When the past repeats, there will be bloodshed

by heartaidcafeteria

Summary:

"Wine red really does look good on you"

Notes:

read to find out

Chapter 1: 1.1

★

 

"Do you think I would bother dialing you if this wasn't dangerous?" An angry yet calm whisper

 

Judging by the strange amount of concern on his face, the other was alarmed but only on the inside. He usually just looked annoyed or, at the most, a little shook. This was new.

 

Almost

 

"Now listen carefully" He still whispered, "There's a whole lotta bullshit swirling around this building. And it's likely the bitch will like to spread the web further"

 

The other nodded, still confused but bearing the usual poker face as a trophy.

"...I see. And who has notified you of this?"

 

A pause

"Narukami. And while I know you two don't get along at all..." He said the next part with immense caution, "...this is some serious shit, Itsuki"

 

The Itsuki glanced around, to make sure he wasn't being heard

"How bad has it gotten, Sena?"

 

"Only restricted to StarPro for now...but we can't take chances. And knowing Tenshouin" He whispered, "He'll practice on your group next"

 

"Valkyrie?"

 

"This is Tenshouin, Itsuki"

 

He paused to process

His eyes widened and he focused on the ground as he thought carefully

 

"The Eccentrics..." He kept his volume low, "..and the rest of us at some point later to ensure a safe spreading of the gradient of fear"

 

"There you have it" Izumi sighed, "It's not going to be like back in Yumenosaki...we don't have a revolutionary party this time around got it?"

 

"Yes, I...summed that up"

 

Izumi pulled out his phone

"Looks like I gotta head back. You're staying with Mika I'm assuming?"

 

"Yes"

 

"Alright then, later" And he walked away

 

His first day back to Japan and something's going wrong? What luck. He hopes his fellow 'eccentrics' know.

 

While he's lost touch with Tenshouin's new schemes and strategies, one thing he hasn't forgotten is the torment and agony from the day reality stabbed him in the heart.

 

And he hopes to remember it forever

 

Not only to humble himself

But simply as an extra chess move, as a sharp scapel for the next he is messed with.

 

Nobody

Nobody messes with Valkyrie 

 

 

★

 

 

"Wahh? Thas a really cute purse Naruchan!"

 

Arashi showed off her new pink purse. Handles painted silver and the locking hooks made a satisfying clicking sound.

"Right? And, it was on discount! A very lucky day for me!"

 

Mika nodded enthusiastically

"Mhm! Yer always lucky with all this kinda stuff Naruchan, buyin' things n getting stuff done"

 

Arashi smiled proudly

"Of course! The universe bends to my beauty!"

 

Mika chuckled

"Is it funny if I tell ya Oshi san says the same stuff?"

 

Arashi tilted her head

"Really?"

 

"Yeah, jus' he uses really difficult words n I don't know 'em" He smiled awkwardly

 

"Looks like Mika chan needs an 'Oshi san dictionary' "

 

Mika playfully shook her shoulders 

"M learnin' ! M gettin' there okay?"

 

"Of course, of course"

 

...

 

"Do you like your Oshi san?"

 

Mika blinked

"Yer askin' rhetorical questions"

 

New words? Itsuki's doing

Not that Arashi was bothered

It simply...a little off

 

"That's not how I mean it and you know it Mika chan"

 

"Well...yeah, m guess"

 

Arashi somehow had the sudden urge to peel off hard skin surrounding her nails. 

"How much?"

 

"Ngah, I ain't got words fancy enough yknow?"

 

Arashi stopped peeling her skin off

"Aww it's okay Mika chan, one day you will!"

 

Mika grinned

How cute

 

"There's a party in two weeks, in a café"

 

Mika was curious

"Wah? For what?"

 

"Mika chan...don't tell me- "

 

"Ya- yer scaring me! What for?" He squeaked

 

"My birthday!"

 

Mika looked as if he just saw God

He shook his head

"I remember! I was jus'- I kinda overthought!"

 

Arashi chuckled

"I know you didn't forget Mika chan! I was just messing with you!" She pinched his cheeks, "You're a very intelligent boy!"

 

"Ngahh, Oshi san says otherwise"

 

"He doesn't know what he's talking about!" She patted his head, "So, what are you wearing for the party?"

 

He sat up straight

"I'll hafta look through mah stuff fer that...I'll surprise ya!"

 

Arashi ruffled her hair

"Oh? Okay then, I'll look forward to it" She winked.

 

Things were a little awkward this time around

 

★

 

Chapter 2: 1.2

★

 

"That's weird" Tsukasa narrowed his eyes

 

"What?" Ritsu asked, lethargically

 

Tsukasa swiftly turned around to face him

"I can't reach Sena senpai at all'

 

Ritsu rolled over 

"He's probably doing something illegal~ He'll call back in a bit"

 

"No, that's the thing" Tsukasa locked his eyes with Ritsu's, worry etched on his face, "I've called him at least ten times since morning, and the last time I saw him was yesterday evening when he walked outside the campus with..."

 

He paused to think

"...Itsuki senpai"

 

Ritsu yawned

"Oh? Don't worry~ Mika's Oshi san-san isn't evil~ "

 

"Still...I'm really worried"

 

☆

 

"You 'called' us, Rei?" 

 

The magician sat alongside Kanata, and Rei stood in front of them, leaning on the pillar. It was a little cold, but not very. Spring was coming, after all.

 

"I did"

 

Natsume spoke up

"What is iT Rei nii saN?"

 

Rei's usual smirk faltered and he straightened his posture

"Tenshouin"

 

Natsume had already begun to focus, his hands no longer relaxed on his lap. Kanata was confused.

 

"What about 'Tenshouin' ?"

 

"Don't tell me you don't know? You're in the same production"

 

Kanata shook his head

"I am not 'aware'...'Ryuseitai' has been 'inactive' for a bit"

 

Natsume's eyes reflected understanding

"I have hearD, Kanata nii-san"

 

Kanata turned to him

"What is it?"

 

Natsume sat very Shu-style, legs crossed and arms folded

"He's upto something neW...and according to what I have been tolD by Shu nii-san..." He paused to press his back onto the sofa, "...He has already started his little gamE and we are players in it, without consenT”

 

Rei eyes opened alerted at this

"Shu? Where is he? Wasn't he in France?"

 

Kanata chuckled

"He 'returned' just yesterday, Rei"

 

Rei sighed

"And he didn't tell ME? So how come you both know?"

 

"I know because he said he wanteD to warn me firsT and foremost" The magician replied

 

Kanata smiled

"I saw him this 'morning', by the fountain"

 

Rei sighed

“Well, he must be busy”

 

Natsume took a deep breath

"He was tired, jetlagged to toP it alL"

 

...

 

"And let us not forgeT what Tenshouin did to hiM...to uS, in facT"

 

"True...which is why I have come up with our first step to saving us former Eccentrics..."

 

Both of them looked to Rei, alert and focused

 

Rei reluctantly spoke

"We...must cut off Wataru...completely"

 

There was silence

 

"...Rei-Rei nii san?"

 

"It hurts me to say it, and even after he joined fine I said nothing but..." He exhaled shakily, "...This is going towards something I- we cannot overlook anything this time, I'm afraid"

 

Kanata noticed the hurt in Rei's voiced and shook his head

"...It is 'okay', Rei...we need to be 'prepared' better this time"

 

Natsume, also upset, nodded

"...It upsets me as well, but you are righT Rei nii san...we don't have much of a choicE"

 

Rei sighed

"Right...don't block his number, that's gonna raise suspicion so just don't respond to his texts or anything...and everything else is assumed yeah?" He paced left to right, "...And I would tell you to forward this message to Shu, but something tells me he's too smart to not have figured this out"

 

"That's truE"

 

"And if you see our pinkie pie idle, send him my way yeah? Been a while"

 

Kanata nodded

"Of course, Rei"

 

"Let's all head back to our work then...we can't disappear for very long, they'll be on our case if we do" He smiled again, to fool himself if not the other two.

 

"See you lateR, nii san"

 

"Bye for 'now' "

 

 

★

 

 

"Izumi's gone"

 

Shu paused whatever he was doing

"What?"

The jet lag can kill itself, was Shu's ideology. If he wanted to sew, he would, regardless of his current state.

Kiryuu walked towards him

"Yeah, Knights have been lookin' all over apparently...calling him, texting him"

 

He frowned, but kept quiet.

 

Kuro continued

"They called every guy he knows, and doesn't know...no sign of him anywhere"

 

 

Shu was starting to realise this game of chess involved roulette

 

 

"...Judging by your face, you ain't seen him have ya?"

 

He inhaled, not noticing his weariness still

"When was Sena...seen, last?"

 

Kiryuu sat down

"The night before yesterday"

 

Shu aggressively dropped his needle on the table and turned to face Kiryuu

"He was talking to me outside the gate! He hasn't been seen after???"

 

Kiryuu winced at Shu's icy tone...he hadn't heard it in a while and hoped to not hear it again

"Nope, not at all"

 

Shu took to biting his nail, a new habit he wasn't too fond of

 

He spoke, almost hissed

"That conceited little-"

 

Kiryuu patted his shoulder

"Hey, calm down. We'll find him, and we'll figure out how to fix this stupid trap okay? I ain't hanging onto Hasumi this time..."

 

Shu's eyes widened, and then went back to normal

"You aren't?"

 

The other sighed, running his fingers through his hair

"After last time...absolutely not, it sounds out of character but I'm done feeling helpless because of him...I couldn't do anything for you back then and...haunts me still"

 

Shu paused

"...Well, don't let this freedom go to waste then"

 

Kiryuu chuckled

"Absolutely not"

★

 

 

Chapter 3: little by little

★

Trickstar isn't in the state to be fighting, or even trying

 

Eichi and his little group had learnt from last time, and made sure to drain them of not only money...but energy as well.

They had been going for tours, and it was after they returned that they figured out how much they missed.

 

"You good?" Mao asked his unitmate, who was focused on his phone. He abruptly turned to face Isara, an awkward expression on his face

 

"Sorry, I've been on the phone since morning...I'm fine"

 

Mao wasn't convinced 

"You look worried, what's up?"

 

Makoto shifted his glasses up his nose bridge

"I've been called by atleast a dozen people since morning...Izumi's just vanished"

 

Mao forgot everything he had been thinking about before now

"...I was wondering why he never showed up to our room! I just thought he was busy with Knights practice, since Ritsu told me they've been training harder than usual"

 

The other turned off his phone, knowing that there was no point in trying for now. They'll find him. He's probably kidnapping Tomoya or something.

 

"You know what? Let's...let's focus on something else for now" Isara said, his tone defying his words, "...He's a smart guy, he's probably just...doing something, somewhere- "

 

"I know! But I didn't get any sleep yesterday, and it's all because of this! That, and the concern I hear in everyone's voice when they call me" The other took off his glasses, to show his eyebags, and overall weariness. Clearly, it was taking a toll on him

 

He suddenly turned serious, "He could be anywhere in the world and he'd still pick up, specially if there were a dozen people after him- " His fist tightened on his lap, "...If...if this has something to do with Tenshouin...if he's willing to go this far- "

 

Mao shook his head, cutting him off

"Don't scare yourself more! Look, you're tired aren't you? Then get rest, Trickstar doesn't have any practice for now, or for a long time now...so...we'll figure it out" He patted Makoto's shoulder

Yuuki didn't seem very sure

"Its just...he's not the best company I guess but he's been there for me you know? So..." He slipped his phone in his pocket, "It's bugging me"

"Rest" Isara encouraged, "StarPro's being tied up anyway...so we can't do much"

"Right" he whispered to himself

"Take care"

"I will, don't worry" The blonde assured, "I'll be fine"

As Mao left the room, he had a feeling Makoto wasn't going to listen to him afterall

 

☆

 

"Oshi san yer house looks the exact same doesn't it?"

Mika carried a tray to the tea table by Shu's balcony

 

"Hmm? Yes, obviously my parents maintain it to the best of their ability"

 

Mika sat down, his cup and saucer on the table 

"Ya seem out of it today"

 

Shu turned to face him

"I was called to a meeting for the 'Four Eccentrics'...I did not go, this jetlag has disabled me"

 

Partially a lie

If he can go to ES to sew, he can attend a meeting. He simply decided he didn't want to. Naturally.

 

"Four?"

Mika counted on his fingers 

 

Shu took a sip of his tea

"Wataru excluded"

 

He stared at the glass table that somewhat reflected his face. Not efficiently.

He had been told...to some extent, of what was going on

But he was still uncomfortable going anywhere near the main building.

 

"Oh, and I suppose you know already" Shu gently kept his cup on the table, "But Sena has gone missing" 

He sounded calm, but Kagehira could hear the disturbed undertone in his voice. Just because Izumi was a nuisance, didn't mean Shu could hide his distress. 

 

Mika sighed

"Ngahh...Ritsu called me about it already...but hearin' the sentence again jus' makes it sound even worse"

 

Shu gazed outside to watch the setting Sun

"Tomorrow is another day, hopefully there will be news"

 

Mika nodded

"Mhm...we jus' hafta wait"

 

Mika looked up to see Shu sitting in his usual pose, the one that Mika always stares at...knowing he probably shouldn't.

He sits cross legged, his body halfway turned towards the sunset, and his face observing the sun as it disappears.

 

Mika has never seen anything as graceful, and normal. He could watch forever. Unfortunately for him, Shu's peripheral vision was just as sharp as his winged eyeliner. He sighed quietly and stood up.

 

"Come, Kagehira...I have something to discuss with you"

 

"Where are we goin' ?"

 

Shu turned around to lock his gaze

"My room"

 

 

★

 

 

"I'm going to cry"

 

"Narukami we'll figure it out!" Tsukasa assured her, sitting by her side. Ritsu sat on her left and nodded.

 

"He-He's not picking up! He's- Oh my-- "

She dabbed her cheeks and allowed her tears to be soaked up by the cotton. Her afternoon had been completely submerged under quick sand, when she was told her (one of?) favourite seniors had gone missing.

 

"This is Sena senpai...he can't be gone for too long"

The younger Sakuma frowned 

 

...

"So...what will we do about the party?"

 

Arashi looked at Tsukasa, almost offended 

 

No, absolutely offended 

"Party? PARTY? THERE WILL BE NO PARTY!" 

 

She threw her hankerchief across the room

"My birthday won't be celebrated until we find him! Got it?!"

 

Ritsu watched her regretfully, his head resting on a cushion

 

Tsukasa scratched his head

"...We need to do something. Assuming he's been targeted by Tenshouin...he won't be coming back anytime soon"

 

This made Arashi cry more, running her fingers through her hair shakily.

 

Tsukasa gave her back her hankerchief 

" ...unless we can gather some help. From other units, except Starmaker...we cannot touch StarPro at all"

 

Ritsu nodded

 

"Ritsu, Narukami" Suou sighed, "We can't cry about this any longer...we need a plan. And a solid one"

 

☆

 

Shu's room was the reflection of his beauty

 

Dull pink wallpaper, the scent of peaches and roses, and Mika's favourite part: The beds. Since the day Mika arrived at his house as a freeloader in highschool...the room has had two beds separated only by two small cabinets.

