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Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-4 Complete

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:10 pm
by Lothbrok
BlackWaltzTheThird wrote:
Laughing that dainty laugh, Naomi flicks a tiny morsel of her lunch, which hits me flush in the middle of my left cheek. The impact does not halt my laughter at all. I quickly brush the morsel off, and glance quickly at the uneaten food in my hand. Following my gaze, Naomi also glances at it, and horrible realisation is written across her face - but it's for only a mere second as she arcs her arm up, knocking it out of my hands, then takes off for her room at a sprint. Even only hesitating for a second to regain my hold on the soon-to-be food projectile, she still has a strong lead on me. Nevertheless I take off after her, little by little closing the gap. Not far to go before we reach the girls dorm now, just around this corner...

Man some times I'm extremely dense could someone explain this part? Specifically what the "realization" is?

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-6 Complete

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:19 pm
by Mirage_GSM
Yes, I pored over that bit a while myself...
I concluded she realizes that he has a lot of food left to retaliate for her attack.
But I might be wrong ^^°

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-6 Complete

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:07 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Indeed you are correct. Would you like me to make that more clear? I'm gonna have to edit that post at some point anyway, so I'd be happy to do so. In any case, how are the new parts? The wording deviated a bit from what I had before my computer died, and I think I've left something out (but I can't remember what), but for the most part the content is the same. Also gonna note that the days are going to jump a bit soon, so don't think that you've missed any. Thanks for reading!

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-6 Complete

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:57 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Day Eight

The day is here - either we convince Sakura-Sensei to sign for our club, and we get to play this afternoon, or we don't and never play together again. Well, never in the music room at least, but I don't think the guys would take too kindly to moving everything elsewhere, and I don't think everyone else would take too kindly to us playing loud music in the dorms, or the common rooms. I've spent the last 36 hours planning how we can pitch the idea to her. To be frank, after a while I was getting quite into it, I even nearly made some visual aids. I'm a bit worried that Sakura may not show up today; our substitute teacher yesterday informed us that she was ill. But I figure, we have English today, as well as at least one of the other senior classes, so she wouldn't dare miss them. Not with exams in... I don't even know how long. Okay, so maybe she might be absent today. Damn.

I don't think the wait for a teacher to arrive for home group has ever been as nerve-wracking as this. Each tick of the clock seems to last much more than a second. Naomi and Seto either side of me don't look too worried; in fact, they don't look worried at all. Don't they realise that the future of Band Club depends on Sakura turning up today? I kind of want to remind them of this, and nearly do, but before I can someone enters the room, which catches my attention. I let out a sigh of relief. It's Sakura. Naomi and Seto don't seem to be affected at all by her presence. It's as if this is none of these things are even remotely important. I hold my tongue though, and stick out the rest of home group and English. When class finishes, I stall packing up my stuff and dawdle my was towards the front until the only people in the room are myself, Naomi, Seto, and Sakura. She is fully aware that we haven't left, and again leans casually on her desk.

"What can I do for you, Akarada?"
"Sakura-Sensei, I was wondering if, maybe, you wouldn't mind -"
"Absolutely."
"- signing for a club - wait, what?"
"Let me say it again, absolutely."
"But, I haven't even..."
"I already know about your plans for Band Club, Akarada. The student council was kind enough to inform me of them while I was away."
"And you're just going to say yes? Without even seeing us play?"
"That is correct. Though if it's of such importance, I would be happy to take the time to observe your group play."
"Er... that... would be good. We're going to meet after school today, in the -"
"Music room, I know. It is Band Club after all. Now, do you have the paperwork for me to sign?"

I'm flabbergasted. This did not go anything like how I had expected - how I had planned for. I had not expected Sakura to just say yes like that. In fact, I had not expected her to know about Band Club, and even then I had expected her to want to validate the worth of our club before signing for it. The worst part about all this is... I don't have the form. I didn't even think to grab one. Now that I think about it, I don't even know where to get one. All of a sudden I feel very lost.

"Um... no. I completely forgot about it. Sorry."
"It'll be quite difficult for me to sign a form that isn't here, now, won't it?"
"Yes, Sensei..."
"Hey, don't look so embarrassed. Tell you what, I'll bring a form with me when I come to see you in action. It can be dealt with then. In the mean time, don't you have class to attend?"
"Oh, we should get going. Thank you, Sensei."

I give a polite bow to Sakura and walk quickly out of the classroom, trying to appear as un-flustered as possible. Outside, Naomi and Seto burst into laughter. Upon seeing my confusion, they laugh even harder. Clearly I'm the butt of some kind of joke. I cross my arms and wait for the laughter to subside. It takes them some time, but eventually the two of them compose themselves. I raise my eyebrow inquisitively, looking for an explanation. Seto nearly begins laughing again as he tries to speak.

"Man, you should have seen your face. You were all like 'what?' and then you got all confused... bahahaha!"
"Yeah, hilarious. You mind explaining what the hell this is about?"
"Did it never occur to you when I said to ask Sakura?"
"Did what never occur to me?"
"You didn't think I'd suggested her because we have her for home group, or because we have her for English, did you?"
"...Ohhhh."
"See, you get it now eh? And why Sakura so readily agreed?"
"Yeah... you couldn't have told me this before I made a fool of myself, could you?"
"Psh, no way man, if I had then we wouldn't have gotten to see this!"

I sigh dejectedly, lowering my head and bringing my hand up to my face. Really, I should have seen it before. Sakura-Sensei was the supervising teacher of the old Band Club. It explains why Seto suggested to ask her, and why she accepted without even a single moment of thought. I look at Naomi, silently imploring her to explain herself as well. She just shrugs and throws me a 'hey, don't blame me' look. Yeah, thanks a lot guys. I also realise that I'd laid my focus too narrow; it's not as if we couldn't get another teacher to sign for our club. I suppose with all the anticipation I just worked myself into a frenzy of anxiety.

I have to endure their playful jibes for the rest of the day. Can they really blame me for not connecting the dots? I've only been here just over a week now. Most people haven't even met others yet, let alone learned about their pasts and relationships with each other. What, do they expect me to be going on dates or some crap already? I can't bring myself to be bitter though. I probably would have done the same thing to the new guy, if I were in their position. Or that's what I tell myself anyway, I've never been around the same place for as much time as those two have had to be friends so I can't really know for sure. Eventually the end of the day comes and we make our way to the music room.

Daisuke is already inside. As I would have expected, the only things he has extracted from the storeroom are his bass and a little amp, much smaller than the one he used last time. Can't do everything for yourself, can you, wheels? We all greet each other with varying degrees of hospitability. On one end of the scale, Daisuke shakes Seto's hand amicably (and again something is weird about the way Seto shakes hands... I still can't put my finger on what it is), and on the other my greeting to him is returned with a half-grunted 'yo'. I can't believe this guy has it out for me already.

By the time we've got ourselves set up, Sakura arrives, form in hand. She greets us quietly, then sets about filling in the club application form at a desk in the corner. As seems to be the norm for her, she leans on the desk and writes utilising a clipboard, rather than sitting at the desk and using it as the writing surface. At one point it appears that something has her confused. She looks at the instruments we have set up, then the four of us. Then the instruments. Then us. Her mouth curls into a small frown.

"Is Inoue playing keys now?"
Daisuke answers her question, voice full of praise. "No, we've found ourselves a brilliant new pianist. Better even than Reina."
"And she isn't here yet, I presume?"

A barely audible 'oh' catches everyone's attention. At the door is Miko, whose eyes are firmly locked on the form of Sakura in the corner of the room. Her hands are twirling around themselves ramerkably fast, and her jaw looks tense. She must be intimidated by the prospect of an audience. Slowly she steps into the room, avoiding eye contact with Sakura at all costs. She jumps when the teacher addresses her.

"You must be this pianist I've just been told about. What's your name, miss?"
"..."
"Miss? I can't put your name on this form if I don't know what it is."
"Mi...Mi-Miko. Na-Na-Naka...Na-Nakamura."

Sakura's mouth makes an unvoiced 'ohhhh' as she catches on to Miko's nerves. She tries to show Miko a reassuring smile, but this goes unnoticed, as Miko has been averting her gaze from the teacher, instead focussing on some spot on the floor. Miko moves herself away from the corner with quick footsteps, not unlike those of a scared rabbit, and approaches her keyboard. She then proceeds to shift it slightly so that, provided Daisuke doesn't move around much while he plays, she will be partially hidden from Sakura's view. Satisfied that we're all ready to go, Daisuke calls out a song to play. Damn, I only have a bit part in this one, it's main instrument is the synth. I realise this is deliberate. I'm starting to really dislike Daisuke.

We play through the songs that we all know first. There's only three, but thankfully the second and third feature me more than the first. Without any more songs we all know the parts to, we are forced to make do with ones that most of us are part of. Some of them are that way because the song lacks an instrument, others simply because the non-participants don't yet know their part of the song. I find it interesting to note Seto and Daisuke never sit out a song, and the girls only sit out once each. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why this is so. I feel like the others are picking up on this as well. Or, at least, Naomi is. Her face is a silent apology each time Daisuke demands a song that I can't play.

