[+][L-N+][P-UL] ~ SHOUNEN POP - 少年ＰＯＰ ~

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Someone was waking him up... shaking him but... he just wanted to sleep.
Then Naoko saw those cold red eyes and he shook his head, sitting up and then letting the violinist help him to stand and get him into bed.

Naked and soon wrapped in blankets, Ryu was handing him medicine, to which he obediently swallowed, drinking a good half of the glass of water in the process.

For some reason... it hurt... meeting that crimson gaze. In fact, the blond avoided it completely.
At least until Ryu crouched down, catching Oumori's eyes with his own. "Ha... hai..." Naoko whispered, wanting to do exactly as Ryu said.
He understood that this was important.
They had to keep up appearances... and dragging him around, half out of his brain with fever, wouldn't be good for either of them.

But his lover's words were so cold...

"R... Ryu..." he licked his lips, trying to figure out what to say. "Tell... tell Chiyou I'm sorry... I already apologized to him and... and I know it sounds hallow and empty because I can't fix what I did but... tell him it doesn't hurt," the blond pointed to the scratches on his face. "And... and I'm sorry. I don't... I think he's worried about me and I don't want him to be."

And then his akuma was gone, and Naoko was alone.
Totally alone.

But Ryu had ordered him to eat so... he did. Even if it was just tiny bites, it was something.
He listened to the television... and old Taiga Drama marathon was on... but he didn't really watch it.

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

The whole way there, all Ryu could think about was the lies. Naoko had lied to him. Those scratches hadn't been self-inflicted. He had admitted as much. So what else had he lied about? And...how disturbed was he, really, to claw out the kid's eyes and then go back and apologize for it! He was lucky he wasn't sitting in a jail cell right now! Or worse!

Pulling up to the small complex, Ryu parked and got out of the car. He hadn't taken into account which door would be Chiyou's...but he thought he remembered it being pointed out on the news.
Yumi under his arm, Ryu trotted to the building and knocked on the door he thought to be Chiyou's, pretty damn sure he was right about it.
This would feel terribly awkward to him now...thanks to Naoko. He had to go through with it, though.

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

kawaita tsumori ame ga tsuzunaku katari kakeru
namida wa seijaku ni...samayou yoru ga akeru

Curled up on the couch with Kai, Chiyou was more than content. The worst was over now, he hoped. He just wanted to be at peace...

There came a knock on the door and Chiyou perked up. He didn't know if Naoko would be with Ryuukaze, but he was alert and on his guard. Perhaps a bit too much as he seemed a bit apprehensive.

"Kai-bear...could you get that, hon?"


karada o tsutau ame ni furueru awai omoi
guren no yuuwaku ni...samayou yoru ga akeru  

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Smiling, Nakai stood up. "No, I was gonna make you get all uncomfortable to get it." the blond teased as he opened the door.

"Hey, Ryuukaze-san!" the guitarist spoke, being cheerful.

While he had waited for Ryu to come by, Kai had been busily cleaning up... making it seem like nothing had ever happened.

"Nice um... poodle..." he commented, letting the violinist in. "Never thought you the type for a fluffy dog."

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

Chiyou laughed a bit as Kai got up to get the door.

"I was just saying!" he giggled.


Ryu smiled when he saw Nakai's face.

"Hey Nakai! How you been? Yeah, well..." but the violinist didn't get to finish because as soon as Yumi saw Nakai, she started squirming and yelping, struggling to get at Kai.

"Yu....Yumi-chan! Iie!" Ryu cried out, struggling to keep a hold on the pup...and failing. Yumi squirmed her way out of the hold and dropped to the floor, rushing Nakai's feet and jumping up on him.
And jumping. And jumping. And jumping. And jumping.

"Yumi! That is not mommy!" Ryuukaze insisted, scrambling to catch the pup who was intent on being held by Nakai.

"I'm so, so sorry, Nakai-san..." he apologized sheepishly. "It's Naoko's dog...and she's kind of stupid..."

Chiyou, still over on the couch, just laughed and laughed.

"Come one in, sit down. Thanks for coming, Ryuukaze-san." he smiled, his grey eyes staring over at the two men and dog. What he saw was mostly a fuzzy group of moving shapes, but he could tell what was going on.
Strange how he could still see Nakai better than everything else, though.

