Track 02 - Cassis

WARNINGS: Some sappiness, sexual references

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Over by Kira's car, the group wanted to give Mika and Ruki as much time to themselves as possible before they had to part ways. While the girls were all lined up against the side of Kira's car in order of Kira, Ai, Kikyo and Megumi, the guys just stood opposite them in a line as well. They were still casually chatting away but this time instead of the Tour, it was about what the girls would be doing while they were away on Tour. It had already when decided by the girls that it would be very boring while the guys were away, which made them laugh.
Up until now, during the conversation Uruha kept discretely looking at Kikyo from the corner of his eye and a couple of times she caught his. Each time they made little smiles for each other and then tuned back into the conversation. It seemed no one else noticed, however Kira and Reita kept exchanging their own glances. Once Reita snapped his eyebrows up quickly when she looked at him and it made her giggle accidentally. Everyone looked at her but she dismissed it as remembering something funny.
Ai was doing her own perving on Aoi too. She noticed he had a little habit of biting his lip ring without evening realising it, until he finally did notice and stopped. She smiled to herself but blushed and looked away when Aoi saw her; he also smiled and went back to the conversation. Megumi hardly took her eyes off Kai while everyone talked, always smiling each time he looked at her. Kai thought she had a very pretty smile and he'd also never seen many Japanese girls with green eyes - one of her parents was definitely not of Asian nationality.
Then suddenly Kira gasped right in the middle of the talk, realising she almost forgot something.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe I forgot! With the trouble we had with the newspaper, do you think we could still see you in concerts? Like can we still see you during the Tour at the venues near us?"

Kira asked, looking anxious as she looked around at everyone, finally stopping at Kai. Him being the bandleader, he would probably know what was best. The guys looked at each other - that was a tough question. They couldn't just say 'no you can't' ... that was like saying to fans 'we're breaking up'. Kai looked at the ground and pinched his bottom lip while he thought.

"Well ... we're not going to tell you to not go. That's just not fair when our other fans come and go whenever they can. Let's just say by all means, but just be careful. Maybe even wear hats or hair pieces?"

Kai laughed at what he was saying - that just sounded silly. The girls weren't under-cover agents.

"You know what, forget I said that. I don't see the harm in still coming to see our Lives. Because fans are actually warned not to start any fights; that if they do, the show is either paused until things are sorted out ... or even cancelled".

"Really?!"

The girls said together, feeling really shocked at what Kai said. Aoi took over.

"We kind of have to now ... luckily cancellations haven't happened yet. Not to sound like we're boasting or anything but with our increasing popularity, the fans can sometimes get out of control. I'm sure you can imagine what it would be like now if say Ruki, for example, jumped out into the audience?"

The girls nodded ... they knew what would happen.

"What would happen if I jumped out into the audience?"

A voice came out of nowhere. Everyone jumped and looked in the direction it came from - Ruki and Mika were now coming to rejoin the group. Reita rolled his eyes as he caught his breath from surprise.

"We were talking about you, not to you. We're just saying to the girls that because we're getting more popular-"

"Fans can't take their hands off me, I know".

Mika stomped on Ruki's foot firmly, to which he grunted softly and hung his head, pretending to be in ashamed. Reita smiled and nodded to Mika as if to say thank-you before he went on.

"As I was saying, we're getting more popular, so the fans tend to get just that little bit more out of control each time. But with the security guys around, we don't think the girls should worry about coming to see our Lives if they want too".

Ruki lifted his head and nodded because he didn't see the harm either. Finally Megumi looked around at her friends with a sad sigh.

"Well ... I think it's about time we left. I wish we didn't have to work tomorrow ..."

"Yeah then we could sleep in!"

Kikyo said in a fake whinging tone. Kira nodded and gave a little wave to Reita before she walked around to the driver's side. Reita waved but then he bit his bottom lip and decided to follow her. Uruha went straight over to hug Kikyo again, while she wished him good luck for the Tour. Ai also said a good luck to Aoi before receiving another hug from him - if he hugged her one more time she'd have to be soaked up from the sidewalk with a cloth; she had that melting feeling again. Megumi stepped away from the back passenger door seeing she was standing in front of it, so Kikyo and Ai could now get in. She then smiled to Kai and also gave him a hug - she not only wished him luck but also commended him for being a great leader. Kai gave thanks and let her go so she could get into the car.

