Dans la pénombre frémissante sous la flamme tremblante
Insomnie

In the shivering darkness under the flickering flame
Insomnia

The lights burn red and the crowd cheers.

The flame lights on a redhead with shadowed eyes. Behind him, an imposing man, a monster, bangs a beat on the drums. Beside him, a lone guitarist plays a lilting melody to the redhead's thumping bass. The redhead closes his eyes and sings a haunting tune….

Kakashi watches all of this passionlessly as he smokes in the dark boardroom. A car light passes by through the window outside and momentarily lights up his silver hair and pale skin. There is a glint from his red eye before the lights of the car pass, leaving him in darkness once again.

"It was good," Gaara says slowly, monotonously as he puts out his own cigarette on a clear ashtray on the table.

"I still think they could have focused on me more," Zabuza grumbled, his big frame slouched forward on the leather seat.

"You still couldn't figure out what's wrong?" Asuma, their manager, pushed himself off the wall and pressed the remote control for pause. Everyone, including Kakashi, leaned forward to look at Zabuza the drummer mid-strike.

"Zabuza looks the same as always," Kakashi commented. Zabuza and Kakashi had been working together for several years, before they arranged a band called Insomnie along with a new member, Gaara. He didn't know too much about Gaara, but the kid had talent and took his work seriously. They had been playing together for a total of two years.

"That's the problem," Asuma said, puffing on his cigar. "You all look the same. Check out the new groups coming out now. They all have one thing that you don't – image. Why, just the other day, I ran into Gai's kids and they had on neon pink wigs with lace, lots of lace," Asuma emphasized.

"It's not about the image," Kakashi sighed, feeling the familiar argument coming up again. "It's about the—,"

"About the music," Asuma finished for him. "Well, music alone's not going to get you anywhere these days. Tomorrow, you all have a photo shoot and I want you to wear costumes to spruce things up. And yes, you may keep the masks." Both Zabuza and Kakashi leaned back again, quiescent. Without further word, Asuma ejected the videotape, gathered his things, and left.

"My birthday is tomorrow," Gaara said, crossing his arms and sitting as still as a statue. "I want you both to come."

"NOW the kid tell us?" Zabuza said, wringing his hair in his hands. "How old are you turning, anyway?"

"Nineteen."

"He'll be legal age, then," Kakashi said, eyes crinkling above his black mask. "What say we take him out on the rounds?"

"Only if there's drinking," Zabuza pointed out, then laughed deeply and heartily.

They all got up, Kakashi picking the invisible dust particles off his suit that only he could see. Zabuza and Gaara rolled their eyes and were on their way out the door when Kakashi stopped Gaara with a hand to his shoulder. Gaara looked up at him.

"What do you want for you birthday?" Kakashi asked, eyes crinkling again.

Gaara shrugged out his shoulders and walked away. "Get me a toy that I don't have."

Kakashi sighed. This was going to be difficult. What sex toy DOESN'T Gaara own?

Kakashi sat on a Tokyo subway, listening to his MD. He stared lifelessly through the glass window opposite, and the woman sitting beneath the window reading her magazine became uncomfortable and recrossed her legs. They were in a tunnel and the wall of the tunnel was grey, simply grey.

Kakashi crossed his arms. He was still wearing his black mask and it covered the bottom half of his face so that people could only see his steel grey eyes. He was wearing his black business suit today and his black leather pants absorbed the light as the subway weaved in and out of the tunnels.

When had his life come to this? Now that things were going well with the band and the fans were rolling in, it still seemed as if something was…missing. He remembered the old days, the darker days, when it was just him and Zabuza and their competitions with other bands and wheedling with the right people (and, more often than not, the wrong people), and trying to make a living while laughing at their situation (and the drugs, the drugs….). Despite being stupid, they were alive…with passion.

Now he just felt old. He was twenty-six this year, the same age as his high school friend, Zabuza. The mask had been what they were, their cult, their symbol and it was the only remnant of what they used to be. Mind you, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Gaara. The kid was respectful and it wasn't his choice to be frontman when their record company juggled band members in their precise movements to regain popularity. But it just wasn't the same.

At his precise stop, Kakashi got up. The woman reading across from him looked up in horror. She was one of those office ladies who gave the outer image of being prim and proper but he could tell that she secretly wanted someone to raise her into his arms with passion and do unspeakable things to. Like stuff he read in his adult novels. He could tell because as she crossed her legs in front of him, she was wearing lacy red underwear. Nodding to the lady in greeting, he exited the subway doors, never to see her again.

