ON SOLID GROUND

"Parties, parties, parties..." Mei Zuo sighed aloud. "I can't believe I am saying this, but I am getting tired of having to attend all these bashes."

Xi Men stared at his friend as though Mei Zuo just came from outer space. "Mei Zuo, the party king, is actually getting tired of them?" He shook his head in mock amusement. "Are you ill or something? You want me to call the doctor?"

Mei Zuo threw a dirty look at Xi Men, who now started laughing. "Sure, you'd love that, won't you?" His gaze slid to Hua Ze Lei, who was smirking in his seat. "Look at Lei. All of a sudden he goes to parties when, in the past he would rather stay in his small corner and bore himself to death with his violin."

Hua Ze Lei lifted a brow at his friend. "Don't let Xiao Qiao hear you say that."

"Oh, but that's different. She looks gorgeous when she plays, whereas you..." Mei Zuo's voice trailed and he shared a laugh with Xi Men. Hua Ze Lei merely smiled good-naturedly.

The three of them looked up when Xiao Qiao arrived and joined their table. She smiled as she slid next to Mei Zuo. "You guys seem to be having a good time," she observed.

Mei Zuo turned an affectionate look at Xiao Qiao that made Xi Men roll his eyes to the heavens. "What took you so long?"

It was Xi Men who spoke. "Give her a break, will you?" He turned to Xiao Qiao. "When did you get back from Tokyo?"

"Yesterday evening," she replied.

"I thought it would take longer than that."

"It was just the preliminaries," she explained to Xi Men. "We just met up with the artist and her agent and went over the formalities. Abby has already written the lyrics. It's all a matter of putting it into paper and sending it to me so we could work on the melody."

Lei spoke quietly. "Thanks again for doing this."

Xi Men's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! The artist is from your company, right?" He turned to Xiao Qiao. "So, what do you think of Hua Ze Lei's protege? What's her name again? A...A-something..."

"Mimura Aisha," Xiao Qiao filled in for Xi Men.

Mei Zuo's head jerked up as he seemed to remember something but, after a while, he shook his head. Xiao Qiao regarded him curiously. "What's the matter?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Nothing. The name just reminded me of something. Forget it." Silently he uttered the name again.

Mimura Aisha. Aisha. But her name was Kozuke Aisha. He shrugged, thinking there is more than one Aishas in the world.

Xiao Qiao was saying something when he turned his attention back to the others. "I think the working title for her album is ASH."

"Aha!" Mei Zuo exclaimed. "So the Ash that has been calling you...and the artist your company is grooming...are one and the same!" He rubbed his hands together with much gusto. "And the plot thickens!"

Hua Ze Lei didn't say a word. He merely sat there with a mysterious smile.

"Wait..." Xi Men said, looking at Mei Zuo then at Hua Ze Lei. "Are you saying...the lady-of-the-moment is the same as the lady Artiste is grooming to be the next big thing?" He whistled. Suddenly, he became thoughtful for a moment and he turned to Hua Ze Lei. "But...isn't that going to complicate matters?"

"What do you mean?" Hua Ze Lei asked.

"Working with the person you are dating," Xi Men clarified. "Would that not cause any problems?"

Mei Zuo scoffed in amusement, "Just because Xiao Gen now happens to work with you, you are asking these questions."

Xi Men rolled his eyes. "That has nothing to do with this."

"Really," Mei Zuo said, believing otherwise. Xi Men must have sensed his friend's skepticism as he proceeded explaining himself.

"Xiao Gen and I...what we had in the past was just child's play. We are both mature adults now so we know better than to let a petty event in the past cause any differences between us. We're professionals."

"So am I." Lei smiled. "I'd like to believe I have my head screws on right."

"And I don't?" Xi Men asked, aghast.

Lei's only answer was another smile and, "You're the one who said that."

Their banter was interrupted by the ringing of Xi Men's mobile phone . His face lit up when he read the name that appeared and lifted it to his ear.

"A Si!" he said loudly, causing the three others on the table sit up straighter at the mention of their friend's name.

Xi Men was nodding, his grin widening as he listened to Dao Ming Si. "OK...Alright...that's good to hear...Yeah...Sure...No problem...Yep...See you later." Then he hung up.

Mei Zuo stared at his friend expectantly. "See you later?" he echoed Xi Men's last words. "Did you just tell A Si 'see you later'?"

Xi Men nodded, glancing at his watch. "A Si and Shancai are on their way back to Taipei. He says their plane might land in half an hour."

Mei Zuo got to his feet excitedly. "Then what are we sitting around here for? Let's go meet them!"

Xiao Qiao was smiling as she watched and followed the F3 troop out of the cafe, talking animatedly about the return of their dear friend and his bride.

