~ A/N: Hello Sex Kittens!

(I'm having trouble thinking of new pet names to start my A/Ns with.)

So, Here is Chapter 2 of Hopeless!

I hope you won't be as mad as me, now that I've updated the other two stories.

Thanks to ALL of you who reviewed, regardless of which story..

(I will, of course, properly reply to all of them in their respective next chapters)

At this point, I honestly don't know what kind of updating-schedule I'll be able to keep,

So for the time being, its on Kio's every wish and whim.

*Points to my muse* Kio is extremely happy today. Thus, a chapter. ^.^

And, speaking of Kio being extremely happy, He wants to help with reviews today!

Sadly, there is only one..

*comforts a sobbing Kio* Shh... its okay..

Puginn/Chouka:

Mika: Hello, my darling reviewer~ ^.^

Kio: Why can't you just pick one name and stick with it? :o

Mika: *Places a hand over Kio's mouth* We deeply appreciate and enjoy all of your reviews an- AHHHH!

Kio: ... :D

Mika: He... HE BIT ME!

Kio: Keep reviewing, Sweetheart! It helps me inspire her a lot.. Thank you~

~ REVIEW TIME = DONE ~

*Showers Puginn/Chouka in mixtapes and novelty coloured nail-polish*

...

I ran out of food?

DISCLAIMER: , but I do own the characters in this story. :) So if you steal them, I will be very sad, and consequentially, I will steal all of your left socks and glue them to my ceiling. Ohhh, yes. I'm devious...?

WARNING: THIS STORY HAS SWEARING. LOTS AND LOTS OF PROFANITY.

THIS STORY CONTAINS DRUG ABUSE. HEAVY, HEAVY SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

THIS STORY INCLUDES CROSS DRESSING,

AND GENERAL ACTIVITIES THAT I PRESUME ARE ILLEGAL.

THIS STORY ALSO CONTAINS APPALLING MISUSE OF HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS.

I APOLOGIZE NOW...

If you don't like any of the above mentioned things, please stop reading this story, and go to one of my others. Thank you. :)

Anyway, Please Review, Tell your friends, etc..

I'm not even opposed to you stalking me.. ;o

Hopeless! The Rock Opera

Chapter II

~*..*..*~

Today, dear readers, we return to the tale just a few days later than the previous chapter. I would, of course, recount you the events of the few days that we are skipping, but they are extremely dull, and this story needs all the intrigue it can muster.

Scene: The Main Street of any town or city is usually the busiest place. And this little town, the chosen home of our heroine, is no different. Outside it is cheerfully sunny - the clouds having chosen to disappear - as the golden rays warmly caressed the street and its inhabitants below. Everyone on Main Street that day seemed to carry a spring in their step, and a song in their heart. Our main character, however, was completely unimpressed by this shit.

We focus, now, on probably the least popular and smallest bar currently on the street.

Inside, the lights are dimmed, the heavy velvet curtains shut, and the air heavy with smoke. The bar is almost empty at this time of day, as are most bars at seven o'clock in the morning. It is here that we see Violet, sitting two or three tables away from the stage, which was used by various bands and performers for the bar's entertainment.

At this hour, there was currently a band practicing their show that would be performed later tonight, at the time when a bar is supposed to be filled to the brim with customers and loiterers alike. The only other people in the bar were the bartender, the owner, and a mysterious stranger in the corner of the bar, his face shrouded by the shadows.

~*..*..*~

Violet stared into the amber depths of the rum that she was currently nursing, her ears filled with the sound that was IndoChina..

The band, not the region.

She looked up, and inspected the members of the group as they sang into the microphones in a mixture of broken English and Mandarin.

Each one of them was dressed differently.

Xin, the drummer, was dressed in a frilly white lolita-style dress, her shoulder length, choppy hair a shocking bubble-gum pink.

Bao, the electric violinist, was clad in a neon blue crop-top and baggy sweats, her short, cropped hair sticking up in every direction.

