Chapter Notes - Oh, here's chapter 22 after a long pause. I enjoyed writing this one just to let Shuichi really ride the emotional roller coaster up to the heights. He's such a good guy, really. I don't think there's a greedy bone in his little body.

Answering questions etc. from the last chapter's reviews and PMs:

Once again, I really enjoyed all the comments and notes. Thank you! But poor Alan. He got his first negative review as an 'extra' character... Waah! Poor guy. He means well, so bear with him when you see him again.

Beyonce's 'Halo' - Well, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a Beyonce fan, but I checked out the lyrics to this tune and it is a pretty good match. I've never heard the song itself to comment on how the atmosphere might match up, though. Thanks for pointing this out!

About bribing "Right Stuff" to animate this - Oh... I don't think that'll be happening any time too soon. It's more likely that Murakami-sensei would fly over and find me for a beat-down :) I appreciate the support, though!

About K and Eiri - Yeah, they don't get along real well, do they? Each of them thinks their viewpoints are correct, and so they'll probably always argue, even if just for their own satisfaction. It won't get any better any time soon, this I promise you!

Will the wedding be written? - Yep, it's already written but it'll be a few chapters before we get there so hang on tight!

Enjoy chapter 22 and if you're reading the other end of this story, it was also updated this week with chapter 7.


In the morning Shuichi woke to the alarm, eyes snapping open. He realized instantly that there was something on his face and he knocked it off, sitting up and shutting off the alarm. A piece of paper lay in his lap.

"Huh?" He squinted and read what was written there.

"Don't be late for your appointment. 4pm Tokyo Financial, Tia Marone. I will meet you there. Eiri."

"Holy crap… He really did do that." He just stared at the paper, wondering, feeling terrified that somehow he had money. It was normal for Eiri to. He just seemed well adapted to being rich and snobby. Shuichi had always just made small bucks at little jobs in high school, "Maybe he's right. Maybe it's okay to take it… I mean… he is getting ever richer off our relationship being all over the news… No! It just feels wrong! Aaaaah! I'm not in this for the money! I love, Eiri!" He stopped yelling abruptly and smiled, "He asked me to marry him. That was so cute… but I fainted..." He hung his head, "I suck. I shoulda been all romantic about stuff and instead I just pass out on him." He fell back onto their bed and stared at the ceiling, "I guess he must be used to me at this point though… and he didn't take it back… or dump me on a park bench when I passed out… So he still loves me!" Another smile, "Better get up…"

He made it to the studio in time for their meeting. A recap of the concert and reactions to their new song, statistics on downloads, fan email…

"Pay attention!" K yelled at him and Shuichi jumped in his seat.

"Gaa! Don't scream!"

"You're off in la-la land! Get with it!"

"Sorry!"

"You should be thrilled! Everyone's singing your praises for the new tune and even for your naughty teen-aged jam session."

"I'm thrilled, already. I just have stuff on my mind!"

"It better not effect your music…" He waved a finger at Shuichi which suddenly morphed into a tight fist, "Do I have to go re-arrange blondie's face or what??"

"NO! Everything's totally cool with us!"

"You're looking serious…" Hiro looked at him closely.

"Sorry. I'll pay attention."

He put forth an effort to get involved in the conversation. It had to do now with what songs they were going to send to the TV studio to be considered for the show that he and Eiri were about to become involved with. They decided that they would send off Tokyo After Dark and one more that Shuichi was in the midst of finishing up—Soul Skimmer.

"Keep on track. It's gotta go over soon."

"No pressure." Fujisaki rolled his eyes, "I feel like we're always running."

"You are! Running up the hill of stardom! It's not a marathon for the wusses." K nodded.

"Then Shuichi should drop out." Hiro mocked and shoved him.

"Hey!"

"Just messing with you. You're leading our charge. Keep it up."

He walked off afterward with Hiro.

"Wanna get some food?"

"I can't. I have an appointment." He slumped.

"Huh?"

"Yeah…" He took out the piece of paper and showed Hiro.

"Tokyo Financial?? What the hell?"

