Title: A cold night of January
Fandom: ONE OK ROCK
Chapter: 1
Characters/Pairing: Taka/Stranger
Rating: all ages
Genre: mistery, friendship, slice of life.
Disclaimer: you may find a terrible grammar, be warned.
On a cold
night of January, 16 years old Moriuchi Takahiro sat alone in the only bench
near the frozen lake of the park. He stayed in silence for a few minutes,
trying to clear the fog that clouded his mind. Things have been hard lately. The
relationship with his father had gone nose diving, especially, since he drop
out of school. His band was consuming most of his time. All the dancing, and photo
shooting was fun, but he didn’t really feel like this was his “raison d’être”. “Nope,
I need more. I can’t just stay here, and do whatever they tell me to”. He ran
his fingers through his spikey copperish hair.
-Ugh, one
day I’m going to get rid of it. I miss my black hair- he murmured with his high
pitched husky voice.
-Yes, you
should. I miss your black hair too. -
Takahiro oppressed a scream. His black beady eyes witnessed a tall
onne-san sitting right beside him.
-Eeeehh??!!
Whe… When…When did you…
-I’ve been
here for a couple of minutes; I guess you were a bit distracted. I’ll leave if
you want me to.
-Eh? No,
please, don’t. This is a public park; you can sit wherever you want. I’ll
leave.
-Hmmm… That
would be a shame. I find your story very interesting.
-My story?
… - Takahiro paid attention for the first time. She was definitely taller than
him, with long and curly dark blonde hair, and a pair of big golden eyes.
“Golden? Nah, it must be the light of
the park.” The whole scenario made her look like a character brought out of a
fairy tales book.
-How do you…?
Oh my God!! You’re a fan!!- He took a step away from the bench. –I’ll give you
an autograph, but please, don’t follow me. - He hugged his body on a
self-protecting attitude.
-Hey,
relax! I don’t want an autograph, and I’m not a fan.
-Then,
you’re a stalker!!
-Geez!! No,
I’m not a stalker either!! Sit down, there’s no reason to panic.
- If you’re
not a fan, or a stalker… Who are you? How do you know me? What do you want from
me?
-Nothing. I
want nothing from you. I just happen to
know you, and saw you look a bit troubled. I just thought I could help.
-But, how?
How do you know me?
-I’m your
friend. You just… don’t remember me. Yet.
-What??
That’s it!! You’re crazy!! I’m out!! – He zipped up his jacket and started
walking.
-No,
wait!!- She walked right behind him.
-I’m not
listening to you!! Stop following me or I’ll call the police!!
-You got to
stop smoking!!- Said, almost breathless. Takahiro had already run about half of
the lake’s length before stopping cold; and she seemed to have a hard time
following the agile young man.
-What did
you say?
-Quit
smoking. It’ll ruin your voice.
Takahiro
took a sniff out of his scarf. There wasn’t any trace of cigarette smoke, how
could she know?
-It’s not
the smell, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.
- You’re
not with the company, aren’t you?
- No, I’m
not. I just want to help. You know, be a Good Samaritan. I mean, it does look
like you could use an ear.
-I guess I
don’t have that many friends to talk to.
-I’m all
ears!!- Her eyes seemed to have a warm
glow, and Takahiro felt his face flushing red.
Now that he
was facing her, she looked somehow familiar. There was something about her
voice that made her sound trustworthy. They went back to the only bench near the
frozen lake. Takahiro kept rubbing and blowing his hands, while wandering why
didn’t he bring any gloves with him.
-So… You
don’t know I’m in a band…
-NEWS,
right? I do know, I just don’t like it.
-What? Why?
-It doesn’t
explode your potential. I think you could do a lot better. That’s all.
A smirk
appeared on his lips. The image of a tall and dark stranger with big and
piercing eyes crossed his mind.
-Someone
told me the same thing, a few days ago.
-Someone?
-Is this
guy. I don’t really know him. But he keeps insisting that I join his band. A
rock band, can you believe that?
