Track 01 - BathRoom

WARNINGS: Minimal minor coarse language

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Barely ten minutes into the concert and Gazette had already pumped out two great songs. The girls were really happy they played 'Filth in the Beauty' and 'Crucify Sorrow' first - both songs never failed to sound good live. Once again in between songs, the guys took a short thirty-second breather and it gave the girls another chance to stare at their crushes. Ruki kept holding the microphone in his hand as he shifted the stand over to Kai's platform where it was out of the way - he discovered during 'Crucify Sorrow' that it got in the way, but he didn't think at the time to move it. After all, the band was too busy showing the crowd a good time.

Again Ruki walked around in a circle - seemed to be force of habit. He held the microphone to his mouth and said 'Oh Yeah' a few times; making the fans scream a bit louder each time he spoke. Kai laughed from his spot behind the drums and now removed his short black jacket, revealing a sleeve-less tight white shirt underneath. It showed off a bit of muscle, much to Megumi's delight. Both Aoi and Uruha had their hands on their hips, very much enjoying the breeze of the fans that sat in front of them. Reita just had his arms crossed, again looking menacing, and also enjoying the light breeze from his fan. Ruki stopped walking in circles and looked at the audience, microphone to his mouth and looking around. He called out 'Yeah Yoshiatsu~!' and laughed when the fans cheered.

"This is so weird ... how many of you expected me to slip-up and say 'Budoukan'?" Ruki joked and he stood up on his little platform, pointing over the crowd, and he laughed again when about half of them shouted and raised their hands, "Iite ... I had that one coming ... That's not fair, you have no faith in me~!"

Ruki waved at the fans, much as to say 'get out of here' and the other guys laughed as he jumped down from the platform. Ruki again raised his arm to signal the next song - Regret. As Aoi and Uruha alternated from each other's guitars openings, again the audience cheered.

~*~

Hodoke kaketa ito ni kizuki
Zutto tsunagi tometereba yokatta
Afuredashite nagareta mono wa
Ano hi no kimi to onaji iro darou

Kimi ga suteta kotoba wo hiroi atsumeta
Nando mo mimi ni atete wa unazuite miseta
Kimi wo sagasenu imi to tomoru pinku no neon ni
Sakebi wa yagate kakikesarete kokei na jibun ni waraeta

Hodoke kaketa ito ni kizuki
Zutto tsunagi tometereba yokatta
Afuredashite nagareta mono wa
Ano hi no kimi to onaji ki ga shiteta

Kimi ga otoshita namida wo hiroi atsumete
Nando mo sugaru youni sekibaku wo kumou to~

Roujou ni futari no taihai wa
Kimi to yoku nita PIERCE no shita
Kimi to yoku nita RING wo tsukete
Kimi to yoku nita ROUGE no nutta
Kimi to onaji iro no kami wo shite
Kimi to yoku nita namida ga mieta
Kimi to onaji namae wo sakendanda

Yubisaki ni tsutawaru yasuragi wa usturo
Utsuka ano futari wa te wo tsunaida mama

Nureta endorooru no naka
Monokuro no FILM wa utawanai
Tsurai de ita kono te ni nokoru
Utsurou na kanshoku no kimi ga saigo

Hodoke kaketa ito ga kirete
Hiroi atsumeta kotoba to nemuri
Afuredashite nagareta mono wa
Kitto kimi to yoku niterunodarou

Yume wa towa ni yume no mama de
Yasuragi wa tsune ni yume no naka de

~*~

After two relatively heavy songs, it was good for the fans to hear 'Regret' - because it sounded lighter and one that you could easily dance too. During the main chorus some of the audience waved the hands in opposite directions, much like other fans did at every concert. Aoi and Uruha even left their positions in between choruses and walked out along the extended stage to get close to the fans. They stood near the edge at opposite ends and played for the screams girls near them. A hand full reached out to them and jumped up and down. Where Uruha was standing, it was actually close to where the girls were. So to Kikyo's delight she got a close up of Uruha, but poor Ai was too busy watching Aoi at the other end - she wished that if only he came down her end.
As the song was coming to an end, Ruki was dancing around the main stage while Reita kept his foot up on Kai's platform. Kai as usual had a big grin on his face - with Kai, you hardly ever saw him not smiling when playing. Finally Uruha and Aoi walked back to the main stage and resumed their positions. Kikyo was a little sad when Uruha went away - she felt like jumping up on the stage and hugging him but that would earn her a one-way ticket out of the dome.

* * *
In between songs, Ruki took a large mouthful from his water bottle that sat on the step of Kai's platform. He tipped his head back and fans were waiting for him to spit it out, but he swallowed the whole mouthful in one go. When he turned around again, he realised the fans wanted him to spit it out because they were making 'awww'ing sounds. He laughed and wiped his mouth with the sweatband around his wrist. Kai was subconsciously trying to role-up short sleeves that weren't there as he slid one hand up the opposite arm at a time. Aoi was removing the long lace-like scarf that sat around his neck - he found it got tangled around his guitar sometimes during the last song. He tied it around the top-end of his microphone stand so it sat in an odd little bow. Uruha was now removing the white sleeves of his outfit, realising how uncomfortable they were under a lot of stage lights - in other words, hot. Reita was just gripping the fingerboard of his bass tightly so no sound came from it while the other hand sat on his hip.

