A/N: I hope you're ready for a long freakin chapter! Most of it is lyrics and performance. It's a lot of cheesy fun, I had a blast writing it! There are a few untitled songs in here, but I don't want a disclaimer to spoil the surprises, so see the A/N below for titles and artists.
Thanks to ZainR for the review! The cocoa scene was as spontaneous as my decision to write the chapter, so I'm glad you liked. Also, yup, Ami was a whole different level of drama in her earlier years. She's done a lot of growing as a person and friend since then! Or hopefully so, in Naoi's case.
Enjoy!
[Chapter 45]: Karaoke Night
Ami was forgiving of Hejjiguchi at dinner but not merciless, eagerly regaling him with the race he'd missed out on and how exhilarating it was even from a spectator's point of view. And of course, when she got to Masuda's little board trick, she did not skimp on the gushing. The way she spoke of it, it was like he'd gone through three fire hoops, punched a flying shark, and rescued a princess on his way down. Kurimu's eyes matched Ami's shine, and an impressed Hejjiguchi looked ready to high-five him the whole time, but Masuda looked rather abashed by the praise, smiling briefly at times only to hide it behind his drink or turn his face away.
Ayato was also a little embarrassed to hear it. Curiosity had him checking around the dining area in case Shiruba was within earshot. It was a different table than usual, but sure enough he spotted him, sitting with Hirohashi, Takada, and Takamori and her friends. He wasn't glaring toward their table or anything, but he looked angry and even disheartened. It was clear who the victor had been today. He mumbled something aloud and Takamori could be heard gently calling him naïve. He only momentarily perked up when Nezumi arrived at their table with Saki and Hisakawa in tow. Then the lingering tension between them became obvious, as the friends briefly looked at each other and exchanged tentative greetings before Nezumi sat down with the girls on Hirohashi's side.
In fairness, even two best friends probably couldn't go straight back to normal after the incident on the slope. Ayato shuddered to think of how Yuri would react if he did a thing like that. Not that he ever would, but still. The atonement would likely require far more than strawberry stomach bombs and screaming at Hisakawa. No, a shove down a slope begged a much grander gesture…
"Am I right, Naoi?" Ami asked brightly.
"Huh?" Ayato shifted his gaze to her, blinking. "Oh, yeah, sure."
Yuri giggled into her hand while Ami gestured to him exaggeratedly with a huge grin on her lips. "See? I told you it works!"
Instant suspicion crested over his face, especially since Hejjiguchi and Masuda were smirking and even Kurimu had joined in on Yuri's giggles. "What works?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, just the theory that anyone will agree to anything, particularly if they're not listening, if you say, 'Right?' and direct it at them," Ami explained. "As I was just saying to our friends here! 'For example, Naoi's definitely going to go onstage later and do karaoke with me – am I right, Naoi?'"
"What? No," Ayato said quickly.
"That's not what I heard," Yuri singsonged.
Masuda tsked in sympathy. "You should have been listening…"
"Yeah, c'mon, Naoi – let's hear your cover of 'Toxic,'" said Hejjiguchi.
"Oh, don't gang up on him, you guys!" Kurimu cut in, distressed. "I think Ami was just using that as an example!"
(Ayato briefly wondered if Kurimu was his only true friend here.)
Later, when their scenery had switched from a table in the café to one in the karaoke area, Ami's excitement at having everyone together (for something other than a meal) heightened and she tried to wheedle Hejjiguchi into going up and singing a song. Hejjiguchi just hemmed and hawed, deflecting each attempt.
"—and when are you going to get another chance to sing in the mountains of Shiga Kogen?" Ami persisted.
"What, am I supposed to yodel or something?" Hejjiguchi asked aside to Yuri, who shrugged.
"Besides, you have a great voice!" Ami turned to Kurimu expectantly. "Doesn't he have a great voice, Kurimu?"
"He has a very nice voice," Kurimu agreed, twiddling her fingers. "But—"
"You'd like to hear him sing too, right?"
Kurimu looked over at Hejjiguchi. "Only if he wants to," she answered. "I mean, it's okay if he's not ready—"
"What if he's never ready?" Ami complained.
Kurimu was still looking at Hejjiguchi, as if deeply considering the question. Then she gave a sweet smile. "Well, then I guess that's okay too!"
Hejjiguchi looked rather affected by this, his eyes softening as he started to grin back at her. But their moment was cut off by Ami's low whine of disappointment.
"Whose side are you on…" she said glumly, resting her chin in her hand. "Isn't anyone gonna go up and sing—?"
