The italics are an email sent by Aki...

Aurora-

You won't believe what's happened to me since I've come back to Japan! You know how my brother has a band? Well, it really has become famous. And what's more, I've joined it! You know how I told the story of why I wanted to go to America? Well, it must've put Shuichi on a guilt trip or something because I'm now the drummer! Oh and Shuichi's synth has been replaced by a guy named Fujisaki who's a really nice guy (and kinda cute too :giggle: ). But anyway, here's what happened during my first press conference, when I became an official member of Bad Luck...

"So little sis, you ready?" Shuichi asked Aki.

"Just to warn you, they'll tear you to shreds if you say even one wrong word, so be careful." Hiro told her. She nodded.

"Whatever you do, don't let them see you sweat." Suguru added. Aki smiled.

"Come on guys, have some faith in me!" She said confidently. "I've already officially joined, but if I can't handle my first press conference, then my contract might as well be ripped up right now!"

"Thatta girl!" Shuichi squealed, hugging his sister.

"It runs in the family big brother!" She cried hugging him back. Hiro and Suguru sweatdropped.

More than just confidence runs in the family. They thought.

"It's time." Sakano said, poking his head into the room they were waiting in. The four nodded and walked out to face the reporters.

"Good Luck!" K wished them as they passed him. No one reacted as they continued on their way. When they got there, Aki's eyes widened at the sea of people and cameras.

"Oh... my... god..." She said quietly.

"Hm. Fairly small crowd this time." Hiro said.

"Small? Exactly how popular are you guys?" Aki snapped, running up to Hiro and grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"Well, usually we have a zillion fan girls who've snuck in as well." Shuichi said to her. She let go of Hiro and looked at her brother for a moment before sighing dejectedly.

They all sat down a long table and flashes started going off; cameras started rolling. Shuichi started by leaning into of the microphone in front of him speaking into it.

"Thank you. Hello, I'm sure you're wondering why we have called this press conference. Well, we know that ever since Fujisaki joined, there have been rumors circling about a new member joining the band. And now we're proud to say that those rumors are now true! Introducing the newest member of Bad Luck, Aki Shindou!" Shuichi gestured to his younger sister, sitting at the other end of the table. Immediately, the cameras started flashing again, focused primarily on Aki this time. Voices of reporters started shouting, trying to ask her their questions. Aki acknowledged one of them and everyone fell silent.

"Shindou-san said that your surname is Shindou as well. Are you two related?" She asked. Aki cast a glance at her other band members, who nodded. She then glanced over at K and Sakano, who were standing just out of view of the reporters, and they both nodded as well.

Aki had been told that until after her first few press conferences and interviews, after each question directed at her, she was to get the approval of the rest of Bad Luck and her producer and manager.

"Yes, I am related to Shuichi. I'm his little sister, actually." More flashes and shouting.

"Shindou-chan! May I ask exactly how old you are?" Aki looked at Bad Luck, but they didn't seem sure, so she turned to K and Sakano. K mouthed "Fujisaki" and she nodded.

"Well, let's just say I'm no older than Mr. synth player here." She answered, poking Fujisaki in the ribs, as he was sitting next to her. Again with the flashes and shouting.

"What exactly are you going to do as a new member of Bad Luck?" Asked another reporter. Everyone knew this question was going to be brought up, so Aki didn't need to get permission to answer it.

"I'm going to be the drummer!" She shouted enthusiastically, getting a chuckle from the crowd.

"When can we expect the first performance from you?" Another asked. Before Aki could say anything, Hiro had answered it.

"You'll just have to wait and see when our next concert is." He said.

And so the press conference went on like that. Nearly all of the questions were for Aki, a few to Shuichi only to find out about things that they didn't think she would tell them. A couple went to Hiro to ask about his reaction to her joining which he half lied about. And only one to Fujisaki to ask how he felt about part of his skills being replaced. He laughed that one off.

By the time it was over, Aki was trembling with excitement. It had been officially announced; she was a member of Bad Luck! She remembered her childhood, when her brother and his friend wanted to start their own band, and how she wanted too as well. She remembered the day she had thought of being the drummer, and how excited she felt. Now she was just as excited, and knew that nothing was going to go wrong now. She wasn't going to be told no anymore. And that got her more worked up than anything ever would.

"Shindou-chan!" Suguru called. Aki was the last to get out of her seat, and so the other members had passed her on their way out. She stared at the boy before breaking out in a run. Just before she got to him, she jumped up and glomped him.

"I'm so happy!" She squealed, oblivious to the cameras that had started up again, snapping pictures of the two hugging.

"U-um, o-okay then. But I-I think we should, um, you know, l-leave now." He told her, blushing uncontrollably.

"Oh! Right. Come on then." she grabbed his hand and ran off, dragging him behind her. She was happy. She had finally achieved one of her goals in life. To show up the one who had broken her heart, not that Hiro would care much now, but he had told her no back then, and now... Well, he was wrong for once, Aki was happy about that.

A FEW DAYS LATER!

A young, amateur reporter was going through some photos that a partner of hers took of Bad Luck's last press conference. Her name was Ai and she was obsessed with Bad Luck. Or, rather, Suguru Fujisaki of Bad Luck. The entertainment column that she did in an amateur magazine was constantly featuring Bad Luck with special emphasis on Suguru.

"What a pathetic turnout. Everything's just this new chick." She muttered, tossing each picture with out Fujisaki in it over her shoulder. But as she neared the end, she found a picture that caught her eye.

It was of Fujisaki all right, but with Aki giving him a big hug, the other two members of the band absent in the photo. This image got her fuming mad.

"Who does this new chick think she is?" the girl shouted, outraged. She ripped the picture in half, separating Aki from Suguru. She took out a lighter and burned the half with Aki on it.

"I'll teach you a lesson, Aki Shindou." She growled menacingly. "Now that you've become famous, I'll make your life a living hell. No one touches my Suguru." And with that, she threw her head back and let out a maniacal laugh.

"Shut it Ai!" someone yelled at her, sticking their head into the room and throwing a random book at her. It got her in the head and she fell down, quite unconscious. "Stupid, crazy brat." the person muttered before shutting the door on her.

Well, that's it! This story is over! (But there are going to be bonus chapters, so maybe this isn't the end yet.)

But wait, this doesn't seem like the end, you say? "You've just introduced an antagonist, and you're calling this the end" you ask? Well that's because this is not the end! Now you must go and read CeaselessChasm's The Niece! It is the sequel to this story! It tells about Aki's best friend, Aurora, how Aurora changes her name to that of a male, how Aki's and Fujisaki's relationship develops, what exactly this Ai chick has planned, and the fate of Ayaka! And don't be afraid to comment on every chapter. We've been updating our stories together on purpose so you guys can read the whole sequel without waiting for updates! So go read it now! And comment on it!