Charles Patricius

The skies of Osaka were partly cloudy at best; no weather forecasts mentioned anything more than a slight chance of rain. In spite of that, inhabitants of the Kyocera Dome could soon enough hear heavy rain striking the dome itself. Following the rain, there was thunder booming loudly. One strike that sounded close enough to hit the dome directly resulted in a sudden loss of all lighting in the stadium. Alas... there was no actual storm, regardless of how real it all sounded. Even so, the audience would see one light: a lightning strike from the dome down onto the stage. Dim spotlights shone over the stage afterwards, and amid the booming thunder and rain, there was music and... a single voice.

"I'll savor your dreams... one note at a time," said that male voice, resonating throughout the stadium. The music began with sparse piano, but there was no visible pianist... or anyone really, until a brown-haired young man with a tight black shirt and baggy blue pants rose from the stage, carrying only a guitar. The phrase 'smoke and mirrors' was to be taken literally as he rose alongside the smoke of a machine and an illusion of fire from the earlier lightning strike. He carried his signature guitar, which fans who frequented his concerts would recognize as technology developed by KaibaCorp to control special effects. With those in place and his appearance made... the concert would begin.

"I was born in a thunderstorm~♪
I grew up overnight~♪
I played alone,
I played on my own~♪
But I survi-iiiiived~♫

He-ey~"

Any fan who frequented Dreameater concerts knew a few fun facts about the man himself. That he was a theatrical person, these concerts weren't just music and lights but entire experiences. The Kyocera Dome would be made victim of such a thing, with two friends watching as dim light became the aura and then a crack of thunder which sounded like a true storm happened. The lights went down and it would have almost seemed like they were about to be in for a cancelled show. "Really? Like we're gonna get rained out?" said Kaguya. "I mean there are clouds in the sky..." Ai mentioned as if it seemed plausible. "Sou ka, you two have never seen any of these shows before, huh?" she asked but while those two focused their gaze on their friend, they watched as Iino Miko's pupils dialated and she seemed almost entranced as a certain voice entered her ears. Light was going up and a slogan was spoken before a song began which sent chills up the entire length of her body. "Mi-chan is zoned in. She can't hear us anymore..." Kaguya said to Ai, who nodded her affirmative. "I thought hyper-focus had more specific targets..." Ai commented but she supposed they were here watching a show and her own eyes would be found on the stage.

Miko too, had eyes for nothing but the man on stage who appeared in a tight black shirt and oversized pants. She couldn't help but smile, her heart fluttering in her own chest. The sound of his voice gracing her ears directly after so long, sent a certain shockwave into her person. Still there was something about that slogan that gave Kaguya pause. At the same time Ai listened to the music and could swear she was being appealed to spiritually. Ah, but Miko truly was feeling this music and his voice in her soul already, she'd always felt this when listening to Dreameater's voice, tingles in her whole body which made her flesh goose.

Dreameater was not an artist who believed in live performances without theatrics. If the people wanted music, they could listen in their own time. Over 50,000 people spent money to appear within this stadium; they were going to get a show no one else would get to see in person. Every show had to be different, and every Dreameater concert was made novel. The experience of this show hadn't even been delivered in full yet. With every strum of his guitar, there was a new colored light shining or flashing. The platform that brought him up to the stage continued rising higher and higher. Over the course of a single verse, he'd rise several meters higher.

"I wanted everything I never haaaad~♪
Like the love that cooomes with liiiight~♪
I wore envy and I haaaated that~♪
But I surviiiiived~♫"

One drone-operated camera had been closing in on Dreameater since his arrival. By the end of his first verse, the jumbotron overhead showed a massive image of his mouth... as a toothy smile shined brightly to the audience.

"I had a one-way ticket to a place where all the demons go~♪
Where the wind don't change,
And nothing in the ground can ever grow~♪
No hope, just lies,
And you're taught to cry into your pillow~♪
But I surviiiiiiiiiiiived~♫"

With that, the smirk of Dreameater returned again so soon after it was replaced with moving lips. Already, he was adjusting his posture to get a better grip on his guitar. Soon, this audience would see Dreameater at his best: active in concert.

Ai and Kaguya were witnessing for the first time, a live performance from Dreameater. Oddly enough, since they'd not experienced it before their magical awakening, nothing about anything that happened was seeming very normal to them. Both were listening to the strum of a guitar that seemed to appeal to their magical desires and both were hearing words with hidden potential meanings. Kaguya was hearing phrases spoken about things she'd witnessed herself and had no reason to believe this man had ever literally witnessed before. Just the same Ai, was captured by flickering lights and a weird sensation in her chest.

