Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Coincidences and Second Chances ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

~November 15th 2048, Tokyo~

It was late Sunday afternoon, 4 o'clock and that part of town was as quiet as a church….no pun intended. If it were Sunday morning things would be a little different. It would still be quiet but the streets would be littered with discarded bottles and crushed cups and people sleeping of their excess on benches. Come afternoon, the trash had been picked up and the people carted away by friends or policemen leaving the streets looking innocent and incapable of sin.

Aya had no trouble finding a parking space this time around and was at the club just a little before four. A scary looking bouncer with no neck let him in and directed him to the lounge. The Voodoo Lounge consisted of three floors. The topmost floor was where main the dance floor was situated. Here the music was mostly pop and techno and was the favourite hangout of the younger crowd. The second floor was a kind of quiet zone with stuffed chairs and a full bar. Here you could talk without shouting and have something to eat if you wanted.

The ground floor was where the R&B room was situated. It had a smaller dance floor and a place for a band. This was the place for the people who wanted to listen to good music with the option of participating if they wished, but without getting their eardrums blown to pieces.

Upon entering this space, Aya was immediately greeted by Mike who shook his hand like an old friend and led him to the bar. After ordering them a couple of drinks, he turned Aya's attention to the main stage.

`As you can see their instruments are all set up, the band should be coming in shortly. They practice for about an hour and their manager usually stays for the whole stretch.'

As if right on cue in walked five people, two girls and two guys all in their twenties. They were chatting amiably amongst themselves as they clambered on stage.

`Who is the person I have to deal with?' Aya asked.

`The one in the green pinstriped shirt and the jeans. The tall guy right at the back,' Mike pointed with his beer.

Aya craned his neck around to get better look but the man's face seemed perpetually in shadow. When he finally stepped into the light, Aya felt a sinking feeling manifest itself in his stomach.

For the guy he needed to talk to happened to be the guy he had pissed off yesterday.

Shit.

On stage Yohji didn't realise he was being watched, as he was completely involved in trying to get the band together for their rehearsal. The funny thing about Yohji was, although he was the head of his company the only work he did was grunt work i.e. working with his newly signed bands instead of his famous ones.

In Yohji's eyes there was nothing strange about it. Breaking into the business, for him was the hardest step. It was here that they needed the most guidance and help. Once they had established themselves, it was up to them how far they would go. It was satisfying work but it could also prove to be a major pain in the ass. Like today when one of the band members decided not to show up.

`What do you mean Roger's having a crisis?' Yohji demanded throwing his hands up in frustration.

`Exactly that Yohji,' Taka, the handsome black haired blue eyed petite bass guitarist of Twilight Moon answered. `According to him his girlfriend has left him and is now sleeping with his father, or his father left him and is now sleeping with his girlfriend,' he tried to further clarify. An impish grin spread across his face.

`I forget which one.'

`This is serious Taka,' Yohji said witheringly. `He's missed rehearsal twice and missed a performance once. That is simply unforgivable not to mention unprofessional. Why don't you get rid of him?'

`Because he's an excellent keyboardist Kudou-san,' quipped Manja their pretty, dark haired lead singer. Yohji sighed in defeat.

`Fine but this is his last chance. He pulls something like this again and either you find a replacement or I will.' Yohji sat himself down at the piano. `Today I'll substitute for him if that's ok.'

`That's more than ok Yohji,' Taka smiled as he strummed the four strings of his bass, `what shall we start with?'

`What about "In The Night"?' Lila their pink haired drummer interjected. When everybody nodded his or her affirmative, Yohji started playing the ballad's opening bars. Grabbing the mike, Manja started to sing.

ano hito ni "suki" to tsutaete (Please tell him that I love him,)

kagami yo kagami In the night (oh mirror, mirror, in the night.)

doushiyou mo nai setsunasa ni (Sorrow I can't do anything about,)

doko made mo ochiru Rainy day (makes this rainy day fall on and on.)

kon'ya wa kitto nemurenai (I won't be able to sleep tonight.)

hitomi wo tojireba aeru itsudemo (When I close my eyes, you're always there.)

anata ga afurete itsumo (You're overflowing, always)

anata de afurete'ru (Overflowing with yourself)

As the song progressed, Yohji found himself getting swept away as he always did by the music. If there had been one thing that he had truly missed about being a full time musician it was performing. The buzz he got….. the sensation was something he couldn't quite explain in words. When Sasha had once pressed him to describe it, the only satisfactory answer he could come up with was that it was like….. magic.

