Notes: This is a co-author story with artgirl150!
Genre: Not in any particular order: Music/ Angst/ Romance/ Stardom/ Drama/ Humor/ Some Tragedy
Disclaimer: The characters are Clamp, if we did own them, would we be writing our crazy fanfictions about them? Hell, I wish I could draw like them XD.
Summary: He looked upon them with satisfaction in his eyes and nodded in approval to the woman with amber‑red eyes, his secretary gasped, "They are the best I have seen yet. The singer is truly talented, her voice blends well with the strong bass guitar, and the symphony of the guitar, not to mention the drummer seems to match each note with just as much strength. They are amazing!" "They are Saturn's Rings." replied the woman with amber‑red eyes as she watched them. She grinned, after all they were her friends.
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑.:.‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ Chapter One ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑.:.‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
The mirror reflects what it sees;
A person suffering from a formidable disease;
Wings bound by red ribbon and lace;
Dreams shredded to bits, a sorrowed base;
Hidden desires will never soar,
Until I am set to be more.
:.Nadeshiko Avalon.:
"Damn it! Where the hell is Satoshi?!" asked a tall lanky eighteen year old singer. He was dressed in fitted black jeans and a back t‑shirt, his hair was a messy red mop, as he paced impatiently back and forth across the back room of the Black Cat Club. He looked nervous, but his anger seemed to mount by the second. As he made another circle around the small back room, he growled in frustration, "How the hell are we supposed to perform if there are no freaking drums!"
A tall middle aged man dressed in black, with a white apron walked in, his dark black hair shone in the light of the dressing room, "Something wrong?" asked the manager of the bar.
"Yes, our drummer isn't here yet." replied another band member as he leaned against the wall and tuned is guitar. His black hair was long, and swept like a dark curtain behind his fair face. His chocker was a vibrant red, accenting his gray eyes, that held some knowledge.
"Do you need a sub?" asked the manager as he noticed the missing band member, "Alright I'll ask Chi‑chan" with that he strode back out the door he came through leaving the remaining members.
"Who is this Chi‑chan?" asked the eighteen year old singer, as he gazed at the band leader with wide blue eyes, and tried to calm down by drinking some soda.
The guitarist raised a golden eyebrow, "Seriously? You don't know Chi‑chan?" he asked in amusement. The look the singer gave him only affirmed it, "Everyone calls him Chidori, written with the same Kanji as lightening, or Chi‑chan for short. He was in all sorts of bands, kinda like a wander. He's very talented, he can play any instrument, with amazing speed and accuracy. Everyone tries to get him into their band, they say where ever he decides to stay will surely become famous."
Their bass guitarist gracefully got up from his chair, he ran a hand through his short trimmed brown hair, "Chi‑chan works here as a waiter, but does some shows here and there, and like today, he helps out bands. He's good, I don't think Satoshi will be a match for him. But... this Chidori he's one mystery." he said shaking his head in deep thought.
"Why's tha‑‑" just as the singer began to ask the question, the manager of the bar walked in.
Behind him was a person approximately five foot eight inches, with their shoulder length hair tied loosely behind them, and a red baseball cap that covered most of their hair, they had a pair of sepia tinted glasses on. "This is Chi‑chan, just giv'em the notes of the songs and his part, and he'll take it from there. By the way, you're up in ten." said the manager as he turned around and left the room, once again without a backwards glance.
The person called Chi‑chan grinned, "So what can I do for you today?"
"Our drummer seems to have vamoosed last minute." grunted the guitarist as he began to look for the notes for their song.
"Can you really play‑‑" Before the singer even got a chance to finish asking his question, the bass guitarist's hand shot out and was clamped over his mouth.
"You new here aren't you, I've seen Kai, and Riku around, but not you." said this Chi‑chan as they motioned towards the bass guitarist and the guitarist. Riku seemed to have found the sheet and handed in to Chi‑chan. He glanced over the sheets quickly, and sighed, "Any last minute additions or changes?"
"Not that I know of." replied Riku, he expectantly turned towards Kai and glanced at their singer. They just shook their head in reply.
Chi‑chan smiled, "Alright, good to know." He casually glanced down on his watch, "Four minutes till we're on, so new guy, what's your name?"
