Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango.
A/N: Hey hey! Look who's back from the dead! LOL. I'm sorry if I've been such a lazy ass lately... I simply haven't been in a writing mood. Just got the urge to write again several days ago, and this is what I came up with. Am not sure if it's any good, but I had to post something. Anyway, let me know what you think (good or bad) by leaving your comments. Replies to the beautiful people who commented on the last chapter can be found at the bottom of the chapter. And btw, I apologize for any typo or grammar errors you might find -- I haven't edited this yet.
Chapter 29: Getting Ready For the Big Gig
Three weeks later on the day of the big gig...
Tsukushi was in a state of near panic. No, scratch that. She was way past that stage now. She was already in a state of EXTREME panic. For the nth time since she got home an hour ago, she glared at her reflection on the full-length mirror on her bedroom wall.
How could I be so fuckin' stupid?!
If she hadn't been so complacent, she wouldn't be in this dilemma right now. The last couple of weeks had been very hectic. The band was booked for gigs almost every night, not to mention the marathon practice sessions Tsukasa had imposed on them on the few nights they were free. A week ago, they had gotten around to talking about what to wear for the big gig. Needless to say, it was going to be a black tie event, so Tsukushi had to wear a formal dress.
That in itself presented no problem. She had planned to wear the dress she wore for her birthday dinner. Like the good, responsible girl she was, Tsukushi took the dress to the drycleaners so it would be ready on the big day. But because she had been so busy, both with the band and with her daytime job at the record store, she kept on putting off picking the damn thing up from the drycleaners. She finally remembered last night, but by that time the drycleaners had already closed shop.
So she went there first thing this morning. But just as she was about to get it, she discovered that she had misplaced her claim ticket. She spent a good ten minutes searching her purse and her jeans pockets for the said ticket, and another twenty minutes cajoling, begging, bribing, and even threatening the hapless shop attendant, just so she could get her dress, but to no avail. No matter how scared of her he looked, the man refused to release her dress without the claim ticket. Tsukushi left the shop grumbling, but that was all she could really do.
When she got to the record store, Kumiko, one of her co-workers, noticed the lousy mood she was in and asked her what was wrong. In her distress, she poured out the whole sorry tale. Kumiko lit up and told her she might be able to help. She very kindly offered to run home and get a bridesmaid's dress she had worn some years ago so she could lend it to Tsukushi, seeing as they had the same body type and were probably the same size. Tsukushi very eagerly thanked her for being her savior, and come lunch time, Kumiko left to get the dress. By the time she got back, Tsukushi was occupied with several customers in the store, so she didn't have time to look at the dress. It was only when she had gotten home and unzipped the black garment bag that she gasped in horror at the sight that met her.
The dress was a nightmare of lace and tulle in a sick green color that could only remind Tsukushi of phlegm. Having no other choice and thinking it probably won't look so bad once she was wearing it, she tried the dress on and slowly walked to the mirror to check her reflection.
It was worse than she had thought. She looked like a fluffy, walking vegetable. Now she understood all those jokes she heard about bridesmaids' dresses. She was probably wearing the dress that started it all.
Tsukushi spent the next ten minutes trying to rip the hair from her scalp, cursing herself again and again for being so stupid. If only she'd thought of looking into the garment bag before she had left the mall, she would have had time to rectify the situation by shopping for a new dress. She debated with herself whether to go back to the mall and try her luck finding a suitable dress, but immediately scrapped the idea, knowing that there was no time for that now.
After hyperventilating for a few minutes, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
Okay. Maybe a soothing bath in the tub would clear my mind so I would know what to do next.
But she only ended up scrubbing herself raw when she kept on thinking that in a few hours, she was slated to sing in front of Tokyo society's crème de la crème, and she still didn't have anything to wear. She stood up from the tub abruptly, and after drying herself briskly with a towel, went back to her room.
Thirty minutes later, the room looked like a tornado had gone through it. Half the contents of her closet were strewn haphazardly across her bed. The closest thing to formal wear she had was a pair of black, dressy pants and some stylish blouses, but she knew even these would not make the cut for a black tie event. She knew the guys were going to wear tuxedoes, and she didn't want to appear dreadfully underdressed beside them.
