Spring Anime blurbs + fic: [SK] Twin Stars ch.12: lost before the concert
Since my last post, I dived into some new anime. 8D I'll probably follow these series for a few more weeks, but I'm not all that excited about any yet. =/
Itazura na Kiss: Ah, the Taiwanese drama followed this pretty well. I only caught a glimpse of the TW drama, but their casting was pretty good. Oh dear, this reminds me of the bizarre situations that shoujo series can come up with...I mean, houses collapsing overnight? ^^;
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Next Season: Was the previous series this pointless? >_> Everyone was crying their eyes out three minutes into the show. I remember liking Haruka in the previous series...but now everyone's just making things too complicated for each other.
Soul Eater: The animation for this is so pretty. Not too sure about the story. I liked Black Star's character design right away, but er, I don't like his personality. I'm not too fond of characters like Maka either. ^^;
Amatsuki: I was very curious about this series from the summary, but the first episode was a little "eh??" for me. Still, it's an intriguing setup.
Vampire Knight: *sees Kaname-senpai* Ahaha, hi there, Yunoki-senpai! Meh, I don't like vampires all that much, hence why I never read this manga. I really like the opening song though.
Still plan to try out: Nabari no Ou, Special A, Toshokan Sensou. Anything else I should watch?
I caught up with the Naruto anime too, and ended up taking a whole bunch of screencaps of Kabuto. 8D Does anyone like Kabuto? I haven't been able to find much good fics about him.
And now, some fic that no one cares about. I wrote the second half of this in 2006. I've finally gotten around to that point in the story! Must finish fic. Yes.
Title: Twin Stars
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
Notes: for au100 theme #83 Lost
Words: ~1700
Archive: lj / ffnet
-----chapter 12: lost before the concert-----
On the day of the concert, Hao was not nervous. The mirror in front of him reflected a confident stranger dressed in a black skirt that had buttons running from the collar all the way down to the hem of the skirt. Slender fingers peaked out from the red, cotton sleeves. They played at the buttons holding the pockets closed. Pale cheeks were lightly powdered, no longer sunken from hunger. Long, glistening hair was tied back with a simple black ribbon. There was hardly any trace of the once starved boy in the reflection that stared back at him.
Except for those unchanging and sharp obsidian eyes, the reflection was not his.
His life as an idol made him bury his identity, but in exchange, his meals were stable, and he had clothes that belonged only to him. Thousands of people noticed him and found him important, even though he was one big lie.
It was a lie he relished in.
He only regretted that his fame wasn't even more widespread.
He saw no reason why he shouldn't be at the very top. Hao was not someone who settled for second best. Today's concert was only one step towards the top. A grin spread over his face as he remembered his second encounter with Kyoyama Anna's pink-haired manager earlier that day. His plan was moving along well. This time, the pink-haired manager had been singing quietly to herself. He vaguely recognized the tune as one of Anna's.
"You have a pretty good voice," he commented from behind her.
She jumped and was just as skittish as she had been when he had approached her in the hallway the day before. He knew that she was a shy person and he was from a rival company, but was there really such a need to be so wary of him?
"Have you ever thought about becoming an idol yourself?" he asked, his head tilted in friendly inquiry.
The pink-haired manager opened her mouth as if to answer, only to close it quickly. She frowned and shook her head miserably.
"Why not? Your voice is beautiful. You have what it takes," he continued. He did not think at all that Tamao had what it took to be an idol. She was not ruthless enough to withstand the competition. He did not think she would actually heed his words--he only wanted to create strife between Anna and her manager.
He noticed her cheeks reddening rapidly. Did his words have that much of an impact?
The pink-haired girl dug around in her bag and held a box out to him.
When he took it, his face was not free from surprise. She must have noticed, since she began babbling.
"T-this bento is my thanks for your curry chips from yesterday!" she explained in a hurry, her arms flailing in front of her. "I figured that s-since you seem to like curry chips, you might like some curry chicken too. I um know a guy who has similar tastes. Y-you look a lot like him actually," she finished and looked up at him timidly, the blush never leaving her face.
