Diamond Rose
Chapter 1
Red Rose Greeting
Being normal was not easy for Miku. Miku had bright red highlights in her naturally black hair, a pale, nearly flawless complexion, large blue eyes and a fairly thin frame. She had been in the talent agency since she was six. For nine years straight, she had been training there, and for five years, living in the dorms. What was her goal? To put it simply, in Brightlight Talent Agency, if you were in the music department, you were heading for a singing career. And now, Miku at fifteen, had seven live performances under her belt. All she needed now was inspiration, the song, and the contract. That was the "test" at Brightlight. You get sent on a trip to whatever country it was for two weeks, came back, and you wrote your "creative piece". It was a test. If you didn't pass, you didn't get near the pen and the contract. And to make matters worse, Miku was competing against twenty others. All ambitious, all talented. It sucked that the teachers seemed to really see something in her.
She inhaled the cold air in deeply. It felt … strange, different somehow. She was standing in front of the Cathedral of Cologne in Germany, and the area was awe-inspiring. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed the movements of her many classmates pull out cameras and snap away. Some were pointed at the cathedral, others at whatever landmarks around the cathedral and some, more adventures, had their eyes set on the skaters around them. It was an odd scene. In front of a large, dark gothic cathedral, you see a sea of colourful figures, speeding along, jumping, performing, practicing. Spectators adorned the edges of the square too. She then heard the brief, faraway signal from the teachers to let them roam free, and ignoring the "never be by yourself" rule, she quickly disappeared into the crowd, dodging skateboards and smiling at the strangers.
Miku stopped after twenty minutes of pure walking. She found a spot to sit and swiftly dropped down, resting her legs. She could dance for an hour straight pretty much flawlessly but you couldn't do that if you spent the whole day walking around a cathedral. She absentmindedly pulled her hat lower. As she did so, a figure racing by managed to knock her hand off her hat, leaving something of a red mark. She frowned, staring after the one responsible who had stopped and was beginning to turn around.
Her mind seemed to stop functioning properly when her eyes registered what was happening. He seemed to be at the same age as she was. Long red hair, and for some reason, and eye patch over his right eye. However this wasn't easily visible, for much of his hair was covering it. His clothing was simple. A grey shirt despite the cold and loose black jeans. And the green eyes. Green and blue met swiftly and perhaps there was a spark, but mostly, she found nothing. And before she could begin analysing what she saw, he started moving. In a direction she didn't want him to take. Which direction? The one towards her.
He knelt in front of her, and as it turned out, he was tall enough so he wasn't hugely shorter than her in his current position. As he spoke, she found a light British accent. But it was faint. Like he had been in too many places for it to stay. "Sorry, did I hit you?" How odd. Apologising before knowing he had actually done something.
Miku replied, "Yeah." It was a short answer, and she was glad they were using English. "I'm fine though." It was so difficult not to look into that green. And at the same time, so frightening.
He smiled warmly at her, "Glad that's true. Girls like you are rarities. Why are you here?" He spoke in a warm way, in a friendly way. If he was flirting, he was doing it like he wasn't doing it. Miku couldn't help noting more details. The shirt seemed well worn, as were the jeans. His skateboard seemed simple enough, but she swore there was some kind of design on the bottom. His red hair was something unique as well. It didn't have anything close to an orange lustre. No. It was more red. And even so, it looked natural.
She fingered the cuff of her coat as she answered. She was also uncomfortably aware of the watch around her wrist. Ten minutes. "I came on a two-week trip. I'm leaving tomorrow." She wondered if she was telling too much. But she couldn't help telling him. It was like a desperate plea to an unknown god, that perhaps they'd meet again. She slowly twirled a lock of hair around her finger. It was a habit she needed to get rid of. It could get misinterpreted.
He grinned at her, "Oh, I get it. Maybe I'll see you again." She found it odd that he had practically repeated what she had been thinking. Before she could answer, he stood, gave her light-hearted wave and entered the crowd again. Miku could only keep watched as he disappeared into the throng. Even if she would never see him again, this memory would remain crystal clear to her.
It was a brief trip,
I never believed,
That I would ever,
Meet somebody,
As fascinating,
Beautiful,
Special as you,
You said hello,
That was all,
That was all,
Is it really goodbye?
Miku dropped the pen after the last line of the verse. Although she had never intended it, every single verse or chorus revolved around her encounter. She had heard her best friend, Sorane tell her about others' topics. One was writing about the beauty of the countryside, another the busy city life. But her? She was writing about a boy. Miku had spent possibly too long pondering her topic choice. Now she was facing a crisis. You had a week to get everything right. You wrote the lyrics, the tune for the chorus, and listed what you needed for the performance. Then you had two weeks to get everything complete, then you performed. So now, she spent all her spare time, writing. Humming. Imagining.
"Miku?"
She knew that voice, looking up, she smiled, "Oh, hey Sorane."
"You're working hard."
Miku shrugged, "I have to, you know how the test works."
Sorane laughed, "Yes, I do. But you haven't experienced real hard work yet. Not in the singing department." It was well known that Sorane was in the acting sector of the talent agency. She had appeared in two movies and 1 drama. She was a child actor, but she withdrew from the business … to hone her skills.
