Edited: 3/30/08

Epilogue

"OOOOOOKAY!"

Sakura yanked a piece of strawberry pocky from her sack lunch and placed it between her lips. Yume sat across from her, both the girls beneath the blossoming cherry tree. Sakura began cracking her knuckles and rolling around her neck, making little popping noises.

"Sakura-chan, are you quite done?" Yume asked, annoyed, as her eyebrow twitched. Ever since they sat down for lunch, they agreed to plan things out with their YDGs, but Sakura was acting like she was about to run a race.

"Ready!" Sakura exclaimed a second later, sliding her game out on the grass in front of Yume's lime green YDG. Both girls were silent as they hooked up their games and turned them on.

Sakura's YDG screen glowed, and Akane appeared a moment later, smoking and looking tired, as usual. "Yo," he muttered, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Yume's YDG screen lit up, and Yuki appeared a second later. He started to smile, before a small lady bug landed on his screen. Yuki, who had never seen a lady bug, especially a giant lady bug, freaked out. "HOLY SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" he panicked, leaping back and out of the screen's sight.

Yume shooed the lady bug off the screen. "Sorry, lady bug," she apologized. Yuki reappeared a few seconds later, still a bit shaken.

"Enough with the small chat! Have you two been practicing?" Sakura demanded.

"Yes," Akane replied, sternly, raising his sore hands. He had been practicing ever since he and Yuki were disconnected last night. Yume figured it would be best if the two practiced alone for a change.

"Of course! Though my throat started to get raw a couple hours ago, so I've stopped and am avoiding talking as much as possible," Yuki explained, sipping on a glass of water in his hand.

"Well, don't lose your voice for the concert!" Yume ordered.

Sakura lurked her shadowed face over Yuki's screen, eyes glowing like pulsating stars. "Or we'll kill you," she threatened. Yume shoved Sakura away with a hand to her face, Yuki a bit frightened.

"I wish Yuki wouldn't talk unless he really needed to outside of bed. I wish he saved all his energy for his vocals IN bed," Akane pouted.

Yuki glared over in his direction. "Dipshit! I'm right over here! I can hear you!" he snapped, fists clenched. Akane just smirked darkly, puffing on his cigarette.

"Either way, practice as much as you can without losing your voice or hurting yourself!" Yume lectured, pointing to Yuki then to Akane.

Sakura's shaded face and glittering eyes hovered over the screens. "Or we'll--" she began, before Yume shoved her back once more.

"We get it!" Yume growled, eyebrow twitching. She was going to scare the two to death!

"Hey, girls!"

Yume and Sakura looked up, watching as Nyoko walked towards them, Etsushi and Rois by her sides. "Sorry we're late," Nyoko apologized, sitting down beside Yume.

"No problem. We just now hooked our games up!" Yume assured.

Rois plopped down next to Sakura and looked over Akane. "Heya! You look a bit tired!" she chuckled.

Akane glared at the girl in glasses. "Well, if your bitchy uke wasn't such a slave driver, I would have been able to sleep more than an hour," he complained, folding his arms.

"How is Aoi-chan anyway?" Etsushi asked, taking a seat next to Nyoko. Nyoko blushed, smiling softly at how close Etsushi was to her. Sakura reached out and poked her pink cheek, making Nyoko squeak.

"Ah, he's good! We should think about hooking him up with the others!" Rois suggested, whipping her YDG from her backpack. Immediately, Nyoko and Etsushi pulled their backpacks in their laps and dug through them.

"Pre-party!?" Yuki laughed, excited.

"Ooooh, great," Akane growled, biting down on his limp cigarette.

A few minutes later, Etsushi, Rois and Nyoko had their games hooked up to Yume's and Sakura's, making a mess of multicolored cords. Nyoko then remembered something, snapping her fingers and pulling another YDG from her backpack. "We have to hook up Kihana-san, too! Or Kiyoshi-san will be quite upset," she giggled, sliding the tip of the cord in the slot on her YDG, allowing Kihana access to everyone also connected to Kiyoshi.

"Huh? How did you get my brother's YDG?" Sakura asked, suspicious.

"Oh, I asked him. He said it was okay," Nyoko assured.

"Sorry I'm late!" Seichii whined as he marched up the hill, wearing his black wig down instead of in buns. He looked a bit tired, if not stressed.

"Seichii-san, are you all right?" Nyoko asked, the first to notice his sullen expression.

Seichii nodded and slowly sat down on Yume's other side, between her and Rois. "Yeah, just... had a bad dream last night," he reassured with a stout nod. Truth was, he was still shaken up about his time with Saitou and what Michi had said.

"Well, don't get sick on us! You need to come to the party tonight!" Sakura ordered. Seichii just bobbed his head in a nod, hooking up his YDG.

"It's not a party. It's a mutual non-perverted group activity," Yume corrected, firmly.

Immediately, when Gin heard the word 'party,' he happily jumped up on the screen. "PARTY!? WILL THERE BE BOOZE!?" he cheered, his hair in a pretty braid, wearing a tube top and long black skirt.

"No booze," Yume disagreed.

"Dammit," Gin whined, chewing on a hanky. Yuki reached over and patted him on the back.

"Have you all been practicing!?" Aoi roared, appearing out of nowhere, Midi hanging off his arm to calm him down.

"Idiot. I've been practicing more than I should. We do need to keep our health in mind too, you know," Akane growled, arms once more folded over his chest.

"Sleep when I say you can sleep, hahaha!" Aoi cackled, eyes twinkling beneath his glasses.

Akane glared at him. "Shut up," he snorted, shoving his palm into Aoi's forehead and knocking him over.

