Karaoke Hell Night

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

When a group of students from Ouran suggested going to the karaoke tonight, Kyousuke declined joining them. He said he had other plans. It wasn't that he disliked karaoke. And there was a time when he woul have joined just to not be alone. But he had moments now when he'd rather be. Or, to be precise, where he'd wish he no longer was the Shishido Kyousuke he had to be in class and could be himself a bit more. But who was he? He had to fracture his personality in so many sides it was hard to tell even more him.

Still, he had a particular way of letting his personnality go all out. He put on a purple knitted tunic dress, black leggings, high heeled boots, some jewelry and his long, curly brown-reddish wig on, some makeup, grabbed a purse and walked out of the house. He loved the feminine kimonos too, the colors and shape, but it was perhaps a bit too cold outside yet to wear one. Once spring would come, he could start wearing those. That would be nice. It could seem weird that he loved wearing that, when he didn't consider himself a woman at all. But it was precisely because it was the polar opposite of who he was that it worked, he could be the part of himself he otherwise needed to restrain now since it wasn't him.

Why did he choose to go to the karaoke in this? Could it have been because he heard the others mention it and, as he wandered around town, decided he wanted to go there. Anyway, what were the odds he'd end in the same one they were in?

He rented a room for himself, ordered drinks and food. He did a song or two, let the music play while he ate. it was nice, he had fun. He should have pushed his brother to accompany him. Might even have promise to wear normal clothes instead. But the man was probably stdying right now, or working at the hospital.

He hesitated when he felt the need to go to the toilets. In this getup, it would be awkward to go to the male's one, even if he was one, but it would be embarrassing for him to get in the woman's room if there were any in there. He took a peek. There was no one. Oh, he heard some get in as he was in a stall but he supposed that, as long as he remained quiet and quick, it would be fine. He was washing his hands when he heard them and froze. It sounded like the ones who meant to go to the karaoke. Was it them? Or was he just nervous? It was them, he noticed, as one walked out. He remained still.

He tried to calm himself. There was no way they'd recognize him. His facial features looked feminine enough too, so he wouldn't be too suspicious. He had a flatter chest then them but it should be fine. He didn't like the look of his hands though. They were masculine, tough and callused. And his arms might look too muscular. He would have to be careful so they wouldn't see them. And just as he was thinking that, he accidentally elbowed his bag that dropped on the floor on a loud thud and putting the attention on him. Worse yet, it opened to let some of its content out on the floor.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

Karaoke was what Yui would describe as a guilty pleasure of hers. She would sometimes go, not always sing when she was in a group of friends because it embarrassed her but she would rather do it when she was alone. Her voice wasn’t horrible, she had been complimented in the past, but she was not near a real singer or had the right techniques either. This evening was one of those where she decided to buy herself some time away from her family and in a karaoke booth where she would practice singing her favorite songs. She was aware that it was a place that was praised by Ouran students and that she’d meet someone she knew there but she didn’t mind. She showed up later than Kyousuke did and had rented her room. She was heading towards it when she saw a woman who was losing her purse and some of its content onto the floor. “Oh no!” She exclaimed as she rushed over to help the poor girl. She knew how embarrassing it could be!

Yui didn’t think one second that this woman could possibly be a guy, it happened too fast and she was too busy trying to help the other girl to even notice that their hands were looking less feminine and so were her arms. “I know how embarrassing it can be.” She said as it happened to her a few times. While she wasn’t ashamed of the content of her purse, she knew how it could be to some others, especially when you had your periods and it showed a tampon or things of the like!

She wasn’t afraid to help another girl go through this though and smiled at the person in the hope she wouldn’t get rejected as she was trying to help her. She handed her what she had found yet and gave it to her.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

The purse thing was embarrassing enough, as it could put the attention on him, but the worse was when someone jumped on the occasion to help. At least it was no guy. Not that one could where he was, but that would be the worse, to somehow have some guy try to flirt with him. Kyousuke never tried to pretend being a woman. He didn't want to flirt with guys or become a lady. He dressed up because it was the most efficient way to let a side of his personality without too many consequences.

