Tetsu X Hyde

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

Web Site : visual dream

Pairing : tetsu x hyde

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Author's notes :

I apologize to those who have waited so long. Can you believe it's still not complete? *lol*
Okay! On with the fic... I'm not too impressed with it, but I guess my readers will have a
different opinion, ne. ^^;

Thank you for your support!

 

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- Part 8 -

"I'm so glad you came."  Hyde began as both he and the drummer sat down
after their quick embrace, "I really thought I was going to be alone today."
"Eh?  Hontouni?  What happened to the rest of the band?"  Sakura asked
curiously as he looked around the restaurant.
"Well, Ken and Yukki had some things to do." Hyde sighed.
"And Tetsu?"
Techan had to help organize all the planning for our upcoming shows that
will wrap up the rest of this year.  He's been so backed up with stuff the
past few days."
 "Ah, so he didn¹t have time to come with you today?"
Hyde blushed a bit and shrugged, "Someone has to do all the dirty work for
the band."
"That's true." Sakura nodded, "But then again, someone like you shouldn't be
all alone on a day like this."
Hyde gave a smug smile.
"Gohan tabeta?"  Hyde changed the subject.
"Oh, no.  I didn¹t have time to eat anything once I woke up."
"Let's order then!"
"Okay." Sakura smiled as he signaled to a waitress.

Yukki peered over his booth once again and saw the two men sitting there
ordering from one of the waitresses.  Hyde didn't look nowhere near
surprised among Sakura's presence, which was strange to Yukki.  After a
horrible breakup like theirs, how can they face one another?  The crowds of
people that came before were now starting to leave, giving Yukki a better
view of the couple.

"So how are things going with your band?" Hyde asked after the waitress
left.
"Zigzo?"  Sakura began, "Well, things are really cool.  I enjoy being in the
band and the members are like my brothers.  We get along great."
"That's good."
"Yeah, but they¹re real partiers.  Sometimes it¹s almost impossible to get a
hold of us since we're always out somewhere getting drunk off our asses."
"I was pretty lucky then." Hyde grinned.
"Huh?"  Sakura looked clueless for a second.
"Sto get a hold of you."  Hyde answered, "You really did sound like you had
a rough night last night."
"Oh yeah." Sakura smiled, "But, had it been anyone else that called me
today, I wouldn't of came."
"Mn."
 "What about Laruku?  You guys have been off the charts!!  It's amazing."
"I know."  Hyde smirked with satisfaction; "Time flew by so fast that I only
began to notice how big we¹ve become since last year.  I never imagined that
our band would be so popular with so many songs on the charts.  It¹s been a
real trip."
"I kind of knew that it would turn out this way once I left.  I think that I
was being the factor that weighted down the band from becoming anything."
Sakura explained.
"That is not true."  Hyde looked at the drummer, "Believe me."
"Comon, you have to agree with me a little.  If I would have stayed, Laruku
would've stayed at the bottom."
"I can't say that."  Hyde looked down, "...because that's not true.  I mean,
we would probably not be in the same exact place as we are now, but Laruku
would have still been a great band."
"And you and I would have still been together." Sakura sighed under his
breath.
"...well" Hyde said nervously.
"Shit..." Sakura said, noticing Hyde¹s nervousness, "I'm sorry for always
bringing this shit up.  Just ignore me.  I'm just trippin out I guess."
"No...No it¹s okay."  Hyde reassured, "It's weird for the both of us."
"I don't know.  It¹s just been hard coping with the past."  Sakura shrugged,
"I was such a jackass."
"We were young and naive then."  Hyde smiled, "Young people always make
mistakes."
"I guess so." Sakura agreed, "But you know Hyde, if I could take back
everything that I did to you, I would."
Hyde nodded as he focused his eyes on the table.
"...and Tetsu too..."  Sakura continued, "I also gave him a hard time."
"Eh?" Hyde looked up, "Really?"
"I always knew how much he cared about you.  It was so obvious." Sakura
grinned, "I saw it immediately when I first joined the band."
"I can't believe I didn¹t even notice it then." Hyde said sadly.
"Well, Tetsu was really good at keeping it a secret."  Sakura laughed, "But
I knew it probably drove him crazy."
"Especially when you and I were together." Hyde said.
"Yeah."  Sakura sighed, "I was just waiting for the moment he'd kick me out
of the band."
"He would've never had done that." Hyde said, "Tetsu's not like that."
"No, but I think he would¹ve done it to protect you."  Sakura answered,
"I¹ve never had anyone love me that much."
Hyde's eyes met Sakura's, "....I."
"Hai, douzo..."  The waitress interrupted by putting the piping hot bowls of
ramen in front of the two men, "Miso-Shiro ramen special and Neko Chan
Special!"

Hyde took in the aroma of his favorite miso shiro ramen as Sakura thanked
the waitress.  The vocalist couldn¹t help but want to stop the conversation
before it got too deep.  So he drank the soup as much as he could keeping
his eyes out of the other man¹s view.

"Hyde?"
Hyde looked up from his bowl of soup, "Huh?"
"Were you going to say something before that waitress interrupted us?"
Sakura asked curiously.
"Um...well..." Hyde smiled, "I...I forgot already."
"Oh..." Sakura grinned, "Ne, how¹s your ramen?"
"Well, nothing beats the ramen in Osaka, but this one is pretty good."
Sakura laughed.
"So what are you doing the rest of the day?"
"Nothing much," Sakura said while wrapping some noodles around his
chopsticks, "How about you?"
"The whole day is free for me..." Hyde sighed, "I was thinking if maybe you
wanted to hang out, for the rest of the day."
"Of course!"  the drummer said with no hesitation.
"Ookini..."

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

Yukihiro continued to stare at the ceiling of his apartment as he was lying
on his bed.  He couldn¹t make up his mind whether or not to tell Tetsu or
Ken about what he saw.  He didn't want to get Hyde in trouble nor did he
want to see Tetsu get hurt by this.  Obviously Tetsu didn¹t know Hyde was
seeing Sakura behind his back.  The thing is, how long has this been
happening?

The drummer turned his head and looked at the phone on his bed stand.  He
grabbed it with one hand and pressed on the speed dial.  There was an answer
on the other line.

"Yes, hello, is Ken there?"

Ken¹s wife told Yukki that Ken stepped out for a bit and will be back later
that night.  She offered to tell Ken to call him back, but Yukki said it was
okay.  He hung up the phone and sighed wondering who else he can talk to for
advice.

"No....I can't let this get to me...  It¹s not my problem...  I can just
pretend I didn't see a thing!"

He was trying his best to convince himself not to say anything because he
knew if he brought it up; it may spark up some big arguments.  Besides, what
if this was just ONE meeting between Hyde and Sakura?  What if they ARE
friends?  It was none of Yukihiro's business.  Maybe he should investigate
this further until he takes action.  Yes, that¹s what he'll do.  With that,
Yukki stood up and walked to his mixing station taking out his new records
and looking at them.

"I might as well start on these mixes..."  He said to himself.

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

Tetsu yawned as he leaned back in his seat.  He rubbed his eyes and blinked
a few times, but he just couldn't help his sleepiness.

"Tetsu, daijoubu?"  Okano looked up from their work and at the bassist.
"Ah...daijoubu..." Tetsu laughed, "chotto nemui desu..."
"I can imagine how tired you are." Okano laughed, "You never get any rest."
"I know... but it¹s expected if you¹re the band leader."
"That¹s true!"  Okano nodded, "but I'll try my best to help make your job
easier as much as I can."
"Arigatou."
"Well, we¹re pretty much finished with the arrangements on HEAVEN'S DRIVE.
I am sure Haido will be pleased, and we can start recording at the beginning
of the New Year, after the holidays."
"That's good." Tetsu yawned again, "We need all the rest we can get before
going to the studio again...  I'm hoping to go back home during that time."
"How long has it been since the last time you were home?"
"Gosh, it's been a long time.  The last time I was there was when I took
Kaori down there to meet my family."
"That was almost a year ago, was it?"
"Yeah..."  Tetsu nodded, "It was kind of a pre-engagement meeting."
"Wow...  so are you going to take Hyde down there now?"
"If I find the courage..."  Tetsu sighed.

Tetsu trusted Okano as much as he trusted his band mates.  Besides being
Laruku's producer, Okano was one of Tetsu¹s best friends.  Almost like a
family member, Okano knew everything about Tetsu...  So whenever Tetsu
needed advice or counseling, he always had a third party to go to.

"Well, it's going to take a lot of courage.  Your parents aren¹t as Liberal
as most..."
"Don't remind me!"  Tetsu laughed nervously, "My Mother still believes that
I can patch things up with Kaori and make her a daughter-in-law."
"Well, it does help that they've met and known Hyde for a long time....and
that you're so much happier."
"I am happy.."  Tetsu smiled, "I¹ve never been this happy and this scared in
my life."
"It's really easy to see..."  Okano laughed, "I think everyone noticed a
change in you..."
"It's only going to get better...  I just know it will."  Tetsu smiled.
"Saa, I guess we're finished up here.  I think it¹s best for you to go on
home and rest up as much as you can for our meeting tomorrow.  I¹m expecting
you all to be punctual this time, especially you and Hyde!"  Okano pointed
at Tetsu playfully.
"We will..." Tetsu stretched up, "I just have to pick up those media
schedules from the office...then I have to go order this gift for Hyde..."
"You better hurry up..." Okano glanced at his watch,  "The office will be
closing in twenty minutes!"

Tetsu nearly bolted out the door and rushed over to the record company to
pick up the schedules.  Luckily the secretary had them ready on the desk to
pick up.  Afterwards Tetsu went straight to Ikebukuro to order Hyde¹s gift
at a specialty shop Ken had found on one of his outings.  He told Tetsu that
this place specialized in blue glass products and made them at special
order.

"Irasshaimase~!"

Tetsu stepped into the little shop and something immediately caught his eye,
it was a blue vase that almost looked exactly like the one in Morocco!  It
was very delicate and smooth with different etches of blue glistening off
the surface.  Tetsu couldn¹t believe how much it looked like the one he had
bought for Hyde so many years ago.  He almost forgot how beautiful it was.