"Hey, Nezumi!" Takada hollered from the stage; he was inspecting the song selection. "Check it out – they have Sad Machine songs on here!"
"Yeah?" Nezumi perked up, sounding interested. The guys, still sans Fujimoto, were sitting at a nearby table with the girls, sans Rumi. Saki was sitting across from Hirohashi, Hisakawa was sitting across from Nezumi. Shiruba had no one sitting across from him. Poor lonely snowman.
"Yeah! You wanna do 'Quiet As A Mouse' or what?"
Nezumi thought about it. "Nah," he said after a pause. "Maybe later."
Shiruba and Hirohashi looked surprised. "You don't want to sing Sad Machine?" Hirohashi said incredulously, and even reached over and felt Nezumi's forehead while Shiruba frowned in confusion. "Are you sick, too?"
"No one has any guts tonight," Ami said loudly.
"What's Sad Machine?" Hisakawa asked.
Nezumi's eyes bulged. Save for a short look, he'd ignored Ami, but this made him nearly slap the tabletop and stand up. "What's…. 'What's Sad Machine'?!" he repeated, dismay and pity shining in his eyes. Hirohashi calmly pulled him back down, but Nezumi reached over and grabbed her hand. "Oh, Chitose, this band saves lives…"
An impassioned discussion ensued between the two. At first Shiruba looked irritated by this development, hunching over the table in a bored and mopey slump. Then in the heat of the moment, Nezumi turned and said something to him, gesturing as if asking him to back him up. Baffled, but heartened, Shiruba fell into the conversation, angling himself toward Nezumi and Hisakawa with only a little wariness.
"Sad Machine," Yuri repeated softly to herself, chin in hand. She noticed the table looking at her inquisitively and waved it off. "Never mind, I'm just trying to remember if I've listened to them or not. Or someone I know has…"
"Tell me if you remember," Ayato said, furrowing his forehead. "I was thinking the same thing."
"You too?" Yuri gestured emphatically at him. Sometimes it was bizarre how in sync they could be about these things. Déjà vu and the like.
"Yeah, yeah, you guys are soulmates," Ami said, turning to Hejjiguchi. "You sure you don't wanna sing? This is our second to last full day at the resort. We gotta make some memories!"
"Eh, I dunno…" Hejjiguchi said.
"Fine, I'll give you some time to think about it. I'll go up first. It's just that I could really use a duet partner," Ami lamented, pouting and batting her eyes as she clasped her hands in a plea.
Hejjiguchi shrugged in the direction of his friend. "Why not sing with Masuda?" he suggested. "You heard him do the Pokémon theme. Guy's got pipes."
As memory struck, Ami turned and looked hopefully at Masuda, who blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm really not that good…"
"Come on, Masuda, don't be modest!" she prodded. "I bet that rich tenor voice is just itching to get out…"
"I'll do it," said Yuri.
Every head in the group snapped toward her, including Ayato's.
"What?" Yuri said, crossing her arms. "I can sing. If you boys are too chicken…"
Ami gave an ecstatic squeal and threw herself at Yuri in a joyful side-hug. "Come on!" she said, standing up and tugging her along by the arm. "Let's go check out songs!"
Yuri didn't put up much of a fight – not at all, really – as she joined Ami to peruse and chatter over the music selection. The longer Ayato watched, the more he realized she seemed just as enthusiastic about this. She pointed at the screen with a grin, bringing something to Ami's attention. The girl beamed and nodded vehemently, bouncing on her feet and clapping her approval. They were still talking excitedly – scheming, even – when Ayato turned back to the table.
"Can Ami sing?" he asked warily.
Hejjiguchi shrugged and made an incoherent "I dunno" noise. "Can Yuri?" he asked, while Masuda looked considering. Kurimu just smiled toward the stage.
"I don't know. I've never heard her," Ayato admitted. He knew the two could act, but…
"I guess we'll find out," Kurimu said vaguely. Ayato wondered if she didn't sound a little coy.
And "find out" they did.
A few people went ahead of them that night. Takada, in true fashion, happily serenaded the room with "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. He certainly had the hairstyle and the sunglasses for it, so the room erupted in as many cheers as there were groans. Nezumi was even recording with his phone, and Shiruba could be heard muttering, "TK is gonna love this…" Then Matsumoto went up and did a rather soulful rendition of "Konayuki" by Remioromen that was… well-received, to say the least. His admirers only stopped screaming to ask if he was seeing anyone. Other than saying, "Yes, I do see her, excuse me," he ignored them and walked over to sit with Jinko as soon as he was done. This was followed by that Mitsumura guy who covered "Sekai ni Hitotsu dake no Hana" by SMAP, thoroughly entertaining Saki with his performance (he grinned and gave her a wink when he spotted her in the audience).
