alice nine saga
Title: A Tiger and ...
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Alice Nine, OC
Genre: fluff
Beta:
Summary: read to find out
Word Count: 6779
Author: hannah_arashi
A/N: Hope you all like it, this is part of my Alice Nine fic saga so comments are loved
Tora sighed and looked around the park happily. He loved being able to sit around on his days off and just relax in this neighborhood. Sometimes he would be recognized but more often than not people tended to keep their distance which was fine with him. He stretched his legs out in front of him and took out his pack of cigarettes as he looked around the park. As he relaxed in relative comfort a young woman made her way into the park. She loved this area very much, and it was her choice spot for relaxing. As she looked around she noticed that her bench was occupied by another. Feeling confrontational she decided ‘the hell with it’ and walked up determinedly to sit on the bench, ignoring the others’ presence. Tora glanced over surprised when the little foreigner suddenly appeared at his side. He didn’t say anything, but watched her from the corner of his eye for a few minutes. She knew the other was aware of her presence but didn’t care as she pulled out a cigarette then looked for her lighter, cursing when she realized she couldn’t find it.
“Want a light?”
She turned in surprise when the low, silky voice spoke and could only nod. Tora cursed himself for speaking but lit her cigarette before lighting his own. The pair was silent for a few minutes, the only noise coming from birds in the trees and traffic in the far distance since they were so far in the middle of the park. Finally she couldn’t take the silence any longer and decided to strike up a conversation with the stranger.
“T-thank you… f-for the light I mean. I don’t know where my lighter went to…”
“ah~… it was no problem…”
“hmm~ so… what brings you here… I usually don’t see anyone else this far in unless they are just walking by.”
“I come here sometimes when I need to relax and I have the time to make the drive…”
She smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. As she blew out some smoke she turned to look him over slowly. He was an attractive man, though something about him seemed different though she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. After looking him up and down she shrugged and stared out across the park.
“Han’na… my name is Han’na”
“oh… Tora”
Han’na smirked a little when she heard the Japanese word for tiger and gave the man a quizzical look. He merely shrugged and continued puffing his own cigarette. She shrugged as well and went back to staring.
“The only time I’ve heard of a person being called Tora… is a musician. It’s funny because I’ve never gotten to actually see the group besides hearing their music but I am supposed to start working with them tomorrow as their marketing director. I’ve spoken to their president over the phone and all he would tell me is ‘don’t be afraid of their manager, and expect the unexpected’. Damn cryptics”
Tora raised his eyebrows as he realized she was talking about them, though she apparently had no clue. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her description of the president’s words which automatically caught her attention. Han’na glanced over when he laughed and raised an eyebrow at him.
“What’s so funny Tora-san~”
“..haha… just that the president does tend to not say much about us because he doesn’t want to scare potential business partners off~”
She blinked in surprise at his words, then as they sunk in her jaw dropped and she flat out stared at him. Tora chuckled softly as he watched understanding dawn on the younger woman’s face. He watched as her cheeks flamed bright red before she could hide her face behind her hands.
“Oh dear lord… this is great… so much for first impressions…”
“Mah~ really it’s nothing to beat yourself up over~ You didn’t know”
She sighed from behind her hands and peeked out to see Tora laughing softly but smiling at her. She sighed again and sat back against the bench, staring out at nothing.
“I do apologize… I am usually a little bit more professional than that when it comes to people I am supposed to be working with…”
Tora shrugged and put out the remains of his cigarette. He checked the time and sighed, he had all day to relax but he had done just about everything he normally did on such a day. Han’na noticed him sigh and chuckled softly as she watched him.
“You seem… bored”
“hmm~ yes just a bit… I’m not used to having days off”
“oh~ yea that’s understandable… well would you be interested in surfing perhaps?”
He blinked in surprise at the sudden offer but shrugged and nodded his head. She smiled brightly and stood up stretching, then put out her cigarette and started walking back the way she had come. Tora watched her walk away, and sighed cursing mentally as he got up and jogged after her.
“um.. so surfing?”
Han’na chuckled and grinned over her shoulder at the tall man and simply nodded. Tora followed her out of the park and up to a small sports car parked beside a café. She opened the drivers’ side and sat down, hitting the automatic lock button and jerking her head in the direction of the other door. Tora hesitated momentarily before sighing and moving to open the door and sit in the passenger seat. She smiled slyly and buckled her seatbelt, then waited for him to do the same before pulling out of the parking spot and heading quickly for the interstate.
“I have a friend who owns a house on the beach in Chiba, and he’s given me free access to his equipment as long as I take care of it~”
Tora nodded in understanding and watched as the cars around them zoomed past. 30 minutes later she pulled off the interstate and pulled into a small gravel parking lot of a small restaurant right on the beach. She stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, smiling as she took in the smells of the sea air and fish. Tora stepped out as well and smiled slightly at the nostalgic smell. It had been a while since he had come to the beach on a whim like this. She locked the car and walked around to him and took his hand, dragging him across the parking lot towards the beach with a grin. She led the way down to a little board shack behind a fairly large home. He stopped a few feet away and let her walk up and unlock the shed before pulling open the door. Tora was shocked by the sheer number of boards and bathing suits in the shed. She chuckled at his reaction when she threw him a pair of shorts and pointed around to the back where he could change. Once he had left she pulled out two boards, one smaller for herself and a longer one for him. The boards were already waxed thankfully so all she had to do was lean them against the shed as she stripped off her clothes and pulled on her suit.
Tora came back around the corner right as the girl had finished pulling up the bottom of her swim suit and he could only shake his head. She was quite beautiful he had to admit. She had long blond hair, which she had tied up into a pony tail. He noticed the tattoos on her back immediately and smirked slightly as he walked up to stand by her shoulder. Han’na jumped slightly when Tora suddenly showed up at her side. She stuck her tongue out at him and shoved the board at him before picking up hers and jogging calmly towards the water.
“Do you surf?”
“hmm~ Once in a while~”
“haha~ well be careful with the surf here~ it can be pretty brutal…”
Tora nodded and followed her, watching as she hit the water without any fear and dove headlong right into the approaching waves. He couldn’t help but shake his head at the reckless behavior as she paddled further out before standing on the board meeting the first wave head on. He winced slightly when she wiped out but laughed when she popped right back up and waved a hand in his direction. Han’na watched as he paddled out to meet her and couldn’t help but grimace at the grace with which he met the waves. She stuck her tongue out slightly at him when he pulled up beside her and paddle to meet the next wave.
For the next hour the pair trade off riding waves and laughing when the other wiped out. Finally after a particularly bad fall, Han’na waved a hand in defeat and paddled her way to the shore. She carefully shoved her board into the sand before collapsing exhausted onto a towel. Tora watched her paddle in and collapse on the towels with a grin. He rode a few more waves before deciding that he was tired as well. He stood his board beside hers and sat carefully on the towel next to her. His eyes were naturally drawn to the tattoo on her back, and without realizing it he had reached out a finger to trace the beautifully done wolf. Han’na shivered slightly when she felt his finger tracing the artwork. She moved her head to watch him as he seemed to concentrate.
“I have others if you would like to see?”