 

Shu's parents loved Mika, and upon his departure, they decided to keep his bed in Shu's room untouched, covered by a chiffon sheet, also pink, to match the overall aesthetic sense.

 

He crawled on his bed and lied on his stomach, facing Itsuki's bed and grinning. 

"What is it Oshi san?"

 

Shu, less carefree, carefully sat with his back resting on a pillow

"...I need your opinion on something"

 

"M listenin' "

 

Shu closed his eyes, representing his clear tiredness

"I have already told you that due to my heavy projects, Valkyrie won't be performing for...a while" He said the last part a little slowly

 

Mika blinked, trying to search for a sign that this was a joke

"What?"

 

"Valkyrie will be inactive until I am free of this burden, I will let you know yes?"

 

Mika, although still a little upset, tried to look reassured

"Yeah, alright Oshi san"

 

"Good, that is all"

 

What he did want an opinion on then?

Mika stayed quiet 

 

Though he wished to ask more questions, Mika knew his Oshi san needed rest, and so he retreated to the guest room.

 

He sat down on his old study table. Still maintained and it's varnish holding up, it was a small setting created for Mika when he still went to school.

 

He ran his fingertips over the table's surface, realising he should give it a wipe before he does anything on it. He wiped it with a dry rag, and sat down.

 

He pulled out an old diary from under the table and blew off the dust. It was from his school days. Opening it revealed a dozen small doodles of flowers, leaves, the gift he gave Nazuna and...a sketch of his favourite person.

 

It was a rough sketch. He hadn't been good at drawing faces, and even after taking lessons, he wasn't the best at them. Still, he cherished this little piece of love in his old notebook.

 

He traced the pencil lines with this fingers, remembering an incident from last week. It wasn't meant to happen, but it did. He didn't mean to, but he did. And he meant to tell Shu, but...he didn't.

 

And he still hadn't 

 

As if a huge wave of guilt had hit him, he slammed his diary shut and tossed it under the table once again. He slumped on the table, the scent of old wooden furniture mixing with that of the dusty air. 

He always told Itsuki everything...and not doing so this time, he felt horrible. So, so horrible. He wanted to tell him, but he didn't want to believe it had happened...he wanted to bury it, forget it. He didn't like it.

★

 

Chapter 4: disarray

★

 

"Hey listen" Hakaze walked closely behind Rei, who was pacing around the room, "Sit down first of all, you want me following you around? What am I, a dog?"

 

Kaoru then turned around to glance at Koga 

 

Oogami groaned

"What? Why am I being targeted? Deal with this shit yourselves!"

 

Turning back to Rei, who had finally sat down, Kaoru sighed

"This is really getting hard isn't it? I don't think I've heard anything from Moricchi either"

 

Sakuma furrowed his brows, deep in thought

"Hmmm...."

 

He sat down beside Rei

"Look, forget negotiation.. its never happening and you know it"

 

"I know"

 

"Then how about this" Hakaze clasped his hands together, "We steer clear of any influence, okay? Even people we know, just to be safe"

 

"Easier said than done" Rei turned to face him, "Tsumugi, the entirety of StarPro, and hell...even Eden. They may not be involved yet, but Eichi likes to play dirty from what we know"

 

Kaoru frowned

"Well, you have any other ideas?"

 

Sakuma paused

"Not really, and I don't think Alkaloid or Crazy:B have caught wind of this yet...so they need to stay out of it too"

 

"Dunno" Koga interrupted, "That Amagi guy is pretty smart...he looks stupid but cmon, he's probably just steering clear too"

 

"Which one?"

 

He groaned again

"The older one, obviously. The other one's stupid"

 

"Ah, Rinne Amagi. I haven't seen him since...a long time. A gambling addict" Rei smiled, "He knows, for sure. Crazy:B is most probably on hold, however" He hummed, "That leaves 2wink and Valkyrie in CosPro"

 

"2wink? We're countin' those?" Koga chuckled, "They hardly make a difference in the long run!"

 

Rei sighed

"Well...I guess we're left with good old Valkyrie"

 

Hakaze turned to him, drumming his fingers on the couch

"I dunno...ever since I heard they're together in Japan again, I haven't seen either of them actively doing anything"

 

"Then we've got no time, because unlike Shu and Mika...I happen to live with the demon"

 

Hakaze nodded, looking to Rei to find any other solutions

 

"Kiryuu isn't on Akatsuki's side for this one, lets try to catch him" Rei sighed, "If we can, that is"

 

☆

 

"Sora thinks shissou shouldn't be disturbed"

 

Tsumugi sighed

"If he doesn't talk to me, how will anything come to a conclusion?"

 

Sora thought for a moment

"But still, Sora thinks you should wait"

 

Natsume then burst out of the room

"Sora, go siT inside for a bit...I have to talK to senpai"

His tone sounded superficial. A suppression of his anger, or desperation, or both.

 

Sora slowly made his way to the room and shut the door behind him. He even plugged in his headphones...knowing what was going to go down was going to be nothing short of scary.

 

"Natsume k-"

 

"Shut uP!" Natsume finally blew his filters off, "Pick a sidE, SENPAI"

 

Tsumugi could hear, and feel, the needles erupting from Natsume's voice. He was definitely not happy, and for good reason.

 

It was a public fact that despite having known the atrocities, and the torment inflicted on The Five Eccentrics, including Natsume, Tsumugi was a friend of Eichi's.

 

Natsume had made his peace with it by now. On the surface. 

Mugi was that type of person. Incredibly self-deprecating, incredibly helpful, and friends with everyone. And all of these things were trouble, especially that last one.

 

Being friends with everyone was nothing to be proud of, being friends with the enemy was nothing to be proud of...and given an option he would definitely side with Natsume. He would. He really would.

 

But Natsume needed to be convinced of this.

While he was okay with it, deep within his conscience, he knew he would never be completely okay with it. It would always trouble him. He would think about it, sitting idle.

 

Tsumugi was loyal, and to everyone...it seemed.

 

"I told you Natsume kun" Tsumugi said, warily, "This time, I really am on your side!"

 

Sakasaki seemed very little happy

"LiaR"

 

Aoba had run out of ways to show him he meant it. Words weren't doing much for him anyway.

"I don't understand, how can I prove it to you? Tell me, I'll do it!"

 

"StoP interacting with that demON!" Natsume's pupils shrunk, "I have TOLD you many times BEFORE! Being a peoplE pleaseR will NEVER earn you a safE place in this wORLD!"

 

Tsumugi stayed quiet. It was best to not interrupt his flow of speech.

 

"Or do you stiLL believe he can CHANGE? If you REALLY think like thaT senpai..." He glared, "...there is nothinG anyone can do for YOU"

 

Tsumugi lowered his head

"No I..."

 

"whaT?" Natsume's voice suggested he was on the verge of throwing stones at him, "yoU WHAT???"

 

"I- I don't want him to think...that- "

 

"You're hanginG on to the hopE that he still TREATS you like the FRIEND you once WERE?"

 

Tsumugi nodded reluctantly 

 

Natsume stepped forward

"then I suggesT you WAKE UP!"

 

Tsumugi stepped back

"Making enemies never gets anyone anything Natsume kun!"

 

"NEITHER DOES BETRAYAL" 

His voice rang, echoing within the room. 

 

And it wasn't long before Tsumugi was cornered. His back to the main door, and Natsume absolutely determined to kill his beliefs once and for all. Trapped, and with the only way out being bashed really hard...or convincing the other to not.

 

"Tell me ONE thing" He sternly asked, stopping, "If he DESTROYS all of us this time...if all our dreams DIE once agaiN..." He pointed sharply at Aoba...

 

"...woulD you STILL be friends with HIM?"

 

It was a rhetorical question

He knew that

 

But this was Tsumugi

"I...don't know" He answered softly

 

And he had done it

Last nail on the coffin

Almost immediately, though delayed by a few seconds for suspense reasons...Tsumugi was hit. Hard. Punched in the nose, brutally.

 

He deserved it

He knew Natsume would snap at some point

 

And besides, he was fine. Just a little...injury.

His glasses landed next to him, thankfully not broken...yet

 

"Get OuT"

 

It was silent fury

fury in its most condensed form

Which is worse than being hit on the nose

 

And so, Tsumugi picked up his glasses and left...without a sound.

 

It is best to run south sometimes, he realised

 

★

 

Chapter 5: 1.5

★

 

"Whoa whoa hold on" 

Kiryuu said, sitting amidst people he was familiar with, but wasn't able to comprehend the amount on information being thrown at his face

 

"Okay, lets go one by one" Rei suggested, "We'll start with me...so one has to forcefully volunteer"

 

He cleared his throat 

"From my side of the story...Ra*bits is out of the picture, Akatsuki...we kinda wanna stay away from no offense of course...and currently, I believe Valkyrie should get a chance to destroy fine this time 'round"

 

Kiryuu nodded

"Sounds fine to me"

 

"Okay...how about we hear from our youngest then?"

 

Natsume sat somewhat annoyed...and a little out of his usual self, from what Rei understood

"Right...I have to head back soon anyway" He cleared his throat, "We can't approach Knights for any helP, they have their own probleM...and MaM is out of the picturE as welL, leaving Switch...buT currently we have things to handlE"

He sounded extra conscious and the vampire was quick to figure it out. Though he decided to keep quiet about it.

Now was not the time.

 

"I got nothing you haven't pointed out already" Kaoru smiled awkwardly 

Rei sighed, constantly fiddling with the pen he held in his hand. A very bad habit he had learnt from Koga (unintentionally). Whenever he'd sit to do something and one of his hands was free, he'd spin a pen around, or a chopstick, or literally anything he could find. Skillful, but useless, at the end of the day

"Okay then- "

 

They were cut off by the door opening. Though a little guarded at first, Kiryuu calmed down upon realizing who it was.

 

"Itsuki"

 

A very annoyed, or a mix of irritated and somniphobic Shu Itsuki entered the room. Behind him was...Ritsu? For the first time anyone had noticed, the two happened to share the same disturbed face.

 

"Ritsu?" Rei questioned, unable to mask the joy

 

The younger Sakuma frowned

"I'm only here for Maa kun and Secchan...you don't matter" He bluntly stated, before sitting next to Natsume. Shu took to sitting on Natsume's other side.

 

"Shu niisan? Are you alrighT?"

 

Shu groaned

"I'm perfectly fine...I'm here because of a certain someone who kept telling me it was unfair if I ignored these meetings for much longer" He looked exceptionally off, with his eyeliner sitting perfectly winged as always without fail.

 

"Mikarin?" Ritsu asked

 

"Obviously" Shu muttered

 

Rei cleared his throat again

"We were thinking if Valkyrie would like to beat fine to a pulp this time"

 

Shu sharply gazed at Rei

"No...Valkyrie is on hiatus, as of now"

 

Kaoru sighed

"I was going to tell him..." he began

 

"I was just asking!" Rei argued, Kaoru simply shook his head in surrender, "Why though?"

 

"While it isn't of your business, Rei" He folded his arms, "We need time off from creation"

 

Shu felt a little bad for talking harshly, but he was feeling too nauseous to say anything. He didn't want to admit it, but as Izumi's dissappearance sinked it...he felt it unsafe to come to the main building, unless he had sewing to do. And then too, he'd stay in that one room till night.

 

"Nosy ass" Kaoru whispered

 

Rei frowned at Kaoru, before returning his gaze to Shu

"That's alright then...so UNDEAD will be doing the honors"

 

Kaoru sat up straight, now focusing harder

"Wait what? We haven't prepared! We- THIS IS EICHI"

 

"I know"

 

"And do the other two know? When are we telling them?"

 

"I will!"

 

"Okay if you two are done fighting like an old married couple" Kiryuu sighed, "We still need to get stuff figured out. Starting with how to not end up having our unit members kidnapped"

...

Shu was tuning out majority of the conversation

 

As a child, after having learnt that crying essentially brought no calm and the stupid kids wouldn't quit yelling...tuning out the background was easy. It had become a habit. Kids screaming? Tune it out. Birds being loud? Tune it out.

 

Parents being unsupportive and scolding you for your 'feminine' tastes?

 

Tune it out

 

And so he sat, closing his eyes and thinking. Of flowers, of anything that wasn't this bickering. Maybe he ought to buy lavenders, add a little colour to the his room other than the obligatory pink. Or, he could purchase smaller roses...what were they called? Miniature roses...Mika liked those

 

And he soon felt an incredibly bad soreness in this throat. 

 

Oh

Oh no

Not here

 

They couldn't know

It was a huge risk lying to Mika about it, spilling his secret would only end in disaster

 

Ah

 

Too late anyway

He coughed into his hankerchief and surprise, surprise. They know now.

 

The first one to say anything was Kiryuu, of course

"What the hell- You okay? And don't say yes!"He slowly made his way to Shu's seat

 

"Shu nii san!" Natsume was the first one to panic

 

"I'm- " He stopped...the pain making it hard for him to talk. His voice muffled behind the hankerchief.

 

"What's going on? Is this why you didn't come last time?" Rei said, concern clear in his tone, "You could've told us and just avoided coming today altogether..."

 

"No I- " He scrunched up his hankerchief and stared at it for a good ten seconds before speaking, softly

 

"If I tell you know...will you promise to keep quiet about it?"

 

Rei, although upset, nodded. Along with Kiryuu. Natsume was trying to keep calm, and the other two in the room sat quietly to avoid being the root cause of panic in the moment.

 

Shu's face twisted into one of dread

"Mika cannot know"

 

 

★

 

 

Spring is the season for picnics. If you can afford any, that is.

In all this, one wonders, aren't we missing some people?

 

Ryuseitai? They haven't been called on yet

 

Well, to put it simply, Ryuseitai is on curfew

To put it realistically, Ryuseitai has been threatened with complete sublimation. Which is why Kanata was unable to attend the small meeting from the other day. 

They need to stay as away from other people as possible...or they might breakdown there and then. 

 

'They' is mostly Chiaki, who comes under the category of people that appear to be living in nirvana...until they are triggered by a small fragment of the past, or future, that tears apart that fake energy and leaves them...as themselves. And this older, much more sensitive version of their life is nothing short of scary. 

 

And so, Kanata and Chiaki sit in the former's room. Reason being Hiyori is on tour with Eden and Rinne is most probably out throwing money.

 

What's with all the tours? Well, its simply to keep as many units out of fine's way as possible.

 

"Does it feel 'helpless', Chiaki?"

 

Morisawa said nothing. He sat quiet, staring at the ground

He shook his head.

 

Kanata clutched his plush tighter in one hand, and sighed quietly.

 

Chiaki, knees to his chest, fell on the bed and rolled to one side, now facing Kanata...who was still sitting on the edge, worriedly observing his friend. 

 

"How far...can we go" Was the first spell he said, his usual energy and joy drowned into gloom.

The authenticity of what is, and has been, deep down...Chiaki Morisawa.

An adult with the ambitions of a child, reduced to just an adult as of now

 

"...before we are broken forever..." He finally locked eyes with Shinkai, "Kanata"

 

Kanata fell to the bed too, facing Chiaki.

