AN: Sorry, one day late as usual! I was really delightfully surprised by the number of reviews I received last week! Really appreciate all the feedback. Thanks so much guys, you rock … …
Chapter 9 – It all Begins
"Shit," Tsukushi arrived for work just in time to hear Cleve letting out a stream of expletives that made her flinch.
"Er … … boss?" She asked tentatively, "is there anything wrong?" She changed her mind almost immediately, "scratch that – what's wrong?"
"Oh sorry Tsukushi," he apologised half-heartedly with a huge frown still adorning his face. "It's just that Kori sprained her ankle and Masato suddenly got food poisoning. I managed to persuade Sakura to come in but I can't find anyone else on such short notice. Hirashi will blow his top," he said with a sigh. Tsukushi winced in sympathy as she imagined the reaction of the extremely volatile hotshot club singer whom Cleve hired. Kori and Masato were two of the four dancers that Cleve had assigned to him whenever he performed in the club, and they worked really well together.
"The solution is right under your nose," cut in a female voice. "Hi Cleve, Kevin wanted me to be messenger girl," Miranda appeared in front of them with a cupboard box.
"The new collection of DVDs? Thanks, let me get the cheque." He whipped out his cheque book and quickly accomplished the task as Tsukushi glared at Miranda who was pretending not to see her. "By the way, what was that about the solution you were talking about?"
"Oh, didn't you know? Our Tsukushi here is an accomplished dancer," Miranda said cheerfully, ignoring Tsukushi's frantic hand gestures that stopped immediately when Cleve turned to look at her contemplatively.
"Really? You do have the build of a dancer – slim but wiry."
"Thanks for that, Cleve," Tsukushi attempted a sarcastic tone, but the embarrassed flush on her cheeks destroyed the effect. "No, I'm far from being a professional dancer."
"What about your twelve years of ballet classes, the jazz and hip hop you did in high school? And weren't you also in the dance club and participated in every single one of their performances?" Miranda demanded before turning to Cleve, "she's just modest."
"Tsukushi … …" Cleve began.
"No, Cleve, the performances that I took part in were always amateurish and I haven't performed for the past couple of years! You're talking about a totally different type and calibre of dancing here!"
"I'm desperate," Cleve pleaded. "Look only for tonight … …"
"No," she shook her head frantically. "How if I screw it up?"
"Just try." She was still shaking her head. "Please, I'll give you the night off and get the rest of the dancers down early to teach you. You can practise till the performance – that's five hours."
"No," Tsukushi persisted. However, Cleve sensed that she was softening.
"In the meantime, I will try to get someone else and if the rest of the dancers think you can't do it then I'll let it go. And you'll get paid at the same rates as the others." He mentioned a figure that made Tsukushi's eyes go wide. Geez, it was the same amount that she would usually make in a week, tips and all, unless she received a huge tip from an exceptionally generous tipper.
"So?" Cleve asked raising his eyebrows in question.
Tsukushi sighed, "okay, but if I don't think I can do it, I'll be off the hook."
"Sure," Cleve relaxed with an easy going smile as Miranda slapped her on the back.
"Good for you, Tsukushi. You know you can do it, you've been watching their performances for so long."
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Tsukushi was removing the make-up from her face when someone plopped down in the chair by her side. She turned and saw Sakura who still wearing her costume. The petite beauty still looked extremely energetic after dancing for the past two hours.
"Hey, that was a great performance!"
"Thanks," Tsukushi replied with an embarrassed smile. "You were all excellent teachers and thanks so much for coming down earlier to coach me." Sakura waved her hand negligently.
"Not at all, you're really good. The way you picked up those steps so easily and had them memorised by the third time. Have you ever thought of joining us? We can always do with another dancer. Natsuo has been thinking of leaving the troop and she's just staying until we find another new member."
"But Cleve … …" Tsukushi started.
"Ah, no problems in that area. He knows that we have been looking out for a replacement dancer and basically trusts us to decide if the applicant is sufficiently skilled. Natsuo will have given him the okay. And the money's good."
"That's very true," Tsukushi agreed turning to look at Sakura who was giving her a speculative look.
"I guess you can do with the extra cash eh?" Her eyes were suddenly sharp and penetrating as she gave Tsukushi a once-over. Feeling extremely uncomfortable under that careful assessing gaze, Tsukushi simply nodded dumbly. She was extremely relieved when there was a knock on the door.
"Tsukushi, Cleve wants to speak to you," it was one of the waitress.
"Thanks, Kimiko, I'll be there directly." Tsukushi said as she got up from the chair.
"See, I told ya."
"He could be just paying me for tonight."
"Nah," Sakura disagreed, "he would have simply added it to your pay check. If you decide to join us, come back here after talking to Cleve. I'll show you the ropes."
"Thank you," Tsukushi said gratefully.
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"That was great, Tsukushi," Cleve handed Tsukushi a cheque that he had just signed.
