++

Dedicated to Lady7 and to my father, who always loved a good story.

As everyone’s attention was drawn elsewhere, the four remaining members of Dir en Grey slipped away quickly from their table. They made it out of the door in record time and it took the others only five seconds to realize that they were gone. There was a very bad amount of swearing, before things settled down and went back to normal.

Outside of the bar, four very drunk jrockers, who were currently trying to forget what happened in the bar, walked down the sidewalk singing a very bad version of Forever Love.

Kaoru cleared his throat but Die began before him anyway, “Forever love—“

Kaoru frowned and whacked Die in the stomach and the other guitarist began coughing. “I’m not ready yet!!” He cleared his throat again. “Forever love!”

“My Kaoru is so talented!!” Toshiya hung on Kaoru and the guitarist smirked up at his koi. Toshiya gave him a rather sloppy kiss and Shinya snorted.

“Sure, he’s as talented as a block of tofu singing—“

“Urusai!!” Toshiya yelled at the drummer. He winced as Die pulled him away from the bassist with a glare.

“Forever cream!!” Die sang and Shinya blinked.

“Die-chan? I think you have the wrong words.” Die ignored him and petted Shinya’s short hair in reponse.

“Cream for our coffee!!” Kaoru continued.

“Now I know that’s not the words to the song.” Shinya protested. Kaoru rolled his eyes and turned his attention toward the younger man.

“It is so!!” Kaoru yelled and Die glared at him.

“Don’t yell at him!!”

“I’ll yell at whoever I fucking want to!!!”

“Go ahead, try it again and I’ll kill you!!!” Die lunged for Kaoru’s throat but Kaoru danced away, laughing at him. Toshiya giggled and stuck his tongue out at the other guitarist. Shinya frowned and tried to keep the peace as he held Die back by his shirt. Die sneered at Kaoru, “Oh, yeah, I forgot. You’re already dead.”

Kaoru froze at those words and then began to shake. “Oh….oh, shit. Oh, yeah….” He leaned against Toshiya and the bassist held him, unsurely. “I’m going to fucking die!!!”

Die frowned. “Hey, hey…what’s…what’s up? Why are you all depressed now?”

Kaoru wailed, “Don’t you understand?! Don’t you remember?!! Back in the bar, Sugizo, Ryu, and J and Takuro and Hisashi and whoever the hell else was there—they saw hide!!! And they know he’s not a cosplayer as well you and I know he’s not a cosplayer!! I’m going to die!!!!!!!!!”

Die’s jaw dropped, Shinya gasped and Toshiya froze then grabbed Kaoru by his collar and shook him. “Don’t you dare say that!! It’s not true!! You’re still alive!! Don’t you think that if hide was in trouble, you’d be dead by now?!” Kaoru sniffled.

A few people on the street stopped and stared at them and yelled back, “Shut up!!! Keep it quiet!”

“Easy for them to say, they’ll still be alive tomorrow morning!!” Kaoru muttered.

Toshiya growled and backhanded Kaoru. The guitarist fell against the bike rack near the sidewalk. He looked up at his koi, confused. “Don’t you say that!! You’re not going to die!! Baka!! Are you that willing to leave me? You’re such a wuss!!” Kaoru continued staring at Toshiya as he sobbed a little and bent to gather Kaoru in an embrace. “How can you give up so quickly? Kaoru….you went through so much more than this…even before hide came to be your guardian angel. Remember what you told me when you wanted us to be a couple? When I was with Hakuei and seeing Kirito on the side and I didn’t know how to get out of it? You said that nothing could keep us apart, not Hakuei, not Kirito, not death and not even if hide came down personally to say that he was going to be your new boyfriend. And I knew how much you had a crush on him before. So….now it’s almost the same thing except that hide isn’t saying that, but death is threatening to take you as her new lover. Well, the only thing I can say is that I won’t let that happen. You promised me. And I’m going to make sure that you don’t go back on that.”

Kaoru blinked, sure that the alcohol in Toshiya’s blood was making him more open then he had ever been in the entire time they had ever been together. That and he had just been backhanded by the person he thought was one of the most gentle people in the world. He quickly decided to take that back. “Totchi….Totchi….I…”

“Forget it,” the other man said. “C’mon, get up. We’re all going home.” Toshiya quickly swept his tears away and dragged Kaoru up.

Again, four very drunk jrockers (who damn well knew they were drunk but were trying not to let everyone know that but failing) walked miserably back to Kaoru’s apartment. Toshiya said nothing but cast sorrowful glances in Kaoru’s direction. Kaoru looked like he had seen his own death, while Shinya and Die looked very nervous. Die didn’t mean to bring up the idea of the Kaoru dying again but he couldn’t take back what he said. “Kaoru….what’s going to happen now?” Die asked.

“He did say that only if anyone told her that he’d be in trouble,” Kaoru said, trying to sound reassuring. He used the pronoun ‘her’ as if saying her name would alert her as to what was really going on here. The others stared at him, uncertainty painted on their features.

Shinya ran his fingers through his hair absently as if he was thinking. “Oh.” Was all he said and after a while, he finally added, with a concerned look, “What if she already knows?”

Toshiya rounded on him, furiously, “You didn’t already tell her, did you?! Shinya, are you insane?!!”

Shinya’s eyes narrowed, “Of course I didn’t tell her! Are you fucking crazy?!” He closed his eyes, calmed himself then said, “She knows when we’re in trouble, Toshiya. She can sense our distress signals. I think she already does know.”

