Reaching for the Stars

Part II, Chapter 10

"Uhm… Satoshi-kun," Minori said, shivering as we approached Vaisravana's Heaven, "are you really sure you want to do this? I… I mean, as a follower of the Mysterious Files, I'm glad we were offered jobs, but this is just a little… sketchy, ahehehe."

"Aww, come on. Of course I want to do this." I said confidently, "It's not like you to be fidgeting around like that."

"That's right." Yuusaku added, "Satoshi and I have been to places like this before Kusheida, they're not as scary as you might think."

'You two have been to nightclubs before!" Minori gasped, unable to believe what she just heard

"No, no. Not nightclubs – they'd never let us in. We've been to concert halls… or live houses as some might call it." Yuusaku clarified, "Back in Osaka, we watched Afternoon…"

"We watched a band at a concert hall there one afternoon." I interrupted, subtly shaking my head

"Oh, right." Yuusaku said, "Yeah, we watched one afternoon… and it was fun. Vaisravana's heaven is a live-karaoke bar. I'm guessing it's somewhat the same, so I wanted to check it out for myself too."

"Are you sure about that?" Minori continued, "I mean, look at all this – the bright neon lights, the thick fog, the suspicious looking people… this place could be haunted for all we know…"

"The fog ain't that thick… and there's no way this place could be haunted." I argued, "You just haven't been here before, I'm guessing. It's the atmosphere Kusheida-san, you just have to get used to it."

"F… fine, I guess you're right." Minori said, finally willing to give it a try, "Let's go guys."

The three of us then walked up to the entrance where a large, bulky bouncer stood guard. He turned to us from where he stood, his arms folded and his brow crumpled in confusion.

"And what would you kids be doing here?" He asked, "In case you didn't know, this is a place for adults."

"Ah, excuse us sir." I said, showing him my drumsticks, "A lady named Mirano told me you guys were looking for a drummer – I want to try out."

"So you're the kids Mirano was walking about huh." The bouncer said, stepping aside to let me though, "Well then come on in… but who would these two be?"

"They're my friends." I introduced, "They're coming with me."

"Letting a fifteen year old into a nightclub is already a little strange kid," the bouncer said, "let alone letting in three…"

"Oh, you guys came!" A voice then said, joining us at the entrance

"Mirano." The bouncer acknowledged, "These kids are…"

"Please let them in." Mirano said with a smile, "Don't worry – if the boss gets mad, I'll answer to him."

"Alright then." The bouncer sighed, finally letting Minori and Yuusaku in, "I guess you can stay in the band room, but the bar is off-limits. Snag some drinks from the bar, and I'm calling the cops, y'hear?"

"Yeah." The three of us said, promising not to enter the bar. Mirano then led us to the band room. As soon as we were inside, the 1940's New Yorker atmosphere was amplified – vintage portraits, classic western architecture and the sounds of a big brass band playing with their popular vigor.

"Whoa… amazing…" I gasped, seeing this unbelievable atmosphere for the first time. I wonder if they had these things in Canada too… They probably do.

"Before anything else though," Mirano said cheerfully, "I don't think I got any of your names."

Oh right… we never really introduced ourselves. The three of us introduced ourselves and Mirano was quick to remember our names. Then came the all-important question,

"If Satoshi-kun here plays drums, what instruments do you two play?"

"Aside from the recorder, nothing much really." Yuusaku said plainly, "We had to learn it for music class in elementary, but I haven't touched it since."

"Same." Minori said, "I played the shamisen once for a cultural festival last Fall though."

"The shamisen…" Mirano repeated, "I don't think you'll be able to play that in a jazz band… but a bass guitar would be close."

"A bass guitar?" Minori asked

"Yeah." Mirano nodded, "Just think of it as a shamisen with frets and lower notes. Oh, and don't forget a fourth string!"

Minori turned to her side as if considering trying but then hesitantly refused.

"Fourth string? Hmm… N… nah, not now."

"Is that so…" Mirano probed

"I'll think about it though." Minori reassured, "It sounds interesting."

"Good. Anyways, we're here." Mirano said as we approached another room, "I'll let you meet the band."

She then opened a door where the large band and their myriad of instruments sat. The bandsmen were mostly talking amongst themselves or cleaning or practicing with their instruments when we came but they slowly turned their attention to the four of us.

