The Melody of Life
peridotpearl
(Aki)
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango. This disclaimer applies to the rest of this story too. Author's Notes: I love my reviewers so much! Thanks for all the support I've been receiving for this fanfic. It keeps me inspired, writing, and updating. Believe me, I would not have the patience to continue this without you! Please make sure you notice this: I am using the Western style of calling people by their first names, thus Tsukasa is T.D., Rui is H.R., etc.
~~~~~~~~@
"Welcome to our humble establishment. How may I help you today?" Tsukushi bowed quickly and deeply. Her hair swept the floor as she leaned over. She hoped that the man had not seen her face, or if he had, hadn't recognized it.
Silence filled the room, reigning over Tsukushi's wildly pounding heart. For several long, tense moments, no one said anything. Suddenly, a voice spoke quietly. "Mr. Fujimiya, thank you for your help. I believe I have found the person I was looking for."
Mr. Fujimiya, stunned, looked from the man to Tsukushi. "You were searching for...?" When he was slipped a discrete handful of bills, he quickly shuffled out of the room, bowing and scraping his way past the two.
When he had left, Tsukushi dared to move. She turned back to the sink and lifted her head. Pulling her hair back, she tied it with a small piece of string she found on the grimy counter. Resting her hands on the edge of the sink, she leaned her weight against it and sighed quietly. "Is there anything I can get you, sir?"
No one responded. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Why had he come back? Hadn't Mr. Fujimiya mentioned that the man was looking for someone? Could it be her that he was talking about? But she didn't even know the man, so maybe he'd come to ask for more money to repair his damaged clothing. There was nothing she could do about that, though. She'd given him all the money she'd had. There was nothing more she could do about the accident.
She gathered her frail courage and turned, ready to confront the man. There was no one there. No one was in the cake store with her. Something caught her eye and she walked over to the small table. A small heart was carved deeply into the cheap plastic, though the sides had long worn away. Thin letters were etched inside, and a closer look revealed that they spelled out "T and T forever". Next to the heart was a pile of bills. Hundred dollar bills. :--:--:
"Akira, what was that about?" Soujiro grumbled discontentedly, unhappy at being left in the car for so long by himself.
It took Akira a moment to respond. Then, he forced a laugh that sounded harsh and fake, even to his own ears. "What's wrong? Did you see some hotties, but discovered that I locked the doors so that opening them set off an alarm?"
Soujiro didn't answer. While Akira started the engine, he stared out the window. He looked at his reflection in the glass, distorted and misshapen. Turning so Akira was visible too, he wondered at the endless stream of thoughts that wove through his head. [We're living a glass life...How different our real selves are from the image we create. How different life would be like if we all revealed our true thoughts, rather than the ones we think look best. Isn't it just like glass? One moment, something may be exposed. In the next, it's gone with a change of light. Did I just see a part of Akira that I haven't seem before?]
At that moment, Akira turned on the light. Pulling a little-used map from the dashboard, he scanned it quickly. "Right, I'm really hungry. Who knew that a haircut would take so long? But anyway, let's get something to eat, then meet Tsukasa and Rui at that new club."
Soujiro nodded in agreement, sadness and confusion flitting across his face. [He doesn't trust me...]
:--:--:
She stared through the translucent colors of the liquid, swirling it slowly around and around her glass. She sighed tiredly and took a sip. Another cheap Chardonnay, hurriedly served with a few meager ice cubes in an attempt to cool down the disgustingly warm wine. She held the glass closer to her nose, the sweet tang of the drink still lingering in the air.
"Hey, Zuki!" A deep voice rang out, reverberating through the club.
Shizuka looked up in surprise. She hadn't heard that name in years. Rising slowly from her chair, she looked around for the person who had called her name. She dropped her wineglass and brought her hands to her mouth. "Aki!" She winced as shards of glass rained around her feet. Stumbling toward Akira, she flung herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly for a second. Then she turned to the man standing behind him. "Oh my god- Jiro!"
Stunned, Akira stood motionless for awhile. He remained silent, unaware of the flashing lights and throbbing music, as Shizuka's touch faded from his back. He awakened from his reverie when Soujiro slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, 'Aki'. I think there's someone waiting for us."
