Ugh finally an update. I was so struggling to make this chapter. It's like I can't write. So frustrating. I apologize for the crappy chap. Going to edit that if I have the time.
Life finally caught up with me...and is still currently following me. That's why I have yet to read
bou-j525 and
immo fics. I'll read them later after I get away from Life who's stalking me. Ugh. Life...get away from me.
Thanks guys for the usual!!!
******************Chapter 16“Why are we dressed up like this again?” Nami asked as she sighed. She glanced at her two flatmates, waiting for their answer. Asahi shook her head and shrugged while Hinata beamed at her saying,
“Because it’s fun!”
“Exactly!” Yukarin gave the three a thumbs up as she held a camera in her other hand. She aimed her camera at the three who were currently dressed as their alter ego, Persona.
The three thought that Yukarin’s plans were canceled as she didn’t confirm them that it was still on that morning, so the three decided to relax for a bit. It was when they finished eating their lunch when Yukarin suddenly rang their doorbell. Thinking nothing of it, Asahi opened their door with a smile. Her smile suddenly disappeared when Yukarin gave her a devilish grin. Asahi let out a slight yelp when Yukarin dragged her inside to where Nami and Hinata are.
Screams of protest were heard from the inside of their apartment as Yukarin and Hinata dressed the two.
Asahi sighed as she looked at the clothes she’s wearing. She’s not wearing her usual Riku clothes, except for the wig. The three actually kept their wig as a remembrance of being Persona. Asahi didn’t know how Yukarin found out about that, but she has her suspicions that Hinata told her about it.
Going back to his clothes, Riku is wearing a white button-up long sleeved shirt, which is tucked in to his black slacks and a black button-up vest. He’s rolling up his sleeves just below his elbow as he glanced at the other two. Nami, dressed up as Kai once again, is wearing a black sleeveless hoodie with a grey shirt underneath and a dark blue jeans to complete his get up. He’s wearing his usual scowl on his face as he crossed his arm and looked away. Lastly, Asahi turned to Hinata, who’s dressed up as Kuu. He is wearing a black open vest with a blue shirt underneath and blue faded jeans, a bright smile can be seen on his face as he looked at the camera.
Riku frowned not liking that he’s somewhat dressed differently unlike the other two. He felt a bit…left out.
“Why are they dressed so casually while I’m dressed…like this?” Asahi whined at Yukarin since she was the one who brought the guy clothes with her, borrowing them to her teenaged cousin.
“Eh? I think it suits you. You’re like a gentleman unlike those two.” Yukarin answered back. The two ungentle man-like cross dressers simultaneously let out a ‘hey’ to Yukarin as if they were offended, making Riku chuckle.
“What I mean is…you three are like different types of boys. Among the three of you, Riku is the gentleman type, Kuu is the boy next door type, and Kai is like the ‘chibi’ bad boy type of guy who looks like he hasn’t reached puberty yet.” Yukarin explained.
“Hey!” Kai growled making Riku and Kuu chuckle.
“Aww. But you’re a cute little boy. Yes you are. Yes you are. Such a cutie boy.” Yukarin said mimicking how a mother would talk to her young one.
“That’s not making me feel better. That’s rather insulting.” Kai grumbled as he looked away.
“Aww. Did Yukarin hurt your feelings? Should we call Ray to kiss the pain away?” Kuu teased, making kissy sounds. A cute blush spreads across Kai’s face as he hears Yukarin and Riku giggling. Kai then remembered that he wasn’t the only one kissing someone last night.
“Like the gentleman here didn’t kiss someone.” Kai said as he tried to avert the embarrassing attention to Riku who blushed slightly, glaring at Kai. Yukarin and Hinata let out a ‘ooohhh’ as they watch the two glare at each other.
“I d-didn’t kiss Yuko!”
“Really?” Kai leered at Riku making him nervous. Well, he did kiss Yuko…but not like how Kai is thinking!
“I...I didn’t kiss her like the way you kissed Ray!” Riku pointed out making Kai blush again. How would Riku know how she kissed Ray? And didn’t Ray kiss her, not the other way around? But still!
“B-but you still kissed Yuko!”
“That’s not the point!” Riku answered back. Both boys…well, girls pretending to be boys rather…glared at each other, their face were red from blushing. Kuu, who was amused at the two bickering, decided to get in between the two. He wanted to prolong their argument since its amusing seeing the two getting redder and redder as they defended themselves. But if this continues…the two would probably explode or faint from blushing too hard.
Now that is fun to see…but he’s trying to be the mediator here.
“Now, now. Calm down you two. Why don’t we hold a ‘no-talking-about-our-girlfriends’ rule for today, eh?” Kuu grinned and placed both his arm around the two pulling them closer to him as the two avoided the others eyes.
“Let’s enjoy being a…bachelor for the rest of the day, kay?” Kuu added as he looked back and forth at the two trying to gauge their reaction to his suggestion.
“Okay.” Riku sighed defeatedly.
“I…guess.” Kai mumbled, frowning with his eyes on the side.
“Great! Now say, ‘we’re-going-to-have-a-great-bachelor-party-today-cheese’!” Yukarin said as she once again aimed the camera at the three.
“We’re going to—“ Kuu was really going to repeat what Yukarin said but Kai covered his mouth and rolled his eyes.
“Just say cheese.”
Hinata nodded as Kai removed his hand. The three looked at the camera and exclaimed,
“Cheese!”
The three ‘boys’ posed for a couple of more pictures as per Yukarin’s order. Kuu was the only one who seemed to enjoy posing as he kept the wide smile on his face almost in every picture. Kai would often scowl while Riku would give a shy, hesitant smile at the camera.
Looking at them, Yukarin realized why every girl in Japan is crazy about them a couple of months ago. There’s a certain charm that the three has when they’re dressed like this. Just by looking at them, Yukarin can see a certain image on what the three boys are like when it comes to the girls.
