Note: There are a few adult scenes towards the end of this chapter. Nothing too serious, but as a warning
Chapter 8
Shuichi stood there, frozen. He honestly didn't know what to do. Why was Yuki approaching him?
Yuki stared at him from behind his sunglasses, a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. "Well? Aren't you coming?"
"Huh? Where?"
Yuki shook his head slightly. "I told you that I want to talk to you. And since this is our business, I figured we could go back to my apartment."
"B-But, you told me to stay away from you."
Yuki flinched slightly, causing Shuichi's eyes to widen. "Forget what I said then. What I'm saying now is come with me."
Shuichi eyed the car. "Is this all right with Seguchi-san and Mika-san?"
Yuki took a drag out of his cigarette. "Since when do I need to ask my sister and my brother-in-law permission to take someone home with me?"
Shuichi smiled. This seemed more like the old Yuki.
Yuki climbed back into the car. "So c'mon."
Shuichi hesitated for a long second before climbing into the passenger side.
***
It had been so long since Shuichi had been in Yuki's apartment. He shivered slightly upon entering as the familiarity consumed him.
"Take a seat," said Yuki. He disappeared into his kitchen. "I'd offer you something to drink, but all I have is beer. I don't know why I keep buying it, but Tohma told me it was part of a habit I have."
Shuichi flinched. He had little to no doubts that Seguchi and Yuki were close. At times he found it...strange how someone who wasn't even related by blood to Yuki would order him around like he was the head of the family.
Yuki resurfaced, drinking from his can of beer. Shuichi fidgeted, still remembering their encounter just days before. His cheek still stung when he thought about it.
"Now," said Yuki, leaning against the wall facing Shuichi. "I need you to clear a few things up for me."
"Eh?"
"I'm getting told a million different stories about you, all from my family. I honestly don't know who's lying, so I want to hear your side."
Shuichi paled. He wanted to be closer to Yuki, but...
Yuki drank some more beer. "Exactly...what was the relationship between us?"
Shuichi's jaw dropped. "I-I-I-I-I-I-"
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You seem a bit naïve to the situation. Okay then, I'll tell you what's been said and you respond to it."
Shuichi couldn't manage a reply.
"Mika says absolutely nothing about you. Wait, let me start again. She HAS mentioned that I have a friend about your age, your height, who talks way too much."
Shuichi sighed heavily. He still remembered Mika telling him to give Yuki some time to recover some memories and then she would let them meet again.
"Now Tohma...and this is what's got me...told me that you were not only a bad influence on me, but that you had arranged for me to get hurt, resulting in my amnesia."
Shock pierced Shuichi right in the heart. He jumped to his feet. "That's a lie!!! Well, I don't know what kind of influence I had on you, but I would never hurt you!! Hell, I'm the one who found you like that!!!"
Yuki put down his beer. "My brother Tatsuha said something about you, but I won't state it. I want to hear from you what our relationship was."
Tears stung Shuichi's eyes. He almost couldn't believe Tohma would do such a thing. What hurt him even more was that Yuki brushed off the subject like it was nothing.
He sat back down. "We were lovers. At least I thought we were. We met in the park at night, and you saw some bad song lyrics I had written. You didn't hesitate to tell me how much they sucked. It really annoyed me at the time, but I couldn't get you out of my head.
"I eventually wrote a better song, the Rage Beat. I went to see you to see if you would come to my concert. I wanted to prove to you that I could write decent lyrics. Then there was a bit of...confusion." Shuichi didn't want to mention his whole argument with Mika. "And then you kissed me. After that...I couldn't stop thinking about you.
"You gave me the cold shoulder a lot, but you also had your moments. There were times when you were so cruel to me and other where you were so tender. I...I loved you, even though you're a guy. You would let me stay in your apartment at times, and you even accepted me as your lover at one point. No one really approved of our relationship, except probably Tatsuha and my band. And...that's it."
Yuki listened to all of this with an unreadable expression. Then he sighed. "Tatsuha told me something along those lines."
Hope flared in Shuichi.
"But at this point...I don't know who to believe. I'm getting told a lot of lies, and I believed them."
The hope faded. Shuichi slowly stood up. "But...I'm telling the truth."
"I don't know that. Tohma said HE was telling the truth, yet his story was completely different."
Tears started welling up in Shuichi's eyes. "You don't believe me!!"
"It's-"
Shuichi stormed over to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Do you think you're the only one who's suffered?! Do you know what it's like?! Do you know what it feels like to come home and see the person you love the most half-dead on the floor?! Do you know what it feels like to know that people blamed you for what happened, though it was out of your control?! Do you know what it feels like to see the only person you'll ever love hooked up to a lot of machines, being barely alive and you can't help him?!"