"Thanks, Cleve." She sat down as Cleve gestured to the chair in front of him and looked at him expectantly.
"Has Sakura talked to you?" He asked. "Natsuo just left and she mentioned that Sakura was going to ask you to join their troop." Tsukushi nodded slowly.
"Okay, so I'm formalising the offer. You will perform with the troop four times a week and your pay will be the same as the rest. What do you say?" Cleve said easily.
"What about my waitressing duties?" She protested.
"I can hire another waitress to take cover your duties on the nights when you dance. It's much easier to hire another waitress than another dancer who can obtain Hirashi's approval," he commented wryly as she blinked in surprised. Hirashi had not even given any indication that he had noticed her presence amongst the rest of the dancers.
"Ah yes, the self-proclaimed prince of pop actually gave his consent," Cleve commented sarcastically before continuing, "why don't you give it a try for a couple of weeks? We need you to replace Kori anyway." Tsukushi agreed and left the room.
"So how did it go?" Cleve looked up to see his head waitress.
"She's thinking it over but I can tell that she seems tempted."
"Does she know about the other aspects of the job?"
"I trust that Sakura would have told her about it. I hope that she'll accept though – it'll probably increase the club's profits."
"Yes, a few of the elites were asking about the fresh new face."
"That's good, I've heard a few excellent comments as well."
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Tsukushi was humming to herself as she arranged the files on Tsukasa's desk.
"Why are you in such a good mood today?" The sound of that deep voice next to her ear made her drop all the files with a startled yap.
"I'm … … I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She quickly stooped down to clear the mess of files and paper that littered the floor. She flinched when he bent down close to her, mentally getting prepared for a huge tirade.
"No, I should have known you'd be scared." Tsukushi froze for a moment as her unpredictable boss actually started picking up the files.
"What are you dreaming about?" He asked a bit impatiently and Tsukushi realised with a start that she was making no move to take the files that he was holding out to her. She quickly took over the files and started rearranging them.
"Strange girl," Tsukasa commented aloud to himself, oblivious of the glare that Tsukushi aimed at his back. "By the way, move my appointments this afternoon to another day and hold my calls. I will be at an urgent meeting."
"Yes sir," she answered automatically.
"Didn't I tell you to call me by my name?" He growled at her and she nodded silently. "Good, use it!"
"Alright." Only after the door closed behind Tsukushi did Tsukasa realise that she had successfully avoided addressing him directly the entire time. She was a tricky little thing, he acknowledged with a quiet chuckle.
Tsukushi was still in high spirits after she left Tsukasa's office. She was really looking forward to performing with the rest of the "troop" that evening. She had not realised that she had missed dancing so much until she started again. The music set her soul on fire and she could feel her heartbeats keeping perfect time with the rhythm of the songs. The feeling of being one with the music, the freedom of expressing her soul through the graceful movements of her body … … she was hopeless addicted again. Besides, the job paid much better than waitressing.
Sakura had informed her that after the performance, certain clients would pay to see them perform again. In addition, these performances brought small fame for most of them, and they were able to find employment as teachers of certain styles of dancing by some customers who were dance fanatics. Apparently, the money and the tips from these side arrangements were really good. Tsukushi had been a bit concerned at first if such arrangements resembled being a dance hostess. However, Sakura quickly reassured her that the latter was totally different and was not permitted in their club.
Dance hostesses, she had explained, were hired to dance with the customers of the club. They received a fix fee from their patrons per dance and usually had to pay either a minimum amount or a certain commission to the owners of the nightclubs that they worked in. Tsukushi still did not like the idea of dancing with the clients because of what she saw as the ambiguity. However, she really enjoyed performing with the rest and she had to admit that she needed the money. Her countenance darkened as she recalled her conversation with the doctor two weeks ago when the final results came in … …
It had been a terrible blow finding out that her brother had chronic kidney failure caused by polycystic kidney disease. The nice elderly doctor had comforted her when she broke down in front of him. He assured her that the symptoms of kidney failure were not apparent until the kidney disease had progressed significantly, and that no one was really to be blamed for her brother's condition. She had immediately offered to donate a kidney to Susumu. However, their blood types were not compatible as her brother's blood type was O, whilst hers was A. Ironically, it would have been fine for Susumu to donate a kidney to her if she had been the one with a dysfunctional kidney but not the other way round.
After a having a hearty cry with her brother when she told him the news at home, they promised each other to be brave and to take each day at a time. Susumu would remain on dialysis for the time being, whilst they waited for a donor. He claimed that it had already become a routine for him. However, their meagre trust fund would barely cover the expenses for the operation for dialysis, treatment for a few years, the cost of the transplant and subsequent expenses. She vowed to herself that she would work her hardest to support both of them and to ensure that her brother would get the best medical treatment, as well as the best education.
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"Have you tried talking to them yet?" He asked.
"Aren't we impatient?" She replied in a mocking tone. "What about yourself?"
A muscle twitched in his cheek as he clenched his jaw, "they totally dismissed it when I mentioned that you might be as unhappy about the arrangement as I was."