Midi quickly held back Aoi, laughing nervously, "Ah, I'm almost done with the last bits of your outfits! I just need to finish trimming up Kiyoshi-san's coat!"

"I've seen the coat. I'm going to look sexy," Kiyoshi cooed, grinning suavely.

"Aren't you a little egotistical," Kihana scowled.

Kiyoshi poked him. "Why? Oh, because it makes you horny and you don't want to be horny in the company of others?" he teased. Kihana turned bright, bright pink before scowling again.

"'Sup, ya'll!?" Misato interrupted the current conversation between the games as he popped out from behind Yume.

"SEMPAI!" Sakura squealed, leaping over a stunned Yume and on top of Misato, glomping him.

"There's that weird boy she has a crush on," Akane mumbled; God, every time he was alone with Sakura, Misato was all she ever talked about. That and gay sex.

"You almost kicked me in my face!" Yume growled, glaring back at Sakura. She blinked when she looked up to see Miki smiling down at her.

"Hi. I came as you asked," Miki said, hand raised. Misato fell over from Sakura's weight, the two rolling down the hill.

Yume stood and bowed. "Glad you could make it!" She smiled.

"We better get workin' on the plans!" Etsushi suggested, mocking a stern voice.

Yume nodded and helped sit Miki down beside her. She then turned her head back in Sakura's direction. "IDIOT! Get your arses up here and lets do the plans!" she commanded.

Almost immediately, Sakura was back with the group, dragging Misato with her. "First, lets do introductions!" she said, sitting down, yanking Misato down with her. She rose her red YDG, showing an annoyed Akane to a blinking Misato. "This is Akane. He's my YDG seme!" she explained, sweetly.

Akane removed his cigarette from his mouth, mumbling, "Kiss my--" Before he could finish, however, Sakura turned the game upside down and face first in the grass.

Yume rose her lime green YDG, showing it to Misato and Miki. "This is Kireina Yuki. He's my YDG uber-uke!" she informed.

"Hey, you okay?" Yuki turned to his boyfriend, who was currently glaring at a screen of grass.

Nyoko rose both her YDG and Mizuiro's YDG. "My name is Ishi Nyoko, pleased to meet you. My YDG is the blue one--his name is Kiyoshi-san. And this YDG belongs to Chou Mizuiro-san, and his name is Kihana-san," she introduced herself and the two YDG characters, showing them to Miki then Misato.

"Hello there," Kihana smiled, bowing, hand in hand with Kiyoshi.

"Heya," Kiyoshi winked at the two.

"Ah, I'm Tokeau Seichii. This is Gin," Seichii introduced himself, rather nervously; he wasn't quite sure if he should tell the two he was a guy. He then held up his YDG, showing it off.

"Whaaa! They're both so cute!" Gin squealed when he saw the two new boys.

"Just call me Sushi-chan! And this is Midi-chan!" Etsushi grinned like a cat, pointing to his brightly colored game.

"Pleasure is mine!" Midi chuckled, bowing and then standing, once more tugging at his lip piercing.

Rois was next. "I am Miss Rois! And my YDG is the manager and producer of their band, Aoi-chan!" She rose her YDG, nearly lifting up all the other games it was connected to.

"AOI-SAN! OR EVEN AOI-KUN! NEVER AOI-CHAN!" Aoi whined, persistently.

Miki was truly impressed with what he saw. "They're all so life-like!" he laughed, touching Yume's game. He gave each of them a nod. "I'm Fumio Miki. Nice to meet you..."

"I like the Kiyoshi one! He looks cool!" Misato beamed, causing Nyoko to blush. Sakura felt a little jealous, wishing Akane wasn't such a prick and was more likable.

"Either way, what are the plans tonight?" Seichii asked, placing a hand to his mouth as he released a tired yawn. Right after the concert tonight, he was going straight to bed.

"Right!" Yume said, sternly. "I had to argue with my mom, but she finally said it was okay. As long as we don't make a lot of noise, we get to bed by midnight and you guys are all there before eight," she explained, seriously. She pressed a finger hard into Sakura's chest. "Also, mom says the boys can stay BUT they have to sleep in the living room."

Sakura stuck her tongue at her, hooking an arm around Misato's. Etsushi was fine with that.

"Uhh..." Seichii cleared his throat.

Yume laughed a little. "Don't worry," she assured, "you can stay with us."

Seichii smiled, while Misato and Miki remained ignorant as to what they were talking about.

Rois rose her hand shyly. "I might be just a teensy bit late. Like maybe 8:10? I promised I'd watch something with my sister. Can I come then?"

"No problem. I'll let you in," Yume assured, nodding.

"Well, the concert kicks off at 8:30, so it shouldn't be a problem," Aoi further reassured.

Misato clapped. "What about snacks? Do we got any snacks!?"

"Me and Nyoko-chan took care of that!" Etsushi sang, raising a hand. He smiled at Nyoko, saying, "We went to the store last night! We bought popcorn, ramune and all bunches of candy!"

"Oh, and some chocolate pocky too," Nyoko added.

"YAY!" Sakura and Misato cheered, thrusting their fists in the air.

Yume remembered that one time when Sakura was hyper on chocolate pocky, and Misato was a lot like her... "Ooooh, great," she sighed, a little scared.

"What sort of stuff will we need to bring?" Seichii inquired.

"A sleeping bag, clothes for tomorrow, tooth brush, tooth paste, all that stuff!" Sakura answered before Yume could open her mouth.

"Weeell, I might not be able ta stay the night! I have practice early tomorrow morning!" Misato whined, frowning sadly.

Sakura pouted. "Well, stay as long as you can!" she ordered, latching onto him tightly.

Miki blushed, smiling weakly at Yume. "Ah... um... Is it really all right if I stay the night? We've been friends for a long time, but... I've never stayed the night..." he whispered, embarrassed.

