Publicity Stunt by Lady Aria

L’arc-en-ciel fanfiction. My standard disclaimers apply. For my L’arc-crazy friends. Inspired by Lizzie-chan’s desperate attempts to keep an umbrella over my head while walking from the train station to the mall.

Publicity Stunt

by Lady Aria (bukiminatenshi@mailcity.com)

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Hyde said as he looked skeptically at a smiling Tetsu. “Please tell me this a joke.”

“Let me put it this way,” Tetsu said as he placed a hand on Hyde’s shoulder. “As of now, 50,000 copies of that flier are circulating all over Japan. Think of it this way, it’s great publicity for our upcoming album.”

Hyde’s face paled as he once again read the flier he had in his hand.

WIN HYDE OF L’ARC-EN-CIEL FOR A DAY!

“Tetsu, have you gone crazy?!” Hyde said as he waved his hands in the air. “I might be handed over to some person with a really perverted sense of fun! A HENTAI! For all you know, I might not even make it back alive from this little idea of yours!”

Tetsu guided the jittery singer to a chair and handed him some water to calm his nerves. “Look, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about this sooner. I was expecting that you’d act like this, but as you know, it’s already way too late to call off the contest. Last I heard, there were already about 70,000 entries that had come in through the mail for the first day.” Tetsu leaned over and spoke in a solemn voice. “If you’re really not comfortable with the arrangements, I’ll pull some strings to call the whole thing off. The press will have a field day on our account, but if that’s what you want, well....”

That was all Hyde needed to hear. “Okay, okay,” he said raising his hands in defeat. “I’ll go along with this, but remember,” Hyde said sternly, “you are going to owe me big for this one.”

“I know, I know,” Tetsu said. “Look at the bright side, you might actually enjoy this.”

<Yeah, right,> Hyde thought glumly as they walked out of his flat and into the elevator.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you L’arc-en-ciel!”

The four guys walked onto the stage amidst a chorus of screams. Tetsu was by far the most chipper of the group while Hyde had an obviously forced happy expression on his face. Inside he felt as though he was attending a funeral -- his own.

The host cleared his throat and waited for the screams of the crowd to die down. “Before we proceed to the drawing of our lucky contestant, I would like to ask the group a question. What made you think of such a daring contest?”

“Well,” Tetsu said, grabbing the mike before Hyde could react, “since we’ve been around for quite some time, we thought that we should try to get to know our fans more. Hyde, being the gracious person that he is, volunteered to be the one to be raffled off.” Tetsu smiled inwardly when he saw the dark look Hyde was casting his way. “And with Hyde as the main prize, we were pretty sure that a lot of people will be more than willing to participate in the raffle.”

“I see,” the host replied. “I have to say that you are a very brave man, Hyde-san, and selfless, too.”

Hyde was barely able to keep himself from throttling Tetsu on-stage when the host declared that it was time to pick the winner. A huge fiberglass drum filled with the entries that had come within the week-long duration of the contest was wheeled in. A stagehand pressed a button and the drum began to turn, mixing the contents together. The drum stopped after its tenth rotation and Tetsu walked over and opened the latch to pick the winning entry. The tension in the room was staggering. Several girls fainted due to the heat as Tetsu was digging his hand into the mass of entries. Tetsu smiled a bit and pulled out an entry and handed it over to the host.

“And now the moment that you’ve all been waiting for....” The host tore open the envelope, made sure that everything was in proper order and smiled. “The winner of Hyde-san for a period of 24 hours is... MIYABE SAKURA!”

A triumphant shout rang from the end of the hall and the marshals cleared a way for the winner, who’d been in attendance, to pass through. In the entire time they’d been there, this was the first time Ken had actually taken notice of the events around him and let out a low whistle.

“I cannot believe your luck,” Ken whispered into a stunned Hyde’s ear. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to trade places with you.”

The word ‘beautiful’ was not enough to do justice to Miyabe Sakura. She was tall by Japanese standards, slender, and quite well-endowed, and, judging from the form-fitting Dolce & Gabbana ® outfit she was wearing, rich. She flashed Hyde a smile that made him gulp. This was one girl who knew how to best use her charms and use them she did.

Polite clapping ensued from the crowd, after the disappointed groans disappeared. A few envious glances were flashed her way, but she didn’t seemed to mind.

“Congratulations, Miyabe-san,” the host said as he shook her hand backstage. “I hope you take good care of Hyde-san while you two are together. So, when are you planning to use your privilege of having Hyde-san for a day?”

