AN: *has a happy grim permanently affixed to her face* Thank you all you wonderful reviewers!! I wasn't sure anyone would like it, I guess I was wrong!! I should mention right now something that I somewhat neglected to earlier, the concept of this story is mine, but the first couple chapters were originally co-written with my best friend… We'll call her Thatz, cuz that's nice and short. The idea sort of died, and after reading Leather and Lace and The Promise I really wanted to do a reincarnated Hoto/Miaka fic… So I drug the thing out of the closet and rewrote it so it'd go along with what else I have planned for this fic. Anyways, just thought I'd mention that…

And yes… The China Phoenix is a real restaurant that's right up the street from where I live. I laugh every time I go to eat there. And of course I try to look at all the people that work there, just to see if any of them look "familiar." So far, no such luck. *pout* Anyway… Onto the ficcy!

We Will Meet Again

Chapter Three

Yumiko Kaze

Andy rolled over onto his back, folding his arms behind his head and twisting his already abused sheets even more firmly around his legs. He closed his eyes as he yawned; he was still somewhat tired after the night before. It seemed that whenever he gave a concert he was never completely rested the next morning. Though…this time, his fatigue really had nothing to do with the bright lights and the exertion of putting on a good show.  No, indeed, it was something else entirely that had kept him from his well earned sleep.

Miaka had occupied his thoughts throughout the night. He would be genuinely surprised if he had slept for more than a total of two hours. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. He smiled fondly as he remembered how sweet she had been. Most girls that he met had acted rather like Ayame, though reactions varied from screaming ninnies to girls that said little, wore less, and tried to charm their way into his bed. Miaka hadn't even seemed to realize that he was a famous, good looking and sophisticated super star. His eye twitched slightly, Should I be insulted about that?

He sighed as the sunlight streamed in through the semi-opened blinds of the hotel room and played across the bare skin of his chest. It had scared him, how quickly she had wormed her way into his thoughts. She was the first girl that he had met since he'd made his first big hit that hadn't tried to impress him. She was certainly one of the first that didn't seem to be immediately in love with him. He felt he should probably be insulted about that as well… His eye twitched again. Was he not her type? God knew he was definitely handsome enough… So that couldn't have been the problem. Though… he remembered her tears as they had said their goodbyes the night before, she had acted like she had found something precious and was suddenly having it ripped away from her.

So maybe she did like him?

His lips pulled downward into a frown. Tears didn't suit her. She seemed like someone who you would probably never see without a smile on her face, seeing her tears had almost made him want to cry. He preferred to remember her smiling. Her smile, it seemed, had been just for him, and those gorgeous green eyes of hers… the light he could see shining in them had immediately brightened the lonely cold thing that had for so many years, passed itself off as his life.

Ever since he could remember, he had been raised to be what his parents considered a leader. He had never had many friends, because he had been shuttled to so many different schools he was lucky if he was in one place long enough to learn anyone's name, much less get to know anyone. His parents had pushed him to become what they had wanted him to be, and he had complied. At times he was disgusted with how easily he had allowed them free reign over his life. Nevertheless, he still loved his parents, though he supposed they probably didn't deserve it at times. Even now when he was making such a great living and pursuing his dreams, they had no praise to offer, only criticism and the constant advice on what he should be doing with his life.

He wondered briefly what Miaka's parents were like.

The shrill screeching of his cell phone caused him to sit up sharply.

And if it's not my parents it's my manager…

Figures I'd leave the damn phone all the way over there. He scowled at the offending object as though it had somehow placed itself on the opposite end of the room and that it was entirely the phone's fault that he was going to have to get up in order to answer it. And of course he had to answer it. Mr. Kimoto probably wanted to rant about last night's performance and arrange plans for publicity for the week that they were going to be in Tokyo. He frowned at that. A week. One short week and then he would be leaving Tokyo for another city. Another city with another million screaming fans…

But no Miaka.

The phone beckoned him a third time and it was then that he realized that yes; it could very well be his manager, but on the other hand… Well. He had given her his cell number for a reason!