Playing each song only once, we run out of songs that we can feasibly recreate after about an hour. Sakura smiles every time we perform a song whose lyrics are in English. Considering that I have a distinct lack of support elsewhere in the room, I take it to mean she is smiling about my playing, for all the English language songs are ones that I can play and have guitar as the main instrument. God bless Western music. When it becomes evident that we aren't playing any more songs, Sakura separates herself from the desk she leans on, stands and claps us briefly.

"You are most impressive. I think you should be commended on what you can do, considering the short time you've been together."
"It helps when pretty much all of us are quite experienced musicians already. We don't have to spend so much time learning everything like we did last time," Daisuke states. Ugh, hating on me again. Jerk ass faggot.
"Indeed. I think, if you really work at it, you could probably perform quite soon."
"Perform? Like, outside of the music room?" Naomi asks.

Obviously the last band was just an after school thing, they never went anywhere with it. Or never had the chance to, before Yamato and Reina left.


"Yes. I was thinking... perhaps it might be a good idea to put on a show for the festival."
"The festival?!" Seto shouts, incredulously. He counts on his fingers as he speaks, "but that's only... three weeks away!"
"Hence why you would need to really work at it. But I've seen how you used to play. And I think you've found some excellent new blood in Akarada and Nakamura. I'm confident you can do it."

Something else occurs to me about this plan. It's going to be harder than Sakura thinks.

"But Sakura-Sensei, just playing isn't everything. We'll need a stage, power cords, sound equipment..."
"I think we can manage that as well. We already have speakers hired actually, the school was going to run some festival music through them. But, I think it would be preferable to use them for live entertainment, don't you agree? We can get lights from the drama room, and it shouldn't be too troublesome to buy some cords, I'll do that myself if need be. As for your stage... I'm afraid I can't help you there."
Naomi perks up here. "It might be a good idea to do something simple. Non-elevated floor, rigs for light and sound gear only. Shouldn't be any more complicated than the stall builds."
"Yeah, but the stalls have whole classes working on them. We're just five people and a teacher," Daisuke scoffs.

Silence settles over our group as we consider our options. It would be great to play at the festival. But three weeks to put together a setlist, learn it all, AND build the stage? We're between a rock and a hard place here. We have our work cut out for us. I can't think of a feasible way that five students can split our time like that, unless we skip classes and barely sleep. Which really is not a good idea. A sound invades my thoughts. Casting my eyes around the room, I see Miko, standing somewhat apart from the group, trying to speak up. I catch her gaze and give her an encouraging nod.

"Um... m-my Dad... is a b-b-builder... I could ask h-him for h-help..."
"That's a great idea, Miko! It would take an immense load off us if we had a professional involved!"

I wonder if I was a little too enthusiastic in my response. Miko's idea is really great, if her Dad helps us out, we could get this done. Miko flashes me a shy smile before blushing and turning away. I think in the absence of any objections, we've got our plan set. With that, Sakura finishes filling out the club application form and makes to depart. She stops mid step and speaks over her shoulder.

"You're going to have to tell the student council about this. Good luck."

And with a small chuckle, off she goes. Way to ruin the day, Sensei. With our audience gone, and a lot of planning to do, we decide to pack in for the day. It's going to be a long three weeks. Longer still in that we have to get all this by the student council. I honestly think someone, somewhere, is setting me up for more encounters with the dynamic duo simply for their own amusement, or perhaps for my inconvenience. There's something else eating at me while we pack up, and it's not until we're all done and I find that only myself and Naomi remain in the music room that I realise what it is.

"Naomi... the festival is on a Sunday."
"...I know."
"You can't do Sundays. I heard you say it on Monday."
"...I know."
"Then what are you going to do about the festival?"
"...I don't know."
"You don't want to talk about this, do you?" It's more of a statement than a question.
"...No."
"Well... if you decide you do want to talk about it, I'd be happy to listen. I'm in room 130. Good night, Naomi."
"...Night."

I linger slightly, in case she decides to say anything, but alas she stays silent. She looks really downcast. No, not downcast. It's not sadness in her eyes... it's something else. Like she's holding the weight of the world on her shoulders. I frown as I realise whatever is up with Sundays, it's not something good. But I'm standing around too long. Taking one last look over my should at Naomi, who has turned to look out the window, I walk out the door. It might be a trick of my mind, but I swear I hear Naomi say something really quietly.

"...Thank you, Katsuro."

On to the next part: Day Twelve

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-8 Complete

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:57 am
by Mirage_GSM
I think his apprehension at the beginning is a bit over the top. After all if Sakura declined, they'd still have the option to ask other teachers, and he doesn't even know that Sakura is really their best chance...
On that note, I've only ever seen "Sakura" used as a given name, but it seems it is supposed to be her family name here...
Other than that - good new chapter!

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-8 Complete

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:46 am
by Daitengu
Mirage_GSM wrote:I think his apprehension at the beginning is a bit over the top. After all if Sakura declined, they'd still have the option to ask other teachers, and he doesn't even know that Sakura is really their best chance...
On that note, I've only ever seen "Sakura" used as a given name, but it seems it is supposed to be her family name here...
Other than that - good new chapter!
When only looking at the negative, it tends to get over the top. I've noticed that about myself.

The story it self seems interesting so far. I'm kind of glad to see new characters.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-8 Complete

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:02 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Holy crap guys this is really scary. Note that on the 16th I mentioned I had lost my data. This included the original version of Day 4, in which I placed a fairly detailed description of the character Naomi. Some key points to note - she has long red hair, she is tall, and long legged, and has quite full lips. Yesterday at Uni, I met a girl in my Multimedia class - fits that description perfectly. I can't stress how perfectly she fits the description using the English language, it's just impossible. So I talked to her, and successfully befriended her. Not only is talking to a stranger like that a first for me, but talking to a girl like that is a first for me too. Hells yeah for IRL character development. Anyway, I should have another day up by tomorrow. Depends on how quickly I get it done. BlackWaltz, out.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-8 Complete

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:36 am
by Daitengu
BlackWaltzTheThird wrote:Holy crap guys this is really scary. Note that on the 16th I mentioned I had lost my data. This included the original version of Day 4, in which I placed a fairly detailed description of the character Naomi. Some key points to note - she has long red hair, she is tall, and long legged, and has quite full lips. Yesterday at Uni, I met a girl in my Multimedia class - fits that description perfectly. I can't stress how perfectly she fits the description using the English language, it's just impossible. So I talked to her, and successfully befriended her. Not only is talking to a stranger like that a first for me, but talking to a girl like that is a first for me too. Hells yeah for IRL character development. Anyway, I should have another day up by tomorrow. Depends on how quickly I get it done. BlackWaltz, out.
Maybe you got a lil precog, and it comes up in your writing. Stranger things have happened to me lol.

If science doesn't say it's impossible, then it might be possible. That's my half joking, half serious answer.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-8 Complete

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:36 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Day Twelve

The speakers of the PA system sound the carillons signalling the end of the school day. Seto, Naomi and I are ready in advance; our materials are already stowed and our chairs are positioned to be ditched at the first ring of the bell. We quickly abandon our desks and slip though our less prepared classmates in order to reach the door at the front of the classroom. Once outside, we form a guard of sorts either side of room 3-3. We have to catch them this time. The students of 3-3 begin making their way out of the room, and yet no sign of the two girls presents itself. Don't tell me they ditched class for some stupid 'official' work now, of all times. Not now that we need to find them.

The last of the students filters out of the room. I groan. How can it be possible for the two most distinctive people in the student body - well, the single most distinctive person, and her silent friend - to disappear for two whole days? I start to turn away and go looking for them when I hear a laugh that cannot be misplaced. Less than a second later, Misha and Shizune exit the room. Finally, we've got them. Who would have thought that after nearly two weeks of avoiding them, I've now had to seek them out myself? Misha falls silent as she notices the three of us flanking her and Shizune. Shizune herself even seems a bit surprised.

"Hello girls. You got our club form, I presume?"

Misha seems a little too still, stuck processing her situation. It takes a quick jab in the ribs from her student council counterpart for her to begin signing.

"Why yes, we did Kacchan~! We were a little surprised though to see Sakura-Sensei~ hand the form to us!"
"Yes, yes, that's wonderful. We're good to go now?"
"Of course, Kacchan~! You didn't need to come here and ask~ though, did you?"
"No, you're right. We're here to talk business."

As I say 'we' I give a short flick of my head to Seto and Naomi either side of me. As Misha signs the word 'business', Shizune perks up considerably.

"Business? Really, Kacchan~? Shicchan says we had better go somewhere better suited to this conversation~ then! Wahaha! Follow me~!"

