The Slayers: Lina Zelgadiss Xelloss Gourry Amelia Val Filia Sylphiel
~*~ Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special! ~*~
Part Twenty-six
~*~
The battle of the bands was going to be an all-day affair, housed in a now-vacant old movie theatre that the owners were trying to renovate into a concert hall. In fact, the event was actually planned to be a fund-raiser for the old theatre, both to keep it from closing and to fund a 'new voices' program which reserved a day each month for a local, preferably young, band to perform without any overhead. Thus, this event was both appropriate and profitable—for they had such fan-favorites as the Suzaku Seven and the Goddess Fantastic Club, not to mention that new band, the Slayers… The theatre was going all out for the performances, with professional lighting and even hiring a Seyruun resident who had made it big for the emcee. Yes, this battle was bound to be epic…
The drum kit, amplifiers, piano, and various keyboards, synthesizers, and microphones were set up on the large stage. This worked to solve two problems: it equalized the bands based on the quality of their equipment, and it simplified and minimized the setup time between acts. It was the only way so many bands could run through their numbers in so short a time. Not that this was too big of a concern; most of the bands were really more 'sing and dance-to-canned-music' kind of acts than real bands. The Seals and Harbingers were real musicians, as was the Goddess Fantastic Club, the 'Holy Student Council', and some unheard-of group called 'Pirate King'. That left, well, everybody else singing to pre-recorded music, which only required a good sound-system.
Xelloss probably would have been annoyed at the arrangement—he was very attached to his equipment. After all, he had not been pleased when, at the recording studio months ago, he had been made to use a drumset other than his own. But this was now moot, for a very basic and simple reason: Xelloss was not with them. He had told Zelgadiss that he'd 'arrive on time' but had a 'few things to do' before the contest. What things? Zel had asked. Well, of course, that was a secret.
It was very crowded backstage, with all of these bands. They were divided up into two different categories: musicians and singers. This meant that the Slayers would not be competing against the Suzaku Seven, the Seiryu Seven, DBZ, the Sailor Scouts, Magic Knight Rayearth, the Leafe Knights, Wing, or any of the others on that list, which was a relief. The fan-power behind some of those boy-bands or girl-bands was overwhelming, and not something that the Slayers wanted to try to mess with.
However, they had some vested interest in watching this part of the competition, since they knew the Suzaku so well, and in fact found that they recognized at least half of the people there. 'Rayearth' included that nice girl Hikaru, as well as her former student-council friend, Fuu, and the fencer with the blue hair, Umi, plus four guys that either went to Seyruun High or the University. The Sailor Scouts were those cheerful girls from the sailing club that they'd met at that dance so many months ago, and they boasted matching outfits with very short skirts that Gourry and Val admired greatly, openly, and enthusiastically. Duo and Heero, Amelia's acquaintances, were part of Wing with some others, and as for the Leafe Knights-- a band from Atlas City with more followers than even the Suzaku and their traditional rivals, the Seiryu-- there was one member…
Zel had to do a double take to realize who this person was, which was unusual for his keenly perceptive brain. But this was a person he'd seen in an ordinary setting, and often—now completely transformed. When he pointed him out to Lina, a great mystery was finally revealed…
"It makes some sense now," Zel muttered to Lina.
"Eh? How so, Zel?" she grumbled back. Lina was not pleased that Zel had let Xelloss out of his sight. She wanted her entire band present and accounted for NOW, not off on some secret mission or another. What could be more important than this right now? And since Xelloss wasn't around to yell at, Lina took it out on her best guy-type friend. "Why not enlighten us all with your insight…"
Wisely ignoring her 'attitude' for the most part, Zel answered, "Why Adam Hayate was in disguise when Nahga ran into him."
"'Over him' more like it…" Lina muttered.
"Why? What do you mean, Mr. Zelgadiss?" asked Amelia with her undying interest in anything Zelgadiss might wish to share with her.
