"And that was FUJIMI with Sing Down the Moon from their latest album, Zen Chaos, at number 1 on the Nation's Top 20! Next week, we'll see which band has the power to knock the lone singer off their pedestal! Will it be Nansei Kaze with Breaking Midnight at number 2? Or newcomer North Star jumping higher than number 7 to number 3 with Revolution? Or can Jin Soichiro climb back up from his slip to number 4 with Won't Give You My Heart? Maybe number 5 duo Hanagata Toru and Fujima Kenji can make a surprise leap with their blockbuster single Rockin' Tokyo! See you next week with the results, folks. This is Aida Hikoichi on WKRZ 96.3 fm, signing out!"

Katsuki clicked the radio off, accelerating with a sigh. Nansei Kaze, currently the number one Japanese rock band, versus Fujimi, the mysterious masked singer who had sold millions of albums worldwide. By the time Fujimi would begin to slide down the charts, Nansei Kaze might be down to number 7, no contest.

She flicked a glance at the rearview mirror, in which was reflected the drummer of Nansei Kaze, Fukuda, fast asleep. He was the one she worried about most- he was the most quiet, the most unsettling, and the one who alienated fans the most. She'd gotten the other bandmates to talk it off during interviews as Fukuda being shy, but there was no telling what might happen. She had already had to head off rumours of Fukuda's drug addiction by two different tabloids (granted, that was years ago and she kept an eye on him, but people liked to rake up before-the-band stories for any hint of scandal).

Nansei Kaze- Southwest Wind- comprising Fukuda Kicchou on drums, Koshino Hiroaki on bass, Uekusa Tomoyuki on keyboard and Sendoh Akira, frontman, leader, songwriter, on guitar and vocals. Having released their first album, Burning Brightest, a year and a half ago to great acclaim, and toured East Asia for half a year, they quickly released their second album, Ghost of a Dream. Most unfortunately, it coincided with the release of Fujimi's third album, breaking their three year hiatus, and a struggle for the love of the public began.

Their dream to be the best, to be more than one-hit wonders, seemed destined to end before it could begin.

-

Jin Soichiro woke with a start, disoriented, and fumbled for his handphone, following the sound of the ringtone rather than the lit screen. He mumbled a drowsy "yes?" as he rubbed his eyes.

"I thought you hadn't woken," came the voice of his manager. "I'm picking you up in half an hour."

Jin muttered something between a yes and a swear as he drew his hand through his hair and set the phone down. The memories of his dream ending only a few minutes before still remained in his mind. There was someone special… someone he'd known for a long time when he was young.

But then, there were rather a few of those, and in the dream, the person… either they'd no face, or he couldn't remember that aspect of the dream.

Later, when he was being driven out to the autograph session, he was looking idly out the window, watching the pedestrians. There was a mother with three- no, four- children of varying ages tugging at her skirts as she pushed a pram, and there was a gaggle of high school girls with their bags festooned with cute charms and stickers, and there-

Ah.

On the giant screen covering half a wall, Nansei Kaze's latest music video played on.

He leaned back into the cushioned seat. He remembered now.

-

He woke up, not suddenly, but slow, and it was cold. He was alone in the bed, still.

Fujima wasn't back yet, then.

The lamp lit with a faint click, and, rubbing his eyes, reaching for his glasses, he looked across at the clock on the wall. The hands read 1.30.

Maki. It had to be. Blasted Maki and his blasted tanned skin and his… ugh, it just didn't bear thinking of.

Back to bed, then, after a drink. In the morning, as always, he would wake to the gentle, even sound of Fujima breathing.

-

"Arrogant, uptight, stone-faced- bonehead!"

"Stubborn, brash, rude monkey!"

"Stup- hey! Gori, put me down!"

"You two will shut up, sit down and get back to work on the lyrics now. We still have five songs to be done in half a month and the album will be released in a month's time. And Ayako-san will come to pick us up for the guerrilla live at five. Get to it."

Sakuragi huffed as he sat down heavily and glared at the paper. Across the table, his co-vocalist and -songwriter glared equally hard at his own paper. It was a wonder, Akagi thought, that the two managed to get along well enough to sing and play guitar together in the studio, let alone on stage.

Then again, the reason North Star was becoming popular so quickly was because they were so awful about each other. The emotion in their songs, the energy and the tension on stage- they weren't a tame band, no, and it was all because of these two idiots, Rukawa and Sakuragi.

On stage, because their hands were occupied with the taut strings, they had no opportunity to let their animosity show, except by the words they sang, the notes they played.

Off stage was a different story.

Sakuragi was almost always the one to make the first blow, and Mito had opined once that Rukawa, who was well able to block later punches, probably only let himself get hit first so Sakuragi was within punching distance himself. If Akagi wasn't done changing, or if he was too far away, it would be Mito or Miyagi interceding.

Probably the only reason North Star still had its co-vocalists and –guitarists, still was a band, was because of the twain's extreme on-again, off-again relationship. As Miyagi put it: "The only reason the two of them fight is to have explosive breakup and makeup sex."

-

"Yes! Yes! YES!"

Mitsui groaned, muttered something about 'inconsiderate shitheads who can't tell AM from PM' and dragged himself to the door. Behind him, Hasegawa rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head.

"Takayama Satsuko," he said, enunciating clearly, carefully and slowly, "you have quite clearly not brought home anyone, nor are you having any fun with one of your toys, which you are not supposed to use in the living room in any case. Be a very good housemate- shut up and go to bed."

"But- but- but you'll never guess what's happened, Hisashi-kun! It's absolutely fantastic!"

Mitsui carefully opened one eye and immediately squinted against the harsh fluorescent light. He could dimly make out the short, somewhat plump Satsuko dancing around with something white in her hand.

Ah.

"Sharp Height got signed," he said, resignedly.

"Yes! It's the most wonderful thing that's happened ever- oh!" Mitsui groaned as the sounds of crashing came. At least their coffee table was sturdy.

"Bed. And I still think Sharp Height is a stupid name for a band- it makes no sense."

Satsuko chuckled as she picked herself up. "Goodnight, oh thou grumpy guts. Just you wait and see, Kiminobu-kun and Nobunaga-kun and Chuichiro-kun and Yuji-kun and Nozomi-kun, they'll steal the spotlight from North Star and Nansei Kaze and Fujimi soon enough!"

Mitsui ignored her prattling as he returned to his bed. He could make sense of her words after five more hours of sleep.

---

Author's notes: written for Slam Dunk Week, and combining July prompts from the LJ community 31_days.

As has probably been gathered, Nansei Kaze is Ryonan and North Star is Shohoku.

Fujimi is obviously not Fujima. Nor is Fujimi a canon character. For that matter, neither are Katsuki or Satsuko.

Sharp Height's name is taken in a roundabout way from Takezato. Since we have no information about the members of Takezato, I chose the more secondary characters.