A/N: Words cannot express how sorry I am to all of you who I have kept waiting. But I am SO sorry for not updating until now, years later! Rather than presenting a thousand excuses (computer dying and whatnot), let's just get right to it. Here is a little something for any of you who are still around. Thank you to all that are taking the time to read my story. And to new readers, welcome!
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Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or song lyrics presented in this chapter.
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Tohru poked her head outside of the curtain, mainly because she was curious as to how many people filled the auditorium, but that was a horrible mistake. The moment she saw how many people were sitting out there, the jitters that Kyou had, only moments earlier, successfully scared off, had returned full swing. 'Practically every seat out there is taken! We've never had this many people in the audience before! If I mess up in front of all those people… oh, no! It's too awful to think about!' She felt her body begin to tremble as she dropped her hands from the rough, wine-colored curtains, and stiffly – but quickly – backed away.
She let out a startled gasp when she felt her back collide with something. Something which she soon realized was a someone.
"Hey," Kyou said in a soft voice from behind.
Tohru breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his voice. She was so high strung at the moment that anything would startle her, but it was a relief to be in Kyou's company again. They'd only parted for a few minutes for costume and makeup, but within those minutes, she'd gone and foolishly gotten herself nervous again.
"You nervous again?" Kyou asked. He was standing directly behind her, and as he asked that question, he tilted his head down and to the side a bit, in an attempt to catch her eye.
Tohru was too embarrassed to look up at him. One reason for this was probably because he'd just calmed her down, and here she was, nervous and jittery all over again! His close proximity to her may have been another factor as well, but that was kind of her fault, wasn't it, for backing up that much? "Um… yes…" she said quietly. "There are just so many people out there. I'll be so embarrassed if I-" she finished in a whisper.
Kyou, before he could even think about it, startled himself by taking her hand for a short moment and saying, "Don't even worry about getting embarrassed, or screwing up. That won't happen with me around. I promise. And hey, I told you earlier – if anyone's gotta worry about tonight, it's me. Got it?" He let go of her hand.
Tohru's face had reddened even more when Kyou took her hand, but she did feel better again. More than better, somehow. "Yes. I got it."
"Good. Now buck up!" Kyou commanded, his voice suddenly loudening enough to startle Tohru again.
"Ah! Y-yes!" she replied, immediately straightening her posture and balling her hands into fists.
After she did that, Kyou turned to head into one of the changing rooms. He needed to calm himself down now, but Tohru didn't need to know that.
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The audience slowly quieted as the lights dimmed, their voices all gradually dwindling down from loud, boisterous laughter, to whispers, and then finally, to complete silence. All eyes turned towards the wide black stage at the front of the room. The room was now completely dark. Uo repositioned herself to sit more upright in her folding, movie theater-like chair. She smiled excitedly over at Hana and whispered, "Here it comes!"
Hana, keeping her eyes focused forward, nodded slowly.
Uo nodded also, but more enthusiastically, as she threw herself back in her chair with a big grin. "Aw, man, this is gonna be great."
All she was missing was a bucket of popcorn.
Once the curtains parted, the ears of all in the auditorium were invaded by the blaring sounds of brass instruments prolonging the same note, before descending the scale. These were soon joined by sounds of a full band playing an upbeat, familiar melody.
"I know this!" Uo exclaimed, looking at Hana excitedly. She pulled the now wrinkled program they'd received at the door out from her pocket and narrowed her eyes as they scanned over the title of the play in the dim light. "Why did they change the title?!"
Hana did not respond, and instead remained transfixed on the sight before them onstage. A circle of dark figures highlighted by streams of deep blue light, stretching outwardly and inwardly, flawlessly to the beat of the music.
"Ahh, this is gonna be excellent!" Uo shouted to Hana over the music, laughing heartily. "I can't believe they got orange top to do this play!"
