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The building Taisho skidded to a halt in front of looked half-abandoned, ready to fall down if someone breathed too hard in its general direction.

"You live here?" Jintesh let go of Taisho's waist and slid down off the streambike, looking around. The neighbourhood was just a little deeper into the slums than his own. And he'd thought his building was in poor condition.

"Nah. This is Naiya's place. We practice here since it's so big. It's practically condemned so he gets very cheap rent." Taisho powered the bike down and climbed off, unstrapping Jin's case from the back and handing it to him. "You ready?"

Jin ran a hand through his hair and steeled his nerves. "I'm ready."

"Good." Taisho headed for the door, and Jintesh hurried after him.

Inside, the building was one large open room, the ceiling disappearing into shadows above. Flickering lights hung low to reveal sagging chairs in one near corner, a kitchen area in the other, and the band's equipment set up at the far end. To one side, a ladder reached up to a second, open floor that spanned only a third the width of the room; Jin could see a bed and some other furniture up there from where he stood.

Three young men sat sprawled around a large table in the kitchen, and it was here that Taisho guided him.

"Guys, this is Jintesh." The singer gestured to him, and he nodded in the general direction of the table, feeling nervous again.

"Jintesh, this is Zeth, our guitarist;" Taisho gestured to the nearest youth, a skinny guy with a sneaky grin and long, faded blue hair. Zeth winked at Jin and he grinned back. "Yuu, our rhythmist;" Yuu, slouched forward on the table, had chinlength black hair and brooding almond eyes, but he smiled for Jintesh all the same. "And Naiya, our synthist." Naiya had scraggling, mismatched locks, half brown, and half an orange colour that looked fluorescent. His eyes were almost the same shade of orange. Jin wondered if they were contacts or implants.

"Hey. Welcome to the nuthouse." Naiya gestured briefly to the equipment setup behind them. "You hungry? Zeth bought enough to feed a slum worth of streetsleepers."

"I didn't know what he'd like," Zeth protested, flashing Jintesh a quick grin. "Sit down. Should we call you Jintesh, or Jin?"

"Jin's fine." Jintesh sank into the nearest seat with a feeling of relief. They were nice guys, and they were being friendly. He'd feared hostility and instead was being given a large breakfast.

"Relax." Taisho spoke softly, almost in his ear, and he jumped slightly. The singer sat down in the seat next to him. "Eat something. It's going to be a long day."

Jin glanced at Taisho and offered him a smile. "You got it." He reached for the nearest dish and began to help himself. With his nervousness gone, suddenly his appetite was huge.

Zeth kept up a steady stream of easy chatter during the meal, his voice washing over Jintesh in soothing waves. Yuu interjected occasionally, with a quick, sharp wit that reduced all of them to laughter, even Jin. It was strange for him to see Taisho laugh. He'd never seen the singer be anything other than serious and intense, but it was reassuring to know that he, too, could have fun.

And it was strange for him to find himself feeling comfortable with these people. He wasn't fond of people in general, and tended to feel better getting away from them as quickly as possible. Maybe it was because they were Krispin's friends. There was something special about Krispin. Perhaps he had a way of attracting interesting people into his life.

When the meal was over, Taisho turned to study him for a moment. Jin blinked under that intense gaze, but found himself lowering his eyes; something in the way Taisho looked at him was unsettling.

"We should get started. Zeth, can you work with Jintesh for awhile? You know best what it is that Krispin plays." Taisho stood and began clearing the table.

"Sure." Zeth slid out of his chair. "Jin, show me your bass." He beckoned with an easy grin, heading towards the far end of the room. Jin paused to grab his case and then followed.

Zeth gave him a quick rundown of the songs they would be playing. He was relieved to hear that they were all songs from the disc Crustacean had released; it meant he was familiar with them. And he'd listened to the disc so much that he had an idea of most of the bass riffs from them.

Still, he needed Zeth's help to remember which riff went with which song, and just what exactly each note was, and they spent several hours focused on nothing more than the strings of their guitars. In the background, he could hear the others practicing, but he paid them little attention. He was determined to play these riffs right, and play them well.

Finally, Taisho called a break and sent Zeth out to get lunch for them all. Jintesh was surprised to find that it was indeed lunchtime already.. he'd been so caught up in learning and practicing that he hadn't even noticed how much time had gone by.

