Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango. Nor do I own the song
"Cruisin'" from the movie "Duets."
Chapter 17: Cruisin' Through Her Debut Performance
Saturday.
Tsukushi checked her reflection in the mirror before leaving her apartment that afternoon. She was clad in slim black pants and a black ribbed turtleneck top with short sleeves. Although she had worked at a club for the past two years, she didn't do much clubbing herself and so didn't have much in her closet in the way of club gear. But she figured she couldn't go wrong with an all-black outfit. A single gold chain hung around her neck to complete the ensemble. It was one of the few pieces of jewelry her late mother had left her that she hadn't pawned or sold yet. Fingering it delicately, she hoped it would serve as a sort of good luck charm and help her get through her first gig.
Satisfied with what she saw, she left home for the club. It was late afternoon and the club wouldn't be open for business yet, but she had agreed to meet Yuki there so they could talk and catch up before the weekend crowd came in. She had informed her band mates of her plan to go to Frenzy early, and they agreed to meet her there, assuring her that they could manage packing up the instruments and transporting these to the club without her help.
Since it was still early, she decided to walk to the club and take advantage of the cool late afternoon breeze. As she ambled along the streets in a leisurely pace, her mind flew back to the past two days they had been rehearsing.
:: flashback ::
She approached the microphone stand timidly that Thursday afternoon, the day after their marathon practice. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of her band mates. Sure, she had tried practicing in front of her mirror, but she only disgusted herself with her futile attempts at making googly eyes at her reflection. She'd have found it comical if she weren't so nervous.
Tsukushi was grateful Tsukasa had decided to start rehearsals that day with an upbeat dance tune. Akira's funny attempts to dance while at the same time playing the keyboards did a lot to loosen her up, and soon she found herself swaying and swinging to the beat as well. They rehearsed a couple more fast songs after that, letting her forget momentarily about her earlier nervousness.
It returned when Tsukasa announced that they were singing a love song afterwards. As Soujiro, Akira and Rui played the beginning notes, she kept her eyes on the floor. Her eyes grew wide when Tsukasa gently lifted her chin with his finger. "Relax, I won't bite," he mouthed as he gave her an encouraging smile.
She nodded and returned his smile tentatively. He began to sing his lines, looking into her eyes warmly. She looked back, mesmerized by those deep, brown orbs staring at her. His eyes probed into hers, seeking to know what lay beyond their depths.
Those eyes... I feel like I could drown myself in his gaze.
As she gazed into Tsukasa's eyes, transfixed by his intense stare, she realized with a start that he had finished singing his part and now it was her turn.
The words, I forgot the words! Now what should I do?! Damn it Tsukushi, think of something, and think fast!
Tsukushi did the first thing that came to mind... she pretended to go into a coughing fit. After almost a minute of coughing herself blue, she looked up and grinned sheepishly. "I'm so sorry. Something got caught in my throat." Yeah, something. Like my heart.
Tsukasa, who had been rubbing her back concernedly all the time she was coughing, sighed in relief once the coughs that were wracking her frail body subsided. In a way he was glad she had started coughing when she did, because the sight of her gazing deeply into his eyes had caused his mind to suddenly go blank. He wouldn't have remembered his next line if his life depended on it. All he could think of was how beautiful she looked as she stared back at him.
"Are you okay now?" he asked, worry evident in his tone.
"I'm fine," she muttered, fixing her eyes on a spot on the floor. She gave herself a mental shake for having lost her presence of mind.
"Okay, let's take it again from the top. 5, 6, 7, 8..."
As their other three band mates started playing their instruments again, Tsukushi took a deep breath to gather her wits about her. Focus, she scolded herself.
Although she still got unnerved when Tsukasa gazed into her eyes again, this time she was able to finish the whole song. Things got better after that as she forced herself to get used to singing with Tsukasa 'with feeling' and they were able to go through the rest of Thursday and the whole of Friday without further incident.
:: end of flashback ::
Before she knew it, she found the façade of her old workplace looming before her. She turned into the narrow alley where the employees' entrance was, and let herself in.
"Tsukushi!!!" Yuki squealed in delight as she saw her friend come in. "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize how much I missed you 'til I saw you walk in! How are you?" she asked as she gave the other girl a fierce hug and pulled her to a table.
"Yuki!" Tsukushi laughed as she returned the embrace.
