Arashi: Red Shift (04)
FANDOM: Arashi
PAIRING: Sakuraiba
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 1,578
DATE: January 12, 2010
NOTES: I don't own Arashi, nor do I know much about them - this fic is entirely AU and fictional. This is for arashic0804!
Chapter Three | Chapter Five
CHAPTER FOUR
FRIDAY EVENING
Whatever they did during their weekend off, it worked. Yamanaka-san was pleased to find that the band seemed to be working with Sho, and on occasion were even friendly with the pop star. By the end of the week, they had achieved more than the two previous weeks put together.
Red Shift was a talented band, he knew. Jun’s lyrics were simple, and yet somehow they always manage to strike a chord in him, which was how he had known that Red Shift’s audiences would feel the same. Aiba’s bass was simply remarkably addictive, and he had no doubt that it was one of the reasons they did so well in live shows. Knowing this, Nino always wrote songs that had strong, catchy bass lines. Ninomiya’s songwriting was not spectacular - yet - but it was definitely unique. Ohno was not as flashy as his bandmates, nor his talents as noticeable, but it was his steady beats that kept the rest of the band together, which was just as important. He had worked with bands much more talented than Red Shift that never made it past their first single because they weren’t grounded enough, and with Ohno Satoshi, he doubted that this band would have the same trouble.
As they were, Yamanaka-san thought, Red Shift would be more than good enough to succeed with rock fans. But with Sakurai Sho’s arrangements, Red Shift would be able to gather a larger audience.
Yamanaka-san had a feeling that Red Shift was going to be one of his favourite (and best) bands to work with.
“All right, we’ll stop here for now,” he told the band. “I think we’ve progressed a lot. What are you doing this weekend?”
“Not being cooped up together in one house,” Jun answered, grinning. He waved goodbye at Aiba, who had practically flew out the door the moment Yamanaka-san said ‘all right.’ “After working all day every day in a small room, I’m guessing we’re sick of each other’s ugly faces for now.”
“My mom’s birthday is this weekend, so I’m going to my parents’ place to celebrate,” Nino said. “Sunday, 3pm. You guys can come; she’ll love to see you again,” he said to Ohno and Jun.
“I’ll try to make it,” Ohno said in reply. “Any ideas on what she’d like as a gift?”
“Well -”
Leaving them to their conversation, Yamanaka-san turned to Sho. “See you in the studio tomorrow morning then, okay?” He waved goodbye and left.
“What was that about?” Jun asked Sho, curious.
Sho smiled. “Red Shift is a side project for me, if you remember. I still haven’t finished recording my new single, which I’m working on with Yamanaka-san tomorrow.” As Jun nodded, Sho turned to Nino. “Um, Nino. Does your mom know we’re working together?”
Nino shrugged. “I haven’t told her.”
“Oh.” Sho looked downcast, but tried to hide it - not well enough, because Jun could easily tell he was disappointed. “Well. Please send her my best, okay? Tell her I haven’t forgotten her great cooking.”
“You know Nino’s mom?” Ohno asked Sho.
“Sure. We went to high school together,” Sho replied. “I think I spent more time at Nino’s than at my own home back then. I was probably half in love with Nino’s mom; her food was the best ever.”
“Why don’t you come too, then?” Jun asked. “I’m sure she’ll love to see you again.” Nino’s mother always liked it when the house was full of people, as far as he knew.
“I don’t think he has the time,” Nino said, glaring at Jun. “He’s got work this weekend.”
“Actually -” Sho started to say, before he noticed Nino’s expression. He continued, “Nino’s right. I have work to do, unfortunately. Please tell her I said hi, though.”
When Sho had left, Jun and Ohno looked at Nino.
“What?”
“Why are you so mean to him?” Ohno asked.
“Why didn’t you tell us you went to school with Sakurai Sho?” Jun asked.
“Because you didn’t ask, and even if you did, it’s none of your business.” Nino answered. “And because he’s an idiot from the past who should stay in the past.” He stormed out.
Ohno and Jun looked at each other. Jun looked frustrated; Ohno looked perplexed. Finally, Ohno asked Jun, “Dinner?”
“Sure.”
As they left the building, Jun asked, “It’s your treat, right?”
Ohno laughed. “Okay.”
})i({
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
“Thanks for helping me shop, Aiba.”