But as those notes that Dreameater sang carried over the whole of the dome, Iino Miko was engrossed in the words he sang and the sounds of the notes he played. Each pitch shift in his voice had the light in her eyes dancing. 'I missed you♪!~' she thought happy this had been an idea the previous night. Somehow it could be say that simply being near this man while he was singing made her feel infinitely better. Just the same the words being sang made both Ai and Kaguya look at each other directly. "What he hell did he just say?" Ai said immediately. "There's no way he isn't magic," Kaguya followed up. Miko's eyes didn't move but her ears did twitch. "Yes, probably. It's in a box. It's about to start you have to watch too to get the whole experience!" she exclaimed. Well, fine. They supposed they could try to just enjoy the show but the obvious magical influences were a bit too much. Ah, but just like in sex their partner of choice had only just entered them. What would happen when movement began and when the song took a turn as such Dreameater songs were known to do? Well, they'd be waiting but Miko had an inkling already, that little smirk on Dreameater's face as it appeared on the jumbotron let her know that he was truly about to begin enjoying himself.

What was the purpose of Dreameater's second smirk? Well, the entire stadium would soon be made privy. Some thousands of people were experiencing their first concert, and some thousands were managing a return after one or more prior experiences. No matter the count, everyone would be treated to something different, as was already the case with Dreameater's little lightning show. It would all begin with Dreameater's elevated voice as he ended this song's pre-chorus. He'd previously been taking a lower approach, singing almost in the same pitch he spoke... but that couldn't last forever.

"I''M STILL BREATHING! I'M STILL BREATHING~!
I'M STILL BREATHING! I'M STILL BREATHING~!"

Suddenly, Dreameater became mobile. That rising platform had been for a single purpose: gaining significant elevation over the crowd. Here, in what was once a baseball stadium, Dreameater could manage something normally quite difficult. He leaped from that platform and seemed to take flight. Soaring above the crowd, the strum of that guitar had those multicolored spotlights following his every move, even producing a halo effect around him. Some choice members of the close audience would be in very close proximity to Dreameater while he glided about, almost as if singing to every individual person on a long trip across the stadium floor.

"I'M ALIIIIIIIIVE~!♪
I'M ALIIIIIIIIIVE~!♪
I'M ALIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIVE~!♪
I'M ALIIIIII-IIIIIIIIIIII-IIIVE!!♫"

The song's shift in musical intonation was quite interesting. Miko was almost swooning as Dreameater's voice finally raised. She truly was transfixed and fully infatuated with the sound she was hearing. She did mention not being much for outside conversation, even the few words she'd managed to slip in were mostly just an afterthought as she delved fully into the show. Even so, she wasn't the only one doing so, no, Kaguya and Ai were both deeply involved, as Dreameater sang louder the true chorus of the song both girls were left holding their chests as if feeling for their magical cores. "That's way too strong, Mi-tan you can't tell me you didn't notice," Ai managed as Kaguya's mouth remained open in that little 'o' shape. Why?

Well in the same moment that they were about to discuss the magical and spiritual implications of Dreameater's music, the lad himself took off. Moving around he seemed to take flight, the entirety of the show becoming a fully involved activity for him. "Whoa, he's fucking flying. How the hell did they manage that?" Kaguya wondered, but Miko was hyper-focused her eyes hadn't left the lad. "Noticed, but not so directly. Show now, other stuff later..." she murmured. "Kaiba Corp provides his stage gear," she explained in a general way. "Why?" Kaguya immediately followed up as if she expected her friend to have an answer but oddly enough the answer wouldn't be coming from Miko. No, a young woman with green and blond hair was making her way up. Her bangs were blonde the rest a dark green and she even had two buns atop her head with blond braids wrapped around them. Down the back a shaggy cut with a braid also in blond. She seemed to be a fit of contrasts standing in a butterfly and spider themed outfit, complete with a butterfly tattoo on her arm. "Oh, that's easy... Kaiba Seto's little sister really likes his music," a random voice said only to come up to the side of the trio. She was standing over them significantly taller. "I thought that was you. You haven't been to one of these in a while... you even brought friends this time, good to see you out with people," she offered. She had a face which seemed a bit extreme but she was also quite pretty. That voice struck Miko's ears and a small smile came to her face. "Yeah, been a bit busy... " she managed still transfixed her eyes darting around to Dreameater as he moved around in the sky above, singing his heart out. All the while a gentle gaze had been cast upon the woman who'd started speaking to them and it made Kaguya a bit skeptical given the way people had been dealing with Miko lately. Still the girl herself seemed unbothered, how odd, they were talking as if they were on somewhat familiar terms, weird such a person hadn't been mentioned before.

