Thanks so much to Spark the light master for my first review! I'm glad you like it
infidelmaki-
Summary: An artist meets the guitarist of her dreams, the only problem is he has a split personailty disorder. So who is Kaoru really in love with? Kenshin, or his split personality 'Shinta'? (AU, KK, AMi, SMeg Rated T)
Disclaimer: I'm not Watsuki-sama...ToT so I don't own the Kenshin-gumi... . ;;
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PAINTED CHORD
Chapter Two
Communication Breakdown
"There you go Ken-san. You look great." Megumi marveled at her creation.
"What's up fox?" Sano greeted her as he grabbed her waist and planted a kiss on the top of her head. She blushed and twirled around into an embrace.
"Tori-atama, you're not going out there like that are you? The rest of the band already agreed for me to dress them. This is an important concert, you have to look your best tonight."
"Don't call me that Megistune..." He looked at his fellow band mates who were all chatting and drinking soda. Kenshin the lead guitarist/singer sat on a stool in front of a mirror, admiring his good looks, Katsu, the bassist, was busy drinking as much beer as he could, and Aoshi, the guitarist/keyboardist was busy tuning his fender. Sano tried to surpress his laughter.
:"What's so funny Sanosuke?" Megumi demanded.
"What the hell is he dressed in?" he asked, pointing to Aoshi. Megumi clicked her tongue and sighed.
"It's called visual-kei Sano. Music that is expressed through image and..."
"Makeup? Why all that face paint? It's like caked on dirt!"
"Sano! Leave him alone. It's actually quite sexy, and it definetly fits Aoshi's mysterious personality. The fans will love it." Katsu practically choked on his beer.
"AOSHI? SEXY? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING MEGUMI!" Sano exploded. Megumi blushed and held her hand up to her mouth.
"Whoops! We're not jealous, are we?" Sano's eyes narrowed and he turned to Kenshin for backup. Leaving him speechless, Megumi fished something out of her evening bag and handed it to Kenshin.
"Just in case your eyes change, it's better to keep these on." Kenshin thanked her gratefully and put the dark black aviators on (A/N: Noticing a pattern here? I only wish I had cool glasses like those ;;).
Saitoh, the band's manager, stepped in to the room and signaled that it was ten minutes to showtime.
"Alright gang. Are we ready? This one's important, but don't get nervous...It's just Yukishiro Tomoe out there, but pretend that she's in her underwear...no wait...Pretend that...nevermind, just don't get nervous okay?" Kenshin stammered. Megumi took one last look at the boys. Aoshi was wearing a black leather trench coat tied together with lots of belts, white face makeup and blue power around his eyes. A few black lines were drawn near his eyes to imitate veins. A light blue smudge was visible near the corner of his mouth to create the illusion of blood. His hair was spiked in crazy directions, and his nails were painted black.
Megumi smiled at her work and looked over to Katsu. He was totally decked out in an outfit that could put Sid Viscious to shame. His hair was loose with a plaid bandana underneath keeping his bangs away from his eyes. His left hand was protected by a black fingerless leather glove, and he wore a torn jean jacket adorned with various buttons. Underneath his open jacket was a faded tanktop with the flag of the United Kingdom printed messily on it. His old jeans were ripped at his knees, and flared over his red combat boots. Many safety pins held the clothing together as if it would fall apart at any given second. She was quite proud of this one. She was especially fond of Kenshin's though, it was quite simple, but a lot of effort was put into it. His red hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and stray bangs hung over his sunglasses. A black t-shirt with an image of Jimmy Page printed on clung to his toned body, and a pair of sandblasted jeans flared over a pair of white converse shoes. She had the shoes airbrushed specially with chinese dragons and an image of Kenshin's beloved gibson guitar, which he had nicknamed 'Jasmine'.
Then Megumi looked over to her boyfriend Sanosuke. She sighed as she fixed his hair a bit. He was wearing the same thing he wore everyday practically. A white jean jacket with the character for 'bad' painted on the back, a red headband underneath his spiky rooster hair, a pair of black jeans, black boots, and a red t-shirt underneath. She smiled and relaxed on his arm. I guess this is what makes him so special. Sano gladly accepted the affection and sighed deeply.
"Yo battosai, you should warm up Jasmine. We're gonna go on in five." Aoshi suggested. Kenshin nodded. He had recieved the name 'battosai' for his crazy solos that seemed to thrash into the hearts of any one who learned it. He was a double threat, with the voice that compared to Freddy Mercury and Jim Morrison, and a guitar god next to the likes of Jimmy Page and Jimmy Hendrix. Kenshin closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he pulled the strap around his shoulders. He exhaled and pulled a pick from his pocket.
