! Do wonderful! Do magical!" Prancing over to the the command desk while Miku shuffled to his side and Misaki entered the booth, he had an impish grin stuck firmly on his face. They would not disappoint. He just knew it. They were a diamond, shining brilliantly with countless facets of sheer talent and potential.
The singer, Hitomi Misaki, had powerhouse vocals that flowed with energy, vibrancy and clarity, was known for her uncanny ability for crafting poetic, meaningful lyrics for any music piece with ease, and in turn, capturing her audience with those words filled with emotions and thought. She was a weaver of words, a singer, a prodigy.
The composer, Setsuko Miku, with her nimble fingers that played any instrument like an extension of her body, was known for her rare eloquence in music, her emotions, her very essence pouring into her pieces and from there, into the hearts and souls of her audience. She was a master of music, a composer, a genius.
Together, they would be unstoppable, like comets staining the starry night sky with celestial light, they would reach into the hearts of people all around the world and grip them with their voice and song. They would enlighten their listeners of what true music was. That was their destiny.
Shining Saotome giggled at the thought of the gems of his school. His precious little projects whose talents he had recognized the first time they worked together on a song.
Miku alone reminded him of Nanami Haruka. Save the fact that Nanami was not born to play the instruments she did and for the fact that unlike Miku, she would never be able to generate hit song after hit song after hit song. Unlike Miku, she would not last in the industry. And Shining Saotome knew that the time when Nanami Haruka would no longer be able to write awe-inspiring songs would soon approach. She was a one-hit wonder and would never rise above that title. But Miku...she was something else entirely. She could and would achieve so much more, especially with Misaki at her side.
Moving on to the singer of the duo, he stared at her before sighing. She was unique, the powerful voice and songwriting talents were not rare. But a combination of the two, one that allowed the voice to push so much emotion into simple words of a song, that was special. Very special indeed, he mused.
Misaki readied herself behind the mic. Making sure she held one side of the headset to her left ear, she cleared her throat. Looking up to meet Miku's teal eyes, she nodded her confirmation to her partner's silent question.
Without pause, the red haired girl pressed a red button to her right. Immediately, the pre-recorded instrumentals began playing throughout the small room.
She remembered the gentle rise and fall of ivory and ebony keys in the dark, her fingers dancing across the moonlit keyboard, the keening ache in her heart as she created a melody, poignant and utterly, completely haunting. In that room shrouded by the shadows of the night, she created something, out of nothing but mere emotions. Closing her eyes, she could still see her fingers entwined in shadow as she played on and on, the full moon her audience. She could still hear her music drifting from the music room, a soundtrack to the dreams of midnight.
The sound of a piano playing a melodious tune made Misaki smile. The familiar opening was a comfort. She would do this. And she would do this right. Taking a breath and lowering her head, she started.
With her eyes closed, she sang. "That dream is where my heart belongs, and it's something more fragile than my life," she paused to take a breathe.
"Again and again I abandoned and rediscovered it. Now sleep peacefully," she slowly raised her head with the acceleration of the song. "With my wish being ravished by my pounding heartbeats, as soon as I am on the verge of forgetting it, I immediately recall it."
As the drums signalled the beginning of the chorus, her eyes snapped open.
"In this beautiful cruel world, we merely keep on asking why we're alive and living…"
Miku smiled. It was about to get good.
"Ah, with this strength and this weakness," her power voice lifted the ending high note. She held the chord for a few seconds before continuing. "If we no longer possess any rationality, just what are we protecting?"
Saotome turned towards Miku, eyebrows raised at the words Misaki had written. The smaller girl shrugged as the piano played in the background. "She was feeling upset that day," as if that explained everything.
And it did.
Somewhere else in the academy, two levels down, three turns left and a right, the aforementioned group of young men stood silently. Ears alert and listening intently, they tuned out the white noise of the campus with the useless chatter of students. Everything but the sweet music flowing from above. It was evocative in a way, with the melding of a powerful voice and a delicate melody that rose and fell elegantly. Balanced with it's meaningful lyrics and raw emotion, full of desperation, crying out for the meaning in life out of hopelessness and despair. It certainly gave them a new perspective.
Never had they experienced music like this. The singer felt the lyrics in her heart, and that very fact brought tears to their eyes. It was an art, to be able to offer up their heart and lay themselves bare to be judged. The artist, the lyrics, the song. It truly was a masterpiece.
They turned to each other, intent clear on their faces. Knowing that the studios were two levels above, they rushed for the nearest stairs.
