The Great Manipulator

by Lady7 ( runaluna )

Comments: I apologize for the VERY late update. Real life shucks. On lighter note, this is the last chapter of the Great Manipulator!!! YAY!! Hope y’all enjoy!! Comments are very much appreciated ^___^ Thank you for reading and thank you for the support guys.

Part 10


If Kyo starts asking me questions about you ... and me ... I don’t … I can’t … I can't lie anymore. I can’t do this anymore


Kyo looked up from his magazine and joined his eyebrows. Toshiya tried to ignore the gaze, placing himself down the couch in front of the vocalist. Kaoru was sitting next to Kyo, not aware of it until Toshiya rolled his eyes and asked aloud, “What?!”

The guitarist looked up. Kyo shrugged and gave the bassist a funny look, “Your hair ….”

Kaoru chuckled lowly, earning a glare from Toshiya. They were in the studio, finalizing their “image” for the upcoming FVT in America.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Toshiya asked, rolling his eyes. This was probably the fifteenth time he was questioned about the hair. Could people just let it rest already?!!

Kyo lifted an eyebrow, “Your hair…” he repeated, messing with his own mane, “The curls …. the color ….” he trailed off and took a good look at Toshiya, “No, actually, your look … your whole image! Your image, what’s …” Kyo shook his head and looked at Toshiya curiously.

Kaoru closed the book he was reading and crossed his legs, leaning on the couch casually, “Yeah Toshiya. What’s going on?”

Toshiya huffed and threw his hands in the air, “Guys … I look GOOD. Okay?”

Kaoru narrowed his eyes in amusement and shook his head, “You look fried” he muttered and Kyo laughed.

“WHAT?! No! This!” he touched his hair, “It’s like an evolution! You know …. Toshiya’s evolution!” the lanky guy stated boldly. Kaoru shifted in his seat and threw Kyo a look, “You see when guys evolve, they become men. Like Kyo, he’s so damn manly now I bet ya wanna fuck him right here!”

Toshiya’s jaw dropped and Kyo kinda froze.

Kaoru smiled

“Er…. Kaoru, I’m still not … into the whole sextape thing …” Kyo started.

“Yeah, I know! I’m just trying to explain to Toshiya what evolution means. He looks like a goddamn Korean highschool kid!” Kaoru exclaimed.

Kyo took another look at Toshiya and pouted, “Yeah, better than the fungus colored horse hair he had last week!”

Toshiya gasped, “WHAT?!!!”

“Actually, he’s complimenting you Toshiya” Kaoru noted.

“Fucking hell Kyo!” Toshiya wailed and the other two laughed, “This is Grunge”

Kaoru blinked, “Huh?”

Toshiya rolled his eyes, “You call yourself a rockstar?! You don’t know what Grunge is?!” he accused. Kaoru shook his head and replied, “I know Grunge. Kurt Cobain”, in which Kyo nodded in agreement with, “Yeah, Nirvana”

The bassist sat upright and motioned at his hair, “Yeah!”

…

Kaoru and Kyo looked at each other, “Huh?!!! You mean … you’re doing Kurt Cobain?”

“Gah! Look at the hair!” Toshiya motioned at his hair again, then his face, “The emoness!”

“Fuck Totchi, Grunge isn’t even rock!” Kaoru spat out.

“Oh my fucking God it is!!!’ Toshiya argued, “The outfit? And no make up!” he poked at his own cheeks.

….

Kaoru scratched his chin and took a deep breath.

“You know” Kyo said after a while, “You might not wanna be him after all …. He died of suicide”

Toshiya rolled his eyes, “No, he OD-ed’

Kaoru joined his eyebrows, “I thought he’s shot”

….

After a very long silence, Kyo gave up and said, “Well …. we can always ask Die. He’s like …” the vocalist stopped to think of the right word.

“A walking American dictionary” Kaoru finished the sentence. Toshiya smiled and nodded, “That’s probably true. He knows a lot”

“About the culture yeah he does. Die’s gonna have fun time during the FVT” Kyo added.

“I hope he won’t do anything STUPID” Kaoru muttered, half hoping half praying.

“Ohhh” Kyo rubbed his hands together, “There’ll be booze …”

“And chicks” Toshiya grinned.

“NO CHICKS!!!!!”

Kyo and Toshiya looked at Kaoru with shock on their faces.

Kaoru cleared his throat and calmed down.

“Nah you try to tell Shinya about that” Toshiya deadpanned and Kyo started to laugh, “No, no!!!” he exclaimed, “You should tell Die about it. Shinya’s always a chick to him”

Kaoru stopped laughing and looked at Kyo. Toshiya did the same. The guitarist scratched his chin, “What do you mean?” he asked in a serious tone. Kyo smiled and replied, “You know after the sextape thing is settled, I started thinking. A lot. I put all the broken pieces back together… and somehow, there’s …. something” Kyo paused and looked at the two, “Something is missing. Something is … disturbing! It’s …” he stopped and thought hard.

