A/N
...I can't believe it took me this long just to write this chapter... It doesn't really feel up to scratch either... I'm hoping to end the daily life arc in the next 2 or 3 chapters and then move on to the where the action starts, kay?
Akayuki Sawada: Thanks for the review! I think I'll probably integrate the whole idea into the story instead. Hehe, Kai's just really good with animals~
hitomi65: Thanks for reviewing!
KiraLoveless: Aww, thanks, I love little Celica too~ (wish I could have finished this sooner... I wanted that strawberry T_T )
Uniquemangelover: Thanks for the review! Kawaii ne~
KyoRina97: Thanks for reviewing! Yes, don't worry, the sun guardian is male. I'm trying to deviate away from the whole harem thing with the next 2 guardians...
Samishiikaku: Hello! XD thanks for the review! hehe, Kai as a puppy! I picture him more as a little black cat though. And Kasumi as a bird of some kind... or a butterfly for some reason
Guest: Thanks for reviewing! I was watching K-on when I started writing this so yeah (music is just an underlying theme really). At first I had no idea how you managed to relate Takumi to Ryohei... but then I thought "oh yeah they both have white hair..." but in case you didn't notice, they have different last names... As for "Chaos" READ THE MANGA AND WITNESS ADULT REBORN IN HIS FULL ON BADASSERY! And thanks for reviewing the Prelude too! Try re-reading it... do not skim read please... if you're still confused afterwards then I'll see what I can do to fix it up.
btw, there's a song in here! It's called "Kocchi Muite Baby" by Hatsune Miku~ (I put in an English translation too, but it's probably not very accurate...)
End Notes
Merda, I can't believe how often I get into situations that make you go "Just how the hell did I end up here!?" Seriously though… Why am I standing up on a stage with my guitar, and ready to play in a band that was formed like ten minutes ago…? The members of said band being Azusa-san (on drums), Sumi-chan (on vocals) and Yuki-sempai (playing guitar too)…
Reborn-Sensei is really an expert on manipulating people… and animals… and lifeless objects... and pretty much anything and everything that has even the slightest possibility of being manipulated… Holy shizzles! That's such a terrifying thought!
"Dafuq is 'shizzles' supposed to mean?"
"F*** you cazzo! There are small children in the bloody audience! I won't be responsible for teaching them any more damn swear words!" I snap back in Italian.
"Yes… that's some great 'role model' work there…"
"Damn straight."
Well anyways…
I think one of the weirdest things about this situation is the fact we're performing at a circus… Come on, since when do bands play at circuses!? Who the diamine decided it would be a good idea to hold a "battle of the bands" type competition at the freaking circus!? Are they out of their damn minds?
Sigh, and today started off relatively normal too (you know, as normal as you can get with a sadistic mafia hitman as your home tutor). So much has happened in the span of about three hours. Heck, I could probably write a short novella on just the events of this morning.
"…Novella… really?"
"Hey, I read! I know words!" Cazzo, mocking my vocabulary… "And stop interrupting my thoughts!" Some people walking passed are giving me weird looks now…
…And I have to perform in front of these people too… I try not to think about it and check over my guitar again. Honestly now, just how the diamine did I get here!?
Let's see now…
For once Sensei had decided I didn't have to go out for an extremely early morning tortu— I mean, tutoring session. So I was able to rest in bed for a few extra hours before getting ready to go and meet everybody. Yesterday, Masamune had left for a week long training camp with the basketball club.
He looked pretty happy to be going this year; probably thinks he'll be free of Sensei for the week. I highly doubt that though. Sensei will definitely find some way to mess with him there… and the entire basketball team too. Well, it's none of my concern.
So, after a relatively quiet breakfast (which lacked a certain sadist tutor), I went back upstairs and grabbed my wallet and IPod and was out the door before Katerina could even register I was leaving. I met Sumi-chan, Kai and Tsubaki at the front gate (Kai looked about ready to murder Sumi-chan). We left before any weapons were pulled out.
