Chapter Twelve
Music House
A week after the beach house holiday, a funeral was held for Kita's mother. It was a perfect day, warm and comfortable without a drop of rain. It was funny to think of the day Kita was burying her mother as a good day, but she didn't dare let herself think otherwise. Not when she had come so far.
After the dream in which her mother had helped her realise that she was not on her own, her friends worked together in secret for the rest of the night writing down lyrics for a new song. They would occupy her one by one until she began to catch on. She sneaked into the music room where they sat together with their heads bent over the paper. She leaned over and saw the words they scribbled down and argued over, and Yui, surprisingly, was the first to catch her peeking.
Disappointed that the lyrics would no longer be a surprise, they gave up the new song to Kita. She read over it more than once, letting the joy it brought her sink in. The song was about them supporting her through the hard time, and the heart they had put into it was so clear that she almost cried.
Standing at the edge of the black closed coffin, Kita wished that she could hear it now. Her heart ached, the hole that her mother had left remaining as a throbbing scar. She wasn't alone, but that didn't mean she didn't miss her terribly.
Bending down, Kita laid the white bouquet of flowers she held on the lid of her mother's coffin. She whispered her final goodbye so that the remnants of her broken family behind her couldn't hear. "Goodbye, mum. Thank you for everything you taught me."
As though understanding her need for the music, the lyrics that she had read that night at the beach house began to echo on the wind. She closed her eyes, thinking that it was her memory of the song that was granting her wish, but the music got louder, and the singer's voice was familiar.
Kita looked up and some metres away, standing by a lone tree, was her band. They had taken adapters out with them, hooked up to a car that had delivered them there in secret. Again they deceived her, and again Kita was happy for it.
Mio's soft voice captivated everyone in the small gathering.
"You cry those tears,
They fall to the floor.
You've felt like this,
Too many times before.
With an outstretched hand
And an open heart,
I will guide you through
To a new start.
We will hold strong together.
Will will never break.
Cause without you I am nothing
And without me you feel small,
But together we'll make it through it all."
Kita felt her heart beating fast with the music. She soaked in every word, believing it and trusting it. She lifted her head to the sky and closed her eyes again so she could just listen as her friends sent her the message that would pull her through this hard time.
They truly were precious to her.
"Thank you for making me see clearly, mum. I won't ever forget."
A month after the funeral things finally began to settle down. Kita was dealing with her mother's death much better, and she leaned on her friends, knowing now that they would be there. Mrs Sawa still helped her though when she felt that she was better qualified, scaring away the students when they spoke out of turn to her favourite student. Not only had everything calmed down, but the band was thriving.
"I can't believe it!" Ritsu gasped, slapping a poster down on the table. "We're finally in!"
"In?" Mio peered closely at the poster, her eyes widening as she understood. "The Music House just a few blocks away? Are you serious?"
Ritsu pulled out a handful of tickets and set them down beside the poster. "VIP guys! We're playing at the Music House!"
Azusa's eyes widened and she snatched up the tickets. As she inspected them, her face fell. "Live? In front of people?"
"We've done it before," Ritsu reminded her. "You were fine all of those times."
Kita's eyes were glued to the poster. Over the months that had passed, she had been in many more school performances. Not once after the first time did she collapse or freak out any more than the others. The realisation that had come to her that day at the beach house had cured more fears than one.
"This will be your first time performing out of school, won't it?" Yui said, not forming it into a question. She already knew that it was true.
Kita nodded her head. "I'll be fine though, so don't worry. I've been fine playing in front of the entire school. Surely the crowd at this place won't be as big."
"That's true," Mio agreed. "But it is still different."
They were all staring hard at Kita, still unsure as to whether she could handle it. Some things weren't going to change it seemed.
Kita sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Come on, guys! Give me a little more credit. Look at how far I've come."
Mugi looked up from the tickets that Azusa had passed over to her. "We're not saying you haven't come far, Kita. We're just still worried that its too soon."
Too soon? Kita's mother had died some time ago, and the burial had been weeks passed. The pain was still raw around the edges, and often found herself wondering if her mother really understood how grateful she was for her final lesson. If she didn't distract herself, however, than it would only be worse.
"Trust me, this will be really good for me," she said, determined to win them over.
Ritsu looked to Mio who shrugged her shoulders. Azusa spoke before anyone else had the chance. "I think we should trust that she'll be okay," she said, smiling across the table at Kita.
Yui nodded and turned to Ritsu. "You're the leader! Come on, she'll be fine."
Ritsu cleared her throat and straightened up at the title 'leader.' "Hmm, well, yes, as the leader I have the final say. Sooo... I guess it will be alright."
Kita felt a weight lighten on her shoulders and reached across to the poster. It had a picture of a woman bending over her guitar and slamming her hands down on the strings. An audience hungry for the music crawled over each other like animals, their fists in the air. These sorts of images inspired Kita now instead of scaring her. She grinned as she placed it before her on the table.
