Hello everyone! Well here is the full chapter of chapter two! It took me a while to write this since school and work have got so much of my time now. I wanted to try and add more Starish guys into the mix, but I thought trying to lengthen it would only take me longer to get this out. Hopefully you guys enjoy it. If you don't...well I guess I have to try harder.

Again, still not sure about pairing. I like Syo, but I'm also leaning towards Tokiya too. It's so hard. TAT

Remember that flaming is a no no, and that reviews are always helpful to the writing process. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, and I'll make sure to edit and fix these suggestions as chapters go along.

Anyways, on with the chapter!

Japanese = "My name is"

Thoughts = 'Thoughts'

Singing = Singing (placed in centered format)


"Thank you." The quiet voice of Samantha replied while wiping a few stray tears still on her face and trying to calm don the sniffling she had been afflicted with. It felt like one of those romance novels or cheesy cartoon moments on TV. Being saved by a prince in a princess's time of need.

"It's no problem. It wouldn't be a very nice thing to leave a girl in the snow crying now would it?" The boy asked to Samantha while giving a small smile to her in an attempt to make her feel better.

Unsure of the sudden appearance of the boy, one of the guards took a step towards both Samantha and the boy and looked them over. "And who are you?"

"I'm an applicant. I was taking a walk to clear my head when I heard you guys talking out here." The red haired boy responded as he turned to look at the guards. "I know you said that she can't come in, but she's begging to come inside. And the test doesn't start for another thirty minutes. Are you sure there isn't any other way you can't let her inside?"

Why was he helping her? Samantha knew her predicament wasn't anything a simple "please" would help fix, and his constant asking could even get him in trouble for all she knew. So what was his motivation?

"No! Late is late." The guard harshly replied back, making both Samantha and the mystery boy jump a bit in surprise by the harshness of his voice all of a sudden. "If she is not willing to come to the prescribed testing time to become an idol or composer, then she isn't suited to become a student at this school."

"Are you sure about that? If she has a good reason, wouldn't it be fair to let her inside?" A mysterious yet strong voice asked aloud, making the guards, Samantha, and the red haired boy look around the campus in surprise.

Scanning around the area for any sort of sign of where the voice had come from, her brown irises at last spotted a very fancy and clean limousine in the campus of the academy. She watched as the driver, who had turned the car off, quickly step out of his car with an umbrella and ran over to one of the passenger doors in the back. Opening the door with a swift yet calm speed, the driver opened his umbrella to cover the mystery passenger from any falling snow, but was ordered with a simple flick of the passenger's wrist to stay by the vehicle.

Turning his form to look over to where Samantha stood, the young teen could see the boy who had spoken out just like her first mystery man was just around her age. He was very tall compared to her, and his contrasting features of strawberry blonde/orange hair, light blue eyes, and chiseled features, along with the car and its driver, showed Samantha that he was nobody to simply ignore.

'He looks like a model from one of those famous fashion magazines. Is someone like this really coming to the same academy as me? And he's defending me too?' Samantha thought with both shock and amazement.

"The young lady was late because she was helping a lost child. Isn't that right?" Mystery boy #2 asked while walking over to both confused parties and gave a wink to Samantha.

"A lost...you mean the little girl? You saw me?" Samantha suddenly asked after piecing together what mystery boy #2 asked her.

Nodding to her surprise, mystery boy #2 reached into his large coat pocket and pulled out a small, yet familiar umbrella neatly tucked away in its pouch and handed it to Samantha. "I believe this is yours. You gave it to the little girl because she lost hers right?"

Staring down at the hand outstretched to her, Samantha slowly reached for the umbrella in the boy's hands and took it in her own. "Oh. Thank you for returning it. You didn't have to though."

"It was no trouble little lady. And don't worry about the little girl. I bought her a new one while passing by, and I think she really likes it." Mystery boy #2 said with a chuckle while he moved a strand of his hair away from his face. "If I had known you were coming all this way like I was, I would have offered you a ride to the academy."

