Recovery

Three years ago, Japanese singer Shuichi Shindou made headlines around the world for storming out of his band, Bad Luck and an attempted suicide. The singer cited relationship problems, musical differences and tensions between band-mates as the reason to exit the band the way he did. Bassist Yamato Ishida and guitarist Klavier Gavin accused Shuichi's husband, Eiri Eiri of being abusive and stopping them from releasing their twelfth album, Serious Business. It now seemed almost yesterday that Bad Luck had released their début album, Gravity and that was thirteen years ago.

Shucihi thought he could trust Yamato and Klavier with some of his secrets. He was wrong. Klavier and Yamato didn't seem to understand his marriage the way Hiro and Suguru did. Hiro and Suguru where there at the couple's shaky beginning. Suguru and Hiro were the best men at the wedding. Shuichi thought if Klavier and Yamato were there to see the wedding, or had read one of Eiri's novels, then they would have seen the side of Eiri that Shuichi and thousands of girls could see too.

When ASK's old singer Taki was found dead near their house. Both him and Eiri denied any involvement with his death. Tohma Seguchi, the owner of NG Records destroyed any evidence incriminating the pair and tried to make it look as if he had committed suicide. After the end of Bad Luck's Zoo Tour, Shuichi told Yamato and Klavier that Eiri shot Taki to protect himself and Shuichi. In addiction Shuichi also told them both that Eiri had killed someone else before and swore it was self defence. Both Yamato and Klavier tried to encourage Shuichi to tell the truth to the police, but Shuichi begged the pair of them to keep it a secret. Since then, the strong bond they quickly formed began to see cracks.

Yamato would tell him to shut up about Eiri and get some work done. Klavier began suggesting to Shuichi that perhaps he should consider a divorce. Shuichi began to grow less confident in his work and kept on yearning for the old days where he had Hiro and Suguru as his right hand men. Yamato and Klavier were talented, no doubt, both of them were even better singers then he was, but he began to feel musically constricted. Shuichi was jealous of both Yamato and Klavier and everyone knew it.

Klavier was classically trained and adored by fans all over the world for his voice and also previous fame with his now disbanded band, The Gavinners. Yamato was kicked out of Teenage Wolves, but the fans still loved him. Shuichi was already being criticized for trying too hard to be commercial and suggested that it was killing Bad Luck. Yamato had done amazing things as being one of the digidestands who had saved the world numerous times. Shuichi didn't really understand that much about digimon, but Yamato's partner, Gabumon was one of the cutest things he ever saw. When he found out that Klavier Gavin was a prosecutor who had claimed that rock was just a hobby and that law was his true passion.

Klavier had never wanted to be in the band in the first place. He was a spy the whole time. When Shuichi found out that Klavier was a prosecutor he knew would grass up Eiri. When Shuichi told Eiri that he told Yamato and Klavier about the murders; Eiri flipped. The bruise remained for a week, but the scar lasted forever. It wasn't Eiri that caused them bruises, it was the wine they were drinking. Klavier and Yamato saw those bruises and decided to report Eiri to the police. Eiri was arrested for the murder of Taki Aizawa, Eiri Kitazawa and the attempted murder of Shuichi Shindou. Klavier Gavin was the prosecutor of the case. Shuichi thought that he was going to die. The members of his band had betrayed his trust and was going to take his husband down.

Eiri Uesugi had been found guilty of all charges and sent to prison. Bad Luck's manager, K advised Shuichi to come to work and try to get the current events out of his mind. The release of their 12th studio album was coming up, and the album was all finished. Shuichi was dreading the release of Serious Buisness which was unusual since he loved getting albums out. Eiri still told him he had zero talent, but their single "S E X X X Y" had already topped 20 countries. Shuichi told the band and K that he wanted to delay the release because he didn't feel ready for the album's release.

"We can't delay this album anymore!" Yamato objected. "The fans want to hear it and we want them to listen to it. Just because Eiri thinks it's crap doesn't mean the whole world will too."

"You just don't see it don't you?" Klavier told Shuichi. "Eiri doesn't love you. He abused you."

"Even if Bad Luck have to release this album without you, we're getting this album out," Yamato announced. "None of us care about your relationship with that jerk anymore."