"Ah, it's okay! We don't mind!" Yume assured, rubbing the back of her head. "Plus you'll be staying in the living room, so--!"

"Heehee, you gonna be a little pervert, Miki-kun?" Sakura teased, grinning all her pointy white teeth.

"Shut up!" Yume snarled, raising a fist.

"Nooo perversion unless it is mutual!" Etsushi interrupted, raising his hands. He smiled down at Nyoko, laughing, "And if I do get perverted, you can just smack me around!"

"Umm... what do you mean by that?" Nyoko murmured.

Seichii quickly interjected. He glanced down at Aoi. "Well, what about you guys? What're your plans?"

"Don't we have some sort of rehearsal we've gotta go to soon?" Gin asked, sucking on a strawberry chuhai.

"My voice should be well enough to practice again," Yuki muttered, rubbing his neck.

Miki nibbled on his lip piercing. "You're all ready then?"

"Ready as ever!" Kiyoshi inhaled then nodded.

"Tell us about the schedule and stuff, Aoi-chan," Rois ordered.

Aoi produced a pulsating vein on his temple. "Aoi-SAN," he corrected, bitterly. "Like Gin-san said, we have to go to the stadium and rehearse for a couple hours. The concert starts at 8:30 V-Tokyo time, and ends about 10:30. Because Yuki-chan's band is on last, they should be on around 10 or so. A little late, yes, but on nonetheless," he continued, rolling around his wrist.

"We'll be singing three songs. Deranged Rhythm, the Pocky Song, and I think Feather, it was," Yuki explained, looking over at Akane. Akane frowned and moved away from staring at a screen of grass, standing beside Yuki.

"When you say you 'think,' that makes me very nervous," Aoi chuckled, corners of his mouth twitching. Midi helpfully massaged his tense shoulders. Aoi fixed his glasses, before looking stern once more.

"The point of this concert is to gather amateur bands in V-Tokyo to preform, gain publicity, popularity and a fanbase. Thus, when these bands release their debut CDs, the chances of sales will increase," he explained. "At the end of the concert, a poll will be held to each owner of a YDG, asking which bands you liked the most. The top two bands will get the prize points that will pay off their CD debut and also get them started on tour together."

"We have to make sure Deranged Rhythm is one of those two, if not number one," Yume insisted, determined.

Rois frowned worriedly at her friends. "Just know you guys... that Mochi Shabu Sprite sent Aoi and me some audio clips of what the other bands sound like. And man, they're also really, really good, despite some of their cheesy names. Especially one of the bands, they sounded so familiar, but I forgot their name..." she explained, trailing off thoughtfully. She remembered the beautiful song the one band sang, and she somehow felt nostalgic hearing it. But she couldn't recall the name of the band. Something with a B...

"Don't worry you guys, I think they'll do just fine," Seichii assured.

"Let's hope so," Nyoko said, inhaling deeply.

"Put some confidence in 'em!" Sakura cheered, jumping to her feet. She then smiled brightly, laughing, "Because Deranged Rhythm will be at the top of this poll, will get their CD debut and will go on tour!"

And just a second later, the bell to fifth period rang.

Inside Yume's locker, piled up on one another, were all the connected games. All of the people inside had been placed at the stadium for rehearsal.

The stadium was large, with a giant dome ceiling and millions of seats. Tonight, it would be filled to the brim with screaming uke, seme, and the likes. However, for now, almost all the seats were empty but three. Midi sat in the front row, sewing on a small bell to Kiyoshi's coat for tonight. Aoi stood beside him, watching Yuki sing and the others play. They worked rather well for their first time playing together. Kihana sat a few seats down, watching with awe, but mostly staring at Kiyoshi.

Akane suddenly stopped playing his keyboard and drew his hands back. The lack of the keyboard's beat made Gin and Kiyoshi both stop playing their instruments, and Yuki to stop singing. "Why did you stop playing!?" Aoi demanded, glaring at Akane.

"I can't hear me playing what with his annoying guitar. It's blocking out the sound of the keyboard," Akane answered, pointing to Kiyoshi near him.

"Aw, are you just saying that cause you don't like me near you and in your space?" Kiyoshi teased, puckering his lips at Akane. Akane almost picked up his keyboard and threw it at the handsome seuke.

Aoi growled and slapped his hand against his forehead. "Okay then! Kiyoshi-san! Move over to stage right! Clear across stage, should help Akane-san play!" he ordered with an annoyed sigh, pointing to the other side of the stage by Gin.

"It's more cool over here!" Gin laughed, tapping his drumsticks on the golden rims of his drums.

"You think that's going to do anything? He's drowning out everybody's sound, even Yuki," Akane disagreed, shaking his head.

Aoi's vein began to pump blood faster and faster against his forehead. "You little military brat! Don't be so spoiled!" he snarled.

"Yuki," Akane said, icily. Yuki looked back at him, adjusting the microphone. "Kiyoshi-san's guitar is blocking out your singing, right?" he inquired, red eyes narrowed. It was more of a rhetorical question.

Yuki laughed, nervously, deciding to answer anyway. "Uh, well, a few parts, yeah. But--not much, and it's only cause he's real close," he chuckled, taking the cloth off his shoulder and wiping away the sweat.

"See?" Akane sniffed.

Aoi tried not to rip out his hair. "Kihana-san! Can you hear everything perfectly?" he demanded, whirling around to face Kihana.

Kihana's eyes widened, suddenly feeling hot in the spotlight. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Kiyoshi tugged on a guitar string. The loud twang caused everyone to look over at him. "Don't put him in this. Let's try it out from where I am now, see if it's helped," he suggested with a cool grin, giving his flustered boss a thumbs up.