"Kick ass guys! We want to hear all about the Tour when you get back!"

Ai said as she threw a thumbs up from her place in the middle. Kai, Aoi and Uruha returned the thumbs up - they were more concerned about knowing the girls would be okay while they were on Tour. But right now they had to focus on their job. Mika walked with Ruki to the front passenger and he opened the door for her to get in.

"You be good while I'm away, ne? I've got your number so I can call you in between Lives. Chances are I think the reception will be kind and I can talk to you even when we're in Hokkaido. But I'd love to see my phone bill when I get back".

"Don't call me all the time, otherwise it'll be too expensive, okay? I'll be fine ... just once a week is enough. You'll be too busy anyway".

Ruki signed in defeat - he really wanted to call her every day, but over a length of time like three months ... he'd be paying off his phone bill until he was an old man. Finally he nodded in agreement and leaned into the car to give her one final kiss and cuddle goodbye. Then he reluctantly let her go and shut the door, to which Mika immediately and quickly rolled down the window.

"But I do want you to take heaps of photos! At each place you stop, take a photo of the outside, some of the inside, of the stage, during practice, of the band together".

Ruki smirked and looked at the ground as he counted his fingers, like he was mocking Mika. Meanwhile over the other side of the car, Reita had stopped Kira and they were quietly chatting to themselves - she hadn't even gotten into the car yet; her door was still shut. The others were distracted with each other so Kira and Reita were luckily ignored.

"You know I was thinking ... when you're not busy one weekend, did you want to do something together? Like hanging around the city and checking out some shops, stuff like that?"

Reita finally asked her, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets and looking sheepishly at the ground. Kira thought it was cute how embarrassed he sounded ... like he didn't know how to ask a girl out on a date. Kira smiled to herself and stared at the buckles on his jacket.

"Hmm ... I'd have to make sure I'm not doing any modelling jobs but yeah ... I wouldn't mind ..."

Reita glanced up to find that Kira was smiling and blushing as she kept staring at his jacket. Wow that was easy, he thought. He then smiled to himself and nodded as he again looked at the ground.

"Well ... great. I guess I'll see ya when we get back then?"

Just as Kira nodded, still staring at Reita's jacket, she noticed him move closer to her and then a soft kiss on the cheek from him. She touched her cheek and looked up to watch Reita walk back around the front of her car to rejoin his band mates. Kira smiled so brightly that her face started to hurt. Finally she pulled herself together and opened the driver's side door to get in. As she turned on the ignition all of the girls turned to the guys lined up along the sidewalk and waved.

"Gambate! And be good!"

The girls wished them luck and then Kikyo was the one to tell them to be good. The guys smiled and waved as Kira prepared to pull away from the curb. Suddenly Ruki darted towards the car and almost jumped through Mika's window as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Aishiteru".

He whispered until he felt himself being pulled away from the car. Mika barely had time to realise what happened until Ruki was dragged away. Megumi, Ai and Kikyo were in hysterical laughter in the back seat because they hadn't expected to see Ruki, of all people, doing something like what he did. Luckily Kira hadn't moved yet but she shook her head at Ruki's little stunt before slowly driving away.

"Are you crazy, what if Kira-chan had driven off with you still hanging in the window!"

Uruha said as he, Kai, Reita and Aoi let Ruki go. Ruki wasn't listening because he watched as Mika looked out her window and waved, looking like she was going to cry again.

"Aishiteru Ruki!"

She called back, before disappearing back into the car and the window was wound up. Ruki's breath caught in his throat and he smiled - that was exactly what he hoped to hear. Now he had the drive to do his best on Tour. Aoi grabbed Ruki around the neck and started dragging him back towards the car.

"Well I'm sure your happy with yourself now? Not only did you almost kill yourself but you heard Mika-chan say she loves you".

"Leave him alone, he's in a good mood. With any luck he'll stay that way through the next three months".

