WARNINGS: -none-

The fans waited patiently for the band to come back on stage, and the five girls in front row were trying their best to do the same. But with little activity on stage and 'The End' playing on loop over the loud speakers it was hard not to feel fidgety – they wanted to see their favourite guys. They tried to keep in time with the clapping and chanting but every so often a staff member would run up onto the stage to do something, and then they'd fall out of time with the crowd. Even some fans fell out of time because they thought the band were starting to come back, only to realise it was only the staff working. A good ten or fifteen minutes had passed since the guys had left, so it just had to be soon they thought … until a spotlight shone over to the left-side stage and 'The End' faded a little – fans cheered because they knew it was time.

Kai was the first to walk out into the spotlight, having to shield his eyes for a moment to adjust to the glare. The audience, especially Kai-fans and Megumi, pipped up and screamed out his name and he smiled brightly, waving to them as he walked further onto the stage. As he now climbed up onto his platform to get behind the drums again, Reita came out next in a stride with one hand to his forehead in a salute. As Kira and other Reita-fans screamed his name, he raised both fists into the air and appeared to growl, thought it couldn't be heard because of the cheering. Reita went back to his bass just as Aoi and Uruha came on – Aoi had an arm around Uruha's waist and Uruha had his arm around Aoi's shoulders. Ai and Kikyo smiled brightly as they cheered along with other Aoi and Uruha-fans.

After the two waved and made faces at the laughing crowd, Uruha left Aoi beside his guitar and sauntered over to his side of the stage. And last but not least, Ruki came striding onto the stage with an air of purpose, holding a Rock-on signal up to the audience and wearing that same smug look on his face that showed everyone his own arrogance towards his talent. But no one, especially not Ruki-fans or Mika, were complaining because they knew he was a talented singer and he had every right to be self-centred about it. The fans all jumped up and down excitedly and screamed louder because they could now see all five gorgeous men back on stage again, ready to complete the concert. Ruki grabbed the mic from its stand that hadn't moved since he left, and placed one foot up on his platform to address the audience.

"Oh yeah!"

Fans screamed and waved their hands in the air.

"Oh yeah, Yoshiatsu!"

They screamed louder and again waved their hands in the air.

"Ah … it's been great performing here tonight. And for being the first event to go on here as a new venue, I'd say we've done a good job, ne?"

The whole audience clapped and some whistled. Kai smiled and clapped as well, a pair of drumsticks already between his fingers, Reita nodded in agreement as his bass swayed from his shoulder, Aoi placed his hands on his hips and smiled, his guitar swinging back and forth in front of him, and Uruha crossed his arms as he smiled at the ground, his guitar also swinging a little on his shoulder. Ruki wiped his sweatband over his mouth before continuing – he'd only been on a couple of minutes and the heat was already setting in.

"Ah … seeing all of you out there has really made us privileged to be a part of the music industry. Your support has really given us motivation over these long years …"

He bowed slightly as the fans clapped again before he stood up tall on his platform and raised his fist.

"Let's finish this off, you've been waiting long enough! Get up, Linda!"

At the start of 'Linda' Aoi and Uruha took up the task of getting the audience to begin with the clapping sequence, to which they followed allowing in unison. Ruki stepped backwards off his platform and just bopped his head along to the beat of the clapping; Reita was doing the same as he too started clapping along with everyone. Then with the second round of clapping, Kai pitched in with beating his drums in time to the audience. And finally it was Ruki's turn to start singing the opening verse as he placed a foot on top of his platform and raised a hand to the jumping audience. Before the end of the opening verse, Aoi and Uruha moved inward a bit from their corners as suddenly they, along with Reita and Ruki, got into jumping around the stage like they did every time 'Linda' was performed. Even Kai got to head-bang a little bit, as he was quite limited in doing. And finally it came to 'Pinky Heaven or Bloody Hell' and 'Candy Voice & Devil's Smile'; Ruki and Reita did their part of alternating vocals, which left Aoi and Uruha to prance along the walkways.

