Chapter 13 - Problem

...

- Yuu, do you know when this came about? - Kai asked, analyzing the tattoo. The five of them were in a small room, Aoi sitting on the small sofa without his shirt while his friends and boyfriend analyzed the marked skin.

- It's like mine," Uruha murmured, taking a closer look thoughtfully.

- Yeah, you disappeared at the party for a while, was it in the meantime? - Ruki asked, already with a thought in mind.

- "I... I don't remember much," replied Yuu tensely. He didn't remember very clearly, it's true, but the marks on his body, the post-orgasm relaxation and all the other evidence he had of what had happened gave him an idea.

- Oh God! You had sex with someone. - As soon as he spoke, his lips tightened and his eyes widened, a tense atmosphere spread through the room and with the exposure of that fact, everyone was waiting for the reaction of the tallest man in the room.

- Maybe this tattoo is part of a satanic cult, and every time one of us is manipulated, we get it! What if Yuu also had sex with a lunatic who wants children? - Kouyou poured it all out at once, thinking up a thousand theories and trying with all his might to ignore the fact of the night: he had been hornswoggled. And everyone knew it.

He was only focusing on his theory about the ritual, the tattoos and his possible son.

- What? - Yuu stood up and turned to see if the other guy really meant it - Satanic ritual? Kouyou, really, you're paranoid - he exclaimed, stressed.

He felt like shit, he wanted to sit down and cry because he had betrayed the love of his life, and the other person's denial made him even more tense. Not to mention the audience, he didn't want to look at his friends, least of all Kai, who had made them both swear that the relationship would be forever, so as not to affect the band.

- Paranoid?! Yuu, look at all the things that have happened since that night, the tattoos, the music, my shock and more now! It's not possible that I'm the only one finding all this strange. - Kouyou turned around on the sofa to face the brunette, who ran his hands through his hair nervously.

- Kouyou, please, what do you want? You're playing mind games, are you? - He was already feeling pressured, it wasn't possible for the blond to be so, so slow. What did he want? To say it out loud? To come out loud and clear? Wasn't it hurting enough?

- What? But... What are you talking about? - Kouyou automatically became defensive.

Reita, Kai and Ruki looked at each other in amazement as the conversation unfolded. Reita got up and stood next to the older man, touched his shoulder to calm him down and smiled to try and remedy the situation.

- Hey, come on, don't fight," she murmured relaxedly with her leader's support.

- No, don't! I want you to tell me what you meant. What mind games? I'm saying there's something very wrong here, hell, do you think it's normal for us to show up with tattoos after a night at the campfire with satanic people?

- Are you really playing dumb? Or are you really putting faith in what you're saying? Satanic people? - You want what? What do you want me to say? Uruha, I cheated on you! I left you alone at a party, went into some room with some woman and had sex! That's what you wanted to hear! And guess what: there was no satanic intervention in that! Don't be crazy! - After he finished speaking, his Asian eyes widened.

Everyone stood shocked for the seconds that the solitary tear ran down the taller man's made-up skin, when it was lost on his pale neck and Kouyou left the room like a bolt of lightning.

Yuu felt his legs fail him and his heart squeeze so hard that he thought he was going into a heart attack.

That discussion had gone the wrong way.

(...)

The ride home in the van was tense, Uruha didn't want to sit at the back with her boyfriend Aoi, she asked to swap places with Kai. He didn't say a word on the way back, he just leaned his head against the glass and stayed that way, all I could hear was him taking deep breaths and tears falling down his cheeks.

Kai had sat down with the boy hair- black who was also inconsolable, he couldn't believe that he had spoken to his boyfriend like that, he couldn't understand why Uruha said that they had been bewitched and were being manipulated, his theory didn't make any sense.

Even if those damn tattoos that appeared on them were something unexplained, satanic people watching them was too much for him. They were restricted and the group of people who worked for them were trustworthy, it was hard to suspect that anyone could be using them, because that secret was theirs alone.

Ruki broke the burial atmosphere in the van by talking about the trip and how happy he was to be visiting South America again, the Latinos were very excited, he loved their energy and explosion at the shows.

He managed to get a few laughs, memories and comments about previous visits and Uruha's memorable fall in Brazil, making the taller one smile a little, but then he saw Aoi trying to talk to him, and he closed his face, turning back to face the road.

