HEART BREAKER

[Part 2: Nobody Special]

By De Mouse

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STANDARD DISCLAIMER: All the characters used in this story belongs solely to Mouse-chan. Please note that this story is purely fictional and is not based on any true incidents. Any duplication of this story is strictly prohibited without the author's permission.

WARNING: Yaoi, POV.

All comments can be sent to Mouse-chan at cheese_factory@hotmail.com. Please take note that Mouse-chan will not entertain any emails regarding anti-yaoi or flames. She doesn't have time or the space in her mailbox for such people.

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"You look horrible," Yusia informed me the minute she entered the room.

"Yeah," I replied shortly and took a sip of my coffee. The thick black liquid tasted harshly bitter and scalding hot, exactly what I needed it to be.

"Didn't sleep?"

"Hm."

I could hear Yusia's bag hitting the floor and the telling creak of a chair as she settled down near a corner. The lack of light made it rather hard to see where she actually was but I could hear the soft inhalation somewhere to my left so it was safe to conclude that she was pretty near by. Normally whenever Yusia was around, I would be discussing with her about the latest minor change that had been made or the silly problems about the wires being green instead of yellow but tonight I really couldn't find it within myself to start up a meaningless chat. Anything I wanted to say came out in one-word sentences. And somewhere along the line, I also found that grunts could accurately expressive what you were feeling. I have been receiving weird looks the whole day from the sudden want of cheeriness.

My mood was bleak; my brain was dead from the lack of sleep.

'Correction,' I told myself, 'not lack of sleep but no sleep at all.'

Just thinking about last night was enough to put me straight back into depression. I bit my bottom lip, pushing away the stray thought. It was bad enough I was a bundle of nervous energy along with stress from not getting my daily dose of sleep.

I forced myself to gulp down another mouthful of coffee before rummaging around for the plans. My hands pulled out the stage plans. It was rather hard to see the printed diagrams since the whole room was almost engulfed in darkness. To tell you the truth, I couldn't even make out the white lines that were supposed be right at the edge of the paper. Fortunately that didn't represent a problem since at the back of my tired mind, I had the whole sheet memorized. As far as I could see, the whole plan was intact and perfect. There was nothing else that required my immediate attention.

I sighed and took another glance at my watch. The bluish glow-in-the-dark numbers along with the moving hands of the watch were lit. With nothing better to do with my time, I held the warm mug tighter while listening to my watch tick. I heard that it was a marvelous way to meditate although the method was more effective if I had been sitting down.

After a while I got bored. Not able to achieve a slice of serenity, I turned my attention back onto the flickering screens that were embedded in the other wall. Most of the screens showed hordes of girls frantically waving and jumping. Others had empty corridors. The largest one displayed a wide stage along with random lights washing over it. Three operators watched the screens intently while their fingers busily typed on the keyboards connected to the main computer.

Taking another sip of the coffee, I wished that I had a candy bar on me. I had left my leather bag along somewhere in the lockers area. Unfortunately the schedule was so hectic that I didn't have time to catch a morsel of food. I could bet if I didn’t get food into my system soon, I would end up gnawing the edges of the metal desk.

Idly, I tapped on the surface of the warm ceramic.

Just beyond the cement barrier of the room we were in, there were hundreds and hundreds of enthusiastic L'che fans waiting for the show to start. The L'che performance would only start in two more hours but already the stadium was packed. I could hear the fans' screams from the tiny speakers of the computer. Their calls, even though the operators had placed the volume onto minimum, were so loud that I swore it shook the walls of the tiny room. The screams sounded a little odd to me since its frequency and the pitch of it rose and fell constantly. It reminded me of the sea waves.

I dropped the plans back onto the table, listening as the paper softly hit the table.

This was the worst part of the job.

The opening.

It was always the worst part of the job. That was the most possible duration where something could go wrong. It was the part where all the bright lights flash, blasters start working and everything else comes to life. During that few minutes you never know what little glitches would turn up. Short-circuit would be the many causes of a huge disaster. One tiny thing would lead to another. Machines were always like that. No matter how expensive or perfect the equipment was, problems could happen.

It was a well-known fact.

I glanced around the room and noticed that everyone's expression were somewhat stressed, anxious or the combination of both. I could bet that the look on my face was no different from the rest. The air was tensed as if every single person in the room was holding his or her breath, waiting for the unexpected to happen. One of the less experienced workers looked as though he was ready to claw up the walls.

Usually I wouldn't be hanging around in the room with the rest of the tech people. I never liked going through the whole nerve wreaking process of watching the show unfold while biting my nails every second for fear something would break. I had been through the whole thing a few times during my junior years and hated it. Instead I preferred sitting in a quiet corner far, far away from the screaming fans and the flickering screens. Somewhere along with the rest of the blueprints for the next stage I was about to work on. My handphone would, of course, be on just in case something actually -did- go wrong.

Unfortunately, some colleague who thought that it was best to drag Erek into torture when he was still suffering from the no sleep disease somehow pulled me into the room. Tired and sleepy, I didn't put up much of a fight. So here I was, standing around with the rest of my co-workers. I seriously doubt that I could put half of my foot out of door without being yelled at or strangled.

Heck, I doubt that I could even touch the damn doorknob.