Yuki stared down at him.
Tears were falling in sheets down Shuichi's face. "Do you know what it feels like to be there when your true love wakes up and he doesn't even know you?! No, you don't!! I'm sorry you have amnesia, and I'm sorry everyone's lying to you!! But I've never lied to you before Yuki and I'm not starting now!!! But if you can't trust me enough to believe I'm telling the truth, then we shouldn't see each other again!!"
He tore away from Yuki and ran for the front door. He quickly slipped into his shoes and left the apartment as quickly as he could.
He sobbed quietly as he ran, his footsteps pounding the pavement.
Why did he even pick me up?! he wondered. I should've known he wasn't going to believe me!! I'd hoped that he would've remembered me and be a little nicer, but he's still the same!! Even with the amnesia, he's still the cold-hearted Yuki Eiri who doesn't open up to anyone!!
Tears continued to flow from his eyes, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. He had a great deal of grief on him, and at the moment he wanted to deal with it.
***
"Here's the place!!" declared K. "Our music video spot!!"
Shuichi sighed heavily. He knew he should be excited about the music video, but he wasn't. He was still feeling down about what had happened the night before.
Ami waved at them as she approached them. "Hi guys!! This is a really cool location, K-san!!"
It was a large Victorian mansion in the middle of nowhere. It was in decent condition, but not exactly fancy. And dark rain clouds were starting to form in the morning sky.
Ami looked down at their outfits. "Oh dear, I'm think I'm too formal."
While the band wore their usual attire for concerts, Ami wore a pale blue summer dress that had a hem reaching to her ankles.
"The whole premise of the music video," said Sakano. "Will have everyone situated in different rooms of the mansion. Some shots will be in the outer garden, if the weather permits it."
"I'm ready to go," said Suguru.
LET'S GO!!!!!!" yelled K, running into the house.
Hiro eyed Shuichi, noting his lack of enthusiasm. "Something wrong? I figured you'd be in a better mood since Yuki picked you up last night."
Shuichi nodded quickly. "Oh, I'm fine. Let's get to work."
***
"Action!!!"
The tape played. It was a shot where Shuichi was alone in a room. He was situated curled up on the windowsill, but not so much that his face was covered.
The singing started on the tape, but Shuichi wasn't singing. He just sat there, looking like a wounded puppy. His persona in the music video was supposed to look like this, but not so much.
"Cut!!" yelled K. He stormed towards Shuichi. "Shuichi, get with it!! It won't make any sense to viewers if you just sit there!!!"
Shuichi looked up at him, confused. Then he straightened in his seat. "Huh?! What?!"
"We're making the music video for 'Mizerable'!!! We need you to sing!!"
"Oh, okay. Sorry."
K shook his head. "Let's try this again."
After a few minutes, "Action!!!" was yelled again and the tape started again. This time Shuichi sang with the tape.
Ki zukanai furi wo shite
(Pretending not to notice)
Chiisana mado kara tooku wo mitsumeteta
(I gazed far outside a small window)
Sora ni hirogaru tenshi no koe
(The voice of an angel fills the sky)
Kaze ni dakarete
(Embraced by the wind)
"Cut!! Excellent!!"
"Great!! Let's move to the next scene!!" yelled K. He slapped Suguru on the back. "You're next!!"
Everyone filed out of the room. Hiro stopped and turned towards the window. Shuichi was still sitting there.
"Shuichi, we're starting the next scene," Hiro reminded him.
Shuichi snapped out of his trance. "What?"
Hiro shook his head. "All right, what did Yuki do?!"
Shuichi stared at him. "Nothing. Yuki didn't do anything."
"Yeah, and pigs fly. What did he say?"
Shuichi forced a smile and jumped to his feet. "I'm fine, Hiro!! Believe me, I am!!"
Before Hiro could protest to this, Shuichi bounded out of the room after the rest of the crew.
"Like hell you're fine," he muttered, following him.
Two hours later...
"Okay, here's the garden scene!!" announced Sakano, seemingly confident. He DID look rather worried when he saw the sky. Then again, he came prepared so each of the cameras had covers on them.
Shuichi didn't have a cover.
"What if it rains?!" he complained.
"If you get this scene done quickly, then you won't have any worries!!" declared K.
Shuichi sighed heavily for the 80th time that day.
"Action!!!"
Tsumetai kaze wo abinagara
(Bathed in the cold wind)
Kurikaesu yoru ni omoi wo egaiteta
(Imagining these feelings night after night)
Sotto kuchizusamu merodi wa
(The melody I hum softly)
Toki ni kizamarete kieru
(Is etched in time and disappears)
Just as that line finished, sheets of rain fell.
