I do not own any of the songs. They belong to their respective artist(s).
Boys sing in BOLD
Girls sing in ITALICS
Both genders sing in BOTH
Hikari hummed quietly as she wrote a letter to her grandmother, detailing the antics that they had caused, how her songs were being made and how her friends and teachers liked them, and how Shiori shouldn't be allowed near Saotome Academy with Ringo and Ryuya around. She glanced at the cat that was resting his head on her leg, puppy eyes going fullblast. The girl rolled her eyes and stopped writing, setting her notebook and pen to the side. Tugging a fluffy dandelion from the grass, she wiggled it above his head.
"I can't get anything done with you around, can I?" She sighed, glancing at the half-finished letter. Focusing on the cat, she played with Akuma. Hikari made the cat work for the dandelion. "You want it? You want it? Work for it, brat cat."
Akuma lunged for it, pinning the flower and her hand to the grass. His face pushed it the dandelion head and he froze, promptly pulling back and sneezing and she snickered at him. He rubbed at his face and rolled in the grass.
"That's what you get," she singsonged, stilling when she heard panicky noises. Hikari whirled around when she heard a yell.
Staring speechlessly at a branching clinging Syo, Hikari removed her shoes and made her way up the tree with the ease of a cat. Reaching the nearest and thick branch, she looped her legs around it and grabbed Syo, catching his shirt and jerking him back up. He screeched all the while, smacking into her when she got him on her branch. Syo clung to her and Hikari was a bit relieved because it meant he wouldn't be shaking. Patting him on the hat, she asked him, "Do you want me to go down first so I can give you instructions?"
Arms clenching tighter around her for a moment, she felt a nod against her shoulder. Hikari slipped free and made her way backwards down the tree, calling out to Syo all the while. Landing lightly on the grass, Hikari stepped back and watched as Syo hesitatingly and slowly made his way down. "You can fall from there."
He did and he crumpled completely when he hit the grass, lying on his back.
Hikari blinked and stepped closer, leaning over him slightly. "Are you alright?"
Syo glanced at her, hat falling off. "Ah, yeah… are your feet okay?"
"My feet?" Hikari looked at her feet in confusion. Her mouth formed an 'O' when she lifted her heel and spotted some scratches through the socks. "Huh. Guess I am."
"Don't be so blase about it!" Syo snapped, rolling over and onto his knees, looking closer, cringing. "I-here. Let me carry you to the infirmary… Hikari?"
"Gran is going to kill me," she breathed in horror, sitting in the grass and tugging her socks off, looking them over. "This is the fifth pair I've ruined."
Syo sputtered. "How can you be more worried about socks than your injuries?!"
She waved a hand at him. "Injuries can heal, socks can't. Gran is going to limit my onesie budget!"
Blue eyes stared at her in disbelief. "What is the matter with you?"
Hikari pouted at her desk as she straightened her books. 'Honestly, you'd think I'd done something crazy with the scolding Tomo-chan gave me. It's not like I actually don't care about my injuries, but the socks… the crazy expensive socks Gran bought me for here… Even the boys joined in!'
She looked over at Otoya when he made a noise. "Ohh! Hyuga-sensei is going to be in a new movie!"
"Eh?" Tomochika said, turning along with Hikari to look at the male.
"This!" He showed the magazine to them.
"'Starring Hyuga Ryuya'?"
"'Prince of Precipices'?" Hikari's eyes lingered on 'precipice' with mild curiosity. 'Maybe that's why Syo-kun was in the tree?'
"He does have that action star image, you know?" Tomochika looked at Hikari. "Is that why Shiori-san is a fan of his?"
Hikari nodded, absently noting, "Sensei has huge muscles." Otoya made a noise, earning a weird look from both girls. "What?"
He gave them a bland look, lips twitching slightly. "I really don't want to hear any fangirl comments from either of you. You'll ruin my image of him." The girls giggled and his smile formed sheepishly. "Besides, I think he's a little old to be a 'prince'."
"Don't be a party-pooper… ooh, they've got auditions!" Tomochika peered closer. Hikari stood so she could peer over her shoulder.
"Oooh," she murmured as she read it. "Co-star, huh…"
"I see…" a new voice made them start and they looked at Natsuki.
