Author's Note:

This story will not contain any plot spoilers from the Nana manga, though it will feature cameos from Ai Yazawa's characters. I just felt the environment she created was great and wanted to write a story where Usagi forms a punk band of her own.

This is my first fanfiction ever and I haven't written much of anything other than college essays in quite a few years. That being said, don't hold back! I'd love your constructive criticism.

Her body involuntarily trembled as the portly stage manager gave her the hand signal for thirty seconds. In thirty seconds, they would seal their fate. For two years she'd wanted nothing more than this moment. Self doubt crept over her, simultaneously making her skin prickle and vomit rise at the back of her throat. She swallowed hard.

Behind the black velvety curtain she could hear the excited murmurs from the Tokyo crowd. They waited in anticipation, they waited to see her. Despite the mounting pressure, a quick glance around told her that her nervousness was not shared. Her fellow band members stood calmly with their instruments already in hand.

"You're on in five."

She closed her heavy lined blue eyes, willing the nervous stimulation to push her towards her best performance yet. She'd earned this. She'd practiced relentlessly, she'd sacrificed everything, all to be exactly where she was right now.

Pure passion, that's what it takes. Her own words echoed in her head.

Even with her eyes shut tight, she could feel the curtain lifting slowly, exposing them to a crowd eager to place their judgement.

This was it. Her debut. She opened her heavily adorned lids and shouted, "Hello Tokyo Square, we're Rabbithole. Are you ready to rock?!" The wild screams in response were all the fuel she needed, the doubt she had felt previously melted away in an instance.

"Then let's go!" Her band followed her cue. Usagi raised her voice in song, pushing all the remaining air and tension out of her body. Every high note she hit she extended, pouring all the longing she felt inside into the lyrics she'd written herself.

Awe struck, the crowd was jumping and swaying in time to their first single. A few dedicated fans even sang along, making Usagi's heart soar. There are so many, she thought feeling both elated and hopeless in that moment. She desperately searched the sea of faces looking for the pair of hurricane eyes she'd always hoped would be there to support her.

Even though she'd been dreaming of this every day since that snowy night over two years ago, not a single person on her journey had warned her that with fame came so many flashing lights. Finding him was hopeless - she couldn't see past the second row.

Two Years Prior

The snowfall had refused to release it's grasp on the already sleepy town of Niseko for the entirety of winter break. A full moon shone proudly in the sky and the endless blanket of white reflected its soft, milky glow. Midnight quickly approached and most of the town slumbered in silence, save for a small cellar pub on the outskirts of town.

"Usagi, come on!" He whined, trudging through the slush and stealing a glance back at her. She took a deep breath trying to dismiss the evening's previous events from her mind. She exhaled and watched her sour feelings turn into a cloud and disperse. Tonight was about Jin-chan. Best friends and neighbors for as long as she could remember, his boyish face was lit up with unfiltered excitement as they trudged slowly towards the punk club on the corner.

As they approached the club, the snowy silence was broken by the muted sounds of distorted guitar riffs and the pounding of drums. Usagi knew enough about Jin's favorite band to know that that they hadn't arrived too late; the Black Stones weren't playing yet.

"Whoa, Usa, look at all these people! See? I know they'll go pro with a fan base like this!"

Usagi rolled her eyes as Jin took her gloved hand in his and dragged her to the front of the line where the huge, surly bouncer eyed them suspiciously.

"Fukui Jin, fan club member number 130." He said pushing his chest out and running his calloused fingers through golden locks. Usagi stifled a laugh when the bouncer, clearly unamused, pointed to the back of the line.

Head hung in defeat, Jin moped all the way to the end of the modest line. "Guess they haven't heard of the lucky golden child." Usagi giggled, playfully hitting him with the end of her wool scarf. He looked up at her, new determination clear in his sparkling green eyes.

"Not yet, anyway."

Within fifteen minutes they were inside the cramped venue and nudging their way towards the front of the stage. The last band had just finished their set and the ruffian pub-goers talked loudly while shuffling around to refill their drinks. Even amongst the rough crowd, Usagi felt happiness and warmth seep in through her pores and she let herself fully relax for the first time in weeks.

Once they reached the front, Usagi took the opportunity to look around. She'd been to the venue a handful of times with Jin when the occasional indie punk band he liked came through their small town, but it had been over a year now…. And what a year it had been, she thought bitterly.

The stage was lower than she remembered, only a few feet above the scratched mahogany floor. The walls were adorned with signatures and doodles of the bands that played here regularly. Usagi's eyes immediately landed on a large black cat scribbled near the pub's only window. The signature next to it read: "From Blast's Nana - even when I'm a star, I'll never forget this place!" She tugged on Jin's sleeve hoping to ask him why Nana would choose a black cat.

Suddenly the lights began to dim and the question was lost forever. The once rambunctious crowd immediately hushed. Jin put his lanky arm around her to squeeze her in anticipation.

"Jin-chan." She hissed in a whisper. "What if my future soulmate is here tonight and he misunderstands the needy actions of my annoying younger brother." But the words were lost on him, as the members of Niseko's own punk sensation the Black Stones strode coolly on stage.

Usagi couldn't take her eyes off of the raven haired girl standing center stage. Her very presence was commanding. She wore a red frilly dress with lipstick to match, combat boots, and an expression that could kill. With a devilish grin, her cat like eyes scanned the crowd.

"Good evening, loyal fans. We're Blast."

And then the music was all around them.

