Come Sing Away [Private - Toki]

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo straightened the black tie around his neck. He would have preferred to wear an orange shirt underneath his black blazer, but costume design told him not to. Apparently orange was a garish color, but he begged to differ. Regardless of his sense of fashion, or lack there-of, Tomo took a spot in front of the karaoke box. The owners had asked for a Mochizuki or five to perform in front of the building in order to drum up business, and Tomo was volun-told to do it. Normally he would have had his twin Tama at his side. However, she was off traipsing across who knows where, doing who knows what. Instead, a young woman from the troupe was his partner in song. She was dressed in a female business suit, with a skirt and fedora. Her long brown hair came down to her hips, and rivaled Tomo's in beauty. She was a part-time hire, used during times when most of the troupe was away on tour.

The girl named Tariko gave Tomo an overly cheerful giggle. "Are you ready Tomo-chi?" Tomo resisted scowling at the nickname, and instead gave a smile. "Of course Tariko-san." From within the building, music played, exiting through the doors and out into the streets. It was a song Tama and Tomo were known for in their older age, Perfect Crime. It was a much more provocative song when performed by twins, but still rather sensual between any two people. Tomo deepened his voice more than normal, to ensure that he fully played the role of male. Too often he found himself as the female, and he needed to prove to both himself and others that he was every bit a man as his brothers.

Once they were finished, Tariko giggled to the crowd that had formed as they clapped. "If you wanna be like us, come sing your heart out at Bokaroitsu! Only 1100 yen! For today only, a lucky person will be chosen to sing with THE Mochizuki Tomo!" Tomo stood there for a moment, blinking wildly as squeals from the fan girls filled the air. They rushed into the building, frantically pushing and shoving those in their way in hopes of being that lucky one. Once most of the crowd was either in the karaoke box or walking away, Tomo whipped his head towards Tariko. "W-what?! That wasn't in the contract!" She gave a wink. "Kimiki-sama asked me to do it." Tomo lightly grumbled about his sibling as Tariko walked away. "Have fun Tomo-chi! I'll expect my share in the mail." Tomo sighed heavily as the full weight of the situation hit him. He was going to be stuck in a karaoke room with someone...alone. If it was a crazed fan girl, there was no telling if his virginity would remain intact. He stood outside the building, contemplating his next move. He could just walk away, but if Kimiki had truly made a deal with the owners, it would look bad on the troupe if he didn't comply. Sighing again, he waited for a sign to tell him whether to go in and accept his fate, or leave this problem behind him.

 

[Niijima Toki]

Toki, now a freshly minted academy student, let out a tiny grumble as he stared at the crumpled up bills in his hand. 1200 yen, given to him by his mother to buy dinner for himself on the way home...but incidentally just enough money to enter himself into the apparent karaoke contest being held at this 'Bokaroitsu' establishment. The wild haired young boy was clad in his usual wrinkled grey jacket with the hood pulled up, containing (for the most part) his silvery locks and obscuring the only feature about him that could potentially be recognized, aside from his voice. The young Niijima had been enthralled by the masterful performance put on by the Mochizuki duo, and regardless of how much his stomach was protesting, he refused to let this opportunity pass him by.

Gingerly pushing his way past some of the smaller patrons and weaving in between and underneath the larger in line, Toki eventually managed to cut his way past the burgeoning crowd of people outside the door and barely secure a spot in line for the karaoke box. After nearly an hour of sitting through the painfully amateur and mostly cringe inducing shows of 'talent', it was finally Toki's turn to take the stage. Even though he was last in the initial line, there was still a veritable herd of customers waiting to take his spot, and the sheer number of them alone was enough to make him sweat a little. Ever since the Niijima family had ceased performances, his parents had dedicated much more time to training him individually, and his level of proficiency had increased dramatically in recent months. Apparently taking too long to move into his position, Toki was gruffly shoved in front of the microphone stand and nearly tumbled to the ground, the card indicating the song he was going to sing being deftly ripped from his grasp as he was pushed. "Get a move on, kid. These people are paying for a show."

