Mayonaka Soñodora Meets Cinema Bizarre

13. Step With It

A/N:  I spent a little too much time "researching" Tokio Hotel for this one week, and so I didn't get a chapter posted that week.  So, I figured I'd make up for it by posting 2 now that they're ready.  Enjoy!

~*~

"I could eat everything in here," Bachiko announced as we walked into a Chinese buffet.

"I'd like to see you try," Gustav told her. Then, seeing the glint of challenge in her eyes, he hastily added, "I'm just kidding."

"Hello!" called one of the waitresses, waving exuberantly at us. Tokio Hotel turned to us in surprise, only to see us grinning sheepishly.

"Do you guys come here a lot?" Tom asked, amusement playing across his features.

"Kinda," Cho admitted embarrassedly. I pretended to in ore the question and followed our friend/usual waitress, Lani, to a table in the back.

"So, who's this?" Lani asked conspiratorially when the others had walked away, leaving only me and Cho at the table.

"That's Tokio Hotel," Cho answered, "Bill, Tom, Georg, and Gustav. They came to town for a contest."

"Contest?" Lani looked confused.

"Between them and Cinema Bizarre," I explained, "since they're both popular German bands."

"What about LaFee?" Lani asked, her brow furrowing.

"Ooh, it would've been nice to have her too," I admitted, thinking about it.

"Who?" Cho asked, confused.

Just then, one of the other waiters, Mao, passed us. "Xiao! Get back to work before Boss sees you," he hissed to Lani.

Her eyes widened and she looked around anxiously. Seeing no threat, she offered us a quick smile before hurrying away. We waved after her, then turned to the buffet tables.

"Who's LaFee?" Cho asked.

"She's a popular artist over in Germany," Gustav explained as we passed him.

I nodded. "You've probably heard 'Ich Bin Ich'. I play it all the time."

Cho's expression cleared. "Oh yeah, that song! Do you really think an American audience would appreciate it though?"

"Americans are pretty ignorant," I mused, shrugging, "but the crowd liked 'Reden', didn't it?"

"I liked that song, but I couldn't understand it," Bachiko commented as she walked past us.

"That's because it is in German," Georg called to her from across the table.

"No, it was in gibberish!" Bachiko snapped back defensively. I rolled my eyes at the exchange.

The meal passed in a stream of chatter and food. When Lani's and Mao's shift ended, they joined us. We were halfway through our second plates when "Seraph Serenade" played from my phone. Excusing myself and snatching my jacket, I hurried outside to answer Strify's call.

"Moshi-moshi?" I greeted, a teasing note creeping into my voice.

He laughed. "I was hoping we could speak in English. I'm not sure I could carry out this conversation in Japanese."

I wrinkled my nose, though of course he couldn't see it. "Spoil sport," I pouted.

"What?" he asked, confused. The simple question reminded me that he was German and didn't know as much of the English language as he sometimes seemed to.

"Never mind," I told him, "What did you call for?"

I could hear the grin in his voice as he asked, "Do you and the other girls want to join us at a club in half an hour?"

The first thought that flashed through my mind was that Ai would love this situation. The second was the realization that I wanted it too.

"Sure," I told him, "Which club?"

Twenty minutes later, we were waiting outside a nondescript building with a darkened interior. Tokio Hotel had gone back to their hotel, but I still wasn't sure how we'd managed to politely ditch them.

"I think this is the longest we've ever worn concert outfits," Bachiko observed, pulling her blue jacket more tightly around herself.

"Duh," Cho replied gruffly. The cold air was making her short-tempered.

"Hey," said a smooth voice to our left.

We turned to see Yu, wearing a leather jacket over a black tanktop, with his hands shoved in the pockets of tight black jeans. The others, behind him, had all changed too. Strify wore a tight-fitting, black Led Zeppelin t-shirt and white pants with a blue tailored jacket. Shin wore a black hood with grey skinny jeans, a flash of blue showing where his jacket was unzipped. Romeo wore black jeans with a grey t-shirt and red jacket, and Kiro wore dark grey jeans, a feminine t-shirt, and his favorite white belt with a matching jacket.

"Finally," Cho grumbled, rubbing her arms through the thin black fabric of her hoodie.

"Were you waiting long?" Kiro asked, sounding surprised.

"Long enough," Ai hedged. She turned, took Yu's hand, and led the way inside.

Inside, the bass dominated the air. The floors, the walls, and even the people all vibrated around us. I barely recognized a remix of Kerli's "Army of Love" over the beat. As we moved onto the dance floor, our group dissolved and melted away into the crowd.

Before I knew it, I was left with only Strify. He scanned the crowd, looking equally confused.

"Well...that worked well," I commented sarcastically.

Strify shrugged. "Well, we might as well enjoy ourselves," he suggested, giving a little spin as Kerli's voice faded.

I nodded thoughtfully. Before I could reply, the pleasure the next song brought me erased all possibility of rational thought. My body swayed in time to The Crystal Method and Stephanie King Warfield's "Black Rainbows", my eyelids fluttering shut. The variety of notes seemed to dance across my skin, causing me to forget where I was.

Strify was staring at me as I opened my eyes. A light, unusual flush dusted his cheeks, and his mouth hung open.

I crossed my arms over my chest, made self-conscious by his staring. What?" I asked gruffly.

"That was...amazing," he breathed, barely audible over the noise of the crowd.

It was my turn to blush as the familiar chords of Namie Amuro's "Step With It" vibrated the air. We just watched each other as the other dancers swayed around us. I tried to focus on the Japanese lyrics to forget the moment, but instead the English lyrics gave it more clarity.

"I know you're really wanting me..."

I snuck a glance at Strify from under my thick, dark bangs. Lights flashed across his pale face, mouth now closed and blush replaced by a gaze of intense curiousisity.

"I'm really wantin' you, baby..."

He stepped closer, and I kept my eyes on his. He whispered my name, leaning in.

He kissed me.