Alice Nine saga
Title: Risa or Reiko?
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Alice Nine, OC
Genre: fluff
Beta:
Summary: read to find out
Word Count: 8759
Author: hannah_arashi
A/N: Hope you all like it, this is part of my Alice Nine fic saga so comments are loved
The hand tightened around her neck as she was slammed against the wall for the third time. Gasping as her head hit the wall she blacked out momentarily before coming to again and facing her assailant. The man watched her coolly as she struggled to stay conscious. Smiling viciously he leaned forward and whispered that familiar threat into her ear.
“and… CUT! That was excellent people! It’s a wrap… We’ll be checking this evening but otherwise you are free to go your own way. Thanks for all your hard work!!”
She felt the hand on her throat relax as the wire crew lowered her to the ground. Her costar’s face went immediately from what she had coined the ‘evil bastard’ to ‘cuddly teddy bear’ as he fretted about hurting her. Only after assuring him several times that he had done no lasting damage was she able to leave the set to change. She said her goodbyes to everyone present before leaving the set to change.
All of Alice Nine and their manager were currently in their practice room waiting on Hiroto to show up. While Ali was busy pacing back and forth, Nao and Shou were busy talking to their respective girlfriends. To an outsider it would have probably seemed off that their manager allowed the men to have such close personal relations in their industry but Alice Nine had never been ones to fit the mold. After about 15 minutes of pacing the door was pushed open and Hiroto came bouncing in with a young woman following. She looked positively bored as she followed the hyper young man inside. As soon as they had entered the room she glanced around and scoffed before turning to Hiroto.
“You sure do hang with a lot of foreigners don’t you Pon? Tch… whatever… I’ll leave as soon as she gets here.”
Ali let out a muted growl as she glared at the rude woman. She was very tall and pale with straight black hair that reminded Ali of Sadako from ‘Ringu’. However before she could say anything another voice came from the door.
“Really now Reiko?! How many times do I have to tell you to play nice… They are all Pon’s friends so you should at least TRY to be civil.”
“Thank god you are here… I have to go to work so I just came cause Pon insisted…. I’m leaving.”
Reiko rolled her eyes at the disapproving look from the new woman and quickly left the room without a backward glance. Hiroto barely flinched as his attention now focused on the new comer. She was almost the total opposite of Reiko. Where the other had been tall, intimidating and unapproachable this girl was all smiles and good natured. She bowed and greeted everyone before smiling in Hiroto’s direction.
“I do hope you at least warned your poor friends that we were coming today. You know how difficult Reiko is sometimes…”
“You made it!!!! I am so glad you were able to come… Of course I let them know that you were coming… I think…”
Hiroto stopped and looked around the room realizing then that he had probably forgotten to mention that he would be bringing a guest to visit that day. Ali looked ready to kill him while Mai and Dani simply shook their heads at the young man’s forgetful nature. The young woman laughed gently and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Well since you forgot how about we at least go ahead and do introductions.”
The door opened and Reiko came stalking back in the room carrying two coffees. One she kept for herself and the other she gave to the other girl without a word. Hiroto grinned to see her and then nodded in agreement with the suggestion. He turned and smiled brightly at his friends who were all waiting to hear what he had to say.
“Well I meant to tell you all that I would be bringing a few guest today but I guess it just slipped my mind. Sorry Ali-chan~ anyway the tall girl who came in with me is Reiko-chan. She and I went to high school together and she is in the modeling industry. The other girl is…”
“Pfft… really Pon?! Is that all you have to say about me? No warning about my crass nature and ridiculously insulting attitude?”
“Hahaha~ doesn’t that speak for itself though Rei-chan? As I was saying this is Reiko and the other girl with me is Risa. She is Reiko’s best friend and also went to school with us. Don’t let her fool you though she’s a lot stronger than she looks~ She and Reiko were leaders of a group that basically ran our school. Risa-chan is a model internationally and an actress as well.”
The others were quiet for a little while as Hiroto’s words sunk in. Apparently he had brought two former Yankees that were his good friends in high school with him to rehearsal today for no understandable reason. The taller of the pair, Reiko, simply stood there looking bored while Risa carefully examined the situation silently. After a few minutes Ali took a step forward to greet the girls.
“Hmph… You are welcome to stay if you like however I will ask that you follow the rules and keep your opinions to yourself and your voices down. The guys have to practice and it doesn’t help if they are distracted.”
Reiko sneered at the shorter woman which only earned her a jab in the ribs from her friend who smiled and assured the manger that they would both behave themselves. Suddenly Reiko pulled her phone out of her pocket and frowned at the screen. She looked back at Hiroto and Risa with an apologetic glance.
“Sorry guys~ looks like we’ll have to all get together another time. I just got called in to work the Tokyo Girls Collection show in Ginza. Now I gotta run back to the studio, get ready to meet the designers and get fitted all in the next few hours. So best of luck to you guys; I’ll see you later! … Oh! Um… Sorry I couldn’t get to know you all… maybe next time”
Reiko ran out the door before anyone could say a word. Hiroto simply shrugged and pointed a seat where Risa would sit however before she could move his eyes trained onto the bruises on her neck and his eyes went wide.
“Risa-chan!!! You’re hurt!!! What happened?? Who did it?? I’ll kick their ass if I find them!!!”
“Pon! Calm down will you? It’s really nothing… We were just wrapping up those final scenes for the movie today and my costar and I were really into character. Honestly it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve had a lot worse than this, plus it was the final scene that needed to be done since the others had all be done before but this sequence required some special equipment that just came in.”
“But…”
“Chill ok? It’s really nothing…”
Risa smiled gently and placed a hand on Hiroto’s shoulder reassuring him before she made her way over to the open seat beside Mai and Dani. The two women looked up at the newcomer and smiled welcomingly. She returned the kindness and took her seat. The rehearsal that followed went fairly smoothly, with Ali only having to stop and scold the men for not paying attention to what they were doing only once. After the rehearsal was over the others watched as Risa said her goodbyes to Hiroto and left. After she was gone they all waited for a better explanation from the young man. A few minutes after Risa left Hiroto turned to find everyone watching him suspiciously. He glanced around at everyone with a confused look. Finally Mai took pity on him.
“Why don’t you tell us a little more about your friends Hiroto…”
The others simply nodded in agreement. Hiroto’s mouth formed the ‘oh’ shape it often did when something dawned on him. He then grinned and sat in the middle of the room so that everyone could hear him. After all it was a fun story to tell.
“Well~ as I said Reiko and Risa both went to my high school. Reiko came from a pretty well off family while Risa came from a more middle class family. They both supported me in my career choice and have been to all the concerts I’ve played in. Uh… Risa was my girlfriend for several years, we only broke up after she got asked to go overseas and then I joined you guys. So I haven’t actually seen her for about 6 years. Reiko is a lot nicer than she seems, actually Risa is the one you really have to look out for. She can be downright vicious. But they are both really nice and fun to be around once you get to know them. We all recently got back together since we are all back in Japan. I invited them today cause it’s been a few years since either of them could see me play.”
The room was silent as Hiroto finished his story with a grin. Ali could only sit and process what she had been told. According to what he said neither woman was anyone she needed to worry about. Sighing in relief she shrugged and went back to her paperwork. Hiroto watched as their manager visibly relaxed and grinned. The others in the room all relaxed as well now that Ali wasn’t on the verge of a mental breakdown. While she worked on her paperwork Hiroto had gone over and begun pestering Dani and Mai about getting their dogs together to play with Mogu. It was a common occurrence now for Hiroto to show up randomly on the weekend with Mogu, only to stay for most of the day. After a while the others started dispersing for their vehicles. Ali stayed behind to finish paperwork and meeting with the president while Saga went out for a drink with Tora. Hiroto was invited but he declined saying he needed to go home to Mogu.
Hiroto skipped out of the office and made his way to his car with a grin. He was happy to see his friends today and wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. Suddenly he found himself in a tangle of limbs on the ground with Ali beneath him. She had apparently just gotten out of her meeting and was on her way home when he had literally run into her. The young woman could only groan as Hiroto struggled to stand up and pulled her into a sitting position. Only after checking that she was indeed alright, and being threatened with bodily harm, did Hiroto back off and allow his manager to stand. Ali stood and brushed herself off before frowning at Hiroto. The man’s puppy eyes were enough to make her simply rub away the impending headache with a sigh.
“Hiroto… Please watch where you are going around here. The last thing I need is to break my ankle in these death trap heels I have to wear in the office. Are you ok?”
Hiroto nodded but didn’t trust himself to speak. He was afraid of causing harm to anyone close to him, their manager especially cause Saga would be liable to kill him. Only after Ali had reassured him that she was not actually hurt did he smile and skip out of the building. Ali watched as the young man left and shook her head. He was a small bundle of destructive energy that was so cute she wasn’t sure how to deal with him half the time. A chuckle from behind her indicated that the president had seen the whole scene. Frowning she turned to face the man who merely shrugged.
“You sure do have a way with them Ali-san. I am so glad you decided to join our company. What has it been now, 5 years?”
“Almost 6 sir; Yes I must say working with those five has certainly been an interesting ordeal but I don’t regret one second of it.”
“How about the marriage?”
“I regret nothing sir, after all I love the idiot. All of them…”
The president watched as Ali left the building and shook his head. The young woman had the patience of a saint when it came to the five men. Hiroto had made it back to his apartment without any more mishaps and let himself inside. Mogu was waiting at the door for him and from the hall he could see the light from his answering machine blinking. After toeing off his shoes in the entranceway and locking the door behind him he skipped over to the machine. With Mogu milling around his feet he pressed the button and listened to the messages.
