Disclaimer-Gravitation does not belong tome.
Author's note-Yes, the ideas for this story came directly from the anime
and manga. This story was sorta like my own narrative on how I viewed the
story in my own way. Thank you for reading! On with the story!
Well, needless to say, we didn't win the school talent show, but that was okay. We didn't compete to win anyway. It was more because Maiko had gone through so much trouble and because it helped us get recognized at school for being the talented group we were.
Even Sakano, who had attended at our invitation, had been impressed and remarked over and over again about how we were destined for stardom. There was no way anyone could have gotten me off the cloud that I was on after that, especially considering our big show with Ask that weekend.
If you inquired about Hiro and I's opinions of the headlining group Ask, you would never get a positive response from either of us. As much as I respected any band that was willing to go out and make a name for themselves, the three of them regarded as industry rivals and considered themselves way above us talent wise.
I refused to let their negative attitudes affect me though, even if I had been late for the interviews our bands were supposed to give to one of the local television stations. Ask was more than happy to fill the time that had been alotted to Hiro and I because of my tardiness, and it had taken both of us to revive Sakano because of that.
With tears in his eyes, Sakano rose to his knees in front of me, gripping my hands in a death grip. "I'll forgive you if you promise not to let me down for the concert this weekend." he pleaded.
Hiro put his arms around both our shoulders. "Don't worry. Shindou-san's never let anyone down before. That interview would have been a diaster anyway, with the way our bands dislike each other." Hiro said.
I sighed witht relief, thrilled that Hiroshi had come to my rescue once again. I decided to take him out to lunch afterwards to thank him.
"This is almost like a date, Shuichi, with you paying and all. I'll have to remember to protect you from Sakano from now on." he teased.
I smiled. "I know. He's such a spaz, isn't he? I feel bad for making him worry though, after everything he's done for us. It make sme really want to be able to finish this song for him." I told him.
"Oh yeah, that song. That poem you wrote, right? I don't know, Shuichi. It's really not up to your standard. You have to have a love life before you can write love songs." he told me.
I smirked at him. "Come on now, Hiro. You know you're the only inspiration I'll ever need." I teased.
He smirked back. "I bet you say that to all the boys. Such a flatterer." he teased back.
We both laughed from the absurdity of our conversation and finished our meal in silence.
It really wasn't in my habit to walk alone in the park in the middle of the night, but I guess Hieo and my sister's words had finally gotten to me. I rehashed over and over the things they had said to me and especially over what Hiro had said about the love song 'poem' as he called it that I had written. I wondered if I was too sensitive about my work, if this song really was up to par.
That was the first night that I met...him.
As I watched the fruit of my labor fly out of my hand and into his, the man made his presense known to me. The smoke from his cigerette tinged the air around us, his short honey blonde hair being swept across his face by the night breeze.
It seems as though we stood there for the longest time, him contemplating my song with my staring at him. He looked down at me afterwards, startling me with the darkness of his intense eyes.
"Is this yours? It's crap. Even a child could write better than this." he said.
I was floored. No one in my whole life had ever said a cruel, hateful thing to me! I was so shocked, in fact, that I couldn't even find my voice in which to defend myself. I watched him as he walked past me, throwing my work to the ground.
"I would reccommend that you start over and write about something that you understand. Love songs are obviously your weak point." he told me, walking away.
I fell to my knees on the ground as I watched him walk away, grasping my paper in my hands in disbelief...
"What do you mean, you haven't gotten the songs finished yet?! You're kidding, right? You've got to be kidding! Please tell me you're kidding!" Sakano exclaimed.
I looked down at my hands in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Sakano. I really meant to have them ready. I've just had a lot of my mind, that's all." I said.
"No, no, this can't be happening! The president of the company is going to kill me! There's no hope for me now...I might as well as do it myself!" Sakano shouted.
"No, don't!" both Hiro and I shouted.
We both grabbed Sakano's arms to keep him from jumping out the window as he threw it open and stepped out onto the windowsill. As our distraught manager struggled against us, Hiro turned to me.
"I have to say, I'm a little surprised myself that the songs aren't finished. What's up, Shuichi?" he asked me.
