-Music Again-

"Nittle Grasper." That name was on the mind of every teenager in Japan, when they were together. The synthetic-pop band was even massively popular overseas; especially when, after they broke up, Ryuichi Sakuma struck out for a solo career in the States. Ryuichi was the lead vocalist in Grasper, with hundreds of thousands, no, millions, of fans. Tatsuha Uesugi, though only fourteen and the son of a monk, was no exception to the craze…

-Chapter One/California, Rest in Peace-

"TATSUHA! Get your ass down here!" A woman's voice echoed through the Uesugi's traditional Japanese-style home, making everyone, including TATSUHA, wince. Ignoring it, the boy turned up his Nittle Grasper CD, drowning out his sister. "Help me, somebody help me…" Tatsuha sighed dreamily. If he'd been standing, Ryuichi's satiny voice would have made him weak in the knees. Last year, while he'd been downtown with his older brother, Eiri, he'd heard this song. Tatsuha treasured that moment; it was when he'd fallen in love with Ryuichi Sakuma.

The song "Be There" obviously held a place in many Japanese hearts because it was Grasper's breakout hit, but to Tatsuha it held special meaning. In honor of his Naoki award, Cool Magazine gave Eiri several tickets to the sold-out Nittle Grasper concert in Kyoto. This was the kick-off to their second Japanese tour, so they were packed. Mika, Tatsuha's sister, was married to Tohma Seguchi, Grasper's lead synth player, so she, naturally, was there with her ticket. Mika had to trick her brother's into coming, because neither was really into music. But once Tatsuha saw Ryuichi onstage, his heart was struck. The older man's beautiful voice had stopped his sour thoughts cold. Even Yuki's face got softer.

"But if you think I'm your burden…" The young Tatsuha was enraptured completely. They were in the front row, and Ryuichi waved to Mika after recognizing his keyboardist's wife. His eyes scanned the front row, and the singer smiled sweetly at Tatsuha, who was staring with his mouth agape. The girl next to him squealed loudly. "Eeeeee~! Ryu-chan smiled at you, kid! Here, I took this…" The chick handed him a snapshot of Ryuichi; the same smile that he'd given Tatsuha was on his lips. The boy huffed, acting like he didn't care, and shoved it in his jeans pocket. But inside, he bubbled with excitement. This was when his obsession started…

Suddenly, Tatsuha's door burst open, and Mika stormed in, her expression fierce. "Tatsuha! Dad's going to the temple; he wants you with him… ugh! Put this crap up! Aren't you over Sakuma?" She yanked his headphones off, and Tatsuha pouted. "No. You know that. Sis, why can't you get Seguchi-san to introduce us?" "Because. Grasper is going through some times, kid. Now, go meet Dad, 'Mr. Monk-in-Training.'"

The hard times that Mika had mentioned… the band broke up within the year. Tatsuha was heartbroken because Ryu took his career overseas, and with him went any chance of Tatsuha meeting him. But, a year later, Yuki met Shuichi. Tatsuha was a little jealous. After all, the older boy looked a lot like Grasper's old lead singer. So you can imagine Tatsuha's excitement when he heard that Ryuichi was back in Japan, and Nittle Grasper was reuniting. Of course, when he heard from Ayaka that Shuichi had sang with Ryuichi, he'd been angry, but all was well. After all, that night was the first night that Tatsuha met his love, Ryuichi Sakuma, in the flesh.

"Ha, Tatsuha, you idiot. If you wanted to see Sakuma-san you shoulda just told me! I would have gotten Tohma to introduce you." "You're such a liar, Mika…" In a Shibuya nightclub, the four, Mika, Tatsuha, Noriko, and Shuichi made their way to a table where Tohma Seguchi and Ryuichi were chatting. Tatsuha's heart skipped a beat. Finally, he was meeting his crush. "Hi, Saku-" Shuichi was shoved out of the way as Tatsuha leaned forward, getting to Ryuichi first. "H-hello, Sakuma-san… I'm a big fan of yours." 'Eee~! He's so amazingly cool! 3' Ryuichi glanced over, smiling. At first, Tatsuha thought he recognized him, but the older man cocked his head, "Hello. Who are you? Do you want an autograph, na noda?"

