(Originally written on 1/2/07)
This fic was written for thefirefly at LJ, as a holiday gift.
Characters: Haruhi, and some Kyon
Word Count: 478
Summary: It's a new kind of performance at the school festival.
Disclaimer: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi (or Haruhi Suzymiya if you will) does not belong to me, nor do I reap millions of dollars off of it.
Stage Mood
It doesn't matter that the white pouf of a tail on her black, bunny suit is starting to feel uncomfortable, or that she is getting a slight headache from wearing the bunny ears all day. She also feels what they call "stage fright" a bit, which vexes her a great deal, because something as silly as butterflies in her stomach shouldn't be enough to make her nervous. But her nervousness doesn't matter, because Haruhi has a task to do.
Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the SOS Brigade. Even as she walks out onto the school stage for the festival concert and plugs in her borrowed guitar, Haruhi can hardly believe it either.
But, Haruhi is accustomed to spontaneous performances; she's more than capable of hiding away any uneasiness she may have. Actually, now that she's ready to play and facing the audience, Haruhi decides that she was probably imagining it. How ridiculous of her, to make-believe stage fright! It's something Kyon would feel, not Suzumiya Haruhi, chief of the SOS Brigade.
So Haruhi presses her lips together, fixes her mike, and adjusts her music. She has a song to sing and a guitar part to play. No time for butterflies!
The audience is making a lot of noise. There's clapping, hands pumping in the air, mouths open with whoops coming out. Haruhi knows she's no professional, but god knows, she's really doing it. Her fingers are flying through the chords instead of fumbling, and she's hardly stuttering during the English lyrics.
Backstage, Haruhi had anticipated for staring and raised eyebrows, so she had prepared herself to coerce the audience to her side. The positive response is reassuring. Haruhi can even imagine Kyon, without his sourpuss expression, bobbing his head to the beat and whistling his support. Whether or not Kyon is actually acting in this manner is a mystery, for she hasn't spotted him in the audience. She doesn't even know if Kyon is there in the auditorium, for all she sees is a sea of uniforms and moving hands. The faces just blur together.
With this, Haruhi sings louder and strums the guitar with more vigor. Her exit from the music club was so long ago that she had forgotten how fun playing music was. Of course, her work with the SOS Brigade was far superior, but it was fun, nevertheless.
Haruhi can hardly believe it when the audience continues to cheer, even after the first song is finished. This is probably the first time anyone has applauded something she performed instead of question it. It's a new feeling, different, that's for sure, and Haruhi isn't sure what to make of it.
But the next day, Kyon asks her about the concert, which reassures Haruhi that he really did see her performance after all.
As she explains to Kyon, Haruhi is content for the moment.