Suddenly feeling wide awake, Andy leaped to his feet, momentarily forgetting that he was still under siege of no less than three different blankets. He hit the ground with a most undignified yelp before scrambling on his hands and knees over to the table where he had left the cell phone. Why hadn't he put the thing on the stand by the bed in the first place?!

He fumbled with the phone for a moment until he managed to hit the "talk" button, bringing it to his ear so fast that he cracked himself on the head, "Hello?" he knew he probably sounded a little breathless, but that was okay. Considering that he was still having a one armed battle against the extremely stubborn sheets and comforter...

"Andy?"

Yes!

"Miaka!" he said happily, though mentally he smacked himself, Stop sounding so eager! She'll think something's wrong with you! Who cares? She called!

He smiled as she giggled slightly on the other end, "Yeah, hey." a pause, "Well. I called you. Your turn."

"My turn, eh?" He checked the clock and ran through a mental checklist of everything he knew he had to do today before gazing straight up at the ceiling – he had long since given up escaping the sheets – and crossing the fingers of his free hand. "Miaka… I know this may sound very forward, and maybe just a little bit weird, but…I'd really like to see you again sometime."

On the other end, Miaka smiled. This was the chance she had been hoping for! If she said yes, she could see Hotohori again and maybe establish a friendship like they had once had, preferably a platonic one… Otherwise Taka wouldn't be all too happy. She grinned into the mouthpiece, When opportunity knocks… "Of course Andy, I'd love to see you again."

Andy felt his heart give an odd thump at that. "Great! Would you care to meet me for lunch today outside the place we ate last night?" He really didn't know where anything else in the city was… And if she didn't want Chinese again so soon, they could always go for pizza.

She was silent for a moment, which worried him slightly. Please don't hang up, please don't hang up… he pleaded silently. When she finally answered, it was in a voice so quiet, he wasn't really sure he'd heard it.

"Alone?"

"Uhm. Yes. Alone was what I had in mind."

Silence again as she thought it over. Was she weighing the pros and cons of going with him vs. the boyfriend? Had the boyfriend already asked her to go somewhere? He felt a surge of intense jealousy rise in him and he quickly squashed it. You knew she had a boyfriend already, so don't be disappointed if she decides to blow you off… He was almost ready to attempt crossing his toes for added good luck when she finally answered him. "Alright. What time?"

Thanking any god that might be listening, Andy set up the time with Miaka, before hanging up and lying in the patch of sun he had fallen in, spread-eagled and staring at the ceiling with a glazed over expression. Alright, Miaka had said yes to lunch… but that didn't really mean anything. They hadn't really specified that it was a date or anything, so she was likely looking at it as simply a lunch get-together with a potential friend. And there was still that other guy in the running.

Andy scowled darkly at his ceiling as that thought crossed his mind. Lucky bastard…Whoever he is.

Tokyo is really crowded. Miaka groused silently to herself as she maneuvered her car throughout the congested streets of the city. She wondered to herself if she and Andy would even be able to find someplace to eat that wasn't already full. Her stomach growled at the prospect of something like that occurring and she laughed quietly to herself. No matter how old she got, her stomach was still in charge – though to a somewhat lesser extent than in her teenage years.

As the China Phoenix came into view, Miaka could see Andy waiting patiently, leaning against the glass window of the restaurant with his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, scanning the traffic. His long dark golden-brown hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, the sun bringing out some honey-colored highlights that were otherwise invisible. As Miaka parked her car and stepped out, a chilly autumn wind picked up and Andy buried his chin in the collar of his leather trench coat which hung open enough for her to see that he was wearing a white t-shirt underneath.

The sight of how normal he looked almost brought Miaka to tears.