Misha puffs her chest out and puts her hands on her hips, beaming her great big smile, then proceeds not to lead, but rather fall in line behind Shizune. I guess when she said 'follow me' she meant Shizune was speaking to us. Semantics aside, we end up at the student council room. As we enter, I notice that only two tables appear to be used. Must be a really small student council. Or a really organised one. Before I can begin debating the likelyhood of either of those two possibilities, Shizune and Misha offer us seats around their tables. Clearing her throat and attempting to sound as professional as possible, Misha begins the pseudo-meeting.

"What can the student council do for you today, Kacchan~?"
"We need exemption from our class project for the festival. As well as Daisuke in class 3-1, and Miko in class 1-2."
"E-exemption?" Misha is suddenly very confused. Shizune raises one eyebrow quizzically. "You don't really need to come to us if you want to slack off, Kacchan..."

I let out a little laugh. What we're here for is the complete opposite of slacking off. In my stead, Seto continues our pitch.

"That's not what we had in mind, girls. What we wanted to do is propose a new project, one maintained by the five of us."

Shizune frowns a little. Considering planning for festival projects began shortly before I arrived, proposing a new one now would most likely clash with Shizune's carefully planned work ethic. She signs something to Misha, who then interprets for us.

"Shicchan says it's too late for new projects~. All the prelim... preliminary paperwork had to submitted last Friday~."
"We know that," Naomi cuts in, "but this was decided on Friday. It's not our fault if you two happen to take leave from your classes to do 'council work' when we're trying to find you."
Misha huffs her cheeks and pouts. "What we do here is very important, thank you very much~!" Shizune signs something quickly. "That being said~... Shicchan says we will listen to your proposal~."
"Great! I assume you would already know Yamaku has some big speakers hired. What we want to do is use those speakers for live music."

Misha's eyes widen as I say this. She protests that not even well-funded Yamaku can afford to hire a band on such short notice. Seto, Naomi and I burst into laughter at her inability to put two and two together. Shizune places her face into her hand, possibly in shame. She signs something to Misha which I can only assume clarifies the situation, as Misha's mouth forms a silent 'ohhh' afterwards. Misha is blushing slightly when she resumes speaking.

"That's really good if you want to perform at the festival~! We can allow that~!"
"Excellent. That's not the only thing we need from you though. Like all the other projects, we require a bit of funding."

Shizune frowns as I mention money. All class projects considered, they must be strapped for cash as it is. Misha delivers Shizune's next words sharply and matter-of-factly.

"How much?"
"We need to build a rig for the lights and sound, and a simple floor. We already have the speakers, lights and musical gear, and we can take care of any electrical stuff we might need. We already have construction sorted as well."

I briefly recall the meeting with Miko's father on the weekend. He's a really nice guy, and I can tell he really loves his daughter. He was more than happy to help us out, drawing up a plan for our rig and writing up a list of materials to build it. He even intends to come down each weekend to put it together. All we have to do is advertise ourselves, of course. We still have to work on a band name and all that jazz, but it can be dealt with later. For now, we need to get this proposal through. I tell Misha our estimate. Shizune is not happy by this revelation.

"It'll cost less if we can get some of the materials from around here. I've seen several students grabbing wood and stuff from here and there."
"Kacchan... that's still a lot of money... we're struggling to balance the books as it is..."
"If it's going to be a problem, we can find other means to fund ourselves..."
"Wahaha~! You make it sound like you're going to do something naughty, Kacchan~!"
"What?! No, I just - "

I stop short before I make mention of my back up plan. My parents are very important people. They work with rich people, making deals involving very large sums of money. Consequently... they get paid a lot of money. A LOT of money. I usually avoid mentioning this to people; it's not nice to brag. But in this case... the bill for our project is no real dent in the Akarada account. If it comes to that, I'm sure Mother and Father wouldn't mind me spending a bit of money. It never bothered them before, after all I've been responsible with money all my life, just as they taught me.

While I've been thinking, Misha and Shizune seem to have been having an animated discussion in slience. That's another thing that's unsettling about them; signing is the ultimate secret language - not only can you communicate without anyone understanding you, but you can do it right in front of them. It's almost mocking me. But I can't dwell on it long, as it appears that Shizune has won the debate.

"Shicchan says... we can afford half that~, if we account for the possibility of everyone going over budget."
"Half, eh?" I look to Seto and Naomi for confirmation. We can manage half no troubles. Well, I can anyway. "Done."

Our two groups shake on the successful transaction, and get to work filling in the appropriate paperwork. I never realised how tedious it would be just to be able to play live at a school festival. Surely it's not like this at any other school? Nevertheless I put my head down and eventually the five of us manage to complete all the 'necessary' forms. Signed, sealed, and stowed, the papers of bureaucracy are out of our hands now. We're free to head to rehearsal uninhibited.

Daisuke is early once again. Something tells me he does this because it means he can boss around everyone who comes afterward. It's quickly becoming apparent that Daisuke considers himself de facto leader of the group. I honestly don't care any more, if he wants to be boss, he can. Just as long as we all put in our share and have a good time playing together, trivial things like people with attitude problems will be no bother. Once everyone arrives, Daisuke calls us over to organise a setlist. It's a good idea, it's no use rehearsing songs that we won't be playing on the day.

After quite some discussion, we manage to put together a list of about fifteen songs that we should be able to have down pat before the festival, plus one extra song in case we get an encore. All up it comes to about an hour to an hour and a half of material. That's about right for a performance, I think. But the festival runs for a lot longer than ninety minutes. I point this out to Daisuke.

"Yeah, I know. Seeing as we don't have any other bands leading in or following after us, I say we play twice."
"Twice? Like, the whole setlist?"
"That's what 'twice' means, kid. Start to finish. Once in the afternoon, then we break for a while, then one more round before the fireworks."

I can't argue with that plan, though I suspect even if I did it wouldn't change the outcome. Seto, Naomi and Miko all gree to Daisuke's proposition, though I note Miko doesn't sound so sure about her answer. Her nervous disposition gets the better of her at times it seems. It makes me wonder how she acts in class or around her friends. Come to think of it... I've never seen Miko around the school, let alone hanging around with her friends. Does she even live on campus? Who knows. Maybe I should ask some time. For the time being, it's down to business as we get out our various instruments and run through our setlist.

Due to the sheer number of songs we have to play, we only play each song once. We take notes after each song regarding how comfortable we feel perfoming them, and what mistakes we may have made. This was Naomi's idea; she figures that if we identify what songs we aren't as good at, then we can spend more time working on those ones, and play the ones we have a better handle on less often. Of course, our intent for the last week of rehearsals is to play the setlist as is, regardless of how good we are. That's the point of no return, however we go then is how we go on stage. I can't wait.

We eventually make it to the end of our setlist, and Daisuke seems ready and raring to go through it again. I have to stop him, though, due to my... previous commitments. I don't mention what they entail to Daisuke, and make for the door, guitar case in hand. Angry at being silenced like that, and not being given the details on my leave, Daisuke stops me from leaving.

"Yo, you're just gonna go? We only have eighteen days until the festival."
"I told you, I've got prior commitments. Now get out of the way."
"'Prior commitments' is it? That's real professional of you, Akarada. Get your priorities straight."
"I do have my priorities straight, and that's why I have to leave."
"You're not going to be ready to perform if you keep bailing like this."
"I am going to be ready, I'm telling you now. I'm playing constantly, Daisuke. Whenever I'm not sleeping or in class, I'm playing. So don't you tell me that I won't be ready."
"Watch me. You. Won't. Be. Ready."

I have to bite my lip and take a deep breath to prevent myself from saying or doing something I might regret. That wheelchair-bound idiot doesn't know anything about me or how much I practice. 'Get your priorities straight'... what an idiot. If I do as he says, then I'll probably die. How's that for priorities, you jerk ass, dick-sucking faggot? Daisuke is still glaring at me smugly, blocking my path out of the room. Thankfully, Naomi intervenes.

"C'mon, Katsuro, let's get going. Wouldn't want you to be late. You guys can practice without us for a little while, right?"

Miko and Seto give their assent, but Daisuke still glares at me. Looking over to Naomi, he sighs deeply and, looking as laboured and as reluctant as humanly possible, moves out of our way. Naomi leads me out of the music room and down the hall before she speaks.

"Look... don't let Daisuke get to you. He can be... disagreeable at times."
"Putting it lightly, don't you think? He's got something against me for no apparent reason!"
"Daisuke has his reasons for everything... he wasn't much different in the old band. He's a perfectionist, that's what he does."
"Only when it's about me. I've heard Seto and Miko make mistakes before, and he doesn't even bat an eyelash."
"I hear a distinct lack of my name in there, Katsuro."
"Uh, I- ...I don't think I could fault your singing if I wanted to. The other day when we were playing, you sang completely differently to the original song, and yet I had no problem with it at all. It was better, even."
"You're far too kind. I just sing how I want to sing, I don't care what other people think. That's what you need to do. Play how you want to play. Forget Daisuke."
"You're right I guess..."
"You bet I am. Now let's get going to wherever you need to go.