As the others headed for the kitchen, Jin reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. Then he remembered his manners and called after Naiya, "Can I smoke in here?"

Naiya glanced back with a grin, and shook his head. "Smokers sit outside on the back stairs." The synthist turned his gaze on Taisho, who was poking his head in the cooler. "That means you too, Taisho."

"Of course. I'm just getting a drink." Taisho returned Naiya's grin, and retrieved a bottle from the cooler. "This way, Jintesh." He headed out the back of building, Jintesh only a step behind.

The back stairs were wide and led to a narrow yard, more like an alleyway, with a high fence around it. Taisho sat down on the top stair, lighting up a cigarette, and Jintesh sat next to him. As he lit his own cigarette, he stared at the singer's profile. Without the others around to make him smile, Taisho's expression was once again serious, melancholic.

Taisho glanced at him, eyes sharp and narrow. Jin looked down at his cigarette, unwilling to hold that gaze for too long. When he looked up again, Taisho had gone back to staring at the fence across from them.

"What time is the gig?" he asked, wanting to break the tense silence.

"Six. It's up in the 'nice' neighbourhoods, though, so we need to leave by five." Taisho took a deep drag on his cigarette. Jintesh nodded, wondering if he'd be ready to do this by five. He'd done nothing but concentrate on music all morning, but now that he had a chance to stop and think, he was getting nervous again. This could be a big break for these guys, if all went well. And if he messed up, anywhere.. it could ruin everything for them.

"Do you think Krispin will turn up?" Jin tried to sound hopeful. He wanted nothing more than for Krispin to bounce through the door and make everything okay; he could stop worrying about where the boy was, and he could stop worrying about not being a good enough bass player, because then it would be up to Krispin again. But he didn't really believe it would happen. This wasn't one of his games. People didn't miraculously arrive to save the day in the real world.

"I hope so," Taisho answered shortly, sounding annoyed. Jin raised his eyes to meet Taisho's stern expression, and they stared unblinking at each other for a moment. Then Taisho relaxed slightly, brushing back his hair and stretching out his long legs. "I mean you no disrespect by that, Jintesh. I've been listening to you all morning and you're doing well. You won't let us down. But Krispin is our bass player, and probably the liveliest member of our group. I want him here."

"I understand. I want him back too. I'd rather he played today." Jin dropped his cigarette butt and ground it under his boot-heel. There was silence again, until Taisho put out his own cigarette.

"Krispin and I usually sit out here smoking until Zeth brings back lunch." Taisho's voice sounded thoughtful. Jin looked up in surprise, to see him lighting another cigarette. He wondered what the singer thought, then, of sitting out here with Jintesh instead.

"Where do you think he is, Taisho? He said he was going home, to you, to practice. It seemed important to him."

"Krispin says a lot of things." Taisho shrugged his shoulders. "He never gives reason before he vanishes. He always says he's going somewhere, but then he never turns up. And a few days later, he's home again."

"But why?"

"He won't say. He just tells me it's out of his control. And it's none of my business what he does with his life." For a second, Taisho's gaze was lonely, the same loneliness that Jin had seen when the singer had left Krispin at his place. Why did Taisho stay, why did Taisho care, if Krispin made him feel so alone?

"He'll turn up. Probably tomorrow, knowing him. And he'll grin and say he's sorry." Taisho's expression had calmed again, and he even managed a quick grin of his own. "And we'll all forgive him, of course. I think he deserves to be yelled at first, though."

"Let me do the yelling, Taisho." Yuu's voice startled both of them, and they turned to see him leaning out the door, smirking down at them. "Lunch is here." He vanished inside as quickly as he'd appeared.

The two of them stared at each other in surprise for a moment. Then Taisho ventured a grin. "Damn rhythmists."

"Give them a drum and they think they own you." Jin grinned back at him, feeling a little less on edge. Taisho chuckled, stubbing out his cigarette, and they both headed back inside.

Lunch was a noisy, drawn-out affair, the five of them laughing and squabbling over who got the last piece of what. Jin relaxed, and let himself smile, and laugh, and even add to the conversation. Taisho's tentative acceptance of him made him feel better somehow. In Krispin's life, the singer was the most important person. And so it was important to him that Taisho liked him.

With the food eaten, they turned their attention to practicing as a group. And Jin saw their whole manner change; when it came to their music, they were very serious. There was time for laughter, but there was no time for goofing off. It impressed him. He remembered so many slum bands that had gone nowhere because they couldn't work hard. He'd been in some of them himself.

