Forever & Ever 1.1
Title: Forever & Ever (Miseinen Sequel)
Author: Zion Shadowlet
Beta: butterflysaga(the bitch)
Characters: Aoi, Uruha, Ruki, Reita, Kai and many OCs (Fuwa etc.)
Pairing: Aoi/Uruha and more~
Genre: Drama, Romance, Friendship, Comedy
Rating: NC17
Summary: Six years have passed since the summer at the Dazai Bright Future Retreat for Troubled Children. The boys meet in an unexpected way perhaps bound by fate in the underground world of Visual Kei. With broken hearts and promises; the boys-now young men look to regain some of what they lost by the wild and reckless pursuit of the same dream.
“So, what’s your HONEST opinion?” Koji asked, his wiry thin white fingers still lingering on the computer keyboard. His blue hair was clipped back to the top of his head with some sort of hair accessory that he had stolen from his little sister. It frayed out in a fan like shape like a crown. “Should I play it one more time?” he turned around and stared at Aoi, who smoking a cigarette as if it were the most pleasant experience in the world stared at the various idol posters on the wall.
“Why does she even like those guys?” he asked. Koji was using his sister’s computer-in her disturbingly pink room. There was an army of stuffed toys along the opposite wall, staring ominously at them. Luckily for Aoi and Koji, she was still as school.
“What? What does that even matter?” Koji asked excitedly.
Koji. Koji. Yeah, he was one of those nervous types, the kind that had big eyes, pale skin and shifty movements. It would be accurate to describe little blue haired Koji, dressed constantly in metal shirts too big for him, as something close to the human version of one of those tiny white lab mice.
“You know that those boys totally got boned by that one guy?” Aoi laughed. He was lying on the ground, wearing ripped up blue jeans, a ratty old black sweater and some t-shirt he bought from some clothing factory’s reject bin. Apparently the shirt was for some little kiddy amusement park called the Wild Beasts of Africa whose logo was some bugged eyed lion named Rudy. But someone must have made an error-Aoi suspected intentionally, and added an extra r to beasts so that the shirt said “Wild Breasts of Africa” in colorful letters over Rudy’s cracked out face. Because he loved this shirt so much he had constantly begged Koji and the other guys to rename their band Mlle.Emily+Vanilla into Wild Breasts of Africa. Needless to say, he was rejected. Whatever, Mlle.Emily+Vanilla sucked as far as names went anyway in Aoi’s opinion. He had no idea what the hell it meant at any rate.
“I don’t care who fucked those pretty boys. What did you think of the song?” Koji pressed, leaning forward on the pink rolly chair so that he almost fell forward.
It sucked. Hard. That’s what Aoi wanted to say. But what came out instead was “It’s cool. Needs work though.” He lifted up his cigarette and took a long, pleasurable drag.
“Don’t fucking smoke in here! Fuck! She will smell it for sureeee,” Koji whined.
“Whatever man, just spray some of the Essence of Hamasaki shit and she won’t even notice,” Aoi laughed.
“That is tobacco right? Not Marijuana or anything?”
“No, Koji its cocaine.”
“COCAINE?!” Koji stood up.
What a fucking boob, Aoi thought as he sat up. “It’s tobacco,” he said, calming the nervous blue-haired boy down.
“Man, Aoi get serious please. We are going to playing alongside that fucking band Madie=Anubis.”
“What?” Aoi had no idea what the fuck he just said at the end of his sentence.
“MADIE=ANUBIS,” Koji repeated it as if they were the Rolling Stones and he should know who they were.
“Um…sorry, I don’t pay attention to the other guys,” Aoi laid back down on his back and stared at the ceiling. Koji’s little sister had somehow managed to cover every inch of wall space with posters of guys from the latest idol group, even to the point of pasting them onto the ceiling. He wondered if ever one day he was going to have adoring fangirls like that. Not with that shit song though.
“Well, their songs are awesome.”
Aoi didn’t believe him. Koji had no taste anyway.
