Title: Understated
Author: Occurs (missoccurs@hotmail.com)
Chapter Three
Notes: This was originally one very very long chapter, but
instead of having a monster chapter, I decided to split
three into three and four (four will hopefully be finished, revised and along
sometime next week). ^-^;
Understated: Chapter Three
"Mika-san!" Tatsuha grabbed at his sister's arm excitedly as he pointed
down at a full page ad in the newspaper. "Our favorite band is going to be
playing tomorrow and Saturday!"
"What do you mean 'our favorite band'?" Mika shook her head as she
followed his finger to the paper brightly advertising a two-night concert
spectacular courtesy of Nittle Grasper. "You're the one who likes the music."
"Yeah, but I'm not the one with a poster stuck in my closet and
fanzines hidden under the bed." He ducked out of the way of her swatting hand,
skittering easily to the other side of the table with the advertisement
clutched in his fingers like a lifeline. "Come on, Mika-san," He pleaded,
changing his tone. "You got to see them last year. And I never get to go
anywhere!" With quick movement he grabbed both his sister's hands and stared
up at her with long-practiced fake tears welling out of the corners of his
eyes. "Mika-san, we're all alone in this world! Don't you think we should
bond by going to see Nittle Grasper together?"
"Oh, come off it." Mika hastily shook him off of her, clucking
her tongue maternally. "We have not been abandoned; Papa and Eiri are only
gone for a week, and the reason you're not with them is that you said you'd
rather die than take a tour of the living ancestors that comprise the
Sapporo branch of the family." That had been a particularly sticky little
argument, but no amount of ordering or bribery could convince the ten year
old that he needed a family vacation. Mika had the blessed excuse of work,
though if their father had requested her presence she would have resigned
herself. Honestly, sometimes her brothers could be so obnoxious. Well,
Tatsuha could be. Eiri was rarely a problem.
"Onee-saaaan..."
"No buts, I have to work." She pointed to the dates, tapping them
with a manicured fingernail. "You'll be staying here with the babysitter.
Besides, you're too young for a big concert and I'm sure the tickets are
long gone by now."
"You could get tickets if you really wanted to." He frowned. Onee-san
could do anything, she just wouldn't.
"Maybe I could." She agreed thoughtfully, staring at the faces that
looked back at her from the page. Her eyes lingered over the newsprint visage
of Seguchi Tohma, the black and white shot not doing her memory justice. Vanity
made her wonder if he remembered her, practicality assured her that he'd probably
been out with a different companion every night since their parting.
"So why don't you? I'll be good, I just reeaaallly want to go!!"
Mika raised an eyebrow at his persistence, but refused to dignify it
with acknowledgment. "No! I already told you, I'm working."
"You work all the time. You're going to work now, you'll be working while
the biggest concert of the year plays practically in our backyard.." The complaints
went on in a last attempt to guilt her into harassing the radio stations for
tickets.
"I like to work." She answered, though it wasn't strictly true. She
liked the financial independence of holding a job, that was sure enough, but
cocktail waitressing even at one of Kyoto's more upscale establishments was
hardly a career dream. It was tiring work, with the clientele close to her
father's age and often annoyingly grabby. It also required her to be far
more polite than her nature ordinarily accounted for. Defeated, the dark
haired boy flopped onto the low couch, flipping on the television and
hoping to catch some music videos. There was a low rumble outside as a car
pulled up to the house, and Tatusha looked up with apprehension.
"Mika-san, you're not letting crazy old Hirofumi-san babysit me
again, are you?"
"I should, the way you're acting." Mika gave him a sharp look
as she slid on a long wool coat to combat the cold her thin lounge uniform
always allowed in. The door opened as Mika did a quick adjustment of
her skirt and blouse, a movement quickly made useless as her brother
barreled past her to meet the figure at the door.
"Junko-chan!"
"Hey, Tasu-chan!" Mika's friend bent down to ruffle his hair, her
face glowing with excitement. "You're not going to believe what we're
doing Saturday night!"
