The reunion with the executives from Lantis Co. went smoothly and without a hitch; Hiroshi was admittedly amazed at how Yuusaku had handled himself with both the company lawyers and representatives; there wasn't a moment when he didn't appear complacent with everything they offered the band, however he managed to sweet talk them into better arrangements and even when he detected something that was not good for the band, he managed to convince them to change it for something different or to completely remove it from the final deal.
And for some strange reason, he felt as if he had already witnessed the young lawyer work through those deals as if they were his most important mission.
It was that same sense of recognition that he usually felt whenever he spent any length of time with Mamoru and his wife, or sometimes when he was on a date with Minako. But now, he was experiencing it with Yuusaku too and it certainly baffled him. Sometimes he even wondered if he hadn't met them earlier in life, maybe as children and he simply forgot about them after some time.
He had always prided himself on having a very good memory, so for him this possibility seemed quite unlikely. However, unlikely did not mean impossible, and the fact that that sense of familiarity he felt around them was there made him think that maybe his firsts thought were not that off the mark.
It wasn't important though, since he preferred to focus on the present; he just knew that, aside from having a new and better contract for his band and getting a new and really dedicated and responsible legal agent, he had just gained a true friend.
A small smile crossed his features.
As he was still lying on his bed, hearing the constant pitter-patter of the rain against his window, Hiroshi Saito thought that indeed his life was a good one… and that recently it had been even better.
Moving his head slightly to the side, he saw that he only had two hours left to prepare for his performance at the usual bar. Tossing his feet slowly to the side to get off the bed, he decided to start his nightly routine for before a show.
While he was searching for something to wear, he remembered how a couple of days ago, in the middle of a rather new guitar solo, a strange vision took him over for a couple of minutes. He had already forgotten some of its finer details; however what he could remember with striking accuracy was the image of several kids playing in the garden of a castle. He did not know how, but he knew that he was one of the boys playing. He also knew that the boys he was playing with were dear to him somehow. If he made an extra effort he could almost discern Yuusaku's smile in one of the boys or even Mamoru's eyes in another.
Afterwards, Hiroshi was left in utter confusion. He did not know a place like that; in fact he could almost swear that he had not even visited somewhere similar. He had never gotten out of Tokyo aside from the recent tour he made with his band, and even then, the architecture of the castle of his vision was like nothing you could typically find in Japan. Then again, there was something ominous about that vision that prevented him to simply toss it aside as a mere hallucination.
Once inside the bathroom, Hiroshi proceeded to discard the clothes he was currently wearing, taking tentative steps inside the shower; when he deemed that the water's temperature was to his liking, he stepped fully inside, letting the water soak him entirely.
He let that water to cleanse his mind and his body, relaxing himself further and allowing his mind to rid himself of everything that he would not need to perform, fully concentrating in what he would need to make his next presentation as good as ever, if not better.
He could get back to his musings and contemplations later.
This was not the phone number he was looking for.
In fact, if he was completely honest with himself, he did not even remember that he had it. The girl it belonged to was gorgeous, he could not deny that, and maybe in another time he would have already found a way to get to know her better. This time however, he was not really interested in pursuing a relationship of that nature.
For a moment, his traitorous mind encouraged him to contact her anyway, reminding him that her father was a well known politician and that it could work in his benefit to have them amongst his acquaintances. Half a second later, he completely dismissed the idea. Not only did he remember their horrible relationship, but he also found it completely unfair to the only person that was able to make what promised to be a really tedious evening into something somewhat pleasant.
A whispered "She hadn't called me either…" was what escaped his lips while still looking at the contact info. This in itself was even more intriguing, because, as a general rule, whenever he met girls in any kind of social gathering, they would pull the most ridiculous or outraging stunts in hopes of catching his attention. To be honest, he often found those rather annoying.
Hino Rei on the other hand was certainly refreshing. She was wary of him from the moment they met, and she even acted rather aloof towards every other guy that tried to get near her. However, once he was able to break through that barrier, he found a very interesting woman that knew exactly who she was and what she was worth in spite of his father's fame and name.
It was refreshing indeed.
"Maybe I should really call her …" was what he thought while a small smile appeared in his face. He knew that his work load had increased considerably and that he really did not have time or real interest in pursuing a romantic relationship; the fact that apparently she wasn't interested in it either, made the idea of contacting her even more appealing. He was in real need of someone of the opposite sex that was capable of an intelligent conversation and that was not looking for something more than what he could offer.
