It was the phase of new moon that night. The sky was dark and cloudy, leaving no place for even the brightest star to emit a twinkle. Even when some of the lights at the Citadel remained ablaze after everyone went to bed, still it was difficult to move around without at least lighting up a torch.

Amongst the many rooms where the swords were resting was one where a pair was sleeping next to each other. One was a light blue haired young man, while the other resembled the color of white entirely. However, even though they were lying in their respective beds, apparently only one was actually sleeping.

"…It's about time."

Mumbling those words to himself, Tsurumaru rose from his futon. His golden eyes were clear, meaning that he had remained awake all this while. On the other hand, the blue hair next to him was shifting and tossing under the blanket, and as he drew closer to the other man, the crane watched him silently.

"Ungh…"

"Ichigo," he called his name softly, "Ichigo, are you alright?"

"…hurt... e… Help…me…"

"Ichigo."

"…?"

Ichigo Hitofuri's eyelids fluttered, revealing a pair of similar golden eyes underneath. Unlike Tsurumaru's, they were moist and red; his rough breathings appeared painful to whoever that saw it. Lost and confused, he could only stare at the person in front of him without saying a word.

"It's me. Don't you recognize me?" the white hair asked.

"…Tsurumaru…dono…"

"Yeah. I'm right here."

To those gentle words, Ichigo Hitofuri remained silent. He bit his lips; his fists were clenching tight at the sheets of the futon. As a tear drop fell from his eyes, in the next second he rushed at the crane and threw himself into his arms.

"Tsurumaru-dono—!"

"There, there… Was it scary?" the white hair asked. Unable to bring himself to form any words, Ichigo could only nod as Tsurumaru kept rubbing his back. "Does this still hurt?"

"I…don't know…"

"It's alright now. You're safe here," as he whispered gently, Tsurumaru kissed those strands of blue hair, "But you can cry as much as you want if that will make you feel better."

Although Ichigo did not say anything, the white hair could feel the young man clutching even tighter onto him. Even then, Tsurumaru knew very well what caused this usually composed man to behave like this almost every single night. Indeed, it must be traumatizing to not be able to do anything while one's body was engulfed in flame.

"…I apologize," after calming down, the blue hair awkwardly wiped the tears away from his face while looking down, "I've always troubled you just because of this recurring nightmare. I'm sorry to wake you up."

"Why would you say that? As your lover, am I not supposed to be there whenever my beloved needs help?" with a cheerful smile, Tsurumaru lifted his hands and rubbed the other's face, "Also, I'm still awake so you don't have to worry about that."

To his answer, Ichigo's gold-colored eyes stared at him for awhile.

"…Tsurumaru-dono," he called out to the white hair, "Could it be that you are also scared?"

"Scared? Me? Why would I?"

"Are you scared…that someone might take you away in your sleep like before?"

The white hair was taken aback. Never once in his lifetime would he expect someone to bluntly ask him about this matter.

"It's true, isn't it?" Ichigo looked at him with a worried face, "You're always looking out for me, but at the same time you're also constantly on guard. I'm sorry for not noticing this sooner."

"L-Like I said, why are you apologizing?" attempting to gather back his composure, Tsurumaru covered his surprise with a laugh, "It's normal if one is unable to sleep every once in awhile, isn't it?"

Instead of responding with an answer, Ichigo lifted himself and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, gently pulling the white hair close to him. Although he was usually the one pulling pranks to surprise others, this time Tsurumaru Kuninaga could not deny that he was really startled for someone as calm as Ichigo Hitofuri to take the initiative.

"It's alright, Tsurumaru-dono," the blue hair whispered to him in a soft voice, "You are safe here. No one is going to take you away. I will not let them to."

"…I really can't beat you, can I?" with a voice of resign, Tsurumaru sighed deeply as the corners of his lips were drawn into a smile, "It's true that my past experiences still worry me sometimes, but if I have to put it into words…"

He returned the blue hair's embrace, inhaling his scent while resting himself against his chest.

