Chapter Notes - 18 was getting extremely long... It hadn't been fully fleshed out so I had to go back and add some bits and pieces... which stretched it on forever and ever... So I cut it in half! You'll get to see a weary Ryuichi Sakuma. What could have worn him out? The answer isn't as exciting as you might think :)

This will be the last chapter for a while! - Or will it? I'm going back to work on another project for a while... Though this one is getting a lot of subscriptions and views, there aren't a lot of comments coming in. Since chapter 18 was halved--and they're both cleaned halves--if there are encouraging comments that come in, I'll put up the second half after 5 are posted. Perhaps something more than "hurry up and post more stuff, you" :) How's that for a challenge? You write, and I'll write too! Deal? Deal...

If you're still enjoying this story, be sure to check out the beginning of the story -- Remix, The Beginning of the New Ending -- that is being published separately and has been recently updated with Chapter 5!

Wednesday morning came along with a good yelling-at by Shuichi's manager for getting pictures all over the web of himself looking like a 'freak' while getting his ear pierced . Eiri grabbed the cell phone from Shuichi's unharmed ear at hearing K's voice.

"Hey. Why don't you turn it down a notch? It's too early for your crap. What happened to 'any publicity is good publicity'? You got plenty of it for free and I'm in a shitty mood because he kept me up all night saying 'ow' in his sleep so…" K could be heard ranting at Eiri on the other end of the conversation, "Oh, yeah… Why am I bothering to talk to you? Drop dead." He closed the phone and gave it back to Shuichi, "Not sure what I was thinking… Coffee…" He wandered off to the kitchen, eyes still only half open.

Strangely, Eiri didn't seem to be in as bad a mood as he had reported to K. Once he had some coffee and breakfast in him, he went on to read the finance section of the paper. This was something that Shuichi had always found strange, since he already seemed to have more money than anyone would ever need and there would only be more coming in. Why should he care about anything to do with money any more? He started to badger Eiri about his odd hobby and got some decent answers out of him instead of a command to keep quiet.

"I invest for the future. What should I do if my inspiration to write completely dries up? I've gotten used to living this way so I want to protect that. I don't just blow all my cash on booze and broads." He smirked.

"At least not on broads any more… You really think you might just lose your ideas some day?"

"Who knows? I get dry spells sometimes. I think every writer does. I've heard you whine plenty when you dry up."

"Yeah… but right now it feels like I have a bottomless well of inspiration!"

"Good for you."

"Maybe I should start investing too, huh? When I finally get some actual money…" Most of what they had been making had just been covering the studio's investment in them and a little bit of cash for them as artists to live on.

"Don't worry about it right now." He flipped a page.

"Will you teach me about this stuff some day?"

"Sure, but you might regret asking."

"Well… I can just try and see if I get it or not." He shrugged then decided to see if he could squeeze some forbidden information out of Eiri in his relaxed and responsive state. Information he had coveted since finding out about Eiri's relationships within the studio where he now worked, "So… I need to get Sakuma-sama's phone number from you…"

"No." Was his immediate reply.

"Huh? Why not?"

He put his paper down and gave Shuichi a good hard look, "If I give you his phone number, why not just give a fan of mine my phone number? Think that would be fun for me? I don't think that would be fun for him either."

"But-"

"No. One day when he's just a colleague instead of your fan-boy obsession, then maybe I'll give it to you."

"I need to invite him to Hiro's party though!" He whined.

"You work in the same studio. Go find him."

"He hasn't been around! I heard something about him filming a TV show…"

"Then go talk to his wranglers. Sakano has been appointed to him lately. He'll help you get in touch."

"I could just borrow your cell instead…" He tried the pouting tactic next.

Eiri huffed and picked up his phone from the table, sending off a text message then putting it back down.

"What'd you just do?"

"I let him know you're looking for him."

"You did? Thanks Eiri!" He smiled again.

"Sure." Shortly his phone beeped in reply and he looked, "He'll be at the studio tomorrow afternoon."

"Wow… It's so cool that he answers you so fast!!"

"Because I don't bug him constantly."

"I'm not trying to bug him. I actually have a valid reason to talk to him. Jeeze. Will you even let us talk to him when we're out for Hiro's party?"