Kai defended Ruki as the singer wriggled his way out of Aoi's grasp. Ruki walked around to the driver's side and unlocked his door, which allowed the other doors to unlock as well. While Aoi, Reita and Uruha again went for the back seat, which left Kai in the front passenger and Ruki of course the driver. No sooner had Ruki turned the ignition but the heater was set on full again - they weren't very far from their apartment but the heat was greatly welcomed. Ruki took off slowly from the curb, being careful of the newly fallen layer of snow - it was only a thin fall but it was still possibly dangerous.

"Hey if the girls are heading back for the highway, we may even pass them. We'll be heading over the bridge, right?"

Reita asked, leaning over from the middle of the back seat and looking at Ruki. Kai glanced over his shoulder at Reita.

"We're not going to speed past them and beep the horn, if that's what your thinking".

Reita puffed his cheeks and slouched back into a seat. Ruki smiled to himself as he glanced at Reita in the rear-vision mirror and then back on the road - he wasn't going to do something like that when there was snow all over the road. That was just an accident waiting to happen. For the time being Ruki just took his time in driving back towards the highway where the girls were heading - the guys had to take the bridge across the highway and head up into the residential area. Basically the area the girls had realised wasn't where they had to go when they first arrived.
Not long down the road, Ruki could see the signs indicating the highway was ahead and he could also see the brake lights of an SUV waiting to turn onto the highway. He sped up just a little bit more and in a matter of seconds he came up on the left-hand side of the four-wheel drive and beeped his horn. It was definitely the right car because the left-side windows rolled down and the girls laughed.

"What the hell are you doing here? Can't we drive home in peace?!"

Ai said from the middle of the back seat. Megumi and Kikyo giggled when Aoi rolled down his window and Reita and Uruha reached across Aoi to wave at the girls. Mika was grinning happily as she and Ruki stared at each other. Kai and Kira just shook their heads but they were smiling too ... the group couldn't go five minutes without each other now.

"Well we're actually on our way home Ai-chan. While you take the highway, we actually just have to go over this bridge. Then five minutes up the road and we're home".

Reita said, answering Ai's question. Then Uruha continued.

"It's just the place we're all sharing until after the Tour. It's very crowded with all five of us".

The girls laughed at imagining five full-grown men sharing a small apartment - something they certainly wanted to have a laugh about when the guys had time to tell the story. Kira leaned across Mika's lap and raised her eyebrows at Ruki.

"Well much as we love your little on-the-road visit, if we don't go now we never will. Then you'll get in trouble from your management for being out all night. Then we'll get into to trouble for being the cause of said late nights. Go home, the lot of you!"

Kira was only pretending to sound cranky at the guys but they still knew she was right. So the guys made one last wave and the windows went up as Ruki took off across the bridge. The girls giggled and wound-up their windows just as the lights turned green. Kira turned right onto the highway in the direction of home, but taking one last glance over to bridge to see Ruki's car disappearing among the houses.

"You know what ... I'm actually really excited about going to see them play during the Tour. I mean, just because we know them personally doesn't mean we have no right to see them like any other fan, ne?"

Kikyo said smiling brightly around to her friends before glancing back out the window. Kira, Megumi, Ai and Mika nodded because Kikyo was right - while the guys were working, the girls hoped they would treat them just like every other fan ... they weren't expecting half price tickets or free merchandise. The girls were willing to go and buy their own tickets and CDs, then at least if the fans recognised them, there was no real valid excuse for them to be hated. But they still wanted to stay positive that not every single fan would hate them ... especially when the guys were really starting to have feelings for the girls.

* * *
Meanwhile, as the girls made their way back to the city, the guys were just arriving back to their apartment. Ruki turned into the little car park and took the spot that was allocated per apartment. All of them got out of Ruki's car and once it was locked up, they all headed for the stone spiral stairs up to the third level. Kai lead the way, followed by Uruha, Reita, Aoi and then Ruki. Seeing Kai had the keys, he had to open the front door. Then Kai stood aside so the others to walk inside first, finally Kai went in last and locked the door behind him.

"Ah I'm exhausted ... it's been a long day".