But when Ami and Yuri appeared on the stage, hair fluffed and stances full of poise, the whole audience could tell they were in for a treat. Ami must've talked to someone in charge of the lights because they'd dimmed and put the girls under a spotlight, reds and purples and pinks and greens flashing across the backdrop.
Had they announced the song just now? Ayato missed the title. He was a bit fixated at the moment; he'd almost forgotten how powerful Yuri's stage presence could be.
Ami was facing front and Yuri facing back, but they shared a sideways grin as a bubbly, electric intro began like an ominous, sparkling drumroll.
Beside him, he heard Hejjiguchi whisper, "Oh shit, this is gonna be good…"
Sure enough, as Ami beamed in anticipation and shook her hips to the beat, Yuri whirled around with a microphone and a dazzling yet dangerous grin.
"Someday, I'll let you in," she sang with a fierceness Ayato never knew had a melody, strutting downstage with a swagger. Already the short pause was pierced by wolf whistles. "Treat you right, drive you out of your mind, ooh—"
"YES!" Kaori and Sayuki screamed.
"Holy shit," Nezumi, Takada, and Shiruba intoned. Despite her wide eyes and arched brows, there was minimal shock on Hisakawa's face, and Saki was aglow with pride. On the other hand, Hirohashi looked like he was about to pass out.
Ayato knew the feeling. He just about fell out of his seat, while Hejjiguchi and Masuda hollered their approval and Kurimu led them all in a round of short but delighted applause.
With a playful little prance, Ami joined her up front and snuck her a smile, quick but full of praise. "You never met a chick like me!" She pointed at the audience and gave a teasing shimmy. "Burn so bright I'm gonna make you blind."
Another cheer from Hejjiguchi and Kurimu, while Masuda sat up straighter with his eyebrows as high as they could go. Ayato couldn't blame him either – Ami's voice was not disagreeable. Where he expected a shrill wail, he found resonance instead, with more gentleness than he expected but passion and strength enough to carry a tune. He might've even heard a "Damn" from the other table that wasn't Shiruba's at the way she sang "blind" like a dancer might twirl a ribbon.
But the real strength was in Ami's and Yuri's voices together as they harmonized, dancing around each other and making the stage their catwalk.
"Always want what you can't have, but is it so bad if you don't get what you wanted?" Yuri did a graceful dip against Ami's back before coming back up, shaking her finger along with her hips, while Ami threw a hand in the air and made a whip-cracking motion. "Make it feel good as I whip you into shape, yeah boy let's get it started."
Ami and Yuri turned to face each other, tossing their hair in tandem, their combined power crashing at the chorus in an explosion of chemistry.
"Give it up, you can't win, 'cause I know where you've been, such a shame you don't put up a fight…"
Another back-to-back dip, this time the both of them simultaneously, with sideways sultry glances at the audience. Masuda, possibly losing more of his inhibition, cupped his hands into a megaphone and whooped loudly in support. Hejjiguchi, who was clapping along to the beat, elbowed Ayato to join in.
The girls parted ways, dancing across the stage in opposite directions. It almost looked like Ami had purposefully bumped Yuri as if guiding her a particular way. She serenaded the side with Shiruba's and the drama club's tables while Yuri sashayed over toward their own.
Behind Yuri, Ami did a bold little performance with her hips. "It's a game that we play at the end of the night—"
"It's the same old story but you never get it right." Yuri pointed at Ayato, who grinned back at her, though the interaction somehow made him blush harder than if he'd been up on that stage himself. He felt targeted – but not in a bad way.
"Give it up! Come a little closer, come a little closer baby, baby." The girls switched sides, beckoning the audience with a finger as they moved along the edge of the stage, then met in the middle for another back-to-back shimmy dip. "Come a little closer, come a little closer baby, baby."
Pushing off each other's backs, Ami and Yuri separated again, heading to two different sets of stairs that descended from the stage.
"So stop trying to walk away." Yuri stepped purposefully down the stairs, swinging one foot in front of the other as she approached their table from the side. Her eyes were directly on his, and she leaned slightly to waggle a finger. "No, you won't ever leave me behind…"
Ayato pointedly ignored Hejjiguchi's shoulder nudge, considerably more invested in the performance in front of him (and the inexplicable heart palpitations it was giving him).