He wasn't used to receiving this type of speech from Morisawa, because he always kept an adorable skin on top to match everyone else's synergy

"I don't 'know' Chiaki...we have to be 'careful' now"

Chiaki nodded, his brain re-visiting days from Yumenosaki he wished to erase...dreadful days. Thanks to Kanata, Ryuseitai was what it had become now. Chiaki couldn't ever pay Kanata back wholly, he had done too much for them. For him, and Ryuseitai. He was like a parent, in a way.

Perhaps, they were both parents in a way

 

"Let us 'not' do anything as 'Ryuseitai' " Kanata raised an idea

 

"What...do you mean?" Morisawa asked, perplexed

 

Shinkai smiled

"Let us 'work' as ourselves, Chiaki"

 

Chiaki thought about it

"And...the three?"

 

"Let them 'rest', knowing they are 'safe'...away from the 'monster' "

 

Chiaki let a smile slip as well

"As always, you have the right ideas...Kanata" He sat up, "Then, let's see how we can help the others"

 

All's well that ends well

Hope

 

★

 

Chapter 6: like glass, like heart

★

 

It had been almost a week, things were looking pretty much the same. 

 

Izumi, not found

Knights had given up on contacting Tsukinaga, he wasn't in Japan and was either ignoring, or just not picking up for other reasons.

Arashi was growing pale, not talking much, just when necessary and when questions were to be answered. Tsukasa was trying not to go insane, and Ritsu....despite the warnings, was in touch with Mao. Sometimes.

 

But it was fine as long as both parties were careful. Isara Mao was not a careless one. He was careful, only talking through mail...or meeting Ritsu behind bushes or behind walls. Mostly in Ritsu and Mika's shared room, since Mika was away.

 

Koga and Adonis were notified of the fact that UNDEAD was to go head to head with fine on some 'festival' Eichi had come up with for showing dominance and nothing more. While Koga's reaction was a natural, doubtful one...Adonis quickly agreed and the four of them started planning a routine to hopefully prevent fine's paid audience from making them win.

 

Kaoru was unusually scared. He always showed up with confidence and ego but the circumstances seemed to have completely submerged his earlier attitude and he remained doubtful of everything around him. Except Rei. Rei and Kaoru trusted each other the best, and this made things easier on their end. While Rei was a tease and not very easy to work with under Kaoru's temporary guidance...it always worked out in the end. A very silly, yet dependable duo...Hakaze and Sakuma.

 

...

 

And we are left with...Valkyrie 

 

Shu sat sewing...something he wasn't sure of

 

Strange...he always knew what he was going to do next, he had a plan carved into his heart every time he created a piece of art...but maybe it was his sickness, or the lingering fear of being torn apart again...that was distracting him from his current work in progress.

 

As he worked, he tried to create a rhythm

A flow, of sorts

 

But, to no avail it seemed

 

"Oi, Itsuki"

 

He almost pierced his flesh

How insufferable

 

"What is it, Kiryuu?"

 

Kiryuu walked inside and settled on a chair near Shu's work station. While he had been told to just sew at home...Shu was a stubborn prince. He would work in the ES, and he couldn't be stopped.

 

"How's your throat?"

 

"The same" He said, trying to keep his volume down to prevent extra strain on himself

 

"Ahh...I thought I told you to take rest"

 

"I thought I said no" 

 

Kiryuu sighed

"You're a piece of work, I'll tell you that much"

 

Shu kept quiet

Sewing, sewing, sewing

 

Needle goes in, needle goes out, needle goes in, needle goes out, needle goes in, needle goes out, needle goes in-

 

 

Blood spills out

And it isn't from the finger

It's too much to be from a puncture

 

 

"ITSUKI!" 

 

A hankerchief was held to Shu's lips as his vision blurred and he tried to blink himself awake. Thankfully, his face didn't fall on the sewing machine...that would've ended...in a disgusting way. Shu should know better than to put aesthetic before his health.

 

Not that this was any better

 

"I told you!" Kiryuu took a deep breath, he shouldn't yell, its impractical, and Shu wouldn't listen no matter how close to death he may be.

 

Shu himself took a few breaths

"Kiryuu...can you call me a cab?"

His voice, although muffled, was heard just fine

 

"I'm coming with you, got it?"

 

Itsuki nodded

 

...

And so they got into a cab

 

Silence

 

And then

"...I think..."

 

"Itsuki, don't talk right now"

 

"...tell Mika" Shu said, "...tell him yourself..." His voice weak and less stable than he wished it to be

 

Kiryuu frowned

"I will"

 

After what felt like an eternity, they reached Shu's house. A modern house, but with the perfect amount of vintage touch.

With a metal outer gate and all, it was an extravagant house...an understatement, perhaps a mansion?

 

Mika answered the door, and his eyes lost all light

"Wah- Oshi san? Kiryuu senpai? Whats- Why- "

 

Shu brushed them both aside and made his way upstairs

 

"Ho-hold on! Wot's goin' on???" Mika's voice was shaky and his hands trembled by his side

 

"Sit down, kid" Kiryuu put one hand on his shoulder, "I'll tell you"

 

"But- " Mika glanced to look at the now empty staircase

 

He sighed

"Cmon...the more I delay this the harder it's gonna be to understand...sit down, Kagehira"

 

And so, Mika made his way to the sofa and sat down, followed by Kiryuu who sat beside him.

"Now whatever I say, don't panic 'kay? It's all gonna be alright"

 

"That's makin' it worse! Jus' tell me!" Mika said, his voice still not stable enough to form syllables properly.

 

"Alright...Itsuki has something called acute bronchitis"

 

Mika didn't know what that was, but he was scared nonetheless

 

"Basically, if your cough gets really bad...you kinda..." He tried to make it sound normal enough, "...cough up blood sometimes, yeah?"

 

The calm tone wasn't helping Mika in any way, but he knew better than to interrupt

 

"All that blood loss makes the body weak...followin' ?"

 

The other nodded

"...yeah"

 

"Okay...so, he's gonna be fine as long as he rests, and takes his prescribed medicine" Kiryuu concluded, leaving Mika open to ask questions

 

"W-when did this happen?" He asked, "He was fine yesterday! N...n since he came back ta Japan he's been normal!"

 

Kiryuu leaned back on the sofa

"...Turns out he's been sick the whole time"

 

Mika ran fingers through his hair

"...since...when?"

 

"I came to know pretty recently too, a few days ago at the meeting he attended with us...I didn't know either" Kiryuu said, "He's had it for about a week now...and he didn't want ya knowing"

 

"Why???" Mika was reaching the peak of his anxiety

 

"He doesn't want you panicking, kid" He explained, "He knows you get worked up about things like that...that said- " He sat up straight, "-He shouldn't have been sewing the whole ass week if he was sick"

 

He wondered if Mika was even listening anymore

 

He wasn't 

 

Mika was in his own dilemma

"He...I didn't even notice, he was sick n I jus'...I jus' never paid attention...maybe if I- "

 

His shoulder was patted 

"Don't sweat it...he's been keeping it a secret, which is kinda stupid but...its not your fault"

 

Mika nodded sadly

"How long...till he's okay?"

 

"About 2-3 weeks, he told us. And the weakness should be gone in a few days"

 

...

"If you need anything, ring me up alright? I hope I'm not scary anymore"

 

Mika tried to smile

"No...no yer not"

 

"Good...I gotta go...take care of him yeah? And yourself" Kiryuu said standing up

 

Mika stood up

"Yeah...I-I will!"

 

"Right" Kuro smiled, "You're a good kid, you'll do just fine I know"

 

With that, he left...leaving Mika by himself, in the living room.

 

So, this was the real reason Valkyrie was on hiatus? He had been lied to? That sounded so wrong. His Oshi san lied to him. That thought in itself was driving Mika mad. He locked the door and headed upstairs. He approached the first floor, and knocked on Shu's door.

 

No response

 

"Oshi san?"

 

...

 

"Oshi sannn?"

 

"Come in"

That sounded less harsh than Mika would like

 

Mika entered carefully 

Walking over to Shu's bed 

 

Earlier that day, Mika had shifted the two cabinets and joined the two beds together...to make it spacious. More surface area. He walked to Shu's side of the bed to get a better look at him.

 

He looked paler, for one. His hair was all messed up, and he overall looked very soft. Like, thin paper glass. This scared Mika.

"...Why didn' ya tell me?" He whispered

 

Shu opened his eyes and looked at Mika beside him

"You panic"

 

The other frowned 

That was 100% true

Mika was a reactive kind of person

 

"But...you could've trusted me ta not panic" He pleaded, "I would've listened! N...n I would've thought about it"

 

Shu narrowed his eyes

He stayed quiet for a bit, perhaps it was the lack of energy

Or, what he was about to say would completely destroy Mika

 

"Like how you trusted me to tell me you kissed Narukami?"

 

And destroy Mika he did

 

Kagehira sat speechless, his gaze wandering from Shu's chiffon shirt to the pretty ceiling fan, and eventually to Shu again.

"I- How do you- "

 

No one knew...there was no way anyone except the people present at the time would know!

There was Arashi who...obviously wouldn't tell him. Then there was Aira who also, out of fear, wouldn't tell him. Plus, Shiratori didn't know Shu's number. That left...

 

Oh no

 

"Sakuma Ritsu" Shu said, after a long pause

His eyes not leaving Mika, looking at him with enough anger to make Mika forget who Narukami was in the first place.

 

"Ri-Ritsu? Why would...why would he tell you?" He asked, himself, aloud

 

Shu showed no sign of emotion

"You wouldn't have in any case", He sharply stared down, "Would you...Mika?"

 

The usage of his first name was enough to make him shiver

 

It was an obvious no...Mika would rather die than tell Shu about it. It was a mistake, one that Arashi made up for later on...but to Shu, it wouldn't sound like one at all.

 

"You were...in touch w-with Ritsu?"

 

"Perhaps"

It was said with strength, despite the weakness in Itsuki's body

 

Mika gulped

"What...did he tell you?"

 

"Do not drive my patience up the wall, Kagehira" 

 

Mika winced at the blunt, cold statement

 

"If you are so secretive about such..." his voice turning angrier by the moment, "...pathetic things...how can you expect me to tell you anything?"

 

Mika was no longer able to look at Shu...he stared at his bedsheets instead...regret carved into his eyes

 

"The fact that the younger Sakuma had to contact me in the first place shows your distrust in me!"

 

The worst part about all this was probably how Mika had thought about calling Shu that same day, and procrastinated it into never. He trusted his Oshi san, with his life, his everything. But for things to be misunderdstood to such a degree did nothing in defence of Mika. He was, shamefully, the one wrong. 

 

He had never in his wildest dreams thought about his Oshi san and Ritsu communicating. Never. Maybe Mika made a mistake telling Ritsu to 'keep quiet' about it...that must have triggered his senses and he would've called Shu about it.

 

He felt horrible, of course

He had no right to be mad at Ritsu, he should thank him instead. Say sorry for having him to his job for him. And apologise to Shu as well. Though something told Mika he'd need more than a 'sorry' to fix this.

 

"Of course you sit silently like an idiot" Shu hissed, "You never even thought about how it would make me upset did you? You just assumed it wouldn't matter to me didn't you? Answer me instead of sitting there like a DOLL!"

 

That hit where it hurt the most

"I was going to tell you!" Mika replied, distraught, "I couldn't- I DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT WORDS!"

 

"Why on Earth do you think I would care about the 'right words'! If this is how you defend your own mistakes...then that makes my time spent teaching you a waste!" 

 

"I- It- Why are you upset about it anyway!"

Wrong answer Mika, wrong answer

 

And Shu decided to show no mercy today

"Why am I upset? WHY AM I UPSET? Do you even HEAR yourself? Or have you gone completely MENTAL???"

 

Mika clutched the bedsheet with both hands

"It was just a kiss! Why would it affect ya? It's not like- " And he realised his dangerous words too late. He wasn't going to leave the room unscathed.

 

"What?" Shu folded his arms, "No, finish that...it's not like what? Like I don't care? Like I would be happy about it?"

 

His lips quivered and his cheeks felt warm. It wasn't long before he could feel streams of tears down his face. Would his Oshi san be happy about it? He didn't want him to be happy about it...that would mean what he felt was one-sided and completely useless. And at the same time, he didn't want to be yelled at anymore. It was painfully reminding him of his time spent in Yumenosaki's practice rooms, dancing with Nazuna...

 

That's right

He hadn't been scolded his bad since then had he?

That's why his brain was so muddled and he felt like he could cry forever and no one would help him.

 

"Talk" Shu commanded

And this also sounded like the same person. The only difference in Mika's eyes being how back then he sat on a cushioned chair, in wine red and black...and now, he sat on his bed in colours not as bold.

 

And Mika's only restrain broke down, leaving him with no mental support. He slammed his face onto Shu's mattress and sunk down to the bedside mat. He cried. He cried like he hadn't in the longest time. Fingers still holding the edge of the bed, he weeped and weeped...leaving Shu to watch quietly

 

...

 

He watched back then too. Whenever Mika cried, Shu watched with no empathy, waiting for him to stop so he could continue with his routine.

 

This time, Mika was sure it would end the same way. He felt as if somehow, his old Oshi san had possessed his current Oshi san...and he had no hope at all. Shu said nothing, and Mika kept sobbing into the sheets.

 

Eventually, he heard Shu get up.

Oh, so he was going to leave? Wonderful. Now he would never get to explain himself. He would never get to say sorry, to say that he wasn't truly in love with Arashi, but with him instead. He wanted to say so much but he couldn't stop crying...how childish.

 

Being so lost in thoughts far away, it took long for him to notice a hand on his head. At first, he didn't really care, thinking he was making it up. But when he felt fingers sliding through his hair...he realised he wasn't making anything up.

He had the courage to slowly lift his head, though still confused and vision blurred. 

 

He still couldn't look at Shu. He was afraid, of many things.

 

"Get some sleep" 

This was a voice in direct contrast with what he had heard minutes ago. It was soft, it was gentle...and most importantly, melancholic. 

Ah, that's right...Shu was sick. He had almost forgotten about it. 

 

"We will talk later"

 

He sounded actually sick now. All that scolding must have really taken a toll on his already sore throat. 

 

Mika climbed into bed from Shu's side, to avoid looking at him, and crawled to his side. He slipped under the blanket and watched Shu from there. This way, he wasn't completely visible. 

From what he could tell, he was pale. Skinnier, and still held that quality of having skin that shone under the light of the warm yellow glow showering the room. 

 

Shu got into bed and turned off the lights. It was still a little bright, it was only early evening.

 

Mika closed his eyes and slept without a word. He would try to calm down, and pick up this topic later...when his Oshi san wasn't angry, and well rested.

 

And off to slumberland he went

 

★

 

Chapter 7: 1.7

★

 

"He's good then?" Rei asked

 

"God, I hope" Kiryuu sighed, "Mika's a good kid...and he's devoted to Itsuki so yeah, he should be fine- "

 

The door burst open and a familiar face...though fairly beaten up, showed up. People seemed to be bursting through those doors for a while now, it was getting on everyone's nerves.