Reita yawned, so his sentence could barely be understood. He kicked his shoes off at the door and walked straight into the lounge area. Aoi and Uruha removed their shoes too, straight away pushing their feet into slippers until the heater kicked in. Ruki took the job of turning the thermostat by the front door to turn the heater on, while he stood on the heels of his shoes to get them off. Kai kicked his shoes off next and also put his own slippers on as he walked with Ruki into the lounge area.
The temporary apartment was well enough equipped for them until they moved out again. Compared to a typical one or two person place, it was actually big enough to accommodate the five of them. From the front door, a short hall leads straight ahead into the lounge room where a sofa and pair of chairs sat in front of the television. Beside the TV cabinet on the right was a small desk where Kai kept his laptop; where he could sit and manage his duties as the bandleader. Then opposite to the lounge room and to the left from the short hallway, was the kitchen. The apartment didn't have enough room for a dinner table so the guys just ate in the lounge area. A doorway on the right side of the hallway lead into the shared bathroom, so they had to always fight over it.
In the lounge room, on the other side of the TV cabinet to the left, another doorway leads into the shared bedroom. There was no need for proper beds so the guys only used single futon's. Then of course across from the futon's, a sliding door cupboard kept their clothes and shoes - or at least what was needed.

"I'm going to make some coffee so if anyone wants one, say so now".

Uruha said as he shuffled into the kitchen to fill the kettle with water. The other guys all called out a 'Yep' as they made themselves comfortable on the sofa and chairs - Ruki took one of the chairs while Aoi, Reita and Kai took the sofa. Reita reached straight for the TV remote and switched on the TV - being late at night there was nothing on so he settled for a late night game show. The kind that had puzzles and people had to ring up and try to win prizes.

"Now I know why I always go to bed early. Unless I'm watching a movie there's nothing on TV ..."

Aoi complained as he scrunched up his face at the game show they were currently watching.

"Try reading ... that's what I do if I'm not ready to sleep".

Kai said as he stretched his arms over his head and then clasped his hands behind his head. Aoi grunted at the idea and just decided to keep quiet. Ruki wasn't even paying attention to what was on TV ... he was just staring absentmindedly at the screen with an elbow resting on the arm of the chair, that hand propping his head up. He was thinking about seeing Mika crying just before they left - he'd never had a girl cry for him before ... not even his high school sweet-heart, who disappeared from his life without a reason.

"Okay, I've got coffee. It's not strong otherwise we'll be up for the rest of the night".

Uruha said as he came shuffling back into the lounge area carrying a tray of coffee mugs. Ruki swiped a mug from the tray as Uruha walked past, and then Aoi, Reita and Kai took one for themselves. Uruha took the last mug, set the tray down on the small coffee table between the sofa and the TV, then sitting down in the last armchair. As he took a sip he looked up at the TV and frowned.

"Is this all that's on?"

He asked, pointing at the silly looking game show. His band mates said 'Yep' at the same time while still staring blankly at the screen. Uruha shook his head and leaned back in the chair.

"Ah forget that, I'm finishing this and going to bed. If I watch too much of it my brain with fry itself. I'll forget how to play my guitar".

Aoi and Reita made a cross between a snort and a laugh as they went to drink their coffee. Of course Uruha was joking about the 'brain frying' but they did agree with him - finishing their coffee and going to bed probably wasn't such a bad idea. It was already close to midnight and they had to be up early again. In no time Uruha had already finished his coffee and he stood up to take his mug back to the kitchen.

"Alright, I'm going to bed. I'll see you guys in the mornings".

Uruha said as he waved and lazily walked through to the bedroom. The other guys called a 'goodnight' to him and went back to watching the game show. Ruki stood up next.

"I think I'll turn in as well. There's nothing on worth watching and I'm not really paying attention to this anyway".

Ruki set his mug in the kitchen sink and slipped his jacket off as he walked through into the bedroom.

"Ah and no dreaming about Mika! You know what I'm talking about".

Reita called out to him.

"Shut up!"

Could be heard from an annoyed Ruki in the bedroom. Aoi and Reita laughed at each other but Kai elbowed Reita in the ribs. Reita took the hint and kept quiet but he was still smiling a little. He couldn't help teasing Ruki; it was like an itch ... mainly because he'd never seen Ruki so happy since High school. But because of that reason, you'd think he'd cut Ruki some slack but they'd known each other for too long to do that.

