Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the series except for the original characters I have created and included in this story. Some places are fictional and may not be as accurate due to my limited knowledge on Japanese Geography. Same goes with certain technical matters, which I shall try my best to explain. As mentioned in the summary, the main pairing is Sawako x OC though other canon pairings may appear in latter portions of this story.

Reviews are highly appreciated.

Chapter 1: "Second Degree"

She was working hard as always. All her employees had gone ahead since it was the end of the work day yet she stayed behind to put in more time and effort. Unfortunately, she wasn't getting paid for working overtime. Why would she be paid when she's the owner of the company itself? Still, she was the brain of the young company and in order for it to become even more successful than it was now, work had to be done. She grabbed her mug of strongly brewed coffee and carefully sipped its contents. Her eyes never left the large screen of her computer as she continued to revise and improve the flagship product of her company.

"Yo!" Someone noisily opened the door to her work place and trudged in. "I heard from the security guard that you were still in, so I dropped by to bring you dinner." The tall man held out a bag and waited for the woman to shift her attention to him. When that didn't happen, he simply sighed and placed the bag on food on a non-cluttered area of the large work desk and plopped down into another chair. "You're too into your work you know! Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Complaining isn't listed under your job description," the woman replied, disinterest clear in her deep and serious voice. "Competition is fierce and since we haven't found a programmer up to our standards, I have to double the effort." As her other hand furiously typed away on her keyboard, she held out her free hand expectantly.

"I got you the usual," he pulled out half of the foot-long sub sandwich from the bag and placed it in the upturned hand. "Chicken Teriyaki sub with an additional order of jalapenos." He sat back again and watched in amusement as his business partner made quick work of her food and got back to work. "In any case, I think I'm close to solving your late night work hours," he informed her, running his long and graceful fingers through his raven hair.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Her attention was still on her work.

"I've got a couple of applicants who are quite skilled in the programming department. Visual Basic, JavaScript, C++ and all those other programming languages are listed in their resume." He grinned. "One guy is almost at the same level as you as a programmer, while the other has a lot of potential. Oh and they're pretty skilled with HTML5. They're probably even more knowledgeable about that language more than you since you were self-taught."

"How'd you lure them?"

The raven-haired man chuckled at how sharp his friend was. "I'm hurt that you think that way of me!" he remarked in a pained voice. "I didn't lure them to come to our company using false promises if that's what worries you." He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to watch the woman work away at her computer. "They're also particularly good with their research and recognized who we were."

"Sounds like a weak reason to join our company."

"That may be true, but they're both willing to commit as soon as possible. They told me that they'd rather put their talent and skill in a new and growing company rather than work for those large and established ones."

"Hmmm…" She tapped in a few more codes then twirled her office chair around to face her partner. She was an attractive woman with shoulder-length layered auburn hair that was parted to the side. Outside and during the day, her characteristic auburn hair turned fiery and matched the intensity of her emerald green eyes. Her angular and sharp featured face often made people think that she was intimidating and unapproachable though to those who knew her, she was a kind woman and a good friend. Her body was lithe, wiry and tanned from years of being a surfer in the California coast. The tan though was fading since she was spending more time indoors than at the beach. Her physical appearance was certainly questioned whenever people found out that she was a computer programmer and owned her own software development company. She just didn't seem to fit the type of work she was in due to her good looks. "I suppose we could see them and give them a go," she decided after a long moment of thinking.

"Is the Terry Quinn actually taking my advice? It's a miracle!" The man dropped to his knees and raised his hands in the air.

"Stop that Miles," Terry ordered with a frown. She didn't particularly appreciate the jokester side of her friend especially when they were at work. It tended to be a distraction and often pricked her temper especially when they going through a heavy workload. "You make it sound like that I don't take your advice at all!" She got to her feet and stretched her five feet and nine inch frame.

"Oh I know. You do take my advice all the time since we're business partners, but you usually listen and only consider when you think my advice is sound." Miles Young was a flamboyant man with raven black hair that also fell to his shoulders but he usually kept it up in a low ponytail. He was pale-skinned and had humorous blue eyes that were quick to charm the people who happen to meet him. He also had a fit body, but not as fit compared to his female partner though he stood a couple of inches over six feet in height. "Anyway, Quinn-Young Development looks to be progressing well enough."

Terry nodded her head and rubbed her tired eyes. "I'd like the company to grow more. I'm estimating that within the next year or so, we'll have enough to move into a new building, one more suited to accommodate more employees and have the right tools and equipment to aid us in our work." Their current office was located twenty miles away from downtown LA. It was a modest sized office with the main area big enough to fit twenty employees with their own desks, computers and cubicles. There was also a small eating area that had a refrigerator, microwave, coffee brewer, water dispenser and sink. The last area of the Quinn-Young Development office was a separate room that was the private work area and office of Terry Quinn and Miles Young.

"I heard from our consultant friend that you plan to expand our product line by developing other software not necessarily related to music," Miles remarked, clasping her hands together. "The Crimson Score program is selling really well and getting remarkably good reviews. Users have been sending in their reviews saying that the price is affordable and that the simple interface tends to deceive and mask the great features and services included in the software." He grinned when Terry smiled at the praise. "Lots of music students, amateurs and some professionals are starting to use your program because it's easy to use."