Tora nearly jumped hearing her voice and snatched his hand back feeling embarrassed. She smiled softly and rolled over onto her back, bringing her left leg to rest against her right knee exposing the kanji symbol etched into her ankle. He couldn’t help but chuckle seeing the symbol for storm and raised an eyebrow as she moved her leg back to the towel.
“People tell me that I have a… ‘Stormy’ personality… so I thought it fit~”
He nodded and sat back against his towel with a sigh. She glanced over and slowly reached out a hand to gently splay her fingers against the tattoo that covered his stomach. He felt his muscles bunch under her touch and blushed brightly as he looked down at her hand.
“I.. I usually don’t show anyone…”
“But it’s so beautiful… really…”
He smiled softly and showed her the small pentagram etched onto his finger. She chuckled and sat up moving closer to him and looked at the large tattoo in detail, letting her fingers gently drift over it. Tora shivered and chuckled finally grabbing her hands and giving her a stern look.
“If your intent was to drive me crazy then you accomplished it…”
She chuckled and smirked, pulling away to stand and stretch. She turned on her heel and walked to pick up the two boards and carry them up to the shed, moving way too smoothly for her own good. Tora chuckled and picked up the two towels before following her up. She had already put the boards away by the time he approached and had pulled out their clothes and shoved them into her large bag. She had a set of keys hanging off her finger and winked at him suggestively. Feeling playful Tora snatched the keys away from her and started to run towards the car after pulling his shirt over his head. Han’na gaped at first then followed him closely. They had just reached the parking lot when she suddenly tripped and fell hard on the gravel, crying out at the sharp pain. Tora heard her cry and turned around suddenly, seeing her on the ground right where a car was about to turn in. He ran over quickly and waved the car off as he picked her up into his arms. She clung to his shoulder, trying to hold back whimpers. He walked her over to the car and sat her on the hood after laying a towel down. She didn’t argue as he walked into the restaurant to borrow their first aid kit.
She winced slightly when he carefully washed the scrapes out with cold water, making sure to get all of the gravel out before cleaning them with disinfectant. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering at the sting as he bandaged up the scrapes quietly and carried the kit back inside. When he came back he looked upset as he picked her up and carried her to the passenger side. She watched as he walked around to the other side of the car, obviously cursing at himself before getting in the car.
“I’m so sorry you got hurt… it was stupid of me to run across the gravel like that and…”
“Stop! Please… Thank you for helping me like that.. I-I guess I should have mentioned that I tend to be a little clumsy”
Tora sighed and started the car, backing up slowly before pulling out onto the main road, heading towards the highway. After a few minutes of silence, Han’na sighed and reached a hand out to set lightly against his thigh. Tora raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes on the road as he drove on. After about ten minutes he let his free hand settle over hers.
“So where do I go for your place? Since you can’t possibly walk there yourself…”
She smiled softly and gave him directions, as he turned her hand up to lace fingers with his. He chuckled at the irony of the whole situation and followed her directions, letting out a low whistle as he pulled up to a large apartment building. He gave the keys to the valet who came to park the car and walked over to pick her up after she had given the other man instructions. He walked inside the building in shock and walked over to the elevator. When it opened she pulled out a small card for him to swipe, and automatically hit the ‘door close’ button as he slid the card. As they headed up she blushed slightly and simply stared at the collar of his shirt. As the elevator came to a stop, Tora was surprised to step out onto a floor with only five doors. She told him to go to the farthest on the right and handed him her keys as they approached. When the door opened his breath was taken away again by the huge place. He shut the door behind him and heard it lock as he walked inside and set her carefully on the couch.
Han’na looked at her hands as he set her down and looked around calling for her cat to come out from hiding. After a few minutes a large black cat came out from behind the couch and wound his way around Tora’s ankles. He chuckled when he heard the large animals’ name was ‘Nekomata’. She grinned when she heard him chuckle and watched as her cat continued to wind around his ankles.
“hmm~ he like you… that’s unusual for him…”
“Maybe he can tell that I like cats…”
“Maybe…”
Tora glanced down at her and sat carefully on the couch reaching out a hand to gently lie against her knee. She glanced up with a chuckle and assured him that she was made of sterner stuff and it took more than a little spill to take her out. He grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded, before relaxing against the back of the couch with a sigh. He was tired from the surfing earlier, as well as the worrying about her the whole way here. He was at least thankful that his car was not parked too far from the building. She noticed him sigh and sat back against the couch with him.
“I.. uh.. I really enjoyed having you come with me~ It was nice to have someone to surf with…”
“un.. I.. I really enjoyed it as well. Mah~ I unfortunately should get going… since I have to go and make myself presentable for meeting our new marketing consultant tomorrow~”
He winked and she chuckled softly. She bit her lip and hesitated a moment before leaning over and kissing his cheek lightly. Tora blushed slightly when he felt her lips against his cheek, but he turned and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. As they parted, both were blushing brightly but neither one could keep the smile off their faces. Tora kissed her again before drawing back as he stood up slowly.
“I really do have to go... but I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Take care of those scrapes ok?”
“haha~ Hai.. I think I can take care of myself Tora-san~ I’ve been doing it for some years now~”
He grinned at her teasing and nodded, kissing her forehead lightly before turning to leave. As he was leaving he felt his phone vibrate and he looked down in surprise to see a text from Han’na.
H: I took the liberty of exchanging our numbers in the car~ Hope you don’t mind~
T: Ha ha ha~ I don’t mind
He sent the message with a grin and left the building, walking back to his car with his clothes shoved into a small shoulder bag. As he drove back to his apartment he couldn’t get the little girl out of his head. Meanwhile Han’na was sprawled out on her couch staring up at the ceiling. After a few minutes she would sigh and look towards her phone with a small smile, before she would sigh again. After a little bit of this, Nekomata jumped up on the couch and curled up at her side. She reached a hand down to gently scratch his ears as she reached out for her phone. She picked it up and pressed the number 2 on speed dial and held the phone to her ear. Once the person on the other end picked up she sighed exasperatedly. They chuckled softly but waited for her to continue.
“I think I fucked up… Well you know the whole rule about never falling for anyone you work with.. Yes especially the musician part… Well I accidentally met one of the musicians I’ll be working with tomorrow… and we hung out some… and well… Yea… I can’t help it!! He was super kind, and caring and… *sigh* yes I realize that… No he doesn’t know any of the details… Tell him? Yes you’re right… Ok I’ll tell him tomorrow… yes that’s when I’ll be meeting them all… well you can just fucking call it off if you want to be so bitchy… yes I am hurt right now.. I fell at the beach and he was kind enough to take care of me… Aniki… Neko likes him~”
She heard a sigh from the other end of the phone, followed by a chuckle and an exasperated voice saying “Do what you will child~”. She apologized softly before hanging up the phone and dropping it back on the table.
“You don’t think I’m wrong, do you Ne-chan?”
The big cat purred softly and nuzzled her chin lightly before jumping off the couch to go explore. She grinned and sat up carefully, standing to go take a shower. As she limped towards the bathroom she couldn’t help but wonder what sort of things she might experience the next day.
