Too Bad

Too Bad

It's too bad, it's too bad
Too late
So wrong, so long
It's too bad that
We had no time to rewind
Let's walk
Let's talk, let's talk

It was a time of peace.

There was just the quiet hum of the engine that ran the fridge that resonated in the back alley the café.

He had for company malodorous, decomposing rubbish, various breeds of parasites, bacteria and rats, as well as a lovely assortment of miscellaneous leftovers from the last kegger at the nearby frat house.

Inhaling a long drag from his joint, he sighed, as he leaned leisurely against the cold brick wall, enjoying the solitude he had on his break, as pathetic as it was.

Nothing could disturb him now, except of course for the sound of his boss's voice ordering him in a stern beckon back to work. How he hated the sound of that man's voice. It really grated his nerves every time that man opened his mouth.

Nothing pleasant ever came out of his boss's mouth. It was always an order.

The young man, Shannon O'Kelly, swore his boss was prejudice against him because he was a gaijin – a foreigner – because he always got the worse jobs, such as doing almost all of the clean up, and a lot of hauling, in addition to slaving on the tables for the few pitiful amounts of Yen he got for every hour he slaved away there trying to earn some scratch.

"Shannon!"

The young man gritted his teeth. 'Not again! Can't that bastard back off for one fucking minute?'

Again, the voice called out.

He then relaxed, realising it wasn't his boss calling out for him to return his "worthless gaijin hide back to work"...

"Shannon… Shannon!" Hongou Yui called out, as she toward him, as he raised a lit joint to his lips while on break behind the university café. She was nearly out of breath as she waved to him, running over, waving her hand in the air; later revealed to be a piece of paper she was waving quite frantically.

The young man, Shannon, also the reincarnation of Suboshi gazed up, arching a thin eyebrow at her. He never quite knew what to expect with Yui. She was unpredictable, highly volatile at times and stubborn; the perfect match for him. This was one of those moments when she wasn't at all predictable.

He dropped the butt of his joint to the ground and extinguished the smouldering ashes with the toe of his shoe. "Yeah?" he asked, looking over, or rather down at her as she stopped beside him, leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath.

He poked her playfully. "So, out with it, what do you want exactly?" he asked, his deep blue eyes rested firmly on her, his voice low.

"I've been chosen to be the coordinator for this upcoming international music festival for the region. I get to arrange all the incoming orchestras… It's going to be so cool!"

After a moment, he asked, "Are you going to have time for school, what with also being student body vice president and everything?"

"I'm not worried about that. They're having a by-election for that. I resigned my position after I was chosen for this." Yui explained, still slightly out of breath. She exhaled and continued, "this music festival is all for young musicians, as well as all artists. It's put on by the Tokyo Philharmonic. I was chosen to be coordinator after Kaitou-sensei, who is a senior conductor with them put in the good word."

"Sounds like a great chance for you." Shannon replied, smiling, as he wrapped an arm around her. "You are the perfect candidate for it."

Her face lit up. "Thanks!" she said, and still smiling, she added with renewed zeal, "It is also a good chance to help you find your brother! He might still play the flute and be a musician…"

Shannon slammed his fist against the wall. "Don't talk about Amiboshi! I have no brother! That bastard left me for the wolves before and did it several times; he lied to me through his teeth. Screw being reincarnated, I don't care if I see him ever again!" he seethed scathingly, his blue eyes dark.

He turned sharply. "Excuse me; I have to get back to work." He said curtly, as he moved forward with purpose, not turning as Yui protested.

She sighed morosely. 'What did he do that was so bad? Oh, Shannon… I hate it when you act like this. You're only hurting yourself. We both know what happens when you act like this…' she thought, as she gazed down at the piece of paper she held.

Folding it, she put it in the pocket of her school uniform and crossed her arms over her chest. 'I know you don't want to ever see your brother again because you feel abandoned and hurt, but, you've both been reincarnated and everyone deserves a second chance…'

"Yo."

Yui nearly jumped out of scared. Whoever just placed their hand on her head, as scared her witless, and they would pay for it!

Pivoting, she came face-to-face with Sukanami Taka, Yuuki Miaka's boyfriend/fiancé.

