Chereads / Palette! And Shades / Chapter 2 - 1.1: Akuji Nerezza Means-

Chapter 2 - 1.1: Akuji Nerezza Means-

[I'm in trouble. I don't know where I should sign up. Why did they made joining a club mandatory? Kyaaaaaaaaa >_<]

[Why don't we join the famous glee club then?]

[I wouldn't think of it. Blimey. The members are too talented and only the best is accepted there!]

Suzuka tried evading as many people as possible because the talk of the town- nay- the school had been glee club since she entered the school- and it sure hurt her ears. She was at the school to rival Nazarene, the main vocalist of the band she used to be a member of- and it felt like she was already defeated at that level. Suzuka tried to search for the person on the train- whose name she'd already forgotten because of the thrill and nerves that were making her sick to even stand. She found an empty seat near the exit and planted her butt there, still searching for familiar faces- but recognized no one.

Special numbers from different clubs had passed by without anyone listening because of their anticipation for the Glee Club- for Naza's band and Suzuka has been wondering all those times whether she could potentially search for the person on the train. She couldn't forget the way she smiled as she hummed and listened to music and the feeling her presence gave her. She was settling on her seat when -

"ARE YOU ALL READY?"

A shout from the stage startled her- it was from the voice of the host who was overly excited to see them perform. Everyone on that auditorium stood up, with majority holding light sticks and banners in support for the group. Suddenly, all the lights on the auditorium died- even the light sticks [as their tradition, fans only turn it on once the music starts]- the lights from the stage gave luminance to the silhouette figures standing there with monster presence- the presence of idols- of performers, and it felt like Suzuka was being eaten alive she was shaking heavily, and somehow it felt like the AC was colder. Flickering lights of different colors, together with the heartbeat sound effects as the countdown started overwhelmed everyone – then the music started.

Overkill.

They were performing the song that gave them the victory last summer- the best band in their country- and their performance was out of anyone's league since it can already surpass that of a pro's.

The arrangement made everyone gasp because of the astonishment- it was for a concert. The person on the drums- Satori was the son of a proclaimed drummer- and he already have a fan club consisting of girls at the school and outsiders as well because he really was the dream boy everyone would love. His hair was dark blue and his eyes was like night- and there was a rumor that just looking at him can make people shiver because of the coldness he projects. The other person on the keyboard, named Light- lives up to is name. His presence was so huge on stage because he was the most handsome of them all [in my opinion]. His smooth-looking silver hair and golden eyes were so warm and friendly every girl on the school loves him. It was like he made the music room his territory by playing the piano there where the girls would look at the glass that separated them and crumble because of his beautiful sound- however, as Satori was a playboy, Light had an unrequited love for the girl on the bass- Hope. She was as beautiful as a flower- her skin was porcelain-like without a stain or even a freckle. Her long straight hair, which she dyed red made her look ethereal especially with her moon-colored eyes that was smiling as she was performing. Kuu, the guy on the guitar was cute and cuddly and friendly but for some reasons, he always wears hoodies. He has blonde hair and emerald eyes- he looked mature and once he gets close to someone, he's really attached to them and clings like a child. On the violin was Josef, a handsome red-haired prodigy [let's leave it at that]. On the flute was Abcde- yes, that was his name- it's spelled ABCDE and pronounced as [abs ce dee] but because of the confusing name, everyone calls him Dee. There were three people on the sides- the back-up singers- and there Nazarene stood, smiling so wide- so happily while she sang- and that was the reason why Suzuka never wanted to join their band- it was because if she did, she would also be stuck on the back-ups like her- like the person she greatly admired. Her contented face irritated Suzuka she wanted to leave- but she realized that it was more of a pain than disgust.

It was true that the vocalist, Yume- was very talented. She conveys lyrics with perfect emotion and everything but Suzuka couldn't accept that her idol, the figure that started her dreams, whom she sang for - was contented in her place behind the spotlight.

"Please join Prevail High! We conduct auditions yearly for the freshmen! We will wait for you at-"

Suzuka left. She wasn't able to bear to look at Nazarene, so she instead checked her own section and went on her classroom. Glee club have three bands- one each per year and the Prevail High [name of band] was the long standing and the selected students from the three bands.

___________

[Come audition for Freshmen band and have a chance to perform with US! Come next Monday, June 23, xxxx 1 pm, afternoon class and prepare your acts! See you!]

[Annoying.] Akuji thought and left the venue as one of Prevail High's manager handed leaflets to the people leaving the gymnasium. Indeed, it was obvious that it was the performance that can beat even pros but somehow, she isn't interested.

[So that is how you perform a happy song.] She thought and went to her own class after throwing away the leaflet she just received. It wasn't really a surprise to realize that she was already gathering attention because of her appearance, but she had her music on her ears so she didn't really care- but what mattered was when she removed them- so she didn't for the time being. She entered the room and sat on the last chair on the middle row. There were about fifteen people sitting there, getting to know each other but she just leaned on her desk and waited for the homeroom teacher.

>Next<

The people disappeared again as she listened to her favorite song, titled Saturn – but the bell rang just in time for the most painful part of the song- and she was left wondering how it would hurt her if she was able to listen.

"It's adjustment period for two weeks so just get to know each other now." Their homeroom teacher said and talked to some students. Akuji plugged her earphones and leaned to her table. "You are Akuji, right?"

"Yes." The teacher was the one who approached Akuji but flinched at her appearance. "You can call me Mr. Fukunaga. I'm your homeroom teacher and club adviser."

"Nice to meet you sir." Akuji said calmly as she removed her earphones, trying to dismiss the fact that her teacher was eyeing her wildly.

"S-sorry about that. Yelda said she failed to inform you but we meet every Mondays and Fridays after school hours. Will you be able to attend later?" Fukunaga asked. Akuji looked at him with her usual lifeless eyes and smiled.

