THIS IS THE START

MID 2014

It is just a simple dinner like always for both of them who always busy and want to catch up things. The talk between both of them varies from their schedule to the past and to everything that they want and cross in their mind.

“You know, nowadays I find myself looking at the mirror and thinking I’m aged” said Yoshiki before he gave out a laugh at it.

“Like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?” asked Gackt and Yoshiki nodded as they laugh at it. “Exactly like that but I don’t find any white colored hair tho since my hair colored” added him that makes the laugh louder.

When both of them stopped he takes a sip of the wine and they say “You know, I even have someone that I train to pass my skill to. I just hope there will be someone that got the skill as I am”

“Something like legacy? I have one too” asked Gackt before he mentions he himself is teaching someone at the moment.

“You got? I thought every staff of yours is your student”

“I teach all of them to break their limit. But this one of them whom I teach everything to be able to seen as another me. Thought he not yet at that stage”

“Your stage is too high” comment Yoshiki and Gackt nodded. “Like he will need 100 years before you admit his skill” added Yoshiki later.

“He learns fast and his will to challenge and be the best is high. But I think there a lot of thing I can and need to tech him before he fully able to stand on himself” says Gackt before he asked “How about yours?”

“He good and if you see him, he like a mirror of me. His skill is like the second me. But I need him to be more. Create his own style rather than a mere copy. At second thought he not yet ready” says Yoshiki mentioning about his own protégé.

“Ah. Sugizo also takes someone under his wings. He been follow him around and learn all his skill”

“Really? It makes all of us sound older” laugh Gackt and Yoshiki nodded “Yes. Each of us train others making us really sound old even though you used to said you’re 400 something”

“Ah. Forget that. I already drop that whole thing” laugh gackt at it. 

Both of them then falls into silence before Yoshiki started again “A few days ago, some fans asked me about S.K.I.N” and it makes Gackt interested to know.

“What your fans said?”

“They asking when we will revive S.K.I.N yet again. They been waiting for it to see all of us collaborating again”

“That a hard question. You and Sugizo are busy with X Japan, I’m busy with my promotion and so does Miyavi. All of us have responsibility that we doesn’t have before”

“Yeah. I admit that. I never thought that X Japan will be reviving when I plan S.K.I.N with you guys before. And now it accumulate all my time” Yoshiki sighs at what he says. “There even some songs I cast away for S.K.I.N but we never got to use it”

“It will be hard to bring it back”

Like again the silence fills the room and Gackt takes the wine to drink it followed by Yoshiki. “I wonder…” says Gackt that makes Yoshiki looks at him.

“You wonder?” asked him and Gackt nodded at it.

“How about we make a group? Since we can’t perform S.K.I.N once again, let’s make a group to be the second S.K.I.N?” suggest Gackt and Yoshiki falls into thinking.

“It will be hard. Who should we invite? Is there any junior group members that interest you?” asked Yoshiki thinking about it. Weather it is the right choice or not.

“Not other group member, but your protégé, mine and Sugizo protégé” says Gackt and Yoshiki eyes open up before he nodded.

“That can happen. In fact it is a good idea. If their skill on par with us, I got no problem to makes them taken the name S.K.I.N” Yoshiki said as he 100% agrees with that suggestion.

“I don’t know what Sugizo and Miyavi will think about it tho” added Gackt afterward and Yoshiki nodded. “I will ask Sugizo about this and you can ask Miyavi. And ask him if he got some protégé running”

Their dinner ended up late as both of them part way toward their own place for the night. Both thinking about the decision of the remake of S.K.I.N and thought about the interesting and what will happen if it really did happen.

Sugizo is the first one to enter the practice room and see Yoshiki is there on the piano with few papers here and there by the stand and also on the floor. When he see Sugizo enter the room his eyes widen “What time it is?” asked him quite shocked.

“4 in the afternoon?” say Sugizo like he asking and Yoshiki kind of realize he been there since forever.  “Oh my” comes from his mouth.

“You been here since last night?” asked Sugizo and Yoshiki nodded at it. “I lost sense of time” he says sighing at it.

“What did you engrossed with? Aren’t we just finished our promotion?” asked him coming over to looks at their leader or mostly toward the papers.

“Composition” he answers before added “Not for X Japan. But for S.K.I.N”

There a gleam on the younger eyes as she says “We’re reviving S.K.I.N?”

Maybe there a slight disappointment in the elder voice “No. No. We’re not” And there also the same tone in the younger later “Then…?”

The elder put the pen down and takes a deep breath. “I talked with Gackt a few days ago over a dinner. This is a crazy idea but I kind of fond of it. I wonder what you think tho” he starts talking and the younger just listen to him. “We plan to revive S.K.I.N but with different members”

“Different members by mean?”

“Our protégé will be the members of the new formation of S.K.I.N” he answers to that question before asking “What do you think?”

Sugizo thinks for a while and a few though comes to his mind. But before he even got time to think more Yoshiki added to it “We’re busy with X Japan and I don’t think Gackt and Miyavi got time seeing their advancement. I think it would be nice to see if not us, the people we thought, our legacy would be the one to conquer the world though music. And not any type of music, our music”

There a nods in Sugizo movement before he says “It sound nice but I don’t think mine ready for that kind of challenge yet”

“I know as it is for me too. I won’t be too close to now. It will be in future. For now, we will train them and see their improvement before we decide to makes this whole idea come true”

The sound of phone can be heard among the sound of the guitar and other instrument played in the studio. The lead that surprisingly sharp stopped playing and automatically all others too. “Did I hear a phone?” he asked and then conform it to be his own with “Ah. Mine” he said before takes his phone and says “We will takes rest” before go out with his phone to answer it.

