A/N: Thank you all so much for the almost instant reviews!!!!

This is my first attempt at clearing up the 'br' situation.

lachesis33: Ahhh...again...I'm not sure about Rui/Akira. It just doesn't really jive with me right now...so all us fangirls are safe. Hahaha. As for her intriguing financial state...see what I wrote to artemisobscura. :) ja!

Amasaki Reyoko: Thanks for reviewing!! action? I don't know about that one...we'll just have to wait and see. I don't think so though.

Shamanqueen89: thanks so much for the review!! Yeah, the song's a bit interesting...because It's not like it's a love song...haha. But um..my inspiration was...one of my teachers. Interesting ne...? Hahah.

artemisobscure: I agree...much too much yaoi going on here! Come on people...heh. Well, being a popular singer was something I've always wanted to be, and I'm trying to use myself as a model for Rui, since I know myself best and it would be harder to make a good fic writing about a person that I have no idea about. I admit, I had thought about making her truely popular...but that triggered the mary-sue alarm bells in my head! Since pop music is so popular in Japan, I figured that someone with a little bit of Nora Jones-like twang could be recognized by the public (for her difference), but still not make much money, as her music wasn't liked by most.
Yes, the go skills. I am planning on having her become at least passable at it...almost anyone can...but as for the amazingly super skills of our beloved Akira-kun...NO WAY!!! Hahaha...I love him too much to beat him.
The song...well, it's not a love song or anything. My inspiration was actualy one of my teachers...which is a little interesting...but yeah...long story short...I don't really like telling people my feelings, I like doing stuff for them better...yeah. That's kind of what it's about. I don't really like the chorus...but yeah.
Thanks for being my grammar police...I love people like that!! (I'm one too.)

Panoply: About her not having much money, see what I wrote to artemisobscure. Haha of course there'll be subsequent chapters!!! I'm planning on completing this one much faster since I've had fics in the past that I've abandoned after taking too long :S. Hehehe.

heart enjoy!!
se ga hikui (--)

Rui woke up beside her guitar. Her stomach complained of last night' neglect, but she ignored it for yet a while longer. Her fingers lovingly traced the grain of the wood of her beloved instrument. It had been a very expensive for her, but she would rather play on a finer instrument than stay in nicer places. That was always the way of things with her; in her mind, her music took priority over everything else.

Finally yielding to the annoyance of her stomach, she got up and ate. She hadn't meant to forget to eat last night, but she hadn't really noticed that she was hungry. After eating, she stretched and got herself ready for the rest of her day.

Once she deemed herself clean, she gathered up Michiru's clothes, as well as those of her's that needed washing, and piled them in a bag to be taken to the laundromat. Thankfully the sun had decided to come out today and she wouldn't be soaked. After lacing up her shoes, she took up the bag, and a backpack full of her work uniform, and left her room.

Once her daily errands had been completed, Tsukiyama Rui went to work. Work for her meant standing behind a counter at a fast food restaurant and taking people's orders. Countless teens came in and out on their lunch-hour. She knew who most of them where after a while of watching. They were mostly loud and obnoxious, and she didn't spend much time around them if she could help it. Despite that, she loved watching the families that came in. She'd witnessed birthdays, parties, and other similar events. Rui would never tire of people-watching; it was one of the few diversions of an incredibly boring job.

A few boys came in talking loudly, as usual. Rui noted with some suprise that it wasn't yet time for the usual mob of teenagers to get their noon-time sustenance. She craned her neck unobtrusively to find out where they came from, and was intrigued to see that the Japanese Go Institution was just across the street. Maybe they're like that boy I met the other day. What was his name again? Touya....Touya Akira. Yes that was it. She began listening with extra care at their conversation to find out if her assumption was correct. They didn't come to her till, and she didn't catch much of their conversation, so she remained unsure.

After finishing up at work, Rui changed out of her uniform, and made her way back towards her hotel, and the go salon. Dropping off her bags, she took out the neatly ironed and ironed clothes of Michiru, and placed them in a nice paper bag with a cookie she had purchased as an extra thank-you.