Toshiya’s jaw clenched as Kaoru stared at the sidewalk under his feet, lost in his thoughts. What’s going to happen now? He looked at Toshiya. What will Manami do? What will happen to hide? What will happen to me? Before he knew it, Toshiya had him in an embrace. He whispered fiercely into Kaoru’s ear. “I told you, nothing will happen to you. “Please don’t look at me like that.”

“Totchi, how can you be so sure? What if hide is punished?”

“We’ll find a way to help him.”

“What if I die?”

“Bakayarou…I told you I won’t let you.” Toshiya growled.

“I just hope that nothing makes you eat those words.” Kaoru told him.

“And I just hope someone prevents me from killing you myself for daring to utter those words.” Toshiya returned. “And no more talk of death or anything depressing unless you want to be singing in a soprano.”

With that, everyone kept their mouths shut.

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

hide arrived in Kaoru’s apartment, weary, depressed and pissed. He was about to throw himself on the couch and fall asleep to forget but something stopped him. He gulped, fidgeted a little with the hem of his ripped apron then blurted out, “Look—Manami-sama—I can explain!!” She sat on Kaoru’s couch, legs crossed in full angel regalia, her wings making her a little more intimidating than usual. She remained silent as he went on. “I—I didn’t expect them to be at the bar! I was just having fun! I tried not to let them see me! I really tried!! It’s hard being me, dammit! Whereas, you know—you haven’t been around for twenty years!! Two years isn’t enough for me! Everyone remembers me!!” he thought for a minute . They would still remember him twenty years from now. He sat next to her on the couch. “Please, Manami-sama, please don’t tell me Kaoru will die for this! Please don’t tell me I’ll die—again—for this. It was an accident! I swear to God!”

She looked up at him with sad eyes and handed him a pristine white envelope. “Gomenasai, hide-san,” she said softly.

He stared at her, speechless. She looked ahead, avoiding his gaze, pale hands twisting nervously in her lap. He turned over the envelope and opened it gently as if mishandling would cause it to explode. He slipped the white message out, read the intricate gold calligraphy and looked up at her in shock. “You can’t mean—“

“I didn’t write it!!” Manami told him, fists clenching at her sides.

“I thought….” hide said, weakly.

Manami shifted to face him. “It’s not your fault, hide-san.”

He shook his head. “It is my fault!! Don’t make excuses for me! I knew the rules and I broke them and now we all have to pay the price!” He stood and would’ve thrown things around but it wasn’t his apartment so instead, he just paced angrily. “Goddammit! How the hell is Kaoru going to pull this off? It was hard before and now--? That Sugi and the others saw me?! We’re all fucking dead!!”

She stood, “We are not dead!”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

She glared at him, “You know what I mean! And we are going to get through this! Have a little more faith in Kaoru. He’s part of a rare breed of guitarists!! They’re stubborn and they don’t die easy! Trust me!!” She began to pace the room. Hide sat on the couch and couldn’t stand the silence that had fallen between them so he said. “Watch it with those, you might knock down a picture or something” She gave him a scathing look and moved closer and took his hands.

“Just….just try to keep him and yourself out of trouble, alright? No more going out to drink.”

“I didn’t know they’d be there,” he answered truthfully, trying not to sound like a a kid who just had his hand caught in the cookie jar. “I mean I haven’t been in that bar for ages. Even when I was alive. The last time I visited that particular bar was…” he trailed off, trying to remember. Manami watched with amusement then she shook his hands to get his attention back. “Anyways, I haven’t been there in ages.”

“True but you should know that other people than you do go to bars. And you shouldn’t be drinking anyway, it’s bad for you. And for Kaoru, look what happened tonight.”

“Ah, Manami-sama, you’re bringing up an argument that many have tried to use on me which has never worked,” He said with an impish smile. “And learn to take your own advice, what angel was sent to earth recently and she spent most of that time drinking and flirting with a mortal?” He lifted her hands, stood then stepped back and soon they were dancing to a silent song.

“Ah, yes, but who was drunk enough to stand up on his chair in the middle of bar, his hair bright enough to be seen by NASA satellites and ask about virgin sacrifices?” He spun her narrowly missing getting hit by her huge wings.

“Touche. I have been doing nothing but work for the two weeks I’ve been here. Whereas you—when you had no wings did nothing but have fun! I liked you when you didn’t have your wings. You were more fun to hang around with!”

“Bah!!” Manami stuck her tongue out at him. “It was because of me you got here so quickly. If I didn’t, you’d be hanging around for twenty years, moping.” She stepped away from him. “Now, remember what I said and keep out of trouble!! The last thing you need is to get drunk again and have someone very close to you, see you and actually touch you to see if you’re alive!!!”

-Wednesday-

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Kaoru and Toshiya looked up and saw Die, standing there with his face in his hands. “Daijyoubu, Die-kun?”

Die shook his head but didn’t remove his hands from his face. “No. No. I am not okay.”

Kaoru frowned and looked at Shinya, who looked like he was holding back laughter. He nodded at the drummer and Shinya explained, “He wants to go to a bar. He usually goes to one after we record…especially hellish days like this. It’s either that or…” he trailed off and looked at Die, who was peeking at him from behind his hands. Shinya laughed and went on, “It’s either that or have sex but I’m not horny all the time so he has to make do with drinking.”

“My Shinya doesn’t want me anymore,” Die faked a sob and Shinya rolled his eyes. Kaoru’s eyes widened and Toshiya tried not to laugh as Die got on his knees in front of Shinya’s drumset. “Shin-chan….please….let me back in bed…”

“Urusai!!” Kyo said. “We don’t have to hear this!!”