She laughed mirthlessly, "yup, that's the reaction that I got as well. Well, it seems to me that our contract simply has to continue for a few more years."
His fist slammed into the wall and she turned startled eyes to him, "do you really feel so strongly about it?"
"Did you think I was joking all this while?" He asked through clenched teeth.
"Obviously not, but I didn't realise … …" Her eyes narrowed. "Oh … … I get it. You want to enter into a new arrangement with another party … …" He remained silent, not bothering to deny her accusation. Her lips tightened. "Fine, let's arrange a time to get everyone together. We will talk to them all and settle it hopefully for once and for all."
"I will make the necessary arrangements," he replied before he left. He did not see a pair of resentful eyes following his departure.
"You will regret this, I promise that you will definitely regret this … …"
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Ray was rather looking forward to seeing Tsukushi when his client for that evening, Furita, wanted to visit the club where Tsukushi was working. He was extremely relieved that his three-month contract with Yumi had finally ended. He quickly used the excuse of having another contract to refuse her repeated offers to renew their contract. She had pouted and finally given in with a bad grace when he laughing reminded her that there were other opportunities in future. His other contract did not start for another month, but he was glad for the respite. Ray was tired of the way his clients would often tend to start getting possessive towards the end of the contract.
"Ray?"
"Yes?" He turned to Furita with a charming smile.
"You seem to be rather distracted today."
"I was simply waiting impatiently for the performance, Hirashi is meant to be excellent." Ray said with a disarming smile. However, he was extremely attentive to Furita for the rest of the evening although he also kept an eye out for Tsukushi. He soon realised that she was not amongst the waitresses. Probably not working that night, Ray thought.
"Now ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the famous Hirashi!" He turned automatically to face the stage and stiffened in surprise when his eyes fell on one of the lithe dancers. His eyes did not leave her slim, graceful figure for the entire performance … …
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death-resurrected: Hey, thanks for your kind comments! Sorry about the English names – thanks for pointing it out! Yes, it does seem strange to have this mix of English vs Japanese names. Other than the previous names that I have adopted, I have tried to remember to use Japanese names for any new characters.
RaRa : A new reader! Welcome and many thanks for providing feedback on the plot! It's a great relief to know that pple don't find the plot too way off or OOC!
Scarlet Rayne: Another new reader! Yay! Thanks so much for your kind comments – I'm really glad to know that you have gotten somewhat attached to this story ;)!
SakuraNJ: Wow, another new reader !!!! Makes my day !!! Thanks so much for your generous comments – sorry that this chapter is yet another day. I really hope you didn't log in, in vain. It took quite a bit longer to write than I expected. Probably like 4 to 5 hours !!!
cOokIng PoT: Thanks so much for your kind comments !!!! Wow – yet another new reader – this must be my lucky week! Really appreciate your feedback :)
Chi5: Reading this at 6am ????? Wow … … speechless. Ah, I see that you're another ardent Rui fan?
thefrustratedwriter : Hi there! Oh my, I was rather worried when I was reading your comment – a bit stressful when I'm trying to pretend to know what I am writing about in front of a real expert! I am definitely not in the medical field, so my writing is based on my limited research. Basically, I found articles off the net that highlighted that one cause of chronic kidney failure is from polycystic kidney disease – a genetic condition I believe. I thought it was more believable that Susumu had a genetic condition seeing that he is pretty young to suffer from kidneys damaged through other causes. Is that correct? I guess there's always a balance between fiction and realism in writing, so I was trying to achieve an acceptable balance when I was writing this chapter. Must say I really appreciate your constructive comments and pls let me know if anything is way off and I'll go back to change the chapters!
just a reader: Hi hi! Very limited research I must say i.e. wrt the medical stuff (as you might have seen from my reply to thefrustratedwriter)! Thanks so much for your kind comments !! I have to admit that on topics that I have zero knowledge about I simply read a few articles etc and stop the moment I feel that I have read enough not make a complete fool out of myself when I write.
Yin1: Yet another new reader !! This is fantastic !! I'm so glad that you like POV and Xrds as well ! Thanks so much for your kind comments :) !!!
Frozenyogurt: Hey there! I read with great interest the part when you said that Tsukushi "wields" a calculator extremely well in the manga. I have to admit you have given me more credit than I deserve because I actually didn't know about this! But it's a really lucky coincident :) Thanks so much for your comments – and yes you definitely hit the nail on the head about Tsukushi having to call Tsukasa by his name!
Kensingtonkid: Today, I am technically late ;) !!!! lol As usual, thanks soooooooooooo much for that detailed analysis !! I can't imagine anyone taking so much time and effort to do such a nice thing! sniff sniff Ah, sorry, as usual the he and she has to still remain a mystery, though I have no doubts that in a couple more conversations you would have managed to grasp the situation as you always do! I have to apologise for the little R&T interaction this chapter. Definitely more coming up in the next chapter !!!