Beautiful Boy
Standard Disclaimers Apply
What? Kaoru is pretending to be a boy? And now she's the lead singer and only 'male' member in the band Androgyny and considered one of the cutest guys around! How will Kenshin, the rockstar ever like her now if he thinks she's a boy? K/B/K! with other traditional pairings.
Chapter One:
It was early Sunday morning and Kaoru was going about doing her chores of cleaning the house. Her Discman was securely strapped to the waistband of her shorts and her earphones clamped securely to her ears. She was listening to the music of a band called Hitokiri.
They had been discovered by Seijuuro Hiko, owner of the recording label, Hiten Mitsurugi Records and had shot to fame almost over night. That had been four years ago and they were still going strong, their popularity soaring as they consistently hit number one in the music charts.
She had followed their career because she'd been a fan even before they hit it big and became a little more main stream. She used to sneak out at night with some of her friends and go to the clubs that the band was playing and just listen to them play.
Kaoru had been very happy when they finally got 'discovered' and their music made available to a much wider audience. Kaoru loved their music for it's raw power, intensity and savage beauty.
She'd been a little worried at first because she feared that the music label would try to dilute and control their music and turn them into just another run of the mill band with songs that sounded more or less the same.
She was very happy when she bought their first official album under Hiten Mitsurugi Records called Blindsided.
It had been a work of pure genius, as far as Kaoru was concerned.
She went out of the house and checked the mailbox, checking the letters to see if anything was for her. She squealed in delight when she spotted the magazine with Kenshin at the cover.
Kaoru loved Kenshin.
She planned to marry him someday.
The only problem was that he still didn't know it.
Kenshin Himura was also known as the Battousai, the lead singer of the rock band called Hitokiri.
Unfortunately, the closest she's ever been to him was when she put her face right up against the television screen when they showed his image.
The closest she'd been to kissing him was pressing her lips against the glossy posters she had of him all over her bedroom walls.
She studied the cover before flipping to the page discussing the band, as she listened to the track entitled Gently.
Gently, my mind escapes into the relaxing
world of pleasure, a pleasure that'll take
my mind off the reality of my life,
my past life... life as I know it now.
And whatever may come, it slowly
disappears to somewhere in the back
of my mind. It will remain there,
until I wish to retrieve it.
Yes, I will stay here for a while,
for I need the break. A break from the
pressures of life, and everything
that lays in the palm of life's hands.
This mode is incredible. It's out of
this world. Too bad I must always leave it...
... but that's life.
Kaoru skimmed over the article as she made her way back into the house towards the kitchen. Her dad had already finished making breakfast and glanced at her and smiled, motioning for her to have a seat. Kaoru handed him the stack of mail.
HITOKIRI, the number one Japanese Rock Group has been making waves all over Asia since their fist album release four years ago entitled BLINDSIDED.
The guys of HITOKIRI have it all. Looks, Talent and the drive to succeed, Zanza, Okashira, TenKen and Battousai have all proven that you don't have to conform to succeed.
Up until now, the members of the band still hold their mystery. Rarely do we see them out and mostly only on official functions. Unlike other music superstars, the boys (with the exception of the lively Zanza) seem to shun the limelight igniting even more interest from their fans.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the space between her father's eyebrows pucker. A sure sign that something was wrong. She leaned over and glanced over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. It was a statement from the bank
The magazine dropped from her hands as she reached to yank her headphones off.
Kaoru wouldn't call her dad flighty or stupid, even though that's what her mom always called him and why she divorced him in the first place.
Gross stupidity.
No, Kaoru thought of her father more as innocent and…okay, gullible.
It was just that he was such a nice man who believed in the inherent goodness found in people. It was this very goodness and willingness to help others that made him a target for the lazy bums Kaoru's father liked to call his 'friends'.
Usually, she didn't really mind very much, but now, looking at the loan he had taken to help finance one of his friend's businesses made Kaoru find it very hard to fight off the urge to wrap her fingers around her father's throat and strangle him.
"H-how can you take such a large loan and use our house for collateral?" she asked faintly as she looked at the amount.
No matter how hard she stared, the decimal point wasn't moving to the left like she wanted it to.
Koshijiro Kamiya gave his daughter a beatific smile. "Don't worry yourself over such a little thing honey, your Uncle Nobu is very good with business and he guaranteed a 100 return of my investment as well as some interest. You know how he is with business."
Oh yes, Kaoru did know only too well. Her Uncle Nobu was just a con artist. He wanted to get rich easily and found himself drawn into business schemes doomed to fail from the start. They were never again going to see a single yen of their investment.
Ever.
Kaoru stared at her father's smile and found she didn't have the heart to burst his bubble. With a sigh, she smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do Otousama."
Only too well…
"There's this new club opening in a few weeks, you guys want to check it out?" Megumi asked as she opened the entrance to her house and ushered them in. Megumi's house was large, the entry hall big enough to contain the entirety of the house Kaoru shared with her father.
"Alright! That's cool, can you swing by the house and pick me up so my mom would let me come?" Misao asked.
Megumi shrugged. "Sure."
"It depends…if I have a test the next day, I might not go," Tae said.
"Awww, don't be like that Tae! Come on! You always get perfect A's!" Misao whined.
Megumi turned to Kaoru. "How about you? I can come by and pick you up too…"
"Depends on the kind of club, I don't like smoky places." Smoke was killer on the vocal chords.
"As if I would bring you to such a place. No it's just like a music club, dance club. It's really cool and my dad's friend is friends with the owner so he gave me free passes for the opening night."
All four of girls were actually from different schools and had met a few years ago while attending music lessons from Dr. Genzai. Whoever had said that music was the universal language had it exactly right. It was what brought the four of them together in the first place and helped them to become the close friends they were now.
