A/N: Literally, band and orchestra AUs are my life. In this one, Yusei plays cello and Aki plays violin, both professionally. I may write a Part 2 continuation someday, but we'll see:) Thanks for the support everyone^^ Please drop a review if you like it~
Also, have any of you seen people like 2CELLOS or David Garrett? Those are the type of people that I'm trying to base these two characters off of. The intensity of how they play their instruments is insane.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or the writing prompts found on Tumblr. I do, however, own my writing.
Warning: I used Google Translate for the German tbh.
[ string musicians au - me tbh ]
Fudou Yusei has never worked for something as hard as he has for this. And, as his friends tell him, that is saying something.
Years of hard work, sweat, sore muscles, expensive classes, and practice have paved the frustrating yet rewarding path for him. God only knows how many hours he has put into this throughout his lifetime. His roommate probably hates him as much as he is proud.
Needless to say, Japan's finest cello player in decades (that is what they're saying now, right?) is standing backstage, smoothing his already pressed suit and straightening his tie one more time. He doesn't spend too much time worrying about that, though - he's gone over his appearance plenty of times on the way here. Crow said he looked dashing.
No, instead, Yusei uses the final moments of preparation time to tune his instrument. There aren't any chairs, so he stands, hunched a little, and plucks each of the strings, listening carefully and tightening two of them. He has tuned four times today. This won't be his last. He puts more rosin on his bow, checking to make sure there isn't any split horsehair - there will be enough of that after the performance.
He tests the bow, tunes again, even uses an electronic tuner instead of just his own ears, and inhales deeply when the Host arrives and signals that it's time to meet his partner for the night.
Tonight, the two of them will be performing for Germany's richest and most elite. The auditorium could fit a million people, he thinks when he catches a glimpse of it from behind the curtain. He may be used to being in front of crowds, but this is certainly...new.
He hears the sound of a violin, also being tuned, and he nods to himself. There she is.
Izayoi Aki is well known in Germany for what she can do with a violin. She is absolutely incredible, if YouTube and live performances on awards shows are enough to go by. He's only seen her one other time, and they hadn't even spoken. They're strangers who only know of one another by their shared love of and dedication to music.
Though she was born in Japan according to her Wikipedia page (though her last name was a dead giveaway as well), Izayoi moved to Germany to further pursue her career in music, seeing it as as an opportunity to branch out. She has done plenty of shows in Japan before - a country that is always happy to welcome her home to see how she has improved over the years - as well as nations all around the world. Yusei himself has traveled extensively as well, but Germany is a first for him. This is her home turf. He is merely a guest.
He gently sets his cello to the ground, balancing it by the endpin and holding his bow in the same hand, and offers his other to shake hers. She smiles politely, copying him and returning the gesture. Her hands are soft and small.
Yusei does not speak German. He's hoping to God that this woman still remembers Japanese. He can speak Japanese, Arabic, English, and the basics of French, but German isn't a language he has gotten around to.
As if reading his mind, she introduces herself in flawless Japanese. "Izayoi Aki. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
He grins, happy to hear that. "Fudou Yusei. I'm looking forward to tonight."
Oh, that's the other thing: he and Izayoi have never once played together. They have never met, let alone take the same lessons.
No, tonight, it's a challenge. They were sent their sheet music both in the mail and online to practice for themselves - sheet music that was specifically written for this event and not heard by anyone else before, including the two of them. Their job was to learn it, memorize it, and do a duet for hundreds (thousands, says Crow's voice in his head) of wealthy, powerful Germans for the first time ever without any prior experience together.
Needless to say, Yusei is a bit nervous.
And if the constant glancing at the curtain was any indication, Izayoi is, too.
Now that Yusei looked at her, it occurs to him that she is...very beautiful. Her hair is a dark shade of burgundy and her eyes are big and brown. Her makeup is done with great care and her hair is pulled back in fancy bun that Yusei has not the name for. She is wearing an elegant, black dress to compliment his suit. Really, they look like they have worked together for years.
"What tempo do you want to take it at the beginning?" Izayoi asks, still looking at the curtain. "We can cheat a little and pick one before going out."
Yusei smiles. He had been wondering about that. He tells her what times he's been playing at, and she tells him the two that would work best for her, and they decide on the starting tempo right as the Host's voice booms into the microphone, welcoming the audience. Crow and Jack are out there, somewhere. Yusei feels his stomach drop. If he fucks up, they'll be there to see it.
"Tune on a concert C?" Izayoi suggests. She's apparently the type to take charge, but in a way that most wouldn't have noticed it.
Which is fine. She's the one with the violin - the power instrument. He's just the color. So he agrees, and straightens his tie again as she adjusts the top part of her dress.
And then to two of them are walking onto the stage, Yusei allowing her to go in front of him because Ladies First, Yusei, Martha had always said. He smiles. She promised to watch tonight on her TV. Oh God.