We were about halfway there when I realised there was a cat in my pocket… Wow, that's something I hadn't ever pictured myself saying… Anyway, Celica had somehow managed to sneak into my pocket without me noticing. I'm guessing that Japanese cats must the descendants of cats who were the pets of ninjas…
It was too late to take her all the way back home, plus Tsubaki utterly adored her so we just brought her along. I hope she'll be alright with all the noise and carrying on that goes on at the circus. But then again, she'd probably better off with me than suffering in Katerina's presence…
It wasn't even five minutes later when I realised there was a lizard on my shoulder… Wow, that's an incredibly creepy thought, just going for a walk and discovering a random lizard on your shoulder… Ugh, I shudder at the very thought… Luckily for me, said lizard was neither creepy nor random. Um well, I guess finding Leon on my shoulder was kinda random…
Guess Reborn-sensei must have left him with me again. Just what the hell is that guy planning? Err, no, forget I said that… I'd rather not know…
Okay… So, after we finally arrived at the circus Kai disappeared off to who knows where; most likely to find some rule breakers to bite to death. Sumi-chan, Tsubaki, Celica and I then went off to find Yuki-sempai and Azusa-san. We found them fairly easily (mostly because Azusa-san was yelling loudly and Sempai was laughing).
They had mixed reactions to Celica… Sempai seemed to like her, though she admitted to being more of a dog person, and Celica seemed okay with her. Though, it was more like an "I will tolerate you, but don't touch me" kind of feeling. With Azusa-san… well, I can't really tell if the two of them were getting along or not…
Azusa-san tried to hide it, but you could easily tell she loves cats. Celica let her touch her, but then it somehow turned into a scratch fest… Then Azusa-san started yelling which led to more scratching (and a bit of hissing)… I guess they don't really get along after all. I'm just glad I only get bites… Well, after that we set off again.
First we watched the parade, which was kinda crowded and I got pushed around a lot, but at least we managed to not get separated. I noticed there were quite a few young kids performing in this circus. The one that stood out the most to me was the little acrobat girl with the green hair. She looked to be about Tsubaki's age, but she was really good!
I wondered if she was gonna be in the main show, but I didn't really dwell on it much at the time. Tsubaki pretty much dragged me away to look at the animals they had (actually she just wanted to see the "carnivores").
I don't even want to talk about what happened with the lions… let's just say I won't be taking Tsubaki to the zoo. Ever… those poor lions would be traumatised (plus I'd probably get bitten to death by Kai for letting her get anywhere near those ferocious animals). Circus lions are nothing like my Padre's pet lion, Natsu.
It was around the time we stopped to get some snacks that we ran into someone I hadn't seen for ages.
"Eh? Sawada-san?" At first I didn't really register that someone was talking to me exactly (well, no actually calls me Sawada…), but I still looked up at the sound of my name (it's a natural response).
The very first thing I saw were the goggles, then it was the white hair. "Huh? Takumi-kun!?" I really wasn't expecting to run into him here; in fact I hadn't really thought much about him since that time at the weirdo fair with Katerina…
"A friend of yours?" Sempai asks.
"Um… yeah, kinda…" I reply awkwardly. I barely know the guy, but I guess we sort of get along well enough to be friends.
Takumi-kun gets all flustered when everyone's attention turns to him. He looks down, red in the face, "I-I'm Oshima T-Takumi desu. Y-yoroshiku."
As expected, the over-friendly baseball nut was quick to return the greeting, "Haha, hi! I'm Mizuno Yuki!"
"Allaire Kasumi. It's nice to meet you." Sumi-chan said coolly, neither looking happy nor unhappy about meeting him.
"Humph. Gokudera Azusa. Remember it wimp." Azusa-san glared at Takumi and he shuddered fearfully. Can't say I blame him, she can be freaking intimidating.
