Author's Notes ~ Unfortunately the start of chapter three is going to be a bit short. Because of work schedule requirements I wasn't able to finish as much as I really wanted to but had enough there to post an update. I had really wanted to formally introduce Ray to our intrepid heroes, but unfortunately, even kids like me eventually need sleep. Enjoy. Feel free to leave inputs comments, whatever you like, I sincerely appreciate feedback. After all, aside from the personal enjoyment I get from writing, what keeps fics like this going are the readers. Who else do authors write for? Lol.
On a side note, I wanted to mention that in my imagining of Ray as a character, she's an artist, which is what, first and foremost, a musician should be. And to top it off, she isn't quite as ditzy. I figure this much because it takes a lot of brains and confidence to be at the top of your game heads and tails above all others at barely twenty. (Read Hanako's profile. Lawlz. She was twenty when they filmed Mendol.) Oh and the first lines of the song she's singing are from 'Taiyou no Uta'. I thought it fit.
Edit: I think I'm going crazy... Haha. I deleted this entire chapter by mistake. Fail. 
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Mendol: A Man's World
Chp. 3 Pt. 1
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In a luxurious condominium across town, a tall young woman reclined quietly on a white leather couch, looking up at the ceiling as the TV cast the living room in a dull blue glow. She held her cell phone above her face as it blinked red.
She'd missed a call.
Ray covered her face with her hand and exhaled tiredly before getting up and walking towards the open balcony. The night wind blew gently through her hair as she sidled up to the railing and looked at the cell phone with a blank expression that belied the inner war she was fighting with herself. She hung her head sullenly, her eyes faraway as she gazed down at the cars filling the streets many floors below.
She could jump... It would be an easy way to escape the pain, the humiliation, the loneliness... it would take all of a couple seconds.
An ironic smile played on her lips at the thought, and she found herself wondering if that person would even bat an eye if she really did end it. The answer, when she thought about it, made her heart twinge with a familiar ache.
"Of course you wouldn't..." She said quietly, looking to the side and sighing ruefully to herself. "I don't even know why I'd hoped you would remember my birthday..."
It really was ironic that she, who was already a legend in the music industry at barely twenty years old, a woman who truly had everything, felt that she was still left wanting because of one person. In front of that person, she always felt like that gawky, buck toothed adolescent taking the stage for the first time and it was like everything she had accomplished meant nothing...
She slumped slightly, closing her eyes...
It was then that a certain face came to mind. That of a short young man with flashing brown eyes and unruly blond hair. Him... The only person that had ever caught her in a moment of weakness and instead of mocking her, comforted her in her loneliness. Ironically, because that incident of the rooftop he was the only one aside from the one person that really mattered to her who knew which day her real birthday was.
He even sang to her. And his voice was beautiful.
She blushed slightly as she remembered his soft breath on her skin and felt her heart flutter slightly.
"... Hm?"
She drew in a sharp intake of air and brought a hand slowly to her chest, unsure of the feelings that had begun to well inside her. Frowning slightly, she cast another rueful glance at her phone before walking inside, grabbing her guitar and returning to the balcony.
Ray needed an escape, and music was the only one she had left.
"... Been awhile huh love?" She said, looking down fondly at the well worn 1964 Gibson acoustic guitar. "At least
you never left me..."
Settling into an iron wrought patio chair, she looked up at the sky sadly, remembering countless nights back at home where she would sit, look at the moon and wonder if that special someone was thinking about her too. However, in this moment, for the first time in her life, it wasn't that person that weighed on her heart... It was him, and she caught herself wondering what he was doing.
"I wonder if he thinks of me too..." She mused to herself as she brought the guitar to sit on her lap. "I still don't even know his name."
As she thought about him, she found it funny that even now when he wasn't with her, he seemed to chase away the loneliness.
"... My hero." She chuckled slightly and reclined back in her seat, looking at the still-blinking phone in her hand for a few moments and then quietly setting it in on the table next to her. She had wanted to throw the phone into the street... But somehow, she just didn't have the courage.
