Draco: Tada! I'm back! Okay. I haven't been writing because I haven't
been able to sign in to ff.net for about a month now. Anyway... I think
this may be my longest chapter to date, somewhere around 5 pages. I've
finally found a muse again, and this chapter introduces my new story arc.
I'll write more soon. I've got exams this coming week and I plan to do a
massive update of my stories afterwards. Also, for a chance to appear in
"Sweet Delight," read my AN at the bottom, because I've talked enough up
here.
* * *
"But who am I to preach a word or two when I can't lift my own head without you?"
Omi spent the majority of the next school day trying to remember the names of all the people saying hello to him. Between Heather's party and Aya's cemetery gathering, he had made more acquaintances than his brain could hold. Their brains could hold him, though, and he received innumerable hugs and kisses from people he barely recognized. By the time he was waiting to meet Dragon after the final bell, there were so many names and faces bouncing around in his head that he couldn't think about much of anythinelse.
When his friend finally joined him, he was staring intently at a poster on the bathroom door. It read:
Haunted Homeland
Kaycy Haze - Vocals, Guitar
Paul Thorn - Bass
Merrik Jamison - Drums See them @ Mayvndale High Battle of the Bands He thought he might recognize the girl, Kaycy, from his English class, but the two boys looked unfamiliar, and he had not idea where Mayvndale high was. Maybe Heather would know.
"Hey Dragon?" Omi called, turning from the poster.
He had heard her talking to someone across the hall, and she broke off her conversation to respond to him. "Yeah?"
"Um." Omi watched her other friend leave before speaking, not wanting to sound stupid in front of strangers. "Why's there a poster for another school's Battle of the Bands, and where's Mayvndale High?"
The blonde stared at him for a moment, then laughed and smiled. "Wow! I'd almost forgetten! I need to sign up!"
"Huh?"
Confused, Omi chased her into the office, where she joined a line of people and turned back to him. "Mayvndale High Battle of the Bands is a big deal around here. They invite local bands to compete, and the only rule for qualification is that at least two band members are in a high school in the district." she paused a moment as she bent over a list of band names and added hers to the end. "Mayvndale rents the county fair grounds for a weekend and throws this big festival to make money for prom." they made their way back out. "Bands play the grandstand Friday night through Sunday morning. You can either listen to them all or wander the bazaar. It's great. People have tables set up to sell refreshments and bands sell demo tapes, t-shirts, patches, and whatever else they've got. Plus folks around the area rent space to sell crafts and stuff they make." She continued talking as she went through her locker. "It's a lot of fun for everybody, it's a gig for high school garage bands, and it's a chance for the serious kids to make it big." Her locker door clanged against her backpack as she stood, smiling, and took a last look at her books.
Omi frowned. "Make it big?"
"Well," Heather grinned as her door shut, "you've gotta understand. The final judge is pretty important, seeing as he's a talent scout."
* * *
By the time he and his friend were leaving the Lit Mag meeting that afternoon, Omi had fallen into the excitement those posters seemed to induce in everyone. It was two weeks away, and he couldn't wait. Somehow it felt like this town tradition was the final step to actually belonging here.
"So who's in your band?"
Heather laughed. "Well, Pookie and I trade off drums and vocals,a dn her friend Liz plays guitar. Bass is the work of a friend of Liz. We just started this year, so we're not great, but we're better than a lot of bands around here, and it's not like we'd mind making it big, either, though we're pretty much just in it for the fun. So if you go to the show and don't see me first, check the set list for Broken Crayons."
"Cool," he laughed back. "Does Aya go?"
"Yeah," she nodded with a shrug. "He usually performs, but the band's vocalist graduated last year and moved to California. Aya write most of the music, so he can sing it, but they need another high schooler to be eligible for competition."
Omi stared at her for a moment, then, "I can sing."
They stood in the hallway, eyes locked, for a long time before a wicked grin split the girls face, and she ran. Startled, Omi tried to catch up as she made her way tot eh office. he loined her just in time to watch as her flowing script wrote the words White Cross ont eh band list.
