LET YOUR COLORS BURST [MIHO]

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Sora o oshi agete Te o nobasu kimi gogatsu no koto Dou ka kite hoshii Mizugiwa made kite hoshii Tsubomi o ageyou Niwa no HANAMIZUKI.... A small group of people stood around the young thirteen year old as she sung these few words, her eyes shut and the microphone being gripped very tightly by her small, pale hands. Today was a Thursday, and though to most people in Japan, Thursday wasn't a day for anything in particular, for Takagaki Ayano, Thursday was always a very long visit to the nearest Karaoke place, where she would always rent out her own room, so that she could practice on her own. She enjoyed being able to hear the distant voices of others in nearby rooms, as well as the aura of the place. The found the environment a good place to practice her singing in public, as she honestly had a big issue with it, and though she would never admit it, had horribly stage fright long ago, and to this day, it still comes back at random times.  So she figured that she might as well train herself so that she never does have a random flash of stage fright, as with her being a soloist for the very popular Afternoon Delights, there wasn't any room for error, nervousness and stage fright included. Tonight, at least, she managed to stay calm as this group of girls, all of them about nine and ten, all stood around listening to her from the entry way. They stared with wide eyes, some of them seemingly recognizing her, others not so much. Hopefully, after this close up with her, they would in the end, come to know her name, or at least her stage name, Tayano. Ayano, or erm, Tayano, you could say, continued singing through the slow, and very beautiful song, until she made it to the final verse: Usu beniiro no kawaii kimi no ne Hatenai yume ga chanto Owarimasu you ni Kimi to suki na hito ga Hyaku nen tsuzukimasu you ni Boku no gaman ga itsuka mi o musubi Hatenai nami ga chanto Tomarimasu you ni Kimi to suki na hito ga Hyaku nen tsuzukimasu you ni Kimi to suki na hito ga Hyaku nen tsuzukimasu you ni As soon as Tayano finished the last breath of the song, she opened up her eyes to look at the swarm of young girls. Six of them, it seemed. Their eyes were shining, and they were waving their arms, jumping up and down, as well as clapping and squealing their eyes out. All of the small group seemed to be quite thrilled to hear her sing, and without a moment's notice, the whole latter of them rushed up to speak with the Idol. Though Ayano liked to be alone, these were potential fans she was talking about here, and so she needed to be in character by whatever means. She put on a very sweet face, a smile crossing over her lips. "Did you girls enjoy~?" Tayano asked with a head tilt, shaking the white feather that she had put into her hair today. All over the girls just spoke one word back to Tayano, all in unision: "Yes!" A smile even deeper then before sprouted on Tayano's face at that word. "Great! I'm glad that you guys liked this song, I haven't done much work with it yet" She said to them, her voice softening for a minute. "But now that I hear that you all like it, I will keep practicing it!" This was said with much determination in her voice, and at the end of her sentence, she gave her usual wink with her right leg kicking backwards, giving them a thumbs up. They all seemed to eat the cutesy act up, and were squealing some more. Following that, the posse of girls asked for signatures and pictures, and with a painstakingly sweet grin, she did all of those, figuring out that one of the girl's birthdays were today. It was like evry experience that Ayano had had with a fan before, but knowing how big it was to them, she made it as special as possible, sending them all the best wishes as they were escorted out of the room by their mothers. The fake smile quickly faded, as Ayano looked around the room. It was empty now, good. It was time to be serious, and just start singing. She didn't want any more distractions, she didn't care why or for what reason that someone wanted to walk in, she wouldn't let them. Today wasn't a day that she wished to play happy-go-lucky-Tayano. She wanted to become the best singer she could be, and no one was going to stop her from working at it. But she had no idea what was coming.... 837 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Thursdays should be, and usually were, uneventful. Normally all Miho would do on a Thursday was hurry home from school as soon as the final class ended so that he could freely make himself pretty. Providing, of course, that there wasn't a surprise event for sheeP to perform at. Everything had started off normally enough for him too. The final bell rang and he was out the door with the first pack of boys who didn't have a club activity. He'd gotten home in almost record time, changed into one of his different outfits - a seifuku modelled after his mom's old school uniform, with black tights and Mary Jane shoes. Topping it off was a hairpin with a pair of pink hearts on it. It would help him blend in with other people his age while still being in girl mode. For some reason it just felt right to don a school uniform rather than simply street clothes. No homework again meant he had the time to go out and do some window shopping!

Upon arriving in the area he found himself confronted by a terrifying turn of events. Events that meant his Thursday was no longer uneventful or peaceful. There seemed to be swarms of them, congregating everywhere, laughing, goofing off and all potentially a threat to Miho's very being. Boys. High school boys. In the uniform of Nakagawa Boys' High, the school which Miho attended as Minoru. They already picked on him for being small and feminine, but what if they saw him now? He tried to keep his cool, thinking they wouldn't recognize him. As far as they knew he was just some high school girl who was enjoying a night out. Miho even made it halfway to a window before he thought one of the boys was looking at him. Immediately Miho had a panic attack and rushed into the nearest building that didn't have his classmates around it - a karaoke place.

Once inside Miho pressed himself up against a wall in the hopes of further avoiding detection by the male students on the street. He was breathing hard and his chest was pounding. What did he do now? Then a cluster of young girls were escorted past him by women who were presumably their mothers. Odd. Maybe they'd been having a party or something. They all seemed to be very cheerful for some reason. Once they were gone Miho caught a glimpse of a couple of guys from his school heading towards the place's entrance. Wide eyed, Miho retreated further into the karaoke establishment with the feeble excuse that he was expected by someone inside. He had to hide! First though, he thought of a song to calm himself down enough that he could think straight.

So as he made his way for the nearest door he lightly sang,

"Ikutsumono deai ga uta to nari
atarashii watashi wo mitsumetai
ikutsumono kanashimi wakachiai
subarashii yorokobi arigatou.."

Without thinking too much about it he wandered inside the booth only to find that it was in fact occupied. A single girl sat there, looking very focused on what she was doing. Something about her was really familiar, but initially Miho couldn't place it. He worried that intruding on her might make her upset enough to call over an employee, so he sat down as quietly as he could. Maybe if he didn't make any noise he wouldn't disturb her. At the same time he didn't feel it was right to just come into someone's booth uninviteed, so something had to be said.

"E-excuse me, miss, but.. can I join you for a little while?" he asked meekly, "Th-there's a bunch of guys out there that really scare me, and this was the only place I could find to hide.. I won't interrupt you or anything, I promise."

He paused before offering, despite still looking scared, "I could buy you a drink to make up for the intrusion."

