_Chapter 2

“Tsk....” Ruki shifted his seat position again and again.

Reita couldn’t help but  peek over his eye’s corner as he drove on Tokyo crowded traffic. “Hey, you looked troubled! Anything happened?” He asked, allowing the car behind to pass them smoothly. “What is it?”

“Er, nothing..” Ruki threw his sight outside the window. Busied himself by over the unfocused scenery. No, it wasn’t like he avoided Reita. There was Uruha’s word echoed in his head like a rhytm.   

“You still have Reita..”

Hell! Ruki tilted his head a little at Reita. He knew this guy as long as he knew Uruha. They built their companion along the way far before the GazettE found its glory. A little thing that could break those was Ruki being careless about his feeling and telling Reita his hidden crush. Yes, Ruki had had a hard time to keep his grown feeling toward Reita. Reita gradually became more than a friend. He wasn’t a gay because he found no interest to other man. It was just Reita, the only man that could make Ruki’s heart pounding like crazy and get his head spinning for bending his feeling down.

And bluntly, Uruha suggested him to choose Reita as his new fan service partner?

“Seriously, don’t tell me you prefer Kai, doing it, back there!” Uruha said. “Also.. imagining you and Aoi is kind of forbidden, right?”

Ruki had a goosebump crawling on his neck as he tried to forget those horrible imaginations. Aoi was out of question. He had tried before, but his guitarist’s poor reaction made him feel ‘alone’. Because Aoi was too damn ‘straight’, making Ruki like a fool. If Kai wasn’t the drummer, then he would have done it with him right away. Now, the last option was Reita.

The one and only Reita.

Hh, why the hell did he think about fan service too much? It was just sweetener for their live performance, a cherry on top of a slice cake—and of course, The Six Guns didn’t buy the ticket just for watching those touching parades, right? The GazettE had a lot more than that.

BUT, Ruki couldn’t help himself for the ‘show off’ part and he need a partner.

“Hey, it’s indeed fan service! No passion! I just want to make our fans happy. They’re eager to see that kind of show!”

Ruki hoped he could take back his word. If it was Reita, he couldn’t deny his feeling over it, passion. Doing fan service with that ‘thing’ would make him feel guilty because he played Reita’s trust, because Reita on the other hand would believe it only as a fan service.

“Ruki, do you want to have dinner first or not?” Reita asked. “I know some delicious ramen restaurant around here.”

“Uh? Whatever you want.” Ruki answered. “Ng, Reita, do you know...” Ruki started the conversation, “...Uruha... has a lover....”

“Mm....” Reita calmly answered. Not suprised at all. “So?”

Ruki missed the clue and continued, “Uruha has a lover now... so he wanted me to stop doing touching stuff with him on the stage. I said... it’s fine since it’s just eye candy for our fans”

“Yeah. They’ll miss that for sure....” Reita drove faster, leaving a wider gap between the car behind. He didn’t have intention to rush but something made his inner boiling, telling him to step the gas further. Actually, Ruki didn’t really mind. The vocalist was really bothered with the talk. “Anyway, you guys did the hottest yesterday. Tell me, how it feels kissing Uruha. What does his mouth taste like?”

Ruki shouted, “Wakaranai-yo!” embarassed over Reita’s word.

“Haha, so why did you do it with him? Because of his feminine look or.. his y plump lip? Ow, come on, we never talked about this.”

“Datte, wakaranai!” Ruki groaned desperately. “He’s just there and... so on!”

“Then you won’t have any problem doing it with me. Because from that, I knew, I’m just there too....”

“Eh?” Ruki responded like a moron.

“That fan service!” Reita punched Ruki’s shoulder playfully. “Hey, you’re not gonna do it with Kai.. or Aoi...”

“That’s out of question!”

“So it’s just me, isn’t it?” asked Reita as if he could read Ruki’s mind a few minutes ago, about him  being the one and only left. “What’s the problem? I’m not that hot or attractive as Uruha but.. fans wouldn’t complain about that. We’ll give them a proper show, right?” Reita didn’t look at Ruki, failing to catch Ruki’s widened eyes.

As if it was just a lie.

“Ne, Ruki...,” without giving Ruki time to answer, he continued, “about touching you and you touching me.. honestly, that’s kind a weird for me but.. as long as it for fans, that’s not really a problem right? Kind of entertainment for those who paid for the ticket. But.. note this, I’ll do this with you only.” Reita coughed and took a moment for silence. “Ng, just keep it between us, okay?”

“What’s with that pause?”

Reita smiled. Just smiled. Leaving Ruki with so many question marks. But the main problem was solved already. Legitimately, Ruki had Reita’s permission. He couldn’t supress his mind from wondering what or how he would do it later so it wouldn’t be that obvious how much he wanted those. Not good!