Was she from Ouran? He was not sure but right after the other girls who were, Kyousuke suspected so. He even thought she might have been from their group. The girl was being nice going out of her way to fetch everything that dropped out of the bag. Kyousuke might not have picked the bag in a feminine manner without her around but now, he was hesitant. It was worse when she handed her the things. It was not jsut the hands, it was the voice too. Kyousuke never tried to change his voice, but it might sound far too low for a woman. Then he thought once again of his hands. He wondered if she would notice how big they were when grabbing his things from her. He wanted to clench them in a fist, but it would only sow the veins in his muscular arms.

He lowered his head slightly, murmured a "Thank you," hoping it would sound as high pitched as he could to pass for a female voice, grabbed the things from the tips of his fingers and swiftly shoved them in the bag he grabbed. Now he had to do a getaway that would look too impolite, when all he wanted to do was run to his booth.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

Yui didn’t bother looking at the person she had helped; it was in her nature, she was always the kind to help others if they needed it, no matter the situation. She did know her limits and wouldn’t do anything reckless but she believed that she was pleasant to others. She suffered from rejection from her family, she did not wish it to happen with her peers when she was socializing too. When she finished gathering things that was at her reach and handed them back to the other woman she stopped for a moment, looking at her eyes. It was strange, she looked feminine but also had features that reminded her of a man.

She paused but then smiled. Who was she to judge? If she was a nice person, then she’d consider this person as a girl unless she was proven otherwise. She wasn’t even bothered by phased when she used a voice tone that didn’t exactly sound feminine and stood up. “You’re welcomed.” She said sweetly. She wasn’t there to judge either. They could do whatever they wanted, as long as it did not affect her in a bad way, she could care less She was quite an accepting nature, to say the least.

“You got everything?” She asked, making sure that they didn’t forget anything or that nothing was broken. She’d feel bad for her, they’d still be unwanted expenses.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke felt like he caught himself in some weird comedy show. He shouldn't have faked a high pitched voice the way he did. If he had talked softer or whispered, maybe he would have passed unnoticed. It wasn't like people guessed he was a guy at first sight normally. If he looked feminine enough and his voice didn't sound forced, the girl wouldn't have found it suspicious, but he went and chose a tone that didn't sound real at all. At least to his ears it did not, and he could swear she was staring at him weird, as though suspecting something.

Fine, he could take her knowing he was a guy. It was not the worse. All he needed now was to make sure she would not recognize him. That would be dangerous. He'd rather people at Ouran not to know about this. It was hard enough to explain but it would be oh so bothersome if he had to to them. He knew he saw her at school, although he was not entirely sure of her name at the moment.

Why did she have to keep asking questions though? It implied talking more and now that he let out this squealing voice, he had no choice but to keep up with it. He looked quickly but was not interested in spending more time here than necessary. He found a way out though. Some employee came knocking at his booth's door with the meal he had ordered and the extra beer. "Yes," he squealed again, real fast, even though he had no idea of this. He didn't care. "Sorry,"he added just as quickly before walking as fast as he could to reach the employee and thank them, this time with his actual voice, certain he was far enough for the girl not to hear him, letting the employee in. He turned to see if she was still looking and raised a hand with a brief nod to sort of say goodbye. He hoepd he didn't lose anything else. And he would need to order one more beer already, he might drink this one in just one gulp to get over this, no matter how unfeminine that gesture was. it was not like he would try to be a girl while alone in here. But perhaps he should make sure to close the door first. Still, right now, with the indie rock song playing on the karaoke machine, he felt already a bit safer.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

Yui, generally had a good memories of face and while the face of the woman was familiar to her, she couldn’t exactly put her finger on who it could be. She had seen a lot of people in her life and it could be just someone she passed by in the streets or someone she encountered on a daily basis. She couldn’t tell yet. Besides, that person seemed so self-concerned for a moment that she pitied her. She didn’t want the woman, even if she might not be one, to be ashamed of who she was and what she wanted to do. Either it was a man or not. She could tell that the traits were not so feminine and yet, her makeup was impeccable. It was the work of a genius for sure, and it intrigued her. She wouldn’t force herself onto her or him or however, they wanted to be called.