Die went on, “I promise I’ll be good.”

Shinya sighed and shook his head. “No. I let you back in bed and next thing I know, I’m awake again with you trying to get into my pajamas. How the hell do you expect me to get a good night’s sleep?” Die sniffled and Shinya looked at Kaoru. “Can we please go to a bar?”

Kaoru sighed and looked at hide, who looked as uncomfortable as Die in the control room. He saw Kaoru look at him and he smiled. He grabbed a microphone and said into it, “Hikaru?”

“Hai?”

“I know you can hear what’s going on…so…do you know a bar that no one else knows or has forgotten about enough not to go there?”

hide looked like he was deep in thought and then said, “Hai.”

“Oh, good. Well, Die, we could go there, if you like.”

Die and Shinya looked up at Kaoru hopefully. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah….you won’t get in trouble?”

Kaoru looked at hide, who looked a little uncertain and nodded.

“Shiawase!!!” Die removed his guitar and placed it in his case, grabbed Shinya’s arm and began to dance with him around the room. The others began laughing and Die stopped in front of Kyo to ask, “You’re coming too, right?”

Kyo was about to shake his head until Toshiya said, “Ah, c’mon, we need someone sober to drive us home. And someone to keep an eye on us.”

Die stopped dancing with Shinya and hugged Kyo from behind. Shinya fell and sat on an amp, a little dizzy. “Please, Kyo-chan….come and have fun with us!!”

Kyo stared at Die, who rested his chin on Kyo’s shoulder and tried to look cute. “Don’t call me Kyo-chan—“

Kaoru helped Shinya up and the drummer snatched Kyo out of his koi’s grasp and cuddled him. “He’s sorry. He didn’t mean it.” He batted his eyelashes at his vocalist. Kyo began to laugh just as Toshiya came over and hugged him as well, making a Kyo sandwich.

“I’ll be good…”

Kyo began to laugh harder. “Oh, God, oh no……don’t go on…I don’t want hear the rest!!”

Kaoru and Die eyed each other and they formed a group hug. “I’m going to kill you.” Die said in a perfect imitation. Kaoru tried not to lose it as he filled in, “If you don’t come that is.”

Kyo shook his head, trying not to laugh too hard. “No…I told you, don’t say it. You’re not going to blow my head off like raspberry jam, are you?” The rest of Dir en Grey began laughing.

“Only if you don’t come with us.” Toshiya said, squeezing Kyo harder, making the vocalist squeak a little in pain. “Besides you missed hide asking for virgin sacrifices.”

“And they still owe me some!!” came a voice from the door. The entire Dir en grey huddle broke and looked over at hide.

Toshiya giggled again. “Oh, no problem. We’ll just give you Kyo.”

Kyo glared at him and stepped on his foot, hard.

“Itai!! Kyo!!”

“Are we going to go or not?” Die asked.

“Hai!”

“Iku!!” hide said cheerfully.

**********

Wednesday evening, 10:00 pm

Kaoru looked over at Die and blearily stared at the cans on the table. “And this will be a castle?”

“What are you talking about?! It is a castle!!” Die fumed, placed an arm around Kaoru’s shoulders and pulled him back then gestured at it. “Can’t you see it?”

“Doesn’t look like any castle I know!”

hide rested his chin on Kaoru’s shoulder and squinted at the beer can sculpture. “Is it a European castle, Die-kun?” Die smiled, “Hai!! Hai!! Exactly!!” Shinya finished a can of beer and gently placed it on a stack of two cans, making it look a little more than pile of beer cans and more like a castle (if you had a good imagination).

Kyo snorted, “It looks like a pile of trash to me.” Die, hide, Shinya and Kaoru looked over at the vocalist and began yelling at him.

“Of course, it’s a castle!! How can it not look like a castle?!” Die ranted.

“Can’t you see the maiden in distress at the top tower?!” hide asked. Kyo began laughing and shook his head. hide frowned and motioned at Toshiya, who took a toothpick and rubber band and a strip of a pink stained napkin. He tied the rubber band around the toothpick and handed it to hide. “Here.” He tried to place it on the top but his hands were a bit unsteady so Shinya took it away from him.

“You’re going to destroy all the hard work and me and Die put into it!!” Shinya scolded.

“What are you talking about?! Half those beer cans are mine!!” hide replied and Shinya only sniffed and place the toothpick maiden on one of the beer can castle towers. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have a can castle.”

“Look! It’s the maiden in distress!!” Kaoru said, trying to break up their argument. Hide was supposed to be arguing with him, not with Shinya. hide and Shinya turned back to the sculpture and once again frowned at a laughing Kyo. “What shall we name her?”

“Hikaru!” Toshiya and Die said.

“hideko hime!!” Shinya offered.

hide eyed Kyo then said, “Manami-sama.”

Kyo froze and frowned.

Kaoru began giggling. “Okay, her name will be Hikaru hideko hime Manami-sama.”

Toshiya laughed harder, “Oh, wait, she needs a braid and crown.”

“If you give her a braid and a crown, she’ll fall off the castle tower!” Die replied. “Then you’re going to ruin it and me and Shinya will have to spend forever putting it back the way it was.”

hide laughed, “Well…we need a dragon and a knight who will save Hikaru hideko hime Manami-sama.”

Kyo shook his head and sat up in his chair. “All of you are too drunk for your own good. You have a toothpick on a pile of cans.”