Whenever he wasn't using both hands for his guitar, Dreameater was reaching out to make contact with fans. A hand was touched here, a child's head was rubbed there, and so on. The louder portion of the song was over for now. In fact, the recorded version of this very song didn't get any louder than the hook... originally. Perhaps tonight would be the night that all changed. For the time being, Dreameater was more concerned with moving about the crowd and interacting with as many fans as possible.

"I found solace in the strangest place♪
Way in the back of my mind~♪
I saw my life in a stranger's face♪
... And it was miiiiine~♫"

The only thing moving as swiftly as Dreameater himself, was the drone carrying the KaibaCorps 'KC' logo. A long-lived partnership/endorsement was in full effect for this show, from lighting, to cameras, and even to audio equipment that maximized a stadium venue's acoustics well beyond the norm. Every listener could get the sensation of being front row and center ─ even the people out in the highest seats. Of course, he'd be getting to them eventually as well. First, though... perhaps he'd encounter some familiar faces in the crowd? There was at least one person who never missed a concert, whom he expected to see somewhere close to the stage.

"I had a one-way ticket to a place where all the demons go~♪
Where the wind don't change,
And nothing in the ground can ever grow~♪
No hope, just lies,
And you're taught to cry into your pillow~♪
But I surviiiiiiiiiiiived~♫"

After the hook the song returned to a bit of a lull. It was nice the words still quaked within. It was quite interesting how far these shows had come. She'd gone to a few of his early ones as well, and they were their own type of experiences but this was a massive scale of performance the likes of which Iino Miko found worthy of adoration. She knew the type of man that Dreameater was behind his public persona and could see him smiling and interacting with the crowd. Though not much time had passed for him, three hundred years had passed for her, and she was quite happy her time away hadn't deteriorated her thoughts about him in any meaningful way. "Sou ka, I didn't expect Kaiba Seto to be that level of family man," Ai mentioned almost haphazardly. Just the same Kaguya was busy watching Miko watch the boy flying around interacting with people. "Eh, well I suppose some things are the opposite of the way they look," she said giving a casual glance towards the woman with the buns on her head. She had the appearance of the kind of person who would mug toddlers, but had been nothing but cordial since popping up so close.

Meanwhile the woman who looked to be straight out of a punk rock magazine was having a casual visual scan of the girl she'd not seen in about 4 months. She'd grown quite a bit, gotten a little taller and even filled out in the way women tended to post puberty. "Looks like it, did growing that much that quickly hurt?" she asked while placing a hand on top of Miko's head. Yes, she'd definitely gotten taller too. That warmth made Miko blush just a tad, but she didn't lose track of the performer, no he seemed to be on his way to their section with the woman with the buns looking dead at him and casually pointing towards the brunette so she wouldn't be missed in the crowd either, a knowing smirk on her face. Miko in the moment didn't actually expect to be noticed, she was simply happy to be in the crowd witnessing another stellar performance, a wide grin on her face as he came into fuller view. It'd been three hundred years, she planned to burn the look of his face directly into her memory without blinking. "Iia, it's still pretty recent but I'm adjusting, I think.." Miko responded almost automatically. "Mi-chan... you should make introductions if you are gonna stay this spaced out," Kaguya reminded the girl, wondering if she should remain so skeptical of this other woman. "Oh, right, this is... Senjumaru Shutara... Shu-nee, this is Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai, my friends... I've mentioned a few times before," she said getting that out of the way. Ai, did a double take immediately. "Wait like the Air Gear character, I knew you looked familiar!" she said surprised that Miko knew such a person. "Hai, I'm a model for that series. And a few others, no big deal... Nice to meet you both. When she wasn't super distracted before she does mention you guys. First time? They are all different these concerts, their own kind of experiences..." Shutara mentioned almost playfully. Just the same the introduction of Shutara would keep too many magical world mentions from taking place directly so Miko could enjoy the show for the absolute experience it was surely going to be.

"I''M STILL BREATHING! I'M STILL BREATHING~!
I'M STILL BREATHING! I'M STILL BREATHING~!

