Second Date (for Wanderer)

[CaptainL]

The moment Sanae stepped out on stage, the arena erupted in cheers. No matter how often she'd greeted the crowds of adoring fans who couldn't get enough of her, she never quite got used to the reception she got every time. A blush lit up across her face, and she had to avert her gaze ever so slightly, afraid to face the fans head-on. It was ironic she'd feel this way when she had strived her entire career to become someone those fans could cheer, and who they would want to turn up in droves to support. The very fact she was getting this many cheers told her she had truly achieved her life's goal of making it big - and in spite of that, or perhaps because of it, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the thought of just how famous she had become. Thankfully, what could have been seen as a gaffe was welcomed by her managers and producers, who felt Sanae' more bashful side was endearing and could help her connect with fans who might have otherwise felt she was too far from their level. But at no point was she doing it on purpose.

"Thank you!! Thank you, everybody! All of you are just too kind!" As she stepped up to the microphone, Sanae took a few bows in deference to her fans, thanking them for all their support. Occasionally, there was another cheer that went up, to which she giggled awkwardly. But however shocked Sanae might have been at being reminded of just how passionate her fans could be about her, it wouldn't hold her back at all. It wasn't long before she stood back up straight and flashed the crowd a smile, prepared to start the show. After all, she was determined to do right by everyone who was watching, and to give them a show they wouldn't forget.

And there was no one she was more eager to impress than Lyra herself - who she saw right there in the front row. As soon as her eyes wandered toward Lyra, her smile grew a little wider. As long as she knew Lyra was watching, Sanae was confident she would sing her heart out. Some might have found the presence of their significant other to be putting too much pressure on them to deliver the best results, but for Sanae, she was convinced that the knowledge Lyra was there could only ensure she would do her best - she had the extra motivation she needed to succeed!

"Here's a song some of you might know!" The music began to play - and already the cheers lit up across the stands, even before Sanae had sung a single word. She had taken to singing a few different prospective songs for her entrances in LAW, hoping it could be a way of showing off her talent and helping her get noticed. Since her career had taken off, many of those songs had been refined into hit singles. And Sanae had chosen to kick off this night with one of the songs she had first used as an entrance theme! Though there were many who only knew Sanae as an idol, there were a decent number of her fans who had learned about her from LAW, and as soon as they recognized the tune, they sent up an even louder cheer. But Sanae's attention would be focused on Lyra - and, as her eyes scanned back across the seats, she kept a close eye out for how the fortune teller would respond to her performance.

[Pegasus]

Lyra smiled as Sanae began singing her old entrance theme as her first song and the cheers of the crowd ranged in volume, but mostly high praise for the young idol. Lyra admittedly felt a little overwhelmed since she didn’t attend concerts much and wasn’t accustomed to crowd noise levels. She even got a bit startled, but kept her composure for her girlfriend. Sanae looked over to where Lyra was sitting and she smiled nodding her head to the song humming to herself. Lyra wasn’t all that crazy about idol pop music, but honestly, this song was pretty good so far.

Unbeknownst to Lyra, however, constellations could be seen being formed in the sky. The crowd focused on Sanae’s music and smoke started shooting at different high beats of the song. Lyra looked up seeing the multiple figures forming and recognized them from anywhere. The universe had made its presence. These astral beings were looking down on the concert letting Lyra know that everything would be alright.

[CaptainL]

The fans in the audience were entranced by Sanae's songs, and it didn't take long before they were swept up into the excitement, clapping and cheering, and some even singing along. Whenever Sanae looked up to see the energy she had sparked in the crowd, she smiled a little wider - it told her that everything she was doing was working; that her dreams of becoming a famous idol had come true. If she had managed to capture the hearts and attentions of so many people the world over, then she had truly made it as an idol. But none of that was quite as important as what Sanae truly cared about. Every so often, she turned her attention back toward Lyra, watching to see her reactions. In the end, she was doing this for her girlfriend. She drew motivation from the knowledge that Lyra was watching, and she wanted to do right by her - she wanted to make this night something special, for her sake. Whenever Sanae looked down to see Lyra humming along with the music, and rocking from side to side, she grinned especially wide. That told her she was doing something right.

She went through a few songs this way, getting more and more claps every time as the hype built higher and higher for everyone in attendance. But then, after one such performance, she looked back toward Lyra once again - and this time, she saw the blonde staring straight up into the sky. Following her gaze, Sanae looked up too - and there, she saw the constellations shining through the dark skies. The stars were looking down on them from above. Perhaps it was truly what Lyra had said - perhaps their relationship had been foretold. Perhaps this was all meant to be. Some people might have laughed at the very idea, but...to Sanae, the thought that the stars were smiling down at them told her that what they had truly was special. That, perhaps, the two of them were true soulmates; that whatever higher power wanted them to succeed.

