"Uh...come again..?"

Tilting my shades down slightly so I could peer over the rim, I blinked up at the lanky fellow standing before me, who didn't seem at all deterred by my sceptical expression.
"I asked if you wanted to have some fun later? You look lonely, and I'll give you a good rate~" He replied in a smooth purr, leaning so his elbow was a little too close to my drink for comfort.

Only the tail end of my snort was able to be muffled with my hand when I reacted, shoulders jostling with my laugh.
"Sorry, sorry, but you're too cute." I snickered, waving him off with a limp wrist. "What are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? You shouldn't even be here, kid."

From the corner of my eye I caught his slight pout, which made him look younger still, but he didn't make any move to walk away.
"Who needs to know? Besides, I'm performing tonight. Maybe I can impress you with how I play? I'll dedicate every song to you~"

Persistent little fellow, isn't he?

Subtly picking up my drink from resting against his elbow, I pulled it to my lips, giving him a once over before readjusting my shades to cover my eyes completely again.
"By all means, impress me, but I can guarantee the most you'll be getting from me is a pat on the head, champ."

I could have sworn his powder blue spikes deflated a little, but before he could open his mouth he was seized by the arm by a woman who could only be described as some kind of grunge godess.
"Shin, quit trying to screw everything with a wallet! We're on in five!" She scolded the young man, who went with only mild fuss.

Ah, so that was probably Nana...

She certainly looked like she would be the frontman for an indie band like Black Stones. All I had really seen were a few posters precariously scattered throughout the area and heard people chatting about the gig in passing. That was why I was there. One description in particular piqued my interest.

"Oh my god, did you get a look at that drummer? He's scary!"

"I know right?! With that shaved head he looks like he runs with the Yakuza!"

I smiled to myself as I toyed with the condensation running down the side of my glass, not bothering to turn to track who was saying what. That was exactly the kind of chatter that had lured me down into this bar in the first place. I had to see for myself if my suspicions were correct.

The moment the lights dimmed further, my eyes shot straight to the side of the stage. It would have been a heck of a lot easier to see if I had taken my shades off, but I didn't even consider the possibility because I was far too focused. It didn't help that I was also right at the very back of the venue.

Slowly, as though they owned the stage and all that surrounded it, the members of Black Stones came into view. I held my breath, trying to see through the standing wave of excited fans that had their arms raised between myself and the stage.

"NOBU IS SO HOT, OH MY GOD!"

"THAT BASSIST, HOLY SHIT, HE'S SO COOL!"

"NANA! NANA, YOU ROCK!"

"YASU!"

There he was.

Taller, broader, older, but still so close to how I remembered him. Dressed a little more clean cut than his band mates, yet he fit perfectly amidst them, his head shaved and the stud in his nose slightly catching the overhead lights as he sat behind his drum kit.

"Found you~" I murmured to myself, smile growing wider and likely making me look no different to the screeching fans that filled the building. Of course, I was likely equally as excited, but not for the same reasons, though I couldn't deny I was curious to hear what these guys sounded like.

I didn't have to wait long, and it was safe to say that I wasn't at all disappointed. That Nana girl's voice seemed to send a shockwave through the crowd, raw power and emotion that couldn't simply be taught. Bass and guitar worked together flawlessly, as what felt like a single unit, but that wasn't what I was so keenly focused on.

The drums. Each beat, bash and clash edged the song closer and closer to its peak, connecting strings and voice, even the roar of the audience. I knew I was highly biased, but even then, my opinion wasn't just that. It was straight fact.

Right before the ending notes of their set, I downed the rest of my now lukewarm drink and slipped out of the venue, only to round myself to the back entrance. Back against the wall opposite the door, I pulled out a cigarette and lit up, settling in to wait.

What was I so excited for? It had been a long time since I had so much as seen Yasu, there was a chance he wouldn't even remember me. We had been close, but I wasn't exactly someone who made a huge impact. At least I didn't believe myself to be.

