A/N: Phew! Finally! Got a bit of writer's block and it sucks. At least I managed to get this done before the month ended! Sorry about that!

34 / Franchouchou featuring the World

Aoi didn't know why she was so nervous; she was a doctor, for god's sake! She had dealt with worse! Broken bones, open wounds, not a problem! Stomach pains, fevers and colds? Take it easy, drink some water, take your medicine, you'll be fine by the end of the week.

And then, there was death.

As a doctor, Aoi had seen plenty of it. She was used to seeing death. It happened. That was life.

So, why was it that a crowd was cheering for a group of dead girls right in front of her?

There was dead Minamoto, dead Nikaido, dead Konno, dead Hoshikawa, dead Yugiri and dead Zero...and...and dead Ai. All dancing and singing and pretending to be alive.

Aoi let out a shaky sigh, leaning against the wall. "You okay there?" Standing next to her, looking a bit calm, was Reiko Amabuki, arms crossed, eyes occasionally flying towards the stage as another cheer broke through the air and the music started again.

The doctor shrugged. "...I'm as good as I'll ever be…"

"Thinking your little trick might not work?"

Aoi smiled. "Heh...I'm starting to think it might not work at all...but it's not like they can just run away with all of us here…"

Reiko seemed to think about it. "True, but you make it seem like they're not gonna try to brush us off…I know Saーthat girl would."

"...Is your friend really a teenage thug?" Aoi suddenly asked, eyes quickly scanning the stage, noticing the big smile Nikaido wore as she, Yugiri and Minamoto danced around with Zero and Hoshikawa. Ai and Konno were busy at the center, singing their little duet.

Reiko chuckled.

"Yeah...we both were," she said, smiling. "We weren't nice people...but, well, we weren't monsters."

"Hmm…"

"We started the gang to drive a few punks out of Karatsu and after that, it all came naturally…" Reiko explained. "I guess I got tired after a while...that girl didn't."

"And now, she's an idol."

"I suppose she is…" Reiko sighed. "I still can't believe this is real…I mean, I get why you two believed that those girls were…" The younger woman trailed off and then, shook her head. "Even with all that evidence...I still...I still find it a little hard to believe."

"You're here, though…" Aoi pointed out, a part of her understanding what Reiko felt.

(a part of her wanted it all to be a dream; to just wake up and pretend it was 2008 and Ai was still alive; pretend that Saga Rock never happened; pretend that her little girl wasn't burnt to a crisp by lightning)

"That's true," Reiko said, smiling a bit. "I guess...it's curiosity, you know? More than anything I wanna know why she's an idol…That girl never cared for girly shit...don't know what changed her mind now."

...huh.

That was...a good question.

Aoi hadn't really thought about it.

Why in the world were the dead girls parading around as idols?

What was the point?

Okoba hadn't really gone into detail about what he had thought about them being idols but it certainly must have been on his mind.

How do you get a tough-as-nails biker to become an idol?

She could understand someone like Konno wanting to be an idol, could understand someone like Ai...ah...and that's the problem, wasn't it? They didn't know, didn't understand. They all just knew that the girls were dead and that they were idols.

Aoi suddenly frowned as Franchouchou finished their song.

/…..

An hour later and Takeo can't help but be troubled by what's about to happen.

He's nervous, he's upset, he's ecstatic, he's anxious, he'sー

(he's a father whose about to reunite with his dead child)

Besides him, not as nervous, not as tall and muscular, Okoba tries to make time, fiddling with his phone. Like Takeo, he's nervous about what's about to happen tonight.

(what was the reporter really looking for?)

"S-so…" Takeo begins, voice shaking, "how long until…?"

Okoba checked the clock on his phone. "Another hour, give our take...at least...they weren't really much of a crowd tonight." The reporter glanced at the old convention building. It was the same. The same one from all those days ago. The bench where he found that creeper (that wannabe killer) lay undisturbed.