Looking at Kuu smiling, he’s like the type of guy that every girl would sure to have fun with. There’s never a dull moment if a girl would go on a date with him. He is the type of guy that girls would like to be a friend or a boyfriend. Guys like him have lots of friends.
Kai on the other hand, is like the ‘untouchable one’ that every girl would dream to have. He has a certain, lone wolf aura…or maybe a lone puppy aura making him somewhat dangerous when untamed. But the thing is, when he is tamed, that type of guy would show you a soft and sweet side that would probably make any girl squeal.
Probably the main reason Ray is whipped on Kai.
Lastly was Riku. The perfect, nice and popular boy that every girl…or probably even a boy, which is true since he is the reason why Katsuyuki-san turned gay but Yukarin doesn’t know that…would sure to have a crush on. Just to see him smile would surely entice whoever that smile is directed at. The perfect boyfriend.
This IS Persona. The handsome ikemen idols of Japan and the group who’s 2nd single placed the top diva’s song, which was number one for seven weeks, to 2nd place in the charts of Music 10. It brought the new group the respect they somewhat lost especially when the Riku’s gay scandal escalated. It made them the top idol at that time, but that ended immediately after the group suddenly decided to disband, much to their fans dismay.
Yukarin was disappointed at that time too since she liked the group. But suddenly finding out that THE Persona is really the three girls that she often spends time with, brings a certain joy to Yukarin since she never saw them this close before.
She should definitely thank Mariko for the slip up about them.
“What’s with the creepy smile?” Kai asked, his eyebrow raised at Yukarin who is staring at the three with a creepy smile on her face.
“Do you want to know?” She asked giving Kai an even creepier smile. She wasn’t thinking anything really, but Kai doesn’t know that. Watching him squirm is just so fun.
Kai shook his head, looking away as he slightly hid behind Kuu. Yukarin and Hinata were somewhat alike with them being impulsive at times. But, thinking about it, nothing tops Hinata in being impulsive. Yukarin was more like Hinata and Mariko combined so she was somewhat stable. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s still a bit dangerous though.
The four then heard the front door open then close. Footsteps and Mariko’s voice could be heard as she made her way to where the four are.
“Sorry I’m late. I slept so late because of that gruesome movie and Ray’s constant blabbering…didn’t…………..help……?” Mariko’s voice trailed off as she stared at the three dressed up as Persona. She looked stunned as her eyes moved to one person.
Riku.
“Looks like your…old mistress is here.” Kuu said as she elbowed Riku’s side, grinning and wiggling her eyebrow. Kai and Yukarin chuckled while Riku smiled nervously. Kuu really shouldn’t say something like that where Mariko can hear her perfectly.
“If you want to live, I’d suggest you to keep your mouth shut.” Mariko said glaring at Kuu who just shrugged.
“Mariko! You should meet Persona. C’mon!” Yukarin said as she took Mariko’s arm and dragged her to where the three stood. The two stood in front of Kai first.
“Mariko, this is Kai. Kai, meet Mariko.” Yukarin said smiling. Mariko looked at her confused as to why Yukarin is introducing her to them when she perfectly knows who they are. Kai decided to play along though as he nodded his head and smiled smugly at the tall girl.
“Osu! Kai desu.” Mariko narrowed her eyes at Kai. Yukarin nudged her, silently telling her to play along. She sighed and looked at Kai. It was actually her first time seeing Kai this close. When Nami dressed up as Kai a couple of days ago, she didn’t get to see him much since he had to quickly dress up as Nami again just so they could avoid another run in with the press.
This was the guy her best friend fell so hard on huh?
Looking at him closely, Mariko thinks that he’s actually good looking. He really looks and sounds like a man. But…there’s an unmistakable flaw in his man-like appearance.
“You should really listen to your mom when she tells you to drink your vitamins, eat your vegetables, drink lots of milk and sleep early.” Mariko said as she shook her head and smiled sadly at Kai who narrowed his eyes. She pats his shoulder adding salt to the wound she just opened.
“She’s right. You should really be a good boy and obey your mother.” Yukarin pats Kai’s head, smiling. Kuu and Riku’s chuckled upon hearing the two. Kai decided to just ignore the two making fun of her height, even though he always did all those things that Mariko pointed out. If he says something about that, for sure Mariko would have another comeback for him. So ignoring her was the only safe option for him.
Kai huffed as he looked at the side with his arms crossed to his chest. Yukarin pats his head one last time then moved Mariko to stand at the next Persona member.
“This is Kuu. Mariko, meet Kuu.” Yukarin said as she motioned at Kuu who was grinning at Mariko.
“Osu! I’m Kuu, the ‘kuul’ member of Persona.” Kuu said drawling on the wrong spelling word he created. So according to Kuu, Kuu + cool = Kuul. He really likes to combine words or even names, doesn’t he?
He kept his grin on the tall girl and even gave the tall girl a wink.
‘Lame.’ The four thought simultaneously as they looked at the grinning boy with their eyes narrowed. Kuulboy seemed unfazed by the looks that were being thrown at him as he added,
“How about you and I hang out later on, pretty lady? We’ll hit the streets and show all how awesome the ‘MariKuu’ coupling is, eh?” Kuu said as he leaned closely to Mariko, looking like a perverted man. It wasn’t surprising to the other three watching as Mariko’s palm met Kuulboy’s face pushing his face away from hers.
“God, even your boy self is insane.” Mariko rolled her eyes. She can’t believe Kuu…or rather Hinata here…made up another coupling name for Kuu and herself. MariKuu?! That’s like…insulting her name or something! What’s up with her and this coupling thing anyway?! And why is it always her??
“Hey! That hurt!” Kuu pouted making him look like a cute boy. Mariko wouldn’t admit it, but Kuu does look…a little bit cool. Just a little bit though. If he hit on some other girl right now, besides Mariko, he’d probably win her heart what with his confidence high as ever. Mariko wouldn’t say that to him though. Knowing him, he’d probably get a big head and hit on some of the girls or worse…he’d hit on Mariko again!
