The music shot up loud before dropping back down- almost making Miyu jump before Gackt began singing the beginning to Returner. Miyu stared, entranced by the soloist onstage before her eyes caught onto other people moving around onstage- mainly Chachamaru who was spinning in a circle. Miyu smiled and gave a soft laugh, causing Gackt to look over and the guitarist immediately received a dark glare from the annoyed vocalist. The cord was yanked out of the guitarist’s guitar by You stepping towards him and with the missing guitar the song sounded weird. Gackt stopped singing and Chachamaru blinked innocently at him.
“Hm?” You abashedly picked the cord up and plugged it back into the guitar as the music came to a full halt.
“No more spinning.” Gackt stated though the microphone, making Miyu giggle softly as the guitarist saluted him and nodded. Gackt gave a soft sigh, magnified by the microphone before the song was restarted.
Half-way through, Gackt gestured to Ju-ken in the middle of a non-singing part and the bassist nodded, pausing to adjust a couple of the knobs on his bass. Miyu couldn’t help but smile a bit more as she watched the band continue to play.
Partially through one of the next few songs, Miyu found herself staring at You before picking her drawing pad up, quickly beginning to draw. The woman kept glancing up at the band as they continued to practice, some songs stopping and restarting multiple times. Miyu continued along- flipping pages for multiple drawings before the band slowly wound down to a break after a long while. Miyu continued drawing- not looking up for a while before smiling, glancing up to see the band messing with their instruments for a second. Gackt was speaking with Ju-ken before Chachamaru plopped down beside Miyu.
“Did you get bored or something?” Chachamaru gestured towards the drawing pad that Miyu had closed. The woman immediately blushed darkly.
“N-no- I just have… inspiration… attacks…” Miyu claimed and Chachamaru blinked slightly.
“Ah- like Satan-sama, ne?” Chachamaru gestured towards Gackt on-stage and Miyu blinked.
“Eto…”
“I heard that Chacha!” Gackt called to the troublesome guitarist who immediately looked like a kid in trouble as Ju-ken began laughing.
“Kso… he heard me that time.” Chachamaru murmured and Miyu giggled softly. You clapped Chachamaru on the shoulder as he came up.
“I hope you realize that the rest of practice is going to be hell for you…” Chachamaru nodded forlornly.
“Indeed…” Chachamaru returned his attention to Miyu. “Anyways… what did you draw?” The guitarist looked honestly curious and Miyu blushed before opening the drawing pad up, flipping to the first drawing of You playing guitar. Miyu quietly flipped through the set of drawings slowly, not getting a response from either band member until she shut the book in embarrassment.
“Wow…” You spoke first but fell silent again.
“Those were amazing!” Chachamaru stated and Miyu blushed more.
“Arigatou…” She responded before the notebook was suddenly missing, Chachamaru running off back towards the stage.
“Gakkun! Look at your girlfriend’s drawings!” Gackt blinked as he turned around at Chachamaru’s loud yell, the soloist’s face taking on a red tinge. Miyu ran after Chachamaru- leaving You to blink after them. As Chachamaru came to a stop- Miyu slammed into him- sending the drawing pad flying. Ju-ken held tight to his bass with one hand and ran back a bit- grabbing the book with a grin. Gackt blinked at Miyu and Chachamaru lying on the ground from the edge of the stage.
“Eto… Are you two all right?”
“I’m okay!” Chachamaru and Miyu called up, despite the latter holding her head in pain, both of them pulling themselves up from the ground.
“Hey, these are really good!” Ju-ken exclaimed, walking back over towards Gackt, the vocalist looking over at the bassist curiously. Ju-ken moved beside Gackt, holding the drawing pad down for the soloist to look at. “I really like my drawing…” Gackt quietly took the small notebook and began flipped through it, pausing to look at a few before smiling slightly.
“I like it too- even if you’re not playing.” Ju-ken gave a laugh.
“I was thirsty.”
“I can see that,” Gackt gave a smile, “half the bottle’s gone. I didn’t think it was my imagination that your water bottle suddenly became a newer one.” Miyu blushed slightly as she carefully came closer, still looking to be in a bit of pain. Gackt continued flipping pages before pausing again- looking carefully at the drawing.
“She’s good, ne Gakkun?” Gackt paused at Chachamaru’s comment, the guitarist holding out an ice pack for Miyu. Miyu took the ice pack gratefully, applying it to her head with a soft ‘thank you’ before Gackt spoke.
“She deserves better than good Chacha. She’s an amazing artist.” The soloist gave the blushing Miyu a smile, flipping the book around to show the finely done drawing of himself. “This is amazing Mi-chan.” Miyu gave an abashed nod, face turning even redder. There was a pause before Miyu’s cell phone went off, making the artist blink in surprise and pull it out.
“Who is it?” Chachamaru asked in curiosity.