Tatusha's eyes went wide as he dared to hope. "Are we...?"
"We're going to see Nittle Grasper!"
Mika clapped her hands over her ears to save herself from the
obnoxious high-pitched squeals of ecstasy as the pair jumped up and
down obliviously. "Hold it!"
They stopped short, Junko looking even more worried by Mika's
tone than Tatsuha.
"You are not taking Tatsuha to that concert! What are you
thinking?!"
"But I have to babysit him anyway, and Tatsuha and I both truly
appreciate the subtlety of perfection that make up Nittle Grasper. Their
wonder knows no age limits."
Tatsuha just shook his head at his protesting sister. "Mika doesn't
know anything about being a true fan." He sighed sadly, and Mika rolled her
eyes. Insane, the whole lot of them.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Junko smiled with a mischievous
glint. "She is the one who spent the night with..."
"Shut. up." Mika cut Junko off with a look that could cut glass.
"Oh, come on, Mika-san," Junko put her hands up appeasingly with a
nervous smile. "That's practically my favorite story to pass around ever."
"You *tell* people about that?!"
"Of course I tell people! Except instead of you, it's me. And instead
of just Tohma it's Tohma and Ryuichi. And there's a hot tub involved. And
instead of just being there until morning there's this whole week in Paris
with..."
"I get it." Mika interrupted before Junko could go on and further
corrupt her baby brother. Tatsuha, however, was looking at his sibling in
a whole new light.
"Onee-san? You and Tohma? The Seguchi Tohma? And that was why you
didn't come ho.."
"Absolutely not." Mika patted his head absently as she made a
throat-slitting motion at her soon to be ex-friend...at least, soon to be
ex if she kept acting like this. "Junko just had a bit too much to drink
at that concert, and she passed out, and she imagined that there was this...
this thing going on between myself and Seguchi Tohma, which is absolutely
ridiculous. Right Junko?"
The short girl paled at Mika's expression. "Of course, Mika-san,"
She squeaked out with a too-rapid nod. She hated it when Mika got all scary;
It really took the fun out of everything. "That's all it was Tatsuha, and,
um, you should know better than to listen to anything I say."
"Oh." He nodded with a stretch. It was a much less fun explanation,
but it did make a lot more sense. At any rate, it didn't matter. He was
getting to go see Nittle Grasper, and Mika wasn't, and if that wasn't divine
justice he didn't know what was.
***
"Ah, Uesugi-san, I was wondering when you'd be in!" The owner of
the bar greeted her warmly as she removed her coat, and Mika smiled back with
a slight bow.
"I'm sorry if I'm late, Ikeda-san." Over his shoulder she could
see that the place was fairly quiet at the moment, mostly regulars with a
few foreign tourists clustered in the back. Even the other waitresses were
letting their boredom show, paying more attention to the small television
behind the bar than to the already satisfied customers.
"No, no, not at all. Something has simply come up that I need
to talk to you about."
"Okay..." She looked at him expectantly, waiting for continuation
and following when he motioned her to his office. Two of the other
waitresses followed as Shinjiro Ikeda sat himself down at his desk, still
smiling a little too broadly. Mika crossed her arms instinctively. She
didn't like his look one bit.
"We have been presented with a wonderful opportunity to advance our
business reputation while being paid generously for the prospect, girls,
and you three are the only ladies on the serving staff I see fit for
such a venture."
Mika exchanged uneasy looks with her co-workers. 'Wonderful
opportunities' usually meant they'd been invited to serve drinks for Kyoto's
rich, powerful, and perverted at some pseudo-important function. Her
mind quickly clicked into 'excuse' mode...there had to be something
polite and to the point that would get her out of the prospect. Ikeda-san
continued, oblivious to his girl's discomfort.
"We've been invited by the Kaiken Hall staff to cater and
provide drinks for this weekend's rock show. As we have been promised prominent
advertisement, it will be an excellent chance to connect with a younger
demographic in the area, don't you agree?" The question was politely
rhetorical, and the girls stood silent as the assignment sunk in.