Chu-Hua, the bass guitarist, was wearing an outfit that vaguely resembled a man's military uniform of England in the 1700s; And her long, blonde hair was swept into a low side bun.

Cai, the guitarist, was dressed in a yellow plastic rain jacket and blue skin-tight jeans, both heavily splattered with paint. Today her hair was in a short bob, the right side black and the left side blindingly purple.

Xiao-Xing, the lead singer and keyboardist, was dressed in a traditional red Qi Pao that ended just before her knees, her face was covered by a Tiger Mask, and her curly black hair was tumbling down 'til her elbows.

All in all, they made a stunning picture. Violet stared uncomprehendingly at the lead singer, wondering what she looked like behind the mask. Violet had been to this bar many times ever since the first occasion that she saw the band playing a show. That was over a year ago, and Xiao-Xing had yet to remove her mask in public.

Blinking, and coming back from her place of thought, Violet set down her glass down; or rather slammed it down, because she saw that her hand was splashed with the amber liquid. Bringing her hand up and licking it slowly, she swung her gaze over to the darkest corner of the room. Every single day for as long as she could remember, A man had sat in that corner. His features were always indiscernible, as he was sitting in such a way that the shadows cast over him, camouflaging him to the average eye. But her eye was far from average. Well, ... usually. Even so, not even being slightly inebriated could deter her knowledge of exactly where he sat. She had been coming to this bar for quite some time, and she was quite familiar with the usual customers, and the staff. The only person she had yet to make the acquaintance of was the man in the corner. But today, she decided, that was going to change.

Violet slowly rose from her seat and pushed back her chair. Stumbling slightly, she managed to make her way over to the corner. Without so much as a 'how do you do?' or 'Is this seat taken?' She yanked back a chair and plopped down on it.

Peering across the small table, she still couldn't see his features very well.

"Hi. . . I'm Violet", She slurred ever so slightly, leaning forward as to try and discern his face.

"G'Mornin' Violet", The man chuckled in his.. accent that Violet couldn't quite place at the moment.

"You know, It's common.. courtesy for you to tell me your name now..", She crossed her arms and leaned back slightly.

"I don't even know you, why should I have'ta be polite?", He laughed quietly.

She frowned, until he spoke again.

"Jus' promise you won' laugh or make fun of me.", He said suddenly.

"I give you my word as a Spaniard.", Violet said solemnly.

"My name's.. Valentine", He said quietly.

Violet burst out laughing, her voice bouncing off the walls, as the bar was suddenly quiet.

"Sor-Sorry.. Continue", She wiped a tear from her eye and gestured to the confused band.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh! You gave you word as a Spaniard," Valentine accused.

"I'm not Spanish. Hell, I've never even been to Spain", Violet snickered.

Valentine leaned forward, getting ready to tell her off when Violet suddenly realized that she could see him a little more clearly.

He appeared to have messy black hair and a chiseled jaw, but it was hard to make out any other features, for the air in the bar was still smoky.

Violet inhaled sharply, her eyes tracing the contours of his sort-of visible face. He was... what was the phrase? 'Easy on the eyes?' No.. 'Attractive?' No..

More like.. 'one sexy sonofabitch'. Ahh yes, that was right.

"..Excuse me?", Valentine looked confused, from what she could see.

"Wha?", She asked, dazed.

"You said something about a 'sexy sonofabitch'?", He even sounded puzzled. Slightly amused, but puzzled.

shit.

"Whaaaat? No. Whaaat? No.. Did I really say that out loud?", Violet glanced around the room shiftily.

"Yes. I believe you did", Valentine definitely sounded amused this time.

"Uh.. WELL VALENTINE,", She said unnecessarily loudly, in order to change the subject.

"Yes Violet?"

"Hi."

~*..*..*~

Twenty minutes and many drinks later, Valentine and Violet were the best of friends. They were currently singing along very badly to the song that IndoChina was currently playing, which was difficult because they didn't know the lyrics.

