::Yume de Aru Youni::
Heard of the J-Pop group 'Buono!'? Well, I decided to 'digify' them. My first attempt at SORATO. More info inside. AU-ish.
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Author's Note:
The idea for this fanfic came (obviously) from watching some (okay, all) of Buono!'s promotional videos (PV's), and partially from my first written fanfic posted on this site, 'Fated'.
As anyone can 'Google' Buono! if they want to know more about them, I won't be elaborating who they are here. If you know who they are already - great; then you'll probably have an idea of what to expect.
This is pretty much an AU (Alternate Universe) fanfic (incase anyone missed reading it in the short-summery) so expect messed-up ages and probable OOC-ness.
This is also (once again if anyone missed reading it) my FIRST attempt at a SORATO. I tend to favor TAIORAs a tad more but – in my opinion - this particular fanfic just wouldn't work if Sora didn't end up with Matt (Yamato).
Special thanks to a good friend (and fellow Buono! fan) of mine, Nixie the Water Mage for her initially inspiring this fic within me; as well as for contributing the fanfic's title.
Finally, I do not own any of the songs that may be mentioned later on. As to lyrics (should they appear), odds are, all of them are direct translations from their original Japanese forms. Credits go to 'projecthello(dot)com' for translations.
Well, that's it everyone, hope someone likes this fanfic. And if 'someone' does, do drop a review for motivational purposes—I work better with support. Thanks!
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Prologue ~ Journey
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Sora stepped onto the stage.
The auditorium was pitch black. A deep pool of massive darkness, illuminated only by the patterned-swaying motions of an awaiting crowd waving assorted arrangements of glow-sticks; left to right, right to left.
Standing before Japan's night-crowned idols, the hoards of adoring fans chanted from their standpoints; calling out to the performers as a collective whole with words of embellished worship. And then their respective names…
"--!"
"--!"
"Sora!!"
Sora smiled upon hearing the various chants, as did her two group mates. In the pitch-black darkness of the stage they knew none-other could see their smiles but them alone.
As darkness shielded their movements, the three girls made for the center platform in collective unison; the selected spot of which their performance was set to commence from.
The auburn-hair took her designated position as the trio's centerpiece – this would be her first time so. On either side of her, Sora sensed the movements of her group mates, and then none.
Silence.
Together, when music would finally boom through the gigantic auditorium, they would begin what was to be their best performance of their entire singing careers. It was what the trio had steadied themselves to believe, and believe in it Sora would; she (they) knew, they were ready for this…
After all, here they stood, in the very center of Tokyo Dome's colossal stage, to which some had gone so far as to label 'Japan's Vegas'.
She had redeemed her self on this very stage some months ago. Now was the time to show the world the results of that redemption.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" "Boys and Girls of all ages!"
"Are you ready for this!?" The renowned, bespectacled announcer exclaimed, sparking a thunderous train of eager "woo's" and "yeah's" from the audience.
"Well then, don't let me keep you waiting." "Singing their latest single, 'This Road', give it up for the one and only--!!"
And on that cue the crowd went wild; the auditorium was bathed in rays of celestial-white light beaming down onto the night's three angels; washing away the intense darkness as the audio for their newest single erupted through the dome's many speakers.
"I'll walk along this road
No matter what happens
When we combine our power,
Something changes…"
They sang in perfect harmony. That's right, 'Perfection' – there was no other word for it.
Through song, the famed trio addressed their beloved fans with cheerful expressions alighting their porcelain-fair features. Their motions were well-timed and angled to absolute precision, not to mention beyond the mere convincingly-heartfelt and energetically-powerful.
Indeed, all doubts aside, this would be their best performance ever by a graciously long mile.
As the song's rhythm picked up, so did the energy in the trio's movements on-stage. Their quirky dance moves made for an easy crowd-pleaser; their fashion-tastic garments of shimmery silvers, whites and effervescent blacks were marveled by all eyes; and their unyielding confidence and natural charismatic composures commanded utter attention.