"You can't tell anyone. I'm still freaked out about it."

"Why are you going there?"

He explained the overage in Eiri's 'pay checks' and what he had been doing with it.

"That's awfully giving of him… Wonder how much you're worth now." Hiro smiled.

"I'm so scared…"

"Why? You're not dirt poor any more. That's cool."

"It's just creepy."

"He's trying to help you. I know that's creepy… but let him. Hell, if your having to run from the media is finally paying off, you should enjoy it. I'm still just surprised that he's sharing the wealth."

"I guess I'm not."

"No?"

"He really does have a load of cash… so it's not like he's losing anything." He shrugged.

"I can stop feeling guilty about having our rent paid." He laughed.

"Yeah, no kidding… It's just so strange to me."

"Maybe it's his way of making your bizarre bond deeper."

Shuichi nodded, "He asked me…"

"Asked you what?"

"To marry him." He smiled and sighed.

"You're kidding." Hiro's jaw dropped.

"Nope. Apparently it's possible for us to be legally married in the state of Massachusetts in the USA."

"So you're gonna go for it?? That's awesome. You're going to be Mrs. Uesugi. Eiri will have the ugliest wife in town!"

"Screw you, mean guy! I'm gonna be a smokin' hot bride! YEH!"

"Freak!" He laughed then Shuichi attached to his arm, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Please, come with me to this place, okay? I'm too chicken to go in by myself."

"Fine. Let's go."

They found the building and went up to the 30th floor, met at the front door of the office by an actual doorman who let them in. They both stopped inside and looked around.

"Holy crap… This place is off the charts." Hiro said.

"We totally don't belong here… This is way worse than ring shopping." He looked into the koi pond off to the right, the waterfall…trees… all inside the building… It looked more like the perfect Japanese garden than an office.

"Yeah, we're bringing down its expensive vibe… Here comes someone."

A woman came toward them down a garden path, bowing respectfully, "Welcome. How may I help you?"

"I… umm… have… an appointment?" Shuichi cringed in saying it.

"Your name?"

"Shuichi Shindou."

"Oh, yes. Welcome Shindou-sama. Please follow me. Tia is expecting you."

"O… kay."

"Have fun. I'm outa here." Hiro lifted a hand to wave goodbye.

"Don't go!" Shuichi yelped.

"This is all you, little man. Let me know what it's like later, huh?"

"Aaa! You suck!"

"Bye!" He waved and left.

Shuichi looked back toward the expensively dressed woman who smiled at him, "Don't worry. We're here to serve you, not bite you."

"Swear?" He gulped.

"Of course, Shindou-sama. Please come with me."

He followed her down the path, farther into the freaky surroundings. He was brought into an office that was part of a giant old-style house with sliding paper screen doors in the center of the strange building-garden. Another assistant brought him tea and some expensive looking snacks.

"Tia will be with you shortly. Would you like anything else?"

"No thanks. This is way more than enough."

He sat there fidgeting and waiting… wondering where Eiri was… He took out his cell phone and frowned. No messages.

"You creep! You're making me do this alone!" He jumped in shock as his phone rang at the same moment he was busy yelling at it, "Hello??? Eiri??? Where are you???"

"Aah! I'm deaf now… What the hell?"

"Why aren't you here?? This is so weird!!"

"I'm stuck in traffic.. Are you in with Tia now?"

"I'm sitting here in this freaky place waiting for her. When are you getting here? I don't belong here. I so totally don't belong in this place!"

"Calm down. It's an office with office workers… Just prettier…"

"How long are you going to take to get here??"

"Probably another 10 to 15 minutes. There's an accident backing up the highway."

"I'm going to faint…"

"Not again… I don't think that can be healthy for you."

He remembered his faint from the night before then, calming down and smiling, "Thanks for not dumping me in a park somewhere last night so I could wake up with a pigeon on my head."

"It seemed like too much effort to carry you that far…"

"Jerk… Hurry up!!"

"Driving as fast as possible. Just calm down."

"This isn't normal…" He hissed.

"Yes it is. I'm hanging up now."

"Noooo."

