Swept Away (Open)

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock She'd never performed at a water park before. In terms of being a music attraction, there were better. It wasn't designed for people to see a show, really, and the heat was pretty bad. Yuki was worn out and sweating from all the dancing she'd done. However, no other venue gave them the chance to have a swim afterwards. She grinned as she finished putting on her black bikini. Simple, but she was done being on show. Now she got to ride on the water slides! She'd tied her hair back into a ponytail with a tight band, since as much as she liked her twin tails, they were a bit of a liability, and she didn't want to lose her ribbons. Some of those slides looked really fast, after all! Thankfully, despite the amount of people here, there were also a lot of other idols, too, so she wasn't singled out too much. Even so, she still ended up chatting with a few fans on the way over, and signing an autograph. She may be new, but she was definitely starting to build a fan base. It was kind of cool and scary at the same time. Especially the dedicated ones who knew more about her that she did! Well, not really, but they'd certainly done their research. There was a small break in the crowd, and Yuki quickly darted forward. One of the bigger waterslides was in this direction if she recalled correctly. Unfortunately, it seemed like she wasn't the only one with the idea, and there was a line for it. It was moving fast, sure, but she wanted to get in the water now! I should have at least had a quick dip in the wave pool... she thought as she ended up joining the line anyway. She'll head inside after riding some of the water slides.

► Open to  all!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

Hands stuffed into the pockets of his floral patterned swim trunks as his eyes slowly skimmed over the hustling crowd. It felt like the crowds just kept growing larger as time went on, making his search that much more difficult. Not that he was all too surprised by this. The park would probably be packed on any other day like this, so having all the big name idols performing here made the crowds that much thicker. He had to admit he was disappointed sheeP didn't get a spot in the showcase. But he knew well that their time would soon come. A hand went up to run through his surprisingly dry hair as he puffed his cheeks and lout out a breath of hot air. It was almost as if he hadn't even gotten into the water despite being at the park for well over an hour. He was likely the only person in the entire park who had yet to indulge himself in the refreshing waters that surrounded him. Not only did he choose not to do so, but he was actively avoiding contact with any and all forms of water. Even when he approached the pool he never got within three feet of the water, instead just watching the people while he stayed out of splash range. He simply couldn't risk his tools being exposed to any form of water damage.

He let out a sigh as he adjusted the strap of his satchel in an attempt to make the load more comfortable. Other hand hung over the bag itself, gripping it tightly. It was far too easy for people to snatch the belongings of others and simply vanish into the crowd. And he wasn't about to risk losing whatever was in this bag. After more walking and wading through seas of people than he cared for he finally came to a break in the crowd. Just as he was about to step out into it for a breath of fresh air, he caught a familiar looking young lady from the corner of his eye. He stopped on the edge of the gap, eyes quickly locking onto the girl's face. Yes, there was no mistaking it. After what felt like ages of searching, his efforts were finally bearing fruit. With a deep breath he tugged on his bright orange cargo vest in as he attempted to remain calm. With a slight nod of confidence to himself he burst out from the crowd, following behind the sprinting idol.

Loose sandals repeatedly smacked back against the heel of his foot as he rushed to secure the spot in line directly behind Minase. "HELLO." He couldn't contain his excitement, practically shouting the moment he reached his destination. This could finally be the big break he was looking for, and that thought alone bringing a grin to his face. "H-hello Yuki Minase age sixteen stage name Miki member of GEM247 of the GEM music company." He paused for a moment to catch his breath, left a bit winded by his ramblings. There was an awkward pause as he stood grinning at her, silently going over his next move in his head. He finally found one

THE LONG CLIMB TO GLORY

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock A sudden shout of greeting from behind surprised the young idol, and she turned around. Standing behind her in line was an older man dressed in swimming trunks and carrying a bag close to his chest. He looked nervous as he smiled broadly, and certainly sounded that way as well when he spat out who she was, even listing the company she worked for. That was one thing she'd learned from her experiences. It seemed that regular people were just as nervous in her presence as she might be on stage, or at events. It seemed like that's all that he was going to say, so she'd have to step in now. Yuki smiled back warmly, in the hopes that he didn't notice her earlier surprise. "Ah, yes, that's right. It's a pleasure to meet a fan!" Her training had told her to always be polite and respectful with your fans, and it made sense. After all, they were who made you who you were. And most of them were harmless, too. Even the older guys. Even if someone did try something fishy, chances were security would jump on them. Still, it'd be better if she could talk to him as a person instead of having this bridge of nerves and awe between them. "I don't bite, by the way~. What's your name?" Yuki asked as she held out her hand for him to shake. He seemed nice, so maybe they could have a polite conversation while waiting in line for the water slide. The man didn't really strike her as the type to ride one.