Miaka checked her reflection in the side mirror quickly, wondering idly if he was still as narcissistic as he used to be and wanting to look at least presentable. She had opted to wear jeans today, not wanting to experience a repeat of the night before when the flimsy material of her skirt had refused to stay down on her legs. A gust of cold wind kicked up, blowing her bangs into her eyes and making her ponytail swing. Yes, jeans were definitely the best choice for today. The wind blowing up her skirt wouldn't have given her a moment's peace.

Andy spotted her then, sacrificing one of his hands to the chill wind and waving at her. Miaka smiled and waved back, once again firmly telling herself, This is just a simple lunch between two possible friends. It's not a date. It's not…What if Taka finds out?

Miaka frowned fiercely. So what if Taka found out? Then you'll tell him exactly what happened. It's not like Taka really has any say in who your friends are after all.  Nevertheless, she was still slightly worried as to what she was going to tell Taka when she told him that she had found Hotohori. As Andy took her hand and kissed the back of it once again, Miaka shook aside those thoughts, deciding that she'd stew over them later.

Like sometime when one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever met wasn't making her practically melt on the spot.

Darn him and his…his…well; just darn him altogether for making her feel this way when she knew she shouldn't be.

Andy tilted his head to the side, "What's with the frown?"

Miaka conjured up her brightest smile, "Nothing. I was just thinking." she shrugged, "Mom says I take after Dad in that department. So where are we going? I'm starved!" Her stomach growled, demanding attention. She grinned shyly up at Andy, "Eh. Sorry. I haven't eaten anything yet today."

Andy laughed warmly, grasping her wrist lightly; he pulled her down the street a ways, speaking as they walked. "Do you like pizza? I was thinking we could get some, but I didn't know if you liked it or not."

"Yeah! Of course I like pizza! Everyone likes pizza!"

He snorted slightly, "Not my older brothers. They hate it."

"How can anyone hate pizza?" Miaka wondered aloud as they entered the pizzeria and got in line to order.

"No idea. What do you want? Cheese? Pepperoni?" he had not yet released her wrist, and was absently rubbing the back of her hand softly with his thumb.

Miaka blushed slightly, but allowed him to continue as she answered, "Cheese please, but pepperoni's okay if that's what you like."

The two enjoyed their pizza and each others company for the next hour or so before the manager kicked them out, apologizing for doing so because the lunchtime rush was starting and he needed the space. Andy was walking Miaka back to her car when his pager went off. He apologized before grabbing his cell phone, dialing the number; he waited impatiently for whoever had paged him to answer.

"Andy!" the voice on the other end was so loud that Miaka could hear it from where she stood.

"Yes sir?" Miaka gave Andy a questioning look, still absently sucking soda from her straw, and he rolled his eyes, mouthing the word 'manager.'

Miaka could only discern a few words, but from the way Andy was frowning she assumed that whatever was going on wasn't something that Andy was happy about. After few minutes of his managers ranting and raving, Andy was finally able to get a word in edgewise.

"Yes Mr. Kimoto, I understand that the lyrics were supposed to be in this morning." He frowned when the voice on the other end rose in pitch and began speaking very fast, Andy bowed his head slightly in a gesture of defeat, "I apologize. I'll bring them in right away." Andy clicked his cell phone off and let the hand that held it fall limply to his side, still holding his cup of soda in the other. He sighed, giving Miaka a look that she knew meant that their little 'date' (and neither of them had yet confirmed whether or not this was one or not) was going to have to come to an end.

"You have to leave?" she asked, eyes downcast, her voice revealing no small amount of regret that her companion would have to depart from her so quickly. "That's alright. I understand. Your job comes first right?" Miaka felt irrational tears start to brim and she shoved them back irritably. Just like Taka; always having to leave at any time.

Andy nodded dejectedly. He had been so excited about being able to see Miaka again that he had completely forgotten his prior engagement with his manager. "I have to take some material over to my manager. Some new songs he wants to look over. Stuff like that." He frowned again and closed his eyes, taking a sip of his soda, "I don't know why he cares anyway. It's not like he ever actually lets me use my own material…Maybe once in a blue moon, but not often."