Taisho was in command, choosing songs to play, starting and stopping as one or another of them messed something up. Jin fumbled a lot to begin with, but as they played more, he began to settle into the old rhythm of being a part of a group; being one of the many who together created a song. He focused his eyes on his bass strings, his ears on Taisho's voice and Yuu's rhythms, and his mind on what Zeth had taught him.

They played, and they played. One song, and then another, back to a song that they had trouble with, and then on to the next. Finally, they played the entire set through several times. Then Taisho called a break again, and Jin was glad to hear it; he was sweating all over from playing so hard, and his fingers were beginning to ache.

"It's half after four." Taisho's voice sounded a little raspy from too much harsh singing. "We sound good. Let's relax and cool off so that we're not too tired to impress the corps, shall we?"

Jin pulled at his bass strings, testing the tuning; he knew it was perfect, but he was nervous as hell, and he needed something to do. They were at the corp building, they were even a little early, and now they were setting up in a room put aside for their performance, waiting for the bigwigs to arrive.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped. But it was just Taisho, looking even more serious than usual.

"Good luck, Jintesh. And thank you."

"Thank me afterwards," he replied shortly, and Taisho gave him a small smile.

"No matter how we do, I'm thanking you anyway." The singer moved away from him again, over to the microphone, and he stared after him for a moment. Then he turned to look at the others. Zeth was on the far side of Taisho, tuning his guitar. He caught Jin's eye and gave him a grin and a quick thumbs up. Naiya was frowning slightly as he tapped on one of his synths, one ear almost pressed against the keys. And Yuu was leaning over his rhythm set, silky hair completely obscuring his face. Jin wondered what they were all thinking. He hoped they were feeling more confident than he was right now.

Then the far door opened and he tried to stop thinking, and worrying, and focused his mind on the music.

"Director Miharu and Director Nagata," a voice announced, as two well-dressed men entered the room, seating themselves at a table facing the group. Several other men entered after them, but none of them were announced, and none of them sat down. It was these two men they were here to impress.

"Thank you for this opportunity -" Taisho began, his head slightly bowed, but the younger of the two directors waved his hand with a smile.

"Don't worry with the formalities. We just want to hear you play." He settled back in his chair.

Taisho nodded, glancing at the others around him. He snapped his fingers, and Yuu started the rhythm, Jintesh jumping in a moment later with the bassline.

They played hard, time seeming to stretch on and on. But they played well. Taisho's gravelly voice was the glue that melded everything together; the keening squeal of Zeth's guitar, the electronic whine of Naiya's synths, the resounding beat of Yuu's rhythms, and the sonorous thrum of Jin's bass.

Jin closed his eyes, trying to forget the men sitting and staring impersonally at them. He focused on his hands, on the feel of the strings pressing against the pads of his fingers, on the vibration of each note against his body. He focused on the songs that were coming together around him. And he tried very hard not to mess up.

He only made one glaring error; his fingers betrayed him and he lost the riff for several notes during the middle of one song. But Zeth, in the midst of a guitar solo, helped him cover it by making his guitar scream just that much louder. He threw the guitarist a quick look of relief as he recovered, and Zeth winked at him.

Finally, they finished playing, and the sudden silence in the room seemed almost painful against Jin's ears. He realised he was panting, sweat streaming down his face and trickling down the small of his back. Had it really been that difficult? No, he'd just been a hell of a lot more nervous.

He focused on the other end of the room. The two directors were talking quietly to each other, their voices nothing more than meaningless whispering to his ears, and the other men were leaning over the table, adding their own comments.

He glanced around at the members of the group, but all of them were also focused on the directors, four taut, nervous bodies waiting for some kind of reaction. Taisho's fingers, clutching the microphone in his hands, were white at the knuckles.

"I've been told you normally have a rather wild bass player with long silver hair." The older director's gruff voice rang out rather suddenly, and Jintesh jumped, turning his attention back to the men gathered to watch them.

"That's correct." Taisho bowed his head. "Unfortunately, he has been taken ill and couldn't perform with us today."

"Are you better, with him?"

"Yes." Taisho's gaze flickered briefly to Jintesh, as if in apology, but Jin only nodded. It was the truth, after all; he could never be the bass player Krispin was. He was just here because there was no other choice. He was glad that at least he hadn't made a complete mess.

