Chapter 3: Secret Meetings, Confusion, and Not-stalkers.
Day 2. 6:25 pm
In front of Shining Restaurant, Downtown Shizume City.
Yata Misaki was nervous.
No… he was waaaay more than nervous.
He was practically hyperventilating, sitting in front of the restaurant trying to make himself seem as small as possible (for the first time in his life not minding his height) as he stared up at the digital clock on one of the surrounding buildings, watching the seconds tick by like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
He was both hoping it could go faster or just stop altogether, as with each passing second, his heart seemed to skip a beat, and that couldn't be good. At all.
But neither was happening, so he merely just sat there waiting for (what he hopes is) the inevitable.
I-it's not a prank right? I-I mean, h-he (Tokiya. OMG It's TOKIYA!) w-won't stand me up right? I mean, what does a super-idol get by playing pranks on unsuspecting Fans?
For the nth time since he got there (which was only some 2 hours ago), he ran a conscious hand through his hair (regretting the thought of leaving his beanie at home, he could use the cover), checking his reflection on a nearby glass window before tugging at his jacket.
He didn't have a lot of good clothes, mostly just too-loose T-shirts and khaki pants with the occasional jacket (didn't have enough money for anything more fancy, and frankly, he didn't care all that much), so the clothes he was wearing now (a dark red leather jacket, black skinny jeans along with one of his tight-fitting shirts) came from Summermoto's closet. Decidedly they were the smallest they could find (curse his height!) but were indeed a far cry from Yata's own outfits.
Maybe I'm too dressed up? Is it obvious I'm trying hard? WHY THE HECK AM I EVEN ACTING LIKE A FREAKING G-G-G-g-irl….. *cough* Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Yata once again returned to staring at the clock, trying to calm himself down. Why did he even call me in the first place? Did I do something? Or is it really that strange for a guy to fall in line for a male idol's autograph? No wait there were lots of other guys there too…
"AAAARGH!" Yata finally cried out in frustration, scaring a few passersby. "I gotta stop thinking this shit. He could just be lookin for a tour-guide for all I know!" he huffed, falling back to his seat on the public bench, not at all caring about the weird looks he was getting.
Taking another deep breath, he closed his eyes and finally noticed a familiar song in the background.
[I convey this only to you
In this world exists a song]
And for the first time since that afternoon, he actually managed to calm down. The song bringing a sort of nostalgia.
It was two years ago that he first discovered his idol. He was in a terrible mood that day, drenched from the sudden rain. It was by pure coincidence that he decided to take shelter in the nearest shop there, which just so happened to be a near empty CD shop partially hidden from the rest of the city.
[Every moment I spent with you
was like a beautiful star]
And it was his voice that met his ears when he stepped through the sliding doors. He almost stomped right back out (fuck the rain and cold for all he cares, he ain't taking this shit), if he didn't realize just where the voice was coming from and what it was saying.
[There are times when the sky cries on cloudy days
On days like that, though I feel Sympahy, if I'm with you
I feel the world can change.]
And at that moment he saw him, and fuck if he wasn't awe stuck by that uncharacteristically warm smile underneath the pouring rain.
…sure it was just a Music Video playing on the TV, but it felt pretty darn genuine.
Black hair, blue eyes, pale skin… it was all so… like him but not that he felt his chest clench, squeezing all the air in his lungs.
[The flower blooming before my dreams will lead the both of us tonight
I can only say one thing to you,
"All you have to do is follow me"]
And it was that very invitation that got him buying Ichinose Tokiya's first Album.
He wasn't even going to deny listening to that one song all night.
Yata sighed yet again, humming to the melody he knew completely by heart. If only it was him… his eyes widened.
"THE FUCK?" he exclaimed, leaping out of his feet. He clutched his head, repressing the urge to pound it on something solid. I did NOT just think that! This doesn't… He doesn't have anything to fucking DO with this anymore!
But he does. A small part of his brain replied, making him groan in frustration. Maybe I should just go… maybe he's not coming anyway… I mean, idols are always busy right? And there's too many people here. He might get swamped by fans.
He glanced at the clock, 6:58 pm. There's still time….