"If there is something I'm scared of right now… I'm scared if someone were to take me away in my sleep, then I would be separated from you indefinitely."

"What do you have to say to this?"

It was the morning after the concert. Even though last night he was informed that today would be their day off, a call from Hasebe very early in the morning woke Tsurumaru from his slumber. To be precise, it was actually Ichigo who shook him awake while telling him there was an urgent call from his manager, asking him to gather at the studio as soon as possible.

Although the message left him in utter confusion, the blue hair looked so worried that Tsurumaru couldn't even think of joking around. Furthermore, he stubbornly remained quiet as a clam no matter how many times the vocalist asked him what the matter was. And even as he drove Ichigo to the coffee shop on his way to the studio, the two of them didn't say a word the entire way until they parted.

When he finally arrived there, the first thing Tsurumaru saw was the brown-haired manager and his two friends waiting for him in the lounge with grim expression.

"What do you have to say to this?" not even a second after the vocalist settled down on his seat, Hasebe repeated his question in a stern voice, pointing at a magazine lying on the table in front of them. As Tsurumaru slightly leaned forward, he saw an article on the opened page. It wasn't necessarily a long coverage, and yet the moment he laid his eyes on it, the title struck him like a thunder in broad daylight.

ONE-EYED DRAGON VOCALIST DATING A MAN?

It was written in such conspicuous letter that anyone reading the magazine would never miss it. Underneath the title were several paragraphs delving further into the topic, but Tsurumaru's eyes were fixated on the single picture pasted on that very same page. He didn't even need to have a closer look; it was a photo of him when he hugged Ichigo in front of his apartment last night.

"Why…? How…?"

"That's supposed to be my question. Didn't I tell you to be careful?" the manager glared at him, "You've experienced for yourself how it feels to be stalked by a paparazzi. Why didn't you learn from that?"

"But, I…" Tsurumaru was at loss of words. At this moment, Mitsutada would usually interfere to cool down the atmosphere, but when he turned at him, even the one-eyed man seemed to be troubled that the vocalist was forced to defend himself. "But it wasn't what it looked like!"

"What was not what it looked like?"

"That photo!" Tsurumaru almost shouted, abruptly pointing at the magazine. The entire room was dyed in complete silence, and after a few seconds passed without any response from either one of his colleagues, the vocalist fell back to his seat, brushing back his hair with a frustrated look. "It's not… It's not what you think it is…"

"…So you're not going out with Ichigo-kun?" asked Mitsutada.

"How could I? He doesn't even remember me one bit."

"I see. Well, Hasebe-kun… It seems that Tsuru-san is telling the truth. The title of this article is misleading," he said to their manager.

"I agree with you, but this and that are completely different matters," the brown hair folded his arms, "It isn't the problem of whether the two of them are going out or not. The fact stands that someone captured the moment when they were hugging for whatever purpose and shared it on the net and to the media."

"…There's an update."

All of a sudden, Ookurikara who had remained quiet all this time let out a sigh. He showed his phone to them, and taking it from the bassist's hand, Mitsutada read the content aloud.

"One-Eyed Dragon's vocalist, Tsurumaru Kuninaga, was seen leaving the apartment together with the young man whom he was rumored to be going out with this morning. Some residents confirmed they had seen his car parked there since last night, further elevating the rumors of their relationship after the two was spotted embracing each other outside the young man's home, following the band's successful comeback concert."

"See? All these news have been spreading since dawn. I myself was informed by my friend who's working for this magazine this morning," Hasebe said while jerking his chin at the opened page, "This issue will be published tomorrow, but in the meantime, countless articles have been posted online and there's no way we can stop them."

"Wait, if they see us hugging and leaving the apartment, doesn't that mean they already know where Ichigo's living?!" Tsurumaru's eyes widened.

"Certainly. It is only a matter of time until his identity is exposed."

"I have to tell him—"

"Where do you think you're going, Tsurumaru Kuninaga?" just when the vocalist had taken his first step, the manager raised his voice. The three of them, including Mitsutada and Ookurikara, were so startled they couldn't say even a word of response.