"AGH!!!!" wailed Shuichi, raising his hands over his head.
"Keep going!!" said K, though he was becoming quickly wet. "This adds effects to the scene!!"
So Shuichi sang the rest of the part slowly wandering around the garden as it poured.
Nido to modorenai kanashimi wa wasurerarenakute
(I can't forget the sadness that will I can never go back)
Ima mo yureru omoi ni somaru koto dekinai karada ga
(Even now I can't dye myself with these swaying emotions and my body)
Kowaresou de...
(Is about to break...)
"Cut!!"
"Back inside!!" declared K. "We needs some shots of the violin!!"
Everyone hurried into the house. Shuichi looked even grimmer than he did before the rain had fallen.
"Here," said Hiro, handing him a towel. "Dry yourself off."
Shuichi took the towel without saying anything. He rubbed it through his hair and over his face. It stopped at his face and his shoulders shook. He was crying.
"Shuichi? Why are you crying? I'm guessing it's not because K made you stand out there and finish the scene."
Shuichi scrubbed at his face with the towel. "Oh, I'm fine-"
"Dammit Shuichi!!" Hiro grabbed his shoulders. "You are not fine!! Something is bothering you!! Now tell me what it is!! I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything!!"
Shuichi sighed again and leaned against the wall. "He didn't believe me."
Hiro blinked. "What?"
Shuichi removed the towel from his face. Tears were streaming from his eyes. "He asked me what our relationship was, and I told him. I spilled out everything to him, risking Seguchi-san's wrath. But he didn't believe me!! He said everyone had been lying to him, and he wasn't sure I was telling the truth!!"
Hiro shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Shuichi closed his eyes, more tears falling. "I thought...that for once he would believe me. I really thought...I guess I was wrong."
"You're not wrong, Shuichi. He's the one making a mistake. Even if he doesn't want to, he HAS to trust someone. That someone has to be you, because you've never lied to him. If he can't see that, then he's a fucking idiot."
Shuichi laughed a little. "I usually wouldn't let you talk about Yuki like that, but right now I don't care."
"Cut!!"
Both Hiro and Shuichi turned their heads. Ami's scene was over and Suguru was talking to her.
Hiro arched an eyebrow. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Fujisaki like Nayuta-san."
Shuichi face-faulted. "Fujisaki?! Liking someone?!?!"
"I know, it sounds crazy. Especially with the way he bossed her around while we were making the song. Now he's kissing her ass. Either he likes her or he's acting."
Shuichi shook his head. "I'm not sure I want to think about it."
"Shindou-kun, Nakano-kun!!" called Sakano. "Your scenes are next!!!"
Hiro patted Shuichi on the shoulder. "Try not to think about Yuki today. Don't seek him out, wait until he comes to you."
"..."
Hours later...
"And that's a wrap!!"
All three members of Bad Luck collapsed onto the floor. Another day of work done.
Ami didn't even look tired. "It was a lot of fun working with you guys. I hope I can work with you again."
"Yeah, sure," said Shuichi, yawning loudly.
"I need a vacation," said Suguru. "All those times I had to play over and over again..."
Hiro raised bruised fingers. "I think my fingers are going to fall off."
"SHUT UP!!!!!" demanded a loud American voice above them. K pointed an Uzi at them. "Quit your bitching!! This is the music industry, you're expecting to work like hell!!"
The band members glared up at him.
K put away his Uzi. "Then again, we DID get it done in one day. Okay, you all have tomorrow off!!!"
"YA-HOO!!!!!!!!" cried Shuichi, mustering enough energy to hop around the room.
Hiro continued to stare at his bruised fingers. "I think I need to see a doctor."
***
"May I ask why did you say that to him?!?!" barked Tatsuha.
"I wanted to test him," said Yuki. "See how he would act."
"Well, did he pass?"
"No."
"Aniki--!!!!"
"But his reaction WAS rather strange. I expected him to start crying hysterically, but not that way."
"Well, do you feel bad about it?!"
Yuki thought about it. "Actually, I do. I didn't want to see him cry like that. Or cry at all."
"What are you waiting for then?! Hurry and get him!!"
"From where?"
"Here!!" Tatsuha shoved a slip at him. "They're filming a music video there!! Now go get him and don't fuck up this time!!"
Yuki eyed the paper, and then stared at Tatsuha. "How did you know they were filming here?"
Tatsuha blushed. "I, uh, asked Ryuichi about it and he, uh-"
"Never mind." Yuki got up. "You want to come with me?"
Tatsuha shook his head. "I'm leaving soon. Besides this is between you and Shuichi."
"..."
