The Melody of Life
peridotpearl
(Aki)
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. (e.g.- I don't own Hana Yori Dango, HYD belongs to Yoko Kamio, the lucky duck!, etc.)
Author's Notes: This story is an AU, so please bear with me as I try to make it believable. Some of the time, the characters will be slightly OOC, if not completely so. Also, thoughts will be in [ ], okay? I recently finished a one-shot, Emblazoned Upon Her. A reviewer said that my writing was too blunt; there was no hidden message. Actually, my dear reviewer, there was one! You need to figure it out by probing through the argument, because I sure as hell am NOT going to tell you what it is! I don't know if this story will have one too, so keep an eye out for clues!
Please note: I appreciate all reviews, though flames not as much. ^.~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
"Mama, I'm home!" Tsukushi pulled the small, pink backpack from her shoulders. It slid gently to the ground with a soft thump. When no one answered, she slid her plain, white shoes off her feet and dropped them carelessly onto the ground, alongside the backpack.
She crept through the rooms silently, hoping to find Mama preoccupied with making her an afternoon snack of macaroni and cheese. Instead, she found empty rooms and no enticing smells of cooking foods.
She sighed with relief when she saw her mother's familiar form draped over the arm of the couch. She scampered over and tapped the still figure on the shoulder. "Mama? Wake up, Mama. I know you're just playing!"
When her mother still didn't respond, Tsukushi frantically shook her. A small bottle fell out of her mother's hands. A small, orange prescription bottle labeled as 'Ecstasy'. It was empty.
:--:--:
Tsukushi scanned the newspaper hungrily, searching for more 'Help Wanted' ads. A red marker gripped firmly in her hand, she flipped through the grimy pages, her eyes desperately roaming across the words.
After awhile, she sighed and folded the newspaper back up. There was nothing else to be found in this copy. Too bad it was missing a page from the Classifieds; maybe that would have had the lucky job.
Ah, what the hell. There was always tomorrow to look for another newspaper and another job. No need to worry; something would come along eventually.
Tsukushi walked out of the dango shop and put the newspaper back where she'd found it. Rummaging around in the garbage bin, she started when she felt something hard. Pulling her hand out, she cringed. Who was she kidding? It wasn't an apple, just an old tin can. It looked like there wouldn't be anything for dinner tonight.
She stepped back from the trashcan, reluctant to leave her only hope for a meal. Sighing, she turned back to the store. Pulling lightly at the door handle, she groaned when the door didn't move. Clutching the handle, she recklessly threw herself backwards, trying to use her weight to move the stubborn door. She cried out in surprise when she accidentally let go.
"Oof!" Someone behind her caught her elbows and the two fell together. Tangled in a mess of joints and clothes, she winced. Mr. Fujimiya would never forgive her for hurting a potential customer so close to the dango shop.
Unwrapping the man's hands from around her arms, Tsukushi stood. She hesitated for a second before offering to help the man up. "I'm so sorry, sir. I did not notice your presence and I'm afraid my clumsiness has injured you in some way. May I apologize by treating you to a meal at this dango store? I'm sure it will not take long." She bowed courteously, intensely aware of the closeness of their two bodies.
The man laughed, clearly amused by her words. Tsukushi kept her head down, fearful of what the man would do to her. A hand tugged gently at her chin, its slender fingers forcing her to look up.
Piercing blue eyes met her gaze, then blinked rapidly for awhile. "Why'd you leave him? I thought you said you'd never ever go anywhere without him. You don't love him, do you?" When he stopped rambling, he studied Tsukushi again. His eyes softened suddenly. "You're not who I thought you were , are you? I thought you were..."
She pulled her chin free from his grasp. His fingers lingered in the air for a second, then dropped. "Thought I was what? An ex-girlfriend? A prostitute ? Some old lady looking for something to amuse herself with? You know what? I don't feel like staying any longer. Here's some money to pay for whatever damage you suddenly find."
She thrust a small handful of bills at him, then dashed away. Bemusedly, he rifled through the money, expecting to see a couple of tens or twenties. Instead, he found himself looking at some familiar bills. Hundred dollar bills.
