Kiri to Shinkirō | Mist and Mirage

Mirage's light and shadow.

Since Kiri was spending his first afternoon back with Kazuha, Hikaru offered to spend it with Risa, working on the outfit for the school festival display.

Risa was thrilled, since coincidentally she also had Monday afternoon free from her siblings. The two of them stayed after school and Hikaru learned that Risa hadn't told her everything about the show.

"Please, you have to," Risa insisted.

"No, how can I possibly?" Hikaru replied with distress.

"I promise, I'll design one that won't show any of your scars," Risa replied.

Hikaru covered her face and asked, "Why didn't you tell me when I agreed to model that I'd have to wear a swim suit too? How can you make one that won't show?"

Risa said practically, "I didn't tell you because I didn't know. Our teacher only showed us the design contest rules he wants us to submit our final project display photos to today. Everyone doesn't have to, it's only if we're serious about becoming designers."

Hikaru uncovered her face and asked, "Contest?"

Risa nodded, and blushed a little as she said, "Everyone said I should do it, and I really do like sewing."

Hikaru said despairingly, "Of course you should do it, but how did it turn into me having to wear a swimsuit?"

Risa explained, "The contest is for a full range of outfits, it must include one for a sport, one for formal wear, one for casual wear, and one for sleep wear. And since the contest is being combined with the festival for my grade, they all need to be for my chosen model."

She looked at Hikaru's expression and said with determination, "And I picked swimming for you, because you never go swimming, I don't think you have a suit, and we agreed to go to the hot springs together after we graduate." She looked at Hikaru and declared, "And I just know you're going to refuse to go in naked."

Hikaru blushed.

Risa continued reassuringly, "It will be OK, I watched this show about swimming in Australia, and how they're trying to preserve the coral reefs by encouraging people to wear body suits, and no sunscreen. There are some really stylish ones, and they gave me ideas on how to make one for you." Hikaru looked at her doubtfully, and she promised, "You'll look really cool."

Hikaru gave in and Risa spent the evening having her change in and out of the dress she was working on, and the pajamas, which Hikaru admitted were very cute.

--

Nezumi created a new hidden section of their site for the band members and their manager only. Hikaru was surprised when she received the alert announcing this from Mirage's website.

When she navigated to it, she saw that dozens of variations of publicity shots had been selected from the photos that had been taken when they were filming. Nezumi had arranged them as polls, so that each member could vote on their favorite from each set.

She saw that Ryuske and Rin had put comments already on two of the shots, suggesting them as covers.

The videos were also there. The one for Mirage's title song was finished early and had come out very well according to Nezumi's somewhat grudging description. Apparently a little rivalry was developing between Seoshi Toma and Nezumi despite the fact that they did excellent work together. Hikaru hoped it would be a friendly rivalry.

She watched the video and was... amazed. She barely even recognized herself. The first lines of the video had only an empty dune in the wind as the sun shimmered at the edge of the horizon. It must have been an empty dune that Nezumi's cameras were covering while Seoshi filmed them that was then overlapped, because the girl in the white dress with loose hair drifting on the wind searched for Mirage with her footsteps vanishing behind her. The band members faded in and out, in their black, but their footsteps stayed in the sand. Scenes of them playing in white on top of the next dune were included, as well as the wave sweeping over Ryuske and his violin. At the very end Mirage in their black and silver jumped above the edge of the sunrise, and the video froze with the sunrise shimmering beneath their feet.

"Wow," she said aloud.

The other passengers on the bus ignored her.

--

Thursday while Hikaru was playing a solo at a hotel bar that had booked her through Yukito, Ryuske did Mirage's first interview.

When Kiri picked her up afterward he said, "It went surprisingly well."

"Were you there?" she asked with surprise.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, they agreed to come and film it at Inline, they were so excited to have the first interview with Kobayashi Ryuske in years." He chuckled and said, "Takeda let me lurk in the background with him. Ryuske-san floored them. I wish I could show you the unedited recording."

--

When Mirage met on Friday, Ryuske showed them the video.

The interviewer had opened with, "When Edge broke up, you swore that you'd never have another band, and now Kobayashi Ryuske has a new band. Was it a lie?"

Ryuske looked the interviewer in the eye and said calmly, "Yes and no. When I screamed that at the cameras that day, I meant every word. But that was a decade ago, I was still a teenager, and I'd like to think that I've grown up a little since then."

They both chuckled and before the next question was asked, Ryuske added, "I must admit though, that even at the time, when I told myself I was never going to sing again, I started learning more instruments."

"Mirage's Ryuske is more than just a singer and song writer then?" The interviewer suggested with surprise, although the phrasing indicated that this was a prearranged suggestion.

"Yes," Ryuske agreed, and he listed his instruments and some of what he liked about them.

They talked a little about Mirage and then, at the end, the interviewer asked, "Why now, why over ten years later?"

Ryuske smiled and looked at the cameras and said, "It wasn't even ten years, a little over two years ago, I met someone who sang the song I was thinking. And I haven't been able to stop writing new songs since."

Hikaru looked at Ryuske soberly while Rin said, "Well done!"

Hatsuharu complained, "Not that I really want to be too famous, because I'd really like to finish earning my pension, but you didn't even mention us by name?"

Ryuske shrugged and replied, "I did, those parts were cut. They also only showed the one photo of us all together."

Hikaru changed the subject and asked, "Why does it say ¾ Mirage performance tonight, when we're all here."

Ryuske smiled gently at her and said, "Because you're not here."

Rin smirked broadly and Hikaru asked, "What?"

With perfect timing, someone knocked and Rysuke stood up and opened his door. He leaned on it casually and said, "Hey beautiful."

Hikaru watched as Kiri arched an eyebrow at Ryuske and asked, "Are you done?"

Ryuske grinned and nodded. "She's all yours." More seriously he added, "Take good care of her, travel safely."

"I will," Kiri promised simply.