"No-o-o-o," Ami's voice took over as she appeared at the other side, shaking her hips in front of Masuda and Kurimu. "You better believe that I'm here to stay—"
"That's right!" Yuri's voice dipped in, with a smoothness that gave Ayato chills.
"—'cause you're the shade and I'm the sunshine, oooh!"
Yuri and Ami made I'm watching you gestures at their friends before turning back to each other with confidence. "Look at me boy 'cause I got you where I want you, isn't it so exciting?" They circled the stage, marching back up the platform steps in parallel. "Wanna shake you, wanna break you, take the backseat boy 'cause now I'm driving!"
The girls in the audience cheered even louder. By now a lot of people were standing up and dancing along, particularly the drama club table. Kaori gave Sayuki a little twirl while Jinko and Horigoshi yelled Ami's and Yuri's names.
"Give it up, you can't win, 'cause I know where you've been, such a shame you don't put up a fight!" Yuri and Ami sang at each other, meeting up in the middle of the stage and circling one another, dancing, matching each other's footsteps like they'd been doing this for years. They collided for another back-to-back, before Ami playfully bumped her away with her butt, making Yuri laugh. This time they moved to serenade opposite sides, with Ami covering their table while Yuri pointed at Shiruba's. Saki was dancing at the foot of the stage, joined by Mitsumura and Specs-and-Pecs, the latter of whom looked fascinated by Yuri. "It's a game that we play at the end of the night, it's the same old story but you never get it right. Give it up!"
Of course, Specs' attention was diverted once Ami started belting out some vocals that made even Ayato drop his jaw. He could not believe the thought was running through his head, but if he was being strictly honest, the girl sounded like an angel. He looked over at the others – Hejjiguchi was laughing silently in disbelief, a shiny-eyed Kurimu had clapped both hands over her mouth, and Masuda, ever the vigilant one, looked like someone could try to take him out right now and he'd still be unable to tear his eyes from this performance.
But then Yuri came in with her own haunting sounds, and Ami's voice could very well have faded in the background for all Ayato knew. Yuri's part was short, but he had a strange feeling it would be forever emblazoned in his memory. If the twinge in his gut was anything to go by.
As the audience lost their minds over Ami's final warble, Yuri jumped in again and led her in crooning the next verse. "Come a little closer, come a little closer baby, baby…"
Ami wiggled her shoulders, meeting Yuri in center stage. "Come a little closer, come a little closer baby, baby…"
"Come a little closer, come a little closer baby!" In tandem they shook their hips to the lyrics, making a lot of guys go wild. Even Hisakawa had joined Saki and the boys in clapping along to the beat. "Yeah, you are my baby and I'll make you crazy tonight!"
Ayato watched, entranced, as Yuri and Ami strutted downstage together in perfect sync, black leggings contrasting against white. Yuri's commanding presence drew a lot of attention, but he couldn't deny that onstage they made a powerful team. It hit him, just now, the important change Ami had been in Yuri's life. Yuri had needed a female best friend. And it looked like she had found a pretty good one.
"Look at me boy 'cause I got you where I want you, isn't it so exciting?" Ami and Yuri spun towards the two halves of the audience, with Yuri's eyes locked on him. She placed her hand on her hips and rocked them confidently to the music. "Wanna shake you, wanna break you, take the backseat, boy, 'cause now I'm driving."
With a toss of her hair, Yuri turned away and resumed dancing with Ami, both of them twisting on the stage like it was the café tabletop from last night.
"Give it up, you can't win, 'cause I know where you've been—" They circled each other, switching sides again so that Ami was merrily showing off for their table, while Yuri seemed to be taunting Hisakawa's. "Such a shame you don't put up a fight…"
Ami danced at the boys some more with a sly smile before turning back to the rest of the audience. "It's a game that we play at the end of the night—"
"It's the same old story but you never get it right—" Yuri twirled to face Ami, sashaying around her at center stage.
"Give it up, oh whoa, yeah!"
The fiery flourish at the end sent everyone who was still sitting right to their feet, the entire room bursting with screams and whistles. Ayato felt like sparklers had gone off in his head and chest and too close to his face. Hejjiguchi was yelling right next to his ear but he managed to drown it out with his own applause, too enthralled by Yuri's euphoric grin to care. A squealing and very bouncy Ami engulfed Yuri in a celebratory hug, which Yuri returned with enthusiasm before they both pulled away and scampered down the side stairs.