“No problem,” Aiba said with an easy smile. “I needed to get a birthday present for Nino’s mom, too, and by shopping together we won’t end up getting her the same thing.” He lifted his shopping bag. “There’s a restaurant here that I love, do you want to have lunch together?”
“Jun said he’s going to cook lunch today, since I treated him for dinner last night,” Ohno said with a guilty look. “I’m sorry, after all I was the one who invited you out.”
“It’s fine. I just suddenly felt like eating out, is all.”
“Do you want to come over?”
“No, it’s okay. I probably need to bring back some takeaway for Nino anyway, or he’ll end up gaming the whole day without eating. He bought a new game on the way home yesterday, and he’s been at it all night.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow, then.”
Aiba walked to the small family restaurant he discovered a few days ago. One of these days, he would bring the rest of the band there, he decided. When he reached the restaurant, he was still debating whether to just buy takeaway food for both himself and Nino, or to eat there first before going home.
The waitress that greeted him was the same one that served him the last time he was there, so he gave her a familiar smile. “Kazue-san,” he said, remembering her name. “How are you?”
She smiled brightly. “I’m so excited - guess what, Sakurai Sho is dining here!” She said the last part in an excited whisper, not wanting to alert other bypassers. Her boss had told her to keep it quiet that Sakurai-san occasionally dines at their restaurant, but the last time she talked to Aiba, he was very friendly to her and she felt like she had to share the news with someone.
“Eh?” Aiba asked, startled. “Sho-chan’s here?” He walked in without waiting for an answer, and saw for himself. The small restaurant was full, and noisy. If he didn’t know where Sho was sitting, all he would have to do was look at the other diners, who kept glancing over at the pop star’s table.
Sho was laughing. Aiba could only see him from behind, but he knew that Sho was laughing. Aiba could see the woman sitting opposite Sho very clearly - she was pretty, in a tomboy-ish way. Her hair was cropped short, and she did not wear any make-up. She was dressed in a plain t-shirt and torn jeans, and yet Aiba had never seen anyone look more elegant.
The last time he had seen her, she had long straight hair, and a girlish - if still frank - manner, but Aiba remembered her.
When she noticed Aiba staring at her, her eyes lit up and she waved over at him. “Aiba-kun!” she exclaimed. Her voice was still as loud as he remembered. “It’s Aiba-kun, right? What a small world! Come on over!”
He saw Sho’s shoulders stiffen, and he saw the hesitation before Sho turned to look in his direction. He wanted to leave right away, but he forced himself to walk towards the couple.
“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it, Michiyo-san,” he said politely. He nodded to Sho. “Sho-ch..” he trailed off, not knowing what to call Sho now.
“The restaurant is pretty full right now, you want to sit with us?” Michiyo asked.
“That’s all right,” Aiba said. “I’m just going to order takeaway.”
“Well, sit with us until your order arrive, then! It’s pretty amazing to just bump into you like this; how many years has it been, I wonder?” Her hands gestured wildly as she talked, as she tended to do when excited. “Sho told me that you guys are working together again.”
Aiba stared at her gesturing hands, unable to look at either her or Sho in the face. “Um, that’s okay,” he finally said. “The place looks really busy, so I’ll probably order from somewhere else. I’ve got to go. It’s - been great to meet you, Michiyo-san. It’s great that the two of you are still together, too.” He left hurriedly, despite hearing Michiyo calling his name.
He went straight home, forgetting about lunch. When he unlocked the front door, he could hear the sound from Nino’s game indoors.
})i({
Nino paused his game when he heard Aiba at the door. He had called Ohno and Jun’s apartment to ask about lunch, but Ohno told him that Aiba was going to bring him takeaway.
“You surely took your time,” he complained, as Aiba walked in. “I’m really hungry already.” He looked up and saw Aiba’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, getting up.
Aiba just stood for awhile, trying to calm down. “I’m sorry, I forgot to get food.”
“That’s all right,” Nino said, hurrying towards his best friend. “We could go out. Or order in,” he amended, noticing that Aiba didn’t look eager to leave the house again. “What’s wrong?”
Aiba’s words were barely a whisper, but Nino heard him clearly.
“Sho-chan’s... engaged.”
~to be continued~
Chapter Three | Chapter Five
Notes:
I wrote this in a hurry - started and finished it this morning, right after I finished packing my bags - so there will probably be a million and one mistakes. I apologise for that.
I'm going to be in Singapore until Friday, so it will be awhile until my next update, which is why I wanted to post Chapter 4 as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy this one!