Aoi's shoulders drooped as he sighed for the billionth time today. "All right," he mumbled, raising his hands, as if to lead the band into playing like an instructor in an orchestra.

Gin yawned loudly against his hand. "Mmm, can we break now? I'm tired," he whined, scratching his neck.

Aoi's vein reappeared. "Don't be so lazy, quicksilver! To work!" he growled, pointing. Gin pouted and sat up straight, drumsticks ready in hands. Aoi watched as Akane tied his hair back in a loose ponytail, ready to continue. Kiyoshi had his fingers on the guitar strings, mouthing the beats. Yuki clutched the microphone tightly, ready to start.

"Take it away, genki boy!" Aoi shouted, pointing at Yuki.

Yuki smiled as Kiyoshi started to play, then Gin, then Akane. The introduction was beginning, and he only had to wait another minute.

This is so exciting! Despite all the painstaking work, and all the arguments, it's all really worth it! Yuki thought, smiling giddily.

He then tugged the microphone off the stand, brought it to his lips and began to sing.

An Hour Later

"Twenty minutes, everyone! Twenty! Not thirty, not forty, not fifty or sixty! Twenty!" Aoi snapped, raising two fingers, curling his others in a zero. Midi patted his back to calm him.

Yuki sighed, exhausted, as he plopped down on the small chair in the back room beside the stage. Akane walked by, handing him a cup of water. Yuki nodded, took the offered cup and chugged it down. "You'll get a stomach ache," Akane said, pulling another chair closer to Yuki and sitting down.

Yuki pulled the styrofoam cup from his lips, small trails of water trickling down his chin. He breathed in deeply and wiped the water away with the back of his hand. "Yeah. But it felt so good on my throat," he chuckled, before clearing his throat loudly.

Akane sipped his water. "You really put your heart in the music, out there. When we were practicing. I could see you were really into it," he said, nonchalantly.

Yuki playfully licked around the inside of the small cup, catching leftover water drops. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

Akane's eyes narrowed, bored. "I thought someone like you would come into rehearsal whining and crying and demanding to lay down every ten minutes," he stated, quite bluntly with little to no tact.

Yuki glared at him before crushing the cup in his hand and throwing it at Akane. Akane merely moved his head to the side, the wad flying by. "This is serious to me, Akane! I may not be the greatest worker of all time, but I won't take this lying down! I'll work my hardest, even if it is just a rehearsal!" he fumed.

Akane chuckled and took another sip of his water. He finished it, dropping the cup in the trash beside him. "You're going to do fine, Yuki," he assured, softly. Yuki blinked at him, a little surprised at how gentle Akane was talking and looking. "I saw it in your eyes... that determination. It made your eyes glow," Akane murmured, reaching out and gently clutching Yuki's chin, delicately raising his face to see his large green eyes. "Your eyes, and the willpower glowing inside of them... They make me believe we're going to do just fine," he finished, smiling.

Yuki smiled, blushing softly. He rose his hand, clutching Akane's hand that held his chin. "Thanks. We will," he agreed, pressing Akane's hand to his cheek, holding it close and dear.

Akane scooted in closer, both hands on Yuki's cheeks now. He shut his eyes and pressed a kiss to Yuki's lips. Yuki responded back, the taste of fire on his lips, running down his throat, made him feel rejuvenated. Akane pulled back a second later, caressing Yuki warmly on his forehead as his hands now held the sides of his head. "Don't work too hard to the point where you get sick. It's all I ask of you," he whispered, placing a light kiss to Yuki's eyelashes.

Yuki chuckled and gently rubbed cheek to cheek with Akane. "I'll do my best, and you do your best. That's all I ask of you," he said, softly.

"Midi-chan said there was a water fountain back here..."

Gin hummed to himself, walking around backstage, in front of the large red hanging curtains. He blinked, looking at his surroundings.

"I don't want water. I want a strawberry daiquiri," Gin whined, childishly. He released a pouty sigh before continuing his search for the water fountain. Suddenly, he blinked when he saw a door cracked open to a small room. The light was on inside, flashing out into the open.

"It's gotta be in there!" Gin giggled, salivating. He was so thirsty! Gin ran to the open door and pushed it open all the way. He eeped at the sight inside and jumped back.

Kiyoshi and Kihana held onto one another, hands groping each others thighs, under their shirts and along their chests, kissing deeply and passionately. That's when they noticed they had company and stopped all movement. Kihana jumped back, laughing loudly, obnoxiously. "Uh hahahaha! My bad! I gotta go to the bathroom!" he laughed, grinning all his teeth, before rushing out and past Gin.

Gin turned, shouting, "Hey, wa--!"

"Don't worry about him. He did say he needed to use the bathroom before," Kiyoshi assured, fixing his shirt and placing a hand on Gin's shoulder.

Gin whimpered as he looked back at Kiyoshi with large, teary eyes. "I'm so... I'm so sorry!" he cried, feeling horrible and rather embarrassed himself.

Kiyoshi laughed, only slightly nervous, as he patted Gin's back. "Hey, kiddo, don't worry about it! I don't mind, and I doubt he does either! Besides, we were just finishing up anyway!"

Gin used the tip of his braid to wipe the tears away. "Really? You're not pissed or anything?" he sniffed.

Kiyoshi shook his head. "Nope! It's cool!" he beamed, giving another thumbs up.

Gin smiled and looked back behind him, where Kihana had ran. "You two are really cute you know," he giggled. Kiyoshi blinked at him. Gin turned back at Kiyoshi, showing his broad smile. "Whenever you two are together, you can so definitely tell you're Soulmates!"