With leaden feet, she approached her closet again, flinging the door wide open. There must be something in here, she thought to herself. The light from the ceiling momentarily glinted on a plastic garment bag at the far end of the closet wall, catching her eye. She moved the few remaining clothes hanging in front of it out of the way and took the garment bag off the rack. She had completely forgotten all about this dress. Walking back to the bed, she sat down slowly and laid it gently, almost reverently, across her lap. She lifted the plastic and felt a lump form in her throat as she beheld the dress that lay within. Much like the first time she'd seen it, the dress took her breath away. With shaking hands, she slipped the dress on and stood in front of the mirror.
It was a white calf-length dress made of silk chiffon. The lining underneath was made of a clingy material that hugged her body and clung to her curves, while the diaphanous fabric outside gently draped her form, giving her a flattering silhouette. It had a mildly dipping neckline, not too low that it made her look immodest, but low enough to emphasize the gentle swell of her breasts. The asymmetrical hemline dipped below her knees. Thin spaghetti straps showed off the creamy skin on her shoulders. It was a very simple dress, really, with only a smattering of Swarovski crystals sewn on the bodice for embellishment, but it was this simplicity which made the dress all the more elegant. It looked perfect on her, just as it had when she fitted it on at the store some two odd years ago. That was the only other time she had worn it. It was the dress she was supposed to wear for her wedding to Junpei, the dress she had bought that night he left her.
Oddly, there was none of the stabbing pain she had expected to feel upon seeing herself wear this reminder of that horrible night two years ago. Oh, Tsukushi didn't kid herself that it no longer hurt, because it still did. But the hurt came in the form of a dull ache in her heart, mourning the loss not of the first man she had ever loved, but the loss of the innocence of her youth.
Hmmm, maybe I AM moving on...
Along with this realization came the ironic thought that she was wearing what would have been her wedding dress to somebody else's wedding...
She spent the next hour painstakingly applying her make-up and fixing her hair, which she swept up in a neat chignon. She made a quick dash outside to her landlord's garden, where she plucked a single purple orchid, which she tucked into the twist in her hair. She put on diamond stud earrings and slipped on strappy silver stiletto heels, then checked her appearance in the mirror. Just as she put these finishing touches, she nodded with approval at the image that met her eyes. She had to admit, she looked great. But there was still something missing...
Her eyes came to rest on her bare neck, and immediately she knew what else was missing. She went to her closet and retrieved her jewelry box. Lovingly, she lifted the necklace Tsukasa had given her for her birthday, and with unsteady hands secured it around her neck. Then she went back in front of the mirror and gazed at her reflection. Perfect.
Her doorbell rang just as she was draping on her shoulders a lavender shawl made of the finest silk and interspersed with delicate silver threads. She grabbed the small silver evening bag from her nightstand and walked briskly out of her bedroom to open her front door.
Standing on her doorstep were her four bandmates, each resplendently clad in identical black tuxedoes with coattails, the only difference in their attires the color of their cummerbunds. Tsukasa's was grey, Rui's was white, Akira's was burgundy, and Jiro's was a deep blue.
"Good evening, mademoiselle," Soujiro bowed low with a flourish once she opened the door. Tsukushi giggled. All four looked very handsome in their formal evening wear, and she was quite sure she would have to deal with envious glares later from most of the female guests.
"You guys look great!" she exclaimed.
"You don't look so bad yourself," Akira commented as he took her hand and twirled her around. "Right, guys?"
Soujiro responded by letting out a loud whistle of approval, Rui smiled in appreciation and gave her two thumbs up, while Tsukasa... well, Tsukasa merely stood there with mouth agape. He was simply in awe at the vision that met his eyes. He had always thought Tsukushi beautiful, even when she was wearing her usual attire of torn jeans and loose t-shirts. Of course she would look even more so when she had to doll herself up, like on the night of her birthday dinner. But if he thought she was beautiful then, tonight he was at a loss for words to describe her.
Rui made a discreet coughing sound as he jabbed Tsukasa with an elbow to his side. "Pick your jaw up from the ground and say something," he said softly out of the corner of his mouth.
"I... ah... hi, Tsukushi," he stammered. "You look..." he paused for a few seconds to find a word to describe her. "... Perfect," he said at last. Beside him, his three friends were gently nudging each other as they took in the scene before them.