Mesmerized, Shancai could not keep her eyes from the view of Taipei looming down below. Beside her, Dao Ming Si was also doing the same with a reminiscent look in his eyes.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered next to her ear and she turned to smile slightly at him.

"I just realized how much I miss Taipei," she said and A Si smiled.

"How long has it been since you were last here?" he asked. "Three, four months?"

Shancai nodded, turning her gaze out of the window of the plane. Dao Ming Si leaned back in his seat with satisfaction.

"I can't wait to see all the others," he breathed, remembering the brief conversation he had with Xi Men a while back. "Xi Men already have our place ready for us, by the way."

Shancai turned towards him again, pleasant surprise in her face. "Really? So soon? But we just told him about it a couple of weeks ago!"

Proudly, Dao Ming Si said, "Come on, it's Xi Men we're talking about here. He got right to it after I gave him all your specifications. Even the place for the pub has already been arranged."

With admiration, Shancai said, "Wow...Xi Men does work fast."

"He's F4, wonder no more." He leaned forward again, this time his voice taking on an excited tone. "Hey, I already thought up an apt name for the pub."

"What?" she asked, remembering the lengthy discussions they had as to what they would name the pub they would be opening once they get to Taipei. It took them days talking about it but until now have not agreed on anything.

Dao Ming Si's chest welled with pride as he said with a flourish, "Meteors."

Shancai did not say anything, but her eyes sparkled with the same excitement that matched that of her husband. When she spoke, a hint of laughter could be heard in her voice. "Now you're thinking!"

His eyes widened at her and he was about to retort but realized what she was trying to do, teasing him. He grinned instead.

"You're one to talk! If you know so much, you should have thought of it yourself!"

Her hand laid on his and she smiled warmly up at him. "It's the perfect name," she reassured him and succeeded in making him smile even more. They only broke off staring at each other lovingly when the voice of the captain came in, telling them their plane would be landing in a few minutes.

Xi Men, Hua Ze Lei, Mei Zuo and Xiao Qiao were lounging in the arrival area when the two of them wheeled their luggage out and hugs and hard slaps on the back went all around as the F4 once again reunited in Taiwanese soil.

Xi Men ran an appreciative eye over Shancai. "How did you like New York?" he asked, shaking his head in amazement. "Our little weed here really is something else, fitting everywhere...Barcelona, Madrid...New York. You rule the world!"

Mei Zuo laughed. "I thought you would have dyed your hair blond already."

This earned a feigned pout from Shancai, who decided to play along with their teasing. "I was about to, but Dao Ming Si wouldn't let me."

"What? And ruin all that gorgeous hair?" Dao Ming Si shook his head. "No way!"

Hua Ze Lei pretended to think about it. "A blond Shancai...hmmm..." This elicited more laughter from the others, much to Shancai's chagrin.

After a while more of chattering, Dao Ming Si got serious and turned to Xi Men. "Is it ready?" he asked, and his friend nodded.

"I just received word from my people," Xi Men said. "It's just waiting for you two."

"What are we waiting for?" Mei Zuo said, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Let's go check out your love nest!"

All six of them trooped towards the parking lot where Xi Men's and Mei Zuo's car await. While they were lugging Dao Ming Si and Shancai's luggage at the trunk of Xi Men's car, Hua Ze Lei's mobile phone rang.

After reading the name that appeared on the contraption, Hua Ze Lei softly excused himself and walked some distance away from the others.

"Aisha!" he said softly on the phone, obviously pleased to have her call him.

Her melodious voice came on the line. "I got your message from Sachiko. Sorry I could not call earlier. I had to rehearse."

"It's alright," he said.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

A pause came on the line and Lei almost pictured Aisha's forehead crease in thought. When she spoke again, she was obviously flattered.

"You're teasing me!"

He laughed under his breath.

"Where are you?" she asked. "What's all that racket I am hearing?"

"I'm at the airport," he said. "We just met A Si and Shancai. They have returned."

"That's great!" she exclaimed. "You guys must be happy being altogether now."

"Yeah," he said softly. When he saw the others already getting ready to get into their vehicles, he said, "I will be leaving for Tokyo in two days. I'll see you then."

"OK," she said. "And Lei..."

"Hmmm?"

She paused again. "Take care."

"I will," he said, warmth filling him. "You, too."

Just as he hung up, Mei Zuo was already calling out to him, and he strode towards them, deciding to get into Mei Zuo's car with Xiao Qiao while Dao Ming SI and Shancai take Xi Men's.

He glanced at Shancai getting in beside A Si. He blinked once, then smiled slowly.

As he sat back behind Xiao Qiao, he felt content...serene...willing the next couple of days to pass quickly so he could go back to Tokyo and see Aisha once again.