Chapter 5: Assurance
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine… as I said before... Yes, even Miraku doesn't belong to me. Maybe in my dreams… hmmm...
Yuki cruised down the dimly-lit road. It was the only place he thought of going after the meeting with Ryuichi. He still couldn't forget how his companion had suddenly changed his disposition, as if he had two people within him. The whole event seemed unreal. But he had to admit, he didn't expect something like that to come out of Ryuicihi's mouth. After all, that dream and Shuichi's questionable behavior- not to mention the irritating calls that were suddenly interrupted- may have had a connection… there must have been a reason why Yuki still remembers those dreams as if he had not awakened at all.
Yuki passed the intersection carelessly. He didn't know what way he was headed. He just kept on driving… no matter where the road would lead him. He was starting to consider driving to Hokkaido—if only that were possible. He had so many questions that it seemed that, until he would finally find the answer, he would not be able to sleep in peace.
The heat of the blaze in his dream felt so vivid all of a sudden. The images were starting to play on their own again. He couldn't stop it, and he didn't seem to want to… He saw once more, the tear-stained cheeks of Shuichi, who stood at a distance… He saw the indifference in his eyes, as if they were total strangers once more. And although Yuki never thought it possible at the moment, he started to wonder…
"What if it really happens?"
"Would it even matter to me?" He asked as the beginning of his monologue, "Why did I even stay with Shuichi after all this time. Love? Is that it? Love? What the hell is that anyway? Just a concept… that's all it is… an ideal… no one understands what it is…"
Yuki heard himself say those words, and as odd as it seemed, something within him was protesting. He could almost hear it. But what seemed even peculiar was how the opposing voice was not his own… it was Shuichi's…
Yuki could almost see Shuichi… as if Shuichi was right beside him as he continued to drive without any place in mind. He listened slowly, as the voice passionately told him that he was wrong…
"No! That can't be! If no one understood it, then why does everyone look for it? Why did I look for you? As far as I know, the word LOVE may have different meanings to different people… but don't deny it… the same reason why I search for you… is the same reason why you're searching for me too…"
A screech in the midst of the dead silence. The car came to a halt. Yuki placed his hands at the side of his head, trying to suppress what he felt… the voice was right… he was wrong.
Yuki got out of the car… he was in the middle of a road in the dead of the night. No one else was out there, except for him and Shuichi's voice. He silently contemplated on what had just happened.
"Don't tell me I've been with you that long…" he whispered to himself, and grinned slyly. He waited for the voice… and although he was expecting it to reply out of the silence like magic, it came out more as how he imagined Shuichi to say it… if Shuichi was in front of him at the very moment.
"Yuki, don't be so mean!" the delusion stood before him, red hair burning in the dark, and wide amethyst-colored eyes pleading at him.
"Shuichi…" Yuki answered thoughtfully, and looked sadly into the darkness as it continued to snow that cold, lonely night.
…………………………………………………………………..
The door of the café opened, accompanied by the tinkling of the bell attached above it.
Hiro almost dropped his cup of hot chocolate when he saw who came in.
"SHUICHI!!!" He stormed, completely forgetting where he was. The others were just thankful that they had the café all to themselves.
"Hiro! Wh-what's---"
"Don't you say 'what's wrong' and give me that stupid look!!" Hiro growled and pointed, as Shuichi frowned when he heard the s-word, "it's been 2 hours! Where were you? You had no phone, you weren't where you said you were going to be, the hot chocolate is friggin' cold, and I've been worried si---"
"I got pick-pocketed…" Shuichi interrupted, then had an afterthought, "there's such a word as 'pick-pocketed', right?"
Hiro's angry face suddenly melted into a vague expression of both surprise and question…"What?"
"While I was buying pocky next door, a kid got my wallet and so I couldn't pay the saleslady and so I had to run down the road and chase after the kid but I ended up finding nothing at all and so I decided to just cry a little before I came back and tell you guys, but don't worry, coz now I have the perfect solution to this problem!!!" Shuichi took in a deep breath and exhaled…
"W-what are you talking about??" K stood up and walked towards Shuichi, "Don't tell me you have one your plans that don't really make sense in the first place." K raised his brow.
"Heyyyy…" Shuichi replied irritably, "my plans usually… give good results! Besides, I haven't explained yet!"
"Well, do the explaining when we get back to the hotel, you're in no shape to be running around town chasing some punk kid who got your wallet." K answered sternly.