Mika pinched her brother's cheek. "Sakuma, this is Tatsuha, my little brother. Please excuse him." "Aaaagh…" Shuichi pushed himself off the club's floor with a groan, ignoring his spinning head. "Ah! It's nice to meet you, Tatsuha-kun!3 It makes me happy to hear you like our music." Tatsuha blushed. "Oh… of course. Um, I was at your Kyoto concert two years ago…" "Shuichi? Is that you?" Shuichi hobbled over, waving. "H-hello, Sakuma-san…" "Hi! How have you been, buddy?" Tatsuha stared enviously as the other men talked. '….Wow. They're just buddies… Shuichi, I'm so jealous…'

"How is California, Sakuma-san? Can you speak English well?" Ryuichi clapped his hands at Tatsuha's questions. "Of course I can! In fact, I'm really good at it, Tatsuha-kun." "Wow, you're so talented! If the whole world had just a fraction of your talent, Sakuma-san, we'd be a world of scholars, doctors, and amazing singers." Tatsuha praised, and Ryuichi smiled. "Thank you, Tatsuha-kun. But I'm not all that talented. I can't write Hiragana!" The man laughed, and Tatsuha slapped the table dramatically. "That's okay, Sakuma-san! We all have our weaknesses! I myself have trouble with Hiragana! It's nothing like Kanji!" "Ha ha. You're funny, Tatsuha-kun."

Shuichi rolled his eyes. He knew of Tatsuha's love for Ryuichi, but figured it was just a fan's crush. Sure, he himself had once been in 'love' with Ryuichi, but once he met Yuki and got signed to NG, those feelings quickly dissipated. After all, their bands were going to be competing for number one on the billboards. "Is California anything like Kyoto? I hear America is pretty liberal." "Oh! Tatsuha-kun, you mentioned something about Kyoto… what were you saying?" Tatsuha smirked. "Okay, I get the drift. You don't want to talk about California, huh?" Ryuichi looked surprised.

Reaching under the table, he yanked up a pink bunny and chunked it at Tatsuha. "There! Attack; Kumagoro Miracle Beam!" 'Omigod! He's so cute!3 I don't care if he's an idiot…' Noriko pounded on the table. "Ryu! What the hell? Quit being an ass!" Ryuichi timidly apologized, while Tatsuha fantasized. 'Oh, how cruel! It's always the pretty ones. Too bad everyone is here… heh heh…' "Oh, um… Tatsuha-kun! Are you feeling unwell, na noda?" "How sweet of you to notice, Sakuma-san! Why, yes, I feel faint…" Tatsuha, who had stood up, dramatically wobbled. "Eep! Oh, I'm sorry! It was my bunny attack… Here, let me walk you to your car…" "I hope you don't mind if I lean on you…" 'Eee~! We're touching!' As Ryuichi led the younger boy out, the four resumed conversation, trying to cram as much as possible in before two certain idiots returned…

"Um, here you go, Tatsuha-kun. Careful!" Tatsuha slid into the backseat, reluctantly letting go of Ryuichi. "Wow, I don't know my own strength, na noda!" The man seemed a little prideful, despite being convinced he almost knocked Tatsuha out. The monk smiled. "I'm sorry, to burden you, Sakuma-san… Um, would you mind…?" Tatsuha gestured to the seat beside him, and Ryuichi plopped in, shutting the car door. "I'm glad you're not some crazy fan, Tatsuha-kun! Now we can be friends!" Ryuichi misinterpreted (somehow) the love-struck, lusty, I-want-to-jump-your-bones-look that Tatsuha was giving him at the mere mentioning of being friends, and flailed his arms.

