The Strength of Three Part 2 - Break Up

My announcement was followed first by silence, then hysterics. And eventually ended in Tohma's office. The first thing my cousin pointed out was my contract was not up yet. Leave it to him to realize that. Until then, I was expected to continue working.

He didn't understand! None of them did! I couldn't do the work anymore. Didn't they see that? When I walked out the second time, Sakano tried to stop me, but in the end it was K who ordered us all out. No one argued with our gun-toting manager. And nobody followed me when I left, not that I expected them to.

'Bad Luck began as a highschool band made up of classmates Hiroshi Nakano and Shuichi Shindo. The two were signed by N-G Studios then newest producer Sakano after graduation, and continued performing as a duo even during the start of the band's career. One has to question the late addition of Suguru into the mix. What prompted the band's line up change - Fujisaki's supposed musical talents, or his relation to the head of the production company?

'Bad Luck's music was always accompanied by synth - provided by a studio musician, and Fujisaki was originally added as a back-up member to the group. Shortly after his addition guitarist Hiroshi Nakano was said to be leaving the group, prompting Fujisaki's promotion to full membership. In a media-sensation conference, Nakano denounced his intentions, and Suguru's addition as their third member was confirmed. Coincedence or publicity stunt?'

Suguru slammed the folder containing the tabloid shut, and stood up to pace the still sparse new apartment. Turning to the keyboard he kicked it, sending it flying into the wall.

"Do you think Sakano and K will just replace him?" Shuichi asked Hiro. They were having lunch at the guitarist's apartment.

"I don't know." Hiro admitted. "I have to admit, it will be odd to play without him. And I don't know who they'll get to do our remixing either."

"Our final album together will all have been remixed by Fujisaki, so I suppose for atleast half a year all we'll need is another keyboardist...still..." Shuichi frowned.

"Well, we did start as a duo." Hiro pushed his food around his plate. "I suppose we could go back to that, with just studio musicians or back-up members."

"Hiro?"

"Hmm?" The guitarist looked over at his friend, who's face was tilted down, his hair blocking his expression.

"After lunch, let's practice, alright? Just the two of us?"

Hiro blinked, confused. "Alright."

"So, is that the end of it, then?" Noriko asked, leaning with her arms behind her on a control booth.

"From the start, being in Bad Luck was Suguru's choice." K stated, tapping his gun against his leg.

"It's just so sudden, what are we to do?" Sakano sighed. He had a cup of tea and looked deeply troubled. "The contracts for all the members are up in less than a week - right before the launch of their concert tour. On such short notice, regardless of what course of action we take, it seems unlikely to end well."

"If we only knew what was wrong." Tohma leaned his head on the back of his closed fist. "This is much too sudden, and Suguru's actions are just not like himself."

"You've cracked under pressure before." Noriko said suddenly.

"Hn?" Tohma glanced over.

"So have I. And Ryuichi, too. But we've been there to pull eachother back together." The purple-haired keyboardist continued. "Unfortunately, Fugisaki isn't as close to his bandmates as we three were and still are. And since he's seemed content to be distant, they haven't tried to close the gap."

"So you think it's simply the pressure of being an idol getting to him?" Tohma asked her.

"It seems likely."

"But what are you suggesting we do about it?" Sakano queried.

"Nothing." K supplied.

"Nothing!"

"This is one time our interference would only cause more problems. This is a problem they have to solve on their own. No, Tohma?" K looked at the company head.

Tohma didn't reply at first. He stood to go and look down into the empty practice room below. "I guess it's time for Bad Luck to prove the true strength they possess as a group."

Yuki awoke to a muffled souind he could only just hear. He turned instinctively to Shuichi's side of the bed, only to find it empty. That brought him to consciousness in a snap. "Shuichi?" Noting his slippers were missing he exited the bedroom, following the muffled noise to the living room.

Shuichi was sitting on the floor, his head on his knees and his arms wrapped around them, watching a concert on the television. The performers were not, however, Nittle Grasper as he might have expected, but Bad Luck. The sound was turned down very low - so not to wake him he guessed. His usually hyper-active lover was extremely somber as he watched the performance, his eyes intent on the image that played across the screen.