***
Shuichi shrugged on his jacket. He was glad Hiro had nagged him to bring an extra pair of clothes. He'd come very close to catching a cold.
"You guys leaving now?" asked Ami. "I have a car if any of you need a ride."
"I have my bike," said Hiro.
"I'm getting a ride with Hiro," said Shuichi.
"I'll go with you," said Suguru.
Ami smiled at him. "Okay."
Hiro rolled his eyes. "Now it's just a little too obvious."
Shuichi shrugged. "Let's go."
They left through the front door. Everyone else had already gone, and Ami and Suguru had gone through the back door because her car was there.
"Want to go out clubbing?" asked Hiro.
Shuichi shook his head. "Too tired."
"Yeah, me too. I think my fingers are going to blister. All those times K made me do a scene over...I wanted to hit him with my guitar."
Shuichi laughed. "But you have more self-control than hardly any of us!!"
"I know. But my fingers were hurting me enough to want to hurt K."
Shuichi laughed again. "Oh man, if you ever did that I'd pay to see it!!"
Hiro smiled. "It's good to hear you laughing again. You've been so down lately."
Shuichi smiled back. "Can't stay glum forever!!"
"And what about Yuki?"
"What about him?! I won't go crawling back to him!! He'll have to come crawling to me!! And when he comes he will know what rejection feels like!!! I'll make him grovel at my feet!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" flames burned in Shuichi's background.
Hiro was looking in another direction. "Here's your chance. Here he comes now."
The fire went out. Shuichi immediately hid behind Hiro. "It hasn't even been a day!!! I'm not ready to face him!!!"
"Oh really Mr. 'I'll make him grovel at my feet'?"
"I was joking!!"
"Can't joke now."
The car stopped right in front of them. This vaguely reminded Shuichi of yesterday.
Yuki got out of the car and gave them both a look. "Shuichi, come with me."
Shuichi gaped at him. Not this again...
"Well?" Yuki waited expectantly.
"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-"
"He's all yours," said Hiro, tossing Shuichi into the car through the window. "Just don't treat him to badly."
Yuki got back into the car without saying a word and drove out of there.
Hiro shook his head. "I hope Seguchi-san doesn't get wind of this."
***
Shuichi found himself back on Yuki's couch, with Yuki staring at him while drinking a beer.
I don't want to be here, he thought. I don't want him to do what he did to me yesterday again...
Yuki coughed. "Our conversation was a little bad yesterday-"
"Of course it was!!" cried Shuichi, feeling angry all over again. "I pour out everything to you, and you throw it back in my face!!"
Yuki said nothing.
"Why?! Why did you do it?! I know you've been lied to, but you can trust me!! Don't you trust me?!"
Yuki remained silent.
Shuichi jumped to his feet. "Dammit, say something!! Or are you going to leave it at 'Or conversation was a little bad yesterday'?!"
Still silent.
Shuichi shook his head. "You know what? I'm leaving. Seguchi-san and Mika-san don't have to threaten me to stay away from you. I'll do it of my own free will." He turned and headed for the door.
He didn't expect a strong hand to grab his arm, spin him around, and be hoisted over a shoulder.
"Yuki, what are you doing?!" he yelled, struggling slightly as Yuki walked through the apartment. "Put me down!! Dammit, I'm supposed to be leaving!! Put me down now!!"
Yuki did put him down, but not where Shuichi wanted to be put down. Yuki had walked into his bedroom, which was completely dark, and deposited Shuichi on the bed.
Shuichi immediately sat up. "Yu-"
Yuki silenced him with a kiss. A shocked strangled noise escaped Shuichi's throat. He raised a hand and grabbed Yuki's shoulder in an effort to shove him off. But his resistance faded, as did his grip.
He felt lost in the deepening kiss, slowly wrapping his arms around Yuki. It had been so long since he had tasted Yuki's kisses, so long since he had felt this way...
Yuki broke the kiss and leaned over him. He had leaned so deeply into the kiss that they were now laying on the bed.
Shuichi absently raised a hand to his lips. "You kissed me..."
"Well, why not? You'd said we were lovers."
"But-"
Yuki silenced him with another kiss that lasted a great deal of time. When it broke Shuichi was gasping for air. "But...I was angry with you-"
Yuki started pushing up his shirt. "You can forgive me, right?"
Shuichi gasped slightly when Yuki's mouth moved over the exposed skin. "B-B-But Seguchi-san-"
"I told you, I make my own decisions. Now stop talking and let me do this."
After that, no other words were spoken. Then again, no words were needed.
Okay, Yuki was a jerk, he sought Shuichi out a little too quickly, and Tohma and Mika weren't in this chapter. Oh well. I know it dragged on and on, but I hoped I made up for it with a little lemon.