► A wild Kita has appear- ed!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

He couldn't contain his excitement, broad smiling persisting as he continued pondering what his next move would be. He clearly had her attention, all he had to do was figure out what would be the best course of action. Should he come right out and tell her he's a vlogger, or try to be a bit sneakier about it? Or maybe he could try to get an exclusive picture of her in her bikini. Surely all the fans would love that! But no, that would be too creepy. Much too creepy. Perhaps just a sly little interview would work best. Yes, that was a good idea. No need to get her guard up by revealing his intentions. Shoulders relaxed a bit as he settled on his decision, smile becoming much less strained. "Yes, I'm a big fan of GEM247...In case you couldn't tell." He let out a nervous laugh, shifting the weight of his bag. Talking to idols was a lot harder than he had expected.

Eyes blinked slowly as she asked for his name, somewhat caught off guard by this. Perhaps this would be a good time to plug his vlog... But wait, he wasn't going to tell her about that yet. Letting out a somewhat frustrated blow of air from his nose his smile regained it's previous strain. "I-I know. Excuse me I've uh... I've never gotten to talk to an idol like this before." He let out another laugh, just as uncomfortable as the last. By this point he had begun to fidget, tugging at his vest and shifting his weight constantly. Didn't he have a plan? What happened to that? "OH! My name! Yes, right. I'm Kita Hotaru. Please, call me Hotaru."  He simply smiled at her, continuing to run things over in his head. There was no telling if he would ever get a chance like this again. Clearing his throat he fought to regain his composure, smile fading as he looked Yuki dead in the eyes."So how do you feel your show today went?"

THE LONG CLIMB TO GLORY

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock Yuki just smiled and waited patiently for the man to collect himself. She supposed that he was probably so nervous because she was wearing a bikini. It wasn't a racy one by any means, like some of the other girls wore, but it was still a bikini. "Just take some deep breaths, OK?" She said as he laughed at his embarrassment. It wouldn't do good to humiliate a fan.  Finally he managed to tell her his name, and ask a question about the performance. Hotaru, she told herself as she committed his name to memory. Evidently he didn't see her hand as he was looking her straight in the eyes, so she withdrew it. There were worse places for him to be looking. "I think it went really well. Everyone in GEM247 put in lots of effort practising for our fans today, and the other idol groups, too! It's nice to be able to see everyone perform together." She really enjoyed watching the other performances, especially SUPER✩RANGERS. The line was still moving, and it looked like it'd be her go soon. "It's not very good weather to be dancing in, though, so I'm looking forward to getting into the water!" She giggled as she answered Hotaru's question honestly. Maybe if he saw how relaxed she was, he'd be able to compose himself a bit better. "How about you, Hotaru-san? I really hope you enjoyed the show as much as I enjoyed performing!" If their fans weren't having fun, then they weren't doing their job properly. That was one of many things that she'd learned over her years of training. She doubted that he'd been bored or disappointed, though. He was just another star-struck fan in awe, it seemed.

► Yuki used Confuse!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

His breathing slowed considerably at her words, now taking long slow breaths as he continued to fight to regain his composure. What was he doing? The idols couldn't see him sweat like this! He was supposed to be a respectable professional! Still he couldn't stop his fingers from twitching as he now stood rigid with a rigid poker face. At least she was answering his question, so she must have had at least a little respect for him. Eyes remained blank as this realization brought an ever so slight smile to his face. Hopefully this didn't for too creepy of an expression.

He nodded along with her as she answered the question, giving her refined Idol answer. He was going to have to ask tougher questions than that if he was going to get anything spectacular. Of course it was tough for him to think of any questions at all in his current situation. Almost immediately after she started giggling he chimed in with an abrupt burst of forced laughter. "Yes! It is very hot today, isn't it? Ha ha..." Forced smile now returned as he tried his best to hide his discomfort. He would say he was doing an ok job of that so far, completely oblivious to his many signs of tension. His stiff shoulders, obviously forced expressions, and constant fidgeting made it plain as day.

