Chapter Text
Welcome to the world of Idols. Where many people strive to become the best of the best. To stand at the top of the podium and look across the world from the top. Although many dreamed of standing there, most of them would fall to their untimely doom. That was because one group dominated them all. One group stood on the podium for eternity. Nobody could ever replace them.
Their beautiful voices dominated over anyone. Even to mere foreigners, somehow, they would understand. A deep sorrow from a blue, the happiness from a yellow song, and the proudness of a red song. The entire audience, whether they wanted to or not, would be overwhelmed by the emotions emanating from the group.
Everybody knew the name of the idol group. Even the elders who hated the mainstream media were entranced by this group.
But was this group as perfect as they displayed themselves to be? Who were they truly?
One of the most prominent and most spoken topics about the group was the identity of one of their members. Hidden under a beautiful white ballroom mask with astonishing and detailed golden embroidery, there the idol stood. Alone in solidarity. But at the same time, surrounded by people.
Not even the members of the idol group knew who he was under that mask. Only another member of their group. Distant and cold. Unwilling to be a part of their friendship.
So, what was their name? What was the branding name that supposedly brought them together?
They called themselves…
4NEMO.
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Cheers and yells echoed throughout the stadium. Many fans from all over the world had traveled to Shanghai, China, to listen and watch the spectacular group perform.
“AHHHH! I LOVE YOU BARBATOS!”
“YOU’RE SO HOT, ALATUS!!!”
“K-MAPLE!!! NOTICE ME!!!!”
“ANGEL! ANGEL! YOU ARE SO PERFECT !!!”
“4NEMO! 4NEMO! 4NEMO! 4NEMO!”
The fans screamed and screamed until the stage lights went dim again. Immediately, the crowd went silent. It was quite abnormal for a crowd this crazy to be well behaved. But none of them wanted to miss a second of the performance. It would be like giving away a lifetime.
Suddenly, the lights shone directly on the four members. The main dancer, K-Maple, stood in the light wearing a dark red dress shirt that looked like the shirts that vampires wear in movies. He was dressed with black pants with a loose golden chain belt hanging to the left side of his hip. He posed with both hands behind his head, the head behind tilted backwards to give a ‘hot’ appearance. K-Maple was standing in a triangle shape with his group mates, but position was at the back. He stood right of Alatus, who was in the back middle.
Alatus stood with a more serious pose, of course, this was expected due to his serious and cold personality in public. As the rapper of the group, his personality was fitting. He had his arms crossed together on his mid-chest. Alatus leaned forward with a challenging position. The rapper wore a sleeveless vest that wasn’t buttoned up. It was made out of a jean material. The dark blue matched very well with his real hair. Under the vest, he wore a long sleeved black shirt, but had the sleeves rolled up. His pants were also black, but they somehow matched perfectly. Alatus’s foot was half bent, as he stared into the unknown abyss of the crowd.
Beside Alatus stood Barbatos, the sub-singer. Although it was known that Barbatos went to vocal school and was ranked 2nd in the world for their singing skills, he was still positioned as the sub-singer. However, he was never angry at the position. He got to sing just as much as everyone else. And he knew he could not compare to their main singer. Unlike the last two members, Barbatos had a much friendlier vibe. Both in personality and looks. He was known as the social-butterfly of them all. If anything, the only sociable person. In public. He was fitted with a black long sleeved sweater that had golden lines going across the clothing. He too wore black jean pants, but he had a large brown belt with a golden square in the middle around the waist. His pose consisted of him putting his hand over his face, as if trailing down on it. It was a very popular pose among the idol industry. But it originated from Venti himself. His braided hair trailed down his collarbone. The teal dye glowed in the spotlight. Barbatos was smiling like crazy, but it was a very… “entrancing” smile.
Last but not least, the member shrouded with the most mystery. He stood in front of the three members, glowing like a firefly. His idol name was not ‘Angel,’ even though his fans were addressing him using that name. It was a name given to him for his voice, his graceful and beautiful dancing, and his divine appearance. He had beautiful and long golden hair. Usually, when a male grows out their hair, it would usually look messy and unkempt. It would look out of place. But Angel suited it perfectly. The fans were so taken aback by his appearance and skill, that they had no choice but to brand him as an Angel that fell from the sky.