Kiyoshi chuckled, softly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I feel like Kihana is, well, a piece of me. Or other half, or my same flame. Whatever you want to call it. He's more dear to me than anyone else..." he mumbled, a look of deep, thick love in his dark eyes.

He could see Kihana's bright smile in his mind, those long orange-blonde locks, those strange glasses he always wore over piercing blue eyes. The way he pouted whenever Kiyoshi teased him, and the way he tried so hard not to act like some uke. Kiyoshi could honestly say that Kihana was the only person he could ever show any dark or sad side to.

"It's so precious and lovely! Everyone says that sometimes soul mates restrict you, but... I think that soul mates make you content and not want you to have anyone else," Gin commented, raising his eyes in mid-thought. He then shrugged; "Just my thoughts though!"

"They're very sweet! But do you have anyone you can call your own?" Kiyoshi asked, gently nicking Gin in his chin.

Gin winked and chuckled. "No. I'm still very single," he retorted.

Kiyoshi frowned. "You must be lonely..." he murmured.

Gin flicked a loose silver bang from his eyes. "A little, but not so bad where it makes me depressed," he answered, his smile weak, but there nonetheless. He sighed heartily and threw his hands behind his back, rocking on his heels. "Master's been too busy to find me someone, but I don't mind. I'm in a band, I'm living off my Talent, my dream to perform on stage is coming true. That alone helps me stay warm at night," he finished, winking and raising a wagging finger.

Kiyoshi laughed then clutched Gin's shoulder. "My, you're quite strong spirited. I'm awfully attracted to people as yourself," he purred, gently stroking Gin's silver braid.

Gin smiled seductively back at the slightly taller seuke. "Oh, are you hitting on me, sempai?" he giggled against his knuckles.

"Maybe, maybe not," Kiyoshi snickered, wiggling his brows.

"Oh, but what if Kihana-chan finds out?" Gin moaned, turning around and resting his arms out on Kiyoshi's shoulders.

Kiyoshi gently took his hips and pulled him against his body. "It'll be our little secret, darling," he whispered into Gin's neck, before gently nibbling at his skin.

Gin put on a face of both pain and embarrassment. "Oh, sempai so evil," he whimpered, wriggling.

Kiyoshi pulled back and let Gin go. The two then broke out into a fit of laughter.

"I SAID. TWENTY MINUTES. AND NOW..."

Aoi glared, surrounded by dark shadows. Kihana and Kiyoshi were once more in their little room, making out again. Akane and Yuki were in the other room by the stage, also making out. And somehow, Gin snuck in a wine cooler and was running around on stage, drunk as a bat. "We are DOOOOOMED," Aoi groaned in a very low, low voice.

Midi threw a ball of yarn at Aoi's head, causing the shadows to disappear instantly. "Stop that. You're being so overdramatic," he snorted, licking the small tip of some black string and threading it through the needle hole.

Aoi whined, tears running down his cheeks. "But this is a big deal! And everyone's getting nooky or running around drunk! Man..." he cried, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses.

Midi chuckled, threading the needle in and out of Kiyoshi's outfit. "Aoi-sempai, you shouldn't be so worried. You'll get an ulcer. You know as much as I do that these guys have practiced quite a lot all ready. They can have another ten or so minutes to play around," he said, biting down on his tongue as he forcefully slid the needle through the material.

Aoi sighed and sat down beside him. "Yeah, I know they've all ready gotten in a lot practice," he said, fiddling his thumbs together. He watched quietly as Gin tried playing Kiyoshi's guitar, and was very bad at it. However, Kiyoshi was too busy sticking his tongue down Kihana's throat to say or do anything. Aoi inhaled and looked over at Midi, who remained calm, sewing up the coat. "You know, quite frankly, I know these guys are going to do really well," he said, managing a smile.

Midi looked back at him, returning it. "Oh? You think?"

Aoi nodded. "Despite... despite the small chaos, they're really focused on their band, and they're really, really good," he added, sternly, thrusting a fist in his open hand. "I have confidence in my band!" he exclaimed, narrowing his eyes, head raised high.

"Keep up that attitude, and you're absolutely right," Midi chuckled, using his teeth to bite the string in half once he was finished.

Aoi exhaled, feeling somehow relieved. Even if Gin's guitar playing was giving him a migraine. Aoi looked over at Midi, who paid him no mind. "You're my new therapist!" he squealed, hugging Midi close and causing the poor boy to accidentally pierce himself with the needle.

"MISATOOOOOO!"

Yume watched from her doorway as Sakura jumped out and glomped Misato. Misato fell over, the two tumbling out in the middle of the sidewalk. "Am I--am I late?" Misato asked, painfully lifting his head as Sakura cuddled against him.

Yume shook her head. "You're the last to arrive!" she assured.

Yume's mother watched Misato suspiciously as Yume and Sakura took him upstairs to her bedroom. She then sighed and decided to retire for the night, heading to the living room to watch some TV.

Yume led Misato and Sakura back to her room, where everyone else was it. Seichii, in his baby blue pajamas and night cap, spread his sleeping bag on the ground beside Rois's red one. "I'll sleep on this side of you, okay?" he asked, sitting down on his sleeping bag, placing his backpack in his lap.

Rois nodded, wearing a pair of red boxers and white tank top for pajamas. "No problem!" she assured.

Miki scuttled up to Yume, his face a bright pink. "Um, well, I... I put my things in the living room, b-but until the concert ends, uh," he swallowed, "you don't mind if I sit next to your bed, do you?"

Yume blushed and giggled, hiccuping. "Um, no, it's all right!"

Sakura playfully punched Miki in the shoulder. "You guys act like he just asked if he could sleep in the bed with you!" she laughed, loudly.

Yume shoved her back over to Misato. "Don't say such evil things!" she snarled, although her and Miki's faces were both bright like roses.

