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Tags: invite to immorality
Published : 1 year, 10 months ago (Mon, 03 Sep 2007 10:31:00 PDT)
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Title: Invite to Immorality
Author: Nura - ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) avismortuae
Characters/Pairings: brief Mana/Juka, Mana/K, Hizaki, Seiji, LLV
Chapter: 2/?
Rating: NC-17 overall
WARNINGS for this chapter: blatant and thorough abuse of the Seiji = Seth rumor
Summary: Moi dix Mois is being reborn, and Mana's searching for his new voice...
Disclaimer: Do not own. If anything, Mana owns me.
Note: Prequel to Metaphysical and Immortal Madness. Written in Mana's POV.
Previously: Un
Deux
The rain is still tapping against the window when I wake up. Ah, spring is such a fickle season, but it's when I write the most music; I'm usually cooped up inside my house avoiding the weather. I can't wait for the heat of summer, those nights that never seem to end, the concerts, playing my music for a sea of gothic bodies...
Oh, but wait.
We'll have no vocalist this summer.
"Fucker," I growl as I slip my body out from under Juka's. The boy sighs and rolls over onto his back, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. He looks so much like Gackt in the morning, with no makeup and mussed-up hair. I should've known. The pretty ones always stay the shortest time.
Hmph. I think I'll make my next vocalist wear a mask...
I grab my keitai from my bedstand and wander out to my kitchen, shrugging on a yukata as I go. I punch in Hizaki's number expertly. I know he'll be awake, even this early. We're all the same, the older generation of jrockers. We all work ourselves far too hard.
The dial rings only twice before I hear a soft beep and Hizaki's flirty voice on the other line. "Moshi-moshi~~~"
"Hizaki-chan?" He sounded a little funny, but maybe he's caught the cold everyone else seems to have. "Mana desu. Sorry this is short notice, but I was wondering if the two of us could have lunch together this afternoon. I have some business matters I'd like to discuss with you."
"Ooh, I'd love to!" I can hear soft clattering; it sounds like Hizaki is digging through a drawer of makeup containers. "I haven't seen you in so long. Ano... this..." He seems to hesitate. A soft snipping sound; he's probably fitting fake eyelashes. "... This business wouldn't have to do with Juka-kun, would it?"
I smile. Hizaki's too smart to fool. "He's precisely what we need to talk about."
"I see, I see. I knew this day would come," Hizaki sighs. "Well, I'll be in town all day. Have your secretary call me with when and where, okay? I've gotta run to a meeting soon."
"I will. Ja ne!" We both hang up, and I place my cellphone on the kitchen counter before swinging open the door of my refrigerator to peruse my breakfast options. There's not much. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time for cooking. Ah, well. Cereal it is. I grab a milk carton and close the door again.
I almost jump when I see Juka standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a perplexed look covering his face. He must have heard my conversation with Hizaki.
"Ohayou," I greet him, as though nothing had happened. Juka scowls and walks forward, sitting down at the table. I can feel him staring at me as I bustle around the kitchen, collecting what I need for such a rare breakfast; two bowls, two spoons, two cups of tea...
"What am I to you?"
My eyebrows raise at such a random question. "I'm sorry?"
Juka sighs heavily and rests his elbows on the kitchen table, sinking his forehead into his palms. "What am I to you, Mana-san? Why do you and Hizaki talk about me like I'm some sort of... of, I dunno. A piece of equipment."
I smile to myself as I set the table for us, pouring both of us our cereal and milk and tea. I sit down and dig in, deciding not to wait for Juka's moodiness to subside.
"Have you ever heard of a thing called a contract, Juka?" I ask, blowing on my tea lightly. Juka seems unamused as he looks up at me in question. "You signed one for me several years ago," I continue, "and it doesn't expire until... hmm... 2007. So what does that make you, Juka? Can you take a guess?"
Juka stirs his cereal with his spoon like a child trying to avoid looking his mother in the eyes while he's being scolded. "It... makes me yours, Mana-san."
"Correct. And like any other possession, you can't simply be given away without the proper arrangements. Whether you want to sign a contract with Hizaki or Kamijo or anyone else is for you to decide, not me. But until I close off your contract with me, those decisions are not yours to make. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good." My expression softens as I watch him eat absently, lost in thought. I gently take his free hand in mine and raise it to my lips to kiss it. "Juka-chan, I only wish the best for you. That's why I'm going to talk to Hizaki about plans for your future. I do not doubt that Hizaki has good intentions, but I want to be sure he has a thorough plan for starting your career. Your first single and CD are of the utmost importance. If those fail, your career may as well be over. Trust me; I've been in this industry longer than you've been a man. Now finish your breakfast."