Indeed, Hasebe had always been a strict man, but he had never once used this kind of tone when speaking to them.

"I'm asking you, where do you think you're going?" he repeated his question, "Although you didn't do it on purpose, this wouldn't have happened if only you had been a bit more careful. Don't you think you should at least take responsibility for this mess?"

"That's why I'm going to—"

"Going to what?"

"The hell is your problem, Hasebe?! I'm gonna go tell Ichigo to be careful!"

"And what will happen if you do that?" unshaken by the vocalist's outburst, the brown hair's voice didn't change, "What will happen if you did go tell Ichigo Hitofuri to be careful."

"What do you mean what will happen?"

"Yes, what do you think will happen if they see you meeting up with him under these circumstances?" the manager stared at him.

"That's…"

The white hair couldn't find the words to get back at him. Hasebe was right. If people saw him together with Ichigo right now…

"In your head you're only thinking about yourself and him. While I have nothing against Ichigo-kun, don't you realize there are other people who will face the same consequences as you do if this matter goes on?" said the manager again, "Let me asked you something… How long have you known Ichigo-kun?"

"…Since I met him after we were summoned by our last Master," not liking where this conversation was heading to, Tsurumaru answered in a low voice.

"And how long have you known Mitsutada and Ookurikara?"

"…For as long as I could remember."

There was a heavy pause in the room; none of them opened their mouth to say something. Tsurumaru dropped his gaze to the floor; Mitsutada was fidgeting in his seat while Ookurikara remained indifferent. Eventually, Hasebe turned on his heels and headed for the door.

"You have 24 hours," he said, looking back over his shoulder, "If you couldn't solve this problem until then, the agency will do whatever it takes to ensure everything goes back to normal."

And just like that, he left the room.

"…Umm… Tsuru-san…" after several minutes went by in complete silence, Mitsutada walked up to the vocalist's side and softly put his hand on his shoulder, "Please don't be offended by what Hasebe-kun said. His words were harsh, but he didn't mean it like that."

"…"

"I mean… He tried his best to negotiate with the higher ups, but he was only granted 24 hours. They wouldn't listen to anything he said because they were afraid this might become a real scandal."

"…Why?" Tsurumaru clenched his fists. Not even looking at the one-eyed man beside him, the white hair gritted his teeth, "I didn't even ask to be allowed to go out with him. Isn't it normal for friends to hug? Am I not even allowed to just meet and hang out with him as friends?"

"Tsuru-san…"

"It's not fair!" he frowned in frustration, "Why is it that nobody complains when the two of you are seen together, but when it's me, they make such a big deal out of it?!"

"That's… I… We don't mean to…"

Before Mitsutada could finish speaking, the white hair stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He didn't even look back when the one-eye attempted to call out to him and chase him into the corridor.

"…Where did he go?" upon seeing the black hair returned empty-handed afterwards, Ookurikara lifted his face and asked.

"He went home…I think…" replied Mitsutada with his shoulders slumped. He returned to his seat next to the bassist, but he said nothing more. Seeing the usually talkative guy had his lips shut tight like this, in the end Ookurikara had no choice but to break the silence by himself.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"…"

"Oi."

"…Say, Kara-chan…" the one-eye muttered under his breath, "Is it okay if I borrow you shoulder for awhile?"

This time, it was the bassist's turn to say nothing in return. When he whispered "Go ahead", however, the black hair immediately rested his head on him.

"…Did Tsurumaru say something?"

"No," Mitsutada shook his head, "He just left."

"I see."

"…Kara-chan," once again, the one-eye called him, "The four of us have been through a lot in the past, but… Do you think… Do you think we're going to be separated after this?"

"Who knows…"

"Hahaha, you're really not helping, you know?"

To the bassist's apathetic reply, Mitsutada laughed bitterly. But even that laugh soon disappeared as he fell silent again. In an awkward gesture as though he was in doubt, he tried hugging Ookurikara's arms. But upon seeing no resistance from the other man, the black hair tightened his clutch and remained leaning against him for a long time.