Eyes widened as she turned the questions on to him. Are they allowed to do that? He was supposed to be the one asking her the questions, not the other way around. Even worse, he didn't even attend her show! He was simply too busy, hoping to find idols in the thinned crowds as most of the civilians went to the show. He let out a nervous laugh, finally pulling his eyes away from hers only to look down at his feet. "Y-your show? Well uh..." Was he supposed to lie? He couldn't stain his first face to face meeting with a big star with lies! But wait...There may be a way out! A much more genuine smile now spread across his lips as he looked back up at her, very much pleased with his little loophole. "Obviously your show was fantastic! I always enjoy watching you guys perform!" He felt a twinge of guilt for his roundabout answer, but he simply couldn't tell her the truth. But there was no time for guilt, he had to get the conversation back on track. Almost immediately after giving his answer he shot back with another question. "Is this your first time at Tokyo Summerland?"

THE LONG CLIMB TO GLORY

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock Yuki wondered briefly if Hotaru even noticed the heat, considering how focused he seemed on her, and trying to control himself. Despite his swimming trunks, he was wearing some sort of vest, too. It was a little comical, and definitely did not match, but she shouldn't really say that to him. Even if it did look make him look silly. When the man started to look at his feet in response to her question, Yuki cocked her head to the side a bit. Maybe he didn't like it? Or maybe he missed it... It certainly looked like he was guilty, or hiding something. He said that it was fantastic, but it still didn't sit right with her for some reason. It probably wasn't important, though. It didn't matter if he was lying about seeing it or not, though he should really be honest. What was she going to do if he hadn't seen it? Yell? Cry? Look down on him with disappointment and pity? He was a strange person, but apparently it was normal for some of your fans to be a little odd. He seemed a bit more confident asking questions as he asked another one, this time about the park itself. "Yeah, it's my first time here, although it always looked like it'd be a fun place. Especially the water slides!" As if on cue, she found herself at the front of the line. "Next!" came the call of the attendant, gesturing for Yuki to come over. "Ah, speaking of, I guess I'll see you at the bottom!" The young idol said, before taking a second glance at him. "Although... I don't think you'll be able to ride with the vest and the bag..." She sat down in the launching point, the cool water washing over her legs. This is what she'd been waiting for. Yuki waved back to Hotaru, before pushing off and vanishing down the chute. It was faster than she expected, and the girl began to laugh with delight and exhilaration. It started with a steep drop, and quickly went into a right hairpin, and then a left hairpin. She lay down flat on her back and went even faster around a spiral. All too soon she was spat out the end and dunked into a small, if deep pool specifically designed for this. She was completely soaked, her hair spilling out like a jellyfish's tentacles. Yuki surfaced quickly, as she'd had a lot of air knocked out of her lungs from the impact, and laughed again. "That was great! So good!" She cried out to no-one in particular, talking about both the slide itself and the drenching she received. That certainly cooled her off! "Next time, head first!" Oh wait, no, that's kinda risky in this outfit... Damn. She started paddling to the side to get out, as otherwise she'd end up with someone landing on top of her. Now standing on solid land again, she turned to see if Hotaru was coming after all as she dripped water everywhere, making the wet ground wetter. She did say she'd see him at the bottom, after all. Well, if he doesn't come, I kind of want to see what I looked like coming out of the chute.

► It's Super Effective!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

He was surprised at how smoothly his last question came out. Expression noticeably relaxed after that, feeling a little boost from his sudden improvement. Maybe he shouldn't be no nervous about this after all! She certainly seemed enthusiastic about her answers. Maybe she was enjoying the interview. Just as he opened his mouth to respond to her answer another voice chimed in. Eyes widened as he looked to the slide's attendant, gaze quickly shifting to the slide and back. Expression gained some urgency as he tried to subtly shake his head to the attendant. He had no idea what this would accomplish at this point. It wasn't like he was going to pretend the ride was broken just so he could finish talking to the girl.

Attention snapped back to Miki as she spoke, a sudden grin betraying his worried eyes. "O-oh! Yes! My bag! I know that. I uh...Yeah ok." He simply stood there as she sat down at the top of the slide, waving weakly before she went down. There was no doubt in his mind whether or not he should go down there after her. He had avoided the water for this long, he wasn't about to risk it all now. Especially after speaking to an actual idol! But she DID say she would see him at the bottom... That must have meant she wanted to continue talking to him! As soon as that thought occurred he turned to rush down the stairs usually reserved for those who decided to chicken out. He grit his teeth as he hurried to descend as quickly as possible, legs carrying him faster than he realized he was possible.