"Yes. You'll be fine." The call ended.

"Gaaahh!! Eiri you giant jerk!" He looked up as a tall woman with dark reddish brown hair came in wearing one heck of an executive power outfit. She didn't look even a tiny bit Japanese but then he supposed she wouldn't, given her name.

"Shindou-sama. Welcome to Tokyo Financial Advisors. I am Tia Marone." She came over and bowed to him, he forgetting to get up and do the same, just staring at her, "Are you all right?"

"No." He gulped.

"Is there anything I can get for you to help?"

"No."

"Maybe you would like things to be a little less formal?" She smiled slowly at his look of utter horror.

"Yes."

"All right." She came over, placing the folio she was carrying on the desk before pouring him a cup of tea from the pot he had been terrified to touch for fear of breaking it, "Here you are…"

"Thank you."

"So, may I call you Shuichi if we're being informal?"

"Please." He nodded and sipped the tea he held in his shaking hands. Not surprisingly it was perfect.

"Will Uesugi-sama be joining us?"

"He's stuck in traffic… He said he'd be here as soon as he could."

"Oh, dear… He's stuck in that mess uptown. I saw it in passing on the news."

"I guess so…"

"I'm not going to bite you, silly." She laughed warmly, "I'm just a financial advisor."

"I've never been in a place like this… I'm just a little nervous."

"I can see that… So let me tell you a little bit about where you are so you can get comfy."

She explained the company's long history including their owner's unusual taste in interior decoration, their A-list of clientele, and the background of his surprise accounts.

"Apparently your 'coming out' has been good for Uesugi-sama's financial outlook… so he wanted to share the wealth and make sure you were well taken care of." She opened the folio and started to lay out pieces of paper on the coffee table. Shuichi just blinked at the charts and numbers, "A little baffled?"

"Totally… What does this all mean?"

"This means that you have a financial portfolio being managed and held here at Tokyo Financial. I am your advisor unless you find my services inadequate, in which case we will set up interviews for you with our other advisors until you find someone you're comfortable with. These funky looking pie charts show how your assets are distributed among types of investments. It's a very balanced portfolio. These are mutual funds, these are foreign high-risk investments, stocks… I guess it's like thinking of having more than one thing to eat in your kitchen. You'd get tired of it after a while, so you try and keep it interesting by having more than one thing."

"Uhh... Okay."

"I think that Uesugi-sama was getting bored with managing his own portfolio. It has really just taken on a life of its own… so he's been very actively managing yours instead. More of a challenge to build something from a smaller beginning than just to watch a huge account bloat. He seems to favor dealing with foreign markets, like the US stock markets. He plays the game well… Here… This number is how much your investments earned last month." She flipped a paper over and Shuichi's eyes bulged.

"No way!!"

"Yes, way." She laughed again.

"That can't be right!"

"It is… Here is your entire portfolio." She showed him another number.

"Gaahh!! He's nuts!! Why did he give me all this money!??"

"Like I said, he wants to be sure you're well taken care of… and in the event of his death, his entire estate becomes yours… I need to get your signature on file so we can move ahead with the arrangements. Legal nonsense. You know…?"

"No, I don't know!" He squeaked, starting to hyperventilate.

"It's just money. You shouldn't be so upset, sweetheart."

"I've never had any! This is so freaking me out!"

"The best thing to do is just forget it's there and let it keep growing until you need it."

"How am I supposed to sleep at night with this hanging over my head??"

"You are too funny… Most people feel that way about debt, not solvency… I loved your new song by the way! You're so talented and so sweet too! You must really be in love to write lyrics like that."

"Well… Yeah… Of course I am." He managed to catch his breath, "I just wish he was here right now instead of stuck in traffic."

Fortunately it wasn't much longer until he arrived in the office, tailed by another executive assistant.

"Sorry I'm late…"

"Uesugi-sama. Welcome." Tia bowed to him with a smile.

"Eiri!" Shuichi yelped.

"Freaking out still? I thought Tia would calm you down." He smirked and sat beside him.

"Are you out of your mind?? Why did you give me all this money??" He pointed a shaking finger at all the papers on the table.