Lifting the mug up to my lips again, I drained the rest of the coffee. It tasted horrible, nevertheless I forced it down for if any mishap occurred, I would be expected to perform a quick miracle backup and glue everything back together again. Feeling somewhat paranoid all the sudden, I reached down feeling for the handy walky-talky I kept latched onto my belt. If you looked closely to the whole technical group, you would see similar gadgets either clipped onto their belts or stuffed into pockets. That was how we stayed in touch. Besides my handphone, it was one of the handiest contact gadgets I ever had. It worked best whenever an emergency occurred. That was also one of the many reasons I made sure I had a firm mental picture of the blueprints. It beats searching around the stage in the darkness while trying to read the plans.

The starting of the show went smoothly.

You could literally hear the sighs of relieve from the whole technical group once the whole flashy opening was done.

I folded my arms, watching as L'che moved onto their first song. It was the first time I was watching them sing. L'che sounded pretty good live if you could actually hear them over the eardrum shattering shrieks the fans were making. I squinted at the screens, trying to keep awake. The caffeine had yet set into my system. God help me if I ever had the misfortune to develop immunity towards caffeine.

The walls around the room shivered at the loud beat of the drums.

Quietly, I sat down on the floor and leaned my head on the side of a table. Since I was sitting quite far from the flickering lights of the multiple screens, I was pretty much invisible taking into consideration I was dressed entirely in black.

The black turtleneck felt a little too restraining but it was the only black shirt that I had packed. The long sleeves were a few inches longer than my arm length causing my hands to be completely covered if I did not fold back the sleeves a little. There was an option of buying another top from the stores but I never did have the time to snatch one of the errand runners and gave them the proper instructions. The pants I had on were also another pain. The skintight material made walking and climbing up ladders very uncomfortable. When my mind wasn't lost in the bleary mists concocted by not sleeping the previous night, it fretted over the chances of an unsightly tear appearing. Woolen socks made my toes itch. I took them off after wearing them for five full minutes and threw them out of the window. The only thing that I didn't have a problem with was the black running shoes I wore. They looked slightly worn out due to the frequent use but they were extremely comfortable.

I glanced at my watch again. It was funny how time seemed to crawl by when you are tired and sleepy.

Curling up closer to the wall, I yawned into my sleeve-covered hands. A few of the people in the room were murmuring but I paid no attention. As long as there weren't anyone shouting for me or a loud earthshaking boom exploding, I wasn't needed. And if I was not needed, it meant my brain was not required to function. So everything began to languidly shut down. My mind began to feel like it was made of fuzzy cotton.

The world turned into a dark space sprinkled with streaks of faint light.

"Hey."

Looking up, I blinked several times at the face tinged slightly by the blue light coming from the various screens. Then I looked at my watch. It stated that about two hours had passed. Making a slight grimace at the stiffness of my limbs caused by sitting for a long time in a cramped position, I figured I must have dozed off somewhere during the first few minutes. My spine felt as though I cracked it in several places then plastered it back using those pesky stick-on correction tapes.

"Hey," Yusia repeated, placing a hand on my shoulder. The pressure felt almost comforting.

"Yes?" I murmured, my voice slightly slurred. My hands worried the crick in my neck.

"There is a sofa in the opposite room."

"Hmm," I had a little trouble figuring out what she was trying to tell me. Sleep infested minds were hell to work with.

"Why don’t you go over there and get some sleep?"

"Hmmm," I said again then gestured towards the operators, "What time…?"

"About 45 more minutes until we can start packing up," Yusia informed me.

"You know, our positions should be the other way around. I shouldn't be the head of the technical group," I gave her a small tired smile and yawned again.

"Nonsense," she briskly pulled me up onto my feet. "It's just because you didn't bloody sleep last night. That's why you aren't functioning properly today."

The sensation of standing up immediately after waking up was rather disconcerting. I placed one hand onto the wall in order to get back my sense of balance. My neck ached, my legs refused to move and my brain was muddled. On top of it all, I was still tired. Yusia gave my hand a sharp tug. I managed to coax my legs into following my assistant although most of the time my eyes were closed and my mind somewhere in la-la land. There were a variety of sounds in the background followed by a sudden change of temperature.

I opened my eyes and absently noted that I was in an entirely different room.

This room was slightly brighter than the other room. There was a small lamp near the door, washing the room with its weak yellow light. Since nothing could be heard within the room itself, I concluded that the whole chamber must be sound proof. The brownish wall color sort of proved my theory to be correct. It was comforting to be able to escape the frenzy screaming fans. I looked around some more, familiarizing myself with the surroundings. The floor was heavily carpeted and I couldn't see any windows anywhere. There were several chairs and a table sitting at a lone corner.

"Here," Yusia gestured to the couch I had missed, "You get some rest. 45 minutes then we can get the group together and get our asses in gear."

I dropped like a sack on the couch. The soft stuffing inside the cotton cushions felt like heaven to my stiff joints. Before I fell asleep, I remembered distinctively saying something that vaguely like a thank you although I wasn't sure if Yusia heard me.