“First message: Pon are you there? Can you hear me? It’s Reiko… Anyway I wanted to apologize for being so standoffish today, but I mean you know how I can be. Just let your friends know that I really was happy to meet them. And tell Risa I said sorry as well, I just don’t feel like calling her cause she might get mad. See ya later. End of message.
Next message: Hiroto~ Just wanted to say thanks for inviting us today. Tell Reiko to fucking call me and not to make me go find her. I’ll see you later dear~ End of message.”
Hiroto chuckled and shot off a text to Reiko informing the woman to call the other as soon as possible. They all knew how mean Risa could be if she tried and it wasn’t a fun experience. After getting a message from the two that “they had already talked” Hiroto grinned and knew everything was set. He spent the rest of the evening playing with Mogu, blissfully unaware that his world was about to be turned upside down.
Risa stalked the halls of her agency searching for one person in particular. She found the room she was looking for after about ten minutes of searching. She entered the room unannounced and threw herself down on the couch with an over exaggerated sigh. Reiko looked up from in front of the makeup mirror and shook her head. She went back to finishing her makeup before she got up and shut the door. After the door was shut Risa looked up and smirked at her best friend. Gone was the cool calm façade that she presented to the public. In front of her now was the young woman who had single handedly ran their school when they were younger. She lounged out on the couch and looked up at the taller woman.
“It’s funny how everyone is so afraid of you… But in reality they never suspect that I’m the one they have to look out for. But you already know that… which is why I am not gonna mince words with you. Let’s have a fair fight you and I, may the best woman win.”
Reiko smirked and nodded in agreement. The two women had long had feeling for the guitarist. Risa had won back in high school but they were all older and wiser now, so there was no telling who would be the ultimate winner now. She felt relaxed though, having the contest brought out in the open between them. They both had their own way of wooing the young man so there was no worry that they would appear obvious. Their only worry was how the manager would react. She appeared to be a high strung person, and as such they knew that any open advances were strictly forbidden. After all Hiroto would most likely suffer the most if his manager had any say in the matter. Either way, however the two women were determined to let the young man know of their feelings. It was just up to him to accept.
Meanwhile as the pair plotted the man in question was busy helping the band get ready for an episode of Alice Nine channel. This particular episode they had all been invited on, and he had even brought Mogu with him claiming that the little dog didn’t like to be left at home when he was out late. Ali was nowhere to be seen which was odd since the girl always over saw their antics on the show to ensure that no one acted too crazy. The five men were busy hanging out in the green room as they waited for 11 o’clock to strike indicating the start of the program. They had about 20 minutes until the start when suddenly a knock on the door indicated someone’s presence. Shou opened the door and his jaw dropped. On the other side of the door stood Hiroto’s friends from the other day, the taller of the two was standing towards the back rolling her eyes while the smaller girl grinned evilly and thanked the now terrified technician for showing them the way. Shou could only step backwards as the girl asked for entrance. Hiroto’s head popped up from where he was playing with Mogu when Shou announced that his friends were there. Smiling broadly he waved the pair over, not paying attention to the look the pair exchanged.
Ali chose that moment to show up and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the two girls. She had also ran into the poor tech as she had come down the hall and had gotten an earful from him as well. Saga saw the murderous look in her eyes and carefully steered her away from the younger man, trying desperately to distract her. While he attempted to appease her which thankfully didn’t take long seeing as she left the room after only 5 minutes, the others watched the strange interactions around Hiroto. One glance was enough to tell Ali what was going on, and it didn’t take much longer for the others to figure it out. Tora had to keep from sighing the entire time they were waiting for the show to begin, whereas Nao and Shou struggled not to laugh at the oblivious guitarist. Both women were flirting with him, but Hiroto was oblivious to that fact due to his excitement at being reunited with them. It wasn’t until Ali came to give them the five minute warning, and had to watch as the women said their good byes in a way that was not at all simply friendly did the group finally bust out laughing. The two women snuck out with promises of calling the younger man. Reiko chose to ignore the fuming manager but Risa noticed a gleam in her eye that was not at all innocent. She tried to warn Hiroto as they were leaving but the group had already left the room.
The show started innocent enough, with Tora introducing their latest tour dates as well as the release of their latest dvd. After the first ten minutes however the staff played Heart of Gold while the set was being rearranged. Once the song was finished and the show resumed the set of their board game was revealed. All five members of Alice Nine complained loudly about the sadistic nature of their staff but otherwise went along with the game. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Hiroto’s roll. He landed on ‘Fortune Time’ which could mean a number of things. However when he pulled out a fortune he received the worst one possible. Throughout the studio the sound of a horse was heard and all eyes trailed on the side door where they expected a half-naked man in a horse head to come out carrying a paper fan. However their expectations were highly exceeded. Instead of a half-naked MAN, a very attractive woman came out dressed in a bikini and shorts, and the horse head. They all knew who it was but had to play dumb for the sake of the show. Tora was about to comment when Hiroto chose that moment to try to run away from his punishment. The woman wasted no time in chasing him around the studio much to the amusement of the staff as well as the audience watching. As the others watched in shock Nao’s laughter could be heard even as the cameras followed the spectacle. She finally managed to catch Hiroto and gave him a smack that was heard throughout the studio. Tora flinched and called the camera man’s attention so that Hiroto could be helped up.
“That one sounded dangerous… You know I don’t think we have ever had a female hold the fan before…”
“Kind of kinky if you ask me… Actually it’s something worth trying in…”
“Saga!”
Sniggers and laughter could be heard all over as the tension was dissolved and the chaotic show was brought to order. The rest of the evening went by fairly quickly though Hiroto shied away from the dice every time it was passed his way. He did not receive another butt smack the entire show. In fact no one did, despite Saga’s complaints. After everything was said and done the five men made their way back to the green room to gather their things; waiting for them they found Ali standing up to both of Hiroto’s friends. They had apparently disagreed with the treatment on the program and Ali was far from being civil in explaining the matter. In fact the men could only stop and stare as their normally calm manager went head to head with the two women.
“What the hell sort of program are you running here that you can ABUSE people for the amusement of others manager-san?! To me it seems like they don’t enjoy it so I would like to know what sort of contracts you have them sign before participating in these stunts…”
“Risa was it? Well I will have you know this is NOT the film industry and our artists participate in these ‘stunts’ of their own volition. They over exaggerate when they react to those situations. After all, being in film I am sure you know ALL about the importance of ratings…”
“Hey! You can’t talk to Risa like that you bitch! I know it was you out there in that horse head. Try a less revealing costume next time….”
“Rei-chan! Ri-chan!”
All three women turned to find the band staring at the scene in shock. Ali excused herself and pushed through the crowd and left the room with Saga following quickly after. Tora and Shou excused themselves as well, leaving Hiroto with the two women. After a few minutes Hiroto heaved a sigh and sat down in a chair.
“Guys…. What is going on here? I mean we aren’t in school anymore… You can’t just come in and start yelling at people… Particularly my manager; and you really can’t go calling her names… I won’t allow that…”
Hiroto frowned and looked at his friends trying to figure out what would make them act like that but the two women just stood silently. After a few minutes of their silence Hiroto sighed again and stood to leave speaking even as he turned.
“… I hate to do this but I can’t have you guys visiting me if you are going to cause trouble… Ali-san works hard to make sure there are no scandals around us… So I’ll just text you the next time I have a day free… Bye”
They watched as he left and the door shut behind him before Risa let out a short laugh, rubbing a hand over her face. Reiko stayed silent waiting for what Risa had to say, knowing the woman would say something.
“… I just got cast in a drama… So I won’t be around for about 6 months. I wish you happiness darling~ Afterall as a model you two would make less of a scandal…”
Risa left the room not waiting to hear Reiko’s arguments. She walked out of the studio with her head held high but inside she felt terrible. The last thing she wanted to do was cause trouble for Hiroto and his friends. And yet she had let her temper get the better of her once again and it had lost her any chance. As she left in her car she sent a message to her manager saying she would accept the job and would be ready to fly out the next evening. Meanwhile Reiko watched as her best friend left, willingly giving up in their competition. She shook her head and tried to call the other but no answer came. She looked up when a staff member came to the room looking for something. She waited for the man to say something to her but he merely looked for what he needed and then as he was leaving spoke a few words to her.
“Everyone loves them… We would never do anything to hurt them in anyway~ You should probably remember that my dear…”
Reiko let out the breath she was holding and left as well with those words still ringing in her head. Even as she got home she thought hard on not only what the staff had told her but also how Hiroto had reacted. This was not the Hiroto she had expected to see. The man had changed a lot in the last several years but in retrospect they all had. The only thing she recognized was Risa’s determination to protect the little guitarist no matter what. With a sigh she accepted that fact that it would be a while before the trio was reunited again.
A few days later Hiroto trudged into rehearsal and went straight over to Ali where she was wrapped up in schedules listening to her ipod. He stood patiently at her shoulder before she sighed slightly and without looking up, or even stopping her work spoke to him.
