[KinKi AU] Butai verse, scene 3
This scene doesn't have much still, but to get this going...
I made a few changes to the story settings with jandeth's help, so if you've been following, you may need to re-read the first two scenes. =D; (Anyway it's been so long everyone has probably forgotten...)
I only hope I won't need to make major renovations again for the next scene. Sorry for the half-done-ness! I am in draft-dieting mode recently. ^^0
Disclaimer: This is fictional.
Pairing: Heavy KinKi interaction but may not be conclusive..., Tsuyoshi/TBA (uhm, sorta a warning to avoid disappointment...?)
Genre: AU, drama, angst
Rating: G so far, probably PG later on
Summary: Tsuyoshi joined the musical directed by Kouichi, with questionable motivation and a defensively guarded past.
Continued from: First | Second
[Edited 17 July 2012]
-- What Do You Think of Him? --
"Five minutes break!" Yara Tomoyuki announced with a clap. The dancers under his supervision started trickling to the sides.
From the corner of his eyes he saw their director taking his own five minutes, and approached. "Kouichi-san."
Kouichi smiled and took the bottle of water Yara held out to him. "Thanks."
Yara watched as Kouichi took a drink. "The new guy..."
"Yes?" Kouichi prompted cautiously. It hadn't escaped his attention how Tsuyoshi had looked rather out of place when introduced to the room full of lank, fresh-looking dancers.
"Is he a relative?"
Kouichi paused from the unexpectedness of that question. "No. I've only met him yesterday, by recommendation of a contact."
"Ah." Yara smiled. "For a moment there I thought you were starting to pull out secret family resources for the emergency."
Kouichi laughed. "As if I had a ready stock of those!" He lowered his voice. "By the way, what do you think of him?"
"Eh...?" Yara was taken aback. "I think he's okay. His movements need polishing, but he learns really fast."
Considering the new member had only seven weeks to catch up with the rest of the cast before the show opened, that was a reassuring trait. Kouichi turned the bottle cap absently. "Hm."
"Anything in particular you're worried about?" Yara probed.
Kouichi stared blankly for a second. He couldn't explain this haunting premonition. "I don't know."
Yara's searching look was tainted with worry. "It's rare for you to question your own decision, senpai."
That was probably because this particular decision had been made on even rarer impulse.
Kouichi tapped his shoulder. "Never mind. As long as the rehearsal goes on smoothly."
Yara's brows knitted, but he nodded. "I'll help you keep a tab on his progress."
"Thanks." Kouichi paused. "How is Akiyama?"
"Ah." Yara's countenance softened. "Pretty much still tied to the bed. Considering his built, the doctor doesn't want him to start exerting those joints before they recover well enough. But he is in better spirits, at least."
Kouichi nodded thoughtfully. "I should find time to visit him before the show starts."
Yara smiled. "He'll be elated to see you."
"Until then," Kouichi said, "Tell him not to think too much."
Yara laughed. "Now that, I cannot promise. He just messaged me this morning --again-- asking if you've found a replacement."
"Then you can tell him he doesn't have to worry about that anymore."
"But now he is curious how the new guy is like." Yara grinned.
Kouichi's eyes strayed awhile beyond Yara's shoulder. "Oh?"
Yara followed his glance briefly. "A big difference, isn't it."
In everything, except maybe that they were both not the slender type-- an unfair judgement Kouichi had used to dismiss Tsuyoshi's potential the first moment he saw him, while in truth it was the inexplicably intimidating aura that had made him wary about signing the man on.
Yara's watch sounded the end of the five minutes, jolting the both of them.
Yara excused himself, and Kouichi's gaze followed him back to his group of dancers. Tsuyoshi was among them, participating in the chat that was going on.
It was the first time Kouichi saw his smile. It was a childish one, almost shy, that made him seem an entirely different person from the sharp, ambitious lad Kouichi had mentally sparred with just the midnight before.
The disparity hardly bothered Kouichi. He was used to people acting cautiously around him, to his dancers' automatic switch to serious mode when he entered the room. And Tsuyoshi was certainly entitled to that bristling attitude after Kouichi's less-than-amiable first greeting.
Kouichi took his eyes off them, his mind off the nagging apprehension. Whatever it was that Doumoto Tsuyoshi seemed to be hiding, surely it couldn't be too horrible if he could still smile that kind of smile.
--
"Doumoto-san, do you have a minute?" A staff ran up to him as soon as he exited the rehearsal room.
Kouichi slowed down. "Yes, Iijima-san?"
"Is it confirmed that we're taking Akiyama-kun off the cast list? We're finalizing the showbook."
"Ah, yes. There's a new cast member substituting for him." Kouichi paused. "That's right... You'll need his profile, won't you?"