Sora executed her part of the choreography flawlessly; as did her two companions. The trio waltz around the colossal stage as rehearsed, switching fluidly between formations in turns for their respective solo lines. Still, when the chorus echoed aloud, Sora was always center-stage. There was, after all, a special significance for her centerpiece-position tonight and - surprisingly to others - it had absolutely nothing to do with her phenomenal vocals.
Not a soul who knew the girl on a personal level would be able to deny the 'truth' this song held for her, more so than for either girl by her side on that stage tonight. Of the three it was she who had paced the wackiest journey…
It was she who had chosen the wackiest path…
It was she who walked the wackiest road…
The end of the second verse marked the trio's decent towards the front-most portion of the stage – a rectangular piece that clearly resembled a sort of catwalk-runway – and the entrance of fourteen other girls as the trio's back-up dancers; each one dressed in elaborate costumes of their own from their earlier performances.
With exuberant fervor, the fourteen girls mimicked the just- performed steps of the singing trio as Sora and her two group mates continued their walk down to the very end of their makeshift road, pausing every now and then to hit a move or interact with the vigorously-energized crowd; the auburn-hair still retaining her center spot.
Soon came the time for the individual, eight-beat dance solos, and again the trio executed their parts with sheer accuracy. The audience cheered even louder, if that was possible.
Halfway across the platform, Sora found her self blissfully caught in the moment as she noted the V.I.P. box down center at the end of her dance solo. She knew that box housed the best seats in the auditorium. She also knew that tonight those seats were occupied by treasured family and friends, causing the girl to smile only harder.
Sora's eyes glazed fondly upon the smiling faces of those dear to her before lingering on one handsomely-grinning face in particular, scarlet orbs fixing on enchanting cerulean-blues.
As if by magic, the audio chose to soften at that specific moment into a mellower tune and the lights dimmed and focused on the night's sole, one-true auburn-hair angel.
Sora's heavenly-melodious voice filled the Tokyo Dome; it's deep, pure-sweet quality mesmerizing all listeners out of their chairs – a standing ovation…
"I'll walk along this road
No matter what happens
When we combine our power,
We can see something…"
The auditorium was packed with enthusiastic cheers and erratic schemes of applause; all courtesy of the many avid spectators to the night's marvel. So many faces in the crowd, and yet, in Sora's eyes – at least for that moment - there was one.
At long last the melody reinstated its upbeat tempo and Sora once again allowed her heavenly vocals to mesh tunefully with that of the two divas by her side. Together they traveled the remaining distance to the platform's end, bringing the magnificent performance to a close with a knockout hit to the song's final accent…
"I'll grab the future that is bursting open there with my own hands!"
Sora stood, panting hard. She had given her everything in that one performance and it had been evident.
The magnitude of applause was staggering, almost equivalent to Tokyo being struck with a death-defying, level 7 earthquake on the Richter scale. The cheers and chants refused to cease and consecutive cries of "We want more!" (amongst others) could be deciphered from the shrieking crowd.
Amid the hollering bunch were those fanatically jumping up and down from their locations in the auditorium and the mass majority of other fans punching the air with sheer excitement, glow-sticks and all.
Ruby orbs drank in the miracle sight. Looking back, Sora knew it hadn't always been like this. In the past she had never dared dream her life would take the drastic twist it had to land her in the position she was in now; a turn – a blessing in disguise – that had occurred just a little over a year ago…
~O~
Mobile phone in hand, Sora perched her self on one of the many metallic benches that littered the emergency department's lengthy corridor. Posture slumped over, tired eyes downcast to the floor, arms crossed scissor-like and draped over her knees as she hugged them to her chest. Grungy appearance of her hair aside, Sora had a mystified look about her. No doubt to the few passerbies' that threaded the long hallway and noticed her presence, they would all inwardly agree to one thing: the girl looked a complete mess.
Sora's sparkling ruby orbs that shone brilliantly on the more casual of days was now hollow, seemingly devoid of all joy. It was perhaps as if the fire within her had burned out and died…
Death…
Now there was a thought. The lonely corridor reeked of death. Then again, what hospital didn't? The halls were simply too quiet for her liking, adding to the growing eeriness of the surrounding atmosphere, and it wasn't until she willed a glance at the luminous blinking of her mobile's digital clock had she realize why. The ten o'clock benchmark had long passed – visitors were no longer permitted. Yet Sora refused to leave.