“I’ll be the dragon!!” Toshiya said and scooted his chair over to the other side of the table. He stole the hat off of Kaoru’s head as he did so, stood up and posed to show off that flattering thigh angle and proclaimed, “I’ll be the super kawaii kissing hat dragon.” Kyo, hide, Shinya, and Die looked up at the bassist and began laughing. Toshiya frowned. “And what’s so funny about that?”

Kaoru stared at his koi’s legs, “I don’t see anything funny about that.”

“So what are you going to do, kissing dragon-san?” Die asked, with a faint laugh.

“I shall steal away Hikaru hideko-what’s-her-name, take over the castle and seduce the purple haired castle musician.” Toshiya licked his lips and reached over to the toothpick (Hikaru hideko—yeah, you get it..^^;;;) just as Die screamed in a fake girly voice.

“No!! No! A dragon is trying to kidnap me!!” Kyo shook his head and put it down on the table, pretending that he was not here and that he was not hearing this.

“Hey, don’t forget to mention that I’m super kawaii—“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah….just steal the toothpick princess, will you?” hide asked and the rest of the table (except for Kyo) began laughing again. Toshiya stuck his tongue out at hide and gently took the toothpick out of the beer can tower. Meanwhile, Kaoru speared a napkin strip with a toothpick to make it look like a cape and handed it to hide. “Now what shall we name the hero?”

“Warumono!!” Die said instantly. If it were any other time, Kyo would’ve cheered but he only groaned in response.

“Chibi Usa—“ Toshiya tossed in.

“Kyo-chan!!” Kaoru and Shinya tossed in.

hide smirked and in a fake voice cried out, “I’ll save you!!”

Die giggled, “And who are you?” he made the girl toothpick call out.

“I am Warumono Chibi Usa Kyochan!! I’ll save you!!!” hide took the toothpick and poked Toshiya in the leg with it. “Itai!!”

The others began giggling just as Kyo raised his head with a groan. “Stop picking on me!!!” He rolled his eyes and sighed then blinked. “Oh no…guys, maybe we should go…”

“Naze? Don’t you want to see Warumono-san save the princess?” Die asked and Kyo shook his head at both questions.

“It’s because Sugizo’s here with Glay and some of the members of Spread Beaver,” Kyo said calmly. Everyone looked over at Kyo, who pointed and all five multicolored heads turned that way. And it was true. Sugizo, Ryu (appointed designated driver), Chirolyn, Kiyoshi, Hisashi and Teru.

“Shit!!”

“Crap!!”

“Can’t we get drunk without getting in trouble?!!”

“My castle!!!”

“Just leave it, guys, we have to get out of here!!!” Kaoru told them and Die sniffled at his sculpture. Shinya smiled sympathetically, just as Toshiya jumped off the seat. “Now…we crawl, find another exit and break for freedom….” “Kaoru-san!!” Hisashi called.

“I didn’t hear that—did you hear that?” Kaoru asked hide.

“Hear what? I heard nothing!”

A hand came down on Kaoru’s shoulder, preventing him from following his friends to freedom and he had to hiss at them to get their attention. The other five turned around. Kyo made a trademark face, Die gulped, Shinya froze, Toshiya gasped and hide turned back around. Kaoru turned to see Sugizo smiling a very unkind smile at him. “Leaving so soon, Kaoru-kun? And last night, you left before you could explain Hikaru to us and without saying goodbye. How very rude.”

Kaoru bowed apologetically, “Gomenasai, Sugizo-san,” he began to take a step backward to leave but Sugizo’s grip on his shoulder, turned into a grip on his shirt and the older man forced him back into the chair he had been sitting in. Kaoru sent a pleading look to his bandmates and his angel. Hide cringed and took a step forward and the rest of Dir en grey followed his lead and they went back to their table a lot less happier than before.

**********

“Konbanwa, Hikaru.” Sugizo said, his eyes practically glued on hide. Hisashi and the others grabbed chairs and sat around the table, while Die and Toshiya sat on either side of hide to shield him from the unwanted company of the others. Hide nodded and said nothing. “Genki?”

hide nodded but didn’t look at Sugizo. He stared at the table top as if it were interesting.

“Daijyoubuka? Is there something wrong? Can you talk?”

“Ano…” Toshiya looked at Die and Die looked back at him. If hide spoke now, it would all be ruined. “He can’t speak.” Die blurted out.

Hisashi frowned. “That’s strange. He was speaking when I met him.” Toshiya glared at Die. Die pretended he was someone and somewhere else.

Thankfully, Kyo saved them by saying, “He has laryngitis I’m afraid.” hide, Die and Toshiya looked at him gratefully and they all began nodding in agreement. “It happens when he drinks.”

Sugizo stared at them all suspiciously then went on. “In any case, Kiyoshi—Chirolyn, this is the hide cosplayer I was telling you about. Hikaru-san, this is Kiyoshi and Chirolyn. I’m sure you know what bands they are and were in.” hide peeked up at Chirolyn and Kiyoshi who were staring at him with interest now. He gave a shy smile but didn’t look back up. Shit. This was the second time in a week. And he was so damn sure that no one would come to this bar!! Someone really hated him. Why did—

“Hikaru-san?” Toshiya stepped on hide’s foot just as Kiyoshi called hide’s fake name and hide’s head jerked up. He glared at Toshiya, who was staring innocently at his drink and whistling off tune. hide mentally cursed himself and looked over at Kiyoshi. “Hikaru-san, how did you know of this bar? hide used to come here when he wanted to ignore us sometimes and it took us awhile to find out about it. I don’t even think really big fans of his knew about it…”

hide was glad that Kyo thought of that laryngitis excuse for him and tried to gesture that he didn’t know about this bar then smiled, shrugged and gave up. He made a motion toward his throat and held out his hands. Kiyoshi nodded unsurely. Hide tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God, he was a good actor. His relief faded when he met Sugizo’s eyes and decided that the far corner was a good place to rest his eyes. “So,” Sugizo said, breaking the silence, “How did you five meet Hikaru?”

