Disclaimer: Do I look like a filthy rich middle-aged Asian guy? No? Then it's obviously NOT mine.
Cry of the Black Magician
Chappie Three: Music and Dancing
Atemu hummed to himself as he warmed up on his flute before the start of band practice. The first thing he'd done when he'd gotten back from the hospital was practice his solo, and today his talent would be put to the test. One hundred and thirty-two very fast-paced measures of slurs, quick notes and nearly impossible fingerings lay ahead of him, filled with tempo and dynamic changes that occured at the drop of a hat. He coughed a little, covering his mouth with a free hand.
"All right there, Atemu?" Mrs. Kampanelai, the band's curly chestnut-haired conductor, shouted above the noise.
Atemu found his throat was still too sore to shout, so he gave her a grin and a thumbs-up sign, before giving in to a few more scratchy coughs determined to escape his ticklish throat, and returning to his warming up.
Shortly, it was time. Time. This was the band's biggest piece, to be played last at their concert. The main flute soloist who played in this one, even a professional, usually had to stand in front of a microphone just to be heard above the rest of the instruments. But Atemu didn't. He stood the whole time, but all a microphone did was pollute the pure, perfect tone pouring from Atemu's soul straight through his beloved instrument.
They also had a fake audience of... guess who. If you guessed Yugi, Anzu, Ryo, Jou, Honda, Otogi and Kaiba, along with a few other people who conveniently became existent for the sake of this story, you were right.
Mrs. Kampanelai clapped her hands for silence, and everyone obeyed. Everyone except Atemu, who couldn't fight a sudden hard urge to sneeze.
"Achoo! Gomen Mrs. Kampanelai."
"Still got that cold or whatever, eh? I heard from Yugi you were in the hospital. Y'all right?"
"Yes. Gomen."
"Hey, that's okay." She then turned her attention to the band. "All right! The big one, all the way through without stopping! Atemu, remember where to stand? A little more forward and over to the right- well, your left, my right. Perfect- Wait, get your music."
"I memorized it. I can't see it without my glasses and they make my eyes hurt under the spotlight up front, so I memorized it."
"You memorized one hundred and thirty-two completely different measures in the two days we haven't played this since you got back?" Her eyes were now nearly as big as Yugi's. Nearly. For a normal person's eyes to be as big as Yugi's would be against the laws of pyhsics.
"Yes."
"Whoa... Um, okay then. Everyone ready? One two three, one two three..." she said to the song's tempo.
They were off. The song was enrapturing from the start, and the fake audience down in the seats were amazed beyond belief. Woodwinds would call, and brass would answer. Trumpets and saxophones would flit around an enchanted forest of song guarded by powerful drums while clarinets, a few oboes and a basoon strung notes up and down like making flower chains. Then the flutes came in. Bam.
Atemu was lost, caught in the music. He willed his whole being to temporarily leave his body and roam the room, flying on the beauty that filled the air all around him, the sound filling him up, making up for himself and his mind being somewhere else.
Then the room was silent. Four beats of rest, then- CLANG! A symbol rang out to the world, calling attention to the beginning of wonder. Atemu's heart rattled in his chest and his breath nearly ran away from him. He waited for it... the second one...
CLANG!
He was gone. He unconsciously closed his eyes and tucked in his head to the beat of the music, allowing the perfection resounding around the room to simply whisk him away. The next one hundred and six measures belongd to him, with the whole band backing him up.
Atemu nailed it so beautifully, so perfectly, so... wholly, that when the last sharp chord sounded through the room, echoing off and playing tag with the walls, Mrs. Kampanelai was speechless.
"That was too good to be real. Someone wake me up." She turned to her flute soloist. "You did not just do that."
He gave a small smile and a cough, and headed back to his seat... to be glomped by another flute player halfway there. The audience was on its feet, cheering and whooping, and Atemu could see Yugi craning around Honda's head.
((Well?))
/What do you mean, 'well?'/
((How was it?))
/Ate... Mou Hitori no Boku, that was the most beautiful thing I have heard in my life. Even Kaiba gasped when you went into that huge high thing for a minute. It was... beautiful./
((Thank you, aibou.)) Atemu closed the link, happy tears welling in his eyes. The entire band was now in a state of ecstacy over what they had accomplished,
Atemu felt slightly dizzy and got that dull roar in the back of his skull that means you're gonna get a REALLY bad headache REALLY soon, breathing slowly to make up for the breath he's lost playing, only to choke on the smell of perfume as two arms threw themselves around him. It was Mrs. Kampanelai, a HUGE smile on her face.
