Little by Little
by
Silver-Eyed Rukia
Rated: T
Song: Little by Little (Heaven) - Theory of a Deadman
Pairing: Shizuru x Natsuki (hinted)
Note: Please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.
Special thanks to: ANBUShizuka for beta-reading this story.
This is the first One-Shot of this One-Shot Collection
All One-Shots were inspired by various songs and are thus named after them. No, these are NOT song-fics. Those songs were merely the inspiration.
Enjoy!
Idle chatter filled the medium-sized room as the live band took a short break to catch their breaths and to pitch their instruments. The last remaining rays of the evening sun reflected off the surface of my coffee as I brought the cup up to my face, taking a small sip and savouring its bitter taste. I placed the cup back onto its saucer and let my eyes wander through the room.
The light was dimmed and only a few spotlights illuminated the small stage that was located in the middle of the wall opposite of me, giving me a perfect view on my surroundings. Most of the people here were students or young employees that came here after a tiring day of work or classes to relax and enjoy the music. The Artemis was a coffeehouse during the day and a bar during the night but music was always playing; it was one of the main reasons this place was so popular.
A sudden cracking noise sounded from the loudspeakers and a lot of people flinched and covered their ears in surprise, immediately turning their gazes towards the stage. A redheaded young woman had accidentally knocked over the microphone and had sent it crashing to the ground. She scratched the back of her head and just gave some sort "Sorry 'bout that" shrug of her shoulder. I watched her for a bit before my eyes went to the person approaching her.
Long jet-black hair, emerald green eyes and a lean yet well trained physique; that was the lead guitarist and singer of the band HiME and also my secret crush: Natsuki Kuga.
I inconspicuously checked her out: her slender legs were tightly hugged by a pair of black skinny jeans, her feet tucked away in a pair of also black combat boots while her upper half was covered in a wine coloured button up shirt with short sleeves. A black fedora and tie topped off her outfit for the night and made her look absolutely irresistable.
She walked up to the redhead and slapped her upside the head before picking up the microphone and sending a husky "Sorry for that" through the room. A pleasant shiver ran up my spine and I emptied my cup of coffee, admiring the girl that was the reason I got hooked up on this location in the first place. It wasn't just because she was amazingly talented as a singer and stunningly beautiful as a woman, that was just a bonus, but because she had this...indescribable flair to her. People were attracted to her, to her music, her personality. She seemed so aloof yet was surprisingly easy to approach.
I lifted the cup to my lips, wanting to take another sip of the black goodness, when I realized that I had already emptied it. I sighed and set it down. This girl was taking my mind away so easily. I waved one of the waitresses over, a young woman with orange hair named Mai, and ordered another coffee, but this time with a shot of whiskey. I was free tomorrow, so why not.
"Very well Fujino-san, one coffee with whiskey coming right up."
I smiled at the slightly younger woman and shook my head.
"No need to be so formal Mai, just call me Shizuru."
Just as she was about to reply the people in the bar started cheering and whistling as the band got back onto the stage after a short break. First up was the bassist and probably youngest member of the band: Mikoto Minagi. Her short, spiky, black hair made her look a bit tomboy-ish and she certainly acted like one, but sometimes she'd wear a skirt during a performance and was able to pull it off. She was followed by the troublemaker and loudmouth Nao Yuuki. Her personality fitted her instrument: the drums. She was loud, but she was also very supportive and able to cheer up anyone in just a couple seconds. A true jokester. Walking just behind the redhead was a young girl named Nina Wang, the all-rounder. She was able to play the keyboard, the guitar, the violin to some extent even the harp and the trumpet. But most of the time she'd play the guitar during HiME's performances.
I felt my lips turn into a smile as I watched the last member enter the stage, raising a cheer by simply walking onto the small stage and grabbing her beloved guitar. I heard a laugh and felt Mai nudging my shoulder.
"You know, you should go talk to her."
I raised an eyebrow at her.
"She probably doesn't even know I exist, Mai."
Another laugh, but otherwise, no respone. I watched her retreating form until it disappeared behind the counter and turned my attention towards the stage again.
"Hey guys, we're back and ready to rock n' roll, how about you?"
Loud cheers and shouts of "Yeah" and "You bet" followed that statement, but Natsuki just grinned and put a hand behind her ear, as if she didn't hear anything just now.
"What? I can't hear you!"
The whole establishment shook with the sheer force of the voices resonating inside of it, it made the incredible mood almost tangible.
"Now that's what I call 'Ready to rock n' roll'! Well then, let's not waste any more time and just let's just get started, shall we?"
Another round of cheers and whistling errupted and I found it hard to resist joining in, but I was just getting my coffee and didn't want to look like a teenage girl fangirling over her favourite band so I just smiled.
The first notes started playing and I immediately recognized it as one of their own songs called It's On. But it only really started when Natsuki started singing the first verse. Her husky voice filled the coffeehouse, capturing everyone with its unique sound. The first verse finished and flowed into the chorus and it didn't take the crowd as much as a few seconds to join.