Juka laughs at that and squeezes my hand before letting go. "Thank you, Mana. I'm sorry I've been moody. I'm just... anxious, I guess."
"You're free to be anxious and moody, Juka, as long as it doesn't affect your performance. We still have one more concert to do before you're free."
"Then let's get to work!" Juka says, grinning. He scoops up the last of his cereal and eats it while I watch him curiously. I've always been surprised by how little it takes to motivate this boy. "When I leave, I want it to be a night our fans will never forget."
"That's what I like to hear," I affirm, stacking our empty bowls and cups. I stand up and place them in the sink before turning to leave the kitchen, tugging gently on Juka's ash blonde hair as I go. "Let's get dressed and go! You have a lot of explaining to do to your bandmates today, you know."
~*~*~
Not an hour later the two of us are sitting on the floor of Studio A in a circle with the rest of Moi dix Mois. They're all staring at me as if I'm crazy... suicidal, even. When Juka had told them his intentions, they all turned to me as if hoping I'd tell them that our vocalist was only joking. But then I explain that not only do I know of Juka's plans, but I approve of them.
Kazuno stammers, as though trying to get his thoughts together. "S-so... so after this concert we don't..."
"Have a vocalist," I finish for him. "Yes, that is correct. I'm meeting with a friend of mine to discuss this issue in an hour or so, so rest assured I'm already finding a replacement. I plan to have another CD out this time next spring. We're not in any way stopping activities because of this. I hope I'm making that clear."
Four heads bob in acknowledgment. I look from Juka, to Kazuno, to Tohru, to K, studying their faces to be sure there are no issues that aren't being brought up. My eyes linger the longest on K, who's frowning to himself. It's not fair to him, I know. He and Juka only just got to know each other, and now the boy's leaving.
But that's how life is, no?
I clap my hands once and then spring back up to my feet. "Okay! Enough talk! I want you all to get started practicing Unmoved. K, you're coming to Studio B with me so I can teach you the guitar parts. I'll check back here in half an hour, alright?"
"Don't worry, Mana," Tohru jokes in his usual way, "I'll keep them working!"
I smile at him as I shoulder Jeune Fille. "Thanks, Tohru." I follow K out of the door and we tread down the hall to the next studio, which is the smallest of all the soundproof rooms. It's where Kaya and Hora used to work their magic, way back when. Nowadays I only use it for one-on-one practice or teaching.
K's strangely quiet as he unpacks his Warlock and plugs her into an amp. I almost wonder if there's something going on behind the scenes that I don't know about, or that he's not telling me... I don't blame him for being hesitant. We haven't known each other very long and I know that it can take a while for people to learn what they can and cannot do around me.
When it comes down to my music, though, I don't need secrets muddling up our ability to work cohesively.
"Is everything okay?" I ask him quietly, even though I know nobody else can hear us. K flinches slightly, and it becomes even more obvious than before. He's hiding something.
"Yeah... I just... didn't see that coming at all. Juka leaving, I mean," K tells me. He seems to be choosing his words very carefully, which I find odd for someone who's usually so outspoken. "It's gonna be a long summer, huh?"
I force a smile. "We'll be working hard to make up for the lost time, don't worry." We pluck at our strings for a moment, tuning in silence. I squirm uncomfortably, fiddling with my guitar strap to disguise my irritation. It's not natural for him to be like this. "Are you sure there's nothing-"
"I'm fine," K cuts me off. He bites his lip immediately, and a little surge of comfort trickles through my body at his outburst. When he says it like that, I know he's telling the truth. My eyes linger on him as he scratches his neck, looking away shyly. "I'm worried about someone else... but it's none of my business. Let's start writing the tabs, hm?"
I nod dumbly and reach for a music stand, ready equipped with staff paper and a pencil. Unlike myself, K is not an auditory learner and he's requested tabs for all of his music rather than learning it by ear. It's a sacrifice of time I'm willing to take, because I know he's a superb guitarist when he knows what he's doing. He just needs a little more practice.
But who is he worried about? Juka? I already told them I'd take care of this; I wish he'd have a little more faith in me. Anyway, I'm counting on Hizaki to help me settle this. Transitioning musicians is always rough, but the sooner I can find a replacement the better off we'll all be. I don't want my musicians sitting around with nothing to do while I audition vocalists. I know that would be torture for them.
They shouldn't worry. They have no reason to. After all, I've done this many, many times before.
~*~*~
The rain's falling softly again as I step out of my car and onto the paved sidewalk of downtown Tokyo, walking to the cafe where Hizaki's waiting for me. It's good to be away from the stress of the studio. I try to go out for lunch with my friends whenever I can, but lately it's been nearly impossible. It seems like everyone is starting a project... or two, or three.