Toshiya nodded slowly, “Yeah … I get that feeling too. Something’s not right”

Kaoru looked at them confusedly, “Am I the weird one here or you guys just … making things up? Or hallucinating?” he asked.

Kyo thought for a while and said, “See Kaoru, it’s like a puzzle! You put all the pieces together and in the end, you realize there’s one piece missing! That’s how I feel right now” and the blond guy looked at Toshiya, who nodded, “I’ve been trying to tell you this but you won’t believe me! I actually know what the missing piece is!” the bassist paused, “Or … maybe not what it is, but I know at least …. I think it’s got something to do with Die and Shinya!”

Kyo snapped his fingers, “That’s IT!!!”

Kaoru scratched his chin again. Kyo rolled his eyes, “Will ya quit? It’s like a routine already”. Toshiya sneered, “Kyo, he thinks it looks manly, but it’s stupid and lewd everytime he does it. Maybe the pubes are just growing and it’s itchy. You know, when hair grows it itches” Toshiya insulted with a mean look on his face. Kaoru was giving him death glare.

“Quit making fun of my beard!” Kaoru growled.

“Quit making fun of my hair!” Toshiya snapped.

As the other two exchanged more demeaning remarks, Kyo's hand moved to his chin and he began stroking his own facial pubes. Clearly he was too engrossed in pondering what Toshiya had said that he failed to realize the bassist was actually insulting him as well ….

The missing piece …. Was it really about Die and Shinya?

***

“No, there’s no one here”

Shinya joined his eyebrows and looked at the watch, “No, Die. I left something in the studio. I’m here now, actually”

“Yes, the color suits me well… It’s got red shades, you’ll like it. No, not red like yours” the drummer touched his bangs, “It’s brownish, maroon colored. Yes, very sweet” he smiled, “I’ll see you later. In two hours. Okay!” Shinya exclaimed and said good bye. Looking around, he noted he was alone in the corridor. Shrugging, the drummer turned the door knob and opened the door to their ‘leisure’ room.

*gasps*

Shinya’s hand gripped on the knob tightly as he saw Kyo sitting on the couch.

Just Kyo ….. and no one else.

Shit

Calmly, Shinya took a deep breath and closed the door carefully behind him. Smilingly slightly, he approached the older man and took a seat next to him. The drummer lifted his eyes and looked at Kyo.

The vocalist was staring at him …. with such a weird look on his face Shinya immediately thought Kyo knew already. That’s it! He figured it out!

….

“Ano …” Kyo muttered.

Shinya tried to remain as calm as possible as he put his bag on the floor, “Why Kyo kun … you seem …. shocked?” he asked softly, trying not to look at the blond guy.

…

“Yeah …” Kyo chuckled weirdly, “I am shocked”

Shinya joined his eyebrows and pretending to rummage thru his bag. What was the thing he needed to pick up from here?? And where’s Die when he’s needed???

Kyo coughed and stared at the magazine on his lap, “Toshiya was here. Kaoru too” he said casually.

The drummer nodded, “Oh, okay”

And silence filled the room as Shinya realized Kyo had started to stare at him weirdly.

It felt very uneasy

Kyo wasn’t the type who stared. Toshiya would do so when he’s not getting what he wanted. Kaoru would stare when he’s angry. Die stared at him all the time, even when he’s sleeping he could sometimes feel Die’s eyes on him. But Kyo’s stare right now …. It’s …. strange and he had goose bumps from it.

“I like your hair color”

Shinya blinked, “Huh?” he uttered and turned to face the other guy. Kyo had a smile on his face, like a nervous smile. The drummer smiled back confusedly and touched his hair. “OH, my new hair color?” he asked and Kyo nodded, this time smiling wider, “Yeah. It suits your skin color”

The drummer looked at his own arm, “Oh really? You think it suits me?” he stroked his own arm.

“Yeah … the tan is ... perfect … on your …” Kyo’s voice suddenly faded away as he took another good look Shinya’s arm. “It’s ... very smooth and …. creamy”

Shinya’s eyes narrowed with glimpse of realization mixed with amusement in them. Kyo couldn’t see because it was smartly hidden by the long bangs. There was a smile on Shinya’s lips, so tiny and so quick it was barely there. The vocalist’s hand was suddenly touching his upper arm, “The muscles … so fine and developed. I think you’ve got the best body, among us”

“Really?” Shinya asked back, smiling. Ahhh … was Kyo being suggestive to see his reaction??