For most of the song Aoi and Uruha were walking up and down the walkways, switching sides to do the same again, or jumping around the main stage with Ruki and Reita. Ruki didn't move away too much from his platform while he sang, but Reita did leave his place to join the singer. The audience swayed their hands from side-to-side during the choruses and jumped during the verses – 'Linda' certainly demanded a lot of energy from all involved; probably why the band always played this song during Live concerts. Finally as the song was coming to an end, Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Ruki once again jumped around the stage while the audience head-banged along with them. Aoi and Uruha retreated back to their corners and finished off the clapping sequence with help from Kai's drumming. At the very end, Ruki shouted at the top of his lungs without the mic, and Aoi, Reita, Kai and Uruha made a bit more noise on their instruments to finish off with a bang to the delight of hundreds of screaming fans.

--

The girl's didn't want 'Linda' to end – it was such an energetic song and they loved clapping along with the rest of the audience. Also it seemed the guys were giving off a lot more energy since their break in between the main concert and the encore. The fans even noticed the new design of their 'One Night Stand' t-shirts – it was exactly like the image that was on the huge banner behind Kai but the words 'One Night Stand' were printed on the back. The shirt itself was of course black, and the image and writing was in white and silver tones. After just one song into the encore, the guy's faces were already covered in sweat, but at least they were all in short-sleeves shirts instead of full costume. But Mika couldn't understand how Ruki could wear a black jacket over his shirt, when he'd be somewhat more comfortable without it.

The stage remained lit-up after the song for a change so the fans could keep an eye on what the guys were doing before the next song. Kai had set his drumsticks down so he could fiddle with his earpiece because it had come close to falling out during head banging. Reita was having his bass swapped over – from a brown wood surface to black with white panel on the front. Aoi quickly but gently dabbed a towel over his face so his touched-up make-up wasn't ruined. Uruha was in the middle of adjusting the sound dials on his guitar. Ruki grabbed his water bottle that sat on Kai's platform as usual so he could squirt a stream of water into his mouth. He swallowed it and then dropped his head to squirt more water over it. Some fans screams and whistled at his little stunt as he dropped the bottle and went back to his platform. He jumped up there and shook his head so water sprayed everywhere, again making fans scream. He then raised his arm to signal the others as he started to sing 'Ray'.

The fans were so excited to be hearing 'Ray again. It seemed that the whole concert was like a flashback through all the songs they'd written so far, starting from newest and going back through the oldest. A few of the old songs they didn't even perform anymore so it was nostalgia to hear them again - with the exception of 'Linda', which was played all the time. While Ruki sang 'If these eyes' the fans held both hands to their eyes and then stretched their arms out in front in one smooth motion. When he sang 'didn't know the ray' they slowly swayed their arms from side-to-side above their heads. And there was no one person in the audience that wasn't singing along with Ruki – even Kai did a bit of back-up singing when Ruki sang 'Sakende'. Both Mika and Megumi smiled at this because their voices moulded perfectly together.

Kira kept watching Reita – she never got sick of marvelling at how fast his fingers moved along the fingerboard of his bass. Ai noticed how much emotion Aoi put into his playing during 'Ray' and she could tell how sensitive he was, no matter how much people thought he sometimes looked cranky. Kikyo also loved the emotion in Uruha's playing too – she admired his guitar skills and really hoped to be as good as him one day. Megumi could just see the calm expression on Kai's face as he played – she had a feeling he welcomed the gentle song after performing 'Linda' because it gave him a chance to relax. And Mika as usual kept her eyes on Ruki for the whole song. Maybe it was just the fact he'd sung to her a couple of times but she really came to like him even more … sometimes rough and in your face, other times caring and sensitive.