“Don’t worry about anything Pon~ Nothing bad happened and I am strong enough not to let a few poorly thought out words affect me…”
Hiroto merely nodded and went over to tune his guitar. The others showed up one by one and no one really spoke. The normally hyper Hiroto was subdued making the whole atmosphere heavy and almost unbearable. After about three hours of rehearsals, without any sort of mistakes Shou and Nao exchanged a glance before calling an end to the day. Hiroto said nothing as he packed his guitar and left the studio with the instrument claiming he would practice at home; as he left the others exchanged worried glances. It wasn’t like the younger man to get into such a low mood so they guessed something else had happened. As Hiroto left the studio he tried yet again to contact his friends but as it had since that evening their phones were both disconnected. He drove to his apartment silently and went inside smiling sadly when he was greeted by Mogu.
“Papa’s friends are mad at him~ I can’t even leave them a message cause their voice mail is full… What do I do Mogu!?”
“… well you could start by not talking to your dog like that and paying attention to your surroundings Pon…”
He nearly dropped Mogu as he whipped around and saw Reiko leaning against the wall behind him. His mouth dropped open but before he could ask he noticed the spare key hanging from her finger. Of course she would remember where the key was hid since he never changed the place. Frowning he carried Mogu and his guitar into the living room and she followed taking a seat on the couch. After a few minutes he came out of his bedroom and brought tea from the kitchen. They sat in silence for a little while longer as Mogu jumped up on the couch and curled up in her lap.
“Maybe I should think about changing where I keep that stupid key…”
“if you did you wouldn’t be you dear~”
“Heh~ I guess you’re right~ So… why haven’t you guys been answering my calls…”
“Well I can’t speak for Risa cause she isn’t answering me either but I think she left again because of a drama shoot… As for me… I kind of got angry and threw my phone into a tree… I’m supposed to be getting the replacement today though”
“…a tree?! Hahahaha~ Why am I not surprised at you Rei-chan!!! Ah… she got cast in that Korean drama then?”
Reiko nodded and sighed shaking her head. They knew what Risa was like when she was busy. She would work herself to the point of exhaustion and then push herself even further, only giving in once she was done. On more than one occasion they had been called to check her out of the hospital since she had no one else to sign for her. And just like that they forgot that they both wanted to apologize to each other and spent the next several hours talking about old times and the stupid things they did when they were kids together.
“Oh my god!! I can’t believe you remember that!! Augh!! That was so fucking embarrassing!”
“But you were so good! Honestly I was surprised when Risa won instead of you… by one vote too…”
“Hmph… can I tell you a secret… It’s cause I voted for her… we were tied even and I knew she had voted for me but I still hadn’t voted… so that’s why she won the trip overseas…”
“Wow~ I had no clue… wonder what would have happened if you had gotten the job instead…”
“who know~ I wouldn’t have gotten scouted here and I may have ended up staying overseas… but it doesn’t matter… She loves traveling… and when you are fluent in several languages why not have fun?”
Hiroto nodded and glanced over to his clock realizing it was late. He stood up and checked his phone finding several missed calls from his band members as well as a few texts threatening to come drag him out of his apartment if he didn’t answer. Before he could reply and tell them that he was fine he heard pounding on his door. With a sigh he went and opened it with Reiko following behind. When the door opened, whatever the others were about to say died when they saw Reiko behind him. Hiroto ushered them inside and made everyone sit in the living room. Once everyone was situated he looked at Tora for answers.
“We just wanted to be sure you were ok. After all, you were really down today and Ali was worried… I see that you seem to be fine now though.”
“Yea~ Reiko came and surprised me! I was upset cause I couldn’t get them to answer my calls but apparently Rei-chan broke her phone… and Risa is out of the country~ So at least I know they aren’t angry with me!”
The rest of Alice Nine breathed a sigh of relief to see Hiroto back to his normal bubbly self. However they noticed that the normally confident young woman seemed to be shy and flustered at the moment. After a few minutes though she looked up and cleared her throat causing everyone to stop and stare.
“Ah! I just wanted to… apologize to everyone for my rash behavior these last few times we’ve met. It was completely unprofessional and… well pretty immature if I do say so myself. So… I’m really sorry…”
Seeing her bright faced and blushing was enough to dispel any anger they had towards the girl. They realized that she, like them was just a friend who wanted to take care of Hiroto. The rest of the evening they all spent time getting to know each other better and they learned a few things about Hiroto that they hadn’t known before. While Hiroto and Reiko both tried to hide it the others noticed that they hurt a little bit whenever Risa was brought up. So finally the evening was done and morning was breaking as everyone decided to leave. Reiko had work the next morning while Alice Nine had a day off. As Hiroto saw her downstairs to the cab she hugged the little man and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks Pon~ Tonight was a lot of fun”
“hehe~ of course!! We should totally do it again.”
Reiko smiled and got into the cab waving as it drove off. After she left Hiroto skipped back up to his apartment where the others were still stretched out in random places; chuckling when he came in Hiroto decided to just curl up and sleep on the couch next to his friends. The next morning when Ali would show up she found the five men passed out on random cushion and pieces of furniture. But the thing she noticed first was the blinking light on the answering machine.
A month passed since the night that Hiroto and Reiko had made up and she had spent time with them all as a band. Once her phone had been repaired she started texting Hiroto again more often and once or twice she had shown up to listen to a rehearsal. Everyone had gotten used to her harsh attitude after learning that it was more of a defense mechanism that she relied on. Once she had become comfortable around everyone she mellowed out significantly and they all understood why Hiroto liked to spend time with her. It had been nearly 6 weeks since Risa had been heard from and both friends were sitting together during a break discussing how they might contact the other girl.
“if she’s out of the country there really is not much we can do Pon…”
“can’t we call the director and tell him it’s an emergency…”
“…only if you plan to deal with the repercussions yourself”
“..sorry Ali-chan..”
Ali chuckled at the pair as they bowed with identical expressions. She waved off their apology as she did understand their need to hear from their friend. She suggested that maybe they try calling her agency which earned her a hug from them both.
“Oh I hadn’t even thought of that!!!”
Ali laughed as the two ran off to make their phone call since the rehearsal had been done for over an hour. Saga came up and wrapped his arms around her waist smiling softly and kissed her cheek. She patted his arm gently then shrugged him off to take the paperwork she had been working on up to the president so that they could all go home. As she approached the office she heard shouting and arguing which cause her to hesitate outside the door before knocking. A few minutes later, she heard a sigh and a muted “Enter”. She opened the door and slipped into the office where the president was meeting with people she had never seen before. Ali bowed low but walked forward confidently to hand the paperwork to the man. He took it then stopped her before she could leave.
“Ali-san… there is something you should know. These men work with some young women who are acquainted with Hiroto-san. Have you heard the names Reiko and Risa?”
“Yes… I have had the pleasure of meeting them both. Actually Reiko-san is visiting at this moment. Is something the matter?”
There was utter silence in the room as the men exchanged wary glances which simply made Ali’s stomach churn. A tall, older man stepped forward and bowed low to her. He introduced himself as the president of the girls’ agency. She bowed back and introduced herself as well.
“Ali-san was it? We have been attempting to get into contact with Hiroto-san for some time now…”
“what happened to Risa-san?” she interrupted the man before he could even finish.
“She has been in a hospital for over a month now. She was filming on the first day, a car stunt, and the vehicle went out of control… She’s recovered well but she still has not regained consciousness and Hiroto-san and Reiko are her listed contacts”
“AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO TELL REIKO BEFORE NOW?!!?” she screamed at the man and then turned to leave the office.
The men watched as she stormed out of the office and looked back at the president in surprise. The man was chuckling slightly and had already made the call so that a vehicle would be waiting to take the whole group to the airport. As he finished up his phone call he smiled softly and looked at the others.
“I told you it would be easy to get them to visit…”
The others nodded and the other president shook his head in amusement. He had not believed that the young woman would react so quickly. But he couldn’t help but feel slightly bad as she ran out of the room without waiting for a further explanation. As the men sat discussing how they would appease the young woman later after she found out that they had not been entirely truthful with her, all of alice nine was waiting for Ali to get back from delivering papers. The president had told them all to be ready to go on a short trip but no other details were given. So they were all shocked when Ali ran in out of breath and looking furious.
“Risa… has been… hospitalized… for over… a month…. We’re leaving now!”
And so there was a mad scramble as they all gathered their things and ran out to where a car was already waiting. Not wanting to ask unnecessary questions they simply took it as an apology from the president and accepted the ride to the airport. Within two hours the group had seen Hiroto and Reiko off in a plane. Ali had refused to go simply for the fact that she still had something she wanted to say to the damned men in the president’s office. Saga wanted to stay and make sure Ali didn’t do anything rash and the others decided that maybe it was best to let the friends go alone, only of course they promised to tell them everything.
Hiroto and Reiko made the couple hour flight to Pusan but didn’t really know where to go from there. As soon as they landed though Hiroto called Ali and the others and they told him where the hospital she was staying in was. After hanging up the pair quickly hailed a cab and gave the driver the name of the hospital. As they were driving Reiko kept glancing over at Hiroto and sighing. Finally he looked at her and pouted.
“Stop that… she’s going to be ok… after all its Risa”
“That’s not… you still like her”
“I … I mean you guys are my friends and…”
“Chill Pon... it’s ok really… I know you care about both of us but you still like her and that’s fine… just do me a favor and tell her ok?”
“is that… what all that weirdness before was about?”