Straightening up with the wide eyed expression of a deer caught in the headlights (or stage lights, rather), the boy shivered and took the mic stand in a shaky grip for support. Toki normally wasn't prone to stage fright, but he hadn't performed in quite some time and this was unlike any venue he had ever been to before, with or without his parents. Very nearly dropping the microphone over the edge of the stage out of his nervousness, Toki slowly craned his neck forward and spoke softly into the end -"H-...hello there, everybody. My name is Niijima Toki, and I hope you'll enjoy my song. Thank you..."A few moments later,a tune started flowing out of the building's speakers, which was eventually joined with Toki's voice, a clear, natural countertenor that began gently but soon began overtaking the music with powerful, soaring notes. The song flowed easily out of Bokaroitsu's doors and even into the supposedly soundproofed private rooms; nobody would be ignorant to the Niijima's melody. At some point during his performance, Toki's hood slipped down to expose his trademark mane of wavy, silver tinged hair, though he was far too engrossed in the song to notice.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Even from outside the karaoke box, Tomo could hear the many 'contestants'. Apparently it had been turned into some large event, with girls and boys alike performing to win a chance to sing with him. He scratched his cheek. "Sheesh. It's like I'm some prize to be won..." While he felt flattered at the idea of flocks of people wanting to spend time with him, it also felt a bit objectifying. However, he shrugged. "So is the life of a Kumo idol I supposed." Resigning to his destiny to fulfill his contract, Tomo entered the building.

He caught some of the acts, mostly teen girls who were obvious amateurs. Some were too nasally, others couldn't keep pitch, and some still had issues with tempo. However, a youth in a hooded jacket took the stage. The adolescent's voice reminded Tomo of his own when he was young. High enough to be a girl, but low enough to be a boy. The child gave an introduction, and Tomo's brows furrowed. Niijima...that sounds familiar. Once the kid started singing and his hood fell, however, it clicked for the Mochizuki. This youngster had to be from that singing duo, the one with the man that Tomo's eldest brother used to be in competition with. Didn't their family get swamped in debt? Many other questions entered his mind, but soon sailed away while Toki sang. This kid was a professional.

When the boy was finished, Tomo clapped vigorously along with the others in the crowd. Toki was motioned off the stage, and the male owner took his place. "That should be all of them. Now give a warm welcome to Mochizuki Tomo!" The young man stood there motionless for a brief moment, his mind trying to figure out the situation. Wait, I was supposed to be judging them? Crap, I missed half of them. Not letting his face show his shame, Tomo sifted through the screaming fangirls, receiving one or two butt grabs as he did, and took a spot beside the owner. "Now Mochizuki-san. Which of these participants gets to spend their time with you today?" Still feeling bad for not hearing many of the performances, Tomo scanned the crowd with a fake smile. Lucky for him, out of those he had heard, the choice was obvious. "Niijima Toki."

There were some that applauded for the boy, and others that groaned in despair. One or two screamed with fury, but they were escorted out quickly. The owner gave a nod. "You heard him folks! Niijima Toki, please follow us to your private room." Tomo followed a designated employee as he and Toki were led to one of the many karaoke rooms. As the two slipped into the electronic-filled space, the employee smiled. "Anything I can get you two?" Tomo paused in contemplation. He was technically on the job for his troupe...but was he obligated to sing well? Or keep up his persona? Well, it couldn't hurt to splurge, just this once. After all, he hadn't been told of this new development. "I'll take a melon soda please." He looked to Toki. "Go ahead and get something if you'd like. It's free refills, so it's no bother to me." He gave a smile, but his nose scrunched momentarily. "Non-alcoholic. You're still a minor." Returning to a more cheerful disposition, Tomo grabbed the two microphones that hung on the side of the television stand as Toki either accepted or declined the Mochizuki's offer. Tomo would be fine with either. He slid onto one of cushioned benches and placed the large book of songs, as well as one mic, on the other side of the table near where he assumed Toki would sit. Tomo crossed his right leg over his left and held a hand out to the book. "Go ahead. You're the one who actually paid for this after all." He gave a friendly smile before patiently waiting for Toki to converse or sing a song.

[WC: 660]
[MFT]