Wednesday, September 12th, 2011
After School
"Hey partner, you doing anything today?" Yosuke asked as he sprung up from his seat. His best friend nodded.
"Yeah, I've made some plans with Rise, Naoto, and Kanji already," Yu replied. "Sorry."
"No big deal," the sandy brown-haired boy laughed. He waved as Yu walked off.
As his companion disappeared from sight, Yosuke began to wander around by himself. He had the urge to do something. His mind was restless after the Junes concert that they did a few days ago. It was exciting, fun, and he got tons of attention. Although, the day did end with Yosuke having a few bruises because of his sad crowd-surfing attempt, but it was worth it.
He played the song in his head, over and over again.
"Rise has such a cute singing voice," he thought. "But what about the other girls?"
The boy first imagined Yukiko's voice. She'd be best with singing traditional Japanese songs, considering her background. In Yosuke's mind, Yukiko's singing would be sweet-sounding and orotund. As she sang, she would also dance gracefully on the stage with her fan.
On the other hand, Naoto's voice would be small and smoky. When she held notes, her voice would shake a bit, since she'd most likely be nervous when singing in public.
Finally, Yosuke attempted to imagine Chie's singing. At first, he pictured her sounding shrill and nasal, with her voice booming all over the room. He discarded the thought.
"No, she's not obnoxious," Yosuke thought to himself. "Chie's stubborn and short-tempered, but she's nice."
He tried to imagine her singing again. However, his brain produced nothing. All he heard and saw were things like their everyday arguments and conversations.
"Why can't I think of anything, dammit?" Yosuke sighed. For some strange reason, he felt as if he wanted to hear Chie sing the most. Abruptly, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh, Yosuke, there you are!" Chie exclaimed.
"Hey, I was just think—" Yosuke stopped himself from finishing his sentence. It would be unnatural, not to mention weird, of him to say that. "I mean, you were looking for me? Where's Yukiko?"
"She had some errands to run today, so I'm all alone. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out," Chie explained.
"Ah, sure," consented Yosuke. "But I'm not treating you to anything. I haven't gotten my paycheck yet."
"H-How did you know I was going to ask you to take me to Junes?" Chie looked surprised as the boy gave her a knowing grin.
"I'm used to it, I guess," Yosuke joked. "Anyway, I was thinking..." He stared at the tomboy.
"What?" Chie asked, her shoulders stiffened.
"This is my chance!" An excited Yosuke screamed inside his head.
"What do you sound like when you sing?"
"H-Huh?" Chie stuttered. "Well, I dunno, like myself. Why do you wanna know?"
"Well, during that concert that we held, you and Yukiko were supposed to be backup singers. But all I heard the entire time was Rise singing," Yosuke explained.
"Maybe you just have a lame sense of hearing," Chie retorted.
"Nah, I'm pretty sure you guys were lip-syncing," Yosuke replied. Chie looked guilty. "Ha, knew it."
"Okay, you got me," the tomboy sighed. "But why do you care?"
"Because I want to hear you sing," the boy answered.
"Eh."
"Come on, consider it your birthday present to me!"
"Your birthday was months ago!"
"Jeez, fine, I'll make a deal with you. You sing, and I'll treat you to a filet mignon... After I get my paycheck."
There was a brief silence between the pair.
"Deal," Chie consented, a faint blush on her cheeks. Her friend's face brightened.
"Awesome! Okay, let's go to the music room, then." Yosuke began walking, with Chie following suite.
As the two of them approached the room, a small notice came into their sight.
Out performing. Door locked. Sorry for the inconvenience.
"Dammit, what a letdown!" Yosuke sighed. He turned to Chie, who mindlessly reached for the door, despite the sign's words. "Hey, what are you do—"
It slid open.
"Guess someone forgot to lock it," the tomboy laughed.
"Huh. Guess we'll go in, then," Yosuke replied. He tried to hide his shock.
They sat in the far corner of the room, by the windows. Due to the performance, it was practically empty inside. That is, with the exception of the percussion set, chairs, and guitar equipment.
"What song do you wanna do?"
"I guess I'll sing Rise's song," Chie answered. "But slower."
"Oho, that's a surprise. The tough Chie Satonaka wanting to sing something peaceful and calm." The boy remarked, earning him a kick in the shin.
"I'm doing this for you, ya know!" The brunette stared angrily at Yosuke.
"Yeah, sorry..." A pained Yosuke leaned down to rub his shin. "A-Anyway, I'll accompany you with some guitar." He picked up the acoustic guitar from the corner.
Chie fidgeted, looking everywhere but at Yosuke.
"What's wrong? Nervous?" Yosuke looked at the tomboy.
"Well, this is kinda... Awkward," Chie admitted.
"Oh come on, I'm just your friend, and I'm the one who set you up for this. I won't laugh, promise," Yosuke assured. "And this room is soundproof. No one else will hear you."
"You're more than a friend..." The tomboy mumbled, she slightly blushed again. Yosuke didn't notice.
"Here, I'll play the intro for you." The boy slowly strummed the first few chords of the song. He made sure that it sounded more relaxed and gentle, like a ballad.
Chie took a deep breath.
You got yourself, behind a door, deep inside your heart, again You wanna hide, you wanna come out, going round and round
She sang quietly, but her voice was silvery and modulated. It made her seem like a completely different person.
Thinking hard about it, doesn't help you one bit Say hello (hello)
You gotta say goodbye, the shrouds of lies, yeah
As Chie sang, Yosuke noticed that she just seemed so gentle and dainty. Like someone that he had to protect. He didn't expect her to sound like that at all!
Although, somehow, Yosuke liked it.
He found himself strumming slower, leaning closer.
Shout friends, just those words you feel that you'll need And let your voice be heard all over the world Stand up, when you hear the knock on the door It's me come on out Get ready for your true story
As she finished the song's last note, she looked up. Yosuke's face was but mere inches away from hers. She screamed.
"W-What the?" Chie flung herself back in her seat, her cheeks turning pink.
Upon realizing what he had done, Yosuke ended up panicking and blushing as well.
"Sorry, I-I just..." He fidgeted, and slowly looked back up at Chie. The unnerved girl was staring back at him. Yosuke sighed, and then pat Chie on the head. "I wanted to do that. Um, thanks for letting me hear you sing."
"I had fun." Chie looked at the boy meekly.
For a moment, neither of them said or did anything. The atmosphere was tense and their faces were both beet red.
Suddenly, with all of the courage he could muster, Yosuke grabbed Chie's hand and kissed her. He felt her soft lips rest on his.
The tomboy's eyes were wide with shock. Her mind and heart were racing. However, she got used to it. As she got lost in the moment, her eyes closed, and she started kissing him back. They both felt absolute bliss.
The pair sat there, interlocked, for a good ten seconds. As they broke away, both of their faces were red. They stared into each other's eyes, and Chie smiled. She leaned her forehead against Yosuke's.
"So... About that filet mignon that I owe you," Yosuke began. "Wanna call it a date?"
"Definitely," Chie consented. "Make sure you book a fancy restaurant!"
"Well, the fanciest restaurant that I can afford, at least."
"Haha, yeah."
AUTHOR COMMENTS
This was just a random idea that popped into my head the other day. It's short, but I hope that you found it sweet. On another note, Ch. 5 of "Back Inside the TV" should be out soon! Just have some revising to do.
- Minhie