Tsubaki gave him the traditional Hibari family glare and muttered her name really quietly. Takumi-kun looked like he was gonna cry… I think that Tsubaki might be the most intimidating person here…
"Chaos." I stand corrected… Sensei is definitely the most intimidating person everywhere…
"Ciaossu, Sensei." Ah, wrong greeting. That's getting to be a habit lately. "I thought you were torturing— I mean, training Masamune." and all his friends too. I add silently.
Sensei merely smirked as he pet Leon. Wait. When did Leon get from my shoulder onto his hand!? Ugh, never mind… the laws of physics and stuff never work when Reborn-sensei is involved. He probably just used his secret ninja powers… yeah, let's go with that.
"Hehe, little Takumi-kun looks like a scared bunny rabbit~."
"Oi, oi… please don't scare away my only normal friend…" I mutter with a sigh. I would seriously like someone normal to talk to once in a while.
Sensei smirked… the kind of smirk that he has whenever one of his plans is about to unfold… I suddenly have the urge to run as far away as possible… But I'd never make it passed him. Sigh, this is probably going ti be a painful experience…
The next thing I know, we're all standing near a small outdoor stage apparently about to perform in a band. The thing that shocked me the most was the fact that my guitar was here… He went into my room when I wasn't there and stole my guitar! MY GUITAR!
I had to thoroughly check it over just to make sure he hasn't done anything weird to my precious baby… By the way, he also brought Sempai's guitar and Azusa's drum kit. How does he even know where they live…? And since he didn't bring anything of Sumi-chan's, does that mean he doesn't know where she lives…? I can't even tell which is weirder…
"…Why are we here again…?" I asked, hoping I might actually get a semi-straight answer.
"Of course, you're to win first prize in this Battle of the Bands contest." He said it so smoothly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Eeehhh!?" Takumi and I scream at the same time.
"Haha what a fun sounding game!" Sempai… how could you possibly see this as a game…?
"I've never performed in this kind of band before. I'm so excited for this!" Sumi-chan… why are you agreeing to this straight away…?
"I-it can't be helped. Y-you guys w-would be c-c-completely lost without m-me!" Azusa-san… why are you making it sound like you're doing us a favour by joining…?
Tsubaki tugs my sleeve to get my attention, "Small animal… Ganbatte…" Ah… you too huh?
Why is everyone just going along with this sadist's plans!? "Impossible! Absolutely no way!" I shout, shaking my head and waving my hands rapidly.
Sensei tilts down his fedora and chuckles, "Stop being such a wimp Dame Sora. Are you a man or not?" Just what are you implying here…?
"EEEHH!? SAWADA-SAN YOU'RE A GUY!?" Takumi-kun suddenly yells.
I felt like his words just stabbed me, "Really? I hadn't noticed…" I think I might actually cry here…
Takumi-kun goes beet red and collapses to his knees, "I can't believe this!" I'm the one who can't believe this! Why must everyone I meet think I'm a freaking girl!?
"Ahahahaha! Looks like someone had a little crush on you~!"
"I can't help being born beautiful." I deadpan. Seriously, I'm so done with this type of bullshit that I can't even bring any emotion into my voice.
"Now that that's all sorted, it's time to get backstage. You're up next." Sensei says nonchalantly and heads to the backstage entrance.
"Wait a minute! I never agreed to this!" Why won't anybody ever listen to me!?
"I listen to you."
"Sorry… that isn't really making me feel any better here…"
…And here we are again, getting ready to perform… Takumi-kun somehow got roped into doing all the techie stuff. You know lights, sound, cables, flippy switches… all that jazz. There's another guy back there helping him, but he looks really weird… I'm not even going to go into detail about his, um, "unique" style….
Ugh, I suddenly feel like throwing up... My stomach is in knots from nervousness. Seriously, I've never performed in front of so many people before! Heck, the biggest audience I've ever had is when Kai and I would perform for Yuuka Kaa-san and Tsubaki! We haven't even had time to practice the damn song we're supposed to be performing!
