Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango. Likewise for the song "Someone
to Watch Over Me," which I think was originally sung by Frank Sinatra.
Warning: Strong language. I know I don't usually put up a warning for cuss words but this chapter has a little more than the usual. I think maybe it was because I was so pissed while writing this, 'cause I couldn't get this chapter to come out the way I wanted it to. LOL. I apologize if you are offended by such words.
Chapter 11: The Audition (Finally!)
Tsukasa pushed the key into the lock impatiently while attempting to balance the three boxes of pizza he held on his other hand. His stomach was grumbling and he was not in a very good mood after having had to wait several hours for Akira's and Soujiro's bartender friend to show up. Rui was right behind him carrying the drinks.
As they entered Akira's house, they heard the upbeat tune of one of Akira's favorite songs. He was playing it on the keyboards again, although this time it wasn't his voice they heard singing along to the happy melody. The voice was distinctly female, although it was quite muted from where they were standing. So the bartender/singer had shown up after all. About time, Tsukasa thought as he and Rui left the food and drinks on Akira's kitchen counter.
The two made their way to the staircase leading to the basement. As their steps took them down, closer to the source of the music, Rui and Tsukasa looked at each other in wonder. Akira and Soujiro weren't lying when they said this girl had a fantastic voice. Rui quickened his steps down, with Tsukasa following his lead, although they took care to do it quietly so as not to disturb the ongoing performance.
The girl had her back to them, her hips gently swaying to the rhythm of the song she was singing, her fingers occasionally snapping to the beat.
To her right, Akira was playing on the keyboards, although he never took his eyes off her as she sang. Soujiro was seated in one of the chairs, and he was just as enthralled as Akira by her performance. None of them noticed the arrival of Tsukasa and Rui.
All too soon, the song ended. Tsukushi looked at Soujiro and Akira, but they merely stared back at her, their mouths open. Before they could say anything, she started singing one of her favorite songs a capella.
Lookin' everywhere, haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret. . .
Tsukasa was impressed with her versatility. While she sang the first song with a high, clear voice, this time her voice was sultry and seductive like a temptress'.
There is somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone to watch over me. . .
By this time, Akira had regained his senses and started playing once more on the keyboards to accompany her singing.
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the woods
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me.
Rui was awed at the feelings this girl could evoke in him with her singing. The way she crooned those words made him want to be that someone to watch over her.
Although he may not be the man
Some girls think of as handsome
To my heart he'll carry the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh how I need
Someone to watch over me. . .
Silence reigned in the small basement as Tsukushi ended the song. No one said a word as they all gazed at her, transfixed. Suddenly there was enthusiastic applause from both Soujiro and Akira. She mockingly bowed to acknowledge their appreciation.
"That was great."
Tsukushi spun around to see who had spoken. Still flushed from the natural high she had felt while singing, the smile on her face froze when she saw who it was. She thought she was hallucinating when she saw cute weird guy stride over to where she stood. It was him alright, although there was something different about him today. Then she realized what it was when he came to stop in front of her. He was smiling. At her.
Tsukasa's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when Rui moved away, allowing him to see the face to which that amazing voice belonged.
"No. . . freakin'. . . way," he croaked out, as soon as he found his voice.
Tsukushi, who had started to smile back at Rui despite her shock, turned to see who else had arrived upon hearing Tsukasa's voice. The tentative smile she had immediately transformed into a grimace of horror when she saw the man who had been standing behind cute weird guy. Could this day get any more bizarre? First she finds out that Akira and Soujiro are friends with cute weird guy. And now, standing before her with an expression of dismay that matched her own, was the curly-haired guy who saved her from Junpei and chased him away.
"Tsukasa! Rui!" Akira and Soujiro greeted them excitedly, blissfully unaware of the tension that was fast engulfing the room. "This here's Makino Tsukushi, bartender par excellence and the newest member of our band!"
Tsukasa ignored the enthusiastic introduction. Instead he said in a tight voice, "I'd like a word with the three of you upstairs. Now."
Akira and Soujiro looked at each other, wondering what Tsukasa had to say. Both just shrugged and followed Tsukasa up the staircase, with Akira calling out to Tsukushi, "Hey Tsukushi, we'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable down there. Mi casa es su casa!"
She turned back to Rui, who had remained standing near her. She looked at him questioningly, wondering why he hadn't followed the three upstairs yet. He held out his right hand and said, "I'm Rui."
She extended her hand to shake his and started to say, "I'm. . ."
"Tsukushi, I know. They just introduced you, remember?" He smiled once more. "It's nice to finally have a name to connect to the face." After that, he turned around to go.
