Cover Girls

An alternate universe Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic

 

Chapter Twelve

"Here"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Haven't you done enough?" the redhead snapped at the larger man with an angry scowl on his face.

 

Hiko Seijirou loomed in the doorway of Sakabatou's dressing room as if he owned it. Which, mind you, he did. In fact the one thing that he did not own was currently engaging him in a staring match of titanic proportions. The boy had never changed, he was still as stubborn as he was when the fiery young thing was first introduced to him. Nor did he hate the businessman any less than he had on first sight.

 

"What have I done that was so bad, you silly, hotheaded thing?" the elder said crossly, "Besides shed a little light of truth on your relationship with that girl?"

 

Kenshin gritted his teeth hard enough to make an audible noise, "Truth?" he spat, "You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in the ass. Of course it would have to find a space big enough first, considering the fact that everyone else is too busy kissing it."

 

Hiko's frown could have vaporized stone, "We didn't raise you to be that crude, why your mother…"

 

"Died giving birth to that brat that hates you even more than I do." The redhead finished curtly, "Now if you'll excuse me Dad, I have something to prove in about 15 minutes or so, Good-bye."

 

*********************************************

 

The crowd was restless that night, murmurs of residual pleasure from the six previous acoustic acts still rippled across it's surface like wind on water, threatening to lessen the impact that she was so determined to make upon the multitude. Narrowed, feminine eyes burned the intense indigo color of alcoholic flame as they scanned its surface without fear. It was a luxury that she could literally, no longer afford.

 

And to besides, she was no mere wind.

 

She was a hurricane.

 

"I'm ready," she murmured to her two companions hidden in the darkness.

 

The taller one nodded mutely, turning to the other to receive a silent thumbs-up sign.

 

Seeing that everything was in its place she lifted her head to give an affirmative nod to some secret place above their heads.

 

The lights on the stage behind the three switched on with an intensity that molded their forms into three dark silhouettes encased in a blinding silver light. The distraction was enough to hush the murmurs completely, all attention now focused on the three who had come with the intent to win.

 

She looked down upon them with a smile. Soon, she would have them begging for more of her attention. They would forget all about the others, for in a few moments their minds and hearts would belong to her and her only. She would make them fall in love all over again…her family's well-being depended on it.

 

Her cousin touched the strings of the acoustic guitar, charging them with the very inner fire of her soul. The sound they made was timeless, rustic, yet fully suited to these modern times. And always, always beautiful. The sound could not have been more perfect if she had played it herself. Tonight however, she had put her own instrument aside in favor of another weapon. For far too long they had only had a glimpse of her ability, but tonight she would show them the true reaches of her power.

 

Her sister too had abandoned her drum-set for something a little more basic. A simple pair of traditional drums came to life under her small hands, lending their act a reverberation that was almost primal in nature. She herself seemed possessed by the sound, the rest of her body moving to the seductive beat of its own will as her fingers danced and flew over the taut surface.

 

Kaoru took a breath as she wrapped her hands around the standing mike that was placed before her, crooning her song, calling them home the way that only she could.

 

Can't change this feeling

I'm way out of touch

Can't change this meaning

It means too much

Never been this lonely

Never felt so good
Can't be the only one misunderstood

 

Ii remind myself of somebody else
Feeling like I'm chasing like I'm facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's thoughts in my head

I want some of my own
I want some of my own

I want some of my own

Her voice was heaven, her words, pure love. Somewhere in the depths of the crowd a grown man raised his head toward the stage, unashamed at the tears that flowed down his cheeks as the meaning behind the song itself seemed to touch the very core of his soul. Somewhere to the left of him was a girl who had come to the concert that night feeling terribly alone, fully intending to leave at the end of Ko-neko-neko's act…in the truest sense of the word. However, as Kaoru began to channel her own loneliness and self-doubt through her song of choice, it seemed to this lonely waif that she was being directly addressed. As the song wore on she too found herself lost in her tears, believing in her heart that she was never really as alone as she had thought.

 

On the stage, the lights shifted to reveal the three women at the center of the stage, dressed in much the same way that the world had first seen them. This time however, their faces held something…luminous in them. Something that made even the starchiest of critics stop and finally take full notice of these three ladies of light. All three were seated on high stools, like the kind you would find in a bar but as the lights changed, Kaoru stood up, hands sliding over the mike's stand as if over the skin of a lover. Her hips swayed with the gentle rhythm of the music, her shoulders rolling to match the small, seductive moment as her head was thrown slightly back before lazily rolling forward to bring her full, lovely lips just a breath away from the microphone.  

 

Can you see me up here would you bring me back down?
Cause I've been living to see my fears as they fall to the ground

I remind myself of somebody else
I'm feeling like I'm chasing like I'm facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's thoughts in my head

I want some of my own
I want some of my own

I want some of my own

 

As Megumi tore into the guitar riff with more vigor than she knew she had in her, Kaoru's half-closed eyes fluttered fully open, regarding the masses who had come to hear herself, her little sister and her cousin perform.