Taking advantage of the time before the club opened its doors for the night, they sat at the table and started catching up on each other's lives. The last time they saw each other was more than three weeks ago, on Tsukushi's last night as a bartender at Frenzy.
"So, tell me, what's it like being the only female member in a band with four hunks?!" Yuki winked at her.
"Pssh! Hunks, shmunks! They're still nothing compared to Kazuya. Now THAT is one hot stud!" Tsukushi affirmed in all seriousness.
Yuki blinked, then realized her friend was joking. They both burst out into loud laughter after that. Tsukushi then went on to tell Yuki anecdotes from the short time since she'd joined F4. She also told her about her job at their record store, and how she's doing well, adjusting to her two new jobs. "But enough about me," Tsukushi said after several minutes of non-stop talking. "Tell me how you're doing. I'm so sorry I haven't even had time to call you since I left my job here."
Yuki dismissed her apology with a flick of the hand. "Don't worry about that. I know you've been busy, what with your job at the mall plus your band rehearsals. I've been pretty busy myself with schoolwork during daytime and this job at night." Yuki was a working college student. "Aside from that, I've been trying to keep my parents at bay. I swear, they've been calling me everyday from Canada, badgering me to quit school and my job here so I could follow them there."
"Well, don't you have plans of doing that?" Tsukushi asked.
"Yeah, eventually. Just not now. I'm still having the time of my life here, thanks to Jiro," Yuki giggled. Once again there was that sparkle in her eyes, as she spoke of Nishikado Soujiro. "To tell you the truth, I was already planning to go to Canada about a month ago. Then Jiro asked me out, remember? We've gone out several times after that. Now I'm thinking, I wanna stay here in Japan a little longer."
"Oh," was the only thing Tsukushi could say. She knew what a playboy Jiro was, and it made her worry how Yuki seemed to be falling hopelessly in love with him. She didn't want to say anything at first, because she didn't want Yuki to think she was badmouthing Soujiro, but now she felt she had to say something, at least to warn her friend.
"Yuki, I..." she started.
"Oooh, speak of the devil, there he is now! Jiro!" she called out, waving.
True enough, her four band mates had arrived. They were bringing in the instruments through the side entrance. "Hey Yuki." Soujiro, looking very handsome in a dark blue sweater and tan slacks, flashed that killer smile of his as he approached their table. Yuki blushed prettily. "Tsukushi," Jiro acknowledged her with another heart melting smile. "You ready for tonight?"
Tsukushi sighed, once again feeling butterflies in her stomach at the thought of performing that evening.
"Don't worry, you'll do great," Soujiro reassured her with a pat on her shoulder, before joining the other guys in setting up the instruments at the stage.
Tsukushi took the time to observe the F4 while they were busy. Rui was obviously still sleepy, moving around sluggishly in his white long- sleeved polo and khaki chinos. Akira, on the other hand, was his usual hyperactive self and was all over the place. He was wearing a silk Pucci- inspired shirt that only someone with his flair could get away with. Right now he and Soujiro were talking to Tsukasa, who had his back towards her. He suddenly turned around and waved at her. Tsukushi stood up to wave back but had to sit back down when she felt her knees go weak at the now familiar bedimpled smile that he flashed at her. Like her, he was clad in all black. The black, long-sleeved polo he wore over black jeans was left unbuttoned a third of the way, leaving his chest partially exposed.
"Oh shoot. The club's open," Yuki's voice broke into her thoughts. "Let's talk again later, okay, Tsukushi?"
Tsukushi nodded distractedly as she stood up and made her way to the bar. Kazuya was already there, attending to the first drink orders of the night. She decided to help him out to kill time and keep her mind off her coming debut performance. Her band mates had settled themselves at a table, drinking beer and eating finger foods as they awaited the appointed hour.
Shortly before 8pm, Akira approached her at the bar. "Tsukushi, we're on in ten minutes. Better get ready."
She nodded mutely, and left the bar to go to the restroom.
"You can do this," she told her reflection in the bathroom mirror. After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she squared her shoulders and made her way back out.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Rui squeezed her shoulder supportively. She nodded gratefully at him, before they went to their places at the stage. Soujiro and Akira likewise sought to reassure her by giving her encouraging smiles and the thumbs-up sign.
"You ready?" Tsukasa asked her as he took his place behind the microphone stand. Tsukushi swallowed nervously, then nodded. Tsukasa nodded back and gave her a warm smile. "Let's do this then," he declared.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Kazuya announced as he stood at the side of the slightly raised dais. "Tonight, Frenzy is proud to present, the F4, featuring Frenzy's very own Ms. Makino Tsukushi!"