He wore a white dress shirt similar to K-Maple’s, but it was white. And he wore black shorts, matching with the colour scheme of the other members. Pale skin was out on full display, as if glowing like the sun itself.
Before getting the nickname of ‘Angel,’ he was officially named Viator. But because the name Angel worked so well and was a favourite of the fans, it became his new official name. Branded on advertisements, merchandise, fan art, anything that was affiliated with him.
Angel stood with his feet shoulder length and back straight. His hand was in front of his chest, as if reaching out of the crowd. That beautiful face of his was fitted with a white ballroom mask. Behind those eyes, one could see the glistening golden eyes that reflected off the light.
When the audience saw all the members together again for the next song, they couldn’t help but get excited. The anticipation for the many emotions behind the songs was unbearable to wait for. The fans didn’t have to wait for long, as if 4NEMO could read their thoughts.
Because they began singing their most popular song. The song was named after their main singer, Angel.
(Note: This song is written under the tune of the Demon Slayer Opening #1)
“Spread your wings. Through the sky, you will fly… with me.” Barbatos began the song, several gasps filled the air. Most likely from audience members who hadn’t seen their performances before. Seeing a show was completely different from listening to it online. The emotions could rarely be displayed as clearly as a live performance. 4NEMO specialized in everything, by capturing a person’s heart and emotions was probably their best strength.
“Through the dark, through it all, live your dreams!” Alatus sang the melody part, one of the rare moments he did. His voice continued on as the music continued. But his line was perfect because of the melody and pitch the line was written as. Multiple audience members were already tearing up by the group members' offer of ‘help.’
They moved around and rotated in graceful and beautiful motions in regards to the theme of the song. As if they were all angels flying through the sky, helping a lost soul find their way.
“You look pained and lost…” Angel sang, “ Would you like a hand…” The last part of the sentence was drowned out by the fans losing control and screaming over their idol singing. Some fans had already burst out in a crying fit. They were probably fans who have been struggling with something in their lives, finally letting it go. That was something the group strived to help with. To motivate those who needed to be lifted up again. They often donated to charity and met up with fans requesting help.
“ I’m here to help!” Barbatos sang the fast line, saluting in his movements, catching the eye of many fans.
“ I know that times can be so hard, and sometimes you need a lift up!” K-Maple sang his first line, sympathizing with the poor audience who were already in tears.
“ It’s okay to ask.” Angel quietly sang his background part. But the fans of course, could hear and see his smiling face.
“ Hurting all alone, alone all by yourself.” Barbatos put a hand on his chest, the other one reaching out to the audience. “ It's like stabbing your own chest! ”
“My poor heart is aching.” Angel sang another background part.
“ I was all alone! And now I’ve been lifted.” K-Maple reaches into the sky with a sad expression.
“Into the sky.” Angel began his pervade of lines into the main melody.
“ Spread your wings. Through the sky. You will fly again. Through the dark, through it all, live your dreams!” Angel sang out with a pained voice, as if experiencing it himself.
“ Don’t worry, I am here to lift you up, back in the sky where you belong. And with your smile, and with your light, and me as your guardian now… don’t ask why… you’re just too specjal!!” Angel was almost out of breath when he finished those lines, he gazed up into the crowd full of crying people, appreciating the lyrics word by word. Never once did he regret writing it. Although the song was for everyone, even his own group mates, would those words apply for himself?
“ Even if… both your wings have broken off, I’ll just lift you up from the ground, it doesn’t matter if I take all the toll, because you are my... life source! ”
The last word the entire group sang together, finishing the song by holding the world ‘source’ for a long time. When the music ended, there was a moment of silence. It was just the soft panting of the tired out members of were the only things heard. But when the crowd recovered from their shock of the performance, they screamed out in cheers. The stadium was so loud that people couldn’t hear the singers screaming “thank you’s” into their microphones.
Many people were already crying, others passed out from the overwhelming feelings in their stomach. Whether it was sadness, the offer of help, or the beauty of the members. But the audience could all agree on one thing. 4NEMO was truly the best.
When the crowd finally quieted down once again, Barbatos stepped forward to the front stage with a microphone in his hand.