"B-but what about my cho—" Shuichi whined when K suddenly shot one of his, shut-up-or-I'll-make-you glares… and it worked.
"There, there now," Fujisaki tried to cheer up Shuichi, "I'm sure we can find you a brand new wallet! There must be hundreds of them around here!"
"It's not the wallet I'm concerned with…" Shuichi sniffled.
K and Hiro paused, then looked at each other knowingly…
"Don't tell me you…" Hiro cautiously began.
"My first song lyrics are in that wallet…" Shuichi finished the sentence for him.
"Oh no…" Sakano groaned inwardly.
Of course, knowing Shuichi's unstable emotions when it concerned Yuki, this loss may mean the disaster of the Hokkaido video project. Shuichi can't be emotionally disturbed now! Not now!!! Of all times… did it have to be during their big break? If Shuichi fell into a slump as he usually did when Yuki did something 'mean' to him, it would take a miracle before he would be back on his feet again… and with the situation with Yuki at the moment, that seemed impossible! Then… without the aid of Yuki, and without any possible solution present at the moment…this could only mean that it would be the end for the whole project!
Sakano whirled in panic at the realization, glasses misty and his eyes spilling a river of tears. He continually chorused, "What are we going to do? Why now, WHY NOW?!? How could you do this to us Shuichi?! How could you lose your wallet!? Please tell me you're lying, please please!!! Tohma is going to kill me! I swear he is!!! I can imagine him sharpening his knives right now! He's waiting for me!!! GWAAAAA!!! Shuichi!!! How could you let him kill meeeeee?!?!??!"
"Hey, calm down, you'll wreck the whole place up," a voice interrupted. A man with brown, spiky hair stood before the dazed group…. Except for Shuichi, who immediately introduced this stranger.
"Guys!!! Meet Ban! He's part of this group called the GetBackers—"
"Getbackers?" they chorused in question exactly the same way Shuichi did when he first heard the term.
"Yeah, yeah!" Shuichi smiled and giggled like a high school girl, "Their success rate is 99 and they said they'll help me find my wallet!"
Everyone looked at Shuichi with the usual "uh-huh" expression they gave him whenever he tried to lie.
"And what's the condition…?" K asked bluntly.
"Just food and/or shelter…" Ban smiled widely.
"I see…" K answered bluntly… and "inconspicuously" dragged Shuichi by the collar to the corner of the room. Shuichi yelped all the way.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" K roared at him with his deep, baritone voice.
"I-I… I just thought that…" Shuichi quivered.
"Don't you know that we barely have enough of a budget to take care for ourselves? How could you decide on something like this without asking us first?" Hiro walked towards the two and had that look in his eyes… that which seemed to merge both disappointment and anger.
"But I was crying and… I-I just wanted… I just needed…" Shuichi tried hard to explain it all, but all the reasons fused and it became impossible for him to mince them and explain them one by one, in a way that he thought they would understand it… and hopefully feel the same way he did. But he was helplessly crippled at the moment. He couldn't even begin…
The two stared at him sternly. Shuichi felt his heart ache. Looking at Hiro made him see the disappointment his best friend had in him. He also knew Hiro as the friend who always seemed to get him out of the trouble Shuichi unexplainably got himself into in the first place… he couldn't even suffice the responsibility— what Hiro expected from him was just to make sure that he was still using his head and yet at the same time, maintaining that need for support from no other from his best friend when it came to the 'tougher' situation… Maybe, Hiro was disappointed this time not because of what Shuichi did, but because he wasn't the first person he spoke to about his problem… and to add more insult to injury, he asked two strangers instead.
Shuichi could barely look into K's eyes either. Looking at K made his skin crawl with imagining the number of possibilities K could 'punish' him. After all, this guy always carried his best friend with him—a magnum. Not to mention that he was in secret service before he came into the music industry—or at least that's what he heard. Who knew what this man was capable of? Who knew the number of ways he could kill him at this very moment… or later in the hotel… Who knew what was on his mind right now?!? Shuichi gulped and shut his eyes, deciding that it was useless even trying to explain it to them.
"I give up…" Hiro broke the tension. "Do what you want to do, Shuichi. I'm not responsible for it any longer."
"W-what?" Shuichi looked up at his best friend.
"Short of saying, you hired them, you pay them."