Amidst the polite applause and the din of conversation, Soujiro, Akira and Rui started playing the introduction to their first song -- their own version of "Cruisin'" which was sung by Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie "Duets."
{A/N: [Tsukasa's part], (Tsukushi's part), words without brackets or parentheses are sung together}
[Baby let's cruise] (Away from here) [Don't be confused] (The way is clear)
Like the first time she sang in front of a large group of people, Tsukushi's voice was quivering. Although the lights prevented her from distinguishing the faces of the audience before her, her knees still couldn't stop from trembling. Tsukasa gently took her free hand in his, and gave her a comforting squeeze. The warmth from his hand and the gentle look in his eyes gave her that much needed boost of confidence, and she began singing the next line in a firmer voice.
And if you want it you got it forever This is not a one night stand... baby (Yeah) So let the music take your mind Just release and you will find
You're gonna fly away Glad you're goin' my way I love it when we're cruisin' together Music is played for love Cruisin' is made for love I love it when we're cruisin' together
The chatter of conversation soon died down as everyone in the club slowly turned their attention to the people singing before them. Tsukushi soon forgot she was singing before an audience. For now there was only her and the music... and Tsukasa.
[Baby tonight] (Belongs to us) [Everything's right] (Do what you must) And inch by inch we grow closer and closer To every li'l part of each other (Oooh baby, yeah) [Sooo] Let the music take your mind Just release and you will find
You're gonna fly away Glad you're goin' my way I love it when we're cruisin' together Music is played for love Cruisin' is made for love I love it when we're cruisin' together
Oooh, baby let's cruise (Let's float, let's glide) Oooh Let's open up (and go inside)
And if you want it you got it forever I could just stay here beside you and love you baby Let the music (take your mind) Just release and [you will find]
You're gonna fly away Glad you're goin' my way I love it when we're cruisin' together Music is played for love Cruisin' is made for love I love it when we're cruisin' together
I love it when... I love it, I love it, I love it (Oooh) [Cruise with me baby] (I love it when we're cruisin' together)
Thunderous applause met the end of the song, with not a few wolf whistles calling out for more. With a wide grin on her face, Tsukushi turned to face Tsukasa, who still had her hand in his, and mouthed, "Thank you."
He returned her smile and nodded once. He squeezed her hand again, then let go as they launched into their next song, a fast dance tune which brought everyone to their feet stomping and swaying to the beat.
For the next hour or so, they kept the audience captive with the songs they sang. Their band was undeniably a hit that night. They even had to do several encore numbers.
Once they had finished the last song for the night, they all plopped down, tired but happy, on chairs around a table Kazuya had cleared for them. Tsukushi beamed at her band mates seated around her. "We did good tonight." Try as she might, she couldn't wipe off the wide smile that she had on her face.
"Are you kidding?! What do you mean we did good? We did GREAT!" Akira declared.
Tsukasa rose from his seat when Kazuya whispered something in his ear. Ten minutes later, he returned with an unopened bottle of champagne and a grin that stretched from ear to ear. As his fellow band members looked up at him questioningly, he popped the bottle open and hollered, "We did it! We got the gig! Effective next week, we'll be playing every Friday here at Frenzy for the next three months!"
Whoops of delight came from the table, and champagne glasses were passed all around. They made a toast to their successful night, and soon everyone was talking at the same time. Not long after, Yuki approached their table, no longer in her waitress's uniform, but clad in regular clothes. After she congratulated Tsukushi and the F4 for their performance, Soujiro rose and slung an arm around her. "Hey folks, I hate to cut our celebration short, but this lovely lady and I have a date tonight. So I'll just see you guys on Monday for rehearsals, 'kay?" They waved goodbye and left the group to continue their celebration.
Around midnight, Rui rose from his seat and bid them goodbye as well. He was already sleepy and wanted to go home already. "Hey Tsukushi, want me to take you home?" he asked.
Tsukushi was still too hyped up over the events of the night and she didn't want to go home just yet. She shook her head at Rui and replied, "Nah. I think I wanna hang around a little longer."