 

But this time, it didn't 

 

"Aoba?"

 

Tsumugi was breathing heavily.

Rei slowly walked over to him, a little wary. He was friends with the enemy, after all. 

"You look busted"

 

"That's not- " He managed to gather his voice, "THEY TOOK SORA!" His very uncharacteristic announcement broke Rei's flow of words

 

Sakuma froze where he stood. Kiryuu watched from his position.

"What?"

 

"I was...Natsume and I were talking and Sora was sitting in the room nearby" Tsumugi said, catching his breath, "After I left, I heard Natsume calling him but he never got an answer"

 

"Jesus fucking Christ" Kiryuu held a hand to his forehead, clearly disturbed 

 

Tsumugi was led to the couch where he sat down and took off his badly-taped-together glasses and put them on. 

 

"Let's start from...this" Rei motioned to his face

 

Aoba sighed

"This...is fine. I'm alright"

 

Rei frowned

"There's no way this was Natsume, right?"

 

Tsumugi smiled 

The way he did mostly, a smile that reflected his surface level satisfaction. Which was, a cover

 

"...Natsume?" Rei asked again, hoping he was wrong 

 

"Bingo!" Tsumugi said, "Ahh...though it kinda hurts...I'm pretty sure I deserved the treat"

 

Both Kiryuu and Rei looked worried, for Natsume and Tsumugi both...but the latter seemed completely un-affected.

 

"I mean it! I'm alright! Just...broke my nose I think...and I'll have to glue my glasses properly" 

 

"What did you do?" 

 

Tsumugi temporarily stopped smiling

 

"What did I do? Well, over time hatred accumulates doesn't it? I tried to tell him I was on his side this time...there was no 'maybe'....but, all that buried doubt rained on me today once and for all!"

And he smiled again

 

"Where is Natsume?" Rei asked

 

"I...don't know. He told me to get out, so I did...and when I heard him yell out for Sora I was already far away" Tsumugi plucked out the cotton swab he had jammed up his nose earlier

 

"But forget about me" He frowned, "Sora's gone! I looked everywhere! For the past hour or two and..." he paused, "...I don't really want to anger Natsume anymore today"

 

"First they get Izumi, and now the little one?" Kiryuu walked to the other two, "I don't think he's playing dumb this time...we really need to do something"

 

"I can help!" Tsumugi interrupted, "I know I'm not considered a very trustworthy ally but...this time, please let me help! If not for you, then for Natsume atleast!"

 

Rei thought

"Well, Valkyrie's out of the question...and we need all the people we can get..."

 

"Fine" Kiryuu said, "You're part of the plan, congratulations and whatever. Now help us build a strategy...we can't lose more people"

 

Tsumugi nodded

"Right, of course...when can I begin?"

 

 

☆

 

 

"From what I know" Aoba laid out a map of the stage that would be used for this new 'festival', "Eichi is using the age old technique of cheating"

 

Rei raised an eyebrow, pointing at the map 

"Hold on, how do you have this?"

 

He smiled

"He actually wanted my help in pulling you all down but, I decided I'd make the better decision and side with Switch instead"

 

"Well, that's character development for you" Koga groaned, tuning his guitar as he listened 

 

"Anyway...because he approached me before I said anything, I know some of what is being planned"

 

"What do you mean 'some' ?" Kaoru asked

 

"Well...Eichi is always careful isn't he? Doesn't matter how long you've known him, he'll always keep secrets. Unless you're Hibiki Wataru"

 

"Fair point" 

 

Tsumugi pushed his glasses back

"There are two ways of going about becoming popular, either you rise above everyone else...or, you push everyone underground to look taller"

 

"Tenshouin's going for the second route is he?" Kiryuu sighed

 

Aoba nodded

"He's done something here...divided the entirety of ES into two distinct teams" He grabbed a red marker

 

"Team A" He wrote, "And Team B..."

 

Koga kept his guitar to the side and sat with everyone else

"Which one's ours?"

 

"That...I don't know, I'm afraid" He rubbed his nose where it had been damaged, "But, we can assume how the teams will be divided by looking at old chess moves"

 

"Chess? What the fuck do you mean?" Koga interrupted 

 

"Not in a literal way, of course" He smiled, "We can observe fine's old tactics to atleast have an idea of what the teams could comprise of"

 

Adonis, who was sitting quietly, glanced at Koga who was now a little embarrassed of asking a stupid question

 

Koga huffed

"I...knew that....I was just..."

 

"Its fine...clearing things up is important" Rei said

 

"That's right. If you feel like anything's hazy or off...feel free to stop me" Tsumugi nodded

 

"Looks like we should let Natsume hit you more often" Sakuma chuckled, "Seems to be working"

 

Tsumugi laughed briefly

"Ahh...yes, I agree. I definitely need some humbling, I suppose"

 

"Moving on!" Koga interrupted 

 

"Right...right, So I believe StarPro in it's entirety will be taking fine's side" 

 

"Yeah, I don't think they have much of an option" Kaoru added, "Kanata told me Ryuseitai has restrictions on stuff...maybe StarPro's just keeping 'em tied up under Tenshouin's guidance for now"

 

"Akatsuki is 100% on Eichi's side too, sadly" Kiryuu rested his cheek on his palm, "I gotta make sure I sneak in here carefully"

 

"Eden, Ra*bits, MaM...we have a lot of units on tour" Tsumugi noted in the corner, "Conveniently put out of fine's way"

 

"How did Ibara let this happen? He's not someone to just accept like that"

 

"Isn't it so simple Rei kun?" Mugi spun the marker in his hand, "Money"

 

The room fell silent for a bit, before momentum was picked up again

"Oh right...and 2wink? Where are those two?"

 

"Breaking news motherfuckers" Koga sarcastically declared, "ON TOUR"

 

"Thanks a lot Koga" Kaoru imitated the tone, "Maybe next time, raise your volume even more so that it can be heard all the way till Starmaker's office" 

 

"Don't be a mom!" 

 

"I won't have to if you quit behaving like a 12 year old who can't talk without exaggeration!" He scolded, pointing to Oogami's forehead piercingly

 

"Okay okay cmon" Rei sighed, "Kaoru's a wonderful mom, I think he should keep the position"

 

"I agree" Adonis replied 

 

"OH SO NOW YOU TALK"

 

★

 

Natsume was all by himself now

Again

 

Sora, gone

Tsumugi...somewhere?

And his precious nii-sans were spread out as well: With Rei probably with the others discussing, Kanata staying put and keeping Ryuseitai out of reach, and Shu sick.

Natsume wanted to go visit his house but, after Sora's dissappearance...he wasn't sure whether he should leave the building just yet. He sat down to breathe. 

So just like Izumi then. Who else would end up vanished? He didn't want to think about it. If Sora wasn't found by the time the festival arrived...Switch wouldn't be able to compete. 

 

And with Tsumugi currently God knows where...even with Sora found, Switch would be out. 

 

Tsumugi

 

Where was Tsumugi?

 

Natsume was feeling bad about hitting him. Maybe he shouldn't have gone that far. The look on Aoba's face seemed genuine but maybe in the heat of the moment, he had missed it. He wanted to go look for him but where should he even start? He can't call him, Mugi left his phone behind. There was no other way to contact him.

 

As he sat there, rubbing his temples...he realised he was wasting time. Time was of the essence...especially in a situation where both members of his unit were missing.

 

Alright then

Looks like he'd have to run around looking then

 

He stood up, collected himself, and left the room. Locking the door for good measure. Tsumugi and Sora both, needed to be found.

★

 

 

Chapter 8: 1.8

★

 

When Mika woke up he realised it was morning

Weird

He slept early afternoon didn't he? Does this mean he slept more than eight hours?

 

He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Glancing at the analogue clock above his bed, he realised it was 5:30 in the morning. 

With his vision still setting, he looked to his right and Shu wasn't there. Maybe Mika was the only one who overslept.

 

Hold on

Where was Shu?

 

Mika looked around the room and found him nowhere there

Maybe he was downstairs?

Hopefully he hadn't left the house. He was specifically told to make sure his Oshi san was okay and this would mean he had failed his duty. Again.

 

As he was starting to dive into the mobius pit of his brain, he was shooken awake by the sound of the bedroom door opening.

 

"I did not think you'd be awake"

 

So he was home then...good

 

" 'shi san?" His voice seemed unclear

 

"Keep sitting" Shu closed the door behind him, "I had just gone to the door...Kiryuu brought me croissants"

 

Mika stayed put and eyed Shu as he made his way back into the sheets. He looked better, in terms of the blush on his skin.

As the paperbag was opened, he could smell fresh bread. It was a favourite, Mika knew. Where would Shu even be without his croissants?

 

"Here" He handed Mika a paper plate, and on that plate, Shu placed a mango croissant 

 

"Fer me?"

 

"He asked me what you liked" He took out his own croissant, "I said you liked sweet croissants...he hoped you'd like it"

 

Mika could tell just from the fragrance that it would be delicious. He took a nibble, and he closed his eyes. The sweetness of mango, with the sourness and soft inside of the croissant was a marvelous blend. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside...with a mango flavour that didn't override the bread-y goodness. 

 

"I will let him know you enjoyed it" 

 

Mika opened his eyes 

He looked at his Oshi san, who was looking outside the window...the sky still not blue yet. Rather, a pink and yellow gradient painted across the horizon. 

 

He didn't want to initiate conversation just yet...even though Shu had gone downstairs and spoken just now, he sounded disturbed and still drowsy. Mika decided to quietly watch.

 

He very rarely had a chance to notice the trivial details that made Shu...well, Shu. To start, his hair. Some shade of pink that Mika always got wrong. He liked to think it felt like silk...he had asked, and gotten no straight answers. Even as he was ill, he sat confidently and maintained a certain standard of mannerisms that Mika never understood. When he was sick, he'd be a bigger mess than he is now.

How can someone be so graceful in such pain? It was something he'd never learn. 

Down to the last detail...he made sure he looked like nothing was wrong. Shu could be on the brink of death and look perfectly normal. Which was scary, in its own way.

 

Mika sat nibbling, making sure to cherish each bite. Since his childhood days, he had learnt to cherish the smallest things in life. It was something instilled in him that he was proud of. And he kept it in his heart, as a reminder that nothing should be taken for granted.

 

...

 

After finishing what Mika decided was enough breakfast, he tossed the plates into the bin and climbed back into bed. 

 

"Come here"

Shu patted the spot next to him, and Mika debated on whether he should go.

 

He slowly crawled next to his Oshi san and sat down. He could make out the perfume quite well. Once again, this showed how Shu kept himself looking healthy on the surface.

 

At first, neither of the two said a word. They sat in silence, listening to the ticking of the clock, and the occasional ruffling of sheets. 

Then, Shu took his medicine and took a deep breath.

Mika braced himself for the worst

 

"Do not venture outside today"

 

The raven looked at Shu with doubt

Itsuki picked up on Mika's internal question. He then picked up a thermometer from his bedside cabinet and showed it to Mika. It read 102° F. 

 

Mika had a fever?

When?

And how?

 

He blinked excessively, and read it again

 

"I don't know how either...but I assume you were..." He paused to turn to Mika, "...panicked". Shu spoke, controlling his tone to sound as soft as possible.

 

Of course Mika was panicking. He had every right to. Not only was his secret out...his favourite person was sick. And it didn't matter how small it was...if he heard 'blood', he felt a shiver down his spine. 

And while it was a stupid thing to do, he found himself continuously comparing it to Eichi's condition. Which was nothing close to Shu's but...this was Mika.

 

"That is not all...another reason is that..." He paused, "The boy called me and...it seems, Eichi has taken the little boy from Switch"

 

If Mika heard that right, the first boy was Natsume, and the 'little' boy was Sora. Putting the pieces together wasn't the hardest thing to do here. Sora was gone too. Just like Sena.

 

Mika shuddered, his already high alert anxiety increasing. 

 

And knowing this child in and out, Shu had quickly reached that conclusion.

"Look at me"

 

Mika obeyed, though he still looked far from calm

 

"Don't let your mind flow like a river, in random directions" He said, placing a hand on the other's head. "I know you worry...but I can't help but feel you don't realise how you kill your sanity this way"

 

Half the words didn't make it to Mika's ears, but he nodded anyway. He knew better than to talk back.

From his head, the hand dragged to his chin. Tilting his head as Shu checked his face. Then he was done.

 

"...and I'm sorry"

 

The hand that held Mika's face embraced him completely, drowning him in warmth and roses. Mika had little control over himself anymore. He weakly wrapped his arms around his Oshi san and quietly indulged in the momentary calm. 

His hair was ruffled, and soft fingers massaged his scalp. Mika was neck deep in comfort, and he wished to stay like this forever.

As he was slowly pushed back to his original position, he kept holding Shu's sleeves as an anchor. 

"I do not have any right to say what you think, or feel for someone is right or wrong"

 

So they were back to his least favourite topic

" 's not- "

 

"No...no, don't defend me" Shu sighed, "I don't like making you cry, Kagehira"

 

That made Mika feel worse

 

"It..." He paused, "While you did wrong by not telling me...I overreacted"

 

Mika still held the edge of Shu's chiffon sleeves

 

"And I am also sorry for not telling you anything regarding my health"

 

He shook his head

"You were right weren'tcha? I panicked in the end anyway..."

 

"Still...I feel absolutely horrible for not saying anything"

 

"...me too, Oshi san"

Mika glided his fingers from the sleeves, to Shu's palm 

Itsuki held his hand gently

 

"You don't have to give me any sort of explanation"

 

In the warmth of the new Sun and his hand clasped under the blanket, Mika decided to explain it later. He'd stay here for now. 

 

Or, forever

 

 

★

 

 

"I 'called' Rinne"

 

"You did?" Rei asked 

 

Kanata nodded

"He said, 'Crazy:B' isn't 'allowed' to perform...they are under 'supervision' for 'unknown' reasons"

 

Tsumugi sighed

"Sorry for dragging you back into this...and thank you, for the help"

 

Kanata smiled

"It's alright"

 

"I hope this doesn't get Ryuseitai chained tighter...I really didn't wanna notify you, Kanata" Kaoru sighed

 

He shook his head

"Don't worry...We will be 'okay' "

 

And with that, Kanata left the room

 

"With Crazy:B out, that lowers our chances of winning" 

 

"You guys are UNDEAD" Kiryuu sighed, "You're in the top five easy"

 

"When you hypnotise your listeners through illusions of popularity, things get harder" Adonis added

 

Koga stared at him

"I don't got English Premium, genius"

 

"What he means...is actual statistics kinda get hidden underneath all the fake promotion" Tsumugi said

 

"Still" Koga groaned, "There ain't a lot of us yknow?"

 

"Ryuseitai, Alkaloid, Trickstar, Akatsuki and fine...versus UNDEAD?" Rei buried his head in his hands.