My dreams were empty like a dark void. Instead of the haunting memories that chased after me even though I was not among the wake, I dreamt of nothing. Just shadows swirled around while inky blackness crowded into every available space. There was a sort of static sound in the background but the noise was very faint. Sometimes strings of silver threaded across the darkness then disappearing as quickly as they appeared. I thought they looked like comets streaking across the never-ending shadows. There was no one around me. I was the only one floating in the darkness.

The only person in sight living in a world devoid of any light.

And somehow, I didn’t find it unnerving at all.

I woke up with a start.

Not knowing why I snapped out of slumber, I peered down at my watch. It told me that I had been asleep for 40 minutes. I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself up into a sitting position. My brain felt a little more refresh from the break but tiredness still stayed within the fringes of my thoughts. After stretching my sore muscles, I got off the couch. Waking up even though I did not have enough sleep was something I had trained into myself a long time ago. I smirked and wondered if I could qualify as a soldier. My nose dutifully stated the unmistakable aroma of coffee lingering in the air.

A plain white cup sitting on an equally white piece of paper caught my attention.

Bending down, I picked both objects up. The black liquid was as foul tasting as the one I had earlier. But it was still warm. Taking another sip, I read the note.

Erek,

Drink that black, disgusting coffee I got you. Those bloody stage people don't know how to make decent coffee even if their life depended on it. Just take the damn drink, k? At the very least the repulsive taste will shock you to the world of the living. I will see you later when it's time to pack up the equipment. The group and I have gone for a quick meal. Back in a few minutes.

Yusia

I folded the note absently and finished my drink. It left an odd taste in my mouth. I felt a little weird after swallowing the last drop of the bitter liquid.

Perhaps it was not advisable to drink coffee on an empty stomach? I wasn't too sure.

Leaving both note and mug on the table, I left the room. Walking down the corridors, I wondered why did the place seemed so odd. Then I realized that there weren't any hysterical screaming from the fans anymore. The whole place was still and silent.

The fancy lights were shut off, leaving only the normal white colored lighting.

Slowly, I picked my way to the stage. Along the progress, I came across tons of rubbish. Tissue packets, can drinks, plastic bags mixed with things I don't even want to comprehend were littered all over the place. I screwed up my nose and carefully stepped over a rather large pile of crumple paper. A gentle breeze swept over the grassy field, rustling up the green blades and tossing up a bright red plastic bag. The bright crimson spot floated lazily in the air, vibrant against the darkness of the sky.

The cleaning service was going to have a hard time restoring the place to its original condition the next day. I gave the whole stadium a quick look-over.

"A really hard time," I murmured to myself before hopping onto the stairs that lead up to the stage.

Everything was still in place. The drums, the guitars and even the microphone stand were still quietly standing in their respective places like they had been before the concert officially started. Those would have to be carefully packed up. Only the craziest person would even think about leaving super expensive stuff out in the open.

I could feel the heat waves coming from the equipment even though the concert had been over 30 minutes ago. Moving hot metal before it had a chance to cool down completely was not a very nice thing. You could get your hands burnt; besides I did not have my gloves with me. Seeing that the rest of the crew had not arrived yet, I sat on the floor allowing my legs to dangle from the edges of the stage. The floor was rather slippery but I took care not to slip offstage.

If I was not mistaken, the L'che group would have rushed off as soon as the concert was over to escape the massive traffic. The rest of the workers would have gone for a quick bite leaving only the security around to guard the expensive stage equipment. A little irresponsible but I supposed when you were hungry you don’t exactly think rationally.

I lay on my back, looking at the metal bars criss-crossing high above me. Resting my head against my hands, I mentally went through the schedule for the next day. Instruments had to be packed and send over to L'che tonight since they were having a short performance in some TV station the next morning. After that the rest of the equipment had to be resend back to the stadium once again for the next concert. Then -after- that, there would be the hassle of packing up everything, taking down the stage, finishing up the last minute arrangements and flying off to another country just to repeat the whole process again.

I traced one steel bar with my gaze, following it up towards the main frame. Then I frowned a little, was that bar misalign?

Getting up to my elbows, I stared at the object for a while before chuckling. The lack of sleep was making me see things. Shaking my head, I gazed at the sky. It was dark with a handful of stars scattered over the background. Although the sky looked clear but I couldn't see the moon. There was the cold night breeze that only came out at one in the morning, flying over the open field of the stadium causing the colorful flags placed around the stadium to ripple.

It was peaceful.

It was quiet.

It was one o'clock in the bloody morning.

I dropped back onto my back with a loud huff. Only the Gods knew what happened to my crew. Maybe they got eaten by some monster on the way back to the stadium. Perhaps some aliens nabbed them during their dinner. Then common sense bounced back after a short one minute vacation and presented a more plausible answer, bad traffic. Muttering to myself, I unclipped the walky-talky and pressed a few buttons. There was a bit of static before a small beep. One thing great about these little devices was there was a 100km radius. Some said that it could reach further than that although it was never proven. I could use my handphone but decided against it. Besides, connection was faster using the walky-talky.

"Hello?" Yusia's voice came through loud and clear.

"Where the hell are you guys?" I asked, slightly irritable. "Not caught traffic, are you?"

"Sleeping Beauty just got up?"