Tora walked into the meeting room, early as usual but it was the smile on his face that caused their manager to stop her work and stare at him. He noticed Ali’s puzzled look and simply shook his head with a grin. She sighed and went back to organizing the packet that she would be giving the new marketing director that morning. After an hour all of Alice Nine was seated in the meeting room with Ali and their President, waiting on the arrival of the new director. After a few minutes Ali began to fidget but before she could say anything the door opened and Gackt walked calmly into the room, taking his seat next to Ali. She looked up in surprise as he smiled and kissed her lightly on the head before sitting. After his entry a tall photographer they were all familiar with entered and took a seat as well. They all greeted Ren kindly, and he merely acknowledged their presence as he often did.
Finally the door opened once more and a small young woman entered the room. She wore heels that were easily 6 inches tall, and had long legs which were prominently displayed by both the heels and the short A-line skirt she wore. She wore a deep aquamarine top covered by a matching jacket for the skirt. She looked around the room with her deep hazel eyes and smiled softly before bowing, her golden blonde hair falling around her head as she bowed.
“How do you do everyone? It is truly a pleasure to finally meet you all after hearing so much about you all from both Ren and Gackt. My name is Han’na and from today onwards I shall be marketing director for Alice Nine and The Gazette. Yoroshiku~”
The others all stood and bowed back to the young woman, except for Tora who was staring star struck. She was even more beautiful than he had thought just the other day. Shou nudged the guitarist lightly and urged him to stand and bow. He did so quickly and returned to his seat with the others. Gackt noticed the guitarist behavior and sighed softly, recognizing automatically who the younger girl had called him about the other evening. He stifled the chuckle that grew in his chest and watched as she gave her presentation to the men. Han’na noticed Tora staring and blushed slightly before looking away as she began to explain her job to the men. She explained how any photo shoots would now be set up through communication between herself and their manager. Also, she said, that since she was a model herself she might occasionally be taking part in the different programs as an extra. She also explained how she would be now working with Ali on the release of any and all material they released. The men all bowed their head politely when she finished, and she turned to Ali expecting question. The older woman merely nodded her head and pushed a large folder across the table at the young girl.
“This is what we’re working on now… any input would be appreciated.”
“Hai~ I received some of this material already and brought my suggestions for the advertising in this folder…”
Han’na took the folder offered to her and sat another down in front of the manager. She watched hesitantly as the older woman flipped through the folder and nodded. She took out a pencil and made notes occasionally but after a few minutes she set the folder down and smiled.
“This all looks fantastic. I look forward to working with you more. Now then, since we are officially done here I’d like to request that Han’na be allowed to spend time getting to know the band personally so that she can know what to expect…”
The President took the hint and stood to leave, gesturing at both Gackt and Ren who looked disdainfully at the man and stayed seated. Realizing he had been dismissed he merely shrugged and left the room. Once the door had shut behind him Han’na literally felt her knees give out from beneath her. She clung to the table for support and before anyone could react Tora was out of his chair and supported her to her own chair. As he fussed over her, oblivious to the audience they had, Gackt covered up a chuckle and Ren simply smirked. All of Alice Nine stared in shock at their normally shy and cool headed guitarist and Ali leaned her head against the table with a groan. Saga threw his arm around her shoulder comfortingly and Gackt leaned in to whisper to her.
“If it makes you feel better… She’s a very professional young woman and I treat her much like I treat you~”
Ali looked up at the man’s mirthful grin and sighed again, resting her head on the table. Meanwhile Tora was looking at Han’na carefully, making sure she was indeed alright. Only after she had assured him several times that it was just mild exhaustion did he take a few steps back. He leaned against the edge of the table and sighed softly, watching her closely. It was only when he heard a very familiar throat clear that he turned and saw that everyone was watching him closely. He opened his mouth to speak but Han’na beat him to it.
“Tora-san and I met the other day in the park by chance, and he was kind enough to go surfing with me… I happened to fall on the way back to my car and he took care of me. He was just worried that I had not rested properly.”
Ali raised an eyebrow at the story. She could tell that the young girl was speaking the truth but she could also tell that there were obviously parts of the story that were being left out. She simply sighed and looked to Tora who looked away shrugging his shoulders slightly. Not wanting to deal with anything, Ali merely sighed and let the matter drop. She invited Han’na to come to rehearsals some time, after she had fully recovered. The young girl bowed her head slightly and stood shakily to bow to everyone before letting Ren support her as they left. As the three were leaving the building she felt her phone vibrate in her jacket pocket and pulled it out to check it. The messages made her smile softly, since she had passed each of the men a business card with her cell number on it.
H: Hi hi~ It’s Hiroto! I just wanted to say it was great meeting you and I look forward to working together ^^
S: Shou here~ Pleased to meet you today. Do come to rehearsals soon~
N:Nao desu… Please feel better and come to rehearsal soon! Tell me when and I’ll bring coffee!!
Sa: Yo~ This is Saga… Nice to meet you and hopefully we’ll see more of you ;)
She chuckled at the messages and sent a similar reply to all of them, thanking them for their kindness and assuring them that she would come to see them as soon as she was able. A few minutes after she sent the last message she received a longer one from an already familiar number.
I just wanted to check in on you. I’m sorry for being so obvious but I just can’t seem to help myself around you… In fact I can’t remember the last time I felt so strongly about anyone besides my bandmates… Mah I seem to be rambling… just call me later please?
She took a deep breath as she read the message a second time, not even realizing she had stopped in the middle of the lobby. She bit her lip and shook her head muttering ‘baka’ before glancing up at the two men waiting patiently for her to resume walking to their car. She sighed softly and walked with them and allowed them to help her into the car as she thought about everything that had happened in the last few days.
She spent the next few weeks working from her apartment on different photo designs since she couldn’t be filmed again until the scrapes had fully healed. Whenever she finished one design she would automatically begin to work on another, the only distraction from the work an occasional text from Tora asking how she was. She found herself being more and more honest with him as the time drug on. On one day, when she was struggling significantly she even told him that her day was going terribly. He surprised her that evening by showing up with dinner. Finally the day had come when she was fully recovered, and as such it was her first day going to hear the men rehearse. She made her way to the recording studio early that day and handed the completed folder of designs over to Ali for any criticism. The older woman however had nothing but good things to say as she looked over the material.
“Wow… You really have an eye for know what angle suits each of the guys best. I’m guessing you watched some of the pvs to get an idea?”
“Un~ I watched them all up to the most recent ones and then I also took my observation from our meeting a few weeks ago.”
Ali nodded impressed and gestured to the couch telling her that the others would be showing up over the next hour, so she could feel free to make herself comfortable. As she was leaving she asked if the girl drank coffee, and she received a nod as well as a thank you in advance. After the manager had left, Han’na collapsed onto the couch and curled up in the corner exhausted from all the work she had been doing. She was asleep when Tora pushed open the door quietly looking around the room for Ali. He was mildly surprised to see her gone, but after glancing at the time he realized she was probably getting coffee. As he shut the door behind him Han’na stirred slightly on the couch and he looked over in surprise. With a sigh he set his bag down and walked over. He picked her up carefully and sat down in the corner of the couch with her held against his chest. She merely snuggled closer once he sat and soon the two of them had both fallen asleep on the couch.