 

"If we can find Sora in time...and- " He gulped, "...if I can make up with Natsume then Switch can join as well"

 

"That's still five versus two" Kaoru reminded 

 

Aoba shook his head in surrender

"Well, I don't think we can gather any other unit. Knights doesn't have Izumi or Leo at the moment...and I don't think Valkyrie's gonna be there"

 

"Valkyrie huh?" Koga interrupted, "They would've been a huge help"

 

"We can't help it" Rei lifted his head, "We need to pull units out of tours"

 

Aoba's face lit up

"How?"

 

"Well...for starters, we can check the tour schedule. I'm sure some units will return soon"

 

"We can..." Tsumugi affirmed, "But it's gonna take time"

 

"Well, unless you have a better idea?"

 

★

 

 

Chapter 9: 1.9

★

 

 

"Sakasaki Natsume"

 

That voice made Natsume stop in his tracks. He turned around to see the one person he wished was in his office...not loitering around, catching mice.

 

"Wonderful to see you" His voice was honeyed, and Natsume knew better than to trust it

 

"What do you want, Tenshouin" He said, trying to maintain a degree of calmness

 

Eichi smiled

"Nothing, I can't greet you normally? You assume I want something? How cruel"

 

Natsume turned around fully

"I don't really care how you seE me, why are you here?"

 

He stepped towards the magician, walking softly

"I am looking for a friend"

 

Arms folded, Natsume watched him skeptically 

 

"And...I have a feeling you know him?"

 

"If you're looking for senpaI, then I can't helP you" Natsume stated, "Not like I would'vE in any casE"

 

Eichi laughed quietly 

"Ahh...feisty are we? I tried to call him, but- "

 

Natsume pulled out Tsumugi's phone from his pocket and held it not too far from himself, just enough for Eichi to see.

"I know"

 

And see it he did

He paused, thinking of a suitable response

"Ah, no wonder"

 

A spell of silence

 

"So...you don't know where he is? Is that so?"

 

"Leave me alone, Tenshouin- "

 

"Since you are useless to me now" Eichi said, some of his true mood leaking into his words, "I'll be going"

 

With Eichi now heading in his own direction to find Tsumugi, Natsume had competition. He needed to find Aoba, and fast.

 

 

★

 

 

"I had a feeling" Kaoru said, scrolling on Hold Hands, "Guess who's almost done with their tour?"

 

"My incredibly deep instincts tell me it's Ra*bits"

 

Koga scoffed

"Pretty random"

 

"And...its Ra*bits, bullseye"

 

Rei smiled

"What can I say? I'm just very good at guessing games"

 

"Ra*bits?" Tsumugi closed his eyes to focus, "...They can serve as a calm before the storm"

 

"Is UNDEAD the storm?" Kaoru asked

 

"Of course"

 

"But I mean, will they even agree to this shit?" Koga raised a question

 

"I think so" Adonis added

 

"I'll ask Nazuna" Kiryuu volunteered, "He may not be the leader n all anymore...but he's the smartest in the lot"

 

"Go ahead...I'll still plan keeping a 'no' in the possible column"

Aoba spun his marker around, restlessly 

 

☆

 

"What? Against fine? Are you fucking with me?"

 

Kiryuu chuckled 

"Woah woah...hold your tongue will ya? I'm guessing you're by yourself...talking like that"

 

Nazuna was heard sighing on the other side

"Yes, yes I am"

 

...

"We can do that, I don't think there should be a problem"

 

"Awesome"

 

Nazuna paused

"Hold on...why us?"

 

Kiryuu paced around the room

"Well, other units are on tour- "

 

"ALL OF THEM?"

 

"Jesus, not a second of cool is there?" Kiryuu sighed, "I swear to God, sometimes when I'm talking to you I feel like I'm talking to Itsuki 2.0"

 

He huffed

"Anyway, I'm on my way back to ES...so we'll talk more tomorrow"

 

Kiryuu nodded 

"Alright...safe journey yeah?"

 

"Thanks. See you then"

 

 

...

 

 

"So?"

 

"So he says Ra*bits is in"

 

Kaoru sighed

"Thank God"

 

"Then I guess I can- "

 

The door opened very slowly, only a chink.

And no one was visible from outside

Until a hand, holding a certain someone's phone, held it out

 

Tsumugi paused, and everyone else stopped moving

 

"I...will be back" Mugi got up, almost in a rush, and went outside...closing the door behind him.

 

With the door closed, Tsumugi took a deep breath 

"Natsume kun?"

 

Natsume, who was in a state of confusion, doubt and regret, first handed him back his phone

 

"Don't leave your things behind" He said...meaning to scold probably, but it came out as fondness instead

 

"Thank...you" He carefully took it. 

 

They looked at each other for a little while. No specific reason, just searching for a reason to do so.

 

"Tenshouin called yoU" Natsume finally said, breaking the silence

 

Aoba turned his phone on, to see that there was in fact a missed call from Eichi

"Well...is he looking for me?"

 

"YeS"

 

"And...did he see you?"

 

"He did"

 

"What...did he say?"

 

Natsume folded his arms

"He asked me where yoU were"

 

"What did you say?"

 

"I didn't knoW" He replied, matter of factly

 

He chuckled

"Oh...right..."

 

Another blank space

Silence

 

"You looked for me...just to give me this?" Tsumugi asked

 

"Well- " He stumbled, "Yes"

 

Aoba seemed unconvinced, and a little sad at the dry response. Though he wouldn't say it straight up

 

Solving problems before new ones arise is the best approach

 

"Can I talk to you right noW, senpai?" He said in a hurry, before Mugi opened the door again. His voice came out weaker that he anticipated 

 

"Of course!" He smiled, taking his hand off the handle

 

That stupid smile

 

★

 

 

Chapter 10: some form of hope

★

 

"As far as popularity is concerned", Nazuna said, now finally back in ES and thoroughly rested, "Ra*bits isn't anywhere near UNDEAD and yer levels" 

 

"Oh come on" Kiryuu argued, "Just because your audience is niche doesn't mean you ain't valuable enough!"

 

"I mean if I were to look at it in your perspective, Valkyrie's audience is niche too" He further added

 

Nazuna massaged his temples

"Listen...Ra*bits and Valkyrie are two very different categories...you can't compare a strawberry to a banana"

 

Rei opened his mouth to speak but then decided to not intervene.

 

"A what and a what?" Koga wasn't afraid to butt in

 

"A strawberry and a banana, you want me to explain it?"

 

"Actually, yeah" Kiryuu sighed

 

Nazuna cleared his throat

"A strawberry isn't a berry even though it's called one, and despite not having 'berry' in its name, a banana is classified as a berry"

 

"Hold on" Kaoru sat up, "Strawberry...isn't a berry?"

 

"CAN YOU ALL GET TO THE FUCKING POINT" Koga grunted

 

"What are you even tryna say?" Kiryuu said, a little irritated

 

"Its a false fruit" Nazuna cleared up, ignoring Kiryuu's complain

 

"What does this have anything to do with what I said?" Kuro asked

 

"Seriously? I have to explain the whole thing?"

 

"No, skip it" Rei eventually intervened, "Let's get straight to business...we need you to participate in this festival against fine"

 

"Done" Nazuna stated, "When?"

 

"We have a week and a half"

 

"Hmmm..." He thought, "I'll update you on how things work out and I'll contact you through Kiryuu then"

 

"Wonderful" Rei said

 

"Then I'll be on my way now...to discuss this further with the rest of my rabbits~ " Nito stood up, "See you all later"

 

 

...

 

 

Dragging him off into a place that should be out of anyone's earshot was a massive problem. Because everyone has ears everywhere.

 

Eichi has ears everywhere 

Which is the worst part about all of this

 

"We're pretty far off from the meeting room....Natsume kun"

 

A garden, behind the main building where no one comes or goes.

"That was the intentioN"

 

"I know...but I haven't been here before" He looked around, "Looks pretty left out...the grass hasn't been mowed"

 

Of course, he's still the same

Ignoring the weight of guilt and deciding to stop and smell the roses. It was infuriating, but he knew that deep down, Tsumugi knew he wasn't too happy with being the way he was. Though, given a chance, Natsume would happily stab every inch of insecurity in the other's subconscious.

 

Happily

 

"Are you donE?" he sighed, "We didn't come here to looK at the grass"

 

Tsumugi's smile turned frail

"Sorry, I'll sit here then"

 

They sat down on a curved bench that looked ancient. Of course, since the garden was never tended to, there were plant tendrils wrapped around the bench from every direction. If nothing, it made it look like it was from a fairy garden.

 

"As I mentioned earlieR" Natsume began, "Tenshouin is looking for you, senpai"

 

Aoba nodded

"I had a feeling he would try..."

 

"Is there nothing you will do about iT?"

 

He gazed at the tiny weeds below him, with small leaves and cute red flowers, asking to be put in a nice pot and looked after. Anywhere was fine as long as he didn't have to look at Natsume in the eye.

"Should I?"

 

Sakasaki scoffed

"He will find you eventualLY"

 

"He won't, don't worry" Tsumugi returned to his smiling self, "I'll keep out of sight...so you don't have to be worried about me"

 

"Who said I was" Natsume muttered under his breath, though only as a defence

 

"You aren't? Ah, that's better then isn't it? You can focus on yourself, and Sora of course~ "

 

"Why are you so pathetic" Natsume almost showed his anger again. 

 

"Being pathetic is part of my nature, I suppose" Tsumugi seemed to not notice the seriousness in the other's voice, "I'm quite unhelpful to Switch at the moment, so you can simply ignore me until and unless you need- "

 

"Who on EARTH gave you the permissioN to decide whether SWITCH needs yoU!" His grip on his agony was withering away with every word that came out of Aoba's mouth.

 

"I- I'm confused" Tsumugi sincerely replied

 

"What is there to be CONFUSED about???" He threateningly dug his nails into the other's shirt...which was the least of Tsumugi's worries at the moment. 

"I won't say this again! so you better listeN to ME!"

 

Mugi nodded

 

"You are a member of SWITCH, and no amount of your jolly, deprecating words can CHANGE that! Do you understanD???"

 

...

 

"In other words" He retracted his hand, his volume going down as he tried to sound calm, "...Don't run from me"

 

"Run from...Natsume kun?" He chuckled, "I wouldn't dream of it! It's impossible!"

 

"There you go again! TalkinG like a maniac!" 

 

"I'm sorry...I really am" He took off his glasses, which could fall apart at any second, "I don't want to run from you, I would never do such a thing"

 

A pause 

 

"Either you have dementia...or you simply neglect your facE"

 

"Huh?"

 

Very warm hands, probably due to the rush of blood, put Tsumugi's glasses back on his face...as carefully as they could. He might as well also check his possibly broken nose while he was at it.

"Did you atLEAST check if your nose was broken? Well, it seems finE for now"

 

Tsumugi took time to process everything, but when he did, he took the risk of finally looking at Natsume today.

 

"You'd hate me for it, but I feel alright now"

 

"Of course you do...because you make yourself numb to pain, physicaL or otherwise" He seemed to have calmed down

 

"You really punched me hard you know?" Tsumugi laughed lightly, "I was a little scared to see you again"

 

"Good. At leasT you're being honesT" 

 

"I can't lie to you, you're immune to it" Aoba sighed, "Which tangles me up sometimes...but I'm willing to be trapped in the spider's web, if the spider who made it doesn't eat me~ "

 

"Do you hear yourself?" Natsume scrunched up his nose, "What kinD of an analogY is thaT, senpai?"

 

"Forget that part then...just know I wouldn't wanna be somewhere without you"

 

Natsume leans back on the bench and folds his arms, in fake protest

"I find it harD to believe you"

 

"Oh come on" Tsumugi leaned towards the boy currently sitting uptight, "I'm being honest! You like that right? I'll talk without filters then, if Natsume kun wants me to"

 

"You- "

 

A little blonde figure hopped towards the two, a little out of breath and with a few bruises along their arms and knees.

Though huffing and being careful not to slip on dry leaves, they made it to their bench without tripping or falling.

 

"SORA?"

★

 

 

Chapter 11: craving answers

Summary:

Apologies, but this story is being stagnated for a bit as I work on a completely different timeline. I will 101% complete this one, just not yet.

Creativity and brevity cannot be rushed, we must keep patient

Thank you, and see you again

★

 

While it wasn't a huge problem, Arashi was worried. She was completely lost now, and she was worried about one more person.

 

Not only was Izumi not here, Mika hadn't stepped outside since that one day when she showed him her new purse. And, he hadn't called. Moreover, she didn't have anyone she could ask. His precious Oshi san wasn't seen around often either, and from what Ritsu had told her...he knew about the incident anyway. Which meant this time, for the first time ever, Arashi was a little scared of Itsuki.

Just a little.

She tried calling Mika, but he wouldn't pick up

She had other people call Mika, but he still didn't pick up

They were both at Shu's house, she knew. She had walked past it before, debating to ring the bell or not...and decided not to. Partially because it was Shu, and partially because the house's exotic look made her feel nervous about even trying to knock on it's door.

 

One day however, she got lucky

 

Across the street, from a pretty popular café...came Mika Kagehira. Carrying a paper bag and holding it close to his heart, he looked both ways before crossing the first road, and stood on the divider. From what Arashi could tell, he looked pale. As if the Sun hadn't touched his skin for days. He also looked unbelievably lost, and alert at the same time.

 

Arashi didn't move from her stand on the street. She was standing right next to Shu's house, and Mika noticed. Though unlike usual, where Mika's eyes would sparkle with joy upon noticing his best friend...he gave an unexpected look. He looked almost afraid, or confused. He hurriedly crossed the second road and made his way to Narukami.

 

"Mika chan?" She asked, concerned 

 

"Oh...Naruchan" He smiled, lacking the regular enthusiasm, "Good to see ya"

 

She tried her best to hide the fact that she was worried. 

Ritsu had told her at some point, that he had, out of pure concern and good will, told Mika's Oshi san about what had happened earlier this month. And by the look on Mika's face, he knew that as well.

"How have you been?" She held his shoulders...somewhat gripping it. 

 

"Fine...you?" 

 

Where did his dialect die?

Even for a second, if he consciously masks his dialect...it means he's not fine.

 

Arashi looked at him, happy and sad at the same time

"You busy? What did you buy?"

 

He nodded

"Its snacks...fer me n Oshi san" 

 

"That reminds me...how come...neither of you've come outside?" she tried to sound very very sweet

 

Mika wasn't falling for it

"Uh-well-He's not well...yknow?"

 

"Oh?" disbelief dripping in her words

 

"Yeah...Kiryuu senpai told me...somethin' uh...cough related"

He glanced at the metal gate, which opened to Shu's garden

 

"Ah" She gazed at the gate too. Trying to figure out what Mika was thinking about

 

"Don' worry! I got it! We'll be okay!"

 

"I'm worried about you Mika chan!" She almost threw herself on his shoulders, "I know your Oshi san is sick, but are YOU okay???"

 

"I-" He jumped, "M good! I had a lil fever but...m okay now, i took medicine"

 

"Be careful!" She advised, before Mika ran inside the garden

 

He didn't reply, simply dashed into the grass, and then into the house. One last awkward look, and he vanished behind the door.

 

 

★

 

 

"ARE YOU OKAY?" 

 

The little boy, panting, hopped his way to where the remaining two members of Switch were sitting.

