"Heeey, Yuu-chaaaan."
"I said, hey, Yuu-chan! Let's take a look at the concert. I'm bored." Lavi looked over at Kanda who closed his eyes and ignored the red-haired boy like no tomorrow. This was no surprise. They'd been together for nearly eleven years now since they met, both seven years old, at the Starving Artist Music Conservatory, where they took lessons. Kanda was taught by Froi Tiedoll, a famous violinist from England, and Lavi took lessons from a mysterious fellow called Bookman, although their teacher-student relationship was quite a violent one. If either boy made it into BOSM, they would be saying good bye to the Conservatory. However, if the time came, both teens were ready to make a decision.
"C'mon, Yuu-chan, you anti-social humbug, you!" Lavi pulled him forward to in front of the broadcasting screen. "Hey, this guy's pretty good! But why the hell does he have white hair? Oh my god, maybe he's some pervy old guy out to get my ass! No, Yuu-chan! Save me! And my butt!"
"Shut. Up. Now. Fucking Usagi. And it's Kanda. You of all people should know this by now, damn it." Kanda glared at the sheepish teen in front of him, putting his hands into his pockets.
"Whatever, Yuu-chan. But take a look at him, seriously. I can't believe he wrote a song like this! It's awesome." Lavi had never heard such a mystical, eerie song before. It chilled him to the bone, but somehow also had him flushed an anticipating more. It wasn't a very fast piece, but the notes were complex and fluttered, as if they were alive.
"It sucks. Majorly." Nevertheless, Kanda leaned in and listened for a moment. "Yep. Sucks."
"Yay, that means you like it!"
Allen stumbled, jittery, to back stage. He had no idea how he'd done because he became so immersed in the music he could perceive nothing else. He was agitated, especially so from an empty stomach, and slumped down against a wall, exhaling heavily.
"Hey, kid, you were really good." Allen looked up to see Lavi staring at him with his one eye and grinning.
"Um, thanks. And you weren't that bad yourself." He seems really nice. At least, I think he is…
"So, my name's Lavi, and him there in the corner is Yuu-chan!"
"You mean Kanda, stupid Usagi!"
"Nooo, I'm pretty sure I meant 'Yuu-chan'" Lavi shuddered. "You've got the ears of death! Seriously, we were all the way across the room."
"Go to hell. And what do you want, shorty?" Allen, who had previously been staring at Kanda, gasped.
"Err, uh," stuttered Allen, flushing. Wait a minute, "shorty"?! I'm 5'10"!! Where does he get off calling me that??
"Look," Allen began, "I'm not sh-"
"Of course you are, shorty. And what's up with the white hair? Aren't you supposed to be, like, eighteen or nineteen by now? Or maybe you're just a senile old man."
Allen gaped, mouth wide open. He couldn't believe what had happened. Yuu's music might have been amazing, but he was a freaking jerk! Lavi chucked while casting sympathetic looks. The two began to walk away when Allen shouted, "Well, at least I don't have such a feminine face I look like a girl, Yuu!"
There was silence. "Oh no he didn't!" breathed Lavi, inwardly laughing hysterically.
"Did you say what I think you said, brat?" Kanda narrowed his eyes dangerously. "One: Never. Ever. Call me 'Yuu.' It's 'Kanda,' got it? Two: You are so fucked."
Kanda began moving closer to Allen with such a fearful expression on his face several people passed out cold. True, he didn't look very girly right now. "B-bring it on!" Allen mumbled uncertainly while backing away. Lavi was tearing up now, and in something reminiscent of a nuclear explosion, he burst out howling. Both Kanda and Allen paused to look at him.
"Dude. What the fuck?" Said Kanda, only slightly afraid.
"Y-you have no idea how long it's been since someone talked back to Yuu-chan. My god, I'd be able to die happy now." Lavi smirked. "Hey, shorty, I like your guts! What's your name?"
"It's Allen. Allen Walker. And please don't call me 'shorty.'" Allen was relieved that Yuu- no, Kanda had a more mentally stable friend.
"Great to meet ya, Allen!" Lavi went to Kanda, "Hey, Yuu-chan, where are your manners, boy?"
"Che. He's nothing but a fucking Moyashi." And with that, Kanda returned to his respective emo-corner.