"Yeah, sure, whatever. Um...I'm going to wait here for Rui and Tsukasa. You go ahead." He walked back to the entrance of Light Ribbons and stood by the entrance. Slouching against the cold metal wall, he moved to a corner hidden by a flashy silver BMW. Sliding to the grass, he gazed glassy- eyed at the night sky. Scanning the stars carefully, he found the one he'd been looking for. A breath was released from his lips and blew away as he remembered..
.:.:.:.:.
"Aki, I want a star!" A young Shizuka tugged hard on Akira's pajama sleeve, dragging it below his bony shoulder.
He smiled and pointed at a random star in the sky. "Okay, what about that one?"
She squinted, then laughed childishly. "Now remember. It's the one that's closest to the moon. Now we have to name it. What do you want to call it, Aki?"
"I don't know. Why don't you decide?"
"I know! Our star's name is 'I will never leave you', because I will never leave your side, Aki."
.:.:.:.:.
Akira dropped his head into hands. A small sob escaped him as he was reminded of his unrequited love. [No, Aki! You promised yourself that you wouldn't cry over Shizuka anymore! There can't be anymore tears!] But even as he thought, tears leaked through his fingers and dripped onto the dew- covered grass.
:--:--:
Someone was outside the club, huddled on the wet ground. Tsukushi walked closer warily. She stopped short when she heard the cries emanating from the figure. Slowly, she kneeled in front of the man. His head was tucked into the protective circle of his arms, and his knees were drawn up to his face, hiding it from view. She reached into her pocket and drew out a thin cotton handkerchief. She held it toward him, but when he didn't take it, she set it gently in the palm of the hand draped across his knee. Then, she stood, brushing the dew and dirt from her jeans. "I'm sorry."
When she had left and his sobs had ceased, Akira looked up. Wiping his face clean of the traces of tears, he paused when he felt something rough on the edge of the fabric. Holding it up to the light of the moon, the faint lettering appeared...
T.M.
~~~~~~~~@
This chapter isn't as interesting as I wanted it to be, but I hope it shows you a little more about what the characters in this AU will be like. I also hope it answered some of your questions about this fanfic. If not, just post them in your review and I'll try hard to answer them for you!
peridotpearl
(Aki)
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango. This disclaimer applies to the rest of this story too. Author's Notes: I love my reviewers so much! Thanks for all the support I've been receiving for this fanfic. It keeps me inspired, writing, and updating. Believe me, I would not have the patience to continue this without you! Please make sure you notice this: I am using the Western style of calling people by their first names, thus Tsukasa is T.D., Rui is H.R., etc.
~~~~~~~~@
"Welcome to our humble establishment. How may I help you today?" Tsukushi bowed quickly and deeply. Her hair swept the floor as she leaned over. She hoped that the man had not seen her face, or if he had, hadn't recognized it.
Silence filled the room, reigning over Tsukushi's wildly pounding heart. For several long, tense moments, no one said anything. Suddenly, a voice spoke quietly. "Mr. Fujimiya, thank you for your help. I believe I have found the person I was looking for."
Mr. Fujimiya, stunned, looked from the man to Tsukushi. "You were searching for...?" When he was slipped a discrete handful of bills, he quickly shuffled out of the room, bowing and scraping his way past the two.
When he had left, Tsukushi dared to move. She turned back to the sink and lifted her head. Pulling her hair back, she tied it with a small piece of string she found on the grimy counter. Resting her hands on the edge of the sink, she leaned her weight against it and sighed quietly. "Is there anything I can get you, sir?"
No one responded. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Why had he come back? Hadn't Mr. Fujimiya mentioned that the man was looking for someone? Could it be her that he was talking about? But she didn't even know the man, so maybe he'd come to ask for more money to repair his damaged clothing. There was nothing she could do about that, though. She'd given him all the money she'd had. There was nothing more she could do about the accident.
She gathered her frail courage and turned, ready to confront the man. There was no one there. No one was in the cake store with her. Something caught her eye and she walked over to the small table. A small heart was carved deeply into the cheap plastic, though the sides had long worn away. Thin letters were etched inside, and a closer look revealed that they spelled out "T and T forever". Next to the heart was a pile of bills. Hundred dollar bills. :--:--:
"Akira, what was that about?" Soujiro grumbled discontentedly, unhappy at being left in the car for so long by himself.