Kaoru looked at Shinya, who looked at Kyo then they began to speak, hurriedly, almost running over each other, trying to answer the question. “My cousin—“ Shinya began.

“Kyo’s girlfriend—“ Kaoru continued.

“—Introduced us to Hikaru, a few weeks ago.” Kyo finished. “Isn’t that right, Hikaru?”

hide nodded, frantically and took a long sip of beer. This was not happening to him. No. All he had to do was close his eyes and soon he’d be back in Heaven, in his own room, sleeping. He’d be jumping out of bed any second….

“He startled us to say the least,” Kaoru laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. “I mean, he looked so realistic.” hide shot a glare at Kaoru, who only smiled weakly back. hide sighed in resignation. Aw, well, we’re both going to hell in a hand basket, why fight it? “He’s a really good cosplayer, ne?”

“You’re telling me,” hide caught Sugizo, Chirolyn and Kiyoshi muttering. He stared at them. He didn’t notice their lips moving. Wait a minute. He closed his eyes and thought of Kaoru and began to hear:

--damn Die and his damn craving for alcohol. I am going to fucking kill him. I’ll smash him with a truck. hide looked at Kaoru, who was sneaking death looks at Die. Die was too busy staring at his can sculpture. Kaoru’s eyes narrowed. A big truck. hide held back a snicker. Die took a sip of alcohol. A really big truck… hide began laughing and instantly, he thought back at his human.

Kaoru…no killing people. Kaoru frowned and looked at a grinning hide. His eyes shone with hope now.

Good!! They’re working again!! Now get the hell out of here!!

I have a feeling I’m not wanted anymore.

hide!!!!

Ok, fine. Just arrange a diversion of some sort. Knock down Die’s sculpture, onegai? He eyed the massive can structure.

Are you kidding me? Die would kill me!!

He won’t remember in the morning. And what happened to the idea of you hitting him with a truck? Kaoru looked shocked and hide tried to hide his laughter when he noticed that Chirolyn, Kiyoshi and Sugizo were looking at him very suspiciously. A big truck? A really big—

Hide!! Fine!! I knock over the can sculpture and you duck down and get the hell out of here. Kaoru instructed and hide nodded. He smirked as he heard Kaoru think of a prayer and he began to reach for his own drink and “accidentally” misjudged his perception and knocked down Die’s can sculpture. Toshiya jumped, Die looked like the world had ended, Shinya winced, Kyo blinked, and the others moved out of the way as it toppled. hide ducked underneath the table and thought of Kaoru and Toshiya’s apartment. There was a surge of light and brilliant flash of pain but unfortunately, nothing happened. He stared down at his hands and at himself as if he couldn’t believe it. Great. Just great. His telepathy was working but not his mode of transportation. Kaoru’s head appeared under the table. hide smiled sheepishly at him as Kaoru’s eyes narrowed, when he noticed hide was still there. “hide!! I thought I told you to get lost!!?”

“Um….I know you don’t mean that in an insulting way so I’m going to let that slide. My powers aren’t working again.”

“What?!” he hissed.

“Telepathy’s working…it’s just…I can’t go anywhere!!”

Kaoru moaned. “Great. Why don’t you keep trying until it actually works?”

hide gave him a look, “Kaoru. Have ever heard the advice on if it’s not working and it hurts, don’t do it?”

Kaoru seemed to think for a minute. “No.”

“Ugh…just get me out of here!!”

“Like how?”

“Oh, good, we’re arguing!!”

“I really do not think this is what they meant by arguing.”

“What they? Manami writes out all of the tasks.”

Kaoru gave him an annoyed glare, “Whatever. I don’t think this is what she meant.”

hide rolled his eyes and repeated, snappily, “Get me out of here, will you?”

“I told you—“ Kaoru’s reply was cut short when Sugizo grabbed him by the shirt and hauled back up.

“You’re not feeling ill, are you, Kaoru-san? You’re not going to throw up under the table are you?” someone asked.

“And where did your friend go?”

Seeing as Kaoru was being detained, it seemed like he had to find his own way out. hide stared at Chirolyn’s boots thinking. Okay, I’m stuck under a table with a bunch of drunk people, five of whom know me well. It could be worse. I could be up there. But I’m not. Talk about getting sober fast. How the hell do I get out of here? There’s a door in the front, one in the back and one near the bathrooms. But I can’t get out from under this table without someone spotting me. He cursed the owners for making the tables so far apart from one another. Before this, he thought it was brilliant since it was spacious and it was easy to get in and out. Now he hated it, because he couldn’t hide. He tried again to teleport but the pain worsened and he ended up with a blinding headache. He rested his head against the table leg.

Suddenly, hide felt something wrap around his neck in a choke hold. hide struggled but to no avail. It wrapped tighter around his neck. hide bit his lip in order to keep from shouting and alerting the others of his presence under the table. There was a flash of light, a pulling sensation and then darkness--


The next thing he knew he was dropped, physically, in front of Kaoru and Toshiya’s apartment door. He coughed and rubbed at his neck then blinked when he saw a pair of black boots and tips of angel wings brushing the floor. He raised his head and began to back away and only stopped when his shoulders hit the wall. He gulped. “Kami!!”