"I couldn't finish them. I met this guy last night who read my song and told me it was awful. After that, I reviewed my material and found that it really wasn't as good as it could be." I told him.
"You met someone? Shuichi, you didn't tell me! He read your song and didn't like it, really? Who was he?" he asked.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me his name. I remember that he was tall and slender, with short blonde hair and intense dark eyes. No one's ever said to me what he did last night." I told him.
Hiro and I turned to face each other, releasing Sakano in the process, which was okay, since he was only trying to jump from a window on ground level anyway. Hiro rested his hand on my shoulder and led me over to the boardroom table.
"And you're letting some guy whose name you don't even know affect you this much? That's not like you, Shindou-san. Tell you what. I arranged a date for you with a schoolamte of ours. You said you were cool with meeting a girl to have someone to talk to, right? Go ahead and take her out tonight and try to take your mind off your worries, okay?" Hiro asked.
I smiled. "Thanks, Hiro. You're the best friend a guy could have." I said.
"You know you can always count on me, buddy." he said.
April was her name, the name of a month. She was a nice girl, Hiro's friend, and very pretty, but with everything that was going on with me personally, I couldn't fully appreciate the efforts she made to help me forget. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Hiro and of the mysterious blonde stranger.
It never ceased to amaze me how good a friend Hiro was to me. He was dependable and kind, always looking out for my best interests. I always try to do the same for him, but I always feel that I come up a little short in achieving that. I had even told him so before and he laughed me off, saying that the fact that I was even concerned about that was proof enough.
As far as the stranger went, I had really taken his critism to heart, knowing somewhere deep inside that friends would always be honest, but the real truth laid with one who really didn't know you at all.
"Shuichi, did you write this song? It's really wonderful!" April told me.
I looked up at her then, really seeing her for the first time. "You think so? What did you like about it?" I asked her.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it kinda reminds me of some of my favorite songs. I mean, I could really see this being sang to some of yours and Hiro's music. The two of you are so talented. Bad Luck really should have won that talent contest. Your friend gave me tickets to the Ask concert too." she told me.
I blushed slightly from her compliment. "Thanks. I'm glad you like our music. It's too bad that guy the other night didn't agree with you." I said.
"Hiro told me about that. The opinion of some stranger doesn't mean anything. What matters is what you think." she said.
I nodded weakly, not quite believing her. "Yeah. I guess you're right. It's getting late. We better get going." I said.
After I dropped April off at her house with a kind embrace and a kiss on the cheek, I continued to walk home in the rain. More than ever, I was thinking about the words that April and the stranger had said to me. Despite the reassuring words she had said, there were still doubts planted there that I could not uproot. There was a huge part of me that wished I could find that intense blonde stranger and demand an apology for his harsh words.
As if the cosmos had heard my unspoken need, I caught a glimpse, of him, driving in a fancy black sports car nearby! This was my chance...I had to stop him and force him to make amends for what he had done.
I was so angry and determained that I didn't even hear the exsparated gasps that followed me as I threw himself in the path of his moving car. Needless to say, he didn't hit me, but he came close, drenching me with water from his tires. Getting out of his car, he faced me with more indigation than he had the night before.
"What's the matter with you, you moron? Get into the car before you make an ass out of both of us." he said.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting in my benefactor's living room, waiting from him to retrieve some bath towels from the bathroom. It had taken him a few minutes, considering that he took the time to change clothes, into a pair of tailored loose black pants and open to the waist white shirt.
His eyes narrowed at me in curiousity as he watche dme take all of him in at once. Seeing him now in the light of his fancy, high-rise apartment, he really was an imposing sight. Taller than I remembered with a thin, feline body, all lean, sinewy muscle. I was literally awaestruck by him, by his presense.
"Like what you see?" he aske dme.
I blushed furiously. "I don't know what you're talking about." I said.
He snorted. "The hell you don't. Why are you stalking me? You're way too young for me, you know." he said.
"I'm not stalking you! I just stopped you because I wanted you to apolgize." I said.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Apolgize? Why? I don't even know you." he said.