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Laughing himself, Nakai picked up the small dog. "You have good taste then, ne?" he asked the puppy. "She's not stupid. Just must really miss her mommy." at this he couldn't help but snicker, handing the dog back to Ryu. "Guess with Naoko feeling bad and all, he's not giving her as much attention as she deserves?" the man asked, leading the way further into the living room.

"Want something to drink?" the guitarist spoke, heading toward the kitchen, though he motioned for Ryu to have a seat. "I mean, this is a 'Welcome home you're getting better, Chiyou' party, after all."

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

"YARF!" Yumi barked as if agreeing with Nakai, reluctantly letting herself be handed back to Ryuukaze.

"If you saw some of the things she likes to eat, you might beg to differ." Ryu joked, "But yeah, she's been a bit lonely lately. Naoko's been...ill. Hasn't been himself lately." Ryu said simply, then gazed over at Chiyou, his red eyes full of sadness.

Chiyou saw Ryu look at him, and though he couldn't see the expression clearly...he knew. He knew Ryu knew, and he immediately had to stifle a sob.
Thankfully, Kai was in the kitchen and wouldn't see it, but Ryu did.


"Sure, I'll have a drink. Whatever you've got." Ryu called cheerfully to Nakai as he walked over to the couch, taking a seat beside Chiyou.

"I'm so sorry...Naoko...is sorry too..." he whispered in the kid's ear.
"If I had known...I just...wish I could have stopped him, you know. You didn't do anything to deserve this."

"I know, Ryuukaze-san. I forgive Naoko...just...don't let him hurt anyone else, ok? Get him help...please. Have mercy on him. He's suffered more than anybody...but what he did to me...and...killing that poor man...he has to stop." Chiyou whispered back as Yumi stuck her nose up and licked his face gently.

Killing another man, huh? Well...Ryu was almost not surprised to hear that. It just made his stomach knot up inside him again.

"I'll do my best for him, Chiyou-kun." Ryu smiled sadly, not knowing what he could do now, if anything.

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Nakai eventually walked back in holding two beers and a bottle of tea.
The tea... was of course for Chiyou.

"Sorry, kiddo." Kai spoke, sitting down beside the vocalist and handing him the tea. "No alcohol for you right now. Pain meds and all that." he reminded the youth.

Course... he also didn't want Chiyou suddenly going on a bender either.

He handed one of the bottle of Asahi to Ryu. "Ill?" Kai asked, twisting off the top of his beer, completely oblivious to the insanity that had just been discussed. "Must be the weather. I thought I was going to catch a cold the other day." he spoke, taking a quick drink. "Too bad too... would've liked him to be here. And yes, before you ask, the whole twin thing still fascinates me."

Watching Yumi lick Chiyou, it made the guitarist smile. "So, what've you been up to since the concert? I heard you got hurt too. Your head, right? Is it just me... or is this business getting more dangerous by the day? First Izzy then Narcissus... Chiyou... and I know you and Naoko were both in the hospital too. It's ridiculous. And the police are apparently terrible at stopping it all."

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

Chiyou took the tea without complaint and sipped it slowly, enjoying the mild flavor and the coolness as it went down his somewhat sore throat.

"It's ok, Kai...I get plenty buzzed on those pills anyway." he laughed a little.

Ryu noticed the slight bruising around the kids neck...it wasn't terrible...hardly noticible, but still just fresh enough that he could see. What was Naoko thinking, he wondered...but he knew the answer to that. It wasn't really Naoko...not completely.

"Yeah, he's got a bit of a fever right now. His health hasn't quite been right for a while." the violinist sipped his beer, pulled back, then took a deep chug. It made him feel better, just the act of drinking a beer in good company.
"Really, Nakai? Still hung up on that? Man...if the name Narcissus weren't already taken, I'd say it would fit you perfectly."

Chiyou giggled a little at the jest, but it was more because he was having fun with the puppy. By this point, the kid had the poodle in his lap, scratching her all over as she flopped around all willy-nilly.

Ryu's garnet eyes narrowed at the mention of what happened to his head. It was a long story...a crazy story, even.