When they began the questions, it was a mix of excited chatter and
cheer.
"So you mean we get to go backstage and everything?" Kanno
Hiromi clapped her hands excitedly. "This is going to be fun! Thank
you so much for choosing me, Ikeda-san!" Her short hair bobbed as
she bowed, and Hashimoto Satomi joined in nodding.
"Yes, we'll do our very best to represent this establishment
well and you won't be disappointed in us!"
"Uesugi-san?" Ikeda peered over his glasses at her, pushing
them up on the bridge of his nose. He wasn't surprised that she didn't
look terribly excited, but he really had expected some reaction.
"Uesugi-san, I was hoping that you would oversee the details of
the event."
"You won't be there?" That caused a reaction, albeit only mild
surprise. With delicate situations Ikeda often preferred to run things
himself, making sure he was available to smooth any wrinkles and
doctor any toes carelessly stepped on by an unthinking waitress. The
care he took to insure the bar's reputation was as admirable as it was
annoying.
"Unfortunately, no." He shook his head lightly. "Kaiken
specifically requested only waitresses." Mika felt her lip curl at
that, but she talked herself down before snapping. It made good
business sense that for such a fashionable scene only the youngest
and most beautiful assets of the company be sent out as representation.
"I appreciate your confidence in my work." She nodded
respectfully and kept her face impassive. "I will be happy to do
what's required of me."
"Very good." Ikeda smiled and waved them off, turning back to
the scattered papers covering his desk. "You may go back to work now.
Uesugi-san, we'll talk when your shift is over and I'll put you in
contact with Kaiken."
The trio bowed and exited quickly, their high heels clicking
loudly against the tiled floor.
"Is this not the best job ever?" Satomi hopped up on a barstool,
twisting around to face her coworkers. "No old guys, no suits,
and we get to turn up the charm around gorgeous musicians." She smiled,
looking insufferably pleased.
"It's not going to be quite that easy." Mika assured her, picking
up a tray. "We probably won't be dealing much with the bands at all. It's
going to be the producers, sponsors, and managers who will most likely be
around, and they're going to be..."
"Old guys in suits?"
"Basically."
"It's still better than other things we've had to do." Hiromi
argued, sitting next to Satomi and crossing her legs. "We'll get to
hear the concert and all, and there shouldn't be that many people to
have to deal with. I'd think you'd be even happier than we are
about this, Mika-san. After all, you're the one who complains the
most about the usual affairs."
"Hm." Was Mika's monosyllabic answer as she turned to take
an order, her mind mixed with annoyance and an unfamiliar
apprehension. As she stepped back to the bar to mix the drinks she
pushed the feelings away with inner determination. So, despite everything,
she'd see Seguchi Tohma again. It certainly wasn't anything to be
excited or nervous about. It was doubtful he remembered her, and if
he did it wasn't exactly going to be a big deal. After all, she reasoned
to herself, they had only spent a little time together and just because
she had found him extremely attractive did not mean that she couldn't
be polished and professional if by chance they should speak again. And
furthermore...
"Damn it!" She cursed aloud as the vodka splashed out of the
low glass and onto her hand, startling her and soaking through the cuff of
her sleeve. With a scowl she shook the clear droplets off her skin, ignoring
the curious glances from Hiromi and Satomi as she gestured for them
to take the customer while she washed the away the trace alcohol. Leaning
against the counter Mika composed herself, eliminating the tension from
her frame and pulling a cigarette out from beneath the counter. 'Quit being
an idiot' her mind's voice chirped helpfully, trying to reinstate the mental
dialogue. Mika sighed as she inhaled, staring up at the permanently
smoke-stained ceiling of the bar. She let her brain play through various
scenarios as she smoked, wondering again why she was even bothering to
worry about it. It wasn't her style to fret over what anyone thought of
her, least of all some guy she barely knew, no matter how charming,
handsome, or intriguing he was. Hell, she reasoned, a good three-fourths
of the girls in Japan felt exactly the same way she did.
