Prompt: Rock Star

In-universe

A thousand apologies for the unplanned hiatus. Sucky timing, considering it was right after such a short chapter where the joke was how short it was. But I've written most of the next one and updates should resume as normal, or close to it. Please forgive me, and have fun reading~

"You're going to be big, I can tell," the man in the suit rubbed his hands together as he spoke, grinning. There was no response for a moment, sweat starting to trickle down the back of his neck. This girl made him uneasy. "So, uh... whaddaya say? With your skill, you could open for a pro real soon. Just let me take care of all the details!"

His spiel was met with a small moment of hesitation. This was noticeable by the small twitch of her head, as Yuki Nagato thought about the proposal, but only Kyon would have understood that body language.

"Well kid, do ya wanna be a rock star?" He was starting to run out of things to say. This girl was weird, but that might make her stage presence something different at least. He could see it now, the mysterious, calm rock demon, shredding with no emotion on her face…

Actually, that kind of gave him chills down his spine. He told her that idea, adding, "You won't be locked into any contract or anything, it can go as long as you want." This was far from kindness for the talent agent- the girl looked like she was on drugs or something, and might be difficult to work with. "Do we have a deal?"

"… Yes."

Kyon rubbed his eyes- he could hardly believe what he was seeing. All over the walls of the café were posters that had stopped him in his tracks. He should have been used to this, after the last few months, but he'd never expected Nagato to come this far so soon.

"Hey Kyon, we're buddies, right?" Taniguchi slapped him on the shoulder, in what was probably meant to be a friendly gesture.

"You've used that line before."

"Well, it's true, right? We're pals, and you're pals with Nagato…" his eyebrows raised, hoping Kyon would get his meaning.

Kyon, for his part, was simply messing around with Taniguchi. He'd already been given tickets by the silent alien, handed five them without more than a "here" by way of explanation. Considering the SOS Brigade had already been given their tickets in person, he assumed he could take some friends to her concert.

Well, Kunakida and Tsuruya-san counted as friends, he guessed. His sister and this guy would round out the other spare tickets.

It was kind of amazing, really- she'd played a few amateur nights, opened for a local band, and then skyrocketed in popularity. All because a broke 'talent agent' had been scouting the cultural festival for a new guitar act to pimp out. Kyon frowned- he hoped Koizumi's organization had looked into him, to make sure she wasn't being ripped off or anything.

Chuckling, he continued to bait Tanaguichi, as random classmates he never spoke to suddenly started lending him things and offering to buy him lunch.

"Wow! Yuki-chan, all these people are here for you?" Haruhi stood tall, hands on her hips, beaming down at the girl. As usual, no reply was given unless necessary, but Haruhi didn't even notice. In her eyes, the purple-haired club member had learnt from the best, and had enjoyed playing with her so much that she had taken it up as a profession. She was proud, in some strange way.

"So… many people," Asahina shivered, peeking out at the audience from behind the curtain. She had no idea how anyone could ever gather the courage to perform with such a large crowd.

"Indeed, I'm very happy for you. To gather such a following so quickly, you must be very skilled indeed," Koizumi offered smoothly. He was currently leaning forward on the couch backstage, as they helped Yuki prepare for her first solo concert.

Kyon felt weirdly out of place next to her- Haruhi was dressed like she was in a rock band herself, Koizumi had his usual business-casual attire, and Asahina looked radiant in a simple but fancy dress. Only Nagato and himself were in ordinary clothes, having come straight after school.

"So, are you excited?" he offered, wondering what she herself thought of the whole affair.

"…"

"Do you enjoy playing guitar?"

"… Yes."

"Do you like making people happy out there?"

"…" Yuki was a little confused, from what he could tell. She was still unused to doing things for herself, so that was to be expected.

"Come on Yuki, let's get you changed already! I've got the perfect outfit for you to try!" declared Haruhi, impatient for the show to start. The slight girl pointed soundlessly towards a rack in the corner, which already held her clothes, picked for her by someone who's job it was to organize such things. Happily oblivious to her point, Haruhi disregarded the choice as plain, and led her into the changing stall with a bag.

Grinning, Kyon looked at a copy of the poster. It showed Nagato in bright clothing, with make up and her hair done up. For someone used to how consistent and stable Nagato always was, it was like looking at a picture of someone else entirely. Admittedly, they had done a good job- next to the bright, wilder clothing, her mysterious side was even more obvious.

"Alright, you're on in five, Ms Nagato!" came the stagehand's cry. Heading back to their seats, he wondered what it would be like. Before, she had been playing with random bands as the main guitarist, opening for other people. Now, she must have her own singer and drummer out there, playing songs made for her own style.

Or that's what he assumed.

Nagato walked out alone; he realised there were no instruments or back-up waiting on stage of any kind. His breath was taken away when he saw her- Haruhi had an eye for these things, after all, and the thunderous applause and cheering supported her. Nagato was wearing a white, gothic Victorian-era dress, with red ribbons and lace. Her boots ended above the ankles, her hair done up. The petite girl looked amazing, her serious expression framed against ribbons tied through her hair.

Koizumi whistled next to him. "Not bad, not bad at all."

"But who's she playing with? The stage is empty." Kunikida pointed out. Maybe she was just playing acoustic solos or something?

"Kyon, you really ought to know something like this beforehand."

Nagato walked up to the microphone, a slim cherry-red guitar in her hands. It might have been a les Paul.

"Commencing concert now," was all she said. For some reason, people thought it was part of her act, and cheered her on.

Then, she began to play. Her fingers moved delicately at an amazing speed over the strings, barely plucking some subtly. The effect was something closer to what a classical piano might play. It was a sight to watch, and the song only improved when she started singing.

"Wow…"

"Nagato-chan is quite talented, wouldn't you say?"

Kyon ignored them, trying to enjoy her performance in peace. Nagato had a soft, gentle singing voice, barely more than a murmur. He had to strain his ears to hear her, as did the whole audience- as a result, the crowd was unnaturally silent throughout.

After a little while, he realized what the lyrics were and couldn't help but smile. For some reason, her manager had gotten her to sing a cute, fluffy song about boys and cake.

"Bwahahahaha!" Tsuruya burst into laughter behind him, loving it despite the glares and shushing she received.

Somehow, even with such everyday lyrics and an electric guitar, she had managed to make it sound like a formal piece of classical music. That… certainly was Nagato.

She wasn't cut out to be a pop idol, but no one seemed to mind. The light-hearted lyrics, her oddly emotionless but gentle voice, her distinctive style of playing, and her unusual stage presence ensured Nagato was a huge hit. She played haunting melodies and tranquil sonatas for another two years before becoming bored with the activity. Haruhi loved the opportunity to pimp her Brigade on stage to so many people, and even opened with her in some group performances as semi-decent back-up.

And that is how the Data Overmind acquired extensive musical information, and all subsequent human interfaces were built with data on how to sing and play her performances.

A/N: This was the first story I wrote about Yuki, written more as a test. I think it shows a little, but the idea of someone seeing her performance at the culture festival and making her a star still appeals to me, so here it is. Feedback is welcome, as always.