Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango.
Chapter 12: Four Flowers and a Weed
"Miss? Miss, did you hear me?" Tsukasa asked when Tsukushi failed to reply to him. Tsukushi still had her eyes shut tightly, and she stood as still as a statue, the only movement coming from her hands, which she was wringing together nervously.
Tsukasa turned to his three bandmates and muttered, "What did I tell you? Totally psycho! I'm outta here before I change my mind about hiring her. You tell her the news once she's come out of that trance she's slipped in." He went upstairs, grabbed one of the pizza boxes they got earlier, and slammed the door noisily as he left Akira's house.
Soujiro and Akira were immediately on either side of Tsukushi, shaking her gently. "Tsukushi, Tsukushi! You're in! You made it!"
"Huh?" Their voices snapped her awake. "What?"
"You're in! Tsukasa has already decided we're hiring you! Isn't that great?"
"He. . . he did? I made it in?" she managed to get out in a small, squeaky voice.
"You did! Congratulations!" Both Soujiro and Akira were enthusiastically pumping her hands as they congratulated her, while Rui looked on amusedly.
"But. . . but how? I was so sure he was going to tell me I didn't make it. . .?"
"Well," Akira replied, "he did have some reservations at first because, um, because . . ."
"He thinks you're crazy," Rui finished up for him.
"He WHAT?!?!" Tsukushi screeched, while Soujiro and Akira had a hard time containing their laughter.
"Oh, don't worry about Tsukasa," Rui told her assuringly. "So what if you're crazy? As long as you can sing." He made his way to the staircase and waved goodbye.
"Thanks, I . . . HEY!" Tsukushi yelled as she fully absorbed Rui's words, but by then they'd already heard the door upstairs close, indicating he had left the house as well.
She turned to the two remaining men in the room, who both instantly ceased chuckling when they saw her glaring at them. She strode over and sat again at the couch.
"So I made it huh?" she said as she allowed her form to drop onto the soft couch. It was only now that everything was beginning to sink in.
"That's right. So, to repeat Tsukasa's question, when can you start?" Akira asked.
"Officially? For both jobs? Give me a couple of weeks. I'm handing in my notice to the club tomorrow night. But maybe I can start practicing with you guys in the daytime during the days I don't have to report for work at the clothing store. I only go there three times a week. And by the end of the month, I am outta there for good."
"Great! The sooner you can start rehearsals, the better. In the meantime, we'll hold off on any gigs for the next two to three weeks."
"Okay. Geez, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. I can't believe I'll be singing professionally soon. Oh, what's the name of the band, by the way?"
"F4."
"Why F4? What does it mean?"
"Flower 4. You're the flower and we're your four thorns."
Tsukushi smirked. "Nuh-uh. I'm no flower." She thought of the last two years and how she had survived all the trials and difficulties. "I'm more like a weed, really. Definitely not a flower. The name suits you though."
"You think?" Soujiro asked. "Why?"
Tsukushi grinned slyly and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Well, 'cause the four of you are so damn pur-tee! You're as pretty as flowers!" She fluttered her lashes exaggeratedly and gave a hearty laugh.
"Ha-ha, very funny," Akira said as he rolled his eyes. "Now I'm beginning to think Tsukasa was right after all. You are crazy."
"Oh, shut up," she snapped as she sent a throw pillow flying straight to his face. "I suppose Tsukasa told you about how we met?"
"Uh-huh," Soujiro answered. "What's the deal with that? I mean, hey, can you blame the guy for thinking you're wacko? All he did was save you from some slimeball who was trying to rape you, and then you bite his head off?!"
"That slimeball owed me money. A huge amount of money. That's why I didn't want him to get away. No thanks to your friend, that's what he just did. He got away. . ." Tsukushi's voice trailed off, a bleak look in her eyes as she remembered that unfortunate night. She shook her head, as if trying to shake off the memory. "Anyway," she said, wanting to get off the subject, "Rui is really great with the violin, huh?"