"Wait," she called out before he could disappear from view. He turned back to look at her. "Um, are you the lead singer of the band?"
Rui shook his head and said, "Nope. That would be Tsukasa." With that he went to join his bandmates upstairs.
Tsukushi sat on the couch and tiredly leaned back. She threw hear head back and wearily closed her eyes.
Ironic. Life is so fucking ironic. At first I didn't even want to try out for this stupid band. And now that I have, I want more than anything to make the cut. And the one person who will decide whether I make it or not is the only person in this fuckin' planet I've ever antagonized in my whole life. Life's a bitch. No shit. Tell me something I didn't know.
==================
Tsukasa was already pacing the room restlessly when Rui got upstairs.
"You're telling me that that wack job down there is the bartender you've been blabbing about?"
Akira and Soujiro were surprised at such an extreme reaction from Tsukasa, while Rui merely watched his friend with passive amusement.
"What the fuck are you talking about? Wack job? Tsukushi's one of the sanest persons I've ever known!" Soujiro immediately sprung to the defense of his favorite bartender.
"Tsukasa," Rui calmly spoke up. "You've obviously met her before. What makes you say she's crazy?"
Tsukasa immediately told them an abridged version of how he and Tsukushi had met.
"Look man," Akira said. "I'm sure Tsukushi had a good reason for reacting the way you said she did. Please don't jump to conclusions. Won't you even consider her? She's a great singer and we need her in the band. C'mon Tsukasa. We're desperate."
Tsukasa shook his head vigorously. "But not desperate enough to hire some psycho in our band!"
"She is not a psycho!" Akira and Soujiro yelled exasperatedly. Both men glared at Tsukasa, who glared at them in return.
"Look Tsukasa," Akira began again after taking several deep breaths to calm himself. "You heard her sing a while ago. She is good. No, not just good. She's the best we've heard among all those girls who tried out. Heck, she's even better than Shizuka!" As soon as the words flew out of his mouth, he looked guiltily at Rui. Tsukasa and Soujiro also looked at Rui to see how he would react to what Akira had said.
Rui looked up to meet their gaze. After a long pause, he said quietly, "He's right, you know. She does sing even better than Shizuka."
Now all eyes were trained on Tsukasa. When he refused to speak, Soujiro tried a different tack. "Okay, since it's now three to one, how about a compromise? Let's hire her, but since you're unsure of her, how about you give her a trial period of, hmm, say, a year? I'd say a year is just right for you to get to know her better. If you still think she's crazy and shouldn't be in the band, then let's go find another singer. But for now, we need her if we want the band to move forward." Of course, Soujiro conveniently left out that Tsukushi had already stipulated that she was only willing to stay for a year.
Tsukasa remained quiet, pondering on what Soujiro said. After a few minutes, he wordlessly stood up and made his way to the staircase. Rui, Akira, and Soujiro immediately followed him down.
Tsukushi opened her eyes as soon as she heard the scuffle of footsteps down the stairs. She stood up from the couch and saw the four of them emerge from the staircase, with a scowling Tsukasa in the lead. She squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself for the rejection she knew was sure to come.
Everyone waited with baited breaths for Tsukasa to speak. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally addressed Tsukushi.
"Daily rehearsals start promptly at 3pm. I expect you to show more punctuality than what you have shown today. So. . . when can you start?"
********************
A/N: Huh. Somehow it sounded a lot better when I was playing this chapter out in my head. Oh, well. I hope you liked it anyway. You may be wondering why Rui didn't seem surprised to see Tsukushi. Well, maybe he was, but I think it would take a little more than that to elicit a more pronounced reaction from him (like something along the lines of Tsukushi's actually a man, or that Soujiro is entering the priesthood, LOL.). As for the song, well, I really don't know how to do a songfic (relating the words of the song to the feelings of the characters), so I just settled for inserting the lyrics in there. I hadn't planned on including a specific song originally, but I wanted to accommodate one Winglin reader's request. Oh, and that one-year trial thing, I know it's not realistic but humor me. This is fanfiction, after all. ^_~ Anyway, enough of my senseless babble.
Sailor Angie: Hi and thanks again for your very kind words. It's really great to have such a supportive reader like you. Here's a TxT chapter for you, although not much is happening yet, lol.
ToinKs: And Round 1 goes to. . . hmmm. . . is it a draw? Sorry I couldn't quite come up with fireworks yet (watusi pa lang, mwehehehe!).
fresh8: ^_^
XxSwtDreamerxX1 and InvisibleRain: Thank you both for your very kind words! It's nice to be appreciated.
cristine: Hi and welcome, new reader!