"Oh, it's not like I don't like the fans, na noda! It's just nice not to get cameras and microphones shoved against your friend, ya know? It's kinda annoying. I actually… don't have many friends that don't." The man fingered Kumagoro's red bow, frowning. Tatsuha's heart flipped.

"No way. Sakuma-san, those people aren't your friends. They only care about a big scoop. Wouldn't you rather have just a few good friends like Noriko-san and Seguchi-san than a bunch of fakers who just act like a friend?" Ryuichi stared at Tatsuha incredulously. "Tatsuha-kun…" "And," Tatsuha twiddled his thumbs, "…Well… that's why I'd like to be your friend, Sakuma-san." If Mika would have been there, she'd have clapped and said what a good actor he was. But Tatsuha wasn't lying, and Ryuichi could tell.

The singer jumped up and down in his seat. "Really? Wow, Tatsuha-kun! Yeah, let's be friends. Maybe we'll even be fast best friends, like me and Tohma!" Ryuichi chattered on, and Tatsuha smiled indulgently. "I'd like that." "Yaaaay~! We did it, Kumagoro! Another friend!" Tatsuha swayed back and forth as Ryuichi started jumping again. "His name's Kumagoro? How cute." Ryu smiled happily.

"Uh-huh. Tatsuha-kun, call me Ryuichi, 'kay? Too bad you can't really call me 'Ryuichi-kun', though. I'm such an old man!" Ryuichi laughed, and Tatsuha blushed. 'Really…? By his first name?' The monk couldn't believe his ears; they were friends! Tatsuha Uesugi and Ryuichi Sakuma! Tatsuha felt like flying. It took all self-control not to start stripping the older man, and then throw him down. "What? Nonsense… Ryuichi…! You're not old! And even if you were, I'm sure you'd still look as gorgeous as always! Besides, I'm sure you still have some tricks up your sleeves." Tatsuha winked, but Ryuichi, totally oblivious to the sixteen-year-old monk hitting on him, simply smiled.

"Thank you, Tatsuha-kun. You're so nice, na noda." The monk nearly fainted. 'He thinks I'm nice!~3 Eee~!' Ryuichi frowned, leaning closer. "Um, T-Tatsuha-kun… are you okay?" He asked worriedly, and Tatsuha smirked wolfishly. "Ryuichi… How long were they staying in the bar?" Ryuichi tapped his chin, tilting his head to the side. "Ummm… I dunno. Tohma said something, but… why? You wanna go back in?" Tatsuha shifted.

"Actually… oh! Suddenly, I feel dizzy… Ryuichi-san, I'm sorry, but…" Tatsuha shuddered, and with a dramatic flourish, he fell, his head conveniently landing in Ryuichi's lap. "Eeeep~! Um, Tatsuha-kun! What's wrong?" "…I'm not sure, Ryuichi-san… I'm sorry, but do you mind if I rest like this…?" Now, Tatsuha was fine, but Ryuichi didn't know that. The older man stared at Tatsuha's head, finally saying "alright" with a little sigh.

After a few moments, Tatsuha muttered quietly, "Wow… I can't believe this." Ryuichi leaned over. "Huh? What was that, Tatsuha-kun?" The monk stared at the seat in front of him, circling a finger on Ryuichi's kneecap. "Well… you know." He began, "I mean, it's like… It's Ryuichi Sakuma. My idol. It's pretty cool." Ryuichi stared. "Hmm… Oh! Tatsuha-kun! We should totally hang out sometimes!" The man stopped. "Um… I mean, you know, if you want to …" Tatsuha stared up at Ryuichi.

