A/N: Kerii-tan: Ohhhh I updated yaayyyyy.
Mkay, just gonna say, but this chapter was exactly 3000 words. Haaahhh.
And uh, there's not much to say, at least, I think there isn't. Not now.
Except for the fact I'm gonna kinda speed through the play here.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the story and all the play details cuz I came up with them right on the spot lololol.
Warning: Um, language, I think. And errors.
Chapter 25- Rin's POV
After that little hangout I had with Len, things started to look up a bit for the both of us. Not saying everything was great, but life was becoming a whole lot easier. Len was in a better mood from then on, not quite to his normal self, but at least he smiled and laughed occasionally. I was just relieved to know that he was at least somewhat okay, but the thought of me confessing my love to him still lingers on in my head every now and then, and it totally has made me go insane. I swear, every time I think about that guy, I feel my heartbeat pick up a little; I get all jittery with some weird emotions goin' on inside of me; all that crap and stuff. That couldn't be too good, now could it?
And before any of us knew it, the three weeks were almost over, and it was about time for all of us to get ready for performing in front of the headmaster. After three weeks of hard work and practice, we were all prepared to do our play. All of us were confident except for myself, of course. But Miku is actually going to open up the entire play with a song that she's singing herself. I can't believe she's actually going to do that! I gotta hand it to her, though; I'd never get up there and sing.
…Speaking of which, I happen to have one part in her song. Just one stanza. Four lines, maybe, but there's not much. I just hope my voice won't crack or sound like a donkey on drugs or something.
"Rin, do you think you're ready?" Len asked me the day before the performance at school. I looked over at him and huffed.
"Yeah, barely." I answered, leaning against the desk and tossing my head back. "I'm exhausted from all this practice we're doing, and these costumes make me feel really hot." I stretched the white uniform a bit and Len shrugged.
"Well, you've got no choice, anyhow. The play's tomorrow."
I groaned. "Yeah, ugh. And I really don't want to do–"
"The kissing scene, right?" Len finished my sentence perfectly.
Yeah, you heard right. There's a kissing scene for the prince and princess. Miku's the princess, and guess who plays the prince? Me. Oh, fun.
Fun my ass.
"Duh. I mean, come on, why should a girl have to kiss another girl? In school, no less, for a play? I should sue Gakupo for sexual harassment." I pouted angrily and Len looked up in thought.
"I dunno', Rin, I wouldn't really call it sexual harassment since he's not sexually harassing you."
I smacked Len on the top of the head.
"Yeah, and making someone punch someone else isn't abuse."
"…What's that have to do with anything?"
"…The point is," I started, sighing. "He's making two girls kiss when they don't even want to in the first place. That's what."
Len pursed his lips. "I guess so. But it's only acting after all. And it's not sexual harassment either."
"CAN YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT PART? !" I punched Len in the gut and he grunted, his body retracting.
"Oof, Rin, that hurt…" Len mumbled, rubbing his stomach gingerly and I crossed my arms with a huff.
"That's just what you get for being an idiot."
"An idiot, eh?" Len laughed, as if it was a joke. But I meant it. He is an idiot.
…He's just a stupid idiot that I happen to have the hots for.
"Ohhhh snap…" I groaned to myself as I paced backstage, combing my hair with my shaking fingers and bitten nails. "I cannot believe how nervous I am…!"
= x – x =
Meiko strolled up to me and placed her hand on her hip, which had a bright red, floofy dress hugging her hips comfortably. "Ya' better not mess up, girl. I don't want to look bad."
I shot Meiko a glare and snarled, "Oh, please. Like you don't already look bad in that dress?"
She instantly turned as red as her dress from my comment and stormed off. I snickered for a second, but then remembered my unfortunate case of temporary stage fright, and started to claw at my head again in a panicky fashion.
"Rin, calm down, getting all wound up about it won't help!" Gakupo told me and I turned to face him. "Take a look at Len. Take notice of how he's all cool about this."
