Roppongi was out for the evening because of Ryuichi. The area, where most of the bar and nightclub patrons were foreign, had been one Shuichi had liked for his relative anonymity. Bad Luck's music had never caught on anywhere else like it had in Japan, and he rarely had to concern himself with recognition there. His other preferred option awaited then, Shinjuku Ni-Chome, the five block sprawl that harbored most of the Tokyo gay scene.

When he'd rather self-consciously visited the area for the first time, he'd been surprised at how easily he'd been able to lose himself on the crowded dance floors and just enjoy himself. He was recognized, but rarely harassed, and those who did approach him usually did so rather casually. It felt liberating just to be there, and it didn't hurt that he almost never had to pay for his own drinks as the evenings wore on.

He entered one of his favorite clubs, choosing to start at the bar before going out on the dance floor. The loud music pulsed around him as he made his way to an area separated by a Plexiglas barrier that muffled the noise to allow for conversation without blocking the view. Greeted by a few other regulars, he ordered his drink and scanned the crowd. He stopped dead at finding a familiar set of warm brown eyes locked on his.

Fujisaki Suguru sat at a table nearby and gestured for him to join him.

"You're not nearly as hard to track down as I'd been led to believe. A few questions in the right places, and here you are," Suguru said, smiling pleasantly as Shuichi came over with his drink.

"You were looking for me?" Shuichi asked in wonder as he sat at the table. Suguru nodded.

"K volunteered to find your apartment and bring you to me, but I thought I'd make a more civilized approach," Suguru said, his unwavering smile eerily resembling that of his mentor and cousin for a moment, making Shuichi uneasy until he heard a tone of sincerity in the young man's voice. "After all, it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Why do you need to see me?" Shuichi asked. Suguru played with the umbrella in his drink before meeting his eyes intently.

"I have a proposal for you, and I really hope that you won't turn it down," Suguru said. Shuichi squirmed uncertainly on the barstool.

"What kind of proposal?" Shuichi asked, with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"I'd like for you to return to the studio. The band I'm currently working with has a new track that I think could be made really great if you'd agree to sing," Suguru said.

"I -- I don't know, Fujisaki-san," Shuichi said uneasily. It had been years since Shuichi had set foot inside a studio. The very thought of it made him feel queasy.

"Suguru."

"What?" Shuichi asked, distracted.

"We're friends, right? You can use my name," Suguru said, waving his hand dismissively. "To be honest, I have a pretty wide range of vocalists I could choose from on this project, but I want you. And you know what? They're fans. They're really excited about the idea of working with you."

"What if I don't have what it takes anymore, Suguru?" Shuichi asked.

"Then I'll kick you out of my studio and get someone else," Suguru said with a laugh. "Don't be silly, Shuichi. I don't have the time to waste on has-beens. I just don't think you are one. Now where's that spastic enthusiasm and confidence I know you have?" Shuichi couldn't help but smile.

"Why weren't you this nice when we worked together?" Shuichi asked, shaking his head. Suguru shrugged, leaning closer.

"Because I've learned a secret in the past couple of years. Being nice and handing out compliments gets me my way a lot more easily than sulking," Suguru said in a conspiratorial stage whisper.

"You might be right," Shuichi said thoughtfully. "I'll give it a try, okay? I can't promise I'm going to be worth your time, though."

"That's all I needed to hear," Suguru said. "Why don't we get this started tomorrow before you can psych yourself out and change your mind, okay? I can send a car around for you."

"Alright already," Shuichi said, laughing. "Now I know what they meant when they said you were surpassing Seguchi-san. You not only manipulate people into doing what you want, you make them like you for it."

"Thanks," Suguru said with a broad grin, seemingly caught off guard for a moment, and coloring slightly, reminding Shuichi more of the quiet and slightly socially awkward boy who'd played in his band.

"So," Shuichi said, feeling in strange way as if he were truly seeing his former band mate for the first time, instead of taking his presence in the background for granted, "Isn't it a little risky for your reputation to been seen around here? I mean, I'm sure people recognize you."

"Well, I get a lot less attention as a producer than I did as a musician," Suguru said with a shrug, "But, honestly, you really don't notice a lot outside of your little bubble do you?"

"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked, bristling slightly, if only because he suspected it were true.

"I mean that if you ever read anyone's press clippings besides your own, you'd know that I've been out for over a year now," Suguru said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, that's not fair! I read an interview you gave just this afternoon!" Shuichi said, then paused, his eyes growing wide. "Wait -- you are?"

