Chapter 1: Way Back When

"Aneki, Aneki, when is Tohma oni-sama coming home?"

"Soon, Tatsuha. I promise"

"But when is soon?"

"Can't you go without asking me for two minutes?"

The conversation was between Uesugi Tatsuha, age 10, and Seguchi Mika, age...classified. Tatsuha is a black-haired and energetic young boy with an obsession with his brother-in-law's friend and band mate, Sakuma Ryuichi. Ryuichi is his idol. Seguchi Tohma, Mika's husband, had promised Tatsuha that he'd bring Ryuichi over to his house today, and Tatsuha couldn't wait much longer.

At that moment, Tatsuha's older brother Eiri walked into the conversation. "Do you guys mind? I am trying to do my homework!" Eiri wasn't your typical Japanese teenager. He had dirty blonde hair and hazel-colored eyes. He turned head wherever he went. Oh, and by the way, he has a lot of book smarts.

"Sorry, Eiri." The sheepish cry came from Tatsuha, his hyperactivity wearing out. He was the only one who never really treated his brother differently, so they usually got along pretty well. Until Tatsuha brought up Ryuichi over and over again. "I guess I'm just excited."

"It's okay. Just try to calm down. Like Aneki said, he'll be here soon."

The front door of the temple house in which they lived opened to reveal two men in their mid-twenties. One had platinum-blonde hair and turquoise eyes, while the other had brown hair and purple eyes with four ear piercings on his left ear. He also held in his hands (and mouth) a pink bunny rabbit. This was Sakuma Ryuichi.

"R...r...ryu--i--chi..."Tatsuha's syllables were all stumbled as for the first time in his life, he came face-to-face with his lifelong idol. After regaining his senses, Tatsuha jumped onto Ryuichi with such force that they were both knocked down to the ground. "Sakuma-san, I am such a big big big big big big fan of yours! I have two copies of all of your albums just in case one gets ruined and I have all of the posters covering my bedroom walls and I have all of your videos even the one that got sold out in an hour and---"

"Tatsuha-kun, quiet down," chuckled Tohma, who was right next to the grounded vocalist. "He'll be here long enough to spend alot of time with you, just not all at once. Give him some time to cool off and get comfortable."

Ryuichi looked to Tohma with a playful look on his face. "It's all right, Tohma. Kumagoro says he's cool, so I think little Tatsuha is cool, too." Sakuma-san eyed the youngster who had tackled him and beamed.

Tatsuha froze. I think little Tatsuha is cool, too. -Ryuichi thought he Blood rushed to his cheeks, and he got off of Ryuichi. "Sorry about that, Sakuma-san. I just got overexcited, and that happens all of the time. Ask my brother, Eiri. He'll tell you."

"Yeah, he's a real pain in the ass, if ya know what I mean." Isn't Eiri such a sweet and loving brother?

Everyone disregarded his remark as if he wasn't there and went into conversation with each other. Eiri left the room to continue his homework.

The Uesugi household finished dinner just in time for a special announcement. Mika, Tohma, Ryuichi, Eiri, and Tatsuha all gathered in Tatsuha's room to listen to the extraordinary tale Tohma had to tell.

"Well, as you all know, Ryuichi and I will be taking the Nittle Grasper tour to America next week. We will mostly be in New York, setting up international contracts and substance of that matter." Tohma bent down to get at eye level with Tatsuha. "Now, we recognize your adoration for Ryuichi. Mika, Ryu, and I talked it all over and it's settled."

Here comes a dramatic pause. "...um...How would you like to come to New York with Nittle Grasper?"

"me-you-ne-sab-meh-ga-er-plo" The list of unrecognizable words goes on; Tatsuha was excited. Him. Ryuichi. New York. It was like one of his dreams, and I mean that literally. "You mean...me...living with Ryuichi? For how long?" asked the 'obsessed-much?' fan.

"You'll be in the hotel room with us, and it will be for about two weeks or so. It's all set. The tickets, the room, all you have to do is say yes," replied Tohma.

"YES! YES YES YES YES YES YES! Y-E-S SPELLS YES! WOO-HOO, I'M GOING TO NEW YORK WITH NITTLE GRASPER!" Tatsuha screamed and shouted so loud that he probably woke all of Kyoto. Everyone left the room to leave him alone.

"So, I guess he thinks I'm cool to, right?" asked Ryuichi. Tohma nodded. "That makes Ryuichi happy. I hope Tatsuha likes Kumagoro. Kuma says he wants to be friends with Tatsuha. Ryu wants to be friends with Tatsuha too."

"So he's really going. That's good. He deserves to have some fun," Eiri uttered, in a monotone voice. He shook his head and went to his room. He was in the middle of reading a good book, and he was at the climax of the story.

Mika was fiddling with her fingers and biting her nails. She looked like a mental patient.

"Tohma...please...take good care of him."

Her husband smiled his cheery smile. "Mika, I promise. He will come back the same boy he's always been."

Little did he know how wrong things could go.