Nao bounced into the rehearsal room ahead of Hiroto and Shou but stopped dead in the doorway causing the other two to run into him. They were about to protest when he pointed to the couch and they all stared in shock as they quietly made their way into the room. A few minutes later each of their significant others walked in laughing softly amongst themselves. The three women stopped and stared at the pair on the couch surprised as well but simply shrugged it off and walked over to talk quietly with their partners. An hour after she had left Ali came into the room with Saga, hand in hand with her husband. She nearly spit out the coffee she was drinking when she saw the sight before them. Instead she groaned softly and walked over to the table, setting her coffee down to look at the oblivious couple. She looked up as Saga came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Why the hell do I always find out last? I swear you all are trying to kill me…”
He simply chuckled and told her that he was fairly sure that they all found out last this time which earned him a glare. After a few minutes Tora yawned and looked down at the girl still passed out on his chest with a grin. It was when he heard a throat being cleared that he jerked his head to the side and groaned softly. Ali was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her and an inquisitive look directed at him. He heard a soft yawn and felt the young girl stretch her arms up around his neck as she buried her face against him. This gesture earned chuckles from nearly everyone in the room as Tora blushed brightly. Hearing the chuckles Han’na drew back and looked at him fearfully. He nodded slightly and she let out a yelp burying her face against his chest in embarrassment. The other found this to be adorable and soon a chorus of laughter could be heard across the room. Ali cleared her throat and spoke softly.
“I brought you some coffee Han’na… It’s here on the table”
The other girl stiffened and finally drew away from the guitarists’ safe hold and looked around the room at everyone. All around, she was met by smiling faces and encouraging glances. She blushed brightly and stood up awkwardly, bowing low in apology. Ali sighed softly and waved off the apology, gesturing for her to come drink the coffee. She walked shyly over to the table and picked up the cup gently. She took a sip and couldn’t help but smile at the sweet treat.
“Now then… Just a few rules that I’m sure you are well aware of but I have to be fair to the others and tell you anyway. Number one: keep it private please. Around us it’s fine but minimize publicity as much as possible. Number two: think of everyone here as family… if you need anything come to us and number three: try not to break his heart… Because lord knows I have enough to take care of and not have to deal with mopey musicians.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle softly and nod to each of the rules. When she glanced up again she was met by a gentle smile from the older woman. After that introductions were made and soon she was welcomed by everyone. She seemed slightly distant but the other quickly realized that was because she was shy. She would blush anytime someone mentioned her relationship with the older man, and soon it became a game to see who could make her blush the most. Ali won effectively when she asked the young girl if she and guitarist had slept together yet. Her beet red face, and stuttering denial was enough to send everyone into a fit of laughter as Tora stood up and pulled her away from them all glaring.
“Ok! That’s enough… You’ve all had your fun now leave the poor girl alone for crying out loud. We haven’t slept together, not that it’s anyone’s business so I’d appreciate it if you would butt out.”
Everyone was shocked at the speech and looked slightly abashed at their behavior. Ali rubbed the back of her neck and apologized to the both of them. She knew that Tora was naturally a calm person so it took a lot for him to act rashly. She also knew how much it sucked to be teased about such matters. She apologized again to Han’na who merely shrugged from behind Tora’s protective hold around her. The young woman smiled slightly around the room and spoke up, in a clear but soft voice.
“I don’t mind teasing and all…. But I like to keep my personal life private. Being a model, it’s especially hard which is why I live in a penthouse that Gackt-san personally chose for me… it’s easier than dealing with publicity…”
The others nodded in agreement and Ali smiled at the girl’s down to earth nature. She was quite literally a perfect match for their calm guitarist. The pair continued to keep their relationship quiet from everyone. Even when the others would kiss or play around when it was just them the most the little model could be seen doing was leaning her head against the tall guitarist. In fact if they hadn’t known better the others might have believed that nothing was going on between them. However there were bound to be moments where the façade would break. Unfortunately it happened at their photo shoot, fortunately there was no one around who might leak the delicate information.
She and Tora had been together for several months, and besides seeing each other privately on the weekends or whenever they had free time, their relationship could only be classified as a cordial friendship. But she alone knew the possessive, dangerous side of him; a side that not only thrilled her but made her feel safe. However she had no clue that the members of the band would arrive in the middle of her shooting with another artist. The pictures had started simple enough but when it came to this spazzy man she knew that in the end it would wind up being almost too risqué to print. It was at that point, when she was uncomfortably shoved up against the wall, feeling his breathe against her neck as he fought the urge to push him away that the band showed up. She was shaking as the photographer started shooting the last roll and the artist gave her an apologetic look before turning on his charm. He knew her well enough to know that she was uncomfortable with this, but also knew the photographer would bitch if he didn’t get his way. So as his wife looked on bemusedly he prayed that the shoot would finish as quickly as she did. But it wasn’t soon enough. He saw the sudden fear in her eyes, and noticed the tensing in her muscles as voices of his kouhai could be heard from the back of the room.
Their voices died out as they came into the room and stared at the scene in front of them. It took all of maybe two seconds for Saga to wrap his arms tightly around Tora who was glaring daggers at their senpai. They listened as the photographer counted down the photos, Tora strugging against their hold more and more until he finally broke free of them, pushing the startled photographer out of the way right as the last shot was taken. He shoved the other man away from her hard, sending him stumbling against the bed prop and took her trembling into his arms. Even as he cupped her face gently and forced her to look at him he could feel his anger. She could only gasp when Tora broke free, giving Miyavi barely enough time to brace himself as the younger musician shoved him hard out of the way and took the little girl into his arms. He let out a breathy chuckle and stared up at the fuming guitarist. With a look of apology he held his hands up as a sign of truce. Only after a few minutes did the guitarist cool down, after being thoroughly kissed and distracted by the little model. Letting out a low whistle as they parted soft laughter and clapping could be heard all around. She felt her face burning bright red, but she looked up at the abashed guitarist and brushed a lock of hair from his face.
“You are so damn sexy when you get like that.”
With a strangled chuckle he hugged her gently, glancing up to apologize to the other guitarist but was met by a laughing stare. He felt his face turn red as the man made a face and he simply sighed, looking at the other’s wife thankfully when she walked over and smacked his head for fooling around.
“You know how he is Tora-san, don’t let him bother you any.”
“And don’t worry about me~ you know I was just nearly mauled by a rabid Tiger if his keeper hadn’t been here…”
Tora let out a soft involuntary growl, which made the other practically giggle gleefully as he danced around saying ‘I told you I could make him angrier!!’ With a sigh he realized that the other was simply teasing him and finally let go of his anger. He picked up the little model and held her close, not surprised that she had actually fallen asleep leaning against him. As he turned he saw Ali trying to bang her head against the nearest solid object, Saga laughing too hard with the others to stop her and Ren simply holding her in place with a hand on her shoulder. With a sigh he simply shrugged and walked back towards their dressing room. They were all early for once so they had at least 30 minutes before any of them had to be in the makeup chair. So he decided that he would use that time to let Han’na relax. As he stretched out on the long couch in the room, her snuggled against his chest he started to think about how strange things could be.
The photoshoot went off without a hitch and though there would be gratuitous teasing for both of them to endure it simply enforced the idea that they were not only loved and supported by their friends. But that they loved and wanted to support each other. That wasn’t to say either one was ready in any way to consider marriage or engagement, but they were simply happy.