"It's alright. You didn't know, so you don't have to feel bad about it." Samantha said in with the best smile she could give. If only he had known and they had talked earlier, she wouldn't be stuck in such a mess and wasting these boys' time.

After returning the umbrella to Samantha, mystery boy #2 looked over at the guards, their previous irritation and hardened nature now having lost a bit of their intimidating looks after the appearance of yet another person. "You both really think that someone who would go out of there way to use their precious time to help a little girl than get to a test on time is not worthy of coming to this academy?" The harsh words of the mystery boy rang, making the two guards grimace at the bit of truth in them.

Surprised at the words he was speaking, Samantha watched mystery boy #2 in shock. "Wow. He's really ripping these guys a new one." She whispered quietly, hoping the guars in particular didn't hear her.

Having heard her words, mystery boy #1 bent towards Samantha and looked to her a bit confused. "Ripped them a new one? I don't understand."

Giving a nervous laugh due to being heard, Samantha simply gave a small chuckle. Her previous sadness and grief had slowly drifted away since this mess had started, thanks to her mystery heroes and their kind words in trying to defend her. She did not know if she would get accepted into the academy, but at least she wasn't feeling like crap anymore. "Don't worry about it. It isn't really anything important."

Adamant with their decision, the guards unfortunately stayed firm. "Late is late. We cannot let her inside." One guard spoke, the other simply nodding.


While the teens and guards continued their discussion, a small camera lightly covered in snow sat atop one of the school walls. Turning in the direction of where the discussion was taking place, the camera's lens began to zoom in slowly one each person participating, until finally landing on the instigator of it all, Samantha.

Sitting along within a darkened room, the shadowed figure of an older man sat in his desk chair, looking over a large amount of monitors mounted on his wall. Some were covered with numbers and data and others with pictures of applicants taking the exams that very day. One lone monitor focused on the conversation at the gates, and it was the one that had most of the shadowed figure's attention.

"Should I give you a chance? Will you be someone who brings serenades of music to my school, or will you just be a simple student with no drive?" The man asked the monitor screen with Samantha's image on it, as if she would turn and respond to his question.

Hands folded together and resting his chin atop them, the man smiled a devilishly confident smile and grabbed his desk phone. Typing in a couple of numbers and waiting for the dial tone to go through, the man gave a deep and hearty laugh.

"Show me the passion in that soul of yours and create beautiful music! Don't make me regret my decision, Miss Kisaragi."


It was if their words getting through the these guards at all. Did they have no souls or something? There Samantha was being defended by two unknown, but nice boys to help her get into the academy, still with so much time to spare and get ready and still they would not let her in.

Was she only putting off the inevitable? No matter how much common sense or words the three teens tried to throw at them, the guards wouldn't budge. Maybe it was better to just give up?

Noticing the guards' attention being taken away from the group of three by a phone call, Samantha took this opportunity to at least confront the boys who were helping her through this ordeal. "I'm sorry you both have been getting yelled because of me. You both made it here on time apparently, so you can leave if you want. I'll understand."

Having given the guard who had looked at him straight in the eyes a pouting look, mystery boy #1 turned to look over to Samantha and said, "It's no trouble. I couldn't just stand by and watch these guys be mean to you like that. There is still time, so there shouldn't be any reason they can't let you inside."

Motioning a thumb in mystery boy #1's direction, mystery boy #2 smirked and said, "Red here is right. There is still time before they close the gates. There should be no reason to keep a pretty girl like you from taking the test. It doesn't seem like these two know how to treat a woman properly." The orange haired boy replied, shaking his head in a joking manner.

Feeling her face warm up at the mention of being pretty, Samantha embarrassingly shifted her gaze downward in an attempt to hide her face. Whether it was the words or the cold making her face red, Samantha would never know.

Closing the flip phone within his hand and turning to the three students huddled in a conversation, the guard spoke. "You may go inside miss. You've been cleared to take the test."