As soon as they reached their table, Ami raced into Kurimu's open arms, with Hejjiguchi happily turning it into a group hug. Yuri had crashed into Ayato's arms before he knew it, vibrating from the same rush of adrenaline. He squeezed her back in congratulations before pulling away, still holding onto her but studying her face. She was all aglow, though thrumming with nervous energy. Anxious, but Ayato wasn't sure what for. Beside her, Ami gave another giddy shriek as she flung herself into Masuda's embrace.
"When Ami said 'make some memories,' she wasn't kidding!" Ayato said with an incredulous grin. "That may have even just topped your table performance from last night."
"Sensational, both of you," Masuda agreed. Though even after releasing Ami, his gaze lingered more on her.
Ami smiled shyly and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Thanks…"
Yuri, still grinning, shook her head at Ayato. "We're not gonna talk about the table dancing—"
"Oh, it's all I'm going to talk about—"
"I thought you said this one just topped it!"
"It did, but that doesn't mean we have to forget the classics," Hejjiguchi chimed in, and Ayato gestured grandly at him in agreement.
Yuri shoulder-bumped them both and sat back down at the table, looking overwhelmed but happy as Kurimu gushed glowing praise at her. "Fine, whatever," she said in resignation. "I have to admit, they were both pretty fun."
"They looked fun!" Kurimu said warmly, and her expression turned wistful. "I wish I could sing like that."
"You could take lessons!" Ami burbled, her performance high kicking her into "anything-is-possible" mode.
Kurimu shrugged. "Maybe," she said with a humble smile. "Or you two can do the pop star thing and I'll stick to singing lullabies. At least my little cousins think I'm talented."
Hejjiguchi regarded her fondly, eyes shining with an emotion that was a little too sappy for Ayato to behold. The latter sat down next to Yuri, and the former was about to join him when a loud, amplified voice cut through the dull roar of the room.
"SOUMA HEJJIGUCHI! Front and center!"
Ayato turned in his seat just as Hejjiguchi's head jerked toward the source of the yell. Nezumi was standing onstage, holding one of the microphones. Half of the room was staring at him and the other half (or those of them from Akuma) were looking at Hejjiguchi. Seemingly satisfied with the attention he'd given him, Nezumi lifted his eyebrows and motioned for Hejjiguchi to join him near the song selection machine.
From the looks of it, Nezumi's friends were just as flummoxed by this turn of events. Takada was furtively asking Hirohashi something, while Hisakawa and a bemused Shiruba whispered to each other (though in fairness now that Ayato thought about it, the latter two had been doing that every time Nezumi got up from the table tonight).
"What's his angle?" Hejjiguchi muttered under his breath.
"Who cares? Go up there!" Ami said, giving him a little push toward the stage and then joining in on the claps of encouragement that had risen from other Akuma classmates in the audience. Leaning towards the rest of their friends, she whispered, "If he gets Souma-kun to sing, that's a gold star in my book…"
"If we're lucky, he'll drown him out," Ayato said aside to Yuri, despite contributing to the applause.
Yuri paused her own hands to elbow him. "Be nice," she said, smirking.
Nezumi and Hejjiguchi appeared to be discussing something very intently onstage, and whatever it was, the former's argument was very persuasive. He gestured out into the audience and Hejjiguchi looked less begrudging and more thoughtful as he glanced toward the group's table. With a boyish grin, he said something to Nezumi that made him pause and flick him in the forehead before turning back to the machine. Hejjiguchi laughed a little, visibly smug, until another glance out at the audience got him looking all sappy again. He pushed a hand through his hair and came up next to Nezumi at the machine, still sneaking peeks over his shoulder.
During the lull between songs, Ayato was people-watching some more when Rumi snuck into the room with an instrument-shaped case slung over her shoulder. She came up next to Shiruba and Hisakawa, proudly presenting the case. Shiruba buried his head into the table and covered it with his arms, but Hisakawa patted him as she turned to Rumi with a grin.
"Thanks for fetching it for us," she said.
"Hey, no problem!" Rumi sat it down on the floor by her feet. "Shame Fujimoto couldn't leave the infirmary, but lucky the music room was so close by."
"Lucky you were close by when they called to ask him first," Takada piped up, waggling his eyebrows above his sunglasses. "What were you doing there, anyway?"
"None of your business!" Rumi barked, her face beet red.
Shiruba was mumbling something that Ayato couldn't make out, except for "shouldn't have gone to the trouble" and "don't even know if I…" Even Hisakawa had to lean her head down to listen to the rest.