“Aoi, listen to me. Girls wait for them after they are done playing,” he said slowly.
Hearing that, Aoi sat up. “Really?”
“Yes,” he nodded slowly.
“Have you met them?”
“No, but I’ve seen them, around.”
“Who writes the songs?”
“What does that matter, Aoi?”
“Because that’s what counts,” he sat up and opened up his pack of cigarettes only to find it a gaping hole of nothing. “Fuck,” he whispered and tossed it across the room, knocking a cute little plush ducky in the face.
“YOU DICK!” Koji whined uselessly.
“Poor Ducky,” Aoi mumbled. And just like that, he was thinking about Uruha. The last time he saw him, 3 months ago in that bar on Christmas Eve. It seemed like a dream now, the way it all happened on a cold snowy night. They must have talked for only 10 minutes in that crowded bar but every day after that-when he was lying in bed, or just sitting around like this, lost in thought, Aoi kept going back to that moment, rewriting it in his head, making different things happen-things that at the moment, submerged in his feelings, he was unable to do. He wasn’t in control of himself then, shocked as he was, lost and stunned.
And each time he thought about it, how he would redo it if he could, it was always different. At first, he thought that he should have stayed and talked until morning, just hanging out like two young men, drinking and reminiscing. He thought that he should invite him to go out to another bar another time, or perhaps asking him if he wanted to get together and play guitar. Aoi even at one point thought that perhaps, he should have invited him to a love hotel.
There were some nights when Aoi would just lie there and think about being with him again. He would fantasize about how his body looked now that he was older, what it felt like to be inside of him once more. He tried to remember the feeling of his puffy mouth on his lips, his skin, his dick. But it was too long ago.
He wondered what his life was like now. Beautiful Uruha. Did he ever sit around and think of him like this? Did he even like boys anymore? He may have thought of that one month 5 to 6 years ago was just a transient moment in time where he had been a young boy in love. Uruha seemed good, healthy, in control, strong. He didn’t need Aoi to make him happy, not anymore at least.
God, what was the name of his band? He wondered if perhaps it was Madie whatever the fuck Koji just said.
“What do you know about them?” Aoi asked, curious if it was Uruha’s band.
“Well for one, the singer is a SEX GOD,” Koji said, saying the last two words in English as if that emphasized it. There was something about his manner that was like one of those chicks that dyed their hair blonde and got tans.
“Sexier than me?” Aoi asked as if it were a legitimate question.
“Um…yeah,” Koji said.
“You’re a spazz. I don’t believe you,” Aoi said simply and laid back down on his back.
“Doesn’t matter. He doesn’t even write the songs.”
“Who writes them?”
“The drummer.”
“Oh yeah?” Aoi said disinterestedly as he tongued his lip ring.
“Some guy, who is shorter than me. He seems alright. I don’t like him that much though. He wears these stupid ass cowboy hats on stage.”
Aoi let out a snort of laughter. “Is he at least cute?”
“Dude, I’m not gay like you,” Koji said with disgust.
“OH! Coming from O.M.G. SEX GOD,” Aoi mimicked him obnoxiously.
“Sure, he’s cute, I guess. In that little baby kind of way.”
“What’s his name?”
“Are you some kind of pervert?” Koji said with disgust.
“Shut the fuck up,” Aoi said void of any malice. “I’m asking because our drummer…well…”
“Leave Jiro alone.”
“Look, if this guy can write songs and he has appeal, we can convince him to join us, you know like how Yoshiki stole hide from Saver Tiger?”
“I think we should steal the singer if anybody.”
“Okay, let me add emphasis on the WRITE SONGS part.”
“What? You don’t think we can write songs?”
“It’s not that. I just think the more song writers, the better and if you said he was good…”
Koji paused as he thought about what Aoi was saying. “Yeah, I see what you mean…” he folded his arms. “He’s kinda standoffish, though. Just so you know.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you remember any of their names?”
He shook his little blue head no.
