Tetsu X Hyde

Author : Adi-Chan ( adichan@jps.net )

Web Site : visual dream

Pairing : tetsu x hyde

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Author's notes :

Minna-san,

Domo Arigatou for taking time out to read my TetsuxHyde fic. I've had many good reviews about it for the past two years of its existence and I hope to win your good review too. I recently REVISED all the chapters and here you will find added parts and more clear detail to the story. No other website has my revised story besides my personal website; VISUAL DREAM and pook's website REINCARNATION.

Revising the story is something that I've thought out carefully since I want to make this fic as real-life as possible and make the characters act like their true selves. But please, don't get me wrong.... everything in this story is PURELY fictional. I just used some real L'Arc facts to twist the story around. Hahaha. So if you are a Laruku member, PLEASE don't be offended! This story was just made for fans that like the "TetsuxHyde" saga. I just wanted to add my influence to it. ^o^

The story takes place in 1998, just after the first part of their LIGHT MY FIRE TOUR ended. The members took a three week vacation to rest and do whatever they want. But little did they know this vacation would start something that would change all their lives, especially Hyde and Tetsu's. Even though they lead their own separate lives, they still have a deep connection to one another. Hidden feelings start surfacing and memories of the past start haunting them. Will these feelings finally bring them together and show them their destiny? Is their relationship really meant to be or is it just a door back into their past?

....READ THE STORY!!! ^o^

Any comments and suggestions are welcome!

 

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- Part 7 -

 

"Look at all the pretty snow outside Te-chan!" Hyde said quietly as he nuzzled up against the bassist under the warm heavy covers of the hotel bed. Tetsu looked on, watching the tiny flakes fall from the sky like white transparent confetti flowing freely in the air. 

"It's beautiful. One of the many things I love about Switzerland is the snow." Tetsu sighed.
"Japan has snow too, ne!" Hyde grinned.
"Yeah, but this is different. We can walk freely here and it's so secluded from everything. And the atmosphere here is just so beautiful during the winter."
"Yes, you're right. You know, just before I came I ate some Amaguri at a local stand near the salon! They were the best!" 
"You had Amaguri?!! Why didn't you bring some for me Doi Hachiro?" Tetsu pouted playfully.
"Well, I'm sorry Ogawa-san. I can't read your mind, you know!" Hyde stuck out his tongue.
"Okay okay...." Tetsu giggled, "Let's get some before we go out in the snow today."
"Hmmm...You don't think Ken and Yukkie are wondering what happened to us, ne?" Hyde smiled, propping himself up on Tetsu's bare chest. 
"I don't think so..." Tetsu smiled, "I bet they're having too much fun right now sledding than worrying about US." 
"Well I hope so..." Hyde smirked, laying his head against Tetsu's shoulder as silky strands of brown hair fell over his face, "...because I'm really comfortable in this bed and I don't wanna get out of here just yet."
"Really now?" Tetsu laughed outloud.
"Yup." Hyde nodded, bringing his mouth closer to his leader's ear, "I'm not quite finished with you yet...my little Te-chan...."
"Little?" Tetsu grinned, enjoying the sensations of Hyde gently biting his earlobe.
"You heard me." Hyde grinned evilly, his eyes sending a warm flush through Tetsu's face.
"Well...uh...before you get started..." Tetsu coughed, "I have a present for you."
"PRESENT?!" Hyde sat up suddenly, bouncing on the bed, "You got me a present?! Hontouni?!!" 
"Yes I did." Tetsu nodded as he sat up as well.
"Where is it? What is it?" Hyde continued to bounce excitedly, looking about the room.
"It's in the closet over there." Tetsu pointed across the room, but before he knew it, Hyde practically flew over there, taking the blanket with him.
"KIREI!!!!!!!" Hyde shrieked, pulling the white fur coat out of the closet, "Te-chan, you gotta be kidding! You didn't buy this did you?!"
"I did." Tetsu smiled, "why don't you put it on?"
"Oh...I really don't know what to say..." Hyde squealed, "This...this is just so...beautiful!"
"I knew it'd look great on you. And it suits this kind of weather perfectly too." 
"I definitely want to wear this at one of our photo shoots ne!!" Hyde laughed, finally putting it on and examining it on himself through the mirror, "I love it..."
"I'm glad you like it Haido..."
"Oh, Te-chan....Thank you..." Hyde said as his eyes started watering up.
"Don't cry Haido...it's just a gift. It's nothing much." Tetsu said kindly as his hand ran down the vocalist's cheek.
"I know...it's just..." Hyde smiled, trying to hold back his tears.
"Shh...don't say anything. The look on your face said it all." Tetsu reassured, "I love you."
"I love you too!" Hyde said happily, throwing his arms around Tetsu in an instant, nearly knocking him down onto the soft bed. 

*********************

"I'm bored!" Ken said aloud, trudging heavily onto the snow.
"What's taking Tetsu and Hyde so long, ne?" Yukkie asked, lazily dragging the sled behind him.
"Man...you know what they're doing." Ken laughed, "Two horny people can do a lot in one hour."
"Okay Ken-chan, I wasn't expecting to hear THAT." Yukkie cringed.
"Hey, I'm not the only self proclaimed hentai here..." Ken smiled, "It's so obvious."
"Yeah but, they could be doing something else like uh...watching TV or playing chess?"
"Hahahahaa..." Ken laughed, "Yeah right." 
"Well whatever..." Yukkie sighed, "It's getting pretty boring just sledding here all by ourselves."
"I know what you mean..." Ken sighed, "Let's get some coffee or something."

Soon after, both Yukkie and Ken went to a nearby cafe and ordered themselves some hot drinks as they sat down. Noticing how dark the sky was getting outside, they figured Tetsu and Hyde weren't going to make it anyway, so they just continued to talk amongst themselves.

"So...what were you saying Yukkie, before we went out to sled?" Ken asked, sipping his drink.
"Huh?" Yukkie looked up from the apple pie he was eating, "Which part?"
"The part about Sakura looking for Hyde...are you sure that's true?"
"Well yeah!" Yukkie nodded, "One of my good friends works as ZIGZO's roadie."
"Wow." Ken sighed, "that's a trip."
"It is..." Yukkie smiled, "from the looks of it, Sakura doesn't really mind me as a new member of the group, he just feels really bad for having to leave L'Arc~en~Ciel."
"Well...like I said, he put this on himself." Ken said, putting a couple of sugar crystals in his drink, "If he just stayed away from a certain group of people, this would've never had happen."
"Yeah..." Yukkie nodded.
"But, then again, it's good that it happened because look at us now. We're all happy and for once L'Arc~en~Ciel is really big and much more appreciated. It was meant to be this way, ne." 
"Well, I really got to agree with that." Yukkie laughed, "This is the first band I actually enjoy being in and playing for."
"That's another thing. You're a HELL of a drummer Yukkie. To tell you the truth, I don't think Sakura was nearly as good as you. I mean, he hardly contributed to our band anyway. Most of the songs were always written by me, Tetsu and Hyde. We'd ask Sakura to write more songs with us besides the few he already wrote, but he just never felt like writing anything. Now that's the thing that annoyed me most about him."
"Well, I can't really say anything about him...because, most fans hated me since I Œwasn't like Sakura'". Yukkie sighed.
"Yeah. I know where you're coming from. All I gotta say is that YOU'RE the drummer of our group now and you'll never be and probably never even want to be like Sakura! Those fans living in the past just gotta deal with the situation now. Things always change, and in our case, they changed for the better."
"I can't agree with you more." Yukkie smiled.
"Now I'm kinda curious to WHY Sakura is looking for Hyde. I would think he would've moved on by now. What was said?" Ken asked curiously.
"Well, my friend said that one night Sakura was talking to him and one other band member about his times with Laruku. One of them suddenly brought up Hyde, and for some odd reason they said Sakura's expression changed, like he became solemn. He didn't say too much about their relationship, but he did say that Hyde was one person that put meaning in his life during that time. And then he said something under his breath like, "I've been looking for Hyde for so long now."
"Uso!!" Ken said almost aloud.
"Yeah...I was wondering about that too." Yukkie said, "Wouldn't he know where to find Hyde though?"
"Not likely, since Hyde moved shortly after Sakura released his apology statement. Sakura did try calling Hyde when Hyde was still living at the old apartment that they shared, but Hyde never returned his calls." 
"Do you think maybe Sakura is trying to find Hyde to apologize for the past?" Yukkie asked.
"I don't know. Either that or Sakura wants to settle something with both Hyde and Tetsu. There's no telling what he could be thinking."
"So it's like this drama is not fully ended yet, huh?" Yukkie looked at Ken, nervously smashing the insides of the pie with his fork.
"I really don't know. I know there's a lot more to the story and Sakura may have his reasons to be looking for Hyde, but I just hope he doesn't find him because I know that it will cause some trouble." Ken sighed, "Especially since Tetsu is so serious about this relationship with Hyde, he doesn't want anything to get in the way or go wrong..."
"Hm. It's very likely we won't even see ZIGZO on the music show, since I heard they'll be doing a double shoot that day. ZIGZO is scheduled for the first show, we're going on the second. So, there is a chance we won't be seeing them. We can keep Hyde in the dressing room just to be safe, ne!" 
"There's an idea." Ken grinned. 