“Pretty much…”
“…oh… I’m sorry Rei-chan… I…”
“Hey now… I’m a big girl and I knew you liked her long before we decided to both try our luck. It won’t change our friendship or anything but just to let you know… I got asked to go to Rome as a model… I’m finally going international”
Hiroto smiled happily and hugged her close, congratulating her. He knew it was her dream but he would miss her. During their conversation the cab had arrived at the hospital so Hiroto paid the driver and the pair got out and walked up to the desk together. The little receptionist looked surprised but asked who they were there to see. When they mentioned Risa’s name she smiled knowingly and gave them directions to her room. As they walked together down the quiet halls they weren’t sure what to think. When they arrived at the room they heard speaking and walked in quietly.
Risa was sitting in the bed, her arm in a sling, typing on her laptop while her crew sat around her fussing and trying to get her to rest. After a few minutes she gave an exasperated sigh and glared at them all.
“I have done nothing BUT fucking rest for the last 6 weeks… The least you can do is let me mail my friends…”
“No need for that…”
She glared at her stunt manager and demanded an explanation when Hiroto and Reiko both stepped forward. Her words died on her lips and she simply sat in shock. The other two however ran over and hugged her tightly fussing over her and complaining about not knowing anything. Risa blinked in utter shock as she tried to get a word in over her friends’ fussing. After a few minutes she shouted for them to “chill!” and glared at them, as they both looked slightly abashed. She held up a hand, then looked to the stunt manager for an explanation. He simply chuckled and explained that they had left messages with both Hiroto and Reiko. However the pair had both somehow missed the messages and so they decided to take drastic measures and had contacted Hiroto’s president. She looked at Hiroto and Reiko who both shrugged and sat at the foot of her bed.
“So what you’re telling me is… that it was that damn managers’ reason you are here now?”
Hiroto pouted and Reiko nodded, telling her that Ali was actually quite kind once you met her. Risa bit back a reply and sighed; as she looked at her friends she smiled slightly.
“I should be coming home in a few months… I got released ages ago so we’ve been shooting for almost a month… The director liked the crash footage so much that he is planning on using it, he just had to wait for me to recover before we could shoot the end of that episode. We’ve done about 4 episodes… out of 20.”
She grinned and shrugged apologetically at her friends. They both simply looked relieved and hugged her tightly, glad she was alright. The trio spent the better part of the afternoon spending time together and catching up. Risa told them that she had been let out for all the shoots each day, but that she was being forced to stay at the hospital at night to make sure she wasn’t neglecting her health. Reiko and Hiroto grinned and told her this was a good thing which just earned them a harsh glare. Finally after a few hours, Reiko stood to get some coffee and left the others in the room. Once she left Risa looked to Hiroto with raised eyebrows.
“Ok Pon~ spit it out already and tell me what in the hell is going on…”
He sighed and looked at his hands as he spoke.
“Reiko and I have been spending the last few weeks hanging out, and she gets along great with everyone. Anyway on the way here she told me that she’s finally been asked to do international modeling… She’s leaving for Rome in a few weeks… and she also asked me to tell you something.”
Risa swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded for him to continue. Already she was preparing herself for what the little guitarist had to say. It could naturally only be one thing and even though she was expecting it; it still stung.
“… I still like you… In fact I don’t think I ever stopped liking you Risa. You’re such a strong girl and you could do so much better… But I’d be honored if you might consider giving me another chance… I don’t care about the distance or work or anything like that… I just care about you…”
Hiroto stared anxiously at Risa, waiting for his words to sink in. As he waited he watched her expression morph from one of resigned acceptance to utter shock. He couldn’t help but smile slightly, feeling a glimmer of hope when she stared at him.
“B-But Pon… what about Reiko? I thought for sure…”
“Rei-chan and I have always been good friends… and it’s like she pointed out to me on the way here… We’re both kind of oblivious.”
Risa sighed and shook her head, laughing a little as she recognized Reiko’s famous words. She smiled softly and reached out to take his hand in hers and played with his fingers as she only nodded. Hiroto released the breathe he was holding and leaned forward to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. A throat being cleared in the doorway, as well as a small round of applause broke the pair apart. Reiko grinned impishly from the doorway as the stunt team gave Risa the thumbs up from over the tall model’s shoulder.
The trio spent the rest of the day catching up and deciding how they would all keep in touch. Risa promised to take a break and try to Skype with the others while she was away. Reiko promised to do the same once she left. The pair left the hospital to catch a flight back to Tokyo only after Hiroto kissed Risa again, promising to see her again soon. The flight was exhausting for them both but they were happy to see the others when they landed again. It was clear from the look of utter disgust on Ali face that she had been let in on the whole ruse only after they had seen the pair off. Hiroto winced slightly and patted his managers’ shoulder lightly as he assured her that Risa was fine, and that she would be back in about 4 months. He was about to turn and leave when Ali cleared her throat, waiting for what else he had to say. Hiroto blushed slightly and muttered “ohyeaI’mdatingRisanow” as quickly as possible before darting out towards the car. Ali sighed exaggeratedly and looked at Reiko who was laughing at Hiroto’s retreat. She smiled at the manager and shrugged.
“Can’t help who our heart wants… We just have to learn to take the hints we are given and hope for the best ne~”
Ali smiled and nodded, telling Reiko she could call her for anything when she was overseas. The other model took the card smiling and thanked her for the offer. With that the whole group left the airport and crowded into the van that Ali had demanded use of from the president. Everyone was dropped off individually with orders to get some rest and come to rehearsal on time in two days. As she stepped out of the van at her own house and sent the van on its way back to the company Saga came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on top of her head and spoke softly.
“You’re a big softie~ All someone has to do is look like they’re in love and you give~”
“Shut up… You love me that way anyway~”
“Un~ I wouldn’t want you to be anything that you aren’t~”
She smiled and turned to face her husband. She stood on her toes and kissed him lightly before turning around and dragging him towards their home. Meanwhile Hiroto and Reiko were busy laughing about old memories at his apartment. As the evening drug on Reiko yawned and said that she had to go home and pack. Before she left however she looked at Hiroto and asked him for a favor. He looked up at her and nodded, saying he would do whatever he could for her. However nothing could have prepared him for the kiss that followed. As she pulled back, Reiko winked and told him there was nothing to worry about since it felt like she was kissing her brother. Hiroto laughed and saw her to the door, shutting it after she left and wishing her the best.
Several months passed and Alice Nine was busier than ever with their concert tour and everything else going around. Ali was working her ass off for the band with Mai and Dani to help occasionally. It was on a particularly bad day for everyone that Hiroto decided to show up late. Ali was furiously pacing the length of the room when finally the door opened. She turned to glare at the little guitarist but instead was greeted by a fluffy little Mogu who ignored her glare and walked over demanding to be picked up. With a sigh she picked up the little dog and began to scratch his head gently. A few minutes later a blonde head peaked around the corner and was pinned by her stare.
“I can explain I promise…”
“…then do”
“..Well… Risa’s home~”
He smiled and pulled the young woman into the room behind him. She gripped his hand tightly as she bowed and greeted everyone nervously. Ali sighed and walked over to collapse into Saga’s lap on the couch. Everyone chuckled as she merely raised a weak hand in greeting, as she buried her face against her husband’s neck. He grinned and gave Hiroto the thumbs up, which the little guitarist returned enthusiastically. The rest of the rehearsal was spent with Ali pretending no one else existed as she buried herself into her paperwork and the others merely practiced light heartedly.
The whole group welcomed the extra addition to their family with open arms, though Ali resisted a little childishly. A few weeks after Risa’s return to the country and introduction to their family in such a way, she took it upon herself to speak to Ali. She came in early when she knew that only Ali and Tora would be around. As she walked into the rehearsal room Tora merely smirked at her and went back to his work. She walked over and stood behind Ali who pretended no one existed while she finished her writing. After a few minutes she set her pen down and stretched, turning around to look curiously at Risa.
“Pon isn’t here yet… He probably won’t be in for almost an hour.”
“I know… I just wanted to come and speak to you… I think we got off on the wrong foot and I really wanted to apologize for that.”
Ali smiled slightly and shook her head, indicating for the other girl to have a seat. After she had taken the chair Ali scratched her neck lightly as she tried to think of something to say.
“There really isn’t anything for you to apologize for… I admit I tend to overreact when it involves the boys but believe me I had long forgotten any issue we might have had.”
Risa let out a sigh of relief and hugged Ali suddenly. The other girl froze for a moment before awkwardly patting her on the shoulder, not sure really how to react to the hug. As she pulled back she waved happily and skipped out of the room to go meet up with Hiroto. Tora chuckled softly as she left and Ali turned to glare at him.
“I swear if you pick a girl with THAT much energy I might have to kill both of you…”
He shrugged and went back to his music as Ali tried to go back to her work. The next few months were filled with excitement and craziness for everyone. Risa became a permanent fixture in their family and Ali almost got used to her bubbly nature. The others had fully accepted her, but Ali was still a little cold, a point which Risa brought to Hiroto’s attention after a particularly hard rehearsal. When she expressed the concern the little guitarist merely laughed and assured her that Ali had no problem with her, it just took her longer to warm up to people.
Hearing that Risa decided that maybe she could help the other girl warm up to her and decided to run over to her, in front of everyone and hugged her tightly. As expected Ali froze in shock and the others fought back laughter as the younger girl hugged her tightly.
“I hope we can be great friends Ali-chan~”
Saga had to grab Ali’s hands to keep her from scratching any of the people laughing, as Risa smiled oblivious to what was funny. Things continued in this manner for some time and even though Ali did eventually warm up more to Risa, she never could quite get used to the other girls’ touchy nature.