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Alice Nine, OC
Genre: fluff
Beta:
Summary: read to find out
Word Count: 6779
Author: hannah_arashi
A/N: Hope you all like it, this is part of my Alice Nine fic saga so comments are loved
Tora sighed and looked around the park happily. He loved being able to sit around on his days off and just relax in this neighborhood. Sometimes he would be recognized but more often than not people tended to keep their distance which was fine with him. He stretched his legs out in front of him and took out his pack of cigarettes as he looked around the park. As he relaxed in relative comfort a young woman made her way into the park. She loved this area very much, and it was her choice spot for relaxing. As she looked around she noticed that her bench was occupied by another. Feeling confrontational she decided ‘the hell with it’ and walked up determinedly to sit on the bench, ignoring the others’ presence. Tora glanced over surprised when the little foreigner suddenly appeared at his side. He didn’t say anything, but watched her from the corner of his eye for a few minutes. She knew the other was aware of her presence but didn’t care as she pulled out a cigarette then looked for her lighter, cursing when she realized she couldn’t find it.
“Want a light?”
She turned in surprise when the low, silky voice spoke and could only nod. Tora cursed himself for speaking but lit her cigarette before lighting his own. The pair was silent for a few minutes, the only noise coming from birds in the trees and traffic in the far distance since they were so far in the middle of the park. Finally she couldn’t take the silence any longer and decided to strike up a conversation with the stranger.
“T-thank you… f-for the light I mean. I don’t know where my lighter went to…”
“ah~… it was no problem…”
“hmm~ so… what brings you here… I usually don’t see anyone else this far in unless they are just walking by.”
“I come here sometimes when I need to relax and I have the time to make the drive…”
She smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. As she blew out some smoke she turned to look him over slowly. He was an attractive man, though something about him seemed different though she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. After looking him up and down she shrugged and stared out across the park.
“Han’na… my name is Han’na”
“oh… Tora”
Han’na smirked a little when she heard the Japanese word for tiger and gave the man a quizzical look. He merely shrugged and continued puffing his own cigarette. She shrugged as well and went back to staring.
“The only time I’ve heard of a person being called Tora… is a musician. It’s funny because I’ve never gotten to actually see the group besides hearing their music but I am supposed to start working with them tomorrow as their marketing director. I’ve spoken to their president over the phone and all he would tell me is ‘don’t be afraid of their manager, and expect the unexpected’. Damn cryptics”
Tora raised his eyebrows as he realized she was talking about them, though she apparently had no clue. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her description of the president’s words which automatically caught her attention. Han’na glanced over when he laughed and raised an eyebrow at him.
“What’s so funny Tora-san~”
“..haha… just that the president does tend to not say much about us because he doesn’t want to scare potential business partners off~”
She blinked in surprise at his words, then as they sunk in her jaw dropped and she flat out stared at him. Tora chuckled softly as he watched understanding dawn on the younger woman’s face. He watched as her cheeks flamed bright red before she could hide her face behind her hands.
“Oh dear lord… this is great… so much for first impressions…”
“Mah~ really it’s nothing to beat yourself up over~ You didn’t know”
She sighed from behind her hands and peeked out to see Tora laughing softly but smiling at her. She sighed again and sat back against the bench, staring out at nothing.
“I do apologize… I am usually a little bit more professional than that when it comes to people I am supposed to be working with…”
Tora shrugged and put out the remains of his cigarette. He checked the time and sighed, he had all day to relax but he had done just about everything he normally did on such a day. Han’na noticed him sigh and chuckled softly as she watched him.
“You seem… bored”
“hmm~ yes just a bit… I’m not used to having days off”
“oh~ yea that’s understandable… well would you be interested in surfing perhaps?”
He blinked in surprise at the sudden offer but shrugged and nodded his head. She smiled brightly and stood up stretching, then put out her cigarette and started walking back the way she had come. Tora watched her walk away, and sighed cursing mentally as he got up and jogged after her.
“um.. so surfing?”
Han’na chuckled and grinned over her shoulder at the tall man and simply nodded. Tora followed her out of the park and up to a small sports car parked beside a café. She opened the drivers’ side and sat down, hitting the automatic lock button and jerking her head in the direction of the other door. Tora hesitated momentarily before sighing and moving to open the door and sit in the passenger seat. She smiled slyly and buckled her seatbelt, then waited for him to do the same before pulling out of the parking spot and heading quickly for the interstate.
“I have a friend who owns a house on the beach in Chiba, and he’s given me free access to his equipment as long as I take care of it~”
Tora nodded in understanding and watched as the cars around them zoomed past. 30 minutes later she pulled off the interstate and pulled into a small gravel parking lot of a small restaurant right on the beach. She stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, smiling as she took in the smells of the sea air and fish. Tora stepped out as well and smiled slightly at the nostalgic smell. It had been a while since he had come to the beach on a whim like this. She locked the car and walked around to him and took his hand, dragging him across the parking lot towards the beach with a grin. She led the way down to a little board shack behind a fairly large home. He stopped a few feet away and let her walk up and unlock the shed before pulling open the door. Tora was shocked by the sheer number of boards and bathing suits in the shed. She chuckled at his reaction when she threw him a pair of shorts and pointed around to the back where he could change. Once he had left she pulled out two boards, one smaller for herself and a longer one for him. The boards were already waxed thankfully so all she had to do was lean them against the shed as she stripped off her clothes and pulled on her suit.
Tora came back around the corner right as the girl had finished pulling up the bottom of her swim suit and he could only shake his head. She was quite beautiful he had to admit. She had long blond hair, which she had tied up into a pony tail. He noticed the tattoos on her back immediately and smirked slightly as he walked up to stand by her shoulder. Han’na jumped slightly when Tora suddenly showed up at her side. She stuck her tongue out at him and shoved the board at him before picking up hers and jogging calmly towards the water.
“Do you surf?”
“hmm~ Once in a while~”
“haha~ well be careful with the surf here~ it can be pretty brutal…”
Tora nodded and followed her, watching as she hit the water without any fear and dove headlong right into the approaching waves. He couldn’t help but shake his head at the reckless behavior as she paddled further out before standing on the board meeting the first wave head on. He winced slightly when she wiped out but laughed when she popped right back up and waved a hand in his direction. Han’na watched as he paddled out to meet her and couldn’t help but grimace at the grace with which he met the waves. She stuck her tongue out slightly at him when he pulled up beside her and paddle to meet the next wave.
For the next hour the pair trade off riding waves and laughing when the other wiped out. Finally after a particularly bad fall, Han’na waved a hand in defeat and paddled her way to the shore. She carefully shoved her board into the sand before collapsing exhausted onto a towel. Tora watched her paddle in and collapse on the towels with a grin. He rode a few more waves before deciding that he was tired as well. He stood his board beside hers and sat carefully on the towel next to her. His eyes were naturally drawn to the tattoo on her back, and without realizing it he had reached out a finger to trace the beautifully done wolf. Han’na shivered slightly when she felt his finger tracing the artwork. She moved her head to watch him as he seemed to concentrate.
“I have others if you would like to see?”