Aoi, Reita and Kai weren't long from going to bed. In fact they just chatted quietly on the sofa and finished their coffee, then left their mugs on the sink. While Aoi and Reita went straight to the bedroom, Kai made sure the TV was off and he turned the lights off. As he walked into the bedroom, he found Ruki and Uruha sound asleep while Aoi and Reita were just removing their jackets. They obviously weren't bothered about sleeping in their clothes, it were already comfortable. The way the futon's were set was Ruki on the far left, then Aoi, Uruha, Kai and Reita on the far right.

"I can only imagine what the week has in store for us ... it's going to be hectic".

Kai said softly to Aoi and Reita as rubbed his hands over his face firmly and then removed his jacket and scarf. There was still a lot to organise - triple checking that all equipment was accounted for, that the computer in the metronome Kai used with his drums was working, clothing and accessories could be done later. Kai had to work with their management to check with the venues that everything was confirmed, their transport had to be confirmed as well. Then on top of that, the release of their new single ... all of that would be taken care of while they were away but they still had to do a photo-shoot sometime in the week before they left. So a photo could be picked for the posters to go up in music stores across the country.

"We'll be alright. Just do things one at a time and they'll be all done by the end of the week".

Aoi reassured Kai as he fell back onto his futon and rolled himself up into his blankets. Reita laid down too but propped himself up on his elbows.

"As we tell you time and time again Kai, your not our leader for nothing. You do a damn good job".

Kai laughed softly and wished a goodnight to Aoi and Reita. Aoi mumbled something from under the blankets; what sounded like a goodnight. Reita saluted to Kai and rolled over in the other direction. Kai slid down into his covers and just stared at the ceiling for a moment. The dim light from the moon outside seeped through the edge of the blinds on the window near Reita, so Kai could see a little bit ... not that there was much to see. He took a moment to think about what had to be done over the week but then he found himself thinking of Megumi. He smiled when he remembered her smile - she reminded him of his mother; she smiled a lot. That's when he really missed home and couldn't wait to visit his parents again ... to tell them he may have just found the right girl for him. Now that would make his mother happy.

* * *
Meanwhile, the girls were not far from Kira's house - about ten minutes to be exact. Once again they'd organised to just stay at Kira's house and then each of them went to work from there the next morning. Not much was said on the way back to Kira's house - mainly because Megumi and Kikyo had fallen asleep in Ai's shoulders, so that left Ai, Mika and Kira the only ones awake. They seemed off in their own little worlds for half of the trip, again thinking about their favourite guy. Or if they did talk it was about the weather and they hoped it would be kind to the guys while they travelled. Finally Kira broke the next small length of silence by glancing at Mika.

"Say Mika, would you be visiting Ruki-kun's place once they get back and he goes back to his own apartment?"

She asked, then looking back to the road. Ai turned from staring out the side window to look at Mika - she knew what Kira was trying to ask. Mika blinked and stared at Kira.

"Well, I guess so. I mean he asked me to be his girlfriends and I said yes, so I think I'd go to visit him".

Mika said innocently. Mika may be almost twenty-two but she was still fairly innocent when it came to sensitive subjects like guys. Ai carefully lifted Megumi slowly and carefully from her shoulder and moved her over to lean against the side of the car. She then did the same to Kikyo before leaning forward over the front seats.

"I think what Kira means to say is we have all seen what Ruki-kun is like on stage. He's very ... raw? I suppose you can call it? He's a man Mika ... do you think you can handle him?"

Mika was very surprised at what Kira and Ai were saying ... but yes she knew Ruki was a man. She wasn't stupid enough to think that she was in a teenage high-school relationship where it had some degree of innocence. Mika turned around in her seat to look from Kira to Ai.

"Look ... I know what you guys are worried about. Yes you two have had sexual relationships before and I haven't. So you're worried that Ruki might push me because of his character on stage. But that's all it is ... it's just a character. I can feel in here that he respects me ..."

Mika placed a hand over her heart before she continued.

"Now I've been brought up with a belief to not get involved with anyone sexually until I get married ... and if he won't respect me for it then we obviously aren't meant to be".