Hearing what seemed to be a miracle being spoken from the guard, both Samantha and the two mystery boys turned their heads to show a look of surprise on each of their faces, unsure if what they had heard was true.

"W-What? I can really go inside?!" Samantha asked incredulously. Hadn't the guards just a moment ago so adamant to not let her inside? They couldn't have asked to bend the rules to let her inside, so who talked them into letting her inside?

'Oh who cares right now!? You can go take the test!' Samantha's thoughts screamed within the confines of her mind, making the blunette give a big smile and feel like jumping in the air in victory.

"Isn't that great? You can take the test with us now!" Mystery boy #1 spoke gleefully, smiling to Samantha, happy to know she wasn't denied her chance. Turning his gaze over to the other boy, Otoya rested a hand on his shoulder and gave another beaming smile. "That was some great smooth talk before.

A small smile gracing his lips at the turn of events, mystery boy #2 felt the pat on the shoulder from his fellow test taker and slowly removed the foreign hand from his shoulder to walk over to face Samantha, ignoring the words spoken by the red head. "Yes it truly is. I hope you pass so that we may meet one another again in little blue bird. I'm sure even among all of the other songs I hear when April comes, I'll be able to spot your lovely music in an instant."

Looking upwards to the taller boy, Samantha continued smiling and gave a chuckle at the poetic words he spoke to her. She wouldn't have put so much faith in her composing skills, but she took the compliment nonetheless.

"I'll do my best to pass and make sure you do hear my songs." Samantha replied back with confidence. Turning her attention from the two boys to look towards the academy doors far ahead of her, Samantha took a deep breath and gripped the strap of her bag tightly in her small hands.

She'd be given another chance and she wasn't going to screw it up.

'It's like grandpa always said. Just talking about it isn't going to get you anywhere. Put your effort into something and put truth into the words you say!' The blunette thought confidentially to herself as the exciting yet nervous feeling of passion began to swell up inside her chest.

Moving her hands to her cheeks and slapping herself quickly to snap her out of her thoughts, the petite teen looked at the gates behind her one last time before sprinting off towards the academy's entrance as fast as her legs could take her.

'I'm going to pass. I'm going to get into this academy, learn music, and maybe even try and make some friends. I'll pass with flying colors without any worries or problems...and I'll prove to her that my dream isn't a fool's dream!'

Her body feeling warm and energized by her raging passionate thoughts, Samantha smirked to herself as she could see the entrance of the academy get closer and closer to her with each step she took.

'I'm going to pass! As the music Gods or whoever it is out there as my witness I'll-'

Unable to feel the piece of ice beneath her right foot, the passionate monologue in Samantha's head came to a halt as she slipped face first onto the snowy ground below her, slamming hard into the soft snow and cushioning her fall.

Groaning at both the sudden fall and the cold feeling of the snow submerging her face, the teen slowly used her arms to push her face out of the snow and spit some snow out of her mouth. Checking her body for any broken bones, bruises, or cuts, the young teen sighed in relief.

That's what she gets for being prideful and running on huge piles of snow and ice at high speeds like an idiot. Getting up off the ground as fast (and safely) as she could and heading towards the academy, the blunette finally got to the door and quickly walked inside, trying to keep a mask of confidence on.

Her pride may have been hurt a bit, but Samantha didn't get any broken bones or injuries from the fall and she didn't think anybody had seen her fall. She'd call that a win-win for now.


"Is there something outside you think is funny Kurusu-san?" The voice of an authoritative examiner asked.

His focus turned to a short blonde haired boy sitting at a desk at the far right of the room nearby a window, the examiner could see the examinee student had finished his written test early and was looking out the window to his left at something, his hand trying to cover his mouth in some attempt to stop his laughter from getting out of hand and distracting other test takers.

Hearing his name being called out, Kurusu Syo quickly jumped in his seat slightly, turning his body back to face the front of the room and neatly placed his hands on the desk, trying to keep his chuckling in control and shook his head. "N-no sir. It won't happen again."