But I'm just trying to keep mine alive.
I spot Hizaki's blonde head sitting in the outside patio of this particular cafe. An awning has been pulled over the patio to protect from the seasonal weather, but even so there are very few customers outside. I know Hizaki must have picked that table for a reason. After all, we are celebrities. If there's one thing that could ruin a day, it's being mobbed by fans when you're going out "incognito".
"Mana-chan!" Hizaki squeaks as I sneak up and crush him in a hug. He laughs softly as I pull back and step around him. "Why, it's good to see you, too! Please sit! I took the liberty of ordering for you."
"That's fine, thank you," I reply happily as I sit down across from him at our little round cafe table, which is already laid out with sandwiches and coffee. Looking back up at him, I can see that Hizaki looks radiant yet exhausted. I wonder if it has anything to do with that meeting he was speaking of earlier this morning. "How are things with your project, Hizaki-chama?"
Hizaki twirls a strand of his extensions around his finger and grins. "It's great! I finished writing another song today and I got contracts signed with a couple of artists. Everything's going along even better than I'd hoped for."
"Good, good." I sip at my coffee; Hizaki had it made just the way I like it. It's the simple, mundane things like that which make me so glad to have my friends. "Practice was a little slow for us today, but I'm teaching them a new song." I hesitate and sigh, thinking back to the tension that bubbled up after Juka's announcement. "... Juka told them this morning about his plans."
"Oh?" Hizaki's brows furrow in concern. He picks a ring of onion out of his sandwich, grimacing in distaste, and takes another bite. "Did they take it well?"
I smile fondly. Only Hizaki can speak with his mouth full and still look classy doing it. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. I think they're more anxious about the future of the project... you know, it's hard to make any progress when you don't have a vocalist. And even when you do get a new one it takes so much time to learn all the songs and memorize them... I'm simply praying that I can find a new vocalist as soon as possible. I don't have time for auditions, so I'm relying on recommendations."
"Ah, and that's where I come in?" Hizaki asks knowingly. "I thought you might say that. I brainstormed all the young vocalists I know that could possibly work... heh, you know who I really have in mind?"
I set down my sandwich, shaking my head as I chew. "Who?"
"Guess!" Hizaki teases me, taking a long sip of his coffee. I send him a pleading look and he sighs in defeat. "Oh, come on... you can guess this person. He'd be perfect. He knew you back when you were Serina!"
I choke a little. "Seiji?!" No, no... that's not possible. He's too busy. He's too mature. He's too... short...
"Of course, silly! Think about it! He knows you well and he listens to your music, so he's likely to have some of your lyrics already memorized. He's appeared at your fanclub events and the crowds love him... so why not? His band is on hiatus. He's not doing anything except working a day job. Why not do both yourself and him a favor and hire him? Who knows? He could be the best thing that ever happened to Moi dix Mois!"
"B-but...but..." I stammer, trying to pull myself together. Sure he has a great voice, but... "Hizaki, I can't! I can't hire known musicians. This is a SOLO project. If I record with Seiji what will everyone say? It would be too much like a band. I... I can't, Hizaki!"
"So change his name. Dye his hair. Put him in platforms. Nobody will recognize him."
"Oh, except for his extensive tattoos that are a not-so-subtle tribute to Brain Hacker?!" I roll my eyes. It's ridiculous even thinking about it. "Yes, I'm sure nobody will recognize him. At all."
"So don't let him take his shirt off. Big deal." Hizaki sighs and reaches out, squeezing my arm. "Mana, I'm being serious. I think you should at least give him a chance. He knows what he's doing and he's available to start working right now. This opportunity is too good to go to waste, darling. Trust me. Just give him a call tonight and talk it over."
I hesitate, but I know Hizaki's right. Why waste time finding and training an undiscovered vocalist when I have a professional at my fingertips? I'd be an idiot to let my ego get in the way of this decision. "Ah... alright. I'll call him. You know best, anyway."
Hizaki grins in triumph. "Yay! See, this will all work out fine." He raises his coffee cup in the air. "A toast, ne?"
I laugh and raise mine too, tapping it against his. "To our new vocalists! Kanpai!"
~*~*~
/>For the record, I'm not interested in your opinions of whether or not Seiji is Seth and vice-versa. This is a STORY. Thank you~
THAT SAID~~
Whee, it's good to be writing again! I know it's been a while so I thank you for your patience. It's school season again, so my updates may be sparse. I'll try to use my time as best I can!!
Hope you all are enjoying your last days of summer, too~ *heart* |
