—No Place Like Home—

Luka stirred when the sun filtered through the blinds, more from habit than anything. Early morning flights were a norm during the touring season, so it took her a moment to remember that she wasn't actually on her way to the airport this morning. She dropped the overnight bag she'd picked up onto the floor and fell onto her back on her bed, a relieved sigh leaving her.

Peace and quiet.

.

.

.

She must have dozed off because the gentle rumble of a purr roused her enough to reach instinctively for the furrball she knew would soon be poking her face with a paw. Kaito mewled when she hugged him to her chest, squirming, and soon after Len came leaping onto the bed, headbutting her arm for pets.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake." She yawned, releasing the sandy-furred kitty, and the two went dashing off, the collars around their necks jingling merrily. She followed the echoing sound, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. In the kitchen, she filled their bowls and bid her personal chef good morning. He already had breakfast plates on the table and her assistant had gathered tabloids featuring her performance the night before for her to peruse.

She frowned at the pile and returned to the master bathroom to quickly brush her teeth and wash her face. By the time she sat at the table, the chef had added a few more plates and Len and Kaito were sitting on their favourite breakfast perch, watching her with curious gazes. They kept her company as she picked over her food, her mind elsewhere.

"Did you want me to make you something else, Miss?"

"Mm? No thank you, Eric. You can go."

The young man bowed and took his leave until the next scheduled meal. He had already blended up some protein shakes and left them in the fridge in case she felt peckish later.

After she was finished, Luka placed her dishes in the sink and returned to her room. She showered and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt and was lacing up high top sneakers when someone knocked on her door.

"Yes?"

"Miss Luka, did you have plans today?"

She swore under her breath, stuffing her wallet into her pocket and jamming a beanie onto her head. "Uh, yeah. I was just heading out."

"Please be back by 6. Your vocal coach is coming to see you."

"Can do."

Luka waited until her assistant's footsteps faded before moving quickly and quietly to the foyer. Len and Kaito were already there to see her off, the former sitting in a potted plant and the latter crouched between two marble busts. Len's ears flicked back when she grabbed her house keys and Kaito mewled, his tail curling and uncurling.

"Hold down the fort, boys." She stooped and kissed the tops of furry heads before heading out and closing the door quietly behind her.

Luka took her bike rather than the car-less conspicuous that way. The air was unseasonably cool for this time of year, but she welcomed the cool breeze as she wound her way through the city streets. It was early enough so that there wasn't too much foot traffic, though some salary men were still making their way to work. She pulled into an alley and was about to secure her bike when a large, buff man came around the side of the building.

"I thought I saw you come around here. You can take your bike inside, kid."

"O-oh." Her face heated. "Thank you, Lloyd."

"No problem. You come here pretty often, huh?" He lifted the bike easily, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. "You don't seem like the type to need our services."

"Uh..."

"Hey, no judgment here. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Luka smiled gratefully as she held the door open for him and Lloyd went into the lobby where he set down the bike behind his desk. The place was all shades of white and creme-regal without being overbearing. Dressed as she was she felt totally out of place, but like Lloyd had said: there was no judgment here. It was a practice that all of the staff she'd met with seemed to embrace.

"The usual?"

He'd only been their front desk man for two months by her count. It was a little embarrassing that he'd already gotten her routine down. "Yes... Thank you."

"Cash?"

"Yes." She set down a stack of bills and waited for him to count it. Not that the sum was particularly large; just enough to get her the time she needed without implicating her as someone with means.

"Fifth floor. Enjoy yourself." He grinned and she returned the expression weakly as she accepted the key card to access the lift.

Luka hooked a right and made the short trip down a plain hallway to the elevator lobby. There were four elevators, each of which she could only assume were also glass walled because they wouldn't open without the correct key card. She entered the one furthest to the left and a pleasant female voice said, "It's our pleasure to serve you. What is your destination?"

"Fifth floor."

A gentle chime indicated that the command had been recognized and the elevator doors slid shut.

"Hold on!"

A well-dressed, green-haired woman was hustling towards the elevator, determination in blue eyes. Luka started, quickly placing her foot between the closing doors to stop them.

"Obstruction detected. Please remove any personal belongings from the doorway."

The elevator was at once flooded with a sweet scent she couldn't put her finger on and Luka stole glances at the other girl as they ascended. Did she work here? She nodded when the girl thanked her, hunching her shoulders and fiddling with the ID card in her pocket. On second glance, the girl was quite pretty and there was confidence in her stance that Luka had affected many times herself on stage.

The young woman kept her gaze on the door, but Luka saw the corner of her lip quirk upwards and immediately faced forward, her stomach fluttering. Caught. When she got to her floor, Luka squeaked a goodbye and stumbled into the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief when the doors shut again. No matter how many times she did this, she'd never feel comfortable meeting with...

