Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango.
Chapter 10: Terms and Conditions
Tsukushi awoke past noontime the following day with a dull throbbing in her head. After the club closed up the previous night, the remaining service crew had a small impromptu party amongst themselves to celebrate the birthday of one of the waitresses.
Tsukushi had not planned on staying long because she was already tired, but soon the limit of two beers she had set on herself became three, then four, then more. Before she knew it, she was smashed. It was a good thing Kazuya had stayed behind so he was able to see her home safely. Daylight was already beginning to break when they left the club for her home.
The light from the early afternoon sun streaming through her bedroom window was making her headache worse. She burrowed underneath her fluffy comforter in an attempt to recapture sleep, when she suddenly remembered there was something she needed to do today. She struggled to remember what it was. It had something to do with finding a new job.
Bit by agonizing bit, she called back to mind the events of the previous night. She remembered being late for work after coming from the park. She recalled it was a very busy night, which wasn't unusual because it was a Saturday. She remembered Soujiro walking hand in hand with Yuki, and Akira following them.
Soujiro and Akira! That's it! She had promised them she'd go to Akira's place to audition at 11 a.m. that day. From under the covers, she peeked at the small alarm clock on her bedside table. 12:47.
Shit!
Tsukushi shot up from bed, ignoring the blinding pain that shot through her skull due to the sudden movement.
She grabbed her purse from the night stand and frantically emptied its contents on the unmade bed. She spotted the small folded piece of paper among the scattered items.
Damn it!
No phone number was written. Just an address.
Tsukushi dashed out of her apartment after taking a very quick shower and brushing her teeth.
As luck would have it, she took the wrong bus and got lost. It was almost 3 p.m. when she finally found herself in front of Akira's house.
Tsukushi took a few moments to make herself look presentable and gather her wits about her before pressing on the doorbell.
She paused after the first ring, pressing her ear against the door to detect any sound from within. Silence. She tried again, then again, and yet again. After the fifth ring, Tsukushi gave up. It was stupid to think they'd wait for her. She was four hours late, for heavens' sake.
Just as she was turning around to leave, the door suddenly swung open.
"How many times did I remind you guys to bring the fuckin' key. . ." a visibly irritated Akira appeared in the doorway.
"Um, hi Akira," Tsukushi tentatively greeted.
"Tsukushi!" Akira exclaimed in surprise. Already the frown that was marring his handsome face was replaced by his usual wide grin. "So good of you to come! Even if you're, hmmm, VERY late," he said as he tapped a finger on his watch.
Tsukushi bowed several times before him, her hands clasped in front of her as she apologized profusely. "I'm terribly sorry. I overslept. I wanted to call you to let you know I was still coming but you left no contact number. I'm really, really sorry."
"Hey, forget about it," Akira waved a hand dismissively before pulling her through the open door. "C'mon in. Soujiro's downstairs. Tsukasa and Rui just left to buy some food."
Tsukushi allowed herself to be led down a small flight of stairs to the basement of Akira's house.
"Tsukushi!" Soujiro greeted as she and Akira appeared. "You decided to come after all." Again she made her apologies for her tardiness. "Hey, that's okay. We were afraid you'd changed your mind. We're glad you came."
She was so relieved that they didn't take it against her. Smilingly, she glanced around the small basement and saw that it was bare, save for the band instruments, an old worn-out couch, a square wooden table, and a few chairs scattered around. She sat down on one of them and immediately got down to business.
"So. . . tell me about your offer. I must admit, you really got my curiosity piqued," she began as she leaned back on the chair.
Soujiro and Akira took turns in explaining what they had in mind. They told her about the job vacancy at the record store they owned and the compensation they could offer for that job. Tsukushi was impressed. The salary was a lot more than what she was currently receiving at the clothing store. If she took the job, she would be reporting six days weekly, from mall opening hours to around early afternoon, which was when the band's rehearsals started. As her employers, they could make her schedule flexible to fit in with band practice.
"Now, if you decide to accept our offer and join the band, we will have to ask you to let go of your job at Frenzy." At this Tsukushi frowned, as she wasn't sure whether she was willing to part with her bartending job. Upon seeing this, Akira immediately continued. "But we believe that working with us in the band would be more lucrative for you."
"Go on. I'm listening."