"He's quite famous in the Atlas City area, and apparently other places as well. Recognize him now? 'Adam Hayate' is Hayate, of the Leafe Knights. He dyed his hair and wore the glasses last summer as a disguise. You can see for yourself how popular he is with the girl fans." Zel explained as Amelia nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, so you were wrong, then." Lina made this pronouncement as if to tag an 'as usual' to the end.
Amelia looked to Zel for his confirmation.
"Yes, Lina. I admit, I was worried about him for nothing, but you have to admit it was odd how he wound up meeting Nahga and being at the same university as us all while covering up his true…"
"Yeah, yeah," Lina waved him off. "While in the meantime you let Xelloss out on his own right before this…" She gestured widely at the auditorium. "We can't do without a drummer now, can we?"
"I am not his guardian." Zel said this with assurance that he was not to be blamed, whatever the outcome. "If you can't trust him, then you collar him and keep him on a leash. I certainly won't." And with that said, Zel strayed off to say hello to the Rayearth girls. One of them had been very nice to talk to back at that dance club. She had a dog…Hikaru. Wait--was that the girl's name, or her dog's? That was the night he had delivered a baby; he'd met her only hours before he ended up delivering Filia's little brother. That all seemed like ages ago…
Amelia sighed as she watched Zelgadiss slip away. "Oh Miss Lina, I'm sure Xelloss will come on time."
"On time!" Lina snapped, unleashing her fury on her best girl-type friend. "He's already not on time. He's late. Whether he makes it in time to do a sound check and check the drums is one thing…making it to the actual performance is another. He'd better not stand us up or so help me he'll wish the syndicate was around to save his sorry--"
"He'll make it!" Amelia interrupted. "I just know he'll be here any minute!" She didn't want to hear anything about any syndicate, not ever again. "Look! There's Hokuto! Let's go say hi, okay?"
"Who's that cute guy standing near her?" Sylphiel asked Amelia, catching snatches of their conversation.
Amelia looked to see whom it was that she might mean, although she didn't think it was appropriate for an engaged girl, especially one representing the White Shrine, to be looking over the cute guys. Next to Hokuto were a few members of her brother's band as well as a healthy smattering of Seishirou's. In fact, the two bands appeared to be co-mingling in a friendly, not combative, manner. "There's lots of cute guys, Miss Sylphiel. I think Hokuto's brother is a peach, but the one glowering to her right is the lead singer in Subaru's band, Kamui. Hokuto just does their costumes, I think. That taller man to her left is Seishirou. He's…"
"Kamui…." Sylphiel sighed. "Kaaaaa-moooo-weeeeeee…"
"Oh brother," Lina grunted and walked away to find Gourry or Val or someone new to intimidate.
She ran into, or rather, it was Ranma who ran into Lina, breathless and wide-eyed. "Have you seen her? Have…you…seen…her?"
"Who?" Lina practically snarled, batting his hands off her shoulders.
"My sister, who else? We're singin' a duet and we're up in a few minutes!"
Lina didn't even know he had a sister. "Sister? What's she look like?"
"Ah…like me…some…but smaller, like you and with red hair like yours… and a lot cuter."
Lina narrowed her eyes. "No…"
"Errr…" He growled. "Ryoga never made it either! I figured one or the other would show and it would be okay! Hey! Listen for us. We're called 'Anything Goes!'" He must have caught sight of one of them, because without another word he dashed off in another direction.
"Yeah, sure…" Lina said to herself. "Just as long as you do…"
Watching the acts compete was both fun and frightening at times; the Suzaku Seven and the Seiryu Seven were bitter, intense rivals, and the Sailor Scouts and DBZ had no love lost between them, either. After more song and dance routines than your average
teeny-bopper TV music special, the Slayers were glad to hear that the new, real bands were next—even if that meant that their number would be up sooner!
At least they wouldn't be up against the Seals and the Harbingers or the Fantastic Club until a later round! The Slayers would be the last in the line-up for 'new competitors/bands' ('bands' as opposed to 'acts'). Before them were a strange array of new 'talent.'