"A few minutes ago but I couldn't find my royal attendants"

"Royal attendants are caught in a bloody road users' nightmare." There was a pause followed by Yusia's colorful description on idiotic drivers. Normally my assistant was a mild tempered woman dotted with a healthy dose of rather expressive language. But once stuck in a traffic jam, the mild tempered woman disappears and is replaced but a not so mild tempered woman.

"Damn, how long?"

"About thirty minutes minimum," Yusia grumbled and cursed some more, "Shit, this ain't worth that fast-food crap we ate. Stupid greasy stuff. Could have used it to oil my damn car. And fast-food my ass. Service was as lousy as hell. Had to wait twenty whole minutes to get our order done."

"Right," I winced internally imagining the poor company driver trying to navigate the bus through traffic while Yusia was right behind him in the passenger seat. "Looks like we have to work late again."

"No kidding," Yusia muttered.

"Oh well, there won’t be anything to do but wait."

"Sleeping Beauty can always get back to sleep," Yusia laughed, "Or you can go nab some cute babe and hook up. You know, use time -productively-."

"At this time of the morning I doubt there would be anyone running around looking for some 'productive time usage'," I answered rolling my eyes.

"Who knows?" there was an evil grin in her tone, "You got that nice ass, go flaunt it."

"Flaunt, my ass," I muttered sarcastically.

"Exactly! And take off that shirt. Show some skin! I know people who would -pay- for a piece that ass of yours"

"Oh yea right," I laughed.

We both knew our playful conversations meant nothing except mere friendship. Yusia only went after girls. She sort of knew that I sexually leaned towards both sides but never commented on it since I never said anything. Unfortunately when she hinted, she hinted a -lot-. Sometimes I wonder if she ever had the urge to throw boys and girls (which she had no interest in, of course) into my path.

"I will see you in a few minutes okay? Tell the guys we are working late," I said.

"Right."

I heard Yusia yelling out what I just said to the crew and a few groans before the device beeped once more and the connection was cut off. I had no doubt the crew was going to try catch a minutes of few eye shut while they were stuck in the jam in order to replace the hours of sleep they were about to miss. The people working under me were a very good and certainly extremely qualified team. Most of them were young since the older ones could not hold well under the long work hours and the severe traveling the job demanded. I sat up and clipped back the walky-talky onto my belt.

"Mr. Ale?"

A clear voice cut through the silence.

The sudden intrusion into my wandering thoughts caught me off guard. Instinctively, I tried to stand up, quite forgetting that my feet were still dangling at the edge of the stage. Shoes scrubbed against the steel sides, searching in a futile attempt for a firm hold. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side that day. Rubber soles squeaked once before brushing past the solid surface. With a startled yelp, I felt myself fall off the stage. There was a muffled thud when I dropped onto the grassy ground.

Slightly dazed, I blinked several times.

"Mr. Ale?" the voice repeated, this time in concern.

The voice sounded rather unfamiliar. My mind halted its search for injuries activities. I took a moment to match the name with the owner of the voice. I could have sworn my thoughts make a ‘click’ sound when it popped out a positive match.

It was the L’che violinist.

"You are….Kihnel,..right?" I frowned, pushing myself up on my elbows for leverage. The grass pricked against the thick black material. I squinted, seeing a shadowy figure looking at me from the stage. The L’che member looked as though he was looming over me. Suddenly I was aware of just how high did I fall.

"Yeah, everyone calls me Kihnel. That’s not entirely important. Are you hurt?"

"No, don't think so," I answered slowly sitting up. I felt like someone had just dropped a ton of bricks onto me along with a grand piano. Plus a large farm complete with cows and chickens. "You don't have to…"

"Are you sure you’re okay, Erek?" There was a soft sound of boots meeting the grass.

"..come down," I finished and blinked again realizing the pair of odd purple eyes that was staring at me right in the face. It was most disconcerting seeing such an unusual shade so near. I backed up a little creating a small gap between us, quickly figuring out that Kihnel was wearing colored contacts. There was no way anyone could have that eye color.

The L'che violinist was still wearing the leather skin-tight suit he had worn for the concert. His boots looked as though it had a million of straps traveling up until his knee. He was carrying a small sling over bag. His bright crimson hair was a little mussed up. Long lines of pale purple streaked through the blood red strands. The whole mixture of colors was superb. Idly, I wondered how long did Kihnel had to sit under the hairdresser’s care. I could see traces of makeup on his face. His lips still had a little of that darkish lipstick he had worn for the concert. There was a hint of sweat on his forehead. He looked for the world as if he had just stepped out from a performance. But in my own opinion, I thought he seemed rather out of place offstage while dressed in stage clothing.

"You sure you are not hurt?" he asked once more.

"Maybe just a little dented on the sides," I answered truthfully.

There was a sound of leather stretching as Kihnel straightened his back. With another grin, he offered his hand. "Need some help?"

"Thanks," I took the offer and pulled myself up. I mentally winced feeling the soreness somewhere on my hip. There were going to be a few bruises for sure. Inspecting my hands and arms, I was grateful to see that my limbs were not hurt. For the second time, I was glad that I wore the long sleeved turtleneck.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I glanced up at him, catching the way his gaze quickly leaped away from me. Was it just me or was that quick look appraising?

"Forgot something," Kihnel smiled brightly as though remembering a joke, "had to come back and get it."