The van stopped and left them, Ruki and Reita got off together and went to Reita's apartment, saying goodbye to meet at the airport in two days' time. The next person to get off was Uruha, as his house was the furthest away, and then the driver would drive back, leaving Kai and Aoi last, near the center of Tokyo.

Before the van stopped, Aoi tried to talk to Uruha, who was still ignoring him since what had happened on the radio.

- Shima-san, look at me, we need to talk.

- Yuu, I have nothing more to talk about, you've already made your position clear.

- Gomen, I was nervous, I shouldn't have spoken like that, it was never my intention to betray you.

- But you said it loud and clear, everyone heard it, Kai-san is a witness.

- Please don't put me in your mess, I just don't want it to interfere with our tour.

- Don't worry Kai-san, I'm a professional and I know how to separate my feelings from the job.

- Uruha, please listen to me, I didn't mean to be rude, but your theory of satanic people goes beyond logic.

- Don't give me logic, Shiroyama. That tattoo appears out of nowhere, then you having sex with a woman is super normal.

- Kai-san talks to him. That whole spell and manipulation thing is out of touch with reality.

- Yuu-san, I'm not going to say anything, because even I don't know what's going on, it's all very complicated, but you fighting about it isn't right either.

- Now it's even Kai-san. Believe me. Just analyze the facts since that party, strange things happen, memory lapses, shock without knowing where it came from and these tattoos appearing on our skin.

- Kouyou-san, calm down, breathe, you're going to be sick altering yourself like this. You don't have to be nervous, I'm trying to believe you.

- I'm trying to believe. Forget what I said, just don't say I didn't warn you if it happens again. You've reached my house, it's my turn to go downstairs.

- Shima-san, wait for me! We can't stay like this, I'll come down with you.

- No, Shiroyama! I need to be alone, go home, pack your bags, we have a tour coming up, let's focus on work. Goodbye. Oyasumi Kai-san.

- Uruha, gomenasai... I love you... But don't just leave.

- Yuu-san, let him go. You're not going to solve anything hot-headedly, give him some space to think.

- Kai-san, will he ever forgive me? Why did I open my mouth and talk nonsense!

- Only time will tell Yuu-san, I hope it's soon.

The van continued on its way, dropping the other members off at their homes, only to pick them up again on the day of the trip to the airport, so that they could continue their tour.

Two days later... 10 Nov

The band continues its commitments by continuing its World Tour, now bound for South America. At last they meet again at the Airport, with their hand luggage and suitcases, now it will be many days away from home.

First stopover for South America in November:

Argentina on the 12th, Chile on the 14th and finally Brazil on the 17th.

As soon as they boarded, Uruha asked to change seats with Kai, he didn't want to sit next to Aoi, he was still upset with him and didn't want to talk about it. The band always traveled first class, this time there were no empty seats, so as not to cause a fuss Kai changed seats, but told Uruha that he should resolve the situation as soon as possible, traveling together it would be difficult for him to avoid his boyfriend.

Many hours of flying later...

The band arrived at their destination, disembarking in Argentina and heading for the hotel. Throughout the journey, Uruha only spoke to the band about work, rehearsals and the concert. He only exchanged a few words with Aoi. When the subject became personal, Uruha would curl up on the seat and pretend to be sleepy, he didn't want his friends to force him into another intervention, so he was forced to talk to Aoi.

Another unusual thing Uruha did was when he arrived at the hotel, he asked for a room just for him, even though the reservation was only for 3 rooms, despite the hotel being full for the production team traveling with them. The hotel staff worked it out, but again Uruha didn't want to stay with the brunette.

Professionally, everything was fine with the band, the rehearsals, the concert went well, the interaction of the guitarists on stage was not affected, no fan would suspect that the two were fighting. And as much as Aoi tried to approach Uruha to talk, he said that he needed a break, that it would be best just to talk as friends and carry on with the concerts.

This atmosphere between the two continued in the other countries that followed the concerts, Chile and Brazil. Kai could no longer stand to be Aoi's shoulder in his failed attempts to talk to Uruha and apologized many times. Uruha was unyielding in her decision, her boyfriend had confessed that he had cheated on her with some woman who had been chosen by the sect and, worse still, he didn't find it strange that he had been manipulated into having sex with her.