They watched in a combination of horror and amazement as the band called 'The Holy Student Council'—made up of old acquaintances from the club Kazumi, Haruto, and Asahina, as well as some odder individuals—trotted up onto the stage. The blonde-haired Haruto looked nervous and uncomfortable up there, though blue-haired Kazumi and redhead Asahina seemed pretty relaxed and had much better stage presence. Their companions were the musicians: a brunette in an abbreviated school-girl outfit played a very fuchsia guitar, a tall and attractive man in a red cape (who looked like a lounge-lizard version of the Sailor Scouts' tuxedo-clad male member) had a firetruck-finish electric bass, and a very under-aged looking child, presumably a boy, clutched a tambourine as if his life depended on it. From the predatory looks Asahina was giving him, it probably did! With what looked like their school principal on the keyboards, the band was rounded out into a seven-member troupe. Actually, when they started, they ended up being a pretty passable sixties-garage band kind of group, and did covers of a well-known but shapeless 'oldies' tune. They weren't exceptional, but they weren't painful, either. The Slayers all clapped mightily for them when they finished.
Next was 'Pirate King'—or were they 'Sea Warrior'?—'All Blue'?—'Navigator'?—'World's Greatest Swordsman'? They couldn't seem to agree on the name of their band. Or on the song. The Slayers watched them bicker and nearly come to blows backstage, before it was finally decided that they were 'One Piece', and they were playing, 'Hi-Ho, Ready Go!' which seemed to please everybody, even if only because it didn't favor anybody in particular. Lina turned to her band as the group stampeded onto the stage.
"I guess we could be worse," she said to them. "But if Xelloss doesn't get here soon…"
'One Piece' was part rock, part big-band swing, but their song was sort of a Caribbean show tune. Each person had a both an instrumental and singing solo, with a chorus of all of their (rather clashing) voices belting out, "Hi-Ho, ready go!" They had a mini brass section, with a big, beefy guy on wailing sax and an odd duck on trombone, a handsome, lanky blonde piano player, and a spunky girl on guitar. But the band leader was, strangely enough, the drummer; a wild, frenetic kid who looked like a beach bum in his sandals and straw hat, and a madman when you saw his wide eyes. He sang loudest, and with the most energy, and played drums as if they were enemies he had to beat the living crud out of. Unfortunately, he was both the most enthusiastic, and the least good. Although they had a lot of energy, they just weren't as cohesive as one could wish, and the arrangement needed some work. The Slayers cheered anyway, and wondered who these kids were.
They missed the next group 'The Three-Hundred Year Old Grudge,' because they had to be back stage, getting ready for their own number, which was next. And Xelloss was still not present…
As Zelgadiss passed by the band, one of the fan-girls or members, he didn't stay to listen, tapped him on the shoulder. "Say, hello! Remember me…from the beach?"
"Ah…yes, I do now. Jubei, right?" Zel was relieved to have remembered the girl's name. They had only spoken for a few minutes on the beach.
"Yeah! Jubei-chan! You, I'd never forget…Zel…"
"Zel. Yes."
"And your cute friend with the purple hair?"
"Should be here any moment," Zel finished for her. "Good luck with your band."
"Oh…not my band. I'm just here for the friend on ukulele. But I'll stay to hear your band too!"
"Ah thanks…I have to change now. See you then." And with a small smile, Zelgadiss slipped backstage.
~*~
Filia was stationed outside the changing rooms near one entrance on Xelloss lookout duty while the rest of the band prepared to play. Zelgadiss was helping Gourry tune up while Val was joyfully adjusting the drumset to Xelloss' requirements. This meant lowering a few pieces to Xelloss' height following the previous guy who had been much taller, removing a few unnecessary drums- no bongos for the Slayers--, lowering the throne, replacing the bass drum pedal with his higher quality one, and adding his favorite crash cymbal. Actually, Val didn't mind doing the work. It kept his mind occupied. Otherwise he'd be glowering or grumbling to hide his nerves. This way he looked cool and professional. Amelia and Sylphiel were adjusting the microphones and makeup interchangeably. Lina was pacing the floor and checking her watch.
"All right. That's in tune for now," Zel told Gourry. "We'll do the sound test and make any changes after that. It's too noisy for this electronic tuner and I'm reluctant to remove my earplugs until the last minute."