PAIRING: Sakuraiba
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 1,578
DATE: January 12, 2010
NOTES: I don't own Arashi, nor do I know much about them - this fic is entirely AU and fictional. This is for arashic0804!
Chapter Three | Chapter Five
CHAPTER FOUR
FRIDAY EVENING
Whatever they did during their weekend off, it worked. Yamanaka-san was pleased to find that the band seemed to be working with Sho, and on occasion were even friendly with the pop star. By the end of the week, they had achieved more than the two previous weeks put together.
Red Shift was a talented band, he knew. Jun’s lyrics were simple, and yet somehow they always manage to strike a chord in him, which was how he had known that Red Shift’s audiences would feel the same. Aiba’s bass was simply remarkably addictive, and he had no doubt that it was one of the reasons they did so well in live shows. Knowing this, Nino always wrote songs that had strong, catchy bass lines. Ninomiya’s songwriting was not spectacular - yet - but it was definitely unique. Ohno was not as flashy as his bandmates, nor his talents as noticeable, but it was his steady beats that kept the rest of the band together, which was just as important. He had worked with bands much more talented than Red Shift that never made it past their first single because they weren’t grounded enough, and with Ohno Satoshi, he doubted that this band would have the same trouble.
As they were, Yamanaka-san thought, Red Shift would be more than good enough to succeed with rock fans. But with Sakurai Sho’s arrangements, Red Shift would be able to gather a larger audience.
Yamanaka-san had a feeling that Red Shift was going to be one of his favourite (and best) bands to work with.
“All right, we’ll stop here for now,” he told the band. “I think we’ve progressed a lot. What are you doing this weekend?”
“Not being cooped up together in one house,” Jun answered, grinning. He waved goodbye at Aiba, who had practically flew out the door the moment Yamanaka-san said ‘all right.’ “After working all day every day in a small room, I’m guessing we’re sick of each other’s ugly faces for now.”
“My mom’s birthday is this weekend, so I’m going to my parents’ place to celebrate,” Nino said. “Sunday, 3pm. You guys can come; she’ll love to see you again,” he said to Ohno and Jun.
“I’ll try to make it,” Ohno said in reply. “Any ideas on what she’d like as a gift?”
“Well -”
Leaving them to their conversation, Yamanaka-san turned to Sho. “See you in the studio tomorrow morning then, okay?” He waved goodbye and left.
“What was that about?” Jun asked Sho, curious.
Sho smiled. “Red Shift is a side project for me, if you remember. I still haven’t finished recording my new single, which I’m working on with Yamanaka-san tomorrow.” As Jun nodded, Sho turned to Nino. “Um, Nino. Does your mom know we’re working together?”
Nino shrugged. “I haven’t told her.”
“Oh.” Sho looked downcast, but tried to hide it - not well enough, because Jun could easily tell he was disappointed. “Well. Please send her my best, okay? Tell her I haven’t forgotten her great cooking.”
“You know Nino’s mom?” Ohno asked Sho.
“Sure. We went to high school together,” Sho replied. “I think I spent more time at Nino’s than at my own home back then. I was probably half in love with Nino’s mom; her food was the best ever.”
“Why don’t you come too, then?” Jun asked. “I’m sure she’ll love to see you again.” Nino’s mother always liked it when the house was full of people, as far as he knew.
“I don’t think he has the time,” Nino said, glaring at Jun. “He’s got work this weekend.”
“Actually -” Sho started to say, before he noticed Nino’s expression. He continued, “Nino’s right. I have work to do, unfortunately. Please tell her I said hi, though.”
When Sho had left, Jun and Ohno looked at Nino.
“What?”
“Why are you so mean to him?” Ohno asked.
“Why didn’t you tell us you went to school with Sakurai Sho?” Jun asked.
“Because you didn’t ask, and even if you did, it’s none of your business.” Nino answered. “And because he’s an idiot from the past who should stay in the past.” He stormed out.
Ohno and Jun looked at each other. Jun looked frustrated; Ohno looked perplexed. Finally, Ohno asked Jun, “Dinner?”
“Sure.”
As they left the building, Jun asked, “It’s your treat, right?”
Ohno laughed. “Okay.”
})i({
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
“Thanks for helping me shop, Aiba.”
“No problem,” Aiba said with an easy smile. “I needed to get a birthday present for Nino’s mom, too, and by shopping together we won’t end up getting her the same thing.” He lifted his shopping bag. “There’s a restaurant here that I love, do you want to have lunch together?”