"I already told you… It's really yours anyway… and besides that… it's just money. But it's money that can be there when you need it, so you don't have to worry about anything other than making music. Does that suck for you? Not to have to worry?"

"I wasn't really worried anyway… She told me that if you croak I get all your stuff!!"

"Yeah, I finally got around to writing a will. What's your problem with that?"

"I don't want you to die!"

"I don't want me to die either, dork… but everyone does. The responsible thing to do is have a will in place so there's no long court battles. I figure you'll be mental for at least a year after I die, so you're going to need the money to pay for nurses to take care of you."

"Waaaaaaaahhhhh…"

"Shut up, already. Quit spazzing out. Welcome to being an adult. You have to plan ahead."

"But… But…"

"I'm not gonna die any time too soon. At least not that I know about... Do you want to have to go through that and also have to fight my dumb-ass family for my estate?"

"No…"

"Well there you have it... Did you get him to sign what you need yet?" He asked Tia.

"Nope. He wanted to wait until you got here. It's really sweet, you know. I see so many trophy wives come and go and a few trophy husbands… You go through the motions and know that at the end of the day, your client is just a sugar daddy or sugar momma… But Shuichi loves you and the thought of taking money from you makes him want to barf." She laughed, "I thought I was going to have to get a bucket at one point…"

"I think I'm going to be sick for real…" He moaned, holding his stomach.

"You are not. Toughen up, Shu." He reached over and ruffled his hair, "Pretend you're signing autographs and then we can get on with life."

"This is just so not right! Please take it back!"

"No. It's yours. Live with it."

"Pretty please?" He clasped his hands.

"If you want me to take it back then break up with me." He sat back, folding his arms.

"I'm not going to do that!"

"Then you have to keep it."

"You're not fair, Eiri… I don't want your money I just want you!"

"You already have me. Part of me is the money. You've been living with it for a while now… What's the big deal?"

"Because it's never been numbers on a piece of paper and charts and stuff. It's all just been matter-of-fact life. It still freaks me out when I think about where we live! I just try not to think about it."

"Then don't think about this. Just do it."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." He held his hand out to Tia and she gave him the papers.

"I've never had anyone argue over this sort of thing before. Beg not to get money…" She mused.

"You've never met this freak… Hey… Quit quivering and sign." He placed the papers on the table in front of Shuichi and put a pen in his hand, "Get on it."

Finally he finished signing everything then dropped the pen, "I feel so dirty…"

"You didn't kill anyone's kitten…"

"No… but now I feel like everyone else you dated… always looking at you like a bank."

"You don't. You're different. Very damn different."

"Mmh…" He frowned.

"Shuichi, try and think of money as a tool. You don't have to become a jerk because you have some. You can be helpful. It all depends on what you do with the tools you're given." Tia smiled at him reassuringly, putting the papers away.

"What am I supposed to do with all that?"

"Let it grow so you'll have a good retirement… Plan for the future. Lots of things… My job as your advisor is to understand your wants and dreams and make sure you have the financial foundation to make it all happen for you… So, I know that music is very important to you. I've been keeping up with your career. I know that Uesugi-sama is very important to you. I've been watching the news and watching how he conducts his business with me… He's not doing this to upset you, Shuichi. He wants you to be secure because he cares for you. Nothing wrong with that." She folded her arms and leaned against her desk.

"I guess not…" He sighed.

"So you'll have to tell me what else is important to you so I can make sure we keep you on the right track… Do you have a third love in your life? Friends? Family?"

"Well, yeah. Both of course."

"You could help take care of them… For example, Uesugi-sama's will is there to take care of you in the event of his passing. His life insurance too… And also to benefit his publishing house if there is a loss of revenue due to his death. He has a trust established for his little brother too."

"For Tatsuha?" He looked at Eiri.

"I figure it's only a matter of time before the kid runs away from the temple to live a life of debauchery. As his older brother I should make sure he can feed himself until he gets over it and gets on with his life. Maybe pay his college tuition if he doesn't go crawling back to Kyoto." He shrugged, "I do actually like Tatsuha… He just pisses me off more often than he entertains me, lately…"

"So maybe I could start a college fund for my little sister? Or maybe for Hiro and Ayaka's kids! Yeah!"