"Kombanwaaa~!!" A big voice boomed before them.

Ken and Yukkie jerked from their seats, startled from the interruption of their rather quiet conversation.

"Oh, hey Haido! It's about time you came down here!" Yukkie said, looking up at the vocalist before them.
"Well, me and Te-chan were looking all over for you guys ne! We thought you'd be out sledding, so we were over there trying to look for you." Haido explained.
"Have a seat! Here's some hot chocolate if you want some...." Ken offered.
"Oh that's okay, Te-chan is getting some espresso for the both of us!" Hyde said happily, "Ne, what are you guys secretly talking about?"
"Who said it was a secret?" Yukkie smiled.
"Well, you two are like the only ones in here talking so quiet..." Hyde leaned against the table, "What's up?"
"It's nothing..." Ken answered, "We were just talking about all those music shows we'll be appearing on along with that awards show."
"Awards show?" Hyde looked at Ken confused, "What awards show?"
"Eh? Tetsu didn't tell you yet?" Yukkie looked at Hyde.
"Tell me what?" Hyde still looked clueless, "We're on an awards show?"

"Minna~! HELLO." Tetsu said happily, putting the hot cups of espresso on the table before sitting down, "I finally got some Amaguri over there too!"
"Ne! Tetsu, you didn't tell Hyde about it yet?" Ken said as he looked up at the bassist.
"Tell him what?" Tetsu looked at Ken confused.
"The awards show!" Yukkie reminded.
"OH!!! Oh yeah!" Tetsu laughed, "I forgot..."
"You forgot?!" Hyde nearly hollered, "Te-chan! Tell me about it! I didn't know about it!!"
"Ah, gomen ne Haido..." Tetsu blushed, "I was supposed to tell you that we've been nominated to win the Grand Prix Performer award for nineteen-ninety eight!" 
"HONTOUNI?!!!" Hyde's eyes widened as he looked at his band members surprised.
"Yup..." Ken, Yukkie and Tetsu nodded in unison.
"I...I can't believe it... We actually qualified to be on the Yuuzen Taisho Awards?!" Hyde was running out of breath since the excitement was taking over.
"We did it... finally!" Tetsu grinned.
"WAAAAA!! I'm so happy!!!" Hyde jumped up and started to dance around the table, causing a few stares from the other customers, "Yeah! YEAH! YEAAAAH!!!"
"Oh geez." Ken sighed, covering his face, "I do NOT know this man!"

Yukkie and Tetsu just continued to laugh as Haido continued to express his happiness. 
 

********************

The following week, after their photo shoot in Switzerland, L'Arc~en~Ciel returned to Japan ready to end the rest of the year. Their schedules were now filled with on going appearances on many music shows, including the long awaited awards show.

"We're here and I don't see any ZIGZO or Sakura around..." Yukkie said optimistically as he and Ken walked through the backstage hallways of the studio. 
"Yeah, the coast looks clear for now since they are recording the first show... see?" Ken said pointing at the schedule above them. The first show definitely had Zigzo listed while the second show had Laruku and ELT listed for appearance. 
"Hahaha...I wonder how Kaori's gonna react on today's show..." Ken laughed to himself.

"Ne! What are you two looking at?" Hyde asked suddenly, as he walked up to the two band members. 
"Uh... We're just checking to see when we'll be on." Yukkie answered.
"Who are all these groups on the first show?" Hyde asked curiously, "I've never heard of them...." 
"They're just a bunch of new groups ne..." Ken answered, "That's why we're on the second show with all these J-Pop groups."
"Where's Tet-chan?" Yukkie asked, looking around.
"Oh. He's somewhere around here. The last time I saw him, he was talking with some of the stage setters. I guess he was telling them how to set up our equipment."
"Sou ka..." Ken said slowly.

Hyde looked over the second schedule and nodded as he read the listing. He saw clearly that ELT will definitely be there, but it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. Smiling at his other two band members, Hyde proceeded down the hall and around the corner to his dressing room. He shut the door, and sighed. He then sat down in front of the vanity mirror and just stared at his reflection for awhile until a knock was heard at his door.

"Come in." Hyde sighed, turning around. But, no one came in. Hyde stood up and walked over to the door opening it. He peered out looking down the hall, but no one was there. He just shrugged and closed the door again. 

"I wonder where Te-chan's at?" Hyde wondered, glancing at his watch. 

**KNOCK KNOCK** The door interrupted again.

"Come in...." Hyde said once more. The door now opened slowly, and a tall dark figure appeared. Hyde looked up and saw the person standing in his doorway and nearly shrieked.

"Haido...?" the figure said quietly, brushing his long black hair away from his face.
"S...Sakura?" Hyde whispered in disbelief.

"Hisashiburi...." The attractive long haired man said under his breath, "May I come in?"

Hyde just stood there unmoved, his heart started to race and no words would come out of his mouth. He felt his head nod slowly, when he wished it really didn't.
"I...I was hoping to find you here. That was me who knocked at your door at first. Just to make sure I got the right room." The ex-drummer explained looking at Hyde before him, "You haven't changed at all..." He smiled at the vocalist.

Hyde continued to say nothing as he looked at the man in front of him. He hadn't seen him in over a year and the only thing going on in his mind was; Œwhat the hell is he doing in my dressing room'?!

"What...what are you doing here?" Hyde finally asked.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this. I had to see you again. When I heard you were going to be on this show, I made sure I came. I looked all over this building asking everyone where L'Arc~en~Ciel was..." Sakura explained, "My band just finished our interview and performance so I came backstage to look for you."
"Why?" Hyde asked suddenly, "Why do you have to come in here and ..."
"Hyde...please." Sakura stopped him before saying anything else, "I just wanted to see you...to make sure you're alright."
"Make sure I'm alright?!" Hyde snapped back, "It didn't matter to you before, why should it matter to you now?"
"Hyde. I've changed, I'm not the same Sakura you last saw before. Ever since I got kicked out of the band, I came to a realization. What I did was wrong. I was the fucked up one, not you, not Tetsu and not Ken. I deserve every bit of hatred from everyone."

Hyde looked at Sakura from the corner of his eye, he never heard Sakura talk this way before, hearing him blaming himself rather than others. Sakura did sound as if he changed. He looked healthier and he looked happier. But, was he saying the absolute truth?

"You left me," Hyde said, "You don't know how much that hurt me. How much coldness you put in my heart. How much I wanted to leave the band because of you."
"Hyde. That's why I had to see you. I want to apologize for everything. What I did was horrible. I didn't know how lucky I was when I had you. I only realized it when I lost you." Sakura's eyes started to water up as he stared at Hyde's face, "I'm really sorry Hyde. I don't know what else to say except that I'm sorry."

"I don't think I can bring myself to accept your apology..." Hyde said quietly.
"And I don't blame you for it." Sakura answered back, "You have every right not to forgive me. I just want my conscious to be clear, knowing that I apologized to you."
"Is that all?" Hyde asked, hoping Sakura would just leave.
"No. There's just too much I have to tell you." Sakura sighed, "But I have to leave soon. I have a gig up at Shinjuku loft tonight."
"I didn't know you were still doing music." 
"Yeah..." Sakura smiled slightly, "I joined a band called ZIGZO. We just debuted this year."
"Oh." Hyde said under his breath, trying to sound uninterested.
"Hyde." Sakura began, "Don't tell anyone I came to see you."
"Why not?" 
"I don't want to cause any trouble between you and Tetsu."
"What?"
"You and Tetsu... I know how close you two are and I know how Tetsu feels about me."

Hyde just kept quiet, looking at Sakura....wondering if this was all just a dream. He was hoping it would end, though he found a little part of himself that didn't want Sakura to go. Looking at Sakura before him was just too much, his mind was spinning and he didn't know what to say. Memories of when they were together flashed through his mind like thunder...loud and clear. Sakura's deep brown eyes were looking at him with a kindness he hadn't seen in those eyes for years. It was rather frightening.

