Thank you so much to those who reviewed, I didn't expect to get much *hugs everyone*. Your words are all wonderful! I promise to try my best. As for the questions, I can't answer them without giving spoilers, so I'm afraid you'll just have to read on ^-^' Usual disclaimers to Maki Murakami, she's the goddess who made the miracle that is Gravitation.
LESSONS IN LIFE
(Chapter 2 - K)
NG's main lobby is idle, quiet, with just the right amount of coolness from the air-conditioners to bring out a very comforting atmosphere. People around here look forward to their work, not only because they get to listen to a lot of famous bands do their recording - that's just an added bonus - but mostly because of the good working conditions. Either that, or the saying that Japanese people are hard workers is true.
I pick up the mug of steaming coffee from the table, taking in the warm, bittersweet smell before placing the rim to my lips to take a sip. I can almost hear myself sigh. The peacefulness in NG, hot coffee to wake up the remaining sleeping parts of my body, with my gun safely tucked - though not hidden - under my right arm. I could only wish this is going to last.
"MR. K-----!!!"
Yes, well, I did say wish, didn't I?
I placed my mug back from where it initially sat to regard Mr. Sakano. It was a good thing NG had automatic doors. Mr. Sakano has this habit of creating a live tornado around him only to be stopped by crashing through something hard, a wall preferably. But I doubt thin glass, like that in most building entrances, could support him. Tohma really knows how things work around this world.
"MR. K MR. K MR. K!!!"
"Good morning, Sakano-san," I greeted him, giving him a cheerful smile. The day's nice, and I'm taking it for granted for as long as I can.
"MR. K!"
"Sit down and catch your breath," I told him, gesturing to the seat across from mine.
This did some good, for Mr. Sakano nodded his head and took a deep breath before sitting down. His expression was still that of deep anxiety, his eyebrows making a disturbing slope down on either sides of his face. He was in the brink of tears, I can tell, but I'm fairly used to it. I decided long before that Mr. Sakano's outbursts can be handled with a calm demeanor.
"Now," I started, holding my cup again to take one more sip. "What's wrong now?"
Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Not yet anyway, but we don't have much time right now. Bad Luck's deadline is pretty close and we have to finish working on their new album before the week ends, but we still have a long way to go. But still, I think I'm beginning to regret asking so quickly. I've been responsible for a couple of deaths, but none of them involved encouraging a man to pull his hair and choke himself to death, as Mr. Sakano is doing as of the moment.
Mr. Sakano is still sitting down, but I don't think it's doing him much good anymore. "Nakano just called me a while ago and told me that Shindou-kun came to him very early in the morning and asked him if he could stay there for a while and I asked if Shindou's all right but Nakano said he looks really put down and he isn't talking much what if he and Yuki-san broke up and Shindou's back to being depressed again and our deadline's next week and we're not even halfway done and Shindou won't finish his lyrics and he'd mope around Fujisaki would get pissed of and my life sucks my life sucks my life sucks what would the president say Shindou-kun I'm so useless I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF!!!"
My hand quickly shot out to grab Mr. Sakano's back collar before he could run to the elevators to jump off the building. I'm also putting my gun away from him lest he'd get any idea.
"Calm down," I told him, shaking him a bit to wake him up from his panic attack. I sometimes wonder how long he's going to last in this lifetime. He seems pretty eligible for an early heart attack, Lord forbid. Mr. Sakano is a good, hardworking producer, but his emotional stability leaves a lot to be desired. "We'll wait for the group and see if they're all right. Besides, we've been through this before, everything's going to be just fine."
I handed Mr. Sakano my handkerchief, he needs it more than I do. My words seem to help. He's finally quiet now, sobbing every once in a while. I noticed that there are some people staring at us. Only a few, the old workers here in NG know Mr. Sakano pretty well enough to know about his regular outbursts. But as for the new workers, I grabbed for my gun and gave them a manic grin, which solved the problem as far as stares are concerned.
The opening and closing shift of the automatic doors can be heard from the silence, and I quickly recognized the voice that greeted us.
"Good morning!" It was Hiro Nakano. Behind him was Suguru Fujisaki, who was giving more of his attention to a certain pink-haired young man beside him instead of greeting us as well. Not that I could blame him.
"'Morning," mumbled Shuichi. He has a small, not really forced but a long way from his usual genki enthusiasm for work kind of smile. His shoulders were slumped and looked really tired, and the faint darkness below his eyes were a clear sign that he hasn't slept at all. He held a couple of papers in his hand, and this he gave to Mr. Sakano. "The lyrics for today's song. I already showed it to Fujisaki."
Mr. Sakano blinked up at Shuichi, as if expecting him to break down and cry or something. But nothing of the sort happened, which I think is the reason why Mr. Sakano's so surprised. So instead, I took the offered sheets and looked over it myself. The words written are of the same style as Shuichi's other love songs, and no significant change altered grammar or vocabulary.
"We'll be going up to the recording room so we can work on the music," said Hiro suddenly. "We have a copy of those lyrics, so you can keep them and look over them amongst yourselves. Ja!"
The three of them disappeared behind the elevators, leaving me and a gaping Mr. Sakano behind. A few minutes passed and I heard a quick sigh of relief from the man who was now sitting beside me.
"That went strangely well," he said, wiping his tear-stained eyes and eyeglasses with my handkerchief.
"Yes," I mumbled, looking down at the lyrics again. "Strangely."
I read over the lyrics Shuichi wrote again, convinced that Hiro and Suguru probably edited it already so I need not worry about those things. This time, I focused on the words and the message of the song. I don't know if I have told anyone, but I've always admired Shuichi's songs. He has a certain kind of innocence in him, an optimistic outlook that almost became the trademark of Bad Luck's songs.
But there was a certain turn in today's words, and I can't help but stop to read and reread the ending coda of the song.
So long have I thought that we'll last forever, that what we have is enough.
But though in love, I'm still human, I can still make mistakes.
End of Chapter 2
Shuichi's lyrics are by me, so suck as they might, they finish the chapter well enough ^^; Please review, I'd really appreciate it!