"Naoko and I were...kidnapped. Well, Naoko was, actually. I just...kinda got lured into it. The whole head thing...to be honest, Naoko smashed me in the head with a lead pipe. He was trying to get our kidnapper off of me, but the son of a b***h threw me in front of the pipe and I got my skull crushed in. It's a miracle we lived through that. Needless to say, I don't remember anything after that until I woke up in the hospital. Naoko....well, physically, he's fine...but mentally and emotionally....he's kind of a wreck. Nobody can blame him, though. What he endured...well, it was one hell of a trauma. He thought he had killed me...I think a lot of that is why his health is so poor right now." he explained, sort of omitting tidbits of information that he'd rather not go into right now.

"I think the police are doing what they can with what information they've got, though. Whoever this person or people are, they don't leave many clues."

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Hey!" Nakai replied with a charming smirk. "I'm not narcissistic... I'm just curious. Wouldn't you want to know what you look like during sex? Plus, the chance to compare how he goes about it to me..." the blond clicked his teeth, "Shame he's taken..." he spoke teasingly before sipping down the beer again.

But then... well... THAT was unexpected.

"He... bashed you in the head?" Kai asked, confusion evident in his amber gaze. "Damn... he must've been scared out of his mind... the both of you... So he's kind of... lost it?"

Well, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Naoko for a while, not since the concert so...

"Kind of makes me feel bad for pulling you away from him." the guitarist spoke, setting his beer down on the coffee table. "But... you're alright? No memory issues like Narcissus or anything? I mean, that had to have worked a number on you too."

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

"I'm helping Naoko out...he's in therapy, but...I think he'll be ok." Ryu lied through his teeth on that one. He knew his lover was not ok, by any stretch of the imagination.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine, I'll be fine. I'm no worse for wear, minus this little metal plate in my head." he gave the plate a tap and smiled.
"It was all an unfortunate incident, but nothing as horrible as what Chiyou-kun has gone through." his eyes turned to the kid, who was sitting there playing with the puppy.

"Yumi likes you, Chiyou. Maybe I should leave her with you for a while until things calm down back home." Ryu laughed. It was good to see the boy smile...at least he could still smile. He didn't understand how the kid could keep going on after all that like nothing had happened. Still...a happy exterior didn't mean the young musician wasn't suffering on the inside. He hated to think how bad it could be deep down. One didn't just walk away from this sort of thing unscathed.

"Really? You would leave her with me?! I could babysit!" Chiyou beamed, looking at Nakai for approval.

"Can I? Can I?"

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Why are you asking me? It's your place." Nakai replied with a smirk. "I mean sure, I'd have to make sure she doesn't chase me out the door... but I think I can manage that. Maybe do a little shopping for dog food. Who knows, maybe she'd like you to play fetch with her?"

The guitarist liked the idea of the puppy staying around. Mainly because it would help get Chiyou's mind off of things.

Picking up his beer again, Kai took a quick gulp. "Metal plate huh? Airport security's going to be a b***h you know." he teased, meaning no harm by it. "You know... if you survived being hit in the head... I wonder if we hit Narcissus, if he'd get his memories back when he wakes up?"

It was a tease that he'd been thinking about for a while.

"I'm damn glad you're not having any after effects though, Ryuukaze-san. Really. And that you're helping Naoko out. I mean..." his smile turned rather serious. "I figured you two would stick together through thick and thin. Especially after his manager nearly killing you. Kinda glad you beat me to him really."

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

"Hooray!!! Yumi-chan! Yumi-chan! Yuu-mi-cha-an!" Chiyou burst into a little song, grabbing the pup up and leaping from the couch, spinning little circles around and around with the poodle in his hands.
Obviously, he was extremely happy.

Taking another drink from his beer, Ryu just smiled. He was glad the kid was happy...and...it was just safer for Yumi to be here right now, really. How could he know for sure that Naoko wouldn't flip out and kill the puppy...and if that happened...Ryu just knew he would lose it. He already felt like losing it. Hell...he had no idea how he had managed to not lose it.

"I wouldn't go hitting Narcissus on the head...not any time soon. More likely than not, it would just piss him off. Trust me, from working with the man for the event, you do not want to piss him off. Talk about a royal b***h..." he barely got the words out of his mouth before Chiyou whirled around on him, grey eyes glowing menacingly.

"Don't you talk about nii-san like that!" he hissed.

"Woah! Sorry! I didn't say I didn't like the man...he just has a...a way about him. Doesn't mean he's not a good person!" Ryu held up his hands in submission and Chiyou nodded, going back to playing with the puppy.

