A/N: I do not own D. Gray-Man; however, I do own my multiple OCs. My reason for so many OC's is because I couldn't think of any other characters except Lavi who could work at the tattoo parlor.
"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend." - Albert Camus
Chapter One: Casual Conversations
Takara Maki was gonna be late; the mostly Japanese girl was running through the crowded streets of Tokyo, heading to her place of work, Inked for Life, a fairly famous and well-known tattoo parlor. Many apologies were muttered as she pushed against the crowd of citizens. Honks were heard as she dashed across the traffic jammed streets.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" shouted an annoyed businessman.
"Going to work!" she shouted back, "Sorry for the trouble!" she apologized, not looking back as he shouted incomprehensible words. A few bicycles sped past her, causing her to halt, but nevertheless, she increased her speed in order to regain lost time. She loved the thrill and adrenaline rush she got when running to work, or any other place that required pushing past people and darting across traffic. The city was full of life and adventure. After a few more minutes of running and irritating countless citizens and vendors, she was close to her destination. Seeing the tattoo parlor so close by, she once again picked up her pace and reached the doors, bursting inside and then panting heavily.
"Hey, you made it just in time," greeted Yoshi, owner of Inked for Life, smiling as he was setting up the parlor.
"Yeah Taka-chan, you got here like five seconds before the clock struck ten," added Taro, spinning around in one of the chairs. The others: Lavi, an emerald eyed red head from Europe, and Akira, a little hot-headed Japanese boy, were setting up the parlor with Yoshi.
"Hey, where are the girls?" asked Takara, removing her hooded navy top, and then straightening out her white shirt and skinny jeans.
"Buying food," answered Lavi, playing with the little black hammer on his keychain.
"They should be back any minute now," voiced Yoshi, stopping the spinning chair which made Taro pout like a child. Lavi and Takara laughed at Taro's dismay while Akira was pacing back and forth due to his impatience; he was just hungry.
"We're back!" shouted London and Momoko, sipping the last of their drinks and setting down the beverages and food they had bought.
"An expresso roast and a black forest ham, parmesan frittata and cheddar on and artisan roll for Akira, a house blend and some oatmeal for Yoshi, a French roast and sausage, eggs and cheese on an English muffin for Lavi, a chai tea latte and a strawberry and yogurt parfait for Takara, and finally double iced cinnamon rolls for everyone!" presented the two excited ladies.
"Thanks," the little group said in unison. As Yoshi, Akira, Lavi, and Takara ate their breakfasts, London and Momoko were huddled together looking at something on London's camera. Takara noticed this and quickly finished her breakfast and disposed of the trash, then approached the two girls.
"Oi, what are you two looking at?" she asked, leaning closer to their huddled forms.
"See for yourself!" the two directed, and shoved the camera in front of Takara's face, giggling with blushes on their face. Once Takara looked at the screen, she saw the image of a young man sitting at one of the tables placed outside of Starbucks. He had very long and silky looking, navy blue hair that was neatly tied into a ponytail and his bangs were evenly cut. The chair he was sitting in was pushed back so he could lean back in the chair and have room for his long legs. Crossed arms covered part of a seemingly striped undershirt; he was wearing an ivory or light cream button up shirt, or in this case, unbuttoned shirt and dark, almost black, jeans and dark beige leather sneakers. His jaw was clenched, and an annoyed or maybe even aggravated expression was on his slightly feminine face.
"Who is he?" Takara asked.
"We don't know, but isn't he hot?" asked London, still giggling as she probably mentally undressed up.
"You two stalked him?" Takara asked, laughing at her awed female companions.
"No, of course not! We just took pictures of his beauty," said Momoko, defending London and herself.
"Uh huh, sure," said Takara in obvious disbelief, turning off the camera and returning it to London who placed it into her treasured beige hobo bag.
"Come on girls, we've got customers," said Yoshi, beckoning the girls to do their jobs. London and Momoko headed to their stations. Taro directed the customers to each of the tattoo artists' stations and they soon became busy. A young man of maybe twenty to twenty five was guided towards Takara's station.