Akira had left their table and gone to sit at the bar, where soon he was flirting with a buxom redhead. That left Tsukasa and Tsukushi at their table, but they weren't alone for long. Soon, many of the people who had known Tsukushi since her bartending days had approached their table one after the other, congratulating them on their band's performance that night. Some had even sat down to chat for a little while. Tsukushi threw Tsukasa an uneasy glance when she saw that he was getting bored.
One man came and shook Tsukushi's hand. "Hey Tsukushi, good to see you here at the club again. That was one helluva performance you guys gave. You and your boyfriend here really sing well together," he complimented as he gave Tsukasa a friendly slap on the back.
"Oh, he's not..." Tsukushi started to say, but Tsukasa was quick to cut her off.
"Thanks man. Glad you liked our singing."
When the man left, Tsukushi gaped at him then sputtered, "Why did you let that guy think you were my boyfriend?!"
Tsukasa shrugged. "Didn't feel like prolonging the conversation any further." He turned his attention towards the bar. "Looks like Akira has left already. Still wanna stay here or you wanna go home now?"
Tsukushi looked at her watch and saw that it was already 3am. She stifled a yawn, then allowed Tsukasa to pull her up and lead her out of the club.
The ride to her home was made in comfortable silence, until a low growl emitted somewhere from Tsukushi's stomach. "What the hell was that?!" Tsukasa laughed.
Tsukushi was thankful he couldn't see her blush as she muttered, "Well, I was so nervous tonight I wasn't able to have a decent dinner."
Tsukasa turned the steering wheel sharply, changing direction. "Where are we going?" Tsukushi asked.
He didn't answer, but seconds later stopped the car in one of the small side streets. Tsukushi gasped in surprise when she saw that they were in front of a small ramen stall. "Wow, I didn't know someone would still be open this late."
They got off the car and sat at the wooden bench in front of the small stall. The owner, a bald, friendly man about 60 years of age, greeted Tsukasa in a familiar manner.
"The guys and I used to come here a lot after a late night at the clubs," he explained as they waited for the owner to prepare their food. Shortly after, two piping hot bowls of ramen were placed in front of them.
Tsukushi savored the tasty soup and delicious noodles, as she listened to Tsukasa regale her with stories of how he, Rui, Akira and Soujiro came to be friends since childhood, and their many misadventures while growing up. She herself told him stories of her younger days.
"You know what?" she faced Tsukasa as he slurped the last of his soup. "When I first met you I thought you were a complete jerk. But now I'm beginning to realize... you're not so bad after all, Doumyouji Tsukasa."
Tsukasa's eyes crinkled as he chuckled. "Well, Ms. Makino Tsukushi, you're not so bad yourself." He took out his wallet from his back pocket and paid the stall owner for the food they ate. Afterwards he pulled Tsukushi to her feet and led her to the car for the drive back to her home.
*********************
A/N: YEAH!!! *pumps fist into the air* I finally completed this chapter! You have no idea how much I've been dreading writing this chapter up (pretty much the way Tsukushi had been dreading her first gig). And now it's done, I'm so relieved. It turned out longer than I planned (6 pages in MS Word -- my longest chapter to date), and I was thinking of breaking it up into two chapters, but I decided otherwise 'cause I didn't want to ruin the flow. Oh well, I hope you all liked it. And if you didn't, feel free to let me know. Don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can take it, lol. Oooh, a bit of trivia: Can any of you guess what movie I borrowed the ramen stall scene from? ^_~
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Hey! Thanks for posting a review both here and at Winglin. Hope you liked this chappie.
cherub girl: Hi! Thanks a lot for your kind words. I'm glad you liked the last chapter... I hope you like this as well. Yeah, writer's block can be such a royal pain in the neck. Thanks for understanding.
otakuchique: Hope you like this update. I think it's better than my last one.
flip-grl: Aww, I'm so honored that this story is one of your favorite HYD fics. Well, here's an extra long chapter for you, although ordinarily I only write about 1,500 to 2,500 words per chapter. I lose focus very easily if I go longer than that.
Invisible Rain: Really? You thought the last chapter was lovely? Thanks... I was afraid it sucked 'cause I didn't like it very much. This one's slightly better though (at least I think so).
Lian: Hey there, thanks for reading. Well, not much humor in this chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway.
lulu: Hi! Um, are you the same Lulu who posts comments for me in Winglin or are you a different lulu? Just asking 'cause it seemed from the review you posted that you were reviewing for the first time. Anyway, if you're the same person, thanks for your continued support! And if you're a new reader, welcome aboard!