Shuichi was speechless but also livid. How dare anybody talked about his Eiri like that. Especially not his band-mates. He couldn't think of a comeback, he just knelt to the corner and cried, "I made Bad Luck..." Shuichi rose to his feet and faced his band-mates and roared out, "I CAN DESTROY IT JUST AS EASILY! You two are just replacements, you'll never understand my relationship with Eiri. I can't be in the same band as you two anymore." Shuichi ran out of the studio and hoped never to see Yamato and Klavier again.

Shuichi didn't know what was going on in his head at the time but how the sorrow and stress devoured him. He jumped out of a window four times, but got caught by the tree every time he tried to jump. He tried to injure himself by jumping off the tree, but a group of fangirls saved him. He ran into the roads as ran back home. If he didn't die or at least got injured then he was determined to swallow every pill and drink he could lay his hands on when he got home. He managed to get hit by one car before crawling his way back to his department.

He wanted the pain to be over. He had a feeling that he would never see his Eiri again and felt he had lost his band. Life was no longer worth living. After finishing a pack of Eiri's painkillers and a bottle of wine, Shuichi's world went black. Shuichi had tried to commit suicide seven times in one day... and only one method nearly worked.

Ever since Bad Luck's fifth album, Homeless Fairies failed to crack the top 30 in Japan, things haven't been right. Homeless Fairies was now considered a classic now Shuichi left Bad Luck. Homeless Fairies was the last album to include Suguru and Hiro left after the Whirlwind Trilogy. Shuichi felt worthless until he woke up in a hospital with Eiri at his side. Shuichi thought he was dreaming. Either that or heaven. Wasn't Eiri suppose to be in prison?

"Eiri... you died to?"

"We're still alive," Eiri cried with a smile. He wrapped his arm around Shuichi's neck and grabbed his shoulder. "...you idiot."

"You escaped prison?" Shuichi asked. It was the first thing to have come out of his mind.

"I've been released," Eiri told him. "Tohma bailed me out and proved that the evidence against me was fake and Klavier got disbarred."

"What's happened to Bad Luck?" Shuichi asked.

"They've replaced you with some kid," Eiri told him. "Tohma will drop them as soon as they stop selling."

To the pair's surprise, Serious Business was a worldwide success achieving critical and worldwide acclaim. There where two versions of the album, one with Shuichi's vocals and the other with the new singer's voice. The new singer of Bad Luck was called Jun Diamond. After spending a week in hospital, both Eiri and Shuichi were placed in rehab were the two of them could relax and help get their heads together.

The new line up of Bad Luck visited Shuichi. The new singer Jun, turned out to be one of Bad Luck's biggest fans and felt honoured to be in the band and promised that he wouldn't destroy the old Bad Luck songs. Shuichi believed in Jun and then also realised that Yamato and Klavier weren't trying to destroy him, but were merely looking out for him. They were no Suguru and Hiro, but it was the first time Shuichi felt that he really did appreciate Yamato and Klavier's talents and wished them both and Jun good luck. He really

Shuichi also bought Leather Ink and Heartcore when Bad Luck released them. He loved both of those albums. The melodies, the lyrics and the harmonies surpassed more than what Shuichi could ever dream of. So his departure became the biggest blessing of Bad Luck. Suguru's third solo album, Male Bride was a huge success and it encouraged him to take part in other projects with NG records. He also did a lot of theatrical performances and the occasional Broadway when he's not so busy. Suguru stepped out of the shadow of Bad Luck and his cousin, when he played the leading role of the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera.

Hiro also went into theatre work. Shuichi remembered he cancelled a Bad Luck gig just so he could watch Hiro play as Gaston in Beauty And The Beast. Shuichi had no idea Hiro had it in him. Yamato and Klavier were with him at the audience. Last year, Hiro took a completely different path and joined metal band called Beyond Indulgence as a guitarist and lead vocalist. Shuichi would love to create some new music with Hiro and Suguru, but for the time being he had to prepare for his own solo career while Suguru and Hiro were working on their own careers.

Everyone might have argued that he had waited too late to get his solo career running and warned that he probably wouldn't even reach a fraction of the success of Bad Luck. He knew that the debut album would have been successful regardless of how many copies it sold. Shuichi had all his fans, friends and most of all his beloved Eiri.