"Hi, I'm Takara Maki, my coworkers call me Taka sometimes, what would you like today?" she introduced and asked her customer.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Reiji Tanaka and I wanted this," he said, pulling out a slightly crumpled sketch of the sun.
"Hm, okay, let me just quickly revise this and I'll be back. Please wait here," she smiled and went back into another room. Once inside, she took a piece of paper, and looked at the sketch. Within ten minutes, she had a similar image, but with more details and articulations. She soon started the tattooing process. Since the image was small, it didn't take very long to complete it, Reiji and Takara talked during most of the process to distract him from the slight discomfort. Once the tattoo was completed, he was a very satisfied customer and tipped her well. The same was being experienced for the other artists at the parlor and it was soon lunch time.
"Oi, London, Momo, you girls wanna get us some food?" asked Lavi, looking at Taro who was trying to suppress the growls his stomach was making.
"Aw, poor Taro-kun," said Momoko, causing Taro to pout once again.
"Why don't we just go out to eat or something?" asked Akira, playing with strands of his slightly disheveled maroon hair.
"Where to?" asked London, playing with Momoko's dark hair.
"Fun?" Momoko offered.
"Nah," Lavi and Taro declined.
"Kowloon?" Momoko thought, and the expression on Taro's face lightened.
"Yeah!" he said happily, almost drooling at the thought of their delightful meals.
"Kowloon it is," Yoshi agreed, getting up, "let's take my and Momoko's car." The others got up as well and exited the parlor while Akira changed the chalk board outside to "Out to lunch," then joined the others. Momoko unlocked her vibrant red Toyota sai hybrid and slipped into the driver's seat as London, Akira, and Lavi slipped into the passenger and backseats. Meanwhile, Yoshi unlocked his charcoal Lexus RX450H and slipped into the driver's seat as Takara and Taro slid into the passenger and backseat. Both cars soon sped off to Kowloon and arrived there within twenty minutes and parked. Taro quickly got out and dragged London and Momoko with him while the others trailed behind them. Once inside, they were directed towards a table with eight seats, seven of which became occupied. A waiter came and gave each of them a menu to choose from and left them to decide what they wanted to eat.
"Hey Taro-kun, what do you want to eat?" asked London after everyone except Taro had decided on what they wanted to eat. Taro had a confused look upon his childish face.
"I can't decide whether I want to eat the dragon ramen or stir fry," he answered, pouting, which caused Akira to sigh.
"Just get the dragon ramen," said Akira, blowing some of the hair on his face away.
"Hm, okay," smiled Taro.
'His mood swings piss me off,' thought Akira.
"Excuse me, we're ready to order," Yoshi called to a nearby waiter. The waiter approached them and soon he had finished taking the seven guests' orders. London took out her camera once again and Momoko leaned closer to look at the photos.
"Oi, are you two ogling that poor guy again?" asked Takara, raising her slightly arched eyebrows.
"Yes, we are," replied London, holding her head up high.
"What guy?" asked Yoshi, his curious self acting up.
"Look," Momoko said, handing him the camera. Yoshi took the camera and began viewing the images that the two girls had taken earlier in the day.
"I don't know him," Yoshi said, and passed the camera to Taro, "Do you?" Taro glanced at the images, and shook his head, and then passed it to Lavi.
"Hey, that's Yu Kanda," Lavi thought.
"You know him?" asked London, looking to Lavi.
"Sure, he's an old friend, well, not really a friend, more of an acquaintance," explained Lavi.
"When'd you guys meet?" asked Momoko.
"After I arrived in Tokyo around a year ago, I saw him at the airport and we went to the same café after we left the airport and talked a little," said Lavi.
"You're so lucky," pouted London, and Momoko agreed.
"How? He barely talks and if he does, it's when he insults you, and besides, don't you two have boyfriends or something?" laughed Lavi.
"Well, yeah, but I don't think they'd mind if we just stared at some hot guy we saw on the street or something," said London.
"Uh, by staring, you mean checking out, right?" asked Takara, smirking which caused an apathetic Akira to faintly smirk.
