{FANFICTION} Tomorrow's Way (Chapter 5)
TITLE: Tomorrow's Way Chapter 5
PAIRING: PiDa (Yamashita Tomohisa/Ueda Tatsuya), some RyoDa, Akame.
RATING: PG (swearing)
SUMMARY: Ueda Tatsuya was nothing. Nothing, until Yamashita Tomohisa helped him fit in. He found him a band; he found him friends. This is the story of their rise to the top - the music, the troubles faced, the bonds formed.
GENRE: Fluff, maybe a little angst, romance. AU.
DISCLAIMER: Do not own. I don't even own the title - it belongs to YUI.
A/N: First multichapter fic~
A.N 2: This chapter is dedicated to ms_pao_pao for the band name, Ryo's little spat at the name "Butterfly", and for giving me brownies. I like brownies. (And for the lovely rambling comments which always make my day).
The next Saturday, Ueda nervously waited for the rest of the band to appear. He and Yamashita had practiced every afternoon, and he wanted to show everyone what he had learnt. He was quite proud of himself. He had finally understood what Kato had wanted of him, and even though he had taken it rather personally at first, Yamashita had helped him.
Yamashita threw him a massive smile as he walked in first. "Hey. You ready for today?" Ueda nodded enthusiastically. "Good. I can't wait to hear you with Jin. My voice is terrible."
"No, it's n--"
"Yeah, it really is," Yamashita laughed. "Hey, Jin, isn't my singing terrible?"
Jin, who had just walked in, nodded. "Yeah, it is," he said, and shuddered dramatically. Yamashita hit him.
Kamenashi was the next to arrive, then Nishikido, and then Kato, smile large on his face.
"So, did we learn those songs?"
"Yes, teacher, we did," Kamenashi said, smiling. "Where's Koki?"
"Ah, he texted me and said he couldn't come today," Jin said, busying himself with his microphone. "So we'll be drummer-less today."
Kato groaned. "Damn! I needed him to be here today!" He sighed, and gingerly sat down on an armchair.
"Calm down - we'll just practice to ourselves or something. Or, you know, Jin could actually learn the lyrics," Kamenashi said, earning a glare from Jin.
"We actually had good news to share, didn't we, Yamapi?" Kato said, and Yamashita nodded.
"We totally got you guys a gig."
"You what?" Jin asked, almost dropping his microphone. Yamashita smiled at the astonished faces surrounding him.
"It's just a small thing at Koyama's bar," he said. "But it's a start."
"Are you serious?" Kamenashi asked, looking between Kato and Yamashita. "When?"
Kato chuckled. "Next Friday night. I'm gonna have to ask you guys to come back here during the week to practice, if that's alright." The group nodded.
"Pi, that's...that's fantastic. Thankyou so much," Jin said, hugging his friend. Kato coughed.
"Uh, I do believe that I am your manager, Jin," he said.
"Yes, but you're not my best friend," Jin retorted, and they both smirked.
"Nicely played."
As the others talked excitedly, Ueda was panicking inside. It would be amazing to finally perform their songs in front of others... but it was too soon. He wasn't ready; what if he messed up; what if he did something stupid; what if...
His thoughts were thankfully interrupted by Nishikido, who stood next to him, leaning against the wall. "Breathe, Bambi." Ueda took a deep intake of air, and looked sideways at him. "You okay?" Ueda nodded.
They stood in silence for a while, watching everyone else talk happily. "You're nervous?" Nishikido asked, and Ueda nodded again. "Don't worry, everyone is. We're just happy that we get to perform. We get to show you off this time," he said, smirking. Ueda smiled.
>>><<<
They practiced that Wednesday, all nerves and shaky breaths. Jin had written to Koki, telling him the good news. He came in with a beautiful, wrinkly smile on his face, hugging the nearest person he could reach.
Ueda struggled at first, but eventually calmed down. He even managed to bring his own arms up to hug Koki back, as he swayed back and forth happily. Koki did eventually let Ueda go, patting him on the back whilst beaming at Kato.
"Way to go, Shige!" He said, bouncing over to him.
Kato laughed. "Calm down, Koki. You've still got to practice. Why weren't you there on Saturday? You know that's our rehearsal day," he asked from what was now his armchair.
"I just wasn't feeling too good," Koki answered with a little smile, "I didn't feel like throwing up all over Kame."
"Oh, why me?" Kamenashi complained, whilst the others laughed.
