Lyrical Dreams
by Cyberchao X
Night 3: Please Don't Stop the Music
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, nor the lyrics to this song. Which is not the song that the title of the chapter suggests, although that is a production gag in that it was the originally planned song, which might have been part of what caused the interminable delays.
The kisses of the sun
Were sweet I didn't blink
I let it in my eyes
Like an exotic drink
The radio playing songs
That I have never heard
I don't know what to say
Oh not another word
It had been a few days since Lunasa had confronted her younger sister about her forbidden feelings. In an attempt to clear her mind, Lyrica had been leaving the mansion more frequently, wandering about with no particular aim. The past few days, nothing came of it, but on this day, something caught her eye…or rather, her ear. "That song…I've never heard it before. Such a beautiful voice…I should introduce myself. Ah, but the sun's about to set; Luna-neesan will be worried about me if I'm out too late."
Just la la la la la – It goes around the world
Just la la la la la – It's all around the world
Just la la la la la – And everybody's singing
La la la la la – And now the bells are ringing
"Well, you certainly seem starry-eyed," Merlin teased her younger sister. Lyrica tuned it out. "Whatcha playing?"
"Huh? Oh, just this song I heard earlier today. I don't think I've got it quite right, though…but, maybe I do. It's not like I heard what the keyboard portion sounds like."
"You're trying to play a piece that you've only heard the wrong instrumental part of?"
"Not instrumental. Vocal. I didn't even get to see who was singing it, because it was time to head home. I think I'll go look for her tomorrow."
"'Her?' So then your little walks have been doing you some good?"
"I-It's not like that! I mean, it might not be. Although, if she's as pretty as her voice is, maybe it is."
"Well, don't stay up too late practicing
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
Lyrica set out the next day, searching for the mystery vocalist, to little success. "Wait, I don't even know what she looks like…if she doesn't start singing, I wouldn't even recognize her." After awhile, she came up with the idea to start playing. Maybe if the singer heard her song, she'd start singing it again.
It didn't work. "Damn, I thought maybe that would do it…wait, weren't there more people here before?" Slowly, after the music stopped, the local humans started coming back out. "Oh, there you are. Where were you all hiding? And why?"
One of them replied, "There's a scary youkai that lives around here. Normally it only comes out at night, but I heard its song a little while ago."
"Its…song? Wait, maybe it was the song I was just playing?" She played it again.
"Yeah, that's it."
"This…youkai. What does she look like?"
"'She'? I didn't say anything about whether it was a male or a female. Actually, I don't even know if it's male or female—it hides in the darkness, and makes it even more impossible to see than usual. I think it's a special ability it has."
"I heard someone singing that song yesterday. The voice was definitely female. But I didn't see the singer."
"Trust me, that's for the best."
"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. Also, I'm kind of already dead." She continued on, leaving the human bewildered as to who he'd just been talking to.
Inside an empty room
My inspiration flows
Now wait to hear the tune
Around my head it goes
The magic melody
You want to sing with me
Just la la la la la
The music is the key
"So, she only comes out at night, huh…guess I'll have to stay out late, then." She headed back to the mansion.
"Any luck?" Lunasa asked.
"Not yet, but I got a tip. I'm going to head back out later."
"Later?"
"Yeah. I played the song I heard, and some of the humans from the Human Village connected it to a nocturnal youkai. So I'm going to head back out when it's dark out."
"Perfect. There it is…wait…why is it so dark all of a sudden? Huh, maybe that guy was right about it being a special ability of hers…I can't see a thing. I'd probably just butcher her song if I tried to play it now…but maybe something a bit more familiar…" And so she began to play Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble. "…My vision's clearing up?"
And now the night is gone
Still it goes on and on
So deep inside of me
I long to set it free
I don't know what to do
Just can't explain to you
I don't know what to say
Oh not another word
"Hey! What's the big idea, playing such a sunny song here? You're drowning out my song of darkness!"
"…So it was your song that was making me blind? I'm sorry if I got in your way. It's just, I heard your song and it was so pretty, and I thought that such a pretty voice had to belong to a pretty girl, and wanted to see for myself. And I was right."
"…What?"
"I'm Lyrica. Lyrica Prismriver." She switched songs.
"…You know my song?"
"Like I said, I heard it yesterday, but it was getting late, and I came out here today looking for you but then I found out that you were nocturnal so I went home and came back later."