Thinking about that, somehow brings chills to Mariko.
“I think that’s enough introductions from Kuulboy here.” Yukarin sighed and shook her head. She pushed Mariko to stand in front of the…well…main event. Even Kai and Kuu turned to look at the two who were facing each other curious to know how the great Mariko-sama would react in front of her Persona crush, Riku.
Yukarin tried not to grin but she just couldn’t help it. She remembers Mariko blushing when Ray told her about Mariko having a crush on Riku, which is Asahi in disguise. That’s why she somehow dressed Riku like he is now, because she wanted to stun the tall girl, which worked earlier when Mariko first saw Riku. Now the tall girl seems to be avoiding our pretty boy’s eyes as she looks at the side, her arms crossed to her chest with a scowl on her face. The three watching would’ve believed that Mariko didn’t like seeing Riku with the way she’s scowling, but the slight blush on her face gave her acting away.
The two boys smirked at that. Even Riku seemed amused as he looked at Mariko.
“And last is Riku. Mariko, this is Riku, the leader of Persona.” Yukarin grinned as she looked at Mariko. Thinking that is his cue, Riku gave the tall girl a gentle smile and held out his hand for the girl to shake.
“Nice to meet you, Mariko-san.” Yukarin beamed at how Riku is handling this. She told him earlier to act like a gentleman to Mariko just so they could tease the girl a bit. Riku didn’t seem to mind as he also wanted to tease Mariko. So now, he’s trying his best to charm the great Mariko-sama.
Mariko glanced at the offered hand and at Riku who looked…handsome. Definitely a pretty boy as he somehow retains Asahi’s femininity. But there’s definitely a masculine side on Riku that somehow draws Mariko. Maybe it’s because of his messy hair? Or the way he looks at you with those piercing eyes? Or maybe it’s his voice? The way it sounded husky to Mariko’s ears as he tries to hide his real voice. Mariko didn’t know anymore. But one thing is certain when she looks at him.
She’s definitely not seeing Asahi anymore.
It’s a scary thought really. That’s why Mariko decided to ignore the offered hand from pretty boy.
“Whatever. Introductions are done. Can we go now or what?” Mariko sighed moving away from the four. Kai, Kuu and Yukarin smirked knowing quite well that Mariko was just trying to hide the fact that she’s somewhat embarrassed to be in front of her Persona crush. Yukarin decided to follow the tall girl with Kuu following behind. Kai, who was still amused at how Mariko handled the situation, pats Riku in the back and grinned at him.
“Nicely done there, loverboy. Nicely done.” With a last pat, Kai decided to walk to the front door where the others were, leaving pretty boy looking a bit stunned at being ignored by Mariko.
He tilted his head, confused as to why Mariko ignored him when he was just being nice. He looked at his hand that he held out then at where the others are. Finally, he chuckled and decided to join them. He thought that he really shouldn’t mind the brush off Mariko did to him.
For all he knows, the girl was probably just shy.
******************The three boys were now wearing sunglasses and hats as they walked down their apartment building. Kuu wore a flat top cap, Riku wore a flat cap and Kai just pulled over his hoodie just so nobody would recognize them. A couple of people stared at them, especially Riku who looked like he just came out of a magazine, but luckily no one recognized them as Persona. Luckily for the three, Yukarin ‘borrowed’ her parents’ SUV car.
And by ‘borrowed’ she meant that her parents were out of town and she decided to take their car out without their permission.
Hearing that, the three looked at her skeptically. Except for Kuu who immediately ran towards the front passenger seat saying that he’s riding shotgun. Yukarin turned to the three giving them a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. I’ll return the car in one piece.”
Somehow that didn’t reassure the three since they were wondering if Yukarin could really drive or not. Kai sighed and shook his head.
“Might as well die together then.” He said as he walked towards the car. Seeing Kai walking towards the car door, Riku suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be the ‘gentleman.’ With that, he dashes past Kai and opened the door.
“Ladies first.” Kai looked at the opened door in front of him then at pretty boy, his eyebrow raised.
“Not you…since you’re not a lady at all…even if you’re not dressed like that.” Riku smirked. Kai rolled his eyes underneath the sunglasses he’s wearing. Why does it seem like this day is another ‘make-fun-of-her-flaws’ day?
Sighing, he turned to the ‘lady’ who was looking away with a slight blush on her face. Or maybe she could turn this day to ‘make-fun-of-Mariko-sama’ day. He smirked, stood at the side then bowed slightly, motioning towards the opened door looking playfully at Mariko.
“Well lady, you heard the man, ladies first.” He grinned. Riku fought back a chuckle and just gave Mariko a gentle smile with a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Hurry up lady! We’ll reach your age if we wait any longer!” Kuu groaned from inside of the car. Yukarin and Kai quickly covered their mouths trying not to laugh. Riku kept his gentle smile but you could see his lips moving and twitching as he tries to control himself from laughing.
‘I think I like it more when I didn’t know their real identity.’ Mariko thought as she looked at the two laughing.
Mariko gave a murderous glare at Kuu as she walked towards the door. She stood in front of Kai who immediately removed his hand from his mouth giving the tall girl a smile, his lips twitching a bit. Kai was surprised when Mariko punched him on his shoulder before going inside.
“Hey! That hurt!” He said as he rubs his shoulder. The girl was stick and bones, well mostly bones. So for a bony person like Mariko to punch him…well…it hurt. It hurt a lot. Why did Mariko punch him and not Kuu or Riku?! Oh right. Scratch Riku since she does have a crush on him. But why did she punch Kai and not Kuu?!
Riku closed the door and then began pushing a grumbling Kai to the other side. Once everyone is inside the car, Yukarin then drove away from Persona’s apartment building. The three who were hesitant to enter at first were somewhat surprised to find that Yukarin was actually a good driver. Somehow with that thought, it put the three at ease.
