Chapter 2
Shuichi clutched the mug of beer harder as he tried his best not to cry out again – or to at least stop his lips from trembling too much. He just wanted to forget even for just a moment the hurt and hollow ache in his chest. So he decided to drown his sorrows in the Neon Lion by drinking.
Shuichi upped and downed the mug of beer in his hand and motioned for 'Teddy' the bartender to fill him another one. The bartender looked at him with pity in his eyes as he handed him another mug of beer. Shuichi looked away from those kind eyes.
"Buddy, you're drunk. That's the last one ok?" 'Teddy' said in a kind and soothing voice. Shuichi stuck a trembling lower lip at the guy and harrumphed. He's a big boy and if he wanted to forget his troubles by drowning himself in beer then he will!
A tear spilled unbidden from one eye. Shuichi quickly wiped them away and then tucked his head in his folded arms as his shoulders rocked because of his hiccups. He wasn't drunk enough! If he could still feel this pain and can still picture Yuki's blank face then, he definitely wasn't drunk enough!
He angrily sat back up and grabbed the mug of beer and downed it in one gulp. Wiping his lips, he started to feel angry. He wanted to blame someone, maybe Yuki, for putting him through such pain. Or maybe even 'Teddy' because he was refusing to let him drink all he want. But Shuichi knew that he can't put the blame on anyone. Because he knew that this mess was all his fault. It was his doing and now he's paying for it.
He stared at the various bottles of liquors lined at the bar of Neon Lion unseeingly. He wondered where Yuki might be. And even though Yuki has inadvertently added some burden to Shuichi by leaving without saying anything, Shuichi can't help but worry about his lover.
Is he still angry? Has he eaten dinner yet? Is somebody there with him to console him? Is he thinking of leaving me for good? At that question to himself Shuichi burst into silent tears and sobs. He knew he looked pathetic but he was in too much pain to care.
He knew people were looking and pointing in his direction. They were probably saying: Poor guy, he got dumped by a girlfriend. Shuichi sniffled loudly as he smiled darkly to himself. Nope, I got dumped by a boyfriend. He made a mad snatch for his beer mug and found that it was empty. He looked at the bar and noticed that this nosy bartender 'Teddy' was currently at the other end. He quickly flagged down the other one.
This bartender's name was 'Mikey' and he looked like he didn't care whether he got smashed or not. He beckoned 'Mikey' closer and whispered furiously.
"Hey, I got money and I'm willing to give you all the yen I have in my pocket if you let me get smashed." Shuichi said this in a slightly slurry voice. 'Mikey' looked at him dubiously. Shuichi sighed as he reached for his pocket, retrieved all the yen he got and slapped it in the counter. The middle-30's bartender with the bored look on his face counted the money and when finished counting, grinned widely and indulgently.
"Bottom's up then, buddy!" Shuichi gave a thumbs up sign, a sure sign that he'd been hanging around with Mr. K too much, and smiled drunkenly.
"Bring it on."
Shuichi smiled to himself as he felt his head start to float. He had begun to feel numb and he can barely see or hear all the commotion happening around him. Everything was starting to go hazy and dark. He giggled happily as he rubbed his cheek on the cold surface of the mug. This is what he calls the good life. Just him and his mug of beer existing in his happy place.
'Mikey' the bartender had been his best friend for the past two hours. Because he's been giving him beer upon mug of beer on that length of time. And he didn't complain or nag at him. Not even once. Not like that nosy guy 'Teddy' who likes to stick his nose into other people's business! Bah. He's such a prude. Shuichi thought to himself as he sloppily waved a hand at his best friend 'Mikey'.
He was about to enjoy his drink when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up he saw a guy with chin length brown hair and green eyes looking at him with interest. He smiled when his vision of the guy split into two.
"You're that guy from Bad Luck right? Shindou Shuichi?" Shuichi's head bobbed up and down as he pointed a forefinger in his chest.