“Jun said he’s going to cook lunch today, since I treated him for dinner last night,” Ohno said with a guilty look. “I’m sorry, after all I was the one who invited you out.”
“It’s fine. I just suddenly felt like eating out, is all.”
“Do you want to come over?”
“No, it’s okay. I probably need to bring back some takeaway for Nino anyway, or he’ll end up gaming the whole day without eating. He bought a new game on the way home yesterday, and he’s been at it all night.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow, then.”
Aiba walked to the small family restaurant he discovered a few days ago. One of these days, he would bring the rest of the band there, he decided. When he reached the restaurant, he was still debating whether to just buy takeaway food for both himself and Nino, or to eat there first before going home.
The waitress that greeted him was the same one that served him the last time he was there, so he gave her a familiar smile. “Kazue-san,” he said, remembering her name. “How are you?”
She smiled brightly. “I’m so excited - guess what, Sakurai Sho is dining here!” She said the last part in an excited whisper, not wanting to alert other bypassers. Her boss had told her to keep it quiet that Sakurai-san occasionally dines at their restaurant, but the last time she talked to Aiba, he was very friendly to her and she felt like she had to share the news with someone.
“Eh?” Aiba asked, startled. “Sho-chan’s here?” He walked in without waiting for an answer, and saw for himself. The small restaurant was full, and noisy. If he didn’t know where Sho was sitting, all he would have to do was look at the other diners, who kept glancing over at the pop star’s table.
Sho was laughing. Aiba could only see him from behind, but he knew that Sho was laughing. Aiba could see the woman sitting opposite Sho very clearly - she was pretty, in a tomboy-ish way. Her hair was cropped short, and she did not wear any make-up. She was dressed in a plain t-shirt and torn jeans, and yet Aiba had never seen anyone look more elegant.
The last time he had seen her, she had long straight hair, and a girlish - if still frank - manner, but Aiba remembered her.
When she noticed Aiba staring at her, her eyes lit up and she waved over at him. “Aiba-kun!” she exclaimed. Her voice was still as loud as he remembered. “It’s Aiba-kun, right? What a small world! Come on over!”
He saw Sho’s shoulders stiffen, and he saw the hesitation before Sho turned to look in his direction. He wanted to leave right away, but he forced himself to walk towards the couple.
“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it, Michiyo-san,” he said politely. He nodded to Sho. “Sho-ch..” he trailed off, not knowing what to call Sho now.
“The restaurant is pretty full right now, you want to sit with us?” Michiyo asked.
“That’s all right,” Aiba said. “I’m just going to order takeaway.”
“Well, sit with us until your order arrive, then! It’s pretty amazing to just bump into you like this; how many years has it been, I wonder?” Her hands gestured wildly as she talked, as she tended to do when excited. “Sho told me that you guys are working together again.”
Aiba stared at her gesturing hands, unable to look at either her or Sho in the face. “Um, that’s okay,” he finally said. “The place looks really busy, so I’ll probably order from somewhere else. I’ve got to go. It’s - been great to meet you, Michiyo-san. It’s great that the two of you are still together, too.” He left hurriedly, despite hearing Michiyo calling his name.
He went straight home, forgetting about lunch. When he unlocked the front door, he could hear the sound from Nino’s game indoors.
})i({
Nino paused his game when he heard Aiba at the door. He had called Ohno and Jun’s apartment to ask about lunch, but Ohno told him that Aiba was going to bring him takeaway.
“You surely took your time,” he complained, as Aiba walked in. “I’m really hungry already.” He looked up and saw Aiba’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, getting up.
Aiba just stood for awhile, trying to calm down. “I’m sorry, I forgot to get food.”
“That’s all right,” Nino said, hurrying towards his best friend. “We could go out. Or order in,” he amended, noticing that Aiba didn’t look eager to leave the house again. “What’s wrong?”
Aiba’s words were barely a whisper, but Nino heard him clearly.
“Sho-chan’s... engaged.”
~to be continued~
Chapter Three | Chapter Five
Notes:
I wrote this in a hurry - started and finished it this morning, right after I finished packing my bags - so there will probably be a million and one mistakes. I apologise for that.
I'm going to be in Singapore until Friday, so it will be awhile until my next update, which is why I wanted to post Chapter 4 as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy this one!