Thanks to Soujiro's charm, a phone call to Yuki gave them the information they needed as to how much Tsukushi was making. At first Yuki was reluctant to divulge such info, but when Soujiro told her they needed it to help them convince Tsukushi to join the band, she gave them what they needed. After all, it couldn't hurt if it meant a better job for Tsukushi. Once Soujiro got the figures, Akira worked on her projected earnings from the band. Tsukasa and Rui had no objections when they were presented with the plan.
"Our band is only a year old but we are beginning to establish ourselves slowly but surely. Already, we're getting at least two gigs a week, usually playing at weddings and corporate parties. This is how much we earn per gig. We divide that equally among us." Akira scribbled a figure on a piece of paper. Tsukushi looked at it and whistled. Not bad. Not bad at all. "That doesn't include tips. And you wouldn't believe how generous some of the people in our audience can be, especially if we just performed a song that reminded them of when they first fell in love, or when they proposed, or any of that romantic shit."
"Keep talking," Tsukushi said as she leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her clasped hands.
Seeing that she was getting more and more interested, Soujiro spoke. "Thanks to word of mouth, more and more people are getting to know about us. That could only mean more gigs in the future. It's only a matter of time before we get a regular weekly stint at a permanent venue. With regular exposure, who knows, we might even cut our own record deal someday. Yeah, right now, we do mostly cover versions of popular songs, but we also have our own original material. I'm telling you, Tsukushi. We've got the talent. We've got the potential. Now, all we need is a good female vocalist to help us get to the top."
Tsukushi remained quiet after Soujiro's little speech. They certainly made a good sales pitch. Quickly, she calculated in her mind how much she could make if she accepted this 'package deal' they were offering. If what they said about having at least two gigs a week was true, then she would certainly be earning more than what she got as a bartender. Plus the job at the record store. Deducting her monthly living expenses, she would have some money left over to put in the bank. Within a year she would have enough to go back to school again. That was the clincher. If she had any misgivings about their offer before, there was none now. In fact, now she wanted to make it in the band so badly, she could almost taste it.
A small smile played along her lips, until it slowly widened to brighten her whole face. "Okay, I'll accept your offer. Er, that is, if I pass the audition. Yuki told me that your lead singer has the final say. Oh, and I must say, if I do make it, I can only promise to be with you for a year. I plan to go back to school after that. In fact, that's the only reason I'm willing to take this job. So I can save up some money to go back to school."
"A year?" Soujiro and Akira, who were already getting worked up when they heard her accept, suddenly felt their elation deflate.
"A year," Tsukushi said firmly. "I cannot promise you anything beyond that. Maybe I'll change my mind, maybe I won't. But one year is all I can promise you right now."
The two men silently considered this. Both were thinking that a lot could happen in a year. Maybe a year was enough time for them to convince her to stay on. Heck, worse comes to worst, a year was enough time to find a replacement for her, although they dreaded having to go through the whole process of auditioning applicants again. But right now, it seems that they didn't have a choice but to take Tsukushi in and just hope for the best.
"Okay. One year then," Soujiro said after Akira nodded, signifying his acquiescence.
"Great!" Tsukushi clapped her hands in glee. "Now where is that lead singer of yours? I'm raring to sing and impress him!"
"He and Rui are probably on the way back. Meanwhile, why don't you do a little warm-up number to get you ready? I'll accompany you on the keyboards."
"Let's do it then."
********************
A/N: I had fully intended for Tsukushi, Tsukasa and Rui to meet in this chapter, but this is what I came up with instead. Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't want to rush things. I promise the three will meet next chapter. Please be patient. Also, I really have no idea how much a band earns and stuff like that. For the purpose of this fanfic, let's just pretend I know what I'm talking about. ^_~
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Well, TxTxR haven't met yet, obviously. That's coming up in the next chap, so stay tuned! Thanks for always leaving me a review. It really means a lot.
Sailor Angie: Hey girl, welcome back to the reviews page! I'm really glad to see you're back commenting again. I was afraid you'd given up on this fic because of the limited exposure I'd been giving Tsukasa. Don't worry, I guarantee more face time for him in later chapters (duh, this is a TxT fic!). Thanks for putting in a review for each chap you've missed while you were away.
Skyla1: Hi! I'm really glad you could drop by to post a comment. As for loose ends, well, I'm a very forgetful person, so I thought I'd tie them up asap before they come to haunt me later on.
ToinKs: Hehehe! Round 1 coming up soon!
InvisibleRain: Thanks for thinking the last chap wasn't boring. Well, if it wasn't, then this one certainly is. I hate this chap, but I'll try to make up for it on the next update.
As always, please leave a review if you've got time. Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!
