Heroes of Dreamland Reimagined: Swingin!AU

Sakura - A Death

This is one of my favorite places in the world to be. Lights shining down on me, surrounded by my friends, holding the microphone close like it's a regular Oliver Twist, bobbing to the beat. Behind me to my left, Geo is plucking the bass with verve while standing on a stool to afford him enough height to be able to control the instrument, and Terra is tap dancing circles around him, the two of them staring right at each other and grinning the whole time. Behind me to the right, Blizzard is tickling the ivories like nobody's business. Immediately behind me, Augustine is blaring wholeheartedly away on his trumpet. And of course, front and center is me, singing my heart out, watching all the couples dancing on the floor. For the most part, everything is great.

But just like every night this past week, I'm searching the crowd for a mysterious blue cutie with white eyes, and coming up empty. I know I shouldn't really care, but there was just... something about him that I felt drawn to. Maybe it was his smile or the way he danced so well. Maybe it's how sweet and polite he was. Whatever it was, he was a cute fella and I was hoping one of these nights I could sneak offstage for a number or two and dance with him again.

There was something special about dancing with him. Usually when I dance with a fella, it feels like he wants something from me, usually cash or help getting something or someone past the magic prohibition the government passed a coupla years ago. But with Meta... I dunno. It'd been a long time since I felt like a guy genuinely enjoyed dancing with me and wasn't looking for any favors. Maybe it's because I asked him, but even then, he seemed so shy and sweet. It was a welcome change from what I've gotten used to over the past coupla years.

It's really too bad he hasn't shown up again.

Taking my mind off of that, I take a deep breath as one chorus ends and a musical break begins. As Blizzard rolls the keys, I pull the mic in close and whoop excitedly, turning and pointing at Augustine behind me. "All right, Jakes and Janes, give it up for our very own Auggie, the one and only genuine boogie-woogie bugle boy!" The crowd cheers as they continue to dance, and Augustine smiles as big as he can while still playing the trumpet, launching right into an improvised solo. Laughing, I go dance over nearer him, joining Terra in a feverish tap dance, cape flying out behind me. Blizzard keeps playing the keys, quieter, and Geo keeps up the beat and rhythm with the bass.

Tossing my head, I dance back over to the mic, grab it, and get ready to start singing again as Augustine's solo winds down. But as I take a breath, prepared to launch into the next verse of our biggest hit 'Little Miss Starshine,' four gunshots suddenly go off from the balcony above the stage.

The music, of course, screeches to a stop. Everyone stares up at the balcony above, only to gasp when someone goes stumbling over the edge. With a crash, the body lands on the stage right in front of me, and falls still after one final twitch of pain.

Chaos ensues as Terra begins raggedly screaming in terror behind me. Shaking my head in fear, I stumble back away from the body as liquid starlight begins pooling on the ground around it. To be safe, I secretively pull a knife out from the inner depths of my cape before approaching the body in fear.

With a grunt of exertion, I manage to turn the body over while general chaos continues around me. "Shoot," I mutter to myself as I recognize the still-open, haunted eyes and face instantly. "Auggie, get over here. It's the General; it's Arthur."

Setting his trumpet down on the piano, Augustine, the only one of us with any actual medical training, hurries over. After a moment of searching for a pulse, he looks up at me and shakes his head in fear. "He's dead."

"Shoot," I repeat, shaking my head and scanning the room around us. "Well, ain't that just swell." Behind me, Terra has fainted into Geo's arms, and Blizzard is attempting to help him revive her by fanning her with a sheaf of sheet music. Out in front of us, people are screaming and churning in general chaos. I can make out at least one person shrieking for someone to ring the coppers.