Well Mariko wasn’t slightly at ease since Riku is sitting next to her. Add Kuu’s staring and that ease suddenly disappeared.
“What are you looking at?” Mariko growled at Kuu who was staring at her, smiling.
“I should be jealous since Riku here is stealing my coupling partner…” Mariko rolled her eyes. Not the coupling madness again!
“…but, it’s kinda cute seeing the two of you together.” Kuu added. They do look good together. Riku smiled nervously as Mariko looked away, blushing furiously. Kuu couldn’t help but grin when he saw them making those faces.
“Need I remind you that pretty boy here already has a girlfriend.” Mariko said as she looked at Kuu. Just because they’re dressed like boys now, doesn’t mean that they should forget that they have girlfriends. But looking at Riku blushing, it doesn’t seem that he’d forgotten her squirrel girlfriend.
“So you really do care about our coupling! ‘HiMari’ and ‘MariKuu’ F-T-W!” Kuu exclaimed loudly as he pumped his fist in the air.
“That’s not what I meant.” Mariko mumbled as she narrowed her eyes at a grinning Kuu. That’s not why she said that. It was just a subtle way of her saying ‘stop teasing me with someone who already has a girlfriend.’ Mariko probably forgot that it was Hinata she’s talking to. There’s no subtle when it comes to Hinata you know.
“But you know, if Riku and Mariko WERE to become a couple, they’d be named as ‘MaRiku’ too right? Or maybe it’ll be RikuMari or RikoRiku.” Yukarin smirked as she drove. Mariko looked at her incredulously. Now Yukarin is also into this coupling thing?!
“Tch. MariKuu is much better than MaRiku or any of those ridiculous names since it has a longer ‘uuhh’ sound!” Kuu huffed. Mariko wanted to tell them both to stop with the MariKuu or MaRiku already since it sounded like they’re insulting her name. But she decided to keep quiet and just face palm herself as the two continue to make up other coupling names for herself and Riku.
Ugh. Maybe joining them is a bad idea.
Riku who was just listening at the conversation, noticed that Kai wasn’t talking much. He glanced at him and saw him looking at his phone, a smile on his face. Riku subtly inched closer and read the message that came from Ray.
“I wish our date last night didn’t end. I miss you.”Riku smiled at the sweetness of the message. She felt a little bit jealous though since Yuko has a different way of saying that. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and looked at the message her little squirrel gave him earlier.
“Nyan-Nyan I miss you. I wish I can fondle you right now.” He sighed.
Same meaning, just different in how they say it…right? Still, even if Yuko can’t send her sweet messages like Ray, the important thing for Riku…or Asahi is the warm feeling she always feels whenever her little squirrel is near or smiling at her.
Riku smiled warmly as he thinks of her perverted little squirrel.
******************Ray sighed as she closed her phone and leaned back at the couch to rest inside her trailer. She’s currently on break from shooting a commercial. She’s been working non-stop since the crack of dawn making her feel dead tired and a bit sleepy since she hadn’t slept much yesterday.
Maybe watching that horror movie yesterday with Nami-chan is a bad idea?
She sighed again, this time with a smile on her face as she remembers the events that happened yesterday. She felt so euphoric just thinking about Nami and the day they had yesterday. It’s an amazing feeling. It tops the happiness she felt when she first reached the top in every charts making her the Top selling diva in Japan. Heck, it even tops the fluttering feeling she felt when she first kissed Kai.
No…wait. She felt elated that time as well. Hmm. When she made out with Nami on the rooftop? No way! That was…wow! Just remembering that moment made Ray feel…hot. That’s a no then.
Then maybe it doesn’t top anything Nami related since every time she’s with Nami she feels…blissful, a feeling she’d never felt before. Maybe it just tops everything that happened to her without Nami. It sure feels like it. Just by thinking of Nami makes her smile and feel warm all over. Just by sending her a message makes her feel giddy just imagining Nami reading it even if she’s wearing her usual scowl. She could feel those butterflies in her stomach that she’d heard so much about.
That’s love…right?
Ray felt like squealing at the sudden excitement she’s feeling just by thinking of Nami. She quickly pulled the pillow to her and placed it to her face, squealing to her hearts content. This is Nami’s fault! It’s her fault that Ray feels so…so…
“Ahem.”
She stopped still holding the pillow on her face, frowning. Who dares to enter Ray’s trailer while she’s having her Nami moment?! Growling, she removed the pillow and was even more pissed when she sees Okuma Yuu standing by the door, grinning.
“Hello there, princess. Missing your boyfriend?” Yuu smirks which angered Ray more as she glares at him. The warm feelings that she felt earlier were replaced by resentment as she stares at the arrogant newbie.
He grinned even more as he saw the murderous glare the diva is wearing.
“Or should I say…girlfriend.” He added and watched as Ray’s murderous glare slowly turned into a dazed expression. He pulled out the brown envelope from his jacket pocket and showed it to the diva.
“Lookie what I found.”
******************“Near, far, wherever you are…I believe that the heart does go oooooohhhhoooon!” Yukarin sang as Kuu cheered for her loudly, saying how he loves ‘Celine’…which is Yukarin at the moment…every now and then. Riku was laughing while Kai sighed and shook his head.
The five decided to go to a karaoke bar since it’s been a long time since the five went to one. Sure they’ve been singing in the theater, but they can’t sing different songs there right? They can’t sing Celine Dion songs there. What would the wotas say? Maybe that’s why Yukarin is singing one right now.
And no they don’t know why Yukarin picked a Celine Dion song to sing.
Yukarin saw that Kai wasn’t cheering her on, so she decided to move towards him while singing. She surprised Kai when she straddled his lap and wrapped her arm to his neck, caressing the back of his neck.
“Wh-wha?”
“In my life we'll always go on…” Yukarin sang to a struggling Kai. He could hear Riku and Kuu cheering for ‘Celine’ to kiss him making him face away from her as she slowly leans forward. ‘Celine’ surprised him once more as she cupped the side of his face and let him face her, giving him a seductive look.