He opened the lid, the delicious aroma of curry chicken drifting to his nose. She was much more perceptive than he had given her credit for.
"...thank you," he murmured, and when he looked up, he saw a wide, stupid smile grace her lips. It was a look he had often seen on girls that had admired him back at the orphanage.
It was then that his brain registered "the guy" that she had mentioned. Was that guy the reason why Tamao was so nervous around him? Hao frowned. He wasn't acting like a female enough if he was still reminding girls of guys they liked.
The bento box lay untouched on his dressing table as he stood up.
He was saving it for later.
-----
Minutes before the concert, Hao winced, his hand flying towards his stomach to clutch at the pain. Tiny bursts of pain wracked his stomach, making him kneel over. He was only barely managing to stay upright. What the heck? It couldn't had been anything he had eaten. The bento box was still untouched.
Wait.
His eyes narrowed. There was that cake that he had snatched away from Horo Horo earlier. Where exactly had the loud boy gotten that piece of cake from? He grimaced at the idea that it might have been from one of the faceless, idiotic fangirls of Horo Horo. Passing food around like that was unclean, and Hao knew first hand that accepting food from a stranger was not a good idea.
He winced again as another sharp burst of pain hit him. The pain reminded him of the days he had starved as he blindly wandered around the city on his own. He had thought that he'd never feel pain like that ever again now that he was earning money on his own.
He tried to move towards the stage, but he only managed one step before he had to steady himself against the wall.
How was he supposed to sing like this?
"F-Faust," gritted the boy through his pain. "I don't want to sing right now. Postpone the concert for me."
The pale man turned wide eyes at the young idol. "This concert is for you, your fans, and Eliza! You can't postpone it right before it starts." However, a knowing smile came over him when he saw Hao clutching his stomach.
"Ah, time of the month?" Faust ventured. "I remember how volatile my gentle Eliza became when she was hit with those cramps. Imagine that! Gentle Eliza, who takes her time to take care of the kids in the hospital wards even though she's very weak herself..."
Seeing Faust lost in his ramblings about 'Eliza' once again, Hao quietly slipped away. There was no way he would be able perform in this kind of condition. He was not at his best. He refused to let anyone see him so weak and pitiful. Not even Faust, who had dragged him in from the streets and...saved him.
He snorted at Faust's assumption. Well, at least now he knew a good excuse to use when he wasn't feeling his best.
-----
"Huh, why does this corridor look the same as the last one?" wondered the boy with orange headphones. Since he had run quite a distance and was therefore sweaty, he had his school uniform unbuttoned, revealing the claw necklace that he wore against his chest.
He paused the music and slid his headphones down to his neck. The corridor was eerily silent without his music.
He glanced towards the left and then towards the right.
He was lost.
He really should have asked the avid Ha-chan fan Manta to meet him in front of the auditorium. But Yoh had trusted himself to be able to find the main hall...after all, it was the main hall! How hard would it be to find? Besides, he had thought that even if he did get lost, he could have asked someone else for directions. He was pretty sure that the auditorium would be crowded with people for the concert. And yet, there was no one in sight he could ask. Were all the people already seated or something?
He wandered a bit more, hoping that blind luck would lead him to the right place...until a hand shot out to stop him.
"There you are! You had me worried! The concert can't start without you there-"
Yoh stared at the babbling yet tall stranger. Did he know the guy? Why couldn't the concert start without him? It wasn't like he was vital to the people hosting the concert or anything. Actually, he didn't even know anyone from Bones Entertainment. This guy especially, was a little freaky with his purple lipstick and chalk-white face. Yoh was quite sure that he didn't know anyone who wore purple lipstick. And...was that a dandelion sticking out from the man's straw hat?
The man's tirade stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.
"YOUR HAIR!"
Yoh's hand shot up to his hair without thought. "My hair?"
"When did you cut it?"
Yoh blinked. "Um, last month?"
The man stared at Yoh unblinkingly, his eyes roaming over the boy and his unbuttoned shirt, until he calmly asked, "Who are you?"
"Yoh."
A maniacal gleam came over the man's eyes as his fingers started twitching unconsciously. Yoh suddenly felt more than a little alarmed.