"S'okay," Gourry nodded. "I think I'd better see about Lina anyway. She's gonna bust a blood vessel if Xelloss don't get here soon."
Zel nodded. He'd done all he could speaking to her from the logic angle. Maybe some good old down-home gentleness would appease her. Of course, having that irresponsible idiot Xelloss show up right now would be a big help...
"Hey…"
Lina halted mid step and looked up into Gourry's kind face. "Hey," she answered in kind.
"Its gonna be fine, ya know. Bet he's just havin' a hard time parkin' Zel's car. Zel makes him park it a block away on a street under a streetlight so it won't get scratched or nothin'. Did I tell ya my Dad's givin' me the ole pickup this year?"
"Really?" Lina's face softened. Gourry knew how to divert her attention every once in a while. "That's good for you."
"Yeah. Now I can take ya places…" Gourry looked over her head, scanning the main entrance for the color purple. "And get out ta work and all."
Lina swallowed harder, "Oh? Yeah? Ah…sure…that's cool…"
He reached down and carefully rearranged a lock of her hair, which had taken off in its own direction. "You sure are bright…in those stripes. Makes ya easy ta spot. Course…yer so pretty and all…who could miss you?"
She grinned, "You betcha! No one can ignore me, the beautiful and talented singer extraordinaire! These clothes are just the icing on the cake." She sported a faint blush, but it could have been from the external heat as well…
From the other end of the hall, Nuriko exited the dressing room. Their first performance was over and the other Suzaku boys had cleaned up and moved over to the listening area. He was milling around waiting for Xelloss to appear. "Filia," he smiled when he spotted her outside the door. "I take it Xelloss is still a no-show?"
"That's right. I could tear the creep apart for this, but the later it gets the more concerned I get. You know, he is so prone to get into trouble. Well, maybe you don't know, but he is."
"I know he's had more visits to the hospital than dates," Nuriko joked.
"Huh…not lately," she snorted. "Oh, yeah, he's got a girlfriend at last. Eris, something. Some chem-nerd-student of Zel's dad. Not bad looking, but she wears too much eye makeup. So do you, for that matter," Filia added.
"Eris? Yes…I've seen her. Sports the goth-hooker look. Not really his type, my guess, but sharp as nails." Nuriko's hand brushed his floppy bangs back away from his eyes. "What's wrong with my makeup?"
"Here, let me…" Filia snapped out a couple compacts and a tissue. She began with wiping off the fluorescent, blue-violet eye shadow. "You have outstanding eyes. You don't need so much color. Let's see…try his plumy-brown and dusty gray."
He allowed her to alter his look then checked the results in her mirror. "Oh…my…lovely…and that brush…where do you buy your cosmetics, dear?"
Filia sniffed and flipped back a long blond tress. "We make our own out of the purist of ingredients…organically grown, of course, at the settlement." She paused to take another look at her paint job, narrowing her eyes some. "This has got to be, like, one of my weirdest conversations, but you know, you'd be really hot without the makeup Nuriko."
He chuckled, "Well, it keeps the girls away. Otherwise, I'd have fan-girls after me like Tamahome. Besides… oh! Speaking of hot guys…"
Filia whirled to catch a glance of Xelloss speeding through the crowded side entrance. "Can you drag him over here for me? I've got his costume ready to change into. Gods, he looks a mess. Gotta find my brush…"
"Oh sure, sweetie, I do drag good," Nuriko laughed aloud and pushed through the crowd to nab his friend.
Filia snorted something under her breath as she dug through her bag, searching for a comb and brush.
"Gods I'm sorry…" Xelloss huffed and puffed. "Lina's not around is she?"
Filia pushed him into the dressing room while Nuriko held open the door. This conversation would be too good to miss, he decided. "She's around, but not in here. I'm here and if you think I'm going to be nice, then you'd better think again. Actually, don't think or talk, just strip."
Xelloss unbuttoned his shirt, then paused to glance at first Filia, then Nuriko. "Don't I get any privacy?"
"NO," they both said together.
