Hi, everybody! Yeah, I know this isn't the new chapter to Winters' Ballad: Growth & Love. I apologize for taking so long. I'm still busy with school, but my spring break is coming up and I'm quitting my job to focus on studies, so hopefully that gives me more time to write in my spare time.
However, you must be wondering, "Why is Cinderella explaining all of this again? Why not just tell us why there's a new story?" and stuff. Well, I'll get to that. You see, it sometimes gets a bit hard to try and stress myself out with pushing to write Young Justice and sort of repeating lines and plot for a series. Not that I can't be original, but pouring through the episodes over and over again to make sure I have all the details right while typing everything gets a bit tiring.
And when writing gets tiring, that means you won't have to drive to write. You can't force yourself to write or it could come across as fake and unenthusiastic. So then I thought of ways that would help me use these characters, yet also write something that wasn't canon to the YJ universe.
And then BAM! I got the cool idea while listening to music. Why not do one of those cool AU! stories other users like to do? I thought it would be a fun time to mess with character personalities and histories, and I'd be able to dabble in some fun AU that could lead to some fun moments and pairings that I couldn't put into the main story. So here we are!
Don't worry. I'm still going to be working on Winters' Ballad, it'll just take a bit longer if I'm writing a short something here. And while you may be waiting for the main story, I hope you come by here and enjoy these AU's just like my other work. And if you think of one you think would be fun, please suggest it in a review and it may show up. ;3
So, Welcome to the first chapter of Changing Seasons!
Please review if you can. Reviews always help the writing process and give us writers strength to go on! XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of the character associated with the franchise. I'd love to, though. That would be pretty sweet. I also do not own the lyrics to "Climber's High!". This song is owned by Manami Numakura. The translation came from Thaerin Philos from the Lyrical Nonsense website.
"Tell me again why I agreed to go with you guys?" The annoyed voice of Conner Kent spoke through the streets of Tokyo, Japan.
His entire time he'd gone to school he'd focused on his goal. To become a great reporter for the news like his father. It took time and effort to get through the classes, pass English with the highest grades he could possibly get, and claw his way past other contenders for the scholarship he needed to help pay for his study abroad trip.
All of that effort had lead him to now being accepted and taught at the amazing Tokyo University, majoring in English and minoring in various languages to further his skills.
So, with all of that focus and drive helping him get to this moment, why was he willing to lose out on that and waste his time out in the technologically advanced city late at night with his abroad classmates?
"Hey," The voice of Wally West spoke up ahead of Conner on the sidewalk, the red-head turning his head back to look at the grumpy face of his friend. "Is it that bad to hang out with us? If we hadn't of dragged you out of sitting around bored out of your mind at the dorms. You may be smart like some sort of superhuman, but that doesn't mean you know how to have fun."
"I don't think he came out here to have fun, Wally." The younger voice of Dick, another fellow abroad student voiced, lowering his sunglasses to show knowing look to the red-head.
Conner rolled his eyes at the exchange going on in front of him. It wasn't that his fellow American classmates annoyed him, rather it was the idea of being dragged around a city he was still trying to familiarize himself with just to satisfy their need to have fun.
Wally West was the type of guy, while extremely gifted in the scientific field, was a slacker and partier. He liked to make jokes, hit on most of the girls at the college with his "American wit", and was overconfident in his skills that tended to make a lot of enemies for him.
Dick Grayson, a fellow student just two years younger than both Wally and himself, was a bit different. Smart for his age, he was accepted into one of those rising star programs for gifted kids. He joined the same linguistic class he and Wally were in just a semester ago, and soon enough found himself joining the exchange program. Why he did never came up, and neither of the boys was going to push to get an answer.
The three boys had been inseparable during their time at school, despite a number of huffs, frowns, and light glares Conner gave to Wally or the silent treatment he gave to Dick. They knew it was the way he showed he cared. Or didn't. They could never tell sometimes.
Despite the looks, the hesitation to hang out, and the lack of "brotherly love" expressed in gestures or words, Conner, Wally, and Dick did all think of each other as friends.
But that didn't mean Conner was still not against being dragged around Tokyo.
On a Friday night.
A cold November night he might add!