"Just ask my boyfriend," Suguru said with a grin, looking embarrassed and pleased at the same time. "He's the lead singer for Ganymede. Typical. You only read the parts of that interview that mentioned you, didn't you?" Shuichi grinned sheepishly.

OoOoO

It was a familiar shock, to possibly coin such a paradox, thought Shuichi when he woke the next morning to find his blearily blinking eyes focusing upon the barrel of a gun.

"Long time, no see, punk," Claude K said in a manner that was, for him, almost sentimental. Or at least as sentimental as a man pointing a gun could sound. "I'm here to haul your lazy ass to the studio. The boss suggested that we might want to make a stop at rehab, but I've promised to scare you straight. You're not going to make a liar out of me, are you?"

"No, sir," Shuichi said, his eyes slightly crossed as he looked at the gun.

"Good to have you back, kid," K said, allowing Shuichi to sit up and get ready to leave.

"So who are you managing these days?" Shuichi asked as K drove them.

"No one in particular at the moment," K said, checking his rearview before changing lanes. "You could say that I'm helping to babysit the whole NG roster right now. Seguchi-san's had me focusing on Ganymede and Sister Moon lately, since they both seem to be on their way up. Sister Moon are the ones I'm delivering you to right now for Suguru."

"Oh, really?" Shuichi asked. "I've heard some of their stuff at the clubs. They're pretty good." Shuichi remembered seeing a video of the pretty girl duo, pleased that he would be collaborating with a group he was at least somewhat acquainted with.

"Hara-san's practically coming unhinged waiting for you to get there," K said. "She's not the only one, either. Expect a packed studio."

"They're excited to see me?" Shuichi asked with surprise. K smiled.

"Of course they are. Do you think you'd have managed to be living off your royalties for two years now if people weren't still buying Bad Luck cds? You were still on top when you bowed out, kid. Good move. Leaves them wanting more," K said.

Shuichi peered up nervously at the looming NG building as they grew near. He thought he'd truly left the place for good that last time, when he'd taken a cab to his childhood home to crash until he got things sorted. Memories that were both exhilarating and heartbreaking flooded his mind at the sight of the shining glass façade of Seguchi Tohma's fortress.

He looked around quietly as K led him from the parking garage through a hallway that gave confirmation that life had indeed gone on without him, various gold records from fresher stars lining the walls alongside those of Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper. As they reached the second floor, Shuichi's thoughts were scattered by an unearthly shriek as he exited the elevator.

"He's here! He's really here! Kimi, get your butt out here! It's Shuichi!" Hara Aika, lead vocalist for Sister Moon called, her dogears bouncing as she clapped for joy.

"Well, she certainly has vocal range," Shuichi said, with an embarrassed grin to K, sticking a pinky in his ringing ear.

A second girl stepped into the hallway, raising an eyebrow at her friend before giving them a timid wave, and trying to smooth her shaggy black bob with her other hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Shindou-san," the girls said in near perfect unison, bowing.

"Hey, guys, no need for that now," Shuichi said, waving his hand awkwardly as they raised up. "I'm pretty excited to meet you guys, too. Just call me Shuichi, okay?"

"He said we can call him Shuichi!" Aika said, skipping ahead of them into the studio. "Call me Aika!"

"Kimi," the other girl said quietly, following Aika.

Shuichi was already feeling a bit overwhelmed as he walked into the room, finding Suguru, two members of Ganymede, and one more face he recognized inside.

"Sakano-san!" Shuichi said cheerfully. Bad Luck's former producer bowed low before him.

"Shindou-san! I am most pleased that our president's great protégé Fujisaki-san has chosen in his infinite wisdom to bring you back on board!" Sakano said. "I only regret that as the producer of Ganymede that I will not be able to work with you directly."

"It's nice to see you, too," Shuichi said with amusement upon seeing that the man had not changed a bit.

"Sorry to bombard you with so much on your first day back, Shuichi, but everyone wanted to see you," Suguru said, and gestured to the other two men, blushing slightly as his eyes met those of the taller of the two. "This is Ashia Raiden, vocalist, and Joshuya Eiji, guitarist, from the group Ganymede."

Ashia's height was slightly intimidating, even reaching above that of K's, his hair long and black with bright red streaks, and his light gray eyes revealing what must have been a mixed heritage.

"It's really nice to meet you," Ashia said, his deep voice somewhat accented, shaking his hand. "I love your music." Shuichi stared up at the towering man with awe.

"Thank you," Shuichi said. "I went out and got your first album after I'd met with Suguru yesterday. It's really good."