It was simply incredible, the feelings, the experience itself. This is what music was truly trying to accomplish: Captivating the listeners and drawing them in, making them feel comfortable enough to reach out to it and join in.
The song finished with the last few strokes of the guitars' strings and faded into nothingness as the crowd started cheering yet again. I lifted my cup and took a sip of its contents while absently staring at the singer. Just when I was about to look away I caught her looking back. She gave a slight nod and winked at me before turning to Nao, telling her something. I didn't bother to find out because I was currently busy trying not to choke because the intensity of her charming grin and her sparkling eyes that took my breath away.
'Shizuru, keep it together. She just looked at you, what are you going to do if she actually talks to you?' In a way it was exciting, but also frightening because I couldn't come up with an answer. I shook my head and turned to look out of the window: it was already dark, probably around 11 o' clock. A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I looked back to the stage to see a boy tugging at Natsuki's pant leg, not having any problems reaching her from his position seeing that he was pretty tall. He was wearing baggy jeans and a lose shirt, a golden necklace dangling from his neck. The short sleeves showed off his muscles and his gelled hair shimmered in the dim light. He was probably another boy dumb enough to approach Natsuki and ask her out on a date. Not that anyone had succeeded so far. Which really made me think: Did she even like boys?
The ravenhead crouched down and listened to whatever it was that the boy whispered into her ear. She seemed surprised for a bit before she nodded. The guy looked geniuely relieved and I felt like something just had stabbed my heart. Did she agree to go out with him? I frowned. 'You just want her to go out with you, don't you?' I growled inwardly and cursed my inner voice. It was right, yes, but that doesn't mean that I like listening to it.
I lost sight of the guy in the crowd, but he probably went off to brag about how he managed to ask Natsuki out on a date. I sighed. 'Okay, maybe I am a little jealous...'
The room went silent when the raven-haired musician walked up to the microphone and started speaking into it.
"A slight change of plans guys, we won't be playing Nothing Else Matters by Metallica as the ending song today," her speech got interrupted by a wave of groaning and slight disappointment before she continued talking, "instead we will be playing Heaven by Theory of a Deadman. Some of you may know it under the title Little by Little. It's a request from one of our fans."
I raised a slender eyebrow before realization dawned to me and I immediately hated myself for jumping to conclusions like that. The band started playing the song, a song I didn't know yet, and the room went awfully quiet. Almost as if they were expecting what was sure to come.
Natsuki began singing the first verse, her low voice matching well with the slowness of the tune. I tried concentrating on the lyrics but found it hard to do so, mainly due to the fact that for some reason the singer seemed so...passionate. She always was, no doubt. She loved music as much as she loved singing, but this time it was even more intense than usual. Just as the first verse ended and the chorus began the spotlight moved away from the stage and ran through the crowd, stopping after a few seconds. It now brightly illuminated a young woman in a wheelchair who appeared to be as surprised as the rest of the people.
"There's a little piece of heaven
Right here where you are
The fact that you keep trying
Is what sets you apart."
The tall boy from earlier walked into the spotlight and stopped right in front of the girl, stretching out his arm while removing the blanket from the girl's lap with his other. It revealed a pair of prostheses that disappeared into a pair of knee-length jeans. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to avert my eyes as the song continued to describe the feelings of the boy in his baggy shirt.
Blonde hair covered her face as the girl looked down, trying to hide herself but the boy wouldn't let her. He lifted her chin before taking her hand in his, slowly moving backwards. Shakily she tried to stand up as her other arm reached out for him. He continued smiling, supporting her with his strong arms and encouraging expression, and she placed her right foot on the ground, then the left. Tears fell from her eyes as she started smiling, walking into her lover's arms.
"Help me find the reason
And I'll help you find the way
To get rid of all your pain
Little by little, day by day
Little by little, day by day.
"
The song ended and the crowd once again errupted into cheers, whistling and yelling words of encouragement at the still brightly illuminated pair. Loud clapping nearly drowned out the voices and I found myself being drawn in as something wet touched my cheek and blurred my vision. The spotlight was turned off and the other lights flared to life and just as I was about to wipe away my own tears someone else's hand was already resting on my cheek, gently brushing away the salty liquid with their thumb.
My crimsons met emeralds and I could do nothing but stare as I started to lose myself in their intensity.
"Music is the shorthand of emotion," I heard her say as she removed her hand and sat down in front of me, smiling gently. The final song for the day had ended and the people were quieting down, the majority had already left. I blinked before snapping back into reality. Quickly, I brushed away the last remaining evidence of my earlier emotional outbreak and cleared my throat.
"Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer. I've read his novel "War and Peace"; very captivating."
Husky laughter filled my ears and I smiled at the sound of it. The raven-haired beauty just shook her head at me, still grinning.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I know nothing of the person you just told me about. I just picked up this quote from somewhere and it stuck with me," Natsuki said and waved before making a sign of her hand, probably ordering her usual drink. Mai, who had been watching the scene, nodded and disappeared behind the counter. Emeralds focused on me again.