And with those thoughts came another. Sanae sucked in a breath, thinking to herself on what they'd discussed earlier. When they would go public, and whether or not anyone would accept them. Sooner or later, that would have to come - but Sanae didn't know if she was ready. She didn't know if she'd ever be ready. But when she looked up and saw those stars, she had to ask herself...was this an omen? Did this mean the time was right? Maybe Lyra was starting to rub off on her...but Sanae couldn't shrug it off so easily. Everything happened for a purpose, she thought to herself. And here...it seemed that if the stars had come out at so perfect a time that it couldn't be chalked up to a mere coincidence. No, there was something else here, something bigger and better. Sanae might not have felt ready - but if the universe did, who was she to contest it?

Sucking in a breath, Sanae looked back down. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of what she was about to do, but she bit at the corner of her mouth to quell that urge. She knew what needed to be done. "Actually..." Sanae began, "before I begin my next song, there's a special announcement I'd like to make. And to make it, I need someone from the audience to come on stage. Someone important."

The crowd went silent, watching in rapt anticipation of what Sanae might have to unveil. When the green-haired girl turned to the audience, her eyes rested on Lyra for just a moment before she leaned in closer, extending her hand in the fortune teller's direction - and smiling wider as she looked her in the eye.

"Lyra Heartfield...can you come up to the stage?"

[Pegasus]

All eyes fell on Lyra in that moment as beads of sweat clamored down her forehead. Sanae’s fans were a little confused. Was this a best friend? Was this an upcoming opponent? Was this her new tag team partner besides Alizeh Midori? However, some female fans screamed excitingly and clapped for the idol as Sanae extended her hand to Lyra. It seems they had an idea of what was going on or they was just fangirling to fangirl. Lyra grabbed Sanae’s hand knowing this is what the universe wanted for her. Lyra climbed onto the stage and held hands with the idol blushing furiously.

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go through with this…..but….it seems you are following the universe’s wishes…..and they tell me….thank you, Sanae,” Lyra whispered.

[CaptainL]

As Sanae invited Lyra up onto the stage, she could hear the cheers she was getting from some of the fans, who already seemed to know what they had in store to announce. It made an even brighter blush light up across the green-haired girl's face as questions ran through her mind. Was she too obvious? Was she being too corny by making the announcement so publically and with so much attention on them - not only from the fans, but from the press here to report on the concert? She bit at the inside of her cheek, for a moment entertaining the thought of backing out. But she put that thought aside just as quickly as she had thought about it in the first place. It was much too late to turn back now; what would she say, now that she already had Lyra up on stage? It wouldn't be fair to her, and it wouldn't be fair to everyone who had cheered on such an announcement. In fact, if she was already getting so many cheers, then maybe they would accept it - maybe she didn't have anything to be afraid of after all.

As Lyra leaned closer and whispered in her ear, the smile on Sanae's face only grew wider as she lowered her head in a nod. Lyra knew, too. She already knew - the universe had already told her as much. If that was the case, then this announcement was meant to be. Sanae wasn't going to stand in the way of fate!

At last, clearing her throat, Sanae stood up straighter, speaking into her microphone. "For those of you who know me from my time in LAW," she began, a statement that already garnered a few cheers, "you probably already know about Lyra Heartfield. She was my opponent for one of my Apex qualifiers, and while she ended up beating me in the end...she still gave me a fight I can never forget, and I wouldn't trade anything for the world. But...Lyra goes far beyond just being my opponent. She means more to me than describing her as 'my opponent' could ever do justice to. And it's for that reason...that I wanted to say something to you all. Something that I needed to get off my chest, one day or another."

She looked back at Lyra and smiled for a moment, squeezing her hand tighter before she spoke up again. "After that match...Lyra and I decided we were going to try reaching out to one another. We went on a date, just to see how it felt - just to see if we could hit it off. At the very least, we wanted to see if we could be friends. And if it didn't work, then it didn't work. Well...it did work. So much better than I could ever have imagined."

A few cheers and gasps went up from the fans, even before Sanae made it official. But she held on tighter to Lyra's hand, pulling her in against her side, and wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulder to hold her close. "We've been talking to each other since. We agreed that it wouldn't be our last date. I wanted to invite her here to see how I do things backstage...and now, I'm proud to have this opportunity to break the news to you all. Lyra and I...are officially dating!"

Sanae was still riding high on the excitement of the crowd, which had energized her and given her hope. But at the same time, she was nervous as to what might happen next. Would they still accept her? What if they didn't? She knew that fandoms could be fickle, and the press could just as quickly turn on any celebrity they were unhappy with. If people didn't like the announcement, then Sanae's career would be dead in the water. But...she looked back at Lyra out of the corner of her eye, reminding herself that she was there, and what she had told her. It was okay. She was willing to take that risk, as long as it was for Lyra. And if Lyra trusted in the universe when it told her all would be well, then so did she.