Miaka felt something inside her flare at that. Andy was being restricted to doing only the music his manager wanted him to do? She felt an undeniable surge of dislike for whoever this 'Mr. Kimoto' was. She didn't know what kind of a person he was, but she already didn't like him on the simple fact that he had chewed Andy out for not bringing material that he wasn't even going to take seriously!

However.

Now was not the time to make an argument out of it.

Instead, Miaka tossed her soda into the nearest garbage bin and fisted her hands on her hips, "Can I come with? I'd really like to see some of your material. I was wondering how this whole process worked anyway." she laughed a little and smiled, hoping to win him over by being as cute as possible. "Besides, I don't have anything else to do today anyway. This is my day off!"

Looking surprised that she had offered to tag along with him, Andy smiled slightly, throwing his own soda away. "Are you sure you want to come? It might be kind of boring." Though he was trying to sound as indifferent as possible, he really did want her to come along. That way he'd have someone to make faces at when Mr. Kimoto started rambling on about…something.

Miaka shook her head, "Nah. Nothing you do is boring."

Andy's little half-smile suddenly bloomed into a full blown grin. Extending his hand to Miaka he raised an eyebrow, "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." He stepped up to the curb, "I'll hail a cab."

Miaka dug her heels in and with her free hand tugged on the sleeve of Andy's jacket. "No Andy. Wait." When he turned to give her a questioning look, wondering if perhaps she had changer her mind, she jerked her thumb, "We'll take my car."

They arrived at Andy's hotel in no time; having lived in Tokyo all her life, Miaka knew just about every shortcut in the book – thanks to the wise tutelage of Tetsuya and Keisuke. Once they climbed what seemed like a million stairs, they entered his room and Andy immediately went over to where all his bags were stowed, pulled out a briefcase, opened it and began riffling through the pages of paper, pulling what he wanted and leaving the rest. Miaka had placed herself by his shoulder and as he leafed through his work, and was able to read most of what he had written. Then she frowned.

"Hey Andy," she began, he hand going to stay his own and plucking the top sheet from the pile, "This isn't anything like the stuff you sing."

He absently took the sheet back, placing it back on the top of the pile, "I know. I told you, Mr. Kimoto doesn't let me use my own material very often," he sighed, "he says it's just not the kind of music the companies are looking for."

Miaka snatched the paper back, "But this is good! It's way better then anything I've heard you sing before! Do you have music to go along with it?"

Andy blinked, not quite sure what to make of her. He eyed her somewhat warily. Apparently there was much more than met the eye with this petite girl with the flashing eyes. Andy stared; her eyes challenged him, seeming to say that she thought he was being cowardly for not standing up for his own music. But they also held a warm glow that told him she didn't mean any harm, she only wanted him to be happy, and that seemed to make everything okay again. He nodded, "Yes, it's right here." He held up some sheet music.

"Can you sing it for me?" she pleaded.

"Uh. I don't know…" he blushed; she was actually the first person who'd asked him that. Not even his family cared to know what he had written on his own or wished to listen to it. It was all about the money to them…

"Please?"

Andy was just about to relent when his cell phone rang, "What?"

It was Mr. Kimoto.

"I'm sorry Andy, but you know that last song you pitched me? The one about the guy who was waiting his entire life to find 'the one,' and when he finally finds her she's got someone else, and he lets her go?"

Andy felt his heart sink. He knew what that tone meant… Well. That was just one more song he wasn't going to get to do… "How do you want it altered?" he muttered, his voice sounding hollow and bitter even to his own ears. They were always doing this to him! He'd write a song that came completely from the heart, turn it in, hoping that this time he'd actually get to sing his own material, and Mr. Kimoto and his team of lackey's would rip it apart and glue it back together in such a horrific way that Andy wished that they'd have just scrapped it in the first place.

"Oh, we don't want it altered. We scrapped it."

Figures… "Alright, but I want that copy back." He sighed. This had been one of his favorites that he'd ever written. At least if it was simply scrapped he wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of having it ripped to pieces.