"So everyone." Mirano said, pushing me gently forward, "Here's Satoshi Tanaka, the young man who wants to try out for drums."

"Nice to meet you." They said sporadically yet warmly, seemingly not bothered by a troika of teenagers standing nervously in the heart of a high-end, 40's style nightclub-slash-karaoke bar. Weren't they even a little bit bothered?

"Musicians will always respect other musicians to some degree." Mirano explained, "Factor in that respect, age won't matter to them as much as talent."

"Camaraderie." Minori commented as if she just realized something, "So musicians have their own code too huh…Who would've known?"

"So," I said holding on to my drumsticks tighter, "I guess I'm going to have to prove myself."

"You could say that." Mirano said, "So show us what you've got."

Walking over to the drum set at the corner of the room, everyone in the room had their eyes on me. Mirano and the other musicians watched observantly, eyeing my every move expectantly. Yuusaku and Minori however watched supportively, giving me nods of encouragement. I could do this.

I sat before the drum set with the sticks in hand, gently tapping each drum, striking on each cymbal once or twice then giving the bass pedal a few stomps. The familiar sounds brought a smile to my face and the energy building up in my heart was indescribable. Turning to my eagerly waiting crowd, I started playing a simple, slow beat that grew faster and more complex as time passed. The musicians looked at each other as they listened, nodding their heads every now and then.

"This kid's pretty good." A gruff musician with an ornately decorated bass guitar* said, setting aside the mug of beer he just downed, "I'd want to hear him play with others though – that'll show us what he's really made of."

"I'd have to agree," a kindlier musician with a plain Stratocaster guitar* added, "Mirano-chan, you think he's up for a song?"

"Good idea Shoichi-kun, Eiji-san." Mirano said turning to me, "What do you say young man? Care to join us in a song?"

"I'd be happy to." I said with, "But if you don't mind, could I hear the bassline of the song?"

"But of course," the gruff man said picking up his bass and putting on the strap. He then proceeded to explain each part of the song as he played – the intro, the bridges, the progressions, everything. When he was done, he asked me if I was ready. Giving him a nod, the entire band took to their instruments and a number of backup singers stood behind Mirano and a microphone. Minori and Yuusaku gave us the strongest applause they could and the song began with a strong brass section phrase and the lively chanting of the hostess and her singers.

Mirano Tengoku/Mirano's Heaven

Musicians: The Vaisravana's Heaven Pit Band (Various), Mirano (Vo), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr)

Disclaimer: This is a personal interpretation of the song, and I therefore do not own this song. Thanks and credit to the Music Director of Toradora - Yukari Hashimoto.

"Wrapped in bright neon lights,

It's where angels stay for the night,

Come on, I'll be your guide,

Take, my, hand."

"Don't you fidget around,

Get lost in all the sounds,

Being sad here, it ain't allowed

Mirano will wipe off that frown!"

…

Bridge 1

"Here in the bitter pitch-black darkness,

Shining out ever so brightly,

My heaven will make all your

Pain and woes just melt away!"

…

Chorus:

"So all of you sad sober souls,

Missing the thrills of the light,

Come on and open your eyes,

Here we will make it all right!

We'll pass the bottle till midnight!"

"Come on, and have a glass,

We'll have a good one taking in the good times!

My glass is always full,

So I raise it up to you to make you all smile".

"I have the spirits that I know that you'll like,

The fun times here always flow here like gold,

Mirano's heaven won't close,

Not for tonight."

…

Mirano and her singers then proceeded to their Sinatra-like chant as the bassist and the band played on with positively intrigued faces. The beat that had come to mind was coming to me as if it was second nature. Smashing on the cymbals in tandem with the trumpets, the song continued.

…

"Neon lights guide the way

To that magical place

Where skies are never gray

Follow me."

"Sighs of these broken hearts

Pained by the world's cruel love,

These troubled, hindered feelings,

We'll help you forget them tonight!"

…

Bridge 2

"Even if the sun just won't shine,

The skies will sparkle in our white wine,,

A glass or two will make it seem just as bright as day!"

…

"Here all your spirits will rise,

Silence the quiet demise,

Come on and open your eyes

Sink with the olives and ice!

We'll pass the bottle till midnight!"

"Cheers! Coat the night in tonic,

It's better when you take your life straight up,

My glass will overflow

We'll drink the night away until close-time."

"I have the spirits that I know that you'll like,

Even for a moment, we'll feel alive!