"Mika trust me when I say that he's absolutely crazy about you. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at you; I don't think he'll disrespect you ... he's changed because of you. And I think in time, he'll change something in you too ..."

Mika stared into his friend's eyes and then down at the seat - Ruki changed from meeting her, but could he change her too? Could she really abandon her belief and give herself to Ruki? Mika found herself blushing and she covered her cheeks with his hands. Now she felt really nervous and nothing had even happened yet. She looked up at Ai.

"But the whole reason I started my belief was because I've heard so many stories about relationships that go so well, then as soon as couples sleep together, it ruins everything".

Kira and Ai giggled softly, so as not to wake Megumi and Kikyo. Kira answered Mika.

"Not every single couple breaks up. If anything it can bring them closer. Take Ai and myself for example. Yes we did sleep with our ex's but they didn't last because they were ass-holes, right?"

Kira said, quickly glancing back at Ai, who nodded and looked at Mika.

"That's right, so what's the point in an unhealthy relationship? But you and Ruki-kun ... you were made for each other. You don't have to listen to us, but we don't think he'd ever hurt you, so if one day you feel willing to finally let your belief go ... it's not a bad thing. It wouldn't be a waste because it'll mean that you truly believe in his love for you ... okay?"

Mika listened to Ai, as he cheeks got hotter and hotter. That's what Mika was most worried about - to let Ruki take her and then for everything to be ruined by him leaving. Mika dropped her hands from her cheeks and sighed as she looked out the front window. It was far too soon to think about something like this - they'd never even been alone together yet, let alone think about sleeping together. First she wanted to at least see how things went with her parents meeting Ruki. Last thing she wanted was to ruin her relationship with him and then try and explain to her parents why she was crying or moping all the time. It was not a very big issue but Mika felt like it was going to explode her brain - she'd never had to think about such things before because if any of her ex's tried anything on her, she just flat out refused them. It generally led to them breaking up with her on the spot but she never cried because it was her belief. Now all of a sudden Ruki shows up and she was torn between following her heart and following her belief.
Then Mika was brought out of her thoughts by the car suddenly stopping. She looked around and realised they were back at Kira's house. Ai was now in the middle of waking Megumi and Kikyo up.

"Come on you two, we're back. Sleeping in the car can't be comfortable".

Megumi and Kikyo moaned and stretched before they lazily dragged themselves out of the car. Kira was already out and walking the two sleepyheads to the door. Ai grabbed Mika's shoulder before she could get out and Mika looked at her.

"Hey ... no worries, ne? Don't think too much about it, just follow what you feel is right. As you said, you believe Ruki will respect you either way ... now lest get inside, I'm starting to freeze over".

Mika gave a short laugh and jumped out of the car - that last comment from Ai made her feel happier. Yes, she was certainly still concerned about it all, but she had plenty of time to decide.

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NOTES:
1) Megumi's green eyes: She is actually half Japanese, half English; her father is British. She mainly goes under her Japanese name 'Yamasaki' but if she went under her father's name, it would be 'Meg Thompson'. more about her parents later
2) Cancelling shows: I don't think the guys would go as far as cancelling shows because of fans fighting in the audience. For those who's seen the 'Nameless Liberty Bonus footage', you'd remember seeing Ruki giving the fans a good talking too, becaused he saw some fighting going on. Ruki, you Rock!
3) Phone reception in Japan: I'm assuming in Japan people can still contact each other from opposite sides of the country so that why Ruki says 'hopefully the reception is kind'
4) Leaving shoes by the door: I'm sure most people know this custom in Japanese houses - and it keeps the floors clean lol
5) Kai's metronome: In 'BathRoom' I refered to this as the 'click machine'. If you look closesly you can see this large looking computer-type thing sitting next to Kai when he's playing ... I think I've worked out it's a metronome. You know, one of those things that counts the beat
6) Mika's belief: If you recall from 'BathRoom', Mika has grown up with the belief of not having sexual relations with a guy until she got married. When Kira and Ai are talking, they're not actually persuading Mika to change her belief. They're just warning her that she may change her mind all on her own because of Ruki.

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