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Ayano sat inside the karaoke room alone for a long while, the air completely silent. She quietly and slowly kicked her feet up and down, it being that her legs were too short to be able to touch the ground from the chair that she was sitting at anyways. This was the young idol remained for the longest while, honestly not sure what she was to do now. Sure, on the most normal days that she has when she goes out to the karaoke place, she will finish one song, and diectly start another once, often times even coming up with playlists for her to sing for the night. Today was different, however, and for some reason, she didn't feel completely up for sininging. No, that wasn't right... She did really wish to sing, but at the moment, she didn't have the energy or the focus to really do much of a good job at it. She hadn't an idea why this was, and didn't know if she could figure it out. It might of been the young girls who went up to her..could it be? No, it wasn't, she knew that that wasn't the reason why. Then what was up with her? It wasn't normally something that Ayano would do, getting distracted and all. In seemed like in the back of her mind, she had a feeling that something interesting was coming, and her sub-concious was preparing herself for it, though all the same, it did no good. Well, she might as well try and practice now...or at least do what she normally does when she can't focus, right? Ayano followed up with her thoughts by shutting her eyes, and trying her best to shut down her mind as well. All that she wanted to be using at the moment were her ears, as her goal was to listen to the tunes of other people in nearby rooms, and perhaps be inspired by them to keep on singing and practicing. As she listened, she could hear a very wide range of songs, ranging from heavy metal rock music, all the way down to some light, soothing jazz. She even swore she heard some man singing a song of SUPERSTARRANGERS, one that she believed they had done in some anime awhile back or something. It was quite interesting to hear, and Ayano almost enjoyed it. Almost. The only problem for her was that she couldn't get herself to focus on just one song very well. It always seemed that her mind would start paying attention to this one person singing this one song, and then a few moments later, her mind decided it wanted to listen to someone else. At some points, she couldn't even focus on just one song, and heard the whole of them singing in this one big jumble of voices. She knew very well that she needed to focus her mind better, and soon. So, with a virtually silent sigh, Ayano turned to the touch-screen karaoke machine that the place had only just gotten a few week before, and was flipping through it all, trying to find something, if anything, that she felt was do-able at the time. After a moment, she sighed once again, just clicking on a completely random song. She recognized it, but didn't know it. Heck, she didn't care, she just needed something to keep her going. jimoto no SHOPPINGU MOORU de REJI ni naranderu kimi wo mikaketa KAATO wa TOIRETTOPEEPAA darake kitto yasuuri de kai kondanda ne koe wo kake you ka? sudoori shiyou ka? choppiri kikenkyuu da ne Ayano began singing the song, not singing with too much enthusiasm, but it was much better then not singing at all, in her opinion. She sung regardless of the person who had just walked in on her moments ago, obviously because of the fact that Ayano hadn't even noticed the person yet, but soon would. BANZAI Venus daisuki na hito- Her voice was cut off, and even though the song was still playing, Ayano stopped at the point when she noticed the girl behind her. What did she want...? The tawny colored haired girl though to herself, looking back at the intruder. The person seemed a little bit frightened, as well as a bit bad for breaking in. But of course she should be. "E-excuse me, miss, but.. can I join you for a little while?" The girl began asking in a nervous and weak voice, though Ayano had yet to say anything in reply to her.  "Th-there's a bunch of guys out there that really scare me, and this was the only place I could find to hide.. I won't interrupt you or anything, I promise."  Hiding from boys? Hm, Ayano couldn't help but wonder why these boys scared the girl so much. She seemed attractive enough, and even a tad bit familiar, so she didn't understand why a group of boys would oppose as a threat to her. Even so, Ayano wasn't one to jar into other's buisness, nor was she one to enjoy when people did it to her. In a way, this girl just did, and under no means was she pleased. The room was silent for a moment as Ayano though it over, and before she spoke, the girl offered something else. "I could buy you a drink to make up for the intrusion." She offered weakly, her voice seeming to shrink with each breath she took. Ayano, as much as she wanted the girl out of the room, just rolled her eyes, looking away from the blue haired girl. "Fine, do as you wish" That was all she said on the matter, and it was all she had to say about it. 991 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Miho sat uncomfortably waiting for the girl in the room to say something, anything to him about his sudden appearance.  He wondered if there would maybe be an unoccupied booth, but quickly dismissed the idea.  Even with an upset person he'd much rather have company than be alone.  Hopefully she wouldn't be angry enough with him to simply kick him out.  When she finally spoke he felt relief.  While she wasn't pleased she also wasn't about to ask him to leave; in fact she was rather apathetic about things.  He'd offered to get her a drink, though, so he decided he'd go do that first.  If she was singing all by herself she'd need something for her throat anyway.

"I'll.. just go get that drink for you," he spoke with a little more confidence before exiting the room as quietly as he could.

He tread the hallway very cautiously, just in case anyone he knew from school was around.  Any one of them who spied him might recognize his face and ruin everything Miho had worked so hard to achieve.  Thankfully the pathway to the reception desk was largely absent of other patrons.  Getting to the desk was no problem, but he had to also hope that the employee at the desk didn't recognize him as having sneaked in earlier.  Once again Miho's luck held out; there wasn't any recognition on the older guy's face, rather he just looked bored.

"C-can I get a bottle of water please?" Miho asked, pulling some coins out of the uniform's breast pocket, "For my friend?  She's singing by herself, so I thought she should have something nice and cool to dr-"

He was cut off by the employee setting a bottle of cold water on the counter, then taking Miho's money.  That was the end of the conversation as far as the man was concerned.  Miho got the message and excused himself with the water to return to his booth.  There were other drinks available but Miho really couldn't be sure what to buy for the girl.  Water seemed like a safe compromise - who didn't like water after all?  He actually hoped to be able to have more of a conversation with her once he returned.  At the same time he couldn't shake the feeling that he recognized her from somewhere, especially her singing.

Just short of the door to the booth he realized whose booth he'd intruded on.  That voice combined with that face could only be the soloist of Afternoon Delight, Tayano!  Though an idol himself he was blown away by the fact that he'd just met her and bought her water.  Her group had been part of the inspiration for his quest to become a girl idol.  He'd never thought he would have the chance to meet one of them in person.  Those little girls from earlier came to mind too; some of them had autographs, and they were all bubbly and talking about maybe some celebrity?  It had to be Tayano.  This explained to him why the girl in the booth might be ultimately apathetic about his sudden intrusion - she'd been interrupted before, and just didn't care the second time.  Bringing up that he knew who she was might just make things worse, so he resolved to leave that topic off the table.

Yet he didn't quite make it to the booth before yet another younger girl was in the hallway, walking kind of aimlessly.  Miho looked down at her and noticed the tears welling up in her eyes.  What was this, take your kids to karaoke night?  That was mean. She was upset and didn't have a parent around.  It didn't take much to put 2 and 2 together and realize she was lost.  The sheeP idol knelt down and waved to the girl to get her attention, smiling pleasantly like a big sister.

"Hi there.. are you okay?" he asked, voice gentle and soft.

The girl shook her head, "I can't find my mommy, onee-san."

"Really?  That's terrible.  I'll help you find her, okay?  We'll look together," Miho reassured the child.

"You.. will?" the girl asked hopefully.

"Mm-hmm," Miho nodded, then asked, "What's your name?"