Mirano's heaven won't close,

Not for tonight."

…

The young guitarist then stepped up his playing alongside the bassist, bringing the three of us to the lead of the instrumental. He played rapid riffs that wouldn't be a stranger in a modern pop song, but it fit strangely well with everyone else's parts. The bassist grinned, quite happy that I was able to keep up with their improvisations. The guitarist struck a high note and the final stretch started with a series of brass hits and drum bridge phrases.

…

Bridge 1

"Here in the bitter pitch-black darkness,

Shining out ever so brightly,

My heaven will make all your

Pain and woes just melt away!"

…

Chorus:

"So all of you sad sober souls,

Missing the thrills of the light,

Come on and open your eyes,

Here we will make it all right!

We'll pass the bottle till midnight!"

"Come on, and have a glass,

We'll have a good one taking in the good times!

My glass is always full,

So I raise it up to you to make you all smile".

"I have the spirits that I know that you'll like,

The fun times here always flow here like gold,

Mirano's heaven won't close,

Not for tonight."

…

The song then ended, greeted by tremendous applause from not only Yuusaku and Minori, but a number of the other guests and employees who stumbled into the band room to find out what was going on. The manager and even the doubting bouncer was there, in awe at what they had just saw and heard. Mirano then explained the situation to her boss who then asked me if I would be a regular bandsman. He said he'd pay me a hefty talent fee, just like the other musicians, but I opted for minimum wage. The crowd cheered for me once more before finally dissipating back to what they were doing before the song. The performance however was now the topic in their conversations.

"That was incredible Satoshi!" Yuusaku congratulated, "You just listened to that bass player once then you got the song spot on!"

"Well, the bass and the drums are really dependent on each other." I explained, "The drummer follows the bassist's progressions most of the time and vice versa."

"Just like the shamisen and the taiko." Minori said in realization, "Still, you're an incredible drummer Satoshi-kun..."

"Yeah..." I said humbly, "I've been playing the drums..."

"I'm sure that if she saw you now," Minori interrupted in a solemn voice, "she'd be proud of you."

"Eh?" I asked, not sure what she was talking about, "Who are you talking about?"

"Ritsu. Ritsu Tainaka." Minori said plainly, "Your sister."

"Ritsu..." I repeated in shock, "what... I don't..."

Minori then fished out a crumpled magazine from her bag featuring a beautiful girl on the cover - the same magazine I came across in Ami's town. I sat in awe behind the drum set as she confronted me with a smile. Yuusaku leaned against the wall with his arms folded knowingly.

"I came across this magazine on our first day at work." Minori said, opening the magazine to the page with my picture and Ritsu's, "I didn't believe it at first, but looking at you closely, I could see the resemblance. Do you mind if I see your drumsticks?"

"My drumsticks..." I said, idly handing them to her, "w... wait!"

It was too late. She had taken them from me before I could retract my hand. She then observed the sticks, finding the engraving without too much trouble.

"Just as I thought..." she said calmly, reading the engraving carefully "Satoshi Tainaka."

"Y... Yuusaku..." I mumbled, turning to him for an explanation but he simply shrugged.

"I had to do it Satoshi." Yuusaku said, "Kusheida-san is our friend, so we shouldn't keep her in the dark like we did. We'd be lying to her if we did."

"I was very much worried Satoshi-kun, and maybe even a little hurt that you were keeping something like this from me." Minori said unusually serious, "But you didn't mean to do that... you're not that kind of person, Seeing you pour your heart out on those drums tonight, I can say that you did it cause' you're chasing a dream."

"I'm sorry..." I said lowering my head

"Don't be." Minori said shaking her head, "I'm like that too. I'm chasing a dream myself, so I know how it feels."

"Kusheida-san..."

"I used to play a lot of baseball, Satoshi-kun, hoping to someday go professional; maybe even play on the Olympic team." Minori explained, "The thing is, I couldn't keep on playing since I'm a girl, but that didn't bring me down. Instead of moping around, I switched to softball and aimed to study at a sports-oriented university to have a chance for the National League. That's why I've been juggling all these jobs and scraping out any scholarship I could find."

"Aren't you going to tell me to go back?" I asked, as if already expecting that response from here

"Why would I?" Minori said, "You're out to prove yourself - to make a happy future for yourself. As your friend, I don't want to take that chance away from you... Tanaka-san."

