"Good morning. I'm here to see Taki Aizawa."
"Oh, good morning, Seguchi-san. You came at a good time. He's out in the garden. I'll call an orderly to show you the way."
"You're very kind, but if you don't mind I'd rather find him myself. The gardens are out this way, yes?"
"Yes, straight through those doors."
"Thank you. I'm sure I'll have no trouble finding him. Thank you so much."
Tohma beamed a radiant smile at the receptionist, and she giggled into her hand. Good to know he hadn't lost it entirely, then, despite Grasper's second and final demise.
He strolled out the door and headed toward the meditative gardens. The grounds were resplendent, and he rather enjoyed wandering through the kaiyū-shiki-teien, dotted with carp ponds and cherry blossoms, stone lanterns and bending ming trees. It was surprising and impressive that despite the limited space of the hospital curtilage, the promenade garden was laid out like a proper kaiyū-shiki-teien, with concealed landscapes meant to be seen one at a time as the visitor stumbled upon them on the winding path. Little hills, bamboo thickets and wooden screens hid artistically crafted scenes of waterfalls, rock gardens and carefully sculpted trees.
Eventually Tohma arrived at a small koi pond spanned by an arched bridge, with a willow on the banks. As he paused to take in the scene, he wasn't surprised that the wheelchair beneath the gently swaying branches looked out of place in the artificially constructed landscape. What surprised him was that the moody, brooding occupant did not. Taki seemed perfectly placed under a weeping willow.
There was a time when Taki's misery had made him deliriously happy—in fact, right up until yesterday—but that was when he'd thought Taki was a danger to Eiri. His brother-in-law was now perhaps better off for Taki's interference, and Tohma's anger had faded. He now had a purpose for the arrogant singer, but no use for Taki's continuing self-destruction. It was time to give the prima donna a reason to live.
"Good morning, Aizawa-san."
Taki looked up, but said nothing. Was he going to be combative today? Tohma was in a good mood for a fight. He was playing with his favorite deck, the one where he got all the face cards.
"Happy to see me? You should be."
"Why so early, Seguchi? Your timing's off. If you'd come just before bedtime, you could give me nightmares again. As it is, there's plenty of time for me to work you out of my system before lights out."
Tohma smiled and bent down, balancing on his knees so he'd be at Taki's height without getting grass stains on his designer suit. "Let's cut to the chase. You don't like me, Aizawa-san; I don't like you. But maybe we can help each other. We both hate Shindo-san. What I'd love more than anything is to create a musical act that can surpass him. Are you interested?"
Taki closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Go on."
"I can't fire him or break his contract without handing him on a silver plate to my competitors. What I need is another artist in my own stable who can eclipse him. Is that you, Aizawa-san?"
"I thought Ma and Ken had their own band now? Who'll write my music? I'm a singer, not a composer or musician."
"I'll write your music for now. As you've said yourself, you're not ready to tour while stuck in that chair. Session musicians are good enough for the moment. We'll put together a band for you later when radio play has generated a fan base for you. But there's a catch."
"Naturally. You can't do anything without a price, Seguchi. So what is it?"
"You have to work with your doctors to get well again. It does no good to have a pretty face and powerful voice if we can't put you in front of the fans. Agreed?"
Taki looked down at the carp in the pond for a minute. What was he thinking? Tohma couldn't tell, but surely this offer was tempting. He rose to his feet and brushed off his pants to straighten any wrinkles. "Well, I'll let you think about it. Just in case, I'll have my secretary print out a new contract. I'll bring it tomorrow, all right?"
Funny, the vocalist should have looked happy, but Taki's expression somehow reminded Tohma of a fish on a hook. "I'd better go now and let you get back to your day. See you tomorrow, Aizawa-san."
Tohma turned and started to walk down the path again, until an unintelligible sound caught his attention. He stopped and looked around at Taki. "Yes, Aizawa-san?"
Taki seemed to want to say something, but waved Tohma on. "Nothing. Never mind."
Tohma resumed his stroll through the garden, catching a little of whatever Taki was mumbling to himself. Something about sinking.