“Why, we could start right now,” she replied. “But I wonder if I could ask Tetsu-san to be a bit more lenient with the rules of the contest.”

“Is there a problem with the rules, Miyabe-san?” Tetsu asked, ignoring the looks that Hyde and Ken were flashing his way.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I was planning a little get-away and it would take hours to reach the spot,” she said in a sad voice. “Maybe we could bend the rules a bit and not deduct the travel time from the 24 hours allotted for me?”

“Well, I’m sure that Hyde-san wouldn’t mind,” Tetsu replied as Hyde goggled at him from behind the girl. “I’m sure that it wouldn’t be very fair if most of the 24 hours was used up for travel.”

“Oh, thank you, Tetsu-san!” She said happily. “I’ll go tell my chauffeur that we’ll be leaving and I have to confirm my reservations. I’ll be back in a few minutes!”

As soon as the girl was out of sight, Hyde grabbed Tetsu by the shirt and dragged him over to a corner. “I have gone with this cockamine plan of yours the best I could, but you are really trying me!” Hyde said, his voice a mixture of anxiety and rage. “You have just agreed to let a total stranger have me for 24 hours, but that wasn’t enough. You had to agree not to deduct the travel time from the 24 hours!”

“I wouldn’t mind spending over 24 hours with her,” Ken piped in.

“Shut up!” Hyde and Tetsu said in unison.

“Loosen up, Hyde,” Tetsu said, dusting himself off. “She is rather pretty. Why don’t you think of this as a kind of vacation of sorts.”

“Tetsu, I have never been afraid of girls, but this one scares me,” Hyde whispered. “She just comes on too strong.”

“Listen,” Tetsu said as he placed his hands on Hyde’s shoulders. “You’ll be fine. Just concentrate on having a good time, okay? Maybe you’ll hit it off.”

“I doubt that,” Hyde retorted. He’d wanted to say more but the Miyabe girl had come back. Heaving a defeated sigh, he walked over to her resigned to his fate.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Hyde-san, daijobu desuka?”

Hyde snapped out of his thoughts and saw the concerned look on her face. “A-ah, daijobu,” he replied and went back to staring out the window.

“You haven’t spoken a word to me since we left the TV station,” she said glumly. “I was hoping that we could get to know each other a bit while we made our way to the resort....” She looked down and a smile lit her face. “I know! Maybe this would help.”

Hyde turned and saw that she had two glasses of champagne in her hands. He’d wanted to decline, but the hopeful look on her face was going to be way too much of a burden for his conscience. He reached out and took the glass. “Kampai,” he said and they both drank. “Hey, this is really good,” he remarked in surprise.

“I’m glad you like it,” she replied and settled into the limousine’s back seat. “It’s a very special brew that only I know how to make.”

“Well, whatever it is...,” Hyde’s sentence was cut short as he dropped the glass he was holding and clutched his head. Everything was spinning. He could barely hear the girl’s voice and that was when he knew that he’d been drugged. The last thing he heard was her laughter before he succumbed to the darkness.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The feeling of something tickling his ear was what brought Hyde back to his senses. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the girl was leaning over him and the tickling was being caused by her breath in his ear. He sat bolt upright when he remembered what had happened to him.

“It’s about time you came to,” she giggled. “We’ve arrived.”

The windows rolled down and revealed that they were well into the country. Mist rose up everywhere, indicating that the place must be full of natural hot springs. A bit farther down the road stood a mansion. The whole scene looked as thought it had been lifted from a story book... or a travel brochure.

“I’m glad you like it,” Miyabe replied when she saw Hyde’s expression. “I must ask for your forgiveness though, for drugging you on the way here. You see, this place has been a closely guarded family secret and we don’t take just anyone here.”

“I can see why,” Hyde replied as the limo rolled to a stop before the entrance. The inside was every bit as imposing as the outside. There was silk everywhere -- the curtains, the furniture coverings, the pillows on the couches -- and the furniture was made of cherry wood. The traditional shoji screens were also remarkable with delicate waves and patterns replacing the usual square-tile design. Flowers overflowed from vases scattered about, giving the room a rich perfume.

Miyabe slipped off her shoes and sat beside a shoji screen as Hyde walked around the room in amazement. Two raps on the frame and a muffled voice from the other side caught Hyde’s attention.

“Who is it?” The voice asked in a gentle tone.

“I’ve brought him here, ojisan,” Miyabe replied. “Just as I’ve promised.”

“Thank you, Sayako, you may go now.”

“Sayako?” Hyde repeated in disbelief.