"May I help you sir?"  One of the shop boys walked up to Tetsu.
"...Oh, I was just admiring this vase here."  Tetsu smiled, "It looks so
similar to one I had seen in Morocco."
"Yes, the vase is very unique and was imported.  We had a few people come in
to look at it.  It's the only one we have in the store."
"Sou desuka?  What is the asking price for this vase?"
"350,000 yen."
"Ah, no wonder no one has purchased it just yet..." Tetsu joked as the boy
laughed.
"It's a pretty steep price, but the vase is undoubtedly beautiful...is it
for your personal collection?"
"I was thinking of buying it for someone who loves blue glass."
"This would be a perfect gift..."
"Hm...." Tetsu knew he was going to buy it, but wanted to play undecided for
a little while, "What if by any chance the person doesn¹t like it.  Can they
return it?"
"Of course...  but we have a time limit for returns though.  If they don't
like it, they can exchange it for something else.  Though it would be hard
to imagine someone not wanting this vase."
"Can I get your guarantee with that?"  Tetsu smiled.

The boy looked rather unsure and nodded vigorously.

"I'm just joking with you.  I would like to buy this vase."
"Oh..."  the boy's eyes lit up, "Alright sir!  I¹ll ring it up right now."
"One thing though..." Tetsu interrupted, "Is it alright if I pick it up
later...in a couple of weeks?"
"Um...we can arrange for it to be kept in a safe place until you decide to
pick it up."
"Great."  Tetsu smiled, "I want to save it for a special occasion."

Tetsu admired the vase again as the boy talked to the manager about the
arrangements.  He could only imagine Hyde¹s face once he gave this to him.
He could finally tell him who really dropped the glass that one day many
years ago.  With that last thought in mind, Tetsu happily presented his
credit card.

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

Sakura and Hyde eventually ended up in Ikebukuro later that night when they
heard a passerby mention something about a night carnival over there.  While
walking down the crowded streets with Sakura, they approached a tiny store
that immediately caught Hyde's eye.  It had a number of gift items including
blue glass items displayed in the window.

"AH!  Sakura, let's go in this store!"  Hyde said excitedly dragging Sakura
in with him.
"You and glass objects, I still don't understand it..."  Sakura smiled.

Hyde was like a little kid in a candy shop as he walked down the aisles of
glass figurines and vases.  He spotted the blue vase Tetsu had seen earlier
that day.  It had a sign that said SOLD on it.

"Aw, too bad this one was already bought..."  Hyde said, "It¹s really
beautiful!"
"That IS a nice vase..." Sakura commented, "I wonder if there's another
one?"
"I don¹t know....if there is, I¹d sure love to buy it!"
"Lemme ask that boy over there..."  Sakura said as he approached the boy at
the counter.

Hyde was mesmerized by the many shades of blue embedded in the glass, it
reminded him about something he saw before, but he couldn¹t remember.  He
knew he saw something similar somewhere....

"It¹s the last one..."  Sakura said as he returned, "Someone bought it
earlier for 350,000 yen."
"Wow...." Hyde said surprised, "The owner has good taste."
"Is there anything else here you like?"
"Hmmmm"  Hyde said as he walked down another aisle, "Oh! Look at this!"

Hyde held up a little blue glass figurine of a cat.

"This looks just like snowdrop!"
"Eh?"  Sakura asked puzzled, "Your song?"
"No no no...."  Hyde laughed, "I have a cat named snowdrop.... this looks
just like him!"
"Oh, well...that is cute."
"I wonder how much this is?" Hyde said as he looked for a price.
"Here...let me ask that boy over there again..." Sakura said as he took the
little cat to the counter with him as Hyde continued to look.

"Sumimasen..." The drummer asked quietly as he approached the counter.
"Yes?"  The boy asked.
"How much is this little thing here?"
"I believe it¹s 9500 yen."
"That much?!" Sakura asked surprised.
"Well, it IS imported from the USA..."
"Okay....I would like to buy this....but keep it discreet because it¹s for
that guy over there..."
"Oh....alright...."  The boy smiled as he quietly packed the cat in a small
box and rung up the purchase.

"Are you ready to go now?"  Sakura asked, coming behind Hyde.
"Eh?"  Hyde turned around, "Did you get to find out how much that cat was?"
"Yeah, but it was costed more than it was worth..." Sakura lied, "And I
think I saw a chip on it or something."
"Too bad..."  Hyde sighed, "It seemed to be the last one too..."
"Let's head over to that carnival now." Sakura grinned.
"Alright!"

The bright gleaming lights of the carnival shimmered through the night and
the sound of excited voices filled the air.  There was something about this
atmosphere that made Hyde nostalgic about his times with Sakura.  It was
almost as if they'd stepped back in time and nothing had changed except that
they were older.  Hyde looked at Sakura as they were walking through the
crowds and he noticed how happy the drummer looked as he was talking.
Something Hyde hadn't seen in a long time.

They played some of the games there and while Hyde had a pretty good winning
streak, Sakura was still at the fish game trying to catch a fish.  By the
time Sakura gave up, Hyde had already won numerous prizes.  Instead of
keeping all the stuffed animals to himself, he gave them to some kids who
were playing nearby.  Sakura then spotted a roller coaster and convinced
Hyde to go on with him.

"I can't go on that....  I might throw up!" Hyde said nervously.
"Oh, don't be such a scaredy cat!  We ate hours ago, so you can¹t throw up!
Besides, I heard this roller coaster is slow and it¹s not as bad as the
others."
"Ok ok...I¹ll go...  but only this ride and that's IT!"  Hyde said.

They approached the line and as they were getting towards the front, Hyde
could already feel his stomach tying into knots.  He was always scared of
roller coasters and never went on them except years ago when he and Sakura
were together.  He remembered how he used to hold onto Sakura really tight
as they went through the twists and turns while Sakura laughed through the
whole thing.  Sakura was always great company when it came to scary fun...

The ride workers guided Hyde and Sakura to an empty cart and instructed them
to put on the harness correctly.  Hyde was already starting to shake
nervously as Sakura excitedly buckled up.

"Are you ready, Haido?"  Sakura¹s eyes gleamed as he turned to Hyde who was
trying his hardest not to shake as much.

"Y...yeah..." Hyde nodded, but inside he was getting so scared.
"You can hold on to me if you¹re scared..." Sakura offered.
Hyde said nothing as he held on tightly to the bar at his waist.  The ride
workers signaled to the operator that everything was ready to go and before
Hyde knew it, they were off.  Hyde shut his eyes at the first couple little
drops and he heard Sakura laughing and telling him to open his eyes.  By the
time he opened them, they were going up a really steep hill.  Hyde could
hear the nervous laughs and cries of the other riders and the strange
clicking noise of the coaster getting pulled up to the top.

"This is the big one!"  Sakura yelled, "Keep your eyes open for this one
Hyde, it¹s the best part of the ride!!"

As they were reaching the top Hyde felt so helplessly scared his stomach was
already coming up to his throat.  When they finally reached the top, Hyde
got a glimpse at the long steep drop ahead of him...  he nearly shrieked,
grabbed Sakura as tight as he can and shut his eyes as he felt an enormous
push of gravity and wind accompanied with loud screams.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"  
Hyde screamed at the top of his lungs.
"AAAAAAA!!!  SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!!"  Sakura screamed as they went down
the immense drop.  He could hardly talk since the force of the drop was so
hard and the fact that Hyde was squeezing the life out of him.

After a few more seconds of sharp turns and a couple loops, the ride finally
ended with Sakura laughing and Hyde still holding on to Sakura.

"Is this ride over yet?!!"  Hyde demanded, his head still buried in Sakura¹s
shoulder.
"Yes, it's over!"  Sakura said patting Hyde¹s back, "You survived it!"
"Thank God!!"  Hyde said as he quickly got out of the seat once the safety
belts released.

Sakura and Hyde finally stood on firm ground as Hyde caught his breath.

"I¹m NEVER going on that roller coaster again!"  Hyde said, looking at
Sakura, "You could have picked a less rough one!"
"Oh Hyde, this one wasn¹t that bad!  It was so damn cool!  Did you know it¹s
one of the fastest in Japan?"
Hyde playfully hit Sakura and pouted, "You are so mean!!!  You lied to
me!!!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"  Sakura laughed out loud, "But you should have seen
your face as we were reaching the peak of that drop...."
"I was so SCARED!  That's why!"  Hyde stuck his tongue out, "I've heard
disaster stories about those things you know."
"Well, the way you were holding on to me, you wouldn't of fallen out."
Sakura grinned, "I can say you almost killed me with that grip."
"Oh...gomen...."  Hyde blushed, "I didn't realize I was holding on that
tight..."
"It's okay...."  Sakura smiled, "Hey, would you like some Takoyaki over
there?"
"Sure!"  Hyde said as they began to walk to the nearby stand.

Sakura and Hyde settled at a nearby bench as they enjoyed their Takoyaki
while admiring the scenery.  The drummer glanced at Hyde and noticed how
much he was enjoying himself...

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time..."  Sakura said aloud.
"Me either!"  Hyde said unknowingly.
"Really?" Sakura asked.
"Well...."  Hyde stopped eating, "I mean, besides being with Tetsu that
is..."
"Oh....of course!"  Sakura nodded, though he felt his heart drop a little.
"But I'm really glad we got to hang out again, it's like old times..."
"I know..." Sakura said, "I wish this didn't have to end."
Hyde looked at the drummer and saw his semi-depressed look.
"We're friends, right?"  Hyde said, putting his hand on the drummer¹s
shoulder, "This doesn't have to be our last outing."

Sakura smiled, nodding his head.
"Hey...." Hyde said, "since I went on a ride with you, would you go on a
ride with me?"
"Yeah, which one?"
"The Merry Go Round..." Hyde pointed at the large lighted ride at the middle
of the carnival.
"Sure..."  Sakura agreed.

As they walked to the Merry Go Round, Sakura was struck with so many
memories....  If he remembered correctly, it was on a Merry Go Round that he
first confessed his feelings to Hyde.  It was on the day they recorded
'Blurry Eyes¹ at their favorite theme park.  While on break, Hyde was riding
the Merry Go Round all by himself.  After all the endless flirting they had
done since the shoot in Morocco, Sakura knew it was time to tell Hyde how he
really felt.  It was torturing him inside for he knew he had to say
something before this beautiful creature finds someone else.  He already
heard from Ken-chan that Hyde had a huge crush on him, but the drummer
refused to fully believe it.