She simply smiled and nodded, letting the person go mind their business. She didn’t understand why they seemed so upset over encountering her. It wasn’t like she was rude, quite on the contrary, she was being helpful.

She saw an employee giving the meal to that person and decided it was time to get in hers, which wasn’t too far from theirs. She watched them getting their order and nodded back at the person and heard the music coming out. Good taste too. She smiled some more. “You have a good taste in music and a great talent in makeup.” She said in all honesty. She really had no ideas of who it could be, but she felt the need to compliment them and it was when she headed towards her booth.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke did feel a bit sorry for the girl. She seemed nice. She wanted to be helpful. But Kyousuke was certain she was from Ouran. Not as certain as if she wore the uniform to go to karaoke, but close enough. And he couldn't take the risk of people from the school to know about this hobby of his. His father already feared it could destroy his reputation, and by his it was hard to tell whether it was his or his son's that he meant. Kyousuke didn't need to make his fears come true.

Kyousuke had the beer in hand, thinking it would be necessary to calm himself before he would start singing again. He was pretty sure the place had cameras in the booths. He didn't care if they found out he was a guy. He just didn't want to other people in the other booths to.

When she started talking, it startled him so much that he nearly poured the beer on himself. "What now?" he said, not trying to even hide his voice. It might even sound a little more unhinged and threatening than it normally did. Then he realised who talked, and heard the bit about the makeup. Well, he supposed his cover as a woman was blown, unless she thought he could be some very direct, tough woman. "Ah, uh, thanks." This time he didn't bother going for the fake voice he used earlier. But he did want to cover his face a bit. If she liked his makeup did that mean... "Wait!" Was that a subtle remark to say she recognized him under the makeup? Normally Kyousuke didn't dress up and go to places where he risked meeting a lot of people from school, so he never cared like that. But tonight was different and that made him nervous.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

Yui had no intention to spread rumours around the school, she wasn’t like that, and it was quite the luck for the man that even if she noticed that he was a boy, that she wouldn’t say anything about the encounter unless it was to talk about his impressive makeup skills. You had to have to as for a moment she even questioned herself over his gender! While she didn’t wear a lot of makeup, she’d be curious to hear of his tricks and see if she could use anything he did to enhance her features. She wasn’t the kind to waste hours in front of a mirror but liked light makeup.

She frowned when he seemed to have startled. She didn’t think she looked scary and had she not noticed, she would have already been to her booth to practice singing. She still enjoyed it and with the least people possible to hear. She wasn’t used to be in the spotlight and while it saddened her to be rejected, she still felt better in the shadows at times.

She wasn’t surprised when she heard the manly voice, it sounded much more natural than the voice tone he used and nodded again when he thanked her. He must not be used to compliments…she felt bad for him if it was not the case. “Yes?” she asked calmly and curiously. She was willing to talk makeup if that’s what he wanted to do though.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

She turned, asked him what he wanted. Kyousuke paused for a moment, trying to read through her. Was she saying that to taunt him? Was she waiting for an explanation? She looked more genuinely curious and innocent but a part of him couldn't shake off the fact she might just be pretending. He had no idea she was, in fact, pitying him. If he had, he would have reassured her. There was nothing to be saddened about, not about him at least. But he was nervous right now.

"You..." Did she really not know who he was or that they went to the same school? If that were the case, he didn't want to reveal it to her. That was precisely what he was trying to hide. Maybe she couldn't tell who he was because it was so unlike his image. He was either seen as a nice but a bit shy guy or an outspoken and a bit rough person. No one would believe he could dress up like this. And it was not with his masculine clothes, his spiky dyed hair and the intense gazes he could give that would help make people believe that. He bet they wouldn't even suggest he'd look good in it amongst a large group of student, despite being a bit on the short end of the average height and his facial features.