Huffing out a cold breath, Conner quickened his pace and walked alongside Wally and Dick. "What are we doing out here? You told me I had to come for some big thing. So what is it?"
Chuckling at his friend's inquiry, Wally smirked. "Well, you remember that cute girl from English class I was chatting up last week?"
"Homura Chigusa. Yeah, she's a cool girl. What, she turn down your charm?" Dick asked, snorting at the idea of another failed attempt of Wallys'.
"Wha!? N-No!" Wally retorted back, eyeing his long time friend as he rummaged through his pockets. "If you must know, we had a great talk and I totally got her number. But that's not the point." Wally explained, gritting his teeth as he continued to push his hand around his coat pocket to find what he was looking for.
Eyebrow raised at the strained look on Wally's face, Conner raised an eyebrow at the scene. "What are you looking for?"
Frowning at the question, Wally continued searching. "I'm...looking...for...this!" The American exclaimed, feeling the familiar feeling paper catch his hand. Gripping it tightly and pulling t out of his pocket, the young adult raised the paper up high above his head, a wide grin on his face. "Duh duh duh duuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"
Staring up at the apparent prize Wally had pulled out of his pocket, both Dick and Conner said nothing at first. After a few more moments of silence, along with a chilly wind passing by the small group, Dick was the first to say something.
"It's...a piece of paper," Dick answered.
"That's it?" Conner asked in a deadpan tone. That's what Wally had dragged them out for?
"Not just any paper!" Wally explained, lowering his hand and smiling to the two confused boys. "This paper here is a special invitation to one of the coolest things I'm sure we'll ever do in Japan during our entire exchange program."
"Well? Spit it out, dude." Dick urged, raising a hand to his friend to motion for him to continue.
Smiling, Wally turned the paper around, showing off a message written in the native language of the region. Katakana and hiragana symbols were etched along the paper, with images of music notes, instruments, and stars splattered across the color page. At the bottom, a large spiky bubble encircled another group of letters, yet this time the letters were in the English alphabet.
"This here is a special invitation to a secret underground concert of one of the hottest secret bands in Tokyo right now. Homura-chan gave it to me and said I could meet her there, and I thought it'd be fun to have you guys come too. Listen to some pretty good music in a secret lair of sorts."
Listening to Wally's "in-depth" explanation of the strange piece of paper, Dick nodded a bit as he got his mind wrapped around the new development. It wasn't until a few more seconds passed that he smiled a little, pointing a finger to the flyer. "Okay, that is pretty cool. You know where it is right?"
"Y-Yeah. Of course, I do." Wally nervously answered, his voice cracking a little at the answer. His eyes shifting back and forth from Dick's hidden gaze and Conner's annoyed glare, the college student kept his cool the best he could before he cracked, turning his head away from the two boys. "O-Okay, you got me! I've gotten this far on my own, but I can't read some of this. So..." Wally ended, his green eyes wandering over to Conner.
"That's why you dragged me out here? To read some stupid flyer for you?" Conner asked, anger growing with each word spoken. "You seem to know Japanese just fine when trying to pick up girls."
"Hey, those skills are for cultural purposes. And my speaking Japanese is completely different from reading. You're the best at reading kanji out of all of us dude with that photographic memory of yours. And, I thought you could use the break." Wally explained, moving his hand out to give the flyer to Conner. "C'mon, you know you're a little interested."
"As much as I think it was pretty dumb of Wally to get this to happen, he does have a point." Dick jumped in, shrugging his shoulders. "You don't give yourself much of a break. Or at least any fun ones. Why not have a little fun for just a night? You might see something interesting."
Quiet as he through his options, Conner's blue eyes went from the flyer to Wally, to Dick, and then back to the flyer again. Options flew through his mind each time his eyes shifted to a new form. He could just leave, pretend to read the kanji and have them roam around Tokyo lost, or just have them do something else.
But then what kind of friend would he be for doing that? And for as much as he didn't enjoy the methods Wally had done to get him out of his dorm room, Conner did understand his intentions. He didn't really go out much. See any sights, talk to anyone really. If he was going to be a reporter for a living, he was going to have to grow more. Break out of this antisocial shell he was still stuck in and experience what life had to offer him. Or he'd miss out on the exciting parts that he could write about first hand.