"What?! I can't believe this! How can you say that to me after what you said last night to me int he park? How can you be so heartless? I think you should apolgize!" I shouted.
He frowned. "Oh yes, I remember now. You're that lousy songwriter I met in the park who writes those infantile song lyrics. Well, you can just forget it. I never apolgize for anything, especially when I'm right. I think you need to leave now, little boy, before I have to throw you out. Do you understand?" he asked me.
"I'm sorry, Sakano. You know how I work. If this group Bad Luck of yours is unable to produce a finshed product for me, I have no choice but to put all my funding behind Ask instead." Touma told Sakano.
"But Mr. Seguchi, Mr. President sir, please, please reconsider. Their lead singer and songwriter has been going through emotional turmoil lately and..." he began.
Sakano jumped back, startle, as his platinum haired boss angerily slammed his fists down on the desk to get his point across. Known for being very kind but firm, the former keyboardist for Nittle Grasper and now president of his own record company, Touma Seguchi was a force to be reckoned with.
"That is no excuse! If this so-called vocalist of yours cannot handle the pressure of the business he has chosen, he should have never taken the risk to begin with! You know I have zero tolerance for such nonsense, Sakano. I will not back a band who cannot produce the results I desire." Touma said.
Both men turned as a redhaired force of nature, namely myself, thundered into my boss' office, the promsied music in hand. "Fear not. I have arrived." I said.
Touma smiled and applauded. "Very good. I had no doubts that you would arrive in time, despite your manager's lack of faith in you. It;s nice to finally meet you. Your name is Shuichi Shindou, am I right? My name is Touma Seguchi." he said.
I shook his hand. "Oh yes, I definitely know you, Mr. Seguchi. Nittle Grasper is mine and my bandmate's all time favorite band. You and Mr. Sakuma are the reason we started Bad Luck." I gushed.
"Well then, it certainly is a pleasure then, to meet a talented young group and two dedicated fans as well. I look forward to seeing you in concert with Ask. I have some business to attend to this afternoon, but Sakano and I will review your music shortly." he said.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Seguchi. You have no idea how much this means to me." I told him.
"Please call me Touma and I'll see you soon, Shuichi." he said.
Well, needless to say, we didn't win the school talent show, but that was okay. We didn't compete to win anyway. It was more because Maiko had gone through so much trouble and because it helped us get recognized at school for being the talented group we were.
Even Sakano, who had attended at our invitation, had been impressed and remarked over and over again about how we were destined for stardom. There was no way anyone could have gotten me off the cloud that I was on after that, especially considering our big show with Ask that weekend.
If you inquired about Hiro and I's opinions of the headlining group Ask, you would never get a positive response from either of us. As much as I respected any band that was willing to go out and make a name for themselves, the three of them regarded as industry rivals and considered themselves way above us talent wise.
I refused to let their negative attitudes affect me though, even if I had been late for the interviews our bands were supposed to give to one of the local television stations. Ask was more than happy to fill the time that had been alotted to Hiro and I because of my tardiness, and it had taken both of us to revive Sakano because of that.
With tears in his eyes, Sakano rose to his knees in front of me, gripping my hands in a death grip. "I'll forgive you if you promise not to let me down for the concert this weekend." he pleaded.
Hiro put his arms around both our shoulders. "Don't worry. Shindou-san's never let anyone down before. That interview would have been a diaster anyway, with the way our bands dislike each other." Hiro said.
I sighed witht relief, thrilled that Hiroshi had come to my rescue once again. I decided to take him out to lunch afterwards to thank him.
"This is almost like a date, Shuichi, with you paying and all. I'll have to remember to protect you from Sakano from now on." he teased.
I smiled. "I know. He's such a spaz, isn't he? I feel bad for making him worry though, after everything he's done for us. It make sme really want to be able to finish this song for him." I told him.
"Oh yeah, that song. That poem you wrote, right? I don't know, Shuichi. It's really not up to your standard. You have to have a love life before you can write love songs." he told me.
I smirked at him. "Come on now, Hiro. You know you're the only inspiration I'll ever need." I teased.