K smiled wryly, "That's a very good idea, Hiro-kun.." he chuckled deeply.
"B-but!!! My wallet was stolen! How can I possibly—"
"Think about it… it's your problem." Hiro answered, hands folded across his chest and eyes closed… by that body language he was practically saying, "End of story… I'm not listening any more."
"H-hiro???" Shuichi whined, becoming teary-eyed once more, "that's… that's so meeeannn!!!"
"Take it or leave it… you want your wallet, then get it… We're finishing this video, and that's that!"
"But Yuki…"
"And don't start going into a slump again or I'll---" Hiro intended it to be an empty threat, but he paused when he saw the vacant look in Shuichi's eyes. No doubt, the mere mention of the name always got the better of Shuichi… asking him not to think about Yuki would have been like asking him to forget his emotions… that's how bad it was…
A pause, everything seemed to be at a standstill… it seemed that the situation would depend on Shuichi's decision at the moment. And though Hiro would have wanted to help, he knew that it would be reckless to use up the whole budget just to find those lyrics… Sometimes, practicality had to be taken into account more than dreaming.
The bell of the café's door tinkled once more, as light steps came in. Everyone turned to see a blonde man, who smiled brightly. He held his hand up as a greeting.
Shuichi suddenly remembered that there were TWO of them…
"What's going on Ban-chan?" Ginji whispered to the serious-looking man beside him.
"Apparently… our ticket to a place or dinner… that's what…" Ban looked at Ginji, with a hint of worry in his expression.
"oh…" Ginji thought then looked at the red-haired singer he met just a moment ago.
Absolute silence in the room… everyone waited for Shuichi's decision…
"Shuichi? Better decide now…" Hiro said calmly.
Shuichi's thoughts were racing. He was caught in a situation which undoubtedly would give up one for another… give up a lyric sheet for a less complicated finance problem… give up every extra expense he was hoping to make- if he could even afford anything for himself- for the sake of finding a memento… the first was a question of ease and practicality… and the second was a question of hope… the first would give him nothing more than what he needs, but he loses nothing… and the second may return to him something that would keep him sleeping soundly until he was reunited with Yuki, but if it doesn't, he would lose more than just that piece of paper. Then again, was that piece of paper worth it all? All that paper did was receive a bad criticism from Yuki… all it basically did was cross their paths. Why did he want it so badly anyway? Because it reminded him of Yuki? But the real Yuki was at home- or at least, that's what he thought. And until he could speak to him again, it was basically that piece of paper that reminded him of the snow that awaited him at home… (Yuki "snow")
"Will I take the chance? Am I willing to lose? Am I willing to risk it all?... for a piece of paper?" Shuichi's head throbbed rhythmically, as his heart did… which shall he follow- his head or his heart?
"That… paper… is…" Shuichi softly began as everyone awaited for his decision, "it's… just a piece paper…nothing more, I guess…"
Hiro blinked… there must have been something more… Shuichi did continue…
"Just a piece of paper, which got its worth because of what was written on it… Yes, that's what it is… a paper with scribbles on it… those scribbles were actually the words for our first song. The first thing I had written my heart out… Yup, just a piece of paper… Can you see it? How different is it from any other paper? Simple… it had something written on it. And now, I'm making a big decision just for that piece of paper… a piece of junk, probably for others…" Shuichi's head bowed down, his voice was firm and resonant…
"But… it was through that paper… that I found something I never expected to find… had it not been that paper… had it not been those scribbles… had it not been my crappy lyrics…I… I…" Shuichi raised his head and looked at each of them in the eye.
"I would not have met Yuki!!!" That was it… he had decided.
Hiro smirked. That was the Shuichi he knew, "Yup, risking his head for his heart… hehe, never changes…"
"So then, that's your decision, Shuichi-kun?" K asked again.
"Yes… I'm not giving up on that wallet and most especially on those lyrics!" Shuichi looked at the two strangers he had met earlier, "I believe that they can help me, I can feel it… I'm not Hokkaido until I get my wallet back!"
Ban smirked and Ginji smiled and nodded in approval, which encouraged Shuichi even more.
"Okay Shuichi…" Hiro smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.
Shuichi smiled with determination at Hiro, but he now he was starting to worry where he could possibly give Ban and Ginji a place to stay for the night. Afterall, now it was his responsibility.
………………………………………………….