"A little narcissistic, isn't that?" The teasing words came out before he thought about it.

Shuichi started, but then simply retook his position. "I didn't mean to wake you. Usually you sleep like a rock."

Something in his posture, in the way he didn't look at him, sent warning bells off in Yuki's head. Coming up he knelt behind him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Idiot. I woke up and you weren't there, how could I sleep?"

Shuichi relaxed into his arms, leaning back to rest his head on Yuki's shoulder as he continued to watch the concert. It was one of their newest, he recognized. "We've changed alot, haven't we? Since when we first began."

"Your lyrics haven't improved."

Shuichi actually smiled at the barb, tilting his head to brush a kiss against Yuki's jawline. "Neither have you." Yuki arched an eyebrow, but said nothing and the younger man turned back to the concert. After several long minutes of watching he broke the silence again. "You can't go back, can you? Only forward."

"That's the way life tends to work." Yuki conceded.

"Music too...I'm ready for bed now. Let's go." He broke the embrace to shut off the concert, turning back to Yuki and offering a hand up.

Yuki accepted it, but when they were standing, he brushed his lips over Shuichi's. "Now I get it. Are you certain?"

"I want to say no, but unfortunately I am. Completely certain..." He lowered his face and Yuki saw a tear fall from behind his mop of hair. He pulled him close, letting him cry.

"Good morning." Hiro bowed to the secretary at the front desk of N-G Studios as he made his way to the elevator. He paused when he saw Shuichi waiting for him. He was unusually still, and looked tired. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Some." Shuichi shrugged the question off. "Are you ready for this?"

Hiro looked away for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "No. But it's the right thing to do." He turned back, resting his hand on Shuichi's shoulder. "I"m behind you one hundred percent."

Shuichi nodded, and they entered the elevator together.

Barely in sight at the edge of the hallway, Ryuichi Sakuma stood frozen as he watched them. His eyes slid close, hiding the somber look they'd held. Turning to lean against the wall he managed a bright smile as he produced a pink, stuffed bunny. "I guess this is it, Kumagoro. Eh?" He spoke to it, seeming cheerful. But as he turned away, a tear splashed onto the plushy's paw.

Suguru entered the practice room of N-G Studios to silence. The group seemed to be waiting for him - which was suddenly the normal, though a few days before had been just the opposite. K made no move to demand answers or the remix from him, much to his surprise. As he made his way over to stand near the others, he was struck by the division. Sakano and K were to one side, while Hiro and Shuichi were sitting across from him. 'What's that line about standing united? Something about falling when divided, isn't it?' He thought in the eerie silence of the usually noisy room.

Slowly Shuichi stepped forward. "As I already told K and Sakano - I have an announcement to make. But first I'd like to make a request." He turned to K. "I need you to book us a performance before the end of the week. Someplace large."

"Any particular reason?" K frowned.

Shuichi met there manager's eyes calmly. "For Bad Luck's Farewell Concert."

To Be Continued...

Are you telling me you didn't see that coming? Really? I know, it's evil of me to end there, but hang on. There's more to come! Review please?

Thank-you everyone for the comments and corrections. (NG Records...I couldn't remember anything but the NG when I first wrote the story and I forgot to correct it later...that was embarrassing...) I wanted to clarify a few things before I go.

I'm not hooking Suguru up with anyone. The only romantic scenes found in this fic are between Yuki and Shuichi, and even those are pretty sparse. The focus of the story is the relationship between Bad Luck's three members. Because Suguru always seems to keep himself apart from Shuichi and Hiro, and that seemed pretty sad to me. I wanted to bring them closer together, and - yes - I probably could have done it without giving Suguru a nervous breakdown, but where's the fun in that? Right? Besides both Shuichi and Hiro have gotten to do the whole "I'm quitting the band" thing, so Suguru deserves a chance! LOL

There's also a bit more to the breakdown than the tabloid, though you could say it was the trigger. Remember Suguru's opening first person part mentioned it was the tabloid "combined with an unlikely series of events" that effected his career and relationship with his bandmates. That unlikely series of events has already occured, but you might not fully see or understand them until the fourth and final part of the story. Hopefully you'll stick around until then.

Salmon