As the song was finishing, Ruki repeated 'Hikari sasu hou e' a couple of times before replacing the mic in it's stand and glancing out over the audience, tapping his foot absentmindedly to the ending music. His voice was beginning to give way a little as he could feel the dryness in his throat. Just one more song, and it would be one of very few times he couldn't wait to have some of the gargling medicine …that stuff tasted awful. The music faded out nicely and the stage unfortunately faded out to black again. With all of these stage blackouts the fans might have thought the technicians were having electrical problems, but they knew it was only part of the show. Sadly they knew it was almost the end of the concert with likely only one or two songs left before they had to leave. The girls were feeling hyped from seeing a great show but also downhearted because it was over so soon … even Mika couldn't help but feel a lump rise in her throat at the thought of never being so close to Ruki again.

Ai, Kikyo, Mika, Megumi and Kira linked their arms as they awaited the inevitable end to the concert – another successful show by the GazettE they would always remember. And they were sure to be talking about it for some time, especially about Ruki and Mika. Then once the hype of this concert had blown over, talks would turn to the bands 'Decomposition Beauty' Tour and who would try to see the most Live shows on the Tour. Like the girls joked about one time – they would try to follow the band to every Live house they stopped at, but of course that couldn't be done without leaving a gapping hole in their bank accounts just with travelling. So thankfully it stayed as a joke. Regardless, that night's concert had been long awaited and a greatly enjoyed, and they had even made brief friends of Mariko and Yuki. Brief because they were likely not to see each other again, so quick good-byes were said in advance before the final performance.

--

During the last stage blackout, the guys pulled themselves together for the last song of the night. Kai was again fiddling with his earpiece but only because it was starting to hurt the inside of his ear – it was obviously sitting wrong. Reita took a mouthful of water from his own water bottle that sat behind him against the wall – he couldn't wait to have a drink at the after party. Aoi had his guitar quickly swapped over before dabbing a clean towel over his forehead – he was relieved that he was at least wearing a t-shirt instead of long sleeves. Uruha was taking a moment to cool down in front of his electric fan – it may be the start of winter but it certainly didn't feel like it under those lights. Ruki was again gripping the mic with both hands on it's stand, his head hung between his arms as he swallowed a few times – that irritation in his throat was starting to get worse. But when he thought he was ready to keep singing, he lifted his head and spoke softly to the mic – 'We are best friends'. The audience cheered as the stage lit-up and Kai began the opening to 'Best Friends'.

What a perfect song to finish the concert, just like they had done for their first one-man 'Heisei Banka' Final. About ten seconds into the song when the tempo of the music changed slightly, the fans jumped and screamed in surprise – spurts of silver streamers shot out of what must have been barrels that were cleverly hidden along the edge of the stage. The spurts were powerful enough to reach the very back of the floor so every fan got at least a small piece of the streamers. Even some of the lengths reached the balcony, so some of the fans up there caught them. The girls managed to catch a rather long piece and ripped it up into five equal lengths. Even Mariko and Yuki had their own streamers and had wrapped the pieces around their wrists. When they had got themselves organised again the girls turned their attention back to the stage to jump and clapping their hands along to the music.

When Ruki came to sing the middle verse 'Kore kara aruku' the fans stopped jumping and only waved their arms side-to-side above their heads. Aoi, Reita, Ruki and Uruha had one last chance to run out along the walkways, so they did just that. Aoi and Uruha entertained the balcony fans for half of the song, dancing as they played and the fans waved their streamer-covered hands at them excitedly. Ai and Kikyo laughed when they noticed the two guitarists doing silly dances as they played. And then as they were running back to the main stage, Reita and Ruki took their places as they too ran out onto the walkways to reach the balcony. Kira pouted because Reita was up the far end, but she did smile when he too danced silly for the fans. Mika broke into giggles and covered her mouth when she noticed Ruki doing the same. Megumi again felt sorry for Kai because he couldn't move but he was having is own fun by visibly laughing at the other guys. The girls could tell that they were glad it was almost over.

