A Night At the Zō-wa

:Miyako:

"Dai, come dance with me!!!" I twirled around and curtesyed.

Daisuke

The door looked pretty still now. I stared at it for a little while longer and it didn't move, so I decided it was just part of my overworked imagination. "Sure!" I grinned at Miyako, jumping off the chair. Grabbing her hand, I twirled her round and round until I got so dizzy I was seeing a hundred chandeliers on the ceiling...

::???::

I always had a thing for dramatics.

As soon as his goggledheaded friend had turned away, I quickly brought the door to, locking it from the outside with a handy crowbar. They would not escape- for only I knew the location of the other exit. Grabbing my tools, I made my way along the secret passages. Everything would go well.

***

Five minutes later, and things were set. I'd made sure the amps were working prior to the engagement, as was the microphone. Like the amps, the stage lights were carefully concealed in the statues running alongside either wall. The dry ice machines were poised and ready, waiting for me to hit the switch. Taking one last deep breath, I hoped I'd wound the crowbar in tight enough- I may never get another chance like this again.

I hit the switch. The lights went out with a bang. The whirring of the dry ice created a subtly demonic atmosphere to the mood- as planned. Closing my eyes, I moved into the position. Three seconds, and the lights would reveal me to them.

Three.. two... one... LIGHTS!

Red, orange, pink, yellow... all the happy bright colours added vivitey to my masterpiece. I knew my appearance would be like a God aflame, perched atop the highest ledge, microphone in hand. I surveyed my kingdom, my subjects... they were amazed. I was their king. I was their GOD. I was Hida IORI!I cleared my throat.

Pausing, I cleared my throat. It would not do to screw up now... I introduced the piece in my sexiest voice.

"Yamato baby, this is for you..."

The lights dimmed slightly, the amps switched on, the dry ice machines whirred... I was bathed in clouds of glory.

I WAS HIDA IORI!


The music started in the background, faintly at first... Before I knew it, I was away.



I was amazing. I was brilliant. I was...


Falling...

[Omg, this is a funny twist!!]

Daisuke

I was... speechless.

Putting my hands together, I clapped my hands together once, twice... the sound echoed dismally. Next to me, Miyako let out a snort of laughter.

The kid was insane.

[Thank you. I've been listening to Aerosmith all morning, and "Jaded" made me think of Diane's portrayal of Yamato... and this was the result. Things were getting too tame anyway!]

::Hikari::
Mer-boy stretched, yawned, and scratched the back of his neck. Then he looked around, confused. I decided to jump right in with the introductions. He might have amnesia.

"Hello..? Are you ok now? You swallowed some bubbles and nearly drowned, so I dragged you out of the water. Then you weren't breathing so I tried that mouth-to-mouth-resuscitation thing so you didn't die. And then there were people, but they wouldn't come and help me. And they kept yelling about someone called "Hika"? But their gone now. Anyway, it's very nice too meet you. Can you speak? I can. I don't know your name... I don't know my name. Also, where are you gills?"

:Yamato:

This was outrageous, not to mention distrubing. He was staring at me, serenading me. The little freak was calling me, JADED! I for one was not jaded. I was misunderstood. Didn't anyone get that. Probably not, considering they don't understand me to began with.

Iori was flitting around the stage and eyeing me with a look that one would bestow piece of chocolate cake after a long stint on a sugar-free diet. I didn't hold back my look of revulsion.

This was getting way out of hand. I had to get out of here before he got off the stage.

I ran to the door and pulled. But it didn't open. It had to open.

"DAI! HELP ME!!!"

::Iori::

"Sweetheart, it's not going to open." He froze. Good, he was realizing I was in control. I was God. "There's a crowbar jammed in the other side. The only way out for you, is if someone came along and opened it from the outside."

Yeah, like anyone would do that. I advance closer.

:Miyako:

I stared at poor Yamato as Iori grew closer. This was getting more and more scary by the second. Then it clicked, if Yama was trapped...then so were me and Dai. Well fakk that! I was getting out of here. I just had to figure out how.

But that thought came to readily and even thought I despised what I was about to do...it was worth it, to save my friends.

I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and scrolled down to a name, S.O.S. COME TO THE SECOND FLOOR! Double doors at end of LONG hallway. Crowbar holding us in. Iori trying to attack Yama. HURRY!

That bitch better come!

