Chapter 22

Central Stage

Ryuichi sighed and gazed up at the sky. The never-ending snow that dropped from the sky really seemed to get on his nerves this particular winter. He sighed again and opened his can of cherry-flavored coca-cola with a quiet crack, gulping down a choking amount that really made him cough before slouching down in the couch and closing his eyes and losing himself in thoughts about what was to come over the next couple of days.

Nittle Grasper's first concert, Kori and his big dream, was looming ahead of them and advancing quickly. He couldn't help but be a little bit nervous about it. A little bit. Hell, he was scared to death. Their album had sold a record-breaking amount of a million copies in just twelve hours. He didn't want to disappoint the audience by messing up or anything that might get the show cancelled. To him, it was almost like the first time he got Kuma chan. But just one thing that might destroy the day is Kori. KORI! She still did not start on the song yet. And yet, she was sleeping soundly right beside him like as if the concert do not matter anymore to her.

'She'll never disappoint me,' he tried to reassure himself. 'I must trust her, she's my best friend right?'

He laughed. "But she hadn't even started on the song even though there was only a week to the big concert. Only one damned week, seven days, away."

Knowing that made him want to scream out loud and rip the hair from his head, but then he would wake Kori and the others up and what would he think if they saw him standing in a pile of his hair? They'd probably freak out and then K would kill him before it gets any worse. He couldn't help but laugh at it. The scene was really hilarious even though it's through his imagination.

A gentle hand on Ryuichi's thigh made him jump. He looked down to see Kori smiling upon him sleepily.

"What are you doing Ryu?" She yawned and hugged onto Kumagoro to get some warmth in the air-conditioned room, "Worried about the concert?"

Ryuichi chuckled and stroked Kori's soft hair "Sort of. But I'm more worried about that song or yours. When are you going to start writing it?"

Kori smirked and tugged herself more into Touma's jacket (which became her blanket when she fell asleep). "It's a song I know very well. Don't worry; I won't do anything stupid at this time of the day when everything's rushing. I had it all planned." she looked up at Ryuichi and smiled, placing her index finger at his cheek when he frowned. "You can trust me on that."

Ryuichi smiled and stared out the window, finally able to rest his mind on that issue. Then he sneezed and Kori offered to share the jacket, which they did.

"Sometimes I wonder if life's playing tricks on us," he whispered. "How can you still able to accept someone that easily that get yourself hurt then recover with no reasons at all?"

Kori sighed. "Yup, that's why I hate it. It really seems that life's so random."

Ryuichi chuckled and nodded his head slowly. "That is true. But tell me why. You could have just left me lying there on the school's bathroom the first time you found me. Why did you save me, knowing that what I want that time was death? You know that better than me."

He felt Kori's body tense as she began to take him as a support but he kept his tone even when he spoke. "True. But, do you wish that I hadn't found you? That you had died all alone that time ago and all these wouldn't have happened? Plus that I might had lost my mind."

Ryuichi laughed and shook his head. "No, because then I wouldn't be with you right now. It's just something that's been on my mind for a while now. I figured that it wouldn't hurt to ask."

Eiri sighed. "I'm so happy that I didn't die that time, all thanks to Touma. And seeing you there, dying… The emotions that flooded through me really caused me to go berserk. Seeing that my only friend is dying and leaving me here. It really burns inside."

Ryuichi smiled and stroke onto Kuma's head, seeing that it was a little lonely at that moment "Denial isn't an excuse for reducing to cutting ourselves to that pathetic state," he muttered.

Kori frowned a little and shut her eyes.

Ryuichi laughed and pulled the jacket to wrap him a little more. "Let's not think about those things, okay? We're alive. Kicking and happy and it's going to stay that way for the rest of our lives. I think it's time for us both to put the past behind us and move on."

Kori nodded and smirked, "Want to hear the special song before the concert?"

"Yeah sure." Ryuichi mumbled sleepily and laid onto Kori's shoulder letting the sandman do his job.

Kori smiled and open her lip, the familiar yet strangely lost tune blew out, unknowingly, there were ears listening to it.

How far should I go How much more do I have to know

I stayed at that spot thinking:

"How much further do I have to go?"

You never gave me a chance,

Saying that I'll always be a kid.

I'm an amateur and all will always be just a dream.

I couldn't grow up,

You wouldn't let me to.

If I would be given a chance to do,

I'll let go of you,

Get you outta my life,

Get you outta my memories.

I'll never get the chance to grow up.

I'll always be stuck in those memories

In a dream.

There, once again

You sang Baa baa black sheep.

You made me remember that life is not fair,

Not fair at all.

No one will ever had the same bag wool.

That was a lie and that was truth.

I couldn't remember those confusing words,

All I knew that it was just a fairy tale.

Another time,

You sang about Mary.

You told me that the little lamb followed her everyday,

Just like me.

