Chapter 3: Divination

Yue was sitting on a chair glancing around the room. She was bored. She was here multiple times, it was hard to tell how many exactly. Sometimes she wondered how is it that people in the room don’t recognize her while she knew them all. On her left was a coffee machine. The guy was standing there waiting for the cup to get full.

Exactly 3 tablespoons of sugar and then back to the desk, next eight stirs with a spoon and two small, quick gulps. It wasn’t a guess on her side, it was his routine that she knew by heart. Every time at 2PM he would got himself a cup of hot coffee. Seven minutes after 2 o’clock, the door on her right would open and a tall guy would come into the room with hands on his hips and with a thrown out chest trying to impress a woman sitting across the room. Of course the woman would pretend that she doesn’t see him, yet giggle when he would give up and slouch his shoulders walking away. It would take three minutes. Next, the door on her left would open and another guy in brown leather jacket would step out pulling by an arm a smaller, young man in a not so good condition.

Yue sighed. One more minute left and the tall guy will walk into the room. Three, two, one… And there’s a familiar cracking sound. She doesn’t have to look, she just knows what’s going to happen. A few more minutes and she will be out of here. The place is one of those you wouldn’t like to end up at. She stood up from her seat and stop in front of the door. Three minutes passed and there they are. Like she had expected.

She came closer and bowed in front of a bigger man. The man was looking at her for a moment. He recognized her, just like he immediately knew who the boy on his right is when he had seen him today at noon. Without any words he let the boy free and bowing slightly he returned to his office. Yue quickly grabbed the boy by his arm and took him out. He followed her silently. He knew she wasn’t mad but waiting for him wasn’t exactly entertaining. Yue was a type of person who would rather do something useful than sit and wait. He was still amazed that she had enough time to pick him up almost every week.

When they finally stepped outside the girl released his hand and turned around. She was eyeing him from head to toe assessing his current look and trying to guess what had happened to him again that he ended up at the police station, again. He only smiled at her innocently and she sighed giving up. They resumed their walk towards his flat.

“Okay, Kazuya. Will you tell me what they accused you of this time or is it better for me to not know?” he shrugged his shoulders still smiling slightly.

“It’s nothing. I ran into a bike this morning. My backpack got entangled in it. When I was trying to untangle it the owner came and called the police.”

“Hm... that explains the police station but what’s with your t-shirt?” He looked down at the huge stains. She was right, the bike story wasn’t exactly explaining his current look though he knew she was already aware that the stains are connected to his disheveled hair and coming off button of his jacket. There was no point in asking about these things since the shirt was the main part of the story – she just knew it.

“Well… before the bike incident I was trying to catch Takezawa-san.”

“Director Takezawa from ‘Shippitsu Group’?”

“Yeah. I almost caught him when a bunch of dogs jumped on me from the side and I fell down on the grass. They started me and stepping on me. One of them was really interested in my jacket.”

“Heh, let me guess. Some girl was taking them on a walk and suddenly they wrenched out of her hands.”

“Yup, exactly.” He said beaming.

“And knowing you, you were happy that the dogs aren’t afraid of you, am I right?” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and small smile.

“W-well, most of them are running away from me. And I love dogs!” He pouted and blushed lightly.

“Don’t do this face in front of strangers if you don’t want to get ually harassed.” She smirked teasing him while he pouted even more and glowered.

In no time they were in his new flat. It was bigger than the previous one, clean and more comfortable. One bedroom, a kitchen, bathroom and small living room. It was a perfect apartment for Kame. Yue made sure it’s safe enough, she was also quite happy that it was close to her own place. She didn’t have to worry about him that much.

In the living room Yue dropped heavily on the couch. Meanwhile Kame changed his clothes and prepared them cups of green tea in the kitchen. Green tea was the best to release a tension in muscles and the girl was stressed enough last couple of days. She really needed it. He didn’t have to ask what reasons of it were. There were two. Him and AT-TUN. They rarely talked about her work and he hadn’t found it necessary to know more than she had told him. In all honesty he didn’t even have any idea how the band-mates looked like nor did he know their names. You might think that by living in a big city with colorful ads on every building, you will know everything when it comes to music and stars but you have to remember that Kame is Kame. He didn’t have a TV or a radio – it was too dangerous for him. If you asked Yue, she would tell you a story called ‘Electric blanket and a wet Turtle’.