"Yup! That's me! Shindou Shuichi!" Shuichi answered proudly and rather loudly. And because he was so buzzed, he didn't even realize the repercussions of announcing that he was a celebrity in a seedy bar.
Heads turned in their direction. And when they confirmed that yes, he was indeed Shindou Shuichi, they started whispering among themselves. A few looked like they wanted to come over and talk to the vocalist of Bad Luck but stopped short when they noticed the brown haired guy standing next to him with a dark scowl on his face, as if challenging those who would dare come over.
"So you want an autograph?" Shuichi asked the guy in a slurred voice. The guy shook his head. Shuichi looked at him with narrowed eyes for awhile and then lost interest. A drunk Shuichi equals a much shorter attention span.
"By the way, I'm Terrence." The guy said as he sat on the stool next to Shuichi. Shuichi didn't acknowledge him. Instead he started to stare at the colorful bottles of liquor in front of him, like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Terrence's eyes twitched madly but he kept his cool.
"Looks like you got dumped by… Yuki Eiri, wasn't it?" Shuichi looked at him sideways and scowled. Terrence just smiled. Shuichi snorted through his nose as he diverted his attention back to his neglected mug. When the guy realized that he had been ignored once again, he decided to make a blunt move.
"Why don't…" Terrence hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and had started to wander at the small of Shuichi's back. The vocalist of Bad Luck didn't even flinch at the invading touch. He just continued drinking little sips from his mug.
"…You and I play around in private?" Terrence's hand trailed down to Shuichi's behind and copped a feel. Shuichi merely slapped his hand away and proceeded to stare at the colorful bottles once again. Terrence got pissed at that and stood up.
"You…!" He grabbed the front of Shuichi's shirt and hauled him to his feet. Shuichi just looked at him blankly as he clutched the hand holding him up.
"Dude. I am not interested… Okay?" He said in a somber manner that makes you wonder if he's really drunk. Terrence reached his limit.
"What's so good about this Yuki Eiri anyway! He's a bastard right? And don't you watch the news? He's got numerous girls on the side!"
"I bet you he doesn't even care about you! He's such a cold hearted prick that likes to play with other people's feelings! And he's…" Terrence didn't finish that sentence because a solid blow to his nose interrupted him.
All chaos broke loose when Terrence got his senses back and started throwing punches on his own.
Mr. K was very rudely woken up from a very nice dream. He dreamt he was king of the world and had just beaten Tohma at one of their bets. Their dear Mr. President was about to kneel before him, ready to acknowledge his greatness when his cell phone rang loudly. He shot up angrily and blearily glared at the wall.
Mr. K swore that if this call was just a prank call, then somebody will have to get hurt. He snatched the still loudly ringing phone, flipped it over and answered irritably.
"Mr. K here. And this better be important!"
"Mr. K! This is Sakano. I need you here in the Neon Lion. Pronto!" Mr. K frowned as he tried to process what he had been told. The Neon Lion? Wasn't it a seedy club somewhere south of NG Corps? And what the hell was Mr. Timid Producer doing there? He just didn't fit the image.
"Mr. K? Mr. K? Are you still there? Did you hear me? I need you…" Mr. Producer did not sound drunk or whatever so Mr. K can only assume that one of their charges was the culprit.
"Yeah, yeah. I got you. So spill. What's the problem?" Mr. K asked calmly as he stood up and gathered his scattered clothes on the floor hurriedly. He put the phone between his ear and the crook of his shoulder as he pulled on his pants.
"Shuichi got into a bar fight and the media people are starting to swarm the place! I need you here for damage control!" Mr. Producer shrieked into the phone wildly. Mr. K heard some tiny, slurry voice through the phone. He sighed.
"You got Shuichi?"
"Yeah, he's here with me. But the people at the Neon Lion would sure gab to the reporters about this one… This will not be good publicity for Bad Luck's album…" He can hear the nervousness in the other man's voice and sighed for the second time. Why the hell did he have to manage Bad Luck again? Oh yeah… He volunteered. Damn.