"Taka…" Yui smiled. She didn't mind him, but, she wasn't crazy about him. She found him to be slightly annoying at times, even if he did have good intentions.

"You look like something's wrong… Care to talk about it?" He asked.

Sighing, Yui nodded. "I guess…" she gazed at Taka, as she decided how to formulate her response.

Adjusting how she had her arms folded over her chest, she closed her eyes and began to tell Taka why she was upset. "You see, Shannon was separated from his brother again… and it seems they were reincarnated apart from the other…"

Taka tossed his tea towel over his shoulder. He shrugged. "That doesn't seem like such a big deal."

"It…it's not that. It's… Well, Shannon tensed up when I mentioned that there might be a chance for him to reunite with his brother. Instead of tasking well to it, he instead reacted as if I was speaking of his enemy." Yui cried, tears coursing down her face.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I just feel so bad because his brother always meant so much to him. And…and…he's not any more stable mentally than he was before. He's more mature and refined, but, his mental state is no better than before. Actually, I think its worse… Oh, Taka! I don't want anything to happen to him!" Yui sobbed, collapsing against Taka.

Sighing, he placed a hand on Yui's head, gently stroking. "I think he might just be hurting still because he believes his brother willingly abandoned him."

"What should I do? I want him to be happy…" Yui whispered.

"Go with your gut instinct."

Yui looked up at Taka, who smiled softly at her, placing a hand on her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "Yes, that might be the best way for you to go. There isn't a logical reason for everything. You have to act based on what you feel instead of think."

'Act on gut instinct…' Yui thought, as she contemplated the various consequences her actions may or may not have, depending on various mitigating and aggravating factors that would come into play if she was to do this.

It had been one week since he had left his home in Los Angeles in pursuit of this mysterious twin brother of his, who had tried to kill himself. Now, a week later, he was in Tokyo, with no real leads. The only thing he knew was that his twin was somewhere here. He had felt the chi radiate from this location. It felt strong here, even when it wasn't being outwardly emitted.

'I just have to find where it's coming from. I don't know if I will be able to or not; I hope I can. It would be great to find him again. I miss him so much. It hurts me that he did this.' He thought, as he sat down under a sakura tree.

"Jonathan? Oh good, you got here. I didn't think you would make it."

Jonathan Anderson gazed up at the man walking over. The man, like him was an American citizen. The man was also the conductor of the LA Philharmonic. What he was doing in Tokyo was beyond Jonathan.

"What do you mean make it? Why are you hear, sir?" he asked.

"I had mentioned at practice earlier this month that the group would be travelling to Tokyo for an international music festival for young musicians. I had sent out the information in the mail, including airline ticket information. I hadn't heard back from you, so, I assumed that your parents decided not to let you go."

Jonathan blinked dumbly. "Huh?"

His conductor sighed, a long heaving sigh. "Don't tell me you didn't get it… That you don't know…"

"But I honestly didn't!" Jonathan protested, feeling really stupid at the moment.

"Then how did you know to come to Tokyo?"

"Uh…" Jonathan didn't quite know how to express what had happened. It would sound utterly retarded to anyone who wasn't in any way shape or form, in his position. It was only something he understood.

He smiled sheepishly. "You see…uh…here's the thing…"

"Yes, I'm listening…" the older man replied, sound very patient, even though he wasn't.

"I never knew…"

"Then how…" the conductor; the older man, better known as Mr. Eric Davies, gazed pointedly at his protégé. "Yes, that's right, how did you know?"

"I…uh… Didn't you say something about it at practice earlier this month, Mr. Davies?" Jonathan replied weakly.

"Now, let's try the truth."

Jonathan groaned. Of course his lie wouldn't work. Why should it?

"You don't have an answer? I suspected as much." Mr. Davies replied, shaking his head.

Offering a half-smile, Mr. Davies placed his arm around Jonathan's shoulder. "At least tell me you brought your flute with you…"

"I never travel without it!" the young flutist replied quickly.

"Good because you're expected to be at practice at six a.m. everyday."

Jonathan let out a surprised squeaked.

"As long as you're staying at the Tokyo Hilton you'll be fine."

Jonathan blinked. Now it all made sense. He had checked into that hotel earlier in the week and had found it quite odd that they had his name on file and that all arrangements for his accommodations had been set. Nevertheless, he hadn't thought much of it at the time. It all made sense with all the puzzle pieces in place.