Tsukushi blushed prettily as she thanked him. The pendant hanging on her neck caught the soft light coming from the top of the doorstep, making it sparkle momentarily.
Seeing her wear the necklace he gave her helped Tsukasa regain his confidence. He gallantly offered her his arm and asked, "Shall we?"
Tsukushi graciously laid her hand on the crook of his elbow and allowed him to lead her out onto the curb, while the three other men trailed them. Tsukushi's eyes were still adjusting to the dimness of the street, so she didn't immediately see the car parked on the curb. When they got closer, that's when she saw it. A black stretch limousine, complete with a uniformed chauffeur standing beside it and holding the door open.
"A limo?!" she exclaimed, just before Tsukasa helped her into the vehicle. She was soon seated on luxurious leather seats, and Tsukasa slid in beside her. On the seats opposite them, Akira, Jiro and Rui settled themselves.
"It was Akira's idea to rent this thing," Tsukasa said.
"Well," Akira flashed a wide smile at them all, "I was thinking, since we're all dressed to the nines tonight, we might as well splurge to make sure we arrive in style." He called out instructions to the chauffeur to drive them to the Maple Hotel, then pushed a button on the armrest at his side. An opaque glass partition slid up between the front and rear compartments. "Ahhh, privacy at last," he said as he leaned comfortably against his seat. "Don't you just love all this luxury?" he beamed as he waved a hand at their surroundings.
"Yeah, this is so cool, I could easily get used to this," Jiro declared.
"Was this all necessary?" Tsukushi asked. She looked ill at ease as she gazed around the lavish interiors of the limo.
"Of course!" Akira stated with conviction. "This is the wedding of the year, it's being held at the grandest hotel in all of Tokyo, and it's a must that we make an impressive entrance. It'll be good for the image of the band, seeing as the guests are all part of Tokyo's elite."
"Uh-huh," Tsukushi remained unconvinced. "You do know that since we're the band and not really guests, we're there to work. We'll be arriving an hour before any of these elite guests come, and there'll be no one except the hotel doormen and valets to see this 'grand entrance' of ours."
Akira blinked and was unable to come up with a reply for a few seconds. And then the familiar, easygoing smile was back on his face. "Ah, what the heck?" he waved a dismissive hand. "This car has a bar! That alone is enough to justify the few extra bucks," he laughed as he opened a small wood-paneled cabinet on the side. A quick glance showed it was amply stocked with an unopened bottle of champagne, being chilled on a bucket of ice, several crystal flutes, as well as miniature bottles of various liquor for those who wanted something stronger. There were also several bottles of Evian.
"Nice!" Soujiro exclaimed as he reached for the wine glasses and started distributing it among them while Akira popped the champagne bottle open.
"Uh, can I just have the water?" Tsukushi asked uncertainly. "Maybe that's enough to drown all these butterflies fluttering around my stomach."
Akira made a face at her. "Why drown them when you can just get them drunk? C'mon Tsukushi, live a little. Just one glass."
"Oh, okay," she relented when she saw expectant faces all around. "But just one! Just enough to soothe my frazzled nerves."
"Nervous?" Rui asked concernedly. Tsukushi could only nod mutely in reply.
"But why?" Soujiro asked uncomprehendingly.
"Gee, let's see," Tsukushi answered, sarcasm dripping in her tone. "We'll be performing before the richest, most powerful, and needless to say, most discriminating audience in all of Tokyo. And then, as if that weren't enough, we'll be debuting the first song I ever co-wrote. Hmm," Tsukushi tapped her chin in mock consideration, "I wonder why I'm so nervous."
"Relax," Tsukasa assured her by patting her on the knee, although he made sure his hand didn't stay there for long lest Tsukushi, or anyone else, got the wrong idea. "We're gonna be fine."
"Yeah," Akira seconded. "Mister Perfectionist here," he tilted his head towards Tsukasa, "worked us to the bone during these last few weeks, just to make sure we've got everything nailed down right. Have a little faith, woman."
"I guess you're right," Tsukushi sighed. "I just want the new song to make a good and lasting impression, so I've been thinking of what else we could do to make that impact on our audience."