Sighing tiredly, she lifted her face as a breeze meandered through the balcony, her manicured fingertips softly tapping a beat on the polished spruce surface of the guitar. With his face in mind, she closed her eyes and felt music begin to play within her. Smiling faintly, she strummed a couple experimental notes and quietly hummed a little tune. She had been working this song for awhile now, and though she had the music and notes down pat, she could find no lyrics that quite matched the feeling it gave to her when she played.
It was the memory of that boy's kind and gentle face that finally gave her song a voice.
The wind fluttered past her face as she began strumming in earnest, breathing deeply as she, for the first time in a long time, released her heart into the music.
"
Furuete iru watashi no te ni," She sang softly, looking at the moon as tears began to pool in her eyes. "
Hajimete kimi ga furete..."
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In the heart of Tokyo, amidst the hustle and bustle of the Ginza district, a tall, dark haired man in a gray suit paused and looked up at a jumbotron with narrowed eyes. A newscast featuring a picture of a bloodied girl laying prone against a tall idol as a bare-chested blonde haired boy desperately tied scraps of fabric to her slit wrists flashed across the screen.
"The injured girl was later identified as Otawa Hinata, a senior at Shirobara Female Academy, and has been missing since she fled the Indies the week before. Through the heroic efforts of Kai and Riku of the amateur unit 'Persona', who was performing during the incident, she was kept alive until the arrival of the paramedics..." The news anchor said gravely, continuing on to further implore the general public to release whatever information they may have on the girl's whereabouts as the screen flashed with pictures of the two aforementioned idols and the girl's weeping family.
The man's lips curled into a sneer, revealing a single, inhumanly sharp fang.
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For Persona, the week after the Indies had been a whirlwind of late night TV appearances, promotional events and meet and greets. In other words, work had been almost nonstop the moment their feet had hit the ground. It was a good thing, it meant their name was getting out there, but it didn't mean that they were getting paid. In fact, so far, they had earned absolutely nothing. And in just fulfilling today's schedule they had gone to three TV appearances, danced and sang at each of them and now they were slated to go back to the studio to work on music for their album release. At this point, it looked like they wouldn't be home until almost the wee hours of the morning.
"Gahh.... I feel like an indentured servant," Kai huffed, blowing his bangs out of his face as he slipped out of his stage clothes. The day had been a long one, and he was glad to get out of the hot and uncomfortable costume. He looked at his wrinkled white dress shirt with disdain, remembering how Mariko had torn him a new one after it was revealed that he had shredded the custom made piece of clothing to bits.
'I don't care if it was the damn Dalai Lama that was dying in your arms!' She had screeched.
Not that Riku had come away unscathed... His shirt had been ruined too, and because of that they both had gotten an earful from Shachou... That is, until Marilyn stepped in to defend them and wound up getting whipped across the arm. They had been shocked by the act of violence, but then became appalled as it degenerated into the two women making out with each other in front of them. Talk about punishment... Kuu, who was the cause of all this, was probably scarred for life by the incident.
"Damn that stupid crazy evil demented demon 'L' woman!" He shuddered, trying to use every negative adjective he could think of as he remembered that night vivid detail, the way Saeko had practically stripped Marilyn naked in front of them. Images of them rubbing... and kissing and...
He clamped a hand over his mouth, Riku and Kuu looking at him oddly as he turned a sickly color green.
Riku rolled his eyes slightly as he and Kuu also got undressed, Kuu yawning sleepily. "... This sucks." The boy lamented, feeling tired tears sting at the corner of his eyes. Switching genders surprisingly hadn't been as hard as having to deal with the slave driver of Kamonohatsu Entertainment.