Both Soujiro and Akira nodded. "But he usually plays the violin only when he's depressed. For the band, he plays the guitar," Soujiro remarked.
"Hey!" Akira exclaimed. "How'd you know Rui plays the violin?"
Tsukushi told them quickly about how she and Rui had met at the park. "But I didn't know his name until today."
Soujiro shook his head incredulously. "How weird is that? You actually met both Tsukasa and Rui long before we even thought of inviting you to join the band. Geez, no wonder you looked so pale when the both of them arrived. You must've thought you slipped into the Twilight Zone or something."
"Tell me about it," Tsukushi nodded. That was exactly how she felt.
"Well," Akira mused, "I'm surprised Rui allowed you to listen in on his playing. He's very private when it comes to that. Must've been the times he was really depressed about Shizuka."
"Who's Shizuka?" Tsukushi asked curiously.
"Shizuka is Rui's girlfriend. She was F4's vocalist, 'til she had to leave for the States."
"Oh," was all she could say in reply. She couldn't understand why she felt somewhat disappointed at the information. "Well, anyway, it's getting late. I've gotta go," she declared as she stood up. She fumbled in her purse for a pen and paper, and scribbled her cell phone number on it. "You can reach me there if you need to talk to me. Otherwise you can call me at the club."
"Okay. Here's our contact numbers as well," Soujiro said as he handed her a sheet of paper. "Those are our cell phone numbers, as well as home numbers. Call any one of us once you know when you can start joining band practice."
===================
The bright afternoon sky had begun to turn a purple-crimson hue as dusk descended upon the city. Tsukushi noticed a familiar form as she made her way to the oak tree in the park.
Rui opened his eyes when he felt a shadow cast upon him. "Somehow, I knew you'd come here," he said as he closed his eyes again. He had his violin beside him, although for now it remained untouched, still zipped up in its leather case on the ground.
"So, even you think I'm crazy, huh?" Tsukushi asked as she sat beside him and leaned against the wide tree trunk. A faint smile graced his lips, although he didn't answer. "Well," she spoke again, "I think you're weird, so I guess that makes us even."
The smile on his face grew wider, showing off perfect white teeth, as he turned to look at her. "You know what? I think it's gonna be a very interesting year, now that you've joined the band." With that, he took his violin from its case and began to play. But this time, he didn't play any of the sad songs he played before. Instead he played the theme from Doraemon.
Tsukushi gawked at him, then leaned back on the tree and enjoyed the music. Yup, she thought. It was going to be a very interesting year indeed.
*******************
A/N: I hope you all like this chapter 'cause I do (a rare occurrence nowadays). I really don't know when I can get the next chapter out 'cause I'll be pretty busy in the coming weeks, so please bear with me.
fresh8: Nutmeg? Gunpowder, more like! LOL. Well, here's a little Rui for you, I hope you like it. (Rui in action sounds like a contradiction in terms, hehe. He's always so sleepy, it's hard to associate the word 'action' with him, lol.)
Sailor Angie: I'm glad you found the last chapter plausible. Well, expect more TxT starting next chap (wish me luck in writing it up)!
Invisible Rain: Thanks for reading, and for thinking the last chap was good. Didn't like it much precisely because I couldn't make it as explosive as I wanted. But I think this one's much better though.
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Other characters from the manga? Well, a while back I was mulling over whether to bring in Sakurako and Umi, but I couldn't think of appropriate storylines for them. Maybe later, we'll see, if I'm not lazy.
cristine mae: Oh, I remember you now. I think you posted a review for "The Right Guy" on Winglin. Thanks for reading!
shingo-emma: Another reader from my first fic! Hi and welcome to this new one. I'm glad you stumbled upon it.
shirlynn: Hi, new reader! Really sorry to disappoint you, but this is gonna be a TxT story. I already decided the pairing a few chaps back, and if I dare change it now, the TxT fans are gonna lynch me, lol. Hope you still keep on reading though.
