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

[Ryuu Minamoto]

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

It was apparent that Hideki wasn't quite all there at the moment. He was shivering violently now, though at least that was a sign his body was trying to warm itself up again.

The boy barely understood what Kai was saying...for a moment, he barely understood he was with Kai.

"Iie!" he cried out for a moment, shielding his eyes as if to protect the unseeing orbs he had been given...but he calmed from that fairly quickly, realizing a little bit more who he was with, beginning to remember what had happened.

"My...eyes...." he began to weep again, his voice as harsh as sandpaper from all the abuse it had endured over the day.

"Naoko...took my eyes..." he admitted, only half aware of what he was saying. All he knew was that if he didn't get this off of his chest, it would eventually fester, further than it already had, and consume him, destroy him and everything he cared for. It already almost had. No he didn't want Naoko harmed. He felt....a sort of pity for the pianist...but...he couldn't accept Naoko being a part of Kai's life. He just couldn't. That was why he had lost it like he had.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Chiyou clung tight to the guitarist, hoping he wouldn't be pushed away or abandoned again.







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

[Kaikoloren]

What a shock, it was so surprising,
You looked so small and frail------------------------------------------------}:-

Izzy Lucky
At times life can be so enlightening .uoy no nrut nac ti tuB


Izzy watched Akihiko a little skeptical of that answer. Somehow he couldn't envision himself as a...microphone. Although he had a feeling that his partner would have a great time with this idea if it were by some miracle ever coming true. "Mmm...your imagination is getting the better of you, I think!" he exclaimed with a wag of his finger.

"Ok...so we both have to answer truthfully no matter what the question is? Right? Ok so how does the cocoa work into this? Just by telling the truth you get a shot? What if you don't quite tell the truth?" He teased back. "How am I suppose to know?"

"Oh? So you've got incentive to get yourself healed now eh?" He chuckled knowing that being unable to enjoy their time together was going to frustrate the star no end. But then his eyes drifted down towards the salad which he didn't really think would be quite enough to eat but he'd somehow make it work.

"Hah....well you know I'm in pretty good shape right now so you might be the one horse after such a work out." He knew Akihiko had a lot to do to get back to his old self in regards to physical training. He had a feeling that the man would be grumpy when he couldn't do half the stuff he could do before in the gym.

"Alright, We can play the game and see where it goes. I'm sure I can come up with questions." he said with a wink then sat down before his salad and started to eat. "It sounds safer than the live performance you want me to do with you as your microphone stand."

Actually, inside Izzy thought that this might be fun. He'd get to ask questions some light...and maybe a couple deeper ones just to learn more about his partner. And he was happy that Akihiko was taking such interest. It was going to be a very interesting day.

-:{------------------------------------------------I didn't know what to do
I grabbed the tiger by the tail!

Do you know what you got into
Can you handle what I’m ’bout to do------------------------------------------------}:-

SHOU
No escaping when I start .traeh ruoy nwo I ni m'I ecnO

Beautiful Dreamer

Shou didn't say anything about the song that Jun planed to write for Ko. He thought that it was sweet but he also knew once they got back to Tokyo, life's pace would pick back up. He didn't know if Jun would actually get that accomplished but if it happened well...he was sure that Ko would enjoy that.

Ko watched Jun closely as he showed him the guitar, the strings, frets and his first cord. "Oh...so that's how its done. Can I try?" Eager hands were gripping the boy's knees as he watched.

All the while Shou grinned, "You know Ko, if you start to play guitar you'll have to build some callouses on those cute little fingers. Maybe Narcissus-san will have to show you how he manages because he plays both."

-:{------------------------------------------------Cause it’s about to get rough for you
I’m here For Your Entertainment

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

I can no longer return to those days free of bloodshed
These deep scars rooted within me will not disappear...





"Sure, you can try, just be gentle with the instrument and it will give you wonderful sounds." Jun instructed, holding Shou's guitar out for the boy to take, then showing him how to hold his hands, letting the child try things out as he supported the bulk of the guitar's weight.
This would be much easier if he had a child's guitar to work with, simply because an adult's guitar was far too lengthy and weight for such a small boy.