And going to an underground concert featuring one of the most popular underground bands in Tokyo was a good way to start.
"*sigh* Give me that flyer."
"Is this the place?" Dick asked, his hidden eyes looking down to a flight of stairs leading to a small brick alleyway.
"We're on the right street. Under the broken lamp post and down the stairs the to the last door at the end of the hall." Conner repeated, looking over the flyer again to make sure he'd gotten the directions correct. Seeing that his translation was perfect, the dark-haired boy nodded in satisfaction. "This is the place."
Chuckling nervously, Wally turned his head left and right through the quiet sidewalk of the secluded meeting spot. "Heh, maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe we should just go back and go see a movie or so-"
"West-kun!" A high voice called out through the night.
The three boys looking down to the flight of stairs, a young Asian woman peeked her head out from the darkness. Long black hair flowing behind her back, brown eyes, and dressed warmly for the winter weather, the young girl ran up the stairs and hugged Wally tightly in a friendly hug.
Catching the girl tightly to make sure she didn't slip on the ice of the winter snow, Wally smiled. "Chigusa-chan! Man, I am so glad to see you right now."
Giggling at the unsure look on his face, Chigusa smiled and shook her head. "I knew you'd make it. You're just in time. The concert's just about to start. I can't wait for you to see it." Energy coursing through her body, Chigusa's eyes widened a bit at the sight of Dick and Conner standing alongside Wally and felt her cheeks turn red. Letting go of Wally to not add any more embarrassment to herself or her friend, Chigusa fidgeted with her hands. "K-Kent-san, G-Grayson-san! G-Gomen! I didn't see you in the dark."
Smirking at the flustered girl, Dick gave a thumbs up to Chigusa. "No problem Chigusa-san. It's good to see you."
Conner, looking to the shorter girl, only gave a gruff grunt of acknowledgment to show he wasn't phased from being unnoticed.
Seeing the two boys not mad at her for her mistake, the shorter girl slowly relaxed. "Oh, thank goodness. I was worried for a second." Smiling to the boys, the girl turned her back to them and motioned them to follow her. "C'mon, what are we waiting for?"
"After you beautiful." Wally complimented, grabbing onto Chigusa's hand to make sure she didn't slip on the ice on her way down, following after her.
Making a gagging noise at the flirting Wally was doing, Dick turned and smirked to an also disgusted Conner as the two shared a hidden joke from their friend.
"Wow! This place is packed!" Dick exclaimed, doing his best to squeeze into any small space that was available in the tiny hidden concert room.
The "hidden concert" itself was held inside a semi-large room. With the stage itself taking up the front part of the room, it was already set for the band with drums, mics, and cables for the stereos set and armed for the blasting performance the concert was sure to have.
The only issue was that for the teens, it was hard enough to just see the stage. The rest of the room, for as large as it could be, was packed to the brim with people. From businessmen who looked to have ended their shifts a long time ago, high school boys and girls chatting away in hopes of getting pics of the secret band, and even some other college students Conner had seen around campus.
What was the big deal with this band? Did this band's music really touch this many people's hearts?
"Can any of you guys see anything?" Dick asked, trying his best to try and get a look at the stage. Sadly, his height was still an issue at his age and there didn't seem to be anything to stand on.
"Sorry. I can't see anything." Chigusa spoke up, moving back to get away from nearly being elbowed in the face from a random attendee.
Keeping himself between the heavy masses and Chigusa, Wally frowned. "Me either. It's no big deal, though. We may not be able to see anything, but we can still hear. Right?"
Rolling his eyes at the predicament the group was now stuck in, Conner shrugged his shoulders and pushed his way through some people. "I'm going to go stand in the corner. I'm not getting crushed into the wall."
"Wow, wait for us Con-" Wally called out, trying to get his friend to come back, but as he tried to call out the lights of the small room began to dim down, signaling the concert was about to begin. Many of the audience goers seeing this soon enough began to clap and cheer loudly, jumping up in excitement and pushing against one another with energy.