I'll always be leaning onto your back for support,

I'll always be the first who shall fall in love with you.

I knew I couldn't trust your words,

But at last it came true.

I couldn't grow up,

You wouldn't let me to.

If I would be given a chance to do,

I'll let go of you,

Get you outta my life,

Get you outta my memories.

I'll never get the chance to grow up.

I'll always be stuck in those memories

In a dream.

Today, I sat before you.

I sang this song with you.

You told me that I was childish, being ridiculously stupid

Like I always am.

I'll never be able to grow up,

Remembering the haunting past that shall torture me.

I'll always be a stupid kid,

Losing and gaining in every aspects of life.

I couldn't grow up,

You wouldn't let me to.

If I would be given a chance to do,

I'll let go of you,

Get you outta my life,

Get you outta my memories.

I'll never get the chance to grow up.

I'll always be stuck in those memories

In a dream.

If I were to be given a chance,

I will grow up.

Even if I'll be stuck in those memories,

I believe that it's just a dream.

-----------------------------------------------

The seven days of hell passed and there they stood before their crazy screaming fans that tempted them throw their equipments offstage to feed them. Finally they were in the face of that central stage they should take.

This was where they began contract with the gods of music. On the stage of a Tokyo clubhouse with hundreds, maybe even close to a thousand, people screaming for them to push themselves to the edge. Sweat was dripping from every pore of their body, soaking their clothes and sneaking into their eyes. The bright lights that beat down on them and made the crowd look like a blurred mass of multicolor blobs.

As Touma and Noriko played out the ending verse of "The game of Lost", Ryuichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The screams of the fans were like a drug. He fed from them as he started to sing.

Grabbing onto Kori's waist as they twisted around in an erotic dance as fan service, Ryuichi screamed the verse through his microphone, causing it to blast to his fans as they screamed for more.

I'm in distress,

I'm still digging my way out from the never-ending darkness

The world is falling on me

I'm not there to be sure.

So are you going to hate me?

Are you gonna hurt me

Oh darn,

I can't get a grip on myself.

I felt more like dying in this living hell.

It's polluted by pain.

Pain that just makes my life more difficult.

This show is going to end.

I'm wreaking it.

Hate me if you do,

Hurt me if you will.

Oh Jesus, I'm coming to an end.

Kori positioned herself behind her best friend, licking onto a layer of air that was so thin that her tongue almost touched his skin (fan service, and it's already planned), causing a rampage in the fans before she got herself in the echoing part to press the climax of the song.

I was there in the moonlight

Ignored and find myself lost again.

Why do I keep doing this?

Losing myself in the past

And took the chance to escape the future.

The sweat flowed into her eyes, creating a vision of her tears. The fans tried to comfort her, somehow an amusing sight to Kori as she was not really crying.

I'm useless and should be long gone.

I hate it when I'm me.

I hate it when you say you love me.

Why do I think so?

I don't know about it myself.

All I knew was this is hell.

The song ended with a small gothic tune. The band members began to breathe once again. Half a second of silence before the crowd erupted into screams.

Ryuichi grabbed onto the stand and Kori went to were Touma synthesizers are to take the guitar she placed there before the concert start, "Are you ready to really ready to be burn to ashes?" The crowd roared. Assuming that they agreed, Ryuichi screamed again, " Let's begin another baby tune, we call it 'Sleepless Beauty'."

Touma strikes the keyboard first, then joined in by Noriko while Ryuichi began to concentrate. Kori then worked her guitar and began to play and Ryuichi shoots in.

From faraway, let your eyes shine;

Those who have awakened are still waiting

Seduce the rampants of the night

In the cast-off pile of skin left by the things that now leave elsewhere.

Without an exit

If you intend to survive the impact

To the point where you fall apart

Enrapture the deceits

You who have been reborn, colour your eyes without smiling alone.

Even if the world you've longed for has suddenly

Burned into ash

In some miracles we could still brush into each other.

Then Kori added her voice in at this verse:

Hold me gently

In order to break me

Kori smirked and looked at Ryuichi, who was taken aback by Kori's join-in, but was glad that she did so as it really got the crowd fired up. Ryuichi then continued singing after the instrumentals.

Be exposed in a state of purity

Like a flower whose petals have fallen.

You're just beginning to notice the days are shining jewels

Cupped in you hand.

A cold hand

Gathers up the shed thorns, so

A blank flame

Continues to smolder

Let's depict the vivid thoughts

Found in that place of light that is unreachable even now.

Don't fear the passage of time,

So that words of guidance won't completely spill out and wash away.

Fingers swiftly moved through the keyboard. Ryuichi looked at the fans before him. He began to let his body take over the music and his mind began to run, realizing that he was really glad to be here, with his friends and fans.

There's no where out

I'm falling further down

Taking a little wince, Kori belted out the last few verse with Ryuichi.