I'M ALIIIIIIIIVE~!♪
I'M ALIIIIIIIIIVE~!♪
I'M ALIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIVE~!♪
I'M ALIIIIII-IIIIIIIIIIII-IIIVE!!♫"

Dreameater's second chorus was no less potent than the first in its delivery. Just the same, Dreameater was no less mobile as that drone zipped around him at multiple angles. The jumbotron showed many interactions with many fans, all of different walks of life, ages and the like. In due time, he saw the head of a person he couldn't mistake. Senjumaru Shutara was often the most obvious individual in a crowd. For this show, however, she'd be found alongside a face he hadn't seen in months... and an everything else he hadn't seen in ever. His first thought was that he may have been mistaken, but those pigtails and that zoned-out expression told the ultimate tale. Had it been longer than he thought?

"You took it all, but I'm still breathing♪
You took it all, but I'm still breathing!♪
You took it all, but I'm still breathing♪
You took it all, but I'm still breathing!♪

You took it all, but I'm still breathing!♪
You took it all, but I'm still breathing!♪
You took it all, but I'm still breathing!♪
You took it all, but I'm still breathing!♪"

He sang that repeated tune, lingering around this group quite a bit longer. It was nothing strange for him to find a focal point mid performance. Regardless, that smiling face was paired with locked eyes that shifted only occasionally between Shutara and one Iino Miko ─ now that he was certain her identity wasn't mistaken. A few shimmers of light may have been spotted as the wires enabling Dreameater's 'flight' were loosed, freeing him to stand in the midst of this group. Slowly did he step forward, moving toward neither of the four in particular... but certainly stepping closer to them overall.

"I have made every single mistake~
That you could ever possibly make~
I took and I took and I took what you gave.
But you never noticed that I was in pain~♪"

By the midway point of this song's final verse, Dreameater was within striking distance of those four girls. His hands were no longer touching his guitar. One held the microphone attached to his head as his pitch lowered again, and the other extended toward Shutara. The verse would only reach its halfway point during that reach, however. What more would he be doing? Time would tell.

Dreameater's voice was mesmerizing and it seemed to have Iino Miko in a chokehold. She'd told her friends she wouldn't be hearing anything but his voice when everything started, but only Shutara had any idea of the truth of those words. Shutara was always in attendance at Dreameater's concerts and knew from experience that if Iino Miko was in the crowd she'd be looking stricken in the crowd as if completely lost mentally while listening to him sing. Only a few words could be gained from her and it would only be during the absolute lulls in music and visuals which weren't at all happening currently. "Nice to meet you. Any friend of Mi-chan's is a friend of mine~" Kaguya managed, perhaps she should get around to reading that tech-based series Ai was always talking about. This girl looked the part of a street punk but had been nothing but big sister sweet since meeting them. "Yo, like a bit later could I get a picture..." Ai managed being seemingly excited. "Yeah, of course. I'm also in town for the Con if that sort of thing interests any of you. Or you want more than just a quick couple of pictures. It's always nice to get some normal photo-ops at those," Shutara mentioned casually. "Still... you have more important things coming your way," she mentioned a large grin coming to her face.

The descent of Dreameater was always an amazing thing, Iino Miko was very excited for it to be happening. Such things would have made her exceedingly nervous before, but now she felt like she was being greeted by an old friend, one who had enough magical oomph behind his voice to stir her mind, body and soul. She hadn't even considered how different she looked or what kind of thing he was about to do, until he was making his way towards them while still singing that chorus. Kaguya for her part in this was stunned. Seeing famous people on tv never really prepared you to meet them in public. She was looking shocked, mouth in a little 'o' surprised he was willing to get so close to random strangers. "Oh? He's like legitimately attractive.. and that voice is disturbingly good, live. I have heard this song before and it's never sounded like this..." Kaguya found herself mumbling. "Yeah, definitely that..." Ai mentioned. "I can hear you, it's different when it's live... shush♪~" Miko mentioned to both as she awaited his antics. She was still taking him all in and unlike Kaguya and Ai there was a certain familiarity that was also present in Shutara but she was watching the pair with her eyes cutting in Dreameater's direction. She looked as she normally did in such exchanges, a bit rough around the edges but... that was fine too. This group of four was the envy of men and women alike around the stadium. It was always a great thing to be involved in one of these solo type moments. And it seemed Shutara was up, as she tended to be in a few of these moments so far, a hand extended in her direction would be taken as she slipped around Miko giving her head another ruffle. Maybe one day Shutara would get to see quite an interesting thing, but until then... she show must go on.