'Til the next update, ciao!
Warning: Strong language. I know I don't usually put up a warning for cuss words but this chapter has a little more than the usual. I think maybe it was because I was so pissed while writing this, 'cause I couldn't get this chapter to come out the way I wanted it to. LOL. I apologize if you are offended by such words.
Chapter 11: The Audition (Finally!)
Tsukasa pushed the key into the lock impatiently while attempting to balance the three boxes of pizza he held on his other hand. His stomach was grumbling and he was not in a very good mood after having had to wait several hours for Akira's and Soujiro's bartender friend to show up. Rui was right behind him carrying the drinks.
As they entered Akira's house, they heard the upbeat tune of one of Akira's favorite songs. He was playing it on the keyboards again, although this time it wasn't his voice they heard singing along to the happy melody. The voice was distinctly female, although it was quite muted from where they were standing. So the bartender/singer had shown up after all. About time, Tsukasa thought as he and Rui left the food and drinks on Akira's kitchen counter.
The two made their way to the staircase leading to the basement. As their steps took them down, closer to the source of the music, Rui and Tsukasa looked at each other in wonder. Akira and Soujiro weren't lying when they said this girl had a fantastic voice. Rui quickened his steps down, with Tsukasa following his lead, although they took care to do it quietly so as not to disturb the ongoing performance.
The girl had her back to them, her hips gently swaying to the rhythm of the song she was singing, her fingers occasionally snapping to the beat.
To her right, Akira was playing on the keyboards, although he never took his eyes off her as she sang. Soujiro was seated in one of the chairs, and he was just as enthralled as Akira by her performance. None of them noticed the arrival of Tsukasa and Rui.
All too soon, the song ended. Tsukushi looked at Soujiro and Akira, but they merely stared back at her, their mouths open. Before they could say anything, she started singing one of her favorite songs a capella.
Lookin' everywhere, haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret. . .
Tsukasa was impressed with her versatility. While she sang the first song with a high, clear voice, this time her voice was sultry and seductive like a temptress'.
There is somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone to watch over me. . .
By this time, Akira had regained his senses and started playing once more on the keyboards to accompany her singing.
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the woods
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me.
Rui was awed at the feelings this girl could evoke in him with her singing. The way she crooned those words made him want to be that someone to watch over her.
Although he may not be the man
Some girls think of as handsome
To my heart he'll carry the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh how I need
Someone to watch over me. . .
Silence reigned in the small basement as Tsukushi ended the song. No one said a word as they all gazed at her, transfixed. Suddenly there was enthusiastic applause from both Soujiro and Akira. She mockingly bowed to acknowledge their appreciation.
"That was great."
Tsukushi spun around to see who had spoken. Still flushed from the natural high she had felt while singing, the smile on her face froze when she saw who it was. She thought she was hallucinating when she saw cute weird guy stride over to where she stood. It was him alright, although there was something different about him today. Then she realized what it was when he came to stop in front of her. He was smiling. At her.
Tsukasa's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when Rui moved away, allowing him to see the face to which that amazing voice belonged.
"No. . . freakin'. . . way," he croaked out, as soon as he found his voice.
Tsukushi, who had started to smile back at Rui despite her shock, turned to see who else had arrived upon hearing Tsukasa's voice. The tentative smile she had immediately transformed into a grimace of horror when she saw the man who had been standing behind cute weird guy. Could this day get any more bizarre? First she finds out that Akira and Soujiro are friends with cute weird guy. And now, standing before her with an expression of dismay that matched her own, was the curly-haired guy who saved her from Junpei and chased him away.
"Tsukasa! Rui!" Akira and Soujiro greeted them excitedly, blissfully unaware of the tension that was fast engulfing the room. "This here's Makino Tsukushi, bartender par excellence and the newest member of our band!"
Tsukasa ignored the enthusiastic introduction. Instead he said in a tight voice, "I'd like a word with the three of you upstairs. Now."
Akira and Soujiro looked at each other, wondering what Tsukasa had to say. Both just shrugged and followed Tsukasa up the staircase, with Akira calling out to Tsukushi, "Hey Tsukushi, we'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable down there. Mi casa es su casa!"
She turned back to Rui, who had remained standing near her. She looked at him questioningly, wondering why he hadn't followed the three upstairs yet. He held out his right hand and said, "I'm Rui."
She extended her hand to shake his and started to say, "I'm. . ."
"Tsukushi, I know. They just introduced you, remember?" He smiled once more. "It's nice to finally have a name to connect to the face." After that, he turned around to go.