The leader of Persona looked at the two sympathetically, especially Kuu. The newly transformed boy had been through a lot, more than most people go through in their entire lives and the tall man had fretted over him like an overprotective older brother. Kuu seemed to brush away the attention though, his infectiously happy and care-free attitude seeming to be his weapon of choice against whatever ailed him. However, there were times when he would catch the boy alone, looking down at his phone with a sad expression.He and Kai wordlessly decided not to discuss what had happened at the Indies, figuring that when Kuu was ready, he would talk. Until then, they would just have to be as supportive as they could to their new band mate.
For Kuu, the transformation hadn't been quite as drastic as it had been for Kai and Riku. He was still about the same height and held the appearance of a charming high school age boy who hadn't quite grown into his body yet. In fact, the boy was slender, almost delicate and had an air of gentleness about him that set him firmly apart from the other two. Of course when Mariko had gotten a hold of him, after much crying and fighting (they had practically had to hold down the former Loli.) he finally looked the part of the handsome, approachable idol next door. She had clipped his hair short in the back and tapered it upwards to fall in long flowing pieces that framed his boyish, heart shaped face perfectly. However, in a bold move, she had decided to add streaks of daring dark blue to stand out against the natural pitch black color of his hair. It made him look, for lack of better words, just plain cool.
He gave Kuu a gentle smile and patted his shoulder, the boy looking up at him with a tired expression as he slipped off his slacks. Riku opened his mouth to say something reassuring when he was abruptly cut off by the door to the small changing room flinging open.
"Hey! Hey!" Two guys grinned eagerly at the trio.
Out of instinct born from years of their male peers trying to catch a peek at them undressing they all screamed girlishly, jumping backwards and hiding their bare chests.
The two men blinked at them quizzically. "What's with the screaming like women?" The taller of the two asked, feeling like he had walked into girls locker room.
His friend, not thinking anything of the way the men were acting, immediately shoved a magazine into their shocked faces. "Anyway... We wanted to ask which ones you guys like better, this"- He pointed to a picture of a nude girl with small, pert breasts.
"Or this!" The taller of the two with his hair done into a faux hawk grinned, holding up his own magazine which gave a full frontal view of a naked woman with breasts the size of watermelons.
"OH MY GOD WILL IT NEVER END??!!" Kai screamed, grabbing his hair with both hands as he shook his head furiously, storming out of the changing room and practically sending the two knuckleheads flying in either direction as he shoved past them.
Riku and Kuu looked at him with slack-jawed expressions. It was Kuu that spoke first. "I wonder if he knows that he's still in his boxers..."
"AGHH!!!"
Kuu winced, covering his ears. "Guess he does now..."
Riku sighed and shrugged, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he had to wonder about the shortest member of Persona...
After they had gotten dressed into their casuals they all settled down at a nearby table and sighed in concert, thinking back wistfully to the day they had all gotten their own dressing room. But after the incident at the Indies had died down they found themselves having to use a shared one. It was weird and a bit embarrassing having to be around so many guys in various states of undress even though they were, in fact, men themselves, but perhaps that only exacerbated the awkwardness of it all.
"Men are the worst..." Kuu said grumpily, leaning over to Kai and lowering his voice to a hushed whisper as Kai nodded in agreement, still bothered to no end by the fact that BOOBS of all things had been shoved in his face. Disgusting!
"Hear hear!" Kai grumbled, shoving his chin into the heel of his palm. A dour look was set on his face until his eyes settled on some shirtless male models on the other side of the room. "Well..." He blushed as a dreamy smile formed on his lips. "Maybe not all of them..."
Kuu followed Kai's line of sight and clasped his hands next to his face, almost swooning. "Men are the BEST!"
"I love a pair of big, strong arms..." Kai sighed, a goofy smile on his face as he leaned against Riku, hugging his well-muscled biceps.
"I want to rub against a man's strong chest..." Kuu gushed, hugging Riku about the waist and burying his face into his band mate's muscular chest.
Riku rolled his eyes as the two gushed, coughing loudly and turning slightly red as they both blinked and jerked away, a bit shame faced.