Franchouchou's van was parked not too far away from the back entrance of the building, making sure to keep a bit of distance between the building and the parked cars nearby. He swore he saw something blue move around the front seat but chalked it up to nerves making him see things.

Takeo, towering behind him, sighed, using the back of his hand to brush off the sweat on his brow. "You think the girls would try to make a getaway?"

"Possibly…" Okoba commented, glancing at the van. "I mean...what would that achieve, all things considered? They're rather famous now...and someone is bound to notice if they just up and disappear...could get the police involved, too…" If they haven't already, Okoba mentally added, recalling his conversation with Yoshi days back about some "detective asshole" sniffing around some cases.

(had that mysterious detective noticed something too?)

"I...I hope not," Takeo said, a little worried. "Won't...they try to hurt the girls if…"

"So long as no one else finds out," Okoba pointed out, suddenly nervous himself. "No one else needs to know…" And he's pretty sure that creeper forgot what he did after that whack in the head.

"...I just think thatー" Takeo stops. Both men hear it. The opening and closing of a pair of doors. Then, they see them. Two young men walk side by side, one holding casual conversation while the other just nods in response. They're walking towards the black van, opening the back doors, and there's...barking?

It's a bit far, but both men could clearly hear barking. Was...was there a dog inside the van all this time!?

I guess that explains that thing that's been sitting in the front seat, Okoba thought, as he took note of the young men taking a box from the van. Soon enough, they closed the van, to the whimpers of the little canine, one of them tapping the door, as if assuring the little creature they'll be back in a bit and to stay put.

As they were walking back, one of the young men noticed them.

He glared as he and the other young man went back inside the building.

Okoba gulped.

"Who...who are they?" Takeo asked and Okoba shrugged.

"No idea."

"You don't think that...they...they are dead too?"

The reporter just shook his head. "No. No...hopefully not. Maybe they're just helpers for the event...or something…" Yes, that made sense. Besides, Okoba couldn't make heads or tails of their faces. For all he knew they were just outside help or workers from the convention center.

"Ah…"

"Huh? What's wrong Mr. Go?"

"You think they thought I was some sort of thug?"

"Well...I…" Okoba didn't know what to say about that. That could certainly explain the sudden hostility alright but…

...what about the dog?

Technology moved too fast. That was an observation, a reality.

Junko was used to seeing technology move; she had seen it while she was young, as she got older, and after she died. Idols had changed, television too and even phones, phones! Where were the cords? And the dial? Nowadays, phones seem to lose more pieces than anything. Except not really. The phone was like a tablet, fit on the palm of your hand, and you could just touch the screen and it would do everything; make a call, browse the internet, show you maps, show you videos, talk back, and even let you order your lunch!

(technology was incredible…)

For now, the thing that Junko seemed to get the hang of the most was browsing the internets.

Genji had lent her his phone, gave her a few tips, and watched in silent fascination as Junko struggled against her own confusion for a few minutes.

"And...and that's it? Just...push the screen?"

"It's a touchscreen. It detects touch. Just click on the app there, see, that one...the rectangle with the blue arrow in the middle. That's the website you want."

"An...app?"

"Yeah, it's short for application. That particular app is basically the whole website in mobile form. Easier to navigate and all that."

"O-oh...I see…"

Genji gave the nervous girl a look.

"You really didn't get it, did you?"

"Umm...n-no…"

"Okay...let's start from the top…"

Ten minutes later, an accomplished Junko smiled as she stared at the small screen playing Nikko's voice; the song the younger girl sang was one the Showa idol didn't recognize but she liked it all the same. Eventually, Nikko's voice stopped and the song came to an end.

"She's pretty good," Genji commented as the video ended. "Is she an idol, too?" Junko shook her head.

"Like us...no…I guess...this is more of a hobby for her than anything else…"

"From what I heard, some celebrity on the web recommended her to his followers and her popularity flared overnight." Renoir pointed out, phone in hand. "I'm...actually surprised you girls haven't tried that yet…"

Junko shrugged.

