Rising Storm
My blood was still pumping from the energy of the performance even after the live house's curtain closed and we started to pack up. I turned to the others, and they also had a hint of sweat on their skin as they beamed back at me.
"Great job on that solo, Hoshiko." I said, patting her on the shoulder as I walked past. To look at her now, no one would recognize Hoshiko Niiya as the groupie she was years ago. She had picked up the guitar for my sake, and yet she had really grown as a musician since devoting herself to the band.
"Mizuki's part in that song is still more impressive, really." Hoshiko said, glancing over at our bassist, Mizuki Kawajiri. She responded by simply rolling her eyes, though there was a slight smile on her face. Technical perfection was one of her primary traits as a musician, so she found this kind of flattery meaningless.
"Either way, the lyrics are what most people are listening to for this song." Mizuki noted as she closed her instrument case and looked up at me. "Seems you still manage to get people's attention, Yae."
I'd have blushed if I wasn't already warm from the exertion. "I'm glad I still have the talent. Every time we introduce a new song, I worry it'll be the one that finally doesn't land well."
"We're too small to fall hard." Mizuki said matter-of-factly. It would have sounded harsh if anyone else said it, but it felt almost comforting from her. "Besides, this isn't our main source of income. We'll be fine if we have a flop or two."
"Yeah. We're in this together, Yae!" Hoshiko pumped her fist, giving me a reassuring grin. I giggled and nodded to her in thanks.
While we were talking, a sound tech from the venue walked onto the stage. When I turned to face her, I realized it was Aoki, who had helped us out a bit in the past. "Hey, Imai? We have a, uh... fan that wants to meet you." She sighed deeply, playing with her glasses. "...Really insistent, in a... weirdly polite way. Do you mind?"
I looked to the others, who each shrugged at me. "Um, I suppose we have a moment to chat, if it's nothing strange..."
Nodding, Aoki left the stage to let the fan in. After a moment, a young woman in a feminine dress with short pigtails stepped onto the stage. She seemed to be about the same age as myself or Hoshiko, but her outfit and hairstyle made her look younger. When she got close, she gave us a deep bow.
"Thank you very much for letting me meet with you, everyone. I've been a fan of Storm on Your Peace for a long time. I apologize for being so forward and insistent, but I just had to speak with you."
Mizuki raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Hoshiko bounded forward, her friendly nature showing itself readily. "It's great to meet a fan! We usually do this outside, but it's no trouble! What's your name?"
"My name is Ayame Sakurano, pleased to meet you." She bowed again, smiling softly. "I deeply admire you three, and ordinarily I would not impose on you like this. However, I would like to offer a... fan's suggestion."
I crossed my arms as I observed Sakurano, trying to guess at what she was so invested in that she had to see us right now. "What would that be?"
Sakurano's smile faltered for a moment, then she inclined her head as if in apology. "Please, take no offense at this. When you were part of Last Witness, your band included percussion... a drummer, in your case. In the years since your reorganization, there have been several songs that could have benefited from such an instrument."
Mizuki suddenly glanced at me, probably checking my reaction. I was a bit surprised that Sakurano had followed my band career for so long, but the collapse of Last Witness was far enough in the past to no longer sting as badly. "Go on. What is the recommendation you had?"
Sakurano lowered her head. "Forgive me if I speak out of turn. I... have done some practice as a drummer myself. If you would have me, I would be willing to provide Storm on Your Peace its drum part."
I had to stop and take in that information for a moment. It now made sense why Sakurano was here, but it was also a big thing to ask so suddenly. I turned to look at the others. Mizuki frowned deeply, rubbing her chin while turning away, probably not pleased by the idea. Hoshiko was forcing a smile, but it was clear she was also surprised.
"That's, um...!" Hoshiko began, trying to fill the silence.
"Please, do not be pressured to answer at once!" Sakurano clasped her hands together as she bowed. "I will leave my contact information with the venue staff. If you decide to take my offer, let them know. Otherwise, you may forget we had this meeting."