"Maybe it's girls that are the worst..." The man mumbled wearily. Though even he had to admit that not many men he had seen before could hold a candle to the aesthetic qualities of his new body. Suffice to say, the leader of Persona was less than impressed with the men his band mate's had been ogling.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Marilyn came sweeping into the dressing room, her face charged with an vibrant smile. "Persona's CD Debut has been decided!" She squealed, practically beside herself with pride and excitement for her 'boys'.
They all got up excitedly, rushing to her side. This was why they loved Marilyn. Despite her disturbing relationship with Shachou, she sincerely cared about them and their careers.
"What?! Seriously?!" Kai squealed in girlish delight, prompting the two men who had raped his eyes with nudie photos to look up at him strangely. He blushed and quickly cleared his throat, bringing his voice an octave lower. "I mean, really?"
"Yes! And to top that off," Marilyn grinned vivaciously, unable to hold down her excitement. Her boys were finally going places! "The distributor is Sunny Music, the label that boasts more sales than all the others!"
Kuu brought his fists to his chest, grinning from ear to ear. "That's amazing!" He squeaked in a high pitched tone, jumping slightly in place, though he paled when the two guys looked at him with raised eyebrows, quickly amending his tone to a depth that rivaled Mufasa of the Lion King. "I mean, that's awesome."
Riku and Kai both blinked in amazement, his voice had been so naturally deep that it was almost like Barry White had come back from the dead.
"Eh?"
Marilyn, still caught up in the whirlwind of emotion, clasped her hands to her face and sighed happily. "As we speak Shachou is bringing an important representative from Sunny Music to meet us!"
Riku quickly shook himself out of his surprise and grinned widely, clapping in girlish excitement. "This is like a dream!"
The two perverted guys threw a look of slack-jawed surprise at the ever-manly looking Riku who flushed slightly and cleared his voice behind a fist. "I mean, uh, it's all so surreal...." He said in his usual suave baritone as he awkwardly smoothed his fingers through his hair.
"It isn't a dream," Kai grinned crookedly, reaching up a hand to pinch Riku's cheek.
"Heehee... I'll take this side!" Kuu said, his eyes glinting mischievously as he pinched the tall man's opposite cheek.
Marilyn giggled coquettishly at their antics and reached out to pinch Riku's nose. "And I'll take this!"
"Stop it Kai! Wha- You too Marilyn?! Buncha' jerks!" He exclaimed, pushing their hands away and crossing his arms grumpily as they grinned teasingly back at him.
"What a load!" The man with the faux-hawk groused loudly, making sure everyone in the dressing room could hear him as he looked at Persona through narrowed eyes. "I can't believe a bunch of talentless wannabes like these guys cut a deal! Must be nice having the right connections..."
"Youji!" The other man reprimanded lowly, casting nervous eyes at the idol group as he attempted to shut his friend up.
While his band mates stood there in shock and righteous anger, Kai lowered an even look at the man, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked towards the two, coming to a stop in front of Youji.
"You got a problem or something?" The boy looked down his nose at the man, his eyes flashing in challenge as his mouth set into an angry snarl. Riku and Kuu were immediately at the boy's side, taking both of his arms and trying to hold back the fiery blond as he seethed furiously.
Youji's eyes widened and his eyebrows knit together in a dark glare as he stood up, his friend desperately pulling on his arm, trying to calm the man down before they were both in the shit.
"Watch how you talk to me, chibiko, I've been in this industry for ten years!" He growled, practically spitting with anger as the short blonde's face morphed into a derisive sneer.
"Ha... ten years since your debut? I've never even heard of you!" Kai scoffed, ignoring Kuu as he shook his shoulders, trying to placate his infuriated band mate. "That's some talent you've got there!"
Riku sighed as he stared at Kai's back... That did it. There was no getting through to the brash, quick tempered blonde after that
chibiko insult. The boy's shoulders were already quaking with anger and his face was as red as fire. Shaking his head, the leader of Persona stood back and threw his hands in the air, rolling his eyes sullenly.