"I can do this," she said to herself as the others began to plead with Mugi to have some of her cake. She liked teasing them, and made them ask her politely now instead of taking it from her bag when she wasn't looking.
"Did you say something?" Mio asked, her eyes on Kita.
The girl shook her head and leaned forward to retrieve the first plate that was loaded with cake.
Mugi smiled and put the rest of the cake back beneath it's wrapping. "I think today I would like to see you all fighting over that slice."
Kita was sure that her heart stopped as she realised that Mugi was pointing to her plate. Before she could make a single move or even scream, Yui and Ritsu were upon her.
The Music House was just as its name suggested. It was a small building no bigger than a normal house in the side of an alleyway wall. Not many people knew about it, and that was exactly how the staff wanted it. Only exclusive people were allowed inside to either play or experience the music, so the club was lucky to have been given the opportunity.
Kita and the rest of the band walked down the alleyway, excitement and nervousness seeming to crackle in the air around them. They were without the company of Mrs Sawa, but that did little to dampen their moods. She was the one who had been upset in the end, buried under piles of work, but the girls could do this without her, and she agreed as long as they managed to get someone to record the entire thing for her to watch.
A bounced stood outside of the club, his arms crossed stereotypically over his chest as his eyes scanned the short line of people. Those wanting access were either punks, goths, or draped in matching outfits. They had instruments slung over their backs and shoulders like weapons and protruded their tickets to show the man. He let them all pass one by one until it was time for the club.
"Here we go!" Ritsu raised a fist in the air. "Our first gig with our new member!"
Mio turned to Kita with a worried look in her eyes. "How are you feeling, Kita? You'll be alright, won't you?"
Kita nodded, pretending that her heart was not beating in her throat. "Of course. Remember, I've become stronger. I didn't go through all of that experience and learning to come out empty handed."
"That's right!" Yui brought her arms around her in a tight embrace. "Kita's the perfect band member now! She's braver than anyone I know."
"I wouldn't say that," Kita said, but a feeling of pride swelled inside of her.
The bouncer glanced at their tickets expressionlessly and stepped aside. They strode through the iron door, Kita deciding that it looked like something out of a horror film, and entered the reception room.
A woman stood behind a counter, strumming her fingers on her arm in time to the beat of the practising bands, their music seeping in through the walls.
"Welcome to the Music House," she greeted, barely raising her head. "You girls are...?"
Mugi cleared her throat and stepped forward. "Let me handle this." She drew herself up, bared her teeth like an animal, and slapped her ticket down on the desk. "We are the Afternoon Teatime band! We're here to rock!"
There was silence as everyone gaped at her, then her false personality shattered and she shrunk back. "Sorry... I just got lost in the moment."
"You're telling me," Yui gasped, her hand clutching at her heart.
The receptionist had an amused smile on her lips as she handed out papers to be filled out. "Have fun out there," she said, though it looked as though she were speaking mainly to Mugi.
They sat together in the corner of the room on leather chairs. The room was decorated with a modern punk feel, the walls covered in different shades of paint with clean black and white chairs and couches, photos on display of rock gods and goddesses, and a carpet with a chequered black and red design.
Kita looked around in awe. "This place is not what I expected," she breathed. "I thought it would be, well... trashed."
Yui nodded her head. "So did I. Are we in the right place?"
Ritsu looked offended. "Of course we are! I don't make mistakes like that."
Azusa looked as though she had something to say to that comment, but she bit down on her lip and held the words back. Better to leave the complaint for now when everyone was having fun.
"Come on, that's not how you hold the damn thing, idiot!"
All heads raised and the girls peered over at another group who had taken residence in the opposite corner. They were all Goth-styled girls with gelled up hair, dark makeup, and wristbands that left no space for flesh. However, one of them didn't seem to belong. Her hair was short and lank, barely standing up at all, and she looked more innocent than the rest with light makeup and casual jeans and a tank-top. She cowered as the other's roared around her like stalking animals.
"Hold it like this!" another of the band members shouted, hoisting her guitar and striking a pose.
The girl who didn't seem to belong couldn't hold her guitar properly. It was half her size and weighed a tonne, and she could barely lift it anyway with her shaking hands. She was trying her best, but according to the others, it wasn't good enough.
"That isn't right," Kita said under her breath. "Look at her. She's clearly nervous, but they don't even care."
Mio shushed her, her eyes wide. "Careful, they'll hear you!"
"They look scary," Mugi agreed, sinking deeper into the couch. "Lets just pretend that we don't see them or hear them."
Kita could barely believe what her friends were saying. She looked back to the girls in the corner, clenching her fists in frustration. She felt the girl's fear. The panic that was printed on her stark white face caused Kita pain to look at.
"Mugi, what happened to your earlier spunk?" Ritsu asked.
Mugi's cheeks went red and she shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. "Sorry, but I don't think we should get involved with them."
Kita shook her head angrily. "We can't just let them treat her like that! When I first decided to join you guys, I wasn't sure of what would happen, and I kept imagining that I would be in her shoes."