"Maybe a bit." He smirked, "Don't you have a job to go to?"

"Yeah…"

"Perhaps you'd be kind enough to go to it some time soon."

"All right already… I can take a hint."

He sighed and got up to go get his things together to go to the studio and leave Eiri with his few minutes of newspaper-peace before returning to his writing. At least he had gotten in contact, although indirectly, with Sakuma-sama. Eiri deserved the gift of quiet for that. One day though, he would have that ultimate phone number. He was sure of it and was prepared with the perfect picture to go along with that phone number in his cell. He pulled on his shoes at last in the foyer, leaning back in to see Eiri now on the sofa with his laptop.

"Bye! Don't miss me too much!" He cheered.

"Yup… Bye." He smirked as the door slammed shut, liking the numbers that were on the screen in front of him, "Knowing how you are, you're probably going to be very sorry you asked me to teach you about investments, Shu... Heh heh…"

But then he had been surprised by the peaceful evening they'd had, even after Shuichi had his ring size taken while out shopping with Hiro. After laughing over his piercing pictures, they'd had a very peaceful discussion about their future plans. It had left him feeling rather calm that morning instead of looking to shut himself off.

"Just when I thought there was no further under my skin that you could get, kid… you surprise me again. Hmmm…"

Wednesday flew by and Shuichi hurried home to make sure that everything was ready for his relatives' arrival. He raced around, trying desperately to clean up the mess in his workroom so they could pull out the futon and put sheets and blankets on it.

"There! What do you think? Is it a good enough guest room for Uncle Kentaro and Alan?"

"I think it might be a little below their standards for lodging…"

"Yeah, but… we can't exactly carve out a hot spring in the floor or anything." He shrugged, "Seriously… Should I do anything else?"

"Maybe you should hit the guest bathroom to try and get a bit more of your hair dye off the surfaces. I know I'd appreciate it."

"Oh yeah!"

"Other than that, I think they'll be just fine, roughing it with us… Parking pass is on the table by the door."

"Thanks." He sighed, "I can hardly wait to see them!" He scooted off to the bathroom to start scrubbing.

Over lunch on Thursday, Shuichi got a call from his uncle, giving him an ETA for their arrival. They had been packing up until the last minute that morning. Apparently neither of them liked doing that so they always put it off as long as possible, especially when it was for long trips.

"Alan's just putting our bags in the car now and we have to do one last check before leaving the place… So we should be there around 4pm? Maybe 5?"

"Okay. Well, just call me when you get close so I can be home to meet you. You've got the directions, right?"

"Clutched in my hand tightly, nephew!" He laughed, "That and my passport, which I'm always afraid I'll forget! We'll see you soon."

"Safe trip!"

"Love you!"

Shuichi closed his phone, noticing that Hiro was giving him a look across their table in the studio's dining hall.

"What?"

"Your uncle even sounds like you." He had seen the pictures too, "It's kind of creepy. You're like a freaking pod-person. Aren't you afraid he's just growing you to take over your body one day?"

"And you call me weird…" He frowned at the mockery.

"Dude, you hardly look like your dad, but you look just like your uncle. Are you sure there isn't something freaky going on in your family? You can tell me…"

"No, there' isn't anything freaky going on! We're related! It's not that weird that we look alike! Look at Eiri and Tatsua! You and your brother look a bunch alike too!"

"Yeah, but in both cases, we're brothers… Not uncle and nephew. I don't look like my uncles. Just my mom and dad… Are you sure you aren't the product of some science? A test-tube-Shuichi?"

"Quit it!"

"Ahem…" They looked up to see gray-suited Sakano standing there, watching over their friendly bickering in the studio dining hall, "Excuse me but, Sakuma-sama has returned to his studio. When you are finished with your lunches, you may visit him."

"Ah, cool! Is he all done with filming that TV show?"

"For the time being they're done with him, but it has been a long experience for him. He's a little worn down, so please go easy on him."

"We will." Shuichi gladly accepted the security pass that would let them go up to the executive floors where Ryuichi Sakuma had his private studio.

