author's note: i got the idea for the beginning of this story from Aozora by theunknownAyatsukiKuroshima. (please don't be mad at me?)

disclaimer: beck: mongolian chop squad is owned by harold sakuishi. not me.

Chapter 1

Taira smiled at the view presented to him. The female form crouched behind the counter was cursing inventively as the girl scrambled to pick up the CD cases she had knocked from the display. Her hair was knotted in a messy bun and a stylized tattoo ran across her shoulders.

"Excuse me miss." Taira was surprised at the green eyes that looked up at him from the decidedly Japanese face.

"Yes? Can I help you with anything?" Anna straightened and placed the CD cases on the counter and smiled at the customer. He had bleached blonde hair and looked vaguely familiar.

"Do you have the Beck CD? Mongolian Chop Squad? I heard it's supposed to be out today" Taira decided the face was actually quite pretty, especially with the startling contrast of the eyes. Or maybe it was just the smile.

"Beck… that's the one that went on tour in the states a couple of years ago right? We were expecting a shipment yesterday but the delivery was delayed. We'll have that…" She turned to a drawer and pulled out a thick black organizer. "By the 20th, three days from now." She continued as she riffled through the pages. "I saw the band play in New York but I didn't catch Grateful Sound though. I heard it was really insane."

Taira smiled. "The 20th huh? For a moment there I thought we'd never get to see it on the shelves…" He pulled out his cell phone and messaged Chiba who was also scouting record stores for their CD.

Anna looked at the blonde across from her. He was frowning and his eyes were half-closed as he fiddled with his phone. Anna was sure she had seen that expression before. Mari put on a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD and he swayed a little with the music. That was when Anna placed him.

"Hey! You're the bassist for Beck. I thought you looked familiar."

He nodded. A small smile played on his lips and his eyes flicked to the nametag on her chest. "Mmm-huh. I'm Taira. Anna."

Oh boy… Player alert. Don't mistake me for a groupie. Please God! Anna almost shook her head. She knew this type. Girls usually drooled over the lead guitarist or the vocalist of a band but the real players were always the drummers or the bassists. Why? She didn't know. It just was. Anna turned to replace the CD cases on the shelf behind her and straightened the tray of pick pockets next to them.

The pick pockets caught Taira's eye. "Do you have any of those pockets in pink?" He asked.

"We have a couple left. They're the most popular now." Anna replied and carried the tray over to him. "Each pocket can fit five picks." She continued.

Taira shook his head wryly. "Used to be men avoided pink like the plague, now everybody's into it. What color do you think I should get?"

Sizing him up, Anna picked up a yellow and a white pick pocket. She recalled that he liked to take the stage without a shirt. "These come with a leather strap so you can wear it around your neck. Light colors are really visible so…" She leaned over the counter and laid the necklace against his throat. Taira caught a whiff of her scent. It was light and tangy, like lemons. "Yellow should pop right up against your tan. You should try this." Anna finished and handed him the necklace.

"Yellow, huh? Sure I'll take it." He gave it back to be wrapped up.

As Anna was making the sale she could feel his eyes on her. Taira wasn't sure why but the more he looked at her she seemed to grow prettier. Anna handed him the small paper bag and his change and said thanks.

"You're welcome. I'll see you on the 20th. Anna." He smiled at the green-eyed Japanese girl before he walked out.

Mari rushed out from one of the shelves of CDs to Anna. "Wow! That guy was hot and he was interested. Definitely interested." She leaned on the counter and looked at her boss.

Anna just laughed. "His type is always interested. He's the bassist for a band I saw in the States when I was still in college. They're really good and there's this kid with them who can sing his ass off. I heard that they ruled the crowd at the last Grateful Sound here in Japan."

"Yeah? We'll see him again three days from now." Mari said in a dreamy voice.