Yuki shut the door behind him. For some reason, he wasn't as relieved to get back to the apartment as he usually was, despite how tired he felt after the long drive. He went straight to the refrigerator, grabbed a can of beer and headed to his room. The solitude gave him more ideas on what to write for the following chapter of his novel… and he couldn't afford to lose these ideas again.
Yuki sat himself down, and started typing on his laptop. The words just started to flow, he felt better now that he was preoccupied with something—
there was less time to think about Shuichi. But in the middle of his composition, an annoying ring caused him to forget the next words he was about to type. Yuki sighed with exasperation and picked up the phone on his table.
"What?" He growled.
There was silence…
"Hello?"
Yuki could hear a faint sound, it was like the buzz of a television set when there was interference…
"Hello? I've no time for this!" Yuki was about to slam the phone, when he was brought to listen more…
"Yuki Eiri?" A deep voice asked. It made Yuki's heart jump for a moment.
"What do you want?!" Yuki answered back to shake off the fear.
"You."
And at that, a succession of beeps ended the call.
Yuki stared at the screen of his laptop, he was frozen in place. His composition was suddenly added with a myriad of letters, although his hand was holding the phone and the other just resting beside the laptop. Over and over, the same group of letters formed a sentence, "end of time your time comes end nothing nothing can stop bliss freedom time stop none free for time to come come…"
The same group of words, all jumbled, and vaguely making any sense. Yuki could barely gather his thoughts together, he could find no strength to move or understand what was going on. The words kept going on and on, and Yuki could only watch, his mouth ajar, and keep the phone at his ear…
The buzzing sound returned, and Yuki felt his heart beat racing even faster… the sound had returned, although there had already been a succession of beeps… it actually returned to say something…
"Yuki Eiri… I'm coming…" it whispered.
And then Yuki felt the chair tip backwards. He felt the impact of his fall, shaking the very core of his soul. At least now, there was no longer fear, but only darkness… and he heard a deep, mellow laugh, which slowly grew faint, until he could hear no more…
…………………………………………
"It's a good thing we brought these extra futons…" Shuichi said in relief as he laid the futons and fixed them as Hiro leaned against the wall of the room, watching him.
"Shuichi, although I didn't think that K would allow this…" Hiro interrupted.
"Eh?" Shuichi looked up, clapping his hands together to show he was done.
"I still think that this place is a little cramped for the four of us…"
"But, you told me it's my responsibility! I think they'll be fine here!" Shuichi protested, he knew where this was going… and he certainly couldn't afford to rent a hotel room.
"Yes I did, but I think that part of the bargain was that you were supposed to give them a place to sleep… you know, aside from where WE stay???"
"Hiro…" Shuichi forced a smile, "You know I'm broke…"
"Yeah yeah, that's why I'll give you at least a week… if it doesn't work till then, I think it's only smart that you should give up on that piece of paper."
"Hiro!"
"Shuichi, I know you don't need that paper to know that Yuki's waiting for you back home. Do you really need to go through all that trouble for that? You have something better—Yuki himself! All you have to do is pick up the phone."
"I can't… I…" Shuichi trailed off.
Hiro recalled the incident. He realized Shuichi must have been scarred from that experience; who knows when he'd be ready to pick up the phone again.
"Hey!" Ban greeted as he walked into the room, "Not bad. Shuichi, I promise ya, we'll find those lyrics in no time!"
Shuichi nodded and shot a glance at Hiro.
"I'm sure that kid is just around town…" Ginji added as he too walked into the room.
"Anyway…" Hiro interrupted, "it's getting late. We might as well get to bed now." Hiro pulled the towel hanging on his bed, placed it on his shoulder and walked out.
"Agree!" Ginji smiled with his eyes closed and went out to wash up as well. Only Ban and Shuichi didn't bother to leave, they had already gotten ready for bed.
Shuichi sat down on his bed, rolling down the sheets and smoothing them then, covered his feet with the thick cover. He was still sitting up, apparently gazing out the window beside his bed. The moon was a perfect circle; the snow had ceased to fall at the moment, and all Shuichi could see now was the dark-blue sky and the contrasting sphere of white. He gazed up at the moon, his thoughts clashing into one another, piling up, fusing… Shuichi was physically silent, yet his thoughts were in chaos.
"Shuichi-kun…" Ban startled Shuichi as he placed his hand on Shuichi's shoulder.