Towards the end of the song and it was just the last two verses, Ruki sang the second last on his own and then Aoi, Uruha, Reita and Kai joined him in singing the last verse. Seeing this, the fans decided to join too and they sang along as loud as they could, waving their arms in wide sweeps over their heads. The audience was a sea of glittering silver as the streamers in their hands shone in the light from the stage – it was almost like there were rippling waves through the hall. As the music was finally coming to an end for the last time that night, Aoi, Uruha and Reita intentionally extended the last chords of the song so it reverberated around the walls, and Kai bashed a few more times on his drums and cymbals. Then Kai counted four slow beats on the tom-tom between his knees before Ruki, Aoi, Uruha and Reita jumped as they punched out the last notes of music.

The guitars and bass continued to echo through the loud speakers as the fans erupted into cheering, whistling, screaming and clapping. Kai threw his drumsticks up into the air in excitement as he laughed and clapped along with the fans. Reita roughly pulled the bass strap over his head and raised a fist to the cheering crowd as the bass swung gently at his side. Aoi and Uruha also pulled their guitar straps over their heads and set the instruments carefully on their cradles. They both lazily walked to the centre of the stage and threw their arms around each other as excited squeals echoed over the audience. Even Reita dropped his bass carelessly and ran over to jump on them. Ruki just stared out into the audience, despite being half blinded by the glare of the spotlights, and he let the applause consume him as he sighed deeply, closed his eyes and collapse behind his platform with his arms and head resting on it.

Kai came down off his platform now, holding a towel against his cheek and he joined in the group hug with Aoi, Reita and Uruha. The screaming and clapping didn't die down, as the guys appeared to be congratulating each other while in their hug. The girls were too busy smiling at them except Mika – she was clapping but watching Ruki nervously … he wasn't getting up. But then she noticed Kai pull away from the group, drape the towel over his shoulder and he went over to get behind Ruki. There he put both hands on the singers shoulder and bent over him to speak in his ear – Mika thought Kai was asking if he was okay. Ruki appeared to nod slightly, his head still resting on the platform; Kai seemed to say something else to him before curling his arms around Ruki's chest and heaving him up off the floor. Fans whistled and cheered louder as Ruki got his balance and then turned to wrap his arms around Kai's body, even burying his face in the drummers chest.

The sound of 'aww' seemed to echo through the crowd now, as Kai laughed and hugged Ruki back. But no sooner had that happened but Aoi, Reita and Uruha jumped on them for another group hug. The fans laughed and continued to applaud the band – they could really see how much the guys cared about each other; like brothers. So it was heart-warming to see all of them looking so close even after a long and energy sapping concert. Finally they all let go of each other and turned to the audience to bow to them in appreciation. Kai and Aoi stood to Ruki's left and Uruha and Reita to his right as they all watched and waited for the right time to address the fans. But even after somewhere around five minutes of applause, Ruki had a feeling they weren't going to stop, so he held the mic up to his mouth and the fans instantly quieted down.

"Ah … ano … it seems 'One Night Stand' has come to an end. I just wish … we could have given you more pleasure but … we're very tired".

He laughed briefly as most of the audience, probably girls, screamed and called out his name. Kai, Aoi, Uruha and Reita smiled around to each other and then turned back to the audience.

"Saa … just having the fan-club only Live tonight … it really felt like all of our fans were here … just shows how much we've worn each other down … but we would do it all again".

Ruki lowered the mic and scratched his nose as the audience clapped, but they stopped when Ruki lifted the mic again.

"I guess … the next time you see us around will be our 'Decomposition Beauty' Tour … I hope we can see all of you back and begging for more …"

He pointed out over the crowd and attracted excited waves from them. The other guys clapped as he continued.

"Arigatou … for coming to see us tonight … thankyou for believing in us … Arigatou".