“Thank you to everyone who came to our show today! We appreciate all of you, and we love all of you!” He told the audience, earning some screams from many female and a few male fans. Barbatos passed the microphone to K-Maple, who waved to the audience and said, “Without you, we wouldn’t be who we are today.”
K-Maple did not hand over the mic to Alatus because he knew that the rapper did not like announcing to the fans. But he gave the fans a nod, and his small smile pleased the audience greatly. So, K-Maple turned to his left to pass the microphone to Angel. But when he looked over, the place where Angel was supposed to be standing was empty. He looked over to the other side and all around the stage, but Angel could not be found. He bowed his head down, hiding his face under a shadow. The fans did not see the frown his lips curved into.
Alatus leaned in close to Barbatos and whispered into his ear, “Venti… did you see him disappear again?”
The sub-singer still had a smile plastered onto his face, but Alatus knew that his friend was not in a good mood. He whispered back to Alatus, “He disappeared from my eyes once again… that little Angel didn’t even say goodbye to his fans this time…”
It was a known fact that the most famous idol on the planet hid his identity behind a mask. It had been like that since day one. Even when he was a trainee, Angel wore the mask. Nobody has been able to uncover the identity of the idol to this day. There have been many speculations as to who this singer was, but all of them in the end, were false rumors. Even the group members themselves weren't aware of who was under the mask and even the real name of their friend. But even then, it didn’t stop them from caring about the member. However, Angel always disappeared from the stage and from their sights after the show or practice was finished. It was as if he had the ability to disappear. It made the group members develop a sense of obsession over catching the little Angel in their tracks.
Although they were determined and even developed a plan, Angel still got away.
4NEMO exited off the stage with the spotlight still on them as the fans screamed. Although the audience was as happy as they ever could be, the group-mates weren’t pleased with Angel’s disappearance.
“We’ll have to talk to him tomorrow during practice.” K-Maple mentioned the team practice that was upcoming. “After all, we have to inform him about the new contract…”
Alatus, his real name being ‘Xiao,’ smiled. It was a genuine smile. “This time, he can’t hide away forever.”
Barbatos frowned. “Actually, there's something I must inform you about regarding the contract.”
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A golden haired boy climbed the tall fir tree beside his house and climbed into the unlocked window. Although the window was small, it was an easy fit for someone of his fit. He collapsed onto his bed with a loud groan. The poor boy had exhausted himself that night. If he could decide how things went, he would have left the white dress shirt on. However, if his family ever found out what he was up to, or who he was, he didn’t think that he would be able to see the light ever again.
Forcing himself up, he slipped the clothing off of his head and lifted open the loose floorboard. He placed the folded up clothing in the box with many other items of clothing.
After he was finished, he lay on his bed and stared up into the ceiling.
He had barely escaped the concert halls. If he didn’t leave early, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that he would have been trampled by the crowd. It was his guilty hobby. The boy loved 4NEMO. It was his life and life source. Risking everything for the group would be his pleasure. But he couldn’t deny that his life was put on the line here. His social anxiety was also a problem… he almost passed out in fright during his time at the concert.
Many posters of the group members were plastered on the wall. The poster of Alatus was behind his bed on the wall, the one of Barbatos was in front of the desk on the other side of the room and the poster of Kazuha was on his bedroom door. Their posters were all positioned to what fans appeared to like, in other words, “Fan service.”
A squeal came from the other side of the wall. It was a high-pitched scream that was common from fans.
The person behind his wall was…
All of a sudden, he wasn’t tired anymore. Slipping out of bed, he walked over to the room next to him and opened the door. A stared at his sister who was seated at her desk, computer open to a very special livestream.
Although Aether was somewhat annoyed that his sister was awake and making noise at this time, he was more entranced by the many posters and merch on her walls. Shelves were filled with 4NEMO merch. Plushies of the members, pictures of the groupmates, lightsticks from their concerts. But one member dominated the mass of merch.
“Angel! Angel!! Ahhh! You’re so adorable!!! I wish I could meet you! Marry me!” She squealed into the computer, watching the night’s highlights of Angel. His sister was so entranced by the member that she didn’t notice Aether coming over to tap her on the shoulders.
“AHH!!” She half screamed, but Aether covered her mouth immediately.
He hissed at his sister, “You’ll wake up mom and dad!” he still had his hand over her mouth and his sister was letting out a muffled complaint.
