Disclaimer: I don not own Lucky Star...the distinct lack of fanservice proves this fact.
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Studio Peach.
Aoi Omori was considered childish by most of her peers. Many saw here as a girl that never really grew up. At school she was the kinda strange but still lovable nerd that got along beautifully with everyone she met but never seem to specifically belong into a single group or category. No, she was all her own, and many believed she liked it that way. Her life as an otaku started when she was five and her uncle gave her a set of original Astro Boy volumes as a christmas present and her life has stayed the course ever since.
Her own office was a clear picture of this. Her desk was pretty normal but on top of it was he personal laptop computer, it's front end covered in stickers of various anime themes. instead of the usual two office chairs on the other side of her desk reserved for visitors, she had a big, lounge style couch. On the other wall was a very large glass and metal bookshelf. one-third of the bookshelf had actual books. The other two-thirds were her rather impressive collection of manga and anime figurines and assembled mecha model kits.
In the anime business, her talent for picking up other people's talents were well respected and no sooner did she start out her career in the industry did she know that she was destined for the job of a producer. Gathering all the right people with all the right skills to where they needed to be in order to create a masterpiece. Just what a budding new animation studio needed in this very competitive market.
Aoi sat in her office looking though some paperwork when the knock came at her door. She looked up from her papers and called out loud for whoever was knocking to come in. The door opened and the familiar sight of Kagami in her school uniform peeked her head inside.
"Umm, I hope I'm not interrupting, Omori-san," said Kagami with the utmost politeness.
Aoi couldn't help but find humor in the girl's almost perpetual tact. She motioned for the high school girl to come in and have a seat. Kagami complied and took a seat at the couch then gave the room a once-over. Oh, yeah, she thought, Konata-chan would love it here.
"Just got back from recording?" said Aoi to break the ice. "How was it?"
"Um, yes. It went great, Omori-san."
"Oh, come now, Kagami-chan. Use my first name. It's not like were strangers are we?"
"Uh, sure Omo--Aoi-san."
Aoi stifled a giggle. Alright, fine. Let's just let her warm up. Aoi had wanted her to drop the suffix but she guess Kagami was just raised too properly for that. She remembered that when Kagami passed her employee admission form, she mentioned there that her father was a priest and she, her mother, and her sisters worked as shrine maidens. Yup, definitely a stereotypically proper background.
"How's work treating you, by the way? Nothing major to report, right? No big problems?"
"No, nothing at all. I actually like working here."
"I can see that. And the other crew have been giving me some encouraging feedback about your work. They say your natural acting skills are a cut above most people."
Kagami's face turned a shade of red. "That's, um, good to know."
"And yet oh so humble," said Aoi.
"Excuse me?"
Aoi seemed surprised at that. "Huh? Wait, did I say that out loud? Hehehe. Sorry, I was thinking out loud."
Kagami turned a few more shades of red.
Aoi was quite humored. "Tetsuya-kun was right. You really do need to open up more."
At the mention of a certain boy's name, Kagami's expression noticeably changed. "Oh what does he know? All that guy does is point out my flaws like he's making a shopping list. I mean, what am I supposed to do. Is he doing just that? Making a shopping list? Is there a secret personality store out there somewhere where I can shop for all that stuff. I would love to know where it is if only to get that guy of my case. I mean, granted he does give me great advice and has helped tremendously with my voice-acting but if he really wants me to be more productive he could at least try to--"
Kagami had to stop herself short when she noticed that Aoi was staring at her. She then realized that she was ranting...all at the mention of Tetsuya's name. Her face turned a few dozen shades of crimson, so much that she almost glowed. A few tense seconds of silence as Aoi tried but failed miserably to stifle her laughter.
"You're just something else, Kagami-chan," said Aoi. "So what was it that you came in here for?"
Kagami snapped up. "Um, well...I actually came here to ask about Tetsuya-kun."
A wry smirk formed on Aoi's face. "Really now...?"
Kagami tried not to get any redder. "Um, I just wanna get to know him better because...well, I need to know how to deal with him sometimes."
Aoi leaned forward on her desk. "I see...Alright. First tell me what you know."
"I know his dad is gone and I've already met his mom and little sister. He lives in a small apartment near here and that he usually goes to his family's home during the weekends. That's about it."
"Mmm-hmm. And what do you wanna know about him more of?"
"Well, I guess I'd like to know how he got this job."
"Okay, let me tell you about that. You see, he started here about three years ago. At the time he was enrolled in a high school in close to this are. I forgot the name of it but was the same school his parents studied at. As a student he sought a bit of independence and started job hunting in the middle of his first year. At first it was the usual stuff: restaurant cashier, store clerk, odd jobs by the government like...counting traffic.
"By the start of his second year, Studio Peach was just getting its legs up in the business and I was desperately searching for new talent and well..."
"Tetsuya-kun applied for a job here?"
