Yay!! Chapter 15!! Actually, I added this chapter after I wrote chapter 16
because chapter 16 is the beginning of a new arc in the story. Anyhoo,
enjoy this chapter, I'll give you some more time to enjoy the happy
Sakano/K story. I hope you all enjoy it and please review!! Oh, and btw,
for all of you that are worried that K didn't notice Sakano's bruises...he
DID notice them in chapter 14 when he walked into his apartment about 8
paragraphs into it and believe you me...he will do something about it.
Later. For now, just enjoy all of the sweet shonen ai goodness...we will
deal w/ Tohma Seguchi later.
Chapter Fifteen: Tokyo Bay Music Festival
Sakano awoke the next morning, unable to figure out where he was. He was a horrible morning person. He was so disorientated. If it wasn't for the blonde hair in his face, he might have thought he was at home. He smiled and ran his fingers through K's hair, loving the soft feeling against his palm. K stirred for a moment and Sakano pulled his hands back. He pulled the covers up to his neck and closed his brown eyes once more. The night prior had been magical. So much passion ripped through his body that he was surprised that he didn't explode. Sakano couldn't sleep any longer. He was so...captivated by K's sleeping form that he couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He ran his fingers across K's forehead, wiping some stray hairs from his soft skin. He knew that once the alarm clock went off and he was forced to get dressed and go back to work that this dream would disappear and all of their problems would come back to smack him in the face. He didn't care. All he wanted was to be in the arms of his lover and that was where he was at that moment. The future didn't matter.
K began to stir and his blue eyes opened slowly. He looked around for a few minutes before glancing over at Sakano. He thought he had dreamt the whole experience. It seemed like all the other fantasies he had had about Sakano only in his fantasies, Sakano was never there in the morning. He reached out and touched Sakano's face, making sure that he was actually there. His dark haired companion smiled, cheeks fluster so gently that it seemed natural. His hair was messy and his glasses were gone. Without the glassed, the bruise under his eye was much more noticeable, but K didn't care. Boys' get bruises all the time. He leaned forward and kissed Sakano's forehead.
"Good Morning," He whispered, slinking his arms around Sakano's slender waist, "How are you feeling?"
Sakano smiled and closed his eyes, letting K kiss him again, "I feel amazing."
K also knew that this was only a temporary arrangement. He knew that Sakano would remember about Judy and Michael and how badly his heart hurt, but like Sakano, he simply wanted to live in the moment. He opened his mouth to tell Sakano the three words he had been dying to speak, but the damned alarm clock screamed it's shrill cry through the room. Sakano's eyes snapped open and he looked at the clock. His day had begun.
* * *
"SHUICHI!!" Sakano screamed, looking as if he was about to explode. K sat in the back the room, smiling. Sakano had converted back into his stressed out self. He thought that he had cured Sakano of that. Oh well...
"Calm down, Sakano-san," Hiro said, picking up his guitar, "It is only some old guy and Tohma. We aren't freaking out, so why should you?"
"You know WHY I am freaking out?!?! BECAUSE SHUICHI ISN'T HERE AND YOU HAVE TO AUDITION ON TIME!! BEING LATE LOOKS TERRIBLE AND-"
"Kon-ni-chi-WA!" Shuichi limped in and delivered a peace sign to the lot of them. Sakano felt weak in the knees and his head was pounding. He forgot his anxiety medication, again. At least Shuichi showed up before they had to meet Tohma. It would be horrible to have to walk in late. K took off his sunglasses and stood up. He wasn't as uptight as Sakano, that was given, but he still hated it when people were late. He walked up to Shuichi and got right in his face.
"Shindou-kun," he said, deadly serious. All of the others quieted down so they could hear the words whispered to Shuichi, "How much do you want to be famous? How much do you want to sing with Nittle Grasper?" He didn't reply, "A lot, I know. If you really care about Bad Luck and becoming famous, then you WILL show up on time and you will take this very seriously. Sakano creates the schedule the way he does for a reason. You need to BE here when he schedules you to. Do you understand?"
He nodded spastically and K smiled, smacking him on the back, making his broken self fall to the ground, "WONDERFUL!! THEN LET'S GET UP TO THE AUDITION!!"