"Oh," I paused. My brain did a little rewind of the scene that just unfolded then I raised one eyebrow, “How did you know my name?”

Purple eyes blinked once, widening just a little in puzzlement before the haze of confusion cleared leaving behind a disturbingly knowing glint. The violinist suddenly broke into a fit laughter. I folded my arms feeling incredibly confused. If anything, Kihnel certainly looked extremely amused.

“Oi.” Purple eyes sparkled with mischievousness, “Don’t need to get all suspicious about that. Shouldn’t all employers know who is working for them?”

I tilted my head slightly, still not entirely convinced. Never had I made a single decent conversation with any of the L’che members ever since I started working for them two years ago. And not once had the group paid attention to me or the other technical employees. I certainly doubt if they really knew about my existence. Especially when technical personnel were supposed to be practically invisible whenever a show was going on. At most they only knew us as the people who fixed up the lights and sound systems.

“Besides, Aris told me about you. The rest of the guys know you by name too so don’t look so surprised” A gloved hand waved in a placating manner. He flashed me a cheeky but warm grin. “Who knows, maybe we will write a song after your name.”

Somehow I couldn’t help but feel like I had passed some sort of test. Aware that the conversation had somewhat skidded off track, I asked, "What did you leave behind which was so important that you had to come back and get it?"

The red haired violinist held out a pair of gloves. They looked almost worn out due. Leather strands stuck out where the leather was rough and faded. Kihnel’s expression perfectly innocent as he opened his mouth to explain, "Accidentally left them in the changing room. Didn't want to lose them. They are my favorite pair"

I nodded in response. The percentage of lost and not found stuff during a tour was pretty high. If you left something on a table for a couple of minutes, the chances of you finding it were a little more than nil. But if you left them somewhere overnight, you were better off just buying another one instead of wasting time trying to get it back. Things often vanish like ghosts. There was most probably a room somewhere filled to the brim with all the things the crew kept losing. The thought of my leather bag stuffed into a locker came back to me. I hastily felt around for the key to the locker, relaxing when I found it in my pocket.

"So what are –you- doing here?" Kihnel questioned, his purple gaze a little more than curious.

"Packing up some equipment," I nodded my head towards the stage. “Can’t leave them around just it case it rains. And there are also people out there who would happily cart off stuff just to fill their own wallets. ”

"Packing?" the L'che violinist glanced around, searching for invisible workers.

"The crew went out for a quick bite then got caught in traffic on the way back."

"Why weren't you with them?"

"I was asleep," I admitted with a sheepish smile. "Guess everyone managed sneaked out for a quick meal except me."

"Hungry?"

"Give me another hour and I will more than willing to chew on grass and leaves," I laughed.

"Here," Kihnel zipped open his bag and brought of a rather squashed looking sandwich wrapped in clear plastic. "Looks a little squashed. I think someone sat on my bag during the performance. But the sandwich is still more or less edible."

"What about yourself?"

"I ate one just a few minutes ago."

"I see," I stared suspiciously at the sandwich, "Hotel food?"

"Hells no," Kihnel looked horrified, "if it were, I would never be able to fit it into my bag. All that fancy crumbs and cream and crap. Besides, they make the worst sandwiches. I managed to sneak out before the concert started and bought some decent stuff to consume."

I smiled appreciatively before taking a bite. If it wasn’t hotel food then I was more than willing to digest it. The sandwich tasted heavenly after a full day without eating. I munched on it slowly, savoring the rich taste. "This is really good. Where did you get it?"

"Siev managed to get on the Internet long enough to find the nearest well known restaurant..," seeing my bewildered expression the violinist quickly explained, "Siev is the one that plays the bass. Blue eyed guy, slightly shorter than me by about an inch. He is the youngest in the group I think. The shortest too. Nice kid actually. Just don’t try to tear him away from his laptop and he will remain nice."

Still chewing, I nodded.

"Anyway, Siev found the location and I sneaked out for a short shopping trip," he smiled finishing up his short tale.

“No one recognized you?” I asked, slightly chagrined. Some of the L’che fans were so obsessed that they could get pretty violent. Usually the members had to go out with one or two bodyguards.

“Nah,” the violinist grinned once more. A devil-may-care expression lit his features, “Normal brown hair, cap, worn sneakers, jeans and a plain shirt does wonders for someone undercover. Just mess up your hair, look a little grubby and no one will even look twice.”

"You guys do that a lot?" I asked, finishing up the sandwich. I dusted my hands, freeing them from crumbs.

"Most of the time. If we don’t, I think we would either be sick from the creamy hotel food or starving to death." Kihnel chuckled, “Then we will be wailing about food to the fans instead of the stuff we are singing now. Don’t think that would be pretty popular, would it?”

"True," I said then stopped when my walky-talky gave a loud beep. I shot Kihnel an apologetic look and switched the device on. The reception this time was clearer. "Yeah?"

"Erek? Yusia here. We are already in the stadium. You want us to get out the crates?"

"Get out the ones labeled an A1,” I told her. "We will only need those for tonight."

"Sure thing."

The machine beeped once more and I pushed the button to disconnect.

Kihnel cocked his head to one side. "Starting work?"

