The night of BLAST's first performance arrived three days after the fiasco with Shouji. The band had spent every evening since then practising their set over and over again until they could all play it in their sleep. Shion hadn't even thought about the fact that she'd soon be playing in front of hundreds of strangers, when a few weeks ago even playing in front of one seemed impossible. Shion stood backstage, tapping the scroll of her violin gently. She wasn't a 'rocker' but it was necessary for her to look the part so Hachi and Nana had taken her shopping that morning to find herself some clothes. The black dress that cut off above her knees she could just about handle. The fishnet stockings and the spike choker? A different story.
"It looks great!" Hachi reassured her. "Just wait until I've done your hair!" Her hair had been put into two small, loose buns on either side of her head. It was definitely… a look. She stared at her reflection backstage, barely recognising herself after Nana had shown her how to apply mascara. The older girl had kept it light, applying just enough to draw attention to her eyes, but so much that she looked like a panda.
Soon they were called to get ready. Nana clapped her on the back.
"You'll nail it. We're all standing up there with you, plus," she added with a wink. "They'll probably all be looking at me anyway." Nobu retorted something about her being full of herself but she just laughed. Shion was grateful to the singer. If she could just focus on the music, rather than the crowd then she knew she'd be fine. They'd gotten to the concert room early when not much of a crowd had formed, but from backstage she could hear the raucous whoops and the stampede of punk fans enjoying their night. This was, after all, Punk Night. Well, they'd take what performance opportunities they could get. This could be the beginning of something big, after all. Hachi had said she would come with her friends - the event had perked her up considerably after the break up, although her excitement did come across as forced at times.
Before they walked out on stage, Nobu pulled her aside.
"Shion - you're shaking." It was true. Her legs felt so much like jelly it was a miracle she could even walk, and her stomach was melting. But the worst part was her fingers, if they shook this much when she was on stage, it would be impossible for her to play properly.
"I… hadn't noticed…" she said, not sure if she was trying to be sarcastic or not. Nobu grabbed her free hand and held it between them, palm up. She watched as he traced the kanji for 'person' on her palm with his finger, something her father used to do for her when she was younger. She brought it to her mouth and took a deep breath after she 'ate' it. Nobu watched her carefully.
"Better?"
"Better."
He gave her hand one last squeeze. "Remember, I'm next to you the entire time."
The five of them walked out onto the stage, and a hush fell over the room. Shion could hear her heart pounding and sighted Hachi at the front, her face enchanted by them. Nana stepped up to the microphone.
"Konbanwa. BLAST desu."
•─────⋅雨⋅─────•
Nobu threw his arms around Shion once they'd gotten off the stage.
"That was so awesome~~!" He was drunk on happiness.
"N-Nobu?!" The sudden display of affection had taken her off guard but he took no notice. She saw Shin grin at her.
"Just let him do it, Shion." The younger boy said. "Better you than me." No sooner had he said it, Nana put him into a headlock and he protested loudly.
"You improvised towards the end of the last song, didn't you Shin?" she said. "If it hadn't worked out as well as it did, I would have kicked your ass!"
"And this isn't a punishment?!" Shin gasped for air, and Nana swatted him.
"You can be such a brat sometimes!"
Nobu released his grip on Shion and stepped back, looking sheepish. "I got carried away. Sorry 'bout that."
"Not at all."
Nana let Shin out of his misery and turned to Nobu. "I think I saw Hachiko at the front. Let's go find her!" They found Hachi with her friends Junko and Kyousuke, as well as a longtime fan of Nana - a young girl named Misato. They all returned to apartment 707 to celebrate together, and Shion was just happy she could change into something more comfortable.
"I was seriously impressed." Junko was saying. "You guys showed you have potential. The bands that followed after you seemed like they were part of a school event in comparison."
"Your sound is great," Kyousuke agreed. "I never thought rock would be a good genre for the violin, but it worked well. How do I put it… When you're on stage, you have a presence that has nothing in common with other groups. It was really impressive." The comment made Shion's heart swell with pride and she wiped away a stray tear. Nobu seemed to be struggling to keep his emotions in check too.
"Thank you Kyousuke-san! Junko-san!"
"No need to be so polite, Nobu." Kyousuke said. "We're the same age."
"I thought you were as old as Yasu-san." Shin said.
"It's Nobu that looks like a kid." Nana teased. "Well, Shion too." Shion felt blood rush to her face and she smiled awkwardly, opting to finish her glass of water instead. The moment she felt the last of the sweet liquid go down her throat she looked down at where the glass had been on the table. Strangely, there was another glass of water on the table. Had Hachi brought her a refill?