"I should contribute to that one… since he's taken that responsibility from me." Eiri smirked.

"Totally."

"So you see, there are ways that other people can benefit too. Uesugi-sama also gives to charities, the arts. The school you just came from could have benefited from his generosity… So think about it for a while."

"Okay. I will… Mostly, I just want to be with Eiri and make music. It's working out so far. It would be cool to help Hiro since he has always put up with me."

"So your third love is Hiro… Your guitar player, correct?" She asked.

"Yeah. My best friend… What's your third love, Eiri?"

"My car." He smiled, "It's an investment in enjoyment."

"Since you're sharing everything else with me… do I get to drive it now??"

"Only if you let me beat the crap out of Hiro." He punched his own palm dramatically.

"Hey! Don't say that!"

"What? You want to wreck my third love so I should be allowed to do the same to yours."

"That's just twisted…"

"Let's put it this way… You get to drive my car over my dead body…"

"And that would be true since I get all your stuff in your will!" He smiled proudly.

"No… I put a special contingency in my will. I'm gonna be buried in it so you're shit-out-of-luck, punk."

"You really do plan ahead..." He frowned.

"Sure do."

"You two are just too much… Well, just let me know if I can do anything else for you. I'll have the Admin set up another meeting in a few months to give you time to think things over."

In the parking lot Shuichi offered to drive them home, holding out his hand for the keys and smiling widely.

"Hell no. Get in the car, brat."

"Fine…" He got in the passenger side and sat quietly for a while as Eiri started to drive them home, "So… Say we're in the middle of nowhere and you're stricken by some mystery illness and the only way to get help is for me to drive you in your car to the hospital…"

"Leave me to die and walk to a pay phone. Give me a good funeral."

"You really are nuts…"

"Yeah, and don't you forget it."

He sat quietly for a little while more, absorbing all of what had happened over the past couple days, watching the scenery go whizzing by. There was a lot going on and it was pretty overwhelming, even if none of it was bad. He sighed, feeling grateful for a few minutes of having nothing to do other than be a passenger and knowing that Eiri was in his corner.

"Hey, Eiri…?"

"What?"

"Thanks… For looking out for me. It's nice to know that you were thinking about me like that. I'm sorry I freaked out… but it's still weird to me."

"It might be for a while. Fortunately you move on to other things quickly so I'm not worried about you dwelling on it for long."

"I just want to be sure that you don't think I'm after your money."

"I know you're not." He gave Shuichi a smile, which thrilled him.

"Good…" He nodded and then had another thought, "So how many times have you slept with Marone-san?"

"What?? Zero! What kind of a question is that, all of the sudden??"

"Never? Seriously?"

"Yes!"

"That's cool. She wasn't giving you the eyes so I wondered… Did she ever hit on you?"

"No."

"Did you ever hit on her?"

"Yes."

"Ow! Denied!" He laughed.

"It's not what you think… I was interviewing the female advisors… She was the only one that didn't hit on me so I hit on her… and she told me the interview was over. That she absolutely didn't get involved with clients or like having that sort of pressure placed on her… Plus she's married. Very much so. So I told her she was hired because that was what I was looking for… Someone to manage my money, not to try and get into my bed."

"Still… Someone who didn't wanna do the throw-down with Eiri Yuki. Amazing!"

"Who woulda thought? Her husband's an executive chef at some snazzy restaurant here in the city."

"She's American?"

"No. Italian."

"Ever been to Italy?"

"Rome once, briefly. You'd like it. We'll go some day."

"Yay… Oh… And I'm sorry I fainted last night."

"It's okay. You were tired. I was surprised you made it that far through the conversation."

"I'm glad I did… Were you just messing with me? We're actually getting married?"

"Yeah. Pretty funny, huh?"

"I think it's great. Hiro says you'll have the ugliest wife in town." He smiled happily, "He's such a bastard."