And sure enough...the crowd erupted in cheers. The arena broke into such an uproar that Sanae looked out through wide eyes, taken by surprise with just how eager they were to celebrate the news. People clapped for the young couple, some throwing flowers toward the stage. Chants of "SYRA! SYRA!" broke out - which sent a shiver down Sanae's spine as she realized that was exactly what Lyra had told her. Could this be the vision she had had? If it was...then it meant that the universe truly was right. That they were meant to be. That Sanae never had anything to worry about.

A grin lit up across the idol's face, and she breathed out a long sigh of relief that sent her shoulders slumping as the tension ran out of her body. She squeezed Lyra's hand tighter, but she nodded her head to her all the same. And to no one in particular, she muttered a few words under her breath, in a whisper low enough for Lyra to only barely hear.

"Thank you..."

[Pegasus]

Lyra smiled at the crowd's reaction as she foretold that this would be happening even before their first date together. Sanae wanted to make this night special and they already had the crowds on their side as the lights flashing from the press cameras filled the cheering soundwaves. Lyra would've been a little hesitant to think about the headlines in newspapers and magazines, but she didn't need the universe to tell her that they would only spread the positive news about a new blossoming relationship in the mainstream sphere being born. However, she hoped that paparazzi would be on the down low. Lyra kissed Sanae on the lips as the crowd cheered more and more before Lyra took the microphone ready to make an announcement of her own.

"I love you, Sanae. I can tell this will only go far for us. However, there is one more thing I would like to say. I've been mulling this over even before our first date and I think with recent developments, I can safely get this off my chest. I'm moving to Japan!" Lyra announced with the crowd cheering even louder. "I couldn't ask Sanae to move back with me to America when her life is right here in Japan and she loves performing as an idol for all of you. Now, her fans are my fans as well and if I want to make this work, I need to be a little closer. It'll also help me focus on my career at LAW."

[CaptainL]

All in all, the fans' reaction had proven to be a pleasant surprise for Sanae. But the more she thought about it, she felt silly for even being surprised at all. Of course they would stand by her and support her. Any time such a public figure made such an important announcement, it was a gamble as to how anyone might react. When Sanae had chosen to do so in such a venue as this, with so many eyes and cameras on her, those risks were all the more pressing. She knew that in an instant, everyone would be sharing the news online, even before the press had the chance to put their spin on it. But there was one thing that Sanae always held true - she was in this for the fans. It was because of them that she had even been able to go this far in the first place. Sanae wasn't some pretty face the record label had picked up in the hopes of being able to leverage her into a stream of hit albums. She had worked for her place in the world, and she had earned it by virtue of her own determination, striving to put forth her best effort in everything she did. It was the fans who saw what she could do, who had stuck by her, and who clambored for more from her, whether that was in wrestling or in music. Sanae was all the more motivated to do right by the fans, as her own way of giving thanks for the part they played in making her success possible. And in return, the fans wanted to support her. If Sanae was making strides in her life, if she was happy - they could welcome that.

Still, even Sanae was a little overwhelmed by how eager they were to voice their support. She chuckled nervously to herself, glancing aside as a blush lit up across her face, even as the cameras flashed. "T-Thanks, everybody...you're all too kind," she said, clearing her throat a moment later when she realized how awkward she must have sounded. But Lyra wasn't put off by it. In fact, she had her own part to say.

Sanae turned toward her girlfriend, her eyebrow raised as she awaited what she might have to announce. When Lyra revealed that she would be moving to Japan, her jaw dropped in a gasp. "What..!? You didn't tell me that-!" But as soon as Sanae had blurted it out, she realized that it was just as well - she hadn't decided to reveal their relationship until just now, and now, Lyra too had something to surprise her with. In its own weird way, that made her feel a little closer to the blonde. Besides, it didn't take long for Sanae to realize that this could only bring good tidings for their future - and she looked back up at the fortune teller with a smile on her face. "But that means...we can be together!?"

Sanae couldn't help herself - she threw her arms around Lyra, pulling the girl tighter into a hug. The sight caused several fans to cheer them on even louder, clapping and chanting, which could only make Sanae's face grow a brighter red as she looked away. "Aww, c'mon, you guys are making me blush..."

Still, she looked back at Lyra, and she smiled a little wider, hugging her tighter and pulling her in against her side. This time, when Sanae spoke, it was in a whisper - something for Lyra alone to hear. "But...thanks, Lyra. It really means a lot to know...we're finally going somewhere..."

[Pegasus]

THE END