Chapter 12: Four Flowers and a Weed
"Miss? Miss, did you hear me?" Tsukasa asked when Tsukushi failed to reply to him. Tsukushi still had her eyes shut tightly, and she stood as still as a statue, the only movement coming from her hands, which she was wringing together nervously.
Tsukasa turned to his three bandmates and muttered, "What did I tell you? Totally psycho! I'm outta here before I change my mind about hiring her. You tell her the news once she's come out of that trance she's slipped in." He went upstairs, grabbed one of the pizza boxes they got earlier, and slammed the door noisily as he left Akira's house.
Soujiro and Akira were immediately on either side of Tsukushi, shaking her gently. "Tsukushi, Tsukushi! You're in! You made it!"
"Huh?" Their voices snapped her awake. "What?"
"You're in! Tsukasa has already decided we're hiring you! Isn't that great?"
"He. . . he did? I made it in?" she managed to get out in a small, squeaky voice.
"You did! Congratulations!" Both Soujiro and Akira were enthusiastically pumping her hands as they congratulated her, while Rui looked on amusedly.
"But. . . but how? I was so sure he was going to tell me I didn't make it. . .?"
"Well," Akira replied, "he did have some reservations at first because, um, because . . ."
"He thinks you're crazy," Rui finished up for him.
"He WHAT?!?!" Tsukushi screeched, while Soujiro and Akira had a hard time containing their laughter.
"Oh, don't worry about Tsukasa," Rui told her assuringly. "So what if you're crazy? As long as you can sing." He made his way to the staircase and waved goodbye.
"Thanks, I . . . HEY!" Tsukushi yelled as she fully absorbed Rui's words, but by then they'd already heard the door upstairs close, indicating he had left the house as well.
She turned to the two remaining men in the room, who both instantly ceased chuckling when they saw her glaring at them. She strode over and sat again at the couch.
"So I made it huh?" she said as she allowed her form to drop onto the soft couch. It was only now that everything was beginning to sink in.
"That's right. So, to repeat Tsukasa's question, when can you start?" Akira asked.
"Officially? For both jobs? Give me a couple of weeks. I'm handing in my notice to the club tomorrow night. But maybe I can start practicing with you guys in the daytime during the days I don't have to report for work at the clothing store. I only go there three times a week. And by the end of the month, I am outta there for good."
"Great! The sooner you can start rehearsals, the better. In the meantime, we'll hold off on any gigs for the next two to three weeks."
"Okay. Geez, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. I can't believe I'll be singing professionally soon. Oh, what's the name of the band, by the way?"
"F4."
"Why F4? What does it mean?"
"Flower 4. You're the flower and we're your four thorns."
Tsukushi smirked. "Nuh-uh. I'm no flower." She thought of the last two years and how she had survived all the trials and difficulties. "I'm more like a weed, really. Definitely not a flower. The name suits you though."
"You think?" Soujiro asked. "Why?"
Tsukushi grinned slyly and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Well, 'cause the four of you are so damn pur-tee! You're as pretty as flowers!" She fluttered her lashes exaggeratedly and gave a hearty laugh.
"Ha-ha, very funny," Akira said as he rolled his eyes. "Now I'm beginning to think Tsukasa was right after all. You are crazy."
"Oh, shut up," she snapped as she sent a throw pillow flying straight to his face. "I suppose Tsukasa told you about how we met?"
"Uh-huh," Soujiro answered. "What's the deal with that? I mean, hey, can you blame the guy for thinking you're wacko? All he did was save you from some slimeball who was trying to rape you, and then you bite his head off?!"
"That slimeball owed me money. A huge amount of money. That's why I didn't want him to get away. No thanks to your friend, that's what he just did. He got away. . ." Tsukushi's voice trailed off, a bleak look in her eyes as she remembered that unfortunate night. She shook her head, as if trying to shake off the memory. "Anyway," she said, wanting to get off the subject, "Rui is really great with the violin, huh?"