"Akemi," was the answer.

"Akemi?  That's a really pretty name," Miho smiled, hoping the conversation would help the little girl calm down.

Then the little girl, Akemi, gasped and her eyes went wide, "Miho-chan!  You're Miho-chan!  From sheeP!"

"Oh?  You're a fan of mine?  It's a pleasure to meet you, Akemi," Miho giggled, eyes lighting up as he realized he was the one now dealing with a fan.

"Yeah!  I saw you sing last month!" the girl exclaimed, no longer on the verge of tears.  A grown woman was hurriedly approaching from the direction of the front entrance.

"Thank you so much for supporting me, Akemi-chan.  It means a lot to me," Miho added cheerfully.

"Akemi, there you are!  We need to go home now," the worried voice of the child's mother called out from behind Miho.

"Mommy!  It's Miho-chan!" Akemi exclaimed after running over to her mother.

Miho turned around and bowed to the woman, who told him, "Well, thank you for watching Akemi, young lady."

"It's no problem!  I'm always happy to look after a fan like your daughter," Miho explained, then leaned over and tossled the girl's hair, "I'll see you later, Akemi-chan.  Don't get lost again, okay?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically before being escorted out of the karaoke place by her mother.  Miho stood and waved to the pair as they departed, not daring to turn away until the were out the door.  He let out a sigh of relief before stepping into the room with the bottle of water.  This he gingerly placed near Tayano before taking a seat quietly and feeling a bit happier than he'd been moments ago.

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Ayano's face was still the same, emotionless and virtually un-readable, but inside she was greatly irritated, though she did honestly give her best shot at trying not to show how she was. It was bad enough that the little girls had barged in on her earlier, but at least they were fans, and Ayano could get something out of speaking with them. Afterall, after he rather exclusive experience the young girls had just had with the idol, they would very possibly become better fans of her, and maybe even spread the word of Tayano's exsistence to others, so that she could maybe someday have a better fandom then she currently does, as at the time, it wasn't anything to brag about. But someday, maybe she would....one that could day actually rival the strong fandom that the other members of Afternoon Delight had. Like Reiko and Fuki, they seemed quite popular, or at least more so then she was. To everyone out there, Ayano was just a lucky little girl who was just another face in Afternoon Delight. She wanted it...no, she needed it to change, somehow.. The room remained the same for the next few minutes, silent and slightly awkward, and eventually,  it seemed to get to the other girl in the room, who nervously offered to get a drink for the younger girl. No, it wasn't an offer, as Ayano believed she offered a moment earlier. At this point, the blue haired girl just up and slipped out of the room silently, her voice giving Ayano the hint that the room's tense-ness was really getting to her. The girl was week, and didn't know how to stay calm. People like that quite bothered Ayano, if she was to honest, and so she didn't even really mind when the girl walked out on her, as it would be quite nice to be alone for a few moments, and possibly even slip a song in. Afterall, Ayano had tried to get something at this place before, and often times it would take awhile for the people at the bar to even notice your exsistense and help you with whatever it may be that you wanted. Ayano then started taking a look at all the many, many songs that she could choose from, and not really caring, just clicked on the RANDOMIZE  button, where she would just get one random song out of the song list. Upon seeing the title, she shrugged. Not really her forte when it came to genre, but she had sung it before, and could do it again. So she did. Kotaenante dokokani arutte omottecha damesa Kotaenante jibunno nakadakeni arunda Kakkoiijyan Arinomama sunaona kimochi zenbu Yappa aijyan Imanomama afureta kimochi zenbu Seiippai hinimukatte butsukete miyouyo Maemuite kaoagete naiteru himawanaiyo Jounetsuno KISS! Kono "seishun"ni KISS! Ima ganbatteru kimiga daisuki Saikouno KISS! Sono "zenryoku"ni KISS! Muneippaino omoi tsutaetaindayo A.i.shi.te.ru Riyuunante dokonimo mitsukaranakutatte iisa Kizuitatokiwa mou hashiri dashiterunda The young idol began singing, her face most certainly not matching the sound of her voice. The song was encouraging and upbeat, and you could really hear it and sense it in the girl's voice, but if she were to be singing this on stage, just as she was, it would have looked a bit...odd, to say the least. Her face was straight, and there was full concentraition, her eyes shut, and one of her arm's outstretched. You could tel, however, that she was putting in a great deal of emotion and effort into the song, based on not only how it sounded, but also by the way she looked while performing it. Though she could stand to look a little bit perkier. She was alone, after all, so it didn't really matter how she looked, did it? Datte imajyan  Tsukinukete hadashinomamade zutto  Sonde aijyan  Tsuranuite akiramenaide zutto  Kanashiihiwa onakaippai taberebaii  Tamani hekondara hirumade neterebaii  Kandouno KISS! Kono "shunkan"ni KISS!  Ima ganbatteru kimini agetai  Donmaino KISS! Sono "yancha"ni KISS!  Muneippaino omoi kanjitaindayo  Da.ki.shi.me.te  Kanashiihiwa onakaippai taberebaii  Tamani hekondara hirumade neterebaii  She sung this part of the song with the very same way that she did the first part, though she gradually got a bit louder, and slowly, little by little, an entergetic smile formed upon the tawny-haired girl's lips, though she didn't know herself that she was smiling. In fact, she got so wrapped up in the song and she began dancing a little bit. Not the wild, random spazzing kind, but the kind that actually make sense with the song, though the steps were simple, it looked as if she worked on the choreography to do it. It was quite the sight for someone to watch. Though no one was was watching, right.......? 830 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Miho was in the presence of a member of the incredibly famous and successful Afternoon Delight idol group.  He didn't think she would want to know that he'd recognized her though.  She was nice enough to let him hide out in her booth, so he didn't want to do anything to upset her.  Up close he realized Tayano looked different than in magazines or on TV; most likely because she'd have stage makeup or something during official events.  Actually it was nice to see another, more famous idol outside of a concert or other promotional undertaking.  It was hard for him to read her mood however, which had him a little worried that he was going to have a negative effect on her.

Instead she seemed to be doing just fine with her next song as he took his seat in silence.  A little off considering the song's tone at first.  She soon seemed to be getting into the swing of things as the song progressed.  Miho found himself enthralled by the obvious talent she had for singing, better than his own voice.  He always worried what would happen if his voice began to change.  Probably the end of his career if not the end of the world.  Recordings really didn't do this girl's singing justice compared to hearing it in person.  Getting chased into a karaoke place was turning out to be a real blessing, at least in the form of hearing a real pro do her stuff.

He also noticed her dancing and was immediately envious.  Simple steps though they might be he'd still have problems getting them down.  Tayano looked like she'd rehearsed them enough to make it look like no big deal that she had them down.  All of it combined made it feel like he was getting a private concert by the Afternoon Delight soloist.  She hadn't seemed to have noticed he was back, but then again she was busy performing.  Miho felt like he needed to get her attention a little more, so he began formulating a plan in his mind.  Before trying to implement it he waited until her current song had ended, since interrupting her twice would've been rude.

