Chapter 8

"Shut the fuck up! LOOK!"

The tickets were registered, the three that have been stolen were now in their names and they will be going to the concert. Michi, who is the leader of his five friends just got a text message. Apparently there was another contests for those who won the tickets, they have just got invited to a meet and greet and were permitted four other friends to attend!

"We get to meet Ryomen Sukuna and the Death paintings! That loser turned out to be a goose that laid the golden egg huh?" Michi said and snickered.

They had to be at the venue in twenty minutes though for the event. They gladly skipped lunch and ran to their meet and greet. The security peered over the phone and nodded, allowing them back stage and behind closed doors.

They were led to the room, there, the Death Paintings lingered. They turned to see them there but didn't even greet them. "Whoa… no way, Michi we're backstage!"

"I know Nami! You guys are AWESOME!" Michi shouted.

Only to get a snort out of Kechizu. "Really? That's all you got to say?" he asked in a rather annoyed tone. "Typical, then again, you were always like that…"

Michi froze to his tone. "What did you mean…"

"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY HAIR GEL!" Michi froze as he heard the bellowing voice of Ryomen Sukuna. He stormed into the room wearing nothing more than a towel, dripping wet before he glared at the Death Paintings. "WELL!?" he shouted at them.

"Do any of us spike our hair?!" snapped back Eso. "We're all natural here… by the way…" he pointed behind him.

Ryomen turned, yet the glare in his eyes sent chills down their spines. Michi froze to it. "Don't you be thinking about what's under this towel!" he said in a warning tone.

"Uh… we're suppose to be here for a meet and greet…" Michi explained delicately.

"Oh for fuck's sakes…" Ryomen muttered under his breath. "Fine, I'll find pants!" he stormed off once more.

This was the strangest Meet and Greet.

Michi however kept calm as he saw Kechizu approach him oddly. He stared into his face and he into his. There was… something familiar about him. He pulled away shortly after. "So, you guys in school?" he asked offhandedly.

"Nah man, not for me." Michi explained. "Besides, I doubt you finished school to become a rock star!"

Suddenly, there came glares from the other band members. Kechizu smirked before moving along. By that time, Ryomen returned, marks and all, and wearing his infamous black shorts and sneakers. "I found the gel, son of a bitch hid it on me…"

Before they could ask whom, a strange man appeared. "Okay darlings… oh… why who do we have here?"

"Whose the fruit cake?" Michi asked aloud.

"Our manager," Ryomen said in a warning tone. "Mind your tongue. Or you will lose it,"

More chills crept down his spine. He meant that!

Michi kept his mouth shut. "Perhaps it's best we just get a picture and go." Said Nami.

"Fuck, you want a picture now!?" Ryomen demanded. "FINE," but wasn't happy.

They Death Paintings gathered, the manager had moved some things around so they could coordinate everyone. He was about to take the photo until he peered. "Junpei, sweetie, you're not in the shot… there we go!"

Michi froze, as did all of his friends, he felt the color drain from his face as the picture was taken. When he recovered, he turned and face him. "Jun… Junpei… Junpei Yoshino?" Michi asked.

"Yeah… by the way, from this moment on, you and your… friends… are barred from our concerts. Which means…" he reached into his jacket and took out the tickets he kept peering out of the pocket. "You won't need these…" and ripped them right in front of their eyes!

"HEY! WE…"

"Stole them…"

Michi froze as the kid he knocked down earlier for these appeared with his brother and friend. They wore VIP backstage passes now. "Wait… HOW?!" Michi demanded.

"Never… EVER do something foolish in front of our family. Especially when it's a family matter. Our older brother saw what you did, and we happened to have pictures of your faces…" Junpei explained. "And… I knew who you were…"

"But… YOU WERE AN ONLY CHILD! YOU NEVER SPOKE OF BROTHERS!"

Junpei smirked. "You wouldn't have cared anyway, not that you did about me. I was just a piss on to you, and a sandbag… not a good feeling is it?" he asked with a smug look on his face.

Michi couldn't take it.

Junpei was nothing more than a weak kid from his former high school. He managed to get friends since they all picked on him and he fell into that crowd shortly after. But then… went missing.

They said he moved due to the harassment, but that couldn't be true now could it?

With rage in his fists, he unleashed it. After all, he's just a loser from school, what could he…

Yet as his fist was about to fly, it was quickly caught before it could make contact. Junpei… caught the hand without flinching! "I'm not the same person you use to pick on." He said and smiled wickedly. It was nearly worthy of Ryomen Sukuna himself! "So… bros… what do we do with them?"

"They are banned from our shows from this moment on… but still they caused trouble for our fans, it doesn't end well for those who cause trouble…" Ryomen said as his voice went sinister. He then leaned in and whispered into Michi's ear. "Just so you know, my persona… isn't all for show. I can curse you six ways from Sunday. You will never have a normal life again, you will be full of fear, terror and become a shell of your former self…" but pulled back and said. "But, I'll let my bro decide that, Junpei, what do we do?"

Michi froze to the notion, Ryomen Sukuna… is weird to say the least. But at the same time, the way Junpei looks… in fact, all of the death paintings for that matter… they all looked… strange to him now.

"I think a little curse is in order." Junpei explained. "Bro, curse him for whatever deed he does to another that does not benefit them… return to him, and let him be punished for it!"

"Ooo the karma curse, I like it!"

"Curse?!" Michi's friends demanded. But it was too late, Ryomen's hands were coursing in this odd black fire!

"Remember what we said here, it would be best from this moment on that you don't fuck up!" but the look turned devious. "But you won't remember this…"

#

He woke.

Michi and his friends were passed out in garbage in an alleyway. "Huh… where?" he muttered.

"My head…"

"What happened?"

"Did we get mugged?"

No one… could remember anything that happened, how they got there or why. But he checked his personal belongings. His money was gone! "What?! I've been robbed!"

"Me too"

"All my yen!"

"What the hell happened, we're not hurt… so how did we…" he couldn't understand it to say the least, and yet, there was this feeling of dread in his stomach. As his friends tried to figure out what to do, he felt something stiff in his jacket pocket. Reaching in, he took out a strange photo.

He froze to it.

"Does… anyone remember this?" and showed them.

They froze. It was them, with the Death Paintings and Ryomen Sukuna… but they were given the middle finger by all of them and in their direction!

"Wait, we met them!?"

"I… think so… but I can't remember."

Something lurched in his stomach. Michi began to feel sick. "I think we ought to call it a day…"

"Wait, don't they have a concert today? We got tickets right? Or… we couldn't get them…" Nami said offhandedly. But she too appeared confused to it all.

"We can try, I mean, let's go to the box office and see." Michi suggested. Yet, when they got to the box office, the woman at the desk took one look and refused. "Sold out and you're banned, all five of you. See…"

They froze, behind them were posters with their faces, they are no longer permitted to buy tickets to see Ryomen Sukuna or the Death Paintings?! "SINCE WHEN!" he demanded.

"Now," the lady snapped back. "Security!"

They had to be taken off the premises. Still, none of them could figure out how it happened, let alone why they got banned or how they met their favorite bands…