 

"Yes yes ☆" He managed to say, still catching his breath, "Sora is okay!

 

Natsume looked as if his spirit had been granted the joy of living in a body again. And Tsumugi was still a little shaky.

 

"Good good" He sighed, "Come, sit...we were worried sick you know?"

 

"I know! Sora is sorry!"

 

"No, you shouldn'T be sorry" Natsume started, "It's TenshouiN who deserves to be hangeD"

 

Aoba didn't defend Eichi this time, he was busy examining Sora's arms and legs.

"Wow...thats a lot of scratches, did you jump from somewhere?"

 

Sora nodded, now breathing normally 

"Sora had to break a glass window! The door was locked!"

 

"What dooR? Where were you?" Natsume gently held the boy's shoulders

 

"In a room near StarPro's office" He answered 

 

"Tied up" Tsumugi concluded, seeing as there were impressions of ropes around his upper arm, "This is terrible"

 

Mugi's sudden serious tone didn't fly over Natsume's head

"Can we assume then that Sena senpai is being kept under the same conditions?"

 

Sora suddenly shook his head

"Sora heard he's somewhere else..."

 

"Makes sense" Tsumugi calculated, "I understand why Izumi would be kept away from everyone else...they don't expect violence from Little Sora but..."

 

"Sena senpai is unpredictable" Natsume finished, "But, we can'T worry about thaT just noW"

 

He patted Sora's messed up hair

"Let's get yoU fixed uP first"

 

 

★

 

 

Mika hastily slammed the door behind him and caught his breath. He didn't think it would ever cost him his brain to have a conversation with Arashi. And he was glad he didn't have to lie anymore.

 

"Kagehira?"

 

He turned around to find Shu on the table by the kitchen

"Ah...Oshi san"

He blinked

"Wait...how come yer not in bed?"

 

Shu clicked his tongue

"I had my medicine, and I am coughing normally now...I think I can walk downstairs by myself, honestly"

 

Mika awkwardly smiled

"M..."

 

"Is Narukami still outside?"

 

Oh

So he heard everything?

They were practically yelling, so it made sense

 

"Why?"

 

"Ask her if she would like tea"

 

Is Shu really okay?

Mika decided to argue later

He opened the door a chink and spotted Arashi nearby, on her phone. Why was she still lingering? 

 

"Um...Naruchan?" He began, unsure

 

She promptly faced him from outside the garden gate

"Oh...Mikachan...what is it?"

 

He swallowed his discomfort for the time being

"Oshi san...wants ta know if..." he struggled, "Ya...would like tea?"

 

Arashi seemed just as confused as Mika now

She tried to peek inside the living room, but she was too far away.

 

"I...sure" She said 

 

Mika then opened the door wider, as a reply, and walked back inside. Narukami followed, first entering the garden, then the main door.

 

The living room must have been atleast three times the size of her dorm. No, scratch that, five times.

There were carpets, all to match the regal atmosphere of the house.

 

"How much sugar do you take?" Mika asked her, making his way to the designated tea area in the kitchen

 

"One cube should be...fine" Her voice peppered out as she noticed Shu sitting at the table.

He didn't look sick at all. Apart from his skin, probably. He looked fine, perfect as he did. 

 

 

She felt out of place

 

 

Shu opened his eyes, and motioned for her to sit.

And she sat

 

 

The environment was different from how she imagined. Arashi had sort of imagined a darker hue, or perhaps a more stuffy fragrance. But this was worse. Too pure, ceiling too high, and too strict. 

 

Mika hummed to himself, walking to the table with a tray in his hands and set it down

"I'll get the teapot~ " 

 

As he left again, Itsuki distributed the cups 

Kagehira returned, and poured the tea into all the cups.

He seemed satisfied. And it calmed Narukami just a little.

 

"Umm...so, where were ya goin' ?" He asked, smiling

 

Arashi smiled back, though forcefully 

"Ah...nowhere special, just out for some air. I've been trapped in the main building for a while you know"

 

Mika must have easily spotted the suffocation in her voice, because he decided to talk about something else

"Do you like the lil petals in the tea?"

 

She glanced at her cup

There were a few rose petals, freshly red, floating on the surface of the yellowish-pink liquid.

 

"Yes, they look beautiful"

 

"They taste amazin' too!" He grinned, "Oshi san's parents grow 'em in the kitchen garden, sometimes we put them in milk too! n yogurt!"

 

Arashi nodded, trying to reflect Mika's energy

 

"Oshi san" he turned to Shu, who had been sort of meditating. Chin on the back of him palms, he had been sitting, eyes closed, trying to tune out the conversation.

 

"What is it, Kagehira?" a softer tone than usual

 

Mika smiled

"Nothing...just wanted ta make sure ya didn't fall asleep!"

 

Itsuki sighed

"Obviously not...I am not sleepy" 

 

He looked at Arashi for a second, before turning away.

 

She was a little stuck now 

"Did you make this tea, Mika chan?"

 

" 'course! I learnt it from Oshi san, though...every step n every angle" He sipped from his cup, "I still think he makes it better, yknow?"

 

☆

 

Her throat was soothed, but her mind itched for freedom

 

At the same time, she wanted to know why his Oshi san was so sick. From what she gathered, he seemed deeply out of touch with their conversation...

...its like when you spend so much time staring outside the train, you don't notice the coach empty. Its an empty feeling, not comforting, making you feel lost, even if you know what station is yours.

 

In his case, he was the reason Arashi felt lost

 

"Oshi san...do ya want a strawberry danish?" Mika broke the sickening silence

 

Opening his eyes once again, Shu sighed softly 

"Yes"

 

"N...what about you, Naruchan?"

 

"I...um..." She started, her voice strained, "I wouldn't mind"

 

Grinning, Mika made his way to the kitchen.

 

"Don't microwave it" Shu said, not exactly yelling, but still being loud enough for the other to hear

 

"Then...should I put 'em in the oven tah warm?"

 

"Yes" He replied, "It retains the texture"

 

...

She had been keeping it in, but no longer

 

"How sick are you?" 

She wanted to sound proper, but she ended up sounding worried anyway

 

"A bit" He answered, then stopping. 

"Ah, who am I kidding...I feel awful"

 

Arashi wasn't expecting straight up honesty from this man. Especially since he was talking to her.

 

"R-really?"

 

"Yes, yes really" His eyes fluttered open, "It's been atleast ten days...taking a flight to Japan was the biggest risk I've taken this year. And to think he wouldn't have found out...God, I am stupid"

 

He was...talking to Narukami

Was he aware of that?

The way he was spilling his emotions out on the table like she was a paid therapist was so strangely endearing that Arashi couldn't stop him if she wanted to.

 

"That aside..." He started, as Mika returned with the dessert, "Kagehira, Is it alright with you if I eat upstairs? It seems I have strained myself"

 

He said the last part with lingering regret

 

Mika, a little upset, smiled and nodded

"Mkay Oshi san! Take care!"

 

Shu headed upstairs, like a cat with a silent tread, unknowingly breaking Mika's joyful camouflage.

"...what am i even doin' " He whispered, enough for Arashi to hear

 

"Mika..."

 

"M so sorry...m really sorry....I can't do anythin' right, n I completely..."

 

"Don't apologise..." She said, distressed, "Not to me...I don't deserve any of it, at all"

 

Mika was on the verge of crushing the danish he held in his hand

"M apologising to both of ya...you, 'cause I never took responsibility fer something that was partially mah own mistake...n...oshi san, because..." He dropped the dessert on his plate, appetite gone

 

"...because I didn' trust him enough" He sniffled, pushing back the tear lingering in the corner of his eye.

 

"Oh..." She would cry too, if she didn't decide to take a deep breath and take a bite of her strawberry danish. Mika seemed to control his weeping as well, instead taking to finishing his tea.

 

The environment turned pitiful

 

 

★

 

 

"Man...this is some serious choreography" Koga scratched his head. 

 

"We need a serious choreography" Kaoru walked by, sitting beside Rei on the couch. "Fine might kill us if we don't"

 

"Still!" Koga grunted, "We have like, what? Two weeks? Are you crazy?"

 

With his eyes closed, sat UNDEAD's proud unit leader, smiling like anything. Rei quietly fell on Kaoru's thighs and Hakaze grimaced.

 

"What?"

 

"Get off of me, pervert"

 

"What now? Kaoru kun is scolding me at 9:00 am? How cruel~ " He said, not opening his eyes

 

"Look at him!" Oogami groaned, "All this stupid serious business' finally driven his sanity all the way to England! I think we need a fucking break"

 

"Hey young man, mind your fucking language" Kaoru scolded, but not meaning it. "And Rei was never sane to begin with..."

 

He smiled, even in his weary state

"Such a nice voice~ Keep talking, Kaoru kun"

 

"Quiet, I can't defend you if you talk like this" Hakaze playfully messed up the other's hair, earning a silent 'my haiirrrr!'

 

Adonis smiled as well, glancing from behind Koga

 

"He's acting like a little child...all grown up and look at him, the manners of a five year old puppy" The blonde hummed

 

"A puppy? Hardly" Koga huffed, "Wait while I try to find a better comparison"

 

"Or..." Hakaze folded his arms, "You could practice...hmm?"

 

"Oi" Koga turned to Adonis, "He's being a bitchy mom again!"

 

"Mmm let him be~ " Rei whispered

 

Oogami, disgusted, faced Rei and Kaoru again, "You know what? Get married, and leave me alone!"

 

★

 

 

Chapter 12: onto something

 

"WHAT"

 

"You never picked up! How were we supposed to tell you anything!"

 

Leo was sure the ground below him was moving 

He stumbled, but sat down on the sofa. The remaining members of Knights looked to him in both dismay and relief.

 

"My phone fell into the lake...and...I didn't buy one until yest- Where is he? Where is HE?"

 

"We don't know!" Tsukasa's patience was worn out, "We- He's been gone for more than a week!"

 

If it hadn't been for Ritsu's quick movement, Leo would've crumbled to the floor

"Be careful!"

 

"Careful?" He said, almost hysterically, "I can't be careful? Careful? No, no no no...I can't even form phrases and you think- No, I need to think. Think, Leo THINK!"

 

He sat down again, closing his eyes and counting to ten

Breathe, you can't help anyone if you can't sit still.

 

"...I'm..." He tried, but stopped, left with Arashi who patted his back in support

 

"Please do not strain yourself" Tsukasa said, now calmer, "Its not over yet, we can still do something"

 

 

☆

 

 

"I have a voicenote from Shu" Rei waved his phone in the room

 

Tsumugi turned around in curiosity 

"What?"

 

Kiryuu was the first to step to Rei

"He couldn't even talk properly? What the fuck?"

 

"You don't think he's- " Kaoru started, but every pair of eyes staring at him made him shut up

 

"No, no he can't be kidnapped, don't be stupid!" Rei tried to laugh, "Thats...This is Shu! Come on! Be a little...yknow..."

 

Nazuna burst into the room

"YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST HEARD ABOUT ITSUKI"

 

"YOU HEARD ABOUT HIM?" Rei jumped, "IS HE OKAY?"

 

"He's- wow i need to breathe..." He leaned on the door, before Kiryuu led him to the couch

 

"You good man?" Kuro asked

 

Nazuna nodded, reaching for Kaoru's water bottle and taking a sip

"I'm- I ran too fast- from fine's office area...I barely made it without being noticed"

 

"Whoa whoa hey don't ever do that again" Kaoru warned, taking back his bottle, "Scary as hell"

 

Nazuna nodded, still breathless

 

... 

 

"Right...so..." Tsumugi began, "Lets begin from Nazuna"

 

Nazuna nodded, looking at everyone, his brows furrowed

"Itsuki didn't tell me in person...but...I overheard it from fine's office that..."

 

he paused

 

"Valkyrie's in"

 

...

 

"I'm sorry what?"

 

"Valkyrie's participating- " Nito repeated, slowly, " -in the competition...against fine...directly"

 

Kiryuu was completely speechless 

"I- He- what? He can't- He's sick!"

 

Rei intervened

"Maybe its fake- Lets see what the voicenote says first"

 

Tsumugi nodded

"We need to hear him before we decide anything"

 

Nazuna nodded, and the room fell into silence as Rei sat on the couch, and played the audio:

 

The voice was clear, no muffling noises, nothing

 

"Right...I apologise if I sound sore, or dead in any way...but I really haven't found time to talk to you, Rei.."

 

They all listened carefully

 

"As for my throat, as you may hear me loud and clear, I am alright. I would thank Kagehira and Kiryuu for that...and...now, as to why I decided to pick up my phone in the first place and take time to say all of this..."

 

 ...

 

"Valkyrie will be taking part in the festival- " 

 

Kiryuu almost opened his mouth to say something, but Shu's angry tone kept him silent– 

 

" -I will not be hearing any sort of stupid excuse like: oh you were sick, or: you're in no shape to sing...when I say Valkyrie will sing, then Valkyrie won't just sing...we will illuminate the darkness that fine has spread, burning it to the ground..."

 

...

 

Then, in a blunt voice no one had heard in very very long– 

 

"...and tell Tenshouin to prepare his death in advance" 

 

 

a beep

–

"Crap" Tsumugi whispered

 

"Crap indeed" Kaoru bit a nail, "That was scary...remind me to never make him mad"

 

"Fuck is he thinking" Kiryuu said, almost hissing, "He's stubborn as a rock. He's planning a death wish"

 

"Unless" Rei started, "We trust his decision and plan accordingly"

 

"Plan acc- Do you HEAR yourself???" Kiryuu raised his voice, "HE WAS LITERALLY COUGHING UP BLOOD LIKE A WEEK AGO! HE CAN'T FUCKING SING?!"

 

"Lets all take a chill pill- " Kaoru said, "Listen, I'm not very knowledgeable on Shu Itsuki as such...but the way you're making him sound, he's one hell of a fighter"

 

"True" Nazuna joined in

 

"In that case" Hakaze sighed, "Lets let him be for now...if he's really that certain of his victory...then lets focus elsewhere"

 

"He- My God..." Kuro rubbed his temples, "I'll hafta call him later"

 

"Good, good, lets all calm down" Kaoru sat down, "Planning requires us to be present NOW and not wandering here and there"

 

"Right. Thank you, Hakaze" Tsumugi smiled, "Lets continue our train of thought"

 

Chapter 13: 1.13

"Oshi san?"

 

"Enter"

 

Mika opened the door a little, his ears picking up the familiar sound of Nazuna's voice...

 

And then...ah...

 

"Castle built on Sand" Mika whispered to himself 

 

"Yes, yes" Shu, who sat on his table, turned to face the raven, somehow smiling, "You know, you can actually step inside?"

 

Was he broken?

 

"I know...um..." Mika stepped in, the familiar yet dreadful music reaching his ears as he made his way to Shu

 

"Yes?"

 

"I'm..." He started, "...are ya sure ya wanna take part in the festival?"

 

"We. We are taking part. Not me" Itsuki cleared

 

Okay he was broken

 

Mika took a deep breath, as Shu's violin segment started to play from the speakers,

"Yer...awfully strange today"

 

Shu raised an eyebrow

"I am?"