"Can you sing?" the man asked excitedly.
"Uh...somewhat? I play instruments more," he answered hesitantly, his eyes watching Faust's twitching fingers warily.
He had no idea where the conversation was headed.
"Instruments? Guitar? Electric keyboard?" continued the tall man's questions.
"Yeah, those..."
A wild grin accompanied the gleam in the man's eyes.
"Perfect."
-----
The crowd wasn't humongous by any means, certainly not as large as the crowds seen in Kyoyama Anna or Iron Maiden Jeanne's concerts. Ha-chan was still a fairly new idol, and because of that, not many people knew of her yet. Those who did, however, swarmed to Ha-chan's very first concert, ready to finally be able to see the new idol on stage, to finally be able to see and hear her without going through the radio or through magazines.
Oyamada Manta was one of those fans. He hurried back to Tokyo all the way from Izumo just for Ha-chan's concert. Currently, he sat in the third row, which was the closest seat he had been able to get tickets for. With the rest of the fans, he waited in anticipation for the show to start.
When the clock struck seven, the time the concert was supposed to start, the crowd hushed, thinking that Ha-chan was about to take to the stage. But as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, the murmurings grew louder.
"Where is she?"
"Is it starting yet?"
"Are they having technical problems?"
"Man, this sucks!"
Manta jumped off his seat, straining to his tiptoes as he gazed at the stage, hoping for something to happen. It wasn't possible that the concert was going to be delayed! Or even worse, canceled!
And then, finally, the lights dimmed. The crowd once again hushed as the spotlight focused on the stage. The music started, and out stepped a figure through the mist.
Manta squinted, trying to make out the figure in the mist. When the mist started clearing, Manta's eyes widened.
That lazy smile...that slow but sure walk...
Wasn't that Yoh-kun???
What the heck was Yoh-kun doing on stage? And where was Ha-chan?
-----to be continued-----
Next chapter: Twin Stars
Oh, and happy Hikago Day everyone. *____* I entirely missed the bg deadline. *stares miserably at her half-finished fic.* I'll probably never get around to posting it. Congrats to everyone who finished!
Itazura na Kiss: Ah, the Taiwanese drama followed this pretty well. I only caught a glimpse of the TW drama, but their casting was pretty good. Oh dear, this reminds me of the bizarre situations that shoujo series can come up with...I mean, houses collapsing overnight? ^^;
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Next Season: Was the previous series this pointless? >_> Everyone was crying their eyes out three minutes into the show. I remember liking Haruka in the previous series...but now everyone's just making things too complicated for each other.
Soul Eater: The animation for this is so pretty. Not too sure about the story. I liked Black Star's character design right away, but er, I don't like his personality. I'm not too fond of characters like Maka either. ^^;
Amatsuki: I was very curious about this series from the summary, but the first episode was a little "eh??" for me. Still, it's an intriguing setup.
Vampire Knight: *sees Kaname-senpai* Ahaha, hi there, Yunoki-senpai! Meh, I don't like vampires all that much, hence why I never read this manga. I really like the opening song though.
Still plan to try out: Nabari no Ou, Special A, Toshokan Sensou. Anything else I should watch?
I caught up with the Naruto anime too, and ended up taking a whole bunch of screencaps of Kabuto. 8D Does anyone like Kabuto? I haven't been able to find much good fics about him.
And now, some fic that no one cares about. I wrote the second half of this in 2006. I've finally gotten around to that point in the story! Must finish fic. Yes.
Title: Twin Stars
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
Notes: for au100 theme #83 Lost
Words: ~1700
Archive: lj / ffnet
-----chapter 12: lost before the concert-----
On the day of the concert, Hao was not nervous. The mirror in front of him reflected a confident stranger dressed in a black skirt that had buttons running from the collar all the way down to the hem of the skirt. Slender fingers peaked out from the red, cotton sleeves. They played at the buttons holding the pockets closed. Pale cheeks were lightly powdered, no longer sunken from hunger. Long, glistening hair was tied back with a simple black ribbon. There was hardly any trace of the once starved boy in the reflection that stared back at him.
