Transaction

Disclaimer: Wooooo!

Author’s Notes: Guess what I forgot to mention? I gots a job. Yay me! This isn't bogus like the daycare (we won't go there because I don't like them). Out in California, the best job I ever had was working as a Character at Six Flags. There's one near me in Jersey, so I went there to apply for the same department. I got that job. I expect lots more fun in my life now. I suggest it for anyone who likes having a lot of fun where they work.

That aside, since the park will be opening soon and I need to figure out a schedule with them, I expect to be confused and swamped most of the time. Because Six Flags, no matter how organized they seem, is always in a rush. I think Corporate just likes to fuck with them. XD

Anywhoo! This is the actual performance. It's generalized, but you can see where it all goes wrong. If you can't, maybe it's more subtle than I thought. Sorry. Also, I have confirmed that Kel will actually be giving us an A/N around chapter 64, I think it is. She owes me big time, so it'll get done. YAY!

Enjoy!
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Transaction
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Chapter Sixty-Two
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Haido looked up at Kenji and just nodded. He was still so nervous. Now that Kenji was here, it was really going to happen, and he didn't trust any part of himself, not even his voice.

Keiko rolled her eyes, pushing her hair back absently. "We were only waiting for you, your highness," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

She looked and saw the people milling around. The small group was still growing, thriving, living. It seemed as though all those people were just a part of some living thing. In a sense, they were. They were the part of a growing crowd.

"We should get started, then!" Kenji was so ready to go. He was ready to sing. He trusted Taki and Tohma when they said everything was hooked up. It was hooked up, there were people inside...

But not enough. Kenji was more then ready to pull a Kotani Kinya and go out to collect more people and bring them in, but there were more people coming, and he could see Taki and Tohma retreat to the bar.

It was a good thing, too, because in a matter of seconds, the building was noticeably more filled.

Kenji was so, so excited. So past excited. He wanted this. He'd wanted this for so long. This was going to be better than Ramune. Better than anime. Better than sex!

This was going to be the best.

Finally the place was packed in a few more minutes, the capacity definitely exceeded. The room was loud with excited talking and hollering that usually accompanied a show. But one thing was for sure. They were all waiting. It was that hushed tone that let the entire band know that they were waiting for something. For them.

Haido, still ever worried, was looking around. For all this was worth, they hadn't even talked about how to start! Would Kenji say something? Or would they just start playing? Too many possible options.

Keiko didn't seem to look worried at all. She was calmly staring out at the crowd milling about. Was she worried too? Hell yes. Kenji was a spaz, and there was no telling how this was going to work out. When the crowd started getting impatient, she looked over at Kenji, waiting for him to do something.

He was the leader at this point.

Finally, Kenji was nervous. His stomach was tight, and it took him a fair amount of effort to be steady as he leaned down to set aside the empty water bottle. The crowd was quiet and waiting, expectant.

Kenji knew he was supposed to say something. More then anyone else, he could feel the judging eyes of Tohma and Taki on them.

Approaching the microphone, someone cheered as he smiled widely. It made him want to blush, but that was hardly appropriate, and Kenji just grabbed the stand and swung the microphone (carefully) around to him.

"Evening, everyone!" He was happy. He was nervous, and excited, and just as expectant as everyone else. "We're Opium, and we just want to start the night by thanking you all for coming to see us!"

He didn't know what song they were going to play first, but he would know by the beat and the chords. And, if he was lucky, either Haido and Keiko would tell him.

Keiko almost wanted to laugh. There was a pause now. Kenji had made his speech. That was it. It was just very like him. Then it hit the crowd and they cheered, loud and proud. Audience participation was always needed.

She saw Haido looking stiff, albeit as neutral as when they first started and he spoke only when spoken to and played when told to. Kenji was still grinning like a dork, so, she shook her head, readied herself and played out a basic chord to snap everyone out of it.

The crowd went nuts, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled in an almost haughty manner as she looked over to Haido, who seemed to be shaken up.

"Third one," she said simply, and the opening chords into the third song on their album.

Haido followed with a mechanical, practiced ease. He looked almost stunned, as if he didn't realize he was doing it, before he finally relaxed into it.

Kenji was waiting until the chords repeated, until it felt like the right time to him to sing. They'd never worked out a live set before, never timed the pauses where Haido would remix or Keiko would get a solo. Like everything they did the first time, it would be a throw together, and hopefully it wouldn't sound like crap.

Most of their original tracks did, and they all knew it.

Kenji knew the song, and it was the most heart stopping moment of his life to look down at all the people and know he had to open his mouth and sing. He wanted to turn away, look at something small and unimposing, but he forced his eyes to stay staring down at the crowd as he started the first line, a little shaky at first, but fast gaining confidence.

Just like in everything they did, it was slow at the beginning, but gradually building, cresting, until Kenji felt like he was alone, just the three of them in the studio. He was bent nearly double over the microphone, hair sticking to his face because the lights were bright as they played song after song until he lost track of what he was singing.

It didn't seem important anymore, so long as they didn't stop.

Tohma wasn't extremely impressed. He was hard to please as it was, and he wasn't expecting the performance of a seasoned group. They did well, the crowd seemed to love it from the sound of it.

Mostly he was paying attention to flaws. Of course there were good things to point out. Kenji had the energy to keep a crowd. But, he relied a little too heavily on his bandmates. That was his own personal opinion though, not really a flaw. Haido did eventually relax, but he was too stiff and introverted when it all started. Sometimes, it had to be all or nothing. Keiko seemed to perform well under pressure like this, but it seemed too well. Not purposely, but it did look a little like she was trying to upstage her bandmates with that haughty attitude she gave off.

It was too loud to talk about anything with Taki, and no doubt when they were done playing they would be rushed by fans, which meant the noise wouldn't leave them. Tohma did find this whole day entertaining, and this was just another positive to add.

It was just a short time left until the first concert. Tohma was already making arraignments for choreography. They couldn't just be left to their own devices. Besides, it was more work for them, and fairly amusing for Tohma and Taki.
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Author's Notes: Oh man, Opium's gonna geeeeeet iiiiiiit! You know they are. Ah, well. They're dumb. Anyways, I don't have much to talk about. I'm kinda sleepy. Have fun!

Drop us a line!

~Subby