He realised he added nothing after asking her to wait. He sighed. "What's your name?" He really didn't know how to bring this up without being the one telling her he was from the same school. He wanted her to tell him she figured it out. Or be less subtle, if she didn't want to be direct about it.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

Yui wondered what was up with the man. She didn’t mind him being dressed up like a woman if that was what he worried about. Nor was she the kind to spill secrets out either. Maybe he was shy and didn’t like to know others knew of his real gender. How could she tell? It was the first time she had seen him there…or so she thought. She tried to recall the various times she had gone to the karaoke in the past and couldn’t recall having seen him around. She had to think it was why he looked so familiar to her.

She decided to wait and see what he had to say to her. Maybe he was the one who recognized her and could tell her where they could have met. She was curious alright and wanted to know too. He just looked so familiar and yet, so much like a stranger that she couldn’t exactly put the finger on it. She started thinking that her skill to remember people’s faces was messing up with her.

“My name? I’m Iwamoto Yui-san.” She said with a slight bow. “Are you a regular here?” She asked him. It must be why she had remembered his face, where else could have she seen someone who was crossdressing?

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke was stuck in a difficult situation. He wanted to know if she recognized him, but didn't want her to if she did not. He wanted to know if she was from Ouran but didn't want her to make a connection between the school and him. He didn't know how to solve that. If his brother was there, he would have known how to deal with it. But his brother would never find himself in that kind of situation, not even during a drunken dare. Perhaps he should just relax and think rationnally, like Shun, instead of getting worked up inside.

Iwamoto. That was her name. Not a name he knew very well. They were not close, that's what it meant. Then again, he could have guessed. Had they worked closely together, wouldn't she have recognized him and he, her? She didn't ask for his name in return and he didn't tell her either in response to her little bow of the head. Instead, she asked if he was a regular. "Not really. It's not really my turf," he answered, looking away from her as he did. He scratched the back of his neck. He should have gone to another ward instead, he wouldn't have risked to see a lot of the students there. But this was a really nice karaoke place, with really good food and beer and a nice selection of songs. He didn't think whether or not the word turf would sound weird, it just came out as the only term he could use.

He started to think she really didn't know who he was. He should send her back to her booth then. Like this, they could both forget about it. The longer she would stay, the more time she had to remember him. "I'm sorry to keep you here, you don't have to stay," he told her. He didn't want to sound like he was shooing her, but he was trying to shoo her.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

In all honesty, Kyousuke was lucky to have fallen on someone like Yui; even if she knew who he was, she wouldn’t blow away his cover. What was the point? Besides, if there was one thing she’d like to know was a trick or two in regards of makeup. He did a great job at it, especially considering that at first sight, she wouldn’t have recognized him as a man. She wanted to enjoy herself in the Karaoke room, she needed the time for herself and while she liked spending time with her friends she liked those moments where she was alone.

She nodded and smiled at the man, she could tell that he was a bit awkward of the situation. She didn’t push it any further though, and was ready to go to her karaoke room if it’d make him feel more comfortable. “It is not? I like it here, you can sing as long as you can and no one hears you.” She admitted sheepishly before nodding when he apologized. “It’s alright, I’ll go to my room anyway.” She assured him, getting the message. It seemed that lately, she was confronting people who had a type of personality who weren’t quite as social as she was, and she was okay with it, besides, perhaps he came here for the same reasons as hers.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

At least Kyousuke thought he could pass for a woman, if one didn't pay too close attention. He thought his facial features were soft enough. Maybe his mouth was a little too big, but no one was perfect. And if he was strong, he was also lean so it did not necessarily show at first glance. He was a bit tall for a woman, but there were tall women, right? He knew some models who definitely were taller than him.