* * *
"Come on, Aya! Everybody's gonna expect White Cross to be there!"
"I repeat, that's your fault, and we can't teach Omi an entire set in two weeks."
"Sure you can! I know you! You can do anything if there's a fire under your butt!"
And so the argument had gone for the past twenty minutes, as they stood outside of Joe's Pizza sharing slabs of greasy bread and cheese. Omi leaned against the wall, trying to sink in and disappear, while the other two snapped back and forth. He watched Heather try to get Aya to look her in the eyes, and Aya struggle not to, almost as if they both knew that his resolve would break if he so much as glanced up. By the end, however, resistance was futile.
"Fine," the punk sighed, not looking up as he wiped crust crumbs from his Sex Pistols t-shirt. "We'll try. I'll set up a time with Ken and Youji, and we'll see what we can do."
Heather grinned. "Good! Your photo shoot for the poster is noon Saturday!"
Finally Aya looked up, and Omi thought his heart might stop. The other boy's lips were curled, just slightly, into a smile, soft and genuine, and the goth couldn't' help but feel a sense of jealousy for his new friend. How did she do it? It was like nothing to her, nothing at all, while he himself would give anything to have her ability to make that beautiful redhead smile so freely. As he thought about it, he looked down, tears stinging his eyes. It wasn't fair.
"Alright," Aya laughed softly, and Omi found it harder to hold in the tears, "I've gotta get going." He stood and Heather hugged him, her head just around his shoulder. "I'll talk to the guys about a practice, okay?"
"Good!" She stepped back and poked him with a wink. "I'll make sure you do."
The boy's smile grew, and he laughed again as he turned to Omi. "I'll see you, okay?"
Omi nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah."
As he watched Aya drive away, Omi could hear Heather crushing the pizza box into the trash, singing to herself. He sighed and turned back to her once the punk was out of sight. There was so much he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, and he needed to get it done before he got angry at himself, or worse, his friend.
"Hey Heather?"
"Hmm?"
"Can we got somewhere to talk?"
The girl smiled at him and nodded. "Come on."
A few minutes later, they were walking to Heather's house, after crossing the street to tell her mom at work that they didn't need a ride home after all. it was near a mile and a half away, and, if that wasn't enough time for their conversation, they could always stop at the playground on the corner.
"So," Omi finally started, face red, "how did you meet Aya?"
Heather smiled. "We had the same homeroom in ninth grade. he was new in town and I had been out of school for two and a half years. neither of us really had any in-school friends, so." She shrugged.
"Oh. So you're just friends?"
"Well, duh!" She laughed. "I'm a lesbian and he's gay! We're both kind of missing a few things the other likes!"
The little goth smiled. "I know," he laughed, too. "It's just that.well.you're so close."
"Yeah. We are really close." The blonde grinned and threw an arm around her friend. "I had it easier that you, though, because he needed someone at the time who could just be there and who needed him to be there, too." Then she sighed, and her face fell a little, making her look very drained all of the sudden. "Not to mention that we both had problems that most people couldn't sympathize with."
Omi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"How many people," she asked, quiet and tired, "get so sick for so long that the people they thought were their friends honestly think they might be dead, but don't care enough to call and check? How many people spend years staring helplessly at a hospital bed that holds their unconscious little sister?"
The boy paled, eyes widening. "My god. I.I can't imagine. To have someone, but not have them."
He bit at his lip nervously as she looked away in a moment of uncomfortable silence. "Sometimes," she muttered, "it's worse than having no one at all."
"My god."
Heather half-smiled and squeezed Omi tight. "That's why he and I are as close as we are. His sister got hit by a car when he was in sixth grade and she was in a coma until just last year. his family moved here because the hospital was closer, and he started in public school the same time I cam back. It really came down to the fact that his siter needed help that he couldn't give, but I needed something he was capable of, just a friend. I wasn't her replacement or anything. I was just.well.you know. he neede to feel like he wasn't helpless, and I needed to feel like someone cared. By the time Aya-chan woke up, it would've been hard to think of each other as anything less than family."