Sakura shrugged, grinning wolfishly. "Whatever, he's your boyfriend," she chuckled. She turned and walked over to Misato, barely missing getting slapped upside the head by her friend. Misato went to put a pillow down for him to sit near the door, before Sakura grabbed it and threw it on her sleeping bag and blankets.

"You'll lay by meeee..." she purred, running her clawed fingers along Misato's arms.

Yume harshly poked Sakura in the back of her head. "No sex in my bedroom," she growled. "He's not sleeping with you."

"I told you! No perversion!" Etusushi reminded, lying his sleeping bag beside Rois on his right, and Nyoko on his left. He'd gather his things again when it was time for him to retreat to the living room.

Nyoko, in her long, pretty black nightgown, blushed at the fact he was lying next to him. Etsushi, in his bright orange boxers and sleeved shirt, sat down on his sleeping bag of cute Martians. He gently nudged his elbow in Nyoko's arm. "If I try to do anythin' funny, you can hit me!" he snickered, playfully. Nyoko was as stiff as a rock and blushing from the roots of her hair.

Rois tugged hard on Etsuhi's braid, causing him to wail and fall back. "If he does do anything, I'll be the one who'll hit him," she assured Nyoko, glaring down at her snickering friend.

Seichii finished sorting all the candy and treats out in different piles. "All right. Everyone take your own pile, and only one!" he ordered, glaring back at Sakura, who was trying to hog three. Everyone grabbed their handfuls of candy, drinks and a few pocky sticks and sat down, sorting them into their own little piles.

"I'll go get the popcorn!" Yume declared, before rushing out of the room.

"Let's do perverse stuff before she returns!" Sakura purred, scooting closer to Misato. He barely even noticed her, too indulged with his grape lollipop.

Nyoko waved a hand at her. "No, we don't want to upset Yume-san," she protested, quietly and nervously.

"That's right. We are at her house, we should respect our hostess!" Miki insisted, adjusting his glasses.

"Hostess! Oh, I forgot the cupcakes!" Etsushi whined.

"Suck ups," Sakura snorted, sticking her tongue out at Miki.

Seichii just sighed, yanked down on Sakura's tongue and stuck a piece of pocky in her mouth. Yume scampered back into her room before Sakura could attack Seichii, holding a large bowl of buttery popcorn in her hands. "All right! We all have to share this, remember that!" she stated, glaring at Sakura, who was trying to snatch it first. Sakura pouted, before sitting hip to hip with Misato to feel better.

Miki moved down on his sleeping bag, so Yume could sit beside him. Yume blushed as she shyly sat seiza style beside him, passing the popcorn down to Nyoko, who sat in the middle. Nyoko held it still, squeaking when Sakura tried lunging into the bowl. "What did I say!?" Yume snarled, throwing a piece of her candy at Sakura.

It bounced off Sakura's head, before she caught it. "Your loss!" Sakura beamed evilly, placing the new piece of candy in her pile. Yume merely rolled her eyes and took a handful of popcorn.

"It's 8:30! Time to start!" Rois cheered, almost singing, as she switched on the TV. All the games and everything had been hooked up before them, ready and perfect.

The TV switched on, showing them an image of a large stadium full of screaming people and a band just now walking out on stage. Seichii got up and quickly turned off the lights, before returning to sit and watch with all the others.

Yume and her friends enjoyed watching the first bands perform. What Rois said was right: they were all really good. It made a few of them nervous; was Deranged Rhythm good enough to be in the same league as these bands?

An hour had passed, then another, before it was almost ten. "The next band is coming on! After them, you'll be getting on stage!" Aoi informed, peeking out from the west wing, looking back at Deranged Rhythm.

"All right. We're ready!" Yuki assured, inhaling deeply. He wore the same outfit Midi had made him earlier, complete with make-up.

"About time," Akane grumbled. He sat in a chair, wearing a pair of low cut black slacks, a black turtle neck muscle top and matching combat boots. His black-red streaked hair had been tied back in an intricate fishtail braid. Midi tried to put some makie-up on him, but Akane took out his gun and that was the end of that.

"So nervous!" Kiyoshi laughed, not sounding nervous at all. He wore a pair of black shorts, with black boots and fishnet stockings. Beneath it, he wore a skin tight, black tank top, and over top of it all, a black coat with fishnet layered over top and small silver bells. His hair was messy, unkept, but nice, make-up simple and complimenting.

"Why can't I have just ONE beer before I go on!?" Gin whined, stomping angrily, as the music on the stage drowned it out. He wore a knee long black skirt with dozens of silver, large baby pins in it, black boots and fishnet stockings. For a top, he wore a black sleeved shirt, but the sleeves feathered out towards the end, tied with silver ribbons. The shirt was short and came down just past his nipples, leaving his stomach exposed. His silver hair was kept loose, free, strung with black ribbons, long and lacey.

"You all look so beautiful," Midi sniffled, eyes watering with pride at his outfits and how they looked.

"I think Yuki-kun looks the best, wouldn't you say?"

Yuki widened his eyes, he and his bandmates turning to look back. "I've seen you before..." Aoi grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer.

Yukio stood before them, wearing a loose black tank top and maroon-black pants. Blood red earrings hung from his earlobes, as his arms folded over his chest. Behind him stood Suki, wrapped in a black trenchcoat, looking uncaring as usual. Hoshiko stood beside him, wearing a button up black and yellow robe that ended at his knees. Toyo glared at the group, wearing an oversized black sleeved shirt and torn up levi shorts. Akira was silent, standing in the shadows, watching the people of Deranged Rhythm with interest.

