Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Coincidences and Second Chances ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Author's note ~ Although reaction has been mixed over the boys new look for `Gluhen'… with more negative reactions than positive…. I admit that although I wasn't so sure about Aya's braid for Gluhen, it eventually grew on me ^_^ . So I decided to add it in… please don't hurt me ^_~

Chapter 1

~November 14th 2048, Tokyo~

`Aya…'

`Aya!!'

The sharp call of his name shook the red-haired youth from his wistful musing and caused him to almost fall off the narrow windowsill that he had been perched on. Shaking his head in order to clear his thoughts, he made his way to the landing and gave a shout downstairs.

`Yes mother I heard you the first time,' he smiled as he looked down at his mother's upturned face.

`Then why didn't you answer?' she said her expression of irritation melting away to be replaced by one of fondness. `Lunch's ready.'

`Be there in a minute, I still haven't found grandfather's cufflinks yet.'

`Well…when you do come down. Its not often that I get to cook for my only son these days,' she said wiping her hands on her apron as she made her way to the kitchen.

`Try the trunk in the corner of the attic!' she called over her shoulder. Looking at her from above it was hard to believe that she was a woman in her sixties, with her dapper figure and gray free hair belying her age. His father was like that as well, small and dark.

And Aya didn't look like either of them.

But as he caught a glimpse of himself in the hallway mirror he knew that there was no mystery as to where the genes for his unusual coloring came from. He had seen enough pictures to know that he was practically his grandfather's doppelganger.

His grandfather Ran Fujimiya, who had passed away when he was five and whose name he shared.

It sometimes still startled him how alike they looked. The same fine, silky deep ruby colored hair, the same near flawless features and the same amethyst eyes. But while they had looked the same, Aya had garnered enough family gossip over the years to know that his grandfather hadn't been the easiest of people to get along with. When his father and uncle's all spoke of him, their words had always been tinged with a grudging respect and fear but never love.

In contrast he possessed a relatively easygoing personality. But then he didn't have a reason not to be. At 25 years of age Ran Fujimiya held a successful job at a merchant bank and was due to get married in two months. Hence the exasperating search for the cufflinks that would go on his tux in his family home's dusty attic.

"Aya" was actually a nickname he was called by only a select few. One of who was his mother who he suspected called him that so she could somehow alleviate her grief at not having a girl.

However he was no saint. The marks of rebellion were there if you looked closely enough. Perhaps only then you would have noticed the pierced left ear with its dangly gold crucifix earring and the shadowy rose tattoo on his right calf. Ran "Aya" Fujimiya definitely had a darker side.

Upon entering the attic, he spotted the trunk his mum had mentioned half covered by a white dust cloth. Dropping to his knees in front of it, he struggled to open its heavy lid that was apparently made from solid oak. When it finally did open, its rusty hinges squeaking in protest, he groaned when he saw the mess inside.

`Now lets see,' he muttered under his breath as he dusted his hands off on his trousers, `if I were a pair of cufflinks, where would I hide?'

He quickly set to work, methodically removing each item as he searched for the twin pieces of jewelry. He paused though to scrutinize a photo of his grandfather on his wedding day. Again the similarity between them struck him, but it was his grandfather's expression that grabbed his attention.

`For a man about to be married, he sure doesn't look happy,' he thought to himself. He also noted his grandfather's strange hairstyle, short at the back but with long side bangs, a far cry from his own chic, layered waist length hair that he always wore in a neat braid.

As he continued rummaging he felt his hand grasp around something long and hard.

`What's this?' he asked himself, his forehead furrowing as he tried to pull it out. After a few hard tugs, he finally managed to dislodge it but almost fell on his backside as a result.

His eyes widened as he realized what he was actually holding was a katana, still sheathed in its scabbard. A truly ancient weapon by today's standard, but Aya immediately noted its superb craftsmanship and weight. Although it was in excellent condition, its worn hilt testified to its frequent use.

`Grandfather was a…..swordsman?' Aya licked his lips nervously as he attempted to pull the blade out. But before he could, his cellphone went off, vibrating against his hip and chirping out a shrill tune. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he placed the sword on the floor before reaching for his phone. A smile flickered across his face as he saw the picture that accompanied the number on his color screen.

`Hi Rhianna,' he answered placing the wireless headset in his right ear.

`Hi yourself darling,' a throaty, feminine voice answered from the other end. `How's it going?'

`You know me, busy,' he answered as he went back to looking through the trunk.

`Well I won't keep you. Just called to tell you that I will be back sometime tonight, if the flight isn't delayed. You don't have to pick me up, I left my car at the airport.'

Something in her voice made Aya pause.

`Why do I hear a "something else" coming up Rhi?' Aya said good-naturedly.

`Well now that you mention it…..could you possibly go check on the flowers….and the catering and….. oh yes, I think we have a band!'

`Finally, I thought we were going to have to settle for your cousin's polka music,' Aya teased.

`This is serious Ran,' Rhianna said stiffly, not appreciating the joke. `It's a band called Twilight Moon and they are currently playing at the Voodoo Lounge. Not only have their reviews been excellent, its also rumored that they are managed by Tori Nakata.'

`The elusive singer?'

`That's the one. Could you go and check on that…please,' her voice suddenly became cajoling. The change was so quick Aya had to smile.

`Ok, ok just get your butt back here alright?' he conceded.

`I love you Ran, do you know that?' she whispered.

`Yeah,' his eyes softened, `I know.'

After they had hung up, he just sat back on his heels for a while as he contemplated his fiancée.

Rhianna Crawford had hair darker than midnight and eyes that shone the color of the finest Tennessee whisky behind frameless glasses. She was as handsome as Aya was beautiful, but she was also extremely capable. Although only 24, she already ran a her own successful PR company and was considered one of the most influential women in business today.