::Ken::

"Well, I mean... you're Hika!!" I told her, confused. Had she really banged her head that hard? I blanched as part of her rant came back to me and I said, "What do you mean, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? You didn't seriously do that, did you?"

Oh god. Oh god.

My face heated up as she nodded her head vigorously.

::Hikari::

Suddenly, mer-boy's face went very, very red. So, as a change of topic...

"Ok, so if I'm Hika... who are you?"

Something vibrated in my pocket- which I ignored. I wanted to know his name.

::Ken::

"I'm Ken. We've been friends for a while now, actually... you don't remember ANY of that?"

I heard the buzzing of her phone, and glanced at her curiously, wondering if she was going to answer it.

::Hikari::

Ken? Ken? That wasn't a very mermaidy name. We'd been friends for a while? HOW'D I MAKE FRIENDS WITH A MERMAID!?

"So... Ken. But... don't you live in this bath? How did we meet anyway? What's it like being a mermaid? WHERE ARE YOUR GILLS?"

::Ken::

I sighed, and slipped off the mermaid costume. Obviously, Hika wasn't exactly in her right mind at the moment, and couldn't even tell that I was wearing a costume. The wet material fell off, and I sat there in only my plaid boxers.

"You see? I'm not a mermaid, Hikari. I'm just a person."

::Hikari::

"Oh..." My friend wasn't a mermaid. This made me sad.

::Ken::

"Why the hell are you sad, Hika?" I asked her, astounded by the utter look of disappointment on her face.

She started sniffling and crying to my bewilderment, and I patted her gently on the shoulder, not quite sure what else to do...

::Hikari::

I don't really know why I was crying. I was probably overtired or something. That whirring, buzzing, vibrating started again from my backpack. I reached in, grabbed the plastic oblong and passed it to Ken. Thankfully, their were clothes in my bag.

"I'm going to go get changed."

:Miyako:

Iori was closing in and Yamato was in tears.
Where was she?! Damn it!

GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS UP HERE!!!

::Ken::

The violent-sounding texts from Miyako made me wince, and I scrambled up quickly to tell Hikari that she needed us.

Only to remember that Hikari would most likely have to recollection of Miyako whatsoever. I sighed and grabbed a towel to dry off a bit more, before heading over to where Hika was getting changed. I'd have to go help out Miyako, but I couldn't leave Hikari all alone here, especially with her sudden memory loss. She'd have to come with me.

::Iori::

"You really think your little slut-friend is going to come save you? It's hardly like you've been nice to her." I savored the moment, and laughed. Well, lets really rub it in. "YOU!" I pointed at Miyako "You boycotted your best friend, simply because she confided in you that she liked some guy. YOU!" The finger of doom swung to Daisuke, "You stalked her! And then when you finally get to be friends... you leave her when she's at her most vulnerable. AND YOU!" I was really getting into it now, boring down on Yamato. I lowered my voice. "You just enjoy fucking with peoples heads!"

Yes. In my kingdom, I knew all.

:Yamato:

Oh he was going too far. That was it. I snapped.

"Listen here, you self-absorbed little wretch! You play this boring, emotionless robot! [sorry Alyss, it sorta fit] You make everyone think that you are just there, a face in the crowd, unrecognizable. But we all accepted you, didn't we? Now I may be an asshole at times but I'm not the only one fucking with heads! What do you call this? Yamato baby, this is for you?! What the hell was that about? This is between me and you, leave Miyako and Daisuke out of it! And one more thing, don't you EVER call Hikari a slut! I'm the only one who can!"

I stopped to breath and felt Dai clap a hand on my shoulder.


Game on, bitch!

::Iori::
"And why is that?" He stopped there. Maybe I'd made the buffoon think?


Of course not.


::Hikari::
Suddenly, I found myself running down a corridor after Ken (who was not a mermaid). But I was clothed now, so I was happy.

:Yamato:

I smirked. It was the ultimate form of mystery and deceit. If I could buy us time, maybe Hiakri would hurry up and we'd be free.
"Because you, little person, are no one to be pointing fingers and calling people names."

::Iori::

"So, basically, you haven't got a good answer?"

:Yamato:

I stuffed my hands into my jeans pocket and let my hair fall over my eyes. I looked damn sexy!
"Maybe, but what is your excuse for doing this?"

::Iori::


It might not've been the wisest thing to do. But what is one supposed to do when the manic laughter rises in the throat?