“You know, Koji….You fail at life. Just want you to know that.”
***
“God, I wish it would get warm,” Aoi whined as he stood outside of Sakana Sakura-a tiny little venue that catered to lovers of the very dregs of Visual Kei in the middle of an alright neighborhood in Tokyo. It was surrounded by “respectable” businesses-at least ones that Aoi thought were. It was 11 AM on a sunny beautiful March day. Most people would think the weather was rather nice for this time of year but not Aoi; it was too fucking cold for him.
To keep himself entertained, he stared at the tall apartment buildings across the street, waiting for the other guys to load their gear out of Jiro’s car. It was already Saturday which meant that tomorrow morning he had to call his mother and tell her how he was doing. Of course, she would be able to tell that he had a hangover-which he got every Sunday morning but at least, she will know that he was alive. He’ll tell her about the live. Of course, leaving out all the details about how in general his band wasn’t very good. Whatever, got to start somewhere.
A policeman who riding pass on his bicycle, suddenly seeing something in this beat up white Honda that was parked not too far from Sakana Sakura’s entrance, came to a stop and angrily walked up to the nearby meter and finding what he was looking for, walked over to backseat window and started pounding on it, relishing happily in his authority and what he believed was his rightfully deserved irritation. “Don’t you know that you need to put more money in the meter you fucking hoodlum?!” The police officer shouted loudly.
Aoi, of course with a couple of old lady pedestrians watched.
The person who was in all likelihood sleeping in the backseat, sat up and seeing the police officer and not caring, seemingly laid back down.
“You little prick! I’m going to write you a ticket!” he said pounding his finger on the window. Suddenly the door opened causing the officer to jump back as not to get hit right in the balls.
“Please don’t be like that. I was just sleeping,” the guy said.
Wait, I know that voice, Aoi thought.
“You aren’t supposed to be sleeping in the back seat of cars,” the police officer said slowly and condescendingly.
“I know, I know,” the guy responded patiently.
Okay, that voice. I know that voice. Aoi couldn’t help it. He walked closer to the beat up white Honda to get a better view.
“Um…I’ll put change in it right now,” the guy said sleepily, searching the seat cushions for what change he could find. “Fuck…” he said when he couldn’t find anything.
“Well,” the police officer said happily as he pulled out his ticket sheets.
What a douche bag, Aoi thought as he removed some change from his pocket and fed the meter.
“Excuse me, officer but it looks like to me there is money in this meter!” Aoi shouted at him.
The man turned around angrily and glared at him. “I just checked it.”
“Yeah, well, I was just walking past and I noticed that it still had time. Are you sure you checked the right one.”
“Did you just put change in there?” the police officer stared at him as if he were morbidly interested, one eye bulging out.
“No,” Aoi turned and looked at one of the old ladies who were just standing there. “Did I? You were looking the whole time.”
“No, you didn’t,” the old lady said, coming to both him and the sleeping guy’s rescue. “I noticed that there was still time myself,” she added.
Aoi smiled. Let’s see if this dick of a police officer is going to call this old lady a liar.
Once the police officer walked away from the Honda and closer to Aoi and the old lady, the sleeping guy suddenly screamed “AOIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and running quickly out of the car, threw himself on him, sending Aoi falling backwards.
“SEE YOU TWO ARE FRIENDS!” the police officer said pointing.
“There was money in there, you big puss face,” the old lady said, giving him a reprimanding look. “Leave it alone before someone steals your bicycle.”
One doesn’t argue with their elders. The police officer, mortified didn’t know what to do. He glared at her for several seconds before turning around and walking back to his bike.
“Aoi,” the guy said pulling away and looking up at him.
“RUKI!” Aoi said finally realizing who it was. “Oh my god!” he smiled happily.
“Long time!” Ruki was smiling so wide, his cheeks which were still somewhat round, bubbled up around his nose. Aoi, looking at his face figured that he was going to be cute forever.