"You actors are so dramatic."
"It's our job, silly."
Together they laughed, best friends. "True."
Sorane smiled brilliantly at her friend, green-brown eyes bright, "I hope you make it. You're amazingly talented."
Miku couldn't agree. "That is not true."
As Sorane stood to leave for her class she shook her head, "I'm pretty sure that there's a reason why my mum talks about you a lot." And she left, without a backward glance.
Miku spent the next 40 minutes scribbling on her notepad, with the finished result, she sprinted to Niyama-sensei's office. Her hand shook slightly as she raised to knock. But her teacher's voice surprised her. "Come in." Miku pushed the door open, nervous. On normal circumstances, being in this room, surrounded by the photos, instruments and CDs would have been relaxing. Oh and there's a flash stereo too. Today though, coming to Niyama-sensei, proclaiming that you had your lyrics ready was something nerve-rackingly difficult. "I've got them ready – my lyrics."
Her teacher raised an eyebrow. "That's fast." It was a well known fact that Niyama-sensei, toughest teacher in the singing field did not expect you to hand in your work before the set date, because, in her words "anything produced in a shorter amount of time is bullshit." Personally, Miku didn't agree with her teacher's opinion, but in the case of some of her classmates, she could see its truth. "Show me."
Miku handed over the notebook and almost regretted it. Shit. It's all messy. But she let out a huge sigh when Niyama-sensei handed it back and pulled out a blank form. She plucked a pen out of pencil tin and handed it to her along with the form. "You do know how to fill this in, right?" Miku nodded. "Good. Go to the music department when you're done. Don't bother me unless something bad comes up." And with that swift message and return of lyrics, Miku was sent away.
I dreamt of your face,
I could only think,
About you,
Then I think about,
What I know,
About you,
-Knock – Knock – Knock-
Miku slowly opened her eyes. She was still in her pyjamas, in bed, her alarm clock had gone off some while ago and for some reason, someone was knocking on her door. The events of last night flashed through her mind. The performance was indeed nerve-racking as were the storm of congratulations and positive comments that had rained down on her. Did they already make the decision? No way. She raced to the door and had it open in a second, regardless of her dress. Even with her bed hair, she was going to hear what they were telling her. Only it wasn't any of the teachers. Instead, stood Allen Walker, a friend who was currently studying to become a song-writer. An immediate blush ascended onto Miku's features as she nearly slammed the door into his face. "You freaked me out! Don't go knocking on my door first thing in the morning!"
By then, the white-haired youth was laughing his head off. "God, the look on your face!" Despite the situation, Miku couldn't help admiring her friend. His green eyes and white hair was something odd, it stood out. His choice of clothes was also something odd, yet it suited him well. A white dress shirt, clearly rarely ironed, a black vest, black pants and a fingerless glove on his left hand. It was clear that he was very capable of turning heads in the hallways. "Anyway, just wondering, do you want to come with Sorane and I?"
Miku smirked, "There's some thing missing in your question, where?"
Allen smiled hugely as he answered, "Out into the city, shopping time as Sorane calls it!"
Miku did not waste time saying she was coming, she just closed the door in Allen's face and behind the door, it was clear what she was doing. Rummaging through her belongings for whatever she needed. As Allen leaned on the wall outside, Sorane, already prepared rushed up to him. "She's getting ready?"
"Yup."
"You know, I know what you're thinking."
Allen raised and eyebrow, frowning, "I don't follow."
Sorane rolled her spectacular eyes, "Miku and I will be shopping for clothes, shoes, possibly magazines and CDs."
"So?"
"Don't act dumb."
"No I'm no-"
"IF YOU RUN OFF TO BUY FOOD INSTEAD OF HANGING WITH US I'LL KILL YOU."
Obviously, Sorane's vocal chords were in very good shape. At that moment, Miku had opened her door, wincing. Her bed hair was sufficiently flattened and she looked amazing in her black dress pants, "I love Paris" shirt, striped arm warmers and ballet flats. However, Sorane clearly did not approve. "GET THOSE OFF RIGHT NOW!"
"Geez, why?"
"I am tired of you going for that "awesome explosion of clothes look", it's so horrible!"
"What the heck! Are you insulting my fashion sense?"
"Yes I am!"
Miku was whining as Sorane dragged her back into the room, "I look fine and you know it!" Both girls were arguing, completely oblivious of Allen's thoughts about them.
"You look tardy! I know you have better clothes! You just never wear them!"
"And how does that affect my life? It's not that important!"
"You're such a stupid friend!"
"Prove it to me."
Sorane started speaking in such a extravagant way Miku swore her eyes were sparkling. "To begin with, once you become a fantastic singer, you'll have to have good fashion sense, mainly because the tabloids will flame you if they catch you wearing something hideous. At parties, you need to know how to look presentable and pleasant. Also," Miku could tell this was the biggest point, "You're never going to get a boyfriend the way you dress!"
"When did I say I wanted one?"
Sorane stopped at that, staring. "No."
"Yes."
"You're still waiting."
I would wait for eternity,
It doesn't matter,
Where you are,
When you are,
As long as I find you again,
As long as we,
Meet again,