"I brought some water for you, since I wasn't sure what you might like," he began, confidence returning to him as he remarked, "You really love singing, don't you?  I can tell you were having some trouble earlier, but you recovered very quickly.  And your voice is really beautiful.  You seemed to be cheering up the more you sang, so that's why I had that thought."

Then he asked, "Since you're obviously gifted, would you mind if I sang something?  I'd like to get someone else's opinion who's not a co-worker or my boss."

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Ayano smiled slightly at herself, her eyes sparkling as she was singing the last few lines of the song. Though nomally she wouldn't be caught singing a song of this sort, but there was the fact that no one was watching her anyways, so she was free to sing and dance to whatever she wanted to. Or at least, she thought that she was alone.... Jounetsuno KISS! Kono "seishun"ni KISS! Ima ganbatteru kimiga daisuki Saikouno KISS! Sono "zenryoku"ni KISS! Muneippaino omoi tsutaetaindayo A.i.shi.te.ru The young, tawny haired teenager sung the last few line of the song, jumping into the air with her arms out-stretched on the last few beats of the song, before the song was over. It was then that she realized that she wasn't quite as by herself as she first thought that she was. "Y-Your...back..." She panted, eyes widened and a sweat drop running down to head. She hadn't any idea that the girl had already come back in. How long had she been in? How much had she heard her sing? Was she sitting there the entire time watching her sing and dance and make a complete fool of herself? Ayano somewhat wanted to know, but thinking about it again, she figured it might just be something that was best unawnsered. Besides, before Ayano even got a chance to say another word, the older girl started talking. She sounded a little bit more comfortable, or at least comfortable enough to tell her how she felt about her singing in the song- though Ayano felt that she hadn't a right to say anything, considering she didn't exactly want her in the place to begin with. "I brought some water for you, since I wasn't sure what you might like," The girl started saying, this not sounding as full of confidence as what she said a moment later. A smile formed on her face as she spoke of Ayano's performance, which make her feel awkward quite a bit more then it did make her feel good. She wasn't one who liked getting complimented for the most part, as she was paranoid, and she knew it, often times thinking everyone was lying and was just saying they liked it to make her feel better. "You really love singing, don't you? I can tell you were having some trouble earlier, but you recovered very quickly. And your voice is really beautiful. You seemed to be cheering up the more you sang, so that's why I had that thought." This question that the blue haired girl had first asked Ayano was one that she thought was a no brainer. Of course she liked singing, or else why would she be going into a place to sing karaoke all by herself? Trying to resist rolling of her eyes, mainly the reason being was that it was immature and rude, she nodded her head politely, not really knowing what else to do. Of course, Ayano still felt fairly awkward about the whole thing, and had a bright cherry red blush on her face. Considering this, it actually felt strange to her to even say anything, because right now, she was self-concious about her own breathing. "Since you're obviously gifted, would you mind if I sang something? I'd like to get someone else's opinion who's not a co-worker or my boss." The strange, yet pain-fully familiar girl asked Ayano curiously, making Ayano's brain run through a bit of a loop. Gifted, she never once had considered herself to be all that gifted. by any means. She considered herself more lucky then anything, and so this made her a bit angry. That was obviously something the dark blue haired girl had just said to her because she was a little girl, and who goes up to a little girl and say means stuff about them? No one, obviously. And considering the fact that this girl hadn't as much as awknoledged the fact that she was anyone, she must not of known who she was. This made her feel a bit weak, though it was understandable, considering she wasn't as well known as she would like. Just proves she had a long way to go still.. Now, the girl wanted to try and sing for Ayano, saying something about wanting some critique from someone who wasn't a co-worker or her boss. Who was she? After a few moments, Ayano couldn't help but face-palm. Of course, she must have been one of the members of sheeP, the brand new idol group with a very strong fan base, though she herself had never liked them much, in the few months they had been performing as a group. In her opinion, they had too much hype for what they were, while lately, Afternoon Delights didn't get much of anything. Everyone liked the underdogs, that was for sure, though at this point, how much of an underdog were the members of sheeP now? Nodding her head again once, Ayano, realizing she was still standing, quickly shot over to a bean bag chair that was resting in the karaoke room, along with much more bright, colorful and modern decoration. "Of course" Ayano simply said, her back turned away from the girl as this was said, though she looked at the other idol a moment later and spoke to her. "But you must be warned, I am difficult to please" 938 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Miho really wasn't sure what to make of the tawny haired idol.  He kept getting the idea that she wasn't in the best of moods, again probably due to his interfering in her evening plans.  Attempts to start a conversation were nipped in the bud.  It was hard to discern if this were apathy or anger showing its face, but Miho felt a little more uncomfortable.  Though he decided that despite the awkward feeling in the room the only option was to push forward with his plan. Tayano had agreed to let him sing for her, with the disclaimer that she was difficult to please.  Given the songs that he could easily sing off the top of his head, that might be a challenge; all the same he was determined to give it a try.

He took the microphone in one hand and fiddled with the control board with the other.  To do this right he was looking for a very specific song, or at least one of a select group which he'd committed to memory.  A couple of times he misspelled the title and had to correct himself.  All fears of guys from his school spotting him were dismissed by this point.  Now his greatest desire had become to impress the girl whose booth he'd intruded on.  Once he had the song called up - titled 'Yume no Tsuzuki' - he took a deep breath and confirmed his selection.

As the instrumental introduction began, Miho risked a glance over at the Afternoon Delight idol.  He wondered if he should let her know that he not only recognized her, but was a fan of her group.  Miho wasn't sure if that would be a positive or negative thing, though Tayano hadn't really reacted to his compliments.  All he could do now was focus on his song and hope that he did well enough to impress the other idol at least a little.  Thankfully this was a song he'd actually learned the dance for fairly well, meaning he could rely a little more on his voice.  He began to move in time with the music, which didn't have the sound of normal J-Pop, just before the lyrics appeared on screen.  To focus himself Miho closed his eyes and began singing the lyrics from memory.

"Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii
Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa
Tomo ni sugoshi ano toki mune ni taguriyosete
Utaimashou Saa Uta wo anata no omoide no uta

Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii
Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa
Tomo ni ikita akashi ga mune ni atsuku yogiru
Itsu made mo Itsu made mo taisetsu ni shitai

Sorezore no deai wa kiseki no you desu
Hon no sukoshi me wo tojireba
Towa no yume yasashiku uta to nari kokoro yurasu
Omoide ni yorisou futari.."

Feeling more confident with each line, Miho was smiling brightly and gearing up for the next .  His voice was strong and clear as he sang, as if he'd had time to warm up before coming into the booth.  It was more that he was just very familiar with the song and able to focus more on his actual singing than the lyrics alone.  This was one of the songs he held very dear to his heart, and so there was an obvious passion carried in his voice.  Though he had memorized the song, his eyes opened when the song reached its chorus.