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Alice Nine, OC
Genre: fluff
Beta:
Summary: read to find out
Word Count: 8759
Author: hannah_arashi
A/N: Hope you all like it, this is part of my Alice Nine fic saga so comments are loved
The hand tightened around her neck as she was slammed against the wall for the third time. Gasping as her head hit the wall she blacked out momentarily before coming to again and facing her assailant. The man watched her coolly as she struggled to stay conscious. Smiling viciously he leaned forward and whispered that familiar threat into her ear.
“and… CUT! That was excellent people! It’s a wrap… We’ll be checking this evening but otherwise you are free to go your own way. Thanks for all your hard work!!”
She felt the hand on her throat relax as the wire crew lowered her to the ground. Her costar’s face went immediately from what she had coined the ‘evil bastard’ to ‘cuddly teddy bear’ as he fretted about hurting her. Only after assuring him several times that he had done no lasting damage was she able to leave the set to change. She said her goodbyes to everyone present before leaving the set to change.
All of Alice Nine and their manager were currently in their practice room waiting on Hiroto to show up. While Ali was busy pacing back and forth, Nao and Shou were busy talking to their respective girlfriends. To an outsider it would have probably seemed off that their manager allowed the men to have such close personal relations in their industry but Alice Nine had never been ones to fit the mold. After about 15 minutes of pacing the door was pushed open and Hiroto came bouncing in with a young woman following. She looked positively bored as she followed the hyper young man inside. As soon as they had entered the room she glanced around and scoffed before turning to Hiroto.
“You sure do hang with a lot of foreigners don’t you Pon? Tch… whatever… I’ll leave as soon as she gets here.”
Ali let out a muted growl as she glared at the rude woman. She was very tall and pale with straight black hair that reminded Ali of Sadako from ‘Ringu’. However before she could say anything another voice came from the door.
“Really now Reiko?! How many times do I have to tell you to play nice… They are all Pon’s friends so you should at least TRY to be civil.”
“Thank god you are here… I have to go to work so I just came cause Pon insisted…. I’m leaving.”
Reiko rolled her eyes at the disapproving look from the new woman and quickly left the room without a backward glance. Hiroto barely flinched as his attention now focused on the new comer. She was almost the total opposite of Reiko. Where the other had been tall, intimidating and unapproachable this girl was all smiles and good natured. She bowed and greeted everyone before smiling in Hiroto’s direction.
“I do hope you at least warned your poor friends that we were coming today. You know how difficult Reiko is sometimes…”
“You made it!!!! I am so glad you were able to come… Of course I let them know that you were coming… I think…”
Hiroto stopped and looked around the room realizing then that he had probably forgotten to mention that he would be bringing a guest to visit that day. Ali looked ready to kill him while Mai and Dani simply shook their heads at the young man’s forgetful nature. The young woman laughed gently and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Well since you forgot how about we at least go ahead and do introductions.”
The door opened and Reiko came stalking back in the room carrying two coffees. One she kept for herself and the other she gave to the other girl without a word. Hiroto grinned to see her and then nodded in agreement with the suggestion. He turned and smiled brightly at his friends who were all waiting to hear what he had to say.
“Well I meant to tell you all that I would be bringing a few guest today but I guess it just slipped my mind. Sorry Ali-chan~ anyway the tall girl who came in with me is Reiko-chan. She and I went to high school together and she is in the modeling industry. The other girl is…”
“Pfft… really Pon?! Is that all you have to say about me? No warning about my crass nature and ridiculously insulting attitude?”
“Hahaha~ doesn’t that speak for itself though Rei-chan? As I was saying this is Reiko and the other girl with me is Risa. She is Reiko’s best friend and also went to school with us. Don’t let her fool you though she’s a lot stronger than she looks~ She and Reiko were leaders of a group that basically ran our school. Risa-chan is a model internationally and an actress as well.”
The others were quiet for a little while as Hiroto’s words sunk in. Apparently he had brought two former Yankees that were his good friends in high school with him to rehearsal today for no understandable reason. The taller of the pair, Reiko, simply stood there looking bored while Risa carefully examined the situation silently. After a few minutes Ali took a step forward to greet the girls.
“Hmph… You are welcome to stay if you like however I will ask that you follow the rules and keep your opinions to yourself and your voices down. The guys have to practice and it doesn’t help if they are distracted.”
Reiko sneered at the shorter woman which only earned her a jab in the ribs from her friend who smiled and assured the manger that they would both behave themselves. Suddenly Reiko pulled her phone out of her pocket and frowned at the screen. She looked back at Hiroto and Risa with an apologetic glance.
“Sorry guys~ looks like we’ll have to all get together another time. I just got called in to work the Tokyo Girls Collection show in Ginza. Now I gotta run back to the studio, get ready to meet the designers and get fitted all in the next few hours. So best of luck to you guys; I’ll see you later! … Oh! Um… Sorry I couldn’t get to know you all… maybe next time”
Reiko ran out the door before anyone could say a word. Hiroto simply shrugged and pointed a seat where Risa would sit however before she could move his eyes trained onto the bruises on her neck and his eyes went wide.
“Risa-chan!!! You’re hurt!!! What happened?? Who did it?? I’ll kick their ass if I find them!!!”
“Pon! Calm down will you? It’s really nothing… We were just wrapping up those final scenes for the movie today and my costar and I were really into character. Honestly it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve had a lot worse than this, plus it was the final scene that needed to be done since the others had all be done before but this sequence required some special equipment that just came in.”
“But…”
“Chill ok? It’s really nothing…”
Risa smiled gently and placed a hand on Hiroto’s shoulder reassuring him before she made her way over to the open seat beside Mai and Dani. The two women looked up at the newcomer and smiled welcomingly. She returned the kindness and took her seat. The rehearsal that followed went fairly smoothly, with Ali only having to stop and scold the men for not paying attention to what they were doing only once. After the rehearsal was over the others watched as Risa said her goodbyes to Hiroto and left. After she was gone they all waited for a better explanation from the young man. A few minutes after Risa left Hiroto turned to find everyone watching him suspiciously. He glanced around at everyone with a confused look. Finally Mai took pity on him.
“Why don’t you tell us a little more about your friends Hiroto…”
The others simply nodded in agreement. Hiroto’s mouth formed the ‘oh’ shape it often did when something dawned on him. He then grinned and sat in the middle of the room so that everyone could hear him. After all it was a fun story to tell.
“Well~ as I said Reiko and Risa both went to my high school. Reiko came from a pretty well off family while Risa came from a more middle class family. They both supported me in my career choice and have been to all the concerts I’ve played in. Uh… Risa was my girlfriend for several years, we only broke up after she got asked to go overseas and then I joined you guys. So I haven’t actually seen her for about 6 years. Reiko is a lot nicer than she seems, actually Risa is the one you really have to look out for. She can be downright vicious. But they are both really nice and fun to be around once you get to know them. We all recently got back together since we are all back in Japan. I invited them today cause it’s been a few years since either of them could see me play.”
The room was silent as Hiroto finished his story with a grin. Ali could only sit and process what she had been told. According to what he said neither woman was anyone she needed to worry about. Sighing in relief she shrugged and went back to her paperwork. Hiroto watched as their manager visibly relaxed and grinned. The others in the room all relaxed as well now that Ali wasn’t on the verge of a mental breakdown. While she worked on her paperwork Hiroto had gone over and begun pestering Dani and Mai about getting their dogs together to play with Mogu. It was a common occurrence now for Hiroto to show up randomly on the weekend with Mogu, only to stay for most of the day. After a while the others started dispersing for their vehicles. Ali stayed behind to finish paperwork and meeting with the president while Saga went out for a drink with Tora. Hiroto was invited but he declined saying he needed to go home to Mogu.
Hiroto skipped out of the office and made his way to his car with a grin. He was happy to see his friends today and wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. Suddenly he found himself in a tangle of limbs on the ground with Ali beneath him. She had apparently just gotten out of her meeting and was on her way home when he had literally run into her. The young woman could only groan as Hiroto struggled to stand up and pulled her into a sitting position. Only after checking that she was indeed alright, and being threatened with bodily harm, did Hiroto back off and allow his manager to stand. Ali stood and brushed herself off before frowning at Hiroto. The man’s puppy eyes were enough to make her simply rub away the impending headache with a sigh.
“Hiroto… Please watch where you are going around here. The last thing I need is to break my ankle in these death trap heels I have to wear in the office. Are you ok?”
Hiroto nodded but didn’t trust himself to speak. He was afraid of causing harm to anyone close to him, their manager especially cause Saga would be liable to kill him. Only after Ali had reassured him that she was not actually hurt did he smile and skip out of the building. Ali watched as the young man left and shook her head. He was a small bundle of destructive energy that was so cute she wasn’t sure how to deal with him half the time. A chuckle from behind her indicated that the president had seen the whole scene. Frowning she turned to face the man who merely shrugged.
“You sure do have a way with them Ali-san. I am so glad you decided to join our company. What has it been now, 5 years?”
“Almost 6 sir; Yes I must say working with those five has certainly been an interesting ordeal but I don’t regret one second of it.”
“How about the marriage?”
“I regret nothing sir, after all I love the idiot. All of them…”
The president watched as Ali left the building and shook his head. The young woman had the patience of a saint when it came to the five men. Hiroto had made it back to his apartment without any more mishaps and let himself inside. Mogu was waiting at the door for him and from the hall he could see the light from his answering machine blinking. After toeing off his shoes in the entranceway and locking the door behind him he skipped over to the machine. With Mogu milling around his feet he pressed the button and listened to the messages.