I nod my head and start walking towards the nurse's office. Naomi follows the whole way there in silence. Once we arrive the the right building, and make our way through the right hallway, Naomi realises what's up.

"Appointment with the nurse?"
"Yeah."
"This is why you can't play on Thursday and Saturday evenings either, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Well, play with you anyway, I'm still gonna practice while I'm here."
"That explains the guitar case, I guess. Listen, uh... whatever you're here for, you don't have to tell me. Some people are more comfortable with their... 'conditions', than others, like Seto. Others don't have the luxury of subtlety, like Daisuke. But the people like you and me, we have a choice as to who we tell, and how much they know. But because we have that level of discretion, it makes it harder to deal with our situation. I'm telling you this from experience. So, what I'm trying to say is... it's up to you how much you say, just... just make sure you say something. Dealing with it alone will eat you alive."

Naomi's speech, ironically enough, renders me speechless. I can't help but stand there, opening and closing my mouth, at a loss as to what to say to her. I find myself stuck staring into her eyes, and her into mine. She blushes slightly, and looks at her hands clasped in front of her. The break in eye contact allows me to regain my thoughts.

"Uh... thanks for the advice. It... it means a lot to me."
"You don't have to thank me, Katsuro. After what you said on Friday, it wouldn't be fair of me not to offer the same support to you."
"So you're just doing it because I said something, eh? Wouldn't have done it otherwise?" I flash her a cheeky grin.
"What?! No, I'd still do it because I..." she trails off, as she notices what I said was in jest. "Oh, you little - get to your appointment!"

She gives me a little shove in the direction of the nurse's office. I feign injury, pouting, clutching my shoulder and giving a sarcastic moan of pain. Naomi laughs and gently kisses it better. As she does this, the door to the nurse's office opens. Caught in the act, Naomi and I freeze on the spot, me still in my comical throes of false pain and Naomi still bent at the hips, lips pursed before my shoulder. We alternately stare at the nurse, then each other, as he bursts into hysterical laughter.

"Baaaahahahaha! What on Earth are you two doing?" He sputters out. Naomi and I quickly straighten up and put on our serious faces. I clear my throat.
"I was just on my way here for my appointment, when this young lady suddenly started assaulting me! I have no idea what is happening!" Naomi rounds on me, shocked at having been dobbed in like that.
"Hey! As I recall, you started this! And it sure seemed like you were enjoying it, may I add!"

Aaand the dam of seriousness breaks as quickly as it was constructed. We start laughing again, an the nurse joins in. I'm not quite sure why he's laughing, perhaps it's because laughter is apparently contagious. Still laughing, he invites me inside. Halting his laughter mid-sound, he also addresses Naomi.

"I'll see you on Sunday, Naomi." Naomi also stops laughing.
"Oh, yes. Um, I'll have something to discuss with you when I see you, as well."
"Very well. Don't forget what it is before then, alright?"
"You got it. Cya Katsuro."

I return her quick wave and take my place by the dialysis machine as the nurse closes the door. I try to stop myself from thinking about the incoming needles, but doing so only makes me think about them more. Stupid Ironic Process Theory. I do my best to steel my mind as the nurse inserts the horrible instruments into my arm, and when he's done, I withdraw my own, very different instrument from its case. I notice the nurse cast an analytical eye over my guitar, and give a subtle nod of approval. Two hours of practice - begin countdown: 7200, 7199, 7198...

On to the next part: Day Thirty

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-12 Complete

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:12 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Well... this is awkward. I'm rereading Lilly's route at the moment, and I've come to a really really really annoying realisation. As it turns out, a name I thought was totally original and quite creative is in fact an existing character within Katawa Shoujo, kana for kana. The name I refer to is Naomi Inoue; in my universe, a tall, slender, red head with full lips and a powerful voice, and in 4LS's an epileptic blonde who runs the newspaper club with Natsume. I guess the name seemed so right because it was already in my subconsciousness.

In any case, I'm gonna have to make a new name for her. Sadface. I think it might be cool if I got you guys to have some input, so if you have any ideas for Naomi's new name, please let me know! In addition, if there's anything else you want to see changed, or made more/less clear, or if there's any errors present, please also let me know, I would be extremely grateful! For the time being, I'm thinking of something along the lines of Ayako Matsumoto maybe? If there's no objections or other suggestions I'll run with that.

Cheers, BlackWaltz.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-12 Complete

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:33 am
by Mirage_GSM
I don't think you need to change the name. It's quite obvious that it is not the same character - they are in different classes and the descriptions are different enough. Also, neither Naomi nor Inoue are particularly rare in Japan, so it's quite possible that there are two people with the same name at the school. You could even use that for some misunderstanding later on, for example if Katsuro asks someone if they have seem Naomi and is directed to the wrong one...
Also, it's your story, and you are free to change little bits if it suits the story. For example, when I started to write Tripping and decided to use the character Taro from the classroom CG, I didn't know he already had a name yet and called him Motoki. I stuck with the name even after I found a source for the canon name.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-12 Complete

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:27 pm
by Daitengu
BlackWaltzTheThird wrote:Well... this is awkward. I'm rereading Lilly's route at the moment, and I've come to a really really really annoying realisation. As it turns out, a name I thought was totally original and quite creative is in fact an existing character within Katawa Shoujo, kana for kana. The name I refer to is Naomi Inoue; in my universe, a tall, slender, red head with full lips and a powerful voice, and in 4LS's an epileptic blonde who runs the newspaper club with Natsume. I guess the name seemed so right because it was already in my subconsciousness.

In any case, I'm gonna have to make a new name for her. Sadface. I think it might be cool if I got you guys to have some input, so if you have any ideas for Naomi's new name, please let me know! In addition, if there's anything else you want to see changed, or made more/less clear, or if there's any errors present, please also let me know, I would be extremely grateful! For the time being, I'm thinking of something along the lines of Ayako Matsumoto maybe? If there's no objections or other suggestions I'll run with that.

Cheers, BlackWaltz.
Well... Inoue is the 17th most common Japanese surname. and Naomi I've heard alot in anime. so... Not unheard of to have people with the same name. Just get Misha to nickname them differently. Like Naa-Chan for one, and Nao-Chan for the other. You could bring it up in an appropriate setting if you wish, like the cafeteria or before class.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-12 Complete

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 10:29 pm
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Well, if it's of no consequence to you guys, I guess that means that Naomi gets to keep her name. I wasn't looking forward to going back to edit all the previous parts, so thanks for sparing me that. Although... there's a fair few mistakes in them I should fix. *sigh* A man's work is never done. Also, that idea about mixing up the two Naomis is a good one. I'm not sure if it will fit into the plan I have written up, but if the opportunity arises I think I can spare a few words to write it in.

Onto the topic of new parts; if I get as much writing done as I anticipate, I should have two new ones done by the end of this weekend. I hope. At the very least I should have one done, hopefully by tonight my time. Which means I better get typing. BlackWaltz, out.

Re: Arriving At Yamaku - Days 0-12 Complete

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 4:33 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Day Thirty

"Goddamn that girl, where is she? Late to the last rehearsal... disgraceful."

As much as I usually disagree with Daisuke, I think I have to side with him this one time. He is right, today is our last rehearsal before the festival, and it is - rightly so - the most important. So for Naomi not to show up... it's a bit of a concern. Usually she's quite diligent in her practice. This last week, we all put in everything we had and yet Naomi still seemed to put in more work than any of us. Even in class, Naomi would be humming her tunes, and doodling the lyrics down the margins of her pages. Hmm, now that I think of it, she wasn't even in class today. That's not normal for her. Something must be up.

"Seto and I will go look for her. She has to be around somewhere."
"Be quick, Akarada. We don't have time to waste."

Seto and I depart the music room and make our way to the girls dorms. Naomi's room is the first place we'll look. I haven't actually been there yet, but Seto knows the way. Room two-one-four, apparently. It only takes us a minute or two to run there. When we arrive Seto raps on the door. We wait a few seconds, but there is no response. Seto looks to me, and I shrug. Maybe she didn't hear? Seto knocks again, a little louder and a few more knocks this time. Still no response. Seto calls out to Naomi through the door, but silence is the only reply. She must not be here.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Seto and I turn around and find a girl from our year standing in the open doorway of a room nearby. Both Seto and I 'uhhh' for a second, though only I manage to form a sentence out of it.

"Uh, we're looking for Naomi, have you seen her?"
"Inoue? Yeah, she's in room 2-5 with everyone else."

Huh? Room 2-5? What on Earth is she doing in there? I thank the girl for her help and I take off to find this room, Seto close behind. 2-5... that would be on the second floor, and it would be a purpose-specified room. Like us seniors, the second year students also have four classes, so any rooms numbered higher than four are generally used by clubs for extracurricular activities, or for storage. What Naomi is doing in one of them is beyond me. Well, one of them that isn't the music room at least. As we approach, we note the door is open and there is a fairly audible level of chatter emanating from it. I round the turn into the room first, and call out to Naomi. A girl with blonde hair pops up at the back of the room.