"What did he just call me again?" Allen was puzzled to exactly which particular language Kanda spoke. Something Asian, most likely.
"Ha, he said you were a, and I quote, 'a fucking Bean sprout.' Lovely, no?" Lavi bounced around happily, "Yuu-chan's Japanese."
Ah, that explains it. "He's such a jerkwad, too."
"Aw, he's not that bad! It just takes maybe, five, ten adjustment years to make him tolerate you. Slightly." Seeing that Allen was not appeased, Lavi continued, "But he calls everyone names! And he swears! It's really not such a big deal. I mean, he named me 'Usagi,' which means 'Rabbit.'"
Allen laughed. Lavi was an okay guy. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't find that weird. They're almost like pet names."
Lavi was about to say something else when one of the concert staff came around and whispered, "The last performer is finishing up. Please meet up down staircase B to room 305. They'll be telling you who made it and who didn't."
"Oh god, so soon?!" Everyone noticeably stiffened and began to panic, save for a few exceptions. Japanese exceptions. A-hem. Well, you get the point. Anyhow, people slowly made their way to the room. Dean Komui Lee was sitting inside, sipping steaming coffee from a mug with a pink bunny on it.
"The concert was lovely. But, alas, we cannot accept all the participants! Alright, first, I'd like to make an introduction to you all. This is my judging partner, Mister Cross Marian. He's the one whom you should poke repeatedly with flaming pitchforks and castrate because he chose to reveal the list of new students now! Everyone, give him a warm welcome."
"Hmm." Said Cross, surveying all the candidates carefully. "Most of you kinda sucked. And don't even get me started on those who plagiarized, damn it."
"LET'S BEGIN, SHALL WE?" Komui cleared his throat while casting an angry look at Cross. "There are only twenty of you, so I'll make it short and sweet. I'll be calling each of you forward and giving you either a congratulatory letter or a rejection letter with your name written on it. Those who have been rejected cannot re-take the examination. BOSM only takes students just graduated from high school."
Allen groaned, squeezing his hands together as the roll was called. He clenched his eyes closed and prayed silently to himself. "Miranda Lotto!" The curly-haired woman who cried backstage got up fearfully and took her letter in trembling hands.
"Lenalee Lee!" The cute Asian girl walked confidently to the Dean. "Good job, dear, simply fantas-" Whump! (AKA sound that Cross' fist makes in conjunction to Komui's face.
"Yuu Kanda!" The Japanese teen glared at Allen momentarily before taking his letter.
"Lavi!" Then, "Arystar Krory!" And, "Rhode Camelot!" Next was, "Tyki Mikk!"
At last, "Allen Walker!" Said boy nearly fell over while going to Komui, his pulse thundering.
"All right, that makes everyone. Now get the hell out!" Hollered Cross. Komui kicked him.
"And the idiots who made it don't forget to come on September 1st!"
With weary moans and tears and quite a bit of sweat, all the candidates exited the building. At once, screams and shouts were heard.
"Fuck yeah, I made the cut!!" Lavi pumped his fist into the air, cello case balanced unsteadily on his back. "How 'bout you, Yuu-chan?"
"Che. Of course I made it in." Kanda threw a dismissive look at his letter.
"Woot!" Screamed Lavi, "And how about our dear Moyashi?"
Allen was standing by himself near the end of the block. Suddenly, he fell to his knees. "Oh crap, you don't think…" muttered Lavi, running his hands through his hair. "Let's go Yuu-chan." The two proceeded toward the seventeen-year-old.
"Hey, fucking Moyashi, did you fail?" Kanda snorted, "Well, that's not unexpected."
Allen turned. Tears fell from his eyes. Kanda felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over him. Did he go too far?
Glare. "No, Kanda, you selfish bastard. Go to hell." Apparently not.
The white-haired boy then began to cry once more. Oh, those beautiful words, those beautiful words! Allen could see them over and over again...
"Congratulations. You have been accepted to the Black Order School of Music."
--
A/N: For references, Allen's still 17 (late birthday), Kanda's 18, Lavi's 18, Lenalee's 16 (late birthday), Miranda's 19, Krory's 18, Tyki's 19, and Rhode is 15 (late birthday). Lenalee and Rhode skipped one and two grades, in that order, and Miranda was held back a year. Tyki just started later than the rest of them; he's actually pretty smart. XP