"Wait," she called out before he could disappear from view. He turned back to look at her. "Um, are you the lead singer of the band?"
Rui shook his head and said, "Nope. That would be Tsukasa." With that he went to join his bandmates upstairs.
Tsukushi sat on the couch and tiredly leaned back. She threw hear head back and wearily closed her eyes.
Ironic. Life is so fucking ironic. At first I didn't even want to try out for this stupid band. And now that I have, I want more than anything to make the cut. And the one person who will decide whether I make it or not is the only person in this fuckin' planet I've ever antagonized in my whole life. Life's a bitch. No shit. Tell me something I didn't know.
==================
Tsukasa was already pacing the room restlessly when Rui got upstairs.
"You're telling me that that wack job down there is the bartender you've been blabbing about?"
Akira and Soujiro were surprised at such an extreme reaction from Tsukasa, while Rui merely watched his friend with passive amusement.
"What the fuck are you talking about? Wack job? Tsukushi's one of the sanest persons I've ever known!" Soujiro immediately sprung to the defense of his favorite bartender.
"Tsukasa," Rui calmly spoke up. "You've obviously met her before. What makes you say she's crazy?"
Tsukasa immediately told them an abridged version of how he and Tsukushi had met.
"Look man," Akira said. "I'm sure Tsukushi had a good reason for reacting the way you said she did. Please don't jump to conclusions. Won't you even consider her? She's a great singer and we need her in the band. C'mon Tsukasa. We're desperate."
Tsukasa shook his head vigorously. "But not desperate enough to hire some psycho in our band!"
"She is not a psycho!" Akira and Soujiro yelled exasperatedly. Both men glared at Tsukasa, who glared at them in return.
"Look Tsukasa," Akira began again after taking several deep breaths to calm himself. "You heard her sing a while ago. She is good. No, not just good. She's the best we've heard among all those girls who tried out. Heck, she's even better than Shizuka!" As soon as the words flew out of his mouth, he looked guiltily at Rui. Tsukasa and Soujiro also looked at Rui to see how he would react to what Akira had said.
Rui looked up to meet their gaze. After a long pause, he said quietly, "He's right, you know. She does sing even better than Shizuka."
Now all eyes were trained on Tsukasa. When he refused to speak, Soujiro tried a different tack. "Okay, since it's now three to one, how about a compromise? Let's hire her, but since you're unsure of her, how about you give her a trial period of, hmm, say, a year? I'd say a year is just right for you to get to know her better. If you still think she's crazy and shouldn't be in the band, then let's go find another singer. But for now, we need her if we want the band to move forward." Of course, Soujiro conveniently left out that Tsukushi had already stipulated that she was only willing to stay for a year.
Tsukasa remained quiet, pondering on what Soujiro said. After a few minutes, he wordlessly stood up and made his way to the staircase. Rui, Akira, and Soujiro immediately followed him down.
Tsukushi opened her eyes as soon as she heard the scuffle of footsteps down the stairs. She stood up from the couch and saw the four of them emerge from the staircase, with a scowling Tsukasa in the lead. She squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself for the rejection she knew was sure to come.
Everyone waited with baited breaths for Tsukasa to speak. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally addressed Tsukushi.
"Daily rehearsals start promptly at 3pm. I expect you to show more punctuality than what you have shown today. So. . . when can you start?"
********************
A/N: Huh. Somehow it sounded a lot better when I was playing this chapter out in my head. Oh, well. I hope you liked it anyway. You may be wondering why Rui didn't seem surprised to see Tsukushi. Well, maybe he was, but I think it would take a little more than that to elicit a more pronounced reaction from him (like something along the lines of Tsukushi's actually a man, or that Soujiro is entering the priesthood, LOL.). As for the song, well, I really don't know how to do a songfic (relating the words of the song to the feelings of the characters), so I just settled for inserting the lyrics in there. I hadn't planned on including a specific song originally, but I wanted to accommodate one Winglin reader's request. Oh, and that one-year trial thing, I know it's not realistic but humor me. This is fanfiction, after all. ^_~ Anyway, enough of my senseless babble.
Sailor Angie: Hi and thanks again for your very kind words. It's really great to have such a supportive reader like you. Here's a TxT chapter for you, although not much is happening yet, lol.
ToinKs: And Round 1 goes to. . . hmmm. . . is it a draw? Sorry I couldn't quite come up with fireworks yet (watusi pa lang, mwehehehe!).
fresh8: ^_^
XxSwtDreamerxX1 and InvisibleRain: Thank you both for your very kind words! It's nice to be appreciated.
cristine: Hi and welcome, new reader!
'Til the next update, ciao!