"That's good to hear. Still, I'd like to build on that and improve our flagship product." It took most of her college life to develop the said software. Good thing she and Miles had built up enough capital to start their own company to further develop, market and sell it.

Miles chuckled. "You should really think about putting up the company's history in our website." His blue eyes twinkled mischievously. "I'm sure people would be tickled to know that you were frustrated using other music notation and audio scoring programs so you ended up creating one to your own liking."

Terry rolled her eyes heavenward. "Please, I hardly think that's necessary." She took her hair-tie tied to her wrist and pulled her hair up into a low ponytail. "Anyway, I'm going to stay here for a couple more hours. Shouldn't you be heading home?" she asked her friend.

"I think I'll do that." He stepped forward and briefly hugged his partner. "Don't stay too late, alright?" He released her, stopping at the cluttered desk when he saw a large dark blue envelope partly hidden under other documents. Seeing the foreign yet familiar writing on the front and Terry's name, he pulled it out and realized that it was from a university in Japan. "Hey Terry, did you see this yet?" He walked back to the redhead and handed over the large envelope. "Planning to go back to college or something?"

Terry shook her head. "Not exactly," she replied as she opened the envelope and pulled out a short stack of papers. "I told you I wanted to expand the product line and services of our company right? Recently, I was looking into colleges and universities who offered Music Engineering and Sound Production as a course. I applied online to several institutions and I guess this is one of the replies." She quickly scanned through the opening letter. "Looks like my application has been accepted," she informed her surprised friend. "They even sent me all the forms I need to fill out and a list of other things I have to send back to them if I'm really going to study there."

"I didn't know you wanted to go into music production," Miles accused. "Although I shouldn't be so surprised because of our background," he continued, rubbing his chin in thought. "It would definitely give us an advantage and an opportunity to penetrate deeper into the music industry though. We may get the chance to work with films and recording artists if all goes well."

Terry nodded and let out a sigh. "Well, the school year is not for another four months. That's enough time to fix things before I go."

"Why Japan anyway? Honestly, I've never heard of this Sora College of Music."

"I need a change of environment and I've been told that the college is an extension of the main campus of Sora International University, which is one of the best international schools in the country. Their English program is superb and most of the courses are offered in English as well." She looked through the rest of the documents then put them back in its envelope. "Their course on Music Engineering and Sound Production is highly recognized. They have great facilities and equipment to boot too."

"There's still going to be a language barrier you know," Miles pointed out.

"I did take that Japanese Language elective course back in college with Shannon remember? I'm rusty and I don't remember everything, but I have enough time to relearn the language."

"Shannon is living there as well," Miles added, realizing how much Terry must have thought about this plan of hers. "You sure about this though? You're going to be leaving the company in my hands for a couple of years or so."

"A little more than two years to be exact," Terry clarified. "Quite a few of my units were credited by the college so the time it would take for me to complete my second degree would be relatively shorter." She placed the envelope back on her desk and gulped down the rest of her coffee. "The grand wonder we know of as the internet will keep us in contact with each other. I'll be bringing my work with me, Miles."

"A working student, huh?"

"Best way to describe it!" Terry playfully punched her friend then grasped both his shoulders. "Anyway, you head on home! I just need to tweak the program a little bit more before I head home myself." She followed Miles out into the main office and brought her mug over to the sink. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Miles scrunched his face at the thought of getting up early. "I'll see you tomorrow."

April – Nagoya, Japan

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom though people didn't give much notice to it that morning. Many of the people out on the streets were on their way to work. In this case though, one young woman was sprinting down the street, trying her best to avoid her fellow pedestrians. "Why didn't they wake me up?" she cried out to no one in particular. "I have a paper to submit!" The young woman tried to put some order to her brown hair as she weaved through the crowd and arrived at her destination. Kazemiya University was a renowned women's college and had a large variety of courses it offered to its students.

She barely avoided crashing into other students who were on their way to their classes and managed to skid into her classroom just as the bell tolled. "Safe!" she exclaimed, wiping the sweat off her forehead and panting from exertion.

"So nice of you to get here on time," the professor teased and flapped his hand at his student while the rest of the class chuckled on in amusement. "Please take your seat, Hirasawa."

"Hai!" Yui took a deep breath then skipped over to her professor's desk and submitted her market analysis paper. She then skipped up a few levels of the auditorium style class and settled into a vacant seat midway up. "Did I miss anything?" she asked her seatmate, a bespectacled brunette who somewhat reminded her of her childhood friend.

"Not really," the young woman replied. "He was just making a couple of announcements before you made your grand entrance." She grinned and offered Yui her hairbrush. "Look at it this way at least you were able to put in some exercise today."

Yui laughed as she quickly ran the brush through her hair. "Did you stay up late finishing your paper?"

"Not late enough to almost be late for school," she teased.

"Awwww! Mizuki-chan!"

"What Yui-chan? It's the beginning of the school year and you're already running late! Besides, that paper Yamato-sensei made us do was just a page long!" The bespectacled girl eyed her college friend suspiciously. "What else did you do last night anyway?"

Yui grinned sheepishly. "Well, we had to practice."

"Ohhh… now that makes sense." Mizuki knew for over two years now that Yui and her high school friends had formed a band and were still in the process of reaching their goal. "How much longer until you get a gig at Budokan?"