"…Really?" The older man smiled. "Sure! Maybe we can go see Shuichi, or… Oh! I want to go to a zoo, Tatsuha-kun! Let's do that, na noda!" The young monk sat up, and scooted right up against Ryuichi. "That sounds great, Ryuichi. And… I'd love to show you my house. I live in Kyoto." Ryuichi glanced up, blinking. He felt a bit uncomfortable. "Really? Hm…A few years back, Tohma insisted that we did our tour kickoff there…"

"Hey! Tatsuha, you little shit! Don't you be shagging Sakuma in my car!" Tatsuha's head snapped up at his sister's voice. Mika, who had opened the door, was glaring at him. Tohma was beside her. "Now, now, darling… calm down…" Ryuichi's face lit up. "Tohma! Are you guys done? Huh?" He jumped up, out of the car, and threw his arms around his old keyboardist's neck. Tohma smiled. "Yes, Ryuichi. Here comes Noriko and Shindou-san now." Tatsuha stared after Ryuichi as he bounced over to Shuichi.

"Sakuma-san, are you riding with Seguchi-san?" "Uh-huh! I'm staying in Tokyo, na noda." "Well, Mika-san… can I get a ride?" "Sure, kid. To Eiri's, right?" "Ha… ha ha ha…" Tatsuha wished that he had his motorcycle to take Ryuichi home. Instead, he'd be going home with Mika, to his regular old life of getting high, sex, and false priesthood. To the life his father thought he had. "Tatsuha-san? …Are you alright? You look pale…" Tohma was staring, and Ryuichi brightened. "Tohma, Tatsuha-kun and I are friends now! Aren't we?" The singer grabbed Tatsuha's hands and danced around.

The young monk sat a hand on top of Ryuichi's head, smiling softly. "Looks like it." Tohma watched with interest, and pulled Tatsuha to the side. "Huh-" "Tatsuha-san… how would you like to chaperone Ryuichi-san to the zoo?" All kinds of things ran through Tatsuha's head. "Um! O-of course! I'd love to!" Tohma smiled. "I thought so. I'll arrange that. How about Saturday?" Tatsuha looked confused.

"Seguchi… why?" Tohma flashed an angelic smile. "Because. Ryuichi seemed pretty excited." "Heeeey~! Tohma~! Whatcha talking about?" Ryuichi asked loudly, waggling Kumagoro in Tohma's face. "Well…" Tohma began, "…I was organizing a surprise with Tatsuha-san, for you." With a whoop, Ryuichi jumped up and down. "Really? Yay! What is it? Huh?" The singer jumped all over Tohma, demanding an answer.

Tohma laughed. "It's a surprise." Ryuichi, having failed to worm an answer out of his best friend, shuffled over to Tatsuha. The man put on a cute face before begging, "Tatsuha-kun… Please tell me!" The older man was so cute, it made Tatsuha want to tease him. "Sorry, Ryuichi-san. Heh, you're so cute." Ryuichi huffed. "I hate you, Tatsuha-kun!" He said angrily, turning away. 'D'awww….' Tatsuha blushed deeply, while Tohma made sure Ryuichi knew that it was only a few days away.

Mika clapped her hands, "Okay, guys! I'm ready to get home. Let's go." While she told Noriko goodbye, Ryuichi pestered Tohma for details of Saturday's excursion. Tatsuha was watching as Ryuichi suddenly brightened, nodded, and trotted over. The vocalist tugged lightly on Tatsuha's sleeve with a sneaky smile, and Kumagoro was inching up his arm. Ryuichi removed his bunny, stood up on his toes, and whispered in Tatsuha's ear. It wasn't the usual cutesy front, either. The voice, which was like honey to Tatsuha's ears, sounded like Grasper's Sakuma. It sent a violent shiver up Tatsuha's spine.

"I'll see you Saturday, Tatsuha. I can't wait to see where you'll take me." Ryuichi held their gaze for a second longer than he should have, and as soon as it had come, the older man's confident demeanor disappeared. "I'm sure we'll have fun, Tatsuha-kun! Um… we'll talk later, na noda!~" Ryuichi bounced back to Tohma's Jaguar, a big smile on his pretty face. Tohma cast his brother-in-law a smirk; the priest was cradling the ear his idol had huskily whispered into. It seemed that, like Eiri, Tatsuha's ears were his weak spot.