* * *
Tohma Seguchi sat in his office, the head of the Festival sitting across from him. They were waiting for Tohma's puppet to call and inform them that they were ready to audition. The facts were very simple. If Tohma wanted Bad Luck in the festival, then they would be in the festival. And if a certain producer knew how to play his cards right then Tohma would get Bad Luck into the festival. As it stood, Sakano's situation was NOT looking up. Tohma was not satisfied with Sakano's performance in bed. The boy screamed a lot. He couldn't take the pain apparently. Tohma liked that in a way. He would definitely be gentler the next time.
"Seguchi," the man said, his American accent rough and annoying, "Where is this group that I am reviewing today? I have places to be and people to-"
"They'll be here. Their management would never let them miss the opportunity to perform at Tokyo Bay. I'm just happy that you agreed to let them audition so late." Tohma took a drink of water from the crystal glass in front of him and the young American smiled.
"Well, given the circumstances, it was no problem. I heard about the scandals with the management and Shindou Shuichi's unfortunate attack. That boy is some kind of freak of nature. He's singing today with three broken ribs. I cannot even begin to believe that. I am excited to hear their performance. I'm sure it will be no problem fitting them into the schedule and-"
Tohma's phone began to ring and he held a hand up to the American. He answered the phone and grinned when he heard Sakano's voice on the line, "Seguchi-sama, Bad Luck is ready to perform in recording room five. We merely await your arrival."
Tohma didn't say anything in return. He hung up the phone with a click and placed it in his back pocket. Tohma stood, adjusting his hat and jacket. He helped the man out of his chair and smiled, "They're ready."
* * *
"Okay...OKAY! So, you all know what you're doing, right?" Sakano said, hands clasped together tightly, "And you all know to be respectful and not to laugh no matter HOW funny the American's accent may be and-"
K walked up behind him and placed his hands on Sakano's shoulders. Shuichi's eyes widened and Hiro and Sugaru looked at each other as K leaned in and placed his mouth right next to Sakano's ear. Sakano couldn't have blushed any worse right then. K smiled and began to massage his shoulders.
"Calm down, Sakano-san...I know that Bad Luck is going to do wonderful. They never let us down, do they?" Sakano turned to face him and as he went to speak, the doorknob began to turn. Sakano pulled away from K just as Seguchi and the American walked in. K glared at him for only a moment before putting on his manager face and walking to shake hands with the young man.
"Hello! I am Mr. K, Bad Luck's manager." He gestured to the band, "I am sure that they will bring tears to your eyes with their lovely song. So please, pull up a chair and relax and let Bad Luck blow you away!"
Shuichi smiled. Mr. K really was a great manager, no a great guy. He knew what he was doing and he knew how to flatter and work with words. It was no wonder Seguchi hired him. He was just as manipulative as Tohma himself. The group began to set themselves up. They decided to sing Spicy Marmalade for their audition. Although they knew Blind Games much better, the festival was looking for something new and exciting, not old and hackneyed.
"Ahem, my name is Shindou Shuichi and we will be singing a new song for you today. It is called Spicy Marmalade and we are sure that you'll love it."'
Sakano began to get nauseas. His hands began to shake and his temperature started to rise. He just kept thinking about what would happen if Bad Luck was bad. What would Tohma do to him? The embarrassment of endorsing a screw up band would be so horrible that Tohma might go as far as to kill Sakano. He couldn't watch and as they began to warm up, he slipped out the door.
* * *
It seemed like hours before the door opened again. Sakano sat next to it, his head resting on his arms. He was hoping, PRAYING that they were good. Through the door, he heard the stifled song and it didn't sound too bad. But he knew things were good when the magnificent applause erupted from the room. He looked toward the door and it slammed open, Hiro and Fujisaki cheering and carrying Shuichi out. Mr. K followed them close in tow, also taken in the moment. Sakano loved seeing him happy. The American and Seguchi walked out and he shook Sakano's boss's hand.
"They were excellent, Tohma." He said, a smile plastered on his face, "Once you review the paperwork, give me a call and I'll see what I can do."
Seguchi nodded and they said their goodbyes and Sakano stood alone with his manager in the dimly lit hallway. Seguchi walked up to him and placed his hands on Sakano's shoulders, smiling, "I need the paperwork, Sakano."
Tohma kissed Sakano on forehead before walking past him, out of sight. Sakano was blushing a little. Why was it that sometimes he could be so disgusted in his manager, but other times, like the kiss on the forehead, he could love him? It confused Sakano to no end, but it didn't matter whether or not he loved or hated him. All that mattered was that Bad Luck was one step closer to the Tokyo Bay Music Festival...and one step closer to super stardom.