"I..." Hyde paused, "I won't say anything."
"Yokatta..." Sakura sighed, "Will I be able to see you again?"
"I don't know Sakura." 
"Hyde, my intentions are only friendly. I would give anything just to be your friend again. We've been through way too much to just let everything go...and I really need a friend right now. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't at least have your friendship. This past year has been hell... I can't turn to anyone. No matter how hard I try, I can't talk to anyone like I could talk to you. Only you can understand me."
"But Sakura, I've also changed and I'm not the same Hyde you remember either. I don't know if I can open my heart to you again...even for friendship. If you just want to talk, then I guess we can meet somewhere. Just don't think I'll always be there."
"And we can keep it confidential?" Sakura asked quietly, "If you do decide to meet up with me?"
"If you want it that way." Hyde answered back.
"Thank you Hyde...so much." Sakura smiled happily, "You don't know how scared I was to even come here and see you. I was sure I'd get thrown out."
"I was definitely thinking about that...."
"When are you free the next time?" 
"Well, I have band practices this whole week, so I will probably only be available Wednesday nights."
"Wednesday, it is." Sakura agreed, "And here's my cell number so you can tell me where to meet you."
Hyde just nodded as Sakura gave him his number that was scribbled on the back of a ZIGZO flyer.
"Well, I better get going. My band members are probably looking for me." Sakura sighed, "It was good seeing you Hyde. This really means the world to me, just to see you and talk to you again."

With that final word, Sakura smiled once more before finally closing the door behind him. Hyde remained standing there unmoved, still shocked at this sudden meeting. He could feel his heart beating loudly, pounding at his chest like a never ending drumbeat. After a few minutes of silence, Hyde took a deep breath to calm himself and closed his eyes to block out what just happened.

**KNOCK KNOCK**

Hyde's pulse froze and his eyes shot open. Was it Sakura coming back in once more? Hyde quickly turned his back towards the door. He didn't know what to do or what to say anymore. Was it just his imagination or was he anticipating Sakura to return?

"Hyde?" A familiar voice spoke up as the door opened.
"Tetsu!" Hyde said relieved, spinning around, "Where were you?!"
"Eh?" Tetsu smiled, "I was only in the lounge area down stairs, ne. They had a lot of food down there and I....."

Hyde stopped Tetsu in the middle of his sentence by hugging him tightly and burying his head into the bassist's chest. This sudden action surprised Tetsu a bit, but he hugged Hyde back, not saying anything more.

"I was waiting for you to come up here..." Hyde sighed, looking up from the embrace.
"I'm sorry..." Tetsu said, "Demo....Haido, you looked like you saw a ghost or something. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay now that you're here, Te-chan." 
"Are you sure? I have your pills in my coat pocket if you're not feeling well." Tetsu said again, putting his hand on Hyde's face.
"I probably did see a ghost. I don't know." Hyde smiled.
"Well, if that ghost comes back again, let me know. I'll get rid of it!" Tetsu grinned. 
"So, what was going on downstairs?" Hyde asked curiously as he and Tetsu broke from their embrace.
"Nothing much. Everyone was just down there socializing. I saw Kaori down there too. She didn't talk to me though." Tetsu shrugged, "There were also new groups down there as well. I guess they were from the first show."
"Really?" Hyde felt his body cringe at the thought of Sakura's new band. He wondered if Tetsu saw him.
"Yeah. So...are you ready for the next show? We'll be on in about twenty minutes or so. Ken and Yukkie are already waiting backstage near the entrance. We should meet up with them." 
"I'm ready..." Hyde nodded, "It's just..."
"What is it?" Tetsu asked, looking Hyde over.
"Oh...never mind." Hyde sighed, "I think I'm just nervous or maybe I do feel sick. I just don't feel like myself today."
"Did anything happen?" Tetsu looked into Hyde's eyes with worry.

Hyde knew he couldn't tell Tetsu that Sakura came to see him. He didn't want to cause an argument or a fight even though this was the reason he was feeling sick to his stomach. Maybe it was just all in his head. Sakura didn't come back and admit his love or anything. Sakura just apologized and wanted Hyde's friendship again. But why was it bothering Hyde so much inside. How come the guilt was coming over him so heavily?

"Nothing happened Tetsu." Hyde smiled, "I just had a long day. Maybe a couple of pills will pull me through until tonight."
"Okay." Tetsu said as he went through his coat pocket, "If you really don't feel like you can sing for the show, let me know... We still have time to back out, ne."
"No..." Hyde shook his head, "I can't do that to the fans. I can sing for the show...I'll be okay."
"Oh Haido... I worry about you so much." Tetsu sighed, handing the small container to Hyde.
"I know. That's another one of the million reasons why I love you so much." Hyde smiled cutely before popping the pills into his mouth.
 

*****************

Later that night...

"The show was kinda fun...but the interview sucked, ne?" Ken commented.
"Well, we had to expect questions about our tour rather than just personal questions like you would've preferred Ken-chan." Tetsu smiled.
"Hyde was oddly quiet today, huh...?" Yukkie said, looking at Hyde across the room.
"He wasn't feeling well today..." Tetsu answered back, "I told him that he didn't have to talk much if he didn't want to."
"Ne, did you see Kaori's face during our performance?" Ken giggled, "She was giving you the ultimate death glare Tet-chan!" 
"Nani? You wouldn't expect ME to look into Medusa's eyes now, would you?" Tetsu laughed. 
"Oooh...that was kinda cold Tet-chan!" Yukkie grinned, "She's that ugly snake woman Medusa now...eh?"
"It's a much better name than what Ken prefers to call her!" 
"And that is?" Ken looked at Tetsu amused.
"I'm not gonna say it here!" Tetsu laughed nervously, "What if someone hears?"
"We're ONLY in a dressing room." Ken reassured, "It's not like anyone can hear us, ne!" 
"Ano...Hyde, daijoubu?" Tetsu suddenly asked.
"Eh?" Hyde looked up from his seat at the couch, seeing all his band members looking at him at once.
"You don't look so hot Hyde..." Ken said, "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm okay. I'm just tired, that's all!" Hyde forced out a smile though his mind was still filled with what had happened earlier with Sakura. It still bothered him. He even wondered if Ken and Yukkie knew Sakura was going to be there. If they did, they would've told him, right?

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm ready to go home!" Ken grinned, popping another cigarette in his mouth, "We have practice tomorrow...yeah?"
"A short practice since tomorrow's Wednesday. I have to meet up with our producers and see what songs we'll be performing for the awards show." Tetsu explained, "So, it's not gonna be too busy tomorrow night." 
"Sounds good to me!" Yukkie nodded along with Ken.
"We better head out to our tour bus then...it'll be a long drive ne." Tetsu said.
"Hai hai..." Hyde sighed, picking himself from the couch, "I'm ready to collapse into sleep any moment."
"Well, you go on ahead Haido, I know you're tired... Ken, Yukkie and I will be there in a sec. I have to talk to them about something really quick." Tetsu said, urging Hyde to follow the rest of the groupies to the buses. Hyde just nodded sleepily as he walked out the door.

"What's up?" Ken asked.
"Did the both of you know Sakura was going to be here?" Tetsu tried his best to whisper, "I saw him when I was in the lounge, but he left so quickly after our eyes met."
"Uh..." Yukkie looked at Ken as Ken looked back at Yukkie, not knowing what to say.
"Well....we were aware that Sakura was going to be here, but...we wanted to make sure neither you or Hyde knew about it. Especially Hyde." Ken explained nervously, "So, we tried our best to look out for him just in case he was looking for Hyde."
"That's what I was most afraid of. What if Hyde saw him? Do you think this is why Hyde is acting so strangely?" Tetsu asked.
"I...I don't think so. Hyde would've mentioned it, ne." Ken smiled, "I'm sure Sakura didn't see him. I mean, if he left so quickly after he saw you, he wouldn't of had guts to go see Hyde."
"I just got kinda freaked because I wasn't expecting Sakura to be here. I didn't even know he was still drumming." 
"None of us did..." Ken said, "Such a surprise, but I'm glad he decided to move on."
"Yeah..." Tetsu said under his breath, "I don't even know why I'm worrying about this. Sakura is totally out of the picture now. Hyde wouldn't want to see him after all that Sakura put him through anyway."
"That's true!" Ken said, "So you have nothing to worry about Tet-chan. I don't think Hyde saw Sakura today... They left as soon as their performance was over because they had some gig up in Shinjuku. I saw all their people packing up their equipment and everything."
"Okay." Tetsu nodded, taking a breath.
"Man Tet-chan, you worry too much!" Yukkie smiled, nudging the bassist in the arm lightly.
"I can't help it. I worry about you all ne!" Tetsu smiled, walking out of the dressing room.
"Yeah yeah..." Ken grinned, "Just like a second Mother for us all!"
"HEY!" Tetsu mock scowled, making his other two band members laugh as they proceeded into the tour bus. Ken and Yukkie took their seats towards the back as Tetsu spotted Hyde in the corner, already cuddled under a blanket.