He grinned. "Yeah, I already checked in."

"Great, so you have no excuse not to be on time for practice." Mr Davies replied with a venomous sugar-coated tone.

Jonathan winced. "Yeah… I know, sir."

"Very good. Oh, and by the way," Mr. Davies added, as a secondary thought. "You're one of my first chair players, you're also doing a solo, and so, I expect you to be there today for three. The coordinator for the event will be there to meet everything and find out what our schedule is."

"Aye-aye, mon captain! I will be there!" Jonathan replied, giving a mock salute.

Rolling his eyes, Mr. Davies left, shaking his head. There were times when he didn't really understand Jonathan. The boy was far too odd at times, even for him.

Stretching back, as she wandered into the lobby of the Tokyo Hilton, Yui gazed around. It was certainly opulent, there was no doubt about it. It was lavishly decorated and with post-modern furniture as well as very chic contemporary lighting fixtures. Everything was placed so it perfectly complemented the next item.

'It must be so dreadfully expensive! It's a good thing we have sponsors to help us as well as the government. It's also nice that the university is sponsoring several scholarships.' Yui thought, as she wandered toward the room which had been set aside for the LA Philharmonic. She stopped and knocked on the door before entering.

She nodded at the older man, who was there. "Are you Mr. Eric Davies?" she asked in moderately accented English.

"Yes, and you're the coordinator?" Mr, Davies replied, smiling softly, offering out his hand.

"Yes, I am." Yui replied, and, instead of shaking his hand, she bowed. "I'm Hongou Yui."

Taking his hand, remembering the differences between the cultures, he apologised for his culturally insensitive actions.

After assuring him it was all right, Yui moved into the room.

"It seems I'm missing just one person…" Mr. Davies muttered.

Yui blinked, "who?"

"Just my first chair flutist," he replied.

"Don't worry about it. I can do everything I need to without him here." Yui explained and grinned. "I was with a friend of mine, but he stopped before we got here to fuel up on coffee…"

She stopped mid-sentence as Shannon came in carrying a couple of cups of coffee.

"Coffee, is that what you call this fucking rocket fuel?! Blah! This bloody shit is revolting!" Shannon remarked, interrupting Yui in mid-rant, as he made a face. He then smirked. "Time to Irish it up… Hold it." He handed it to her.

Mr. Davies blinked, staring in shock, as did the rest.

Shannon, who was recapping the flask smirked at them. "What? Haven't you yanks ever seen anyone put a shot of whiskey into their java?"

"It's not that…" Mr. Davies began to explain. "It's…"

"Well, out with it, you redneck."

"I am not a redneck!"

"Sorry, out with it, you inbred hick."

"Would you stop it already! Would it kill you to show some respect for your elders!" Mr. Davies exclaimed, glaring at the young man. It was now very obvious it wasn't Jonathan, but in fact, Jonathan's twin.

"No, it wouldn't kill me, but it might kill you." Shannon remarked sharply.

Placing a hand on Shannon's arm, Yui hissed. "Please be nice and don't kill anyone today. Just because you're a fly-by-night assassin doesn't mean you have to threat everyone with that phrase, Shannon!"

"Can I at least scare the fuck out of them?"

"Didn't I tell you to be nice?!"

"Nice has nothing to do with it…"

"I'd hate to break this up, but, who are you?" Mr. Davies asked, no, more like demanded, as he stared pointedly at Shannon. "You are one of the rudest people I've ever met, young man."

"Watch how you speak to me… That is, if you value your life." Shannon replied, stepping closer, his aura becoming strongly negative. "But, it seems you don't…"

Yui reached over and smacked Shannon. "I told you to be nice. If you can't, go outside and have a joint and wait for me."

"Hn…"

"That grunt had better be a yes!"

"Hn…."

Glaring at his back, Yui growled to herself. She didn't know why she liked him. At times he was the most singularly frustrating person she had ever dealt with. He was utterly insufferable. Nothing really seemed to affect him at times.

Sighing, she turned back to Mr. Davies. "I'm sorry about that. Shannon can be very insufferable at times."

"Thankfully there is only two of him…"

Yui stared incredulously at him. "There's two of him, really? Where's the other one?"