“Hyde-san.” The woman stated softly, still bright red. She quickly answered, “Moshi mo-”
“Kusokurae kisama!” Hyde’s voice was loud enough to make everyone in the area stop and stare at Miyu holding her phone away from her head, staring at it blankly as there were a few loud crashes and a bit of yelling. Gackt was blinking before he set the drawing pad aside and held his hand out for Miyu’s phone. The woman paused before willingly handing it over, sounds of a fight still echoing from it.
“Hyde-kun?” Gackt questioned the phone, receiving no answer. Ju-ken laughed slightly, shaking his head.
“Don’t bother- he’s probably getting stuck in a cabinet or trash can by Ken.” A slight laugh went around, save for Gackt, Miyu, and You.
“Dynamite comes in small packages…” Miyu murmured to herself and Gackt nodded as someone picked the phone up. L’arc~en~Ciel’s drummer spoke in a quiet voice to someone else.
“What should we do about his call?” Yukihiro seemed highly worried before there was a sigh and movement.
“Moshi moshi~?” Tetsu spoke strongly before telling Yukihiro to split up the fighting pair.
“Tetsu-san, how are you?” Gackt asked as Miyu began to pale, the soloist putting the phone on speakerphone. “It’s Gackt. Why is Hyde-kun calling Mi-chan’s phone during my practice?”
“We were on break!” Chachamaru yelled. Tetsu gave a soft sigh.
“Seems like Doiha wanted Miyu-san here and to treat her to dinner with himself, Yukki-kun, and Ken-kun.”
“Itai! Tet-chan! Make him stop!” Gackt gave a laugh at Ken’s loud yell as Hyde continued to yell at the guitarist in both English and Japanese.
“Itai! That was me- not Ken-chan, Haido-kun!” Yukki called before the scuffle was heard close- there was a high-pitched noise and everything became silent. GacktJob and Miyu were staring at the phone held in Gackt’s hand as Tetsu spoke in a soft voice to his band.
“Eto… Moshi moshi… Gacchan.” Hyde sounded a little shaky- the vocalist breathing a bit heavily.
“Moshi moshi Hyde-kun. So why were you calling Mi-chan?” Gackt’s voice almost sounded like it had a smile in it. There was a long pause.
“I wanted to invite her to dinner with Yukki-kun and myself.” Hyde stated, almost sounding spiteful.
“Aw dammit… I wanted a free dinner…” Was Ken’s faintly heard reply.
“Shine!” Hyde nearly shrieked at the guitarist, making Gackt, Ju-ken, and Miyu- the three closest o the phone- wince from its shrillness. L’arc~en~Ciel’s vocalist continued normally, “I was thinking about inviting Kazu-kun as well. But if she’s at your practice- then you’re probably taking her out…” Hyde almost sounded sad for a second.
“Oi! You’re going to invite Kaz but not me?!” Ju-ken called to the phone.
“Gacchan! Why am I on speakerphone?!” The vocalist yelped loudly and there was a laugh followed by another “Shine!” There was a slight pause.
“Eto- you’re on speakerphone because frankly- I’m worried about losing my hearing and… it’s more fun.” Gackt received a loud sigh for his grinning comment.
“Ju-kun! I’m sorry- I thought you’d be in practice. Like usual when I attempt to invite you out.” There was a long pause. “Eto… Miyu-chan?”?
“H-Hai?”
“Ah good! How are you?” Hyde asked happily. Miyu blinked and Gackt sighed.
“Good?”
“That’s good to hear… eto … Have fun with Gacchan today~! I’ll talk to you later Ju-kun!” There was a slight pause. “E-eto Bye!” As the phone left the vocalist’s ear there was a soft “N-now Tet-chan…” before the line fell silent.
“Well that was interesting.” Chachamaru stated as Gackt shut the phone and put it away in his pocket. Miyu blinked at him.
“Back to practice!” Gackt called out, looking slightly pleased.
“Damn…” Chachamaru sighed and the band slowly made their way back to the stage, Gackt handing back Miyu’s sketchpad with a smile.
“I promise I’ll try to wrap up fast Mi-chan, so we can hurry to dinner.” The vocalist pulled away, leaving Miyu in a state of confusion. She stood there for a second with her notebook before beginning to retreat back.
“Miyu-chan~!” Chachamaru called after the artist. “Why don’t you play my guitar part for me?” Miyu immediately shook her head as You gave a deep sigh.
“She doesn’t know the part Chacha. Stop trying to goof off and put your guitar on.” Ju-ken stated, strumming over his bass.
“She can make it up- I can see her calluses, I know she plays.” Chachamaru shot at Ju-ken before smiling at Miyu. “Wanna play?” Gackt stayed strangely silent- watching Chachamaru and Miyu closely as the latter shook her head again, holding her drawing pad to herself.