"Don't worry about it," Rui reassured her with an encouraging smile. "We've got a great band, and we're gonna knock 'em dead." And with that he raised his glass for a toast. "Let's show them all what the F4 is made of."
"Hear, hear," everyone said as they clinked their glasses together.
The champagne did calm Tsukushi's fried nerves and soon she was able to enjoy the camaraderie amongst them. As she glanced around appreciatively at the well-appointed interiors of the limousine, she commented, "So this is what prom night would have been like."
"Huh?"
"Prom night. So this is what it would've been like. Me in a formal dress, riding a limo... you know, the works. See," she explained when she saw their questioning looks, "I never attended my senior prom. I was sick with the measles. So I've never experienced what it's like to have a prom night."
"Aww, you poor thing," Akira said sypathetically. Tsukushi looked up to see whether he was making fun of her, but his voice and the expression on his face was sincere. Then he lit up and said, "Tell you what. To make up for this little mistake fate overlooked, why don't you think of tonight as your prom night?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"No, no, I think it's a great idea," Rui piped in.
"Yeah, Tsukushi," even Jiro seemed pretty hyped up by the thought. "Imagine, instead of just one dorky teenager dressed up in a hideous rented suit as your date, you have..." he paused for effect as he looked around at his friends, "...voila! Four suave, handsome men to escort you around this evening!"
Tsukushi couldn't help but giggle. The idea was certainly absurd, but she had to admit, these guys were totally sweet. "Sure, sure, why not?" she conceded. "I'm sure I'll be the envy of every other girl there tonight. I'm gonna be the belle of the ball!" she proclaimed giddily as she raised her glass then took one last gulp of the remaining champagne.
Tsukasa tilted his head and regarded her closely. "Gee, if I'd only known, I would've brought you flowers."
This earned him a few seconds' worth of goodnatured ribbing from the guys. But instead of blushing, like Tsukushi normally would've done, she brightened as something occurred to her. "Flowers, that's it!"
By this time, the limo had pulled into the Maple Hotel's driveway, stopping smoothly in front of the large glass doors that led to the lobby. Tsukushi was so excited about her new idea that she wanted to run immediately inside and look for the hotel's flower shop. But as Tsukasa helped her out of the limousine, she was surprised at the small throng of reporters that had converged outside of the cordoned-off steps. Contrary to her earlier prediction that there would be no one around to witness their arrival, several media outfits had already set camp outside of the hotel lobby in anticipation of the arrival of the guests. Many reporters scampered to the front steps as soon as they saw the black limo pull up. But when they realized the new arrivals weren't really the VIPs they were waiting for, most went back to setting up their cameras, microphones, and other equipment.
But Tsukushi was surprised that a few had stayed on, even if it was just to observe them walk in. A couple of photographers had even requested them to stop and pose for a picture. Tsukasa was about to decline, but Akira beat him to the draw, gamely obliging the photographers by gathering his bandmates in a tight bunch and urging them to "Say cheese! This is good publicity!"
Once that was over and done with, they all walked into the lobby, with Tsukushi leading the way, intent on finding where the hotel's flower shop was. The goodlooking group was oblivious to the admiring glances thrown their way by the hotel staff and people who happened to be lounging around the lobby upon their entrance.
"You guys go right ahead and find the ballroom," Tsukushi urged as she looked around the lobby. "I'll follow in a bit. I just need to go and buy something." The guys were fine with this and went on their way. After all, they just needed to be early to make sure their instruments were set up correctly. Tsukushi quickly found the flower shop and purchased what she needed.
Ten minutes later, she entered the hotel's grand ballroom, which was located on the ground floor opposite the beautiful garden outside. One look at the size of the ballroom and the many tables arranged around it made Tsukushi nervous once again. But she quickly shrugged off the feeling and purposefully strode to the spot where she saw her bandmates overseeing the equipment set-up. All around, waiters in their immaculately white, starched uniforms could be seen bustling about, making last minute arrangements to ensure that the venue was perfect.
"There you are," Rui took her by the arm when he saw her approach and led her to sit at one of the tables near the stage. He curiously eyed the four long-stemmed roses in Tsukushi's hand but said nothing.
