By Daisuke Anarie
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any related characters. Nor am I receiving money... So I suggest you don't sue. I have nothing to my name, so you'd most likely get nothing. Buuut, the 'lyrics' used in this fanfic do belong to me, unless stated otherwise. See?! I can do something for myself!
Author's Note: Too many hours listening to Takuya's theme does something to you... So what?! I like his voice! It's too adorable for his good! Leave me alone! ... So, perhaps this is dedicated to the people who love Takuya's theme, too? Umm... Yeah.
Warning: Koukuya... or Takouji... Takoukuya... Takuya and Kouji! Something! Uh... Well, Shounen-ai! Yaoi! Slash! MaleMale! Oh, yes, beware the crappy poems used as lyrics written by moi that will be in future chapters. They aren't too good. I think... -Daisuke Anarie
Chapter Two: F.Y.R.E. Phoenix?
The next thirty or so minutes were spent in silence as the group of six piddled around, doing pretty much nothing. Tomoki was the one who finally asked the inevitable. "When do we perform?"
Izumi's answer was quick and short. "Saturday night, forty-five minutes after six."
Junpei blinked, and then stared at her in horror. "This Saturday night?!"
Izumi nodded.
"But that only gives us, like, what? Less than seventy-two hours to prepare!" he cried in disbelief.
This was another little detail that caught Takuya's attention. He glared at Izumi heatedly. "Are you trying to ruin us?" he shot at her.
Izumi seemed to ignore him and went on as she paced along the stage. "They expect us to perform two new songs, which I'm sure Takuya has prepared anyways."
Takuya scowled and glared at the paper on the table. "I'm not prepared, Izumi!" he exclaimed, but he, again, was ignored.
The blonde appeared to be in a world of her own as she spoke aloud to herself. "Even if he doesn't, it'll be finished by Saturday. And since we are pretty decent sight-readers, we could pull off performing and not knowing the music without much of a problem at all!"
Multiple sighs sounded throughout the studio and Takuya stacked the papers together and stood up, defeated. He picked them up and trudged over to the stage, where everyone else was. "Well, since Izumi has so much confidence in me, let's see what everyone else think of what I've written so far," he announced, before passing out the papers.
-
They were close to Tokyo now, and Kouji sat in a seat, staring out the window of the RV while absently strumming a tune on his guitar. He wasn't sure if he was happy to return to his hometown or not, but everyone else seemed excited enough that he might had well not argue. He still wasn't convinced that performing in Jiyuugaoka was a good idea.
The seventeen-year-old looked away from the window as he heard a dainty hum coming from the small bedroom in the back of the motor home. His hyper manager, Kei Ina, grinned at him through her song, her cell phone held loosely in her hand. He noticed that the screensaver hadn't popped up on it yet, so he assumed she had either just took a call or made one.
Ina plopped down next to Kouji and ceased humming. "Well, the concert is without a doubt confirmed," she announced.
Kouji wasn't surprised.
"And..." Ina started, but couldn't finish as her grin nearly cracked her lips.
He shot her a nasty glare and gave up on playing louder on the guitar than she talked. "What?"
"I just got informed that that new group I've been telling you about in Jiyuugaoka will be there to hit off the concert with two of their new songs!" She stopped and thought for a moment before commenting to herself, "Don't they call themselves F.Y.R.E. Phoenix?"
Kouji blinked several times. Then...
"What?! Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Kouji yelled. His face was turning red with fury. "We don't need some group of street rats introducing us, especially to my home town!"
Ina lifted her hands in front of her face and shook her head. "I didn't mean to offend you... but I thought it would be something good for a change, after Mizuko-san and Mamoru-san quit. Besides," the manager trailed off for a moment.
Kouji glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "What?" he demanded.
A small smirk flittered across Ina's face before she replied. "I think you'll be interested in who we picked," she said casually. "Especially one certain brunette." She waved a slip of paper under Kouji's nose until he became more agitated and snatched it away.
Still glaring, he looked at the paper, reading through its contents. His expression changed to that of confusion, and then shock, and lastly, horror, as he read the names of the members that belonged to this garage band.
Orimoto Izumi ... Keyboard and Strings, Backup VocalsShibayama Junpei ... Bass Guitar
Himi Tomoki ... Percussion
Himi Yutaka ... Percussion
Kimura Kouichi ... Electric Guitar, Backup Vocals
Kanbara Takuya ... Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
"WHAT?!"
The smirk on Ina's face grew in satisfaction. That was exactly the response she wanted.
Kouji managed another glare as he stood up and carefully made his way towards the bedroom, carrying his guitar with him. He quickly returned the instrument to its case and threw himself down on the bed. He wasn't very surprised as he felt tears burn at his eyes.
He buried his face in the one of the two pillows at the head of the bed, murmuring his once-best friend and always-crush's name as he fought back tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. "Ta-Takuya..."
-
Izumi released a hiccupping sob and scrubbed at her eyes, and then grabbed Takuya, pulling him into a bear hug. "That was so saaad!" she wailed.
Takuya sweatdropped and struggled to get out of Izumi's death grip. He certainly hadn't expected Izumi to cry over something he wrote. Unfortunately, he was unable to escape. He looked around at the others, silently begging them for help, but they seemed close to tears, too.
"Are you okay, Takuya?!" Izumi cried. "Do you need to see a therapist?! Do we need to buy you a double-chocolate fudge sundae?! Ohh please, please tell us what we can do to help you feel better!!"
If it hadn't been him, Takuya would have laughed his head off, but it was himself, so he was forced to put up with it. "Izumi. I'm fine," he said firmly, finally able to wiggle out of the female's arms. "It's just a song. Nothing to get worked up about."
Izumi sniffled loudly, pouting as she stared at Takuya with large, watery puppy dog eyes. "A-are you sure?"
"Positive."
There was a long break of silence.
"... Okay!" Almost immediately, Izumi perked back to her normal cheery self.
Takuya shook his head and collected the papers back from the others. "Will the song work?"
Everyone nodded eagerly.
"Alright..."
Yutaka absently ruffled the hair of his little brother, who yawned widely. "Well... I suggest we turn in for the night."
There were mumbles of agreement and they finally said goodbye, one by one wandering out of the studio.
When they hit the sidewalk and felt the cool breeze brush against their faces, Kouichi turned to look at Takuya. "Hey, don't worry about this thing with Kouji," he said.
Takuya tilted his head to look at Kouichi silently.
Kouichi grinned gently. "Everything will work out."
The brunette sighed and nodded. "Okay, whatever you say..."
"Good night, Takuya."
"'Night, Kouichi."
Preview for the next chapter..."Actually, I kind of want to see Kouji's reaction to that song," he explained softly. "I want to see if he realizes that the Takuya he knew a long time ago, happy, energetic Takuya, wrote that... about him."
Yutaka smirked faintly. "Putting him back in his place, hmm, Takuya?"
Takuya nodded and grinned darkly. "Of course."
Izumi tried to contain a giggle, and failed, as she stated, "That's odd. I always thought that would be Kouji's job, to put likkle uke Kuya-chan back in his place." That last part was said in her infamous, sing-song voice.
The whole studio erupted into howls of laughter and snorts, but Takuya only blushed and glared daggers at her, muttering, "'S not funny..." At least they weren't sulking over the song, though. However, when the laughter failed to cease, he wailed out, "I'm nooot an uke!!"