Track 01 - BathRoom

WARNINGS: -none-

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The girls laughed at how embarrassed Kai was about all of the compliments he was receiving. They knew he really liked the compliments but he was just very modest about it. They still couldn't believe that this amazing drummer loved cooking so much, yet he didn't end up just becoming a Chef. They were in a way kind of glad he didn't become a Chef because then they would never have met him. When Uruha leaned over Kikyo's shoulder, she blushed and kept her head down to try and hide it. Megumi, who was next her, noticed and gave Kikyo a little nudge in the arm, which made Kikyo stick her tongue out at Megumi. Ai and Kira also jumped down to stand with Aoi and Reita as they waited for Kai to serve their noodles - Kai may not have cooked it but if it was his recipe it was most likely great. And Kai didn't seem too fussed about doing it either. As Mika walked down the stairs with Ruki, she smiled shyly when he said to just call him Ruki.

"O-okay I will. Oh yes, we know about LiveCast. We always pay attention when Kai is one but we've also listened to other bands on there as well, it's really cool", Mika said, thinking of the other artists that she's listened to in particular before smiling bright at Ruki, "Wow, I'd definitely like to see this tea house your talking about. The owner must be really nice to stay open late for you. Hey guys, we should meet them, huh?"

Kikyo, Megumi, Kira and Ai looked up when Mika excitedly asked them. They all smiled and nodded around to each other before listening to Uruha - the owner really was generous if she's always open now when they stop by twice a month. When Uruha asked is Kai if the girls could join them, they all gasped and giggled excitedly. Kikyo and Megumi held each other's and shook them while Kira and Ai high-fived.

"Wow this is so awesome. But you know I can't help but feel a little like we're taking up your free time. I mean it's great that you've invited us to join you for coffee ..." Megumi began, even though she was excited about the idea but just wanted to let the guys know they didn't have to drop what they were doing every time, "But you must already be busy enough without having to invite us to everything. Just so you know that you all don't have to include us all the time ..."

Megumi hoped her explanation hadn't sounded like a sign to 'leave us alone' - if anything the girls were more worried that the guys would loose track of their work and get into more trouble. Kikyo, Mika, Ai and Kira nodded in agreement but they still hoped to spend time with the band. But they wouldn't object to Kai giving them the address of the teahouse; for now they were just eager to have lunch. Ai and Kira thankfully took their plates from Kai.

"Oh this smells really good ... and the eggs look just as nice. Oh, the vegetables have been fried in Black bean sauce, I love Black bean~!" Kira said heartily, going from smelling the noodles to staring starry-eyed at the eggs and vegetables before taking a pair of chopsticks, "When Okaa-san and Otou-san are home from America, the first meal we cook together is Black bean stir-fry. It's one of their Gourmet specialities; you should try it!"

Ai laughed at Kira as she went on and on about her parents Black bean stir-fry while fishing quite a few pieces of egg and vegetables into her plate. Kira blushed and then backed away to stand beside Reita to eat while Ai got a chance to take some eggs and vegetables. Once Ai was done, she too stood beside Aoi and picked up a bundle of noodles with her chopsticks, then slipping it into her mouth and chewing.

"Hmm Kai-san, your Chef is amazing! The noodles are really soft but not so they fall apart as soon as you touch them. And the eggs don't taste too oily either ..." Ai said once she'd chewed and swallowed her mouthful before picking up some pieces of beans and carrots to examine them, "The Black bean sauce smells good too. Now I'm really interested to try cooking this myself. I've never tried cooking with Black bean ..."

Ai began to eat the vegetables hungrily but had to will herself to slow down or she'd get indigestion. She knew how to cook herself so at least she could look after herself. In fact all of the girls could cook with Megumi being the most experienced and poor Mika being the least. Mika could cook but as long as she followed instructions - she was too afraid to experiment in case something went wrong. Megumi, Mika and Kikyo thanked Kai for their plates and then moved to pick up their chopsticks, also laughing as Reita objected to liking vegetables

"Reita-san, I agree with Kai-san, you have to have veggies sometimes. They help you stay strong, especially if you have to jump around stage a lot in your case", Kikyo defended Kai as she nibbled on a piece of carrot while she went back to stand with Uruha, "And if you work out every day like you say you do, then all the better to eat them. I think it's good that Kai-san tries to get you to eat them cause he's looking after you".