It was still night time and the crew was busy packing up for the day.  Tetsu
was in his dressing room doing an interview with a magazine writer as Ken
was napping in his trailer.  Sakura just finished smoking a cigarette as he
started looking for Hyde.  He then saw the bright lights of the Merry Go
Round flashing and he heard the music.  He went to take a look and when he
did, he thought the crew probably just turned it on for testing since it
looked empty.  But just as Sakura was about to leave, he saw a figure
sitting on one of the horses, gracefully getting carried up and down as the
carousel spun.

Hyde looked like a young girl riding on the carousel, alone in her own dream
world.  Hyde was leaning on the pole, daydreaming.  No one was around but
him.

Sakura approached the carousel slowly and hopped on, walking through the
horses until he reached Hyde.  He touched Hyde's shoulder lightly, startling
the vocalist.

"Sa...Sakura, what are you doing here?"  Hyde¹s beautiful brown eyes blinked
at the other man.
"What are YOU doing here?" Sakura asked the same question.
"Oh, I couldn't resist but to ask the crew to let me ride this carousel one
more time...  I've always liked these things ever since I was a kid you
know..." Hyde grinned, "Care to join me?"
"Oh....no, it's okay...  I'll just stand right here and make sure you don¹t
fall off this horse."
"I won't..."  Hyde laughed, "If you're that concerned, why don't you climb
up here behind me?"
"Two people can fit on one of these things?"
"I don't see why not?"  Hyde said, "Come on!"

Sakura jumped up on the horse adjusting himself to a comfortable position on
the back of the wooden horse.
"Have enough room back there?" Hyde asked, trying to turn around.
"Um... I don't know...  it sure feels like I'm gonna fall off."  Sakura
said.
"Hold on to me..."
Sakura froze for a second at what Hyde just said, until he felt Hyde's hand
grab his and put it around his waist.  Sakura obeyed and wrapped his arms
around the smaller man.
"Does that feel better?" Hyde sheepishly grinned.
"H...hai..."  Sakura was on the verge of melting.   He was so close to Hyde
and holding on to him....it felt so natural.  He almost forgot they were on
a fake wooden horse.  He scooted a little closer to the vocalist and caught
the sweet aroma of Hyde¹s long curly hair.  It smelled so good; Sakura
wanted to bury his face in it.  Before he knew it, he rested his chin on
Hyde¹s shoulder, brushing his cheek against Hyde¹s ear.  He felt no
hesitation from the other man as he did this.

"Hyde...?" Sakura began.  Hyde said nothing, but Sakura knew he was
listening....

"I've been wanting to tell you something...." Sakura took a deep breath,
inhaling Hyde¹s scent to give him more courage to say what he wanted to say.
"It's just....all this flirting we¹ve been doing... it's so obvious that all
this time ....I've been crazy about you....  You're all I think about...
You're all I want in this world...  What I'd give if you can be with me
forever..."

It was like a fairytale moment.  It felt as if Hyde melted in his arms as he
said this and there was something in Hyde¹s eyes that told Sakura that he
was already his.  It was a moment Sakura could never forget...  a moment
that no words can describe...  Looking at this simple carousel before them
just brought everything back... Sakura could feel his eyes water a bit....

"Come on!"  Hyde said as he pulled Sakura around the carousel to find a
vacant seat.  Most of the horses were filled in by excited children, but
Hyde managed to find one.

"Oh there's only one here...." Hyde said disappointed, "Did you want to wait
till the next ride?"
"It's okay! Go ahead and ride that one, I can stand right here next to you."
Sakura smiled.
"Are you sure?"  Hyde looked at the drummer.
"Yeah, go ahead!"  Sakura nodded.
"Okay!"  Hyde said happily as he climbed on the horse and held on to the
pole.
Sakura looked up at Hyde and thought of the time many years ago....  he
wondered if Hyde had the slightest memory of it.

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

Tetsu continuously flipped the channels on the TV.  He wondered what
happened to Hyde after he left the studio.  He still felt bad that he had to
cancel their ramen outing, since he knew it had been a few days since he and
Hyde had not had a moment alone together.  After coming home from the glass
store he tried calling Hyde on his cell phone but no one answered.  Tetsu
went ahead and bought some dinner for the both of them and when he finally
came home he saw that Hyde forgot to bring his cell phone with him.

The bassist glanced at the clock.  It was almost 10:30 PM.  I wonder where
he could be?  Maybe Ken or Yukki knows.  Tetsu grabbed the phone from the
table and dialed Ken's number.

"Hello, Kitamura residence..."
"Ken-chan, it's Tetsu!"
"Techan!  What's up man?"  Ken said cheerfully on the other line.
"Nothing much.  I was just wondering if you knew where Hyde was?"
"He¹s not with you?"
"No...  I didn't have a chance to ask him where he was gonna go since I had
to leave for that meeting."
"Ah..."
"Did he tell you anything?"
"No....he didn¹t really say anything.  He just looked a little disappointed
for awhile but said that he¹ll find something to do when I offered him to
come with me."
"I feel so bad for having to leave him like that."
"Don't worry about it.  Hyde wasn¹t mad.  I¹m sure he's alright."
"I hope so,  I can't help but feel worried, you know?"
"Yeah...  but you know, my wife said Yukki tried calling me earlier.  Maybe
he knows where Hyde is."
"Oh, okay!" Tetsu said a bit relieved, "I'll give him a call."
"Alright then...  our meeting with Okano is still on for tomorrow, right?"
"Yup!  And be sure to bring as many ideas as you can."
"Ok, well see ya later then."
"See ya."

*CLICK*

Tetsu then dialed Yukki¹s number and waited for a pickup.  Yukki on the
other hand was still working on his remixes and almost didn't hear the phone
ring.  He quickly made his way across the room to pick it up.

"Hai, Moshi Moshi....Yukihiro desu..."
"Yukki!  It's Techan."
"Ossu, Techan! What's up?"
"I was wondering if you knew where Hyde was?"

Yukki froze....

"Yukki, are you still there?"
"Yes...yes I¹m here!"
"So do you know?"
"Well....I did see him earlier today at the ramen shop."
"You did?!!!"  Tetsu said happily.

Yukki¹s mind was rushing 100 miles per hour, wondering if he should tell
Tetsu who he saw Hyde with....

"....Yeah....um, he was.....by himself..."  Yukki said quickly.
"Oh...."  Tetsu sighed, "Did he say anything about what he was going to do?"
Yukki felt so bad for lying....but he felt as if he had no choice,
"Actually, I didn¹t get a chance to talk to him, it was so crowded in there
and....  he didn't see me."
"That¹s ok..." Tetsu said, "I was just wondering if maybe you might know
where he could be...  He's not home yet, but it¹s still a bit early...  I
may be worrying too much."
"Yeah..."  Yukki nervously laughed, "But...um....if he doesn't show up, give
me a call, ok?"
"I will."  Tetsu said, "Thanks Yukki."
"No problem..." Yukki said disappointed at himself for not telling the truth
as he hung up the phone.

Tetsu stretched and just lay on the couch.  'I shouldn't worry so much...
Hyde is responsible for himself, he¹d always go out by himself...'  Tetsu
said to himself.  'I gotta quit being so over protective.  I'll just leave
the lights on so when he comes back he won't trip over anything.  I need to
go to sleep anyway...'

With that, Tetsu turned off the TV and headed upstairs to the bedroom
carrying Snowdrop with him.
"Come on Snowdrop, it's time to go to sleep...Haido will be back soon."

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

"Tanoshiikatta!"  Sakura said as Hyde parked his car in front of Sakura's
apartment.
"I¹m glad."  Hyde smiled, "I had fun too."
"Really, thank you for inviting me to spend the day with you."  Sakura said,
turning to Hyde.
"It was nice spending the day with you." Hyde said back, "Maybe we can do
this again."
"I hope so."  Sakura said,  "When are you not that busy?"
"I don't know...  I can give you a call the next time I'm free."
"That's fine."  Sakura said.  "Well, I better get going.  Thanks for the
ride!"
"No problem..."  Hyde smiled.
"Oh! Before I forget, this is for you." Sakura said as he gave a small box
to Hyde, "You can open it later if you want."
"You really shouldn't have..."  Hyde said as he looked down at the box, "I
didn't even get anything for you and..."
"No...no...I wanted to get it for you, to show you my appreciation..."
Sakura smiled, shutting the car door.
"Thanks."  Hyde said.
"Well. I'll see you.  Good night Hyde..."  Sakura said as he waved and
walked up the steps to his apartment.
Hyde waved back and then drove off as Sakura watched him go...
"Hyde...." he said under his breath.

As Hyde drove his mind was spinning.  He couldn't believe he spent the whole
day with Sakura.  In a way he felt guilty, but then again, he and Sakura are
just friends. Hyde already told Sakura that it would only be friendship
between them.  He glanced at the digital clock and saw that it was already
11:00 at night.  He didn¹t realize how late it was and wondered if Tetsu was
even home.  He forgot his cell phone at home so he couldn't try calling...

He finally reached the house and parked the car.  He saw Tetsu's car and saw
the lights on, so he must be awake.  Hyde took a deep breath and tried to
think up a story taking Sakura right out of it.  Once satisfied with a
believable story, he unlocked the door and walked in.

"Tadaima..."  He said, but no one answered.  He took off his shoes and
locked the door behind him.
"Tetsu?  Snowdrop?"  Hyde looked around the house and there was no sign of
them.  They most likely went to bed.  Hyde let out a slight sigh of relief
as he took off his coat and went into the kitchen to get a drink of water.
He brought the box with him and set it on the counter.  He finally opened
it...

"The cat.....!"  Hyde said in awe as he took the blue glass cat out of the
box, "He bought it!"

Hyde held it up to the light so that the blue shimmered and Hyde smiled big.
"It's so pretty!  Why did he go off and buy this?"

Hyde smiled at it as he brought it up with him to the bedroom.  He saw both
Tetsu and Snowdrop sleeping on the bed.

"Poor Te-chan..."  Hyde said as he sat near the sleeping bassist, "He must
be so tired."   Hyde gently ran his hands through Tetsu¹s soft hair and
Tetsu opened his eyes.

"Haido..."  He said half asleep, "You¹re finally back..."
"Shhhh...."  Hyde said, "I¹m sorry I¹m late...."
"It¹s okay."  Tetsu said, "I¹m just glad you¹re safe, ne...."
"Go back to sleep..."  Hyde smiled as he kissed Tetsu on he head.
Tetsu nodded and went fast asleep.