Chapter 8
Shuichi stood there, frozen. He honestly didn't know what to do. Why was Yuki approaching him?
Yuki stared at him from behind his sunglasses, a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. "Well? Aren't you coming?"
"Huh? Where?"
Yuki shook his head slightly. "I told you that I want to talk to you. And since this is our business, I figured we could go back to my apartment."
"B-But, you told me to stay away from you."
Yuki flinched slightly, causing Shuichi's eyes to widen. "Forget what I said then. What I'm saying now is come with me."
Shuichi eyed the car. "Is this all right with Seguchi-san and Mika-san?"
Yuki took a drag out of his cigarette. "Since when do I need to ask my sister and my brother-in-law permission to take someone home with me?"
Shuichi smiled. This seemed more like the old Yuki.
Yuki climbed back into the car. "So c'mon."
Shuichi hesitated for a long second before climbing into the passenger side.
***
It had been so long since Shuichi had been in Yuki's apartment. He shivered slightly upon entering as the familiarity consumed him.
"Take a seat," said Yuki. He disappeared into his kitchen. "I'd offer you something to drink, but all I have is beer. I don't know why I keep buying it, but Tohma told me it was part of a habit I have."
Shuichi flinched. He had little to no doubts that Seguchi and Yuki were close. At times he found it...strange how someone who wasn't even related by blood to Yuki would order him around like he was the head of the family.
Yuki resurfaced, drinking from his can of beer. Shuichi fidgeted, still remembering their encounter just days before. His cheek still stung when he thought about it.
"Now," said Yuki, leaning against the wall facing Shuichi. "I need you to clear a few things up for me."
"Eh?"
"I'm getting told a million different stories about you, all from my family. I honestly don't know who's lying, so I want to hear your side."
Shuichi paled. He wanted to be closer to Yuki, but...
Yuki drank some more beer. "Exactly...what was the relationship between us?"
Shuichi's jaw dropped. "I-I-I-I-I-I-"
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You seem a bit naïve to the situation. Okay then, I'll tell you what's been said and you respond to it."
Shuichi couldn't manage a reply.
"Mika says absolutely nothing about you. Wait, let me start again. She HAS mentioned that I have a friend about your age, your height, who talks way too much."
Shuichi sighed heavily. He still remembered Mika telling him to give Yuki some time to recover some memories and then she would let them meet again.
"Now Tohma...and this is what's got me...told me that you were not only a bad influence on me, but that you had arranged for me to get hurt, resulting in my amnesia."
Shock pierced Shuichi right in the heart. He jumped to his feet. "That's a lie!!! Well, I don't know what kind of influence I had on you, but I would never hurt you!! Hell, I'm the one who found you like that!!!"
Yuki put down his beer. "My brother Tatsuha said something about you, but I won't state it. I want to hear from you what our relationship was."
Tears stung Shuichi's eyes. He almost couldn't believe Tohma would do such a thing. What hurt him even more was that Yuki brushed off the subject like it was nothing.
He sat back down. "We were lovers. At least I thought we were. We met in the park at night, and you saw some bad song lyrics I had written. You didn't hesitate to tell me how much they sucked. It really annoyed me at the time, but I couldn't get you out of my head.
"I eventually wrote a better song, the Rage Beat. I went to see you to see if you would come to my concert. I wanted to prove to you that I could write decent lyrics. Then there was a bit of...confusion." Shuichi didn't want to mention his whole argument with Mika. "And then you kissed me. After that...I couldn't stop thinking about you.
"You gave me the cold shoulder a lot, but you also had your moments. There were times when you were so cruel to me and other where you were so tender. I...I loved you, even though you're a guy. You would let me stay in your apartment at times, and you even accepted me as your lover at one point. No one really approved of our relationship, except probably Tatsuha and my band. And...that's it."
Yuki listened to all of this with an unreadable expression. Then he sighed. "Tatsuha told me something along those lines."
Hope flared in Shuichi.
"But at this point...I don't know who to believe. I'm getting told a lot of lies, and I believed them."
The hope faded. Shuichi slowly stood up. "But...I'm telling the truth."
"I don't know that. Tohma said HE was telling the truth, yet his story was completely different."
Tears started welling up in Shuichi's eyes. "You don't believe me!!"
"It's-"
Shuichi stormed over to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Do you think you're the only one who's suffered?! Do you know what it's like?! Do you know what it feels like to come home and see the person you love the most half-dead on the floor?! Do you know what it feels like to know that people blamed you for what happened, though it was out of your control?! Do you know what it feels like to see the only person you'll ever love hooked up to a lot of machines, being barely alive and you can't help him?!"