"Y-yeah??" Shuichi replied as he gazed into the amethyst colored eyes in front of him.
"I just wanted to say thanks… I'm sorry we got you in this mess… we'll help you out as much as we can, alright?"
Shuichi just nodded and continued to gaze into the fox-like eyes which captivated him more than the moon did.
"I'll find a solution first thing in the morning…" Ban smirked then walked to his futon. He pulled down the sheet and lay down, pulling the covers over him.
"Good night Ban chan…" Shuichi smiled, and then laid down, shifting onto his side to face the window and pulling the covers higher for extra warmth. Still, he kept on thinking about all the incidents that happened to him for the past week, and he could not believe how everything was happening. But the thoughts soon brought him to drowsiness, and he heard Hiro and Ginji get into their respective beds… he heard the calm breathing. And knowing that, at least, he wasn't alone that night, he allowed his eyes to finally rest… he soon fell asleep…
"Ban chan…" Ginji whispered to his friend in the futon beside him.
"What?" Ban replied groggily…
"Did you??" He asked with a smile.
"Did I what?" Ban answered with a hint of annoyance. He was tired too…
"My request, remember?"
"Ah, yeah yeah… I did… whatever… Go to sleep…" And at that, Ban dozed off again.
"Thanks…" Ginji finally whispered, then shifted to his side to see Shuichi- who now shifted onto the other side- sleeping. At least now, he could see the smile on Shuichi's face. He slowly shut his eyes, feeling warmth from the thought that Shuichi was going to have a good dream that night.
…………………………………………………….
Yuki groaned. He was awakened by the sound of water. But it was not the sound of a rushing stream, nor the crashing of waves. It was the sound of a faucet, leaking incessantly in the middle of the night, when there is nothing else to accompany the sound but silence.
Slowly, he got up, feeling the cold, stone floor he had been resting on. As soon as he could get his thoughts together, he found himself in a monologue once more…
"Where am I?"
The drips continued, echoing in the silence. Yuki decided to look for the source of the sound. Perhaps, he may find something. But as of the moment, something was driving him to find that source more than the desire to get out of the dark, silent dome he was in—he was feeling an insatiable thirst for water, as if he had not drunk anything for days.
Yuki took awkward steps, checking every step he was about to make. There was no light in that dome, only the sound, and the darkness. And ironically, though it was almost pitch dark, Yuki could still make out a few things… his feet, the ground, and also puddles of water.
The sound was growing stronger, and Yuki was swallowing, as if he could already feel the water dripping into his mouth. He needed to find where the water was coming from, and he didn't even know why he had become so thirsty.
But all of a sudden, Yuki could feel that he wasn't alone. Although he could see through the darkness, and though he could see no one else, he felt his heart palpitate. He was nervous, and he knew that someone was with him in that darkness, in that vague silence. Yuki stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to run, he definitely could not hide. All he could do now was find out if he really was alone.
And there it was… footsteps which broke the silence. The sound of water disappeared. Yuki could only hear his heartbeat at the moment, and he patted his pockets in search of anything which could aid him at the moment. His pockets contained nothing. Yuki froze in his tracks, as the footsteps grew louder and louder, nearer and nearer. The horror of it all was that he was trapped, and that he could only wait.
The footsteps stopped a few paces ahead of him. Yuki blinked and winced, as he could see a figure in the darkness. At least he knew now, it was human.
"Who are you?!" Yuki barked, trying to swallow the heart which got all the way up to his throat.
"Would it matter?" The mellow voice answered, and Yuki knew that it wasn't the first time he heard this voice.
"What do you want from me?"
"You…" it chuckled, "I told you…"
"What?"
"I need you… but then again, I don't need you at all… Isn't it ironic?"
"I…I don't understand… weren't you the voice on the—"
"Yes, the telephone. It is quite amazing how easily that device could be so easily manipulated."
"What's going on here?" Yuki's thoughts were in a haze, he couldn't understand whether this was a dream or reality itself.
"You think you're dreaming aren't you?"
Yuki gave no answer; his head was throbbing with questions, with uncertainty and confusion.
"What can you do when you cannot tell whether a dream is still a dream? Perhaps… cry?" it chuckled again, "When reality is unfair… we wish it was a dream. On the other hand, when dreams become pleasurable, we wish it was reality… Isn't it funny? My, my, I cannot imagine what humans would be able to accomplish with all that dreaming…"
"This isn't making any sense…" Yuki held his head, he was on his knees, and unable to understand anything the figure was trying to say.