An impish youthful twinkle entered the conductor's eye. "The young man in question is coming in as we speak. I can introduce you to him afterward that way you can speak to him.

"Mr. Anderson, how kind of you to join us…"

Jonathan grinned modestly. "Sorry I'm late but…"

"You were distracted by the buffet on your way here." Mr. Davies replied good-naturedly.

"I… Touché!" Jonathan said, as he took a seat.

"Now that everyone is here, I'd like to introduce you all to the coordinator for the event. She is also the person you go to if you have to speak to anyone else there. She also oversees scheduling, among other things." Mr, Davies explained.

He then gestured at Yui, indicating for her to speak.

Clearing her throat, she bowed. "I'm Hongou Yui, the coordinator for the event. If you have any questions, can try and answer them for you."

"Yeah, I have one!" Jonathan remarked, putting his hand up. "Are refreshments going to be free for us, or do we have to pay?"

Yui's eye twitched. 'He is starting to remind me of Shannon…'

"The hotel will provide coffee and pastries for your morning practice and a basic dinner at night. Any other food you want you'll have to buy yourself from any one of the locations through out Tokyo."

"You mean it isn't all free?!" Jonathan pouted. Sulking, he folded his arms over his chest.

"Ok, any other questions…relevant questions?" Yui queried, gazing around. "If not, then, that's it. So, why don't you all introduce yourselves then."

Her request took about fifteen minutes because she, after getting the names of the other band members, she'd ask them something about them. Only after it was done, did Mr. Davies, when she was alone, drag Jonathan over to speak to her.

"Yui, this is the other young man; Jonathan Anderson."

"Thanks sir." She bowed and turned to Jonathan as Mr. Davies left. She smiled warmly at him and bowed. "It's nice to finally get to meet you, Amiboshi." She said, as she gazed back up.

Jonathan paled severely as she gazed up. How did she know his other name? There was only one possible reason, but, the odds were so narrow, it was utterly implausible. Even so, could this be that one slim chance he was vying for?

Swallowing, he nodded stiffly.

Yui smiled broadly and giggled happily. "This is great!"

"Depends on what you mean by that, Hongou-san." Jonathan replied, eyeing her cautiously. "It could mean that it's great because you can direct me to where my twin, or…" his tone instantly went from pleasant to bitter, "you found one of your seishi, Seiryuu no Miko."

"I'm happy I've found you and Shannon. It's much better than ever finding the others." Yui whispered, closing her eyes. "Your brother was the only one that I felt comfortable around. I always wanted to meet you. If he had that much faith in you, it meant you were a good person…"

She sighed morosely. She didn't say that this was the case now, because in fairness of truth, it wasn't.

Jonathan nodded and arched an eyebrow. "There is a 'but' somewhere in there, isn't there. What aren't you telling me?"

Yui blinked and laughed uneasily. "Well, you see, the thing about that is… how can, I put this… Uh…you, see, the thing is…Shannon, also better known as Suboshi, he's, changed…"

"I've changed too. That is logical enough, but, there is something you're still not saying. Tell me, I can take it. I came here looking for him…" Jonathan said, his hand touching the wrapped wound on his wrist. "I wanted to find him before he could do any more damage to himself. I felt his pain… it's was too much…"

He swallowed a large lump in his throat. "I didn't fear my own death then, so much as his…"

"That's understandable. I went through the same pain." Yui turned sorrowful eyes to Jonathan. "And it's all my fault that both of you were hurt…"

Placing an arm around Yui's shoulders, he smiled serenely. "No one's blaming you. If he likes you as much as he does, he probably doesn't blame you. No…he blamed himself for it… I remember it too well. I heard his voice while I was bleeding…"

He turned his wrist over and rolled up his sleeve.

Clapping a hand over her mouth, tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to make him do it; for it top hurt you! I never wanted either of you to hurt!"

She then, gasped and cried out, "Jonathan, hit the floor!"

"What? Why?"

Out of seemingly nowhere, a large vase flew at Jonathan's head.

He let out a yelp of surprise and dove to the floor, narrowly missed having been injured by the random flying object.

Cautiously, he gazed up, meeting the gaze of his mirror image.