Hyde sighed and looked at the glass cat in his hands.  He couldn¹t help but
wonder what was going through Sakura's mind at this moment.  Placing the cat
on the bedside table, Hyde quickly put on his night clothes and laid down on
his side of the bed looking up at the ceiling waiting to fall asleep...  All
the while thinking about what he did that very day....

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

Tetsu adjusted the last few details on his outfit just before he left his
dressing room.  The start of LíArc~en~Ciel's  "Kiss Me Deadly Heavenly" tour
for 1996 was such a success so far for the band.  It was too exciting.
Tetsu knew that it was still only the beginning of Laruku's future as a
popular major label band, but he never imagined it would already look so
promising for a little band originating from Osaka.

But that wasn¹t the only thing on Tetsu's mind right at the moment.

The weekend before, Tetsu heard that Sakura and Hyde got into an argument,
causing Sakura to move out of the apartment that the shared with the
vocalist.  After hearing about this recent problem, Tetsu felt more relieved
than worried.  For awhile he noticed tension between Hyde and Sakura during
practices.  It really did seem like the relationship was going no where.

Ken also told Tetsu that Hyde confessed that he couldn¹t stand Sakura
anymore.  Tetsu knew all along that Sakura was no good for Hyde.  It would
only take a matter of time for Hyde to realize it.  The bassist felt that
this had to be a sign.  This had to be the day he confesses to Hyde.  He
kept it in for almost five years, watching the person he loved never aware
of how he felt.  Tetsu looked down on the dressing room table and picked up
a letter he wrote to Hyde, one of the countless others he composed and ended
up keeping; telling the vocalist to meet him at a special place after the
concert to talk to him.  He even went the extra mile and had two dozen
specially dyed blue roses sent to Hyde¹s dressing room under an anonymous
name.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey, Tetchan!"  Ken grinned, opening the door, "We're almost up!  Are you
ready?"
"Yeah." Tetsu smiled, "Is everyone out there already?"
"Uh, I think so.  I already saw Sakura on deck.  Can you get Hyde?  I think
he's still in his room."
"Sure."  Tetsu nodded, sticking the letter in his jacket pocket.
"Alright. We¹ll be waiting out there for you guys!"  Ken winked before
walking away.

Tetsu took a deep breath and proceeded down the narrow hall to Hyde's
dressing room.  The stage crew started bustling about and the atmosphere
backstage started to feel rather humid.  The tension in the air was clearly
felt by everyone, but there was no doubt that a majority of it was pure
excitement.

Tetsu finally reached the vocalist's room and noticed that the door was not
closed.  It was left cracked, as if someone had already entered before he
did.  Tetsu felt that he didn¹t have to knock and decided to just walk in.
At first glance Hyde was not there.  Tetsu did notice that the blue roses he
sent were displayed on a nearby table with Hyde¹s personal belongings.  The
scent of Hyde's cologne filled Tetsu¹s nostrils, giving him even more
courage to do what he really came for.

"Hyde, I want you back..."

Tetsu froze and stopped before he turned the corner towards the bathroom.
The voice that just spoke sounded like Sakura.  Was Sakura here?!  Tetsu
didn't hear Hyde respond.  Gathering all his courage, Tetsu peeked past the
wall where he heard the voice and saw a sight that he didn't expect.

It was like a replay of the scene Tetsu despised the most.  Sakura had Hyde
safely in his arms and kissed him so passionately, it even brought tears to
Tetsu's eyes.  It was like the couple was frozen in time and there was
nothing that could tear them away.  Tetsu felt his throat tighten and his
breathing suspend.  He felt like shouting so that Sakura and Hyde could see
his pain, but nothing would come out.  He was defenseless.

Tetsu's hand grasped the letter in his pocket as he turned and walked out of
the room as fast as he could.  He didn't even turn back to see if Sakura and
Hyde noticed him leave.  The bassist felt as if he couldn't breathe...

"Tetsu, where's Hyde and Sakura?" Ken asked curiously, "I thought Sakura was
already here but Tomoko said that he left."
Tetsu didn't know what to say as he stood there in front of Ken.  He felt as
if he were crying, but the tears were not coming out.
"Techan, are you alright?"  Ken asked curiously.

"Hey Ken!" Sakura ran down the hall with Hyde in tow, "Are we ready?!"
"Hell yeah man!!"  Ken laughed, giving Sakura a high-five, "We were waiting
for you two!"
"I'm so pumped up now."  Hyde hollered amongst all the noise from the
audience, "How about you Tetsu?"
Tetsu looked at Hyde and nodded with a slight smile.  Hyde looked so happy.
Probably the happiest he'd seen.  Hyde¹s beautiful smile felt like arrows
shooting through Tetsu¹s chest.  Each laugh and grin killing all the hope
Tetsu had inside of himself.  He never knew a person could feel so hurt.

After gathering around for their ritual prayer before the show, the members
proceeded onto the stage.  The noise from the crowds got louder and louder,
chanting the popular names of Laruku's vocalist and drummer.  Tetsu tried
blocking out those names as best he could while putting on his bass.

The concert seemed like the longest he had ever performed.  Tetsu wanted it
to be over so badly. He didn¹t feel enthusiastic at all.  Actually, he felt
sick to his stomach.  Towards the end of the concert he almost collapsed a
few times.  The backstage crew noticed Tetsu's fatigue and offered him lots
of bottled water each time he headed to the side of the stage.

Hyde's voice and Sakura¹s drumming drove him mad.  Pounding in his head
louder and louder.  He felt like a slave to it as he strummed madly on his
bass.  No one knew what he was feeling inside.  No one knew how hurt he
was...
how much he wished he was not there.  All the happy faces around him seemed
like they were laughing at him.  They were all against him.  Tetsu felt a
resentment he had never felt before raging deep inside him.  A rage that
could only end in death.

The concert ended.

There was an after party going on for the crew, but Tetsu left early.  He
ended up alone back in his dressing room staring at his reflection.  His
ugly reflection.

"No wonder Hyde doesn¹t love you...  No wonder no one loves you..."

Tetsu felt feverish as he took out a switchblade from his makeup case.  He
knew he'd need it someday...  The tears started rolling down his cheeks as
more anger and disgust flowed through him.  He was sick of looking at
himself.  He was sick of feeling this way.  He was sick of his life.

"I hate you Tetsuya Ogawa."

Tetsu grabbed a bunch of long auburn hair from the side of his face and with
a swift motion, cut through it with the sharp blade.  He repeated this same
act over and over until the floor was covered with his red hair.

Looking up, Tetsu shrieked.  The image in the mirror was completely
different and horrible.  The ugliness he felt inside finally came to the
surface..  This was the end.  It was time for him to give up.  He had to.
This love for Hyde was killing him.  If not physically, it was killing him
mentally.

"Te...Tetsu what the hell happened?!!!!!!" Ken yelled as he found Tetsu
slumped on the dressing room couch with a blade in his hand.  Ken saw the
hair scattered on the floor and looked back at Tetsu, who was dazed.  Tetsu
didn't look well at all.

"Tetsu!"  Ken said again, kneeling in front of the bassist, "What happened?"

Tetsu looked down at Ken, "I don't know."
Ken looked at Tetsu strangely, "Tetsu, you don't look so well.  I'm going to
call the paramedics."
Tetsu shook his head, "I'm...I'm fine."
"No you're not!"  Ken said, "I¹m really worried about you Techan, you don¹t
look good at all.  And...and you chopped all your hair off!  What's going
on?
What were you thinking?!"

Tetsu didn't answer as he dropped the blade to the ground.  He walked back
to the mirror and looked at his reflection.  All his hair was chopped off
and only pieces of it were hanging past his chin.  It was a mess.  Tetsu
just stood there sobbing.
"Techan.  Get a grip.  Comon man." Ken said, "You're just stressed out.  I
understand."
"Kenchan..."
"What is it?  Talk to me."  Ken hugged Tetsu, it was freaking the guitarist
out seeing his leader like this, "What happened Tetsu?"
"Every last bit of hope and love I had in my heart just died out there...,"
Tetsu said softly as he sobbed into Ken's silk shirt.

(end of flashback...)

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

The following morning Hyde woke up to a light push on the shoulder...

"Hyde, it's time to get up... we have a meeting today..."
"Urmmmm....."  Hyde mumbled as he turned in bed, "Do I have to get up?"
"Well, Okano is counting on us to be on time today, so...you have no
choice..." Tetsu smiled as he sat down on Hyde's side of the bed, "What made
you come home so late last night anyway?"
Hyde yawned, smiling, "Were you worried?"
"Not really..."  Tetsu lied, "I was wondering if you found something to do."
"Of course I did."  Hyde nodded, "Though I really missed you."
"I missed you too."  Tetsu sighed, bringing himself down on Hyde, "I really
didn¹t want to leave you all by yourself."
"I know..."  Hyde grinned.
"Just as soon as everything starts to calm down, we can be together without
any interruptions again, I promise you."
"..alright..."

Tetsu gave Hyde a kiss on the lips, something he truly missed the past few
days.  Hyde missed this so much, he practically gave in fully...  kissing
Tetsu so deeply, all he could think about was this exact moment.  Kissing
Tetsu was what he loved most....mainly because the kiss was so true and so
passionate.  Tetsu knew as well as he; that if they didn¹t stop, they would
end up being really late to the meeting.  So the bassist reluctantly pulled
off leaving Hyde laying there breathless.

"I hate when you do this to me..."  Hyde sighed, smiling sexy.

"God, I hate when you give me that look..."  Tetsu smiled, "It just makes me
want you more."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Oh Hyde....  You know I want to, but we can't be late to this meeting..."
"Okaaay Techan....."  Hyde lazily picked himself off the bed and wrapped his
arms around the other man, "Let's go to the meeting."
"Sankyuu...." Tetsu said cutely, nuzzling his nose against Hyde¹s, "We can
try to hurry back...to continue where we left off."
Hyde giggled, "We¹ll see...."

As Hyde made his way to the bathroom, Tetsu spotted the blue glass cat on
the bed stand.  He picked it up and looked at it.