"Oh, come on, now, Shou..." Jun grinned, glancing over his shoulder, "You've been playing guitar for how long now, and your fingers are as soft as a baby's. Honestly, I don't know how you do it...but I doubt you have a single callous to speak of."
Surely it had to be true, though. His own hands...they were always rough...but Shou...Shou had the softest touch he had ever felt.

Hide it, Hide it
Hide me...

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

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

"Mmmmm...you sing as beautifully as you play piano....but you sound like a girl." the vocalist had to tease. Naoko's singing register was a bit higher than the average man's, though.

"Akuma, eh? Why exactly did you choose that title for me? Do you really think me such a demon?" Ryu questioned, tilting his head slightly to the left, causing his garnet eyes to flash in the light.

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

 

[Kaikoloren]

Do you know what you got into
Can you handle what I’m ’bout to do------------------------------------------------}:-

SHOU
No escaping when I start .traeh ruoy nwo I ni m'I ecnO

Beautiful Dreamer

Ko scooted around and put his fingers carefully on the spot that Jun pointed. He stretched himself a bit to reach things because his hands while fairly long for a boy, he still had some growing to do. This close up the child had a familiar face to him. He'd remind Jun of someone he had seen before but the memory might not be so clear right now.

The boy closed his eyes and thought about what he had been taught then strummed out a first note. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't bad. "I DID IT!!! SEE! Uncle Shou, I did a note myself!!" He strummed it again and looked up at Jun. "It wasn't perfect...but I did it! Not sure how to fix that yet but what's the next note on the scale?"

"Oh yes, I do see. Good job for a first try." he shifted a little thinking about the note that Ko had played. He could hear where the boy was missing the mark. But he wouldn't explain that right away, he'd let Jun give the instruction. Eventually, he might have to get the boy a smaller custom guitar to fit the boy's fingers just right but for now, this was good enough.

"Oh...well see I use hand cream and oils to soften my hands. I don't like callouses." he admitted as he looked at his own fingers then smiled brightly at Ko's happiness, "You'll master the guitar and the violin and...mmmm..the flute...maybe even a few others then you'll be able to be a band all on your own."

"But...I can't play all of the instruments at once. Ooh..but that would be cool if I could!!" Ko glanced down at the guitar and tried to figure out the second note even before Jun gave it to him. He was very excited about this new instrument.

-:{------------------------------------------------Cause it’s about to get rough for you
I’m here For Your Entertainment

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Urusai na..." Naoko smirked, playfully hitting Ryu's chest. "First I look like one then I sound like one. Onna ja nai." he teased, one hand running through the violinist's hair as he spoke. "Because you call me your 'tenshi'... and there's nothing more beautiful than a tragic fated love of two different beings." the blond replied, as if it made perfect sense.
Then he gave Ryu a small kiss on the lips before continuing. "And because your eyes hypnotized me... they hold power... so you must be a demon. Logically speaking of course."

"My imagination is a wicked thing." Akihiko said with a wink. "I mean, when I ran into you at the sushi restaurant... my mind was just undressing you as we spoke. It liked what it imagined... course... that's nothing compared to the beauty that really lies beneath those clothes." he continued, taking his tea over to the table and sitting down.

In truth, Narcissus wasn't hungry at all... but he knew he had to eat something. Maybe it was a side effect of the pain from earlier in his head... after all he'd gone a long time without eating after his first collapse. No doubt it would just take a bit for his brain to right itself.

"Mmmm work out... that sounds fun. Soon as I'm off rest duty I'm hitting my gym. Being this thin is ridiculous... I need to restore my muscle mass if I ever hope to get on stage again." blue eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Izzy. "Or if I hope to give you a night to remember for all eternity. But me? Horse? As if. You haven't got it in you, Ruki." he teased, picking up a fork and taking a bite of the salad. "Hey, this isn't bad. I mean it looks... odd... but it still tastes good." smirking, Akihiko focused in on Izzy. "You know, beauty is only skin deep. You can make something delicious and it look like hell. Good job, Ruki. You made a tasty salad. Now you can add that to your repertoire of edible toast."

Teasing his lover was fun. Mainly because Lucky wasn't afraid to tease back. Most people just shrank away from Akihiko's teases... and thus he lost interest in teasing them further.
In that way... Izzy was very much like Yuuji. Neither of them backed down without a reason.
And Akihiko admired that.