"It's never too late, Shiruba!" she said, poking at his arm. He mumbled some more. "Oh, come on. I know you don't mean that…"
A microphone-tapping sound could be heard, and all eyes were on the stage as Nezumi and Hejjiguchi reappeared together under the spotlight. The latter looked surprisingly anxious at first, though it didn't seem to be stage-fright. His nerves were slowly but surely cooling, his posture and stage presence almost as natural as Ami's. It was with bashfulness, not fear, that he looked toward a certain someone at their table. A sheepish grin budded on his lips.
Nezumi strode a few steps downstage with his microphone. "This one goes out to all the idiots in love," he proclaimed with a sly wink, "…and the ones who have our hearts."
If he was trying to piss off Hejjiguchi and Shiruba at the same time, he succeeded. Amongst the cheers and oohs, Hejjiguchi threw him an embarrassed side-glare and Shiruba groaned with a facepalm. "Never mind, I'm going to kill him," he said to Hisakawa. "He's an idiot."
"Yes, I think he just said that," Saki said dreamily.
The music started up with a warm and steady beat of drum and piano, more mellow than what Ayato was expecting given last night's "Toxic" performance, but Nezumi and Hejjiguchi nodded at each other as they fell comfortably into its energy.
"You're better than the best," Nezumi crooned, ignoring the beep as Saki started recording. "I'm lucky just to linger in your light. Cooler than the flipside of my pillow, that's right..."
A few members of the audience gave whoops and whistles, encouraging Nezumi down the stage. It wasn't nearly as exciting as Yuri's and Ami's song had been, Ayato might argue, though the lyrics did speak to him for some reason.
"Completely unaware, nothing can compare to where you send me, lets me know that it's okay." Nezumi grinned out at the crowd, turning soft but bright eyes toward his friends' table. "Yeah, it's okay, and the moments when my good times start to fade…"
Hejjiguchi drifted downstage to join Nezumi at his side. With almost identical grins, they mingled their voices together for the chorus and unabashedly started to have fun.
"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night…"
The brothers were both feeling it now, belting the lyrics into their microphones with vigor and intensity as they danced along to their own harmonious sound. There was a radiance to the song that perfectly matched both their energies, and Ayato hadn't wanted to like it but it was growing on him.
"You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe—" Nezumi was stealing the scene with this line, dancing, indeed, so much like a fool that even Shiruba had lost his annoyed look in favor of an endearing grin. Takada, Hisakawa, and Saki were grooving and cheering; when the latter glanced over at Hirohashi, he smiled and they shared a happy laugh.
"Shine like gold, buzz like a bee," Hejjiguchi sang out, swinging boldly with his mic toward their group's table.
"Just the thought of you can drive me wild, oh you make me smile…"
As the lyrics lulled, Nezumi turned expectantly toward Hejjiguchi, who stepped forward to claim the spotlight.
"Even when you're gone," came his voice in a smooth, carefree solo, and as Ami and Yuri cut into it with cheers, Ayato was perturbed to find that it was good, "sometimes you come along just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack." He strolled toward the edge of the stage, clearly having a difficult time not sneaking meaningful glances at Kurimu. The girl, although silent next to Yuri and Ami, was bursting with smiles. Her eyes were shimmering as he descended one of the staircases heading in the direction of their table, Nezumi paralleling him on the other. "And just like that, you steal away the rain and just like that…"
The boys carried the chorus into the crowd, venturing boldly through the aisles as they gave it their all into the mics.
"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night …"
Hejjiguchi circled their table, lingering around Kurimu, his eyes softly ablaze with love. This was a bit bold, even for him. Ayato rolled his own eyes and looked over at Ami, who was somehow too engrossed to notice the way Kurimu glowed and blushed in response. She couldn't even see what was right in front of her. And she thought he and Yuri needed to get a room? Ridiculous…
Nezumi, of course, was putting on quite a show for his own friends, dancing and grooving in a way that clearly made Takada proud and pouring enough of his heart into the mic to earn a cheer from Hirohashi and Hisakawa.
"You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee…" Beaming, Nezumi reached out and affectionately mussed Shiruba's hair. "Just the thought of you can drive me wild."
Shiruba ducked away, but he was fighting a losing battle with his emotions. Any anger that remained was melting away like coats of snow. He looked over his shoulder as Nezumi rounded their table, biting his lip as an expression clouded his face that Ayato had seen so often on Yuri's. He'd know it anywhere; he was quite fond of it. The ever-so-resigned, "I can't stay mad at you" look, complete with a surrendering grin.
"Oh, you make me smile…" Hejjiguchi sang, grinning into the mic.