Thankfully for Syo the examiner gave him a slap on the wrists, but warned that any more problems would cause him a reduction on his test points. And if the judges graded tough on the idol portion of the test, he needed every point he could get.

Turning his gaze quickly back to the window next to him, Syo could see the girl who had fallen in the snow pick herself back up before running towards the building.

'Wonder if she's going for idol or composer.' Syo thought to himself, a small smile on his face. 'If a girl like her passes, I'm sure this place won't be so boring.'


'Don't be nervous! If you keep stressing out before the test even begins, you'll do bad idiot!' Samantha berated in her mind as she tried to casually sit in her assigned desk chair. After getting through the doors of the academy she had bolted straight towards any sign of an information desk to find out the classroom she needed to get to.

Thankfully it wasn't difficult after getting lost the first two times in this academy's many hallways, and now she, along with other test takers around her age, were awaiting the examiner to tell them the specifics of how the tests would be taken and what would need to be done.

Quietly turning her head from left and right to take in her surroundings, Samantha could tell that quite a few people in the classroom with her knew each other, with some casually talking or cracking a few jokes with one another to pass the time they had. Now that she had thought about it, she'd never seen either mystery boys from earlier inside the classroom she was in. Were they in a different classroom from her?

Turning back to face forward in her chair, Samantha slowly began to slump in her chair, her fingers slowly beginning to grip the seat edges of her seat as she frowned. She had nearly been dismissed from taking the test but thankfully a miracle of some kind had saved her from that fate. The worst had passed, so why did she feel nervous...and scared?

'Maybe it's because I'm alone. This isn't like home where everyone speaks your native language and you've made friends. You're a complete stranger they've never seen before.'

"Ne? Daijoubu des ka?" A feminine voice directed towards Samantha.

"W-What?" Quickly letting go of her seat and sitting back up in her seat, Samantha found herself staring at another girl who was looking at her with worry. The girl had to be about a foot taller than she was, and her hair was the complete opposite of hers. Longer and flowing with a wild, yet soft and cute hairstyle and burning red like fire. And her eyes were something she'd never seen before. They seemed to hold both the darkness of purple and the lightness of pink, which created an alluring and breathtaking color that to be honest, made the petite girl blush as she felt the pair of eyes on her.

Seeing Samantha stare at her with a confused silence, the girl simply chuckled and gave a grin to her. "Sorry about spooking you. You looked a bit pale, so I got worried and wanted to see if you were okay. It wouldn't be very helpful if you passed out before the test even started." Reaching her hand towards Samantha, the girl gave another grin to assure her. "I'm Shibuya Tomochika. You?"

Knowing it'd be rude not to return the gesture, Samantha gave her own hand and grasped Tomochika's hand and shook it in a weak, but polite manner. "Kisaragi. Kisaragi Samantha."

"Suumanutha? I'm sorry if I couldn't pronounce that. I'm not used to meeting people with foreign names." Tomochika replied, rubbing the back of her head as she took a seat at the desk next to Samantha's. "So if I'm allowed to ask, what's got you looking so bummed out? Test anxiety already getting to you?"

Trying her best to lighten the load she was feeling, Samantha gave a light shrug and did her best to smile. "I guess. This test is a big deal, but it isn't what's bothering me the most. It's more the fact that everyone here seems to know each other. They all seem like good friends or at least have met before. I on the other hand feel pretty alone in this classroom."

"That makes sense. I felt the same way whenever I went to a new class for school. But don't worry about it. It'll pass once you get started and focus on the test. I'm hoping it'll help me too." Tomochika said while giving a wink to Samantha.

Smiling at the wink from Tomochika, Samantha gave a slightly bigger smile and nodded. "Thank you Shibuya-san. Just talking actually helps a bit."

"No trouble, but you don't have to call me Shibuya-san. I prefer my friends call me by my first name, and by the time we see each other again in April, you'll see me pronounce your name perfectly Suuu...Suuman..."