Yuki stared down at him.
Tears were falling in sheets down Shuichi's face. "Do you know what it feels like to be there when your true love wakes up and he doesn't even know you?! No, you don't!! I'm sorry you have amnesia, and I'm sorry everyone's lying to you!! But I've never lied to you before Yuki and I'm not starting now!!! But if you can't trust me enough to believe I'm telling the truth, then we shouldn't see each other again!!"
He tore away from Yuki and ran for the front door. He quickly slipped into his shoes and left the apartment as quickly as he could.
He sobbed quietly as he ran, his footsteps pounding the pavement.
Why did he even pick me up?! he wondered. I should've known he wasn't going to believe me!! I'd hoped that he would've remembered me and be a little nicer, but he's still the same!! Even with the amnesia, he's still the cold-hearted Yuki Eiri who doesn't open up to anyone!!
Tears continued to flow from his eyes, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. He had a great deal of grief on him, and at the moment he wanted to deal with it.
***
"Here's the place!!" declared K. "Our music video spot!!"
Shuichi sighed heavily. He knew he should be excited about the music video, but he wasn't. He was still feeling down about what had happened the night before.
Ami waved at them as she approached them. "Hi guys!! This is a really cool location, K-san!!"
It was a large Victorian mansion in the middle of nowhere. It was in decent condition, but not exactly fancy. And dark rain clouds were starting to form in the morning sky.
Ami looked down at their outfits. "Oh dear, I'm think I'm too formal."
While the band wore their usual attire for concerts, Ami wore a pale blue summer dress that had a hem reaching to her ankles.
"The whole premise of the music video," said Sakano. "Will have everyone situated in different rooms of the mansion. Some shots will be in the outer garden, if the weather permits it."
"I'm ready to go," said Suguru.
LET'S GO!!!!!!" yelled K, running into the house.
Hiro eyed Shuichi, noting his lack of enthusiasm. "Something wrong? I figured you'd be in a better mood since Yuki picked you up last night."
Shuichi nodded quickly. "Oh, I'm fine. Let's get to work."
***
"Action!!!"
The tape played. It was a shot where Shuichi was alone in a room. He was situated curled up on the windowsill, but not so much that his face was covered.
The singing started on the tape, but Shuichi wasn't singing. He just sat there, looking like a wounded puppy. His persona in the music video was supposed to look like this, but not so much.
"Cut!!" yelled K. He stormed towards Shuichi. "Shuichi, get with it!! It won't make any sense to viewers if you just sit there!!!"
Shuichi looked up at him, confused. Then he straightened in his seat. "Huh?! What?!"
"We're making the music video for 'Mizerable'!!! We need you to sing!!"
"Oh, okay. Sorry."
K shook his head. "Let's try this again."
After a few minutes, "Action!!!" was yelled again and the tape started again. This time Shuichi sang with the tape.
Ki zukanai furi wo shite
(Pretending not to notice)
Chiisana mado kara tooku wo mitsumeteta
(I gazed far outside a small window)
Sora ni hirogaru tenshi no koe
(The voice of an angel fills the sky)
Kaze ni dakarete
(Embraced by the wind)
"Cut!! Excellent!!"
"Great!! Let's move to the next scene!!" yelled K. He slapped Suguru on the back. "You're next!!"
Everyone filed out of the room. Hiro stopped and turned towards the window. Shuichi was still sitting there.
"Shuichi, we're starting the next scene," Hiro reminded him.
Shuichi snapped out of his trance. "What?"
Hiro shook his head. "All right, what did Yuki do?!"
Shuichi stared at him. "Nothing. Yuki didn't do anything."
"Yeah, and pigs fly. What did he say?"
Shuichi forced a smile and jumped to his feet. "I'm fine, Hiro!! Believe me, I am!!"
Before Hiro could protest to this, Shuichi bounded out of the room after the rest of the crew.
"Like hell you're fine," he muttered, following him.
Two hours later...
"Okay, here's the garden scene!!" announced Sakano, seemingly confident. He DID look rather worried when he saw the sky. Then again, he came prepared so each of the cameras had covers on them.
Shuichi didn't have a cover.
"What if it rains?!" he complained.
"If you get this scene done quickly, then you won't have any worries!!" declared K.
Shuichi sighed heavily for the 80th time that day.
"Action!!!"
Tsumetai kaze wo abinagara
(Bathed in the cold wind)
Kurikaesu yoru ni omoi wo egaiteta
(Imagining these feelings night after night)
Sotto kuchizusamu merodi wa
(The melody I hum softly)
Toki ni kizamarete kieru
(Is etched in time and disappears)
Just as that line finished, sheets of rain fell.