“N-no thank you…” You shot Gackt a curious look as the vocalist still didn’t intervene as Chachamaru continued attempting to get Miyu to play instead of him. Ju-ken also shot him a glance as Chachamaru actually tried handing his guitar to Miyu.
“Chacha… leave her alone.” Gackt finally spoke and the guitarist immediately pulled away from Miyu- hearing the tone in the vocalist’s voice. Chachamaru quickly moved to the stage and joined the rest of the band. Miyu gave a deep sigh of relief, quickly moving to take a seat and the practice continued after a short silence.
Miyu sat and listened quietly, blinking as Gackt began screwing songs up badly about another thirty minutes in. An hour later, the vocalist was doing better but was obviously distracted. Practice ended fifteen minutes after that, Ju-ken quietly talking to Gackt quietly along with You. Chachamaru was speaking quietly with Jun-ji, the drummer putting his things away. Miyu bit at her lip before someone leaned over the back of the chair beside her.
“Wow- he was really distracted, ne?” Miyavi gave her a wide smile as Miyu jumped literally off her chair, landing hard on the floor. “Eto~~ didn’t mean for that to scare you.” The soloist quickly helped her back up. “I came by to deliver Yoshiki’s lyrics… He sent them to me because of Gackt not really caring for computers. Hopefully he’ll get over it~!” Miyavi shook the pieces of paper in his hand as he spoke, smiling the whole time. Miyavi bounced off to the stage, quickly and easily leaping up onto it. “Gakkun~~!” Gackt blinked around in surprise at his fellow soloist. “I brought you lyrics~!” Ju-ken shook his head slightly and focused on putting his instrument away as Miyavi, You, and Gackt all spoke together. Miyavi waved after a while as he began moving away.
“It’s what he said~!” Miyavi called back. “See ya later Miyu-chan!” The guitarist quickly disappeared from sight, leaving Miyu in a state of confusion as she looked to Gackt and You. Ju-ken had disappeared from sight with his bass and Jun-ji was finishing putting away all his things with Chachamaru. Gackt gave a soft sigh and You patted him on the back before moving away. Gackt quickly moved away as Miyu continued to stand in confusion.
Gackt quickly came over to her and gave a slight smile before calling back to the group, “heading to dinner and paying for it!” Chachamaru was almost immediately at Gackt’s elbow.
“Dinner?” Chachamaru smiled and Gackt sighed as You quietly moved over.
“Can’t! Working early tomorrow! VAMPS!” Ju-ken called out loudly, his bass backed away and in hand as he started for the door.
“I thought vampires slept during the day?” Chachamaru jokingly called after the red and black-haired bassist.
“We do~.” Ju-ken smiled widely- showing his teeth. “It’s why it’s early.” Gackt shook his head slightly with a smile.
“No reporting things… I’ll speak to Hyde-kun later.”
“No promises Gaku~!” Ju-ken waved as he disappeared out the door. Gackt immediately frowned.
“I wasn’t kidding…” The vocalist murmured, making Miyu blink up at him.
“We should get going.” You stated and the group moved towards the door.
“We’re not walking… are we?” Chachamaru asked and there was a pause.
“What… made you think we weren’t?” Gackt asked, a hand gently on Miyu’s shoulder, guiding her towards the door. A low complaint came from the guitarist as You shook his head and simply started after the two. Chachamaru slowly followed after, sighing deeply.
“Guess it’ll build up a larger appetite…”
Most of the walk was silent, save for Chachamaru’s soft complaints as Gackt kept an almost protective arm around Miyu as they walked, still guiding her as if she was the one leading instead of him. You and Chachamaru continued following after, there suddenly being soft chatting between the guitarists before Chachamaru was extremely loud- sounding almost sarcastic.
“Are you kidding?! No way!” There was an immediate, loud thump afterwards and a yelp from one of the guitarists. Miyu turned and blinked at the two as she walked to find Chachamaru holding his head in pain and You looking rather annoyed. Gackt gave a deep sigh before turning slightly, guiding Miyu into a restaurant, making You quickly follow, and Chachamaru scramble after the three.
“Ah we’ve been expecting you~!” Someone called and someone quickly led them into a different part of the restaurant, Gackt still holding onto Miyu. She was turning dark red, despite being relaxed, silently happy. The four quickly took a seat and Gackt turned directly to the waiter and ordered the drinks, making Miyu blink and You sighed. There was a pause before Gackt glanced around the table.
“That… is what everyone wants, ne?” There was a pause before Miyu’s quiet voice spoke up.
“I… I’ll have water instead of tea…” She received surprised looks from Chachamaru and You, who immediately glanced at Gackt. The soloist gave a slight smile.
“I forgot that you don’t like tea…” Gackt ended up giving the woman a soft hug, softly apologizing to her. Miyu turned brighter red.