Kame was a person who didn’t care about his surroundings when he set his eyes on something. He was simple-minded and stubborn. Also Kazuya loved new brand clothes and kitchen equipment. The only magazines in his house were about food and fashion. When he spotted something he liked, it was the only thing on his mind at the moment. Sometimes when he was in the better shape, without scars and ripped shirts, he would drag his friend for a shopping trip. She was silently watching him and people around. Especially when the boy wore fashionable clothes, had styled hair and didn’t wear his glasses. At those times people around him, boys and girls, would always look at him. Girls would giggle and boys would smirk. Then Yue would come closer to Kame and scare those people away. Not all of them, only those who would be a threat to her friend. Of course, Kazuya was oblivious to people’s stares. He was really a turtle. It was also why he never saw AT-TUN. He might go by the huge poster of the group and completely ignore it. Yue was a little impressed and jealous of his ability. At least he didn’t have to worry about everything.

Yue was sipping on her tea while Kazuya was rummaging through his drawers. On the table were lying sheets of paper. They both got used to the view. Kame liked to write his songs and then leave them everywhere in the living room.

“Kazuya?”

“Hm?” He hummed in question still searching for papers.

“Do you have any new songs for me?” He looked at her weirdly.

“Well, I might have one but why do you ask so suddenly? It’s been a long time since you wanted one of my songs.”

“Yeah, because I had a problem with the band’s leader. He refused to sing the song. He only agreed like two months ago when AT-TUN’s popularity decreased. It’s still not the best but after ‘Butterfly’ will become a single, it will totally get them the first place on Oricon.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kazuya asked with doubt finally sitting down with a few sheets in his hand.

“The song is great for a duo, it’s different from AT-TUN’s regular songs. It shows not only their potential but yours as well. You should already know that I’m never wrong when it comes to music.” She said seriously and then added. “So… do you have a song or not?”

“Ah, yeah. Here.” He gave her a piece of paper and she started scanning it with her eyes.

“Interesting… How do you see the song?”

“You said once that there’s a beat-boxer and a rapper in AT-TUN, I thought it might be a good combination. Is it good? I’ve never written anything like this before.” He fidgeted nervously, waiting for her opinion. When it came to business she was quite cold, collected, serious and uncompromising. She would never accept a half done job. This time it was obvious that he did a good job when she lifted her head and smiled widely. She had this glint in her eyes that was always visible when she found something interesting and enjoyable.

“I take it. It’s really good and would make our next single a huge hit. Just like ‘Butterfly’. What’s the title?”

“It’s ’One On One’.”

“Sounds like a battle to me. Okay, just sign here.” After the contract was signed Yue stood up and went towards the door to put on her black sneakers waiting for her at the genkan. Kazuya followed her. When she was ready to come out of his flat, she turned to him again. “One more thing. What should I write on singles? Your name?” He thought for a while.

“Write K².” She smirked.

“Okay, K.K. Take care of yourself and better if I don’t get another call from the police this week.” She winked and went out.

“Yes, mother.” He rolled his eyes with a smile on his face and closed the door.

* * *

Saying that Yue was simply unhappy would be a huge understatement. She wasn’t just angry, she was seriously pissed off. Tatsuya, Koki, Junno and Yuichi were almost as mad as her. It was a day of their rehearsals. There were only two weeks left until their new single and a few huge promotional performances, yet Akanishi Jin wasn’t at the studio. It was normal that he was late but the band’s situation wasn’t perfect and they were expecting him to become more serious about it. Over the year he became more vain, too confident and full of himself. His songs were lacking real emotions and professionalism. She tried to talk to him but it was like talking to a wall, aimless.

“Hey, guys! What’s up?” Jin came inside like nothing happened and greeted his band-mates with a big smile.