He smirked back. "I bet you say that to all the boys. Such a flatterer." he teased back.
We both laughed from the absurdity of our conversation and finished our meal in silence.
It really wasn't in my habit to walk alone in the park in the middle of the night, but I guess Hieo and my sister's words had finally gotten to me. I rehashed over and over the things they had said to me and especially over what Hiro had said about the love song 'poem' as he called it that I had written. I wondered if I was too sensitive about my work, if this song really was up to par.
That was the first night that I met...him.
As I watched the fruit of my labor fly out of my hand and into his, the man made his presense known to me. The smoke from his cigerette tinged the air around us, his short honey blonde hair being swept across his face by the night breeze.
It seems as though we stood there for the longest time, him contemplating my song with my staring at him. He looked down at me afterwards, startling me with the darkness of his intense eyes.
"Is this yours? It's crap. Even a child could write better than this." he said.
I was floored. No one in my whole life had ever said a cruel, hateful thing to me! I was so shocked, in fact, that I couldn't even find my voice in which to defend myself. I watched him as he walked past me, throwing my work to the ground.
"I would reccommend that you start over and write about something that you understand. Love songs are obviously your weak point." he told me, walking away.
I fell to my knees on the ground as I watched him walk away, grasping my paper in my hands in disbelief...
"What do you mean, you haven't gotten the songs finished yet?! You're kidding, right? You've got to be kidding! Please tell me you're kidding!" Sakano exclaimed.
I looked down at my hands in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Sakano. I really meant to have them ready. I've just had a lot of my mind, that's all." I said.
"No, no, this can't be happening! The president of the company is going to kill me! There's no hope for me now...I might as well as do it myself!" Sakano shouted.
"No, don't!" both Hiro and I shouted.
We both grabbed Sakano's arms to keep him from jumping out the window as he threw it open and stepped out onto the windowsill. As our distraught manager struggled against us, Hiro turned to me.
"I have to say, I'm a little surprised myself that the songs aren't finished. What's up, Shuichi?" he asked me.
"I couldn't finish them. I met this guy last night who read my song and told me it was awful. After that, I reviewed my material and found that it really wasn't as good as it could be." I told him.
"You met someone? Shuichi, you didn't tell me! He read your song and didn't like it, really? Who was he?" he asked.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me his name. I remember that he was tall and slender, with short blonde hair and intense dark eyes. No one's ever said to me what he did last night." I told him.
Hiro and I turned to face each other, releasing Sakano in the process, which was okay, since he was only trying to jump from a window on ground level anyway. Hiro rested his hand on my shoulder and led me over to the boardroom table.
"And you're letting some guy whose name you don't even know affect you this much? That's not like you, Shindou-san. Tell you what. I arranged a date for you with a schoolamte of ours. You said you were cool with meeting a girl to have someone to talk to, right? Go ahead and take her out tonight and try to take your mind off your worries, okay?" Hiro asked.
I smiled. "Thanks, Hiro. You're the best friend a guy could have." I said.
"You know you can always count on me, buddy." he said.
April was her name, the name of a month. She was a nice girl, Hiro's friend, and very pretty, but with everything that was going on with me personally, I couldn't fully appreciate the efforts she made to help me forget. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Hiro and of the mysterious blonde stranger.
It never ceased to amaze me how good a friend Hiro was to me. He was dependable and kind, always looking out for my best interests. I always try to do the same for him, but I always feel that I come up a little short in achieving that. I had even told him so before and he laughed me off, saying that the fact that I was even concerned about that was proof enough.
As far as the stranger went, I had really taken his critism to heart, knowing somewhere deep inside that friends would always be honest, but the real truth laid with one who really didn't know you at all.
"Shuichi, did you write this song? It's really wonderful!" April told me.
I looked up at her then, really seeing her for the first time. "You think so? What did you like about it?" I asked her.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it kinda reminds me of some of my favorite songs. I mean, I could really see this being sang to some of yours and Hiro's music. The two of you are so talented. Bad Luck really should have won that talent contest. Your friend gave me tickets to the Ask concert too." she told me.