"Well the cocoa... I just added in there because I said it was a drinking game and because you enjoy cocoa." he continued, obviously having switched tracks back to the idea of a questioning game. "There's no consequence if you lie... except that you would have just lied to your lover and that could hurt the relationship. I'd say that's incentive to tell the truth, ne?" the young tiger smiled softly. "And as for you being my mic... only time will tell if I can play that fantasy out..." he added with a devious wink.

Through the freak out to the crying and beyond, Nakai never stopped holding the freezing Chiyou close.
But...
When he heard that admission...

A lump caught in the blond's throat.
Naoko had... had done this?
Why?
How?
Chiyou hadn't done anything and he obviously hadn't deserved that!

"Doushite?" Nakai whispered, his voice a mixture of rage, denial, and grief.

His body shook with barely controlled emotion even as he clung to Chiyou's crying form.

"Explain, Hideki." Kai spoke, an eerie calm in his words. "What happened? What did... did Naoko do to you? To your eyes?" he asked, wanting the truth.

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

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

"I...I don't know...I invited him...I...I don't even remember why. I...think I was mad about something...I...might have flirted with him a little. We had a drink...I don't...he just...he...and...said I was pathetic...then....then....oh kami-sama! Please don't make me talk about it! I can't! I can't do it! I can't!" the boy buried his face into Kai's chest, trembling like a frozen leaf, so fragile it seemed he could break at any moment. The seasons and storms had taken too much from him...so much that he may not be able to bloom back come spring...if spring would even come back to his life.

"But...but you...you can't tell. It....it's not his fault. Some really bad things happened to him....he wasn't...he wasn't ok. It's not his fault...but...but...I still can't...I don't want..." he trailed off, hoping the guitarist would understand him, even through his fractured words.







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

[Ryuu Minamoto]

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

"No...you're not a girl....I've checked. Repeatedly." the violinist winked, licking his lips lewdly.

"No, but really, what's all this "tragic" business? I hardly think our love is tragic. Hell, a lot of the time, it's more comedic than anything else. Fated...now that I will agree to. I just cannot do without you. A demon, though? I think I make a pretty pathetic demon. Who ever heard of a nice-guy demon? But...my eyes? What sort of power do they hold? I'd like to hear more about that...I always thought I just had funny looking eyes...."

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

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

I can no longer return to those days free of bloodshed
These deep scars rooted within me will not disappear...






"Very good!" Jun exclaimed, then showed Ko where to put his hands for the second chord.

"This will be a lot easier when you have a guitar that fits your size, but you're doing remarkably well..." he explained, letting the boy strum the second chord.

Looking at the boy's happy face made the dark star feel all sunny inside. It was such a lovely, finely featured face, too. It reminded him of...of...of someone he'd been around...but who? Not that it mattered. This was Shou's boy, now.

"Hand cream and oils, eh?" Jun asked, turning to glance at Shou again with a look that said "bullshit" all over it. He'd never seen his beloved coating his hands in creams and oils. Shou was just genetically predisposed to soft, perfect skin. Just like his brother. The may as well be a pair of fairy brothers. Unimaginably beautiful and ethereally perfect. At least...on the outside.

"Yes, Ko, it would be cool if you could play every instrument all at once, but nobody can do that. At best...you could learn all the instruments and record them one by one to make a song..." he explained, trying to focus more on the boy and less on the mercurial man standing nearby.

Hide it, Hide it
Hide me...

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Bad things or not he ripped out your ******** eyes!" Nakai replied angrily, holding Chiyou against him but still every bit as upset.

"I won't keep this a secret." he continued after a moment, amber gaze golden in his fury. "I refuse to keep it a secret. When this blizzard is over we're calling the police AND telling Izzy. Do you understand? You can't let this crime go unpunished, damn it! It is his fault. I don't care what the b*****d said, he hurt you and you hadn't done anything!"

"You don't have to be a nice guy, you know..." Naoko whispered, amber eyes on his fingers as they twirled bits of Ryu's hair around. "As long as you love me and care about me... that's all I want. I just don't want to be someone's toy..."

He shivered slightly, cold in the early morning even with Ryu's body and the blankets covering him.
Being a toy... hurt.
Finding himself in situation after situation where he was helpless, unable to stop the torments done to him body and soul... it hurt.
But his akuma never hurt him. Not really. Might piss him off but never purposefully hurt him.

