Author's Notes: I admit that I took the name Edward Wood and used it to pad my word count. It's a NaNo thing to do. But after re-reading it, I sort of liked how it keeps coming up. It's a style thing and if it annoys, it is suppose to annoy. Anyways, enjoy. PS. Ryuichi is a bit moody here.

track thirteen

Maybe it was me, but time just went by in a blink. There were a few more interviews, a couple group pictures done, and then Tohma was heading for the States for some business thing and taking Eiri with him. Noriko was spending some time with her family in order to make up for pretty much abandoning them during the past couple weeks and I was going out of my skull from boredom. Maybe some of memories of before we had other lives surfaced, or maybe I was being my selfish diva self, but I really wanted them here with me.

Tohma's go-to guy Sakano did a lot of hovering around me, trying to play nurse maid and manager. I admit that I wasn't the most well behaved star to him. There was something a bit off about his attitude, like he was only following me around because Tohma told him. But I guess it was okay. He did keep me busy enough that didn't get into too much trouble.

I've heard about the infamous cooking show and stood glued to my set when the reporters were camping out at Eiri's place trying to get a glimpse of Shuichi and Eiri. There was a bad taste in my mouth at how much publicity this would give his band – as much as I liked his approach, we were competitors. Sure enough, the next ratings were out and Bad Luck outsold our collection record. Not that I was too surprised, but yet I felt a little cheated.

I decided to stay home the next day and work on a few ideas of my own. Luckily I avoided getting caught in the explosion that took out the N-G building and some of the neighboring buildings. Tohma and Sakano were close by to the blast and they both got out of it without any injuries, but the building had to be rebuilt.

All that was just a background to the plans we as Grasper were setting up. There was going to be a tour. There was going to be a new album. We had solo pictures to take. We had a couple important people that wanted to shake our hands. Bad Luck might be new, they might be the star child of N-G, but they weren't ready to become king yet.

Tohma and Noriko showed up at my place early one morning, Tohma with a box of little rice cakes and Noriko a pitcher of tea. I waved them in after saying hi and plopped down on the floor with my crayons and Kumagoro. Tohma opened the treats box and selected a small cake while Noriko poured tea all around. I stuck Kumagoro on top of my head and took a cup of tea.

"You're getting too thin again," Tohma said, licking a bit of frosting off his lips.

Noriko peered over her cup at me and nodded. I sighed and took a small cake for myself and nibbled on the corner even though I didn't feel hungry. It seemed to satisfy them. Tohma set his cup down and held out a pre-release article to me. I read through it and raised my eyebrows.

"Wow."

"It should be expected. They did well enough on their own, but this is a big moment for a new band," Tohma said.

"What do you expect from an N-G band?" Noriko said and swiped my cake. She took a big bite and then held it out to me. "We do produce the best in the business."

"Just wait for their second album and then decide if they are that good," I said and took a bite from the treat. Noriko smiled and stuffed the rest in her mouth.

"Ryuichi?"

"I'm fine," I said and waved away Tohma's concern.

He didn't say anything but he was looking hard at me. I tried on a smile. He and Noriko exchanged glances and I could tell they were worried. I didn't have enough energy to really care.

"Noriko and I were talking about surprising Bad Luck with the news during their live broadcast next week."

"Surprise them how?"

"Tatsuya and I are giving Shuichi tickets to his date in Disneyland," Noriko said, wrapped some hair around her fingers. "But we weren't sure how to present them and the news."

"But then I remembered that Shuichi is a big fan of yours and so I thought you may wish to help."

I took another cake and chewed on it while I thought it over. If it was me in Shuichi's position, I would probably cream my pants if my hero showed up to give me tickets to a famous resort and tell me I went platinum. But I wasn't sure how I liked the idea of a date. It just was weird not because it was another man, but because of who was involved. Eiri never struck me as the kind of guy that did cheesy stuff just because.

"Fine," I said and dug into the box for another treat.

"That reminds me, K left a large box for you at the office," Tohma said, taking a sip of tea. "You can pick it up later on."

"Last time he did that, I got a cream pie in my face."

"Why?"

"April Fool's Day trick was the main reason, but he decided to give it to me early because of the whole birthday thing."

"What a weird thing to do," Noriko said, licking her fingers. She snatched the last goodie and sighed. "Americans are so weird."

"They say the same about us."

An uncomfortable silence descended, all of us just sitting where we were and not really looking at anything. I leaned back against the couch and found Noriko's legs instead. She didn't push me away and soon I felt a hand reach down and tug at my hair. I looked up and Tohma looked down, his fingers digging a little into my scalp.

"Something is bothering you," he said.

"They stole my thunder." Noriko wrinkled her nose and I added quickly, "Our thunder."

She sighed and kicked at me so I moved over to Tohma's legs. He only nodded at my words, as if he expected me to speak them. Noriko huffed and leaned down, poking at my ribs.