Tanaka-san, she says...

"So here." Minori said, producing a roll of thin grip tape and wrapping it around the engraving on my drumsticks, "Here's your chance."

Giving her a nod, I took the sticks from her again.

"You're starting anew Satoshi, and we understand that." Yuusaku added, "You don't have to do it alone though."

"Think of us as accomplices." Minori grinned, "We'll keep Tanaka-san company."

"Thanks guys." I said appreciatively, feeling a tear trickle down my cheek, "Oh... shoot."

"There, there." Minori said patting my shoulder

"Aww, come on..." I said brushing off her hand, making the three of us burst in laughter.

"Okay! Now that that's settled…" Minori said, now donning the bass guitar of the gruff bassist (with his permission of course), "we might as well have some fun."

She then proceeded to strum wildly with her usual over-the-top energy. It sounded terrible, but she didn't care. Holding the instrument as she would the shamisen though, she would definitely improve with practice.

"By the way, I've got some good news for us comrade Tanaka." She said as she strummed, "Seems that there's also a scholarship for musicians. We can't claim it now since we already applied, but maybe next semester."

So that's why she's trying the bass now...

"You know, if you're aiming to get a musical scholarship too, then you might as well practice." I said watching her play, "It takes a while to master the bass guitar – it's not as easy as it looks. Just because it has two strings less than the guitar doesn't make it easier."

"I could apply as a shamisen player." Minori countered, "But I guess I might as well try the bass too. Modern times call for modern instruments after all (though I still like how the shamisen sounds, honestly)."

"Fine, fine." I said with a smile. The only thing was that I wouldn't be able to teach her anything. All I knew about playing any kind of guitar was the finger-stretching techniques I used to see Yui-senpai and Azusa doing before playing at our Osaka house… As a shamisen player, Minori probably already knew more than me.

"If you want to learn the bass, young lady, then come on over when you're free." The bassist said as he approached us, "I'll lend you my bass when we have time if you want."

"Oh, that'd be great." Minori said happily. She then put her arm around my shoulder and said that she'll be around whenever 'this guy' is around. The bassist, Mirano and most of the other bandsmen then left the room for a round of drinks leaving us with their array of instruments.

Without a moment's hesitation, Minori quickly plucked the strings of the bass guitar again, this time producing a somewhat tangible melody. Yuusaku walked over to a nearby keyboard and tried playing along with Minori with a decent rhythm. Picking up my drumsticks, I then loosely followed their sporadic symphony as best as I could and the three of us played the night away. Though we merely played a single bar over and over again, it was the best jam session I've had in a long time. Feeling the grip tape wrapped around the engraved parts of the drumstick, I felt renewed. A new slate, a new start; I was free to live my life again.

A few days later, I finally moved out of the Kitamura residence to find my own place. Having gone through the offers at the local real estate agent's office and picking the cheapest, most convenient one I could find, I already knew where I was going. Taking out my set of keys, I felt a little excited that I was finally able to stand on my own two feet. I was self-sufficient now, thanks to my job at Vaisravana's heaven and Super Kanoya and my working student scholarship made sure that I had enough money for three decent meals a day. It was all falling into place.

Cycling through the town in the early morning, I reached the address of my new home. It was that small two-story rent house Yuusaku and I had passed by on my first day in town. It was basically the same as before, the only difference being the ten-story apartment building beside it that had been under construction two months ago was now finished. The towering structure now completely blocked off the morning sunlight as it left an imposing shadow on the poor house… no wonder the rent house rented out so cheap. In any case, this was my new home. I'll make the most out of it. School was starting soon after all, so I might as well get settled in.

Just as I was about to reach the door of the lower portion of the rent house, a tall figure came out from the upper portion with a trash bag in hand.

"Oh, hey there." He greeted, "You're our new neighbor I suppose."

"Yeah," I said stepping back to have a look at who was calling me, "I'm… whoa shoot!"

Looking up towards the figure, I saw a young man with fierce eyes; so fierce that they made my hairs stand on end. The fact that his hair cast a shadow over his face and that the trash bag he grasped looked awfully heavy didn't help either.

"D… don't hurt me! I… I'm not trespassing, I…"

Rather than say anything back though, the young man just sighed and walked down to throw the trash bag in the dumpster before heading back.

"Ryu-chan~" another voice then called, this time calling for the man, "what was that all about?"