"AGH!!!!" wailed Shuichi, raising his hands over his head.
"Keep going!!" said K, though he was becoming quickly wet. "This adds effects to the scene!!"
So Shuichi sang the rest of the part slowly wandering around the garden as it poured.
Nido to modorenai kanashimi wa wasurerarenakute
(I can't forget the sadness that will I can never go back)
Ima mo yureru omoi ni somaru koto dekinai karada ga
(Even now I can't dye myself with these swaying emotions and my body)
Kowaresou de...
(Is about to break...)
"Cut!!"
"Back inside!!" declared K. "We needs some shots of the violin!!"
Everyone hurried into the house. Shuichi looked even grimmer than he did before the rain had fallen.
"Here," said Hiro, handing him a towel. "Dry yourself off."
Shuichi took the towel without saying anything. He rubbed it through his hair and over his face. It stopped at his face and his shoulders shook. He was crying.
"Shuichi? Why are you crying? I'm guessing it's not because K made you stand out there and finish the scene."
Shuichi scrubbed at his face with the towel. "Oh, I'm fine-"
"Dammit Shuichi!!" Hiro grabbed his shoulders. "You are not fine!! Something is bothering you!! Now tell me what it is!! I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything!!"
Shuichi sighed again and leaned against the wall. "He didn't believe me."
Hiro blinked. "What?"
Shuichi removed the towel from his face. Tears were streaming from his eyes. "He asked me what our relationship was, and I told him. I spilled out everything to him, risking Seguchi-san's wrath. But he didn't believe me!! He said everyone had been lying to him, and he wasn't sure I was telling the truth!!"
Hiro shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Shuichi closed his eyes, more tears falling. "I thought...that for once he would believe me. I really thought...I guess I was wrong."
"You're not wrong, Shuichi. He's the one making a mistake. Even if he doesn't want to, he HAS to trust someone. That someone has to be you, because you've never lied to him. If he can't see that, then he's a fucking idiot."
Shuichi laughed a little. "I usually wouldn't let you talk about Yuki like that, but right now I don't care."
"Cut!!"
Both Hiro and Shuichi turned their heads. Ami's scene was over and Suguru was talking to her.
Hiro arched an eyebrow. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Fujisaki like Nayuta-san."
Shuichi face-faulted. "Fujisaki?! Liking someone?!?!"
"I know, it sounds crazy. Especially with the way he bossed her around while we were making the song. Now he's kissing her ass. Either he likes her or he's acting."
Shuichi shook his head. "I'm not sure I want to think about it."
"Shindou-kun, Nakano-kun!!" called Sakano. "Your scenes are next!!!"
Hiro patted Shuichi on the shoulder. "Try not to think about Yuki today. Don't seek him out, wait until he comes to you."
"..."
Hours later...
"And that's a wrap!!"
All three members of Bad Luck collapsed onto the floor. Another day of work done.
Ami didn't even look tired. "It was a lot of fun working with you guys. I hope I can work with you again."
"Yeah, sure," said Shuichi, yawning loudly.
"I need a vacation," said Suguru. "All those times I had to play over and over again..."
Hiro raised bruised fingers. "I think my fingers are going to fall off."
"SHUT UP!!!!!" demanded a loud American voice above them. K pointed an Uzi at them. "Quit your bitching!! This is the music industry, you're expecting to work like hell!!"
The band members glared up at him.
K put away his Uzi. "Then again, we DID get it done in one day. Okay, you all have tomorrow off!!!"
"YA-HOO!!!!!!!!" cried Shuichi, mustering enough energy to hop around the room.
Hiro continued to stare at his bruised fingers. "I think I need to see a doctor."
***
"May I ask why did you say that to him?!?!" barked Tatsuha.
"I wanted to test him," said Yuki. "See how he would act."
"Well, did he pass?"
"No."
"Aniki--!!!!"
"But his reaction WAS rather strange. I expected him to start crying hysterically, but not that way."
"Well, do you feel bad about it?!"
Yuki thought about it. "Actually, I do. I didn't want to see him cry like that. Or cry at all."
"What are you waiting for then?! Hurry and get him!!"
"From where?"
"Here!!" Tatsuha shoved a slip at him. "They're filming a music video there!! Now go get him and don't fuck up this time!!"
Yuki eyed the paper, and then stared at Tatsuha. "How did you know they were filming here?"
Tatsuha blushed. "I, uh, asked Ryuichi about it and he, uh-"
"Never mind." Yuki got up. "You want to come with me?"
Tatsuha shook his head. "I'm leaving soon. Besides this is between you and Shuichi."
"..."
***
Shuichi shrugged on his jacket. He was glad Hiro had nagged him to bring an extra pair of clothes. He'd come very close to catching a cold.