"Uta wo.. Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Takaraka ni ai wo utau yorokobi
Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Meguriai Shinjiai Ashita wo utao!"

Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii
Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa
Koyoi haru no nioi ni sakimidareru hana wa
Kaguwashiku maiodoru subarashiki sekai

Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii
Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa
Towa no yume yasashiku uta to nari kokoro yurasu
Omoide ni yorisou futari

Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Takaraka ni ai wo utau yorokobi
Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Tachiagare Kata wo daki Ashita wo utao

Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Takaraka ni ai wo utau yorokobi
Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Tachiagare Kata wo daki Ashita wo utao!"

Each passing verse made him just a bit more energetic, a bit more cheerful as he sang his heart out for someone he'd only just met.  Even his dancing improved, though rehearsing it repeatedly had really helped on that account.  It wasn't a song he'd performed for other members of sheeP yet, just himself.  So to be singing it now for Tayano was a rather bold move in his mind at least.  The music slowed down after the repeated chorus, and he stopped dancing to gaze out at an imaginary audience.  His eyes held a sad yet hopeful expression as he continued.

"Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Afureru namida wo sotto nugutte.."

His smile widened as the music suddenly increased its pace once again.  Here came the big finish!

"U-t-a... wo...
Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Sayonara wa iwanai no mata aeru kara!

Ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra
Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra!

Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki
Sayonara wa iwanai no mata aeru kara!

Haru wa meguru itsu mo utsushiku
Itsu ka mata kono yume no tsuzuki wo
Uruwashi no Teikoku Kageki-Dan!"

Once the song ended he held a pose with both arms raised, smile just as big as it'd been throughout most of the song.  He felt a little worn out, yet strangely energized by his performance - that was usually a good sign.  In conclusion he bowed, but didn't return to his seat immediately.  It wouldn't do to look like he was afraid of the limelight, after all.  Miho instead looked hopefully over to Tayano, wondering if he might have to try something else to show off his talents properly.

"Well, how was that?  It's a little old, but it's one of my favorite songs," he asked, keeping up a cheerful expression despite feeling somewhat nervous inside.

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   The room was silent for a few moments, as she watched the girl, to whom she barely even knew, scan through the songs on the screen. Ayano noticed that she was scrambling about, looking for one certain song in particular, and she realized that the girl continued to mispell the song, again and again, until she finally seemed to have the ability to spell it correctly, looking a slight bit less nervous when she found the song she was searching for appear on the karaoke player's screen. The girl continued to click on the tune, and in a matter of moments, the music began to play it's instrumental introduction, to which Ayano almost instantly recognized. Obviously, she knew a pretty vast range of music, as it was, she was an idol, and needed to keep up with music of all type. So this was a song she had heard. Not too many times before, but enough times to recognize it as what it was, and was a bit interested to hera how this blue haired girl would do in singing it.... Sitting back in her chair, Ayano intentelly listened, giving the girl a straight, unemotional face. "Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii  Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa  Tomo ni sugoshi ano toki mune ni taguriyosete  Utaimashou Saa Uta wo anata no omoide no uta  Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii  Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa  Tomo ni ikita akashi ga mune ni atsuku yogiru  Itsu made mo Itsu made mo taisetsu ni shitai  Sorezore no deai wa kiseki no you desu  Hon no sukoshi me wo tojireba  Towa no yume yasashiku uta to nari kokoro yurasu  Omoide ni yorisou futari.." So far, from at least what Ayano could gather from hearing her sing, she was a little bit shaky and nervous, especially when singing some notes, but that was to be expected, especially from somehow who was singing in front of someone else, and actually knew they were, at that. She nodded her head slowly, her face still like stone, though she had to admit that she did enjoy the other idol's voice quite a bit. Though she wasn't exactly impressed, she was intrigued by how she sang it enough to want to listen on, ears wide open in doing so. "Uta wo.. Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Takaraka ni ai wo utau yorokobi  Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Meguriai Shinjiai Ashita wo utao!" Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii  Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa  Koyoi haru no nioi ni sakimidareru hana wa  Kaguwashiku maiodoru subarashiki sekai  Kono yume ga zutto zutto tsuzuite hoshii  Watashi no koi wa kagayaite iru wa  Towa no yume yasashiku uta to nari kokoro yurasu  Omoide ni yorisou futari Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Takaraka ni ai wo utau yorokobi  Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Tachiagare Kata wo daki Ashita wo utao  Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Takaraka ni ai wo utau yorokobi  Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Tachiagare Kata wo daki Ashita wo utao!" Now, at this point in the song, the tawny haired teenager could tell that the other girl was starting to build up a bit more energy in singing it, her face brightening up by a little bit, and seeing this, actually brought a bit of a smile to Ayano's face herself, though she quickly forced herself to cut the smile out, and keep the straight, stone face that she felt that, as the girl's juudge, she was apt to give her. Now, she was just going to have to wait and see how well she sung the rest of this song. Perhaps it would get better, perhaps it would get worse, and perhaps she would even sing it about the same the whole way through. She would just need to wait and see. "Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki Afureru namida wo sotto nugutte.." The other idol's fac had such a bright, lovely smile pasted on it, and it couldn't help byt make Ayano smile in a similar way, and at this point, she didn't feel the want, or even the need to stop it. She really was enjoying this unique performace from this girl, and though she hated to admit it to herself, the other idol may very well be better then she...which didn't that mean, she was a rival? Of course it did. Everyone she met, wheter they were in GEM or in sheeP, or even in KiNGS were her rivals, and she would treat them like so. So now, feeling a bit better inside, she listned carefully to the blue haired idol's song, hoping to dig out some error that she made that she could throw at her. She was a rival.....and enemy.. "U-t-a... wo... Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Sayonara wa iwanai no mata aeru kara! Ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra  Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra! Uta wo Saa Utaimasho Sore ga yume no tsuzuki  Sayonara wa iwanai no mata aeru kara! Haru wa meguru itsu mo utsushiku  Itsu ka mata kono yume no tsuzuki wo  Uruwashi no Teikoku Kageki-Dan!" This was the finale, of sorts, of the song, and unfortunately, Ayano didn't get to enjoy it, as she was too busy trying to find some fault in the other idol's tune to throw her off. Perhaps she too, was like her, and didn't take critique very well, and would be broken by getting a bad one. But..wait...what was she doing? This was awful of her, wasn't it? What was it about this girl that would even threaten her? Of course, she certainly had a voice that could rival hers in many ways, and she seemed to very much have the passion, but all the same, it wasn't Ayano's job to talk bad about her, especially when it was false. That was someone else' job. She now didn't intend on burning this poor girl's hope for being one of the best, and so she kept silent for a moment, after she spoke to Ayano."Well, how was that? It's a little old, but it's one of my favorite songs," The blue haired idol said to Ayano, with bright, yet slightly nervous eyes. All she did was turn away from the girl, saying with a bit of a grunt: "You have a long ways to go..." Boy, did she love to lie... 938 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Miho stood smiling as he awaited Tayano's verdict on his singing, hoping that she'd approve in some way.  If he could somehow make her feel a bit better despite his intrusion that would be all he could ask for.  So far she'd been apathtetic or even a little annoyed, and not without reason.  Maybe she'd wanted to be alone, but circumstances were what they were.  Her reaction when it came would have been crushing to most people, but most people weren't Miho Hidaka.  Sure it wasn't exactly the sort of thing he'd hoped for but it wasn't exactly totally negative either.