:--:--:
Tsukushi banged her head against the wall angrily. Plaster drifted down, scattering lightly on the rough wood floors. She paused, looking at the small flakes with interest and a little bit of melancholy. Shaking her head, she started to pound the battered wall with her fists. More plaster and grout rained down upon her. When a thin ring of debris had formed around her, she stopped. Reaching down, she gently moved some of the plaster. Slowly and deliberately, she shifted the pieces around with her fingertips.
:--:--:
"Ahh, Rui. You finally decided to join us, huh?" Soujiro stretched his arms out lazily and winked jokingly at the slouching figure. Then he looked to the man beside him. "Yo, Akira! What's up?"
When he didn't respond, Soujiro smiled slyly at the other two, then shifted so he was snuggled close against Akira's chest. Pitching his voice so it sounded like a girl's, he whined into Akira's ear. "Aki, why didn't you call me after last night? I thought we had had such fun!"
His voice slipped into a smooth tone used only when talking to one of his many ex-girlfriends. "Haruko, I thought we'd agreed that we should see other people. We both knew it wouldn't have worked out for us, so why not break it off and date others? I know you had fun with me in bed, but quite frankly, I thought you were getting pretty monotonous." He shoved Soujiro away roughly. "The fake screams didn't help either."
Soujiro, who had toppled over sideways on the red leather couch, looked dazed for a second. Then he burst out laughing. "Way to go, Akira! You got that far with that Haruko lady? Wasn't she the one that kept on protesting that we were too lowly for her? Man, I would have loved to see her face when you dumped her!"
Akira looked up, stunned. His face turned white, then bright red. He mumbled something into his drink, then stood. Heading to the bar, he ordered another drink, swallowing it in one gulp. He turned and stumbled into another figure. The man pushed Akira away gently, trying to guide him in the direction of the restrooms. But Akira didn't go. He straightened and started to yell at the man, taking wild swings at his head. He lumbered around, smashing everything he could reach.
Soujiro looked at the other man sitting on the couch. "Tsukasa, let's stop him before he really loses control. I wonder what's got him so pissed?"
Tsukasa shook his head sullenly. "How would I know? Let's get him before he reaches a million worth of damages."
Rui spoke up from the shadows. "She's back."
:--:--:--:
So, how'd you like it so far? Don't forget to review because more reviews=more updates! Go ahead; you know you wanna!
peridotpearl
(Aki)
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. (e.g.- I don't own Hana Yori Dango, HYD belongs to Yoko Kamio, the lucky duck!, etc.)
Author's Notes: This story is an AU, so please bear with me as I try to make it believable. Some of the time, the characters will be slightly OOC, if not completely so. Also, thoughts will be in [ ], okay? I recently finished a one-shot, Emblazoned Upon Her. A reviewer said that my writing was too blunt; there was no hidden message. Actually, my dear reviewer, there was one! You need to figure it out by probing through the argument, because I sure as hell am NOT going to tell you what it is! I don't know if this story will have one too, so keep an eye out for clues!
Please note: I appreciate all reviews, though flames not as much. ^.~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
"Mama, I'm home!" Tsukushi pulled the small, pink backpack from her shoulders. It slid gently to the ground with a soft thump. When no one answered, she slid her plain, white shoes off her feet and dropped them carelessly onto the ground, alongside the backpack.
She crept through the rooms silently, hoping to find Mama preoccupied with making her an afternoon snack of macaroni and cheese. Instead, she found empty rooms and no enticing smells of cooking foods.
She sighed with relief when she saw her mother's familiar form draped over the arm of the couch. She scampered over and tapped the still figure on the shoulder. "Mama? Wake up, Mama. I know you're just playing!"
When her mother still didn't respond, Tsukushi frantically shook her. A small bottle fell out of her mother's hands. A small, orange prescription bottle labeled as 'Ecstasy'. It was empty.
:--:--:
Tsukushi scanned the newspaper hungrily, searching for more 'Help Wanted' ads. A red marker gripped firmly in her hand, she flipped through the grimy pages, her eyes desperately roaming across the words.
After awhile, she sighed and folded the newspaper back up. There was nothing else to be found in this copy. Too bad it was missing a page from the Classifieds; maybe that would have had the lucky job.
Ah, what the hell. There was always tomorrow to look for another newspaper and another job. No need to worry; something would come along eventually.
Tsukushi walked out of the dango shop and put the newspaper back where she'd found it. Rummaging around in the garbage bin, she started when she felt something hard. Pulling her hand out, she cringed. Who was she kidding? It wasn't an apple, just an old tin can. It looked like there wouldn't be anything for dinner tonight.