"When did you get here?!" Otoya squawked, arm raised in defense, though he lowered it when he saw the blond.
Cheerfully brushing them off, he spoke as he rubbed his chin. "I've gotta pass this on to Syo-chan!"
"Syo-kun?" Hikari wondered, sitting back down when Tomochika pointed at her chair and glared.
"Syo-chan's a huge, longtime fan of Hyuga-sensei!" They were informed, Natsuki smiling brightly.
"Really?" Otoya wondered, and looked at Hikari, who simply shrugged, unsure of what her cousin knew. "Then Syo would love to clinch that role, ne?"
"Hai!"
"Hey, Kari-chan, what are you planning for lunch? I'm starving!" Tomochika looked at her friend, who was slumped on Otoya back with a sulky look.
"You mean I get to choose what to eat?" Green eyes peeked up from behind Otoya. "I didn't realise I could."
The taller redheads shared exasperated looks. "Hikari-chan, you know I'm only carrying you because of your injuries, right? You can still get what you want."
"Not if I'm being treated like baggage." Came the retort. She must have decided to change the subject because she pointed at something over Otoya's shoulder. "Oh, look, a wild blond."
Blinking at each other, Tomochika and Otoya looked. Indeed, Syo was walking towards them, though he didn't seem to have noticed them yet.
"Hey, Syo!" Otoya called, catching the blond's attention. Syo raised a brow when he saw Hikari being carried. "Did you hear about the audition?"
"Oh…" He said, blinking and looking down. "The one with Hyuga-sensei, right?
"Ah, you do know!" Tomochika said, leaning to him. "No surprise, you are a fan!"
Otoya frowned when he saw the blond blanch, following his gaze. Feeling Hikari shift, he settled her higher on his back as she too noticed.
"Natsuki…" It was breathed out in slight panic. Looking back at him, Otoya noticed sweat beading up on his face. There was a soft giggle that made his hair shift and Otoya stiffened with realization.
Bracing herself on his shoulders, Hikari lifted herself up and waved, calling, "Natsuki-kun!"
There was a strangled noise from the short blond, but Otoya couldn't look at him as he shifted to steady himself, holding Hikari tighter as she moved.
"Syo-chan! I have great news!"
"Nope!" It was softer than Natsuki, and Otoya looked over to see Syo bolt in the opposite direction. Hikari jerked herself free, yelping when she landed, but still ran off after their friend.
Rolling his shoulders, Otoya looked at Tomochika as he straightened, the girl looked bewildered. "What the hell is going on?" She asked.
Otoya looked behind him, frowning. "Where'd Natsuki go?"
Hikari slowed as she neared her friend. Syo was bent over as he panted. "You okay, Syo-kun?"
His eyes looked at her, a small scowl on his face. "You did that on purpose." Seeing her smile, he shook his head. "I don't know what I expected… ah, this'll get more complicated if Natsuki gets involved… and I still have something to do before the audition…"
"So you will audition?" She asked, head tilting.
"You think I'd let this chance get away from me?" Syo grinned at her before faltering. "Ah, but your cousin…"
The girl waved a hand dismissively. "Shiori-nee is the type of fan to panic in embarrassment around her idol. Ryuya-sensei is one of them along with Ringo-sensei. She'll probably make Kai-baka try out, if she can."
"But he won't?" Syo straightened and turned to her. He was clearly worried about the competition.
"He's lazy and considering this is an action movie…" Hikari trailed off and stared into the air. "I should probably tell her no before she thinks of asking me." Syo laughed lightly as she pulled her phone from a hidden vest pocket, quickly texting her cousin with a frown.
From: Baby Animal
'No'
Syo leaned into her shoulder as her cousin quickly texted back.
From: Female Crossdresser
'I HAVEN'T EVEN ASKED YET! HIKARI, WHY!?'
Ignoring it, Hikari stuffed the phone in her pocket. "So, how are you going to audition? I mean," she poked his biceps. "You're kinda small right here."
He jerked away, sputtering and scowling at her. "You're way too blunt, Hikari!" Scowl falling, he let out a noise and waved a hand to the grass.