"Te-chan, I miss Snowdrop, ne!" Hyde looked up at the bassist as Tetsu took a seat next to him.
"Yes...I'm sure our little snow monster misses us too..." Tetsu smiled, "But Ken-chan's wife is probably taking very good care of him."
"Hmmm...I just want to go home." 
"You're probably homesick ne? All this traveling finally got to you."
"I guess so..." Hyde said as he gently put his head on Tetsu's shoulder, "I just want to spend more time with you."
"Hontouni?" Tetsu smiled big.
"Of course!" Hyde cuddled closer to Tetsu, "There's just so much I want to do. SO much to look forward to."
"Yes... But we have all our lives to do that, don't we?" 
"Hai..." Hyde nodded.
"So...how are you feeling now?"
"A little better, now that you're right next to me." Hyde said quietly, "Just hold onto me and don't let go."

Tetsu looked down at Hyde and gently put his arms around him, obeying his request. The small vocalist nearly melted in his arms as he wrapped them around him. He saw a smile appear on Hyde's face as they both sat there in the dark bus. Tetsu looked out the window into the dark sky watching the street move right under them. Hyde continued to lay still in Tetsu's arms, taking in his lover's scent of designer cologne. 

"Tetsu, would you ever give a friend another chance?" Hyde suddenly asked, his head still buried next to Tetsu's chest.
"What do you mean?" Tetsu asked, looking down at Hyde.
"Well, if you had a friend who betrayed you before, would you forgive them?"
"It depends on what they did to betray me. But, forgiving someone is always the best thing to do. You can't always hold a grudge or it will always bother you deep down inside."
"Yeah..." Hyde nodded slowly, "That's what I thought."

Tetsu just sat there silently, thinking over Hyde's question. The first thing that popped in his mind was...Sakura. Was Hyde talking about Sakura?! Did Hyde see Sakura?! Tetsu's mind started to confuse itself as all these assumptions traveled through his brain...

"Tetsu..." Hyde whispered.
"Yes?"
"...I love you."
"...."
"Do you love me too?"
"Of course I do Hyde." Tetsu smiled, placing a kiss atop of his lover's head, "I love you too."

**************

The sun was burning hot that day as the dry winds hit their faces. The bottled water they had with them didn't seem to help quench the thirst in their throats and the food given to them didn't satisfy the empty feelings in their stomachs. The inhabitants around them gave curious looks as equipments and cameras were set up everywhere. It was almost as if a high tech invasion took over their quiet and ancient country.

"Hey you..." the black haired drummer smiled, taking a seat next to a beautiful long haired vocalist dressed in a thin white cloth which he called a dress.
"Hey..." the smooth voice answered back with a smile.
"It's damn hot out here. I'm still wondering why they picked Morocco for our video shoot, ne."
"Well. It is a bit interesting to shoot a video in a foreign country besides Japan." The petite vocalist said as he ran his fingers up and down the cool silver beads around his neck.
"Well, in that case, the USA would've been a wiser choice!" the drummer laughed, "Like New York or California."
"You've been there?" Hyde's big brown eyes looked up excitedly.
"What? Don't tell me YOU'VE never been there!" Sakura laughed.
"Not yet... But I won't be surprised if our band makes it there someday." Hyde grinned, taking a cigarette out of his bag.
"Got another one of those?" 
"Nope. My last one." 
The vocalist lit up and took a drag from the cigarette and slowly exhaled, watching the drummer at the corner of his eye staring at him, almost begging. Hyde smiled evilly, inhaling the intoxicating smoke and blowing it out, this time in Sakura's face.

"That's not so nice." Sakura said, scooting closer to the smaller man.
"Oh really? Then what's nice?" Hyde asked sarcastically, teasing the drummer with the cigarette, "You want it don't you?"
"Well, yes.... but some little Bishounen is being stingy!"
"Bishounen, eh?" Hyde grinned, "Where'd you get the idea to call me that?"
"It's so obvious... I really thought you were a girl when I first met you ne."
"That's what everyone says." Hyde sighed uninterestedly.
"Well, who can help it? You looking so beautiful like this? You can trick anyone."
"...You think I'm beautiful?"
"I don't mean it as an insult, I just..."
"No... I didn't take it as an insult. But you really mean that?" The little vocalist scooted closer to the drummer, facing him.
"Of course I do." Sakura smiled, "You're very beautiful, Hyde. It's so unbelievable sometimes."

Suddenly the petite bishounen handed the cigarette to the other man. The drummer just looked at him curiously at first, until he accepted the smoke. He brought it to his lips and inhaled the fumes.... Finally exhaling the smoke, the vocalist started to giggle, standing up.

"What?" Sakura asked, looking up at Hyde.
"It was like a kiss..." 
"Huh?" Sakura glanced at the cigarette and back at Hyde, "...a kiss?"
"Yeah..." Hyde grinned, taking the cigarette and putting it back into his mouth, "Tasted good, didn't it?"
"Well...if you call inhaling a cigarette a kiss from you. It did taste pretty damn good." Sakura smiled.
"Hmmm..." Hyde smiled back.
"Now, what if I show you my way of kissing?"
"Your way?" Hyde looked at the drummer in surprised, "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you ever been curious? To see what it would be like...?" Sakura looked back at Hyde, his dark eyes sparkling.
"Doing what?" Hyde was still wondering what Sakura was really talking about.
"To kiss another man..." 
"....." Hyde's eyes widened as he coughed on the smoke he inhaled just a few seconds ago. Sakura started to laugh again, looking at the shocked vocalist in front of him. The wind quietly blew past them as a silence began to emerge in between them. Hyde looked back at Sakura, putting out his cigarette and brushing the long curly brown locks away from his face. His lips formed a slight, yet shy smile.

"Do you want to?" Sakura nearly whispered, looking around them to make sure no one was around.
"Are you scared?" Hyde giggled, "You seem like you don't want anyone to see."
"Well, I thought maybe YOU wouldn't want anyone to see."
"I don't care." Hyde grinned.
"Well then..." Sakura took a breath of relief before he started to move closer to Hyde, "Close your eyes."
"Can I keep them open?" Hyde asked curiously, "If this is going to be my first experience kissing a guy, I'd sure love to see it."
"If you prefer to." Sakura smiled. 

The black haired drummer proceeded as he moved his lips closer to Hyde's. His hand gently cupped the vocalist's face as their lips finally met. Hyde's full pink lips were so soft as they quivered against Sakura's, trying to move along and copy the other man's lip movements. Sakura started to feel dazed as he then felt Hyde's hands at his face, running his small delicate fingers through his black hair. A little sigh came from Hyde's mouth and when Sakura opened his eyes to see what went on, he saw that Hyde's eyes were closed and it sure seemed like he was enjoying the moment. Sakura pulled off slowly, feeling some resistance from Hyde at first. The small vocalist then sat there, dreamily putting his fingers onto his lips, remembering the kiss.

"How was it?" Sakura asked softly.
"It...was nice." Hyde blushed, putting his head down so his long hair can cover his emotion.
"Nice?" Sakura giggled, "I really thought I pulled through this time."
"If it...wasn't so short...." 
"Is that what it was?"

Without any hesitation, Sakura quickly turned Hyde's face to his and again kissed the other man. This time longer...and harder. Releasing all that emotion that built up inside him. He felt Hyde immediately give in, wrapping his arms around Sakura as Sakura continued to kiss him more, his lips gently sucking the sweetness of Hyde's mouth. 

Suddenly a noise that sounded like a dozen fine China dishes falling on the stone was heard nearby. Sakura and Hyde broke apart from their kiss and looked up to see nothing there except a thousand little pieces of Blue glass shattered on the ground. Hyde got up and looked at the glass and then ran towards the corner to see who dropped it. By the time both he and Sakura got there, the person was gone. 

"Blue glass..." Hyde said quietly, walking back to the shattered mess. He knelt down and looked at the shiny pieces that gleamed in the sun. He picked up one of the pieces and held it to the sky.
"Hyde!! Don't touch that! You'll hurt yourself!!" Sakura nearly yelled as he took the glass away from Hyde and tossed it back onto the ground, "The idiot couldn't even come back and clean it up."
"...I like Blue glass." Hyde slowly stood back up looking at the glass on the ground and back at Sakura, "I wonder who would break such a beautiful vase."
"Maybe we freaked them out with our kissing?" Sakura joked.
"Maybe..." 