I only know the lead guitar bit of the song too! What if I screw up? No, that's a given… I guess I'll just play my bit and hope for the best. The audience might not even notice if I screw up since there's a whole band playing. Hopefully they'll be more focused on Sumi-chan's singing to notice me…
Gulping nervously, I adjust my microphone (why do I need it again?). "Nervous?" Sumi-chan's sudden question nearly gives me a heart attack.
"Ah! Eh? J-just a l-little bit…" A reply awkwardly while rubbing the back of my head.
"Me too," She says with a smile and holds up the sheet music. "I've never really sung a song like this before, though I've performed in a few concerts; I was a pianist though."
"T-that so…?"
"Is she only just now learning the song?" …Are we gonna be okay…?
"Hahaha! Don't worry! Everything'll be just fine!" Yuki-sempai laughs happily as she tunes up her guitar. Wow, I wish I could have that kind of confidence… How does she manage to stay so damn happy all the time?
"W-w-what? Y-y-you guys are n-nervous? Ha! W-what amateurs!" Azusa-san stutters, looking about ten times more nervous than me. She's trembling so much even her drums are shaking…
But if I tried to comfort her she'd probably hit me or throw something at me… or both… "Um… I'm so nervous because… err… will probably mess up a lot… so…" Argh, why can't I think of anything good to say!
"It's all good Cielo!" Sempai grins. "If you mess up then we'll cover you!"
"That's right!" Sumi-chan agrees smiling mysteriously like normal.
"I-it can't be helped. I'll lend you a h-hand if you screw up." Well, at least Azusa-san sounds a little bit more confident.
"…Thanks…" I murmur in response. Hang on; my Reborn Senses are tingling… Turning around I find him standing right behind me (dang this guy is stealthy).
"You're up now." He smirks evilly.
"Eeeh!? Now!?" I'm not mentally prepared yet!
"Yes now. Get going Dame Sora." He gives me a shoves towards the mike and disappears into thin air before I can complain.
Merda, where did all these people come from!? I swear they weren't there a second ago! I gulp nervously and look to the others. They offer me their own anxious smiles (some more anxious than others…) and turn to listen to the commentator guy as he introduces us. Wait… Bands have names right? What in Dio's name did Sensei put as our name!?
"Let's have a big warm welcome to 'XI Vongola Kids'!"
…Really…?
"You should have seen that coming." Yeah, I guess I should have…
Once the, um, introduction is over and done with we dive straight into the song. Ugh, I can see a few kids from my school in the crowd, and hear shouts of "Dame Sora" too… Sigh, I just want this to be over and done with…
Azusa-san counts us in.
"One Two. One two three, yeah!"
Then Sumi-chan takes over the vocals.
"Tsuyogatte baka de nanka (Just acting tough all the time)
Sonshiteru kigasuru datte sou jan (feels like I'm losing, well isn't that right?)
Ienai you na koto ga shitai no (I want to do things we can't talk about)
Anna koto toka (Like those sorts of things)
Yada... donna koto? (No way… What things?)
Otoko tte baka bakka ne (Really, guys are all such idiots)
Hen na koto ima kangaeta desho (You thought of something dirty didn't you?)
Kimi tte uso ga tsukenai taipu (You're the type that can't lie)
Daibu kao ni deteru Are you ok? (It's showing clearly on your face, are you okay?)
Joujoushakuryou no yochi nashi (With no room for exceptions)
Marude ohanashi ni naranai wa yeah (Its' like we can't' even talk about it, yeah~)
Soudai na roman kataru mae ni (Before we talk about some great romance)
Genjou bunseki dekiteru? (Have you properly assessed the situation?)
Aah! kimi tte donkan" (Ah! You're so dense!)
I kinda lost myself in the song once we started. The music just flowed easily, as if we'd done this dozens of times before. Sumi-chan's voice is sweet and she has a really high range too. The audience seems to have been stunned into silence, but then started to move and clap by the time we reached the chorus.