"Fine. I'll go there and snap some mouths shut. But I can't promise to entirely keep this quiet!"
"I know, Mr. K." Mr. Producer said tiredly. Mr. K narrowed his eyes as he fixed his tie. He's not in the best mood to act amiable towards the reporters or the people who needed to have their mouths sealed. Guess he'd have to make do with the blackmailing stuff. Not that's it a bad idea. Blackmails were always fun anyway.
"Mr. Producer, make sure that Shuichi does not get away from you. After I fix this, I'll have his hide!" He threatened somewhat darkly as he severed the connection. Tucking in his shirt, he looked at his mirror, pulled his shoulders back and gave his image a thumbs up sign. Time for some action.
Sakano-san brought Shuichi to Hiro-kun's house when his charge had drunkenly asked that please, don't bring him back to that 'lonely house'. Sakano-san was a bit confused at that but he relented to Shuichi's begging. He can't deny Shuichi anything. Not when his eyes are all watery, sad and tinged with hopelessness. So he brought him to a place where he knew he would be taken care of. Hiro-kun's house.
When Sakano-san arrived at Hiro-kun's it was Fujisaki-kun who answered the door. And he was not looking too happy at the idea of having a guest at such a late time. Or such an early hour. Whatever way you wanted to put it. He was about to lash out, but stopped short when he noticed that it was the kind Sakano-san in front of his boyfriend's doorstep. And that said boyfriend's best friend was hanging off Sakano-san's shoulders in drunken slumber.
"What happened?" He asked worriedly as he helped Sakano-san carry Shuichi into the apartment.
"He got into a bar fight. And if my memory serves me right, he sent three grown men to the hospital for minor cuts and bruises - and broken noses." Sakano-san sighed as they had finally put Shuichi down on the couch. Fujisaki nodded as he rushed to the kitchen to get towels and a basin of cold water.
Hiro who had just gotten out of the shower stopped short when he noticed his best buddy on the couch completely washed out.
"Holy cow! What happened to him?" Hiro asked as he rushed to Shuichi's side to kneel beside him. He brushed a stray hair from Shuichi's eyes as he assessed the damage done. He raked his eyes over Shuichi's body and found out that except for a nasty bruise in his right cheek and multiple little cuts on his upper arm, he was fine.
"Got into a bar fight." Sakano-san answered tiredly as he removed his glasses. Hiro nodded and stood up.
"How'd you find out about this?" He asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this. Sakano-san sighed and motioned for Hiro-kun to sit at the table. Hiro followed the silent order and when Hiro-kun was seated, Mr. Producer followed suit.
"I had a contact at the Neon Lion and they told me that Shuichi was there and was primed to get himself smashed." He paused to wipe his glasses.
"I decided to go there when I learned that he was alone. When I got there, he was already finishing the fight."
"Did you find out what happened?"
"Yes. It seems that the guy recognized him as Shindou Shuichi. Teddy told me that this guy tried to cop a feel off Shuichi and made lewd comments."
"Bastard…" Hiro-kun growled to himself. Sakano-san pretended he did not hear it and ploughed on ahead.
"Shuichi didn't even flinch to whatever the guy was doing to him and apparently, the guy got pissed because he was ignored."
"So what did he do? How'd he provoke Shuichi?"
"Well, it seems that the guy is a gossip because he knew about Yuki and Shuichi…"
"And…?"
"He told Shuichi that he was probably drinking his guts out because he got dumped by Yuki Eiri."
"He got angry because of that?" Hiro asked as his brows knitted together in concentration. Sakano-san shook his head slowly.
"No. what got Shuichi was when the guy started to diss Yuki big time."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one the guy said that Yuki Eiri was such a dickhead for picking Shuichi. That he was probably the most bastard person on the face of the earth because of what he'd reduced Shuichi too… That kind of stuff…" Sakano-san said as he replaced the glasses on his face and looked at Shuichi sadly.