Kikyo nodded proudly and smiled at Kai. Megumi and Mika were just laughing at how defiant Reita was - he seemed to be very childish about the whole thing but you couldn't really force someone to eat something they hate. So once Megumi and Mika were finished with take their eggs and vegetables they both went back to stand with Kai and Ruki. The girls were just over the moon at how nice the food was but when Aoi suggested they sample Kai's cooking for real, they all looked bug-eyed at each other. And here Megumi was worried that they'd be taking away the guy's free time ... only to be invited AGAIN to spend time with them. Of course after the 'Decomp' tour was better, seeing they would be leaving in about two weeks but they definitely wouldn't say 'no'. They just hoped Kai wouldn't feel too obligated because he was supposedly the best cook in the band.

* * *
When they girls looked happy at the idea of having dinner with all of them courtesy of Kai's cooking, they all smiled to each other - even Kai smiled. He didn't see what the big deal was about his cooking; it was just basic stuff. Maybe just the fact that the whole thing started with the bonus footage of their 'Nameless Liberty' tour and the rest is history. Anyway the group were finally able to really enjoy their lunch and Reita even ate the few vegetables that he'd picked out. Ruki went to sit on the stairs next to Mika as he cradled the plate with one hand and handled the chopsticks with his other. Aoi and Reita just stayed where they were standing with Ai and Kira. Uruha had one foot propped up on the lower set of steps as he ate and Kai had opted for seating himself down in the first row of seats. Kai then laughed in his throat as he chewed on a mouthful and looked down at his plate as he swallowed.

"I was just thinking, seeing that we're on the subject of cooking ... does everyone remember when we were all living separately and that time I was really sick?" Kai asked in between little laughs, then having another mouthful of food before continuing, "And all of you came over to look after me and clean up my place a little bit, ne? Aoi as I recall, you made an attempt to cook something that I could eat without much effort because I was sick ..."

Ruki, Reita and Uruha laughed at Aoi as he cleared his throat and looked down at his plate in embarrassment. He certainly remembered that time and he was certain the others wouldn't let him live it down either. This was some years ago now, at least one year after they joined the PS Company label. The guys were waiting for Aoi to tell the story of his little dilemma but he didn't seem keen on doing it so Ruki started without him.

"Okay so around the middle of 2003 Kai comes down with some little virus that was going around. He was in bed for at least a week and some things had to be cancelled", Ruki started as he set his chopsticks down on his half empty plate to keep explaining with a little smirk on his face, "So one day we all go over to keep an eye on him and clean up. Then Aoi decided to try and making something for Kai because he hadn't eaten for a couple of days ..."

The guys knew that by now that the girls would have some idea to where the story was going. But they just couldn't help basking in Aoi's misfortune. Even Aoi knew they would one the odd occasion bring it up just to tease him but he also found it funny. Aoi quickly finished his meal and laid the chopsticks over his plate as he set it back down on the trolley. He crossed his arms and stared at the ground sheepishly, waiting for Reita to continue.

"You could say he was doing quite well, just making a simple meal that Kai could eat easily. See because his face was sore, he couldn't chew very well so Aoi made him some noodles ..." Reita continued, raising his eyebrows in amusement as he too set his plate back on the trolley, "Don't ask me how but he ended up burning them, ruining Kai's best frying pan, so we had to order take out. Kai had ended up banning us from his kitchen ..."

Ruki snorted and lowered his head as he recalled the exact evens of that day - long story short Aoi realised the noodles were burning, quickly tried to salvage them, Kai came stumbling out of his room, yelled at Aoi to get out of his kitchen and in a groggy state, mind you. He'd even tried to clean his poor frying pan in searing hot water that very same day while also trying to not faint. Uruha too put his plate back and continued.

