Foreign Exchange
Prologue
She walks through the busy streets of Tokyo, standing out with her pale skin and warm clothes, her unnaturally colored eyes scanning the streets, looking for the building. "How can it be so hard to find one building when it should be large?" She says in her heavily Russian-accented voice, sighing. She doesn't want to ask for directions, though…anyone who had heard her talk has laughed.
Why did they find her accent so laughable, though? Her accent may be odd, considering they're in Tokyo, Japan…but she smiles at the thought of how much people like her singing voice. Animals seem to like her voice as well…but singing is different, and animals don't really count, do they?
She sighs again, and looks around. There is no one who she thinks would really help, and she sits down on a bench. She can't find the building…a tear falls on her pant leg, and her shoulders shake with sobs. She is not loud, simply sitting and crying softly to herself, as if afraid people will laugh at that as well.
As if on cue, a certain pink-haired boy comes up, and simply stares at the girl. Shuichi can't help but stare, anyways…she looks so different from most people he would see. Her skin is pale, her hair an odd pale color of blonde, and her eyes an unnatural purple color…it's an almost royal purple or the color of wine…she is dressed in warm clothes and boots, but it is already quite warm outside. He sighs, and shakes her. "Are you alright?" He asks her, and she looks up, rubbing the tears from her eyes, seeming ashamed someone saw her crying. "Are you alright?"
"…Da…da." She nods, and Shuichi stares at her even more. What language is she speaking? "Da, thank you." She says in a heavily Russian-accented voice.
"What accent is that?" Shuichi mutters.
"I am Russian…I came to try to become a singer…I was looking for the NG records building, but I became lost." She speaks slowly, obviously not ready for saying anything quickly yet. Shuichi scratches his head.
"You were…looking for NG records?"
"Da." The woman nods.
"Um…I'll take that as a yes."
"Is that not what I just said?"
"Ah…well, anyways, I know where NG records is."
"You do? Would you help me?"
"Sure…" Shuichi stares at the woman, so odd in her appearance. She certainly looks and sounds as if she came from Russia. "I work there, so there's no way for me to not know where it is."
"You…work there? Are you a band?" She asks, standing. Shuichi laughs; her grammar and sentence structure in Japanese is only so-so, but considering she came from Russia it's rather good.
"Sorta…I'm the singer for my band, Bad Luck. I'm Shuichi Shindou." Shuichi points to himself as he leads the woman to the building.
"Da, that is good! I am Naria Sajya! Everyone I meet, whether they know me or not, say I have lovely singing voice, so friends and family encouraged me…record company in Tokyo, called NG records. It is good place to start singing career, they say to me."
"Yeah…I guess." Shuichi agrees. "But man, Naria, you came awful far, didn't you?"
"It is nice in Tokyo. It is much warmer than Russia…there it freezes me stiff from standing still. But I dare not stand still at home, or I freeze into popsicle." Naria laughs. Shuichi smiles, and looks at the building in front of him.
"Well, Naria, this is NG records."
"It is big, Shuichi…it seem clean and nice!" Naria gapes. (A/N:No, that's not improper grammar by me, it's Naria not knowing Japanese properly.) "I do not know…can Shuichi help me? Who do I go see?"
"Um…most likely you should go see Tohma Seguchi. Do you have a song you're ready to sing?"
"Da, Shuichi, da!" Naria smiles. "I have the lyrics here in my pocket. But can I meet your band first? I like to see who lucky enough to work with Shuichi who help Naria so much!"
Shuichi laughs, he hadn't expected so much praise from her by just leading her to the building. "Um…sure…" He enters first, and although he doesn't turn around to check, he knows Naria is right behind him. At first she keeps behind by a few feet, but as they go further into the studio, she draws closer, and before long is almost clinging to Shuichi's back. "Why're you so close, Naria?"
"Oh, I do know way, and I afraid I get lost again…I do not wish to lose my way." Naria replies cheerfully, as Shuichi opens the door to where the rest of the band is. "Is this where Shuichi Bad Luck practice?"
"Yeah, Bad Luck practices here…" Shuichi says, entering the room, Naria still clinging to him. "These are my friends and bandmates…Hiroshi Nakano, or Hiro as we call him… and Suguru Fujisaki."
"You both seem nice men." Naria nods to the two, who simply stare at Shuichi.
"So you finally got a girl…but after you've already got Yuki?" Hiro teases.
"No! She was crying and she was lost, so I helped her!" Shuichi snaps, ignoring Naria as she digs into her bag and pulls out a small notebook, starting to write something.
"What was that accent, though?" Suguru asks. "French?"
"She's Russian." Shuichi replies.
"Russian? You're feeling up a foreign girl!"
"No, Hiro, I'm not feeling her up!" Shuichi growls. Naria taps him on shoulder. "Huh? Yeah, Naria?"
"You probably not understand words, but look anyways?" Naria offers him the notebook.
"Uh…okay." Shuichi takes the notebook and stares at the words written on the page.
Mal'chik Gey,
Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik Gey
Mal'chik, Mal'chik, Mal'chik, Mal'chik
Gey
Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik
Mal'chik Gey,
Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik Gey
Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik
Mal'chik, Mal'chik, Mal'chik
Smotrish nezhno,
Zhdyosh
ego vniman'ya.
Chuvstva te zhe,
No, ne ponimayu
Skol'ko
mozhno
Zhit', lyubya, ukradkoi.
Ochen' slozhno
Skryt'
tvoi povadki,
Ochen' trudno
Skryt' moi stradan'ya.
Ochen',
ochen', ochen' ochen'
Neprilichnoe zhelan'e.
Mal'chik
Gey, Mal'chik Gey
Bud' so mnoi ponaglei.
Ot styda ne krasnei,
Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik Gey
Polozhi na druzei,
Mal'chik
Gey, Mal'chik Gey.
Ot menya ,
Mal'chik Gey Gey'
Slyozy
dushat',
Mysli zhit' meshayut.
Trudno slushat'.
Net, ne
ponimayu.
Da, ya znayu vse tvoi sekrety.
Kak ty terpish
tvyordye pridmety?
Vse zhe znayu, eto beznadyozhno,
No
mechtayu, tayu'tayu'tayu'tayu'tayu'tayu...
Mal'chik Gey,
Mal'chik Gey
Bud' so mnoi ponaglei.
Ot styda ne krasnei,
Mal'chik Gey, Mal'chik Gey
Polozhi na druzei,
Mal'chik
Gey, Mal'chik Gey.
Ot menya ,
Mal'chik Gey Gey'
Shuichi nods; they lyrics certainly sound good, though he has no clue what they mean, just as Naria guessed. "They look good, Naria."
"Thank you, Shuichi! I standing here and listening to you argue, and I come up with lyrics, and they match you! This Yuki…Yuki is boy?"
"Um…yeah, is there something wrong?"
"Nyet, nothing wrong. That is why I think lyrics fit you!" Naria nods, smiling. They all simply stare at her.
"Huh?" There is no doubt in Shuichi's mind, though…he'll never understand girls.
A/N: This song is Mal'chik Gey by TATU…which really does fit Shuichi. Translate the title and it means 'gay boy'……Naria was inspired into creation by the accent of my science substitute teacher who is from Russia…she's a very nice teacher and inspired this interesting character. Also, I will probably use TATU lyrics for all of Naria's songs because I cannot think of any actual lyrics for Russian songs. Not only that, but I like TATU's music…any other questions about the story, simply ask me!