"He's right. Wife with the hairiest legs. Woof."

"Screw you, too! I'm super hot! Yeh, baby! You know you want this!"

"You're right. I wanted it last night too, but you passed out and it's no fun when you're all limp." He chuckled.

"I'm sure you would have managed anyhow… Pervert."

"I managed to drag you to bed and that's about it, hot stuff."

At the apartment, they got out of the car still smiling and mocking each other. Shuichi was beside himself with happiness. Eiri was in an excellent mood and not being too caustic with him, just fooling around… and then he held Shuichi's hand as they walked along.

"I am so in love with you… Eiri…" He sighed inwardly, his peace broken when the reporters that camped on their doorstep started to flock toward them along the fence, "Aaa, things were going too well."

"They musta heard about how hot you are… Woof."

"Or that you got denied by a hot Italian chick."

"That's rare indeed." He didn't let go of Shuichi's hand as they made their way past the group to the front lobby of their building, "I'm starting to get used to this."

"Good. Hey, how did the meeting go anyway?"

"Well enough. I think that Keiko-chan was a little under the weather from the flight though. She will feel better once she's had a nap… You need to do me a favor." He said, pushing the button for the elevator.

"Sure. What?"

"Autograph one of your CDs for her sister, Kana."

"Oh, okay. That's cool."

"You want to join us for dinner? I'm taking all three editors out tonight. I know you and Aiko get along…"

"Yeah, I can chaperone. Protect your virtue."

"Virtue, huh?"

"You're right… You don't have any." He made a face as Eiri shoved him into the elevator.

"No lie. You've ruined me." He pushed Shuichi against the wall of the elevator next and kissed him firmly, leaving him breathless, "Now… I only want you… To kiss you and make love to you and just be with you."

Shuichi smiled and stroked Eiri's beautiful pale face, "I wouldn't have it any other way… I love you… Eiri…"

"You're like a drug, Shu. I'm hooked." He smiled back.

"Let's hope you don't ever go into withdrawal."

"Never. I'll be sure to get plenty of you."

At least they managed to make it to their bedroom before frightening any of the neighbors with their sudden public display of affection.

"I think my pants are in the hallway…" Shuichi yawned after a nap, lounging in Eiri's arms.

"Go get 'em."

"I'm too tired… I don't think I can walk anyway."

"Good… Don't want my ugly wife in the hall showing off his hairy legs." He chewed on Shuichi's ear.

"Mmmmhhh… Woof."

"What time is it?" He sat up and looked, "Ahhh… Time for a shower. Don't pass out. We have to go to dinner."

"You'll have to carry me."

"If I must." He got up and went off to the bath.

"Too tired… to move…" He yawned and got comfortable until Eiri came back and pulled the covers off.

"Get up. We don't have long before they're here." He leaned down and kissed Shuichi.

"You're so romantic."

"Don't make me drag you outta bed by your ankles."

"You really want me to go with you tonight, huh?" He sat up with a smile.

"Don't do me any favors…"

"Seriously. You can tell me. You just wanna be with me because you love me soooo much you can't stand to be away from me for even a moment!" He clapped his hands.

"Get over yourself, already." He gave Shuichi a look, "Maybe I just want you along to entertain the girls, since you're more like them than I am… Overly emotional."

"Nah… It's because you're in wuv with me. It's okay. You don't have to say it. I know!" He got up and patted Eiri's head where he sat on the bed glaring at him, "I'll be done with my shower in a little bit, sweetheart!" He cheered.

"Ghh… Get going. And try to wear something more conservative…"

"Sure thing, honey!"

He managed to get showered and dressed just before the editors got there.

"Do I look okay?"

Eiri looked up from his computer, "Yeah… Fine. Thanks for not wearing mismatching neon."

"Anything for you, pumpkin!"

"Wow, I musta been good in bed for you to be in such a mood." He pushed his glasses up on his nose more.

"You were!" He sat down and smiled at him.

"What's that look for?"

"You're just super cute in your glasses! Are you gonna wear them out tonight??"

"Not if it makes you want to keep shrieking."

