Summary: This is basically a short story I had to do for a drama workshop, and I wanted to know what people think of it! Reviews and comments are highly appreciated!
Author's Note: I hope you guys all enjoy this! For those who aren't too familiar with the Visual Kei scene, I took members from various bands amongst the VK scene. Basically:
Ruki: Vocalist of 'ガゼット'/'the GazettE'
Hitsugi: Guitarist of 'ナイトメア'/'Nightmare'
Kazuno: Ex-Bassist of 'Moi dix Mois'
Nao: Drummer of 'alice nine.'
Teru: Guitarist of 'Versailles'
Also, the name of the story and he name of the band, 'Kuro Bara' translated into English is 'Black Rose'.
Please, enjoy!
XxXxXxXxX Kuro Bara XxXxXxXxX
Fans screamed as Ruki started singing the chorus, his voice filling the whole club in which he and his band, Kuro Bara, were playing…
"Whoa, that was awesome!" Kazuno shouted in glee as the band made their way backstage towards their dressing room. Kazuno's black bass guitar was still strapped around his neck as he pushed open the dressing room door.
"Yeah!" Nao agreed, grinning like mad. His drumsticks were no longer with him; he had thrown them into the crowd before exiting the stage. The band chatted and laughed mirthfully. They sat down on the two dark sofas in the middle of the room. Ruki looked up at Hitsugi, the guitarist, who sat opposite to him. He suddenly noticed that although Hitsugi was smiling, it seemed forced. Ruki was about to ask what was wrong when Hitsugi looked down to his lap, then up again. There was a pause in the conversation, and that was when Hitsugi decided to tell them;
"Guys, I've got some really bad news…" He trailed off, looking down again. Nao frowned slightly, and Kazuno made a 'hn' sound, then motioned for him to continue.
"Well, you see, my mum's been sick for a while as you know. My dad said he could look after her fine, but it's obvious he can't; he has to go to work, and he has to stay there late working hard because you guys all know that a lot of people are being laid-off right now in Japan. So, he always comes back really tired and he's not in any fit shape to look after her properly…"
"Oh." Nao said quietly. He knew what Hitsugi meant, but he didn't want to say it; it would make it too real. Ruki, however, decided to say what the other seemed to not want to.
"So, you're leaving the band." Ruki asked Hitsugi. His face was blank; it was impossible to tell if Ruki was mad, or upset, or another emotion. Hitsugi nodded…
XxXxXxXxX
Although Hitsugi's news had dampened everyone's spirits, Nao, being the person he was, decided he wasn't going to have everyone moping around. He had said that it was the last night of the last gig Hitsugi would perform with them, so they should celebrate; make it a night to remember. So they did just that!
XxXxXxXxX
The next morning, Ruki, Kazuno and Nao began their search for a new guitarist. They had little time, seeing as they were scheduled to play a really big gig in 2 weeks time. The band stuck up flyers, and asked their friends if they knew anyone. But, somehow, nothing happened, or more like, they found no one. Ruki was getting more and more stressed out, not that you could tell had you met him briefly, but he, Kazuno and Nao had known each other most of their lives, so they knew when something was bothering Ruki. But to tell the truth, they were all getting stressed out.
They had hung out with Hitsugi briefly during the previous week. They had told him how uneventful their search for a new guitarist was, and then had to stop Hitsugi from apologising about his departure from Kuro Bara.
XxXxXxXxX
It was the night before the gig, and Kuro Bara still didn't have a guitarist. They had talked about cancelling, but Kazuno had told them to be optimistic; who knew? They may find a new guitarist the next day. They all knew it was highly unlikely, but agreed to wait until the next day to cancel the gig.
One of the reasons they were so stressed about finding a guitarist and being able to play the gig was that it wasn't any ordinary gig; many record companies would be there for sure, so if they played well, there would be a high chance of them getting signed.
XxXxXxXxX
The next day came, and the band made their way backstage of the arena in which they would have played, had they found a suitable guitarist. They were about to knock on the door of the person who arranged the band line-up, when they heard a shout. They turned round to see a man with blond and black streaked hair jogging up the long corridor towards them.
"Hey." The man offered in greeting as he came to a stop beside the band. Nao cocked his head to the side, looking as confused as the rest of the band felt.
"I'm Teru. I play guitar. I recently left my last band, and I heard that you guys were looking for a new guitarist." Teru said, not realising how relieved Kuro Bara felt from hearing this news. Kazuno nodded happily, Nao just grinned, and Ruki had his mouth open slightly in disbelief.
"This rocks! I mean, now we can play in the gig tonight! Yes!" Nao shouted happily. Ruki's face eventually broke into a wide smile.
"We'll have to hear you play first, but I'm sure you'll be great!" Ruki told Teru. Teru nodded, and they went to fetch Teru's black and red guitar. They then made their way to the dressing room and heard Teru play. Honestly, he was amazing; he played fantastically well. It was different to the way Hitsugi played, but both were just as good.
XxXxXxXxX
The gig had been fabulous; everyone had played to the best of their abilities and the crowd had loved it.
XxXxXxXxX
The next week, the band got tons of offers to play at various different places and clubs. It was going really well for the band. Midi:Nette, a very famous Visual Kei artist's recording label, also signed them. The band was ecstatic.
Ruki, Kazuno and Nao sat in a small café in Ikebukuro in Tokyo, waiting for Hitsugi. The ex-guitarist had asked to meet up with them on the phone, sounding very excited. He eventually arrived. He sat down, and then looked at each of the band members in turn. He then smiled and began,
"Guys, guess what? My mum is doing great now; well on her way to recovery. As soon as we found out, my parents told me that I should come back and re-join you guys. They said I should get out there and really live. So I was wondering, could I re-join Kuro Bara?" Hitsugi looked expectantly at all of them.
"Well, we'd love to have you back Hitsugi, but thing is, we've already found a new guitarist." Nao said hesitantly. Hitsugi's face fell.
"Oh." Hitsugi replied quietly, "It's okay then." Kazuno looked round at each member.
"This is ridiculous you guys! It's so simple; we can have two guitarists! Hitsugi and Teru play differently, and I'm sure if you had them both play, it would be amazing." Kazuno exclaimed. Ruki nodded in agreement, as did the rest of them.
XxXxXxXxX
The band tried out the new scheme of two guitarists, and, to no one's surprise, it worked out fabulously. They played many more gigs and concerts, and soon became very popular in Japan. As well as becoming very popular in Japan, they also became popular overseas. Everyone was really happy it had worked out so well. Teru and Hitsugi got on really well, as did Teru and the other band members. The five became very close, and each enjoyed what they were doing very much. For once, there was a happily ever after...
XxXxXxXxX
Author's Note: I hope you all liked it! Please review! Reviews make me happy, and help me to get better at writing so please do review! Constructive criticism is welcomed, as long as it's constructive and not too harsh! Whimper!! Thank you again for reading!
