Suicidal (Suicidal Book 1)

Chapter Thirteen: The Battle (Rounds One and Two)

Kion gulped as he watched Rani's band go up onto the stage with thunderous applause backing them up. Baliyo sat down at the drum set, and Madoa and Jasiri took their stances on either side of Rani with their guitars. He blinked. Wait a second...was that? Besthe and Bunga? What were they doing up there with Rani's band of cool kids? Could it be? Could it possibly be? No. Never. Kion shook his head. Beshte might work with them, but Bunga and Rani did not get along. At all. So he would never do a song with them. Right? Right. Unless...it might make his career as a rapper seem more possible, then he might do it. 

"Damn it, Bunga," Kion groaned. "Why the hell did you have to go do that, man?" Vitani walked up behind him. "Hey, Kion," she said in greeting. "Hey, wait, is that Bunga? And Beshte?" Kion just groaned in response. "Well, shit," Vitani stated, summing up both their feelings with that one word. "We're screwed big time." Kion shook his head and turned around to face her. "Not yet. We can still win this. We have blackbear, they just have two moderately good rappers who may or may not already have record deals and were our friends but now appear to be moving up in the goddamn social hierarchy. Dammit." 

Vitani hugged Kion. "Don't worry, man. It's all right, it's gonna be okay. We'll crush those bastards, you'll see." 

Beshte stepped to the microphone and started singing, Bunga bobbing his head and Rani swaying her body behind him. 

As they finished the rap song, everyone in the audience was cheering and applauding wildly. "Fuck it!" Kion swore, stamping his foot in anger on the floor of the wooden stage. Rani grabbed Bunga and Beshte arms and raised them in the air as all three of them bowed deeply to the audience. 

She smiled and winked at Kion when she saw him out of the corner of her eye. Then she turned her face back to the crowd and bowed again, before letting go of both Bunga and Beshte arms and waving them offstage. She then took the microphone and center stage for herself and she nodded to her joyful band, who then proceeded to launch into their next song. Kion shook his head. "I can't watch this," he growled lowly. Vitani nodded, and helped to escort him back behind the curtain for until they finished. 

Then he slowly stood up from the metal folding chair he'd been sitting down in, and nodded to both Nuka and Vitani as they pushed aside the curtain and started walking onstage just as the announcer yelled their name. "Next we have, the Anarchists for Hire!" polite clapping and a bit of cheering from the rest of their friends in the back, but other than that, nowhere near the amount of reception that Rani and her friends got. Kion growled softly. Time to change that.  

He stepped up to the microphone, Vitani standing next to him with her own microphone. He counted off Nuka and he started beating the out the rhythm as Kion started to sing. 

(A/N: so the video for Only Happy When It Rains by Sam Tinnesz and STFU by blackbear were blocked for me, I don't know why, so just look them up on your YouTube or Spotify or whatever. Thank you for understanding.) 

When they finished their song to a bit more enthusiastic applause, Kion spoke into the microphone. "Hey everyone, for our next song, we're gonna be bringing up a bear you guys all know and love. Please welcome up, the bear, the myth, the legends, the rapper blackbear!" The crowd erupted with cheering and shouting as blackbear walked onto the stage and stood next to Kion before shaking his hand and then grabbing the microphone. 

He started to rap pretty good, no, amazing. 

When it finished the final lyric, ("Quit hitting my phone slow down") the entire audience started clapping and cheering, just as loud as they were for Rani and her friends' band. Kion was beaming with a big smile on his face, and when he looked back he could see that Nuka and Vitani were as well. "We can do this," he said to them. Nuka nodded, and Vitani winked and smirked, as blackbear did a final bow and wave to everyone before exiting the stage to the right. Then he grinned and chuckled, before walking right back on to the stage, walking next to Kion. To everyone in the audience's amazement, he was doing another song with the Anarchists for Hire band. Kion laughed as blackbear stood a bit behind him as he stepped up to the microphone.  

As they finished, everyone in the audience was screaming, clapping, cheering, and belting out the lyrics to the newest hit song by BoyWithUke. Kion nodded and started bowing with blackbear copying his motions with happiness, and Vitani and nuka waving and bowing their heads to everyone as well. Then, finally having milked all the attention out of this, they left the stage and went back behind the curtains to listen to who got kicked out. 

"The bands who will be going on to the second round are the Children of Cool, Death Metal Gang and..." Kion waited nervously and hopefully for him to say their name. "Anarchists for Hire!" Kion cheered. "Yes!" Vitani yelled, pumping her fist, and high-fiving Nuka and Kion. In the dark corner, Kovu watched them with an ashamed look on his face for hurting and fighting with Kion. They would never accept him back now, he knew. He sighed quietly and watched as his family and boyfriend have the time of their lives. He watched as the Janja and the hyenas bodycheck Nuka who snarled as they walked out onto the brightly-lit stage, but Kovu didn't do anything. 

Finally, it was time for Kion and the rest of the Anarchists for Hire to go up and kick ass in the second round up on the stage. Bunga walked up with them, and took his place right behind Kion, with Vitani on the other side of Kion and Nuka ready to beat out the song's rhythm 

"Y'know, coming into this competition made us feel like underdogs, you guys ever felt like that?" Kion asked. There were a lot of assenting yells and "yes!"es coming from the crowds gathered below. He smiled. 

"Well, here's a song about us, about the underdogs! Let's go!"  

They finished the final words to the song to massive thunderous applause from the great singing done by Kion and the excellent rapping by Bunga. Kion leaned forward. 

"This next song, I'm going to be giving the reins to my guitarist here, Vitani! Everyone give it up!" 

The crowd roared as Vitani stepped up to the microphone and started readying to sing. "Sometimes I just want to make y'all feel what I feel. Sometimes I just want to remember that, when I'm sad, legends never die!" Nuka began beating it out as Vitani waited before singing the song. 

As Vitani finished the final note, the crowd went wild, wondering what their last song for the second round would be. Kion smiled. "Hit it, Nuka," he said. "We were born for this." 

(A/N: this song was blocked as well. Just look up: Born for This by Manafest. Thank you for understanding.) 

The Anarchists for Hire finished the second round of the tournament with roaring applause and thunderous cheering. They were all beaming as Kion shook hands with Bunga right before they all exited. The announcer came on up again and said the Anarchists for Hire be making it to the third and final round of the Battle of the Bands.