Of course he was no match for gravity, as by the time he reached the poolside Yuki was already pulling herself out of the pool. Completely unaware that he was still running at full speed, he charged right at her, finally stumbling to a stop in front of her. He struggled to maintain his balance as he did so, miraculously managing not to land flat on his face. Leaning forward he bent his legs, resting his hands on his knees as he fought to regain his breath. Not even looking up at her yet he attempted to speak. "Did you...enjoy...the ride?" He coughed a bit at the end of his sentence, his body's way of telling him to shut up and breathe.

THE LONG CLIMB TO GLORY

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock As expected, it was a different person who came through the chute. It was quite an impressive splash, though! She'd missed that when she went in the drink. Well, it was nice meeting Hotaru, but it was time to move on. Plenty of other fun stuff... to... do... a blur at the corner of her eye drew her attention, and there was a man charging straight at her. Those clothes she'd recognise anywhere... well it had only been a few minutes ago. It was Hotaru... and it didn't look like he was going to stop. It would certainly have been smarter to try and get out of the way, but humans don't always do the smartest thing when surprised. Yuki ended up closing her eyes, looking down and away and holding up her arms in defence, as if it'd do something. She'd probably get annoyed with herself later about this, when she had time to think. Thankfully there was no impact, and she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. He was incredibly out of breath from running all the way down to catch her at the bottom.  He was  somehow still able to talk despite being incredibly out of shape. "Ah... yeah, it was a lot of fun. Nine out of ten. Really got my heart racing." Not as much as you almost crashing into me, though. And you didn't apologise, either! At least she was starting to calm down, now - hopefully he didn't notice her breathing a bit quicker than normal. "Are... are you quite alright?" In more ways than one she wondered just how Hotaru was. He really wanted to talk to her...

► Hotaru  used Quick Attack!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

Arm moved up to his forehead, wiping away the sweat as he continued to breath heavily. He hadn't run so fast in years. Maybe he was going to have to get back in shape if he wanted to stay in the idol news game. With one final and especially large breath he stood straight once more, putting on yet another forced smile. Now all he had to do was try to regain hims momentum. He was just about to get somewhere when she went down the slide. Hopefully he would be able to pick up where he left off. "Good, good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my favorites too, you know." He was clearly still out of breath, as he was still trying to breathe as he spoke. He still managed to push out a weak laugh, almost completely emptying his lungs in the process. She couldn't see him sweat. If he was going to get anywhere he was going to have to act as natural as possible

Just as that thought crossed his mind she turned the question back to him. Why did she have to keep doing that? Wasn't he the one interviewing her? Not that she knew that, but still! With another laugh, this time with a bit more air behind it, he nodded quickly. "Perfectly fine! Never been better! Just thought I'd take a quick run down the stairs. Ha ha..." He paused for a moment after speaking, staring at her once again. It was clear that he was thinking, digging through his head trying to find the words. Between his mad dash and her question he had completely lost his train of thought. "So uh...Do you prefer offee or tea?"  There. Perfectly natural.

THE LONG CLIMB TO GLORY

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock One of his favourites? Yuki doubted that he'd even ridden it before. Again, it was another harmless lie, but it was annoying. Sometimes people felt the need to agree with her on everything simply because of who she was, and they thought that it'd make her like them or something. But it wasn't that hard to see when they were lying, since they were so nervous. She might be required to behave a certain way, but it'd be better if they could at least be honest. So she just smiled at Hotaru and took what he said at face value. She'd probably ignore something like that even if she weren't an idol, but now that she was, she noticed it a lot more. Still, there were some things that she wasn't going to let go of. "A quick run down to catch up to me, you mean." Yuki said, laughing. It was a little forced, but she did find the idea amusing. This was followed by the complete non-sequitur of whether she preferred tea or coffee. "Ah, tea, definitely. No contest." She answered his question, but now she was suspicious. She knew what she had to do. "Um, Hotaru-san, you wouldn't happen to be part of the media, would you?" Perhaps she was mistaken, but it'd make sense if he was one. She didn't mind interviews if they didn't try and probe too deeply, and so far he'd asked really simple and innocuous question, but if it was one, she'd rather know. At least she hadn't said or done anything embarrassing.