From a few feet away Aya sat listening and watching. The band was good, he admitted more than adequate for their wedding. But their blonde manager was something else. Ever since he started playing he couldn't take his eyes off him. He played with an intensity that was breathtaking.

Now he finally realised why the man had seemed so familiar. He had seen this kind of performance once before many years ago. He had forgotten the little tidbit Rhianna had told him about this band being managed by Tori Nakata.

`Good aren't they?'

A cheerful voice interrupted Aya's scrutinising. He turned to find a slender youth perched on the seat next to his. His boyish almost guiless smile along with his wide sapphire blue eyes framed by thick gold wheat coloured hair, made Aya take an instant liking him.

`Hiro Tsukiyono,' he extended his hand which Aya shook.

`Ran Fujimiya,' he shot the young boy a curious look, `are you here to check out the band too?'

`No my boyfriend is the bass player,' he pointed Taka out to him, his pride obvious. Taka's dark hair gleamed gunmetal blue under the spotlight, his face etched in concentration as his fingers nimbly danced on the strings, seemingly able to coax a melody from them even before he even touched them. `You're going to hire them?' he said sounding delighted. Aya nodded his head.

`That is if I can get past their manager. I heard he's difficult.'

`The guy playing the piano? He's a nice guy or at least that is what Taka tells me,' Hiro said, `according to him his bark is worse than his bite.'

`Really,' Aya said quietly.

The hour passed quickly, too quickly for Yohji and soon it was time for the band to start getting ready for the night's performance. Yohji was watching them leave with a pleased smile on his lips when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

`Excuse me?'

Yohji turned to see who it was the smile still on his face. But when he saw who, the smile disappeared and his eyes narrowed to thin green slits.

`You…'

`My name is Ran Fujimiya,' Aya interrupted, `about yesterday…'

`You're not here about your car are you?' Yohji said shortly. Aya blinked.

`No Mr. Nakata…'

Bad move, Yohji clenched his jaw at the mention of his old name.

`Its Yohji Kudou Mr. Fujimiya,' he corrected his tone businesslike but cold. `What can I do for you?'

`Sorry, Mr. Kudou then,' Aya quickly tried to gloss over his mistake, `I am here to inquire about hiring your band "Twilight Moon" for a private function.' For some reason he couldn't bring himself to say that the function was actually his own wedding.

`You do realise that my company's clients are considerably more costly then most,' he was beginning to sound snippy and it started to grate on Aya's nerves.

`What a snobby sonofa..' out loud he said, `I am aware of that Mr. Kudou. I figured it would be nice to meet with them first before I went through the formal proceedings.'

`Very well,' he handed him a small square of holographic card that showed a moving image of his company's logo. `Drop by the office tomorrow and we'll do business,' the obvious dismissive tone immediately got Aya's back up.

Aya snatched the card from his grasp and all but stormed off. Yohji watched his retreating back with a myriad of unidentifiable emotions running through him.

`That's unlike you Yohji,' Taka who had been listening to the last part of their conversation commented sporting a half surprised half-puzzled look. Yohji startled a little at his words.

`Its complicated,' he lied scrabbling for a cigarette, finding one in his pocket and lighting it. He had no idea why he acted the way he did, only that something…..hell, everything about the man rubbed him the wrong way.

And yet….

And yet…..

He was so amazingly beautiful. The way the dim light made the contrast between his ruby red hair and alabaster skin all that much sharper. Those lucid violet eyes behind his too long fringe that made his breath catch his throat.

He shook his head with a cry of exasperation. Why was he thinking this? He had a perfectly wonderful boyfriend who had just left the country four hours before and here he was thinking about another man. Sasha didn't deserve that, no matter how handsome this Fujimiya person was.

`He can fry in hell for all I care,' Yohji finally muttered to himself.

***

`Well did you get them?' Rhianna asked eagerly over dinner. Aya for the first time in his life squirmed a little in his seat.

`Sort off,' he hedged, `there are still some things that need to be worked out, but it should not prove a problem.'