“I can’t believe it’s you!” Aoi laughed and picking him up in a warm hug, swung him around playfully caused the small man-since he was probably around 20 years old now, back and forth. “How are you?”
“I’m okay. Living out of a car now,” Ruki said with a small giggle as if it were no big deal.
“Why aren’t you at home?”
“I ran away, came back and got kicked out. Fuck them, doesn’t matter,” Ruki was in no mood to go into those details at the moment. It was too refreshing to see an old friend.
“Oh, um, what are you doing tonight?” Aoi asked, realizing that he could invite him to the show.
“Performing,” Ruki said with a grin.
“Performing? Where?”
“There,” Ruki pointed at the Sakana Sakura.
“No shit.”
“What? It’s not that big of gig…” Ruki laughed.
“No, I’m performing too.”
“WHAT?!”
“YEAH!”
“Oh, you’re kidding right. What do you play?”
“Guitar. You?”
“Drums.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I’m in Madie=Anubis.”
“What the fuck, no….” Aoi smiled. “Me and my bassist were just talking about how we wanted to steal Madie’s good song writing drummer.”
Ruki giggled. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Aoi nodded.
The two of them were so excited to see each other that they were talking inhumanly fast.
“I think we are doing alright, actually,” Ruki nodded not sure if that sounded like he was turning him down. He wasn’t even sure if that was a legitimate offer or not.
“Oh yeah? We’re okay. Our singer isn’t very good,” Aoi shook his head and sighed.
“Ours can’t sing either. He’s kinda like that guy from Kiyoshi’s band...what was their name again…”
“Media Youth?”
“Yeah. He’s really handsome but he isn’t a very good singer,” Ruki laughed. He wasn’t sure if he should be talking like this about his band mate. Whatever, he hated Ichiro-or Gabriel, that’s what he wanted people to call him. Ruki had told him that that sort of stage name wasn’t very visual but Gabriel didn’t care. Visual Kei was about being unique he had said in his lofty obnoxious, full of himself voice. Of course, Ruki agreed with him so he didn’t press. He still hated the stupid name. It made their band seem like a pseudo goth wannabe Rouage.
“You write a lot of the songs, huh?”
“Yeah,” Ruki nodded.
“Wow, I can’t believe this. You know what?”
“Hm?”
“Uruha is in this town too. I saw him briefly back in December.”
“No shit?” Ruki’s jaw dropped. “And you two aren’t in a band together?”
Aoi shook his head no. “We talked a little bit afterwards but I haven’t seen him since.”
Ruki wanted to ask why they weren’t together. He assumed that Aoi and Uruha-if anyone from their group would have found each other, they would have. He was shocked that when they had finally met up that they only talked and went their separate ways. Wow, Ruki sighed. 6 years could really change a person a lot. And just when the thought of Reita snaked up into his mind, he shook his head and tried not to think about it. It was so long ago, Ruki. Move on, he said to himself. “Well, that’s awesome,” he finally said. “Guitar?”
“Yup.”
“Wow.”
“You meet with any of the others?”
Ruki shook his head no. “You?”
“I’m friends with Nagano still.”
“Nagano?”
“The guy who used to shave his head and wear bandanas….worked in the garage.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Aoi couldn’t remember a time when those two even talked. Whatever, didn’t matter.
“Man, we have a lot of catch up on,” Aoi smiled.
“We really do,” Ruki said happily. “Oh man, you have no idea how happy I am to see you Aoi,” he smiled and hugged him once more. “Um…are you hanging around here all day?”
“Yeah,” Aoi smiled.
“Cool. Let me just go get my hat. I think the others are moving in our shit,” he said turning back to the car.
“Your hat?”
Ruki not listening went over to the Honda and opening up the door, pulled out a ratty old cowboy hat. Placing it on his cute little head, he looked like a little boy ready to play Cowboys and Indians.
“Wow, I guess some things never change,” Aoi laughed.
“What?” Ruki asked, legitimately curious.
“Still trying to distract the masses from your tyrannical rule with your cuteness?”