"Oh, did you buy this yesterday? It¹s cute!"
"Huh?" Hyde peeked out and saw the cat Tetsu was holding, "Oh, that!  Yeah,
I found it at this shop I visited in Ikebukuro yesterday."
"Hontouni?  I was just over there yesterday too..."
"Really?"
"Was it that little shop next to PARCO that sells little gifts and rare
glass?"
"Yes!  That¹s the one!  You went there?"
"Yeah...I was....um...looking for a gift for my Mom."
"They had this really gorgeous blue vase there...  did you see it?"  Hyde
asked excitedly.
"I did!  I'm surprised no one bought it."
"Someone actually did buy it!  I was looking at it, but it had a SOLD sign
on it."  Hyde said disappointed, "It would have been soooo perfect in our
house!"
"Too bad..."
"I know...  but then I saw that little cat and it reminded me of Snowdrop,
so I had to get it."
"It¹s really cute..."  Tetsu grinned, putting the cat back on the stand.

Hyde went back to the vanity mirror and held his breath for a moment as he
saw Tetsu putting the cat back on the stand.  He wondered what Tetsu would
actually do if he really knew that was from Sakura.

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

"All of you are on time, I'm impressed!" Okano said as he entered the room
with another one of his staff members.
"Now you're the one who's late, ne." Ken snickered.
"Only because... I bought donuts for you all..."  Okano said as the
secretary entered with a big pink bakery parcel.  She set in on the table
with napkins and left the room.
"Sugoii!"  The members said as they opened the box to reveal sticky sweet
donuts.
"Save me a jelly one, ne!"  Yukki said as he tried to look in the box.
"That sugared one is mine!" Ken demanded as he fished it out.
"Where's the glazed ones?"  Tetsu asked, "You didn't get the glazed ones,
Okano??"
"There should be another one in there unless I unknowingly ate it."
"Yay...  Okano got the chocolate one with sprinkles!" Hyde said happily,
holding up his favorite.

After getting their donuts, the members settled down to begin the meeting.
Okano began with the idea of the double album they were planning to release
the following year and brought up concepts about how to organize the two
albums so they can easily add their single releases evenly onto each album.
They began talking about the pros and cons of having two albums and what
will make fans and non-fans want to buy the albums.  It seemed like hours
had passed when they finally decided how to approach the project.  They
decided to each write a certain amount of songs by a specified deadline.

"It will take about 6 months for us to complete both recordings if we go
along with the 11 track limits for both albums."  Okano said, "It all
depends when you want to release them."
"We should release them on an auspicious day!"  Ken said.
"Well, Tetsu and I have already came to the decision to start recording
after the New Year holidays, which means 6 months from then would be the
summer of 1999."
"What auspicious day happens during that time...?"  Yukki thought aloud.

The members thought in silence for about 10 minutes until Tetsu stood up, "I
know....  I read this in a magazine at the bookstore the other day...  It is
said that on July 1st of next year, Nostradamus made a prophecy that a
terrifying apparition will descend at which everyone will board an ark and
look towards a ray of light!  We can release the albums on this date!  I
think it will gain much attention, it will be kind of like we¹re the
prophecy!"

"That¹s really good.... Especially for marketing strategies..."  Okano said
nodding his head in approval, "What do the rest of you think?"

The other members agreed as well since they themselves couldn¹t think of
anything....

"So... with that in mind...."  Hyde began, "We should call our two albums,
ark and ray."
"Hey, that doesn¹t sound that bad!"  Ken grinned.
"I like the sound of that too.  They can be distinctively different in style
and sound."  Yukihiro added.
"It won't be like other double albums where they're sold together...they
will be sold separately."  Tetsu said.
"How so?"  Okano asked, "Wouldn¹t it be easier to sell them together?"
"Well, I noticed when bands release a double album, it¹s so hard to listen
to it all at once.  If we sell the two albums separately, the listener can
buy and listen to the one he wants.  When they give it a good listen they
can have the urge to try out the other album and buy that one too."
"Yeah yeah!!"  Ken said excitedly, "That sounds like something I would
do...!"
"And then there's always those people that would want to buy both at the
same time for various reasons, especially if they know all our hit singles
are balanced equally on both."  Yukki said.
"You guys are genius¹!"  Okano said happily, "This sounds like a plan...
but for it to happen, we really got to start doing our homework."
"So our deadlines for new songs should be by the end of next month or after
the holidays, desho?" Ken asked.
"That's what seems to fit the timeframe if you really want this to release
in July of next year." Okano nodded, "I'm sure you all can do it...."
The Laruku members in turn slumped back in there chairs trying to absorb the
huge task put upon them.  It wasn't going to be easy.  Then again, making an
album never was....

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

"What's wrong Haido?  You're so quiet!"  Tetsu glanced at the vocalist
sitting in the passenger¹s seat next to him.
"Betsu ni... just thinking about what kind of songs I want to write.
There's just so many possibilities of what we can write.  It¹s not
restricted like our past albums if you know what I mean."
"Yes, I know what you mean..."  Tetsu agreed, "But I think once we gather
all our songs together we can sort them out and then create the themes."
"I already have a couple songs in mind...it's just getting the energy to sit
down and write them on paper."  Hyde sighed.
Tetsu laughed to himself, "I know we can do it...  we're just under
estimating ourselves too early."

They finally arrived back to their house and Tetsu went straight to the
stereo system to listen to some CD¹s for inspiration.  Hyde in turn went
into the kitchen to find something to eat... he was starving.

"You know, this ambient sounding stuff isn¹t that bad...  I was thinking of
creating a song that had a similar style to this song..."  Tetsu said as he
walked towards the kitchen looking at one of his CD albums, "Maybe I can ask
Yukki if he has some ideas with mixing some ambient sounds into our songs."

Hyde wasn't really paying attention to Tetsu since it seemed like Tetsu was
talking to himself more than he was talking to Hyde.  So the vocalist
continued to look for things to eat as the bassist talked on for the next
ten minutes.  Suddenly Tetsu stopped talking and it made Hyde look up for a
moment.

Tetsu looked at Hyde, "Were you even listening to what I was saying?"
"Um...  Of course I was!"  Hyde smiled, "You were talking about ambient
music...and..."
"No...I already finished that topic..."
"I'm...sorry..."  Hyde said, "My mind is just wandering, can you repeat what
you just said?"
"Nevermind...it's not that important."
"Oh, come on Techan, I'm sorry I wasn't listening..."  Hyde pouted, walking
over to the other man.
"Well...maybe I deserve it since I¹ve been ignoring you."  Tetsu sighed.
"No, that¹s not it!  You haven¹t been ignoring me." Hyde reassured him.
"I have..."  Tetsu frowned, "and I'm sorry."
"I still don't know why you're thinking that way.  You don¹t have to feel
like you have to be with me all the time and apologizing all the time."
Hyde said.
"So I am being too over protective, huh?"
"No...it's not that.  You just have to not worry so much about everything."
"Yeah, but that¹s just how I am.  I just want to be reassured that
everything will be okay."
"It will!"  Hyde grinned, giving Tetsu a hug, "As long as we¹re together it
will be okay."
"Thank you Hyde..."  Tetsu said giving the vocalist a firm hug, "I really
don't know what I'd do without you."

Hyde then gave the other man a kiss on the cheek and continued to the
kitchen taking out various ingredients to cook something up. It was so cute
seeing Hyde scurry around the kitchen and wearing an apron.  He always
enjoyed it when Hyde wanted to cook.

"So what were you saying before I blanked out?"  Hyde asked Tetsu as he was
starting to cut some vegetables.
"I was wondering if you'd mind spending the holidays at my parent¹s house
with me."  Tetsu smiled.
"Hontouni?"  Hyde stopped what he was doing.
"Yes.."

Hyde had an unsure look in his face.  He knew Tetsu's parents all too well.
They were rich, snobby and looked down on anything that wasn¹t considered
normal to society.  They treated Hyde with respect all these years, but if
they find out that he is romantically involved with their only son....the
Ogawa heir.... it¹s a whole different story.

"I know what you're thinking..." Tetsu sighed nervously, "My parents....
but.... that's why I need you there with me Hyde.  I need to show them that
this is what I want."
"...this is what I want too..."  Hyde smiled, "Of course I'll come with
you."

Tetsu felt so happy inside, he already felt enough courage growing in him to
tell his parents right now.  It was rather silly being afraid of them since
he was always one that was independent from them.  Being the only boy he got
to get away with so many things and often got the favor of both parents with
whatever he asked for or wanted.  This can¹t be any different.

"So, what exactly did you do yesterday?  You didn't really get to tell me
except that glass shop."
"Oh..."  Hyde looked at the bassist, "I just mainly hung around by
myself..."
"Yukki told me he saw you and the ramen shop."
Hyde dropped his knife and froze solid.

"What....what did he say?  When was he there?  Did he really see me?"
Tetsu looked at Hyde strangely... "Well of course he saw you.  He said you
were sitting by yourself and that it was really crowded so you didn't see
him."
Hyde wanted to let out a big sigh of relief, "Oh..."
"So what did you do after that?"
"Well..."  Hyde continued to cook, his mind racing...wondering if Yukki
really did see him with Sakura, "I just went straight to Ikebukuro and spent
the rest of the day at the night carnival over there, it was pretty fun.   I
won a lot of prizes, but ended up giving them away."
"That sounds fun..."  Tetsu grinned, "I wish I was there with you instead of
that stuffy office."
"I wish we were there together too..."  Hyde sighed, "...I was wondering how
you were doing the whole time I was there."
"Oh, well...I was just working on the arrangements of HEAVEN¹S DRIVE with
Okano.  We finished it and it¹s ready to record."
"Was it hard to arrange from my rough draft?"
"Not at all!"  Tetsu said, "We practically left it as is.  We only added
what was necessary, to make it sound complete, you know?  But other than
that, it was merely perfect."
"Aren't all my songs?"  Hyde smirked.
"Oh, don't give yourself too much credit!"  Tetsu laughed as he wrapped his
arms around Hyde.
"Oi oi....were you able to get the clothes out of the wash this morning?"
Hyde turned to look at the bassist.
"Ah...that's what I forgot!"  Tetsu sighed, "Gomen gomen...  I should go do
that right now, ne..."
"The food should be ready by the time you're done, ne!"  Hyde smiled.

Tetsu walked down the hall into the washroom to get the laundry.  He was so
used to getting his laundry done by someone else when he was living on his
own that he often forgot how to wash his own clothes.  So when Tetsu first
moved in, he and Hyde made a deal that they would share laundry chores each
month.  This month it was Tetsu and he was stuck with a big load since most
of the clothes accumulated from the tour.

