A smile moved onto my lips as I drove past a billboard with my face printed over it, advertising my new album, man, after five long years I was going back to Funbari since Pilica had moved there after she got married to Lyserg (the wedding was beautiful, I was a bridesmaid, Pilica designed her own wedding dress) and I was visiting, there was just one small problem.
Asakura Hao.
You see, after he told me he loved me when I was about to leave, we kept in contact, but at Pilica and Lyserg's wedding, two years later, we decided that we were better off as just friends, then we became those friends who wrote and called less and less because it was too awkward, and now after three years of silence, I may see him again, oh dear joy, and please note the sarcasm.
"We're here Miss Kizike," my chauffer said as the car slowed to a stop, "and no paparazzi in sight."
"Oh thank you!" I cried happily, climbing out the car as he opened the door, "and how many times, call me Ayame, Eiji, you've been working with me for five months, I feel uncomfortable being called Miss Kizike, makes me sound old."
Eiji chuckled and nodded, shutting my car door as I got my bag from the trunk and the front door of the large house we'd stopped outside of was flown open to reveal my best friend who was the biggest designer in Japan.
"Ayame!" she screamed happily, hugging me as I squealed and hugged her back, "I missed you!"
"I missed you too!" I cried as Lyserg exited the house with a chuckle and Eiji smiled at mine and Pilica's exuberant welcomes.
"Miss Ayame," Eiji said, getting my attention, "I'll be at my hotel, if you need me, just call."
"Thanks Eiji, you know it's all on the company card, right?" I asked and he nodded, "good, splash out, have some fun, you deserve it."
He laughed and got into the car as Pilica dragged me into the house with Lyserg following, an amused smile on his lips as his wife talked rapidly about all the gadgets of the house, her company, her designs, her interns, her everything!
"How long are you staying?" she asked me hopefully, "you can stay here as long as you need."
"I'm recording some new stuff in the recording studio with Leiko, I'll be here in Funbari for about six months, I'm planning on getting an apartment so I somewhere to stay when I come and visit, so I won't be here, in this house, for that long, I don't want to put you out," I answered.
"Six months!" Pilica squealed excitedly, "hear that Lyserg?! Six months!"
"Yes Pilica," Lyserg laughed, "I can smell something burning."
"Oh no!" Pilica wailed, dashing off to what I guessed was the kitchen, "thank god! It's safe! The pasta is safe!"
"Good for you!" I called to her as Lyserg laughed, "so, should I be expecting any godchildren soon?" I smirked teasingly at Lyserg, moving my long, black hair from my face as Lyserg blushed.
"Um, uh, you'll have to talk to Pilica," he said awkwardly and I laughed, hugging him tightly as the doorbell rang and he went to answer it as I went to the kitchen.
We chatted about the past three years of our lives, telling each other things we weren't able to tell each other over the phone or in letters, I told her that I mainly wore her clothing range and she told me she owned every single one of my three albums, we told each other every little detail of our lives that we'd forgotten about, or didn't have the time to say.
"Seen your dad yet?" she asked and I nodded.
"Uh huh, spent a week staying with him, he says he's going to come and visit soon," I answered, absently eating the muffin Pilica had placed in front of me as Horo came bounding into the kitchen and swooped me into a hug.
Swooped here people!
"There's my favourite rockstar!" he laughed as I half squealed half laughed at him to put me down immediately, he did so after a few moments and we hugged normally, "how've you been Ayame?!" he asked eagerly and I shrugged.
"So-so," I said mysteriously and he pouted, ruffling my only-done-last-week-hair and I slapped him on the arm, "moron! This cost a bloody fortune! Never touch my hair, nails or clothes!"
"Um, Pilica, you're best friend is scaring me," Horo whimpered.
"Sorry, Horo, but I'm not kidding, Leiko forked out a small fortune on this hair, she won't be happy if it gets ruined," I sighed, hugging him quickly.
But then I stiffened slightly as I saw something, more like someone, through the open kitchen door, someone with a leggy blonde hanging off his arm and a sharp pain slashed through my heart as my breath caught in my throat.
Asakura Hao and a leggy, perfect blonde who'd just seen me and screamed.
"OH MY GOD!! YOU'RE KIZIKE AYAME!!"
I just backed away slowly in fear of my life, placing a terrified looking Horo in front of me as Pilica glared at Hao who was staring at me, his dark eyes wide, dammit, he'd grown, he was more muscular, his hair was still mahogany colored and reached his waist, his skin still tanned, but he just screamed 'I'm hot! Come take me now!'.
His leggy blonde pounced on me and clutched my arm so tightly her talons almost pierced my skin, she definitely cut of the blood circulating to my arm, I needed that arm! I held the microphone with that arm!