He smirked and said in his characteristically monotone voice: “You bet.”
Author: Zion Shadowlet
Beta: butterflysaga(the bitch)
Characters: Aoi, Uruha, Ruki, Reita, Kai and many OCs (Fuwa etc.)
Pairing: Aoi/Uruha and more~
Genre: Drama, Romance, Friendship, Comedy
Rating: NC17
Summary: Six years have passed since the summer at the Dazai Bright Future Retreat for Troubled Children. The boys meet in an unexpected way perhaps bound by fate in the underground world of Visual Kei. With broken hearts and promises; the boys-now young men look to regain some of what they lost by the wild and reckless pursuit of the same dream.
“So, what’s your HONEST opinion?” Koji asked, his wiry thin white fingers still lingering on the computer keyboard. His blue hair was clipped back to the top of his head with some sort of hair accessory that he had stolen from his little sister. It frayed out in a fan like shape like a crown. “Should I play it one more time?” he turned around and stared at Aoi, who smoking a cigarette as if it were the most pleasant experience in the world stared at the various idol posters on the wall.
“Why does she even like those guys?” he asked. Koji was using his sister’s computer-in her disturbingly pink room. There was an army of stuffed toys along the opposite wall, staring ominously at them. Luckily for Aoi and Koji, she was still as school.
“What? What does that even matter?” Koji asked excitedly.
Koji. Koji. Yeah, he was one of those nervous types, the kind that had big eyes, pale skin and shifty movements. It would be accurate to describe little blue haired Koji, dressed constantly in metal shirts too big for him, as something close to the human version of one of those tiny white lab mice.
“You know that those boys totally got boned by that one guy?” Aoi laughed. He was lying on the ground, wearing ripped up blue jeans, a ratty old black sweater and some t-shirt he bought from some clothing factory’s reject bin. Apparently the shirt was for some little kiddy amusement park called the Wild Beasts of Africa whose logo was some bugged eyed lion named Rudy. But someone must have made an error-Aoi suspected intentionally, and added an extra r to beasts so that the shirt said “Wild Breasts of Africa” in colorful letters over Rudy’s cracked out face. Because he loved this shirt so much he had constantly begged Koji and the other guys to rename their band Mlle.Emily+Vanilla into Wild Breasts of Africa. Needless to say, he was rejected. Whatever, Mlle.Emily+Vanilla sucked as far as names went anyway in Aoi’s opinion. He had no idea what the hell it meant at any rate.
“I don’t care who fucked those pretty boys. What did you think of the song?” Koji pressed, leaning forward on the pink rolly chair so that he almost fell forward.
It sucked. Hard. That’s what Aoi wanted to say. But what came out instead was “It’s cool. Needs work though.” He lifted up his cigarette and took a long, pleasurable drag.
“Don’t fucking smoke in here! Fuck! She will smell it for sureeee,” Koji whined.
“Whatever man, just spray some of the Essence of Hamasaki shit and she won’t even notice,” Aoi laughed.
“That is tobacco right? Not Marijuana or anything?”
“No, Koji its cocaine.”
“COCAINE?!” Koji stood up.
What a fucking boob, Aoi thought as he sat up. “It’s tobacco,” he said, calming the nervous blue-haired boy down.
“Man, Aoi get serious please. We are going to playing alongside that fucking band Madie=Anubis.”
“What?” Aoi had no idea what the fuck he just said at the end of his sentence.
“MADIE=ANUBIS,” Koji repeated it as if they were the Rolling Stones and he should know who they were.
“Um…sorry, I don’t pay attention to the other guys,” Aoi laid back down on his back and stared at the ceiling. Koji’s little sister had somehow managed to cover every inch of wall space with posters of guys from the latest idol group, even to the point of pasting them onto the ceiling. He wondered if ever one day he was going to have adoring fangirls like that. Not with that shit song though.
“Well, their songs are awesome.”
Aoi didn’t believe him. Koji had no taste anyway.