"Yeah, pretty much," Momoko said.
"Our foods gonna be here in like five seconds," said Akira, sitting up instead of leaning back. Akira's calculation was correct and their food arrived; the wait wasn't very long or unbearable and the seven guests had a good meal in exchange for a decent amount of money. Taro-kun ate the most, and probably enjoyed it the most as well. Within forty-five minutes they had finished their lunch, tipped the waiter, and were in the parking lot.
"I'll drop off Taka-chan and Akira-kun since they only have the morning shifts," volunteered Momoko. There were two shifts you could take at the parlor, a morning shift from nine to one, and an afternoon shift from two to six. London had both shifts, however, she only worked on Mondays, and Fridays; she worked with a modeling agency on Tuesdays and Thursdays while she was free on Saturdays and Sundays. Taro had both shifts working as the receptionist; Yoshi too had both shifts, working as the shop manager. Both Momoko and Lavi worked both shifts. Arisu Saito and Ayden Griffith took Takara and Akira's place, working the afternoon shift.
"Okay, that sounds good, we'll see you soon," said Yoshi as he backed out of the parking lot and sped off with the others. Momoko soon did the same.
"So I'll drop you guys off at your house?" asked Momoko.
"Takara, wanna come over?" asked Akira, turning around in the passenger seat to face her.
"Sure," she accepted. In twenty or so minutes, they had pulled up to the front of Akira's quiet house.
"Okay, see you guys later," said Momoko, waving as Akira and Takara exited the car.
"Thanks. See you," said Akira. Momoko once again sped off and Akira led Takara to the front door, which he unlocked. Once the door was unlocked, Takara could see into a fairly large hallway, which led to different rooms; he led her into the door farthest to the left. It led into what she assumed was the living room, very modern, but not over-the-top. There was a beige couch and loveseat, with a coffee table and fireplace. The carpet was an ivory color and there were a few paintings hanging here and there. He guided her towards the couch and they both sat.
"What do you wanna do?" he asked, looking to her for suggestions.
"Let's just socialize and talk about life," she suggested in her somewhat usual and blunt manner.
"Just life?" he asked, almost apathetically.
"Well, about anything really," she replied, using the same amount of apathy.
"I expect you to start the conversation then," Akira said, staring out the window with his relaxed facial features. Most of the time, Akira was tense, rigid, maybe even untrusting. Takara took this moment to glance at him from her peripheral vision; he looked so, at peace, that's one thing that Takara loves about someone with an uninviting personality. When she first meets them, they seem cold, aloof, maybe even uninterested in a lot of matters, but once she gets to know them, they can relax around her and lose their icy façade generally displayed in public. Akira was the perfect example.
"Well are you gonna start it or not?" asked Akira, impatiently.
"Sorry, something was on my mind," Takara apologized, regaining her lost focus, "and what do you think of American pop stars?" Such a random she asked that it took Akira a few moments to think about it.
"Well, give me an example," he said.
"Katy Perry," Takara thought, remembering the large billboard of that American pop star she had seen earlier than morning while running to work.
"She's pretty I suppose, and her voice is alright," he thought, not really caring about such trivial matters.
"Alright then," replied Takara, awaiting Akira's question.
"What do you think of plastic surgery?" he asked, thought it took some time to think of a question random enough to match Takara's.
"I disapprove of it if it's simply for cosmetic reasons, I mean, if someone broke their nose, then it's fine, but if it's because they're feeling 'insecure,' then no. People should be happy with the way they look, they shouldn't have to worry about superficial things like that," was Takara's strongly held belief.
"You're not like other girls," observed Akira.
"How so?" asked Takara, not facing Akira, but staring at a vacant wall.
"The majority of females in my opinion are fools who only care about superficial things, or status symbols. You, on the other hand, have very firm beliefs and don't seem to be afraid of voicing them. Most people in society feel the need to conform, otherwise they'll feel like an outcast," he answered, quite intelligently.
"Yeah, it's somewhat disappointing at times," she said.
"Must be, anyways, it's your turn."
"What's one of your favorite bands?" was Takara's somewhat dull question compared to the other ones asked earlier.