And no, Yukarin is not intoxicated…yet.
“And you're here in my heart and…my heart will go on and on…” Yukarin caresses Kai’s cheek making him gulp; a blush spreads across his face as Yukarin’s face slowly nears his. Luckily for him the door suddenly opened.
“Look who found me…” Mariko sighed as she came back from the restroom with Sae, Sayaka, Tomo-Tomo, Yuko and Maeda behind her. Everyone stopped and stared in shock, including Mariko who looked at Yukarin and Kai, who are in a compromising position. The four looked shocked as well at the newcomers.
Maybe it wasn’t lucky for Kai that the door opened.
******************After the shock and the squealing of the other members at meeting Persona…well Yuko and Maeda didn’t squeal…everyone then settled down and started having conversations with different Persona members, the karaoke machine and the incident earlier were suddenly forgotten.
Kuu was sitting in between Tomomi and Yukarin, chatting with Tomomi who looked smitten at Kuu. Riku was sitting in between Tomochin and Mariko. Tomochin looked like she had fallen for the pretty boy who smiled at her nervously; his eyes kept glancing at Yuko who was sitting next to Sae. Kai was in between the twin towers, who were asking him if he knows self defense since there were rumors that he fought a big guy and defeated him earning him his respect.
Kai smiled nervously remembering how he did challenge a big guy back then when they weren’t well known, but he didn’t defeat the guy. He just blocked the punch and unfortunately, the punch ended up in Katsuyuki-san’s face. He wonders who spread that silly rumor though.
“I heard about that too. Is that true?” Yukarin asked as she looks at Kai who is sitting on the other side. It seems that everyone heard the conversation as everyone’s eyes turned to Kai. He glanced at Maeda who is sitting next to Tomochin, looking at him curiously as well.
“Uh…well…” Kai struggled for words. He really didn’t know what to say. Kuu noticed and decided to help his friend.
“Kai is very good at street fighting!” Kuu said with pride. He actually hadn’t seen Kai/Nami fighting with anyone as he and Riku would always pull him away if ever he is about to charge at someone, though he does remember Nami punching Jiro one time. That looked like it hurt, so he assumed that Kai would be good at fighting just by remembering that incident.
“And getting the ladies.” Riku added, chuckling. Mariko and Yukarin were trying not to laugh. Kai narrowed his eyes at them. They’re not helping at all.
“I wouldn’t argue with that since Kai-san’s girlfriend is Ray.” Sayaka nodded making Kai blush.
“Yeah. Kai is the man for getting a hot diva for a girlfriend. He really is popular with the ladies.” Kuu grinned as he wiggled his eyebrow at the now glaring Kai.
“And Yukarin seems to have taken a liking at Kai-san with the way she attacked him earlier.” Sae added chuckling.
“Hey! I was just joking around. Though, I have to admit, he is a cutie.” Yukarin gave Kai a wink. Kai resisted an urge to roll his eyes.
“Ray would tear you to pieces if she heard you.” Mariko mumbled.
“Hey, Acchan is a big fan of Kai-san too.” Tomomi suddenly remembered. Everyone turned to Maeda who blushed as she looked at the floor. Tomochin glared at Tomomi who didn’t know that she shouldn’t have blurted that out so suddenly. She’s going to have to talk to Tomomi about that later.
She looked at Maeda worriedly.
“Uh…y-yeah. I’m a big fan of yours, Kai-san.” Maeda said shyly, trying to look at him but her eyes kept on shifting away. Kai found it cute.
“Thank you.” He gave her a sincere smile making her smile slightly, a blush still across her face. To Mariko, it looked like Maeda has a crush on Kai here. She wonders what she’d do if she realized that Kai here is really Nami.
She decided to drop that thought when she noticed something.
“Hmm? It’s rare to see Yuko quiet. Are you alright?” Mariko asked Yuko who was staring at the table. Hearing her name somehow brought her back as she turned to look at Mariko.
“Eh?” She said softly. Her eyes shifted to Riku who was looking at her worriedly. She frowned slightly finding it odd that Riku would be worried about her. And why is it that…his eyes feel somewhat…familiar…?
Yuko yelped when Sae suddenly threw her arms at her and pulled her closer.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s just missing someone.” Sae grinned locking his arm to Yuko’s neck. Kai and Kuu glanced at Riku who was blushing, looking at the floor. Both were wearing knowing smiles.
“Yeah, it’s why we’re here. To make her forget that someone for awhile and have fun.” Sayaka chuckled as she looked at Yuko who was struggling to break free from Sae.
“We happen to bump into the three of them while we were shopping and decided to join them.” Tomochin added.
“Yeah, and then I bumped into Mariko in the restroom and ta-da! We’re here meeting Persona!” Sae said as she gives them her genki smile.
It wasn’t really Sae bumping into Mariko that happened at the restroom. It was more like Sae suddenly yelling her name as she opens the restroom door while Mariko was washing her hand. It made Mariko jump and scream in surprise, her voice echoing through the hall. The two apologized for the disturbance as a staff quickly appeared thinking that something bad happened.
Mariko could still remember the angry glare the staff threw them as they walked away. Why does it seem like she’s always apologizing for causing a commotion?
Mariko sighed.
“Is it true that Persona is making a comeback?” Tomochin suddenly asked the leader of Persona, her eyes shinning anticipating the answer.
“Yeah. It would be awesome if Persona makes a comeback! I love ALL your singles!” Tomomi gushed at Kuu who grinned, obviously liking the attention.
‘You say that like they have tons of singles released. They only have two singles you know.’ Mariko thought. She looked around and noticed that they were all anticipating the leader’s answer. Even Yukarin seemed hopeful. It looked like she momentarily forgot that the Persona are currently Akb48 members in disguise.