Kai told her as soon as he arrived in Brazil that he would hold a meeting with just the two of them to try to resolve this problem once and for all. They had always been friends, they had been together for years with the band, there had never been such jealousy problems that they had gone so long without talking to each other.

(...)

In the hotel room, in Brazil, before the rehearsal for the concert, Kai forced Uruha to take part in this meeting, better known as an intervention, the situation between him and Aoi was already difficult to deal with, they needed to talk. Sitting on the sofa were Ruki with her cell phone looking at the messages and Reita next to her also with her cell phone sharing photos.

Kai was sitting in a single armchair waiting for Uruha to enter the room. Aoi was sitting on another sofa, restlessly waiting for the blond guitarist. As soon as he entered, Kai didn't even wait for him to sit down, he started talking.

- Next, Uruha-san, you said that this fight wouldn't interfere with the band," said Kai, looking at the blond who was still standing. - But that's not what's happening.

- I didn't see any problems with the two concerts we played," said Uruha, even though he knew that wasn't what Kai meant. - Everything went according to plan.

- Exactly, on stage it's beautiful, it looks perfect. - Kai continues talking, keeping an eye on the guitarist - A big happy family, but no, they left the stage and the tense atmosphere continued.

- What do you mean, Kai-san? You want me to reconsider my boyfriend's betrayal, even though he's confessed," said Uruha, looking at Aoi, who was curled up on the sofa.

Ruki and Reita just watch this conversation unfold, which is already taking on an altered tone in the older man's voice.

- Shima-san, you didn't even let me defend myself and analyze what had happened. - Aoi tries to explain herself - You came up with this whole theory of rituals, satanic people to explain the memory lapses and those damn tattoos. So you also betrayed me like a woman at the stake.

- When will you understand and believe that all these strange things that have happened to us have something to do with that ritual? - Uruha freaks out and starts walking and talking loudly, running her hands through her hair - My God! They were witches, they used us in a black magic ritual, have you forgotten the bloody nightmare, the missing dead people? We were deceived, we were all forced to have sex with those women, I don't know why we're still alive, but they're still manipulating us.

Reita gets up and goes towards her friend, trying to calm him down, he's already too upset.

- Uruha, calm down, we'll get nowhere. - Reita tries to get Uruha to sit down. Kai appears with a glass of water for the blond - I'm really afraid that all this is true, I shudder to think that I might have been responsible for that woman's death.

- That's what I mean Uruha-san, since the day we left Japan, nothing strange has happened. - Kai tries to find a solution to this discussion - No memory lapses or problems playing Dogma. Who? Or what could be doing the manipulating back home.

- Yuu-san, I may have betrayed you at the stake, but I only found out after the nightmare was revealed. - Uruha argues with Aoi, now calmer with Reita still by his side - But you Shiroyama, you betrayed me twice and even confessed that you weren't manipulated into committing the act, and you called me crazy.

- Gomennasai, Kouyou! How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? - Aoi asked in a broken, almost tearful voice. - I was nervous and you started pressing me with all those questions and my arm was burning too much. Forgive me, I would never betray you for no reason, I love you so much.

- I don't know, this calm is stranger than anything that's happened. Just don't tell me I didn't warn you. - Uruha approaches Aoi and takes her hand - Shiro-san, I forgive you for calling me crazy and paranoid just for that, and I missed you too.

- Hallelujah! I couldn't stand your boyfriend's grumbling and whining any longer, I don't know how you do it," exclaimed a relieved Kai. - This whole conversation has taken up a lot of our time, so the soundcheck will have to be quick.

- Ruki-san, is everything all right? - Reita asked the little guy sitting on the sofa, oblivious to what was going on. - You're quiet without giving your opinion on the case, it's not like you.

- I'm fine, yes. Have you reached an agreement? - They looked at the singer, indignant that he hadn't heard the whole conversation - I was just researching, how much is alimony if these women come back with the children claiming to be yours?

- Takanori-chan, you really suck. A serious matter like this, you're making jokes," said Aoi, smiling at the singer. - I think I'm going to hire you as a child minder, one big one looking after the two little ones, what do you think?

- No more small talk and teasing now. We have a show to do, the queue of fans is huge - said Kai, encouraging everyone to get ready for the last show in South America. - Let's put on our best show.