"I love your work!" she squealed in that high pitched voice.
"Uh huh, please let go," I smiled weakly, trying to wrench my arm from her vice like grip, "I can't feel my arm."
"Oh! I am so sorry!" she said, hastily letting me go, "I mean, they all said they knew you, Pilly over here even said you were best friends! But I doubted it!"
"Did she just call you 'Pilly'?" I asked my seething best friend with a smirk and 'Pilly' growled with a nod, slapping the spatula I her hand down onto the counter and making us all jump at the slapping noise.
"Fly," she ground out, throwing the spatula into the sink as I covered my laughs with coughs, making sure to have the counter between the leggy blonde and me.
"Ooooh!! I love your necklace!" Miss Squealy squealed, pointing to the emerald jewel hanging from the silver chain fastened round my neck like a choker, the emerald hanging just against the base of my throat, "where'd you get it?!" she asked eagerly.
"It was a gift," I said slowly, smartly not saying it was from her current boyfriend.
"From who?!" she demanded.
"Someone who I loved a long time ago," I said quietly and she pouted as Hao appeared, his eyes locked on me, I looked to the side where Pilica was and saw her watching interestedly, I just gave her a look that said 'help me!', which she ignored.
"Ayame," Hao said quietly, his voice deep and smooth, damn him.
"Hey Hao," I replied just as quietly, looking back to him and his leggy blonde who had wrapped herself around him, "how've you been for the past three years?"
"Good, you?" he asked, his eyes seeming to go straight through me.
"Good," I replied, "keeping busy."
"Saw you on the news, you just went worldwide, right?" he smiled and I nodded.
"Uh huh, I'm heading over to England after I've finished my new album, promote myself," I said proudly, smiling back at him slightly and leaning against the counter behind me.
"Congratulations, Ayame," he said softly and memories of our life at school flooded back to me, they way we'd always argue, the way he'd exposed Pilica and me, the way he was, the way he said goodbye to me, we saw each other so little over the two years before Lyserg and Pilica's wedding, it's no wonder we didn't last, we only saw each other about eight, maybe nine times in two years, no relationship could've lasted like that.
"Thanks, Hao," I smiled, then began coughing as smoke erupted from whatever Pilica was cooking, "Pilica!" I groaned with a small laugh, pulling my black hair into a high ponytail so keep the locks from my face as I went over to her, "move, I'm cooking, it runs in my blood," I sighed, throwing the burnt stuff out as Pilica hugged me gratefully.
"Thanks! I'll help!" Pilica chirped.
"Me too!" Miss Leggy Blonde announced.
"No!" Pilica snapped, "this is something that Ayame and I do! We haven't seen each other in three years because she's been on tour! She and I are cooking! Not you!"
Tears filled Miss Leggy Blonde's blue eyes and I felt slightly guilty.
"Don't cry," I said quickly, "oh come on, I'll get you a modelling job!" I cried and she grinned.
"Really?" she gasped and I nodded, I had connections.
"Uh huh, I'll call Leiko, her sister owns a modelling company, I'll see if they need a new model, okay?" I soothed and Miss Leggy Blonde nodded happily, "just tell me your name."
"Lucinda!" she said brightly and my jaw dropped to the floor.
She hit on me when I was a dude!
Pilica began laughing and I glared at her as Hao looked to the side with a slight blush.
"Oh holy shit balls," I said slowly and Pilica laughed harder, "you hit on me when I was a dude!" I cried and Lucinda's face flushed as Pilica's laughter grew.
"SHUT UP PILICA!!" Hao and I roared and the blue haired woman laughed louder as everyone else came in to see what the hell was so funny.
Lyserg and Horo had to stop from throttling Pilica.
We were all laughing as Yoh told us the story of his and Anna's first child spewing up all over him in the middle of the street and then began giggling and saying 'dada' over and over again, which made Yoh dance around happily and everyone else to look at him like he was mad.
Then Anna slapped him apparently.
"What about you Ayame? Got nay funny stories or are you all too good for that?" Manta asked teasingly and I giggled with a shake of my head.
"Nope, just last month Leiko accidentally spilt her coffee all over the equipment and started yelling at the coffee because it was some its fault," I replied and they all chuckled, "and then Eiji was sent out to buy more and he called me ten minutes later, wailing that he didn't have his company card and Leiko was going to kill him."
"What happened?" Tamao asked.
"We had to do a completely acoustic show, the crowd loved it, Leiko's even set up an acoustic show for next year," I answered, smiling slightly as I took a sip of my wine, "it's good be back though, I'll admit it, travelling all the time gets boring after a while."
