It was all going so well. Taro and Jay were spending every spare waking moment they could find together, disappearing into movies theatres and the darker corners of Tokyo's restaurants, having long, languid conversations about their lives and everything they wanted to be.

Taro told about his lonely childhood, about how he'd never really known what he wanted until he spotted his guitar in a shop window. Then he'd known he wanted to be a rock star.

Of course he mother was entirely against it, but there was little she could do to stop him, and Taro added bitterly that his father had vanished some time when he was six years old.

Jay was fascinated by how different their lives had been. It seemed such a strange idea to him, living in a house rather than a tower. Only having a mother rather than being surrounded by family. Having a dream that was taking time to achieve, rather than having everything handed to him on a silver platter.

But as I said before, it was all going just a little too well, and fate had to step in and mess it all up.

It was late one evening, after a round of photo shoots, Jay was sitting with Taro in a little café, both sipping coffee, Jay with a slice of strawberry cheesecake in front of him.

And Taro spoke.

"Hey, Jay-kun, what do you say to going out clubbing tomorrow night? There's a new one opening up, we could-"

Jay frowned a little, "I don't know…"

"Oh come on," Taro winked one blue eye across at him, "I'll protect you."

Jay blushed and shook his head, "Taro…" he sighed. "Look, you know I love being with you, but… I have to be careful, the press and-"

Taro blinked, "What about the press? Jeeze, we're not gonna do anything bad, just go out like normal teenagers do."

Jay didn't answer that. He wasn't sure how. He could hardly explain to Taro that he hadn't even come out to his family yet, let alone the press. He could hardly say he was afraid of the effect the young love might have on his career.

Taro scowled.

"Oh, I get it." He snapped. "That explains why you never want to go out where we might be seen. Ashamed of me, are you? Don't want people to know the gorgeous Jay Amane is slumming it with some musician?" he stood up before Jay could speak, throwing some change down to the table, payment for his half, and stormed out of the café.

Jay sat in stunned silence.

And slowly he realised that Taro's outburst had attracted attention. And people were staring at him. Whispering.

Whispering things like 'Isn't that Jay Amane? Was he out with a boy?'

Jay managed to get to his feet and out of the café before the tears came.

~*~*~*~

Two days. Two damn days was all it took for the trashier of Japan's magazines to pick up the rumour that Jay had been seen out with another boy.

Jay was used to media attention, he really was, and he'd learned well from Misa how to avoid it and ignore it.

But it was hard, when he walked downstairs and caught Aunt Mello and Uncle Matt sniggering at one of those magazines.

It was the one that had produced several liars, claiming to be ex's of Jays. Saying vicious things about what he did with them.

He turned to run out of the room, and instead barrelled straight into Watari.

As the two were picking themselves up, L walked over, helping first his elderly companion to his feet, then reaching for Jay's arm.

"I understand Jay-kun is the subject of a media frenzy." He spoke in his always emotionless voice. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Of course he knew there wasn't. But he was under the impression that in these situations, his duty was to be a father, and attempt to comfort his son.

Jay scowled, "Oh sure, can you shut down all the papers? Can you have those lying pigs killed? Can you make it so no-one thinks I'm a slut?" he snapped, voice close to breaking just from the misery of it all, "Can you get my boyfriend back so I don't have to be on my own?!"

Mello lifted his head, "Boyfriend? Which one's the real one, there's like, six in here." He gestured to the glossy magazine.

Jay didn't answer. He ran instead.

L turned and frowned at Mello.

Matt elbowed him in the side. "Mells, for a genius, you've got no common sense."

Jay ended up stumbling through Tokyo's streets, flush with unhappiness, trying hard to avoid the press who were now hounding his every move.

He ended up doing something very stupid.

He walked down an alleyway on his own.

And he didn't think to check whose the footsteps were behind him. He didn't think he could possibly be in any danger.

He didn't even really know that some people, full of hate for those who were attracted to their own gender, might decide to hurt him for being who he was.

Which is probably why he didn't think to fight back when the first heavy blow to his head sent him sprawling into the dirt.