Following his waving, Hikari watched as Ryuya passed by, performing a short set of kata. Glancing between him and Syo's starstruck face, Hikari giggled before whistling loudly.
"Nice moves, sensei!" She crowed, pretending to swoon when he looked at her in shock. A strangled shriek left Syo as Ryuya stumbled, having lost his concentration.
"Stuff it, Nanami!" The man barked out and bolted away. Hikari collapsed onto a bench, laughing as she spotted the blush forming on Ryuya's face.
A voice came over the small area. "Syo-chan, I found you!"
Losing his scandalized look, Syo stiffened in shock. Hikari coughed slightly as she watched Syo get trapped by a net. The blond panicked as he swung wildly in the net.
"I see he still isn't any good with heights," Natsuki noted as he walked up.
She stared at him blankly while Syo shrieked. "And people wonder what's wrong with me."
"Scared of heights?" Otoya repeated, staring at the blond between Hikari and Natsuki. His back was to the table as he trembled.
"Of… course… not…" Syo gritted out.
"Looks like a serious case," Tomochika observed from beside Otoya, Masato down a seat from Otoya drinking tea. Silently, the male redhead wondered how he got it in the study hall.
"But isn't it a problem?" Otoya persisted, kicking the questions he had for Masato away. "The movie's called 'Prince of Precipices,' after all."
Tomochika spoke teasingly, "It's full of high places!" He bumped her arm lightly and she grinned at him mischievously.
"Oh, shut it!" Syo huffed, hunching further over his chair. "I'm tryin' to get over it!"
Otoya noticed Hikari get a look of realization, but she shook her head when he tilted his head.
"You're so secretive, Syo-chan!" Natsuki said, clenching his fists. "Why didn't you come to me for advice?"
"Because you're dangerous," Syo said flatly and Otoya felt his cheeks pale as he recalled the cookies he tried making with the blonds.
"I would never put you in danger!" Natsuki protested.
"That smile alone is dangerous!" Syo snapped, clutching his hat tightly. Otoya carefully hid his smile behind his hand. Hikari was smiling openly along with Tomochika. Glancing at Masato, the bluenet, seemed unimpressed with all of it.
"Hey, let's all help to cure him," Otoya offered, lowering his hand to grin at his friends.
Hikari fistpumped as Syo turned to look at them. "That way he can audition and my cousin won't sucker me into it!" She froze and smiled sheepishly at Syo. "No offense."
Shrugging at her, the blond stared around at them as Tomochika spoke. "I suppose I'll lend a hand!"
"It sounds interesting."
They all glanced at Ren. Hikari leaned over and pinched his cheek when the blond bent over to lean closer to Syo. "Ah? You mean you'll finally free yourself of escorts to speak with us? How kind of you, Prince."
The blond winced and tugged at her hand, but she simply pinched harder as she grinned at him. Tomochika leaned against Otoya, and looking down, he saw she was giggling silently. "So you wouldn't mind if I join in?" Ren managed to get out despite the hindrance, after which Hikari let go. He rubbed his cheek as he continued. "It seems like the perfect way to kill time."
Otoya hid his own laugh when he saw Ren was eyeing Hikari with a wary look on his face. Composing himself slightly, Otoya looked over at the lone bluenet. "How about you, Masa?"
"'Knowing what is right not doing it signifies a want of courage.'" The bluenet responded.
The redheaded male beamed. "Then you're in!"
Syo looked around at them all, clearly surprised. "If everyone is going to help… then… I guess I'll do my best…"
"This is the first step?!" Syo almost shrieked. "I can't, I can't! There's no way I can do this!"
Hikari dropped her chin on Otoya's shoulders, who'd insisted on carrying her again after her run from earlier. "Is that a cord for bungee jumping?"
Otoya slouched forward slightly. "Ah, maybe?"
"Exposure therapy is the most effective method!" Natsuki called out to Syo.
"Are you sure about this?" Tomochika wondered, standing a bit in front of the other relatives.
Hikari reached over and began undoing the small braid in her hair, tugging the small rubber band out of the strands as Otoya hummed. "Maybe? Hikari, you're going to make us fall over. Stop."
"Ah," she said, ignoring the confused look from Tomochika as she pulled some of the hair from Otoya's bangs into her hands. "That so?"