Hoshiko looked to me, and I gave her a quick nod. She walked over to Sakurano and gently touched her shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to do it this way, we can talk it over..."
"I do not wish to impose further..."
"I understand." I said, trying to give a reassuring smile. "We'll contact you when we've discussed it among ourselves. Do not feel like you put us under pressure by your suggestion."
Sakurano gave a slight bow, then turned to leave. As I watched her go, it occurred to me how odd it felt to see someone with such a girlish look behave so... proper.
Over the next few days, I messaged the other band members about Sakurano's offer. While we had also shared her opinion that some of our songs could be improved by having backing drums, we had not wanted to risk the integrity of the band or our friendship.
What most people don't know about Storm on Your Peace is that it wasn't just creative differences or a clash of personalities that caused my previous band, Last Witness, to implode. I am only part human; my father being a descendant of "yokai" tied to the rain. While I have mostly passed as fully human in my time in Akiramine, I sometimes struggle to hide that I cannot consume solid food and require water--particularly rainwater--to survive.
Ultimately, the reason we had yet to decide to even give Sakurano a shot or not boiled down to what she would think of my "secret". When we met for a practice session, between songs this became the subject of the discussion.
"We cannot have another Hyo-rin situation." Mizuki said in a serious tone. "You two matter too much to me now. If this Sakurano woman did something to harm either of you, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back from retaliating."
Hoshiko grinned ruefully at me. "You can tell she means it because she refuses to use Yoshitaka's Japanese name."
Mizuki shook her head. "Don't try to redeem him in your mind just because he used to be nice to you."
"I mean... he was scary when he heard what Yae was." Hoshiko gave me a concerned look. "What do you think, Yae? Sakurano seems nice... should we at least do some practice with her, see if we fit together?"
I took a few moments to consider the idea, then nodded. "Let's do a practice session with her. I want to see how she behaves around us when she's not in the audience."
After giving me a long look, Mizuki nodded. "Alright. But keep an eye out for red flags."
"It is an honor to be here with you all."
Sakurano politely bowed and greeted everyone when she arrived at the practice booth at the live house, and Hoshiko giddily explained how the band usually handled its sessions. While those two talked, Mizuki and I helped each other set up the instruments.
"Let's hope her politeness doesn't get in the way of the music." Mizuki said, sounding only partly serious. It still got a chuckle from me, since the idea of a polite drummer did seem to conflict with our image as a pop-punk band.
Eventually, we picked out a song that had been written for Last Witness and showed the drum parts to Sakurano. After she had a few minutes to look it over, Hoshiko and Mizuki played along with her to see how she performed.
When she began to drum, Sakurano took a deep breath and her expression seemed to shift. Her usual refined and feminine posture changed as she began to swing the sticks, her face and body turning into a storm of motion and energy. Despite her seemingly uncontrolled passion, she got most of the notes right and managed to keep time well.
Mizuki also seemed to notice the massive change in Sakurano's demeanor, and she glanced at me between attempts at the song. I gave her a slight nod and walked over to whisper to her. "Two more tries, then let's do it all from the top."
When the time came, I stood where I could watch Sakurano and began to sing the song as they started from the beginning. Sakurano started in her seat when she heard me start singing, but then she seemed to be even more motivated, more energetic. She made a few more mistakes during this attempt, but clearly out of excitement rather than nervousness.
"Could use some work on timing, but you're off to a good start." Mizuki offered, pointing out on the music sheet where Sakurano got lost.
"Don't mind Mizuki, that's how she always gives praise." Hoshiko said with a grin, sidling up next to Sakurano. "You're doing great. Even if we don't take you, I think you'd fit in well somewhere!"
Sakurano looked up at me, looking a bit expectant. "Um... I'll practice more. Is there a chance there might be a place for me, Imai?"
I was impressed by Sakurano's skill and passion, but something still made me feel nervous. I had already been hurt once by someone who was skilled and burning with passion. That very passion had been turned on me, and it was only because of Mizuki and Hoshiko that I still could perform. "We will need some more time to consider. We'll do another practice session or two as well."