"Yes?"

I look around the room. There doesn't appear to be any sign on the distinctive fiery hair of our compatriot. Perhaps we have the wrong room? I check the plaque on the door; indeed it does state 2-5.

"We were looking for Naomi?"
"That's me, what can I do for you?"
"You? But..."
"Is something wrong?"
"Oh, nothing, I think we've just been directed to the wrong Naomi. We're looking for Inoue."
"No, you've come to the right place. I'm Inoue."

What? You're not Naomi Inoue, you strange blonde girl. Naomi Inoue is taller than you, and has completely different hair and eyes to you, and is goddamned missing. What trickery is this? Unless... I look to Seto; the realisation has more than likely reached him as well.

"I think there's been some kind of mix up. See, we're looking for Naomi Inoue in class 3-4, with red hair..."
"Oh, not this again. This isn't the first time that's happened to me."
"Oh good, you know who I'm talking about then. Have you seen her?"
"Not today, no. But when you find her, tell her I've got her mail again. The student council don't seem to realise that switching our mail stopped being funny over a year ago."
"Um... right. I'll keep that in mind. See you later."

Seto and I exit the room and begin walking aimlessly. Where to now? I rest my chin in my hand as I think. Well, it's not so much resting, because I'm standing up and I have to lift my arm for my hand to each my chin, but the intent is the same. It's a thinking pose. I run through a mental list of places Naomi could be. She's not at her room. She's not in room 2-5. She's not at the music room. The nurse's office? No, her appointments are on Sundays. The Shanghai? She wouldn't be there when we have rehearsal, would she? Ugh, we don't have time to go there and check. We've been gone for over twenty minutes now... maybe we should just head back.

Our reappearance at the music room is greeted by an exasperated 'finally', spoken by none other than Daisuke. As luck would have it, not long after Seto and I left, Naomi turned up, so now they've been waiting on us. They couldn't even get in contact with us because we had left our phones in our bags. When that is mentioned, I hang my head for not thinking to call Naomi before we went looking. Oh well, it's too late now. We just have to get into rehearsal mode and get going. We all take up our planned positions on our future stage, as marked out by tape on the floor, and begin to play song number one on our setlist.

Slightly more than three hours later, at the conclusion of our second run through our performance plus encore, I realise the time. Damn, I have to get going to my appointment soon. I look over at Daisuke, seated in his wheel chair, its arms folded away and his wrapped around his bass. He's not going to like this, but I think it would be better to leave now than wait another few minutes and ditch in the middle of a song. I sigh out of defeat. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Although... three and a half weeks in, he should realise I have to leave this time three times a week anyway. I make my way over to the bearded bassist and announce my leave. As I expected, Daisuke doesn't like what he hears. Unusually though, he relents without so much as a single thought.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Get going Akarada. We can rehearse just fine without you. I came here this morning intending to get through three performances, and in spite of all these delays, I'm gonna do it even if I have to finish by myself. You better strum like your life depends on it while you're gone, you hear?"
"I will, don't you worry. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."
"Damn right you will. Be early; I don't want another repeat of today when it comes to playing live."
"I wouldn't dare hold you up again, you can count on that."
"Good man. Oh, and... get some more practice in on songs four, five and nine."

Ugh, critical even up to the last day. For a second, I even thought he was going to compliment me. I shouldn't be so presumptuous. I stand my ground for a second in hesitation, desperately wanting to tell him to blow it out his ass, but I turn tail and make my way to the nurse's office. I can't fault him for telling me to practice anything in particular when I'm heading off to practice in the first place. Well, heading off to have my blood pumped out, filtered, then pumped back in to me in the first place, and practicing in the second, but who really cares about technicalities?

My time in the nurse's office passes pretty quickly. It's quite curious how short two hours seems when over seventy five percent of it is taken up by what will be our performance tomorrow. It's amazing to think how far we've come in just this short time. It really helped, I think, to have Sakura come in from time to time and listen to us. She gave us insight into how our performance was holding up from an outsiders perspective, although I did note that the days in which she sat in on us were, for the most part, the days that Miko wasn't playing at her best. Miko has improved a lot though, so come tomorrow she should be fine. I might just tell Sakura to keep herself hidden if she intends to watch, just in case.

Once I reach the end of our sixteen songs, I find myself with about twenty minutes to spare. May as well get that extra practice Daisuke suggested in. Four, five and nine. It doesn't feel as natural to play the songs out of the order we've had drilled into our minds the last few weeks, and I find myself having to effectively count my way to which songs Daisuke meant. Rather than memorizing them like the tracks on a CD, I'd just been remembering them as a sequence. B after A, C after B, D after C, and so on. Nevertheless I figure out what I'm meant to be practicing, and get to work on them. Just as I finish, someone knocks at the door of the nurse's office. It's Naomi, holding a large white envelope in her hands. Her eyes widen as she notices me hooked up to the dialysis machine.

"Oh, Katsuro, I thought you'd be gone by now, seeing as you'd left early..."

I might have left early, but I still went to my appointment on time. I just sat outside for a few minutes, enjoying the sunshine. The nurse checks his watch, then the clock, which strikes me as odd. He shifts in his seat to look at me, then turns back to Naomi.

"Katsuro will be done in a few minutes, if you would rather wait. I don't mind."
"No, it's alright. It'll only take a minute anyway."
"Are you sure? You know, having another patient listen in on our conversations kind of breaches the doctor-patient confidentiality code."
"Not if it's my choice to allow it. Now are we going to get this over with, or what?"
"Very well Naomi, if that's what you want. Pass me your scans."

My guitar is all but forgotten as I watch the interaction between Naomi and the nurse. Naomi hands over the envelope, from which the nurse withdraws some large, film-esque prints. Some kind of x-ray, or ultrasound, I presume. Some irrational part of my brain automatically associates the word 'ultrasound' with 'pregnant', and I have to remind myself that ultrasounds do a lot more than check up on a baby. Besides, Naomi wouldn't be... would she? Pfft, no way. When the nurse applies the prints to one of those light boxes on the far side of the room, and turns it on, I can make out what appears to be two dozen smaller images arranged upon them. I can't quite tell from this distance what part of Naomi they depict.

"Hmm, these look much the same as last week. I'd have to do some measuring to be exactly sure, though."
"That's what the specialist said. I was thinking that, maybe, if it was the same two weeks in a row, then..."
"I know where you're going with this, Naomi. It's going to sound really cruel, but I have to tell you not to get too excited."
"You don't think the same thing?"
"Look, Naomi, I told you when you first came to me that I'm not a specialist in this area, so anything I said would have to be taken with a pinch of salt. I still don't know why you show me your scans."
"I... I suppose it's because... I want a second opinion. I want there to be the possibility that the specialist could be wrong if she said things were bad."
"...You could have picked many people better suited to delivering a second opinion than I, Naomi."
"Yeah, I know..."
"Hey, you aren't supposed to agree with someone when they put themselves down!"

The sudden mood swings of the exchange startle me. And the way Naomi and the nurse talk. I might just be being paranoid, but it seems as if their choices of words serve to say as much to each other as possible while doing the opposite for me. Because at the moment, I'm as lost as a snake in the Arctic. Try as I might, I can't glean any useful information from the rest of Naomi and the nurse's conversation. All I know is that Naomi sees a specialist of some kind, shows her scans to the nurse every week, and wants the specialist to be wrong sometimes. Naomi catches me staring at her as I try to unravel her secrets. The nurse also notices me looking, and throws his hand up in the air, index finger outstretched, as if he's going to announce something.

"Katsuro! I had completely forgotten you were still here. You've been here longer than you needed to be by now... not that that's a bad thing in any way."
"Oh, uh... don't worry about it. Just, uh, unhook me?"
"Hahaha! Of course! Then you and your girlfriend here can get out of here and spend some time alone!"

I glare at the nurse as he walks over. He has the most peculiar sense of humour, and sometimes I'm pretty sure what he jokes about crosses some kind of line. Like now, for instance. Behind him, I notice Naomi blushing. Her eyes meet mine and, possibly out of embarrassment, she turns away to collect her scans and return them to their envelope. Finally free from the evil needles of the machine that keeps me alive, I stand and stretch my legs. I stow my guitar back in its case, and Naomi waits at the door for me. I smile at the gesture, and together we leave the nurse's office. We walk in silence for several minutes, unimpeded by the prescence of any students, given the late hour. As we approach the courtyard of sorts adjoining the two dorm buildings, Naomi quietly speaks to me.

"Katsuro, can you spare a few minutes?"
"Uh, sure, what for?"
"Just come with me for now."