Knowing her name was going to be a challenge for Tomochika, Samantha simply shook her head and motioned for Tomochika to relax. "Don't worry about it Tomochika. You don't have to try right now."

"Oh that's good. I'll make sure to get it right next time though." Tomochika responded with a cute grin on her face and playfully patted Samantha's shoulder.

As the wait time continued on, Samantha ended up spending most of her time talking with Tomochika from then on. The two talked about school, their love of music, hobbies, and even their inspirations that drove them to even apply to such a prestigious school in the first place. But all good things came to an end, and after laughing at a joke's punchline Tomochika was giving, the two girls, along with many of the other teenagers, turned towards the doorway when the wooden door slid open to reveal an older man dressed in a tailored suit. His face gave off a sense of professionalism and underneath his right arm was a large manila folder with many papers of unknown information sticking out a bit from the corners.

'That has to be the examiner.' Samantha thought, feeling her previous joy and enthusiasm from her and Tomochika's playful banter die out, and once again the sense of dread crawled back into her system and began to adjust herself and straighten her posture at her desk.

Closing the door behind him and walking to the center of the front of the class, the older man cleared his throat and turned to look at the many young, and albeit nervous, faces staring back at him. Motioning for the students in the class to take their seats, the examiner placed the large folder on the desk behind him and began taking out two pieces of paper and soon turned to show them to the class.

"Welcome to the test registration for Shining Saotome's Music Academy. I am Mr. Toshi your examiner and in a sense teacher for the day. Now I am sure all of you are very nervous and eager to get your test over with and to get out of here, but before we begin we will need to make sure you all know how exactly testing works here." Mr. Toshi spoke, his eyes scanning the room to see if any of the students had a question to ask. No hands were raised, so the examiner continued.

"As you all know, this academy strives to teach the fundamentals of music to the younger generation in hopes that you too can achieve your dreams and become the singer or writer you wish to be. However before you can take these classes to do so, you will need to pass the classes necessary to do so, and before any of that, you will need to choose your path." It was after these words the examiner raised two pieces of paper in the air for the students to see.

With her desk being in the front, Samantha squinted her eyes to get a better look at the words written at the top of both papers. After a bit of deciphering, the paper in the examiner's right hand read "Idol", while the one in his left read "Composer".

"In one of my hands is your career you want to pursue. For examinees wishing to take the idol test and hope to study and become an idol, you'll be writing your name on the paper in my right hand. Examinees for composing will write their name on the paper in my left. After everyone has written their name down I will pass out your written test, and you may begin once given your test." The examiner then placed the two papers on the desk at the front of the class and took the desk chair nearby.

"This is already making me tense. And I haven't even written my name down yet." Tomochika muttered, her shoulders shivering with a quick chill.

"I know how you feel." Samantha quietly replied back, shifting her gaze to look at Tomochika with a nervous smile in an attempt to help ease their worries.

"As a reminder, composers will only need to take part in the written exam given to officially finish the testing for application to the school. Any students hoping to take the idol course will need to pass both the written test and an vocal practical." The older man replied while adjusting his posture and rested his hands on the desk top. "And remember to choose wisely. Once you pick the course you wish to take, you cannot change. Now if everyone would go write their name on the paper desired in an orderly fashion, we will begin testing in a few minutes."

It happened slowly, but students began to get up from their seats and head over to the front of the room. The scratching of pen could be heard in the quiet room, with many people filing in a line to fill in the idol form, the few others writing their names on the composer option before heading back to their desks.

Shrugging her shoulders and turning to look over to Samantha, the fiery haired Tomochika smirked and motioned for Samantha to come with her. "Looks like we better hurry up or everyone's going to be waiting on us."

"I'm sure they can wait a few more seconds. It isn't everyday you get to wait in a line and be forced to sign a piece of paper that may determine the rest of your life." The anxious voice of Samantha spoke while following Tomochika to the line of other students.