“First message: Pon are you there? Can you hear me? It’s Reiko… Anyway I wanted to apologize for being so standoffish today, but I mean you know how I can be. Just let your friends know that I really was happy to meet them. And tell Risa I said sorry as well, I just don’t feel like calling her cause she might get mad. See ya later. End of message.
Next message: Hiroto~ Just wanted to say thanks for inviting us today. Tell Reiko to fucking call me and not to make me go find her. I’ll see you later dear~ End of message.”
Hiroto chuckled and shot off a text to Reiko informing the woman to call the other as soon as possible. They all knew how mean Risa could be if she tried and it wasn’t a fun experience. After getting a message from the two that “they had already talked” Hiroto grinned and knew everything was set. He spent the rest of the evening playing with Mogu, blissfully unaware that his world was about to be turned upside down.
Risa stalked the halls of her agency searching for one person in particular. She found the room she was looking for after about ten minutes of searching. She entered the room unannounced and threw herself down on the couch with an over exaggerated sigh. Reiko looked up from in front of the makeup mirror and shook her head. She went back to finishing her makeup before she got up and shut the door. After the door was shut Risa looked up and smirked at her best friend. Gone was the cool calm façade that she presented to the public. In front of her now was the young woman who had single handedly ran their school when they were younger. She lounged out on the couch and looked up at the taller woman.
“It’s funny how everyone is so afraid of you… But in reality they never suspect that I’m the one they have to look out for. But you already know that… which is why I am not gonna mince words with you. Let’s have a fair fight you and I, may the best woman win.”
Reiko smirked and nodded in agreement. The two women had long had feeling for the guitarist. Risa had won back in high school but they were all older and wiser now, so there was no telling who would be the ultimate winner now. She felt relaxed though, having the contest brought out in the open between them. They both had their own way of wooing the young man so there was no worry that they would appear obvious. Their only worry was how the manager would react. She appeared to be a high strung person, and as such they knew that any open advances were strictly forbidden. After all Hiroto would most likely suffer the most if his manager had any say in the matter. Either way, however the two women were determined to let the young man know of their feelings. It was just up to him to accept.
Meanwhile as the pair plotted the man in question was busy helping the band get ready for an episode of Alice Nine channel. This particular episode they had all been invited on, and he had even brought Mogu with him claiming that the little dog didn’t like to be left at home when he was out late. Ali was nowhere to be seen which was odd since the girl always over saw their antics on the show to ensure that no one acted too crazy. The five men were busy hanging out in the green room as they waited for 11 o’clock to strike indicating the start of the program. They had about 20 minutes until the start when suddenly a knock on the door indicated someone’s presence. Shou opened the door and his jaw dropped. On the other side of the door stood Hiroto’s friends from the other day, the taller of the two was standing towards the back rolling her eyes while the smaller girl grinned evilly and thanked the now terrified technician for showing them the way. Shou could only step backwards as the girl asked for entrance. Hiroto’s head popped up from where he was playing with Mogu when Shou announced that his friends were there. Smiling broadly he waved the pair over, not paying attention to the look the pair exchanged.
Ali chose that moment to show up and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the two girls. She had also ran into the poor tech as she had come down the hall and had gotten an earful from him as well. Saga saw the murderous look in her eyes and carefully steered her away from the younger man, trying desperately to distract her. While he attempted to appease her which thankfully didn’t take long seeing as she left the room after only 5 minutes, the others watched the strange interactions around Hiroto. One glance was enough to tell Ali what was going on, and it didn’t take much longer for the others to figure it out. Tora had to keep from sighing the entire time they were waiting for the show to begin, whereas Nao and Shou struggled not to laugh at the oblivious guitarist. Both women were flirting with him, but Hiroto was oblivious to that fact due to his excitement at being reunited with them. It wasn’t until Ali came to give them the five minute warning, and had to watch as the women said their good byes in a way that was not at all simply friendly did the group finally bust out laughing. The two women snuck out with promises of calling the younger man. Reiko chose to ignore the fuming manager but Risa noticed a gleam in her eye that was not at all innocent. She tried to warn Hiroto as they were leaving but the group had already left the room.
The show started innocent enough, with Tora introducing their latest tour dates as well as the release of their latest dvd. After the first ten minutes however the staff played Heart of Gold while the set was being rearranged. Once the song was finished and the show resumed the set of their board game was revealed. All five members of Alice Nine complained loudly about the sadistic nature of their staff but otherwise went along with the game. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Hiroto’s roll. He landed on ‘Fortune Time’ which could mean a number of things. However when he pulled out a fortune he received the worst one possible. Throughout the studio the sound of a horse was heard and all eyes trailed on the side door where they expected a half-naked man in a horse head to come out carrying a paper fan. However their expectations were highly exceeded. Instead of a half-naked MAN, a very attractive woman came out dressed in a bikini and shorts, and the horse head. They all knew who it was but had to play dumb for the sake of the show. Tora was about to comment when Hiroto chose that moment to try to run away from his punishment. The woman wasted no time in chasing him around the studio much to the amusement of the staff as well as the audience watching. As the others watched in shock Nao’s laughter could be heard even as the cameras followed the spectacle. She finally managed to catch Hiroto and gave him a smack that was heard throughout the studio. Tora flinched and called the camera man’s attention so that Hiroto could be helped up.
“That one sounded dangerous… You know I don’t think we have ever had a female hold the fan before…”
“Kind of kinky if you ask me… Actually it’s something worth trying in…”
“Saga!”
Sniggers and laughter could be heard all over as the tension was dissolved and the chaotic show was brought to order. The rest of the evening went by fairly quickly though Hiroto shied away from the dice every time it was passed his way. He did not receive another butt smack the entire show. In fact no one did, despite Saga’s complaints. After everything was said and done the five men made their way back to the green room to gather their things; waiting for them they found Ali standing up to both of Hiroto’s friends. They had apparently disagreed with the treatment on the program and Ali was far from being civil in explaining the matter. In fact the men could only stop and stare as their normally calm manager went head to head with the two women.
“What the hell sort of program are you running here that you can ABUSE people for the amusement of others manager-san?! To me it seems like they don’t enjoy it so I would like to know what sort of contracts you have them sign before participating in these stunts…”
“Risa was it? Well I will have you know this is NOT the film industry and our artists participate in these ‘stunts’ of their own volition. They over exaggerate when they react to those situations. After all, being in film I am sure you know ALL about the importance of ratings…”
“Hey! You can’t talk to Risa like that you bitch! I know it was you out there in that horse head. Try a less revealing costume next time….”
“Rei-chan! Ri-chan!”
All three women turned to find the band staring at the scene in shock. Ali excused herself and pushed through the crowd and left the room with Saga following quickly after. Tora and Shou excused themselves as well, leaving Hiroto with the two women. After a few minutes Hiroto heaved a sigh and sat down in a chair.
“Guys…. What is going on here? I mean we aren’t in school anymore… You can’t just come in and start yelling at people… Particularly my manager; and you really can’t go calling her names… I won’t allow that…”
Hiroto frowned and looked at his friends trying to figure out what would make them act like that but the two women just stood silently. After a few minutes of their silence Hiroto sighed again and stood to leave speaking even as he turned.
“… I hate to do this but I can’t have you guys visiting me if you are going to cause trouble… Ali-san works hard to make sure there are no scandals around us… So I’ll just text you the next time I have a day free… Bye”
They watched as he left and the door shut behind him before Risa let out a short laugh, rubbing a hand over her face. Reiko stayed silent waiting for what Risa had to say, knowing the woman would say something.
“… I just got cast in a drama… So I won’t be around for about 6 months. I wish you happiness darling~ Afterall as a model you two would make less of a scandal…”
Risa left the room not waiting to hear Reiko’s arguments. She walked out of the studio with her head held high but inside she felt terrible. The last thing she wanted to do was cause trouble for Hiroto and his friends. And yet she had let her temper get the better of her once again and it had lost her any chance. As she left in her car she sent a message to her manager saying she would accept the job and would be ready to fly out the next evening. Meanwhile Reiko watched as her best friend left, willingly giving up in their competition. She shook her head and tried to call the other but no answer came. She looked up when a staff member came to the room looking for something. She waited for the man to say something to her but he merely looked for what he needed and then as he was leaving spoke a few words to her.
“Everyone loves them… We would never do anything to hurt them in anyway~ You should probably remember that my dear…”
Reiko let out the breath she was holding and left as well with those words still ringing in her head. Even as she got home she thought hard on not only what the staff had told her but also how Hiroto had reacted. This was not the Hiroto she had expected to see. The man had changed a lot in the last several years but in retrospect they all had. The only thing she recognized was Risa’s determination to protect the little guitarist no matter what. With a sigh she accepted that fact that it would be a while before the trio was reunited again.
A few days later Hiroto trudged into rehearsal and went straight over to Ali where she was wrapped up in schedules listening to her ipod. He stood patiently at her shoulder before she sighed slightly and without looking up, or even stopping her work spoke to him.