Tora nearly jumped hearing her voice and snatched his hand back feeling embarrassed. She smiled softly and rolled over onto her back, bringing her left leg to rest against her right knee exposing the kanji symbol etched into her ankle. He couldn’t help but chuckle seeing the symbol for storm and raised an eyebrow as she moved her leg back to the towel.
“People tell me that I have a… ‘Stormy’ personality… so I thought it fit~”
He nodded and sat back against his towel with a sigh. She glanced over and slowly reached out a hand to gently splay her fingers against the tattoo that covered his stomach. He felt his muscles bunch under her touch and blushed brightly as he looked down at her hand.
“I.. I usually don’t show anyone…”
“But it’s so beautiful… really…”
He smiled softly and showed her the small pentagram etched onto his finger. She chuckled and sat up moving closer to him and looked at the large tattoo in detail, letting her fingers gently drift over it. Tora shivered and chuckled finally grabbing her hands and giving her a stern look.
“If your intent was to drive me crazy then you accomplished it…”
She chuckled and smirked, pulling away to stand and stretch. She turned on her heel and walked to pick up the two boards and carry them up to the shed, moving way too smoothly for her own good. Tora chuckled and picked up the two towels before following her up. She had already put the boards away by the time he approached and had pulled out their clothes and shoved them into her large bag. She had a set of keys hanging off her finger and winked at him suggestively. Feeling playful Tora snatched the keys away from her and started to run towards the car after pulling his shirt over his head. Han’na gaped at first then followed him closely. They had just reached the parking lot when she suddenly tripped and fell hard on the gravel, crying out at the sharp pain. Tora heard her cry and turned around suddenly, seeing her on the ground right where a car was about to turn in. He ran over quickly and waved the car off as he picked her up into his arms. She clung to his shoulder, trying to hold back whimpers. He walked her over to the car and sat her on the hood after laying a towel down. She didn’t argue as he walked into the restaurant to borrow their first aid kit.
She winced slightly when he carefully washed the scrapes out with cold water, making sure to get all of the gravel out before cleaning them with disinfectant. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering at the sting as he bandaged up the scrapes quietly and carried the kit back inside. When he came back he looked upset as he picked her up and carried her to the passenger side. She watched as he walked around to the other side of the car, obviously cursing at himself before getting in the car.
“I’m so sorry you got hurt… it was stupid of me to run across the gravel like that and…”
“Stop! Please… Thank you for helping me like that.. I-I guess I should have mentioned that I tend to be a little clumsy”
Tora sighed and started the car, backing up slowly before pulling out onto the main road, heading towards the highway. After a few minutes of silence, Han’na sighed and reached a hand out to set lightly against his thigh. Tora raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes on the road as he drove on. After about ten minutes he let his free hand settle over hers.
“So where do I go for your place? Since you can’t possibly walk there yourself…”
She smiled softly and gave him directions, as he turned her hand up to lace fingers with his. He chuckled at the irony of the whole situation and followed her directions, letting out a low whistle as he pulled up to a large apartment building. He gave the keys to the valet who came to park the car and walked over to pick her up after she had given the other man instructions. He walked inside the building in shock and walked over to the elevator. When it opened she pulled out a small card for him to swipe, and automatically hit the ‘door close’ button as he slid the card. As they headed up she blushed slightly and simply stared at the collar of his shirt. As the elevator came to a stop, Tora was surprised to step out onto a floor with only five doors. She told him to go to the farthest on the right and handed him her keys as they approached. When the door opened his breath was taken away again by the huge place. He shut the door behind him and heard it lock as he walked inside and set her carefully on the couch.
Han’na looked at her hands as he set her down and looked around calling for her cat to come out from hiding. After a few minutes a large black cat came out from behind the couch and wound his way around Tora’s ankles. He chuckled when he heard the large animals’ name was ‘Nekomata’. She grinned when she heard him chuckle and watched as her cat continued to wind around his ankles.
“hmm~ he like you… that’s unusual for him…”
“Maybe he can tell that I like cats…”
“Maybe…”
Tora glanced down at her and sat carefully on the couch reaching out a hand to gently lie against her knee. She glanced up with a chuckle and assured him that she was made of sterner stuff and it took more than a little spill to take her out. He grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded, before relaxing against the back of the couch with a sigh. He was tired from the surfing earlier, as well as the worrying about her the whole way here. He was at least thankful that his car was not parked too far from the building. She noticed him sigh and sat back against the couch with him.
“I.. uh.. I really enjoyed having you come with me~ It was nice to have someone to surf with…”
“un.. I.. I really enjoyed it as well. Mah~ I unfortunately should get going… since I have to go and make myself presentable for meeting our new marketing consultant tomorrow~”
He winked and she chuckled softly. She bit her lip and hesitated a moment before leaning over and kissing his cheek lightly. Tora blushed slightly when he felt her lips against his cheek, but he turned and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. As they parted, both were blushing brightly but neither one could keep the smile off their faces. Tora kissed her again before drawing back as he stood up slowly.
“I really do have to go... but I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Take care of those scrapes ok?”
“haha~ Hai.. I think I can take care of myself Tora-san~ I’ve been doing it for some years now~”
He grinned at her teasing and nodded, kissing her forehead lightly before turning to leave. As he was leaving he felt his phone vibrate and he looked down in surprise to see a text from Han’na.
H: I took the liberty of exchanging our numbers in the car~ Hope you don’t mind~
T: Ha ha ha~ I don’t mind
He sent the message with a grin and left the building, walking back to his car with his clothes shoved into a small shoulder bag. As he drove back to his apartment he couldn’t get the little girl out of his head. Meanwhile Han’na was sprawled out on her couch staring up at the ceiling. After a few minutes she would sigh and look towards her phone with a small smile, before she would sigh again. After a little bit of this, Nekomata jumped up on the couch and curled up at her side. She reached a hand down to gently scratch his ears as she reached out for her phone. She picked it up and pressed the number 2 on speed dial and held the phone to her ear. Once the person on the other end picked up she sighed exasperatedly. They chuckled softly but waited for her to continue.
“I think I fucked up… Well you know the whole rule about never falling for anyone you work with.. Yes especially the musician part… Well I accidentally met one of the musicians I’ll be working with tomorrow… and we hung out some… and well… Yea… I can’t help it!! He was super kind, and caring and… *sigh* yes I realize that… No he doesn’t know any of the details… Tell him? Yes you’re right… Ok I’ll tell him tomorrow… yes that’s when I’ll be meeting them all… well you can just fucking call it off if you want to be so bitchy… yes I am hurt right now.. I fell at the beach and he was kind enough to take care of me… Aniki… Neko likes him~”
She heard a sigh from the other end of the phone, followed by a chuckle and an exasperated voice saying “Do what you will child~”. She apologized softly before hanging up the phone and dropping it back on the table.
“You don’t think I’m wrong, do you Ne-chan?”
The big cat purred softly and nuzzled her chin lightly before jumping off the couch to go explore. She grinned and sat up carefully, standing to go take a shower. As she limped towards the bathroom she couldn’t help but wonder what sort of things she might experience the next day.