‘Yeah” Kyo nodded again, “Your hair color …” his eyes shifted to Shinya’s face, “The highlights … it’s very nicely done. I’ve never seen you like this …”

Shinya’s jaw almost dropped. Was Kyo … …???! He stared at the vocalist. ….. No, didn’t seem like it. The blond guy looked genuinely shocked. Like … Kyo couldn’t believe himself for saying those words! That’s Weird! Kyo complimenting him?!!

There was another pause before Kyo turned away abruptly. The blond head coughed nervously and nodded to himself, “Hey ... I need to talk to you Shinya” he suddenly said, and Shinya paled.

WTF was going on?!! He hated the way the atmosphere changed from … smitten Kyo to serious Kyo. Heh …

“This is … well, I’m being completely honest about this. And I hope you won’t … you know” Kyo shrugged, “Tell a soul”

Shinya was even more confused by now. “Okay” he said, nodding slightly. There were sooo many thoughts running in his mind right now.

Kyo sighed and started, “We both know when we started forming the band, and I said it before in the past that I didn’t like you”

…

“Uh-huh?” Shinya proded.

“Well…. I have to say, thinking about the things you have done for me… when I wasn’t talking to Kaoru and Toshiya….” Kyo paused and smiled sheepishly, “They made me changed my mind about you Shinya”

The drummer blinked as Kyo nervously laughed, “I used to hate you … like …” he continued, “I thought you’re such a spoilt brat. You still are!” Kyo stated boldly and Shinya rolled his eyes, nodding. “But I can tell … from the way you talked, your opinions … you’ve grown”

Shinya looked at the other man in surprise.

Kyo sighed aloud, “Yeah … it’s weird isn’t it?” he asked with a cute grin on his slightly flushed face.

“Indeed” Shinya finally let his guard down, smiling as he leaned back on the couch, “For you to say this … Honestly, I’m surprised” he admitted. Kyo nodded and raised his hands helplessly, “But this is how I truly feel. Something has changed you. You’re so patient, and calm. I used to think it’s fake, your image. But as time goes by …” Kyo trailed off.

“We never talk to each other” Shinya noted.

“Yeah” Kyo exclaimed, “You’re always with Die”

Shinya bit his lower lip, never losing the smile as he studied Kyo’s face when the red head was mentioned. There was no changes in his expression, he was still genuine, nervous, and … embarrassed.

“Maybe it’s your image … the make up, the long hair … I felt you were really unapproachable” Kyo continued, “But during those times, it was difficult for me to understand what was going on, let alone accept the fact that I was cheated by my bandmates for so long”

Shinya nodded, “I know. I was there. I felt the same way” he agreed.

“Yeah. But the way you embrace this thing … is so different from the way I see it. You just …” Kyo shook his head in disbelief as he tried to remember what happened in the exact room few weeks ago. Shinya joined his eyebrows and fidgeted in his seat, “Ano…” he muttered slowly.

“You reacted as if you knew about the secret” Kyo suddenly said.

“…. no” Shinya said carefully.

“Yeah …. I think it’s … a very grown up thing to do, being able to forgive them so quickly and at the same time, recognizing their pain to see us finding out this way. You know what I mean?” Kyo asked, sounding a little pushy. Shinya started to panic and smiled, “Yes… err…” he looked away and thought hard. He needed to turn this conversation around.

“Especially when Toshiya started accusing you … you just remained calm! And the thing that impressed me the most, was your ability to keep this whole thing from Die!” Kyo added, and Shinya cringed on the inside. No, not Die. Die shouldn’t be mentioned at all.

“After Toshiya told me what he thought of you and Die … the crazy notion of his, that there’s something going on between the two of you … I started to believe it. After I calmed down these few days, we had put all the pieces back together …” Kyo explained, “But there’s something missing!”

“Well, Kyo kun” Shinya interrupted.

The vocalist blinked.

“Everybody has their own way in facing problems” Shinya sat up right and looked straight at Kyo, “It’s not your fault that you felt betrayed. You have every right to feel cheated. It’s just that …” he pretended to think and Kyo waited patiently, “It’s not that much of a surprise for me to know that they had a thing in the past. Heck, even if they’re still together, I’d act the same way”

Kyo fell silent and gazed into space.

Shinya put a hand on Kyo’s shoulder and gave it an assuring squeeze, “They’re Kaoru and Toshiya” Just like Die and I. We are Die and Shinya. “What do you expect from … them?” What do you expect from us? Be married and have kids?!. “Don’t be too hard on them”. Don’t be mad at us … don’t be mad at ME!!

Shinya was staring at the man in front of him intently, not realizing what he said was already different from what he actually meant. Was it the time to tell Kyo? No he knew it wasn’t the right time but why were the words at the tip of his tongue? Why was he suddenly feeling the emotions building up, and his heart panged?