The other angel smiled sympathetically, stepped forward and handed him a pure white envelope. “You’re really making them angry, hide-san. Please stop, okay? We really do want you to succeed.” Kami disappeared with the slight hint of purple mist and a twinkle.

hide frowned at the warm envelope in his hands. Twice in a week. Who would’ve thought that—his thoughts were cut short when he noticed that the envelope was getting hotter. He opened it and slid the message out, then read it:


Stop screwing around.


He glared at it and jumped when the words flamed up, causing the note and envelope to catch fire. He dropped it immediately as it turned into a pile of ash. It fluttered as if stirred by a breeze and formed the something on the bottom of the floor that looked suspiciously like words. He crept closer. The cryptic message read:

Another angel.

His shoulders slumped. Dammit. He shook his head and the door swung open at his touch as he flung himself on the couch. He put an arm over his eyes and resolved not to move from the couch until Friday.

***********

Thursday, 6:00 pm

Kaoru stood worriedly near the couch. He stared down at hide, whose arm was thrown over his eyes as if convincing himself that the world was an illusion. Finally, Kaoru spoke, breaking the tense silence that descended between them over the past few days. “Listen, you can’t stay in here forever—“

“Why the hell not?” came a low growl.

“Because—what if I need you?”

“Fine help I’d be. Angel, whose powers aren’t working properly, protecting a human that he’s already doomed to death because of the last couple of days. Nice idea, Kaoru, but I think I’ll just stay in. I like you alive. I think you’d be kind of dull dead.” hide said in a monotone. He hadn’t moved from the couch since Wednesday and had only gotten up to go the bathroom and eat. Nothing else.

“Okay…we don’t have to go to a bar. They won’t see you if we’re just in the studio. They won’t come around. hide, it’s not good if you just stay here. You’re supposed to be looking after me. What am I going to do without you?”

“You did fine without me the whole day. I am going to stay on this couch until Friday, an hour before you’re slated to die and then we’re going to argue. We’re going to argue terribly about anything or nothing and then I’m going to try to kill you. If something saves you, well then, more power to us. And if something doesn’t, well….we weren’t as careful as we thought.”

Kaoru tried to be calm but he was slightly hopping around the couch. hide moved his arm and stared at his human. Kaoru began to fidget. “You can’t…that’s not…it doesn’t—“ He finally stopped hopping around, clenched his fists as his sides and exploded, “Why the hell are you giving up like this?! You’re supposed to take on the world with your head held high and with no mercy!! You just can’t---you just…” Kaoru’s words failed him. He moved hide’s legs off the couch and sat down wearily. hide eyed him with interest. Kaoru closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch.

hide frowned then nudged Kaoru with his foot. The guitarist ignored him. hide chewed on his lip for a second then decided to eavesdrop in Kaoru’s mind.

…can’t do this, if he doesn’t want to. I don’t want to die. And I don’t want to cheat at this. And I don’t want hide to give up so easily... doesn’t he want his wings? He can’t be fake, he’s real, he’s…hide but…what’s wrong? And…Toshiya…

hide nudged Kaoru with his foot again. “Oi.” The guitarist ignored him again. hide nudged him with his foot, just a little harder (just an inch short of kicking him). “Oi oi!! Okite!!”

Kaoru opened his eyes and glared at him but managed to politely reply, “Hai?”

“I—“ hide sat up, “Ano…Kaoru-chan, gomen ne?” Kaoru said nothing and he went on. “I just don’t want to get you into any more trouble.”

“You were seen, right? Doesn’t that mean we should get punished or something?”

“We have been punished.”

“We have? What was it?”

hide ran a hand through his bright pink hair. “Your last task was supposed to be difficult. Well, because of the last two mishaps, it was made … just a little bit harder.”

“How harder?” Kaoru asked bluntly.

hide looked up, trying to think of a comparison. “Hmm. Okay, say that your first version of your last task was as easy as basic math. The second version of your last task is what calculus is to basic math.” Kaoru blanched and hide tried not to laugh at his expression. “And you and I know how well you did that in subject. Especially when you didn’t study and would rather play.”

“Oh, like you were any better.”

“I was a good boy in school.”

“Key words here: Was and in school.”

hide smirked. “I’m glad you’ve finally recovered your fiery spirit and sense of humor. Keep it up and we might survive tomorrow.”

“Your optimism kills me.”

“Better than being pushed out of a building or being run over by a train, or being nearly decapitated by a butcher knife, or being shot by a stray bullet or a—“

“Alright enough!”

Friday, August 4 10:30 am

It had been too cheerful to be a death day.

The atmosphere in the studio was more relaxed than it had been for the past week. They were remixing Die’s new song Audrey, while Toshiya and hide had decided to pretend they were rabbits and were bouncing around to the song. Kaoru and the others gave them a brief smile, while Kaoru made sure that everything on the song was perfect. Everything had been going perfectly until their studio was graced by the presence of a few unexpected visitors.

A secretary poked in the room and told Kaoru who was there. When she left the room, they sent the rest of the techs and their producer with her. As soon as they were alone, Dir en Grey and hide freaked. “This is seriously fucked up! Why can’t they leave us alone?” Kyo ranted. “They should know that if we were awkward around them at the bar and always tried to get away from them, they should know—that we don’t want to be with them!”

