The Sun and The Moon ~ Prologue

Yagami Iori Original Drama The Setting Sun and Moon ~ Prologue (八神庵オリジナルドラマ 夕陽と月 ～プロローグ～) is a side story centered around Iori Yagami. The drama was originally aired on Game Dra Night and Neo Chupi before its Pony Canyon CD release on July 7, 1999. The story takes place five years in the past though the exact year is never stated. There are two sides to the story, one that focuses more on the original characters' perspective and one that depicts Iori's thoughts to the audience; both sides begin the same.

Story
In a cemetery, a woman pays her respects to a departed relative named Kikuri. She reminisces that five years have passed. She sees Iori coming near and welcomes him back. He dismisses her, saying that he merely had business in town, and leaves. The woman chases after him.

The story is then a flashback to when Iori played at the town's live house five years ago. After a successful performance, Konoe Tanima exits the loud music of the club. She is congratulated by her manager, Kuwahara, and her younger sister, Kikuri. She asks if Kikuri is all right since the air is bad, but she assures them that she's fine. Iori also comes out moments later. He dismisses the younger sister's cheers about his performance and heads out. Kikuri excuses herself, saying that she needs to prepare for classes, and leaves as well. Konoe complains that she has never understood him in the three years they spent working together. Kuwahara muses that Kikuri and Iori make a good couple which upsets Konoe.

While walking back to her home, Kikuri quietly sings to herself and finds Iori practicing nearby. She muses that she likes nightly walks as she uses the time to practice her singing. She asks him to look at her song when it's done, the song being titled The Sun & The Moon. He tells her to leave him alone, mostly because her body's weak. She eventually agrees and thanks him for his kindness.

A Line
At the Tanima household, Kikuri shows her returning sister a letter from their supposed father. Konoe scoffs at it along with the money inside the envelope, saying that whoever their mother left must have done it for a reason. With their mother gone and Konoe working at every odd job she finds, their financial situation isn't the greatest. Kikuri hesitates to give up the donation as she knows the medicine and check ups she needs are expensive, but Konoe's resolve remains. When Konoe retires to her room, Kikuri experiences an attack from her illness and barely takes her medicine in time.

The next day, at Iori's apartment, Kikuri visits him with a bouquet of flowers. He asks her why she brings him flowers everyday, saying that Kuwahara would appreciate the gesture more than him. She listens to Iori's composition and hands him a written draft of her song. After scanning it, he demands to know why the song is a duet with her sister and why the lyrics are dedicated to him. He tells her that there's no chance he'll perform it when Kuwahara comes in. He briefly reports that a producer is interested in hiring them before heading out.

Later that night, Konoe and Iori discuss her sister's song at the live house. She explains that she doesn't want to waste her sister's efforts though Iori once again says that no is no. Konoe then explains that her sister was pretty depressed with her condition until Iori came around; ever since then, Kikuri tried harder to be cheerful and lively. Konoe remembers hearing from Kuwahara that Iori can make his debut and congratulates him. He asks the producer's name and leaves once he hears it. He beats Kuwahara and demands to know why Himemiya (the producer) came back from America.

Although Kuwahara knows that Himemiya is a swindler, he begs Iori to accept the offer since Himemiya has a monopoly of cash and influence behind him. Realizing that Kuwahara is in a Catch 22 situation, Iori asks him if he's doing this for Kikuri's sake. Himemiya enters and Iori states his intentions to leave the country. Himemiya mocks the protest, wondering aloud if Iori's trying to protect someone, and leaves laughing.

Konoe visits Iori's apartment later and asks if Iori refused his chance for a debut. She scolds that she would jump at the chance for Kikuri and her sake. Since the next show is their last, she responds that she won't sing anymore. Frustrated at his listlessness, she beats her fists on Iori's chest. He tells her to stop, saying that she'd only hurt herself. Everything he seems to be involved with crumbles away eventually. Kikuri walks in on them and apologizes for intruding. She then experiences another violent attack and collapses.

At the hospital, Kikuri hands her sister a revised draft of her song. She asks her sister to show Iori the newer version since he might leave them soon. On the roof, Kuwahara tells Iori that Kikuri is fine and asks him to leave town as he has enough talent to be good anywhere. Seeing Kuwahara's concern for the others, Iori quickly surmises that he is the father of the Tanima siblings; his worry for them during the last three years was proof enough. Konoe walks in and shows him the newer song but Iori leaves. He replies that he doesn't need it since he's leaving before their last show. He appears at Himemiya's house and accepts the offer. His sole condition is to never appear in this town again. At the concert, Konoe sings her sister's song and tells the audience that Iori left town. Additionally, the owner of the club reports to Kuwahara that Himemiya mysteriously lost interest with them.