"If a day comes where you cannot see out of your tears
If you can't walk even one more step
Please, somehow, believe in my words
You don't have to hide your scars, I'll wrap them all up for you"
"Hn. Yeah, Thanks" Yata thought with a scoff. If only he knew the scars he freakinleft himself! If you apologize of your fucking knees, I'll let you wrap 'em. Fucking Mon—
"As you vanish, it's so bittersweet.
When love you leave its nest, is this jealousy I feel greed?
Even just your sigh, I want everything"
He froze.
That wasn't…
That didn't sound like it was…
No. Fucking. Waaay…
Slowly, eeeeeevvveeeer so sloooowly, he looked around.
He almost squealed.
"My emotions become more intense, I drive myself crazy with each song
The melody for only the two of us
A serenade that I cannot stop"
When did everyone disappear? What was with all the lights? The background music was an Instrumental! Was he dreaming?
Ichinose Tokiya was standing before him, in all his idol glory, hair slick and clothes fashionable, singing his most favorite song in an almost breathy voice, a soft grin on his lips.
"If a wish can only be granted once
I will throw away anything and everything
just to embrace you"
The raven-haired idol stopped three feet away from him, and Yata's brain short circuited, his face burning bright in the city lights. His mouth fell open before closing again, repeating this gesture like a fish out of water.
H-H-H-HE CAME! HE REALLY CAAAME!
Tokiya chuckled, sending an arrow through the brunette's heart. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting. My Manager kept me" he replied, and was it just Yata or was there a slight hint of displeasure in his voice when he said 'Manager'?
It took Yata three full seconds to realize that Ichinose Tokiya was talking to him. "A-A-AAAH!" he nodded, and then. "I-I MEAN NO! I mean, um, I wasn't… I just, I j-just got here! Yeah! S-sorry! Uhm…" he trailed off, suddenly wanting to crawl under a rock from the sheer embarrassment he was feeling. I'm acting like a total IDIOT! He screamed in his mind.
Another chuckle escaped the idol's lips, eyes squeezing shut just slightly. "I see. I'm glad" he said, his voice like church bells to Yata's ears. "So I was planning on having dinner now. I hope you don't mind joining me" he initiated, gesturing to the restaurant Yata'd been sitting in front of for the past three hours.
Unable to trust his voice through his fuzzy head, the brunette only nodded, meekly trailing after his idol as he headed inside Shining.
Not too far behind them, a young lady watched with curious eyes.
Day 2: 7:05 pm
Inside Shining Restaurant
Yata fidgeted in his seat for about the umpteenth time in the past three minutes, gripping the menu so hard the edges were crumpling. Although the guys at HOMRA were kind enough to lend him some spare cash for the evening, the prices on this thing were still waay out of budget. M-Maybe I can just say I'm not hungry… settle for water or something… yeah… he gulped.
From the other seat, the raven eyed him with something akin to amusement in his dark-blue eyes. "I apologize" he began.
The brunette's head shot up. "Huh?"
"I know this was such short notice. I didn't think if you may have had plans before asking you to come."
"NO!" Yata cried, face burning when he realized that came out much louder than intended, he cleared his throat. "I-I mean I'm fine! Free! No plans at all!" I was fired from my part time job just yesterday so totally! …Damn that's depressing. The numbers on the menu mocked him yet again.
'Tokiya' smiled at him, (wait, is that a smirk?), "I still apologize, so in in return, dinner is my treat" he offered.
Yata felt his hear skip a beat. "Huh? A-Ah No! I mean, Thanks! B-but it's fine, I have— I mean I'm not— I mean—!" banging his head on the table trying to calm his breathing, Yata felt the urge to just disappear under the table. Why is this happening to me?
"I insist" was his companion's reply, a quirk to his lips, and somehow his tone brought finality to that. "Order anything you want"
"…" making an effort to calm down, Yata once again ran his hands through the menu, trying his best not to look at the zero's on the price section.
In the end, he settled for a Carbonara (why weren't there any Japanese dishes on this thing?), and looked over at his partner's order.
"Heh? All-meat Lasagnia?" he mumbled. "Don't like vegetables or something?" he commented off-handedly, his stomach twisting because he knew someone else doesn't like vegetables so much he picks them out of everything.
"No. Just not tonight" was the idol's casual response.
Silence settled over them when their waitress left to process their orders (and no, Yata was not avoiding looking at her; the menu was just that interesting is all).