WOOT! Done! I have nothing to say except review!! And oh yes, I am working on a fanart for all who read the story. Um, I don't have a place to put it yet, so if you wanna see it before next century, I can email it to you. Anyhoo. Ciao!
Chapter Fifteen: Tokyo Bay Music Festival
Sakano awoke the next morning, unable to figure out where he was. He was a horrible morning person. He was so disorientated. If it wasn't for the blonde hair in his face, he might have thought he was at home. He smiled and ran his fingers through K's hair, loving the soft feeling against his palm. K stirred for a moment and Sakano pulled his hands back. He pulled the covers up to his neck and closed his brown eyes once more. The night prior had been magical. So much passion ripped through his body that he was surprised that he didn't explode. Sakano couldn't sleep any longer. He was so...captivated by K's sleeping form that he couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He ran his fingers across K's forehead, wiping some stray hairs from his soft skin. He knew that once the alarm clock went off and he was forced to get dressed and go back to work that this dream would disappear and all of their problems would come back to smack him in the face. He didn't care. All he wanted was to be in the arms of his lover and that was where he was at that moment. The future didn't matter.
K began to stir and his blue eyes opened slowly. He looked around for a few minutes before glancing over at Sakano. He thought he had dreamt the whole experience. It seemed like all the other fantasies he had had about Sakano only in his fantasies, Sakano was never there in the morning. He reached out and touched Sakano's face, making sure that he was actually there. His dark haired companion smiled, cheeks fluster so gently that it seemed natural. His hair was messy and his glasses were gone. Without the glassed, the bruise under his eye was much more noticeable, but K didn't care. Boys' get bruises all the time. He leaned forward and kissed Sakano's forehead.
"Good Morning," He whispered, slinking his arms around Sakano's slender waist, "How are you feeling?"
Sakano smiled and closed his eyes, letting K kiss him again, "I feel amazing."
K also knew that this was only a temporary arrangement. He knew that Sakano would remember about Judy and Michael and how badly his heart hurt, but like Sakano, he simply wanted to live in the moment. He opened his mouth to tell Sakano the three words he had been dying to speak, but the damned alarm clock screamed it's shrill cry through the room. Sakano's eyes snapped open and he looked at the clock. His day had begun.
* * *
"SHUICHI!!" Sakano screamed, looking as if he was about to explode. K sat in the back the room, smiling. Sakano had converted back into his stressed out self. He thought that he had cured Sakano of that. Oh well...
"Calm down, Sakano-san," Hiro said, picking up his guitar, "It is only some old guy and Tohma. We aren't freaking out, so why should you?"
"You know WHY I am freaking out?!?! BECAUSE SHUICHI ISN'T HERE AND YOU HAVE TO AUDITION ON TIME!! BEING LATE LOOKS TERRIBLE AND-"
"Kon-ni-chi-WA!" Shuichi limped in and delivered a peace sign to the lot of them. Sakano felt weak in the knees and his head was pounding. He forgot his anxiety medication, again. At least Shuichi showed up before they had to meet Tohma. It would be horrible to have to walk in late. K took off his sunglasses and stood up. He wasn't as uptight as Sakano, that was given, but he still hated it when people were late. He walked up to Shuichi and got right in his face.
"Shindou-kun," he said, deadly serious. All of the others quieted down so they could hear the words whispered to Shuichi, "How much do you want to be famous? How much do you want to sing with Nittle Grasper?" He didn't reply, "A lot, I know. If you really care about Bad Luck and becoming famous, then you WILL show up on time and you will take this very seriously. Sakano creates the schedule the way he does for a reason. You need to BE here when he schedules you to. Do you understand?"
He nodded spastically and K smiled, smacking him on the back, making his broken self fall to the ground, "WONDERFUL!! THEN LET'S GET UP TO THE AUDITION!!"
* * *
Tohma Seguchi sat in his office, the head of the Festival sitting across from him. They were waiting for Tohma's puppet to call and inform them that they were ready to audition. The facts were very simple. If Tohma wanted Bad Luck in the festival, then they would be in the festival. And if a certain producer knew how to play his cards right then Tohma would get Bad Luck into the festival. As it stood, Sakano's situation was NOT looking up. Tohma was not satisfied with Sakano's performance in bed. The boy screamed a lot. He couldn't take the pain apparently. Tohma liked that in a way. He would definitely be gentler the next time.