"You lost that right by being late and requiring my help. Him? He's just here to ogle, I guess," Filia snapped. "Come on hurry up. I've seen it all before, remember? Your body holds no secrets from me-- or interest-- by the way. I can't speak for him, though."
Nuriko frowned slightly. "I'm not ogling. Oh, Xelloss, I know about the scars…and the cause of them."
Xelloss ripped off the shirt, unable to meet their eyes, and then slipped into the shirt Filia handed him. "Oh, really…"
"A few of us knew…at the dojo. Not many!" Nuriko said to dispel the hard look from his friend. "Sano noticed the marks once when you and I were in combat and your gi gaped open some. He mentioned it to Val and got the scoop. But we're the only ones. You're really…very…"
"Pants! Now!" Filia barked, interrupting his train of thought. She thought Xelloss had a nice looking body too, but now was not the time to point that out. No ego stroking.
Nuriko folded his arms and smiled as Xelloss fastened his pants. "Filia said my makeup was bad. Since when did you take up lipstick, Xelloss?"
"Huh?" Xelloss' fingers rubbed his lower lip. "Oh, my…"
"You're late because you were off making out with your girlfriend?! I hope Lina kills you…after the contest, of course. Men! You and your one-track, puny brains! You're despicable and all alike!" She caught Nuriko's startled expression and added, "Well, most of you… Now, I'll try and wipe it off, but this red stuff really stains…nice job…there will be no fooling Lina. Ooh and is this a blush too? How rare."
Filia could irritate him to no end. "I don't blush," he argued senselessly. She really brought out the worst in him. "I ran from around the block and through a acre of crowded parking lot and…I had run into a little trouble earlier. And I wasn't…just making out with Eris, even though it's not your business. Here, let me look in that mirror. Ah…no! My hair!" He now began to whine, which grated on her nerves and annoyed Filia even more.
She knocked him on the head with the mirror. "Shut up! You are such a brat! Even my little brother isn't as demanding as you. I'll take care of your hair. What is this goop in it—and it had better not be toxic?!"
"Jell-O salad, grape, I think, to match. Rezo pitched it at me." Xelloss mumbled. "I am so screwed…Zelgadiss will never talk to me again and Lina…Gods…"
"Oh and now you're going to cry. What a man! I don't know what you've been up to, but you deserve all the punishment they deal out to you. There, no Jell-O. From a distance no one will be the wiser, except you look as pretty as a girl." She swatted him again for good measure.
Xelloss frowned and maturely stuck out his tongue. "Your boyfriend told me that once…no… twice before and since love is blind—at least where the two of you are concerned, I know you're both wrong. So there!"
Nuriko shook his head and chuckled at their childish arguing. He could tell that they were both pretty good friends. She was helping him get ready faster than he could alone, while he vented his worries some before having to face the rest of the band. "Ten minutes."
"Damn." Xelloss opened his eyes and met Filia's, revealing his odd slitted eyes and a slightly frightened look, no attempt to be dissembling at all.
Filia met them with her soft watery blues ones and shivered. "Done. We can make it. I'm certain Val's got your stuff ready for you and Lina was be more relieved than mad to see you get behind that drumset."
"Thanks," Xelloss whispered humbly. "I'm sorry I'm such a jerk."
"Break a leg you two!" Nuriko shouted after them. He packed up Xelloss' belongings and slung his bag over his shoulder, following them on their way out. "You're both knock-outs, by the way!" And then added, "You'll do great because you're pros!"
Xelloss ran through the crowd toward the stage where he could see the other members of his band clustered. He tried to remember what song they were to play for in the first round and couldn't. He'd have to ask someone or mess up everything. How unprofessional! How would he face Lina and Zelgadiss? Filled with dread, butterflies, and the early stages of panic, Xelloss skipped the last two steps of the stairs and simply launched himself onto his throne.
"Xelloss!" Lina exclaimed. Her face softened and she said, "Glad you made it, but I knew you would 'cause Zel wasn't concerned at all." Then to Filia who was quickly climbing the steps, she remarked, "A bit heavy on the stage makeup but thanks for seein' to him."