“Oh, look! It’s Bakanishi in all his glory! What happened that Your Majesty decided to honor us with his presence? Did Your Highness want to see his humble minions?” Yue couldn’t restrain her tongue. She was too furious to even try acting calmly. T-TUN knew that it will be better for them to not meddle into it. Mitsui was scary, when she was mad. The only good thing was that she was mostly using her sharp tongue with them but it wasn’t unknown for people that her fists were dangerous.

“What's with this sarcasm? It’s not needed. I was just slightly late.” He said with a smile.

“Slightly?! You want to tell me that 2 hours is nothing?! I wonder if you would be that late on your own concert.” She fumed.

“I’m sorry, I really am but I slept in. Now, calm down, sweetheart, okay? Breath in, breath out. You’re way too stressed.” He wasn’t rude but in his mind calling people with pet names was a mark of affection.

“Let me tell you something, sweetheart. You’re not a superstar nor a king, a president or a god. If you come late one more time, I will make sure you won’t be able to sit for a next month! Are we clear?” He gulped. His eyes were wide opened. Unconsciously he and the rest of AT-TUN put their hands on their behinds. Her threats were always serious and knowing a few people that unfortunately were her victims, they were sure it would be painful.

The rest of their rehearsal went smoothly. Akanishi was a good singer and dancer so he quickly made up for the lost time. Mitsui regained her composure and was satisfied with the guys progress. Everything was quite good. She was even happier when Koki and Maru agreed to sing the new song. This time Jin didn’t say anything still partly afraid after their manager’s outburst.

When their work was done, they all decided to relax in the ‘Red Dream’. Sitting at the table in a VIP section of the room, they ordered beers. They could finally take a break and talk like friends. They laughed, teased one another and tried to ignore Junno’s weird puns. The evening was rather peaceful and nice. At some point Yue pulled out her pack of cards to make the night even more entertaining. Everyone was eager to know their future and happily gathered around her. Well, everyone besides Jin.

“Yo, Akanishi, why don’t you want to know if you get lucky?” Koki asked Jin but Ueda answered instead.

“He’s already a walking luck. There’s nothing that would change it.” It was hard to disagree with it.

“Haha, yeah. I’m pretty lucky but it’s not like I ‘m not human. I also have bad luck sometimes.”

“Yeah? Like when?” Ueda asked with a sarcastic snort.

“Like at the time when I… no, wait, I got that in the end. But what’s with the time when my guitar… wait, I won a new one in a radio game.” Ueda smirked and Yue rolled her eyes. “Ah, there was this contest for the best cosplay. I lost this one, ha!” He grinned triumphantly and crossed his arms on his chest.

“But Jin-kun, you got a voucher for a free trip to an onsen for the best make-up.” Jin couldn’t deny it. Junno was right, he got three free days.

“You see? You’re the luckiest guy on Earth. Yamaa is right.” Ueda said.

“What Yamapi has to do with it and when did you talk to him?” He was getting annoyed.

“NEWS were recording before us today. Yamaa-kun said that he told you about it two days ago, Akanishi-kun.” Maru tried to mitigate the situation. Jin was quite dumbfounded when suddenly his face lighted up and he started laughing.

“Haha, Pi and his weird ideas. Don’t believe everything he says, he’s quite crazy.” He said smiling.

“Just like you.” Yue said under her breath and then added. “Okay, so do you want to hear what my cards say or will you pass?”

“I will pass. It’s somewhat stupid to rely on some piece of paper. It won’t tell me anything that I don’t know already.” He said with a small smile.

“You would be really surprised actually. And don’t underestimate fortune telling, please. It’s not magic but fate, and fate is powerful.”

“Haha, fine. Okay, guys, I’m going now. I don’t want to be late again.”

He shivered slightly and left them alone. Mitsui was looking after him. The guy wasn’t a bad person but his attitude towards work and cockiness were getting on her nerves. Though it wasn’t the thing that urged her to look at him. It was this weird impulse. Or maybe more like an unknown aura on him that she caught in the corner of her eyes. But when she looked at him, the strange vibe was gone. Hm… I guess, it was just my imagination, she thought and turned back to scold Taguchi for another of his lame jokes.