"Kai hasn't trusted Aoi with his kitchen or his cooking equipment ever again. He won't even let Ruki, Reita or myself in to help. I think he's paranoid", Uruha said, teasing poor Kai about his beloved kitchen as he crossed his arms and brought his foot down from the stairs, "I think since then we've always been waiting for the day that Aoi burnt something again so we can bring up that old story just for laughs".

Aoi placed a hand over his face as if trying to hide from everyone - what would you expect, that was a long time ago and pretty much having just started with Gazette he didn't have much time for full on cooked meals. The other guys laughed at Aoi as he tried to act cool about it, in front of Ai in particular. Kai, Uruha and Ruki were now finishing with their meals and so they too piled their plates on top of each other on the trolley.

"Guys give me a break, that was years ago and I'm not that bad any more. I've gotten better and can make myself decent meals; you've seen me so don't deny it", Aoi defended himself, still trying to act cool but the slight blush on his cheeks wasn't helping as he looked everywhere but at his friends, "And anyway, I'm almost twenty-eight I should be able to cook by now. And I'd like to be good enough by the time I get married".

Ruki, Uruha, Kai and Reita froze when they heard Aoi say the word 'married' - they'd realised it before Aoi even noticed he'd said it. Then Aoi suddenly realised what he'd said and decided to shut up - here was Ai standing right next to him and he's talking about marriage. Sure he really liked Ai and he thought that she was really nice to be around but this was only their second face-to-face meeting because the Superb Mart didn't count. He thought that after they met and talked a few times, then maybe he could tell if Ai liked him back. After all he was almost thirty, and with no real plans to getting married just yet ... but just off the top of his head, Ai would certainly be the type he could easily see himself being with. And there it was again, Reita's words were echoing in his mind - 'make close friendships with the girls because you may just benefit from it' - and it certainly seemed to be happening that way. The other guys remained quiet from the awkwardness of Aoi's words that slipped out.

* * *
The girls were very much enjoying their meal. Ai stayed standing beside Aoi and on the odd occasion she smiled at him. Kira also stood close to Reita and she loved watching him eat - strange yes, but she really thought it was cute how he grimaced at each vegetable piece and then ate it. Kikyo thought Uruha was trying to be cool seeing he was resting one foot up on the stairs but she just stood next to him. When Kai moved to sit down in the first row of seats, Megumi just discreetly shuffled backwards until she was standing next to him. Mika was cuddling up next to Ruki as they sat on the stairs. Once in a while she'd lean her head on his shoulder - he smelt of 'Bvlgari Pour Homme' cologne mixed with the slight scent of tobacco. She didn't particularly like being around people that smoked but as long as they weren't smoking near her, she didn't care. She had a feeling that Ruki would be courteous about her wishes when it came to him smoking.

"Hmm I'm getting so full and I'm only half finished ... but I don't want to waste it so I'll keep going. The Chef went to all this trouble to make lunch after all", Kira said with a satisfied sigh and she softly rubbed her stomach before picking up another bundle of noodles and hodling it to her mouth, "And now that I think about it I'm getting sleepy too. Funny how that is, you eat and then feel like sleeping ..."

The girls just shook their heads at Kira's comment - she just always came out with the most random comments sometimes. Though they knew what she meant because they've felt like it before - you have a nice meal and then feel like taking a nap. Now they knew how cats felt. So the girls nodded in agreement with Kira's comment and then Megumi set her chopsticks down as she placed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Speaking of which, does anyone remember the time when we had an all night movie marathon and Ai, you fell asleep with a few pieces of popcorn in your mouth", Megumi giggled hysterically at Ai across the trolley which made Ai puff her cheeks out and blush at the ground as Megumi went on, "She woke up half way through the movie and ended up almost choking on the pieces!"

While they laughed, the girls perked up when Kai started laughing to himself - even Megumi jumped a little from surprise but he was laughing at something else. The girls listened as Kai told the beginning of his story about all of them looking after him when he was sick - they all thought it was cute. Then Ai looked up at Aoi when Kai mentioned he tried to cook something - she blinked when she noticed Aoi blushing.