“Maybe they know that and they want to get us a time when we can’t get away!” Die replied.

“Argh!!” Toshiya said, disgustedly. “We don’t have to take this crap, anymore. We are going to get away from this.”

“Like how?” Die asked.

Toshiya snorted and told them to stay quiet and follow him as he opened the control room door and poked his head out, looking from one side of the hall to the other. Die’s head appeared above his, hide’s head appeared above Die’s while Kaoru’s appeared right under Toshiya’s, Shinya’s appeared under Kaoru’s and Kyo being the shortest had to put up with the bottom spot. Toshiya looked down at the three heads below him and the two above him then gave a long suffering sigh. He scooted out into the hall, managing not trip over Kaoru and the others and peeked out, then quickly moved back toward the door. “Okay,” he whispered, “The main exit and entrance on this floor is the elevator that is back that way,” He pointed to his right down the hall and motioned backwards to say that it was around the corner. “Near the receptionist’s or secretary or—whatever’s desk. But there is also the emergency exit stairs which is that way.” He still pointed to his right but this time it was in front of him. “The problem is that we can be seen. I mean…really, who can miss a bright red head, a blue head, a pink head, a blond head and a normal looking head on a thin body sneaking out of here?” He smiled apologetically at Shinya, who shook his head.

“So, why don’t we go one or two at a time then?” Kaoru asked. Toshiya and the chain of heads turned to look down or up at him. “I mean, you know…I don’t suspect that they would notice that, right? And if we tried to disguise ourselves, wouldn’t that just give us away even more?”

The others nodded. “Alright, then. Die goes with Shinya. Kaoru, you’re with hide because hell knows you can’t take care of yourself,” He smiled sweetly at Kaoru, ignoring the God-of-Death stare he was giving him. “And Kyo is with me.” Toshiya decided. “So…who wants to go first?”

No one answered.

“Oh, c’mon! Somebody has to go first!” Toshiya whined. “Alright, alright!!” He looked around. “Hmm…I was thinking we should draw straws but we don’t have any straws and we have a limited time.” He reached over and pulled a few pink hairs out of hide’s head quickly. “ITAI!! Toshiya!!”

Toshiya smiled apologetically, holding up hide’s hair in front of him as if it were a shield. “Gomenasai, hide-san but I wasn’t going to pull my hair…” hide growled and rubbed his head as Toshiya began to measure the size of each hair. “Okay! Alright, the person who pulls the longest hair from my hand, gets to go first.” The others separated themselves the column of heads and Shinya stepped forward to pull a hair. Kaoru took a hair and they all compared.

The first to go was Die and Shinya.

After that was Toshiya and Kyo.

And the last two to make an escape were the ill fated Kaoru and hide.

Die and Shinya made their way to the staircase easily, escaping without any hassle. Kyo and Toshiya waited five minutes left after them. Kaoru and hide paced around for a bit and after five minutes, they began to make their way over. They made their way over to the door quickly, opened it and breathed a sigh of relief as they made it to the staircase with a sigh of relief. The wind slammed the door shut and Kaoru and hide jumped then began laughing. They thought that they were too jumpy and were jumping to conclusions too easily.

They continued laughing until they heard shouting in the hall and someone running toward the door. They give each other a look that if said aloud would translate to, “Oh, shit!” and ran down the stairs as quickly as they could. The door opened above them and hide almost squeaked. “It’s Sugi and J and Heath and Kiyoshi and—“

Kaoru grabbed his hand to stop his babbling and ran down the stairs, almost falling over the railing and down the side of the building, when he couldn’t stop fast enough to run down the other set of stairs. “This would’ve all been avoiding if you just chosen a different bar!!!”

“No, no!!!” hide snapped, yanking his hand out of Kaoru’s, but still running with him, catching up to run at his side and glare at him. “This would’ve all been avoiding if you had just argued with me like I ordered you to!!”

“I don’t dance to your orders, hide!! You may be my angel and my idol but I am not your bloody puppet!!”

“Who said I wanted a puppet?! Especially one like you!” hide stopped running and pushed Kaoru against the wall. Sugi and the others seeing him be damned! He didn’t have to take this! “You think you know everything and you think you know what you’re doing is right all the time!! You don’t know how to have any fun! How Toshiya manages to stand you is beyond me!”

Kaoru growled and pushed hide back as Sugi and the others stopped to watch them fight, stunned. Toshiya, Kyo, Shinya and Die peeked up the lower staircase to see what was going on and blinked in shock. “Oh, like you’re a fucking walk in the park! This is my goddamned life you’re ruining—“

“Is that all you think about?! Yourself?! You’re so selfish! Dammit! What about me?! I have to prove to heaven that I’m worth having around! I don’t like this any more than you do but I’m stuck with you and I’ve tried to make the best of it!!” hide shoved Kaoru back toward the railing and Kaoru sneered.

“The best of it?! The best of it?!!! You’ve been living like a king at my apartment!! Whose apron is that you’re wearing?! Who lets you eat whatever is in the house? Who let’s you go drinking every night?!”

“This is Toshiya’s apron and you’re not my goddamned father, Kaoru!” hide snapped, “If anything, I’m ten years older than you!! I could survive perfectly well without your stupid apartment!!”

“Shinya and Die can only take one angel in their house, hide and it’s not you….because you don’t have your wings.” Kaoru taunted, challengingly waving hide to try and hit him.

hide growled, “That was cruel as well as uncalled for—“

“hide?” Sugizo ventured.

