Welcome ladies and gents, boys and girls, to Chapter 5 of Mer de Visages! I've had quite a crappy year I must say, but things are looking better! I'm not going to bore you with ramblings of my life, so onward to the story!
Last Time:
Sakako beat him to the punch though, and opened the door. "Miaka! Over here!" Waving her in, Miaka smiled at her friend.
"What's going on?" She looked behind Sakako, and noticed a copper-haired, red-faced man wearing a rather small paper gown.
"Oh, hey Xun!" She smiled fondly at him. "What are you doing here?"
Chapter 5: First Date Part 1
As a man of usually many words, Xun was speechless. The girl who he had spent hours upon hours (well, maybe not that long) looking for, all the while walking out on his manager and bandmates, not to mention getting hit by a car, was standing before him. This should have been his shining moment where he sweeps her off her feet and takes her to a fancy restaurant. Alas, sometimes the world does not work out the way we want it to.
"I just asked about you actually!" She said. He hadn't moved, and looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language. So, she tried again, only this time she did switch to a foreign language.
That knocked him out of his current state. "You speak Mandarin!" was what came out of his mouth. He mentally smacked himself for his lack of eloquence. There goes his shining moment of triumph.
She didn't want to tell him that she indeed had been to China, only several thousand years earlier than present time. She thought that since she did spend so much time immersed in the culture that it wouldn't hurt to pick up a few words here and there. Except, those few words turned into a second language, which turned into a degree from a language college. Then, in return, that degree turned into her current job at the law firm.
Taka never had the ear for foreign languages and had constantly told her that she was wasting her time. He always said that she should go to culinary school, as her cooking skill would be more valuable than her speaking skill. Not to mention needed the most improvement. She did attend culinary school for a while, but once Taka moved to Tokyo she withdrew from the school. He got angry but couldn't do anything about it. She called it part of his training her to be his obedient little house wife.
So, she settled with "I took a few classes here and there…" which actually pleased him very much.
"You don't find many people learnin' Mandarin!" Once again, he smacked himself for his lack of eloquence. "Usually it's English they learn…"
At that, Miaka laughed. "Oh, I tried to learn English, just never quite got it." Xun laughed heartily. The girl can speak my native tongue…DAMN!
During their little intermission of laughter, Sakako let out a fake cough and pointed to Xun's state of dress, which promptly led him to speed into the bathroom.
"So Xun!" Miaka yelled, which received a muffled reply by Xun. "Where in China are you from?"
The reply through the bathroom door sounded vaguely like "Shanghai."
Miaka let out a deep sigh. "Oh…I've heard it's beautiful there. Beautiful gardens just bursting with greenery…" Her eyes glazed over and she looked like she was in heaven. Sakako looked at her rather perturbed. The whole situation was rather strange.
"It's very crowded though, but great shopping." Xun was still in the bathroom.
"I've always wanted to go, but never had enough money." Miaka sighed. She desperately longed to see China again, even if it was modern and travel to place to place didn't involve riding on horses anymore.
"We should go together sometime. I have a house in Shanghai." Miaka turned around the Xun stood in the doorway to the bathroom, gown-less. He had changed into the clothes he had been wearing while he was hit by the car, dark jeans and a t-shirt of an unknown band. Miaka swore he could have been a model.
"That…would..be..nice…" She stuttered. She mentally smacked herself for her lack of eloquence.
"Yeah, airline tickets aren't that expensive if you fly from Kansai." He reached for his jacket. Kansai International Airport was about a half an hour from Osaka. She had never seen it herself, but she heard from Taka, who flew to Tokyo instead of taking the train, that it was incredible. It is an airport on a man-made island. Just incredible.
"Kansai's been having some good deals recently, it's how I'm able to afford to go to Hawaii next month." Sakako explained. "Ah, Hawaii, sitting on the beach surrounded by American men…" She sighed. "It will help me practice my English too."
"Ya mean your pick-up lines," Xun scoffed.
"Practice is practice," Sakako winked.
Miaka really wanted to bring up the issue of Yui's wedding, but felt it was still too premature to ask Xun if he knew anyone that could perform. She couldn't dare ask Mer de Visages themselves to perform, not to mention that they're not exactly Yui's cup of tea.
"So…when are you leaving Osaka?" Miaka asked, curious.
"Few days…" Xun said. Miaka thought that he sounded rather disappointed.
"Mer isn't scheduled for any tours after Osaka." Sakako said. "Where are you headed?"
"Home." Both Miaka and Sakako gave a soft "Oh."
"…Well...this has been fun, besides the whole you hitting my car thing, so I suppose we'll see you around." Sakako grabbed Miaka and headed out the door, explaining that she was late for work, while Xun yelled out how she hit him, not the other way around.
While Sakako was dragging Miaka down the hallway outside the ward, Xun bolted through the door.
"Have fun in Shanghai, Xun!" Miaka waved. She was devastated that they were parting, but she had learned a long time ago that you do not cross Sakako. "I'll come to your next concert! So you have to look for me!"
Xun's face was surprised. He was not letting her get away this time.
"…Er…W-Wait!" He yelled. Sakako stopped, Miaka took a step towards Xun. He closed the distance between them. He towered above her, her head barely coming to his shoulders. Her emerald eyes sparkled with confusion.
He took her face in his hands. He was worried that he might be shaking from excitement. Miaka's face went up in heat, she was worried she was red as a tomato.
"Would you like to come with me?" Miaka's eyes couldn't have possibly gotten any wider. She herself shook from excitement and clasped her hands together.
"Really?"
Sakako dropped to the floor. This day couldn't get any worse. A famous guy runs into her new car, giving it a dent in the hood. Her insurance won't cover it, even after being on the phone with the sales guy for an hour while Xun was getting checked by the doctor. Her boss yells at her for hitting one of their clients, even after she said that he had run into her. She gets yelled at by the famous guy while he's wearing nothing but paper. Then, her best friend decides to go on vacation with said famous guy to China, only just after meeting him.
"What could possibly go worse?" She mumbled.
Right then Miaka's mobile rang. The cheery light tune echoed off of the concrete of the hallway. She halted her celebratory dance of being able to go to China, and checked the caller ID. It said, "Taka."
She decided, for once, not to answer. When she was asked about who it was, she responded that it wasn't important.
Until next time, my lovelies. I promise next update won't be nearly as long.