"Panic! at the Disco," he answered, it didn't take him very long to think about that one.
"That's interesting, they're one of my favorites as well," noted Takara.
"I suppose it is, but only a little. Their lyrics are absolutely genius and should evoke some sort of emotion from you," added Akira.
"Yes, 'Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off' makes me feel something indeed, I'm just not quite sure what emotion is it," explained Takara, "and let us move on."
"Alright, what's something that you absolutely hate?" asked Akira, he was speaking in less of a monotone now.
"Hives, they're the most annoying thing I have ever encountered in my twenty-three years of living," said Takara, remembering that one time she broke out into hives because of some allergic reaction to an unknown substance even to that day.
"I've never had hives before," stated Akira, bluntly.
"Consider yourself lucky. It's so frustrating, waking up at three in the morning because of itchiness," scowled Takara, thinking about those highly unpleasant memories.
"Are they contagious?" asked Akira, somewhat interested at this point.
"Luckily, no."
"Good," Akira said, and the two soon became engulfed in silence, a comfortable and not awkward one. Somewhat funny how they started a conversation about American pop stars that later ended up with a discussion about hives and how unpleasant they are. Takara thought of a question after a few minutes.
"Do you play any instruments?" she asked.
"I taught myself piano by ear and I used to take guitar lessons," he answered, comfortable with Takara's soothing presence. Compared to London and Momoko, who were feminine, loud and slightly obnoxious at times, Takara was a safe haven with her less dramatic personality.
"That's pretty cool; I can only play some of my favorite songs on the piano…" Takara drifted off.
"Yeah, so, you think London and Momo are gonna ogle that guy again?" wondered Akira, somewhat unsettled out by their stalker-like tendencies.
"Most likely," laughed Takara, remembering the whispers and blushes that the girls had exchanged because of that strangely attractive man.
"He looked like a male model to me," thought Akira.
"Maybe he is, or maybe he's just some attractive guy out of everyone's league," added Takara, pondering.
"Something like that," said Akira.
"Hey, do you have any siblings?" asked Takara suddenly.
"Yeah, I have two sisters. That was a little sudden," noted Akira, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry, it just popped into my head," Takara apologized.
"Don't worry about it," he said, "and out of curiosity, have you ever had a near death experience?"
"Does almost getting hit by cars everyday count?" Takara joked.
"Not really, considering you seem physically capable and unharmed," said Akira.
"Then no," she said, "and what's your number? I just realized I don't have it." She took out her phone, and handed it to him. He entered his contact information into it soon enough and required Takara to do the same thing; she complied.
"How fast is your mile time?" he asked, so the next questions were to be about physical activities, eh?
"Around seven minutes," she answered.
"Pretty fast," he commented.
"Yeah, and how many times do you hit the gym?" she asked, continuing the line of athletic questions.
"Three times a week," he answered.
"Nice being in shape isn't it?" she smirked.
"Very, it's useful, and a nice lifestyle."
"Indeed," she said, and the two soon fell into a comfortable silence that they could both enjoy. It seemed as if the two had run out of topics to discuss, but they didn't. They just didn't feel like talking about anything at the moment, and the silence was a little bit more enjoyable. However, this silence was longer than the last, and soon, Takara fell into a light slumber, or more of a short nap. Akira failed to notice this until he turned around to look at her because she failed to reply to his question, he just decided to leave her there.
'She seems comfortable enough,' he thought, getting up and walking to his kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. During Takara's pleasant yet expected nap, Akira spent his free time glancing through old photo albums he happened to glance past as he walked back to the couch. Once he opened it up to the first page, a faint smile graced his slightly feminine face. There was a photo of his little sister, Yoko, in hysterics and clinging to his leg because their older sister, Rima, had refused to give her a bite of her ice cream. He was only nine at the time. Although Akira didn't show it as a child, he was quite fond of both his sisters. Flipping to the next page, Akira stumbled upon a twenty dollar bill. 'I put this in here 'because it was the largest amount of money I had ever found,' he remembered, chuckling quietly, and then continued his reminiscence. It had been quite awhile since he had gone through that memory-filled album. Being one to enjoy life, he took his time going through the photos, and by the time he had finished, Takara had awakened from her light slumber.