"That guy…" Hiro whispered to himself as he felt some sort of admiration to Shuichi. Trust his buddy to be defensive for Yuki, when he himself was suffering because of said bastard.
Fujisaki reappeared with the towel and the basin of cold water in his hands. Sakano-san and Hiro-kun could only watch as Fujisaki started attending to Shuichi.
Mr. K had come to Hiro-kun's house in a very bad mood. He was stomping through his way loudly and had such a dark scowl pasted on his face. The three people awake in the house kept to themselves and did not dare utter a word for fear of their lives. A touchy Mr. K is a touchy murderer-slash-lunatic on the loose.
They watched as Mr. K paced in front of the couch Shuichi was sleeping on. Every once in awhile he would look at his sleeping charge and would shake his head furiously. After fifteen minutes of pacing, Mr. K finally tired of it. He narrowed his eyes at the other three people in the room with him.
"Even though I did my best, I couldn't contain this mess from coming out." He said through gritted teeth. Sakano-san, Hiro-kun and Fujisaki-kun knew that Mr. K wasn't mad because the news about this mess was coming out. He was mad because he couldn't do anything about it.
"What do you mean?" Sakano-san asked nervously.
"What I mean is that some lucky person had a handy cam in hand and took such a lovely picture of Shuichi in all his drunken glory! And get this… He even managed to capture Shuichi taking a swing at some random guy!" Mr. K said this in a booming voice. He was really barely suppressing his anger.
"Uh, can't you, uhm… You know blackmail him or something?" Fujisaki interjected timidly. Mr. K suddenly roared making the three of them jump out of their skins.
"It's not that I can't! I almost made the guy piss in his pants from scaring him!"
"Uh… So what happened then?" Hiro asked as calmly and as soothingly as he could.
"He already sold it to a goddamn freaking talk show! They'll be airing it tomorrow!"
"What! But… But…. Bad publicity…." Sakano-san could barely express himself. He suddenly felt like collapsing. Bad Luck's sophomore album…. What would become of it after this! And after all the hard work Bad Luck had put into making it!
"Can't you ask the show to withdraw that item? Can't you do something?" Hiro asked frantically as the three of them forgot that they should be walking on eggshells around Mr. K and started worrying too.
"I couldn't dig any bad info about the producer or to whomever important person on the show! They're clean! Grrr… And I can't exactly point my trusty magnums on them… They'd probably put me on the show too for harassment or whatever!"
"What should we do?" Fujisaki-kun asked as he looked worriedly at the sleeping form of Shuichi. For sure, this would add to the burden their vocalist was carrying. It would definitely take its toll.
"We should calm down and think about this properly." Mr. Producer suggested as he calmed himself down and motioned for Mr. K, Hiro and Fujisaki to join him at the table, making it a make shift meeting area.
When the four of them had settled in, drank the tea that Fujisaki had served them, they started to brain storm.
"We could dig for more info on the bosses of the show. They are in the show business… They couldn't be that clean." Mr. Producer said logically.
"Even if we find any useful info, it would be too late. The show would is slotted in mid morning. By the time we get our act together they would be finished airing it." Mr. K shot that suggestion down.
"How about denying it?" Fujisaki ventured.
"No. It was a very clear shot of Shuichi… We couldn't deny it."
"Why don't we just keep silent? I mean, this news would have to eventually die down…" Hiro put in.
"When the time comes for it to die down, Bad Luck would be replaced by some unknown other group."
"Ugh… What else is there to do!" Mr. Producer asked to no one in particular as he clutched his head in frustration. Meanwhile Mr. K was having a thoughtful look on his face.
"What if we use this bad publicity and turn it to a good one?"
"What do you mean?"
"We can't deny the pictures. Shuichi was caught completely throwing a punch at another guy… But if we put a sob story behind it… People will act all patronizing towards Shuichi. They'd feel sorry…" Mr. K said as he drove the point home by making wild hand gestures.
"What kind of sob story will we put behind it?"