(end of flashback)
********************

"Ne, where did Hyde go?" Ken asked curiously, packing away his guitar since he was the last one to leave practice.
"He told me he had somewhere to go..." Tetsu answered back, "He said that he needed to go run a few errands."
"At night?" 
"Yeah, well, you know Hyde." Tetsu smiled, "I'm sure he'll be alright. I have to give him a little space instead of acting like such a guard dog around him."
"Hahah...you're right about that." Ken laughed.
"Do you think I'm too over protective?" Tetsu asked, putting some papers down and picking up his bass.
"Not really...but there are times you go a little overboard."
"Huh? Like when?" Tetsu asked curiously.
"Well, it wasn't recently or anything...but you do remember that time where you'd call me every single day just to know where Hyde was. And it was obvious that he was with Sakura?"
"Man, I have no idea what got into me then." Tetsu laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Then there was that time you cut your hair before one of our concerts..."
"I don't think anyone could forget about that." Tetsu sighed, "But, do you think everyone bought the girlfriend rumor?"
"Yeah." Ken nodded, "Now everyone is trying to figure out who this girl was that caused Tet-chan to cut off his beautiful hair!!" 
"Geez." Tetsu smiled, "If they only knew."
"Did you ever tell Hyde about that situation in Morocco...about the blue vase?"
"You still remember that?"
"Hell yeah! You were telling me that whole day that you HAD to get Hyde that blue vase because he wanted it so bad."
"That vase was really pretty. We were shopping and Hyde started to get so excited when he saw it. That was when he told me he loved blue glass. He wanted to get that vase, but it was too expensive since he forgot to bring his credit card."
"And then you bought it for him..." 
"Yeah. I bought it for him. I wanted it to be a surprise and I kept imagining how his face would light up when I gave it to him. I thought that it would be the perfect time to tell him how I felt."
"And then you BROKE it."
"I...tripped. Like a clutz with those stupid platform heels." Tetsu laughed.
"Yeah right." Ken eyed Tetsu, "You saw Hyde and Sakura."
"How do you know?"
"Well, if I remember right, Sakura overheard you gushing about getting Hyde that vase and later that day when I asked him where Hyde was, he told me. And that's when I told you where you could find Hyde to give him the gift. But, I didn't know Sakura would be there with him..."
"That Sakura..." Tetsu sighed, "He was always a step ahead of me."
"So you really did drop and break it."
"Out of pure shock... since that was the first time I actually saw Hyde kiss a guy." Tetsu smiled, "I was furious."
"Obviously Hyde didn't see you, did he?"
"I don't think so. Right when the glass hit the ground, I ran...as fast as those heels could take me!" Tetsu explained, "I'll never forget that day. I think that was the first real day that my heart got broken."
"Broken glass...broken heart?"
"Exactly. But that's all in the past now. I'm sure glad the situation isn't like that anymore."
"Why don't you buy a new one?"
"Huh?" Tetsu looked at Ken questionably.
"Why don't you buy Hyde a new vase, ne?"
"You think I should?"
"Well yeah! I think that would be a great gift. Maybe he'll finally know that it was you who bought that vase for him in Morocco."
"Ah, he probably already knows it was me."
"Well, even though...you should still get him a vase."
"I'll do that..." Tetsu nodded, "But...where could you get blue vases like that?"
"I dunno. Maybe when Yukkie and I are out, we can look for a store that carries that stuff."
"Oh okay. I wish I can come with you guys but I got a lot of things to do tonight." Tetsu said as he scratched the back of his head, "It's so hard being the leader, ne!"
"Yeah, I feel for you man." Ken patted the bassist's back, "Now I'm gonna go out and have some fun!!!!!!"
"MOU~!!"

***********************

"Why are you lookin' so down Sakura?" Den, the bassist of ZIGZO asked curiously after taking a gulp of his beer. 
"What makes you say that?" Sakura asked, looking up.
"Well... you're just sitting there staring at your cell phone...not even touching your beer or smoking a cigarette." Den laughed, "Are you waiting for another chick to call you or something?"
"Man...." Sakura laughed.
"Comon, tell me who this new chick is. Don't tell me it's that one from the Liquid Room you messed with. She has a big brother who's the bouncer over there and dude...he's BIG." 
"It's not a chick... it's an old friend." Sakura reassured.
"Oh...I see." Den nodded. 
"But I don't know if this friend wants to see me or not." Sakura sighed.
"Ah, let me guess. You went to go look for Hyde yesterday, didn't you?"
"I had to. You know how much this whole thing was bothering me."
"Yeah, but you told us that you'd forget about all that."
"I know. It's just....Hyde. We went through so much shit together, I can't just toss it out the window with the rest of my past. I'm not over the guy... after I saw him yesterday, everything started crashing down on me. I actually wanted him back."
"Oh boy..." Den sighed, "Sakura, you know you can't do that. You already caused that group a lot of hardship and to just go back and take their vocalist... I don't think so."
"Den. You got to understand though. I changed. I think I can give Hyde a lot more and I can offer him a much better relationship than anyone can. Deep down inside he has to still care a little about me. If he didn't he would've thrown me out when he saw me yesterday."
"You probably freaked the pants off the guy!" Den stood up, "Sakura, if my advice means anything to you, don't go after Hyde. Okay? Just leave him be. I think he already moved on by now, and you should to. Stick with the girls...they cause less emotional problems in my opinion."

Sakura just sat there silent as Den took his beer bottle and walked out of the room singing to himself, satisfied with his last word. But Sakura didn't think that it would help how he felt right now. He stared at his phone again hoping for it to ring... hoping to see Hyde... tonight.

**RING~~~~!**

Sakura nearly jumped out of his seat as the phone interrupted his thoughts. He pressed the button and put the receiver to his ear.

"Moshi moshi?"
"Sakura...?" a quiet angelic voice that Sakura hadn't heard for years answered the other line.
"Hyde..." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, "I was wondering when you were gonna call, ne."
"Were you waiting?" 
"Oh no!" Sakura lied lamely, "I was visiting Den and Ryo today to look over some new music. Our vocalist Tetsu was gonna come by too."
"Oh. So I guess we should meet another day then."
"Oh no no no no! Tonight is still fine with me. I can just cancel all my plans."
"Okay."
"So, where do you want to meet?"
"Do you know where Dai's Coffee House is?"
"I don't think so."
"It's near the old studio we used to record at. You know where that tiny shopping plaza is with the jewelry and gift shops?"
"Oh yeah! I think I do!"
"Meet me there."
"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes then."

**CLICK**

Sakura glanced at his watch... it was a quarter to seven. He put on his coat and popped a cigarette into his mouth.
"Ey!" Den walked past with a bowl of ramen in his hands, "Where are you going?"
"Out..." Sakura grinned.
"You don't give up do you?" Den laughed, "You better stay out of trouble Sakurasawa!!"
"Don't worry about me ne... worry about that soup in your hands!" 
"ITAI!!!!" Den yelped as he felt some hot soup drip over his hand, "don't you want some of this?"
"No thanks." Sakura waved, "I'll see ya!"
"Fine." Den shrugged, "More for me then."

*****************

"Poor Tetsu. He had to stay behind and work while we're out eating a big bowl of ramen?" Yukkie smiled.
"Yep." Ken nodded, slurping his soup.
"Ne, where did Hyde go? How come he didn't show up here?"
"Tetsu told me he had something to do. I don't know what." 
"Oh..." Yukkie grinned, "I would think Hyde would've stayed behind just to be with Tetsu, ne?"
"Yeah, me too..." Ken agreed, "But Tetsu was telling me that he wants to give Hyde his space instead of always being so protective all the time. I guess that's good for them. I don't know."
"Relationships..." Yukkie laughed, "I'm sure glad I'm not in one anymore."
"They're not THAT bad." Ken giggled, "I think you'd like married life better than dating." 
"Probably... but, I prefer staying single awhile longer. I can't imagine myself married yet. There's so many women out there. How do you know you picked the right one?"
"You DON'T know..." Ken laughed, "You just go along with it. This isn't my first marriage you know."
"Oh yeah. That's right." Yukkie smiled, "You're a perfect person to learn from."
"Yeah, I probably am... though I've never tried a relationship with a guy. I was curious at times, but my attraction to girls just took me away from that. But I really believe that your soul mate could be anyone... And Tetsu and Hyde found that in each other. They've been with lots of different people, but deep down, they had this special feeling for each other. It's really amazing."
"Yeah, that is something..." Yukkie nodded before finishing off his soup.
"Ne...speaking of Tetsu, he wanted us to find a shop that specializes in Blue Glass products. He wants to buy Hyde a vase."
"Oh, then it all works out then..." 
"What does?" Ken asked.
"Well, I gotta buy a gift for my mother anyway. It's her birthday, you know."
"What a sweet son you are!!" Ken teased.
"Shut up!" Yukkie laughed, "You should buy something for your Mom too. Just to thank her for raising you into a big strong hentai." 
"Hahahaha! Good one Yukkie....you're getting good." Ken winked, "Soon, you're gonna out do me with all the jokes!"
"Yeah, whatever..." Yukkie giggled.

*********************

Meanwhile at a coffee shop nearby....

"May I have a seat here with you?" 

Hyde looked up from his shades and saw the long haired drummer right above him, smiling. Hyde nodded his head, giving a slight smile as he folded his arms together and sat back to examine the other man. 