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Within moments, the stage was fully lit to reveal a full ensemble of dancers and singers dressed in western clothing reminiscent of the 1950s - poodle skirts, jeans and leather jackets, and, most importantly, greased hair. Those familiar with the film which served as the inspiration for this play could easily sing along with the music and identify familiar characters.
Soon, Kyou made center stage, singing and performing moves that yielded squeals and cheers from countless girls in the audience. Uo, on the other hand, began laughing hysterically while Hana's lips curved up to form a slight smile.
The intro song came to an end, and not long after the ensemble disappeared backstage, the spotlight was redirected to the side of the stage where a pair of girls discussed, in nasally voices, the rumors about a new girl on campus. That was Tohru's cue. A girl with bright red hair excitedly led Tohru - clad in a blond wig and a white patterned dress - to this pair of girls. Introductions were made, girlish giggles ensued, and within moments, the iconic song began.
Countless members in the audience could not wait to hear Tohru and Kyou's singing voices. And after that familiar bass intro, Kyou started out the song.
Summer lovin', had me a blast...
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Cue fangirl screams. His voice was surprisingly pleasant to listen to - almost to the point that some in the audience wondered if he had been lip syncing.
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Tohru joined in, singing with a pure, lovely voice befitting the character.
Summer lovin', happened so fast...
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Throughout the song, both leads executed their parts perfectly. Kyou sang and moved about the stage with cocky arrogance, while Tohru maintained a disposition of sweetness and innocence - not too far a stretch from reality.
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And for the final lines of the song, when the two joined voices with each other and the ensemble, they formed a beautiful harmony, eliciting wild applause and cheers from the audience, and whistles from observers such as Uo.
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If Uo thought Kyou's performance during the intro was hilarious, nothing could have prepared her for what awaited during Greased Lightning. Within moments, she had completely lost it, and was utterly beside herself with laughter. It was a miracle she hadn't been rolling around on the floor.
With her eyes remaining fixed on the stage, Hana said, "Uo, I suggest that you calm yourself before you soil your seat."
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During Hopelessly Devoted to You, Uo said, with a soft smile on her face, "Aw, sweet, sweet Tohru." In a flash, her expression darkened and she said, "I wanna punch orange top."
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The remainder of the play went by seamlessly.
But when Tohru came out in skin-tight clothing and stilettos for one of the final songs, You're the One That I Want, Uo immediately gripped Hana's arm and said, "She can't come out here looking like that for all the world to see!"
To which Hana responded, "I thought you were familiar with this story. Were you not expecting this?"
"Yeah, but it's Tohru! Sweet, little Tohru, and look at how orange top is ogling her!"
"Hush."
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Although Uo was "whispering," her voice carried to those on stage. Tohru pondered what "ogling" meant, and Kyou could do nothing to prevent the blush rising to his face at that last thing she had said. 'I'm supposed to do that! It's in the script!' He'd lost his focus for a moment, lost track of where in the scene they were, but then he tuned in just in time to begin the song.
I've got chills, they're multiplying,
And I'm losing control...
'Dammit! Everything was going fine until now. Just block it out, block it out,' he kept telling himself mentally as the sequence continued, but he felt that his singing and movements had become mechanical.
Once Tohru turned to look at him, he sensed that she sensed that he'd lost his confidence. She strutted across the stage and briefly placed a hand on his arm. She gave him the slightest reassuring smile, her expression briefly reverting to that of Tohru's, and not her character's, ultimately communicating to him, 'It's okay. Keep going.'
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That was all he needed.
Together, the two of them carried out the rest of the scene, to the continued astonishment of all the student body who were familiar with Tohru Honda. This couldn't really be her, could it?
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Almost the entire audience was on their feet and clapping for the duration of We Go Together, the show's finale. And at the end of it, everyone erupted with prolonged applause, whistling and cheering.
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When it was time for cast members to take their bow, Tohru and Kyou were, of course, last to come out.
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Mr. Hamasaki had instructed them to run from opposite sides of the stage towards the center, where they would join hands, and run through the path created by the other cast members to the front of the stage and bow together. Good, no problem.