He began to separate the clothes by color and took out the clothes that were
dry clean only.  As he was doing this, some items fell out of a pair of
pants.  Tetsu held up the pants and saw that they were Hyde's.  So he bent
down to pick up what fell.  Most of it was spare change, a crushed cigarette
box and a bright orange paper that was folded.  Tetsu unfolded the paper to
see what it was and it looked as if someone¹s phone number was on it.  It
didn¹t say whose it was though.  He turned the paper around and it turned
out to be a Zigzo flyer.

"Where did Hyde get this?"  Tetsu asked himself aloud.  The flyer had
Zigzo¹s picture on it and Sakura¹s face was visibly seen.  This was a flyer
for their show at the Shinjuku loft that one day.  But this didn¹t bother
Tetsu that much.  Hyde probably didn¹t really have any use for this paper
and just wrote someone's number on it.  Tetsu shrugged and just put the
paper in his pocket.  He'll probably investigate this later, or did he
really need to?

"Baka Tetsu...  why can¹t you just trust Hyde and quit thinking all these
crazy things?"

The bassist threw a load into the washer and took another load out of the
dryer, carrying it into the room.  He saw Hyde setting the table for them
and the aroma of the food made Tetsu so hungry.  He quickly went up into the
room to put the laundry away.

Hyde was busy setting the dishes on the table.  In the back of his mind he
still had a guilty feeling about being with Sakura.  He was actually hoping
to hang out with the drummer again.  Sakura was his friend, only his friend.

"I love Tetsu...  I only love Tetsu...  why am I letting this get to me?"
Hyde said to himself before the bassist came down and got ready to enjoy the
food.

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

Sakura woke up late again that day, pissing Ryo off for missing their
practice.  In these instances Sakura knew it was a good idea to be out of
Ryo's way until he cools off.  So the drummer decided to hang out on the
front porch of the studio to enjoy a cigarette.

All the while he kept thinking about the day before...  about being with
Hyde again.  It was something he never had imagined right when he left
L'Arc~en~Ciel.  He really thought Hyde was gone forever.  There was
definitely no one else that can make him feel the way Hyde makes him feel.
He was even surprised that the feelings within him still stayed the same.
The time he had with Hyde just brought him to life again.  He felt like a
normal person again, he felt like he had purpose, he felt happy.  But Sakura
knew that it could never be the same.  How can he convince Hyde that he
really has changed...  how can he convince Hyde to love him again?  His ego
was too big to accept rejection even though it was a realization.

Sakura leaned his head against the cold pavement wall.

Will there ever be a day where I get a second chance?  Will Hyde ever look
at me again with love?

"What are you doing out here?"  Den asked curiously, taking a seat next to
Sakura.
"Just thinking...and staying out of Ryo's way."
"Well, he's cooled off now.  And Tetsu is alright as well.  They just don¹t
want you making a habit of missing practice.  Especially if there's a big
show coming up."  Den explained.
"I know I know...  I really won¹t do this again.  I just got caught up with
other things."
"Hyde?"  Den smiled at Sakura, "You went out with him, didn't you."
Sakura took a drag from his cigarette and smiled.
"You fucker, I told you not to get involved with him!"  Den laughed, "You're
going to get yourself into deep shit and no one¹s gonna help dig you out."
"Hey, we went out just as friends, there was nothing going on.  I was
behaving myself the whole time."
"Yeah, all the while you had to control that lump in your pants."
"You're a fuckin idiot Den.  Shut the hell up!"  Sakura laughed.
"I know about it."  Den grinned, "Just be careful, man.  Like I said, don't
try to get something back that you lost.  You just can't do it."
"Some things you can get back....  I really think you can."
"Yeah, but it comes at a price.... it usually involves hurting someone
else."
Sakura remained silent as he put out his cigarette, running his hands
through his hair.

"Well,  we better get inside.  I already hear Tetsu testing out his vocals
on the mic."  Den said as he stood up.
"Alright." Sakura sighed, following Den into the studio.
"Oh, before I forget, we were planning on going out tonight to a friend's
party in Odaiba, wanna come?"
"Sure....why not?"  Sakura shrugged, but in the back of his mind he hoped
Hyde would call.

'...I hope Hyde gets a hold of me soon....  I have to see him again before I
go
crazy....'

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

"I was wondering why you tried to call me that one day Yukki, what was up?"
Ken asked curiously as he and Yukki browsed through the book shop.
"Well...it was something....I mean, it was about something I saw...."
"Something you saw?  It¹d better be interesting, ne."  Ken laughed, "Did you
see a naked woman for the first time?"
"Shut up you hentai!"  Yukki tried to keep his laughter quiet as he
playfully hit Ken, "It's not that."
"Then what was it?!"  Ken asked impatiently.
"SHH!!!" a grumpy old lady said as she passed by.  Ken in turn made a face
as he and Yukki continued to look at more magazines.
"I don't know if I should say anything because....it might make a mess of
things."  Yukki sighed.
"Make a mess of things?  You mean in our band?"

Yukki nodded.  Ken looked at the drummer surprised.

"What is it Yukki, I mean, if it concerns the band, it has to be important
and you should let all of us know."
"It's about Hyde..."
"What about Hyde?  Did something happen?"
"I don't know...I just saw him....the other day."
"Yeah, so?"
"He was with...um...he was at the ramen place with Sakura."
"WHAT?!" Ken almost shouted but stopped himself as he got more annoying
looks from customers.
"What the hell Yukki?  Are you sure?"
"I'm more than positive...  there was no mistake.  He was there and Sakura
was there."
"Was Hyde shocked or anything?  Did they fight?"
"It was exactly the opposite which freaked me out..." Yukki said, "It was
just so weird, as if they¹ve always seen one another."
"How...how can that be?"  Ken wondered, "It couldn¹t of been at the show
because we saw Sakura leave!"
"Maybe he snuck in?" Yukki shrugged.
"But Hyde wouldn't lie to us..."  Ken said, "I mean, he would have said
something, or confronted one of us about it..."
"Well, maybe this time he didn't.  He seemed really comfortable with Sakura
but I didn't want to jump into any conclusions because maybe they've been
friends without us even knowing."  Yukki tried to come up with a logical
explanation.
"I don't know Yukki...  I mean, Hyde and Sakura separated on really bad
terms and it just doesn¹t make any sense for the both of them to even want
to see one another.  Especially Hyde."
"Hyde must have a very forgiving heart."  Yukki smiled.
"Must be.  But it's obvious he's keeping this from Tetchan."  Ken sighed,
"I¹m just thinking if it¹s best for us to not say anything to him, or solve
this on our own terms with Hyde."
"Part of me wishes I didn¹t even see what I saw."
"Don't worry Yukki.  It¹s good that you saw this early enough so we can see
just where Sakura stands with us now."
"Yeah, it may not even be as bad as we think...  Sakura could have changed."
"Well, yes he could have changed, but from what your friend said, he still
has feelings for Hyde.  And that can be dangerous."
"So what do you think we should do?"  Yukki looked at Ken.
"Let's keep this between us for now.  Don't let Hyde nor Tetsu know..."  the
guitarist began, "We both have to do a little undercover work ourselves and
try to follow Hyde or know where Hyde is when he's alone."
"Kind of like a 24 hour surveillance?" Yukki looked surprised.
"Well, we don't have to watch him every waking moment....we just have to
keep our eyes open for anything suspicious."  Ken assured, "And if we see
anything wrong, we have to intervene as much as we can before we get Tetsu
into it."
"Okay..." Yukki said nervously, "I just hope this doesn¹t lead to trouble."
"So do I..."  Ken nodded.

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

The following day Tetsu was called into the record company for some final
approvals on their promo items and other important things that needed to be
done.  He was expecting to spend the day with Hyde, but unfortunately duty
had called for him.  So he reluctantly left Hyde by himself and headed to
the office.  He knew he would spend the whole day there due to the meetings
with various staff and managers in charge of the projects.  So Hyde had no
choice but to spend another day by himself.

Hyde kept himself busy most of the morning by cleaning the house until it
was practically spotless.  After that was finished, he watched a little TV
and caught a few of their PV's playing on the countdown channels.  It was
always a funny feeling seeing himself on TV, even to this day, after all
these years.  All of the sudden there was a special news report that came
on.  It reported a car accident that happened early that morning involving 4
people, 2 of them that were members of the band called Zigzo.

Hyde's heart stopped at the sound of that name.  He turned the volume up to
see if they would release the names, but didn't.  All they said was that the
car was hit by a sleepy driver and that the four people were taken to the
hospital.

The vocalist flipped through more channels to see if he could get more
information, but there was nothing.  The other reports had the same story
and one actually did name the hospital that the four people were taken into.
Hyde immediately grabbed the phone and dialed Sakura¹s number.

It was busy...

It may mean he was okay....but it may mean he wasn¹t....

Hyde's heart started to race, wondering what to do.  The first thing he
thought of was to go to the hospital and see if Sakura was there....  What
mattered most was that the drummer was alright.  Just as Hyde grabbed his
keys to leave, there was a knock at the door.

"Who can that be?"  Hyde asked himself as he went to the door.  Looking
through the peephole he saw it was Ken-Chan.

"Ken-Chan?"  Hyde opened the door, looking at the guitarist, "What are you
doing here?"
"Ah, I just came to check up on you."  Ken grinned, "Tetsu told me he had to
leave you alone again and I figured I¹d drop by and see if you were lonely
or not."
"Oh....I'm alright.  I'm just hanging out here by myself.  I was about to
step out though."
"Where are you going?"  Ken asked curiously.
"No where special.  I just have a bunch of errands to run, like grocery
shopping, sending bills..."  Hyde trailed off.
"Alright..."  Ken nodded, "Did you need any help or anything?"
"No...I¹m fine."  Hyde grinned, hoping Ken would leave soon.
"Okay then..." Ken smiled, "Well, you know how to reach me if you need
anything, alright?"
"Arigatai na..."  Hyde smiled back,  "I will see you soon, ne?"
"Yeah...."  Ken answered, "I think we have a practice coming up soon."

Ken started to walk off the porch and towards the car, "Well, if you need
anything, call me, okay?"
"Okay!" Hey said before he closed the door.  He peeked through the window to
watch Ken leave and after a few minutes when Ken finally left, Hyde exited
the house and headed to his own car.