Gakupo pointed and I followed his finger. Standing by the far end of backstage, Len was talking to someone. He actually did seem quite under control, but that only kinda' pissed me off. How could anyone possibly be calm at a moment like this?
"Len!" I called out as I walked over to him and he turned around.
"Oh, Rin, hey." He answered and I saw red hair peek out from behind the curtain. I gasped; it was Miki!
"Rin's here, too?" she grinned and I waved at her nervously.
"Ah, hey there, Miki, long time, no see, huh? Hahaha…" I greeted her and she laughed.
"You can say that again. Anyways, how're you holdin' up?" She asked.
I gave her a blank look. "Eh? What do you…?"
"I mean…" She leaned in close to me and cupped her hand around my ear. "You still don't like that idiot brother of mine, right?"
Urk. That's exactly what I was nervous about…
"Of course not, haha, who'd like an idiot like him? Hahahaha!" I laughed loudly, waving my hand back and forth and looking away. I probably look more suspsicious than anything, though.
"Oh, good, hah." Miki sighed with relief and Len leaned in, pointing to himself.
"Why'm I'm an idiot?"
"Oh, shoo, shoo." I pursed my lips and tried to push Len away, but he didn't budge. We tried to push each other away, but eventually I just gave up and walked away, causing him to stumble.
As I walked away silently fuming, I heard Miki laugh at him.
= x – x =
"Good evening, everyone!" Ms. Lily announced, spreading her arms out as she calmed down the audience. "Welcome to the Aibara High's freshman play, performed by five spectacular students!"
Clapping and applauding thundered throughout the entire auditorium, and I peeked out of the curtain, observing the audience. The place was packed. I'm surprised so many people came just to see this, in the sweaty and muggy heat of late summer-early autumn, all packed into this small area. I bet they all came to see the populars perform.
Yet just from seeing all these people, I felt my knees almost give out. Practicing in front of four classmates was enough—but a population of 700 students and their parents? I think not.
God help me, I don't think I'll be able to survive…
As Ms. Lily continued on with the introduction, my muscles tensed up and I began to shake rapidly. If I was this nervous before the play, then during the play, I'll be a mess.
I suppose it was obvious I was nervous because suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. Practically jumping out of my skin, I anxiously turned around and saw Len there, standing behind me. My eyes widened in shock but then I sighed heavily, placing my hand on my pounding chest.
"Jesus, Len, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I whispered harshly and his concerned expression quickly changed to a grin.
"Don't worry, Rin, just calm down. It'll all be alright, I'm sure. You'll do fine."
His words seemed lost and pointless, but for some reason, they gave me a bit of hope. I swallowed dryly and nodded, gripping the fabric of my itchy costume. Len patted me again on the shoulder and walked away into the darkness of backstage.
"We now present…" Ms. Lily started, and the audience quieted down to a hushed murmur of excitement until our teacher whipped her arm out, extending it towards the curtains. "Blood upon Velvet!"
Instantly the crowd exploded with cheers and hooting, clapping, and any other action of excitement. I raised my eyebrows with interest. I had no idea that's what our play was called. It sounds kind of elegant. I guess Gakupo named it that because the evil king sentenced death to the princess, therefore, blood upon royalty, or velvet. Actually sounds a bit more dark than anything.
I moved away from the curtain and hurried over to the side next to Len and Meiko, whilst they both sat on chairs and composed themselves. I would have to sing as well, but not until the second verse.
I took the seat one over from Len's and grabbed my water bottle, taking a quick drink. Len glanced over and smiled kindly.
"I can't wait to hear you sing again, Rin."
His smile quickly turned into a friendly grin.
I narrowed my eyes at him, and closed them, turning my head away with a huff.
"Yeah, I'll remember that when I'm on stage."
"Hope it gives you some confidence." He replied encouragingly, and I gave him a look. I don't think he knew I meant that as a sarcastic remark.