 

As much as she was loathe to admit it, her doubts had readily returned with the words of the song that she herself had chosen. Why Kenshin? Why did he pretend to be so interested when all he wanted was to very literally check out the competition? She could feel her eyes begin to sting at the corners and fought the feeling with as much vehemence as she could muster, instead letting it flow to the warm place at the base of her throat, just above her heart, the place where her voice resided. She had managed to avoid him so far, if she could only get through this night without seeing him at all she would stay calm enough to win this thing. With that thought as her mantra she opened her mouth again to finish what she had started.

 

She hoped to God himself that she really did sound like her mother.

 

Am I hiding behind my doubts
Are they hiding behind me?

Closer to finding out it doesn't mean anything
I remind myself of somebody else

 

I'm feeling like I'm chasing like I'm facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's thoughts in my head

I want some of my own
 I'm feeling like I'm chasing like I'm facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's thoughts in my head

I want some of my own

I want some of my own

Yeah, I want some of my own

 

The applause was more thunderous than it had been on any other occasion. It rolled toward the three like a wave, building in momentum until it crashed around them from all directions with the power of a tsunami. As the shock of its power wore off, the girls looked at each other with hopeful smiles, for they had passed the first test.

 

Now there were only two more to go.

 

***************************************************

 

"Come on!" Kaoru chided while grabbing both her sister and cousin by the arms before attempting to beat a hasty retreat to their dressing-room. As the three girls hurried off, techies seemed to appear out of the woodwork to relieve them of their instruments under the cloak of darkness that signaled the interlude between them and the next act to come on stage.

 

They were number seven that night, Sakabatou was number eight.

 

Looking to one another with understanding, Misao and Megumi chose not to complain as Kaoru dragged them back to sanctuary. Neither of them wanted to see the boys either, at least, not at that particular time. Their dark-haired relative could be a bit fanatic at times, but right now she had a very good point. Win the competition and pay all the bills first, then, when the coast was clear, they could berate their counterparts to their heart's content. Such was the natural order of things.

 

They were exiting at stage left, the boys were to enter at stage right. There should have been nothing to halt their flight, but just as Kaoru was about to turn down one of the inner halls, a voice stopped her. A familiar voice, one that seemed to come from everywhere at once, but was directed wholly and solely upon the three.

 

"Before we perform for you tonight," the gentle, husky tone crooned over the sound system, "We would like to dedicate this next song to three very special ladies who are here tonight. We…want them to know that we're sorry."

 

Misao almost stumbled forward as Kaoru went from a brisk walk to a short stop in just one moment. As she opened her mouth to say something, it dawned upon her that Kenshin was using his precious performance time to extend his apology not just to Kaoru, but to all of them. In her mind's eye, she could see Aoshi's face as he faced the crowd, his eyes reflecting the regret in his friend's voice.

 

Although her features had not softened as her cousin's had, Megumi found herself looking back down the way they had come, wondering to herself if Sano had that look in his eyes as well.

 

 

On stage, the three young men took up positions similar to that which the girl's had done before. Aoshi and Sano sat to the left and right respectively, each with an acoustic guitar in hand. Kenshin, at the middle, sat before the same mike that Kaoru had used, another guitar grasped firmly in his hands. Absentmindedly, as he spoke, he reached out and ran his fingers gently over the stand, as if her presence could still be found on the smooth surface of the cold, metal structure.

 

With a nod similar to the one Kaoru had given, the light dimmed into three spotlights, one for each member of the band. Immediately after, the three men transformed, seemingly becoming one with their instruments as they played with one mind, creating the intro to what each of the girls would later secretly believe to be the most beautiful song they'd ever heard.

 

  I close my eyes and I keep seeing things

  Rainbow waterfalls

  Sunny liquid dreams

  Confusion creeps inside me raining doubt

  Gotta get to you

  But I don't know how

  Call me call me

  Let me know it's alright

  Call me call me

  Don't you think it's 'bout time

  Please won't you call and

  Ease my mind

  Reasons for me to find you

  Peace of mind

  What can I do

  To get me to you

 

Angels could not sing with the emotion that Kenshin had that night. The faint, lingering scent of jasmine that hovered around the microphone had been his very undoing. Its scent bringing flashes of memory played behind his closed eyelids even as he sang. Images of his mother before her accursed marriage to Hiko, recent ones of the time that he and Kaoru had shared. Somehow, the depths of his mind overlapped the two, and it was in that moment he knew what set her apart from all the other eligible women of the world.

 

They both had the exact same smile.

 

  I had your number quite some time ago

  Back when we were young

  But I had to grow

  Ten thousand years I've searched it seems and now

  Gotta get to you

  Won't you tell me how

  Call me call me

  Let me know you are there

  Call me call me

  I wanna know you still care

  Come on now won't you

  Ease my mind

  Reasons for me to find you

  Peace of mind

  What can I do

  To get me to you

 

During the chorus, Megumi could clearly make out Sano's voice as he joined it with the other two men. Deep and rich, beautiful in the most primal of ways. Just like the rest of him. The short hairs on the back of her neck prickled at the sound, and she could feel the gentle sting of gooseflesh running up her legs and arms although she was not cold. Even through the sound of his voice, he teased her most basic of instincts, causing her flesh to react against her will. Damn him for that, now she was finding it hard to remember why she was so mad at him in the first place.