He walked out onto the night streets, hands in his pockets and started smoking another cigarette. He had no idea what to get Gaara for his birthday. After buying some groceries for tonight's dinner, he wandered over to the sex district where he knew he would probably find what he was looking for. And maybe a little something for himself, as well….

He was about to enter his favourite sex toy shop when someone beat him there first.

He stopped in his tracks to admire two young ladies who were gossiping excitedly about several items through the windowpane. One of them had bleached blond hair in a dramatic ponytail and the other had short pink hair cut in a cute shag. There were only two people in the world he knew who looked like that. And neither of them belonged to him.

The pink-haired one noticed him first. "Kakashi!" and ran up to him and held him in a cute embrace. Kakashi looked away nonchalantly, trying not to notice the fact that her short miniskirt was rubbing against his thigh.

"Oi, Sakura, what if Gaara sees us?" Ino said, looking around. Ever the practical one, she nodded to Kakashi in greeting through her heavily made-up eyes. Sakura let go of him, with a little regret on Kakashi's part.

"What are you girls doing here?"

"We're buying Gaara a birthday present!" Sakura explained, showing him a bag of naughty goodies.

Kakashi took a quick glimpse, not too interested in Gaara's sex life. "A dildo? Doesn't he have about ten of those already?"

"Actually, that one's not for Gaara," Ino said, quickly snatching the bag away. "That one's for us." Beside her, Sakura giggled.

Kakashi paled and tried not to think of Gaara's cats naked and performing sex acts in front of each other but the image reached him all the same. "I…see."

"Well, see ya!" Sakura said, giving him a little wave. They both walked off, high heels clicking after them.

Nothing that he ever bought Gaara could ever compare with what those two girls were going to give him tomorrow night. Opening the store door, he entered.

Kakashi walked back to his apartment, content and satisfied. Carrying his bag of groceries, he was about to enter when a young man ran past him, nearly knocking him to a wall. The young man locked eyes with him for a second before running off into the dark night.

Kakashi shook his head. Kids these days. The boy looked at him like he thought he knew him, but that shouldn't be too surprising since Insomnie made several t.v. appearances as of late. Juggling his groceries, Kakashi stopped short when he saw a basket of fruits lying on his doormat. Unlocking the door, he kicked the basket of fruits inside. He completely missed the OTHER note lying half under the doormat.

Kakashi didn't bother turning on the lights. His eyes were more used to the dark anyway. Putting the basket of fruits on the table, he plucked the note written in neat handwriting from its handle:

Kakashi, you are hardly ever home when I visit. Please do take care of yourself and come visit us sometime. By the way, here is a basket of fruits from the wife.

~Iruka

It was his younger brother, Iruka. Iruka was the complete opposite from him. Apart from being a schoolteacher at the local high school, he was also involved regularly in temple activities and volunteered his time once a week at a senior's home, chatting with the elderly and otherwise being a good Samaritan. Kakashi sighed, crumpled the note, and left the basket of fruit lying on the table. Maybe he could bring it to Gaara's tomorrow.

Kicking off his shoes, he lay on the couch and watched his incredible stack of porn tapes until he fell asleep. As usual, he dreamed of nothing.

Kakashi, Zabuza, and Gaara were walking down the halls of the record office wearing their so-called "costumes".

By far, Kakashi thought that his own costume was the most dramatic, since he normally preferred dress suits to any occasion. The plastic of his tight, black body suit glinted in abnormal hues as he walked down the hall, and decorative leather straps covered the length of his arms and the sides of his body, making it difficult to move. Of course, he wore his signature black mask but his hair was purposefully messier than usual and hung down over his good eye. His other, red eye, from the coloured contacts he normally wore was all one could see of his face. Heavy black make up granted him smoky eyes like Gaara. He dragged a black oxygen tank along with tubing behind him.

"Why must I dress up like this? You guys look almost normal in comparison to me," Kakashi complained.

Gaara wore a black netting top and black overall shorts with black army boots. One could see his nipples peeping enticingly through the fabric. "We all agreed that you would be the freak of the group. Besides…today's my birthday," and he grinned ferociously revealing his sharp tiger teeth.

"And you?" Kakashi asked Zabuza, getting tired of dragging his oxygen tank.

"I ain't getting in that outfit," Zabuza said. Zabuza was going topless today, revealing his naturally muscular body adorned with intricate tattoos. The tattoos were impressive but Zabuza rarely revealed them. Surprisingly enough, he was the most modest of the group. This was due mostly to his girlfriend, Kurenai, who was a hot bitch.