Didn’t he realize the little squeeze he gave Kyo’s shoulder was tightened?

Didn’t he realize Kyo was now staring at him in such a way that if Kyo was some random guy and if Die was there the red head would have punched the living daylight out of him?!!!

…. But this was the first time … ever … that Shinya’s eyes showed so much.

Shinya was a human being. There were so much emotions in his eyes. There were tears in Shinya’s eyes!! No they weren’t tears but his eyes were watery!

Shinya never cried. He didn’t do tears.

What did he do? Why was Shinya clutching his shoulder so tightly? Had he said something wrong to Shinya?

Why?

…

Five seconds later Kyo jumped up from his seat.

The shock look on Shinya’s face was worse than the one he had when he discovered Kaoru and Toshiya’s sextape.

But the shock on Kyo’s face …. even worse than the one Shinya had right now.

…

Kyo’s mouth gaped …. he opened it, then closed it. Then opened it …. and let it hang.

…

Shinya … very slowly, lifted up his hand and shakily pointed a finger at Kyo

“No!” Kyo exclaimed.

…

“Did you ...” Shinya gasped

“No” Kyo stated firmly. There was fear in his eyes. Fear and horror, and shock.

Shinya was staring at Kyo … “Did you just …”

“No!!!” Kyo exploded, “NO NO NO NO!!!!!” he shouted and in lightning speed, collected all his things and stuffed them carelessly into his bag. He rushed to the door and opened it, one last time turning to Shinya, “I DID NOT!!” he yelled on top of his lungs and slammed the door shut behind him.

….

“But you … did…” Shinya leaned back on the couch and whispered weakly.

…

The drummer blinked

…

Oh. My. God.

***

“Hey Shinchan you’re home!” Die got up from his seat, and walked to his lover, spreading his arms, "Woohoo!!! New hair 'do!!"

Shinya smiled and instead of hugging the red head, he handed a plastic bag to Die, who joined his eyebrows and peered into the bag. Laughing in surprise, he took out a bottle of champagne and tossed the bag on the couch. “What’s this for?”

Shinya raised a finger at him, motioning him to wait.

“You don’t even give me a kiss!” Die complained and Shinya winked, “Wait a while. Nature calls” he stated shortly and disappeared into the bedroom.

Die shrugged, raised the bottle and tried to read the label.

Once inside the bathroom, Shinya locked the door and quickly turned the tap on. He grabbed the toothpaste, his toothbrush and frantically began brushing his teeth. After cleaning his mouth, Shinya washed his face and took a towel. As he stood there drying his face, the drummer stared at his own reflection on the mirror.

…

Slowly, a smile crept up on his face

A satisfied smile

What happened in the studio was unintentional. Oh but he was such a manipulator.

The thing that happened with Kyo just now … it was more than enough to put this whole sextape fiasco to rest!!!! For life!!

No more questioning from Kyo. And when Kyo stopped questioning, no amount of Toshiya could make him raise the subject again!!! Especially after what he …. what he … Shinya held the towel tightly as he remembered.

It didn’t matter what happened! He shook off the image in his mind.

Once again … Shinya won.

Shinya the Great Manipulator!

***

Die poured the golden sparkles into the two long glasses he was holding.

“What’s the occasion?” He asked Shinya with an amused smile on his lips.

The drummer raised an eyebrow teasingly, “Secret” he mouthed.

“Come on Shinchan” Die put the bottle on the table and took a glass from his lover’s hand, “What’s going on?”

Shinya wrapped an arm around Die’s shoulder and whispered, “Let’s just say … that our secret my Dear Die kun, is safe. Forever”

…

Die looked at Shinya suspiciously, “What have you done?” he inquired.

Shinya smiled, “I have done nothing”

“Then how do you know?”

“I just know” Shinya assured.

Die studied his lover’s face for a while before nodding, “Okay. Sure Shinya. Whatever you say. Now will you kiss me?” he hugged the thin drummer.

“Now I can” Shinya whispered and planted a kiss on Die’s lips.

“You brushed your teeth?!!!” Die pulled back and asked in surprise.

Shinya blinked and the confidence slipped a little. “I did the cab driver smoked” he answered too quickly.

Die blinked

“Okay … whatever” the red head finally said and hugged his lover tightly. Shinya’s lips curled up into a full smile as he hugged Die back.

The thing about being a great manipulator, Shinya thought, was to remain composed when thrown into any kind of situation. AND, he thought further, in a situation where everyone had started doubting the fake fact you presented to them; ... when Kyo suddenly, unintentionally, kissed you, you used it against him the next time he said something about the dirty little secret you kept from the whole world.

That is … if Kyo dared to.


-end-
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