After taking his hand off his sisters, she stared at him with an annoyed expression. “You just don’t understand the beauty and kindness of Angel!” She replied, accusing him. “He would make the perfect husband!”
His lips shook at the words. “You can’t marry him… that’s impossible…” the boy muttered out, narrowing his eyes at the screen.
It showed the member, Angel, dancing and singing along to the last song of the night.
“Well! I at least want to meet him! Oh dear Aether, you’ll understand it all one day…” His sister told him.
Aether shook his head, “Never. Angel is the worst member. Everyone else is much better. You have no taste, Lumine.”
Lumine looked at him with the most disgusted look ever. “You’re the only one in the world who doesn’t like him. I’m starting to think you might be a rock.”
“A rock!?”
“Stone cold and tasteless.”
No taste? Him? Can’t people have their personal tastes? “Geez, I regret even warning you about waking up mom and dad. They should bust you open and shame you for prioritizing such a bad idol over your school work and health.”
“Don’t look at me like you haven’t done it either, dear brother.”
What Lumine accused him of was a complete lie. He never stayed up late to watch live-streams of the group. That was because he couldn’t. If he wasn’t there then…
Aether gave a big sigh and walked out the door, leaving Lumine to her own devices. It was in his best interest not to get caught up in her weird obsession. He may be a fan of 4NEMO, but he wasn’t obsessed. He would simply enjoy their music and support them by attending a concert.
Which was why he fell asleep listening to 4NEMO.
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“Aether, where is your table adequate? This is horrible! Do I need to apply you for classes again?” his mother screamed at him when he accidentally spilled his water on the white tablecloth of the dining room table. He was still exhausted from the day before, so he was almosting at the brink of passing out. And with that, he had lessons after school.
It was going to be yet another tiring day.
But instead of making that public, Aether bowed down at his mother. He was terrified of those adequate classes. The teachers who ran the course were… strict.
“I am very sorry, mother. I will strive to be more proper in the future.” Aether politely replied to his mother with an emotionless voice.
His mother scowled at him and sent him away, “Just go to school, your sister of yours is already doing much better.”
It had always been like this. Aether being compared to his sister. She was always the talented one, shining brightly in the crowd. Lumine was brilliant. Drawing? She would draw something presentable to the world famous artists. Social interactions? What a social butterfly she was… just.. perfect.
Was Aether any of those things?
Well… his family never had their eyes on him, so they wouldn’t have known.
Aether slipped on his black dress shoes that matched his yellowish sweater that was named his uniform. It was a fancy material that was fairly expensive and limited in the market. But for the school that Aether attended, it was nothing.
A black SUV was waiting outside for him. His personal driver, Noelle, opened the door for him and made sure he was seated comfortably before closing the door.
The trustworthy maid had worked with their family for a decade now. She was quite young, only in her late twenties. Noelle was in charge of caring for the burden of the family, which was himself.
“Young master, have you packed everything in your bag today?” She asked him, trying to get the boy to think about anything he may have forgotten.
He shook his head, “No, I haven’t. My greatest sincerity for the reminder.” Aether never took anything for granted, and Noelle was a being he would appreciate for the rest of his life. Which included his formalities with her, even if she told him that she was but a mere servant of his family. When he grows up, he hopes to give Noelle the items needed to live a long, healthy, and happy life. She had done so much for home for so little…
“Young master, seriously, people will start to think I’m the important one here if you continue doing that.” Noelle nagged him, shaking her head as she stopped for the red light and turned to face him.
Aether gave her a beautiful smile, “But you are, sister-Noelle.”
The petal was pressed again once the light turned green, “Oh please! Young master, you’re making this old woman blush!” She laughed out and continued driving. The two sat in silence for the rest of the trip. But it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was very normal. Aether, the young master of the house, youngest of the two twins, was quite anti-social for his age. When the twins were children, nobody was worried about Aether’s silence. But they later learnt that he had social anxiety. Noelle tried her best to become Aether’s friend, which she succeeded at, but socializing with anyone else was just a nightmare for Aether. However, although he rarely spoke, he had a kind heart.
“Alright, young master! Enjoy your day at school!” Noelle happily cheered him on as he stepped out of the car.