"Please expect me later." Akuji said and plugged the earphone again in her ears to not hear others anymore. Fukunaga, the fine, young teacher left as soon as possible to accommodate the other students. The girls were glaring at Akuji- and that was why she had to cut off their conversation.

On that room, she was the only one who isn't socializing because she can read people like books through their body language and she knows very well that some were faking themselves and she wasn't planning to associate herself with those kinds of people.

[I'd rather be alone.]

Meanwhile, Suzuka's class was full of personalities she wasn't able to grasp. As a cheerful person, she already formed her own circle of friends- but almost everyone in her class was absorbed by the band and was planning to audition.

"How about you Suzuka? You'll audition, right?" Shiro asked her as she pondered and leaned against her table. She already made plans about her life but Shiro, having been her batch on her previous school knew about her and by a pure chance of coincidence, they were on the same class.

"I'm thinking about it." Suzuka kindly answered.

"Did you see Naza a while ago?" Shiro asked again and Suzuka flinched at the sound of her name.

"You- Why are you calling her Naza? Do you know her?" Camie asked, astound to the casual endearment Shiro used.

"Oh, not really- but she was the main vocalist of my previous school's official band and Suzuka here used to be on that band as well."

"Really? You are amazing! What is your position- er- I mean- are you a vocalist- instru- "?

"She was a-"

[bell rings]

"Let's hurry now." Suzuka stood up and packed her things as the others were dumbstruck and curious about her association with Nazarene. They transferred to the next room and got ready for the next subject but found out later on that they'd be having mixed classes with the other section. The room where they evacuated was like a hall because it was huge and spacious but dim due to the fact that it was the Audio-Visual Room. Suzuka looked around, thankful for the friendly had that grabbed her so she won't get lost. It was Shiro and behind her were the others, lurking around as they searched for the best spot.

[countdown starts. 3… 2… 1… 0…]

"What the hell is that?" Voices from the back clamored as the huge screen lit up.

Ah, another boring orientation.

And that was right. The students, having known that they won't be seen, slept silently because of the cold atmosphere. Suzuka tried to keep herself listening but she couldn't even do it since all her friends were already sound asleep.

______

[That sure is a nice sleep!]

[I know right!]

ON that hallway, the three girls, Suzuka, Shiro, and Cammie walked while they yawned and longed for another cold sleep. They got past the public bulletin board when Suzuka stopped and stared at it.

"Hey Suzu, what are you doing there- gazing at the section appointments when you already know yours?" Camie approached her and gave her a friendly hug from the back.

"Oh, nothing. I was trying to recall a name I have forgotten." Suzuki replied and continued searching.

"What's the impression you felt for that name?" Shiro in turn asked as they all now looked into the papers posted.

"It's somehow unusual, and she have green eyes and beautiful curly hair." Suzuka replied but did not look at her because she concentrated on finding the name. Shiro and Camie also looked for unusual names and one caught up their attentions.

"Hey, is Akuji Nerezza the name you were looking for?" Shiro asked as she pointed out her finger onto the name placed at number twenty-five at Class A. "That's a strange name. it's as if it's fake."

"Huh- why? What are you talking about?"

"Akuji Nerezza means-"

"Neither dead nor alive. Why did I hear my name?"

A familiar figure stood from their back and the pressure from her stare was too intense they hesitated to turn and look at her. "Either way, nice to meet you. Bye."

Her footsteps drifted away from them, and when they were sure that she was out of sight, the three of them gasped for breath and held each other's arms. [What the hell happened?]

"T-that's scary. For a second, her presence almost engulfed my entire being kyahhh!" Camie said and started shaking as she collapsed on Shiro's arms whose eyes went wide like Suzuka.

"h-h-her t-talking v-voice is beautiful." Shiro said between her dying breath. "I-I can imagine her singing- she must be good."

"Her voice is sad, I think." Suzuka said, trying to regain her composure and looked at the trail that Akuji took. "Shiro, you haven't really changed, haven't you?" she really has sharp ears.

"Yep. I guess."

"What do you mean? Were you to bandmates before or something?" Camie asked and panted heavily as the two suddenly made her feel like she was out of her league.

"We both admired the same person." Shiro said and smiled at her in return.

"B-by any chance, was she Nazarene?" Camie asked again and regained her composure. "You were talking about her just a while ago."

"Yep. It was Nazarene." Suzuka said and closed her eyes as she smiled. "You see, both of us were a choir member in our elementary days and Nazarene always gets to sing the solo part. When we became high school, Nazarene turned her back from the choir world and became a band vocalist- which she obviously rocked. I went and joined that band as well as a back-up vocal while Shiro remained on the choir."

"Yep, with the two of you gone, I became the soloist. Nyehehe." Shiro said and laughed silently. "We were both very disappointed to see that the person who we looked up to settled on the back of the spotlight- I mean I have no grudge with being back-up, but she- having that great voice and presence- We know and believe deep in our hearts that she deserve the position of main vocalist."

"Amazing. You both amazing! I wish I have the talent like you two." Camie said and looked down as she clenched her fist. "Say, what do you think of auditioning for the band?"

"W-what are you saying?"

"I mean- the main band is made up of people selected by the best people from every year level, and if you dominate the positions, you might as well place Naza where she belongs." Camie whispered shyly. Just then, the other two placed their hands on her shoulder and smiled. Camie looked up to see burning determination from them.

"I didn't know that you are such a genius." Suzuka said and laughed. "Meaning to say, we just have to replace everyone on that band?"

"Brilliant." Shiro nodded in agreement. I see.

"That's impossible though, let's just stick to the freshmen band and defeat them." Suzuka said and Shiro laughed, making Camie afraid of them.