Azusa backed her up. "I understand that too. When I first joined I was terrified." She squirmed in her seat uncomfortably.
They all exchanged glances.
"Alright, maybe we should do something," Mio decided for the group. "But... Yui should talk to them because she's the bravest."
Yui jumped on the spot. "M-me? But they look really really scary!"
"There's no need to worry about it now," Ritsu said, gathering all of the girls' attention. She nodded her head towards the corner that was now vacant. "They've already headed out onto the stage. Sounds like they wanted to get their songs over and done with early."
Silenced surrounded the band. Kita lowered her head and unclenched her hands. She wished she could have done something for the girl. She felt terrible.
Azusa reached out and pat her on the back. "Don't worry about it. Lets get it out of our minds for now and put on a show."
"Yeah!" Yui cried, pumping her fist in the air. "That'll cheer you up, Kita!"
If only that were true. Kita was terrified, and now she had her own well-being to worry about as well as the girl's. She let out along breath as her heart began to hammer behind her ribs. "Time to concentrate on that, I guess. Are we going to practice?"
They headed into one of the back rooms to get ready for the performance. They were soon focused on the music, their nerves beginning to tighten as they realised that they would be playing in front of an audience. Anyone would have thought that by now they would be used to it, but every audience was different. There was always the chance that they music wouldn't cut it for those watching.
They headed out twenty minutes later to wait behind the stage for the current band to finish. As they cleaned themselves up and re-checked and tuned their instruments, they listened to the music that pumped from the stage.
"They sound really creepy!" Yui gasped as she cocked her head to the side and listened. "They're singing about ghosts and shadows and zombies! Scary!"
Mio shivered and looked longingly for the corner where she could jam her hands over her ears and block out the sound, but Ritsu caught her as she edged away.
"Where do you think you're going, Mio?"
Mio shook her hands away and regained her composure. "I'm just... stretching my legs!"
"Stretching your legs? To sing?" Ritsu raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I totally don't believe that."
"I totally don't believe this," Azusa breathed from the edge of the darkness. She was peering out onto the stage, her eyes wide.
"What is it?" Kita followed her gaze and watched the band as they played. The audience pulsed and throbbed as they knocked their heads and waved their hands to the eerie sounds the instruments produced, but it was the band players that had Kita in awe. She immediately noticed the odd one out, the quiet girl that didn't belong. She was struggling as she held tightly onto the guitar that was weighing her down and tried to strike the chords in time with the others.
She was failing miserably.
"This is hard to watch," Azusa muttered, shaking her head sadly. "Any minute now they'll turn around and-"
"That's it!" The lead singer, a girl with wild black hair threw the microphone to the stage floor and turned on the girl, her eyes blazing with fury. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The girl had turned a whiter shade of pale. She almost looked like a ghost herself now. "I-I'm playing just like you showed me."
"Uh-oh," Ritsu gasped. "This doesn't look good."
All of the Tea Time club members were watching now with baited breath as the scene unfolded.
The other band members of the gothic band had now rounded on the timid girl as the audience turned on them and began to shout and scream in anger.
"No one taught you to suck that bad!" another crazy-haired girl growled, stamping her feet towards the shy girl.
Another with cropped hair and bright makeup slapped a hand to her forehead. "I should never have let you in. I should have known that it would turn out like this."
Kita's heart was beating fast for the girl. She looked as though she were about to faint. She wished she could walk out there, pluck the girl from the stage, and run away with her to comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch.
The girl was shaking from head to toe and swaying on the spot. She opened her mouth to speak but the words died in her throat and she choked on a sob instead.
Mugi was beside herself. "She needs tea! She looks like she's about to faint!"
"Should we get someone?" Mio asked.
Too late. Tears spilled from the girl's eyes and she turned tail and ran. She raced past the Tea Time band and disappeared out of the door, her broken cries following behind.
Her band members were shooed from stage, furious. As they passed the backstage area, their muttered words were clear. "What a wuss!" "I can't believe she cost us our gig!" "We should hunt her down and..."
"And now for the After School Tea Time band with Ball Point Pen!" the announcer cried as he scooped up the microphone from the floor. He looked flustered by the sudden walkout and turned to stare at the girls, waiting impatiently.
"Well, that was horrible to watch, but I guess its our turn," Ritsu said with a shrug. She stepped out of the shadows to the backstage, head held high.
"She's right," Mio agreed. "We need to concentrate on our own music now." She followed suit with Azusa and Mugi trailing behind.
Kita couldn't take her eyes from the door that had been practically knocked down by the angry members. She strained her ears to hear them shouting at the girl as though it would give her permission to finally come to her rescue, but there was only silence.
A hand pat her on the back, and she turned to see Yui smiling at her.
"I know its hard, but forget her for now," she said, a confident smile on her face. "This is your first gig, so have fun and just think about the music, okay?"
She was right. It was Kita's first gig. She needed to focus.
"Alright," she agreed, shaking her head free of distractions. "We'll rock the house down!"