Her question was answered when Shin, who was sitting next to her, reached for the glass. Oh! Kyousuke had brought them a bottle of coconut liqueur he'd got at Jackson's as a gift for the band.
"What the? Is this water?" Shin said. On the other side of him, Nobu noticed his dilemma.
"You lost your drink?" Shin nodded.
"I must've got Shion's water instead."
Shion could feel the two boys come to stare at her and she waved at them dreamily. The lights sure were bright in here, huh? It made her head feel hot, her throat dry. She wanted more of that sweet drink she'd had accidentally.
"Well that solves that question." Shin said, stifling a laugh. Nobu was a little more serious, and tried to get through the alcohol's influence on his own brain long enough to check on her.
"Are you feeling okay, Shion?"
"So good." she sighed. "It's criminal really. What would my father say?" Well at least he's in America. And the only other people she knew in Japan were all in this room with her. Her bandmates were her family now. The thought of it made her squeal and she let her head rest on Shin's shoulder. "I'm so happy right now."
The others were talking about the younger girl, Misato. She'd come all the way from Nana's hometown to listen to BLAST at a moment's notice from Nana.
"Nana informed me over the phone." Misato said happily.
"Ah, really?" Nobu said, looking at Nana.
"I was just letting her know." Nana said. "I didn't think she'd actually come."
"Oh! Is it a problem?" Misato asked, her worry showing.
"No, not at all," Nana said. "I'm glad."
The hour was getting late and Shion's head was fuzzy. The sleepier she got the less she could focus on her surroundings. At some point Junko and Kyousuke left, signalling for the night to come to an end. Nobu, who usually would have been drunk, had managed to keep his state at tipsy without going over. She didn't know how she ended up tucked in her bed, with the lights finally turned off, but she was grateful to whoever put her there. Soon she drifted off into a deep sleep.
•─────⋅雨⋅─────•
She woke around noon - thankfully she had a week off work because Yoshida-san had closed the record shop to visit family in Hokkaido. Shion didn't recall much of what had happened last night, but judging from the note on the dining table, Misato had stuck around for the day. It said Nana had taken Misato to Disneyland for the day. Hachi wasn't in her room, but the note was addressed to her as well. She still had some days off from her job at the magazine company - had she gone out for the day too?
Before she could wonder how she'd spend the day, her phone went off. It was a text from Nobu, asking if she wanted to hang out. That was easy to answer. He texted her the address to meet at and she left with her bag filled with her sheet music. If they worked hard, she'd be able to start learning new songs during her next practice session. It wasn't until she was standing outside the apartment complex that she realised Nobu had sent her directions to where he lived, rather than a cafe like she had been expecting. She rang the doorbell and a few seconds later Nobu answered, ushering her inside to sit at the table on the floor. Shion was so self-conscious, she hadn't noticed Shin sitting against the wall behind her, and when he poked her legs she almost screamed - something he found hilarious.
"You're so cute sometimes!" The younger boy said, his cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Shion blushed and looked apologetically at Nobu who had sat down opposite her.
"Sorry if I'm jumpy. I've never visited someone else's home before."
Shin's eyes widened. "Maji de? What about your other friends, before you moved in with Nana-san and Hachi?"
"I, uh… didn't have any friends before I met Nana and Hachi."
"No way! Then that means you've never had a boyfriend, either?"
She froze and blood rose to her cheeks. "Wh-what does that have to do with anything?"
"You're so innocent~! Right, Nobu? Even you've had a serious girlfriend before."
Shion brought her knees up to her chin and sighed. "I've just never… felt that way, and I don't really get the appeal. When the girls at school would talk about the guys they liked, I asked them why they cared so much. After that they left me alone."
"I don't think it's that big a deal." Nobu said. "I don't really care about being in a relationship either. I guess it depends on what each person wants to get out of it. It'd be nice to share a connection with someone though. Someone who just got me." In her heart Shion agreed too. Why did a relationship have to be romantic in order for it to be emotionally satisfying? Why couldn't two close friends discuss their relationship and support each other through the behaviours typically reserved for romantic relationships? Was that crazy to want?
She changed the subject.
"So do you two have any plans for the rest of the day?"
Nobu shook his head. "Just hanging out with you. Shin crashed here just after I invited you over."
"My last client paid really well." Shin said, and then he eyed Shion mischievously. "You know what I do, don't you Shion? You were with Nana-san and Hachi when I told them."