Feeling a sudden, quaint rage rise within her, the auburn-hair made a solid decision…
I hate hospitals, she thought deliberately.
After today, chances were that decision would never sway. But then Sora recollected certain events from mere hours ago…
On second thought, she didn't just hate hospitals; she hated the people who worked there too – the doctors, the nurses. She hated them for their uncanny ability to keep unbelievably cool and calm in composure while delivering horrible news about patients to their dear ones. Sora just didn't get it. To her, they only came off ice-cold; or worse, inhumane. Honestly, how could a person remain calm in knowing a life had no hope of being saved or worse, been lost?
Death…
Thousands had died behind these walls, and now her mother too could be one of them…
Sora inhaled deep breaths at the thought; all the while fighting back tears. Placidly, she shifted in her seat and reeled her upper body out of her previously slouched position, leaning her back against the ivory-washed wall behind. She sat there for a moment longer, eyes a daze, glaring towards the pale-colored ceiling with distress evident as could be upon her fair features.
Again – in no rushing mood, Sora heaved her tired limbs off the bench and sauntered over to the glass pane on the opposing wall. Looking through it, the auburn-hair sighed; sad and contemplative. On the other side of the glass window was the sleeping figure of a raven-haired woman – her mother – resting atop one of those white hospital beds, IV tubes and other unknown aid devices connected.
Sora noted her mother's countenance was ghost pale. It was far from a pleasant sight to behold.
A second later the teenager felt her head spin – just what was she supposed to do?
The doctors had informed her of the current situation hours ago but Sora had found it nearly impossible to think straight. Her mother had been fine - more or less - earlier in the day but now the woman look terrifyingly pale and sickly as ever, not to mention bedridden.
Leukemia…
How? When? Alas they could not answer her that.
True her mother had gained a sudden proneness to high fevers since a month back. If that was any indication, clearly she had failed to grasp it.
For now, Sora held hope. There had been good news - the doctors had after all managed to stabilize Toshiko's condition, at least for the time being. The flip side to that notion however was her mother's unmistakable need for further treatment if the woman was ever going to be able to bounce back from the illness; that and the fact that the treatment would obviously cost a bomb.
With only her mother's flower shop as their income generator over the past decade, Sora easily knew there was no way on planet Earth they would be able to meet any such financial requirements the treatment demanded, especially with her mother out of the generating frame.
Sure enough, Sora had taken dropping out of school to fully maintain the shop into consideration, but really, what was the point? As it was, they didn't have much and lead modest lives. No way in heaven or hell could she see the possibility of making half the required amount through the shop's income alone; not even if she lived and worked to be a hundred!
The auburn-hair let out another quivering sigh, choking back a sob. Deciding it was time for another try, she wiped furiously at her stubborn tears; she couldn't give up yet. Sora flipped open the Samsung mobile still in her clutches and dialed a number engraved into her memory's core since a near eight years ago, despite never having dialed it before. Toshiko had mentioned it was only for emergencies…
Well, this was nothing short of an emergency.
One way or another, Sora had already informed the doctors that the payment for her mother's treatment would be met. A huge gamble, she knew, but as the alternative was to stand by idly and withstand the loss of a second parent…she just had to make this call.
To her luck, the cell number she had dialed earlier must have been switched off. She had left about a dozen 'missed calls' and 'voice messages', praying for a speedy reply.
Nothing…
She had endured hours and hours of waiting and still nothing…
Please just pick up! The dial tone seemed to be mocking her…
And then, a cheerful high-pitched voice could be heard, greeting her with an exuberant 'hello'. Sora froze. The voice obviously belonged to a woman. Immediately, the auburn-hair racked her brain for a possible error in her recollection attempts – could she have dialed the wrong number?
"Hello?" The voice asked again, this time more questioning than it was cheerful.
Sora's heart only faltered; she needed to reach him.
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To be continued…
Just to clear things over, in any event, this is pacing in a sort of flashback sequence. I blame watching Slumdog Millionaire for that. Heh.