"N… nothing really." The man replied

"Eh? It can't be." The voice argued. A window then opened from the second floor where a beautiful lady looked out. She was surprised by what she saw. "S… Satoshi-kun?"

"What?" The man gasped, coming out again for a second look at me "You know him mom?"

"Yeah." The lady said, "He's the drummer at Vaisravana's, so you can say he's a colleague of mine."

"No way…" I said in shock as I realized who it was I was looking at, "Mirano-chan?"

"Ah, I guess you two haven't met yet." Mirano said, pointing to the young man, "This here's my son, Ryuji Takasu."

"Oh, I didn't know…" I apologized immediately, "Sorry for acting so defensively."

"Don't worry about it…" The young man sighed, "I get that a lot."

"So anyways Satoshi-kun," Mirano asked intrigued, "you're the ground-floor tenant huh. Seems we're going to be neighbors then."

"Yeah…" I said, unsure of how I felt about that. I guess it wouldn't be that bad, right?

To Be Continued

Epilogue

March 22nd in Nova Scotia, Canada. The streets of the city of Halifax were still covered in snow and would remain so until early April unless Groundhog Day came earlier that year, which didn't seem likely. There, in a typical shingle-roofed house near a school renowned by the city lived Francis Suzuki and his family. He had just arrived there recently, his flights through Canada having been delayed by the numerous February and March snowstorms and he was quite fatigued. Not only had the long and strenuous delays at the airports across Canada worn down the young man's usual vitality, news of his friend Satoshi Tainaka dying soon after he left weight heavily on him as well.

"Maybe I should've stayed…" He pondered as he sat before his laptop computer with his instant messenger on, noting the absence of his friend who used to be online every time he had the chance. From now on, Francis thought, he would be offline indefinitely and it was kinda sad. Just then, a message box popped open labeled 'Gui-tah_Hero'.

"Hello!" The message said, followed by a smiley face

"Hirasawa-senpai," Francis typed back, knowing exactly who 'Gui-tah_Hero' was, "It's been a while…"

"You've heard about Satoshi-kun, right?" Yui replied, inserting a few links to Japanese news websites about the incident.

"I know what happened to him…" Francis replied, "I just can't get myself to believe that he's already…"

"Well, don't believe it Suzuki-kun." Yui interrupted before Francis could send his message, "I'm not sure if you already know this, but Riichan thinks he's still out there."

"Does she?" Francis asked

"Yes." Yui replied, "And she's determined to find him. We're actually going on tour around Japan to look for him, from Osaka to Tokyo!"

"And I assume you guys will take that chance to reach Budokan before I do." Francis gleaned

"Ahehe, well, now that you put it that way…" Yui replied, "but the purpose of our trip is to find Satoshi-kun. We can settle our scores later."

"That's true…" Francis replied, "but what if you don't find him…"

"I prefer to think positively about it Suzuki-kun." Yui said, "If we believe he's still alive, then we might just be able to find him. We have to give it our all!"

"Well, good luck with that." Francis replied, "I have to go now Hirasawa-senpai; it's almost midnight here you see."

"Yui is fine." Yui replied, "You don't have to call me Hirasawa-senpai all the time – a friend of a brother of a friend is a friend of mine after all."

"I see. Well, good night Yui."

"Good afternoon Francis."

Francis then signed off and set his laptop aside. He then retreated back to his room where his guitar sat on a stand by the wall. He picked it up and started practicing without the amp plugged in. All of the sudden, his fatigue had melted away and he had the sudden urge to play his guitar. If his friend truly was still alive, then he didn't want to sound rusty… Satoshi probably thought the same way, he thought, and the Japanese-Canadian strummed chords into the night.

*The gruff bassist and the young guitarist - Eiji and Shoichi respectively, both characters from Over-Drive's DEARDROPS visual novel

*Shamisen - a Japanese banjo-like instrument

*Taiko - a Japanese drum/set of drums

*The time difference between Osaka, Japan and Halifax, Canada would be around 9 or 10 hours depending on Daylight Savings Time. Francis talked to Yui at 12MN Halifax time, so it was probably 2PM the next day in Osaka.

Author's Notes: Hey guys, Part II Chapter 10 is finally up and I hope you all enjoy it. Now, I have a question for you my readers - do you think I should keep the parts system (as in, Part I, Part II, Part III etc) or should I go for a standard chapter system? Feedback would be appreciated.