* * *

After Yue left his apartment, Kazuya started working on a new plan to catch one of well-known producers. It may be hard to believe but he knew schedules of almost all of them. Everything was safely kept on the only modern device he had - his mobile phone.

Kazuya came out of his flat about twenty minutes before 6 o’clock. At this hour producer from ‘Shippitsu Group’ went home. The plan was really simple – wait outside their building and then give the woman a CD with songs. The realization of this plan was more difficult, especially because it was Kame who was supposed to execute it. If his friend was with him, she would stopped him right away. The boy was so focused on his task that he hadn’t realized that wearing a beanie, black sunglasses, a light scarf that was covering half of his face and a long-sleeved sweater wasn’t the best idea. He looked suspicious and dangerous. Nobody needs to be a genius to know that his plan was a total fiasco.

Kazuya stood across the street from the building. Being a turtle he was, he hadn’t notice curious stares of passer-byes, his eyes were following the woman that just exited the tower. Kame could consider himself lucky, the producer decided to go home through the park. Any normal person would say: ‘No, not that park again.’, but it was Kazuya – the boy with the worst luck that ever existed. There wasn’t a thing that would scare him away.

Not thinking much, Kame started walking slowly after her trying to avoid being seen. It was slowly getting dark and the park was desolate. The woman turned around and Kame hid in nearby bushes. Unfortunatly for him, the woman saw him and took him for a stalker. When Kazuya finally came out, the woman was walking away and the boy ran after her. It was hard for Kazuya to register what happened next. The woman knew how to protect herself and without hesitation kicked him between his legs and threw him over her shoulder. She had quite a good eye because Kame landed in a pond.

Kazuya went back home wet and sore. His CD was destroyed and it wasn’t even the woman’s fault. When he had come out of the pond, the CD had slipped from his backpack breaking on the pavement. He left pieces of the compact disc on the chest of drawers and went to the kitchen to find a bag of ice for his hurt lower body parts. Somebody else would give up on his place but Kame just sat on his couch and started thinking of another plan.

A few days passed. After Yue’s scolding, Jin was always on time and rehearsals were going smoothly. The guys became serious with their work and after promising to not skip practice, Yue let them be on their own so she could take care of other things connected to their upcoming single. AT-TUN was in the studio from early morning and decided that they should take a break. Jin and Koki sat on the couch when the rest of the band took a sit on nearby chairs. Next to the couch was a small coffee table with magazines lying on top. Koki grabbed one of them and started lazily turning pages. He wasn’t that interested in it but there was nothing better to do. Jin closed his eyes trying to relax tensed muscles and slowly started drifting off to sleep. A sudden shriek on his left made him jump and look at the rapper of the group.

“Guys, do you know that Yue will be a judge at tomorrow’s concert?”

“You mean that contest for unknown artist?” Jin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when Koki nodded his head.

“Actually, yes, we know. If you two had listened to her this morning, you would know about it too. Why do you think she let us work all alone in the studio?” Ueda replied.

“Oi, I listened to her, it just… slipped my mind.” Ueda only rolled his eyes at Koki’s antics.

“Ne~… wouldn’t it be nice to perform in front of so many people? We would be the only professional band there!” Junno commented with a wide smile. Ueda ignored him while Jin and Koki were lost in their fantasies about screaming fans.

“Besides NEWS. They’re the event’s special guests.” Everyone looked at Nakamaru with curiosity, even Ueda dropped his poker face.

“NEWS will be there? How is it possible?”

“Apparently management of the contest thought it would bring more people. Yue-san said that it’s a part of their promotion.” Nakamaru shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, Pi said something about their upcoming album but he never mentioned the show.” Jin sulked slightly but it didn’t take long and he was smiling happily again. “We will play there too. Our single is coming out next week, we should promote it.”

“But how do you want to get there? Yue won’t let us.” Ueda raised his eyebrow.