"Let's just say that the reason why Shuichi is getting himself ass drunk is because he caught his lover having an affair with another man… And that Shuichi caught them in the act on their bed."
"But we would be involving Yuki Eiri and we'll be giving him a bad image. And we are not sure yet if that's the case." Fujisaki-kun said diplomatically. And besides, the idea did not sit well with him. Do they really have to destroy another person's privacy and image for their own good?
"We have no choice. Or do you have any more ideas?" Mr. K challenged. When no one presented a new idea, he grinned smugly.
"See, I told you." He said proudly. The four of them paused as if trying to get used to the idea of putting another person down.
"But how will we explain how Shindou-san got into the fight?" Fujisaki-kun asked, suddenly feeling so tired. Even if Yuki cheated on Shuichi that wouldn't explain why he got into the fight right?
"We'll use the true version."
"What true version?"
"That a guy copped a feel and made lewd comments. And that he didn't back down even when Shuichi asked him to stop and that the guy threw the first punch. Shuichi would have no choice then but to fight back right?" Mr. K said convincingly.
"So do we agree on this plan?" Mr. K asked after a pregnant pause. Thinking that there was no other way, the three nodded.
"Good. Hiro-kun you'll be our spokesperson for tomorrow. I need you to act all protective of Shuichi, okay? If you can, act like you really blame Yuki on what happened to Shuichi." Hiro-kun nodded solemnly as if resigning himself into doing this task.
"I'll help you later on, on what things to say on certain questions." Mr. K then turned to Mr. Producer.
"We need to get Shuichi into the hospital."
"What! But he's fine."
"We need him there so that there'll be more pity. So that it looks like he's the one who suffered most from the fight. I don't want him to look all macho because he defeated them all." Mr. K said as he put a hand to his chin, thinking briefly. Fujisaki sighed. When Mr. K gets into planning battle mode it's hard to get a word in.
"And then, we'll say that he's depressed because he's being cheated on by Yuki and will be unavailable for comments. Yes, that's it. That way they wouldn't be able to get a hold of Shuichi." Mr. K ranted more to himself than to them. Mr. Producer waved a hand in front of him to get his attention.
"But what if they took the accounts of the people present in the bar? Their testimonies would totally clash with what we wanted it to be..."
"Duh. I'm on my way to fix that up. Don't worry. I have my hands on it." Mr. K pulled his trench coat back into his frame as he started to get out.
"Oh Hiro-kun? Come with me." Hiro-kun nodded and stood up to get his own coat. Mr. K strutted his way towards the door and just as he was to go out, he turned to Mr. Producer for some last minute orders.
"Mr. Producer, Fujisaki-kun, tidy Shuichi up and get him to the nearest hospital. Bully yourself in and then I'll handle the rest when I come there, go it?" Mr. K waited for Hiro to come out before shutting the door behind them.
Fujisaki and Sakano-san looked at each other. Seems like they were back in the show business.
A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it took me long to get this chap out, but I've been busy! I have three case studies and to top it all, I have to work on my thesis! Grrr… school has been ruling over my time, and I do not like it one bit! (sighs)
Anyway, I'll still be writing if I have spare time or if I get lazy working on my school stuff... Hehehe… so expect the chaps to come out irregularly. So please be patient with me!
bLaCkfaia-nEkO – Hahaha… can't make up your mind who to pity more? (grins) anyway, another conflict's come up! Hope you like this chap!
StupidPinkBaka – Yuki didn't appear in this chap yet so you have to find out on the next one if he really left! (evil grin)
Mirra – thanks for the review! Here's the next chap! Hope you like it.
Clari-chan – awww… sorry I didn't update fast enough! But hey, I tried to make this chap as long as possible! (authoress waits nervously for clari-chan's reaction) So is it long enough? (smiles)
SilverTenshi44 – hmmm… am not sure if Yuki went to the laundry… haven't seen him around there! Hehehe… don't worry about the YuShu break up! They'll end up back together… Eventually!