While the line continued to go on and on, Tomochika tilted her head back to look at her blue haired friend. "I'm going to the idol course. Wanna do it with me? We can become a super idol duo and take the world by storm." Tomochika suggested with a gleeful wink.

A bit shocked by the sudden offer by Tomochika, Samantha gave a soft smile to her friend, but shook her head at the question. "As fun as it sounds, I don't think it would fit me that well. I haven't sang in a long time. I probably don't even sound that good."

"Hey don't count yourself out so quick. All of us here aren't professional's, so we're all in the same boat with the exception of some singing lessons. Who knows? Maybe you've got the best voice out of all of us." Tomochika said reassuringly as she began to messily rub Samantha's hair in a playful gesture, making Samantha flinch at the contact.

"T-Tomochika!? You'e messing up my hair." Samantha responded as she fidgeted beneath Tomochika's playful touch.

"*ahem* If you two are done playing, many of your fellow test takers have already written their names down. I suggest you do the same." Mr. Toshi spoke, his voice containing a hint of annoyance and strained patience.

Feeling their faces flare up with embarrassment, the two girls immediately kept their mouths shut and quietly moved over to the front desk to write their names down. Tomochika had been the first, and with a neatly written name in kanji and a cute heart symbol next to her name, Shibuya Tomochika had officially signed herself up to become an idol. She later turned to take her seat, but gave Samantha a short wave before heading back.

Giving a small wave from her side back to her friend, Samantha headed over to the front of the desk to look at the two papers in front of her. From what she could tell, just about two-thirds of the class wanted to become idols, with just only a handful or so attempting to become composers.

But which would she choose?

'What was it I came here to do? What was my goal from the first moment I decided to try and enroll here?' Samantha voice asked within her mind. It was hard to tell really. She truly loved music with all her heart, and any job in the field would have satisfied her needs.

Being a composer meant it wasn't as much a glamorous job as being a famous singer, but you got to be by yourself in peace, writing down music motifs and creating interesting music to your heart's content of all varieties to help both new and professional idols.

Being an idol meant so much more. You had to express feeling into the songs you say and take on jobs to help your career in any way. It would be tough at first, but her effort would prove how dedicated to her job she was. She would get to wear outfits that seemed to be worn by princesses in fairytales. She would travel to new places if her hard work paid off. She could meet new people and perhaps even make friends with people who had the same dreams and aspirations as she did. And all she would have to do was work hard and...

She would have to sing.

A lyrical melody would have to leave her lips.


She stood on a glittering stage.

She was dressed in an outfit unfamiliar to her, yet it felt like a perfect fit, like Cinderella and her glass slippers. A stylish but energetic outfit of white and blue, Samantha wore a black tank top underneath a sleeveless white shirt that reached just a bit past her ribcage, showing her midriff. Blue cargo pants were a comfortable fit to allow her easy movement, with matching colored fingerless gloves and tennis shoes. Around her hips was a white belt decorated with hearts of red, blue, orange, pink, yellow, purple, and even green. She even had a single earring of a star hanging from her right ear that glittered in the lights of the stage she stood on. Lastly was the design of her shirt. Though a white shirt, symbols of lightning bolts, hearts, stars, and music notes adorned the front of back of her shirt.

It wasn't exactly the type of outfit you would see on a queen or a princess, but it fit Samantha's style, and she loved it. What she didn't love was the silence.

She wasn't sure how, but it felt as if the large stadium she stood in was deathly quiet. Despite the quietness, the blunette knew there were people out there in the seats in her vision, and with the best of her effort tried to raise her voice in an attempt to sing.

Nothing came out. She tried again, but still nothing. She tried to talk, to yell, even scream if she had to.

Her eyes widened in fear and she kept trying. She could feel her voice box, her throat, straining with each silent gasp she was making, but still no sound. Her hands clutched her neck in both fear and frustration and Samantha could feel herself hyperventilate at each breath she took.