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell her and I’m sure we will find a way to perform.”

The guys knew that Jin was stubborn so trying to disagree with him would be useless. The man was in a very good mood and took his band-mates for lunch to a small but lovely restaurant. The day was nice and warm even though a weatherman forecasted a rain. They sat outside to enjoy the Sun. At first they were behaving properly but it didn’t take long and they started to tease one another. Small pranks made them laugh and squirm, especially when they found a great fun in putting ice cubes under their shirts. Putting it simply, they were annoyingly loud.

At the table next to them was sitting a man in elegant suit reading newspaper and drinking coffee. For the time being he was ignoring disturbing noises from the table next to his but after 10 minutes he had enough - he couldn’t read peacefully. After a hectic morning he only wanted a few quiet minutes just for himself so he could relax and forget about his work. Irritated with the voices he put down his newspaper and glaring at the boys ordered them to lower their voices. The boys were slightly startled but bowed apologetically and the angry man lifted the piece of paper again. He hadn’t read even one line when the thought struck him like a lightning – the boys next to him were AT-TUN. He quickly raised from his chair and approached the guys.

“Excuse me, aren’t you AT-TUN?” The boys were surprised and dumbfounded at the same time.

“Yes, we are. Can we do something for you, mister…” Finally Jin spoke.

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry. My name’s Kobayashi Minoru, here’s my business card. I’m responsible for Saturday’s concert for new talents.” The man introduced himself and Akanishi smirked inside his mind.

“Of course. What can we do for you, Kobayashi-san?” He smiled nicely knowing that it’s the best way to get what he wants.

“You see, there were supposed to be two known bands to lure more people but we got the message this morning that the vocalist of one of these bands is sick and they won’t sing. And here comes my question. Would it be a problem if AT-TUN performed tomorrow instead?” The man was looking at them with a slight fear but mostly with hope.

“We have to ask our manager, Mitsui Yue-san. I’m not wrong saying that you had a pleasure to meet her already.”

“Oh, naturally. She’s a very important person in the industry.”

He said trying to look sincere even though his smile was too wide, it was hard to not see his big front teeth. Akanishi nodded and excused himself from the table. A few meters away but still in the man’s sight he pretended to choose a number on his mobile phone. Knowing that Yue won’t let them be a part of the huge event, he didn’t even try to talk to her. It was easier to deal with her later when it’s too late for any change of planes. Jin knew she will be complaining but he preferred to have a mad manager on his side than a lost chance of becoming bigger stars. A couple of minutes later he came back to the table with a smile.

“There’s no problem, Mitsui-san agreed. At what time should we come?” Akanishi answered before the other members could interrupt.

“At 5 PM would be great. Thank you so much, Akanishi-san!”

“You should thank Mitsui-san, Kobayashi-san. She’s the one that accepted the offer.” The man bowed deeply and disappeared almost immediately bouncing from happiness.

“Jin, are you crazy?!” Koki asked, the rest of the guys were confused. They couldn’t believe that their friend agreed on it so easily. “Yue will kill you! And then she will kill us or worse! She will make us work as long as we won’t be dead!” Yeah, that was the biggest problem, Mitsui Yue, their manager. They were horrified. The girl can turn their lives into hell pretty quickly and effortlessly.

“Again, don’t worry. Leave her to me.” He was smiling widely and the boys could only sigh defeated.

“It was quick, ne? Jin-kun is like a magician! He says something and it’s bouncing out of the hat like a bunny!”

Junno exclaimed and the boys groaned. Of course, Taguchi just had to see Kobayashi-san’s weird teeth and gait, he couldn’t stop himself from making another lame pun. The guys ignored him and went away leaving him with a huge bill to pay.

* * *

There was heard a soft click and the girl stepped into the apartment. Yue went to Kazuya’s kitchen and started to unpack a big bag of groceries. From the bathroom she could hear a quiet groan. She sighed and grabbed a pack of ice from the fridge. She got herself a pair of spare keys to Kame’s flat not without a reason. The boy not once proved to be unable to come and unlock the door when something had happened to him. This time was no different from the others.