To the recarnation of you I say, colour your eyes without smiling alone.

Even if the world you've longed for has suddenly

Burned to ash,

The miracles could still happen to come again.

Let's depict the vividly dancing thoughts

Found in the place of light that is unreachable even now

Don't fear the passage of time,

So that words of guidance won't completely spill out and flow away.

Hold me gently

Always catch me

More and more

In order to break my heart

There was a moment of quietness after the song ended. The crowd roared and Ryuichi threw himself into Kori for an embrace, clearly getting his fans really jealous of Kori. Kori returned the hug and took over the microphone, "I think I'll just take over from here Ryu chan." She laughs and continued, "Here we go for you guys, and I'm sure that you'll love this encore."

She signals to Touma who started to play.

"I know our dear manager will kill me but I'm still going on an encore." She joked and Ryuichi stood by her and nodded his head. K frowned and stared at Kori, who made a little monkey face at K, inviting the crowd to turn their attention to their manager then back to the band again when Ryuichi laughed out loud. The crowd, going crazy because of the encore Kori's added, all began to scream their throats out before Kori began to sing.

The music went in a slow and gentle mood and Kori addresses the crowd again, "A little dedication to all who loves us and not, 'Me'."

The roses told me that you were in my dreams

All I begin to see was the trust that you gave me

My dreams were tattered, but you were always there

Be with me…giving me hope…

I was just a girl, a blue-eyed girl

In your dreams, that is me.

As the time flows, my reflection remains the same.

I could see, my name that's me.

But you told me that I am me.

No matter how much I wanna change myself,

I'll always be part of myself

That's just me that you want to see…

Ryuichi, Touma and Noriko joined into the song, their voices combined into a kind of power that motivated the whole crowd to sing with Kori.

I can be…myself

That's all I can be.

I know that you will be

Right there with me

I can see…myself that I wanna be

Then I see…

That all I want is me.

Thoughts began to run through everyone's mind. Since before the band began and until they stood onto stage. Kori felt her mind began to drift, but she knew that even if she forgot her lyrics, everyone would backed her out as they will be there for her forever. He voice was shivered with her tears that began to flow down her face. Then Ryuichi appeared beside her and wrapped his arms over her shoulders and winked, as they continued the song.

Then time follows, I was part of me

I knew that instant

The past that I knew I must be

Let me tell you

There's nothing such as a time machine

Even so

There's no way that that'll be erased

That part of me…

Ryuichi too got himself emotional, but the spirit goes on. More joined in the song, and the whole backstage crew were singing as well, even K sang and that was a miracle.

I can be…myself

That's all I can be.

I know that you will be

Right there with me

I can see…myself that I wanna be

Then I see…

That all I want is me.

I can be…myself

That's all I can be.

I know that you will be

Right there with me

I can see…myself that I wanna be

Then I see…

That all I want is me.

I can be…myself

That's all I can be.

I know that you will be

Right there with me

I can see…myself that I wanna be

Then I see…

That all I want is me.

Then the crowd quiets down leaving the last verse to the main singer for the last verse:

Then I know,

That all I am is me.

A simple song and a simple ending, but the crowd loved it and erupted into cheers while Kori began to cry and thank everyone between her sobs through the microphone.

The audience erupted into wild screams of satisfaction while Ryuichi and Kori joined hands as they doubled over in a deep bow.

"I love you people!" Kori said as they straightened up, wiping her tears at the same time.

"Yeah! You're awesome. Thanks for coming out tonight!"

"We'll see you soon!" they said in unison and gave on last small bow before exiting the stage.

The backstage area seemed to be eerily silent compared to the loud noises of the instruments and screams of the fans.

Kori fell into Touma's arms and kissed her brother on the cheek, "Thanks for saving me and Ryu or I'll regret it for tonight's concert."

Touma gave a little frown upon the memory but smiled when Kori jumped around him to get his attention. "I know I'm stupid but I love you Touma," she then turned to everyone else, "Ryuichi, Noriko and K."

Ryuichi laughed and stroke onto Kori's head quite roughly, like what you would do when you where stroking a puppy "Yeah, but you need not turn this into a speech you know."

Everyone laughed, but Kori just ignored them and ran out of the room and back onto the stage, which was quite quiet, as the crowd had left.

Ryuichi ran after the girl only to see that she was there dancing alone at the center of the stage while she was singing her own song, until she noticed her best friend and stopped, "I'm so glad to be alive Ryuichi." She smiled and turned herself around.

"So am I." Ryuichi replied and took her hand into a ball dance, humming to a song, "So am I."

Then their dance led them round and round and round across the stage. Their eyes closed and their bodies were pressed closer to one another, and before they knew it their lips closed onto one another's. And in other words, kissing in the plain spot light on the central stage.

End

One last chapter before it comes to an end…

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