In the end, he did the call.
Mamoru was sorely convinced that, no matter how or when you asked him, for him there wasn't a nicest view of Tokyo than the one the Observation Deck on the 52nd floor of the Mori Tower could offer. And he could even tell you that it was prettier at night.
He was also convinced that, if you actually asked the rest of the Japanese population, not even one citizen of Tokyo would say otherwise.
That said, today he was in a fairly good mood already, and the fact that he was currently enjoying one of his favourite things in life just made things better.
A couple weeks ago, while he was sorting through his mail, Mamoru found a rather fancy envelope that was addressed to him and his wife. Inside the envelope there was an invitation to an opening gala for an art exhibition. This in itself was rather surprising, although not because they did not get this kind of invitations from time to time; on the contrary, they usually get invited to this kind of events whenever Michiru was presenting a new set of paintings in town.
The surprise did not come because of who was actually the sender, but by the fact that he did not know before hand that it was going to arrive.
The sender was a friend that they had not seen in a very long time, although that did not mean that they ever lost contact with her. In fact, Yumeno Yumeni and Usagi wrote to each other regularly, usually to exchange the latest gossip about their mutual friends or some celebrity or even for the former to tell the later who she was sharing a gallery with next.
Usagi even keeps a spare key to Yumeno's studio in Tokyo, just in case it was needed.
Later that night during dinner, Mamoru asked his wife about it, expressing his confusion that she did not mentioned it earlier, at which she answered that she in fact did not know either until that same afternoon when she checked her e-mail.
She also mentioned their friend's insistence to attend the gala, saying that she had something really important that she wanted to discuss with them.
This got a spike in their curiosity, so even if they would have attended just because they were genuinely interested in their friend's artistic career, that last statement made them more eager to attend.
That's why he was now in the heart of Roppongi, with his wife tucked in his arms while enjoying the view that the Mori Tower had to offer. They were just watching the transition between lights, how the last sunrays briefly illuminated the city for the last time before it was covered in shadows for a few seconds, only for it coming to life little by little with its own lights a few seconds later. Yes, they were enjoying a great natural display before the main show for the night began.
Once inside, they got lost themselves watching both the paintings and the other attendees. The atmosphere was warm and relaxing and from time to time, Mamoru found himself stealing glances towards the woman at his side, remembering the first time they attended a similar event.
No, he was not exactly thinking about the Princess Diamond's ball. There was another instance where they went to a ball, that to be completely honest, was a total disaster.
In comparison to the loud obnoxious and disrespectful teenager that did not know how to hold her drinks, the young woman that now accompanies him was serene and mature, but without loosing all those endearing traits that made him fall in love with her in the first place.
They fell in love so long ago… they were young and innocent… they fell in love in the middle of really dark and hard times.
He was so lost in his thoughts and reminiscences that it took him a moment to notice his wife's sudden halt in her steps. When he actually did, he noticed that her attention was fixed in a particular set of paintings just ahead of him. Mamoru tensed the moment he laid eyes on them.
They had always known that Yumeno Yumemi's paintings were the echo of a past life, a life that she shared with them, so it was fairly common for them to find the familiar sightings of the Silver Millennium every time they went to her exhibitions.
This however, was a set of paintings representing life at the Golden Kingdom.
There were six different aquarelles, each of them representing a different place and time. The first four were of the Shittenou's Castles at the exact moment of the day when they look prettier to the casual observer. The fifth one was an exact reproduction of the Golden Palace at midday, just when the sun illuminated the crystal fountain in the middle of the garden, bathing everything around it with a rainbow of colours.
The sixth was of the Prayers Room in Elysium.
And this last picture was what alerted him that something wasn't right here, since he was sure that Yumeno's past self never set foot on Elysium. Elysium was a restricted area, where only the royal family and the Shitennou, who were royalty in their own right, were allowed.
His eyes automatically searched for the identity card bellow the pictures, in hopes that it would give him some answers. He was rewarded with the name Matsumoto Yuki as the author of the paintings, and Mamoru suddenly knew just what their friend wanted to talk about with them.
A smirk appeared in his face when he understood that the nigh was still young and was going to be full of surprises.
There was traffic on the streets, and an accumulation of pedestrians in some of the main crossroads of the city; there was also a sense of urgency to leave working places as soon as possible in hopes of returning home, or to simply engage in some more social or recreational activities.