`Hah! What a whopper that is,' Aya thought to himself a little morosely. After he had left the club, he spent hours wracking his brain as to what he might have said that so obviously irked Yohji Kudou. His faux pas aside, he couldn't see how you get so mad at a person you just met.

He had been so distracted that he had burned the soup, but thankfully Rhianna seemed unaware of it. Instead she just continued on chatting about wedding plans and work while he just nodded.

After dinner, Rhianna went straight to bed citing that jetlag and stress had finally caught up with her. Aya didn't complain, as he himself was mildly anxious to get back to reading the diary that had been at the back of his mind the whole day.

When he was sure she was asleep, he lay down on the couch with the diary and a glass of wine.

`Now lets see,' he said taking a sip of his wine and flipping open the cover, `where was I?'

`April 30th 1998. I don't believe what happened today.

How could I have let it?

How could I have been so…..so….stupid!!

It all started when I was practicing my routine in the gym at the top of the shop. Ever since my little revelation to myself that I was in love, I tried to keep my mind of it….of him….. as much as possible. Only two things could do that….my sister and my training.

Sometimes I think training with my katana is the only thing that keeps me sane. I would have never thought that picking up swordfighting as a hobby would ever come in this useful. I love how it clears my mind; I love how it makes my body feel. The tight circles and the smooth movements, the weight of it in my hand. I go through it again and again, the repetitiveness oddly calming. I do it until my body absolutely refuses to go through it again.

`Geez don't you get bored of doing the same thing over and over again Aya?'

I almost jump out my skin as Y's careless tone penetrates my concentration. I glance over to see him dressed in a T-shirt and work out pants smoking by the door to the gym.

`Hmph,' I answer in my usual fashion although my heart traitorously skips a beat. I shoot the smoking white stick dangling out of his mouth my famous `death glare'. Yes I know what they call it behind my back, but I don't really mind. The old me, Ran, would have thought it funny.

`You're scattering ash over the floor,' I point out that little fact to him which he just brushes off.

`Are you done?' he asks instead. Not yet I answer. He smirks at me and I am suddenly wary.

`How about a little one on one,' he offers. Its against my better judgement to agree but then I don't have any reason not to for hand to hand combat is where I am weakest.

We stand poised facing each other both of extremely aware of the other. We try to keep these mock fights as injury free as possible but you forget that after a while. After working together for years its impossible not to pick up the signals. Like the way he treads on the balls of his feet which tell me he will strike first. No doubt he knows that I know that.

He throws a punch at me one high, one low both of which I easily block. I do a half turn hoping to catch him with a backhanded shot but he catches my wrist before I can even make contact. We push apart and circle around the mat slowly. I try to see what he plans to do next but its not so easy now.

He lunges at me and the fight begins in earnest. His added height is a disadvantage for me but I am heavier and better built than he is. Y comes at me with a series of lighting fast jabs, which I try to block but even I am to slow at times for gravity. Trying to eliminate his advantage I try my best to take him down but he moves nimbly out of my way. I do however manage to score with a few arc kicks to his midriff.

During our bout my mind detached itself for a while and observed us. We are so much the antithesis of each other I realise. All my strengths are his weaknesses and vice versa. But we aren't complete opposites. Sometimes we are so similar its scares me. However it was this discrepancy that drew me to him in the first place. Extremely different on the outside, fundamentally similar when it came to the bottom line.

A few minutes later we are both a little bruised and panting from our exertions, but we keep going neither of us willing to give up. I then noticed an opening in his footwork where I placed my ankle and tripped him sending him sprawling backwards on to the floor. Y the bastard when he felt himself falling dragged me along so I ended up landing on top of him.

For a minute we just lay there breathing hard my hands firmly pinning his shoulders to the ground. I then notice that I am straddling him and against my will I blush. I am grateful that my cheeks are already red from the exercise. I look down and my throat suddenly becomes dry.

His skin is flushed like mine, his hair is sticking to his face in slightly damp curls and there is a sparkle in those verdant eyes. He smiles at me and I am lost.

A tie, he says but I don't hear him. All I can hear is the rapid beating of my heart and the way he feels beneath me. Something inside grips me and I break.

And that's when I did something extremely stupid.

I leaned over ……….and I kissed him.'