Smiling softly, Naoko's gaze moved back to Ryu's eyes. "They're so pretty... like your heart is in your eyes... there... beating for me to see... and... they're honest. They don't hide secrets. Not like my eyes. You've always looked at me with such sincerity, even when lewd thoughts are flitting around in that wicked head of yours." he teased.

 

[Kaikoloren]

What a shock, it was so surprising,
You looked so small and frail------------------------------------------------}:-

Izzy Lucky
At times life can be so enlightening .uoy no nrut nac ti tuB



"A very wicked thing indeed! I can't believe you were thinking that when you..." He stopped and frowned wanting to scolded the man for thinking that way about him in a public place! "So that's what you were think I should have known!"

"And you know if you want to gain some muscle mass and not look so thin this salad alone is not going to help." he said with another waggle of his finger. "You and your imagination are very troublesome."

"You're going to have to get your act together if you're not going to be the one begging for mercy when you're are health enough to go beyond teasing. I bet I'd wear you out right now. And you could become horse...." He was mostly teasing but he bet he could wear out his partner right now even though he knew that Akihiko would probably push himself to the brink to prove otherwise. But Izzy wouldn't allow that. No, they were going to be very good boys...together.

"Really?" He looked down at the salad and then took a taste. It didn't taste bad! "Maybe salad just doesn't have anything you can mess up unless you cut something you shouldn't in it." But then he stopped as Akihiko teased him. "Hey! You're never going to let me live that down are you.....?"

Izzy was just used to Narcissus' snappy mouth at this point. Most of the time the man just wanted a rise and in several cases got it but Izzy wasn't afraid to pick on him in return.

I guess the cocoa is a good idea. Maybe we should add a something else to this just for you. Because you need to eat more than this salad to get back on track. How about....umm...we cook something that you can eat on commercial breaks I'll take a shot of cocoa and you take a bite of...mmm... Umm...not the left over shrimp. Maybe umm....something else, like salmon? or steak?" He was trying to think of ways to get Akihiko to eat more because he just didn't look as healthy as he should.

"Mmm...I suppose that is incentive." he said with smile as he ate more of his salad but almost choked on Akihiko's next line. "OH no! You're not going to get that lucky...EVER!"

-:{------------------------------------------------I didn't know what to do
I grabbed the tiger by the tail!

Do you know what you got into
Can you handle what I’m ’bout to do------------------------------------------------}:-

SHOU
No escaping when I start .traeh ruoy nwo I ni m'I ecnO

Beautiful Dreamer

Ko strummed out the second chord a few times then went back to the first and then went back and forth trying to play with the two chords and get them right. "I think so. Uncle Shou's guitar is bigger than I thought. But I'm trying!" he answered as he played the two chords over and over again.

The boy seemed to be concentrating a lot on this. Mostly because the guitar was so big and his fingers were just a little far from the places he wanted them to be. So he had to stretch!

"Yes....Hand creams and oils." brightly smiled Shou knowing exactly what that face meant. But he didn't go back on his words. Sometimes even a star had to cover up the natural disposition in order to seem sort of normal.

"Oh Ko if you could play every instrument, that would be a miracle but I don't think you're going to grow 4 other arms like your Legos." He chuckled as he considered the idea. In his own imagination he could see the super fast movements of a multihanded young man. Such an interesting fantasy!

It was easy to see that Shou was spacing out with the idea and if he knew of a way to make it happen, he might have tried. "Now, Ko if you learn to play 2 instruments you might be able to play one with your toes." Shou dragged the idea as close as he could to the realm of reality. The glimmer in his eye almost made him want to learn a second instrument to try that very thing!

Ko looked over at Shou for a moment and then at Jun. "Ut oh...He's thinking...again." The boy obviously had been witness to these moments that Shou's mind went way out there beyond the natural realm of this cosmos.

-:{------------------------------------------------Cause it’s about to get rough for you
I’m here For Your Entertainment

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

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

For a long time, Hideki was silent. Still trembling, and still with tears running from his eyes, but silent.
When he finally spoke, it was calm, thoughtful, and quite profound.