It took Akira a moment to respond. Then, he forced a laugh that sounded harsh and fake, even to his own ears. "What's wrong? Did you see some hotties, but discovered that I locked the doors so that opening them set off an alarm?"
Soujiro didn't answer. While Akira started the engine, he stared out the window. He looked at his reflection in the glass, distorted and misshapen. Turning so Akira was visible too, he wondered at the endless stream of thoughts that wove through his head. [We're living a glass life...How different our real selves are from the image we create. How different life would be like if we all revealed our true thoughts, rather than the ones we think look best. Isn't it just like glass? One moment, something may be exposed. In the next, it's gone with a change of light. Did I just see a part of Akira that I haven't seem before?]
At that moment, Akira turned on the light. Pulling a little-used map from the dashboard, he scanned it quickly. "Right, I'm really hungry. Who knew that a haircut would take so long? But anyway, let's get something to eat, then meet Tsukasa and Rui at that new club."
Soujiro nodded in agreement, sadness and confusion flitting across his face. [He doesn't trust me...]
:--:--:
She stared through the translucent colors of the liquid, swirling it slowly around and around her glass. She sighed tiredly and took a sip. Another cheap Chardonnay, hurriedly served with a few meager ice cubes in an attempt to cool down the disgustingly warm wine. She held the glass closer to her nose, the sweet tang of the drink still lingering in the air.
"Hey, Zuki!" A deep voice rang out, reverberating through the club.
Shizuka looked up in surprise. She hadn't heard that name in years. Rising slowly from her chair, she looked around for the person who had called her name. She dropped her wineglass and brought her hands to her mouth. "Aki!" She winced as shards of glass rained around her feet. Stumbling toward Akira, she flung herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly for a second. Then she turned to the man standing behind him. "Oh my god- Jiro!"
Stunned, Akira stood motionless for awhile. He remained silent, unaware of the flashing lights and throbbing music, as Shizuka's touch faded from his back. He awakened from his reverie when Soujiro slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, 'Aki'. I think there's someone waiting for us."
"Yeah, sure, whatever. Um...I'm going to wait here for Rui and Tsukasa. You go ahead." He walked back to the entrance of Light Ribbons and stood by the entrance. Slouching against the cold metal wall, he moved to a corner hidden by a flashy silver BMW. Sliding to the grass, he gazed glassy- eyed at the night sky. Scanning the stars carefully, he found the one he'd been looking for. A breath was released from his lips and blew away as he remembered..
.:.:.:.:.
"Aki, I want a star!" A young Shizuka tugged hard on Akira's pajama sleeve, dragging it below his bony shoulder.
He smiled and pointed at a random star in the sky. "Okay, what about that one?"
She squinted, then laughed childishly. "Now remember. It's the one that's closest to the moon. Now we have to name it. What do you want to call it, Aki?"
"I don't know. Why don't you decide?"
"I know! Our star's name is 'I will never leave you', because I will never leave your side, Aki."
.:.:.:.:.
Akira dropped his head into hands. A small sob escaped him as he was reminded of his unrequited love. [No, Aki! You promised yourself that you wouldn't cry over Shizuka anymore! There can't be anymore tears!] But even as he thought, tears leaked through his fingers and dripped onto the dew- covered grass.
:--:--:
Someone was outside the club, huddled on the wet ground. Tsukushi walked closer warily. She stopped short when she heard the cries emanating from the figure. Slowly, she kneeled in front of the man. His head was tucked into the protective circle of his arms, and his knees were drawn up to his face, hiding it from view. She reached into her pocket and drew out a thin cotton handkerchief. She held it toward him, but when he didn't take it, she set it gently in the palm of the hand draped across his knee. Then, she stood, brushing the dew and dirt from her jeans. "I'm sorry."
When she had left and his sobs had ceased, Akira looked up. Wiping his face clean of the traces of tears, he paused when he felt something rough on the edge of the fabric. Holding it up to the light of the moon, the faint lettering appeared...
T.M.
~~~~~~~~@
This chapter isn't as interesting as I wanted it to be, but I hope it shows you a little more about what the characters in this AU will be like. I also hope it answered some of your questions about this fanfic. If not, just post them in your review and I'll try hard to answer them for you!