“Don’t worry about anything Pon~ Nothing bad happened and I am strong enough not to let a few poorly thought out words affect me…”
Hiroto merely nodded and went over to tune his guitar. The others showed up one by one and no one really spoke. The normally hyper Hiroto was subdued making the whole atmosphere heavy and almost unbearable. After about three hours of rehearsals, without any sort of mistakes Shou and Nao exchanged a glance before calling an end to the day. Hiroto said nothing as he packed his guitar and left the studio with the instrument claiming he would practice at home; as he left the others exchanged worried glances. It wasn’t like the younger man to get into such a low mood so they guessed something else had happened. As Hiroto left the studio he tried yet again to contact his friends but as it had since that evening their phones were both disconnected. He drove to his apartment silently and went inside smiling sadly when he was greeted by Mogu.
“Papa’s friends are mad at him~ I can’t even leave them a message cause their voice mail is full… What do I do Mogu!?”
“… well you could start by not talking to your dog like that and paying attention to your surroundings Pon…”
He nearly dropped Mogu as he whipped around and saw Reiko leaning against the wall behind him. His mouth dropped open but before he could ask he noticed the spare key hanging from her finger. Of course she would remember where the key was hid since he never changed the place. Frowning he carried Mogu and his guitar into the living room and she followed taking a seat on the couch. After a few minutes he came out of his bedroom and brought tea from the kitchen. They sat in silence for a little while longer as Mogu jumped up on the couch and curled up in her lap.
“Maybe I should think about changing where I keep that stupid key…”
“if you did you wouldn’t be you dear~”
“Heh~ I guess you’re right~ So… why haven’t you guys been answering my calls…”
“Well I can’t speak for Risa cause she isn’t answering me either but I think she left again because of a drama shoot… As for me… I kind of got angry and threw my phone into a tree… I’m supposed to be getting the replacement today though”
“…a tree?! Hahahaha~ Why am I not surprised at you Rei-chan!!! Ah… she got cast in that Korean drama then?”
Reiko nodded and sighed shaking her head. They knew what Risa was like when she was busy. She would work herself to the point of exhaustion and then push herself even further, only giving in once she was done. On more than one occasion they had been called to check her out of the hospital since she had no one else to sign for her. And just like that they forgot that they both wanted to apologize to each other and spent the next several hours talking about old times and the stupid things they did when they were kids together.
“Oh my god!! I can’t believe you remember that!! Augh!! That was so fucking embarrassing!”
“But you were so good! Honestly I was surprised when Risa won instead of you… by one vote too…”
“Hmph… can I tell you a secret… It’s cause I voted for her… we were tied even and I knew she had voted for me but I still hadn’t voted… so that’s why she won the trip overseas…”
“Wow~ I had no clue… wonder what would have happened if you had gotten the job instead…”
“who know~ I wouldn’t have gotten scouted here and I may have ended up staying overseas… but it doesn’t matter… She loves traveling… and when you are fluent in several languages why not have fun?”
Hiroto nodded and glanced over to his clock realizing it was late. He stood up and checked his phone finding several missed calls from his band members as well as a few texts threatening to come drag him out of his apartment if he didn’t answer. Before he could reply and tell them that he was fine he heard pounding on his door. With a sigh he went and opened it with Reiko following behind. When the door opened, whatever the others were about to say died when they saw Reiko behind him. Hiroto ushered them inside and made everyone sit in the living room. Once everyone was situated he looked at Tora for answers.
“We just wanted to be sure you were ok. After all, you were really down today and Ali was worried… I see that you seem to be fine now though.”
“Yea~ Reiko came and surprised me! I was upset cause I couldn’t get them to answer my calls but apparently Rei-chan broke her phone… and Risa is out of the country~ So at least I know they aren’t angry with me!”
The rest of Alice Nine breathed a sigh of relief to see Hiroto back to his normal bubbly self. However they noticed that the normally confident young woman seemed to be shy and flustered at the moment. After a few minutes though she looked up and cleared her throat causing everyone to stop and stare.
“Ah! I just wanted to… apologize to everyone for my rash behavior these last few times we’ve met. It was completely unprofessional and… well pretty immature if I do say so myself. So… I’m really sorry…”
Seeing her bright faced and blushing was enough to dispel any anger they had towards the girl. They realized that she, like them was just a friend who wanted to take care of Hiroto. The rest of the evening they all spent time getting to know each other better and they learned a few things about Hiroto that they hadn’t known before. While Hiroto and Reiko both tried to hide it the others noticed that they hurt a little bit whenever Risa was brought up. So finally the evening was done and morning was breaking as everyone decided to leave. Reiko had work the next morning while Alice Nine had a day off. As Hiroto saw her downstairs to the cab she hugged the little man and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks Pon~ Tonight was a lot of fun”
“hehe~ of course!! We should totally do it again.”
Reiko smiled and got into the cab waving as it drove off. After she left Hiroto skipped back up to his apartment where the others were still stretched out in random places; chuckling when he came in Hiroto decided to just curl up and sleep on the couch next to his friends. The next morning when Ali would show up she found the five men passed out on random cushion and pieces of furniture. But the thing she noticed first was the blinking light on the answering machine.
A month passed since the night that Hiroto and Reiko had made up and she had spent time with them all as a band. Once her phone had been repaired she started texting Hiroto again more often and once or twice she had shown up to listen to a rehearsal. Everyone had gotten used to her harsh attitude after learning that it was more of a defense mechanism that she relied on. Once she had become comfortable around everyone she mellowed out significantly and they all understood why Hiroto liked to spend time with her. It had been nearly 6 weeks since Risa had been heard from and both friends were sitting together during a break discussing how they might contact the other girl.
“if she’s out of the country there really is not much we can do Pon…”
“can’t we call the director and tell him it’s an emergency…”
“…only if you plan to deal with the repercussions yourself”
“..sorry Ali-chan..”
Ali chuckled at the pair as they bowed with identical expressions. She waved off their apology as she did understand their need to hear from their friend. She suggested that maybe they try calling her agency which earned her a hug from them both.
“Oh I hadn’t even thought of that!!!”
Ali laughed as the two ran off to make their phone call since the rehearsal had been done for over an hour. Saga came up and wrapped his arms around her waist smiling softly and kissed her cheek. She patted his arm gently then shrugged him off to take the paperwork she had been working on up to the president so that they could all go home. As she approached the office she heard shouting and arguing which cause her to hesitate outside the door before knocking. A few minutes later, she heard a sigh and a muted “Enter”. She opened the door and slipped into the office where the president was meeting with people she had never seen before. Ali bowed low but walked forward confidently to hand the paperwork to the man. He took it then stopped her before she could leave.
“Ali-san… there is something you should know. These men work with some young women who are acquainted with Hiroto-san. Have you heard the names Reiko and Risa?”
“Yes… I have had the pleasure of meeting them both. Actually Reiko-san is visiting at this moment. Is something the matter?”
There was utter silence in the room as the men exchanged wary glances which simply made Ali’s stomach churn. A tall, older man stepped forward and bowed low to her. He introduced himself as the president of the girls’ agency. She bowed back and introduced herself as well.
“Ali-san was it? We have been attempting to get into contact with Hiroto-san for some time now…”
“what happened to Risa-san?” she interrupted the man before he could even finish.
“She has been in a hospital for over a month now. She was filming on the first day, a car stunt, and the vehicle went out of control… She’s recovered well but she still has not regained consciousness and Hiroto-san and Reiko are her listed contacts”
“AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO TELL REIKO BEFORE NOW?!!?” she screamed at the man and then turned to leave the office.
The men watched as she stormed out of the office and looked back at the president in surprise. The man was chuckling slightly and had already made the call so that a vehicle would be waiting to take the whole group to the airport. As he finished up his phone call he smiled softly and looked at the others.
“I told you it would be easy to get them to visit…”
The others nodded and the other president shook his head in amusement. He had not believed that the young woman would react so quickly. But he couldn’t help but feel slightly bad as she ran out of the room without waiting for a further explanation. As the men sat discussing how they would appease the young woman later after she found out that they had not been entirely truthful with her, all of alice nine was waiting for Ali to get back from delivering papers. The president had told them all to be ready to go on a short trip but no other details were given. So they were all shocked when Ali ran in out of breath and looking furious.
“Risa… has been… hospitalized… for over… a month…. We’re leaving now!”
And so there was a mad scramble as they all gathered their things and ran out to where a car was already waiting. Not wanting to ask unnecessary questions they simply took it as an apology from the president and accepted the ride to the airport. Within two hours the group had seen Hiroto and Reiko off in a plane. Ali had refused to go simply for the fact that she still had something she wanted to say to the damned men in the president’s office. Saga wanted to stay and make sure Ali didn’t do anything rash and the others decided that maybe it was best to let the friends go alone, only of course they promised to tell them everything.
Hiroto and Reiko made the couple hour flight to Pusan but didn’t really know where to go from there. As soon as they landed though Hiroto called Ali and the others and they told him where the hospital she was staying in was. After hanging up the pair quickly hailed a cab and gave the driver the name of the hospital. As they were driving Reiko kept glancing over at Hiroto and sighing. Finally he looked at her and pouted.
“Stop that… she’s going to be ok… after all its Risa”
“That’s not… you still like her”
“I … I mean you guys are my friends and…”
“Chill Pon... it’s ok really… I know you care about both of us but you still like her and that’s fine… just do me a favor and tell her ok?”
“is that… what all that weirdness before was about?”