Kuu looked at Riku incredulously, ignorant of just how badly sensitive their brash young band mate was about his height. Riku just shrugged, now looking resigned as he buried his face in his palm.
"What the HELL did you say?" Youji roared, his nostrils flaring in anger as he brought his fist to bear in front of Kai's face. "You wanna fight shorty?!"
"Bring it on jerk!" Kai bit out, clenching both his fists as he angrily broke loose from Marilyn and Kuu's restraining hands, storming out into the hallway with Youji right on his heels.
"Calm down Youji!" The man's friend pleaded, shaking his shoulders.
Kai's eyes flashed dangerously at the man, the boy bright and angry as he tore off his blazer and tossed it on the floor. "C'mon, you said you wanted to have a go chicken head!" He growled, mocking the man's ridiculous faux-hawk as his veins surged with adrenaline. "Let's dance!"
"What the hell did you call me you little asshole?!" Youji shouted angrily, shoving his friend out of the way as the short man's heckling finally pushed him over the edge. "I'm getting sick and tired of that cocky fuckin' attitude of yours!"
'... Chibiko? Chicken head? What are we, in grade school? Who the hell gets mad at crap like that?' Riku groaned inwardly, watching the two men with a bored expression as he exited the changing room.
Kuu and Marilyn grabbed Kai's arms once more, desperately trying to reason with the hot tempered blonde. "Kai, this isn't the time or the place! We'll get into some serious trouble if we cause a scene here!" Kuu hissed, Marilyn nodding furiously in agreement.
Riku sighed from the sidelines, leaning tiredly against the wall as men continued to stream out of the locker room and formed a circle around the two combatants. "Yeah... What they said."
"You know what I'm sick and tired of?" Kai said coldly, ignoring his friends as he cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner, ready to smash the guy's dome into the floor. "Friggin' whiny ass bitches like you!"
Kuu, Marilyn and Riku gasped slightly at Kai's uncharacteristically antagonistic and vulgar language.
"Wow... Kai sure is manly isn't he?" Marilyn breathed, Kuu looking at her in astonishment. The boy was about to get beaten to a bloody pulp by a man twice his size and that's all she could think of?!
"You wanna die you little punk?!" Youji roared, rearing his arm back and thrusting forward in a wild haymaker. Kai sneered, dodging nimbly out of the way and kicking out a leg, tripping him and sending the big man into a collision course with...
"Oh no..." Kai breathed, his eyes widening as he saw that Youji was going to crash directly into Riku.
"KYAAA!!" Kuu screamed girlishly, then quickly corrected himself. "I mean- AUUGGHH!!"
Unfortunately, another man ran directly in front of Riku just as the tall idol was about to be road kill which resulted in all three men crashing catastrophically against the wall and sliding into a messy heap to the floor.
Kai gasped and ran to Riku's side, shoving the other two men off of him. "Oh my god Riku! Are you okay?!" He took the man by his shoulders and shook him wildly, trying to get him to open his eyes. "This is all my fault!"
".... Why yes... Yes it is Kai... You and that stupid brain of yours, or lack thereof..." Riku hissed painfully.
Kai's eyes widened and he held Riku out at arm's length, feeling just the most uplifting kind of relief when he saw that the man, though ruffled and a little bruised, was none the worse for wear.
"You're okay!" Kai exclaimed, ignoring the insults as he immediately enveloped the man into lung crushing bear hug.
"Gaahh!! Can't breathe! Need air!" Riku wheezed, surprised at the smaller man's strength as Kai pulled away, blushing slightly.
"He's okay... But I think these guys are down for the count..."Kuu called from a few feet away as the circle of men drew in to look at Youji and the interloper curiously.
"Who is this guy?"
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TBC Soon, I promise.
Topic: A Man's World - chap 10 [AKB48 x Mendol] 3/11/2011 (Read 53296 times)