There was a faint chuckle from Masato and Hikari spared him a glance, smiling slightly when he raised a brow at her. Both turned back to Syo, Hikari continuing to braid Otoya's bangs.
"Don't push me!" The blond yelped, arms flailing for balance. "Don't push me! Don't you dare push me!"
"There you go!" Natsuki chirped, shoving at Syo's back.
They watched silently as Syo fell, screaming. Hikari let her hands go on autopilot for the braiding as she goggled the sight. "Wow, Natsuki-kun sure can be brutal…" She tied off the small braid.
Hikari was going to get water for Syo after going through a bunch of training attempts (she had bolted at first chance at the excuse, not liking being carried). Stepping from the store, she looked up when she spotted legs. "Ah…"
"You look busy," Ichinose said, eyes and face blank as always.
"A friend is going through a few events for an audition. Our attempts to help are failing, though…" Hikari shifted out of his way.
"You can afford to, huh…" She blinked at him in confusion. "Give all your attention to other people…"
"Why wouldn't I when he's similar to her?" Hikari smiled wryly and stepped past him. "He hasn't said it yet, but I know he's got a goal similar to mine with Hayato-san. If I can help him, I will."
He was silent before finally speaking. "Good luck."
She looked at him sideways and nodded. "Excuse me."
Hikari moved with long strides, ignoring the slight tingles coming from her feet. She'd had worse gardening for her grandmother, so it was easy to push to the side. Humming softly, she moved into a slight jog, reaching her friends just as Syo seemed to lose his mind.
"I brought some water!"Hikari called quickly, pulling the bottle from the bag and tossing it to Tomochika, who swiftly opened it and upended it over the poor blond.
She glowered at Otoya, but was ignored as she was settled on the bench, Syo's head being placed in her lap. "Bully," she informed the redhead.
"Child," he shot back.
Making faces at each other, Hikari turned her focus on Syo, fingers smoothing out his locks. She listened absently as her friends spoke. Natsuki moved Syo's legs so he was fully spread out on the bench as he talked.
"Syo-chan's a go-getter, so I want to do something to help him overcome this." Natsuki stared down at his friend.
"I wonder why he's so afraid of heights," Otoya wondered as he looked at the blond.
"Maybe he went through something terrible in his past," Masato suggested.
"Memory repression, you think?" Hikari looked at him.
"A possibility."
They all tensed as a familiar laugh rang out, guitars filling the air. Hikari felt her mind crash when Saotome popped up behind the bench.
"H-headmaster, how long have you been there?!" Tomochika squealed.
Hikari blinked and swung Syo's hat at him. "Are you eavesdropping again?!"
Easily pulling the hat from her hands, the man spun on his hands on the back of the bench, tossing himself and landing on his feet. "Listening to the troubles of our diligent students is part of the job to me."
She would only goggle as he grabbed Syo by the shoulders and shook him.
"Mr. Kurusu!" Saotome said, holding his face close to the blond's.
Syo snapped out of his trance. "W-what do you want?!"
"Are you alright-yo? Relax!"
Hikari sat on the floor in the headmaster's office, tugging her shoes off to look at the wounds with the man's first aid kit in Masato's hands. The sound of a metronome ticking filled the room.
"Now, close your eyes," Saotome said, the candle casting a strange glow on their faces. Hikari moved slowly to open the kit without making a loud noise. "Slowly, deep breathing."
Despite being so clearly against it, Syo did as instructed.
"Slowly, slow and slow, slowly," The man wiggled his fingers as he coaxed Syo. "Calm down… you're getting warmer… and you're getting sleepier and sleepier…"
Hikari elbowed Masato lightly and pointed at the tissue boxes and he grabbed a few for her. Both looked over and saw Syo with his head drooping. Both shared curious looks before turning back to her feet.
"Okay, you went to sleep, yes…?"
"Not at all." Syo said so flatly that Masato had to cover her mouth to prevent her laughter. "How could I fall asleep with all this?! You've gotta be kidding me! Jeez, get real! In the first place..."
The blond cut off with his head drooping again and Saotome quickly continued, brushing it off. "Okay, okay, okay… you have fallen asleep. Now we're going to go deep, deep into your memories. Right now, you're three years old… you're on a ferris wheel… Are you feeling scared?"