As a result he was still smiling as he set the microphone down and expectantly gazed over to Tayano.  For a few moments he expected something further out of the tawny haired idol, but her initial verdict seemed pretty final.  Rather than be crushed by this, he decided to take matters into his own hands.  If she wasn't saying much then he'd just have to try and pry it out of her somehow.  Without skipping a beat he took a step towards the girl who might've been a rival if he looked at his career as purely business.  Sure sheeP and Afternoon Delight were competing for record sales, but Miho preferred to look at other idols as just other girls and guys in the business. 

"I know I have a long way to go; I'm nowhere near the person I'd really like to be," Miho admitted openly, suddenly looking incredibly determined, "That's why I've got to keep working really hard to improve, for all of the people who support me and work with me! That's the only way I can become the girl I dream of being!"

He blushed at the last bit, realizing he'd said it in a suggestive way, though no one would probably get even close to guessing what he'd really been talking about.  Miho held his hands in front of him and smiled again.  Now came the part he was worried might be a little too risky.  At the same time he'd been failry sure his performance had been better than the other idol's comments suggested.  Maybe digging deeper would get to the truth of the matter; if he did need a lot of work, who better to guide him than a soloist from the most successful idol group?

"So what do I need to work on?  I'd really like to know because otherwise I won't improve," he asked, eyes starry as he suddenly added, "And I really, really want to hear advice on singing from someone as famous and talented as you, Tayano-san!"

Immediately the blush returned.  He'd actually said it, admitted he did know who Tayano was.  Despite his earlier effort not to do so, it just came out that way.  Miho stood there, smiling hopefully as he awaited the response of the tawny haired soloist.

"I know it's kind of.. weird, but I've actually been a fan of Afternoon Delight for a long time.. that's what inspired me to become an idol.  It was an honor to sing for you," he added, bowing ever so slightly even though the other idol was younger than him.  His words bore a sincere tone which was just as prevalent as the passion with which he'd sung moments before.

OOC: Whew, got  a post in!  I'll still probably be offline for the most part for a few more days.

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Ayano's face was completely staight, standing as far away from Miho as she could, even her back turned away from the girl. She didn't wish to see how she reacted, to see her face, sad and crushed by the few, yet very powerful words that she had uttered. She didn't really want to hurt the poor girl, it was just..just that she was..she was... No, she wasn't, wa she? That was riciculous? Why in the world would she be. Being a world famous pop icon, the soloist for the oh so popular Afternoon Delights, ther wasn't a reason in the world for her to be feeling like this. But all, the same, she was. She was, she was...jealous. Her face dark and a bit upset, parshly in regret of what she had just told the girl, but also parshly because of the fact that she knew how much of a lie that was, and that she hadn't much left to go. Probably even, less then she herself did. It was a cold, hard truth, one that Ayano denied, and refused to believe or even as much as think to be true. The room was silent for what seemed like hours, though it may very well have just been seconds, before Miho, the blue haired idol from sheeP, decided to speak up at last. Expecting to hear her either cry out loud at the younger girl, or yell at her for being sooo rude, Ayano cringed upon hearing her voice, though relaxing a little bit after a moment, her eyes widened, confused and startled. "I know I have a long way to go; I'm nowhere near the person I'd really like to be," Miho spoke to Ayano, at first sounding a little bit dissapointed, but very quickly perking up, sounding determined and pumped up as well. Ayano slowly turned her body around to watch the blue haired girl, completely puzzled and running through a loop. How was if that she was taking this so lightly? It certainly wouldn't be how she herself would react, as she was sensitive, and took critique of any kind very hard. But Miho, on the other hand, had flaming eyes, a smile on her face, and her whole body seemed to be flooded with dtermination and energy. "That's why I've got to keep working really hard to improve, for all of the people who support me and work with me! That's the only way I can become the girl I dream of being!" Miho adde, blushing a little bit at the end of the sentence, though she still seemed very full of life, all the same. Ayano looked at her with widened eyes, not knowing at all what to say. S-She took this well, maybe even too well, but all the same, it wasn't very true. She didn't have much room to improve, though everyone still did, Miho didn't as much as some other out there, including her. "I-I see....." Ayano said softly, her face cherry red, though she quickly turned herself away once again. This was..just all too odd for her. Who was this girl, anyways? "So what do I need to work on?  I'd really like to know because otherwise I won't improve," Miho asked Ayano with wide, pleading eyes. This..this was the question tha Ayano really didn't want to have to reply to, as she honestly didn't know quite what she was to say back to the girl. What could Miho do to improve on her singing? What could she do to make her voice, which was already so nice sounding, sound even better? This question was one that Ayano was stuck on for a fe wminutes, and so the room was, for a moment, filled with the always hated awkward silence. At last, coming up with something to say, though it wasn't much of anything, the girl started to speak, but was cut off by Miho. "And I really, really want to hear advice on singing from someone as famous and talented as you, Tayano-san!" Oh, so she did know who she was afterall? In a way, Ayano was quite p"MMleased to hear this, but still, it annoyed her that she didn't say anything about it before hand. All the same, Ayano nodded, sitting down on a bright red stool, plush and in the shape of a cube. Crossing her legs, Ayano kept her straightest face possible, though there seemed to be something cross between a scowl and a smile on her lips. "Well...I could say that you could work on your pitching a little bit. It seemed that at some points, you didn't hit some high notes the way that you should be able to" Ayano improvised this critique to Miho, believing it a bit more by the end of her sentence. It was true, the girl didn't exactly hit the high notes as the song needs to be, and because of that she sounded kinda pitchy and odd. But still, better then she could probably do... Ayano looked right at Miho for a few moments, before Miho spoke, probably refering to the time a few moments ago when she at last spoke Ayano's name. "I know it's kind of.. weird, but I've actually been a fan of Afternoon Delight for a long time.. that's what inspired me to become an idol. It was an honor to sing for you," Upon the girl saying that, Ayano at last remembered something- she never told Miho that she knew who she was, herself. She knew very well that she was the member of sheeP, Miho Hidaka. She liked sheeP well enough, though they were still rivals, all the same, so she needed to still be wary of her. But of course, it didn't hurt to be friendly once in a while, did it? "I am as well a fan of sheeP myself, and you have inspried me in ways you wouldn't believe" She paused for a moment. "Miho-senpai" [OOC: It's no problem. ^^ I'm a bit out of the weather, so it would be easier on me to not have a thread to reply to. But I love how this thread is going so far, and I hope you feel the same way. ] 938 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Miho attentively listened to and noted each word that Ayano told her on how to improve his performance.  She had to know what she was talking about, since she was a soloist after all.  When she brought up pitching his eyes nearly doubled in size as he became overly concerned about what that might mean.  If his pitch was off that might mean that he was simply so nervous that his performance had been a little off.  On the other hand it could indicate that one of his biggest fears might be coming to fruition.  A voice change brought on by the progression of years!  Instantly a sweatdrop formed and he fidgeted nervously, trying to identify if this reading was accurate.