Except for those unchanging and sharp obsidian eyes, the reflection was not his.
His life as an idol made him bury his identity, but in exchange, his meals were stable, and he had clothes that belonged only to him. Thousands of people noticed him and found him important, even though he was one big lie.
It was a lie he relished in.
He only regretted that his fame wasn't even more widespread.
He saw no reason why he shouldn't be at the very top. Hao was not someone who settled for second best. Today's concert was only one step towards the top. A grin spread over his face as he remembered his second encounter with Kyoyama Anna's pink-haired manager earlier that day. His plan was moving along well. This time, the pink-haired manager had been singing quietly to herself. He vaguely recognized the tune as one of Anna's.
"You have a pretty good voice," he commented from behind her.
She jumped and was just as skittish as she had been when he had approached her in the hallway the day before. He knew that she was a shy person and he was from a rival company, but was there really such a need to be so wary of him?
"Have you ever thought about becoming an idol yourself?" he asked, his head tilted in friendly inquiry.
The pink-haired manager opened her mouth as if to answer, only to close it quickly. She frowned and shook her head miserably.
"Why not? Your voice is beautiful. You have what it takes," he continued. He did not think at all that Tamao had what it took to be an idol. She was not ruthless enough to withstand the competition. He did not think she would actually heed his words--he only wanted to create strife between Anna and her manager.
He noticed her cheeks reddening rapidly. Did his words have that much of an impact?
The pink-haired girl dug around in her bag and held a box out to him.
When he took it, his face was not free from surprise. She must have noticed, since she began babbling.
"T-this bento is my thanks for your curry chips from yesterday!" she explained in a hurry, her arms flailing in front of her. "I figured that s-since you seem to like curry chips, you might like some curry chicken too. I um know a guy who has similar tastes. Y-you look a lot like him actually," she finished and looked up at him timidly, the blush never leaving her face.
He opened the lid, the delicious aroma of curry chicken drifting to his nose. She was much more perceptive than he had given her credit for.
"...thank you," he murmured, and when he looked up, he saw a wide, stupid smile grace her lips. It was a look he had often seen on girls that had admired him back at the orphanage.
It was then that his brain registered "the guy" that she had mentioned. Was that guy the reason why Tamao was so nervous around him? Hao frowned. He wasn't acting like a female enough if he was still reminding girls of guys they liked.
The bento box lay untouched on his dressing table as he stood up.
He was saving it for later.
-----
Minutes before the concert, Hao winced, his hand flying towards his stomach to clutch at the pain. Tiny bursts of pain wracked his stomach, making him kneel over. He was only barely managing to stay upright. What the heck? It couldn't had been anything he had eaten. The bento box was still untouched.
Wait.
His eyes narrowed. There was that cake that he had snatched away from Horo Horo earlier. Where exactly had the loud boy gotten that piece of cake from? He grimaced at the idea that it might have been from one of the faceless, idiotic fangirls of Horo Horo. Passing food around like that was unclean, and Hao knew first hand that accepting food from a stranger was not a good idea.
He winced again as another sharp burst of pain hit him. The pain reminded him of the days he had starved as he blindly wandered around the city on his own. He had thought that he'd never feel pain like that ever again now that he was earning money on his own.
He tried to move towards the stage, but he only managed one step before he had to steady himself against the wall.
How was he supposed to sing like this?
"F-Faust," gritted the boy through his pain. "I don't want to sing right now. Postpone the concert for me."
The pale man turned wide eyes at the young idol. "This concert is for you, your fans, and Eliza! You can't postpone it right before it starts." However, a knowing smile came over him when he saw Hao clutching his stomach.
"Ah, time of the month?" Faust ventured. "I remember how volatile my gentle Eliza became when she was hit with those cramps. Imagine that! Gentle Eliza, who takes her time to take care of the kids in the hospital wards even though she's very weak herself..."
Seeing Faust lost in his ramblings about 'Eliza' once again, Hao quietly slipped away. There was no way he would be able perform in this kind of condition. He was not at his best. He refused to let anyone see him so weak and pitiful. Not even Faust, who had dragged him in from the streets and...saved him.