There is a chair set up for him and a line of white paint where Izayoi is meant to stand. He truly does sympathize. Its going to be a long show and she'll have to be on her feet for the length of it. He glances down and thank goodness, she's wearing flats, not heels.
They bow to the audience - shit, this place is huge - before letting the Host finish up his little speech. The lights are nearly blinding, which is probably a good thing, because it's not until after the entire ordeal that Yusei realizes not a single chair had been empty in the entire building. Who needs eyes anyway? He has this stuff memorized. So does Izayoi. They've got this.
Yusei sits on the chair. It's uncomfortable, which is good - he woke up disgustingly early for this, so it's better that he doesn't accidentally doze off in the middle of it all. Izayoi stands to his right (to the audience's left) and peers down at the paint to make sure she's correct. The stage is enormous, and honestly, Yusei's a little starstruck. He needs to focus.
So he looks calmly at Izayoi as he holds the cello close to him. "Ready?" he mouths.
She seems to calm down when he does. She smiles for the first time that night and looks radiant. "Yes."
He lowers his gaze to where his fingers are gripping his bow. She's staring at him, waiting, and he whispers when he counts them off. Their bows move together with the first note they tune as a couple. Then the second, and the third. They make any adjustments they feel necessary, play another note, and fall silent.
The Host says, "Meine Damen und Herren, Aki Izayoi und Yusei Fudou." He still can't speak German, but he recognizes their names and knows that it's time to get this show on the road.
He murmurs, "Good luck," and watches her as she smiles, puts the violin up to her chin again, and pauses before counting them off.
His eyes don't leave her - she's the lead, despite the fact that they're a duet. It's an unspoken agreement. He counts in his head as muscle memory takes over and he gazes intently at her as she plays, obviously listening to him, as well.
See, what makes them so good is that...it doesn't sound like two people. Their music has the feeling of a small orchestra. And it's intense from the very beginning. Their entire bodies go into it. It's all-incorporating. Yusei can feel his arms and fingers work at the cello, feel the vibrations as the bow drags across the strings. His whole figure jerks as he puts his strength into it. The sound gets louder as they crescendo even more. It's not a feeling one can describe. You are so focused on what you're doing that you get lost in it. He can't completely control his own body. He's working on autopilot.
He watches Izayoi, waiting for tempo changes and signs of what she's going to do so he can follow. She's having the same reactions. Her body sways, moves, her core curls when they hit strong, fast moments, and she leans back when they slow down. Her eyes are squeezed shut, unlike his, relying solely on her hearing. She's really beautiful, he thinks again vaguely, in the far back of his mind.
Yusei's favorite part of playing music for people is that he can control what they feel. It sounds sadistic, but really, it's elating. When he and Izayoi increase the speed, the volumes, the power, the people are on the edges of their seats, hearts racing nearly as fast and theirs. When the two of them slow and soften and abuse how long each note is, he can sense the mournful or serene atmosphere fill the room - it depends on the key signature, really. It's something his friends have commented on before; how when he performs like this, he can make them feel whatever he wants to just by changing the sound.
Yusei feels it, too. So does Izayoi.
Which is why they're grinning toward the end of it. She smiles first, because her eyes are closed and the movement fills her entire face, and he can't help but smile back, even if she can't see him. He loves this. God, his arms are aching and he's breathing so hard but it's the feeling of the high that keeps him going stronger than ever.
Izayoi's eyes snap open right before their finale. As she twists to the side during a dramatic slur, she locks on to his face, and he stares back, waiting as his body keeps moving, keeps making that music he's worked so hard to perfect over these past few months. Her expression is sharp and - (there it is again) - challenging. This entire thing has just been another challenge, and she's upping the game.
Their ending measures are crescendo'd so hard, so intensely, so passionately, that the audience is standing, gaping, and he and Izayoi never once break eye contact. They slam their bows down on the last note and when they cut off simultaneously, the auditorium erupts. People are clapping, shouting German phrases that sound positively gleeful, and the ground seems to shake. Yusei thinks he can hear Crow screaming his name.
He and Izayoi are still fixated on each other. They're nearly gasping, exhaustion not quiet setting in yet through the adrenaline, but it's broken when Aki glances at his bow and bursts out laughing.
He is going to need a new one. It's shredded. Which, by the way, so is hers.
Yusei pulls in enough air to get out, "Nice," and she shakes her head, grinning and laughing breathlessly.
He gets to his feet and the two of them walk to the edge of the stage to bow again - once, twice - and they hold up their shaven bows for everyone to see. The crowd just claps and cheers louder. Yusei could get drunk off of this sensation, off of the knowledge that so many people can be this hyped up because of him.
And all Yusei can think is how much he wants to do this again. With her. She was unbelievable. What they had just done was unbelievable.
When they finally start walking backstage, Aki says hoarsely, "So we're doing that again sometime, right?"
"Call me," Yusei replies genuinely, "and I'll be back in Germany when the soonest flight leaves."
Ending 10