“I don’t even want to hear it.” She said and crouched next to the boy that was sitting on a small stool trying to bandage his calf. She slapped his hands away and put the ice on a hurt place.

“It’s not my fault that cats don’t like me.” He pouted but hissed almost immediately when the ice touched his skin.

“Then stop going to that freaking park every single day. Can’t you look for people from music industry in less dangerous places? Wait, scratch that, I forgot that for you there isn’t any safe place. Can’t you use your phone to call them instead of stalking them?” She dabbed the wound with a disinfectant and bandaged it skillfully. Having Kame for a friend could easily turn you into a perfect nurse.

“But they wouldn’t listen to me. Besides I’m not a stalker, I’m just trying to find the best moment to give them my lyrics.” She sighed again and they left the bathroom.

“Be thankful that the cat only used his paw and not teeth. Sit on the couch, I will make us something to eat.” He did as was told and looked towards kitchen, observing Yue with concern.

“You know, Yue-chan? You’re sighing a lot lately. Is everything alright?” He wasn’t sure if it was because of him but a tired best friend was an unhappy best friend.

“Well, you give me a headache at least once a week but don’t worry, it’s not only you. I’ve got some more work related stuff to take care of lately”

He wasn’t really surprised with it. The girl was very passionate with her work, just like him. She came back to the living room with a big plate of sandwiches and two glasses of orange juice. After they ate most of what was on the plate, the girl closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch. Kame didn’t want to disturb her, he hadn’t seen her relaxed for a very long time though he could see that she needs a few days off to be fully composed and happy. Her muscles were way too tensed.

“You should take some days off. You look distressed. Maybe I should massage you, I think it’s quite painful.” He said looking at her strained arms. To his skills you can add ‘magic hands’ – Yue hadn’t hidden her shock when the guy turned out to be an amazing stress reliever.

“Thanks for the offer but the treatment from you always lulls me to sleep and, unfortunately, I have to go back to the studio. I have to talk with the idiotic leader about the call I got on my way here.” He was looking at her with big eyes when she stood up taking the plate and glasses back to the kitchen.

“Call about what?” He asked trailing behind her.

“You know there’s a contest tomorrow, right?” He only nodded and she continued. “You see, I’m supposed to be a judge there. AT-TUN was completely unrelated to it since they have to practice their newest single but suddenly this Kobayashi guy calls me and says how happy he is that AT-TUN will be a part of the concert.”

“Wait…” Kazuya furrowed his eyebrows in deep concentration. Yue leaned against the wall and eyed him with curiosity. He was a person that didn’t bother his mind with useless things but apparently the topic was interesting. Suddenly his face lit up with excitment and with a big grin he exclaimed. “Take me to the concert!”

“…Huh?!” She was stunned and her jaw almost touched the floor in shock.

“Look! There will be a lot of famous people. I’m sure that I would find someone interested in my lyrics. Take me with you, please~! Yue-chan~! I will be your personal masseur for three months! Please, please, please~!” Kazuya did his famous and irresistible puppy eyes. It surely was irresistible for everyone… except for Yue, she knew him too long to fall for his tricks.

“No way, Kame. I will have five idiots to take care of, I don’t need to have another one next to me.” She said and got ready to go out.

“But…”

“No, Kazuya! If you want to go there, find some other way. Bye.”

She closed the door rather harshly. Kame stood in front of his door fuming for a few minutes but it was just a matter of time when he was happily sitting at the table and scribbling on the piece of paper. It’s not hard to guess that he was excitedly planning how to get to the backstage. It was simple to find the back entrance to the building. Also he knew that he needs to pass by the guards and then find the artist but there was one more problem, the hardest thing to figure out - how to avoid Mitsui Yue.

* * *

“Can you tell me what the heck were you thinking agreeing to Kobayashi-san’s request without my approval?” Mitsui asked the moment Jin opened the door to his flat.

“I knew you would say ‘no’ that’s why I said ‘yes’.” He answered while the girl put her bag on the table and fell heavily on a comfortable chair.