“What?!” hide snapped, totally forgetting about being called Hikaru and everything else, “Can’t you see I’m the middle of something? Like kicking his ass?!”

Kaoru snorted and crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, “You wouldn’t hurt me…I’m your one last ploy for salvation.”

“God help me,” hide returned calmly then went for Kaoru’s throat. Sugizo reached over to prevent hide from throttling the poor guitarist as Toshiya gasped and ran up the stairs to help do the same. Sugizo managed to pull hide back after being shoved into Kaoru hard. hide growled but blinked and stopped when he heard Toshiya’s terrified scream. Apparently, Sugizo had accidentally shoved Kaoru over the railing.

“KAORU!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

hide shoved Sugizo away from him easily and ran to reach out for Kaoru’s hand. Things seem to slow down as Kaoru’s fingers of his right hand brushed hide’s. hide hadn’t been fast enough and closed his hand around empty air. Kaoru’s eyes flickered up at him, registering disbelief and fright. Toshiya screamed once again as all the others rushed up to the railing and watched Kaoru plummet to his death. They all looked away just about the time he hit the ground with Toshiya sobbing, brokenheartedly and hide felt like the world had ended. He took a look at his watch. Five seconds before 11:00. They would never get that last task…

He had worried for nothing…

~present~

hide tried to swallow his tears but he couldn’t help but let out a sob. He really hadn’t meant for Kaoru to die. He didn’t mean any of those words he had said. If he only had just done what he was told from the beginning or if the task hadn’t been so damn vague!! They had been arguing right before Kaoru died, so by all accounts and purposes, Kaoru should have survived!!

hide reminisced about all the times he and Kaoru spent together, the aprons, the can castle, making breakfast for Toshiya, packing Yoshiki’s things, and the time he and Die had pissed off Yoshiki by putting him on speaker phone. It was all because of Kaoru and he had sincerely enjoyed his second stay on Earth. He didn’t know that he would miss the serious yet sometimes fun younger man so much. What a difference one person makes. He stared at the picture of Kaoru once again, memorizing it even as his eyes blurred once again. He pretended it was the incense making the apartment much more smoky and dark than it was already, wiping the wetness around his eyes quickly. He clapped his hands, bowed his head and sent a wish up to heaven for Kaoru’s soul. “Mata ne, Kaoru-chan?”

Suddenly, there was a sound of someone stumbling out of the bedroom and hide stood quickly as Kaoru glared at him with tired eyes. There were bandages across his forehead and around his arms. hide could tell that his wounds were still healing by the way he moved over to him, stiffly. Kaoru’s voice was raspy as he asked, “What are you doing up so early?”

hide smirked, “Practicing.”

“Thanks for your support,” the younger man grunted and frowned at the tiny altar, taking up residence in the corner of his living room. “And put this away! It’s bad luck! I thought you were supposed to be making breakfast!”

“I am making breakfast! It just needs to cool off a bit!”

“Then what’s that burning?”

“That’s the incense! What? You don’t like my little shrine for you?”

“Considering the fact that I’m not dead…” Kaoru began calmly, “Of course I don’t like it!!” He ended with a shout.

hide laughed at him, “Oh, Kaoru, you’re so funny when you’re mad. Sit down and relax before you give yourself an ulcer. Or you might just wake Toshiya.”

Kaoru grumbled and did as he asked as hide gave a cheeky grin. Yup, messing with this one was fun.

~five seconds before 11:00, the day before~

hide frowned. Wait. Five seconds before 11:00?! He peeked out over the railing and began laughing hysterically. Toshiya stared at him as if he were insane, until hide reached out, grabbed him by the shirt and forced him to look down. Toshiya began laughing, too, and they both ran down the stairs and out the building, into the alley way.

Kaoru stood up from the garbage bags, occasionally swearing when he fell down. He spotted hide and tried to rush over to him, only to trip over a trash bag. “You!! I hate you!! You bastard!! You son of a bitch, I hate you!!!” Kaoru struggled up once more as hide began laughing at him. Toshiya reached out and helped Kaoru out of the trashbag mess. There was a cut on Kaoru’s forehead and numerous other cuts on his arms. “I’ll kill you!”

hide sighed and took a peek at his watch, “Cut!” he said, effortlessly. “You had five seconds! And you can stop calling me those names now, we don’t have to fight anymore.” “I hate you!”

“And I love you to death, Kaoru-chan, my little peachy pookins.” hide smiled and blew Kaoru a kiss.

Toshiya giggled, holding back Kaoru easily. “Chan! He called me Kaoru-chan! What’s with that?!”

“He called you that before. Don’t worry about it! And I call you that sometimes, so why are you all mad?”

“Aw, he’s just upset because he got pushed out of a building.” hide said flippantly. “Don’t know what you’re complaining about, you’re still alive!”

Kaoru growled as the others finally caught up to him. Die was about to give him a friendly hug but stepped back and waved his hand, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “I’ll hug you with happiness, after you take a bath.”

“No respect…” Kaoru sighed. “Only Toshiya appreciates me.”

“Actually, Kaoru, you should take a bath. Next time fall somewhere better than on trash,” Toshiya gave a nervous smile and Kaoru gasped, in shock. Kyo and Shinya began laughing as hide struck an anime pose.

“Alright! Fourth task here we come!”

“Right after we make sure this is Kaoru and not a rat pretending to be him.”

“Argh! No respect!!!!”

“We love you to death, Kaoru-chan, our little peachy pookins.”

“Good God…”

end of part 3 ^_~

++

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