Atemu coughed and the perfume made him sneeze. He withdrew from the elated music teacher's embrace, covering his mouth with the hand that wasn't grasping his flute.
((Why does she always have to wear the one brand of perfume that makes me sneeze?))
/I don't know, but it kind of makes it seem like you're allergic to her./ Atemu could hear Yugi mentally chortling.
"Achoo!" ((Yugi Mutou, I will have your HEAD for this!))
Yugi: Meep.
Mrs. Kampanelai thumped Atemu on the back. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," he gasped out. "Can I get a drink from the bubbler in the hall?"
"Sure. You look like you need it."
When Atemu came back into the auditorium after said drink of water from said bubbler in said hall, he found that they were halfway through a tough piece where he practically lead the other flutes by the hand so far. They were falling apart. Mrs. Kampanelai stopped the band.
"Okay, again from measure twenty- Oh Atemu, you're back! Good! Okay, measure twenty! One two three four, two two three four..." This was going to be a long practice.
After School:
Atemu and Ryo, coming from senior honors English across the school, met up with Yugi, Anzu, Jou, Honda, Shizuka and Otogi on Domino High's front steps. They were going to walk to the local theatre where Anzu was trying out for a part in a major ballet. A lot of really experienced dancers were trying out, so competition would be tough. As far as they knew, in fact, Anzu was the only person under twenty that had gotten the seal of approval to try out.
"So Anzu, exactly how many people are tryin' out for this ting?" asked Jou.
"Well, there are around fifty parts, give or take a few corps, and about two hundred and thirty-five people are auditioning. There's about an even number of parts for guys and girls."
"TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE!"
Anzu nodded. She tugged at her hat and grabbed her dance bag off a snowy ledge. "Let's go. Atemu and Ryo are here."
"Can I carry that for you?" asked Atemu all-too-innocently.
"Well, I'm really picky about who carries my dance bag. It's very special to me you know, and only people equally special to me can carry it. You've got to have a terrific smile and spiky hair, and you've gotta play flute and be a world champion duelist."
"Wow." Otogi said, smirking. "Girl's got tough standards."
"I fit your definition so far, if you consider my smile 'terrific.' Any more demands?"
"A hug after I audition."
"I'd do that anyway."
"Then you qualify! Here!" She dumped her dance bag into Atemu's arms and he slung the sloulder strap over his right shoulder and held her right hand in his left. They proceeded to walk down the busy, snowy streets.
When they reached the theatre, Atemu handed Anzu her bag and gave her a tight hug.
"Good luck. Not that you'll need it."
"I'll take it anyways," Anzu stated, eyeing the many people now flowing into the backstage room. Some looked very old and experienced.
"Come on guys, let's go get seats before they're all taken," came a familiar feminine voice.
"MAI?"
Jou looked sheepish. Yeah... I invited her... hehe." He blushed.
"Well then, let's go!" They all wished Anzu good luck and headed out of the large entrance hall to the seats, and sat a few rows from the front as Anzu headed backstage.
"This should be good," said Ryo in his charming British accent. "There are people here from all over Japan! Anzu really must be in with the elites!"
Atemu nodded, then ducked his head to cough, rubbing a bit at his throat. Yugi rooted around in his backpack and handed Atemu a cherry throat losenge from a small bag. The older boy gratefully accepted it.
"Thanks, Yugi."
"You're welcome. I thought you might need those."
The group's conversations were cut off when a very short, plump, flustered-looking man wearing a maroon baret stormed up to where the instrumentalists were warming up in the orchestra pit. The auditoners were going to dance to the actual music from the ballet.
"Vhat eexactlee do vous mean, when vous say, not ready?"
Pause while the other man spoke, then,
"VHAT? No time to practeece? Zat eez no eexcuse! Agh!" The man threw up his hands. "Ve might as vell ask the audience eef inybody can play zees flute solo, you know?" He grabbed the poor flute player's sheet music and held it up high, toadlike face red with rage that this stupid, ignorant man could have the nerve not to know his part. He turned to the now huge audience and roared, "Dose inybody knows 'ow to play zees piece?" He waved the sheet high in the air for all to see. Of course, he wasn't expecting an answer, which made his face all the more red when Atemu stepped forward and grabbed the paper out of his hand.