"Gee, Tsukushi," Soujiro approached when he spotted her. "If you really wanted flowers that badly, you could've asked any one of us to buy them for you."
"And I would've bought you a whole dozen too," Akira said as he sat down beside her and studied the beautiful red flowers she had lain on the table. By this time, even Tsukasa had joined them and was looking at her questioningly.
"Silly!" Tsukushi stuck her tongue out at Jiro. Then she looked around the table at the rest of her bandmates, who were obviously waiting for her to explain the roses. "These are for when we debut the new song later. Each of you will get one, and as you are singing, I want each of you to approach a female guest and give her a rose. How's that for audience impact?"
"I love it!" Akira exclaimed immediately. Being the most flamboyant member of the band, Tsukushi knew he would love the gimmick.
"This is great!" Soujiro declared excitedly. "Makes us more interactive with the audience, especially the women!"
Rui grinned. "I think it's a splendid idea." Only Tsukasa remained quiet as he pensively studied the roses on the table.
Tsukushi asked him, "So, Tsukasa, what do you think?" She didn't realize that she had unconsiously crossed her fingers under the table as she anxiously awaited his opinion. Somehow, it was extremely important to her that he would like the idea and not think of it as a cheap gimmick.
"Huh?" he was shaken out of his stupor when he heard Tsukushi say his name. "Oh, um, yeah, I'm cool with that. I think it's a great idea." But somehow he couldn't quite meet her eyes.
Before she could ask him what the matter was, their attention was drawn to the doors of the ballroom, where the first of the guests had arrived. Not long after, politicians, movie stars, and other famous celebrities were streaming in and seating themselves at the tables. It was a very impressive guest list, and it truly was the wedding of the year.
A 24-man orchestra, which had been hired to provide continuous music when their band wasn't up onstage, was seated at one side of the huge ballroom, and had started playing classical music as the place continued to fill up. The newlyweds and their entourage arrived, and shortly after, dinner was served.
Just as the guests were being served dessert, the program host for the evening started to introduce them. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a warm welcome to our band for tonight, the F4!"
Amidst the polite applause that followed, Tsukasa winked at her from where he was standing. "Let's rock!"
My sincere thanks to those who've left comments last time. It's good to know you guys haven't given up on this fic yet.
XxSwtDreamerxX1: Hey girl. Thanks for sticking around and not abandoning this fic despite the less frequent updates. As for my vacation, it wasn't really a vacation away from home, it was more of a vacation away from the computer so I could spend some quality time with the hubby while he was in town. Hope you liked this installment!
Bee Bop: I think this is the first time I've read your name on the reviews page, so welcome aboard! Glad you're liking the story. Thanks for reading!
InvisibleRain: Hey, it's good to see you're back too! I was wondering where you've been 'cause I haven't heard from you in a long time. Hope you liked this update, even if T&T still haven't gotten past the blushing part. Hmmm, maybe in the next chapter? Stay tuned!
naixil: Ooohh, another new name! Welcome aboard! Glad you like the story. Let's see if I can come up with more TxT moments in the next post.
distantorigin: Aaaahhhh! Girl, na-miss kita talaga, and I was pleasantly surprised to see your review on this site instead of at Winglin. Glad to hear you're writing again, even if it ain't on the F4, hmph! Joke lang. I really liked your HP one-shot, promise! Did you get my review? Well, if screwed things up again and it didn't come through, let me know. It happens kasi sometimes eh. I'll get around to reading your multi-chapter fic when I get some downtime. Medyo busy lang kasi ngayon.
Shopps: Yes, I'm fully recovered now, thanks. Medyo tinatamad lang magsulat kasi I'm quite busy. Hope this chapter makes up for the prolonged absence.
Sailor Angie: Angie! Long time no hear! How are you girl? Sorry for this delayed update, but I hope you like it anyway. As for Tsukasa pouncing on Tsukushi later on in the story, how do you know it's not Tsukushi who's gonna do the pouncing? winks Just kidding. Anyways, I'm planning some TxT romance for the next chapter, so wish me luck writing it!
cherub girl: Hey dearie, how are you? What happened? Why do you have some injuries and on a lot of meds? Hope you're feeling better by this time. Glad to know you liked the latest updates. I hope you liked this one as well. Take care now.