Ueda was the only one to see Koki turn away, smile dropping from his face momentarily. It was quickly replaced with a new one.
Ueda was distracted by Nishikido, who was standing at Jin's microphone and repeatedly calling his name. The rest of the band were already in place; they just needed him.
Ueda hurried to his spot, flinging the strap of his guitar around him and throwing a sheepish smile to Jin, who laughed. Kato told them which songs to practice; they only had about fifteen minutes onstage that Friday, so they could only have a few songs. They had previously decided on a list; the very first song Ueda had practiced with them being one of them.
Yamashita smiled at him encouragingly as he started to play. He knew how hard Ueda had tried that week. He was there when he had a small breakdown; he was there when his face lit up when he discovered that he could do it.
Yamashita wasn't sure what he was feeling when Ueda stepped up to sing with Jin. In that moment, Ueda locked eyes with him and smiled, still a little uncertainly, and his stomach twisted upon itself. It was an unsure feeling, as if it shouldn't really be there, but was there nonetheless.
Yamashita laughed at the looks the rest of the band were giving Ueda as he sung. Looks of utter astonishment. Kato was smiling widely, giving Ueda a thumbs up. Ueda beamed.
Yamashita had to get out of there.
He quickly bundled up his belongings, and rushed out, ignoring the calls and worried glances. He knew now what was happening; what he was feeling. And he was right - it shouldn't be there. This wasn't meant to be felt for friends. This wasn't right.
He jumped into his car, starting it as fast as he could and turning up the volume on the radio as far as it would go, as if bursting his eardrums would make him feel differently.
It didn't.
The rest of the band threw anxious glances at each other, but continued to play. Kato, who had leapt up as Yamashita ran out of the room, slowly sat back down, eyebrows furrowed. He gestured at the band to speed things up - they had slowed considerably, to the point that they were playing the right notes, but not in sync.
During Nishikido's guitar solo, Jin turned to Ueda, worry evident behind his deep brown eyes. Ueda just shrugged, even though he was concerned himself, and focused on playing his guitar. Jin slowly turned back to his microphone, obviously still thinking about his best friend.
"Alright Jin, you call Yamapi. The rest of you take a break and then we'll continue on with the next song," Kato said. Jin threw him a thankful look, and dashed out of the studio.
Kamenashi came up to Ueda as he downed a glass of water. "Hey, Ueda...is there something going on with Yamapi that we don't know about?" he asked.
Ueda's eyebrows knitted together. "Not that I know..."
Kamenashi nodded in understanding, then turned to lean against the wall. "You know, Ryo came into the store last night..."
Ueda turned to look at the other. "Really?" Kamenashi nodded, thoughtful.
"I don't know why. He just came in, looked around a bit, shook his head, and left," he said, casting a look at Nishikido, who was calmly reading the music notes and strumming his guitar softly.
"He...did that the other day, too," Ueda said, before Kamenashi could leave. Kamenashi shot him a look, mulling over the information in his head. "Except that he didn't look around. He just walked in, mumbled something, then left."
"That's odd... do you think he's got a girlfriend or something?" Kamenashi asked, eyes still firmly on the strangely peaceful figure and his guitar.
"I wouldn't know," Ueda said, with a short laugh. Kamenashi smiled. "You...have a girlfriend, though, don't you?"
Kamenashi's face suddenly darkened, much to Ueda's surprise. "Yes," he answered shortly. "Let's not talk about that, okay? It makes Jin... upset." Ueda nodded, slightly confused, but he dropped the subject.
"Alright, guys, let's get started - we need to think of a name," Kato said, as Jin walked back in.
"Is Yamapi alright?" Koki asked.
Jin nodded. "Yeah, he just...had something to do," he said, looking straight at Ueda, with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Guys!" Kato said forcefully, and they all looked at him. "You don't have a band name. What are they gonna introduce you all as?"
Ueda hadn't even noticed that they didn't have a name.
They sat in a wide circle, throwing random words and phrases at each other. Many names came about, but none of them seemed to fit. Jin was adamant that they call themselves after some form of vegetable, because apparently all the 'cool' bands were named after food. He didn't get very far in his explanation before he had a pillow thrown in his face, and a very satisfied-looking Kato on the opposite side of the circle.
"What about an animal?" Koki suggested.
"Like 'The Elephant Shrew's'?" Jin said, and fell over laughing. Kamenashi, who was sitting closest, hit him.
