I do not own Glee, xxxHolic, or the gorgeous song by Fanny Brice.
A/N: It looks like this thing will turn out to be a series of oneshots, since I keep turning towards this idea whenever I find myself with writers block. Hope you like it.
The crowded hallways of passing period were forced to part as a certain furious red head stormed through, black umbrella swinging in a wide arc as underclassmen scrambled out of the way. Ame was not happy. Actually, cheerful was not a word that could describe her on the best of days, but on this particular afternoon her demeanor was positively murderous. Since when did people have the right to mess with her and get away with it? Those senior boys would remember their lesson on courtesy for a good while to come, but a certain chemistry teacher was unfortunately not in the mood to applaud her contribution to society. And therefore on top of all the other stuff in her life, she now had detention on Monday. Perfect.
She flung the door open to the choir room, her angry strides stopping as she took in the scene before her. Himiwari and Zashiki were looking over a magazine, giggling as they pointed to whatever was on the pages. From her vantage point Ame could see that it was a dress catalogue. She dropped her things in a chair before making her way over, annoyance crossing her features. Their budget was nonexistent, their resources limited, and they were still in need of a proper routine to preform, and yet these two were looking over expensive dresses that their club would probably never be able to afford. Since when did people order performance outfits more than two months in advance?
She snatched the magazine out of their hands, startling them. Zashiki had the decency to look at least a little bit guilty, but that Kunogi girl only reached up her hand to take it back, a cheerful grin in place. "Oh, come on Ame, give it here. It's not like we can't dream, right?"
Oh, confound that girl and her unflappable sense of optimism. Someday she was going to have to wake up and realize that life was not all sweetness and sugar. Ame sent a trademark scowl at them both as she began to lecture them, waving the catalogue in their faces as she did so.
"You realize that in order for us to actually get to Sectionals we're going to have to find some serious dough, right? Why don't you use that empty head of yours to do that, instead of poring over things we can't afford right now?"
"Actually, we've been talking about that and have come up with an idea," said Himiwari, her smile not faltering for a moment. "We think that the glee club should hold a bake sale. Everyone likes cookies and stuff, and Watanuki is one of the best bakers you can find in this school." She clapped her hands together. "Presto, problem solved."
Ame looked at her with a cross between frustration and disbelief. "You really don't think it's that easy, do you? When has anyone ever held a bake sale? What, maybe this school had one, like, ten years ago, when people other than that domestic freak knew how to bake."
"Who are you calling a domestic freak?" Watanuki walked into the room to look uneasily at the confrontation that was being played out. Himiwari gestured over to him in excitement. "Watanuki, just the person we needed! What do you think about having a bake sale to raise funds for the club? It's a good idea, no?" Ame just sent him a cynical look that clearly stated her position on the issue.
"Ehhhh? Wait a minute, don't involve me in this mess! You two figure it out between yourselves. As long as it gets the club some money, I'm all for it." Having said that, Watanuki beat a hasty retreat to the storage room, which he had been cleaning out ever since he had discovered what a mess it was in. It looked like Ame was getting no help from that sector.
Himiwari sighed as she looked over at her, a little look of exasperation on her face. "Really Ame, do you always have to be such a thundercloud? I realize today might not have been the best, but that doesn't give you any reason to always stomp around with this expression of gloom and doom on your face."
"I'm not all "gloom and doom" as you put it. I'm just a little more realistic about our situation than you are. It's not like this is a party you can just have fun at, or some kind of parade-"
"Parade?" Himiwari shared a sly look with Kohane, who had materialized behind the piano. The other girl chuckled as she started to play.
Watanuki poked his head out at the sound of the music. "Oh no. OH NO, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO START THAT AGAIN. I REFUSE TO LET YOU CARRY ON WITH THESE SPONTANEOUS BURSTS OF-"
Too late, thought Ame grimly.
"Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter
Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter."
She pointed a finger at her.
"Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade"
Zashiki laughed, her eyes crinkled with amusement. Ame felt betrayed. What happened to her supportive sister when she needed her?
"Don't tell me not to fly, I simply got to
If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you
Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade"
Watanuki moaned into his hands, giving up. Himiwari smiled at him cheekily as she jumped on a chair next to Ame, continuing to direct the song at her.
"I'll march my band out." Click, snap. "I'll beat my drum."Shuffle, step.
"And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir." Spin
"At least I didn't fake it, hat, sir." Stomp
"I guess I didn't make it"
She continued to sing as she jumped off the chair, her hair flying out behind her as she made her way around the room.
"But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection
A freckle on the nose of life's complexion
The Cinderella or the shine apple of its eye
I gotta fly once, I gotta try once,
Only can die once, right, sir?
Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see,
I gotta have my bite, sir."
Watching Himiwari, Ame felt something with just the slightest resemblance to jealousy flicker inside of her. What would it be like to have that kind of exuberance and cheer, no matter what kind of situation she found herself in? A thought crossed her mind for a fleeting moment. Himiwari is a lucky girl. She pushed it away roughly as the other girl finished up the final stretch of her song.
"Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a "comer"
I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer
Nobody, no, nobody, is gonna rain on my parade!"
As the last chord ended, the sound of slow clapping came from the door. Doumeki was there in the doorframe, his hands coming together in an even rhythm. Watanuki glared at him as he came in, shaking a duster at the offending boy as he came out in a black plastic smock. "Don't you dare mock Himiwari's singing, you lowlife! I'd like to see you do better than that!"
The boy plucked the duster out of his hand as he looked thoughtfully at the attire Watanuki was wearing. "I wasn't mocking her. I liked it." He turned towards Himiwari, navigating the wheels of his chair. "You're good. But why is he," he said, jerking a finger over at the other boy, "trying to wear a dress?"
"It's not a dress! This is a garbage bag I'm using to protect my clothes from the dust, although the sense in such a move is probably lost on an ignorant cheerleader like yourself!"
"I'm not a cheerleader. I'm a Cheerio." Doumeki thought over what had just been said, obviously having come to some conclusion. "So he likes wearing garbage bags better than dresses. I'll have to remember that."
"Wait, what- Wait a minute, you're completely misunderstanding me! Arrrrgg, why do I even bother trying anymore!"
And with that Watanuki stomped out, only to trip over a pile of books he had set in the entrance. Howls of pain and rage could be heard as he kicked them aside while nursing his injured knee, all the while muttering about how a certain imbecile had distracted him from his work. Zashiki and Kohane giggled together, while Himiwari helped to move the wheelchair bound boy to a place where he could see the catalogue, chattering all the while. Ame allowed herself a rare, small smile. In the end, she supposed, having such a group of ridiculously cheerful people as her friends wasn't such a bad thing.
Lyrics from stlyrics,com