She stepped back from the trashcan, reluctant to leave her only hope for a meal. Sighing, she turned back to the store. Pulling lightly at the door handle, she groaned when the door didn't move. Clutching the handle, she recklessly threw herself backwards, trying to use her weight to move the stubborn door. She cried out in surprise when she accidentally let go.
"Oof!" Someone behind her caught her elbows and the two fell together. Tangled in a mess of joints and clothes, she winced. Mr. Fujimiya would never forgive her for hurting a potential customer so close to the dango shop.
Unwrapping the man's hands from around her arms, Tsukushi stood. She hesitated for a second before offering to help the man up. "I'm so sorry, sir. I did not notice your presence and I'm afraid my clumsiness has injured you in some way. May I apologize by treating you to a meal at this dango store? I'm sure it will not take long." She bowed courteously, intensely aware of the closeness of their two bodies.
The man laughed, clearly amused by her words. Tsukushi kept her head down, fearful of what the man would do to her. A hand tugged gently at her chin, its slender fingers forcing her to look up.
Piercing blue eyes met her gaze, then blinked rapidly for awhile. "Why'd you leave him? I thought you said you'd never ever go anywhere without him. You don't love him, do you?" When he stopped rambling, he studied Tsukushi again. His eyes softened suddenly. "You're not who I thought you were , are you? I thought you were..."
She pulled her chin free from his grasp. His fingers lingered in the air for a second, then dropped. "Thought I was what? An ex-girlfriend? A prostitute ? Some old lady looking for something to amuse herself with? You know what? I don't feel like staying any longer. Here's some money to pay for whatever damage you suddenly find."
She thrust a small handful of bills at him, then dashed away. Bemusedly, he rifled through the money, expecting to see a couple of tens or twenties. Instead, he found himself looking at some familiar bills. Hundred dollar bills.
:--:--:
Tsukushi banged her head against the wall angrily. Plaster drifted down, scattering lightly on the rough wood floors. She paused, looking at the small flakes with interest and a little bit of melancholy. Shaking her head, she started to pound the battered wall with her fists. More plaster and grout rained down upon her. When a thin ring of debris had formed around her, she stopped. Reaching down, she gently moved some of the plaster. Slowly and deliberately, she shifted the pieces around with her fingertips.
:--:--:
"Ahh, Rui. You finally decided to join us, huh?" Soujiro stretched his arms out lazily and winked jokingly at the slouching figure. Then he looked to the man beside him. "Yo, Akira! What's up?"
When he didn't respond, Soujiro smiled slyly at the other two, then shifted so he was snuggled close against Akira's chest. Pitching his voice so it sounded like a girl's, he whined into Akira's ear. "Aki, why didn't you call me after last night? I thought we had had such fun!"
His voice slipped into a smooth tone used only when talking to one of his many ex-girlfriends. "Haruko, I thought we'd agreed that we should see other people. We both knew it wouldn't have worked out for us, so why not break it off and date others? I know you had fun with me in bed, but quite frankly, I thought you were getting pretty monotonous." He shoved Soujiro away roughly. "The fake screams didn't help either."
Soujiro, who had toppled over sideways on the red leather couch, looked dazed for a second. Then he burst out laughing. "Way to go, Akira! You got that far with that Haruko lady? Wasn't she the one that kept on protesting that we were too lowly for her? Man, I would have loved to see her face when you dumped her!"
Akira looked up, stunned. His face turned white, then bright red. He mumbled something into his drink, then stood. Heading to the bar, he ordered another drink, swallowing it in one gulp. He turned and stumbled into another figure. The man pushed Akira away gently, trying to guide him in the direction of the restrooms. But Akira didn't go. He straightened and started to yell at the man, taking wild swings at his head. He lumbered around, smashing everything he could reach.
Soujiro looked at the other man sitting on the couch. "Tsukasa, let's stop him before he really loses control. I wonder what's got him so pissed?"
Tsukasa shook his head sullenly. "How would I know? Let's get him before he reaches a million worth of damages."
Rui spoke up from the shadows. "She's back."
:--:--:--:
So, how'd you like it so far? Don't forget to review because more reviews=more updates! Go ahead; you know you wanna!