Ruki bowed and one-by-one the other guys did the same, and once again more applause rang out over the hall. Then as they all stood up straight, they all held hands and the fans copied. The girls smiled at each other and quickly gripped hands before readying themselves for the final jump. When Ruki felt that all of the fans were ready he shouted 'Se no' without his mic and the band and fans all jumped together. As soon as they landed the guys broke apart and waved one last time, even blowing kisses. However Kai ran back to the edge of his platform and grabbed a small pile of his drumsticks to throw to the fans. As he ran back to the edge of the stage, he picked up one stick at a time and threw them at random spots in the crowd. After throwing about four pairs to the fans on the floor, he ran out onto the right-side walkway, threw a couple to the fans there, then darted back the other way to reach the left-side walkway, and he threw one but kissed the last one before throwing it.

A few fans scrambled to reach that one in particular just because it was the only one he'd kissed – the girls noticed a very hysterical girl in glamour-punk clothes had caught it. Megumi was a bit sad that she hadn't actually caught any but she didn't mind – just seeing him smile was enough. The drummer ran back to his band mates and finally they all began to walk off stage for the last time that night, waving as they went and the fans broke into applauding loudly again. With Kai being the last one off stage, after that the glary lights dimmed just as the regular lighting came back on – the stage looked eerily dark while the rest of the hall was lit-up. The girls looked around behind them and noticed a lot of fans hugging each other and chattering excitedly, while others were slowly making there way out of their seats and heading towards the exit – even Yuki and Mariko had left already. The girls knew they had no chance to getting out yet, so they decided to wait until the crowd had cleared a bit. To pass the time they stood and talked among themselves about the concert. Mika sighed.

"Oh I can't believe it's over already … I just wish we could repeat this night over and over again".

She said as she stood up on her toes to have another good look at the stage before dropping again and then reached over to slap Kira lightly in the forearm.

"But without your loud screaming in our ears, Kira! You were louder than the rest of the audience".

"Gomen, gomen, I'm just so happy! Best concert ever! They're so cool! We're really lucky to have known about them … otherwise we probably wouldn't have been here tonight! And didn't Reita look so hot! I love his 'Regret' outfit!"

Ai, Kikyo, Mika and Megumi laughed at her as she giggled dreamily from remembering Reita on stage not too long ago. Then Ai poked Mika's side a couple of times, making her squirm with giggles.

"Well we all know Mika loved the show, she certainly got a lot of attention from Ruki. It's a shame he didn't kiss her hand though …"

Ai said the last part in a mocking thoughtful tone and Mika spun around to try and hit her in the arm but Ai dodged it with a laugh. The other girls laughed at Mika too before Ai continued.

"I just wish Aoi could have come closer to our side of the stage more often … but Kikyo, I'm sure you were enjoying the view from your spot?"

"Duh, who wouldn't enjoy watching Uruha from this close to the front of the stage? It felt like I was this far away from him!"

Kikyo held up her hands to show a distance of about a foot, and the girls laughed at her. Then she dropped her hands and glancing down to make sure her bag and merchandise was still there, then looking back towards the exit to see that almost three-quarters of the hall was empty of fans.

"Anyway … I guess we'd better gather our stuff. The place is almost empty so we won't have to fight our way out. And anyway, I doubt we're allowed to stick around and help the staff clean up …"

The girls made disappointed sounds as they too ducked down to pick up their bags – last thing they wanted to do was leave. Lastly Megumi spoke.

"Well I think it was just great all around to see another concert from the GazettE. And lucky for us we're part of the Fan Club. We're fans with extra privileges, wouldn't you agree? And by that I mean Mika gets a little bit of fan-service right in front of her".

Ai, Kira and Kikyo made 'ooo' sounds at what Megumi said and Mika felt her face growing hot, not only for remembering the moment Ruki sang to her but also from all the teasing her friends were dishing out on her. She tried to defend herself by making faces at her friends in turn, but they only laughed and poked at her sides even more. Meanwhile, little did the girls know that just on the side-stage the band had left, Ruki was peering around the thick heavy curtain that separated the stage from the exit door. He was in luck; his mystery girl hadn't left yet. Ruki glanced out onto the stage and watched the staff as they began to clean up the stage. If he timed it correctly he'd be able to grab one of them while they carried equipment off to be stored backstage. Then just as a staff member was coming off stage carrying Aoi and Reita's instruments, Ruki grabbed the guy's arm. The guy, startled, almost dropped the guitar and bass as he blinked at Ruki.