Chapter 10: Terms and Conditions
Tsukushi awoke past noontime the following day with a dull throbbing in her head. After the club closed up the previous night, the remaining service crew had a small impromptu party amongst themselves to celebrate the birthday of one of the waitresses.
Tsukushi had not planned on staying long because she was already tired, but soon the limit of two beers she had set on herself became three, then four, then more. Before she knew it, she was smashed. It was a good thing Kazuya had stayed behind so he was able to see her home safely. Daylight was already beginning to break when they left the club for her home.
The light from the early afternoon sun streaming through her bedroom window was making her headache worse. She burrowed underneath her fluffy comforter in an attempt to recapture sleep, when she suddenly remembered there was something she needed to do today. She struggled to remember what it was. It had something to do with finding a new job.
Bit by agonizing bit, she called back to mind the events of the previous night. She remembered being late for work after coming from the park. She recalled it was a very busy night, which wasn't unusual because it was a Saturday. She remembered Soujiro walking hand in hand with Yuki, and Akira following them.
Soujiro and Akira! That's it! She had promised them she'd go to Akira's place to audition at 11 a.m. that day. From under the covers, she peeked at the small alarm clock on her bedside table. 12:47.
Shit!
Tsukushi shot up from bed, ignoring the blinding pain that shot through her skull due to the sudden movement.
She grabbed her purse from the night stand and frantically emptied its contents on the unmade bed. She spotted the small folded piece of paper among the scattered items.
Damn it!
No phone number was written. Just an address.
Tsukushi dashed out of her apartment after taking a very quick shower and brushing her teeth.
As luck would have it, she took the wrong bus and got lost. It was almost 3 p.m. when she finally found herself in front of Akira's house.
Tsukushi took a few moments to make herself look presentable and gather her wits about her before pressing on the doorbell.
She paused after the first ring, pressing her ear against the door to detect any sound from within. Silence. She tried again, then again, and yet again. After the fifth ring, Tsukushi gave up. It was stupid to think they'd wait for her. She was four hours late, for heavens' sake.
Just as she was turning around to leave, the door suddenly swung open.
"How many times did I remind you guys to bring the fuckin' key. . ." a visibly irritated Akira appeared in the doorway.
"Um, hi Akira," Tsukushi tentatively greeted.
"Tsukushi!" Akira exclaimed in surprise. Already the frown that was marring his handsome face was replaced by his usual wide grin. "So good of you to come! Even if you're, hmmm, VERY late," he said as he tapped a finger on his watch.
Tsukushi bowed several times before him, her hands clasped in front of her as she apologized profusely. "I'm terribly sorry. I overslept. I wanted to call you to let you know I was still coming but you left no contact number. I'm really, really sorry."
"Hey, forget about it," Akira waved a hand dismissively before pulling her through the open door. "C'mon in. Soujiro's downstairs. Tsukasa and Rui just left to buy some food."
Tsukushi allowed herself to be led down a small flight of stairs to the basement of Akira's house.
"Tsukushi!" Soujiro greeted as she and Akira appeared. "You decided to come after all." Again she made her apologies for her tardiness. "Hey, that's okay. We were afraid you'd changed your mind. We're glad you came."
She was so relieved that they didn't take it against her. Smilingly, she glanced around the small basement and saw that it was bare, save for the band instruments, an old worn-out couch, a square wooden table, and a few chairs scattered around. She sat down on one of them and immediately got down to business.
"So. . . tell me about your offer. I must admit, you really got my curiosity piqued," she began as she leaned back on the chair.
Soujiro and Akira took turns in explaining what they had in mind. They told her about the job vacancy at the record store they owned and the compensation they could offer for that job. Tsukushi was impressed. The salary was a lot more than what she was currently receiving at the clothing store. If she took the job, she would be reporting six days weekly, from mall opening hours to around early afternoon, which was when the band's rehearsals started. As her employers, they could make her schedule flexible to fit in with band practice.
"Now, if you decide to accept our offer and join the band, we will have to ask you to let go of your job at Frenzy." At this Tsukushi frowned, as she wasn't sure whether she was willing to part with her bartending job. Upon seeing this, Akira immediately continued. "But we believe that working with us in the band would be more lucrative for you."
"Go on. I'm listening."