I can play this! ((Yugi!))
/Hmm?/
((It's the one from band!))
Yugi smirked and sent Atemu a thumbs-up. To the maroon-baret-wearing guy, Atemu said, "I've played this before. I can do it for you."
The short man nearly fell over laughing. "Vous cannot be seereeous, sir. Please take no offense, but vous are a high school student. Should vous not get back to your leetle game of basketball, no?"
"I am too short to play basketball. YOU should be able to relate to that. If you'll listen to me, I think you'll be happy." He took out his flute case and lovingly put the shiny silver instrument together. He played a few scales while the man looked on, laughter frolicking in beetle black eyes. But when Atemu played the piece in question, the laughter vanished and a look of embarassed amazement reigned supreme on the man's face.
"I beeleeve zat vous are veree good. Vill vous join our band?"
"Just for today, because my friend is auditioning and I want the best for her."
"Your friend..."
"Anzu Mazaki."
"Mazaki..." The man's eyes grew wide. "You... are Atemu Mutou!"
"Right. Now shall we get started?"
"Yes, ve shall."
After the Auditions:
"You did great, hun!" exclaimed Mai as Anzu met them near the back of the theatre.
"Thanks Mai. I really appreciate it." Shizuka was less subtle. She just flat-out glomped her friend.
"Oh Anzu, that was GREAT!"
"Shizuka-get-off-before-you-KILL-me!" gasped poor Anzu, still tired from dancing so hard. "Atemu's supposed to do that, not you. At least he's shorter." Shizuka giggled.
"I heard that," came a smooth, deep voice behind Anzu. She cringed and turned to see Atemu, arms crossed over his chest defensively and a frown of mock hurt on his face.
"What exactly is wrong with short people?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that getting crushed by them doesn't have much of an effect, that's all."
For a second he looked hurt. "Oh Atemu, I didn't mean it that w-" He held up a silencing hand.
"No effect? Well, I guess I'll just have to think of something better." He turned as if to leave, hands in his coat pockets. Anzu was shocked. What had she said? Too bad she couldn't see the twinkle of humor in his deep crimson eyes. She ran up behind him.
"Atemu-"
"How about THIS?" Amuzement pranced about in his eyes as he whirled around and caught Anzu up in his arms bridal style just as she was about to run into him, swirling her around in the air. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before setting her down lightly on the ground again, her face fully flushed.
She gasped, and all her friends' jaws dropped to the floor. She hadn't thought Atemu would be able to do that. She was heavier.
"Everybody, look outside!" Ryo exclaimed. They all rushed to the huge front hall windows to be greeted with sheets of beautiful, pure snow swirling in great, looming masses.
Suddenly, the theatre went black.
So wadda ya think? PLEASE REVIEW! Sorry that there was no action, but I'm a big music nut and this chappie made me feel warm and fuzzy. Hehe.
Jgal: You think my writing's dramatic? Cool. No, Atemu actually IS dying. He never HAS had a full-blown flu, but he knew it was inevitable (Oh yikes, the spelling of that one...) that he would get it sooner or later. He knows why he's dying and how one flu, or cold, or whatever he has, is GOING to kill him. He just hasn't said anything yet. Yet. About you in the kitchen- You're just like me! I HATE cooking, truly hate it. It is evil and posessed and... evil and posessed! You reviewed the first chappie, but for some reason unknown to me my second chappie was already posted when I got your review, so... sorry about my goof.
Ah, my good friend Electric Fire, thankies for the story on Thursday! That made my day, ya know! One about you and Pippin will either be posted on this site or given to you Wednesday or Thursday, depending on whenever I finish it and how much darn homework my darn English teach gives me. Of course, we can all think of better words than darn... The Daryl part was that sad? Wow, I didn't know I could even come CLOSE to writing tear-bringing stuff. Though Kevin S.'s puppy eyes can make me do just about anything. Geez, that kid is manipulative! He's like some evil force, just waiting to release his secret weapon(Scary music plays and my voice suddenly switches to one of those scary movie announcer voices)... The Puppy Eyes. He and Yugi should have a facial expresion contest, ne?
THANKIES ALL TO MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS! PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT Y'ALL THINKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!