"Something from 'Bambi'?" Nishikido suggested, grinning widely. Jin snorted from his place on the floor.
"What about 'Butterfly'?" Kamenashi said, as Jin sat back up again.
"'Butterfly'? What the hell are we, high school girls?" Nishikido spat.
"'Le Ciel'."
The group turned toward Ueda, who had been quietly thinking the whole time. "What?"
"Le Ciel," he repeated. "It's French."
"For what?" Kamenashi asked, eyes wide. "Because it sounds beautiful."
"The sky," Ueda said.
"Guys... I think we just got ourselves a name."
>>><<<
That Friday rolled around quicker than any of them had expected. Jin had driven them all to the bar in his van, the six of them squashed between Koki's drums and Kamenashi's bass. Yamashita had said that he would meet them there, according to Jin; none of them had spoken or heard from him since he ran out.
The bar was small and empty, yet cosy. It had a faint smell of tobacco etched deep into the wooden floorboards and benches. The walls were of brick; and there were posters hung with tape over them. The stage was of an adequate size; there was another, larger poster hung up on the wall behind it. As Kato told them to wait, he walked through the bar, and out of another door, searching for Koyama.
As they waited, Ueda inspected the posters plastered all over the walls haphazardly. "What's that?" He asked to whoever was nearest him.
Nishikido was the one to answer. "That's a poster, Bambi."
Ueda sighed. "I know that..." Nishikido grinned, until Koki elbowed him out of the way.
"They're our posters," he said. Ueda looked at him. "Our band posters. What aren't you understanding, here?" Koki asked, as Ueda just stared at him blankly.
"That was fast, we only decided on a name a few days ago," he said.
"Yeah, well, Koki's a bit of a genius when it comes to computers. He did these on Thursday night," Jin explained, coming over to see what they were talking about.
The posters themselves were a deep blue colour. Cursive white font was beautifully placed on top of it, reading out their name. There were faint silhouettes of five people in the background, but had no particular features to tell them apart.
"I had to just made do with what I had - we haven't had any photos taken yet, so..." Koki said, embarrassed. Ueda smiled.
"They look amazing..."
"They're nothing compared to everyone elses'. Have you seen them?" Koki asked, smile fading from his face.
"Yes. I don't like them."
Koki's eyes crinkled up in another one of his beautiful, heartfelt smiles. "You're amazing, Ueda." Ueda grinned.
Kato came back, then, to tell them that they had to set up. It took many trips from the bar to the van and back again to collect Koki's drum kit, which had to be separated into many pieces.
A tall, lean man with ginger hair greeted them when they walked in again, laden with instruments. He had a happy, smiling face, with a sweet smile. His eyes sparkled with mirth as he reached over to steady Koki, who was about to topple over.
"Woah! Careful there, Koki," he said, and Koki smiled.
"Koyama! I haven't seen you in ages," he said, and gave the other a one-armed hug.
Ueda stood back as the tall man hugged the rest of the band, stopping as he reached Ueda.
"Ah, so you must be the new recruit, am I right?" he asked. Ueda nodded. "He's so cute!" Ueda felt embarrassed as he brought him in for a hug, and ruffled his hair. Nishikido put a hand on the others' arm.
"He's shy. Don't scare him," he said, lightly pulling the other off Ueda. Ueda shot him a thankful glance, but Nishikido didn't meet his eyes.
"Ah, sorry!"
Kamenashi laughed. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"
"You should talk," Jin said, earning himself an elbow in the stomach from Kamenashi.
Koyama was talking again, about where everyone was to be positioned and at what time they were playing. They were on after a few other bands, but nowhere near the end. Ueda felt his nerves resurfacing as he faced the stage. The stage that he would be performing on in a few hours.
"Don't worry - once you're up there, it's just you and the music."
Ueda whipped around, to a familiar smiling face. "Yamashita..."
"Thought I forgot about you?" he asked lightheartedly, moving around to hug Koyama.
"Pi! Are you alright?" Koki asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine; I just had something to do, that's all."
"Okay guys, why don't you go set up while Pi and I talk with Koyama," Kato said, and everyone moved off.
Ueda struggled under the weight of both his guitar and one of Koki's drums, and he could feel the drum slipping through his fingers. He awkwardly tried to balance the drum on his knee as he attempted to get a better grip, but the drum was quickly taken from him. He looked up, and saw Nishikido hurry off with it, practically throwing the instrument at Koki and shuffling off.