Violet had moved closer to Valentine, and currently he had his arm slung around her shoulder, as they swayed back and forth to the music, which was not at all slow; but rather upbeat and fast-paced. It was to this scene that Viktor was welcomed to, as he came around to the bar to pick up Violet around 8:30.

Viktor walked into the smoky bar slowly, letting his eyes adjust. Once he was used to the dim lighting, he scanned the room for his roommate. It took him a few tries, but eventually he spotted Violet in a corner with a stranger. Immediately, Viktor strode towards the table they were sitting at. As he approached the table, he was able to hear some of what they were saying.

"Wait wait wait. Dude. Val. Bro.", Violet spoke slowly, as if to convince herself that she was not drunk, thank you very much.

"Huh- Wha?", Valentine turned slightly to look at her.

At this point, Violet had turned and cupped her hands around Valentine's ear, and was whispering something. She had to pause every few moments to giggle, and when she finally moved back, he froze for a moment.

Just as Viktor came to stand in front of the table, Valentine burst out snickering.

Viktor cleared his throat quietly and stood there until Violet noticed his presence.

"Darling!," She cooed, leaning away from Valentine to sloppily wrap her arms around Viktor's neck.

"Vi, you reek of alcohol," He grimaced.

"Why are you drunk? It's not even 9AM!", Viktor exclaimed, peeling Violet off of his upper body carefully.

"I'm a wizard!," She exclaimed back.

"No, you're drunk", Viktor sighed.

"No I'm drunk!", Violet giggled.

"Violet, we were supposed to hang out with Nicole today," Viktor sat down.

"Ugh.. Tell her I died?", Violet pulled a face.

"Uhuh. That's obviously going to work. Great idea. She'll be none the wiser," Viktor deadpanned.

"I know, right?", Violet said happily.

"Vi, you promised," He sighed unhappily.

"I lied.. I think. I don' wanna meet your girlfriend," She closed her eyes briefly.

While all this was happening, Valentine just sat back and watched.

His eyes flickered back and forth between Violet and the guy whose name was Viktor, until they finally came to a resolution.

"Fiiiiiine," Violet huffed, gulping down the rest of her drink.

"Good. Let's go," Viktor beamed.

"Mkay. Bye Vally", Violet grinned cheerily and saluted him.

"Goodbye, Violet.", Valentine grinned roguishly.

~*..*..*~

Soon after, they were sprawled out on the couch, waiting for Nicole to arrive.

"What was with that band, anyway?", Viktor asked suddenly.

"Whaddaya mean?", Violet slurred.

"Why are they all.. weird and stuff?", asked Viktor.

"They're makin' a statement", Violet smiled.

"What statement are they making?"

"Damned if I know.", Violet giggled.

They were quiet once more, the only sounds in the room were of the clock ticking and the television was on a crime show, though the volume was turned down low.

They waited for a while, until they both fell asleep with their heads next to each other's and their legs dangling off the respective arms of the couch.

They stayed asleep even as Nicole let herself into the apartment, even as she stood in front of the couch for a while, taking in the scene, and even as she made noise in the kitchen, banging pots and pans around like nobodies business.

In fact, they stayed asleep until a shrill scream pierced the air.

Both Violet and Viktor immediately bolted up and looked around quickly.

"Nicole?", Viktor asked, confused.

"T-There's.. There's a fucking bird in your freezer", She grounded out, still in shock.

"Ohh! I knew I was forgetting something... She found Poe!", Violet exclaimed happily.

~*..*..*~

~A/N: Did ya like it? huh? HUH?

I, Myself, am actually particularly fond of Valentine and IndoChina.

Tell me if you would be interested in a story starring the members of IndoChina! :)

Any questions, comments, concerns? Please Review.

The more Reviews, the faster the updates, and the less apologies I have to make ;)

For those of you who haven't read my other (Unfinished) stories, Do so now! ... Please?

xoxo, Mika and Kio.