Tora walked into the meeting room, early as usual but it was the smile on his face that caused their manager to stop her work and stare at him. He noticed Ali’s puzzled look and simply shook his head with a grin. She sighed and went back to organizing the packet that she would be giving the new marketing director that morning. After an hour all of Alice Nine was seated in the meeting room with Ali and their President, waiting on the arrival of the new director. After a few minutes Ali began to fidget but before she could say anything the door opened and Gackt walked calmly into the room, taking his seat next to Ali. She looked up in surprise as he smiled and kissed her lightly on the head before sitting. After his entry a tall photographer they were all familiar with entered and took a seat as well. They all greeted Ren kindly, and he merely acknowledged their presence as he often did.
Finally the door opened once more and a small young woman entered the room. She wore heels that were easily 6 inches tall, and had long legs which were prominently displayed by both the heels and the short A-line skirt she wore. She wore a deep aquamarine top covered by a matching jacket for the skirt. She looked around the room with her deep hazel eyes and smiled softly before bowing, her golden blonde hair falling around her head as she bowed.
“How do you do everyone? It is truly a pleasure to finally meet you all after hearing so much about you all from both Ren and Gackt. My name is Han’na and from today onwards I shall be marketing director for Alice Nine and The Gazette. Yoroshiku~”
The others all stood and bowed back to the young woman, except for Tora who was staring star struck. She was even more beautiful than he had thought just the other day. Shou nudged the guitarist lightly and urged him to stand and bow. He did so quickly and returned to his seat with the others. Gackt noticed the guitarist behavior and sighed softly, recognizing automatically who the younger girl had called him about the other evening. He stifled the chuckle that grew in his chest and watched as she gave her presentation to the men. Han’na noticed Tora staring and blushed slightly before looking away as she began to explain her job to the men. She explained how any photo shoots would now be set up through communication between herself and their manager. Also, she said, that since she was a model herself she might occasionally be taking part in the different programs as an extra. She also explained how she would be now working with Ali on the release of any and all material they released. The men all bowed their head politely when she finished, and she turned to Ali expecting question. The older woman merely nodded her head and pushed a large folder across the table at the young girl.
“This is what we’re working on now… any input would be appreciated.”
“Hai~ I received some of this material already and brought my suggestions for the advertising in this folder…”
Han’na took the folder offered to her and sat another down in front of the manager. She watched hesitantly as the older woman flipped through the folder and nodded. She took out a pencil and made notes occasionally but after a few minutes she set the folder down and smiled.
“This all looks fantastic. I look forward to working with you more. Now then, since we are officially done here I’d like to request that Han’na be allowed to spend time getting to know the band personally so that she can know what to expect…”
The President took the hint and stood to leave, gesturing at both Gackt and Ren who looked disdainfully at the man and stayed seated. Realizing he had been dismissed he merely shrugged and left the room. Once the door had shut behind him Han’na literally felt her knees give out from beneath her. She clung to the table for support and before anyone could react Tora was out of his chair and supported her to her own chair. As he fussed over her, oblivious to the audience they had, Gackt covered up a chuckle and Ren simply smirked. All of Alice Nine stared in shock at their normally shy and cool headed guitarist and Ali leaned her head against the table with a groan. Saga threw his arm around her shoulder comfortingly and Gackt leaned in to whisper to her.
“If it makes you feel better… She’s a very professional young woman and I treat her much like I treat you~”
Ali looked up at the man’s mirthful grin and sighed again, resting her head on the table. Meanwhile Tora was looking at Han’na carefully, making sure she was indeed alright. Only after she had assured him several times that it was just mild exhaustion did he take a few steps back. He leaned against the edge of the table and sighed softly, watching her closely. It was only when he heard a very familiar throat clear that he turned and saw that everyone was watching him closely. He opened his mouth to speak but Han’na beat him to it.
“Tora-san and I met the other day in the park by chance, and he was kind enough to go surfing with me… I happened to fall on the way back to my car and he took care of me. He was just worried that I had not rested properly.”
Ali raised an eyebrow at the story. She could tell that the young girl was speaking the truth but she could also tell that there were obviously parts of the story that were being left out. She simply sighed and looked to Tora who looked away shrugging his shoulders slightly. Not wanting to deal with anything, Ali merely sighed and let the matter drop. She invited Han’na to come to rehearsals some time, after she had fully recovered. The young girl bowed her head slightly and stood shakily to bow to everyone before letting Ren support her as they left. As the three were leaving the building she felt her phone vibrate in her jacket pocket and pulled it out to check it. The messages made her smile softly, since she had passed each of the men a business card with her cell number on it.
H: Hi hi~ It’s Hiroto! I just wanted to say it was great meeting you and I look forward to working together ^^
S: Shou here~ Pleased to meet you today. Do come to rehearsals soon~
N:Nao desu… Please feel better and come to rehearsal soon! Tell me when and I’ll bring coffee!!
Sa: Yo~ This is Saga… Nice to meet you and hopefully we’ll see more of you ;)
She chuckled at the messages and sent a similar reply to all of them, thanking them for their kindness and assuring them that she would come to see them as soon as she was able. A few minutes after she sent the last message she received a longer one from an already familiar number.
I just wanted to check in on you. I’m sorry for being so obvious but I just can’t seem to help myself around you… In fact I can’t remember the last time I felt so strongly about anyone besides my bandmates… Mah I seem to be rambling… just call me later please?
She took a deep breath as she read the message a second time, not even realizing she had stopped in the middle of the lobby. She bit her lip and shook her head muttering ‘baka’ before glancing up at the two men waiting patiently for her to resume walking to their car. She sighed softly and walked with them and allowed them to help her into the car as she thought about everything that had happened in the last few days.
She spent the next few weeks working from her apartment on different photo designs since she couldn’t be filmed again until the scrapes had fully healed. Whenever she finished one design she would automatically begin to work on another, the only distraction from the work an occasional text from Tora asking how she was. She found herself being more and more honest with him as the time drug on. On one day, when she was struggling significantly she even told him that her day was going terribly. He surprised her that evening by showing up with dinner. Finally the day had come when she was fully recovered, and as such it was her first day going to hear the men rehearse. She made her way to the recording studio early that day and handed the completed folder of designs over to Ali for any criticism. The older woman however had nothing but good things to say as she looked over the material.
“Wow… You really have an eye for know what angle suits each of the guys best. I’m guessing you watched some of the pvs to get an idea?”
“Un~ I watched them all up to the most recent ones and then I also took my observation from our meeting a few weeks ago.”
Ali nodded impressed and gestured to the couch telling her that the others would be showing up over the next hour, so she could feel free to make herself comfortable. As she was leaving she asked if the girl drank coffee, and she received a nod as well as a thank you in advance. After the manager had left, Han’na collapsed onto the couch and curled up in the corner exhausted from all the work she had been doing. She was asleep when Tora pushed open the door quietly looking around the room for Ali. He was mildly surprised to see her gone, but after glancing at the time he realized she was probably getting coffee. As he shut the door behind him Han’na stirred slightly on the couch and he looked over in surprise. With a sigh he set his bag down and walked over. He picked her up carefully and sat down in the corner of the couch with her held against his chest. She merely snuggled closer once he sat and soon the two of them had both fallen asleep on the couch.