"Sense? You do not need to understand it all… I know your brain can barely take in so much information… and to think in an abstract context… It must be torture."
"Why? What do you want from me, what has any of this have to do with me?" Yuki shook his head, refusing to look at the figure.
"It has everything to do with you, Eiri… If that is your real name…"
Yuki opened his eyes in shock, and looked up. He no longer saw the figure, and instead he saw images… His sensei, his childhood… that fateful day he was betrayed… the blood… Yuki could only gaze into the images, disbelieving that any of it were real.
"You are wishing that it never happened, that it was only a dream…" the voice continued, as Yuki still watched the images in horror, "and you find the solitude the only way to compensate for it… You try to find another who could understand you, but… no one does…"
Yuki could feel his eyes burning… The emotions on that tragic day were filling up inside him.
"No one knows the real you…" the voice seductively repeated.
"You're wrong…" Yuki closed his eyes.
"Am I? You have no friends, only people you meet for business. Your family… hah! Don't get me started… People you claim to love? Just a way to fill the void, isn't it? But the very next morning, when you've told them to leave, the feeling's back again… you've only yourself…"
"No… no I don't…"
"If you opt to continue living in a lie, that is your choice. But living in denial would be futile, Eiri… There is only one truth…"
"NO!... you're wrong… Sh…shuichi… he knows me…"
The voice paused a moment.
"Shuichi? Is that so? Perhaps it was he who needed you. But what happens when that need disappears? What is there left of you? Nothing… nothing but yourself… the same person you were with ever since."
The water drops began once more, each drop resounding louder and louder, like drums. And finally, it reached the loudest beat, vibrating even in Yuki's heart, almost causing his eardrums to shatter.
And then darkness disappeared.
Yuki opened his eyes, and was greeted by the myriad of letters on the screen of his laptop, none formed any words. All he saw was a jumble of words done by the impression of his hand upon the keys of his laptop. He immediately sat up, after realizing that his head was resting upon his hands.
Yuki was gasping for breath, as if he had run a mile. He was sweating profusely despite the night being cold. Yuki blinked once more, again and again seeing the same screen in front of him. He looked around, and only saw the light which flowed out of his desk lamp. He was alone once more… and he could only ask one thing, the only thing on his mind at the moment.
"Was it just a dream???"
…………………………………………………
Shuichi was feeling better the next day. So much better that they had less than 10 takes for the next scene. Miraku himself was impressed, and Shuichi had not even felt the least bit scared of him. All he knew at the moment was that he was on the edge of bliss, and he couldn't be any happier.
Ban and Ginji were able to sneak to see how Shuichi was doing, though they had to keep their promise to wait for everyone else outside the studio. They were impressed at Shuichi's performance too—even if they had only watched him this once. And when Shuichi declared his determination to do his best, Ginji could not avoid glancing at Ban, who himself gave a knowing smirk.
As for the others, they couldn't feel any more relieved that Shuichi was finally doing better. That is, except for Hiro. Hiro was not as focused as his best friend. He couldn't help thinking about what Shuichi told him. Sure, he was relieved that Shuichi finally had a good dream of Yuki that night, and that he finally woke up with a smile on his face. But still, it was funny how Shuichi could find such a provocative dream "good". At least, that was one of the things Hiro always thought of as "the many mysteries of life… and Shuichi".
The shooting did well that day, and as Shuichi stepped of the stage, everybody was smiling and clapping in approval. He was feeling so good that he didn't even mind Miraku patting him on the back.
"Shuichi!" A voice shouted, it was Hiro walking into the studio. And again with an eyebrow raised.
"Hiro!" Shuichi replied with a smile, and still not noticing the arm around his shoulder.
"How was it?" Hiro asked, and coughed a bit.
"Oh!!! It was great!! I'm sure this will be another hit! Our fans won't be able to watch it just once!" Shuichi confidently laughed, and by then, Miraku's arm had slid off because of all the arm movements Shuichi was doing with excitement.
"That's great Shuichi!" Hiro smiled, his eyebrow more relaxed now, "let's get going then? It's lunch time already."
"Yaaaayyyy!!!" Shuichi followed Hiro as they headed for the door.
"Wait! Shuichi—" Miraku called out, causing the two to turn back, "I need to talk to you for a moment. I promise, this will not take long…" he added the request with a smile.