Akane stood up, ready to deal with this Yukio himself. However, Yuki held him back, raising a hand. Akane blinked at him, before standing still, allowing Yuki to take charge. "Yukio. What do you want?" Yuki demanded, as calmly as possible.

"To tell you to break a leg," Yukio chuckled, smiling.

"Literally!" Toyo hissed, sticking his tongue out at Yuki. Gin screwed his face, before sticking his tongue back out at Toyo.

"Ah, Yukio-san. This is the first time we've ever met before," Kiyoshi suddenly smirked, standing up beside Yuki. Akira narrowed his eyes, slightly, sensing something off about Kiyoshi.

"Mm. Guess so. So you're all Deranged Rhythm, I see?" Yukio sighed, brushing a hand through his hair.

"That's right! They're my band, and they're better than you, you siren!" Aoi suddenly roared, leaping forward. Akira rolled his eyes at his immaturity.

Yukio, however, was amused and just laughed. "We'll see about that. This is my band, Blood Lust," he informed, gesturing to his fellow bandmates and manager.

Yuki's and the others eyes widened. "You're... Blood Lust?" Midi asked, gaping.

"Yes. We're coming on last, right after you guys, as it has been negotiated," Yukio explained, calmly. He then smiled and approached Yuki, who stood his ground, Akane edging closer. "I hope you'll stick around to hear the song I wrote. I wrote it with you in mind, Yuki-kun," he purred, gently touching Yuki on the shoulder.

"Get away from him, snake!" Aoi growled, as Midi held him back along with Gin. Akane stepped forward and pulled Yukio's hand off Yuki's shoulder. Yukio glared up at Akane, who returned it with his equally powerful one. Yukio then smiled and stepped away, as was commanded.

"You've got a child for a manager. The way you act," Akira snorted, finally stepping into the conversation, walking up beside Yukio.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aoi demanded, baring his teeth.

Akira flicked some of his hair off his shoulder. "I'm saying, this band is managed by a monkey," he replied, yawning.

Aoi felt that vein from earlier pop into his forehead. "WHY YOU--!" he began, fists raised.

"Back off!" Yuki snapped, startling everyone. Yuki glared at Akira now, frowning dangerously. "Aoi-chan is a better manager than you, I can bet on it!" he growled, defensively.

Aoi felt like melting into a puddle of goo. "Aw, Sugar Bunny, you're so nice--but--" he paused to angrily wipe away a tear. "Why did you have to add the damn chan prefix!?"

Akira just smiled down at Yuki, but said not a word. He turned his back on them and returned to the shadows behind his band. He wasn't really for interactivity, especially with people he didn't like.

Kiyoshi smiled kindly at Yukio and the others. "I suggest you go now. You're making quite a nuisance of yourself here," he cooed.

"Take yer gaki with you!" Gin snickered, pointing at little Toyo.

"I AM NOT SOME PUNK!" Toyo wailed, reaching for his water gun strapped to his hip. Suki sighed and merely picked Toyo up by his belt, carrying the boy off to calm down.

"Too bad. I wanted to spend more time with you, Yuki-kun," Yukio sighed, smiling back at Yuki as he turned and left with Akira, Suki and Toyo.

Hoshiko brushed back some of his hair. "Good luck, Yuki-kun," he snickered, before disappearing with his bandmates.

"Fuckheads," Midi growled, as he gave Aoi a glass of water to calm down.

"They're actually what you call rivals," Kiyoshi corrected, remaining ever so calm.

"I don't like them! Any of them!" Gin fumed, feathers still ruffled from their comments about Aoi's work performance.

Akane just glared until there was nothing but empty shadows. He looked down at Yuki, who looked both angry and stunned. "You okay?" he asked, clutching Yuki's shoulder.

Yuki was knocked out of his daze, before laughing. "Yeah. I'm okay," he assured, smiling up at Akane. Akane stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding.

Kihana suddenly burst into backstage, panting loudly. "Sorry, I had to do something real quick! Did I miss anything?" he coughed, placing a hand to his chest.

Kiyoshi just laughed loudly before pulling Kihana into a hug. "Good luck snog before I go on!" he sang, before kissing Kihana deeply, running his hands up and down Kihana's hips. Kihana squirmed and squeaked a bit, before eventually giving in.

"We're on in like another minute," Aoi said, looking out at the stage. The current band was finishing their last song.

Yuki took in a deep breath before stretching. "All right. Let's do a prayer or something. Something for good luck," he ordered, holding out his hands.

Everyone looked amongst each other, before they slowly all connected hands, standing in a circle. Even Midi and Aoi joined the circle, but Kihana decided to stay back and watch. Yuki shut his eyes and bowed his head, before speaking: "This concert is the turning point of our band. This will be the first time we all play together. And this will be the time we shine our brightest and win everyone's attention. Let's do our best to win their hearts, but not overdo ourselves. Most importantly, lets be ourselves when we do it."

"Let's thank all those who have inspired us," Kiyoshi spoke up, opening one eye back at Kihana. Kihana blushed, feeling very special at the moment.

"To all those who have motivated us," Akane murmured, squeezing Yuki's hand tighter.

"To all those who have made us feel better during all this work!" Gin laughed, nudging an elbow in Kiyoshi's arm.

"And to all the support we've gotten," Midi finished, gesturing with his head at Aoi and those who were watching them.

"All right," Yuki breathed, opening his eyes and releasing hands. "Let's do it!" he laughed.

And it was very, very hard to keep all of Yume and most of her friends from trying to break the TV set after watching what Blood Lust had done. However, Leiko, Keiko and their friends were giggling away happily.

"SQUEE! LOOK, THEY'RE ON! THEY'RE ON!"