"Wow," was the whispered reply. Then something struck Omi as strange. "Wait. Aya-chan?"
She nodded. "His sister."
The look on Omi's face was one of utter confusion, so she continued. "Aya's real name isn't Aya, it's Ran, but only his family calls him that. He's been going by Aya in public since his sister got hit. It was his way of keeping her hope alive. Since she's homeschooled, the name thing doesn't cause much trouble, but those of us who spend a lot of time with him call him Aya-kun and her Aya-chan to tell the difference when they're together. I'm pretty much his only friend here who's ever known his name was Ran, let alone used it." She laughed. "He'd probably shoot me for telling you, too."
"So that's why he smiles for you."
The words were so sudden and matter-of-fact that the girl just stared at him for a moment before saying anything. "Is that what this is all about? You're upset because Aya smiles for me?"
Omi blushed and nodded.
"Baby!" Arms tightened, crushing him, and she kissed his cheek before holding him at arms length. Then there were tears. Omi didn't know why she was crying, but it made him feel like letting his emotions go was okay, and so he fell into her embrace again. "He smiles for you, too," she whispered. "I swear to you he does."
"But I don't see it. I never know if he's happy unless we're alone, because he never shows it. He shows it in public for you, though, and I guess that kind of hurts." He clung to her like a lifeline, rambling as the tears soaked into her shoulder. "I know I haven't known him long, but he's so sweet when it's just him and me. It hurts for him to be so expressive one moment and so closed off the next, just because people are around, especially when he doesn't' do that with you." He was quiet a second, then, "Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if I didn't think I love him."
Heather kissed his cheek again. "I know, honey. I know. Love can hurt," she laughed softly, "but I swear he's worth it."
* * *
Draco: Okay. This should be fun. Anywho. If you wanna show up in this story, since NO ONE entered my contest, just write or draw a "Sweet Delight" based fan piece and e-mail me with it. Fanart will be posted or linked on my website and, if you post it somewhere, fanfics will get a link on my site as well. When you send the works to me, e-mail me a description of your character with it. You'll either show up at the Battle of the Bands or at school or something like that. That said, I love you all! Ja!
* * *
"But who am I to preach a word or two when I can't lift my own head without you?"
Omi spent the majority of the next school day trying to remember the names of all the people saying hello to him. Between Heather's party and Aya's cemetery gathering, he had made more acquaintances than his brain could hold. Their brains could hold him, though, and he received innumerable hugs and kisses from people he barely recognized. By the time he was waiting to meet Dragon after the final bell, there were so many names and faces bouncing around in his head that he couldn't think about much of anythinelse.
When his friend finally joined him, he was staring intently at a poster on the bathroom door. It read:
Haunted Homeland
Kaycy Haze - Vocals, Guitar
Paul Thorn - Bass
Merrik Jamison - Drums See them @ Mayvndale High Battle of the Bands He thought he might recognize the girl, Kaycy, from his English class, but the two boys looked unfamiliar, and he had not idea where Mayvndale high was. Maybe Heather would know.
"Hey Dragon?" Omi called, turning from the poster.
He had heard her talking to someone across the hall, and she broke off her conversation to respond to him. "Yeah?"
"Um." Omi watched her other friend leave before speaking, not wanting to sound stupid in front of strangers. "Why's there a poster for another school's Battle of the Bands, and where's Mayvndale High?"
The blonde stared at him for a moment, then laughed and smiled. "Wow! I'd almost forgetten! I need to sign up!"
"Huh?"