"You came..." Hyde said quietly.
"Yeah, I had a little trouble finding the place, I didn't even know that studio we used to practice at already closed down..."
"Yeah... everything here changed a lot." Hyde nodded, "This coffee shop used to be that Karaoke bar I used to go to on the weekends."
"I remember." Sakura grinned, "You tried to force me to do duets with you every time we came here."
"Yeah." Hyde smiled, "The only way I got you up there was when you were drunk."
"And I had to sing enka..." Sakura sighed, "What was that song again??"

"OFUKUROSAN!" both men said in unison, smiling at the memory.
"Ofukurosan yo.... ofukurosan.....Sora o miagerya sora ni aru~!" Sakura started to sing in a fake drunken tone.
"Ame no furu hi wa kasa ni nari.....Omae mo itsuka wa yo no naka no..." Hyde followed in tune.
"Kasa ni nareyoto oshietekureta!!" 
"Anata no.... anata no.... shin-ji-tsuuuu~!!! Wasurewa shinai....!" Both men laughed together as they sang the most hilarious part of the song, causing a few of the customers to turn and giggle at the silliness. 
"I don't know what better song to sing when you're THAT drunk." Sakura laughed, "That was crazy."
"Yeah..." Hyde laughed again, "I remember Ken was rolling on the ground when he saw you sing Ofukurosan. It was so funny." 

"You know. This is the first time I've seen you laugh in a long time." Sakura looked at Hyde as if he expected him to say something back.
"It has been awhile...." 
"So....what have you been doing lately? We really need to catch up!" Sakura continued. 
"I've just been doing concerts and shows...back to back. You must've seen them, right?"
"Of course I did. I even dragged our guitarist Ryo to one of your Light My Fire concerts with me."
"Are you serious?!" 
"Yeah. It was so full of energy. It was something I've never experienced at a Laruku concert when I was still in the band. Yukihiro is one cool drummer."
"He is. We all like him and we get along great together."
"So what have you been up to when you're off stage?" Sakura asked, after ordering a cup of coffee from one of the waitresses nearby.
"What do you mean?" 
"Well...what I mean is, are you involved with someone?"

Hyde was a bit surprised that Sakura was not aware that he and Tetsu were together and the fact that he was so up front about a subject like this. He thought maybe Sakura already had the idea when he mentioned Tetsu in the dressing room. 

"I'm involved with someone...yes." Hyde smiled.
"Oh really?" Sakura forced out a smile, "A chick, this time?"
Hyde shook his head, watching Sakura's expression change slightly into shock.
"I think I've dated enough girls in my lifetime..." Hyde grinned again, accepting a cup of hot tea from the waitress.
"Woah...." Sakura laughed, "I would've never guessed."
"I thought you would've figured it out by now." Hyde said, sipping his tea.
"You mean...you and..." Sakura paused, "...Tetsu?"

Hyde nodded quietly, smiling as Sakura sat there quietly, in shock. 

"That really is something..." Sakura looked at Hyde, "But then again, Tetsu has been in love with you for the longest time."

Hyde sat there observing Sakura's disbelief as he drank his tea. It was hard to figure out what was going through Sakura's head. But Hyde could sense Sakura wasn't really thrilled about it. It was as if Sakura wished he didn't hear about Hyde and Tetsu's relationship.

"And you?" Hyde suddenly asked.
"Eh?" Sakura looked up from his train of thought.
"Are you with someone as well?"
"Oh..." Sakura nodded, "Yeah... you know me, I still make my rounds. There are a few girls I have my eye on, but I don't really have a serious relationship with them all."
"Sou desu ka..." 
"How long have you and Tetsu been together, ne?" Sakura asked, changing the subject back around.
"Just a few months, actually." Hyde answered, "We've been so busy this whole year, so Te-chan and I couldn't get together as quickly as we wanted to." 
"Wow. I'm happy for you two..." Sakura said under his breath, "Really, I am."
"Thanks." Hyde smiled slightly, watching Sakura stare into his coffee cup, deep in thought.
"I really had this crazy idea that you'd still be single..." Sakura began, "...and I would come in here and maybe get you back."

Hyde's eyes widened at Sakura's straightforwardness again.

"Then again, some things don't work out how you'd always want them to." Sakura ran his hand through his hair, "I was never good enough for you Hyde. Maybe that's why things turned out this way."
"Sakura..." Hyde looked at Sakura's expression and felt himself starting to sympathize for the other man.
"If only I didn't take advantage of you like I did... If only I gave you what you wanted... I really despise myself for making the mistake of throwing what we had down the drain."
"That was the past Sakura. Certain things happen for the better." Hyde said.
"Yeah but... look at me. What am I now? My reputation is just ruined and of course I'm in a new band but, I'll always be known as L'Arc~en~Ciel's ex drummer... the one who messed everything up."
"Sakura. All that is forgotten now. We all moved on. You should too. Don't look back anymore. What's done is done and you just have to keep going. I really thought I would never leave the past, but I was lucky enough to have Tetsu there to help me through. You may need someone to help you through as well. A friend."
"Can you help me?" Sakura looked into Hyde's eyes with a sincerity that made his spine shiver.
"Me?" Hyde looked back at Sakura.
"You're the only person that could help me." Sakura's voice became serious, "I need you Hyde."

*********************

"Oh wow! EVA reruns!!" Tetsu said excitedly, grinning at the television, "I wonder if Yukkie knows about this marathon!"

The bassist settled on the couch bringing a bowl of Arare with him, munching on the crunchy rice crackers as the busty femme characters filled the screen. Within a few minutes, the front door opened and someone entered.

"Tadaima!" Hyde said aloud, slipping his shoes off and putting his keys on the stand, "Te-chan, doko desuka??"
"Okaeri Haido!!" Tetsu hollered back, "I'm here watching TV, ne!"
Hyde took off his coat and entered the finely decorated living room. Ever since Tetsu moved in, Hyde's house had been completely redecorated with a mix of modern and antique European furniture. It didn't look like the same dusty house that it used to look like, and Hyde always looked forward to coming home.

"I didn't know you'd be home so early..." Hyde smiled, looking at Tetsu sprawled on the couch comfortably.
"Well.... the meeting went by pretty fast, so I just came straight home. I wanted to wait up for you anyway." Tetsu smiled.
"Are you sure you wanted to wait up for me, or just to watch those EVA reruns?" Hyde laughed.
"Seriously, I was waiting for you!" Tetsu smiled, "I just found this marathon on TV."
"Looks like the same one they had last week." Hyde looked at it uninterestedly.
"Where did you go?" Tetsu asked curiously.
"Oh, just around at the stores downtown. And I hung out at the coffee shop."
"Ah..." Tetsu nodded, "Did you have fun?" 
"Mn..." Hyde paused, "Yeah... it was quite interesting without you around."
"I wish I was there..." Tetsu smiled.
"I wish you were too..." Hyde giggled, making his way toward the couch. He then sat upon Tetsu, making himself comfortable.
"Want some Arare?" Tetsu asked, handing the bowl of rice crackers to Hyde.
"Not right now..." Hyde smiled, "I would like a kiss though!"
"Of course!" Tetsu smiled cutely, giving Hyde a nice warm kiss on his lips, making the vocalist moan quietly in satisfaction.
"Arigatou." Hyde smiled, cuddling close to his lover.
"We're going to be performing HONEY for the awards show ne..." Tetsu said, "and if we win...we'll be playing Snowdrop."
"Sounds good to me..." Hyde whispered, placing a few playful kisses on Tetsu's cheek.
"I also looked over that new song you wrote too..." Tetsu smiled.
"Which one?"
"Heaven's Drive, was it?" Tetsu said.
"What did you think?" Hyde sat up excitedly, anxious to hear Tetsu's opinion.
"It was awesome..." Tetsu grinned, "Ken-chan already started to play around with the chords and even he is impressed!"
"Has Yukkie come up with anything yet?"
"Oh yeah..." Tetsu nodded, "He has all these ideas for remixes and he's even writing a song in English for you to sing!"
"Hontouni??" 
"Yeah....so this two CD deal sounds like something we will do for next year, ne."
"I'm looking forward to it." Hyde grinned, putting a handful of Arare in his mouth.
"Me too..." Tetsu sighed.

"Ah! Before I forget!" Hyde sat up again, trying to swallow all the stuff in his mouth, "I got you something!"
"What? You got me something??" Tetsu smiled, excited for a surprise.

Hyde took out a little turquoise pouch from his back pocket and handed it to Tetsu.