"That means a lot to us, coming from you," the other man, whose black hair was wildly spiked in all directions and streaked with blue said, stepping forward and looking Shuichi up and down like he wanted to devour him. "I sincerely hope that you'll agree to collaborate with us as well sometime."

"You never know, right?" Shuichi asked uneasily, backing away slightly.

"Well, it's back to your own studio, then. We have work to do," Suguru said, playfully shooing them towards the door. Ashia stooped down to steal a quick kiss before leaving, and Suguru turned back to them looking flushed.

"Sorry about Eiji," Suguru said. "You know how Yuki-san's kid brother has that little crush on Sakuma-san?"

"Little crush? Don't you mean full-blown scary obsession that makes me look like a casual fan?" Shuichi asked, his eyes wide.

"Um, yeah," Suguru said. "That's kind of like how Eiji is for you. But don't worry, I made him promise to leave you alone if I introduced him, and gave him the glass you drink out of. It's no big deal."

"Right," Shuichi said, laughing nervously.

Shuichi listened to Suguru's arrangement of the Sister Moon track they were to work on, as always impressed by the younger man's skill at making the most complicated of arrangements sound simple and irresistibly catchy. The girls hovered around them in nervous excitement, and Shuichi watched them with a feeling of wistfulness, their dynamic of contrasting hyper enthusiasm countered with calm rationalization reminding him painfully of his with Hiro. The void his guitarist and best friend had left in his life was still tender, and he was already forming plans in his mind to go get good and drunk in Ni-Chome that night, when Suguru presented him with the lyric sheet and he and Aika worked out his harmonization. None of this felt right without Hiro here, he thought.

"Why so glum? You made a really great song in there," Suguru said as he drove him home. Shuichi shrugged, looking out of the window. He'd been excited at the beginning of the day, glad to find that his music was still being enjoyed and that he wasn't as forgotten as he'd thought, but in the end it all felt hollow.

"I know it's just one track," Suguru said, seeming to read his thoughts. "But it's a good one. And since it's a single, you can do some performances with the girls when they promote it, if you wish to."

"Thank you, Suguru. Thanks for everything, I mean it," Shuichi said, glancing at him. "If it will help you out, I'll be happy to perform. Just let me know."

"Thank you, Shuichi. I know this hasn't been easy for you," Suguru said. Shuichi sighed.

"I miss him, that's all," Shuichi said, watching the traffic go by.

"Yeah, me too," Suguru said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. Shuichi looked at him curiously. Suguru gave him a sidelong glance, and broke into bitter laughter.

"You had no idea, did you?" Suguru asked, shaking his head. "God, I know you were self-absorbed, but -- I thought he might have at least told you. Maybe he didn't think it was worth mentioning."

"What are you talking about?" Shuichi asked.

"Hiroshi and I. We were lovers," Suguru said, pulling up to the sidewalk beside Shuichi's apartment and killing the engine. Shuichi stared at him in stunned silence.

"It was -- let me see -- around the time we were recording our second album?" Suguru asked himself, closing his eyes for a moment. "That was probably when things were most secure between you and Yuki-san. Maybe that and working on the album was what had you so oblivious, I don't know. We didn't exactly make a public announcement about it."

"I had no idea. I'm sorry," Shuichi said. "I never thought his leaving the group affected anyone but me. And then he married Ayaka -- I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Suguru said, forcing a smile. "I have Raiden now. What did you think of him?"

"He's -- well, he's a big guy," Shuichi said. Suguru laughed.

"He'd love to hear you say that. He's so bony from being that tall," Suguru said with a fond smile. "I should probably be getting home to him now, actually."

"Of course," Shuichi said, opening the car door.

"Hey Shuichi," Suguru called to him when he got out.

"Yes?" Shuichi asked.

"Do you still write songs?" Suguru asked.

Shuichi shook his head, giving him a sad smile as he turned to go back into the building.

As Suguru pulled away, Aki stepped forward, snapping pictures. Shuichi was in no mood for the photographer's antics, his mind still buzzing with the information Suguru had shared. He tried to step by him, when Aki called out to him.

"Hey Shindou! Tell me why you were at NG with Fujisaki Suguru all day, and I'll let you in on something you'll really want to know about tomorrow's paper," Aki said. Shuichi froze, turning slowly to face the other man with a feeling of dread.

"I did a duet with Hara Aika for the new Sister Moon album," Shuichi said with resignation, as Aki hurriedly scribbled it down on his notepad.

"That makes this crappy timing then, kid," Aki said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that guy you stayed with the other night has decided to sell his story." Shuichi winced, remembering the words he had said to the guy, never imagining he would take it literally.