"I just wanted to impress you by sounding smart. I've seen you around here for some time now, always with a book in tow. Yet, every time our band is playing you simply sit here with a cup of coffee and listen to us play."
I leaned back and smiled my usual smile, still trying to make sense of what was currently happening.
"It would be a shame to miss any of your appearances, so I stick to reading my books whenever there is time in between."
My own heartbeat was so loud in my ears that it drowned out all the background noises around us, making it easier to focus on the person in front of me. She leaned back a bit when Mai arrived to grab her drink, a dark brown-ish cocktail with a little cherry on top. Natsuki said something to the waitress before grinning her usual grin to which Mai just replied with a shake of her head before moving on to the next table. I reached out to grab my coffee, hiding my surprise and my slightly shaky hands with trained ease.
"From all the people that come here on a regular basis," she started before taking a sip from her drink, "you are the only one I have never spoken to." Her eyes focused on me again as she took off her fedora, freeing her black locks from the hat.
"It's as interesting as it is kind of weird." I blinked at the statement and was about to answer when she cut me off.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not as arrogant as to think that everybody wants to talk to me or anything. It's just that..." she trailed off, taking another sip of her cocktail before continuing. "It's just that I know you are here. I can feel it."
I blinked yet again, this time to make sure my eyes weren't fooling me. Because just now I could've sworn that Natsuki was blushing, even though the lighting currently sucked. My previous surprise had died down and I got my usual confidence back as I felt a typical smirk creep onto my features.
"My, is my personality that captivating that it pulls you in even from this far a distance when you're on stage?"
She glared at me from behind her straw before setting the glass down, resting her arms on the table while leaning forward.
"Your eyes. They are as intense as they are unique. Never before have I seen a pair quite this stunning, and definitely not with such a colour."
Her honesty stunned me into silence yet again and I mentally slapped myself for being so unlike me around the singer. I quickly caught myself and emptied the contents of my cup, looking at her.
"Natsuki isn't one to talk. Her eyes seem to glow in the bright lights of the spotlights. It is a sight to behold."
A moment of silence passed before she started laughing, leaving me none the wiser as to what had just happened.
"You are one of a kind," she managed to say in between random bits of laughter. "Probably the only person that pays attention to my eyes instead of somewhere else."
Realization dawned on me as I tried to surpress a smirk but failed horribly at it. 'Oh, my dear Natsuki, your eyes are certainly not the only thing I look at. Not that I am going to tell you that but still...'
I shook my head and grabbed my cup just to, yet again, realize that it was empty. I sighed and put it down, just to see that Natsuki was nowhere in sight. I spotted her empty glass and her now missing fedora and had to swallow the lump in my throat that had started to build up at the sight. Just as I was about to get up, pay and leave, hopefully forgetting about the nice yet disappointing encounter, a certain ravenhead popped up right next to me, grinning like a teenager.
"Sorry about the suddenly disappearing thing, but I heard somewhere that it's nice to get the jacket for the lady and all," she said while holding my coat up for me to put it on. I did as I was indirectly told and slipped into my coat, feeling a hot breath next to my right ear after putting it on.
"And it's also a good opportunity to ask you out for a drink at my place."
I smirked and turned around, looking her up and down.
"My, is Natsuki asking me out on a date at this time a day? One would think she has something else in mind..." I trailed off, feeling good about myself as I watched her flinch ever so slightly at my statement.
"Okay, I yield. You got me." She held her arm up for me to take it, which I gladly did, following her to the exit. "So I guess that's a yes?"
I nodded my approval and smiled at her childish habit to throw her fist in the air with a hissed yes, waving at Mai and telling her that she should just put the bill on her list.
"If you dare show your face here again I expect a payment, Kuga!" the waitress yelled after her and Natsuki scratched the back of her head and grinned as we exited the club.
"Our band may be good but we're not really making any real money with it."
It was dark and cold as we stepped outside and the only source of light was the lone street lamp right in front of the building. My companion guided me over to a motorcycle and handed me a spare helmet, putting on the other one herself. I swallowed hard and positioned myself behind Natsuki, trying not to appear as scared as I felt.
"Don't worry," her husky voice said, slightly muffled because of the helmet, "I'll be careful."
I tightened my grip around her midsection in response and hugged her back as close as I could as the engine went off and we drove off to her apartment. But even through the fear that was currently trying to take over there was a also joy fighting it. Joy over the fact that even after all this time of being a silent watcher, I had gotten the opportunity to finally meet her.
A gloved hand placed itself over my own hands and gave them a light squeeze, making me smile.
It was my opportunity to find out who she really was.
Little by little, day by day.
It's On by Superchick
Little by Little (Heaven) by Theory of a Deadman
If anyone is disappointed because of the ending: I'm sorry, but I really couldn't write anything else. Otherwise this would've taken even longer than it already did. As I said before, this is the first One-Shot of many that I will upload here in the future (I hope).
Otherwise...still working and other things, like more Mikannie :D Fell in love with them *-*
Phrase of the Day
You'll find the place that you belong, a family to call your own, where you feel at home.
"Aloha, E Komo Mai" by Jump5
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