"You better be okay, Sakura...." Hyde said as he started up his car and
drove off to the hospital.

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

**RINNNNNNNNNG~**

"Yes?  This is Yukihiro."
"Yukki!  It¹s Ken!"
"Ken-Chan?  What's up?"
"Well, I dropped by Hyde¹s to see what he was up to, and he seemed pretty
normal to me.  He told me he had to run some errands though."
"Oh... were you going to follow him?"
"Yeah, I spotted his car going towards the hospital.  The post office is
very near there, so I don¹t see anything too suspicious."
"Are you going to keep following him?"
"Um, well, now I see him parking in the hospital parking lot.  I have NO
idea why.  Something must be wrong..." Ken said as he was talking through
his cell phone.
"You should follow him, ne!"  Yukki said.
"Well, I'm going to wait awhile until he comes back out..."
"Okay, well, call me back if anything happens!"
"Definitely..."  Ken said before he hung up.

He continued watching until he spotted Hyde get out of his car and run
through the emergency doors. It was bugging Ken in the back of his mind and
without a thought he turned on the radio.  Coincidentally the DJ on the
station briefly mentioned the accident involving two members of the band
Zigzo, one who was formally a member of L'Arc~en~Ciel.  Ken¹s eyes widened
and turned up the volume to hear more.  Apparently Sakura and the other
member were not hurt badly, but only obtained a couple of cuts, bruises and
a slight concussion, but nothing too serious.  Ken sighed a breath of relief
and continued looking at the doors of the emergency entrance for any sign of
Hyde.

"No wonder he's here...."  Ken said under his breath.

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

After asking the receptionist if they had Sakura as a patient, Hyde was lead
into a little dim room.  As the vocalist walked in, he saw the drummer
sleeping on the hospital bed, safe and sound.  The nurse left Hyde in the
room as he went to Sakura¹s bedside.  Sitting there, he looked at Sakura and
noticed a couple of bruises and some cuts that were covered with gauze.
Other than that, the drummer looked fine.  The nurse told Hyde that he would
be released the same day just as soon as the drug wears off.

Hyde couldn¹t resist but to reach out and run his hand over Sakura¹s cheek.
It was smooth and masculine, something Hyde could not forget.  His fingers
traveled down the other man¹s long black locks and stopped as he noticed
Sakura's eyes open.

"Ha...Haido?"  Sakura blinked, looking up at the vocalist, "You came here?"
"I tried calling you..."  Hyde smiled, "...and then I hear this report on TV
about you."
"I'm sorry..."  Sakura sighed, "It was nothing serious.  We just got banged
up by a sleepy driver on our way home from a party in Odaiba."
"That is pretty scary though."  Hyde said.
"Well, I'm still alive." Sakura smiled, "I just have the worst headache of
my life right now."
"I should leave you alone to sleep..."  Hyde recommended.
"No...please don't leave, just yet." Sakura said as he grabbed Hyde¹s hand,
"Can you stay a little while?"

It took a moment for Hyde to answer, but then he remembered that Tetsu
wasn¹t coming home until later that night.  So it should be alright to stay
at the hospital for awhile.

"Well the nurse said you'll be going home today anyway..."  Hyde grinned,
"So there¹s no need for me to stick around here and worry about you."
"Hey...."  Sakura laughed, "Come on now, I¹m still injured, show a little
compassion!"
"I'm just joking."  Hyde giggled, "I¹m really glad you're okay."
"Thanks... you're the only person that has come to visit....besides some
fans that were waiting in the waiting room."
"I was scared to death...  I mean, hearing that on the news.... they didn't
even say your name, they just said 2 members of Zigzo."
"Yeah, that was me and Den."
"How is Den doing?"
"Well, he got it a little worse than I did.  I think he has whiplash and a
bruised hand.  But he's doing okay."

"I'm glad you're both alright."  Hyde said again.
"Me too." Sakura sighed, "My life seemed to flash before my eyes right when
we saw the other car¹s headlights heading towards us..."
Hyde sat there unmoved listening to Sakura...
"I really thought it was the end...  all I kept thinking was, God...forgive
all I've done... and...let Hyde know...how much I really care about him....
then I thought....aw, shit!  This can't be the end of me."

Hyde laughed a little at Sakura¹s last statement.

"I'm serious.  I mean, death isn¹t something to joke about, but I rather die
in a dignified way than by a stupid crash caused by a sleepy driver."
Sakura rolled his eyes, "I mean come on...  I think I deserve a better
death."
"Well, sometimes we can't choose the way we die..."  Hyde answered.
"Yeah, but I think we are the ones that choose if we want to go or not..."
Sakura continued, "The doctor said that I could have suffered worse, but I
just didn't out of some miracle.  I believe it was because I didn¹t want
to."
"I'm glad you didn't."
"I have to thank you for it."
"Me?"
"Because you're my driving force, you're the one that keeps me going."
"It can't be just me..."
"Well, you¹re right.  But you're a big majority of it Hyde.  I was just not
ready to leave you yet."

Hyde smiled, putting his hand on Sakura's, "I'm glad you didn't because I
would have lost a very dear friend that cannot be replaced."

Sakura felt his heart pick up pace as he heard Hyde say these words and look
him in the eye.  There was nothing in this world that he ever wanted more
than to have Hyde by his side.  This moment was something he wanted to savor
as much as he could for he knew it wasn¹t going to last long.  Hyde's eyes
looked down at his hand as a little smile formed on his petit mouth.  Sakura
was quite taken with Hyde¹s presence in the hospital room that he felt
something wet drip down his cheeks.

"Sakura, what¹s wrong?"  Hyde asked as he noticed a tear roll down the other
man's cheek.
"I don¹t know...  it¹s nothing.  My eyes just constantly water up like
this."  Sakura tried to lie.
"Don't lie, Sakura.  You always lied when it came to crying."  Hyde smiled.
"I'm not crying."  Sakura shook his head.
"Yes you are.  Who would know crying better than I?"  Hyde laughed, wiping a
tear away from Sakura¹s face, "You're crying Sakura.  And it's okay."
"No it isn't..." Sakura looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop any more
tears from falling.
"Oh, don¹t be embarrassed. You probably have a lot inside of you and it's
finally coming out."
"Maybe..."
"You don't have to tell me, just go ahead and cry.  I don't mind and I won¹t
tell anyone."
Sakura smiled, "See...that's why...."
"What?"  Hyde looked clueless for a second.
"That's why...."  Sakura began, "...I love you so much."

Hyde didn¹t say anything for he had NEVER heard Sakura say he loved him....
It came as pure shock and Hyde stood frozen as a marble statue.

"Hyde, you've always let me be myself around you without being afraid.
You've always made everything feel so right whenever I'm with you.  I've
always loved you.  I was just too stupid to say it to you, thinking that I
didn't need to.  Little did I know that those simple words were
important....so important.  The idiot I was then completely disappeared once
I lost you.  Now that you're back, I feel as if I can see the light at the
end of this dark tunnel I've been dragging myself through all my life.
Never in my life has someone made an impact on me...  I feel so helpless
against these feelings for you, I can¹t help but to confess them all.  No
matter where I go or what I do...  I will always have the regret of leaving
you in the back of my mind."

"Sakura..."  Hyde was speechless.
"If...there was....anything I can do to get you back..."  Sakura said,
looking into Hyde's eyes, "Please tell me....or give me some kind of sign
that you feel the same way about me..."
"...I'm...I'm sorry."  Hyde said, "I don't know what to say after hearing
all this.  If this was last year then, you know I would have been back with
you in a second, but now..."
Sakura turned his head away.
"I'm so sorry Sakura."  Hyde said again, "I'm with Tetsu now and we're both
happy.  I love him and he loves me.  And I still love you too, but it's not
the type of love that you want from me."
"I feel like such an idiot."
"Please don't."  Hyde said, "I needed to hear your confession to help close
a chapter in my life that was still broken apart.  Had I not known how you
really felt, all these hurt feelings would have still remained."
"If there's anything....anything I can do for you Hyde...."  Sakura looked
back at the vocalist.
"Take care of yourself and find a new happiness....a new driving force"
Hyde said, "It's possible because that¹s what I¹ve done and found.  You just
have to want to find it bad enough and eventually it will come to you."
"It won't be that easy."
"Of course it won't...  you have to take it a step at a time." Hyde nodded.
"A step at a time..."  Sakura repeated under his breath as he closed his
eyes, thinking to himself.

'Should I take it a step at a time to win back your heart, Haido?  I know in
my heart that I can¹t give you up so easily...'

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

Hyde finally returned home before it got dark and saw that Tetsu had
returned home early.  He walked in and immediately saw Tetsu sitting on the
couch playing his bass.  Hyde walked over to him and sat next to him as he
listened to the familiar tones of Tetsu¹s bass play.

"Creating a song?"  Hyde asked curiously.
"Trying to..."  Tetsu sighed, "I didn¹t realize how hard it was gonna be."
"I know..."  Hyde nodded.
"It would've been different if we didn¹t have so many #1 songs, but now that
we do, it's hard to compete with that."  Tetsu scratched his head.
"Well, I believe whatever we come up with will be good.  If it comes from
within us, it will always be good."
Tetsu smiled and nodded as he set his bass aside and cleared all the music
sheets from the coffee table in front of him.
"So where did you go today?"
"Ah, just ran a couple of errands.  Sent my bills, picked up a few things I
needed."  Hyde lied.
"I should've given you my bills to send as well...  They¹re probably already
late anyway...I¹ve been so busy!"  Tetsu  sighed, "I can't wait to have at
least ONE full day alone with you.  It¹s stressing me out."

Hyde saw how frustrated Tetsu was by his expression and felt bad, "If
there's anything I can do to help, Techan, please tell me..."
"Aw, don't worry about it Hyde...  I'm just complaining."
Hyde scooted closer to Tetsu and put his head on the other man's shoulder,
"Why...?"
"Huh?"  Tetsu looked down at Hyde.

Hyde's eyes looked up at the bassist's with a hint of sadness in them, "I
would really like to know how I can help.  Every time I ask you anything,
you always seem to keep me away, or tell me not to worry about it.  How can
I not worry if I see you stressed out so much?"