“Once again, I ask for your forgiveness,” the girl replied and bowed to the floor. “My real name is Miyabe Sayako, but I entered the contest as Miyabe Sakura as a favor. I shall be leaving now.” Miyabe noted the curious look on Hyde’s face and continued. “You will stay in this house as a guest for 24 hours. Since I will be leaving with the limo, there will be no way out of this place until I come back for you at exactly this time tomorrow. Please enjoy your stay.”

The look of utter disbelief in Hyde’s face was priceless and Sayako took advantage of Hyde’s shock to make her way out the door. Hyde recovered as he heard the sound of the screen sliding. Unfortunately for Hyde, an even bigger shock awaited him when he saw who the voice behind the screen belonged to.

“Welcome, Hyde. It’s been a while.”

Sakura. L’arc-en-ciel’s ex-drummer.

It didn’t help that Sakura was dressed in tight fitting leather pants and a white shirt open at the front. He held something behind his back and a devilish smile came to his face as he approached.

“I promise you that this would be 24 hours that you will never forget.”

Hyde gulped when he saw that Sakura was holding a leash attached to a collar. Hyde’s apprehension grew when he saw what was written on the tag hanging from the collar.

Sakura’s Pet.

“You are not going anywhere near me with that,” Hyde said as he began backing away from Sakura.

“In a little while, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it,” the ex-drummer replied enigmatically.

Hyde’s skin began to crawl. It looked like Sakura knew something he didn’t. “And just what do you mean by that? In order to get that on me, you’d first have to catch me.”

“You’ll find out soon enough, in about five seconds.”

“What...?”

Hyde’s retort was cut short as he felt all the sensations leave his body and he found himself slumped on the floor. He felt like he didn’t have any bones. “What’s going on, Sakura?” Hyde said feebly. <At least my voice is still working,> he thought as the bigger man approached him.

“It looks like Sayako’s brews are still very potent,” Sakura said as he loosely fastened the collar around Hyde’s neck. “You see, Sayako-chan is a chemist and a very good one at that. She has managed to develop drugs that are used by doctors and the military to restrain violent people. If I remember correctly, she mixed a time-delay version of the drug in your drink.”

Hyde’s attention was not on Sakura’s words, but on the sensations his hands made as he felt them on his neck, then weaving into his hair. They seared his skin with their heat. He looked up at Sakura knowing that this time, he was definitely powerless against him. He felt himself being cradled gently in his arms and he felt Sakura’s lips on his. Even in this condition of depressed awareness, he felt the passion that Sakura was trying to keep in check. As though a reflex action, Hyde felt his lips twitch a bit beneath Sakura’s and, using what little sensation was left in him, he found himself returning Sakura’s kisses.

The expression in Hyde’s eyes were unmistakable. Sakura gently propped Hyde up into a sitting position and tugged the edges of his shirt out of his pants and did his best to unbutton it without letting go of Hyde. Finally, he let the garment slide off Hyde’s slender shoulders and settled him onto a nest of pillows at the center of the living room. Sitting a couple of feet away from his prize, he could see that Hyde was taking deep rapid breaths with eyes closed and lips parted. He stroked some stray locks away from Hyde’s face and those intense eyes looked back at him once again, making him wonder whether Hyde was his prisoner or he was Hyde’s. Knowing that Sayako’s drug was nearing the end of its potency, he quickly stripped Hyde of the rest of his clothes and he stripped as well.

Sakura settled lightly on Hyde, making skin contact, but making sure that he was not creating enough pressure to hurt him. He ran his fingers through Hyde’s hair and began kissing him lightly -- on his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, along his jaw. He heard Hyde moan as he began kissing his neck. Sakura tugged at the collar lightly, making sure that it wouldn’t get in the way. The skin on Hyde’s neck was soft, exactly the way he’d imagined it would be.

“You liked that, didn’t you?” Sakura whispered into his ear as he bit lightly on Hyde’s earlobe. He watched as Hyde’s breathing grew faster. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to have you this way, Hyde.”

<And you don’t know how much I’d hope you would do something like this,> Hyde though as he felt Sakura’s lips on his chest. In the entire band, he’d viewed Sakura as the one who was most like him. He hadn’t known how much he’d wanted Sakura until Tetsu told him that he wanted to get rid of Sakura. But that was in the past. The point is Sakura is here with him right now and every single one of his unspoken desires were coming true. A loud moan escaped from Hyde’s lips and his back arched involuntarily as he felt Sakura’s teeth teasing his nipples as his hand stroked him. The mixture of pleasure and pain was unbearable, but Sakura seemed determined that Hyde ride it out. Hyde’s moans became even louder as he felt Sakura’s mouth enclose him in a hot, wet sheath and his passion mounted as he stroked him with his tongue and teased him with little bites.