A dozen nightmarish thoughts crossed his mind, all related to this one possibility.  He could just imagine the rumors that would begin immediately after someone in the public noticed him having trouble with higher notes.  Miho Hidaka was losing her touch.  Had anyone ever noticed that Miho always gets changed separately and never wears a swimsuit, even at a pool?  Why didn't anyone know what school Miho went to?  Then they'd escalate to 'hey, there is this boy at Nakagawa Boys' High School that looks a lot like Miho-chan'.  Did Miho have a brother?  And so on.  He'd have to retire before he was found out.  Or would a sudden retirement just raise further suspicions? 

Thankfully he got a unexpected distraction when Ayano suddenly admitted she knew who he was.  His eyes were wide in surprise at the news.  Someone as talented and famous as Ayano knew who he was and was even a fan?  How was that even possible?  It didn't matter really.  What did was that they liked each other's work and that Ayano was actually getting a little less apathetic about his presence.  Miho blushed about the idea that he'd inspired Ayano; if anything, the opposite should have been true.

"I'm really touched by that, Tayano-san," he smiled brightly, the worries of moments before a distant memory, "I didn't know that someone like me could inspire someone more famous and talented like you. But I'm happy that you like our music."

Miho then picked up the microphone and cheerfully suggested, "Would you like to sing together?  It would be a great honor to join you in a song, Tayano-san! I'll sing anything you want to!"

OOC: Just got my home internet working!  Take your time replying if you're still under the weather, I know that can't be fun at all.  And yes, I really like the way this is developing!

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Ayano watched as Miho watched her, trying to make sense of what the other girl was feeling inside by watching closer over her expressions. It seemed that, for a moment, she took the comments very well, and very positively, nodding with a slight, knowing smile. But then that smile seemed to quickly slip away, and as Ayano watched the dark haired girl, it was very evident, at least to her, that Miho was nervous, nervous about what exactly it was that she had said to her was something that she wasn't certain about. But she did have a pretty good idea, all the same. Miho didn't seem to want to worry about anything, and it was noticable. Maybe not to the naked eye, but Ayano seemed to be different then other people sometimes, and considering all the time she would spend observing, she had built up a vast knowledge on emotions, and signs that someone is feeling a certain one. That and she could read lips, but at this point in time, that wasn't exactly an important component if anything in the now. What mattered was what was exactly up with Miho...  Sure, Ayano had said herself that she needed some work on the higher notes. but she definatelly shouldn't be worrying about it, and hopefully she wouldn't get offended by the remark, as many others had in the past. For some reason, it seemed that girl's hated to have deeper voices, though why. she didn't know. Ayano herself had a slightly deep voice, or at least a more mature sounding one then that of an average thirteen year old, though she could change the sound a little bit deppending on the style she needed to sing. But her prefered style was when she would sing more emotional songs, where she got to use her deeper voice, which was her most natural, as well as mosr preferred. But for some reason, other girls don't think it nice when they are altos. As if having a deep voice makes you more masculine...that it certainly was not. Simply, Ayano looked at Miho with a slight not, just figuring to be polite and put up with it, After all, girls were girls, especially older ones, such as Miho, so she figured that she would try and be sympathetic, if she wanted some, but if not, she would just keep quiet until Miho herself spoke. Turns out that, in the end, Ayano didn't even have to wait all that long before Miho spoke up once again noticablly feeling a bit better, but Ayano had a feeling she was still hiding something. She had a feeling that Miho was hiding a certain pain. But what was it? At this point, Miho did have the fact that Ayano herself recognized her to make her happy, and for the most part, she sounded quite over joyed, which made Ayano feel the same, though only slightly. It was always a challenge to make Ayano Takagaki 'overjoyed', and if you did, you desrve the nobel peace prize then and there. "I'm really touched by that, Tayano-san," The dark haired idol said with a pleasant grin planted on her face, obviously trying to sweep away any bad emotions from awhile before in oblivion. "I didn't know that someone like me could inspire someone more famous and talented like you. But I'm happy that you like our music." She added, getting a slight nod back from Ayano herself, who seemed slightly pleased to be hearing this, but then again, she had heard things like this all the time, and after awhile, it seemed to touch her less and less. But this time however, it felt....different. But of course, like many things, Ayano only knew so much, and she didn't know the reason why. Ayano didn't really know what to say, though once of twice she would open her mouth to speak, a moment later, she would realize that what she was about to say anyways, was a little bit unfitting or just plain odd, and so her mouth would once again shut. Though she finally had an open chance to speak, when it was Miho's turn to once again. "Would you like to sing together? It would be a great honor to join you in a song, Tayano-san! I'll sing anything you want to!" This offer of a duet took Ayano threw a loop, and attack her while she was off guard. It wasn't exactly a shocking fact that Miho wished to sing a duet with her, but for some reason, she just wasn't expecting it. On the same thought, she didn't even know if she wanted to. Though it would be a great oppourtunity for both her and her fellow idol, she still felt some odd awkwardness around the girl, though Miho didn't seem to feel the same way around her. With a light sigh, and not much other choice, Ayano Takagaki nodded her head, turning herself to the song player. Not saying a work, she silently slipped through the long listing of songs, looking for one that she and Miho could sing duet together with. In a few momenths, the title [dreaming little bird] came up, and she chose that one, looking back at Miho and saying. "Here" 938 words, made by akemi of btn

[Miho Hidaka]

Miho was absolutely delighted to be singing a duet with the Tayano of Afternoon Delight!  It wasn't the kind of opportunity that would come around very often, and she had agreed to sing with him despite the circumstances.  He sang all kinds of things with sheeP, but in his spare time he specialized in anime and video game themes.  Part of him was sure he wouldn't know the song that the tawny haired soloist selected, but it would be okay.  Deep down he knew he could do this.  No, he had to do this.  She was willing to sing with him, so the least he could do was to sing his heart out for her.  Nothing less than Miho Hidaka's absolute best was acceptable.

The title worried him a little; it wasn't a song he was familiar with.  However he clenched a fist and resolved to do his best no matter what the song was like.  His eyes were glued to the screen and at the ready to begin singing, while he took a deep breath to prepare himself to sing the tune.  As the lyrics came right away, he struggled through the first couple of lines, but quickly found his bearing and kept with the song's pace.  Luckily it wasn't a really fast number.