“Yeah,” I answered, fingers playing around with the device. Somehow I could not imagine Kihnel hanging around while we started taking down the equipment. As happy looking as he was right now, I had a feeling that he was actually down right tired. A full two hours of entertaining a whole stadium of fans must be a draining experience. I stuffed my walky-talky into the back pockets of my pants. “You might want to catch a ride from the company driver to the hotel. Besides you’ve got a show tomorrow.”

“That would be a good idea,” the crimson haired violinist flicked at a leather strap that was a part of his costume and made a slight face, “I need to get out of these things. I am sweating like god knows what.”

“Well, I will be seeing you around then. And thanks again for the sandwich,” I grinned before making my way to the stairs.

“No problem,” Kihnel grinned back.

I climbed back onto the stage. This time the atmosphere surrounding the platform did not feel as hot as it did earlier. Putting my hands in my pockets, I looked around to see what was the crew going to do first. My mind was halfway engrossed in the details of my work when a shout from the other side of the stadium made me look up.

“Hey Erek!”

Kihnel was just a small speck on the dark green field but his voice rang clear over the landscape. It was laced with playful laughter.

“Try not to fall off the stage again! If you do, I will have to get someone to catch you!”

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This was hell.

Anymore of this and I was going to kill someone.

Smoke rose from all around me causing most of the view to be masked in a cloud of pale gray. Weird lights spun round and round. There were sounds of hundreds of feet pounding the ground.

An anonymous hand grabbed at my waist as some guy behind me attempted to grind his hips against my ass.

My annoyance went up another level. Taking into consideration that it had surpassed the maximum limit an hour ago, I found it a miracle I didn’t explode like some cartoon character on TV.

Yes, I was really going to kill someone. Preferably using a spoon.

Blunt objects usually cause the most pain.

I deliberately stepped away. Unfortunately my clueless ‘dance partner’ moved to accompany me. He was so close that he was practically humping me. Again, I felt the need to commit a murder rise. Taking a deep breath then choking at the thick smell of cigarette fumes, I entertained several methods on ending the person’s life.

But first I needed to find a spoon.

Looking around, I could only see the dark figures bobbing in time of the loud music. No, I don’t think there were any chances of getting a spoon on the dance floor.

This was definitely hell.

With strength that could only come from annoyance, I pushed myself through the tightly pressed bodies and towards the edge where there were less people. Through the thin smoke, I could see the hazy outlines of tables. To my delight I saw a spoon. Now if I could only find that guy again…..

“Hey,” Yusia laughed, popping out from nowhere, “Having fun?”

“Remind me again. Just why the hell did I allow you to drag me to this place?” I yelled, barely able to hear myself above the loud techno beats blasting out into the air. Thoughts of spoons following with murder lingered in my mind.

My so-called assistant looked as though she was really enjoying herself. The bright colors flashed around the crowded room at dizzy speeds. Reds, blues, yellows; all splashed themselves onto the constantly moving mass of bodies. The heat was at an insane level due to the number of people squashed in a tight space.

I could literally feel the sweat trickling down my spine causing the black shirt I was wearing to stick close to my skin. It was a very uncomfortable sensation, I can assure you.

Another fast pace song pounded out of the speakers. I stepped aside feeling for the world like a canned sardine.

“Cause you needed to get out more often and I wanted to dance,” Yusia screamed directly into my ear. “Isn’t this place great?”

“No,” I replied sourly.

Again I wondered what had led us into coming to this noise polluted area. Right after we had finished packing, Yusia and I had headed out into the night for a proper meal regardless that it was almost 3 in the morning. Both of us weren’t that tired yet so we loitered around for a bit. Later, we walked absently through the lonely streets before finding ourselves in front of a gaudy sign that screamed of dance music and other madness. Intrigued, we decided to get in just for a quick look. The place looked rather interesting so we bought a drink.

One thing led to another.

So much for the quick look.

“Why not?” she asked, not too concerned.

“I have only been here for five minutes and already I have been molested more times than I can count,” I informed her, “Don’t even start on how many times I almost been trampled on.”

“Molested?” there was that smirk in her voice. “Erek, that’s a compliment.”

“Right, you can carry on being happily harassed while I will go outside for a breath of fresh air,” I rolled my eyes before looking towards the main exit. From where I was standing, I could see the harsh green sign glowing through the curling smoke.

“Going outside?”

“Yeah, before I die of suffocation,” I muttered waving my hands at the smoke.

“I am going to dance some more before getting a drink,” Yusia signaled with her hand. Her voice could be barely heard. “Meet you back at the hotel tomorrow?”

“See you in a few hours,” I yelled over the music. “Have fun!”

“No worries.”

Laughing, I pushed my way out of the building. The bouncer allowed me though and I stepped onto the pavement. I stretched, happy that I wasn’t jostling around with hundreds of other people in one small-enclosed area. My lungs practically threw a celebration as they inhaled the fresh air.

I threw a glance back at the room I had just left.

From where I was standing, I could see the smoke curling up towards the ever color changing ceiling. I made a face. If I frequent such places, the odds of dying from lung cancer would be enormous with secondhand smoking and all.

“I wouldn’t even have to stop smoking,” I muttered to myself.