Moving his way through excited teenagers and adults alike, Conner pushed with his bare strength until finally finding the corner of the room he wanted to just stand in and relax. Moving his body to let his back lean on the brick wall behind him, the black-haired teen sighed tiredly, looking up to notice that he actually had a good view of the stage from where he was. Everyone seemed to part at the exact spot he was, allowing him a clear view of the stage, instruments, and most likely the band when they got on stage.
'Yeah, like I care.' Conner thought to himself, resting his chin on his chest and closing his eyes to block out the suffocating world around him.
This was not the way he wanted to spend his night. Not in a secret room that was crowded so much it had to be breaking some fire codes, being pushed around by strangers for room to stare at an empty stage, being forced to watch some people he didn't even know perform music for, that all he knew, might have sucked.
Who cared if he needed to have some more fun? If he was going to have any fun, why did it have to be something he was still against seeing?
It was during this back and forth questioning in his thoughts that Conner hadn't noticed the band walking onto the stage. However, while he wasn't seeing them directly, he could hear that the room had suddenly gone quiet with awe, a few floating comments here and there catching his ears.
"Wow! They look so cool!"
"How old do you think they are?"
"Oh wow! I can't believe they're here in the flesh!"
"One of them has white hair. You think it's a wig?"
"Has to be. Probably a gimmick."
"I love you, Winter!"
'Winter?' Conner inquired in his head, not sure what the last comment meant. Deciding it would be better to just see what all of the commotions was about than just listen to others comments, Conner finally opened his eyes, moving his blue eyes to the stage to see the band that had walked on stage.
And for a split second, Conner felt like the air in his lungs had been taken away from him at what, or rather who he saw.
The band itself was a little strange to begin wit as it was. Each band member wore some form of dark clothing. The drummer wore a black t-shirt and black jeans with black shoes, the bass player wore a navy blue shirt with ripped jeans and brown boots, the keyboard player was a young woman who went in a punk style with a ripped red and black shirt gleaming with studs, fishnet stockings with black shorts, and a black leather jacket covering her body, and a guitar player who wore a similar outfit the keyboard player, yet it ranged in colors of gray, black, and dark green.
Each member wore a strange mask to hide their features. They looked similar to kabuki masks that he'd seen in history books, or perhaps they reminded him of those masks the elite ninja wore in that popular ninja anime. What was it called again?
Well, it didn't matter. All that did matter was what he was looking at. And while the band members each had some weird theme going on with each and every one of them, it was the singer, the vocalist who had all of the audience and Conner's own attention.
The vocalist of the band stood at the front of the band, adjusting the mic she was going to be using for the night. Unlike the rest of her band mates, her clothes clashed with colors of black and white. Wearing a pure white peacoat around her body with black lace frills at the ends, black well dressed shorts that showed of her shapely hips, high knee high length white boots, and to further contrast her from the rest of the group, wore no mask to cover her face, Conner taking note that she had to at least be his age or a year younger.
And her features only made her look more enigmatic, mature among the crowds of excited people acting like children.
She had a lovely heart-shaped face and skin smooth like porcelain as if her face was art itself. She didn't look like most of the patrons in the room. While her facial features were sleek and smooth to show off her youth like most of the Japanese men and women in the room, her eyes were big, so much so that Conner could actually notice her eye color when she looked up to greet the fans with a smile.
Blue, blue like ice. And the way they shined in the spotlight and were positioned, Conner had to guess she was American. She had to be the way she looked. She stood out enough as it was in her getup, especially her hair.
It was white.
White as the freshly fallen snow he had trudged through to get here. Tied up in a neat high ponytail to better show her face to the crowd, it looked endless. The strands contrasted greatly in the light and shined, making Conner wonder far in the back of his unsupervised thoughts that if he ran his fingers through it would it feel soft like silk?
Everything. Everything about this girl on stage for some reason called to him, absorbing his thoughts and stealing his gaze with just a simple flick of her wrist.
Why? Was he just caught up in the moment?
Conner was sure he wasn't going to enjoy this concert, especially in the circumstances he was in. He was ready to hightail it out of there once it got too rowdy for him, too loud to think. His conviction was set in even further when he heard fans of this band talk about them coming on stage.