"If you have the name, we can look it up," Iijima said.
"I'm not sure about that, actually." Kouichi considered it briefly, then opened the door to the rehearsal room and scanned through the crowd of dancers.
"Doumoto-kun?" he called out.
Tsuyoshi paused in the middle of practising a routine, and looked up.
At Kouichi's gesture, he quickly excused himself from the group, and jogged towards the door.
"Yes...?" He hesitated on the proper form of address.
Kouichi didn't seem to notice. "We need your profile to be included in the showbook. Could you pass your resumé to Iijima-san tomorrow?"
Tsuyoshi's gaze turned to Iijima, unsure. "Uh. Resumé?"
"A short bio will do. Birth date, agency, dance school, the shows you've been in," Iijima said. "And a color photo, that's all."
Tsuyoshi's eyes flicked briefly towards Kouichi. "...All right."
"If you have the one from your auditions, you can just give that to me."
Tsuyoshi scratched his head. "That one is... not suitable. I'll prepare a new one tonight."
"That is fine. Thank you--" Iijima paused, glancing at Kouichi. "--Doumoto-kun?"
"Ah!" Tsuyoshi bowed hurriedly. "Doumoto Tsuyoshi. Forgive my rudeness."
"No problem." Iijima returned the bow, politely hiding his curiosity. "Then, Doumoto-san," --he turned to Kouichi-- "excuse me."
As Iijima left, Tsuyoshi turned an uncertain look at Kouichi. "Is there anything else?"
"No, you can get back to practice."
Tsuyoshi nodded, then headed back in.
"By the way," Kouichi started suddenly.
Tsuyoshi turned back. "Yes?"
"Is it okay to call you Tsuyoshi-kun?"
A surprised look. "...Certainly."
"Much less awkward," Kouichi muttered. He gave Tsuyoshi a slight nod, then went on his way.
A mild amusement entered Tsuyoshi's eyes for a brief second, then faded quickly as he re-entered the room.
--
Doumoto Tsuyoshi
10 April 1979
Yoshimoto Talent School
Above the three lines was a photo of a cheerful, slightly chubby, very young face.
"I've asked him to give more details but he said there was nothing else," Iijima had written in the mail. "I'll move it down from Akiyama-kun's original position so it won't look jarringly empty compared to the others, if this is all right."
Kouichi frowned at his laptop for a long while after he had sent the 'OK'. It was a decision Iijima wouldn't have bothered him with normally, and the careful tone of the mail was painfully obvious. He probably thought Tsuyoshi was a no-name that had gotten the chance merely through a connection to Kouichi.
While experience did matter, Kouichi had enough eye-opening encounters with talent to ignore that kind of prejudice. It was more Tsuyoshi's own secretive attitude that had perked his curiosity.
A direct web search on the name had brought up nothing on the man. Kouichi had had to scroll over pages of information on himself instead.
Should he call President Shimura to ask? Kouichi frankly didn't feel comfortable talking to that famous actor-comedian. It wasn't just inhibition on Kouichi's part-- he had talked to legendary figures in his field before, but Shimura Ken just gave off a completely different aura Kouichi wasn't used to handling.
Not to mention the old man liked to bring up that event many years ago, simply to tease Kouichi and see his embarrassed reaction. As much as Kouichi respected and felt indebted to the man, he didn't quite appreciate being at the receiving end of his tsukkomi.
In any case... there was still Tsuyoshi's agent.
The call connected. "Sawaki-san? This is Doumoto Kouichi."
Kouichi wasn't exactly comfortable with the agent either --the furtive look, the rapid speech, the careless manner he handled his charge with-- but at least Kouichi didn't feel as intimidated by him as he tended to feel around Shimura, who was the current head of the agency Sawaki worked for.
"I'm wondering if you could send me Tsuyoshi-kun's resumé? We need it for the promotions. I presume he has done a few shows? ...What sort of--? ...Comedy?"
That shouldn't have been surprising considering it was Shimura who had recommended him, but... that gloomy attitude, a comedian? When Tsuyoshi had mentioned the mime class, he'd thought it was for an acting aspiration. Possibly a promising one if it had caught Shimura's attention.
No matter which, any experience on stage would hardly be 'unsuitable' to put down as Tsuyoshi had claimed. What did he have to hide?
"It doesn't matter, could you just send me the complete list? Thank you very much."
Kouichi closed his phone. His glance fell on the photo, and he recalled the smile he'd seen today. He could still trace the similarity in physical features, but the joyful cheer exuding from this old photo was worlds apart from the uneasy friendliness of the current person in that rehearsal room.
Something wasn't quite right with his new dancer's past, and Kouichi could only hope any member of the press who might try to dig that up would be as unsuccessful as himself.
