Previously….

Koki: Say what you came to say and leave.

Jin just continued to look at him through the wisps of hair that covered his face, not budging from his place on Koki’s sofa.

Jin:…..

Koki: JIN!!

Jin:…are you ready to listen?

Koki: do I have a choice?

Jin: no…because you will always HEAR me but I am asking will you LISTEN to me…there’s a big difference.

Koki was amazed how much more intelligent sake seemed to make Jin.

Koki: I’ve always listened to you. You were my best friend.

Jin shifted in his seat for the first time, his heart clinching at the past tense in which Koki spoke of their relationship. They had been best friends…why couldn’t they stay that way, even though he was leaving the group and he had betrayed him?

Of course, that last part didn’t make any sense, but the truth was Jin had betrayed him; yet it had never been on purpose it had just worked out that way.

Jin:  You haven’t been listening lately. And even though things are messed up right now…I can’t lose you too…

Koki clenched his jaw. He hands fisted on his knees as he sat and stared at the one person he had considered a true friend.

Jin: You’ve hit me and cussed me out, but we both know that I’m just a stand in for who you really want to cuss out. Erina and Senpai…

Koki: I don’t want to talk about him or her okay…*he says this through gritted teeth*

Jin: Then let talk about us!!

Koki stand staring at Jin, he still wasn’t sure how he felt about all this.

Jin stood staring at Koki, as he slightly wavered on his feet.

Sakura and Rei just looked at them both.

There was an eerie silence between the two handsome men as they both sat facing the other.

Koki again was the first to break the silence.

Koki: Since you came all the way to say what you wanted to say…just say it already.

For a moment, Jin didn’t say anything; then sitting back down on the sofa he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, scrolling through the screens until he found what he was looking for.  Once he did he looked up at Koki, who was still standing, and slide the phone across the coffee table towards him.

Koki looked down at the phone then froze for a moment. It was a picture. A picture of them together to be more accurate, Jin and Koki or JinKi as the group members liked to call them.  It was taken two years before, before he met and started dating Erina.  Jin and  Koki had their arms around each other and huge happy grins covered their faces.  It was a personal picture not one for mass release, as it was just after they had complete recording a song that the two of them had written and recorded together.

The song was a song that was never to be release; they both knew that the song would never get the approval of Johnny Kitagawa. It was a pure meshing of Jin and Koki full of vibrant beats and ual explosive word play. It was while they were working on that song that they had came up with Jin’s now famous word “LoveJuice”. Although now that both of them had released such ually charged material the idea that Johnny wouldn’t have allowed them to release it due to Kat-Tun image is non based.

Jin: Do you miss these two people? Because I do, I miss my best friend.

Koki’s jaw tightened.

Koki: Whose fault is that?! You…Decided this was how it was going to play out.

Jin: I DECIDED!! I never decided this. YOU DID!

Jin stood back up and walked over to Koki poking him in his shoulders sending him off balance.

Jin: I never meant to keep the secret of Erina and Ohno from you! I just didn’t know how to tell you. And more importantly, I NEVER EVER ONCE Slept with her!! I can’t even believed you believed for a second that lie… *that last sentence Jin couldn’t help saying in a hurt tone*

The cause of the two best friends was all over a woman. A woman that Koki no longer cared for, Jin never once even liked. It’s true what people say. Male friends only end their friendships for one of two reasons: Money or a woman or both.

At Jin’s hurt tone Koki hung his head, because if he was honest with himself like he was earlier tonight he had known Erina was capable of only lies. It was just that Koki had been so hurt that he had bought into the lie without seeking the truth, until things just became so messed up that it seemed like it was unfixable.

How do you say you are sorry to someone you have hurt?

Koki: *sinks back into his seat then looks at Jin* I’m sorry Jin. *Koki whispers*

Jin eye widened. He hadn’t expected to Koki to say that.

Jin: What did you say?

Koki: I’m sorry…I know that you didn’t sleep with Erina. I’ve know for a while now. Of course when Erina threw that lie into my face the night I caught her and Ohno together I had believed it…but after I calmed down I realized I knew you and knew you wouldn’t do that. But it had already went out of control.

Jin moved and sat on the edge of Koki coffee table although he knew Koki wouldn’t like him sitting on his furniture that way.

Jin: Then why did you push me away. That day in the dressing room when we got into a fight, you knew then, didn’t you?

Koki got up from his seat and walked to the kitchen. He didn’t know how to answer that.

You’ve hit me  and cussed me out, but we both know that I’m just a stand in for who you really want to cuss out. Erina and Senpai…  What Jin had said earlier played in his mind. Jin had spoken truth, Koki hadn’t wanted to cuss out and beat the snot out of Jin but out of Ohno-senpai.

How could Satoshi have done that too him?  Did he even want to know why he had done that? The leader of Arashi had did a grave disservice to his kohai.