He snorted at Faust's assumption. Well, at least now he knew a good excuse to use when he wasn't feeling his best.
-----
"Huh, why does this corridor look the same as the last one?" wondered the boy with orange headphones. Since he had run quite a distance and was therefore sweaty, he had his school uniform unbuttoned, revealing the claw necklace that he wore against his chest.
He paused the music and slid his headphones down to his neck. The corridor was eerily silent without his music.
He glanced towards the left and then towards the right.
He was lost.
He really should have asked the avid Ha-chan fan Manta to meet him in front of the auditorium. But Yoh had trusted himself to be able to find the main hall...after all, it was the main hall! How hard would it be to find? Besides, he had thought that even if he did get lost, he could have asked someone else for directions. He was pretty sure that the auditorium would be crowded with people for the concert. And yet, there was no one in sight he could ask. Were all the people already seated or something?
He wandered a bit more, hoping that blind luck would lead him to the right place...until a hand shot out to stop him.
"There you are! You had me worried! The concert can't start without you there-"
Yoh stared at the babbling yet tall stranger. Did he know the guy? Why couldn't the concert start without him? It wasn't like he was vital to the people hosting the concert or anything. Actually, he didn't even know anyone from Bones Entertainment. This guy especially, was a little freaky with his purple lipstick and chalk-white face. Yoh was quite sure that he didn't know anyone who wore purple lipstick. And...was that a dandelion sticking out from the man's straw hat?
The man's tirade stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.
"YOUR HAIR!"
Yoh's hand shot up to his hair without thought. "My hair?"
"When did you cut it?"
Yoh blinked. "Um, last month?"
The man stared at Yoh unblinkingly, his eyes roaming over the boy and his unbuttoned shirt, until he calmly asked, "Who are you?"
"Yoh."
A maniacal gleam came over the man's eyes as his fingers started twitching unconsciously. Yoh suddenly felt more than a little alarmed.
"Can you sing?" the man asked excitedly.
"Uh...somewhat? I play instruments more," he answered hesitantly, his eyes watching Faust's twitching fingers warily.
He had no idea where the conversation was headed.
"Instruments? Guitar? Electric keyboard?" continued the tall man's questions.
"Yeah, those..."
A wild grin accompanied the gleam in the man's eyes.
"Perfect."
-----
The crowd wasn't humongous by any means, certainly not as large as the crowds seen in Kyoyama Anna or Iron Maiden Jeanne's concerts. Ha-chan was still a fairly new idol, and because of that, not many people knew of her yet. Those who did, however, swarmed to Ha-chan's very first concert, ready to finally be able to see the new idol on stage, to finally be able to see and hear her without going through the radio or through magazines.
Oyamada Manta was one of those fans. He hurried back to Tokyo all the way from Izumo just for Ha-chan's concert. Currently, he sat in the third row, which was the closest seat he had been able to get tickets for. With the rest of the fans, he waited in anticipation for the show to start.
When the clock struck seven, the time the concert was supposed to start, the crowd hushed, thinking that Ha-chan was about to take to the stage. But as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, the murmurings grew louder.
"Where is she?"
"Is it starting yet?"
"Are they having technical problems?"
"Man, this sucks!"
Manta jumped off his seat, straining to his tiptoes as he gazed at the stage, hoping for something to happen. It wasn't possible that the concert was going to be delayed! Or even worse, canceled!
And then, finally, the lights dimmed. The crowd once again hushed as the spotlight focused on the stage. The music started, and out stepped a figure through the mist.
Manta squinted, trying to make out the figure in the mist. When the mist started clearing, Manta's eyes widened.
That lazy smile...that slow but sure walk...
Wasn't that Yoh-kun???
What the heck was Yoh-kun doing on stage? And where was Ha-chan?
-----to be continued-----
Next chapter: Twin Stars
Oh, and happy Hikago Day everyone. *____* I entirely missed the bg deadline. *stares miserably at her half-finished fic.* I'll probably never get around to posting it. Congrats to everyone who finished!