"Mika-san?" Hiromi's voice carried over the low hum of conversation
as Mika stabbed her cigarette in the ashtray with a violent motion.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine." Mika snapped back a little too quickly, caught off
guard in her reverie. The waitress backed off immediately, and Mika
turned again to her tables with a determined look. She just wasn't going
to let herself worry about it right now. She had work to do, and working
was much more productive than sitting around thinking about Seguchi-san.
Less interesting, to be sure, but Mika had about had it thinking of the
'interesting' things that could arise, and there was really no point to
it. If the two of them spoke five words during the course of the night
she'd be surprised. She hadn't been lying when she'd told her co-workers
what they'd likely be doing. It was going to end up being like any other
special function they attended, and Mika found she couldn't decide if
that fact was extremely comforting or incredibly disappointing.
***
"I really don't understand how these kinds of things always
happen to you!" Wastasi Junko shook her head as she set a selection
of lipstick and eye shadow down on Mika's bathroom counter. The taller
girl shook her head as she rolled on her sheer nylons, struggling not to
snag the material. She fussed over them for a few minutes, fastening
the stockings and glaring over as her friend proceeded to rearrange
her makeup.
"Isn't it amazing how fate works, though?" Junko continued,
sticking away any shades she considered too dull or awkward and cheerily
lining up her preferred brands and colors. "I mean, just yesterday none
of us were going to get to go, and now all of us are! And I still
totally think you can sneak us backstage...Wait, you're not considering
wearing this color, right?" She held a lipstick up to the light with a
frown. "You're so obviously an autumn, I don't know why you have this."
The tube was tossed in the trashcan before Mika could question her
judgment.
"You're the last person I need fashion tips from." Mika zipped the
short uniform skirt and gathered her hair behind her, pulling it up into an
appropriately formal bun. She checked her profile in the mirror and
pushed Junko ungracefully from the vanity, artfully applying a minimum
of makeup. "Just promise me you'll keep Tatsuha out of trouble."
"Oh, sure." Junko waved dismissively, sitting down on the
bed. She smiled at Mika's disbelieving glance. "There's not going to be any
trouble. I'm totally in charge."
"And you'll call when you get home?"
"Mika, you sound like my grandmother." The comparison brought
another patented glare, and Junko shook her head. "Yes, of course, don't
be so grouchy. Nothing's going to happen to your brother. I swear, if
you had your way you'd keep them stuck inside all the time."
"And then I'd know where they were, who they saw, and that they
were perfectly well cared for. I don't see the problem. I'll try to see
you tonight if I get a break."
Junko nodded, picking up a magazine and flipping the well worn
pages to avoid looking back at her friend. She certainly wasn't going
to say anything else with Mika so edgy. When she got like this the only
thing that wouldn't provoke her was pretty much 'Yes, Mika-san, you're
absolutely right about absolutely everything.', and Junko wasn't quite up
to kowtowing.
"Bye."
Junko nodded again, continuing to keep her eyes glued to an article
on the latest advances in hair jewelry. She sat up again as the click of the
front door indicated that Mika was finally on her way, and she swung to her
feet to go look for Tatsuha. It wasn't hard to find him...all she had to do
was follow the sounds of the latest Nittle Graper cd that was blasting
down the hall to the shut bathroom. She smiled as she knocked. So what if
Mika blasted her for taking a ten year old to the concert? He was undoubtedly
going to be more fun and happy about it than his big sister, and right now
that was really all that was important.
Notes: So do you guys prefer more, shorter chapters or less, longer chapters (ex.
This is almost nine pages and out now, or it could have been left as one chapter and been
eighteen or so, but out next week). Please review and let me know. Or just review. :D
Reviews make me happier than anything else in this world, even chocolate. Oh, and
does anyone know any good html programs to do documents in? Word is driving
me crazy. It always changes the formatting when I upload and makes me want
to stab my computer with a grapefruit spoon. -_-