Sadly for him, there were other aspects that were harder to hide. He never tried to take a girly voice before. He saw no point when he was not trying to pass as a woman in that way. And his little outburst when she caught him in his karoke booth was anything but feminine.

His brain was moving at full speed, trying to gauge just how much she understood about him. She was from Ouran, but she didn't seem to know him. Then again, he was not sure he knew her either. With some luck, it would leave at that. No, he knew it wouldn't, because he knew he would try to find her out at school and wonder if she'd recognize him all while being afraid she would do so.

Was the term 'turf' a bit too much? Maybe. He was overthinking things, for sure. "I just don't usually go in this part of town," he explained. His father would be too ashamed if a lot of people knowing him and his name found out what his son liked to do as a hobby. It was true that this place offered some good songs, not all karaoke had the same repertoire.

She was being polite but now Kyousuke wondered if he pushed her away too roughly. Once again, he was overthinking things. Kyousuke was far from antisocial. The fact she was from Ouran put him on the defensive a bit, but he had no reason to think she was mean. In fact, she had been nothing but nice. "What booth are you in?" he figured he could offer her something to compensate, like a drink or some snacks or even just some extra time in there. He didn't know if she came with a group waiting for her or not. There were all kinds going to karaoke after all.

[IWAMOTO YUI]

Yui nodded as Kyousuke explained himself, it’s not like she minded much and she could see the appeal of going to different parts of the town however, even if her parents weren’t paying a lot of attention to her wouldn’t want her to try parts of the town they considered not safe. At least, she thought they would hence reputation mattered a lot in their sphere of society. Sometimes, it did annoy her though because she felt like she had to be careful not to disappoint them while wondering if they’d even notice to begin with. She mentally chased the thoughts away as she focused back on the guy who had great makeup skills.

“Ah, I see, I like it here, I come often. They have nice songs and you can sing in English too if you want.” She said, she liked the variety of choices that were offered to them there and she didn’t have to focus on only one genre if that’s what she liked. It was why she liked it here, and it was cosy, and you could order food and eat there with your friends if you were going in groups.

She had no ideas how much he was overthinking right now. To her, he did look nervous but she could look past that and she could understand that he might want to be alone; after all, she too came here to be alone and not judged on her singing skills. “I’m in the booth over there.” She said pointing one that wasn’t too far from his as she smiled warmly at him.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke knew his old neighborhood more than this one, and it was not just because he lived there for a longer period of time. He was drawn back to that place often, be it to meet with his mother or his friend Ryoko. And yet, he had no admit he didn't feel like his was his home as much as he used to. While he might not always fit in at Ouran, it became his world also. It was weird, to not be sure where he belonged exactly. Maybe it was why he created this persona. He needed to express parts of him this place wouldn't allow him to without too much repercussion.

Still, he didn't think he would have to face someone from this world. He certainly didn't feel like explaining himself. And yet, at the same time, he kind of did. Maybe because Ryoko was the only one who knew and he wasn't sure if she always fully understood. At least she didn't care. Kyousuke felt the need to defend himself, to say he was no weirdo, nor did he want to be a woman or anything of the like. But he supposed people would think that of him.

He was brought back to the conversation as she talked of this particular karaoke and the songs they offered. Kyousuke wasn't sure about singing in english. His english wasn't that great. Not enough to sing in it at least. He figured it would sound weird.

He looked at the booth she mentioned. He would make sure to send her some complimentary drink or something. Would that be too much? It wasn't like he was trying to flirt with her. "Thank you for helping me earlier," he said, ready to let her go back and return to his own booth when he stopped. What if she was with a group? Did she say she was with a group? He could just imagine her talking to them about this weird guy dressed up as a girl. On an impulse, he turned around to look at her again. "Are you alone or with a group?" He figured he was the weird one being alone. Most people preferred going in a group, it was more fun that way. She didn't look mean at all and he wanted to believe her and her smile, but he had been burned by such girls before, he was being careful now.