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Until Kyou realized as Tohru was running towards him, that those tight pants she was wearing had completely torn down the middle. She was blissfully unaware.
Before the show, he had essentially promised her that he'd protect her from embarrassment. 'Ah, hell, what am I gonna do?' They were getting closer and closer to each other. He had to think fast.
Upon meeting her at the center of the stage, they joined hands, but as Tohru began turning towards the audience, Kyou quickly reached down to lift her in his arms and carry her bridal style. She gasped and looked at him in surprise, but he only smiled and mumbled, "Roll with it," as he made his way towards the front of the stage. Never setting her down, he waved at the audience with his non-dominant arm and she followed suit, beaming widely and waving as well.
He held her until the curtains concealed them from the still applauding audience.
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Carefully, Kyou set Tohru down, and before he could say anything to warn her about what had become of her pants, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Kyou, you were amazing! I knew you could do it!"
He smiled and returned her hug. "You're definitely giving me way too much credit, but thanks. I couldn't have done it without you. You were definitely amazing."
She pulled back and looked at him, a soft smile on her face. "Do you really mean that?"
"Of course. You're a natural at this stuff. Mr. Hamasaki was smart in giving you the lead role. And I doubt I would've had it in me to do all this if you weren't there the whole time, guiding me and giving me pointers."
A slight pink tinge graced her cheeks and she said quietly, "I don't know about that..."
"C'mon, give yourself some credit," he replied, patting her lightly on the arm. "Anyway, isn't it a relief that the show's over? No more practices!"
At that, the smile faded from Tohru's face.
"What's that look for?"
"You're right," she said, her voice sullen, "No more practices."
"Ah- sorry, I know how much you enjoy theater! It's still something I guess I'm not fully warmed up to, or something. I just meant, it'll be nice to have that time back, I guess." Kyou blabbered. 'Great job, Souma. Now you've depressed her.'
Tohru shook her head and said in a soft voice, "No, it's not that... it's..." she bit her lip, as if pondering whether she really wanted to say what she was about to say. 'It's just that now I'm realizing that our time together is ending,' she thought sadly. But she couldn't tell him she was sad about that, could she? "...It's just, I've, um. I've really enjoyed spending all this time with everyone- with you - and... now that time's coming to an end. And we've hit winter break, so, no more tutoring with you, and... and..." her expression sunk even more and her eyes fell from his gaze.
'Is it ... possible? She's gonna miss spending time with me?'
"Tohru, I..." he began.
"I just, I'm sorry. I guess I just don't want things to go back to... how they used to be." She bit her lip again and chanced a look at him.
"How they used to be?" Kyou repeated, not sure he was following.
"You know... before we were... friends. And I didn't... I didn't exist, I wasn't a part of your world. I..." she hesitated, swallowed. "I couldn't bear that."
At that, something overcame Kyou. "Don't ever think that's a possibility," he uttered quietly before pulling her close and sealing his lips over hers.
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Tohru could only stand there wide-eyed and blinking as Kyou kissed her. She was hardly aware of what was going on. But by the time he had pulled back and hastily ran for one of the rooms backstage, it finally sank in. Her face felt hot, her heart was pounding, and she slowly raised a hand to her lips, staring ahead in the direction that Kyou had run off to.
"Tohru, you might want to change," A girl helping backstage whispered, snapping her out of her reverie.
"Huh?" Tohru, who was still in a daze, asked. She was in shock, but felt giddy, and... light? Airy? That was the best way to describe it.
"There's... well, just come here," The girl said, pulling Tohru to a mirror so she could see just what she was talking about.
She should have been surprised by the state of her pants, but was too much in a daze to fully acknowledge the situation. "Oh? Uh..."
The girl handed her a change of clothes and said, "No worries. It didn't happen till after the final number."
With that knowledge, Tohru mumbled a 'thank you' to the girl and slowly took the clothes. And changed into them. And allowed her mind to revisit what had happened just moments earlier...