“Dr. Pepper~ for me.” Chachamaru stated with a smile, making the waiter nod again.
“Tea’s fine.” You stated, making Gackt blink at both of them. The waiter nodded and moved back into the kitchen and there was a long pause.
“That’s going to rot your teeth Chacha.” Gackt stated, receiving a Cheshire grin in return.
“One day, far in the future, yes.” The drinks were brought out and Gackt looked up at the waiter, ready to order for everyone again before looking at Miyu.
“What would you like Mi-chan?” Miyu blushed more.
“E… E… eto…” The woman quietly stuttered before stating what she wanted. Gackt paused before ordering for himself and You before Chachamaru burst in, quickly ordering for himself. The waiter glanced at You, the guitarist giving a nod of agreement with his dish. The waiter disappeared away before Chachamaru focused on Miyu again.
“So~~ Miyu-chan~~…” The woman blinked up at the older guitarist of GacktJOB. “What about those calluses? How long have you played? You’ve quit recently, ne?” Gackt’s eyes drifted over to Miyu almost curiously, You keeping his eyes down on the table. Miyu paled slightly.
“I… I play on and off…” Chachamaru blinked at Miyu’s shaky response, glancing at Gackt to make sure that the soloist wasn’t going to stop him.
“Eto… how long? How good are you?”
“E… eto I’m o…okay…” Miyu had become extremely evasive suddenly, making even You look up at her.
“How long have you played?”
“Eto… a while…” Miyu glanced at Gackt for help but the soloist seemed impassive to her plight, letting Chachamaru continue.
“Were you ever in a band?” Chachamaru gave a smile to try and calm Miyu down, “You know, like just Indies, like how Gaku here started off in Cains:Feel?” Gackt suddenly gave Chachamaru a dark look before looking back at Miyu again.
“E… eto… n-no…” Miyu’s eyes darted around, very nervously, before she began to pull away from Gackt. “I… I have to… to go- be right back…” The girl almost shot out of the chair and disappeared in the direction of the bathroom. Gackt’s eyes followed after her before You spoke.
“Gaku… There’s something wrong…” Gackt gave a nod of agreement with the guitarist’s statement.
“She’s keeping secrets…” Chachamaru thought for a while before finally speaking again.
“I can tell that she’s played for a while. The calluses are old- they’ve been there for a while.” The guitarist paused for a second. “She’s stopped playing recently though, her calluses are fading slightly.” Gackt gave a slight nod.
“Arigatou Chacha…” The vocalist stated before You spoke again.
“You… don’t know that much about her, do you?” You paused as Gackt shook his head. “I’m worried… if you really want to stay after her- then find out more.” The soloist gave a soft smile, not replying to his good friend. There was a short silence as the waiter and a waitress came out and placed the food down in front of all four spots before disappearing away. Miyu quietly reappeared and nervously retook her seat.
“Ah~ I’m starving~!” Chachamaru exclaimed, quickly beginning to eat and the three music artists pretended not to care about the earlier conversation. Miyu slowly gave a soft nod before quietly beginning to eat.
“How was the practice Miyu-san?” You asked, oddly formal.
“It was good, I enjoyed it a lot.” Miyu stated, ending up sounding just as formal. Gackt was blinking in confusion at the cheerfulness of Miyu’s formal voice as he ate. You raised an eyebrow slightly, eyes glancing at Gackt for a slight second.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it Mi-chan…” Gackt stated as he sipped at his drink. “I apologize for taking you away from your work.”
“I-It’s all right…” There was a slight pause, Gackt glancing at Chachamaru after Miyu’s stutter.
“Ah Miyu-chan~ how was my playing? Good ne?”
“H-hai, soo desu…” Miyu seemed less nervous, but glanced about, looking slightly suspicious at the group. Gackt gave a soft chuckle, looking at Chachamaru.
“If you call goofing off good, then yes.” Chachamaru pouted at the comment from the vocalist.
“I was still playing- I was just having fun too~…” The guitarist stated and You gave a soft smile.
“And the times of making fun of Gaku was playing too?” Gackt raised an eyebrow before looking at Miyu.
“Is that true Mi-chan?” Chachamaru was clasping his hands as if begging out of Gackt’s sight.
“E-eto… he played…” Miyu stated and Gackt gave a nod as Chachamaru looked to relax a bit.
“Hai… but was he making fun of me?” Miyu watched Chachamaru beg more from the corner of her eye.
“E…eto… I-I thought he was making fun of You-san or Ju-ken-san…” Chachamaru turned and looked at You worriedly and the younger guitarist shook his head.
“Ah… interesting…” Gackt stated, Chachamaru quickly going back to eating, face slightly red. Miyu was a bit red herself as she quietly ate. You and Gackt attempted to ignore the quiet and continued chatting about almost random things for the rest of the dinner.
No comments:
Post a Comment