I can't bring myself to probe any further. The way she spoke... it seemed abnormal. Not in any negative way of sorts, but just in that it wasn't said like a casual request. I get a vibe that kinda feels like what I expect the conversation would be like when someone breaks up with you. Not that I'd know from experience at all, but that's just the feeling I get. Even though we're not going out, despite the nurse's jests. Naomi leads me into the girls' dorm, up the stairs leading to the second floor, and then stops outside room two-one-four. Remembering the events of earlier this afternoon, I realise Naomi has led me to her room. Naomi unlocks the door, and ushers me inside.

She doesn't turn to face me when she enters the room. Rather, she stands at her window and looks out of it at some object beyond the glass. Unsure of what to do, I stand awkwardly just inside Naomi's room and take a look around. It's not that dissimilar to Seto's room actually, the difference being that Noami's room is more feminine. Naomi's room is much tidier, and smells lightly of some kind of perfume. Many of her band posters are the same as Seto's, while others depict some well known female artists, and anime posters - some recent, some much less so - cover the walls in lieu of Seto's game posters. A dozen or so figurines line some shelves above her bed. Some of them are really elaborate; I have no idea how much anime figurines cost, but I'd say those ones would be worth a fair bit.

A fairly high-end stereo occupies part of her desk space, and nearly all of the rest by boxes of CDs. I can make out what some of them are from here, Naomi has some really great taste. Of course, being in band club with her, I knew this already, but seeing her collection like this is nice. It certainly contrasts my own collection of music, in that where all her music is on the desk before me, all mine exists only metaphysically - that is, it's all on my laptop and iPod. I don't think I've ever actually bought a physical CD in my life. When Naomi speaks again, it's so quietly that I almost don't notice.

"Katsuro, remember when you said that if I wanted to talk, you'd be happy to listen?"
"Of course. I still stand by that."
"Good... please sit down."

I do as I'm told, setting my guitar case against the wall and seating myself on the nearest furniture, the end of Naomi's bed. It takes quite some time for Naomi to turn away from her window, and when she does, the look on her face stings me like no physical would could. It's one of pure, unrestrained pain. Not physical pain, but emotional pain, the kind you deal with when a family member passes away. All of a sudden Naomi seems a lot older than eighteen. I swear I can pick out the creases in her skin from where she's shut her eyes as tight as they can go, or where her mouth has been contorted by the worst kind of tears. I open my mouth a little in shock at her appearance, and my heart breaks.

"I was going to talk about this some other time... but running into you at the nurse's office like that, I think I owe you an explanation."
"You don't owe me - "
"Don't interrupt. I need to do this all at once or else I won't get it done at all."

I close my mouth and resolve not to speak, no matter how much I might want to say something. It's obviously a very big thing for Naomi to talk to me like this, so if she wants me to shut up, then by god am I going to shut up. Naomi takes a few deep breaths before continuing.

"In my last year of elementary school, I was pretty sporty. I played all kinds of sports, soccer, baseball, hockey... and I played them well. I would often play in teams above my age grade, so it wasn't uncommon for me to take a hit from time to time. Women's sports can be tough. During one game of hockey I was playing for a women's level team, I took hit to the head that left me concussed. Naturally, they took all the normal precautions, sent me home, gave me rest and all that, but several days later I was still in pain. So my mom took me to the hospital to get checked out. They did a few standard tests, but then recommended I have an MRI scan. When the results came in, the doctor asked that we speak to him in his office. He told me that day that I..."

Naomi stumbles at this point. Her voice peters out into an inaudible whisper. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and crunches her hands into tight fists. Slowly exhaling, she opens her fists and her eyes, the latter of which now seem unfocussed and misty. When she continues, her voice no longer has any semblance of the confidence or power that it holds when she sings.

"He told me that... that I had brain cancer."

The admission crashes over me like a tidal wave. Shit... I'd worried that Naomi might suffer from something bad, but not once did I ever imagine it would be something as bad as that. I can't even bring myself to think the word, such is the power it holds. It's probably the most soul-destroying word in the world, irrespective of language. And for Naomi to be told she has it, as young as she was... all of a sudden my condition seems beyond insignificant in comparison. I desperately want to stand up and hold Naomi, to hug her and tell her that everything is alright, but she resumes speaking and I dare not interrupt her.

"I didn't say a word that day. The doctor explained a lot of things; what it meant for me, how it would be treated, how long I would be under the care of the hospital, the name of my specialist, the odds of survival if I chose to or not to accept treatment... I couldn't even answer. I couldn't look him in the eye. All I could do was stare at the floor and nod. The way he talked, it was like he was trying to reassure me that nothing would change. But I wasn't stupid. I knew a lot was going to change in my life. I was going to miss the end of the school year, I was going to miss sport, I was going to lose my social life, my wellbeing, my hair..."

As she says this, Naomi's hand reaches up to touch her hair band. Biting her lip in determination, she takes hold of the ornament, and gently removes it from her scalp. Along with her flowing, fiery red hair. When Naomi resumes her full standing height, she looks very different. She looks unnaturally skinny. Her head looks too small. Her hair, which is actually dark brown, is really short, shorter even than Daisuke's. I never noticed before, but her eyebrows aren't even red, and they stand out now that I realise this. Naomi shifts slightly under my gaze, and she replaces her false hair upon her head.

"I can't even bear to look at my hair anymore. I've become too used to this wig... everyone has become to used to it. Even my parents recognise me by my wig now. No one here even knows that my hair isn't even red, except for Seto and the nurse, of course. Back to my... my condition, I've been undergoing treatment for three years. That's why I'm away every Sunday, except for tomorrow. I arranged to have it done today so I could play with you guys. I was off getting scans and check ups and all sorts of tests... thankfully it's not as full on as it was back then. At first, all the chemotherapy made me sick, and lethargic... I couldn't have been happier when they told me that I didn't need to come in so often. Nowadays, it's mostly just checking to see if it's all gone, or if it comes back. But after this long, I don't know how much longer I can deal with this. So many times have the scans come back negative, and so many times have the next one, or the one after, or the one after that showed its prescence again."

Naomi's posture is slumped. She looks broken. On the verge of giving up. Naomi closes her eyes, possibly in an attempt to shut out the painful memories, and a single tear runs down the left side of her face. Without even realising what I'm doing, let alone controlling it, I rise from my place on Naomi's bed and step over to her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her in for the strongest hug I have ever given. My right hand rests on the back of her head, which in turn rests on my shoulder. It's a little awkward considering her height, but the meaning of the act remains the same. Stifled slightly by my shoulder, Naomi continues to talk.

"Katsuro... I'm sorry."
"Sorry? What could you possibly be sorry for?"
"For burdening you with all this."
"Naomi, if it was any trouble for me at all, I wouldn't have offered to listen. It takes a lot of courage to say what you said just now, and it would take a damn fool to reject that in any way."

Naomi doesn't respond to this. Instead we remain standing as we are, Naomi wrapped in my embrace. We stay this way for several minutes, or several hours, I don't really know. When Naomi breaks our contact, she appears much less pained. Her eyes are still a little puffy, but she no longer looks like she's suffering under the weight of her situation as she did when she was telling it to me. Naomi looks into my eyes for a few seconds, then steps forward again, this time taking me in her arms.

"Thank you, Katsuro. This really helps."
"Whatever you need, you can count on me, Naomi."
"I'll hold you to that. Now get outta here, people might think it a bit suss if you hang around too long."

I smile at Naomi's implication. Naomi releases me from her hug, and I remain rooted to the spot, my mind whizzing along at a mile a minute. It was really nice hugging her. It was even more so being hugged back. She's so soft... I want to hug her again. I want to be close to her. I want to be ins - no. I can't. Not now. It takes an incredble amount of effort to wrench my thoughts out of the gutter. Hesitating no further, I pick up my guitar case and bid Naomi farewell. When I finish closing her door, and stand alone in the corridor, I wish I was back inside. Stifling my desire, I trudge back to my room. I need plenty of sleep before tomorrow. It's going to be a big day. For me. For Naomi. For all of us.

On to the next part: Day Thirty One

Re: Greater Than The Sum - Days 0-30 Complete

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:27 am
by BlackWaltzTheThird
Day Thirty One

I check the time being displayed on the alarm clock that came with my room. It's only about 10:30. I didn't realise the festival was such a big event as to attract so many people this early. A survey of the crowd outside shows that the great majority of the festival-goers are middle-aged or older people, along with some young kids and the occasional teenager or young adult. I vaguely recognise some people as being the residents of the town at the bottom of the hill on which Yamaku is situated. It must be the kind of town that everyone moves out of when they finish highschool or university, and everyone settling down with a family moves into. That would go a fair way to explaining the age bias among the crowd, as well as the generally peaceful atmosphere of the area.