Yui scrunched her face up at the mention of the goal she and her friends had set back when they were still the Light Music Club in Sakura High School. "We're still pretty far off from having a concert there," she sighed with much yearning in her voice. "We thought that by this time, we would at least be playing in the more popular live houses." She and the other members of Houkago Tea Time were going through a rough time. At first, they figured that the slow progress was mostly due to their busy schedules in college, but after two years in their university, they realized that their academics were only one of many reasons.

"Don't give up!" Mizuki pumped her fist up to encourage the usually happy musician. "I'm sure you'll get your big break soon!"

"Hirasawa! Endo! I know it's your first class, but could you at least try to pay attention?" Yamato called from the front. "I was planning to let all of you out early since I have a conference to catch."

"Sorry!" Both women chorused, sheepishly smiling at each other while the rest of the class chuckled. They all knew that their professor was relatively easygoing and rarely raised his voice in class. That was one of the major reasons why Yui had picked the class to begin with. Now a junior in Kazemiya University, Yui was hard at work trying to get her degree in Marketing. It was rather strange that she decided on that degree, but seeing that she did well when it came emceeing and promoting the band in the past, she thought that she might excel in the said course. Of course, she had to learn all the other subjects related like sales, market research and analysis, management, advertising and the plethora of math subjects involved since it was a business course. If she was still that clumsy and passive student back in high school, she probably would have flunked. Her band mates kept her in line though. They didn't just practice together after all. Regular study groups were a common activity in their shared schedule.

Fifteen minutes later, the class was dismissed early true to the word of their esteemed professor. Mizuki and Yui ambled out of the building and into the sprawling grounds of the university campus. To outsiders, it would have been a little bit strange for them to be within a campus filled with women of all ages. Kazemiya University was a private educational institution for women after all.

"Want to join me for a snack?" Yui asked her friend who was looking at her watch.

"Sorry Yui-chan, I have to make a quick trip to the library before heading to my next class," Mizuki apologized. "I'll catch you later though! Don't spend all your money on that snack of yours! You'll go hungry by the end of the day if that happens!" She waved then bounded off towards the library.

"Look like I'm on my own." Yui sighed and looked into her wallet. "Mizuki-chan is right though. I better watch how I spend my money. It would be embarrassing to call home and ask otosan and okasan to wire me money with the new school year just barely starting." She walked over to the main cafeteria and bought herself a sandwich and a glass of iced tea. Just as she was about to seat herself at a vacant table, she spotted two familiar figures sitting close by. "Mio-chan! Rit-chan!" she called, skipping over to her two friends.

Long black hair cascaded down the sides of her face and her back as Mio looked up in reaction. She bit back a smile as Yui plopped down in between her and Ritsu. "Yui…" she began. "It's still early and you're already having a snack?" She shook her head and watched as Ritsu tussled around with the newcomer.

"Forever hungry as usual!" Ritsu exclaimed with a wide grin, her dark amber eyes playful. She and Mio had been in the cafeteria for half an hour now and were just taking a quick coffee break. "That stomach of yours never seems to get full!" She pushed away the amber locks that fell across her forehead, which used to be the most prominent feature until she did away with the headband.

"It sucks that she doesn't seem to gain any weight despite all the food she eats," Mio added enviously, looking at the sheepish lead guitarist with her gray eyes. While Ritsu was known for her bubbly character, Mio was known for her good looks. Despite being in college, her fan club was still flourishing back in high school. Those who had joined their ranks in college were still loyal members as well, which Mio found very embarrassing on her part. Already, a new chapter of the fan club was formed in Kazemiya University, which greatly added to her anxiety.

"I want the day to end already!" Yui complained. "And I want Mugi-chan's tea and cake!"

"You've got a long wait ahead of you then," Mio pointed out, smiling in spite of herself. "Mugi has a busy schedule today and won't be home until after dinner." The long-haired woman looked at the nearest wall clock and proceeded to finish her cup of coffee. "Anyway, I've got to go. I have a social psychology class to catch." The psychology major got up and collected her belongings. Being in her junior year of college as well, the bassist still wasn't sure if she wanted to use her current course as a stepping stone to taking up medicine. "Coming along Ritsu? You said that you had an international business class."

Ritsu sighed and collected her things as well. "I do, but I'm not exactly in the mood to attend. There was a last minute change to the assigned professor and the one we ended up with is like a plank of wood." She grabbed a very thick Finance book and stuffed it into her bag. Like Yui, she was taking up a business course, more specifically Finance though she chose to take it up in English. The drummer was inspired to learn English, hoping that she would be able to use the said language once she and her band mates become famous enough to tour in America. While Mugi had been quite polite with her reaction to that dream, the rest of the band thought that Ritsu was being overly optimistic. Most of them knew that Ritsu picked Finance as a course so that she could learn to budget her money properly after that budget gaffe during their Light Music Club days.

"He's thin?"

Ritsu snorted and landed a punch on the back of Yui's head. "Idiot! He's stiff and boring!"

"Owwww… that hurt Rit-chan!" Yui tenderly rubbed the back of her head.