Thanks to Soujiro's charm, a phone call to Yuki gave them the information they needed as to how much Tsukushi was making. At first Yuki was reluctant to divulge such info, but when Soujiro told her they needed it to help them convince Tsukushi to join the band, she gave them what they needed. After all, it couldn't hurt if it meant a better job for Tsukushi. Once Soujiro got the figures, Akira worked on her projected earnings from the band. Tsukasa and Rui had no objections when they were presented with the plan.
"Our band is only a year old but we are beginning to establish ourselves slowly but surely. Already, we're getting at least two gigs a week, usually playing at weddings and corporate parties. This is how much we earn per gig. We divide that equally among us." Akira scribbled a figure on a piece of paper. Tsukushi looked at it and whistled. Not bad. Not bad at all. "That doesn't include tips. And you wouldn't believe how generous some of the people in our audience can be, especially if we just performed a song that reminded them of when they first fell in love, or when they proposed, or any of that romantic shit."
"Keep talking," Tsukushi said as she leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her clasped hands.
Seeing that she was getting more and more interested, Soujiro spoke. "Thanks to word of mouth, more and more people are getting to know about us. That could only mean more gigs in the future. It's only a matter of time before we get a regular weekly stint at a permanent venue. With regular exposure, who knows, we might even cut our own record deal someday. Yeah, right now, we do mostly cover versions of popular songs, but we also have our own original material. I'm telling you, Tsukushi. We've got the talent. We've got the potential. Now, all we need is a good female vocalist to help us get to the top."
Tsukushi remained quiet after Soujiro's little speech. They certainly made a good sales pitch. Quickly, she calculated in her mind how much she could make if she accepted this 'package deal' they were offering. If what they said about having at least two gigs a week was true, then she would certainly be earning more than what she got as a bartender. Plus the job at the record store. Deducting her monthly living expenses, she would have some money left over to put in the bank. Within a year she would have enough to go back to school again. That was the clincher. If she had any misgivings about their offer before, there was none now. In fact, now she wanted to make it in the band so badly, she could almost taste it.
A small smile played along her lips, until it slowly widened to brighten her whole face. "Okay, I'll accept your offer. Er, that is, if I pass the audition. Yuki told me that your lead singer has the final say. Oh, and I must say, if I do make it, I can only promise to be with you for a year. I plan to go back to school after that. In fact, that's the only reason I'm willing to take this job. So I can save up some money to go back to school."
"A year?" Soujiro and Akira, who were already getting worked up when they heard her accept, suddenly felt their elation deflate.
"A year," Tsukushi said firmly. "I cannot promise you anything beyond that. Maybe I'll change my mind, maybe I won't. But one year is all I can promise you right now."
The two men silently considered this. Both were thinking that a lot could happen in a year. Maybe a year was enough time for them to convince her to stay on. Heck, worse comes to worst, a year was enough time to find a replacement for her, although they dreaded having to go through the whole process of auditioning applicants again. But right now, it seems that they didn't have a choice but to take Tsukushi in and just hope for the best.
"Okay. One year then," Soujiro said after Akira nodded, signifying his acquiescence.
"Great!" Tsukushi clapped her hands in glee. "Now where is that lead singer of yours? I'm raring to sing and impress him!"
"He and Rui are probably on the way back. Meanwhile, why don't you do a little warm-up number to get you ready? I'll accompany you on the keyboards."
"Let's do it then."
********************
A/N: I had fully intended for Tsukushi, Tsukasa and Rui to meet in this chapter, but this is what I came up with instead. Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't want to rush things. I promise the three will meet next chapter. Please be patient. Also, I really have no idea how much a band earns and stuff like that. For the purpose of this fanfic, let's just pretend I know what I'm talking about. ^_~
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Well, TxTxR haven't met yet, obviously. That's coming up in the next chap, so stay tuned! Thanks for always leaving me a review. It really means a lot.
Sailor Angie: Hey girl, welcome back to the reviews page! I'm really glad to see you're back commenting again. I was afraid you'd given up on this fic because of the limited exposure I'd been giving Tsukasa. Don't worry, I guarantee more face time for him in later chapters (duh, this is a TxT fic!). Thanks for putting in a review for each chap you've missed while you were away.
Skyla1: Hi! I'm really glad you could drop by to post a comment. As for loose ends, well, I'm a very forgetful person, so I thought I'd tie them up asap before they come to haunt me later on.
ToinKs: Hehehe! Round 1 coming up soon!
InvisibleRain: Thanks for thinking the last chap wasn't boring. Well, if it wasn't, then this one certainly is. I hate this chap, but I'll try to make up for it on the next update.
As always, please leave a review if you've got time. Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!