Take care y'all. I'll see you next update!
Chapter 17: Cruisin' Through Her Debut Performance
Saturday.
Tsukushi checked her reflection in the mirror before leaving her apartment that afternoon. She was clad in slim black pants and a black ribbed turtleneck top with short sleeves. Although she had worked at a club for the past two years, she didn't do much clubbing herself and so didn't have much in her closet in the way of club gear. But she figured she couldn't go wrong with an all-black outfit. A single gold chain hung around her neck to complete the ensemble. It was one of the few pieces of jewelry her late mother had left her that she hadn't pawned or sold yet. Fingering it delicately, she hoped it would serve as a sort of good luck charm and help her get through her first gig.
Satisfied with what she saw, she left home for the club. It was late afternoon and the club wouldn't be open for business yet, but she had agreed to meet Yuki there so they could talk and catch up before the weekend crowd came in. She had informed her band mates of her plan to go to Frenzy early, and they agreed to meet her there, assuring her that they could manage packing up the instruments and transporting these to the club without her help.
Since it was still early, she decided to walk to the club and take advantage of the cool late afternoon breeze. As she ambled along the streets in a leisurely pace, her mind flew back to the past two days they had been rehearsing.
:: flashback ::
She approached the microphone stand timidly that Thursday afternoon, the day after their marathon practice. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of her band mates. Sure, she had tried practicing in front of her mirror, but she only disgusted herself with her futile attempts at making googly eyes at her reflection. She'd have found it comical if she weren't so nervous.
Tsukushi was grateful Tsukasa had decided to start rehearsals that day with an upbeat dance tune. Akira's funny attempts to dance while at the same time playing the keyboards did a lot to loosen her up, and soon she found herself swaying and swinging to the beat as well. They rehearsed a couple more fast songs after that, letting her forget momentarily about her earlier nervousness.
It returned when Tsukasa announced that they were singing a love song afterwards. As Soujiro, Akira and Rui played the beginning notes, she kept her eyes on the floor. Her eyes grew wide when Tsukasa gently lifted her chin with his finger. "Relax, I won't bite," he mouthed as he gave her an encouraging smile.
She nodded and returned his smile tentatively. He began to sing his lines, looking into her eyes warmly. She looked back, mesmerized by those deep, brown orbs staring at her. His eyes probed into hers, seeking to know what lay beyond their depths.
Those eyes... I feel like I could drown myself in his gaze.
As she gazed into Tsukasa's eyes, transfixed by his intense stare, she realized with a start that he had finished singing his part and now it was her turn.
The words, I forgot the words! Now what should I do?! Damn it Tsukushi, think of something, and think fast!
Tsukushi did the first thing that came to mind... she pretended to go into a coughing fit. After almost a minute of coughing herself blue, she looked up and grinned sheepishly. "I'm so sorry. Something got caught in my throat." Yeah, something. Like my heart.
Tsukasa, who had been rubbing her back concernedly all the time she was coughing, sighed in relief once the coughs that were wracking her frail body subsided. In a way he was glad she had started coughing when she did, because the sight of her gazing deeply into his eyes had caused his mind to suddenly go blank. He wouldn't have remembered his next line if his life depended on it. All he could think of was how beautiful she looked as she stared back at him.
"Are you okay now?" he asked, worry evident in his tone.
"I'm fine," she muttered, fixing her eyes on a spot on the floor. She gave herself a mental shake for having lost her presence of mind.
"Okay, let's take it again from the top. 5, 6, 7, 8..."
As their other three band mates started playing their instruments again, Tsukushi took a deep breath to gather her wits about her. Focus, she scolded herself.
Although she still got unnerved when Tsukasa gazed into her eyes again, this time she was able to finish the whole song. Things got better after that as she forced herself to get used to singing with Tsukasa 'with feeling' and they were able to go through the rest of Thursday and the whole of Friday without further incident.
:: end of flashback ::
Before she knew it, she found the façade of her old workplace looming before her. She turned into the narrow alley where the employees' entrance was, and let herself in.
"Tsukushi!!!" Yuki squealed in delight as she saw her friend come in. "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize how much I missed you 'til I saw you walk in! How are you?" she asked as she gave the other girl a fierce hug and pulled her to a table.
"Yuki!" Tsukushi laughed as she returned the embrace.