Iori, alone at the docks, sings the last lines of the chorus before boarding the boat out of town.

B Line
The scene shifts to Iori and the Orochi entity inside his mind. Annoyed by the being's presence, he tells it to get lost. It jeers that it's always watching him and will forever be a part of him. Iori wakes up in his apartment, cursing the dreams he's been having. Konoe bangs on his door and yells for him to remember their three o'clock rehearsal. On their way to the club, Iori hands Konoe a note that the owner handed him. She recognizes it as the song that Kikuri wrote. When she tells him it's a supposed to be a duet with both of them, Iori refuses to have anything to do with it until they show it to Kuwahara.

Kuwahara is gungho for Kikuri's song, which upsets Iori. Their manager wants to talk to Iori in private so he excuses him from the rehearsal and buys Iori lunch. He complements the bass player on his talents and informs him that a wealthy producer is interested in them. Iori tells him to hand it to someone else but Kuwahara -knowing that the others will accept- explains that he only needs Iori's approval. Before Iori can answer, Orochi pops in his mind again to taunt him. It knows that he wants to say yes, which supports the fact that it knows everything about him. Iori smashes the table they're sitting at, startling Kuwahara and ridding his mind of Orochi. He answers that he isn't interested.

Konoe returns home and is greeted by her sister. She tells Kikuri that her song is good and her intents to sing it, but is worried that Iori will never play along with it. While her sister goes for a shower, Kikuri leaves the apartment to meet Iori at the same place she saw him practicing. Iori mulls over the conversation he had earlier with Kuwahara, which makes Orochi taunt his regrets at giving up the debut. Before he can say otherwise, Kikuri finds him. She requests his critique on her song. He tells her that nothing in the song fits him but Kikuri states otherwise, saying that he is a kind person. When he denies the claim, she tells him to not deceive himself. She compares him to the moon -quiet, pretty, and kind- and herself to a fading star in the sky -struggling to shine. Once he packs up to leave, Kikuri reveals that she will soon undergo surgery with little chance of success. Sure that she won't make it, she pleads once more that he sings the song. He refuses and leaves.

Meanwhile, Konoe is called by Kuwahara about the debut. She is excited about the idea but her enthusiasm falters once she hears Iori declined. She advises of disbanding to make the offer work, which a dishearten Kikuri overhears. Heartbroken that her sister will no longer see Iori, she runs from the apartment. Her sister and Kuwahara hustle to Iori's apartment, thinking that she is there, but he hasn't seen her. After telling them to get out, Orochi informs the audience of Iori's doubts. It wonders who he cares for -Kikuri or Konoe- and tells him that he's been in this town too long if he's beginning to worry about others. Once it leaves, Iori answers a phone call from Kuwahara saying that they found Kikuri. He remains uncaring and hangs up.

The scene changes to Konoe on the stage. She tells her audience that their last song (her sister's song) is the finale for the band and she has lost her will to sing. Iori begins to play, telling her that she shouldn't give up so easily. He continues that she should chose a different path that he took -one that doesn't lead to darkness- and sing for her sister's sake. As he begins to sing, Konoe wakes up from her dream. Beside Kikuri's hospital bed, her sister tells her about her meeting with Iori the other night. She repeats her wishes for him to be true to himself and directs the same words to Konoe, who called Iori's name in her sleep for the last three years. Kikuri reveals that she has always wanted to sing like her sister, which was why she made the song a duet.

Answering a call from Kuwahara, Konoe learns that Iori left town. He tells her they only found a memo with one line on it: "It's better to be alone". During his flight, the Orochi being in Iori states that it's looking forward to his new life. Iori replies that he'll someday kill it. It answers that all Iori needs to do is submit to him and everything will disappear. The track ends with it laughing at him.

Cast

 * Iori Yagami, Orochi - Kunihiko Yasui
 * Konoe Tanima (谷間 このえ, Tanima Konoe) - RUMI
 * Kikuri Tanima (谷間 菊理, Tanima Kikuri) - Yumi Kakazu
 * Kuwahara (桑原) - Daiki Nakamura
 * Himemiya (姫宮), Doctor - Hidenari Ugaki
 * Owner, Narration - Masanori Nemoto