"Seguchi," the man said, his American accent rough and annoying, "Where is this group that I am reviewing today? I have places to be and people to-"
"They'll be here. Their management would never let them miss the opportunity to perform at Tokyo Bay. I'm just happy that you agreed to let them audition so late." Tohma took a drink of water from the crystal glass in front of him and the young American smiled.
"Well, given the circumstances, it was no problem. I heard about the scandals with the management and Shindou Shuichi's unfortunate attack. That boy is some kind of freak of nature. He's singing today with three broken ribs. I cannot even begin to believe that. I am excited to hear their performance. I'm sure it will be no problem fitting them into the schedule and-"
Tohma's phone began to ring and he held a hand up to the American. He answered the phone and grinned when he heard Sakano's voice on the line, "Seguchi-sama, Bad Luck is ready to perform in recording room five. We merely await your arrival."
Tohma didn't say anything in return. He hung up the phone with a click and placed it in his back pocket. Tohma stood, adjusting his hat and jacket. He helped the man out of his chair and smiled, "They're ready."
* * *
"Okay...OKAY! So, you all know what you're doing, right?" Sakano said, hands clasped together tightly, "And you all know to be respectful and not to laugh no matter HOW funny the American's accent may be and-"
K walked up behind him and placed his hands on Sakano's shoulders. Shuichi's eyes widened and Hiro and Sugaru looked at each other as K leaned in and placed his mouth right next to Sakano's ear. Sakano couldn't have blushed any worse right then. K smiled and began to massage his shoulders.
"Calm down, Sakano-san...I know that Bad Luck is going to do wonderful. They never let us down, do they?" Sakano turned to face him and as he went to speak, the doorknob began to turn. Sakano pulled away from K just as Seguchi and the American walked in. K glared at him for only a moment before putting on his manager face and walking to shake hands with the young man.
"Hello! I am Mr. K, Bad Luck's manager." He gestured to the band, "I am sure that they will bring tears to your eyes with their lovely song. So please, pull up a chair and relax and let Bad Luck blow you away!"
Shuichi smiled. Mr. K really was a great manager, no a great guy. He knew what he was doing and he knew how to flatter and work with words. It was no wonder Seguchi hired him. He was just as manipulative as Tohma himself. The group began to set themselves up. They decided to sing Spicy Marmalade for their audition. Although they knew Blind Games much better, the festival was looking for something new and exciting, not old and hackneyed.
"Ahem, my name is Shindou Shuichi and we will be singing a new song for you today. It is called Spicy Marmalade and we are sure that you'll love it."'
Sakano began to get nauseas. His hands began to shake and his temperature started to rise. He just kept thinking about what would happen if Bad Luck was bad. What would Tohma do to him? The embarrassment of endorsing a screw up band would be so horrible that Tohma might go as far as to kill Sakano. He couldn't watch and as they began to warm up, he slipped out the door.
* * *
It seemed like hours before the door opened again. Sakano sat next to it, his head resting on his arms. He was hoping, PRAYING that they were good. Through the door, he heard the stifled song and it didn't sound too bad. But he knew things were good when the magnificent applause erupted from the room. He looked toward the door and it slammed open, Hiro and Fujisaki cheering and carrying Shuichi out. Mr. K followed them close in tow, also taken in the moment. Sakano loved seeing him happy. The American and Seguchi walked out and he shook Sakano's boss's hand.
"They were excellent, Tohma." He said, a smile plastered on his face, "Once you review the paperwork, give me a call and I'll see what I can do."
Seguchi nodded and they said their goodbyes and Sakano stood alone with his manager in the dimly lit hallway. Seguchi walked up to him and placed his hands on Sakano's shoulders, smiling, "I need the paperwork, Sakano."
Tohma kissed Sakano on forehead before walking past him, out of sight. Sakano was blushing a little. Why was it that sometimes he could be so disgusted in his manager, but other times, like the kiss on the forehead, he could love him? It confused Sakano to no end, but it didn't matter whether or not he loved or hated him. All that mattered was that Bad Luck was one step closer to the Tokyo Bay Music Festival...and one step closer to super stardom.
WOOT! Done! I have nothing to say except review!! And oh yes, I am working on a fanart for all who read the story. Um, I don't have a place to put it yet, so if you wanna see it before next century, I can email it to you. Anyhoo. Ciao!