“Sa... ku... ra...,” Hyde moaned, “stop it..., please....”

“Hmm?” Sakura said as he looked up at Hyde. “Are you begging me to take you?”

“Yes,” Hyde answered, in a haze borne out of being half-way between release and frustration. “Damn it, Sakura, just do it!”

“Uh-uh,” Sakura said teasingly as he planted another kiss on Hyde’s lips. “Not until I say you’re ready.”

Hyde wanted to scream in frustration at Sakura’s words. Even in his state, he was awake enough to see that Sakura was also desperate for release. The feel of Sakura’s hands massaging his back and sides brought him back to reality. It actually felt good. He felt Sakura’s hands creating circles of warm as they moved over his body and down. The motions made him relax, made him feel safe. It was at that time when he felt Sakura’s hands hold his hips securely and a searing pain erupted from his backside. Hyde felt as though he was being ripped apart. He felt Sakura’s reassuring weight on him as he plunged deeper into his being. For Hyde it seemed like an eternity before he felt Sakura enclosed entirely within him.

Sakura knew the pain he was causing Hyde and his heart melted as he saw the stray tears that dotted Hyde’s cheeks. He kissed them and kissed the lips of their owner. Hyde’s breathing was now shallow and rapid. He looked totally powerless beneath him. Totally his. Sakura began crooning one of their old songs into his ear as he began to move. The sensations were beginning to return into Hyde’s limbs and he felt the smaller man’s arms around his body as their bodies found a rhythm. A light sheen of sweat covered their bodies as Hyde clutched Sakura like a lifeline. At first, Sakura thought it was his imagination, but he heard Hyde whispering the words of the song into his ear. Their passions rose and fell just like the notes of the song that they had once created, until the notes and their bodies reached a final crescendo and they both collapsed onto the pillows, exhausted.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Hyde stirred as he felt something moist and round make contact with his lips. He opened his eyes and saw that it was a grape. He looked up to see Sakura, dressed in a white robe, with a tray of food beside him on a small table. Hyde smiled seductively up at him and took the fruit in his mouth. Sitting up, he ran his hands through his hair and his hand once again came in contact with the accursed collar. He reached up to tug it free, but Sakura stopped him.

“You’re my pet, remember?” Sakura said teasingly as he tugged Hyde’s hands away from the collar and kissed them. “And pets don’t take off their collars.”

“What is with this pet business anyway?” Hyde said, blowing a stray strand from his face. “Why can’t we just be normal Hyde and Sakura?”

“The normal Hyde and Sakura wouldn’t be sleeping together,” Sakura pointed out. “Besides, if I have you as a pet, I have to make sure that you’re well taken cared of.” He pressed a strawberry with a light chocolate covering to Hyde’s lips.

“Is that why you’re feeding me?” He said as he munched on the fruit. Hyde scrutinized the food on the tray and arched his eyebrows. Cinnamon rolls, butter, croissants, grapes, strawberries and warm chocolate sauce. “Why does it look like you’re stuffing me with food known for being aphrodisiacs?”

“You catch on real quick,” Sakura said and gave him a kiss of the lips. “I have an idea. There’s a private hot spring out back. Would you care to try it out?”

“Maybe,” Hyde replied and he popped another grape into his mouth. “I could go for a bath especially since I don’t know how long I was out in the limo.”

“Actually, I was thinking of more than just a bath.”

Hyde looked back at Sakura in surprise. There was an evil glint in his eyes that he didn’t like.

“The rules of keeping a pet include,” he said as he edged towards Hyde, “keeping your master happy. If I remember correctly, pets live to serve.”

“Now, Sakura, don’t get carried away,” Hyde began.

“Come to think of it, there are some other interesting rooms in this house....”

Needless to say, Sakura lived up to his promise. It really was 24 hours that Hyde would never forget.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was three days after the contest and Hyde had returned to Tokyo with the most curious expression on his face that Tetsu received a most interesting e-mail. It went something like this:

Tetsu,

Thanks for your help. I had a most wonderful and interesting time, although some people we know might deny it... ah well, to each their own. I can’t thank you enough. I owe you one and don’t hesitate to ask me for any favors, after all, that’s what are friends for, ne?

Sakura

<Just as planned,> Tetsu thought and smiled as he deleted the e-mail. In this business, you can’t be too careful.

*************** The End ****************