"I took a trip to the jewelry shop and saw something nice." Hyde smiled, watching Tetsu's face light up.
"TIFFANY'S?? You went to Tiffany & Co.??!" Tetsu looked at the pouch in awe.
"Open it, ne!" Hyde laughed, "Unless you want to stare at the bag the whole night."
"Okay okay...." Tetsu giggled, "This is so exciting..."
"I just hope you like it..." Hyde said as he crossed his fingers.
"WAAAAAAA!!! SUGOI!!!!" Tetsu nearly screamed, as he pulled out a shiny silver bracelet out of the pouch. It was a simple chain link bracelet and Tetsu immediately put it on his left wrist. It gleamed in the light and the bassist smiled happily at the piece of jewelry.

"Do...you like it?" Hyde looked at Tetsu, unsure. He wasn't one that was known to pick nice jewelry.
"Of course I do, Haido! It's beautiful. I'll always wear it." Tetsu smiled big, "Thank you so much."
"I remembered that your other bracelet broke...and you needed a new one." Hyde smiled.
"Arigatou Haido... this gift means so much to me." Tetsu sighed, admiring the bracelet on his wrist.
"It suits you well." Hyde agreed.
"KYAAA! I got a bracelet from Laruku-an-shieru no HAIDO~~~!!!" Tetsu purposely squealed like a fan girl, causing Hyde to laugh out loud.
"SUGOI NE!" Hyde squealed back.

Without saying anything more, Tetsu happily wrapped Hyde in his arms and brought him back down on the couch with him. Kissing him repeatedly, Hyde giggled at Tetsu's excitement as the noise of Anime Robots fighting was heard all around them. It was much better having Tetsu's attention on him rather than a bunch of EVA girls!

********************

It was raining that day...the dark gloomy clouds hung over the sky, greedily pushing the sun away. Practice for their new HEAVENLY album ended and Hyde couldn't wait to see Sakura again that day. For awhile, Sakura had been leaving practices early and everyone was wondering what was wrong. So Hyde volunteered to go and see... even though Sakura strictly told him to always call before he came. He arrived to the nicely built condos and looked for Sakura's address. When he finally arrived there, the door was open, so he helped himself inside. 

"What are you doing?" Hyde walked into the dark lit room and saw the black haired drummer on his knees. His arm was stretched out on a table, the veins protruding out as he injected a needle into one of them, causing him to gasp.
"Hyde, what the hell are you doing here?!" He growled, angrily.
"I was looking for you. Ken and I just got done packing the equipment away and I wanted to come by and see why you left practice so early...." Hyde said quietly, staring at the needle protruding deeper into Sakura's white skin.

Sakura then pulled the needle out and quickly wrapped his arm with a cloth, looking up at Hyde.

"Did you enjoy watching that?" Sakura's eyes looked a bit annoyed.
"N...no." Hyde bit his lip nervously, "What are you doing? Does Tetsu know about this?"
"Hell no, Tetsu doesn't know about this! And you better not tell him." Sakura snapped back.
"Why...are you doing this? That's not what I think it is...right?"
"It is what you are thinking if you guessed Heroine. I'm doing it because I can. It makes me feel better because I've haven't been feeling myself lately."
"Sakura...if you would've told me you were feeling down, I..."
"That wouldn't of helped. I've been doing this stuff long before I joined the band. The stress is just overwhelming now, I had to return to it. It calms me."
"Can't that kill you though?" 
"Yeah, it can...if you don't take it right. But then again, we all die, so it doesn't matter."
"You're scaring me Sakura." Hyde felt his heart start to race.
"Why don't you take some? It might calm you down. You'll understand why I like doing it."
"But...."
"I won't tell if you won't tell..." Sakura grinned.
"I don't know...I..." Hyde turned his head away, afraid. His long brown curly hair covered his face until he felt Sakura's hand brush it away.
"Hyde...don't be afraid." Sakura said quietly, his voice almost kind, "You know I wouldn't dare hurt you."

Hyde turned his face slowly, looking at Sakura with his big brown eyes. Sakura then put his hand on Hyde's cheek, leading the other man's face in front of his.

"I won't hurt you..." Sakura repeated, watching Hyde shiver at his touch.
"Sakura....I..." Hyde began.
"Shhhhh...." Sakura quietly cooed in Hyde's ear before he started to leave faint kisses on the side of the bishounen's face.
"I....I want to help you..." Hyde sighed against the other man's gentle kisses.
"You can..." Sakura answered back, moving his hand to caress Hyde's face.
"....how...?" Hyde looked into Sakura's eyes. The vocalist looked so innocent with the long hair that framed his face. He was wearing a thin cloth shirt and pants...something similar to what he wore for the Nemuri ni Yosete video, but grey in color.
"Just stay calm... and don't say anything." Sakura continued to kiss Hyde's delicate neck, feeling the other man gulp with nervousness as he nodded.

Hyde then felt Sakura's hands travel down the length of his shirt, pulling it over him and tossing it to the floor. Hyde shivered at the cold and quickly brought his hands up to cover his now bare chest. Sakura smiled a bit and took one of Hyde's hands in his, kissing it lightly. He look the other and kissed it, bringing both hands to either side of Hyde's body. Bringing his lips down onto Hyde's cool skin, Sakura started to run his hot tongue over the other man's flesh, hearing Hyde sigh at his touch. 

Hyde managed to look down and watch Sakura kissing his body. It was something he only dreamed of those nights when he was alone. He always had a crush on Sakura and it seemed like they were finally together. It only seemed right...it felt so good. He and Tetsu already got into an argument about his feelings for Sakura. Tetsu just doesn't understand...Sakura and I belong together....

Hyde felt his eyelids close slowly, trying to take in the pleasure Sakura was giving to him with his warm tongue. It felt like nothing he had ever felt before. Even with all the girls he's been with. The way Sakura was moving against him showed how much experience he's had and he was good at it.

He then felt Sakura's lips travel even lower...down his stomach to the front of his pants. Hyde nearly froze, looking down at Sakura, kneeling down in front of him, staring at the front of his thin pants. Hyde brought his hand down to Sakura's head and ran his fingers through his black silky hair. Sakura came in close to the touch, closing his eyes. It felt heavenly just to be touched by Hyde... to be touched by someone that looked like an angel from heaven.

Before Hyde was aware of it, Sakura quickly undressed him...leaving Hyde standing there naked. Sakura looked over the petite body in front of him, almost in hungry desire. Hyde started to wrap his arms around himself in embarrassment... not knowing what Sakura's intentions were.

"Sakura... what are you doing to me?" Hyde asked, blushing red in the face.
"Don't be afraid... Hyde, I'm showing you how I feel about you."

Hyde looked down to the ground, still embarrassed, he could even see that his arousal was also reacting to this awkward situation. Hyde tried his best to cover himself, but it was no use. Sakura was already in front of him, pressing his clothed body next to his nakedness. The drummer then brought his lips to Hyde, gently teasing them with his teeth and tongue. Hyde gasped at the feeling, immediately forgetting the embarrassment as he put his arms around the other man. He then felt Sakura scoop him up in in one big sweep and he took him into the bedroom... laying the vocalist down onto the sheet covered bed. Hyde lay there unmoved, not knowing what to expect, he looked over at Sakura who in turn started to take off his clothes. This startled Hyde and he turned his head, trying not to watch. It wasn't the first time he saw a naked man, but it was the first time he saw Sakura undress in front of him.

Hyde then felt a body lay next to him... it was the strangest feeling since he knew it wasn't a woman. He then felt Sakura's hand touch his body softly, examining all the curves that made Hyde's body Hyde's.

"Kirei da...Haido..." Sakura sighed, "You are so soft...and delicate."

Hyde remained stiff at Sakura's touches... trying to figure out what was going on... trying to cope with all these unbelievable sensations and feelings that were going on within him. When he felt Sakura's mouth kissing his body once again, Hyde let out a whimper... 

Sakura, smiled with satisfaction as he heard this and continued lower and lower and lower...until he reached the part that he longed for... The part he knew would make Hyde explode. The vocalist shifted around a bit, feeling Sakura's mouth traveling at an alarming pace... making it's way to the part he'd least expect it to go.... 

"Sa..ku.." Hyde tried to stop Sakura from going further, but it was already too late. Sakura's mouth consumed Hyde's arousal fully and it made Hyde nearly scream in shock. Sakura's tongue ran over his hardened length more than once, tasting it over and over... Feeling Hyde move beneath him wildly at this erotic experience. He knew the other man was really enjoying it.

Hyde was trying to control his moans, but they just kept coming out as he felt Sakura move his mouth all over his throbbing manhood. Calming it with his warm mouth, building the excitement within it.... making Hyde want to explode at any moment. Sakura felt Hyde's urgency and continued to move in a rhythm to hurry the process. Hyde then let out a load groan as Sakura felt a sudden rush of milky liquid enter his mouth. As if not expecting it, Sakura didn't close his mouth and it caused the creamy substance to spill everywhere on the bed and all over the drummer's mouth.