And in the middle of all this, there was a peaceful paradise of sorts, which by the way was ironically situated by the end of one of those busy streets. Then again, the fact that said place was not actually at floor level, but on a second floor may have some merit to it.
The place in question is called "Tsubakiya", and is part of a dying aspect of the Japanese culture.
Coffee Houses are not exactly a new thing in Japan, even if they have more recently been displaced by new and foreign establishments that focus more in a quickly service than in the actual quality of the servings or even their preparation.
These coffee houses, commonly known as "Kissaten" are the exact opposite to the new coffe shop trends. Here they are more focused on a personalized service, the total relaxation of their clients and the real art of making coffee. In these kind of places, you could simply order a cup of coffee while you read, hang out with friends or just enjoy the vast selection of home made cakes and pastries they have to offer.
As a side note, you must know that in a place like this, is where most of the works of the renowned author, Osaka Naru came to life. In fact, a lot of them were born just here, at Tsubakiya.
As a matter of fact, whenever you chose to visit this Coffee House, you may find Naru working on something related to her next novel, maybe a rather complicated chapter, or even the outline of a plot recently devised. Today however, she was there for completely different reason, although not completely unrelated, as she was waiting for her Editor to arrive so they could discuss her newest finished work.
Their appointment was a hastily made one as they had not planned to meet for another two weeks, but since she had a sudden burst of inspiration and managed to finish her work earlier, they agreed to meet and sort out its details as soon as possible.
They agreed to meet sometime during the next hour, so Naru decided to just relax a bit and enjoy a slice of her favourite pineapple pie.
While at it, she couldn't help but reminisce the last years of her life. To be honest, if someone had told her ten years ago that she was not going to make an active career in the jewellery industry, but an anonymous one for her Mother's store and that she was to become a famous novelist, she would had laughed so hard at the obvious lie.
Perhaps the only person who may have actually believed something like that was Usagi.
Usagi. Dear, loving and ever cheerful Usagi; Her best friend and almost sister. Yes, Naru was aware that Usagi had other friends, her sisters-in-arms, the ones that she knew from another time, and another life, those who fight against the evil of the universe while the rest of the Earth's population is completely unaware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. But she also knew that, because of that, her friendship with Usagi was even more precious for the both of them.
It was Naru who accompanied Usagi to the Altar when she promised forever to Mamoru, and it was Usagi who, with the aid of lots of chick flicks and more ice cream than she was willing to acknowledge, helped Naru to move on when her long term relationship with Umino ended a few months before they graduated from College.
In fact, it was thanks to that awful break up, that her first novel was born.
And it was Usagi who, after devouring the story and praising it as a "marvellous work of art", encouraged Naru to look for an editor and a way to publish it.
In the end, Naru heeded her advice after thinking that if Usagi, who has always hated to read or to sit still for long periods of time, was able to read almost 400 pages in just four days, maybe her little novel was not so bad after all. So the hunt for an editor and a publisher began.
Four years and three Best Sellers later, Naru was again in her favourite Kissaten, waiting for her editor to arrive so they could discuss her fifth novel, which was supposed to be out early next year.
Naru averted her gaze from her cup of coffee and her mind from her memories, when she heard the small bell from the entrance. Her Editor had just arrived.
Hideki Rentaro was a young man of only 30 years old, with black short hair, and a pair of amber eyes that made a fine contrast with his pale skin.
Years ago, when Naru first met him, she was sure he was some kind of Youkai of legend. She was convinced that not normal human being could posses a pair of eyes as brilliant and pretty as his.
They met just when Naru was about to quit the search for a publishing house. At the time, nobody was really willing to risk introducing her story to the market, seeing as she was a complete stranger and that she was not adhering to the literary trend of the moment. They told her that the market was demanding more and more sappy, Vampire love stories, not ones filled with angst and drama about regular people.
Rentaro was in fact Naru's last resort, and her last hope. Luckily, he did not turn her down, accepting to actually read her story and in case that it was not as good as she promised, he offered to give her advice so she could improve her next works. He explained that his small publishing house could not risk publishing something that was not good enough to reach at least a certain public, but that he was willing to give her a shot.
A couple of weeks later, they were finishing the registry for the Copyrights of the Novel and working out how they were going to introduce and sell it.
Naru could not suppress a smile when she saw him slowly approach her booth, or the way he took off his jacket, carefully folding it before placing it beside him while finally taking a seat. Or how, without missing a beat, he quickly ordered a cup of coffee for himself.