"We threw it out. It's gone."

Andy's golden eyes flashed angrily and he barely suppressed a growl, "What? That was my only copy!"

"I'm sorry Andy. Next time make a copy." Mr. Kimoto attempted to sound repentant and sincere, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

"You wanted it in immediately! I didn't have time!" Trying to restrain himself, Andy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright sir; Do whatever the hell you want." Then he hung up. Miaka found herself bewildered. Andy had just barely managed to sound polite, but Miaka could see that he was suppressing something very much akin to rage.

"What happened?" Miaka spoke quietly, knowing by his expression that she was likely treading on thin ice.

"They scrapped another one of my songs…" Andy groaned, sitting down heavily on the bed in defeat, propping his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "They always do that… No matter how good the song is! If it's not written at least partly by the company, it's not good enough."

Miaka sat down next to him gingerly, "Why don't you push for your own music then? I mean, you're the star; the fans love you, not your manager."

He groaned again and lay backwards, staring at the ceiling. "If I don't do what they say, I won't have a job anymore. The fans might love me, but the company could fire me and find someone just as good looking as me… well, almost, and make him just as famous while I'd be out on the streets with nothing but shattered dreams and my parents ridicule. They always told me I was foolish..." He felt tears welling up and he closed his eyes in order to hide them from Miaka.

Miaka growled and Andy cringed, "So? Is having shattered dreams and lots of money really worth it if you're not happy?" When he didn't answer her, Miaka felt that spark flare in her again and she leaned over him in order to try and will what she wanted him to understand through his stupid, thick, male skull.

"You idiot! Just because someone tells you that you can't do something doesn't mean you have to listen! So what if your manager tells you not to sing your own music? You're the one with the gorgeous voice; you're the one with the talent, not him. So you should be making your own choices!"

Andy opened his eyes and for a moment wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. Miaka was leaning over him, one hand braced on either side of him; she was glaring down into his face so that her green eyes and her auburn hair seemed to fill his entire line of vision. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears of anger, and… sadness, for him. He felt his heart constrict that she was feeling such pain on his account. He thought it must be a trick of the light, but for that instant, he could have sworn she was surrounded by a bright red aura that shimmered like rubies in the sunshine.

He stared up at her, wishing that they were doing anything but arguing about his job, "You don't understand Miaka. I want to be doing this. If I don't keep certain people happy with me I won't be able to do what I love." His eyes darted quickly from her eyes to her mouth and the brief fantasy of kissing her flashed in his mind. She moved to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear and lost her balance, ending up sprawled across his chest. His breath caught in his throat as he felt heat rush to everywhere that they touched. He locked gazes with her as she was lifted up and down slightly with each breath he took. Did she know what she was doing to him? How she was making him feel? Paws off Andy… She has a boyfriend…Damn, damn, damn!

"Why don't you get it? You don't have to be famous to do what you love." She shifted, readying herself to crawl off of him and Andy felt a flash of annoyance. Now where did she think she was going? Miaka continued, tapping his nose with a finger as she spoke, "That's it. We're getting your guitar, and we are going down on the street and you are going to sing your music right down on the corner! And you're going to sing it your way!"

As she began to pull back, Andy reached up and stopped her, gripping her lightly by her shoulders. She struggled for a moment, still adamant about getting outside and making him sing he supposed. Then she simply froze. As she glared down at him, Andy felt his heart swell at the fact that she could care so much about someone that she had just met. He was surprised at himself that he was already feeling such a strong attraction to the girl. Her obvious spirit and courage was… refreshing after having been bent to other peoples wills his entire life.

Although… he really didn't think he would mind being bent to hers.

"Miaka…"

"Leggo." She muttered, unfortunately seeming to snap back to her senses. "I'm gonna show you that you don't always have to do what other people tell you. Sometimes you have to live your own life whether anyone wants you to or not –" Andy wasn't really listening to what she was saying; he was too busying staring at that mouth of hers. That lovely little mouth…Though at the moment she was using it to yell at him…He could fix that.