The singer curiously eyed Chi‑chan for a second before saying, "Shouji."
Chi‑chan grinned, "Shouji, nice name. Okay I hope you can blow me away with your voice, and I'll try not to embarrass you all."
Shouji looked confused at the statement, but Kai, who was still next to him put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, just as Chi‑chan left to go on stage, "You were just picked, if he likes you man, we might actually get somewhere." Shouji now nodded.
Kai, lifted up his guitar and casually hung it over his shoulder, Riku looked up at him and said, "Oi, Shouji, don't worry I'm sure everything will be alright. We don't want you losing your voice because of stage fright." Riku and Kai both snickered at the thought and left.
"H‑Hey!" with that Shouji quickly flung on his jeans jacket and went with them. He briskly walked to the center stage of the bar, both Kai and Riku were ready and waiting for Shouji. Chi‑chan was already humming the tune for the song. Shouji closed his eyes briefly and wrapped his hand around the Shure 55SH model Series II microphone with slightly shaky fingers. He breathed in a slow breath getting ready, and gave a small nod.
With that the drums began to start the beat, slow and pouncing, the guitar and bass guitar intercepted the drums and began the song, 'Just like practice, on...three...two...one' Shouji opened his eyes and began the song, "You... you think I can't see. You think I can't feel. You think just because you can fly that you are so great..."
The drums picked up speed, Shouji glanced behind, with shock, this Chidori was truly an amazing guy, he was able to learn to sequence so quickly it amazed him, hearing the bass pick up making it echo, he looked back at the audience, and grinned as he began to sing again, and before he knew it people were roaring and dancing with wild energy along the song, and before long their song had ended.
He panted for air, and turned around with a huge grin just as Kai and Riku had stopped playing, they grinned at him, "Shouji, you the man!" the exclaimed together. They patted him on the shoulder and turned towards the Chidori to hear his say.
He grinned at them and smirked, "Not bad, I can't wait to see you with your actual drummer."
They yelped in joy, and gave each other high fives in celebration. Chi‑chan leisurely got up and smiled, as the manager of the bar came up to him, "So?" he asked.
"Not a bad voice, but they don't have the right song yet, I can already see them as a rock‑ish band. But their image is too common. With work, they might be able to pull of a CD." replied Chi‑chan. He got up from in front of the drums and stretched.
"You going home?" asked the manger as he watched the guy rested the drum stick on the drums.
Chi‑chan grinned, "I start school tomorrow."
The manager clicked his tongue, and shook his head with a teasing smile, "Don't scare the pretty ladies Chi‑chan."
"They scare me!" yelled Chi‑chan over his shoulder as he started to run out the bar. The manager let a chuckle roll from his throat, as he turned to see that now the people were just partying, and that a new band had come up to play.
.:‑‑:.
Slim fingers grazed the guitar string, and played a soft hum, of A's and B's making a low rumble. Picking up speed the fingers with amazing rhythm started to play a soft rumble, making a sound like tara‑ra‑ra. My fingers twitched with rhythm wanting, begging to go faster, and I did when suddenly a string broke.
My eyebrow twitched in anger, and I felt a sudden strong urge to smash the guitar to bits, but unfortunately I felt the thin leather of my worn out wallet shift in my pocket. "Damn it all to hell, I knew the bastard was selling fishing wire, not freaking guitar strings!" I muttered as I gently put the guitar on the bed. I sighed as I slowly got up.
Smashing the thing would be a privilege I could not afford considering how little money I had, besides living without a guitar would be torture. I looked over to the small black alarm clock; the illuminated numbers read ten to six a.m. "Time to get a shower." I went over to my banged up dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a green t‑shirt, then going over to the small closet I dragged open the half hinged door and pulled out a towel and draped it over my shoulder.
After about ten minutes, I was dressed. I towel dried my hair and tied is loosely behind. Pulling on an old Rolling Stone baseball cap, I started to fix the broken guitar with great frustration with the same fishing wire I had bought from the idiot of a seller. Fixing it, I placed it gently into the guitar case, and wore my worn black leather jacket, sighing I hung the guitar case on my shoulder and locked my graffiti covered door behind me, knowing full well that there was nothing I had that was worth stealing, but still it was a nice sense of false security, even if it was only an illusion.