“Aoi, listen to me. Girls wait for them after they are done playing,” he said slowly.
Hearing that, Aoi sat up. “Really?”
“Yes,” he nodded slowly.
“Have you met them?”
“No, but I’ve seen them, around.”
“Who writes the songs?”
“What does that matter, Aoi?”
“Because that’s what counts,” he sat up and opened up his pack of cigarettes only to find it a gaping hole of nothing. “Fuck,” he whispered and tossed it across the room, knocking a cute little plush ducky in the face.
“YOU DICK!” Koji whined uselessly.
“Poor Ducky,” Aoi mumbled. And just like that, he was thinking about Uruha. The last time he saw him, 3 months ago in that bar on Christmas Eve. It seemed like a dream now, the way it all happened on a cold snowy night. They must have talked for only 10 minutes in that crowded bar but every day after that-when he was lying in bed, or just sitting around like this, lost in thought, Aoi kept going back to that moment, rewriting it in his head, making different things happen-things that at the moment, submerged in his feelings, he was unable to do. He wasn’t in control of himself then, shocked as he was, lost and stunned.
And each time he thought about it, how he would redo it if he could, it was always different. At first, he thought that he should have stayed and talked until morning, just hanging out like two young men, drinking and reminiscing. He thought that he should invite him to go out to another bar another time, or perhaps asking him if he wanted to get together and play guitar. Aoi even at one point thought that perhaps, he should have invited him to a love hotel.
There were some nights when Aoi would just lie there and think about being with him again. He would fantasize about how his body looked now that he was older, what it felt like to be inside of him once more. He tried to remember the feeling of his puffy mouth on his lips, his skin, his dick. But it was too long ago.
He wondered what his life was like now. Beautiful Uruha. Did he ever sit around and think of him like this? Did he even like boys anymore? He may have thought of that one month 5 to 6 years ago was just a transient moment in time where he had been a young boy in love. Uruha seemed good, healthy, in control, strong. He didn’t need Aoi to make him happy, not anymore at least.
God, what was the name of his band? He wondered if perhaps it was Madie whatever the fuck Koji just said.
“What do you know about them?” Aoi asked, curious if it was Uruha’s band.
“Well for one, the singer is a SEX GOD,” Koji said, saying the last two words in English as if that emphasized it. There was something about his manner that was like one of those chicks that dyed their hair blonde and got tans.
“Sexier than me?” Aoi asked as if it were a legitimate question.
“Um…yeah,” Koji said.
“You’re a spazz. I don’t believe you,” Aoi said simply and laid back down on his back.
“Doesn’t matter. He doesn’t even write the songs.”
“Who writes them?”
“The drummer.”
“Oh yeah?” Aoi said disinterestedly as he tongued his lip ring.
“Some guy, who is shorter than me. He seems alright. I don’t like him that much though. He wears these stupid ass cowboy hats on stage.”
Aoi let out a snort of laughter. “Is he at least cute?”
“Dude, I’m not gay like you,” Koji said with disgust.
“OH! Coming from O.M.G. SEX GOD,” Aoi mimicked him obnoxiously.
“Sure, he’s cute, I guess. In that little baby kind of way.”
“What’s his name?”
“Are you some kind of pervert?” Koji said with disgust.
“Shut the fuck up,” Aoi said void of any malice. “I’m asking because our drummer…well…”
“Leave Jiro alone.”
“Look, if this guy can write songs and he has appeal, we can convince him to join us, you know like how Yoshiki stole hide from Saver Tiger?”
“I think we should steal the singer if anybody.”
“Okay, let me add emphasis on the WRITE SONGS part.”
“What? You don’t think we can write songs?”
“It’s not that. I just think the more song writers, the better and if you said he was good…”
Koji paused as he thought about what Aoi was saying. “Yeah, I see what you mean…” he folded his arms. “He’s kinda standoffish, though. Just so you know.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you remember any of their names?”
He shook his little blue head no.
“You know, Koji….You fail at life. Just want you to know that.”