"It's sweet..." Sakura sighed...licking his lips, looking back at Hyde. The vocalist just laid there, his eyes clouded with so much pleasure, he couldn't speak. He then brought his hand up and over Sakura's head, bringing the other man down to meet his lips. Kissing him over and over, almost tasting the liquid that came out of his own body. It seemed strange, but Hyde continued to kiss the other man until he felt Sakura's hands at his legs...moving them apart.

"Sakura...no..." Hyde managed to get out between the kiss.
"Hyde...it won't hurt." Sakura answered back as he started to move wildly on top of the smaller man.
"Sakura, I'm...I'm not a girl..." Hyde said, almost afraid.
"I know you're not..." Sakura groaned, "Why don't you take some of this...it might calm you. It won't hurt so bad."

Sakura grabbed a rubber tube from the bed stand and tied it snuggly around Hyde's left arm. He traced his finger lightly over the vein and before Hyde knew it, a needle was injected into it. Hyde wanted to scream, but nothing came out. His mouth was open as he saw Sakura injecting him with the substance.

"It won't hurt you Hyde... It will make you feel good... Just like how you felt a few minutes ago... You liked that didn't you?" Sakura tried to make conversation as he finally pulled the needle out of Hyde. Hyde just lay there looking at his arm... dazed.

"It will only take a minute... just stay still and close your eyes..." Sakura's low voice said within the darkness. Hyde closed his eyes, feeling a warm rush flash through his body... Suddenly this weird feeling came over him... It felt as if he was floating in thin air. 

"I'm scared..." Hyde whispered.
"Don't be." Sakura reassured, "I'm here with you... I'm right next to you."
"I feel like I'm floating... and everything is changing colors..."
"That's normal. It's just the reaction to the drug."
"I feel funny..."
"Shhhh...."
"....Sakura..."
"Hold on Hyde... relax for me..."
"Oh God...it hurts!"
"Just a little more..."
"What are you doing....ohhhh...."
"Mnnn.... Hyde, just move along..."
"I...can't...Sakura..it hurts!"
"Shhh...I'll slow down..."
"Oh......"
"Does that feel better?"
"I don't know...."
"Just concentrate... you'll feel it..."
"I'm afraid..."
"Don't cry... you're not beautiful when you cry..."
"But..."
"My Hyde doesn't cry...."

(end of flashback)
**********************
 

"That's all for today!" Tetsu sighed happily, satisfied with the day's practice. He gave each member a nod of encouragement before packing up his stuff. 
"We actually ended practice so early today too? What's up?" Ken asked curiously.
"Well, I have to meet up with Okano-san to work on the arrangements for our new song HEAVEN'S DRIVE. Then I have to pick up the official schedule for all our interviews and appearances from the record company." Tetsu reported, "Tomorrow Okano will work with all of us to come up with other songs and ideas for our new albums."
"Sounds cool..." Yukkie grinned.
"That means you won't be able to go to the ramen place with me again Te-chan?" Hyde asked.
"I'm so sorry Haido. This thing came up so suddenly, I can't back out of it. But, I promise we'll go to the ramen place tomorrow, ne? Or better yet, I'll make you some ramen." Tetsu smiled.
"Okay..." Hyde smiled back. 
"You're not upset are you?" Tetsu asked, observing Hyde's eyes, "I know how much you wanted to go eat ramen today and the days before this..."
"It's fine Te-chan..." Hyde reassured, "I know you're busy..."
"I promise the next time I won't do this! I will tell all the producers that I can't make it because I have a more important date to attend." Tetsu smiled cutely.

Hyde nodded and gave Tetsu a hug before the bassist gathered all his stuff and left the studio. Ken immediately left too, since he said his wife was expecting him home since she wanted to do some shopping. Yukkie also left to go get some more records at the shop for his remixes. So Hyde was left at the studio alone...thinking of what to do. He eyed his telephone, wondering if he should call Sakura. He was feeling kind of awkward about it since he's been having so many weird flashbacks. But, he did tell Sakura that he'd help him. He told Sakura that he'll give him his friendship. Sakura said he wasn't busy anyway, so maybe Hyde can invite him to ramen instead.

Picking up his cell phone, he dialed the numbers to Sakura's phone, waiting for a pick up.

*****************

"Sakura..." 
"Nnn..." Sakura moaned, still asleep from last night's wild party. He felt a hand shake him and he immediately turned around to find a beautiful woman laying right next to him, naked.
"Are you awake now?" The woman smiled, running her hand through Sakura's hair, "I was wondering when you'd finally wake up."
"Who are you?" Sakura couldn't remember what had happened last night, He couldn't even remember the girl's name, "What's today?"

The woman laughed as if she was amused, "You don't remember a thing? It's Wednesday, silly!!"
Sakura looked at the woman annoyed for a second until he heard his cell phone ring. He looked over at the bed stand, but the phone wasn't there.
"Where's my phone?" Sakura asked, reaching over the woman, searching the pile of clothes on the floor.
"You mean this?" The woman dangled the phone above her head as it still rung.
"Give me that!" 
"You don't talk that way to me!" The woman giggled, "You have to say please."
"Oh shut up..." Sakura sighed, "Give me the phone!"
"Oh I see how it is..." The woman glared at Sakura, "You have another bitch calling you for a good time eh?"
"Give me the damn phone!" Sakura said sternly as he grabbed the phone from the woman's grasp.
"Bastard!" The woman pushed Sakura back as she grabbed the sheets to cover herself up. Her red lips formed a pout as she looked at Sakura, hoping he'd say sorry. 

"Moshi moshi?" Sakura answered the phone.
"Sakura? It's Hyde."
"Haido?" Sakura whispered, "I'm so glad you called..."
"Were you busy?"
"No no... I just..." Sakura laughed, "I'm kinda hung over right now from a party last night."
"Oh."
"But it's no big deal...I've felt worse."
"Well...I have nothing to do today, so I was wondering if you'd like to..."
"Of course!" Sakura said immediately, cutting off Hyde's sentence.
"Uh, as I was saying, do you want to meet me at a ramen house?"
"Yeah, which one?"
"Neko-chan's Ramen Bowl."
"Sure! Just give me an hour or so... I'll be there."

**CLICK**

"Who was that?" The woman asked, almost timidly.
"A friend." Sakura answered, quickly putting on his pants.
"Where are you going?!" 
"Out." 
"But...what about..."
"What about what? If you want money, there's some in that drawer right there."
"You JERK!!" 
"You have no idea what you're talking about lady. What we had was a one night stand. If you want money for it, take it!"
"You...you tricked me! You said you loved me and...and you said that I made you feel like a man!"
"I say that to everyone." Sakura grinned, "You should be used to that, ne? Weren't you with my friend Den last week?!"

The woman stared at Sakura in horror and disbelief as the attractive black haired drummer shut the door behind him and walked away.

*******************

Yukkie handed the cash to the cashier as he took his bag of new records and left the shop. He was lucky to find the records he was looking for since they were rare. He couldn't wait to get started on the new remixes. 

It was a bit chilly outside and the drummer thought it would be a good idea to get some ramen again. Usually he and Ken always got ramen on Wednesdays, so he felt he might as well go ahead, even without the guitarist. There was already a popular ramen place nearby, so Yukkie decided he might as well go there to eat...

The place was rather crowded, but when Yukkie stepped in, he was immediately greeted with a cheery, "Irasshaimase!!" A waitress seated him in one of the booths and he ordered his usual miso shiro ramen special. As he waited, he looked around and examined all the customers. Most were working class men and others were young adults around college age. Yukkie then spotted a familiar person across the way... If his eyes didn't mistake him, that person was Hyde!

He was alone and was just sitting there looking through a book or something. It seemed as if he was waiting for someone, but Yukkie knew it wouldn't be Tetsu. Yukkie figured Hyde may be here by himself and the drummer felt bad that Hyde ended up being alone, so he proceeded towards Hyde's table. Yukkie tried his best to make his way through the crowded place, but just as he was approaching Hyde's table, a tall dark haired man beat him there. Yukkie froze to see who this person was....

Long black hair.... Sakura?!

Hyde's face turned into relief as he saw this long haired man appear before him... Suddenly he saw the two men embrace in a hug. Yukkie immediately turned around, shocked at the sight, hoping Hyde didn't see him. Finally making it back to his table, Yukkie peered over to look across the room. There in the distance was Hyde....and Sakura!! Sitting together and talking! Yukkie rubbed his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real and it was... What was Sakura doing there with Hyde?!! Why were they embracing? Did Tetsu know that Hyde was with Sakura?! Yukkie felt his stomach turn as he saw Hyde and Sakura looking as if they were enjoying themselves. It just didn't look right. But Yukkie knew he just couldn't go over there and confront them about it. Should he tell Ken or Tetsu about this?! Or should he confront Hyde and ask him about it tomorrow after practice?!

"What the heck is going on here?!" Yukkie said to himself.

 

 

--------------- part 8 ---------------