Masks? Dressed in dark clothes? White hair? A stage name? All of it sounded just as crazy as the bands in America. Everything about those gimmicky bands was fake and had no originality to them. Each one trying to copy or outshine the other. He didn't need to see those types of bands again in a new country.
But, now here he was, not making a single move to the exit door. His conviction crumbled just at the mere sight of this unknown singer. Her face, her clothes, that smile. Deep, deep in the back of his mind the logical part of his brain had to make note that it was fake. All of it. The masks and dark clothes were just a part of their theme to get them attention, stand out among all other bands in Tokyo. And the singer surely had to be wearing a wig. Yet, still his mind was wrapped in the icy form of the singer, and for the first time in a long time, he decided to ignore the rational part of his head.
She looked like a Goddess among humans, as corny as he knew it was. She stood out from everybody, even her own band members, and stood serenely on stage beyond a crowd of normalcy. It felt like nothing could phase the girl, pride and confidence shining of her like the sparkles of a flawless diamond among rocks.
'She's...she's beautiful.' An unchecked thought sped through his mind, taking the moment to voice a truth he wasn't entirely sure he was aware of thinking.
"Yeah," Conner spoke quietly to himself, not aware he had commented on his own thought. His focus was just too busy looking onto the stage. If this girl could get a person's attention this quickly, how long could she keep it once she started singing?
And it was right after this thought in the junior reporter's mind that the vocalist of the band stepped forward, taking the mic stand into her right hand and moving it close to her soft lips to speak.
"Hello, everyone. How are you all doing tonight?" The vocalist called out through the mic in English, looking out at the shadowed faces of the crowd.
Roars of excitement blasted from every direction of the room, hands rising up into the air to show just how ready they were. Others were scrambling to get their phones out, taking pictures and recording the moment that was happening right in front of them.
Conner didn't do any of those things. Instead, he opted to just keep his eyes on the stage, on the vocalist greeting the crowds of fans.
'She's speaking English? Is she not from Japan?' Conner thought, his thoughts taking control for just a moment to ask himself if he'd heard right. It was a little surprising, to say the least. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard someone besides Dick or Wally speak perfect English without it getting a little butchered by dialects.
Seeing the excitement beginning to build, the vocalist continued her message, waving to a few fans as she spoke. "Sorry if some of you couldn't understand me for a second there. If you're new here, which I believe some are since I see some new faces, sort of,"
The awkward honest of the vocalist got a few laughs out of the crowd, some cheering for the white-haired beauty to continue.
Laughing a bit herself, the vocalist moved the mic a bit closer to speak. "If you are new, welcome! I hope you enjoy our music. We're Seasons!" The vocalist declared, moving her hand out to outstretch it to her fellow bandmates, smiling alongside her masked friends. "Roll call everybody!" The vocalist cried out with energy, winking and pointing to the guitar player next to her.
Playing a few chords and letting the deep melodic sound of his instrument do the talking, the masked guitar player finished his quick solo before giving a peace sign to the group. "I'm Spring!"
The next member to play was the drummer, and just as quickly as he was pointed to, he began to smash away at his drums, giving out a fantastic rhythm for the group to clap along to before hitting one of his cymbals to end his solo. Clicking his sticks above his head, the drummer howled out like a wolf. "Summer!"
"I'm Solstice!" The guitar played called out next, strumming a few relaxing chords to the crowd. "I know, totally doesn't count, but like a summer or winter solstice, I'm rare and come out at the best of times!"
Laughs rang through the room, and even though it sounded a bit corny, even Conner couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the weird introductions he was watching.
The keyboard player went on next, creating a playful tune with the help of her electric keyboard to continue the same sound her fellow band member was playing. "They call me Fall. And if you're wondering, I'm single boys." She spoke out to the crowd, giving a playful wave with her fingers.
"Marry me Fall!" One voice cried out.
"Show us that beautiful face!" Another cried out, this time a girl.
Shaking her head at the praise she was being given, Fall finished her solo before raising her hand up extravagantly before throwing it dramatically forward to point at the vocalist standing at the center of the stage.