Both Soujiro and Akira nodded. "But he usually plays the violin only when he's depressed. For the band, he plays the guitar," Soujiro remarked.
"Hey!" Akira exclaimed. "How'd you know Rui plays the violin?"
Tsukushi told them quickly about how she and Rui had met at the park. "But I didn't know his name until today."
Soujiro shook his head incredulously. "How weird is that? You actually met both Tsukasa and Rui long before we even thought of inviting you to join the band. Geez, no wonder you looked so pale when the both of them arrived. You must've thought you slipped into the Twilight Zone or something."
"Tell me about it," Tsukushi nodded. That was exactly how she felt.
"Well," Akira mused, "I'm surprised Rui allowed you to listen in on his playing. He's very private when it comes to that. Must've been the times he was really depressed about Shizuka."
"Who's Shizuka?" Tsukushi asked curiously.
"Shizuka is Rui's girlfriend. She was F4's vocalist, 'til she had to leave for the States."
"Oh," was all she could say in reply. She couldn't understand why she felt somewhat disappointed at the information. "Well, anyway, it's getting late. I've gotta go," she declared as she stood up. She fumbled in her purse for a pen and paper, and scribbled her cell phone number on it. "You can reach me there if you need to talk to me. Otherwise you can call me at the club."
"Okay. Here's our contact numbers as well," Soujiro said as he handed her a sheet of paper. "Those are our cell phone numbers, as well as home numbers. Call any one of us once you know when you can start joining band practice."
===================
The bright afternoon sky had begun to turn a purple-crimson hue as dusk descended upon the city. Tsukushi noticed a familiar form as she made her way to the oak tree in the park.
Rui opened his eyes when he felt a shadow cast upon him. "Somehow, I knew you'd come here," he said as he closed his eyes again. He had his violin beside him, although for now it remained untouched, still zipped up in its leather case on the ground.
"So, even you think I'm crazy, huh?" Tsukushi asked as she sat beside him and leaned against the wide tree trunk. A faint smile graced his lips, although he didn't answer. "Well," she spoke again, "I think you're weird, so I guess that makes us even."
The smile on his face grew wider, showing off perfect white teeth, as he turned to look at her. "You know what? I think it's gonna be a very interesting year, now that you've joined the band." With that, he took his violin from its case and began to play. But this time, he didn't play any of the sad songs he played before. Instead he played the theme from Doraemon.
Tsukushi gawked at him, then leaned back on the tree and enjoyed the music. Yup, she thought. It was going to be a very interesting year indeed.
*******************
A/N: I hope you all like this chapter 'cause I do (a rare occurrence nowadays). I really don't know when I can get the next chapter out 'cause I'll be pretty busy in the coming weeks, so please bear with me.
fresh8: Nutmeg? Gunpowder, more like! LOL. Well, here's a little Rui for you, I hope you like it. (Rui in action sounds like a contradiction in terms, hehe. He's always so sleepy, it's hard to associate the word 'action' with him, lol.)
Sailor Angie: I'm glad you found the last chapter plausible. Well, expect more TxT starting next chap (wish me luck in writing it up)!
Invisible Rain: Thanks for reading, and for thinking the last chap was good. Didn't like it much precisely because I couldn't make it as explosive as I wanted. But I think this one's much better though.
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Other characters from the manga? Well, a while back I was mulling over whether to bring in Sakurako and Umi, but I couldn't think of appropriate storylines for them. Maybe later, we'll see, if I'm not lazy.
cristine mae: Oh, I remember you now. I think you posted a review for "The Right Guy" on Winglin. Thanks for reading!
shingo-emma: Another reader from my first fic! Hi and welcome to this new one. I'm glad you stumbled upon it.
shirlynn: Hi, new reader! Really sorry to disappoint you, but this is gonna be a TxT story. I already decided the pairing a few chaps back, and if I dare change it now, the TxT fans are gonna lynch me, lol. Hope you still keep on reading though.