► Insight!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTNlND GS

[Deleted]

208 WORDS YUKI & KITA ❀

Today was so hot and humid, but it was a lot of fun! After performing for the crowd at the waterpark, Noa thought it would be best to go down the water slides. But not before watching the other performances, especially KiNGS. She was a HUGE fan of Noriya. His beautiful blue eyes that looked like the open sea and that body of his was enough to make her melt. She had never met him in person, and she was really nervous about that. The heat was getting to her head, so she was going to have some fun first, and after that, get some ice cream. ”Whee!” Noa was nervous yet excited as she made her way to the big waterslide. Then a big adrenaline rush came over her as she made her way down into the big pool. She got out of the water and laughed, loving the feeling of getting cold after a hot day. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one of her fellow members, Yuki, talking to some guy. Maybe he was a fan of her? It was time to find out. ”Hey Yuki-chan! What’s up?” She sat down on the edge of the pool, next to her good friend.

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Oh no! Was she on to him? Why couldn't she just believe he chickened out like he wanted her to? That would make his life so much easier. His sweating grew more profuse, forced grin beginning to waver a bit. But at least she answered his question! While that was a good little tidbit, it was nowhere near the break he needed. Granted his question was pretty pointless to begin with. He had to think of someway to ask a really hard hitting question without her getting suspicious. Maybe just asking her opinion on a controversial topic would do. That's a pretty normal thing to talk about, right? Now if only there were an actual controversy...

Thoughts halted immediately as she finally called him out. Eyes widened, staring blankly as he scrambled for a response. It could just lie to her! He had to think of something. Something clever... "M-media? Me?"  He forced out a laugh in an attempt to buy some time for an answer without standing there like an idiot. Unfortunately he instead stood there laughing like a dofus for an extended amount of time. When he finally stopped he managed to put on an actually normal smile. "I can truthfully say that I am not employed by any form of news or media business or company." He felt confident in his answer, something which reflected on his face. Yes, that was a good, and 100% truthful, response.

Attention turned to Noa, smile growing as he lifted a hand to wave. "Fujiwara-chan! I'm glad to see you! Taking a nice break after your show?" Much improvement had been made from his introduction to Yuki. Perhaps he was finally getting used to this whole idol thing. Or maybe he was just still feeling good about his nifty little workaround for her question. Either way, he was clearly much more relaxed by now.

THE LONG CLIMB TO GLORY

LAIKA OF GANGNAM STYLE!

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock Yuki gave the man a quizzical look at his response. That was... awfully specific. And that laugh before then was just plain weird. There was definitely something fishy with him. But what was it exactly? He said he wasn't employed by any media or news company, and that sounded truthful, at least. What did that leave, though? Probably something similar, if her question had caused him to have a near panic attack... Before she could think of something satisfying, however, a familiar laugh drew her attention. Yuki grinned when she saw who it was. "Ah, Noa-chan!" They'd both performed pretty well today, and it seemed like she'd had the same idea as her. "Sorry for running off, I was just so excited to get into the water!" Yuki had gotten changed really fast so that she could enjoy the park as much as she could, since she didn't know when she'd be here next. Hotaru's greeting made her remember just why it was she wasn't in the water still. She was still dripping a bit, but the sun was rapidly drying the water. "Oh, and this is Kita Hotaru-san. He says he's a fan." The girl said, gesturing slightly to him. He probably was, but he was something else, too... Well, if I can't work it out now, I'll just look him up on-line. If he's anyone I'll be able to find him. As of now, though, the only problem he was causing was depriving her of some fun in the pool, and it wouldn't look good for her to just turn her back on him.

► Yay, it's Noa-chan!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTNlND GS

[Deleted]

208 WORDS YUKI & KITA ❀

She couldn’t blame Yuki for wanting to jump in the water as soon as the performances was over with. It was blazing hot outside and it was a good day to wade in the water. Even more, hanging out with other celebrities. It was paradise here. Smiling, Noa paid her attention to the man who was sitting down next to Yuki at the edge of the pool. ”Yup, nothing like a nice swim at the big pool! I hope we can do something like this next summer!” Yuki then gave his name to her band member. ”Nice to meet you Hotaru-san. You probably already know who I am.” Her fans knew her name and what she liked to do in her spare time, but was he really a fan? He could have been part of the paparazzi, trying to get scoop on the girls of the idol world. ”I really want some ice cream right now… does this place have any?” She couldn’t have fun on an empty stomach!

LAIKA OF GS!