 

"Konbanwa Takani-san."

 

Oh right, that was the reason.

 

The taller woman turned to glare openly at the prima-donna who had apparently appeared out of thin air. In actuality, Sayo had been tailing the three ever since they had left the stage and now used the opportunity of their apparent shock to catch up with them. Megumi had to give her credit though, not every woman that one might meet can run in high heels.

 

"Don't you have something better to do than taunt me, Madame of Ceremonies?"

 

Sayo's eyes widened considerably at the sharp tone of Megumi's voice. The young bassist looked down upon the singer with enough contempt to turn the irises of her almond shaped eyes more red than brown. The other woman pulled back a bit, her mind automatically offering up the idea that she hadn't earned the nickname "Kitsune" on the more playful side of her personality alone.

 

Both Kaoru and Misao temporarily forgot about the boys' dedication to them at the new threat. Megumi could have easily been labeled the most mature of the three women, but that didn't mean that she didn't have a temper. As a matter of fact, they both moved forward simultaneously lest they have to save face…Sayo's that is.

 

Megitsune did have a wicked right hook.

Then, as if to prevent the imminent danger to the pop-star's visage, the musical interlude to Sakabatou's "unplugged" selection ended, and after a pause, all three of their voices burst into song once more. This time however, the invisible chains that had been holding back each man's true vocal power slipped away, creating a sound that caused all for women to look back in the direction of the stage, all thought of an impending catfight dissipating into the sound waves.

 

  Come on now won't you

  Ease my mind

  Reasons for me to find you

  Peace of mind

  Reasons for livin' my life

  Ease my mind

  Reasons for me to know you

  Peace of mind

  What can I do

  To get me to you?

 

As the song wound down to an end and each of the girls made their sluggish way back to reality, Kaoru was naturally the first to remember that the guys would soon be headed their way. She just wasn't ready to face Kenshin just yet, dedication or no.

 

"Come on," she said to her sister and cousin while leading the way, "Amakusa-san, meet us in our room during the next act if you want to talk to Megumi that badly."

 

Sayo nodded once in agreement. In the next moment, both Ko-neko-neko and herself rushed off in their separate ways.

 

**************************************************

 

"And that's the whole story."

 

Megumi stared at the brown haired woman with a visible twitch in her left eyebrow. When she had first heard that Sayo and Sano had once been an item, the first thing to run through her mind was that she could never measure up to the pop-star and Sano was therefore using her as some sort of springboard back to normalcy. After all, once he'd had the woman that literally everyone in Japan was in love with, what would he want with a bankrupt nobody like herself?

 

The truth had been far, far different.

 

Sanosuke for one, had not known Sayo to be Japan's sweetheart. Only as quiet little Amakusa Sayo who happened to work in his favorite little downtown café. Sayo was aspiring to become a singer, Sano on the other hand seemed to be happy as he was, working a blue-collar job and playing for the band on the side. For a time it was all good. Gradually, Sayo began to live in the here and now instead of dreams for a glitzy future. She and Sano had even toyed with the idea of settling down together for good, but then Hiko came along and proclaimed that Sayo was to be Japan's next idol. Suddenly, Sano's dreams of a simple life together seemed to be far below her. When the choice came down to the life she always dreamed about and the man she'd grown to love, fame won out.

 

And so, here she was, trying to prevent another from making the same mistake that she did.

 

Misao, who had listened to the tale from start to finish, found herself absentmindedly drumming out the tune to "Skat3r Boi" on the dressing-table with her fingers. Kaoru on the other hand, just leaned against it with one hand covering her mouth while allowing her eyes to speak volumes about what she thought of it all. 

 

"Sano's a great guy," Sayo offered meekly, "Now that I know that I've lost him for good I can't help but feel a little dumb."

 

"I'll say," Megumi offered in a sharp, unforgiving tone of voice, "Now I can see why he wanted nothing to do with you at the restaurant."

 

Sayo hung her head in shame, "I know," she said, "I made the mistake of judging him on appearances only, I should have known better than that."

 

"Damned straight," said the fox, "So what if he doesn't have the best things in life? Hardly any of us do anyway. Even if he didn't have a yen to his name he's still Sano, and that's all that matters to me!"

 

Sayo gave the bassist a squinty-eyed look of amusement.

 

"What the hell is so funny?"

 

The pop-idol nearly chuckled outright, "He never told you either did he?"

 

"Told me what?"

 

Sayo lifted herself off of the couch with the grace and poise of one who is constantly under the public's scrutinizing gaze. Turning the knob of the door, she looked back into the eyes of the one who would replace her in Sano's heart.

 

"Sanosuke Sagara is the son of Mrs. Leyna Amery Sagara."

 

The other three women jaw-dropped, "Leyna Amery?" Megumi sputtered disbelievingly, "The German cosmetics queen?!"

 

"The one and only," Sayo replied smugly, "How do you feel about your skater-boy now?

 

**********************************************

 

 

 

 

                                 

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