"Kai...I think he had something worse happen to him. Something far worse than losing your sight. He did mention things while he was hurting me. I think...I think someone took a part of his soul. Perhaps...multiple people have been chipping away at it for years. Yes, my eyes are gone...I can never have them back. There is a lot Naoko can't get back, either. And...I think he's sorry. Besides, what about Ryuukaze? Do we reach out and harm someone else, just perpetuate the cycle of pain and loss? Or...could we try and...maybe...somehow help things...fix them? I want to forgive him. I really, really do. It's hard, though. I'm still scared, hurt, damaged. I realize this now. I've been bottling it all up inside. I mean...if you must...kick his a**, but leave him his freedom. Give him a second chance?" the smaller blond plead his case on the pianist's behalf. The singer known as Chiyou was a lot of things...and it was becoming ever more apparent that a large threshold for love, forgiveness, and a nearly martyr-like ability to care were among those things.






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

[Ryuu Minamoto]

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

"Perhaps not...but if I weren't a nice guy, I wouldn't be me." the violinist explained as though nothing else could ever possibly make sense in his world.

"You know I'll always care about you, though. Nothing could ever change that. Nothing could have ever made that different. When we first met, I could have chosen many paths...but it was you...all along. We were meant to meet." he kissed Naoko's neck, then listened to what the blond had to say about his eyes.

"Pretty? Honest? Hm...I wonder if that's what that one interviewer meant when she said I had "puppy eyes" a couple of years ago?"

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

 

[Ryuu Minamoto]

I can no longer return to those days free of bloodshed
These deep scars rooted within me will not disappear...









"Yes, you are trying, and that's what is most important. I'm very proud of you for trying, Ko-kun." Jun reinforced the boy's positive outlook.

Apparently, Ko was more honest and rational than Shou, however...

Hand creams and oils my a**, he thought. And now he was going off into his own little world.

"Just don't pay attention to your Uncle Shou when he gets like that. I think he has butterflies for a brain..." Jun teasingly whispered to the boy, giving him a wink.

Hide it, Hide it
Hide me...

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Nakai was silent for a long time, his expression hidden by blond hair.
Hair like Naoko's... eyes like Naoko's... the two men could have been twins except that they'd only just met and they knew they weren't related by any means.

"I must scare you..." the guitarist spoke, his grip on Chiyou tightening slightly as the realization that he looked just like Hideki's attacker sunk in. "Gomen... I... I understand why you wanted me to leave now... I'll still leave if that's what you want but..." Kai shook his head. "How can you forgive him? You nearly died. Whatever has been hurt in Naoko doesn't allow him to go hurting other people. If... If Ryuukaze knew then surely he wouldn't stay with such a... a monster..."

Standing, Kai released the 'kid'. "Gomen... I need a smoke. I'll be right back." he said, putting his hands in his pockets and calmly walking out of the room.

Apparently he was still the only patron in the cafe, and his cigarettes and lighter were still on the table. He picked them up, pocketed them, then headed to the bathroom. After doing his business, Kai began to slowly wash his hands in the sink. Amber eyes looked up to see his own reflection in the mirror... his face... Naoko's face... a sudden cold chill ran through his body and Nakai barely made it into the toilet stall before throwing up. After a few moments, he felt okay again... just a little shaky... and quickly rinsed his mouth out and left the bathroom... without looking in the mirror again.

Coming back into the room where Chiyou rested on the bench, Kai took his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket and lit up. "I left them on the table in the main room." he explained, taking a long pull from his smoke. "I just don't understand it, Hideki... you want to forgive him... that's just ridiculous. The help he needs is obviously mental. There's nothing you can do for him. It'd be best if he were under a psychiatrist's care... in an institution at the least." Nakai continued, leaning against the door frame with his back while he smoked.

"Oi! Stop trying to make me fate." Akihiko teased, sipping his tea. "Honestly... most people don't want their lover's putting on weight." he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Besides, then I'd have to cook a steak or a salmon fillet, which means I'd have to get something from the freezer and thaw it out. Too much trouble."

'Or rather... I'm too tired to bother with it.' the young Koyasu thought to himself.

"Let's tackle one problem at a time... and the problem right now, again, is this." he said, pointing to his head. "And no you're never going to be able to escape your cooking blunders until you're better at it. Should give you incentive to want to learn, ne? Less teasing from me." the musician winked, stabbing some salad with his fork. "Besides, who ever heard of an 'eating game', ne? This is a 'drinking game' minus the alcohol, baaaaka."