"Nee (Hey)
Chanto kocchi muite Baby (Make sure you look this way baby)
NO nante iwasenai wa (I won't let you say NO)
Honki moodo nanda kara (I'm in serious mode this time!)
Omowazu mitorechau purupuru kuchibiru de (With my captivating, kissable lips)
Kimi o toriko ni suru no (I'm going to make you my slave)
Kyou koso shoubu nandesu!" (Today too, I'll take you on!)
"Ah! Come on Baby! Aaaaaaaah~!"
I spot Tsubaki and Kai near the front (Celica is squirming a little in Tsubaki's grasp). Somehow I feel more confident now, especially since the audience is really getting into it.
"Ijibatte bakka de nanka (Just being stubborn all the time)
Shoujiki ni narenai shouganai jan (I can't be honest, there's no helping it)
Ushiro kara gyutteshite hoshii no (I want to hug me tightly from behind)
Nante ne ehehe (Just kidding! Ehehe)
...tte chotto matte!? (Hey, wait a second!)
Aserasenaide mattaku (Don't rush me like that, geez)
Souiu no tte motto muudo toka aru desho (you need to create the mood for it first right?)
Konna kimochi ni saseteoite (I won't let you give me these kinds of feelings)
Hotto kareru nante yurusanai (and then leave me hanging)
Mou! sekinin totte?" (Geez! Take responsibility already!)
"Nee (hey)
Chotto kocchi muite Baby (Just look this way a bit baby)
NO nante iwasenai wa (I won't let you say NO)
Sono ki ni saserunda kara (Because I'll put you in the mood)
Omowazu ogamitakunaru you na omiashi de (With these legs that must be worshipped)
Kimi o toriko ni suru no (I'll make you my slave!)
Deredere shinaide yo" (so don't get all shy on me)
You can't tell that Sumi-chan had just learnt this song recently; she sings it so perfectly! Everyone looks like they're having fun. Heck, I'm having fun too. I always loved playing my guitar… Before I even realise it, we're at the last verse.
"Kotoba ja tsutawannai (Word can't convey)
Ookina ookina haato maaku (this huge, huge heart mark)
Dou shiyou mune ga kyuntoshite (What do I do? My chest is tightening)
Nannimo kangaerannai (I just can't think clearly)
Uu... kimi tte yatsu wa" (Uu… guys like you are just...!)
"Nee (hey)
Motto kocchi muite Baby (Look this way more baby)
Nandomo iwasenaide (Don't make me repeat myself)
Watashi mou shiranainda kara (Because I even care anymore)
Omowazu kamacchaitakunaru you na no (If I start to unknowingly care about you a bit)
Mo ii kana (maybe I won't mind)
Etto ima no wa nashi nashi (Um, forget what I just said there)
Nani yo mou monku anno~" (What? You got a problem with that?)
The applause from the crowd was something else… It wasn't a really big crowd or anything, but there were people walking passed that had stopped to listen too, making it a lot bigger than when we had started. Ugh, I suddenly feel nervous all over again… At least I don't have to perform anymore.
I exchange looks with everyone; Sumi-chan gave her usual smile, Sempai grinned even more than usual and Azusa-san looked so relieved it was over… We gave one last bow and promptly left the stage. Of course, I tripped on a random wire on the way out… Luckily, I managed to spare my guitar.
I can still hear the crowd laughing… Did someone just yell "Dame Sora"? Heh, probably… Ugh, I'm so tired all of a sudden, and we've still got the rest of the circus to see! I'll bet Sensei isn't finished with us either... I don't even want to think about what he'll do if we don't win this prize… What is the prize supposed to be anyway?
Oh well, guess I'll find out soon enough…
Hehe, how was it? I'll be honest... I don't have many ideas for the next chapter and I have no idea when it'll be done... I really dunno here... I'm willing to take suggestions...
Oh yeah, I'm so close to my original goal of writing a story that gets 50 reviews! Next goal is to get 100 reviews! So review lots and lots! It makes me feel inspired to write more!
-love NyanNyan-suru