Confused, Omi chased her into the office, where she joined a line of people and turned back to him. "Mayvndale High Battle of the Bands is a big deal around here. They invite local bands to compete, and the only rule for qualification is that at least two band members are in a high school in the district." she paused a moment as she bent over a list of band names and added hers to the end. "Mayvndale rents the county fair grounds for a weekend and throws this big festival to make money for prom." they made their way back out. "Bands play the grandstand Friday night through Sunday morning. You can either listen to them all or wander the bazaar. It's great. People have tables set up to sell refreshments and bands sell demo tapes, t-shirts, patches, and whatever else they've got. Plus folks around the area rent space to sell crafts and stuff they make." She continued talking as she went through her locker. "It's a lot of fun for everybody, it's a gig for high school garage bands, and it's a chance for the serious kids to make it big." Her locker door clanged against her backpack as she stood, smiling, and took a last look at her books.
Omi frowned. "Make it big?"
"Well," Heather grinned as her door shut, "you've gotta understand. The final judge is pretty important, seeing as he's a talent scout."
* * *
By the time he and his friend were leaving the Lit Mag meeting that afternoon, Omi had fallen into the excitement those posters seemed to induce in everyone. It was two weeks away, and he couldn't wait. Somehow it felt like this town tradition was the final step to actually belonging here.
"So who's in your band?"
Heather laughed. "Well, Pookie and I trade off drums and vocals,a dn her friend Liz plays guitar. Bass is the work of a friend of Liz. We just started this year, so we're not great, but we're better than a lot of bands around here, and it's not like we'd mind making it big, either, though we're pretty much just in it for the fun. So if you go to the show and don't see me first, check the set list for Broken Crayons."
"Cool," he laughed back. "Does Aya go?"
"Yeah," she nodded with a shrug. "He usually performs, but the band's vocalist graduated last year and moved to California. Aya write most of the music, so he can sing it, but they need another high schooler to be eligible for competition."
Omi stared at her for a moment, then, "I can sing."
They stood in the hallway, eyes locked, for a long time before a wicked grin split the girls face, and she ran. Startled, Omi tried to catch up as she made her way tot eh office. he loined her just in time to watch as her flowing script wrote the words White Cross ont eh band list.
* * *
"Come on, Aya! Everybody's gonna expect White Cross to be there!"
"I repeat, that's your fault, and we can't teach Omi an entire set in two weeks."
"Sure you can! I know you! You can do anything if there's a fire under your butt!"
And so the argument had gone for the past twenty minutes, as they stood outside of Joe's Pizza sharing slabs of greasy bread and cheese. Omi leaned against the wall, trying to sink in and disappear, while the other two snapped back and forth. He watched Heather try to get Aya to look her in the eyes, and Aya struggle not to, almost as if they both knew that his resolve would break if he so much as glanced up. By the end, however, resistance was futile.
"Fine," the punk sighed, not looking up as he wiped crust crumbs from his Sex Pistols t-shirt. "We'll try. I'll set up a time with Ken and Youji, and we'll see what we can do."
Heather grinned. "Good! Your photo shoot for the poster is noon Saturday!"
Finally Aya looked up, and Omi thought his heart might stop. The other boy's lips were curled, just slightly, into a smile, soft and genuine, and the goth couldn't' help but feel a sense of jealousy for his new friend. How did she do it? It was like nothing to her, nothing at all, while he himself would give anything to have her ability to make that beautiful redhead smile so freely. As he thought about it, he looked down, tears stinging his eyes. It wasn't fair.
"Alright," Aya laughed softly, and Omi found it harder to hold in the tears, "I've gotta get going." He stood and Heather hugged him, her head just around his shoulder. "I'll talk to the guys about a practice, okay?"
"Good!" She stepped back and poked him with a wink. "I'll make sure you do."
The boy's smile grew, and he laughed again as he turned to Omi. "I'll see you, okay?"
Omi nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah."
As he watched Aya drive away, Omi could hear Heather crushing the pizza box into the trash, singing to herself. He sighed and turned back to her once the punk was out of sight. There was so much he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, and he needed to get it done before he got angry at himself, or worse, his friend.
"Hey Heather?"
"Hmm?"
"Can we got somewhere to talk?"
The girl smiled at him and nodded. "Come on."
A few minutes later, they were walking to Heather's house, after crossing the street to tell her mom at work that they didn't need a ride home after all. it was near a mile and a half away, and, if that wasn't enough time for their conversation, they could always stop at the playground on the corner.