The bed creaked slightly when Tsurumaru shifted to his side. Looking out through the glass door of the balcony, he saw the sky already dyed in gold; the sun seemingly closing to the west. It was still in the morning when he left the studio, but as he turned on his cell phone, the display showed that it was already late in the afternoon.

"Did I fall asleep?"

The vocalist groaned; his supposedly well-tended white hair now looking even messier as he ruffled them. For a brief moment, he sat on the side of his bed while casting a blank stare outside. But not long after that, he exhaled a long, heavy sigh with a tired face.

"What the hell was I doing…?"

He scolded himself, landing a weak punch on the wrinkled sheets. Almost at the same time, however, he heard a sound coming from the front door. Someone was ringing the bell.

"Tch… Who is it at a time like this…" clicking his tongue in irritation, the white hair lazily dragged himself out while yelling at the guest from inside, "Yeah? Who is it?"

Not even bothering to take care of his messy hair, Tsurumaru strolled to the front door and opened it without much thinking. Nevertheless, the moment he saw who was standing there in wait for him, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

"What the f—?! What are you doing here, Ookurikara?!"

"Aren't you rude?" the bassist said with his face clearly annoyed.

"…Did you come here to punch me in the face?"

"I really should've done that, huh?"

"Well…" not able to think of a comeback, Tsurumaru averted his eyes. Eventually he stepped aside to make way for his guest. "Anyway, come in first."

He led the bassist to the living room where the later then quietly settled down on the couch. Pouring him a cup of tea, at last the white hair could no longer stand such obvious silence between the two of them. As awkward as it could be, he spouted the first question that came to his mind.

"Mitsutada isn't with you?"

"Are you picking a fight?"

"Uhh, no. That was a stupid question, sorry…" Tsurumaru scratched the back of his head, averting his eyes again. For a second, he wasn't sure whether it would be more difficult to talk to this guy than to solve the problem he was currently facing.

"…Mitsutada is worried," after a brief pause, the bassist unexpectedly talked first as he took a sip of his tea, "He's afraid we might separate after this."

"Separate?"

"For starter, the band might break up."

The vocalist was just about to drink his tea, but his hands were stopped the moment he heard Ookurikara's remark. As if petrified, he stayed like a statue before finally returning the cup back to the table. His golden eyes – casted down to the floor – seemed darkened.

"I…" he said in hesitation, "I'm…not really sure what to say at this moment, but… First of all, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out at you and Mitsutada like that."

"…"

"And… And Hasebe, too. I know he means well. It's my fault and no one else's, but you guys are dragged into this because of me."

He knew Hasebe was right when he said this wouldn't have happened if he were to be a bit more careful. He of all people should've understood…that as the vocalist, he was the face of the band. If he were to be involved in some negative rumors or even a scandal, the whole band would be viewed negatively, as well, and god knew how long it would take to restore their current hard-gained success. Even Hasebe would most likely have a lot of trouble with the higher ups since he was their manager.

"If you realize that, then that's good," replied Ookurikara, still retaining his composure, "So? What are you planning to do now?"

"Is it really up to me to do something?"

"The agency will take their own measure otherwise. You must've known what they would do, more or less."

"Yeah…" to the bassist's remark, Tsurumaru could only hang his head down. Of course he knew. It was he himself who said that Ichigo was only a friend. "In the first place, the media's claim is merely based on circumstantial evidences. Even I can easily make my own statement to clear the matter at hand."

"But you don't want to do it."

"If I were to do that…" the vocalist smiled bitterly, "Then Ichigo would be forever beyond my reach, wouldn't he? Because if one way or the other we do end up dating in the future, it would overthrow the official statement we make now and damage both the band and the agency even more."

To his answer, Ookurikara simply watched him silently. Tsurumaru had no idea what this guy was thinking; he probably never would. However, as he was pondering on it, the bassist leaned back to his chair and sighed.