"Not good with girls?"
Yata jumped, mouth opening to make a retort when he realized just who asked that, his voice caught in his throat. "U-Uh… well… y-yeah… kind of…" he replied, finding the table cloth very appealing.
"Hmm~" a clink of glass reached his ears. "So I guess you really don't have a girlfriend do you~" it was a statement of mere observation, a slight teasing inflection to his voice.
"You'll never get a girlfriend like that, Virgin Mi~sa~kii~~"
Yata felt a brow twitch. "Well sorry for bein' a fucking virgin" he snapped without thinking, responding to a not-so-different voice in his head that sounded so very familiar.
"…"
Oh crap…
"A virgin huh~" Tokiya repeated, amusement evident on his face and why does it look so completely familiar? "Now that I think about it, I never did get your name…"
Yata's face flushed, pointedly hiding his head behind the menu. "M-My name is Y-Yata… Misaki…" he mumbled, the last part barely audible under his breath.
A sharp sound reached his ears, and he lifted his head to find Tokiya staring at him. He shifted, brows furrowing. I-Is my name seriously that weird.
"Come again?" the idol asked, a smile forming on his lips.
Yata felt his cheeks redden, shifting his gaze away. "M-My name… is Yata M-Misaki" he repeated. "And don't say it's girly! I already know!"
Did the raven's face just tighten a bit at that? "Heeh? But are you saying I can call you that?"
Yata shrunk into himself. "N-No… I mean… i-it's my name so… and you asked so…"
"Misaki"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" was his automatic response, and he clamped a hand over his mouth soon afterwards, shame pooling in his stomach. Now he definitely thinks I'm an idiot. "I-I mean… that's not… I mean…"
"You're not making any sense Yata-kun"
'Yata-kun' he flinched, the name made his stomach churn, sounding just so familiar but so freakin wrong in that voice that.
"M-Misaki… is fine… so…" he trailed off. "S-Sorry… uhm… maybe I'll just… go" he trailed off, beginning to skim out of his seat. "I-I mean, I just remembered I… uh.. f-forgot to feed my dog! Yeah! I haven't seen him since I left this morning! Wouldn't want him to eat my house huh? Sorry! Bye" he rambled out, throwing whatever excuse came to mind first.
This is too awkward…
A hand gripped his wrist and he flinched, pulling it back as if he was burned.
Tokiya was staring at him pointedly, eyes inquisitive and why again did it look so familiar and yet different? "Yata-kun?"
He looked away.
"Sorry again for the short notice." Tokiya voiced, and Yata shifted on his feet. "Can I at least get your number?"
The brunette blanked. "…Huh?" Did I hear that right?
"Can I get your number?" the idol repeated, waving his PDA in front of him, an amused smile on his face.
Yata's head was so light it was making him dizzy, and he almost felt as though he was flying. "Y-Yeah… sure…" he trailed off, extending his left wrist and activating his own PDA watch.
The screen activated, and his contact list flashed on screen as he typed in the idol's information.
The entire time, Ichinose Tokiya couldn't rip his eyes off it. The watch, the screen. One name flashed on screen.
Fushimi Saruhiko.
"Who's that?" he couldn't help but ask, voice cracking just slightly.
Yata flinched yet again, closing the screen as if to erase any evidence. "N-No one… just… someone I used to know…" he trailed off. "S-sorry. Really gotta go now" and with a shaky grin, the brunette was out the door.
Saruhiko followed his back with his eyes, face flat, ignoring the waitress who came with both orders on hot plates.
"I know you're there" he mumbled out, stabbing a fork on his pasta. "Might as well join me if you saw all that"
From the seat behind a potted plant, Nanami Haruka popped out, her face flushed as she glanced around. "S-Sorry f-for eavesdropping, Fu…I-Ichinose-san" she mumbled out, taking the now empty seat in front of him. "S-Someone you know?"
The Officer in disguise only clicked his tongue and began to eat in silence.
Again, from a more hidden position on the other side, a different pair of eyes followed him.
... I don't even know what happened but...
Yeah...
*ehem* OK! Chapter 3 folks! XDD Not as upbeat as I expected but... well...
Anyways yeah! Thanks for reading XDD Next chap, it's Saru's turn to do the wondering and a little more plot! (I think...)
XD