"I'll be quieter." He demonstrated, "Shhh…"

"Are you drunk or just high?" He raised an eyebrow.

"High on life. And I'm starved! Are we going somewhere good?"

"Yeah, that's why I told you to dress normal."

The intercom buzzed, "I'll get it!" Shuichi popped up from the sofa.

"Yeesh… Isn't this the guy who was just moaning about how tired he was?"

Shuichi pressed the button for the intercom, "Shindou here! What can I do ya for?" He grinned as Eiri clapped a hand to his face in shock at his continued energy.

"Sir, there are three women here… to see Uesugi-sama?"

"Oh yeah." He turned, "Hey, do you want them to come up or should we go down?"

"We'll go meet them in the lobby."

"Please tell them we'll be there in a minute! Thanks!" He let go of the button, "Why'd he sound so confused I wonder?"

"Because there's chicks here to see me and everyone in the world knows I'm living with a guy, numbskull."

"Oh… So he thinks they're here to do a tag team… Super! Man, you have a reputation."

"Had… I had a reputation." He closed the computer and got up, going to get his coat, "Now I have a status… At least once upon a time it was a reputation." He smiled and tossed Shuichi his own coat.

"I know… I've ruined your perfect life." He stuck out his tongue.

"Not quite. Keep trying." He bent and kissed Shuichi, "Ready?"

"Totally!!"

"Damn, I need to buy you some downers."

"No thanks! They wouldn't work anyway."

"You're probably right."

Downstairs they met the little group.

"Hi Aiko-chan!" Shuichi cheered, "You look super cute tonight!"

"So do you, Shu-chan." She smiled, "I'm glad you're coming out with us!"

"Keiko… I'm sure you already know him… but this is Shuichi Shindou." Eiri introduced.

"Very nice to meet you." The new girl bowed to him.

"Shu, this is our newest addition from the USA, Keiko Nakamura."

"Nice to meet you. Welcome to Japan!" He bowed with a big smile.

"Uesugi-sama… Your limo is here." The doorman informed.

"Thank you… Everyone… Dinner awaits."

Shuichi was glad to stuff himself, starved from waiting too long to eat anything for want of a good romp with Eiri.

"So I found us a cooking class… A private tutor." Aiko told him.

"Cool... How come private?"

"Well when I told her who I was going to be taking the class with she thought it might be too distracting for the other students to have you in a big class."

"Awww… Being recognized sucks for having a personal life." He sighed.

"We might learn faster though because we get personal attention."

"True… I just hope I don't stab myself or something…"

"You probably will." Eiri said and sipped his coffee, "That's why I keep the knives locked up. Not because I'm afraid you'll kill me in my sleep... And bring lots of bandages."

"Mean…"

"Aiko… I advise you to stay far away from him when he has a knife. I wouldn't like to lose you."

Aiko laughed, "I'm sure he can't be so clumsy."

"Wait and see."

It was fun for him to spend time with the people that Eiri worked with. They were all nice though Sachi was a little more reserved than Aiko and Keiko. He supposed that since she was the senior she had to be more professional.

"It's amazing that you're going to get the chance to work together on a TV show." Keiko clapped, "Are you excited?"

"Half… I'm also nervous I won't learn my lines. Eiri says he's going to make sure I learn 'em but I'm not convinced... It's really cool though that we're going to New York and that the band is getting a couple songs to have air time in a national US TV show."

"Your life is a non-stop roller coaster ride, isn't it?"

"Sure is… but I wouldn't have it any other way!" He smiled happily.

"And Uesugi-sama, with pre-orders in anticipation of your newest novel in the US exceeding even those placed in Japan… How are you feeling?"

"Pleasantly surprised. It is good to know that even given dramatic changes in my life, my work is managing to stand up to scrutiny." He lit a cigarette, "It is fortunate too that my partner in media frenzy is also being so well received."

"They're calling you Japan's hottest couple." Sachi said, "You can do no wrong."

"Let's hope so." Eiri nodded.

End of chapter 22 - Want more? You know what to do by now! Give me some more feedback... Ask me some questions. I'll be glad to answer them :)