"We're here," Asuma announced from up front, pleased.

The photographers and make-up artists ushered them in front of a white silk-screen where they would be spending the next two hours as squirrels caught in headlights. Kakashi hefted the black oxygen tank to his back, attached the vacuum tubing to his face and crossed his arms, clearly displeased.

"Keep that pose!" one of the photographers shouted, getting in a quick shot when he least expected it. He glared with his one red eye and they did it again.

"You know, you really look like a freak," Zabuza said, tilting his head.

"Shut up," Kakashi answered pleasantly, grimacing through his mask. But, of course, no one could see it.

After a couple of Kakashi shots, the three of them got together for some group photographs. Gaara stood in the middle while Kakashi stood at his left shoulder, staring lazily at the camera with Zabuza on the right. Then they brought in some freakish props which they insisted Kakashi use. "Amateur stuff," Gaara scoffed, kicking at a medieval torture device. Kakashi and Zabuza rolled their eyes at him. If Asuma only new how twisted Gaara actually was….

"Okay, I think we're done for today," Asuma said. "I'll give you guys the rest of the day off since it's Gaara's birthday. Here ya go, kid," Asuma said, passing Gaara a bottle of cognac wrapped in ribbon.

"Thanks," Gaara said, rolling the wine bottle in his hands. Kakashi guessed that Gaara was planning on how he was going to use it as a sex prop on his two cats. He probably wasn't far off the mark.

"That's it. I'm starving," Zabuza said, stalking out of the room and leaving the rest of them behind.

Kakashi shrugged. "Meet at your place at six?"

Gaara merely nodded and rolled the bottle of cognac over in his hands, lost in its depths. If Gaara was impressed with that, wait till he sees what Kakashi got for him from the sex shop yesterday.

Kakashi was late. As usual. He stood at Gaara's stoop, wondering if they already ate dinner without him.

Ino answered the door. "Hi," is all she said. Taking the basket of fruits from Kakashi, she beckoned him inside with the crook of her finger. Like an unwitting insect, he entered her web of seduction.

Loud industrial music blared from the rec room to the left. Kakashi nearly tripped over a ball and chain lying on the floor. Gaara forgot to clean up. Or maybe he had already started playing this afternoon.

"Kakashi!" Kurenai greeted him, getting up from the kitchen table and giving him a quick peck to the cheek. She smelled pleasant and her outfit was extra revealing today. From the table, Zabuza scowled.

"Where's birthday boy?" Kakashi asked, trying not to get too distracted as Ino ate a peach from his fruit basket IN THAT WAY.

"Playroom," Ino said, juice running down her lips, which she slowly licked off.

"Ah, thanks," Kakashi said, quickly heading out of there. Reaching the playroom, he knocked politely.

"Gaara! I told you not to start now! Look what you did to my dress!" Sakura.

There was a slight scuffle, then Gaara answered the door, his collar a little ripped.

"Happy birthday," Kakashi said, passing Gaara his present.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, running the package over in his hands as Sakura ran up behind him and hugged him around the waist.

"You'll find out when you blow it up!" Kakashi said.

Gaara nodded, knowing exactly who to ask for the job.

Dinner was finger food made by Ino and Sakura. As Ino and Sakura sat across from him and started feeding one another, Kakashi cleared his throat and decided to strike up a conversation with Kurenai to his left.

"How have you been doing?" he asked gently.

Kurenai smiled demurely as her wavy black hair fell across her shoulders and tickled her breasts. "Oh, life has been good to me lately," she answered mysteriously. "Zabuza has been a good boy too. In fact…" Kurenai leaned in close to whisper something into his ear. "Don't tell Zabuza this but…I think I'm pregnant."

"With who?" Kakashi asked, smirking.

Kurenai slapped his hand playfully. "Oh, you know my heart's only for Zabuza," she said, glancing at Zabuza who was currently in the process of blowing up Kakashi's present. "But he's just so sensitive, you know? I don't know how he's going to take it…. You understand, right?" Kurenai looked up at him, the look of playfulness not completely masking the concern beneath her eyes.

Kakashi nodded. He had known Kurenai for longer than Zabuza had, and Kurenai and Zabuza had met through him. But there were still some secrets about Kurenai that Zabuza wasn't privy to, and sometimes it was best that his childhood friend JUST NOT KNOW.

Just then, Sakura laughed and Ino, surprisingly enough, joined in. They were laughing and pointing at Zabuza and the doll he just blew to life.

"Why did you buy a doll with a tail?" Zabuza asked confusedly, still blowing air through the hole in the doll's tail.