"So...Nakai....why are you glad I got to him first? Because you didn't want to be nearly killed several times over? I imagine you would have had better luck with that than me. I tend to...kind of draw those sort of incidents. I'm clumsy, and I have one hell of a bad luck streak. Can't say I don't love Naoko though...I...I really do. Probably the only thing that's kept me from throttling him yet." he laughed jokingly...though he did kinda feel that way. If he didn't care about the pianist, he would have punched him out ten times over by now...but Naoko had been through enough violence. No need to inflict more. It would only worsen the problem.

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Smirking, Nakai didn't say anything to Chiyou's sudden defense of Narcissus.
Well... at least not bad...

"Narcissus is hard to work with, I bet. But he's a soloist. Always been a soloist. So really... him teaming up with Shou-san at all was a miracle in itself." the guitarist pointed out. "Though I think they were fantastic personally."

But then Ryu was joking... or was he?
"Not exactly what I meant," Nakai replied with a slight laugh, finishing off his beer. "I just think the two of you FIT better than myself and Naoko ever would have. Then again, I'm not exactly sure I truly fit with anyone. Though..." amber eyes glanced over to Chiyou with a knowing glint in them.

Yes... he liked being with the kid now.
And he hoped that feeling wouldn't change...

"I think if you're there, Ryuukaze-san... Naoko's got nothing to worry about. You care about him. I don't think he's got anyone else really. But..." the blond tilted his head to the side slightly. "You don't seem... happy. I mean obviously there are problems because who would be stable after thinking they killed their significant other but... you just... I don't know... something in your eyes..."

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

~( Lonely ) Mayotta nara~
~( Try again ) Nando datte~
~Yarinaosu koto dekiru kara~

"Absolutely fantastic, I agree." Ryu finished off his own beer,putting the bottle on the coffee table.

"Fit better? Huh...well, I guess I could imagine that. I think you're a bit too...free-spirited...for Naoko. He...needs a lot of.............intimacy." It took him forever to think of a word, and even that didn't quite cover it. Naoko pretty much needed supervision and...practically parenting.


Chiyou heard what Kai said...and it stung. He didn't as much as turn from Yumi or do anything that would give a hint to his displeasure at hearing such a thing...but he knew how Nakai was. It was...to be expected.
But...he was with the guitarist now, and that was better than nothing, right? Right.
Right.....


Ryuukaze's eyes widened as he listened to his lover's lookalike.
He didn't...seem happy?
Well....truth be told...he wasn't happy, and he knew it. He hadn't truly been happy for a while now. It was always work, work, work...
Work was work, life was work, Naoko....well, Naoko had become work. Keeping the pianist going was work, cheering him up was work, and now...covering up for him for the sake of his own life was work.
Their loving relationship had become some sort of slave hell...

"I'm not happy..." Ryu found himself blurting out, regretting it almost immediately.

"It isn't that I don't love him...I just don't know how to....how to handle him sometimes. Don't get me wrong...I'd...I....I can't...you see I...." he couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.

"Son of a b***h...." he settled with that, leaning back on the couch with his head in his hands, completely exasperated.


Chiyou sat silently on the floor beside Yumi, stroking the poodle's fur.
It was a sad, sad thing...he really wished he could take everybody's suffering away.

~( I’m here )~ Soba ni iru wa~
~( Believe me ) Osorenai de~
~Shinjiau koto....~
~FOR YOU~

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Intimacy?" Nakai whispered, thinking that over. "While that would be fantastic... one has to be able to function without their lover from time to time." the guitarist replied, glancing at Chiyou and putting a hand on the 'kid's' head.

He leaned forward, gently kissing the vocalist's hair, letting him know that he was with him.
Literally.
At least for now...

"How to handle him?"
This was a bit puzzling because, well, Nakai know nothing about Naoko's recent violent streak.
"You said he's kind of had a mental breakdown basically, right? Well... I would think he needs time and love. I mean..." he thought for a moment. "Take Chiyou for example, gomen Chiyou-kun but... after the attack... he needed someone. Needed love and support, and he still does." the guitarist winked, ruffling the young man's hair with one hand. "I don't plan on going anywhere... well except maybe to the combini or in to work a few times but... well... I'm going to stay put right by Chiyou's side. Maybe that's what Naoko needs? Maybe he needs to be right by you to just... well... vent to. A shoulder to cry on. Someone he can really and truly trust through this difficult time?"