Xelloss gave Filia a wild look. Oh she wouldn't tell… would she? Filia just shrugged and replied, "Nuriko told me one of the judges like the pretty ones so…well…it couldn't hurt."
Val snorted and then handed him his drumsticks and asked, "Try out the positioning, 'kay? I'm not sure everything's right yet; it's a lot different than what yers is like, 'specially the snare/tom-tom hookup. Go ahead, ya got time to test it out." Spoken cool and calm like this happened everyday.
Xelloss, still panting slightly, just nodded and looked over the kit a moment before testing his reach and the head sounds.
Zelgadiss was the last to come over. Xelloss finished a drum roll and looked up, meeting his friend's eyes with trepidation. "This first round isn't particularly important, as it turns out," Zel said. He smiled slightly. "As long as we play in tune and don't blow an amp, we are automatically elevated to the next level. Apparently, most the bands don't even go through this, but since this is our first time in the competition, we just have to make the cut. Next year we can skip it. So, Lina decided we'll do Get Along this round, Give a Reason, then then Breeze."
Xelloss nodded and smiled, "Thanks little brother…I-I…"
"Yeah, I'm a bit nervous too, but once we get started it'll be all right." Zelgadiss gave him a quick look over. He appeared flustered and ill at ease to him. "Whatever's eating you, get past it and focus on our music. Can you do that?"
Xelloss tightened his smile a bit, then said, "Yes. No problem."
"Good. That's what I told everyone and I hate to be wrong, you know."
Xelloss closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. He would never let them down. "Ready. I'm ready for Get Along."
The announcer interrupted as he called for their band to begin when their final sound test was completed.
"Done that!" Lina waved back, signaling her readiness. "All right guys here we go again…" She stepped to the front microphone and shouted in her best energetic, rock star persona, "All right! We're the Slayers and we're gonna do an original called Get Along!"
Without a moments rest, Gourry began the downbeat count and the band ripped into their old standby. Piece of cake down to the last note. Perfect.
The judges whispered for a few minutes, then the spokesperson for them leaned forward. "Thank you. You may move on to the next level in the competition. Check the bulletin board by the judges' table for your assigned time slot…Ah, just a minute… What's that?" The spokesperson listened intently to a technician who was explaining the lineup of equipment, then turned back to the microphone and Lina. "Okay, umm…you can leave your setup as is, we'll be covering soloists next, then your band. Next is…"
Lina turned to the others, "That was it? That was dumb. Okay, Amelia…"
"Yes, Miss Lina?"
"Run over and check the time for that next set. I need a drink of water."
While Amelia raced off to find out how much time they had until the next round of competition they had to face, the rest of the band locked up their guitars and left the stage to listen to the soloist competition. Why not? As it only took her a moment to find their name and time, then she rushed back to find her friends, and headlong into a young man of Zel's height.
"Oof!" He gasped juggling his guitar case and successfully saving it from landing at their feet.
"Oh!" Amelia cried out. "Oh, I'm soooo sorry! I'm such a klutz sometimes. Are you okay? Can I help you or get you anything?" Then she noticed how cute he was and nearly liquefied at his feet.
"Oh, no problem. I'm fine and so's my guitar--and the harmonica wouldn't break if you ran a train over it. How about you? You hit your head pretty hard on my elbow." He had a kind tone.
Real cute. Amelia simply gaped.
"Ah…maybe not…" he squinted at her checking to see if she was about to pass out. "Umm, you're one of the Slayers, aren't you? I just heard your band. You're very good. I'm sure you'll win some prize today."
"Oh?" She blushed suddenly aware of her rude staring. "You must forgive me, Mr.—"
"No 'Mr.' anything," he chuckled. He swept a fall of dark red hair out of his eyes and bowed slightly. "I'm Raphael, about to make my debut on stage at any minute."
"I'm here!" gasped another voice coming from a blue-haired slender lad running to meet them.
To Amelia's disappointment, Raphael greeted the new-comer with a kiss and an overly familiar pat on the rear—which solicited a disturbed an embarrassed "Raphael!" and a crimson blush.