***
“God, I wish it would get warm,” Aoi whined as he stood outside of Sakana Sakura-a tiny little venue that catered to lovers of the very dregs of Visual Kei in the middle of an alright neighborhood in Tokyo. It was surrounded by “respectable” businesses-at least ones that Aoi thought were. It was 11 AM on a sunny beautiful March day. Most people would think the weather was rather nice for this time of year but not Aoi; it was too fucking cold for him.
To keep himself entertained, he stared at the tall apartment buildings across the street, waiting for the other guys to load their gear out of Jiro’s car. It was already Saturday which meant that tomorrow morning he had to call his mother and tell her how he was doing. Of course, she would be able to tell that he had a hangover-which he got every Sunday morning but at least, she will know that he was alive. He’ll tell her about the live. Of course, leaving out all the details about how in general his band wasn’t very good. Whatever, got to start somewhere.
A policeman who riding pass on his bicycle, suddenly seeing something in this beat up white Honda that was parked not too far from Sakana Sakura’s entrance, came to a stop and angrily walked up to the nearby meter and finding what he was looking for, walked over to backseat window and started pounding on it, relishing happily in his authority and what he believed was his rightfully deserved irritation. “Don’t you know that you need to put more money in the meter you fucking hoodlum?!” The police officer shouted loudly.
Aoi, of course with a couple of old lady pedestrians watched.
The person who was in all likelihood sleeping in the backseat, sat up and seeing the police officer and not caring, seemingly laid back down.
“You little prick! I’m going to write you a ticket!” he said pounding his finger on the window. Suddenly the door opened causing the officer to jump back as not to get hit right in the balls.
“Please don’t be like that. I was just sleeping,” the guy said.
Wait, I know that voice, Aoi thought.
“You aren’t supposed to be sleeping in the back seat of cars,” the police officer said slowly and condescendingly.
“I know, I know,” the guy responded patiently.
Okay, that voice. I know that voice. Aoi couldn’t help it. He walked closer to the beat up white Honda to get a better view.
“Um…I’ll put change in it right now,” the guy said sleepily, searching the seat cushions for what change he could find. “Fuck…” he said when he couldn’t find anything.
“Well,” the police officer said happily as he pulled out his ticket sheets.
What a douche bag, Aoi thought as he removed some change from his pocket and fed the meter.
“Excuse me, officer but it looks like to me there is money in this meter!” Aoi shouted at him.
The man turned around angrily and glared at him. “I just checked it.”
“Yeah, well, I was just walking past and I noticed that it still had time. Are you sure you checked the right one.”
“Did you just put change in there?” the police officer stared at him as if he were morbidly interested, one eye bulging out.
“No,” Aoi turned and looked at one of the old ladies who were just standing there. “Did I? You were looking the whole time.”
“No, you didn’t,” the old lady said, coming to both him and the sleeping guy’s rescue. “I noticed that there was still time myself,” she added.
Aoi smiled. Let’s see if this dick of a police officer is going to call this old lady a liar.
Once the police officer walked away from the Honda and closer to Aoi and the old lady, the sleeping guy suddenly screamed “AOIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and running quickly out of the car, threw himself on him, sending Aoi falling backwards.
“SEE YOU TWO ARE FRIENDS!” the police officer said pointing.
“There was money in there, you big puss face,” the old lady said, giving him a reprimanding look. “Leave it alone before someone steals your bicycle.”
One doesn’t argue with their elders. The police officer, mortified didn’t know what to do. He glared at her for several seconds before turning around and walking back to his bike.
“Aoi,” the guy said pulling away and looking up at him.
“RUKI!” Aoi said finally realizing who it was. “Oh my god!” he smiled happily.
“Long time!” Ruki was smiling so wide, his cheeks which were still somewhat round, bubbled up around his nose. Aoi, looking at his face figured that he was going to be cute forever.
“I can’t believe it’s you!” Aoi laughed and picking him up in a warm hug, swung him around playfully caused the small man-since he was probably around 20 years old now, back and forth. “How are you?”