Nezumi cut in, coming back around for his next solo and stopping in front of Shiruba once more. "Don't know how I lived without you, 'cause every time that I get around you," he leaned in and took his best friend's chin between his fingers, looking at him with shameless adoration, "I see the best of me inside your eyes."
Ayato could probably pinpoint the moment that the gears clicked into place, the moment of gradual and then thunderstruck realization that made Shiruba's mouth fall open silently while his eyes gasped, "Oh." It was about the same time that the drama club table started up with the hollers and wolf-whistles, Hisakawa and Rumi quick to join in while Hirohashi and Takada applauded and Saki somehow recorded more intensely. Shiruba nearly fell forward out of his seat when Nezumi pulled away.
Turning to the rest of their audience, Nezumi and Hejjiguchi simultaneously swung out their microphones and belted out the next line with the kind of impassioned harmony that could only come from the solidarity of a double love confession.
"You make me smile…!"
The brothers were seriously sapping it up at this point, filling the room with so much corny sunshine that Ayato had to look away. But maybe it was the song, too, because he still felt its effects as he turned to Yuri with a half-smirk and eyebrow raise. Masuda and Ami were too busy cheering Hejjiguchi on to notice, Kurimu simply too lovestruck, but Yuri caught his gaze and smiled secretively back at him.
"He's hopeless, isn't he?" she whispered, sounding knowing but fond.
"Without a doubt," Ayato said, unable to stifle a grin as he admired the way the light in the room made her eyes so vivaciously green. "Can't even hide it much longer, can he?"
She shook her head, lips pursed as if trying to conceal her mirth. It failed and her smile only grew, setting off a bizarre surge of affection in Ayato's chest.
"You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee," he could hear Hejjiguchi singing solo, though his voice was getting farther away. "Just the thought of you can drive me wild."
It occurred to him that he was maybe staring at Yuri just a bit too long, especially during a love song. Yuri seemed to realize the same thing; they broke eye contact abruptly and turned their heads back to the front, where Nezumi and Hejjiguchi had gone back onstage to sing the final chorus together.
"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night." The two actually paused to share a grin, if not brotherly then the kind passed between bandmates during the height of their performance, before singing and dancing toward their respective sides of the stage. "You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee. Just the thought of you can drive me wild."
"Oh, you make me smile," Nezumi serenaded his and the drama club's tables. The karaoke machine echoed back, with Sayuki and Kaori (and some others in the audience) merrily chiming in.
"Oh, you make me smile." Hejjiguchi dared a shy grin in Kurimu's direction.
Beaming, Ami sang along to the echo, which drew Ayato's attention away again until it fell on Yuri. She was leaning back in her chair, almost looking proud. And why shouldn't she be? She had brought those two together with her own brilliance; now she got a front row seat for their love story.
Ayato tore his eyes off of her, but the corners of his mouth continued to curve upwards. She was really amazing sometimes…
"Oh, you make me smile…"
As Nezumi and Hejjiguchi wrapped up the last line together, the crowd went wild with applause. The two gave playful bows, and Hejjiguchi said something to Nezumi with a grin that made him roll his eyes and shoo him away despite cracking a smile. They bounded down the separate steps to rejoin their respective tables. Ami and Kurimu were standing with a group hug ready at Hejjiguchi's, and surprisingly, Fujimoto was waiting at Nezumi's.
"Hey, man, I thought you were sick!" Nezumi greeted him.
"I'll tell you what was sick – that performance, dude, holy shiiit!" Fujimoto hollered, yanking him into a hug and clapping him on the back.
Nezumi laughed. "Wait, where's Shiruba?"
Takada and Hirohashi exchanged glances. "He just got up and left, man," Takada said, in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "Said something about you stealing his thunder."
Nezumi's singer's high faded into disappointment and confusion. "Wait, I don't… he's still mad?" he asked, looking around. "Okay. Chitose's gone, too, where—?"
"She's up there," Ayato called, pointing to the stage. Yuri had been eyeing her warily since she'd snuck away from the table. He couldn't help but notice a certain instrument case was missing from Rumi's side as well.
Sure enough, Hisakawa did a little wave with her fingers when Nezumi turned around. In her other hand, she held a microphone at the ready, and brought it to her smiling, cherry-red lips.
"Alright, I know we're well into January, so some of you might be wondering if it's a little too late in the season for this song," she said exuberantly. "But as I told someone recently, I think it's never too late. So, this one goes out to… oh, you'll know who it's for."
With that, the song started up with a familiar twinkling chime. Yuri bristled and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "Can we go?"