“Oh, so you just wanted to piss me off, again. Nice to know!” she said sarcastically, already exhausted from dealing with the guy’s stupidity. In the meantime, he disappeared in the other room.

“Sorry for that. We really wanted to be there, so I just took advantage of the situation. It will help our promotion.” He came back and handed a glass of cold water to the girl. She thanked him with a nod and took a sip.

“I really don’t like it when you do something behind my back. I’m your manager and let me remind you that it was you who wanted me as a part of your band because of that foolish bet. If you won’t listen to me then I don’t know why I’m wasting my time with you. Apparently, I’m not needed in AT-TUN and you know perfectly well that finding another job is not a problem for me.” She put down her glass. Yue was way calmer than when she came – cold water can do miracles.

“I’m really sorry. What can I do so you would forgive me?” For a while he was smiling lightly but suddenly he frowned.”You won’t cancel our performance, will you?” She looked at his scared face and sighed.

“No, I won’t. It’s too late to find someone else in your place, anyway. But…” She was eyeing him for a few minutes, she liked to see him tensed and nervous. At least she wasn’t the only one stressed at the moment. She remembered his attitude in a bar a few days ago. Lately he was making her angry way too often and she started to wonder how to punish him. “I will forget about the whole incident with Kobayashi-san if you let me foretell you. What do you say?” She asked already taking out her cards. In her opinion, there wasn’t a better punishment than letting the fate take care of everything.

“…Okay.” He was taken aback by this simple way of getting forgiveness.

“Choose carefully one of the cards and give it to me.” He handed her a card and she had to conceal her surprise. She was staring at the card for some time and Jin got impatient.

“Well, what it says?”

“Eh? Ah… Nothing important, just that something interesting may happen in your life.” She said quickly.

“Really? Cool. So… are we okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. We should take care of your solos now.”

She hid her cards and distracted him with new ideas for songs. He couldn’t grasp why she changed the topic but quickly dismissed the thought not wanting to add fuel to the fire. Fortunately Jin was serious with his own music and paid attention to Yue. They discussed future projects and new single, also the girl showed him the newest song that Yuichi and Koki were supposed to sing together. Jin wasn’t especially happy about wasting money on another song from the unknown guy but since he wouldn’t be the one to perform it, he left the decision to his band-mates. Carefully they chose the songs for the concert and when everything was signed and sealed they decided to call it a day.

* * *

Yue was sitting on the couch in her apartment with a hot chocolate in her hands. Finally she could relax and forget about the exhausting day. She was still mad at AT-TUN, especially Akanishi but Kame also made her worried. The boy just couldn’t sit on his in one place for a whole day, he had to go and make a mess. She was glad that he tried his best in cleaning up after himself but she was even happier that after so many years he was relying on her more. She still could recall the times when he had been hiding the truth from her and doing almost everything alone. Now she was more worried about his weird ideas than him in particular.

She was feeling serenely and she closed her eyes in bliss. All the bad thoughts escaped from her mind and she could rest. Silence was the best after a long day. Her eyes snapped open when she remembered the evening at Akanishi’s flat. She looked around for her bag and spotted it next to the door. She carried it to the couch and opened it. Without rush, she took out her cards. For a while she was contemplating one specific card, the one Jin had chosen. Then she shuffled the cards and laid them on the table. Yue closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly started to move her outstretched hand above the cards. Her hand landed on the fourth card from the left and she opened her eyes. When she looked at the card, there was no surprise on her face. She came to the window with a blank face and took a sip of her chocolate staring at the dark buildings outside. Suddenly she snorted only to start laughing hysterically the second later. When she calmed down, she came closer to the table with a smirk and threw the card on the table. Well, I think that someone’s life might turn upside down really soon... she thought and turning off the lights, she went to her bedroom.

Evenly arranged cards were lying on the table. All of them faced the surface of the piece of furniture besides one interesting card. That one card was poorly thrown on the top of the rest and that one card had the most intriguing meaning of all of them – ‘Wheel of Fortune’, the card of the sudden and unpredictable change…