"That's not a tail," Gaara commented, smirking.

Grasping the doll's "tail", it wasn't until Zabuza looked up that he realized which end he was blowing into. "Awww, Kakashi!" Zabuza exclaimed, immediately releasing the blow-up doll. "You bought him a dick-girl?"

"Well, I heard it was the latest IN thing, plus, I don't recall Gaara ever owning one. Gaara said he wanted something different," Kakashi said, trying to shift the blame.

"Oooooh, Gaara, can we try it out tonight, pretty please?" asked Sakura prettily.

Gaara shrugged. "If you want."

Kurenai stood up and stretched. "Well, I think it's about time we bring birthday boy out to have some fun." It was 10 p.m.

"I want to go clubbing," Gaara said, smiling.

They were lining up outside a club called "Taboo", a place of Kurenai's picking. While Kurenai sidled up to the bouncers and persuaded them with her ample charm, Kakashi lit another cigarette and stared out into the night. He thought he saw the boy who bumped rudely into him yesterday enter the club but he wasn't sure. He shrugged and trampled the cig beneath his feet as Kurenai called the okay and they entered Taboo.

The place had two floors, which was quite nice. Kakashi immediately sidled up to the bar while Gaara and his girls hit the dance floor.

He ordered his favourite shooter, then another. It wasn't until he was slightly intoxicated that he began to relax. For some reason, he spotted the dark-haired boy from yesterday staring at him, so he turned around and was faced with an extremely red-faced Kurenai. "Come on," she shouted above the blaring music, taking his hand in one of her bracelet-covered arms.

We ain't no boys we grown men
If you ain't gon' dance well don't then
Why you wanna waste a nigga song then
See your ass down doing nothing

Gaara was already on the dance floor grinding with his two cats. Sakura was on his front and Ino was holding him from behind. Kakashi supposed he wasn't the only male present jealous of the red-haired boy.

Face the wall shawty, put your hands on it
Bounce that ass up and down, make a nigga want it
Face the wall shawty, put your hands on it
Bounce that ass up and down, make a nigga want it

Kurenai started doing the grinding motion around him and Kakashi stood there, embarrassed and holding onto his drink. Where was Zabuza when you needed him most? Scanning the premises, Kakashi spotted Zabuza sitting by the bar having a drink. Well, of course.

Roll that ass 'round and 'round like a mothafuckin' wheel
Shake that shit, this ain't no mothafuckin' drill
Roll that ass 'round and 'round like a mothafuckin' wheel
Shake that shit, this ain't no mothafuckin' drill

He supposed it wouldn't hurt to humour Kurenai a bit. First chance he got, he would grab Zabuza over and make him dance with his own girlfriend. Slipping a hand around her waist, he let her guide him.

Get crunk with it! Get loose with it!
Like Short said, let Bruce Bruce hit it!
Get crunk with it! Get loose with it!
Like Short said, let Bruce Bruce hit it!

That was when Kurenai leaned over, wrapped an arm around his neck, and said, "You know, I always liked you the best, Kakashi." Her breath was heavily intoxicated. She leaned heavily into his arms.

Shake it like a dollar, a five or ten
But what would you do for a twenty-twen
Get on the stage shake that ass then
Get on the pole and do a back bend

Gaara and his cats were on the platform by now. They did their own little show and the lights shone down on their sparkling, sweaty skin. Kakashi had the odd urge at that moment to stick a $20 into Sakura's skirt.

Sixteen bitches with thongs in one club
The home of the 5th rated bones and big butts
Nice big pussys splittin' all over the floor
Hornafied, can't deny, certified pro

Kakashi thought it was just about time that Zabuza take Kurenai home. Pulling her off the dance floor, he supported her around her waist. The alcohol on the floorboards made her slip and she fell, nearly taking Kakashi with her. Kakashi helped her up again, then realized that he could see part of her breast through her disarrayed dress. He reached down and quickly tugged her top back up to cover her exposed nipple.

On a pole upside down (this shit for real)
Did the sixty-nine plenty of times to pay her bill
Brawd say she a clerk by night she turn stripper
You don't wanna date her you tryin' so you can tip her

"Zabuza," Kakashi said, hauling Kurenai out of the crowd. Zabuza turned around slowly, in the middle of chatting with a friend. The friend – Male? Female? – nodded politely to Kakashi and left. "I think you'd better take Kurenai home. She's had a little too much to drink."

"For god's sake, Kurenai," Zabuza grumbled gently, taking her in his arms. Kakashi let the happy couple wander off, and Zabuza called back over his shoulder, "I'll be back! The night's only started!"