Taking advantage of the time before the club opened its doors for the night, they sat at the table and started catching up on each other's lives. The last time they saw each other was more than three weeks ago, on Tsukushi's last night as a bartender at Frenzy.
"So, tell me, what's it like being the only female member in a band with four hunks?!" Yuki winked at her.
"Pssh! Hunks, shmunks! They're still nothing compared to Kazuya. Now THAT is one hot stud!" Tsukushi affirmed in all seriousness.
Yuki blinked, then realized her friend was joking. They both burst out into loud laughter after that. Tsukushi then went on to tell Yuki anecdotes from the short time since she'd joined F4. She also told her about her job at their record store, and how she's doing well, adjusting to her two new jobs. "But enough about me," Tsukushi said after several minutes of non-stop talking. "Tell me how you're doing. I'm so sorry I haven't even had time to call you since I left my job here."
Yuki dismissed her apology with a flick of the hand. "Don't worry about that. I know you've been busy, what with your job at the mall plus your band rehearsals. I've been pretty busy myself with schoolwork during daytime and this job at night." Yuki was a working college student. "Aside from that, I've been trying to keep my parents at bay. I swear, they've been calling me everyday from Canada, badgering me to quit school and my job here so I could follow them there."
"Well, don't you have plans of doing that?" Tsukushi asked.
"Yeah, eventually. Just not now. I'm still having the time of my life here, thanks to Jiro," Yuki giggled. Once again there was that sparkle in her eyes, as she spoke of Nishikado Soujiro. "To tell you the truth, I was already planning to go to Canada about a month ago. Then Jiro asked me out, remember? We've gone out several times after that. Now I'm thinking, I wanna stay here in Japan a little longer."
"Oh," was the only thing Tsukushi could say. She knew what a playboy Jiro was, and it made her worry how Yuki seemed to be falling hopelessly in love with him. She didn't want to say anything at first, because she didn't want Yuki to think she was badmouthing Soujiro, but now she felt she had to say something, at least to warn her friend.
"Yuki, I..." she started.
"Oooh, speak of the devil, there he is now! Jiro!" she called out, waving.
True enough, her four band mates had arrived. They were bringing in the instruments through the side entrance. "Hey Yuki." Soujiro, looking very handsome in a dark blue sweater and tan slacks, flashed that killer smile of his as he approached their table. Yuki blushed prettily. "Tsukushi," Jiro acknowledged her with another heart melting smile. "You ready for tonight?"
Tsukushi sighed, once again feeling butterflies in her stomach at the thought of performing that evening.
"Don't worry, you'll do great," Soujiro reassured her with a pat on her shoulder, before joining the other guys in setting up the instruments at the stage.
Tsukushi took the time to observe the F4 while they were busy. Rui was obviously still sleepy, moving around sluggishly in his white long- sleeved polo and khaki chinos. Akira, on the other hand, was his usual hyperactive self and was all over the place. He was wearing a silk Pucci- inspired shirt that only someone with his flair could get away with. Right now he and Soujiro were talking to Tsukasa, who had his back towards her. He suddenly turned around and waved at her. Tsukushi stood up to wave back but had to sit back down when she felt her knees go weak at the now familiar bedimpled smile that he flashed at her. Like her, he was clad in all black. The black, long-sleeved polo he wore over black jeans was left unbuttoned a third of the way, leaving his chest partially exposed.
"Oh shoot. The club's open," Yuki's voice broke into her thoughts. "Let's talk again later, okay, Tsukushi?"
Tsukushi nodded distractedly as she stood up and made her way to the bar. Kazuya was already there, attending to the first drink orders of the night. She decided to help him out to kill time and keep her mind off her coming debut performance. Her band mates had settled themselves at a table, drinking beer and eating finger foods as they awaited the appointed hour.
Shortly before 8pm, Akira approached her at the bar. "Tsukushi, we're on in ten minutes. Better get ready."
She nodded mutely, and left the bar to go to the restroom.
"You can do this," she told her reflection in the bathroom mirror. After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she squared her shoulders and made her way back out.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Rui squeezed her shoulder supportively. She nodded gratefully at him, before they went to their places at the stage. Soujiro and Akira likewise sought to reassure her by giving her encouraging smiles and the thumbs-up sign.
"You ready?" Tsukasa asked her as he took his place behind the microphone stand. Tsukushi swallowed nervously, then nodded. Tsukasa nodded back and gave her a warm smile. "Let's do this then," he declared.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Kazuya announced as he stood at the side of the slightly raised dais. "Tonight, Frenzy is proud to present, the F4, featuring Frenzy's very own Ms. Makino Tsukushi!"