"Of course. I will do my best to meet your expectations of me." Sakurano bowed her head, her formality returning.
I knew what had to be done to truly test Sakurano's fitness for the band, and it wasn't tied to music at all. The question was, did I have the strength to go through with it...?
The sky seemed to be mocking me, letting out a torrent of rain on the day I had arranged to meet with Sakurano. I waited at a quiet cafe booth alongside Aoki from the live house, who had agreed to help me explain my situation to Sakurano. As we waited, Aoki looked out into the rain with her good eye, a sardonic smirk on her face.
"Are you sure you aren't the other kind of rain yokai, the one that brings rain?" Aoki asked, glancing at me for a moment.
"If I was, I wouldn't have nearly as much trouble with my water supplies."
Aoki nodded, looking out the window again. "How does your family manage?"
"Well, my mom is human, so it's not a problem for her. And my family runs a farm, so my dad can just siphon a bit from the rain barrels he uses as part of his irrigation setup."
"Huh... I guess I never thought to ask, but I didn't realize you were from a farming family." Aoki turned to me. "What did your family think of you moving to the city?"
"The usual, I'd assume. A bit proud, a bit worried." I shrugged, not sure what was actually normal outside of what books and movies showed me. "Especially since my needs are different than everyone else's."
"Yeah..." Aoki said, trailing off. I followed her gaze to see Sakurano outside, moving quickly through the rain.
Within moments, Sakurano had closed her umbrella and entered the cafe, quickly joining us at our booth. "I apologize for the delay. I missed the train, so I had to dash through the storm."
"It's fine... don't do anything risky in this kind of weather, okay?" I said, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry about the short notice... I'd have rescheduled if I knew it would rain so hard today."
Sakurano inclined her head to each of us, then clasped her hands together over the table. "What is it that you wanted to discuss with me?"
I looked at Aoki and we nodded to each other. Taking a deep breath, I leaned in slightly. "The others in the band really like how you fit in with our music during the practice sessions. But there's something you need to know about me before we can agree to let you join."
Sakurano nodded, as if expecting me to continue. When I paused, she glanced at Aoki with a hint of confusion.
"It's going to sound a bit out there. It might be best to save your questions until the end." Aoki suggested.
"I'll withhold my questions until you say you're finished, then." Sakurano said calmly, turning back to me.
Checking to make sure no one else in the room was listening in, I tried to remember the points I had rehearsed. Taking another breath, I started my explanation. "The truth is, I'm different from other people. I'm only partially human."
Sakurano tilted her head, but remained silent. I licked my lips and continued to speak.
"I'm what some people refer to as a yokai... In my case, I need to drink rainwater instead of eating food. Most solid food is actually indigestible to me."
"So that's why..." Sakurano started, then cut herself off. "My apologies. Please, continue."
I grimaced, shrugging a bit. "That's, uh... that's most of it, really. I know there are some other types of yokai still out there, some of them dangerous maybe, but... that's not the kind I am. I'm just... someone with connections to rain."
"But not this rain." Aoki tapped the window next to her. "That would be too convenient, apparently."
Sakurano nodded slowly, then her brow furrowed. "If that's the extent of it, why..." She looked over at me. "Why are you keeping this a secret?"
"Well, to start with, I don't want the kind of attention that would come with publicly calling myself a yokai." I sighed deeply. "And, uh... usually people don't take it as well as you are right now."
"Do you want me to say it?" Aoki asked, glancing at me briefly. I bit my lip and nodded, and she turned to Sakurano. "Aside from a few personal relationships that got messy because of this detail, Imai deciding to share this secret is what caused Last Witness to collapse."
Sakurano's eyes went wide, and she reached into her handbag to pull out her phone. "Wait, so is that what the first verse of 'Weather the Storm' is about? It wasn't just some sort of argument, but a fight over what you are?"