"Just because I don't have any experience, doesn't mean I was born yesterday!" she hid her face, feeling embarrassed again. How did Shin manage to turn the subject back to this again? This time she was saved by her phone. Shin began to conduct Vivaldi's Spring before she picked up.
"Moshimoshi?"
"Shion."
Her hands flew to her mouth. "Otou-san!? Has something happened? Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, my daughter." He paused and she heard him try to muffle a nasty cough.
"You don't sound well." she said. "The nurse said you had a heart attack! What's really going on?" Across the table she saw a look of confusion cross Nobu's face. Oops. She hadn't told him about that part yet.
"It's nothing you need concern yourself with. Just know that I am well." He was really going to leave it at that? He could be dying and she'd have no way to know! She gathered what courage she had built since moving in with Nana and Hachi to pursue the subject further.
"You said in your letter you needed to get a treatment - what treatment? What are you sick with?"
"You don't need to know."
"Of course I do!" she raised her voice, feeling herself getting angry now. "You moved all the way to America at a moment's notice without even telling me you were sick! Do you have any idea how-" There was the sound of the phone being grabbed and she stopped to listen. Soon she heard her stepmother, and she returned to the timid Shion she had always been.
"How dare you speak to your father like that when he's ill." she hissed. "If you weren't such a selfish, selfish little girl, you would stop contacting him like this and let him recover in peace! You're just making things worse." He was the one that called me, she wanted to protest. She didn't. Because it had been a long time since she'd felt anything but fear towards her stepmother.
"Hai." she muttered. "I'm sorry. I won't call again."
"I'll let the hospital know too." The call ended and Shion let her phone fall to the floor.
"Your father is in hospital?" Nobu asked quietly. She nodded.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. Shin was the only one who knew and that was by accident."
"Is he alright? How sick is he?"
"He wouldn't tell me." she said. "He wouldn't tell me anything and then… my stepmother told me not to call anymore. That I was making things worse."
Behind her she heard Shin mutter, "Hag."
She folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them. "I hate family."
"You hate that family." Shin said. "But we're your family too, Shion."
Nobu perked up at the idea. "Yeah! BLAST is your family - we'll support you now."
She smiled and closed her eyes. The phone call had taken all her strength to get through without crying. "Thank you… both of you."
•─────⋅雨⋅─────•
After an initial rocky start to the day, things only began to look up. Shin left just as it was getting dark to visit another client, and after finishing off another song together, Shion and Nobu called it a day. Until Nobu had an idea.
"You've never visited a friend's place before now, right?"
She nodded.
"Then you've got to have a movie night!" He was already up and pulling out junk food from the cupboards in his kitchenette.
"But it's already getting quite dark, and I've still got to get back." she said, peering out the window where the orange glow of streetlights was illuminating the evening sky.
"You can just stay here - I'll sleep on the floor." Then he froze and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I guess it would be pretty uncomfortable for you to stay here alone with me. You're still a girl, after all."
"No! I'd love to!" she blurted out. "I said it before, didn't I? I don't get those sort of feelings - and I would really appreciate the pop culture education. I don't really watch movies."
The awkwardness melted from his face and he went back to getting food ready. "I can order food in for dinner - if you want, the movies are over by the wall there." He had a substantial movie collection and she had no idea what to pick. Until she saw a movie that she recognised. My Neighbour Totoro, She used to watch that movie as a child, years before her father remarried.
When Nobu had finished ordering food, he came and sat down. "Did you find anything you wanted to watch?"
She shyly pushed her choice towards him. He studied it for a moment and then grinned. "That's just like you, Shion. It's cute."
"Thanks." she mumbled. They spent the next half hour chatting as they waited for the food to arrive. They weren't deep discussions, but she enjoyed them nonetheless. Everything from hobbies outside of music, to places in the world they wanted to visit, to what they wanted their dream house to look like. She felt so comfortable talking, it was hard to believe she once hid in her room the first time they met.
They sat next to each other during the movie, and after they finished eating Nobu pulled his blankets from his bed and they shared a cocoon. Watching a childhood movie, snuggled next to her best friend was bliss, and she couldn't help herself from drifting off to sleep on his shoulder.
She woke up with a start, temporarily confused. The room was dark, and her phone soon explained it was 3am. As far as she could tell she was still on the floor, next to a lump that was also breathing. Ah, it was Nobu. It must've been because they were sharing his blankets and he didn't want to wake her. Well, it would be their little secret. She slid back down, snuggling up closer to him so they were barely touching and let sleep take her until morning.
•─────⋅雨⋅─────•