"Yuki akari honoka ni tsuki no kage wo terasu
Hanabira ga azayaka ni akaku irozuku
Mai ochiru shizuku ga miramo yurashi kieru
Oto no nai nukumori ga futari wo tsutsunda

Akari tomoru ko michi futari aruiteta ne
Nee kuchizusamu uta ga machi ni magirete yurete
Saka ni tsuzuku ishidatami su ashi de kogoeru su ashi de
Doko made mo ikeru to shijiteita yo

Torawareteta kago no kotori ga
Habataku toki wa kuru no deshou ka?
Anata no namida uketomerareru nara
Mou kono mama de mo kamowa nai kara,"

At about this point he had even begun to harmonize in a way that would allow Tayano's soloist abilities shine through.  It wasn't a skill that he'd picked up naturally; it took a lot of work to learn how to accompany someone else.  Thanks to being in sheeP for a little while he'd learned how, and it was actually pretty enjoyable. Miho really liked the challenge of singing well but in harmony rather than the melody alone.  Melodies were nice, but nice harmonies made a song wonderful.  Confident he was doing well Miho smiled happily and glanced to Tayano to see how she was doing.  Hopefully, he thought, she was having a good time.


"Yami ni ukabu hotaru ga honoo no you ni yurameku
Kiri to chiru hitotoki wo mabuta ni nokoshite

Kage ga utsuru madobe futari waratteta ne
Nee midareta kami ga kaze ni nagarete yurete
Katayose ai atatameru jikan wo
Itsumade mo issho ni tsumuite itai

Kokoro tozashita kako no anata wo
Sukueru toki wa kuru no deshou ka?
Anata no itami wake aerareru nara
Mou kono mama demo kowakunai kara

Torawareteta kago no kotori ga
Yumemiru toki wa kuru no deshou ka?
Anata no namida uketomerareru nara
Mou kono mama demo mayowa nai"

At the conclusion he threw up a hand in a victory sign and hopped in place. From the smile on his face it was clear he had really enjoyed himself, even if the performance was for an audience of one. One who was also singing. Miho simply loved performing, no matter who it was for, and preferred to be with other girls when he did it. That way they could share in the experience and generally have fun together.

"So.. did I do okay, Tayano-san?" he asked, hoping this had been more on pitch than his last song

[Ayano Takagaki]

something is wrong with the sum of us that i can't seem to erase how i can i be the only one without a smile on my face   Ayano stood there, wondering if her singing partner was at all familar with the tune that she intended on singing with her. By the expressions on Miho's face, she didn't seem to know it very well, as clearly noted by the slightly unsure expression made when the music began playing. It was soothing, slow, and very expressive song, the kind that Ayano specialized in singing, and one that you would often times see her singing. A small, yet very distant smile came across the young idols face as she looked over at Miho, Slowly, she stepped herself backwards, until she was directly besides the older, blue haired girl. Very quickly, the song started, and the lyrcis popped up on the karaoke screen, so very friskfully did Ayano Takagaki move her head from looking at her duet partner, to looking at the screen and at the words. For the most part, she did know the song, but not word by word, as she knew some others of it's type, so she figured it best to watch the screen as the lyrics came by, being underlined in a deep maroon color when they were to sing those words. After another split second, Ayano took a deep breath, her face calm, and relaxed, and she, as well as Miho, the idol from sheeP, began singing together. "Yuki akari honoka ni tsuki no kage wo terasu Hanabira ga azayaka ni akaku irozuku Mai ochiru shizuku ga miramo yurashi kieru Oto no nai nukumori ga futari wo tsutsunda Akari tomoru ko michi futari aruiteta ne Nee kuchizusamu uta ga machi ni magirete yurete Saka ni tsuzuku ishidatami su ashi de kogoeru su ashi de Doko made mo ikeru to shijiteita yo Torawareteta kago no kotori ga Habataku toki wa kuru no deshou ka? Anata no namida uketomerareru nara Mou kono mama de mo kamowa nai kara," As the two teenaged girls sung together, you could very easily sense the passion that both of them sung with, the effort, but yet you could sense this very relaxed, and peaceful feeling to the song as they sung it. For the most part, "Dreaming Little Bird" was meant to be a relaxing song that just made you happy, and makes you want to smile, and to be perfectly honest, Ayano felt that they were both doing it justice. The sound that they made as they sung the duet together was both serene, as well as magical, and though you couldn't say that Ayano was serene feeling herself, she slowly began to have a twinkle in her light fawn colored eyes. A smile as well, began to slowly creep up on Ayano, and though she at first, tried to resist it, it wasn't something that she felt she was able to do anymore. She let the smile come, and embraced it. "Yami ni ukabu hotaru ga honoo no you ni yurameku Kiri to chiru hitotoki wo mabuta ni nokoshite Kage ga utsuru madobe futari waratteta ne Nee midareta kami ga kaze ni nagarete yurete Katayose ai atatameru jikan wo Itsumade mo issho ni tsumuite itai Kokoro tozashita kako no anata wo Sukueru toki wa kuru no deshou ka? Anata no itami wake aerareru nara Mou kono mama demo kowakunai kara Torawareteta kago no kotori ga Yumemiru toki wa kuru no deshou ka? Anata no namida uketomerareru nara Mou kono mama demo mayowa nai" The both of them continued on singing through the song in the same way that they had to begin with, expect that the passion, and the happiness that the song brought to all who listens, seemed to, become even more strong, as well as the obvious joy that shone upon Ayano, Still feeling abit awkward, considering the fact she wasn't one to all that often smile and jump for joy, excluding her Tayano cover, she blushed lightly throughout the song, Though Ayano wasn't certain whether the blush was necesarilly a bad thing or not. The song nearing it's closing. Ayano looked at Miho, and managed to keep eye contact with the bluette for the remainder of the song. Though she didn't yet realize it, she had strayed even closer to the girl then when she song began, as if there was some sort of magnet inside of Miho that made Ayano come closer to her, not even having the will to stop. Blushing even brighter, the now shockingly bashful girl made her way back over to her own spot, looking directly at the floor as the song finished. Not looking back ather duet partner for a few good seconds, when she did return her gaze to the wavy blue haired idol, she noticed that the girl was very jovial, her lips forming a cheeky grin, and her arms extended into the air, as if giving a victory pump. Ayano smiled a bit, but all the same, tried to keep her same straight face. Rather not have Miho get all over her. After all, she did still have work to do. Though...is it better with two afterall..? "So.. did I do okay, Tayano-san?" Miho asked Ayano with curiousity in her eyes, getting not much more then a nod back from her partner. It was very true that Miho had done an exceptional job at the song, despite the facts she didn't know it all that well. Most likely, it was better then anything she herself could do, as had happened time and time again, it seemed. Giving Miho a straight stare, Ayano spoke. "It was...quite...extraordinary" And though this was spoke with her usual unreadble monotone voice, you could see the twinkle in her eye, now build up to a shine that rivaled that of diamonds. 985 words, made by akemi of btn