 

"I mean" Mika struggled, "Yer listenin' to the song you said you wouldn't dare play alone...n...n you've decided to go against Tenshouin- "

 

"The entirety of fine"

 

"R-right" He sighed, "Oshi san...do ya...need..."

 

...

 

"Can I do something fer ya?"

 

Shu's smile returned, soft this time

"Not unless you really wish to...you've done more than enough already"

 

Mika was going to kill someone

 

"W- Are ya really all okay? Is this...some...some side effect of the medicine?" He paused, "Should I call Kiryuu senpai?"

 

"Kagehira...why do you trust me so little? I am fine..." Shu scolded, but softly, "If you wish to really help, then make us tea"

 

Tea

He can handle that

 

"Okay...which one?"

 

"Any you like"

 

"Oshi san yer scarin' me!" He literally begged

 

"Okay okay!" Shu scoffed, "Make jasmine...and add some cardamom"

 

Mika nodded and hurried out, the music fading into the empty silence of the downstairs kitchen.

 

Water sure takes its time to boil

 

Jasmine...jasmine...

Oh right they have some outside

 

He entered the backyard-ish area outside the kitchen and looked for the jasmine bush. It sat all green, with spots of white and Mika knew in his heart smelled like heaven.

He plucked a few and ran inside, the traffic noise bugging him.

 

Tea was almost ready now, he had to wait for the diffuser to do its job.

 

He sat impatiently, shoulders stiff and fingers itching to rest somewhere that wasn't the countertop.

 

"Oshi san"

 

"Enter"

 

He peered in, now the saddening song from the past replaced by the instrumentals from Cloth Waltz.

 

Better

 

Much better

 

Still makes Mika want to cry, but not in a bad sense

 

"M here with the tea" Mika announced, "Hope I didn' mess it up" 

 

"Tea is something you are incapable of messing up..." Shu reassured, taking his cup from the tray, "Now, take a seat will you?"

 

He dragged a chair to where Shu sat and settled down with this cup between his palms

 

"Good. Now." Shu cleared his throat, "What I am going to show you is going to shake you, so its best if you keep your cup for now"

 

"Shake...me?"

 

"Trust me when I tell you, you're going to need to keep that cup on the table for now"

 

Mika obliged, though a bit confused

"So...whats so scary that i had ta do that?" 

 

"Not scary, simply out of usual business" Itsuki opened his bag and pulled out what looked like a laptop...but with a very big screen and no keyboard.

 

"Whoaaa...is that yer art tablet?" Mika asked, curious

 

"Yes...I found it quite the hassle...but, I realised it was much easier if we are to ignore the slight lags" he said, "Gloves eradicate the problem of fingerprints...and its smooth to work on"

 

"Ngah...thas so cool" He watched as Shu set it up

 

It was sleek, the most advanced tablet Mika had seen so far. Its stylus was just as smooth looking, not heavy at all.

 

Slipping on his glove, Shu glanced at Mika one more time before he showed him what he had created

 

"So..." Mika asked

 

Itsuki turned the tablet to the raven's side, and for a moment, Kagehira sat, as if he had been paused.

 

He blinked, then took a deep breath, and turned to Shu's face

 

"Go on"

 

His eyes widened like anything

"M...th-this is our...this is what...we'll be wearin'- this?"

 

"Yes"

 

Mika almost squeaked

"Oh mah God...oshi san...when did you..."

 

"Only the metallic accessories require some polishing" Itsuki continued, oblivious to how blown away Mika was

 

"Y- YA ALREADY STITCHED IT ALL?" 

 

"I...did?" Shu said, "I did show you the concept already, and you said it was fine so- "

 

"N-no I mean- " He caught his breath, " -when?"

 

"This week?"

 

"The...when ya were...still goin' ta ensemble..." He looked to the floor, realisation kicking in...

 

...

 

"Ya planned this long ago, didn'tcha?"

 

Shu smiled, this time a little on the conceited side

"Very long ago, I see you've caught on. Lets hope no one else does, however. I would like for it to be a surprise"

 

"H-how long? Exactly?" Mika asked, a little afraid

 

"I would say...atleast more than 2 months"

 

Mika's jaw dropped to the floor 

"Two-two??? Two WHOLE months???"

 

"I intended to tell you before, but it seemed my sickness did not allow that" He sighed, "But, its all alright now. I know what happens next"

 

Mika began slowly

"Ya knew...that...Sena senpai would be...taken away?"

 

"Obviously not" Shu shook his head, "I will say I had a rough idea of how Tenshouin would try to put down Knights. I hadn't quite narrowed it down"

 

"Wow..." The raven whispered, then continued, "So...what now?"

 

"Now" Shu hummed, "We wait"

 

 

Notes:

(If anyone wants to know where the violin segment starts in Sajou no Roukaku, its at 3:07)

Chapter 14: taking a break (a filler?)

 

"Im...agH"

 

"Shishou!"

 

Natsume was tapped lightly on the shoulder, as he sat with a hand to his head.

 

Sora wore a big smile, despite the bandages on his arms and one on his face.

"Sora wants to help~ "

 

"SorA" Natsume starts, the headache killing him, "Do yoU thinK...Switch wiLL be uP foR performinG?"

 

Sora's smile shifts to a focused frown

"Sora isn't sure...if shishou thinks we are ready"

 

Shishou this shishou that

 

"Can yoU hand mE mY phonE?"

 

Sora did, still concerned for Natsume

 

☆

 

Tsumugi needed to take a break because of the chaos that ensued in the meeting room. He headed out for some air, when his phone buzzed.

 

"Hello? Aha, Natsume kun~ How are you? Is Sora alright now?

 

"He'S finE" Natsume grumbled, still a little embarrassed of his little heart to heart conversation 

 

"Wonderful to hear!" Tsumugi sat on a bench, "But you didn't tell me how you were"

 

"I'm...gooD" A pause, "HeY fuzzy glasseS"

 

"hmm?"

 

"CaN you grab us a snaCK on your way baCK?"

God he felt he was begging

 

"Of course! So thats two snacks?"

 

"ArE you on A dieT?"

 

"I mean- no, no" Tsumugi smiled, "So three snacks?"

 

"YeS" Natsume hummed, "See yoU lateR"

 

"See you Natsume kun!" 

 

"WaiT"

 

Tsumugi waited

 

"WhaT are youR thoughtS on..." He paused, "Switch performinG in thE competitioN?"

 

...

 

"If you think we can, Natsume"

 

Not helpful

 

"AgH...givE me inpuT don'T just gO witH whAT I saY!"

 

"I mean it!" Aoba said, "I think if you believe we're ready, we are!"

 

Sakasaki could be heard scoffing 

"...finE...I'LL talK to Rei niisaN"

 

☆

 

"Wow" Rei chuckled, "Switch is in now"

 

Kiryuu sighed

"Looks like we have a chance"

 

"Don't be so happy now" Kaoru said, "We still don't have enough competition. Even if, say Valkyrie defeats fine...we need more units for the remaining opponents"

 

Rei hummed

"Point well made~ We need to have a proper list"

 

Kiryuu still looked far from normal

 

"You good?" 

 

"Yeah I'm..." He spun a marker around, "Mind if we all just...like...take a break?"

 

Kaoru hummed

"Sure"

 

"Great" Kuro pulled out his phone, "Because I need to talk to that moron"

 

 ...

 

"Sooo" Kaoru whistled, "Are you not...heading out?"

 

Nazuna slumped onto the couch's arm

"No"

 

Rei hummed

"If Kaoru kun comes with me~ "

 

Hakaze groaned

"Dependent much? And just when I thought you'd have stopped being a child"

 

"Is Kaoru kun coming or not?"

 

"Kao- I am" He got up, "See you in a bit Nazuna"

 

"Yeah" He lazily gave a thumbs up and went back to relaxing on the couch.

 

☆

 

Shu was busy having his tea (again) when Kiryuu called

 

Part of him wanted to ignore it and deal with it later

 

But then he realised he'd probably get scolded pretty bad if he did. So he picked up.

 

"Itsuki"

 

Oh God here we go

 

"What the actual fuck are you doing???"

 

Shu sighed

"You need to be a little less vague, Kiryuu"

 

"You know what I'm talking about"

 

...

 

"Sorry but I won't be going back on my decision"

 

"Aren't you still taking meds?"

 

Caught

Shu held his head in his hands

"Look...I appreciate your continuous concern, but I'm fine"

 

"You sound angry" Kuro scoffed, "Therapy isn't really helping at all"

 

"Kiryuu" He finally talked in form, "Valkyrie is going to perform and that is that. Do what you will about it"

 

'Do what you will about it' was another way of saying, 'Fuck you'

 

"You're impossible"

 

"I've been told"

 

...

 

"How's the kid?"

 

"Mika's fine"

 

"Thats sweet of you" Kuro's smile was visible through the speaker, "Mika, you say"

 

"I- Slip of the tongue" Shu hissed, "You really need to stop"

 

"Okay okay. Take care"

 

"I will" 

 

 

Chapter 15: 1.15

 

"Sooo?" Rei asked, mentally knowing the answer

 

"He's dead stuck on performing" Kiryuu sighed, "I can't do shit. Lets keep going"

 

"Alright then" Rei sighed 

 

Tsumugi also returned from his break

"Its too hot outside"

 

"Should've stayed inside. Like me" Nazuna mocked

 

"Hey isn't Leo back?" Kaoru asked, scrolling on his phone, "I mean, says here he is"

 

"Says where?"

 

"Hold Hands. His phone's active I mean"

 

"Then we can do something about Knights too" Tsumugi suggested 

 

Rei sighed

"He did come back. And he had a heart attack yesterday. I think lets not disturb Knights for now"

 

"But imagine the amount of help we can harvest" Aoba said, "Knights without Izumi is...well...still Knights. Just because they can't perform doesn't mean they're worthless"

 

"It sounds like we're taking advantage of their situation" Nazuna shook his head, "I mean, they probably got stuff to work out, no? Considering Izumi's out of the picture"

 

Aoba frowned, but kept his voice steady

"Yes, I know. But we can't do anything if we aren't backed up. And by our current list, we're poorly backed up"

 

"Fine...fine fine" Kuro said, "Look, how about we try to approach Knights first. Its stupid if we just go ahead and assume they can do anything at all"

 

"I can try to catch Leo" Tsumugi nodded, his face devoid of much hope, "But I can't guarantee anything. He just got back, and things aren't looking wonderful"

 

"You don't think they took Izumi so that fine can have Knights on their side...do ya?" Kiryuu asked, doubtfully.

 

"Anything's possible. We can't eliminate any reason unless we're 101% sure" Nito yawned, "Man, I'm so tired~ Can I go back? I'll be back tomorrow"

 

"Cool" Kaoru said, "Take rest"

 

"See ya tomorrow" Kuro patted the blonde's back, as he lazily stepped outside. He waved, and walked away.

 

"Mmm...man I feel stuck" Hakaze mumbled 

 

"Lets try and picture things" Tsumugi suggested, "Pictures help"

 

"I picture us dead, bleeding, and Wataru with a party cannon" 

 

Aoba chuckled, entertained

"Well...thats one kind of picture, I suppose"

 

"I'm being realistic here!" Kaoru jokingly argued, "Imagination does nothing. The most I can do about my picture is have Valkyrie ruling the galaxy or something"

 

"I can see that happening...somehow" Kiryuu groaned

 

"How about more related pictures? Try again" Tsumugi brought them back on track

 

"Gotcha" Rei dug out his phone, "I'm getting a call, be right back"

 

"Sure"

 

...

 

Rei froze in place when he realised who had called him. It took him a few seconds to wake up and swipe green.

 

"Hello?"

 

"Listen I don't have time, okay? So listen."

 

Ritsu

 

"Good. We need help. Knights. I know you're already working on it with a couple more people so add me to the list"

 

"...Okay" The older Sakuma hesitantly replied

 

A pause

"We need to find Secchan"

 

☆

 

The room fell quiet as Rei entered 

"Aoba, dang it you're fucking brilliant"

 

Everyone turned to the vampire, who was smiling like anything

 

Tsumugi stared, confused 

"I'm flattered, but what for?"

 

"Ritsu called me~ " He waved his phone in the air, "Knights has asked for assistance~ "

 

Chapter 16: if all i can ever do is watch, then what good am i anyway?

Notes:

In celebration of Shu coming home for Raison d'être, a new chapter

 

Ritsu attended the meetings with Rei held in between Knights having their own meetings. Knights' meetings were mostly Arashi anxiously listening, Tsukasa talking, and Leo suffocating. Ritsu had never in his life imagined he'd have to see something so concerning. But he kept taking deep breaths and keeping up his act. He can't lose his mind just yet. There's still time.

 

Mao would sometimes call, ask if he was alright. He always replied with 'Of course' or something stupid like 'Maa kun is overthinking'

 

Mao always looked at him with worry 

 

He wasn't wrong

 

Ritsu had a hard time sleeping now

Which was a complete 180 from his usual condition. He still slept in the daylight...but never peacefully.

 

And he was alone in his room

 

To make things worse

 

☆

 

"Ritsu?"

 

Why now?

 

He blinked himself awake from a light nap

 

...

 

"Mikarin?"

 

"Can I...um...come inside? Please?"

 

No one sounded sane anymore

Mika was unsteady in his words

 

"...Of course Mikarin~ Let me open the door for you"

 

As the door opened, Mika had a good look at Ritsu's pale face...and Ritsu's smile died there and then.

 

"Heya" was all Mika said, before stepping inside, looking away.

 

Sakuma looked both ways outside, before closing the door behind him.

 

...

 

"Everythin' good?" Mika asked, preoccupied with looking for something. His tone was off. It made Ritsu's already jittery mental state decay even more.

 

"...alright. You?"

 

Mika paused, before continuing, "Alright."

 

...

 

Neither of them was good

And neither of them wanted to acknowledge that

 

"How's...um..." He struggled, "Everyone else?"

 

"Worried" Ritsu let himself loose a little 

 

"Must be...'s been long since Sena senpai's been...gone" The raven hesitantly replied, "Is Knights...gonna..."

 

"I don't know" Sakuma felt his act falling apart the longer Mika talked. The circumstances, and also...because he talked to Shu behind his back. 

 

He felt bad. Of course he did. But he knew he did the right thing.

 

Or did he?

 

He swallowed a lump in his throat and went back to his bed, curling into the blanket.

 

Mika made his best efforts to keep quiet and not disturb the topic he knew they both were thinking of. He scrounged his drawer before pulling out his box of board pins.

 

Now. End this now.

 

He looked at Ritsu, silently staring

 

You're never speakin' up about it, are ya

 

Ritsu gazed remorsefully from the edge of his blanket

 

No

 

...

 

"See ya later, Ritsu"

 

...

 

"Bye, Mika"

 

Chapter 17: its not the same anymore

 

"Rei!~ "

 

God I don't have time for this

 

Rei looked at the rest of UNDEAD, all telling him they were done with this bullshit. Then he sighed.

 

"Fine. I'm going"

 

He got up from the couch and wandered to the door, opening it lazily.