Amidst the polite applause and the din of conversation, Soujiro, Akira and Rui started playing the introduction to their first song -- their own version of "Cruisin'" which was sung by Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie "Duets."
{A/N: [Tsukasa's part], (Tsukushi's part), words without brackets or parentheses are sung together}
[Baby let's cruise] (Away from here) [Don't be confused] (The way is clear)
Like the first time she sang in front of a large group of people, Tsukushi's voice was quivering. Although the lights prevented her from distinguishing the faces of the audience before her, her knees still couldn't stop from trembling. Tsukasa gently took her free hand in his, and gave her a comforting squeeze. The warmth from his hand and the gentle look in his eyes gave her that much needed boost of confidence, and she began singing the next line in a firmer voice.
And if you want it you got it forever This is not a one night stand... baby (Yeah) So let the music take your mind Just release and you will find
You're gonna fly away Glad you're goin' my way I love it when we're cruisin' together Music is played for love Cruisin' is made for love I love it when we're cruisin' together
The chatter of conversation soon died down as everyone in the club slowly turned their attention to the people singing before them. Tsukushi soon forgot she was singing before an audience. For now there was only her and the music... and Tsukasa.
[Baby tonight] (Belongs to us) [Everything's right] (Do what you must) And inch by inch we grow closer and closer To every li'l part of each other (Oooh baby, yeah) [Sooo] Let the music take your mind Just release and you will find
You're gonna fly away Glad you're goin' my way I love it when we're cruisin' together Music is played for love Cruisin' is made for love I love it when we're cruisin' together
Oooh, baby let's cruise (Let's float, let's glide) Oooh Let's open up (and go inside)
And if you want it you got it forever I could just stay here beside you and love you baby Let the music (take your mind) Just release and [you will find]
You're gonna fly away Glad you're goin' my way I love it when we're cruisin' together Music is played for love Cruisin' is made for love I love it when we're cruisin' together
I love it when... I love it, I love it, I love it (Oooh) [Cruise with me baby] (I love it when we're cruisin' together)
Thunderous applause met the end of the song, with not a few wolf whistles calling out for more. With a wide grin on her face, Tsukushi turned to face Tsukasa, who still had her hand in his, and mouthed, "Thank you."
He returned her smile and nodded once. He squeezed her hand again, then let go as they launched into their next song, a fast dance tune which brought everyone to their feet stomping and swaying to the beat.
For the next hour or so, they kept the audience captive with the songs they sang. Their band was undeniably a hit that night. They even had to do several encore numbers.
Once they had finished the last song for the night, they all plopped down, tired but happy, on chairs around a table Kazuya had cleared for them. Tsukushi beamed at her band mates seated around her. "We did good tonight." Try as she might, she couldn't wipe off the wide smile that she had on her face.
"Are you kidding?! What do you mean we did good? We did GREAT!" Akira declared.
Tsukasa rose from his seat when Kazuya whispered something in his ear. Ten minutes later, he returned with an unopened bottle of champagne and a grin that stretched from ear to ear. As his fellow band members looked up at him questioningly, he popped the bottle open and hollered, "We did it! We got the gig! Effective next week, we'll be playing every Friday here at Frenzy for the next three months!"
Whoops of delight came from the table, and champagne glasses were passed all around. They made a toast to their successful night, and soon everyone was talking at the same time. Not long after, Yuki approached their table, no longer in her waitress's uniform, but clad in regular clothes. After she congratulated Tsukushi and the F4 for their performance, Soujiro rose and slung an arm around her. "Hey folks, I hate to cut our celebration short, but this lovely lady and I have a date tonight. So I'll just see you guys on Monday for rehearsals, 'kay?" They waved goodbye and left the group to continue their celebration.
Around midnight, Rui rose from his seat and bid them goodbye as well. He was already sleepy and wanted to go home already. "Hey Tsukushi, want me to take you home?" he asked.
Tsukushi was still too hyped up over the events of the night and she didn't want to go home just yet. She shook her head at Rui and replied, "Nah. I think I wanna hang around a little longer."
Akira had left their table and gone to sit at the bar, where soon he was flirting with a buxom redhead. That left Tsukasa and Tsukushi at their table, but they weren't alone for long. Soon, many of the people who had known Tsukushi since her bartending days had approached their table one after the other, congratulating them on their band's performance that night. Some had even sat down to chat for a little while. Tsukushi threw Tsukasa an uneasy glance when she saw that he was getting bored.