Sakura wailed, practically strangling Misato. The group all watched as the announcer finished introducing Deranged Rhythm, before stepping away. Yuki, followed by the others, walked out on stage, the people in the crowd cheering. Mochi Shabu smiled as she sat up on one of the booths at the top of the stadium, gleaming with pride.

Yume, Sakura, Seichii, Etsushi and Rois all squealed and got bloody noses at the sight of Midi's outfits. "They're all so hot on stage with those on!" they cheered, giddy like fangirls.

"My Midi-chan made them!" Etsushi stated, boldly, pointing to his orange game.

"Shh, shh, they're about to start!" Seichii whispered, waving his hands at the chattering girls and boys. They all became quiet as Yuki stood up to the microphone, and his bandmates went to their instruments.

Yuki breathed deeply, his body shaking nervously. This felt so good, but at the same time, so nerve racking.

Yes. We can... I can do this.

Yuki nodded back at Kiyoshi, who winked. Kiyoshi started threading his fingers through the guitar strings, releasing a gorgeous beat. Akane pushed his fingers into the keyboard, adding more color to Kiyoshi's beat. Gin slapped his drumsticks together then began pounding away, the melody almost complete. Midi and Aoi bit their lips, hoping to god nothing went wrong. To complete the beat, Yuki opened his mouth and began to sing.

"A queer distinction,

a lame stature.

Confusion in clarification,

my body with no soul left to harbor.

A hermit without a mind,

a fool with a brain."

Misato's eyes practically glowed. "Wow! He's so awesome! And the band kicks ass!" he swooned, crawling closer to the TV.

"The song is even better now than it was before!" Sakura whispered, too awed by the singing to notice Misato's butt was in her face.

"A soulless creature,

who has enough heart to take all the blame.

Predictable irony,

and pride filled shame.

I am a mistake,

made on purpose.

Loaded dice,

that lose at every game."

"I can hear Kiyoshi-san's guitar so perfectly. He's playing such a strange but sweet melody..." Nyoko whispered with a smile. She shut her eyes and gently rocked to the beat of the song, hands cupping the back of her ears.

"They're all really, really talented! It's like we're at a real life concert!" Etsushi exclaimed, cheerfully.

"A fire that burns like ice,

like a watery flame.

I'm like a wind,

that causes nothing to sway.

But yet a stone could move me,

frozen,

in any which way."

"Is that Yuki-kun, the singer, yours?" Miki asked, keeping his glowing eyes glued on the TV. Yume was gushing with pride, nodding quickly.

"Look at them go! It's like they've been doing this for years!" Rois laughed, lying out on her stomach, watching with wide eyes.

"You have the key to my door,

which does not fit at all.

You are my other half,

even when I'm already whole.

You are a shield filled with holes,

and I am the knight in shining armor that must be saved.

I am a body,

and you are a soul."

"Beautiful..." Kiyoshi swooned, clapping.

"This is a pure adrenaline rush..." Aoi whispered, watching with a large smile on his face.

"It almost makes my heart wanna burst," Midi wheezed, fanning himself.

Mochi Shabu smiled, satisfied.

Yuki inhaled deeply as he was about to finish the last set of lyrics.

I feel strangely relaxed. Real calm. Like... this was what I was meant to do. And nobody hates me, nobody wants to tear me down. I want to do this forever, with the people I love. I'll make ourselves into shining stars yet... Yuki thought, before his deep green eyes opened and he finished his song:

"So...

Meld yourself to my soulless body,

and share with me that gorgeous soul.

In return you'll help share my body,

and we'll be one forever more.

Look at me,

even though you have no eyes.

No need to be amazed,

I've come into your nightmares as a dream.

Yet...I heard many a man sell their soul to the devil,

and share a dying smile of relief in damnation.

I'll just fuck myself over,

like you once fucked me.

So I trade you into the devil,

and then I can really be free...

just for a little while,

until I meet you in the Pit again."

The roar of the crowd was the loudest anyone had heard that night. Akane smiled as he wiped the sweat from his face, before gasping when he looked at Yuki.

"What the hell is going on!?" Yume wailed, clutching her game as it began to beep.

Sakura placed a hand to her mouth and pointed to the screen. "Look!" she squealed, somewhat horrified. Yume looked up, eyes wide with awe.

Yuki stood before the shrieking fans, but he had changed. He was more taller now, a little more lean, his shoulders gaining a bit of stature. His once large lime green eyes were now more slim, like cat eyes. With a soft 'whoosh', his green hair had turned dark, his bangs long and feathering his face.

"He's... Matured..." Nyoko murmured, blinking.

Kihana rubbed down his glasses. "Wow... he looks so good..."

Midi smiled, hands clutched together. "He's hit Mature Stage 2. All that energy, it upgraded him. He's become the Mature Stage 2 version," he explained, absolutely touched at what he had just saw.

"Yuki..." Akane whispered, Kiyoshi and Gin exchanging looks.

Yuki looked from the microphone then to Akane and his bandmates. "Let's continue playing, shall we?" he chuckled, before giving a little wink.

THE END

Congratulations, you've finished the story. :3 Thank you so much for taking your time to give a looksy! I hope you enjoyed it! It was a pleasure getting all your kind reviews, concrit and emails. Without your guy's support, YDG would probably never have made it past chapter one! Endless supply of raburabu for each and every one of my readers!

I'd like to give special thanks to the following people: Babyg, owner of Sasha and Akira; Nica, my old beta; Sae, for creating the short lived RPG; Tsuyuno, owner of Rois and Aoi and to all my friends who have supported me.

I hope you will stick around for the second book. Currently it is a bit of a hiatus, but I do hope to continue it someday along the line. I hope you'll be there when I do! A lot has been edited and changed from the original version, but hopefully for the best!

PINKLEMONADE - 3/30/08