I started to hum the rhythm from earlier as I began to make my way down the vandalized stairs to the filthy front lobby, swinging my keys on my middle finger. I stopped as I noticed a small elderly woman with sharp features and strong eyes struggling with her bag, grinning I slipped my hand into hers and pulled the groceries out from her fingers. She looked up at me shocked, then grinned and chuckled, "Morning to you to Chi‑chan." I gave her a wide grin, "Good Morning, beautiful." I stated with a teasing tone as I started to climb the stairs towards her apartment having been there before.
"You don't change do you, even flirting with an old woman like me." she said, as she rummaged through her bag to get her keys to open the apartment door.
"You are the only woman I would flirt with Megumi‑chan" That only caused her to shake her head, my grin became a small frown as I asked, "Where is that bloody son of yours?"
She winced at that. "Chi‑chan..."
"What about his slut of a wife?" I asked my expression hardening.
"Chi‑chan, I don't want to be a burden." she explained sadly as she opened her door, taking the groceries from my hands, her expression only darkened for a second and then she smiled softly at me changing the topic, "Good luck with school today."
"You can always live with me." I suggested, I knew why she had changed the topic, as everyone else in this complex I had heard the painful screams.
She sighed, and with a small smile said "He's my only family left, he is my life." But unfortunately this kind of thing, the screams, the shouting and yelling was all too common in this building.
I sighed inwardly, and smiled, "Alright, alright you win." She smiled sadly then turned to look at me, I bent down a little, and she placed a soft kiss on my cheek. In return I gave her a small peck and left calling over my shoulder, "Later beautiful."
This time instead of walking I jogged down the steps as fast as safety would allow on the dangerous stairs into the lobby and out the door. I stopped gazing over the graffiti on the walls, the building dirty some cracking on their sides. The smoke was visible in the day, garbage cans on their sides, a person here or there sleeping after their drunk or drugged experience from the night before, still laying hidden in the shadows for the sun seemed to repulsed to truly shine on this part of town. I closed my eyes painfully. Opening them, I headed for the bus stop.
After another forty‑five minutes I stood in front of a gorgeous building, with high towering peirs and walls that looked like marble the sign on the wrought iron fence read King Edward's Secondary School for Academia and Music. I groaned inwardly, I really hated these kinds of school, they always had rich, snobby brats living off of their parents money. I really should have paid attention to the school before taking the exam a few months ago.
"Can't do anything now." With that I walked into the main building, after finally finding the office since the place was huge, I noticed schedules waiting to be picked up. Looking for my name I picked mine up, it had a bright yellow post‑it stamp that read, See Mr. Osami at lunch in the Principle's Office. 'Oh yay,' I thought as I glanced down to see that my first class was English. Studying the map that was behind the schedule I spotted the class.
"All the way across the freaking school." I muttered. Adjusting my bag on my shoulder I began to tread towards the other side of the school. I smiled to myselfhumorously wondering how everyone would react to me, after all my appearance right now just very much screamed hard core rock musician.
I grinned at myself, yeah I could just picture the shock on all the prissy people's faces. Suddenly I felt something bowl into me, I looked around wildly in confusion, no, I hadn't bumped into a wall. Looking down, I saw a soaking wet girl collapsed against me, who seemed to have tripped, how had I missed her? She looked up to apologies, and I gazed into her beautiful amethyst eyes, her violet tresses dripped of water. I blinked. "Are you okay?" I asked as I gently placed my hands on her shoulders to try and steady her.
She blushed darkly looking slightly scared, "I‑I'm s‑sorry," shestuttered. Before I could do or say anything she left running. I looked down at my shirt, and saw that it had become a little damp.
I groaned, "Ah, man." I saw a flash of light in the corner of my eye and looked down and saw that she had dropped her bracelet, gingerly I picked it up. Stuffing it into my jacket pocket, I said, "I'll give it to her the next time I see her."
A few more minutes later I stood in front of my homeroom. Taking in a small breath to steady myself I knocked on the door. An tall, middle aged Caucasian opened the door and gave me a confused look. "Hi! I'm the new transfer student." I beamed.
This only made him even more confused, "But, I thought that the new transfer student was a female." he stated with a flawless English accent.
I gave him a toothed grin, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Kinomoto."
.:‑‑:.