Each one of them differed almost drastically from the next. They each had individual tastes in clothes, music, books and movie preferences but the fact that they loved music in all it's various shapes and forms, was enough to bind them together despite their differences in tastes and upbringing.
"Kaoru-chan, one of these days you really should start dressing more femininely," Megumi said as she studied her friend's attire with a critical eye. As usual, Kaoru was wearing one of her unisex ensembles consisting of pants with all the weird pockets, and a shirt a size or two too big.
Kaoru rolled her eyes at the all too familiar topic. "I wear skirts five days out of every week."
"Uniforms don't count."
"Yes they do if the skirts are as short as mine are at school," Kaoru mumbled.
Misao laughed. "I've seen your uniform and it's not so bad! The skirt is actually a longer length than others…right Tae?"
Tae didn't look up from the book she was reading, "Uhm…"
Megumi rolled her eyes, "Anyway, come on and let's go to the music room. I already got back that song we recorded at the studio!"
A few weeks ago, they had pooled their money and had a song recorded in a real studio. They were excited to hear what their music sounded like, coming from a CD.
Megumi was the rich one in their group and when she said 'music room' it really was a music room instead of just a basement with a stereo and a couch. The room was large and the acoustics were perfect. Her father who doted on her, had had it built into the house and the walls sound-proofed as a birthday gift to Megumi when she'd turned sixteen, two years ago.
The room had surround sounds, a projector, a large screen that unrolls from the ceiling and a built-in sound system. Kaoru, Tae and Misao all took a seat on one of the black leather sofas arranged artfully around the room.
Kaoru leaned forward, "Oh hey, I received the new issue of Movement Magazine. You know the one with Kenshin in the cover?"
Misao frowned, "It's not only Kenshin in the cover. Aoshi-sama is there too!"
"As well as the other band members," Tae reminded the two with a smile.
"You guys are obsessed with that band," Megumi commented as she pulled out a drawer from the row recessed into the wall.
"Hey, their music is great!" Misao said.
"I prefer classical but if you say so…" Megumi said with a shrug.
Misao and Kaoru shared a look that said Megumi was missing a lot in life by not enjoying the works of Hitokiri. "If you would just listen to it…" Kaoru prompted.
"And hear those weird guys with the weird hairdos wailing about angst and their problems? No thanks, I have enough problems of my own to deal with…"
"Yeah, like being born rich and beautiful…" Tae piped in.
Kaoru and Misao laughed while Megumi smiled and rolled her eyes.
Misao turned to Tae, "Explain to her that Hitokiri does not wail! They express their feelings in a way that is raw and pure…and Aoshi-sama does not have weird hair."
"Soujiro doesn't have weird hair either." Tae commented.
"Hey and didn't Mozart have weird hair too?" Kaoru pointed out to Megumi. "You listen to his music!"
Megumi smiled. "I'd rather listen to ours." She finally found the CD and inserted it into the system, hurrying to take a seat with her friends. Soon, the first sounds of the melody they had composed filled the room.
Gray
Into the morning, light picks up the gray
Enter the nighttime you and me, we've gone astray
Come here and fade away with me
Come here and fade away with me
I try to reach for you and dream of touching your face
I try to hope and pray one day I'll feel your embrace
But I know all my thoughts go unannounced
You're unaware, you don't even know who I am
The shadows fading on my wall
The moonlights gilts them all before they fade away
All things turn to gray…
In the End…
The song faded and there was a moment of silence.
Misao bounced in her seat. "Oh my god, we totally rock!" she declared, grinning.
"You know, we already have a very good collection of original songs," Megumi said as she leaned forward, her charm bracelet tinkling. "We should do something…maybe play a gig at some club. The new club opening might need a band to perform live, every few nights or so…"
"That's a good idea!" Misao cheered, pumping her fist into the air.
"Just as long as we don't stay out too late…" Tae said. "I have early classes in the morning you know…"
"We all do! Come on Tae! It would be fun!" Misao said. "Right Kaoru? Hey Kaoru, what's wrong?" Misao asked running her hand in front of Kaoru's face to catch her attention.
"What?" Kaoru asked, blinking.
"You seem out of it. Anything the matter?"
Kaoru told them about the loan her father took out. The amount was worrying her. Aside from their usual bills, if his friend Nobu didn't make good on his promise, then Kaoru's father would have to shoulder that loan too.
He might not be able to handle it.
Their house might be revoked…
Misao made a face. "Geeze, your dad is always doing stuff like that. Tell him to quit it or one of these days he'll end up in a serious mess."
"Are you sure he took out that much?" Tae asked concerned.
"Believe me, I tried to glare the decimal point into moving but it didn't work," Kaoru muttered.
"See? It would be perfect. If we get a gig, they'll pay us money. Not only do we have exposure but you can help your dad out with the finances," Megumi pointed out. "You don't have to ask him for allowance money and stuff and you might even be able to help him out with some of the bills."
Tae smiled, "I have been wanting a new computer…"
Misao cheered. "How about you Kaoru? You in?"
It didn't sound like such a bad idea so Kaoru nodded with a smile. "Sounds good."
Megumi smiled. "Great. We go to the opening and talk to the manager and ask him to hear our music."
Kaoru smiled. "That seems simple enough."
It didn't…but what they didn't know was that things were bound to get a lot more complicated.
A/N: Hey! I have been toying with this idea for a long time now. Do you want to read more? Then review! I'm not really sure if I should continue this so if you guys like it, please review and tell me! Thank you so much! The song Gently is by SlipKnot and the song Gray is just some random words I thought out! ;-P