Quietly I walked down the empty streets. My shoes made a small sound as the soles rubbed against the wet floor. It must have rained just a few minutes ago. I gazed up into the sky, seeing nothing but pure velvety darkness along with a handful of stars. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. Moonlight glinted off the windscreens of the few cars that were parked at the curbs. A few lampposts could be seen at random spots along the pavements but their dim yellow light did nothing to pierce through the milky whiteness.

I could hear the sounds of drunken singing. Looking further along the shops that lined beside the road, I noticed that most of them were bars. I smiled to myself. It had been a long time since I last ventured into this sort of area.

A haunting echo of a siren passed through the air like a silent ghost.

My feet slowed then came to a complete stop.

Suddenly a memory flashed through my vision. I wasn’t standing on an empty street anymore but instead was in a dark gloomy room. There were so many people hurrying around the room. I could smell the metallic scent. Feel the pressure of an invisible weapon pressing against my head. Two hands were shaking my shoulders, a voice asking me something. I just couldn’t understand what the voice was asking me. Words blurred into a mess of sounds. The only thing I could clearly hear was the siren wailing into the night.

There was a sound of glass meeting the hard ground before shattering into a million pieces. The noise was loud enough to jerk me out of my daze.

I spun around fully expecting to see a young boy, barely five, standing in the darkness watching me with brown eyes similar to my own.

But no boy was standing in the murky shadows.

No ghost from the past.

Only a drunken man cursing the beer bottle for slipping through his careless hands.

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling chilled. Coaxing my heart to resume it’s normal pace; I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. At the back of my mind, I longed for a cigarette yet was afraid that the memories that came with the simple action of holding a piece of lit cigarette between my fingers.

“Not real,” I told myself, “Not real.”

Deliberately I pushed my hands into my pockets in order to stop from trembling. I shook my head slightly, trying to convince myself.

“Not real,” I repeated softly. My hands burrowing deeper into the pockets.

Sleep would again be hard to reach.

“Hey.”

A warm hand fell onto my shoulder.

“Wha-!” Unable to stop myself, I jerked violently away from the unexpected contact. My shoes splashed into a puddle. Water soaked through the worn cloth, drenching my feet. I took no notice of this little discomfort. Muscles tensed and hands balled into fists ready to strike if needed to.

“Woah.” a young man raised both his hands up in an unthreatening gesture.

I glanced up at the young man. He was just a few inches taller than I was. Although it was rather hard to make out his features in the dim light but there was something familiar about him. A beam of light, from the headlights of a passing car, swept across the man’s face. Finally my wretched brain recognized him.

I forced myself to relax as I firmly told my still trembling hands that this was just a member of the L’che and not some ghost. Stepping out of the puddle, I managed to offer a faint smile. “Sorry. You sort of startled me.”

“Yea, no kidding,” the electric guitarist answered wryly.

“Sorry,” I said once more.

“Happens when you walk alone,” he shrugged gracefully allowing the slip to pass. The L’che electric guitarist ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t think we need an introduction do we?”

“You know my na-?” I stopped remembering something. “Oh wait, Aris told you about me.”

“Yea, he did.”

“Why the sudden interest? It isn’t like I am the most interesting person working for L’che,” I wondered aloud, folding my arms. It was rather unnerving. First Aris then bumping into Kihnel. –Now- meeting Sion in some dark shadowy street. “Why tell everyone of my existence?”

“Nah, nothing special,” Sion smirked, “We are just a bunch of busybodies who has nothing better to do than plague our employees.”

“Why are you here?” I asked, still feeling doubtful.

“Picking up girls.” The electric guitarist smoothly replied as though it was the most obvious thing in world.

“Picking up girls?”

“Yes, picking up girls.”

“I don’t see any women around,” I told him flatly.

“Well I can’t help it if women cannot see my obvious appeal,” Sion responded with a touch of aloofness.

“What appeal?” I couldn’t help but retort. A smile lit my expression, this time it wasn’t forced.

“You are as bad as Kihnel. He says exactly the same thing.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

“Some people just can’t appreciate true beauty when they see it,” the L’che electric guitarist joked, making a slight movement with his hands. He reached into his pockets and withdrew a packet of cigarettes, “Mind if I smoke?”

“Nah, go ahead,” I shrugged. The time I spent in that disco bar place was enough to color my lungs black. Breathing a little more smoke wouldn’t hurt.

“You want one?”

“No thanks. Quitted.”

“Intending on living long?” Sion smiled, flicking ashes off his cigarette.

“Hell no,” I chuckled. “Are you heading back to the hotel? Or go back to picking up girls?”

“I don’t want to waste my good looks here,” he took another lazy drag, “There isn’t anything else better to do at this hour. Most of the people hanging out in bars are all pretty much drunk making them rather bad conversationalists. Walk you back?”

“Why not.” I shrugged. “It’s almost dawn anyway.”

The wet concrete crunched under our footsteps as we made our way to the hotel. After a few steps, I couldn’t help but attempt a conversation. Walking in silence was the worst way to fend memories away. Besides, a conversation would keep my strayed thoughts in checked.

“It’s weird how I keep bumping into you guys these days,” I commented idly.

“Really?” eyes colored like the shade of the night flickered towards my direction.