Ami looked at her with a sympathetic yet conflicted pout. Ayato whispered aside to her, "She stayed for yours…"
"Fine, whatever…"
Hisakawa sidled downstage, gracefully serenading her mic. "I… don't want a lot for Christmas." She glanced over her shoulder with a coy smile, towards the curtained part of the stage at the back. "There is just one thing I need…"
A faint instrumental accompaniment was building in the background. As it grew closer, it became clear to Ayato that it was not part of the actual song coming from the karaoke machine.
"I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree…"
He heard a gasp of realization from Ami, and excited hoots and whispers coming from Nezumi's table, as they slowly identified the instrument. To Yuri's pleasure, the audience sounded much more intrigued by this than Hisakawa's singing.
"I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know…"
A roar of delight rose up from the crowd (or mainly from Fujimoto and Takada) as Shiruba emerged, strolling downstage and passing Hisakawa while lovingly playing a sparkly white and silver violin. Ami squealed with joy and even Masuda and Hejjiguchi started clapping.
"Make my wish come true…" Hisakawa crooned, gesturing proudly to Shiruba as he chimed in perfectly with the instrumentals. "All I want for Christmas is you."
Hisakawa's singing skills couldn't match Ami's or Yuri's, but she fared well with the song and enjoyed herself while understanding who the real star was. As she passionately provided the vocals, Shiruba wowed the audience with a stunning and energetic violin rendition of "All I Want for Christmas Is You," losing no time in parading offstage to play directly to Nezumi.
Nezumi looked deeply affected, of course, beaming at Shiruba's exaggerated bow work as the violinist danced around him and blushing at the "I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe" and "holding on to me so tight" parts (Shiruba was not subtle about the eye contact or playing right in his face). But when the song was over and the audience (or Ami and Takada, loudly) demanded an encore, Shiruba and Hisakawa gladly performed the sultriest violin version of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" that Ayato had ever heard, blatantly directed at a most delighted Nezumi (complete with poking him in the chest at "your heart's an empty hole"). The Grinch in question was dying the entire time.
After a couple more songs from non-Akuma people, and one charmingly heartfelt performance by Saki ("Believe in Myself" by Karen Brake), the night felt late, so Ayato and Yuri led their group out of the karaoke room, Ami chattering excitedly to Jinko, Sayuki, and Kaori over her shoulder. They started heading back to their rooms, or at least the main lobby of the lodge to hang out a little longer, many melodies still stuck in Ayato's head.
"So, was that memorable enough for ya?" Hejjiguchi asked Ami, arms locked behind his head.
Ami squealed loudly, making Ayato jump. "Oh my God! Best night EVER! I can't believe you sang with Nezumi – I can't believe you didn't sing – we should do karaoke again tomorrow so Masuda has a chance – we should do more karaoke at home! I still want to do a duet with—"
She ranted happily to her friends, hardly noticing the shy smile Kurimu sent Hejjiguchi's way, hardly noticing the fond amusement that flashed between Ayato and Yuri, hardly noticing that Masuda was the only one looking at her and actively engaging in her one-way conversation.
"You were pretty great tonight," Ayato said to Yuri as they walked side by side.
Yuri looked at him briefly, then hid her smile the other direction. "Thanks."
"When did you learn to sing like that?"
She shrugged. "Singing to my brother and sister when our parents weren't home to tuck them in," she said, playing with her fingers. "A lot of duets at sleepovers…"
The second part surprised Ayato. To think of Yuri with Hisakawa instead of Ami on that stage…
Ami popped up between them with a gasp. "Oh my gosh, you two should sing together sometime! The chemistry would be a-mazing! Yuri, have you heard him sing? Is he hiding raw talent from us like Masuda was?"
Yuri laughed, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Actually, Ami, I think you might be on to something. One time I walked into the pottery shop—"
Frantically Ayato tried to cut her off while the rest of their friends laughed. Good grief, these girls were dangerous together.
A/N: Chapter 46 is well underway! Tentative title.
Untitled songs in this chapter:
"Give It Up" ~ Victorious (though the in-universe artist would be Mildred Ashbrook)
"You Make Me Smile" ~ Uncle Kracker
"All I Want For Christmas (Is You)" - Mariah Carey (though Lindsey Stirling has a violin cover for it years later!)
Preview:
"Him too?!"
"What's up with that?"
"That's one hell of a nightmare."
"I don't want to talk about that."
"So what's the solution, then?"
"Some things aren't that easy to admit to."
"We're kind of on a mission right now."
[Chapter 46]: Just The Two of Us.