However she ran her life like she ran her business, meaning she was so prone to seeing her own point of view so strongly that she trampled on other people's feelings. Her stubbornness was the number one cause of the fights between them.

`But then,' Aya chuckled to himself, `making up after is always fun.'

`Aya! Come down now or your food will get cold.'

`Hai!' he answered back. He scratched his head as he looked at the mess in front of him. It was probably a better idea to bring it back with him to his apartment and sort it out there. Hastily stuffing its contents back in, he slammed the lid shut before running downstairs to have lunch with his parents.

***

The Voodoo Lounge was a popular club/disco situated in the very heart of the entertainment district. At night its narrow doorway was flanked by two stainless steel torch stands with their orange red flames crackling towards the sky. Although it looked unassuming from the outside, once you stepped inside its eye catching walls that made creative use of West African relics and symbols of black magic spooked even the hardest skeptic.

Aya had only been there twice and both times he had enjoyed himself. For all its lavish decorations, the Voodoo Lounge had garnered a reputation for hiring only the best DJ's and live acts.

At this time of the day though the club would definitely be closed, but Aya wanted to check on the times that the band would be playing. Although he trusted Rhianna's taste, he wasn't the sort of person to take things on blind faith.

As he cruised in front of the club, he noted with a hint of irritation that the only place he could park was between a white delivery van and a racing green Jaguar XKR convertible. Although his Aston Martin Vanquish would just about fit, there would be a chance that he would block the other two vehicles from going out.

`I'm only going to be a minute,' he told himself as he reversed carefully into the tricky spot. After locking his car, he made his way up to the door all the while keeping an eye out for the drivers of the two parked vehicles.

He looked up at the notice board outside as he fumbled for his organizer.

`Hmm….. they are performing every night this week except for Tuesday,' he made a note of it in his PDA. `Now the big question is, how am I going to go about approaching them?'

`Excuse me, are you Ran Fujimiya?'

At the sound of his name, Aya whipped around and found himself face to face with a stockily built man with bleach blonde hair and multiple earrings dangling from both ears, its multicolored jewels casting a mini disco ball effect on his cheeks. It wasn't the only place he was pierced as he had a stud through his nose and a ring through his lower lip. Jewelry aside, he looked quite pleasant and was dressed in a dark gray suit and tie.

`I'm Ran Fujimiya,' Aya said. `And you are?'

`Mike, I am the manager of this club,' he extended a beefy hand which Aya took. `I am also a friend a Rhianna's. She told me you would be coming to inquire about Twilight Moon?'

Aya nodded his affirmative; a half exasperated half-grateful smile on his face. This was just like Rhianna, asking him to do something she herself had already started to handle. At times he had been more than a little angry at her assumption that he needed her help in everything they did but now he just accepted it as one of her quirks.

And he wasn't going to lie now and not admit that she had definitely helped him out.

`So are you going to help me meet them?' Aya asked reaching for his handheld again. Mike gave him a wide grin.

`How about I go one better and let you watch them practicing tomorrow and then introduce you to them after?'

`That would be great,' Aya said thankfully.

`However,' Mike suddenly frowned, `the only problem I can foresee is their manager. He is one snarky bastard.'

Aya waved away his concern.

`I can be persuasive when I want to,' he jokingly boasted.

`Very well, don't say I didn't warn you. Come tomorrow around 4, I will tell the bouncer to let you in. I'll give you my cell phone number to call in case there is any trouble.'

Pressing a button on his phone, he beamed his number across to Aya's machine. After checking that he had received it, the redhead thanked him once more and then turned to leave.

With that taken care off, Aya's mood had improved considerably and he walked with a bounce in his step. However this feeling was not destined to last as he spied a man in a cowboy hat mulling around his car. And from his body language, he didn't look happy.

As he got closer he saw that the stranger was dressed from head to toe in denim and leather. His deep green silk duster jacket just skimmed the tops of his ankles and his tapping feet were shod in a pair of well-made black cowboy boots. A studded belt hung low on his hips and his dark blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. He looked up as Aya approached, his fine features twisted into an expression of aggravation.

For some reason he looked familiar to him. Something about the way he moved, and his looks struck a chord in his memory. However the answer stubbornly refused to surface. Aya open his mouth to speak, but the stranger beat him to it.

`Is this your car?' he stiffly asked touching the silver bonnet of the redhead's car. Aya dug his nails into his palm. He hated anyone to touch his car and felt a wave of annoyance wash over him, but he quelled it.

`Yes,' Aya answered, uncertain as to what he had done to piss the tall stranger off so thoroughly.

`Do you realize you've boxed me in?' the stranger all but roared. `Why in the hell did you park so close?!'

`I had no choice, there is a….,' Aya turned to point out the van but to his chagrin all he found himself pointing at was an empty spot.

`A what? A ghost vehicle?' the guy said sarcastically causing Aya to flush.

`Sorry,' he apologized begrudgingly. From the look on his face, explanations would have been wasted on the blonde.

`I don't want sorry, I want you to move your car. You have made me late for an extremely important appointment.'

`I said I was sorry, what more do you want?' Aya finally snapped his family trait of hot bloodedness overriding his usually affable nature.

The stranger was at first taken aback, but soon regained his composure.

`Just…..move,' he said stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head to the side.

Aya got into his car, slamming the door behind him before gunning the engine and driving off. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he saw the man shake his head before getting into his own car.

`What a prick!' he fumed as he viciously shifted his car into gear. `What a total, utter prick!'

Yet for the life of him he couldn't understand why at that particular moment his mind choose to remember how beautiful the irate man's eyes were. Verdant green.

Aya gave himself an ironic smile in the mirror.

`A handsome prick, but still a prick no less.'