Who was she meeting with anyway?

Luka made her way down the dimly lit hall, her heart thudding against the inside of her chest. The lighting was intended to create a romantic atmosphere conductive to more carnal activities, but it actually just made her anxiety levels spike. The plaque on one of the doors lit up, responding to the proximity; it read "Yuki."

She knocked before entering, though she really didn't need to, and a sultry female voice said, "Come on in, baby."

Ugh. The pet names and the false sense of emotional connection they inspired were something she could do without.

Inside, the room was clean and simple. There was a bed, naturally, and a chest of drawers full of unmentionables, and the decor was modern. A gorgeous short-haired brunette awaited her, long legs crossed. She was fully dressed and, though she smiled enticingly, she waited for Luka to approach.

Across from the bed, there was a single wooden stool.

Good. Lloyd had passed on the message. The thing she liked most about this brothel—even more so than the total lack of judgment of its patrons-was that the girls were flexible in the services they offered. If you could dream it, there was a girl here who could make it happen—assuming you could afford it.

Yuki crawled to the end of the bed on all-fours, dark eyes glittering as Luka took a seat. She likely expected to be placed across Luka's lap and spanked or made to act like a pet or... Well, there were a lot of interesting tales she'd heard from other girls she'd met with.

Would Yuki be disappointed that there was nothing of that nature on her mind?

"I just want to talk."

Even as she said it, it sounded lame in her ears-an echoed sentiment that half a dozen other girls had heard before her.

Ayane had learned that she was tired. All the time. Waking up, going to a venue, performing sound tests, dressing, preparing herself mentally, performing, attending after parties and meet and greets-it all came before finally getting some sleep. Then she had to do it again, daily, for weeks and sometimes months at a time.

Haruko had learned that she never had time for herself. She had to meet with writers when she wasn't writing her own music, travel to the studio for recording, promotional shoots, and music video production. Sometimes she managed to forget her fatigue, she was so caught up in a million other things.

Izumi had learned that she felt stifled. She went where production wanted her to, saying only what they said she could. She was constantly being coached, groomed. Regardless of what she was feeling, she was expected to grin and bear it. A pretty idol is a valuable idol.

Naoto had learned that she felt expendable. Being signed to a major label meant money, yes, but competition doesn't stop. And just because she was sick didn't mean the shoot/performance/meeting could be postponed. Time was quite literally money in the entertainment world. If she was unhappy with the way things were, there was always another cute young girl eager to be famous anyway. Other idols were catty and viscous, undercutting her where they could while smiling in her face. It was through stardom that she had learned the lengths to which a desperate woman would go.

The list went on.

She couldn't give the exact details without outing herself, but she managed to fill their time together with talking and that eased some of herburden. Some girls even managed to carry on the conversation as though they had a genuine interest. Did they actually care? Probably not. But at least she felt betterafterwards-if only for a little while.

When her time was up, Luka bid Yuki goodbye. The elevator ride down seemed much longer than the one up had been and she worried her bottom lip as the floors passed by. When the doors opened, she returned to the lobby and she was relieved to see Lloyd wasn't at the desk.

She wasn't in the mood to put on another act.

The pink-haired girl retrieved her bike and slipped outside. Buildings and people blurred by as she pedaled hard, placing as much distance between herself and the establishment as she could. She felt... Lighter somehow and she released a whoop as she veered around foot traffic. The sun was high in the sky and the city noise was comforting in its familiarity.

It felt good to share, even if the conversation had been rather one sided. Even if her conversation partner had likely forgotten her story the moment she walked out of the room. Even if Yuki had looked at her with pity in dark eyes...

Luka frowned. The irony of having a woman of ill repute pitying her, a super star who supposedly had everything going for her, made her gut lurch. By the time she got home, Luka was exhausted-not physically, but emotionally. She showered and then fell into her bed, her throat aching as frustration welled up in blue eyes.

Was she really so pitiable? And if so, why was she staying in a position that made her so unhappy? Like the abusee in an abusive relationship, she allowed the cycle to continue without hope of ever breaking it.

"Miss Luka?" A timid knock made her wipe her face hastily.

"Come in."

Eric opened the door and in came Len and Kaito. They leaped right onto the bed, purring and rubbing against her, and she at once felt better. Who needed people? Cats were the best.

"I'll start making lunch if you're ready."

She almost declined, but doing so had caused issues in the past. Apparently her personal trainer thought her "too skinny" and not eating regularly hadn't helped. After her manager had found out, he'd instructed Eric to watch her like a hawk.

"Sure."

"Good girl."

She smiled weakly back at the man and he closed the door behind him.