Mio took hold of her childhood friend's arm and started to drag her away. "We'll get going now, Yui!" She and Ritsu waved goodbye and smiled. "If you happen to see Azusa, tell her we'll be practicing again tonight!" The two friends then exited the cafeteria.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon when Yui did bump into the younger rhythm guitarist. Much to Azusa's embarrassment, she didn't see Yui in time and was immediately smothered in a crushing hug. "Yui-senpai! Please! Not too hard and we're in public too for crying out loud!" She could literally feel her face heating up as several pairs of eyes looked at the odd position they were in.

"But Azu-nyan! I've been looking all over for you!" Yui rubbed her cheek against Azusa's and refused to relinquish her hold on the petite young woman with long midnight blue hair. "Are you done with classes?" she asked the college sophomore.

Azusa slipped out of Yui's hold and took deep breaths to replenish her air-deprived lungs. "I just finished with my Leadership in Organizations class," she replied. The rhythm guitarist was in the process of acquiring her degree in Human Resource Management. Being the most disciplined and focused among her friends, she ended up enrolling in the course with the hope of improving dealing with her rather easily distracted band mates. "Are you finished with your classes too, senpai?"

"Yup!" Yui was very enthusiastic and eagerly linked their arms together. "Let's walk home together!" She didn't even bother to wait for Azusa to agree and started dragging her towards the nearest campus exit. It took around fifteen to twenty minutes of walking to and from the university to the large apartment the five young women shared. During this particular walk though, it took double the time because Yui was as usual distracted by almost everything she lays her eyes on.

Azusa was ready to just pick up her senpai and carry her up the stairs to their second floor flat after dealing with her during their walk home. Fortunately, Mio and Ritsu caught up to them and helped make things easier. The four women trudged up the stairs and entered their abode. When Ritsu, Mio, Mugi and Yui graduated and decided to attend Kazemiya University together, they also decided to find and live in an apartment together as well. It took a good week before they found one that was affordable and big enough to fit four and eventually five women plus have enough space for band practice. The apartment had five bedrooms, one of those rooms used to be an unused large storage room, which they cleared out and furnished when Azusa joined them. There was also a small kitchen that also acted as their dining room, two bathrooms and the living room, which was also their practice area. Prior to moving in, the four older women had to spruce up and do some renovating to the apartment, which had not been occupied for more than a few years. With permission from the landlady, they chipped in some of their savings and soundproofed the walls so that they wouldn't disturb the neighbors.

"Whose turn is it to cook today?" Mio asked after returning from their respective rooms.

"Mine!" Ritsu skipped over to their kitchen and began pulling out ingredients. "Mio, we have to go grocery shopping soon," she called. "We barely have enough right now to make curry. There's still some bread and jam for breakfast tomorrow, but other than that the fridge is empty."

The bassist sighed as she, Yui and Azusa settled themselves around the low dining table. "I suppose we can make a trip to the store sometime tomorrow afternoon. After classes of course." She drummed her fingers against the table's surface and softly smiled when Yui switched the television on and tuned in to Channel V. "Ah! It's a segment on 90's rock." She rested her chin on her hand and focused on the show.

"Do you know them, Mio?" Yui asked, not recognizing the people or the music in the music video.

Azusa stepped in. "Dishwalla," she informed her senpai. "They were a pretty popular alternative rock band in America back in the 90's." She tapped her finger against the table in beat with the music. "That song they're playing, 'Counting Blue Cars' was a chart hitter."

Yui grinned and suddenly glomped the pig-tailed young woman. "Azu-nyan is so smart!" she exclaimed.

"Senpai! Please! You're squeezing the breath out of me!" She made a face when Yui finally let her go. "I just happen to like the rock produced during that particular decade," she explained why she knew of the band. "These days, a lot of rock music sounds the same to me." She shrugged her shoulders and breathed in deeply as the delicious smell of curry wafted in the air. "Ritsu-senpai has improved her cooking since we started living together."

Ritsu laughed and gleefully pumped her fist in the air in self-acclamation. "Of course! I'm not yet as good as Mugi or Mio, but I'm sure I still beat Yui when it comes to cooking!"

"Awww! Rit-chan! I've been practicing!"

"Yeah and you always made a mess of the kitchen by the time you finished cooking the food!"

Mio ruefully shook her head and let the two friends bicker at each other as she went to set the table. It was nearly eight in the evening when Mugi finally arrived. The four friends had finished dinner earlier and had cleaned up. While the year mates conversed with each other, Azusa took Mugi's food and heated it in the microwave.

"What took you so long, Mugi?" Ritsu asked, watching as the blond-haired woman dropped her things on the sofa then settled herself at the dining table. "It's strange for you to come home this late without giving us the heads up first."

Sky-blue eyes twinkled as she smiled at her friends. "Sorry," she apologized with a small bow of her head. "Classes ended on time, but I was a little sidetracked on the way home."

"Mugi-chan! Let's have tea!" Yui clamored, suddenly choking when Ritsu came up behind her and slid her arm around her neck.

"Let her eat first!" Ritsu commanded.

Mugi smiled soothingly at Yui and held up a small paper bag. "I'll make some as soon as I finish eating. I just bought a new batch," she assured her dear friend then turned to thank Azusa who set a steaming plate of curry in front of her.

"So what kept you out until this time?" Mio asked as the rest of their group settled around the table with Mugi.