"Oh Ruki-san … is there a problem?"

"No, but I need you to do something for me, Hiro. I can't do it myself because it's too risky … onegai?"

Hiro blinked again as Ruki looked from him to the stage and he swallowed.

"Well, I guess so but-"

"Thankyou. Now you see that girl in the front row, left side of the stage? She has frizzy pigtails and a flower in her hair … four other girls are with her".

Ruki let go of Hiro's arm and pointed out to the where he was asking. Hiro looked to where he was pointing and saw the only five girls left in the front row. He nodded slowly.

"I need you to go and get them. Can you bring them backstage, to that big function room where the after party is being held? But make sure they don't draw attention to it, other fans might overhear … don't worry, I know what I'm asking is making you nervous, but I'm taking responsibility for all this".

Ruki had to reassure the guy because the second he'd asked Hiro to fetch the girls, he's face appeared to turn white with panic. His first worry had been the yelling he'd get from the band's manager, but having been reassured by Ruki it was all his idea, Hiro swallowed and gave a slightly shaky nod. Ruki felt a sigh come out of his chest as Hiro quickly passed on the guitar and bass to another staff member before glancing once more at Ruki and then walking back out onto the stage, this time heading towards the front edge. Ruki again looked out onto the floor and noticed that about eighty percent of the fans had gone, and none appeared to be hanging around near the stage, so it was unlikely any would overhear anything. He then noticed Hiro slid off the edge of the stage and approach the five girls, and decided to retreat to the change-rooms to freshen up – he was confident the girls would agree to follow, but did hope they didn't say no.

"Ah … sumi masen … forgive me for interrupting …"

The girls stopped goofing off with teasing Mika to look at a nervous looking guy wearing the GazettE's gig t-shirt. They looked at each other curiously – why had a staff member approached them? Had they done something wrong, or was he telling them to hurry and leave? And the fact he looked very nervous as he glanced around them, like he was making sure no one was watching … what did he want?

"Uh … have we done something?"

Ai asked slowly, looking a bit anxious as she looked at her friends. The guy waved his hands.

"Oh … no, no, you haven't done anything wrong. Its just … Ruki-san … has asked for all of you personally to come back stage. You've all been invited to the after party … but please keep quiet! We don't normally do this, I'm sure you understand".

Just as the guy had said they were invited by Ruki himself, they're faces seemed to light up with bright smiles, but the second he'd told them to keep quiet, they immediately relaxed and pretended everything was normal. As long as they were going to meet the band, they weren't about to do anything to jeopardise that chance – so that meant straight faces all-round.

"So, will all of you be willing to follow me back stage?"

The guy didn't need to ask twice because the girls nodded vigorously, not daring to speak in case he changed his mind and said they couldn't come. Then he stepped back from the railing and gestured for the girls to follow him. One-by-one, like it might help to make them look less suspicious, the girls ducked under the railing, bags in hand, and walked casually behind the staff member as they passed the front of the stage. With every single step they took, butterflies began to grow in their stomachs, as they were now getting closer and closer to meeting the band they'd come to worship that night. Ai was feeling on cloud nine because she would meet Aoi for the second time. Even Megumi couldn't believe she'd get to meet Kai as well as Aoi again. And Kira too … getting to meet Reita, and Aoi twice. But for Kikyo, she was having a hard time suppressing a big smile at the thought of seeing Uruha up close. And Mika … for what felt like the millionth time that night, she would be meeting Ruki … only this time, to actually speak to him.