"It's been great so far, I love 'Regret'~! What songs do you suppose they will play next, Mika?" Kikyo asked, leaning over to ask her over the screaming fans, "I really hope they play 'Bathroom' and 'Linda' again, I love those songs~!"

"Hmm I don't know. Maybe 'Cassis' or 'D.L.N'. Something a little less hyper", Mika said with a laugh, now getting pokes from Kikyo as they waited and Mika stuck her tongue at Kikyo, "I'd just like to hear something romantic, yeesh~! They play too many hyped songs, we'll pass-out before it's over".

Suddenly, the beginning of 'Worthless War' could be heard over the loud speakers and Mika and Kikyo quickly looked up at the stage. Well it was a romantic song like Mika wanted, or a lighter song like Kikyo wanted, but 'Worthless War' was still among their favourites. And it looked like this time, instead of Aoi and Uruha being close to the edge of the stage, it was Reita and Ruki this time. Reita was at the opposite end while Ruki was standing near the girls.

~*~

I know last days

By bomb of autocracy
The smile of people dies
By Dirty hand of autocracy
The black sphere is turning

yarareru mae ni uchinuku no ka
sore wo yatsu wa seigi to yobu no ka
onore ni kakaru chi onore de nuguezu
A sacrifice is countless
nageku mono ni sukui no te dasazu
kahogo ni nemuri gizen to koubi
yatsu wa orokana heiwa no shouchou
A sacrifice is countless

Honor...glory
komaku ni nokoru bakugekion ga
nemurenu yoru wo kyoufushin ni kaeta
musubu te to te tsune ni koushou
shaku ni sawareba tsukkomu ze Taepodong
hari suteta [A]nti-[B]allistic[M]issile [T]rety
nidoto gomen da Nine eleven
But naku no wa shimin dake sa
oubou na shudan ga maneku wa zetsubou
despair

taihai shita chi yakekogeta kage
gisei no sakebi wa todomanu
furisosogu hai ubawareta asu ni
namida sae nagasanu kuse ni

Worthless war continues...
KBK sleep on a bed...
Worthless war continues...
commit suicide and compensate people.

taihai shita chi mada nokoru
egureta kizu wa muimi de
kuroi ame ni nureta kioku ga
kachi naki arasoi wo umu dake

Worthless war continues...
KBK sleep on a bed...
Worthless war continues...
commit suicide and compensate people.

~*~

At the start of the song when it alternates from Ruki and the others singing, Kai was really having fun at the back with hitting the drums hard. Aoi and Uruha now found it easier to move around without scarves and sleeves restricting them so they could really get into head-banging properly - much to Ai and Kikyo's amusement. Kira however was almost whinging at why Reita was so far away, but she loved watching him play to the audience just in front of him. Mika however almost had her mouth hanging open because Ruki was directly in front of her. She was marvelling at him dancing around at the edge of the stage; watching his dread-locks bounce around.
It was after the first 'Worthless War continues' chorus that he stood still and pointed out over the crowd, attracting hyperactive cheers. But just as he was going to turn and head back up the stage, he looked down and saw Mika and her friends dancing in the very front row. First thing he noticed was, the same girl with black hair and red highlights he'd seen out the front, had his flower in her hair. He smiled down at her and pointed to the top of his head (most likely gesturing to the flower) before running back with Reita to the main stage. As the song was finishing, the girls all looked at Mika, wide-eyed.

"Mika, Ruki must have seen the flower in your hair and recognised you~! He looked right at you~!" Megumi almost squealed, pointing to the top of her own head and reaching over to pat Mika's shoulder, "He did this and smiled at you~! Did you see, did you see~?!"

"I think she saw, Megumi. She was watching Ruki performing after all", Ai said, giving Megumi a soft slap in the back of her head to make her stand up straight, "Didn't you notice, she was almost drooling on the railing. If he got any closer to the edge, she would have fallen over the railing just to reach for him".

* * *
All of the girls, especially Mika, smiled brightly up at the stage after Ruki and Reita had gone back to finish the song. It was one of many things that had never happened to either of them before. Yet here was Mika, who got a flower from Ruki and also a smile - she couldn't have smiled any more that she already was. Could Megumi be right? Had Ruki really recognised her just by the flower? Well she and her friends were in the first row and he had been only a few feet away from them; maybe it was just because they were up close. Anyway Mika's friends were so excited that they were holding each other's hands and jumping up and down even after the song was over. This was really something they had to tell their colleagues at work.