I look around the grounds of Yamaku. It's strange seeing it so full of people. Colourful stalls of all shapes and sizes line the numerous pathways and courtyards surrounding the buildings. From my vantage point at my window - which isn't a particularly good one, given that it's on the first floor - I spy a few students that I recognise manning some of the stalls, as well as many others that I don't. There's a few food stalls on the outskirts of the throng; I can't quite tell what they are selling from here, but from the smell I can reasonably assume that it's most likely deep fried, or otherwise fat- or sugar-laden. And delicious.

Through the middle sort of area of the grounds, there's a few game type attractions rigged up. It looks like there's something to do with fishing out of a large plastic pond, and some kind of throwing game. I can't see them all too well from this angle, so I can't be sure. But judging from the lines snaking around them, they're pretty popular. That's not to discredit the other game stalls, they also seem to be pulling in big business. It really is a wonder how the student body managed to create something like this in a little over a month. I'm not sure whether to attribute the credit for this to the students themselves, or to the tyrannical dictatorship of Shizune and the student council. Or, in the case of my own project, one Mister Nakamura.

He really deserves a pat on the back for all the work he put in to help us construct our stage. It stands proudly at the back of the festival, the side closest to all the buildings. It is by no means huge, but considering the size it is and the time frame in which it was built, it certainly is an achievement on the part of Miko's father. I don't think we can thank him enough for his help. I almost can't believe that in a few hours our group will be performing there, in front of hundreds of patrons. The thought is a little frightening honestly. I think we'll do well, though a little more practice before our debut performance couldn't hurt. I acquire my guitar case from its position under my bed, and head over to the music room.

I enter the room, expecting to see Daisuke there with his bass, but to my surprise the person before me is not Daisuke, but rather Miko. Hearing me enter the door, Miko looks up from her keyboard with a start, causing her to mess up the song she was playing pretty badly. She blooms into a full blush, which contrasts with her frustrated expression, and she slams her hands into the keys.

"Hi, Miko. Are you alright there?"
"I'm f-f-fine. You j-just sc-sc-scared me."
"You don't look fine... I saw you hit your keyboard pretty hard."
"I..."

Miko falls into silence without finishing her counter statement. Sensing some kind of issue, I shut the door behind me, lay my guitar case against the wall and pull up two chairs next to Miko. Following my lead, Miko takes a seat. We sit for a little while, not speaking, during which time I realise much of the din from the fesitval is blocked out here. I attribute that fact to the distance and elevation of the music room, relative to the grounds, and the sheer amount of material between them. In spite of the quiet though, I still barely notice Miko speak up.

"I c-can't do it."
"What?"
"I c-can't d-d-do it."
"Do what, Miko?"
"P-perform. Outs-s-side."
"Do you have stagefright? Don't worry about it, all of us do. Everyone else does too, at some point. It's a part of life."
"Th-that's not it. It's n-not the s-s-same."
"Then what is it? If you tell me, maybe I can help out."
"..."

Miko stops talking once again. She's blushing again, but this time it doesn't appear to be because she's angry. I tentatively call her name, a gentle prompt for her to speak. She doesn't respond vocally, but removes something from her pocket and hands it to me. I look to her for some explanation, and all I'm offered is the instruction to open it. I do so, and I find in my hands one of the promotional posters for our band. The general colour scheme resembles that of the Yamaku uniform, and silhouetted images of the five of us adorn the lower half of the poster, with stylized instruments layered on top. Emblazoned across the top in a giant font is the name of our band, as well as the logo. The overall design of the poster was a collaborative effort, but the credit for the name and symbol goes entirely to Miko.

'Greater Than The Sum'. '>∑'. It was a stroke of brilliance on her part, as it summarises the nature of our group in four simple words (and a kick ass logo). It mirrors something I thought the first time we all played together, a famous quotation. 'A whole is greater than the sum of its parts'. What that meant to Miko was twofold. Firstly, that as a band, we had a better sound than any one of us playing by ourselves. Secondly, and probably most philosophically, Miko told us that it could mean as people, we were more than just what our respective disabilities identified us as. We, as wholes, exceeded the lesser standards expected of us because of our 'restrictions'. But what relevance does all this have now? Why is Miko showing me this and saying she can't perform? I ask her again what's wrong.

"Do y-y-you reme-me-member what I said th-that meant wh-when I sug-g-gested it?"
"How could I forget? It was inspirational stuff, I never expected someone so young to come up with something like that."

Miko blushes again and half-giggles at my compliment. A tiny smile lifts the edges of her mouth slightly, but it's gone as quickly as it arrived as she opens her mouth to speak.

"It d-doesn't ap-p-ply to m-me."
"What? Why doesn't it apply to you, of all people?"
"I can't f-face other p-people."
"I don't understand..."
"I can't perf-f-form well in front of p-people. I never h-have. M-my restric-c-c-restriction gets the b-better of me."
"But you have been performing well in front of people. You've been playing in front of us this whole time! And you've played in front of Sakura too, at times."
"D-don't lie to me."

Miko suddenly sounds different. The way she said that... her voice took on a disturbingly callous tone. I reel back slightly in my seat, and Miko looks at me for the first time since I arrived.

"I know I m-make mist-st-st-stakes. I do it a l-lot. Daisuke always s-says h-how good I'm p-p-playing, but he's l-lying every t-time. E-everyone does. It m-makes me sick. It's l-like my old sch-sch-schools. Th-there was p-p-people wh-who lie about h-how w-well I t-t-talk. There w-was people who j-just laughed b-because I st-st-stutter or b-b-because of my d-d-dyslexia. B-but the worst o-o-ones of a-all were the ones wh-who d-didn't say anyth-thing at all. Th-the ones who just s-sat there and p-p-pitied me, l-like I was s-some h-helpless broken c-cripple. P-people like y-you."

Miko's words hit me like a punch in the guts. Miko's stutter has nothing to do with nervousness. I was completely off track. I was right in that she came to Yamaku because of it, but that wasn't her 'problem' per se. All she wanted was for people to treat her the same as anyone else, not make exceptions for her, or give her false praise, just because she had a 'restriction'. All we'd been doing to try and work around her supposed nervousness had in fact been making her hate us more and more. I feel absolutely terrible. I struggle to form a response.

"Miko, I... I never..."
"Don't lie t-to me!" Miko rises from the seat I brought for her. It doesn't do much to place her above my sitting height, but through her aggressive pose, the intent is still recieved. "I've s-s-seen you! Wh-whenever I played b-badly, y-you gave me that l-l-look! Especially wh-when S-Sakura was listening t-to us! Th-that look of sh-sh-shame..."
"No, that wasn't it at all! I wasn't pitying you! I wasn't ashamed of you!"
"You're lying! I've s-seen that look a th-thousand t-t-times! I-it-'s the l-look people g-g-give when they f-find out I'm b-broken!"
"You're not broken... I didn't even know you were dyslexic until you told me just now. I thought you were just nervous because you didn't know us... because we wouldn't accept you. That look was because I was worried about you, not because I thought you were different. I'm sorry. I... I never meant to hurt you."
"Wh-...what?"

Miko's aggressive stance falters a little. The blush brought on by her anger subsides, and her voice cracks. She moves back out of my face and drops heavily back into the seat. Miko's arms hang uselessly by her sides, and her head hangs on her chest. I can see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Miko?"
"I'm s-so s-s-sorry, K-Katsuro. So so so sorry."
"Don't apologise to me... you don't have to apologise to anyone. It's not your fault."
"I assumed th-that because ev-ev-everyone else treat-t-t-ted me like that, that y-you w-would t-t-too..."
"It's okay, Miko. No damage has been done. Do I look hurt to you?"
"N-no..."
"Right. Now let me tell you something. You don't have to worry about anyone outside. They're just like me; they don't think you're any different because of your condition. I know you can go out there and put on a show like no other. I have faith in you."

Miko looks up at me again, eye to eye. Unlike before though, the look in her eyes isn't one of hatred, but one of immense regret. There's something else I can see, as well, but I don't quite know what it is.

"I didn't w-want to h-hate you... I th-thought you w-were really n-nice... I... I thought..."

Miko cuts herself short, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. Before I even register what is happening, Miko is a lot closer than what would be considered appropriate in this situation. My eyes widen as I feel Miko's lips close around mine, and her hand come to rest gently on my cheek. I shouldn't be doing this. Miko's too young. I have feelings for... someone else. I can't be kissing Miko, my first kiss was supposed to be with Naomi... This isn't right. My brain is telling me to break the contact, to move away, but I seem to be paralyzed.

I've lost track of time. I don't know how long my lips have been entwined with Miko's. It's one of those moments where time slows down to a crawl; or your mind whizzes up to light speed... I'm not sure which. After what seems like an eternity, Miko removes her lips from mine and takes back her position in her chair. All I can do is remain almost completely still, eyes frozen open and unfocussed, and mouth still partially open in both shock and from the space Miko's lip previously occupied. I feel rather than see Miko looking me over, unsure if she'd made the right decision. When it becomes apparent that I'm not giving her any kind of response, Miko turns away and begins wringing her hands.