Once the coffee arrived, their ritual was almost the same as always. Said ritual would go like this: he would take out his copy of her latest script, he would point out the things that he thought needed to be extended, clarified or detailed, then he would give her the necessary paperwork for the Copyrights registry and then they would discuss when they would meet again to finish those details.
Once done with this, they would move on to friendlier topics for the next hour or so. It was usually Naru the one who made the prompting and the questioning to try to catch up with the latest events of their lives, and even if he was a bit reserved while talking, he was always sporting a small smile and a light in his eyes that spoke volumes of his mood whenever he was with her.
Today things were exactly the same, and before they noticed, it was time to retire. They asked their waiter for the bill and a few minutes later, they were already outside the Kissaten and the building.
What happened next, were a series of events that nobody could have predicted, and as such were extremely surprising. Just as Naru and Rentaro were leaving the building, a group of loud teenagers were rounding the corner, joking and playfully shoving themselves against each others. When one of them shove another a little bit stronger than intended, she also collided with a young man with long brown hair that was also passing by. As a chain reaction, he also collided with Naru, and since she was not paying attention to what was happening around her, she was almost thrown against the floor, and only thanks to the stranger's quick reflexes, she didn't actually fell.
Said stranger was quick to apologize to her, explaining what happened and telling her he was really sorry to have pushed her like that. Naru however was frozen with shock, and it was not because of the near fall. The stranger's voice was one he recognized too well; it was a voice that haunted her dreams for a long time, and one that she was sure would never hear again in this life. When she met the stranger's eyes, the shock reflected in her face was almost all Rentaro needed to take her back to the Kissaten until she regained complete control of herself.
The stranger was puzzled by her behaviour, but seeing that her companion was taking care of her, he quickly left them alone.
Naru however was an emotional mess, especially since her mind was working in loops, repeating over and over again the encounter with the stranger while whispering incessantly a name… "Masato… Masato… Masato..."
A few minutes later, when she was able to finally gather herself, she took account of Rentaro's slightly panicked voice, asking her if she was alright or if there was something she needed. She smiled a bit, assuaging him while telling him she was O.K. that it was only the surprise push and a bit of her own tiredness playing against her.
Naru could see the clear disbelief in his eyes, but thankfully he did not press further. She could almost imagine his reaction if she were to answer truthfully… "Oh I am marvellous! It's just that I just saw a guy identical to one who happened to be my ex boyfriend from Junior High. Did I mention that he was not entirely human and that he died in my arms? So he either did not die that day or he suddenly spurted a twin."
Yeah sure… it would certainly go well.
They parted ways after a brief hug and Naru's words of reassurance of her well being. Her way back home, was filled with the resolution of visiting Usagi the next day. If someone had answers, it was surely her.
Hi! I'm still alive, in case you were wondering.
And no, I haven't abandoned the story either.
Let's just say that I have been quite busy, lost in other fandom and having lots of trouble trying to reconcile my views of Zoicite both in Canon and in the Fandom.
And just because of that, you would have to wait for the next chapter to actually read about him.
(Hopefully if everything goes according to plan, you won't have to wait almost a year for that to happen)
(By the way, I also apologize for the delay in posting this, the Spanish version was posted almost a month ago, but I had problems trying to finish the translation)
References:
- Mori Tower is situated in the heart of Roppongi, this is in the Minato District in Tokyo. There you could find almost everything, from offices to the Art Museum. If you are curious as to how the view from the Observation Deck looks like, just type "Tokyo City View" on Google.
- Kissaten are real, and even though there are not a lot of them, the ones I found looked really cosy. I really think we should go one day and actually experience it for ourselves. I don't really know if Tsubakiya is in a second floor, but if someone is near and wants to go and look for the place in question, it is near the Shinjuku Station.
- The chapter's title comes from a song by Opeth (again).
- Hideki Rentaro is inspired by a character from a Doujinshi called "Raindrops" published by YoukaiYume at DeviantArt. If you are into Inuyasha (and into Sesskag) you should definitely look it up.
Thank you to all of you who took some time to read my little story… and especially to Venus5-Gryffindor, Gillermina, Bookworm0913, Somariel, Helenala, lija, Lady-Dragonguardian, UsaMamo1989, aurora301, Isis Aurora Tomoe, and i1976-blu notte for your alerts or reviews! (If I failed to mention someone, blame Fan fiction, sometimes I don't get all the notifications)
I would love to read your thoughts.
See you soon!