"Well, I had to restock our tea supplies and I wanted to check out this new specialty store that sells all sorts of tea blends from all over the world." She knew her parents could easily send her all the high quality tea she'd like, but she still found it thrilling to do normal activities such as shopping. "I was taking another route home, one that was less crowded when I chanced upon this place." She placed a small calling card on the table and stayed still as her friends all leaned forward to get a better look.

"The Cobalt Loft?" Mio said aloud. The calling card had a picture of the front of the cool and urban establishment. "A bar?" she wondered, rubbing her chin in thought.

"A live house," Mugi clarified with a wide smile. "It's relatively new from what I've found out. It opened a little over a year ago and it's the place to be if you want to listen to good music, drink and socialize with people. There's gossip that if you're able to land a gig there, the American music industry would be the next step. I suppose it's just a rumor that people came up with."

Ritsu took the card and had a closer look. "Who's Shannon Gray?"

"The owner," Mugi replied. "I met her actually."

"You met her?"

Mugi ignored the incredulous looks on her friends' faces. "Yes I met her."

"But this looks like an expensive place! Isn't it difficult to get inside let alone meet with the owner?" Mio asked.

"It was open when I just happened to pass by and I was curious to see the inside." Mugi shrugged her shoulders and got to her feet. "I'll go heat some water and prepare the tea," she said, leaving her friends pondering at the table.

"The owner just happened to be there?" Ritsu passed the card over to Azusa. "Just by the sound of her name, she must be a foreigner."

"She is," Mugi clarified. "She's from America and moved to Japan two years ago."

Azusa furrowed her eyebrows and put the card back down on the table. "There's more to this talk you had with this Shannon Gray, Mugi-senpai?"

The pianist grinned and this time laid out a form on the table. "Actually, the only reason why I ended up talking to Gray-san is because I overheard her talking to her events manager. Apparently, one of their acts this coming Saturday backed out and they're looking for a replacement act."

Yui giggled. "So you swooped in and asked if Houkago Tea Time could be the replacement. Typical of Mugi-chan! You never let an opportunity slip away!"

"How could I? It was too good to let go of!" The blonde raised her expressive eyebrows at her band mates. "Anyway, I let her listen to some of our songs from my iPod and she had no complaints about our music." She gestured at the form. "She said we should fill this out and come by for a live demo before she gives the go signal for us to perform on Saturday."

Mio frowned. "Saturday is five days from now."

"Which means we have to practice!" Azusa exclaimed, trading grins with Mio.

"When should we go to The Cobalt Loft for a live demo?" Yui asked, bowing her head in thanks when Mugi passed out steaming cups of tea.

"The sooner, the better," Mugi replied. "Gray-san said that they usually open at seven-thirty in the evening. The bar opens earlier at six though."

"So what time is everyone free tomorrow?" Ritsu asked. "I'll be out by four."

"Same here," Azusa voiced out.

"Three-forty," Mio said, already trying to figure out the best time for them to meet up after their classes. "How about you, Yui?"

"I have a free cut tomorrow so I'll be done with classes at one," Yui replied, sighing in contentment as she carefully sipped her tea. "I could hang around the campus and wait for you guys to finish."

"I'd say we meet at around four-thirty then," Mugi decided. "I'll also be done with class at around four in the afternoon though it might end earlier depending on my professor." She brought out her cellphone and quickly composed and sent a message. "I just asked if I could borrow one of otosan's delivery vans. Since all of us will be meeting in the university, we should just stow all our instruments and equipment in the van then drive to the live house together."

Ritsu clapped her hands in appreciation. "That's some quick thinking Mugi! Why a delivery van though? We should make a grand entrance!" She yelped in pain when Mio smacked her on the back of the head. "What? I was just asking!"

Mugi flapped her hand in disregard. "Well, it's one of the only vehicles available at such short notice. None of the other vehicles are big enough to fit us and our stuff so I settled for the delivery van." She gave the disappointed Ritsu an apologetic smile. "Maybe when we're famous we'll be able to afford a better vehicle for all of us."

"I wonder when that's going to happen," Ritsu muttered, warming her hands against her cup of tea.

Mio shook her head at the pessimistic attitude of her best friend. "We'll take it one gig at a time," she told the drummer. "Let's do our best with this one first."

Azusa jumped to her feet and dragged Yui to their living room. "Let's start practicing then! We have to be good for the demo first tomorrow!" She and Yui brought their guitars out and plugged them into the amps.

Ritsu immediately felt better and skipped to her drum set. "We're going to knock the owner's socks off! I'm sure of it!" She exchanged grins with the two guitarists and started to warm up on her drums.

Mio chuckled and motioned for Mugi to join in. "Let's leave those for later," she indicated the emptied cups and the teapot.

"I'm ready!" Yui announced, fixing her grip on her guitar pick. "Let's go for Fuwa Fuwa Time!"

"Okay!" Ritsu shouted, raising her drumsticks in the air. "One, two, three, four!"

It was late in the afternoon in the busy district populated with bars, clubs and the like. Inside The Cobalt Loft, a young woman in her mid-twenties was giving instructions to her employees prior to opening the live house. Her boy-cut blond hair, which was currently styled in a mini Mohawk, was so pale it was almost platinum in color. Blue-green eyes seriously looked over the newly stocked bar on the first floor and checked its cleanliness. "Maki! Did the cleaners come through here?" she called to a figure ducking behind the bar.