Jin: *follows behind Koki* Answer me Koki!

Koki: *turns towards Jin* YES!! I KNEW THEN but like you said you were just a replacement for who I really wanted to kick . Its not like I could charge into the Arashi dressing room and beat Ohno-senpai the hell up…no matter how much I wanted to.

Jin: Man who cares, I would have backed you up.

Koki: yeah and we would have been put on probation by Johnny-san if I did that.

Jin, not sure if it was the alcohol or because he was so happy that Koki was talking to him again that Jin latched himself onto Koki who was startled. Koki was all for fan service on stage but not in his private life, unless it involved him and Kokoro, so he was a taken aback when Jin began hugging on him like a baby panda.

Jin: *still clinging like a panda cub* Please Koki believe me when I say that I wanted to  tell you…but honestly would you have believed me? You were totally snowed by her even though she was a vicious tramp.  And besides you knew I didn’t like her, at all so wouldn’t you have thought I was making something up to break you up?

Koki: She wasn’t always like that actually, or at least she hid it well at first. *Now he was half propping Jin up. He sighs.* I was just really hurt that you thought that I wouldn’t listen to you. I would have; It just…I felt…I can’t describe how I felt…all I know is that I’m not mad at you any more, I’m mad at myself.

Jin: *squeezed his eyebrows in confusion* Why are you mad at yourself? It’s her and Satoshi you should be made at.

Koki deposits Jin at a chair at his kitchen table, relieved to have the extra weight off his shoulders. The alcohol was starting to work on Jin and he was getting drunk sleepy, although Jin was putting up a fight. Jin, when he was drinking, get really hyper at first, then mellows out, then snoozes out. Jin was getting into the snoozing part.

Koki: *moves to the fridge to get a bottle water*  I’m mad at them too but I’m mad at myself that I ignored the sighs that were all pointing to the fact that Erina and I would never work. *takes a swallow of water as he stood in front of the kitchen sink* You know she had the nerve to call me tonight, while I was with Kokoro.

Jin seemed to wake at that statement.

Jin: What the ?!

Koki: I know right.

Yet, before Jin could say more, Koki’s doorbell rung, Koki went to answer it. It was Yuichi-kun.

Koki:  Yuichi what are you doing here and why are you here?

Before Koki could close his door, there was Tatsuya, Junno and Kame arriving as well. Koki now had a confused look on his face. Why was everyone showing up at his place? Kame sensing that Koki was wondering why everyone was at his place said as he crossed the threshold, toeing off his shoes.

Kame: I got a text from Jin that he was coming to confront you and I called everyone else up to get here for reinforcements.

Tatsuya: KAME!! No need to worry! The Panda is safe. He passed out at the kitchen table. *Tatsuya laughs at the sight of Jin sleeping with his head on his arms like a elementary school kid who fell asleep while doing his homework at his desk.*

Kame walks to where Jin is shaking his head. His motherly instinicts are coming into play. He calls over Yuichi and with both Tatsuya and Yuichi’s help they moved Jin to the sofa and let him spread out as he slept.

After making sure Jin wasn’t about to roll off the sofa he looked at Koki who was not seated on the floor Yuichi went to him and asked,

Yuichi: Are you okay.

Koki: *looks at his friends* For the first time in a while I am more than OK. I feel like a weight has been lifted.

Junno: *with his trademark smile* So you and Jin are back to being best friends, ne?

Koki: I don’t know about that but we can start over.

At that they the K,T,U, and the N of Kat-tun  all sighed in relief. Finally things were heading back to normal for the group.

Koki: *realizes something* AH HAH!! This is perfect timing. Sooooo….Junno and Yuichi what happened with Yuki and Tricia?

Tatsuya& Kame: Who is that?

Koki: I just want full details * he says this while rubbing his hands together in antipaction and he had to admit that he enjoyed the dear in headlights looks coming from Junno and (especially) Yuichi.*

Maybe the rest of this night want be as boring as I thoughtKoki thought as the rest of the fella got comfortable totally chill with the spur of the moments guys bonding moment, the sounds of Jin’s soft snores a comforting background. It was almost like the old days.

TBC...

A/N: Okay, okay!! Before any Arashi fans jump on me and beat me up to death...please do not hate me for using Ohno Satoshi as a "Villian" in this part. If you remember a few chapters back it was hinted at that a Senpai of Koki had backstabbed Koki with Erina... for some reason Satoshi just keep coming up as a character for this part....I don't know why----but it works in my mind. So please don't be upset!! *bows*

I know that this is shorter than my chapters usually are but I wanted to devote just this chapter to Jin and Koki reconciling and beginning to repair the friendship. Its definitely not completely repaired; but yeah Jin for taking the step to confront Koki (although he had to get drunk to do it.)