“Yeah. I mean Aris then Kihnel and finally you. It’s like I am meeting the whole L’che band one by one. All at random places” I kicked a loose pebble and watched as it skittered several meters away. “Feels like there is a connection somewhere.”

“Connection,” Sion repeated carefully.

“So who is next?” I shot a mischievous glance at my taller companion. “Siev, the bass player?”

Sion, if anything, choked abruptly as soon as I finished my sentence. His feet stopped while he bent over; cigarette falling unnoticed to the wet ground. He gasped, trying to empty his lungs from smoke he had been inhaling.

“Sion, are you okay?” I asked, slightly startled.

“Yeah, fine,” the electric guitarist wheezed.

“What happened? Was it something I said?”

“No, just a…,” he paused, “Oh look! We reached the hotel.”

Without another word, the L’che member quickly hurried towards the entrance. I stood in the darkness for a moment, feeling utterly bewildered. Was it my imagination or did Sion have the ‘I am so damned’ look on his face before he disappeared into the hotel?

Shaking my head, I followed him into the quiet building.

The lounge was empty of people excluding the receptionist and a handful of bellboys. A couple of workers were busy arranging fresh flowers on the numerous marble tables. The ones nearby murmured a polite ‘good morning’ as I passed by. Absently I nodded, my thoughts were drifting between the ideas of going to bed and getting a cup of coffee.

Turning a corner, I discarded the notion of going to sleep. I would only be lying on my back while staring at the ceiling if I went back to bed. Inviting Sion for a cup of coffee, we both headed towards the dining hall. It was 5 o’clock in the bloody morning. But one had to take into consideration that this was an extremely expensive hotel, the kind that you practically had to pay an arm and a leg for a night. I would be rather surprised if they did not wait on the guests twenty-four hours a day viewing the money that people pay for service.

Still lost in thought, I managed to get to the dinning area without a mishap. The woman working behind the counter smiled pleasantly before swiftly concocting up two cups of warm coffee. Noticing the way she directed most of her smile at Sion, I turned away allowing them a little bit of privacy.

I took a sip from my mug and dryly noted the difference between the rich home brewed hotel coffee and the instant one I had in the stadium.

“Hey, I am going off to bed now,” I interrupted their small talk as amiably as possible.

“Oh? Oh, sure. Let’s go,” the guitarist looked rather distracted for the moment.

“You sure you don’t want to stay?” I asked, shooting a glance at the woman behind the counter. She was looking at Sion like a starved person.

“Uh, no. I need to sleep and al-” There was another abrupt end to his sentence.

I blinked and looked up, wondering why. A tall man, as tall as Sion, was walking towards our direction. He had rather long silvery blonde hair streaked pulled up into a sleek ponytail. His plain shirt and pants were crumpled, as though they had been hastily pulled on. As he came nearer, he looked rather pissed off. His expression was wary but pissed off all the same.

“Hey Rian.” the electric guitarist jovially raised his mug in greeting.

“Sion,” the lead singer for the L’che nodded back. His silver blue eyes briefly flickered at me before returning to his friend. For an instant, he looked almost dangerous. “I found out. Kihnel told me.”

A statement. I watched, confused. It must have meant something to Sion since the electric guitarist made a slightly shrug.

“He did, did he?” the dark haired L’che member muttered. “Not like him to spill so quickly.”

“Well he did.”

“Ah. What form of torture did you use? Threatened to spill water on his precious laptop?”

“Works like a charm every time.” A faint ghost of a smile on Rian’s face. Unfortunately, it disappeared as fast as it appeared and was replaced with that very pissed off expression. “This is my problem. Let me handle it.”

“It’s been three years and I don’t see any progress,” Sion retorted challengingly.

I stood quietly at one side, hoping that I wouldn’t be dragged into the conversation. Heck, I didn’t even know what the hell were they talking about. Quickly, I glanced at the woman behind the counter. She was too busy drooling over the two L’che members to notice that something was wrong.

“It’s my problem,” Rian repeated stubbornly. His gaze narrowed, “You didn’t…”

“Nope. Didn’t do anything. That would be unfair, wouldn’t it? Aren’t we suppose to be helping?” dark eyes twinkled, “Besides Kihnel would kill me if I did anything.”

“Um,” I bit my lip nervously when two pairs of eyes swung towards my way.

“Rian, I don’t think you met Erek Ale have you?” Sion smoothly interjected. There was that wicked expression in his features. “Erek meet Rian. Rian met Erek.”

“Nice to meet you,” Rian muttered as he stared daggers at his dark haired friend.

“A pleasure,” I replied feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

“I am sure. A pleasure indeed.” Sion smirked. I had this feeling that he was restraining from breaking into laughter.

“Sion.” warned Rian.

Still clueless, I looked blankly at both L’che members. Sion looked as though he was having an unholy amount of fun while Rian seemed rather frustrated, annoyed and grateful all at once. Deciding that I had enough for the night (or day), I smiled. “Well I think I better go catch some eye-shut before work starts.”

“Right, sleep well Erek,” Sion waved. If it was possible, his expression turned wicked. “Will see you around”

As I exited the dinning hall, I heard Rian muttered something that made the L’che’s electric guitarist to curse. Pondering about the day’s strange events, I went off to seek the peace and quiet of my hotel room.

END OF PART 2