The combination of Nana's raspy voice, the steady banging of drums, and the translucent guitar riffs carried Usagi away. Two full songs passed before Usagi was able to pull herself out of Nana's trance long enough to examine the other band members. She knew their names from Jin's incessant gushing. He'd been their biggest fan ever since he saw them play at another bar in last year. Nobu, Jin's favorite, was the reason Jin had taken up the electric guitar. It's no surprise Jin admires him, they even favor each other slightly. She glanced to where her best friend stood staring up at his idol. His eyes were glassy, his fingers unconsciously moved to form the chords as he heard them.

She let her eyes drift to Yasu, the bald band member who played the drums. His pitch black glasses hid his expression as he played, but even in the dimly lit venue he never missed a beat. Usagi put a hand on her chest and smiled as she realized her heart was pounding along to his rhythm.

And finally there was Ren, standing almost protectively close to Nana, strumming his bass. He practically oozed sex appeal. He wore only a leather jacket over his bare chest and his body glistened with sweat. Usagi couldn't help but notice that he and Nana looked like two broken pieces of the same puzzle. The lights from the stage reflected off the thick padlock necklace around his neck. I wonder where he got that.

Even though she was breathless for the entirety of the performance, she found herself wishing it would continue for eternity. But even waking dreams come to an end and before Usagi could even come down from her musical high the band members were waving goodbye. She knew there were two more sets before the night's conclusion and that Jin would insist they stay for the duration. She didn't mind. She was in no rush to get back home to her mother and that man.

She shuttered and not for lack of warmth as she took the lull as opportunity to get a drink from the bar. At sixteen she wasn't legal but she had tactfully applied eyeliner and lipstick tonight and knew that in this shady place, she'd get served.

"Vodka tonic."

The bustling bartender slid her the drink without even glancing at her fake ID. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile, but quickly vanished as she spun away from the bar and her drink hand collided hard into a man.

"HEY! Watch-"

"I'm sorry. I'll get you another?" He interrupted, and her anger died in her throat. He stood tall in front of her, looking down with genuine concern in his cool blue eyes. Blue jeans and light grey button-down, he looked somewhat misplaced; only his thick black leather jacket hinted that he belonged at a punk club.

"It's… fine." She managed, visibly flustered. He smiled, a lazy, confident smile and her wits fizzled like the vodka tonic that now soaked the floor.

Without another word he approached the bartender and smoothly ordered himself a whisky on the rocks and another vodka tonic. He was older than her, but not old. Twenty two, if she had to guess. She studied him with curious eyes as he re-approached her with a replacement drink.

"Thank you. My name is Tsukino Usagi, and you are?"

The next band had just started up and the male lead singer screamed his angst into the microphone. The stranger moved close, simultaneously pushing the drink into her free hand and brushing a strand of her long, blonde hair behind her cold ear.

"Let's head outside." He said softly, not really asking a question.

They sat side by side on the frozen steps of the club but Usagi didn't feel the cold once.

"So," He prodded, "What brought a preppy blonde girl to a punk club on such a frigid night?"

Usagi scoffed at his boldness. "Well as they say, upon first glance, no one knows whether a crow is male or female. I came to see Blast."

He laughed a deep melodic laugh. "In America, that is called 'judging a book by its cover'."

"You don't look American." Though he was tall for a Japanese man, with strong features and uncharacteristically blue eyes, he carried himself like a Japanese man. He reminded her of her father when he was young, before he'd run off with another woman. Her thoughts trailed off and she was thankful when he spoke again.

"I'm not, I just studied abroad there for a few years."

"What did you study?"

"Music."

"Why?"

He choked a little on his drink, surprised, but managed a smile, "What a strange question. Because I want to become the best composer in the world?"

"Then compose." Usagi replied, an unexplained sharpness present in her voice, "What's the point of spending 500,000 yen to have some old deadbeats who never made it themselves coach you towards their same failures?"

He snorted, obviously shrugging her off but she continued, "To me it seems like what you need to excel in this industry is pure passion. Just look at Nana. Her voice is raspy and untrained, but you can feel her heart when she sings. She's bound to become a professional."

In that moment his eyes changed, like he was seeing her for the first time. She fought back a blush as what felt like a small eternity went by. He studied her with his brow furrowed, blue eyes storming.

"Practice and dedication." He finally replied, almost sighing. "That's what makes a great composer. A great anything, even."

She wanted to argue but felt some force hold her back so instead she shrugged, "I guess it's like your American friends would say, 'to each his own.'"

Soon after, the doors flew open and the buzzing mob poured out of the pub. They remained sitting even as legs stumbled around them. She could feel his burning gaze but couldn't make herself turn to meet it, instead she stood and quickly searched for Jin.

"Usaaaaaaaa!" She winced as a visibly drunk Jin wobbled to her, nearly collapsing in her arms. "Where did you go? You missed the last band and I met a really cute lolita girl named Misato and man, it's really cold out here, we should get home before your mom…."

Usagi tuned him out as she searched for the dark haired stranger she had been chatting with. After a minute she saw spotted his tall form strolling toward an unadorned black van. On impulse she moved closer, leaving a still babbling Jin to lean on the icy railing.

Even over the crowd she could hear his deep laugh and she watched as he embraced another dark haired figure. Gasping she realized it was Honjo Ren, the bassist from Blast. The van door slid open and skidded off, disappearing into the blackness with her stranger. Why didn't you ask his name, she mentally kicked herself.

Feeling deflated, she returned to a slurring Jin and let him gush with joy as they made their way back to their neighborhood.

That night she dreamt only of Nana's deep voice.