Sakano bowed slightly to them then headed off, his precious book-of-everything clutched to his chest as he greeted colleagues in the room. He was a pretty formal and nervous kind of guy, but he was definitely on their side so Shuichi couldn't even bear to make fun of him.

"I'm goin' up with you…" Hiro mentioned.

"Sure. You think I'd deny you?" He grinned, "I might make you give up your rice pudding in exchange!"

"No way. You're harsh."

They hurried up to eat their lunch then hurried again to the elevators. Security met them at the executive elevator, checking their pass before allowing them entry. Even though they'd been up to Studio 54 several times now, it was still a thrill for them. Neither of them had ever imagined they'd actually get to meet Ryuichi Sakuma… but actually being able to talk to him and hang out with him? It was just surreal, still. Shuichi hesitated, gazing reverently at the sign on the door to his idol's private studio.

"Do you think we should knock first?"

"It's a sound-proof door…"

"Oh… yeah." He shrugged and slid the security card, listening to the bolt slide back, "Ready?"

"You bet." Hiro nodded.

As the door opened, they could hear music coming from further inside. It was pretty mellow and lounge, definitely a CD playing because it wasn't anything produced by NRG's bands. They both took off their shoes in the hallway before going inside. The place was more like an apartment than a studio, though it was that too. The windows had incredible views of the city.

"Sakuma-sama?" Shuichi tried calling out quietly but there was no reply so he headed down the hall into the main area with Hiro following closely behind, "Oh… Umm…" They found their idol napping on one of the big sofa sectionals with a bright blanket pulled up around his head. He looked like he was in a colorful cocoon with only his nose sticking out.

"Maybe we should go…"

"Hmm?" Came from the bundle on the sofa, "Shuichi?"

"Yeah, it's me and Hiro. Sorry we interrupted your nap."

"It's okay." He suddenly sat up and yawned, peeling back some of the cocoon of blanket to reveal a ruffled mass of brown hair and an amazing but tired face, "I just needed a little shut-eye. It's been like a billion years since I saw you!"

Shuichi went over as Ryu stood up and suddenly he was caught up in the cocoon too, both of them falling back onto the soft sofa. Shuichi was torn between bliss at being hugged by Ryu and terror that he might have hurt him in their fall.

"Are you okay??" He squeaked.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" He smiled sleepily, "You look so worried… Stop it. Grrr."

"I didn't wanna knee you anywhere important by accident."

"The goods are unharmed. You're just so cute I had to squeeze you right away… Wow, your ear looks like it's going to fall off!" Ryu marveled at the redness.

"Heh, I just got it pierced so it's a bit sore."

"It'll heal up in a while. I know from experience." He pulled back his tousled hair for a moment to show off his own assortment of piercings, "Ohhhh… Hey, your hair looks totally amazing. I want to dye mine too!"

"You should! Just about any color would look so cool on you!"

"I'll make Sakano-san go get me some dye. Would you help me??"

"Yeah!"

He was getting swept up in Ryu's enthusiasm as usual, forgetting just about everything else on the face of the earth including his usual awe of being around the guy he admired so much. After a bit of blabbering away about how he had pretty much stained every surface in the guest bathroom while doing this latest dye-job, Hiro came over and peeled back the layers, "Hey. You guys are going to suffocate under there."

"Hi, Hiro!" Ryu waved at him, "Those are some cool pants… Where'd you get them?"

"Oh… Heh heh… Ayaka-chan, my fiancée, made them for me. Aren't they great?"

"She made those? That's incredible!"

"Yeh, she's pretty slick with a sewing machine. One of her not-so-conservative aunts brought one up from Kyoto for her. I guess not all of her family is opposed to her marrying a commoner like me." He smirked.

"That's right! You're getting married! Sakano-san told me." Ryu nodded.

"And that's why I wanted to talk to you, actually."

"Oh?" Ryu turned back to Shuichi, blinking, "What for? You need a wedding singer?"

"While that would be totally awesome and amazing and go down in history as the best wedding ever because of the music… I just wanted to invite you to Hiro's bachelor party."

"Me??" His eyes bulged.

"I mean… I'm sure you have better things to do but, I thought just maybe…"

"I don't have better stuff to do. Are you kidding?? I wanna go!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Of course! Thanks for asking me!" He grinned, "I love you guys!"