Nao bounced into the rehearsal room ahead of Hiroto and Shou but stopped dead in the doorway causing the other two to run into him. They were about to protest when he pointed to the couch and they all stared in shock as they quietly made their way into the room. A few minutes later each of their significant others walked in laughing softly amongst themselves. The three women stopped and stared at the pair on the couch surprised as well but simply shrugged it off and walked over to talk quietly with their partners. An hour after she had left Ali came into the room with Saga, hand in hand with her husband. She nearly spit out the coffee she was drinking when she saw the sight before them. Instead she groaned softly and walked over to the table, setting her coffee down to look at the oblivious couple. She looked up as Saga came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Why the hell do I always find out last? I swear you all are trying to kill me…”
He simply chuckled and told her that he was fairly sure that they all found out last this time which earned him a glare. After a few minutes Tora yawned and looked down at the girl still passed out on his chest with a grin. It was when he heard a throat being cleared that he jerked his head to the side and groaned softly. Ali was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her and an inquisitive look directed at him. He heard a soft yawn and felt the young girl stretch her arms up around his neck as she buried her face against him. This gesture earned chuckles from nearly everyone in the room as Tora blushed brightly. Hearing the chuckles Han’na drew back and looked at him fearfully. He nodded slightly and she let out a yelp burying her face against his chest in embarrassment. The other found this to be adorable and soon a chorus of laughter could be heard across the room. Ali cleared her throat and spoke softly.
“I brought you some coffee Han’na… It’s here on the table”
The other girl stiffened and finally drew away from the guitarists’ safe hold and looked around the room at everyone. All around, she was met by smiling faces and encouraging glances. She blushed brightly and stood up awkwardly, bowing low in apology. Ali sighed softly and waved off the apology, gesturing for her to come drink the coffee. She walked shyly over to the table and picked up the cup gently. She took a sip and couldn’t help but smile at the sweet treat.
“Now then… Just a few rules that I’m sure you are well aware of but I have to be fair to the others and tell you anyway. Number one: keep it private please. Around us it’s fine but minimize publicity as much as possible. Number two: think of everyone here as family… if you need anything come to us and number three: try not to break his heart… Because lord knows I have enough to take care of and not have to deal with mopey musicians.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle softly and nod to each of the rules. When she glanced up again she was met by a gentle smile from the older woman. After that introductions were made and soon she was welcomed by everyone. She seemed slightly distant but the other quickly realized that was because she was shy. She would blush anytime someone mentioned her relationship with the older man, and soon it became a game to see who could make her blush the most. Ali won effectively when she asked the young girl if she and guitarist had slept together yet. Her beet red face, and stuttering denial was enough to send everyone into a fit of laughter as Tora stood up and pulled her away from them all glaring.
“Ok! That’s enough… You’ve all had your fun now leave the poor girl alone for crying out loud. We haven’t slept together, not that it’s anyone’s business so I’d appreciate it if you would butt out.”
Everyone was shocked at the speech and looked slightly abashed at their behavior. Ali rubbed the back of her neck and apologized to the both of them. She knew that Tora was naturally a calm person so it took a lot for him to act rashly. She also knew how much it sucked to be teased about such matters. She apologized again to Han’na who merely shrugged from behind Tora’s protective hold around her. The young woman smiled slightly around the room and spoke up, in a clear but soft voice.
“I don’t mind teasing and all…. But I like to keep my personal life private. Being a model, it’s especially hard which is why I live in a penthouse that Gackt-san personally chose for me… it’s easier than dealing with publicity…”
The others nodded in agreement and Ali smiled at the girl’s down to earth nature. She was quite literally a perfect match for their calm guitarist. The pair continued to keep their relationship quiet from everyone. Even when the others would kiss or play around when it was just them the most the little model could be seen doing was leaning her head against the tall guitarist. In fact if they hadn’t known better the others might have believed that nothing was going on between them. However there were bound to be moments where the façade would break. Unfortunately it happened at their photo shoot, fortunately there was no one around who might leak the delicate information.
She and Tora had been together for several months, and besides seeing each other privately on the weekends or whenever they had free time, their relationship could only be classified as a cordial friendship. But she alone knew the possessive, dangerous side of him; a side that not only thrilled her but made her feel safe. However she had no clue that the members of the band would arrive in the middle of her shooting with another artist. The pictures had started simple enough but when it came to this spazzy man she knew that in the end it would wind up being almost too risqué to print. It was at that point, when she was uncomfortably shoved up against the wall, feeling his breathe against her neck as he fought the urge to push him away that the band showed up. She was shaking as the photographer started shooting the last roll and the artist gave her an apologetic look before turning on his charm. He knew her well enough to know that she was uncomfortable with this, but also knew the photographer would bitch if he didn’t get his way. So as his wife looked on bemusedly he prayed that the shoot would finish as quickly as she did. But it wasn’t soon enough. He saw the sudden fear in her eyes, and noticed the tensing in her muscles as voices of his kouhai could be heard from the back of the room.
Their voices died out as they came into the room and stared at the scene in front of them. It took all of maybe two seconds for Saga to wrap his arms tightly around Tora who was glaring daggers at their senpai. They listened as the photographer counted down the photos, Tora strugging against their hold more and more until he finally broke free of them, pushing the startled photographer out of the way right as the last shot was taken. He shoved the other man away from her hard, sending him stumbling against the bed prop and took her trembling into his arms. Even as he cupped her face gently and forced her to look at him he could feel his anger. She could only gasp when Tora broke free, giving Miyavi barely enough time to brace himself as the younger musician shoved him hard out of the way and took the little girl into his arms. He let out a breathy chuckle and stared up at the fuming guitarist. With a look of apology he held his hands up as a sign of truce. Only after a few minutes did the guitarist cool down, after being thoroughly kissed and distracted by the little model. Letting out a low whistle as they parted soft laughter and clapping could be heard all around. She felt her face burning bright red, but she looked up at the abashed guitarist and brushed a lock of hair from his face.
“You are so damn sexy when you get like that.”
With a strangled chuckle he hugged her gently, glancing up to apologize to the other guitarist but was met by a laughing stare. He felt his face turn red as the man made a face and he simply sighed, looking at the other’s wife thankfully when she walked over and smacked his head for fooling around.
“You know how he is Tora-san, don’t let him bother you any.”
“And don’t worry about me~ you know I was just nearly mauled by a rabid Tiger if his keeper hadn’t been here…”
Tora let out a soft involuntary growl, which made the other practically giggle gleefully as he danced around saying ‘I told you I could make him angrier!!’ With a sigh he realized that the other was simply teasing him and finally let go of his anger. He picked up the little model and held her close, not surprised that she had actually fallen asleep leaning against him. As he turned he saw Ali trying to bang her head against the nearest solid object, Saga laughing too hard with the others to stop her and Ren simply holding her in place with a hand on her shoulder. With a sigh he simply shrugged and walked back towards their dressing room. They were all early for once so they had at least 30 minutes before any of them had to be in the makeup chair. So he decided that he would use that time to let Han’na relax. As he stretched out on the long couch in the room, her snuggled against his chest he started to think about how strange things could be.
The photoshoot went off without a hitch and though there would be gratuitous teasing for both of them to endure it simply enforced the idea that they were not only loved and supported by their friends. But that they loved and wanted to support each other. That wasn’t to say either one was ready in any way to consider marriage or engagement, but they were simply happy.