"They did boss! They actually just left a few minutes ago after finishing the loft," he said, jerking his head at the floor above them. There was a logical explanation why the establishment got its name. The live house had three floors. The first floor was the main bar and it was where customers could lounge around on the provided tables, chairs and couches. The second floor was the stage where the bands and other acts performed for the live house goers. If filled to capacity, the second floor could hold nearly two hundred people. Tucked away at the back of the room was the sound box, as the owner liked to call it. It was indeed a box-shaped room that had the main console wired to all the music equipment on the stage. There were several couches and small tables arranged on the perimeter of the room and there was also a mini-bar as well. The third floor contained a small office and the storage room.

"Gray-san! Are there any other bands that are going to have a sound check? The tech team is asking," someone called from the top of the stairs.

Shannon Gray nodded her head. "There's one more band I'm expecting. They should be arriving any time now." She checked her watch. "Turn the sign on in around an hour or so," she ordered and headed up the stairs to the second floor. "Oh and if the band arrives, help them bring their things up."

"Got it," Maki replied, going over the glasses with a clean towel. Bands frequently came in to audition so it wasn't such a big deal for the bartender. It wasn't until the sound of a car pulling up in front of the live house made him stop his work and greet the band at the entrance. His jaw literally dropped at the sight of five young and very cute women hauling in their equipment. "Errrr… are you the band the boss is expecting?" he stuttered, obviously taken by their beauty. If he recalled, this was the first time an all-female band of this kind of physical beauty has come in for an audition.

"That's us!" Ritsu exclaimed with a broad grin. Her arms were laden with the toms of her drum set. She and her friends all smiled gamely at the bartender.

Maki shook off his shock and offered to take Ritsu's burden. "The boss is already upstairs," he informed them. "Head on up and my co-worker and I will take the rest of your things upstairs." He pointed the way for them then headed outside to deal with the rest of the equipment stowed in the van.

Azusa looked wide-eyed at the interior of the establishment. "Wow! Everything looks good in here!" The bar in particular was the length of the wall and could sit maybe twenty people comfortably. The display and shelves behind the bar were filled with numerous bottles of alcohol. "Are you sure we're good enough to be playing in here?" She couldn't help but feel worried.

"Don't say that! We haven't even done a demo yet!" Mio cried out suddenly, obviously feeling really nervous as well.

"Maybe we should all have some tea first to calm down," Yui suggested, her brown eyes fluttering around.

Mugi shook her head and lead her friends towards the stairs. "Not now. We have to meet with Gray-san first." They trooped up the stairs and collectively gaped at the sight that greeted them. "This is more high class than I thought."

Ritsu furrowed her eyebrows at Mugi's comment. "But you were here the other day!"

"I only got to see the first floor since there was a private event on this floor," the pianist explained.

"Kotobuki-san! It's good to see you again!" The spiky-haired Shannon Gray approached the band with a warm smile. She and the band exchanged bows and handshakes. "Why don't you stow your instruments on the stage first so that we could talk?" She settled onto a couch and waited for the band to return. "First things first," she began once the young women were seated around her. "I'll need that form I asked you to fill out the other day." She thanked Ritsu who handed her the form and quickly scanned through the paper's contents. "Everything looks good." Shannon nodded her head in approval and shoved the paper into her back pocket. "As all of you may already know, I'm Shannon Gray, the owner of this live house."

"Tainaka Ritsu!"

"Nakano Azusa." The pigtailed girl bowed respectfully once more.

"Akiyama Mio."

"Hirasawa Yui!" The lead guitarist flashed a grin at the owner who laughed in reaction.

"Such a lively bunch, but it's all good!"

Yui gazed in interest at the foreign woman. "There's hardly an accent when you speak in Japanese, Gray-san," she remarked, crying out in pain as a hand connected with her head. "Owwww… Rit-chan! Why'd you hit me?"

Shannon burst out in laughter. This was certainly an interesting group. "I don't mind. I know you probably heard from Kotobuki-san that I grew up in America and moved here two years ago. I graduated with a major in Japanese Studies back home. I've always had an interest in your country so I decided to come here as soon as I had the chance."

"Ohhh! So that's why your Japanese is really good!" Yui exclaimed.

"Thanks," Shannon replied. "Anyway, since we got all the paperwork out of the way, I'd like to hear you play. I'll decide whether you'll be playing this Saturday after a couple of songs." While the young women headed to the stage and prepared their instruments, Shannon dragged a chair over to the front and sat down. Right now, she was sure of one thing. An all-female act was certainly appealing and with a little marketing, she could assure herself of a packed house. All she needed to know was whether she and the regular customers could stomach their music.

"Test, test…" Yui spoke into her microphone. Glancing at her friends, she saw they were ready on their end. The vocalist took a deep breath. "We're Houkago Tea Time! The first song we're going to play for you is Watashi no Koi wa Hotch Kiss!" They all entered perfectly with Yui flawlessly playing the opening riff. None of them could see each other smiling contently at the way they were playing, but they were obviously happy about their performance so far. They decided last night that they would play two songs, one with Yui singing vocals and the other with Mio singing. They finished the song a few minutes later and took a quick break to drink some water provided by Shannon.