"So," Omi finally started, face red, "how did you meet Aya?"
Heather smiled. "We had the same homeroom in ninth grade. he was new in town and I had been out of school for two and a half years. neither of us really had any in-school friends, so." She shrugged.
"Oh. So you're just friends?"
"Well, duh!" She laughed. "I'm a lesbian and he's gay! We're both kind of missing a few things the other likes!"
The little goth smiled. "I know," he laughed, too. "It's just that.well.you're so close."
"Yeah. We are really close." The blonde grinned and threw an arm around her friend. "I had it easier that you, though, because he needed someone at the time who could just be there and who needed him to be there, too." Then she sighed, and her face fell a little, making her look very drained all of the sudden. "Not to mention that we both had problems that most people couldn't sympathize with."
Omi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"How many people," she asked, quiet and tired, "get so sick for so long that the people they thought were their friends honestly think they might be dead, but don't care enough to call and check? How many people spend years staring helplessly at a hospital bed that holds their unconscious little sister?"
The boy paled, eyes widening. "My god. I.I can't imagine. To have someone, but not have them."
He bit at his lip nervously as she looked away in a moment of uncomfortable silence. "Sometimes," she muttered, "it's worse than having no one at all."
"My god."
Heather half-smiled and squeezed Omi tight. "That's why he and I are as close as we are. His sister got hit by a car when he was in sixth grade and she was in a coma until just last year. his family moved here because the hospital was closer, and he started in public school the same time I cam back. It really came down to the fact that his siter needed help that he couldn't give, but I needed something he was capable of, just a friend. I wasn't her replacement or anything. I was just.well.you know. he neede to feel like he wasn't helpless, and I needed to feel like someone cared. By the time Aya-chan woke up, it would've been hard to think of each other as anything less than family."
"Wow," was the whispered reply. Then something struck Omi as strange. "Wait. Aya-chan?"
She nodded. "His sister."
The look on Omi's face was one of utter confusion, so she continued. "Aya's real name isn't Aya, it's Ran, but only his family calls him that. He's been going by Aya in public since his sister got hit. It was his way of keeping her hope alive. Since she's homeschooled, the name thing doesn't cause much trouble, but those of us who spend a lot of time with him call him Aya-kun and her Aya-chan to tell the difference when they're together. I'm pretty much his only friend here who's ever known his name was Ran, let alone used it." She laughed. "He'd probably shoot me for telling you, too."
"So that's why he smiles for you."
The words were so sudden and matter-of-fact that the girl just stared at him for a moment before saying anything. "Is that what this is all about? You're upset because Aya smiles for me?"
Omi blushed and nodded.
"Baby!" Arms tightened, crushing him, and she kissed his cheek before holding him at arms length. Then there were tears. Omi didn't know why she was crying, but it made him feel like letting his emotions go was okay, and so he fell into her embrace again. "He smiles for you, too," she whispered. "I swear to you he does."
"But I don't see it. I never know if he's happy unless we're alone, because he never shows it. He shows it in public for you, though, and I guess that kind of hurts." He clung to her like a lifeline, rambling as the tears soaked into her shoulder. "I know I haven't known him long, but he's so sweet when it's just him and me. It hurts for him to be so expressive one moment and so closed off the next, just because people are around, especially when he doesn't' do that with you." He was quiet a second, then, "Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if I didn't think I love him."
Heather kissed his cheek again. "I know, honey. I know. Love can hurt," she laughed softly, "but I swear he's worth it."
* * *
Draco: Okay. This should be fun. Anywho. If you wanna show up in this story, since NO ONE entered my contest, just write or draw a "Sweet Delight" based fan piece and e-mail me with it. Fanart will be posted or linked on my website and, if you post it somewhere, fanfics will get a link on my site as well. When you send the works to me, e-mail me a description of your character with it. You'll either show up at the Battle of the Bands or at school or something like that. That said, I love you all! Ja!