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After composing and cursing himself a million times, Kyou stepped out of the room, to the area just behind the curtain. Fortunately for him, Tohru was nowhere to be seen. He wanted to leave right then and there, but he couldn't. Ayame immediately approached him and started gushing and talking his ears off over how marvelous a job Kyou had done.
"Oh, Kyou, you dog, I didn't think you had it in you! And to think, at the beginning, I could barely get you to snap your fingers with the music, and we considered having you lip sync..." He paused and shook his head, looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "...but no, you, Kyou Souma, would not settle for a mediocre performance. So you devoted hour after hour to getting every word, every movement, perfect! And what you delivered was nothing short of perfection! I am so looking forward to seeing what you will come up with for future plays!" With that said, Ayame sighed and drifted away to shower other cast members with similar - if not identical - praise.
Before Kyou could register the things Ayame had said, he was pushed out to the side of the stage, where the audience would inevitably come up and shower the cast with praise. He looked back with a glare at whoever had pushed him, but there was no way to tell who had done it. With a sour look on his face, he turned and was about to make his escape, but was stopped by a bunch of girls swarming around him.
They were all shouting things about how wonderful Kyou was, or how much they loved him, or how much he made them cry, and so forth.
He groaned and immediately felt his annoyance level skyrocketing as he slapped a hand to his face and slowly clawed it down his face. This was the last thing he needed, especially since he was still processing what had just happened with Tohru, and what his actions implicated.
The girls were still going at it, and he couldn't take it much longer, until finally his mouth took over.
"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"
They were shocked, and then turned to leave, each of them bickering and blaming someone else for saying something that had irritated him.
When they were gone, he sighed with relief and was about to leave when he heard a familiar shriek. But it was a shriek of delight.
He heard Tohru's pleasantly surprised voice coming from not too far away. "Yuki?! Is that really you?!"
Kyou turned immediately and inhaled sharply. 'Yuki? The sissy boy?' His crimson gaze locked on the familiar head of purple hair. Yeah, he recognized that pale skin, those violet eyes. Kyou's gaze narrowed and he felt his fist tighten involuntarily when Tohru threw her arms around Yuki's neck.
"I've missed you! How've you been? How's the academy? What are you doing here?!"
Her excitement added fuel to the fire.
"So many questions!" Yuki chuckled as Tohru pulled away. "I've missed you too, Miss Honda," He said in a low voice.
"So...?" Tohru said, waiting for answers to her questions.
"I've been fine. The academy has been a little dull lately, and I'm here because my brother insisted that I come to his play. I hadn't planned to at first, but, well, I changed my mind when I heard that you would be in it." He said, giving her a small smile.
Kyou didn't miss the sudden rosiness on Tohru's cheeks.
He'd seen enough.
He was out the door in a second.
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Apologies once again for the huge delay. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
For any former readers who would like more of an explanation, nothing really excuses an 8- to 9-year lag. I do apologize. The initial issue was that my computer (which had all my files for this story) completely died, and I lost all the files. That included files for this story, and files for original works as well. This obviously was frustrating, so, long story short, it took a long while before I actually got to trying to work on this particular story again. The good thing is, from that experience, I learned the importance of backing up important documents regularly!
Anyway, I couldn't really regain the momentum with this particular story, so I directed my energy elsewhere. And then a bunch of external factors came into play (school/work/college, family things, personal things). Soon, years and years passed, and this story was forgotten.
But I randomly remembered this fic a couple of months ago and thought I'd attempt writing it again, if anyone remains interested! It was a challenge, coming up with content since it has been so long since any work has been done on it.
So, let me know your thoughts - whether you enjoyed it or whether you thought it was garbage! I'd like to know if I should continue investing time in it, if you'd care to let me know.
With all that said, many, many thanks to those of you who took the time to read all of this! You are appreciated more than I can say. :)
Take care!