“Uh…well, we’re just here for awhile, just visiting. We’re really not here to make a comeback.” Riku said feeling a bit bad as he hears some of them sighing sadly. They really can’t make a comeback since they’re now Akb48 members. And the only reason why they’re here is because Yukarin wanted to hangout with Persona.
But he can’t really say that now, can he?
“While we’re here in Japan, we often see you guys on TV though.” But he can say that to them to make them feel better. It worked as their sad faces were replaced by excitement knowing that Persona watched them.
“We heard you guys are going to release another single soon. I’d bet it’ll be great like your last single. Ray also has a copy of your last single and she says that she likes it.” Kai said as he smiled. It is true. Ray does have a copy of their last single. She told Nami back then that she bought a lot of their CD and says she really liked it. It flattered Nami but she told Ray to buy only one if ever she’s going to buy again in the future. Ray is trying to be nice and all, but she really doesn’t need that many CD.
Unless she’s planning on opening up a record store.
“Yeah. Akb48’s single rocks! We’ll definitely buy your next single for sure!” Kuu added giving them a big smile and a thumbs up. Riku and Kai nodded as well giving the members encouraging smiles. It seems to work as they can see the excitement from everyone’s faces. Since Persona isn’t planning on making a come back, then the only thing Persona could do for the other group is…
…to encourage Akb48 to do their best.
Mariko looked at the floor smiling, proud of what the three is trying to do. For a group like Akb48 who’s just starting, it’s a big deal for them to hear that a group like Persona is watching and anticipating their singles. It encourages them, especially if they are fans of Persona, which by the looks of their faces they are.
The members, except for Mariko, bowed and thanked the three members. The three boys smiled nervously feeling that the members shouldn’t thank them for that since they’re also members of Akb48. Somehow it just feels wrong for the three.
Kuu decided to change the mood since he was getting a bit hungry.
“Hey. We should use this room in its full capacity! We should be partying instead of talking about work! I say we order food and party!” Kuu suggested as he grinned.
Everyone agreed as everyone yelled out a ‘yeah’ all with beaming smiles.
******************“Kai. Kaaaiiii! Are you there?” Kuu called out softly as he peeked inside the ladies room. He quickly hid when a middle aged woman suddenly came out of a cubicle. He sighed then panicked as he hears a bunch of women heading his way. He pulled down his cap, covering his eyes and made his way back to the room passing by the women heading towards the restroom.
He opened the door, went back inside and sat back down next to Mariko, ignoring Sae singing ‘Cha-La Head-Cha-La’ exaggeratingly with Yukarin as a back up singer. Sayaka and Tomomi were cheering for the two while Tomochin was trying to get Riku’s attention who was also cheering for the two singing. He kept on glancing on Yuko who seems to be busy with her celphone.
Mariko noticed Kuu’s uneasiness.
“What’s up with you?” She asked as she leaned at him.
“I wanna pee.” He whispered to her.
“Then go pee.”
“I don’t want to pee inside the men’s room alone.”
She pulled back slightly and looked at him weirdly.
“God what are you, 6?”
“Not helping.” Kuu said as he looked at the side looking uncomfortable. Mariko sighed and decided to play nice.
“Didn’t Kai say he’ll go to the restroom?”
“Yeah. But he wasn’t there.”
Mariko frowned. Now that she thinks about it, Maeda said she’s going to the restroom a little while ago before Kai decided to go as well. Could they be meeting in secret?
******************Nami/Kai’s POVI walked up the stairs towards the roof as I pulled out my celphone from my pocket. I really can’t look at my phone inside that room since people might peek and read whatever messages I have. So pretending to go to the restroom seems to be a good enough lie for me to take some time off. Plus, Yukarin has been looking at me weirdly like she’ll ask me to do something. I think that’s signal enough for me to start escaping that room.
I opened the door as I looked at my phone.
No messages.
That’s odd. Usually Ray sends me tons of messages...
“Kai-san…?”
I quickly closed my phone and hid it behind my back, looking at the person who called me.
“Uh…Ac-uh…Meada-san…?”
Good thing I didn’t call her Acchan. That would be weird for her since Kai only met her today. I placed my phone on my pocket and walked towards her where she stood by the railing. I stood a few steps away from her and smiled.
“What are you doing here?”
“I wanted some fresh air.” She said smiling shyly at me.
“I guess the rooftop is the best place for some fresh air.” I chuckled then looked at the scene in front of us. It is kinda refreshing to look at the bright lights coming from different buildings or houses at night and feel that gentle wind blowing on your face.
“That’s deep.” She giggled. I face palmed myself.
“Ugh. Did I say that out loud?” I asked feeling stupid.
“Yeah, you kinda did.”
******************Meanwhile“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” Kuu hummed trying to somehow stop himself from peeing as she looks at Tomochin feeding a nervous Riku. Mariko who was sitting next to him looked at him in disgust.
“Oh God, are you peeing here?”
“No! I’m trying to stop myself from peeing.”
“Like humming will make you stop that. C’mon.” Mariko rolled her eyes and stood up holding Kuu’s arm. Riku noticed them and asked.
“Wh-where are you going?” He was nervous by being left alone inside especially since Tomochin wanted him to try to eat some stuff and even fed him. He’s really not used to the sudden attention of her teammate. It was…making him nervous.
“We’re going to get some more drinks. Kuu’s treat.” Kuu was about to protest but decided to just give in. The others let out a ‘you’re the best Kuu-san!’ while Yukarin let out a ‘yeah Kuulboy!’ as he let himself be dragged by Mariko outside of the room, leaving pretty boy who looked like he wanted to come as well sigh defeatedly.
Mariko then dragged the poor boy towards the restroom. It touched Kuu that Mariko was trying to help him.
"MariKuu..." He said softly, pouting a little. Mariko glanced at him.
"Say that again and I won't help you." Mariko growled then looked up ahead to focus on dragging Kuulboy towards the restrooms. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her back. He really is thankful that Mariko is helping him. It goes to show that the tall girl somehow cares for him even if she often threatens to kill him and give her death glares.