"Do you have any last words?" Shannon growled scathingly, his deep ice blue eyes narrowed in contempt.

Barely above a whisper, Jonathan gasped out, "Shunkaku…" his eyes wide with both fear and relief. "Otouto…"

"Hn…Aniki…" Shannon retorted scornfully. He then reached into his jacket.

Before Shannon had a chance to remove his hand, Yui threw herself in front of Jonathan. "Shannon, stop this! I know you're hurting from before, but, doesn't he deserve a second chance? At least a chance to explain himself? If you were in his position, you'd want it, wouldn't you? Why are you acting like this? This isn't like you…"

Taking his hand in hers, she held it over her heart. "Do it for me, please…"

"It's too bad because it's too late." Shannon replied. "It's too late because he had the last life to do it. He shouldn't have fucked it up then…"

"Uhm… I don't want to risk getting my butt blown apart by you, but, if, my memory, as bad as it is, if it serves me correctly, I did leave you, but, our second last parting was willing on your part…" Jonathan protested.

"Yes, but, you offered me a mind-altering liquid." Shannon retorted.

"Please, stop this! I don't want to see you two fighting…" Yui looked over to Shannon. "Please give him a second chance? You were utterly lost without him. You weren't complete without him and he isn't complete without you. You two are two halves of a whole. IF you hurt him, you're hurting yourself."

She clutched his hand tightly. "For me… Give him a chance. I hate to see you hurting. I always wanted to see you happy. I felt bad when it was believed he was dead. You seemed so alone. It hurt me so much that you were hurting."

She continued to smile at him, encouragingly. "Shannon, I know you're hurting, but, it hurts you more if you don't try to resolve this.

"Remember, I gave you a second chance; you gave me a second chance. Jonathan already has given you a second chance by coming in search of you, now it's your turn to give him a second chance."

Growling indignantly, Shannon sighed, exhaling sharply. "Fine, but I am not going to like it!"

"I didn't say you have to."

"Hn…"

Jonathan, who had been listening the entire time, stood up. "You know, if it's not a good time for you, I… I can go elsewhere…"

"No!" Yui barked, reaching out, grabbing him by the wrist. "You came all the way here looking for him after he slit his wrists, and you are not about to go anywhere!"

Shannon arched an eyebrow perplexed. "How did you know?"

Jonathan didn't have a chance to reply before Yui took his wrist and turned it over, pushing up the sleeve.

His eyes widened slightly. "You… You still feel what happens to me…" he breathed, astonished to see that it still happened. "Then… it means it was your voice that I heard speak to me…pulling me back…"

Reaching out, Jonathan took Shannon's hand. "We were reincarnated for a reason… give me a second chance, and I won't leave you again."

"Hn… But, no one said I had to like it!"

"Uh…"

"Don't push it! This is as good as it gets." Yui explained. "Just appreciate it. He's not being stubborn."

She grinned. "Now, play nice!" she sang, as se waved at Shannon before she ran out of the room.

He turned a sour look to Jonathan. "I hate this as much as you do. So, let's get this over with."

Jonathan sighed. So, this guy wanted to be difficult? Somehow that really didn't surprise him. Nothing was ever easy for him. So, why should this be any different?

So, you hate me?" Jonathan said bluntly, his eyes turned to the ground, his sandy brown hair hanging in his eyes. "Some how, it doesn't surprise me. I kind of figured you were only being nice because your girlfriend told you to be. But, if you don't like me, then there is no point in you hanging around here. You're just going to be wasting your time."

"Just because I hate it, doesn't mean I won't give you a second chance." Shannon replied simply, with a touch of arrogance to his tone.

Jonathan again sighed, exasperated. This guy was so annoying. Of course, the heavy Irish accent didn't help matters at all!

"I need coffee, we're talk there."

Jonathan blinked. Now this guy was being so confusing!

"Stop acting like you're a daft wanker and move those useless clod hoppers and move your yankee arse!" Shannon called over his shoulder, as he stared back over his shoulder.

"Oh…coming." Jonathan replied quickly, slightly embarrassed that he hadn't responded right away.

'Maybe this will get somewhere. Maybe I'll have a brother again…' he thought, hoping his supposedly false hope would prove to be false and that he really would get his brother back and that he wouldn't be separated from him again.