This time Mio stepped up and as usual fidgeted in place despite the very empty floor in front of them. To her, the scrutinizing eyes of Shannon were equivalent to the feeling of a big audience watching them. "Ummm… the next song we'll be playing is called Pure Pure Heart." Mio gulped. She could have sworn that Shannon's lips twitched after hearing the title of their song. She just wasn't sure what that meant for them. By the time they ended the lengthy instrumental at the end of the song, Mio could feel her knees quaking in fear and nervousness. She and her friends all watched anxiously as Shannon seemed to mull over the decision in her chair for a few moments.

With a sigh, Shannon got to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll need you here at seven on Saturday," she informed the girls with a smile, raising her eyebrows when they let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I thought you weren't going to take us!" Ritsu exclaimed, fanning herself. "The look you had on your face made us think that we just weren't cut out for this gig."

Shannon shook her head. "You shouldn't worry. I was quite impressed. Sure it's a bit strange for me to be having an all-female act, but I could use that to my advantage."

"Eh?" The band stared in confusion at the owner.

"Your music is good and I have a feeling the clients would like the upbeat rock you play," Shannon took the time to explain. "There's a certain appeal attached to a cutesy all-girl band. I'm sure it'll attract enough people to fill the place."

"Cutesy?" Azusa murmured.

"We're… cute?" Mio was absolutely red in embarrassment.

Shannon once more burst into laughter. "I didn't mean that in a bad way," she assured the girls. "All of you are really cute! Seriously! Pretty in a mature sense if that makes you feel better." She covered her growing grin with her hand. "To be honest, your physical appearance would certainly attract male clientele, which would be a good thing for you and me. Profit for me and a bigger fan base for you." She gazed at the shell-shocked group of friends. "Anyway, I would love for you to play here this coming Saturday! Let's all sit down so that we could discuss the other details." She and the younger women were halfway through the discussion when a deep and somehow musical voice called out to them from the landing.

"Shannon! Are you here? I brought over some of the leftover barbecue ribs I made!" The unknown woman spoke in English as she approached the occupied table. "Oh. I didn't know you were doing business," she remarked, her emerald green eyes gazing at the group of women before her.

"We're just wrapping up," Shannon replied in English, getting to her feet and hugging the taller woman with fiery auburn hair. "What's with the glasses? Don't tell me you lost your contacts again!"

The redhead laughed. "You got me there!" She returned the hug and pulled away. "Anyway, I'll just leave this here if you want me out of the way." She placed the plastic bag on the table.

"No need to hurry," Shannon told her friend. "Sit for a while. I want to introduce you to these girls anyway." She grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the table. Switching to Japanese for the sake of her companions, she said, "This is Terry Quinn. She's a college friend of mine who's studying at the Sora College of Music. Music Production and Sound Engineering will be your second degree, right?"

"That's right," Terry replied in Japanese much to the surprise of the younger women gazing up at her. "I guess you're surprised that I could speak the language." She settled herself in the chair and carefully looked at each of them, her vivid eyes settling on the bassist. "You all look pretty young. College students?"

"H-Hai!" Mio inadvertently replied in a loud voice. While Mugi was mesmerized by the sight of two foreign women hugging each other earlier, Mio on the other hand wasn't quite used to the attention she was getting.

Terry grinned while Shannon just shrugged. "You're a funny one," she remarked. "Has Shannon been giving you a hard time?"

"Hey!" Shannon indignantly barked.

"I was joking," Terry drawled.

"She's been very kind to us," Mugi pointed out.

"I never doubted that," Terry assured her friend. "So how long have you girls been in a band?"

Yui shot her hand in the air eager to answer, which garnered another round of laughter from the two foreign women. "Five years now! Four years for Azusa since she joined us when she was a freshman in high school." In her opinion, the two older women were nice and cool. Shannon looked like a punk rocker while Terry reminded her of a cross between an athlete and a sophisticated woman.

"I figured you formed when you girls were still in high school." Terry nodded her head at the form the band filled out. "Your band name was a giveaway." While she asked for more details about the early days of their band, the redhead couldn't help but notice the youngest member of the band staring intently at her. She decided not to mind it in any case. Fifteen minutes later, Terry tried to take her leave only to have Shannon beg her to stay.

"Have a drink with me at least," Shannon tried to persuade her friend.

Terry grimaced at the prospect of drinking. "Shannon, it's still too early to drink," she scolded, knowing that her friend was quite the alcoholic. "It isn't proper for the owner of the live house to be inebriated too."

Shannon simply smiled and seemingly wrapped a friendly arm around Terry's shoulders. Without warning, the arm tightened painfully. "You're staying to have a drink with me," she insisted in a dangerous voice.

Terry sighed. "Oh alright," she agreed. "Just one drink!"

"Great!" The blond-haired owner turned her attention to the band. "Anyway, be sure to give me your set list when you arrive on Saturday." She paused for a moment to think. "Do you girls want to have a drink as well?" she asked innocently, flinching in pain when a sharp elbow connected with her ribs. "What?" she demanded crossly.

"Why do you always have to assume that the people you meet will willingly agree to have a drink with you?" Terry muttered, shaking her head as the younger women hid their smiles. "Well, I suppose all of you are of legal age already anyway."

"Not me," Azusa informed them. "I'm still four months away from twenty-one."