Tetsu was shocked, mainly because he didn¹t realize he was actually pushing
Hyde away without knowing it.  The only reason he was acting this way was
only for Hyde's sake.  He didn¹t want Hyde to have anything to worry about.
All that Tetsu cared about was Hyde¹s happiness and he always wanted to make
sure Hyde had the best before he did.  But after hearing Hyde out, Tetsu
began to realize that what he was doing wasn¹t helping Hyde at all.

"You treat me so well Tetsu, better than anyone I've been with.  I just wish
there were times where you can tell me what I can do to treat you well too.
It seems like you are always the one making sure I'm satisfied, but how will
I ever know if you are?"

Tetsu brought Hyde closer to him, "Hyde, I didn¹t realize I was pushing you
away.  I really didn¹t mean it.  But really, you¹ve already done so much for
me.  You don¹t even know how much you've done for me.  Just being with you,
knowing you are with me keeps me going.  It gives me so much happiness
knowing that you're happy being with me."

"There must be something more I can do?"

Tetsu smiled as he nuzzled Hyde's nose, "For now on, I promise I will let
you know....but for the meantime, I would very much appreciate a kiss from
you."
Hyde grinned as he came in close to his lover and gave him a deep kiss,
probably one of the most meaningful he¹s given the bassist up until now.  He
felt Tetsu immediately give into the kiss, falling back on the couch as he
brought Hyde down with him.

Suddenly music started to play very loudly which caused both the bassist and
vocalist to jump up.

"How did that turn on?"  Hyde asked as Tetsu checked around.
"I landed on the remote!"  Tetsu smiled as he held the remote up and turned
down the volume a bit.
"Oh...don't turn it down!"  Hyde mock frowned, "This is my favorite CD!"
"What?" Tetsu asked surprised, "I didn¹t think you'd like any of my CD¹s!"
"Are you crazy?"  Hyde giggled, "Who does NOT like The Cure?!"
"Well, you're right.  Nothing goes better with making out than Robert
Smith's songs...." Tetsu smiled, "Now come here, you..."

Tetsu grabbed Hyde and just held him as the music played.  They just stood
there like they were stone statues, hearing each other¹s breath and each
other's heartbeats.  Tetsu started to stroke the other man¹s back slowly,
taking in the feeling of holding his loved one close.  This may be the first
evening in a long time they would be able to enjoy one another's company.
The bassist knew too well he had to do something with this evening.

"How do you feel?"  Tetsu asked quietly as he looked down at Hyde.
"I feel fine..."  Hyde smiled, "And you?"
"I feel fine too..."  Tetsu said as he gently ran his hand down Hyde¹s face,
"I've missed you so much."
Hyde closed his eyes at Tetsu¹s touch and just continued to keep them closed
as he felt Tetsu place his lips on his.

They gently kissed one another, savoring every second their lips touched.
Hyde then decided to pull off as Tetsu looked at him surprised.

"I've always been curious..."  Hyde began as he took Tetsu's hand and
brought him to the large faux fur rug laying in the main hall, "...of just
how soft this rug really was..."
Tetsu gave a small mischievous smile, "I guess we'll find out right now,
won¹t we?"

The bassist didn't waste any more time as he gently started to unbutton
Hyde's shirt as the vocalist began to kiss him once again.  Tetsu started to
feel a surge of excitement, mainly because it has been awhile since he and
Hyde had done anything....physical.  He actually missed it....his body
missed it.... he just missed feeling Hyde¹s touch...

In only a matter of minutes they were both on the soft rug, totally
indulging each other¹s bodies.  There was nothing that could tear them apart
at this moment.  Even the continuous rings of the telephone did not
interrupt them.  They probably couldn¹t hear them due to the music and their
own pleasurable screams.

Hyde was just in total ecstasy... he couldn't even remember where he was at.
It took him a minute or two to remember they were in the main hall on a warm
fuzzy rug.  He was still a little dazed as Tetsu was still on top of him,
giving him various kisses on his neck and shoulders.  He could hear the
other man panting out of exhaust and the vocalist in turn started to run his
hands down the other man's back to calm him.

Tetsu himself couldn't remember if the other times were as good as this one.
He couldn't even move and didn¹t want to.  Hyde's body was so ready for him,
it just felt so right.  Hyde¹s touch was just driving him to want to do
more, but his body already reached it¹s limit and he knew Hyde was probably
exhausted too.

He gently rolled off Hyde and held the other man in his arms, gazing at him
as the vocalist kissed his forehead.

"That was....so great..."  Hyde said almost breathless.
Tetsu just giggled quietly as he pulled Hyde closer, "I know..."
"Did you take anything today?"  Hyde joked.
"No!  That was all me!"  Tetsu pouted, "Did I outdo myself?"
Hyde laughed, "You should outdo yourself more often, ne..."
Tetsu just sighed as he brought his face close to Hyde¹s, "It was probably
this rug..."
"It is pretty soft..."  Hyde smiled, "I think that helped."
"I say we go to bed early tonight..."  Tetsu said softly, "Or at least lay
down in the bed together and enjoy the evening."
"I think that's a good idea..."  Hyde agreed.

The two men eventually gathered their belongings and headed up the stairs to
the bedroom.  Laying on the crisp, clean, cream colored sheets, they held
each other close and just gazed at the stars from the window until they both
fell asleep.

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

Ken stared at the phone and sighed as Yukki was mixing some songs.
"Was anyone home?"  Yukki asked.
"Nope...  I called and let it ring for a long time, but there was no pick
up.  I figured Hyde would be home since he did leave early."
"You didn¹t follow him home?"
"No...  I got so hungry,  I had to get something to eat."  Ken explained,
"That¹s why I¹m calling now to see if he made it home."
"Ohh..."  Yukki nodded.
"Man....I really don¹t know what to think of this Yukki.  Hyde really is
seeing Sakura behind Tetsu¹s back."
"I really think we should ask Hyde ourselves."
"I know, but we don¹t really have concrete evidence that shows anything
wrong with what he's doing." Ken sighed, "If we bring it up to him now, he'd
know we were spying on him for no good reason."
"He'd get mad either way..." Yukki said, "Even if he was having an affair
with Sakura."
"Yeah..." Ken agreed.
"But then again, it's best that we leave this alone.  It¹s really up to Hyde
to be truthful to Tetsu.  This is their relationship and we shouldn¹t butt
in.  Maybe Hyde¹s waiting for a good day to tell Tetsu that Sakura is his
friend again."
"I was thinking of giving Sakura a call..."  Ken smiled, "I have his number
and we are friends....  Maybe I can see what he says..."
"Oh no..."  Yukki laughed, "Don¹t be causing any trouble now..."
"No no....I won't tell him about Hyde.  I'll just call him to see how he's
doing and just mention Hyde and see what he says.  Just to see if he'd lie
too, ne."
"Hmmm..."  Yukki thought, "Well, count me outta this one.  You're on your
own."
"Fine..."  Ken stuck his tongue out, "I will do this myself."

The guitarist picked up the phone again and dialed Sakura's number which he
surprisingly memorized.  The phone rang about twice until there was a pick
up.

"Hello?  This is Sakura."
"Sakura?  This is Ken..."
"Ken-chan?"
"Yeah man, what's up?"
"Oh hey!  Hahaha... I didn't expect you to call!"
"Yeah, I've just been thinking of you and wondering how you've been doing
ever since we saw you at the show."
"That's right... I¹m sorry I didn't have a chance to catch up with you that
day.  We had to rush to our next gig."
"It was no problem.  I was gonna call you anyway."
"Man, it's such a surprise to hear from you...  I've missed talking to you!"
"Aw, don't make me blush Sakura!"
"Hahah!  I'm serious!  Hey, I heard you're married again.  Congratulations!"
"Thanks...  she's a real keeper now.  I should have you meet her one day...
Now what about you?  Did you ever find that hot chick you've always
described you'd marry?"
"Oh no....  believe me, I¹ve looked, but I'm starting to lose hope.  I've
just been dating around.  Nothing too serious yet."
"That's alright...  You¹re probably really busy with your band."
"Yeah..."
"How are you and Den anyway?  I heard about the accident you two were in!"
"Yeah man, we just got released from the hospital today.  Our injuries
weren't that bad..."
"That's good.  I almost dropped by the hospital to see you, but I wasn't too
sure if the report was bogus or not.  You know the media these days, ne."
"Yeah..."  Sakura said, "It was pretty private and somehow got out."
"So what have you been doing nowadays?"
"Nothing much...  just band practice and trying to get our name out there.
I was so happy to see how L'Arc has made it to the top.  It's really
amazing.... give my congratulations to Tetsu, Yukihiro and Hyde."
"I will.  I am sure they would be happy to hear that."
"How are Tetsu and Hyde anyway?"
"Oh, they're fine...  they¹re finally together now."
"Oh..."
"They've been really happy together.  I think this is actually it for them
now."
"Yeah....  I've always wanted to see them both happy.  I knew how much Tetsu
loved Hyde... I just hope he treats Hyde better than I did."
"He's really making the effort..."
"I'm happy for them.....really I am.  Say, do you have a number where I can
reach them, so I can say Hello?"
"Um, well...I don't have it with me right now...  Hyde changed it once Tetsu
moved in.  But I can give it to you next time."
"Oh, okay, that¹s no problem."
"Well, I better let you go now.  It was good talking to you again Sakura!
Don't be a stranger man."
"I won't.  Thanks for touching base.  It was nice hearing from you too."

With that final word, Ken said goodbye and hung the phone up.  Sakura on the
other hand just looked at the phone blankly, surprised that the guitarist
called him out of the blue.  But he was glad to hear from his old friend
though.  It was just a coincidence for him to call just when he and Hyde
started to talk again.

He picked up his cell phone and pressed the speed dial for Hyde¹s cell
phone...  For some reason he had an urge to tell Hyde who just called him.
Or maybe this was just a lame excuse to just hear Hyde's voice....  Sakura
didn't know what was going on with him.  Even though Hyde told him there was
probably no chance for them to get together again, Sakura just wanted to
take a gamble.

The phone started to ring.... until it was picked up by Hyde¹s voice mail.

"Hello, you reached Hyde¹s voice mail.  Leave me a message and I'll try to
get back to you when I can.  Bye."  **BEEP**

"Hey Haido... this is Sakura.  I¹m just calling to see if you'd like to go
out again.  Just for a cup of coffee or something.  Just wanna let you know
that I'm home now and to give me a call as soon as you can, alright?
Bye..."  **CLICK**

--------------- to be continue ---------------