Just like Nami would.
Both stopped when they’re at the ladies room. Since Kuu didn’t want to pee inside the men’s room the only other option is the ladies room. Mariko let go of Kuu’s arm to look inside to check if there’s someone inside. Finding none, she told Kuu to do his thing. He quickly ran to a cubicle and removed his pants without even closing the door completely. He was beyond caring as he released what he was been holding for awhile now.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Kuu moaned.
“You sound like a man peeing.” Mariko said as she looked at the mirror checking her appearance. Kuu ignored her and smiled as he let himself finish.
“Are you done yet?”
“Almost.”
Mariko sighed and decided to look outside to see if ever someone was heading to the ladies room. She froze when she sees two middle aged women walking towards them. They were quite near and if Kuu walked out, it’ll be embarrassing for him.
Without thinking clearly, Mariko went inside the cubicle wherein Kuu was fixing his pants. He jumped surprised when Mariko closed the door and locked it. He was about to ask what’s up when she quickly covered his mouth, whispering for him to be quiet. They then heard the two women enter and began chatting.
Mariko wanted to groan when another group of girls entered the ladies room. Mariko didn’t want to wait inside a small cubicle with Kuu. How long are they going to wait if people kept on coming?!
Noticing the uncomfortable look Mariko has, Kuu decided to plan a way out. He actually came up with something, creative. He removed Mariko’s hand from her mouth and whispered his plan. Mariko looked at him incredulously and he shrugged, grinning challengingly at the tall girl. Mariko sighed and decided to give it a try. What’s there to lose?
Probably just her pride as she let out barfing sounds.
Everyone inside the ladies room suddenly went silent as they hear the barfing sounds coming from the closed cubicle.
“That’s it honey. Just let it out.” Kuu’s male voice said inside the cubicle. He smirked and Mariko rolled her eyes and let out another batch of fake barfing sounds. After a few more barfing sounds, Mariko ruffled her hair slightly as Kuu flushed the toilet. Both nodded and Kuu took hold of Mariko’s arm as he opened the door, revealing themselves to the people inside. Mariko bowed her head trying to hide her face as she staggers a bit. Kuu kept his hold on her arm and wrapped his arms around her slim waist.
He looked at the spectators, smiling widely.
“I’m going to be a father! I’m so happy.” That earned him a couple of smiles and a congratulations. He smiled and thanked them. Mariko was wondering why they can’t just walk out instead of saying these ridiculous things.
“We’ll call them ‘HiMari’ or ‘MariKuu’ or—“ Before Kuu can think of another stupid name, Mariko stomped his feet with her heels.
“Ahhooowhoooooooowwww! I…I’m going to be a…something.” Kuu gritted his teeth and glared at Mariko who glared back. Knowing what she meant, Kuu bowed at the ladies and slowly ushered the ‘pregnant’ girl outside as he limps.
Once they were in a safe distance from the restrooms, Kuu glared at the tall girl who was glaring back at him.
“You didn’t have to do that! I was acting!” Kuu growled.
“Well your acting took too long!” Mariko answered back.
“You have no acting skills.” Kuu grumbled as he crossed his arm and looked away.
“Ugh. Why am I even arguing with you?!” Mariko said exasperatedly, turning away from him to head back to the room.
“Where are you going, woman?!” Kuu asked a bit pissed. A few girls from the ladies room passed by him whispering ‘a lover’s spat’ and giggled as they glanced at him.
Mariko stopped and turned to him, still glaring.
“I’m going back, doofus. Go get those drinks and get me some water. You so owe me.” With that, Mariko walked towards the room leaving Kuu to glare at her back.
Grumbling about women who are tall and still wear high heels, he walked towards the ordering station and ordered a couple of non-alcoholic drinks. They are still underage, so the only thing they could drink are non-alcoholic drinks.
“Hey, did you deliver the vodka on the rocks on the room 23?” He heard a waiter ask another waiter who nodded his head.
Vodka on the rocks? Isn’t that the one he and Kai drank at that hustle bar that Katsuyuki-san bought them? Kuu chuckled as he remember him and Kai thinking it was water and ended up getting drunk. Now that’s funny.
Wait. Vodka on the rocks? Water? Drunk? Tall women? Dinosaurs?
He smiled deviously as an idea coming to his mind.
Mariko won’t know what hit her…
…since it just tastes like water.
******************Nami/Kai’s POV“Really? That really happened?” Acchan asked as she giggled.
“Yeah. We were so wasted that we ended up having a hangover the next day.” I told her as I chuckled remembering the time we went on a hustle bar and ended up getting drunk. We ended up having a massive hangover and a whip from Sachou for breakfast. I still remember how happy Sachou looked after she whipped us.
She really is a scary…transgendered person.
“It sounds like you three had a lot of fun.” She said as she smiled at me.
“Yeah. We did. We still do. We’ve been through a lot and well…I really don’t know what I would have been if I hadn’t met those two.” I smiled placed my chin on my arm that’s resting on the railing. The three of us really have been through a lot.
“Though they probably don’t know this but…I’d give my life to them if I have to. That’s how important they are to me.” I added. I felt her eyes on me probably observing me for being a mushy person now. It’s probably not how she imagined Kai to be.
“I think they know that already.” She whispered. I turned to her as she gave me a warm smile.
“Because I’m sure they’d do the same for you.”
She then turned to look ahead as I stared at her for awhile. Talking at her like this, it felt like I was talking as Nami…not Kai. It also feels like she’s seeing me as Nami as she smiles at me. She’s always been a shy girl, so why is it she’s smiling at Kai so warmly? I wonder…does she see me?
The real me…?
“What about you? Are you having fun with your group?” I asked. It felt like I was talking non-stop about Kai so it’s only fair to ask about her. Plus, I’m really curious as well.
“I do. It’s a lot of fun being a member of Akb48.” She said still with a sincere smile on her face.