"So you're awake," acknowledged Akira once he heard her slight movements.
"Yeah, how long was I asleep…?" she asked, sitting up and stretching.
"A little less than two hours," Akira answered once he glanced at the digital clock.
"Oh, sorry, it didn't really seem that long…" she drifted off.
"It's fine," he shook it off, not really minding her nap.
"Alright, well, I think I should head home now," she said, getting up and fixing her slightly wrinkled clothing.
"I'll drive I guess, there isn't really any other option unless you'd rather walk," he stated, getting up as well. He grabbed his keys and led her to garage and soon enough, the two were somewhat enjoying the cool breeze that slightly tussled their hair because of the polished corvette coupe's removable roof. Takara gladly welcomed the feeling while Akira was content. They reached their desired destination and departed afterward. She took her time walking to her apartment and once she unlocked the door, she collapsed onto her welcoming couch. The day wasn't really exhausting, but she just lacked energy at that moment, and reclined there for some time until she glanced at her barely noticeable, ticking clock. It was already 6:34, time for her to eat something. Getting up and walking into the kitchen area, she opened her refrigerator door.
'Leftovers, it's not good to waste food,' she thought, and grabbed half of a sandwich she was too full to consume the previous day. It didn't take very long for her to finish her somewhat satisfying dinner, and once finished, she received a call from one of her friends, and customer, Tyki Mikk.
"Hey Tyki," she greeted, examining her hair, checking for split ends.
"Hey Taka, long time no see, how've you been? Anything new?" he asked with his rich, warm, voice.
"I've been great and nothing out of the usual really," she replied, wondering what he himself had been up to, "so what have you been up to lately?"
"I've been upgrading my Harley," he said; he sounded quite pleased with himself.
"Sounds fun," she commented.
"It really is, we should ride around town sometime with it. You'd enjoy it," he offered.
"Sure, sometime in the future," she smiled, although he couldn't see it.
"Anyways, how are the others?" he asked, she assumed he was referring to her coworkers.
"How they usually are, Akira getting annoyed at Taro for being so indecisive, Yoshi being our father figure, London and Momo drooling over poor and unsuspecting male victims, and Lavi hitting on whatever female customers we have," she laughed.
"Ah, good, sounds like them," said Tyki, who was smoking a cigarette at Starbucks at the time.
"So have you been to Portugal lately?" she asked, Portugal was Tyki's native homeland, she knew he loved it there.
"Yeah, I got back about two weeks ago," he answered, glancing at the passing citizens.
"What's it like there?" she asked, curious.
"Warmer than it is here, and inviting," he answered, remembering those fond memories he had of his homeland: the amazing views and scenery, the wine, and his family. He didn't know many people from Portugal who resided in Japan, such a pity. Every year, he'd visit Portugal for a month or two to escape from the streets of Japan and relax. Once in Portugal, he'd go visit his family, mainly his young niece, Road. Occasionally, his family would surprise him with a visit to Japan so he wouldn't have to go all the way to Portugal.
"It sounds rather pleasant," she said, thinking about heading there sometime in the future.
"It is, trust me," he said, smiling over the phone as he discarded his cigarette, and ordered a waitress to bring him water, and the two continued their conversation. They talked like that until it was a quarter until ten when Tyki happened to notice Takara's tired voice and ordered her to go to bed. Then, they wished each other a goodnight. As Tyki sped off on his Harley, Takara turned off the lights, checked to see if everything was locked, walked upstairs and changed into what she would normally wear to sleep: a tank top and boxers, this time plaid, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed, but didn't feel the need to use her blanket. She quickly fell into a dreamless sleep, but tossed and turned occasionally due to who knows what, and awaited the next day, sure to bring plenty of surprises.
A/N: Did you guys enjoy it? Was it good? Or maybe okay? Possibly decent? Review if you enjoyed it. Oh, just to let you know, it's Akira's birthday. Thanks. Hehe. :]