"I'm guessing the idiot just didn't think about it," Genji mumbled to the side, sounding bored. He glanced towards the stage where the girls were already seeing their fans and giving out autographs. "Are you okay staying in the back like this?"

"Hmm?"

"My sister did tell me why...because of the whole 'perfection' idea, right?"

Junko sighed. "Yes...it's...well, I'm just not used to it...interacting with fans, I mean."

It was true. Beyond television and a few public appearances, Junko Konno had never truly interacted with fans face to face. She had to be a mystery, had to be perfect in every way.

(and dead)

"Have you tried appearing for a few minutes instead of the whole hour?" Genji suddenly asked, making Junko look at him. "I mean, sis told me why you didn't want to do it...but wouldn't it be easier on you if you did it for a limited time in some shows? I'm sure even you get bored of being back here all the time."

"W-well…"

It wasn't exactly a lie.

Junko was rather lonely backstage. It wasn't the same as in the past; her manager had been there, as had her parents when they weren't busy with their own lives. But now, she had Ai and the others and even Tatsumi. It just wasn't the same anymore.

"It's just a suggestion. You can talk with the other girls about it...see what they think. I mean, you are a team after all," Genji told her. Junko smiled and nodded.

"Yes...I...I'll think about it...thankーhuh? Mr. Tatsumi?"

Junko, Renoir and Genji watched as Kotaro walked past them, in his hand, clenched tightly, was a bouquet of flowers. Before anyone had a chance to react, the older man threw the bouquet into the nearest trash bin, dusted his hands as if he had grabbed actual trash, and walked back towards the stage.

"Guess that date's not happening, huh," Genji remarked, as he stared at a few petals that had missed the bin.

/…..

Pappy's not here.

Lily is a little disappointed but tries her best not to let it show. Smile, smile, that's all Lily can do for now.

It's not like she didn't expect it. Pappy's got his life. His job's probably keeping him busy. Lily knows. Jobs are busy, jobs are hard.

(deadly, too)

Smile, smile, the fans are coming. Just smile for a bit, hoping the little bit of pain would go away.

/…..

Yugiri smiled as another fan walked away; the event wasn't as full as the last time they were here.

Even so, Kotaro had been rather disappointed to find that there had been not much of a crowd waiting for them. Ai reminded him that the people that wanted to see them already saw them in the last event. They were only doing shows around Karatsu and Imari, it was expected. Sakura also did point out that it was a Tuesday, so school was probably keeping a few fans at bay. Still, Kotaro muttered and grumbled and even screamed upon noticing that the "fabulous shirts" were gone. Sakura was surprised too, as their manager had made absolutely sure the box was inside the van before they left. Yugiri didn't have the heart to tell her that her brother along with Saki had actually dumped the shirts, box and all, into the nearest dumpster as soon as they had arrived. On the bright side, no fire.

Yugiri let out another smile, nodding at another young fan as she and her friend huddled together to take a photo. The other girls, too, talked a bit to their fans and took photos, Saki being a little busy keeping Tae calm. It was her turn at this venue. Surprisingly, their unawakened friend behaved pretty well, mimicking their leader a few too many times, causing a few giggles and compliments to be sent her way.

Ai and Lily kept themselves busy too, letting out greetings and smiling, although Yugiri had noticed Lily looking around perhaps trying to spot her father. Poor girl. It had been a while since they had seen that father of hers. Perhaps life was keeping him busy and could no longer afford to come and go. She only hoped Lily would get to see her father soon enough.

As for Sakura...oh.

Sakura was still. Eyes a little too wide. Smile replaced by a silent exclamation. Standing before her, looking absolutely innocent, was that familiar boy with brown hair and a suit. He had a dangerous smile and on his hands a beautiful bouquet of roses.

The courtesan's eyes narrowed; it was that boy. That boy that had chased Sakura and her brother and Renoir that first time.

It was rare for Yugiri to dislike someone, much less hate, but this boy. She brought forth feelings she didn't know she had.

(had the other girls looked at her with such feelings back then?)