Back to the stage, the guys were really feeling the energy from the audience. It was really rumbling through the whole hall. Not only the screaming and cheering, but also the vibrations in the floor from them jumping - it was coming up through the stage and shocking through their feet. For a smaller venue than Budoukan, it sure felt like a big one. Ruki placed one foot up on his platform and waved a hand over the crowd. He put the microphone to his mouth and paused for a second. The fans went quiet, expecting him to speak but from the long pause he stayed with the microphone, some of the fans called out to him. Reita, standing just behind him, stepped forward and kicked Ruki's butt softly. The whole crowd laughed when Ruki sharply turned around and held a fist up at Reita.

"Hey, hey, hey ... you can't rush speeches. Especially when you get a foot up your ass when your trying to speak", Ruki said to the mic as he glanced back at Reita, who shrugged and looked like he hadn't done anything wrong, "My friend here just can't sit still. Anyway ... it's been a little while since we've had a good live like this ... we've only played four songs and it already feels like we've been going for hours ..."

Aoi grinned and clapped his heads over his head, before directing the clapping to the audience who were doing the same. Uruha placed his hands on his hips and swayed from side to side, a little satisfied smile on his face. He felt like he'd been playing for hours too - it was just that over-whelming. Reita clapped a couple of times and crossed his arms again. Kai was leaning with his arms crossed over the drum between his knees, drumsticks in his right hand and softly tapping the edge of the drum. He was smiling warmly when the fans piped up. With Ruki pausing again the fans called out to him again and he laughed.

"... It's really amazing ... how it was just a fan-club only live tonight, yet it feels like everyone one of our fans are here. Across the whole of Japan ..." Ruki said, walking from one side of the main stage to the other as the fans clapped and whistled, "Even though a lot of our fans couldn't be here tonight, a month from now will be our 'Decomposition Beauty' Tour ... I hope from the very depths within me that every one of our fans can see it ... because then it would mean that we've reached the edge, and we'll be ready to go even further ..."

The fans clapped and cheered louder again; the speech really moved them. Though half of them wished they could keep Gazette to themselves, they knew it would never happen. The bigger a band got, the further they had to go in the World. Soon, they would be too big for just Japan alone - next it would be Europe and beyond. Ruki called 'Ikirukai' into his microphone a couple of times, to make them scream louder before he gestured for Reita to jump forward. With Kai starting them off, Reita started playing the beginning to 'Shadow VI II I' and they were in full swing again.

~*~

aimai na aimai na tamerau hidari no Scar jakui wo jakui wo Red de bokasu
II IX II IX II IX asaku imi fukaku aimai ni aimai ni iki wo tsunagu Scar

Under the sun saijoukai katate banashi no EGO
mekakushi no uragawa de -Asking foR lifE- utatteru
II IV II IV II IV fuantei na kokyuu aimai na aimai na asu wo tsunagu Scar

kimi e. itsuka sono itai wo koete subete ga ietara warattekureru kai?

niaP wolS

jibun ni wa nani ni mo nai tte
tsuyogaru yowasa to ikiru kizu
oshitsubusaresou na yoru wa
kimi wo oitsumeru kage wo daite

aimai na aimai na tamerau hidari no Scar jakui wo jakui wo Red de bokasu
II IX II IX II IX asaku imi fukaku aimai ni aimai ni iki wo tsunagu Scar

shiroi shiroi bito* ni bura sagatte
oyasumi konya wa nemureru darou ka
II IX II IX II IX teisoku de shimetsuke anraku wo anraku wo nodo de kanjiru Scar

kimi e. itsuka sono itai wo koete subete ga ietara warattekureru kai?

Never hold the breath...
And it keeps believe tomorrow's happiness.

niaP wolS

jibun ni wa nani ni mo nai tte
tsuyogaru yowasa to ikiru kizu
oshitsubusaresou na yoru wa
kimi wo oitsumeru kage wo daite

nwoD wolS

sono kizu wa itsuka naku nari
kanashimi no hate e tsureteiku yo
mata Red wo hoshigaru kedo
kimi wa arukeru koto shitteiru hazu sa

~*~

With Shadow VI II I there really was not set hand gestures this time. It was the perfect song for the crowd to just dance - like a really big party with a Live band. The girls were having a lot of fun - Ruki's speech had left them all in a really good mood and they just danced while again holding each others hands. This was one of a few songs where Reita really got to show off on his solo's. Each time it was his bit, Ruki would jump around the stage and Reita would be up the front straight away. Even Aoi and Uruha danced around each other, jumping here and there. Kai's face could hardly be seen half the time before he was so into drumming; his hair almost drowned him. As the song was finishing, Aoi and Uruha sounded it off with one last shudder of their guitar strings.

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NOTES:
1) Ruki saying 'Ikirukai': Listen carefully to one of their Lives, and I think this is what he says to the audience sometimes. Besically means 'Lets Go', 'Lets Live', 'Lets party', etc.

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