"Well not exactly..."
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Three years ago
It was the middle of a Saturday morning in the city and inside a small 24 hour diner near the train station a very depressed-looking Aoi was drowning her in sorrows in...coffee (It was morning and she was supposed to be at work, of course it wouldn't be alcohol.) Her waiter. a slightly younger-looking Tetsuya was bringing her her fifth cup of caffe latte. he was a bit curious on why she had her had down on the able. With all that caffeine, you'd think she would jumping all over the place.
"Here's your coffee miss," he said lazily.
Aoi suddenly sprang up like a mousetrap in reverse. Tetsuya nearly spilled the hot drink on the saucer.
"Thank you, my boy! I was waiting for this," said Aoi, taking the cup before Tetsuya could put down the saucer on the table. Aoi drank half the cup in one gulp, ignoring the high temperature. Tetsuya was starting to look worried.
"Hey, are you sure you shouldn't cut back on the caffeine already?"
"Oh, I'll be fine!" exclaimed Aoi, managing to sound both depressed and hyper. "Besides, you look like you could use some as well! You look like you're pretty tired yourself."
"Well, I'm ten minutes away from finishing my night shift. Can't wait for that clock to chime at nine."
"What?! It's almost nine?!" Aoi shouted out Tetsuya jumped and so did about half the other diners there. Tetsuya pointed to a digital clock on the wall which showed the time to be 8:51 am. Upon seeing that, Aoi went deeper into depression. "Oh great! I was supposed to be in the office by eight! Now I'm late for work and have nothing to show for it! This day sucks!"
Aoi slammed her head back down onto the table in defeat. Tetsuya sweat-dropped. "Yeah, well...I guess we all have those days."
"Where the heck am I gonna find new talents now? Everyone I was in contact with suddenly decided they'd rather go to other places. All this because my studio is new! Why can't people take more risks in life?"
Aoi continued to sulk into tablecloth. Just then, another waiter popped his head out of the kitchen and gave Tetsuya a look. Tetsuya noticed and sighed exasperatingly, knowing what was coming. "Oi Tetsuya!" called out the other guy. "When the heck are you gonna take out the damn trash."
Tetsuya took a moment to readjust his expression and tone of voice then replied to the other waiter in a voice that leaked of murdorous intent. "I'll take out the trash when it becomes my job and not yours!"
The other waiter took a step back in fear and sweated a little. Aoi, upon hearing the exchange, stopped sulking and suddenly looked up at Tetsuya with interest. At that moment, an older gentleman who seemed to be the diner's manager came out another door. "Is there a problem here, guys? I thought I heard someone growling."
All of the hosility in Tetsuya's face disappeared instantly and was replaced by a bright expression. His voice went a few dozen pitches higher as he replied "Oh, nothing is wrong sir. Everything is fine."
The sudden and fluid change in Tetsuya's voice was instantly caught by Aoi who was now greatly interested in the boy. Slowly she was putting stuff together in her mind and planning out scenarios. Oh, yes, she thought, this could work. The manager of the diner turned to look at the other waiter with a stern glare as if to say "get back to your job." The other waiter did just that and went back into the kitchen supposedly to take out the trash. Then the manager turned back to Tetsuya.
"Tetsuya, it's just about your quittin' time," he said. "You can pick up your stuff and go home. Good work today."
"Thank you, sir!" said Tetsuya still maintaining that upbeat tone that almost sounded goofy.
The manager went back into his office and the second the door shut, Tetsuya went back to his normal, aggravated, self. "Man, 'bout time for me to leave. I really need to find a better place than this."
Tetsuya stared to walk away when he was suddenly stopped by something pulling on the back of his apron. "Hm?"
Tetsuya turned back to see it was Aoi's hand grabbing the back strap of his apron, holding him in place. Five seconds ago, he rembered her depressed and sulking. Now she had a look that is usually reserved for villains in manga and anime. It made the boy swallow nervously and sweat-drop when Aoi's eye seemed to sparkle with intention.
"That was some good acting there," said Aoi.
"Um...thanks?"
"Hey...You wouldn't happen to be looking for a different job now would you?"
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Back at the present.
"--and the rest is history," concluded Aoi with a proud grin.
Kagami sweat-dropped. She had this feeling of deja vu. "I hope you don't recruit all your talents like that, Aoi-san."
"Well, anything to avoid all that red tape."
"So he's been industry for three years already. Was he that talented when he started out?"
"Not really. Actually he was like you. It took him a while to get the hang of things but once he did, there's no denying he's one of the better talents in this industry. And I see the same potential in you, Kagami-chan. And, so does Tetsuya, most likely. Probably why he's so interested in you."
The blood returned to Kagami's face. "He's not interested in me!"
Aoi laughed it off. "Oh, how would you know?"
"I just...I just do, ok?"