"Then get up and steal it back! I'm sick of you whiny little prima donnas all whining about how you can't do anything!" Noriko leaned further down, practically chasing me as I tried to climb into Tohma's lap and over him to escape her yelling and poking. "That little punk needs his lover's okay before he can take a shit and you are whining that he is younger and prettier than you! You! Ryuichi Sakuma! Ha! Is this how a legend acts?"

"Now, Noriko. . ."

"Butt out!"

I grabbed Kumagoro and put him between me and Noriko. She smacked the rabbit away and I grabbed on to Tohma as she gave me a shake.

"Is it? Because if I remember right, you were going to make sure people never forget us and that we will always be Grasper! And that means we don't start crying when we get real competition! We get up and we make them pay!"

I was sprawled over Tohma, and she was pressed against me, leaning close enough to kiss if I wanted to. But I just wanted to get loose even if I might accidentally hit Tohma with a flailing arm. But he stopped that motion by grabbing my arm, his expression nearly a match for Noriko's.

"She's right."

"I damn well better be right!"

"But. . ." Tohma poked me and I cut off my protest, taking a deep breath. "I guess we need to make a couple promotional videos, huh?"

"That's the spirit!"

"We will have to set a date for that," Tohma replied, letting go of my arm. "But I do know something all of us need to do."

Noriko sat up and I slowly stretched out, half on Tohma's lap and half on her lap. "Like what?"

He reached down and dug his fingers into my hair again. I stretched a little more and Noriko jabbed her fingers in my side. I yelped and rolled off them and back on to the floor.

"Pictures for the album," Tohma said, folding his hands together. "The photographer requested a few more solo shots of all of us."

"They want more? Why can't they just photoshop us out and use the extras that way?"

"I find it is easier to go with their requests," Tohma replied, not quite smiling. Noriko pouted and I just half crawled under the table, and grabbed Kumagoro.

"They even make a big-shot president like you bow to their commands? I'm crushed. My image of you has been totally destroyed."

"I'm not the President anymore."

I smacked my head on the bottom of the table. Noriko dropped her tea cup. Whimpering, I dragged myself out from under the table and stared at him. Tohma laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I thought the only way to punish Sakano for his actions was to give him the worse job in the company – mine." He blushed a little under our stares and held up his hands. "It's only temporary. All he needs to do is bring Shuichi back from the States and then I'll think of something else to do to him."

"Harsh," I said after thinking it over.

"So that's why you suddenly have so much free time," Noriko said. She looked down at the tea cup and huffed. "And now I have a mess to clean up."

I picked the cup up and set it on the table and stood up. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get this stuff done!"

They both looked at me and I smiled, putting Kumagoro on top of my head. "No one outsells the great Ryuichi Sakuma without a fight!"

It must have been what they wanted to hear, because they both stood up and the three of us left the apartment with little fuss or bother. I made sure my door was locked and we piled into the elevator and headed down. After a brief discussion, we decided to make a promotional video first and then tackle the solo shots. So Tohma made the call on his cell phone before we left for the temporary N-G headquarters.

Walking into the front door, we were immediately set upon by a group of hair stylists and make-up artists, cheered on by war cries in a falsetto voice. I inwardly cringed and tried to hide behind a potted plant, but they had spotted me and were going in for the kill. Tohma and Noriko were already getting dragged off, their faces nearly identical. If I wasn't trying so much to get back out of the doors, I probably would have laughed.

"Darlings! I must must must have that song!"

Drifting behind the mass of stylists was a vision in purple lace, the kind of vision that usually left road marks over animals slower than itself. I knew him as Edward Wood, although a blind monkey would know that Edward Wood was not his name and that he would much rather be a she, thank you very much. He was the best when it came to making pictures come to life. He also worked with Nittle Grasper during our nine plus years, putting us in strange outfits and making sure that we would look fabulous in each and every promotional video he made.

Although it looked like no one told him that we were back together.

"Naughty Tohma for not telling me that you were getting your band back together!" he said, hands on hips as he surveyed his staff. "I had to find out by seeing the display in the music store!"

Tohma couldn't reply – there was a woman attacking his face with makeup while a second one was making sure his hair was cut the right away. I tried scrambling away from everyone, but a hand caught my sleeve and dragged me back.

"And you!" I moved back and ran into a wall of stylists as Edward Wood leaned in close. "Are hiding such a fabulous body in those ugly clothing! Where on earth did you drag those jeans from, mm? A sewer?"

Under protest, we were marched through N-G by the group of stylists and shoved into an elevator. We went up a couple floors and then we were marched through the halls and into a large open room with all sorts of cameras and equipment strewn about. I tried to get away again, but Edward Wood had his hand on the collar of my jacket and dragged me along to a trio of small dressing rooms. We were shoved into the rooms with the order to change.

I blinked at what was laid out for me. Now, I wasn't a prude and I was not a stranger to leather, but even with my enjoyment of all things tight, the outfit went one step further than I thought anything could go. There were more buckles then it needed, and a huge gap between the laced top and the waistband of my pants, which didn't have enough buttons to close at the top. And then there were the boots. I had long legs, most people in the business of filming us knew that and enjoyed angling their cameras up to make them look even longer, but the boots added a couple more inches to my height without looking anything but bad-assed in the process.