Kamenashi threw Ueda a puzzled look, which he returned. He busied himself with finding a place to set his guitar down, and then helped Jin with the soundcheck, feeling quite self-conscious whilst doing so. Koki was ever-present in the background, hitting random drums behind them to check how they sounded in the room. Nishikido was off near the bar, sitting on a stool and lazily plucking the strings on his guitar as he tuned it. Kamenashi was checking over his bass in a corner. Ueda had already tuned and fretted over his guitar obsessively, and he had to fight the urge to check it again.
Everything had to be perfect.
>>><<<
Ueda's nerves rose as the time ticked by. They had been informed by Koyama that they were playing for the opening of a new magazine; one which was targeted at young people. There were groups of people coming in - more musicians, looking put-out because of Koki's drumset; artists searching desperately for work; and the organiser herself.
Their little band sat in the corner of the room, huddled together in a tight circle. Ueda clung onto his guitar as if his life depended on it, throwing worried glances over towards the other bands, who were doing soundchecks of their own. There was another rock band, similar to their own; a couple of acoustic pairs; and one lone, unaccompanied singer. Koyama joined them soon, happily squeezing himself in next to Ueda and Kamenashi, and giving Ueda another toothy grin.
"Hello again," he said, and Ueda bowed his head slightly. Koyama turned to the rest of the group. "So, you guys are on first, in about fifteen minutes. You're playing four songs, right?" Kato nodded. "Fifteen minutes is all you guys have to show these people what you can do. I know you're great, but they don't. Good luck!" Koyama said, smiling at each and every one of them. "Also, great choice on the name. Whose idea was it?"
"Bambi's," Nishikido said, drawing symbols on the wooden floor with his fingers. Koyama threw him a confused glance.
"He means Ueda," Kato said. "I know - it took me a while to figure it out, too," he added, as Koyama raised his eyebrows at the name.
"Right. Well, it's a cool name. Better than anything we ever though out..."
"Koyama used to be in the band, too," Yamashita said, seeing Ueda's puzzled face. Koyama nodded.
"Used to be - I was pretty bad, though," Koyama said.
"No, you weren't," Koki piped up, but Koyama just waved a hand, and turned to Ueda.
"I didn't really have the time to practice or anything, so everything I ended up doing was halfhearted. It impacted on both me and the band. I'm studying at university at the moment, so I don't really have time for anything extra-curricular like the band. I used to play guitar, like you. So, I hope you've been looking after everyone for me," Koyama added, smiling kindly again. Ueda smiled back.
So that was why everyone kept mentioning the tall, lanky man. He had been a member of the band before him - Ueda himself had replaced him. Ueda had started feeling bad as soon as Koyama had mentioned playing guitar, but that soon disappeared as he saw his sweet smile. Koyama was the kind of person that you were forced into liking - it was impossible not to feel instantly comfortable around him.
Koyama left after a while, having been called over by the organiser. Ueda bent his head at an awkward angle to check Kamenashi's watch - they had seven minutes to go. Kamenashi had seen him crane his neck around from the corner of his eye, and looked at his watch.
"Guys, we should set up."
>>><<<
Ueda was shaking as he picked up his guitar. They were standing on the stage, quickly giving their instruments a final check. Jin stood near Kamenashi, reading the lyrics off a sheet of paper. He knew he couldn't forget them now. There was a large, ever-growing audience in front of them.
Ueda's hands were visibly trembling as he attempted to plug his guitar in. A darker hand covered his own, leading the plug to where it was meant to go. He looked up, into Yamashita's eyes.
"Wow, you're really freaking out," he said.
Ueda nodded. "I...I just hope I don't forget something, or freeze up, or--"
"Oh, nonsense. You'll be fine."
"That's what everyone keeps telling me, but--"
"Then maybe you should pay attention to them," Yamashita said, a tender tone in his voice. Ueda nodded again, slowly.
"Maybe."
"Look - to be honest, this isn't the biggest gig in the world. And you'll get other chances. So even if you do stuff up, it'll all work out in the end."
"Thankyou," Ueda mumbled, searching for something else to look at. Yamashita's deep brown eyes, although full of warmth, weren't helping him to stop shaking.
Yamashita smiled at him one last time. "Good luck," he whispered, and moved away, heading to the bar where he perched himself on a stool. He ordered a drink, and watched the band manouvre around each other on the stage.