---
I made a few changes to the story settings with jandeth's help, so if you've been following, you may need to re-read the first two scenes. =D; (Anyway it's been so long everyone has probably forgotten...)
I only hope I won't need to make major renovations again for the next scene. Sorry for the half-done-ness! I am in draft-dieting mode recently. ^^0
Disclaimer: This is fictional.
Pairing: Heavy KinKi interaction but may not be conclusive..., Tsuyoshi/TBA (uhm, sorta a warning to avoid disappointment...?)
Genre: AU, drama, angst
Rating: G so far, probably PG later on
Summary: Tsuyoshi joined the musical directed by Kouichi, with questionable motivation and a defensively guarded past.
Continued from: First | Second
[Edited 17 July 2012]
-- What Do You Think of Him? --
"Five minutes break!" Yara Tomoyuki announced with a clap. The dancers under his supervision started trickling to the sides.
From the corner of his eyes he saw their director taking his own five minutes, and approached. "Kouichi-san."
Kouichi smiled and took the bottle of water Yara held out to him. "Thanks."
Yara watched as Kouichi took a drink. "The new guy..."
"Yes?" Kouichi prompted cautiously. It hadn't escaped his attention how Tsuyoshi had looked rather out of place when introduced to the room full of lank, fresh-looking dancers.
"Is he a relative?"
Kouichi paused from the unexpectedness of that question. "No. I've only met him yesterday, by recommendation of a contact."
"Ah." Yara smiled. "For a moment there I thought you were starting to pull out secret family resources for the emergency."
Kouichi laughed. "As if I had a ready stock of those!" He lowered his voice. "By the way, what do you think of him?"
"Eh...?" Yara was taken aback. "I think he's okay. His movements need polishing, but he learns really fast."
Considering the new member had only seven weeks to catch up with the rest of the cast before the show opened, that was a reassuring trait. Kouichi turned the bottle cap absently. "Hm."
"Anything in particular you're worried about?" Yara probed.
Kouichi stared blankly for a second. He couldn't explain this haunting premonition. "I don't know."
Yara's searching look was tainted with worry. "It's rare for you to question your own decision, senpai."
That was probably because this particular decision had been made on even rarer impulse.
Kouichi tapped his shoulder. "Never mind. As long as the rehearsal goes on smoothly."
Yara's brows knitted, but he nodded. "I'll help you keep a tab on his progress."
"Thanks." Kouichi paused. "How is Akiyama?"
"Ah." Yara's countenance softened. "Pretty much still tied to the bed. Considering his built, the doctor doesn't want him to start exerting those joints before they recover well enough. But he is in better spirits, at least."
Kouichi nodded thoughtfully. "I should find time to visit him before the show starts."
Yara smiled. "He'll be elated to see you."
"Until then," Kouichi said, "Tell him not to think too much."
Yara laughed. "Now that, I cannot promise. He just messaged me this morning --again-- asking if you've found a replacement."
"Then you can tell him he doesn't have to worry about that anymore."
"But now he is curious how the new guy is like." Yara grinned.
Kouichi's eyes strayed awhile beyond Yara's shoulder. "Oh?"
Yara followed his glance briefly. "A big difference, isn't it."
In everything, except maybe that they were both not the slender type-- an unfair judgement Kouichi had used to dismiss Tsuyoshi's potential the first moment he saw him, while in truth it was the inexplicably intimidating aura that had made him wary about signing the man on.
Yara's watch sounded the end of the five minutes, jolting the both of them.
Yara excused himself, and Kouichi's gaze followed him back to his group of dancers. Tsuyoshi was among them, participating in the chat that was going on.
It was the first time Kouichi saw his smile. It was a childish one, almost shy, that made him seem an entirely different person from the sharp, ambitious lad Kouichi had mentally sparred with just the midnight before.
The disparity hardly bothered Kouichi. He was used to people acting cautiously around him, to his dancers' automatic switch to serious mode when he entered the room. And Tsuyoshi was certainly entitled to that bristling attitude after Kouichi's less-than-amiable first greeting.
Kouichi took his eyes off them, his mind off the nagging apprehension. Whatever it was that Doumoto Tsuyoshi seemed to be hiding, surely it couldn't be too horrible if he could still smile that kind of smile.
--
"Doumoto-san, do you have a minute?" A staff ran up to him as soon as he exited the rehearsal room.
Kouichi slowed down. "Yes, Iijima-san?"
"Is it confirmed that we're taking Akiyama-kun off the cast list? We're finalizing the showbook."
"Ah, yes. There's a new cast member substituting for him." Kouichi paused. "That's right... You'll need his profile, won't you?"