"Aww that was really nice of you Aoi-san. I can just imagine you standing in a kitchen, maning the stove and wearing an apron. It's kind of cute", Ai said with girlish amusement at the thought of seeing Aoi like that before she took another mouthful of food and chewed a few times before swallowing, "We have a whole group of aspiring cooks in this room, it's kind of scary".

Ai giggled to herself and couldn't help but blush as she kept thinking about Aoi in an apron. She also imagined herself standing beside him and helping with cooking, like they were a happily married couple ... Ai suddenly shook her head - what was she thinking?! Her and Aoi, as a married couple? She blushed and went back to eatting but attracting weird glances from Kira beside her, wondering what Ai was blushing at.

"Wow this certainly was a long time ago; 2003, my gosh. You really must have been sick Kai-san, if you were in bed for a week and couldn't even eat properly", Mika said as she popped a piece of carrot into her mouth and again leaned her head on Ruki's shoulder as she chewed and swallowed it, "I don't think I've ever been that sick before. But it was really sweet of all of you to look after Kai-san ..."

Mika smiled around to Uruha, Aoi and Reita before lifting her head to smile at Ruki as well. The girls then kept listening as Reita went on to finish the story. Yep, they had guessed right - Aoi had burnt the food by accident. They all giggled softly, Mika and Kira placing a hand over their mouths as they laughed. It was funny that Kai had banned them from his kitchen since. Now Mika and Kikyo were finished eating they set their plates down.

"Ah I had a feeling you would say he burnt the food, because of the way you were leading up to it. But I must say my friends and I have bunrt things heaps of times", Kikyo said, which resulted in a few laughs from the other girls and they then listened to Aoi's first comment, "Well that's good to know, Aoi-san. It really only takes practice doesn't it? As long as you get better at it and can make your own meals ..."

Megumi, Ai and Kira went back to eating but then paused when Aoi said the word 'married'. Was she just imagining things or had Ai just thought about that very same thing? Everyone become silent as Ai just looked at Aoi, chopsticks holding a bundle of noodles about an inch away from her mouth and her mouth hung open. She really did like Aoi and hoped for a future like Mika's and Ruki's relationship looked forward too, but could it really be with Aoi? It was just way too early to say for sure. It was a very awkward moment just then and none of the girls really knew how to break the silence. Kikyo and Mika looked at each other nervously while Kira side-glanced at Ai to see if she was all right. Suddenly Megumi let out a little cough in the silence. Mika found she started laughing as Ai turned away and smiled. Kikyo just looked up and smiled, holding back her laughter. Kira was laughed quietly. Why Megumi's cough was so funny? No idea ... but Ai was grateful to Megumi.

* * *
All the guys felt a little surprised at what Aoi said - maybe it was just a little slip of the tongue. But because Kai doubled as the cook but also the counsellor of the group, Aoi had in fact gone to speak with Kai a few times about his future. Always saying that he was getting older and older, and still hadn't found any girl that he felt like becoming close too - until he met Ai. As mentioned he'd only seen her twice yet he'd always go to Kai and talk about how nice it was to know her. The guys really had no idea what to do or say in the unnerving silence but when Megumi suddenly coughed from nowhere, all the guys looked at her as she stood there glancing around at everyone. Ruki laughed first, turning his face down with a big grin across it. Reita and Uruha followed, just laughing quietly. Aoi also started laughing, wanting to hug Megumi for breaking the awkward silence but he didn't. Kai just gave a short laugh and reached over to rug her back in case she may have choked on a little bit of food.

"Oh are you alright Megumi? That was quite a cough you made there, I hope you weren't choking just then. Maybe a glass of water will make you feel better ..." Kai asked, continuing to rub her back as he took this as an opportunity to distract Reita for a moment, "Rei-chan, would you do my a small favour and go get a glass of water for Megumi? Just in case her throat is sore, it'll wash the food down."