We saw the curtains pull away from our angle and saw Miku standing there in the middle of the stage, her white dress flowing elegantly. She had tiny, white flower petals decorating her hair, which was pulled into a ponytail and then braided into a bun, tied back with a large, white, velvet ribbon. Her dress was sleeveless but long, and I can't believe she hasn't tripped yet. I also can't believe that Len and his mother designed and created it. You couldn't tell 'cause her dress was too long, but her shoes were made of glass, and her gloves were also white and long. The light seemed to make her sparkle and she looked like snow or something.
Actually, no. She looked like Cinderella or something. A princess, definitely.
The audience hushed instantly, and you could almost hear everybody's breaths. We all waited patiently for Miku to begin. This was her opening number, her song, the introduction, and this couldn't be messed-up. Not by her, and especially not by me.
And then she began to sing.
I haven't learned any part of the song except for my two lines, but it went something like this:
Far away, kept away in the depths of the forest,
A young princess lived, awaiting her inevitable future,
Her eyes shown like crystals in water,
Her hair flowed in the wind like morning light,
Her skin as white as the evening stars,
And her smile as warm as the afternoon sun
I thought the lyrics were slightly…er, lame, but I wasn't complaining. I doubt I could come up with anything better.
The entire audience was quiet and listened to Miku sing, and I have to say, her voice matched perfectly for this, as much as I hate her. Her voice is light and high so she kinda sounds just like snow, like her dress.
I huffed and crossed my arms, unintentionally receiving a look from Len.
Miku sang the chorus of the song, and I stood up, trying to calm and ready myself for my verse.
I looked at Len with a terrifyingly nervous expression on my face by accident, and he almost laughed at me, I think. It was kind of hard to tell in the dark.
"You'll do fine, Rin." Len told me again, and I groaned quietly, anxiety creeping upon me. Next to him, Meiko snorted.
"Don't mess this up, Kagamine." She sneered and I gave her one of my death-glares.
"Yeah, yeah, just don't let your tits fall of out your dress onstage, Sakine." I shot back, and she turned red, self-consciously looking down at her neckline. I snickered and peered over my shoulder. It seems like my part was coming up in less than 20 seconds.
"Alright, I'm on." It sounded more like a grunt than anything.
I stepped onto the stage slowly, my head down, not facing or looking at the people in the audience. I heard a few gasps and squeals. I suppose I look masculine enough to play the part of a prince, and hopefully, they'll buy it.
Double-checking to see if the mic was still attached to my face, I stepped to the opposite side of the stage as Miku.
I took a quite, shaky breath, and for the first time in forever, I opened my mouth and sang with confidence.
Len's POV
Her voice. I get to hear her voice again…! When was the last time? Was it…months ago? I only heard her sing once, but…now, I can hear her sing again…
I gripped the edges of the chair tightly in anticipation, as I watched Rin walk behind the curtains and onto stage. I felt my heart pound as if I were the one up there, but I only naturally felt nervous for Rin, knowing that she was nervous enough herself.
The silence was unbearable as we all waited for her to begin singing. The piano was drifting through the air with delicate and light notes and tunes, and it was only a matter of seconds till she'd begin.
And then, she began.
I swear, I would have almost fell out of my chair, if Meiko weren't there to see it happen. I listened intently to the sound of Rin's voice, the slight shakiness but overwhelming confidence, the strong tone of her voice and the slight vibrato that weaved its way in and out of my ears.
I couldn't explain, but every single note she sang sounded a thousand times better than when I first heard it weeks ago.
"Trapped and tangled in the kingdom of evil, the prince had waited for her arrival… The chance of him finding a lover was slim, but he could not give in…
"Those blue eyes he had were young and bright, and there was only a matter of time until he had to fight…"
She paused, and for a moment I thought she forgot her lines and my heart stopped, but then Miku picked up her line perfectly.
"But who would have guessed that the lost princess and lonely prince…" She began, and the piano keys thunked as the notes went higher up the scale until she and Rin both sang the final line, facing each other and reaching out with their arms extended.