 

"Hey...'sup"

That came out more tired than he liked

 

The clown smiled like everything was peaches and cream, and not like everyone except fine was miserable.

"Ahaha☆~ Been busy, Rei?"

 

Trying to shake you off, Hibiki

 

"You know me..." he cracked an uncomfortable smile, "...busy"

 

Wataru seemed to either ignore, or was unaware of the other's broken state

"Too sad~ I was hoping the Eccentrics could have a tea time celebration~ "

 

Fuck off

 

"Oh yeah? Well, sorry. I'm busy, one's out of the question"

 

"Natsume?"

 

"Busy. With Switch"

 

"And...Kanata?"

 

"Also busy"

 

Wataru's smile was starting to dissolve

"And...Shu?"

 

God just leave

 

"...he's sick?"

 

The clown seemed surprised

"Sick? How so?"

 

Rei was at his limits 

He pinched his nose bridge 

"He's got bronchitis...something like that"

 

"Is it bad?"

 

"Yeah" Sakuma said, unintentionally rude

 

"Oh" Hibiki seemed confused whether he should feel upset, or happy that fine would have a better chance at winning.

 

Individuality, or what would make Eichi happy?

 

What should he be feeling?

 

"Listen...just..." Rei sighed, shaking his head, "...go and have your own little tea party okay?"

 

"Are you...alright, Rei?"

 

"No Wataru" He finally said, it felt as if a huge burden fell off his shoulders as he spat it out, "No I'm not alright. No one's alright, for fucks sake. Do you even think before you speak? Do you- Are you understanding our situation?"

 

"..."

 

"You really don't understand, do you? How everyone's career as an idol, fuck, how everyone's relations are at stake? How fucking hard it is, to wake up everyday, knowing we might as well be tied up in a fucking cellar" Rei kept going, hardly even breathing in between.

 

Perhaps what scared Hibiki most, was his blunt tone. It reminded him of the Rei of Yumenosaki. The Rei he was before he split his hair the other way. He didn't even sound rageful, like Shu. No. He sounded still. Devoid of warmth. His voice low and words clear as glass. And just as sharp.

 

"Tell me one thing, Hibiki" Rei's eyes pierced, "How the fuck do you sleep at night?"

 

...

 

"I- "

 

"Izumi's gone. He's fucking somewhere we don't even know!" Rei's raised his voice slightly, "You wouldn't know that, would you? That he's been fucking kidnapped? No, of course not..."

 

Hibiki did not know that

He kept quiet, internally surprised

 

 

When did that happen?

 

 

Then Sakuma chuckled

The bitterness catching the other off guard

 

"...How would you know anything...you're one of fine, aren't you? Always have been...I don't even know why we never noticed you're not who we thought you were...all this time..."

 

Rei smiled once again, a little pain leaking with it,

"...should've listened to Shu, goddammit. He was right. He's been right most of the time."

 

"...what- what are you- " he lightly chuckled, as if trying to lift his own spirits

 

"Well Wataru" Rei sighed, stepping behind the door and slowly closing it, "I'll tell you this, okay? Don't fuck with people's compassion, its not like handing out free candy..."

 

...

 

"Love is just as accessible as a fucking revolver"

 

...

 

The door was banged shut from inside

 

Chapter 18: 1.18

 

"Oshi san~ "

 

"What?"

 

Mika stood super still, the corset being carefully tightened behind him.

" 's fine"

 

"Fine? Alright..." Shu walked to the front and eyed Mika head to toe.

 

Mika's favourite and least favourite part

 

"Hmmm" Shu clicked his tongue, "It's perfect. Lets get to the headpiece"

 

Mika sighed with relief, letting his shoulders rest, his eyes following Itsuki around the room. Shu picked up the silver headpiece, studded with the most beautiful crystals Mika had ever seen. It almost felt like he was being crowned. 

 

Shu's was far more branched, of course. But he hadn't tried his on yet. Mika wanted to see him try it on too...just for fun if nothing else. But he knew the environment was not fun at all, so he kept his mouth shut.

 

He prepared himself as the cold silver, plus Shu's careful hands lowered it onto his head. He could practically feel his hands slightly shake, but ignored it. The headpiece sat on his messy hair, the crystals making a clear, shiny sound when it clashed with the silver chains that held them. He didn't know why Shu wasn't afraid they'd break.

 

"In case you are wondering, no, they will not break when they collide." Shu said, "They aren't real crystals"

 

"They ain't?" 

 

"No" Itsuki nudged it around, trying to perfect his craft, "Real crystals are too delicate. These are polished stones. Not regular stones, but, very good quality"

 

Ah

That made sense 

 

Shu stepped back again, looking at Mika's outfit as a whole.

 

His eyes tended to hook onto Mika's for a sharp 3 seconds before he realised it. He shook his head and sighed.

 

"Something is missing...I don't know what it is anymore..."

 

"Maybe...ya need a break?" Mika tried, "I- I mean ya been on this fer a bit...we can have a snack and then brainstorm"

 

"Fine" Shu muttered, internally cringing at the submissive answer. But Mika's smile changed that.

 

"I'll change 'n get us some!" He said excitedly, then paused, "Um...think I need help though?"

 

Shu nodded

"Right, lets get you out of that dress. Sit."

 

Mika felt that his Oshi san was a bit lost today, but decided to not bring it up. He sat down, as instructed.

 

His breathing spiked when Shu loosened his corset, even though that should have the opposite effect. The corset did make it easier to breathe. Kind of. Next were the numerous layers. Then came his shoes, which he took off himself, so that he gets to breathe steadily without his senses being all over the place.

 

"I'll get some coffee too" Mika announced, putting on his little boots, "Ya want one too?"

 

"...Fine. Don't rush, you'll drop everything"

 

He agreed to coffee

Huh

 

Mika blinked twice before smiling

"Mkay! See ya Oshi san!"

 

...

 

The cafe was a bit crowded, but no problem. Mika's dealt with it all before. It was the cafe that was the spot for the Heart Aid Cafeteria music video. Though Mika wasn't there for it...he'd seen it so many times. He thought it was calming. But here it was now, bustling.

 

He grabbed two coffees and croissants, hopping out the door, humming a rhyme long forgotten.

 

'We pray,

May the perfect art be bestowed upon this world!'

 

It echoed in his head, as he crossed two roads, before reaching back home.

 

Perfect art

 

We pray

May the perfect art be bestowed upon this world

 

He wrote those lyrics

Feels just like yesterday 

 

He opened the garden gate and opened the main door

"M home!" He announced, closing it behind him and setting the food on the table

 

Next, he took off his boots and made his way to the kitchen to wash his hands

"Ya can come downstairs Oshi san! 'S better if we eat downstairs yknow?"

 

...

 

A sigh 

"Yes, fine"

 

Mika washed his hands and watched Shu descend down the stairs like a swan.

 

'The master has been long lost

Nor a place to belong'

 

...

 

Itsuki took a seat on the dining table and Mika absent-mindedly gawked at him as he wiped his hands on the towel 

 

 

'But the brilliant hope we wish for

Will continue interweaving into the future'

 

...

 

"Kagehira, stop that"

 

He squeaked

"Ah! Mah bad!"

 

A scoff

"Just come here quickly, your coffee's getting cold"

 

"Yeah I'm comin' !"

 

He hurriedly sat down next to him, taking a sip of his coffee. Wasn't too cold. Just fine, actually.

 

Shu thought otherwise 

"I told you"

 

"Its fiiine. See? Not cold" He brought the container to the back of Shu's palm. The man instinctively pulled his hand in.

 

"I was jus'..." Mika fumbled, "...ngah...sorry"

 

"No" Shu assured, "It's fine. You're weirdly sensitive to my mood, you know that? Drink up...but don't gobble it down. We have work to do"

 

"I know" He let out a weak smile, "I'll hurry up"

 

...

 

"Don't look at me like that" Shu frowned, "It makes me feel uneasy. As if I stabbed you and let you bleed"

 

"Wh- huh? What? Why?" The raven hesitantly asked

 

"Because you look so afraid" His expression softened, "Trust me, really. I won't scold you so much"

 

Mika's cheeks flushed a slight shade of pink but he maintained eye contact, some form of realisation on his face.

 

Shu then sighed

"Hand me that coffee. I'll warm it up. You really can't finish it in under two minutes can you?"

...

A genuine smile made its way to Mika's face, after much listening

"Mkay. Yer too nice, Oshi san"

 

Chapter 19: 1.19

 

"Yo"

 

Nazuna nibbled on a popsicle. He froze, before pulling it out.

"Yo"

 

"Whats up?" Kiryuu leaned onto the railing of the balcony

 

"Nothing much. Ra*bits is kinda worked up. I mean, I get why. But its hard to think straight yknow?"

 

Kuro whistled

"You're a great parental support. Ra*bits is gonna rock the stage"

 

"Thanks, I guess" He smiled softly, "But no, Ra*bits is just gonna be a delay unit. You guys are the real deal"

 

"You realise Akatsuki is fightin' along with Tenshouin, right?"

 

His eyes widened for a second

"Oh yeah...I forgot about that"

 

...

 

"Real thoughtful of Hasumi" he sighed, "But I'm not surprised. I think Ra*bits can outdo us though"

 

Nito faced him, smiling mockingly

"Oh? What makes you think that? We're just a couple of rabbits, aren't we?"

 

"You threatened to kill Hakaze"

 

"So I did"

 

Kuro chuckled 

"Laugh a little more. You look stiff"

 

"Sorry~ College takes a toll" Nazuna said, "Then there was the tour...now its this festival"

 

"Yeah. I didn't wanna disturb you but..."

 

"Its cool" He shrugged, "I mean, I want Tenshouin dead just as much as Itsuki, I'm just very good at not showing it"

 

"Yeah...not very good at showing it he says. Flashback to the multiple times you asked if he was dead already"

 

"I'll keep it in check sir" Nito joked, "Lets do this and relax"

 

"Mhm" Kuro looked to the setting sun, "Murder and out"

 

 

☆

 

 

"Murder and out. Question is, are we the murderers, or the early corpses"

 

"Hopefully the formeR" Natsume said, who had finally joined one of the meetings with Tsumugi

 

"We'll be alright" Aoba hummed, "We have UNDEAD, Switch, Valkyrie and Ra*bits"

 

"And Eichi has like, the fucking rest" Koga reminded

 

"There are units he can't touch. Those being CosPro"

 

"Still" Kaoru scratched his head, "Its gonna be a big gamble"

 

"A gamble is all we have" Ritsu added, his eyes not sleepy in the slightest, eyes like a hawk

 

"True" Rei sighed, "I feel like sleep is avoiding me~ Its a pain in the ass"

 

"I know" Ritsu muttered, relating to the problem

 

...

 

"Switch is almost done with rehearsals" Tsumugi furrowed his brows, "We have another five days. Every hour counts. Give it all you've got. There's no tomorrow if we don't win"

 

Adonis and Koga nodded, sitting next to their tired unit leader, and Kaoru.

 

"Ra*bits is also almost there" Nazuna hummed, "We're just gonna sparkle up our old outfits and perform a medley. It should do the trick. UNDEAD is the storm isn't it?"

 

"Valkyrie is, now" Kuro reminded

 

"Right, I forgot. UNDEAD is consolation storm"

 

Oogami groaned 

 

"Leaving it up to Valkyrie is...a risk" Aoba said, "They are good, of course, but is it alright if we confirm one last time?"

 

"You don't know the kind of sick trouble I'll be in" Kuro joked, "If I call him again"

 

"Shu nii-SAN will figure it all ouT" Natsume declared, "Forget Valkyrie...focus on the resT, senpai"

 

"If you say so, Natsume kun" 

 

 

☆

 

 

"We are fighting alongside Eichi"

 

Kanata frowned, but nodded anyway. Not like Ryuseitai ever had much of a choice to begin with.

 

"So" Chiaki tried to sound energetic and full of joy, "Lets give it our all!"

 

The doubtful undertone was easily caught by the rest of the members, but they decided to not bring it up. If Chiaki's mental stability topples, they might as well be dead.

 

Chapter 20: doubt

Alkaloid had just as much pressure. MaM and CosPro were out, except Valkyrie. Crazy:B usually had the audacity to rebel but, this time, they didn't. It was clear why Crazy:B was kept away. They were popular, and they were definitely not team fine. Eichi had to cut off as many players from his game as possible.

 

Knights was still pretty much fallen apart

 

Switch was ready 

 

Akatsuki was a bit lost due to Kiryuu's 'mysterious' outings...but they gathered up anyhow. With Keito keeping a close eye on his unit member while they practiced.

 

2wink agreed to help out backstage once they returned. They had to steer clear of Ibara and the rest somehow, but as long as Rei volunteered to protect their unit's validity, they were in for the task.

 

Eden was doing nothing, provided they got something in return

 

And fine had prepared the most extravagant outfits, the most perfect choreography, and the most beautiful rendition to captivate the audience.

Was Eichi confident? Absolutely.

Did Valkyrie's sudden announcement throw him off guard? A little.

It was the Tanabata Festival all over again. He remembered it like yesterday. It wasn't pretty.

 

...

 

fine had won, at what cost?

 

Tanabata was a trailer of what followed

 

Valkyrie's influence was hard to not notice. And fine may have had more fans, but Valkyrie followers were stubborn. Just as their unit's leader, he supposed. And to think that that night, they were at their lowest.

 

The thought of going against them while they had evolved into a piece of art only described as incomprehensible...was a little unnerving.

 

 

Art capable of causing stendhal syndrome 

 

 

Eichi frowned, sitting at his desk.

This wasn't going to be easy. He had thought long and hard. Ways to get them to quit, leave, anything but participate. And to think they would fight them one on one, if they made it to the finals.

 

Crap

 

Think, Eichi

 

You're a radiant mind

 

What does Itsuki Shu get ticked by? His presence, for one. But he seems too adamant this time. What else?

He has to know Shu well enough, right?

 

He's sucked out all the information he could out of Hibiki, it left mysteries yet again. He wasn't an enigma, it wasn't that difficult to read Shu's expressions. 

 

No

 

The thing that had Tenshouin in a headlock was Itsuki's terrifying, incomparable sense of violence.

Through art, of course. Which didn't make it any less violent.

 

Eichi's idea of violence was sabotage, or slitting someone's throat while they were still singing on stage.

 

Shu's vision of violence was much heavier. It was all rooted in perfection. Perfection held together by imperfection. An amalgamation of two completely different things. Like the opposite poles of a magnet wrapped up in a flammable bow.

 

It was ridiculous to think anyone could achieve something so out of pocket.

 

But, Valkyrie was well. Alive, and flourishing. Doing a hundred times better than fine.

Yes, the advertisements and collaborations were thrown at fine, and they kept popping up on the streets. But Valkyrie saw more value in stability. And thats what made them undefeatable.

 

Ads and posters did little when it came to loyalty.

 

 

Loyalty 

 

 

That was the key to everything

 

He collapsed on his table, fingers grasping the edges with internal frustration.

 

 

Damn you, Itsuki

 

Why did you have to change?