-Ah!! Him.
Yes. You should go, give it a try.
- Him?? Do
you know him?
-Hmmm… You
could say so, yes.
- Did he
send you? ‘Cause, in that case, you can
tell him I’m not interested.
-No one
sent me. I’m here on my own behalf. And,
I still think you should give it a try. In life, you only regret the things you
didn’t try.
-Still,
it’s rock. I don’t think I’ll like it. I’m very fund of my vocal arrangements.
-The
question is… Are you happy? ‘Cause if
you honestly tell me you are, I’ll walk away and won’t bother you anymore.
You’ll never see me again, I swear.
In that
moment, a large bird threw into a tailspin over the surface of the frozen lake, capturing
to what it looked like a sewer rat. The majestic movement caught the boy’s
attention. His dark deep eyes looked over the animal’s outline as it flew away
with its prey, bathed by the moon light.
There was something about hawks that always managed to amaze him.
Whether it was their hunting skills, the braveness, or maybe the immense sense
of freedom they seemed to have. To be able to fly away, not caring about
consequences or responsibilities, it sounded like a dream. But, for the hawk,
that was a reality. A surge of envy
crossed Takahiro’s heart.
-You could
be like him, you know?
-Eh? - He
was still immersed in his thoughts.
-The hawk.
There’s a lot from that animal inside you. You could be free too. All you have
to do is give it a try.
Takahiro
dropped his jaw. She reached her hand and put it back in place.
-Don’t be
so surprised. You’re and open book to me.
-Are you a
psychic?
-Ahh! Isn’t
it beautiful? A child’s innocence, it’s rare to find these days.
- Eh?? I’m
not…
-You’re 16,
I know. Let’s just say I can see the future.
-The
future… You’re weird! - A silly smile appeared on his face.
-We’re all
weird in our own twisted little way. -
Her skin showed a silver glow under the moon light.
-And here I
am, thinking I was the only one…
-Look, - a
giggle escaped her mouth- you can’t lose if you just try, OK? This band, it will change your life, for
good. It will give you the freedom you want. It’ll be like love a first sight,
I promise.
-How would
I know? I’ve never been in love…- The innocence flew out of his eyes that
couldn’t stand the pressure of meeting his partner’s.
-When the
time comes, you’ll know. – The words resonated in the back of his head.
When he
finally had the courage to lift up his head again, his strange companion was
gone. No trace was left of her. The
moon, shining on the frozen surface of the lake, seemed to have disappeared
with her too.
As if he
just woke up from a long dream, he stretched and started the long walk home,
wishing his father wasn’t back from his tour, yet. “Just a little more peace,
please.”
(Two days
later)
Takahiro
walked out of the dance studio, after saying good-bye to everybody. These dance lessons were getting too
ridiculous. The new choreography was a matter of laugh, and he didn’t know how
much he could bear it anymore. It’s not like he could refuse to dance, or
anything like it. In the last MV, he had to use a funny little astronaut suit,
and damn, that thing was hot. His
thoughts wandered between the dance choreography and if smoking was really a
good strategy to get kicked out of that hell.
-Yo!!
The tall
and dark stranger, with big piercing eyes, was waiting outside the studio.
-Oh! It’s
you again. Hi. - This wasn’t the right moment, really.
-Hi! I
realized I never actually introduced myself properly. I’m so sorry. I’m Toru,
Yamashita Toru. - The bow left him almost at Takahiro’s height.
Behind
Toru’s head, he could see the usual park.
In it, a tall onne-san, with long curly hair and silvery skin was
calling a hawk. The bird crossed the sky over the boy’s heads, uttering a
shrill howl, and landing on the lady’s arm. A wide smile appeared on his face.
-Oh! Right.
It’s Ok. I’ve been acting like a douchebag, I’m sorry. I decided I’ll go see a
rehearsal.
- Really?
That’s great!!Oh, wait, what was your name again?
-Taka, you
can call me Taka (hawk).
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