"I sh-shouldn't have... I... I'm g-going to go ou-ou-outside..."

And with that, Miko packs up the keyboard and its stand, and awkwardly carries them out of the music room. A very brief exchange can be heard from outside when she leaves, after which the door opens again and Seto, Naomi and Daisuke enter. Their surprise pales in comparison to mine from before. Sly laughter emanates from Seto.

"Woah-ho! What's been happening in here, man?"

I finally regain control over my body, and turn to look at Seto approaching me. Behind him, Daisuke glares a look of intense disapproval and Naomi seems offended, or cheated somehow. Of all the times they had to arrive, why now?

"Yo, man? You alright?"
"I... Miko, she... I didn't..."
"Pull yourself together, Akarada. We have just over an hour before we're up for our first gig. Get your ass up and help us move all our gear out to the stage."

Daisuke's abrasiveness spurs me out of my stupor. I get out of my chair and assist everyone in taking all our respective instruments out to the stage. We take our two guitars, the mic, and all the corresponding plugs and pedals first. When we arrive at the stage outside, Miko is nowhere to be seen. I'm a little worried about that, there is no denying. The others don't seem to notice, except for Naomi. Our eyes meet for the merest fraction of a second, and she turns away.

Our second and third trips are dedicated to transporting Seto's drum kit. It really is an inconvenience to move around I note, for much more than the first time. By the time we've got all our stuff outside and have it all plugged in and ready to go, we have about fifteen minutes until we're scheduled to start playing. And still no sign of Miko. Daisuke, Seto and Naomi all try calling Miko's phone, but it's in vain as she refuses to answer. The atmosphere becomes anxious as the time until we're meant to start ticks away with no sign of Miko and a crowd beginning to gather before our stage. Daisuke calls us over to discuss the dilemma.

"We have five minutes. If we don't hear anything from Miko before the hour rings out, we start without her."
"Are you kidding me? We can't start without Miko, that's like Bohemian Rhapsody starting without Freddie. And we PLAY Bohemian Rhapsody."
"You should have thought about that before you went and made out with her then, Akarada."
"I didn't, she... ugh why do I even bother? You won't even care anyway."
Before Daisuke can make another retort, Naomi interrupts. "Guys, can we chill out for a sec? Whatever happened is in the past now, so let's just focus on finding our number five, right?"
"Yes, thank you Naomi. Has anyone tried calling her again?"
"I'll try it one more time."

Naomi extracts her phone from her pocket, and dials Miko's number. We wait, on edge, as Naomi stands near motionless with the phone to her ear. After several dial tones, we nearly give up, but a shout from Naomi revives our hope.

"She answered! Miko, where are you? ...What? I can't hear you... Where are you? ... Miko? ...She hung up."
"What'd she say?"
"I don't know, I couldn't hear her. It sounded like she was surrounded by noise..."
Seto's shout prevents us from forming any theories as to Miko's location. "There she is! She's running through the crowd on the far side of the grounds!"

We all turn to follow Seto's outstretched arm, and true to his word, Miko is on the far end of the festival, struggling to run towards us with her keyboard and stand in her grasp. I bolt from the stage and into the throng to reach Miko. When I do, I take the keyboard from her hands, leaving her with only its stand, and together we fight our way back to the stage. While everyone questions Miko about what happened, I set up her instrument at the forefront of the stage, effectively making her the centre of attention.

The bell sounding the hour rings out, blocking all attempts at conversation among our group. As the ringing ceases, an announcement from the principal crackles over the the PA system, thanking everyone for turning up to the festival, wishing them all the best fun for the day, praising the work of all the students who worked on the projects, and finally introducing our band. It's an amazing feeling to hear to words 'Greater Than The Sum' echo out across the campus, but an even better one to hear the entire crowd before us bring their hands together in applause to lead us in.

I can barely hear the clicking of Seto's drumsticks over the applause as he counts us in, however I manage to find my timing and begin to play the first song on my cue. With the enormous volume potential provided by the high-tech speakers hired by the school, the sound we make is completely unlike anything I've heard us play before. I almost stop playing, such is the intensity of the sound. Thankfully I manage to resist this instinct, as well as the instinct to stop and replay a riff as I make a little mistake. Around me, the guys are really getting into the groove of things.

There's not much Seto can do in the realm of showmanship, given he's seated and uses his arms and legs on his instrument, but whatever he can do he's doing. Like Seto, Daisuke is also seated and can't do a whole lot of theatrics. But at least he has the freedom to twist himself around or play over the back of his head, I guess. Miko is a little less restriced than them, being able to use her legs if she so desires, and maybe wave or something if she only needs one hand. And then there's Naomi... if anyone had stage prescence down, it would be her. That girl owns the stage. The way she's strutting around right now, both a part of our band and a part of the audience... it's captivating. I have to try my hardest to remember to keep playing, to avoid a repeat of the first time I heard her sing.

Our performance plays on, and we move through each song as we rehearsed. There's a few mistakes on all of our parts here and there, but nothing so major that the crowd cares in the least. The crowd is such a great motivational device. I feel like I could keep playing until my fingers were worn to the bone, as long as the crowd kept cheering for us like this. But alas we eventually reach the end of the setlist, and the crowd wants more. Sharing a look with each other, we remove four extra microphones from the back of the stage, and mount them before Miko, Daisuke, Seto and myself. Naomi motions for quiet, to somewhat of an effect. Our five-person vocal arrangement then begins our encore song.

Almost six minutes later, we finish our performance. Where possible, we all rise and take a bow to the cheering audience. We get on the mics and thank everyone for listening, then set about locking away our instruments. Satisfied that they aren't going anywhere any time soon, the five us make to take a break and mingle in the crowd. We've not even separated yet, however, before a man and woman approach us.

They're similarly dressed; garbed in black jeans, heavy boots, black leather jackets over white shirts, and what looks like some kind of bandanna or blindfold covering the man's eyes. Both of the couple's hair is black - not the natural black though, but the over saturated looking dyed black, and the woman has a streak of red running down her hair. Both's hair style is incredibly elaborate, probably containing a lot of hair product. Seto and Naomi are staring intently at the couple, while Daisuke only takes a mere glance and rolls away. Miko isn't quite sure what to make of the couple. The woman speaks to us when she is within audible range.

"Hi guys, long time no see."

Miko and I are baffled by this comment, having never seen such unusually attired individuals before. Seto and Naomi on the other hand seem to recognise the couple. The four greet each other amicably, then turn to Miko and myself. Seto introduces the couple as Yamato and Reina, the former guitarist and keyboardist of the band respectively. That explains Yamato's blindfold at least; I recall Seto telling me their old guitarist was blind. It looks a lot more badass than wearing glasses, or nothing for that matter. Miko and I return the favour, introducing ourselves as their replacements. We make small talk for a while, the members of the old band catching up on the events of the last six months or so.

Yamato and Reina seem like pretty cool people, contrary to their appearance. I suppose stereotypes aren't everything. They praise the direction of our new band, and are very happy with our performances, offering constructive criticism where appropriate; much the opposite of a certain legless other. The conversation turns to the band that Yamato plays for. I miss what the name was, but it's a fairly new act. Reina serves as a producer of sorts at the present, mixing their recordings and occasionally providing some synth and vocal back up where required. As it turns out, they have a gig in three weeks or so, and Yamato offers for us to attend.

I eagerly accept, as does Seto. Miko takes a little convincing, considering her stature and age, and the nature of Yamato's concerts, but with the offer of a separate seating area she accepts. Naomi agrees to go, but voices concerns about Daisuke coming along. Yamato and Reina discuss the matter in private for a few seconds, then extend the offer to Daisuke as well, should he want it. They way they step around the name Daisuke says to me that the old band didn't just break up because two of it's members graduated, but with no leads to go on, I decide not to ask. It isn't my business. Shortly afterwards, everyone says their farewells and Yamato and Reina leave for whatever business they have to attend to.

Now free to roam the festival, the four of us visit various stalls, sampling a bit of food and drink from each, and partaking in each of the games at least once. It ends up being really expensive, and by the time we're done I've been the one shouting most of the entertainment. Not that I mind paying, but the apparent generosity does not go unnoticed by the guys. All the stalls exhausted, we take a seat in our lunch spot. We pass the time talking about a variety of subjects, although most of them end up tracking back to the performance, the festival, or Yamato and Reina. Before long the sky begins to darken and the time approaches for us to perform our second act.

We arrive back at the stage, which is already occupied by the form of Daisuke and his bass. We all prep ourselves for the second performance, and when we all feel ready, we grab a quick look at each other to ascertain the same applies for everyone else. When I meet Daisuke's gaze, his glare seems darker than usual. I must have done something to piss him off again. Somehow. Nevertheless we all get into position and begin round two of the Greater Than The Sum extravaganza, playing into the night as the - in my opinion - much more awesome opening act for the fireworks that conclude the festival.

On to the next part: Day Thirty Two