"I wouldn't mind that much if the band were to break up."

"Huh?"

"It's not like I'm doing it because I want to. You were the one who invited Mitsutada and I to join anyway, so it's your choice if you want to break it up."

"You make it sound so easy," the white hair seemed displeased, "Are you saying the band is not important for me?"

"If Hasebe hadn't stopped you then, you would've gone to that guy's place without even thinking twice, right? In the end, the band only becomes a burden."

"It's not like that! I—" Tsurumaru bit his lips; his brows knitted together as his expression grew clouded, "You guys are my important friends. I'm not saying you're a second priority. It's just…"

He covered his face with both hands in frustration.

"It's just… He is also a very important person for me."

He didn't know what else to say. No matter how hard he thought it over, there were only two ways out; either he chose Ichigo while risking the band they had build together to fall or he chose the band and risking that in this lifetime he might never be able to have that person in his arms ever again. Time was running out for him, but neither the first nor second choice appeared to be a good solution.

And yet without even changing the way he spoke, Ookurikara put his phone on the table right in front of him.

"…What is this?"

"Just see for yourself," the bassist answered nonchalantly, "You might be able to make up your mind after reading that."

Tsurumaru stared at his guest with doubtful eyes. Nevertheless, he still took the phone offered to him and read the content displayed on the screen. It was one of those famous infotainment websites with the top most article titled with "Who is Tsurumaru Kuninaga's Rumored Lover?"

"What the hell?!" the vocalist cursed, "They found out where Ichigo works and snapped some pictures of him?!"

"Well? What are you going to do?"

"What am I…"

Once again, Tsurumaru bit his lips. He really didn't want to give up the band he'd created with Mitsutada and Ookurikara. He really didn't want to make all the efforts Hasebe had put to help them succeed to go to waste. He didn't want to sacrifice any of his friends, but when he looked at all the pictures published on the net once again…

"…Say, Ookurikara…" the white hair muttered; his expression unclear due to the fact that the strands of his bangs covered the upper half of his face, "What did you come here for, actually?"

"I was seriously considering punching you in the face, but you seem to have realized your mistake, so I didn't do it," replied the bassist without even changing the tone of his indifferent voice.

"Haha, is that so…" Tsurumaru let out a dry laugh. The smile soon vanished from his face, however, as he stood and returned the phone he was holding to its rightful owner; his gold-colored eyes looked straight at the other's. "I'm going to do something really bad, so… If you wanna hit me, now is the time."

"Why should I waste my energy for that? You're not gonna change your mind either way."

"That's true," the vocalist replied, letting out an exasperated sigh, "I'm sorry, Ookurikara. If you see Mitsutada and Hasebe, please tell them my apology, as well."

The bassist said nothing in response. Nevertheless, his face didn't show any expression of anger or disappointment. Instead, he only stared back at the white hair as if asking him why he was still standing there despite the decision he'd just made. To this sight, Tsurumaru couldn't stop a regretful smile from breaking out on his face.

"I'm sorry…" he said once again, "I'll meet you guys again after this. That is, if you're still willing to see me."

"…I lied," all of a sudden, the bassist responded. He looked at the white hair as the later stared at him in both surprise and confusion. "I came here because Mitsutada didn't have the guts to tell you directly."

"Mitsutada?"

"I wouldn't mind that much if the band were to break up," to Tsurumaru's question, the bassist repeated the words he'd said merely a few minutes ago, "I'd be happy, too, if you're happy. I just hope we can all still be together after this."

As if waiting for his reaction, Ookurikara remained staring at the white hair afterwards. Tsurumaru opened his mouth to say something, but closed them again. For the last time today he casted his gaze to the floor, and yet eventually he clenched his fists and looked back at the man in front of him with a subtle smile.

"Then… If you see Mitsutada later, tell him I will treat all of you for a drink one of these days."

Without waiting for an answer, Tsurumaru rushed to get his car key. Putting on his jacket, the vocalist dashed out of his apartment with only a single destination in his mind.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry for letting you down…"