"Wow. He said yes!" Shuichi looked up at Hiro who seemed rather dazzled by the acceptance.

"So, what kinda party is it? What are you going to do?" Ryu inquired, beginning to pick through the layers of color in Shuichi's hair.

"Well… It's probably pretty lame by your standards, but we're just going to go out drinking somewhere, get some food. Low-key fun." He shrugged, "We haven't really figured it all out yet."

"We could go out somewhere like Shadow Bar. They've got it all. Food, drinks, music, pool tables..."

"I don't think they'd let us in." Hiro sat down on the couch to watch over the strange grooming session that was going on next to him, "You wouldn't know it from looking at our stunning hotness, but we're a little on the low-rent side, me and him."

"I'm not." Ryu smiled happily, "And neither are you guys! But I know what you mean… so if you think it'd be fun, I'd definitely hook it up so we can go. How many guys are going?"

"Just Shu-chan, Uesugi-san, me, my older brother… and now you. Five of us." Hiro shrugged.

"That's kinda sad too, isn't it?" Shu sighed.

"It's not sad. I think it's nice! A small group of close people. I'll be glad to see Eiri-kun again. He's been so busy lately. He can't even squeeze in a few games with me, that old man…"

"Yeah, he's been seriously working on this new book. No time for fun. Trust me." Shuichi sighed.

"Not even with you??" He gasped.

"I guess I can't complain, because we just got back from a vacation and I've been working pretty hard too… The PlayStation is gathering dust."

"Dude, if you wanna play, I'll play you. I just pried my PlayStation away from my brother. I'm ready to roll." Hiro gave him a thumbs-up.

"Write down your ID for me!" Ryu's arm shot up, hand pointing back behind the sofa where there was a big free-standing white board with his scribbles all over it, "Prepare to have your butt kicked!"

"Bring it." He laughed, hopping up to go write it down.

"You don't have to put yourself out to get us into Shadow Bar." Shuichi felt guilty suddenly.

"It's no big deal. I'd like to do it, if you'll let me."

"I wouldn't stop you, that's for sure."

"That's the spirit." He smiled then suddenly stopped, his face getting a bit more serious, "Do me a favor. Tell Sakano-san what we've talked about here. He'll make sure that I remember it all. He also told me you're trying to keep it all a secret from K, so if you tell him about it including the dates, he'll just make sure I get where I need to be on time. If I don't know the details, there's no way I can slip up and give the info to K by accident. Right?"

"Right… You're not mad that we're keeping secrets from Manager K, are you?"

"Ah, no… Sometimes you need to do that with him otherwise you get no privacy. He does his job extra well! That's why I'm afraid to know anything too much about this. He has a way of getting info out of me… Hmmm… I'd make a rotten spy, huh?"

"It's cool of you to do this for me." Hiro said, "I really appreciate it."

Ryu nodded, his face shifting back to his smile, "I suck at shopping for presents so consider this my wedding gift, okay?"

"Done and done. I'll make Ayaka play you too. She's pretty good!"

Ryu laughed, "You really love her a lot, huh?"

"Yeah, I do… but I'm not just saying it because of that. She beat me good a couple times!"

"I'm glad she ended up with someone so nice."

"I forget you kinda knew her for a long time too, huh?"

"Yep. She was way cute when she was little. You should make her show you her kid pictures."

"Hey… What's the TV show you've been doing?" Shuichi remembered suddenly, noticing that Ryu's smile was softening. His face was showing how tired he still was… that and the fact that he didn't seem to feel like moving around much.

"It's a kid's show and it's so much fun but I always end up so wiped out by the end of the day because I'm so worked up through the whole thing. I love kids. It was so cool that I got this gig."

"Which show?" Hiro asked.

"It's called 'Kids Crazy Hour' and it's off the hook. I wish it was on TV when I was a kid. I would have loved it. I think the producers were glad to see me go after running around with all the kids so much and winding them up. That's why I'm so tired! I guess I'm not as young and I want to think I am. Waaah!"

"You're only as old as you feel, Sakuma-sama." Hiro smirked.

