Disclaimer: I don't own the girls. Everything else is mine. Oh, except the music piece too. XD


File #12

The soft clink of wine glasses, the swirl of red splashing against the sides. Dark brown met hazed grey, marred only by thin lenses reflecting the soft lighting of the restaurant. Thin lips pursed into a tight smile, geniality coming as naturally as ducks to water.

The two men regarded each other diffidently as they sipped at their own glasses, not really drinking but merely taking the opportunity to observe. Glasses-man put down his glass, looking politely at his senior as his long fingers threaded into each other before him.

"I am glad that we can work together again, Kamei-sama." The younger man seemed less sturdy next to the older but still athletic-looking Kamei Otosuke, whose silver-shot hair lent him a distinguished air but did not indicate any signs of frailty.

"The pleasure is mine." An exchange of pleasantries, after the actual business had already been conducted. The older man set down his glass. "But you should know that I prefer not to mix business with pleasure, Ichijiro."

"Ah yes, of course." A tactical error. A lunch between former acquaintances should not be tainted by matters related to work. That was what Otosuke preferred to maintain. Of course, sometimes the confluence was inevitable. Regrettable, but unavoidable.

"The ambience here is good, is it not?" Ichijiro attempted to shift the topic to inconsequential matters. The meal was simply to please his sometimes finicky business partner and senior in life, and he was anxious to make a good impression on the older man.

"The pianist is moderately skilled." Otosuke allowed, glancing around. The booth allowed some privacy from the rest of the restaurant, but vision around its interior was largely unimpaired. Age old paranoia had ensured that he always picked a location where he could not be easily surprised, regardless of where he went.

"It's a relatively new place, I hope you did not have much trouble locating it." Ichijiro seemed apologetic, almost anxious for approval. Otosuke shook his head shortly.

"Not at all." His smile turned ironic. "Though you will forgive an old man for being late, I hope?"

"Of course! Surely a busy man like yourself will naturally be delayed..." Otosuke tuned the rest of it out. He knew what the man's intentions were, naturally. However, he was not particularly susceptible to bribery nor flattery.

Instead, he kept a close eye out on his surroundings. Never mind that he could afford bodyguards and did have them lurking around, but old habits died hard. That and, considering how he was delayed on his way here, he had every reason to remain cautious.

The music stopped. His gaze shifted sharply to the slightly raised platform in a corner of the dining area, where a grand piano stood. The pianist, a tall girl with a distinctly foreign cast to her face, was talking urgently to the manager, gesturing at her watch with a worried expression on her face.

Ichijiro had also stopped to regard the minor scene outside. At this time of the day, there weren't particularly that many people in the restaurant, and few of the tables were occupied. The pianist appeared slightly agitated that she was apparently not being allowed to leave, and from what little Otosuke could read from her body language, she seemed to be in a hurry.

"Foreigners these days...they should count themselves lucky to employed with the economy in such a state." Ichijiro seemed dismissive of the situation, turning away to look back at Otosuke.

"Of course..." The older man appeared mildly distracted as he started to turn his attention back to his companion across the table, but a new arrival managed to snag his attention. His gaze raked sharply back across that vaguely familiar outline, his mind piecing together the image almost instantly.

Tokyo's too big for such coincidences. He thought grimly to himself, tugging contemplatively on his cuffs as he faced the talkative Ichijiro. Instinct warned him of danger; curiosity yearned to take better measure of the one girl who had met his gaze head on and not so much even as blinked.

The hidden dragon smiled to himself as he waved a waiter over. Time to see if the young phoenix would be worthy of its name.

~*~*~

"Are you sure you can play? This is a high-class restaurant, we can't let third-raters in here." The manager seemed rather concerned as he eyed the tiny girl next to his usual pianist.

"Takahashi-san should be fine. You will help me, won't you?" The tall Chinese girl looked positively distressed as she turned pleading eyes on the shorter woman.

"Of course, you go on your way now, your sister's waiting." Takahashi smiled and patted the taller girl's arm. To the manager, she only shot a flippant glance before striding over to sit down by the piano.

"I haven't played in a while, but this should still be tolerable." Soft fingers stroked the keys almost lovingly, coaxing gentle tones from the instrument. She exhaled slowly as she played a few notes, flexing her fingers before setting them back down on the keys.

"Hush now..." Her hands glided over the keys effortlessly. Her eyes seemed oddly distant as fingers picked up the melody effortlessly. The sound was almost eerie, ominous even, but strangely beautiful.

"Nocturne..." She breathed, eyes closed in silent yearning.

Let our festival begin!

~*~*~

"That's an unusual tune to hear..." Ichijiro raised an eyebrow as the music began again.

"Interesting choice though." Otosuke observed, calmly taking another sip of wine. His eyes did not leave the pianist. "Certainly, a lot of restrained passion in it."

And to begin in the middle... Kamei Otosuke was a man of fine tuned instincts. And right now instinct told him that there was something to be read from this performance.

"Kamei-sama is well versed in music too?" Ichijiro inquired politely. Otosuke smiled briefly.

"In my free time. It calms me." He tugged at his cuff links again. Though outwardly relaxed, his shoulders were still tense from an earlier encounter. Fending off an attempt on one's life did tend to put one's nerves on edge.

Kamei Otosuke was fully justified in his paranoia given his colorful past and its current effect on his present life. Any less care and he would have been a dead man. Such was his life.

"Regrettably, it seems that my time is short." Ichijiro seemed a little disappointed by the announcement, but inclined his head in acquiescence, calling for the bill. Kamei kept staring at the new pianist, already wondering if his previous action had been correct. Instinct wanted him to leave this character alone; but something above that overruled it.

His daughter, his only child, had unfortunately taken an interest in someone. And if he was not mistaken, that someone was currently playing the piano no less than 10 feet away from him.

He would do anything for his daughter, never mind that he occasionally seemed distant to her. She was all he had, after her mother, his wife, had passed away more than 10 years ago. He would do anything to make her smile, even if it cost him his life.

Not that he intended to pay that much. The elder Kamei was as miserly as a turtle was slow. But he did what had to be done to win the race. That was what was important.

Their eyes met as he stood, and there was no question that she had noticed him, though he felt no malice, or indeed, any other emotion. Just a studying curiosity, as a child would behold some strange new creature and wonder what it does. His own gaze was as frigid as an igloo, revealing nothing.

And then the moment was lost to the music, as she threw herself back into it. Restrained passion had ebbed into a more stately cadence, yet losing none of its yearning, the magic inherent within.

The last note trickled off into stone silence as he stepped out. And waited.

One would come, and he would be ready. When was he ever not?