"If you have the name, we can look it up," Iijima said.
"I'm not sure about that, actually." Kouichi considered it briefly, then opened the door to the rehearsal room and scanned through the crowd of dancers.
"Doumoto-kun?" he called out.
Tsuyoshi paused in the middle of practising a routine, and looked up.
At Kouichi's gesture, he quickly excused himself from the group, and jogged towards the door.
"Yes...?" He hesitated on the proper form of address.
Kouichi didn't seem to notice. "We need your profile to be included in the showbook. Could you pass your resumé to Iijima-san tomorrow?"
Tsuyoshi's gaze turned to Iijima, unsure. "Uh. Resumé?"
"A short bio will do. Birth date, agency, dance school, the shows you've been in," Iijima said. "And a color photo, that's all."
Tsuyoshi's eyes flicked briefly towards Kouichi. "...All right."
"If you have the one from your auditions, you can just give that to me."
Tsuyoshi scratched his head. "That one is... not suitable. I'll prepare a new one tonight."
"That is fine. Thank you--" Iijima paused, glancing at Kouichi. "--Doumoto-kun?"
"Ah!" Tsuyoshi bowed hurriedly. "Doumoto Tsuyoshi. Forgive my rudeness."
"No problem." Iijima returned the bow, politely hiding his curiosity. "Then, Doumoto-san," --he turned to Kouichi-- "excuse me."
As Iijima left, Tsuyoshi turned an uncertain look at Kouichi. "Is there anything else?"
"No, you can get back to practice."
Tsuyoshi nodded, then headed back in.
"By the way," Kouichi started suddenly.
Tsuyoshi turned back. "Yes?"
"Is it okay to call you Tsuyoshi-kun?"
A surprised look. "...Certainly."
"Much less awkward," Kouichi muttered. He gave Tsuyoshi a slight nod, then went on his way.
A mild amusement entered Tsuyoshi's eyes for a brief second, then faded quickly as he re-entered the room.
--
Doumoto Tsuyoshi
10 April 1979
Yoshimoto Talent School
Above the three lines was a photo of a cheerful, slightly chubby, very young face.
"I've asked him to give more details but he said there was nothing else," Iijima had written in the mail. "I'll move it down from Akiyama-kun's original position so it won't look jarringly empty compared to the others, if this is all right."
Kouichi frowned at his laptop for a long while after he had sent the 'OK'. It was a decision Iijima wouldn't have bothered him with normally, and the careful tone of the mail was painfully obvious. He probably thought Tsuyoshi was a no-name that had gotten the chance merely through a connection to Kouichi.
While experience did matter, Kouichi had enough eye-opening encounters with talent to ignore that kind of prejudice. It was more Tsuyoshi's own secretive attitude that had perked his curiosity.
A direct web search on the name had brought up nothing on the man. Kouichi had had to scroll over pages of information on himself instead.
Should he call President Shimura to ask? Kouichi frankly didn't feel comfortable talking to that famous actor-comedian. It wasn't just inhibition on Kouichi's part-- he had talked to legendary figures in his field before, but Shimura Ken just gave off a completely different aura Kouichi wasn't used to handling.
Not to mention the old man liked to bring up that event many years ago, simply to tease Kouichi and see his embarrassed reaction. As much as Kouichi respected and felt indebted to the man, he didn't quite appreciate being at the receiving end of his tsukkomi.
In any case... there was still Tsuyoshi's agent.
The call connected. "Sawaki-san? This is Doumoto Kouichi."
Kouichi wasn't exactly comfortable with the agent either --the furtive look, the rapid speech, the careless manner he handled his charge with-- but at least Kouichi didn't feel as intimidated by him as he tended to feel around Shimura, who was the current head of the agency Sawaki worked for.
"I'm wondering if you could send me Tsuyoshi-kun's resumé? We need it for the promotions. I presume he has done a few shows? ...What sort of--? ...Comedy?"
That shouldn't have been surprising considering it was Shimura who had recommended him, but... that gloomy attitude, a comedian? When Tsuyoshi had mentioned the mime class, he'd thought it was for an acting aspiration. Possibly a promising one if it had caught Shimura's attention.
No matter which, any experience on stage would hardly be 'unsuitable' to put down as Tsuyoshi had claimed. What did he have to hide?
"It doesn't matter, could you just send me the complete list? Thank you very much."
Kouichi closed his phone. His glance fell on the photo, and he recalled the smile he'd seen today. He could still trace the similarity in physical features, but the joyful cheer exuding from this old photo was worlds apart from the uneasy friendliness of the current person in that rehearsal room.
Something wasn't quite right with his new dancer's past, and Kouichi could only hope any member of the press who might try to dig that up would be as unsuccessful as himself.
---