"Well, well, Ms. One...we meet again!" the young man said rather cheerfully. "How are you?"

"F-fine…" Sakura answered nervously.

Everyone was staring; fans were whispering and pointing, others were already taking out their phones, wanting to record some idol news.

Sitting next to her, suddenly tense and worried. Saki was keeping Tae under control, the older woman already wanting to jump on the young man if he so much as put a finger on Sakura's pretty face. Yugiri's more than willing to help her but she's calm, understanding that a fight breaking out now would do more harm than good and besides, she wants to see how far this boy pushes for one.

Instead everyone is disappointed when the boy just presents Sakura with the bouquet and says, "Well, it was good to see you, One…" He winked. Sakura had no choice but to take the bouquet as the young man turned to leave, his lackeys behind him, the redhead waving as they left.

Before anyone could recover, Kotaro appeared behind Sakura and grabbed the bouquet and whispered, "I'll get them out back…" And before Sakura could say something, Kotaro was gone.

Ai let out a sigh as she walked towards the van. It was her turn to get the car ready while everyone else was busy cleaning up and packing.

All things considered, today turned out alright; their mini concert had gone without a hitch, merchandise had sold and their manager had only complained about those lousy shirts again. Ai chuckled as she recalled how Saki and Genji had just dumped those ugly t-shirts on the nearby dumpster. Sure, it had been a waste of money but the girls were just about tired of those damn things. Saki figured they could do something better themselves considering just how bad that man was with his designs. It was even a wonder on how he came up with that little towel design but if Lily's assumption was to be believed someone actually made that for him and not the other way around.

Ai hummed for a bit as she opened the van's door, and was greeted by a snoring Romero lying on the front seat. The girl patted the little pooch, Romero sighed and stretched a bit but did not wake up. Ai smiled as she went to start the car, then she stepped outside, closing the door slightly as she leaned on the van's back door.

The dead idol looked at the stars, thinking back at the strange thing that had happened during their meet and greet. To think that boy would actually show up. Sakura was certainly not expecting it. At least, he didn't start anything but that bouquet he gave Sakura was already enough to get the rumors flowing. Just great.

Ai sighed, crossing her arms as she thought about it.

With any luck, that guy won't show up again...but knowing how Sakura's luck worked that seemed impossible. Still, Ai didn't believe Sakura's luck could be this bad. Ai closed her eyes and then heard a voice. A voice she hadn't heard in a long while.

"...Thinking about practice?"

"Yep," Ai answered, not really caring or noticing, too engrossed in her own thoughts, just going through the motions.

(if that guy showed up again)

"You should take a break...too much practice can't be good for you," the mysterious voice said. Ai just shook her head.

"It's fine...mom…" And then, Ai blinked, unsure of what she had just said. She could hear voices behind her. The girls. She could hear Saki's laughter, Sakura's half-hearted scolding, Yugiri's reassurances, Junko's steps, Lily's smile, Tae's growling. Kotaro's already arguing with Genji and Renoir, demanding where their fabolous shirts have gone. But Ai doesn't notice them, instead, she's looking not too far away, at a group of people she was sure weren't there before a minute ago.

Suddenly, Saki's laughter disappears and everything is silent. They must have seen the group, too.

Ai's shaking; she recognizes the tall, imposing Takeo Go, Saki's old friend, that Reiko woman standing in his shadow, an older gentleman who looks vaguely familiar and the all too familiar woman standing before them.

She looks older, her hair's a bit longer, her face the same.

How long ago had it been for her? For Ai it had felt like months ago but for Aoi it had been years.

"Well, young lady…" Aoi begins, causing everyone else behind Ai to freeze. Genji's suddenly glaring, Kotaro is stone cold silent, Renoir's eyes widened and the girls...the girls are frozen stiff. "Would you like to explain yourself, Ai?"

A/N: Sometimes all it takes for the best plans to collapse is a minute of distractions and then you opened your mouth. Well, it was bound to happen eventually.

Hope you enjoy! See you next update! And take care!