Before Aether closed the door, he gave Noelle a kind smile and thanked her. “I appreciate it, Sister-Noelle,”
There was one last nod between them before Aether walked away towards the beautiful school he called his second home. Or at least, that’s what he told his family. His second home was much more exquisite than this school. And much more… lively.
However, the school was no joke. It was about the size of three football stadiums, and that was the building itself. The outside area was filled with courtyards and beautiful gardens. Perfect for any student. And it would provide a student with anything.
The school was in a contemporary style. It had tints of grey and black on the outside and was fitted with some nice wood. It was quite boxy, but the design would be appreciated by architects all over the world. Aether was dropped off in front of the main entrance. The most lavish entrance in his opinion. But it was to be expected. Beautiful garden surrounded the pathway to the entrance; with many students sitting on benches, smiling and socializing with each other.
When he finally reached the front entrance, the doors were already wide open for students. The doors were made out of a strong glass and almost the size of what he would expect castle doors to be like. He wondered how they opened and closed it each day. Aether couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if all the glass broke. But luckily, the school was well kept and guarded by security. Aether noticed quite a few extra security members on the grounds today wherever he went. It wasn’t surprising that there was security, but there was a mass amount of them.
What could possibly be going on?
Aether shook any thought away and headed straight to class through the wide and tall hallways of the school. He wished not to be late for any of his classes, or else his parents would be notified. And, keeping up his perfect grades were important. To him only. It wasn’t like his parents cared about his school life anyways. They would only care if he failed. Then they would have an excuse to call him a failure.
Rushing into class, he noticed that he was the first one there. Not surprising though, honestly. The students of this class were always late. So unreliable and lazy.
But Aether didn’t care. As long as they wouldn’t bother him or his work, everything would be fine.
The boy sat at the desk near the window and took out his special notepad. It was a custom made 4NEMO notebook that had Alatus, Barbatos, and K-Maple on the cover. They were all in their dancing positions. This was his most treasured notebook, as it contained all of the many lyrics he liked to write and keep.
He began to think of a beautiful sea in his mind. His pensive face looked calm and relaxed. It also had a sense of joy. Aether’s mind wandered off into his mind, the perfect ecosystem for creating stories. But it was also the perfect place to relive memories.
Back then, his mind had been muddled with lies and deceit. Something a child could have never understood. Reliving those terrifying memories brought shivers down his spine.
The crowd would never love you this way.
Without thinking, his hand moved. “ I’m so sick of this... fake love… fake love… fake love…” he trailed the last few words off after he felt something cold on his cheeks. A tear fell from his eyes. Something that Aether did not expect.
Aether immediately wiped off the tear and looked around him. When he was writing song lyrics, everything around him would become invisible, and anyone and anything would be ignored. He was expecting to see his classmates and teacher ready for class, but instead, he was greeted with pure silence and solitude.
Where was everyone?
As if the world had read his mind, a loud scream came from the hallway. But it wasn’t a scream of terror.
It was a scream of joy.
The boy rushed out of the classroom and stared at the large crowd gathered in the main hall. They were surrounding something.
Curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate the source of the noise. It was distracting him, therefore, he must put an end to it.
Was there a new transfer student? Or was it a performance?
Aether began to suffocate in the crowd as he went through. He regretted it instantly. But he couldn’t then back now, or else he would be trampled even more.
Although he was sixteen years old, he looked very youthful. As if he was still fourteen. And that includes his height. Even his sister was much taller than him. Many would tease him about it, and some even confessed their love to him. But Aether denied it all. Because of his height, the crowd had sunken him to the bottom. He pushed through into the open air he saw at the end of the dark tunnel.
He finally gasped a breath of air before realizing that he had no support and began falling down to the floor.
But just before he hit the ground, a pair of bandages hands secured him into their arms and prevented him from falling.
Recovering from his shock, Aether looked up with a flustered face. But his reaction was priceless when he saw the face.
“Woah woah! You okay? You could have broken a bone.”
White hair touched down onto his golden ones. Golden eyes met red eyes. And both had an expression of uncertainty.
“What are you doing? Let the student go.” A lower pitched voice asked the white haired boy.
A laugh came in, “Oh Xiao, leave the poor kid alone. Probably got trampled in the crowd.”
No way…
No way they could be here…
“4NEMO…”