“Yeah, you guys do look like you’re having fun.” I chuckled. Being an Akb48 member is a lot of fun. I’m glad to know that she’s having fun as well. Even though, I somehow already knew that, it’s still nice to hear.
“I heard you’re studying to become a nutritionist.”
Now that’s something not nice to hear. I groaned.
“Whoever wrote that probably said that just to make fun of my height or something.”
She giggled.
“Why do you say that?”
“Being a nutritionist? C’mon. He probably thought I wanted to get much taller so I decided to study being a nutritionist to know what to take…or something like that.”
She laughed at that making me chuckle. I miss this, laughing with her. It feels like we haven’t laughed together for awhile now. Which is somewhat true since there was the whole ‘her kissing me’ incident where I went all avoidy with her. Then I got distracted with Ray, then the whole thing with Yuko and all those drama. It really has been a long time since we’ve talked this much. Sure we send messages, but…it’s still not the same.
I really do miss my Acchan times. Hmm. Maybe I could invite her somewhere and we could go hang out. That’s a great idea.
My phone suddenly rang, surprising me. I pulled out my phone and sighed when I saw Hinata’s name blinking.
‘Hehe…’ Inner Mariko-sama grinned.
Yeah, yeah so I was expecting Ray. Shut up Inner Mariko-sama!
Grumbling, I answered it.
“Yo Kuu. What’s up?”
I glanced at Acchan who was looking at the sky, smiling. She looks happy for some reason. It’s nice…to…
“WHAT?!” I yelled as Kuu explained the situation downstairs. Damn it Kuu!
“Alright, alright. I’ll be there ASAP. Stop laughing and help him!” With that, I hanged up and sighed. I think I’m going to have a head ache later on.
“Everything alright?” Acchan asked worriedly.
“Kinda. But don’t worry. I’ll handle it. You just stay there and…breathe or something. Come back down when you breathed enough.” I honestly don’t know what I was talking about anymore as I waved at Acchan, who looked at me confused. I quickly ran down the stairs, hoping that Mariko-sama isn’t doing something that she’ll regret later on.
I’m so going to kill Kuulboy for this!
******************Kai quickly went inside the room and gasped at what she’s seeing.
Mariko was straddling Riku, biting his ear as she tries to unbutton his shirt. Kuu, Yukarin and Tomochin were trying to pull her away from Riku who was pushing the girl away too, looking terrified. Meanwhile, on the other side was Sayaka trying to strip as she sings…the Barney song. Yuko, Tomomi and Sae were trying to stop her as she tries to pull her shirt off.
Riku saw Kai and turned to him, his eyes a bit teary.
“Kaiiii. Help me…” He pleaded and gasped as Mariko bit his neck and started licking it.
Kai sighed feeling the impending head ache coming.
Just what the hell is with that vodka on the rock that makes people act wild?!
******************After dropping off the other girls from their homes, the three sighed tiredly. Mariko was asleep in Riku’s arms as Yukarin headed towards the Persona’s apartment building. They decided to let Mariko stay with them since the girl is dead drunk much like Sayaka is who was going to stay in Yuko’s apartment. Yukarin is going to stay with them too for Kuu’s sake…since Kai know that Mariko is going to kill Kuu tomorrow. Somehow they needed the extra strength to hold off Mariko.
Kuu turned to the three seating behind him and grinned.
“Now isn’t this day the most fun you had in your whole life?!” He asked happily. The two boys glared at him and growled,
“NO!” Kuu shrugged at their answer.
“For me it was fun. You should have seen Mariko kissing Riku over there. They were practically making out! Ha! Epic!” Kuu laughed loudly making Riku blush in embarrassment. Riku then glared at Kai who let out a chuckle but instantly stopped when he saw Riku glaring at him.
Kai glared at Kuu his lips twitching a bit.
“S-Stop making fun of them, Kuu! That was all your fault! You know Mariko-sama is going to kill you tomorrow right?”
“Eh. I’ll worry about that tomorrow.” He shrugged not worried at all. He noticed a smudge of lipstick on Riku’s cheek and pointed at it, smirking.
“There’s evidence of your adultery in your cheek.” Riku looked alarmed and tried to wipe it off.
“Is it gone?” He asked still wiping, unable to tell where it is.
“Na-uh.” Kuu answered as he smirked. Kai who see’s the lipstick smudge, decided to help pretty boy out. He fished for his hanky and frowned when he didn’t find it in either pocket. He sighed thinking that he probably dropped it somewhere. Oh well, no need to worry about that.
“It’s over here.” Kai said as he reached out to Riku’s cheek and wiped it with his hand. He feels somewhat bad that he didn’t get to see Mariko attacking a defenseless Riku. It would’ve been epic to see. He wonders what other things did Mariko tried to do with Riku.
Kuu who was still looking at the three, amused at what happened earlier, wanted to remember this epic day forever. Though he had enough blackmail pictures that he took, he still wanted to take more pictures. So he pulled out his phone and aimed it at the three.
“Say cheese guys! No wait! Say epic instead!”
No one said cheese or epic as he took their picture, but Mariko did snuggled closer to Riku, smiling.
******************Nami, out of her Kai costume and fresh out of the shower, sat down on her bed. She pulled out her phone and opened it thinking that the diva probably sent her a message. She was disappointed when she found none. Maybe the diva was still busy? Or was dead tired that she decided to sleep without sending Nami a message.
Thinking that the diva was indeed sleeping now, she sent a message to the diva saying goodnight, a heart after it.
She smiled imagining the diva reading her message.
******************The diva was indeed reading her message as she sits on her bed. She stared at Nami’s message feeling her heart ache. After awhile of staring, she pressed the erase button and erased the message. She looked at her inbox and erased every message she received from Nami. She stared at the word empty.
Her inbox is now empty…just like her heart is.
That’s love…right?
TBC******************
Topic: [AKB48 x Mendol] The Price of Fame (Nami/Ray, Nami/Acchan) - COMPLETED (Read 159490 times)