Row, like a 18-wheeler
That hoe fine, but this hoe a killa'
She leakin', she soakin' wet
She leakin', soakin' wet

Kakashi raised a glass to him. By now, Gaara had taken some alcohol and poured it down Sakura's dress. Sakura giggled and flung her wet hair around. Bending down, Gaara slowly licked the alcohol off her breast.

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully. When Zabuza returned, he continued talking to his male/female friend. Kakashi was in the middle of chatting with the bartender when Gaara appeared, two cats in tow. Sakura looked scared, and she was hanging onto Gaara like a wild animal while Ino coolly ordered herself a drink.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Some creep tried to cop a feel on me," Ino said, flinging her hair back, "but then Gaara bit the guy's lip until it bled, didn't you Gaara?" Ino took a napkin dipped in alcohol and started wiping Gaara's lip lovingly with it. Gaara only nodded.

Trying to act as if this was an everyday occurrence, Kakashi unconsciously adjusted his shirt collar while he ordered drinks for them all. Sakura only took a sip and gave the rest of hers to Gaara. Gaara downed all of them, then ordered a couple more.

It didn't take Gaara too long to be nearly passed out. "You're even worse than Kurenai," Kakashi muttered, taking him under one arm. Ino took the other and, together, they struggled out of Taboo. "Don't get home too late," he called back to Zabuza. Zabuza waved his hand, still talking to his friend, who started to laugh.

They all got a ride in Kakashi's car, Kakashi at the front while Gaara was sitting between his cats at the back. As Kakashi drove Gaara and his girls home, he began to wonder on what Kurenai said to him before…. She was probably just heavily intoxicated then and didn't know what she was saying. Then he remembered his hand accidentally brushing against her breast as he tugged her clothing up. He nearly missed his turn and the car swerved and rocked back and forth, then righted itself again. The three kids at the back didn't seem to notice.

"Gaara, wake up. Wake up!" Sakura said on his left, slapping his cheeks. Gaara's red face, not quite so red as his hair, rolled over and fell on her lap. "Awww, now we can't test out that new doll that Kakashi gave us!"

"Sure we can," Ino said, pulling Gaara up again from his right. "We'll just play with it on ourselves." Kakashi nearly missed a red light.

"But wouldn't that be cheating?" Sakura wondered, putting a hand to her lips.

"Not if we don't tell him, it won't," Ino said slyly, fondly brushing Gaara's face. "You won't tell him, will you, Kakashi?"

"What did you say?" Kakashi pretended, still trying to get Sakura and Ino out of his head.

Kakashi parked his car at the curb, and Sakura, Gaara, and Ino piled out. "You sure you don't need help with that?" Kakashi asked, about to get out of his car.

"No…" Sakura said, struggling under Gaara's weight in her high heels. Ino took Gaara's other shoulder and, together, they hobbled off. They were arguing on who got to use the doll first, then mutually decided that they would do it together.

Kakashi drove off. At least someone was enjoying his birthday present.

Kakashi was about to enter his own apartment when he noticed the note on the floor. Tiredly, he picked it up. Was it Iruka again?

The words were in some other language, probably French. He recognized the name of his band, Insomnie. Insomnia.

Kakashi looked up when he heard slow footsteps approaching. "Who's there?"

The footsteps paused. He could make out a person's figure in the deeper recesses of the wall's shadow, hesitant.

"Look," Kakashi reasoned, getting tired of weird things happening. "I should be more freaked out than you are at this point." He just wanted to go back to bed and sleep….

Someone stepped out of the shadows. Kakashi squinted. He could be wrong, but he was pretty sure it was the same boy staring at him from Taboo. What? So now he had a personal stalker now? "What do you want?" he said.

"Kakashi?" the boy said, stepping into the light. The boy's eyes looked dilated and more than a little watery. His lips had a slight bruise to the bottom lip and, for some reason, that was all that Kakashi could focus on right now.

Then the boy collapsed at his feet. Kakashi looked down at the pathetic mass. Why did this have to happen to him?

Credits: This story was inspired by a song called "Insomnie" by Les Nubians. The lyrics at the top are also from that song :P And, of course, the song playing at Taboo is by Ying Yang Twinz feat. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Salt Shaker (it's such a booty shakin' song!) Kakashi's penchant for business suits probably came from Gackt on a subconscious level. I probably stuck in some Gravitation themes subconsciously as well. Um...well, hope you enjoyed it! This is my first drama, so I hope I wasn't overdoing anything.... ~luv Echidna