Misao and Kaoru chatted over some cappucinos at the cafe. The concert was to start any minute now, and a large crowd had developed a while ago. The band they were to see 'Hiten Mitsurgi' was well known in the underground of New York City, and there were rumors of them going mainstream. Kaoru leaned back in her bistro chair and pulled out her pad and a pencil from her bag.
"Getting ready Kao?" Misao laughed while twirling her straw in her mouth. Kaoru grinned and shifted in her seat.
"I'm so excited! This is like...my first concert ever!" she admitted.
"Really? Have you ever heard any of Hiten Mitsurgi's music?"
"Nope." Kaoru placed her hand behind her head and sweatdropped.
"These guys are great. They're an awesome mix of metal, funk, and even classic rock." Misao dreamily sighed and went on. "The rhthym guitarist is a hottie too..." Kaoru's ears perked. She loved classic rock, it was all she listened to. Jimi Hendrix expirience, Pink Floyd, Cream, Jethro Tull, Queen, Black Sabbath, The Doors, and her favorite: Led Zeppelin. If she could be any more excited and anxious, then she was now.
Soon after, the lights dimmed, almost scaring a jittery Kaoru out of her seat. The owner of the cafe stepped onto the stage, and began to introduce the band.
"Hey guys...Tonight we have an awesome band emerging from the underground...born from the alleys and raised in the subways of our beloved city. Please show some love for: Hiten Mitsurugi!" The old guy stepped down and the maroon curtains opened to reveal the headliner. They looked very relaxed, almost jazzy. Kenshin was poised on a stool, gently strumming the intro to Led Zeppelin's 'Since I've been Lovin' You'. The spotlight was entirely on him, although you could faintly hear drums and keyboards in the background. Then he began to sing, and the spotlight grew to cover the entired band.
Kaoru was taken aback. This band was pure electric magic. The keyboards were smooth and jazzy, the drums were subtle yet powerful--They even wrote in a bassist making the song their own! But what really stole her breath...was the singing lead guitarist...the one with the flaming red hair she recognized from her dreams.
Kenshin practically set the crowd on fire with his angsty solo in the first song. If Jasmine were a real person, the two would be married with children right now, the way he played. He poured his heart out in the vocals too, as if he were telling his life story. Halfway into the song:
"Said I've been cryin' yeah...
...well my tears they fell like rain...
...doncha hear them? Don't ya hear them pourin'?"
He switched his focus quickly on Jasmine. He wanted to finish strong on this one. The first song was important, he needed to capture the audience and bring them into his world. After wowing the crowd with his ability to sing and play at the same time, he finished the song powerfully. He had suggested that Aoshi throw in a keyboard solo, to make the cover of the song more original. They had the audience under their spell. After a nod, Katsu stood up to his mic and began to introduce everyone.
"Yo everybody, I'm Katsu, and I'm the bassist and I write the lyrics. I'd like to introduce you here to everybody. This is Kenshin Himura..." there were a few hollars from the crowd. Kenshin basked in his eternal glory. "...he sings and is the lead guitarist." Katsu grinned and messed up Kenshin's hair. With a chuckle, Kenshin slapped Katsu playfully and searched the crowd. Where was Tomoe Yukishiro?
Kaoru couldn't breathe. It was him. The man she had always seen in her dreams, and in her nightmares. The man who's face dominated almost every painting she did. Here he was...a few feet away from her.
"...and this ice man is Aoshi Shinomori...He plays rhythym guitar, keyboard...flute if we need it..." Misao squeeled. This was that guitarist she was talking about. Wait...that's a guy? But all that makeup...? she got distracted. Kaoru returned her focus on Kenshin. Her hand began to sketch him madly without her knowing.
"...and finally this rooster head is my child hood friend and fellow bad ass, Sanosuke Sagara..He's the drummer because he can't do anything else." Katsu said with a snicker. Sano laughed and playfully punched Katsu in the stomach. Clutching his side Katsu sprinted back to the mic stand, replaced the mic and turned the audience toward Kenshin.
"Hey guys, thanks! We've done a bunch of concerts. But...I feel like this one is very special, like something magical is gonna happen. We've got an awesome set lined up, with plenty of originals and some covers from Led Zep, Hendrix, and even the Beatles. So sit tight while we warm up a bit."
Kaoru smiled as she watched him. He fingered a few chords on his shiny golden Gibson guitar. Even at practice he had the crowd mesmerized. There was no doubt in her mind that he was the one she had been dreaming about.
Kenshin continued to search the audience for the woman he was looking for. But-something else caught his eye.
A/N: ah what caught Kenshin's eye? the suspense is killing me . please leave me some love and review!
Next Chapter: You Shook Me
"It seems so wrong...to say goodbye to you.".
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