"And last but very much so not least, we give your our vocalist! The mysterious bishoujo singer, Winter!" Fall cried out in the room, the rest of the band mates pointing excitedly to the girl standing front and center.
Just as quickly as the introduction was made, cheers from all over filled the small room, echoing against the walls as people cheered for the vocalist looking out at the sea of darkened faces.
Turning his gaze to the vocalist like much of the cheering audience, the blue-eyed boy could see the girl fidget a bit from the stares and applause. She looked down shyly, unsure of what to say at first and intimidated by the love she was receiving from so many strangers. It was like the energy she had just a few moments ago had been stripped away from her.
And...was she blushing?
Moving her head back up a little to look out at the audience, Winters' cheeks burst with redness, contrasting greatly with her light skin and white hair. Turning her gaze to the side for a bit to not be stared at, she turned it back moments later and spoke.
"I-I'm not that pretty." Winter meekly spoke into the mic, giving a weak glare to Fall who was laughing along with Summer at their bandmate's face. "A-Anyways, we all aren't here to poke fun at the vocalist now are we?"
"No!" The audience cheered out.
Laughing a bit at the response, Winter nodded and took in a deep breath to let her body relax a bit. Taking a few moments to herself to mentally prepare herself, the vocalist closed her eyes for a few seconds, opening them moments later and letting them roar with vigor and energy.
"Well, let's get this concert started! Since you're all pretty excited, we'll start with a fast paced song to rock out to. This is Climber's High!" Winter's excited voice cried out to the mic, her voice ringing out through the small room.
And like a bolt of lightning striking the Earth, the strings of the guitar player sprang to life as the music played.
"The place we believed we could reach is still so high, so far away...
The promise we made has lost its sense of reality; your words start to grow hazy..."
"Wow," Conner whispered, the sounds of the instruments each player brought to life. It felt like the room was pulsing, breathing as if it were alive.
"Shadows receding from crowds of people... heartbeats refusing to match their owner's pace...
I simply watched... insisting it had nothing to do with me."
One after another sounds invaded his ears. The strum of the guitar strings, the lightness of the keyboard notes ringing out, the sleekness of the bass, and the brash beats of the drums. Every piece fit together like a tightly oiled machine. There was no hesitation, no moment of weakness in the notes being played.
And the vocals. That voice that came out of the lips of Winter.
"Even if I make improvements to keep from falling behind
(within these exhaustive days stuck on repeat...)
The irritation I failed to assimilate goes on the offensive. If my heart will simply be worn down and drowned out inside its box,
Then all I can do is shatter this box-like sky, accepting that I may burn out in the process!"
How did such a small and beautiful girl have such a strong voice? It was solid and strong like a wall, reverberating over the crowd and knocking back and forth with the music and colliding sounds of cheers, screams, and her fellow bandmates playing. It held power and authority, yet didn't flaunt it like it was the best.
It seemed to have a personality of its own, strong and commanding, but welcoming and protective. Like a rainstorm that revealed a rainbow hidden by the clouds. Or a hug from someone you cared about.
Stunned by the event he was witnessing, Conner could faintly hear that the chorus was coming up. It was at that moment, just for split few seconds that Winter took this moment to scan over the crowd of screaming fans.
And in that one crazy moment, Conner was looking into the ice blue eyes of the vocalist.
Suddenly, the world stopped. Sound ceased to exist, everything stopped moving for him, and everything melted away. Everything except him and Winter.
However, as slow as the two felt like their gaze shared, the contact was broken when Winter turned her head back to the crowd, but not before letting her eyes linger on him for a moment, giving a knowing playful wink to him before taking her gaze away from him.
His heart seemed to be beating faster and faster after that, as if it was going to explode out of his chest. Sweat began to coat his hands and his throat felt dry. He was hot before being stuck in that crowded room full of people squeezing or room, but now he felt like he'd been thrown into a fire.
What was he feeling all of a sudden? Excitement? Surprise? Was this one of those "in the moment" things movies talked about? When the world just froze around you when you got sucked into something?
All Conner knew was that this singer, Winter, had some sort of pull on him. He had to hear more of her of this...snow angel. It was all he could think of describe this girl he was being overwhelmed by.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had to thank Wally for dragging him out of the dorms.