"'Bout time, I'm next!" Raphael smiled, unconcernedly. Turning to Amelia he said, "Let me introduce you to Mikael, a real angel. This is one of the Slayers' singers, Miss—"
"Miss Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun!" she said brightly.
"The mayor's daughter?" Raphael said with a wink and a rakish smile. "Beauty and position, right Mikael?"
The blue-hair youth smiled in a forced way and lowered his eyes. Amelia wondered at his long eyelashes and thought that it wasn't fair for a boy to have them. "Angel?" she asked.
"Just a figure of speech," the delicate Mikael said in a low voice. "I'm no more an angel than he is. It's nice to meet you, Miss Amelia, but Raphael…you have to go now! The last participant's leaving the stage already!"
"Wish me luck! Oh, and Amelia, please keep an eye on Michael for me, okay?" Raphael ran off laughing, then nearly floated up the steps to the stage area. As the technician tested the microphone for both the acoustic guitar and the singer, Raphael removed his guitar from the case and tested the tuning. He must have found it 'good enough', or perhaps he simply didn't care, because he did not adjust the tuners—just slipped onto the stool and strummed a cord. The sound tech nodded for him to test the other mic, so he counted down from five. Okay. With a go-ahead to begin, the young man with the dark red hair smiled languidly at the audience. "Hey, guys! I'm Raphael. Just Raphael. I wrote this song as a warning for all of you who think you want something that, well…might just not be the right thing fer you. Mikael, this is for you!" he cleared his throat, and began strumming and blowing a few bars on the 'blues harp.'. Then the singing began. It was…proficient…but it seemed to really suit the song.
"Becoming an angel means that
You become free of everything
You can fly wherever you want with your white wings.
I can always be by your side, but—
You're close by…but you're really far away!
You become closer to an angel—yeah!
You smile to an angel—oh!
So, what do I become?
Becoming an angel means that
You can have anything you want
Dreams and ideals are as you desire
But my feelings aren't reaching you!
I can't even remember the coldness of tears
You become attracted to angels—yeah!
You act like an angel—oh!
So, where are you going?"
Mikael looked as if he was ready to die of embarrassment at first, but his face slowly turned to a sort of introspective soul-searching. Amelia didn't know exactly what to say. He wasn't very…good, exactly. It was actually kind of creepy. "Umm, reminds me of Bob Dylan," she tried sheepishly.
"Huh?" Mikael asked. However, Amelia just shook her head and listened politely.
When the song was over at last, Raphael rejoined them. "I wish you the best!" Amelia cried out, and then bid them adieu. "My band's calling me over. We play again in a half an hour. Bye…nice meeting you both!"
Amelia found Zelgadiss talking with Van, his dour friend from school. "Van? What a surprise! Are you here to…sing?" she asked truly unsure what it might be that he could do musically.
"I'm here to support Hitomi. She's next." Curt and to the point, that was Van.
Xelloss standing nearby overheard him and rolled his eyes, making Amelia laugh. "Ha, ha…Oh, I'm sorry…I wasn't laughing at her…or you! I was just…thinking how much a guy I just met reminded me of…you, Xelloss!"
"Me?" Xelloss intoned curiously.
"Yes, the friend of the singer just up. His name was Mikael. It wasn't his face, but his voice that was like yours," she explained.
"I hope it was better than his friend's. I don't think that singer has a chance," Xelloss shook his head.
"Shhhh," Van hissed. "She's about to begin."
"Of course…" Xelloss smiled and turned to face the stage politely.
[Author's note: The Japanese voice actor for Mikael, from the good but little-known anime Tenshi Ni Narumon, was the same as for Xelloss.]
Hitomi may have worn a simple dress and sung to a prerecorded background track, but she was outstanding in her rendition of Remember Fanelia. Her voice was clear and pure, ever on key and full of feeling. Lina was quietly shocked. She'd known this girl off and on for years, and she'd never heard her sing! But her voice was like crystal tears… She would be a finalist for sure!
~*~ End, Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special, Part Twenty-six. ~*~