Shuichi looked at Hiro for a moment. But because of the dream he had the night before, he could not help but agree to Miraku's request. Hiro just sighed and told him that he would be waiting outside, making sure that he would just be outside the door.
"Just scream if anything happens…" Hiro whispered, making Shuichi blush and pout for a moment.
As soon as the door shut behind Hiro, Shuichi asked Miraku, "What is it?"
"Well… actually. I was just wondering… I mean, you did such a great job today. I just wanted to congratulate you. But really, pardon me… but I'm curious… what made you so energetic all of a sudden?"
"Ah.." Shuichi smiled and blushed as scenes from last nights dream were playing in his mind, "nothing, I just… ehehe…"
"Have you spoken to Eiri? Is that the reason? So that at least I know how to keep your performance in optimum level…" Miraku chuckled jokingly.
"Ah… er… well, you could say that…" Shuichi smiled widely and tilted his head to the side.
"Shuichi…" Miraku looked away for a moment, which took Shuichi in surprise as well.
"E-eh?"
"I heard you needed help…"
"A-ah? Help?" Shuichi was even more surprised. What kind of help was he talking about???
"Your band may be very discreet, but you surely should not underestimate my capabilities." Miraku looked him straight in the eye, then let out a chuckle which made Shuichi capable of breathing again.
"Well… er.." Shuichi had no idea what he should say, after all, this man gave him the shivers by just being near him.
"Here's what I propose…" Miraku said calmly, with an entrepreneurial air, "I can give you $500… minimum. Just for you…"
Shuichi gulped, and listened carefully for what that amount of money would need in exchange.
"But in exchange…" Miraku paused and shifted his glasses, taking a grim look at Shuichi, "You will have to stay with me…"
"Whaaaa-a-a-a…" Shuichi croaked.
"Just for an hour, maximum. Just listen to me, just talk to me. I want to get to know you better. Just think of it as becoming a close friend, except you get money for doing so…" Miraku smiled.
"E-e-e---" Shuichi could not release the air in his lungs. He could not believe what Miraku was asking. $500 for having a conversation for an hour? He was expecting Miraku to ask something more drastic, but this didn't seem bad at all! This must be a dream! But on the other hand… It's Miraku they were talking about here. It would take a miracle for Shuichi to feel comfortable just being 5 feet away from him.
But… he needed that money so badly…
"What do you say, Shuichi? It's a pretty good bargain, if you ask me." Miraku's eyes smiled as well.
Shuichi gulped, feeling his pride going down to his stomach as well. He held out his hand, and felt Miraku's hand clasp his. And they shook hands.
"Deal…" Shuichi blinked, and looked into the eyes of Miraku… it was a start.
"Tomorrow then?" Miraku asked.
"Tomorrow?" Shuichi was surprised that it was so sudden, he was hoping it would be a little later.
"Yes, would that be alright with you? I will treat you to lunch. I know this great restaurant nearby."
"Uhm… but… Hiro—"
"Don't worry, Shuichi," Shuichi thought he saw Miraku's eye glimmer for a moment, "I'll take care of it. Just make sure we meet here tomorrow."
"A-alright…" Shuichi nodded.
"During lunch break, alright? Don't worry Shuichi… I'm sure you'll enjoy every minute of it."
Shuichi gulped and nodded, trying to force a smile, "Uhm… Thank… you…" His voice still shivered a bit, and he took he leave. Miraku was left alone in that studio, still smiling with cunning.
"My dear Shuichi… Don't worry… It won't be long until we…"
Miraku paused as he put his hand into his suit pocket, and pulled out a wallet. He placed it to his nose, and inhaled deeply, savoring every scent he could get from the item. Then, he caressed it, placed it back in his pocket and patted it as if to calm it.
"Yes… it won't be long…" And mischief was embodied in his smile.
Author's Note: Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed my fic thus far! Very sorry for the prolonged… uhm… update >.>;;… I won't say I was busy, since everybody is.But I do hope that this chapter was A-OK! Heeheeeeeee, I'm finally getting somewhere! YEAH!!!! claps for herself Awright cough cough uhm, I'll start working on the next chapter now so that (hopefully) it won't take that long to update, ehe! T
Thanks again to all those who read and reviewed… you are my INSPIRATION!!!! :D :D :D Things are going to get… busy. smirk