Ruki, Uruha and Aoi all asked Megumi as well if she was all right - the last thing they wanted was for her to choke on their lunch. They'd be labelled as 'The Gazette - Fan killers'. Reita also asked Megumi if she was okay but then blinked when Kai asked him to go bring a glass of water for her. 'Kai was the one that was warming up to Megumi, why couldn't he go and get it?' was what Reita was thinking but he didn't argue.

"Oh uh ... yeah, sure ... I'll just be a moment. I'll bring some ice water back for you ..." Reita said slowly, frowning slightly and wondering why only he had to go, "Try not to do anything fun while I'm gone cause I'll be pissed if you do ... I won't be long, Kira-chan".

Aoi, Uruha and Ruki were wondering 'why Reita' as well; until they realised what Kai was planning. Reita winked at Kira and nudged her chin softly with a clenched fist; the kind of 'manly' alternative for a kiss on the cheek. He then walked past the group and out around the edge of the stage, heading for the side-stage door that the girls remembered as the door that lead to the function room. Once he was out of sight, Ruki lowered his voice to speak.

"Kai, I can see you distracted him for a reason. Its Reita's birthday shortly after we finish our 'Decomp' Tour, isn't it? Do we have any ideas yet on what to do?" Ruki asked, crossing his arms over his knees and rubbing Mika's hand that was again linked around the crook of his arm, "If I know Reita, because we'll be away for about three months, he'd just prefer to bum about home and have drinks ..."

Aoi and Uruha laughed at what Ruki thought - well they'd been around each other for long enough to know what each other were like. With all the travelling around during the Tour, all of the guys would probably just hibernate until they were needed to work again. However they couldn't see it happening when their next single was due in the middle of the Tour. Uruha crossed his arms and looked thoughtful.

"Yeah now that you mention it, it's been on my mind to ask you guys. I mean when are we really going to get the chance to plan it while on tour?" Uruha said with a little uneasy laugh, shrugging and then scratching the back of his head and then threading the fingers out from the ends of his hair, "Well my guess is we just hold something for him at our apartment maybe? What the hell ... how about the tea-house while we're thinking about it?"

Aoi, Kai and Ruki laughed at Uruha's suggestion - the lady owner of the teahouse would probably have a field day if they asked her to host Reita's Birthday. But because she was a kind elderly lady, they didn't want to bother her any more than they already did twice a month. Reita would most likely just be happy with anything as long as his friends were there. Aoi finally decided to join in the discussion.

"I agree, I doubt Reita wants to spend his birthday running around to different bars and clubs like we did last year. No offence but the fans didn't leave him alone", Aoi said, rubbing a hand firmly over the side of his face in unease at remembering spending all night trying to have fun around the insistent fans, "What do you think, girls? If we have Reita's birthday at our apartment, would you like to come? Kira I'm sure he'd like it if you do".

Aoi was right; Reita really did think Kira was cool. Not that he got to actually communicate with many girls except for the staff but Kira was like a female-version of him - putting it as nicely as possible. He was really interested in seeing her more often after their next tour. Reita wasn't going to admit it but Kira was the first girl he'd let get close to him in a long time ... since maybe high school. Ruki and Uruha could tell you because they went to the same Junior High School in Kanagawa some years ago. Even though they were in different grades, they still knew each other well. So of course Ruki and Uruha in particular thought it was nice that Reita was finally letting Kira into his life. Aoi and Kai of course never met them till the band started so they never knew what Reita was like before then but they too felt the same as Ruki and Uruha. Ruki turned to smile as Mika before placing a lingering kiss to the side of her head - he was really hoping for the others to develop feelings for the girls.

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NOTES:
1) Kai's LiveCast radio: For those who've seen in the bands website, Kai has his Premium Radio' twice a month. I don't know if it's an actual Live Broadcast radio on the internet or just a pre-recording, but for the sake of the story, it's Live Broadcast Radio
2) Kai's sickness: Of course it's unlikely this event happened back then; just a funny situation to include
3) Aoi married: This will become significant ...

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