There was more whispered conversation at the other end of the room, and then the younger of the directors stood, walking towards them.

"You're good, even without him," he told them with a smile. "Your kind of music seems to have a solid following, these days. I'm Miharu, by the way, if the hasty introductions confused you." He stopped in front of Taisho, offering his hand, and the singer took it, shaking it firmly.

"Taisho," he replied. "This is Zeth, Naiya, Yuu, and Jintesh." He gestured to each of the group members, and they all smiled in response. Miharu's eyes lingered on Jintesh for a moment.

"Your face looks familiar."

Jintesh had no idea what to say to that; sure, his face was known thanks to his games, but he didn't think this was the right place to be talking about it. The focus was supposed to be on Crustacean, right?

"He's a game designer." Taisho's quick response saved him, and Miharu nodded with a knowing smile.

"Ah, I see. Multi-talented." The director turned his attention back to Taisho, and Jin breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, I'll tell you honestly, we like what we see. We think you have good potential. If it were up to me, I'd sign you up on the spot. But Nagata wanted to see this silver-haired bass player of yours. He's heard a lot about him."

Taisho nodded, his face smooth and emotionless. Jintesh wondered what he was thinking right now; if he was cursing Krispin for his untimely disappearance. If Krispin not being there lost them their chance at being signed up, how would they all react?

"So, just how sick is he?"

"Ahh. He's not well enough to get out of bed at this moment. I'm fairly certain that he will be recovered within a few days time, though."

"I see. That's fair enough; I guess it's easier to get sick living down there, eh? Well, tell you what. If you guys can come back and perform again in, say, a week -- with your normal bass player -- I think you'll win Nagata over. And once he's won, you're pretty much guaranteed a place in our company."

"Of course we can come back again. Just tell us a time and we'll be here."

"Same time next week is fine. I'll get my secretary to check it for both Nagata and I, and she'll thread you to confirm, alright?"

"Absolutely. Thank you very much." Taisho was bowing his head again, and Miharu smiled.

"Not a problem. Chia will see you out. Thanks for coming." And with that, he was gone, striding out of the room, the other men having already left while they were talking.

There was silence for several moments after Miharu left, Taisho staring blankly at the door he'd vanished through. Then Zeth's voice broke it.

"Taisho? What'd he say? He spoke too quietly for me to hear."

Taisho blinked, then turned to face the others, his expression composed. Jin noticed he was still clutching his microphone too tightly, though.

"He likes us. The older one wanted to see Krispin. They want us to come back in a week and perform with Krispin, and if they still like us, they'll sign us."

"Krispin? Man.. I knew that freakboy had too much personality." Zeth laughed, but his expression was still tense.

"So it all hangs off Krispin. Damn, he'd better not do this to us again, or I'll whack his empty silver head so hard.." Naiya was shaking his head as he began to pack up his synths.

"He's never done it to us before, Naiya. This was just a one off." Taisho returned his microphone to its stand, then folded his arms, his posture becoming defensive.

"Yeah, well, it'd better not become a regular occurrence. I know, I know, don't tell me, Taisho," a grin crossed Naiya's face, and Jin saw Taisho relaxing again at the sight of it, "Krispin's what brought us together, and Krispin's what holds us together. It's the truth. I just don't want Krispin to be what ruins us together. But I do trust the little fucker, even if I wonder where his sense is half the time."

"This is all very interesting, but could we please get the fuck out of here?" Yuu had already packed up his rhythm set, and was waiting impatiently to leave. "Krispin or no, we did well. Let's go celebrate that fact, or something."

"The best idea I've heard all day!" Zeth laughed, snapping shut his guitar case, and he headed for the door.

Jintesh hurried to pack up his bass guitar as the others followed Zeth. When he stood to leave, he was surprised to find Taisho still standing nearby, waiting for him.

"Sorry," he said automatically. Taisho shook his head.

"Whatever you're apologising for, don't. I appreciate the favour you've done for us today. I'll remember it." Taisho turned toward the door before Jintesh could say anything in response. "Are you ready to go?"

"Ah. Yep." Jin grabbed his case and caught up with the singer, and he allowed himself a small smile. Things had turned out alright after all. Now all they needed was Krispin to turn up again. And Taisho had said he would, right?