People were out there.

They were staring at her and judging her every move.

Whispers, Samantha could hear them somehow despite being unable to speak herself.

"She's not singing."

"I can't believe this loser's trying to become famous."

"Can't even sing a couple of words on her own."

"Aren't idols supposed to be confident?"

"Why isn't she smiling? Doesn't she know we're judging her."

Her body felt weak. Each breath she took felt hotter and tougher to regain. Samantha fell to her knees and laid her hands on the ground in an attempt to keep herself from collapsing. The darkness that once only filled the audience began to encroach the area around her, and continued to close in. Eyes wide in fear and her body shaking, Samantha seemed to finally find her voice, but it wasn't coming out of her own mouth. It was coming from the darkness surrounding her.

"Why aren't you here?"

"I'm scared! Help me! Please!"

"I can't do this on my own!"

"Everyone won't stop staring."

"I can't breathe."

"I'm not cool enough to be noticed."

"I'm not passionate enough to sparkle like a star."

"I'm not pretty enough to shine like a princess."

"Someone as stupid and plain as me shouldn't be an idol."

The darkness was only getting closer, and hoping to somehow shut out the voices in some way, Samantha shut her eyes tight and clutched her body with her arms wrapped around her body. She could feel her voice gaining strength, if only a little. What was she supposed to say after that barrage of her innermost thoughts?

"How? How can I make my dream come true if I can't even sing?" Samantha asked herself, the wet feeling of hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

And she cried, and cried, and cried within the darkness of her inner thoughts.


"Miss? Are you alright? I know this test is a very important deal for many of you, but it is no reason to go pale in worry. Do you wish to go to the first aid office?" Mr Toshi asked, looking at the stiff form of the student in front of his desk.

Feeling as if she had just awoke from a nightmare, Samantha gave a weak gasp and gripped the pin in her fingers tightly, her eyes darting a bit around the room to figure out her surroundings. There was no stage, no darkness, no silence.

She was still in the classroom at Saotome. Some students were quietly talking to one another, others bored I their seats waiting for instruction. Samantha could see Tomochika in her desk in the corner of her eye, but the blunette could feel her friend's concerned gaze on her. How long had she zoned out?

"W-What? I'm sorry I zoned out for a moment, sir."

"I asked if you needed to go to the first aid office. You are looking a bit pale. Are you feeling alright?" Mr. Toshi asked.

'Do I really look that bad?' Samantha wondered quietly in her head before nodding. "Y-Yes sir. I'm sorry. I'm just getting over a small cold is all." Trying to come up with some plausible lie, Samantha hastily scribbled her name down on a sheet of paper and headed back to her seat. She slowly took deep breaths to somehow calm her beating heart, and soon color began to return back to her face.

After a few minutes of organizing students into the groups for idols and composers, each student was handed the test for for their course choice. As Tomochika grabbed her form and smiled at the paper given to her, she looked over to Samantha and mouthed a "good luck" to her.

Slowly turning her head and seeing the blessing, Samantha returned the gesture before being handed her own test and placed it on the top of her desk. Taking out a pencil and eraser from her bag, the blunette took a deep breath to calm her body and opened the test booklet she was handed and readied her writing utensil.


*A Few Weeks Later*

It was the early morning. The sun at dawn was just breaking above the mountains and the birds were chirping. The soft and cool feeling of mist spread through the city and people who had to open up shops and get groceries were up and ready. Samantha herself was one of those people.

Getting dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts, Samantha quietly began to help her mother by taking out the trash, making breakfast for the two of them, feeding their dog Hana, and lastly grabbing the mail. Quietly going out the front entrance of the flower shop, Samantha opened the door of the mailbox near their home and grabbed whatever was within the box. Pulling her arm out and taking a look at what she had grabbed, the blunette could see envelopes for bills, a magazine subscription, and a small manila packet with her name on it.