Yamashita sighed. Being away from Ueda during that week was harder than he had thought. He had missed his soft voice; those wide brown eyes; that awkward shuffle of his feet as he walked. He had spent the entire week mulling over that one emotion inside of him. He had come to the frightening conclusion that perhaps, just perhaps, he was falling for Ueda. Yamashita took a long drink of whatever liquid was placed infront of him.
Yamashita was roused from his thoughts when a female voice filled the room. The organiser, with her high black heels and tortoiseshell glasses, was introducing the band, accent heavy as she pronounced the foreign name.
Jin stepped up to the microphone after she walked off and the crowd clapped politely. He grasped the microphone with both hands, and leant close to it.
"Go, Bambi."
His fingertips felt out the ridges of the metallic strings of the guitar, his senses heightened as the adrenaline rushed throughout his body. His body moved to the beat Koki was making, his eyes only concentrating on the intrument strapped to his body. His hands remembered the chords before his mind did, as he pressed his fingertips onto the right strings.
Time flew by, and soon they had finished all of their songs. Panting, they stood vulnerable in front of the crowd. Sounds were warped and muddled; their ears having not yet tuned into anything but their own instruments.
Slowly, the sound sharpened, and shouts could be heard. The crowd was applauding them, shouting out their support.
Yamashita thought that Ueda had never smiled so brightly before.
>>><<<
The adrenaline was still pulsing through their veins as they returned home later that evening. The van was impressively loud; Koki and Jin were singing off-pitch to the crooning woman on the radio, and Nishikido was shouting at them to stop. They paid him no heed.
They had left Yamashita and Koyama at the bar; they had congratulated them numerous times, and Koyama had asked them to become regulars at the bar. It hadn't sunk in yet, but it would, come tomorrow.
It was almost midnight when everyone bid goodbye to each other at Jin's house, and Ueda took it upon himself to set up Koki's drums once again, as he wasn't tired. Jin had wished him goodnight and retired to the house, waking up a sleepy Eri as he did so.
Ueda placed his guitar gently down next to his mattress, and moved to unpack the drumkit. There was a faint smile still on his face as he hummed quietly to himself, undoing the clasps on the cases and pulling the instruments out.
There was a knock on the door. Ueda spun around, slightly scared.
"Bambi, it's only me." Nishikido.
Relieved, Ueda walked over and opened the door. Nishikido stood out there, still in the attire he wore for the gig.
"I left my bag here," he said sheepishly, and Ueda laughed softly, inviting him in.
Nishikido moved around the drumset on the floor, bending down to search for his bag which he had stowed away under an armchair. With a triumphant cry, he drew it out with a large smile on his face. Ueda smiled as he went back to work setting the drums free of their cases.
If he had thought that Nishikido would have gone after he found what he was searching for, he was wrong.
Ueda looked up as he realised he was being watched. Nishikido's eyes were unreadable as they bore into him, and Ueda could feel his heart speed up.
"N-Nishikido? What's wrong?" He asked, fidgeting with the clasp on one of the cases.
"Nothing."
It wasn't nothing, Ueda knew, but he decided to drop it. "We did well tonight, didn't we?"
"Mmm."
Ueda sighed, and stood up from where he was squatting next to the drums. "What's the matter?"
Nishikido moved closer, eyes leaving Ueda's own and flying around the room. "It's just - I don't know. I... uh..." Ueda had never heard the usually quick-minded Nishikido stutter before. He looked uncomfortable, his hands jammed tightly into his pockets.
Ueda took a step towards him. "Are you alright, Nishikido?" he asked, dipping his head to look into Nishikido's eyes.
Suddenly hands were on his shoulders. He found breathing quite difficult as Nishikido took another step closer to him, invading his personal space. The moment was too intimate; it was beyond something that would be considered 'friendship'.
"Tatsuya, I..." Ueda's eyes flew up to meet Nishikido's own. "I...like you."
Ueda's blood ran cold. "What?"
"I like you. Shit, I'm no good at this stuff--" Nishikido broke off his own sentence, and bent his head down. He was so close to Ueda's face that he could feel every stuttering breath of the other. Ueda's heartbeat fastened as he started to panic. Nishikido's deep eyes were looking right through him, as he moved his face even closer.
"I really like you," he murmured, a hairsbreadth away from Ueda's lips.
And then there was no space left between them at all.
End of Chapter 5