I blushed slightly from her compliment. "Thanks. I'm glad you like our music. It's too bad that guy the other night didn't agree with you." I said.
"Hiro told me about that. The opinion of some stranger doesn't mean anything. What matters is what you think." she said.
I nodded weakly, not quite believing her. "Yeah. I guess you're right. It's getting late. We better get going." I said.
After I dropped April off at her house with a kind embrace and a kiss on the cheek, I continued to walk home in the rain. More than ever, I was thinking about the words that April and the stranger had said to me. Despite the reassuring words she had said, there were still doubts planted there that I could not uproot. There was a huge part of me that wished I could find that intense blonde stranger and demand an apology for his harsh words.
As if the cosmos had heard my unspoken need, I caught a glimpse, of him, driving in a fancy black sports car nearby! This was my chance...I had to stop him and force him to make amends for what he had done.
I was so angry and determained that I didn't even hear the exsparated gasps that followed me as I threw himself in the path of his moving car. Needless to say, he didn't hit me, but he came close, drenching me with water from his tires. Getting out of his car, he faced me with more indigation than he had the night before.
"What's the matter with you, you moron? Get into the car before you make an ass out of both of us." he said.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting in my benefactor's living room, waiting from him to retrieve some bath towels from the bathroom. It had taken him a few minutes, considering that he took the time to change clothes, into a pair of tailored loose black pants and open to the waist white shirt.
His eyes narrowed at me in curiousity as he watche dme take all of him in at once. Seeing him now in the light of his fancy, high-rise apartment, he really was an imposing sight. Taller than I remembered with a thin, feline body, all lean, sinewy muscle. I was literally awaestruck by him, by his presense.
"Like what you see?" he aske dme.
I blushed furiously. "I don't know what you're talking about." I said.
He snorted. "The hell you don't. Why are you stalking me? You're way too young for me, you know." he said.
"I'm not stalking you! I just stopped you because I wanted you to apolgize." I said.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Apolgize? Why? I don't even know you." he said.
"What?! I can't believe this! How can you say that to me after what you said last night to me int he park? How can you be so heartless? I think you should apolgize!" I shouted.
He frowned. "Oh yes, I remember now. You're that lousy songwriter I met in the park who writes those infantile song lyrics. Well, you can just forget it. I never apolgize for anything, especially when I'm right. I think you need to leave now, little boy, before I have to throw you out. Do you understand?" he asked me.
"I'm sorry, Sakano. You know how I work. If this group Bad Luck of yours is unable to produce a finshed product for me, I have no choice but to put all my funding behind Ask instead." Touma told Sakano.
"But Mr. Seguchi, Mr. President sir, please, please reconsider. Their lead singer and songwriter has been going through emotional turmoil lately and..." he began.
Sakano jumped back, startle, as his platinum haired boss angerily slammed his fists down on the desk to get his point across. Known for being very kind but firm, the former keyboardist for Nittle Grasper and now president of his own record company, Touma Seguchi was a force to be reckoned with.
"That is no excuse! If this so-called vocalist of yours cannot handle the pressure of the business he has chosen, he should have never taken the risk to begin with! You know I have zero tolerance for such nonsense, Sakano. I will not back a band who cannot produce the results I desire." Touma said.
Both men turned as a redhaired force of nature, namely myself, thundered into my boss' office, the promsied music in hand. "Fear not. I have arrived." I said.
Touma smiled and applauded. "Very good. I had no doubts that you would arrive in time, despite your manager's lack of faith in you. It;s nice to finally meet you. Your name is Shuichi Shindou, am I right? My name is Touma Seguchi." he said.
I shook his hand. "Oh yes, I definitely know you, Mr. Seguchi. Nittle Grasper is mine and my bandmate's all time favorite band. You and Mr. Sakuma are the reason we started Bad Luck." I gushed.
"Well then, it certainly is a pleasure then, to meet a talented young group and two dedicated fans as well. I look forward to seeing you in concert with Ask. I have some business to attend to this afternoon, but Sakano and I will review your music shortly." he said.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Seguchi. You have no idea how much this means to me." I told him.
"Please call me Touma and I'll see you soon, Shuichi." he said.