“Pretty much…”
“…oh… I’m sorry Rei-chan… I…”
“Hey now… I’m a big girl and I knew you liked her long before we decided to both try our luck. It won’t change our friendship or anything but just to let you know… I got asked to go to Rome as a model… I’m finally going international”
Hiroto smiled happily and hugged her close, congratulating her. He knew it was her dream but he would miss her. During their conversation the cab had arrived at the hospital so Hiroto paid the driver and the pair got out and walked up to the desk together. The little receptionist looked surprised but asked who they were there to see. When they mentioned Risa’s name she smiled knowingly and gave them directions to her room. As they walked together down the quiet halls they weren’t sure what to think. When they arrived at the room they heard speaking and walked in quietly.
Risa was sitting in the bed, her arm in a sling, typing on her laptop while her crew sat around her fussing and trying to get her to rest. After a few minutes she gave an exasperated sigh and glared at them all.
“I have done nothing BUT fucking rest for the last 6 weeks… The least you can do is let me mail my friends…”
“No need for that…”
She glared at her stunt manager and demanded an explanation when Hiroto and Reiko both stepped forward. Her words died on her lips and she simply sat in shock. The other two however ran over and hugged her tightly fussing over her and complaining about not knowing anything. Risa blinked in utter shock as she tried to get a word in over her friends’ fussing. After a few minutes she shouted for them to “chill!” and glared at them, as they both looked slightly abashed. She held up a hand, then looked to the stunt manager for an explanation. He simply chuckled and explained that they had left messages with both Hiroto and Reiko. However the pair had both somehow missed the messages and so they decided to take drastic measures and had contacted Hiroto’s president. She looked at Hiroto and Reiko who both shrugged and sat at the foot of her bed.
“So what you’re telling me is… that it was that damn managers’ reason you are here now?”
Hiroto pouted and Reiko nodded, telling her that Ali was actually quite kind once you met her. Risa bit back a reply and sighed; as she looked at her friends she smiled slightly.
“I should be coming home in a few months… I got released ages ago so we’ve been shooting for almost a month… The director liked the crash footage so much that he is planning on using it, he just had to wait for me to recover before we could shoot the end of that episode. We’ve done about 4 episodes… out of 20.”
She grinned and shrugged apologetically at her friends. They both simply looked relieved and hugged her tightly, glad she was alright. The trio spent the better part of the afternoon spending time together and catching up. Risa told them that she had been let out for all the shoots each day, but that she was being forced to stay at the hospital at night to make sure she wasn’t neglecting her health. Reiko and Hiroto grinned and told her this was a good thing which just earned them a harsh glare. Finally after a few hours, Reiko stood to get some coffee and left the others in the room. Once she left Risa looked to Hiroto with raised eyebrows.
“Ok Pon~ spit it out already and tell me what in the hell is going on…”
He sighed and looked at his hands as he spoke.
“Reiko and I have been spending the last few weeks hanging out, and she gets along great with everyone. Anyway on the way here she told me that she’s finally been asked to do international modeling… She’s leaving for Rome in a few weeks… and she also asked me to tell you something.”
Risa swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded for him to continue. Already she was preparing herself for what the little guitarist had to say. It could naturally only be one thing and even though she was expecting it; it still stung.
“… I still like you… In fact I don’t think I ever stopped liking you Risa. You’re such a strong girl and you could do so much better… But I’d be honored if you might consider giving me another chance… I don’t care about the distance or work or anything like that… I just care about you…”
Hiroto stared anxiously at Risa, waiting for his words to sink in. As he waited he watched her expression morph from one of resigned acceptance to utter shock. He couldn’t help but smile slightly, feeling a glimmer of hope when she stared at him.
“B-But Pon… what about Reiko? I thought for sure…”
“Rei-chan and I have always been good friends… and it’s like she pointed out to me on the way here… We’re both kind of oblivious.”
Risa sighed and shook her head, laughing a little as she recognized Reiko’s famous words. She smiled softly and reached out to take his hand in hers and played with his fingers as she only nodded. Hiroto released the breathe he was holding and leaned forward to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. A throat being cleared in the doorway, as well as a small round of applause broke the pair apart. Reiko grinned impishly from the doorway as the stunt team gave Risa the thumbs up from over the tall model’s shoulder.
The trio spent the rest of the day catching up and deciding how they would all keep in touch. Risa promised to take a break and try to Skype with the others while she was away. Reiko promised to do the same once she left. The pair left the hospital to catch a flight back to Tokyo only after Hiroto kissed Risa again, promising to see her again soon. The flight was exhausting for them both but they were happy to see the others when they landed again. It was clear from the look of utter disgust on Ali face that she had been let in on the whole ruse only after they had seen the pair off. Hiroto winced slightly and patted his managers’ shoulder lightly as he assured her that Risa was fine, and that she would be back in about 4 months. He was about to turn and leave when Ali cleared her throat, waiting for what else he had to say. Hiroto blushed slightly and muttered “ohyeaI’mdatingRisanow” as quickly as possible before darting out towards the car. Ali sighed exaggeratedly and looked at Reiko who was laughing at Hiroto’s retreat. She smiled at the manager and shrugged.
“Can’t help who our heart wants… We just have to learn to take the hints we are given and hope for the best ne~”
Ali smiled and nodded, telling Reiko she could call her for anything when she was overseas. The other model took the card smiling and thanked her for the offer. With that the whole group left the airport and crowded into the van that Ali had demanded use of from the president. Everyone was dropped off individually with orders to get some rest and come to rehearsal on time in two days. As she stepped out of the van at her own house and sent the van on its way back to the company Saga came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on top of her head and spoke softly.
“You’re a big softie~ All someone has to do is look like they’re in love and you give~”
“Shut up… You love me that way anyway~”
“Un~ I wouldn’t want you to be anything that you aren’t~”
She smiled and turned to face her husband. She stood on her toes and kissed him lightly before turning around and dragging him towards their home. Meanwhile Hiroto and Reiko were busy laughing about old memories at his apartment. As the evening drug on Reiko yawned and said that she had to go home and pack. Before she left however she looked at Hiroto and asked him for a favor. He looked up at her and nodded, saying he would do whatever he could for her. However nothing could have prepared him for the kiss that followed. As she pulled back, Reiko winked and told him there was nothing to worry about since it felt like she was kissing her brother. Hiroto laughed and saw her to the door, shutting it after she left and wishing her the best.
Several months passed and Alice Nine was busier than ever with their concert tour and everything else going around. Ali was working her ass off for the band with Mai and Dani to help occasionally. It was on a particularly bad day for everyone that Hiroto decided to show up late. Ali was furiously pacing the length of the room when finally the door opened. She turned to glare at the little guitarist but instead was greeted by a fluffy little Mogu who ignored her glare and walked over demanding to be picked up. With a sigh she picked up the little dog and began to scratch his head gently. A few minutes later a blonde head peaked around the corner and was pinned by her stare.
“I can explain I promise…”
“…then do”
“..Well… Risa’s home~”
He smiled and pulled the young woman into the room behind him. She gripped his hand tightly as she bowed and greeted everyone nervously. Ali sighed and walked over to collapse into Saga’s lap on the couch. Everyone chuckled as she merely raised a weak hand in greeting, as she buried her face against her husband’s neck. He grinned and gave Hiroto the thumbs up, which the little guitarist returned enthusiastically. The rest of the rehearsal was spent with Ali pretending no one else existed as she buried herself into her paperwork and the others merely practiced light heartedly.
The whole group welcomed the extra addition to their family with open arms, though Ali resisted a little childishly. A few weeks after Risa’s return to the country and introduction to their family in such a way, she took it upon herself to speak to Ali. She came in early when she knew that only Ali and Tora would be around. As she walked into the rehearsal room Tora merely smirked at her and went back to his work. She walked over and stood behind Ali who pretended no one existed while she finished her writing. After a few minutes she set her pen down and stretched, turning around to look curiously at Risa.
“Pon isn’t here yet… He probably won’t be in for almost an hour.”
“I know… I just wanted to come and speak to you… I think we got off on the wrong foot and I really wanted to apologize for that.”
Ali smiled slightly and shook her head, indicating for the other girl to have a seat. After she had taken the chair Ali scratched her neck lightly as she tried to think of something to say.
“There really isn’t anything for you to apologize for… I admit I tend to overreact when it involves the boys but believe me I had long forgotten any issue we might have had.”
Risa let out a sigh of relief and hugged Ali suddenly. The other girl froze for a moment before awkwardly patting her on the shoulder, not sure really how to react to the hug. As she pulled back she waved happily and skipped out of the room to go meet up with Hiroto. Tora chuckled softly as she left and Ali turned to glare at him.
“I swear if you pick a girl with THAT much energy I might have to kill both of you…”
He shrugged and went back to his music as Ali tried to go back to her work. The next few months were filled with excitement and craziness for everyone. Risa became a permanent fixture in their family and Ali almost got used to her bubbly nature. The others had fully accepted her, but Ali was still a little cold, a point which Risa brought to Hiroto’s attention after a particularly hard rehearsal. When she expressed the concern the little guitarist merely laughed and assured her that Ali had no problem with her, it just took her longer to warm up to people.
Hearing that Risa decided that maybe she could help the other girl warm up to her and decided to run over to her, in front of everyone and hugged her tightly. As expected Ali froze in shock and the others fought back laughter as the younger girl hugged her tightly.
“I hope we can be great friends Ali-chan~”
Saga had to grab Ali’s hands to keep her from scratching any of the people laughing, as Risa smiled oblivious to what was funny. Things continued in this manner for some time and even though Ali did eventually warm up more to Risa, she never could quite get used to the other girls’ touchy nature.