Syo mumbled. "I… ain't… scared… it's fun…"
"Alright… and now you're four years old…"
"So… fun…"
"Okay, now you're five years old…"
Hikari and Masato looked up when they didn't hear anything. Her brows furrowed when she saw Syo's face was scrunched up and sweat slid down, trembling.
"Is it fun on the ferris wheel?"
Fists clenching, Syo began screaming.
Masato started and jerked on the bandage to a tight degree and she yanked her heel back at the sudden pain. She squawked and flailed on the stool, hand catching something as she fell. It went down with her.
"Syo, why would you go to an obvious dead end with Natsuki after you?" Hikari gave up on honorifics, face smooshed against Masato's shoulder as he put her out of the room. Tomochika had taken her shoes, so she was forced to being carried, especially after accidentally taking the tallest blond with her. 'My poor ribs…'
"I… I… I was five?" He offered weakly, looking at her nervously.
She could only wave a fist at him before slumping against Masato. "Sorry, Masato-kun."
"Stop being reckless."
"What do you mean, you aren't going to audition?" Hikari sat beside him, looking at him with confusion. Tomochika leaned against the arm, peering at the blond.
"I thought you were cured?" The redheaded idol wondered, draping an arm around her friend.
"Why not?! Look at this!" He held the magazine from yesterday out, black nail pointing something at the bottom.
Verdant eyes looked. "'The role will be the main character's younger sister.'"
"A girl?!" Tomochika and Hikari exclaimed.
Ren chuckled humorlessly. "And it's in such small letters…"
A sigh escaped Syo. "I wanted to act alongside Hyuga-sensei."
"It's okay, Syo-chan!" Natsuki's voice boomed and Hikari felt a small buzz come from her side. She pulled out her phone and read the text, face paling as she did. "Leave it to me!"
"No way…" Syo breathed in horror. Fortunately for him, Natsuki didn't get a chance as a strangled screech left Hikari.
"Hi-Hikari?!" Masato half asked, half called. She simply held the phone out to him as she covered her face. "Ah."
"Ah? Ah?!" She repeated looking at him in horror. "Shiori-nee signed me up to audition! And Ryuya-sensei knows me, so I can't skip it or give less than my best!"
"Hikari," Syo caught her by the shoulders, forcing the girl to look at him. "You have to do it. For me."
She stared at him blankly. "Eh?"
"I'll owe you a favor, another one if you pass the auditions." He blanched at the suddenly intense look on her face, squeaking when she grabbed his collar and pulling him close.
"You mean that?"
"Ye-yes…"
"I want that in writing," she growled before releasing him, instead taking her phone back and dialing.
"Hello?" Came her cousin's slightly rough voice.
"Unnie," Hikari greeted, feeling her body tensing as she continued. "Where am I supposed to go?"
There was a beat and Hikari quickly held her phone upwards.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Hikari tossed Syo a dark look. "You've gone and created a monster, I hope you realize."
The blond could only stare in shock at the phone.
A smile formed as Hikari looked through the polaroids her grandmother had sent her, ignoring the way her happy cousin was blowing up her phone. Instead, she flipped through a picture album, sticking the photos in as she sat in the grass, Akuma resting on her bag. Feeling a bit snippy, she showed him a picture of her baby alpaca. "Look at him, isn't he a cutie? And he's getting close to his first shearing!"
She couldn't help wiggling. Camel was also getting ready for his second trim and her grandmother mentioned that she may be able to make her something out of the fur. Most likely a scarf from Camel and a jumper from Llama… either way, she couldn't wait!
"Oi, Hikari!" The girl looked up, smiling slightly with Syo coming to a stop beside her.
"Syo-kun, what's up?" She slid the last few photos into the album.
"You wanted it in writing, right?" He held out three papers in front of her.
Hikari raised a brow. "Why a third?"
"For if you need a distraction from or for your cousin," Syo smiled at her hesitantly. "After hearing her shriek…"
She waved a hand, viewing the papers. "She's also been blowing up my phone, but I don't mind it too much. And I read through the script…"
Syo tilted his head as he sat beside her, curious. "You did?"