"Would finally be united with one kiss…?"
The last note lingered for a few seconds, and the spotlights had shone their light only on the two actresses before the crowd went wild with applause.
I sighed with relief, so thankful that Rin did well.
She walked backstage, panting and her face flushed, and I waved her over.
"Rin, you sounded great!" I told her excitedly. "I'm so glad I got to hear you sing again!"
I placed my hand on her arm, but she brushed me off, her face becoming ever redder.
"Yeah, and that'll be the last time, too, so don't get too excited about it." She mumbled.
I had just finished performing the scene where the servant-slash-knight slays the evil king. The prince is off-stage currently while the princess has a little monologue. So in short, the play was almost over, and there was one last scene —the kiss.
Of course, I was a little excited to see this part because, well, Miku and Rin were going to kiss, but, haha, I also felt a little…anxious. The girl I like kissing my ex? That's just a little odd.
Even still, I don't think people have caught on yet to the fact that the prince's role was actually being played by a girl. Luckily, Rin's tall and flat enough to look masculine.
I was just about to grab another water bottle, sit back and watch the scene play until Gakupo came hurrying up to me, a concerning look on his face.
"Gakupo-san, what's the matter?" I asked, leaning forwards, and he tossed his head back, crying out in exasperation.
"Ahh, it's terrible! Kagamine-san went off-stage for merely just a few moments, but now I can't find her! How will we find her in time so she can do the last scene?"
I gasped in response. "Are you serious? you mean she's disappeared?"
"Yes! And look, she left this behind!" Gakupo held up her costume in his hands, the fabric wrinkled and folded as if the person wearing it previously practically threw it off themselves.
"I can't believe it! She's gone? What should we do?" I asked, beginning to realize the conflict of this situation and Gakupo looked around anxiously, groans of anxiety escaping his mouth.
"Argh…I don't know! Here, Kagamine-kun, you shall wear it and play the part for her, because you don't have anymore parts to act out now!" He shoved the costume into my arms. "Go on, change quickly! Hatsune-san is finishing up her monologue, and then you shall go and act in Kagamine-san's place!"
"W-What?" I exclaimed in surprise, completely not expecting this sort of thing. "B-But I'm not—"
"I hope you know her lines well enough, Kagamine-kun! And if you do not, make them up and improv wisely!"
Before I could reject, Gakupo had hurried off into the dark shadows of the back stage area. I held the costume in my hands, unsure of what to do, but then looked around, checking to see if anyone was nearby. I quickly tossed my servant costume off and pulled the prince outfit on, my hands shaking and my heart beating.
Do I know her lines? I think I know them, for the most part, at least. And Gakupo said I could improvise if I needed to. So I should be fine, right? If only I were prepared for this sort of thing…
And then, as I was fitting the boots onto my feet, the most terrifying thought of this entire calamity dawned on me—
I would have to kiss Miku.
-Chapter 25: END-
A/N: Kerii-tan: ...Urk. Len's gonna have to kiss Miku. Conflictttt. (and I know, those song lyrics sucked. pulled 'em straight outta my head as I typed away at this thing.)
and yeah, I lied. The ~*~*~important scene~*~*~ will be in the NEXT chapter. Urgh. Sorry guys, this is coming out really long, as much as I hate it to. llorz
Which, by the way, I have something important to say. This story isn't ending in 2 or 3 chapters. It's going to be ending in even MORE, because...
I realized that the planned idea for the last chapter was too...sudden, so I wanted to make it seem less jumpy, in terms of writing.
The con to this is that the fic will be much longer, maybe reaching at least 30 chapters. Hopefully less.
The pro to this is that after the next chapter, you guys will get to see what it's like once Rin and Len become a couple and the last chapter will flow much better.
Finally.
So that being said, I hope you guys don't mind...please tell me what you think, please please pleeeaseee, alright? ;u;