Taking a few steps in the boots, I looked at the huge mirror and decided I liked the effect. I posed, legs spread and holding an imaginary mic stand in front of me. Nodding that I can indeed pull off this weird look, I stepped out of the room and right into Tohma. He too was in leather, his a bloody red color and covering almost all of his skin except his head. I blinked, looked down and then looked away, only to be looking directly at Noriko's leather clad cleavage. She wore a suit with killer heels, delicate slashes marking the dark blue leather and showing off her flawless skin.

"Somebody put makeup on them and get me the number three!" Edward Wood squealed somewhere to our left.

We were attacked again, but this time, we didn't move. The leather outfits weren't that hard to move in, but I think we had decided to accept our fate for now. I wasn't sure if Edward Wood was going to take pictures, make a video, or do both at the same time. I think Tohma also trying to figure out what was going on because he was really watching them as they ran around us setting things up.

"You know," Noriko said, tapping a foot. "I'll kill myself in these heels."

"You have worn taller ones."

"But I didn't have to do anything but smile."

"Do you think we should break for it?"

"I said I can't move in these things."

"Tohma and I can carry you!"

"Dressed like this?"

"Okay, we can get naked," I replied. Both of them sighed and I tried to scratch at my head but one of the stylists batted my hand out of her way.

Edward Wood came back to see how things were going. He clapped his hands together and beamed widely. Knowing that his glee meant trouble, the three of us huddled tighter together.

"Splendid! Oh just look at you three!" He shooed away the stylists and sent them to work on a bunch of painted panels. "So sexy and dangerous! That is what I saw when you played that song on Hit Stage!"

"Are you suggesting we put together a video on an unrecorded song?" Tohma was his ever icy self despite looking like he had escaped from a mental institute that shopped at S&M clubs.

Edward Wood blinked for a moment and then grinned even wider. "Now, we all know that you three had played it before even if you haven't set it down on tape. However, I think we can settle for pictures until you get it recorded enough for us to play with."

We were herded to stand in front of some kind of weird plexi-glass shaped into triangles with small black balls inside of them. Edward Wood moved us into position, and took a couple test pictures. He hummed, had the lights moved around, had the background changed around and took a couple more before he was happy enough to tell us to start posing.

The one thing wrong with posing in skin tight leather was how hot and sweaty it got. I ended up unlacing the short little shirt I had so it hung open with the lacings dragging against my bare skin above the short waist of my pants. Noriko then had to drag her nails across my skin and sent Edward Wood into a fit of photographic ecstasy. Tohma joined in and suddenly we were not-quite flirting with each other and hamming it up for the pictures. After a couple hours, Edward Wood had enough pictures and sent us to change back into our street clothes, though he talked as if we were coming back in a couple hours with a recording of the song he wanted.

"It is me, or does this keep getting harder and harder?" Noriko asked as she collapsed into a chair and fanned herself.

"We are older," Tohma replied and he took a careful sip of a too cold water bottle. "And I think they are making lights hotter than they were."

"It's not that bad," I said, leaning back against my chair, sucking on an ice cube.

"Yeah but you're used to it still."

I stuck my tongue out at them and closed my eyes. I hoped that they would let us keep the leather. I had liked mine once I figured out that the shirt doesn't have to be laced so tight to look good. Not that I would always wear it undone. I liked how that looked too.

"Do you know what's really bothering me?"

I opened my eyes and looked over at Noriko. She looked serious, a bottle in her hands and her eyes on the ground.

"Is something wrong?" Tohma asked, leaning forward.

Noriko looked up and blushed. "I never knew Ryuichi has been working out and it's really disturbing that he can make leather look hot."

Tohma sputtered and I would have tossed Kumagoro at her except he was sleeping and I really didn't want to hear him being mad at me. Noriko's cheeks were a flame red by then and she kicked at Tohma's feet.

"Stop that! I'm serious!"

"Is this the first time you've noticed that?" Tohma couldn't keep his face straight, though he did manage to stop laughing. "It does take a little bit of strength to pull off some of the tricks he does."

"But he doesn't look like it!"

"You want me to be all muscle bound?"

"Well, maybe?"

I laughed, collapsing to the side. Tohma leaned over, smiling. "Does your husband know about your secret need for muscles?"

Noriko gasped and smacked Tohma on the arm. I continued laughing until I had no more air and then I just laid on my side, grinning. She aimed a kick at me before collapsing back and rubbed her water bottle against her forehead.

"I think we should finish that song before we are attacked again," Noriko said, making a face. "Edward Wood would probably hunt us and tie us down if we don't give in to his wishes by tomorrow."

"I suppose we should." Tohma stood up and ran a hand through his hair. Biting back a sigh, I got up as well and we tugged Noriko to her feet. As we left the room, Edward Wood blew us kisses and told us to hurry up. We were done with the song by midnight.