'Irasshaimase! Oh Rui-chan!'

'Konnichiwa Michiru-chan!'

Rui smiled and looked around the go salon again. It had a comfortable, sort of cosy feeling that she enjoyed. There was Akira again, at the same table he had been before, in the back.

'Here are your clothes back. Thank you very much for letting me use them!'

'Oh don't worry about it. It was nothing.'

The singer smiled at her friend, and noticed that Akira was smiling at her as well. He had a sweet smile, she thought. It was sort of shy, and yet sunny at the same time, but despite that, it seemed to her that there were remnants of a sad, pained Akira still unhidden on his face.

'Are you going to play go again today?'

'Yes, and this time I'm going to pay.'

Before Michiru could object, Rui pulled out a bill for 1000 yen and placed it on the counter. Writing her name on the clipboard her friend handed her, she made her way to the back.

There was no one playing with Akira at the moment, but the board was covered in stones laid in intriguing shapes. She could tell by the complexity of everything that it had been played by two people with incredible strength. He hurridly cleared away the board, and as he did so, the traces of sorrow she had seen before intensified. Not wanting to offend the boy, Rui kept silent, and instead tried to cheer him up indirectly.

'Konnichiwa Touya-sensei!'

All the traces of his sadness were immediatly washed off his face at her salutations, and the sunny smile returned once more.

"Konnichiwa. Do you want another lesson today?'

'Yes please, but I must insist on paying you for it. It's not fair to anyone if I don't.'

'Allright. I can see there'll be no persuading you otherwise.'

'How much do you want?'

'Mmmm...500 yen is fine.'

'Are you sure? So little...'

'Yes, it's fine. Don't worry.'

She then sat down and the lesson commenced. She was sorry to see that she had forgotten much of what she learned the day before, however by the end of the lesson she had progressed much farther than before.

'Are you a professional go player, Touya-sensei?'

'No, I'm not...some people think I should take the exam, but I don't feel like I'm ready yet.'

'Why not?'

'Mmm...just sort of a feeling I get. I think I still have a lot to learn.'

'Wow...go must be much more complicated than I thought!'

He laughed a little, and even less of the sadness was present in his eyes. She noticed, now being a little closer that his eyes were a bit red.

'Yes, it's an easy game to understand, but it takes a very long time, a lifetime even to master.'

'Hmm...that's very interesting.'

She trailed off, half submerged in thought. Absently, she glanced at the clock in the room.

'Oh, sumimasen ga...I have to go now. I have a meeting with a drummer. Doomo arigatou gozaimashita!'

'Doo itashimashite...don't mention it.'

The singer stood up, gathered her belongings, and then made her way towards the door.

'Will you be back tomorrow Tsukiyama-san?'

Turning around, she was a little bit surprised at the question coming from Akira.

'Ee...to...I don't think so Touya-sensei. If all goes well with my meeting, then after work I need to practice for a gig on Saturday.'

'Oh? A performance?'

'Yes, but I'll try to come back as soon as I can. Ja mata!'

'Sayonara.'

After some parting words with Michiru, Rui left the go salon, and strode towards the nearest train station. This day, like the day before it, had also gone very smoothly. She felt optimistic about the meeting, and she felt optimistic about go, and she was much more glad that she had made such promising friends.

A/N: Well then...this one came along much sooner than I had expected...I hope you enjoy it! sigh It's hard to keep a relevant timeline going on these things...sometimes they just turn into a mush of events. Here's hoping that that doesn't happen to this one.

On another note:

Konnichiwa - hello/good day
Irasshaimase - welcome
sensei - teacher
Sumimasen ga... - excuse me
Doomo arigatou gozaimasu - thank you very much (politely of course)
Doo itashimashite – don't mention it
Ee...to... - Ummmmm...
Ja mata - see you later
Sayonara - goodbye