It's fine. If he doesn't remember, then there's no issue. Just head on home and greet another day, (Y/N), ol' gal...

The click of the back door made me jolt back to reality, the withering, ashy tip of my cigarette dropping onto the pavement below due to the movement. The first person to emerge was that lead singer, Nana, and close behind her came that spunky little bassist I had already met.

"Oh, so I impressed you that much after all, huh?" He spotted me in an instant and mosied on over, kind of leering over me in a way that didn't feel threatening, just invasive.
"Sure you did, kiddo. Good job." I reached up and have his spiky hair a heavy handed pat, making sure to muss it up.

"Shin, stop bothering lone women." Again, older but still strikingly the same, the voice that spoke stole all my attention away. Yasu placed a hand on Shin's shoulder and tugged him back a little, nodding his head to me. "I'm really sorry for him. He's..." He paused, and whilst I couldn't see his eyes behind those tinted shades I could see his eyebrow raise.

Playing it cool, I smiled, tipping my own sunglasses down to the tip of my nose again.
"Don't worry about it, Baldilocks. He's barking up the wrong tree, but it's adorable so I can let it slide." I responded with a wink, waiting and hoping that his moment of pause was because he actually did recognise me.

"(Y/N)..?" He spoke my name softly with a tilt of his head, and I nodded, my smile growing now that I knew for sure he hadn't forgotten all about me. I had changed a lot in the past years, so I wouldn't have blamed him if he hadn't, but it made my heart feel full.

The second he began to open his arms I pushed off the wall and entered them, squishing my cheek against his suit tie and locking my arms around his middle. Shin blinked owlishly at the exchange, looking completely lost.
"Uh, am I missing something?" Nana piped up from somewhere behind us.
"I think we're all missing something." The guy I could only guess to be Nobu replied with a sigh.

Yasu pulled back but kept one arm over my shoulders, pivoting me to face his bandmates and presenting me like I was an item he had taken interest in in a convenience store.
"Nana, Nobu, Shin, this is (Y/N). We grew up together in the system." He introduced me, and I gave them a small wave.

Didn't need to add the system part in, but sure, whatever.

"Oh!" Nana's arm swung out towards me, her finger pointed directly at the tip of my nose. "I've heard of you! Weren't you the one who, like, sabotaged every meet-up with your potential foster families?!"

I grimaced a little, glancing up at Yasu with my brow quirked.
"Yeah, that's me...the pint sized saboteur..." I scoffed lightly, unphased when Shin threw his arm over my other shoulder, sandwiching me between himself and Yasu.
"So not much has changed then! Still pint sized!" He laughed, leaning his face to the side so Yasu couldn't bat it.

First he tries to seduce me, then he taunts me...Wow.

"Well, if you're an old friend of Yasu's, why don't you come back with us for some drinks? I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do." Nobu offered, adjusting how his guitar case sat slung over his shoulder.
"You could have at least given me the chance to ask her myself..." Yasu muttered before glancing down at me, almost expectantly. "So? You up for it?"

I had kind of wanted to have some time to talk, just the two of us, but his friends seemed like they were genuine people, so I shrugged, playing overly nonchalant.
"I guess I could make some time in my very busy schedule for you, Baldilocks, but only because your sweet friend over there asked so nicely."

As expected, Yasu responded with a slight chuckle, guiding me into a walk with his arm still covering my shoulders. I may have been acting cool and composed, but inside I was screaming with excitement. It had taken six years, but I had finally found one of my two closest friends again. If I hadn't been so good at keeping my emotions in check around people I possibly would have cried.

"Aw, no fair! Yasu's stealing my business!"

"Shin, do I have to have you neutered?!"

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***This is entirely for myself, to be honest, because there's a criminal lack of Nana fics out there. I started writing this when I was 15 (almost 15 years ago yeesh) and found it again, so I'm reworking it to feed myself.

This won't follow the anime/manga completely - normally I'd be against messing with canon events in stories but hey, this is for my own enjoyment, so fuck it.

Next Time: She's a Rescue***