"You tsunderes are really alike. I guess that's why you're here. You're asking about Tetsuya because you want to know more about him. And since Tetsuya hardly ever opens up to others, you wanna find out a way to get him to show more of his true feeling, huh? Something to show what his true personality is like, right?"
Kagami's blush thickened.
Aoi was really having fun now. "Okay then. I'll help you."
Kagami looked up with wide eyes. "Really?"
"I've seen the way he acts around you. I also think it's time he get's a taste of his own medicine. Don't worry, we'll get that guy to open up. And I know just the way to do it."
"You do? What's that?"
Aoi smirked with a twinkle in her eye. She opened a drawer on her desk and picked up a couple of binders from it. She took one and tossed it towards Kagami. Kagami caught the binder and checked the outside of it. It was a plain red plastic cover with no label. She opened the binder and read the first page inside.
Kagami's eyes widened. She turned the page and they widened a bit more. Aoi saw that she was getting the picture. Having known Tetsuya for a while, she knew his one true weakness in this industry. She and Kagami are so gonna hit him where it stings him the most.
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A little later that day.
Tetsuya was casually making his way across the main lobby with the intent of walking out of the main doors and taking his sweet time walking to his apartment building a few blocks down the road. It had been a packed day, more than usual. He spent most of the day recording but nearly all of his free time was taken away by invites to audition for certain roles. All day, he read script after script and followed endless instruction form directors on lowering or increasing pitch, giving it more feeling, using different dialects, and so on. After a hectic day of recording it was the best plan he thought of all day: go home. He could already see it, the rotating main doors of the building. They were almost inviting.
He was almost there, just a few more steps. He could almost feel the wind from the outside and the unmistakable smell of car exhaust in his nose. The sweet smell of freedom, he decided. He was reaching out his hand to touch the glass of the doors, hoping to feel its cool, smooth texture. A little push though those doors and he can finally--
"Shimakage-kun~n~n~n~n!"
The said boy damn near fell on the glass when his name was called out. He turned around to see that already familiar sailor uniform. Kagami was skipping towards him with a smile plastered to her face. Tetsuya noted it to be unusually unsettling to see her like that,
Kagami stopped right in front of him. "Shimakage! I'm glad I caught you."
"That makes one of us," he said. "What do you need, Hiiragi-san?"
Kagami seemed unaffected by the offhanded comment. "You see, I'm up for a new role and I was already given the new script."
Tetsuya raised an eyebrow. "A new role? Wow, you're moving up in the world, aren't you?"
"Ain't it great? Anyway, they gave me the script to practice but I find it hard to do so since my character has a lot of scenes with another character. I really can't practice those kinds of scenes alone without a partner. So I was hoping..."
"...You want me to practice with you?"
Kagami shot him one of those puppy-dog looks. "Just one scene, please. Just enough to prepare me for rehearsals."
Looking down at her wide, sparkly, pleading eyes, Tetsuya found his eyes started twitching slightly. Kagami didn't seem to notice this, or at least was not minding it. Kagami continued to beg him with her stare, Tetsuya's brain was sending alarms to him that said this situation didn't feel all that kosher.
"Does it have to be me?" he finally asked.
Kagami put on an upset face. The kind of face that sends the message that you just committed some deadly sin and are going to spend a thousand years in hell to redeem it.
"Hmmmm. You know, you're the one who's always tutoring me even when I don't ask for it. I thought you'd like to know how good I was getting by practicing some lines with me. Or do you think I'm not worth it."
Tetsuya's heart rate went up a beat or two. His brow started producing a very thin film of sweat. Damn women and they feminine psychology. No way he could refuse her now.
"I guess...If it's just one scene I could practice with you."
Kagami beamed instantly. "That's great! Thanks, Tetsuya-kun!"
Tetsuya's eye twitched again. When did she start calling him by his first name? That was when another question popped into his head. One that he knew he probably should've asked a little earlier. "Um, what's the role anyway? What's the production?"
As if on cue, Kagami produced a red covered binder and handed it to the curious boy. He took it and turned to the first page. His eyes widened so much it almost pushed his glasses of his face. He looked up from the binder to look at Kagami as if to see if she was serious. The high school girl simply gave him an innocent smiling face that he was sure he saw in a nightmare somewhere.
This was gonna be a painful afternoon.
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Author's note: Not much going on here But I decided to save the rest for next chapter. As usual, pls. R&R. I love hearing everyone's opinion even if it's not all positive all the time. I realize that you guys have your own opinions on how this story should go but please remember that I'm writing the characters as I envisioned them and as close to how I feel they would act if they were real. I know I've been beating up Kagami a lot lately but it's not because I hate her. I believe it's the only way I can capture her true charm. Same goes with Tetsuya. I know he seems a bit mean but I still think He's way more realistic than a stereotypical prince-charming wannabe. And besides, That's not his true personality, being mean and all.
Well, that's how I feel about the characters anyway. Feel free to tell me your opinion on this.