As Sakurano looked up the lyrics on her phone, I nodded weakly. "Yoshitaka and I got into a fight when I explained what I was. He thought I was some kind of... 'vampire' or something that was tricking him the whole time."
"Meanwhile, he was pretending to be Japanese." Aoki interjected, smirking with a hint of vindictiveness. "I think he was projecting his own insecurities."
"Yoshitaka isn't Japanese?" Sakurano glanced up from her phone, even more confused.
"It's... not important." I waved that off, not sure if it was a good idea to go further on that subject. "The point is, everyone got angry at at least one other person in that argument, and we couldn't work together anymore."
Nodding, Sakurano put her phone down and looked up. "That's why you're taking so long to vet me. You don't want to risk that again."
"Right." I nodded, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry if it seems excessive..."
"No, it's not excessive." Sakurano leaned in. "You've been hurt before. It makes sense that you'd want to be careful going forward."
Aoki seemed to be looking between me and Sakurano, a smirk growing on her face. "I think she's taking it better than I did, Imai."
I chuckled weakly, wondering if I had been worried over nothing. "Well... I suppose you know the secret now. Is there anything else you want to know? Do you... still have an interest in joining the band?"
Sakurano tapped on her phone a few times. "If you'd still be willing to give me a chance, I'd like to join the band." She slid her phone a bit closer to me. "But while we're here, can you explain some of these lyrics? Now that I know more about the story behind them, I want to know what these lines mean..."
Aoki snickered next to us as I started going over some of the details of the lyrics with Sakurano, explaining the events that had inspired them. The tension that I had felt earlier was melting away now, and the sound of the rain became soothing rather than worrying.
As we set up the stage, I pulled Sakurano aside to check her new performance outfit. After seeing her in feminine dresses for the past few weeks, seeing her in a crop top and denim shorts with sheer tights was a real sight. She and Hoshiko seemed far more committed to having their outfits match the "punk" label than myself or Mizuki, and it was a huge contrast from how Sakurano usually looked.
"Are you sure you're comfortable showing so much skin, Sakurano?" I asked, trying not to check her out. "We can get you a jacket or something, like Mizuki wears..."
"I want my arms to have a full range of motion." Sakurano said, demonstrating how a jacket might restrict her movements. "I'll be fine... Besides, I'm behind the rest of you, so it'll be harder to see me anyway."
"Don't feel like you're stuck with this outfit, okay? We can change it if it feels too revealing." I said, hoping she'd remember these words if the situation changed.
Before Sakurano could brush off my concerns again, Hoshiko bounded over. "Hey, Sakurano! Help me get your drum set ready!"
"Coming!" Sakurano said, quickly going to do final preparations. While I watched her--trying not to stare at her ass--Mizuki came over and patted my shoulder.
"She'll be fine, Yae." Mizuki handed me a sheet of paper with our planned introduction written on it. "You worry about memorizing this. Sakurano will tell us if she has any concerns."
I took a few breaths, nodding my thanks to Mizuki before going over the notes. When we got our cue from the live house staff, I slipped the note into a pocket and grabbed my microphone.
As the curtain opened around the stage, some of the audience members seemed to know enough about our band to be surprised by the drum set behind us. Acting like nothing was out of the ordinary, I went through our usual introductions as Mizuki and Hoshiko started the instrumental version of one of our songs. From there, we rolled into our first song.
During the applause after the song, I stepped close to the edge of the stage. "Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering why we have an extra instrument on the stage today." With a hand motion, I signaled the others to begin the next song's intro. "Well, today we'd like to introduce you all to a new member of 'Storm on Your Peace', who will join us for this new song."
I motioned for the crowd to cheer, and the audience gladly raised their voices in excitement. Right as her part was about to begin, Sakurano charged onto the stage, waving before she hopped onto her seat and grabbed her drumsticks. As far as anyone could tell in the moment, she began right as her part was meant to start.
"Everyone, please welcome Ayame Sakurano, our new drummer!" I raised my hand into the air, and the audience cheered, some of them even standing up to do so. "And now, it's time for our latest song, 'Rising Storm'!"