‘Stop smiling like a fool, Ruki!’ warned Ruki to himself. He busied his mind with unfocused scenery outside.

* *

Waiting room on Osaka Blitz...

Ruki intensely looked at his reflection on the mirror once again. Coordi had done his blond hair with mohawk style and covered it all over with hairspray, making it stayed during the live. Make up checked, excessive eyeliner and bold eyeshadow checked, the pattern on his neck—kind of ritual since the GazettE’s first stage—checked. Bracelets, necklaces, and his outfit from Red PV checked.

All was OK.

“Fuuh!” He exhaled deeply. Failed. His nervousness was still way too much. Every concert he does, but never as nervous as now, like tons of butterfy are creeping up his stomach.

“Are you okay?” Uruha asked him. His long hair was done with hairspray.

“Um....”

“It’s the time....” Their manager told them.

“Yoa! Gambarimassu!!!” The leader, Kai, cheered them.

“Yoooshhha!!!” Aoi, Uruha, dan Reita anwered at the same time.

Ruki gulped down nervously. He saw Reita’s back in front of him, and their last conversation rolled down his eyes. “So it’s just me, isn’t it? What’s the problem? ..we’ll give them a proper show, right?” What was a proper show mean anyway?

The time was coming. He couldn’t sleep well due to his thinking about touching stuff with Reita on their upcoming live. And this time, Ruki felt his body shrink down, wondering if there were any hole on the wall that could make him disappeared. His life might be shortened 10 years. He wasn’t too sure to do this well.

GOD, it was just fan service, ne?

* *

Nausea & Shudder. Opening song powered the atmosphere a times up. Ruki led the head-banging parade on the stage, turning the podium to the  sea of hair. Second and third song did their job perfectly. Ruki, couldn’t help being absorbed by it, did anything but fan service instead.

“Osaka? Osaka?!!!” Ruki yelled from top of his lung. “Motto!!!”

Hyena.

Kai’s drum, Aoi’s and Uruha’s guitar chord, then..

Ruki's mind woke up by Reita’s shout.

“Then you have no problem for doing it with me. Because I’m just there too..”

#####

Ugly acting and song

Odori ga heta na handsome

Your ion is dirtier than money

Unprincipled strategist

Ranyou middle aged spread

Buraunkan no sumi de tengu kibun sa

Please disappear because it is an eyesore

Judgement now

You were born from the mouth ?

Fushiana ni uru kobi shika nai

Your ion is dirtier than money

Unprincipled strategist

Ranyou middle aged spread

Han kyouran na gaki ha bishonure sa

Please disappear because it is an eyesore

It fails together if going straight

Curtain of wine red shikibetsu deki nu

Nagasa reru mama odoru yume

Sayuu ni narau ibitsu masquerade

Kazare ba nabiku ai ni

Oboreru ima no kimi ni

Muragaru no ha isshun no kyoumei

Onsu kuzure no prince

Koutoubu ni shanderia

Sutare ta sono kyoumei ha hyena

#####

After the chaotic head-banging, Reita stood on Ruki’s right side, swaying his head back and forth. Ruki glanced at his bassist. Was it kind of non verbal message? Throwing himself for the next scene?

Ruki tried to answer him.

You were born from the mouth ?

He put his arm over Reita. The bassist lowered his height, giving Ruki some advantage.

Fushiana ni uru kobi shika nai

Ruki pecked Reita’s cheek by gripping his jaw way too tight, then released him eventually. The crown undoubtly went a lot crazier.

Your ion is dirtier than money

Reita cocked his head and smiled at him before returning to his former place.

Unprincipled strategist

......

......

Ruki couldn’t finish the lyric. His heart was beating painfully like crazy in his tight chest. He disguised his mess by hovering the mic toward the audience, letting them sing together in unison.

* *

After encore..

Aoi first who left the stage, then Uruha after walking around the stage once to bow at the crowd, thanking them for their attendance. Reita put down his bass and took mineral water. He glanced at Ruki and sent a humble smile. Ruki didn’t say anything nor smile back, stepping down to backstage. Reita came after him, leaving Kai that still generously threw his drum sticks as souvenir to the lucky audience.

“Omoshiroi!” Reita murmured  to Ruki’s ear. “Next time.. what will you do, ha? Tell me the plan and I’ll give you proper feedback..”

----

Hyena, my second favorite after Filth in the Beauty (God, everyone loves this song till this second..). And there's lot fan service in this song--ow, Ruki and Uruha. In this fic, it's Ruki and Reita, woo..

..and yes, Aoi x Uruha..