One man came and shook Tsukushi's hand. "Hey Tsukushi, good to see you here at the club again. That was one helluva performance you guys gave. You and your boyfriend here really sing well together," he complimented as he gave Tsukasa a friendly slap on the back.
"Oh, he's not..." Tsukushi started to say, but Tsukasa was quick to cut her off.
"Thanks man. Glad you liked our singing."
When the man left, Tsukushi gaped at him then sputtered, "Why did you let that guy think you were my boyfriend?!"
Tsukasa shrugged. "Didn't feel like prolonging the conversation any further." He turned his attention towards the bar. "Looks like Akira has left already. Still wanna stay here or you wanna go home now?"
Tsukushi looked at her watch and saw that it was already 3am. She stifled a yawn, then allowed Tsukasa to pull her up and lead her out of the club.
The ride to her home was made in comfortable silence, until a low growl emitted somewhere from Tsukushi's stomach. "What the hell was that?!" Tsukasa laughed.
Tsukushi was thankful he couldn't see her blush as she muttered, "Well, I was so nervous tonight I wasn't able to have a decent dinner."
Tsukasa turned the steering wheel sharply, changing direction. "Where are we going?" Tsukushi asked.
He didn't answer, but seconds later stopped the car in one of the small side streets. Tsukushi gasped in surprise when she saw that they were in front of a small ramen stall. "Wow, I didn't know someone would still be open this late."
They got off the car and sat at the wooden bench in front of the small stall. The owner, a bald, friendly man about 60 years of age, greeted Tsukasa in a familiar manner.
"The guys and I used to come here a lot after a late night at the clubs," he explained as they waited for the owner to prepare their food. Shortly after, two piping hot bowls of ramen were placed in front of them.
Tsukushi savored the tasty soup and delicious noodles, as she listened to Tsukasa regale her with stories of how he, Rui, Akira and Soujiro came to be friends since childhood, and their many misadventures while growing up. She herself told him stories of her younger days.
"You know what?" she faced Tsukasa as he slurped the last of his soup. "When I first met you I thought you were a complete jerk. But now I'm beginning to realize... you're not so bad after all, Doumyouji Tsukasa."
Tsukasa's eyes crinkled as he chuckled. "Well, Ms. Makino Tsukushi, you're not so bad yourself." He took out his wallet from his back pocket and paid the stall owner for the food they ate. Afterwards he pulled Tsukushi to her feet and led her to the car for the drive back to her home.
*********************
A/N: YEAH!!! *pumps fist into the air* I finally completed this chapter! You have no idea how much I've been dreading writing this chapter up (pretty much the way Tsukushi had been dreading her first gig). And now it's done, I'm so relieved. It turned out longer than I planned (6 pages in MS Word -- my longest chapter to date), and I was thinking of breaking it up into two chapters, but I decided otherwise 'cause I didn't want to ruin the flow. Oh well, I hope you all liked it. And if you didn't, feel free to let me know. Don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can take it, lol. Oooh, a bit of trivia: Can any of you guess what movie I borrowed the ramen stall scene from? ^_~
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Hey! Thanks for posting a review both here and at Winglin. Hope you liked this chappie.
cherub girl: Hi! Thanks a lot for your kind words. I'm glad you liked the last chapter... I hope you like this as well. Yeah, writer's block can be such a royal pain in the neck. Thanks for understanding.
otakuchique: Hope you like this update. I think it's better than my last one.
flip-grl: Aww, I'm so honored that this story is one of your favorite HYD fics. Well, here's an extra long chapter for you, although ordinarily I only write about 1,500 to 2,500 words per chapter. I lose focus very easily if I go longer than that.
Invisible Rain: Really? You thought the last chapter was lovely? Thanks... I was afraid it sucked 'cause I didn't like it very much. This one's slightly better though (at least I think so).
Lian: Hey there, thanks for reading. Well, not much humor in this chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway.
lulu: Hi! Um, are you the same Lulu who posts comments for me in Winglin or are you a different lulu? Just asking 'cause it seemed from the review you posted that you were reviewing for the first time. Anyway, if you're the same person, thanks for your continued support! And if you're a new reader, welcome aboard!
Take care y'all. I'll see you next update!