Before they knew it, the staff member had led them all the way past the stage to the left and around the edge of the walkway to a door that was cleverly hidden behind it. In passing through it, they had to ascend a short flight of stairs that led up onto the side-stage where the girls realised the band must have left through. The area was quite dark and they had no idea how the guys were able to see with that thick black curtain between there and the stage. The guy gestured again for them to follow as he headed for the exit, pushing one of the doors open to allowing them to walk past him. The girl's eyes were dazzled by the sudden bright light of a long hallway as it curved gradually to the right, most likely leading in a big semi-circle of rooms that made up the back stage area. They quickly came out of their daze when the guy once again asked they follow him.

Then began a long trek through this brightly lit hall with cream-colored walls and polished concrete floors, with equipment crates lined up along the walls on both sides. At intervals, there were doors leading off into separate rooms with more equipment, one or two rooms had mirrors on the back wall with blazing lights around them – the girls figured were make-up and change rooms. Other rooms looked to be used to meetings and eating areas and even storage for staff members things. But strangely none of the rooms appeared to have anyone in them, and as a result hadn't be stopped and asked why they, as fans, were wandering around backstage … until they remembered there was an after party going on. So it was likely everyone involved with the show that night would currently be knocking back a few drinks and congratulating each other on another successful show.

"Um … sumi masen … sir? Can I ask you something?"

Mika suddenly asked gently, running forward a little to walk beside the guy. He looked at her and smiled.

"Oh don't call me sir, I'm not that old. You can call me Hiro … and what did you want to know?"

Ai, Megumi, Kikyo and Kira looked at each other as they walked behind Hiro and Mika – they wondered what she was going to ask the guy.

"Um … I was wondering … did Ruki-san really ask for all of us?"

"He did … in fact he pulled me aside while I was helping pack up the stage and pointed you out directly. He asked for 'the girl with frizzy pigtails and a flower in her hair …'"

Hiro glanced down at Mika and at the flower in her hair before briefly looking over his shoulder at the girls.

"… 'and four other girls who were with her'. He was very specific and seemed to have a purpose".

Mika looked surprised back at the others and they returned the look – so they were right, Ruki had been focused on Mika all night, ever since her getting that flower. They were brought out of their thoughts when Hiro spoke up again.

"I don't know what this is all about but he was adamant that I come and get you. I don't know what he would have expected me to do if you disagreed to come because he never told me … not that any fans would pass up the chance to meet these guys …"

Hiro gave a little laugh and the girls laughed a little too. He then looked at Mika.

"But anyway, because he asked for you in particular I'm guessing he knew you would come anyway … ah, we're here!"

Suddenly Hiro came to a stop outside another double-door with loud talking and laughing coming from inside, also the sound of clinking glasses and plates. It sounded like there was a lot of people in there and the girls began to feel nervous – what was going to happen when they suddenly appear at the party, only invited because Ruki had called for them. Hiro turned to the girls.

"I need you to please wait here while I go in and tell Ruki-san that you're here …"

And before they could properly respond, he'd opened one of the doors, and for a moment the talking and laughing became louder, until he'd retreated inside and the door shut tight again. Because Mika had been standing next to Hiro, she got to see a quick glimpse of the inside – the room was full of men, women, all in that night's gig t-shirt, standing around talking or sitting down to eat. It suddenly hit the girls how unbelievably lucky they were, as right now other fans that had come tonight were now leaving the venue, here they were about to meet the GazettE … as long as they weren't kicked out before then. Having seen how busy it looked inside, they were feeling a bit sceptical about getting in without being stopped just inside the door. They just hoped Ruki would have some miraculous idea that would allow them to stay.

NOTES:
1) Mariko & Yuki: I once refered to these characters as 'concert friends' because they won't appear in the story again. They were only there as support characters
2) Band group hug: I'm sure everyone has seen how emotionally and physically exhausted these guys look after a big concert and it makes me sad to see all of them looking like this. Their concerts are getting bigger and longer so it's clear they're growing in popularity ... but I just hope it doesn't wear them out too soon
3) Going back stage: The girls sure did get backstage pretty easy lol well I made it so that all the staff were at the after party already

Please read & review :-)