She was abruptly cut off as Andy suddenly shifted his grip, wrapping both his arms around Miaka, effectively pulling her back down on top of him and captured her lips with his. When she released a startled sounding yip, Andy smiled against her lips, reveling in the feel of finally having Miaka so close to him.

Miaka had been wound so tight that she wasn't quite ready to give in without a fight, even as Andy's warm lips moved against hers, urging her to just give in and let it happen, Miaka wiggled, attempting, with no success, to break free. It didn't take long however before Miaka finally succumbed to the warmth of Andy's arms around her and the heat of his body stretched out beneath her. Later, she wasn't quite sure if she should be mad at herself for that or not.

Andy sighed, moving one hand from its place on her back to the back of her head, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. He rolled to his side, taking Miaka with him and felt a surge of delight when he felt her hands come up and curl into the folds of his shirt.

Miaka, to her horror, found that her heart had accelerated to three times its normal speed and that she had butterflies in her stomach.

And of course that mind blowing kiss was having absolutely nothing to do with it…

And then she found herself responding.

What about Taka?

Abruptly, Miaka wrenched herself away from Andy, hiding her face in his neck when he tried to kiss her again. "We can't do this." She whispered. As much as she might have wanted to continue, she knew that what was happening was wrong. She shouldn't lead Andy on like this when she still had every intention of staying with Taka for the rest of her life.

Trying to catch his breath, Andy stroked the nape of Miaka's neck with his hand, "Why not?"

Miaka squirmed at the pleasant feeling; Even Taka had never figured out that she liked that… And that though somewhat disturbed her. "Because. I already have a boyfriend. Doing this wouldn't be fair to either him or you." Miaka felt her heart clench painfully. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to turn him down a second time…And really wished he would quit doing all the right things, because that made it so much harder to turn him down.

Damn.

To say the least, Andy was disappointed. But true to form, he was the gentleman. He would honor her wishes and not push her anymore than he already had. Getting that kiss had been enough for the time being, though he still didn't feel like letting her go just yet. Burying his face in her shoulder, Andy released her except for the arm that still lay across her waist. Propping himself up on his other arm, Andy looked down at Miaka with a deep regret shining in his eyes. It would figure. He had finally found the one girl that had completely captured his heart, and she already had someone. Just like his dream…Just like his song.

"I'm sorry." Miaka looked away, wishing that he would either let go of her now, or just kiss her again, because their close proximity was driving her crazy.

Andy nodded in resignation, as he stared down at her, hoping that she would change her mind and go back to letting him kiss her. Seeing that she wasn't changing her mind, he sighed. He may have lost this battle, but something inside him was still telling him that he had not yet lost the war. Maybe if she could just get to know him…then maybe he would have a chance. Well. In any case, it would be worth the heartache if he at least got to spend some more time with her.

Knowing that it probably sounded rather pathetic, Andy looked down, trying not to let her see how disappointed he was, "Can we still be friends?"

From her prone position Miaka smiled, her eyes tearing up slightly at how sweet he was. It really pained her to have to do this again. Taking the hand that lay across her waist and intertwining her fingers with his, she nodded, "Friends."

To Be Continued…

AN: *Happy grin is still affixed* Thank you for anyone who took the time to review the last couple chapters! I was having somewhat of a block, and the more reviews I got the more incentive I had to write. *hinthint* (I'll admit, I love reviews… I may be a review hog) Anyway. I will be going on vacation to Missouri in the next few days, so if a new chapter is not up by Wednesday, there won't be one up until I get back since I will be fending off thirteen nephews and nieces for four or five days. *sigh* Hey, you try writing mushy stuff when you have five of the little buggers looking over your shoulder going "Ewwwwww!" and "Can't we play the Sims? I like the Sims. Why did my person die?" *growl* Because you moron, you didn't feed it, you wouldn't let it sleep or keep any of it's vital stats up! *rocks back and forth* I'm gonna go insane down there… *whimper*