"You guys leaving now?" asked Ami. "I have a car if any of you need a ride."
"I have my bike," said Hiro.
"I'm getting a ride with Hiro," said Shuichi.
"I'll go with you," said Suguru.
Ami smiled at him. "Okay."
Hiro rolled his eyes. "Now it's just a little too obvious."
Shuichi shrugged. "Let's go."
They left through the front door. Everyone else had already gone, and Ami and Suguru had gone through the back door because her car was there.
"Want to go out clubbing?" asked Hiro.
Shuichi shook his head. "Too tired."
"Yeah, me too. I think my fingers are going to blister. All those times K made me do a scene over...I wanted to hit him with my guitar."
Shuichi laughed. "But you have more self-control than hardly any of us!!"
"I know. But my fingers were hurting me enough to want to hurt K."
Shuichi laughed again. "Oh man, if you ever did that I'd pay to see it!!"
Hiro smiled. "It's good to hear you laughing again. You've been so down lately."
Shuichi smiled back. "Can't stay glum forever!!"
"And what about Yuki?"
"What about him?! I won't go crawling back to him!! He'll have to come crawling to me!! And when he comes he will know what rejection feels like!!! I'll make him grovel at my feet!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" flames burned in Shuichi's background.
Hiro was looking in another direction. "Here's your chance. Here he comes now."
The fire went out. Shuichi immediately hid behind Hiro. "It hasn't even been a day!!! I'm not ready to face him!!!"
"Oh really Mr. 'I'll make him grovel at my feet'?"
"I was joking!!"
"Can't joke now."
The car stopped right in front of them. This vaguely reminded Shuichi of yesterday.
Yuki got out of the car and gave them both a look. "Shuichi, come with me."
Shuichi gaped at him. Not this again...
"Well?" Yuki waited expectantly.
"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-"
"He's all yours," said Hiro, tossing Shuichi into the car through the window. "Just don't treat him to badly."
Yuki got back into the car without saying a word and drove out of there.
Hiro shook his head. "I hope Seguchi-san doesn't get wind of this."
***
Shuichi found himself back on Yuki's couch, with Yuki staring at him while drinking a beer.
I don't want to be here, he thought. I don't want him to do what he did to me yesterday again...
Yuki coughed. "Our conversation was a little bad yesterday-"
"Of course it was!!" cried Shuichi, feeling angry all over again. "I pour out everything to you, and you throw it back in my face!!"
Yuki said nothing.
"Why?! Why did you do it?! I know you've been lied to, but you can trust me!! Don't you trust me?!"
Yuki remained silent.
Shuichi jumped to his feet. "Dammit, say something!! Or are you going to leave it at 'Or conversation was a little bad yesterday'?!"
Still silent.
Shuichi shook his head. "You know what? I'm leaving. Seguchi-san and Mika-san don't have to threaten me to stay away from you. I'll do it of my own free will." He turned and headed for the door.
He didn't expect a strong hand to grab his arm, spin him around, and be hoisted over a shoulder.
"Yuki, what are you doing?!" he yelled, struggling slightly as Yuki walked through the apartment. "Put me down!! Dammit, I'm supposed to be leaving!! Put me down now!!"
Yuki did put him down, but not where Shuichi wanted to be put down. Yuki had walked into his bedroom, which was completely dark, and deposited Shuichi on the bed.
Shuichi immediately sat up. "Yu-"
Yuki silenced him with a kiss. A shocked strangled noise escaped Shuichi's throat. He raised a hand and grabbed Yuki's shoulder in an effort to shove him off. But his resistance faded, as did his grip.
He felt lost in the deepening kiss, slowly wrapping his arms around Yuki. It had been so long since he had tasted Yuki's kisses, so long since he had felt this way...
Yuki broke the kiss and leaned over him. He had leaned so deeply into the kiss that they were now laying on the bed.
Shuichi absently raised a hand to his lips. "You kissed me..."
"Well, why not? You'd said we were lovers."
"But-"
Yuki silenced him with another kiss that lasted a great deal of time. When it broke Shuichi was gasping for air. "But...I was angry with you-"
Yuki started pushing up his shirt. "You can forgive me, right?"
Shuichi gasped slightly when Yuki's mouth moved over the exposed skin. "B-B-But Seguchi-san-"
"I told you, I make my own decisions. Now stop talking and let me do this."
After that, no other words were spoken. Then again, no words were needed.
Okay, Yuki was a jerk, he sought Shuichi out a little too quickly, and Tohma and Mika weren't in this chapter. Oh well. I know it dragged on and on, but I hoped I made up for it with a little lemon.