"…You're pretty good. Especially having only heard me sing once. I'm Mystia Lorelei…nice to meet you, Lyrica. Sorry for snapping at you."
"Th-that's okay…"
Just la la la la la – It goes around the world
Just la la la la la – It's all around the world
Just la la la la la – And everybody's singing
La la la la la – And now the bells are ringing
"So, wait, when you said you were right, then that means…you think I'm pretty?" Lyrica nodded. "But I'm a youkai, and you're a human…"
"No I'm not."
"You're not?"
"…You mean you didn't notice? Well, then, I suppose I'll have to be a bit less subtle." And with that she took Mystia's hands and began to dance with her."
"I'm…really confused now." Lyrica just giggled. "What am I looking for?"
"Don't look. Listen. What do you hear?"
"M-my song…the song I sing to mess with humans. The power's in my voice, though, not the song itself, so the fact that you can still see isn't unexpected."
"Who's playing it?"
"Well, you are, of course…oh!"
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
"Yeah. I wondered how long it would take you to realize that I was playing without using my hands."
"So then, what, are you a tsukumogami and that piano is your real form?"
"Nope. I'm a poltergeist!"
"And a fine dancer."
"Really?"
"Really. Although I'd imagine not having to worry about tripping would help with that."
Lyrica was briefly peeved, but quickly got over it. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I should probably go now, and besides, I was interrupting you, wasn't I?" She left.
"It…really wasn't any trouble at all…"
The kisses of the sun (kisses of the sun – kisses of the sun)
Around-around-around-around-around-around the world
La la la la la – It goes around the world
Just la la la la la – It's all around the world
Just la la la la la – And everybody's singing
La la la la la – And now the bells are ringing
"Hey. How was your evening?"
"…Interesting," replied the firefly youkai, Wriggle Nightbug. "My heart's still racing, though perhaps not quite for the same reasons as when it started."
"Oh, now you've got to tell me more."
"Wait, the way you asked that question makes me think you've had an interesting evening as well."
"I did. But I asked you first, so spill it or you won't find out why."
"Well, I got captured by a tsuchigumo. Really thought I was going to die, but somehow I bluffed my way out of it."
"…Not exactly what I was expecting."
"Don't be so sure. When I say 'bluffed my way out', I mean that I pretended to think that her wrapping me up in her webs was a form of foreplay. It was so cute watching her get flustered like that, and although when I said 'let's do this again sometime,' it was mostly to keep up the act, I'm…kind of looking forward to it!"
"…You're in love with a youkai that feeds on insects. Okay, yeah, you're crazy."
"Your turn to spill."
"Well…I may have met someone special, too."
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
A few days passed, though, and Mystia hadn't seen any sign of the poltergeist keyboardist. She was starting to grow sad, and her heart was no longer in her singing, when Lyrica appeared again. Not right after sunset like he last time—she'd gotten up early, before sunrise. "I figured I wouldn't be interrupting you as much at this hour."
"Lyrica…I was wondering if I'd ever see you again."
"You'd better. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we met."
"You're…quite bold, saying that without the slightest idea how I feel about you. But…you're also lucky, because I feel the same way. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, either."
"Really? You mean it?"
Mystia nodded. "I mean it." She was unprepared for what happened next, as Lyrica glomped her. "Whoa, you're…pretty heavy for a poltergeist."
"I am not! I'm very petite! …Actually, I wouldn't mind getting a bit curvier."
"…I think you're pretty just as you are."
"M-Mystia…"
Around-around-around-around the world
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
CCX: "Around the World" ©ATC 2000-2014. So yeah, the decision to have Wriggle even be in this fic was kind of last-minute; it says on the information page for Mystia at Touhou Wiki that she has an ability to rule over winged insects, so I expressed that with her and Wriggle having already been close friends awhile ago. I was tempted to actually have this be taking place before, and perhaps even during (as I've done before) Phantasmagoria of Flower View, but it looks like the opponents are variable enough that it's possible that Lyrica and Mystia simply didn't run into each other there in this canon. Either way, since this is set more or less concurrently with Wriggle and Yamame's first meeting, it's quite likely that this is chronologically the earliest of my Touhou fanfics…well, no, that's still The Divine Lover, which is set somewhere between EoSD and PCB. But yeah, it's pretty early.