"Orange juice for you then," Shannon decided, getting to her feet and herding their group downstairs to the bar. "Don't worry! I won't spike it!" she assured the blue-haired guitarist. "I really insist anyway that we each share a drink and wish for a good performance this coming Saturday!" They all sat at the bar. "Hey Maki! Get me six Americanos and one orange juice!"

"Coming right up!" Maki replied. "Closed the deal then?" he asked his boss.

"Yeah, they'll be replacing that band with the strange name."

"Dumpster Diving?" Maki supplied.

Terry couldn't help herself and laughed. "That's quite a name." She watched as the bartender mixed Campari, sweet vermouth and soda then poured the mixture into six glasses with ice, topping each with a twist of lemon. He then reached beneath the bar and pulled out a carton of orange juice. Once he filled a tall glass with that, he served the drinks to the women seated before him.

"Ahem!" Shannon cleared her throat and held her drink up. "Here's to a new partnership, a good performance, and big profit for me!" They raised their glasses to each other and tried their drinks. Shannon easily gulped down half of the drink down. "Phew! I needed that! I have to loosen up before opening."

"Hmmm... it tastes pretty good," Ritsu decided after having a couple of sips of her drink. "I'm more partial to sweet cocktails though."

"That's a recipe for disaster though. Sugar absorbs and enhances the alcohol and it takes longer for you to flush it out," Terry informed the younger women, who looked like they weren't heavy drinkers yet. "You'll get drunk just as fast as taking shots." She jerked her head at her friend who was already on her second glass. "Don't let this woman influence you."

"Hey I resent that!"

An hour later, the live house opened. Terry and the college students stood at the entrance bidding each other goodbye. "Well girls, looks like you have a designated driver so I have nothing to worry about." She smiled and chuckled at one particular brunette who was pressing a hand against her head. "Although, I'm a bit surprised that Yui develop a headache after just having one drink."

"Urghhh… I should have just had orange juice like Azu-nyan!"

"Terry-san, we could give you a ride," Mio shyly offered.

"Please do ride with us," Mugi politely insisted while Ritsu and Azusa helped Yui into the van and stowed the rest of their instruments at the back.

Terry shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm sure my condominium is out of the way. It's easy enough to take the train." She shook hands with the girls except for Yui who was already inside the van. "It was nice meeting all of you. I'll be sure to come by this Saturday to see you girls play." With that said, the auburn-haired woman ambled down the road towards the nearest train station.

"Aren't they cool?" Ritsu asked as the van pulled away from the curb and merged with the traffic. "Shannon-san is really cool! I wonder if she was in a band before."

"Terry-san is cool too!" Mio blurted out, slightly blushing. "I felt callouses on her fingers when we shook hands so she must have been in a band too!"

"She probably played guitar," Mugi guessed. "What kind of guitar though?"

"Azu-nyan! What are you thinking of? You look distracted," Yui told their kohai.

The blue-haired girl shook her head. "No… I was just thinking that Terry-san looked familiar. I just can't place my finger on it." She sighed and gave up. "Oh well, I might have seen someone on TV or in a magazine that looked like her."

"She doesn't act like she's a famous person," Mio pointed out. "Anyway, we should start practicing again as soon as we get home. We have to be at our best when we perform this weekend."

"Oh wait! We should call Sawa-chan and ask her to come watch us!" Ritsu suggested, taking out her cellphone and called their former teacher and club supervisor. "Ah! Sawa-chan! You have to come to our gig!"

"Rit-chan, don't talk too fast," the teacher scolded her former student. "Now what's this about a gig? You know I'd love to go."

"It's this Saturday at The Cobalt Loft," Ritsu excitedly replied, giving their teacher all the necessary details. "You can go right, Sawa-chan?"

"Hmmm… well, I'm free on that day so there shouldn't be any problem. Good thing we're in the same city. Anyway, I'll be there for sure."

"We'll see you then, Sawa-chan!" Ritsu hung up and pumped her fist in the air. "You should call Nodoka-chan, Ui-chan and Jun-chan as well."

"I should!" Yui weakly said. Her younger sister and her childhood best friend were both studying in the prestigious Tokyo University while Jun was in Osaka. "Sawa-chan must be doing well with her master's classes, huh?"

Mio nodded. "Sakura High School gave her a sabbatical leave because she's been performing really well as an educator. I was just a little bit surprised that she wanted to take a master's degree."

"I'm not! At least we get to see her more often now!" Yui remarked happily. Their former teacher was studying in a university on the other side of the city. "Errrr… guys?"

"What?" Mio, Ritsu, Mugi and Azusa chorused.

"I'm… feeling dizzy."

"No! Hold it in!" Ritsu shouted.

"Please don't!" Mio shrieked, covering her eyes in fright.

"Drive faster!" Mugi shouted at the driver who swerved into a less crowded road.

Azusa sighed and merely looked out the window. "So much for practice later," she mumbled, knowing that they would probably skip it due to Yui's current state.

Brand new story and I'm on a roll! For those who are wondering about the length of my chapters, it's a typical characteristic of my stories. I really prefer writing long chapters. More original characters are to come in future chapters plus a more extensive look on the current life of Sawako. I try to update regularly, but don't be surprised if I disappear for a long while. I do have work.

Reviews are highly appreciated!

Yours truly,

Shadowed one