“Gaku-nii” he said with a cheerful sound of his usual voice.

“Busy?” asked the other caller and the answer shake his head automatically even though there no need to it “Nah. No. Just practicing for our live”

“Ah… Got time?”

“Yeah”

“I meet Yoshiki a few days ago” he said starting the whole serious conversation and the later just listen to it. “We’re talking about S.K.I.N”

“Are we going to perform as S.K.I.N again?” asked the younger straight after he heard that without waiting for further information.

“Nah. No. All of us busy. Like you know” answer him and the younger sighs “Yeah. I’m booked for a few months ahead”

“Then what is it?” asked him want to know it.

“The truth it, Miyavi, do you have someone that you teach your skill to?”

“Teach my skill? Like student or protégé or legacy something like that?” asked Miyavi and Gackt without self-control nodded even though it can’t be seen. “Yes”

“There a few people come to me saying they want to learn under me but no. I never took anyone. Why?”

“I’m thinking about reviving S.K.I.N as a new group with new members which all of them taught by all of us” he mention and Miyavi falls into a simple silence thinking about it. “What do you think about it?”

“Hmm… That’s mean I need to take someone and teach him all my skill?” asked Miyavi without enough time to think it through. Mostly because it is himself style.

“Yeah. That the gist”

“Well. It nice idea thought. When the group will be formed? How much time do I have to teach my unfounded protégé?”

“We haven’t thought about that yet. But it will take quite some times before that time since I still need to taught my protégé some more before I think he is ready”

“Then I got a lot of time?” asked him and Gackt reply with a “Yes”

“Protégé?” asked Ju-Ken when both he and Gackt talked over a phone.

“Well… No. I did teach a few people but I never taken one of them as my protégé or formal student whom I thought everything. Why?”

“We’re planning to revive S.K.I.N. And as you’re our session member for when S.K.I.N debuted, I think it will be great if you can suggest us someone for the passion of bassist”

“Revive S.K.I.N” said Ju-Ken as he in though. He likes the heat of the concert they once had at the Long Beach and think it a great and nice one. Even though he not in any band, he think it nice when everyone is from different backup standing together in a group.

“I’ll take someone” he said and he somehow can see a smile on Gackt lips even though they just talked over the phone and not face to face. “When will the group formed?” asked him afterward thinking about the mass hard stuff they through before the concert in 2007 that the concert need to be hold almost two hours.

“It not yet decides since both I and Yoshiki think that our students need to be taught more. They aren’t ready yet. When the time comes we will inform you”

“Okay. That’s makes me have a lot of time for it” he said before the call ended after a few more talk about other stuff.

“What did they says about this?” asked Yoshiki when he and Gackt connected over a phone around a few weeks after that. Majorly because both of them busy and when each called it will ended up short with “I will talk to you later” only today they have some time for long talk.

“Both Miyavi and Ju-Ken are some kind of fond of the idea. They don’t have any protégé but they willing to get one to teach for this” answer Gackt and Yoshiki smiling before he added “Sugizo agree with this but like us, he think his protégé still need more time to grow”

“They also asked me when we want to makes this group reality like the time limit for them”

“I don’t know about that. 1 year. 2 years. Or maybe 3 years. We just follow the growth of our student for this to happen” says Yoshiki and Gackt 100% agree with that answer.

2018, LONG BEACH ARENA, BACKSTAGE.

10 people are the on the backstage taking a picture right before the live. Today is the day that people who watch would be in shock all though that this is the S.K.I.N comeback with the line-up from Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi but they won’t know it the whole deal of the whole concert. The baton will change and everyone will be shocked.

“Okay. Today we will pass everything to the young. The only thing I want to say is good luck and makes what we can’t achieve, achievable” says Yoshiki and the younger listen to it like a good boy they are.

“Don’t forget the entire thing we teach you and makes sure to practice and exceed your limit” says Gackt which it is his turn to say something.

“You’re the one who will succeed us, makes sure you did” Sugizo said like a threatening voice but sure it just a voice to makes their blood boils.

“I actually want to be one of you guys. But there nothing I can do since I’m busy” said Miyavi kind of serious but joking in the same time. “You guys can do it. You been taught by the best” added him later.

Everything falls to silence and everyone looked at Ju-Ken. His eyes widen and looked at everyone like asking “I need to say something?” with his very eyes.

“Go on, mentor” says his protégé before Ju-Ken clear his throat and looked at everyone there. He starts to say “This is one of the stage in which I treasure. The feels and the greatness are still remembered. By mean S.K.I.N, the supergroup, I want all of you to treasure today and makes sure to path your own way after today”

Smile can be seen on everyone lips that been listening to everything. At that time the FD comes and says “We can begin anytime” to inform them.

“We will open the stage and all of you will close it. Watch it and makes sure to carry the heat” says Yoshiki before the five of them who once perform there headed to the stage. The five younger generations looked at the back of their mentor in admiration.

“This is the start” rings to the ears of them. And then what can be heard the sound of music and the loud cheers of fans who been waiting for this for 10 years already.

♛