Along with her name, the stamp of Saotome Academy was neatly placed at the corner, making the teen's eyes widen a bit. 'This is it.'

Clutching the folder in her hand tightly, Samantha headed back into the house, greeting her mother and handing her the group of bills and her magazine. As her mother began eating breakfast, Samantha leaned against the wall of the kitchen and simply stared down at the mail in her hands, lightly twiddling it in her hands every few seconds.

"Are those your test results?" The strong yet caring voice of Samantha's mother asked, taking a sip of her coffee while looking at her daughter.

"Yep." Samantha simply replied, her focus still on the envelope as she answered.

"Well aren't you going to open it? I'd like to know how you did. And you worked hard to get there from what you told me." Getting up from her seat and walking over to her daughter, Samantha's mother snatched the envelope out of her daughter's hand and jokingly waved it towards the small Yorkie dog that quietly sat in her dog bed. "If you don't open it, I'll let Hana tear it up and we'll hope we can read it after she's done with it."

Frowning at the joking tone she was making, Samantha grabbed the envelope back and began to open it. "I'll do it mom. Geez." After ripping open a park of the folder and carefully pulling out the papers inside, Samantha began to scan the papers until finding her results on the final page.

Left in the dark about the details, Samantha's mother waved her hand in front of her daughter's face. "Well? Did you pass or fail honey?"

"I...passed." Samantha spoke, her voice feeling a bit uncertain as she answered. She was going to say more, but feeling the crushing hug of her mother around her body made the teen yelp in surprise.

"That's wonderful honey! Congratulations! I can't wait to tell all of our customers this when they come in today. I'll get to brag to all of them that my daughter is studying at a prestigious music school." The joyful voice of her mother spoke while she was crushed in another hug.

"B-But I barely know anything about music. I'm sure everybody else there knows way more than I do mom." Samantha said as she was finally released from the death hug and rubbed her slightly sore arm.

"It doesn't matter. You still have a few months to learn at least the basics. It's a school dear, so I am sure they will have books on anything you need to learn. And if you really need to, I can let you off work at the flower shop for a few days if it helps you with your studies."

Feeling the encouragement of her mother words, Samantha couldn't help but smile a little, and gave a small nod and clutched the test papers close to her chest. "Okay. I'll make sure to do my best mom."

After eating her breakfast and brushing her hair, Samantha quietly sat down on the living room couch while petting her dog. Her mother had to run of to go and get supplies for the store, so she simply sat alone in the small house and waited for her to return.

"Hana, do you think I'm going to do okay? I'm not sure if I can study enough about music to pass all of this." Samantha quietly said aloud, looking down at the brown furred dog who was sitting on the couch next to her.

"Yip!" Hana barked in response while looking at Samantha. The dog walked closer to her, and soon climbed on the girl's chest until getting near her face. The small Yorkie barked once more before liking the girl's face relentlessly, as if trying to convey to her that everything would be okay.

"I get it Hana! You can stop licking me now." Samantha complained, grabbing the dog and raising her up in the air to stop them from slobbering on her anymore. Giving a smile to the tiny animal, Samantha gave a soft hug to the dog and pet her head. "Thanks for the encouragement though. I needed that. I'm going to miss you when I have to go."

Continuing her play date with her tiny dog, Samantha's gaze shifted towards the small packet of test results on the kitchen counter. She had passed, and now she only had to study and wait or that fateful day.

Shining Saotome Music Academy Test Results

Name: Samantha Kisaragi

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Results: Passed

Academy Course: Composer


Yay! All done! Took me a bit with this, but I think I wrote a bit more than the first chapter...maybe. I'm glad I did not end on a sad note like last chapter. Though it did get dark in the middle. Sorry about that.

Thankfully testing is over, and that means we'll be going into the first day of Saotome Academy next chapter. It'll most likely follow the routine of the first episode, but may have a few different meetings and twists. That is, if I can get it out in time. Maybe another preview. XD

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Or that it was interesting. Review always help and remember no flaming please. :3