“I’m okay. Living out of a car now,” Ruki said with a small giggle as if it were no big deal.
“Why aren’t you at home?”
“I ran away, came back and got kicked out. Fuck them, doesn’t matter,” Ruki was in no mood to go into those details at the moment. It was too refreshing to see an old friend.
“Oh, um, what are you doing tonight?” Aoi asked, realizing that he could invite him to the show.
“Performing,” Ruki said with a grin.
“Performing? Where?”
“There,” Ruki pointed at the Sakana Sakura.
“No shit.”
“What? It’s not that big of gig…” Ruki laughed.
“No, I’m performing too.”
“WHAT?!”
“YEAH!”
“Oh, you’re kidding right. What do you play?”
“Guitar. You?”
“Drums.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I’m in Madie=Anubis.”
“What the fuck, no….” Aoi smiled. “Me and my bassist were just talking about how we wanted to steal Madie’s good song writing drummer.”
Ruki giggled. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Aoi nodded.
The two of them were so excited to see each other that they were talking inhumanly fast.
“I think we are doing alright, actually,” Ruki nodded not sure if that sounded like he was turning him down. He wasn’t even sure if that was a legitimate offer or not.
“Oh yeah? We’re okay. Our singer isn’t very good,” Aoi shook his head and sighed.
“Ours can’t sing either. He’s kinda like that guy from Kiyoshi’s band...what was their name again…”
“Media Youth?”
“Yeah. He’s really handsome but he isn’t a very good singer,” Ruki laughed. He wasn’t sure if he should be talking like this about his band mate. Whatever, he hated Ichiro-or Gabriel, that’s what he wanted people to call him. Ruki had told him that that sort of stage name wasn’t very visual but Gabriel didn’t care. Visual Kei was about being unique he had said in his lofty obnoxious, full of himself voice. Of course, Ruki agreed with him so he didn’t press. He still hated the stupid name. It made their band seem like a pseudo goth wannabe Rouage.
“You write a lot of the songs, huh?”
“Yeah,” Ruki nodded.
“Wow, I can’t believe this. You know what?”
“Hm?”
“Uruha is in this town too. I saw him briefly back in December.”
“No shit?” Ruki’s jaw dropped. “And you two aren’t in a band together?”
Aoi shook his head no. “We talked a little bit afterwards but I haven’t seen him since.”
Ruki wanted to ask why they weren’t together. He assumed that Aoi and Uruha-if anyone from their group would have found each other, they would have. He was shocked that when they had finally met up that they only talked and went their separate ways. Wow, Ruki sighed. 6 years could really change a person a lot. And just when the thought of Reita snaked up into his mind, he shook his head and tried not to think about it. It was so long ago, Ruki. Move on, he said to himself. “Well, that’s awesome,” he finally said. “Guitar?”
“Yup.”
“Wow.”
“You meet with any of the others?”
Ruki shook his head no. “You?”
“I’m friends with Nagano still.”
“Nagano?”
“The guy who used to shave his head and wear bandanas….worked in the garage.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Aoi couldn’t remember a time when those two even talked. Whatever, didn’t matter.
“Man, we have a lot of catch up on,” Aoi smiled.
“We really do,” Ruki said happily. “Oh man, you have no idea how happy I am to see you Aoi,” he smiled and hugged him once more. “Um…are you hanging around here all day?”
“Yeah,” Aoi smiled.
“Cool. Let me just go get my hat. I think the others are moving in our shit,” he said turning back to the car.
“Your hat?”
Ruki not listening went over to the Honda and opening up the door, pulled out a ratty old cowboy hat. Placing it on his cute little head, he looked like a little boy ready to play Cowboys and Indians.
“Wow, I guess some things never change,” Aoi laughed.
“What?” Ruki asked, legitimately curious.
“Still trying to distract the masses from your tyrannical rule with your cuteness?”
He smirked and said in his characteristically monotone voice: “You bet.”