"And now you're going to be living here for six months," Pilica grinned and Hao began choking on his wine, spraying it all over Lucinda who screamed in protest while the rest of us tried not to laugh.
"Si-six mon-months?" Hao spluttered and I nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I'm recording my new album here," I shrugged, lazily swirling the remainder of my wine in my glass before downing it quickly, "hey, Horo, pass us the wine bottle, tonight I'm celebrating," I grinned and Horo laughed as he handed me the half full bottle of red wine, "and this stuff is nice, where'd you get it?"
"The store downtown," Lyserg said and I nodded appreciatively, pouring myself a large glass of the red liquid and sipping on it as I passed the bottle to Lucinda when she asked for it.
"When I went to France two years ago they had the best white wine I've ever had," I said, "perfect, I'll have to go back there when I next have a break, but I was just there promoting my CD so I didn't have all that much time to go out drinking."
"Bet you did as much as you could," Pilica teased, pouring herself another glass, "you're a right little spitfire when you get drinking."
"Shut it," I groaned, knowing she was about to talk about the first time I ever got drunk.
"We were fifteen and you first had your taste of alcohol," she recited with a giggle, "you got so pissed, you could barely walk, then you decided to streak down the road and got several yells of 'is it cold tonight love?!'!" she cackled and I buried my face in my hands.
"This doesn't leave this room," I snapped at the laughing group, "I have a reputation to uphold."
"Not a word to anyone," Chocolove promised, "right guys?"
Everyone nodded and my cheeks were still bright red as I took a large gulp of my wine to try and distract myself from them.
Thankfully my phone rang and Leiko's name flashed across the screen.
"I have to get this, sorry," I said politely, standing and leaving the room quickly (wine in hand), "hello?"
"Hey kid," Leiko's voice said, "you need to be at the recording studio next week on Monday, Eiji will pick you up about six in the morning, we'll work all day."
"Alright you slave driver," I sighed, taking a sip of wine, "see you then."
We said goodbye and hung up quickly as I went back into the dining room.
"Who was it?" Lucinda asked.
"My manager, just telling me the time and date of my recording time," I answered dismissively, waving my free hand and gulping down some wine, tonight was going to be interesting, if I could remember it.
Half an hour later……….(Third Person POV since Ayame has no idea what the hell is going on)
"Hao!" Ayame slurred drunkenly (all of them were drunk at this point) and the elder Asakura twin grinned at her, catching her as she nearly fell over, both of them giggling, "I missed you, you dumb Asakura."
"Aw! I knew you loved me Ayame!" he grinned brightly, hugging her tightly and she giggled.
"Your hair tickles!" she spluttered with laughter and he laughed with her.
"TRUTH OR DARE!!" Horo yelled and everyone plonked themselves in a circle in the sitting room, "Lysergie! Truth or dare?!"
"I want babies! I want lots and lots of babies! let's go Pilica!" the green haired man announced, grabbing his giggling wife's arm and leading her upstairs.
"YOU GO PILICA AND LYSERGIE!!" Yoh yelled after them and an only tipsy Anna grabbed his ear.
"Yoh, we're going home to make our own babies," she said determinedly, leading him away with him following eagerly.
"Manta! Truth or-or-or what was the other one again?" Lucinda asked with a frown.
"Dare," Tamao nodded decisively, in her drunkenness, she seemed to have gained more confidence since she slapped the blonde over the back of the head, "dumbass!"
"Hehe, go Tammy!" Ayame cackled, reaching over and hugging the pink haired girl clumsily, "that what she gets for stealing my Hao."
"Your Hao?" Hao chuckled, grabbing Ayame's waist and pulling her into his lap, "I don't belong to anyone Ayame."
"Yeah you do, I could buy you, I am rich," the green eyed girl declared, her black hair falling over her face, contrasting with her ivory colored skin, "besides, I still love you Hao."
His expression softened, even in his drunken state, "you do?" he asked and she nodded, kissing him firmly.
"You are my Hao," she murmured, slurring on her words slightly as Lucinda wailed and drunken lips touched clumsily.
"Nooooo!!" Lucinda wailed, pushing Ayame away from Hao and the singing sensation gasped, slapping the blonde clear across the face.
"Bad blondie!" Ayame yelled and Lucinda tackled her into the table, breaking the wooden coffee table in the process.
Ayame punched Lucinda and the two drunken women fought furiously until Hao and Horo pulled them apart, Hao patting Ayame's head 'consolingly' when in reality it just made her slap him upside the head and snap at him before stumbling upstairs with a declaration that she would destroy one Lucinda whatever her other name was! Followed by evil laughter of course.
First chapter!!