"90. I feel like I'm 90 right now. Bleh."

The door to the studio suite opened then, Sakano-san making his entrance with a tray. His organizer book was now clamped tightly under his arm so he could balance while opening the door.

"Oh, yay. Food for me. You're the best, Sakano-san! Thanks." Ryu beamed his smile in the suited man's direction.

He came over and set the tray down on the coffee table, "You're very welcome." He looked over the situation, "Is everything all right?"

"Uh huh. Why?"

"What are you… doing to Shindou-san's hair?"

"Putting little braids in it by color." He kept right on.

"It might look a little strange, don't you think?" Sakano persisted too, concerned that Shuichi didn't seem to care at all.

"Probably, but it's not permanent or anything."

Sakano coughed, "Perhaps it's time for Sakuma-sama to have some peace to eat his meal…"

"Awww, man! They can stay. I still haven't shown them my new keyboards!" He protested.

"Perhaps when you're a little more awake, sir… Gentlemen…" Sakano gave them a serious look, so with that, they were kicked out. Shuichi heard his idol requesting tickets to their upcoming shows as they departed. "Sakuma-sama… You're the studio's owner. You don't need tickets."

"I guess you're right, but I like to keep them as mementos."

"I'll be sure to get you a T-shirt too, sir." He sighed.

"You really are the best, Sakano-san!"

"Thank you, sir. I do my best."

Hiro was smiling like a dope as they walked down the hallway toward the elevator, "He's so cool… How does a guy like that still stay so nice and easygoing? I can't believe you got to get your hair braided."

"I know! He touched me… Gaahhh! I can almost feel the musical genius seeping into my brain… He's coming to our shows!"

"We better make them good." He nodded.

"I wanted to tell him about our next song…" He pouted, "Stupid Sakano, kicking us out too fast…"

"At least he let us in. That was nice of him… and honestly, the guy looked pretty wiped out."

"Yeah… I can't wait to see those TV shows. I'm going to record them for sure."

"Did you see the piles of sheet music on the coffee table?" Hiro pushed the 'down' button.

"Not really, I was kinda distracted…Why?"

"It was all hand-written notes and lyrics. He wrote all that by hand and it's stuff I've never heard of either."

"You were nosey!" Shuichi smiled, glad that he was.

They went into the elevator, "Sure I was. I'm always curious when I get a chance to learn something new about that guy… That was like a whole career worth of music, just sitting there, brand new, unheard by anyone."

"Wow. They were pretty big piles… Do you think this means that he's gonna start performing again?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been on stage since he sang with us that one time and that was the first time in years… I'd so love to hear him sing again."

"I wish my voice was even half as good as his." Shuichi slumped against the elevator wall, pouting, "I'd settle for a quarter, really."

"It'd be a crime not to let that music be heard. You don't think he's ghost-writing for other bands in-house, do you?"

"Could be… That's no fair though! There's no way we can compete with music and lyrics by Ryuichi Sakuma… I better get really good and fast."

"You already are, little man." Hiro patted Shuichi's head, "If we sucked, do you think he'd want to see our shows? Not a chance. I doubt he shows up to Ask's shows."

"He's not the only one. No one shows up!" He snickered.

"Never woulda thought that the tables would be turned. Now he's a fan of ours."

"You better not go easy on him when you game. He's good at that too."

"I don't throw pity-wins to anyone. Gaming is sacred." Then just before the doors opened to let them out, he stood in front of Shuichi, grabbing hold of his shoulders, "We… are going… to Shadow Bar… Us! Can you freaking believe it??"

"I know! Oh. My. GOD!!"

Their squealing like school girls ceased as the security guard posted by the elevator gave them the kind of look that earned his paycheck ten times over. They calmed down and hurried out into the hall to get back to their own studio and wait for Sakano to show up so they could be sure to give him all the details necessary to secure their fantasy night-out for Hiro's bachelor party.

Well, that's it for the first half of Chapter 18! 5 reviews gets instant posting of the second half! Well, nearly instant.... And if not, I'm back on to other projects for a while. Thanks to everyone that has stuck with this series so far :) It's been fun. PS, Tatsua's back for a visit in the next chapter, if that's any incentive to anyone!