Spaghetti!

Maybe it was just because he was so friggin' hungry, but this was the best damn spaghetti he'd ever eaten in his life. "Romping rage beats, Tohma, this is wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it. Please help yourself to more. There's plenty on the stove." Tohma smiled warmly as Shuichi cleaned his plate and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Thanks, but if I eat any more I'll explode. And we really need to get to work becoming bigger than the Beatles."

The smallest flicker of doubt shadowed Tohma's face, then instantly another smile fell firmly in place, although not quite as honest. If he hadn't been watching Tohma the moment it happened, Shuichi wouldn't have noticed. "We're not going to be bigger than the Beatles, are we?"

Tohma looked down, then up at Shuichi again. "It's not very likely, Shindo-san. There are simply too many things they had that you don't."

"Like what?"

"Like timing, and luck, and four composers, four vocalists, four instrumentalists and a genius producer."

"Ah." Well, that tore it then. They didn't even have a drummer or a bassist, and while NG had plenty of session musicians to spare, very few of them sang or composed. Sakano had many talents, but he was no genius. Hiro was a genius, but didn't produce, compose or sing. Fujisaki didn't sing either but was a genius and did compose, but he was overworked already. Shu couldn't dump even more work on him. What had he been thinking? I know, I'm delirious from leaving Yuki.

"Of course, that doesn't mean you can't be bigger than you are. A lot bigger. Michael Jackson was never as big as the Beatles, but he was huge in his own right."

I could be as big as Michael Jackson? I mean, Bad Luck could be?

In another minute he'd think up a proper response to that, but there was a knock on the door and Tohma rose to answer it. "Please excuse me a moment, Shindo-san."

Tohma left the kitchen and crossed the living room to answer the front door. From the kitchen Shuichi could only hear Tohma's end of the conversation and he couldn't see who was out on the front step, but Tohma soon revealed who it was, and Shuichi had to choke down a lump in his throat. Should have expected this.

"Eiri-san. What a pleasant surprise. Please come in and sit down."