"Yeah, I was the only girl unafraid of heights, which meant I got the role right away… the character may not have a lot of speaking parts, a lot of action parts. Guess I should be glad nee-chan usually dragged me to her lessons." Her face grimaced and she slumped back to stare at the clouds after putting the papers in her bag (Hikari ignored the growl she got from Akuma). "They weren't fun, let me tell you, the lessons."
He chuckled and she noticed he looked at the album. She simply passed it over to him. "Don't ruin it."
Looking at her in surprise, Syo turned his head and flipped the book open carefully. Just going through a few pages (she could hear when he turned a page), he was making noises of awe. "Who took these?"
"My gran, she has a love for polaroids."
The air filled with natural noises, Hikari's eyes closing and starting to doze off when she heard Syo begin to sing softly, a bit hesitant.
"(If I'm a man, I'll let this love burn…)
(If I'm a man, I'll protect this love…)
(For this love alone gives me power!)
In a world hazed by dust clouds, In the farthest ends of a wasteland,
A heart burns with passion! Burning shot!
These feelings that no one can stop
Have turned into fists!
A glimmer of tears, and a glimmer of stars
Lalala… With a song, the healing night is also here.
But my heart still roars!
100's not enough! Go forth with 1000%!
(Full throttle chivalrous spirit!)
Nobody stands before me, because they don't know what to do!
They don't want to bear
The burn from my wrath…!
There are ten billion that exist under this sky.
If the tomorrow I protect is within this chest,
I can shout out without hesitating,
"Full throttle chivalrous spirit! Let's Go! Fight!"
Let's live like we want to without regrets!
Heros make the history! Shining soul!
Replace weapons with love! Let's start running!
Aim for the dawn!
A glimmer of the future, a glimmer of the morning sun,
Ulala… A song becomes a light
And change into flames.
100's not enough! Burst forth with 1000%!
(Full throttle chivalrous spirit!)
Let's go together, come with me! The wind can become our power!
With fighting spirit and courage,
Come on! Tear down the walls!
Our desire, stronger than a bolt of lightning,
Will create our path!
Let your soul tremble!
"Full throttle chivalrous spirit! Let's go! Fight!"
Nobody stands before me, because they don't know what to do!
They don't want to bear
The burn from my wrath…!
There are ten billion that exist under this sky.
If the tomorrow I protect is within this chest,
I can shout out without hesitating,
"Full throttle chivalrous spirit! Let's Go! Fight!"
Justice is everything!
"Full throttle chivalrous spirit! Let's Go! Fight!""
Hikari let out a low hum in her throat. "Those are nice lyrics."
The boy almost screeched, flinching away from her as she looked up at him. "Y-y-you were awake!?"
"Mm. Almost dozed off." Hikari sat up and rubbed her face, squinting slightly. "Is that what you came up with when you heard about the audition?"
"I-uh-kinda?" His cheeks were a bit pink and he was focused hard on the pictures. "I mean, sort of."
"It sounded nice," she offered, smiling when his cheeks darkened further. "And you know, the directors said if the movie goes well, they'll probably make a sequel."
"Really?" Syo perked up and looked at her. He grinned at her nod. "So I might get a chance with Hyuga-sensei…"
"You don't act like a fan when you're around him, do you?" She raised a brow at his hesitance. "A lot of celebrities don't really like that kinda thing, prefer people to just act normal around them."
"Are your relatives like that?"
She nodded. "Yep. It's why they all go batty if that happens. Kinda why we have a lot of interns at the agency, for distraction purposes."
He choked slightly. "Seriously?"
"They get paid well," Hikari shrugged lightly.
"That's insane…"
"Fans are more insane… actually…" Sticking a hand in her bag, she pulled her phone out and opened her calendar. "Kai-baka and his group are coming to the main branch in town for a recording at the end of our second month here, same day as our free day and a bit after the last of my film shots…" Her lips pursed. "I wonder if he planned that?"
"Why do you make it sound like a conspiracy?" Syo asked, amused.
"It's always a conspiracy, especially if Oyaji is involved."
He could only laugh at her petulant expression.
Song is from S1E5 "Otokogi Zenkai Go! Fight!" (why is Syo hard to write?)